Human Intelligence Sharply Declining

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No, it’s not just you — people really are less smart than they used to be.

As the Financial Times reports, assessments show that people across age groups are having trouble concentrating and losing reasoning, problem-solving, and information-processing skills — all facets of the hard-to-pin-down metric that “intelligence” is supposed to measure.

These results, the FT reports, are gleaned from benchmarking tests that track cognitive skills in teens and young adults. From the University of Michigan’s Monitoring the Future study documenting concentration difficulties of 18-year-old Americans to the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) that measures the learning skills of 15-year-olds around the world, years of research suggest that young people are struggling with reduced attention spans and weakening critical thinking skills.

Though there has been a demonstrably steep decline in cognitive skills since the COVID-19 pandemic due to the educational disruption it presented, these trends have been in evidence since at least the mid-2010s, suggesting that whatever is going on runs much deeper and has lasted far longer than the pandemic.

Obviously, there’s no single answer as to why people seem to be struggling with cognitive skills, but one key indicator is the sharp decline in reading and the world’s changing relationship to the way we consume information and media. In 2022, for example, the National Endowment for the Arts found that just 37.6 percent of Americans said they’d read a novel or short story in the year prior — a share down from 41.5 percent in 2017 and 45.2 percent in 2012. (Read more from “Human Intelligence Sharply Declining” HERE)

University Human Rights Fellow Convicted For Having A Slave

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A British jury convicted United Nations Judge Lydia Mugambe on Thursday of forcing a Ugandan woman into domestic servitude after luring her to the U.K. under false pretenses.

Mugambe, who also serves as a high court judge in Uganda, brought the victim to Britain under the guise of securing her a job in a diplomatic household — only to make her work as an unpaid maid and nanny. She confiscated the victim’s passport and visa, leaving her trapped until she was able to contact a friend, who alerted authorities, according to a Thames Valley Police statement.

“Lydia Mugambe used her position to exploit a vulnerable young woman, controlling her freedom and making her work without payment,” Eran Clutliffe, an attorney for the Crown Prosecution Service’s Special Crime Division, said.

The 49-year-old judge, who was studying for a doctorate at the University of Oxford at the time, according to her profile on the U.N.’s website, was found guilty on four charges, including forced labor, an immigration offense and conspiracy to intimidate a witness. Mugambe is also listed on Columbia University’s website as a fellow in their human rights program. Prosecutors argued she “exploited and abused” the victim’s lack of knowledge about her rights to keep her in a state of servitude. (Read more from “Columbia University Human Rights Fellow Convicted For Having A Slave” HERE)

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Governor Supports Bill Replacing ‘Mother’ With ‘Inseminated Person’

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Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers (D) supported a Democrat Senate bill that would replace the word “mother” with the word “inseminated person,” and replace the word “husband” with the word “spouse.”

Dan O’Donnell, the host of the Dan O’Donnell Show shared an excerpt of Senate Bill 45, Section 3106, which also replaces the words “man” and “wife” for “person.” The bill, introduced on Friday, is about “state finances and appropriations, constituting the executive budget act of the 2025 legislature,” according to WSAU News.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature website, 2025 Senate Bill 45 was “Introduced by Joint Committee on Finance.”

“Democrat Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers has introduced a bill that will change state law to replace the word ‘mother’ with ‘inseminated person,’” O’Donnell wrote in a post on X.

(Read more from “Governor Supports Bill Replacing ‘Mother’ With ‘Inseminated Person’” HERE)

No, Choosing Family Over Career Isn’t ‘Settling For Less’

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Megyn Kelly made a pronouncement on X this week: “Ladies, it is possible to make your own money, have your own career, pay for your own swanky nyc apartment (etc), AND find a man who loves you, wants to have & raise kids w/you & wants to be w/you and only you. The only thing stopping you? Your decision to settle for less.”

Kelly is clearly referring to herself here, implying: I did it, so you can too. It goes to show how remarkably out of touch women in the media are, no matter what their politics may be. As one X commenter named “Wandering Warrior” noted, “Normally, Megyn, I absolutely love everything you do. But I’m going to have to fundamentally disagree with you on this. You’re a 1%. Doug knows it as well. Acknowledge this and tell the majority of women that the ability to do what you’ve done is extremely RARE.”

The last thing American women need is more life advice from the media elite. Far too many variables exist to make a blanket statement about love and career like, “Don’t settle.” Women have been saddled with some version of this narrative for decades, and the inflated expectations they consequently adopted landed them right where they are today: chronically unhappy, frustrated, and disappointed.

Newsflash, but most women don’t want Megyn Kelly’s life, and those who do need to know the trade-offs involved. The average woman in America who wants both a career and a family needs advice that actually works and acknowledges the biological differences between women and men that make their choices unique.

The details of a woman’s life matter in these discussions. For example, technically I have a career. I make my own money. I also have a man who loves me, wanted kids with me, and wants to be with me and only me. (We’re empty nesters now.) (Read more from “No, Choosing Family Over Career Isn’t ‘Settling For Less’” HERE) (Read more from “No, Choosing Family Over Career Isn’t ‘Settling For Less’” HERE)

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School District Defies Trump Orders, Won’t Tell Parents If Children Identify As Transgender

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A Virginia school district insists it will not tell parents if a child begins identifying as a different gender, despite the Trump administration’s warning that schools promoting gender ideology will lose their federal funding.

Albemarle County Public Schools in Charlottesville sent an email to parents on February 3 reminding them about the district’s transgender and anti-racism policies. The transgender policy states that students are “not required to obtain parental consent” to be called a new name and pronoun by teachers and school staff, who are expected to “honor” the student’s request.

“School administration will not contact a student’s parents in relation to such a request unless asked to do so by the student,” the policy reads.

“Recent events have highlighted the importance of standing together against bullying, harassment, and discrimination,” Dr. Daphne Keiser, Assistant Superintendent for School Community Engagement wrote to families.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order last month warning that schools promoting ideas like Critical Race Theory or gender ideology would see their federal funding stripped. Another executive order bans trans-identifying males in girls’ sports by threatening to rescind funds from schools that allow them to. (Read more from “School District Defies Trump Orders, Won’t Tell Parents If Children Identify As Transgender” HERE)

Ex-Student Who Impregnated Teacher at 13, Now an Adult, Wants Her Sexual Assault Charges Dropped: ‘I Started Everything’

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An alleged sexual assault victim — who reportedly was only 13 years old when he impregnated his teacher during an illicit relationship — has come forward to call for the child sex crimes charges against the New Jersey woman to be dropped, according to a report.

The Daily Mail said it spoke to the former student — who is now an adult — and noted that he indicated that criminal charges against his former teacher should be dropped.

“They need to drop all charges,” the alleged victim said. “I wasn’t groomed or raped or manipulated by her. She never initiated anything. I started everything.” . . .

His former teacher — 34-year-old Laura Caron — delivered a baby in 2019.

Caron is a fifth-grade teacher at Middle Township Elementary School, which is located in the community of Cape May Court House on the southernmost tip of New Jersey.

Caron taught the alleged victim and his brother, according to police. (Read more from “Ex-Student Who Impregnated Teacher at 13, Now an Adult, Wants Her Sexual Assault Charges Dropped: ‘I Started Everything’” HERE)

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Actress Blasted for Reading Book to Kids With Group Probed for Child Sex Trafficking

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Is it a harmless celebrity book-reading for young children, or is there a darker side tied to child sex trafficking?

Actress Jennifer Garner is coming under fire online after posting a video clip of herself reading the book “Secret Pizza Party” to young children at a Save the Children-sponsored event in Yakima, Washington.

One commenter on X said of the actress noted for “Alias” and “Catch Me If You Can”: “Hollywood actress elitist Jennifer Garner has left many of her fans disturbed after uploading a video of herself reading a book titled Secret Pizza Party to children at a Save the Children event, which is currently under investigation for child sex trafficking. The book Secret Pizza Party instructs children to keep secrets.”

One passage from the book about a thieving raccoon states: “I know what you’re thinking. Why would we keep such a delicious, delicious party a secret? Okay, sure. It’s so folks don’t show up to bonk you with brooms, but that’s not the only reason. When you make something secret, you make it special.”

(Read more from “Actress Blasted for Reading Book to Kids With Group Probed for Child Sex Trafficking” HERE)

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Medevac Plane Crash Victim ID’d as Young Girl Headed Home to Mexico After ‘Life-Saving Treatment’ in US

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The young patient who was on board the small medevac jet that crashed in a Philadelphia neighborhood Friday evening was heading home to Mexico after receiving “life-saving treatment” in the US, an official said.

The girl was one of six — four passengers and two crew members — onboard the Learjet 55 that plummeted out of the sky shortly after 6 p.m., less than a minute after taking off from Northeast Philadelphia Airport en route to Missouri’s Springfield-Branson National Airport.

The child was heading back to Tijuana with her mother, a doctor, paramedic, pilot and copilot, Shai Gold, spokesman for Jet Rescue Air Ambulance, told NBC 10 Philadelphia.

“All I can say is the patient was sponsored by a third-partner charity to undergo life-saving treatment in the US,” Gold said, adding, “She did her course of care. She was going home.

“She fought quite a lot to survive, and unfortunately this tragedy on the way home.” (Read more from “Medevac Plane Crash Victim ID’d as Young Girl Headed Home to Mexico After ‘Life-Saving Treatment’ in US” HERE)

A Unique Seed Has More Protein Than An Egg And Can Help You Sleep (But There’s A Catch)

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Protein plays a key role in many of your body’s functions, including building muscle, serving as chemical messengers, and producing antibodies that fight off infection. Although your protein needs vary according to your age, activity level, and weight, it’s best to spread your protein intake throughout the day rather than eating a ton of protein at night. You could start your day with eggs to help you feel a little more full until lunch and add some healthy high-protein snacks to keep your blood sugar from spiking.

Pumpkin seeds are a great snack option, and registered dietitian Angel Luk tells Health Digest that a serving of pumpkin seeds provides more protein than an egg. “In a quarter cup of pumpkin seeds, there’s about 10 grams of plant-based protein,” she said. “In one large egg, there’s about 7 grams of animal-based protein.” However, Luk noted that pumpkin seeds don’t have enough of the essential amino acids to be considered a “complete” protein. Yet pumpkin seeds surpass eggs in two nutrients that can help you sleep.

Luk says that an ounce of pumpkin seeds has 168 milligrams of magnesium compared to the 6 milligrams in a large egg. Magnesium may help improve the duration and quality of your sleep, according to a 2023 meta-analysis in Biological Trace Element Research. Observational studies (where people report their magnesium intake and sleep) suggest that magnesium is linked with sleep quality, but experimental studies using magnesium supplements have shown conflicting results on sleep disorders.

Even though pumpkin seeds don’t have all of the essential amino acids that an egg has, both pumpkin seeds and eggs have the amino acid tryptophan. Tryptophan helps your body make serotonin and melatonin, two neurotransmitters that contribute to better sleep. A 2020 review in Nutrients found that after eating tryptophan-rich foods, healthy adults slept longer, fell asleep more easily, and woke up fewer times throughout the night. When you’re depleted of tryptophan, you’ll spend less time in restorative sleep and experience more sleep disruptions. One egg provides 84 milligrams of tryptophan, but an ounce of pumpkin seeds has 163 milligrams per ounce. (Read more from “A Unique Seed Has More Protein Than An Egg And Can Help You Sleep (But There’s A Catch)” HERE)

Married Healthcare Exec Accused of Preying on Nearly a Dozen Teen Girls to Produce Child Porn

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A married Nassau County health care executive allegedly preyed on nearly a dozen teen girls to produce child porn over a four-year period — including two minors he ordered to call him “daddy” and paid in exchange for the sickening content.

Jacob Walden, 38, was arraigned Wednesday morning in Central Islip Federal Court on a six-count indictment charging him with the sexual exploitation of two teens — ages 16 and 17 — he pressured to create sexually explicit videos and photos, according to the US Attorney’s Office of the Eastern District of New York.

Feds recovered the disturbing images from Walden’s cellphone last April and identified at least 11 girls, as young as 14 years old, whom he contacted, coerced to send inappropriate content and paid, according to court documents.

The 16- and 17-year-old victims were located and interviewed during an investigation feds launched in September 2023.

“As alleged, the defendant enticed minors to produce sexually explicit photographs and videos of themselves and send them to him via the internet in exchange for payment,” United States Attorney John J. Durham said in a statement. (Read more from “Married Healthcare Exec Accused of Preying on Nearly a Dozen Teen Girls to Produce Child Porn” HERE)