Jeffrey Smith is the executive director of the Institute for Responsible Technology and a leading spokesperson on the health dangers of genetically modified foods. During the first half, he updated the battlefronts on the war over GMOs including the most recent developments in gene editing and synthetic biology, and how these techniques could alter human DNA. Some of the gene editing techniques used to create products such as 'Arctic apples' (which don't brown when sliced) escape new GMO labeling laws, he reported, and may alter or reprogram our genetic expression after we consume them. In a test on honeybees that were fed a single meal of double-stranded RNA, around 10% of their genes were altered after two weeks, he cited.
Smith emphasized the importance of eating organic, as much agriculture (not necessarily considered genetically modified) is sprayed with the pesticide Roundup, which can have harmful health consequences affecting digestion, mineral absorption, and hormonal regulation. He was also critical of a new plant-based meat substitute called the Impossible Burger. The manufacturers are using synthetic biology-- genetically engineering bacteria to create a bleeding effect when the burger is cut into, and the impact of these new proteins is unknown and potentially dangerous to human health, he cautioned.
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Born with the ability to see spirits and communicate with them, Bill Philipps is a psychic medium who offers individual, small-group, and large-audience readings throughout the United States. In the latter half, he discussed how he first discovered his psychic gifts and learned to accept them amid his difficult upbringing. One way that those on the Other Side try to communicate with us is through manipulating electricity, he noted, such as flickering lights and TVs going on and off. Their presence may also cause a person to experience chills or goosebumps, he added. Further, he finds that numbers that we see in our daily lives can be at times a method that spirits use to communicate with us.
The afterlife, he believes, is a continuation of our life, as well as a reunion, and a school where we understand more of our soul purpose. We all have a committee of spirit guides, said Philipps-- some are assigned to us at birth, and others arrive at different points along our journey. For those that commit suicide, he usually views this as a breach of their soul contract, wherein they are still left with the same energy they were trying to escape, and must learn to work through it in non-physical form. During the last hour, he gave readings for callers, sharing messages from the departed with them.
News segment guests: John M. Curtis, John R. Lott, Steve Kates