Mindconnection eNL, 2017-06-04

Home

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

Item 1. Just before our last issue came out, the US House of Representatives passed, by a 271-143 vote, the Thin Blue Line Act. Congressman Kevin Yoder said, "It is a bill that will send a clear message that the killing of a law enforcement officer will not be tolerated. The bill updates criminal law to add the killing of a state or local law enforcement officer as a factor for a jury when considering whether to impose the death penalty in federal criminal cases. Congress passed this bill to ensure that we honor the ultimate sacrifice made by our police and ensure those who harm law enforcement officers are brought to justice."

Item 2. "Photonic Hypercrystals Are Now a Reality, and Light Will Never Be the Same". Read the full story here:
http://spectrum.ieee.org/nanoclast/semiconductors/materials/photonic-hypercrystals-are-now-a-reality-and-light-will-never-be-the-same

An exclusive offering from Mindconnection, LLC

• Wizread is PC software that puts the reading fluency aids of the ReadingPen onto your PC.
• With this bundle, you will improve reading ability, vocabulary, and language fluency.
• Both are easy to use. The pen scans and reads aloud, also stores text for transfer to PC.
• Perfect reading aid for people with dyslexia or anyone with reading difficulties.
• Box includes ReadingPen TS, protective carry case, USB cable, earbuds, user manual, 2 AAA 1.5V batteries, clip-on scanning trainer, and software download instructions.
• PC-compatible: Windows XP and later.

Perfect for anyone with reading disabilities. Also great for kids whose parents want them on the learning fast-track.

See it on eBay

You've probably encountered this problem in areas such as work assignments, serving on a committee, or engaging in an online discussion.

Take the discussion, as an example. Whatever the topic is, the Libtard will make up something off-topic, attribute it to someone else in the group, and argue against it using ad hominem attacks. The typical response from the brain-enabled is to follow the Libtard down the stupidity hole and debate the new topic as if it belongs in the discussion. It doesn't.

The solution is to assert control, rather than let the Libtard simply have it through abusive tactics. Just state that the Libtard's comment does not follow from anything anyone said and is therefore not relevant to the discussion. End by saying that the rudeness expressed in that comment does not belong in the discussion, either.

You can use the same approach whether you're in a work group or serving on a volunteer committee. The agenda of the Libtard is always the same (inflict maximum stupidity) and the method follows the same basic pattern (derail the mission, task, discussion, etc., and divert attention to something unrelated).

You don't need to call the Libtard stupid; everyone else can already see that's the case. Just address the behavior. The Libtard won't like that, but that's not your problem. Everyone else deserves to have their contribution count, their view heard, and their group goals met. Don't let libtards take those things away.

A group should have a higher collective IQ than that of any single member, by dint of working together. And it should be able to accomplish what it set out to accomplish. Don't let Libtards ruin that.

Note: This advice does not apply to professional thieves such as those morally bankrupt people who determine how our hard-earned tax dollars are wasted.

If you owe to various creditors, contact each one and ask for:

• Reduced interest rate.
• Waiver of one or more fees.
• A grace period with no interest or fees, for example the next 60 days. Mortgage lenders used to do this, maybe they still do.
• If they won't agree to a grace period, ask about refinancing the debt to reduce the amount paid each month.
• Do they have any suggestions on how you can reduce your overall expenses? Asking this question shows you really want to pay that debt off. And you may be pleasantly surprised when you implement the advice.

The point of this exercise is to reduce how much you must pay out each month. This freed-up money is not more to spend. It is more you can apply to the smallest outstanding debt or the debt with the smallest monthly payment due. You want to pay that debt off or reduce and refinance it; again, the goal is to be on the hook for less each month so you can put the entire difference toward something you can pay off.

If this is complicated for you, consider paying a credit counseling agency. You write them one check and then they pay everyone else.

If a creditor won't give you any of the above, look for a low-cost lender and transfer the debt. For example, you are paying 9% on a car loan and it's $400 a month. There's a credit card that is offering balance transfers at 3% a year. The problem is your car loan is greater than the credit card limit. Either discuss with the credit card company raising the limit to hold your loan or refinance the remaining balance due on that loan. The result could be instead of $400 a month you are shelling out $300 a month (just over a longer period). Apply the $100 a month to another debt.

With this done, you'll find it much easier to make those minimum payments while really channeling the cash to the smallest debt so you can get rid of it.

This is a simple approach, and it doesn't address differences in the cost of capital. Maybe paying off the smallest loan isn't wise. Maybe paying off the one with the highest APR is. Look for credit card balance transfer options to help with this and/or find a bank or credit union that will replace a high APR loan with a low APR loan.

If you don't have many credit cards, you won't get many balance transfer options. But don't just start applying like crazy, that will hurt your credit score for a very long time. Apply for a new card once every three to four months.

Some other sources people may tap:

• Their "friends and family." This can go well, but even with the best of intentions it usually does not. To avoid problems, draw up a formal loan agreement. It must specify the rate and terms of the loan, and it must impose late fees. When a family member simply hands out $600 and says, "Pay me back when you can," the expectation might be a few months but the reality is usually never. And hard feelings follow. A loan agreement ensures everyone understands the arrangement.
• A home equity loan. This is risky. If you have not first addressed the reason for your crushing debt, you'll end up defaulting on this loan.
• Bankruptcy. Try this only in the most dire of circumstances, and it's a bad idea even then.
• Hiring a debt settlement company. It's like bankruptcy, but not as harsh with your lenders. It's also not as harsh on your credit rating. But why not do this yourself? Negotiate better terms, etc., as noted above or try even to negotiate a compromise settlement. Many lenders will accept a smaller amount just to ensure they get something.

There are some cash flow improvement sources that, oddly enough, many people do not tap:

• Turn your thermostat way down in winter and way up in summer.
• Plan ahead before opening the refrigerator door (the fridge is probably your single biggest electric bill item).
• Combine trips to reduce gasoline costs.
• Completely eliminate meals out. Especially if you go out for lunch during the work day. For many people, "Pack a lunch" saves them $60 or more per week. That's about $250 per month, probably enough for the entire payment on one of your debts.
• Take a frivolity vacation. Go one month without any of the usual "spoil me" items. Cut or trim your own hair, forego the latte, skip the manicure and pedicure, cancel the appointment(s) with your trainer (or therapist or whatever), stay home from the movies, suspend the maid service, and so on. The typical debtor can raise at least $100 a month this way.
• Take a part-time job. This seems impossible for most people, but stop and think about potential job sources. Do you have a friend who is a business owner? Maybe that person has a project you can help with or even do. The work doesn't have to be steady or involve many hours. If it just provides some extra money, it will help you pay down one of your debts. Do not take on part-time work that puts your full-time work at risk.

What if, like so many in America today, you are unemployed and that's why you have debt? Stop looking for a job, if you've been doing that to no avail. Instead, identify what it is you do very well. Then get freelance gigs. There are plenty of freelance gig sites online. You probably won't make a ton of money, but you will make money. You will also be gainfully employed with a real track record or portfolio that will help you get a "real job" later. Plus, if you are working, you are more attractive to potential employers.

If your skills aren't of the white collar type (can't do freelance gigs offered online), assess where people in need of your skills may be. Then go there. If nothing else, contact a temp agency.

Many people decide to start a business, because they need money but can't find a job. This ends badly, almost 100% of the time. You don't start a business just out of financial desperation. You start it because you have a great idea and have been educating yourself on how to make it work. Yes, for some people with a particular passion the financial situation is what pushes them out of the nest. But they aren't starting from ground zero.

One "business" many people try to start is that of selling on Amazon or eBay. Most sellers fail, and wind up with more debt than when they started. It's very complicated to be successful in these marketplaces. You must be willing to spend a few months learning the system, finding appropriate suppliers, and doing a few hundred other things to get the business going properly.

Never, ever sign on with an "Internet Marketer" or similar scammer who is selling hope and no substance. There are no shortcuts to wealth. There are plenty of shortcuts to poverty, such as the aforementioned scammers.

For example, people who have sought medical help for depression are often targeted by rogue government agencies and denied their basic civil liberties as if they did something wrong. These are people who were self-aware enough to reach out for help, which means the same agencies protect the insane and self-unaware from the same restrictions.

So by the illogic of these agencies, if you are sound mind because you obtained medical help with a self-perceived mental health issue then you do not have the right to defend yourself from a violent criminal. But if you are crazy and don't even realize that, then there's no problem.

That's just one example of how just one example medical condition can be used against you. What if you had a venereal disease? Can that be used against you? Absolutely.

I could easily write a 7,500 word essay explaining why protecting your medical records is important. But let's skip that and just agree that it is.

Here are some ways to protect your medical records from abuse:

• Eat right and engage in regular physical training so you reduce the need for medical attention in the first place.
• When given a form at the doctor's office, do not provide information irrelevant to the reason you are there. Why do they need a "complete medical history" unless you are a complete medical wreck there for complete medical treatment?
• Similarly, decline to answer questions posed verbally if they are not relevant. Simply say, "I do not consider that question relevant to the reason I am here. Can you tell me how you specifically would use any answer in my treatment plan or can we just skip that question?"
• Consider using a made-up SSN on forms submitted to hospitals, clinics, doctors, etc. Why do they need your real SSN? Note that this option is not lawfully available if a third party (e.g., Medicare or a private insurance company) is paying your bill.
• Specifically ask the doctor and/or the records department manager to mark your file CONFIDENTIAL and notate that nothing in there is to be released to any third party absent your written consent or a court order. Then hand them two copies of a form you prepared ahead of time saying the same thing; have them sign and date both copies, give them one and you keep the other.

Any time you refuse to play along with normal procedure, you will arouse suspicions. So address those in the moment. Simply say you're aware that abuse of medical records has had devastating consequences for many individuals who also believed they had nothing to hide. So you just don't want your records leaving this office and the less they have on file that they don't really need, the better.

His whole family is a bunch of fitness buffs, even his grandmother. She recently passed away at age 102. She was an avid skier and didn't stop that sport until age 87. Bernie's nephew was a competitive bodybuilder for a few years, but now just enjoys the bodybuilder lifestyle.

Recently, Bernie remarked on how sore he was from a squats workout he'd done three days earlier. I said, yeah, if only we could skip squats and still have a respectable training program (it is possible, but it means doing deadlifts, instead--ugh).

We both agreed that a squat session left us with sore glutes, abs, and quads for several days. Worse in our old age, too!

That led to a discussion of the claims people make that they train their legs twice a week or their abs every day. Bernie said it's rare that he works the same body part in a week. (He agreed you can do vacuums every day, just on some days they need to be serve as just a light posture exercise).

So how do some people train at much higher frequencies than Bernie and I do?

The answer is they mindlessly count out reps rather than train the muscle(s) for which they are performing the exercise.

Muscle training is a mind-muscle activity. Arnold has explained this in several interviews. To get good results, you must focus on what the muscle is doing. Don't think about the weight itself or how many reps you're doing.

When you are contracting the muscle, try to feel every fiber during the contraction. Visualize the muscle(s) at work, getting shorter as you contract. Then as you lower the weight, control the contraction rather than just let the weight fall.

Many people believe this is silly, that it doesn't help. Well, in every case of such a person I have encountered thus far such people invariably have bad form and invariably convert isolation exercises into compound joint exercises.

What they are doing is dissipating the tension across many muscles, joints, and ligaments instead of concentrating it on the muscle(s) the exercise is designed to target.

So instead of getting the adaptive response, they pump some blood and burn some calories while unnecessarily stressing joints, ligaments, and tendons. It's all risk and no gain, which does not strike me as training smart.

Top photo taken 16SEP2016, just days before 56th birthday; bottom photo taken 3 days after 56th birthday

But when you witness the typical "workout" you can only conclude the person doing it believes that moving weight does the job and the more the better even if that means using really bad form.

A common question asked of especially fit people is, "How much can you bench?" (It is also falsely assumed we do loads of cardio). Arnold was famous for his 54-inch chest. If you go on Youtube and search on "Arnold chest" and "Arnold abs" you will see why there was so much interest. But guess what? Arnold very seldom used the bench press. There is just too much going on with that exercise and it does not primarily target the pecs. He used flyes to train his pecs, and he used that mental strategy I mentioned earlier.

What happens with the bench press, especially with men, is people get fixated on how much they can bench. The worse their form, the more they can lift. It becomes all about benching more weight and not at all about training. A guy who can really bench only 95lbs when forced to use good form (e.g., shoulders back) is "benching" 185 because, among other cheating techniques, his shoulders are rounded forward and he's using an arched back to tap his legs for lift. All he is doing is subjecting joints, ligaments, and tendons to damage.

This is why the guy who has increased his bench press by 50lbs a year after starting at the gym still has the same small pecs but now mabye with some manboobs due to the 45g of whey protein he slugs down after every failed training session.

Now consider the guy who really wants to make his workouts count. Let's call him Brad. He develops a plan. His plan lays out which muscle groups he'll train on each day. And it includes getting brutally honest feedback, from a qualified person, on his form.

Brad starts on Day One of chest training with flyes, using 15lb dumbbells. He does not care what other people think of his baby weights. He is fully mindful, as he adopts the angles that make the exercise as hard as it can be. He lifts slowly, thoughtfully, focusing on that muscle contraction. On the next workout, he adds dumbbell presses to his routine and for those he uses 30lbs. Each subsequent workout, Brad stays with this weight and just concentrates on stimulating that muscle to grow.

After two months, Brad moves to 20lb flyes and 40lb presses. In the same time, Jim has been bench pressing with no flyes. Jim started his bench at 130lbs. He has copied the guys who grunt and scream, count reps, and loudly clang plates when adding them to the bar. He's now up to 165lbs and going. He does some perfunctory flyes with 40lb dumbbells after his benching work.

After three months, a trainer suggests that Brad use 50lb dumbbells for presses. He also has Brad use 25lb dumbbells for his first few fly sets but keep them low rep. He suggests that Brad finish his flyes with 10lb dumbbells, doing slow reps but high volume and extreme range of motion for as many as he can do.

After six months, Brad has gained 4 inches on his chest. Jim is the same size as when he started, but boy oh boy can he throw the weight!

Now comes a little contest, designed by Brad's trainer. When Jim hears of it, he just laughs. First up is to see who can do the most reps in the bench press using 120lbs. Brad has not been training with the bench press, but the dumbbell presses are similar. However, he has been using only "baby weights."

The catch here is the bench press must be done in perfect form. So each man is required to hold his feet one inch off the ground. One trainer will pin his left shoulder to the bench and another trainer will pin his right shoulder to the bench. If he arches his back, the rep does not count.

Jim demands more weight, because he does not want to be seen benching only 120. So Brad's trainer says, "Tell you what. Let's make it 95. This way, people will see it's not your limit, how does that sound?" Jim agrees, but guess what? He is unable to complete even one rep.

Brad, on the other hand, performs 10 reps of 95. But it seems easy so he stops. Then they put enough weight on the bar to equal Brad's body weight. He effortlessly benches that, as well.

Do you see the difference between training and just tossing weight up and down? If so, good. The next time you hit the weights, see how well you can apply the principles of mindful training. It is not about how much weight you lift, it is about how well you train the target muscle(s). Trying to lift too much weight before you're actually strong enough for that weight means you must sacrifice the quality of the training. Typically, the quality goes to zero. And that's a big reason so many people who join a gym stop going.

Don't simply pay attention, that's not good enough. Focus on what you are doing.

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