• US: Minnesota seeing explosive solar growth
• Gladys West - the 'hidden figure' of GPS
• US: San Francisco moving to all-electric bus fleet by 2035

• David Lynch curates a weekend festival including films, music, and Transcendental Meditation - Vanity Fair reports
• Can Transcendental Meditation prevent school violence?
• Study showing significant reduction of veterans' PTSD symptoms receives wide media coverage

• US: Lack of paper trail a concern amid fears of election hacking
• Almost half of US families can't afford basics like rent and food
• Disruption of daily rhythms linked to mental health problems

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Positive Trends
Short Summaries of Top Stories

US: Minnesota seeing explosive solar growth
22 May 2018 - Ben Butcher and his wife live on a small farm on the outskirts of Backus, Minnesota, where they raised their four kids. He used to work as an automotive mechanic, which is where he got his first experience working with direct current -- the kind of electricity that comes out of solar panels. These days, Butcher works with a lot more of it -- kilowatts, in fact -- as a solar installer. Like a growing number of people in the state, he makes his living directly from the sun. ... in Minnesota the sector is stronger than in most states. Last year solar jobs dropped 4 percent nationwide, while in Minnesota they rose 48.2 percent to a total of 4,256, according to the Solar Jobs Census. (more)

Gladys West - the 'hidden figure' of GPS
20 May 2018 - From the sat nav in your car, to the tags on your social media posts, many of us use global positioning systems, or GPS, every day. Gladys West is one of the people whose work was instrumental in developing the mathematics behind GPS. Until now, her story has remained untold. (more)

US: San Francisco moving to all-electric bus fleet by 2035
18 May 2018 - San Francisco is joining other world cities in moving toward a zero emissions public transportation fleet. Last week, the city and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency announced that all public buses operating in the city will be electric no later than 2035. To achieve that goal, new buses purchased in 2025 and thereafter will be battery operated. (more)

Pew Research finds broad bi-partisan support for solar power in US
17 May 2018 - The Pew Research Center has established a reputation for using high quality polling techniques that generate meaningful results. The latest Pew poll . . . found that large majorities of Americans favor expanding at least two types of renewable sources to provide energy: 89% favor solar panels . . . (more)

US: San Francisco seeks 100% electric bus fleet by 2035
17 May 2018 - On Tuesday (15 May), the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SF Muni) Board of Directors passed a resolution to begin procuring zero emission battery buses to replace electric hybrid vehicles by 2025, with a goal of achieving a 100 percent electric bus fleet by 2035. The resolution allows SF Muni to catch up to other Californian transit agencies from Los Angeles to Stockton that have already started switching their bus fleets to zero-emissions electric buses. (more)

Amid conflict, Jews and Muslims in US seek solidarity
15 May 2018 - As turmoil spreads through the Middle East, American Jews and Muslims have been forming alliances to build trust and seek solidarity in more ambitious ways than in the past, a sharp contrast to the violence engulfing their homelands this week. Muslims and Jews have dispatched members into mosques and synagogues to learn about each other's faiths, made a joint trip to tour civil rights sites in the South, and formed partnerships involving CEOs of major corporations. Leaders of the groups said the challenging world events have provided impetus for the outreach efforts ... (more)

US: Fairfax County's next school buses could improve kids' health and the environment
14 May 2018 - The yellow diesel-powered school bus has shuttled generations of kids to and from school. But now some school districts are trying out electric, battery-powered buses, and you may see them on roads in our region [Fairfax County] in the not-too-distant future. There are thousands of school buses in Virginia, Maryland, and Washington, D.C., and pretty much all of them run on diesel. ... Casale says replacing all the diesel school buses in the nation with electric buses would be like taking more than a million cars off the road, in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. (more)

US: Electric buses arriving soon in Duluth
13 May 2018 - The Duluth Transit Authority's Jim Caywood spent last week in Greenville, South Carolina, where he was the first person locally to set eyes on the electric buses coming to Duluth (Minnesota) this summer. The order of a half-dozen fully electric buses will roll out one at a time over the course of the summer. (more)

US: Jefferson Lab doubles particle accelerator capacity
12 May 2018 - Enter what looks like an industrial garage on the Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility campus, make your way about 25 feet underground and you'll find yourself standing in the midst of scientific history. ...The lab recently completed a $338 million overhaul to its central feature, the Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility, doubling its energy capacity. Scientists say that will allow them to probe deeper into the elements of matter, discovering things about our universe no one has yet had the ability to see. (more)

California becomes first U.S. state to require solar panels on new homes
9 May 2018 - Builders in California will be required to fit solar panels on most new homes from 2020 under new building standards adopted on Wednesday (9 May), a move that is the first in the United States and could provide a big boost to the solar industry. The decision, adopted unanimously by the five-member California Energy Commission, is part of the state's effort to fight global climate change. (more)

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Success of Maharishi's Programmes
Short Summaries of Top Stories

David Lynch curates a weekend festival including films, music, and Transcendental Meditation - Vanity Fair reports
21 May 2018 - The third-annual, two-day Festival of Disruption was held for the first time in New York on 19-20 May at Brooklyn Steel, featuring panels, film screenings, musical guests, and lectures on Transcendental Meditation. As in years past, proceeds went directly to the David Lynch Foundation, which teaches Transcendental Meditation to inner-city youths, veterans, and survivors of domestic abuse. Bob Roth, CEO of the foundation, explained in his opening remarks, 'Look what's going on in the world today. Constant upheaval. Constant disruptions. . . . Inside, we do things to access our own reservoir of creativity and resilience.' As Roth and David Lynch, his longtime friend and fellow practitioner, see it, TM holds the power to 'disrupt narrowness of thinking, prejudice, and bias'. (more)

Can Transcendental Meditation prevent school violence?
20 May 2018 - There is a long process of stress and tension building before violence actually occurs, health writer Linda Egenes explains. Stress is now understood as the major cause of most mental health disorders, including severe teen depression, which is highly correlated with teen violence. Now in many countries, a simple solution is being implemented that not only helps protect kids in school, but entire neighborhoods from violence - Transcendental Meditation, which research has found to be effective in improving brain functioning and reducing stress, anxiety, and depression. Egenes proposes TM as a method to stop school violence - 'by calming the mind, mitigating stress and preventing anxiety and depression, TM can keep the pot from boiling over.' (more)

Study showing significant reduction of veterans' PTSD symptoms receives wide media coverage
19 May 2018 - A study showing that just one month of practising the Transcendental Meditation technique can significantly improve symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) received coverage in scores of publications in the US and Asia. The study, published in Military Medicine, included veterans of the wars in Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Somalia, Iraq, and Afghanistan. (more)

David Lynch's Festival of Disruption: 19-20 May, New York City - and its link to Transcendental Meditation
18 May 2018 - A music festival fan would have plenty to enjoy at the Festival of Disruption, the filmmaker David Lynch-curated weekend that makes its debut in New York this weekend after two successful runs in Los Angeles. But the star of the two days - and a trait that links many of the performers together - is Transcendental Meditation, the heart of the event and the David Lynch Foundation, for which the festival is raising funds. Proceeds go to the organization, with the goal of bringing the meditation technique to schools, survivors of domestic abuse, veterans, and others in need of stress relief. (more)

Maharishi Vastu home, organic farm featured in Westchester County, New York
17 May 2018 - With the help of an architect versed in Maharishi Vastu, or ancient Vedic principles of architecture, the owner built a stunning 5,000-square-foot home northeast of New York City, reports LoHud (New York). Maharishi Vastu architecture ensures that a building will have only nourishing influences on its occupants. This results from the use of several key natural law-based, Vedic principles. Then she set out to create an organic farm and orchard on the nearly 5-acre property. Each year, Amba Farms yields nearly 10,000 pounds of produce; some goes to local restaurants for farm-to-table dining, but much is donated to local food pantries. There are also eggs from chickens and nearly 100 fruit trees. (more)

The Power of Transcendence: Growing in Love, Creativity, Health, and Happiness: New book released
14 May 2018 - How can the daily experience of transcendence have such profound benefits in our lives? In over fifty short essays, a new book by award-winning author Ann Purcell - The Power of Transcendence: Growing in Love, Creativity, Health, and Happiness - explores the phenomenon of transcending and its influence in daily life. The articles cover many different topics including love, yoga, silence, enlightenment, women, and health and well-being. The book reveals how all aspects of life can be transformed by experiencing the essence of who we are - the silent level of our Being - the transcendent. Today this experience is available effortlessly to everyone through the Transcendental Meditation technique. (more)

US: Maharishi School ranked as one of Iowa's top schools
13 May 2018 - Niche.com has ranked Maharishi School in Fairfield, Iowa, USA #3 out of 33 private high schools in Iowa and #2 out of 19 private K-12 schools. The website gave Maharishi School an A-plus in academics, an A in college preparation, and A- in diversity and clubs and activities. They also ranked Maharishi School as the #2 most diverse high school out of 46 private high schools. (more)

Transcendental Meditation: Brain fitness that improves employee well-being and performance - PsychCentral
12 May 2018 - A new article in PsychCentral by Kristi Tackett-Newburg, MA, LIMHP, CPC - doctoral candidate and CEO of a counseling centre in Nebraska, USA - discusses how a company must create a unique and dynamic team to gain a competitive edge and create sustainable advantage in the global market. She describes the prerequisites to peak performance - planning, focus, creativity, short-term memory, decision-making, proactivity, and broad comprehension - and how they occur when the brain is functioning coherently. Research has shown that Transcendental Meditation, significantly more than any other technique, enhances the brain's coherent functioning - and that regular practice can help employees become more alert, focused, creative, less stressed, and resilient. (more)

Peaceful mind, peaceful world: Facebook Live talk by Dr Tony Nader explores the power of transcending
10 May 2018 - Why are we here? What is the purpose of it all? How can we do all that we can for ourselves, the people we love, our communities, and society as a whole? These are some of the questions explored by Tony Nader, MD, PhD, MARR, the MIT- and Harvard-trained neuroscientist and head of the international Transcendental Meditation organizations, in a Facebook Live talk in April, now available online. 'We are all motivated by a search for more and more,' he says. 'The reality of consciousness, of the depth of the mind, is our true inner Self.' He explains how transcending, especially with the TM technique, effortlessly allows us to explore the Self, the source of all creativity, intelligence, and peace within. And 'a peaceful mind that creates right decisions creates a more positive collective consciousness. . . . when we improve individually, we also improve collectively.' (more)

Transcendental Meditation: Finding a positive perspective that fosters mental and emotional healing
9 May 2018 - 'There is a subtle but vital shift in perspective that Transcendental Meditation has allowed to flow into my life,' writes a neuropsychologist and mother coming to terms with the progression of a serious illness, who learned the TM technique six months ago. 'I'm much better able to reframe, laugh, and not just react to things. The benefits to my health, in reducing my blood pressure and thereby the stress chemicals needed to maintain it, are an added bonus. Sometimes, it's the subtlest shift that makes the biggest impact. . . . that is what I see as the most wonderful thing about the TM technique. I am still me, just a more relaxed, funnier, and hopefully more enjoyable version of myself: Reb 2.0 - The TM Edition.' (more)

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Flops
Short Summaries of Top Stories

US: Lack of paper trail a concern amid fears of election hacking
21 May 2018 - As the midterm congressional primaries heat up amid fears of Russian hacking, roughly 1 in 5 Americans will be casting ballots on machines that do not produce a paper record of their votes. That worries voting and cybersecurity experts, who say lack of a hard copy makes it difficult to double-check results for signs of manipulation. (more)

Almost half of US families can't afford basics like rent and food
17 May 2018 - The economy may be chugging along, but many Americans are still struggling to afford a basic middle class life. Nearly 51 million households don't earn enough to afford a monthly budget that includes housing, food, child care, health care, transportation, and a cell phone, according to a study released Thursday (17 May) by the United Way ALICE Project. That's 43% of households in the United States. (more)

Disruption of daily rhythms linked to mental health problems
16 May 2018 - People who experience disrupted 24-hour cycles of rest and activity are more likely to have mood disorders, lower levels of happiness and greater feelings of loneliness, research suggests. Writing in the journal Lancet Psychiatry, a team of researchers from Scotland, Ireland, and Sweden report how they carried out the largest study of its kind to date by harnessing data from the UK BioBank, a research endeavour that has collected health information on 500,000 participants, aged between 37 and 73, since 2006. (more)

AP-NORC Poll: Young adults in US feel stress of long-term care
15 May 2018 - Most young adults haven't given much thought to their own needs as they get older, but a significant number are already providing long-term care for older loved ones, according to a new poll by the Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. ... Most young adults have little confidence that government safety-net programs will be there for them as they get older, and they're not too sure about their own financial situation, either. Only 16 percent of younger adults are very confident that they'll have the financial resources to deal with their own care needs when they get older. (more)

U.S. kids' exposure to second-hand pot smoke may be rising
14 May 2018 - A growing number of American parents are using marijuana when they still have children living at home, according to a new study that suggests cannabis may be complicating efforts to limit kids' exposure to second-hand smoke. (more)

It's not just you, we're all living in the United States of Anxiety
8 May 2018 - Feeling more anxious these days? You've got plenty of company. A new survey from the American Psychiatric Association reveals that 39% of Americans feel more anxious now than they did a year ago. That's more than double the 19% of Americans who feel less anxious now than at this time last year. (Another 39% of survey respondents said their anxiety level is about the same, and 3% weren't sure.) (more)

US study: In veterans, even a mild case of traumatic brain injury is linked to an increased risk of dementia
7 May 2018 - Mild traumatic brain injury may sound like an oxymoron, along the lines of 'jumbo shrimp' or 'random order.' But a new study shows that mild TBIs can have serious consequences for military veterans by raising their risk of dementia. Researchers who examined the medical records of more than 350,000 Americans who served during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan found that men and women who experienced at least one mild TBI were more than twice as likely as their uninjured peers to develop dementia after they retired from the military. (more)

Certain common medications tied to 30% higher dementia risk, study finds
25 April 2018 - Many older adults know that long-term use of certain medications can negatively affect cognition and increase one's risk of dementia. But a new study suggests that some classes of anticholinergic drugs -- particularly those used to treat depression, Parkinson's, and urinary incontinence -- carry a higher risk than others. The researchers found that people who used certain types of anticholinergics . . . for a year or more had about a 30% increased risk of developing dementia down the road. (more)

Fatigue a major risk in ridesharing industry
25 April 2018 - Fatigue and sleepiness are inherent safety risks in the ridesharing industry today, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine warns. In a new position paper, the AASM calls on ridesharing companies, government officials, medical professionals, and law enforcement officers to address drivers' fatigue as a public safety risk. Between 2005 and 2009, more than 83,000 crashes were related to drowsy driving, according to the National Highway Safety Administration. ... AAA launched a study this year to investigate the 'gig economy' (in which temporary, short-term work assignments are common) and safety, including the ridesharing industry. (more)

US study: Vaping tied to higher risk that teens will try marijuana
23 April 2018 - Teens who use e-cigarettes may be twice as likely to smoke pot as their peers who never try vaping, a U.S. study suggests. The results, from surveys of more than 10,000 youth ages 12 to 17, add to earlier evidence suggesting that e-cigarettes may be a gateway to smoking tobacco and experimenting with drugs. (more)