wakingtimes--2020-01-18--Living Concrete Lays Foundation for ‘New Discipline’ in Sustainable Development

Cement is a remarkable building material ; it ’ s cheap , durable and readily available .
However , its production is a leading source of carbon dioxide emissions , coughing up 2.8 gigatons of emissions every year , as Advanced Science News reported .
While researchers have sought alternative means of production that would make building materials more eco-friendly , they have been unable to recreate cement ’ s durability .
Until now .
A team of researchers has created concrete that is alive and can reproduce and capture carbon , according to the The New York Times .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Colorado Boulder created an entirely new material with minerals that are deposited from cyanobacteria .
They published their process yesterday in the journal Matter .
Cyanobacteria are common microbes that capture energy through photosynthesis .
That process means the plants will absorb carbon dioxide , which is the opposite of the industry standard concrete , which spews massive quantities of greenhouse gasses , as The New York Times reported .
While regular concrete is an unfavorable environment for bacteria , this material has a process based around the bacteria , which enlists its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them alive so they can make more later on .
Since the process stems from cyanobacteria — the same class of bacteria responsible for a harmful algal bloom — it looks green , as The New York Times reported .
The research team says their innovation paves the way for living buildings in the future that can heal their own cracks and purify the air , according to the Daily Mail .
This new concrete “ represents a new and exciting class of low-carbon , designer construction materials , ” said Andrea Hamilton @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Strathclyde , in Scotland , as The New York Times reported .
The project was funded by DARPA , the Department of Defense ’ s research arm .
DARPA wanted a fast process for creating a living concrete .
The researchers started by putting cyanobacteria in a mixture of sand and nutrients .
The bacteria did start to produce a calcium carbonate that cemented the sand particles together , but the process was very slow , according to The New York Times .
It ’ s a lot like making rice crispy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ adding little bits of hard particles , ’ said Srubar , as the Daily Mail reported .
Srubar had the idea to add gelatin to the mixture as a way to strengthen the matrix being built by the cyanobacteria .
The gelatin successfully added structure , and it teamed up with the bacteria to help the living concrete grow stronger and faster , as The New York Times reported .
“ The first time we made a big structure using this system , we didn ’ t know if it was going to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thing to this big brick , ” said Chelsea Heveran , a former postdoc with the group — now an engineer at Montana State University — and the lead author of the study to The New York Times .
“ We took it out of the mold and held it — it was a beautiful , bright green and said ‘ Darpa ’ on the side.
” ( The mold featured the name of the project ’ s funder . )
“ It was the first time we had the scale we were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ This is a material platform that sets the stage for brand new exciting materials that can be engineered to interact and respond to their environments , ” said Srubar , as the Daily Mail reported .
“ We ’ re just scratching the surface and laying the foundation of a new discipline .
The sky is the limit .
”

Living Concrete Lays Foundation for ‘New Discipline’ in Sustainable Development
Jordan Davidson, EcoWatch
Waking Times
Cement is a remarkable building material; it’s cheap, durable and readily available. However, its production is a leading source of carbon dioxide emissions, coughing up 2.8 gigatons of emissions every year, as Advanced Science News reported.
While researchers have sought alternative means of production that would make building materials more eco-friendly, they have been unable to recreate cement’s durability. Until now. A team of researchers has created concrete that is alive and can reproduce and capture carbon, according to the The New York Times.
The research team from the University of Colorado Boulder created an entirely new material with minerals that are deposited from cyanobacteria. They published their process yesterday in the journal Matter. Cyanobacteria are common microbes that capture energy through photosynthesis. That process means the plants will absorb carbon dioxide, which is the opposite of the industry standard concrete, which spews massive quantities of greenhouse gasses, as The New York Times reported.
While regular concrete is an unfavorable environment for bacteria, this material has a process based around the bacteria, which enlists its creators to build the concrete and keeps them alive so they can make more later on. Since the process stems from cyanobacteria — the same class of bacteria responsible for a harmful algal bloom — it looks green, as The New York Times reported.
“It really does look like a Frankenstein material,” said Wil Srubar, a structural engineer and the head of the research project, as The New York Times reported. However, the green color fades as the material dries.
The research team says their innovation paves the way for living buildings in the future that can heal their own cracks and purify the air, according to the Daily Mail.
“Microorganisms can be leveraged for multiple purposes in the design of [living building materials], including increasing the rate of manufacturing, imparting mechanical benefit, and sustaining biological function,” said the authors in the study, as Advanced Science News reported.
This new concrete “represents a new and exciting class of low-carbon, designer construction materials,” said Andrea Hamilton, a concrete expert at the University of Strathclyde, in Scotland, as The New York Times reported.
The project was funded by DARPA, the Department of Defense’s research arm. DARPA wanted a fast process for creating a living concrete. The researchers started by putting cyanobacteria in a mixture of sand and nutrients. The bacteria did start to produce a calcium carbonate that cemented the sand particles together, but the process was very slow, according to The New York Times.
It’s a lot like making rice crispy treats where you toughen the marshmallow by adding little bits of hard particles,’ said Srubar, as the Daily Mail reported.
Srubar had the idea to add gelatin to the mixture as a way to strengthen the matrix being built by the cyanobacteria. The gelatin successfully added structure, and it teamed up with the bacteria to help the living concrete grow stronger and faster, as The New York Times reported.
“The first time we made a big structure using this system, we didn’t know if it was going to work, scaling up from this little-bitty thing to this big brick,” said Chelsea Heveran, a former postdoc with the group — now an engineer at Montana State University — and the lead author of the study to The New York Times. “We took it out of the mold and held it — it was a beautiful, bright green and said ‘Darpa’ on the side.” (The mold featured the name of the project’s funder.) “It was the first time we had the scale we were envisioning, and that was really exciting.” “This is a material platform that sets the stage for brand new exciting materials that can be engineered to interact and respond to their environments,” said Srubar, as the Daily Mail reported. “We’re just scratching the surface and laying the foundation of a new discipline. The sky is the limit.”
By Jordan Davidson | Creative Commons | EcoWatch


wakingtimes--2020-01-18--The War on Media Comes Home

The War on Media Comes Home

For the past 35 years , I ’ ve been pointing out “ flaws ” in major media presentations of the news .
Specific lies , specific omissions , specific strategies intended to keep the public from knowing the truth about a variety of life and death matters .
The word “ media ” comes from the Latin , meaning “ middle.
” And “ middle ” suggests there are two ends .
The media are between two ends .
What are they ?
Well , when you back up a few steps from The News , you see that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ between EVENTS and THE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THESE EVENTS .
The anchors and reporters are the eyes , ears , and mouths for the population .
This , at best , is a highly precarious set-up .
Why would anyone in his right mind place blind faith in these newspeople ?
The answer is simple .
No one who gives that faith is in his right mind .
He has surrendered his mind .
Surrendered it to the need for authority .
“ You have to trust somebody.
” This is the rube @ @ @ @ @ @ @ behind the news desk looks good .
He speaks well .
He seems sure of himself .
He represents a large successful organization .
Therefore , he wouldn ’ t lie .
Truth is his job description .
If he ’ s lying , then what else about reality might be a lie ?
I ’ m not looking for a sinkhole to fall into .
I want to keep my balance .
The anchor helps me do that .
I have to maintain a basic trust in my fellow man .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ But here ’ s the trick .
No one who places his blind faith in the one anchor wants to admit that this is what he ’ s doing .
In other words , there are only two supposed territories .
The first is bland neutral surety .
It almost sounds like science .
Then there is crazy Loonsville , where insane fantasies are floated .
The correct choice is obvious .
“ Congratulations , you just made the right selection .
You get a gold star in the sky.
” In the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Western philosophers made a sharp turn .
Instead of trying to describe ultimate reality ( more and more , a losing proposition ) , they focused on the term “ epistemology.
” The study of knowing .
How do people know what they know ?
This led to all sorts of hypotheses about the brain , the eye , the five senses , and so on .
The philosophers , as it emerged , missed the boat .
How do people know ?
Through The News .
That ’ s how .
Through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And then the question became : who is that someone else going to be ?
Aha .
Yes .
The news networks were very interested in the question and the answer .
“ What will make the public choose our man ?
What does he need to look like ?
How does he need to speak ?
What can we do to make our man into a star ?
” An effective series of strategies along that line , resulting in high ratings , opened yet another door : “ Now that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ now that the public has surrendered their minds to him , how can he present the news with thin surface and short circuits and tricks and lies and omissions , in order to serve our basic agenda ?
” Because , face it , opting for truth , no matter where it led , no matter how deep it went , no matter who it EXPOSED , would leave the news networks naked , out in the rain , bereft of sponsors and begging for pennies on the street .
It would cut @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of information .
The networks weren ’ t looking to EXPOSE , they were looking to COLLUDE .
COLLUDE gives you power , it gives you important allies , it gives you money , it gives you uninterrupted access , it gives you a giant leg up on your enemies , it gives you the opportunity to fashion and simulate reality .
That last factor creates a natural alliance with the intelligence community , because they simulate reality all day long , every day .
And they have hills and mountains of interesting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They can guide you on what to broadcast and what to hold back .
They can , in fact , hand you ready-made packages of false realities .
They ’ re your best friends .
News becomes , by its very nature and essence , FAKE .
What else would you expect ?
At that point , all the networks needed was a raft of executives and work-a-day drones who wouldn ’ t bother to think about how , for example , intentionally misreporting the vital details of a war would result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ millions of people .
And what do you know ?
Such employees were readily available .
Pump them up with a little bullshit about the Mission of journalism , wind them up , and release them .
They ’ ll carry out their functions .
You have a news network .
Actually , you have a major corporation .
And the overriding success of a corporation is in peddling product .
As long as the public keeps trusting .
Blindly .
Should I continue for a bit ?
Why not ?
I ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ most often cited in these pages over the past 20 years : the Starfield Revelation .
It ’ s based on my strategy of exposing facts FROM the mainstream in order to ACCUSE AND INDICT the mainstream .
No woo-woo , no fringe , no aimless speculation .
On June 26 , 2000 , the Journal of the American Medical Association published a review by Dr. Barbara Starfield , who was a respected and revered public health expert at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health .
Impeccable MAINSTREAM credentials , all the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The review was titled , “ Is US Health Really the Best in the World ?
” Starfield stated that the death toll in the US , in a given year , directly CAUSED by medical treatment , was 225,000 .
( 106,000 as a result of correctly prescribed medical drugs and 119,000 as result of mistreatment and errors in hospitals ) With a few seconds of extrapolation , you would arrive at a figure of 2.25 MILLION deaths caused by the US medical system , over the course of a decade .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ anyone to register in their minds what that means .
I can ’ t force them to think .
I can ’ t force them to experience a shock to their system .
But the facts speak for themselves .
The US medical system kills 2.25 million people per decade .
Nine years after Dr. Starfield published her findings , I interviewed her .
She told me the US government had never contacted her to consult on a plan to stop all this killing , and the US government had never put together @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
What about the news media ?
Well , after the publication of Starfield ’ s review , there were stories in the press .
For a little while .
Then they disappeared .
None of those stories expressed great shock or indicated that deep journalistic investigations were on the way .
In other words , the press did a limited hangout .
That ’ s a term that comes straight out of the intelligence agencies , and it means you expose a piece of a story , not the whole sordid tale @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the ( blind and trusting ) public will be satisfied .
And incurious .
Because , as you , the reader , can no doubt realize , mainstream news execs COULD HAVE rolled up their sleeves and said , “ This is one of the biggest scandals we ’ ve ever seen .
It ’ s horrendous .
The cost of human lives is on the level of a war .
But it ’ s happening in the HEALING profession , and no one in government has been doing anything to stop @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to put our most relentless people on it .
They ’ re going to wave the Starfield report in front of the noses of every person on Capitol Hill .
They ’ re going to go to the White House .
They ’ re going to interview doctors and medical school presidents and journal editors and the families of people who have died in this healing war .
They ’ re going to invade the FDA and find out why that agency has seen nothing and done nothing .
They ’ re going @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pound on doors until those people start to talk .
There are MANY GUILTY PARTIES here , and we ’ re going to find out and prove who they are .
We ’ re going to force it .
We ’ re going to get people to roll over on each other , come hell or high water , and we ’ re going to keep climbing up on the ladder of influence and control and CRIME .
We ’ re going to publish an ongoing chronicle of our findings , week in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as it takes .
We ’ re going to launch a shit storm… ” You get the idea .
That ’ s called journalism .
It ’ s the kind of journalism you can do when you have large resources and dedicated personnel .
But those elite news anchors—you know , the ones who are in the middle , between events and the public awareness of events—they don ’ t have the air time or the inclination or the courage to challenge the basic structure of their news organizations , which exist as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their editors and other bosses have the inclination .
On just one of a number of levels—it doesn ’ t take a genius to figure out what would happen to the pile of money derived from pharma advertising , if a major mainstream news network decided to pursue this story into the gates of hell .
At any rate , when I see how much time mainstream media outlets are clocking , in their crusade to call thousands of “ alternative people ” fake news , I register ZERO degree of wonderment or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I know how it ’ s played and where it comes from .
I know the character of the people who are playing it .
After all , I named my website NoMoreFakeNews.com 19 years ago .
I wasn ’ t buying their act then , and I ’ m not buying it now .
You want to see a real and genuine and serious and profound and criminal mental disorder , as opposed to the disorders cooked up by committees of psychiatrists who may as well be meeting in the offices of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ latest categories , so they can start manufacturing toxic meds as treatments ?
You want to see the real thing ?
Put on a helmet and a hazmat suit and turn on the news .
Jon Rappoport is the author of three explosive collections , THE MATRIX REVEALED , EXIT FROM THE MATRIX , and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX , Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29thDistrict of California .
He maintains a consulting practice for private clients , the purpose of which is the expansion of personal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Prize , he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years , writing articles on politics , medicine , and health for CBS Healthwatch , LA Weekly , Spin Magazine , Stern , and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe .
Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics , health , logic , and creative power to audiences around the world .
You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine .
Like Waking Times on Facebook .
Follow Waking Times on Twitter .

The War on Media Comes Home
Jon Rappoport, Guest
Waking Times
“Instead of scurrying into a corner and wailing about what media are doing to us, one should charge straight ahead and kick them in the electrodes.” Marshall McLuhan, 1960.
For the past 35 years, I’ve been pointing out “flaws” in major media presentations of the news. Specific lies, specific omissions, specific strategies intended to keep the public from knowing the truth about a variety of life and death matters.
The word “media” comes from the Latin, meaning “middle.” And “middle” suggests there are two ends. The media are between two ends. What are they?
Well, when you back up a few steps from The News, you see that elite anchors and their colleagues are interposed between EVENTS and THE PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THESE EVENTS. The anchors and reporters are the eyes, ears, and mouths for the population. This, at best, is a highly precarious set-up.
Why would anyone in his right mind place blind faith in these newspeople? The answer is simple. No one who gives that faith is in his right mind. He has surrendered his mind.
Surrendered it to the need for authority. “You have to trust somebody.” This is the rube and yokel factor. “The man behind the news desk looks good. He speaks well. He seems sure of himself. He represents a large successful organization. Therefore, he wouldn’t lie. Truth is his job description. If he’s lying, then what else about reality might be a lie? I’m not looking for a sinkhole to fall into. I want to keep my balance. The anchor helps me do that. I have to maintain a basic trust in my fellow man. It’s part of my religion…”
Then there is a psychological need for The One. More-than-one takes a person into a realm of uncertainty, and who wants that? “You mean I have to choose? I have to make distinctions? Forget it. Give me Lester Holt. Give me the anchor who looks the cleanest. Give me the one friend above all others. I have the one God, so I want the one anchor.”
But here’s the trick. No one who places his blind faith in the one anchor wants to admit that this is what he’s doing.
Instead, he might say, “Well, of course Lester is giving me the facts. What else would he be up to? Stop doubting. Stop all this conspiracy nonsense.”
In other words, there are only two supposed territories. The first is bland neutral surety. It almost sounds like science. Then there is crazy Loonsville, where insane fantasies are floated. The correct choice is obvious. “Congratulations, you just made the right selection. You get a gold star in the sky.”
In the second half of the 19th century, Western philosophers made a sharp turn. Instead of trying to describe ultimate reality (more and more, a losing proposition), they focused on the term “epistemology.” The study of knowing. How do people know what they know? This led to all sorts of hypotheses about the brain, the eye, the five senses, and so on. The philosophers, as it emerged, missed the boat. How do people know? Through The News. That’s how. Through substituting someone else for themselves. Voila.
And then the question became: who is that someone else going to be? Aha. Yes. The news networks were very interested in the question and the answer. “What will make the public choose our man? What does he need to look like? How does he need to speak? What can we do to make our man into a star?”
An effective series of strategies along that line, resulting in high ratings, opened yet another door: “Now that we have our one anchor, and now that the public has surrendered their minds to him, how can he present the news with thin surface and short circuits and tricks and lies and omissions, in order to serve our basic agenda?”
Because, face it, opting for truth, no matter where it led, no matter how deep it went, no matter who it EXPOSED, would leave the news networks naked, out in the rain, bereft of sponsors and begging for pennies on the street. It would cut them off from government and corporate sources of information. The networks weren’t looking to EXPOSE, they were looking to COLLUDE.
COLLUDE gives you power, it gives you important allies, it gives you money, it gives you uninterrupted access, it gives you a giant leg up on your enemies, it gives you the opportunity to fashion and simulate reality. That last factor creates a natural alliance with the intelligence community, because they simulate reality all day long, every day. And they have hills and mountains of interesting information they can pass along to you. They can guide you on what to broadcast and what to hold back. They can, in fact, hand you ready-made packages of false realities. They’re your best friends.
News becomes, by its very nature and essence, FAKE.
What else would you expect?
At that point, all the networks needed was a raft of executives and work-a-day drones who wouldn’t bother to think about how, for example, intentionally misreporting the vital details of a war would result in the unnecessary deaths of thousands or millions of people. And what do you know? Such employees were readily available. Pump them up with a little bullshit about the Mission of journalism, wind them up, and release them. They’ll carry out their functions.
You have a news network. Actually, you have a major corporation. And the overriding success of a corporation is in peddling product.
As long as the public keeps trusting. Blindly.
Should I continue for a bit? Why not? I’ll offer the example I’ve most often cited in these pages over the past 20 years: the Starfield Revelation. It’s based on my strategy of exposing facts FROM the mainstream in order to ACCUSE AND INDICT the mainstream. No woo-woo, no fringe, no aimless speculation.
On June 26, 2000, the Journal of the American Medical Association published a review by Dr. Barbara Starfield, who was a respected and revered public health expert at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Impeccable MAINSTREAM credentials, all the way up and down the line. The review was titled, “Is US Health Really the Best in the World?”
Starfield stated that the death toll in the US, in a given year, directly CAUSED by medical treatment, was 225,000. (106,000 as a result of correctly prescribed medical drugs and 119,000 as result of mistreatment and errors in hospitals)
With a few seconds of extrapolation, you would arrive at a figure of 2.25 MILLION deaths caused by the US medical system, over the course of a decade.
Now, I can’t force anyone to register in their minds what that means. I can’t force them to think. I can’t force them to experience a shock to their system. But the facts speak for themselves. The US medical system kills 2.25 million people per decade.
Nine years after Dr. Starfield published her findings, I interviewed her. She told me the US government had never contacted her to consult on a plan to stop all this killing, and the US government had never put together a plan to stop all this killing.
What about the news media? Well, after the publication of Starfield’s review, there were stories in the press. For a little while. Then they disappeared. None of those stories expressed great shock or indicated that deep journalistic investigations were on the way.
In other words, the press did a limited hangout. That’s a term that comes straight out of the intelligence agencies, and it means you expose a piece of a story, not the whole sordid tale, and you move on, assuming that the (blind and trusting) public will be satisfied. And incurious.
Because, as you, the reader, can no doubt realize, mainstream news execs COULD HAVE rolled up their sleeves and said, “This is one of the biggest scandals we’ve ever seen. It’s horrendous. The cost of human lives is on the level of a war. But it’s happening in the HEALING profession, and no one in government has been doing anything to stop the war. We’re going to put our most relentless people on it. They’re going to wave the Starfield report in front of the noses of every person on Capitol Hill. They’re going to go to the White House. They’re going to interview doctors and medical school presidents and journal editors and the families of people who have died in this healing war. They’re going to invade the FDA and find out why that agency has seen nothing and done nothing. They’re going to go to the pharmaceutical companies and pound on doors until those people start to talk. There are MANY GUILTY PARTIES here, and we’re going to find out and prove who they are. We’re going to force it. We’re going to get people to roll over on each other, come hell or high water, and we’re going to keep climbing up on the ladder of influence and control and CRIME. We’re going to publish an ongoing chronicle of our findings, week in and week out, for as long as it takes. We’re going to launch a shit storm…”
You get the idea.
That’s called journalism. It’s the kind of journalism you can do when you have large resources and dedicated personnel.
But those elite news anchors—you know, the ones who are in the middle, between events and the public awareness of events—they don’t have the air time or the inclination or the courage to challenge the basic structure of their news organizations, which exist as a result of COLLUSION.
Neither do their editors and other bosses have the inclination.
On just one of a number of levels—it doesn’t take a genius to figure out what would happen to the pile of money derived from pharma advertising, if a major mainstream news network decided to pursue this story into the gates of hell.
At any rate, when I see how much time mainstream media outlets are clocking, in their crusade to call thousands of “alternative people” fake news, I register ZERO degree of wonderment or surprise. I understand their game. I know how it’s played and where it comes from. I know the character of the people who are playing it. After all, I named my website NoMoreFakeNews.com 19 years ago. I wasn’t buying their act then, and I’m not buying it now.
You want to see a real and genuine and serious and profound and criminal mental disorder, as opposed to the disorders cooked up by committees of psychiatrists who may as well be meeting in the offices of drug companies who are waiting for the latest categories, so they can start manufacturing toxic meds as treatments? You want to see the real thing?
Put on a helmet and a hazmat suit and turn on the news.
About the Author
Jon Rappoport is the author of three explosive collections, THE MATRIX REVEALED, EXIT FROM THE MATRIX, and POWER OUTSIDE THE MATRIX, Jon was a candidate for a US Congressional seat in the 29thDistrict of California. He maintains a consulting practice for private clients, the purpose of which is the expansion of personal creative power. Nominated for a Pulitzer Prize, he has worked as an investigative reporter for 30 years, writing articles on politics, medicine, and health for CBS Healthwatch, LA Weekly, Spin Magazine, Stern, and other newspapers and magazines in the US and Europe. Jon has delivered lectures and seminars on global politics, health, logic, and creative power to audiences around the world. You can sign up for his free emails at NoMoreFakeNews.com or OutsideTheRealityMachine.
(To read about Jon’s mega-collection, Exit From The Matrix, click here.)


wakingtimes--2020-01-18--Navy: Releasing UFO Files Would Cause ‘Exceptionally Grave Damage To US National Security’

A trove of classified materials associated with an infamous UFO incident marked TOP SECRET are so sensitive that their release would cause “ exceptionally grave damage ” to US national security according to the Navy .
The files , related to the 2004 encounter between the USS Nimitz and a series of strange , “ Tic Tac ” shaped UFOs , were sought through a Freedom of Information Act ( FOIA ) request by researcher Christian Lambright , according to VICE ’ s Motherboard .
In response , the Navy told Lambright in a letter that it had “ discovered @ @ @ @ @ @ @ review of these materials indicates that are currently and appropriate Marked and Classified TOP SECRET under Executive Order 13526 , and the Original Classification Authority has determined that the release of these materials would cause exceptionally grave damage to the National Security of the United States , ” according to the report .
“ We have also determined that ONI possesses a video classified SECRET that ONI is not the Original Classification Authority for , ” the letter continues .
“ The Department of Defense , specifically the U.S. Navy , has the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have stated previously , as the investigation of UAP sightings is ongoing , we will not publicly discuss individual sighting reports/observations , ” Susan Gough , a Pentagon spokesperson , told Motherboard .
“ However , I can tell you that the date of the 2004 USS Nimitz video is Nov. 14 , 2004 .
I can also tell you that the length of the video that ’ s been circulating since 2007 is the same as the length of the source video .
We do not expect to release this video.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ comment on higher on whether a higher resolution version of the video existed .
In November , Popular Mechanics reported that several original witnesses to the Nimitz incident viewed longer , higher resolution footage of the UFO encounter .
According to the report , “ Gary Voorhis , a Petty Officer who served on the Princeton , a ship in Nimitz fleet , told Popular Mechanics that he “ definitely saw video that was roughly 8 to 10 minutes long and a lot more clear.
” Others , such as Commander David Fravor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the incident probably do not exist .
” Luis Elizondo , the former Pentagon staffer and the man who played a key role in making the Navy video public , told Motherboard that straightforward messaging does not seem to be the Pentagon ’ s strong suit .
When the New York Times ran its 2017 story concerning the Nimitz UFO incident , it also broke the existence of $ 22 million dollar UFO investigation program called AATIP , the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program , and that Elizondo , a career intelligence officer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has repeatedly changed its story since then ; as recently as last month , the Pentagon said that AATIP had nothing to do with UFOs .
“ The Pentagon has a long history of sometimes providing inaccurate information to the American people , ” Elizondo said .
“ This is true as recently as this week regarding the draft memo involving Iran , and two weeks ago when the press finally received the truth about Afghanistan despite 18 years of statements to the contrary.
” –VICE “ As in the case involving UAPs @ @ @ @ @ @ @ inconsistent message is due to the benign results of a large and cumbersome bureaucracy and not something more nefarious like a cover-up or deliberate misinformation campaign , ” added Elizondo , who told the publication that he ’ s “ not able to comment further on the existence of a longer video due to my obligations involving my NDA with the Government and the fact that I am no longer employed with the U.S. Government .
However , as I stated before , people should not be surprised by the revelation that other @ @ @ @ @ @ @ By Tyler Durden of Zero Hedge .

Navy: Releasing UFO Files Would Cause ‘Exceptionally Grave Damage To US National Security’
Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge
Waking Times
A trove of classified materials associated with an infamous UFO incident marked TOP SECRET are so sensitive that their release would cause “exceptionally grave damage” to US national security according to the Navy.
The files, related to the 2004 encounter between the USS Nimitz and a series of strange, “Tic Tac” shaped UFOs, were sought through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by researcher Christian Lambright, according to VICE’s Motherboard.
In response, the Navy told Lambright in a letter that it had “discovered certain briefing slides that are classified TOP SECRET. A review of these materials indicates that are currently and appropriate Marked and Classified TOP SECRET under Executive Order 13526, and the Original Classification Authority has determined that the release of these materials would cause exceptionally grave damage to the National Security of the United States,” according to the report.
“We have also determined that ONI possesses a video classified SECRET that ONI is not the Original Classification Authority for,” the letter continues.
“The Department of Defense, specifically the U.S. Navy, has the video. As Navy and my office have stated previously, as the investigation of UAP sightings is ongoing, we will not publicly discuss individual sighting reports/observations,” Susan Gough, a Pentagon spokesperson, told Motherboard. “However, I can tell you that the date of the 2004 USS Nimitz video is Nov. 14, 2004. I can also tell you that the length of the video that’s been circulating since 2007 is the same as the length of the source video. We do not expect to release this video.” –VICE
Higher resolution?
The Navy also wouldn’t comment on higher on whether a higher resolution version of the video existed.
In November, Popular Mechanics reported that several original witnesses to the Nimitz incident viewed longer, higher resolution footage of the UFO encounter. According to the report, “Gary Voorhis, a Petty Officer who served on the Princeton, a ship in Nimitz fleet, told Popular Mechanics that he “definitely saw video that was roughly 8 to 10 minutes long and a lot more clear.” Others, such as Commander David Fravor, have stated that longer videos of the incident probably do not exist. ”
Luis Elizondo, the former Pentagon staffer and the man who played a key role in making the Navy video public, told Motherboard that straightforward messaging does not seem to be the Pentagon’s strong suit. When the New York Times ran its 2017 story concerning the Nimitz UFO incident, it also broke the existence of $22 million dollar UFO investigation program called AATIP, the Advanced Aerospace Threat Identification Program, and that Elizondo, a career intelligence officer, ran the project. The Pentagon has repeatedly changed its story since then; as recently as last month, the Pentagon said that AATIP had nothing to do with UFOs. “The Pentagon has a long history of sometimes providing inaccurate information to the American people,” Elizondo said. “This is true as recently as this week regarding the draft memo involving Iran, and two weeks ago when the press finally received the truth about Afghanistan despite 18 years of statements to the contrary.” –VICE “As in the case involving UAPs, I can only hope that the inconsistent message is due to the benign results of a large and cumbersome bureaucracy and not something more nefarious like a cover-up or deliberate misinformation campaign,” added Elizondo, who told the publication that he’s “not able to comment further on the existence of a longer video due to my obligations involving my NDA with the Government and the fact that I am no longer employed with the U.S. Government. However, as I stated before, people should not be surprised by the revelation that other videos exist and at greater length.”
By Tyler Durden of Zero Hedge.


wakingtimes--2020-01-18--5 things you can do to make your microbiome healthier

It ’ s common for people to focus on their health at the start of the year .
But few consider the well being of the microbes that live inside the human gut – the microbiome – which are vital to an individual ’ s good health .
How important are these bacteria ?
There are as many bacterial cells in us as there are human cells , and they help control everything from inflammation and the development and treatment of cancer to how much energy we get from our foods and perhaps even what foods we crave and our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , often indicated when certain species or groups of bacteria become overly abundant , these functions can be disrupted , contributing to the development of a wide range of diseases such as obesity , cancer , inflammatory bowel disease and many others .
Our gut microbes are also responsible for gas production when we eat new foods as those microbes adapt to this new nutrient source in their environment .
So it is clear we want to have a healthy microbiome , but what is that ?
There is a lot of debate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of gut microbes , but one thing has become clear .
Humans need a diverse microbiome with a variety of bacterial species that can quickly adapt to the wide range of foods that we might want to consume while still performing all those important functions like preventing inflammation .
So what are some things that you can do to support a healthy , diverse microbiome ?
While all the different foods that make up your diet can influence the gut microbiome , it is the fiber – the carbohydrates in our diet that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the bacteria in our gut can use readily – that drives the formation of a healthy microbiome .
Eating a diverse and abundant selection of fruits and veggies is a great way to feed some of the most health-promoting bacteria in our gut .
Most of the starch in our diet – like white bread and pasta – is quickly broken down and absorbed .
But a fraction of that starch is resistant to digestion and acts more like a fiber , feeding the bacteria in our gut .
Resistant starch has been @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of those healthy functions of the gut microbiome .
Some sources of resistant starch include potatoes and legumes .
All sources of starch can also become more resistant after cooking and then cooling in the fridge .
So those leftover potatoes and pasta , cold or reheated , may have some added microbiome-promoting punch .
Not all gut microbiomes are the same and not all fibers are the same .
Certain fibers and microbiomes will mix better than others , depending on what functions are present .
This means that you need to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will make you and your gut feel the best .
You can do this with fiber supplements or with different categories of fiber sources such as whole grains , legumes or cruciferous vegetables like broccoli .
Give your microbiome a couple of weeks to adjust to each fiber source to see how it responds .
Exercise for both you and your microbes Regular physical activity is not only good for your heart , it is good for your gut , too .
Studies recently showed that some of the lactate produced during exercise @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we don ’ t yet know how and why .
Start slow if you haven ’ t had regular physical activity as part of your daily life .
If you start on New Year ’ s , by Valentine ’ s Day you could be walking daily , or doing some time of activity that you like , to help your heart , mind and gut .
What are probiotic foods ?
These are foods that contain microorganisms that have a health benefit .
There are several different kinds of helpful microorganisms that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or are naturally found in other fermented foods – like sauerkraut or kimchi – that give them a health-promoting effect .
Give one of these foods a try in the new year .
You might be wondering if probiotic supplements are as beneficial as probiotic food .
So far there isn ’ t enough evidence to say that – so stick with food .
Like Waking Times on Facebook .
Follow Waking Times on Twitter .

5 things you can do to make your microbiome healthier
Connie Rogers, Guest
Waking Times
It’s common for people to focus on their health at the start of the year. But few consider the well being of the microbes that live inside the human gut – the microbiome – which are vital to an individual’s good health.
How important are these bacteria? There are as many bacterial cells in us as there are human cells, and they help control everything from inflammation and the development and treatment of cancer to how much energy we get from our foods and perhaps even what foods we crave and our moods. When our microbiome becomes unbalanced, often indicated when certain species or groups of bacteria become overly abundant, these functions can be disrupted, contributing to the development of a wide range of diseases such as obesity, cancer, inflammatory bowel disease and many others.
Our gut microbes are also responsible for gas production when we eat new foods as those microbes adapt to this new nutrient source in their environment. So it is clear we want to have a healthy microbiome, but what is that?
There is a lot of debate regarding what exactly constitutes a healthy community of gut microbes, but one thing has become clear. Humans need a diverse microbiome with a variety of bacterial species that can quickly adapt to the wide range of foods that we might want to consume while still performing all those important functions like preventing inflammation. So what are some things that you can do to support a healthy, diverse microbiome?
Eat your fruits and veggies
While all the different foods that make up your diet can influence the gut microbiome, it is the fiber – the carbohydrates in our diet that we cannot break down ourselves but the bacteria in our gut can use readily – that drives the formation of a healthy microbiome. Eating a diverse and abundant selection of fruits and veggies is a great way to feed some of the most health-promoting bacteria in our gut.
Add resistant starch
Most of the starch in our diet – like white bread and pasta – is quickly broken down and absorbed. But a fraction of that starch is resistant to digestion and acts more like a fiber, feeding the bacteria in our gut. Resistant starch has been identified as particularly beneficial for supporting all of those healthy functions of the gut microbiome.
Some sources of resistant starch include potatoes and legumes. All sources of starch can also become more resistant after cooking and then cooling in the fridge. So those leftover potatoes and pasta, cold or reheated, may have some added microbiome-promoting punch.
Experiment with different fibers
Not all gut microbiomes are the same and not all fibers are the same. Certain fibers and microbiomes will mix better than others, depending on what functions are present. This means that you need to do some experimentation to see what fibers will make you and your gut feel the best. You can do this with fiber supplements or with different categories of fiber sources such as whole grains, legumes or cruciferous vegetables like broccoli. Give your microbiome a couple of weeks to adjust to each fiber source to see how it responds.
Exercise for both you and your microbes
Regular physical activity is not only good for your heart, it is good for your gut, too. Studies recently showed that some of the lactate produced during exercise can impact certain gut microbes – although we don’t yet know how and why. Start slow if you haven’t had regular physical activity as part of your daily life. If you start on New Year’s, by Valentine’s Day you could be walking daily, or doing some time of activity that you like, to help your heart, mind and gut.
Add probiotic foods into your diet
What are probiotic foods? These are foods that contain microorganisms that have a health benefit. There are several different kinds of helpful microorganisms that are added to foods like yogurt, or are naturally found in other fermented foods – like sauerkraut or kimchi – that give them a health-promoting effect. Give one of these foods a try in the new year. You might be wondering if probiotic supplements are as beneficial as probiotic food. So far there isn’t enough evidence to say that – so stick with food.
By Connie Rogers | Creative Commons | The Conversation


wakingtimes--2020-01-20--MDMA Inches Away From Becoming FDA-approved Pharmaceutical

A set of clinical trials for MDMA , sponsored by the non-profit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies ( MAPS ) has now reached “ Phase 3 , ” which brings the substance just a few steps away from getting approved by the US Food and Drug Administration ( FDA ) .
Only drugs that show promising results during Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials are considered for Phase 3 trials .
According to MAPS , their Phase 2 trials involved 107 subjects with PTSD , and they saw incredible results from the study .
After just three sessions of MDMA-assisted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were no longer showing major symptoms of PTSD when they were evaluated two months after their treatment , and that number jumped to 68 % after 12 months .
All of the participants in the study had very severe “ treatment-resistant PTSD ” that they lived with for an average of 17.8 years .
Brad Burge , director of strategic communications at MAPS , told Forbes , “ We ’ re literally rewiring neural connections in the brain .
If you look at what MDMA and other psychedelics do , they ’ re @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to make new connections , to get out of the old connections and to make new ones.
” Associate Social Worker Ashley Booth , who helped facilitate the Phase 3 trials , says that the MDMA allowed the patients “ to look at trauma in their lives without being re-traumatized.
” “ It ’ s common for people who ’ ve had a trauma to take on responsibilities , like ‘ I shouldn ’ t have walked down that alley , or talked to that person .
MDMA has psychoactive properties that lower @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the fear center of the brain , and allows people to look at themselves from a more empathetic perspective , ” Booth says .
MDMA is still a schedule 1 drug that is heavily prohibited by the US government .
Until recently , the substance has been popularly known as a recreational club drug called “ ecstasy , ” but studies in recent years have shown its incredible potential as a tool for therapy .
Additional clinical trials are currently taking place at 15 research sites , including Boston , Montreal , Charleston @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
John Vibes is an author and journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture , and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems .
He is also a host of The Free Your Mind Conference and The Free Thought Project Podcast .

MDMA Inches Away From Becoming FDA-approved Pharmaceutical
John Vibes, Truth Theory
Waking Times
A set of clinical trials for MDMA, sponsored by the non-profit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) has now reached “Phase 3,” which brings the substance just a few steps away from getting approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Only drugs that show promising results during Phase 1 and Phase 2 trials are considered for Phase 3 trials. According to MAPS, their Phase 2 trials involved 107 subjects with PTSD, and they saw incredible results from the study. After just three sessions of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, 61% of the participants were no longer showing major symptoms of PTSD when they were evaluated two months after their treatment, and that number jumped to 68% after 12 months.
All of the participants in the study had very severe “treatment-resistant PTSD” that they lived with for an average of 17.8 years.
Brad Burge, director of strategic communications at MAPS, told Forbes, “We’re literally rewiring neural connections in the brain. If you look at what MDMA and other psychedelics do, they’re encouraging neuroplasticity. So they encourage neurons to make new connections, to get out of the old connections and to make new ones.”
Associate Social Worker Ashley Booth, who helped facilitate the Phase 3 trials, says that the MDMA allowed the patients “to look at trauma in their lives without being re-traumatized.”
“It’s common for people who’ve had a trauma to take on responsibilities, like ‘I shouldn’t have walked down that alley, or talked to that person. MDMA has psychoactive properties that lower activity in the amygdala, which is the fear center of the brain, and allows people to look at themselves from a more empathetic perspective,” Booth says.
MDMA is still a schedule 1 drug that is heavily prohibited by the US government. Until recently, the substance has been popularly known as a recreational club drug called “ecstasy,” but studies in recent years have shown its incredible potential as a tool for therapy.
Additional clinical trials are currently taking place at 15 research sites, including Boston, Montreal, Charleston, San Francisco, and Tel Aviv.
About the Author
John Vibes is an author and journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture, and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems. He is also a host of The Free Your Mind Conference and The Free Thought Project Podcast.


wakingtimes--2020-01-20--Study Finds Fans of Dark Humor More Likely To Be Intelligent

Are you a fan of dark humor ?
If so , research has shown that you might be more intelligent on average , and less aggressive as well .
According to a 2017 study published in the journal Cognitive Processing , people who enjoy dark humor are more likely to be intelligent , and also less likely to be aggressive .
The experiments took place at the Medical University of Vienna , and involved 156 people from a wide range of different social and educational backgrounds who varied in age , but had an average age of 33 .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tests , and then monitored while being exposed to cartoons that contained what many would consider dark humor ( or black humour , as it is known in the UK , where the study was conducted ) .
The researchers should not have been very surprised to see the connection between dark humor and intelligence , as other studies in the past have shown that people with high levels of intelligence are more likely to suffer from conditions like depression or anxiety .
However , it likely did come as a surprise that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ study were actually less prone to aggression than the test subjects who were upset or offended by the material .
The study showed that the people who were most upset by the jokes had average IQ scores , but they were also more prone to aggression in other scenarios as well , and likely had shorter tempers than the other participants in the study .
The authors of the study concluded that : “ Whilst a positive association between black humour processing and intelligence can be shown , aggressiveness and bad mood apparently @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dealing with black humour .
Black humour processing is seemingly a complex information-processing task that depends on cognitive and emotional aspects .
It can be hypothesized that these cognitive and emotional demands directly influence the mental operations underlying humour processing as they lead to an increased or decreased information-processing capacity but also facilitate the adapting of humour processing strategies in a quick and flexible way as humour processing is dependent on the content and structure of a joke.
” The researchers also noted that differences in things like age and gender did not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a participant felt about dark humor , as there was a range of different responses among people of the same background , and many shared responses among those from different backgrounds , although , the study did suggest that levels of education did seem to have an impact on a person ’ s response to dark humor .
John Vibes is an author and journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture , and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems .
He is also a host of The Free Your Mind @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .

Study Finds Fans of Dark Humor More Likely To Be Intelligent
John Vibes, Truth Theory
Waking Times
Are you a fan of dark humor? If so, research has shown that you might be more intelligent on average, and less aggressive as well. According to a 2017 study published in the journal Cognitive Processing, people who enjoy dark humor are more likely to be intelligent, and also less likely to be aggressive.
The experiments took place at the Medical University of Vienna, and involved 156 people from a wide range of different social and educational backgrounds who varied in age, but had an average age of 33. The participants were given a set of intelligence tests, and then monitored while being exposed to cartoons that contained what many would consider dark humor (or black humour, as it is known in the UK, where the study was conducted).
The researchers should not have been very surprised to see the connection between dark humor and intelligence, as other studies in the past have shown that people with high levels of intelligence are more likely to suffer from conditions like depression or anxiety. However, it likely did come as a surprise that the intelligent dark humor fans in the study were actually less prone to aggression than the test subjects who were upset or offended by the material.
The study showed that the people who were most upset by the jokes had average IQ scores, but they were also more prone to aggression in other scenarios as well, and likely had shorter tempers than the other participants in the study.
The authors of the study concluded that:
“Whilst a positive association between black humour processing and intelligence can be shown, aggressiveness and bad mood apparently lead to decreased levels of pleasure when dealing with black humour. Black humour processing is seemingly a complex information-processing task that depends on cognitive and emotional aspects. It can be hypothesized that these cognitive and emotional demands directly influence the mental operations underlying humour processing as they lead to an increased or decreased information-processing capacity but also facilitate the adapting of humour processing strategies in a quick and flexible way as humour processing is dependent on the content and structure of a joke.”
The researchers also noted that differences in things like age and gender did not seem to have any impact on how a participant felt about dark humor, as there was a range of different responses among people of the same background, and many shared responses among those from different backgrounds, although, the study did suggest that levels of education did seem to have an impact on a person’s response to dark humor.
About the Author
John Vibes is an author and journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture, and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems. He is also a host of The Free Your Mind Conference and The Free Thought Project Podcast.


wakingtimes--2020-01-20--Rap Superstar Akon Creates World’s First ‘Crypto City’ in Africa to Fight Controlled Economy

While many other rappers in the hip hop world use their spare time and money to pose for photos with large amounts of cash while degrading women , rap superstar , and Senegal transplant , Akon is using his fame and changing the world .
In 2018 , he began a solar investment program in Sierra Leone to bring thousands of solar powered lights and traffic lights to the people , which was successful .
Now , he ’ s founding an entire ‘ crypto city ’ to help pull Africa ’ s economy out of poverty and corruption .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ Akon City ” and will trade exclusively in his own digital cash currency called AKoin .
And now he ’ s following through .
In less than one year , according to Akon Lighting Africa , a wide range of quality solar solutions , including street lamps , domestic and individual kits , have been installed in 14 African countries — thanks to a private-public partnership model and a well-established network of partners ( including SOLEKTRA INT , SUMEC and NARI ) .
As a result , a number of households , villages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ centers located in rural areas have been connected to electricity for the first time ever .
Local jobs , primarily for young people , have also been created in these communities , for installation of equipment ’ s and for maintenance .
Now , they are moving on to build an entire sustainable city using the same drive .
Reports suggest that Akon City will be built in the seaside village of Mbodiene and is reportedly just five minutes from Senegal ’ s new international airport .
Akon City is billed as an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Last week , Akon also signed a “ memorandum of understanding ” with Senegal ’ s state-owned tourism company SAPCO , according to LadBible .
Akoin is expected to launch in July of this year .
The building plans for the 2,000 acre city will take a little longer , however .
A proponent of the blockchain , Akon will stave off the widespread corruption in Africa using the highly secure and decentralized means of security .
He ’ s right too .
Throughout Africa , corrupt governments print money to finance their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on a massive scale .
As TFTP reported , citizens of South Sudan saw prices rise—thanks to government caused inflation—over 160 percent .
Some countries have seen inflation rates topping 800 percent .
For those struggling to get by , watching their money lose most of its value , literally overnight , is a horrifying fate .
To combat this problem , many folks across the continent are switching to cryptocurrency .
On the Akoin website , Akon explains how Africa is rich in resources but its people are poor because they are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continent has 15 % of the world ’ s population .
It is the most valuable region in the world in terms of under and aboveground resources .
It has 8 % of world ’ s natural gas reserves : 45 countries on the continent have oil reserves .
It has 57 % of the world ’ s cobalt , 47 % of its diamonds , 49 % of its manganese , 31 % of its phosphate and 21 % of its gold .
Moreover , the continent has a tremendous potential for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ energy .
By this reckoning , the African continent should be the realm of the richest countries and people .
However , the truth is the exact opposite .
Africa is the least developed continent in the world , having 34 of the 49 poorest countries .
More than 40 % of its population live on less than one dollar a day .
Furthermore , Africa suffers from civil wars and terrorism .
Now , through free market innovation and the blockchain , Africa may soon see these wars and terrorism come to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ prosper and it ’ s partly thanks to one man ’ s desire to do good .
This world needs more Akons .
Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA .
This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state .
Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world .
Agorist is also the Editor at Large at the Free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Twitter , Steemit , and now on Minds .

Rap Superstar Akon Creates World’s First ‘Crypto City’ in Africa to Fight Controlled Economy
Matt Agorist, The Free Thought Project
Waking Times
While many other rappers in the hip hop world use their spare time and money to pose for photos with large amounts of cash while degrading women, rap superstar, and Senegal transplant, Akon is using his fame and changing the world. In 2018, he began a solar investment program in Sierra Leone to bring thousands of solar powered lights and traffic lights to the people, which was successful. Now, he’s founding an entire ‘crypto city’ to help pull Africa’s economy out of poverty and corruption.
The city will be known as “Akon City” and will trade exclusively in his own digital cash currency called AKoin.
“I really want to make the biggest impact in Africa for sure,” Akon said during a previous interview with CNN. “If I could have my way, Africa would be the United States of Africa.”
And now he’s following through.
Just finalized the agreement for AKON CITY in Senegal. Looking forward to hosting you there in the future pic.twitter.com/dsoYpmjnpf — AKON (@Akon) January 13, 2020
In less than one year, according to Akon Lighting Africa, a wide range of quality solar solutions, including street lamps, domestic and individual kits, have been installed in 14 African countries — thanks to a private-public partnership model and a well-established network of partners (including SOLEKTRA INT, SUMEC and NARI).
As a result, a number of households, villages, community houses, schools and health centers located in rural areas have been connected to electricity for the first time ever. Local jobs, primarily for young people, have also been created in these communities, for installation of equipment’s and for maintenance.
Now, they are moving on to build an entire sustainable city using the same drive.
Reports suggest that Akon City will be built in the seaside village of Mbodiene and is reportedly just five minutes from Senegal’s new international airport. Akon City is billed as an environmental campaign and sustainable tourism village. Last week, Akon also signed a “memorandum of understanding” with Senegal’s state-owned tourism company SAPCO, according to LadBible.
Akoin is expected to launch in July of this year. The building plans for the 2,000 acre city will take a little longer, however.
“It’s a 10-year building block so we’re doing it in stages. We started construction in March [2019] and stage two is going to be 2025,” Akon said in the course of an interview with Los Angeles rap radio station Power106. It comes with a price tag of $2 billion. The new city will be “all renewable, the Akon-tainment solar city,” Akon told Power106.
A proponent of the blockchain, Akon will stave off the widespread corruption in Africa using the highly secure and decentralized means of security.
“I think that blockchain and crypto could be the savior for Africa in many ways because it brings the power back to the people,” he said on announcing his plans for Akon City. “Cryptocurrency and blockchain technology offer a more secure currency that enables people in Africa to advance themselves independent of the government.”
He’s right too. Throughout Africa, corrupt governments print money to finance their spending which has created an inflation epidemic on a massive scale. As TFTP reported, citizens of South Sudan saw prices rise—thanks to government caused inflation—over 160 percent. Some countries have seen inflation rates topping 800 percent. For those struggling to get by, watching their money lose most of its value, literally overnight, is a horrifying fate. To combat this problem, many folks across the continent are switching to cryptocurrency.
On the Akoin website, Akon explains how Africa is rich in resources but its people are poor because they are exploited by corrupt governments.
The African continent has 15% of the world’s population. It is the most valuable region in the world in terms of under and aboveground resources. It has 8% of world’s natural gas reserves: 45 countries on the continent have oil reserves. It has 57% of the world’s cobalt, 47% of its diamonds, 49% of its manganese, 31% of its phosphate and 21% of its gold. Moreover, the continent has a tremendous potential for hydroelectric power, solar energy and geothermal energy. By this reckoning, the African continent should be the realm of the richest countries and people. However, the truth is the exact opposite. Africa is the least developed continent in the world, having 34 of the 49 poorest countries. More than 40% of its population live on less than one dollar a day. Furthermore, Africa suffers from civil wars and terrorism.
Now, through free market innovation and the blockchain, Africa may soon see these wars and terrorism come to an end as its people begin to prosper and it’s partly thanks to one man’s desire to do good. This world needs more Akons.
About the Author
Matt Agorist is an honorably discharged veteran of the USMC and former intelligence operator directly tasked by the NSA. This prior experience gives him unique insight into the world of government corruption and the American police state. Agorist has been an independent journalist for over a decade and has been featured on mainstream networks around the world. Agorist is also the Editor at Large at the Free Thought Project. Follow @MattAgorist on Twitter, Steemit, and now on Minds.


wakingtimes--2020-01-20--New Studies Indicate Exposure to Fluoride Affects IQ of Infants, Sleep Patterns

Fluoride exposure may be associated with changes in the pineal gland which affect sleep cycle regulation among older adolescents , according to new research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai .
Another study published in the journal Environment International found that exposing infants to increasing levels of fluoride in tap water may result in diminished non-verbal intellectual abilities , with a stronger effect found among formula-fed children .
These two studies are only the latest research produced in recent years which call into question the safety of water fluoridation .
The Mount Sinai team examined data from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looking for adolescents who had measurable amounts of fluoride in their water and plasma .
The researchers were investigating the relationships between fluoride exposure and self-reported sleep patterns .
The researchers state that their study is the first to explore the connection between fluoride and sleep patterns in humans or animals .
A sample of adolescents at an average age of 17 who live in the United States was used for the study due to the nation ’ s water fluoridation program .
While fluoride has been regarded as a major public health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pineal gland where melatonin is produced , according to the researchers .
Melatonin is the hormone responsible for regulating the sleep-wake cycle .
The study also found that water fluoride concentrations were associated with higher odds of reports of snorting , gasping , or stopping breathing while sleeping at night .
The higher water fluoride concentrations may be associated with frequent daytime sleepiness as well as an association with a later bedtime by 24 minutes and a later morning wake time by 26 minutes .
Meanwhile , another team of researchers published the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and child IQ in a Canadian birth cohort , ” examining the association between fluoride exposure in infancy and intellectual ability in children who lived in fluoridated or non-fluoridated cities in Canada .
The researchers note that infants who consume formula reconstituted with fluoridated water are likely to have an excessive fluoride intake while breastfed infants tend to receive a very low intake of fluoride .
This study is not the first to identify an association between exposure to fluoride and lower IQ in children .
In 2012 , researchers from Harvard School @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China Medical University in Shenyang published a meta-analysis in Environmental Health Perspectives which found strong indications that fluoride may adversely affect cognitive development in children .
The authors warned that this risk should not be ignored and that more research on fluoride ’ s impact on the developing brain is necessary .
The Mind Unleashed will continue to monitor future findings on the health impacts of fluoride .
The substances added to municipal water supplies known by the name fluoride are actually a combination of unpurified byproducts of phosphate mining , namely hydrofluorosilicic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fluoride .
In the United States , thousands of tons of fluorosilicic acid is recovered from phosphoric acid plants and then used for water fluoridation .
During this process the fluoride ion is created .
This process of taking waste from the phosphate industry and putting it into drinking water has long been criticized for its effects on human health and that of the environment .
It is well known that water fluoridation has led to dental fluorosis for millions of children .
This discoloring of the teeth was called “ cosmetically objectionable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
But beyond the cosmetic effect there have been a number of studies indicating health issues ranging from arthritis , brain problems , reduced thyroid or overactive thyroid , kidney problems , and bone cancers .
While proponents of water fluoridation have long pointed to an apparent drop in tooth decay in fluoridated nations as proof of its validity , those claims have been proven wrong by the World Health Organization ( WHO ) .
While the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated the fluoride in the water is directly related @ @ @ @ @ @ @ released its own study showing that tooth decay rates have dropped in all western nations , whether water is fluoridated or not .
The reasons for opposing water fluoridation include : fear of a variety of health concerns ; the belief that it is forcibly medicating the population without their approval ; financial waste ; and environmental concerns related to phosphate mines where the chemical is found .

New Studies Indicate Exposure to Fluoride Affects IQ of Infants, Sleep Patterns
Derrick Broze, The Mind Unleashed
Waking Times
Fluoride exposure may be associated with changes in the pineal gland which affect sleep cycle regulation among older adolescents, according to new research from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Another study published in the journal Environment International found that exposing infants to increasing levels of fluoride in tap water may result in diminished non-verbal intellectual abilities, with a stronger effect found among formula-fed children.
These two studies are only the latest research produced in recent years which call into question the safety of water fluoridation.
The Mount Sinai team examined data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey looking for adolescents who had measurable amounts of fluoride in their water and plasma. The researchers were investigating the relationships between fluoride exposure and self-reported sleep patterns. The researchers state that their study is the first to explore the connection between fluoride and sleep patterns in humans or animals. A sample of adolescents at an average age of 17 who live in the United States was used for the study due to the nation’s water fluoridation program.
While fluoride has been regarded as a major public health achievement, the toxin accumulates in the pineal gland where melatonin is produced, according to the researchers. Melatonin is the hormone responsible for regulating the sleep-wake cycle.
“The high accumulation of fluoride in pineal gland hydroxyapatite (among those chronically exposed) points to a plausible mechanism by which fluoride may influence sleep patterns. In adults, pineal gland fluoride concentrations have been shown to strongly correlate with degree of pineal gland calcification,” explained the authors. “Interestingly, greater degree of pineal calcification among older adolescents and/or adults is associated with decreased melatonin production, lower REM sleep percentage, decreased total sleep time, poorer sleep efficiency, greater sleep disturbances and greater daytime tiredness.”
The study also found that water fluoride concentrations were associated with higher odds of reports of snorting, gasping, or stopping breathing while sleeping at night. The higher water fluoride concentrations may be associated with frequent daytime sleepiness as well as an association with a later bedtime by 24 minutes and a later morning wake time by 26 minutes.
“Our findings also showed that fluoride exposure may be associated with shifts in the sleep-wake cycle, as higher water fluoride concentrations were associated with later weekday bedtime and wake time, but not sleep duration,” the researchers explain in Environmental Health. The researchers caution that additional studies must to be conducted “in order to investigate the effects of fluoride on sleep patterns and to identify windows of vulnerability for potential effects.”
Meanwhile, another team of researchers published the study “Fluoride exposure from infant formula and child IQ in a Canadian birth cohort,” examining the association between fluoride exposure in infancy and intellectual ability in children who lived in fluoridated or non-fluoridated cities in Canada. The researchers note that infants who consume formula reconstituted with fluoridated water are likely to have an excessive fluoride intake while breastfed infants tend to receive a very low intake of fluoride.
The team compared IQ scores in 398 children who were formula-fed versus those who were breastfed during infancy. They found that “IQ scores were lower with higher levels of fluoride in tap water“ and the effects were “more pronounced among formula-fed children, especially for nonverbal skills.” In an earlier version of the study the researchers concluded, “These findings indicate the possible need to reduce fluoride intake during pregnancy.”
This study is not the first to identify an association between exposure to fluoride and lower IQ in children.
In 2012, researchers from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and China Medical University in Shenyang published a meta-analysis in Environmental Health Perspectives which found strong indications that fluoride may adversely affect cognitive development in children. The authors warned that this risk should not be ignored and that more research on fluoride’s impact on the developing brain is necessary.
The Mind Unleashed will continue to monitor future findings on the health impacts of fluoride.
Background: What is Fluoride?
The substances added to municipal water supplies known by the name fluoride are actually a combination of unpurified byproducts of phosphate mining, namely hydrofluorosilicic acid, sodium fluorosilicate, and sodium fluoride. In the United States, thousands of tons of fluorosilicic acid is recovered from phosphoric acid plants and then used for water fluoridation. During this process the fluoride ion is created.
This process of taking waste from the phosphate industry and putting it into drinking water has long been criticized for its effects on human health and that of the environment. It is well known that water fluoridation has led to dental fluorosis for millions of children. This discoloring of the teeth was called “cosmetically objectionable” by the Centers for Disease Control. But beyond the cosmetic effect there have been a number of studies indicating health issues ranging from arthritis, brain problems, reduced thyroid or overactive thyroid, kidney problems, and bone cancers.
While proponents of water fluoridation have long pointed to an apparent drop in tooth decay in fluoridated nations as proof of its validity, those claims have been proven wrong by the World Health Organization (WHO). While the Center for Disease Control and Prevention has stated the fluoride in the water is directly related to better teeth quality, the WHO released its own study showing that tooth decay rates have dropped in all western nations, whether water is fluoridated or not.
The reasons for opposing water fluoridation include: fear of a variety of health concerns; the belief that it is forcibly medicating the population without their approval; financial waste; and environmental concerns related to phosphate mines where the chemical is found.
By Derrick Broze | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com


wakingtimes--2020-01-20--Should Schools Focus More On Teaching Children How To Code And Grow Food?

Very little has changed about the structure and overall curriculum of the formal schooling system in the western world since the Prussian model of education was adopted in the United States and most of Europe in the 19th century .
Some of the information has changed and updated with the times , but children are still taught most of the same subjects in very much the same way .
However , in the fast-paced world that has developed in the past century , newer generations are finding that the traditional schooling model has not left them prepared for the real @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are being prepared for a world that does not exist anymore , and are being trained for jobs that are long gone as well .
There are some independent schools who are taking different approaches , and teaching children skills like coding or gardening , along with highlights from the traditional curriculum .
Some establishments , like Montessori schools , are even bold enough to allow children to direct their own path in learning and decide their own curriculum .
In Seattle , an organization called Tiny Trees Preschool offers year-round courses outside @ @ @ @ @ @ @ allowing children to be in nature while they learn and develop important life skills that can ’ t be picked up in a classroom .
In Europe , the idea began to spread in the 1950 ’ s and has continued to grow over the years .
There are currently 1,000 outdoor preschools that operate in Europe , while prior to the opening of these schools in Seattle , there were only 3 outdoor preschools in the US .
Among the most important skills that children can learn growing up is reading , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gardening or farming .
Once a child learns to read , they can teach themselves anything , especially with the advantages of modern technology .
Computer skills will only grow in demand as more of the workforce becomes automated , and the traditional school curriculum only offers a very basic introduction in these areas , leaving most young adults unequipped for the real job market when they get out of school .
Survival skills like gardening are also extremely important , and nearly forgotten in recent generations .
We may have an economy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these skills seem unnecessary in our everyday lives , but if we become too dependant on this technology , we will be helpless to take care of ourselves if that technology changes or becomes inoperable .
John Vibes is an author and journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture , and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems .
He is also a host of The Free Your Mind Conference and The Free Thought Project Podcast .

Should Schools Focus More On Teaching Children How To Code And Grow Food?
John Vibes, Truth Theory
Waking Times
Very little has changed about the structure and overall curriculum of the formal schooling system in the western world since the Prussian model of education was adopted in the United States and most of Europe in the 19th century.
Some of the information has changed and updated with the times, but children are still taught most of the same subjects in very much the same way. However, in the fast-paced world that has developed in the past century, newer generations are finding that the traditional schooling model has not left them prepared for the real world as it had promised. Students are being prepared for a world that does not exist anymore, and are being trained for jobs that are long gone as well.
There are some independent schools who are taking different approaches, and teaching children skills like coding or gardening, along with highlights from the traditional curriculum. Some establishments, like Montessori schools, are even bold enough to allow children to direct their own path in learning and decide their own curriculum.
In Seattle, an organization called Tiny Trees Preschool offers year-round courses outside, in parks throughout the city, allowing children to be in nature while they learn and develop important life skills that can’t be picked up in a classroom.
http://www.facebook.com/KCTS9/videos/10156645160487491/
In Europe, the idea began to spread in the 1950’s and has continued to grow over the years. There are currently 1,000 outdoor preschools that operate in Europe, while prior to the opening of these schools in Seattle, there were only 3 outdoor preschools in the US.
Among the most important skills that children can learn growing up is reading, computer skills, and outdoor skills like gardening or farming. Once a child learns to read, they can teach themselves anything, especially with the advantages of modern technology. Computer skills will only grow in demand as more of the workforce becomes automated, and the traditional school curriculum only offers a very basic introduction in these areas, leaving most young adults unequipped for the real job market when they get out of school.
Survival skills like gardening are also extremely important, and nearly forgotten in recent generations. We may have an economy and a level of technology that makes these skills seem unnecessary in our everyday lives, but if we become too dependant on this technology, we will be helpless to take care of ourselves if that technology changes or becomes inoperable.
About the Author
John Vibes is an author and journalist who takes a special interest in the counter culture, and focuses solutions-oriented approaches to social problems. He is also a host of The Free Your Mind Conference and The Free Thought Project Podcast.