Jeffrey R. Holland 1966 masters thesis title deserves scrutiny and appears to indicate a lack of faith in the religion he now has a high position in

On July 30, 2024, I posted about how some academics appear to have been declaring their innermost thoughts on some controversial subjects via relatively simple alphabet-based codes in their academic publication titles. See https://petticoatgovernment.blogspot.com/2024/07/some-ways-literate-people-covertly.html.

Because of some suspicion-raising interactions (including a handshake that was out of place, if you know what I mean) I personally have had with relatives of Jeffrey R. Holland, who is currently the President of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I looked at Holland's academic publications. Holland's 1966 masters thesis at Brigham Young University was on the numerous (but almost all tiny) changes made in the Book of Mormon since it was first published in 1830. It was entitled "An Analysis of Selected Changes in Major Editions of the Book of Mormon - 1830-1920." (https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/etd/4800/)

Doing the doubles-cancel algorithm on the letters of that thesis title, I ended up with:

y g a j s t B k f m o 

To me, this looks like  "Y GA JST Bk f Mo." Perhaps I have been primed to see it by my culture, but to me that looks like "Why Gaea (i.e., the world)? Joseph Smith Translation Book of Mormon." 

A scholarly criticism of the Book of Mormon is that Joseph Smith included Isaiah and Malachi passages in the Book of Mormon without changes from the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible, but that later, when studying the Bible and making inspired changes/clarifications/additions to it (we call this effort of Smith's the "JST"), he changed passages in the JST that he had earlier included without change in the Book of Mormon. (For an example of this criticism, which is easy to find on the internet, see https://www.dialoguejournal.com/articles/joseph-smiths-interpretation-of-isaiah-in-the-book-of-mormon/).

While I personally do not struggle with this issue--the Book of Mormon teaches that God gives people revelations in their own languages, and the KJV version of the Bible was the only scriptural language that the young and relatively uneducated Joseph Smith knew before 1830--the issue is often presented in a faith-destroying way. 

Also, as I have become aware of the importance of many of the details in the Isaiah passages that are included in the Book of Mormon and the watering down and even destruction of God's revelations to his prophets carried out by unbelieving scribes (something that I think Jesus repeatedly tried to warn of, per his many critical mentions of scribes in the Four Gospels), I have come to appreciate God's wisdom in not initially giving Joseph Smith changed versions of those texts. We are meant to study and dig into those Isaiah and Malachi prophecies. The King James Version of the Bible contains many older words that have had their meanings shift over the last four centuries. The Book of Mormon tells us that the prophecies of Isaiah are great, we should study them, and that we will understand them as they are being fulfilled.

But back to Elder Holland's thesis title. The "1830-1920" tacked on to the end of the thesis title also appears to have significance. Using alphabetical order, 1 = A, 8 = H, 30 = D, 1 = A, 9 = I, 20 = T, which turns "1830-1920" into "AHD -AIT," which to me looks like "Add negative eight." When I do that, "ygajstbkfmo" becomes "q y s b k l t c x e g." I think that looks like it has the words "keys," "be," "Celtics" and "eg" in it. Keys are very important symbols in Masonry (https://www.universalfreemasonry.org/en/encyclopedia/key), and much has been made of Joseph Smith's real and alleged ties to Masonic groups. Much has also been made of Joseph Smith's supposed practice of folk magic (https://www.dialoguejournal.com/articles/cunning-and-disorderly-early-nineteenth-century-witch-trials-of-joseph-smith/), and his mother was of Scottish (i.e., Celtic) heritage (https://eom.byu.edu/index.php?title=Smith,_Joseph). Finally, "eg" can be a reference to quartersawing a log, which results in an "X" shape:

"X." as we know from the Jolly Roger pirate flag and treasure maps, refers to pirates (i.e., thieves) and their treasures. In fact, "yegg" is a little-known word for "robber."

Apparent references to Masons, Celts, and pirates/robbers in a possible decoded message in Holland's thesis certainly raise my eyebrows. Are they unintentional and coincidental? Perhaps. My interactions with his relatives cause me to lean to the "intentional" side, though. I think at the least they deserve investigation, especially if the "y g a j s t b k f m o" is a quiet declaration of his choice of "the world" over the issue of scholarly criticisms of the Book of Mormon. Holland has been in high church leadership positions for several decades now.

The Book of Mormon warns that throughout society (and it doesn't exempt the churches that have the Book of Mormon), there will be people who are in high ecclesiastical places who don't do the Lord's will, even as they point to the beautiful buildings and works they have done in the Lord's name. We are under no scriptural obligation to "look no further" when we stumble across suspicion-raising things. To the contrary, the Book of Mormon clearly says that we are supposed to learn how to judge righteously between that which is of God and that which isn't.

[Update 8/13/2024: I've been thinking about what technology would help people hide messages in article titles, and I think they're most likely passing around macros that show them various possibilities using the key words they need to include in the article title. However, passing around macros from unknown sources is an unwise thing to do. A macro might have deeper functionality that also encodes other messages at "higher levels." An academic using such a macro might easily look like they are involved in things they are not involved in.]

[Update 10/29/2024: The index in a 1971 book by David O. McKay written for the LDS audience contained a clue that pointed to a "DLN O," which to me looks like a reference to Dallin H. Oaks, who has now risen to be second in line in the LDS Church leadership. Back in 1971, Oaks was already the president of Brigham Young University.

I pulled up the oldest publicly available article by Dallin H. Oaks: Oaks, Dallin H. (1905) "The "Original" Writ of Habeas Corpus in the Supreme Court," Supreme Court Review: Vol. 1962, Article 6. Online at  https://chicagounbound.uchicago.edu/supremecourtrev/vol1962/iss1/6 and  https://www.jstor.org/stable/3108795

Doing double cancellations on the title of the article and then applying the "OL" ring cipher yields two possibilities: TWFBAHS MEUR and GDUYZSHNVFI, which using the V yields NFHIS ZYUDG. The first possibility looks like it might have something to do with a sea ("mar"), while the second possibility could be a garbled reference to the account of Nephi's execution of Laban contained near the beginning of the Book of Mormon. But Nephi didn't take it upon himself to judge Laban; he did, in obedience to God, execute a man who was the equivalent of a corrupt sheriff who had twice committed capital crimes under Babylonian law (extant during that time) against Nephi and his brothers: (1) theft of a large amount of property and (2) a false accusation of having committed a crime that merited the death penalty. This looked like a halfway solution.

By doing a lot of decoding of similar titles and messages, I've noticed that punctuation can be used to omit parts of a title from the coded message. So I did a double cancellation on "The Writ of Habeas Corpus in the Supreme Court," leaving out "Original" because it was enclosed in quotation marks. Then I tried various ciphers on the resulting WFBNHSMEOU. The ring cipher that pairs "N" with "A" and "O" with "Z" yields RIMHSMET and WFBGVBJU. The first one looks to me like RIM-HS-MET, or rime-As-meat; that caught my eye because of the arsenic-phospholipid connection to weight loss I've been exploring, as well as the reference to a granular crust on food and meat (I'm pretty certain that some of the corned beef I've bought at the store has helped me to lose weight, based on my food journals.). Applying the V to the second string of letters gave GBBJFUW, which due to the doubled B is actually GOJFUW, did not yield anything meaningful.

However, some of the "deepest" messages of all require turning the letter strings upside down. For example, R (i.e. "r") becomes "j", "J" becomes "r", "t" stays "t", "o" stays "o", "W" becomes "M", "e" becomes "d", etc. Turning RIMHSMET and GOJFUW upside down yields "t-dw-suwij" and "M-[e]N FROG." That looks like a solid hit because it is a two-part message containing a mockery--"T do[es] sewage"--as one part of it; the other part is a reference to a scientific secret, which isn't such a secret anymore, which is that using electricity you can move humans the same way Italian physician and physicist Luigi Galvani moved frog limbs in the late 1700s.

Someone who has been leading the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in high positions for over 50 years published a 1962 law review article title that appears to refer to two science secrets and crudely mock a group called "T"....hmmm. The Book of Mormon does warn against "priestcraft," which it defines as when people "preach and set themselves up for a light unto the world, that they may get gain and praise of the world; but they seek not the Welfare of Zion." (2 Nephi 26:29) Even if you're not LDS, it should concern you that a man who 50 years ago might have been declaring himself part of an underground movement has been able to rise to the top in a church full of people who believe in being honest and avoiding priestcraft. If it can happen in the LDS church, I think it can happen to any organization.]

1828 dictionary entry for "Europe" given as "white face" in Aramaic

I was just visiting a sister who has a reprint of an 1828 American dictionary (https://www.amazon.com/American-Dictionary-English-Language-Facsimile/dp/091249803X, partially-available at https://archive.org/details/noah-websters-1828-dictionary-ellen-g-white-estate). I love looking through old dictionaries, so of course I thumbed through hers...repeatedly. 

To my surprise, this was the entry for "Europe":

The current dictionaries don't show a Hebrew/Aramaic etymology for Europe. Here's the entry from my enormous 1971 dictionary:

When I "Google" the etymology of Europe, I get a lot of supposition, references to Greek myths, etc. But the Aramaic word for face is "appa," and the Aramaic word for white is "howwar"--"howwar-appa" spoken quickly sounds pretty much like the same pronunciation for when most Europeans say the name of their landmass, i.e., Europa (English drops the vowel at the end of Europa). (See https://ids.clld.org/valuesets/15-640-215 ("white" = " and "χewwār") and https://ids.clld.org/valuesets/4-204-215 ("face" = "appa").)

Aramaic and Hebrew have been in use by Jewish scholars continuously throughout the last two millennia and more (see https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1051040/jewish/Aramaic-the-Yiddish-of-the-Middle-East.htm). An Aramaic etymology for "Europa" makes sense, for the Aramaic languages is nearly three thousand years old and is thought to have originated in northern Mesopotamia.

Why did the writers of dictionaries and etymologies discard a logical, supported-by-the-evidence etymology for Europe from Aramaic words? And without any mention of why the elimination was made?

How secret-keeping can be used to turn movements against their own interests

Military and political secret-keeping are not foreign to me. I recognize the usefulness of secret troop movements and societies in winning wars and overthrowing monarchies, especially in the past. However, in our information age where information is available in avalanche proportions, we need to re-evaluate how much we rely on secrecy and whether we should continue to value it highly as a social tool. I think that secrecy by those who are well-intentioned is now much less valuable and often detrimental to the very causes they are hoping to promote via secrecy.

First, there are corners of the internet and whole other computer networks where people trade secrets. Much that is assumed to be secret really isn't, but the criminals and sneaky people are getting their hands on that information while the well-intentioned are mostly kept from it.

Second, the saying that "politics makes for strange bedfellows" is even more true when it comes to protecting secrecy. When secrecy becomes a goal in and of itself, police fraternities can unknowingly end up working alongside the mafia to target people who expose their common secrets. It's not something that has to happen intentionally, for it flows naturally from different organizations subjecting themselves to secrecy considerations. Let me show this in diagrams; grammar syntax concepts are quite useful for demonstrating this:

(copied from image online at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cb/C-command.png, Author: Ioscius)

People think of organizations in terms of hierarchies. People are controlled by those who are upstream of them in a chain of command: D dominates F and G, C dominates E, B dominates C, D, E, F, and G, M dominates B, C, D, E, F, and G. But B doesn't dominate A, D doesn't dominate C or E, and C doesn't dominate D, F, or G.

Syntax research reveals the concept of "c-command" where reference to a common concept/object results in "c-command" by objects that otherwise don't dominate and so can't command each other. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-command). Using the diagram,

• M does not c-command any node because it dominates all other nodes.
• A c-commands B, C, D, E, F, and G.
• B c-commands A.
• C c-commands D, F, and G.
• D c-commands C and E.
• E does not c-command any node because it does not have a sister node or any daughter nodes.
• F c-commands G.
• G c-commands F.

(See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C-command)

Substitute "secrecy-command" for "C-command" and you'll get the gist of what I'm getting at here. Secrecy is the common referent. Organizations with otherwise no hierarchical connection get drafted by circumstances into helping each other preserve the common cause of secrecy. 

Treating secrecy of supreme importance makes different groups easy to manipulate and even turns allies against each other even when in many ways their interests and aims are the same because 1) everyone has become a guardian of secrecy ("no man can serve two masters"), and 2) that secrecy keeps the different groups from talking and comparing notes and realizing in what specific ways they are being used against each other.

What to do when secrecy has been contractually agreed to? When the penalty for disclosure could be loss of employment, position, security, etc.? Whistleblowers often take big risks (and are heroes, in my book).

Because such extreme protection of secrecy does not promote the public welfare, it is subject to legal attack under the spirit of the preamble to the US Constitution. Because people would not have agreed to maintain secrecy at the expense of the very goals for which they initially entered into an agreement, that secrecy portion of the agreement is subject to rescission under principles of equity (see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rescission_(contract_law)).

Technology changes society and reshapes the tools we use to get things done. Secrecy is a tool that needs to be examined openly for its usefulness or harmfulness...kind of hard to do given that it's about not being open, but it still needs to be done.

Some ways literate people covertly share their anti-religion/political beliefs and send each other messages with basic letter codes

The recent Paris Olympics opening ceremonies featured a tableau that mocked the "last supper" of Jesus Christ, but the choreographer claimed it was unintended. I don't think anyone who has really looked at the images believes him, and I don't think he meant people to believe his denial was honest. The performance was quite the overt mockery.

Not all mockery or self-marking of one's self as being against Christ, and by extension Christianity, is as obvious as what we just saw in Paris. People have been getting tattoos of "666" (the number of anti-Christ, per the Bible's Revelation Chapter 13) for some time. Various graphical representations of 666 (vav-vav-vav from vav, the sixth letter of the Hebrew alphabet) can all mean that someone is marking themselves as against Christianity: 666, 111, VVV, WWW, UUU, eee, 999, ggg, GGG, bbb, FFF (because F is the sixth letter of the English alphabet), etc. are ways to play around with the underlying vav-vav-vav pattern.

Similar Bible-based labels of rebellion against the God of the Bible include:

• 42 (the number of months a blasphemous beast exercises authority in Revelation Chapter 13)
• Cain (the first murderer)
• beast (a blasphemer, per Revelation Chapter 13) (this can also be "brute")
• den (as in a "den of thieves," per the Bible's Matthew 21:13)
• serpents (see Exodus 7:12 and Matthew 12:34)
• wolves (see Matthew 7:15)
• Ammonites (see Judges in the Old Testament)

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have some extra labels of rebellions that they can apply to themselves that they pull from the Book of Mormon:

• Amalickiah/Amalickiahites (see the book of Alma in the Book of Mormon)
• Korihor (a teacher who was anti-Christ; see Alma 30)

The Book of Mormon teaches that people who rebel against God often mark themselves with signs for each other to recognize. I grew up hearing a lot of discussions wondering how people would be forced to "take the mark of the beast" as discussed in Revelation, but as I look around me now I see that no one is having to be forced into it. They are happily volunteering because of antipathy towards chastity and a lack of understanding about how important the teachings of Christ (especially his Parable of the Good Samaritan, with its command to actively love and serve one's neighbor) are to a happy society.

As I've continued to notice people's subtle messages, I've realized that some in publishing have been sending each other covert messages for over a century. The codes are pretty basic and messages often fall out easily once one knows the steps:

• First, cancel out letters that are doubled. For instance "petticoat government" would become "picagvrme." (It has no deeper meaning; I just use it because it's in my blog's name.)
• Second, look for words. Because more vowels are often needed, V can be read as a U, W can be read as an O, and H can be treated as an A.
• Apply various ring ciphers (circle the alphabet around on itself or twist it back around halfway through).
• As far as I have seen, the most commonly used of these ring ciphers in older documents is the one that matches O and L together (the words awl, all, and ol' are often used to signify that this ring cipher should be used on a segment of the coded message):
• A B C D E F G H I J K L M
• Z Y X W V U T S R Q P O N
• Doubled letters can be substituted with the letter that is 13 letters afterward:
• A B C D E F G H I J K L M
• N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
• "X" (or "KS") can be used to reverse the order of the segment either before or after it.

You know you've likely hit on a decoded message if there are two closely-related possibilities, one of which looks like a mockery of someone and the other which looks like a clue to something important. Sometimes the mockery is in Spanish. Sometimes the entire message has to be shifted 1, 2, or even 8 letters forward or backward before the other steps bear fruit. It's a fun intellectual exercise.

This approach has been fruitful in decoding messages hidden in dissertation titles, schoolbook chapter headings, article titles, and scripture chapter headings (spoiler: some of the people writing the chapter headings don't appear to hold genuine faith in the scriptures they are presuming to interpret).

You could argue that I'm just finding these messages because I'm looking for them. I would answer that you never find what you don't look for if it's hidden just out of sight. Go ahead and look. Don't take my word for it. I think you'll find a good place to start is PhD dissertations written before the internet was available to the general public (I don't think academics realized just how accessible their dissertation titles would become to everyone after the 1990s).

[Update: 10/6/2024. One may ask, why bother to hide messages in texts like this? To recognize fellow subversive thinkers, I think. But once someone engages in sending covert messages, they have implicitly signaled that they can be deemed to receive messages sent to them in the same way. A dangerous game to get involved in....For instance, there might an encoded NTO "notice to owner" declaring a lien asserted by an IT subcontractor/middleman which might be treated as valid even though a person never actually realized they were being given an NTO.]

[Update 6/24/2025: The 2022 book How to Take Over the World: Practical Schemes and Scientific Solutions for the Aspiring Supervillain, by Ryan North, has an interesting piece of information on page 270:

"LO"....hmm...I think this could be a reference to the U-shaped "OL" cipher I have repeatedly found fruitful in older books. It would be a pointless bit of trivia to put into this book on supervillainy if it didn't have a hidden significance.]

Hypothesis: Fracking-associated earthquakes could be connected to silver

The recent hydrothermal explosion at Yellowstone National Park (see online article: https://www.msn.com/en-us/weather/topstories/yellowstone-update-hydrothermal-explosions-cause-explained/ar-BB1qxK9i) caused me to start wondering what humans do that might increase movement of magma and result in seismic effects like earthquakes and eruptions. Here in Colorado, we experienced some possibly fracking-linked earthquakes in southeast Colorado about eight years ago.

I came across an interesting study titled "Nano-volcanic Eruption of Silver" (online at https://www.nature.com/articles/srep34769):

Here we report a novel phenomenon of Ag nano-volcanic eruption that is caused by interactions between Ag and oxygen (O). It involves grain boundary liquation, the ejection of transient Ag-O fluids through grain boundaries, and the decomposition of Ag-O fluids into O2 gas and suspended Ag and Ag2O clusters. 

It looks like interactions between silver and oxygen can cause mini-eruptions, and that those can occur at relatively low temperatures (geologically speaking) if the silver can't crystallize out (nucleate) as Ag2O. 

However, if the Ag2O phase could not nucleate, then the meta-stable melting points of fcc-(Ag), which are the meta-stable equilibria between the fcc-(Ag) and liquid phases, would fall drastically to low temperatures.

 (online at https://www.nature.com/articles/srep34769)

I think, per this chemistry article on silver nanoplates -

(online at https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/ja2080345)

- that hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) can prevent Ag2O from crystallizing because it keeps the silver dissolved.

Perhaps in the process of returning fracking wastewater underground into disposal wells--the disposal wells have already been linked to earthquakes (see https://stateimpact.npr.org/texas/2012/07/12/more-on-the-science-linking-fracking-disposal-wells-to-earthquakes/)--hydrogen peroxide is sometimes being injected into areas with silver and causing a chain reaction that results in seismic events. If southeastern Colorado, a state with an important silver mining history, had any significant magma near the surface, maybe we might have even seen a little volcanic activity eight years ago!

Maybe we don't even need a lot of hydrogen peroxide present in the fracking wastewater. Perhaps there is sometimes something else in fracking wastewater that increases the amount of hydrogen peroxide later down at the bottom of the wastewater wells. Hydrogen peroxide can be made from just air, water, and electricity* given the right carrier molecule:

In this new process, scientists used electricity to break down water into hydrogen and oxygen, and the hydrogen then reacts with a “carrier” molecule. This molecule — a compound called anthroquinone, in these initial experiments — is then introduced into a separate reaction chamber where it meets with oxygen taken from the outside air, and a pair of hydrogen atoms binds to an oxygen molecule (O2) to form the hydrogen peroxide. In the process, the carrier molecule is restored to its original state and returns to carry out the cycle all over again, so none of this material is consumed.

(see "Producing hydrogen peroxide continuously from just air, water, and electricity," 2019, online athttps://www.techexplorist.com/producing-hydrogen-peroxide-continuously-just-air-water-electricity/27255/)

Anthroquinone is a small molecule:

While it is hard to dissolve anthroquinone into water, it is soluble in hot organic solvents; fracking wastewater contains a lot of organic molecules (see https://new.nsf.gov/news/recent-research-analyzes-chemical-composition). 

I hypothesize that anthroquinone or a similar H2O2-producing carrier molecule might be present in some fracking wastewater and so contributing to seismic activity when introduced into silver-containing rocks deep underground via disposal wells.

* Electricity is presumably present deep underground: "In the mantle, the voltage difference is likely caused by movement of melts and fluids with high electrical conductivity, as well as other redox reactions – although little is known about how strong these electric fields might be." See "Electric fields deep in Earth’s mantle helps diamond crystallise," 2021, online at https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/electric-fields-deep-in-earths-mantle-helps-diamond-crystallise/4013130.article.

Hypothesis: Sequestering cobalt in the intestines to reduce colon cancer

Many studies have found an association between cobalt levels in the body and colon cancer. For instance this 2021 study from Iran found such an assocation:

The highest concentrations of heavy metals were found in the central part of the province and particularly counties with higher amount of cobalt were shown to be associated with higher ASR of men with colon cancer. In contrast, selenium concentrations were higher in areas with lower ASR of colon cancer in men. A significant regression equation for men with colon cancer was found (F(4,137) = 38.304, P < .000) with an adjusted R2 of 0.77. 

See "Association between heavy metals and colon cancer: an ecological study based on geographical information systems in North-Eastern Iran," 2021, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33858386/.

Cobalt is highly reactive in some forms and can cause cancer.

Cobalt and cobalt compounds that release cobalt ions in vivo are reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from studies in experimental animals and supporting data from studies on mechanisms of carcinogenesis. Mechanistic data indicate that the release of cobalt ions in vivo is a key event for cobalt-induced carcinogenicity. The available data show that cobalt metal and cobalt compounds that release cobalt ions in vivo (regardless of their solubility in water) act via similar modes of action to cause similar types of effects, including cell death, DNA damage, and cancer, and that the cobalt ion is largely responsible for the toxicity and carcinogenicity (IARC 2006b; NTP 1998; 2014).

(Online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK590837/)

Some forms of cobalt are highly stable, though. Cobalt manganese oxide (CoMnO) for example is typically insoluble in water and very stable. I think it could be helpful to periodically drink water that has the right compounds of manganese oxide to bind (i.e., sequester) cobalt in the intestines and thus lower its carcinogenicity. Perhaps dedicated drinking fountains could be utilized for this purpose and help turn the tide in the rising wave of colon cancer cases. Manganese is already present in tiny amounts in our tap water.

I wonder whether selenium tends to sequester cobalt, too, given that it was slightly protective against colon cancer in the Iran study above.

Hypothesis: Decreasing SO2 gas in the ear could reduce hearing loss resulting from loud noise

Two people known to me were exposed to very loud environments and had significant hearing loss while still quite young. So I wondered what contribution trace minerals and small atoms/molecules might make towards causing sudden hearing loss. Pertinent studies indicate that cobalt, lead, and tin tend to correlate with hearing loss, while iron could be protective against hearing loss.

"Individuals with the level of cobalt at third quartile had 49% higher risks of hearing loss than those at lowest quartile. And participants with highest quartile of tin had 1.75-folds risks of hearing loss than those with lowest quartile of tin." 

"Association between trace metals exposure and hearing loss," 2022, online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9428401/

"Blood lead concentrations were significantly and substantially associated with hearing loss (mean difference (MD) = 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.03, 2.26; P = 0.04; I2 = 81%), and iron deficiency was significantly related to hearing loss (MD = −0.42; 95% CI = −0.66, −0.18; P = 0.12; I2 = 60%)."

"Association of blood heavy metal concentrations with hearing loss: a systematic review and meta-analysis," 2024, online at https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0033350623003876

Lead in nature tends to be found mostly as Pb, PbO2, and PbSO4. When I look at the standard reduction potential table (at 25 degrees Celsius, which is 77 degrees Fahrenheit) for various molecules and ions, I see that cobalt, when exposed to heat/electrical current, frees up sulfate (SO4(2-)) ions from lead sulfate (PbSO4). Tin, when exposed to heat/electrical current, turns sulfate ions in the presence of a abundant H+ ions into sulfur dioxide gas (SO2). Iron solids reduce levels of H+ ions by turning them into hydrogen gas (H2). To sum up, it looks like these four trace minerals are pointing to sulfur dioxide gas (SO2) as a culprit in helping cause hearing loss.

I looked at sulfur dioxide gas in 2016 when I was writing about molybdenum and its role in converting sulfite to sulfate. Sulfur dioxide and the sulfite that results from it in the human body appear to me to have causative role in migraines. Interestingly, migraines are correlated with sudden hearing loss:

"However, in male cohort studies, the migraine had a higher risk of [sudden sensorineural hearing loss] than no migraine (HR = 1.50; 95% CI: 1.17‐1.83; P < .001). The pooled HR of migraine with the risk of [sudden sensorineural hearing loss] was 1.37 (95% CI: 1.16‐1.58, P < .001) in people with <40 years old and 1.39 (95% CI: 1.17‐1.60; P < .001) in people >40 years old....Individuals with migraine patients are at a higher risk of developing [sudden sensorineural hearing loss]."

"Migraine and risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss: A systematic review and meta‐analysis," 2020, online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7752063/.

I think this points to a potential protective benefit from including sulfur dioxide-absorbing/adsorbing materials in earplugs intended for use in high noise environments such a factories, firing ranges, etc.

Merely using earplugs doesn't seem to actually protect hearing: 

"The use of earplugs had no observable effect on the prevalence of high-frequency hearing loss of the study participants (OR 0.964, 95% CI 0.925–1.005, p = 0.085). No significant relationship between the effectiveness offered by earplug use and high-frequency hearing thresholds at 3, 4, and 6 kHz was found (t = −1.54, p = 0.125). The mandatory requirement of earplug use without individualized training on how to wear HPDs correctly had no detectable effect on the prevention of hearing loss at the auto parts factory."

"Evaluating the Effectiveness of Earplugs in Preventing Noise-Induced Hearing Loss in an Auto Parts Factory in China," 2021, online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8297223/

When I do an internet search on "sulfur dioxide-absorbing materials in earplugs," I don't see any results specifically mentioning earplugs that decrease levels of sulfur dioxide in the ear. That indicates a probable unmet need to me.

We know that sulfur dioxide causes damaging acid rain on statues and buildings; it's logical that sulfur dioxide could also be causing damage to our inner ears.

[Update 7/10/24: It appears that magnesium (as Mg(2+) ions), through an unascertained pathway, can protect against hearing loss. 

"Because Mg2+ deficiency increases the susceptibility to [noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL)], several studies have been conducted in animals or in humans to point out the possible prophylactic efficacy of magnesium. Joachims et al., (1983) observed that guinea pigs with physiologically high Mg2+ levels, when exposed to a single shot impulse or a series of impulses, had significantly smaller threshold increases as compared to physiologically low Mg2+ animals. Scheibe et al., (2000b) showed that oral magnesium supplementation significantly reduces [temporary threshold shifts (TTS)] and [permanent (permanent threshold shifts (PTS)] in guinea pigs subjected to a series of impulses. The mean PTS was found to correlate negatively with the total Mg2+ concentration of perilymph and plasma. Conversely, they did not observe any significant effect on PTS following exposure to a gunshot noise. More recently, Attias et al., (2003) explored the activity of the outer hair cells in guinea pigs by means of otoacoustic emission after impulse noise exposure. In animals supplemented with Mg2+, the thresholds were less significantly affected by noise exposure and the audition recovery was faster. In humans, preventive administration of magnesium has also been shown to be effective in noise-related hearing loss. Attias et al., (1994) tested the prophylactic effect of magnesium in human subjects exposed to hazardous noise. The study was carried out in 300 young, normal-hearing recruits who underwent 2 months of basic military training. This training included repeated exposure to high levels of impulse noises while using earplugs. The subjects received an additional drink daily containing either 167 mg magnesium aspartate or a placebo. The NIHL was significantly more frequent and more severe in the placebo group (28.5%) than in the magnesium group (11.2%). Moreover, the severity of the NIHL was negatively correlated to the magnesium content of red and mononuclear cells. This prophylactic effect in humans was confirmed by Attias et al., (2004) for temporary threshold shifts. Subjects were exposed to a traumatizing noise over 10 min in order to produce TTS without PTS. Compared to a placebo, the preventive oral intake of magnesium (122 mg Mg2+ aspartate during 10 days) provided significant protection against TTS. A negative correlation between the blood magnesium levels and the TTS was also noted."

"Magnesium and hearing loss," 2011 (Isabelle Sendowski, Xavier Holy, Florent Raffin, Yves Cazals), online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK507266/. 

Magnesium behaves similarly to calcium (magnesium is directly above calcium on the periodic table of elements), so I wonder whether magnesium helps sequester sulfur ions similarly to the way calcium is used to "scrub" sulfur dioxide gas from power plant emissions.]

When are "muttered threats" clear enough to be federal crimes?

My family recently finished watching the multi-season TV series Numbers ("NUMB3RS") which was about an FBI agent with the last name Eppes and his brother, who take on and arrest all kinds of criminals. 

I was surprised to see that a recent small plane crash in the East--https://troopers.ny.gov/news/nysp-investigating-plane-crash-delaware-county--took the lives of five people, including four people from a family with the last name of "VanEpps." They had taken off from an airport named after a man with the surname Nader. I don't know about you, but "Nader" to me immediately brings to mind Ralph Nader, a politician known for looking out for the "little guy" and fighting corruption. Moreover, VanEpps makes me think of FBI agents named Eppes working in stakeout vans.

Ever since I learned about the threats/warnings that did or did not get delivered clearly to the USA and then to Japan at the start and end of World War II in the Pacific, I've been noticing that there seem to be a lot of "muttered threats" being made out there using people's surnames in headline-making events, court cases, etc.

I think this plane crash should be investigated more carefully than usual due to the way the names involved invoke images of FBI family members and fighting corruption in the government. Ever since Paul Wellstone's plane crash 22 years ago and the suspicions it raised, I've been more open to the idea that accidents aren't always as accidental as we hope or believe them to be.

If this plane crash turns out to be at all suspicious, it could have been meant as a threat to the families of FBI agents who stand up to corrupt people in the government....which threat-making has got to be a serious federal crime in and of itself.

A tale of two Sundays at church

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints often wear underwear with a special significance:

“The garment of the holy priesthood reminds us of the veil in the temple, and that veil is symbolic of Jesus Christ. When you put on your garment, you put on a sacred symbol of Jesus Christ. Wearing it is an outward expression of your inner commitment to follow Him. The garment is also a reminder of your temple covenants. You should wear the garment day and night throughout your life. When it must be removed for activities that cannot reasonably be done while wearing the garment, seek to restore it as soon as possible. As you keep your covenants, including the sacred privilege to wear the garment as instructed in the initiatory ordinances, you will have greater access to the Savior’s mercy, protection, strength and power.”

https://www.thechurchnews.com/leaders/2024/04/14/first-presidency-letter-garmet-of-the-holy-priesthood-temple-recommend-statement/

Two or three years ago, I used an ammeter to test one of my specially-produced undergarments and found that when slightly damp (such as would result from a person being a bit sweaty), the fabric carried an electric current.

Two Sundays ago, I noticed that when I was in our church building and wearing the garment, I kept feeling an unnatural feeling that everything was "normal" and "OK." I had to consciously strive to remember things I knew of a negative nature because of the strength of this normalcy bias, a feeling that appears to have been outwardly imposed on me. ("Normalcy bias is the tendency to underestimate the likelihood or impact of a negative event. Normalcy bias prevents us from understanding the possibility or the seriousness of a crisis or a natural disaster." https://www.scribbr.com/research-bias/normalcy-bias/)

Last Sunday, I decided to test whether my garment could be involved in creating that odd normalcy bias. The only way to reasonably test that hypothesis was to wear the garment inside-out to church for the duration of our two hours of worship meetings. I was surprised to notice the near-complete lack of the normalcy bias I had felt the previous Sunday. I felt like my thoughts were more my own and that my prayers were more genuine.

College fundraising help via undisclosed technology?

 A few months ago, I was on a local college campus during its homecoming weekend. I happened to be wearing one of their official college sweatshirts, a rather heavy sweatshirt.

While in the parking lot, I saw three young men greet each other happily and in high spirits, and I smiled at their happiness. Hours later back at home, I realized that I continued to feel very happy; in fact, I was euphoric. Nothing had happened in my life since being in the college parking lot that would account for the euphoria I was experiencing. 

As I've contemplated that experience and considered the difference in my mental state that came from ceasing to wear my habitual rings around three years ago, I have come to wonder whether there wasn't some sort of technology being quietly put to use on the college campus, technology used to promote the persistence of happy feelings in the student body and visiting alumni and parents during the homecoming weekend. Perhaps the unusual weight of my "school spirit" sweatshirt was because it contained something that enhanced the effectiveness of such a technology.

Colleges nowadays put a lot of effort into fundraising, and it seems that their fundraising would be more likely to be successful when visiting alumni and parents have strong, persistent happy feelings upon visiting a college in person.

I can hear people debating as they read this, "But surely such technology can't exist. We would know about it!" But such technology would be a lot more effective if not disclosed as no one likes to feel manipulated. If such technology exists and is in use, you can expect it to be a closely-held secret.

[Update 7/19/2024: I recently came across the "anomalous Nernst effect" (ANE) which might be a partial explanation for how magnetic fields could be used to affect our nervous system in an unnoticeable way. Basically, it says that an electric current can be induced in non-ferromagnetic materials (i.e., our axons in our neurons) where there is a perpendicular heat current (such as in our bodies with blood cooling in the extremities and warming in the torso) and a perpendicular magnetization. I don't understand all the details, for I never took quantum mechanics, and that is involved. But it looks like a promising research topic. Besides, I've always thought it would be good to understand quantum physics better, seeing as it help describes the world we live in.]

Still losing weight healthily--definitely need to reduce the complexity of what I'm doing, though!

As mentioned in the post before this, I think I've figured out how to lose weight healthily without relying on iffy beverages and supplements. I'm down ten pounds in about ten weeks, and according to my records, the good results come from using juniper berries that I first microwave in plastic for 60 seconds with silicon dioxide (I use "beer salt" for this) and grated cinnamon bark, then stir in (again, with plastic) ground eggshell (my current eggshell powder also has some onion in it, but when it runs out I will try the experiment with plain ground eggshell) and roasted plantain/banana leaf (made by soaking frozen-thawed banana/plantain leaves in epsom salt water (MgSO4 and H2O) before toasting black and crushing into powder), then microwave again 30-60 seconds. While they are still warm, I place the juniper berries on plain salted butter and make a puree out of that and plain distilled H2O.

I then use that puree as described in preceding posts. I really want to reduce some steps now that I have something that works, for the current process is too complicated to be easily replicated. My teenage daughter is going to help me with that, which is fitting because she first showed me years ago that this sort of process could have good results when she microwaved silicon dioxide-containing stevia sweetener with cinnamon and stirred it into artificial vanilla, cocoa, and yogurt. That stevia sweetener has apparently since changed its formulation, but I think the inulin in it was a source of strontium or barium and that I am now finding that needed strontium or barium in the eggshell powder.

[Update 6/6/2024: I think I missed an important ingredient in all my different food preparation combinations. It might be consumption of erucic acid (in brassica seeds and peanut skins) in light of how consistently I see tiny downward trends when I consume it versus when I don't it.]

[Update 6/7/2024: I mixed some ground mustard seed, which I ground myself at home using a mortar and pestle, into my butter and chilled it before using it in the puree yesterday. Today I'm down a little over a pound. I'm looking forward to seeing if there's a continued downward trend tomorrow! If so, I'll have to learn a lot more about erucic acid and benhenic acid.]

[Update 6/19/2024: Never mind about the erucic acid. That didn't seem to work. What does seem to make a difference is how recently I have microwaved the juniper berries. 

When I microwave the juniper berries with just some dried parsley (which creates both ozone and fluorine gas in minute amounts), I think I am making a +3 cobalt ion which quickly degrades to a +2 cobalt ion if not trapped in something like a saturated fat triglyceride such as butter provides, and I am more likely to see a little weight loss occur. 

I now do two treatments on juniper berries and place the resulting juniper berries in butter right afterwards to make the puree. 

The second treatment I do is microwaving beer salt (for its silicon dioxide and chloride ions) with juniper berries and freshly ground cinnamon and then stirring the heated mix with a tarnished silver-plated fork. I think I am likely making a +3 ion of chromium when I do this.

I'm sorry this is all so complicated. For anyone thinking that science is easy..... :) ]

[Update 6/24/2024: I think it's helpful to microwave some powdered dried onion/eggshell on the dill/cocoa mix in the Mason jar. Perhaps I'm making strontium ions that can then pull rubidium or lithium ions out of the tomato when I stir it in....]

[Update 6/25/2024: I just saw a drop on the scale after doing versions of the above experiment in which I microwaved a little powdered eggshell under the layer of Hershey's cocoa in the cocoa/toasted banana leaf powder/powdered dried onion/red raspberry seed powder-layered mug into which I afterward pour the juniper berry/salted butter/distilled water puree. I think I'm making strontium oxide (SrO) or barium oxide (BaO). It'll will be interesting to see if that keeps being helpful.]

[Update 7/2/2024: I've been thinking about why microwaving just cocoa and letting it sit for a while seems to be helpful; perhaps it's because the layer of cocoa is acting as a lid to some sort of chemical process that needs to have a sealed container. I came across a cryptic mention of combining lithium, gold, and CN (carbon nitride) with what appears to be phospholipids, and I think that microwaving the cocoa might be making the carbon nitride. The tomato is a source of lithium. Gold is tricky to isolate in a reactive form but is likely present in my juniper berries in tiny amounts. Soy is a source of phospholipids. I'll have to do some more studying to understand the underlying chemistry, but this seems like a very interesting lead. Especially since I got it from looking more closely at D&C 89.]

[Update 7/3/2024: I tried applying the information in the 7/2/2024 and went down a pound on the scale this morning. Gold seems to be important to weight loss somehow. That would go far to explain its staying power as a precious metal even among people who don't wear much jewelry.]

Weight loss without energy drinks, coffee, tea, etc.

I found a way to process juniper berries in my microwave such that I can achieve noticeable healthy-feeling weight loss fairly quickly. 

I start out by eating a little freshly sliced green cabbage plain.

Here's what I do to the juniper berries:

1) pluck some juniper berries from a bush

2) microwave them for 60 seconds in a plastic cup with a dry mixture of a source of silicon dioxide (it used in foods to help them flow better), powdered toasted banana/plantain leaf that has been soaked in Epsom salt (MgSO4) water (H2O) for a few hours before toasting, and freshly ground cinnamon bark 

3) right after removing from the microwave, stir in a mixture of powdered dried onion/powdered washed-and-cleaned (of membrane, etc.) eggshell using a plastic stirrer

Avoid using metal during this processing.

Then I put some of the juniper berries on a little plain salted butter and blend that with some H2O to make a puree.

I use a mug to microwave for 60 seconds layered cocoa powder topped by dried onion power, some more powdered toasted banana/plantain leaf, and lastly red raspberry seed powder. I mix some of the juniper berry puree into that right afterwards.

 

I also microwave cocoa powder topped by dill weed for 60 seconds in a glass jar then stir in some freshly sliced Roma tomato with a plastic stirrer.

I then pour the contents of the mug into the glass jar, stir that and consume about half of it. Then I put in some freshly sliced green cabbage. and some soaking water that has had dry soybeans and H2O combined for a few hours; I consume the rest.

I've been keeping careful track of what I eat and what happens to my weight, and the above has caused my weight to go down two pounds in two days from what had been a very stubborn plateau.

Now I get to figure out which of these steps and ingredients are really necessary and which aren't. The crucial addition two days ago which seems to have made the biggest difference was the addition the mixture of powdered dried onion/powdered washed-and-cleaned (of membrane, etc.) eggshell to the just-heated juniper berries. That makes me think that alkaline earth metals, which in similar in behavior to calcium, could be involved. The sulfur in the onion and banana/plantain leaves makes me wonder whether there is some strontium sulfite or barium sulfite involved. On to discover! (In the meantime, I'm appreciative of feeling slimmer. :) )

[Note: I precede this newest mixture by an hour or two with consumption of a cup of (nylon mesh-strained) distilled water/super toasted banana leaf/cut celery leaf beverage. The celery leaf enzymes are needed, but they are counterproductive if taken at the same time as the mixture; those enzymes need to be consumed an hour or two earlier.]

[Update 5/2/2024: In step 2 above, I think I need to include some powdered kombu (brown seaweed/kelp). I think an element in it--likely beryllium or scandium--fuses with the silicon dioxide to form a catalytic surface. I did that yesterday, and noticed a difference in both how my body burned fat and on the scale the next morning.]

[Update 5/3/2024: Oops. I think I concluded the wrong variable (use of powdered kelp) was responsible for something that instead--based on what I saw with the scale this morning and my body yesterday--was the result of using a "Black Hills gold" brooch to stir my juniper berries right after microwaving.them. Ocean water is known for its gold content, so if if gold is involved in weight loss somehow, at least a a catalyst, that would help explain why I have had good success in the past with sardines (an ocean fish).]

[Update 5/9/2024: The order in which I use different kinds of spoons and containers seems to be very important in the process of treating the juniper berries. I had a lasting two-pounds-in-two-days weight decrease by using a mug with a white interior to microwave the juniper berries, but sadly that mug broke when I tried to use it again. Yesterday, I microwaved the ground cinnamon/silicon dioxide/raw juniper berries in a ceramic bowl for 60 seconds, stirred it right after with the greenish gold of a Black Hills brooch, stirred it more with some of the magnesium-sulfate-toasted plaintain leaf ash, then after cooling it for a bit stirred in some powdered eggshell/dried onion, then microwaved the mixture again for 60 seconds and stirred it with white plastic afterwards. Today I am down a pound, but there are so many catalytic variables involved that I cannot be sure I have the right order and tools yet.]

[Update 5/13/2024: I've been reviewing all the things that could have been in the glaze of the mug that worked for weight loss but then was broken. It looked rather chalky, and grayish-shiny metals seems to be associated in my experiments thus far with weight loss. I think I'm going to try to fuse gallium and glass and try that in my experiments. My current hypothesis is that gallium-glass "frit" might have been used in making that mug.]

Hypothesis: A cognitive benefit seen in the "red wine paradox" might be also obtained by delivering Tylenol directly to the veins in conjunction with consuming the right polyphenols

I don't drink alcohol because of my religion. The Word of Wisdom (Doctrine and Covenants 89) counsels against "strong drink." So for years I read about the "red wine paradox" seen in France--the phenomenon of moderate red wine consumption being protective against cognitive decline (see Nooyens AC, Bueno-de-Mesquita HB, van Gelder BM, van Boxtel MP, Verschuren WM. Consumption of alcoholic beverages and cognitive decline at middle age: the Doetinchem Cohort Study. Br J Nutr. 2014 Feb;111(4):715-23. doi: 10.1017/S0007114513002845.)--and wondered how I could get the same effect without actually drinking wine. I looked at many of the different polyphenols that could be involved, and quercetin seemed like a good candidate. But studies with these compounds in rats and mice that looked promising never seemed to work out for humans in subseqent human studies.

A few years ago, my mother was visiting us, and she was already in the early stages of cognitive decline. She took a sage supplement I had, and within hours she was much more like her previous feisty self. But subsequent bottles of the same sage brand of sage supplement did not have the same effect. Plain dried sage also failed to have a postive effect. I've been trying to figure out what could have been different about the first bottle; somewhere in its processing, the sage could have been exposed to yeast that altered it somehow, but in what way?

Quercetin-3-O-glucuronide has been found to be quite effective in treating Alzheimer's disease in a mouse model:

Moreover, in an in vitro analysis using the photo-induced cross-linking of unmodified proteins (PICUP) technique, we found that quercetin-3-O-glucuronide is also capable of interfering with the initial protein-protein interaction of Aβ1–40 and Aβ1–42 that is necessary for the formation of neurotoxic oligomeric Aβ species. Lastly, we found that quercetin-3-O-glucuronide treatment, compared to vehicle-control treatment, significantly improved AD-type deficits in hippocampal formation basal synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation, possibly through mechanisms involving the activation of the c-Jun N-terminal kinases and the mitogen-activated protein kinase signaling pathways. Brain-targeted quercetin-3-O-glucuronide may simultaneously modulate multiple independent AD disease-modifying mechanisms and, as such, may contribute to the benefits of dietary supplementation with red wines as an effective intervention for AD.

Ho L, Ferruzzi MG, Janle EM, Wang J, Gong B, Chen TY, Lobo J, Cooper B, Wu QL, Talcott ST, Percival SS, Simon JE, Pasinetti GM. Identification of brain-targeted bioactive dietary quercetin-3-O-glucuronide as a novel intervention for Alzheimer's disease. FASEB J. 2013 Feb;27(2):769-81. doi: 10.1096/fj.12-212118.)

How can we get hold of some of that quercetin-3-O-glucuronide? Our liver makes glucuronide compounds via a process in the liver cells called glucuronidation. Ethanol, i.e., alcohol, triggers one of the pathways involved in glucuronidation of Tylenol (also known as acetaminophen or paracetamol), so perhaps getting Tylenol directly to the liver (i.e., not going through the stomach and intestines first) at the same time as quercetin can help the liver make some quercetin-3-O-glucuronide, too. 

Intravenous Tylenol doesn't seem to be a common part of most people's health regimens given how invasive it is to have an IV; I couldn't find any Tylenol skin patches for sale. There is a tantalizing study showing reduced delirium in older patients given IV Tylenol after a surgery (See Subramaniam B, Shankar P, Shaefi S, Mueller A, O'Gara B, Banner-Goodspeed V, Gallagher J, Gasangwa D, Patxot M, Packiasabapathy S, Mathur P, Eikermann M, Talmor D, Marcantonio ER. Effect of Intravenous Acetaminophen vs Placebo Combined With Propofol or Dexmedetomidine on Postoperative Delirium Among Older Patients Following Cardiac Surgery: The DEXACET Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA. 2019 Feb 19;321(7):686-696. doi: 10.1001/jama.2019.0234. Erratum in: JAMA. 2019 Jul 16;322(3):276. PMID: 30778597; PMCID: PMC6439609.). 

What would happen if we gave people Tylenol intravenously via skin patches at the same time as they ate/drank lots of high-polyphenol fruits/vegetables/herbs? I think this is a possibility that should be looked at. Something is getting in the way of carrying over the results of rat/mice studies into humans when it comes to preventing age-related cognitive decline, and it think it might be a difference in human digestive systems versus the digestive systems of mice/rats.

Further experiments in weight loss point to a possible need for a phosphotransferase enzyme contained in animal products, including dairy

I get better results when experimenting as described in section (2) of my post https://petticoatgovernment.blogspot.com/2023/03/update-on-some-promising-advances-in.html when I remember to include a little plain butter than when I do not. Because I am investigating manipulation of phospholipid-like molecules, I currently think it's possible that the butter is providing a phosphotransferase that assists in forming desires phospholipid-like molecules. Specifically, I'm looking at whether it might not be phosphotidylserine synthase. I think I'm also trying to avoid any action by the enzyme phosphatidylserine decarboxylase. 

Another thing I'm focusing on is using the phospholipases in fresh tomato mixed together with unsalted, home-ground peanut butter as a source to obtain phospholipid-like molecules. I'm not sure yet whether the lithium in tomatoes is important, but I seem to get better results if I hold off on adding any NaCl (salt) until the very end.

Thought experiment on how to exploit the culture of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to fake a "second coming of Christ"

In Matthew 24, verses 23-27, Jesus Christ warns against pretended Christs who would claim to be him. He said, 

23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.

24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.

25 Behold, I have told you before.

26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.

27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

I have noticed some odd things about LDS culture (not its scriptures, which contain very strong words against such shady doings) that point to a plan in the works to fake a supposed return of a Christ "in hiding," even though Christ specifically warns us all not to be taken in by such a ruse.

First, it's a widespread notion in the LDS culture that Jesus Christ was supposedly born on April 6, based on the start of D&C 21, where Jesus said to Joseph Smith upon the organizing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, "Which church was organized and established in the year of your Lord eighteen hundred and thirty, in the fourth month, and on the sixth day of the month which is called April." It's been repeatedly floated in Church culture that this means that Jesus was born exactly 1830 years before the calendar date of April 6, 1830. The text of the scripture does not require such an interpretation. Given the calendar shifts over the last 2000 years, it's bizarre to insist upon this verse meaning that Jesus was literally born on April 6.

However, it makes more sense that those seeking to discredit the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint with a false Christ ruse would want us all to focus on that date as being "special" because in 2024, there will be a long total eclipse of the sun on April 8 over Palmyra and Fayette, New York, the towns where Joseph Smith was living when he was called as a prophet and organized the Church. Big events in the sky tend to grab people's attention and make them wonder if God is using the events to send a message.

If you've ever read any Mark Twain (an 1800's American writer who is notable for using a false name and for criticizing the Book of Mormon--he called the book of Ether in the Book of Mormon "chloroform in print" which is ridiculous given its compact narrative of conspiracies, wars, betrayals, riches, slavery, and an epic journey), you might have come across his book, A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. The most memorable part of the novel is when a time-traveling man from Connecticut convinces the court of King Arthur that he is a wizard by foretelling a solar eclipse. Just like a time traveler to the past could known of a prior eclipse's occurrence, people 100 years ago could have calculated out when a future solar eclipse would be and planned to use it to discredit the religion founded by Joseph Smith. April 8 is only 2 days off April 6, and it happens to be the day right after the general conference of the Church that will be held on April 6-7, 2024.

How would one plan ahead to use that date and that eclipse? 

One could talk up the importance of early April. Check, as anyone who has grown up in the LDS Church in the USA has likely noticed.

One could have the Church president's wife and others talk about the possibility of Christ being secretly returned to Earth. Check. See a 2016 address where Wendy Nelson said, "So, now a question as I conclude: What if you learned that the Savior had already returned to this earth—that He, as part of His Second Coming, had already met with some of His true followers in several marvelous, large gatherings—gatherings about which the world, including CNN and the blogosphere, knew nothing. If you found out that the Savior was already on the earth, what would you desperately want to do today, and what would you be willing and ready to do tomorrow?" (Online at  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/broadcasts/article/worldwide-devotionals/2016/01/becoming-the-person-you-were-born-to-be?lang=eng) I think Wendy Nelson is a very nice person, but this kind of hypothetical is flatly contrary to Matthew 24 and should be recognized as nondoctrinal. There has also been a book or two floating around the Utah Mormon culture about a man who had a near death experience and claims to have seen visions of Christ being quietly back on Earth and directing things from a hidden location. Again, totally contrary to what Jesus himself said in Matthew 24.

One could have some notable Church members "die" but actually have them go into hiding until just after April 8, 2024, whereupon they can be presented as "resurrected" after getting a little surgery to rejuvenate their appearance. I think this has been happening. Patricia Holland, who is reported to have passed away suddenly earlier this year, is a very good candidate for such plan. I have interacted with some of her relatives personally, and they have behaved in such a way as to show membership in a secret society within the LDS Church (odd handshakes, knowledge about the usefulness of metallic rings to influence thought patterns, etc.).

Songs for the children that indicate what time of year Jesus will come back. Check. "I wonder, when he comes again, Will herald angels sing? Will earth be white with drifted snow, Or will the world know spring?" (Online at https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/music/library/childrens-songbook/when-he-comes-again?lang=eng) If you've experienced a series of early Aprils in the Intermountain West, this verse perfectly describes the weather at that time of year. 

I know this is a serious scenario I am outlining above. Messing with people's faith in God is not something that should be done. But because faith is such a powerful motivator for so many people, unscrupulous people do take advantage of it. There is nothing in Christ's teachings that says we have to fall for such schemes, and being prepared for the possibility of their occurrence allows us to help protect everyone else from the wolves in sheep's clothing that exist in so many societies.

Weight maintenance smoothie

As I continue to experiment with weight loss, I have hit upon a way to maintain my weight. For breakfast, I drink a celery leaf/distilled water/toasted banana leaf beverage that helps me function through the morning until lunch. I think it acts similarly to green tea. Then at lunch and dinner, I drink a homemade broccoli/cacao nib/gelatin bevereage. Here are the steps for the smoothie/beverage I make:

(1) Dissolve beef gelatin powder (about 1 tablespoon) in distilled water (about 1/2 cup) in a jar. 

(2) Blend at high speed raw unsweetened cacao nibs (about 1/2 tablespoon), fresh rinsed broccoli florets (about 1 cup), and distilled water (about 2/3 cup) until steaming (for me, this means approximately 49 seconds in a Blendtec blender). 

(3) Pour the contents of the blender from step (2) into the jar from step (1) and mix. Dilute with more distilled water to the preferred consistency. Drink throughout the meal.

I think the smoothie works because step (2) makes a sulfur molecule--I think it might be the HS⎺ ion--which then attaches to an amino acid or small peptide in the hydrated gelatin to make a molecule similar to cysteine, taurine, or hypotaurine.* Consuming this sulfur-containing molecule via the smoothie throughout the meal seems to give a weight maintenance benefit similar to that obtained by drinking some varieties of wine throughout a meal.

* For a possible mechanism of action, see Kulakowski EC, Maturo J. Hypoglycemic properties of taurine: not mediated by enhanced insulin release. Biochem Pharmacol. 1984 Sep 15;33(18):2835-8. doi: 10.1016/0006-2952(84)90204-1. PMID: 6383406. Online at https://doi.org/10.1016/0006-2952(84)90204-1: "Pretreatment with taurine (200 mg/kg, i.p.) attenuated the rise in serum glucose levels at 0.5 hr after glucose administration. In addition, taurine also prevented the rise in serum immunoreactive insulin levels. The taurine analogue hypotaurine produced a similar inhibition in the rise of both serum glucose and insulin levels while β-alanine, the carboxylic acid derivative of taurine, was totally ineffective. The enhanced glucose clearance can be explained by an increase in deoxyglucose accumulation in skeletal muscle and liver. In the liver, a 50% increase in glycogen synthesis was observed. A possible interrelationship between taurine and insulin receptor is discussed."

Terms with unexpected meanings, part 9

Here are some more interesting finds from my huge 1971 dictionary:

* "commination" - the first definition given for commination is "an instance, or the action of announcing, warning of, or threatening punishment or vengeance, esp. divine punishment or vengeance." The etymology is Latin and comes from comminari, which means to "threaten." The part that grabbed my attention was at the end of the etymology where it said after several Latin words "--more at MOUNT." Over the last few years, I've come to realize that mounts (short for mountains) are often used as a representation of secret organizations working to control events in the world from behind public knowledge, which organizations the Book of Mormon describes as "secret combinations." "Combination" and "commination" sound almost identical, and secret organizations that don't rely on secret threats don't stay secret for long.

* "mental chemistry" = "associationism by analogy with chemistry that forms mental compounds with qualities not inherent in the elements to be combined." What does this look like? Can one use a recipe, for lack of a better word, saying, "combine three parts fear, one part disgust, and one part anger to get a person willing to act in a certain unusual-for-them way"? Such formulas would come in handy in marketing fields and politics.

* "groovy" has an unexpected first definition: "settled into a fixed often tiresomely undeviating way of living or acting or thinking <so-called leaders who have become [groovy] dolts." This isn't how people usually use the word. 

 * "sludge": "to sludge" can mean either "to fill in with sludge" or the opposite, "to clear of sludge."

* "frazil" = "ice crystals or granules sometimes resembling slush that are formed in turbulent water." Wouldn't these exist in slushie drinks or some ice cubes? Oddly, the etymology says the word is from the French fraisil meaning "coal cinders" and further claims that comes from the Latin word for "torch." What do cinders and ice crystals have to do with each other?

* "cylinder" has a very odd etymology: "MF or L; MF cylindre, fr. L cylindrus, fr. Gk kylindros, fr. kylindein to roll; akin to OE sceol wry, sqinting, OHG scelah, ON skjalgr wry, squinting, L scelus crime, wickedness, Gk skolios curved, crooked, skelos leg, Alb tshäle lame; basic meaning: turning, bending." Wickedness? Squinting? What's that about?

* "topless" has two older definitions, the archaic-labeled one of "so high as to reach up beyond sight," and the obsolete-labeled one of "SUPREME." Because the dictionary treats archaic definitions as old but still valid, that means "topless" can mean having an invisible top.

* "syncryptic" is a word that describes how imposters can hide in plain sight: "of, relating to, or being a protective resemblance in appearance in which basically unlike organisms are similar (as in color) often through a common adaptation to their environment, also: exhibiting such resemblance...compare SYNTECHNIC." Just because someone looks and acts a part doesn't mean they're genuinely motivated by the same things that motivate outwardly-similar people.

* "syncerebrum" = "a brain (as of an insect) consisting of several segments." 

* "sequester" has a lesser-known definition of "to hide from public view: withdraw from circulation: SECLUDE, SECRETE <old houses...[sequester]-ed under leafy boughs--Amer. Guide Series: Vt.> <no crusading idealist ever thought it right to [sequester] himself in an estate--Norman Thomas>."

* "nice" has an etymology that is anything but nice: "ME, foolish, wanton, fr. OF, simpleminded, stupid, fr. L. nescius ignorant, not knowing, fr. nescire not to know--more at NESCIENCE." We use "nice" now to mean "kind," and many a smart person is kind. I think the smartest people are usually going to be the kindest, for being unkind hurts one's own heart and it doesn't inspire genuine love or loyalty in others.

Juniper "berry" and juniper sap appear to be helpful in weight loss

When I blend some foods, such as raw cacao nibs, butter, peanut butter, and curded-milk products (some of them) with juniper sap that has been partially dehydrated, I see a greater increase in helpfulness in losing weight. Has anyone else experimented with juniper berries (they're not technically berries) or dehydrated juniper sap? Or even noticed anything special about them? 

Juniper berries are actually a common food spice in a few parts of the world. They were commonly used in medieval times instead of black pepper, and dehydrated juniper berries look very similar to black pepper. They also taste pretty good. :)

[Update on June 26, 2023: I've continued to experiment with juniper berries, and I have come to conclude--based on the sweetish taste of the juniper berries that work versus the lack of sweetness in juniper berries that don't work--that the molecule from some of them that helps in weight loss is one that is soluble in chloroform (CHCl3). That leads me to P4 (four phosphates bound in an independent compound, i.e., "white posphorus"), which is soluble in CS2 and chloroform (CHCl3). P4 is made by heating together solid calcium phosphate (Ca3(PO4)2), carbon (C), and silicon dioxide (SiO2), and it isn't soluble in water. I did look at heating solid SiO2 earlier because of my daughter's former success in heating dry SiO2-containing stevia sweetener powder in the microwave. This seems a promising avenue of research, although I suspect given the kelp connection, I'll probably end up looking at CHCl2Br or possibly some other combination of 3 halide ions with CH. To make CHCl3, one does need Cl2 (chlorine gas), which is made by running some electricity through a solution containing chloride ions (so plain salt can come in handy, as can a battery or some static electricity). Interestingly, electricity can be present in a mixing bowl depending on the materials used, the way a mixing appliance is wired, and the spacing of the attachments. Some processed foods--like salted butter--would thus have a little chloroform in them while others wouldn't, depending on overlooked things like mixer attachment metal alloys and such.]

[Update on November 18, 2023: Iceland is one of the world's foremost users of juniper berries in food. I think it's why they stay relatively slender despite a very fattening cuisine. Unfortunately, Iceland is about to have a volcanic eruption that is forcing the evacuation of a mostly-unknown town called Grindavík. Grind-avík. This town being emptied just happening to have the same name as one of the major ways juniper berries get processed seems too improbable to be a coincidence. I think Iceland is being forced to give up its "special" version of juniper berries by a shadowy group that can trigger volcanic eruptions on its geologically-unstable island. Since grinding appears to be targeted, I think that something in the grinding process--perhaps an ozonified cobalt--is doing an otherwise hard-to-attain ionization to an element relatively high in juniper berries, perhaps yttrium or gold.]

[Update December 13, 2025: I need to look more at bismuth/antimony versions of nucleotides, I think.] 

Use of signet rings with "magic of the Amorites" in medieval Europe

Recently, I came across an intriguing example of usage of the word "oligarchy" in my big old dictionary. It said, "the Millennium -- old domination of the landowning and merchant [oligarchy] -- D.M. Friedenberg." (See photo of the dictionary entry below.)

I looked up D.M. Friedenberg and found he was an authority on the use of seals by Jews in medieval Europe. He claimed that there was no usage of seals by Jews in medieval Poland (see https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/27/oa_monograph/chapter/2186169), but that claim has been contradicted. A Polish scholar, Jerzy Mazur, in 2009 wrote the following in an article in Scripta Judaica Cracoviensia ("Jewish Seals in Late Medieval and Early Modern Poland," link at https://www.ejournals.eu/pliki/art/5665/):

Even though there are no preserved Jewish seals from the medieval Kingdom of Poland and the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, we can still attempt to reconstruct them by analyzing available artifacts from neighboring countries and provinces, especially those from Silesia and Hungary. One of the most interesting Jewish seals from this region is a golden signet ring found by Marcus Brann in Wroclaw in 1906. This thirteenth century reversible artifact belonged, according to the Hebrew inscription, to Abba ben Abba. Its edge was decorated with an image of a dragon and its rim with a head of an unrecognizable mythological animal. The face of the seal was adorned with a representation of unidentified bird with its head turned to the right and surrounded by small branches of a tree. The signet’s reverse side showed an abbreviated Hebrew inscription deciphered by Marcus Brann as, “Increase my luck (happiness), do not diminish it. Amen, Amen. Amen. Selah. And nothing is here of the Amorites practice.” The formula distancing the owner of the seal from “Amorites’ practices” was employed to confirm that the inscription and ring itself were not connected with magic.

(P. 52)

Having noted a couple years ago that my thinking seemed much clearer after I had stopped wearing my rings, I think that rings can be used to alter thought patterns via the central nervous system. For lack of a better analogy, remember wrapping metal objects around TV antennae to get better reception decades ago? Conductive spirals and rings can greatly enhance reception of specific transmissions made via electromagnetic radiation.

Because I'm not smart enough to have been the first person to notice a difference in my thinking when wearing rings constantly versus no longer doing so, I think that the "magic of the Amorites" is a reference to electromagnetism-based manipulation (or at least "nudging") of other people with the aid of conductive jewelry. I think this is a secret that has been kept from "the masses" for centuries, but it is slowly beginning to come out now.

I'd like to know more about what D.M. Friedberg meant when he talked about this oligarchy he calls "the Millennium," wouldn't you?

Hypothesis: Oral vitamin D supplementation causes downregulation of skin synthesis of Vitamin D, resulting in fibromyalgia and related conditions

In the 1990s in college, I had a roommate who suffered greatly from chronic fatigue syndrome. Since then I have periodically considered what might have contributed to her symptoms. I recall that she drank a lot of milk, and most US milk is supplemented (by law) with vitamin D supplements. 

The human body usually synthesizes (i.e., makes) Vitamin D in the skin, but it can also absorb it from the intestines. The principle of homeostasis indicates that when there is a high oral intake of Vitamin D, the body is consequently likely to decrease the expression and/or activity in the skin of enzymes that synthesize Vitamin D. The problem with this happening is that those same proteins and enzymes might have other important functions besides producing Vitamin D.

I have a hypothesis that the widespread intestinally-delivered supplementation with vitamin D, mostly via fortified milk and multivitamins, is depressing Vitamin-D-synthesizing processes in the skin such as to contribute to an increase in chronic fatigue syndrome ("CFS") and fibromyalgia (which often occurs along with CFS). 

Fibromyalgia is noted for pain and sensitivity all over the body, including specifically in skin tissue. 

Fibromyalgia consists of widespread pain with similarities to neuropathic pain in clinical findings, pathophysiology, and neuropharmacology. Pain is the predominant symptom and allodynia [i.e., "pain resulting from a stimulus (such as a light touch of the skin) which would not normally provoke pain"] and hyperalgesia [i.e., "increased sensitivity to pain or enhanced intensity of pain sensation"] are common signs. Extreme fatigue, impaired cognition and nonrestorative sleep difficulties coexist in addition to other somatic symptoms. Research including neuroimaging investigations shows abnormalities in neurotransmitters and an abnormal response to pain.

"Fibromyalgia." Janice E Sumpton & Dwight E Moulin, Handb Clin Neurol 2014;119:513-27. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-7020-4086-3.00033-3; online at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24365316.

A 2010 study in England found that people were less likely to report feeling pain on days with a lot of sunshine, which supports that something involved in the skin's response to sunlight is connected to pain levels. (See "Whether the weather influences pain? Results from the EpiFunD study in North West England," found online at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20430867.) Vitamin D is repeatedly found to be connected to fibromyalgia in ways that are unclear. (See "Vitamin D in Fibromyalgia: A Causative or Confounding Biological Interplay?" online at https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27271665.)

Further, enzymes that synthesize Vitamin D require the element magnesium. (See "Magnesium status and supplementation influence vitamin D status and metabolism: results from a randomized trial" online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6693398.) In a majority of studies looking at trials of magnesium for treating fibromyalgia symptoms, magnesium did significantly improve symptoms. (See "Magnesium and Fibromyalgia: A Literature Review" online at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8371721.) 

I think the evidence is strong enough to investigate this possible hypothesis further. Homeostasis is an important principle in biology, and it has not received enough attention in this world of fortified foods and daily multivitamins.

Terms with unexpected meanings, part 8

Here are some more dictionary entries I found interesting in the past couple of weeks:

* "hr factor" = "an agglutinogen present in Rh-negative blood and apparently reciprocally related to the Rh factor." I have Rh-negative blood and have read a fair amount about why it is advisable for pregnant woman with that kind of blood to get the Rhogam shot, and I never saw anything about an "hr factor"; the articles all talked only about the absence of the Rh factor. What is this? I'd like to know what is in my blood.

* "huarizo" = "the offspring of a male llama and a female alpaca." I didn't know they could cross-breed. I'd like to see the result of such a match someday.

* "haustorium" = "a food-absorbing outgrowth of a hypha, stem, or other plant organ: as a: a projection from various fungous hyphae b: a cell of the embryo sac or embryo in some seed plants c: an ougrowth of the stem or root in a parasitic seed plant (as dodder)." Part b appears most interesting because it seems to have disappeared from modern dictionary definitions of haustorium even though "cells of embryo sac[s] or embryo[s]" are not the same thing at all as parts a and c. I'm currently looking at soybeans in connection with weight loss, and I was already realizing that a specific part of dormant soybeans is involved; perhaps it is the haustorium I'm looking for! (Interestingly, the word that led me to look up haustorium was "dodder," which is on page 666 of this dictionary and has a weird font thing with haustoria where it is partially faded.)

* "dod": one of the given definitions of "dod" is "[euphemism for God]--used as a mild oath esp. as an intensive with a verb."

* "devote": one of the given definitions of "devote" is "to consign to the powers of evil: give over to destruction: DAMN, DOOM." Have you ever seen "to devote" used in such a way? This is frankly bizarre. The dictionary doesn't even include an example of it being used this way.

* "sonochemistry" = "a branch of chemistry that deals with the chemical effects of ultrasound." I'd like to see studies on this, as well as on the chemical effects of infrasound, too, especially in connection with their biochemical effects on humans.

* "cauma" = "[Gr. kauma, heat] in medicine, burning heat; febrile heat. [Rare.]" This one is from a smaller 1977 dictionary, and my much larger 1971 dictionary (both are Webster dictionaries) doesn't have it. What is going on? Greek is a very old language, and a word like this is unlikely to have come into the English language from Greek medical terminology within a space of six years in modern times. Is it connected to the idea of a medical "coma"?

* "catacoustics" = "[cata-, and Gr. akoustikos, from akouein, to hear.] that part of the science of acoustics which treats of reflected sounds; cataphonics." Again, this word definition is from a smaller 1977 dictionary, and my much larger 1971 dictionary doesn't have it; the larger dictionary doesn't have "cataphonics" either. What is going on with this word? Surely in a world saturated with multimedia presentations and digital music, catacoustics should be a very important field.

That's all for today.

Terms with unexpected meanings, part 7

Reading a dictionary is like taking a lot of mini-courses in various subjects, except you never know quite what you're going to find, while selecting mini-courses has more predictable results. Here are some of the interesting words I've come across in the past few weeks:

* "pachypasa" = "a genus of lasiocampid moths including a Syrian silkworm (P. otus) reared by the Greeks and Romans for its silk until the introduction of the Chinese silkworm in A.D. 550." The Greeks and the Romans made their own silk from their own silkworms? I never learned about that in history. Interesting!

* "thimble": one of the definitions for thimble in my big 1971 dictionary is "a thimble-shaped cup or shell (as of filter paper or fritted glass) for containing material to be extracted by solvents esp. in chemical analysis." "Frit" is defined as "to prepare (materials for glass) by heat: FUSE." Now that I'm looking at heated silicon dioxide (i.e., glass) compounds in connection with weight loss (see my last post), I'm curious about what kind of fritted glass has been used throughout history in food and beverage preparation.

* "thigh": the etymology of thigh in my dictionary is "ME, thigh, thie, fr. OE thēoh, thīoh; akin to OHG dioh thigh, ON thjō buttock, Mir tōn buttocks, OSlav tukû fat, Skt tavīti he is strong--more at THUMB." Doesn't it seem random to throw in the last few strained-but-supposedly-possible word origins and then to send the reader off to the word "thumb"? This caught my eye because the Bible talks about patriarchs making oaths by putting their hand "under thighs" (see for example Genesis 24:2), but maybe it really is talking about handshakes where thumbs are held in specific unusual ways instead of actually putting hands under thighs (doesn't that last seem like a really awkward thing to do in societies that might not have had underwear?).

* "third world": the 1971 Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language Unabridged adds the term "third world" to the dictionary with two definitions: "1: a group of nations esp. in Africa and Asia that are not aligned with either the Communist or the non-Communist blocs 2: an aggregate of minority groups within a larger predominant culture." That second definition is a new, much more inclusive one than what I thought the "third world" definition meant, especially because "predominant" means "one that predominates," and "predominate" can mean to rule, hold numerical advantage over, or even--in times gone by--"to have determining astrological influence." 

* "theopneust" = "given by inspiration of the Spirit of God: divinely inspired." But the etymology description points the reader to the word "SNEEZE." Given the lack of respect for religious people shown elsewhere in this particular dictionary, this looks like an intentional wrong reference.

* "canchalagua" = "[Sp, alter of cachanglaguen, modif. of Araucan cachanlahuen, fr. cachan pain in the side + lahuen medicinal herb]: a bitter tonic herb of the genus Centaurium (esp. C. chilensis of Chile and C. venustum of California)." This appears to be talking about an herb used formerly to treat internal pain. Now that even low-dose aspirin has been connected to stomach bleeding, we should be looking at other natural sources such as this herb that might be helpful.

Update on some promising advances in weight loss experimenting

My current experiments (otherwise known as meal preparation) in losing weight are still pointing to phospholipid-like molecules. If I combine a low-carb first part of the day (i.e., breakfast and lunch) with beverages and compounds aimed at getting these molecules broken down in my intestines, I think I see faster weight loss, especially if I'm able to get in some exercise during the morning.

Here are my steps at present:

1) First beverage (around 7-8 am) is distilled water/banana (or plantain) leaf (toasted black in the toaster)/celery leaf pieces from a jar I keep in the sunshine so that the celery leaf pieces can still receive sunshine and produce enzymes. I strain about 1/4 cup of it with a nylon mesh strainer and just drink it plain.

2) About an hour later, I microwave on high for 60 seconds [UPDATE: this must be in something with a glass inner lining, not plastic. Presumably, that means silica in glass is vitally important.] some Hershey's Special Dark Cocoa on which I have sprinkled powdered onion (dried, from the dollar store) and then sprinkled some red raspberry seed powder and then sprinkled powdered toasted banana/plantain leaf (I roasted it in the toaster myself and used a wooden spoon to turn it into powder) and dill weed. I microwave it in a ceramic mug and then let it cool just a couple minutes. Then I put small pieces of fresh tomato (washed and dried before cutting) in. Last I stir in a small pat (around 1/4 teaspoon) of butter (I used salted because the unsalted butter has undisclosed additives in it these days in the USA--I'd rather use plain unsalted butter). Then I eat it all (it's only 1-2 Tbsps total). I also eat a little raw green cabbage.

3) About an hour after that, I strain and drink a little more of the celery leaf beverage from step 1.

4) During the rest of the morning, I try to jog for around 40 minutes, and if I'm hungry or thirsty, I alternate between the snacks in step 2 and the drink in step 1.

5) For lunch, a moderate-carb lunch seems to work well. I try to avoid anything with baked Vitamin E or A, since those seem to be counterproductive for losing weight. At least, I've noticed that raw carrots are fine, but cooked carrots are not. The same seems to be for other foods higher in Vitamins A&E. I also drink a protein-vegetable smoothie I make with my blender: I puree till steaming cacao nibs (unsweetened), a few broccoli florets, some soaking water from red raspberry seeds, and some water (I only use distilled water for both), and then I let that sit a few minutes and pour it into a glass jar containing beef gelatin (hydrated ahead of time with a relatively large amount of distilled water) and topped with a little Hershey's Special Dark cocoa. I stir that and drink it throughout my meal. I eat a lot of vegetables and homemade yogurt.

6) Dinner is similar to lunch, except I also eat potatoes, rice, and even some bread. I often even have some dessert.

7) About an hour after lunch and dinner, if I remember, I drink a little more of the strained beverage from step 1.

I think that the blender drink from lunch/dinner and the microwaved cocoa/spice/herb-tomato concoction are providing a nitrogen-and-sulfur-compound-altered aromatic aldehyde (look up Twitchell reagents for an idea of the kind of compound I'm looking at) that, with the help of vanadium, silicon, and lithium, alters phospolipid-family molecules (i.e., ones that contain arsenic, bismuth, or antimony in place of the phosporus atom) such as to make them promote weight loss once the middle part has been freed by phospholipases D and C (which are found in celery leaf and in brassica vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli) down in the intestines. I think the toasted banana leaf in step 2 does something to stabilize the celery leaf enzyme so that it can survive the gastric environment and make it to the intestines without losing its function.

Because the banana/plantain leaves are from the tropics and are basically unprocessed, I think they provide the vanadium (a trace mineral) I need; putting them in the toaster changes the vanadium to a more useable form, I think the necessary aromatic aldehydes are in the cocoa and to a greater level in the red raspberries. I think the gelatin and the tomatoes are providing necessary lithium; I think that rubidium might also be involved, helping me to get lithium in the correct form. The vegetables are providing the needed sulfur and nitrogen compounds, with the help of heat and the trace minerals in the cocoa/cacao nibs. Butter and gelatin appear to provide the needed phospholipid-type molecules. I think the glass jar and the dill weed are providing silicon.

As you can see, this is a fairly complicated process. Oh, well. Life isn't always simple. I'll keep plugging away at it, but I think I've learned a lot and made some good progress in the past few weeks.

[UPDATE 4/14/2023: I think another phospholipase enzyme is needed to prepare the phospolipid-family molecules that I'm looking at. My current focus is on phospholipase A2 (PLA2), which can remove the fatty acid that is next to the phosphate at the 3rd spot on the phospholipid glycerol. I think this could be a necessary first step in altering the phospholipid-family molecules because it frees up neighboring space to permit the change without interference by the removed fatty acid. Sources of PLA2 include soy (which is very frequently in the canned fish which I have observed to be connected to weight loss), some animal tissues, the orange plant, rice, etc. (see more plant sources in the article "Secretory Phospholipases A2 in Plants," Mariani, María Elisa & Fidelio, Gerardo Daniel, 2019, Frontiers in Plant Science; online at https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpls.2019.00861/full). The plant sources of PLA2 all seem to be associated in some way with weight loss, so I am cautiously optimistic at having identified another necessary step to making the needed molecules for weight loss.]