Can tech still be used for good? What was tech like back in the day? What could the future look like? On this week’s Manch Talk we get nostalgic for tech of yore. We also have some thoughts on healthcare costs. And more!
This is not an April Fool’s joke, this IS a delicious orange and feta lamb heart salad with radishes, shallots, and pumpkin seeds. 
The trick is to cook the heart in a hot pan for ONLY a minute on each side.
I trimmed the white bits off (Obi said NOM) and then cut the heart into 3 pieces per internet instructions.
The three pieces vary in thickness so be sure to cook the thinnest piece the shortest (30 secs per side) and let everything rest for 5 minutes before salting and slicing.
Organ meats are incredibly good for your health!
Once you learn how to prepare them correctly, you’ll wonder why you haven’t been indulging for years.
If you’ve been avoiding getting into the organ meat consumption business because you hate the taste of liver, know this, I prefer heart to liver by orders of magnitude, so try it!
What’s the worst that can happen?
I 
NH! One of the best things about living in the Free State is being able to immerse yourself in pristine Nature at a moment’s notice.
“Forest bathing,” a term coined in Japan in the 80s, has many benefits:
* boosts your immune system
* lowers blood pressure
* helps with depression
* reduces cortisol & adrenaline (stress hormones)
* turns down fight-or-flight responses.
For me, it is a time to be alone with my thoughts (no earphones) while also trying to be present in the now, and sometimes, to practice patience (see photo).
I recently rediscovered the meaning of the word “saunter,” which stems from “a la sainte terre” referring to pilgrims who walked to the Holy Land. Synonyms include “rove” and “wander”.
I like these more than “hike,” which sounds so assertive and purpose-driven, which, of course, has its place, but not on a misty, drizzly morning of woe.
Yes, I get mopey too.
Everyone does.
But I have learned to arrest that feeling before it takes significant hold.
The moment I recognize The Blues setting in, I know it behooves me to Get Outside!
We don’t want to admit that improving our physical and emotional state isn’t nearly as complicated as we’d like to make it.
In fact, it’s so simple, we often refuse to do it, but Ouma was right: “Go play outside!”
Breathe the pure air. Listen to the pine-dampened forest sounds, the birds’ calls, the squirrels’ chatter, the babbling brook. Notice the hawk soaring overhead. Spot the most miniature of mushrooms fighting to rise to meet the sky. Raise your face to the sun, and say, I am here to learn about life, to learn about love, to discover how to love it all, which starts with learning to love myself, flaws and all.
Are YOU taking care of YOU?
Join us for this week’s Manch Talk, where we take a deep dive into the most recent Manchester NH crime stats. We haven’t been keeping an eye on the local po-po, and it shows!
Yeah, I know it looks like the mug shot of a meth-headed hooker who got caught with a dime bag by her regular cop who needed to make quota, but it was the best I could muster at the gym this morning. 
Face pull: 20×13; 30x12x2
Cable scapula dumbell raise: 5x12x2; 5x6x1
Low row: 70x12x3
Lat pull down: 70x12x2; 70×5
Cable chin up: 55x12x3
Stretches
Join Free State Project O.G.s to learn more about how you can become part of the next wave of investors in businesses and properties in the Free State. You don’t have to be rich, you just have to understand the risks and rewards, and be willing to invest with…idk, 20,000 of your closest allies (nudge nudge, wink wink). In this talk with Matthew Ping of Ledgeview Commercial, Carla Gericke and Mark Warden of Porcupine Real Estate, and Kumar Bukka of Standard Management, you will discover that, thanks to recent legislative proposals, property ownership in NH using Blockchain technology is possible and closer than you think.
Broke my 3-day fast last night with meatballs (Bardo Farm lamb, pork, beef w/parmesan), daikon, and homemade broth.
Since I was in it to win it, meaning in that high-energy, “can-do” phase you often encounter when fasting, I batch-cooked 3 additional meals, ensuring that Yesterday Carla has Tomorrow Carla’s back.
In my quest to rewire negative self-talk (cognitive behavioral therapy), I’ve made it a habit to acknowledge this “Time Travel Gratitude Loop” when I grab a pre-planned meal from the freezer, especially on nights when I don’t feel like cooking, because I know my food is a healthier choice for me than takeout.
Why do I fast?
* Health benefits including autophagy;
* Extra energy directed at extra tasks (e.g. great time to clean the fridge);
* Ritual for contemplation/meditation;
* It’s a mental test.
Before jumping into fasting, I suggest you:
1. Do your own research;
2. Consider becoming fat-adapted first (i.e. low-carb/glucose managed)–it’s x100 easier when you don’t have carb-withdrawal cravings too, so start there for long-term success;
3. Build up incrementally by doing intermittent fasts (e.g. skip breakfast);
4. If/when you fail, roll with it, learn something, then try again!
The Number One thing I love about fasting is the relationship it reestablishes between my mind, body, and spirit.
There is a deep sense of awe you feel when you realize:
1. You can do hard things;
2. You are in control and it truly is mind over matter;
3. Hunger comes in waves and quickly recedes thus reminding you to treat the experience more like you are a surfer, and not a drowning man;
4. Fasting isn’t as hard as you thought it would be… leading you to wonder what else may be conquered next.
Tell me down below what you’re hoping to conquer next, whether it’s intermittent fasting until lunchtime a few times a week to, say, literally learning to surf.
Big or small, we are all hopefully striving to improve at least one thing in our lives! Let that one thing be… YOU!
If you catch this week’s Manch Talk, you’ll hear me discuss the latest developments regarding Right-to-Know in New Hampshire. Long story short, the NH AG’s office finally, FINALLY released the new RTK memo, nine years after the last one in 2015.
[PDF]
Since last week was Sunshine Week, when we typically celebrate or highlight national open government efforts, and as a RTKNH board member, I submitted an op-ed to the Union Leader, which got pulled last minute because the memo was released. I’ll take it! Stay tuned for an in-depth delve into the 158-page document, coming soon!
Here was the op-ed that was NOT published:
Dear Editor,
It is Sunshine Week, our annual reminder that if we don’t want more government corruption, we must demand transparency. What is hidden in government is what is rotten in government, and with distrust in government institutions at an all-time high, the need for open government has never been more critical.
I serve on the board of Right-to-Know NH, a statewide, nonpartisan group of open government advocates. We are from different walks in life, different political parties, religions, and backgrounds, but what unites us is the understanding that without open, transparent, accessible, and accountable government, local politics won’t work.
And, sadly, the trend in New Hampshire suddenly seems to be towards darkness, not light. For example: An insidious bill, HB 1002, would introduce a use fee for RTK requests, thereby introducing a new tax. Imagine the impact this would have on the press’ ability to investigate stories, or the chilling effect due to costs that this will have on open government activists.
Over the past few years, open government advocates have seen some successes. The RTK Ombudsman office finally opened last year, but already suffers from too complex rules, and a backlog. Several NH Supreme Court cases were found in favor of more open government. The Fenniman case was even overturned after almost three decades, significantly broadening our right to view government employees’ personnel files.
And yet, in the past decade, the government has also managed to seal the names of law enforcement officers who should have appeared on the Laurie’s List, they have arrested Right-to-Know activists, they have spent millions of your tax dollars fighting open government requests, and the NH Municipal Association has lobbied against common sense legislation to help broaden the press and Granite Staters’ Right-to-Know.
Last year during Sunshine Week, I implored the AG’s Office to update the 2015 Right-to-Know memorandum. We have now formally requested this update at least 5 times in writing, to no avail. The failure by the AG to act, especially when such failure shrouds in secrecy the incredible gains that have been made in favor of more open government, breeds suspicion.
In the words of Justice Louis Brandeis, “Sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.” Let us, therefore, redouble our efforts to shine a light on the inner workings of our local government. It starts with that updated memo. To the NH Attorney General’s Office: Stop undermining public trust.
Sincerely,
Carla Gericke
Carla lives in West Manchester, and serves on the board of Right-to-Know NH. She is an outspoken critic of big government.
Today’s the final day of a 3-day quick fast (started on Monday 8p). It’s also Thursday, so gym time!
For those following along, you may recall my goal last year was to fast 5 days every month for a year.
I made it until June, then discovered I had severe anemia, so put the fasting on hold while I sorted that out.
After months of experimenting, I finally boosted my ferritin by 25%, putting me on the low line of the normal range.
So back to fasting! Why? So many benefits, including autophagy, which has cancer-preventing benefits.
Today at the gym, I again upped my weights by 5 lbs and just lifted until I couldn’t anymore. Just 1 set each.
While waiting for Louis, I tried one of the water massage tables. Not bad.
***
What is autophagy?
Autophagy is a natural, self-preservation mechanism whereby the body removes damaged or dysfunctional parts of a cell and recycles other parts toward cellular repair.
Autophagy is the body’s way of cleaning out damaged cells, in order to regenerate newer, healthier cells, according to Priya Khorana, PhD, in nutrition education from Columbia University.
“Auto” means self and “phagy” means eat. So the literal meaning of autophagy is “self-eating.”
It’s also referred to as “self-devouring.” While that may sound like something you never want to happen to your body, it’s actually beneficial to your overall health.
Join us this week for a recap of the Free State Project’s 2024 Liberty Forum, with Tulsi Gabbard, Bryan Caplan, and “Mayor Kane” Glenn Jacobs. Hear more about our surprise guest, Jeanne Dietsch, a one-term NH senator with a penchant for making lists, like Fascists and Commies do. Love what we’re doing in the Free State? Get your tickets for the next upcoming event, the 21st Annual Porcupine Freedom Festival! More HERE…