Gut Bacteria and Probiotics

60 Minutes went beyond their normal standards of excellence on June 28, 2020. Their report covered two related areas, the role played by trillions of bacteria in our gut and the process of adding probiotics to our food.

First, they talked about the bacteria in your gut and what it does. Most people, including me, thought it merely helps digest food. That’s true, but it does a lot more than merely aiding digestion, including the creation of vitamins, amino acids, and interaction with your immune system.  We learned there is no common gut bacteria, that every individual has their own complex set of trillions of bacteria in their guts. I think  you should research this fascinating subject because it has immense potential for treating serous health issues in the future. For example, scientists are looking at the possibilities of:

  • Transferring bacteria from a thin person to an obese individual
  • Transferring bacteria from a healthy person to a sick individual

After establishing the above, they analyzed adding probiotics to a variety of foods, which is very common today. What impact does it have or doesn’t have on your health? Probiotics are a hot commodity, as they are added to a variety of foods, including baby food. 60 Minutes spoke with the leading experts in the field and a research team from Israel. They learned that probiotics are a fascinating area of research, but at this point in time, very little is known about them and/or how they work. They concluded that adding probiotics to food has no known advantages, and it’s possible, it could be somewhat harmful. But nobody has any proof that it helps or hurts in any way because so much about probiotics is still an unknown. More long-term studies are needed. But they do know that any health benefit statements you read on a package are not true. This includes adding probiotics to baby food.

The Israeli study was fascinating because they were trying to ascertain exactly what probiotics, added to food, does when they make it to your gut. Guess what they learned? They couldn’t answer the question one way or the other because they learned that probiotics added to food never makes it to its intended destination in your gut. They thought adding probiotics to your body would have some kind of impact, but they learned it just passes through your system. In sum, it doesn’t have a positive or negative impact, it has no impact.  That was fascinating because very often scientists with a pre-conceived outcome miraculously prove what they believed all along. In this case, the results contradicted what they expected to find. However, the scientists still believe there’s tremendous potential in studying the complex world of probiotics and gut bacteria.

There was one other area they briefly talked about and that were the many claims of individuals who believed adding probiotics to their food proved to be beneficial. The scientists attributed that belief to the infamous “Placebo Effect”.

Trump World Opposes Masks During the Pandemic

Trump World makes up the biggest CULT of our lifetime. His members are dedicated to their Supreme Leader, which means they defend everything he says or does, and I mean everything. The Supreme Leader is never wrong.  Their number one job is protecting and/or defending their leader. Everything he says or does is right, and anyone who disagrees with their leader, criticizes him, or investigates Trump, becomes the arch enemy of the cult. They will then begin a process of systematic attacks on anyone who does the above.

Trump has made one mistake after another with Covid-19. He claimed the virus was “Under Tremendous Control”, he said everything would return to normal by Easter, he recommended people swallow bleach, and then advised those with the virus to take hydroxychloroquine, despite all the medical evidence proving that was hazardous to one’s health. Even after all of those grievous errors/mistakes on the part of Trump, in his cult, he never made a single mistake. That brings us to the subject of masks in Florida.

Florida was on the national news this week because a large group of angry, vocal residents were yelling and screaming at the Palm Beach County Council,  which was preparing to make masks mandatory whenever a resident is inside a facility open to the public. People in Trump World live in an alternate reality bubble, where the truth and facts are irrelevant. They eat up one conspiracy story and lie after another from the Fox Propaganda Network. The latest right-wing propaganda circulating throughout Trump’s Cult is the bizarre idea that requiring the wearing of a mask isn’t a safety issue in the middle of a pandemic, it’s a violation of your constitutional rights. Since Trump never wears a mask, his cult members must insist upon doing the same. The people protesting the new law in Palm Beach County, FL are Trump Lovers. They see everything which happens from the perspective of how it impacts their Supreme Leader. And if Trump is telling them they shouldn’t wear masks, then who does the Palm Beach County government think they are?

Incredibly, they were also convinced by right wing propaganda that wearing a mask is hazardous to your health. Are they serious? All the doctors and nurses in America’s hospitals, who were risking their lives by treating and taking care of Covid-19 patients, were wrong to wear masks? Trump World is telling them that is dangerous to their health. At the Palm Beach County council meeting, one woman was screaming at the doctor who recommended the mask rule, alleging he’s not a real doctor and should resign. Keep in mind, that woman is dumber than dirt, yet she was preaching pseudo-science to a physician, because she heard it on Fox.

Of course, this issue goes way beyond wearing a mask indoors during a national pandemic. It illustrates the terrifying reality that about 35-40% of America listens to Fox and Trump every day. That means facts, logic, and the truth are totally irrelevant. They are people who will believe anything which supports their heavily bigoted view of the world. America is facing its most dangerous crisis of our lifetime.  Our democracy cannot make it through another four years of Donald Trump. Make sure you vote this November and ensure that your friends, relatives, and family members make it to the polls. This effort should concentrate on young people who only vote in relatively small numbers.

Police Continue Murdering Unarmed Black People

The death of George Floyd was one of many murders committed by white police officers against unarmed black people around the country. Many of these occur during minor traffic offenses or routine police calls, where there is no lethal threat to the officer. Here’s another case which defies credibility.  Louisiana State Police and Iberia Parish police, said Victor White III shot himself in the chest while handcuffed behind his back, as he was sitting in the rear seat of an Iberia Parish, LA police car. The events, which happened in 2014, are mind boggling.  Please note that the facts and events of the case I listed below, came from the arresting officer.

Victor White III, was a 22 year old son of a reverend. He was arrested for possession of narcotics by Iberia Parish police officer Justin Ortis six years ago.

  • The arresting officer testified that he thoroughly searched White twice. He found no weapons on him, but he did find a small amount of cocaine during that 2nd search.
  • The arresting officer transported White back to the police station.
  • The officer turned off the police car camera which points towards the rear seat.
  • Instead of stopping directly in front of the police station, the officer parked in a dark section of the parking lot, at the furthest point from the station.
  • There were no surveillance cameras at that dark, isolated location. 
  • The officer claims White refused to get out of the police car and then he heard a shot.
  • White was fatally wounded. 

Here’s the part which defies credibility. Despite being handcuffed behind his back (per the arresting officer), while sitting in the rear seat of a patrol car, the Police department claims the following. White, who is LEFT handed, miraculously found a gun and shot himself in the right / front side of his chest. What? 

  • After he was thoroughly searched twice, per the arresting officer, where did the weapon come from? 
  • Forget the question of why a 22 year old would want to commit suicide, how could a left handed man handcuffed behind his back, shoot himself in the right / front chest?  
  • The police car was equipped with a camera which points towards the rear seat. The officer turned off that camera. Why?
  • Why didn’t the arresting officer park directly in front of the police station? Why did he park in a dark, isolated section of the parking lot where there were no cameras? 

The coroner incredibly ruled his death was a suicide, so the officer was never charged.

You Believe In This God?

You Believe in this God?

The incredibly hypocrisy and lack of logic in the world of religion is mind boggling. Remember, believers tell us God has such immense power that we can’t even begin to imagine how powerful God is. Please keep that in mind as I make some comments which prove, if there is a God, you should never place any trust or faith in that deity.

  • How can any Jewish person believe in God?
  • How can black people believe in God?
  • How can Catholics believe in their God?

What was this all-powerful God doing while more than 6 million Jews were slaughtered by the Nazis during WW II? What was this all-powerful God doing when thousands of black people became slaves of people who were allegedly God fearing? You know those slave owners had their bibles out on Sunday at their church services while enslaving other human beings and killing native Americans.

And Catholics? You believe in God as hundreds or thousands of priests around the world sexually assaulted young boys while your God did nothing. Why does your all-powerful God allow that?  Is that the kind of God you want to worship?

Every day in America, young girls are kidnapped, sexually assaulted, murdered, and brutalized by psychopaths. What do the families of these young girls do when they learn their daughter or sister was kidnapped? That’s right, they pray to God for her safe return. Really? Where was your all powerful God when she was kidnapped, sexually abused, and her body mutilated by the psychopath?  After they find out the gruesome news of what actually happened to their daughters or sisters, they pray to that same God who did nothing while she was in the process of being brutalized. Then they say something in their prayers, such as we’ll be together again in heaven? Really? Where is this place you call heaven?

The above are examples of the incredible hypocrisy and total lack of logic in the world of religion. It even shows up in what we normally perceive as harmless events.  When a player scores a touchdown, he often looks up in the sky (where else would God be located?) and expresses his thanks. Are you kidding? You’re telling me there’s an immense power called God, with all the major events going on in the world, God is watching a football game, using that immense power to ensure you and/or your team wins? Unbelievable!

Americans believe God has incredible power, but they never hold God accountable for the never ending horrible things which happen in our world. Oh no! They blame something called the devil or man.  You’re telling me that man and the devil have more power than God? In sum, God has the perfect scam going. God receives the credit for everything good that happens on our planet, but is never held accountable for the never ending negatives which destroy or end our lives. And you want to believe in a God who doesn’t use that immense power for good?