Tuesday, November 12, 2024

TODAY’S ARMED CONFLICTS

Our Rule of Law in Armed Conflict Online Portal (RULAC) classifies all situations of armed violence that amount to an armed conflict under international humanitarian law.

Today, it monitors more than 110 armed conflicts and provides information about parties, the latest developments, and applicable international law. Some of these conflicts make the headlines, others do not. Some of them started recently, while others have lasted for more than 50 years.

DISCOVER

Thursday, October 31, 2024

BuzzFeed from Yahooligans. For a longer life, eat a better breakfast.

According To Longevity Experts, This Is The Breakfast You Should Be Eating For A Long

Life

According to scientific research, if you make healthy eating a regular, normal thing, it can increase how long you live up to a full decade — that’s major.

Considering that humans are creatures who favor routine, there’s a good chance that what you eat and drink is the same every morning. Maybe your coffee pot is set to start brewing while you’re still snoozing and you pour yourself a bowl of cereal while you’re still rubbing sleep out of your eyes.

If you’re going to have the same meal on repeat every morning, it’s worth it to make sure it’s one that adds years to your life, playing into the aforementioned stat. We asked top longevity experts what they eat for breakfast for inspiration, which they share here along with tips for ensuring your breakfast adds years to your life.

What Longevity Experts Eat For BreakfastOmelette wrapped around vegetables, topped with sour cream and herbs, served on an oval plate with sliced tomatoes and bell peppers on the sideDr. Suzanne J. Ferree, who is double-board certified in family medicine and anti-aging and regenerative medicine, and Raghav Sehgal, a Ph.D. student and Gruber Fellow at Yale University whose research focuses on human aging, both told HuffPost that they start their day with veggies and eggs.

“I eat baked, pasture-raised egg bites with mixed organic, colorful vegetables cooked with organic pure olive or avocado oil,” Ferree shared. Sehgal’s breakfast is similar: a veggie omelet made with spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms and, sometimes, a little cheese. “I usually pair it with a side of avocado or some smoked salmon if I’m feeling fancy,” he added.

Both of the experts say an egg/veggie breakfast is loaded with nutrients scientifically connected to longevity. “This kind of breakfast is great because it’s loaded with protein, which is great for your musculoskeletal health. The veggies add a bunch of vitamins and antioxidants, as well as fiber, which are great for gut health. Additionally, the healthy fats from the avocado or salmon are awesome for your cardiac and cognitive health,” Sehgal said.

One scientific study that took into account more than 18,000 adults found that eating eggs regularly was not only linked to a lower mortality rate, but that it significantly lowered total mortality. As for veggies, you probably won’t be surprised to hear that a veggie-forward diet is linked to lowering the risk for many chronic diseases that can threaten lifespan.Dr. Monisha Bhanote, a quintuple board-certified physician and longevity expert, also incorporates veggies into her breakfast, but she does it in a different way than Sehgal and Ferree. “Two breakfasts I enjoy regularly are coconut yogurt topped with hemp seeds and blueberries, which is quick and easy, and baked purple sweet potato with cashew miso dressing, which is both satisfying and deeply nourishing,” she told HuffPost.

Purple sweet potatoes are a staple in Okinawa, a “Blue Zone” where it’s common to live into the triple digits and still be in good health. This specific type of tuber is high in anthocyanins, a type of flavonoids (antioxidants) that help protect against chronic inflammation. The cashew miso dressing Bhanote drizzles on top provides protein and unsaturated fats.

When Bhanote opts for coconut yogurt for breakfast, she gets her protein from the yogurt and hemp seeds. “Hemp seeds are an excellent source of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids in an optimal ratio, supporting heart health and reducing inflammation,” Bhanote said. She also pointed out that the probiotics in coconut yogurt promote a healthy gut microbiome, which helps reduce inflammation and supports a strong immune system, which are both essential for longevity. The blueberries are high in fiber and antioxidants, which help protect against chronic inflammation.

Tips For Ensuring Your Own Breakfast Adds Years To Your LifeIn general, all three experts say that avoiding ultra-processed foods and fatty meats (like sausage or bacon) at breakfast is one big way to ensure your morning meal is adding years to your life instead of subtracting them. Scientific research shows that a diet high in ultra-processed foods is directly linked to reducing lifespan. Similarly, eating red or processed meat regularlyincreases the risk for cardiovascular disease and certain types of cancer.

All three experts say minimizing added sugar at breakfast is another way to add years to your life. That means avoiding sugary cereals, flavored yogurts and pastries.

“For a longevity-supporting breakfast, focus on whole, nutrient-dense foods that provide a balance of healthy fats, proteins and complex carbohydrates. Incorporate plenty of antioxidants from fruits like berries, healthy fats from nuts, seeds, or avocados and fiber-rich vegetables or whole grains,” Sehgal advised. He also said that including probiotic-rich foods like yogurt or miso, as Bhanote’s breakfast does, can support gut health, which plays a critical role in overall well-being and longevity.

It comes to no surprise that plants reign supreme when it comes to the breakfasts of choice for longevity experts. Consider this a reminder to get your fill of them in the morning. While vegetables are often regulated to lunch and dinner, incorporating them into your breakfast along with an unprocessed protein source is a science-backed way to increase your lifespan.

Starting your morning by adding years to your life? Not too shabby of a way to start the day. Use it to set the tone and keep the longevity-supporting habits coming. With hope, you’ll be doing them for many, many years to come.This article originally appeared on HuffPost.

Tuesday, October 29, 2024

From Eric Barker...how to improve your memory.

This is how to improve your memory…

  • Transience: Memories fade, especially as we age. It’s like being on a game show where the subject is you, and you’re still losing. But if we keep recalling the things we wish to remember, through work or in conversation with loved ones, we can retain more.
  • Absent-mindedness: Forgetting where you put your keys (even when they’re in your hand). It’s usually an issue of not sufficiently paying attention in the first place. Turn off autopilot or start using physical reminders.
  • Blocking: This is when your brain decides to play keep-away with names and facts. Usually it’s just a matter of waiting, but cycling through the alphabet can help as well.
  • Persistence: We all have regrets, worries and memories that have the half-life of uranium. To end the carousel of angst, talk about what bothers you or, even better, write about it.

  • -----Here’s how to make your memory stronger:
    • Your Brain Is Part Of Your Body: Take care of your body to take care of your brain. Most important: get your sleep.
    • Encode: Remember the acronym, FOUR: Focus, Organize, Understand and Relate, Recruit Multiple Systems.
    • Recall: Remember the acronym, RAMS: Relaxed, Aids To Memory, Minimize Interference, Situation.
    • Normal Aging Or Alzheimer’s?: Memory worsens with age. Most problems are normal. If you are rapidly forgetting things – it just happened and it feels like it never occurred – that’s an issue. This happens to everyone occasionally but if you’re full-on Dory from “Finding Nemo”, see a doctor.

    So what’s the upside to an aging brain?

    Older brains aren’t as good at remembering details but they’re very good at recalling the gist of things. So as you get up there in years, you can actually be better at “seeing the forest for the trees.” Just like when it’s difficult to find something on your computer because there are too many files, having too many details can make getting to what’s relevant harder. Older brains can also be better at seeing commonalities between situations and discerning what’s key.

    We’re always complaining about our inability to remember things. When I think of my imperfect memory, I’m often thankful. To let things go and forget, rather than taking another ride on the Satan’s Merry Go Round of lousy memories.

    We don’t fully grasp the human mind but, as Emerson Pugh said, “If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t.” But, in a way, what our brains choose to remember can teach us a few things about what’s important in life. We remember what is distinctive, organized, and useful. We remember what we work hard at. And, perhaps most of all, we remember emotion.

    You’ve learned how to encode. You’ve learned how to recall.

    Now go do some things worth remembering.

Saturday, October 26, 2024

Make them pay for the hottest year ever recorded on Earth.

2023 was the hottest year ever recorded on Earth. [1] Wildfires, floods, and heatwaves destroyed lives and livelihoods from coast to coast. 

Despite driving this climate chaos, the fossil fuel industry continues to reap record profits and expand oil production. [2] Later is too late–communities are burning, and it is time to make fossil fuel polluters pay for the climate disasters they’re fuelling. 

By exploiting coal, oil and gas, fossil fuel companies are inflaming extreme weather, making climate disasters more frequent and more severe. [3] [4]

Year after year, people are forced to evacuate with some losing their homes, due to the increase and severity of destructive wildfires. Toxic wildfire smoke pollutes regions and communities living thousands of kilometers away, creating public health dangers with disproportionate impacts on populations with preexisting health conditions, outdoor workers, people experiencing homelessness, and marginalized communities. [5] [6]

Climate-related impacts are already costing Canadian households an average of $720 per year–and this could soar up to $2,000 per year by 2050. [7] Since fossil fuel companies are shamelessly reaping billions in profits year after year [8], they should be footing the bill for these damages

Join us in calling on the Canadian federal government to hold Big Oil accountable by making them pay into a new Climate Recovery Fund that would go directly to communities and local governments facing the brunt of the climate crisis and in need of financial support to repair, rebuild, and adapt to future climate change impacts. 

We can’t afford any more ‘wake-up calls’, the climate crisis is here and now. Tell Finance Minister Freeland and Environment and Climate Change Minister Guilbeault to create a Climate Recovery Fund for fossil fuel companies to pay into. 


Sources:

[1] https://www.noaa.gov/news/2023-was-worlds-warmest-year-on-record-by-far 

[2] https://www.nationalobserver.com/2024/05/03/news/canada-oil-and-gas-emissions-continue-rise 

[3] https://www.worldweatherattribution.org/extreme-heat-in-north-america-europe-and-china-in-july-2023-made-much-more-likely-by-climate-change/ 

[4] https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/22/climate-change-canada-wildfires-twice-as-likely 

Friday, October 25, 2024

Will Korea be expanding into Russia?

Will North Korean troops act as a shield for Russian soldiers?

There is no doubt Putin is a psychopath. Now, however, we are wondering if he is senile? Allowing a Korean Army into Russia while thousands of young Russians are fighting and dying in Ukraine, is incredibly foolish! The opportunity to take over the Russian government is not lost on the North Korean government, and in the near future, the world will have to contend with another power and territory hungy demagogue...but meanwhile, the question is...will young Korean soldiers act as a shield for Russian soldiers? Will they become 'canon fodder' for crazy Putin and will they obey, without question, their missile crazy leader, Kim Jong Un?
      
 J.N.R.

War! What is it good for?....Nothing!! The David Suzuki Foundation.

War and climate change fuel a survival-threatening cycle

War is insane. Humans spend enormous amounts of money, consume massive resources, develop jaw-dropping technologies, destroy infrastructure and natural areas and kill millions of people, including many non-combatants, often just to stroke the egos of petty power-seeking men.

Our killing technologies may have advanced tremendously, but our mindsets haven’t evolved much from 3,000 years ago when Homer wrote his epic story The Iliad, about a bloody battle over perceived loss of “honour” when Paris, prince of Troy, absconded with Spartan king Menelaus’s wife Helen. Wars have since become far costlier, in lives, resources and money, but their justifications seem no less absurd.

We often hear how expensive it is to address the climate change and biodiversity loss crises, but it’s a pittance compared to spending on weapons and destruction — and addressing environmental crises is necessary and offers numerous benefits. Wars rarely do any good other than to enrich weapons manufacturers and, now, the fossil fuel industry.

Wars rarely do any good other than to enrich weapons manufacturers and, now, the fossil fuel industry.

That’s not to say that military and defence spending isn’t sometimes needed. In a world rife with conflicting ideologies and power-hungry leaders, people sometimes have to fight back against those who threaten freedom, democracy and human rights, or who engage in genocidal actions. And militaries often help out in times of disaster, such as hurricanes and other extreme weather–related events. But the overall concept of war is suicidal. It’s a testament to how little our thinking has evolved that we still don’t have better ways to settle differences.

Not only do wars prevent us from resolving serious, survival-threatening emergencies such as climate change and biodiversity loss — by sucking up money and resources and prioritizing destruction over problem-solving — they also contribute greatly to those problems.

recent study by researchers in the U.S. and U.K. found greenhouse gas emissions generated during the first two months of the war in Gaza — more than 99 per cent from Israel’s devastating retaliation for Hamas’s brutal October 7 attacks — were greater than the annual emissions of more than 20 of the nations most vulnerable to climate change impacts.

Those figures are a significant underestimate, as they’re based on just a few carbon-intensive activities. They include emissions from warplanes, tanks and other vehicles, building and using bombs, artillery and rockets and flying weapons and equipment from the United States to Israel. Other studies show the numbers could be as much as eight times higher if emissions from the entire supply chain were included.

Not only do wars prevent us from resolving serious, survival-threatening emergencies such as climate change and biodiversity loss — by sucking up money and resources and prioritizing destruction over problem-solving — they also contribute greatly to those problems.

Considering these conservative estimates are from just the first two months of a conflict that has escalated over more than a year, one can only imagine the current toll with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the many other conflicts worldwideadded.

Although military emissions contribute significantly to global heating, reporting on them is voluntary. They’re mostly kept secret and aren’t included in United Nations climate negotiations. According to the Guardian, “Even without comprehensive data, one recent study found that militaries account for almost 5.5% of global greenhouse gas emissions annually — more than the aviation and shipping industries combined.”

The U.S. is one of the largest contributors to overall military emissions, about 20 per cent from protecting oil and gas interests in the Persian Gulf region — which is warming twice as fast as the rest of the inhabited world.

Beyond their emissions, military actions and war create a lot of other toxic pollutants. And, the UN reports, “while conflict exacerbates the effects of climate change, climate change, at least indirectly, drives conflict.”

Imagine what we could accomplish if all the resources used to kill and destroy went into solving the existential threats we’ve created.

David Boyd, UN special rapporteur for human rights and the environment (who has done work for the David Suzuki Foundation), told the Guardian, “This research helps us understand the immense magnitude of military emissions — from preparing for war, carrying out war and rebuilding after war. Armed conflict pushes humanity even closer to the precipice of climate catastrophe, and is an idiotic way to spend our shrinking carbon budget.”

Millions of people in the Middle East, Ukraine and around the world are being killed, maimed, orphaned, displaced and starved as a result of war and climate change. Imagine what we could accomplish if all the resources used to kill and destroy went into solving the existential threats we’ve created.

We’d better come to our senses before it’s too late.

By David Suzuki, with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Senior Editor and Writer Ian Hanington

Thursday, October 10, 2024


RESPECT :

"I heard my mother asking the neighbors for salt." But we had salt in the house. I asked her why she was asking the neighbors for salt. And she answered me: —Because our neighbors don't have a lot of money and often they ask us for something.

From time to time, I also ask them for something small and inexpensive, so that they feel that we need them too. This way they will feel more comfortable and easier for them to keep asking us for everything they need."

Respect for human dignity is undoubtedly one of the noblest feelings.

Friday, October 4, 2024

From the DAVID SUZUKI FOUNDATION. Our life-support systems are starting to disintegrate.

Climate and biodiversity solutions offer endless positive possibilities

There’s no real reason for the climate and biodiversity crises to have gotten to this point, and there’s no good reason for them to continue getting worse. We’ve known for decades what the problem is — while we had ample time to address it — and we have no shortage of solutions. Many of those solutions are already creating positive change and more are being developed every day.

The world is rapidly shifting to electric power, and renewable energy sources — mainly solar, wind and hydro, with storage — are supplying an ever-increasing amount: 30 per cent in 2023, according to the Energy Institute, up from 29 per cent the previous year. Policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act in the United States are showing results, such as lower emissions, cleaner power and increased electrification. Spinoff benefits include reduced pollution and related health care costs, good employment and economic returns.

We’ve known for decades what the problem is — while we had ample time to address it — and we have no shortage of solutions.

It’s not enough.

Coal, oil and gas made up 60 per cent of electricity generation in 2023, with polluting coal making up the largest share. Nuclear power generation — which is expensive, potentially dangerous and takes a long time to build — remained steady at nine per cent. Global oil production reached record highs in 2023.

We also know that protecting and restoring natural areas provides a hedge against runaway climate disruption, because oceans, plants, peat bogs and wetlands sequester carbon and keep it from entering the atmosphere. At the 2022 United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in Montreal, countries agreed to a 30X30 plan – “to halt and reverse nature loss, including putting 30 per cent of the planet and 30 per cent of degraded ecosystems under protection by 2030.” Progress will be reviewed at COP16 in Colombia later this month.

The problem is that rapidly digging up and burning fossil fuels, logging forests and paving over wetlands for development are all extremely profitable.

Technology won’t get us entirely out of the mess we’ve created, but it is and will continue to be a big part of the cure. Technological advances over the past few decades show there’s no reason to think we can’t come up with even better remedies. Most of us now casually carry mini-computers more powerful than the computing systems that put people on the moon! Renewable energy and storage technologies are rapidly improving and dropping in price.

We also need to use less energy and use it more efficiently — which shouldn’t be difficult because those of us living in the industrialized world use exponentially more than necessary. In 2022, Canada had the seventh-highest energy consumption per capita and the U.S. was 10th. Qatar is number one. On average, a person in Canada consumes more than 20 times the energy as a person in Pakistan or the Philippines. Even among northern countries, Canada uses close to twice the energy per capita as Sweden or Germany.

The problem is that rapidly digging up and burning fossil fuels, logging forests and paving over wetlands for development are all extremely profitable. There’s a reason the automobile industry has long focused on building vehicles that require enormous amounts of fuel. Our current capitalist economic system, which measures progress through growth in gross domestic product, or GDP, encourages wasteful consumption. More growth in everything from population to industrial development creates more profit (albeit mostly concentrated in the hands of a few), which leads to more devastation.

We can and must change the systems that have brought us to this point where our life-support systems are starting to disintegrate.

Now we’re exceeding six of nine planetary boundaries and are close to breaching a seventh. These are “processes that regulate the stability and resilience of the Earth system.” As the Stockholm Resilience Centre warns, “Crossing boundaries increases the risk of generating large-scale abrupt or irreversible environmental changes. Drastic changes will not necessarily happen overnight, but together the boundaries mark a critical threshold for increasing risks to people and the ecosystems we are part of.”

Climate change, introduction of novel entities (synthetic chemicals Earth can’t process), change in biosphere integrity, modification of biogeochemical flows, land system change and freshwater change have all been transgressed to varying degrees, and “Ocean acidification is approaching a critical threshold.” Only ozone depletion and atmospheric aerosol loading are stable or improving, thanks to international agreements.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We have solutions. But we need to exercise more foresight and imagination. We can and must change the systems that have brought us to this point where our life-support systems are starting to disintegrate.

By David Suzuki, with contributions from David Suzuki Foundation Senior Editor and Writer Ian Hanington

TODAY’S ARMED CONFLICTS Our Rule of Law in Armed Conflict Online Portal (RULAC) classifies all situations of armed violence that amount to a...