Mindconnection eNL, 2020-02-16

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

Item 1. Sane people breathed a sigh of relief when the Senate concluded the impeachment trial. This attempt at a circus act was defeated before it left the ground. It could have dragged on for months, causing all kinds of harm. No POTUS has yet been removed from office by impeachment, so the drama is rather pointless. In this case, the impeachment was baseless for three reasons. First, there was no crime so per "Section 4 - Disqualification; The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors." it was baseless. There was no pro quid pro, because the military assistance was released before the end of the fiscal year and before the impeachment so that charge was baseless. The Biden accusation was proven to be a misquote.

Item 2. The economy is far stronger than the shambles Soetoro left it in. Most the credit is due to Trump's repealing so many "Obama" policies while implementing pro-job, pro-economy policies of his own. Had he been mired in a long impeachment farce, he would have been unable to participate in election campaigning. And we likely would have had Elizabeth Warren as our next POTUS, along with her absolutely nuts proposals that would send the economy into the sub-basement.

 Item 3. A few years back, 70% of product searches started on Google (today, 70% start on Amazon). Small sites ran circles around big sites in organic search by posting great content. Many of the big advertisers complained about this and also started pulling resources from Google Adwords and putting them into creating content. This truly alarmed Google execs, so they came up with a solution. They debauched their search engine in ways that caused small sites to disappear. Suddenly, big advertisers with crappy content were showing up on page 1.

This scam continued to work for several years, but in 2019 the chickens came home to roost. Last year, Google's ad sales slowed. People are catching on that if you "google it" you are probably going to be disappointed. In January, Google announced major changes to its search algorithm. The problem, however, is they already killed 80% of the businesses that provided the content that Google search relied on. So it's a bit late now to put in a fix.

The good news here is Google may soon be dropping its "do more evil" mindset. It's just too bad that they have to be forced to do that.

Item 4. Elizabeth "Absurd Analysis" Warren totally bombed out in New Hampshire. So it looks like she is not going to be on the Demopublican ticket and present the hazard that she will become POTUS. Her crazy schemes could possibly work if money grew on trees and we planted a few trillion of them. The really good news here is the voters were smart enough to see that.

Item 5. The libtards are complaining that USA's GDP grew only 2.3% last year. We economics experts like to say, "Compared to what?" Let's compare that to the 1.2% GDP growth of Europe. The good news isn't that we did slightly better than Europe did, it's that we did almost twice as well.

• The Photo Backup Stick is an all-in-one picture and video backup and storage tool. It contains special software to back up from Windows computers, Mac computers, iPhones, iPads, iPod Touch, Android phones, and Android tablets.
• Keep your pictures safe without the need for expensive and complicated cloud services.
• Supports almost all picture and video formats.
• Backs Up from Windows. Run the Windows backup app to find and backup from the computer, storage device(s) connected to the computer, or even phones or tablets connected to the computer.
• Backs Up from Mac. Run the Mac backup app to find and backup from the computer, storage device(s) connected to the computer, or even phones or tablets connected to the computer.
• Backs Up from Androids. Plug the stick directly into Android phones or tablets and use the Android app to back up to the stick without using a computer.
  Backs Up From iPhones and iPads. Backup from iPhones & iPads by plugging them into a Windows or Mac computer and run the backup app from the stick.
• Removes Duplicates. Each photo and video will be backed up only once. Every time you backup, only new photos will be backed up. The Windows app also allows you to remove duplicates just in case you have multiple copies that have been backed up.
• You can back up from the default locations or select to scan the entire computer or specific drives or folders.
• You can also connect phones and tablets to the computer and back them up at the same time.
• The Windows app allows you to remove duplicates even if they were backed up from other devices. It also allows you to easily copy your backed-up files to a computer or drive.
• Choose to keep your photos organized in the same folder structure they are on your computer or have them saved to one single folder on the stick.
• For Android phones and tablets, download the free Photo Backup Stick DC app, plug the stick into your device using the included adapters, and back up directly to the stick without using a computer.
• For iPhones, iPads, or iPod Touch, plug your device into a Windows or Mac computer, unlock the screen and trust the computer, and run the backup app from the stick. All your pictures and videos will be backed up directly to the stick for safe keeping.

The Photo Backup Stick works on Windows 7, 8, or 10 as well as Mac OS 10.12 or newer. For direct connection to Android devices, the device must support OTG connections of USB drives. If OTG is not supported, devices can be backed up using the Windows or Mac apps. For Apple iOS devices, you must connect the devices to a computer using a data cable and use the Windows or Mac app to backup.

Buy yours now.

One reason most people get insufficient sleep is they are stimulated just before going to bed. They lose 30 to 90 minutes just coming off that. Activities such as watching television (especially the news), reading/answering e-mail or texts, or doing anything in front of a glowing screen cause that sleep hormone (melatonin) to drop due to the light. If what you're viewing stimulates negative emotions (as "news" will do), there are additional hormonal changes that inhibit your ability to fall asleep.

Here's the trick. Set aside 15 to 30 minutes of reading time shortly before going to bed. Yes, a light is on. But you're seeing light reflected off a page, not light shining into your eyes. Sitting quietly and reading, or reading aloud to a child or pet, is very relaxing. You may feel drowsy only 10 minutes into this, and if that's the case then mission accomplished. This "wind down time" will allow you to fall asleep sooner and then sleep better. People who believe they don't have time for it are not looking at things clearly (because they are sleep-deprived, no doubt). If you have a 30 point IQ boost and optimal powers of thinking, concentration, and attentiveness you will work much faster and more accurately during the day. You'll get done in 9 hours what used to take you 12 or 14. And it will be better quality.

What you read is important, too. For example, if you read trash like the New York Times or The Week, you fill your mind with disinformation. While that won't make you less intelligent (intelligence is the ability to process information), it will make you effectively more stupid (because garbage in, garbage out, and you would be processing garbage). If you like novels, that's kind of neutral; you do exercise your imagination and as long as it's not a horror novel or something else that might give you bad dreams it's fine to read before bed. But why not use that time to learn? I like to read trade magazines, handyman magazines (because I'm owned by a home), intelligence-based magazines such as Reason and the Mensa Bulletin, and other sources of facts and useful or at least interesting information.

My home, for example, has more than doubled in its market "value" since I bought it. This means my property taxes have more than doubled, despite zero increase in the mill rate. Though I have made massive improvements in my home, these are "under the radar" types of things such better flooring, better windows, more insulation, better faucets, better countertops, etc. They have a modest effect on resale value compared to say, adding on 800 square feet of living space.

What accounts for this?

City and county governments are egregious wasters of money. Most people don't pay attention to city and county budgets or to city and county elections. There is scant chance of being held accountable for implementing a nonsensical project that can be of personal benefit. For example, a city commissions an artwork. Sounds great, art can help beautify the city. What's not great is the price tag for what is received. It's high by about 95%. But the people who commissioned that artwork don't care. It's not their money, and nobody seems to care that they basically rolled up hundreds of 50 dollar bills and burned them. They can point to this art when relatives or friends visit from out of town and proudly show off how they have personally helped make their city or county more beautiful. You get enough of these kinds of projects, plus people hired at high salaries for unnecessary jobs, and pretty soon your city or county is facing a deficit.

If you face a financial deficit personally, what do you do? If you are a responsible person, you "tighten your belt" to bring spending back in line with income. The solution for cities and counties is different, because nobody holds them responsible.

One common ploy is to extort more money from the residents. When I was in high school, a neighboring city had burned money terribly. So they put a tax increase up for a vote, saying the money was needed to fund high school sports. What a lie. The citizens did not fall for it, so the city cut high school sports. This sent their best athletes from seven high schools to my high school. We dominated the state competitions for years. The city I live in now recently pulled the same scam, this time claiming it was for maintaining the roads and similar public works. Sadly, the citizens voted against their own best interests and approved the tax increase.

The most common ploy involves the so-called "appraisal." In this scam, the appraisers are not independent and objective. They are contractors who get paid for their appraisals, and they have only one customer. They must give that customer what it wants. The city or county wants home "values" to increase. So an appraiser lies about the value of Home A, then uses that as the basis for lying about the value of Home B. The Home B appraisal is called a "comp appraisal" because it was compared to other appraisals (regardless of their accuracy or lack thereof). To further this scam, the appraisers and their customers point to the fact that people are buying homes at those prices. As if the fact those people are being fleeced by fake appraisals means the new fake appraisals are somehow correct. There is zero effort to accurately appraise a home. I call this scam the "drive by tax hike."

Home "values" drive property taxes, which drive home values, which drive property taxes. Rentals are owned, just not by the tenant. So the price of rent goes up as well.

What can you do about this circular reasoning method of home valuation? Not much. You can fight the fake appraisal, but you cannot fight the upward trend. If you buy a house today, it will dramatically go up in "value" over the next twenty years even if you live like a pig and it's a total dump. Short of rampant mold and the kind of abuse that merits condemning the structure, your house will go up in "value". Even if the carpet is worn, it badly needs repainting, the yard is poorly kept, etc. Even if it still has builder grade windows, appliances, doors, etc. (garbage products that any homeowner should replace ASAP!), it will significantly rise in "value." Because it has to do that so the owner can be forced to pay more taxes.

What can you do about the source of all this tax-hiking? In my own city, valiant efforts have failed because the city spends lavishly on propaganda and slick mailings to every resident. But in some cities and counties, Libertarians have been elected and they have managed to end the waste, fraud, corruption, and cronyism. That may not be a solution for where you are, because these elections are often hijacked by people or groups with very deep pockets. They can get a candidate elected, even if that candidate never personally campaigns (that is the miracle of hired gun telephone campaigning).

This tax-hiking is a big cost for the vast majority of Americans. You may be able to stop it in your own area by figuring out how to replace the people on the councils and boards or by forming a local group with sufficient funding to communicate the truth to all of the residents. Or, you can do like most of us and just resign yourself to the fact your pockets are going to get picked.

Fraudulent messages often appear to be legitimate because the scammers use branded images such as company logos or color schemes. They also include, more often these days, some kind of disclaimer; in those cases, look carefully. The typical disclaimer from a scammer contains at least one error in spelling, syntax, or capitalization. Not all do, but if you see any such error you are probably being targeted by a spammer. When a fraud message is written with the intent of appearing to be from a trusted party, it's called a spoof message.

UPS sent me this message about spoof messages:

"We take fraud and the protection of our customers' information seriously. We want to help make sure you don’t fall victim to phishing or other types of fraudulent activity whether it’s through email, text, phone, or social media.

Here are some tips to keep in mind:

• UPS will not request personal information, financial information, account numbers, IDs, passwords or copies of invoices in an unsolicited manner through email, mail, text, phone, or fax, especially in exchange for the transportation of goods and services.
• If you receive a message that appears to be from UPS that you believe is fraudulent, send a screenshot of the message or forward it to fraud@ups.com for investigation.
• Learn more about how to avoid phishing scams in this article from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission: https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/articles/how-recognize-and-avoid-phishing-scams "

This, of course, holds true with other carriers as well. The main take-away here is don't respond to an e-mail with personal information. If a legitimate company needs that information, they will provide a secure (https:) site that has a form for entering it. But don't click a link to go to the site, enter the URL yourself. I personally don't feel overly strained by typing in www.ups.com, but perhaps some people find that a bit too much work. It is worth the (miniscule) effort, especially considering the possible consequences of handing sensitive information over to a scammer.
 

Photo taken a couple of weeks after my 59th birthday.

Note that the information provided here will likely conflict with the "fad of the moment" and other unsustainable, unproductive ways of looking at health and fitness.

Article appears below.

See my climbing videos here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCyb67uKOxW_TsG6BVPbBIQ/videos

You can visit a typical library and find at least a dozen books that talk about mental focus. Take a martial arts class, and you'll find focus is a central concept. Compare normal light to a laser, and well, you get the idea. From focus, we get power. We also get the ability to do well. I'm a martial artist, and my mastery of focus allowed me to earn black belts in multiple styles. I'm a climber, and again find focus very important. Everyone I climb with is a focus master, because we have to be. I'm also a writer, and there's that focus thing again!

No matter what you do, focus allows you to greatly surpass merely adequate. On the other hand, focus that is weak, interrupted, divided, or simply not there puts you at risk for a disaster. There's a reason we climbers don't text and climb. There's a reason why people who pretend to drive while texting are the number one hazard on the road today. There's a reason why your conversation and the e-mail you're typing turn out poorly when you try to do both at the same time.

It may not be particularly stressful for you to turn in a mediocre or even poor performance. If you have low quality standards (which are normal, so don't feel bad) because your lack of focus has chronically produced low quality, then you're used to it. But as you skim along the bottom of the quality line, your risk of creating stressful problems is far higher than if you are skimming along the top of the quality line.

Let's say you've gotten by at work by, like so many of your coworkers, being disengaged and turning out work that is adequate but not particularly good and certainly not brilliant. Your annual performance reviews don't identify you as a star, but you're not really in trouble either. Then the news comes that your company is being acquired. This kind of situation always means layoffs. Now do you feel stressful? Of course you do, because you are just another easily replaceable employee with no industry achievements that have competitors, suppliers, customers, and others wanting to hire you.

Suppose, instead, you are totally focused on any task you perform at work. Instead of bringing your C game, you bring your A game. Your annual performance reviews, while superlative, are not a factor in whether you will be on the layoff list because every important executive in the company knows who you are and how valuable you are. Even if the worst comes and they are forced to let you go, you will be lucky to get out of the building before getting a "can you work for us" phone call or three from others outside your company who also know you you are and how valuable you are. This isn't wishful thinking, I am speaking from experience.

The first scenario is stressful, and the unemployment could drag on for months or even years. That's a lot of stress. The second scenario is mildly stressful, if you happen to forget for a moment that so many people know you you are and how valuable you are.

That's just one example of how being focused reduces stress and how being unfocused puts you at risk for severe levels of stress.

Another thing to consider is how focus affects your training. Arnold has had a lot to say about this in several interviews. People who are yakking away on the phone or watching TV while trying to train do not get that mind-muscle connection, and thus cannot get the intensity required for the adaptive response.

Let's just agree that focus is crucial, not optional.

So how do you get and maintain focus?

If you're having a problem with focus now, start in small increments. Schedule your tasks such that you have 10 minute blocks with plenty of space between tasks. So, for example, schedule two 10 minute blocks for a half hour segment; this leaves you with 10 minutes during that half hour to handle distractions. When you find you can focus for that full 10 minutes, start scheduling some tasks for 15 or even 20 minutes. And remember, you do need that blank space. You need a break, else your "focus tank" will run empty.

General tips:

• Prioritize. Decide what is important and set up appointments to do the important things. I don't train in my spare time, I train at a specific time every day. I brush my cat daily, not in my spare time but in time set aside for that purpose.
• Don't multi-task. If you're going to walk your dog, set that time aside to bond with your dog rather than treating your dog badly by yakking on the phone as if your dog isn't there. If you can't be respectful to your dog, who accepts you and loves you without question, how do you expect to be respectful to other people?
• Keep a "do later" list for things that pop up. This way, they aren't on your mind while you are trying to do something important.
• Don't treat your phone as if it's your boss. Your phone rings or there's a text message. This does not mean you must stop what you are doing. A call can go to voice mail and a text message can wait.
• Say no. One reason many people can't focus is they don't say no to things that are unimportant or not in support of their priorities. Every time you say yes to something, you are saying no to something else. Make sure you choose wisely.
• Get enough sleep. You can't focus well if you are tired. Set a bed time and stick to it. If you "need" an alarm clock to get you up at the correct time, that means you are going to bed too late. Set aside at least 20 minutes for a wind-down time to read, pet your cat, meditate, whatever; this will calm you so you can sleep. If you try to squeeze work out of every moment, you will actually get less done and what you do get done will be below your potential for quality.
• Practice focus. In martial arts training, most schools deliberately practice focus. If you can sit quietly for three minutes concentrating on one thing without your mind wandering, you will sharpen your mental "vision" tremendously. If you have "mind wandering syndrome" during the day, try coming to a complete stop so you can reset yourself with a focus exercise. If three minutes is too long for you, try just one minute. Using an egg timer is helpful.
• Change task types frequently. If you have three tasks each involving the same brain area and you do them back to back, you'll probably lose focus. If you break them up with other tasks that involve different brain areas, you will find it easier to focus. For example, Brian is an electrical engineer. He might work on some calculations for 25 minutes, then while at a good stopping point take a short break to return a phone call. Then back to calculations.
• Evaluate your day. Some time around mid-day, ask yourself if you are focusing on what's important or merely reacting to what's in front of you. What are you actually getting done that is important to get done? What distractions have you had? Adjust as needed.

Upcoming installments:

How to manage hormones naturally, Part 7
Positive mental attitude. That glass isn't half full, it's overflowing!

How to manage hormones naturally, Part 8
Supplements. How to sort scams from the good stuff.

How to manage hormones naturally, Part 9
Chemicals to avoid. Many commonly-used chemicals adversely affect endocrine health.

How to manage hormones naturally, Part 10
Handling social pressure. Rather than use willpower to fight social pressure from the disease-embracing, health-averse culture, follow these tips to use social pressure to your advantage.

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

 In our modern age of crass behavior, an easy way to make yourself look good is to treat others well.

A closed mouth gathers no feet.