BOTTLED WATER EXPOSED (NOT GOOD) & A LIST OF BRANDS TO AVOID REVEALED BY EXPERTS

COLLECTIVE EVOLUTIONSEPTEMBER 15, 2016

Back in 1945, government officials began including fluoride in our tap water to improve our dental health.

Found in many name brand toothpastes, it’s thought to help prevent tooth decay. But recent studies have revealed that the chemical can actually do more harm than good, like causing fluorosis — permanent deformation of the teeth.

Overexposure to fluoride, leading to fluorosis, is typically seen in children during the first eight years of their life, when their permanent teeth are beginning to form. The physical deformities caused include yellow to dark brown staining of the teeth, irregularities in the surface of the teeth, and large, noticeable pits that can form holes in the teeth.

Fluoride can also negatively impact their cognitive development. In fact, a study conducted in China found that children who grew up in areas with high levels of fluoride in their drinking water scored, on average, significantly less on IQ tests than children in lower-fluoride areas.

Senior study author Philippe Grandjean attributed the lower IQ scores to the toxic effect that fluoride has on the developing brain. “Fluoride seems to fit in with lead, mercury, and other poisons that cause chemical brain drain,” Grandjean explained. “The effect of each toxicant may seem small, but the combined damage on a population scale can be serious, especially because the brain power of the next generation is crucial to all of us.”

Nearly 75 percent of the U.S. population receives drinking water that contains 0.7-1.2 parts per million (ppm) fluoride to prevent tooth decay. These levels are based on recommendations from the federal government made more than four decades ago.

“Just because we did studies over the last 70 years, it doesn’t mean that we did everything that is necessary to know for sure that fluoridation is not toxic to some processes in the body or development of the brain. Those studies have actually not been done,” noted Grandjean, who is also an adjunct professor of environmental health and the head of the Research Unit at the University of Southern Denmark, and author of Only One Chance: How Environmental Pollution Impairs Brain Development – and How to Protect the Brains of the Next Generation.

In light of these revelations, you’d think bottled water would be the safe bet, right? That’s why we make sure to skip filling up from the tap and invest our money in brands that claim to have the best quality water for our health. Unfortunately, it seems that bottled versions aren’t always as pure as we’ve been led to believe.

advertisement – learn more

Many brands actually use municipal tap water and could contain fluoride, while certain spring water is reported to also contain the chemical, according to the Arab Tribune.

A study published in the Journal of Epidemiological & Community Health discovered that those who consume fluoridated water are more likely to suffer from thyroid issues.

“In many areas of the world, hypothyroidism is a major health concern and in addition to other factors—such as iodine deficiency—fluoride exposure should be considered as a contributing factor. The findings of the study raise particular concerns about the validity of community fluoridation as a safe public health measure,” the study authors concluded.

To avoid buying a bottled water brand that contains fluoride, do not purchase the following brands:

Alhambra, Sierra Springs, Sparkletts, Arrowhead, Mount Olympus, Belmont Springs, Poland Spring, Crystal Rock, Crystal Springs, Shenandoah, Deer Park, Diamond Springs, Nursery Water, Hindley Spri, Ice Mountain, Kandiyohi, Puritan Springs, Kentwood Springs, Mayer Bros., Ozarka, Pure Flo, and Zephyrhills.

Safer bets for water bottle brands that do not contain fluoride include:

Aquafina, Crystal Point, Dannon, Deja Blue, Evian, Fresh Market, Great Value, Smart Water, Summit Mountains, and Summit Springs.

Top 10 bottled waters

Published March 21, 2014

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This Saturday, March 22 is National Water Day, so why not break out a bottle of H2O to celebrate? Whether you enjoy bubbly or flat water, it can be difficult to choose between all of the thousands of bottled water brands available.  Try flat water from Fiji, sparkling water from France, or the water enjoyed by both Elvis Presley and the racehorse Secretariat.

We’ve created this primer on the top brands to take the guesswork out of your next trip down the grocery store aisle. Next time you’re thirsty, why not try reaching for one of the ten best bottled waters around?

• Voss Artesian Water

Voss Water

Two Norwegian entrepreneurs created Voss, a classy, designer-savvy tube of water from the crisp, frigid aquifers of their Nordic homeland. Shielded for hundreds of years from pollutants by thick layers of rock and sand, Voss water is bottled in Southern Norway, “naturally unfiltered” and served both still and sparkling. But its rugged purity is not Voss’ only selling point. The company’s designers painstakingly developed the bottle’s look and feel to reflect a brand that embodies both health and high fashion. Voss first became available mostly in upscale hotels and in health spas in Europe and in the United States but has since seen much wider distribution in gourmet food and retail stores on both continents.

• Saint Geron Mineral Water

Gayot.com

Saint Géron, known as “the queen of mineral waters,” stems from an ancient spring in the Auvergne region of France. The light, sparkling mineral water in a bottle of Saint Géron is the product of an 1,100-year filtration process. This results in the water being cleansed of all bacteria and nitrates, which show up at less than .1 milligrams per liter. Unusually rich in calcium and magnesium, Saint Géron has long been used as a treatment for digestive problems, diabetes, anemia and even gout. Although the water was not bottled until the nineteenth century, the Romans patronized the spring long before — ancient coins from the Gallo-roman period (50 BC–486 AD) have been found scattered all around the source. The water comes in a modern, elegant glass bottle created by painter and designer Alberto Bali.

• Hildon Natural Mineral Water

Gayot.com

One of the UK’s most prestigious bottled waters, Hildon Natural Mineral Water is served at the House of Commons and the Royal Opera House (and is rumored to be the water of choice at Buckingham Palace). Hildon begins as rainfall, which percolates through the chalk hills of the Hampshire countryside. After a period of 50 years the water emerges at an underground aquifer beneath the nineteenth-century Hildon Estate. The chalk acts as a unique natural filtration system, protecting the water from pollution and endowing it with high levels of calcium. Once it reaches the source it is immediately bottled without chemical treatment. Naturally low in sodium, the water is prized for its purity and well-balanced taste. Hildon, which produces both still and sparkling varieties, was the first company in the world to sell a natural mineral water with a carbonation level below 2.9. This low level of carbonation makes their “Gently Sparkling” water ideal for sipping alongside fine wines and subtly flavored dishes, which risk being overwhelmed by more robust bubbles.

• Evian Natural Spring Water

Evian

Discovered by a French nobleman during the French Revolution, Evian stems from a source that was thought to hold curative and restorative powers from the start. Evian begins as water that emerges from the Source Cache in France in a mountain tunnel at 52.88 degrees Fahrenheit. The source is fed from the melted snow and rain that filters through glacial sand from the Vinzier Plateau over a period of fifteen years. The glacial sand is surrounded by clay, which protects the water from pollution and gives it its mineral composition and taste. The water is bottled at a nearby bottling plant, which is highly automated and exceptionally hygienic.

• Fiji Natural Artesian Water

Gayot.com

FIJI Water, natural artesian water, began being bottled in 1996 at the source in the Yaqara Valley of Viti Levu, one of Fiji’s two principal islands, and is now the number one imported bottled water in the United States. FIJI’s natural artesian origins provide the water with a unique mineral profile, including its high silica concentration. FIJI Water is known for its iconic square bottle and its signature soft, smooth taste, which comes from the natural silica content and trace amounts of calcium and magnesium. As part of that strict commitment to quality, no human hands are allowed to touch it. Perfectly protected from outside air and external elements, FIJI Water is untouched until you unscrew the cap.

• Gerolsteiner Mineral Water

Gayot.com

Founded in 1888, Gerolsteiner Sparkling Mineral Water is the number one water export in Germany. In the German style of stringent purity and cleanliness, Gerolsteiner’s production follows strict purity protocols. Originating in springs from the area of Volcanic Eifel, Gerolsteiner flows from ancient, rocky volcanic reservoirs 200 feet beneath the earth’s surface. Minerals and carbonic acid leach into the water as it percolates up through the volcanic rocks, giving Gerolsteiner its exceptionally high amount of calcium, bicarbonate and magnesium. Gerolsteiner is a great source of essential nutrients that our bodies need daily and its natural carbonation gives Gerolsteiner its refreshing, neutral taste.

• Ferrarelle Naturally Sparkling Mineral Water

Gayot.com

Relatively unknown in America, Italy’s number one brand of sparkling mineral water was established in 1893, though Italians have been drinking from its source for hundreds of years. This naturally effervescent water is bottled directly at a spring located in the protected Sorgeto di Riardo Park near the extinct Roccamonfina volcano in Italy’s Campania region. Ferrarelle is extremely mindful of the quality of its products, testing them more than 600 times each day. Care is also taken to safeguard the habitat surrounding the spring, and the company’s bottling plants are powered by solar energy.

Ferrarelle water, both sparkling and still, is bottled in glass containers rather than plastic, which protects its taste and purity and lessens the impact on the environment. Ferrarelle water begins as rainfall, which trickles through layers of rock in the ground, soaking up valuable minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and fluoride. Nevertheless, it has no mineral taste and no unpleasant saltiness. It does have the thirst-quenching, pure taste of simple water, with a pleasant amount of fizziness.

• Perrier Mineral Water

Perrier

Perrier is a naturally sparkling mineral water sourced from a spring in Vergèze, France. Originally called Les Bouillens, the spring has been used as a spa resort since Roman times. The distinctive bottle shape is said to have been inspired by Indian clubs used for exercise by spring owner Sir Saint-John Harmsworth. The water and carbonation are captured separately and recombined in the bottling process to preserve the natural sparkling flavor of the original water from the spring. Today, Perrier is marketed as a healthy alternative to soda drinks and cocktails and is available in a variety of flavors, ranging from pink grapefruit to lemon and lime.

• Mountain Valley Spring Water

Gayot.com

Since 1871, Mountain Valley Spring Water has been praised by U.S. presidents, world-class athletes and even Hollywood stars for its refreshing taste and potent health benefits. Bottled at its source in the hills between the Glazypeau and Cedar Mountains in Arkansas, Mountain Valley Spring Water has a unique mineral composition that is believed to have medicinal properties that can help alleviate chronic disorders.

Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Joe Lewis were firm believers in the restorative powers of this water, and they weren’t the only ones. Thirteen presidents (from Coolidge to Clinton) had Mountain Valley regularly served to their guests while they were in office, and the water is currently being served in the United States Senate. In fact, President Dwight Eisenhower drank the water medicinally following a heart attack. It was also served to a number of famous racehorses, including Nashua, Sunday Silence and the great Secretariat. This sparkling water is light and clean, with a delicate pH balance for premier taste.

• Volvic Natural Spring Water

Gayot.com

Volvic is bottled exclusively at its unique source in France and available in more than 60 countries. The basin supplying the Volvic spring source is located in the Regional Park of the Old Auvergne Volcanoes, a volcanic region that has been dormant for 10,000 years. The name Volvic refers to the town as well as a type of gray volcanic rock. The source of the water, the Clairvic Spring, was discovered in 1927. In 1965, the French Ministry of Health authorized the bottling of Volvic water. Volvic emerges year-round from its protected source at the constant temperature of 8.8 degrees Celsius.

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BOTTLED WATER EXPOSED (NOT GOOD) & A LIST OF BRANDS TO AVOID REVEALED BY EXPERTS

COLLECTIVE EVOLUTIONSEPTEMBER 15, 2016

  Share on Facebook  Share on Twitter

IBack in 1945, government officials began including fluoride in our tap water to improve our dental health.

Found in many name brand toothpastes, it’s thought to help prevent tooth decay. But recent studies have revealed that the chemical can actually do more harm than good, like causing fluorosis — permanent deformation of the teeth.

Overexposure to fluoride, leading to fluorosis, is typically seen in children during the first eight years of their life, when their permanent teeth are beginning to form. The physical deformities caused include yellow to dark brown staining of the teeth, irregularities in the surface of the teeth, and large, noticeable pits that can form holes in the teeth.

Fluoride can also negatively impact their cognitive development. In fact, a study conducted in China found that children who grew up in areas with high levels of fluoride in their drinking water scored, on average, significantly less on IQ tests than children in lower-fluoride areas.

Senior study author Philippe Grandjean attributed the lower IQ scores to the toxic effect that fluoride has on the developing brain. “Fluoride seems to fit in with lead, mercury, and other poisons that cause chemical brain drain,” Grandjean explained. “The effect of each toxicant may seem small, but the combined damage on a population scale can be serious, especially because the brain power of the next generation is crucial to all of us.”

Nearly 75 percent of the U.S. population receives drinking water that contains 0.7-1.2 parts per million (ppm) fluoride to prevent tooth decay. These levels are based on recommendations from the federal government made more than four decades ago.

“Just because we did studies over the last 70 years, it doesn’t mean that we did everything that is necessary to know for sure that fluoridation is not toxic to some processes in the body or development of the brain. Those studies have actually not been done,” noted Grandjean, who is also an adjunct professor of environmental health and the head of the Research Unit at the University of Southern Denmark, and author of Only One Chance: How Environmental Pollution Impairs Brain Development – and How to Protect the Brains of the Next Generation.

In light of these revelations, you’d think bottled water would be the safe bet, right? That’s why we make sure to skip filling up from the tap and invest our money in brands that claim to have the best quality water for our health. Unfortunately, it seems that bottled versions aren’t always as pure as we’ve been led to believe.

advertisement – learn more

Many brands actually use municipal tap water and could contain fluoride, while certain spring water is reported to also contain the chemical, according to the Arab Tribune.

A study published in the Journal of Epidemiological & Community Health discovered that those who consume fluoridated water are more likely to suffer from thyroid issues.

“In many areas of the world, hypothyroidism is a major health concern and in addition to other factors—such as iodine deficiency—fluoride exposure should be considered as a contributing factor. The findings of the study raise particular concerns about the validity of community fluoridation as a safe public health measure,” the study authors concluded.

To avoid buying a bottled water brand that contains fluoride, do not purchase the following brands:

Alhambra, Sierra Springs, Sparkletts, Arrowhead, Mount Olympus, Belmont Springs, Poland Spring, Crystal Rock, Crystal Springs, Shenandoah, Deer Park, Diamond Springs, Nursery Water, Hindley Spri, Ice Mountain, Kandiyohi, Puritan Springs, Kentwood Springs, Mayer Bros., Ozarka, Pure Flo, and Zephyrhills.

Safer bets for water bottle brands that do not contain fluoride include:

Aquafina, Crystal Point, Dannon, Deja Blue, Evian, Fresh Market, Great Value, Smart Water, Summit Mountains, and Summit Springs.

Top 10 bottled waters

Published March 21, 2014

This Saturday, March 22 is National Water Day, so why not break out a bottle of H2O to celebrate? Whether you enjoy bubbly or flat water, it can be difficult to choose between all of the thousands of bottled water brands available.  Try flat water from Fiji, sparkling water from France, or the water enjoyed by both Elvis Presley and the racehorse Secretariat.

We’ve created this primer on the top brands to take the guesswork out of your next trip down the grocery store aisle. Next time you’re thirsty, why not try reaching for one of the ten best bottled waters around?

• Voss Artesian Water

Voss Water

Two Norwegian entrepreneurs created Voss, a classy, designer-savvy tube of water from the crisp, frigid aquifers of their Nordic homeland. Shielded for hundreds of years from pollutants by thick layers of rock and sand, Voss water is bottled in Southern Norway, “naturally unfiltered” and served both still and sparkling. But its rugged purity is not Voss’ only selling point. The company’s designers painstakingly developed the bottle’s look and feel to reflect a brand that embodies both health and high fashion. Voss first became available mostly in upscale hotels and in health spas in Europe and in the United States but has since seen much wider distribution in gourmet food and retail stores on both continents.

• Saint Geron Mineral Water

Gayot.com

Saint Géron, known as “the queen of mineral waters,” stems from an ancient spring in the Auvergne region of France. The light, sparkling mineral water in a bottle of Saint Géron is the product of an 1,100-year filtration process. This results in the water being cleansed of all bacteria and nitrates, which show up at less than .1 milligrams per liter. Unusually rich in calcium and magnesium, Saint Géron has long been used as a treatment for digestive problems, diabetes, anemia and even gout. Although the water was not bottled until the nineteenth century, the Romans patronized the spring long before — ancient coins from the Gallo-roman period (50 BC–486 AD) have been found scattered all around the source. The water comes in a modern, elegant glass bottle created by painter and designer Alberto Bali.

• Hildon Natural Mineral Water

Gayot.com

One of the UK’s most prestigious bottled waters, Hildon Natural Mineral Water is served at the House of Commons and the Royal Opera House (and is rumored to be the water of choice at Buckingham Palace). Hildon begins as rainfall, which percolates through the chalk hills of the Hampshire countryside. After a period of 50 years the water emerges at an underground aquifer beneath the nineteenth-century Hildon Estate. The chalk acts as a unique natural filtration system, protecting the water from pollution and endowing it with high levels of calcium. Once it reaches the source it is immediately bottled without chemical treatment. Naturally low in sodium, the water is prized for its purity and well-balanced taste. Hildon, which produces both still and sparkling varieties, was the first company in the world to sell a natural mineral water with a carbonation level below 2.9. This low level of carbonation makes their “Gently Sparkling” water ideal for sipping alongside fine wines and subtly flavored dishes, which risk being overwhelmed by more robust bubbles.

• Evian Natural Spring Water

Evian

Discovered by a French nobleman during the French Revolution, Evian stems from a source that was thought to hold curative and restorative powers from the start. Evian begins as water that emerges from the Source Cache in France in a mountain tunnel at 52.88 degrees Fahrenheit. The source is fed from the melted snow and rain that filters through glacial sand from the Vinzier Plateau over a period of fifteen years. The glacial sand is surrounded by clay, which protects the water from pollution and gives it its mineral composition and taste. The water is bottled at a nearby bottling plant, which is highly automated and exceptionally hygienic.

• Fiji Natural Artesian Water

Gayot.com

FIJI Water, natural artesian water, began being bottled in 1996 at the source in the Yaqara Valley of Viti Levu, one of Fiji’s two principal islands, and is now the number one imported bottled water in the United States. FIJI’s natural artesian origins provide the water with a unique mineral profile, including its high silica concentration. FIJI Water is known for its iconic square bottle and its signature soft, smooth taste, which comes from the natural silica content and trace amounts of calcium and magnesium. As part of that strict commitment to quality, no human hands are allowed to touch it. Perfectly protected from outside air and external elements, FIJI Water is untouched until you unscrew the cap.

• Gerolsteiner Mineral Water

Gayot.com

Founded in 1888, Gerolsteiner Sparkling Mineral Water is the number one water export in Germany. In the German style of stringent purity and cleanliness, Gerolsteiner’s production follows strict purity protocols. Originating in springs from the area of Volcanic Eifel, Gerolsteiner flows from ancient, rocky volcanic reservoirs 200 feet beneath the earth’s surface. Minerals and carbonic acid leach into the water as it percolates up through the volcanic rocks, giving Gerolsteiner its exceptionally high amount of calcium, bicarbonate and magnesium. Gerolsteiner is a great source of essential nutrients that our bodies need daily and its natural carbonation gives Gerolsteiner its refreshing, neutral taste.

• Ferrarelle Naturally Sparkling Mineral Water

Gayot.com

Relatively unknown in America, Italy’s number one brand of sparkling mineral water was established in 1893, though Italians have been drinking from its source for hundreds of years. This naturally effervescent water is bottled directly at a spring located in the protected Sorgeto di Riardo Park near the extinct Roccamonfina volcano in Italy’s Campania region. Ferrarelle is extremely mindful of the quality of its products, testing them more than 600 times each day. Care is also taken to safeguard the habitat surrounding the spring, and the company’s bottling plants are powered by solar energy.

Ferrarelle water, both sparkling and still, is bottled in glass containers rather than plastic, which protects its taste and purity and lessens the impact on the environment. Ferrarelle water begins as rainfall, which trickles through layers of rock in the ground, soaking up valuable minerals such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and fluoride. Nevertheless, it has no mineral taste and no unpleasant saltiness. It does have the thirst-quenching, pure taste of simple water, with a pleasant amount of fizziness.

• Perrier Mineral Water

Perrier

Perrier is a naturally sparkling mineral water sourced from a spring in Vergèze, France. Originally called Les Bouillens, the spring has been used as a spa resort since Roman times. The distinctive bottle shape is said to have been inspired by Indian clubs used for exercise by spring owner Sir Saint-John Harmsworth. The water and carbonation are captured separately and recombined in the bottling process to preserve the natural sparkling flavor of the original water from the spring. Today, Perrier is marketed as a healthy alternative to soda drinks and cocktails and is available in a variety of flavors, ranging from pink grapefruit to lemon and lime.

• Mountain Valley Spring Water

Gayot.com

Since 1871, Mountain Valley Spring Water has been praised by U.S. presidents, world-class athletes and even Hollywood stars for its refreshing taste and potent health benefits. Bottled at its source in the hills between the Glazypeau and Cedar Mountains in Arkansas, Mountain Valley Spring Water has a unique mineral composition that is believed to have medicinal properties that can help alleviate chronic disorders.

Elvis Presley, John Lennon and Joe Lewis were firm believers in the restorative powers of this water, and they weren’t the only ones. Thirteen presidents (from Coolidge to Clinton) had Mountain Valley regularly served to their guests while they were in office, and the water is currently being served in the United States Senate. In fact, President Dwight Eisenhower drank the water medicinally following a heart attack. It was also served to a number of famous racehorses, including Nashua, Sunday Silence and the great Secretariat. This sparkling water is light and clean, with a delicate pH balance for premier taste.

• Volvic Natural Spring Water

Gayot.com

Volvic is bottled exclusively at its unique source in France and available in more than 60 countries. The basin supplying the Volvic spring source is located in the Regional Park of the Old Auvergne Volcanoes, a volcanic region that has been dormant for 10,000 years. The name Volvic refers to the town as well as a type of gray volcanic rock. The source of the water, the Clairvic Spring, was discovered in 1927. In 1965, the French Ministry of Health authorized the bottling of Volvic water. Volvic emerges year-round from its protected source at the constant temperature of 8.8 degrees Celsius.

Best BPA-free water bottles

Published April 28, 2013

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Good news! Americans are finally drinking more water than the sugary drinks, like soda, we’ve grown accustomed to. We can’t argue with more people drinking water, but as more and more consumers are finding alternatives to pricey, not-so-eco-friendly bottled water, there’s a caveat — your reusable water bottle may be filled with more than crystal-clear H2O.

It’s been a few years since news of BPA swept the nation. Exposure to BPA, or the chemical bisphenol A, is “widespread,” thanks to the containers we’re eating and drinking out of — and it could have serious consequences, according to the National Institute of Environmental Health Services. Studies have linked BPA to some serious health effects, like certain cancers, reproductive problems, and behavioral problems in children to name just a few. And one Environmental Working Group (EWG) study found that BPA can be found in umbilical cords — so BPA can begin affecting children even in the womb.

Once everyone began to realize that water bottles, canned goods, and food containers could leach chemicals into the food and drink they’re holding, companies sought to make BPA-free containers. And in 2012, the FDA banned BPA from children’s cups and baby bottles, but that doesn’t mean your water bottles are always safe. BPA comes from polycarbonate bottles, so some of your old Nalgene bottles (arguably the biggest name brand to change its plastics to BPA-free materials in 2008) may still be BPA offenders. (How to know if your old water bottles or food containers are made from polycarbonate? Look for a “PC” marker, or #7 on recycling labels, the EWG advises).

To help you steer clear of the harmful chemical, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite, BPA-free water bottles — ones you will feel uber cool carrying around. You’ll find that most of the bottles are made from stainless steel or glass; while the price tags may seem shocking at first, it sure beats paying for bottled water all the time. And the one plastic bottle on our list, Bobble, is made from BPA-free plastics, like recycled PET. You’ll drink safe knowing that your water bottle is chemical-free. Look ahead to find our picks.

• Bobble BPA-Free Water Bottle

Bobble

Bobble water bottles do the work for you: they filter your water with a carbon-based filter that eliminates chlorine and other organic contaminants from the water as you sip. According to the company, one filter in a Bobble bottle equals about 300 bottled waters — imagine the money you’ll save. Best of all? It’s BPA-free, PVC-free, and free of phthalates. Plus, we love the fun colors and design.

18.5 ounces, $9.99, waterbobble.com.

• KOR Vida Hydration Vessel

KOR

This stainless steel water bottle features a “perfect” spout that makes drinking on the go easy-peasy, plus it has a tapered design and an ergonomic handle.

25.3ounces, $24.95, korwater.com.

• Nathan Sports Steel BPA-Free Water Bottle

Nathan Sports

This stainless-steel water bottle is complete with an easy-to-use steel flip straw and a “quick clip” to attach it to your camping gear, belt, or whatever you need it to hang on.

23.7 ounces, $21.95, campbound.com.

See more water bottles at The Daily Meal

Divisions in America reach far beyond Washington into the nation’s culture, economy and social fabric, and the polarization began long before the rise of President Donald Trump, a new Wall Street Journal/NBC News survey of social trends has found.

The findings help explain why political divisions are now especially hard to bridge. People who identify with either party increasingly disagree not just on policy; they inhabit separate worlds of differing social and cultural values and even see their economic outlook through a partisan lens.

The wide gulf is visible in an array of issues and attitudes: Democrats are twice as likely to say they never go to church as are Republicans, and they are eight times as likely to favor action on climate change. One-third of Republicans say they support the National Rifle Association, while just 4% of Democrats do. More than three-quarters of Democrats, but less than one-third of Republicans, said they felt comfortable with societal changes that have made the U.S. more diverse.

What is more, Americans’ view of the economy, the direction of the nation and the future has even come to be closely aligned with their feelings about the current president, the survey found.

“Our political compass is totally dominating our economic and world views about the country,” said GOP pollster Bill McInturff, who conducted the survey with Democratic pollster Fred Yang. “Political polarization is not a new thing. The level under Trump is the logical outcome of a generation-long trend.”

The poll found deep splits along geographic and educational lines. Rural Americans and people without a four-year college degree are notably more pessimistic about the economy and more conservative on social issues. Those groups make up an increasingly large share of the GOP.

Under Mr. Trump, that trend has continued and intensified. His job-approval rating among Americans overall has remained in recent months at about 40%, but just 8% of Democrats approve of the job he is doing, the survey found. By contrast, 80% of Republicans approve.

Mr. Trump’s election has brought a sharp mood swing among Republicans. In August 2014, 88% of Republicans said they weren’t confident that life for their children’s generation would be better than their own, a gloomy view of a central element of the American dream. Eight months into the Trump presidency, just 46% of Republicans say they lack confidence in their children’s future—a 42-point swing that is more dramatic than improvements in the economy would seem to justify.

The survey found changes over the years in attitudes on cultural and economic issues, such as gun control, immigration and globalization, that were key issues of Mr. Trump’s campaign.

Views of gun rights used to be less partisan: Asked if they were concerned that the government would go too far in restricting gun-ownership rights or, alternatively, that the government wouldn’t do enough, Republicans in 1995 were about evenly split. Democrats were divided 26% to 67%.

ABC’S – THE VIEW

Hosts Whoopi Goldberg and Joy Behar make it their daily business to denounce not only Trump but his presidency and every Republican walking. ABC studios are paying them a lot of money to do so.

Background:

http://frostsnow.com/whoopi-goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg full name Caryn Elaine Johnson is a multi-talented personality. She is known as an actress, comedian and writer from America. She is also renowned as social critic and television host. Whoopi Goldberg was born on 13 November 1955 in Manhattan, New York City, New York of United States to Emma Johnson and Robert James Johnson Jr. Clyde Goldberg is her brother who died in 2015. She is a drop out student of Washington Irving High School.

She has the mouth watering total net worth of $45 million dollars. Her annual salary from the show The View is two million dollars.

Ms. Goldberg spends a lot of time talking about how the Have Nots will rise up and take what is rightly theirs from the Haves.  I certainly hope she is including herself in the Haves group; a two million dollar salary, I believe, puts her in that category.

Joy Behar. Born on the 7^th of October, 1942 in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, Joy Behar has made her presence known among the numerous TV personalities of today. She is one of the most popular TV personalities in any channels. Overnight has spent more than her half of age in this sector. At this age, she is actively making her presence known.

She has an estimated net worth of $8 million dollars including an annual salary of $500 thousand dollars. wikipicky.com/tv-celebrity/joy-behar-husband-divorce-salary-and-net-worth.html

Ms. Behar advocates the conspiracy theory that all fortunes involve some kind of fraud or deceit; does she include herself in that group? She doesn’t have as much money as Whoopi, but she is still a millionaire.

Joy Behar apologizes for calling Clinton accusers ‘tramps’

BY JOE CONCHA – 10/11/16 11:47 AM EDT 198

Joy Behar, a co-host of ABC’s “The View,” on Tuesday apologized for calling the women who have accused former President Bill Clinton of rape and sexual assault “tramps.”

“I want to apologize,” Behar said Tuesday on the show. “I never, ever intend to belittle sexual assault and the women who are victims of it ever. … I made a joke. … I’m sorry.”

During Monday’s episode of the show, Behar interjected when co-host Sunny Hostin said Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton“missed the opportunity” during Sunday night’s presidential debate with GOP nominee Donald Trump to address the allegations from Juanita Broaddrick, Paula Jones and Kathleen Willey.

“I would like to apologize to those tramps who have slept with my husband. Maybe should could have said that,” Behar said.

Broaddrick, 73, accused Bill Clinton of raping her while he was Arkansas attorney general in 1978. He never faced charges.

Jones and Willey accused Clinton of sexual harassment in the 1990s.

Jones sued and then settled with Clinton out of court for $850,000. Wiley, who says Clinton groped her, was subpoenaed to testify in the case.

I have worked in business environments for more years than I like to remember. I have had successes and failures. Fortunately, over the years, my successes have outweighed my failures and I have been able to hold onto jobs and advance. I have had women bosses and male bosses, some good and some bad.

However, I will admit, that as more women are getting promoted up the ladder, the percentage of female bosses that I have had, has increased. Painful as this sounds, although male bosses can be bad, it seems that when women bosses are bad, they are really terrible. Mean, vindictive, insecure, back-stabbing, refusing to be supportive, dishonest, reactive and Draconian in their responses to events; what is all this about?

Articles abound on the subject and seem to repeat many of the same themes; women lack self-confidence in themselves, micromanage, fail to take action unless they are perfect and in general, doubt themselves and overthink their roles.  Men seem to have confidence born from years of sports and competing with other men. They have been forced to exert or push themselves forward, whether on the playing field or the military field. Men seem to have a level of deep, personal confidence women lack and it shows in their individual reactions to on-job situations.

Jane Hurst – Pucker Mob – 7 Mistakes Women Bosses Make (2017 – Internet)

1) Fear of Failure – Yes, you are in charge, and if things take a wrong turn in the business, you are the one who is ultimately going to be responsible.  You could be doing some pretty amazing things for the business, but you need to get over the fear of failure and actually take some chances.. Accept the fact that you will make mistakes, learn from those mistakes, and don’t be afraid to fail.

2) Trying to Appear Flawless – You are human, and you have flaws. Your employees likely already see a lot of your flaws anyway, so stop trying to act perfect. Don’t be afraid to let your employees see your human side. It will make it so you are better able to relate to each other, and it will create a friendlier working atmosphere that is going to increase productivity.

3) Alienating Female Employees – Many women bosses fear that male employees will resent them if they think the female employees are being treated better. Because of this, they may tend to be sterner with female employees. This is not what you need to be doing. Your female employees want you to succeed, and you need their help, so be their friend and enjoy collaboration rather than being their enemy.

4) Not Smiling – Often, women bosses feel that they have to be stern in order to be effective bosses. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, and it is not one of the best performance management solutions.

5) Not Socializing Outside of Work – One of the best ways to keep your team motivated is to get them involved in activities outside of the office. This is a great way to get to really know them as people, and not just as employees or numbers. Organize team lunches, coffee breaks, evening dinners or drinks, etc. They will appreciate the effort, and you will have a better rapport with your team.

6) Treating Male Employees Badly – A lot of women bosses who have dealt with a lot of hardships because of the men in their lives, tend to treat their male employees badly.  Remember, these men are not the men who caused your troubles. Don’t get it into your head that this is one time when no man can boss you around and you can treat them with contempt.

7) Being too Nice – While some women bosses go out of their way to be as strict as they can, others are far too nice, and their employees end up walking all over them.  Remember, if you give some people an inch, they will take a mile.

Wednesday, Aug 23rd, 2017

Why a female boss can be a woman’s worst nightmare

By JILL FOSTER FOR THE DAILY MAIL
UPDATED: 03:08 EDT, 26 July 2011

Forget the sisterhood. Forget smashing a hole through the glass ceiling and throwing a rope ladder down to her younger female colleagues. The Queen Bee is alive and well and — watch out — possibly sitting at the desk next to you.

‘A Queen Bee is someone who has worked her way up to the top in a male-dominated organization, and she’s probably got there by behaving how a man would behave — appearing tough and not at all soft and mushy,’ says psychologist Professor Cary Cooper, of the Lancaster University Management School.

‘She’s unlikely to mentor younger women because she quite likes her unique position, and may feel threatened by younger females rising up the ranks.

‘She had to work hard to get to where she is, so she’s not about to give other women a helping hand — they have to work their way up just as she did.’

Queen Bee Syndrome has long been recognized by psychologists, and several studies have been carried out on the phenomenon.

Last April, it was found that women who had broken through the glass ceiling were more likely to mentor and support male colleagues than female colleagues.

A Canadian study in 2008 found that women with female supervisors had higher cases of depression, headaches, heartburn and insomnia than if their bosses were men. 

Meanwhile, according to the American Management Association, 95 per cent of women say they have felt undermined at some point in their career by other women. 

Quite why women display aggressive alpha female behavior towards female colleagues has remained unclear. But now psychologists at Leiden University in Holland claim the most important factor is how sexist their working environment already is.

According to their research, if a woman works in a female-friendly environment, she’s less likely to behave like an alpha female than if she works in an industry dominated by men.

Katie Hopkins, who spent more than a decade working in the cut-throat environments of FTSE companies in both New York and London, is not surprised.

‘Women in business are definitely Queen Bees and will defend their territory fiercely to remain in power,’ she says. ‘We don’t like being threatened, and on many occasions, I’ve seen women bring in examples of other women’s work to show their boss that their colleague isn’t performing well in the hope she will be promoted in her place.

Psychologist Cary Cooper believes Queen Bees are more comfortable working with men because they are used to the way men work.

‘A Queen Bee is unlikely to have sympathy for a woman who cries in the office or needs time off because of a sick child, for example,’ he says. ‘She’s not likely to be tolerant of those women she perceives to be “not strong enough”.

‘She may have had to sacrifice her own private life to get to where she is. If you’re an older woman who has a great career but doesn’t have a spouse or family, and you see other women coming up who do, will you resent them? Of course …’

KATTY KAY AND CLAIRE SHIPMAN  MAY 2014 ISSUE – The Atlantic

Even as our understanding of confidence expanded, however, we found that our original suspicion was dead-on: there is a particular crisis for women—a vast confidence gap that separates the sexes. Compared with men, women don’t consider themselves as ready for promotions, they predict they’ll do worse on tests, and they generally underestimate their abilities. This disparity stems from factors ranging from upbringing to biology.

A growing body of evidence shows just how devastating this lack of confidence can be. Success, it turns out, correlates just as closely with confidence as it does with competence. No wonder that women, despite all our progress, are still woefully underrepresented at the highest levels. All of that is the bad news. The good news is that with work, confidence can be acquired. Which means that the confidence gap, in turn, can be closed.

The shortage of female confidence is increasingly well quantified and well documented. In 2011, the Institute of Leadership and Management, in the United Kingdom, surveyed British managers about how confident they feel in their professions. Half the female respondents reported self-doubt about their job performance and careers, compared with fewer than a third of male respondents.

Talking with Ehrlinger, we were reminded of something Hewlett-Packard discovered several years ago, when it was trying to figure out how to get more women into top management positions. A review of personnel records found that women working at HP applied for a promotion only when they believed they met 100 percent of the qualifications listed for the job.

Men were happy to apply when they thought they could meet 60 percent of the job requirements. At HP, and in study after study, the data confirm what we instinctively know. Underqualified and underprepared men don’t think twice about leaning in. Overqualified and overprepared, too many women still hold back. Women feel confident only when they are perfect. Or practically perfect.

related story

Linda Babcock, a professor of economics at Carnegie Mellon University and the author of Women Don’t Ask, has found, in studies of business-school students, that men initiate salary negotiations four times as often as women do, and that when women do negotiate, they ask for 30 percent less money than men do.

A meticulous 2003 study by the Cornell psychologist David Dunning and the Washington State University psychologist Joyce Ehrlinger homed in on the relationship between female confidence and competence. At the time, Dunning and a Cornell colleague, Justin Kruger, were just finishing their seminal work on something that’s since been dubbed the Dunning-Kruger effect: the tendency for some people to substantially overestimate their abilities. The less competent people are, the more they overestimate their abilities—which makes a strange kind of sense.

Dunning and Ehrlinger wanted to focus specifically on women, and the impact of women’s preconceived notions about their own ability on their confidence. They gave male and female college students a quiz on scientific reasoning. Before the quiz, the students rated their own scientific skills.  The women rated themselves more negatively than the men did on scientific ability: on a scale of 1 to 10, the women gave themselves a 6.5 on average, and the men gave themselves a 7.6.  And how did they actually perform? Their average was almost the same—women got 7.5 out of 10 right and men 7.9.

To show the real-world impact of self-perception, the students were then invited—having no knowledge of how they’d performed—to participate in a science competition for prizes. The women were much more likely to turn down the opportunity: only 49 percent of them signed up for the competition, compared with 71 percent of the men.

In studies, men overestimate their abilities and performance, and women underestimate both. Their performances do not differ in quality.

How “Male” Jobs Hurt Women’s Paychecks

“It’s fine if a woman becomes a social worker because she wants to, but not if it’s because something, or someone, along the way tells her she can’t hack it as a scientist.”

Read the full March 2014 story by Olga Khazan

Brenda Major, a social psychologist at the University of California at Santa Barbara, started studying the problem of self-perception decades ago. “As a young professor,” she told us, “I would set up a test where I’d ask men and women how they thought they were going to do on a variety of tasks.” She found that the men consistently overestimated their abilities and subsequent performance, and that the women routinely underestimated both. The actual performances did not differ in quality

Do men doubt themselves sometimes? Of course. But they don’t let their doubts stop them as often as women do.

And the men?

“I think that’s really interesting,” Brescoll said with a laugh, “because the men go into everything just assuming that they’re awesome and thinking, Who wouldn’t want me?”

Do men doubt themselves sometimes? Of course. But not with such exacting and repetitive zeal, and they don’t let their doubts stop them as often as women do. If anything, men tilt toward overconfidence—and we were surprised to learn that they come by that state quite naturally. They aren’t consciously trying to fool anyone. Ernesto Reuben, a professor at Columbia Business School, has come up with a term for this phenomenon: honest overconfidence. In a study he published in 2011, men consistently rated their performance on a set of math problems to be about 30 percent better than it was.

The fact is, overconfidence can get you far in life. Cameron Anderson, a psychologist who works in the business school at the University of California at Berkeley, has made a career of studying overconfidence. In 2009, he conducted some novel tests to compare the relative value of confidence and competence. He gave a group of 242 students a list of historical names and events, and asked them to tick off the ones they knew.

I Wasn’t a Fan of Sheryl Sandberg’s—Until I Couldn’t Find a Job

Confidence, Anderson told us, matters just as much as competence.

“When people are confident, when they think they are good at something, regardless of how good they actually are, they display a lot of confident nonverbal and verbal behavior make them look very confident in the eyes of others,” he added. “Whether they are good or not is kind of irrelevant.” Kind of irrelevant.

That is a crucial point. True overconfidence is not mere bluster. Anderson thinks the reason extremely confident people don’t alienate others is that they aren’t faking it. They genuinely believe they are good, and that self-belief is what comes across.

Women applied for a promotion only when they met 100 percent of the qualifications. Men applied when they met 50 percent.

Once we got over our feeling that Anderson’s work suggests a world that is deeply unfair, we could see a useful lesson: For decades, women have misunderstood an important law of the professional jungle. It’s not enough to keep one’s head down and plug away, checking items off a list. Having talent isn’t merely about being competent; confidence is a part of that talent. You have to have it to excel.

We also began to see that a lack of confidence informs a number of familiar female habits. Take the penchant many women have for assuming the blame when things go wrong, while crediting circumstance—or other people—for their successes.

Perfectionism is another confidence killer. Study after study confirms that it is largely a female issue, one that extends through women’s entire lives.

So, where does all of this start? If women are competent and hardworking enough to outpace men in school, why is it so difficult to keep up later on? As with so many questions involving human behavior, both nature and nurture are implicated in the answers.

The very suggestion that male and female brains might be built differently and function in disparate ways has long been a taboo subject among women, out of fear that any difference would be used against us. For decades—for centuries, actually—differences (real or imagined) were used against us. So let’s be clear: male and female brains are vastly more alike than they are different. You can’t look at scans of two random brains and clearly identify which is male and which is female.

Girls lose confidence, so they quit competing in sports, thereby depriving themselves of one of the best ways to regain it.

Yet male and female brains do display differences in structure and chemistry, differences that may encourage unique patterns of thinking and behavior, and that could thereby affect confidence. This is a busy area of inquiry, with a steady stream of new—if frequently contradictory, and controversial—findings. Some of the research raises the intriguing possibility that brain structure could figure into variations between the way men and women respond to challenging or threatening circumstances. observed in behavioral studies: compared with men, women are more apt to ruminate over what’s gone wrong in the past.

You could say the same about hormonal influences on cognition and behavior. We all know testosterone and estrogen as the forces behind many of the basic, overt differences between men and women. It turns out they are involved in subtler personality dynamics as well. The main hormonal driver for women is, of course, estrogen. By supporting the part of the brain involved in social skills and observations, estrogen seems to encourage bonding and connection, while discouraging conflict and risk taking…

Testosterone, on the other hand, helps to fuel what often looks like classic male confidence. Men have about 10 times more testosterone pumping through their system than women do, and it affects everything from speed to strength to muscle size to competitive instinct.

“If life were one long grade school, women would be the undisputed rulers of the world.”

There’s a downside to testosterone, to be sure. As we’ve just seen, higher levels of the hormone fuel risk taking, and winning yields still more testosterone.  Moreover, a testosterone-laced decision isn’t always a better one.

So what are the implications of all this?

It’s easier for young girls than for young boys to behave: As is well established, they start elementary school with a developmental edge in some key areas. They have longer attention spans, more-advanced verbal and fine-motor skills, and greater social adeptness. They generally don’t charge through the halls like wild animals, or get into fights during recess. Soon they learn that they are most valuable, and most in favor, when they do things the right way: neatly and quietly. “Girls seem to be more easily socialized,” Dweck says. “They get a lot of praise for being perfect.”

What doomed the women was not their actual ability to do well on the tests. They were as able as the men were. What held them back was the choice not to try.

And yet the result is that many girls learn to avoid taking risks and making mistakes. This is to their detriment: many psychologists now believe that risk taking, failure, and perseverance are essential to confidence-building. Boys, meanwhile, tend to absorb more scolding and punishment, and in the process, they learn to take failure in stride. “When we observed in grade school classrooms, we saw that boys got eight times more criticism than girls for their conduct,” Dweck writes in Mindset.

Boys also benefit from the lessons they learn—or, more to the point, the lessons they teach one another—during recess and after school. From kindergarten on, they roughhouse, tease one another, point out one another’s limitations, and call one another morons and slobs. In the process, Dweck contends, such evaluations “lose a lot of their power.” Boys thus make one another more resilient.

Too many girls, by contrast, miss out on really valuable lessons outside of school. We all know that playing sports is good for kids, but we were surprised to learn just how extensive the benefits are, and how relevant to confidence. Studies evaluating the impact of the 1972 Title IX legislation, which made it illegal for public schools to spend more on boys’ athletics than on girls’, have found that girls who play team sports are more likely to graduate from college, find a job, and be employed in male-dominated industries. There’s even a direct link between playing sports in high school and earning a bigger salary as an adult. Learning to own victory and survive defeat in sports is apparently good training for owning triumphs and surviving setbacks at work. And yet, despite Title IX, fewer girls than boys participate in athletics, and many who do quit early. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, girls are still six times as likely as boys to drop off sports teams, with the steepest decline in participation coming during adolescence..

What a vicious circle: girls lose confidence, so they quit competing, thereby depriving themselves of one of the best ways to regain it. They leave school crammed full of interesting historical facts and elegant Spanish subjunctives, proud of their ability to study hard and get the best grades, and determined to please. But somewhere between the classroom and the cubicle, the rules change… They slam into a work world that doesn’t reward them for perfect spelling and exquisite manners. The requirements for adult success are different, and their confidence takes a beating.

If a woman speaks up first at meetings, she risks being disliked or even—let’s be blunt—being labeled a bitch.

Which is why any discussion of this subject requires a major caveat. Yes, women suffer consequences for their lack of confidence—but when they do behave assertively, they may suffer a whole other set of consequences, ones that men don’t typically experience. Attitudes toward women are changing, and for the better, but a host of troubling research shows that they can still pay a heavier social and even professional penalty than men do for acting in a way that’s seen as aggressive.  It’s not just her competence that’s called into question; it’s her very character.

But as our understanding of this elusive quality shifted, we began to see the outlines of a remedy. Confidence is not, as we once believed, just feeling good about yourself. If women simply needed a few words of reassurance, they’d have commandeered the corner office long ago. Perhaps the clearest, and most useful, definition of confidence we came across was the one supplied by Richard Petty, a psychology professor at Ohio State University, who has spent decades focused on the subject. “Confidence,” he told us, “is the stuff that turns thoughts into action.”

“If the action involves something scary, then what we call courage might also be needed,” Petty explained. “Or if it’s difficult, a strong will to persist might also be needed. Anger, intelligence, creativity can play a role.” But confidence… is the factor that turns thoughts into judgments about what we are capable of, and that then transforms those judgments into action.

The natural result of low confidence is inaction. When women hesitate because we aren’t sure, we hold ourselves back.

Zachary Estes, is a research psychologist in Milan, who’s long been curious about the confidence disparity between men and women.

When Estes had the students solve a series of these spatial puzzles, the women scored measurably worse than the men did. But when he looked at the results more closely, he found that the women had done poorly because they hadn’t even attempted to answer a lot of the questions. So he repeated the experiment, this time telling the students they had to at least try to solve all the puzzles. And guess what: the women’s scores increased sharply, matching the men’s. Maddening. Yet also hopeful.

Estes’s work illustrates a key point: the natural result of low confidence is inaction. When women don’t act, when we hesitate because we aren’t sure, we hold ourselves back. But when we do act, even if it’s because we’re forced to, we perform just as well as men do. What doomed the women in Estes’s lab was not their actual ability to do well on the tests. They were as able as the men were. What held them back was the choice they made not to try.

The advice implicit in such findings is hardly unfamiliar: to become more confident, women need to stop thinking so much and just act.

So, to sum up, are there still bitches at work? Absolutely, and the Queen Bee syndrome does exist. That along women who treat men better than they treat one another and their demeaning and demoralizing contempt in thought, word and deed of one another. Do women really have to work longer, harder and more efficiently than men to succeed? Perhaps, but maybe those are just requirements we put on ourselves.

Sisterhood exists in very few places these days and for my money, it has died in the workplace and gone back to Haight-Ashbury to have a smoke.