Drinking water is essential to life, but may be unhealthy. Unlike Austria, Germany and The Netherlands, where tap water is sand filtered and disinfected by exposure to ozone and ultraviolet light, most countries add chlorine and sometimes fluoride to their tap water; rendering their water artificial. While no definitive conclusions have been made regarding the long-term effects of drinking artificial water, as most artificial foods are harmful to long-term health, it's likely artificial water has the same effect. Google Bard responds: You are correct that most countries add chlorine and sometimes fluoride to their tap water. Chlorine is a disinfectant that kills harmful bacteria and viruses, while fluoride helps to strengthen teeth and prevent cavities. However, some people are concerned about the health effects of drinking water that has been treated with chlorine and fluoride. There is some evidence that chlorine can react with organic matter in water to form disinfection byproducts (DBPs). DBPs have been linked to health problems such as cancer, reproductive problems, and immune system suppression. However, the levels of DBPs in tap water are typically very low, and the risk of developing health problems from drinking tap water is considered to be low. Fluoride is also a controversial topic. Some people believe that fluoride is beneficial for teeth, while others believe that it can be harmful. There is some evidence that fluoride can interfere with thyroid function, and there have been concerns that it may contribute to the development of Alzheimer's disease. However, the benefits of fluoride for teeth are generally considered to outweigh the risks. Overall, the evidence on the health effects of drinking water that has been treated with chlorine and fluoride is mixed. There is some evidence that exposure to these chemicals can be harmful, but the risks are considered to be low. If you are concerned about the health effects of drinking tap water, you can boil the water or buy bottled water. It is important to note that the statement "most artificial foods are harmful to long-term health" is a generalization that is not supported by scientific evidence. There are many artificial foods that are safe and healthy to eat. For example, artificial sweeteners are often used in diet foods and drinks, and they have been shown to be safe for most people. It is also important to note that the statement "artificial water has the same effect" is a hypothesis that has not been proven. There is no scientific evidence that drinking water that has been treated with chlorine and fluoride is harmful to long-term health. In conclusion, the health effects of drinking water that has been treated with chlorine and fluoride are a complex and controversial topic. There is some evidence that exposure to these chemicals can be harmful, but the risks are considered to be low. If you are concerned about the health effects of drinking tap water, you can boil the water or buy bottled water. ...

In college, I had three LSD psychedelic journeys of which I have distinct memories. One was of my wanting to eat my brain. I felt that my mind and body were a duality. If I ate my brain, my mind and my body would be one. The second was looking at a painting and seeing its colors dripping beyond its frame and onto the floor. The third was when I was wallowing naked in mud in the backyard of my parents' attached house in Brooklyn and saw myself holding onto Earth with dear life as it was spinning incredibly fast and I as afraid I would otherwise fall away from Earth and into endless space. Looking back now, the first journey was the recognition of the duality between our animal consciousness (the body) and divine consciousness (the mind) and our purpose in life which is to integrate the two as a whole. The second revealed that no thing is an independent thing, as it is our mind that creates the forms and shapes of things which are otherwise one interconnected and interdependent thing in the now. The third journey suggested that if we let go our self-identity (Earth life), we will be one with the universe....

A dear subscriber to our blog "had a very good friend who recently passed away from a heart attack while riding his bike. He was in his late 60's." And now, "the void...

The etymology of "realization" is the Latin verb "realizare," meaning "to bring back to reality, to make real." The etymology of "actualization" is the Latin verb "actuare," meaning "to make something happen" or "to bring something into effect." In the context of their etymologies, self-realization is a noun and self-actualization is a verb. When a tree knows it's a tree, it is self-realized. When it bears fruit, it is self-actualized. The self-realized are enlightened. The self-actualized are enlightening....

I hear the stories, each told in a different light. My mind struggles to comprehend, as the stories clash and ignite. I long to see the truth, but the lights are too bright. In the heat from the many lights, I await the cool night where distant stars guide the way and there is no wrong or right....

"Someday people will understand what you are talking about and I'm sure this world will be a better place for it, but sure as hell I'll never understand." -- Inscription in my high school graduation album from a fellow graduating student. Those sure there is hell don't know of heaven, for heaven is all there is....

"I look in the mirror every morning and ask myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today?' And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." Every day is not a day in a life, but a life in a day. When every day is everyday, we have yet to awaken. Upon awakening, every day is our first day in life; every-thing is new and unique like never before as we are unfettered by thoughts from time passed or time future.  ...

The British-American author and journalist Christopher Eric Hitchens (1949–2011)…once recounted a story about Chou En-lai, who served as the first Premier of the People’s Republic of China from 1954 until his death in 1976. According to Hitchens, Chou had been invited to speculate on how the course of history would have been altered if, say, Nikita Khrushchev had been assassinated instead of John F. Kennedy. Chou’s austere version of Marxism made him dubious about the importance of things like sheer accident and mere individuals. But in this instance, he was prepared to allow that things might have been different. How different? “Well,” said Chou with complete gravity, “I hardly think that Aristotle Onassis would have married Mrs. Khrushchev.”...

New York, Los Angeles and Chicago are leftist cities; those who still live there are politically on the left and those who aren't have left. It's like a virus, either you are the virus (you are left) or you've had enough of the virus and have left. Those who know the consequences of having the virus for a long period leave to live in other cities. Those who are the virus are hopefully slow in their migration to other cities. The virus is an ideology. Those who conform and live according to the left ideology are not human; they are the ideology. Those who can observe and reflect on how real life unfolds know the impracticality of the left ideology. They are generally ok humoring the ideology but don't want to be prisoners of it. Those who have left may find the foregoing funny, unless those who are left have invaded their reasonably well-functioning cities. Those who are left cannot find it funny because viruses don't have a sense of humor. Governments created the virus in a lab. The work of highly educated people....