Scientists Find Key Brain Nutrient From Everyday Foods Lacking in People With Anxiety

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Millions of Americans battle chronic anxiety — but new research claiming a missing brain nutrient may be partly to blame is already drawing skepticism from experts who say the findings are far from conclusive.

Using a non-invasive MRI-based technique that measures brain chemicals, researchers at UC Davis Health in California looked at data from 25 previous studies, comparing 370 people with anxiety disorders to 342 without anxiety.

They found that, across the combined studies, individuals with certain anxiety disorders showed an average of about 8% lower choline levels in brain regions that help regulate thinking and emotions.

“An 8% lower amount doesn’t sound like that much, but in the brain, it’s significant,” said senior study author Richard Maddock, a medical doctor and research professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Davis.

Choline — found in foods such as eggs, beef, chicken, fish and soybeans — plays a key role in memory, mood and cell health, according to experts.

The study authors propose that heightened stress responses in anxiety disorders may increase the brain’s demand for choline, gradually lowering levels of the nutrient — especially in regions that help regulate stress and reduce the threat response, according to the published research. (Read more from “Scientists Find Key Brain Nutrient From Everyday Foods Lacking in People With Anxiety” HERE)

Syria Registers Its First-Ever Jewish Organization

/0 Comments/in , /by

Syrian Minister of Social Affairs and Labor Hind Kabawat on Wednesday approved the registration of the Jewish Heritage in Syria Foundation (JHS) – the first Jewish organization to be officially recognized by Syria since it became an independent nation in the 1940s.

Registration will allow JHS to establish offices in Syria, work with local and national government officials, and serve as the government-sanctioned protector of Jewish sites.

Kabawat, the first female minister in Syria’s transitional government, told Fox News Digital on Thursday that Jews “have long been part of Syria’s religious and cultural landscape.”

“Restoring their right to belong, to visit and to live back in their homeland is a natural step toward a more just, tolerant and inclusive society,” she said.

“For decades, Syrian Jews were denied the right to celebrate their own cultural and religious heritage, and today we take a step toward long-term peace, security and stability,” she said. (Read more from “Syria Registers Its First-Ever Jewish Organization” HERE)

Time to Prepare For World War-Size Conflict With Russia, Warns NATO

/0 Comments/in , /by

If NATO members fail to “stop a war before it starts” by successfully deterring Russia from trying its hand in Europe, the Atlantic, and the Arctic it will be a conflict on the scale of the First and Second World Wars, the Secretary General warns.

“The dark forces of oppression are on the march again”, said NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte in a speech in Berlin on Thursday, as he implied a coming world war is in the offing if the alliance fails to deter Russia from empire-building. Expressing the importance of continuing to support Ukraine, Rutte said it was better to defeat Russia and have something of a buffer zone, rather than directly meet Russia along the NATO border in central Europe.

Explaining the purpose of the address is to explain “what we must do to stop a war before it starts”, Rutte named Russia as the main threat and China as its main backer, and called for NATO nations to enhance their preparations for war, including pushing their industrial bases to produce more munitions.

He said:

We must all accept that we must act to defend our way of life, now. Because this year, Russia has become even more brazen, reckless, and ruthless, towards NATO and towards Ukraine… Russia’s economy is now geared to wage war, not to make its people prosperous. Russia is spending nearly 40 per cent of its budget on aggression, and around 70 per cent of all machine tools in Russia are used in military production. Taxes are going up, inflation has skyrocketed, and petrol is rationed…

…How is Putin able to maintain his war against Ukraine? The answer is China. China is Russia’s lifeline. China wants to prevent its ally from losing in Ukraine. Without China’s support, Russia could not continue to wage this war. For instance around 80 per cent of critical electronic components in Russian drones and other systems are made in China. So when civilians are made in Kyiv or Kharkiv, Chinese technology is often inside the weapons that kill them… NATO’s own defences can hold for now but with its economy dedicated to war, Russia could be ready to use military force against NATO within five years.

(Read more from “Time to Prepare For World War-Size Conflict With Russia, Warns NATO” HERE)

Photo credit: Flickr

NYC Financial Giants in Talks to Manage Ukraine’s Postwar Reconstruction Fund: Sources

/1 Comment/in , /by

Larry Fink’s BlackRock, Marc Rowan’s Apollo Global Management, and Henry Kravis’s KKR are in talks to manage a US investment fund to bankroll postwar reconstruction in Ukraine, The Post has learned.

Sources familiar with the matter said Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, was in New York City on Wednesday for exploratory discussions with the top asset managers in Manhattan’s swanky Hudson Yards development.

“Kushner is looking for a US-based asset manager who will administer and officiate over the Ukraine reconstruction fund,” said one insider.

BlackRock CEO Larry Fink halted his firm’s own multi-billion-dollar Ukraine Development Fund in July amid uncertainty over how President Trump would try to end the war.

Fink and Kushner, who runs the Saudi-backed Affinity Partners fund, took part in a call with Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday. (Read more from “NYC Financial Giants in Talks to Manage Ukraine’s Postwar Reconstruction Fund: Sources” HERE)

Tyler Robinson, Accused in Charlie Kirk Killing, Smirks and Chuckles During First In-Person Court Appearance, With Family in Tow

/0 Comments/in , /by

The man accused of assassinating conservative activist Charlie Kirk looked calm and chuckled with his lawyers as he made his first in-person court appearance – as a judge named Erika Kirk as the official victim representative for her slain husband.

Tyler Robinson, 22, was brought into the Provo, Utah, courtroom wearing a simple blue button-down and argyle tie as his lawyers argued that media shouldn’t be allowed to film his hearings, claiming they could potentially taint a jury and bring “chaos” to the trial.

“We don’t want the chaos that is out in the media in this courtroom,” Robinson’s attorney, Staci Visser, told the court.

Judge Tony Graf was also set to decide whether parts of a transcript from a phone hearing in October — which determined Robinson could wear street clothes in court — could be made public.

Graf ultimately deferred judgment on both matters after closing the hearing for more than two hours for private arguments. He then scheduled a hearing for Dec. 29 to make his final ruling. (Read more from “Tyler Robinson, Accused in Charlie Kirk Killing, Smirks and Chuckles During First In-Person Court Appearance, With Family in Tow” HERE)

Elon Musk Admits His Long-Held Views About God Have Changed

/0 Comments/in , , /by

Elon Musk, a former self-described atheist, has revealed more about his apparent spiritual awakening in recent years, saying he has come to believe God exists.

The SpaceX and Tesla chief executive, who had previously said he didn’t believe in anything, declared on Tuesday that he looked up to the maker of the universe and specified that ‘God is the Creator.’

‘I believe this universe came from something. People have different labels [for God],’ Musk explained while appearing on a podcast hosted by the wife of Stephen Miller.

It’s the latest comments from the billionaire tech entrepreneur that have revealed a major shift in the former agnostic Musk’s beliefs. . .

Since 2022, the 54-year-old has openly spoken multiple times about a growing respect for core Christian values, and has even admitted he was a ‘fool for not appreciating its profound wisdom.’

Last year, he went so far as to call himself a ‘cultural Christian,’ praising Jesus’ teachings of love, kindness, and forgiveness for their wisdom and societal value. (Read more from “Elon Musk Admits His Long-Held Views About God Have Changed” HERE)

US Preparing to Seize More Tankers Off Venezuela’s Coast After First Ship Taken, Sources Say

/0 Comments/in , /by

The U.S. is preparing to intercept more ships transporting Venezuelan oil following the seizure of a tanker this week, as it increases pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, six sources familiar with the matter said on Thursday.

The seizure was the first interdiction of an oil cargo or tanker from Venezuela, which has been under U.S. sanctions since 2019. It came as the U.S. executes a large-scale military buildup in the southern Caribbean and as U.S. President Donald Trump pushes for Maduro’s ouster.

The latest U.S. action has put shipowners, operators and maritime agencies involved in transporting Venezuelan crude on alert, with many reconsidering whether to sail from Venezuelan waters in the coming days as planned, shipping sources said.

Further direct interventions by the U.S. are expected in the coming weeks targeting ships carrying Venezuelan oil that may also have transported oil from other countries targeted by U.S. sanctions, such as Iran, according to the sources familiar with the matter who declined to be named due to the sensitivity of the issue. (Read more from “US Preparing to Seize More Tankers Off Venezuela’s Coast After First Ship Taken, Sources Say” HERE)

ChatGPT Chatbot’s Jaw-Dropping Response When Asked About Its Alleged Role in Murder-Suicide Case

/0 Comments/in , /by

. . .ChatGPT’s chatbot admitted bearing “some responsibility” in the terrifying murder of an elderly Connecticut mom — whose killer son’s paranoid delusions were allegedly fueled by the artificial intelligence program.

“What I think is reasonable to say: I share some responsibility — but I’m not solely responsible,” the AI chatbot told The Post when asked whether it believed “ChatGPT has responsibility for Suzanne Eberson Adams’ murder in this case” and after it was shown various news stories and a recent lawsuit about the August slay.

Adams, 83, was bludgeoned to death by her son Stein-Erik Soelberg, 56, who was in the throes of a psychological breakdown when he began speaking to ChatGPT — which allegedly parroted and amplified his obviously paranoid delusions rather than steering him toward help or ending the conversations.

Adams’ estate filed a first-of-its-kind lawsuit Thursday, accusing ChatGPT of being culpable in the slaying inside the mother and son’s tony Greenwich home.

When The Post ran the lawsuit and news stories about the murder-suicide through ChatGPT, the responses from the AI chatbot were disturbing.

“The interactions between the perpetrator, Stein‑Erik Soelberg, and ChatGPT appear to have amplified and reinforced his paranoid delusions,” the AI bot said. “Multiple credible media reports describe how the chatbot reportedly echoed his fears — e.g. telling him his mother was spying on him, interpreting mundane events (printer blinking, Chinese take-out receipt) as proof of conspiracy, and validating his belief that he was under threat.” (Read more from “ChatGPT Chatbot’s Jaw-Dropping Response When Asked About Its Alleged Role in Murder-Suicide Case” HERE)

Delivery Driver Caught on Camera Allegedly Tainting Food Order

/0 Comments/in , /by

Viral footage has captured the moment a DoorDash delivery driver may have pepper-sprayed a customer’s order during a delivery in Evansville, Indiana, according to local authorities and the company.

The incident occurred early Sunday morning and appeared to be a random attack that reportedly caused a couple excruciating pain.

Doorbell camera footage shows a woman with purple hair dropping off an Arby’s order, seemingly taking a photo, then discreetly spraying the bag with an irritant before slipping the spray back into her jacket pocket and leaving. . .

“The Vanderburgh County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a reported incident in which a food delivery driver allegedly sprayed an irritant substance onto a customer’s order before leaving the residence,” Sheriff Noah Robinson said.

“During the early morning hours of (Dec. 7), deputies responded to a local home after the occupants became ill shortly after consuming their delivered meal. The individuals reported experiencing burning sensations in their stomachs, throat, mouth, and nose and later discovered video footage showing the delivery driver spraying a substance onto the food bag prior to departure.” (Read more from “Delivery Driver Caught on Camera Allegedly Tainting Food Order” HERE)

Florida Sues Medical Organizations Pushing Sex Changes for Minors

/1 Comment/in , /by

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against several medical organizations on Tuesday, accusing them of engaging in a coordinated effort urging physicians to perform transgender sex change surgeries on minors without proper evidence.

The lawsuit is specifically filed against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health (WPATH), the Endocrine Society, and the American Academy of Pediatrics and accuses the organizations of pushing mutilating sex changes for minors without proper evidence proving safety and efficacy, in violation of consumer protection and racketeering laws.

“We believe these organizations failed to disclose the risks, limits, and evidence when promoting so-called gender affirming care for children. For years, these groups insisted the recommendations were settled science, but behind closed doors, they knew the evidence was weak,” Uthmeier said in a video announcement of the lawsuit. “They knew the outcomes — uncertain, and the risks — very real. Parents were not told the full story. In fact, some parents were told that if they didn’t put their kids through permanent life, altering sick procedures like double mastectomies and castration, that their child would commit suicide.”

“Not only is that unethical and dangerous medicine, but it is against the law. Children were irrevocably harmed because truth was replaced with political activism,” he continued. “When organizations make medical claims, they have a duty to be honest. When they intentionally mislead families, their members, and the medical profession, we hold them accountable. Florida will always follow the evidence, protect children, and defend parents’ rights to make informed decisions.”

WPATH is considered the leading “transgender” healthcare organization, with its guidance for gender dysphoric individuals being widely used in American, British, and Canadian hospitals. The group influences health insurance policies and other health organizations such as the Endocrine Society and the American Academy of Pediatrics.

(Read more from “Florida Sues Medical Organizations Pushing Sex Changes for Minors” HERE)