Even though they are all grown up, they still enjoy playing like children, and that brings such joy to my heart. Truth be told, I like to dive into the leaves as well. The smell of fall leaves is forever burned in my memory.
Let’s get moving with the news, so I can bundle up and get outside for some fresh air and family time.
Today, we share some breaking news and move on to some links submitted by our blessed readers.
International internet raid shuts down many sites on the dark web.
Thanks to a reader for this link. A joint effort, between 16 European countries and the US, has just taken down at least 400 illegal internet sites and arrested 17 individuals around the world. The sites are all part of a black market, subterranean internet realm, called the dark net where individuals can purchase anything from drugs, to guns to murder-for-hire.
Last year, the Silk Road site was taken down, which sold illegal drugs, but a new Silk Road 2.0 popped up quickly to fill the gap. Investigators used evidence, secured in the initial investigation, to begin tracking locations for sites that were using special encrypted technology that made pinpointing their origins difficult.
It is interesting that an open-source platform called Tor, which was designed by the US Naval Research Center, and still receives funding from the US State Department, could be the corner stone of the dark web. The program was developed to assist individuals who were living in repressive regimes, to protect their physical location while interacting on the web.
Could a topless photo change an entire industry?
The link below contains a topless photograph of Keira Knightley. She decided to pose for the photo, if the magazine agreed not to Photoshop, airbrush or otherwise alter her appearance. The young actor shares that her body has been digitally manipulated more times than she can count, and she wanted to bring this issue to the attention of the public.
Digitally altering photographs, especially of women’s bodies, are the norm in all areas of the media. Keira believes that women’s bodies are a battleground of societal programming related to beauty and acceptability. This trend places an unrealistic image before young women and affects their body image drastically.
While a number of businesses are catching on, and presenting media that represents how women actually look, far more work needs to be done to make the public aware that this is occurring and present significantly more images of real women.
Keira Knightley Wants You to Look at This Topless Photo by Matt Connolly on MIC
Moving on…
Science looks at the illusion of separation.
This link was sent in by a dear reader, and covers the recent Science and Nonduality Conference. SAND, for short, brings together neuroscientists and physicists, with the consciousness community. The topic for this year’s conference was “Entanglement.”
The issue was tackled from many different angles, and the wonderful part of the program was seeing how science and spirituality, previously kept mutually exclusive, fit together so brilliantly as each discipline worked to find common ground.
Why does anything exist at all?
This link also came from a dear reader. Every indigenous culture ever studied has a creation story, which usually leaves the creation of the universe in the hands of their God. Quantum physicists and cosmologists now believe they have enough scientific information about the history of our universe to come up with their own creation story.
They believe the universe appeared out of nothingness, as this state is inherently unstable. One moment in time, the conditions were perfect and the universe simply began, just as a vacuum will draw matter into itself.
They also think the universe is flat, and continues to expand with empty space around it. Scientific discussion on the creation of the universe is in its infancy, and it will certainly be influenced by new discoveries along the way.
Why is there something rather than nothing by Robert Adler for BBC Earth
Health care workers take their care on the road.
Two UC San Francisco physicians have started a new program called the HEAL initiative. The program gets health care workers out into rural areas in nations where health care resources are poor, to visit patients who might be unable to come to clinics for treatment. HEAL is currently serving sites in the Navajo Nation in New Mexico, Haiti, India and Liberia.
Specially trained health care workers are accompanied by local guides into inaccessible areas. The program is about sitting with people in their homes and listening to their stories, along with discovering their health needs. Those in need of specialized care feel a connection to the visitors, and are more likely to travel to clinics for treatment.
The article also includes a beautiful poem, written by Dr. Shamasunder, who was inspired to write it after meeting an elderly grandmother during his visit to Haiti, who was taking care of her grand children with very little support.
Poem from Haiti by Sriram Shamasunder, MD on the Daily Good
And finally…
What the heck is that?
Many people in Wonthaggi, Victoria were startled when they looked up in the sky, and saw what appeared to be the bottom of a ship resting in the water. The odd cloud formation featured a rainbow at one end and many folks too pictures and video of the odd phenomenon.
Area residents called local news outlets to ask what it was. Many thought it was a UFO, but meteorologists said it was a very rare “fallstreak” cloud. What ever it is, it certainly is beautiful.
Strange ‘fallstreak’ rainbow cloud hovers over Wonthaggi, Victoria on News Australia
That’s the news for today. Have a relaxing day. I hope to see you back here on Sunday for Feel Good News.
Be Well. Be Joy. Be Love!
Alex