Training.

GTG dips, pullups, grip
Rutten MMA wkout - 5x3m rounds thai boxing, 2x3m rounds boxing
WC - 29 chins, pushups, lunges
Neck nods/rotations 3x40

Yesterday 1/28
GTG dips, pullups, grip
Simplefit L1W3 - for time 10 chins, 21 pushups, 21 prisoner squats - 2:17 [level up]
WC 28 chins, pushups, lunges

"In case of revolution..."

More accurate than you might think.

"I whip your hair back and forth."

"Mothers’ Way, Daughters’ Choice" - documentary on Japanese women - looks fascinating.

Life in Japan for women can be complex and a little ridiculous.

Mothers’ Way, Daughters’ Choice | Japan Probe: "...an interesting-looking documentary about Japanese women who moved to New York to achieve career and life goals that they didn’t believe were possible within Japan..."

Egypt protests: "...in the USA he would have been tazed, beaten, and pepper-sprayed before he got within five feet of the cop - and then - the protester would be charged with assault."*

Egypt: yet another iconic photo of a brave protester smooching a bewildered cop - Boing Boing:

Photo: A protester kisses a police officer during a demonstration in Cairo January 28, 2011"

*quote via the comments

Egypt: iconic photo of protester kissing guard during demonstrations - Boing Boing: "An Egyptian anti-government activist kisses a riot police officer following clashes in Cairo, Egypt, Friday, Jan. 28, 2011"

Egypt (photo): protesters face off water cannon in prayer (Updated) - Boing Boing

Effective parenting.

I don't care, I laughed...

Training.

GTG - dips, pullups, grip
Rutten MMA wkout - thai boxing - 10x2m rounds
Neck nods/rotations 2x100
WC - 27 chins, pullups, lunges

Yesterday 1/26
GTG - dips, pullups, grip
WC - 26 chins, pullups, lunges
Simplefit L1W2 - 5 rounds for time - 2 chins/6 pushups/10 prisoner squats - 171s [level up]

"Marijuana Compound Induces Cell Death In Hard-To-Treat Brain Cancer." - Of course.

Continuing evidence that will likely continued to be ignored...

Marijuana Compound Induces Cell Death In Hard-To-Treat Brain Cancer - NORML:

"The combined administration of THC and the pharmaceutical agent temozolomide (TMZ) demonstrates strong anti-cancer activity in brain tumors resistant to conventional anti-cancer treatments, according to preclinical data published online in the journal Molecular Cancer Therapeutics.

Investigators at Complutense University in Spain assessed the anti-tumor activity of the cannabinoids THC and CBD (cannabidiol) in glioma xenografts (tissue grafts)..."

Top 20 for YouTube's "Your Interview With the President" re: prohibition, decriminalization, regulation.

Easily the top 20 most popular questions @ YouTube's Your Interview With The President feature questions re: the War on Some Drugs Users - didn't scroll past that.  Be interesting to see if any kind of straight answer is given, considering that ostensibly it's supposed to be a forum where our officials are responsive to the concerns of "the people."  Past times questions of legalization have been met by joking derision from Obama and his administration.  Doubly vexing given his admitted drug use - in the same vein of the drunk-driving/couldn't handle his liquor/"I love marijuana and cocaine" GWB and "I didn't inhale" Clinton.  I can't imagine Obama thinks his life would've been considerably improved if, as a non violent drug "offender," he'd been incarcerated as a felon.  But then, an issue of both the political class and one as people get older - their past indiscretions are excusable and understandable...  those of others are not.
 The most popular question.

"Good evening Mr. President...  I'm a retired law enforcement officer... the so called 'War on Drugs' has been waged for 40 years at a cost of a trillion dollars and thousands of lives with nothing to show for it but increased supplies, cheaper drugs and a dramatic increase in violence associated with the underworld drug market.  Sir, do you think there will or should come a time for us to discuss the possibility of legalization, regulation and control of all drugs thereby doing away with the violent criminal market as well as a major source of funding for international terrorism?  Thank you so much for your time, Mr. President."

Just, wow - "Ted Haggard: 'I would identify myself as a bisexual.'"

There's a lot of cognitive dissonance going on here.

Ted Haggard: I'm Probably What The Kids Call 'Bisexual' | TPMMuckraker:

"In a new GQ profile, Rev. Ted Haggard addresses the continued assumptions that he's gay, following revelations years ago that the prominent evangelical had a drug-fueled sexual relationship with a gay male former escort: 'I think that probably, if I were 21 in this society, 'I would identify myself as a bisexual.'

...bitterness toward the megachurch he founded, referring to it as the "old Soviet Union": "I used to think the church was the light of the world. But I've completely lost my faith in it."

"You've got to understand, Kevin, people are, at their cores, hateful," he told Roose. "I don't want to believe that, but the facts have prevailed over my idealism."

About former meth dealer and escort Mike Jones, Haggard says: "We never had sex sex. I bought drugs and a massage from him, and he masturbated me at the end of it. That's it."

He admitted to buying drugs "five or six times" from Jones...

"You know, that's really the core issue here," he added. "I bought the drugs to enhance masturbation. Because what crystal meth does--Mike taught me this--crystal meth makes it so you don't ejaculate soon. So you can watch porn and masturbate for a long time.""

"Obama is not..."

That's pretty funny...

Proper Urinal Etiquette.

Greg Rucka - @ruckawriter - gives sharp interview; teases Alpha.

Good interview on his writing process and provides the tease for his next book, ALPHA.

Greg Rucka on The Last Run « Talking with Tim:

"O’Shea: What kind of research have you been doing for your new book (part of your new three-book deal with Mulholland), Alpha?

Rucka: Hrm…this is a harder one to answer, because I’m not sure how much I want to give away. I’ve been doing a lot of research into Special Forces training, and into the people who receive that kind of training – what they can truly do, what they’re trained to do, what that life is like. It’s not an easy world to penetrate, for good reason, and a lot of what is available in the public domain is, I think, misinformation.

I’ve also been researching theme park design and animal training and handling.

Make of that what you will."

Scott Adams speaks interesting - "...reality is nothing but a work of fiction that my mind creates for me on the fly..."

Scott Adams Blog: Strange Reality 01/26/2011:

"...another part of my brain is operating at exactly the same time as my rational thoughts and it's telling me that reality is nothing but a work of fiction that my mind creates for me on the fly, and in that context it makes sense that themes would sometimes repeat. In other words, thinking about Asok's split mind nudged my imagination to conjure up a link to similar story while fooling me into believing I actually exist as a human body in this world at all. Perhaps coincidences are nothing but errors in the part of our minds that normally do a better job of convincing us that an objective world exists.

Meanwhile, the rational side of my mind is laughing at me because it knows that reality is exactly what it seems to be, and we are just a bunch of particles bumping around until something interesting happens."

Al Frances, editor DSM-IV "...there is no definition of a mental disorder. It’s bullshit. I mean, you just can’t define it.”

Fascinating article. Click over to read in full.

Inside the Battle to Define Mental Illness | Magazine:

"Every so often Al Frances says something that seems to surprise even him. Just now, for instance, in the predawn darkness of his comfortable, rambling home in Carmel, California, he has broken off his exercise routine to declare that “there is no definition of a mental disorder. It’s bullshit. I mean, you just can’t define it.” Then an odd, reflective look crosses his face, as if he’s taking in the strangeness of this scene: Allen Frances, lead editor of the fourth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (universally known as the DSM-IV), the guy who wrote the book on mental illness, confessing that “these concepts are virtually impossible to define precisely with bright lines at the boundaries.” For the first time in two days, the conversation comes to an awkward halt..."

Of course I've long agreed [with comic books, of course] - "There's no such thing as crazy, just behavior that society has deemed unacceptable." - Charles Victor Szasz

Determining your Secret Six horoscope.

Secret Six is one of the best and most entertaining ongoing comics going right now, imho.  Written by the the esteemed and talented GailSimone.

I am, of course, a "Bane riding a dinosaur."

Via gwenfrankenstien: Also, since every fandom worth... - APE IN A CAPE

The Ron Swanson Pyramid of Greatness *IS* Greatness.

"I want to save the poor peoples... I want to meet Bono... I want to saves the children..."

Pretty funny.  Via Flip Flops and Pearls - web page by a local USAID worker here in Liberia.
"I bought a white arm band...  I wrote a paper about empowerment and sustainability.  I said they are good."

Aggressive Atheism VS Aggressive Religion.

Ha Ha, I say.

What's your state worst at?

Explains a lot, actually.

This - "None of what goes through my head is what I "really think" in the sense that I am obliged to hold fast to it and establish it as my position on a given subject."

HARDCORE ZEN: NEW SUICIDE GIRLS ARTICLE "I RESENT MY HIGH SCHOOL":

"...But what I'm trying to express here is that the Zen practice has allowed me the space to be able to step back a bit from that process. None of what goes through my head is what I "really think" in the sense that I am obliged to hold fast to it and establish it as my position on a given subject. And that, of course, is not just true for me. It's true for all of us.

But we've been taught very thoroughly that this is the way to respond to thoughts. We are taught to select certain of our thoughts and adhere to those. We thereby establish a specifically defined and rigid personality. That's where most of our problems stem from. But we don't know this process is even a source of our difficulties let alone the major source of them.

I am not perfect in my skill at allowing thoughts to pass without getting caught in making them "mine." I still do it a lot. But mostly when I do it now I can see myself doing it and know that it is not necessary. But the deeper the level of attachment you have to a certain type of reaction to a certain type of situation, the harder that can be."

South America > North America.

While America is pissing itself over Four Loko, South America gets whiskey in a can.

Scottish whisky the way South Americans like it... | Mail Online:

"It is a sight that will have whisky connoisseurs spluttering into their drink – a dram in a can.

A Panama-based company believes outdoor drinkers would prefer to crack open a tin rather than lug round a bottle of their favourite tipple.

Now bosses at Scottish Spirits – which retains an office in Glasgow – is testing out the novelty on its Caribbean and South American markets."

Found my candidate - "Aleister Crowley in 2012 - Why Settle for the Lesser Wickedness?"

Aleister Crowley 2012 | Spread the Law of Liberty!:

"Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law,” and “Love is the law, love under will.”

We realize that Aleister Crowley is dead. And British. And, moreover, not running for office. Nevertheless, we believe that the most effective vote you can cast in 2012 is one for Aleister Crowley.  “The absolute rule of the state shall be a function of the absolute liberty of each individual will.”

“Governments too often exhibit the most deplorable stupidity, however enlightened may be the men who compose and constitute them, or the people whose destinies they direct. It is therefore incumbent on every man and woman to take the proper steps to cause the revisions of all existing statutes on the basis of the Law of Thelema. This Law being a Law of Liberty, the aim of the legislature must be to secure the amplest freedom for each individual in the state, eschewing the presumptuous assumption that any given positive ideal is worthy to be obtained.”"

Guide to the Campaign Ad | Aleister Crowley 2012:

"While Aleister Crowley took pains on many occasions to explain that “Do what thou wilt” is not a license to “Do as you please,” but is instead a strict bond requiring discipline to do only your True Will, he also points out that the Law of Thelema nevertheless grants revolutionary liberty:  “The formula of this law is: Do what thou wilt. Its moral aspect is simple enough in theory. Do what thou wilt does not mean Do as you please, although it implies this degree of emancipation, that it is no longer possible to say à priori that a given action is ‘wrong.’ Each man has the right—and an absolute right—to accomplish his True Will.”"

Training.

GTG pullups, dips, grip
10x2m rounds Rutten MMA wkout - thai boxing
WC - 25 chins, pushups, lunges

Inspiration from the recently departed Jack LaLanne - LaLanneisms:

"Here are a few of Jack’s words of wisdom:

Anything in life is possible if you make it happen.
Anything in life is possible and you can make it happen.
Your waistline is your lifeline.
Exercise is King, nutrition is Queen, put them together and you’ve got a kingdom.
Don’t exceed the feed limit.
The food you eat today is walking and talking tomorrow.
Ten seconds on the lips and a lifetime on the hips.
Better to wear out than rust out
Do – don’t stew.
People don’t die of old age, they die of inactivity.
First we inspire them, then we perspire them.
You eat everyday, you sleep everyday, and your body was made to exercise everyday.
Work at living and you don’t have to die tomorrow.
I can’t die, it would ruin my image.
If man makes it, don’t eat it.
If it tastes good, spit it out.
What’s it doing for me?
Your health account is like your bank account: The more you put in, the more you can take out.
If one apple is good, you wouldn’t eat 100.
It’s not what you do some of the time that counts, it’s what you do all of the time that counts.
Make haste slowly.
Eat right and you can’t go wrong."

"Where do bad ideas come from? And why don't they go away?"

Outstanding article on critical thinking and the mass delusions societies suffer, and why.  Click over and read in full.

Where Do Bad Ideas Come From? - By Stephen M. Walt | Foreign Policy:

"Those who think that humanity is making steady if fitful progress might point to the gradual spread of more representative forms of government, the largely successful campaign to eradicate slavery, the dramatic improvements in public health over the past two centuries, the broad consensus that market systems outperform centrally planned economies, or the growing recognition that action must be taken to address humanity's impact on the environment. An optimist might also point to the gradual decline in global violence since the Cold War. In each case, one can plausibly argue that human welfare improved as new knowledge challenged and eventually overthrew popular dogmas, including cherished but wrongheaded ideas, from aristocracy to mercantilism, that had been around for centuries.

Yet this sadly turns out to be no universal law: There is no inexorable evolutionary march that replaces our bad, old ideas with smart, new ones. If anything, the story of the last few decades of international relations can just as easily be read as the maddening persistence of dubious thinking. Like crab grass and kudzu, misguided notions are frustratingly resilient, hard to stamp out no matter how much trouble they have caused in the past and no matter how many scholarly studies have undermined their basic claims..."

Training.

GTG dips, pullups, grip work
Simplefit L1W2 - leveled down, changed exercise from bw rows to chins
Max rounds 20m - 1 chin, 2 pushups, 3 prisoner squats - 35 rounds
WC - 24 lunges each leg

New computer finally escapes lithium battery purgatory.

Last September my computer decided of its own accord that it wouldn't boot up anymore.  Spent a week or so trying to force it to work, including, at my wit's end, smacking it around a bit and pulling bits and pieces I had no clue about apart.  It refused to respond - shocking, I know - so I put it aside to serve as a nifty paperweight and ordered a new laptop from Amazon as an early b-day present.  While the laptop was enroute here, the pouch and mail service decided it would ban anything with a lithium battery coming through.  But things already accepted would be grandfathered in but had to take the slow boat.  Long story short - too late - my new laptop got here last week.  Also weirdly, my old laptop, after having sat and done nothing for about a month, when I did a 'last minute hail mary' boot, actually worked.  So now I've gone from no laptops to two.  

Spent part of the weekend scrubbing Windows off the new laptop and installed shiny Ubuntu.  [Which updating, at dial up speeds, takes patience.  A lot of patience.]  Then syncing the two computers and once I get the last of the bugs with the hardware and OS worked out - can't get the built in webcam to stop turning off the microphone - I'll have one as a dedicated download/TV/travel laptop and the other, newer, niftier one as my go-to.  

New computer properly sticker-fied.  Via Sticker Nation 2 by Srini Kumar.

 This.

"The entire point of the Old Testament is - I'm a shitty administrator."

"We had to destroy the village in order to save it." - "25 Tons of Bombs Wipe Afghan Town Off Map."

We never learn, apparently.

25 Tons of Bombs Wipe Afghan Town Off Map [Updated] | Danger Room | Wired.com:

"An American-led military unit pulverized an Afghan village in Kandahar’s Arghandab River Valley in October, after it became overrun with Taliban insurgents. It’s hard to understand how turning an entire village into dust fits into America’s counterinsurgency strategy — which supposedly prizes the local people’s loyalty above all else.

But it’s the latest indication that Gen. David Petraeus, the counterinsurgency icon, is prosecuting a frustrating war with surprising levels of violence. Some observers already fear a backlash brewing in the area..."

The reference, for those unfamiliar, from Vietnam - Bến Tre - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: :

"'It became necessary to destroy the town to save it,' a United States major said today. He was talking about the decision by allied commanders to bomb and shell the town regardless of civilian casualties, to rout the Vietcong."  The quote was distorted in subsequent publications, eventually becoming the more familiar, "We had to destroy the village in order to save it."

Hat tip - Living Freedom » Blog Archive » Monday miscellany

The week in food.

Food & culinary playing around log.

Used last week's fresh seafood to make up crab cakes, a garlic-coconut shrimp sauce/soup, and some crab salad.  Plus the normal proteins, cheeses and salad fixins.  Started throwing down a protein shake post wkout - when I remember - plus vitamins and EFAs.  Made a batch of no-sugar fudge, riffed from this recipe, mostly because I was curious.  Not bad, but didn't eat all of it, basically because what I think I really need to do right now is just is attenuate myself off of sweet flavors.  Was putting some artificial sweetener in my coffee as well, but stopped that.  A reminder that even artificial sweeteners can trigger a brain/insulin response, which is sabotage-y of what I'm trying to do here.

On the spouse food prep front, fighting off a bit of a cold early in the week led to several days of comfort food, reducing my role to opening and heating various Campbell's soups, plus the occasional sandwich... grilled cheese, preferred.  Otherwise, later in the week... taco salad, broccoli and cheese soup, mango-orange smoothie, crab cakes & coconut garlic shrimp and rice, baked chicken, mashed potatoes and home fried corn tortilla chips.

 
 Sunday afternoon spent baking up a couple little chickens we had.  One with salt, pepper, olive oil, rosemary, basil and herbes de provence and the other with salt, pepper, butter, garlic and hot sauce.  Both turned out pretty well, and we got another day or two of leftovers out of them.  Actually digging the whole cooking process these days.  Groovy.

Jack LaLanne, RIP.

Jack LaLanne, Father of Fitness Movement, Dies at 96 - NYTimes.com:

"Jack LaLanne, whose obsession with grueling workouts and good nutrition, complemented by a salesman’s gift, brought him recognition as the founder of the modern physical fitness movement, died Sunday afternoon at his home in Morro Bay, Calif. He was 96.

...At 60 he swam from Alcatraz Island to Fisherman’s Wharf handcuffed, shackled and towing a 1,000-pound boat. At 70, handcuffed and shackled again, he towed 70 boats, carrying a total of 70 people, a mile and a half through Long Beach Harbor.

...Mr. LaLanne, 5-foot-6 and 150 pounds or so with a 30-inch waist, maintained that he disliked working out. He said he kept at it strictly to feel fit and stay healthy. He built two gyms and a pool at his home in Morro Bay, and began each day, into his 90s, with two hours of workouts: weight lifting followed by a swim against an artificial current or in place, tied to a belt.

...Mr. LaLanne promoted himself and his calling into his final years, often accompanied at events by his wife, a physical fitness convert but hardly a fanatic. He brimmed with optimism and restated a host of aphorisms for an active and fit life.

“I can’t die,” he most famously liked to say. “It would ruin my image.”"

Pic via.

Training.

GTG - pullups, dips, grip work
Hip thrusts/glute activation
PBF Fitest/Waterbury Challenge - pushups, pullups/chins, squats, dive bombers, plank, lunges