Mindconnection Brainpower Informational eNewsletter 2002-03-17

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2. Facts about domestic terrorism in the U.S.

American is a great country, no doubt. But, it is plagued by terrorism. The events of September 11 made big headlines, because they were spectacular. I don't know about you, but I am still not over that--every time I see a photo of the WTC, it grabs me in the gut. That said, here are some lesser-known acts of terrorism:

If you disagree the above acts are terrorism, get out your dictionary--that's what I did before using the word, here. Let's look at one more terrorist activity:

Imagine this. You are in a room with Bill, Bob, and your daughter’s Teddy bear. Bill throws a coin in the corner, and you bend over to pick it up. When you look back, your daughter’s bear is gone. So, you make Bill empty his pockets. You frisk him down, search him all over, and even give him a rectal exam. No bear.

Using the process of elimination, can you take a wild guess as to who took your daughter’s bear?

This is the same "puzzle" the federal government faces today. Only in this story, the bear is $100 million, Bill is Jay Hoyt, Bob is the IRS agents who colluded with Jay, "you" are the federal government, and your daughter is the Hoyt investors.

Later that week, you find Bob on top of your daughter, ravishing her and trying to beat her to death. Bob tells you it’s because your daughter is the one who took the bear. And now she must pay.

Using deductive reasoning, are you going to believe Bob?

To see more about this amazingly brazen criminal fiasco, see https://www.mindconnection.com/hoyt.

What to do about all of this? Very simple. Write to your Congressman. Doing so takes all of 15 minutes. Remember, first they came for the Jews....

These folks make over $150,000 a year (in 2002--look up today's number), which puts them ahead of 98% of the American population. Insist that they represent you.

3. Finance tip

You can cut your grocery bills and medical bills at the same time. Take a look around, next time you're in the supermarket. Look at what the obviously unhealthy have in their shopping carts. Then, if you can find someone who looks vibrant and healthy, look in that person's cart. You will see no overlap in contents. Buy accordingly.

4. Health tip

5. Fitness tip

What do you mean when you say you "work out?" For most people, it means going through the motions of exercising. For your "work out" to be productive, you must understand what you are doing in each session. If you are simply "doing exercises" or "using the machines" rather than focusing on a particular muscle group in each session with the goal of working that muscle group hard, you are getting barely any benefit. Don't try to work your whole body at one time. Instead, divide your body into three muscle groups (not including legs)--A, B, and C. Then, work them in rotation on subsequent days. For your legs, do the compound exercises of squats and deadlifts once a week or once every two weeks, depending on how well you recover.

On the 15th and 30th, I do squats and calves, plus calves at some point between. Occasionally, I do abs--but because I tense my trunk during the other exercises, my abs don't need separate work. They show up just fine without it.

Studies have shown people who do just squats and deadlifts put on more lean mass and burn more fat than folks who work upper body alone and more than folks who just do aerobics. A balanced program of upper body, legwork, and some aerobics will produce the maximum benefit. You can do this in 20 to 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week. That's 3 days for upper body, 2 for aerobics, and substituting one leg workout for an aerobics session twice a month.

6. Personal security tip

When someone calls you with a great deal or some other offer that makes you reach for your credit card, stop. Never give your credit card number to someone who calls you. Credit card number theft is at an all-time high. I know this, because I am a merchant who has been bit by it several times.

7. Thought for the Day

When's the last time you did a random act of kindness? In this age of heartless layoffs, mindless violence, and other negatives, small kindnesses go a long way. Many people believe we can seed the world with kindness and reverse the trend. It's worth a try.

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.

Mindconnection eNL, 2002-03-17