How Humanity Has Enslaved Itself

A lot of people won’t accept the fact that they are enslaved, though some believe they are enslaved by the ruling elite. But when we look deeper into this predicament,

The Phenomenal Story of Nikola Tesla

I was carrying out some research on Nikola Tesla for some projects going on and came across this nice image set that sums up Tesla’s story and

Dutch Harvest Electricity From Living Plants To Power Streetlights, Wi-Fi & Cell Phones

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Plant-e, a company based out of the Netherlands, has found a way to harness electricity from living plants, using them to power Wi-Fi hotspots, cell phone chargers, and even streetlights. The company debuted their project, called “Starry Sky,” in November of 2014 near Amsterdam, where they lit up more than 300 LED streetlights at two different sites. Their plant power technology is also being used to power the company’s headquarters in Wageningen.

The company was founded in 2009, and was a spin-off from the department of Environmental Technology of Wageningen University. Again, they develop products in which living plants generate electricity. Their technology allows them to produce electricity from practically every site where plants can grow.

“Via photosynthesis a plant produces organic matter. Part of this organic matter is used for plant-growth, but a large part can’t be used by the plant and is excreted into the soil via the roots. Around the roots naturally occurring micro-organisms break down the organic compounds to gain energy from. In this process, electrons are released as a waste product. By providing an electrode for the micro-organisms to donate their electrons to, the electrons can be harvested as electricity. Research has shown that plant-growth isn’t compromised by harvesting electricity, so plants keep on growing while electricity is concurrently produced.” (source)

Just imagine, a house with a roof full of plant/tree life powering your home. On the company’s website, they feature animated pictures of mini-forests growing on building rooftops supplying power to the entire building. It’s pretty cool to imagine, isn’t it?

It’s important to mention that at the moment, the main problem is the quantity of energy that can be generated. There is still a long way to go with regards to making enough energy to have a completely reliable commercial product, but things are looking promising, as the company is already selling products that enable you to harvest energy from plants. Again, they are also using the technology to power their headquarters…

For more information on the technology or to read some of their recent publications, see: www.plantpower.eu – or visit their website listed in the sources.

More and more energy innovations seem to be emerging every single day, like this one. Perhaps this is why the powerful and wealthy Rockefeller family recently sold out of fossil fuels and switched their investments towards clean energy? Change is coming, and it’s about time. The world’s largest private bank, UBS, is also urging investors to join the clean, renewable energy movement.They did so with a statement expressing that power plants in Europe might be completely extinct within the next 10 to 20 year (you can read more about that story here). It’s something that needs to happen, and it needs to happen now. We’ve seen the solutions, now it’s time to implement them. It’s become clear that there are many alternative ways to generate energy without destroying the planet.

Can We Really Trust Artificial Intelligence?

While calculation is not consciousness, my continuing interest in artificial intelligence leads me to wonder just what computer algorithms can do in terms of interpreting what is known today as “big data” – and where it might lead us.

My interest in the potential consequences of machines evaluating the information in other machines came to light a few weeks ago when I travelled out of state. While getting gas the pump malfunctioned and I moved to another pump to finish fuelling.

Then my credit card was turned down and I had to call the company. In addition, a possible “fraud alert” came in to my email. Since the pump malfunction had been odd I thought maybe I had been hacked, but when I called the company it turned out that there was no fraud at all – the “computers” had just decided that my anomaly was irregular enough to warrant inconveniencing me by shutting off my credit.

When I complained about this the fraud person said simply, “It’s our policy. If the software triggers an alert we have to act.” It reminded me of Treasury Secretary Hank Paulson’s famous comment when asked why the banks needed an $800 billion bailout in 2007.

He said, “The computers told us.”

The problem is that much of this “artificial intelligence” is unfounded, unproven, and just plain wrong. Just as there had been no fraud on my credit card, just a glitch at a gas pump – but how do you hold a computer program accountable?

Companies like MetaMind specialize in what is known as “Deep Learning” – using software algorithms to analyze the data that comes in.

Says Bloomberg Business News:

“The company has put free A.I. online for two reasons, [founder] Socher says: to attract clients for its customization business and to feed data to its servers so the software can keep learning. ‘As we explore and observe people using the platform, I think the platform will get smarter and smarter,’ he says.”

Here the program provides a score for how closely related two sentences are:

One of my early forays into this field of data analysis led me to the latest in “search” – and I discovered a startup called Twine – touting the future of the “Semantic Web” – so I was wondering what its CEO, Nova Spivak, is up to these days.

His new venture, Bottlenose, specializes in “Trend Intelligence” – or analyzing what is capturing the bulk of attention on social sites like Facebook and Twitter. From the site:

“[We can help] discover developing trends and get early-warnings about breaking news and emerging hot topics. Track what’s trending in your industry and among your customers to gain first-mover advantage.”

“One of the top US Cable TV networks used Bottlenose to detect and discover breaking news stories around celebrities and entertainment. Bottlenose showed them all the topics, people, photos and stories that are emerging and trending in real-time.”

One of the main applications of these kinds of algorithms is to monitor social media for references to a client’s product or service and uncover either very positive or negative references; this is part of reputation management.

Mako – the program behind the video at the top of the article – is a subscription based software package that promises that you can trash your keyboard – it lets you control your computer with your voice. This is certainly not entirely new; Naturally Speaking from Dragon has accomplished similar tasks, but the introduction of AI to voice recognition puts us into a new paradigm.

Harvard Business Review published a piece on AI for business in March. One of the insights was that “an early analytics insight at Osco Pharmacy uncovered that people who bought beer also bought diapers. But because this insight was counter-intuitive and discovered by a machine, they didn’t do anything with it. But now companies have needs for greater productivity than human quants can address or fathom. They have models with 50,000 variables. These systems are moving from augmenting humans to automating decisions.”

The HBR article mentions Watson, the IBM initiative that created the Jeopardy champion of champions using amazing search and analytic technology; the main application for Watson seems to be in medicine. Will the software carry malpractice insurance?

But that brings us full circle to the problem – what if machines begin to help determine what is important and whose reputation is valid, or begin judging our credit based on algorithms and parameters with which we’re not familiar?

Returning to the financial crisis of 2007, much of the problem centered on badly evaluated loan applications. In that situation banks were apparently approving loans based on misinformation and poor criteria. The question then becomes, would computers have fared any better?

And who is ultimately responsible or to be held accountable for these decisions?

The end user? The programmer? God? One thing is for sure – attorneys will make a fortune sorting it all out.

Genetic Link Found Between Mental Illness & Creativity

Genetic Link Found Between Mental Illness & Creativity: Here Are The Details

A new study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience has discovered a genetic link between mental illness and creativity. The research was conducted by scientists from deCODE genetics and the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College, located in London, UK. (source)

It’s important to note that this is not the first time a genetic link between creativity and mental illness has been postulated. As history shows us, many of the world’s most brilliant and creative minds have also struggled with what we perceive to be “mental” issues. Some great examples are Vincent van Gogh, Allan Poe, and Frida Kahlo, just to name a few.

In this particular study, genetic risk scores for bipolar disorder and schizophrenia were examined in a sample of approximately 85,000 people. The study defined creative individuals as those belonging to the national artistic societies of actors, dancers, musicians, writers, and visual artists.

“Although creativity is difficult to define for scientific purposes, researchers consider a creative person to be someone who takes novel approaches requiring cognitive processes that are different from prevailing modes of thought or expression. Researchers found that genetic risk scores for both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder were significantly higher in those defined as creative individuals, approximately halfway between the general population and those with the disorders themselves.” (source)

It’s also important to note here that very little is known about most psychiatric disorders, which makes the use of certain drugs used to treat them questionable in many cases. We know next to nothing about the underlying biological pathways that lead to these issues.

“An idea that has gained credibility is that these disorders reflect extremes of the normal spectrum of human behaviour, rather than a distinct psychiatric illness. Our findings suggest that creative people may have a genetic predisposition towards thinking differently which, when combined with other harmful biological or environmental factors, could lead to mental illness.” – Robert Power, first author from the MRC Social, Genetic and Developmental Psychiatry (SGDP) Centre at the I0PPN. (source)

A lot of questions arise with regards to these connections that again, have been postulated and studied in depth multiple times. A few years ago, a panel of experts discussed the research between the link at the 5th annual World Science Festival, where all three panelists suffer from mental illness themselves.

“The findings of some 20 or 30 scientific studies endorse the notion of the “tortured genius.” Of the many varieties of psychosis, creativity appears to be most strongly linked to mood disorders, and especially bipolar disorder. For example, one study tested the intelligence of 700,000 Swedish 16-year olds and then followed up a decade later to learn which of them had developed mental illnesses. The startling results were published in 2010. They found that people who excelled when they were 16 years old were four times as likely to go on to develop bipolar disorder.” – Key Redfield Jamison, clinical psychologist and professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, who also suffers from a mental disorder. (source)

This is a big issue. If we look at ADHD, for example, there is a tremendous amount of evidence to suggest that characteristics associated with that label are actually associated with creativity and “abilities” rather than “disabilities.”

Recent work in cognitive neuroscience shows that both creative thinkers and those with an ADHD diagnosis show difficulty in suppressing brain activity that comes from the “Imagination Network.” There are no school assessments that provide evaluation on creativity and imagination, these are hard to draw up and measure and receive very little attention in our education systems.(source)(source)(source)(source)(source)(source)

Another interesting piece of information to note is that in 2004, an author by the name of Gary Davis reviewed a large portion of literature from 1961 to 2003 and identified 22 recurring personality traits of creative people, most of which were very positive and associated with the same personality traits as people who have been diagnosed with ADHD. Some of these traits included: independence, risk taking, high energy, curiosity, and humour, along with being emotional and artistic. Some of the negative ones included: impulsive, argumentative, and hyper active. He published his findings in his book “Creativity is Forever.”

Important Considerations When It Comes To Mental Illness & The Medical Industry

There is no doubt that there is a lot of scientific fraud and manipulation when it comes to pharmaceutical drugs, and the entire health industry in general. A number of studies have been published alluding to this problem, and it has also received more attention recently. The editor in chief of the Lancet (one of the most reputable peer-reviewed medical journals in the world), Dr Richard Horton said that “half of all the literature published is false” and that “science has taken a turn towards darkness.” (source) You can read more about that story here.

There are plenty of examples to choose from. American psychologist Lisa Cosgrove and others investigated financial ties between the Diagnostic and Statistical Manuel of Mental Disorders (DSM) panel members and the pharmaceutical industry. They found that, of the 170 DSM panel members, 95 (56%) had one or more financial associations with companies in the pharmaceutical industry. One hundred percent of the members of the panels on “mood disorders” and “schizophrenia and other psychotic disorders” had financial ties to drug companies. The connections are especially strong in those diagnostic areas where drugs are the first line of treatment for mental disorders. In the next edition of the manual, it’s the same thing. (source)(source)

“The DSM appears to be more a political document than a scientific one. Each diagnostic criteria in the DSM is not based on medical science. No blood tests exist for the disorders in the DSM. It relies on judgments from practitioners who rely on the manual.” (source) – Lisa Cosgrove, PhD, Professor of Counselling and School Psychology at the University of Massachusetts, Boston.

“The very vocabulary of psychiatry is now defined at all levels by the pharmaceutical industry.” (source) – Dr. Irwin Savodnik, an assistant clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California at Los Angeles.

Again, there is a lot of evidence to suggest that pharmaceutical companies have influenced certain psychiatrists to “pathologize” certain behavior as a mental illness so more drugs can be marketed to the masses. In my opinion the evidence is overwhelming, but we’ll save that for another article, as it is a big topic.

I do not mean to imply that certain mental illness don’t exist, but we must look at the full end of the spectrum here. But some of these diagnosis are based purely off of observation without any scientific evidence. I am talking about ADHD, Asperger’s and more. This statement doesn’t apply to some of the more serious cases like schizophrenia and others.

How Turmeric Upgrades Your Organ Systems & Effectively Treats All Cancers, Inflammatory Diseases, & More

I bet i might end up being nicknamed the "Turmeric Whistler"!

Turmeric, and its bioactive ingredient curcumin, has been scientifically proven as an effective counteractive agent against cancer, auto-immune disease, inflammatory disease, and a whole lot more. 

If you are a lover of Indian food, then you’re likely familiar with the pleasant aroma of the yellow herbal root, turmeric.

But besides its delicious flavour profile, turmeric has a plethora of medicinal applications, used widely in Chinese herbal medicine as well as in Ayurvedic medicine. Even Western medicine has recognized the medicinal value of turmeric, as seen in the incredible amount of scientific literature available today surrounding curcumin, the bioactive ingredient in turmeric.

Traditional medicinal uses include the treatment of liver disease, skin problems, respiratory and gastrointestinal ailments, sprained muscles, joint pains, and general wound healing.

It actually exhibits over 150 potentially therapeutic activities, including anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial activity, as well as containing potent anti-cancer properties that have been studied intensely.

What Research Has Discovered About Curcumin (Turmeric)

Researchers have found that curcumin has a positive effect on multiple systems in the body. For one, curcumin has been found to modulate around 700 of our genes. Furthermore, it modulates over 160 physiological pathways.

Curcumin also regulates our cell membranes, allowing for more efficient transport of molecules in and out of the cell.

But one of the most amazing aspects of curcumin is its positive effect on signalling molecules, which, if gone awry, can lead to chronic inflammatory responses, autoimmune responses, issues with DNA and RNA regulation, and more. In short, curcumin is a vastly important ingredient in the prevention of almost all types of diseases.

Why Turmeric Is Being Used To Treat Alzheimer’s & Other Inflammatory Diseases

Research has also discovered applications of curcumin in treating Alzheimer’s and joint health.

Curcumin is capable of crossing your blood-brain barrier, which is one factor that has led researchers to investigate its potential as a neuroprotective agent for neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.

In his article, Turmeric—A “Universal” Cancer Treatment, and Much More, Dr. Mercola outlines a newly discovered compound in turmeric called aromatic turmerone, which helps endogenous neutral stem cells (NSC) to grow, and these stem cells play an important role in brain repair and regeneration activities. Here’s what he had to say about curcumin’s neuroprotective properties:

“Curcumin may also be helpful. Previous research has shown that curcumin helps inhibit the accumulation of destructive beta-amyloids in the brain of Alzheimer’s patients, as well as break up existing plaques associated with the disease. People with Alzheimer’s tend to have higher levels of inflammation in their brains, and curcumin is perhaps best known for its potent anti-inflammatory properties. It can inhibit both the activity and the inflammatory metabolic byproducts of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX2) and 5-lipooxygenase (5-LOX) enzymes, as well as other enzymes and hormones that modulate inflammation.”

Curcumin Kicks Cancer’s Butt

Not surprisingly, curcumin actually has the most evidence-based anti-cancer literature out of any other herb.

As noted by Dr. William LaValley—one of the leading natural medicine cancer physicians, curcumin is unique in that it appears to be universally useful for just about every type of cancer. This is odd, considering the fact that cancer consists of a wide variety of different molecular pathologies.

One reason for this universal anti-cancer proclivity is curcumin’s ability to affect multiple molecular targets via multiple pathways.

Once it gets into a cell, it affects more than 100 different molecular pathways. And, as Dr. LaValley notes, whether the curcumin molecule causes an increase in activity of a particular molecular target or decrease/inhibition of activity, studies repeatedly show that the end result is a potent anti-cancer activity.

Moreover, curcumin is non-toxic, and does not adversely affect healthy cells, suggesting it selectively targets cancer cells—all of which are clear benefits in cancer treatment. Research has even shown that it works synergistically with certain chemotherapy drugs, enhancing the elimination of cancer cells.

Important Notes About Turmeric Sourcing

The yellow turmeric spice you find on your local grocery store shelves won’t offer you the same medicinal value as properly extracted and sourced curcumin.

The turmeric root itself contains only about three percent curcumin concentration, and curcumin is poorly absorbed by your body to boot. When taken in its raw form, you’re only absorbing about one percent of the available curcumin. Even in supplement form it’s unlikely to provide the results shown in various disease studies. If you want to use curcumin therapeutically, you can try one of the following three alternatives recommended by Dr. Mercola: 

Locate a high quality turmeric extract that contains 100 percent certified organic ingredients, with at least 95 percent curcuminoids. The formula should be free of fillers, additives, and excipients (a substance added to the supplement as a processing or stability aid), and the manufacturer should use safe production practices at all stages: planting, cultivation, selective harvesting, and then when producing and packaging the final product. Typical anticancer doses are up to three grams of good bioavailable curcumin extract, three to four times daily.

Make a microemulsion using raw curcumin powder. Combine one tablespoon of the powder with 1-2 egg yolks and a teaspoon or two of melted coconut oil. Use a high speed hand blender to emulsify it. Keep in mind that curcumin is a very potent yellow pigment that can permanently discolor surfaces, so take precautions to avoid “yellow kitchen syndrome.”

Boil the curcumin powder. Another strategy that can help increase absorption is to put one tablespoon of the curcumin powder into a quart of boiling water. It must be boiling when you add the powder as it will not work as well if you first put it in room temperature water and then heat the water and curcumin. After boiling it for 10 minutes you will have created a 12 percent solution that you can drink once cooled. It will have a woody taste. The curcumin will gradually fall out of solution however. In about six hours it will be down to a six percent solution, so it’s best to drink the water within four hours.

10 Warning Signs Of Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer is the most common Human papillomavirus (HPV) related disease. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost all cases of cervical cancer can be attributed to HPV. HPV is the most common viral infection of the reproductive tract.

Women and men who are sexually active will, according to most experts, become infected at some point in their lives, and the infection could occur more than once.

The most common time for both genders to become infected is shortly after they become sexually active, and all that’s needed for an HPV infection to develop is skin to skin genital contact, not full penetrative sex. This is why the HPV vaccine is commonly recommended/pushed, particularly for young girls. It’s known as the Gardasil vaccine (you can find out more information about it here), and many people consider it unnecessary because, as Dr. Diane Harper (one of a select few HPV experts in the world, who helped design and carry out the Phase II and Phase III safety and effectiveness studies to get Gardasil approved, and authored many of the published papers about it) explains in the video below, odds are that the infection is going to clear on its own.

Dr. Harper believes that vaccination will not decrease the number of cervical cancer cases, but a routine of regular pap smears will. She has also stated that there is absolutely zero proof that these vaccines work, or that they are safe and effective, yet major health authorities stress clinical trial results show both vaccines to be safe and very effective in preventing infection with HPV.

I apologize if you’ve seen this video before in my articles, but it’s important to note when it comes to this subject.

With all of the above being said, it’s also important to mention that worldwide, cervical cancer is the fourth most frequent cancer in women with an estimated 530,000 new cases in 2012, representing 7.5% of all female cancer deaths. Of the more than 270,000 estimated deaths from cervical cancer every year, more than 85% of these occur in less developed regions.

10 Warning Signs You Shouldn’t Ignore

1. Abnormal Vaginal Bleeding

Abnormal vaginal bleeding between periods, after intercourse, or after menopause. Although this could be due to other medical conditions, it is a telltale sign of possible cervical cancer. If you are experiencing abnormal bleeding between periods or after sexual intercourse then you definitely want to contact your doctor.

2. Unusual Vaginal Discharge

If you are experiencing abnormal vaginal discharge, it could be a result of  bacterial vaginosis, menopause symptoms, or yeast infection. It could also be harmless, but significant changes in discharge are still worth getting checked out.

If the smell is very foul, becomes a more common occurrence, or is brownish, heavy, pale, or blood-tinged, it could be a sign of cervical cancer. It could also be a sign of various other conditions. Again, if this is happening contact your doctor right away.

3. Discomfort While Urinating

Pain during urination can be a sign of cervical cancer, this is a symptom that usually occurs when the cancer has already spread to the bladder.  In most cases, however, this type of pain is a sign of something far less serious, like a urinary tract infection.

4. Pain During Sex

Discomfort during sexual intercourse could also be another sign. Again, just to reiterate, many of these symptoms signify a far less worrisome issue, but you never know, especially if you are experiencing multiple symptoms at once. Pain during sex can be a late onset symptom of cervical cancer, and could indicate that the cancer has spread throughout the reproductive organs and tissues.

5. Heavier & Longer Menstrual Periods

Abnormal and heavier menstrual periods are another sign of cervical cancer. Irritation of the cervix, possibly due to cervical cancer, can also occur.

6. Loss of Bladder Control

Bladder control is a big issue when it comes to cervical cancer, and it’s one area of the body where cervical cancer commonly spreads. People with cervical cancer often experience loss of bladder control as well as a hint of blood discharge during urination.

7. Body Pain

A common symptom of cervical cancer is body pains, more specifically, pain in the leg, back, and/or pelvis. Women with cervical cancer often experience swelling of the legs, because the cancer spreads and obstructs blood flow. It can get to the point where basic simple movements are difficult to do. It’s common for women who are experiencing these symptoms as a result of cervical cancer to have prolonged pain which increases as time goes on.

8. Constant Fatigue

Constant fatigue could be also be a sign, especially if it is in conjunction with some of the other symptoms mentioned in this article. When there is disease in your body, it will work hard to do its best to try and fight it off. Your body then becomes tired  as a result of these various biological processes.

9. Unexplained Weight Loss

The body produces small proteins called cytokines, which break down fat at a much higher rate than normal. This leads to weight loss, irrespective of your diet, when you are fighting disease. As with many other cancers, the same applies here.