Coconut Oil - Health Food or Health Hazard?

BY HARRIET HALL, M.D.

Coconut oil: is it good for you or bad for you? Some sources say it’s a super nutrient that miraculously reverses Alzheimer’s dementia and has a multitude of other health benefits. Others advise avoiding it because it increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes. How can one make sense of the conflicting advice available on the Internet? For a long time, coconut oil was demonized as the most harmful source of dietary saturated fat. Now some people are claiming it has great health benefits. Who is right? There’s only one reliable way for a skeptic to decide: a critical examination of the evidence. As David Hume said, “A wise man proportions his belief to the evidence.” What does the science say?

Science seems to change its mind regularly; the general public finds this frustrating. They often see it as a defect, but it is actually science’s strong point. As new and better evidence emerges, the scientific community reaches more accurate conclusions that approach ever closer to reality. The quest to understand atherosclerosis is a case in point. It has had a convoluted and confusing history.

The Best Diet to Prevent Heart Attacks

In science’s first gropings towards understanding heart attacks and atherosclerosis, the public was warned to reduce consumption of eggs and other dietary sources of cholesterol. As more evidence accumulated, they were told to worry about total fat consumption rather than dietary cholesterol. Then they were told to avoid saturated fats; then they were advised that trans fats were the real problem; this information was widely accepted and even led to legislation to remove trans fats from foods.

As people adopted various versions of a low-fat diet, they tended to increase carbohydrate consumption and total calories and to gain weight, contributing to the obesity epidemic. Now the wisdom of a low-fat diet is being questioned and low-carb diets have become more popular. It’s not surprising that people are confused about what they should be eating.

Professional Consensus Based on Science: Avoid Coconut Oil

In 2017, the American Heart Association (AHA) put out a presidential advisory recommending replacing saturated fats with polyunsaturated vegetable oil. They pointed out that coconut oil and palm kernel oil both contain the highest amounts of saturated fat, 82%, compared to 39% for lard, 50% for beef tallow, and 63% for butter. These can be replaced by olive oil with 14% saturated fat or safflower oil with 6%. They reviewed the compelling evidence showing that this change in diet could reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease by 30%. […]

Read the full article

What’s the Difference Between Omega-3, -6, & -9 Fatty Acids?

from Consumer Health Digest

In order to differentiate the fatty acids, we will define all of them first.

Omega 3 fatty acids are essential for our body and maintaining a proper metabolism. However, we are not able to produce Omega-3 and that is why it is important to include it in our diet. Omega 3’s not only play a vital role in the maintenance of a healthy metabolism, but also provide resistance to a vast array of diseases such as neuropathology, inflammatory disorders, and cardiovascular diseases. Although their richest sources are animal products, namely fatty fish, they can be consumed in sufficient quantities by vegetarians and vegans due to the commercial farming of vegetative sources high in Omega-3’s.

Omega 6 fatty acids are anti-inflammatory fatty acids that are also crucial to maintaining the normal metabolism and our body’s functions. There are very few animal sources that provide significant amounts of Omega-6 fats. Poultry is generally considered the top animal source for this fatty acid. Egg yolk and chicken fat are both rich in Omega-6. Omega-6 fatty acids obtained from animal sources may have a high concentration of this fatty acid compared to Omega-3, which can be harmful. The ratio of Omega 3 to Omega 6 in the diet should be 1:1 to maintain a healthy lifestyle. However, currently, the average individual’s diet consists around 16 times more Omega-6 than Omega-3.    

Researchers have found that the main reason for this high concentration in poultry is the quantity-based approach to livestock farming in modern agriculture. Free range animals that consume a more natural diet show a much more acceptable ratio of these two fatty acids. However, animals fed on synthetically produced diets tailored to increase the quantity of meat tend to have a higher ratio of Omega-6.

Omega 9 fatty acids aren’t crucial to our body because we are able to create it (in smaller amounts). This fatty acid is the most abundant one in our body. Even though Omega 9 is a highly important component, it is not essential and is less significant than Omega-3 and Omega-6. Omega 9 is usually only consumed when there is a shortage of Omega-3 or Omega-6 in the body.

     The primary difference between these 3 fatty acids is in their type, Omega-3 and Omega-6 are polyunsaturated, while Omega-9 is monounsaturated. We can also define them by their importance in our body. Even though Omega-9 is the most common fatty acid in our body, it is not as crucial as Omega-3 and Omega-6 because our body is able to produce it. In contrast, the only way to obtain Omega-3 and Omega-6 is by getting them from the foods in our diet or via supplements.

     Another difference is in their effects on our body. Omega-9 has no recorded serious side effects on our body. However, high doses of Omega-3 can cause gas, diarrhea, and bleeding. Side effects of Omega-6 include cough, bleeding, or coughing up blood, irregular heartbeat, and rash on the skin.

Here’s a summary of each type of fatty acid:

Omega-3’s: 
Fat type: Polyunsaturated
Definition: Essential fatty acid with a double bond
Types of Omega 3’s: ALA – alpha-lionelic acid; EPA – eicosapentaeonic acid; DHA – docosahexaeonic acid.
Sources: 
   Oils: Canola, flax
   Nuts: Walnuts, chia seeds, almonds.
   Fish: Tuna, salmon, trout, herring, mackerel.
   Other: Omega-3 eggs, algae.
Health Benefits: Brain development, heart health, mood, cognition, cholesterol, reduced risk of chronic diseases, decreased risk of cancer, and prevents Alzheimer’s disease.

Omega 6’s:
Fat type: Polyunsaturated
Definition: Fatty acid
Types of Omega 6’s: LA – lionelic acid; AA – Archidonic acid.
Sources: 
  Oils: corn, olive, canola, peanut, safflower, soybean, sunflower.
   Nuts: almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, walnuts.
   Other: eggs.
Health Benefits: Heart health, cholesterol.

Omega 9’s:
Fat type: monounsaturated
Definition: Fatty acid with a double carbon-carbon bond
Types of Omega 9’s: Oleic acid; Mead acid; Erucic acid; Nervonic acid; Elaidic acid; Gondoic acid.
Sources: 
  Oils: canola, olive, peanut oil, safflower, sunflower, chia seed oil, sesame oil.
   Nuts: walnuts, almonds, cashews, macadamias, peanuts, pecans, pistachios, hazelnuts.
   Other: avocado, eggs, peanut butter.
 Health Benefits: Cholesterol, heart health, blood sugar control, prevents constipation, helps with allergies, anxiety, asthma, diabetes, arthritis, blood pressure, skin disorders, and muscular diseases.

Omega-3, Omega-6, and Omega-9 fatty acids have different purposes, but they all need one another in order to work properly. For a normal level of Omega-9 fatty acid, there has to be a normal level of Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acid as well, or our body wouldn’t be able to produce it.

The main difference between these 3 fatty acids is in the type (polyunsaturated or monounsaturated), but they have one thing in common – they are all beneficial and highly important for our body’s development.

Nutrition Challenge #4: “I have a serious sweet tooth."

Maybe you love cookies. Or M&Ms. Or anything that’s rolled in sugar. That’s the case for almost 50% of our clients. However, it’s typically not just the sweetness that appeals to your taste buds, belly, and brain. It’s a diabolically delicious combination of sugar, fat, and salt that makes certain foods nearly irresistible. There’s even a special name for them: hyperpalatable. In fact, food manufacturers use this flavor formula to create products you can’t stop eating. (It’s great for sales, after all.) The biggest challenge with these foods is their availability: They’re everywhere, including your kitchen.

What would happen if, next time you visit the grocery store, you avoided the aisle containing that jumbo pack of Oreos?  Try it and observe what happens. Purchase wisely! Control what comes into your environment to set yourself up for success. Consciously avoid going down the junk food aisles in the grocery store where all the cookies, chips, candies, etc are located. Also, see if you can find healthier alternatives in the healthy foods section.

Nutrition Challenge #5: “I eat in restaurants a lot.” With so many temptations on restaurant menus, it’s natural to feel a little tortured about what to order. Once that mental back-and-forth begins, it’s all too easy to say, “Heck with it, give me the carbonara and pass the bread sticks.” Along with planning meals or your food choices (as in Challenge #2), you can also plan how to show up. Is this a special occasion? Is the food so unique and amazing at this restaurant that it’s truly worth it? (If so, slow down and really savor the experience.)

Or, would you prefer your choice align with your healthy eating practice? If so, consider preparing in advance by reviewing the menu, or even setting a phone or calendar reminder to help yourself stay on track. Deciding what to order ahead of time can help you stay focused and avoid being distracted by less favorable options. 

Every time you follow through on your plan, notice how you feel after you’ve finished your meal. If you’re proud of flexing your “power of choice” muscles, that’s a positive step to encouraging the same behavior next time. With more practice, smart choices become easier and easier.

You can also try tips and tricks:
   1). Order a plant-rich dish. (Shoot for half your plate to be vegetables.)
   2). Choose a lean protein. (Read: grilled or broiled chicken breast or fish.)
   3). Avoid breaded and fried foods. (This eliminates a lot of poor choices.)
   4). Ask for dressings on the side. (And use responsibly.)
   5). Eat slowly. (See Challenge #3, above.)
   6). Stop when you’re 80% full. (See Challenge #6, below.)
These ideas can be a practical guide for when you’re eating out—no matter if you’re at a fine-dining establishment or a fast food chain.

Nutrition Challenge #6: “I eat larger portions than I need.” In the weight loss industry, it’s popular to tell people, “It’s not your fault.” In this case, it’s partially true. Between your parents directing you to “clean your plate,” the abundance of hyperpalatable foods (see Challenge #4), and the mega-meals served by chain restaurants, eating more than you need can feel completely natural. Which means eating an appropriate-sized meal can feel…weird. At least until you get you used to it. And that requires practice.

A simple way to start: Eat slowly (Challenge #3… again) and stop when you’re 80 percent full. Do this no matter how much is left on your plate or how uncomfortable it makes you feel psychologically. This won’t be easy at first, and you may wonder, “Am I at 80 percent full or 70 percent?” or “Did I just totally mess up and go over?” Don’t worry about it. The point is to become a more mindful eater and pay better attention to your body’s satiety signals. That takes time, and like any skill, you’ll improve with practice. We’re going for progress here, not perfection. Of course, it helps to start with a reasonable portion size. But you don’t need to enter your meals into a calculator ahead of time. You can use your hands to estimate how you should eat, with our simple but effective portion and calorie control guide.

Nutrition Challenge #7: “I don’t have time to prepare meals.” Are you seeing a theme emerge? Sure, this one’s related to “I don’t plan out meals” and “I eat out too much.”, but it’s also slightly different because it’s specifically calling out the reason why: a lack of a key resource. Now let’s be honest: There may be a lack of desire here, too, at least compared to activities you do have time for and that’s okay. After all, many people are on the move all day, commuting, working, and/or caring for others. You deserve some time to unwind, and if that means grabbing takeout so you can sink into your couch 30 minutes sooner, we get it. Let’s go back to our continuum concept: If you’re making zero meals now, could you find time to make one meal each week? Or if you’re making 3, could you find time to make 4? If you can make just one extra meal, you’ll be taking a positive action to change your behavior and improve your health. That’s how real, lasting transformation happens: one tiny step at a time, not by trying to change everything overnight. Figure out what action you’re capable of now—even if it doesn’t seem like much, try it out, then practice it next week, too. As it becomes easier, ask: “ Could I add in another home-made meal?” Remember: Progress, not perfection.

Nutrition Challenge #8: "I drink too much!" If you’re nodding your head right now, we feel you, so do more than 30% of our clients who say they over-consume alcohol. The question is: What does “too much” mean? It can be different for everyone. Maybe you’re drinking 2 or 3 glasses of wine at night and wondering if you’re relying too much on alcohol to take the edge off. Perhaps you don’t imbibe during the week, but drink to excess on the weekend. Even if you don’t have what’s considered a “serious” problem, your drinking habits could be affecting your ability to lead a healthier lifestyle—by interfering with your sleep, impeding fat loss, affecting your judgement (“Hey everyone! Who wants late-night nachos??”) and stimulating your appetite.

Ask yourself: What’s one action you could take to curtail your alcohol intake? Could you have 1 glass tonight instead of 2, or 2 instead of 3? Could you drink more slowly, so that one glass lasts longer? Could you have a glass of water between cocktails? If your alcohol intake isn’t destroying your work or family life, you don’t necessarily have to slam on the brakes. Ease yourself into it and notice how you feel. As with all the other strategies offered in this discussion, better awareness can result in better choices. 

Exclusive Data from Results of 100,000 People: 8 of the Most Common Nutritional Challenges

by Krista Scott-Dixon PhD & MJ Perrier, PhD (for Precision Nutrition)

“Here’s what you should eat…” Tell someone you want to lose weight or improve your nutrition, and this is almost always the first advice you get. However, that’s not, in fact, what the average person says they need the most help with. Not by a longshot. We know because every year, we ask thousands of clients about their biggest nutrition challenges. “I don’t know what to eat” doesn’t even crack the top 10.

Year after year, people tend to have the same food frustrations, no matter what new “diet revolution” or “no-fail meal plan” comes along. You might write that off as human nature. But we’d suggest another possibility: Many nutrition programs don’t focus enough on solving the real issues that prevent people from making progress. Nor do they help people build the fundamental skills they need to sustain any changes they make.

We’ve analyzed client survey answers and aggregated them into a snapshot of what truly troubles people. The data here are people’s own descriptions of their real-life nutrition struggles and stressors.
 As you can see, “I don’t know what I should eat” is near the bottom of the list. Yet that’s the nutrition challenge most people—including coaches—obsess over. Of course, what you eat matters for all kinds of reasons: health, appetite control, proper nutritional balance, optimal performance, and so on.

“What to eat” probably isn’t the #1 thing holding you back.

Most people kinda-sorta know what they should be eating. You’ve probably never said “I really shouldn’t eat this,” right before downing a big bowl of spinach. More likely, you utter those words as you dive headfirst into a bowl of salted caramel ice cream. If you’re looking for a long-term fix to these top-ranking problems, more nutrition knowledge probably isn’t the answer. Neither is a meal plan. Or a new set of macros.

If you’re struggling with your food, eating, and exercise habits, you probably need help with your behaviors, especially being consistent with crucial fundamentals. According to our clients, their most-pressing nutrition problems boil down to this: How do they stop overeating and, at the same time, find convenient, practical ways to enjoy foods that best nourish their bodies?

Easy problems to solve? No. Are they solvable? Absolutely. With that in mind, here are the 8 biggest nutrition challenges, along with some “get you started” suggestions to move you towards overcoming each challenge. Don’t try to tackle all these challenges at once. That rarely works. Instead, choose just one. Focus on it for 2 or 3 weeks. When you feel ready to take on more, select another area that needs some TLC, and give it your full attention.

Nutrition Challenge #1: “I can’t stop stress/emotional eating.” More than 60% of our clients list emotional or stress eating as a major nutrition challenge. What’s more, over 50% say they also “get intense cravings” and “snack when not hungry.” If you can relate, it might be a relief to know you’re not alone. Of course, that’s little consolation when your spoon’s scraping the bottom of a freshly opened jar of cookie butter. What if you become aware when this behavior occurs? That it happens every time your mom calls? On Sunday nights, when you’re dreading the start of a new week? Whenever you see, smell, or hear something that reminds you of your ex?

We call this “noticing and naming,” and it offers us great opportunities to regain control. Emotional eating and intense cravings are typically part of a pattern of behavior that’s triggered by a specific experience—a thought, feeling, and/or situation. If you can identify the trigger, you can disrupt the pattern of behavior and make different and better choices. 

Nutrition Challenge #2: “I don’t plan meals.” Survey says… 53% of both men and women check this box. But good news: Serious improvement in this area may not be as time-consuming and complicated as it sounds.

Think about meal planning on a continuum.  At the far left end: You put zero thought into what you might eat later today or tomorrow or the rest of the week. Most decisions are made after you’re already hungry and while you’re staring at the contents of your refrigerator—or looking at a drive-thru menu. At the far right end: You spend Sunday morning grocery shopping and taking the afternoon to prep seven days of breakfast, lunch, and dinner, packing it away in containers and leaving nothing to chance.

But in between? There’s real opportunity to progress, and it doesn’t require a complicated meal plan. You just need to do a little better than you are now.

A great place to start: Plan to eat 1 to 2 servings (think: an amount the size of your fist) of produce at each meal. Don’t worry about variety for now: If you like steamed broccoli or raw carrots or sliced cucumbers, you could have those at every meal, if you want. Just practice buying what you need and eating it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. If you find yourself at a restaurant, stick to the plan. That could mean getting a side salad with an order of broccoli instead of fries. For bonus planning, try checking the restaurant’s menu online before you go. You’ll be amazed at how this simple approach can transform the quality of your meals, yet it doesn’t require a ton of effort.

Nutrition Challenge #3: “I eat too quickly.” While this isn’t at the top of the challenge list overall, it was the #1 issue for men—with nearly 60% of guys raising their hand. Almost can everyone benefit from eating more slowly. In fact, slow eating is one of the first practices we ask clients to do. The reason is simple: It’s incredibly effective.

The act of consciously slowing down—even just taking a breath or two between bites at first—can help you eat less without feeling deprived. We’ve found it works for everyone from the most advanced dieters to those who’ve struggled with healthy eating for a lifetime.

The Fabulist and the Publisher - A Journalistic and Academic Fraud Exposed

BY MICHAEL SHERMER

In 2016 Skeptic magazine published an article on “Guns and Games: The Relationship Between Violent Video Games and Gun Crimes in America” (Vol. 21, No. 1) by John Anthony Glynn, who identified himself as a Ph.D. psychologist and as a professor of psychology. After that initial publication he began emailing me regularly (120 times this past year), pitching stories on a variety of topics, including the evolutionary origins of humor, online gaming, cybercrime, masculinity, political correctness, social credits and privacy, dopamine, and suicide. In one email he clarified that he earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology from the University of Hertfordshire in England. In another email he claimed “I am head of behavioral science at a medical school, XUSOM” (Xavier University School of Medicine in Aruba, an island off the coast of Venezuela), on the pretense of inviting me to speak there. More recently, he told me that he was applying for a professorship of psychology at the American University of Bahrain, Manama, for which he asked me to be a reference. On April 13, 2019 he told me that he got the job. On April 25, however, I received an email that should have set off my skeptical alarms more than it did, in which he asked to borrow money after, he said, Xavier Medical School “is a fraud, pure and simple; it lacks knowledgeable faculty, basic facilities” and he was never paid, but that he would pay me back upon his new professorship at the American University of Bahrain. (Note: this article(archived version) from August 2018 says Xavier Medical School received its full accreditation, and this article (archive) from June 2019 says its new campus is under construction).

I declined to lend him money, but felt a twinge of empathy for him, so I kept the communication channels open. Perhaps I should have taken a cue from an August 20, 2019 email where he inquired if I had… “Any interest in another piece discussing the proliferation of experts who actually lack expertise?” In all, we published four articles by Mr. Glynn, two in print, two online:

• “Guns and Games: The Relationship Between Violent Video Games and Gun Crimes in America” (print Skeptic, Vol. 21, No. 1)
• “1984 in 2019: The New Privacy Threat from China’s Social Credit Surveillance System” (print Skeptic, Vol. 24, No. 2)
• “Concept Creep and the Policing of Words” (online only, removed)
• “Why People Die by Suicide” (online only, removed)

When he pitched the last article we published by him on suicide, Glynn assured me “As a psychologist, I would of course handle such a piece with care.”

Two of my former graduate students, and now professors, who also conduct research for Skeptic, became curious about Mr. Glynn’s credentials. They began by simply checking to see if Glynn was a professor of psychology at the American University of Bahrain (archive). Since the university wasn’t even open (it is supposed to open this Fall), that didn’t look promising, and his prior claimed professorship as the head of behavioral science at the Xavier University School of Medicine in Aruba was, by his own admission, a bust. […]

Read the full article

Ask the Ageless Lifter: Is it silly to “want abs” after age 40?

by Charles Staley

Is chasing size better left to young lifters? Is being lean better as an athletic goal? Here’s one elite strength coach’s take on it after decades in the iron game.

Q: I'm a regular lifter who focuses on, well, lifting. But recently I had the urge to lean out. Maybe see an ab or two. Is that silly for someone 40 or beyond? Should I just focus on holding onto what strength and muscle I have?

A: There's nothing wrong with being lean—or wanting to be lean—just for appearance's sake. It can also be a good idea if your long-term health is a big priority for you. To be clear, leanness and restrictive dieting are not the same thing in this conversation.

Yes, it can be hard to get lean and stay lean as you get older. You don't need a PubMed citation to know that! But from where I stand, I think it deserves to be in your athletic priorities. Look, I know it's cool to be big and jacked, but, if you examine the bulk of research on body weight and health, it's quite clear that staying within more or less normal body fat percentage values is probably a good idea. I could get bigger, if I wanted to, but I'd have to eat differently, train differently, and honestly, live differently. And after a certain age, it's OK to ask if that's really such a good idea anymore.

Should Size Always Be the Prize? One observation I've had—especially as I get older—is that, much the same as women often feel pressured to adopt narrow, socially-dictated body standards, men also fall prey to the idea that the only appropriate goal is to carry a lot of muscular bulk.

Yes, that's just part and parcel of being immersed in the bodybuilding and lifting world. And I love being immersed in that world. But there's another world as well, where large sections of society don't ascribe to this standard at all, and in many social circles, looking conspicuously jacked isn't considered either cool or healthy.

Who's wrong and who’s right? Neither one. I say, make your own decisions about how big you want to be. There are plenty of guys with incredibly impressive physiques, despite not being particularly big. Stop me if you've heard this one before, but Bruce Lee walked around at only 135 pounds. And don't forget Brad Pitt's impressive physique in "Fight Club." He only weighed 160 pounds while filming that role.

Let me share a few additional thoughts and observations about being leaner:
   1). Being lean improves nutrient partitioning. What this means is that more of the calories you consume will end up as muscle, rather than body fat.
   2). Yes, some of your big lifts can benefit from having a bit more bodily heft behind them, but you can still get plenty strong by following solid training principles.
   3). Getting lean and staying lean can be easier than adding size, especially as you get older. Train at a moderate, safe intensity regularly, and you may not get huge, but you can get lean and still look solid.
   4). Being lean takes discipline and conveys personal discipline. Think about it—you probably run across lots of "big" guys during an average day, and they can certainly be impressive. But when's the last time you saw a lean and muscular older guy or gal? When you do make such an encounter, you tend to notice it.
   5). Sorry if this sounds a bit too "bodybuilder," but being lean creates the illusion of being more muscular than you really are. While you might look a bit "skinny" in clothes, when you take off your shirt at the pool, hey, that ain't so bad.

   In short, don't dismiss leanness as a goal. Muscle isn't the only measurement of success—especially as you get older. Be rational, put your ego aside, and focus on doing quality work consistently, and you and your body will find the sweet spot.

About the author: Charles Staley is a strength coach at the Staley Performance Institute in Phoenix, Arizona.

Possessed: Why We Want More Than We Need

You may not believe it, but there is a link between our current political instability and your childhood attachment to teddy bears. There’s also a reason why children in Asia are more likely to share than their western counterparts and why the poor spend more of their income on luxury goods than the rich. Or why your mother is more likely to leave her money to you than your father. What connects these things?

The answer is our need for ownership. Award-winning University of Bristol psychologist Bruce Hood draws on research from his own lab and others around the world to explain why this uniquely human preoccupation governs our behavior from the cradle to the grave, even when it is often irrational, and destructive. What motivates us to buy more than we need? Is it innate, or cultural? How does our urge to acquire control our behaviour, even the way we vote? And what can we do about it? Possessed is the first book to explore how ownership has us enthralled in relentless pursuit of a false happiness, with damaging consequences for society and the planet — and how we can stop buying into it.

Dr. Hood and Dr. Shermer also discuss:

• who owns your body and mind
• how the military draft, conscription, is a way of the state taking possession of your body
• suicide and bodily ownership: why states prohibit you from killing yourself
• organs and bodily ownership: why states prohibit you from selling your organs
• prostitution: why states prohibit people from selling their bodies for sex
• slavery: why historically states have legalized owning other people
• marriage & children: why historically states have sanctioned men owning women and children
• children’s sense of ownership
• income inequality
• objects vs. money vs. social capital as possessions
• money is not a possession so much as a means of getting possessions.
• jealousy as a form of possession
• xenophobia as a fear of loss of ownership
• who owns the land, air, water, minerals, etc.?
• intellectual Property: who owns your ideas?
• what wills and trusts tell us about the psychology of the transfer of ownership
• the tragedy of the commons and environmental protection through private ownership: Ducks Unlimited, game reserves, licenses for killing big game in Africa
• why original art is more valuable than fakes or duplicates, and
• the Arab-Israel conflict and what happens when God ordains ownership of a piece of land to two different peoples.

Watch or listen to the discussion