Mindconnection eNL, 2026-11-01

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

1. "President Donald Trump’s economy delivered another strong performance in the third quarter of 2026, with economic growth accelerating beyond economists’ expectations as American businesses ramped up investment and consumers continued spending." [Big League Politics, 29OCT]. And that's just the start of a much longer list of positive economic indicators. Brainless proved that communism doesn't work. Trump has proven that capitalism does.
    
2. "Initial jobless claims fell to 194,000 for the week ending Oct. 24—well below the consensus estimate—and are near the lowest level in 57 years, according to the Department of Labor. This also marked the sixth time in seven weeks that claims are below 200,000." [Epoch Times, 31OCT2026]
    
3. The President removed restrictions that were burdensome to small oil and gas producers in Kansas. Despite the fact their wells produced relatively little methane and make very small margins, they were saddled with unnecessary and costly methane-related regulations. When communists try to sway votes by pointing out the increased cost of gasoline, remember that this anti fossil fuel mania and their war in Ukraine are the causes. Not the war in Iran.
    
4. The national IQ test is being administered this Tuesday. Will a majority of Americans show no sign of intelligent life and hand Congress over to the communists? Or will the majority of Americans reject the lies, absurdities,  and criminality of the left and reduce the number of communists in Congress? You can't trust the polls, as we have seen. It's not a matter of comparing platforms to determine which one is better, that's like comparing "Would you like me to hire you for your dream job, or would you like him to  burn your house down with you in it?" It's a matter of determining how many counties have reasonable election integrity and how many absolute morons, illegal aliens, and dead people will get out and vote (they always vote "Democrat").
    
5. What's really going on in France: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOIVjFd_edMtop
    
6. At long last, the Palestinians have a Palestinian state. And it's not a tiny slice of Israel. It was formerly known as "France", which is significantly more. I guess because the Israelis defended their traditional homeland (they've been in Judea for thousands of years, thus they are called "Jews") and the Palestinians took over France instead--this is one more thing to blame the Jews for (if you're into blaming them for things that are not actually their fault).

Crime Report

1. A 25 percent decline in serious violent victimization, a 31 percent reduction in aggravated assaults, and a 30 percent drop in motor vehicle theft. This is what President Trump's DOJ has given us since Liberation Day. It may also help that President Trump is a law-abiding citizen, while Brainless and his Biden Crime Family were the polar opposite. Rampant government corruption is always accompanied by high crime rates in the private sector, so the reverse is probably true as well.
    
2. "The FBI has revealed staggering new figures from Minnesota’s sprawling fraud scandal, with federal investigators reporting 81 defendants charged, 70 convictions and more than $500 million in fraud connected to the Feeding Our Future investigation." [Big League Politics]
    
3. Top Ten Scams (from The Flyover): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OIAkj4ORvVI
    
4. "This week, the Department of Justice announced indictments in a nationwide student aid fraud scheme known as Operation Ghostbusters. Criminals allegedly used stolen American identities to create fake college students, submit fraudulent FAFSA applications, and steal federal student aid, sending millions of dollars overseas to accomplices in Kenya. Investigators have identified more than 830,000 potentially fraudulent student aid accounts tied to nearly $130 million. The investigation has also uncovered more than $200 million in estimated fraud nationwide, with more than $750,000 in cryptocurrency." [Senator Roger Marshall, 30 Oct 2026]
5. "The Trump administration has uncovered more than $260 billion in fraud, prevented $72 billion in fraud, and brought enforcement actions against nearly $60 billion in fraud since January 2025." [Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, 30 OCT news conference in St. Cloud, MN]
    

Scammer Meets Demise

Getty Images has filed for bankruptcy. Why is this good news?

For decades, Getty Images has run an extortion scam. They place hundreds of images online such that they show up in Google search. Not used in something, just bare images. They are bait for the scam.

The images bear a deliberately vague and barely visible copyright symbol in one margin of the image. When an unsuspecting small business owner (SBO) believes that image is in the public domain and uses it for some minor page on their site four clicks from the home page, Getty's scan bot finds that page and the process begins.

The first phase is to send the small business a payment demand. It's always between $800 and $5,000, with the upper figure being the upper limit before the scammee could justify hiring an attorney. The usual response is, "I am sorry, I didn't use your image for anything important, hardly anyone saw it, I didn't know it was copyrighted, and I have removed it." The usual response to that is a quick series of dunning letters from PicScout, stating simple removal does not cancel the debt and additional fees are accruing.

The second phase is "the case" gets handed off to Higbee and Associates, a "law firm" in name but an extortionist in reality. Higbee then tacks on another $500 to $1500 for "legal fees" even though the case is handled cookie-cutter style by a paralegal whose only job is to send intimidating letters to the SBO and to then take phone calls from the victim during which said paralegal runs an intimidation script. Not realizing that this firm would have to take them to federal court, which costs multiples of the invoice amount and takes years to conclude, something like half of the afflicted SBOs cave in at this point and pay them. In my own case, I ran into this scam and took things as far as the phone call with the paralegal. My BS detector maxxed out during that call, what a load of crap. But just to be sure, I invested in a session with an attorney through Just Answer (a great value, I have used them for other things). That attorney got my query because Just Answer gets dozens such queries each month. He confirmed it's a scam and said it would cost them more to collect on it than the amount they are demanding, and the whole scam relies on the 20% or so of victims who get intimidated into paying. They make enough money off that, they are not going to divert resources going after a bunch of $800 debts one at a time in federal court.

Getty has made a lot of money doing this. To see this parasite file for bankruptcy truly makes me smile.

It makes me smile even more to know the reason for their bankruptcy. Litigation! Those who live by the sword die by the sword. When a bully gets "owned", justice is served. I hope the shareholders dump the stock.

Commies Conquering
Sad news for the people of Brazil. Just as we were disenfranchised in 2000, they were disenfranchised in the previous election and the communists took control. When a challenger ran against the incumbent, they once again cheated to make the election fake and then came after the challenger to do to him what they did to the previous one. But he'd already made arrangements to flee to the USA and is safely here. It looks like President Trump may need to invade Brazil ala the Venezuela invasion, but we will see.If the commies there cooperate with us, we won't intervene just to free their people. But if they do what communist regimes typically do in regard to us, we are not going to let them get by with it.

Commies Getting Burned

1. Ilahn Omar, an illegal alien operating under an alias, is not having a good time. Barrack Obama, another illegal alien operating under an alias, is further up the criminal food chain and seemingly unaccountable due to his fake image of "being black" despite all the facts to the contrary. That facade might not crumble, but it could very well prove irrelevant because the old practice of manipulating "black" people into acceptance of being screwed over is losing its efficacy. After the chronic shafting in Chicago, being "black" now means standing up to communism and oppression more than it means pretending your oppressors are your friends. And that view is spreading, it's a "great awakening" and we free people welcome these folks to the fold.Both of these illegal, aliased aliens are communists. Both are millionaires despite having held no job other than "public service".
   
   Both are pathological liars in very obvious ways. Both are Muslims. One is incestuous, the other is gay.
    
2. Elizabeth Moron has picked a fight with Antropic. This is great news! All Antropic has to do is use its abilities to unearth Moron's many insider trades and other crimes, then submit the info to the DOJ. One more mentally retarded scumbag removed from the Senate! Let's hope Bernie does the same thing and meets the same fate.

Comments On Commies

1. AOC (Airhead Of Course) supports the unfairness of allowing men to compete in women's sports. Her stated reason? "I'm a girl's girl." How anyone can vote for such a stupid individual is beyond me. I think that as part of high school civics, the stupidity problem needs to be part of the discussion of civic duty related to voting. If someone clearly not playing with a full deck, that is a disqualifier; that person lacks the cognitive ability to execute the responsibilities of public office and therefore voting for such a person is an irresponsible use of your vote. A misuse of your vote.
    
2. Being completely amoral, the communists (aka "Democrats") have long been the Party of Corruption, anti-Democracy, and rampant illegality. Through lying, cheating, and stealing, they have managed to disenfranchise the voters in all but 36 states. Most notably, they turned California into the People's Republic of California.
   
   When I was growing up, California was a free state. Today, it is a communist hell-hole from which Americans have been fleeing for years. Now that may soon change.
   
   Because the PRC is, in name, still part of the Union the inmates ("citizen") there still have their Constitutional rights (at least on paper). This means the DOJ can defend those rights. And right now, the DOJ is doing that aggressively. For example, they flagged over 20,000 voters suspected of being noncitizens (in 57 of the PRC's 58 counties). Considering that elections are often decided on a handful of votes, removing these fakes (which always vote "Democrat") from the voting rolls would remove from the arsenal of fraud a major weapon that the commies use against American citizens.
   
   Of course, this doesn't stop the fake "emergency" poll closings wherein half a dozen polling places report a fire or other emergency and close while the Republican is ahead but then open later with the commie opponent having magically accumulated enough votes to win. But keep in mind they do that PLUS the fakes, and with so many fraudsters going to jail lately they may conclude this isn't the Biden Crime Era and the risk of getting caught is too high. Which could mean this is the year that we liberate California and restore to its people their Constitutional rights and their dignity.
    
3. Democrat politicians are, in general, very stupid (look at their leaders), which is why they lie, cheat, and steal instead of come up with something that would actually benefit the voters. If you are a "Democrat", I don't apologize for that but instead ask you to WAKE UP, get past the brainwashing, see the obvious, and connect the big dots. Stop associating yourself with people who behave so shamefully, who inflict so much damage, and who never give an honest accounting of anything. And who are too stupid to do anything useful. There is usually a gray area in any controversy, and usually saying things in absolute terms (using words like "never" and "always") is intellectually weak. But that is not the case here. Those absolute terms apply absolutely.
   
   Well, you say, I like the Democrat values of X, Y, and Z. OK, fine. When is the last time the actions of the "Democrats" actually produced such outcomes? Even once? There is rhetoric, and there is reality. Don't be fooled by the rhetoric. If you really want to be a registered Democrat because some Republican behaved badly and you now see all of them as bad, then maybe you need to work very hard to reform your party from the inside. But if you attempt that, you can expect to be a target of the commie's retribution team; they will try to silence you by ruining your life. In the "Democrat" party, there is no room for healthy dissension or debate. You are either 100% marching to the band, or you are a target.
   
   Finally, if you have formed your views based on what you see on TV or read in the papers, then get rid of the TV and unsubscribe from the papers. Getting "news" from these sources and expecting that you will make informed choices is like pouring water into your gas tank and expecting reasonable performance from your car. It aint gonna happen.

• LIFE-CHANGING: The Rocket Pen will help your child read independently in just days. This is the reading pen most often chosen by teachers and recommended for dyslexia support.
• 6-IN-1 READING TUTOR SYSTEM: Go beyond basic text-to-speech with spelling, syllabication (Orton-Gillingham inspired), phrasal verb lookup, idiom definitions, color-coded dictionary fields, and real-time word highlighting—designed to improve decoding, comprehension, and fluency.
   
• READS ANY SURFACE. Scans what you actually read from: phone, tablet, PC, other screens - not just paper. We could not find a single other reading pen that can do this. But the Rocket Pen can.
   
• READER PEN: You scan, it reads aloud individual words and even multiple lines of text in natural voice. Helps those with dyslexia or other reading-challenges gain reading independence. Earbuds automatically mute the built-in speaker to avoid classroom stigma. Select different voices for playback, lefthand or righthand use, left or right scan direction.
• REALLY BIG DICTIONARIES: A reader pen's word recognition capability depends on the depth of its onboard dictionary references. The Rocket Pen has the New Oxford American Dictionary with over twice the entries of the best competing reading pens, plus the Oxford American Children’s Dictionary. It also has the Oxford Thesaurus of English and Oxford American Children’s Thesaurus. All of these are Americanized. The Rocket Pen scans English and French only, but contains an English to Spanish dictionary and a French definitions dictionary (French to French).
• COMES COMPLETE. Self-contained, no computer, tablet, phone, or Wi-Fi required. Kit includes Rocket Pen reading tutor, USB charging cable, Quick Start Guide, earphones, and case. Meets FCC, ROHS, and CE standards, and conquers illiteracy.
• BACKED BY EXPERIENCE. The lead developers of the Rocket Pen Reading Tutor each have over 25 years of experience in reading assistive devices, and yet the Rocket Pen is the newest and most advanced reading pen on the market. And the only one with reading tutor functions

In our Amazon store you will see more offerings, including:

Disability Products:

(We are the sole Amazon seller for these)

• BlindShell phones for the blind
• RealSAM Pocket, which is a voice operated Galaxy smart phone for the blind
• SmartPens4U Rocket Pen Reading Tutor Scanning Pen | Case Bundle Black | Case Bundle Lavender

Tools:

• AEM instruments
• Bahco tools
• Case tools
• CAT tools
• CPS tools
• Irwin saw blades
• Mayes tools
• Rigid Tools work lights and related
• Vessel tools
• Wera tools
• Wiha tools
• Williams tools

More:

• American Hard Bag aftermarket sound system parts for Harley Davidson motorcycles
• Centerpoint Archery devices
• Cold Steel knives
• Dead Downwind hunting products
• G5 hunting products
• Flexilla hose connectors
• Funko collectibles
• Liberty Monitors hidden camera gadgets
• Mike Holt Electrical Exam Preparation products
• Nagy's aftermarket sound system parts for Harley Davidson motorcycles
• Paraben Consumer data recovery sticks, porn detection sticks, and similar diagnostic/ IT tools
• ROK straps
• Shwacker archery products

In our eBay store, you will see a lot of radios and related gear:

Radios:

• Anytone 10 meter radios
• Connex 10 meter radios
• Dosy meters
• General (brand) radios
• Galaxy 10 meter and 11 meter (CB) radios
• President 10 and 11 meter radios
• Ranger 10 meter radios
• Rostra cruise control kits
• Texas Ranger radios (Chuck Norris not included, sorry)
• Uniden radios and scanners

Using the correct word has multiple benefits:

1. Mental & Intellectual Clarity

• You understand yourself better: We think in words. Precise vocabulary leads to precise internal thoughts, sharper logic, and clearer self-reflection.

• Precision in decision-making: When you can accurately label a problem, emotion, or situation, you can make better, more rational choices rather than acting on vague impressions.

• Disruption of "Cliché Speak": The microsecond pause required to choose the exact right word forces your brain out of autopilot, keeping your thinking original, fresh, and active.

• Enhanced mental efficiency: Finding the exact word eliminates the need for long-winded, rambling explanations, freeing up cognitive space for both you and your listener.

2. Interpersonal Communication & Precision

• Immediate mutual understanding: When speaking standard, precise English, listeners grasp your meaning immediately without needing to interpret, second-guess, or decode your message.

• Eradication of vagueness: Clarity replaces confusion, preventing costly misunderstandings, miscommunications, and unintended conflict in personal and professional settings.

• Emotional accuracy: Expressing exact nuances (e.g., distinguishing between being frustrated, disappointed, or exasperated) ensures your true feelings and intentions are accurately conveyed.

3. Perception, Influence & Authority

• Demonstrated intelligence and articulation: Thoughtful word choice signals a well-trained mind and an respect for language.

• Inspiration of trust and confidence: People naturally place greater faith in leaders, writers, and speakers who demonstrate mastery over what they say.

• Passing the "Shibboleth" test: Well-read and discerning listeners subconsciously evaluate sources based on language precision; accurate word choice establishes instant credibility and authority.

• Protection against manipulation: Understanding the exact definitions of words makes you far less susceptible to rhetoric, propaganda, or semantic shifting by others.

Using the incorrect word has the opposite effect, but in many cases using the wrong word is deliberate. An extreme case is the widespread trans-hysteria in which millions of young people deliberately used the wrong pronouns for their sex. The less absurd misuses tend to pass the smell test and get employed in every day speech. Those misuses have an insidious effect of removing the above-named benefits. Archie Bunker was famous for using the wrong words, but he was more typical than people think. Long before Norman Lear created the Archie character, George Orwell used word misuse by manipulative villains in his dystopian novels. Most notably, the Ministry of Truth in 1984.

The goal of speaking (and of writing) is to clearly communicate an idea (or fact, opinion, position, question, etc.). To get to that point, you need clarity of thought. To think clearly, you must have already invested time in building a solid vocabulary. And that takes not just reading but deliberate study. An ersatz vocabulary built on the mispronounced words of others, cliches, similar but different words, and other "sand foundations" does not support clarity of thought. Why? Because we think in words. Use the wrong words, and the thought is wrong.

Some common misuses:

• "He stood behind the podium." This makes no sense. The typical podium is just a riser or small platform on a 2x4 base, essentially a small wall laid flat. Its purpose is to give the speaker a little elevation. Why would you stand behind it instead of on it? People who mean "lectern" instead of "podium" should say "lectern".
• "I'm going to lay down." This is an incomplete sentence. Are you going to lay down arms, perhaps? Maybe you are too tired to finish the sentence. In that case, I suggest you lie down until you are rested and then try again.

• "10 items or less." A grocery store checkout sign that encourages mathematical illiteracy. You can count items individually, so you need "fewer," not "less." Use "less" only for mass nouns and continuous quantities, like less water or less time.

• "Are you inferring that I lied?" Speakers and writers imply; listeners and readers infer. The speaker hints at something; the audience deduces it. Mixing these up blurs the direction of communication entirely.

• "The team is comprised of ten members." The whole comprises the parts, and the parts compose the whole. Something can be composed of parts, or it can comprise them, but "comprised of" is a grammatical Frankenstein's monster.

• "He was completely disinterested in the presentation." If he was disinterested, he was impartial, neutral, and unbiased—ideal qualities for a judge. If he was just bored out of his mind, he was uninterested.

• "I feel nauseous." Unless you are emitting toxic fumes that induce vomiting in others, you mean you feel nauseated. Nauseous means causing sickness; nauseated means suffering from it.

• "Irregardless of the outcome..." The prefix "ir-" means not, and the suffix "-less" means without. Put them together and you get "not without regard," which is the exact opposite of what you mean. The word is simply "regardless."

• "My loan has a 5% interest rate, so that is what it costs." Confusing interest rate with Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is an expensive mistake. The interest rate is merely the cost of borrowing the principal amount. The APR includes the interest rate plus points, broker fees, closing costs, and other administrative charges expressed as a yearly rate. Comparing mortgages or auto loans based solely on interest rates rather than APR leads people to choose loans that actually cost thousands of dollars more.

• "The motor is overloaded because the voltage dropped." Voltage and current are related, but they are entirely different parameters. Voltage is the electrical pressure, while current (amperes) is the actual flow of charge. Dropping voltage in an AC induction motor causes the motor to draw more current to maintain its mechanical load, leading to overheating and winding failure. Treating voltage and current as interchangeable leads to misdiagnosing system faults and destroying equipment.

• "We need to kill all the bacteria to sanitize the surface." Sanitizing and sterilizing are not the same thing. Sanitizing reduces microorganisms to a safe level determined by public health standards. Sterilizing eliminates all forms of microbial life, including bacterial spores. Confusing the two in healthcare, food service, or water treatment creates a false sense of security that can lead to widespread infection or contamination.

• "The contract says I am indemnified, so I am safe." People frequently confuse "indemnify" with "hold harmless" or assume it provides an absolute shield against liability. Indemnification means one party agrees to compensate the other for losses or damages incurred. It is a financial reimbursement mechanism, not an exemption from legal responsibility or duty of care. Believing an indemnity clause gives you carte blanche to ignore safety or compliance exposes you to devastating legal judgment.

• "The company earned $10 million in revenue, so it is highly profitable." Confusing revenue with profit (or cash flow) leads to completely flawed economic decisions. Revenue is top-line gross income before any expenses, taxes, interest, or cost of goods sold are deducted. A company can generate hundreds of millions in revenue and still be hemorrhaging cash toward bankruptcy. Evaluating financial health on revenue instead of net income or cash flow leads investors and managers off a cliff.

Here are six practical tips for building genuine word fluency:

1. Read challenging material with a dictionary at hand. Reading light fiction or conversational prose won't expand your vocabulary. Read dense non-fiction, historical texts, classic literature, and technical publications. When you encounter an unfamiliar word, do not skip over it or infer a vague meaning from context. Stop, look up the precise definition, check its etymology, and note its exact nuances.

2. Study root words, prefixes, and suffixes. Etymology is the structure beneath vocabulary. Learning Latin and Greek roots (such as bene, mal, chron, or path) gives you a logical framework to decipher hundreds of unfamiliar words on sight and prevents you from misinterpreting similar-sounding terms.

3. Practice active usage, not just passive recognition. Recognizing a word when reading it is not fluency; using it correctly in speech and writing is. Once you learn a new word, force yourself to write three distinct sentences using it in proper context. Verbalize it. Until you manufacture sentences with it, it remains an unused tool in someone else's toolbox.

4. Eliminate crutch words and placeholder terms. Words like "thing," "stuff," "aspect," "very," and "basically" are intellectual junk food. They allow your brain to settle for lazy, approximate thoughts. Force yourself to identify the exact object, quality, or action you mean instead of relying on broad generalizations.

5. Study words with similar but distinct meanings. Fluency lives in the margins between synonyms. Make a habit of comparing closely related words—such as continuous versus continual, or effective versus efficient. Understanding why one fits where the other fails is what separates precise thinking from sloppy approximate speech.

6. Write and edit deliberately. Draft your thoughts, then review your writing specifically to audit your word choices. Ask yourself: Is this the exact word for what I mean, or did I choose it because it came to mind first? Replacing vague verbs and squishy nouns with precise terms sharpens both the prose and your underlying logic.

Bonus Tip: Don't Mistake Crossword Puzzles for Vocabulary Study

Many people assume that solving crossword puzzles is a shortcut to a rich vocabulary. It isn't. Crosswords exercise pattern recognition and trivia recall, not precise communication.

Because constructors rely heavily on "crosswordese"—recycled filler words that fit tight grids—you end up recognizing answers simply because you’ve seen the same clue dozens of times in different publications. Furthermore, puzzle clues often rely on loose associations, forced puns, or strained definitions rather than exact meaning. Recognizing that a vague clue points to a specific grid-filler won't help you articulate a complex thought, structure a persuasive argument, or choose the precise word when it matters. Enjoy crosswords for the mental game they are, but look to deliberate reading and writing for true word fluency. And just to be clear, I am not disparaging crossword puzzles. I work them regularly and enjoy doing so. They just aren't vocabulary builders.

• Photograph the seal.
• Note its location and apparent purpose.
• Use a tape rule to measure the seal. Get its length, width, and depth. Note if it is flat or rounded.
• Use an AI to identify the seal, if you don't know what it is or cannot find the same one at a home center.
• Determine how the existing seal is attached. It it tacked or glued, for example?
• Use an AI to give you the exact steps for removing the old seal and installing the new one. Prompt the AI with all the info you gathered.

If you aren't afraid of this job, do it this way:

• Look at the seal.
• Go to a home center and buy one just like it.
• Take off the old one, do any needed cleanup, install the new one.
• Test the door against the seal.

Either way, repeat the IR gun testing on the next available day.

• It offers zero benefit.
• It creates significant harm.
• Millions of people mindlessly go along with it when they could simply ignore it.
• Millions of people are coerced into doing it.
• It's inflicted on the populace by government edict.

Essentially, the government is breaking into your home and robbing you. But instead of stealing your widescreen TV, they are stealing your sleep (which is costly in many ways). The effects of this reverberate for about six months until full recovery. Guess what happens in less than six months? Another clock change! Meanwhile, you are at significantly higher risk of injury due to severe sleep deprivation during the first three weeks after the change. Furthermore, unless you also change your mealtimes by one hour you throw your digestive system, adrenal system, and endocrine system off.

I've written about this topic and how to cope with the change so the health effects are much less (ease into the change gradually) or are at zero (don't do the change). Getting the government to stop abusing citizens this way is not feasible, because:

• One group wants to make Daylight Wasting Time permanent, but that is unhealthy also (works against our circadian rhythms) and people on the western edge of a time zone go to bed while the sun is up.
• The other group wants to end the "make your clock lie about the time" thing entirely, and let businesses and individuals set their own hours.

So I'm not going to advocate wasting your time lobbying government to stop the stupidity. And I'm not going to rehash how to protect your mental and physical health from it. My tip here is how to protect yourself from the sleep-deprived people who are mentally impaired due to being sleep-deprived from this cruel and stupid policy.

Eight tips for averting disaster during the first full month after the clock change:

1. Be kind. If the checkout clerk seems slow or ditzy, just remember this person is temporarily impaired. Don't add negative energy to an already bad situation. This goes for all similar situations.
2. Be on high alert when driving. Stay off the phone, look through the windows of the cars around you (to see farther), and maintain a space bubble around your car.
    
3. If you typically pull backwards (nose in) into a parking spot, eliminate the extra hazard of backing into traffic by backing into the parking space (or pulling through from the other side), instead.
4. If walking city streets, stay off your phone. Stop before crossing, look both ways, and then continue; don't rely on impaired drivers to even see you, much less avoid hitting you.
    
5. On the job, have heightened diligence about potential dangers. This is the period in which we see a huge spike in industrial accidents, so conduct yourself accordingly.
6. Avoid taking unnecessary trips, the roads are much more dangerous.
    
7. If walking your dog, scan every intersection and driveway as you approach. If an occupied car is in a driveway, cross the street rather than walk behind it so that you put the width of the road between that impaired driver and your furry friend.
8. Allow extra driving time. With the increased accidents, you will encounter delays. Don't put yourself in the position where you might drive less safely to make up for lost time.

6. Health tip/Fitness tip

Age 66 in these photos

 

Muscles in a Bottle

Muscles in a Bottle. Is this real? Are some muscle building or testosterone supplements useless loads on your kidneys or are all of them that way?

You tried the gym. Fancy machines and high membership fees. That didn't work. You tried Chair Tai Chi. Your spouse said, "I TOLD you that wouldn't work." You tried exercise tapes, running, speed walking, and every kind of exercise routine you could find. You even hired a trainer, and all you got was sore. What's the secret? One look at the ripped, bulky guy on the Andro bottle and it seems you have found it. But did you?

It is easy to see the appeal. The fitness industry relies heavily on the promise of an effortless shortcut. When sweat, high gym dues, and sore muscles haven't produced the quick transformation promised on billboards, a sleek tub of powder or a bottle of capsules feels like the logical missing link. It promises to bypass the friction—to hand you the physical reward without the endless, exhausting trial and error.

The marketing is brilliant because it targets a very real frustration: you put in the effort, but your body refused to change. The supplement label offers an easy explanation. It tells you that your hormones are sluggish, your recovery is broken, or your biological switches just need to be flipped by a proprietary blend of exotic herbs and concentrated extracts.

We will cover the fundamental rules of human biology in a future installment. Let's now look at popular supplements that bring big profit to the people who slap a brand label on the bottle and promise you incredible results.

Dr. Rick Cohen has spent decades testing both Olympic and professional athletes. He has been quoted many times saying, "Don't try to micromanage testosterone."

The research shows that testosterone is primarily a marker—a gauge you can measure to see whether your lifestyle habits are correct. The body constantly strives for homeostasis, meaning if you attempt to artificially boost your levels with outside compounds, your endocrine system will simply downregulate other hormones or receptors to maintain stasis. In short, using testosterone boosters in the first place is a flawed strategy.

But let's say you want to try that anyhow. Let me save you some money by breaking down what actually happens when you swallow these pills.

1. The Herbal "Boosters" (Tribulus Terrestris, Fenugreek, and Horny Goat Weed)

These are the staple ingredients in almost every budget-to-mid-tier "T-booster" on the market.

• The Pitch: Ancient herbs that naturally ignite your body's hormone production and unleash youthful vigor.

• The Reality: Extensive clinical research on healthy adults shows these extracts have zero measurable effect on total or free testosterone. While some (like Tribulus) were historically noted to alter hormone markers in test subjects receiving massive doses of exogenous anabolic steroids, in a normal, healthy body they are completely inert. What buyers usually experience is a mild placebo effect or a slight surge in libido driven by vascular dilation—not testosterone synthesis.

2. The Direct Precursors (DHEA and Andro Derivatives)

• The Pitch: Supply the direct hormonal building blocks your body needs to manufacture more testosterone on demand.

• The Reality: DHEA is an adrenal steroid hormone. While supplementing DHEA can show up on a blood panel, the human body does not blindly convert excess DHEA into pure testosterone just because you swallowed a capsule. In men, excess DHEA is frequently converted into estrogen through a process called aromatization. Instead of gaining dense muscle, you risk soft tissue retention and hormonal disruption—the exact opposite of your goal.

3. The Adaptogens (Tongkat Ali / Eurycoma Longifolia)

• The Pitch: The rare herbal extract proven to unlock bound testosterone and send your levels soaring.

• The Reality: Unlike Tribulus, Tongkat Ali actually has some legitimate clinical research behind it—specifically for individuals suffering from severe clinical hypogonadism or extreme chronic stress. However, if your endocrine system is already functioning normally, it will not force your body past its biological ceiling. More importantly, the market is flooded with low-grade or heavily diluted extracts wrapped in fancy "standardized" labels to justify $50 to $100 price tags for pennies' worth of raw material.

So now you know these supplements will not move you even an inch toward your goal post. What about muscle-building powders and amino acid tricks?

If testosterone boosters are built on marketing hype, the protein and amino acid category is built on clever industrial accounting. Brands take basic metabolic facts, strip them of context, and sell you back pennies' worth of processing at a massive markup.

1. Branched-Chain Amino Acids (BCAAs)

• The Pitch: Sip these three essential amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, and valine) during your workout to ignite muscle protein synthesis and prevent muscle breakdown.

• The Reality: Muscle protein synthesis requires all nine essential amino acids to build new tissue—not just three. Flooding your bloodstream with only BCAAs is like delivering a pile of bricks to a construction site without any mortar or workers. If you are eating sufficient whole-food protein throughout the day, your body already has a full pool of amino acids available. BCAAs add zero extra benefit; they are simply expensive, flavored water.

2. "Amino Spiking" (Nitrogen Bound Fillers)

• The Pitch: High-protein tubs promising 25 to 30 grams of pure muscle-building protein per scoop.

• The Reality: Standard laboratory testing measures protein content by testing for total nitrogen. Shrewd manufacturers exploit this by dumping cheap, non-essential amino acids (like glycine or taurine) or creatine into the tub. The lab test sees the nitrogen and counts it as complete protein, even though your body cannot use these cheap fillers to build muscle tissue. You end up paying full price for a tub's worth of diluted, low-quality filler.

3. Mass Gainers and "Anabolic" Shakes

• The Pitch: Heavy-duty powders engineered to blast your body with the calories and nutrients required to pack on rapid, dense size immediately after your workout.

• The Reality: Most mass gainers are little more than low-grade protein powder laced with massive quantities of maltodextrin—a rapidly digested carbohydrate with a glycemic index higher than table sugar. Beyond driving body fat storage, these massive glucose spikes trigger an enormous insulin response. High circulating insulin suppresses free testosterone and growth hormone production. Slamming a high-glycemic shake immediately after training drives your testosterone levels down to nearly zero, effectively wiping out the natural post-workout adaptive response that was the entire point of the session.

The Bottom Line

When you pull back the curtain on the supplement aisle, the pattern becomes clear. The products claiming to shortcut the hard work range from biologically inert herbs to clever laboratory tricks—and in many cases, like the post-workout insulin surge, they actively work against your body's natural physiology.

None of these tubs, pills, or extracts can force an adaptation that hasn't been earned through proper stimulus and recovery.

In our next installment, we will leave the supplement aisle behind and look at the fundamental rules of whole-food nutrition—the actual fuel your body requires to build strength and thrive without burning a hole in your wallet or overloading your organs.