- Product highlight
- Brainpower tip
- Time tip
- Finance tip
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- Security tip
- Health tip/Fitness tip
- Miscellany
- Thought for the day
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1. Product Highlight
One of the latest offerings from Lingo, the
Voyager 3 is essentially the Voyager 2 with 20 languages instead of
just 12. The 20-Language Talking
Dictionary: Lingo Voyager Three translates words in all directions
for the following languages: Arabic, Chinese, Czech, Dutch, English,
French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean,
Persian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Slovakian, Spanish,
and Turkish. It also has foreign language characters and shows you
phonetically how to pronounce them in your own language. You can
have the unit pronounce them for you at the touch of a button.
|
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Replaced by
Voyager 7. |
This unit has voice in all languages. It
has 20,000 words and 2,000 phrases per language. Please note that
this is a tourist-level device. |
2. Brainpower tip
In our last issue, we looked at how desire plays a great
role in brainpower. In this issue, we look at how fear does that.
Fear plays a great role in brainpower.
Example 1. A person has a lump and fears it might be cancer so
doesn't get medical assistance. Everyone knows that the earlier you address
such a problem, the easier it is to do so. Yet, people wait. This applies to
persistent coughs, headaches, and other symptoms. By a twisted sense of
logic, they pretend the problem isn't there--in hopes it won't be.
Example 2. We all know crime is a fact of life. Always has been,
always will be. But people fear being a victim. By a twisted sense of logic,
they pretend the problem isn't there--in hopes it won't be. So, they don't
take common sense precautions: install deadbolt locks, work with neighbors
and police to create a security-conscious neighborhood, obtain the correct
home defense hardware and learn to use it effectively, rehearse a home
invasion, determine exit routes, etc.
Of course in the first example the real solution (99.999% of the time) is
to eat right and exercise. But once the symptoms are there, ignoring them
doesn't solve the problem.
IMO, the second problem can be greatly ameliorated by reducing the size
and power of the federal government. Its policies over the last 50 years or
so have done enormous damage and the pace accelerated over the last 20.
Just look at the so-called "free trade" as an example. This pits American
companies against companies that don't have the costs of complying with
American laws, without the offsetting tariff to balance things out. The
predictable result is the loss of hundreds of thousands of American jobs.
New jobs spring up, but not fast enough. Even so, why should we need new
jobs when there was nothing wrong with the old ones other than extremely bad
public policy?
Yes, it's true that the incessant brainwashing lulls people into a stupor
of inaction. But haven't we learned from September 11, Hurricane Katrina,
and other examples that the government doesn't protect us? Haven't we
learned from Ruby Ridge, Oklahoma City, Waco, and every April 15th that the
government is quite willing and able to do the exact opposite of protecting
us?
Transferring our fear into a misplaced sense of trust--relying on the fox
to guard us chickens--isn't a solution sane folks should adopt.
In the Mindconnection eNL, I've talked about virtual lobotomies that
shuttle all information processing to the amygdala. But I have overlooked
something. That shuttling reduces our brainpower to the level that a reptile
has. But reptiles defend themselves.
Let's drop down the brain scale all the way to a wasp. Here's a creature
in which an amygdala would be a major brain upgrade. Aha--you just thought,
"The same can be said for my CONgressman!" :)
A wasp knows to sense danger and take action to overcome it. Attack a
wasp's nest, and you realize they fight back.
So, how in the heck do we develop liberals? I am speaking not of classic
liberals but of people who label themselves as liberals and are actually
statists--they look to the government to solve all problems. Their idea of
government is "the bigger the better." Lest any registered Democrats get too
upset, by this definition Bob Dole is a liberal.
These are creatures whose brains are so disabled that they have less
sense than a wasp. Or even a housefly. A classic liberal would never suggest
that rolling out the red carpet for violent criminals is a good idea.
Today's "liberal" not only suggests this but can see no other choice. While
a wasp believes it has a natural right to defend itself and its hive (its
family) from aggression or even death, a liberal believes that humans do not
have that right. The liberal insists that, despite overwhelming evidence to
the contrary, this job falls to the government. Thus, in this era of
school violence, "we"--at the behest of liberals--tell teachers they are not
allowed to protect themselves or their students while on school property.
This stupidity doesn't come from a shift to the amygdala. It comes from
"government is the answer" brainwashing.
Now, I'm not suggesting that government is the source of all evil and we
need to abolish it. Government is much like hot sauce. A little bit is good.
Too much, and you have an unpleasant experience. Overdo it beyond a certain
point, and even your your a-- gets burned. We are way, way, way beyond that
point.
But back to the brainpower issue. Fear makes us seek a solution. The
"government is the answer" brainwashing works because it provides an easy
answer. You don't have to do anything but trust an alphabet soup of
incompetent agencies. If you can buy into that, you can allay your fears
instantly. The problem, of course, is that proposition is entirely false.
What do to in the face of fear
Rather than be paralyzed into inaction as in Example 1 or conned into it
as in Example 2, use fear to increase your brainpower.
- Let the fear roll over you. Understand that fear is natural. Don't
treat it as something to be avoided. Treat it as a call to action. Your
action.
- Analyze the fear. When in an emotional state, analysis isn't easy.
So, we're not looking to do anything complex here. Ask two simple
questions: "Why do I have this fear? What are the possible dangers that
are triggering it?"
- Identify the danger. From the previous step, you have a list of
possibilities. Look at each one. Decide which of those are real. You may
need to take a deep breath and calm down, or you may need to make a
computer-like instant judgment, depending on the situation. None of this
is a "deep thought" process.
- Identify a course of action. Do you simply remove yourself from the
danger (flight), or do you act to neutralize the danger (fight)? Very
simple decision.
- Take the action.
Dealing with danger
Dangers come in a variety of styles and colors! One point
of differentiation is the immediacy.
Example 1. Joe has a vague fear of a terrorist attack.
What can he do about this? He can talk to people about the Fair Tax,
www.fairtax.org, in an effort to
eliminate the top terrorist group in the world. He can make a point of being
vigilant and reporting suspect activities to law enforcement. He can do a
lot of things, other than simply trust the government to take care of it.
The government didn't do much to reduce the terror of an innocent family on
Ruby Ridge, and it has failed in countless other ways. So taking positive
action not only helps allay the fear but it helps reduce the underlying
cause.
Example 2. A noise awakens Joe in the dead of the night.
Someone is in his home. Now he's really afraid. What are his options? He can
call 911 and wait 20 minutes, or he can transfer his fear he into the
invading criminal via use of a firearm.
Example 3. Someone stops you and says, "Your money or
your life." That's pretty frightening. What do you do? Odds are, you'll lose
your life anyway. So swallow your fear and attack. Law enforcement people
consistently tell us to comply, but actual case histories show that is the
worst possible response. If you have an RTC, use your weapon. If you are
unarmed, use what's available. If there is no weapon, become one. Your
response will transfer your fear into the mind of your attacker.
Example 4. Anna fears she will lose her job. She has
coworkers with this same fear. She notices many people talk about who's
getting laid off next. They are hoping their "big brother" employer won't
cast them aside. Anna decides to identify which things make an employee more
likely to be laid off and less likely to be laid off. She develops a plan to
greatly reduce her odds of being cut, and she puts that plan into action.
Example 5. Jennifer's pulse races as she commutes to
work. She frequently has close encounters and driving in traffic is an
exercise in sheer terror for her. Worse, the effects make her unable to
focus for the first couple of hours at work and she fears this will damage
not only her immediate employment but her long-term career prospects. She
decides to do two things. The first is to take a defensive driving course,
to reduce her vulnerability while exposed during the dangerous trip. The second
is to reduce her exposure by telecommuting two days a week, which she
proposes to her employer after preparing a compelling case advantageous to
her employer.
Proper programming
When you program yourself to always respond to fear in a
manner that addresses the cause of the fear, your brain operates from a
position of calm. This means your cortex can kick in. For immediate dangers,
this isn't as useful. But for situations that are drawn out or chronic, it
can make all the difference. As in that last example.
It's a useful exercise to keep a diary of fears for one
week. Just write down what you feel. For example, "fear of getting front
fender clipped on interstate," "fear I might have bad breath," etc.
After that week has passed, pick the top 3 fears from
that list. That is, which items cause you to be most fearful. There is no
right answer--just pick 3. If it's hard to decide, don't agonize. It's not
so important that you get the exact 3 as that you come up with a list of 3
important fears. What you don't want to do is work on minor fears or try to
fix everything at once. The number 3 is a good limit, for reasons that will
become apparent as you work on this.
Next, think about each of those 3 fears. Try to determine
the cause(s) of each. Then, make a list of potential fixes or counteractions
for each one. Develop a plan and follow it. Once you are able to cross off a
fear from your list, pick out another one.
By doing this, you will find fear stops interfering with
your brainpower. You will also find yourself immune to brainwashing, because
you are in the mode of taking action to solve your problems rather than
relying on the empty promises of a pharmaceutical ad, government propaganda,
political campaign ad, or some
other nonsense. |
3. Time Tip
Make a list of time-wasting activities. Just sit down and
start writing as they come to mind. After you get about 10 of these, stop. Now,
identify 3 of them that you'd like to do something about.
Chances are good that someone you know has already solved one
of these problems. Maybe not optimally, but better than your current situation.
So, rather than talk about the weather, raise the issue in your conversations.
Example:
"Have you ever had to wait in the grocery line?"
"Yes, I absolutely hate that. Which is why I...."
- Carry whatever book I'm reading.
- Shop at a different time from everyone else.
- Avoid the large chains.
- Raise a garden. In addition to the enjoying the
activity itself, I rely less on the store.
- Take my daughter with me. We use that time to talk
about whatever's on her mind.
- Go with a friend. If we wind up in different lines,
we chat on our cell phones. That grocery line wait is the only time we
really have together, some months.
- Take my husband. There are no distractions, and he
actually listens to me.
You may notice that some of these ideas address the
problem of the wait itself and seek to reduce it, while others are interesting
and useful ways to make use of the wait. People have different ways of dealing
with things, and you may be surprised at the great ideas you can discover by
just talking with other people. |
4. Finance tip
5. Security tip
Part of the fallout from September 11 is a reduction of
personal security for airline passengers. This has taken form in many
ways. For example:- Extensive weapons ban. I used to carry a modified
folding Buck knife when flying. The modification was I shortened the
blade so it was under the 3.5" maximum. My reason for carrying this was
the Entebbe hijacking. Ramming a knife like that into the thigh of a
hijacker would definitely disable him. Jamming it into his femoral
artery would be lethal. And it's an easy strike! But now, you are
limited to rolled up magazines (used as batons) and electronic gadgets.
Yes, you can kill a hijacker with a laptop and it does make a good knife
shield, but why should I have to smash up a $1500 item?
- End of discretion. At one time, you could carry
cash in a concealed manner. Ditto for jewelry, electronic gadgets, or
other high-theft items. Now, you are required to lay all that stuff out
so that muggers know exactly which people to target.
- Enforced clumsiness. Prior to September 11, you
could pack all of your stuff quite nicely and keep at least one hand
free. Today, you have to repeatedly pull out your driver's license,
ticket, and itinerary. You need three hands, and that's before you
handle your luggage or go through the whole pointless shoes on / shoes
off thing. Businessmen have the additional hassle of taking off their
sport coats and wadding them up, then putting them back on again while
trying to get the cell phone, PDA, laptop, and other gear put away and
shoes back on. Lovely.
- Enforced infection. Now you have to put your
clean stocking feet into an area walked on by people who have whatever
fungus growing on theirs. Why don't we exchange underpants while we're
at it, and see how many infections one person can spread to thousands of
others?
- Enforced dehydration. I used to carry a Nike
bottle for bikes, filled with water. Now I have to wait on a hot tarmac
for an hour and then wait another 20 minutes for someone to hand me a
dinky bottle of water. All while on a plane in which the air is far too
dry. This dries out the sinuses so that they can't protect you from the
hugely concentrated pathogens brought on by the other sardines, er, I
mean people, jammed into that aluminum tube. And forcibly thickening
your blood while mechanically cutting the blood flow to your legs is
never a good idea.
The government answer to any problem is nearly
always colossally counterproductive. Here's what should have
happened:
- Unarmed flight crews grounded until armed.
Why: No hijacker has ever overcome an armed flight crew. Ever. The
first attempted hijacking in history ended when the pilot shot the
hijacker.
- People who already have a concealed carry
permit are issued rubber bullets and paid a discount to fly. Why:
That much more protection for the passengers.
- Stronger doors and latches installed on crew
cabins. Why: So the flight crew can't be caught off guard.
- Bomb sniffers installed at airports. Why:
Instead of wasting money on catching non-threats and hassling
passengers, we should work on actual threats. Does anybody really
think it's now possible to hijack an American airliner? The
passengers will not hesitate to kill anyone trying that stunt again.
So why are we screening out hijackers? To protect them?
It's probably too late to replace the colossally
counterproductive measures now in place with ones that actually make
sense. Too many people are making too much money off the stupidity, and
the lobbyists are going to keep the good times rolling. So what can you
do about this "de-activate brain, enact policy" approach that has
compromised your safety?
The airlines won't like this, but one answer is to
simply reduce travel. We have the Internet, today. We can:
- Phone anywhere for free or just pennies.
- Send e-mails.
- FTP large files.
- Use Web conferencing.
Sometimes, we "must" have a meeting so we can
"talk things out." Isn't talking what we do over the phone? Is it really
necessary to pay $500 and burn a day traveling, just so you can
what--feel somebody else? Hmm.
Maybe we need to think about what we say and write
and how we work, so that meetings become less necessary.
What about presenting a gizmo or demonstrating a
product? Answer: You can send packages via FedEx from any Walgreen's or
Kinkos. See www.fedex.com
for locations. UPS is almost as ubiquitous. See
www.ups.com, and you'll
be surprised just how many UPS centers are near you.
Now, there is another factor to consider. Even
though your personal safety is now compromised to "make you safer" (such
logic--but, that's government "thinking" for you!), you aren't in nearly
as much danger as the regulation-spewing politicians would like you to
think. In fact, you are statically 100 more times as likely to die in a
car than in a terrorist attack (excluding the IRS, FBI, and BATF, which
are quite good at such attacks as Janet Reno demonstrated ).
And, not all travel is for business. Sometimes you
really do want to travel so you can feel someone--for example, hugging a
friend or relative. Or you want to travel to see sights unique to
another area, or enjoy a different culture. There are many situations
where you just have to be there.
Maybe the best advice on post-September 11 safety
is to look at the real problem: politicians. Don't vote for the status
quo. If you vote Demopublican you change nothing, but you do give them a
"mandate" to keep right on doing the very things they should not be
doing.
That's one reason why I'm voting for Ron Paul in
2008, even though Hillary 99.99% guaranteed to be our next President.
Why would I vote for Ron Paul if I am so sure he won't be elected?
Because I would totally waste my vote if I use it just to rubber stamp
the failed policies, rampant overspending, and unacceptable behavior of
the same old gang of idiots and thieves--the Demopublicans.
These people aren't a threat to your
security--they have already proven they do much more than merely
threaten. Even if voting against them doesn't result in their losing
their office, at least you are sending a message other than, "Make us
unsafe and keep stealing from generations not even born yet, I don't
mind." |
6. Health tip/Fitness tips
7. Miscellany
- The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a
substitute for blood plasma. Remember this, the next time another tax
increase bleeds you dry.
We don't run ads in our newsletter. We do get
inquiries from advertisers, all the time. To keep this eNL coming, go to
www.mindconnection.com and do your
shopping from there (as appropriate). Please forward this eNL to others.
|
8. Thought for the Day
If left to fester, that exactly what problems do. |
Wishing you the best,
Mark Lamendola
Mindconnection
Authorship
The views expressed in this e-newsletter are generally not shared by criminals, zombies, or brainwashed individuals.
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.
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