from State Of The Nation: or completely out of the Oval Office? SOTN Editor’s Note: People, it does not get any bigger than the bombshell investigative report posted below.  Clearly, it’s now all-out war between two camps within the treasonous communist-run Democrat Party, which could be identified as the super-woke Biden ultra-liberals and the more pragmatic Obama-Clinton […]

The New York Post reported President Biden attended a posh fundraiser at a New Jersey mansion on Saturday. He told the guests that his debate turned undecided voters into his voters. NJ.com reported that the 81-year-old gaffe master told a disbelieving crowd at the home of New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy the good news. The event […] The post Biden Says He Swung Independents His Way with His Debate, So It’s All Good appeared first on www.independentsentinel.com.

It’s a parent’s job to teach their kids about good music, even pet parents. And X influencer The Instigator has been taking that job seriously with his two dancing dogs. The Instigator, AKA Blujay Winston, recently posted the “coolest video on the internet right now” to his page, and it’s both impressive and hysterical. It shows Blujay and his dogs jamming out to As Long As You Love Me in their car. The trio is dressed in matching attire, which includes gold chains and black sunglasses. Blujay and the dog riding shotgun wear blue tank tops while the dog in the back wears a pink tank. Blujay sings the lyrics while the dogs move to the beat, and they’ve actually got rhythm! Coolest video on the internet right now pic.twitter.com/fKQpHyQ1th— The Instigator (@Am_Blujay) June 29, 2024 Blujay posted his cute clip on June 29, and it immediately went viral. In less than a day, it already had nearly 8 million views. We’re sure that number will keep climbing quickly because it’s so fun, wholesome, and innocent that everyone wants to share it with their friends. “The entire reason the internet exists in one video,” someone wrote in the comments. “The dogs got steeze and maximum composure,” another person laughed. “And they look like the owner.” “This is one of the best videos I’ve seen today. And maybe in the last month!” someone admitted. “I absolutely love it.” You can find the source of this story’s featured image here. The post These Two Dancing Dogs Are Die-Hard Backstreet Boy Fans In The “Coolest Video On The Internet” appeared first on InspireMore.

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM Paris will seem very different from how it did ten years ago when the Summer Olympics roll around this summer. Since 2014, Mayor Anne Hidalgo has led a substantial makeover in Paris aimed at reducing vehicle dependence and encouraging greener urban living. According to local officials, these measures have resulted in a significant 40 percent reduction in air pollution. The decline in car dependence Mayor Hidalgo’s ambition for a greener Paris has resulted in several ambitious initiatives. Over 100 streets have been closed to cars, parking costs for SUVs have been tripled, nearly 50,000 parking spaces have been deleted, and more than 1,300 kilometers (800 miles) of bike lanes have been built. “By assuming a major and radical rupture: the end of car-dependence,” Hidalgo declared in a March statement, attributing the city’s cleaner air to these measures. Local support and challenges Despite dropping favor ratings and a failed presidential run, Hidalgo’s environmental policies have received strong local support. A 2023 poll found that most Parisians support her initiatives. Louise Claustre, a resident of the 12th arrondissement, agreed, saying, “I will always be in favor of policies that reduce cars and increase walking and biking.” Many of these modifications have been inspired by the concept of the “15-minute city,” in which critical services are accessible via a short walk or bike ride. Carlos Moreno, a University of Paris professor and former Hidalgo adviser, was instrumental in formulating this proposal. Moreno emphasized the necessity of moving away from car dependence, stating, “This is no longer the time for cars, and we need to fight against them for a low-carbon future.” A global perspective While European cities like Paris are leading the drive to reduce car use, the United States has been slower to adopt similar regulations. Nicholas Klein, a city and regional planning professor at Cornell University, noted the challenges: “For 100 years in the U.S., we have built streets, neighborhoods, and cities around cars, and it’s very hard to undo that.” Klein emphasized the necessity of transportation changes, citing the huge influence of transportation emissions on climate change. Health and environmental benefits The push to minimize car dependence is being driven by increased awareness of the health and environmental consequences of air pollution. The American Lung Association has reported that roughly 40 percent of Americans live in polluted environments. Furthermore, the US Energy Information Administration anticipated that motor gasoline and diesel fuel consumption for transportation would account for 31 percent of total US energy-related carbon dioxide emissions in 2023. Klein made it clear that these changes must be made immediately: “The No. 1 contributor to climate change is transportation emissions, so everyone we can get out of a gas-powered car and traveling by metro or foot or bike is a hugely important way to help mitigate the effects of climate change.” Looking forward As Paris works to become more sustainable, the forthcoming elections will be a watershed moment. Moreno, who hasn’t had a car in 30 years, hopes for more progress.  Paris’ metamorphosis paints a compelling picture of a future less reliant on automobiles and more focused on sustainable urban living. As the city welcomes millions of visitors for the 2024 Olympics, it demonstrates the power of progressive environmental measures. Other cities across the world may turn to Paris as a model for how to address the critical issues of climate change and urban pollution.The post Air pollution down 40%: a look at a pedestrianized Paris first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

BY THE OPTIMIST DAILY EDITORIAL TEAM The gut microbiome—the rich ecology of bacteria that live within us—emerged as a key focus in the study of mental and neurological disorders. Recent research indicates a strong link between the gut and mental health, shedding light on how our gut microorganisms may influence stress resilience. Breakthrough findings in stress resilience A study published in Nature Mental Health discovered unique molecular indicators in the microbiomes of people who are very resilient to stress. “The accuracy with which these patterns emerged was really amazing,” said Arpana Church, a neuroscientist at UCLA’s Goodman-Luskin Microbiome Center and the main author of the study. In this study, 116 persons without a mental health diagnosis were separated into two groups according to their psychological resilience ratings. The researchers analyzed data from brain imaging, stool samples, and psychological surveys, then fed it into a machine-learning model to discover trends. The high resilience group had greater brain activity related to emotion regulation and cognition, as well as specialized microbial activity in their gut. Anti-inflammatory microbes and gut integrity The study discovered that resilient people have gut microbiomes linked to lower inflammation and better gut barrier integrity. This is relevant because earlier research has found that psychiatric illnesses are frequently associated with an imbalance of gut bacteria—more pro-inflammatory and fewer anti-inflammatory germs. “The gut barrier absorbs nutrients and keeps toxins from entering the bloodstream. When it becomes more permeable, it signals stress to the brain,” Church explained. This gut-brain communication emphasizes the need for a healthy gut flora for good mental health. The brain-gut connection Thomaz Bastiaanssen, a bioinformatician at Amsterdam University Medical Center, applauded the study’s thorough methodology. He emphasized the well-established bidirectional interaction between the gut and the brain, which is mediated by various pathways, including the immune system, the vagus nerve, neurotransmitters such as serotonin and dopamine, and short-chain fatty acids. Bastiaanssen noted, “About 90 percent of serotonin and 50 percent of dopamine are produced in the gut. These neurotransmitters play a crucial role in mood regulation.” Additionally, short-chain fatty acids produced by gut bacteria help maintain the gut barrier and have anti-inflammatory effects on the brain. Impact on mental health treatments Jane Foster, a neuroscientist at UT Southwestern Medical Center, stressed the UCLA study’s potential to transform mental health therapies. By discovering biomarkers in the microbiome, researchers could personalize existing medicines to specific requirements. Foster envisions a future in which these markers inform decisions about antidepressants, neurostimulation, cognitive behavior therapy, and lifestyle adjustments. “Can I measure something in your microbiome to determine if you’re depressed and should I give you an antidepressant or suggest exercise?” Foster inquired. This tailored strategy has the potential to greatly improve treatment outcomes. Moving toward probiotic treatments While the concept of employing probiotics to treat stress and mental health disorders is tempting, Bastiaanssen warns that the microbiome’s complexity necessitates a careful approach. “Trying to grow a forest in a desert by planting a few seeds won’t work because there’s no supporting ecosystem,” he told me. Although the research is still in its early stages, there is hopeful evidence that some diets, particularly those high in fermented foods, can reduce inflammation and improve mental health. An experiment conducted by Bastiaanssen and his team at University College Cork discovered that a diet rich in vegetables and microbiota-influencing foods helped reduce perceived stress. These findings lend support to the idea that dietary interventions can improve mental health by acting on the gut-brain axis. The future of gut-brain research Church anticipates a future in which research will lead to tailored probiotics that reduce stress and prevent disease. However, she highlights the need for additional human trials to back up these claims. “The biggest problem is that we need more studies that test these in human trials,” she states. Church cautions care for the time being, as science is still evolving. “There isn’t really one [probiotic] out there that’s been thoroughly tested,” she says.  The increasing research on the gut-brain connection provides encouraging insights into how our microbiome affects mental health and stress resilience. Scientists want to develop individualized medicines that use the potential of our gut bacteria to boost mental health by continuing to research this intriguing topic. Source study: Nature Mental Health—Stress-resilience impacts psychological wellbeing as evidenced by brain–gut microbiome interactionsThe post The leading role your gut microbes play in stress resilience first appeared on The Optimist Daily: Making Solutions the News.

Degraded them based on their race, gender, sexual orientation