Overdosing Epidemic Caused 100,000 Died in the USA – Science 9

Fig 01- Urine drug test sold in Walmart, just illustration

Based on report by Center for Diseases Control and Prevention (CDC, 2021) that overdosing drug use reaches 100,000 died from April 2020 to April 2021. The highest recorded ever.

There are many drugs are consumed overdoses, 10 of them caused death frequently.

These drugs include in the 3 categories, they are opioids, benzodiazepines and stimulants.

Opioids drugs are:

- fentanyl
- heroin
- oxycodone
- methadone
- morphine
- hydrocodone

Fig 02- One of medical centers to serve people health

Two benzodiazepines which are used overdoses:

- alprazolam
- and diazepam

Fig 03- Gnomen clature, illustration

Stimulant drugs are:

- cocaine
- and methamphetamine

Fig 04- One of rehabilitation centers for drug abuses

Drug abuses lead to dead has increased dramatically, about 30% compared to last year.

The question then, why so many people abused drugs in this year?

The simple answer and main reason due Covid 19 pandemic. People getting stress and stress:

- higher unemployment
- lock down

How about with your places or countries? Are there drug overdose problems?

# Previous postings:

- Birds Fly Over Our Backyard – Nature 10
- Do you know about E. coli Bacteria? - part 2 - Healthy Life 12
- Why the Free Meals Program could Attract Kids to Come to Library?
- Lobsters have Good Nutritional Values for Health – Healthy Life 13
- One of Ways to Make Barbeque in the Nature – Food 7

Organic Vs Natural Foods – Part 5 – Food 9

Fig 01- Egg plants, illustration

You may read previous postings (Part 1, 2, 3 and 4):

- Organic Vs Natural Foods – Part 1 – Food 9
- Organic Vs Natural Foods – Part 2 – Food 9
- Organic Vs Natural Foods – Part 3 – Food 9
- Organic Vs Natural Foods – Part 4 – Food 9

From previous postings, we may draw several conclusions:

1) Natural foods are foods that are extracted from plants and animals without chemically altered or synthesized.

# They are minimally processed and not contain specific additives, including:

- sweeteners
- food colors
- flavorings
- and antibiotics.

Fig 02- Pomegranates seeds

1) Whereas organic foods are produced, manufactured and controlled by certified organizations.

# In the USA, we have USDA to manage organic foods certification in order to comply with USA Organic Food Products Act

Fig 03- Asparagus, ready to cook

Organic foods are not necessary natural foods, vice versa, natural foods are not mean organic foods.

Fig 04- Fish with vegetables.

There are advantages and disadvantages of organic foods compared to natural foods, thus, organic food probably isn’t more nutritious and safer than natural food.

Finally, Organic and natural produced foods aren’t much different in terms of their benefit (advantages) to human being.

Fig 05- Illustration, dolls

References

Faber, S. 2016. Demand for Organic Food Growing Faster than Domestic Supply. Retrieved from organic consumer organisation.

Lange, SB. 2016. No scientific proof that organic food is healthier than non- organic food. Retrieved from sciennordic.

Merz, S. 2016. What is the Difference between Natural and Organic? Retrieved from https://www.kudolife.com..//

Organic Food. 2016. Difference Between Organic and Natural Food. Retrieved from organicfacts.

Valliant, M. 2014. 2014. Top 10 reasons why organic food is more expensive. Retrieved from hellawella.

Fig 06- Wild fruit in yard.

# Previous postings:

- Green Bean and Papaya Delight – Food 4
- Mental Awareness and Vaccination – Healthy Life 10
- A Bouquet from Combinations of Flowers and Vegetables
- The Best Steakhouse in my City, Louisiana – Food 5
- Measles Outbreak in a Recent year – Part 1 – Healthy Life 11
- Do You Know that Some Musical Instruments Made from Bamboo? - Art 2
- Measles Outbreak in a Recent year – Part 2 – Healthy Life 11
- Have You Tasted Matcha Latte with Soy Milk or Almond Milk? - Food 6
- Can Succulents Improve Room Humidity? - Science 6
- Do You Visit Car Service Center Every Year?
- Like Crazy, “a wild child cares for the wild woman who raised him” - Reading 2
- Do you know about E. coli Bacteria? - part 1 - Healthy Life 12

Old Car – Chevrolet Monte Carlo 1970s

Fig 01- Chevrolet Monte Carlo 1970s

When we visited a garden in our city, we saw an old car coming and then driver parks the car at the parking lot.

What make me wonder:

- how old is the car?
- how to maintain this old car?

By searching through internet, I found interesting facts about Chevrolet Monte Carlo:

- the first generation of car was made in 1970 to 1972
- 130,657 cars are built in 1970
- 5742 cars are built as Super Sport (SS) cars in 1970
- new brand car price was US$3,123

Yes, some cars, especially SS 454s are well maintain and still running on the street now days.

Are they sold in the market today?

Fig 02- Lonely parked at the corner

Fig 03- Photo from back

Yes, there are bargaining in the market with plenty of interest between buyers and sellers.

You might surprise that 41% owner of 1970 SS Chevrolet Monte Carlo is young generation or generation X who born between 1965 to 1980.

How the price?

Based on reported by Greg Ingold (2021 in Hagerty Media) that the best performance car was sold with price tag US$ 100,100.

# Previous postings:

- Summer, be aware with Traveler's Diarrhea – Healthy Life 7
- Do You Know a Sign of Bipolar Disorder? - Healthy Life 8
- Oyster is One of Favorite Seafood in Louisiana – Food 2
- Is Strawberry Greek Yogurt Good For Health? - Healthy Life 9
- Do You Know about Golden Kiwis Fruit? - Food 3
- Grass in Our Yard during Hot Summer

Can Texting Make You Shopping More and Fat? - Part 1 - Healthy Life 17

Fig 01- Shopping more after texting

Many researchers found that texting (by using smartphone) can cause weight gain, and even while doing activities such as walking or jogging may make people get more fat.

It is because texting make people reduce their steps, slow their movement, thus metabolism slow down, then calories burning less in our body.

Moreover, Smith, J in a report published by Runner’s World (2019: Here’s How Much Being Glued to Your Phone Ups Your Odds of Obesity) suggested about the bad sides of using smartphone that:

- 5 hours per day with smartphone will increase 43% risk of obesity.
- discourage people to eat healthy food
- make people less doing exercises

Smartphone is so attractive now days, the simple reason that it has similar and even might be better than certain portable computer in term of internet connections and applications.

Fig 02- Pumpkin and decoration, illustration only

Fig 03- Milk chocolate, illustration.

We can use multiple functions of a smart phone such as:

- sending e-mail
- texting few words
- making friendly call
- searching information through internet
- watching video
- playing game
- and many more.

# To be continued to part 2

## Previous postings:

- When do Pine Trees of our Neighborhood Produce Nuts? - Nature 9
- Could Positive Thinking Lead to Live Longer? - Healthy Life 6
- Family Saga and Meaning to be a Good Person – Part 2 - Reading 1

Do You Know Ghost Orchids? - Part 2 – Nature 14

A ghost orchid print, sold by Walmart

Previous posting (Part 1):

- Do You Know Ghost Orchids? - Part 1 – Nature 14

It is believed that ghost orchids are decreasing day by day due to many causes include:

- over collection by human
- but the most responsible is human development in state of Florida.

The development leads to destruction and changes of habitat and hydro-logical conditions.

From several sources that no nursery and garden centers sell the ghost orchids, but we can buy the seeds in some nursery centers in the Florida.

I tried to search in Walmart and Home Depot nurseries at my town, Louisiana, but nothing.

I just found the print without frame for US$ 11.99 and with frame for US$ 29.99 each piece.

Quite beautiful to hang on the wall.

One of ghost orchid pollinators, fig sphinx (credit to iNaturalist NZ).

Like other flowers, ghost orchids have pollinators as well. Four or five moths species visit orchid for pollination frequently.

Three of them are well known:

- fig sphinx (Pachylia ficus)
- pawpaw sphinx moths (Dolba hyloeus)
- giant sphinx moth (Cocytius anteus)

The giant sphinx moth has long proboscises to feed on orchid’s nectar, then pollinates the flowers.

Did you hear about ghost orchids?

Have You Seen them in Nature or somewhere else?

# Previous postings:

- Alligator in the Nearby Neighborhood - Nature 7
- Wild Animals and Birds in my Backyard – Nature 8a
- Flash Flood at my Neighborhood - Nature 8b
- First Important Step to Know Mental Illness - Healthy Life 5
- Family Saga and Meaning to be a Good Person – Part 1 - Reading 1

Organic Vs Natural Foods – Part 4 – Food 9

Nice dip, just for illustration

Previous postings (Part 1, 2 and 3):

- Organic Vs Natural Foods – Part 1 – Food 9
- Organic Vs Natural Foods – Part 2 – Food 9
- Organic Vs Natural Foods – Part 3 – Food 9

In respect to price, organic foods cost 20 percent to 100 percent more than conventionally produced foods (Valliant, 2014).

Some of the reasons are:

- more labors
- demand higher than supply
- higher cost fertilizer
- crop rotation to keep soil healthy and prevent weed growth
- grows more slowly
- post-harvest handling cost
- and organic certification costs

White onions, illustration only

The certification is provided by USDA (United States Department of Agricultures).

In term of shelf life, organic foods last longer than natural foods, since natural foods less proceed and contain higher water.

Water caused natural foods to be spoiled easily. But, since organic foods is handled and sold by big supermarket (Merz, 2016) or specific retails such as Whole Foods Market, thus, organic food is often fresher.

Then, fresh food tastes better.

# To be continued to Part 5

## Previous postings:

- Can Six Dolar Drug Kill Covid 19 Virus? - Healthy Life 3
- Hot Summer in the USA – Temperature above 40 Celsius degree – Nature 6
- Which One Has Vitamin C more - Red Bell Pepper or Orange? - Healthy Life 4

Do You Know Ghost Orchids? - Part 1 – Nature 14

One of ghost orchids (credit to The news-Press)

I just read from medias and make me curious about “ghost orchid” (Dendrophylax lindenii).

It is because:

1. Ghost orchid is a rare species, found only in Cuba and Florida
2. Two thousand orchids only live in the Florida
3. Several percentages, about two hundred orchids blooming in summer.
4. Orchids have no leaves
5. Roots cling to the bark of trees.

Uniquely, ghost orchid blooming once a year only from June to August in nature. The blooming could last for several weeks.

As suggested by Russell McLendon (2019: 12 Enchanting Quirks of the Rare Ghost Orchid) that other specific characters of ghost orchid:

- orchid may germinate after infection by certain fungus
- smell likes apples

Another ghost orchid (credit to Florida Native Orchid)

What species of trees which ghost orchids to attach to?

Four important tree species are:

- maple
- cypress
- pond apple
- palm tree

How about with ghost orchid population in nature?

Are they decreasing in number?

# To be continued to Part 2

## Previous postings:

- White Azaleas in the City Garden – Nature 5
- The Amphibians Near Extinct due to Fungus Disease – Science 5
- What is Coronasomnia? - Healthy Life 2