• Americans' inflation-adjusted incomes rebounded to pre-pandemic levels last year
• Alaska's Chugach Electric to install solar panels on power plants and prepares for community solar farm
• US: Program aims to sprout more organic farms in Arkansas

• Tonight! 'MEDITATE AMERICA' Inaugural gala: Creating a healthier, more harmonious nation - Free Global Livestream
• Maharishi International University offers extra fall entry for online undergraduate programmes: Apply by 15 September
• International Group of Scientists Offers Proven Solution to Global Conflict

• Wildfires scorch Southern California hillsides, burning homes and injuring 13
• Heatwave across US west breaks records for highest temperatures
• Light pollution at night may increase risk of Alzheimer's, study finds

---

Positive Trends
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Americans' inflation-adjusted incomes rebounded to pre-pandemic levels last year
10 September 2024 - The inflation-adjusted median income of U.S. households rebounded last year to roughly its 2019 level, overcoming the biggest price spike in four decades to restore most Americans' purchasing power. ...The jump in incomes reflects solid job creation last year, which helped reduce the unemployment rate to a half-century low of 3.4 percent in April 2023. (more)

Alaska's Chugach Electric to install solar panels on power plants and prepares for community solar farm
5 September 2024 - Chugach Electric Association is installing small solar panel projects on its natural gas plants and is close to launching the first community solar farm in Alaska. ...The utility is also working on a four-acre community solar farm that will allow utility members to buy subscriptions to receive power from one panel or up to 20, the utility said. The solar energy will be credited to subscribers' bills. (more)

US: Program aims to sprout more organic farms in Arkansas
31 August 2024 - One Arkansas organization is encouraging more farmers in the state, particularly those who are minorities, to become certified organic growers. The effort is part of a broader federal push to boost organic farming across the country. (more)

These monkeys use names to communicate with each other, study finds
30 August 2024 - Marmosets can communicate with one another by name and know when they are being addressed, joining a very short list of species exhibiting such behavior, and a first for non-human primates, a new study has found. The monkeys use specific calls, known as 'phee-calls,' to call each other, which scientists say is a 'high cognitive' behavior pattern only previously observed in humans, dolphins, and elephants. (more)

US economic growth for last quarter is revised up to a solid 3 percent annual rate
29 August 2024 - The U.S. economy grew last quarter at a healthy 3 percent annual pace, fueled by strong consumer spending and business investment, the government said in an upgrade of its initial assessment. ...Consumer spending, which accounts for about 70 percent of U.S. economic activity, rose at a 2.9% annual rate last quarter. That was up from 2.3 percent in the government's initial estimate. (more)

US: Morgantown organic farm receives conservation award, offers tours and fresh produce
29 August 2024 - The Mountain Harvest Farm, which was named the 2023 West Virginia Conservation Farm of the Year, welcomed a new John Deere tractor in a Tuesday [27 August] ceremony. Officials with the U.S. Department of Agriculture were on hand Tuesday to tour the farm. Mountain Harvest is located on the grounds of the Owl Creek Farm on Goshen Road and is operated by Mary Oldham and Chico Ramirez. ...'We use organic practices and we grow about 30 to 40 vegetable crops and a few fruit crops like strawberries and melons,' Oldham said. (more)

Dolly Parton is sending free books to children across 21 states - and around the world
27 August 2024 - Dolly Parton's father grew up poor and never got the chance to learn to read. Inspired by her upbringing, the 78-year-old country music legend has made it her mission over the past three decades to improve literacy through her Imagination Library book giveaway program. It has expanded statewide in places like Missouri and Kentucky, two of 21 states where all children under the age of 5 can enroll to have books mailed to their homes monthly. (more)

US national parks are receiving record-high gift of $100M
26 August 2024 - The official nonprofit organization of the National Park Service is set to receive the largest grant in its history, a $100 million gift the fundraising group described as transformative for the country's national parks. (more)

Two states become first in US to ban use of PFAS in firefighters' protective gear
23 August 2024 - Massachusetts and Connecticut are the first two states in the US to ban the use of toxic PFAS 'forever chemicals' in protective gear worn by firefighters. Turnout gear, including jackets, pants, boots, gloves, and other protective equipment that firefighters wear is treated heavily with PFAS that makes it resistant to water and heat, and helps the textiles breathe. But the protection comes at a steep cost. (more)

August's full moon will be a rare super blue moon: What to expect
15 August 2024 - August is offering ... the rare combination of a supermoon and blue moon. Beginning on August 19, the super blue moon will reach peak fullness at 2:26 p.m. ET [Eastern Time United States]. The super blue moon will appear full for three days, according to NASA. A supermoon coinciding with a blue moon is exceptionally rare, the space agency reports, with the next pairing happening in January and March 2037. (more)

---

Success of Maharishi's Programmes
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Tonight! 'MEDITATE AMERICA' Inaugural gala: Creating a healthier, more harmonious nation - Free Global Livestream
12 September 2024 - Tonight the David Lynch Foundation's Institute for Mental Health and Resilience launches 'MEDITATE AMERICA' at a benefit gala in New York City hosted by Hugh Jackman. The event is being live-streamed worldwide, inaugurating a global effort to promote collective healing and mental well-being through evidence-based Transcendental Meditation - and especially to combat the 'stress epidemic' in America. At the New York event, Mr. Jackman will interview Dr. Tony Nader, neuroscientist, global Transcendental Meditation expert, and New York Times bestselling author of Consciousness Is All There Is. Among many distinguished honorees, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy will receive the 'Enlightened Doctor of the Year Award', and international women's health activist Maria Shriver will receive the 'Enlightened Woman of the Year Award'. (more)

Maharishi International University offers extra fall entry for online undergraduate programmes: Apply by 15 September
6 September 2024 - In response to growing demand, Maharishi International University (MIU) in the USA is offering an extra entry this fall for its online undergraduate (bachelor's) programmes. This presents a remarkable opportunity, for those eager to embark on your journey of higher education and personal growth. For this new fall entry, applications must be submitted by 15 September. Classes will begin 30 September. MIU is the only university to incorporate Transcendental Meditation practice into its curriculum, providing a unique, transformative educational experience. It blends academics with Consciousness-Based principles to nurture personal development and expand career opportunities. (more)

International Group of Scientists Offers Proven Solution to Global Conflict
18 November 2023 - An Open Letter to the President of the United States and All World Leaders appeared on Friday, 3 November, as a full-page advertisement on page A9 of The Wall Street Journal. The Global Union of Scientists for Peace offered 'a proven technology for peace, security, and a swift resolution of conflict' in Ukraine, the Middle East, and elsewhere in the world. Dr. Tony Nader, Chairman, said this innovative solution would 'cost less than one day of war'. '[It] is based in the most fundamental value of life: consciousness. Research has found that small groups practicing the Transcendental Meditation and advanced TM-Sidhi program together create a coherence effect that significantly reduces violence, crime, and war. This technology of consciousness has been confirmed in 56 empirical studies, 28 of which have been published in peer-reviewed scholarly journals. From research over 40 years, we can say definitively: this solution works. ... It can be tried even while the fighting is still going on. Our world cannot afford to wait.' Dr. Nader invited 'well-wishers [to] now step forward to permanently establish these groups. I invite all angel philanthropists to immediately create permanent world peace.' (more)

US: 'Enlivening consciousness twice daily for inner mastery of life' - Webinar with Tony Nader, MD, PhD - Loyola Stritch School of Medicine, 19 January
18 January 2023 - Do you bargain with yourself about whether to meditate once or twice a day? In this webinar for health professionals, students and physicians at Loyola University in Chicago, Stritch School of Medicine will share their discovery that Transcendental Meditation practice twice a day provides exponential rewards for learning and life. Tony Nader, M.D., Ph.D., will reflect with them about their experiences. Dr Nader is an MIT- and Harvard-trained medical doctor, neuroscientist, and leading authority in the field of consciousness. He directs the nonprofit organizations that teach TM in over 100 countries. (more)

US: National TM Intro Webinars - January 15 and 18
12 January 2023 - In the coming week, the Transcendental Meditation programme in the USA is hosting two nationwide, live intro talk webinars on the TM technique. Whether you're interested in the TM technique for deep inner calm, personal growth, improved health, greater happiness, or anything else, a TM Intro Webinar is the best way to learn more about it. If you and your friends and colleagues have been been meaning to look into TM, join certified TM teachers Bob Roth and Raisa Martinez - a great opportunity for everyone. Admission is free, the main presentation will be followed by a Q and A. (more)

A 17-year landmark study finds that group meditation decreases US national stress
29 December 2022 - A study published this month in the World Journal of Social Science found that group practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi techniques by the square root of 1% of a population decreased multiple stress indicators in the U.S. The study is the longest and most comprehensive of 50 studies to demonstrate the Maharishi Effect, named in honour of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) programme and Maharishi International University (MIU). The paper concludes with a call to create a permanent 'square root of 1%' group for the whole world - 8,000 participants practising the TM and TM-Sidhi programme together in one place. The world is interconnected, no one is safe until everyone is safe, living in harmony. This is easily within reach of any government or the world's wealthiest citizens. The person who does it will be remembered as the greatest leader in history. (more)

Paul McCartney's unusual secret: Former Beatle's fitness routine, including Transcendental Meditation, plays a big role in health, vitality
1 August 2022 - There aren't too many octogenarians headlining high profile rock concerts but Sir Paul McCartney isn't your average 80-year-old. The rock legend recently took to the stage at Glastonbury (UK) Festival, one of the world's biggest contemporary music festivals, becoming the oldest solo act to headline the festival ... appearing energetic, full of stamina, and with the posture of much younger rockers. What's the secret to his vitality? While Sir Paul attributes much of his good health to his vegetarian diet, he also believes his workout routine, including cross-training and yoga, plays a big role - and Transcendental Meditation. (more)

Proposal to create peace in the world through ancient Vedic sciences: Yoga & Yagya: Live webcast 27 July
25 July 2022 - On 27 July, the Embassy of India in Zagreb, Croatia, and the Zagreb-based Ministry of Ayush of the Government of India will host a free live webcast by world experts in the field of consciousness, Yoga, Ayurveda, and Yagya. Presenting will be: Dr. Girish Momaya, Director of the International Maharishi AyurVeda Foundation, Netherlands and Director at Maharishi Ayurveda Europe BV; Dr. Lothar Pirc, Director and owner of Maharishi Ayurveda Health Centre Bad Ems and Director of the International Maharishi AyurVeda Foundation; and Dr. Jose Luis Alvarez Roset, Vice Chancellor UMLAC: Maharishi University of Latin America and the Caribbean. 'Ayush' is an acronym for traditional systems of heath care: Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy. (more)

US: High-risk Black adults benefit from Transcendental Meditation practice: Study published in American Journal of Cardiology
19 July 2022 - The latest NIH-sponsored study led by Robert Schneider, MD, FACC, and collaborators at the Medical College of Wisconsin was published recently in the American Journal of Preventive Cardiology. The study found that the Transcendental Meditation technique reduces risk for cardiovascular disease and potentially related co-morbidities, such as COVID, in Black adults with high normal blood pressure. Dr Schneider is Dean of the College of Integrative Medicine at Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa. (more)

Introducing Transcendental Meditation: Evidence-based holistic effects from an effortless process
13 July 2022 - The Transcendental Meditation technique is a simple, natural, effortless, scientifically verified practice with a broad body of holistic benefits to all diverse aspects of life, writes Janet Hoffman, Executive Director of TM for Women Professionals in the USA. TM 'allows the mind to settle down and transcend thinking while remaining restfully alert,' she explains. 'This restful alertness is a major fourth state of consciousness, unlike waking, dreaming, and sleeping.' Over 450 published peer-reviewed studies have shown the benefits - psychological, physiological, emotional, behavioural, and societal - of experiencing this state of Transcendental Consciousness. (more)

---

Flops
Short Summaries of Top Stories

Wildfires scorch Southern California hillsides, burning homes and injuring 13
11 September 2024 - Three major wildfires in Southern California expanded dramatically — burning homes, cars, and horse stables in hillside communities and injuring at least a dozen people, officials said Wednesday [11 September]. The extent of the damage was not immediately known as firefighters battled multiple fires simultaneously. ...California is only now heading into the teeth of the wildfire season but already has seen nearly three times as much acreage burn than during all of 2023. (more)

Heatwave across US west breaks records for highest temperatures
6 September 2024 - Millions of Americans from Phoenix to Los Angeles to Seattle are under heat alerts. Even before this latest bout of extreme weather, which began on Wednesday [4 September] and is expected to last through the weekend, summer 2024 was already considered the hottest summer on record. ...This summer was the hottest on record across the world. The Earth saw its hottest day in recorded history on 22 July, which broke a record set the previous day. (more)

Light pollution at night may increase risk of Alzheimer's, study finds
6 September 2024 - New research claims that exposure to outdoor light at night may increase the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease, especially in people under the age of 65. The researchers who conducted the study, funded by a National Institutes of Health grant and published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience on Friday [6 September], said they have found correlations between areas of the US with excessive exposure to artificial light at night and the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease. (more)

US oil company ran 1977 article predicting climate crisis could cause starvation
6 September 2024 - The corporate predecessor to America's largest refiner of oil, Marathon Petroleum, explained in a company periodical nearly 50 years ago that global temperature rise potentially linked to 'industrial expansion' could one day cause 'widespread starvation and other social and economic calamities'. (more)

Scientists tied to chemical industry plan to derail PFAS rule on drinking water
5 September 2024 - Scientists with financial ties to industry and histories of producing controversial research to derail chemical regulations are mobilizing to attack strict new federal drinking water limits for toxic PFAS, or 'forever chemicals', documents reviewed by the Guardian reveal. (more)

University funding from fossil fuels slowing switch to green energy - report
5 September 2024 - Fossil fuel companies' funding of universities' climate-focused efforts is delaying the green transition, according to the most extensive peer-reviewed study to date of the industry's influence on academia. ...'The academic integrity of higher education is at risk,' they write. (more)

Something's poisoning America's farms. Scientists fear 'forever' chemicals.
31 August 2024 - For decades, farmers across America have been encouraged by the federal government to spread municipal sewage on millions of acres of farmland as fertilizer. It was rich in nutrients, and it helped keep the sludge out of landfills. But a growing body of research shows that this black sludge, made from the sewage that flows from homes and factories, can contain heavy concentrations of chemicals thought to increase the risk of certain types of cancer and to cause birth defects and developmental delays in children. (more)

Marijuana is too strong now
30 August 2024 - A strange thing has happened on the path to marijuana legalization. Users across all ages and experience levels are noticing that a drug they once turned to for fun and relaxation now triggers existential dread and paranoia. (more)

Cannabis and hallucinogen use remain at 'historically high levels' among young and middle-age adults, survey finds
29 August 2024 - The use of cannabis and hallucinogens 'stayed at historically high levels' among both younger and middle-age adults in the US in 2023, according to the latest survey from Monitoring the Future, a study conducted by researchers at the University of Michigan since 1975 and funded by the National Institutes of Health. (more)

Microplastics are infiltrating brain tissue, studies show: 'There's nowhere left untouched'
21 August 2024 - A growing body of scientific evidence shows that microplastics are accumulating in critical human organs, including the brain, leading researchers to call for more urgent actions to rein in plastic pollution. Studies have detected tiny shards and specks of plastics in human lungs, placentas, reproductive organs, livers, kidneys, knee and elbow joints, blood vessels, and bone marrow. (more)