Tuesday, January 28, 2020
Hammer Drops on Vale Employees - (Mining)
Ibama from
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Target Trump Forever - VDH
Target Trump Forever
The Left has shown that the collusion exoneration last year by the heralded Robert Mueller investigation—all 22-months, the “dream team,” and $34 million of it—meant absolutely nothing.
Nor did it matter that Department of Justice Inspector General Michael Horowitz found no justification of “collusion” in the Steele dossier to justify the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrants it issued to spy on Carter Page.
Both the Mueller and Horowitz investigations confirmed that even the partisan and warped FBI “Crossfire Hurricane” intrigues could find no Russian-Trump collusion.
And yet the House impeachment managers cannot finish a sentence without exclaiming “Russian collusion,” as if it has now transmogrified into some exotic foundational myth.
Remember, no sooner had Mueller found no collusion between Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and the Kremlin and no actionable obstruction than the progressives narrative was recalibrated into Ukrainian quid pro quo—albeit after brief detours in “Recession!” and “Racism!”
Yet it is now as if neither Mueller nor Horowitz ever existed, as if we have forgotten the thousands of hours of investigation that found no Russian collusion, but indeed discovered the systematic warping of the FISA court by allegations of such falsities. As if to prove that the Mueller investigation was never biased, Andrew Weissmann now appears on MSNBC as a legal analyst to continue what he once did for Mueller, in the manner of the post-Russian “collusion” careers of Andrew McCabe, James Comey, and James Clapper.
The Left is hooked on Trump and cannot quit him. If they cannot destroy him politically, they hope to destroy him physically.
In truth, impeachment started the very week Donald Trump was inaugurated by articles of impeachment introduced in the House of Representatives by 58 Democrats. Between 2017 and 2019, one effort to remove Trump or members of his administration before the 2020 election followed rapidly and furiously upon another. Reason, logic, moderation, and common sense vanished, replaced by a shrill directive that Trump was evil and thus his administration had to be aborted by the good people, and by any means possible.
Obama Administration holdover and then-acting Attorney General Sally Yates targeted Trump’s national security advisor, Michael Flynn, with the fossilized Logan Act and began to resist Trump’s executive orders. Soon Trump opponents sued Trump under the equally ossified Emoluments Clause in the Constitution. In no time, Democrats were seeking to remove Trump as mentally unfit under the 25th Amendment. Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein contemplated rounding up cabinet members to declare him insane and the requisite Ivy-League “expert” was pulled out of central casting to diagnose the never-examined patient Trump in absentia as crazy.
Meanwhile, fired FBI Director James Comey leaked confidential memos of conversations with the president, in an admitted—and successful—bid to secure a special counsel to investigate Trump for “Russian collusion.”
At times, various characters, such as the now-indicted Michael Avenatti and now-jailed former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen, swore Trump had broken various laws and would be removed from office. An indicted Lev Parnas now takes their place as the Democrats’ new and one real—though, again, criminal—truthteller.
A former Trump liaison, adult film actress Stormy Daniels, held lurid interviews and press conferences about “hush money,” which Trump’s opponents sought, unsuccessfully, to translate into actionable campaign finance law violations. And as soon as Trump was elected, his political opponents sued to release his IRS tax returns.
Resistance from Within
Less formal but even more alarming efforts at removing or neutering Trump were embraced by the Washington elite, federal bureaucracy, and some Trump establishment appointees.
Former Obama official Rosa Brooks wrote an article discussing ways to remove Trump, including the idea of a military coup. An anonymous administration official penned a New York Times op-ed, and later a book, bragging that he was one of many officials in the executive branch trying to disrupt the operation of the administration. Apparently, all these misfits thought they were playing the role of Lieutenant Tom Keefer using his supposedly superior wit to take down a crazy Captain Queeg.
Several tell-all accounts from former Trump appointees, muckrakers, and Washington insider journalists variously alleged that Trump and his family were either criminally minded or unhinged. A “whistleblower” worked with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) to lodge a complaint against Trump, alleging second-hand knowledge of a Trump phone call, purportedly leveraging Ukrainian help in investigating supposed Hunter Biden corruption to release U.S. aid. The whistleblower now is mute and supposedly remains anonymous because if he were to identify himself and testify under oath, his motivations, activism, and prior relationships with Schiff and Joe Biden would transmogrify him from a cult hero into a conniving anti-Trump activist.
And on and on.
So what happens in the never-ending impeachment story, once the current impeachment indictment leads to an inevitable Senate vote of exoneration?
Another Stormy somewhere? A follow-up to Operation Crossfire Hurricane? Tax returns redux? Whistleblower 2.0? Another New York Times anonymous op-ed resister? Bob Woodward’s sequel? More leaked phone calls? Another impeachment hearing, and another impeachment vote? Schiff’s new version of a presidential call? One more Ivy League psychiatrist distance-diagnosing Trump as nuts? An emoluments clause do-over? More FISA warrants? A newly discovered Trump phone call to Poland, Romania, or Mexico? Lt. Colonel Vindman’s twin?
The Weakest Field in Decades
I mention these post-impeachment psychodramas because they are symptomatic of a sick Democratic patient. Yet the endless effort to destroy Trump before the election in the progressive mind has a certain logic given the current Democratic dilemma.
The Democratic Party is currently struggling with the weakest field of candidates since 1972 or 1984, well apart from the irony that a party that hectors the nation on proportional representation and disparate impact is fine with an all-white debating stage.
Joe Biden offers the only chance of winning the Midwest swing states. Yet he seems to be aging on the campaign trail exponentially, with 10 more—and more frantic—months of campaigning ahead.
Senator Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) can certainly be nominated, but he cannot win, because the country knows that he would end the United States as we have known it. The scold Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), sanctimonious Pete Buttigieg, and chameleon billionaire Michael Bloomberg can only make the primary race interesting.
The Democratic platform will likely include the “Green New Deal,” a wealth tax, Medicare for All, tuition debt cancellation, higher income taxes, veritable open borders, an end to deportation and perhaps ICE as well, reparations, and a leftwing version of Obama’s failed foreign policy.
In other words, the Democratic agenda is weaker even than the unlucky candidate who will be expected to run on it.
Given those realities, there is a perverse logic in destroying Trump first, and worrying later about offering an alternative agenda. Democrats accept that if Trump is not removed from office, or is not mired in existential scandals, or not physically destroyed, he will likely win in November. The ensuing eight-year Trump reign would destroy not just the Obama legacy, but weaken the entire progressive project for a generation.
Because Trump is not a traditional Republican, the Democrats are bewildered over how to neuter him. His rally audiences are composed of about 40 percent Independents and Democrats. His entire China reset is predicated on saving manufacturing industries, blue-collar jobs, and the industrial heartland—the erstwhile heart of the old Democratic Party.
The supposedly racist Trump appeals to minorities in a way that previous Republican candidates have not, and in ways that transcend his record. For all his loudness and invective, Trump is seen as authentic. He is not condescending. The thought of Trump rolling his r’s or adopting a Hillary or Joe Biden inner-city patois is impossible. Being rough and genuine is usually seen as preferable to smooth and fake.
The Trump effort to stop illegal immigration and thus empower entry-level American job seekers, to fast track energy development, expand deregulation, recalibrate asymmetrical trade, and avoid expeditionary wars abroad have led not just to the strongest economy of the 21st century, but to a different sort of economy based on the idea of full-employment, energy independence, and changing the role of government from obstructer to promoter of free enterprise.
More, More, More
Democrats don’t talk up their alternate agenda because they know that more regulations, open borders, trade appeasement, banning fracking, and the green new deal, would be the very opposite of Trump’s plan and likely achieve the very opposite of Trump’s results. In this context, destroying Trump is not just the only viable trajectory for the Left, but it is also the only possible narrative. Again, to focus on the current left-wing agenda is slow-motion suicide.
The Democrats know that impeachment will not lead to a conviction. They accept that they are not gaining traction in the polls. They fear that Trump’s wounds heal quickly and what doesn’t destroy him can make him stronger.
So why continue? Again, there is little other alternative. Moreover, addicts do not act logically and the Left is hooked on Trump and cannot quit him. Finally, they hope to destroy Trump physically. He will be 74 in June. By the standards of senior medicine, they feel Trump is locked in a self-destructive cycle: little sleep, little exercise, poor diet, too heavy, too stressed.
Very few politicians in memory could physically endure the invective, hate, and furor aimed at Trump and his family daily over the last three years. Much less, could any president function with 90 percent negative media coverage, moles in the executive branch monitoring his every breath, and an unhinged opposition whose reason to get up in the morning is to end Trump.
Sunday, January 26, 2020
Tuesday, January 21, 2020
The Benefits of Building Muscle
The Benefits of Building Muscle—for Everyone
Why muscle training is the key to reaching your fitness goals, even if you're not a gym junkie
Two-thirds of Americans are now overweight or obese, yet we desperately want to be fit. We often blame a lack of willpower, but there’s much more to the story.
We confront a variety of discouraging obstacles on the road to fitness. Heredity, hormonal imbalances, stress, a lack of energy, the ubiquity of junk food, and a culture that demands long periods of sitting—it all stands in the way of having the body we want.
People who are physically inactive can lose as much as 5 percent of their muscle mass per decade after age 30.
One of the most accessible and effective strategies for overcoming these roadblocks is building muscle.
Muscle building and strength training are activities available to everyone. Muscle is virtually free, yet incredibly precious because you have to work for it. Unlike fat, muscle is hard to acquire and hard to maintain, but so easy to lose.
For example, astronauts can lose muscle and bone mass after just a few days in space. The body becomes weak when it is no longer subject to the constant pull of gravity.
Though not as extreme, a similar process of muscle degradation happens back on Earth. If your day is primarily spent at a desk, on a couch, or behind a steering wheel, your muscles aren’t getting the stimulation they need to stay healthy. And it only gets worse with time. People who are physically inactive can lose as much as 5 percent of their muscle mass per decade after age 30.
Weight loss strategies that shed pounds through losing water and muscle weight trigger a vicious cycle sure to create more fat.
Muscles grow when they’re met with a challenge. When we repeatedly lift a weight or do enough pushups, working beyond what is comfortable, it causes minor trauma and injury in the muscle tissue. The body adapts in response to this trauma by forging muscle fibers that are stronger, thicker, and more resilient.
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In addition to brute strength, building muscle requires adequate rest. Once you’ve worked your muscles to their limit, they need some time to repair and recover. That’s why seasoned lifters schedule a day or two off in their training regimen.
Exercises designed to increase muscle mass have been around since the earliest known civilizations. Ancient Chinese soldiers were required to do strength training, and athletes from many old cultures lifted stones, sandbags, and other heavy objects in pursuit of a more powerful body.
Since at least ancient Greece, the broad shoulders, slim waist, and other well-developed musculature depicted in old statues and paintings has been the ideal aesthetic for a healthy physique. But building muscles doesn’t just make us look better; it may also contribute to our internal health. Studies find that increased lean body mass can help prevent insulin resistance (type 2 diabetes), rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s disease, and other diseases linked to systemic inflammation.
Building muscle has a practical side, too. The stronger you become, the better you can meet the physical demands of life—shoveling snow, moving furniture, and lifting a toddler, without throwing your back out.
An Ally for Weight Loss
Muscle plays a key role in ensuring sustainable weight loss. Experts warn that those who follow deprivation diets, and other short-sighted weight loss strategies that ignore the importance of muscle, typically see their lost weight return.
According to biochemist Dr. Barry Sears, weight loss strategies that shed pounds through losing water and muscle weight trigger a vicious cycle sure to create more fat.
“With less muscle mass after weight loss, if you increase your intake of calories, less of them get converted to energy, and more of them are stored as fat,” said Sears, who is the creator of the popular Zone Diet.
When we lose muscle mass, it lowers our basal metabolism—the rate at which we burn calories while at rest.
Part of muscle’s magic is found in the impact this tissue has on our metabolism. Muscle mass converts calories to energy. This means that developed muscles encourage us to move, and activity means you’re burning more calories. But even when we’re still, our muscles are working for us.
When we lose muscle mass, it lowers our basal metabolism—the rate at which we burn calories while at rest, says Dr. Caroline Apovian, director of the nutrition and weight management program at the Boston Medical Center and vice president of The Obesity Society.
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“Restricting calories and relying on cardiovascular exercise alone are not enough. Steps must be taken to preserve and build up lean muscle mass, including working out with weights at least a couple of times per week, eating a diet rich in lean protein sources, and sleeping 7–9 hours per night,” Apovian said in an email.
Muscle’s metabolic advantages are a big reason why physical therapist and personal trainer Jeff Cavaliere emphasizes weight training over cardio.
“Metabolically, it’s a long-term gain,” said Cavaliere. “If you’re creating fat loss, but not leaving behind any appreciable muscle, it results in that skinny-fat physique. It means you don’t have any metabolically active tissue.”
Beneath the Fat
Unlike a body that is merely thin, muscle gives us shape. However, much of this definition remains hidden when covered in a thick layer of fat.
Fat loss comes from dietary changes, and the most effective eating plan to lose fat and preserve muscle is one focused primarily on plenty of fruits, vegetables, and lean proteins.
The weight loss process can be slow and requires some discipline. But if you’re working to build muscle while losing fat, it allows for a lot more leeway.
“By virtue of having more muscle, you’re going to be able to eat more. … You’ll have to support the muscle tissue that you have, and that, in the long term, is going to have a much bigger benefit for keeping you lean,” said Cavaliere.
In addition to getting adequate protein (which facilitates muscle fiber repair) and vegetables (for nutrients and fiber), Cavaliere also enjoys surprisingly large helpings of carbohydrates, like potatoes (which provide glycogen to fuel muscles). But that doesn’t mean you can just eat anything if you weight train. Cavalier was once a dedicated devotee of junk food—until he discovered what it cost him.
“I noticed that when I made improvements in what I ate, I started to get more muscle. So it became a lot easier to say no and to find other things that I liked to eat, and realize that my hard work is much more important to me than the doughnut was,” he said.
Getting Started
Cavaliere serves as a trainer for athletes, professional wrestlers, movie stars, and anyone else who tunes into his YouTube channel, Athlean-X. Despite the advantages of muscle building, Cavaliere sees many people who are afraid to start because they don’t want to look dumb at the gym. Instead, they choose the treadmill because the goal is clear.
There are many tools and contraptions designed to challenge your muscles: weights, resistance bands, and various machines. But when people first start, Cavaliere recommends simple routines that require no equipment, such as the classic pushup or variations on a plank.
Once you start to see results, you want to get more of it. It becomes a little addictive. This encourages you to stay on track.
His philosophy for beginners is to start with something easy to do, that you can perform safely at home. That way, the risk of injury is minimal, but you can still build confidence. Committing to a simple routine for three or four weeks can result in noticeable differences.
“Limit the number of exercises, and let them start to see results,” Cavaliere said. “Once you start to see results, you want to get more of it. It becomes a little addictive. This encourages you to stay on track.”
More Muscle for Every Body
Muscle building isn’t just for gym junkies and Mr. Universe contestants. Seniors, for example, benefit from strength training because it makes for stronger bones and connective tissue, as well as muscles.
It can be discouraging to learn that we lose the ability to maintain muscle as we grow older, but it’s never too late to introduce preventive measures. “When you do nothing, all these effects of aging are escalated,” Cavaliere said.
When you do nothing, all these effects of aging are escalated.
Of course, the earlier you can adopt a weight training habit, the better. Muscle building has always attracted young, fit-conscious males, and increasingly, females. But many young women still shy away from weight training because they’re afraid of bulking up. Cavaliere says this shouldn’t be a concern.
“[Women] should embrace this because it is going to create the aesthetic changes that they’re after. It’s not just going to be that they lost weight, but they’ll get the shape, the curves, and the body that fits differently in clothes,” he said.
Muscles require maintenance, but it may not take as much time as you think. Cavaliere’s chiseled physique requires a maximum of 45 minutes of training per day, five days a week. More modest goals can be achieved with much less.
Whatever your muscle-building goals, Cavaliere’s advice is to keep your routine challenging and consistent, and to be sure to train all the muscles of the body. He says the more that people can adopt a lifestyle and a progressive plan for changing their body, the better off they’ll be.
“We all start out with hurdles, but it’s the level of dedication, our commitment to the cause, that makes the difference,” he said. “People really need to understand the true power they have over their own body, and cherish this fact.”
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