Why We Love Liars and the Lies They Tell

Today, I watched a video circulating on Facebook that utterly astonished me. A guest on HBO's Real Time with Bill Mawr, Dr. Sam Chachoua, claimed to have treated Charlie Sheen of HIV relieving him of all complications associated with the disease. He further claimed that he eradicated HIV in one island nation as well as a few other places. None of that astonishes me. What does astonishes me is that people so skeptical of this doctor's claims still would still wholeheartedly support the medical industrial complex's claims to be searching for a solution, while wouldn't give this doctor the time of day.

First, there is no way in heaven or hell that Cedar Sinai or UCLA would let this man defame them, without having him face several millions of dollars in lawsuits. He goes on TV and calls into question the very foundation on which these medical institutions were built. And, they say nothing??? So, there must be some relevance to his claims. Second, there is no way he could claim to have successfully treated Charlie Sheen (all while throwing Dr. Oz's name into the mix) without facing similar legal troubles.

If Americans are encouraged to get the MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccine, why isn't research from this doctor and others like him up for serious consideration? He just explained what he does and how and why it works. This information can easily be fact-checked or exploited as a means of taking some major steps toward curing these diseases. If there is benefit for all mankind, what's the problem? 

See! It is apparent to me that there is no serious plan in-play to "cure cancer" or eradicate HIV. A "drug cocktail" keeps the patient on-the-hook, with both the pharmaceutical companies and the doctors those patients have to see for regular check-ups and adjustments. Wiping out HIV and cancer could also wipeout nearly half of a $4 trillion dollar annual healthcare industry. And, what major corporation would flush half its profits down the toilet?

But, the question is - why do we (the people) love liars and the lies they tell? Why do we trust these major corporations, even with all the evidence we have against them. "Oh, don't listen to that guy. He's a quack." So, we continue to wear our pink shirts each year and allow the promise-makers to wear-out our checkbooks. Why? Well, we love big, flashy sophisticated things. It has to look important. It has to seem complex. It has to confound us - to be beyond our ability to comprehend. So, we say "It can't be that simple or the guys with the big, flashy bells and whistles would have figured it out."

Well, like Bill Mawr pointed out, the solution is normally something one person or a small team stumbles upon. Sadly, if corporations cannot find a means of profiting from that solution, it often gets disregarded. Hey! They are not going to cure you if it means that would kill the hospital. So, the first step in wellness is developing your own personal love-affair with truth. Truth is a small, simple, unassuming thing. But, guess what? It will offer you more than all the liars in the world and all the lies they tell. The truth will set you free.

James W. Power

When the Planets Align, Strange Things Begin to Happen

There is much talk about the planetary alignment that will be visible overhead from January 20th to February 23rd of this year. For the first time in ten years, Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus and Mercury can be seen in the south-eastern sky in the early morning hours. Researchers have observed that heliocentric alignments of this kind combined with Earth-facing solar eruptions are triggers for major earthquakes on our planet. They are not exactly sure why, but years of data suggests there is a definite correlation.

Interestingly enough, these alignments also seem to have an effect on human behavior. Emergency-room nurses and doctors report a definite spike in the number of patients they see on nights of the full-moon - that something about the full moon has an effect upon human behavior. I write a little bit about the possible reason for this phenomenon in my book By the Numbers: Number Secrets Revealed. Well, it has also been my observation that people go a little bit crazy when planets align. Perhaps, these heavenly bodies are better in their own orbits - that there is some miniscule effect realized when the planets cross paths.

To use an analogy, imagine someone switching lanes on the highway. You take notice and adjust accordingly. Now, imagine five cars switching lanes. There is some sense of alarm because this is not a usual happening. If other planetary bodies have an effect on our planet, perhaps the planets also have an effect each individual's emotional and mental state.

After one-hundreds of years of searching, scientists may have discovered evidence of gravitational wave signals theorized by Albert Einstein. Einstein theorized that these gravitational waves have the effect of causing ripples in space-time. So, in much the same way as the sun effects our planetary orbit, it is quite possible that the other planets have some small effect on the orbit of our planet also.

This would lend credence to astrologers who (while not having solid, scientific evidence supporting the claim of the influence other planets have on our own) have stated that the planets indeed influence our behavior and experiences. To me, celebrities are like markers, buoys in the global landscape. Observations made at a microcosmic level can sometimes be an indicator of what's happening on a macrocosmic level. Because media has made celebrity so visible, we have access to these markers.  

So, when Kanye West and Wiz Khalifa got into an epic "Twitter beef", I noticed that there was a significant planetary alignment that accompanied it. I also noticed that rapper B.O.B. and Neil deGrasse-Tyson had a Twitter feud. And, then Martin Shkreli threatened Ghostface Killah via social media. Rob Kardashian sparked controversy in announcing he is dating Blac Chyna. Then, Blac Chyna got herself arrested. Valentin 'Val' Chmerkovskiy of Dancing With the Stars is being sued after posting a meme featuring an overweight 16-year old girl. I could go on-and-on.

What does any of this have to do with you? Well, researchers place buoys at a great distance from the shore. Each buoy sends back a signal when some significant wave crosses its path. So, when you see all kinds of unexplained craziness happening in some sphere of human life, it could be indicative of a pattern. And, if you can discover the pattern, you can decide either to ride the wave or get out of its path.

Might these celebrities have avoided all of this non-sense if they knew it was coming? If we approach planetary alignments with the same caution as we do full-moons or Mercury Retrograde, could this have the effect of reducing the amount of non-sense we unwittingly endure? Who knows? What I do know is - when the planets align, strange things begin to happen. And, those strange things appear to have a root in our interaction with one-another.

I think the Book of James in the Bible offers the best advice in this regard:  

"Therefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger, for the anger of man works not the righteousness of God." James 1:19-20

J. Power

Am I Crazy or Is the Earth Flat?

The global rap-sensation B.O.B. recently engaged in a Twitter battle with respected, world-renown astrophysicist and author, Neil Degrasse-Tyson over whether the world is in-fact flat. B.O.B. suggested that we have been lied to all along - that the world is not round. He posted photos that suggested there should be some curvature in the Earth as seen from great distances. Noticing no curvature, he decided to join the movement to set the world back 500 years in its understanding of our world's structure.

Had he done a Google search, however, he may have found the earliest reference to scientists who discovered that the world was round. In the third century B.C., scientists and mathematicians from Africa, the Middle East and ancient Greece studied and worked at the Library of Alexandria, a great center of learning at that time and one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. One of these scientists, a Greek  by the name of Eratosthenes of Syene, not only discovered that the world was round, but also calculated its circumference in 240 B.C. And, while B.O.B.'s observations are subjective, Eratosthenes' calculations were objective and could be studied and analyzed by other mathematicians and scientists at that time. 

Still, people being people, it would be another 1,500 years before it would be held as common knowledge that the world is round. So, how does one find proof that the Earth is in-fact round, if one were looking for it? Using technology that was unavailable to Eratosthenes in his time (or even Magellan in the 1500s), how can we prove with reasonable certainty that the world isn't flat? Well, just go to YouTube. Even if you don't trust NASA, there are hobbyists flying drones and GoPro cameras to the edge of space. From that vantage point, one is certain to be able to see the supposed curvature of the Earth.

No need to do the search. I have included a link below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UAifzh7_-cg

Oh! And, here is one from NASA. I highly doubt there is some massive conspiracy by both respected scientists and mathematicians of the past and present, NASA, anyone captaining a ship or piloting a plane and hobbyists the world-over to deceive us all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGP6Y0Pnhe4

My issue is not with B.O.B. making an observation. My issue stems from the fact that even with the best information available he chose stubborn adherence to his belief. And, even when an expert in the field of study tried to curtail his errant point-of-view, he remained defiant. "Stay in your lane bro." Again, it's not that I have an issue with someone making an observation, it's just that we must not be so averse to learning anything new that we fight to maintain our ignorance. It's like B.O.B. refused to update his operating-system. "I'm running D.O.S. I could care less what the world thinks." Nah brah!

In fact, when it comes to making observations, our eyes cannot be totally depended upon. This is where the mind's eye takes over. As creatures with a faculty for higher consciousness, we are able to think beyond the limitations of our limited ability to perceive. In so doing, we create tools to test the validity and accuracy of our observations. Where observation and calculation line-up, we can make statements of fact. When someone makes a better observation, we yield to that better understanding. This is how we evolve.

The good thing is - what B.O.B.'s Twitter rant allows us to do is to shine a spotlight on the place where all understanding (whether scientific or spiritual) starts. And, it all starts with an observation. Observation leads to thought. Thought leads to discussion. Discussion leads to theory. Out of theory comes testing and research. And, hopefully testing and research lead to new discovery. In making new discoveries, we arrive at more, well-rounded understanding of our world.

J. Power