Open Thread - Friday, November 9, 2018 - Healthy Lifestyles Edition
What we achieve inwardly will change outer reality.
- Plutarch -
I languished in the corporate hell scape for nearly three decades. While serving my sentence, there was an insurance company instigated initiative called "Healthy Lifestyles". It was basically a victim blaming and personal data gathering operation masked as empathy. It included things like herd inoculation, smoking cessation, body shaming and health screenings (data gathering). Seriously, you want me to go to the conference room and allow you to give me a physical light, including drawing my blood? I get a report that includes cholesterol, BP, weight, BMI assessment, diabetes screening,... all for a funkin' gym discount? What the funk? It is already indentured servitude to have my health insurance tied to employment. Private healthcare insurance is structured to optimize the cost and benefit for the corporate stake holders, and funk the individual. How did my eyes and teeth get excluded from healthcare? Funkin' assholes.
I am a bit eccentric, I see patterns and make associations that most people do not. I recognized television as a manipulation tool before I was out of grade school. I just could not fathom that all the networks reported the same news. The willfully ignorant and the naïve voluntarily submit to the manipulation and indoctrination.
The spying shit is out of hand. Digital "Big Brother's" intrusion is deep and the resulting commercialization of the data are pathetic. I see patterns propagated by my motorcycle trip, stuff my kids search or surf, maybe even some stuff from their Facebook network, plus cross contamination from other digital devices. I don't need a bail bondsman in AZ, nor a personal injury attorney in AR. It was using google to search at CO cannabis, riding a motorcycle (pictures on phone), phone knowing where I went even with location services off and moving briskly down the road. My kids, who are adults, have their own devices, and one of them has not lived with me in several years, yet she gets a dog and I get Chewy ads. I am getting ads for car dealers in Columbia, SC. I have nieces and a nephew who went to or are going to USC. But I am not on Facebook, nor email with them. My daughter regularly interacts with them. I wonder which one of my sister's kid's is looking for a car? This week, one of Sue's colleagues and I texted about meeting for dinner, settling on Bonefish Grill. Now the PC, gives me Bonefish Grill ads, and the PC was not involved in the conversation. I have DSL, and shortly after I log onto the computer, the nuisance phone calls start. The phone company is tipping off the nuisance callers! The funkers are spying on and manipulating us!
What does my rant have to do with healthy lifestyle? Mental health care is sorely neglected. You don't suppose that substance abuse, domestic violence, depression and coexistence could be vastly improved with some counseling? The deluded, the depressed and the people who just can't deal with the shit are simply left along the roadside.
My healthy lifestyle recommendation is to unplug as much as possible and reestablish your autonomy. Connect with other humans. Live as a hedonist, you deserve it. Who gives a funk what the barkers on the television and Internet have to say. There are people out there. They are making music, dancing, telling jokes and enjoying one another's company, and you are invited.
I practice what I preach. I have been having fun! A state legislature Art Pope stooge politician setup his campaign office directly across the street from the local brew pub. While I was early voting, I had the opportunity to discuss the campaign with the candidate and I do not think he enjoyed our conversation. I enjoyed our conversation and the other voters were quite amused. 
Before the old school voting day, the local Republicans had a big pep rally across from the pub. The pub patrons are mostly left leaning or apolitical, so the campaign HQ is a pain in the ass. They tie up parking spaces and it attracts assholes. During the pep rally, the assholes started to filter into the pub. I am larger than the average guy, have long hair, was wearing a leather jacket and I am able to pull off menacing. An overweight, high and tight, tweed jacket, red faced, right wing political activist bellied up to the bar, and said to one of the other assholes, "We should all come over here and run off the regulars". Before the other guy could speak, I said, "I will run your fat ass out of here faster than you can blink", then turned to the beer tender and said, "Don't worry about these guys, they don't tip, take care of the regulars". 
Good mental health is catalyzed by fun and enjoyment! I had fun, and enjoyed socializing with my conservative brothers! Come back anytime! OBTW, do you need help finding a new job? The stooge lost, helping break the gerrymandered super majority. Womp, womp!
The short term is going to challenge for our outlooks and attitudes. Stay pissed, and be happy! I recommend having some fun and letting it funkin' out!
Have a great weekend! The thread is OPEN.
Comments
Good morning, Tim ~~~
You are a truth-sayer today. I have witnessed the inner changing the outer. I have participated in the employer health screenings, in which they "pay" you to participate.
I feel lucky to be as unplugged as I am. I never joined FB and neither did most of my family, so there is not a long involved "friend" string leading back to me. I also clear my history daily, sometimes hourly. It helps. We unplugged from satellite TV two years ago. That was a relief. I do read my favorite political sites frequently, however.
How fun it was for you to be able to put that rethug in his place. The nerve people sometimes display toward their fellow human needs to be poked from time to time just to help them think about their lack of humanity. How difficult is it to walk into a bar and be civil? Ah, well, we know the answer, don't we?
Some day mental health will be considered an actual health condition and not something on the margins that "we don't talk about." Although I believe the stigma is diminishing, there's a long way to go. But then again, we ARE discussing health care in America and what that means.
So, my Friday rant is out of my body so I can enjoy the day.
Have a beautiful day and weekend, folks!
"The “jumpers” reminded us that one day we will all face only one choice and that is how we will die, not how we will live." Chris Hedges on 9/11
A form of karma
The cosmos want me to keep it real. He was with a genetic female wearing a jacket covered with Trump buttons, including “Proud Deplorable”, so it was not a matter of if I said something, but when and what. As they left she made a show of leaving a tip, which was good for several minutes of post sliming humor.
For me, the funny part is that I am a pasifist DFH, and more cerebral than physical. I just use their prejudice about a “big long haired biker” to do a boogeyman.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Thank You,
Bruddah Tim. Well timed.
Ya got to be a Spirit, cain't be no Ghost. . .
Explain Bldg #7. . . still waiting. . .
If you’ve ever wondered whether you would have complied in 1930’s Germany,
Now you know. . .
sign at protest march
Heh
There are hippies, long haired rednecks and bikers around here. It is easy to tell what tribe someone represents, as long as you are not a simpleton.
I thought it was hilarious when Trump called on bikers to beat up Antifa. Those weren’t bikers. They were RUBs, who prefer to golf, but wear HD paraphernalia to cosplay. They are afraid of both Antifa and the real deal.
I have a fantasy where I get to talk to Ted Nugent, and do a boogeyman. He doesn’t know that I know he is bluffing and a poser. I am very good at the escalation process. I like to work in close quarters and would continually stay uncomfortably close, making The Motormouth Madman have to look up to speak to me, and constantly pay attention to my location/posture. Odds that the jagoff backs off are 100%.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Thanks for today's OT Tim.
When I worked at Satan Co. they did those kind of screenings. I did not participate. The already charge tobacco smokers an extra $600/year for health insurance. I felt that the data they wanted was eventually going to be used against certain employees in the form of increased individual cost for health insurance. The company still provides me with heavily subsidized health insurance until I reach age 65 and am eligible for medicare. My payments are cheaper for me now than when I was working. Around $100/month for medical, dental and vision. It is one of their incentives to get employees retired at age 60. If this was not available I would still be
working for themhanging out there surfing the web doing as little work as possible. Your story about dealing with the rethuglican asshats invading your local watering hole was good to hear. Lately I have taken to confronting rethuglican people I meet with questions about why they want to take away my social security and medicare benefits. Generally speaking this ends with me saying get the fuck away from me you asshole! For me it's personal and I'm not inclined to be nice to anyone trying to screw me over. Check out Duck Duck Go search engine for a little more privacy. When I worked for Edgar Winter in the early 80's we would link up with Jonny's band for a double bill show when booking schedules were close to each other. Edgar's band always opened and the end of the show always included this song from the brothers Winter. Happy Friday to all!Very first arena concert
EWG, with Ronnie Montrose and Rick Derringer in the band. Headlined for Little Feat and pre-Comes Alive Peter Frampton. I went with a carload of high school buddies and the Slippery Rock students in front of us had a bota of cherry vodka and Manila envelop of doobies.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
similar concert histiro for me...
I saw Frampton's Camel play at a college gym in the early 70's and attended one of the shows where the Frampton Comes Alive recordings were made at Plattsburg State University. My first arena show was Jonny Winter at Madison Square Garden NYC circa 1971. Let the good times roll!
I think
The health screenings have the potential to go much further than insurance rates. The forms have weasel wording and are like the accept check box shit on the Internet. Did you just agree to drug testing? Is the company going to keep a record or note who has diabetes? Will the information be used during "restructuring". It is not as much of an issue now, the new pan corporate America movement is Greening of the Work Force. So you just get laid off for being older or because you can be replaced by a fresh out for 50%*$.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
good health, good cheer, good morning
Part of our health problem revolves around the junk we eat. They market the worst of foods to children to get them addicted to sugars and french fries leading to a lifetime of obesity and poor health.
They wanted me to get yearly screening with my retirement healthcare plan. I pay the extra $50/month to not do so...although I'm in great health. I don't want anyone or company to tell me I have to go to the Dr....I avoid Drs. Next year my medicare kicks in and I'll not have the extra cost.
I don't even own a cell phone - my partner has a flip phone for travel safety. I'm faceless and always have been. But they have their tracking techniques when you buy things on-line, when you watch things on-line, and so on.
Bob Scheer describes their techniques and approach in this recent 22 min interview (with text) https://therealnews.com/stories/is-orwells-big-brother-here-bezos-amazon...
It is Friday so that means it's time for our little musical gathering tonight. We don't even have power at the shed where we gather. Used to use kerosene lamps but have moved forward to solar lights It's raining so might not have an outdoor fire, but there's a wood stove inside to keep everyone toasty.
As a line in a song about the gathering goes -
"We'll pass around the jug, and maybe something else, and tell some jokes and lies."
So cheers to you all. Have a good one today....and everyday.
“Until justice rolls down like water and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
You mentioned the Luci lights in a post a while ago, so
I was curious and ordered 4 to check them out. They arrived just in time for us to use them for Halloween and they worked really cool. We're off to the coast for a week camping on Sunday, and will take them along, so far I think that they're wonderful.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Good Day
I bought a fold up photovoltaic panel and Anker battery for camping. They pack down small, and combined with a Beats Pill and iPod provide music from sun up until several hours after dark.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
We've got a 19' travel trailer for camping now, which makes a
big difference. I've got an old Net Zero panel which loads a gadget with a sealed deep cycle battery and an inverter that lives out in the patio when we're at home, for charging small devices and such off and on throughout the day as needed. We'll have hookups every night except one, so I'm laving the panel, but I'll take the fully charged battery unit and a good LED lantern it can power, plus fully charged Luci lights for reading and stuff. Along the coast one wants to preserve the trailer batteries for other things.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Order of magnitude
Mine is compact and light enough to carry on the motorcycle. The photo panel is a dirty power that makes electronics squeal with discomfort, so it is better to continuously charge the battery, about the size of a deck of cards, and let the rectifier clean up the power.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Quit
French fries, soda, pre-fab kid snacks, ... back in the 1970s. A good decision. I notice particular processed foods that give low grade headaches, cause inflamation or joint pain, make you sweat or just induce malaise.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
(No subject) Don't even know how I did that - totally blank.
What to do with a tabla rasa? How about tabla.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Heh
Was drinking coffee out back and on tablet which is PIA to do vids.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Armchair psychology
https://psychologydictionary.org/armchair-psychology/
It never helped me, but go on you guys have fun. Do not to become what you abhor please (big bully, really?). I'm more of a "hard science" kinda patient now, after years of SSRIs and other chemicals that did nothing but mess up my guts, wreck my thyroid, and fry my poor brain even further in to madness.
meh Grief is not a mental illness.
Here are my diagnoses since 2003: Clinical depression, bipolar disorder, agoraphobia. It took my therapist one try to put me on SSDI, easy peasy. I don't work because employers don't hire the mentally ill. I am not LinkedIn but somewhere there is a list, always a list. Landlords don't rent to us either, I am lucky to have shelter for now, it's enough. R and D voters hate us equally, at least I have the river to drown my sorrows if it gets too much. alt.holiday
I don't drink booze, smoke cigarettes, or gamble. I eat organic food, avoid junk except coffee. Coffee is my best friend. I don't support the bottled beverage industry, it is corrupted beyond belief and now they're ruining cannabis with over-taxed plastic garbage and a big jack boot. Of course! Coffee and water is how I roll. No deposit, no return. Boring.
Happy Veteran's Day Bombs Away
amerika's coming attraction
marginal
Not bully
Confident smart ass. I know the bluster is masking insecurities. They are constantly bluffing to get their way. So I simply call them on it. There may be some escalation, but all I have to do is stay in character and prey on their preconceptions. They always fold like a cheap suit. So more of a bully shutdown than bully. Pretty simple. Just don,t give in and keep them thinking abou what is next. They don’t have the mental stamina, making them very uncomfortable.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
"Happy Veteran's Day"
Like, I actually saw that on the annoying tv screen at the gas station this morning.
Happy? Um. Yeah.
The earth is a multibillion-year-old sphere.
The Nazis killed millions of Jews.
On 9/11/01 a Boeing 757 (AA77) flew into the Pentagon.
AGCC is happening.
If you cannot accept these facts, I cannot fake an interest in any of your opinions.
PTSD
thanks, I forgot to add PTSD to my list of head trips. It is number one, everything has a trigger. Semper Fi
5 people found dead inside vehicles torched by Camp Fire
This is it, this is our climate future right here right now. Trump blamed the ex-marine killer for being "mentally ill". Well duh, I wonder wtf he expects to happen to soldiers who create atrocities? Reality TV President, stay tuned during the commercial break.
omg I have to try to control my symptoms somehow, I don't know what to do anymore. My local farmer stopped by with fresh veggies unexpectedly, told me her husband got his arm stuck in the log splitter the other day. He is out of the hospital now with a good prognosis, thanks goodness. They are going to Oregon for a week of respite. Elder care for Alzheimer's disease is a full time job for them now too. How do people do it? I don't know.
peace
Good morning, Tim. You remind me that I need to remind
everybody to try to support the EFF which is one of your best friends on the spying front (pro-active) along with the ACLU (retroactive). Trying to get ready for some camping, Thanksgiving and winter, keeping us hopping right now.
Have a great one and thanks for the tunes and OT.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
I will be part of the roundup
So I am living life to the fullest. No sense lying low and hiding from fate.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
I've been part of the round-up since maybe '63, absolutely no
later than '67. Heh, pack the jails and camps, I'm ready, fuck 'em. But, they've got no business being in my email and my phone, or anybody else's, or using stingray, etc. So, do what we can to make it illegalfor them to do so. It won't stop them, but it'll make them criminals too.
That, in its essence, is fascism--ownership of government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power. -- Franklin D. Roosevelt --
Went surfing
Getting new healthcare ads.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
Dem donor & Illinois governor-elect Pritzker now richest US pol
http://jewishinsider.com/14818/daily-kickoff-amb-ron-dermer-charlottesvi...
George Galloway in RT
https://www.rt.com/op-ed/443469-trump-election-blue-midterm
Aloha Tim,
I use a Skype telephone, pay about $100 a year for a number, voicemail and can call all over the world. Your OT brought to mind an incident of last week in which i had a phone conversation with a friend and after the call ended, my screen on Firefox, sent me ads pertaining to the conversation; it was so obvious it unnerved me for a moment; coincidence or are the computers in the sky translating our voices in real time?
Anyways, had hoped to catch you this Fall; you didn't miss much up-high, worst leaf season in memory; not too bad down the mountain a ways.
Winter arrives tonight, temps in the teens. Expecting the mountains to crank up the snow guns; always good to have snow on the slopes for Thanksgiving, helps the local economy a lot; that and Piedmont folks driving up for xmas tress.
Stay well and safe,
Mahalo
Kick-ass column today, Tim. Enjoy your ruminations and hearing
of your tactics toward RW
wimpsbullies. I have a tendency to use harsher words but not around the family here.Lots of things piqued by it.
About that though, I think what Tim is saying and I believe, is that these blustery wannabe tough guys present themselves as such because a) they usually have the protection of money or an institution behind them, and b) because they think the LW is soft (trump being the most obvious example, but so many others every day RW idiots). And the thing is that is that needs to be pushed bank against big-time. They're frauds, almost to a man (or woman), who are self-centered and privileged or racist and resentful.
I'm personally tired of kowtowing or showing any deference to these smug, entitled and bitter assholes (the rich is particular; the country's psyche is marred by Worship of the Rich, which in big part accounts for Drumpf's election). I'm not calling to do outright physical battle. But I am calling for a little bit of the proverbial David standing up to Goliath. And even that analogy doesn't quite cut it, because their beliefs and the things they defend are more like a house of cards than some indomitable fortress. This needs more working out. But Hedges was just saying the same thing too, about these behemoth institutions that rule over all of us are like, to paraphrase (not his words), are like the Wizard of OZ. Their whole foundation is way more fragile and suspect than we're led to believe. Someone's got to pull back the curtain.
Anyway, if you're around later and I get some time will have a go at articulating more some of the sentiments I share with you.
"If I should ever die, God forbid, let this be my epitaph:
THE ONLY PROOF HE NEEDED
FOR THE EXISTENCE OF GOD
WAS MUSIC"
- Kurt Vonnegut
Religion and Capitalism
… treated as axiomatic. I call BS. I was rolling last week. I was in the YMCA locker room, when a guy says to another guy, "You need to go vote, if the democrats win, we are in real trouble." I knew the guy, because he wears a red hat made in China. So I ranted about the levels of corruption, depravity and general rat fuckery from a life long grifter. The spent a few minutes with guy#2, ex-military and law enforcement, whos claimed to be an economic libertarian and a social conservative. Whatever the fuck that is. We established that he triggers on gay marriage because of his imaginary friend. So I point out how few theologians hold the same beliefs that it is a political shiny object to distract from the real end game. And too, it is based on a mystical belief system with an imaginary friend. So, I get an imaginary axiomatic friend who says your imaginary axiomatic friend is full of shit. It seemed like I ruined their day. I sure hope so.
The individual has always had to struggle to keep from being overwhelmed by the tribe. If you try it, you will be lonely often, and sometimes frightened. But no price is too high to pay for the privilege of owning yourself. - Friedrich Nietzsche -
RocketDyne nuclear test lab fire
via Twitter:
Gee, I don't know. Malibu is evacuated down south now. good grief
My neighbor helped talk me down, she yawns about all news good or bad. Just watch Transcendence she said, after gifting me an Eckart Tolle book. Turns out Transcendence is a TV series on the Food Matters channel. lol oh well, I do feel better now, too wired on coffee but my headache is gone. Kindness makes me happy, I should try to return the favor.
peace
nothing like real-time algorithms driving ads
I can ID with the ad contamination. I watch youtube music videos. One day I watched a Liberace video, a David Bowie vid, a Mick Jagger vid, and a Queen vid, and a gay cruise ad started flashing on my screen. then for a while it kept coming back. I began to fear it wouldn't go away. So I started watching Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash vids.
You would think they know I have been married 35 years and am not gay. But dammit the AI just noticed those 4 vids in a row, so I MUST be interested in a gay cruise.
Eat, sleep, and excercise. The latter best done as an outdoor activity.
We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.
Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better.
both - Albert Einstein