Month: March 2019

Health March 12, 2019September 3, 2019

Happiness Recipe | Health

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Perspective | March 11, 2019)
by Noreen Wise

Is happiness actually simple? Is it at least more simple than we may realize? As it turns out, an essential part of the happiness feeling, the good mood we all want to possess when we start our day, has a lot to do with what we eat for breakfast, as well as how much sunlight, or bright light we get every 24 hours. Aerobic exercise makes a big difference, too.

Happiness really isn’t very complicated.

There are more than 100 neurotransmitters in our brain, with four major ones that work together to stimulate or inhibit our moods. Our mission therefore should be to safely elevate the positive, happy, cheerful good mood neurotransmitters through a simple, easy routine. Equally important, is releasing the calming neurotransmitters when we’re stressed or worried. Our mood affects our perceptions. The glass half full and the glass half empty is the exact same glass.

We’re much happier when we can find the positive side of any negative situation – making lemonade out of lemons.

What are these four major important neurotransmitters that regulate our mood?

Dopamine – “motivation molecule” that makes us more “productive”
Norepinephrine – fight or flight stress response
Serotonin – happiness booster
GABA – regulates anxiety

There are a few easy and delicious food items that quickly release dopamine, and are wonderful at breakfast. Starting the day on the bright side, seems to kick-off a cheerful chain reaction:

1/4 cup sunflower seeds
6 little squares of dark chocolate (Cadbury is a personal favorite); milk chocolate is NOT the same and will not have same effect
Large tablespoon of 100% dark cacao powder mixed with 1/2 teaspoon of organic cane sugar and 1/3 cup boiling water
It’s best to stay away from sugar the rest of the day, except for fruits like bananas and tangerines, etc

Absorbing sunlight (or bright light) through our eyes increases serotonin levels. In order for this to be effective, we have to safely take off our sunglasses so we can fully absorb the sunshine. Finding sporadic moments during the day is well worth the hunt. The office patio for a coffee break. A walk outdoors during lunch can also be a great pick-me-up. When the days get longer in May, June and July, there’s still sunlight in the late afternoon and early evening. When we find good reasons to be outside in the evening, we often feel that much more carefree when the sun goes down.

Aerobic exercise, particularly walking and/or running, is another simple trick that boosts serotonin. Exercise is also a great way to ensure a good nights sleep. Sleep deprivation reeks havoc on our neurotransmitters. Again, keeping our body’ chemistry in balance begins with the melatonin neurotransmitter lulling us into deep sleep. Easiest way to make sure to reach deep sleep is by wearing eye shields to bed. Complete darkness is everything.

One day at a time. Building excellent daily health and happiness habits serves us well throughout our lives. The key is to master these essentials — sunflowers seeds & dark chocolate, sunlight and exercise — so that they become as routine as brushing our teeth.

House, Immigration, National Security March 7, 2019March 19, 2019

DHS Secretary Nielsen’s Open Defiance of the American People

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Opinion | March 7, 2019) – The festering disdain that seethes to the surface while trying to process DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen’s non answers to tough questions during the recent House Homeland Security Committee Hearing on Immigration & Border Security, reached a level of extreme disgust on Wednesday March 6, 2019, leaving viewers with a deep sense that Nielsen had proven herself incapable of managing the massive agency whose sole mission is to keep our nation safe.

Secretary Nielsen presented herself as woefully ill-prepared to provide the much needed facts and documentation to the most basic questions relating to issues so serious that the president has declared a National Emergency. This had a turbulent effect. At the center of this perpetual immigration and border security conflict, that has stretched across eighteen months of traumatic events, is one of two possible root causes. Secretary Nielsen is either severely unqualified or she’s incapable of acting on behalf of the American people.

Right out of the gate, no nonsense Representative Shelia Jackson Lee, directly questioned Nielsen’s loyalty to the American people, asking her point blank if she was free to make decisions in the best interest of the American people if it clashed with Trump’s interest.

“Can you independently make a decision contrary to the president of the United States, on behalf of the American people for what’s best for them?” ~Rep Jackson Lee

One would expect Secretary Nielsen to reply with a resounding, “Yes, of course.” Instead what was heard was:

“M’am, uh, what I can tell you is I take my oath with utmost, uh, extreme importance, uh-I always do my best.” ~ Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen

Representative Jackson Lee quickly interjected:

“Is your oath to the American people or is your oath to the president of the United States?”

Again, Nielsen’s response was slippery:

“No, Ma’am, the oath as you know is to the Constitution and the people.”

It was startling to hear what amounts to an outright admission that Nielsen bows to the president’s wishes. In a split second, the lighting blot realization that the Department of Homeland Security has been undermined, imparts a deep feeling of unsettledness. Changing the pronoun “your” to the definite article “the” boldly resonates with viewers. This is the textbook non answer to a direct question. Nielsen didn’t lie, instead she reassured her party-of-one listening back at the White House that she was indeed loyal to him.

It went straight downhill from there, with Representative Jackson Lee asking if Nielsen knew how many children were detained at the border… “Yes, I do.” … “How many?” … Nielsen replied something to the effect, “I don’t have that in front of me.”

Children’s lives are not a twisted word game. Twelve thousand children have been ripped from their parents arms. Locked into cages. Rampant sexual abuse. Yet, Nielsen can’t answer a straight question. Congress is up in arms. And our foreign enemies rub their hands with glee, a sparkle in their eye, plotting to destroy America, deducing that if this is the Secretary of America’s Department of Homeland Security, well then the cards are clearly stacked in their favor.

Executive Branch, Mueller, National Security, Trump March 6, 2019March 6, 2019

Trump’s Life History of Obstructing Justice

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Opinion | March 6, 2019) – Trump’s “Teflon” image – the one where no matter what Trump does wrong (“I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot someone and not lose voters”) results in nothing sticking – needs to be examined more closely. It holds the answers to the current tsunami regarding the Mueller investigation.

We can clearly see the many crimes/wrongs Trump has committed, against thousands and thousands, maybe even millions of people… yet nothing stymies Trump. He’s never held accountable. Never permanently sidelined. Never restrained in jail. Never even had to do community service. Trump manages to overthrow his enemies and opposers, and all the higher angels determined to keep the scales balanced, using one consistent dark tactic that’s become the cornerstone of his survivability through all of his twisted schemes.

Trump has mastered the art of obstructing justice.

It truly is an art. The Art of the Deal in fact. That is the deal. Trump’s deal making is a simple matter of force, intimidation and threats. Coercing the other party into accepting his warped, unjust offer.

Merriam-Webster Law Dictionary, OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE LEGAL DEFINITION: the crime or act of willfully interfering with the process of justice and law especially by influencing, threatening, harming, or impeding a witness, potential witness, juror, or judicial or legal officer or by furnishing false information in or otherwise impeding an investigation or legal process.

Trump has had several skilled mentors who were gifted at bestowing their nefarious ways upon their mentee: Roy Cohn, MOB Boss Nicky Scarfo, mobster Daniel Sullivan, the Russian MOB, Dictator Putin… to name a few.

Crimes that Trump has already succeeded at obstructing justice for (beginning in 1973, so that’s 55+ years of nothing sticking):

Money Laundering
Sexual Assault
Contract Disputes
Tax Evasion
Fraud
Perjury
Discrimination
Civil Rights Violations
Defamation
Ethics Violations
Inciting violence
Personal Injury
A total of more than 3,500 lawsuits

So back to the present. Trump has lost his tight inner circle of loyalists at the White House. The few advisors who remain are not loyal, so there’s no trust. Trump is now relying on his “gut” to run the country. Trump’s core being, his gut, consists of 55 years of obstructing justice. He knows no other way. He’s not going to change. Live by the sword, be dethroned by the sword.

Mueller, National Security, Trump March 5, 2019March 6, 2019

Using Correct Lens To See Trump Properly

Washington (Gallant Gold Media Hill Report | Perspective | March 5, 2019) – The bewildering news that Trump’s approval rating is at 46% following Michael Cohen’s public testimony is so mind boggling that one can’t help but wonder what lens some are using to process basic facts. Only 16 million watched Cohen’s public hearing, perhaps this is what created the perception bubble, and has proven to be yet another example of how important it is to stay informed.

Let’s think back. The entire world was stunned on August 21, 2017 to witness President Trump stare at the sun without protective solar eclipse glasses, going against the advice of every single professional on earth who was advising the global population on the best and safest protocols during an eclipse.

So why did Trump ignorantly stare at the sun while being broadcast on live television?

A reasonable deduction is that it appears Trump was trying to guide his devoted base of supporters to follow whatever he says and does, no matter how reckless and dangerous.

Why would any American leader wish their supporters such harm?

Trump seems to emphatically believe that his followers are lemmings and will happily tumble off a cliff with him, and for him. Every single day of the year we see Trump fanning this fire, feeding the flames, tweeting out more and more delusional notions for his supporters to gobble up and use as their lens through which to view the Mueller investigation, the environmental crisis, global warming, the national debt, southern border security, the dramatic erosion of our global leadership, and cherished American principles,.

Meanwhile the rest of us are in overdrive, processing everything we see through our specialized lenses that reveal the hidden clues – glasses like those used in National Treasure to find the missing treasure.

Consuming just a fraction of what’s available, we arrive at a feeling of overwhelming indebtedness to so many faithful American leaders who have shared their invaluable and profound career insights through recently published books, regular op-eds, podcast interviews, public speaking events, which has resulted in the public who’s seeking the truth, being able to process many investigative dots in public domain regarding the Russia meddling in the 2016 presidential election, and the investigation into whether or not the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians. The following recent best-sellers are excellent source material for creating National Treasure style trick lenses:

A Higher Loyalty: Truth, Lies, and Leadership | James Comey
Russian Roulette: The Inside Story of Putin’s War on America and the Election of Donald Trump | David Corn, Michael Isikoff
Proof of Collusion: How Trump Betrayed America | Seth Abramson
Fear: Trump in the Whitehouse | Bob Woodward
Facts and Fears: Hard Truths From a Life In Intelligence | James R. Clapper
The Assault on Intelligence: American National Security In An Age Of Lies | Michael V. Hayden
The Threat: How the FBI Protects America In The Age Of Terror and Trump | Andrew G. McCabe

“Flashbacks to my earlier career as a prosecutor against the Mob. The silent circle of assent. The boss in complete control. The loyalty oaths. The us-versus-them worldview. The lying about all things, large and small, in service to some code of loyalty that put the organization above morality and above the truth.” ~ James Comey, ‘A Higher Loyalty’

It’s rare that this many have stepped up from leisurely retirement, and devoted so much of their time and energy to the public good. Surely it’s the same deep sense of duty that guided them throughout their careers. Duty, honor, sacrifice are so ingrained in their daily habits, it’s second nature. It’s doubtful we would have made it this far without their guidance.

“Surprising even themselves, they swung the election to a Trump win. To conclude otherwise stretches logic, common sense and credulity to the breaking point. Less than eighty thousand votes in three key states swung the election. I have no doubt that more votes than that were influenced by this massive effort by the Russians.” ~James Clapper, ‘Facts and Fears’

These weighty realities create very powerful perspective to view current events, on the eve of the Mueller Report’s release. The fact that some Americans are happy and willing to join Trump and stare at the sun during a solar eclipse without protective eye shields (apparently following Trump’s intentional secret coded message to do so), while the majority of us have followed intelligent suggestions and are using potent, specialized lenses that help see the frightening nuances of having a Mob Boss placed by the Russians as our US President, and Mueller writing a report about it… means that we unfortunately won’t interpret the outcome the same way.

This is extremely worrisome. It indicates that many of us who have GOP family and friends – family and friends who’ve slowly but surely refused to turn away from delusional perceptions – that we’re on different tracks, and will most assuredly veer that much further in divergent directions when we come to yet another critical fork in the road up ahead.

Do we recall the traumatic tsunami that struck Sumatra December 26, 2004? When the tide was swept out so far, and for so long… and the wise ones recognized what was going on, and immediately ran inland and took cover, while 227,898 others ran towards the suddenly vast and empty shoreline, plucking up unique shells they’d never seen before, smiling and delighted by the unexpected wonder of the phenomenon, only to learn later (fifteen minutes to seven hours later, depending on which coastline), the hard way, when their glee turned to despair as they were swept out to sea and died. Some of these destructive coastal waves were as tall as 100 feet.

The heartbreaking aspect of this horrible tsunami tragedy was that there was time for everyone to escape safely. No animals were killed during the tsunami. But the majority of those who died wouldn’t heed the warnings. They didn’t follow the advice of those fleeing. They weren’t open to another perspective about what was actually taking place.