'Belief' as according to Death

Grumpiness and old age; does it have to be?

Not if you don't want it to!  Getting grumpier as you get older can be an easy habit to fall into, but not one that helps you much.  With some self-awareness and a bit of effort, life can be more enjoyable for yourself and those around you.  This article has some good reminders and tips on how to do that:

If you want to be a more pleasant person as you get older, say goodbye to these 10 behaviors

     

Alkaline VS Acid pH in the human body; which is better, and why

I've been struggling with a number of health issues, including joint inflamation flares, arthritis, brainfog, etc. Following a Carnivore-type diet has helped, but I've also been using a morning routine of having a fresh squeezed Lemon every morning, with a 1/4 teaspoon bicarbonate (baking soda) to make my body's PH more alkaline than acid. This article explains the benefits of keeping your bodies PH toward the alkaline side:

The Alkaline Diet: Is There Evidence That an Alkaline pH Diet Benefits Health?

This review looks at the role of an alkaline diet in health. Pubmed was searched looking for articles on pH, potential renal acid loads, bone health, muscle, growth hormone, back pain, vitamin D and chemotherapy. Many books written in the lay literature on the alkaline diet were also reviewed and evaluated in light of the published medical literature. There may be some value in considering an alkaline diet in reducing morbidity and mortality from chronic diseases and further studies are warranted in this area of medicine. [...]

It goes into quite a bit of detail, lots of useful information. And a good primer for the basics of pH, what it does in human physiology, how it interacts with other elements. And why it's important.

 Also see the benefits of lemons:

  

     

Langua Demo: An AI program you can practice conversational language learning with.

I was skeptical at first, but AI is advancing fast.  There are so many options and features, and it's incredibly accurate.  And it's likey to only improve over time. 

It can help you practice listening, speaking, reading... the demo really starts about 2 or three minutes in.

Uncovering Star Trek's Lost Series: Phase 2

Wow.  This explains a lot.

Autism; how to talk about it?

For a variety of reasons, I think I've been that way my whole life, though it was undiagnosed in my childhood. I think I'm now what they call "high functioning" autistic, which just means I've gotten really good at hiding it, to the point where people think I'm neuro-typical, not neuro-divergent. And when I get over-stressed beyond my limits, everyone wonders what's wrong with me? Because they haven't a clue I've been coping all along, just squeeking by, passing for neuro-typical.

I Don’t ‘Have Autism’ —I’m Autistic. Here’s Why That Matters

As more and more people acknowlege whatever degree of autism they may be expriencing... the language to talk about it, will continue to expand. Which is what I think the above-linked article is getting at. It's food for thought, for those who are dealing with it, in themselveres or those that they know. 

Some people with Autism are never professionally assesed or identified as children, and are now adults that may be struggling with some issues.  If now, as an adult, you think you might be one of those people, you might find these links of interest:

https://www.additudemag.com/autism-spectrum-disorder-in-adults/

https://www.healthline.com/health/aspergers-symptoms-in-adults#takeaway

On-line tests. They don't prove or disprove autism, but if you get a high score, it might mean you could benefit from having a professional assesment done:

https://www.aspergerstestsite.com/75/autism-spectrum-quotient-aq-test/

https://musingsofanaspie.com/2012/11/20/taking-the-aspie-quiz/

Temple Grandin was a woman who was high up on the autism spectrum.  As a child, she failed to learn how to talk, and just made beeping noises instead.  Doctor's told her parents that she was severely mentally retarded, and would have to spend the rest of her life in an mental institution.

Her mother said that was nonsense, that her daughter just needed some extra help.  She and hired a speech therapist to help her daughter learn how to make words and speak.  It worked, but Temple still had many other challenges to face.  Fortunately, she had a supportive family, and eventually became a researcher and college professor.  The movie about her life, was quite inspiring.  Here is the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cpkN0JdXRpM

Dan Jones, is a hypnotherapist, author, and an autism expert/advocate who has written extensively about his own autism and autism generally, as well as hypotherapy and learning hypnosis.  He has much material available online, including a youtube channel, and the Kindle version of his books are very affordable on Amazon.  His website is here:

https://danjoneshypnosis.com/

His interest in hypnosis, and desire to learn how to hypnotize, helped him understand his own autism better, and how to cope with it, and lead him to becoming a professional hypnotherapst and hypnosis teacher.     

High Power SHTF Walkie-Talkie - HYS 25 Watt UHF HT - The Ultimate Surviv...

These look powerful and flexible.  More specs and user reviews on Amazon:

HYS 25Watt Super Long Range Handheld 16Channel 400-480Mhz UHF 4000mAh Battery Walkie-Talkie Two-Way Radio (2Pack of TC-H25W Black)

Woman Destroyed Her Kidneys (in 2 months) By Taking Common Vitamin

Actually, the video talks about 5 different vitamins you have to be careful not to overdue, especially if you have kidney disease, but sometimes even if you don't have kidney disease.  It's good stuff to know.

GMRS, FRS, Bubble Wrap, HAM - Which Should You Buy? And Is the Baofeng UV-5R Radio Illegal?

I liked this, it's a lot of information presented very clearly, about the differences, advantages and disadvantages of these various types of radios.

Also, he has an introduction to GMRS radios that is very detailed and thorough:

In the video he says the GMRS license purchase price was still $70 on the FCC website, even though the price had been lowered.  But that's been updated since this video was made, I recently got my license there for $35.

Pizza, with Carnivore Flat "bread"

The pizza crust was the Carnivore Diet flat-"bread" recipe that I linked to, that is on YouTube.  It's made from mozzarella cheese, yogurt and eggs, looks like flatbread, with a good firm texture.  I didn't think to photograph it when the pizza came out of the oven, but I did take a photo of the last piece, before it disappeared:|

We were really pleased with the result!  The post about the Carnivore "bread" we used as a base for it, is here: 

Carnivore AND Keto Flatbread - make it with only 3 INGREDIENTS!

Full recipe can be found here:  https://lowcarbabode.com/carnivore-flatbread-keto-grain-free/

The Refreshing Frankness of the Younger Generation

     

Coffee on a Carnivore Diet: Is It OK? The Best Coffee and Alternatives

Coffee on a Carnivore Diet: Is It OK? The Best Coffee and Alternatives:

Can I drink coffee on a Carnivore diet? If yes, what are the best kinds of coffee in Carnivore? If not, what are the best coffee alternatives? [...]

I've been on a variation of the carnivore diet for about a month now. My version, includes lemons, limes, oranges, apples, and blueberries. I recently added bananas, so I can make smoothies using A2 milk, A2 yougurt, blueberries and bananas. I have an under-performing thyroid, and bananas offer support.

I've also continued to drink morning coffee, with butter and oil (Bulletproof Coffee), which I've done for years. But I'm thinking about eliminating it for a while, or altering the coffee receipe. This article was helpful in making decisions about that.

Carnivore AND Keto Flatbread - make it with only 3 INGREDIENTS!

How to reverse diabetes (longer version)

How to reverse diabetes (short summary)

Two Easily Remembered Questions That Silence Negative Thoughts | Anthony...

I enjoyed this!

The Real Causes of Gout, and Practical Solutions

I've been struggling with gout for years. There is so much contridictory information out there, about gout and it's causes. These videos by Dr. Kim, make more sense than many things I've seen. It seems like sound, relatively easy advice to follow, so it's my current guide on the subject:





I've already been doing some of these things, but I think it's a question of finding the right balance, and keeping an eye on the larger picture, of how many things work together.

     

Ukraine's goals, and NATO's goals, are not identical

And pretending that they are, is dangerous for all concerned. From the Cato Institute:
We're Not All Ukrainians Now

[...] Ukraine, with its independence on the line, wants all the NATO help it can get — escalation serves its interests. NATO countries on the other hand, sensibly wary of Russia and its nuclear arsenal, rightly resist.

So, a gap has opened in Western capitals between deeds that suggest an outer limit of involvement and words that suggest a harmony of interests.

In large part, this is just politics. Leaders of democracies tend to oversell the stakes to promote policies that entail great risk. But such a gap is dangerous.

For one, it attracts domestic calls for escalation, including demands for maximal war aims, from the restoration of Crimea to direct military intervention. Secondly, the White House’s rhetoric also undermines its own refusal to comply with Ukraine’s demands for high‐​risk assistance in the form of no‐​fly zones, the complete economic shutdown of Russia or actual troop deployments, undercutting its own restraint.

But if Western stakes were indeed as dire as Ukraine’s, if the future of the world order hung on the course of this conflict and our democracy was at stake along with Ukraine’s, then why wouldn’t NATO be willing to join the fight for it?

Crucially, this rhetoric‐​policy gap could also raise excessive Ukrainian expectations of support. But those insisting the West should give Ukraine whatever it wants ignore that what Ukraine wants partly depends on what the West will give them — or at least what it says it will. And claims of fully aligned interests may fuel Ukrainian dreams of total victory that are probably untenable and only conducive to prolonging war.

Though peace talks are now at a standstill, they may revive when Russia’s Donbas push either succeeds or ends in stalemate, and Ukraine may again be presented with an unpleasant peace offering — lose Crimea, accept more autonomy for much of the Donbas, commit to neutrality. If Kyiv thinks Western support is endless, or likely to grow more direct, it may end up rejecting a deal it should have taken and suffer for it when the help it banked on doesn’t materialize.

The problem here isn’t helping Ukraine, it’s pretending the help is unconditional. [...]

In short, pretending Western interests are fully aligned with Kyiv’s risks further escalating and prolonging this dangerous war, with consequences far beyond the borders of the countries directly involved. Read the whole article, for embedded links and more.      

Napping for Adults; it isn't just for old people

Science shows there are many benefits to taking afternoon naps, for health, creativity and productivity:

The Reasons for Regular Napping, and the Science to Support It

[...] Not that any of us are necessarily looking for an excuse, but napping has been proven to dramatically increase and improve learning, memory, awareness levels and more. Unfortunately, due to our corporate, modern day, fast-paced lifestyles, a mid-day nap has been overlooked, seen as a luxury, sometimes frowned upon and in some cases even considered a sign of pure laziness. People have become so consumed with their 9 to 5 that they see napping as unproductive, without realising that napping is actually very good and a completely natural phenomenon in the circadian (sleep-wake cycle) rhythm and makes a lot of sense when you examine the evidence to support it. [...]

The article mentions historical references to well known people who were known to take naps to solve problems, such as Thomas Edison. It's not hard to find articles about that:

Spark Creativity with Thomas Edison’s Napping Technique

[...] Edison may have relied on slumber to spur his creativity. The inventor is said to have napped while holding a ball in each hand, presuming that, as he fell asleep, the orbs would fall to the floor and wake him. This way he could remember the sorts of thoughts that come to us as we are nodding off, which we often do not recall.

Sleep researchers now suggest that Edison might have been on to something. A study published recently in Science Advances reports that we have a brief period of creativity and insight in the semilucid state that occurs just as we begin to drift into sleep, a sleep phase called N1, or nonrapid-eye-movement sleep stage 1. The findings imply that if we can harness that liminal haze between sleep and wakefulness—known as a hypnagogic state—we might recall our bright ideas more easily. [...]

I'm going to try napping more...
     

MoneyManager Ex: A Free Alternative to Quicken

If you dont want a program as complicated as Quicken, but want/need something more complex than a spread-sheet, you might want to consider the open-source accounting software "MoneyManager Ex". I've been using it for a bit, and it's quite easy to use:

It has features that allow generating reports, making budgets, etc.
A window opens, when you want to make transactions, which is easy to learn and use:

It doesn't have a balancing feature like Quicken, for checkbook reconciliation.  But you can reconcile the account by matching your transactions to you bank statement and checking them off as "reconciled" when they match.  Unless you write hundreds of checks or have hundreds of online transactions, it shouldn't take long to do.

If you think it might meet your checkbook register management needs, download and use it for free, and give it a try:

https://moneymanagerex.org/

https://sourceforge.net/blog/july-2020-community-choice-project-month-money-manager-ex/