Peregrino

Hope you can connect somehow with my Uncle Larry, another man with a great heart and abundant creativity--and also a fan of celestial pancakes! Listen for one of his musical adaptations (he was a composer) of William Blake's "Infant Joy" as you make your way through this new phase of existence: I'll leave you now with another Blake quote I cited at my Uncle's funeral, one with a Taoist resonance I think you could vibe with: "Energy is Eternal Delight." Peace always, Peregrino

Yeah, I think Matt Furey comes up with most of his ideas while "linkabating" !

Hi Karen, This makes a lot of sense to me. Thanks for reminding me that I need to read more Reich! Not to muddy the waters too much, but I do remember reading an article about a survey of women whose male sex partners used porn with some findings that really complicated the issue for me. A large number said that they found their boyfriends overly obsessed with sex, often becoming emotionally isolated, while at the same time frequently _less_ sexually available than the women wanted them to be (because these guys would "spend" themselves watching porn, and then be unwilling/unable to have partnered sex afterwards). HOWEVER, a some of these same women also stated that the sex was better with the men who watched porn than sex with men who didn't use it. I wonder what could be behind that--perhaps the porn users, while still having an unbalanced approach to sexuality, still brought a certain dynamism and unashamed desire to the encounters, while some of the "sensitive" porn-abstainers might have had certain imbalances in the other direction--e.g. a lack of zest rooted in the politically correct shame of being male and having male desires? Best, Peregrino

Thanks to both of you. I'm already familiar with Neil Postman and appreciate his work (though I don't always agree with him), and the Reuniting site looks to have just the perspective I was looking for. As an enthusiast of academic film studies, I don't hold that the moving image is inherently, 100% baneful, and even television, while certainly potentially addictive and often completely mindless, is not without its good qualities (e.g. documentaries, BBC news, the occasional well-written comedy or drama). I think some sort of visual stimulation can be a good thing when balanced out with enlightened sensory deprivation (e.g. meditation, flotation tanks, etc.) I'm not sure how strongly I can defend porn, though, even if there seem to be hard-wired tendencies in the male brain towards visual pleasure . . . and then there is the subject of porn produced by women and for women. Still, the benefits of porn are probably fewer than those that come from using cannabis (while porn might re-ignite a flagging libido or bring some new ideas into one's sex life with a partner, it certainly doesn't enhance creativity the way THC can), while still being as potentially addictive. I'd love to see a study comparing the neural functions of long-time pot smokers and long-time porn users!

OK, my experiences as a humanities grad student have instilled an automatic self-censorhip mechanism--"What do you mean by 'feminization'? What sort of monolithic characterization is implied by referring to the Western male?"--but still, I must press on . . . Since the topic came up during the latest Sean Denty slugfest on another thread, I thought I'd re-introduce it here: I would contend that many men in most every Western country are sorely lacking in male role models, male virtues, and basic self-respect, and so turn to teachers like David Deida, PUA and MRA websites, to seek (however incompletely) to make up for this great lack. I know that _The Tao of Steve_ was pseudo-indie Hollywood Taoism Lite, but I did appreciate that flick's affirmation of male assertiveness, though I think my ideal of manliness would be more of a cross between Lee Marvin and Laozi! My personal experience in the past few years of embracing more traditionally masculine values is that whatever I've lost socially from giving up supplicating, PC sycophancy I've gained tenfold in self-respect . . . and [transition to pimp voice] the ever-burnin' passion of my fine woman! (Oops, a woman once told me that emoticons were unmanly, but I'll keep mine up because I'm manly enough not to care about seeming unmanly . . .) >>>AND DAMN IT, ADD A LEE MARVIN CIGAR TO THAT EMOTICON!!! PS Robert Bly's a wuss. The only feeeeeeeeeeeeeeelings a man should regularly share in public settings is the righteous anger to smite his enemies! (I would say j/k now, but that sounds wussy too! ) So, is masculinity all about "performance," or a re-training/-awakening of instincts?

OK, it probably helps to be about as high as the guy who made this if you want to enjoy all the transcendental nuances: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWhqoxD2MIw

Anyone remember this? I really loved these guys in college, back when I had a yard of hair: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEr8SYqTc3s

Oops, you're right, it's a recorder, but then you can convert the recording into mp3s. You have to be patient, but the results have been excellent for me. I don't know how you could actually download streaming audio without running the whole thing first, especially if it's on live time (like Internet radio, which I often record to use in the English classes I teach).

Quick reply: Audacity is *fantastic* for downloading streaming audio and converting the recordings to mp3: http://audacity.sourceforge.net/ Hope it works out for you! Peregrino

As I had suspected, my score was radically different from what came up when I tried a similar test seven years ago. The first time I tried out the Enneagram I was a strong 4 (the artistic, reserved type . . . sensitive to the point of being in love with my own feelings!), while this time I came out as a strong 1 (Reformer, rationalist, idealist). I think a big part of my transformation was my rejection of "pacifism at all costs" (or "agreeableness," when referring to everyday social interactions). Then again, these personality tests often just seem to reflect the mood of the moment.

Geoff Thompson's really an amazing, inspiring Renaissance man! I was meaning to start a thread about him myself. Isn't he planning on making a feature film? I'd be all over that. His podcasts are great too. Anyone read any of his books, whether on self-defense or inspirational? It's interesting to note that while GT seems to follow a primarily Eastern-oriented spirituality, he also seems to draw from the works of a contemplative Catholic priest called Edward Hays, which is really appealing to my bridge-building instincts: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/093951610...1839475-3559843

Glad to know that even after being MIA for awhile I can still return to this site and find threads that are simultaneously freaky and enlightening. Stephane Hemon made an interesting addition to the PUA maxim that "attraction is not a choice": It's true that attraction cannot be directly suppressed or altered, BUT, changing one's *belief system* is indeed a choice. If you examine, interrogate, and consciously change your core belief system, you automatically find yourself attracted to new qualities and uninterested--if not repelled--by qualities you once valued in your old belief system. I lived this out in my own life a few years ago, transforming from "Cap'n Save-a-ho" to "Captain Just-Say-No" over the course of a few months. I used to be attracted to women who were physically beautiful but manipulative attention-hounds; however, a series of circumstances, some externally imposed and some self-generated, ushered in a paradigm shift for me. It indeed came down to the realization that the best attraction dynamics occur when *I* am the qualifier, rooted in the life plan that most satisfies me, and only making room for women with the "adequatio" to appreciate that . . . with the result being that I had no further interest in or tolerance for energy-sapping histrionics. There's just no "lift" in that for me, so to speak. In the meantime, the right partner came along and our love feels like a Barry White song--my most masculine self leading the dance with her most feminine self, our rhythm regularly punctuated by a deep, mantra-like, cosmos-caressing YEAAAAAAAAAH. Anyway, peace to all on the quest for understanding energy and attention, and their optimal applications. Peregrino PS Pietro--Congrats on making it to Ireland at last! PPS Yoda--Could you post the dragondoor thread with the "crying game" surprise?

Howdy Cloud! I agree with you on Dawkins--he's great at debunking simple-minded "magical thinking" (like that of Creationists or the "moon hoax" conspiracy theorists), but terrible when he tries to take on philosophical topics beyond his sphere of expertise. This debate is an excellent example: Text: http://darwiniana.com/2006/10/28/dawkinsquinn-radio-debate mp3: http://www.reitstoen.com/dawkins.php (Scroll down to "The Richard Dawkins--David Quinn Debate.")

I'm amazed that flowbees are still around! I remember when they were a staple for jokes on MST (_Mystery Science Theater 3000_ for the uninitiated) about a decade ago. Glad to hear they work. Maybe I'll get one when I reach the age of unmanageable nose hairs.

Thanks for posting this Sean. It's fascinating, but hey--where are the neo-Pagans?!

Not that the dairy and livestock industries don't need major reform, but the vegeterrorists at PETA really have most of these issues ass-backwards: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1...Penn+and+Teller I especially love it when they bust the senior VP of PETA for taking injections containing animal products as part of her diabetes treatment: "*I* need to stay alive so that I can save other animals' lives!" And then there's the bit about all the animals PETA "euthanizes" when they can't find a proper bobo (bourgeois bohemian) home for them!

I'd much rather see Tito cry again, as he did after losing to both Randy and Chuck: WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! And I can't believe he compares himself to Muhammad Ali! He has nothing of the fibre of a champion, and his "clever" cut-downs are mere twatspeak compared to the verbal dexterity of Ali. I'm not even a fan of trash-talking, but if you're gonna be cocky, do it with finesse. Ah, it's so richly satisfying to see a schoolyard bully get his comeuppance . . . again and again!

The Quaker marriage ceremony always sounded like the ideal to me--sublime and simple. Definitely not for Bridezillas who expect a huge, luxurious blow-out of a wedding that will keep the couple in debt well after the divorce, hehe. Cynicism aside, I am on the marriage track, but it's very difficult to find Quakers in Spain! I have to say that Quaker groups have been, for the most part, oases of sanity during the darkest times in Anglo-Saxon culture. I always make a point of mentioning them to my students when they're alienated reading about the Puritans. Quakers have that Puritan work ethic, without all that undue austerity, gloom, and persecutory intolerance. I do remember reading an interesting essay on "Quaker Tai Chi"--I'll see if I can track down the reference. I believe it was in an anthology with a title like _The Martial Arts Reader_. So yes, Quakers can indeed kick ass--but gently, and in good humor . . . And then they'll feed you some delicious oats to help you recover!

Hey GT, I really love the Quakers, though I don't share their absolute pacifism. For a few years I attended Meeting and called myself a "quasi-Quaker kickboxer." I'm glad you brought this topic up, because it reminded me that I wanted to recommend a book on Quakerism for your ailing grandmother (if I remember correctly). I recall you said something to the effect that it's too late for her to switch religious tracks, though the wisdom of Taoism made sense to her in coming to peace with the processes of life. Anyway, I think Quakers can show people of all denominations to the way of tranquility, but for someone who is especially rooted in the Biblical tradition, the Quaker reading of Scripture could help them discover new inner facets of Christianity. Anyway, the book is simply an anthology called _Quaker Spirituality_ and is edited by Douglas Steere. And I'm sure there are tons of other Quaker books that she could relate to (at least based on what I recall from your previous post!). Best, Peregrino

For some reason I really geek out on these types of questions. So, here goes my new routine for building the Rubber Guard. Call it "Elastic Steel"--kindalike a Zoolander pose! (Actually, this combination of strength and flexibility training is great for adding power and stability to kicks as well, if you throw in some plyometrics and/or bag work prior to lifting.) 1. Warm-up: Joint rotations, light cardio, and dynamic stretches. 2. Weighted SQUATS --Right now I'm doing one light warm-up set followed by four pyramiding sets, though 4 sets of 8-12 (after the warm-up set) works well too. 3. Adductor/Abductor training --Either weighted adductor flyes (i.e., with ankle weights) in 3 sets of 30 reps, or adductor pull-downs in 3 sets of 8-12 (per leg) with weights (standing with ankle tethered to cable machine). (The pull-downs are very intense in their isolating effect.) --Superset above with side leg raises for the *ab*ductors: Standing (leaning on wall if necessary) with one leg extended in side kick position, 6-8 inches above waist level, and simply lowering to waist level and raising back to starting position. 3 sets of 12-15 reps per leg. Usually I wear ankle weights. 4. PNF STRETCHING for BUTT & INNER THIGHS --Yes, Kurz advocates stretching these muscles right after doing squats and ad/abductor work. They are fresh and especially loose now. It also helps break up the monotony of doing ALL weight work or ALL stretches in a row. --I include a basic track-and-field butt stretch (30 seconds/side), then go right to the side splits with isometric contractions. For the side split, I do 2-3 reps with 30 second tensions, "gripping" the floor, or I break it down to three grips of increasing intensity for 10 /sec each within each rep. To finish, I do one last rep in the maximally stretched position for that day, "gripping" the floor for about 40-60 seconds. 5. DEADLIFT --I'm not pyramiding right now, but plan to experiment with that later. Currently, I do one warm-up set followed by 3 sets of 8-12 reps. 6. Hamstring curls --3 sets, 8-12 reps. (Hams are already warmed up from deadlifts.) 7. Hip flexor cable pulls--if I don't feel my hip flexors have gotten enough work through squats or regular anchored sit-ups, leg-raises, etc. --Lying on back with weighted cable tethered to ankle. Pull thigh in a straight line to chest, keepin leg as flush as possible. --2 sets, 8-12 reps (per leg). 8. PNF STRETCHING for hamstrings, hip flexors, and lumbars. --Cobra stretch: 1 rep, 30-60 seconds --Knee-to-chest iliopsoas stretch: 1 rep, 30 sec/side) --Any variety of the front fold--single-leg, legs together, or legs opened wide: 2 reps, 30-60 sec. --FRONT SPLITS: reps are of the same number and duration as those for the side split, but performed on each side. 9. Calf/shin lifts. --(Good for footwork and also stabilizing knee during heavy lifts like the squat.) --Donkey raises, dumbell raises towards shin (with dumbell held between insteps), etc. 10. Final PNF stretches: calves, shins, and upper body if I think it needs it that day. 11. Ab training (if it falls on the leg day--I train abs 4-5 days/week). On days I don't deadlift, I add 2-3 sets of hyperextensions (20-25 reps/set). I also do more adductor flyes and side leg raises on the days I don't do adductor pull-downs. 12. Kurz also advocates finishing with very LIGHT cardio on these lifting days to improve recovery, if time and circumstances permit. In no way, though, should you do heavy cardio on the same day as heavy lifting, as this would be training at cross-purposes. I only lift for legs once a week, but stretch every day and almost daily do some kind of calisthenic work that includes the lower body (weightless squats or lunges, plyometrics) plus the usual upper body stuff (push-ups and pull-ups). I'm pretty psyched with this routine so far, though I'll have to see how often I can keep it up now that I have yet another schedule change this coming semester. Happy grapplin'! Peregrino

Besides all the usual training techniques, I would recommend Kurz-style stretching--of course! F'rizzle, if you want to do the Eddie Bravo style "rubber guard," having that extra flexibility (plus some adductor strength) really helps a lot. I recently returned to BJJ training after doing mostly stand-up for the past few years, and I have to say that my crash course in the rubber guard kept me from getting immediately creamed while rolling with the upper belts. Not that I opened up a can of whoop-ass, but it seems to be a great base to work from while adding other techniques that can help you actually, you know, win. Check out the YouTube highlights of Eddie Bravo's match against Royler Gracie, in which Bravo's use of the rubber guard was instrumental in getting Royler to tap: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z8b8o9h324A

Stonehenge . . . home of the Druids. No one knows where they came from . . . or what they were doing. STONEHENGE! Where the Druids dwell! Where the Banshees live-- and they do live well! Sorry, I'm too much of a Spinal Tap fan to resist! : P Actually, there are lots of amazing pre-Roman ruins (Celtic and otherwise) here in Galicia and in northern Portugal. So far hordes of hippies haven't overrun any sites and forced the gov't to rope them off. Here's one of my favorite places, known as the "forest of altars" on Mount Facho: http://www.cangas.org/o_facho_eng.htm It's actually Roman-Galician (i.e. an assimiliation of Roman religion with the indigenous one), but the place has an amazing, primeval power for me, if only for the natural setting, with a view over the cliffs of the Atlantic Ocean and various islands on one side, and green hills on the other. Just don't think of the original _Wicker Man_ while you're taking it all in. PS Really, who needs Stonehenge when you can experience the great Amuhrican innovation of FOAMHENGE ?