Turns out those plastic 'pods' for washing machines and dishwashers are not good for the environment. When water comes in contact with pods, the plastic dissolves to release the detergent inside, and then the dissolved plastic goes down the drain. While a good percentage of that plastic does get captured by wastewater treatment plants, a lot of it still ends up in aquatic ecosystems. The best way to help is to avoid plastic-encased pods and stick with powdered alternatives that are plastic-free, including the paperboard box they are packaged.
Hello again, dear readers, and welcome to our monthly letters column. We're headed into the season of indoor gatherings, so it's time to think about strategies for preventing COVID-19 and the flu. We'll discuss this soon in an upcoming column. For now, we urge everyone to please get your flu vaccine and the new bivalent COVID-19 booster. It's recommended for everyone 5 years of age and older who has completed the initial vaccine series. Being vaccinated makes a difference.
DEAR HARRIETTE: I am watching my friend become a snob right before my eyes. She is earning significantly more money than she did last year, and it has turned her into a completely different person. We had favorite bars, restaurants and retail stores that we used to frequent, and now she acts like all those places are beneath her. I am worried that I've lost my friend. What should I do? — Who Are You?
Alot remains uncertain about the midterm elections. Republicans will almost certainly run the House, but how will they operate with a tiny margin? Control of the Senate probably won’t be decided until Georgia’s runoff election on Dec. 6. But it’s still possible to draw some useful lessons for the future.
Now that the mid-term elections are essentially over and the festive holidays are just around the corner, we thought it was a good time to put the divisive political hatred behind us and take some time to laugh about it instead.