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Mindconnection eNL, 2009-12-06

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In this issue:
Brainpower | Finances | Security | Health/Fitness | Factoid | Product Highlight | Thought for the Day

1. Brainpower tip

One of the barriers of effective thinking is the problem of trying to think of several things at once. For example, you're working on a document at the office and also thinking about a problem with your neighbor. And there's that e-mail you sent to Bob--why hasn't he replied, yet? You wonder if you'll have time to read that new book after supper, or is that tax issue going to take all night.

As long as your mind is juggling all this, your brainpower is greatly reduced. It's divided up among those various issues plus being siphoned off to carry the excess administrative overhead, of constantly changing focus.

Meditation can help with this. I don't mean sitting around cross-legged and chanting the same vowel repeatedly (that's a mistaken idea of what meditation is). Meditation is a purposeful clearing of the mind and a calming of your thought processes.

When you feel like you are trying to handle many things at once, stop. Pick one, and refuse to think about the rest. This way, you can properly address one of the thing well rather than many things poorly. You can focus either until this task is done (or issue solved) or until a set time has gone by.

One suggestion is to work in 15 minute increments, occasionally using several contiguous 15 minute blocks for a single task. During that time, don't answer the phone and don't answer e-mail. Just work on what needs doing.

Not only is this approach more effective and productive than the "all at once and interruptions take priority" approach, it's far less stressful.

People who make a habit of thinking on one thing at a time is great in itself report that they are often "in the zone" and working at a pace is incredibly fast but nearly effortless. They don't feel effort, they feel euphoria. Things just flow.

2. Finance tip

From Barry Ritholtz:

The single best investment — in terms of greatest return on invested dollars — has been the lobbying efforts of the major banks and finance firms

They spent $114.2 million dollars in contributions toward the 2008 "election," according to the the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. The companies that have been awarded taxpayers’ money from Congress’s bailout bill spent $77 million on lobbying and $37 million on federal campaign contributions, the Center finds.

These firms political activities have yielded them $295.2 billion from Recapitalization, TARP and other assorted bailouts.

The return on investment: 258,449 percent. That's astounding. And it's criminal.
===

We have the best government that criminals can buy.  I keep saying that members of CONgress are mere paid employees of the corporate lobbyists. The money trail shows this is exactly the case. Follow the money, and what you see is a galling degree of wealth transfer from your pocket to those of banksters and other criminals.

As long as The Party is in power, this thievery will remain a sad fact of life. The Party will remain in power as long as people keep throwing their votes away on its candidates. If you care about crime, don't vote Demopublican.

3. Security tip

One of the touted benefits of cell phones is you can use one to summon help in an emergency. This is mostly true, but in many cases any help that does come will come too late.

One misconception about cell phones is that talking on one makes you safe. Not so. Talking on a cell phone makes you distracted. A distracted person is, by definition, not an aware person.

While you're yakking away, oblivious to your surroundings, a potential mugger or other criminal can track you by your own voice and wait for the opportune time to strike. Or any of a host of other dangers can present themselves, surprising you when you could have been forewarned.

If you want to be safe and secure, use your phone only in a location and manner that is inherently safe and secure. A city street is not such a location.

Commenting about personal safety, my dad says, "I don't dial 911. I dial 357."

4. Health tip/Fitness tips

One of the things you will notice about Arnold Schwarzenegger in his bodybuilding photos is his posture. As large as he was, he looked even larger because he stood up straight. This is something most people don't do. And that has ramifications way beyond trying to look big.

I personally don't care for that "roid look" and sheer size isn't my goal. But people tend to overestimate my weight considerably because I look bigger than I am. When you stand up straight, you put everything into its best mechanical position for strength and also in its best position for appearance.

An erect posture gives you "presence" when you walk into a room. If you are at some kind of gathering and see a person whom others are gravitating toward, it's very likely that person is consciously using his/her best posture.

Strength and appearance are nice benefits. The vain among us may consider those sufficient. However, those benefits are minor compared to what good posture really does for you. Experts from martial arts masters to health-oriented physicians (notice the qualifier, there) make a big deal out of proper posture. And so should you.

Fitness supplements for bodybuilders

Here's an article that explains more about the topic: http://www.supplecity.com/articles/posture.htm

As regular readers know, I was 48 years old in the picture (above, right), taken in December 02 2008. I don't diet down for summer. I don't have good genes for maintaining a lean body, either. I really have to be conscientious and disciplined about it. That doesn't mean I suffer, eat bland foods, or starve myself.

At www.supplecity.com, you'll find plenty of informative, authoritative articles on maintaining a lean, strong physique. It has nothing to do with long workouts or impossible to maintain diets. In fact:

  • The best workouts are short and intense.
  • A good diet contains far more flavors and satisfaction than the typical American diet.

Nor does it mean being hungry all the time (you are less hungry on six small meals a day than three large ones), being weak from hunger (on a proper dietary regimen, you will have much more energy than otherwise), or "giving up pleasures" (I have no idea where this concept comes from, unless a person considers being sick a "pleasure.")

Holiday tip: Check out the recipe section on www.supplecity.com. That Fit Pumpkin Pie is great...

 

5. Factoid

Almonds are a member of the peach family. Members of CONgress behave as though they are members of the Gambino Family.


6. Product Highlight

New Full Page Mobile Scanner

This latest offering from PLANon is a mobile, pen-sized full page scanner that does both color and monochrome scans of text and images.

Scans an entire page in 2 seconds. Comes with software for processing scans after transfer to PC.
 

Discontinued, 2013

Planon’s DocuPen Xtreme X Series takes portable scanning power to a whole new level of productivity and portable performance. The Xtreme-series of scanners:
  • Provides higher quality images, improved efficiency, and greater functionality over previous generations.
  • Has maintained the small pen-sized profile but now packs in a lot more with 200MHZ computer processor, 64 MB of fast SD Ram, and microSD expansion slot.
  • Includes Bluetooth for easy sending to your Blackberry, Windows Mobile device (Pocket PC or smart phone), laptop, and other devices.
  • Provides Image quality up to 600 DPI, utilizing Planon’s Crystal Line Contact technology.
  • Provides extremely accurate imaging that far exceeds cameras and other portable scanners for professional reproductions of contracts, receipts, invoices, and color pictures.

 

 

We don't run ads in our newsletter, despite getting inquiries from advertisers all the time. This eNL is supported by sales from www.mindconnection.com. Please shop there, as appropriate.



7. Thought for the Day

Do you think mostly about things you don't like or about things you want to see happen?

Please forward this eNL to others.

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.

Wishing you the best,
Mark Lamendola
Mindconnection, LLC

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.

To subscribe, change your e-mail address, offer your own tidbit, tell us how much you love this eNL, ask how to put us in your will <grin>, or to (gasp) unsubscribe, write to comments @ mindconnection.com (paste that into your e-mail client, and remove the spaces).

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