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	Top Stories US: Minnesota nonprofits using community solar to help veterans, families in need US Coastal Recovery: Bringing a damaged wetland back to life US: Healthier wetlands could store more carbon, new study shows

	Top Stories Maharishi Vastu home 'provides a stable base for feeling happiness everywhere I go' Meditate and create! Transcendental Meditation at the David Lynch Film School The healthy brain solution to preventing and reversing memory loss: 7 key ways to sharpen your memory

	Top Stories Thousands of cancer diagnoses tied to a poor diet, study finds US: Lead measured in teeth of kids living near former battery-recycling plant Indoor tanning may trigger gene mutation that boosts melanoma risk
Positive Trends Short Summaries of Top Stories US: Minnesota nonprofits using community solar to help veterans, families in need 25 May 2019 - A growing list of nonprofits is partnering with solar developers to lower utility costs for lower-income residents. Minnesota nonprofits are turning to community solar as a tool to fight poverty. (more) US Coastal Recovery: Bringing a damaged wetland back to life 24 May 2019 - An ambitious wetlands restoration project is underway on Delaware Bay, where scientists are using innovative methods to revive a badly damaged salt marsh. The project could be a model for other places seeking to make coastal wetlands more resilient to rising seas and worsening storms. (more) US: Healthier wetlands could store more carbon, new study shows 24 May 2019 - In arid places like Wyoming, wetlands are rare, sometimes only two percent of the landscape. But the organic vegetation breaking down in wetland soils captures as much as 15 to 30 percent of the carbon on that landscape, and it could hold more if restored to better condition. (more) US: Improved air quality tied to fewer new childhood asthma cases 21 May 2019 - Childhood asthma rates appear to be dropping in many communities across southern California, and a new study suggests this may be due at least in part to improved air quality. Air pollution has long been linked to a variety of respiratory problems and an increased risk of severe asthma attacks for people who already have the breathing disorder. But research to date hasn't offered as clear a picture of how much reducing levels of toxic chemicals in the air might help stop asthma from developing at all. (more) US: The importance of Missouri wetlands 17 May 2019 - May is American Wetlands Month. That means this time of year is a good opportunity to focus on a habitat most people have heard of ... Today, the values of wetlands are being re-discovered. Many people are realizing the important roles wetlands play in re-charging and stabilizing underground aquifers, moderating flood waters, and governing the flow of water. (more) Light physical activity might help keep the brain young 15 May 2019 - A recent study suggests that light physical activity may help stave off signs of aging in the brain. The human brain typically shrinks as people age ... Nicole Spartano of Boston University School of Medicine and colleagues explain in JAMA Network Open. Their new research, done in middle aged adults, found that each additional hour spent in light physical activity was associated with 0.22 percent higher brain volume. (more) US: Jury returns $2 billion verdict against Monsanto for couple with cancer -- the biggest so far 14 May 2019 - A jury handed an unparalleled $2.055 billion verdict in favor of a couple in California who say their cancer was caused by long-term exposure to Monsanto's popular weed killer Roundup, according to the plaintiffs' attorneys. It follows several recent losses the company has faced in court concerning Roundup. Thousands of similar cases are pending at the federal or state level. (more) US: Chobani founder and CEO donates for student lunches 12 May 2019 - The schools in Warwick, Rhode Island, can put those sun butter and jelly sandwiches away: Someone is stepping up to pay the massive lunch debt of some of its students. That 'someone' is yogurt company Chobani, which is paying off $47,650 of the $77,000 debt. 'For every child, access to naturally nutritious and delicious food should be a right, not a privilege. When our children are strong, our families are stronger. And when our families are strong, our communities are stronger,' Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya said in statement. (more) US: A 2,624-year old tree has just been found growing in a swamp in America 10 May 2019 - Along the Black River in North Carolina, bald cypress trees have been quietly growing for millennia. Quite literally so: Scientists recently found trees over 2,000 years old -- including one that is at least 2,624 years old. It has been known for decades that some of the trees in the region are ancient. But this new discovery significantly pushes back the known age of the trees by nearly a millennium. (more) US: New York adopts rules to phase out coal power plants by 2020 10 May 2019 - New York environmental regulators adopted rules to reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants that will force generators to stop burning coal in the state by the end of 2020. Coal generated less than 1 percent of the electricity in New York in 2017, the most recent year available according to state and federal data. (more)
Success of Maharishi's Programmes Short Summaries of Top Stories Maharishi Vastu home 'provides a stable base for feeling happiness everywhere I go' 20 May 2019 - The beauty and grace of a Mid-Century Modern home on the prairie in southeast Iowa is featured in the current newsletter of Maharishi Vastu Architecture. Architect Jon Lipman, an expert in Vastu principles of design in harmony with natural law, commented that the owner was a dream client with great taste and clear vision. Her artistic attention to detail includes works by local artisans and family members, and a lofty central great room with clerestory windows that provide a rich play of light day and night - turning the house into 'moving art'. 'I feel protected in this house. It provides a stable base for feeling happiness everywhere I go,' the owner says. She urges anyone considering building to explore Maharishi Vastu: 'It makes a 100 per cent difference.' (more) Meditate and create! Transcendental Meditation at the David Lynch Film School 16 May 2019 - 'The creative advice I've received from my mentors, instructors and David Lynch alone [on] my work is nothing short of pure gold,' writes Jesse Valencia, about the MFA in Screenwriting offered by the David Lynch Graduate School of Cinematic Arts at Maharishi University of Management. He also gives great credit to Transcendental Meditation, practised by all MUM students: 'TM and its benefits have changed my entire perspective on art and creativity.... Meditation frees the mind of restrictions and constraints so that ideas can flow like a flood instead of a trickle.... After I learned TM, my writing, my art, and my music all became richer, and creating brought me so much more happiness.' (more) The healthy brain solution to preventing and reversing memory loss: 7 key ways to sharpen your memory 12 May 2019 - Do you ever worry about blanking out on a word or name? Nancy Lonsdorf, MD, renowned expert in the integrative health system of Maharishi AyurVeda, describes cutting-edge research on Alzheimer's disease, and a multifaceted breakthrough for maintaining brain health combining the best of ancient and modern approaches for a resilient mind. These include establishing 'a healthy diet, good sleep, balanced blood sugar, normal blood flow, exercise, and less stress' - and a key component, Transcendental Meditation. 'Results include improved ability to recall daily events, restoration of lost memories, happier mood, more social interaction', and regained abilities to enjoy the gym, shop for groceries, and remember people's names and faces — 'all critical abilities whose restoration is tremendously heartening'. (more) World-Class Brain - effortlessly developing greater brain integration: Book review 29 April 2019 - The brains of world-class performers - whether athletes, musicians, or CEOs - share one feature: more integrated functioning. A world-class brain works in a more coherent, relaxed, wakeful, and efficient way. In a new book, World-Class Brain, Harald Harung of Oslo Metropolitan University and Maharishi University of Management professor Fred Travis explore this defining characteristic of world-class performers. They describe studies on Olympic athletes, top managers, and symphony orchestra musicians, who were found to have high levels of brain integration according to EEG brain wave measurements. The book presents various ways to increase integrated brain functioning, including research showing that the Transcendental Meditation technique is the most effective and effortless way to develop high levels of brain integration. (more) Marvel's top executives relieve the pressure with Transcendental Meditation: Variety 25 April 2019 - Executives at the Burbank, California studios of Marvel have found Transcendental Meditation a practical solution to handling the intense pressures of the industry and their escalating success, Variety reports. 'We even have a meditating room up here. Everyone got TM certified,' said Marvel co-president Louis D'Esposito of the executive suite. TM, he says, 'helps relieve the pressure because it can get to you.' The technique was developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and has proliferated through Hollywood's A-list over the years. Oprah Winfrey, Jerry Seinfeld, George Lucas, David Lynch and many more are fans. Tech CEOs praise its effectiveness for entrepreneurs. Last year, Ellen DeGeneres devoted an entire segment of her talk show to TM. (more) Transcendental Meditation and the art of Chinese peony painting 21 April 2019 - 'Transcendental Meditation and creating a Chinese peony flower painting have a lot in common. The term that comes to mind is ''effortlessness'',' writes Demerie Faitler, a PhD in Chinese History who has spent several years studying the art of Chinese brush painting with leading experts in the genre in Taiwan. 'The stability that comes from TM provides a firm base, a grounding, a spring board that sets the hand free to take off. Like the gentle but firm mother who is the stable support for the child as she experiments and creates herself, the steadfast inner stability supports the hand moving the brush from stroke to stroke as it takes off and flies, here to lay out the delicate flower petals, there to define the cascading leaves and strong and firm stems, ... the effortless dynamism of nature, the process of improvisation in the spiraling strokes. This is the ''Dao of Painting'', the source of creativity.' (more) Maharishi University of Management dean Robert Schneider, MD, addresses hundreds of doctors at University of California 17 April 2019 - Robert Schneider, MD, Dean of the College of Integrative Medicine at Maharishi University of Management, was invited to speak to 200 doctors and medical students at the University of California-Irvine recently on the topic of mind-body-heart, and the efficacy of the Transcendental Meditation technique to promote physician wellness. 'Physician burnout is now recognized as a major issue,' Dr Schneider commented. 'The residents and medical students were keen to stay balanced and healthy as they train in the science and art of medicine. They were receptive and understand from personal experience the importance of dealing with fatigue and stress.' Dr Schneider also addressed 50 physicians involved with the Indian Medical Association of Southern California. (more) Live Today on Facebook - Dr Tony Nader: 'How to find your purpose and achieve your dreams' 13 April 2019 - Join Harvard- and MIT-trained brain and cognitive science specialist Tony Nader, MD, PhD, MARR, global expert in consciousness and leader of the worldwide Transcendental Meditation organizations, as he discusses and answers questions about your life purpose and achieving your dreams: Saturday, 13 April, on Facebook Live - 1:30pm US Central Daylight Time (8:30pm Central Europe Time). Dr. Nader's Facebook page is available for public viewing so anyone around the world, including visitors who do not subscribe to Facebook, can access this content and watch the livestreams. (more) Why being happy is the best way to help others (Part Two of a two-part series on happiness) 6 April 2019 - 'Happiness is contagious.... Just enter a room when people are having a good time, and you'll immediately feel better.' Health writer Linda Egenes describes research showing that Transcendental Meditation promotes inner happiness: 'When people are experiencing less stress and a clearer mind through the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique, they also experience increased happiness, greater self-esteem, and improved well-being.... Through TM I have become familiar with the essence of happiness inside of me, as it exists in every person, and when I ... experience this ocean of bliss inside, I am transformed.' Research also shows that regular TM practice by a small proportion of the population 'creates a chain reaction of positivity, as measured by falling crime rate, less traffic fatalities, higher employment, fewer hospital admissions, more positive national mood, and an upswing in the economy'. (more) Getting a Masters degree on the road 28 March 2019 - Maharishi University of Management student Esther Fontaine is a professional driver taking MUM's online MA in Maharishi Vedic Science programme. While driving a truck across the country for a year, Esther found a way to keep up with her classwork: she listened to the lectures on the road, took notes during her breaks, and did her homework at the end of her ten-hour shifts. She was excited to discover all the scientific studies on the Transcendental Meditation programme. 'The logical correlation of a spiritual reality that manifested through a scientific avenue was what I've looked for my whole life,' she said. (more)
Flops Short Summaries of Top Stories Thousands of cancer diagnoses tied to a poor diet, study finds 23 May 2019 - Your diet may have more impact on your cancer risk than you might think, a new study has found. An estimated 80,110 new cancer cases among adults 20 and older in the United States in 2015 were attributable simply to eating a poor diet, according to the study, published in the JNCI Cancer Spectrum on Wednesday [22 May]. 'This is equivalent to about 5.2% of all invasive cancer cases newly diagnosed among US adults in 2015,' said Dr. Fang Fang Zhang, a nutrition and cancer epidemiologist at Tufts University in Boston, who was first author of the study. (more) US: Lead measured in teeth of kids living near former battery-recycling plant 15 May 2019 - Children living near a former car-battery recycling plant in Los Angeles have lead in their baby teeth at levels that track with neighborhood contamination, according to a study of exposure to the toxic metals in the womb and during early childhood. Elevated levels of lead and arsenic have long been documented in the air and soil surrounding facilities that recycle batteries. (more) Indoor tanning may trigger gene mutation that boosts melanoma risk 29 April 2019 - Indoor tanning is associated with a higher risk of developing the deadly skin cancer melanoma at younger ages, and a recent study suggests the ultraviolet (UV) light in tanning beds may be triggering genetic mutations that can lead to skin malignancies. (more) Sleepy athletes may face higher concussion risk 25 April 2019 - College athletes may face a higher risk for sport-related concussions if they have insomnia or even if they're just chronically sleepy, a new study suggests. Among 190 NCAA [National Collegiate Athletic Association] Division-1 athletes who completed surveys for the study, the chance of getting a sports-related concussion during the next year was 14.6 times higher for those with both insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness than for those who were well rested. (more) Health apps may not disclose sharing your personal information 24 April 2019 - While nine out of 10 phone apps for depression and smoking cessation assessed in a recent study were found to be sharing user data with third parties, only two out of three disclosed they were doing so. Much of that data, including linkable identifiers, was shared with Google and Facebook, among others, but barely half of apps sharing data with those two giant companies told users about it, researchers report in JAMA Network Open. (more) Millions more Americans breathing dirty air as planet warms, study finds 24 April 2019 - An increasing number of Americans live in places with unhealthy levels of smog or particulate air pollution -- both of which are being made worse by climate change, according to a new report. Air quality in the US has been improving since the 1970s, but that progress may be backsliding and 43 percent of Americans are now living in places where they are breathing unsafe air, according to the American Lung Association report. (more) US: Poverty, other disadvantages tied to higher smoking risk 24 April 2019 - The more adversities people face, the more likely they are to start smoking and the less likely they are to quit, a U.S. study suggests. ... Nationwide, smoking has become less common in recent years, Leventhal said by email. But nearly all of the decline is concentrated among people with few if any disadvantages. (more) U.S. disaster aid won't cover crops drowned by Midwest floods 2 April 2019 - The Black Hawk military helicopter flew over Iowa, giving a senior U.S. agriculture official and U.S. senator an eyeful of the flood damage below, where yellow corn from ruptured metal silos spilled out into the muddy water. And there's nothing the U.S. government can do about the millions of bushels of damaged crops here under current laws or disaster-aid programs, U.S. Agriculture Under Secretary Bill Northey told a Reuters reporter who joined the flight. (more) Who keeps buying California's scarce water? Saudi Arabia 25 March 2019 - Saudi-based Almarai owns 15,000 acres of an irrigated valley -- but what business does a foreign food production company have drawing resources from a US desert? (more) Climate change's fingerprints are on U.S. Midwest floods: scientists 21 March 2019 - Climate change played a hand in the deadly floods in the U.S. upper Midwest that have damaged crops and drowned livestock, scientists said on Thursday (21 March) . . . The 'bomb cyclone' that dumped rain on Nebraska, Iowa, and Missouri and killed at least four people now threatens a wider region downstream of swollen rivers and smashed levees. (more)