In less than a generation, we have managed to successfully pollute our planet by discarding more than 8.3 billion metric tons of plastics; 6.3 billion tons of which has become waste. This was the condemning conclusion made in a new study published in Science Advances. Researchers from the University of Georgia studied data on the amount of plastic waste thrown away since the synthetic material was mass produced during the early 1950s. They found that not only have billions of toxic waste been carelessly thrown into the natural environment, the rate of escalation has only been increasing in the last few years. From 1950 to 2015, half of the waste was produced in just the last 13 years.
Speaking to Science Daily, co-author of the study, Jenna Jambeck, said, “most plastics don’t biodegrade in any meaningful sense, so the plastic waste humans have generated could be with us for hundreds or even thousands of years.”
Jambeck and her team found that of the total waste recorded, only nine percent was recycled, while 12 percent was incinerated and 79 percent was left to rot in landfills or in the environment. Should current trends continue, the authors believe that 12 billion metric tons of plastic waste would be left in landfills by 2050. Translated another way, this amount is 35,000 times as heavy as the Empire State Building.
“Our estimates underscore the need to think critically about the materials we use and our waste management practices,” Jambeck concluded.
The scientists also reported that of the varied synthetic products produced on a large scale since 1950, plastics remained the most popular. Global production of plastics jumped from two million metric tons in 1950 to more than 400 million tons in 2015. This exceeds the numbers for other materials such as resins, fibers, and other additives used by a variety of industries. The only notable materials to even compete with plastic were steel and cement which are used by the construction industry.
However, the team noted that steel and cement are more efficiently used than plastics. These materials are incorporated into buildings and different structures, which can last for years. Plastics, on the other hand, are used mostly for packaging. People typically only use them once and then throw them away. The way we are currently using plastics is not sustainable and is contributing to the ever-increasing concern of environmental damage.
This same team published a similar study in 2015, this time in Science. Jambeck and the other co-authors noted that eight million metric tons of plastic had been left in the oceans since 2010. This number, they warned, would only increase unless safety and management guidelines are made now. (Related: Microplastic pollution is the REAL threat to our oceans, warn scientists.)
The team did caution that their conclusions are not a call to absolutely eliminate the production of plastics in society. These materials do serve a function and are critical in some markets, especially those that are dependent on working with durable materials. Nonetheless, the researchers say that policies should be examined or made regarding plastic use and their end-of-life value.
“I think we need to take a careful look at our expansive use of plastics and ask when the use of these materials does or does not make sense,” said Kara Lavender Law, another co-author.
Plastics, like diamonds, are forever
This synthetic material is a double-edged sword. Industries use them because they are strong and have a long shelf-life. But these same qualities also make them dangerous to nature. Plastics do not decompose normally, and even when (or if) they do, they release toxic chemicals in the air or soil that damage organisms. Unfortunately, we have not helped this situation. According to The World Counts, the U.S. alone throws out enough plastic bottles in a week to encircle our planet five times.
There are ways to mitigate this though. Remember to recycle as much plastic materials as possible. Speak with your local recycling plant to know more about how you can help.
As if we needed another reason to change our diet. Scientists are now saying that washing down that cheeseburger with a cold soda changes the way your body burns fat. In analyzing the direct impact that sugary drinks have on body metabolism when paired with a high-protein meal, researchers observed an amplified effect in weight gain. Not only were these meals typically calorie-rich, but the combination also slowed down the fat-burning process all the while not adding anything to satiety. In essence, the typical American diet makes us fatter because we feel hungry easier while not burning anything off.
This small study, published in BMC Nutrition, concluded that around a third of the additional calories found in sugary drinks were not spent while reducing metabolism. This, the study’s authors said, “primed” the body to store more fat. The effect was particularly evident when the drinks were paired with a protein-rich meal. On average, metabolism was slowed by eight percent when a sugar-sweetened drink was taken with a meal that was 15 percent protein. This rate was further exacerbated when protein content was increased. Taking a 30 percent protein meal with a sugary drink, for example, decreased metabolism by 12.6 percent. The researchers also noted that while sugary drinks increased the amount of energy used to metabolize meals, the increase was not enough to even out the additional calories found in the drink.
Lead author of the study, Dr. Shanon Casperson, wrote on Science Daily, “We were surprised by the impact that the sugar-sweetened drinks had on metabolism when they were paired with higher-protein meals. This combination also increased study subjects’ desire to eat savory and salty foods for four hours after eating.”
These results are interesting, to say the least. Previous studies have implicated a higher protein intake to an increase in the body’s fat-burning abilities. However, this effect may become negligible when taken along with a sugary drink. (Related: These 15 sugary drinks are almost as bad as soda.)
For the purposes of this study, the researchers recruited 27 healthy-weight adults (13 male, 14 female) who were, on average, 23-year-olds. Participants were given special meals and placed in special isolated rooms called “room calorimeters”. The rooms were calibrated to measure the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels as well as the temperature and air pressure. These data would allow the researchers to determine how specific meals affected the participant’s metabolism, including how many calories they burned and how fat, protein, and carbohydrates were broken down.
Participants spent two 24-hour periods in these rooms. Each period began at 4 p.m., with dinner being served at 5 p.m. There was then a fasting period until breakfast the next morning.
During one of their stays in the room calorimeter, participants were served breakfast and lunch meals that contained 15 percent protein. Each meal was paired with a sugary drink sweetened either with sugar or artificial sweetener. If the sugar-drink was served at breakfast, the participant had the artificially sweetened beverage at lunch and vice versa.
Participants were observed for four hours after each meal.
During the other time that they stayed in the room, participants were served a breakfast-lunch combo with meals that contained 30 percent protein.
Consolidating the data, researchers said that the fat-burning ability of participants who took a sugary drink decreased by eight percent. Additionally, these same drinks added more calories to the meals without making the participants feel fuller for longer.
These findings “provide further insight into the potential role of sugar-sweetened drinks — the largest single source of sugar in the American diet — in weight gain and obesity,” Casperson concluded.
There are a lot of things you might do when you’re diagnosed with cancer: worry incessantly, research nonstop, talk to family and friends, and probably do your fair share of crying. However, there are also several things you should be careful not to do when you’re first diagnosed if you want to give yourself a fighting chance of beating this illness. Inspired by Juicing for Health, here is a list of five of the top mistakes people make immediately after getting a cancer diagnosis.
1. Going directly into mainstream treatment
It’s a perfectly natural reaction when you’re facing a deadly disease to tell your doctors to fix it as fast as they can. Perhaps you even made an appointment for the next step before leaving the office the day you got the bad news. Time might not be on your side, but you can still afford to take an hour or two to research your options and find out if you could be a candidate for safer alternatives before committing to chemotherapy, for example. You’ll also want to be careful about getting too many diagnostic tests. A second opinion on your diagnosis isn’t a bad idea, but you don’t want to subject yourself a lot of tests that use radiation, which can contribute to cancer and even cause it.
2. Sticking to just one protocol
Recognize that more than one approach might be useful or necessary. Don’t fall into the trap of thinking that merely juicing carrots will solve all your problems. It may help, but taking cannabinoids and doing yoga, for example, might give you even greater benefits.
However, that is not to say that mixing protocols with radiation or chemotherapy is advisable; research very carefully before mixing these types of treatments.
3. Ignoring the importance of diet
If you rush into anything at all after your cancer diagnosis, it should be dietary changes. This cannot be emphasized enough: cancer cells feed and thrive on refined sugar and refined carbohydrates. Cut them out completely and avoid them as though your life depends on it – it does! Your diet should now focus on organic plant foods, and you should also cut out red and processed meats.
Studies have shown that a ketogenic diet has some potential to slow the progression of cancer, including cancer that has metastasized. Its ability to reduce blood sugar could be behind its ability to slow the growth of tumors, but more studies are needed.
4. Failing to detox
Destroying cancer cells is a good thing, but you also need to get them out of your body because they create a big burden on your liver. If you’re eating a purely organic diet based on plants and juicing, you’ll get some detoxing effects, but some people might need further detoxification.
5. Overlooking emotional, mental and spiritual healing
Cancer treatment, particularly in conventional medicine, tends to focus solely on the physical body. This is certainly where a lot of effort should be concentrated, but ignoring the value of the mind and spirit is a huge mistake you don’t want to make.
Did you know that mindfulness-based art therapy can help improve stress levels and the quality of life in cancer patients? This uses expressive art activities in conjunction with breathing, walking and yoga. Reducing distress in women with breast cancer has been shown to improve immune function, and it’s likely useful for other types of cancer as well.
In fact, yoga is extremely powerful and has been show in studies to help emotionally as well as physically, making it a very valuable tool in your cancer fight. Even if you go the conventional route, you’ll find that yoga can reduce your fatigue, inflammation, depression, anxiety and pain. Some yoga centers even specialize in helping cancer patients.
A cancer diagnosis is devastating, and how you choose to proceed is a very personal decision that will depend on your beliefs about what is best for you. It’s important to get as much information as possible from dependable sources before committing to anything, and always be sure to listen to your body!
On an episode of the current season of the popular Netflix reality docuseries “Last Chance U,” Isaiah Wright — star sophomore running back for East Mississippi Community College — gets pulled from a game in the first half for precautionary measures, having sustained a concussion the week prior. During a dramatic halftime exchange with a coach who explains they are trying to protect him, an irate and desperate Wright shouts, “I don’t care about me, I wanna play football! I’ll die for this damn sport!”
Wright’s precarious affinity for football is motivated as much by economics as his passion for the game. A foster youth abandoned by his single mother, the talented Tennessee native sees the violent sport as his one chance at “making it” in life and realizing a more fortunate existence for himself and his loved ones.
Wright is not alone. For numerous young African-Americans and their families across the country, football is commonly viewed as their “one shot” at changing their impoverished reality. Despite the daunting odds — a mere 3.9 percent of Division I draft-eligible collegians of all races were chosen in the 2016 NFL draft — the potential rewards of a lucrative NFL contract often outweigh the inherent dangers of a brutal game.
Unlike the mental fog suffered by a concussed baller, these dangers have recently become clear. In a new study by Boston University researcher Dr. Ann McKee, Mckee examined the brains of 202 deceased football players and discovered 110 of the 111 brains of NFL players had chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a degenerative brain disease caused by head trauma. To make matters worse, 56 percent of the brains of collegiate players studied had severe CTE, and 44 percent had mild cases, as did the brains of three high school players. Even mild cases are known to present a troubling array of progressive symptoms, including depression, behavioral abnormalities, anxiety, memory loss, impulsivity, explosive anger, cognitive issues, suicidal tendencies and abuse, both chemical and physical. The study further revealed the most common cause of death among those with mild CTE to be suicide. Such recent and revealing data has caused a number of players to walk away from the game.
“When you’re running down the field full-speed on kickoff team, they relate the impact to that of a car accident,” says Michael Peterson, an Atlanta-based entrepreneur and former defensive back and special teams player for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets. A member of Tech’s 2009 ACC Championship team, the talented painter and conceptual artist has drawn attention to the violence and toll football takes on players through artwork exhibited at museums and galleries across the country. “In the late ’60s or early ’70s, there was an article in Life magazine on football, and the title of it was ‘Suicide Squad,’” says Peterson, who, during research for an art project, found that the moniker was what players of previous generations commonly used to call the kickoff team. “It kind of blows my mind that they were forecasting what’s transpiring today.”
African-Americans comprise 70 percent of current NFL players. Given that a third of white NFL players occupy such low-collision positions as kicker, punter or quarterback, Black pros are far more likely to sustain concussions. While the NFL has gone to great lengths to keep a lid on the link between repetitive head trauma and progressive brain disease, its more recent commitment to minimizing such injuries can only do so much in an inherently violent sport.
Especially since the trauma need not be repetitive. “When you suffer a blow — a single blow or repetitive — you may have immediate symptoms or may not have immediate symptoms,” explained Dr. Bennett Omalu in a December 2015 interview with Vice Sports. Omalu, the forensic pathologist and neuropathologist portrayed by Will Smith in the film “Concussion,” first recognized CTE as a serious concern for sports involving head trauma. “The absence of symptoms does not mean you haven’t suffered cellular injury,” he said. “CTE is neurodegenerative. It gets worse. Concussion is part of the spectrum, but it is not the underlying cause. The underlying cause is [brain trauma], the factor that initiated the cascade of events.”
Still, while many acknowledge the risk, American dreams die hard. An estimated two-thirds of Black boys believe they can be professional athletes, and African-American parents are four times more likely than white parents to believe the same. Such dreams are fostered by years of propaganda, in outdated Horatio Alger references and endlessly looped depictions of urban lotto winners. They have little relation to the infinitesimal chances and stark realities they obscure. Even when presented with the grim reality of the odds they face, that athletes are exponentially more likely to get head trauma than an NFL contract, many cling to these dreams, as they are unwilling to face the spirit-breaking economics of their absence.
“A lot of folks in sports are using it as their ticket out of their circumstances,” says Peterson, noting the competitive edge of teammates playing “for a way bigger reason.” For such players, concussions are mere and expected bumps on their field of dreams.
“I haven’t had any recorded concussions,” offers Peterson, intoning about how head trauma commonly goes untreated at all levels of the game. “But I have had my bell rung, I have seen stars, I have been dizzy and I have had the little ones.” These are unlike a normal injury, he says, where “Someone is going to cart you off the field or you’re going to limp off. With concussions, you don’t really recognize them, especially the small ones.” In addition, says Peterson, football is “a very masculine sport, and its hard sometimes to say that you are in pain when a limb is not dangling.”
Even so, football isn’t all about pain, trauma or impossible dreams. Beyond the brutality lies power, speed, strategy, technique, intellect and, yes, even beauty and grace. Those who doubt this have likely never played the game, never fully recognized its artistry, or never truly appreciated the gridiron’s storied past, nor its fast-paced present, as represented by the ballet-like fluidity of a Gale Sayers, a Lynn Swann or an Odell Beckham; the power and drive of a Jim Brown, a Walter Payton or a Marshawn Lynch; the awe-inspiring dominance of a Lawrence Taylor or a Reggie White; the skill, precision and intellect of a Warren Moon, a Steve McNair or a Cam Newton; the symphonic movement of a Barry Sanders; and the once-in-a-lifetime instincts and ability of a Sean Taylor.
Undoubtedly, the game imparts its many lessons, ones particularly valuable for less fortunate youth regardless of whether they play for a year or two decades. It offers all the components of a compelling metaphor for life — active awareness, situational analysis, intense preparation, discipline, decision making under pressure, mental and physical toughness, teamwork, strategy, effective management of fear, and mastery of self.
That said, it is a sport of contrasts, one as destructive as it is constructive, as expressive as it is debilitating. Outside of the kickers who occasionally prance upon the field to apply their specialty at little risk, and the zebra-striped whistle-toters who dot the field just out of harm’s way, no one can escape its violence. Make no mistake, the game has a cost, one far more pricey than the admission paid by legions of rabid weekend groupies to witness the punishing spectacle.
Peterson is ever reminded of this. One of the reasons he portrays the cost and violence of the game in his art is his connection to an NFL idol who succumbed to the sport’s dark side. “I did have people that I grew up with that committed suicide because of football,” he says, citing the shocking July 2012 suicide of NFL defensive back and fellow Tampa native O.J. Murdock. Murdock’s brain was one of those subsequently studied by CTE researchers. Noting he played football with Murdock’s little brother in Tampa, Peterson details how the tragedy inspired his 2014 artwork “Pursuit of Vanity: Pistol Formation,” which consists of the jersey nameplates of famous NFL players who have committed suicide. The nameplates, including that of late All-Pro linebacker Junior Seau, are hung in the shape of a pistol.
“When I added O.J. to the list, it felt surreal, it felt awkward,” acknowledges Peterson. “These things are continuing to occur, so I’m honoring these guys but also shedding light onto the severity of the situation.”
Still, despite the established dangers, there is ever that slim chance, one steeped in the passion for and the economics of a violent-yet-lucrative sport, that a kid from the lowest socioeconomic rung of our society can separate from the pile, break free from those trying to pull him down, and win at the larger game of life. In a recent segment for “The United States of Football” — a documentary exploring the cumulative effect of repetitive head trauma and based on a father’s uncertainty over allowing his son to play — Pro Football Hall of Fame member and current commentator Cris Carter spoke openly about the inherent health hazards of his beloved game. Responding to the need for the NFL and related media to promote an awareness of these hazards, Carter clarified why many, like Isaiah Wright, will continue to brave the risk.
“I believe,” said Carter, “it is also our responsibility to convey to kids that they have the right to have the same dream that I did.”
“This is a sight to behold. Almost made me shed a tear.
Don’t care too much about the fact they’re a part of with a sorority. It is what it is. Nevertheless, they are attractive, presumably intelligent young women. This was the most beautiful thing (besides my wife and two daughters lol), that I’ve seen today.
To all of my Black sistas, no matter the shape or size, no matter the struggles you are going through in your life, YOU ARE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CREATURES CREATED BY THE CREATOR! I have mad love for all of you!
Be encouraged and keep fighting, ladies!”
-The Melanin Man
Article originally posted on Atlanta Blackstar (click link for original)
Florida A&M University alumnae and sorority sisters are making waves for their photographic beach celebration of the beauty of Black women.
“We wanted to do something that celebrated not just ourselves, but Black excellence, beauty and womanhood,” Amanda Bryd of the Beta Alpha chapter of Delta Sigma Theta told NBC Miami Wednesday, July 26, of the shoot.
Deemed “Melanin Illustrated,” the viral Instagram photo shoot features 28 line sisters posing in nude bikinis against the blue ocean and white sands of Costa Rica. While soaking up the sun for a three-day celebration of a decade of sisterhood, the business professionals bonded by relaxing in pure-water hot springs and mud baths, and going zip-lining and horseback riding, according to NBC.
“Black women are often overlooked in beauty,” said LaToya Owens, who organized the trip, to Yahoo Style. “This was our way to shine a light on all types of Black beauty.”
To many, it serves as a shiny badge of upward mobility – a milestone that someone took their education seriously and is now ready for the next level of responsibility in the world. But a college degree doesn’t always deliver on its promises anymore, as many graduates today are learning the hard way. Not only are many of these freshly-minted degree holders discovering that they can’t just waltz into their dream jobs simply because they hold a piece of paper. Some of them are also coming to the stark realization that they were duped by their alma maters, which failed to teach them the necessary life skill for facing the “real world” post-commencement.
Depending upon which school a student attended and the primary subject he specialized in, a degree admittedly holds varying degrees of value. A computer scientist, for instance, will have more than likely interned at a large company prior to graduating, after which time he’ll take up a full-time position for great pay. A women’s studies major, on the other hand, will find that she basically shelled out several hundred thousand dollars for a four-year safe space, and now has no marketable skills to find a real job.
There are various other factors that determine whether or not a college degree is valuable, of course. But the main point is this: College isn’t for everyone. For many young people coming out of high school, community college or technical school is a much better and typically more affordable option that offers real-life training in actual skilled work. But how many students are being told this by their guidance counselors before they sign right up for traditional college or university, a.k.a. agreeing to ratchet up huge debt unless they’re independently wealthy?
“Colleges have convinced nearly everyone that you need a degree to be an effective employee or higher-income adult, but this is just not true,” writes Daniel Ameduri from FutureMoneyTrends.com (as published in an article by SHTFplan.com).
“I can tell you as an employer that I’ve never asked a single person what their grades were and I’ve never asked to see a degree. The ugly truth is the ones with college degrees usually end up writing SEO articles for $15 an hour and the skilled workers who’ve been writing code as a hobby or editing videos for years on a MAC end up as managers making $75+ per hour.”
Unless a student is awarded grants or scholarships, attending college is expensive. According to the College Board, the average cost to attend an in-state public college is now nearly $25,000 per year. At a private college, this yearly cost doubles to almost $50,000.
This means that by the time a student graduates – assuming he pays these costs out of pocket or with loans – he will already be between $100,000 to $200,000 in debt. Based on job availability, this debt could haunt him for decades, or worse – ruin his credit if he ends up defaulting due to an inability to pay.
There are so many other options besides going this precarious route, including taking short courses online or at a local training facility, or even on the job depending on the industry. There are many ways to learn useful information that don’t have to cost tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“When I was 18 years old, I made $55,000 while my peers sat in a classroom learning things that were forgotten before they even left the campus that day,” Ameduri adds, noting that the four years that many young people typically spend to earn their Bachelor’s degrees could have been spent getting a head start in life.
Article posted on Natural News (click link for original)
By Isabelle Z.
Dean Foods announced in a press release that it has acquired organic juice company Uncle Matt’s Organic, prompting concerns about just how “organic” their beverages will remain moving forward.
According to the press release, Uncle Matt’s Organic is the oldest organic juice company in the U.S. Their offerings include juices such as orange, grapefruit, apple and lemonade, along with fruit-infused waters and probiotic-infused juices, and their products are popular among health-conscious consumers.
The Dean Foods press release says: “Uncle Matt’s Organic is committed to producing the highest quality juices, using only premium 100% organically grown fruit that is free from GMOs, synthetic fertilizers and pesticides.”
It’s a commendable stance, but how long will that continue to be the case? If Dean Foods Company’s track record when it comes to acquisitions is any indication, fans of Uncle Matt’s products had better stay on their toes.
When Dean Foods Company acquired the Silk brand soy milk, they engaged in some very deceptive practices that left a lot of consumers so angry that many continue to boycott them to this day. Silk’s soy milk had been made using organic soybeans until early 2009, and customers who sought organic products at that time knew this milk was a safe bet.
However, after taking over the brand, Dean essentially employed a “bait and switch” tactic that left a lot of consumers with a very bad taste in their mouths. They started to use conventionally grown soybeans rather than organic ones, but they continued to use the same bar codes on their products and only slightly shifted the wording on their label to make it say “natural” instead of “organic.” Many consumers believed it was still organic, not realizing that “natural” is not a word that is regulated and that any product can claim to be natural regardless of whether it has been sprayed with toxic pesticides, as many soybeans are.
Adding insult to injury, they kept selling it for the same price, which meant people were paying organic prices for toxin-laced milk.
The deception was so underhanded that even retailers didn’t realize what was happening at first, with watchdog groups calling out Target for misleading shoppers by continuing to advertise the product as “organic” even though it no longer was.
This was more than just a one-off incident. Dean Foods has long shown a lack of honesty when it comes to organic food. They are the parent company of Horizon Organic, whose milk was once the subject of a boycott for not being legitimately organic. Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, once called the company “the Enron of the food industry” on account of its lack of ethics. Dean also contributed more than $250,000 in an effort to defeat the GMO labeling initiative Prop 37 in California in 2012 – something that Uncle Matt’s, on the other hand, supported.
It’s hard to say whether Uncle Matt’s juices will pull a similar trick on the public. There are some positive signs, such as the fact that Uncle Matt’s will become a subsidiary of Dean Foods but will continue to operate from its current offices in Clermont, Florida.
In addition, the company’s founder, Matt McLean, will continue to lead the brand. According to Uncle Matt’s website, he became passionate about an organic way of life in 1995, which he said is akin to the way his grandfather and great-grandfather grew their fruit. He believes in making soil healthy to nurture trees that can defend themselves naturally against disease. One can only hope that he will be able to convince his higher-ups to adopt the same philosophy.
At least 100,000 children are prostituted annually in the U.S., adding to the $9.8 billion U.S. sex trafficking industry. Children all over the country are subject to physical and sexual abuse, and most of the time it happens a lot closer to home than we would expect. Ninety percent of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator, and an astonishing 68% are abused by family members.
What’s worse, some of the laws surrounding child sexual abuse and child marriage (or lack thereof) actually enabletheir practice. As a result, more than 200,000 children in the U.S. were married in the past 15 years alone. We often view child marriage as only being an issue in third-world countries, but in reality, it occurs right here in North America, too. Children as young as 10 have been married to far older adults, despite the legal requirement to wed being 18, or legal adulthood, nationwide.
This is because many states have “legal loopholes” that allow adults to marry children. Not all states are willing to provide statistics on this problem, and many have provided only some details rather than the full scope, so that 200,000 is likely far below the real number of American child brides and grooms.
Why Child Marriage Is a Huge Problem in the U.S.
In May of this year, the Republican governor of New Jersey declined an offer to sign a law that would have made New Jersey the first state to ban child marriage without exception. Many people probably assume that child marriage is illegal in the U.S., but the sad reality is that these loopholes allow children to get married at a very young age. In New Jersey alone, approximately 3,500 children were married between 1995 and 2012.
The governor claimed that signing the law would have “conflicted with religious customs.” Some of these loopholes include if the child has gotten pregnant or if the child receives parental consent. Can you imagine your parents arranging a marriage for you, prior to the age of 18? Yes, this is the reality for many people all over the world, but few realize this happens in America too. Alternatively, could you imagine getting pregnant at the young age of 13 and then being forced to wed? This is a terrifying reality for many victims of child marriage.
207,468 minors are known to have been married in the U.S. between 2000 and 2015, but 10 states provided absolutely no data or inaccurate statistics on child marriage, so this number does not reflect the true scope of the issue. Of this number, most of the children were girls who were married to much older men, and many were as young as 13. Eighty-seven percent of these minors were girls, and although the majority were aged 16 or 17, many were much younger.
Amongst the youngest to get married were three 10-year-old girls in Tennessee, who married men between the ages of 24 and 31. Another young boy was married at the age of 11 to a 27-year-old woman in the same state.
It’s not just Tennessee; children as young as 12 were married in Alaska, Louisiana, and South Carolina, and 11 other states permit 13-year-old children to get married. Keep in mind that, in most of these cases, the minors were marrying older adults, not other minors. Only 14% of these minors were actually marrying other minors, but even still, is it really okay for a 17-year-old to marry a 13-year-old?
Although most of them married adults no older than 30, in some cases, children were permitted to marry adults decades older than them. There was one case in Alabama where a 14-year-old girl married a 74-year-old man, and another in Idaho in which a 17-year-old married a 65-year-old man.
Let’s remember that, although most states recognize that sexual consent can be granted by those aged 16 to 18, a person can still be charged with statutory rape for having sex with a minor. Despite this, many states are granting children with marriage licenses, including minors who are much younger than 16.
Senior Counsel for Policy and Strategy at Tahirih Justice Centre Jeanne Smoot explained that most of the children who get married as minors are those living in poverty. She stated: “Almost all the evidence indicates that girls in cities don’t get married young, that girls from middle class or wealthy families, don’t get married young. This is a rural phenomenon and it is a phenomenon of poverty.”
An astonishing 27 states don’t even have laws to set an “age floor,” meaning that no laws exist to establish the youngest age a minor can get married. Loopholes like this one are what allow minors to get married in the first place. The irony is that sexual abuse is “illegal,” yet the government is allowing minors to get married as young as 10 years old. What do these judges expect will occur in these marriages? This is not a way to protect these children, as child marriage can enable abuse and pedophilia.
It’s clear that child marriage isn’t just an issue in third-world countries. If we truly want to become leaders in this world and set the stage for other countries, we need to reflect that both in our laws and in our morals. Children deserve rights and protection, and this desperately needs to be reflected in our judiciary system.
I recently did the unthinkable – I stopped eating food altogether for 21 days, and you know what happened? I healed my body, gave my digestive system a much needed rest, cleared up my candida, passed some parasites, and got my cystic acne under control –and would you believe it? I am still here to tell the story.
I have been battling with what I had been diagnosed as having an issue of candida overgrowth– for almost two years, but now I question whether it may have just been a parasite all along. There are tons of illnesses out there that are commonly labeled as mystery illnesses because mainstream medicine has neither discovered a cause or a cure, leaving many people in the dark when it comes to healing.
When I first learned about the Master Fast System I felt that the idea of fasting resonated with something that could help me once and for all and I was excited about the idea of challenging myself, although the recommended 40 -108 days felt like a little bit too long for me. I decided to try out the fast, but customize it towards my needs and what I felt intuitively would help my body.
I did 21 days of the full on master fast system, which means only grape juice mixed with lemon, herbal tea and potent tinctures, daily enemas, a mixture psyllium husk powder, bentonite clay and activated charcoal mixed with grape juice and lemon this is known as plasma “pudding”and daily dry fasts (nothing at all in the system) of between 14 – 18 hours.
Won’t You Lose A Lot Of Weight?
Throughout the 21 days I lost a total of 15 pounds -a lot of which was just water weight. As you can see from the picture, the main area that shrunk was my stomach, but it’s because it was always so bloated and uncomfortable before. This fast has completely cleared up the bloating and swelling that was almost a constant in my life for 2 years. This is certainly what sweet relief feels like.
Isn’t Fasting Hard?
Yes. But does that mean that it’s not worth doing? No. Of course not eating for an extended period of time isn’t easy, but that isn’t because you’re hungry, it’s because of your mental addictions to food. It’s interesting because we feel we need to eat, but most of us don’t really realize just how addicted to food we really are because it is not only a HUGE part of our culture, but we need to eat to survive. Not until you go without food do these addictions become apparent.
Fasting is a way to not only clear out the body and give the digestive system a break, but it also is great for clearing out the mind. It’s amazing how clear the head is when there is nothing in the system, no stimulants or any other distractions. I found I became a lot more aware of my emotions as well. When something comes up, and you have no escape – in the form of food or anything else, you are forced to sit with it and feel it. That was a very interesting experience throughout this whole thing as well.
I realized that we have a lot of preconceived ideas about food, we believe that we need a certain amount to be healthy, but I strongly believe that if we just tune into our body, give it what it needs, and give our digestive system a break from time to time, we will be fine. The idea of stuffing our faces with 3 large meals a day seems absurd to me, and things like intermittent fasting actually make a lot more sense.
Is Fasting For You?
I strongly believe fasting is something everyone can benefit from. But if you are suffering from any digestive health issues, then you especially could benefit from fasting. There are certain ways to go about it, however, and it is important to do adequate research and choose a method that is suited towards your needs and works for you.
My loved ones and those who know me are shocked that I don’t eat any meat of any kind. “Not even fish?” They ask me. “Nope,” I respond. Definitely not after reading this. If they knew this information, I guarantee they wouldn’t eat fish as well.I take that back.They’d still it eat! They’d pray to God before consuming the trash hoping that he (or she) will protect them from their ignorance.(Sigh)
Article posted on Natural News (click link for original)
By Amy Goodrich
Despite the evidence suggesting that there are many possible dangers associated with birth control drugs, an estimated 12 million women in the United States take an oral contraceptive, commonly referred to as “the pill,” to prevent pregnancy.
While birth control pills are convenient and, for the most part, effective at preventing unwanted pregnancies, they are not only harming the human body, they are also having a severe impact on the environment. Due to pollution and overuse of chemicals and drugs, a mix of endocrine disruptors is entering rivers via toxic waste and rain water at an alarming rate.
Professor Charles Tyler, a leading eco-toxicologist from the University of Exeter in Britain, and colleagues discovered that chemicals found in contraceptives and common household products (including by-products of cleaning agents, plastics, and cosmetics) that are flushed down the drain are giving rise to transgender or intersex fish in British rivers.
Their data showed that one fifth (or 20 percent) of male river fish, coming from 50 different sites, were displaying more feminine traits and some were even producing eggs in their testicles. The team also reported that the intersex fish were less aggressive and had a lower sperm count. All these factors combined made them less competitive, reducing their chances to breed successfully. Furthermore, offspring of transgender fish can be more sensitive to the effects of toxic exposure.
The research identified more than 200 chemicals
Tyler recently gave a keynote speech on the topic of transgender fish at the 50th Anniversary Symposium of the Fisheries Society in the British Isles at Exeter University, which was held at the beginning of July.
Tyler’s key findings originate from a 2008 research project — Roach, Sex, and Gender-Bending Chemicals: The Feminization of Wild Fish in English Rivers — he was involved in. During the study, the team identified more than 200 chemicals in river water.
Next to estrogen-like drugs, known to mess up the endocrine or hormonal system, the researchers also discovered other drugs, such as antidepressants, which could alter the fish’s natural behavior. Antidepressants have been shown to reduce the natural shyness of some fish species, making them more vulnerable to predators. Furthermore, the team also noted that estrogen found in some plastics may affect the valves in the heart.
“It all depends how feminized they become. If they are moderately to severely feminized, they are compromised as individuals and they really struggle to pass on their genes,” Tyler said. “One thing scientists are becoming much, much more conscious of now … is wildlife populations are exposed to a combination of stresses,” he added.
RT reported on a similar study from 2010 where researchers found that more than 80 percent of male bass fish in the Potomac River in Washington DC exhibited female traits, including eggs in their testicles.
A call for stricter regulations
The chemicals causing these effects are often flushed down the toilet without giving a second thought. Chemicals in contraceptives, cleaning products, and other household products not only threaten our health but that of the environment too. Therefore, Tyler called for better regulations and a ban on certain chemicals.
“It’s blindingly obvious when you stick a poison out and it kills something. It’s an incredibly difficult challenge to understand sub-lethal effects and how these things affect behavior,” Tyler said. “If we get sufficient evidence indicating there’s a high likelihood of a population effect, perhaps we need to be more proactive about restricting … or banning these chemicals,” he added.
Expressions from The Melanin Man 