Going back to a topic I was discussing before, it also turns off many “middle” Americans (note: not centrists; this is a different and far more delusional breed) that many on the left seem to care far more about illegal immigrants and their affairs more than they do about actual Americans and legal residents.

Heck, it turns me off, and I am firmly on the left. That so much of the time on the left is spent wailing plaintively about illegal immigrants and their plight while at the same time they castigate and bemoan the deplorableness of the “deplorables” makes very little sense to 95% of Americans.

No, I don’t think we should be locking up those who cross the border into concentration camps. At the same time, most Americans and permanent legal residents are not much concerned (nor should they be) if some economic migrant gets tossed back across the border while their legal, American children barely have enough food to eat — and all the while some leftist cries about the injustice of someone not being allowed in who will likely be competing for that parent’s job.

As I also noted before, the left is world-class in Olympic foot-shooting. Here, to most, they show their true colors as they ignore the concerns of actual citizens to shove more people through the door for a pool of declining jobs. That doesn’t play well, understandably.

Only a matter of time before Media Roots, Counterpunch, Truthdig, Popular Resistance, Green Party, socialist accounts are scrubbed for “fomenting discord” outside of acceptable thought. We have to start organizing as grassroots as possible to spread critical media directly to ppl

— Abby Martin (@AbbyMartin) October 14, 2018

As expected, the left will be dismantled using these new norms. Next, it’ll be anyone protesting or even discussing climate change action. Just wait and see; you read it here first.

A lot of this is extremely speculative, but it’s also just a ballpark estimate for my own amusement.

I wanted to know the benefits of working out in terms of lifespan gained vs. time spent. Is there a benefit when compared this way? The best science out there seems to be point to a lifespan gain of 4-9 years of at least three times weekly resistance training vs. sedentarism.

Assuming that I spend three hours a week working out, how much time is this, assuming I live 40 more years? Turns out it’s about 37 weeks — about three quarters of a year. Note that is actual time working out only.

Say this amount of working out extends my life five years — a good middle ground as compared to the science.

Using the figures from above, this means that for every hour working out I would gain approximately 6.5 hours of life span. So, yes, resistance training “buys” quite a lot of extra life as compared to time spent.

Obviously this sort of calculation does not really apply to an individual. I could have an undiagnosed heart problem that kills me in 5 years. I could be run over by a car in Florida. Etc.

However, it was fun, and I also wanted to know in the general case — using the best available science — if you were gaining anything time-wise in principle from resistance training. And yes, you definitely are.

This does not at all take into consideration hedonistic improvements from working out — that you feel better, think better, and can do more. With this in mind, resistance training might be worth it even if it in fact diminished your lifespan.

I got a scam phone call on Friday. Apparently, they needed to talk to me about something very important and that it was imperative that I resolve it before it goes to “federal courts.” I was in a good mood so I decided to have a little fun.

First, I asked which jurisdiction and the name of the US Attorney bringing charges, and why was I not served a subpoena by federal marshals, as is required in such cases?

No answer to that one. They just repeated what they said before and then added that I should pay them $1,000 to “avoid immediate federal charges.”

I said, “I will definitely pay the $1,000. I am so scared. But under one condition.”

Scammer: “What’s that?”

Me: “That you come here and hold me. Hold me tight and call me ‘moopsy.’ It’s the only thing that helps.”

A brief pause and then the scammer hung up. Fun stuff.

The advantage of doing science is that it gives you a chance to articulate a better philosophy, one based on more reasonable (in the non-normative sense of that word) principles and precepts.

The biggest strike against the left is their de facto yet well-concealed belief in open borders. Most of them aren’t (yet) stupid enough to come out and say outright that’s what they believe, but it is. And at least 85% of Americans would rightly be against the moronic open borders idea and would never vote for or support anyone like that.

Against open borders or even the hint of that, Trump wins. Kavanaugh wins. A dead cat wins. That’s the truth, like it or no.

I could never work in retail as I would go to jail, guaranteed. The minute someone threatened me, touched me, or harassed me, I would destroy them and make them regret being alive. Then I would go to jail. And it would be worth it.

I’ve been working out more and more recently. Today, I measured my resting heart rate for the first time in a while, which is a rough measure of progress. It was 54bpm. This is quite low! When I was in the army, I had a resting heart rate in mid-40s. I doubt I will ever get it that low again, but wouldn’t be surprised to hit an even 50bpm when I get fitter.

Other than being sore, I’d forgotten how much better one feels when fit. Thinking is even improved a great deal.

The LA Times has the best-written story I’ve seen so far about the hurricane devastation.

Winds at 155mph are, by the way, 2.4x stronger than 100mph winds (measured by PSF), not 1.5x stronger. I think this is often overlooked when reporting about hurricanes and when people evaluate their danger. It only takes ~138mph wind to exert twice the wind pressure of 100mph.

Many places I used to visit in Florida are now gone. That’s not “my” part of Florida, but I’ve been there quite a few times.

I don’t have social anxiety; I just don’t like talking to people. The only thing that makes my heart rate rise is working out. Everything else, not so much.

I’m not shy either; see above.