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In this issue:
Brainpower | Finances | Security | Health/Fitness | Factoid | Product Highlight | Thought for the Day
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1. Brainpower tip
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Correlation does not confer causality. A logic error I see all the time is
"If A and B are related, then A must cause B." Two events or facts may be
positively related, but that doesn't mean one causes the other. When you
ascribe causes that aren't actual, you fail to understand what is really
going on and inevitably arrive at erroneous conclusions.
When someone tells you, "A because of B," your first response should be
to not believe it. Why? Because this correlation confusion with causality
error is so common that any time someone ascribes a cause that person is
probably wrong.
Here's an example. "Government agencies have more overhead than similar
organizations in the private sector, because government agencies don't have
a profit motive."
This is false causality. While it's true that government agencies have
more overhead (A) and do not have a profit motive (B), the lack of a profit
motive is not why government has more overhead. You can find plenty of non-profit
organizations (which, by definition, do not have a profit motive) that have
razor-thin overhead. Professional organizations tend to fall into this
category, relying heavily on volunteers. And anyone who's served on a high
school class reunion committee knows all about keeping overhead as low as
possible.
A related problem is that of seeing patterns that aren't really there. Think about that one, for a while. |
2. Finance tip
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Creditor and predator rhyme. But, they need not be synonymous. One
reason people are paying outrageous rates on loans is "the economy is
bad." Well, the economy isn't really any worse than it was 5 years ago
or 10 years ago. Yes, the symptoms are bad right now.
But the economy itself is a debt-based economy with fundamental
problems. It didn't suddenly go bad. We have these emotional cycles in
which people say the economy is bad, then it "improves," then it's
"recovering," and then we're "out of the recession." All of that is
pretty much BS. Unfortunately, BS can shift people's behavior.
If you need a loan, you need a loan. This doesn't mean you have to
accept predatory terms because "credit is tight." Banks get their
product for free, and there isn't much overhead to running a bank.
How they can possibly lose money would be a mystery, if not for the
stealing that goes on (subject of a different article). So, there are
banks that will make a decent loan. There are also loans that can
accomplish what you need done, if you are willing perhaps to change a
few things around. And banks aren't the only credit sources.
The first thing to do is to determine how much loan you need. Suppose
you are planning to buy a car. You find one you like, and it's $30,000.
You have set aside $2,000 for a downpayment. So, your loan is $28,000.
Right?
Not so fast. Before you think you actually need a $30,000 car, figure
out your cost per necessary mile. The key here is necessary. For
example, you have a 30 mile commute each day. Suppose you can
telecommute two days a week or work at a satellite office closer to
home. Now you have reduced your weekly mileage by 60. Where else can you
reduce your driving? Combine trips, pool, take the train, etc. So you
were planning to drive your car 12,000 miles a year but now see you can
drive it for 6,000. This is your necessary mileage.
So if you divide $30,000 by 6 years, you are paying $5,000 a year for
the car. If you drive 6,000 miles, you are paying nearly a dollar a mile
just for the car. That doesn't include gas, title, insurance, etc. So a
trip to and from work costs you maybe 40 bucks. Just so you can undergo
the stress of dealing with traffic.
Are you sure you want a $30,000 car? A $20,000 car will get you there
just as well, and probably at greater fuel economy. Nobody cares what
kind of car you drive, as long as it's not a truly crappy car (rusty,
falling apart). People think their car is a status symbol, but that
simply is not true unless you are trying for status among people who
believe that buying something that comes off an assembly line makes them
a better person. That isn't status worth paying for.
OK, so now you have saved $10,000 on your loan already. You may find
the smaller loan qualifies you for better terms, too. Maybe a lower
interest rate or fewer months.
The same process applies to buying a house. That 3,000 square foot
house will hold how much junk? Become junk-less, and a 2,000 square foot
house actually has more room in it. And for a lot less money.
This first step is where most people go wrong on borrowing. And
consequently, they take on so much debt that their creditors are
predators. |
3. Security tip
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I recently read of several incidents in which people were killed in
their homes (in the USA). While this eNL goes out to an international
audience, this column of this edition is just for residents of the USA.
You may recall a formerly respected document called the "Constitution."
Many generations ago, this was actually used as the basis for law in the
USA. It enumerates the powers of the federal government and limits the
federal government to just those powers. Politicians and others ignore
these limits the way smokers ignore the warnings on cigarette packs.
The Bill of Rights, which consists of the first ten Amendments, is
a vestigial remnant of this dusty document. Until recently, it had
teeth. Those were all extracted with the illegal enactment of the
illegal mislegislation known as the Anti-patriot Act. That Act
eviscerates Bill of Rights by negating all of the natural rights spelled
out therein. Note: If you don't know why the AA is illegal, read the
Fourth Amendment for starters.
As a consequence of the AA, people's homes have been invaded without
warrant in the middle of the night by SWAT teams. Surprised homeowners,
having no idea what's going on, have been shot to death. In each of
these cases, these people had done nothing wrong and there was no reason
to even enter their property.
So, how can you prevent falling victim to a squad of armed dudes who
are jacked up on Jolt Cola and have watched too many movies?
Well, the bad news is that once they show up at your door it's
probably too late. The good news is you aren't totally helpless.
The first thing, of course, is don't look like a perp. If your home
or yard looks ratty, clean it up. Next, get to know your local police
(this didn't save David Koresh, but it may save you). These two measures
alone could prevent the intrusion in the first place.
These SWAT teams are well-meaning, believe it or not. Unfortunately,
they think they are entering a danger zone and thus will react to any
perceived danger with deadly force. Therein lies your best clue for
survival. Back when USA citizens had protection from warrantless and
unreasonable intrusion into their homes, the basic mode of protection
against home intrusion was armed confrontation. That game has now
changed.
Under the new circumstances, you must quickly decide whether your
home is being invaded by a regular criminal or by misguided law
enforcement people. An error in either direction could be fatal.
Suggestion: if you hear the sound of many feet or voices, you are
outgunned anyhow so lie prostrate on the floor with your hands out in
front of you. Without yelling, say in a loud clear voice, "I am unarmed
and intend no harm."
This assumes your local criminals break into homes alone or in pairs,
not in large numbers.
Earlier, I said you should get to know your local police. One way to
help do that is to ask an officer in your neighborhood about this
dilemma. Unfortunately, you'll need to refer to the mislegislation by
what it's called rather than what it is. Say something like the
following:
"Hi, Officer Friendly. My name is Joe Blow, and I'm a local
resident." (Note: Do not offer to shake Officer Friendly's hand.
Shake only if Officer Friendly offers a hand.). I saw you here and
thought you might have a minute to answer a question."
"Sure, Mr. Blow. How can I assist you?"
"I'm concerned with the provisions of the Patriot Act that could
result in a tactical team mistakenly breaking into my home in the
middle of the night. I wouldn't want anyone to get injured. What do
you advise, in the event something like this happens?"
You may get a stupid answer. If so, don't argue. Just say thanks. You
may get a good answer. If so, thank the officer and take the advice to
heart.
The long-term solution, of course, is to get our misrepresentatives
in CONgress to stop renewing this crappy law. You aren't going to do
that by simply e-mailing them a general complaint about the AA every few
months (if you do e-mail them, mention a specific provision and briefly
state why it is bad).
One proven strategy is this. Contact (or just research online) three
offices:
- The House Member for your CONgressional District (your
CONgressman).
- One of your senators.
- Your other senator.
In each case, look for (or ask for) some kind of speaking schedule. A
town hall meeting, for example. Show up at that meeting and wait until
the short Q&A session at the end. You may not get to speak, but if you
do then make it respectful, short, and pointed. Say something like,
"Can you either explain how the provisions of the Patriot Act that
over-ride the Fourth Amendment make Americans safe, since several
Americans have been killed due to this over-ride, or can you tell us
that you will not vote to renew this dangerous and deadly law the next
time it comes up?"
You may not change your misrepresentative's vote, but you have just
addressed a crowd of people in a succinct manner. You've been
respectful, but you've also put your misrepresentative into the position
of having to do one of three things:
- Weasel out of the question.
- Agree with your position and promise to vote FOR regular
Americans next time and against this law.
- Spew some nonsense defending the indefensible.
Something I don't advise is making this a regular practice. It's fine
to become "noticed." But you do not want to become an annoyance and get
your name on a list of undesirables. If you make your point as outlined
above, you'll score about as well as possible. Doing it more frequently
won't gain you anything. |
4. Health tip/Fitness tips
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This is the time of year when people are looking for a quick way to look good
for summer, following a winter of holiday eating and reduced exercise. Reality
check: there is no quick way. Some Q&A:
Q: "What's the best exercise to flatten my tummy?"
A: Why do you want to flatten it? A flat tummy is a weak one that is covered
in a uniform layer of fat For a great-looking tummy: work the core,
achieve overall fitness, reduce body fat, and suck it in. By suck it in, I mean
consciously work on not letting your belly sag due to poor posture.
Q: "My workout routine seems to have plateaued. How can I get it
kick-started?"
A: Part of the answer lies in your question. Your workouts have become
routine. If you're doing X sets of Y reps with Z weight, your body has no reason
to make an adaptive response. Change things up. |
About 100 days before age 50 |
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Q: "How much cardio do you recommend?"
A: None.
Q: "Should I use machines or free weights?"
A: If you would like, say, a knee replacement, then by all means use weight
machines. They help train you for isolated muscle movements instead of
conditioning the stabilizer muscles and neural pathways for usable strength and
safe movement. Machines are fine for people just starting out or undergoing
physical therapy, but there is a limit to how long you can use
them before they are counterproductive. It's a fairly low limit.
My general feeling on this question is that anyone asking it does not
understand what it means to work out.
The one exception I can think of to this statement is a calf machine. To work
the calves, you need quite a bit of weight. I use slightly more than three times
my body weight. There's no way I can hold that on my shoulders without wrecking
my back. So, I use a seated calf machine. I do not consider the lat pulldown
machine to be an exception, because a chinning bar works much better. Leg press?
No way. It defeats the major benefits of doing squats. |
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Q: "A friend said yard work is just as good as working out at the gym. What's
your opinion?"
A: These are complementary forms of exercise, not A/B choices. Yard work is,
indeed, a quite excellent form of exercise. Several recent studies have shown that just five
minutes of yardwork or gardening reduces stress levels and results in lower
cortisol. When cortisol is lower, your body burns more fat, stores more calcium
in the bones, and reduces catabolic consumption of muscle tissue. In other
words, that relaxing yard work means more muscle and less fat.
Something I'm doing right now is pulling weeds (and picking up trash, and
clipping, and pruning) for almost an hour almost every night. I listen to
university lectures on my MP3 player, so I'm going to college while doing
yardwork (I have several degrees, including a Masters degree, so this is purely for intellectual purposes,
not because I need yet another degree).
To give this yardwork a real exercise quotient, I squat when pulling weeds.
This has several very positive effects.
Q: "What's the best diet for shedding unwanted fat?"
A: The "eat less" diet.
In our next issue, we will look at some great info on becoming more muscular.
For you men, this is always a popular topic. For you ladies, there's often a
misconception that if you develop your muscles, you won't look lady-like.
So, I
ask you, "What do you think provides your body with its appealing curves?"
Right, your muscles. Understand that the normal female body (one not on
steroids) is incapable of gaining male musculature. It can only look more
female, and isn't that what you're really after?
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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.
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5. Factoid
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No word in the English language rhymes with month, orange, silver, or
purple. There is no rhyme or reason to anything done in CONgress, either
(except to behave as mere employees of special interest groups). |
6. Product Highlight
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This is an amazing
little device.
You can Translate 49
languages with the Ectaco EOxf500AL
Talking Pocket Dictionary.
It has 5,924,131
words in the bidirectional
dictionary, and it has 343,000
phrases.
To see what the
languages are and to find out more
information, click on the image. |
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7. Thought for the Day
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You don't make the best use of your time by being more efficient. You
make the best use of your time by making wise choices about what you do
each day. |
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
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