Mindconnection eNL, 2012-07-15

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

Good news item #1. Many officers are buying shares in their own companies. Bill Nasgovitz explains why this is reason for optimism. (link removed, 20MAY2014)

Good news item #2. 31% of owners of companies with fewer than 100 employees plan to add more workers and only 13% plan to reduce headcount. Source: Bank of America Small Business Report.

Good news item #3. Advances in scanning technology have made it possible to digitize vast quantities of paper records. Many companies and individuals are now getting away from "the tyranny of paper" by scanning existing records into digital form.

Scanner manufacturers have stepped up their offerings to help facilitate this. Many models of Microtek scanners now have an LED light source, and soon all of them will. These light sources are instant-on (no lamp warmup) and use much less energy than traditional light sources.

The really good news is that as companies (and individuals) replace paper with digitized versions, the information becomes much more accessible. It's also easier and safer to store (for one thing, you don't have the fuel load of paper raising the fire hazard level). But more than anything, you gain a number of efficiencies.

Good news item #4. IMS Research says the widespread adoption of retrofit LED lamps will create global energy savings worth $100 billion over the next five years. Read the full article, here: http://smartenergyportal.net/article/led-lamps-provide-global-savings-100-billion-over-5-years?NL=IEP-01&Issue=IEP-01_20120626_IEP-01_821&YM_RID=writer@ieee.org&YM_MID=1322047

Wrap-up. These last two items are just a couple of ways in which advances in technology are helping to improve the economy. I don't think we'll see advances in government (the cause of the current economic mess) any time soon, so we need to look for other ways to plug the holes in the metaphorical dike. Improved technology is one way, and new stuff is coming along all the time.

The LU Electronic Russian Translator has speech-based sentence translation (it connects to the cloud, where the actual computation is done), bringing us yet another step closer to the futuristic technology of free-form speech to speech machine translation.

It also has (onboard) 14,000 pretranslated phrases, 1,200,000 word translation dictionary (in the Russian version), 183-language word translator, and the language teacher program. Translated words and phrases sound like real human voice, because they are real human voice (recorded, of course).

This device also has Wi-Fi, a browser, and Skype. Yes, you can connect to the net and even make video calls with it.

It also has a brilliant color touchscreen, virtual keyboards, and various useful apps. It runs on the Android OS.

Presently, we have the LUX available in Russian-English, only. But we expect to offer other languages soon. If you contact me (comments@mindconnection.com), I will personally try (and probably succeed) to get the language you need ahead of the official release date.
 

A case in point is nearly 60% of college students believe in astrology. Let's examine that, for a moment.

• Think about what constellations actually are. The constellations are artificial constructs. They change over time, and they change based on where you try to view them from.
• Think about the physics involved. The stars that allegedly determine your fate are at varying and extreme distances.
• Do the math. How can the six billion or so humans on earth behave in only 12 different ways, all of which depend on when they were born?
• Research famous people born under the same sign. Notice how strikingly different they are.

Well-educated people believe in many other great fictions, but I won't go into any others here. The question that is most beneficial to ask is, "Why does this happen?" With the answer, you can avoid making the common errors in reasoning and judgment that make an educated mind look like an uneducated one.

The underlying cause is we make snap decisions. That, as opposed to looking at all the relevant and readily available evidence, applying logic, and reaching a sound conclusion. This is our natural reaction. To overcome it, we must apply a disciplined process of examination to subjects that arise.

The snap decision reaction allows us to make sense of a complex world, without thinking. And that latter part is the problem. Instead of thinking, we allow our minds to incorrectly order and group some bits of evidence, ignore others, and manufacture what's missing. We start connecting dots that don't connect (literally, in the case of constellations), seeing coincidence as cause and effect (and vice-versa), and engaging in various logical fallacies such as the non sequitor (Latin for "does not follow").

This is all very comfortable. And it generally meets with the approval of those we associate with, because they have used the same process. This is why, for example, people in one religious group see things so very differently from people in another but not so differently from those in their own group.

Because this is all very comfortable and generally meets with the approval of those we associate with, most of us lack an incentive to turn that brain switch to the ON position. Is having your brain switch ON worth losing comfort and risking acceptance? That's a question you must answer personally.

However, note that comfort and acceptance are not what they are cracked up to be, and both come with very high costs of their own. It's also true that if your friends are real friends, they will accept you even if you do have your brain switch in the ON position. They will certainly find you more interesting (unless, of course, your brain switch is already ON then "more" does not apply). And if you are respectful toward others then they have no reason to have malice toward you.

You can read entire books on the relevant skills needed to correctly research information and apply logic. So, I won't go into that here. What I do advise when people are mulling over A/B choices is that they prepare the most vigorous argument possible for each choice. If you personally believe A, then pour your heart into proving B. I learned this technique while on my high school debate team. To win in a tournament, you had to be able to argue each side of a question and win. The amount of research involved can be formidable, but it is not necessarily so.

Here's a tip on getting correct information. Sources can be one of three types:

• Primary. The key word here is "original." You go to the source of origin.
  
  You get it from the originator of the information. When I read Grant's personal correspondence, I was able to see how he saw the War Between the States (it was not a civil war, and he did not call it such). This is different from reading someone else's writing about Grant's thoughts.
  
  Or you get the original document. When I read the Constitution and see that any powers not enumerated belong to the states or the people, I have a fact upon which to base, via simple logic, that most of what the federal government does is flatly illegal. The Unaffordable Care Act, like the Patriot Act, is flatly illegal.
  
  Or you get it from original observation. Does the sun exist? You can determine that for yourself.
   
• Secondary. You get it from someone who has researched primary sources. For example, you might read a book by an historian who has combed original correspondence, photos, etc. (see the bibliography and you can tell).
  
  The advantage of a secondary source may be (but is not necessarily) that an expert helps you understand the original information. The danger is a person might not actually be an expert, and/or might feed you only the information that supports a certain agenda. Practice diligence here.
   
• Tertiary. You get it from someone who has researched secondary sources (or those primarily). For example, you might read a gardening article written by someone who has relied upon gardening books.
  
  The advantage of a tertiary source is it's usually written to a general audience. That means you don't need specialized knowledge to understand the information. The disadvantage is it is a layer or two removed from the most accurate sources and also has probably lost precision in its conversion to "lay" speak.

Obviously, primary sources are preferred if accuracy is your highest goal and you are qualified to understand those particular sources. What does it mean to be qualified? Here's an example of where being unqualified destroys understanding. Many wannabe biblical scholars learn ancient languages and then start reading ancient scriptures. But they don't know the context, culture, or idioms. So they invariably misunderstand what they read.

Question: Are newspapers secondary or tertiary information sources?

Answer: No.

Explanation: It's a trick question. Newspapers are not information sources. They are, at best, sources of disinformation and, here in the USA, more typically sources of propaganda. The same is true of "news" Websites, "news" broadcast television, etc.

Part of the reason for this is news is inherently unresearched. That's why it's news. If the presenter had time to properly research an issue, then it would no longer be news.

Another part of the reason for this is "journalists" are overwhelmingly statist (liberal, leftist, etc.). They have a particular world view they adopted during four years of brainwashing by delusional professors, and that has been reinforced by nearly exclusive association with similarly brainwashed people. The odds they ever have a conversation with people of diverse viewpoints is about nil.

This second problem is one reason that "investigative journalism" can be so spectacularly wrong. Sometimes, it is done well, but only because the individual journalist has become an independent thinker and does not have to answer to bosses who want to suppress the truth. If it's a major network, the truth will be suppressed because those networks rely upon millions of dollars of advertising. That's why Tyson Corp was able to suppress an investigative piece about its barbaric crimes in Arkansas.

In conclusion, our inherent response is to treat information in way that makes accepting or rejecting it simple. To change to a process that treats information in a way that depends upon reason, you must make a conscious effort in every instance. Always look at quality sources, rather than accepting something as "fact" because you read it or heard it somewhere and it sounds right. Lies are often constructed to sound right.

https://www.examiner.com/video/obamacare-is-still-unconstitutional

This illegal bill has already raised our costs of medical care access; guess where YOUR money goes? (Hint: Look at your insurance premium)

This is probably the most likely way that you can be a victim of identity theft. What better source than that security-breaching form? Sadly, there is zero recourse. The inJustice Department will not indict anyone, much less prosecute, for crimes committed against innocent people by rogue employees of this agency. Even if, as in the infamous 1985 case in Michigan, the crimes include holding little kids at gunpoint at a day care center.

Kevin Brown, a former IRS employee who was very high up (and later went to the Red Cross and now is with an accounting firm), proved that IRS employees can make $103 million "disappear" and get away with it. Nobody in the alleged "government" cares about even a few hundred thousand that identity theft might cost you.

Because you have no protection from criminals who scam you while on the federal payroll, no matter how outrageous the crime, you might want to purchase identity theft insurance.

If you check out the various plans, you'll see prices around $25 a year for a fairly basic plan. If you become an IRS identify theft victim (or are somehow victimized by some other group), you have an expensive, time-intensive struggle to fix things. These policies are designed to cover most of the costs (including attorney fees) and even pay you for lost wages when you must take time off work.

Of course, the long-term strategy to solve this problem is to teach others the futility of voting D/R and enlighten them to what an informed vote means in terms of restoring lawful government. In the meantime, you can only go into damage repair mode if victimized in this way.

A clue is to read the warning message on that toothpaste. Rather alarming, isn't it? While it's true that fluoride does bond with enamel and make it stronger, it is also true that the enamel is on the outside of your tooth. Ingesting fluoride through the soft tissues of your mouth or drinking it in water means it comes around through your blood supply to the inside of your tooth. And there, the effect is deleterious.

Fluoridated water probably does nothing to prevent tooth decay. And it may very well increase the likelihood. Out in western Kansas, the folks who drink municipal water have fluoridosis. Any dentist in eastern Kansas can tell at a glance if the patient lives in western Kansas.

To prevent tooth decay, you must reduce the risk factors and perform regular cleaning of the proper sort.

Age 50.

Acidic in its own right, it usually contains a high amount of sugar or high fructose corn syrup (HFC). You can think of HFC as "sugar on steroids." Anything bad sugar does, this multiplies greatly. This dissovled HFC gets under the gum line, into tooth crevasses, and between teeth. There, bacteria consume it and produce much acid. Which etches the tooth enamel away.

The solution is to not drink this crap in the first place. As I said, I am utterly astonished that anyone voluntarily does this.

Another beverage that etches teeth is coffee. Coffee has many health benefits, including very powerful antioxidant properties. Unfortunately, it's acidic. Instead of sipping on coffee all morning, cool it down and drink the whole cup in a few minutes or so (or drink it with a meal). Right after drinking the coffee, brush with baking soda to neutralize the acid. If that's not feasible, then rinse vigorously with water. Do not, however, drink coffee and let it sit on your teeth.

As for toothpastes, we return to the label. Read it. Do you see silica in any form? That's an abrasive. It removes enamel. If you're going to use toothpaste, use one that doesn't have silica. Fluoride isn't such a good idea, either.

I've stopped using toothpaste, mostly because it's so darn expensive for what you actually get. I just use baking soda. There are other formulations that people use instead of toothpaste, and they work just fine.

Floss after each meal. Flossing is more beneficial for tooth health than brushing is. Make sure you slide the floss along the side of each tooth, down as low as it can go and then do a J turn to bring it back up against the opposing gum tissue. Simply dragging floss between teeth does not do the job that needs doing.

An oral irrigator is also a good idea. I am completely sold on the Waterpik brand; I've tried other brands and it's like night and day. You can use mouthwash in these, but have you read the ingredients on the mouthwash bottle?

Finally, eat right. Humans are not ruminants. We cannot consume high quantities of wheat and corn without adverse health effects. Yes, it's true that more people than ever now LOOK like cows. But they are still people. You cannot be healthy on a diet consisting mostly of processed grains. If you have bad breath or BO, start keeping a food diary and look at how much grain you consume. The typical American diet is very heavy in highly processed wheat and corn products.

And don't forget your pet. If you have a cat or dog and haven't read the pet food label, very likely you are feeding your beloved pet corn. Find a dog or cat food that does not have corn and switch to it. Your cat or dog will be much happier and healthier, plus the non-toxic stuff just tastes better. Try it yourself, and taste the difference.

For us humans, acceptable grains include whole grain rice, whole oats (I eat mine raw), and popcorn (I pop mine in olive oil), all of which are fairly inexpensive.  Popcorn is very high in fiber and a great source of certain nutrients, but use a good oil with it. Do not use the microwave in a bag stuff.

Some more unusual grains are out there, but are pricey. Grains don't provide a completed protein, but if you pair them with beans you get a completed protein.

Too much meat is also a culprit, if odor is your problem. Because the commercial meat supply (and fish supply) in the USA is well-documented as being unsafe for human consumption, I don't eat meat anymore. Yes, it is possible to get all the protein and B vitamins you need without eating meat.

Eat mostly greens. These help detoxify, in addition to providing huge nutrition. Just chewing raw foods like garden greens helps clean your teeth.

Eating whole fruit is also a must. Do this at least once per day. When I was a kid, I heard the axiom, "An apple is nature's toothbrush." That is usually true, but you must avoid apples that have been bred for sugar content--they are soft, rather than crisp. When I was a kid, the Red Delicious was actually delicious. Today, it's a freak of an apple bred for its size and color. It's not the same apple at all.

If you want to have no caries, then follow the advise above. I'm in my 50s, and at my last dental exam (earlier this year) all my margins were 2mm or 3mm. And no plaque. I could still get a cavity, for example if a tooth gets mechanically damaged. But it won't be from acid etching or similar causes. Those are so very easy to eliminate.

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.