Past issues

Mindconnection eNL, 2001-12-12

In this issue:

1. Language translators
2. BAMnet
3. Cold weather reading
4. Global warming
5. Holiday help
6. Thought for the day

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1. Language translators

We've added several new languages to our line-up, and have discounts going on during this holiday season.

If you have dealings with people who speak a language other than English (and that's over 80% of the world's population), you probably struggle with language barriers. If so, take a few minutes to check out our language translators:

https://www.mindconnection.com/category/0002LANGUAGE.html

2. BAMnet

I found this interesting resource that offers something many of us have long been waiting for. If you have a speedy broadband connection, you’d probably like to provide what's missing from a cable or DSL connection: portability and backup. BAMnet provides both. No, this is not an ad. I just like this and wanted to pass it on to you.

Their main service (www.bamnet.com) provides the "backup" aspect. All you do is dial the 800-number and 6.5 cents per minute is charged to your local phone bill. No user name. No signup. No monthly fee.

They also offer "portability." Their travel service (travel.bamnet.com) is for hotel guests, consultants, field engineers, and anyone else on the road. This does require signup and there are two ways to pay; either "prepay" with a credit card or (like the other service) have the charges go on your home or business local phone bill.

How does this benefit you? Let's say you only take a few trips a year, but want the ability to check your e-mail. You could pay $21.95 every month for a national ISP, and get stung for $263 a year just to use it a few times--and have the hassle of trying to figure out which local access number to use. Suppose you need 15 minutes of e-mail access 10 times a year while traveling or when your broadband connection is down. That's 150 minutes. Using the national ISP, you'd essentially be paying $1.75 a minute. With BAMnet, you pay only $.065 a minute, for a grand total of $9.75.

So, do the math. Then, check out www.bamnet.com.

3. Cold weather reading

We've had mild weather in the northern hemisphere, but that will change. This summer, the prediction was for a mild fall, all the way through December, with a cold winter hitting us in January. In the Mindconnection articles library, you can find free information on preparing your car for cold weather: https://www.mindconnection.com/library/index.htm

You can also find our latest recommendations on books to snuggle up with on those cold winter nights: https://www.mindconnection.com/books/booksrecommended.htm

4. Global Warming

Contrary to what some politicians and ethically-challenged folks would have you believe, man's industrial activity is not causing global warming. Let's look at some facts, so you don't mistake that for just another opinion:

• The single largest determinant of global temperature is the sun. Specifically, solar flares. A typical solar flare dwarfs the earth in size, and contains more energy than man has consumed in all of history. Solar flares are cyclical. A major cycle about 1,000 years ago resulted in an earth much warmer than it is today. Greenland was actually green. When the earth cooled at the end of the cycle, entire villages just disappeared. Their remains are still standing.

• Mount Pinatubo and Mount St Helens each spewed out more "greenhouse effect" particulates than man has produced since the dawn of civilization.

• El Nino and La Nina each have had more impact on the environment than computer simulations show possible via the current industrial output.

• We are entering a high solar flare period, on the heels of two major volcanic eruptions and two major ocean current shifts. Anything man can do is like lighting a match to see the sun.

Now, why did I say "ethically-challenged folks" earlier? Because if they were ethical, they would research the facts before forcing their erroneous opinions into public policy. The same principle applies to those who don't understand why there are far higher violent crime rates in cities with gun bans than in cities without. Opinions are fine, but insist on fact when it comes to restrictions on your lifestyle or safety.

Yes, we should be better stewards of this planet. But, let's not panic over the minute effect we have on global temperatures.

5. Holiday Help

The average American adult engages in gluttony over the holidays and then carries the added bodyfat--and its corresponding health costs--all year long. Each year, the cycle repeats and the cumulative effect produces a very unfit body before middle adulthood. You  can break this cycle, and you don't have to be socially inept to do it. Here are some tips:

• Limit your portion size. Don't take seconds, and don't load up. Get away from the table when you are done eating. OK, go ahead and pig out at the one meal at Aunt Mary's. But, go light the day  before and the day after to make up for it.

• Avoid the famine/feast cycle. Eat small meals--6 of them each day. This way, you don't come to the table with a huge appetite.

• Don't eat the bread. It's loaded with sugar, and the flour itself is so over-processed and high on the glycemic scale, it will drive your pancreas into a frenzy.

• Skip the butter--this needlessly loads your arteries with goo.

• If invited to someone else's gathering, Offer to bring fruit, in lieu of desert. You can do wonders with frozen raspberries, apple slices (sprayed with lemon juice), walnut pieces, and nutmeg.

• Don't eat the salad dressing, if it comes in a bottle. Read the label--you'll probably see sugar listed half a dozen different ways.

• Go for walks. Sitting in front of the television will not only fail to burn calories, but it will program your mind to consume. In fact, sitting in front of the television will program your mind. Why not go on a television fast for the last two weeks of the year? Unplug the television, and turn it so it faces the wall. Use the extra time to spread holiday cheer.

For free information on winning the battle of the bulges, see www.mindconnection.com/leanbody.htm

6. Thought for the Day

Our nation is at war, and not just militarily. Freedoms disappear daily, as more and more laws designed to "protect" us come into play. An example is the absurd way airlines are treating passengers (and allowing guards to do their Christmas shopping at the bag scanner). Think how simple it would be to arm the pilots--who already have your life in their hands. Or to allow police--the same folks who mount an armed response when you call 911--to carry special "airplane safe" weapons when flying. This isn't at all an impediment to passengers, and it doesn't increase costs. When a good solution is inexpensive, count on your government to implement a bad solution that is costly--unless you speak up. Finally, remember that even your laptop can be a lethal weapon. No thinking person is defenseless, except by consent. And why would any thinking person consent to that?

Wishing you the best,

Mark Lamendola
Mindconnection.com

Authorship

Except where noted, this e-newsletter is entirely the work of Mark Lamendola. Anything presented as fact can be independently verified. Often, sources are given; but where not given, they are readily available to anyone who makes the effort.

Mark provides information from either research or his own areas of established expertise. Sometimes, what appears to be a personal opinion is the only possibility when applying sound logic--reason it out before judging! (That said, some personal opinions do appear on occasion).

The purpose of this publication is to inform and empower its readers (and save you money!).

Personal note from Mark: I value each and every one of you, and I hope that shows in the diligent effort I put into writing this e-newsletter. Thank you for being a faithful reader.