Do you lean to the right or the left? Your political standing is more than that, however. Do you also veer toward Authoritarianism or Libertarianism? There's a way to plot out your political leanings: visit PoliticalCompass.org and find where your ideology rests on the scale.

But do your political inclinations even matter in deciding who to vote for? Each candidate has their views of what prosperity, economic stability, and international relations mean. And both of this year's candidates seem to be conveniently promising utopia for each and every one of us without always explaining the intricate details how we will arrive there.
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Researchers have discovered new strains of Pseudomonas bacteria that feed on the PET plastic used in drink bottles, and turn it into a more valuable, biodegradable form of plastic. The discovery suggests a way to keep billions of pounds of discarded plastic out of landfills; a 2006 study found that less than 25 percent of PET plastic is currently recycled because the industry doesn't have enough use for the end product.

Getting high-quality material — such as plastics suitable for packaging food or beverages — back out of recycled plastic is more expensive than making virgin PET, so most plastic bottles are recycled into lower-grade, and less valuable, plastic. But there's only so much demand for lower-grade plastics, says microbiologist and coauthor Kevin O' Connor…. "The problem is that the market [for recycled PET] is saturated" [Science News].
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As I occasionally mention in these weekly messages, I teach what I need to learn. That means that I have become pretty good at living life in the divine flow, but I am not perfect at it. There are still times when I fall into fear, and thus restrict my ability to tune into divine guidance. I don't stay in that fearful state for long, but I am certainly not immune to it.

With the dramatic downturn in the U.S. economy — and in the economy of the world in general — it is quite a challenge for me to maintain any kind of positive outlook right now . . . and I'm sure that it's a bit of a challenge for you, too.
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Can you imagine not being able to eat chocolate? No, seriously. That's me. Think of all the guilty pleasure I've been missing. But eating it makes me very ill with migraines, fever, nausea, and swelling. The same happens when I eat aged cheeses, such as Gruyere, or drink red wine.

I've also developed other sensitivities. Ice cream, sour cream, and other milk products cause chronic sinus problems. Black tea brings on pounding headaches. Wheat products produce fatigue and BIG dark bags under my eyes. I love all these foods! Imaging living a life of such extreme deprivation…
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The Senoi aboriginals of Peninsular Malaysia are shy, nonviolent tribal people who rely on oral history among their tribes to pass on ancestral wisdom. Despite worldwide changes going on around them, the Senoi are described as the most peaceful people on the planet and extremely dedicated to preserving their traditions and survival methods orally. They are a subgroup of Malaysia's Orang Asli people (translated as "the Ancient Ones," because they are believed to have lived on the peninsula since ancient times), and are particularly famous because of other published works that described their extraordinary mental health through the use of dream interpretation and lucid dreaming.
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It's a demonstration of unconscious brain power: A new neuroscience study shows that people can make decisions based on input that is invisible to the conscious mind. Researchers say the findings aren't evidence of the efficacy of subliminal messages, which have mostly been discredited. But there has been a more subtle phenomenon, billed as the foundation of intuition, where seasoned poker players may play more successfully because they can pick up subtle signals in the body language of their opponents – without consciously realising it – to work out if they are bluffing [Telegraph].
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