On this day in 1913, Suffragettes marched on the capitol in Washington DC, demanding the right to vote. At the time the democrat party officials were the most vocal opponents for suffrage. The republican party, of course, was highly supportive of equal rights for women, just as they had been the driving force behind the anti-slavery movement of 1861-1865. Democrats opposed this civil rights issue too.
By Marcel Schwantes
Before this 31-day plan became a lifestyle, I first had to remove the tumors of self-gratification and hubris (trust me, the attitude ruling my life in the old days was all about “what’s in it for me?”).
Now that you have a glimpse into your own plan, a fair warning: It’s not about you. It took years for me to develop the understanding that life is really about giving, service, and meaningful relationships.
If you’re still with me, these things have reshaped my path as entrepreneur, happy husband, proud father, and community leader. Many can be practiced in minutes per day. Others will require some courage and stretching. Use this to acclimate yourself to a life of happiness and success.
Day 1: Do something for someone else.
Do a “five-minute favor” for someone. Five-minute favors are selfless giving acts, without asking for anything in return from the people that you help. Examples of five-minute favors include: sharing knowledge, making an introduction, serving as a reference for a person, product, or service, or recommending someone on LinkedIn, Yelp, or another social place.
Day 2: Share your positive experiences with friends and family and watch your joy increase.
Studies published in BPS Research have found that sharing the good things that happen in your life is the way to happiness. In one study, participants that journaled and shared positive experiences with another person at least twice a week were more satisfied with life.
Day 3: Stop striving to achieve.
We all have a tendency to work too much, lose our balance, and, ultimately, our joy in life. It’s the unhealthy feeling that if we don’t do something productive every day, we’ve somehow failed. So allow your perfectionism to rest. Slow down, and know that life is OK the way it is, right at this minute. As you eliminate the need to strive and be perfect, surrender to the universe. You’ll begin to appreciate and focus on other, neglected priorities that bring you joy.
Day 4: Put yourself in someone else’s shoes.
Empathy and compassion are things you can develop, and it starts with thinking about other people’s circumstances, understanding their pains and frustrations, and knowing that those emotions are every bit as real as our own. This helps you develop perspective, and opens you up to helping others, which also enhances your sense of gratitude.
Day 5: Discover your purpose and enjoy the journey.
Remind yourself frequently that the purpose of your life is not to work 10 hours per day, five days per week for 30 years, then retire to a golf course in Florida. Your true purpose should be to discover your calling in life, basking in the joy of the journey along the way, one step at a time. In the end, your legacy is left to these two questions:
Day 6: Stop getting the attention and focus it on other people.
There’s something magical that happens when we let other people have the glory. Reading this may bruise your ego, but when we shine the spotlight on someone else and let that person be seen, heard, respected, and considered special—it becomes enjoyable to do so, and gives us a peaceful and quiet confidence.
Day 7: Give thanks. Your situation could be a lot worse.
I don’t care what religion you come from, start your day by thanking your higher power for the things you take for granted. As it turns out, if you make more than $30,000, you earn more than 53.2 percent of Americans. If you make more than $50,000, you earn more than 73.4 percent of Americans. Feeling grateful now? Say a little prayer and give thanks, and then pray for the other 73.4 percent.
Day 8: Exercise more of the P word.
Patience is a virtue I wish more people practiced. It helps you relax and rethink when things are snowballing out of control. Did that guy cut you off on the highway? Relax, take a deep breath, and consider that perhaps he’s rushing to the hospital with his wife in labor in the backseat. Patience helps you see the innocence in other people during those really frustrating moments when you’d like fist to meet wall.
Day 9: Be the first to reach out after an argument.
The tendency for so many of us is to let resentment fester after an argument or misunderstanding, and then cut off the person from our lives until he or she reaches out to us with an apology. It’s convenient. But it’s also just plain dumb. You lose a friendship, a family relationship, or great work connection because your ego has to have its way. Instead, be the first to reach out to make amends, even if you’re the one that has to apologize. That humble act will do wonders; the other person will soften, apologize, and allow you back into his or her life.
Day 10: Just. Say. No.
Truly happy people live a simple life. They have a simple schedule. They don’t take on more than they can handle. They live according to their values and purpose. They have strong boundaries around what comes into their life. And they have no problem saying no. If it doesn’t serve you, if it has little value, and if it doesn’t make you better tomorrow than you are today—just … say … no.
Day 11: React to good news with genuine enthusiasm.
Researchers call it active and constructive responding (ACR). If a friend or colleague shares good news (say, a promotion), there are many ways in which you could respond to this news. An ACR response might be, “That’s fantastic! I had no doubts the leadership team would recognize your hard work. Let’s celebrate and get some pizza and beer tonight.” An ACR response shares in people’s joy and excitement, and shows interest and curiosity. By doing so, you’ll maintain strong personal relationships and feel more positive.
Day 12: Be diligent.
Ever looked at an ant farm in action? Every single ant has amazing ambition and self-discipline. They are diligent! If you’re wondering, “Why do I slack off so much?” it may be time to take a long, hard look in the mirror. What’s keeping you from being diligent? Usually the first step of motivation is exactly that—just focus on the first step. Then, it’s one step at a time after that. But whatever you do, get off the couch, stop Snapchatting, and choose to be diligent today.
Day 13: Soak up the wisdom of another person.
If you’re a smart person (and I trust that you are since you’re reading this list), you want to view yourself as a small fish in the great big pond of life—seeking out connections to learn from. So who are the people of influence in your life? Invite one of them to coffee, and learn something new from this person. It will make you better, and he or she will appreciate the chance to pay it forward.
Day 14: Journal about three new things you are grateful for.
Psychologist Shawn Achor told Oprah that you train your brain to be optimistic if you do this for 21 days in a row: Each day, write down three new things you are grateful for.
Day 15: And while you’re at it, journal about one positive experience today.
Achor also told Oprah that if you spend two minutes daily journaling about one positive experience in the past 24 hours, it allows your brain to relive it, and teaches your brain that the behavior matters.
Day 16: Exercise for 15 minutes.
Achor also told Oprah that if you hate exercise, all it takes is 15 minutes of fun cardio activity, which is the equivalent of taking an antidepressant, but with a 30 percent lower relapse rate.
Day 17: Focus on your breathing.
Stop what you’re doing. Now breathe, and watch your breath go in and out for two minutes. Do this every day. This allows your brain to focus on one thing at a time. In Achor’s study, he says it will “raise accuracy rates, improve levels of happiness, and drop stress levels.”
Day 18. Express kindness through a text or email.
Take two minutes each day to write a positive email or text praising or thanking someone you know. And do it for a different person each day. Achor says people who do this become known as positive leaders with strong social connections—the greatest predictor of long-term happiness.
Day 19: Find something or someone that will make you laugh.
Humor helps you think more broadly and creatively. Psychologists had students solve puzzles after watching a clip of Robin Williams doing standup. Twenty percent more puzzles were solved by sudden insight from students who had watched comedy compared with students who had watched scary or boring videos beforehand. There are other benefits: Laughter releases endorphins into the body—a chemical 10 times more powerful than morphine—with the same exhilarating effect as an intense workout at the gym.
Day 20: Deal with a problem you’ve been neglecting.
So you’ve been putting off handling a difficult person or putting closure to something. By facing conflict and going through the eye of the storm, you’ll build resilience to deal with future problems seamlessly. Choosing to deal with the situation today will teach you to be more honest with yourself and others, give you the strength and openness to deal with problems quickly, and help you avoid procrastination.
Day 21: Do something fun.
Now that you’ve dealt with resolving a conflict, reward yourself with something fun. Science has found that people who have fun on the job are more creative and productive, make better decisions, and get along better with colleagues. Another study discovered that to unlock your creative potential, “go out and play” to lift your mood, and then come back to the problem.
Day 22: Build up your faith.
I don’t speak of religion, which has been abusive to so many. I speak of a faith—whatever your belief system—that comes from a deep spiritual connection with a power greater than yours. A power that extends you grace, forgiveness, love. It’s this faith that strengthens you and makes you endure your trials. A faith that helps you realize it’s no longer about you.
Day 23: Have lunch with someone, and listen to that person selflessly.
Give someone your full, undivided attention, and listen to his or her story. The best listeners, as I’ve written about before, have an uncanny ability to listen intuitively to the other person before responding. They listen with one modus operandi: How can I help the other person?
Day 24: Pursue an activity that brings you peace.
Get involved in an activity that’s enjoyable; something that will bring back that bounce in your step. What is it that you love to do? What brings you peace? Hint: Think hobbies, nature, friends, or exercise. I often take the lunch hour to swim, as it releases endorphins. What’s going to bring you peace?
Day 25: Look at people in the eye, smile, and say hello.
We live in such a fear-driven and insulated culture that we don’t even look people in the eye when we’re walking down the street, sitting in subway trains, or even when making our way through office hallways. Just for today, think of strangers as being a little more like you, and treat them with the kindness and respect they deserve: Look them softly in the eye, smile, and give a warm greeting.
Day 26: Take some quiet time alone to reflect.
For 30 to 60 minutes, remove yourself from the noise, clutter, distractions, screaming kids, and busyness of life. It helps to do it first thing after you wake up. Go out into the stillness of the morning, sit on a dock, under a large tree, or on a swing bench and meditate on the good things of life. Close your eyes, breathe through your stomach, and center yourself. Setting aside this little ritual makes the rest of your day seem manageable. You’ll notice a difference and a weight off your shoulders.
Day 27: Look at a situation by taking in the whole picture.
We call it self-awareness. It’s choosing to see two sides of an issue by tapping into our feelings and those of others for a different outcome. It helps us to respond instead of react to people. By redirecting negative thoughts and emphasizing positive ones, you can be the real you and enjoy interpersonal relationships much better.
Day 28: Reframe!
Do you ever hear that voice inside your head tell you things like, “I screwed up again. I’m worthless.” Or “I can’t do this. I’ve never been able to do it; it’s not going to work now.” This is negative self-talk and it can be toxic, as it reinforces irrational thoughts. Catch yourself in the act of using negative words or phrases and identify the triggers. Are demands at work piling up? Are things at home not so peachy? Stop your thought midstream by saying to yourself (or in your head), “Stop!” Then dig deep down inside yourself and reframe your assumptions. Are you assuming something is a negative event when it isn’t necessarily? Stop and reframe, and see if you can come up with a neutral or positive replacement.
Day 29: Readjust the strict rules you impose on yourself.
Are you a perfectionist? Identify one personal rule you live by that’s rigid, unfair, or unhelpful. Then reword it to be more helpful, flexible, and forgiving. Then put your new rule into practice!
Day 30: Relax and be more spontaneous.
Doing both are really necessary for healthy living. So if you’re at work, take regular breaks: Stretch, do breathing exercises, go for a walk outside, take a 15-minute nap, play a game, or just enjoy yourself. Add spontaneity to your life by going on a date with your spouse to a new ethnic restaurant, stopping afterward to watch the sunset. And next week, think about picking up a new hobby. Surprise yourself!
Day 31: Spend some quality time with an elderly person.
Elderly people have a rich and long history full of stories, experiences, and perspectives you’ve never thought of from simpler days gone by. There are many wins for you: It teaches you to be a better listener (day 23), builds up your patience (day 8) since elderly people typically speak slower, and you acquire new wisdom (day 13). They benefit from your attention (day 6) and kindness (day 18, 25).
What would your life look like if you practiced some of these things everyday, extending this plan beyond a 31-day cycle? It just might help you live the life you’ve always wanted rather than settling for whatever comes your way.
What will you do to live a more intentional life?
by Jack
Elizabeth Ann Warren disclosed she would like to tax unrealized capital gains. Do you know what those are? Lets say your stock portfolio increases in value by $5000 in a year. But, you have not sold your stock, this is just a paper gain. However, under Warren’s tax plan you would be paying for that unrealized gain! Yikes!
She’s got to figure out some way to raise taxes in order to pay for all her expensive giveaways, so hang on to your wallet if this one gets elected!
Next, did Trump really slash the budget for the CDC?
Depends on how you look at things. See, Trump has actually increased the budget of the CDC by about 20B since he took office, but he has also cut some of their proposed budget increases. So, in reality Trump only cut a proposed budget, one that they never had. But, democrats are howling and misinforming how Trump put everyone at risk by recklessly cutting huge chunks from the CDC budget. Another half truth that is closer to a lie when the whole story is not reported.
Which democrat candidate for president would not derail the stock market, raise your income tax, damage the healthcare system, raise unemployment, cause inflation and create trillions in new national debt? Answer: None of them.
What a joke… look at these clowns!
by Jack
Is Sanders a loser, a phony, a fraud, who has never done much with his life except talk? Many would say without hesitation yes, yes he is and quite obviously! But, lets take a fair look at the facts and then you be the judge, ok?
Photo/Alex Brandon, File)
According to several reports, Sanders didn’t collect a steady paycheck before being elected to office as mayor of Burlington, Vt., in 1981.
Despite a 50 year track record, Sanders has never really done much or been good at anything, except talking about socialism. However, if you ignore facts and don’t know your history, you might find him a compelling speaker.
Bernie inherited a little money from his Dad when he was a young man and this allowed him to purchase a small piece of land with a shack on it that had a dirt floor. He lived in this shack with his first wife for about two years and then she had enough and left. Presumably she wanted a floor, but he couldn’t afford one.
Bernie managed to find part-time work and together with his inheritance money, he attended the University of Chicago where he graduated in 1964. Prior to running for office, Sanders worked a series of odd jobs that include: an aide at a psychiatric hospital, a freelance writer, a preschool teacher and a carpenter. He was recognized as a really bad carpenter. Ironically, he went from being very poor to a multi-millionaire without fulltime employment in the private sector and living off the taxpayer’s money.
Sanders was and has always been a hardcore leftist activist. He ran for local office a few times before winning. He then used the local experience to run for Congress and then the Senate, as an independent.
For his whole time in high office Sanders sponsored just 7 pieces of low level legislation that passed. (Sanders served as senator from Vermont since 2007 and as U.S. Representative for the state’s at-large congressional district from 1991 to 2007)
H.J.Res. 132 (102nd): To designate March 4, 1991, as “Vermont Bicentennial Day.”
H.R. 1353 (102nd): Entitled the “Taconic Mountains Protection Act of 1991.”
H.J.Res. 129 (104th): Granting the consent of Congress to the Vermont-New Hampshire Interstate Public Water Supply Compact.
H.R. 5245 (109th): To designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 1 Marble Street in Fair Haven, Vermont, as the “Matthew Lyon Post Office Building.”
S. 893 (113th): Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2013.
S. 2782 (113th): A bill to amend title 36, United States Code, to improve the Federal charter for the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.
S. 885 (113th): A bill to designate the facility of the United States Postal Service located at 35 Park Street in Danville, Vermont, as the “Thaddeus Stevens Post Office.”
It has been reported that Sanders did run for political office while collecting unemployment benefits in 1974. I could find no evidence that he ever collected welfare.
Most recently Sanders drew fire for a book deal where he allegedly used campaign money to purchase 500,000 copies of a book that he wrote. Here’s the link From Forbes:
Also, here’s the link to FEC filings showing: Bernie spent $444,937.50 of his campaign dollars on his book “Our Revolution”.
Sanders’ book royalties included a $505,000 advance on his book “Where We Go From Here,” which was published in 2018, Newsweek reported.
This is why he has so much income even though this book sold only 26,000 copies.
The publisher figured that since his book “Our Revolution” was a bestseller, then his new book would be one also. But “Our Revolution” was a bestseller only because he sold the books to himself, using money donated to his campaign.
Somehow all of this doesn’t seem quite kosher. But it does explain how Bernie got rich by running for president.
SUMMARY: By traditional evaluations Bernie Sanders is loser. He’s only a good talker that is enamored with failed socialism. His best ideas are just plagiarizer from Marx and Lenin. He’s never really been anything except a far left ideologue, selling socialist snake oil to ill informed and gullible voters. If he becomes the democratic nominee for president Trump will likely use Bernie’s lackluster track record to shred him into oblivion.
by Jack
There’s a lot of hype, hysteria and misinformation floating around about the coronavirus aka nCoV. Here’s what I’ve been able to distill from all of it – I hope it will provide you with what you really need to know.
All flu is basically a coronavirus. So that makes it kind of like a cold, but don’t be lulled into a false sense of security because there’s more to it.
This particular strain of flu (nCoV) is different because of two major things. First, nCoV binds to proteins on the surface of your lungs. A virus that attacks the lungs is obviously bad because of the potential for pneumonia and the strain on the heart. However, the lungs are a gateway to other organs that the virus is likely to attack, namely your kidneys.
Next, the virus is also zootrophic, meaning it can be passed from animal to human and human to animal. That greatly increases the potential rate of infection and this is why scientists are concerned about a global pandemic..
So, when you hear people say, oh it’s just another flu… they are right, but nCoV has morphed just enough to make it potentially deadly to “at risk” people. There’s no need to panic, but its prudent to take some basic precautions.
The World Health Organization and our own CDC warns we’re close to losing
containment. At present, the virus has leapt to Italy, Iran, South Korea, Japan, USA and it continues to spread. We are being warned by the CDC, “It’s not question of if, but when… this virus will be declared a global pandemic.” The CDC and WHO are not alarmists and neither are our best health professionals. When they say take some precautions, get prepared, they are not kidding around. This flu could turn ugly very quickly.
We’ve listed some of the ways you can protect yourself in previous articles. See below.
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NOTE: The white paper masks most people wear to prevent the transmission of a virus don’t work, the virus can pass right through them. What the masks do is prevent us from touching our nose, mouth and face with our hands. That’s usually enough to prevent the spread of a virus. The only mask that filters a virus are N95’s that medical staff use. The N95 mask is now in short supply. It’s probably not necessary for you to have the N95, just using a regular mask and frequent hand washing should suffice.
posted by Jack
Bloomberg News: Stocks are bouncing back from their worst sell-off since December 2018, but economist Dennis Gartman is warning that this is not a dip worth buying.
Equities are “egregiously” over-valued relative to measures such as sales, profits and the size of the economy, according to Gartman, who last year ended his daily newsletter after three decades. The spread of the coronavirus is threatening global growth, and investors should buy safety assets such as gold and government bonds, he said.
“I’m afraid rallies are to be sold into, not weakness to be bought,” Gartman said in an interview on Bloomberg Radio with John Tucker. “I’m amused or dismayed at how many people are still willing to buy the dip, and this dip is far more serious than people want to anticipate at this point.”
Update 11:21 PST: At the time of the above report the stocks were moving slightly upwards, they are now in retreat again. Gartman echoes what I firmly believe and I think this is a time for investors to be extremely cautious.
Posted by Jack
Liberals in CA and elsewhere are of course highly critical of Trump’s travel ban on non-citizens coming from hot spots in China wanting to enter the USA. But, I think this is a perfect time for a travel ban and while we’re at it, we should also revoke this foolish sanctuary status for CA and those cities that embrace it. Can you imagine how this potentially deadly virus could spread thru the crowded homeless encampments? I thought the liberals were all about protecting them?
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Travel ban - ”Well, we felt very strongly that our obligation was to do all we can to protect the American public” CDC Director, Dr. Robert Redfield M.D.
LATEST NEWS: Americans have largely been spared most of the world’s deadly diseases and pandemics in recent decades, but the head of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention isn’t so sure that we’re going to be spared the wrath of the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19).
CDC Director Dr. Robert Redfield, in an interview last week, didn’t make any predictions about that kind of morbidity in the United States, but he did say that the outbreak will reach our country and become a “community virus” this year or even into next year.
“We don’t know a lot about this virus,” he told CNN‘s Dr. Sanjay Gupta. “This virus is probably with us beyond this season, beyond this year, and I think eventually the virus will find a foothold and we will get community-based transmission.”
He added ominously: “Right now, we’re in an aggressive containment mode,” Zero Hedge reported.
As of last week, some 15 cases of the virus had been confirmed in seven states: Eight in California, two in Illinois and one in Arizona, Washington, Massachusetts, Wisconsin and Texas, CNN reported.
Redfield noted that while more research is necessary, his agency is now focused primarily on containment strategies in order to isolate the bug and slow its spread, thus buying more time to develop ways to combat it.
“The containment phase is really to give us more time. This virus will become a community virus at some point in time, this year or next year,” said Redfield. “We don’t have any evidence that this coronavirus is really embedded in the community at this time, but with that said, we want to intensify our surveillance so that we’re basing those conclusions based on data.”
CNN noted further:
The containment strategy refers to efforts to prevent widespread transmission of the coronavirus in the United States, including having people with confirmed cases stay in isolation and placing restrictions on travel between affected areas in the world. Such containment measures were used widely during the SARS global outbreak of 2003, during which 8,098 people worldwide became sick and of those, 774 died, according to the CDC.
The World Health Organization has said that global travel restrictions on foreign nationals could actually backfire, but the Trump administration has nonetheless implemented them against foreign nationals who have visited China within the past 14 days, barring them from entering the U.S. And anyone who has traveled to Wuhan City will be subject to a 14-day quarantine.
According to reports, WHO Director-General Tedros Ahanom Ghebreyesus voiced opposition to travel restrictions last week, saying, in part, that they would “unnecessarily interfere with international travel and trade,” as well as create “fear and stigma.”
But Redfield dismissed that.
“Frankly, some people criticized when we decided that we wanted to temporarily suspend travel into the United States from individuals who were not Americans or permanent residents who had been in the hot zone in the last 14 days. Some people didn’t think that that was what they would do,” he told CNN.
“Well, we felt very strongly that our obligation was to do all we can to protect the American public,” he added. “I would rather be criticized for over-protecting America than under-protecting America at this stage.”
The U.S. military is also preparing, as Natural News reported. Site founder/editor Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, noted that the Pentagon sent out orders to the Northern Command to begin assessing its capabilities to handle a pandemic.
Plans “include ordering commanders to prepare for widespread outbreaks and confining service members with a history of travel to China,” the Military Times added.
Posted by Jack
Wall Street reacts with panic: Stocks continued their rout on Tuesday as diving bond yields raised more concern that the global economy is slowing significantly because of the spreading coronavirus aka nCoV. The 10-year Treasury yield hit a record low as the Dow Jones Industrial Average added to Monday’s 1,000-point drop.
Comments from health officials warning of a possible outbreak in the U.S. also spooked investors, causing a turnaround in stocks which had opened the day higher.
The Dow dropped 900 points, or 3.3% after being up more than 180 points at one point shortly after the open. The S&P 500 slid 3.2% while the Nasdaq Composite fell 2.9%. Monday’s session was the market’s worst in two years. The S&P 500 hasn’t had back-to-back declines of more than 3% since November 2008 during the financial crisis.
The Coronavirus is similar to the SARS virus that claimed about 800 lives in 2002-03 
before it could be contained. SARS had about a 10% mortality rate. However, this new virus has already claimed more than triple the SARS deaths and it is going global reports the World Health Organization.
The coronavirus infection triggers fever and coughing. It then leads to shortness of breath because it has the ability to bind to a protein found on the surface of most human lung cells.
What makes coronavirus especially dangerous is it is zoonoptic, meaning it can be transmitted from animals to humans. The primary route of transmission is contact of the mucous membranes with respiratory droplets or fomites.
In severe cases — such as complications from pneumonia — nCoV infection could lead to gastrointestinal problems, as well as kidney failure, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Who is most at risk? The very young and elderly and people with an already compromised immune system (weak health) such as street people, drug addicts and alcoholics.
The CDC suggests people prepare to protect themselves by preventative measures that include:
Many public health interventions are being made to try to control the spread of the disease, which is mainly spread through respiratory droplets in the air.
These interventions included:
The CDC warns an outbreak in the US is not a question of if, but when. Coronavirus has the ability to quickly morph from mild to deadly. At the present time there is no vaccine.
Sources:
https://www.newsbreak.com/news/0NwIC40d/coronavirus-who-is-most-at-risk
https://www.newsbreak.com/new-york/new-york/news/0OF64WKM/coronavirus-likely-to-spread-in-us-become-a-global-pandemic-cdc-says
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/cdc-warns-it-expects-coronavirus-to-spread-in-us/ar-BB10nFeQ?ocid=spartandhp
https://cdc.news/2020-02-20-coronavirus-infections-deaths-community-outbreaks-cdc-warns-travelers.html
As reported by The Epoch Times, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is already monitoring medical product supplies for possible disruptions caused by the virus outbreak amid a “chronic shortage” of supplies already.
