These Are The Countries Where Youth Are The Most Unhappy, Relative To Older Generations
“They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to hope for.”
– TOM BODETT
Measuring happiness is tricky business, more so when taking into account how different regions, cultures, and faiths define it. Nevertheless, as Visual Capitalist’s Pallavi Rao reports, the World Happiness Report attempts to distill being happy into a single score out of 10, and then ranks countries by their average score.
Rao has visualized the high-level findings from the latest happiness report in this series of maps. However, the report also dives deeper into other significant trends in the data, such as a growing disparity in happiness between age groups within countries themselves.
In the chart above, Visual Capitalist lists countries by the biggest gaps in happiness ranks between young adults (<30) and older adults (60+). A higher number indicates a larger gap, and that the youth are far unhappier than their older counterparts.
Where are Youth Unhappier than Older Adults?
Mauritius ranks first on this list, with a massive 57 place gap between older adult and youth happiness. The 1.26 million-inhabited island nation briefly reached high income status in 2020, but the pandemic hit hard, hurting its key tourism sector, and affecting jobs.
The country’s youth unemployment rate spiked to close to 25% that year, but has since been on the decline. Like residents on many similarly-populated islands, the younger demographic often moves abroad in search of more opportunities.
Conventional wisdom says, and data somewhat correlates, that young adults (those below 30) tend to be the happiest demographic. Happiness then decreases through middle age and starts increasing around 60. However, the above countries are digressing from the pattern, with older generations being much happier than young adults.
That older generations are happier, by itself, is not a bad thing. However, that younger adults are so much unhappier in the same country can point to several unique stresses that those aged below 30 are facing.
For example, in the U.S. and Canada—both near the top of this list—many young adults feel like they have been priced out of owning a home: a once key metric of success.
Climate anxieties are also high, with worries about the future of the world they’ll inhabit. Finally, persistent economic inequities are also weighing on the younger generation, with many in that cohort feeling like they will never be able to afford to retire.
All of this comes alongside a rising loneliness epidemic, where those aged 18–25 report much higher rates of loneliness than the general population.
A new study has determined that, when it comes to treating the symptoms of menopause, the overall benefits of hormone replacement therapy outweigh the risks. However, researchers found that the evidence does not support hormone therapy as an effective preventative measure for cardiovascular disease, dementia, or other chronic diseases.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), analyzed follow-up data related to the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) study—the largest study for women’s health in the United States and a nearly two-decade-long undertaking. The researchers determined that hormone therapy is an effective treatment option for postmenopausal women, particularly those in early menopause who are less than 60 years old.
Study Findings Explained
The WHI study was conducted from 1993 through 1998. Participants consisted of 161,808 postmenopausal women within the United States between 50 and 79 years old. Relevant data was collected from the study participants for up to twenty years to determine the efficacy and side effects of hormone replacement therapy during menopause.
After analyzing the WHI’s follow-up data, the JAMA study researchers concluded hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is a safe treatment option for common vasomotor menopause symptoms, such as hot flashes and night sweats. The researchers also found that initiating hormone replacement therapy in early menopause (before age 60) resulted in fewer adverse effects compared to late menopause.
“I’m glad to see the researchers mention the increased risk of side effects from HRT in late menopause. I wish doctors would be more upfront with patients about the downsides of HRT, because the truth is, it doesn’t work well for a lot of women,” Mindy Pelz, a chiropractor and functional health expert, told The Epoch Times in an email.
Researchers also found the evidence did not support routine calcium and Vitamin D supplementation to prevent fractures in postmenopausal women. Nor did it support the use of a low-fat diet as a means to prevent breast or colorectal cancer in postmenopausal women.
“It’s always good to get more clarity on what hormone replacement can and cannot do. For some women, hormone replacement therapy makes a night-and-day difference in menopause symptoms like hot flashes and mood—but it’s helpful to know that HRT won’t protect you from menopause’s impact on heart health, brain aging, and chronic disease risk,” says Ms. Pelz.
Background and Prior Research
Through decades of research, scientists have been able to better understand which hormone treatments are beneficial–and which should be avoided. For example, researchers of the WHI study learned that a certain type of progestin—medroxyprogesterone acetate—was linked to higher rates of breast cancer. On the other hand, micronized progesterone, a type of bioidentical hormone, does not increase the risk of breast cancer.
“Bio-identical hormones are a safer alternative to traditional HRT because they are plant-based transdermal creams that are structurally identical to human hormones; the body recognizes them, binds to them, metabolizes them, excretes them, activating the same functions as before menopause sets in. They are just as powerful to prevent hot flashes, night sweats, weight gain, and sleeping difficulties and do not pose an increased risk for breast cancer, heart disease, blood clots, or strokes,” Dr. Gowri Reddy Rocco told The Epoch Times in an email. Dr. Rocco is a double board-certified physician in family medicine and regenerative, anti-aging, and functional medicine.
The WHI study also found an increased incidence of pulmonary embolism in women taking estrogen orally. Other forms of estrogen, such as patches, creams, or gels, are considered a safer option because they are not metabolized by the liver.
“It is imperative to recognize that the WHI study only studies results of using synthetic, oral estrogens and progestins. It is important to clarify the confusion so women feel comfortable and understand the differences between the traditional synthetic HRT and Bio-Identical Hormones(BHRT). The WHI was not based on BHRT or physiological studies, it was based on synthetic, animal-derived, and traditional oral estrogens and progestins,” explains Dr. Rocco.
Hormone Replacement Therapy and Menopause
Postmenopausal women account for approximately 55 million people in the United States and 1.1 billion people worldwide. During menopause, a woman’s body no longer produces adequate amounts of the hormones estrogen and progesterone. According to Dr. Rocco, this drop in hormone levels can cause uncomfortable menopause symptoms, including hot flashes, night sweats, anxiety, depression, weight gain, difficulty sleeping, and difficulty losing weight. These symptoms can last for up to ten years after the start of menopause.
Generally, if a postmenopausal woman has a uterus, they will be prescribed a combination of estrogen and progesterone. This is because progesterone can help protect women with a uterus from endometrial cancer, which can form from estrogen-only therapy. If the woman no longer has a uterus due to a hysterectomy, then they will be prescribed estrogen only.
However, HRT isn’t appropriate for everyone and, according to Ms. Pelz, it shouldn’t be seen as a universal fix. “I sometimes work with clients who view hormone replacement as a cure-all, or something that can replace a healthy lifestyle—but that’s not the case! If you’re going through menopause, it’s more important than ever to keep up a healthy diet and lifestyle.”
Advantages and Disadvantages of Hormone Replacement Therapy
The most immediate advantage of HRT is relief from uncomfortable menopausal symptoms such as night sweats, hot flashes, insomnia, and vaginal dryness. Studies suggest that long-term hormone therapy can prevent bone fractures.
There is also evidence that HRT could help lower the risk of bowel cancer and prevent bone loss (osteoporosis).
As for disadvantages, research suggests that women on HRT have higher rates of blood clots, stroke, and breast cancer compared to women who are not on HRT. The risk of heart attack may also be slightly increased. In general, the longer a woman is on HRT, the greater the risk of grave side effects. Therefore, treatment should be for the shortest amount of time possible, using the lowest effective dose possible.
“Some disadvantages of taking HRT include the need to apply topical cream morning and night, which can be cumbersome, finding a qualified physician or clinician to prescribe and monitor it, and it can be pricey as insurance does not cover it,” notes Dr. Rocco.
Natural Alternatives to Hormone Replacement Therapy
For those who prefer not to take hormones, there are certain lifestyle changes and natural alternatives that may help alleviate menopausal symptoms. Exercise, eating a balanced diet, relaxation therapy, and yoga are all lifestyle changes that can help lessen the severity of menopausal symptoms. Avoiding potential triggers, such as caffeine, smoking, alcohol, and spicy foods, may also be beneficial.
“You’d be amazed by how much you can improve your hormone levels and ease menopause symptoms through lifestyle changes,” confirms Ms. Pelz.
As far as exercise, Ms. Pelz specifically recommends lifting weights and walking, explaining, “Weightlifting increases sex hormones, which is good for menopausal symptoms. But it does a lot more than that too. Muscle mass and bone density are two of the biggest predictors of quality of life as you age. Menopause decreases both of them—and lifting weights reverses those declines, ensuring you look and feel your best as you age. Also, walk every day.”
“It sounds basic, but research shows that low-level movement throughout the day makes a huge difference to both your hormone production and your overall health. I also think it’s one of the most underrated tools for weight loss. Aim for 10,000 steps a day if you can, but start with whatever’s possible. Even 1,000 steps a day will make a big change to how you feel if you’re consistent with it,” she adds.
Foods containing soy have been shown to alleviate menopause symptoms due to the way soy mimics estrogen in the body. Ms. Pelz also recommends that menopausal women reduce their sugar and refined carbohydrate intake, explaining, “They wreak havoc on your hormones and they’ll make you gain weight, which causes further hormone disruptions. Trade the dessert and simple carbs for complex carbs like squash, sweet potato, lentils, and beans. This is good advice for anyone, but it’s especially important during and after menopause.”
Dr. Rocco agrees that dietary changes can make a huge difference. She recommends a diet rich in vegetables, plant-based foods, and clean meats, as well as reducing one’s sugar intake to improve cardiovascular health. “Additionally, reducing alcohol intake is crucial as it affects hormones and increases cortisol production, leading to weight gain. Including more lentils and yams in the diet provides phytoestrogens which can naturally increase estrogen production,” she advises.
Finally, certain herbal remedies may also be helpful during menopause, including but not limited to:
Black cohosh
Red clover
Evening primrose oil
Lemon balm
Fenugreek
Fennel
Ginkgo biloba
Licorice
These herbal remedies can balance hormone levels and/or improve sleep, thus potentially alleviating menopause symptoms.
Dr. Rocco believes natural supplements can help menopausal women, specifically recommending green tea and DIM (diinodolylmethane) to help regulate hormones. “Taking vitamin D is beneficial as it improves the immune system and helps mitigate depression and anxiety linked to low vitamin D levels. Avoiding gummy vitamins is advisable due to their shorter half-life and sugar content,” she says.
It’s important to note that some herbal remedies can have serious interactions with certain medications, so always talk to your health care provider before taking any herbal remedies along with prescription or over-the-counter medications.
Babylon Bee: Satan Asks Leftists To Tone The Evil Down A Notch
In a regularly scheduled meeting with leftist activists and Democrat NGOs, Satan tries to to explain the value of subtlety. It does not go well. The Babylon Bee has become famous in a disturbing way – Their parodies often end up predicting future realities, proving that we now live in Clown World whether we like it or not.
The comedy sketch does bring up a valid question that needs to be addressed: Why has the political left put all their evil out in the open all of a sudden? They used to hide their intentions behind empty platitudes and declarations of “peace and love and equality.” Today we have CRT, DEI, ESG and an intersectional hellscape saturating society with the mentally ill.
Even Satan thinks maybe leftists are taking things a bit too far a bit too fast. File this under “it’s funny because it’s true.”
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has filed an emergency motion in a Washington court seeking to accelerate the release of audio tapes of President Joe Biden’s interview with special counsel Robert Hur, over which the White House recently asserted executive privilege.
The emergency motion, filed on May 17 at the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, seeks to modify the court’s briefing schedule for three pending Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits that seek the audio recordings of roughly five hours of interviews that President Biden had with the special counsel in relation to a classified documents mishandling probe.
The motion seeks to speed up the court battle over the release of the tapes, with The Heritage Foundation arguing in the filing that President Biden’s assertion of executive privilege over the tapes on May 16 adds urgency to the FOIA lawsuits and that the Department of Justice (DOJ) didn’t need as much time to prepare its response to the FOIA requests as it previously claimed.
“The Department’s asserted time constraints were misleading,” The Heritage Foundation attorneys wrote in the motion. “The Department did not need the time to prepare a position and declarations it twice told the Court it did. A formal assertion of Executive Privilege is an extraordinary undertaking.”
U.S. District Judge Timothy Kelly has set a schedule for the FOIA lawsuits that gives the DOJ until May 31 to submit filings in support of withholding the tapes. It also allows various other filings to be made through July 29. In their emergency motion, Heritage Foundation attorneys asked that the schedule be modified to give the DOJ until May 27 to make their arguments and that the deadline for all other filings be set at July 1.
The tapes are at the center of a dispute between House Republicans and Attorney General Merrick Garland, who has defied a subpoena for them and faces contempt proceedings.
House Republicans have said that they want to obtain the recordings to verify Mr. Hur’s assertions that President Biden couldn’t recollect certain facts during the interview. They have alleged that a two-tiered justice system exists because Mr. Hur opted to not charge President Biden while former President Donald Trump faces multiple charges in connection with his own classified documents probe.
“At trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” the special counsel wrote in his 388-page report, which found that President Biden “willfully retained and disclosed classified materials” when he was a private citizen after the end of his term as vice president during the Obama administration.
Mr. Hur, who faced criticism from Democrats and the White House for remarks on the president’s cognitive capacity in his report, didn’t recommend charges against President Biden, in part because of his ailing memory.
While Republicans have said that they want the tapes to verify Mr. Hur’s assertions, Democrats have argued that Republicans want to use the tapes in campaign ads to portray President Biden as a frail leader with a poor memory who’s too old to serve another term in the Oval Office.
Mr. Hur revealed in testimony before the House Judiciary Committee in March that White House officials sought to soften his report’s characterizations of President Biden’s ailing memory.
More Details
President Biden on May 16 asserted executive privilege over the interview tapes, with the White House counsel’s office notifying House Republicans of the move just hours before they were expected to recommend holding Mr. Garland in contempt for refusing to hand them over.
Mr. Garland and White House Counsel Ed Siskel defended the executive privilege assertion as necessary because it could affect future investigations. In a May 15 letter to the president, Mr. Garland said that the “committee’s needs are plainly insufficient to outweigh the deleterious effects that the production of the recordings would have on the integrity and effectiveness of similar law enforcement investigations in the future.”
President Biden’s counsel accused House Republicans of wanting the tapes to craft political attack ads.
“The absence of a legitimate need for the audio recordings lays bare your likely goal—to chop them up, distort them, and use them for partisan political purposes,” Ed Siskel, President Biden’s counsel, wrote to Reps. James Comer (R-Ky.) and Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) in a May 16 letter. “Demanding such sensitive and constitutionally-protected law enforcement materials from the Executive Branch because you want to manipulate them for potential political gain is inappropriate.”
Still, the House Oversight Committee, chaired by Mr. Comer, and the House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Mr. Jordan, both voted on May 16 to hold Mr. Garland in contempt of Congress despite President Biden’s executive privilege intervention.
In their court filing, Heritage Foundation attorneys argued that the fact that the House committees voted to recommend holding Mr. Garland in contempt “adds to the compelling and already extraordinary interest in the disclosure of the audio recording.”
The contempt measure would still need to pass the House before a referral is made to the DOJ, and it remains unclear whether House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) would bring a resolution to the floor.
Mr. Johnson has been critical of efforts to block the release of the tapes.
“President Biden is apparently afraid for the citizens of this country and everyone to hear those tapes,” he said at a press conference.
Elon Musk Says Starship Megarocket Launch In Weeks
SpaceX’s Starship mega-rocket, the world’s largest and most powerful rocket, will probably have its fourth flight “in about two weeks,” Elon Musk wrote on X.
The objective is for Starship “to get through max reentry heating,” Musk said, adding, “Worth noting that no one has ever succeeded in creating a fully reusable heat shield. Shuttle required >6 months of rework.”
Starship Flight 4 in about 2 weeks.
Primary goal is getting through max reentry heating.
Worth noting that no one has ever succeeded in creating a fully reusable heat shield. Shuttle required >6 months of rework. https://t.co/4ffEHSLRbu
Last Wednesday, SpaceX announced that the Starship rocket was “full stack”—meaning its “Ship” upper stage was atop its “Super Heavy” first-stage booster on the orbital launch mount at the Starbase site in Boca Chica, Texas, near Brownsville.
SpaceX has already tested the Raptor engines of both vehicles on the orbital launch mount, a standard pre-launch procedure known as static fires.
Starship’s first three test flights occurred in April 2023, November 2023, and March 14 of this year. Engineers have rapidly improved Starship’s performance in each launch after learning from previous failures.
From reusable rockets to now reusable heat shields, Musk’s domination in space launches puts Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin and United Launch Alliance to utter shame.
Truckload contract rates continue to show strong elevation in relation to spot rates excluding estimated fuel costs above $1.20 a gallon.
This historic spread — currently about 30% versus about 12% in 2019 — suggests there is an extraordinary amount of potential disparity among rates in the truckload market that could leave several shippers without a truck when the market inevitably shifts.
Contract or long-term rates are generally negotiated on an annual basis between shipper and transportation service provider.
In an erratic capacity environment, these rates are subject to midterm renegotiation, both higher and lower. This is where the term “paper rates” originates, because they are as thin as paper in terms of reliability.
On the spot
Spot rates are negotiated on an ad hoc or transactional basis and are typically only good for a matter of days.
The spot market is a place where shippers look to source capacity when they either do not have a contract carrier or their existing carriers do not have availability. In loose capacity environments — such as the current one — it can also be a place to get immediate cost savings or try other carriers to deepen their lists of potential providers.
From the carrier perspective, the spot market is a place to fill gaps in their networks — aka backhauls — or haul more profitable freight. The former is more the use case in a market like the one that we are currently in, though there is always this potential.
Too many trucks for too long
The current market is historically oversupplied, with capacity having been inflated to an unsustainable level by the pandemic-era consumption boom. The U.S. truckload market has been in a recession since the first half of 2022 but is moving toward a more balanced environment nearly invisibly.
Looking at an example of supply and demand dynamics in the form of active motor carrier of property operating authorities issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration versus the national Outbound Tender Volume Index (OTVI), capacity is falling while demand is stable.
While this is not a perfect comparison since an operating authority can be one or 5,000 trucks, it is a good indication that capacity is coming offline and the market is moving toward equilibrium.
The current ratio of operating authority to tender is about 31:1. Historically, the market has been tight when the ratio is below 24:1. The ratio peaked in early 2023 around 37:1 and was at its lowest in September 2020 around 16:1. This is by no means scientific but just a way to estimate where we are in the process.
Chasing the bottom
During this lengthy downturn, rates have been pushed to levels where carriers are at or below costs as they bid against each other to maintain enough volume to support their fleets. The spot market is the most extreme version of this as it is used as a last resort for many asset-based providers.
Traditionally there are shippers, carriers and brokers who offer rates based on the spot market rates which are largely below carrier operating costs. Shippers and brokers who have long-term rates at or near spot market prices are at the most risk for increased levels of service failure later in the year when the market is expected to tighten.
It is hard to tell, but spot rates are already trending higher over the past year as capacity has fallen out. This is telling, as it is an indication that the spot market is effectively the floor for pricing and it is rising at a near-imperceptible rate.
Roadcheck
International Roadcheck took place this past week, with safety officials conducting inspection blitzes on equipment. Many operators, especially in a market where rates are suppressed, avoid driving during this week, which causes a temporary reduction in capacity. Spot rates have spiked 7% over the past week.
Shippers saw their service failure chances increase during this time. Tender rejection rates increased from 3.1% to 4.1% last week. There have been stronger jumps but shippers who have rates on the low end of the spectrum had the biggest exposure to this event.
Both spot and rejection rates remained relatively low from a historic standpoint — the market still has plenty of available capacity to recover from such an event — but that buffer is deteriorating.
Just a drop in the ocean, but a wave is approaching
More than the summer shipping season, the fourth quarter will likely be a much tighter environment with much less predictable demand. Shippers’ sense of urgency is also much higher as retail peak hits.
It will not take much to cause a waterfall of service failures if carriers get the chance to haul profitable freight. The most desperate carriers will have given the lowest rates and will likely be the first to jump ship to make ends meet at the slightest sign of disruption.
The result of that could be crippling to companies that chased the bottom dollar or based long-term rate targets on the spot market.
You may have heard that sugar feeds cancer cells, and evidence supports that. However, the missing link in this narrative has been a thorough understanding of just “how” sugar feeds cancer—until now. A recent study published in Cell in April 2024 uncovers a new mechanism linking uncontrolled blood sugar and poor diet with cancer risk.
The research, performed at the National University of Singapore, Cancer Science Institute of Singapore, and led by professor Ashok Venkitaraman and Dr. Li Ren Kong, found a chemical released when the body breaks down sugar also suppresses a gene expression that prevents the formation of tumors.
This discovery provides valuable insights into how one’s dietary habits can impact their risk of developing cancer and forges a clear path to understanding how to reverse that risk with food choices.
Methylglyoxal–A Temporary Off-Switch
It was previously believed that cancer-preventing genes must be permanently deactivated before malignant tumors can form. However, this recent discovery suggests that a chemical, methylglyoxal (MGO), released whenever the body breaks down glucose, can temporarily switch off cancer-protecting mechanisms.
Dr. Kong, first author of the study, told The Epoch Times in an email, “It has been shown that diabetic and obese individuals have a higher risk of cancer, posing as a significant societal risk. Yet, the exact cause remains debatable.” He continues, “Our study now unearthed a clue which may explain the connection between cancer risk and diet, as well as common diseases like diabetes, which arise from poor diets.”
Dr. Kong continues, “We found that an endogenously synthesized metabolite can cause faults in our DNA that are early warning signs of cancer development, by inhibiting a cancer-preventing gene (known as the BRCA2).”
BRCA2 is a gene that repairs DNA and helps make a protein that suppresses tumor growth and cancer cell proliferation. A BRCA2 gene mutation is associated primarily with a higher risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers, as well as other cancers. Those with a faulty copy of the BRCA2 gene are particularly susceptible to DNA damage from MGO.
However, the study showed that those without a predisposition to cancer also face an increased risk of developing the disease from elevated MGO levels. The study found that chronically elevated levels of blood sugar can result in a compounded increase in cancer risk.
Per Dr. Kong, “This study showcases the impact of methylglyoxal in inhibiting the function of tumour suppressor, such as BRCA2, suggesting that repeated episodes of poor diet or uncontrolled diabetes can ‘add up’ over time to increase cancer risk.”
The Methylglyoxal and Cancer Relationship
MGO is a metabolite of glucose—a byproduct made when our cells break down sugar, mainly glucose and fructose, to create energy. MGO is capable of temporarily destroying the BRCA2 protein, leading to lower levels of the protein in the cells and thus inhibiting its ability to prevent tumor formation. The more sugar your body needs to break down, the higher the levels of this chemical, and the higher your risk of developing malignant tumors.
Dr. Kong explains, “Accumulation of methylglyoxal is found in cancer cells undergoing active metabolism. People whose diet is poor may also experience higher than normal levels of methylglyoxal. The connection we unearthed may help to explain why diabetes, obesity, or poor diet can heighten cancer risk.”
MGO is challenging to measure on its own. Early detection of elevated levels is possible with a routine HbA1C blood test that measures your average blood sugar levels over the past two to three months and is typically used to diagnose diabetes. This new research may provide a mechanism for detecting early warning signs of developing cancer.
“In patients with prediabetes/diabetes, high methylglyoxal levels can usually be controlled with diet, exercise and/or medicines. We are aiming to propose the same for families with high risk of cancers, such as those with BRCA2 mutation,” explained Dr. Kong.
More research is needed, but the study’s findings may open the door to new methods of mitigating cancer risk. “It is important to take note that our work was carried out in cellular models, not in patients, so it would be premature to give specific advice to reduce risk on this basis. However, the new knowledge from our study could influence the directions of future research in this area, and eventually have implications for cancer prevention.
“For instance, poor diets rich in sugar or refined carbohydrates are known to cause blood glucose levels to spike. We are now looking at larger cancer cohorts to connect these dots,” Dr. Kong concludes.
The Diet and Cancer Connection
Dr. Simpson, medical director of Opt Health, told The Epoch Times in an email, “It’s genes loading the gun, but your lifestyle that pulls the trigger. Every bite of food you take is really information. It’s either going to turn on your longevity genes or it’s going to turn on your killer genes. So cancer is very much in large part self-induced by the individual diet.”
A 2018 study published by Cambridge University Press found an association between higher intakes of sugar-sweetened soft drinks and an increased risk of obesity-related cancers. Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2020 concluded that sugars may be a risk factor for cancer, breast in particular. Cancer cells are ravenous for sugar, consuming it at a rate 200 times that of normal cells.
Healthy Dietary Choices for Reducing Cancer Risk
A consensus on the best dietary approach for reducing cancer risk has yet to be determined, and further research is needed. However, the new findings of the Cell study on MGO support reducing sugar intake as a means to mitigate cancer risk. A study published in January in Diabetes & Metabolism shows that a Mediterranean diet style of eating may help reduce MGO levels.
In 2023, a study published in Cell determined that a ketogenic diet may be an effective nutritional intervention for cancer patients as it helped slow the growth of cancer cells in mice—while a review published in JAMA Oncology in 2022 found that the current evidence available supports a plant-enriched diet for reducing cancer risk.
Dr. Simpson stresses the importance of real food and healthy macronutrients with a low-carb intake for the health of our cells. “The mitochondria is the most important signaling molecule and energy-producing organelle that we have in our body. [Eat] lots of vegetables, healthy proteins and healthy fats, fish, eggs, yogurt.” He continues, “Lots of green, above-ground vegetables, some fruits, everything that is naturally grown and is not processed.”
Trade Protectionism In Renewables Could “Haunt” The Industry, Chinese Solar Execs Claim
Solar executives in China are railing the U.S. and Europe over trade protectionism, claiming that the West should instead “let the best technology win” in their respective markets.
The Financial Timesconducted an interview with Zhou Shijun, who leads global marketing for Arctech, who told them that the West ignoring the best technology would “come back to haunt” the renewable energy industry.
Shijun said that the introduction of trade barriers disproportionately impacted manufacturers of advanced technologies. He also said that companies with overcapacity issues were producing cheaper products.
“We do have concerns that geopolitical tensions are affecting our global business. What we’re doing right now is diversifying,” he said. He told the Financial Times that China would “always” be renewables’ biggest market.
FT reported that China dominates over 80% of global solar manufacturing, driven by significant state investment, competitive local markets, and growing domestic demand for green technology.
Despite expectations of strong long-term demand, some Chinese solar manufacturers are increasingly exporting surplus supplies, leading to plummeting prices and complaints from the US and Europe about Beijing’s trade and industrial policies.
Back in the U.S., President Joe Biden significantly raised tariffs on Chinese imports, including electric vehicles and solar cells, and ended a tariff exemption on certain solar panel units.
The EU has been investigating China’s electric vehicle and renewable energy sectors and has reported on state-driven economic distortions in China.
Meanwhile, Shanghai-listed Arctech, which has a market capitalization of $1.9bn, is expanding internationally, balancing local regulations and technology-sharing demands without compromising its intellectual property.
Despite geopolitical tensions, the company views the adoption of large-scale renewable energy as a global trend that is both unstoppable and essential, according to FT.
The company operates three factories in China and is exploring new manufacturing sites closer to international markets, such as a new factory in Saudi Arabia, a research facility in Spain, and planned operations in Brazil.
The percentage of U.S. adults holding an advanced degree increased by over 3% from 2011-2021. This increase in education is assumed to have a crucial role in America’s increasing economic strength over that time period. The expertise gained from such degrees is supposed to be valuable enough to outweigh the time and money put into grad degrees, both from the student’s perspective and the perspective of the schools and institutions that so often fund graduate degrees. In developing countries, college graduation rates are positively correlated with economic success. This same effect is thought to translate to America’s current explosion of higher education. This belief is held so strongly that the federal government spent 311,000,000,000 dollars on higher education in 2021.
However, a high advanced degree rate is much less strongly linked to national and individual success than universities would like you to think.
The first driving factor for graduate school is supposed to be self-interest. Graduate school is portrayed as a process that directly increases income and happiness. For some degrees, there is certainly a large associated increase in income, but for 40 percent of grad degrees, there is either negative or zero ROI. Most degrees in the arts and humanities fail to even pay themselves off. The time spent working would typically be far more beneficial to students than their choice of grad degree. While some may gain enough from those degrees in personal satisfaction to make up for their choices, taxpayers must feel comfortable knowing they are funding life expeditions that do not even increase the capability to care for oneself. Public education funding is promoted on the premise that the country will be both personally and collectively better off. With many degrees, neither is the case, yet more and more money is always being funneled towards public education.
While the negative ROI of some humanities degrees is expected, the corporate world has also created an inefficient monster through the promotion of MBA degrees. They are entry-level for many positions and they are recommended for workers who have stopped progressing and want promotions. Most MBA programs take 2-3 years to complete, so a significant break from working life is required. MBAs give very few specific skills and are more of a certifying apparatus that an employee is relatively intelligent and has enough resources to put some into an extra project. If they taught extremely useful skills their value would be obvious, but they appear to be more of a status symbol. Their relatively useless nature is evidenced by the fact that overall, MBAs have negative ROI. Most people who undertake MBAs are already high achievers, so the time spent getting an MBA could be used better by continuing the linear progress of their career.
The explosion of advanced degrees reflects a greater rejection of community and trust. Advanced degrees serve as a very expensive safety blanket for whichever line of work they are oriented toward. For people seeking work, they demonstrate their capability in a manner not dependent on any sort of relationship or past professional experience. Employers do not need to investigate as rigorously if they can examine a prospective employee’s course load and institution of choice. Demonstrations of actual capability through doing good work take a backseat to the prestige of the name on a diploma. Real-world experience is not quantifiable, and environments and individuals have a rich interplay that is impossible for any recruiter to fully decode. Graduate degrees remove this ambiguity and rubber stamp someone’s capability in a particular career. Trust and community could help assuage the current overinvestment in graduate school by letting capable workers be recognized for their work by people who know them as more than productivity units. If workers who feel they are ready for the next step must take a break from working to get an advanced degree unless that degree is far more than a certifying stamp, they are harming themselves, their company, and their country. The benefits of transparency created by advanced degrees are far outweighed by the damage done by workers slowing down their careers simply to gather institutional confirmation that they are indeed good workers.
Even if individuals or businesses were paying for their degrees, they would still be suspect, but government education makes it even clearer how detrimental they are. Government education spending is one of the largest contributors to the ever-growing national debt. There are some government expenditures that are generally deemed necessary, but the inefficiency of these degrees is so great that it can be seen across party lines.
While they are necessary for some fields, the current ballooned state of advanced degrees is exceedingly harmful.
These aren’t one-by-one rejects. Last summer, the DOD put a complete freeze on accepting the stealth fighters until Lockheed fixed huge hardware and software problems associated with “Technology Refresh-3” (TR-3), a $1.8 billion package intended to expand the planes’ capabilities.
The worst of the software glitches affect the F-35’s radar and electronic warfare systems, “with some test pilots reporting that they had to reboot their entire radar and electronic warfare systems mid-flight to get them back online,” says GAO. Gee, that sounds kinda bad.
As the TR-3 woes continue, the jets are stacking up at Lockheed’s facilities. Referencing a milestone that had already passed when it published its report, GAO wrote, “If TR-3 software is delayed past April 2024, Lockheed Martin is projected to exceed its maximum parking capacity and will need to develop a plan to accommodate more parked planes.” Deflecting concerns, in a statement last week, Lockheed said, “Specific details about parking will not be shared due to security considerations.”
Even while they’re parked at Lockheed, the jets present a liability risk to the government, thanks to contract provisions under which “the government assumes the risk of loss of aircraft ‘in the open,’ which is subject to the contractor’s share of loss and deductible under the contract,” GAO reports.
GAO says the software won’t be stabilized until “at least June 2024.” Whenever that day comes, it will only be the beginning of the end of this latest chapter, as GAO says eventualdelivery of the backlogged jets will take a year.
In the meantime, silly taxpayer, don’t bother asking for a specific number of undelivered F-35s. In a lack of transparency that’s surely driven soley by a desire to shield the military-industrial complex from embarrassment, “DOD deemed reporting the specific quantity of aircraft to be unsuitable for public release,” said GAO.
The chairman of the House Armed Services tactical air and land forces subcommittee gave reporters a strong hint last week. “We know one thing for certain: it’s going to be at least over 100 aircraft stacked up on the tarmac,” said Rep. Rob Wittman (R-VA), according to Defense One.
Already the most expensive weapons program in world history, the F-35 is on pace to cost Americans more than $2 trillion. The number is staggering enough on its own, but here’s some additional context via the National Interest:
The fifth-generation F-22, not exactly a cheap program, cost taxpayers $66 billion. The entire U.S. annual defense budget is under $900 billion – nearly three times the defense budget of China, and ten times the defense budget of Russia. Yet, the F-35 program is pushing the $2 trillion mark.
As the Epoch Timesreported earlier this year, a different GAO report had even more unsettling information about the F-35s that are already in the Pentagon’s hands, indicating that “only 15 to 30 percent of F-35s may be capable of combat.”
Lockheed Martin was awarded the F-35 contract 22 years ago — and, just coincidentally, Lockheed Martin shareholders have enjoyed 22 years of consecutive dividend increases.
