All institutions stagnate over time. But if the original inspiration contains enough universal truth, it can survive the centuries. This seems to be the case with Christianity. Despite millions of Christians who believe all they have to do is verbally profess their faith in their Lord Jesus Christ, a much deeper understanding of the human condition and each individual's capacity for transformation remains just waiting to be rediscovered. Troels Engberg-Pedersen is just one of the scholars of early Christianity to have mined Christianity's earliest texts - the letters of Paul - for insights into what they actually meant - and still mean - for those with eyes to see.

The shape of Paul's thought has much in common with the philosophy of Stoicism. Not only does it provide a pathway of transformation - it presents a vision of the world imbued with meaning and responsibility. In a time when identity politics is on the rise, perhaps it is time to rediscover the values at the root of our civilization. Paul's Christianity was the anti-identity politics of its time. His message was simple, practical, and effective: bear your suffering, act with responsibility and meaning, and consider others interests, not just your own. In short, crucify your old self so that a better self can be born.

Today on the Truth Perspective we look at the Stoic-like roots of Paul's thought and how it fits into a wider worldview where meaning is not only possible, but real.

Running Time: 01:28:09

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When Trump weighed in on the record-breaking California wildfire season last week, he was - as usual - roundly condemned in the media for 'insensitivity', 'stupidity' and 'ignorance'. But what if his comments about forest management and climate change were actually well-informed?

This week on NewsReal With Joe & Niall, your hosts discuss the raging California wildfires and the pretentious ideological beliefs that lead federal and state authorities to go way beyond their station by attempting (and repeatedly failing) to tackle local environmental problems via hare-brained measures intended to 'save the planet'.

Also discussed on this episode is the interminable 'Brexit' fiasco. This political wildfire flared again last week when May's govt announced that 'a Brexit deal' had been settled with the EU. 'Brexit' in name only, the deal effectively keeps the UK in the EU, which led to the mass resignation of govt ministers and the threat of an imminent leadership challenge.

Watch to learn why the UK cannot leave the EU...


Running Time: 01:27:46

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Every single individual varies along a range of five personality traits. We don't know why, or how, only that we do. Agreeableness, conscientiousness, extraversion, neuroticism, openness: these five traits, and the variations within them, capture the range of human personality, and they do it quite well. They capture differences between men and women, between liberals and conservatives, between emotionally unstable artists and hard-working manager types, and everyone in between.

Not only do the traits help us know ourselves a bit better - like what careers or environments are best suited to our personality and what aspects of our personality are most likely to bring us into conflict with others - they help us gain a better understand of just how different other people can be from us, and why. And they point out the aspects of our personality that might need some work: like when to be more assertive, harder-working, kinder, cautious, or adventurous.

Today on the Truth Perspective we discuss all this and more, with reference to Jordan Peterson's Big 5 personality test: Understand Myself.

Running Time: 01:17:45

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Today we interview Health and Wellness Show co-host Elliot about the deep dive he's done recently on the topic of vitamin B1: Thiamine. In the mainstream health paradigm, thiamine deficiency is a thing of the past. The manifestations of vitamin B1 deficiency are termed 'beriberi' and it was widespread in Japan in the 19th century when people had switched to polished rice (white rice) for aesthetic reasons, removing the bran from the rice that contained B vitamins, which lead to deficiency. By fortifying foods with vitamin B1, the problem was thought to be solved.

However, low grade thiamine deficiency may not lead to overt beriberi symptoms, and is a vastly under-recognized problem. According to the work of Dr Derrick Lonsdale and Chandler Marrs, in their book "Thiamine Deficiency Disease, Dysautonomia, and High Calorie Malnutrition", thiamine deficiency is extremely common in a whole host of people who suffer from a wide variety of diseases - so many, in fact, that the deficiency is often referred to as "the great imitator". As a result, thiamine therapy has proven very effective in the authors 40 years of clinical work for a wide variety of conditions including cases of nervous system disorder, dysautonomias, insomnia, depression, schizophrenia, along with cardiovascular disease, excessive vomiting, gut issues, and many more.

Join us for this episode of the Health and Wellness Show, as Elliot tells us all about this important and vastly underrated nutrient.

And stay tuned for Zoya's Pet Health Segment, where she shares important information about anemia in cats.

Running Time: 00:53:32

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Imagine our surprise when we learned that the US Midterm Elections didn't generate the 'blue wave' the Democrats wished for, despite the relatively high turnout and record volumes of cash spent on campaigning.

And yet, the elites' #Resistance against Donald Trump continues!

This week on NewsReal with Joe & Niall, your hosts will discuss the fallout from the Midterms, the WW1 centenary event in Paris, the mass shooting and wildfires in California, and how it's all connected to the 'great ideological war' of our time (for the hearts and minds of people who live by fundamentally different moral codes)...


Running Time: 01:24:32

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If you're like almost everyone else, you think you're special: smarter than average, kinder than average, more attractive, a better driver than most, ahead of the curve in your profession, and self-aware too. But chances are you're wrong. The vast majority of people think they're self-aware: they think they know themselves and how they appear to others. But the vast majority are wrong: self-awareness is a relatively rare skill. A small minority seem born with it, a slightly larger minority have learned it. But luckily, despite your likely lack of self-awareness, you too can learn it. It'll just take some effort - and some intense discomfort.

This is the subject of Tasha Eurich's recent book, Insight: The Surprising Truth About How Others See Us, How We See Ourselves, And Why The Answers Matter More Than We Think. Today on the Truth Perspective we discuss Eurich's book, the insights she shares, and some of the tools that are proven to work to help us raise our self-awareness, and thus help us succeed in our jobs and relationships.

Running Time: 01:32:15

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Glycine is a "conditionally essential" amino acid, one of the twenty amino acids that are the building blocks of proteins. Glycine is produced by the body and -- if you're healthy enough -- can be found abundantly in tendons, ligaments, connective tissues and skin, keeping them all firm and flexible. In the diet animals foods are the greatest source of this potent anti-inflammatory that has numerous benefits for human health including: the regulation of sleep and circadian rhythms, normalizing blood sugar, aiding in digestion, detoxification, wound healing and much, much more.

Join us for this episode of The Health and Wellness Show as we discuss this super amino acid, the best ways to obtain it and some strong precautions that need to be considered when sourcing it.

And stay tuned for Zoya's Pet Health Segment at the end of the show where the topic will be pet dogs in ancient Rome.

Running Time: 01:13:11

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The evils of 'white nationalism' has been a hot topic in the mainstream media lately, especially following the phony mail-bomb campaign targeting Democratic figures and the mass shooting of Jews at a Pittsburgh synagogue, sparking countless 'soul-searching' psychological profiles of 'the typical Trump supporter' ahead of the US Midterm elections.

If we reflect on older events, like the Battle of Charlottesville last year, or the massacre at a black church in Charleston in 2015, and even elsewhere in 'NATOstan' - the massacre of children of Norwegian elites by Anders Breivik in 2011, for example - it's clear that this theme of 'white extremists' holding severe grudges against 'all racial and ideological enemies' has been percolating to the surface for some time.

Is it mere coincidence then that - just as nationalist feeling is growing in countries the world over, and producing electoral results that 'shock' the status quo - extremist caricatures of nationalism begin proliferating, occasionally commit atrocities, and thus blacken nationalism and mandate government crackdowns on all dissent that 'smells like nationalism'?

This week on NewsReal With Joe & Niall, your hosts wonder if the 'War on Terror' has become what it apparently always wanted to be: a war on political dissidents...


Running Time: 01:12:20

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Some critics of organized religions argue that religions are the root of all evils. Some of the faithful argue that atheism and secular ideologies like communism or capitalism produce the worst atrocities. But is either side correct? Or are they missing an important piece of the puzzle?

Today on the Truth Perspective we discuss a chapter in Andrew Lobaczewski's Political Ponerology on religion and pathocracy: how religious ideologies get infected with pathological material, which can remain semi-dormant for centuries; how religions can be hijacked by malevolent individuals and groups; how the same pathological influences produce secular systems that then attack the faithful; and how despite their errors, religions still offer the best defense against political and interpersonal evil.

Religion is both our greatest aid against evil, and also - because of its importance - one of the greatest portals for evil to manifest itself. Both sides of the debate are correct, in a sense. Ponerology fills in the holes of our understanding of spirituality and evil, bridging the gap between the two and pointing the way to a reconciliation between the scientific and religious domains, where each has an important role to play.

Running Time: 01:42:40

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Alcohol consumption is one of humanity's most socially sanctioned drugs. Humans have been serving up the booze for tens of thousands of years and will surely continue to do so until the end of time with or without the blessing of the established health authorities. At this particular moment in history the medical establishment tends to lean toward advocating a moderate level (whatever that means) of alcohol consumption for its supposed heart healthy benefits. Other health professionals state that there is no safe level of consumption and alcohol's benefits are wildly exaggerated.

Whether you're a teetotaler, a fine wine aficionado or a straight up boozehound join us for this episode of The Health and Wellness Show where we'll discuss the world's favorite drug and if it has any place in the diet of a health conscious person.

Stay tuned, at the end of the show, for Zoya's Pet Health Segment where the topic will be language in animals.

Running Time: 01:39:23

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