Miscellany0505

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May, 2005

Last Quarter - May 1
New Moon - May 8
First Quarter - May 16
Full Moon - May 23
Last Quarter - May 30

Jupiter is retrograde from February 1 through
June 5, 2005

June, 2005

New Moon - June 6
First Quarter - June 15
Full Moon - June 22
Last Quarter - June 28

Release Date: March 11, 2005
Rated: PG (for language, some peril and mild sensuality) Comedy, Science Fiction, Drama
Running Time: 98 minutes

Directed by : Danny Boyle
Screenwriter: Frank Cottrel Boyce
Produced by: Andrew Hauptman, Graham Broadbent, Damian Jones

Stars: Alex Etel, Daisy Donovan, James Nesbitt, Lewis McGibbon

If a large parcel filled with bundles of money fell in front you, seemingly out of the blue, what would you do? This is what happened to a sweet little boy and the film, Millions takes us on a delightful, spiritual journey about this dilemma.

I found it interesting that the money was discovered just as a mass conversion was about to take place in England to convert pounds into the new Euro. The scenes of the transition to the new money from bank to bank seemed to work very smoothly, reminding me of a similar conversion about to take place in the U.S. in very near future.

During the film, we explore what money actually means to different people, adults and children alike and how these belief systems play out in their lives. We also learn about the contrasting qualities of greed and of giving freely and what happens in such situations. The little boy who has attracted this money truly believes in miracles and God and we get the opportunity to tune in to his personal visits and conversations with saints.

The topic of money seems to brings up a wide range of emotional responses, depending on religious and other belief systems. It is mainly because of the way money has been used to manipulated and control over the years, rather than the money itself. When we recognize money as only a symbol of the energy we have attracted in our lives and that it is our birthright to be prosperous and abundant, then our view towards money would change completely. We will then want to learn how to attract more of this energy into our lives.

I suggest everyone see the magical film, Millions (it's still playing at select theaters), it's suitable for the whole family.

Dying To Be Thin: Juvenile Obesity And Diet Sweeteners
By Dr. Janet Starr Hull

“Why are we so fat? We enjoy one of the most luxurious lifestyles on Earth: Our food is plentiful. Our work is automated. Our leisure is effortless. And it’s killing us.”

Becoming overweight doesn’t happen overnight. Day by day and week by week, we eat or drink a little more than our bodies can use for daily energy, growth and physical activity. No matter what the food or beverage is—sugar-free, fat-free or not—the unnecessary calories get stored as fat. Over time, the stored fat accumulates and your weight increases. More energy is coming in than going out.

The question to ask: Do diet sweeteners really help you lose weight, or do you eat more and gain weight in the long run? Obesity among children is a result of overeating the chemical foods that falsely promise no penalty of weight gain. And adults are promoting these bad eating habits onto our children.

According to researchers, there is no clear-cut evidence that sugar substitutes help people lose weight. These days, more and more data suggests that these chemical sweeteners may actually stimulate appetite. Aspartame has been on the market for over twenty years, so most of the information in this paper refers to weight gain in relation to products made with aspartame. It is too early to know how these patterns will repeat with sucralose (Splenda®).

Yes, because they trick your body and don’t feed it what it needs. You stay hungry, so you eat more. Chemical diets are unnatural, and when the body is hungry, it wants to be fed—not chemicals, but whole foods with natural vitamins and nutrients to fuel it. Fake foods are what I refer to as “prosthetic food” because a prosthesis looks like the real thing, such as a false tooth, but there is nothing inside of it—it’s not real. So it is with fake foods. They may look like real food and taste like real food, but there is nothing inside for the body to feed from.

Listen To Your Elders: Miriam is my mom. A Rhodes scholar, Miriam is a sharp 81-year-old woman. She was raised during the American Depression of the 1920s, grew up in a small town outside Atlanta, Georgia and lived through the sugar rations of World War II. She became a gourmet cook in her married life, always eating fresh foods and serving the family gourmet, homemade dishes every day. Now a widow, Mom sold her home and moved into an assisted living center after Daddy died. The “institutional” food is unsatisfying to what she was used to eating all her life, and she has had a difficult time enjoying her meals. Plus, a petite woman, she has gained weight (while eating less) for the first time in her life as a result of the processed flours and sugars, and canned and frozen meals.

Miriam tells the story of how her assisted living center always serves ice cream or frozen sherbet after each meal, and she usually chooses the ice cream cup. One night, the kitchen ran out of ice cream and served everyone frozen sherbet—sugar-free sherbet. They didn’t tell the residents it was sugar-free, but Mom knew immediately. “I knew it was diet because it didn’t taste like real sherbet, but what made the biggest impression on me was after I finished eating it, I wasn’t satisfied. I felt as if I had not eaten a cupful of sherbet at all, and I could have eaten another one just to feel satisfied. That’s the problem with these diet products these days—they don’t do anything for you—so you want to eat more just to feel full.”

Are you hungry all the time? Science Shows Diet Sweeteners Increase Hunger: Most people agree with Miriam: they don’t feel satisfied after eating a sugar-free snack or meal. Many scientific studies show the physical reasons why you don’t feel full.

Aspartame has been shown in laboratory studies to create changes in insulin levels called a "cephalic phase insulin response.” A cephalic response is a digestive reaction triggered in the brain by the taste, smell, sight or thought of any food. Your whole digestive system, from your mouth to your colon, can be affected by these messages. Changes in cephalic phase responses such as salivation, gastric acid production and liver metabolism, for example, can alter normal appetite.

Michael G. Tordoff, Department of Neurobiology, Physiology and Behavior, University of California at Davis,published findings where aspartame in chewing gum increased hunger due to oral stimulation of the added chemicals. His study also showed a gender-related sweetness response, which explains why certain people feel "ravenous" after consuming aspartame-containing products, while others do not.

A sweet taste triggers your brain to expect calories and carbohydrates (incoming sugar). When you fake out your body, and nutrients aren’t delivered, the body activates a “hunger response,” which creates a constant need for food.

Besides affecting insulin, serotonin and your body’s hunger response, chemical sweeteners also increase cravings in yet another way by further altering your blood sugar. This can be dangerous to people with diabetes or epilepsy and can cause fluid retention, giving the body a puffy and bloated appearance, and it increases cellulite, too.

Another study by Tordoff and Friedman has shown that test animals have the urge to eat more food after ingesting artificial sweeteners, lasting up to ninety minutes. They documented that when blood levels for insulin production were normal (high levels of insulin are believed to be the cause of hunger), the animals fed chemical sweeteners consumed more food than the ones who did not eat artificial sweeteners.1

Science continues to support appetite stimulation: in human aspartame studies, scientists have duplicated this urge to overeat. Blundel and Hill documented that “most artificial sweeteners enhance appetite and increase short-term food intake.” They reported: "After ingestion of aspartame, the volunteers were left with a residual hunger compared to what they reported after eating glucose (sugar). This lingering hunger leads to increased food consumption."2

This proves the brain retains the urge to eat when the taste buds are stimulated without “real” nutrients having actually entered the body.

Because aspartame is a neuro-excitotoxin (a chemical that over-stimulates brain cells), the brain gets “wound up” and this triggers a false appetite. This may or may not change the taste of your food, but you become over-stimulated and tend to eat more at each meal and binge-snack because you are hungry all the time.

Those extra calories you save with that diet cola won't make much difference if you eat chocolate chip cookies three hours later because you’re hungry. If constantly using diet sweeteners is actually increasing your appetite, why use them? Common sense tells me that proper diet and exercise are more beneficial in losing body fat and maintaining your weight. Even if you believe that artificial sweeteners help your dieting, is this worth risking your health?

“I have been a medical doctor for twenty-three years and have clinical and research interests in the liver and metabolism. I have been consulted by thousands of patients with weight problems, hormonal imbalances, fatty liver, sluggish metabolism and chronic ill health. In the interests of public health, I am making a position statement concerning the use of the artificial sweetener aspartame sold most commonly under the names of NutraSweet® and Equal®.

“One must ask, ‘Why do millions of people ingest a toxic chemical like aspartame everyday?’ To me it appears ridiculous and I believe that it is because people have been brainwashed into thinking aspartame will keep their weight down and is good for health. It also shows me that we have lost touch with our own natural senses and instincts.

“After having been consulted by thousands of overweight people suffering with problems concerning the liver and/or metabolism, I can assure you that aspartame will not help you in any way, indeed it will help you to gain unwanted weight. This has been my experience, and there are logical reasons to explain the fattening and bloating effects of aspartame.”

According to Dr. Cabot, when you ingest aspartame, the liver cells have less energy for fat burning and metabolism, which results in fat storing. Excess fat may build up inside the liver cells causing "fatty liver” and making it extremely difficult to lose weight.

Professor Terry Davidson and associate professor Susan Swithers, researchers in the Department of Psychological Sciences at the Ingestive Research Center at Purdue University USA, studied how artificial sweeteners disrupt the body’s ability to naturally count calories. Based on their research, Davidson and Swithers proved that switching to diet drinks is not a solution to fight obesity.

Davidson and Swithers found that artificial sweeteners disrupt the body’s natural ability to count calories based on the foods’ sweetness.3 They determined that the body naturally uses food characteristics of sweetness and food texture to gauge when it is full. The body uses this information to determine how much food is required to meet its caloric needs.

“Incidence of overweight and obesity has increased over the past twenty-five years with the increase in the consumption of artificially sweetened foods,” stated Swithers. “Our hypothesis is that experience with these foods interferes with the natural ability of the body to use sweet tastes and texture to gauge caloric content of foods and beverages. When you substitute artificial sweeteners for real sugar, however, the body learns it can no longer use its sense of taste to gauge calories. So, the body may be fooled into thinking a product sweetened with sugar has no calories and, therefore, people overeat.”4

Hunger May Simply Be Thirst—For Water, Not Diet Sodas

Drinking water—not diet colas—can often satisfy that hunger according to Dr. F. Batmanghelidj, M.D. In his book Your Body’s Many Cries for Water, he writes, “Many persons confuse their thirst as hunger. Thinking they have consumed enough ‘water’ that is in their soda, they assume they are hungry and begin to eat more than their body needs for food. In due time, dehydration will cause a gradual gain in weight from overeating as a direct result of confusion of thirst and hunger sensations.”

“It is primitive and simplistic thinking that one could easily lace water with all sorts of pleasure-enhancing chemicals and substitute these fluids for the natural and clean water that the human body needs. Some of these chemicals, caffeine, aspartame, saccharin and alcohol, through their constant lopsided effect on the brain … [program] the body chemistry with results opposite to the body’s natural design.”

Ellington Darden, PhD, states in his book, A Flat Stomach ASAP, that super hydration, sipping large amounts of water each day, is an important dietary guideline to keep your hunger under control.

So, the next time you think you want a “sugar-free snack,” sip on a glass of water—not a diet cola—and see if your hunger goes away!

Modern consumers have been misinformed about what carbs really are, and typically eat the wrong types of carbohydrates while avoiding the right ones. So, what ARE the right carbohydrates, anyway?

Complex carbs: “The Good Guys”—made in nature, disaccharides and polysaccharides (natural sugars). Complex carbs are found in vegetables, greens and fruits.

Simple carbs: “The Bad Guys”—manmade, monosaccharide (simple sugars and artificial sweeteners). Simple carbs are found in potatoes, corn, refined grains and grain products, refined pasta, processed foods, baked goods, refined sugar and artificial sweeteners.

What do carbohydrates have to do with weight gain and artificial sweeteners? Just about everything! Complex carbs (natural sugars) are bulky and do not pass through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. This means little or no weight gain or increase in body fat if food portions are regulated. That’s why you need to eat your greens, like Mother told you to!

Simple carbs (manmade and artificial sugars) pass through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream. This means weight gain, increased fat and elevated blood sugar that can lead to diabetes. We all should eat fruit and cheese for dessert like our Europeans ancestors used to do, instead of eating our modern sugary treats.

Carbohydrates are the most abundant source of energy found in nature. They are products of plant photosynthesis, which provide the plant’s fuel for life in the form of sugar. We are eating the plant’s energy, which in turn becomes our own energy. When we eat the right kind of carbs, we are providing our bodies with fuel so we can perform daily activities from thinking to walking up a flight of stairs. If you are eating a balanced diet with reasonably sized portions, complex carbohydrates should not cause weight gain. But these days we are victims of the “fear of carbs and sugar” fad, and the artificial sweetener manufacturers are taking advantage of this with a marketing frenzy.

Perhaps, the manufacturers of NutraSweet/Equal® and Splenda are overly optimistic to assume the chemicals implanted in their fake sugar molecules absolutely cannot penetrate the intestinal wall into your bloodstream. Scientists have already proven aspartame does transport throughout your blood and into your brain, resulting in weight gain and increased body fat.

Does Sucralose Cause Weight Gain, Too? It’s too soon to prove sucralose will cause the same weight gain reaction as aspartame, but sucralose is a simple carb made with chlorine that passes through your liver, just like all foods, and the digestion process begins. As with methanol in aspartame, I have already mentioned that the liver cells have less energy for fat burning and body metabolism when toxic chemicals, such as aspartame, come into the liver. This results in fat storing.

The manufacturers of Splenda claim sucralose passes through the body unabsorbed. They also claim sucralose doesn't react with the body’s natural processes, and is not broken down at all. But, I do not agree that sucralose passes through the body as an unabsorbed simple carb – there are no guarantees.

With today’s weight-conscious society, fewer calories with every meal seem to be the logical answer. But a closer look in the mirror may prove recent statistics are correct: diet sweeteners, while appearing to decrease calories, do not control your weight over a long period of time.

Hats off to Cascadian Farms®, an organic food company that produces whole grain, naturally “low-carb” products. Their Honey Nut O’s® cereal is an example of what real food should be compared to the “more” popular brand found in mainstream markets, especially for growing children. There are no artificial sugars, no hydrogenized fats or oils, no processed grains or unnatural preservatives.

This product is sweetened with naturally milled organic sugar, organic honey, organic molasses, and organic oat flour, barley flour, and organic ground almonds. The only “preservative” in this cereal is vitamin E, added for freshness.

With natural food products such as this, there is no need to sprinkle on sugar or an artificial sweetener because it already tastes sweet in its original state. This proves to me that most over-processed foods have little taste, so they require artificial chemicals such as sweeteners to restore their original flavor.

The percentage of overweight children has tripled in the past two decades, and the percentage of obese adults has doubled. Even when we factor in bad health habits and poor lifestyle choices, we must acknowledge this weight gain coincides with the introduction of NutraSweet twenty years ago. Coincidence? I don’t believe in coincidence, and I strongly believe that it is time to accept reality that aspartame use and weight gain are directly related.Over twenty years ago, independent researchers warned us that aspartame would cause weight gain—and look at us now.

A prediction come true: Twenty years ago, Dr. Russell Blaylock predicted that excess phenylalanine in the brain from aspartame will block normal production of serotonin to the point of weight gain due to an increase craving for carbohydrates and sugar. The result: epidemic weight gain.

Obesity is increasing worldwide and is set to become the world's biggest health problem. Recent reports suggest that it may soon overtake cigarette smoking as a serious health risk. Nearly two-thirds of adults in the United States are overweight, and 30.5 percent are obese, according to data from the 1999-2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).5 In the UK, nearly two-thirds of men and over half of all women are now overweight—and one in five are obese. At this rate, by 2010 at least one in four adults will be obese. According to data compiled by the International Obesity Task Force (IOTF), England and Scotland have some of the highest levels of obesity in Europe.

The worldwide increase is also spreading to areas of developing countries where there is recent access to the Westernized over-processed diet and technology.

Obesity poses serious health risks such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer and high blood pressure, to name a few. All of these chronic diseases can be positively altered through proper dietary changes of whole foods without fake sugars or fake fats, so take heart.

Portions DO Matter: The size of your meals DOES matter. Modern consumers, especially children, have no idea how to eat normally. The average consumer eats almost twice the portions of food as twenty years ago. The marketing of artificial sweeteners has been a huge contributing factor to a change in the way people look at their meals. Jean Weininger from the San Francisco Chronicle, USA, writes, "Studies have shown that people who use artificial sweeteners don't necessarily reduce their consumption of sugar—or their total calorie intake. Having a diet soda makes it okay to eat a double cheeseburger and a chocolate mousse pie.”

Instead of loading up on diet products, try cutting your portions of real food in half. Dr. Kristine Clark, RD, director of sports nutrition, Pennsylvania State University suggests: “Eat what you want, but eat half. Leave food on your plate—there is no such thing as a ‘Clean Plate Club!’” She emphasizes more physical activity on a daily basis along with modifying the portions of your foods and beverages. “This should break the cycle of weight gain,” she says.

Super-Size It! A single twenty-ounce bottle of soda is actually 2 1/2 servings. In America, muffins are the size of small cakes. “Care for a large order of French fries? It’s just a few cents more to super-size that order.” That's a third of the total calories you should eat in one day! But do people resist the fries? Not usually. They order a large diet cola to justify the difference.

According to a new study by the American Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, women are eating 300 more calories a day and men 168 more calories than twenty years ago. As any nutritionist will tell you, all it takes is one hundred extra calories a day to gain ten pounds a year. To work off those one hundred calories, you must walk twenty-five minutes every day.

In Sting’s first book, “Broken Music,” he writes about the first time he came to New York City. On a limited budget, he ordered a salad thinking this would be mere rabbit food, yet it was all he could afford. When the salad arrived at his table he was amazed at how large the portion was, and commented in his book that one of the first impressions he had about America was how much food we ate and how much larger the portions were compared to Europeans’.

Many experts feel Americans and the British overeat because much of the food that makes up their modern diet is inexpensive, dense with the taste of “fat” calories, and highly processed, so again, the food isn't satisfying, so we eat more to try to feel full.

Accurately estimating food portions can be difficult if you are dieting or hungry. This chart makes measuring simple and helps you estimate your portions correctly.

If you were on a budget and taking the kids out for a quick bite after a long day at work, which fast-food restaurant would you choose?

Restaurant A represents the common take-out meal in 1954. Total caloric intake was 491 calories (including the cola), and no neurotoxins or carcinogens were in the drink.
Restaurant B is the typical carryout in 2004. Super-size it for a total of 1,000 calories (cola included), and people seem to justify the larger portions by drinking “diet.”

"Super-sizing is a public health issue of the highest priority," said Harvard University's Dr. George Blackburn, a professor of nutrition and surgery. Super-sizing has become so controversial these days, McDonald's, the corporation that popularized the ‘super-size’ concept, announced it was discontinuing its 42-ounce ‘super-size’ soda as well as its seven-ounce ‘super-size’ order of fries at all 13,000 U.S. stores as part of a "healthy lifestyle initiative.”

What Are We Teaching Our Younger Generation? Some of the most disturbing weight statistics are on children. Results from the 1999-2000 NHANES Survey, using measured heights and weights, indicate that an estimated fifteen percent of children and adolescents aged six to nineteen years are overweight. This represents a four percent increase from the overweight estimates of eleven percent obtained from NHANES III from 1988 to 1994.

As I’ve mentioned, this is nearly a three-fold jump since NutraSweet came on the market. No one can say with certainty whether one cause of childhood obesity outweighs another, but considerable blame can be placed on the fact that kids don't get enough proper nutrition and are consuming more and more diet products daily.

School Vending Machines: Ditch the Fizz! Children are encouraged to consume junk food at schools where the extensive influences of fast food and soft-drink companies are prominent. The wrong influences govern the types of food and drinks that are sold in schools.

There is a growing movement against soft drinks in public and private schools. School programs discouraging the sale of carbonated drinks appear to reduce obesity among children. A British study in London showed that reducing young students' intake of sweetened carbonated beverages reduced obesity among the students. A one-year ''ditch the fizz'' campaign discouraged both sweetened and diet soft drinks among elementary school children. The results showed a decrease in the percentage of children who were overweight or obese. The improvement occurred after a mere reduction of less than a can of soda a day. According to the study, a high intake of carbonated drinks contributed to childhood obesity.Apparently, such programs are working.

Of course, representatives of the soft drink industry contest these results, claiming carbonated drinks provide only a fraction of children's daily calories, and that they should not be blamed for the childhood obesity epidemic.

However, independent experts say otherwise: in Florida, USA, the Governor's Task Force on Obesity stopped short of admitting soda machines can make kids fat. They suggested a variety of remedies to the state's obesity epidemic—less TV, more exercise in schools—but did not recommend the removal of soda or snack machines from pubic campuses. “The machines often offer milk and other alternatives to carbonated drinks,” they stated.

Here’s a good example of how the soft drink industry markets to children: COCA-COLA ANNOUNCES COCA-COLA ZERO®.Coca-Cola North America has introduced Coca-Cola Zero, a new zero-calorie cola to be on the grocery shelves in the United States beginning June 2005 and they actually admit targeting children by stating:

"Coca-Cola Zero is exactly what young adults told us they wanted - real Coca-Cola taste, zero calories and a new brand they can call their own," said Dan Dillon, vice president, Diet Portfolio, Coca-Cola North America. "Young people today do not want to compromise on flavor or calories and we think Coca-Cola Zero's taste and personality will appeal to them."

School vending machines raise considerable cash, funds that many high schools use to support athletic and other extra-curricular activities. Most school principals support the idea of choice and don't want to eliminate the “cash cow” of colas.

Most US state laws protect the sale of carbonated beverages on campuses if fruit juice is also sold. But many districts around the country are trying to get control of the situation in an effort to improve their students’ nutrition. In Broward County, Florida, the school board's policy permits vending machine sales for only one hour following the close of the last lunch period.

A British report studied 644 children, ages seven to eleven, in six primary schools in Christchurch, England during the 2001-2002 school year. One-half of the classes participated in a program discouraging both regular and diet sodas, stressing the benefits of a healthy diet, while the other half did not.

Consumption of soft drinks dropped by 0.6 glasses a day among the children in the study, but increased by 0.2 glasses a day among the children who did not participate in the program.

the group that did not participate in the program, and dipped by 0.2 percent among those who did.6

Do people use artificial sweeteners in foods and beverages for reasons other than dieting? Statistics show that seventy-three percent of low-calorie product consumers are not on a diet. For these people, "calorie consciousness" does not mean a commitment to weight control or weight loss. Instead, these "non-dieters" have the impression diet products are part of a healthy lifestyle. Who gave them that impression? Marketers!

Marketers promote to the public the importance of artificial sweeteners and diet products using the following myths:

Myth #1: Artificial sweeteners offer a way to control calories. Diet products have made "calorie juggling" a popular method for maintaining weight.

Myth #2: As part of a sensible weight-control program, artificial sweeteners can help consumers reduce calories to help them lose weight.

Myth #3: Artificial sweeteners and diet products provide weight-conscious people with a greater variety of food and beverage choices.

Myth #4: The ultimate success of any weight-loss program depends on the particular product—not on the responsibility of the individual.

Myth #5: Human and animal evidence supports complete artificial sweetener safety.

Myth #6: The majority of health professionals push diet products as beneficial for weight control and diabetes.

* In restaurants, share entrees or ask the waiter to put half the entree in a doggie bag before you even touch it.

* Order lunch-sized portions. Many restaurants serve 4 to 6 ounces of meat at lunch, compared with 8 to 10 ounces at dinner.

* Instead of drinking soda (regular or diet), drink water (add a squirt of lemon or lime for flavor).

* Buy smaller packages of candy, popcorn and snacks, or better yet seek out healthy alternatives like raw vegetables, nuts and seeds, fruit, cheese and hardboiled eggs.

* As you gradually reduce fake foods and artificial sweeteners in your daily meals, replacing them with whole, nutritious foods, your body will feel satisfied. It is only when you give your body plenty of the real food nutrients it needs and maintain a healthy level of activity that you will be able to eat until you feel full without gaining weight and without feeling hungry.

Don’t be discouraged. You can change your lifestyle, not with trendy chemical diets, but with the tried and true methods (whole, natural foods and moderate exercise) our bodies recognize and celebrate. Ditch the fizz and see how your body responds with vibrant health.

Teff, K.L., Devine, J., and Engelman, K.,Sweet taste: effect on cephalic phase insulin release in men, Physiol Behavior 57: 1089-95, 1995.

Blundell, J.E., and Hill, A.J. Paradoxical effects of an intense sweetener (aspartame) on appetite. Lancet: 1092-1093, 1986.

Davidson, T, and Swithers, S. A Pavlovian Approach to the Problem of Obesity. International Journal of Obesity. July, 2004.

Neubert-Patterson, A. Study: Artificial sweetener may disrupt body’s ability to count calories. June 29, 2004.

American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on School Health. Soft drinks in schools, Pediatrics 2004;113: 152-154.

Van Wymelbeke V, Beridot-Therond ME, de La Gueronniere V, Fantino M., Eur J Clin Nutr., Jan; 58(1):154-61, 2004, “Influence of repeated consumption of beverages containing sucrose or intense sweeteners on food intake”, National Library of Medicine

“Portions Matter Nutrition Tips for Optimal Health”, Dr. Kristine Clark, RD Director of Sports Nutrition, Pennsylvania State University.

Barbara Rippel, “How Food Standards Are Approved”, Consumers' Research Magazine, Consumer Alert Column, April 2001.

Rolls BJ. Effects of intense sweeteners on hunger, food intake, and body weight: a review. Am J Clin Nutr. 1991 Apr; 53 (4):872-8.

SWEET CHOICES: Questions & Answers about Sweeteners in Low-Calorie Foods and Beverages,

THE OBESITY CRISIS: Perils of portion distortion. Why Americans don't know when enough is enough. Kim Severson, San Francisco Chronicle, March 2, 2004.

Teff, K.L., Devine, J., and Engelman, K., Sweet taste: effect on cephalic phase insulin release in men, Physiol Behavior 57: 1089-95, 1995.

BMJ USA: Editorial, “School soft drink intervention study. Too good to be true?” BMJ 2004;329:E315-E316 (14 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7462.E315 http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/collection/obesity

Caballero B, Clay T, Davis SM, Ethelbah, B, et al., Pathways: a school-based, randomized controlled trial for the prevention of obesity in American Indian schoolchildren, Am J Clin Nutr 2003;78: 1030-1038.

Luepker RV, Perry CL, McKinlay SM, Nader PR, et al., Outcomes of a field trial to improve children's dietary patterns and physical activity. The Child and Adolescent Trial for Cardiovascular Health. CATCH collaborative group. JAMA 1996;275: 768-776.

Rockett HR, Colditz GA., Assessing diets of children and adolescents., Am J Clin Nutr 1997;65(4 suppl): 1116s-1122s.

Murray DM., Design and analysis of group-randomized trials. New York: Oxford University Press, 1998.

American Academy of Pediatrics Committee on School Health. Soft drinks in schools, Pediatrics 2004;113: 152-154.

[Editor's Note: This article was reprinted with permission from Dr. Hull. She also has a newsletter that contains interesting information to stay abreast of important health issues. She encourages us to send her our health questions and includes a section on the latest government recalls we should know about. Sign up for Dr. Janet Starr Hull's Health Newsletter at: http://www.janethull.com Dr. Janet Hull was interviewed as a guest on The Isle Of Light radio talk show on the very important topic, "Aspartame - Sweetener or Poison?"

For those of you who want serious information about the Hollow Earth (it is still considered a theory), I strongly suggest reading great books such as the classic, The Smokey God by Willis George Emerson, The Hollow Earth by Raymond Bernard Ph.D., T E L O S and Messages From the Hollow Earth by Dianne Robbins, and checking out web sites such as http://www.hollowplanets.com and http://www.onelight.com. Free, weekly updates by Sheldan Nidle for the Spiritual Hierarchy and the Galactic Federation can by found at The Planetary Activation Organization and from time to time there will be information about the Inner Earth. Beautiful Inner Earth maps and an intriguing lecture about this topic on CD by Dhyana Markley is in the catalog section of The Isle Of Light website. Also, I wrote an article a couple of years ago called "Dhyana Markley Speaks About the Inner Earth", which can be found on the Planetary Activation Organization web site.

Eric Karagounis, author and channeler, was interviewed on The Isle Of Light Internet radio talk show where he channeled Mikos, from the Library of Porthologos in Catheria, Inner Earth. This show is being aired continuously throughout the year. Please check the radio schedule on this website for airing times, or go to http://www.live365.com/stations/avalon22 and click on "Broadcast Schedule".

"T E L O S" Telepathic Communication from Earth's Interior
by Dianne Robbins

The Mighty Atlantic carries the life force from the Inner Oceans to your shores. As you inhale its force, you bring energy to your body and to the Earth. This is the great force of life; its waves ever lapping your shores.

In Telos, we use this same energy from the Inner Earth Oceans, which flow through the Earth and into our streams and lakes and caverns underground. We harness this energy, and use it to operate our machinery and create our atmosphere underground. All our technology is operated naturally, with no residue of pollution or waste. Therefore, our air is always perfectly clear, and clean to breathe. We don’t use air filters (purifiers) in our homes, as you on the surface do. We once had openings to the surface bringing in some of our air supply, but the air coming in was getting increasingly polluted, so we shut this system down. We now produce all our own clean air, not depending on the surface openings anymore. We travel to the Inner Earth and enjoy its oceans and mountains. It’s just a short trip for us, taking under an hour through the tunnels. The Inner Earth is a free zone territory where many different Beings congregate. It is luxurious and peaceful, and one of my favorite vacation spots. Adama goes there often on business to take part in Great Council meetings concerning the welfare of Earth.

We have vast reservoirs of water at our disposal from underground lakes. We pipe this water into any location we choose. We have lakes everywhere possible in Telos. We have small lakes and ponds with fresh running waterfalls dotting the landscape. Waterfalls keep the air circulating.

Know that we don’t erect dams. We use the water as it pours in, and there is a control mechanism that controls the amount of flow according to our needs. The sizes vary, depending upon the area and its usage.

[Editor's Note: This excerpt was reprinted with permission from Dianne Robbins, who channels Adama, Mikos and others from the subterranean city of Telos as well as from the Inner Earth. She is the author of the best-selling, T E L O S (also available as an E-book) and has a new book called, Messages From the Hollow Earth. Dianne also channels the Cetaceans and is the author of The Call Goes Out - Messages from the Earth's Cetaceans. More information about these books can be found at http://www.DianneRobbins.com. She can be reached by email at: telos@rochester.rr.com.]

The Hollow Earth is a 'very big thing' which is to be kept 'very small' for many years yet to come.

It is difficult, indeed impossible for many people to accept that civilization, true civilization begins beneath the surface; and the surface reality for all its self involvement is but a blip on the immense screen of the cosmic historic timeline. Guardians of the knowledge of the Hollow Earth wish only to introduce it to those who claim the sacred truth behind it. For those who know the earth is full of many tunnels leading into vast caverns of great wealth, free from death, in the present Earth field, a sacred temperament is necessary - indeed overwhelming in its capacity to choose out who will survive. This survival of will is a mandate that many hearts seek. It is the accentuated capacity of spirit to make the journey into the Hollow Earth domain, into the field of resurrection to the eternal realm of self knowledge which lays hidden 'there' from surface dwelling consciousness.

The initiation into this hidden place is so powerful that it actually changes the cellular makeup of the individual seeker. What was once suspicious and fearful to the heart, becomes trusting and heart strong.

To take up this journey takes absolute will - total dedication to the task. Just by claiming this path, making the oath of desire, doors open quickly. Be aware that you are walking into a world that is dangerous except to the deeply dedicated, fixed upon the goal of being 'one' inside the sacred domain of the Hollow Earth.

To many yet without knowledge, this path may beget a sense of causal dogma, a sense of insured enslavement. For those who seek the light energy in the Inner Earth, this is to become a state of exalted transformation, a universal turning back to the hidden self, the Royal will.

We surface dwellers are of a specious society which is meant to be kept above the ground for reasons that would most probably distress many people had they true knowledge of their existence and as to the 'why' they are here.

We make up a highly individualized compartmentalized society, which is reaching its next peak of maturation. Yet, a sense of uselessness, of willful delusion is every present. That which was once perceived as easily harmonious is more and more difficult to ascertain. The answer to this, will come in complete surface global devastation. All systems will close down, and surface humanity will be given an ultimatum to grow together, or to continue to destroy what is left. For those who immerse themselves in the journey into the Hollow Earth, this surface stage acting out the experience of human degeneration, will be avoided. There is a keen choice before all in the unfolding Holy drama.

The Hollow Earth Circle seeks to help individuals in their capacity to enter the light consciousness of the Hollow Earth. The ability to enter the state of the blissful relationship with those Guardians in the Inner Earth has been deeply experienced by many on this path. This power is given to those who seek it out with a willful heart.

"true poise of presence initiates the awakening of the light of the Central Sun by contact with the Solar Gates at the energy core of the Hollow Earth"

I do not want curiosity seekers, who come for a novel experience. There is a phrase that has been used down through the ages for such people. "Do not cast the Pearl before the swine". The swine comes across a precious jewel on the trail and does not recognize it value. It is unfortunate for humans that most fall into the swine category! Please do not be offended by my remark! Every soul is at a different level of understanding and appreciation. There are those who have the maturity to realize the value of such a jewel, all others want to rush out to watch the latest Tom Cruz movie.

Be assured this is not an easy process. It is far from it! Though the technique is easy to understand and apply, it is the practice over time that is difficult.

From the moment of our birth, we become externally focused into the material world. The world demands and commands we focus our attention on it. Exhausted at the end of the day, we fall into our beds to sleep. If we remember our dreams, they for the most part mirror our daily lives. Not only are we consciously, burdened, by our waking life, in sleep we are burdened as well.

The objective is to set aside time which is dedicated to your inner being. With time and discipline, you will build a stronger internal focus. The more intense your inner focus, the more intense the experience. A strong commitment, coupled with desire will carry you far. How far will be determined by you?

I usually practice the Light technique at 4 AM in the morning. At this time the mind tends to be quieter. As I become acquainted with the Inner landscape and focus more attention into it, I am able to recognize more detail. When sufficiently centered within the inner vista, I am able to notice the incredible matrix structure of the mind. I notice clusters of light particles which I recognize as family memories. The grouping of these clusters and the individual photon like particles have a variety of different colors. A way to explain the light associated with the cluster of photon particle is to imagine having an experience at an amusement park. From experience we all know such places are quite colorful. The colors of the photon clusters matches the color at the amusement park. So it is for all of our experiences. Within our minds our memories are actually colored by the light available at each and every experience we have. We even pattern what we imagine from the actual environment of our experiences, though what we imagine is not rooted in personal reality.

What holds these clusters together are the emotion at the time of the experience, be them positive or not.

Continuing with the practice I focus on an imaginary point directly in the center of my field of view. Gradually golden light begins to form around this point. The objective here is not to allow the mind to jump in and analyze the light. When this occurs the light begins to fade. Quickly return your focus back to the center, the light will again form at the focal point. Keeping the attention fixed until a Do-Nut shape sphere forms and then continuing to gaze inward at the same point. At this juncture lessen the pressure on each of your eyes proportionally and ever so lightly.

You will notice the light changing from a golden glow to a bright white. The white light may fill your entire field of view and you may notice feeling warmer. Eventually the light will fade, but you continue to keep your focus at the center. Once the golden light returns and again forms the sphere shape, relax the pressure on the eyes as before. Again the white light will again appear. Over time you may reach a point where the light is so white and the associated warmth so intense the you may feel discomfort. Do not worry! This is a natural reaction within the body, brought on by the release of the intense light energy.

There will be times when you will feel very little interest in doing the Light procedure. Doing the procedure with a lack luster effort will still have value. Even though you don't feel like doing the work required, you will be communicating to your mind that you are the "Boss". You are disciplining the mind to be responsive to your commands, It is far better for you to control the mind that for it to control you. You must come to realize, appreciate and understand the power of your consciousness and its ability to evaluate and make decisions. The inner realm of the mind is like a hall of mirrors. It will reflect back to you exactly what you know or imagine reality to be. One mans reality is not another's! There are literally billions of individual realities. Will any of these human realities provide you with the immortality that we hunger for? Not one of them!

My advice, is to devote yourself to that which will provide you the jewel of immortality. Begin now to build the bridge between your daily life and that of the Creator of Life.

Mr Schuck has studied and practiced meditation for over 25 years. You are welcome to read additional articles by Mr Schuck at http://www.theboomerslife.com

S: Matthew dear, hello! I was way too optimistic about how soon I could get back here for a long sitting. So, before we start on the list, is there anything you’d like to say?

MATTHEW: Dear soul, hello yourself and yes, thank you for asking. I’d like to start with something that amused you and I find delightful. You recently heard from three people who have been reading my messages but aren’t familiar with the books, so only after going to the Web site did they realize that you’re really my mother. I’m mentioning this to clarify our relationship for any others who also may be thinking that “Mother” is just my term of endearment for you.

Now then, I shall continue by replying to the first question on your list that I see from your notes several writers have asked in various ways, “What’s with Pope Benedict XVI?”

Joseph Ratzinger himself said that his reign as Pope will be short, and so it will insofar as “papal infallibility.” I shall return to that. As primary assistant to his predecessor, he knows what the Illuminati within the Vatican did to keep intact the persona of the beloved Pope John Paul while derailing his intent to bring forth the truth of the Roman Catholic hierarchy. So do not expect Pope Benedict to make waves until there is either sufficient light within the Illuminati members or they have been removed from their influential positions. But also, please do not hold Ratzinger’s personal or religious history against him—the former was beyond his control as a youth in Nazi Germany and the latter also was life-preserving. He believes in an afterlife, but he isn’t aware of the light power Nirvana residents impart to Earth, so he feels that only by living on the planet can he effect change.

He shares the vision of John Paul, which was to bring to light the lies through which their church has for many centuries controlled the lives of believers, and he has long looked forward to the time when true spirituality will replace all religious dogma. As a member of the international transition team that will be effecting the changes necessary for your world to emerge into the era of peace and harmony, he is protected within the Christed light and always physical light beings are nearby.

The truth about “papal infallibility” will emerge and be recognized as the ruthless manmade control that it always has been. Along with all the other outright lies and distortions currently being taught, it will be relegated to its rightfully shameful place in new history books.

MATTHEW: No, he’s not a clone, and it’s unlikely that this would be tried or even desired by those responsible for the cloning of John Paul. The purpose of clones is to take over in case of death by any means so that the person’s powerful influence won’t be interrupted. The new Pope hasn’t the charisma and the love of the masses as did his predecessor, and if he died tomorrow, the Illuminati within the Vatican very likely would be gleeful that this most logical successor to John Paul was quickly out of their way and they could get one of themselves into the papacy. They had insufficient support to manage this at the election where the prevailing choice was Ratzinger because of his closeness to John Paul.

S: I see. Next, is: Zaccarias Moussaoui has confessed to conspiring with other Al Qaeda members in the 9/11 terrorist attack—why!?

MATTHEW: This is another attempt by the real perpetrators to show they’re “pursuing justice,” but more so, it’s another desperate effort to keep their cover-up from blowing up. Moussaoui has been helpful in the CIA black ops’ small terrorist incidents, but not so helpful that he wasn’t more useful as a mind-control programmed 9/11 conspirator. Although due to an implanted chip during recent medical treatment, he does believe he played that role, still his “confession” was not given without extreme coercion.

Mother, you have read that Al Qaeda is a CIA creation, but more accurately, it is a “ghost” that the CIA arm of the Illuminati has conjured up as the “global terrorists” who must be hunted relentlessly, and any country accused of hiding or funding them is an invasion target. These are the countries with oil, and while control of all oil is an Illuminati aim, the ultimate goal is total world domination through invasion and occupation or simply capitulation by the weaker nations. They never will get anywhere near their objective!

S: Thank heaven we know that! Someone asked if the theory is true that we’ve already reached “peak oil” year.

MATTHEW: Not in the quantity available, but in the larger sense, yes, you have or very shortly will. Reliance on oil as a major energy source will start diminishing with the emphatic introduction of long-suppressed technology for renewable energy and adaptation measures in transportation areas. Evidence of this will be seen relatively soon along with changes in leadership and national economic systems.

Mother, I know you’re a bit uneasy because people new to my messages are asking about topics I’ve previously covered. I’d like to briefly reply to these because they are very important issues for many.

MATTHEW: It won’t be necessary to type any as my comments, however short, will cover the essence of the various questions and be clear without mentioning them.

By Creator’s decree and God’s authorization for our space family’s intervention, there will be NO nuclear war.

There is no “end times” or “Armageddon” on the horizon—this is only a concept, a dark idea devised a couple of millennia past. Like any other concept, this can be manifested only if sufficient energy is invested in it, and I assure you, there is not!

If you are responding to an inner calling to relocate, then do so. But if you are reacting to “prophecies” that your planet will undergo massive sea and land changes, do not bother heading for safety on the highest mountain. Your soul contract is the determining factor regarding both physical safety and the time of your return to spirit life, and one or the other will happen wherever you are.

There will be no new pandemics or even epidemics caused by laboratory-designed diseases—our space family’s technology neutralizes these viruses as soon as they are released via chemtrails and other means.

Regardless what regional, national or international laws, alliances, treaties, or constitutions are now in force or may soon be, all that are not beneficial to the people affected will not last long. Changes underway eventually will replace oppressive regimes with wise and spiritually evolved leaders who will strike down all unjust laws and agreements.

Implantable microchips will not become widespread as intended by the dark ones, and in light receptive people who willingly or unknowingly have these implants, the chips automatically will be deprogrammed by the higher vibrations of fourth density.

Be sensible about spending and meet financial and legal obligations to avoid difficulties during the time prior to implementation of a new monetary system and a fair basis for taxation, debt payment and allocation of global resources. I don’t know when this will occur—this area is the last stronghold of the dark forces on the planet and they are not giving it up without a tough fight.

Mother, I believe that is all of the repeated topics, so I’ll just add another note here and then we’ll move on with your list. Daily you hear and see evidence of brutality, unjustness, subversion and fear-filled information such as I have just addressed, yet all beings of light who are sending messages through our respected channels have been imploring: “Do NOT judge any, but rather send love-light to all!” This is much, much more than a spiritual idea! It is to the benefit of those whose decisions are not in your OR their best interests; it is to your benefit because you are responsible for all of your thoughts, motives, deeds and their consequences; and it is to the benefit of Earth because the vibrations of your love-light energy lessen the negativity she still must release along her ascension journey. The power of love is boundless! This is what we feel for all of you!

S: OK, dear! If there are such things as vortexes and sacred sites, where might those be?

MATTHEW: Indeed there are sites on the planet that are more sacred than others, and it’s because that is where the energy vortexes are. Many existed before the records of Earth human civilization, thus long before the names you know for the areas I’ll mention: Egypt; Greece; Iran, Israel and other areas in the Mideast; in Asia, prior to the desecration of the once flourishing land that now is the Gobi Desert; Tibet, Nepal, the Himalayas; peaks in Japan, Africa, the west coast of the contiguous United States and Alaska; spots in southwestern United States; Mexico; the Andes in Peru and abutting countries; the submerged continents of Atlantis and Lemuria; the polar regions. I may have overlooked some, but those quickly came to mind.

I want to add that as darkness began taking hold on your planet, the original strength of the vortexes diminished correspondingly, with changes in land and sea masses as well, and it has been only during the past six decades or so that the vortexes are being restored to their original light intensity that is the source of their energy. This is happening because of the massive in-beaming of light from a multitude of civilizations and, more recently, the great increase in the light you are generating yourselves.

S: This is a good place to ask about the South Pole. Someone sent a long article about members of a research team who were afflicted with strange ailments and also witnessed other anomalies in that area. Do you know what’s going on?

MATTHEW: Not specifically with that team or their findings, no, but I can tell you that a lot is going on there that some