Mindconnection eNL, 2015-09-20

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In this issue:
Good News | Product Highlight | Brainpower | Finances | Security | Health/Fitness | Factoid | Thought 4 the Day

Item 1. The MacDonald's Corporation, perhaps the world champion in spreading arteriosclerosis and obesity, is taking a huge step forward in social responsibility. The eggs it uses will no longer be toxic, because (within 10 years) it will no longer buy eggs from farmers who keep their hens in cages. That means over 7 million hens per year will not be tortured for their eggs; both the hens and the people who eat their eggs will be healthier.

Item 2. Yesterday, I celebrated my 55th trip around the sun. Good news for me, anyhow.

Item 3. Some folks in a crime-ridden neighborhood in Springfield, MO have decided to take back the block they live on. It all started with one man's decision to put his grill in his front yard. Now the neighbors "meet and eat," and the presence of all these people outside is keeping the hoodlums away.

The new standard in ticket protection. The new PASSPORT Max2 delivers breakthrough radar performance like no other. It provides ultimate range and accuracy and enables you to drive worry-free. Now with built in Bluetooth technology the PASSPORT Max2 gives you access to ESCORT's award-winning app, ESCORT Live.

Recently manufactured; our inventory typically is less than 30 days old from date of manufacture (these popular radar detectors move that fast).

• Carries full warranty.
• Has built-in Bluetooth wireless technology.
• All-new receiver incorporates advanced military technology called Digital Signal Processing (DSP).
  New Multi-Color OLED Display.
• Can be set up for your specific type of driving and personal preference.
• Intelligence is also packed into this ticket-protecting marvel.
• This all-new receiver incorporates advanced military technology: Digital Signal Processing (DSP).
• The unique method of scanning enables the Passport Max2 to identify real threats faster and more accurately than any other detector.

You know you want it. Buy from us and save!

In our previous issue, I discussed how individuals use stupidity as a weapon and how to defend yourself from a stupidity attack.

In this issue, I will discuss weapons of mass stupid-ification and how to defend yourself.

First, recognize that zones of stupidity are all around us. Stay out of these. Some examples:

• Your local public library. Not! These places are the exact opposite. If you don't set foot in one very often, you are probably spending time in zones of stupidity instead.
   

• Bars and similar establishments. What do people do in these places? Destroy their brain cells. What do they talk about, when the jet engine loud "music" isn't blaring? Can you think of the last intelligent conversation?
   

• Indoctrination centers. I don't want to be explicit here, because doing so will offend many readers instead of encourage them to think. Please do think about whether you spend time being mindlessly indoctrinated.
   

• Political rallies. These exist under the theory that it is possible to pick up a turd by its clean end. For this delusion to be supported, an entire system of stupidity must be infused into the participants.

When stupidity is used on a mass scale to target a population rather than used by an individual against another individual, it is a weapon of mass stupid-ification. Simply staying out of stupidity zones won't protect you. The key to protecting yourself is to shut off the communication channels through which the stupidity is intended to flow into your brain. These include:

• Disinformation magazines, such as The Week. You can recognize these by their blatant skewing of reality on certain topics. The editors of The Week, for example, believe in protecting violent criminals from their victims rather than the other way around. Any time they see an opportunity to promote this stupidity, they hop right on it.
   

• Disinformation newspapers, such as all of them. Perhaps there is a newspaper that is worth reading. If you know of one, please write to me. Mark Twain panned these weapons of mass stupid-ification in his time, and things really haven't changed.
   

• Political speeches. These exist under the theory that if your lies are outrageous enough, you can rely on people to become stupid enough to believe them. People exposed to this sort of stupidity are eventually overcome by it. Avoid, even if extreme measures are required to do so.
   

• Anything said by Barry Soetoro. Needs no explanation.
   

• Language abuse. The intent here is to grossly misrepresent reality such that people shut down their mental defenses and accept blatant lies as truth. When people permit this to be done to them enough, the critical thinking parts of their brains shut down completely; they become de facto stupid. Don't give in to language abuse by repeating it; call things what they are. Thus, Daylight WASTING Time not Daylight "Savings" Time. And Institute of Reprobates and Sociopaths, not the official name and especially not the service part.
   

You can replace these toxic communication channels with good ones, and I encourage you to do so. Some tips:

• Carefully analyze your sources of information. Seek out new ones, regularly.
   

• Generally ignore what politicians say. Look at what they do, instead. Two very good citizen watchdog groups are the National Taxpayer's Union and the National Rifle Association; they will tell you which politicians are doing bad things and which are doing good things (respectively, with your money/property or with your Constitutional rights).
   

• Identify and engage people who are informed and intelligent. This doesn't mean people who agree with you, though if they are informed and intelligent you will surely (being informed and intelligent yourself) find plenty of agreement. You want to have conversations with people who support your sane approach to things, but who also challenge you when they disagree or you provide a flimsily supported thesis. Beyond that, such people will enrich your life in multiple ways while not taking you down the path of stupidity.
   

• Read a good book, read a good book, read a good book. Do this often.

https://www.youtube.com/embed/3L5hn5B8TYI

When powerful people live a life of deceit at the expense of others, they need to be exposed. When they can get away with anything, they will take away from you.

This is generally not a good idea. What's taught at these schools is seldom useful in a real fight. If she can find a Kung Fu instructor who will accept her as a student, and that instructor is trained in the "non commercial" type of real fighting arts, then she may be able to defend herself in a fight. Another option is to find an MMA school, as MMA fighting is predicated on the idea of real martial skill rather than the dancing that most Karate (and many Kung Fu) schools teach as a "martial art."

So, yes, learning real martial arts is good for improving your personal security. But it's a hard way to go. In my experience, few students can stick with it long enough to gain any real benefit. The training and discipline required to develop the blinding speed and flawless execution of technique are just too much for most folks. That's why the commercial versions were developed.

In the commercial versions, you learn a series of katas or forms and test for progressively higher levels of belts or sashes. For the schools to stay viable, they need to keep students. That means the training (and the style itself) is compromised so as to keep the dropout rate from being too high. Take a look at the physique of, say, Bruce Lee compared to that of the typical "black belt" at the typical school. The latter clearly have not done the training. It's just too hard.

Look at the typical MMA fighter, and you're back in Bruce Lee territory again.

If this "make your body a lethal weapon" route is not for you, and it's not for most folks, what else can you do? This is where the equalizer comes in. You can carry a pistol. That's not as easy as many people think, either. To be qualified (competent) and safe with that pistol, you need training and practice. And you'll need to spend a fair amount of money on ammunition. Because larger rounds cost more (much more!) than smaller rounds, your choice of pistol caliber will determine how expensive your practicing will be.

While a .44 Magnum will definitely stop any intruder, do you really need it? Probably not. But a .22 is too small to reliably stop an intruder. Something in between, something you are comfortable using, is what you need to choose.

Some people have an aversion to firearms. Others need a weapon they can carry anywhere. Still others live in places where the illegal laws protect violent criminals from their victims rather than the other way around (these places, Chicago being an example, predictably have much higher rates of violent crime than areas with sane laws). In these cases, a third solution emerges.

The baton is an excellent choice of weapon. If you train with it, you can learn how to defend against an attacker who's armed with a knife or even armed with a firearm. If you use a telescoping baton, it will be small enough for discretion but big enough to do the job when the job needs doing.

Of course, avoiding problems in the first place is your best option. The female reader could, for example:

• Try to befriend the "rough characters." Maybe she has misjudged them. Not every biker is a dangerous dirt bag; most, in fact, are not. The presence of a biker group in the neighborhood usually increases the security of the neighborhood.
• Organize a neighborhood watch. This is best done under the guidance of the local police department. They can advise and provide other help. Often, a city will post a neighborhood watch sign if your neighborhood meets specific conditions. That sign won't keep bad guys out completely, but it lets them know they are likely to be seen and reported.
• Organize neighborhood nights out. This effective technique has reclaimed neighborhoods formerly dominated by drug dealers. If law-abiding citizens are out on their porches and lawns, or have commandeered an area of the street for a pot luck supper (with city permission), the likelihood of criminal activity plummets.
• Ask the city to evaluate the street lighting and other safety infrastructure.
• Install security cameras.
• Identify crime risk issues and fix them. The house with the peeling paint? Maybe the owner is poor; what if the neighbors chipped in time and money to paint that house? Same thing for overgrown lawns or overgrown trees and shrubs. Trash all over? Pick it up. Whatever the issue is, find a way to fix it. Make your neighborhood look like the people who live in it are people who care.

Some things not to do:

• Get a big vicious guard dog. If you want a dog, fine. But the only reason a dog is vicious is it's been abused. And don't get a dog to protect you; get a dog because you want a dog to love and be your companion.
• Threaten people who seem suspicious. Yelling, "I'm calling the cops" or making a direct threat is just asking for trouble.
• Accept the delusion that you can just call 911 if there's a problem. By the time the cops get there, you could be dead. To verify this, find out what the typical and maximum response times were for your police department last year; a member of your city council can assist you in obtaining this information. Or just apply logic.

Thanks to Charlie for this video:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/xUgKekv57hI

It understates the case, but please try to understand the message. Then pass it on to other people.

Follow the tips in this newsletter, and you will avoid this problem completely.
 

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

A poor choice can result in temporary gratification, followed by permanent misery. Choose wisely.