'New categories'

A team of researchers has discovered that even if you only have time to exercise once or twice a week‚ you can still reap the same benefits as those who exercise more frequently‚ specifically as regards weight loss‚ provided you meet certain minimums for duration and intensity. Guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO)‚ and […] The post Even Exercising Just Once a Week Can Help You Lose Weight‚ Says New Study appeared first on Good News Network.

By Daniela Gonzalez With the last recent events at the US border and the approach of the authorities’ response (not the ones of the States being affected‚ but the highest ones)‚ anyone with some degree of common sense would start to ask questions. How are migrants from Venezuela getting from their country to the US border? Are they walking? if so‚ how long does it take and how are they equipped for it? If not‚ how are they getting there? Are they criminals? Are they crossing other borders legally? Is someone funding this? As a Venezuelan‚ I hope to answer some of these questions for you. How do Venezuelans travel to the southern US border? You may already be aware of the dangerous Darien jungle crossing. It’s a remote area in Panama with no road through it. There is no way to know how many people have perished there. People die not only because the jungle is already a very dangerous place for the untrained. It’s the gangs taking advantage of whomever they find. There are enough horror stories in the media to traumatize anyone for life. Just as general information: previous to this nightmare of a walk‚ there were enough borders to cross that is not so easy to go through‚ even for a regular citizen. However‚ for some reason‚ hordes of people carrying suitcases and all sorts of bags just walk through. There are eight (yes‚ EIGHT) countries to cross by foot to reach the Southern Border of the US. How someone without money can do it‚ is an unnerving question. And a much more unnerving one is how criminals do it. The first leg is over 500 miles (+800km) from Caracas‚ Venezuela to Cucuta‚ Colombia. This leg is relatively easy because it is a very beaten path with plenty of bus services. From Cucuta‚ the next leg is going to Necocli‚ Colombia‚ covering a similar distance. This is a coastal town. They can reach from there to several points at the coastline. From there‚ the crossing is by foot until the Southern Border through Panama‚ Honduras‚ and Mexico. This is one of the paths they follow‚ like many migrants trying to cross. The story of this handicapped migrant is something different. He and his family spent $7000 on the whole journey. How someone decides to use that amount of money to cross one of the most dangerous areas in South America is beyond my common sense. That money could get someone a small hacienda to live in and have basic needs covered‚ including a vehicle. The journey is incredibly dangerous for many reasons. Another example I cannot understand is the one depicted by this Army defector and his family. Their gear consisted of a camping tent‚ boots‚ repellant‚ and $5000‚ a product for the sale of their belongings. I haven’t seen that wad of cash that size in my whole life‚ to be honest. Mentioning the wife that if the bandits kidnap their child‚ she will be very likely missing‚ and can’t avoid her being assaulted… Really? Who is willing to take that risk? Sure‚ coming back means a certain death in the regime’s dungeons‚ but at least Colombia or some other neighboring country offered that couple some sort of stability. Other people travel with camping stoves and some small light gas canisters. Canned goods‚ pasta‚ and rice are usual staples‚ too. No bottled water because it’s heavy. Most people drink from the rivers. There are no such things as filtering devices‚ and I haven’t heard of anyone boiling water. It is terrifying to read things like the plans of people willing to spend the night at the foot of the most dangerous mountain to climb…only to discover that the stench of the rotting bodies was too much to stay there for too long. That’s a nightmare-like situation. I wasn’t going to write about the HIV-infected gangs‚ but I reconsidered it to tell the whole entire story. (Warning! the link contains references to sexual violence) The readers must understand human behavior when there are no consequences or law enforcement forces nearby. And this is the XXI Century. Extrapolate that behavior pattern of a crumbled society‚ and it can (it DID happen) arise wherever. One more reason to arm everyone to the teeth‚ if you ask me. Going through that with a small child…thanks‚ but no thanks. Putting the family’s safety in the hands of strangers? Too much to lose. I find it hard to justify someone with that amount of money to migrate that way. You can appreciate in the pictures of this article how some people walk even in slippers. With small children‚ leaving the country through the illegal trochas. Being robbed‚ harassed‚ and sometimes even killed. Though many are‚ please do note that not every person coming from Venezuela is a criminal. But every person is desperate. The people doing this are causing problems in your country. I see a pattern here: the unreasonably high murder rate increasing and the violent crimes and home invasions that are happening now in the US‚ in areas traditionally considered low-crime zones. It is incredible to see this kind of turmoil in a refugee shelter: Illegals attacking officers to avoid an arrest. And when you realize a pattern like they mention in this article‚ informing that two cities of the American continent are invaded by the same gang at the same time‚ is reasonable to start questioning what can be happening. At the end of this article‚ there is one of the most significant phrases: ” (…) given the tense relationships between the US and Venezuela…” How are criminals that should be in Venezuelan prison going to America? For those of us born in the 80s‚ the name “Mariel” doesn’t say much. But after a little research‚ we find out that there is yet another cycle repeating itself: criminals entering massively to the US from a country deeply linked to Eastern foreign powers and with close ties to rogue nations. If a regular citizen finds difficulties in leaving the country legally through a border (confiscation of little green thingies that uniforms love‚ for instance)‚ it is hard to understand how criminals that were supposedly in jail in Venezuela end up appearing in places as far as Miami.  My thoughts? There are two methods a criminal could bypass the safety measures in a border. One‚ they are impersonating some of their victims of former crimes with stolen IDs. As sinister as it sounds‚ finding someone resembling them and using their IDs to get out of Dodge‚ mixing up with the crowd crossing is not that hard these days. People disappear in Venezuela regularly without any trace. Leaving a few dead doppelgangers behind and taking their IDs shouldn’t be that hard for someone with the scruples to do. The migration authorities usually don’t have the means to verify fingerprints in these small border towns‚ and they issue temporary residence or transit-only permits‚ knowing that they leave the border soon and won’t stay being a nuisance. On the other hand‚ there is another option to ponder. If the intention of sending criminals is seriously adopted by any government holding a grip on their ID system‚ it would not be a problem to re-issue a new identity document with a new name‚ keeping the same fingerprints and any other biometric data. You have had an article about this on your website before. Who is behind all this? The next questions are surely what is in the minds of everyone reading this. Is somebody paying for all this? Or organizing it? And if so‚ why? To determine the answer‚ historical data has to be reviewed. This is not anything new and there is already a precedent that many politicians have tried to sweep under the rug: Castro’s threat of the “Plan Bravo” in the middle 1990s. After all‚ he already had sent close to 8000 convicts camouflaged as “immigrants” at the beginning of the 1980s. This news seems to be forgotten now: Venezuelan passports were being sold at the embassy in Iraq (there is an English version in this link) and the much more recent detention of Jihad members in Argentina. I have seen plenty of videos with interviews of people traveling to the US by foot. I have noticed this: most of them are healthy young men in their 20s and physically fit. Not all of them are going to the shelters to avoid being screened by the migration authorities. On the contrary‚ very possibly they are lying low and integrating into some sort of network already in place. In one of those interviews‚ the man commented something that has been in my head ever since. “The US is going to be very different soon”. Whether he’s a psychic with a crystal ball‚ or he attended some type of briefing and he’s on a mission. The impact of so many people roaming on the streets may not look too much. But what will happen when (not “if‚” but WHEN) the sleepers attend the call to generate turmoil on a country-wide scale? Sure‚ many of you will say‚ “That’s why we have our 2nd Amendment”. Trust me‚ you will hardly find someone to shoot at. They won’t engage in direct conflict. Albeit I’m not a military analyst by any means‚ their target is very likely infrastructure and psyops on the society. Be very vigilant of water reservoirs. Violent crime‚ increasing in number and frequency‚ could start overnight now. Do you remember the recent 2019 turmoils in Chile? All of it was organized and executed by the leftist wing. These migrants from countries with regimes that are hostile towards the US should be carefully screened. The consequences could be very high in the near future. More resources Some additional information can be found in the following links: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1983/07/11/theyre-castros-convicts/8cbead9b-407b-41a8-aa7e-9985373430dc/ https://www.infobae.com/venezuela/2023/07/13/el-revelador-estudio-de-la-evolucion-y-crecimiento-de-los-grupos-armados-hibridos-bajo-el-regimen-de-nicolas-maduro/ https://insightcrime.org/es/investigaciones/tren-de-aragua-queda-sin-cuartel-venezuela/ https://www.corteidh.or.cr/tablas/r31691.pdf https://transparenciave.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/03-Crimen-organizado-y-corrupcion-en-Venezuela.pdf https://panampost.com/sabrina-martin/2019/09/18/maduro-criminales-venezuela/ https://panampost.com/efe-panampost/2024/02/14/eeuu-liberar-a-miles-de-inmigrantes/ https://transparenciave.org/agentes-criminales-redes-e-interacciones-oscuras/ About Daniela Daniela Gonzalez is a student of history at the Universidad Central de Venezuela in Caracas. The post A Venezuelan Explains How (and Why) Criminal Migrants Get to the US appeared first on The Organic Prepper.

Running and cycling app Strava announced its partnership with Fi Smart Dog Collar on February 22 that will allow owners to track their dog's fitness.

Virginia Democrats Pushing to Release Rapists‚ Murderers‚ and Child Molesters Early

"What we can confirm‚ without a doubt‚ is our equipment is on the surface of the Moon and we are transmitting." Those were the words from flight director Tim Crain yesterday‚ as private company Intuitive Machines confirmed its lander Odysseus successfully touched down on the lunar surface‚ making history in the process.It marks the first time since 1972 that the US has landed on the Moon and it’s also the first time ever that a private company has put a spacecraft there. But making history is never simple; Odysseus’ ranging lasers‚ which help to determine its altitude and velocity‚ decided it was a great time to take a break and stopped working properly. Experimental lasers from NASA ended up saving the day‚ and Odysseus landed at 6:23 pm EST (11:23 pm UTC) near Malapert A‚ a crater close to the Moon’s south pole. However‚ it wasn’t over yet – the robot wasn’t sending out any signals. That quiet spell soon broke‚ however‚ and a few hours later‚ communications were well up and running with data and pictures aplenty."The US has returned to the Moon‚" said NASA administrator Bill Nelson in an agency broadcast of the landing. "Today‚ for the first time in the history of humanity‚ a commercial company – an American company – launched and led the voyage up there. And today is the day that shows the power and promise of Nasa's commercial partnerships."One of the first images from the mission as the craft headed away from Earth.Image credit: Intuitive Machines via Flickr (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 DEED)Odysseus‚ playfully nicknamed “Odie”‚ is carrying a number of NASA payloads amongst some from other private companies and research institutions. It’s hoped that it will provide vital information about the lunar south pole‚ because of the presence of water ice – which could come in pretty handy if we ever decide to live on the Moon.The US isn’t the only country to have successfully landed on the Moon in recent times. Last summer‚ India became the fourth country ever to make a soft lunar landing with its Chandrayaan-3 mission‚ whilst early 2024 saw Japan’s SLIM touch down. And there may well be more to come‚ with several other missions planned for the rest of this year.

Phubbing. Depending on who you ask‚ it’s either the scourge of modern society or really not that big of a deal. It’s been linked to all sorts‚ from loneliness‚ to relationship woes. But one recent study produced a surprising result – contrary to every depiction of family life that you’ve ever seen on 21st-century television‚ married people are apparently less likely to go around phubbing others than single people. Who knew?If you read that with increasing confusion over exactly what phubbing is‚ that’s partly our fault. We told you we were putting it to bed‚ but psychologists will keep making interesting observations about it. So‚ a quick explainer: phubbing is a portmanteau of the words “phone” and “snubbing”‚ used to describe the act of ignoring the other humans around you in favor of scrolling on your device. Though the word itself was originally dreamed up as part of a clever marketing campaign‚ the behavior it describes is so commonplace that it sort of…stuck.Recent statistics from the GSMA revealed that 4.3 billion people worldwide now own a smartphone‚ making them a majority of the global population. Wherever there are smartphones‚ there are phubbers‚ and scientists are increasingly interested in the impact these little devices could be having on even our most intimate human relationships.First author Carla Abi Doumit‚ of the Holy Spirit University of Kaslik in Lebanon‚ and colleagues surveyed 461 young Lebanese adults between the ages of 18 and 29 to find out about their phubbing habits. They hypothesized that those who scored highly for the personality trait of extraversion would be less prone to phubbing‚ whereas those who more readily experienced boredom and loneliness might be more likely to phub.The results were a bit of a mixed bag. There was no clear association between extraversion and phubbing‚ but where people were both extraverted and prone to boredom they did show less of a tendency towards phubbing. “This indicates that they might fill their boredom with socializing instead of using their phones‚” suggested the authors in their paper.They also found that people scoring highly for traits of openness‚ which often means those with high levels of curiosity and a willingness to try new things‚ were less likely to be guilty of phubbing.In general‚ though‚ boredom proneness was‚ as expected‚ a positive indicator of phubbing. We’ve all been there – sitting through an hours-long meeting when you’d rather be anywhere else‚ and your only chance for a bit of escapism is a quick browse on your phone…where’s the harm‚ right? But one thing the authors did not expect to find was an association with relationship status. Married people within the study sample were less likely to phub than single people. The authors put this down to married people being less lonely‚ and having more responsibilities and concerns with which to fill their time‚ although there’s no conclusive literature on this subject yet. But given that previous research has shown that phubbing your spouse is a predictor of poor marital satisfaction‚ it’s probably good that this study population‚ at least‚ seemed happy to keep their phones out of the way of wedded bliss. The study had some limitations. The sample were all young‚ mostly female‚ and highly educated‚ so the results may not be generalizable to a wider population. Any study relying on questionnaire responses opens itself up to the possibility of bias. The authors also stress that it’s not possible to derive cause-and-effect relationships from their data: “Moreover‚ the cross-sectional study design does not allow causality-related conclusions.”“For these reasons‚ our results might lack robustness and should be interpreted with caution‚” they say‚ but they highlight the need for further research‚ and for professionals working in psychiatric medicine to consider a patient’s smartphone habits when trying to tackle social isolation.Even if you don’t feel phubbing is having a catastrophic effect on your marriage‚ many of us could probably benefit from reassessing our relationship with our phones. No Phub Fridays‚ anyone?The study is published in the journal Healthcare. [H/T: PsyPost]

The remains of a 240-million-year-old marine reptile with an uncanny resemblance to a mythical Chinese dragon have been pierced together by paleontologists for the first time. Known as Dinocephalosaurus orientalis‚ the 5-metre (16-foot) long beast was a native of southwestern China during the Triassic period.While the species was first identified in 2003‚ its appearance was uncertain due to incomplete remains. Since then‚ however‚ more complete remains have allowed scientists to piece together a single specimen‚ depicting the creature in its full glory for the first time. The reconstructed specimen is based on seven specimens. These include five newly discovered remains‚ one of which is fully articulated. They were all discovered in Guizhou Province‚ a part of south China that’s no stranger to incredible paleontological discoveries.By patching together the numerous specimens‚ the team showed that D. orientalis had a significantly longer neck than previously appreciated‚ endowing the animal with its elegant dragon-like appearance.“This discovery allows us to see this remarkable long-necked animal in full for the very first time. It is yet one more example of the weird and wonderful world of the Triassic that continues to baffle palaeontologists‚” Dr Nick Fraser‚ Keeper of Natural Sciences at National Museums Scotland‚ said in a statement.An artist's illustration of Dinocephalosaurus orientalis swimming alongside some prehistoric fish known as Saurichthys.Image credit: © Marlene Donelly“We are certain that it will capture imaginations across the globe due to its striking appearance‚ reminiscent of the long and snake-like‚ mythical Chinese Dragon‚” explained Dr Fraser. The research project was an international effort involving scientists from Scotland‚ Germany‚ the US‚ and China‚ who studied the fossils for over 10 years at the Institute of Vertebrate Palaeontology and Palaeoanthropology in Beijing.As shown by its flippered limbs‚ this prehistoric species was well-adapted to oceanic living. Furthermore‚ researchers have discovered fish bones within the stomach area of some specimens‚ providing a clear snapshot of their seafood diet. Despite their aquatic lifestyles and lanky necks‚ the researchers explain that the “Chinese dragon” was not closely related to plesiosaurs‚ which evolved some 40 million years later. Recent years have seen a gold rush of fossil-finding in China‚ unearthing some important breakthroughs in the study of paleontology. In one relatively recent discovery‚ Chinese scientists found a fossilized egg containing the most complete dinosaur embryo ever found‚ estimated to be about 27 centimeters (10.6 inches) long. “This remarkable marine reptile is another example of the stunning fossils that continue to be discovered in China”‚ added Professor Robert Ellam‚ Editor-in-Chief of Transactions and Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.The new study is published in the journal Earth and Environmental Science: Transactions of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Politico is a member in good standing of the “establishment media.” Its journalists rotate in and out‚ to and from other pro-Biden outlets. But when Politico has a reporter who delves into the Biden family influence-peddling business‚ you can expect that work to be ignored routinely. Ben Schreckinger authored a book in the fall of 2021 titled The Bidens: Inside the First Family's Fifty-Year Rise to Power. The publisher promised it would reveal “the secrets lurking in the deep recesses of Joe's family tree to his son Hunter's foreign deal-making spree—and the Trump gang's ham-handed efforts to exploit it.” Nobody in the pro-Biden media wanted a Biden tell-all‚ even from within its ranks. Schreckinger wasn’t all over TV selling his book the way every salacious anti-Trump author was rewarded. Brian Stelter even gave a dust-cover blurb for the book comparing the author to Bob Woodward‚ but didn’t book him on his CNN show Reliable Sources. The cycle repeated on February 18‚ when Schreckinger reported for Politico on Biden's brother James. When James worked as a consultant to the Americore hospital chain in 2017‚ he suggested his brother could help‚ and spoke of plans to give Joe equity and a board seat. Instead‚ Americore went bankrupt‚ wreaking havoc in rural communities. They still face a federal prosecution of a $100 million conspiracy to defraud Medicare. On the same day in 2018 that James Biden received a $200‚000 payment from Americore‚ he made out a check for that amount to his brother Joe‚ which he claimed was a “loan repayment‚” but he hasn’t proved the loan. None of this mattered when James Biden testified in closed session before the House Oversight Committee on February 21. ABC‚ CBS‚ and NBC could barely mention the president’s brother after he testified‚ except to repeat his transparently false claims that Joe was never involved in his lobbying schemes. It’s like no one at these networks has ever relied on Politico for their stories.  The PBS NewsHour ignored James Biden entirely in its eight-minute segment on how Russian collusion is somehow aiding the Republicans again. The New York Times put the story on page A-14 under the fact-defying headline “Biden Had No Involvement In Transactions‚ Brother Says.” The Washington Post story was on A-11 with a headline displaying a similar contempt for the public record: “Brother denies Biden was involved in his business deals.” What makes this routine more annoying is that Hunter Biden attempted to avoid a closed hearing because Republicans might come out and distort the overall picture of his testimony. Now James Biden has a closed  hearing‚ and the Democrats and their affiliated media outlets came out and pretended the president has never “played a role” in the Biden lobbying business. Both newspaper accounts acknowledged James Biden is “an integral part of the Biden family‚ though often in the background.” Yes‚ that’s easier when the media have an incredible incuriosity in what he does behind the scenes. But they loaded their stories with Democrat talking points‚ including the claim that this whole inquiry has accomplished nothing and should end.  The contrast between the media's treatment of House Republican Oversight hearings and their hopelessly devoted romance with Nancy Pelosi's January 6 panel is stunning. One party is compared to The Avengers‚ and the other is the Keystone Kops. The legacy media careen between journalistic savagery masquerading as "accountability" and robotic repetitions of preposterous Biden family denials. It's a shame that they couldn't all simply investigate whoever is in power‚ like lonely Ben Schreckinger. 

Editor's note: We're facing an unprecedented moment in American history. Our government and multinational tech monopolies are making it clear that we‚ the people‚ are the target of the monstrous surveillance state they've constructed. The deep state is attempting to jail people who share memes‚ Blaze Media journalists‚ and even the leading presidential candidate. It's time we take back control over our privacy and digital communications‚ and this guide will provide you with the tools to do that. This is an excerpt from a larger guide. Own your platform Social media and platforms like Facebook‚ Twitter‚ Instagram‚ and YouTube are important tools for business and advertising. They enable small businesses‚ artists‚ and writers to take advantage of network effects and get access to people they would otherwise be unable to reach. You don’t have to stop using them. Just be sure you understand the privacy risks‚ and most importantly‚ do not be beholden to a company that can cancel you at any moment. Don’t trust Big Tech to have your best interests in mind. Make sure you control your content and own your own platform. Control your content First‚ for any important video‚ writing‚ or sales content you have‚ make sure it is not only housed on Meta‚ YouTube‚ or Vimeo. Have your copies of it on your own site and on offline hard drives. You don’t need to store every short‚ timely video you make‚ but for anything that is central to your business‚ make sure you have it. If you get de-platformed for any reason‚ you can start up right away. Think of it this way. You want to have a hard drive backup of your most important content. If your computer gets wet and breaks down‚ you need a backup drive so you can get a new computer and back to work immediately. Same with your online‚ cloud-based systems. Have a backup. Build your own site If you have a small business of any kind and you don’t already have your own website‚ you should build it right away and use that as the main hub of your activity‚ where you can host all your most important content so you control it. This doesn’t mean you have to stop using social media like Facebook or Instagram to advertise or connect with customers‚ but you should not be dependent upon it. Often‚ I will look for a service and find that it uses Facebook as its website. This is not a good idea for many reasons. It can be difficult for people who don’t use Facebook to access it. And if Facebook has a problem or suspends service as it did in the Australia blackout‚ your business is totally dependent upon it. Get your own site and encourage customers and readers to sign up at your website. As numerous people have noted‚ a Facebook or Twitter follower is nothing compared to an email address. You can build a site reasonably quickly on Ghost‚ Squarespace‚ or WordPress‚ and there are services that can help. Ghost I have used both WordPress and Squarespace and am moving one of my sites to Ghost. I find Squarespace much easier and more intuitive than WordPress‚ but WordPress has adopted some new elements that make it easier to use‚ and it is a solid platform. If you like WordPress‚ then use it. Ghost is also reasonably easy to manage‚ though at least for me not as intuitive as Squarespace. But Ghost has built-in services to help collect subscribers and more easily monetize content. For example‚ instead of adding a Patreon account to a Squarespace site‚ Ghost has its own version of Patreon. Balaji Srinivasan has some helpful guides to setting up Ghost. Squarespace I use Squarespace; I like it and find it easy to use‚ but Squarespace can also arbitrarily deny service to users. What about Substack? You may have noticed a lot of people moving to Substack‚ including some bigger names like Glenn Greenwald‚ Rod Dreher‚ and Bari Weiss. My friend Luke Burgis is there. The idea with Substack is that instead of communicating through other platforms‚ with Substack people can subscribe directly to your newsletter and pay you money‚ and you have their address and direct communication. Substack states it's not going to de-platform people. Many people have controversial views‚ and Substack seems okay with it‚ but I would watch people like Rod Dreher‚ who holds orthodox Christian views on marriage and sexuality. This will probably be the real test. So Substack seems to be a good option now. It is better to have your own site and domain rather than a substack.com address. Ghost has the same subscriber function‚ and you can add a subscriber function to Squarespace and WordPress with plugins. But people seem to like it‚ so you may want to look into it. Whatever you do‚ there is always risk using any service‚ so make sure you have as much control as possible The big takeaway: Own your content with the longer-term goal of moving things to decentralized applications so you can be operationally remote and harder to cancel.