WORLD NEWS
The British government is reportedly planning on issuing guidance to schools that would prohibit supposedly transgender students from joining contact sports teams of the opposite sex as well as requiring teachers to inform parents if their child begins displaying signs of transgenderism.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s recent declaration that 100 per cent of women do not have penises may have some real-world applications in the coming months, with the government reportedly preparing new guidance on gender for schools across the country.
Russia Sends Top Diplomat to Meet Top Officials in Brazil After Lula’s China VisitRussian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov met his Brazilian counterpart Mauro Vieira on Monday as part of Lavrov’s five-day Latin American tour to Brazil, Cuba, Venezuela, and Nicaragua.
Lavrov is slated to hold a meeting with Brazilian radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after his meeting with Vieira on Monday. Lavrov arrived in Brazil just as Lula returned from a visit to China, one of Russia’s closest allies, where the Brazilian president held hours-long talks with dictator Xi Jinping last week.
Hikvision: Chinese surveillance tech giant denies leaked Pentagon spy claim
Chinese surveillance technology giant Hikvision has denied it is illegally disguising its products sold to the US government to enable Chinese espionage.
It was responding to BBC queries about allegations revealed in a recently leaked Pentagon document.
But Hikvision did not answer questions on whether it partners with Chinese intelligence agencies.
The company is the world’s largest surveillance camera maker and has close links to the Chinese state.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
8th Senator Endorses Trump for 2024 Primary
Former President Donald Trump picked up another endorsement on April 16, with Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) becoming the eighth Republican senator to back Trump as he seeks the 2024 GOP presidential nomination.
“It is my honor to give my whole-hearted endorsement to Donald J. Trump to be the next President of the United States. I was honored to previously serve in his Administration,” Hagerty said in a post on Twitter Sunday.
Hagerty, who served under Trump as U.S. ambassador to Japan from 2017 to 2019, praised the former commander-in-chief for his tough stance against the Chinese Communist Party, his energy policies, and for reducing illegal border crossings.
Sen. Marsha Blackburn Joins Handful of Tennessee Republicans Endorsing Trump
Sen. Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) announced Monday that she is endorsing Donald Trump for president, adding to the growing list of Republican lawmakers who are officially backing the former commander-in-chief.
“Under President Trump, our economy was booming, gas prices were low, and inflation was under control. Our [b]order was secure, our adversaries feared us, [and] our military was strong,” Blackburn wrote on Twitter. “I am proud to endorse Donald Trump for President and can’t wait until he’s back in the White House.”
ANALYSIS: IRS Under Biden Taxing Americans More Than Trump
The amount of taxes collected from Americans under President Joe Biden has soared compared to former President Donald Trump’s tenure, while tax enforcement has also risen, an analysis of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) data shows.
The IRS collected a total of $4.9 trillion in taxes for fiscal year 2022 (Oct. 1, 2021 to Sept. 30, 2022), according to the IRS’ newly released Data Book. At the same time, the IRS issued nearly $642 billion in refunds last year, putting the net amount of taxes collected at around $4.26 trillion.
IN-DEPTH: Absentee Voting From Abroad Presents Myriad of Fraud Vulnerabilities in US Elections
Preliminary election results announced right after an election often include the caveat that officials still need to count the overseas military ballots before finalizing results.
The general voting population in the United States promptly ignores that caveat and runs with the preliminary results. To them, overseas votes are an afterthought.
But policy changes, and a Democratic effort to register international voters, have quietly altered this longtime Republican-leaning, mostly military voting bloc into an unpredictable force with the potential for fraud and the power to sway elections.
Judge Says He Found No Evidence of Government Misconduct in Jan. 6 Case
The federal judge overseeing the Proud Boys seditious-conspiracy trial in Washington on April 16 rejected a defendant’s calls for a mistrial and his allegations of evidence tampering, withholding of exculpatory evidence, and government misconduct.
In a 10-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly rejected requests from defendant Dominic Pezzola for a mistrial or dismissal of charges.
Kelly called Pezzola’s conclusions “bizarre” and said they “lack legal and factual support.”
Pezzola claimed he was deprived of exculpatory evidence from video footage aired in March on Fox News’ “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”
As Tennessee Governor Bill Lee calls on the state legislature to propose an enhanced “order of protection” law–Democrats, media, and gun rights groups have said the governor’s “order of protection” law essentially amounts to a “red flag” law, something many Republicans have said are a nonstarter in the bright red state.
Lee, a Republican who has opposed gun restrictions as recently as last year, talked about red flag laws in response to a reporter’s question while he was signing school safety legislation last June.
“As you know, there are a lot of conversations that are happening all across the country about laws that affect gun ownership and red flag laws and waiting period laws,” he told the reporter. “And there will be those conversations all across the country, we’re not looking at gun restriction laws in my administration right now. There’s one thing to remember: criminals don’t follow laws, criminals break laws, whether they’re a gun law [or] a drug law, criminals break laws.”
Lee seemingly mentioned a change in position during a press conference earlier this week announcing his calls for extreme risk protection order (ERPO) legislation, saying legislators may have to put aside their “previously held positions” on the issue.
“I’ve certainly been speaking with leadership from both parties,” he said. “If we’re gonna get something accomplished, it’s going to require coming together, [and] laying down our previously held positions, potentially.”
When asked later in the press conference if the legislation he was asking for fell under “red flag laws,” he said “it falls under a law that I think is appropriate for our state given the circumstances we’re in.”
Republicans in Tennessee have said the difference in what Lee is asking for is that he is calling on strengthening current protection laws, which mostly apply to domestic incidents, while still ensuring due process of those who are reported to be a danger to themselves or others.
“As we look at mental health orders of protection, they must have a level of due process, protections from fraudulent claims, and a quick judicial hearing for individuals who pose imminent threats. The House is willing to work toward bipartisan solutions to protect all children at their schools, in their communities, and inside their homes,” state House Speaker Cameron Sexton, a Republican, said in a statement.
Lee in his announcement this week said the stronger order of protection laws would be led by law enforcement which has “a high standard burden of proof.”
“Due process requires clear and convincing evidence that a person that has shown that they are a real threat to themselves or to others–that person, that individual–should not have access to firearms. Our judicial system is prepared, it has years of experience in dealing with the orders of protection.”
Watch Live: House Holds ‘Victims of Violent Crime in Manhattan’ Hearing over Alvin Bragg’s Policies
The House Judiciary Committee is holding a hearing in New York City on Monday, April 17, on Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s “pro-crime, anti-victim policies.”
Scheduled to testify during the hearing are:
- Jose Alba, former Manhattan bodega clerk
- Madeline Brame, Chairwoman of the Victims Rights Reform Council and mother of a homicide victim
- Jennifer Harrison, Founder of Victims Rights NY
- Paul DiGiacomo, President of the New York City’s Detectives’ Endowment Association
- Robert F. Holden, New York City Council (D-District 30)
- Barry Borgen, father of a victim of anti-Semetic hate crime
- Jim Kessler, Co-Founder and Senior Vice President for Policy of Third Way
- Rebecca Fischer, Executive Director of New Yorkers Against Gun Violence
Alvin Bragg Has Given New York City Over to ‘Lawlessness’: Democratic Councilman
Democratic New York City Councilman Robert Holden took aim at Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s leadership—or perceived lack thereof—at a New York field hearing of the House Judiciary Committee on April 17.
“I’m here to address the lawlessness that has taken over the city in recent years as a result of the failed progressive policies implemented by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg,” Holden testified before the committee.
Noting that Bragg’s first year in office had been marked by a “dramatic shift” in the prosecution of crime, Holden asserted that the district attorney’s “soft on crime” policies suggested his top priority was not protecting law-abiding citizens but keeping criminals out of jail.
“On his first day in office, Bragg issued a memo that decriminalized a broad range of offenses and reduced charges for violent crime,” the councilman said. “This was a signal for every criminal that it was open season on law-abiding citizens in New York County.”
Bragg, as well as politicians in the city council and on the state level, are contributing to what he sees as a “pro-criminal element” in New York City, Holden said.
“We’re going to have to change this,” the councilor told The Epoch Times in an interview following his testimony. “We’re going to get to a point where people are fed up in New York state and city—and they’re leaving. I know a lot of friends have left for areas other than New York City.”
Holden called for a simple solution: start enforcing accountability.
“That means if you commit a crime—you shoot a gun in New York City—you should go to jail,” Holden said. “Put the criminals in jail. Period.”
Bragg assumed office in January 2022. By the end of the year, overall index crime in the city had risen by 22.4 percent, year-over-year, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD). Homicides, however, were down 11.3 percent—their lowest level since 2019.
Pelosi Campaign Pays $7,500 to Illinois Man Who Sued over ‘Invasive and Harassing’ Text Messages
Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-CA) campaign paid an Illinois man $7,500 in a settlement after the man sued Pelosi, her campaign, and the fundraising apparatus ActBlue over “invasive and harassing” fundraising text messages.
Jorge Rojas sued Pelosi in federal court in October, accusing her and her campaign of violating the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991 by sending him 21 “harassing” text messages in a nine-month span, Business Insider reported.
Ron DeSantis Suggests Building a State Prison Near Disney World in Orlando
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has floated the possibility of building a state prison near Disney World in Orlando as part of his ongoing political war with the woke company.
In a press conference Monday, DeSantis outlined his latest countermeasures against the Walt Disney Co., saying Florida’s legislature is working to effectively revoke Disney’s backdoor agreements, which the Reedy Creek Improvement District’s board of supervisors snuck into place in a last-ditch attempt to thwart the DeSantis-approved board’s coming to power.
HEALTH
IN-DEPTH: Researchers Find Explosion of Youth Gender Dysphoria Over the Last Decade
Transgenderism has exploded among youth in the United States over the last decade.
Americans between the ages of 13 and 17 make up nearly 20 percent of the people in the United States who identify as transgender, according to a 2022 report by the Williams Institute, a think tank at the University of California–Los Angeles School of Law.
The 2022 report also estimated that 3 percent of teens between the ages of 13 and 17 identify themselves as transgender, a 100 percent increase over the number in the organization’s 2017 report. The latest report used data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2017 and 2019 Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System and the 2017–2020 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.
Dr. Michelle Cretella, an expert in adolescent sexuality, believes the rate is significantly higher than the Williams Institute report estimates.
“A rise this dramatic is most certainly due to indoctrination,” she told The Epoch Times.
The Spice That Prevents Fluoride From Destroying Your Brain
Fluoride is found everywhere today, from antibiotics to drinking water, no stick pans to toothpaste, making exposure inevitable. All the more reason why research proving this common spice can prevent fluoride damage is so promising…
Fluoride’s neurotoxicity has been the subject of academic debate for decades, and now a matter of increasingly impassioned controversy among the general public, as well. From ‘conspiracy theories’ about it being first used in drinking water in Russian and Nazi concentration camps to chemically lobotomize captives, to its now well-known IQ lowering properties, to its ability to enhance the calcification of the pineal gland — the traditional ‘seat of the soul’ — many around the world, and increasingly in the heavily fluoridated regions of the United States, are starting to organize at the local and statewide level to oust this ubiquitous toxicant from municipal drinking water.
A compelling study published in the Pharmacognosy Magazine titled, “Curcumin attenuates neurotoxicity induced by fluoride: An in vivo evidence,” adds experimental support to the suspicion that fluoride is indeed a brain-damaging substance, also revealing that a natural spice-derived protective agent against the various health effects associated with this compound is available.
In order to assess the neurotoxic effects of fluoride and prove curcumin’s protective role against it, researchers randomly divided up mice into four groups, for 30 days:
- Control (no fluoride)
- Fluoride (120 ppm): fluoride was given in distilled water drinking water without restriction.
- Fluoride (120 ppm/30 mg/kg body weight) + Curcumin: Oral dose of curcumin dissolved in olive oil along with fluoride in drinking water
- Curcumin: (30 mg/kg body weight)
In order to ascertain the effect of treatment, the researchers measured the malondialdehyde (MDA) content in the brains of the different treated mice. MDA is a well-known marker of oxidative stress/damage.
As was expected, the fluoride (F) only treatment group showed significantly elevated MDA levels vs. the non-fluoride treated control. The F + Curcumin group saw reduced MDA levels vs. the fluoride only group, demonstrating curcumin’s neuroprotective activity against fluoride associated neurotoxicity.
The study concluded,
“Our study thus demonstrate that daily single dose of 120 ppm F result in highly significant increases in the LPO [lipid peroxidation, i.e. brain rancidity] as well as neurodegenerative changes in neuron cell bodies of selected hippocampal regions. Supplementation with curcumin significantly reduce the toxic effect of F to near normal level by augmenting the antioxidant defense through its scavenging property and provide an evidence of having therapeutic role against oxidative stress mediated neurodegeneration.”
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Why Scientists Are Obsessing Over the Bugs in Our Stool
Why Scientists Are Obsessing Over the Bugs in Our Stool
What specific bugs—bacteria, viruses, and fungi—in what precise amounts might you find in normal healthy human stool?
It’s an odd question, but important because it’s one of the few clues we have as to what is happening inside the gut microbiome. This microbial community plays several essential roles, from helping to create hormones to supplying the key components of our immune system. Unfortunately, it’s also notoriously difficult to study. One of the few glimpses we can get into its inner workings is by what comes out of us.
By the end of the year, researchers hope to use insights from stool to categorize the gut microbiome.
This new fecal standard will be compiled using stool samples from healthy donors representing omnivore and vegan diets—5,000 of each—that are pooled and homogenized. Afterward, they will undergo a newly developed process to make them shelf-stable.
Since the microbiome is so essential to our health, it’s important to have some benchmark to measure against. For instance, if we didn’t have an idea what healthy blood pressure is, we wouldn’t know when someone was at risk of severe disease from high blood pressure.
The new standard hopes to solve an inconsistency in science that now uses a dozen or more diverse “controls” for studies, says Scott Jackson, leader of the complex microbial systems group at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
Ideally, this will translate into better diagnostic tools, lab tests, probiotics, and other gut-related products that are already flooding the consumer marketplace with no regulation or oversight. Currently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t approve tests or supplements, although many are available.
Part of the challenge facing scientists is that the perfect microbiome may no longer exist, because of the ubiquitous presence of various chemicals, processed foods, and the microbial effects of many drugs, cleaners, and herbicides.
There’s no guarantee the scientific and medical communities will universally adopt it.
The hope is this will be the first meaningful baseline in this emerging field of science that’s complex beyond comprehension. Even those performing microbiome studies can’t say what the benchmark for health really is.
This Heart-Healthy Nut Is A Satisfying, Sustainable Alternative To Almonds
Thanks to their rich flavor and versatility, macadamia nuts have become increasingly popular in recent years as an eco-friendly alternative to other healthy nuts, such as almonds. Besides making a tasty addition to baked goods and desserts, you can now find macadamias in milks, oils, and nut butters.
But are macadamia nuts healthy? We reached out to a few experts to learn more about the benefits and drawbacks of macadamia nuts, plus a few delicious ways you can add them to your diet.
Macadamia nuts are a stellar source of nutrients, offering a diverse assortment of essential vitamins, minerals, and heart-healthy fats in each serving.
Macadamia nuts are particularly high in monounsaturated fats, a type of heart-healthy fat also found in other ingredients like avocados and olive oil. They’re also loaded with manganese, a micronutrient needed for bone formation, immune function, reproductive health, and more. Additionally, thiamine, another key nutrient in macadamias, is involved in energy metabolism and cell function.
Not only are they eco-friendly and rich in antioxidants, but macadamias may also promote weight loss, enhance gut health, and more. Here are a few of the top health benefits of the nut:
1.They can help keep your heart healthy.
- They may support weight loss.
- They boost gut health
- They’re rich in antioxidants.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
Alphabet stock slid as much as 4% on Monday, erasing about $55 billion in market value after a report from The New York Times suggested that competition is heating up in the mobile search market.
The report said that Samsung is considering replacing Google as the default search engine across its lineup of devices in favor of Microsoft’s Bing Search, which could put about $3 billion in annual revenue at risk for Alphabet.
A similar contract between Alphabet and Apple, which is worth about $20 billion in annual revenue to Alphabet, is due for renewal later this year.
Google employees were shocked when they learned in March that Samsung was considering replacing Google, and internal messages of Alphabet employees reviewed by The New York Times showed “panic” among staff.
Google has been facing increased competition in search for the first time in decades after Microsoft incorporated OpenAI’s ChatGPT into its Bing search results earlier this year. Google has long held an essential monopoly on the search market, commanding a market share of about 90%.
Apple bets big on India as first flagship store opens in Mumbai
The opening underscores the tech giant’s increasing focus on India as a key sales market and alternative manufacturing hub to China.
Why many students are choosing trade programs over college
While almost every sector of higher education is seeing fewer students registering for classes, many trade programs are booming. The students in this night class, seeking certificates and other short-term credentials, not associate degrees, are part of that upswing.
Mechanic and repair trade programs saw an enrollment increase of 11.5% from spring 2021 to 2022, according to the National Student Clearinghouse. Enrollment in construction trades courses increased 19.3%, and culinary program enrollment increased 12.7%. Some trade programs are offered at community colleges, but in the same time span, overall enrollment at public two-year colleges declined 7.8%, and enrollment at public four-year institutions dropped by 3.4%, according to NSC.
Many young people who are choosing a trade program over a traditional four-year degree say that they are doing so because it’s much more affordable, and they see a more obvious path to a job.
Training in auto collision repair made sense to Robert Nivyayo, a 19-year-old who says he can earn a credential while doing what he enjoys, and without spending much time in the traditional classroom.
“Every new day,” he says, “I just get more motivated.”
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
SpaceX targets Thursday for next attempt to launch Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built
SpaceX is now targeting Thursday for the next attempt to get Starship, the most powerful rocket ever built, off the ground.
Starship was left grounded on its launchpad in South Texas on Monday morning because of a technical issue, delaying the vehicle’s historic first launch attempt.
SpaceX will have a Thursday launch window that opens at 8:28 a.m. CT (9:28 a.m. ET) and closes at 9:30 a.m. CT. (10:30 a.m. ET). The company will livestream the launch attempt on its website, starting about 45 minutes before liftoff.
‘Singing’ Plants? Researchers Discover Plants Make High-Frequency Noise—And It Sounds Like This
Old Hans Halbig always sang to the tomato plants in his greenhouse. The 85-year-old Calgarian green thumb (my neighbor) had an inkling that singing helped them grow. What Hans might not have known was that his plants were probably making sounds back to him.
Evidence attests to the former prospect—human singing releases plant-friendly CO2 while emitting vibrations that stimulate plant growth, for example. But new research now vouches for the latter, that plants emit sounds, and those sounds carry information about the plant’s condition.
Hans wasn’t too far off the mark.
Recently, for the first time, scientists at Tel Aviv University have recorded and analyzed distinctive noises made by different plant species—including tomato plants—and revealed that those noises correspond to the subjects’ level of stress.
Plants were recorded making high-pitched “clicks,” which sound something like popcorn popping, and though those sounds are about the same volume as human speech, their frequency is too high for the human ear to hear.
“From previous studies we know that vibrometers attached to plants record vibrations, but do these vibrations also become airborne soundwaves—sounds that can be recorded from a distance?” asked professor Lilach Hadany from the School of Plant Sciences and Food Security. “Our study addressed this question, which researchers have been debating for many years.”
The research team, led by Hadany, published their paper in the journal Cell. The authors wrote: “We found that plants usually emit sounds when they are under stress, and that each plant and each type of stress is associated with a specific identifiable sound. While imperceptible to the human ear, the sounds emitted by plants can probably be heard by various animals, such as bats, mice, and insects.”
The first stage of the study involved the plants’ being placed in acoustic boxes in a quiet basement with no background noise. Focusing mainly on tomato and tobacco plants, they set up ultrasound microphones about 4 inches (10 centimeters) from each and recorded sounds at frequencies ranging from 20-250 kilohertz—the highest frequency the human ear can detect is 16 kilohertz. Wheat, corn cactus, and henbit were also tested.
Deepfake porn could be a growing problem amid AI race
Artificial intelligence imaging can be used to create art, try on clothes in virtual fitting rooms or help design advertising campaigns.
But experts fear the darker side of the easily accessible tools could worsen something that primarily harms women: nonconsensual deepfake pornography.
Deepfakes are videos and images that have been digitally created or altered with artificial intelligence or machine learning. Porn created using the technology first began spreading across the internet several years ago when a Reddit user shared clips that placed the faces of female celebrities on the shoulders of porn actors.
Since then, deepfake creators have disseminated similar videos and images targeting online influencers, journalists and others with a public profile. Thousands of videos exist across a plethora of websites. And some have been offering users the opportunity to create their own images — essentially allowing anyone to turn whoever they wish into sexual fantasies without their consent, or use the technology to harm former partners.
The problem, experts say, grew as it became easier to make sophisticated and visually compelling deepfakes. And they say it could get worse with the development of generative AI tools that are trained on billions of images from the internet and spit out novel content using existing data.
“The reality is that the technology will continue to proliferate, will continue to develop and will continue to become sort of as easy as pushing the button,” said Adam Dodge, the founder of EndTAB, a group that provides trainings on technology-enabled abuse. “And as long as that happens, people will undoubtedly … continue to misuse that technology to harm others, primarily through online sexual violence, deepfake pornography and fake nude images.”
SURVEILLANCE STATE
FBI Arrests 2 Over Secret Chinese Police Station in NYC
The FBI arrested two people on April 17 on charges of operating a secret police station in New York City on behalf of China’s regime, according to the Justice Department (DOJ).
The duo, Lu Jianwang, 61, and Chen Jinping, 59, conspired to work as agents of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and took orders from the regime in order to track down and silence Chinese dissidents living in the United States, prosecutors said.
The police station is believed to be one of more than 100 overseas stations operated by the Chinese regime in 53 countries, according to Safeguard Defenders, a Spain-based nonprofit.
The effort revealed an immense violation of U.S. sovereignty by the CCP and a flagrant violation of international law, according to U.S. District Attorney Breon Peace.
“This prosecution reveals the Chinese government’s flagrant violation of our nation’s sovereignty by establishing a secret police station in the middle of New York City,” Peace said at a news conference in Brooklyn.
“Just imagine the NYPD opening an undeclared secret police station in Beijing.”
Media Covers Up Tracking of Unvaccinated People
In mid-February 2023, I reported that the U.S. government has secretly been tracking those who didn’t get the COVID jab, or are only partially jabbed, through a previously unknown surveillance program
Within days, fact checkers tried to debunk the idea that individual people are being tracked, or that these data could be misused by government or third parties
COVID “vaccination” status was not considered a private medical matter at all during 2021 and 2022, yet mainstream media now want you to believe that your COVID jab status is protected by medical privacy laws
Your medical data are not nearly as private as you think. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) is rife with exemptions when it comes to your privacy. Federal agencies such as Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, for example, are exempt from the privacy clauses and can access identifiable data — especially if there’s an outbreak of infectious disease, be it real or fictitious
Government agencies and a number of third parties or “covered entities” can also use a number of loopholes to re-identify previously de-identified patient data
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
Starting Home Composting for Your Garden & the Planet
“Make my own compost?!” I promise, it’s not as intimidating as you think. All you need are a few ingredients that you likely already have on hand, along with some minor equipment. In the process, you’ll be keeping food waste out of landfills while creating the best kind of soil.
Compost isn’t just a heap of food scraps and dirt. There are many genuine benefits, including:
- Enriches soil, helping to retain moisture and suppress plant diseases and pests.
- Help plants retain more moisture during periods of drought, which is becoming more common with climate change.
- Reduces the need for chemical fertilizers.
- Increase soil structure to help prevent erosion and is a big part of the regenerative agriculture movement.
- Encourages the production of beneficial bacteria and fungi that break down organic matter to create humus, a rich, nutrient-filled material.
- Reduces methane emissions from landfills and lowers your carbon footprint.
- Provides a free garden and lawn amendment.
How to Compost in Your Backyard
There are four essentials for a successful DIY compost: nitrogen, carbon, moisture and oxygen. Here’s how you make it work.
Common nitrogen-rich essentials for composting include:
- Grass clippings
- Fruit and vegetable scraps
- Coffee grounds
- Tea leaves
Common carbon-rich essentials for composting include:
- Dried leaves
- Chopped up corn cobs
- Ripped up cardboard (best if ink-free and untreated)
If you’re growing peas in your garden, you may be wondering do peas need a trellis? The answer is yes- even when the packet says no!
Peas are a vining crop that puts out tendrils that will cling and climb as they grow.
There are many different types of peas- snow peas, shell peas, and sugar snap peas, to name a few. And within those types there are tons of different cultivars and varieties.
Depending on the type you choose to grow, you may see things like requires staking or does not require staking on the back of your seed packet.
What does this mean and do peas really need a trellis?
Is this your first year growing peas? Learn more about How to Grow Peas before learning about trellises!
COVID RELATED NEWS
COVID’s Link to a Sharp Increase in POTS
Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) is not a new diagnosis, but experts believe there are at least 1 million new patients with the condition as a result of COVID and the shots
The condition is a result of poor synchronization between several bodily systems. The primary symptoms are orthostatic intolerance, triggering low or high blood pressure, lightheadedness, fainting and trouble focusing
The debilitating autonomic nervous system symptoms are long-lasting, life-changing and can mimic anxiety, which makes getting an accurate diagnosis and treatment challenging
A group of leading critical care specialists started the Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance (FLCCC) and have developed an effective treatment protocol for COVID long-haul symptoms after infection and adverse events after the shot
SPEAKING FROM THE GRAVE … Recently buried emitting bluetooth signals … : GRAVES EMIT BLUETOOTH SIGNALS
CANCEL CULTURE
Budweiser’s New Pro-America Advertisement Sets Social Media Ablaze Amid Mulvaney Controversy
In what appears to be an attempt to win back the audience that was angered over Bud Light after its endorsement deal with transgender activist Dylan Mulvaney, Anheuser-Busch launched a new patriotic advertisement with its most iconic image.
The advertisement, released Friday on social media, shows a Clydesdale horse—used for decades by Anheuser-Busch and Budweiser—walking past the Grand Canyon, New York City, and other landmarks. The clip didn’t make mention of Mulvaney or issue an apology.
“This is a story bigger than beer,” the narrator in the video says. “This is the story of the American spirit.”
The advertisement also shows an American flag being raised. And one of the flag-raisers is seen putting a hand over her heart as the narrator says the beer is “brewed for those who found opportunity in challenge and hope in tomorrow.”
PET NEWS
FDA Warning About Spot-on Flea and Tick Product Remains
We recommend most pet guardians use chemical flea and tick preventives minimally or, preferably, not at all.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) warned that some of the most popularly prescribed flea/tick products containing isoxazoline are associated with muscle tremors, seizures and ataxia in dogs and cats.
Isoxazolines are deadly to insects through effects on the insect nervous system; researchers believe that the chemicals are not only neurotoxic to insects but also to dogs and cats
Researchers are finding flea/tick chemicals in waterways, with potentially devastating downstream effects on the ecosystem.
Parasite prevention is the best medicine, starting high-risk pets on multimodal pest deterrent strategies early in the season. If pesticides are applied to pets, a detoxification protocol should also be instituted to reduce potential side effects.
>>> Related: 30 Ways to Naturally Prevent and Get Rid of Fleas on Dogs
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Big Pet Food’s Newest By-Product Whitewashing Scam
If you’re like so many other knowledgeable pet parents, you’ve grown skeptical of terms like “sustainability” and “eco-consciousness” coming from the ultra processed pet food industry.
Clearly, the use of these terms is an attempt to reframe big pet food’s long-standing use of human food industry waste (aka by-products) in pet food to recapture the interest of pet parents who increasingly avoid these types of ingredients.
As part of this effort, the industry is hoping to rebrand by-products as “co-products” and even “leftovers”.
Thankfully, observant pet parents will recognize that nothing about the actual ingredients is changing, rather, the focus is on changing consumer perception through wordplay and appealing marketing campaigns.
GOOD NEWS
Space is littered with cosmic clutter, leaving hardly a clear path for Earth as it orbits the sun. When we pass through this cosmic debris, frozen gas and space dust, it often falls and burns up in our atmosphere resulting in streaks of light—sometimes even spectacular fireballs—known as meteors.
Each year, between the period of January through mid-April, Earth enters a meteor “drought,” when this space debris becomes scant. But come mid-April, a meteor shower known as the Lyrids snaps that dry spell as Earth enters the debris trail left by Comet Thatcher. The resulting yearly light show that rains down upon Earth gives new meaning to the term “April showers.”
ICYMI
‘Bruce Springsteen Day’ Officially Proclaimed in New Jersey
The awards, plaudits, public acclamations, and back slaps keep coming for Bruce Springsteen. Just weeks after President Joe Biden hosted the National Humanities Medals and the National Medal of Arts awards with the multi-millionaire rocker to the fore comes yet another tribute.
New Jersey will on 23 September celebrate Bruce Springsteen Day for the first time, a move announced by the governor, Phil Murphy, in the hours after the left wing singer and his wife, Patti Scialfa, tested positive for coronavirus.
Nebraska Unveils New Herbie Husker Logo After White Supremacy Allegations
The University of Nebraka’s longtime mascot, Herbie Husker, will look a bit different from now on.
While the traditional “N” long associated with the school will remain in place, the three-fingered “OK” symbol that the mascot always showed has been replaced by a single finger, aimed at letting everyone know Nebraska is #1.
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