Mindconnection eNL, 2013-06-02

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

The bad news is those are part-time jobs that replace the full-time jobs destroyed by the Unaffordable Care Act. The effect was, to quote Louis Woodhill in Forbes, "...a mass replacement of full-time workers with part-time employees, coupled with a fall in the average work week."

Now, that's change we can believe in. The evidence is all around us, so belief is not an issue. It's the direction the change took that is an issue. The Unaffordable Care Act and its devastating consequences should have even the most gullible of people finally scraping off their Obama bumper stickers.

Another bit of good news about this illegal mislegislation is the Supreme Court declared a key part of it a tax and Obama's Constitution-clueless lawyers agreed. But the bill originated in the Senate; by law, all tax bills must originate in the House. Thus, the Unaffordable Care Act was actually declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court. So why is it still being treated as if it has any legitimacy? Ask your member of CONgress this question.

Other good news is the illegal alien now occupying the White House grows weary. During his first term, he aggressively mounted several large attacks on the economy. By the time of the first fake "debate" with his coworker in the "election" charade, he lacked spark. That was the first good sign of real hope. But there's more good news!

Recently, an Obama-fawning propaganda source (The Week) actually ran a story saying our Kenyan king was out of steam. This is good news for an America reeling from his first term and wondering when the other shoe will drop in his second term.

Despite this good news, it's doubtful that the Kenyan's doubling of the number of people on food stamps will be reversed while we wait out his second term. But it is looking like he won't do a triple play on us. That is, he's too tired to make things much worse than he already has. And that is very good news.

Apparently, he wore himself out by working so hard for the title of Worst POTUS Ever. He clearly took the number 2 spot; it remains to be seen if he can surpass Wilson for sheer damage. He's probably pinning his hopes on The Unaffordable Care Act.

But the Act is illegal, because (just in case you missed it above) the Supreme Court ruled its funding a tax and Obama's team of untalented lawyers agreed with that. Article 1, Section 8 requires all taxes to originate in the House, and the UCA originated in the Senate. It's illegal. That is very good news for the nation as a whole, but only if members of CONgress follow the law rather than remain a bunch of felons.

They are then evaluated in a certified lab, providing you with your Omega 3 Index, Omega 6 to Omega 3 Ratio, and Vital O-Mega 3 Scores. Vital information for anyone who wants to make informed choices on food, supplementation, and exercise choices.

It's really very easy to use. Just follow the simple instructions and mail the kit in the enclosed return envelope. The lab will conduct the assessment on the sample provided, and then provide you with the results results by e-mail. You'll receive a custom report and an explanation of what the test results mean.

Don't think that you can accurately predict your Omega-3 levels based on what you eat. Different people use different fatty acids at different rates, depending on many factors. These include genetics, emotional stress, physical stress, other items in your diet, supplementation, and even the bacteria cultures in your body (these are specific to you).

• Discover if your fatty acids are out of balance.
• Assess dietary changes for effectiveness.
• Identify a marker of overtraining, so you can adjust accordingly for improved athletic performance.
• Discover specific health issues in the early stages. These include allergies, arthritis, asthma, autoimmune disorders, cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes.
• Prevent long-term, chronic problems arising from inflammation-related disorders. These include cancer, bone loss, and infection.
• Monitor the effects of your nutritional and training regime, plus the progress of any treatment plan, by monitoring the subsequent Omega-3 and Omega-6 levels.

Your personal Omega-3 home blood testing results help you make correct choices about what you eat, whether foods, beverages, or supplements. By making correct choices, you reduce several risk factors.

This may permit you to age more slowly and gracefully, maintain a healthy heart, and reduce inflammation. Inflammation is a healing response, but it has the downside of increasing the risks of cancer and joint disease. Plus it hurts!

What about the ratio of Omega-6 to Omega-3? This was the impetus for Dr. Udo's breakthrough research and his famous Udo's Oil. Dr. Udo commented that people misunderstood what this was all about. He said it's the ratio of these oils, not the absolute value of one or the other, and the typical American diet nearly excludes Omega-3. But with a correct diet, Omega-3 supplementation might be counterproductive. It all depends, he said. On many things.

The typical American who is consuming an Omega-6 intensive grain diet will have a very high Omega-6 to Omega-3 ratio. The unavoidable result is widespread inflammation. This is something Dr. Ski Chilton discussed in his book, "Inflammation Nation." It's not just coincidence that there's been a huge rise in the number of illnesses related to inflammation.

Yes, it's true that gun control problems are usually due to a poor stance and that can be corrected with training from a qualified instructor. But what criminal safety advocates mean by this phrase is "laws that ensure criminals are protected from their victims rather than the other way around."

The non-thinking here assumes there is some kind of problem with gun ownership. Then illogic is applied and these people extrapolate from that non-existent problem that it needs solving because someone read about a death that involved misuse of firearms. Never mind that far more lives are saved due to firearms than are lost, we "need to do something" about those "gun deaths."

Do we?

Each year, far more Americans die from hand germs than from hand guns. In fact, the leading cause of death in the USA (over 800,000 last year alone) is sepsis caused by hospital staff not washing their hands.

Please, let's not waste energy fretting about the dead mouse that's a mile away. Let's pay attention to the elephant in the room, instead.

When people want to "debate" or "discuss" whether we should "save lives" be ensuring that only criminals have guns, don't get dragged into that time-wasting, brainpower-wasting situation.

Just ask them, "Are you concerned about guns because you want to save lives?" That is typically the "reason" given for wanting to ensure that only criminals have firearms. So when the zombie answers yes, then say, "Then lobby for hand germ control. Doctors kill 780,000 people a year due to not washing their hands. That is the number one cause of death in America."

Point them to Dr. Atul Gawande's book "Better" if they are unaware of this issue.

There are multiple brainpower tips, here. One of them is to look at things in their context. That helps you focus on, and solve, real problems rather than those that are relatively insignificant.

The effects of counterfeiting need no explanation here. We see it reflected in the profoundly bad meta data. The question for us individuals lies along the lines of what we can do to adapt to the damage.

The most common answer is, "Cut your spending." Similarly, the most common answer to how to lose those extra pounds of fat is "Cut back on your eating." We all know how that turns out. It doesn't work.

What works in fat loss is intelligently managing your eating. Similarly, you need to intelligently manage your spending.

Some tips:

1. Before you buy something, ask if it would truly enhance your life. Eating a bowl of greens will enhance your health, so no problem there. But eating a bowl of ice cream, which is basically foamed fat that's had sugar added to it, provides only temporary satisfaction and does nothing good for your health. Look at purchases the same way.
    
2. Recycle, repair, re-use things. Paper towels are useful, but so are washable cloth rags. How do you get washable cloth rags? You cut them from worn-out or damaged clothing. What other things can you make or salvage from discards?
    
3. Prevent damage. Do not use the high heat settings on your clothes dryer. High heat damages the fibers in clothes and bedding. In my own case, I have a front-loading washer. The clothes come out not soaking wet but just really damp. I dry them for maybe 10 minutes in the dryer, then let them finish drying on a special rack I have for drying clothes indoors (these don't cost much, and you can get foldable ones that don't take up space).
    
4. Use natural cleaners. I use vinegar and baking soda for almost all my household cleaning needs. Not only do these cost far less than commercial cleaners, they are non-toxic.
    
5. Use baking soda instead of many other types of products. I also use baking soda to clean my teeth. Most toothpastes contain silica (basically, glass), and they abrade your tooth enamel. They also contain various toxins absorbed through the tissues of your mouth. Baking soda neutralizes the acid, is kind to tooth enamel, and isn't toxic.
   
   Baking soda also absorbs odors. Put a box near each toilet (and near the catbox, if you have one). This is a vastly superior solution to spraying toxic petrochemicals that are commonly marketed as "air fresheners."
    
6. Value friendships. Yes, this is cost-saver. Visiting with friends and totally being there for an hour of engaging conversation has many positive effects. One of those is it helps prevent emotional eating. Not coincidentally, it helps prevent emotional spending. Make the other person the center of your universe for 15 minutes and see how good you both feel. It's amazing. Especially if you make a point of having something interesting to say to start off the conversation.
    
7. Value loved ones. Similar to the above point, totally focus on those who are important to you. Even with your cat or dog; they are living beings, not appliances. If you have kids, the key thing is to really listen; that is the single best thing you can do to prevent financially and emotionally painful experiences with teenagers.
   
   
   
    

Obviously, this training is good if you own a firearm. What if you don't own one? In that case, you'll be properly prepared if you go guest-shooting with a friend or do end up buying a firearm. And you don't have to own a gun to practice; most shooting ranges rent pistols.

So where can you get this training? Go to www.nrainstructors.org/searchcourse.aspx to find local courses.

Note: If you haven't owned a firearm, get the training before buying one. Many people make the mistake of buying a firearm that isn't appropriate for their level of strength or skill. Or their ammunition budget.

I really don't go through this hassle. It takes the joy out of eating, and I would think that would lead to emotional eating and thus defeat the purpose of the whole thing anyhow.

It's not that I have an aversion to numbers. All three of my college degrees are in quantitative fields, and I have taught formal math classes. The reason I don't count calories is I just don't find it to be necessary. I do like adding up the prices on foods in my head as I shop (it's good mental exercise), and I get very close without even using a scale for the produce. But I don't count the calories.

It's more effective to eat the right foods in the right portion sizes, and to eat several small meals per day (eat on a schedule, not to satisfy hunger). That said, some people will find that by counting calories they can control portion sizes more effectively.

If you don't have a good sense of portions, then perhaps starting out by counting calories is a good way to go. But it might be easier to just use smaller plates and bowls or to measure volume.

Age 51.
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You don't need to measure fanatically, either. If you're eating the right foods, then portion control can be approximate and be very effective. By "right foods," I mean those that are nutrient-dense and calorie-sparse. When it comes to controlling your body fat, there's a big difference between eating garden greens and eating potato chips.

In my experience, people who calorie count usually also cheat. They do this because, rather than making good food choices and enjoying satisfying meals, they make poor food choices and must cut back on the amounts. They leave a food satisfaction need unmet, so they add a little more here or there to make up for that. Then they blame their genes or whatever, because they aren't meeting their goals.

Now, I'm not saying calorie counting won't work. Some people have personalities that make this method work really well for them, especially if they are also making good food choices. But for most of us, it's a lot of effort and tedium that will end in failure.

The solution is to eat those nutrient-dense, calorie-sparse foods. You'll find them in the produce aisle at your grocery store. You can grow many of them in your back yard (or in pots on your balcony if you have an apartment). Don't limit yourself to the bland, traditional choices of iceberg lettuce and greenhouse tomatoes. Experiment with vegetables. Buy something different every week. Ask the people working in produce what a given food is and how you might use it; if they don't know, then go visit an ethnic grocery and learn from them.

What about root vegetables? These have been pilloried by the glycemic index crowd, and those people have a point when it comes to your standard starchy white potatoes. But they are dead wrong about many other root vegetables. Take a look at how few calories are in a carrot.

Or consider the sweet potato. Eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney obviously knows a few things about nutrition, fitness, and how to be lean. I mentioned one time to his son Josh, "Your dad sure is a big fan of sweet potatoes." Josh told me his dad has very good reasons for that sweet potato fervor. And the proof is in the, well, not pudding exactly. More like chiseled marble. Lee Haney is a few years older than I am, and he still looks amazing. He maintains his cut-looking, strong physique while eating sweet potatoes regularly.

You'll also need some things that aren't sold in the produce aisle. For example, beans, rice, eggs, vinegar, olive oil, various non-wheat flours, spices, etc. One of my favorite condiments is mustard; read the label and make sure you're getting mustard that does not contain sugar or corn syrup (most brands do).

With a proper diet and good portion control, you look like you've been counting calories without having done so. And you have the health benefits that arise from eating this way.

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.

Try spelling out numbers and see how high you must count to get to the letter A. One, two, three, four....

You'll have to go all the way to one thousand. How long did that take you? About fifteen minutes? The National Debt presently grows by about $4,000,000,000 in that same amount of time. That's correct, $4 billion deeper in the hole every 15 minutes.