Mindconnection eNL, 2019-01-20

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

Item 1. The terrorist organization known as "the IRS" has been deprived of its government funding during the shutdown. For thousands of innocent Americans who would have otherwise been targeted, this is fantastic news.

Item 2. Many of these terrorists continue "working" without their govt pay. Which means they are still spending 50% of their office time visiting porn and gambling sites (source: GAO) and the other 50% conducting illegal scams for their personal gain. The good news there is these psychopaths will be much easier to spot; we citizens merely need to prompt an investigation. Write to your CONgressman today about that, please; it's our best shot in a long time to send some of these whackos to prison.

Item 3. Airport security in Dubai is using a new system that dramatically cuts screening while improving security. It involves a "smart tunnel" and an iris scan. Perhaps in five to ten years, airports in the USA would adopt the same system. That would be good news for us, indeed. We are only 50 years behind European countries in Air Traffic Control technology, so perhaps in 2028 we'll have a system like the Dubai one and our ATC technology will be only 40 years behind.

Item 4. I joined with some citizens to fight corruption by exercising our First Amendment right to "petition the government for redress of a grievance." We collected about 3,000 signatures and presented the signed and notarized petitions to City Hall on 14JAN. Below is a group photo. That's yours truly in the long coat.

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What the mudstream media spew as "news" is always wrong, always negative, and always manipulative. Ignore them, and you eliminate a major source of brainpower dimunition.

Small credit card bills are easier to pay than large ones are. So take a look at your credit card statements and think about the size of each purchase. Did you really need to buy six of that item this time, or would two have been sufficient for now?

On the plus side of buying extra:

• Fewer trips to the store, perhaps.
• Less chance of running out.
• Stock up when there's a sale, and you may save money.
• It feels good to acquire things (unless you are really thinking about the consequences of over-acquiring).

Some downsides:

• It takes up space, which can mean more clutter or a "need" for a larger home.
• Stored items can go bad, be broken, or simply be forgotten about.
• The tied up capital could instead be put into a mutual fund earmarked for retirement.
• Paying for things you didn't actually need to buy (now) can cause financial and emotional stress.
• Moving things around wastes your time. Life is too short to waste it on managing unnecessary things.

If you have this "spenditis" problem and can't quite seem to get a grip on it, here are some suggestions:

• Plan all purchases. Write them down before heading out.
• Think about "inventory turnover" for consumables. How many days' supply are you buying?
• Think about whether you really need that item that isn't a consumable. For example, you have a project and decide to buy a $1700 table saw to do it. Could you lease one? Would a $400 one be acceptable?

One area where people tend to grossly overspend is on a new vehicle. Before you buy one, note how many miles you drive per year and then calculate the cost per mile you'd pay for the vehicle you were considering if you kept it for ten years. Is that cost sensible?

Set a maximum purchase price based on your maximum acceptable cost per mile. Then factor in the usual add-ons and extras that only the rare individual can say no to. Then take that figure and factor in the cost of financing it. As a guide, if your original maximum was $30,000 you would likely be looking at a maximum sticker price of $26,000. Yes, it really is that much of a difference.

You can do this new car analysis with any major purchase. But keep in mind that certain types of goods are worth "going deluxe". For example:

• Bedding. Quality bedding makes a huge difference in sleep quality and (if properly cared for) will last for 30 years or more.
• Furniture. Well-made real wood furniture (think Drexel) looks great and lasts a lifetime, while particle board imitation furniture (think Ikea) looks tacky and doesn't last long. Buy once or buy often, a no-brainer there.
• Food. Many people skimp on produce, believing they are saving money by eating federally-subsidized grain-based products. This is a lot like the furniture issue, except we're talking about how you look and how long your health lasts.
• Carpet. You can feel the difference under your feet. Pay extra for the premium, extra thick pad. Buy a high-quality material and weave (for example, a tight nylon loop). With proper care, this carpet will last three times as long as the cheap stuff. And it will look and feel better the whole time.

https://askleo.com/is_it_safe_to_share_my_internet_connection_with_my_neighbor

But as I started with the foods that kill, I realized they are all processed and therefore no longer food. It is because of how they are processed that they cause disease or other problems.

The primary examples of these non-foods are soda, hydrogenated oil, and high fructose corn syrup.

To find foods that heal and enhance, simply go to the produce department of any grocery store.

The "mystery" of what to eat really is not a mystery.

What is a mystery to me is why anybody would choose from the kill or harm category, when the foods in the help and enhance category look and taste so much better.

There's a lot of hullaballoo about when to eat and what to eat with what. Many people are convinced, for example, you can't eat beans with rice.

Photo taken about one week before 40th High School Class Reunion

Others are convinced you can eat certain foods only at a certain time of day or you can eat various foods only in a certain order. None of this is based on fact. You can eat foods in any combination and at any meal time, although for taste or presentation purposes you might not want to.

However, you want to allocate your calories and nutrients across the day rather than in only two or three meals. Let's say, for example, you eat two pieces of fruit each day. Maybe a pear and an apple. It won't kill or harm you to eat them at the same meal, but it is better to eat them at different meals. Why? Because not only are you spreading out the fruit sugar (thus lowering the risk of converting some of it to fat), you are also spreading out the fiber (helping the smoothness of your bowel function).

Assuming all of your meals are nutrient-dense, you could use a rule such as dividing the calories equally across all six meals. But that's a lot of work and it moves your meal planning from creating delicious meals that you enjoy to making food something tedious.

I measure my food portions by sight and intuition, not with a scale. Since all of my foods are nutrient-dense and most fall under the "super food" label, I don't worry about being precise with portions. If I were a competitive bodybuilder preparing for a competition, that would be a different story.

One consequence of the complicated dietary regimens is they "suck all the joy out of Christmas," turning one of life's pleasures into something that is difficult to sustain. Competitive bodybuilders usually don't get that food scale out until it's time to prepare for a competition. Outside of that time, they just eyeball it the same way I do.

So if you've been toying with the idea of improving your diet but find the prospect intimidating, you now know it doesn't have to be. Some simple tips for this simple process:

• Eliminate the kill or harm "foods" from your life.
• Enjoy a variety of heal or enhance foods, most of which you can pick up in the produce department of any grocery store.
• Size your meals for a six meal a day plan, and stick to that.
• If you're putting on extra body fat, reduce one meal a little bit and see how that goes. Continue to make minor adjustments as needed.
• If you run out of energy or feel hunger pangs, increase one meal a little bit and see how that goes. Continue to make minor adjustments as needed.
• Experiment with foods, and try new things. Keep it interesting and enjoyable.

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

Holes in the Periodic Table have been filled! Read the whole story here:

https://daily.jstor.org/how-far-does-the-periodic-table-go/