US Government Says UFOs are “Real”

An Analysis of the 60 Minutes Investigation 
BY MICK WEST

The 60 Minutes segment of Sunday May 16, 2021 (available on YouTube), was no doubt for many people a startling revelation that the US Government has admitted that UFOs are “real” and the military is investigating them. But for me it was a walk down memory lane, a recap of the curious events of the last four years. A disappointing recap at that, as I’d hoped at least for some new nuggets of information that I could use to help solve the rather complicated puzzle of just exactly what is going on.

The segment opens with an interview with a familiar character, Luis Elizondo, reputedly the former head of a $22 million program instigated by Senator Harry Reid called AATIP: the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program. Ostensibly this was created to study possible future developments in aerospace. Elizondo claims the program was actually created to study UFOs (or, as they prefer to call them now, UAPs, or Unidentified Aerial Phenomena.) Put out to tender in 2008, the budget was awarded to Harry Reid’s friend, Robert Bigelow, a UFO and paranormal enthusiast.

Elizondo opens with the startling claim that “the Government has already stated for the record that [UFOs] are real.” Startling, that is, until you remember that “UFO” does not necessarily mean alien visitors, but rather something unidentified in the sky, something about which the observer lacks sufficient information to identify. Obviously, the government would admit such things are “real.” A mylar balloon floating into the range of a Navy jet’s camera is “real”, but the U in UFO and UAP does not mean extraterrestrial, or even necessarily an aerial technology beyond any known physics and aerodynamics.

Elizondo then goes on to describe craft exhibiting startling technologies—the ability to accelerate at a physics-defying 600g, reaching speeds of 17,000 mph in the atmosphere, or even through water. These are things that the government very much has not admitted are real. […]

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Study Finds That Extreme Exercise Carries Metabolic Consequences

by Shawna Williams for The Scientist e-zine

Healthy people put through high-intensity interval training, or HIIT, displayed  insulin resistance and mitochondrial dysfunction after working out excessively.

 As a researcher at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, Filip Larsen would hear anecdotes about the downsides of too much exercise—a common enough phenomenon that nevertheless puzzled him. “All athletes know if you train too much, something’s happening. . . . Your legs feel terrible after a while, and then if you just continue, you have these psychological disturbances too, like mood disturbances,” he says. “That hasn’t been really described in the literature—no one knows exactly what’s going on.”

To find out, Larsen and his colleagues recruited 11 healthy young people and put them through a 4-week, increasingly intense regimen of sessions on a stationary bike while monitoring their glucose tolerance and mitochondrial function. During the toughest week, the subjects displayed insulin resistance and other deleterious metabolic changes, the team reported last week (March 18) in Cell Metabolism.  

“It’s a very impressive study,” says Thijs Eijsvogels, an exercise physiology researcher at Radboud University Medical Center who was not involved in the work. Typically, cardio-metabolic health improves with greater exercise volumes, and the results indicate that there’s a point at which those benefits stop accruing, he notes.

That changed in the third week, designed to represent excessive training, during which the participants completed a grueling 152 minutes of intervals over the course of the week. After that, the subjects’ intrinsic mitochondrial respiration fell by an average of 40 percent compared with the samples taken at the end of the moderate-intensity week, the researchers report. 

It’s quite similar to the changes that you see in people that are starting to develop diabetes or insulin resistance.
—Filip Larsen, Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences

Furthermore, the subjects’ glucose tolerance—measured by their glucose levels before and after they consumed a sweet drink—also dropped between the light-training week and the end of the excessive-training week (no oral glucose test was performed after the moderate training week). “It’s quite similar to the changes that you see in people that are starting to develop diabetes or insulin resistance,” Larsen says. 

After a recovery period, during which participants completed 53 minutes of intervals spread across the week, most measures rebounded. Oxygen consumption and power output during exercise, as measured by how hard they pedaled, were higher after recovery than at baseline or at any other point during the experiment. However, intrinsic mitochondrial respiration had not fully recovered by the end of the experiment, remaining 25% lower after recovery than it had been after the moderate week. 

In a second component of the experiment, the researchers monitored blood glucose levels in 15 elite athletes who weren’t subject to any intervention and in matched, non-athlete controls. On average, the two groups’ levels over a given 24-hour period were about the same, but the athletes spent more time with glucose levels either above or below the normal range. Eijsvogels remarked, “I think joining together all of these findings gives a really strong message of the impact of repeated and sustained bouts of intense exercise training on glucose tolerance,” he says. 

The study didn’t examine what, if any, long-term health consequences might arise from excessive exercise. Linda Pescatello, who studies the health effects of exercise at the University of Connecticut and was not involved in the study, says she suspects the findings about the effects of over-exercise do indeed have real-life ramifications, with individuals having different thresholds for over-exercise depending on their fitness levels.

She points to a 2020 review article, coauthored by Eijsvogels, that found associations between very high levels of exercise and what the authors called “potential cardiac maladaptations” such as coronary artery calcification. “I guess the bottom line is, especially for the average person, all in moderation if you want to maximize the health benefits” of exercise, she says. 

Study coauthor Mikael Flockhart, also at the Swedish School of Sport and Health Sciences, says that it’s not clear where the “tolerable limit of training” is. Knowing where that limit is, he says, would be helpful to everyone. 

Reference: M. Flockhart et al., “Excessive exercise training causes mitochondrial functional impairment and decreases glucose tolerance in healthy volunteers,” Cell Metab, doi:10.1016/j.cmet.2021.02.017, 2021.

When Men Behave Badly: The Hidden Roots of Sexual Deception, Harassment, and Assault

Sexual conflict permeates ancient religions, from injunctions about thy neighbor’s wife to the permissible rape of infidels. It is etched in written laws that dictate who can and cannot have sex with whom. Its manifestations shape our sexual morality, evoking approving accolades or contemptuous condemnation. It produces sexual double standards that flourish even in the most sexually egalitarian cultures on earth. And although every person alive struggles with sexual conflict, most of us see only the tip of the iceberg: dating deception, a politician’s unsavory sexual grab, the slow crumbling of a once-happy marriage, a romantic breakup that turns nasty. When Men Behave Badly shows that this “battle of the sexes” is deeper and far more pervasive than anyone has recognized, revealing the hidden roots of sexual conflict — roots that originated over deep evolutionary time — which define the sexual psychology we currently carry around in our 3.5-pound brains. Providing novel insights into our minds and behaviors, When Men Behave Badly presents a unifying new theory of sexual conflict, and offers practical advice for men and women seeking to avoid it.

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7 Hidden Messages On Packaged Food Labels You’re Not Noticing

by Kiersten Hickman for “Eat This, Not That”

We spoke with a registered dietitian about the specific things you should be looking for in a food label. As you peruse items in your grocery store and see foods with labels like "heart-healthy" and "all-natural," it almost seems like every item in the store has some kind of healthy spin to it. While those front labels try to make their foods sound healthier, the nutrition food labels can reveal a very different, but true picture.

In order to learn how to properly read nutrition labels and look for any hidden messages the front of the box may be missing, we spoke with Maggie Michalzcyk, RDN and founder of OnceUponAPumpkinRD.com, about what specific things to look for in your food labels. The next time you go to pick up snacks to stock up on, here's how to make sure those snacks are truly healthy.

1). Look for high fiber & high protein: When it comes to picking out her snacks, Michalzyck says she likes to look for higher counts of fiber and protein. "You want the snack to be giving you nutrition like protein and fiber to tie you over to the next meal and not a ton of sugar," says Michalzyck. If you're looking for snacks that actually make you feel full and have nutritional benefit, look for these two things.

2). Be mindful of the sugar count: "People should look out at the sugar content," says Michalzyck. "Check ingredients on packaged goods—you may not expect there to be sugar alcohols, multiple types of sugar, and other ingredients, but there can be." Make sure to calculate how much sugar you should eat in a day so you can calculate the proper amounts.

3). Be wary of a long ingredient list: "A super long ingredient list is a telltale sign that the product is not the healthiest," says Michalczyk. "It's important to read the ingredient list, especially if you have allergies or sensitivities or just prefer to say away from a certain ingredient. Maybe you think there would never be two different types of sugar in your frozen ravioli, only to read the label and find out that there is."

4). The order of the ingredient list matters: Ever wonder why the list of ingredients on a label isn't just in alphabetical order? That's because the order of the list matters! "Ingredients are listed in predominance of weight in the ingredient list—the thing it has the most of is first," says Michalcyzk. Check what the first few ingredients are to know what that item is really made of.

5). Note where sugar is on the ingredients list: Is sugar first on the ingredient list? You may want to put that item right back on the shelf! "One thing to know about sugar content is that you can know that the sugar will be high if you look at the ingredient list and sugar is one of the first few things listed," says Michalzyck. "More often than not when I see sugar as the first ingredient, I don't need to look at the rest because I will start looking for a different (healthier) alternative."

6). Look for high fructose corn syrup: If there's one ingredient to avoid, it's high-fructose corn syrup. "I say try to stay away from high fructose corn syrup in any and all products," says Michalczyk. High-fructose corn syrup is a sweetener chemically similar to sugar (derived from corn syrup) and studies have shown that frequent consumption of this product has contributed to obesity and related health issues, according to Mayo Clinic.

7). Look at the calories per serving:  A packaged good may have more than one serving in some products, so make sure you pay attention to the calories per serving, how large that serving actually is, and how many serving each package contains. When you use it, be sure to measure it out so you an account for the proper amount of calories.

8). The types of fat matter: While some think having foods with fat in it is unfavorable, it's actually healthy to have a reasonable amount of fat in your diet—it’s a longer burning fuel and helps you feel full. However, knowing the different types of fat will matter when reading a nutrition label. According to Mayo Clinic, limit your saturated fat count to less than 10 percent of target calories per day. As for trans fat, while some trans fats are created naturally in some foods (but in very small amounts), most items with partially hydrogenated trans fat can increase blood cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels. In short, it could increase your risk of cardiovascular disease. In short, be wary of items with a high trans-fat count.

Mental Immunity: Infectious Ideas, Mind Parasites, and the Search for a Better Way to Think

Astonishingly irrational ideas are spreading. COVID-19 denial, anti-vaxxers compromising public health, conspiracy thinking hijacking minds and inciting mob violence, toxic partisanship cleaving our nations, the return of Flat Earth theory… What the heck is going on? Why is all this happening, and why now? More important, what can we do about it? Does our “right to our opinion” trump our responsibilities? Does the resulting ethos effectively compromise mental immune systems, allowing “mind parasites” to overrun them? Are conspiracy theories, evidence-defying ideologies, and garden-variety bad ideas all species of mind parasites, each of which employs clever strategies to circumvent mental immune systems? In this conversation, based on the book Mental Immunity, Andy Norman shows that minds and cultures have immune systems, and that they really can break down. Fortunately, he assures us that they can also be built up: strengthened against ideological corruption. Can his ideas revolutionize our capacity for critical thinking?

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Study Links Mushroom Consumption To Lowered Risk Of Cancer

from The Optimist Daily e-zine

We at The Optimist Daily are no stranger to the power of mushrooms. These versatile  fungi can be used to make sustainable clothing, treat depression, and even build decomposable coffins. Now, a new study from Penn State College of Medicine indicates that mushroom consumption could help protect against cancer. 

The study analyzed 17 cancer studies from 1966 to 2020 and found that people who incorporated any variety of mushrooms into their daily diets had a lower risk of cancer. Specifically, those who ate 18 grams of mushrooms daily had a 45 percent lower risk of cancer compared to those who did not eat mushrooms. 

The researchers believe this health benefit is tied to mushrooms’ high concentration of ergothioneine, a unique and potent antioxidant. Diving deeper, the researchers found that mushroom consumption is particularly beneficial in terms of preventing breast cancer. 

More research is needed to determine the exact link between mushrooms and better health, but this study is a great starting point and for those looking to give themselves a health boost, consider throwing some extra mushrooms into your diet today.

Foods Linked To Better Brain Power from the Harvard Health e-zine

Just as there is no magic pill to prevent cognitive decline, no single almighty brain food can ensure a sharp brain as you age. Nutritionists emphasize that the most important strategy is to follow a healthy dietary pattern that includes a lot of fruits, vegetables, legumes, and whole grains. Try to get protein from plant sources and fish and choose healthy fats, such as olive oil or canola, rather than saturated fats.

That said, certain foods in this overall scheme are particularly rich in healthful components like omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins, and antioxidants, which are known to support brain health and often referred to as brain foods. Incorporating many of these foods into a healthy diet on a regular basis can improve the health of your brain, which could translate into better mental function.

Research shows that the best brain foods are the same ones that protect your heart and blood vessels, including the following:

1). Green, leafy vegetables. Leafy greens such as kale, spinach, collards, and broccoli are rich in brain-healthy nutrients like vitamin K, lutein, folate, and beta carotene. Research suggests these plant-based foods may help slow cognitive decline.

2). Fatty fish. Fatty fish are abundant sources of omega-3 fatty acids, healthy unsaturated fats that have been linked to lower blood levels of beta-amyloid—the protein that forms damaging clumps in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease. Try to eat fish at least twice a week, but choose varieties that are low in mercury, such as salmon, cod, canned light tuna, and pollack. If you're not a fan of fish, ask your doctor about taking an omega-3 supplement, or choose terrestrial omega-3 sources such as flaxseeds, avocados, and walnuts.

3). Berries. Flavonoids, the natural plant pigments that give berries their brilliant hues, also help improve memory, research shows. In a 2012 study published in Annals of Neurology, researchers at Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital found that women who consumed two or more servings of strawberries and blueberries each week delayed memory decline by up to two-and-a-half years.

4). Tea and coffee. The caffeine in your morning cup of coffee or tea might offer more than just a short-term concentration boost. In a 2014 study published in The Journal of Nutrition, participants with higher caffeine consumption scored better on tests of mental function. Caffeine might also help solidify new memories, according to other research. Investigators at Johns Hopkins University asked participants to study a series of images and then take either a placebo or a 200-milligram caffeine tablet. More members of the caffeine group were able to correctly identify the images on the following day.

5). Walnuts. Nuts are excellent sources of protein and healthy fats, and one type of nut in particular might also improve memory. A 2015 study from UCLA linked higher walnut consumption to improved cognitive test scores. Walnuts are high in a type of omega-3 fatty acid called alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), which helps lower blood pressure and protects arteries. That's good for both the heart and brain.

Religious vs. Secular Morality — Science and the Good: The Tragic Quest for the Foundations of Morality

In their book Science and the Good, professional philosophers James Hunter and Paul Nedelisky trace the origins and development of the centuries-long, passionate, but ultimately failed quest to discover a scientific foundation for morality. The conversation takes a decidedly interesting turn when Drs. Hunter and Nedelisky reveal that they are both theists and that their Christian worldview informs their thinking on moral issues. The three then dig into the weeds of the difference between religious and secular moral systems, the nature of God and morality, why a purely naturalistic approach to morality does not negate religion or even the existence of God (natural law could be God’s way of creating moral values), natural rights and rights theory, consequentialism, deontology, and virtue ethics, progress in philosophy, why philosophers never seem to reach consensus on important subjects like morality, how to think about issues like abortion, why they believe in God and follow the Christian religion and yet reject Divine Command Theory, and much more.

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Build A Better Core

from Harvard Health Watch 

Your core is the stable part of your body that helps make everyday movements more efficient and safe — like whenever you reach, carry, walk, bend, or twist. Your core is more than just your abdominals — it also involves your hips, back, and even your shoulders. A strong core offers other health benefits as you age in addition to proper movement.

Get More From Your Core: Core strength has far-reaching benefits. For instance, significant weakness in core musculature may contribute to a forward head posture and an increase the upper back's curvature, which can trigger neck and shoulder pain. Sore knee or hip? Core weakness can be the main contributor. Your core also is one of your biggest protectors from a back injury.
     Core strength is also crucial for fall prevention. "Our bodies constantly have to adapt not only to different surfaces, but different weighted loads," says Eric L'Italien, a physical therapist with Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Center. "Adequate core stability and strength can prepare you to better react to these changes and keep you from losing your balance and stumbling."

Increase the Load: Some floor exercises like the plank and superman poses are great for engaging your core muscles. A plank pose is where you hold a push-up position — with straight arms or resting on your forearms — for 10 to 30 seconds. With superman, you lie face down with arms extended overhead, and you lift legs, shoulders, and arms off the floor simultaneously and hold for 2 to 3 seconds.
     However, if you want a different core workout, consider walk-and-carry exercises, says Eric L'Italien, a physical therapist with Harvard-affiliated Spaulding Rehabilitation Center. He calls these moves "loaded carries" because you hold weights, such as dumbbells or kettlebells, while walking.
"Carrying a heavy object while you walk teaches you to brace your core, which engages much of your entire core musculature, including your shoulders, back, and hips," says L'Italien. Loaded carries also can improve everyday movements like holding and carrying groceries, moving furniture, or rising out of bed.

Hold n’ Stroll Here are 3 easy-to-do loaded carries to try. You can perform them together as a core-only workout or add one or more to your usual exercise routine.
"Do them before your regular workout to make your workout more challenging, or afterward, if you want to make the loaded carries feel more strenuous," says L'Italien. (If you're not already doing strength training, or you have a chronic health condition, first check with your doctor.)

  1).  Farmer's carry: Stand tall and hold either a dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand. (Begin with a moderate weight, like the amount you use to do biceps curls.)
Keep your arms down at your sides. Engage your core muscles by taking in a deep belly breath and then blowing it out while you tighten your abs. Walk for a minute. (You mimic a farmer carrying pails of milk, hence the name.) Continue to breathe throughout the carry, maintain proper posture, and try to keep the tension in your abs as you move. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat until you've completed 2 or 3 sets. "If it feels easy, extend the walking time, or add more weight," says L'Italien. "If it's too difficult, shorten the walking time to 30 seconds or reduce the weight."

   2). Cross-Body Carry: This is performed like the farmer's carry, except you keep one arm straight overhead with the other hand down at your side as you walk. After you have completed your walk, rest for 30 seconds, switch hand positions, and repeat. This completes one set. Do 2 or 3 sets.
     "The slight weight imbalance will challenge your core in different ways," says L'Italien. If holding the weight overhead is too hard, keep it at shoulder level. Adjust the weight and walking time, as needed.
 
   3). Suitcase carry: This exercise is done as the name implies; you walk holding a weight in only one hand while your other hand is free. After you have completed your walk, rest for 30 seconds, switch the weight to the other hand, and repeat the walk to finish one set. Do two or three sets.
     "With all the weight on one side, it forces you to work harder to maintain a neutral position so you don't lean while you walk," says L'Italien. "This helps to ensure symmetry in your core strength and protect your back when carrying heavy or awkward objects to one side."

The Fagradalsfjall Volcano

The recently awakened Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland has been burping up and drooling lava since March. And nearly the whole time drone pilots—the real MVPs of nature photography in 2021—have captured the epic scenes of spewing lava from above.

This is pretty spectacular footage.

The Fagradalsfjall Volcano

Is Fast Food Actually Addictive?

From the “Eat This, Not That” e-zine 

Michael Moss, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, reveals in his book "Hooked" that fast-food can be just as addictive as heroin!

You probably already know that fast food isn't one of the healthiest food options, considering it's usually highly processed, devoid of nutrients, high in calories, and often fried (we're looking at you, french fries & onion rings). Despite knowing its unhealthy aspects, it may feel nearly impossible to turn down your favorite fast-food spot as you're driving by… and that's not entirely your fault.

Michael Moss, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, reveals in his book Hooked: Food, Free Will, and How the Food Giants Exploit Our Addictions that fast-food can be just as addictive as heroin. If you're wondering how this is possible, Moss breaks it down: While heroin relies on morphine to draw out the addictive nature of the drug, fast-food turns to simpler elements like fat, salt, and sugar, all of which have the same impact on us once we take a bite. 

The reason for this is that these components—fat, sugar, and salt— trigger that same dopamine release in our brains that morphine does. As the New York Post reports, Moss notes in his book that, "[Dopamine] is a tool for our survival. We need to eat in order to live, and dopamine is there to motivate us to eat." So, this is what might make it so difficult for your brain to turn away the fast food you know and love.

Moss also highlights that food manufacturers may be using this addictive property in fast food to their advantage. They use a nearly undetectable, highly processed starch derivative called Maltodextrin, which has the same addictive properties of sugar (it just doesn't taste sweet). It's foods with these types of processed starches that can shoot your glucose levels up, then almost immediately go back down, which "prods the brain into making more dopamine that calls upon us to look for more food," writes Moss.

And so begins the endless cycle of searching for food that has the same impact on the body. This is why you may begin to crave those same unhealthy fast-food meals over and over—you may truly be addicted to the effect the food has on you.

Why Trust Science?

In this interview, based on her landmark book, Why Trust Science?, historian of science Naomi Oreskes offers a bold and compelling defense of science, revealing why the social character of scientific knowledge is its greatest strength — and the greatest reason we can trust it. Drawing vital lessons from cases where scientists got it wrong, Oreskes shows how consensus is a crucial indicator of when a scientific matter has been settled, and when the knowledge produced is likely to be trustworthy.

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Free Speech: And Why It Matters

Political Correctness has formed the basis for a new intolerant mindset, actively policing speech that is deemed offensive or controversial. Rather than confront bad ideas through discussion, it has now become common to intimidate one’s detractors into silence. Taking on board legitimate concerns about how speech can be harmful, Andrew Doyle argues that the alternative — an authoritarian world in which our freedoms are surrendered to those in power — has far worse consequences.

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Big Government

This site is worth checking out. Facebook will not allow posting from this website.
I'll leave it to you to sort out what is real. 

https://www.biggovernment.news

The Stupidity of War: American Foreign Policy and the Case for Complacency

 In this conversation based on his new book, The Stupidity of War, political scientist John Mueller argues that American foreign policy since 1945 has been one long miscue; most international threats — including during the Cold War — have been substantially exaggerated. The result has been agony and bloviation, unnecessary and costly military interventions that have mostly failed. With international war in decline, complacency and appeasement become viable diplomatic devices and a large military is scarcely required.

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The #1 Best Diet for 2021 According to Experts

by Mura Dominko for the “Eat This, Not That” e-zine 

We're only short time into 2021, but we already have the official best diet to follow in the year ahead. A panel of experts voted on diets with best health and weight loss outcomes. For the fourth year in a row, the Mediterranean diet has been awarded the #1 spot among the best diets to follow for optimal health by the U.S. News & World Report.

While fad diets come and go, there's a consensus among the scientific community about what kinds of foods are most beneficial for our longevity and wellness. To that end, the publication consulted a panel of experts in the areas of heart disease and diabetes, nutrition, diet, food psychology, and obesity who reviewed the latest research to come up with the best diet currently known to man. 

The most highly rated diets ended up being ones that advocate a level of flexibility and emphasize meals filled with fruits, vegetables, beans, lentils, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. While the Mediterranean diet came in first due to its sensibility and diversity, it was followed by the DASH and flexitarian diets, both of which similarly prioritize plant-based proteins and whole foods and discourage the consumption of processed foods.

According to Angela Haupt, managing editor of health at U.S. News & World Report, each diet was rated on several criteria, including how easy it is to follow, how likely it is to lead to long-term weight loss, how safe and healthy it is, and how likely it is to help with chronic illnesses.

The Mediterranean diet received an almost perfect score in the health category, but its moderate score in the weight loss category shows that this isn't a crash diet meant for extreme weight loss. Instead, the diet's main goal is to slowly shed pounds and keep the weight off long-term while also avoiding chronic diseases.
"It's generally accepted that the folks in countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea live longer and suffer less than most Americans from cancer and cardiovascular ailments," said the report.

90% of This Fruit Contains Harmful Toxins, New Report Finds 
by Amanda McDonald for the “Eat This, Not That” e-zine

Almost 90% of all citrus fruits contain toxins, according to a new report from the Environmental Working Group (EWG). Scientists tested 25 different kinds, and most had traces of a dangerous fungicide. The consumer advocacy group tested 25 samples of non-organic grapefruits, lemons, mandarins, and oranges for pesticide residues used to extend shelf life. Imazalil and thiabendazole, two hormone-disrupting fungicides, were found on almost 90% of the samples.

Imazalil may cause cancer, as well as harm both the endocrine and reproductive systems. The highest levels of this fungicide were detected on the clementines, grapefruit, and oranges.

"The average level of imazalil was about 20 times higher than what EWG scientists would recommend is a safe level for children to protect against increased cancer risk," EWG toxicologist Alexis Temkin, Ph.D., tells Eat This, Not That!. "Imazalil is a fungicide that is classified by the EPA as a likely human carcinogen. It can also change hormone levels in animal studies."

EWG also tested two organic oranges and one grapefruit, but none showed any detectable signs of fungicides. According to Temkin, organic citrus fruits are the best choice to reduce your exposure to fungicides. "Additionally," she says, "choosing domestically produced citrus may have lower levels of fungicides than imported samples."

At the end of the day, Temkin still recommends that you and your loved ones always eat lots of fruits and vegetables. Simply opt for the latter if you have the choice.

The God Equation: The Quest for a Theory of Everything

 Synthesizing relativity and quantum theory would be the crowning achievement of science, a profound merging of all the forces of nature into one beautiful, magnificent equation to unlock the deepest mysteries in science. In this episode, Michael Shermer speaks with professor of theoretical physics Michio Kaku about: the Big Bang, black holes, worm holes, the multiverse, time travel, dark energy and dark matter, gravity, string theory, ETIs, meaning, and God.

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Anti-Vaccination in the Age of COVID-19

 BY RAYMOND BARGLOW & MARGRET SCHAEFER

“Governments love pandemics for the same reason they love wars. It gives them the ability to control the population that the population would otherwise never accept.” —Robert F. Kennedy Jr., speaking to an audience of thousands in Berlin on August 28, 2020.

Today’s leaders of the anti-vaccination movement, including Dr. Andrew Wakefield in England and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in the United States, have been alleging over the past two decades that vaccination is injurious to human health. Now the movement has a new target: vaccines for COVID-19. The development of these vaccines, Kennedy claims, has been driven not by concern for health but by corporations seeking profit and “government totalitarian elites.” On Kennedy’s anti-vaccination website, “herd immunity” is dismissed as a “dishonest marketing gimmick.”¹ This anti-vaccination messaging has not yet had much impact, since demand for COVID-19 vaccination so far this year has been outrunning supply. But that could change when the amount of available vaccine increases to the point that vaccination becomes available to everyone.

When that happens, the path to herd immunity may encounter a major obstacle: large numbers of people who decline to be inoculated. In early March of this year, an NPR/PBS/Marist poll² found that 38% of unvaccinated adults in the U.S. answered “No” to the question: “If a vaccine for the coronavirus is made available to you, will you choose to be vaccinated or not?” And in late March a Kaiser Family Foundation poll reported that nearly 30% of Republicans and 30% of white evangelical Christians are saying they will “definitely not” get the vaccination.³ It’s true that public opinion may change as more people get vaccinated, and if over time vaccination becomes a less politically polarizing issue. On the other hand, at least in some states, vaccination rejection is likely to remain substantial.

Resistance to COVID-19 vaccination is also strong internationally: low rates of vaccine acceptance have been reported in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Africa, and European countries that include France and Italy.⁴ Regions of sparse or absent vaccination may host new COVID-19 variants that disseminate globally, thereby slowing or halting progress toward herd immunity.

Vaccination is today standard medical practice, and globally 80% of infants are vaccinated during the first year of their lives against some disease. Yet vaccination has always faced resistance based on fear. Edward Jenner pioneered smallpox vaccine in England in 1796 and worked tirelessly to communicate its value to the public. But half a century later in that country, the Anti Vaccination League and the Anti-Compulsory Vaccination League were still trying to convince people that vaccination was dangerous. Despite its manifest benefit, smallpox vaccination had to overcome substantial popular opposition worldwide, and it took nearly two centuries to eliminate the disease. 
 […]

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A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence

Michael Shermer speaks with Jeff Hawkins, cofounder of Numenta: a neuroscience research company, about his new book A Thousand Brains: A New Theory of Intelligence in which Hawkins explains how simple cells in the brain create intelligence by using maplike structures to build hundreds of thousands of models of everything we know. Listen to this in-depth dialogue about the discoveries that allow Hawkins to answer important questions about how we perceive the world, why we have a sense of self, and the origin of high-level thought.

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4 Stretches To Keep Your Shoulders In Shape: Keeping your shoulders muscles flexible will help prevent injury!

The shoulder is the body's most complicated joint. It's where the ends of the collarbone, upper arm bone, and shoulder blade meet. It's prone to arthritis (a wearing away of the cartilage between the bones), as well as tears or tendinitis (inflammation) in the rotator cuff — the group of tendons that helps you raise and rotate your arm. Shoulder pain can keep you from being able to raise your arms to get dressed, reach up to a cupboard, or out to a door.

An easy way to stave off shoulder problems is to regularly stretch the muscles that support the joints. "The muscles need to be long and flexible to stay healthy. You're more vulnerable to injury when your shoulder muscles are tight and restricted," explains Clare Safran-Norton, clinical supervisor of rehabilitation services at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital.

How stretching helps: Muscles are a little like cotton fabrics. They may shrink up slightly, but if you pull on the fibers, you can stretch out the fabric again. Stretching your muscles fixes the shortening that occurs with disuse and extends muscles to their full length. The more you stretch the muscles, the longer and more flexible they'll become. That will help increase your range of motion, ward off pain, reduce the risk for injury, and improve your posture.

Types of stretches: The best way to stretch muscles is with long, static (motionless) stretches that last 30 seconds to two minutes, but don't jump right to this step. Warm up the muscles first to get blood and oxygen to them and make them more pliable. You can do this with exercise (take a brisk walk, pumping your arms, or go for a swim). Or you can try a few minutes of dynamic stretching — repeatedly moving a joint through its available range of motion, without holding a position. Just roll your shoulders backward and forward a few times or make windmill motions with your arms (but not too vigorously).

Insider tips: Safran-Norton says that stretches should be gentle and pain-free. "If there's pain, you may be injuring your muscles," she notes. She also warns never to bounce your stretched muscles, which can cause injury and keep you from a productive stretch. "Bouncing sets off a protective mechanism called the stretch reflex. The muscle will recoil so you won't overstretch it. As a result, you'll never get to a true stretch," she says. "A true stretch is sustained, with no bouncing."

Getting started: Try the shoulder stretches we've laid out here. All you need is a doorway or wall. Safran-Norton recommends stretching your shoulders 3 to 7 times per week. "If you're really stiff, stretch daily. If you're already flexible, it's fine to stretch every other day," she says. Avoid stretching for too long or too vigorously: back off quickly if you start to feel pain.
Other tips: make sure you stand up straight when you stretch, and make sure you're hydrated.

1). Wall Climb: The movement: Stand up straight facing a wall. Extend your right arm with your elbow soft (not locked) and place your hand on the wall at shoulder height. Slowly walk your fingers upward, stepping in toward the wall as your hand climbs higher. Stop when you feel mild tension in your shoulder. Hold 10 to 30 seconds. Slowly walk your fingers back down the wall and return to the starting position. Repeat three to four times. Switch arms and repeat.

2). Chest & Shoulder Stretch: The movement: Stand  alongside a doorway or wall. Extend your right arm and put your right hand on the edge of the door frame slightly below shoulder level, palm facing forward and touching the door frame. Keep your shoulders down and back. Slowly turn your body to the left, away from the door frame, until you feel the stretch in your chest and shoulder. Hold 10 to 30 seconds. Return to the starting position. Repeat three to four times, then repeat on the opposite side.

3). Shoulder Stretch: The movement: Stand with your feet hip-width apart. Put your left hand on your right shoulder. Cup your left elbow with your right hand. Roll your shoulders down and back as you gently pull your left elbow across your chest. Hold 10 to 30 seconds. Return to the starting position. Repeat three to four times, then repeat on the other side.

4). Shoulder Stretch With Rotation: The movement: Stand up straight with your feet  hip-width apart and your hands by your sides. Place the back of your right hand against the small of your back at your waist. Your fingers should be pointing up. Slowly slide your right hand farther up your back as high as you can. Hold 10 to 30 seconds. Repeat three to four times, then repeat with left hand.

Sucrose, Glucose, & Metabolism: A new study indicates that not all sugars are created equal.

by Matthew Kadey, MS, RD for the IDEA Health & Fitness E-zine 

The sweetness in our diets comes in many different forms, and how we get our sugar fix matters. The type of sweet stuff we choose may influence how hungry we feel and, in turn, affect our risk for metabolic conditions and weight gain. A recent study shed light on the differences in the effects of sucrose and glucose on our metabolism.

Study participants produced lower amounts of hunger-suppressing hormones (hormones that turn off your appetite), such as peptide YY, after sipping drinks sweetened with sucrose (table sugar) than they did after drinking liquids spiked with glucose only (naturally occurring sweetness), according to a report in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.

The findings, based on data that included both men and women, also revealed that participants with obesity and less insulin sensitivity had an even lower increase in hunger-suppressing hormones after consuming a sweet beverage than individuals of normal weight/normal sensitivity. That may be another reason why it’s so hard for people with excess weight to lose it and keep it off.

Sucrose is made up of equal parts glucose and fructose and is often pumped into processed foods like soda, candy, cookies, cakes, pastries, and cereals. Glucose occurs naturally in carbohydrate-containing foods like honey and fresh and dried fruits.

Fructose & Glucose Health Hazards
by Matthew Kadey, MS, RD for the IDEA Health & Fitness E-zine

Consuming the high-fructose corn syrup that has become ubiquitous in our food supply appears to be hazardous to our health, mainly because the sweet substance contains both fructose and glucose (as opposed to just one of those sugars alone).

In a study conducted at the University of California, Davis, 145 participants consumed beverages containing fructose, glucose, high-fructose corn syrup, or an aspartame control for 2 weeks on 4 separate occasions. After each intervention, they had their blood analyzed for known risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. While triglyceride levels shot up the most with the fructose-only treatment, a duo of risk factors—LDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B—increased most sharply when subjects consumed the high-fructose corn syrup, suggesting a unique interaction between fructose and glucose. Many cardiovascular experts believe those risk factors are predictive for heart disease.

Evidence continues to mount that good nutrition involves more than looking at individual food components. Diets should be studied as a whole to determine how items like sugars and vitamins may interact with each other for better or worse.