Truth and Hammer

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NASA Probe Finds Star Trek Logo On The Surface Of Mars

A strange image was spotted on the surface of Mars by NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO), and some people think that it looks like the “Star Trek” Starfleet logo.

The image was captured in the southeast Hellas Planitia region on the surface of Mars.

The team that first discovered the region says that many similar shapes on the planet are caused by the wind or lava changing the form of dunes.

Caption Spotlight (12 Jun 2019): Dune Footprints in Hellas

Enterprising viewers will make the discovery that these features look conspicuously like a famous logo.

NASA/JPL/University of Arizona#Mars #science pic.twitter.com/N5MfKQPiYt

— HiRISE (NASA) (@HiRISE) June 12, 2019

In a press release, the scientists explained:

“Long ago, there were large crescent-shaped (barchan) dunes that moved across this area, and at some point, there was an eruption. The lava flowed out over the plain and around the dunes, but not over them. The lava solidified, but these dunes still stuck up like islands. However, they were still just dunes, and the wind continued to blow. Eventually, the sand piles that were the dunes migrated away, leaving these “footprints” in the lava plain. These are also called “dune casts” and record the presence of dunes that were surrounded by lava.”

Photo Credit: Sky News

The MRO has been exploring Mars from orbit since 2006, capturing some of the most detailed images that researchers have of the planet’s surface. The device takes roughly 50,000 pictures of the Martian surface a year.

The actual goal of these missions is to search for water on the red planet.

This is not the first time that people have claimed to see a strange image in a photograph of the surface of Mars.

The most iconic photograph taken of the surface of Mars is the “face” seen below:

Photo Credit: NASA

The photo of the infamous face was taken by the NASA’s Viking spacecraft in 1976. The size of the head was apparently enormous, some researchers suggest that the rock was two miles from end to end. The photos were snapped in a region of Mars known as Cydonia.

Jim Garvin, the chief scientist for NASA’s Mars Exploration Program, said that it was an important image to capture.

“We felt this was important to taxpayers. We photographed the Face as soon as we could get a good shot at it,” Jim Gavin.

According to NASA, “on April 5, 1998, when Mars Global Surveyor flew over Cydonia for the first time, Michael Malin and his Mars Orbiter Camera (MOC) team snapped a picture ten times sharper than the original Viking photos. Thousands of anxious web surfers were waiting when the image first appeared on a JPL web site, revealing … a natural landform. There was no alien monument after all.”

The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has been exploring the red planet since 2006. Photo Credit: Sky News

While Star Trek fans and curiosity seekers may find this exciting, the similarities in the design and the shapes on the planet are purely a coincidence, same goes with the face as well. In fact, a second shape similar to the Star Trek logo was seen on the planet shortly after the first one, showing that the wind can commonly cause these shapes in the dust.

Express reported that “The NASA Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is searching for evidence that water persisted on the Red Planet’s surface. While other Mars missions indicated water once flowed across its now barren surface, it remains a mystery whether H2O was ever around long enough to provide a habitat for alien life. But NASA’s probe has now spotted something totally unexpected from above – an mysterious Star Trek logo marking on Mars. NASA’s orbiting craft has now captured another image of a strange chevron on the Martian surface eerily resembling the Star Trek Starfleet symbol.”

NASA administrator, Jim Bridenstine, recently warned an audience at the International Academy of Astronautics’ Planetary Defense Conference, about the very real possibility of a large meteor crashing into the earth.

Bridenstine reference a large meteor that entered the earth’s atmosphere and exploded over Chelyabinsk, in central Russia, in February of 2013. The meteor measured roughly 20 meters in diameter and was traveling at 40,000 mph.

This content was originally published here.

June 15, 2019
China’s Bioluminescent Blue Tears Are Beautiful and Toxic

Along the Chinese coast of the East China Sea and around Taiwan’s Matsu Islands, depending on the time of the year, fluorescent blue sparkles dance across the ocean’s surface. It sounds—and looks—like something dreamed up by Pixar, but China’s “blue tears,” as they’re known, are a naturally occurring phenomenon. New research is bringing scientists a step closer to understanding just how they work.

The blue tears are, surprisingly, caused by red Noctiluca scintillans, balloon-shaped, single-celled microorganisms known as dinoflagellates. These tiny creatures give off a bioluminescent glow when they are disturbed, and the larger the collection of them, the more spectacular the light show. However, red N. scintillans is associated with red tides, blooms of algae and other microorganisms that can sap water of its oxygen and produce conditions toxic to other forms of marine life. Tracking blooms of these dinoflagellates is no easy task, since they’re not entirely predictable. A study just published in Geophysical Research Letters offers a new approach to studying these red tides.

In 2000, a Belgian research team found that red N. scintillans (as opposed to the green variety) scatter more red light than any other microorganism in the ocean, so in addition to the light they emit, their formation and movement can change the overall color of ocean water. Scientists from the National Taiwan Ocean University, the University of South Florida, and several universities in China searched for these changes using special sensors on two NASA satellites and the International Space Station. Almost 1,000 images covering 17 years were painstakingly investigated for color patterns. The research team was able to identify the color patterns of red N. scintillans blooms, and found that they can occur farther away from the shore and in warmer water than previously observed.

According to Chuanmin Hu, from the University of South Florida and coauthor of the study, this gap in knowledge could be because, to date, researchers have only been able to study the creatures from ships, which restricts where and when they can get out to them. “In contrast, satellite images can show algae features in more extensive regions and in different months,” says Hu, via email.

The satellite imagery also revealed that these blooms are becoming more abundant in the region. Hu believes this may be a direct result of development along China’s coast, expanded use of aquaculture, and heavy agricultural runoff. “Coastal eutrophication is speculated to be a major reason of the observed increases,” says Hu. The nutrients from increased use of fertilizer in China, according to the study, could be causing the dinoflagellates to become more abundant, says Hu.

The new, wide-ranging data are going to be useful, but there’s still a lot we don’t know about this striking phenomenon. “The bluish bioluminescence of [red N. scintillans] is fascinating and beautiful. At the same time, it plays a role in ocean ecology, so more research is required to go beyond the beautiful phenomenon to better understand this role.”

This content was originally published here.

June 15, 2019
Jellyfish Are Wreaking Havoc In The Ocean Around The World

Jellyfish are wreaking havoc around the world in a variety of ways. In some parts of the world, jellyfish are jamming the piping of nuclear facilities. In others, they are killing fish and destroying fishing industries. Around the world, coastal areas are struggling about what to do with these jellyfish swarms.

Although one or two jellyfish may not seem like a problem, swarms of jellyfish are.

According to Lucas Brotz, a researcher at the University of British Columbia, the jellyfish swarms have slowly been increasing since 1950. It’s not just inconvenient; these swarms are costing industries around the world millions of dollars. The global economy could be shaken by the tiny jellyfish.

Jellyfish of all kinds are spreading, even the Box jelly and the Irukandji which are extremely venomous. The dangerous jellyfish were once only found in SE Asia and the Australian coast. Now, both are being found around the world.

No one is quite sure why these jellyfish are spreading so quickly. However, from their evolutionary standpoint, these creatures are meant to swarm the oceans. Jellyfish have a few advantages over other sea creatures including few predators, an ability to eat both fish and their eggs to collapse endure populations, and their ability to reproduce quickly through polyps.

With humans altering the natural processes of the ocean, jellyfish seem to be able to explore their population levels and expand worldwide.

Learn more about the trouble jellyfish are creating around the world here.

This content was originally published here.

June 15, 2019
Could China’s rise to power really be ‘peaceful’ and different to anything we’ve ever seen before? – China power

Updated June 15, 2019 07:18:28

China has developed at an unprecedented rate since opening up 40 years ago, lifting some 850 million people out of poverty and has becoming one of the largest contributors to global economic growth.

Key points:

Beijing has long maintained its rise will be “peaceful”, yet its exceptional growth as an economic, military and political power is commonly referred to as a “threat”, with experts calling its foreign policy “aggressive” and “menacing”.

In 2003, Chinese academic Zheng Bijian introduced the policy of a “peaceful rise” under the leadership of former president Hu Jintao, to assert that China is not a threat to global peace and security, in line with its Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.

The Five Principles:

Analysts also say the policies are China’s attempt to avoid the Thucydides trap, which predicts that a rising power will inevitably clash with an incumbent dominant force, leading to war and conflict.

However, the policy was criticised almost as soon as it was introduced due to the phrase “rise”, which could sound threatening to the country’s neighbours.

It was swiftly replaced with “peaceful development” in official documents and speeches, but that hasn’t swayed critics from seeing the country as a threat.

Belt and Road, Huawei and the South China Sea

Pradeep Taneja, an expert in Chinese politics at the University of Melbourne, said Beijing’s “peaceful rise” policy was initially introduced to counter the “China threat” narrative.

“[It] was meant to directly address concerns that China’s economic and military rise will ultimately lead to a conflict between the sole surviving superpower, the United States, and China,” Dr Taneja told the ABC.

Paul Monk, a former defence intelligence analyst, told the ABC that Chinese President Xi Jinping’s ascension to power was a turning point in Beijing’s foreign policy decisions.

The trillion-dollar Belt and Road Initiative has been accused as a “debt-trap diplomacy”, while the US has warned that Chinese telecoms giant Huawei’s 5G expansion posed a “national security risk”.

Meanwhile, China’s militarisation of the islands in the South China Sea has become one of the main potential flashpoints, analysts say.

“In practical terms, the use of [the peace narrative] allows China to claim that it has no aggressive intent, while at the same time aggressively pursuing its strategic interests, especially in the South China Sea,” Dr Taneja said.

The narrative of China’s peaceful nature and growth has been used by many of its leaders to argue that its rise will be different to other great powers of the past.

China’s economic resilience became evident after it rode through the 2007 global financial crisis relatively unscathed, and with time it became more willing to assert itself, especially under President Xi, according to Dr Monk.

While analysts recognise that it has been a long-term strategy for the Chinese Communist Party and the People’s Liberation Army to counter the US in East Asia and the Asia-Pacific, Dr Monk says such a shift is inevitable.

China’s contingency plans and ‘American assertiveness’

Andrew J Nathan, professor of Chinese politics at Colombia University, writes that the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence offer an alternative to the US-led world order, where international institutions often reflect US interests and values.

This Chinese alternative would allow nations to govern their own political systems and people as they see fit, and stresses that all nations are equal to do so without interference.

For example, as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council, China has commonly vetoed or abstained from voting on resolutions that require intervention or sanctions.

Jane Golley, China expert at the Australian National University, told the ABC it is “natural and expected” for an emerging superpower like China to create plans to protect its own interests.

Dr Golley said the militarisation of the South China Sea “does not inherently contradict a peaceful development”, explaining that it is a security measure to ensure shipping lanes would be open in the event of war.

“The costs of war would take away from China’s economic gains,” she said.

“What China is pursuing is economic power, and investment and economics is inherently peaceful.”

Ms Golley added that “American assertiveness” has led China — under President Xi — to build up its military “in line with its economic power”.

“Why wouldn’t a rising power prepare a contingency in the event of a conflict with a superpower?”

However, while China pursues a peaceful foreign policy unless provoked, domestically it is a different story, she said.

“Beijing is enacting policies which are certainly worrying,” Ms Golley told the ABC.

“You see it in Hong Kong, Xinjiang and within its own borders, but I’m yet to see comprehensive evidence of aggression overseas.”

Dr Monk emphasised it is important to keep a “cool head” about comparing China’s rise to its great power predecessors.

He said the world’s former superpowers — including Europe’s colonial powers and Japan — have previously risen through “an unprecedented catastrophe”, such as world wars or the mass enslavement of peoples.

“The possibility of [similar conflict] occurring in the 21st century as a result of China’s rise is non-existent,” Dr Monk told the ABC.

“[China] has become integrated as a late starter in a mature international system of trade and investment, and if it messes that system up it would suffer egregiously.”

This content was originally published here.

June 15, 2019
US forces other nations to violate UN resolution on Iran, threatens world security

“Unfortunately, the US unilaterally withdrew from the agreement and even threatened other parties [to the deal], calling upon them to violate UN Security Council Resolution 2231, which stands for the normalization of trade relations with Iran,” Rouhani said during the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in Kyrgyzstan’s capital, Bishkek.

The president noted that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has on numerous occasions confirmed Iran’s full compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which was signed after years of difficult negotiations in 2015.

Iran asks the other participants of the deal [China, France, Russia, the UK, plus Germany] to fulfill their commitments as soon as possible so that Iran could exercise its economic interests that [the document] envisions.

Washington unleashed several waves of sanctions against Tehran after Donald Trump quit the JCPOA, which he called “the worst deal ever,” just over a year ago. The harsh restrictions targeted Iranian oil, finance, transport, military and other sectors.

On May 8, Tehran announced the suspension of some of its obligations under the JCPOA and warned that it would resume uranium enrichment in 60 days if Iran’s interests are not protected in line with the deal.

Rouhani blasted Washington’s behavior in recent years, saying that “by violating all international structures and rules and using its economic, financial and military capabilities, [it] has implemented an aggressive approach.”

The US now “poses a serious threat to stability in the [Middle East] region and the world,” he warned.

This week saw a new spike in tensions between the US and Iran as the Americans accused Tehran of being behind explosions that struck Norwegian and Japanese oil tankers, without providing any proof of those claims. Iran responded by saying that the incident was masterminded by Washington to justify the sanctions and undermine the work of the Islamic Republic’s diplomats.

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This content was originally published here.

June 15, 2019
Gravel is back in fashion, says plant expert, as gardeners try to save water

Gravel in your your garden is back in fashion, a plant expert has said, as gardeners try to save water.

While many are proud of their vibrant green lawns, gravelled and stony areas creating “dry gardens” which require less watering are becoming more fashionable, top horticulturalist Michael Perry has said.

He told Gardeners’ World Live: “There’s a new trend called xeriscaping which is when you plant your garden to need watering as little as possible. This is why the plant of the year at Chelsea won.

“People are gravelling over their garden and planting up succulents to save water- the trend has come over from America.

“Funnily enough this is something we saw as popular in the 80s- but it’s come back now.”

Xeriscaping is when you plant your garden to not need much water, choosing Mediterranean plants and succulents and using gravel. This also makes a garden lower effort as less watering and pruning is needed.

He added: “People are definitely becoming more aware of planting for our changing climate, and the Dry Garden is a perfect example of how to achieve a beautiful garden when you can’t rely on the rain to keep the plants watered.

This content was originally published here.

June 15, 2019
Why Tesla’s Solar Roof Is A Bargain, 53% Of The Price Of A Roof + Electricity

Published on June 13th, 2019 | by Kyle Field

Why Tesla’s Solar Roof Is A Bargain, 53% Of The Price Of A Roof + Electricity — CleanTechnica Analysis

Were Elon Musk’s Claims About The Cost Of Tesla’s Solar Roof Accurate? Is Tesla’s Solar Roof Tile System Cheaper Than Buying A Roof & Grid Power?

When Tesla CEO Elon Musk unveiled the company’s Solar Roof tile system back in 2016, he boldly proclaimed that it would cost less than buying a roof and electricity. Since then, we have not seen any data to support his claim, until now.

I signed a contract with Tesla for the installation of a new Tesla Solar roof tile system and have unpacked the details, good and bad, from the contract in a series of articles. To kick things off, I will start by comparing the cost of the system against Elon’s claims to see if a Tesla Solar Roof tile system is actually cheaper than buying a roof and the power generated by the system over its life.

One Roof To Rule Them All

An accurate comparison requires an accurate baseline to be used for the cost of electricity and the cost of a new roof. Getting a new roof installed can range from $10,000 to $50,000, depending on the material used. Composite shingle roofs and tile roofs are more cost effective, but do not have the same durability as a Tesla Solar Roof with its tempered glass tiles. Tesla’s Solar Roof is comprised of, “Glass solar tiles are so durable they are warrantied for the lifetime of your house, or infinity, whichever comes first.”

Which one is a Tesla solar roof tile?

Posted by CleanTechnica on Thursday, June 13, 2019

The only roofing product on the market that comes close to this bold proclamation is a metal roof with an expected 50 year life. This is an important comparison to understand because just looking at the Tesla Solar Roof as simply the covering for the home already sets it apart from most common roofing products. It is a high-end roof, even without the solar aspect. This is not a justification for a higher price, but it is simply the reality of buying a roof that lasts.

The Tesla Solar Roof is not a typical roof, and that is highlighted in the fact that it comes with two different guarantees. The first is for the solar production from the roof. The solar production from the Solar Roof is guaranteed for 25 years. This protects the buyer from subpar solar cells, cells failing, or other factors that impact the electrical generation from the system. Such a guarantee is standard across the solar industry. The second warranty is for the physical roof structure. Because the Tesla Solar Roof is a building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) system, in addition to generating power, it also must serve as the physical roof for the house. As a roof, the Tesla Solar Roof is warrantied for infinity or the life of the home, whichever comes first.

To ensure accuracy, I went out and got bids for the job from 5 real local contractors in Southern California. This was not a hypothetical exercise, as we are in need of a new roof and were actively pursuing both options to determine which was a better fit for our family. Bids were made based on actual permitted architectural drawings of the roof, with all associated wrinkles and warts. After receiving all of the bids, I took the average price from all 5 contractors and used that as the baseline cost for a comparable roof installation. That came to $37,865.80 for a new metal roof.

Electricity By Any Other Name

Musk and his team of energy engineers at Tesla were not simply trying to build a better roof. They were ultimately trying to build a solar product that would help the masses to adopt solar because it was easier, cheaper, higher quality, and better looking. That is a tall order to fill, by any measure.

On the cost side of the equation, it is a simple matter of taking the cost of electricity from the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) and extrapolating that price out over 25 years. I used the most recent cost of residential electricity in California of 19.3 cents/kWh (March 2019) and extrapolated that out using a conservative 2% annual increase. For parity, I priced the system out using the production of the solar system, following the maximum degradation noted by Tesla. Over the 25 year warrantied life of the solar production from the system, the Solar Roof system should generate $73,436.14 worth of electricity.

Sizing The Solar Roof

We do not have a gas line running to our home, so everything in the home runs on electricity. We also have two electric vehicles that pull the vast majority of their electricity from our home. To offset as much of this consumption as possible, we are installing the largest Tesla Solar Roof tile system that our roof can handle.

System sizing on a Tesla Solar Roof is done differently than traditional solar systems, where the number of solar panels used depends on the need and roof capability. Because a Tesla Solar Roof has to serve as a physical cover for the house as its primary function, tiles must cover the entire surface. To size the system, Tesla has developed tiles that have solar cells and tiles that do not — and they all look essentially the same. For smaller systems, Tesla simply uses fewer tiles containing the actual solar cells.

The Tesla Solar Roof for our home has solar cells in every location possible. There are some areas around the edges of the roof and near the hips and joints without cells, but every other surface is setup to produce power. The primary surface of our roof faces south, which is ideal for solar production, but the configuration we are using utilizes the north-, east-, and west-facing roof surfaces as well. That does indeed maximize our solar generation, but results in a lower yield from the system compared to a system with all active tiles facing south.

The Data

All told, Tesla was able to fit a 10.59kW system in our roof, which it expects will produce 13,126 kWh in its first year of operation. This is the equivalent size of a system of 32 x 330 watt solar panels! The system, which I’ll remind you also serves as the roof for our home, came out to $70,375.23 before rebates and $58,603.04 after rebates. Compared to the cost of a metal roof, the Tesla Solar Roof was $20,737.24 more.

Translating this data into nerd-speak, aka an Excel spreadsheet, we can see that the cost of installing a metal roof and simply buying the equivalent of the electricity produced by the Tesla Solar Roof system would equal $111,301.94, whereas the Tesla Solar Roof is only $58,603.04. These are not hypotheticals or mythical numbers, just a simple summary of expenses in two different scenarios over 25 years. Said another way, the Tesla Solar Roof is 52.7% of the cost of installing a comparable roof and just buying power from the utility.

What About A Composite Shingle Roof?

Costing out a Tesla Solar Roof versus a metal roof is interesting, but that’s still a really expensive roof. Musk said at the company’s annual shareholder meeting on June 11th, 2019, that the Solar Roof team was really pushing to beat even the ubiquitous composite shingle roof. Using the single estimate we received for a composite shingle roof for our house at a mere $12,000, the Solar Roof system still comes out on top.

We can use the same $73,436.14 for the value of the electricity produced and $12,000.00 for the composite shingle roof for a total of $85,436.14. That includes the cost of electricity over the life of the system from the utility and the physical composite shingle roof. Compared to the $58,603.04 for the Solar Roof, composite shingle is already more expensive here in Southern California.

In fact, even if I throw in the roof itself as free, the Solar Roof is cheaper than simply buying power from the utility here in California, for a savings of almost $15,000 over 25 years. It won’t make or break your retirement, but it is impressive to see that the Solar Roof is already holding its own against roofing materials of any type in California. In fact, that is conveniently close to the installed price of two Tesla Powerwalls, so throw those in for some extra resiliency and call it a day.

The payback time for the Solar Roof will vary state by state and utility by utility, so be sure to run your own numbers before pulling the trigger on your own system. We spent months looking into this topic. Check back here at CleanTechnica for more analysis of the Tesla Solar Roof system as the installation of our system progresses.

If you are in the market for a Tesla, find someone locally that you know (like in real life) and use their referral code. If you don’t know anyone with a Tesla, go find someone at your local Supercharger and try not to be a creep and ask them for their referral code (they won’t mind). If that doesn’t work, ask ac co-worker or a distant relative, post on Facebook or Twitter or just hit up Google. If all that fails and it’s an odd numbered day and not too sunny out, you can use my

Kyle Field I’m a tech geek passionately in search of actionable ways to reduce the negative impact my life has on the planet, save money and reduce stress. Live intentionally, make conscious decisions, love more, act responsibly, play. The more you know, the less you need. TSLA investor.

This content was originally published here.

June 15, 2019
The truth about sugar addiction
Sugar is one of the most harmful and addictive substances that you can consume, as it’s associated with various metabolic diseases. Nowadays, it’s found in almost everything you eat.

In fact, the average American consumes around 17.4 teaspoons of sugar per day — that’s more than 5 teaspoons higher than the average sugar intake recommended by the U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2015-2020. A 2015 article from The Washington Post states that the U.S. even ranks first in the countries that consume the highest amount of sugar.

According to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, around 75% of packaged foods sold in supermarkets contain added sugar. This includes processed foods like sweet snacks, cereals, energy drinks, fruit juices and baked goods. It’s even present in infant food and baby formula, exposing children to numerous health issues at a very young age.

But avoiding sugar is not as simple as skipping sweet foods, as savory foods, like salad dressing and pizza, contain this ingredient as well. Sugar hides behind 61 different names in food labels, the most common of which include sucrose, high-fructose corn syrup, molasses, maple syrup, glucose, maltose, lactose and fruit juice concentrate, among others.^,

What makes sugar so addicting?

When you eat sugary foods, the reward center of your brain, known as the nucleus accumbens, is stimulated through increased signals of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in your perception of pleasure.

Because eating sugar makes you feel good, you’re likely to eat it often. As you consume excessive amounts of sugar on a regular basis, your body’s dopamine signals become weaker and you develop tolerance, so you have to eat more sugar to get the same level of reward, eventually resulting in sugar addiction. This is why manufacturers use sugar to drive your behavior.

There have been many studies regarding the addictive potential of sugar.^, For instance, a 2018 review published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine states that “sugar has been found to produce more symptoms than is required to be considered an addictive substance.”

It exhibits drug-like effects such as bingeing, craving, tolerance, withdrawal, cross-sensitization, cross-tolerance and cross-dependence. Another study published in the journal Neuroscience states that intermittent bingeing on sucrose and abusing drugs can both increase extracellular dopamine in the nucleus accumbens.

60 ways sugar can ruin your health

Excessive sugar consumption is associated with chronic metabolic problems, such as Type 2 diabetes, obesity and heart disease. Aside from these, there have been numerous studies spanning decades that demonstrate the other ways in which eating too much sugar can lead to detrimental effects to your health. I counted 60 of these health risks, divided into four categories:

Nutrient imbalance or deficiency
1. Upsets the mineral relationships in your body
2. Causes chromium deficiency
3. Interferes with the absorption of calcium and magnesium
4. Increases total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol levels
5. Decreases good cholesterol levels
6. Lowers vitamin E levels
Behavioral changes
1. Leads to addiction and intoxication, similar to alcohol^,
2. Increases hyperactivity and depressive symptoms
3. Causes difficulty in concentrating and drowsiness
4. Reduces learning capacity and can cause learning disorders
5. Increases the risk for antisocial behavior
6. Decreases emotional stability
7. Increases the risk for alcoholism
Increased risk of diseases
1. Promotes cancer cell growth
2. Increases fasting levels of glucose^,
3. Increases blood pressure levels
4. increases platelet adhesion, which could put you at risk of arterial thrombotic conditions
5. Leads to formation of kidney stones and ^,
6. Promotes excessive food intake through rapid sugar absorption
7. Increases the risk for obesity
8. Decreases insulin sensitivity, leading to high insulin levels and eventually diabetes
9. Causes reactive hypoglycemia
10. Triggers dizziness and headaches, including migraines
11. Makes you more prone to gastrointestinal tract problems
12. Promotes chronic degenerative diseases
13. Causes atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases
14. Causes cataracts and nearsightedness
15. Increases the risk for lung cancer
16. Contributes to osteoporosis
17. Promotes the progression of Parkinson’s disease
18. Increases the risk of gout and Alzheimer’s disease^,
19. Increases acidity of the saliva and causes tooth decay and periodontal diseases^,
20. Promotes uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infection)
21. Leads to toxemia in pregnancy
22. May lead to epileptic seizures
Bodily impairments
1. Impairs metabolic processes in a normal healthy individual
2. Suppresses the immune system, which increases risk of contracting infectious diseases
3. Reduces tissue elasticity and function
4. Leads to weaker eyesight
5. Accelerate aging
6. Increases advanced glycation end products wherein sugar molecules attach to proteins and end up damaging them
7. Impairs DNA and collagen structure
8. Alters collagen structure
9. Worsens signs of skin aging
10. Lowers the ability of your enzymes to function
11. Promotes fat accumulation in the liver
12. Increases the risk for kidney and pancreatic damage^,
13. Contributes to salt and fluid retention
14. Affects urinary electrolyte composition
15. Impairs normal function of the adrenal glands
16. Compromises lining of capillaries
17. Weakens your tendons
18. Can cause an increase in delta, alpha and theta brain waves, which results in the inability to think clearly
19. Causes hormonal imbalances^,
20. Increases free radicals and oxidative stress
21. Leads to substantial decrease in gestation, with a twofold increased risk for delivering a small-for-gestational-age infant
22. Causes among newborns
23. Affects carbon dioxide production when given to infants
How to manage sugar addiction

It’s never too late to kick your sugar-loading habits to the curb. Here are some of my recommendations to help manage or limit your sugar consumption:

Limit your sugar intake — Sugar in its natural form is not bad provided that it’s consumed in moderation. Generally, your total sugar consumption should be below 25 grams per day from all sources, including sugar that you get from whole fruits. However, if you have insulin or leptin resistance, it’s ideal to limit your fructose intake to as little as 15 grams per day until you’ve normalized your insulin and leptin levels.

Avoid high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) — This sweetener is made from corn and found in many of the food items that you eat and drink today. It’s considered to be dangerous not only because of the amount of sugar that it contains, but also because of the health risks that it can cause, most of which are mentioned above.

Increase your consumption of healthy fats — Healthy fats, such as omega-3 fatty acids, saturated fats and monounsaturated fats, are your body’s preferred source of fuel. The best sources of these include grass fed butter, coconut oil, free-range eggs, wild-caught Alaskan salmon, avocado and raw nuts like pecans and macadamia.

Add fermented foods into your diet — Eating fermented foods like kimchi, natto, organic yogurt and kefir may help reduce the negative effects of excessive sugar on your liver by supporting your digestive function and detoxification.

Drink pure water — Instead of drinking sweetened beverages like soda and fruit juices, I recommend that you rehydrate your body with pure, clean water.

Try the Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) — Food cravings are sometimes triggered by an emotional need, such as wanting to relieve stress or feel a little happier after a tiring day. EFT is a simple and effective psychological acupressure technique that could help you manage the emotional components of your cravings.

It has been proven to help relieve emotional traumas, ease phobias and post-traumatic stresses, break down food cravings and lessen physical pain and discomfort. What EFT entails in its practitioners is to have the right mindset when going on a diet or just taking steps to improve on their health. If you’re already curious, you can browse through the basics of EFT here.

Aside from the recommendations mentioned above, I recommend exercising every day, along with optimizing your vitamin D levels, getting enough sleep and managing your stress levels. These strategies may help minimize the effects of excessive sugar intake. Exercise in particular is known to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce stress levels, suppress ghrelin (the appetite hormone), speed up metabolism, strengthen bones and boost your mood.

It can be quite difficult to say no to sweets, especially if you have been consuming them on a daily basis, but once you feel the effects that lowering your sugar intake has on your body, it will all be worth it.
This content was originally published here.
June 15, 2019
Chicago Cardinal Cupich Will Allow Pro-Abortion Politicians To Receive Holy Communion | Daily Wire

Chicago Cardinal Blase Cupich will allow Illinois state politicians who helped pass a law guaranteeing women the right to abortion to receive what Catholics believe to be the body and blood of Jesus Christ in the form of Holy Communion.

Speaking with Catholic News Agency, Cupich said that barring pro-abortion Catholic politicians from receiving Holy Communion would be “counterproductive.”

“I think it would be counterproductive to impose sanctions, simply because they don’t change anybody’s minds, but it also takes away from the fact that an elected official has to deal with the judgment seat of God, not just the judgment seat of a bishop. I think that’s much more powerful,” Cupich told CNA. “I have always approached the issue saying that the bishop’s primary responsibility is to teach, and I will continue to do that.”

Senate Bill 25 — a.k.a., the “Reproductive Health Act” — passed the Illinois State Senate by a 34-20 vote and essentially guarantees that the state will enshrine abortion rights into law should Roe v. Wade be overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court. It even expressly states that the “fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights.” Democrat Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bill into law this past Wednesday.

According to Catholic Canon Law 915, people who publicly express grave sin are not to be admitted to Holy Communion. The Catholic Church has always taught abortion to be intrinsically evil and that people who either procure or support the practice are in grave error that can only be reconciled through the sacrament of Confession.

Cardinal Cupich did, however, tell Catholic News Agency that the “Reproductive Health Act” is “pernicious” by denying the humanity of the unborn child.

“What’s pernicious about this law, and what’s so very difficult, is that it says that the unborn child has absolutely no claim on rights,” Cupich said. “It says that human life is cheap. That’s the message that we send—that human life is cheap in the State of Illinois.”

Cardinal Cupich’s decision to give pro-abortion politicians Holy Communion stands in direct contrast to another bishop in Illinois – Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of Springfield, who expressly forbid all priests under his governance to give Holy Communion to politicians that supported the “Reproductive Health Act.”

“In accord with canon 915 of the Code of Canon Law … Illinois Senate President John Cullerton and Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan, who facilitated the passage of the Act Concerning Abortion of 2017 (House Bill 40) as well as the Reproductive Health Act of 2019 (Senate Bill 25), are not to be admitted to Holy Communion in the Diocese of Springfield in Illinois because they have obstinately persisted in promoting the abominable crime and very grave sin of abortion as evidenced by the influence they exerted in their leadership roles and their repeated votes and obdurate public support for abortion rights over an extended period of time,” Paprocki wrote in a statement.

In 2017, the American Catholic hierarchy elected Kansas City Archbishop Joseph Naumann to head the U.S. Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, who expressly stated that bishops should bar pro-abortion politicians from receiving Holy Communion.

This content was originally published here.

June 15, 2019
How To Make A DIY Modern Platform Bed | Sia Magazin

Today on Shape And Explore I’m making a Modern Platform Bed using dimensional lumber from my local home centre. The idea behind this project was to create a bed that emphasizes the low horizontal lines within my bedroom.

source/image(PrtSc): Shape And Explore

To help distract from the low ceilings in my basement apartment.The design features clean straight lines, and is versatile enough to pair well with multiple bedroom layouts and styles. Watch the video from Shape And Explore for more info:

This bed is easy to build and maintaining it is even easier. All you need to learn is some necessary carpentry skills. Get the required tools, take proper measurements for the bed, drill the holes for putting screws and then attach the frames.

After the finishing touches are done, set your bed with the perfect mattress and you’ll be all set with a new bed at home. This cozy bed would be perfect for your lazy weekend escapades.

This content was originally published here.

June 15, 2019