Sunday, July 13, 2014

Real Nutrition Basics: Reality Guide to Weight Loss

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By: Kevin Bogus
Sunday, July 13, 2014


We live in a fast-paced culture. This is not necessarily a bad thing in and of itself but it does lead to bad habits. One of those bad habits is the desire for quick and easy results. We as a people need to enhance our ability to accept delayed gratification. This is seen throughout the health and fitness industry. How often do you see miracle supplements, powders, and exercise machines being touted as the “quick and easy” way to get in shape? These programs and products promise the moon but rarely deliver. This way of market induced thinking holds people back. In this series of articles, I will attempt to wade through the marketing and offer approaches to diet and exercise that are grounded in reality and will work when applied correctly over an appropriate amount of time.

It is the simple fact that one takes in too many calories and does not expend enough. There are three states that you need to familiarize with, they are:
1.      Caloric Surplus- this is when (relative to your level of activity) you have taken in more calories than you burn (through activity) in a given period of time. In layman’s terms, you have over eaten. In this state, your body packs on lbs.
2.      Caloric Deficit- this is when you have eaten less than your body burns. In this state your body sheds lbs.
3.      Calorie Neutral- You have balanced your food intake with your activity and your body is in a state of homeostasis.

If you are overweight it is because of a consistent caloric surplus. If you are losing weight it is because of a caloric deficit. If your weight is not moving it is because one of these things (calories or activity) needs to change, relative to your goals. The problem is not vitamin deficiencies, Amino Acids, or even carbohydrates. The problem is you eat too much and move to little.

Now once you have decided where you are (overweight, underweight, or just fine) you decide on a course of action. We will deal with the overweight population specifically. The method is simple:
1.      Track your calories for one week. Use any calorie counting program. Weigh and measure your food as best you can and see how much you eat in a given day. Do not try to make changes this week.
2.      Once you get an idea of your average daily intake subtract 500 calories and eat that amount for two weeks. After two weeks, step on a scale and see if you have lost weight. If you haven’t, subtract 200 calories each week until you do.

Now, some people are thinking that this is way too simple. You’re right, it is. The truth is that weight loss is extremely simple. Anyone who tries to convince you otherwise is a con-artist. The issue that keeps people from losing weight or getting healthy is discipline. You have to have the discipline to track your calories accurately. You have to have the discipline to stay consistent at least 90% of the time. You have to have the discipline to make good decisions that are not always the most appealing. But in the end you and only you can decide whether or not you are worth your effort.

This is the beginning of a weight loss program, but like anything, the basics are the most important aspects to consider. Apply these concepts for the time being and in the next installment, I will expand on what the macronutrients are and why they are important.
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Target's Gun Control Request Backfires

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By: Jessica Swords
Sunday, July 13, 2014


Just a few days after “respectfully requesting” that customers not bring in their firearms to nationwide store locations[1], Target has had two armed robberies in Georgia[2].

The request came just two days after new gun laws went into effect in Georgia, a law which allows citizens to carry inside more places such as unsecured government buildings, bars and participating churches. Within days of this request, a man was robbed at gunpoint by three men[3]. Xavier Holland, 21, Zaccari Goudelock, 20, and Kenneth Loving, 17 had stolen more than $500 cash from the victim[4]. The three suspects, who are currently being held in Hall County Jail, were denied bond. No reports indicate whether or not the firearm taken from one of the suspects was purchased legally or not.

In the second case, a woman in Atlanta was attacked by an African-American man who knocked her to the ground and robbed her[5]. Reports say that had the victim not rolled out of the way, the suspect would have run over her when putting her car in reverse and speeding off[6]. It has not been reported whether or not the suspect has been identified or is in custody.

Such events make one wonder whether or not Target made the right decision in requesting that their customers disobey themselves. The company has already been under fire in the last 8 months due to its inability to keep its shoppers’ credit card information private after its system was hacked and thousands of customers’ identities were stolen.

                                Photo taken from Houston Chronicle

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Natural Disasters: Do you have a plan?

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By: Bear Claw
Sunday, July 13, 2014

This is the first edition of The Lamp Post, so let’s start off with something simple and easy, ehh?

Do you have a plan in case of a disaster? This is a simple question that is more often than not answered by a no. Most people today are trapped in the predictable “it won’t happen here” or “it won’t happen to me” thought pattern, while others are depending on the government to help them. This kind of thinking is dangerous; it will leave people vulnerable and possibly in mortal danger.

Today, where one in four Americans have no emergency savings at all[1], people who plan ahead against misfortune are often times labeled as “slightly off” to downright crazy conspiracy theorists. It is not crazy to plan ahead in case the worst happens. If our ancestors had not had back up plans and put up extra supplies for “rainy days”, I wouldn’t be writing this article and you certainly wouldn’t be able to read it, right? Our ancestors didn’t see it as crazy, but as prudent and wise to prepare for the unexpected.

Now that hopefully you understand why you need a plan, let’s talk about a few ideas to get you started.

First of all look around your community, your state, and even your country in order to determine what disaster you would most likely face. Is your biggest problem a failure of the power grid, food shortages, floods, earth quakes, or possible civil unrest? Could one of these things follow the rest?

The second thing you need to look for is what supplies and skills you have, then which ones you need. Do you have enough food to last more than three days? What about drinking water, hygiene necessities, or medicine? What about energy sources, such as generators? One last thing to consider is defense: Do you have weapons? Are you trained to protect yourself and your loved ones?

Last but not least is what will you do? This depends heavily on which disaster you may face, but the important always to ask yourself would be: Is the danger close by? Can you stay sheltered in place, or do you have to leave? My answer is you should have a plan for both. Look around at your friends and family, and I mean really look at them and think “can I trust this person with my safety and the safety of my loved ones”?

In closing I hope you found this thought provoking even if it was short. Remember these are just some ideas to get you started on your path to preparedness. I will cover them in more depth in later articles. Until then, watch your top knot and keep your eyes along the skyline.

Signed,

Bear Claw

“You head due west or any other directions tomorrow and you’ll be a starving pilgrim within a week. You aren’t likely to meet up with someone of my good nature”
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U.S. Government to Illegals: No Need to Declare Status!

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By Jessica Swords
Sunday, July 20, 2014

In April of 2013, the federal government posted flyers in Spanish to call for immigrants, regardless of their immigration status, to come and apply for tax funded benefits. As a person who reads and understands Spanish, I was able to write up an accurate translation of the flyer. See details below:
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Flyer on Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program obtained from:
http://www.scribd.com/doc/137989529/No-Need-to-Declare-Status


Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program:

What is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program?
The Supplemental Assistance Program helps people with low income, or with no income, to buy nutritious food. The benefits of Food Stamps are not money in cash. It is distributed in the form of a debit card that you can use as a bank card in order to buy your food. These benefits are accepted in the majority of food and supplies stores, as well as some dining halls.

Can I receive Food Stamp benefits?
In order to receive food stamp benefits you should complete a few requirements, specifically your income must be within the limit of a certain range.

In order to see if you could qualify to receive food stamps, go http://www.snap-step1.usda.gov/fns/. You will find a questionnaire that upon completing you will know if you fulfill certain requirements in order to benefit from Food Stamps and how much assistance would be possible.

I am not a U.S. citizen. Can I receive Food Stamp benefits? Can my children?
·        You can receive Food Stamp benefits if you are a legal immigrant. The majority of legal immigrants should wait five years in order to receive benefits. You do not have to wait if you are 60 years or older, or under the age of 18, or if you are disabled.
·        Contact your local office in order to see if you are eligible as a legal immigrant.
·        If you are not eligible according to your immigration status, children that are legal immigrants or citizens would be able to qualify. You do not have to provide information about your immigration situation upon requesting this benefit for your children.

If I receive Food Stamps, will I be a public burden?
No. You and your family may request and receive Food Stamps without hurting your chances of becoming a U.S. citizen because if you need the benefits of them, it is because the U.S. law unconditionally grants you that right.

What happens if I have a sponsor?
Special rules exist if you have a sponsor that has signed legal support papers for you after December 19, 1997. Your sponsor may have to pay for the Food Stamp benefits that have been delivered to you. Some of the income and resources will count as yours. This is called “deeming”. This does not apply to children. There are other people to whom this does not apply. For more information, contact your local Food Stamp office.

How do I find my local office?
Call 1 (800) 221-5689 or visit http://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/outreach/map.htm, or look for the phone number in the telephone directory in the government pages below “social services” or “human services”.

You can also contact a nearby Mexican Consultant in order to request more information.

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Regardless of where you stand on the immigration issue, it is definitely interesting to see that the federal government is basically advertising for immigrants, with or without legal status, to come and seek benefits paid for by the taxpayer. A welfare program is one thing if you are struggling and temporarily in need of assistance while you get back on your feet; however, it is completely another thing when those who do not contribute to this tax-funded program are offered benefits, then not even asked to show any identification to have to apply for them. Meanwhile, every American who paid money into the system through taxes had to show an ID just to be hired for the job they are doing so that they can pay for these benefits.
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The Petrodollar

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By: Alex Winfield
Sunday, July 13, 2014


Once upon a time, the act of settling a debt could be handled by directly bartering goods and services.  An exchange of time and effort had to be negotiated, and all parties involved would try to gain more than they were losing.  E.g. I am stronger so it is easier for me to farm, and you, being more dexterous, can sew much faster than I can. Thus, I bring food while you provide cold weather clothing.  Good trading relationships are born this way; the gains outweigh the losses.  

You finished 20 coats, but its summertime.  I don’t need a coat right now, so give me something else to remind us that you spent the effort, maybe I’ll give it back to you in the fall?  Perhaps a “place-holder” could serve some purpose.  Something like a certificate to show effort spent that transfers about a community when one’s labors aren’t necessary at that moment.

Something like a gold coin?
 
Gold is rare, so we can’t just fabricate it on demand (theoretically).  The community tends to agree that this method is useful since it affords us all the ability to exchange the efforts of our work in standardized units; however, gold is heavy.  How much do I owe you?  What if the gold was stored in a common (safe) location, and I just used the receipt of deposit? It’s worth the same amount, it’s easier to carry, and you can go retrieve the gold yourself.
 
We’ll call that receipt/certificate of deposit a dollar, and as long as the receipts equal the amount of stored gold, we should be fine.

If, by chance, the amount of receipts circulating around our community exceeded that amount of gold (say the person who guards the gold also issues the certificates…we don’t really know how much he’s got, do we?), we might be able to increase the rate of transactions which in turn would stimulate economic productivity, no?  Actually, that might work out to our benefit….assuming that the entire community doesn’t collectively decide to exchange their certificates at the same time, because then some of those certificates would be valueless.  Even if we somehow equally redistributed the gold, the receipts would be worth much less since the total amount would have to uniformly absorb the loss.

The more our community grows, the more intricate our trade habits become.  Soon, we are trading with neighboring communities who have adopted similar methods of handling their goods and labor distribution.  Our community is on a mountain, by the way (lucky for us), so it turns out our gold storage site more secure within the caverns, earthen walls, and BANKS of rock, and this compels the other communities to store their gold at our place due to the security advantage.  The other communities are fine with this as long as we don’t issue more certificates than the amount of gold we have. 
 
Let’s call the guy who guards the bank and writes the receipts Nixon.  Nixon has a team of some of the strongest, most able-bodied men to help guard the mountain gold bank, fortunately.  We all rest easy as long as Nixon keeps his promise not to offset the ratio of receipts to deposited gold…by too much.

Well, a neighboring community notices our community has spent an awful lot of time trying to get rice out of a particular rice patty in the region, and the rice gained doesn’t seem to equal the amount of certificates being distributed in order to sustain the rice acquisition operations. This community (let’s call them “France” for no particular reason) knows how hard it is, for they tried to get rice out of the same patty for many years.  France is skeptical of Nixon’s actions, so France asks Nixon to return their portion of gold sitting in Nixon’s bank. Will others now be motivated do the same thing? Then Nixon might lose the economic control he’s gained from managing the bank if everyone else collectively decides not to leave their gold with him.
 
Nixon is a crafty bastard, and he senses the panic brewing amongst the neighboring communities.
Rather than lose control, he decides to de-couple ALL of the receipts from the gold in storage . . . (can he do that? Those guards he has look pretty tough).  Now, all the receipts are essentially useless unless some are still willing to exchange goods and services for them.  What else can Nixon do to perhaps prop up the value of these ‘dollars’?
 
Another community settled in an area that didn’t seem ideal, but it worked for them. They get by on what they have.  Turns out that this area, assumed to be relatively barren, can grow a certain type of grain: a super, nutritionally dense grain that feeds the horses and the mules enabling them to work much faster.  This community unfortunately lacks the means to harvest the grain, but fear not, for Nixon has a plan.  He is willing to provide farmers as well as some of his guards to make sure the grain is safely harvested. Perhaps some extra weapons in case the community needs/wants them.  In exchange, the Saudis… I mean, the other community will agree to keep using Nixon’s receipts in order to facilitate trade.  Since the entire region needs this grain for their livestock, all of them must trade with the same receipts, so Nixon has security again being that he is the master of the certificates.
 
This arrangement should work out fine for Nixon and the Saudi community.  Yet, other people begin to tire of this arrangement. After all, the others don’t reap the rewards, and they only pay the extra burden of time and effort spent on exchanging dollars for grain: a burden that manifests itself into Nixon’s pockets.  In an effort to reduce Nixon’s clutches, what if they start trading grain for gold again? There’s other grain out there, they can harvest it independently without Nixon’s vast resources. Maybe they could use a different certificate of deposit?  After all, they are certainly capable of organizing themselves. 


What is Nixon to do? The Saudis are worried as well since they benefit directly.  Should they just, I don’t know… march into another community, stomp all around, and disable them from organizing into a stronger entity? Wouldn’t this force the other community to remain on Nixon’s standard?  The better, if they know what’s good for them.
 
But I’m just a farmer, and you are a tailor.  I don’t know about all the intricacies of this “dollars backed by fuel” nonsense.  All I know is that sending people from our own community to stomp out another community is disgusting.  I’m not farming for that, and you don’t want to make coats for that either.

Unless, of course, those other communities pose a threat? 

Do they?
 
I don’t know, but Nixon said they do.  Nixon said they’re pulling babies out of cribs, they’re making poison, they hate us, and they’re coming to kill us if we don’t protect ourselves.  What a rotten turn of events.  Now, I have to farm a little more, you have to sew a little more, because it’s a tremendous group effort trying to keep all of those other communities from ganging up on us, and everyone has to give a little more to keep the foreigners (and they’re baby killing, poison making tendencies) at bay.
 
We do what we have to, now.  So as immoral as it may seem, if destabilizing everyone else in the region is what it takes to keep value for our flimsy little paper receipts, and then that’s our gain…and their loss.     
 

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VA Congressional Candidate Mike Dickinson Targets TX Teen, Asks for Nude Photos

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By: Jessica Swords 
Sunday, July 13, 2014

Democrat Mike Dickinson tweeted Wednesday that he will give a $100,000 reward to anyone who gets nude photos of 19 year-old Kendall Jones after she posted pictures of herself with wild animals she had either hunted or tranquilized to treat and tag for research.[1]

Dickinson hopes to become the next Congressman for Virginia’s 7th District; however, this comment seems to go against the liberal view of women’s rights and using women as sexual objects, which is not what most democrats would stand for.

Upon research, we found that Dickinson’s campaign site has since been disabled and we were unable to find a contact number for him or his campaign, so we were unable to get a comment on whether or not he is still running. His Twitter account, however, was still active as of July 11, 2014, as he was continuing to post tweets.

Before the campaign site went down we were able to get screenshots; however, there were very few details of what his stances on different issues were, along with no contact information. According to Virginia’s 7th District’s Department of Elections, Dickinson has never been a valid candidate, as he had never sent in any of the paperwork.




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A Commander in Chief without Responsibility

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By: Jessica Swords
Sunday, July 13, 2014

      Photo taken from reddit.com

“At no time was the Obama Administration aware of what the Obama Administration was doing.” There is something satirically poetic about this old meme of Jay Carney defending Obama one of the many times under his former position as the Obama Administration’s Press Secretary.

On multiple accounts under the current administration, there have been sudden bursts of headlines of scandal-after-scandal, followed by loud distractions of celebrities, sports and focuses on the growing tensions in the Middle East. Mainstream media has been catching onto these scandals slowly, but then give an incomplete accounting of them, as it seems as if they simply stop reporting on the issues altogether until an alternative media source picks them back up with updates. This gives the illusion that mainstream media, from both sides of the table, are doing their jobs, when in actuality they are just trying to appease the growing percentage of citizens that are untrustworthy of the Obama administration and the federal government as a whole.

Well, Mainstream Media, that is no longer enough. It is nothing new to point out the fact that every mainstream company is owned by the same six corporations, which means they are all bought and paid for.[1]

In case you missed those stories, Obama was unaware of the Fast and Furious scandal until the story broke through the media. Obama was unaware of the Benghazi attack until the story broke through the media. Obama was unaware of the IRS scandal until the story broke through the media. Obama was unaware of the massive NSA surveillance on law-abiding American citizens until the story broke through the media. And so on…. Did Obama also mention that in some way, the responsibility of these scandals fall on the back of former President George W. Bush?

By no means am I defending the G.W. Bush Administration, as it had its own list of scandals for which it was responsible; however, the growing “know nothing, blame Bush” attitude the Obama Administration has had since day one is that of a spoiled five year-old—and that, I’m afraid, is giving him too much credit.

C-SPAN recently covered Obama’s speech on Thursday in Austin, TX where he criticized Republicans’ lawsuit against his executive actions. In his speech, he began whitewashing and justifying his over use of executive power. He even goes to the extent of quoting a scene in the movie The Departed:

“There’s a scene in the movie where…they’re on a steak out and…they lose they guy they’re tracking, and [Mark Wahlberg] is upset and yelling at the [other] guy, and the guy says ‘Well who are you?’ and Wahlberg says, ‘I’m the guy doing my job. You must be the other guy.’”

Obama compared himself to Wahlberg and said “Sometimes I feel like saying to [Congress], ‘I’m the guy doing my job, you guys must be the other guy.’ So rather than wage another political stunt that wastes time and tax payers’ money, I’ve got a better idea: do something.”

Again, Obama is responsible for nothing that goes wrong under his administration or anything he does to over step his boundaries as President. Congress isn’t acting, so therefore he must give himself all the power to get the job done. But what job is he doing on this immigration crisis? Absolutely nothing. He is allowing the entry of unaccompanied minors to illegally cross the border while telling Border Patrol agents to “stand down”, and threatening and intimidating any agents who speak out to the media about it.[2]

“If you’re mad at me for helping people on my own,” he continues, “let’s team up! Let’s pass some bills… It is lonely me just doing stuff. I’d love it if the Republicans did stuff, too!”

First of all, what is the point in passing more bills when the government does not even find it necessary to follow whatever laws it passes itself? What good is that going to do? Since when is more government mandating the obvious solution? It has clearly been part of the problem. We have a President who refuses to follow laws, and here he is declaring why he shouldn’t have to follow the laws already set to limit his power while trying to impose more laws on you, me and anyone else who isn’t him.

Second of all, this last quote was suggesting that the only way Obama would work with Congress would be if Congress were to get in alignment with him and do it his way. It is pointing fingers directly at Republicans, and Republicans alone, when there is a whole other party involved—Democrats. We have elected members of Congress on both sides of the fence doing absolutely nothing while blaming the other.

Lastly, Obama declares: “So when folks say they’re frustrated with Congress, let’s just be clear of what the problem is.” Ok, Obama, I’ll take your challenge. I just stated half of the problem. The other half is what you say afterward:

“I’m just telling the truth now. I don’t have to run for office again, so I can just, you know, let ‘er rip!”

The second half to the problem is demonstrated in Obama’s seemingly incoherent speech on how he can now tell the truth, while he is failing to do so as he speaks, because he is no longer running for office. This brings about the premise that when he was running for office, he did not tell the truth.

And there you have it: The President admits to being deceptive and asks with slurred speech to give him confidence in his ability to “do his job”, which he has failed to do for the last five years.  
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