“If people in the media cannot decide whether they are in the
business of reporting news or manufacturing propaganda, it is all the more
important that the public understand that difference, and choose their news
sources accordingly.”
- Thomas Sowell, American economist, social theorist, political philosopher, and author
“It is requisite for the relaxation of the mind that we make use, from time to time, of playful deeds and jokes.”
- Thomas Aquinas
“Atheism turns out to be too simple. If the whole universe has no
meaning, we should never have found out that is has no meaning: just as,
if there were no light in the universe and therefore no creatures with
eyes, we should never know it was dark.”
- C.S. Lewis
“A leader is best when people barely know he exists, when his work
is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.”
- Lao Tzu
TIME TO WAKE UP!!!
The collapse of the American Dream...
The truth about your birth certificate...
How World War III may begin...
Ultra-Ever Dry!
50
predictions for 2013...
Google easter eggs...
Bunnies
love snow...
10
must see pedestrian bridges...
Introducing artist
Irving Harper...
Gerald Celente on 2013, gold and silver, and WWIII...
Welcome to
Rancho Obi-Wan...
While
you were watching the Super Bowl...
Fructose spurs
overeating...
Debt ceiling 101...
Records made of
ice...
This is not a photograph...
extreme pencil art...
Mankind by the numbers...
Sandy Hook
official story is full of question marks...
The
REAL history of the United States of America...
Why I'll
never get a flu shot...
Beware the flu vaccine
propaganda!
Own your own
drone...
Unintentionally
scare the kiddies...
9 key
facts about the media...
Run for your life...
just not too far or too hard...
Teen invents
cancer screening test using Google...
Jellyfish are immortal...
DNA can be
reprogrammed by words and frequencies...
Dubstepping
violin...
Back flipping truck...
Test your
positivity...
Hey man...
nice shot!
360 degree views...
DHS kills the
4th amendment...
How
tall can you stack Legos?
Why is the lamestream media
encouraging conspiracy theories?
Washington D.C.
truth teller?
10 reasons why
dolphins are awesome...
Trippy music video...
15 deadly corporations...
Veil of
death descends over America...
Intermittent fasting may be highly recommended...
Learn some
knife skills in the kitchen...
A nutrition
guide for wild game...
Ancient markings found in the Great Pyramid...
Portable kitchen...
A
personal journey of health...
Cancer is a busine$$...
Sandy Hook official story is full of question marks
part II...
Psy-ops...did you take the
bait?
Funny Christian
memes...
Cannibis...a powerful therapy to reduce chronic meds and prevent disease...
Medicines used during ancient times...
12 steps to fitness...
Snow art...
Muslims have
infiltrated the White House...
Space age magic
soap...
O-TAY!
Prescription for violence...
Secret excavations in Babylon...
Fluoridegate...an American tragedy...
Test
Could Reveal Which Side of the Looking Glass We're On
|
|
| OK, so let's assume that nothing is real
in the sense that we understand reality. We and everyone and everything
we know are part of a computer simulation created by an advanced post-human
intelligence. Scientists have considered the theory and come up with arguments
for and against it. Before now, though, no one has suggested a test could
be run to find out one way or another. Do we want to know?
[See
Full Story] |
Google's
Cloud Is Alive With the Sound of Free Music
|
|
| Google is luring music lovers into its
cloud with an offer of free storage for up to 20,000 tracks -- and all
they have to do is say 'sure.' Google does all the work of scanning their
hard drive for songs it holds in its own vast library. When there's a match,
the tune goes into the user's cloud locker -- regardless of how it may
have been obtained in the first place.
[See
Full Story] |
Arm your home from your phone
Helping you guard your crib from afar without having to hire a young
Macauley Culkin to line your halls with Micro Machines, the Scout
Alarm's a slick, new, easy-install DIY security system that you manage
from a smartphone.
Find out just how custom this thing can get...
The Food-Sleep Connection
Dear Reader,
If you use insomnia medication, I hope you know about last week's
announcement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Manufacturers of
prescription sleep aids that contain a sedative called zolpidem are
required to reduce the currently recommended doses. (Zolpidem is found
in Ambien, Edluar, Zolpimist, and Intermezzo.)
If you're taking
an insomnia drug containing zolpidem -- or if you feel drowsy or can't
concentrate the morning after taking any insomnia medication -- medical
experts suggest talking to your physician about reducing the dosage.
Women process these drugs more slowly than men do and are especially
likely to experience grogginess and other unwanted side effects the day
after, so they may need to reassess dosages.
Better yet, why not explore a safer way to get to sleep,
using natural methods like food? My patients are often surprised to
hear that what we eat can make a difference in how we sleep -- or don't
sleep -- each night. Although caffeine's role in keeping us awake is
well established, there are quite a few other mealtime considerations to
keep in mind.
Food, Beverages, and Behavior That Promote Sleep
One key to a good night's sleep is to consume a bedtime snack consisting of
good (complex) carbohydrates and the amino acid tryptophan, a
recognized sleep promoter. Let's review why sleep is so important and
which foods and beverages can help you get a good night's rest.
Why Sleep Is So Important
As I've mentioned before, sleep is not just a pleasant way to spend a few
hours. It's absolutely necessary for helping your body make repairs that
keep the cells and various organs healthy, as well as for producing
healing hormones, including human growth hormone and
testosterone.
Sleep is so important that one of the first questions I ask my patients
is, "How are you sleeping?" When I hear an answer like "I only need
four or five hours' sleep," I cringe!
A patient I'll call Dennis is typical of the sleep deniers. Dennis was an admitted workaholic who believed sleep was a waste of time, a self-indulgence meant only for
babies. Of course, Dennis's health reflected his disdain for sleep. He had
high blood pressure and
low testosterone, and he needed to lose about 100 pounds. Yet, he insisted that sleep was
for sissies and had nothing to do with his health problems.
It took months to convince Dennis that what he really needed was more rest,
but eventually I wore him down. After the first week of sleeping 7 to 8
hours a night, Dennis grudgingly admitted that he was accomplishing a
lot more during the day. A year later, all his health markers had
improved, and he had lost nearly all the excess weight. That's the power
of a good night's sleep!
Here are the points I passed along to Dennis and other patients who have sleep issues.
How to De-stress Every Day
Maybe you've noticed that sleep is more challenging on days when you've dealt
with a stressful situation. This is why I encourage my patients to utilize some form of
stress management every day. Practicing mindfulness or another form of meditation,
listening to relaxing music, praying, and writing in a journal are all
valid ways to reduce stress. Of course there are others, which is why I
recommend my patients experiment until they find one that works for
them.
What to Do if You Can't Sleep
Research repeatedly shows that staying in bed when you can't get to sleep is the
wrong approach. Instead, after 15 minutes or so of lying awake, try
getting up and doing something that's not particularly exciting, such as
reading, knitting, or working crossword puzzles. After 20 minutes or
so, you should be drowsy. You'll probably have to repeat the process for
several nights until your body gets the message, but this method is a
proven and effective insomnia remedy.
How Foods Containing Healthy Carbs and Tryptophan Can Help
Remember
that drowsy feeling you experienced after eating Thanksgiving dinner?
Turkey contains tryptophan, an amino acid the body can't produce and
that we must obtain from food or supplements. Tryptophan helps us relax
and plays a role in sleep. It also assists the body in producing
serotonin, a hormone known for its ability to help us unwind and feel good.
Signs of too little serotonin include:
• Depression
• Irritability and/or impatience
• Problems with focus or concentration
• Weight gain or weight loss without dieting
• Carbohydrate cravings
• Overeating
• Anxiety
• Trouble sleeping
In addition to turkey, here are some healthy foods and beverages that
are known to encourage relaxation and sleep, including many that contain
tryptophan and/or
melatonin (another sleep essential):
Foods and Beverages to Help You Sleep
• Bananas
• Halibut
• Lentils
• Whole-grain bread
• Honey
• Shrimp
• Beans
• Oatmeal
• Chicken
• Cod
• Sunflower and sesame seeds
• Warm milk with honey
• Tart cherries, fresh or dried
• Eggs
• Chickpeas
• Nuts, like walnuts, hazelnuts, and peanuts
• Salmon
• Herbal teas, like chamomile and valerian
• Dairy products
• Whole grains, like brown rice
Just eating tryptophan-rich foods, however, isn't
quite enough; you need to combine the tryptophan with a food that
contains healthy carbohydrates. That's because getting the tryptophan
into your brain, where it can work its magic, requires moving other
amino acids out of the way. The healthy carbs provide a target for those
amino acids so the tryptophan can access the brain.
As I explained to Dennis, a nighttime snack consisting of healthy carbs from
whole grains or veggies paired with a source of tryptophan is a recipe
for a good night's sleep. Here are some examples:
Healthy Bedtime Snacks for Better Sleep
• An open-faced scrambled- or fried-egg sandwich on whole-grain bread
• Whole-grain cereal, like oatmeal, with warm, low-fat milk
• Brown rice with beans or lentils
• Hummus with whole-grain crackers
• An open-faced banana, sesame butter, and honey sandwich
• Chopped bits of turkey on whole-grain crackers
Remember, these sleepy snacks are not supposed to be meals, but very
small mini-meals of less than 200 calories. Ideally, you should eat
your sleepy snack at least an hour before bedtime to allow yourself time
to digest it. And that brings us to my second bit of advice for getting
a good night's sleep ...
What Not to Eat or Drink Before Bedtime
Caffeine
The obvious no-no is caffeine before bedtime. But what many people don't
know is that coffee and tea aren't the only sources of caffeine. It's
also found in chocolate, quite a few sodas, certain prescription
medications, and many over-the-counter remedies, particularly pain
relievers and "non-drowsy" products.
Heavy meals
I recommend avoiding heavy meals with large amounts of fat or protein, as
well as spicy fare, before bedtime. These foods tend to rev up
digestion, a process that can last for hours.
Excessive water
Staying well hydrated during the day is important, but if repeated trips to the
bathroom are keeping you awake at night, try drinking as little water
as possible after 6 p.m.
Alcohol
Like water, a nightcap with alcohol can cause numerous bathroom visits during the
night. But alcohol has other downsides. Even though many people believe
it helps them get to sleep, alcohol actually disrupts the healing
processes that occur while we're sleeping, and it interferes with
melatonin production. In addition, when the alcohol wears off, you're
likely to wake up and find it difficult to get back to sleep.
Marian, a long-time patient, discovered the benefits of sleeping without
alcohol when she had surgery. Forced to give up drinking while in the
hospital for a week, Marian reported that, for the first time in years,
she slept through the night all week. "And here all this time, I thought
the gin and tonics were the only things keeping me from full-blown
insomnia," she told me after the experience. "I sleep much more soundly
without them, though. And no more going to the bathroom two or three
times every night."
Considering all the healing processes that
take place while we sleep, I think you'll agree that getting plenty of
deep, restorative sleep is extremely important. You can help make that
happen without resorting to prescription drugs with questionable
benefits and serious side effects. If sleep is a problem for you, plan
to add a small, healthy snack to your evening. If you need additional
help, I recommend supplementing with natural sleep aids, including 5-HTP
(take 100 to 400 mg daily), GABA (take 400 mg up to 4 times daily), and
the antioxidant melatonin (men should take 3 mg about 30 minutes before
bedtime; women, take 2 mg). Most of my patients find that the right
combination of foods and supplements provides results that are well
worth the effort, and I hope you do, too.
Thrive in Health & Wellness,
Leigh Erin Connealy, M.D.
| The Daily Reckoning Presents |
“America Has Become a Piñata...”
By Addison Wiggin
[This article originally appeared in the Daily Reckoning on Monday,
May 7, 2012] |
|
|
“America’s national government has moved way beyond a political
spoils system,” wrote Charles Goyette in his book The Dollar
Meltdown. “A spoils system leaves the host alive so that a
politician’s occasional ne’er-do-well brother-in-law can be put on
the payroll.”
In contrast, Goyette suggested, “America has become a piñata:
Everybody gets a crack at it. Presidents and other elected officials
pass the big stick around as a reward to those who help keep them in
charge of the piñata party.”
Goyette’s book came out in 2009. Since then, we have learned that
the party is even more debauched, nay demented, than he ever
imagined. And you, dear reader, were not invited...
- It turns out Federal Reserve officials hold regular meetings with
well-connected insiders, tipping them off to future Fed moves. On
Aug. 15, 2011, Chairman Ben Bernanke clued in an economist named
Nancy Lazar about “Operation Twist” — the Fed’s attempt to bring
down long-term interest rates.
Ms. Lazar’s clients, according to The Wall Street Journal, pulled
down double-digit returns on 10-year Treasuries between the time of
that meeting and the time Operation Twist was unveiled to the public
on Sept. 21. Sorry you missed out.
- Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson sat down for lunch with hedge fund
managers on July 21, 2008, and informed them a federal takeover of
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac was imminent. Ten days earlier, he swore
up and down to Congress no such takeover was in the works.
The takeover, in fact, occurred on Sept. 6 — giving the hedge fund
managers their own handsome payday in a six-week span. Again, you
were excluded.
Before you object too loudly, we daresay you might wish to consider
the consequences.
The Repeal of Habeas Corpus? When Free Speech No Longer Matters
On December 31, 2011, President Obama signed the Department of
Defense Authorization Act into law. This is normally the routine
annual budget for the Pentagon. But inserted into this year’s bill
is language giving the president the authority to use the military
to imprison terrorism suspects — including US citizens —
indefinitely, and without charges.
In other words, the “great writ” of habeas corpus is in danger of
repeal. No longer would the government have to justify to a judge
why it holds someone in custody.
“Take away this great writ,” writes The Future of Freedom
Foundation’s Jacob Hornberger, “and all other rights — such as
freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, gun
ownership, due process, trial by jury and protection from
unreasonable searches and seizures and cruel and unusual punishments
— become meaningless.”
Without habeas corpus, you could be thrown in prison for the
“terrorist” act of criticizing the government and the government
would never have to declare the precise reason it hauled you away.
And in theory at least, the First Amendment would still be in force!
“This defense bill,” says The Rutherford Institute’s John Whitehead,
“not only decimates the due process of law and habeas corpus for
anyone perceived to be an enemy of the United States, but it
radically expands the definition of who may be considered the
legitimate target of military action.”
“This bill will not only ensure that we remain in a perpetual state
of war — with this being a war against the American people — but it
will also institute de facto martial law in the United States.”
135 SWAT Raids per Day: “Life Goes on, But It Is Debased...”
Rampant corruption and the apparatus for wide-scale repression:
These are the hallmarks of what military theorist John Robb calls
“the hollow state.”
“The hollow state has the trappings of a modern nation-state
(‘leaders,’ membership in international organizations, regulations,
laws and a bureaucracy), but it lacks any of the legitimacy,
services and control of its historical counterpart,” Robb wrote in
2008. It is merely a shell that has some influence over the spoils
of the economy.
“The real power,” Robb continues, “rests in the hands of
corporations and criminal/guerrilla groups that vie with each other
for control of sectors of wealth production. For the individual
living within this state, life goes on, but it is debased in a
myriad of ways. The shift from a marginally functional nation-state
in manageable decline to a hollow state often comes suddenly,
through a financial crisis.”
It is in this context that the growing “militarization” of police
looks even more ominous than it does on the surface.
The Pentagon has distributed $2.6 billion in military surplus to
local police agencies since 1997. Thus do towns of only a few
thousand people have their own SWAT teams. Time was their use was
limited to hostage-takings and other high-stakes situations. SWAT
raids nationwide numbered only 3,000 per year in the early 1980s,
according to University of Eastern Kentucky criminologist Peter
Kraska.
Nowadays, SWAT teams are used to serve routine warrants. By the time
Kraska stopped counting in the mid-2000s, the annual number had
exploded to 50,000 — an average of more than 135 per day.
What happens when the tinder-dry combination of piñata-party
corruption and a police-state structure meet the spark of violence?
We don’t know where all this is going... but we know it makes us
uneasy...which is why we are increasingly interested in casting our
gaze for investment opportunity far, far away from US shores.
The US remains a land of (some) opportunity, but it has lost its
monopoly... |