WORLD NEWS
US/UK urge Hamas to accept “generous” Israeli truce terms; Rafah still in the balance!
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas yesterday to quickly accept what he called an “extraordinarily generous” offer from Israeli negotiators for a limited cease-fire in exchange for the release of some hostages being held in the Gaza Strip.
Hamas and Israeli government negotiators, working through intermediaries, have been trading back and forth proposals and counter-proposals that could at least temporarily pause the ongoing Israeli military operations throughout the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of hostages taken by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023.
On April 27, a representative for the terrorist group, acknowledged their side had received the latest offer of terms from Israeli negotiators and was evaluating the proposal. The Hamas representative didn’t provide details about Israeli negotiators’ latest terms.
Israeli forces have besieged the Gaza Strip and carried out military operations across the territory since Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas terrorists infiltrated southern Israel, killed more than 1,200 Israelis, and took about 250 hostages back to Gaza.
For weeks, Israeli forces have been making preparations for potential military operations in the southern Gazan city of Rafah. The Israeli side views the southern city as one of the remaining strongholds for Hamas fighters, but the Biden administration raised concerns about the risks Israeli military operations could pose to the city’s civilian population.
More than a million displaced Gaza residents are crammed into Rafah, having sought refuge there from Israeli military operations farther north.
Speaking with Israel’s Channel 12 on April 27, Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz said the priority is still to win the release of hostages. Mr. Katz added that the Israeli side would suspend its Rafah operations if a hostage deal could be reached.
WEF Meeting: Bill Gates announces he’s opening a new office in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia!
Saudi Arabia on Sunday pledged $500 million to a polio vaccination initiative that counts the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation among its private-sector partners. In exchange, the Gates Foundation agreed to open an office in the Saudi capital city of Riyadh.
“In Afghanistan and Pakistan, the last remaining polio-endemic countries, we have seen significant progress, yet work remains to be done as the world pushes towards making eradication possible. The pledge from Saudi Arabia today will enhance the innovation and collaboration needed to eradicate this disease,” said Dr. Abdullah A. al-Rabeeah, supervisor-general of the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center.
“Together with our partners, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative, the Islamic Development Bank and key countries across the region, our support will not only aim to end polio but to also strengthen health systems in these countries,” Dr. al-Rabeeah said as the pledge was announced.
The announcement was made during a two-day meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Riyadh to discuss international collaboration on “global challenges,” including polio. The paramount concern of the meeting was the projection for “subdued” growth around the world in 2024, part of “the slowest half-decade of GDP growth in 30 years” thanks to the Wuhan coronavirus and the disappointing post-pandemic recovery.
UN “experts” say North Korea missile landed in Ukraine’s Kharkiv!
The debris from a missile that landed in the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv on Jan. 2 was from a North Korean Hwasong-11 series ballistic missile, United Nations sanctions monitors told a Security Council committee in a report seen by Reuters on Monday.
In the 32-page report, the U.N. sanctions monitors concluded that “debris recovered from a missile that landed in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on 2 January 2024 derives from a DPRK Hwasong-11 series missile” and is in violation of the arms embargo on North Korea.
Formally known as the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), North Korea has been under U.N. sanctions for its ballistic missile and nuclear programs since 2006, and those measures have been strengthened over the years.
Three sanctions monitors traveled to Ukraine earlier this month to inspect the debris and found no evidence that the missile was made by Russia. They “could not independently identify from where the missile was launched, nor by whom.”
“Information on the trajectory provided by Ukrainian authorities indicates it was launched within the territory of the Russian Federation,” they wrote in an April 25 report to the Security Council’s North Korea sanctions committee.
“Such a location, if the missile was under control of Russian forces, would probably indicate procurement by nationals of the Russian Federation,” they said, adding that this would be a violation of the arms embargo imposed on North Korea in 2006.
The Russian and North Korean missions to the United Nations in New York did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report by the sanctions monitors.
The U.S. and others have accused North Korea of transferring weapons to Russia for use against Ukraine, which it invaded in February 2022. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the accusations, but vowed last year to deepen military relations.
At a U.N. Security Council meeting in February, the U.S. accused Russia of launching DPRK-supplied ballistic missiles against Ukraine on at least nine occasions.
The U.N. monitors said the Hwasong-11 series ballistic missiles were first publicly tested by Pyongyang in 2019.
Russia last month vetoed the annual renewal of the U.N. sanctions monitors – known as a panel of experts – that has for 15 years monitored enforcement of U.N. sanctions on North Korea over its nuclear and ballistic missile programs. Within days of the Jan. 2 attack, the Kharkiv region prosecutor’s office showcased fragments of the missile to the media, saying it was different from Russian models and “this may be a missile which was supplied by North Korea.”
Indonesia’s Ruang volcano erupts again; alert status highest; 12,000 evacuated!
Indonesia’s Ruang volcano erupted on Tuesday, spewing lava as lightning flashes lit up its crater, prompting authorities to raise the alert status and evacuate more than 12,000 people living on a nearby island.
The Center for Volcanology and Geological Hazard Mitigation (PVMBG) had warned the residents of Tagulandang island that a tsunami could be triggered by volcanic material collapsing into the ocean.
The warning, issued this morning, remained in place as of the afternoon, local time.
The agency raised the alert status of Ruang to the highest level following the early morning eruption, urging residents not to go near the volcano.
Indonesia’s disaster mitigation agency (BNPB) said that all 843 residents living in Ruang island, where the volcano is located, have been moved to Manado, the capital of North Sulawesi province. Residents of Tagulandang island are being relocated to Siau island to the north.
The eruption follows a series of eruptions earlier this month that forced hundreds to evacuate, and the airport in the provincial capital of Manado to close. That eruption also caused damage to some homes. At the time, the volcanology also issued a warning about the potential for a tsunami.
U.S. NEWS, POLITICS & GOVERNMENT
Three US Marshals and a Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police officer are dead after a shooting rampage at an East Charlotte home yesterday afternoon.
At least four other Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Officers were also injured. In total, eight officers were shot in the incident, according to officials.
The suspect for whom the warrant was issued is dead. Two persons of interest, a woman and a 17-year-old who were extracted from the home, are in police custody for questioning, according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.
Police said US Marshals went to a home to serve a warrant for the possession of a firearm by a felon and were met with “active gunfire” from a high-powered rifle, prompting officers to return fire. Police struck one suspect, which killed the four officers, on the front lawn of the home. Additional gunfire from a high-powered rifle came from inside the home, according to police. The gunfire killed three US Marshal officers and injured four CMPD officers.
Police said two people were extracted from the home, one woman and a 17-year-old.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg police officer who was fatally shot, was taken to a hospital where he later succumbed to his wounds. Bystanders told local media they thought they heard at least 100 rounds go off during the exchange.
NY judge finds Trump in contempt for violating gag order in criminal trial!
Former President Donald Trump on Tuesday was fined and held in contempt of court by Judge Juan Merchan for what he said were violations of a gag order prohibiting him from discussing certain individuals involved in the so-called “hush-money” trial.
Prosecutors had sought $1,000 fines for about a dozen Truth Social posts that the former president had made in relation to the case, while Judge Merchan fined him $9,000 for nine posts. He also ordered President Trump to remove seven “offending posts” from Truth Social and two “offending posts” from his 2024 campaign website by 2:15 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
If he doesn’t remove the posts or continues to commit alleged “willful violations,” he could face “incarceratory punishment,” suggesting possible jail time, the judge’s order said.
According to the order, the “defendant is hereby warned that the Court will not tolerate continued willful violations of its lawful orders and that if necessary and appropriate under the circumstances, it will impose an incarceratory punishment.”
The judge also suggested that he wanted to fine President Trump more but noted that state law limits fining him a maximum of $1,000 per violation.
Such an amount “may suffice in most instances to protect the dignity of the judicial system, to compel respect for its mandates and to punish the offender for disobeying a court order, it unfortunately will not achieve the desired result in those instances” where a person held in contempt “can easily afford such a fine,” he wrote.
Judge Merchan wrote it would be preferable if he could impose “a fine more commensurate with the wealth” of the person being fined. “Because this Court is not cloaked with such discretion, it must therefore consider whether in some instances, jail may be a necessary punishment,” he added. The judge also found that President Trump’s April 10 post referring to former lawyer Michael Cohen and porn performer Stormy Daniels as “sleaze bags” was not a gag order violation. He said President Trump’s contention that he was responding to previous posts by Mr. Cohen “is sufficient to give” him pause “as to whether the people have met their burden” as to that post. But nine other posts “attack the credibility of arguably two of Moreover, a careful reading of the terms of Justice Merchan’s gag order will raise questions about whether it applies to the statements that government lawyers have invoked in their efforts to persuade the judge to find President Trump in violation. That’s the view of Harvey Kushner, chair of the criminal justice department at Long Island University in Brookville, New York, and an expert witness and consultant who has worked extensively with federal agencies on terrorism, drug, and other high-profile law enforcement matters.
“This is a case where a gag order is a political weapon,“ Mr. Kushner told The Epoch Times. ”Here you have a different situation, you have someone who is actually running for president, and this order is not allowing him to comment when he should have the ability to make his case on every aspect of the proceeding. There is no precedent for this.”
Columbia University begins suspending students after asking protesters to leave their camp!
Columbia University has reportedly started suspending students involved in an anti-Israel
encampment established on the campus grounds.
Vice President of Public Affairs Ben Chang revealed in a statement that the university had started the process of suspending students after giving them a 2:00 p.m. deadline to vacate the encampment.
“We have begun suspending students as part of this next phase of our efforts to ensure safety on our campus,” Chang said in the statement.
In his statement, Chang revealed that suspended students will no longer be eligible to finish the semester or graduate.
Earlier in the day, Columbia University had distributed a letter to anti-Israel protesters taking part in the encampment informing them of a 2:00 p.m. deadline by which to “gather” their belongings and “leave the encampment.”
The letter explained that the encampment had created an “unwelcoming environment for members” of the community and added that students are starting exams and preparing to graduate.
Anti-Israel protesters seize administrative building at Columbia University!
Anti-Israel protesters involved in an encampment at Columbia University took over an
administrative building early Tuesday morning.
Video footage posted to X showed anti-Israel protesters carrying barricades into Hamilton Hall, an academic building on the university’s campus.
In its Telegram channel, Within Our Lifetime (WOL) Palestine posted an announcement calling for protection of the anti-Israel encampment on the campus.
“Student organizers have called on everyone to come to Columbia TONIGHT and defend the encampment after administration’s threats this morning,” the group wrote in a post on the channel.
Other videos posted to X showed anti-Israel protesters smashing the glass doors of Hamilton Hall, as people can be heard chanting, “Disclose. Divest. We will not stop, we will not rest.”
Anti-Israel protesters who occupied Hamilton Hall were photographed hanging pro-Palestinian posters from the windows of the building.
Protesters were videotaped hanging a banner from the windows of the building that read, “Intifada,” as anti-Israel protesters can be heard chanting, “Free, free, free, free, Palestine. From the river to the sea…”
The takeover of Hamilton Hall by pro-Palestinian protesters comes after the university announced it was suspending students after previously asking protesters involved in the anti-Israel encampment to leave by 2:00 p.m.
An initial encampment was started on Columbia University’s campus on April 17. The next day several students were suspended, and hundreds of protesters involved in the encampment were arrested.
Democrats to contest all 28 Florida U.S. congressional seats; first time since 2018!
The Florida Democratic Party announced on April 26 that it will contest all of Florida’s 28 congressional districts for the first time since 2018.
The party’s announcement comes amid weeks of messaging from both the Biden-Harris Campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC) indicating their intentions to compete in Florida in 2024 after the state has become increasingly Republican over the last 25 years.
The party said it had received more than 100 applications for congressional candidates after launching the recruitment campaign.
“When we have candidates running everywhere, we give Democrats in every corner of the state a reason to show up and vote on Election Day. If I were Rick Scott or Donald Trump, I would be very nervous. In 2024, we are going to elect Democrats to help Take Back the House and defend the Senate majority,” Florida DNC Chair Nikki Fried said.
Florida’s next qualifying deadline for county offices, special districts, and state legislative races is June 14.
When Netanyahu demanded that the protests against Israel be stopped, the US government complied because our members of Congress have all been bought and paid for with tax dollars given to the American Israeli Political Action Committee, known as AIPAC. AIPAC openly brags about this on their official website, because they don’t have to register under the Foreign Agents Registration Act, which requires agents of foreign principals to register and provide transparency.
Beginning in 1962 they were known as the American Zionist Council, and President John F. Kennedy was ordering them to register as a foreign agent. Along with members of the US government, the Zionists fought against this. In October of 1963, forms were prepared for them to register. But the next month, JFK was assassinated. And Israel has never been asked to register since.
Four years later, Israel attacked the USS Liberty, murdering dozens of Americans and injuring over a hundred. The US government helped them cover it up as an accident.
On the day of 9/11, five Israelis who were seen photographing the collapse of the twin towers and celebrating were arrested and detained for several weeks. In documents later released by FOIA requests, the FBI redacted their faces in pictures where they were posing in front of the burning towers. And described them as being happy and jovial. One of them stated that, “Israel now has hope that the world will understand us.” The end of the declassified document asks if they had foreknowledge of the event and were there to film it, and the answer was redacted. As soon as they were released, they returned to Israel and went on television where they confirmed that the answer was yes.
The dancing Israelis had fake student IDs. And several accounts of suspicious Israeli art students were reported to be infiltrating government buildings. Over a hundred of these Israeli art students were arrested. Fox NEWS reported that these art students served in military intelligence and explosive ordinance units.
In March of 2000, several of these Mossad art students were living in the World Trade Center as part of the World Views Artist-in-Residence program. They occupied floors 90 and 91 where walls were unfinished and structural beams were exposed. A member of this group of artists, Hanan Serfaty, was arrested by the DEA as part of the Israeli spy ring. But the identities of an additional 14 Israelis who were with him have never been released to the public. These Israeli artists were sharing the space with a group of Austrian artists known as Gelatin who were working on a project called “The B thing” that involved removing windows on the 91st floor of the North Tower. A small balcony was constructed for people to stand on while photographs were taken by a helicopter. Another group called, E-team, managed the helicopter with the designation number, N666LH. This helicopter was to be in an art exhibit memorializing this project scheduled for September 11th 2001.
In March of 2001, E Team had an art project called “127 windows.” Officially, they were going to write their name on the exterior of the tower. They had an artist’s rendering of what the project was supposed to look like, but it never appears to have happened. And on 9/11, American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the exact spot where they were supposedly preparing to do this.
In 2001, Gelatin published a book on the project and described it as conspiratorial work. It includes a drawing of someone falling headfirst from the 91st floor with the words, 300 meters of pure pleasure.
Gelatin was originally spelled the same as the explosive, but was officially changed in 2005.
And the 9/11 Commission report does not mention Gelatin, E-Team, or any of the Israeli Mossad art students.
ECONOMY & BUSINESS
The two largest banks in the US are declaring a loss on $4.5 billion in debts that customers are unable to pay.
JPMorgan Chase says its net charge-offs, which are debts that the bank does not expect to receive, hit $2 billion in the first quarter of this year, reports Reuters.
That’s nearly twice the amount of unrecoverable debt compared to the same quarter last year.
Meanwhile, Bank of America reported $1.5 billion in net charge-offs, a surge from $807 million a year prior.
BofA says those losses stem mainly from credit card debt that will likely never be paid.
“Bank of America is seeing ‘cracks’ in the finances of borrowers with below-prime credit scores whose household spending is affected by higher interest rates and inflation, Chief Financial Officer Alastair Borthwick told analysts on an earnings call…
While lenders earn money from interest payments, they seek to avoid situations in which customers fall so far behind on loans that they have to be written off.”
Net charge-offs are also on the rise at Citigroup and Wells Fargo as a recent poll from the Federal Reserve finds most banks are now tightening lending standards for most types of loans.
“Banks reported tighter standards and weaker demand for home equity lines of credit (HELOCs). Moreover, for credit card, auto, and other consumer loans, standards reportedly tightened, and demand weakened on balance.”
Despite the losses, both JPMorgan Chase and Bank of America say their balance sheets are sound. JPMorgan Chase earned $49.6 billion in profit last year, while Bank of America earned $24.9 billion.
HEALTH
Coffee compound may help counteract age-related muscle loss!
One of the world’s favorite brews may hold the key to keeping muscles
strong and healthy as we age.
According to recent research, a natural compound found in coffee could be the secret weapon against age-related muscle loss.
The Muscle-Preserving Molecule
Mitochondria, the powerhouses of our cells, play a crucial role in muscle health. An issue linked to sarcopenia, the age-related loss of muscle mass and strength, is that these cellular components generate less energy as we get older. Compounding this problem, levels of the crucial substance NAD+ (which stands for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide), a coenzyme that helps cells regenerate and protects them from damage, also decline with age.
Researchers already know that NAD+ levels can be boosted using various dietary precursors, including the essential amino acid L- tryptophan and different forms of vitamin B3, such as nicotinic acid, nicotinamide, nicotinamide riboside, and nicotinamide mononucleotide.
In a recent study published in Nature Metabolism, scientists investigated whether an alkaline compound called trigonelline could help reverse these age-related changes in muscle health.
Trigonelline is structurally related to vitamin B3 and is produced naturally in the body, in addition to being found in certain foods.
Trigonelline is an alkaloid compound found in various plant sources. While it may not be as well-known as some other beneficial plant compounds, trigonelline is present in a variety of dietary sources. About 5 percent of the niacin we consume is converted into trigonelline.
Trigonelline is more abundant in coffee beans than in any other food source, and it contributes to coffee’s characteristic bitterness. However, during the roasting process, trigonelline partly breaks down to form nicotinic acid (niacin or vitamin B3), another nutrient with significant health benefits.
Fenugreek, a plant commonly used in Indian and Middle Eastern Fenugreek, a plant commonly used in Indian and Middle Eastern cuisines, contains about 35 percent alkaloids, with trigonelline being the primary one in the seeds.
First cases of HIV transmitted through cosmetic needles identified by CDC!
Multiple people contracted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) through cosmetic needles after receiving facials at an unlicensed spa in New Mexico, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Three women who received platelet-rich plasma (PRP) microneedling facials, also known as vampire facials, at the spa contracted HIV and an investigation pointed to the facials as the method of transmission, a new paper from CDC scientists states.
The spa in question, the since-shuttered VIP Salon, was dubbed spa A in the paper.
“This investigation is the first to associate HIV transmission with nonsterile cosmetic injection services. A common exposure to spa A among clients without behaviors associated with HIV acquisition helped identify a possible cluster association, and analysis of additional data suggested that HIV transmission likely occurred via receipt of PRP with microneedling facial procedures,” the scientists, who worked with New Mexico health officials said.
The source of the contamination remains unknown, they added.
PRP microneedling facials involve taking blood from a person and separating out PRP. Then, a microneedle makes holes in the person’s skin, and the PRP is applied to the holes.
The procedure is said to help treat acne and have other health benefits.
New Mexico authorities announced in 2019 they were investigating the VIP Spa after people contracted HIV following visits to the spa. Officials were providing free testing of any people who received injunctions, including the microneedling facials, at the spa.
An inspection by authorities led to the closure of VIP Spa after the identification of unsafe practices.
Maria de Lourdes Ramos de Ruiz, the former owner of the spa, was later hit with felony charges, including practicing medicine without a license. She pleaded guilty in 2022 to five counts.
Through calls, surveys, and other methods, authorities found five people with HIV, four of whom received microneedling at the spa in 2018. The fifth was in a sexual relationship with a spa client. Analysis of the patients’ blood showed their cases were all related to the facility.
Heart failure mortality rates surge to highest levels in 20 years!
An unprecedented number of people are dying from heart failure, completely reversing long-standing declines in cardiovascular mortality rates observed just two decades ago.
A cohort study published on April 24 in JAMA Cardiology using U.S. death certificate data showed deaths related to heart failure decreased from 1999 to 2012, plateaued, and then steadily rose from 2012 to 2021, with an acceleration observed from 2020 to 2021.
“What the paper shows is that more patients die from heart failure now than 20 years ago. The concerning thing about it is that we made good strides in improving that trend for a decade, and in the last decade, that trend reversed,” senior author Dr. Marat Fudim, a heart failure cardiologist at the Duke University Medical Center reported.
Although the researchers found typical disparities between men and women and among certain racial and ethnic groups, the greatest increase in heart failure-related deaths occurred among individuals younger than 45.
According to the study, between 1999 and 2021, there was a reversal in the death rate of 906 percent among people under 45 years old, 385 percent among people 45 to 64 years old, 84 percent for those 65 and older, and 103 percent overall. The analysis observed similar results when looking at heart failure as the underlying cause of death.
According to the Journal of Cardiac Failure, approximately 6.7 million Americans over age 20 have heart failure, and the prevalence is expected to rise to 8.5 million Americans by 2030.
EPA bans most uses of cancer-causing chemical used as paint stripper
The Biden administration on Tuesday banned most uses of a toxic chemical that is used as a paint stripper.
Long-term exposure to the chemical, methylene chloride, can cause cancers of the liver, lung, breast, brain, blood and central nervous system.
It has also caused at least 88 deaths from short-term exposure since 1980, according to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
It has been used in a variety of ways, including in adhesives, automotive products and paint and coating removers.
In addition to the ban on many uses, the agency is also adding new workplace safety requirements where methylene chloride will still be used.
“Exposure to methylene chloride has devastated families across this country for too long,” EPA Administrator Michael Regan said in a written statement.
He added that the agency’s latest action “brings an end to unsafe methylene chloride practices and implements the strongest worker protections possible for the few remaining industrial uses, ensuring no one in this country is put in harm’s way by this dangerous chemical.”
All consumer uses of methylene chloride will be barred, as will most industrial uses, but it will still be allowed to be used in producing other chemicals, producing electric vehicle battery components, and in plastic and rubber manufacturing.
Eating Avocados Linked to Reduced Risk for Diabetes
Researchers have good news for those celebrating Cinco de Mayo this weekend. A new study found that eating avocados may reduce the risk of developing potentially deadly diabetes, especially in women.
The research published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics was based on the self-reported dietary habits of Mexicans, the majority of whom were overweight or had obesity.
According to Medical News Today, diabetes is the second leading cause of death in Mexico, affecting 15.2% of adults. The study found that women who consumed avocados had a 22% to 29% lower chance of developing diabetes. This benefit did not translate to the men who were observed.
About 45% of the participants said they regularly consumed avocados, with men and women eating an average of 34.7 grams and 29.8 grams, respectively, daily (the equivalent of about ¼ of an avocado).
“There are a few potential ways that avocado consumption could lower the risk of diabetes in women, including the presence of antioxidants which can reduce inflammation and cellular damage that would increase the risk of conditions like diabetes,” said Dr. Avantika Waring, a board-certified endocrinologist. Waring points out that avocados are high in fat and fiber but have a low glycemic index, so they don’t cause spikes in glucose that leads to a rise in insulin levels.
The Surprising Benefits of Peppermint Oil for Runners
Attention runners! Are you looking for a natural way to boost your endurance and take your performance to the next level? The answer may be as simple as incorporating peppermint essential oil into your pre-race routine.
Peppermint, a popular herb known for its refreshing aroma and cooling sensation, has been used for centuries in traditional medicine to treat various ailments. However, recent research suggests that peppermint essential oil may also have the potential to enhance athletic performance, particularly in runners.
A randomized, double-blind, cross-over, and controlled study conducted by Miranda Neto et al. (2023) investigated the effects of peppermint essential oil on the physical performance of male recreational runners.1 The study involved fourteen participants with an average age of 37.1 ± 2.0 years, a body mass index of 24 ± 1.1 kg/m2, and a VO2max of 53.1 ± 1.7 mL·kg·min.1
The study design required the runners to perform two runs to exhaustion at 70% of their VO2max. Before each run, the participants consumed 500 mL of water mixed with either 0.05 mL of peppermint essential oil (PEO) or a placebo (PLA).1 During the initial part of the exercise, they also consumed an additional 400 mL of the assigned drink.1
The researchers measured various parameters, including body temperature (BT), thermal sensation (TS), thermal comfort (TC), subjective perception of effort (SPE), sweat rate (SR), and urine volume and density.1 The primary outcome of interest was the time to exhaustion, which serves as an indicator of endurance performance.
The results of the study were striking. The time to exhaustion was significantly longer in the PEO group, with an average of 109.9 ± 6.9 minutes, compared to 98.5 ± 6.2 minutes in the PLA group (p = 0.009; effect size: 0.826).1 This finding suggests that consuming peppermint essential oil before and during a race can enhance the endurance of recreational runners.
Interestingly, the study found no significant changes in body temperature, thermal sensation, thermal comfort, subjective perception of effort, sweat rate, lost body mass, or urine volume and density between the two groups,1 This indicates that the performance-enhancing effects of peppermint essential oil may not be related to changes in thermoregulation or hydration status.
GARDENING, FARMING & HOMESTEADING
10 Soil Amendments to Put in Your Vegetable Planting Holes
You have your seedlings, and it’s planting time for your vegetables; you prepared your beds and now it’s time to dig the holes that will host them. And if you add some of these ten amendments, you will also nourish them even further, especially if your soil is not super fertile… With some cheap products, your young plants will give you a big, nutrient packed and healthy harvest to put on your table.
Don’t miss out on this chance; as soon as you dig the holes, throw in a handful, or in some cases even a spoonful, of super nutritious soil amendments and your seedling will have the best possible start in life, just when they need it, when they are weak and vulnerable. These natural fertilizers will also feed your plants for a long time, as they are slow release all the way to when your crops are ready for picking!
So, if you want to see your seedlings grow fast and healthy, with all the promise of a massive harvest when the time comes.
5 Plant-Killing Mistakes to Avoid When Growing Seedlings and Transplanting Them in Your Garden
Yeah! The planting season is in full swing and you have lots of seedlings to transplant into your garden? Great news, but… You may end up with just a few, sometimes weak, and disappointing vegetables if you are not careful. Inexperienced and amateur gardeners may end up with empty plates, unless they correct some very common mistakes when transplanting your tomatoes, leeks or peppers… And these can be deadly – not for you though, for them…
This article will covers the 5 most common and dangerous mistakes most amateur gardeners make when transplanting seedlings in their garden, so, unlike them, you will have a bountiful season of healthy and generous crops.
With the right technique and thoughtful plant selection, companion planting can be a highly effective way to maximize the yield of even the smallest of garden plots. Three sisters companion planting is arguably one of the most effective companion planting strategies in the history of agriculture.
If you’ve heard the term before, you might be wondering what are the three sisters and what plants are best for this companion planting strategy?
Three sisters typically call for planting corn, pole beans, and winter squash together so that all three can benefit from each other’s strengths. On a basic level, the corn stalk provides support for pole beans to grow up. The pole beans gather nitrogen from the air and deposit it in the roots of the soil to help feed the corn’s growth. All the while the broad leaves of vining winter squash help shade the soil to retain the moisture levels that all three plants need to thrive.
While it sounds straightforward, there are a few details that can maximize your success. This includes the variety of corn, beans, and squash you choose as well as the timing of how you plant them. To help you make the most out of your three sisters companion planting strategy, we will a closer look at these key factors, as well as some of the best varieties for each type of vegetable.
SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
Consumer Alert: Update Google Chrome immediately to stop critical vulnerability!
Google has issued an urgent warning to its vast user base of over 1 billion Chrome users, strongly advising them to update their browsers as soon as possible to protect against a critical security vulnerability.
Forbes reports that the tech giant recently released an update for Chrome bringing the browser to version 124.0.6367.78/.79. This update includes a crucial fix for a vulnerability in the browser’s underlying graphics engine, which could potentially allow attackers to execute malicious code on target machines. While there have been no reports of exploitation yet, Google has designated this fix as critical, indicating that it poses a credible threat to users’ security.
In addition to the critical fix, the update also addresses two high-severity memory vulnerabilities. These types of vulnerabilities are frequently discovered and exploited, according to Google. The company has not provided further information about the specifics of these vulnerabilities until a majority of users have updated their browsers with the fix.
Given the severity of the identified vulnerabilities, it is essential that Chrome users, particularly those running the browser on Windows, update as soon as possible. Once the details of the fix become public, the risk of exploitation increases, making it a race against time for users to secure their browsers.
To update Google Chrome, follow these simple steps:
Open the Google Chrome browser
Click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner of the browser window
From the dropdown menu, select “Help” and then “About Google Chrome”
The browser will automatically check for updates and begin downloading the latest version Once the download is complete, click “Relaunch” to apply the update
It is worth noting that this critical security update comes amidst other significant news related to Chrome. Google has once again delayed the removal of third-party tracking cookies from the browser, pushing the timeline to early 2025. This decision stems from the company’s ongoing efforts to balance user privacy with the needs of advertisers, as Google plays a dual role as both the browser owner and the world’s largest advertising platform.
ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT
The NHTSA is investigating Ford’s “BlueCruise” software which involved fatal crashes!
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has opened an official investigation into Ford’s BlueCruise advanced driver-assistance software after it’s been linked to multiple fatalities while in use. It includes two 2024 incidents that the National Transportation Safety Board is also investigating — one in San Antonio and another in Philadelphia.
The NHTSA’s Office of Defects Investigation notes that the Ford vehicles involved in the fatal crashes hit stationary objects including vehicles stopped in a driving lane on the highway. Ford’s BlueCruise enables hands-free driving on pre-mapped highway roads and uses cameras to both watch drivers and keep its vehicles in the lane. The system was introduced in 2021 in vehicles like the Mustang Mach-E, which is the model cited in both incidents.
The official investigation into the crashes involving BlueCruise comes only days after a new NHTSA probe was opened to determine if Tesla’s Autopilot driver-assistant software recall did enough to increase driver engagement and protect lives. At the same time, the NHTSA also determined Tesla’s Autopilot and its “Full Self-Driving” feature that promises the vehicles can achieve autonomous driving under supervision aren’t keeping drivers engaged enough.
Ford told TechCrunch that it’s “working with NHTSA to support its investigation.” Regulators will look to determine if Ford’s driver monitor system does enough to keep users engaged while BlueCruise and Ford’s Co-Pilot360 (a precursor to BlueCruise on previous models) software are active.
2ND AMENDMENT
WATCH JOE BIDEN “GET INTO IT” WITH UNION MEMBER ABOUT GUN CONTROL!
COVID RELATED NEWS
Epidemic of prion disease emerging after SARS-COV-2 and mRNA jabs!
Mounting research suggests a serious side effect of the COVID mRNA jabs could be dementia, and the prions that cause it may be contagious
- Frameshifting, as we now know, occurs in the COVID shots, can induce prion production and lead to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD)
- Sid Belzberg’s prions.rip website, which collected data on neurological side effects post-jab, found a notably high incidence of diagnosed CJD cases, suggesting an alarming trend
- A series of articles highlights biases in clinical trials and observational studies, suggesting COVID-19 vaccines’ safety and effectiveness have been massively overstated
- The Global COVID Vaccine Safety Project study — funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — reveals significant side effects, including myocarditis, pericarditis, and blood clots, underscoring the need for reevaluation of COVID vaccine risks and benefits
The term “prion” derives from “proteinaceous infectious particle.” Prions are known to cause a variety of neurodegenerative diseases in animals and humans, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) in humans, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE or “mad cow disease”) in cattle, and chronic wasting disease in deer and elk.
These diseases are collectively referred to as transmissible spongiform encephalopathies They’re characterized by long incubation periods, brain damage, the formation of holes in the brain giving it a sponge-like appearance, and failure to induce an inflammatory response.
In short, prions are infectious agents composed entirely of a protein material that can fold in multiple, structurally distinct ways, at least one of which is transmissible to other prion proteins, leading to a disease that is similar to viral infections but without nucleic acids.
Unlike bacteria, viruses, and fungi, which contain nucleic acids (DNA or RNA) that instruct their replication, prions propagate by transmitting their misfolded protein state to normal variants of the same protein.
According to the prion disease model, the infectious properties of prions are due to the ability of the abnormal protein to convert the normal version of the protein into the misfolded form, thereby setting off a chain reaction that progressively damages the nervous system.
Prions are remarkably resistant to conventional methods of sterilization and can survive extreme conditions that would normally destroy nucleic acids or other pathogens, which is part of why prion diseases are so difficult to treat.
COVID-19 linked to an alarming rise of rare and highly lethal fungal infection!
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused an alarming rise of an aggressive and highly fatal secondary fungal infection among those with active or recovered COVID-19.
Research suggests that the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the overuse of immunosuppressive COVID-19 treatments such as corticosteroids and antibiotics, and the global pandemic response made people more susceptible to coinfections such as COVID-19-associated mucormycosis (CAM).
Mucormycosis, also known as black fungus, is an opportunistic fungal infection that typically affects the sinuses, lungs, and brain. It is caused by a group of molds commonly found in the environment. Before COVID-19, these fungi rarely caused infection because of low virulence, but the second wave of COVID-19 brought tens of thousands of reported cases. Even the Omicron variant, which was generally attributed to mild COVID-19, has been linked to lethal mucormycosis infections in the United States and Asia.
In a 2022 review published in The Lancet, researchers analyzed 80 cases of COVID-19
associated mucormycosis from 18 countries, including eight cases from the United States, and found mucormycosis infection can be a serious complication of severe COVID-19, especially for those with diabetes and hyperglycemia, or high blood sugar.
CANCEL CULTURE
An FDNY firefighter has died of a heart attack just months after he was fired as part of the city’s effort to free up funds for its migrant crisis — leaving his grieving widow and kids struggling to keep a roof over their heads.
Derek Floyd, 36, suffered cardiac arrest and passed away April 15, four months after the city gave him the boot as part of a larger effort to pare staff and pay for housing and services for the tens of thousands of migrants flooding the Big Apple.
Floyd was one of about 10 fire department employees who had been on “long-term duty” — either injured on the job and given office work or out sick for an extended period — and fired weeks before Christmas, FDNY sources told The Post.
Floyd, a veteran who served three tours in the Middle East with the Marines, had been among those working a desk job — toiling in the fire department chaplain’s office — because he had suffered another heart attack in 2019 while he was in the Fire Academy.
In the chaplain’s office, the firefighter, who was on modified duty, helped arrange the funerals of fallen FDNY members.
Floyd had been just shy of vesting additional medical benefits for his family and more than $600,000 worth of death benefits when he was booted, leaving his family with nothing despite his years of service.
ICYMI
The last original member of the Moody Blues, Mike Pinder, passed away last week!
The last original member of The Moody Blues has died.
Keyboardist Mike Pinder died at 82 on Wednesday in Northern California, according to his family, the band and guitarist John Lodge, who lives in Naples, Florida.
Pinder follows original singer and guitarist Denny Laine, who died in Naples last year.
“Very sad news, the last of the original lineup of the Moody Blues has passed away,” wrote Laine’s widow Elizabeth on Instagram Wednesday. “He is now reunited with Denny, Ray, Graeme and Clint; what a joyous reunion that must be.”
Lodge and The Moody Blues confirmed the news Thursday on Facebook.
“All the love possible goes out from the Lodge family to Mike’s family today,” Lodge and The Moody Blues wrote in separate posts. “RIP.”
Pinder died surrounded by his family, according to the Facebook post. No cause of death was revealed.
Pinder sang and played keyboards, as well as organ, piano and harpsichord in The Moody Blues. He founded the British band in 1964 with Laine, Ray Thomas, Clint Warwick and Graeme Edge.
A native of Birmingham, England, Pinder first achieved success with The Moody Blues in 1964 with their second single, “Go Now!,” a rendition of the song initially recorded earlier that year by R&B singer Bessie Banks. It marked the band’s first No. 1 in the U.K. and peaked at No. 10 on the Billboard Hot 100.
Pinder, also regarded as one of the first musicians to implement the Mellotron into live performances, left the band in 1977, a year after releasing a solo album, “The Promise.”
His former bandmate Laine was 79 when he died Dec. 5. After getting COVID in 2022, the singer-guitarist had been in and out of the hospital for various health issues, Hines said last year, including a collapsed lung, bacterial infections and Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD), the lung disease that eventually killed him.
More Stories
Today’s News: May 20, 2024
Today’s News: May 15, 2024
Today’s News: May 14, 2024