Peregrino

Hehe, that was a good example of "cocky and funny" in action, Neimad! Not that I'm into "negging," but I do appreciate the good-humored ribbing that goes on here, as opposed to flaming . . . I see it as mutual exhortation to give up limiting beliefs and habits. The danger of "premature closure" . . . Say--is there a Healing Tao practice to cure that? Having been "naturally" nice (i.e., *conditioned* to act in a certain supplicating way, having grown up in a matriarchy and spent years in feminist-dominated humanities departments), I can say that there was nothing especially "unnatural" about considering other points of view about male-female dynamics and applying the jeet kune do approach: absorbing what is useful, rejecting what is useless, and adding that which is specifically my own. The whole PUA thing has mainly been useful for enabling me to see desire and interaction in a new light and test for new data. I've learned a lot and am a better man for it, but still strive to detect any blind spots that keep me from "attaining satisfactory relations with experience," as good ol' John Dewey would say. So, without apologies, I try to learn and enjoy all I can about the disparate pursuits of meditation, sex, martial arts, athletic conditioning, philosophy, literature, holistic medicine, attraction dynamics, and the cultivation of loving kindness . . . BUT, I always try to be mindful that special diets, special meditations, special sex, special knowledge, are all useful, but nothing without what you night call "purity of heart," a disposition of good will that is ready to sacrificie the niftiest of "skillful means" if an important principle is at stake.

I've heard Stephane Hemon's instructional squirting orgasm DVD is very informative and really works, but I'm even more curious about a new series of DVDs coming out by his master, Steve Piccus. People say he is the real deal, though quite a character! The website for his DVDs seems over-the-top, but I admit I'm intrigued . . . Too bad it's all out of my price range at the moment: http://www.forbiddensextips.com/ At the risk of splitting this thread, I'm pasting some questions and comments from an earlier thread on Plato's book: Plato, if you think that the re-orientation of male sexuality towards prostate orgasms could help usher in a new era of enlightened relations between the sexes, what role might female ejaculatory orgasms play? In Plato's book he holds up the uterus-based orgasm as the most fulfilling for women, just as the prostate orgasm is most fulfilling for men; he also argues that the prostate is really akin to the "male uterus," rather than g-spot . . . and female g-spot orgasms (which would include the squirting kind--or are you not considering them here, Plato?) are also deemed as being less than what they're cracked up to be. Just wondering how all this data squares with other reports about the transformative spiritual power of squirting orgasms for women (e.g. the testimonies Stephane Hemon gives at ideagasms.com about female ejaculation . . . even though most of his "spiritual" teachings are pretty loopy to me, he seems compelling on this point). Thanks to any and all who can give their input here--especially the womenfolk!

Hi Neimad, In addition to David Deida (whom Sean was quoting on an earlier thread related to women), you might also appreciate the "spiritual" pick-up artist Stephane Hemon (www.ideagasms.com)--he's also big on raising "vibration levels." I find myself agreeing with him about 50% of the time, and then the other 50% he just gets too loopy or contradictory for me. Still, it's refreshing to find male perspectives that acknowledge our libidos without shame while respecting women (that is, those who have EARNED respect), and that aren't too caught up in either the extremes of "scoring" or being overly gentle, "desireless," and yang-less! I think reformed "nice guys" like myself can learn from the less cheesy PUAs or seduction gurus without having to accept their blind spots. For example, while I find David DeAngelo's sense of humor and cultural references are not to my taste, his basic messages--"It's OK to be a man" / "Give her the gift of missing you" / "I keep my power for me"--are right on target, and were just what I needed to hear at one time in my life . . . In a similar way, many PUAs claim that they study jerks, not in order to become abusive, but to isolate and pick up the qualities that women find compelling in jerks (unpredictability, not seeking others' validation) while ditching the abusive and irresponsible traits. I don't even like the terms "PUA" or "seduction," but rather prefer to concentrate on what qualities inspire and maintain female ATTRACTION--usually qualities that are good for A MAN'S OWN INTEGRITY AND SELF-RESPECT, FIRST AND FOREMOST! If you're generating and maintaining genuine attraction, no need to think in terms of tricks or other manipulative BS . . . nor in terms of being validated. You mentioned the "warrior style": Paul Dobransky talks about mastering communication with women--overcoming inner turmoil and insecurity--as a male rite of passage. He also goes into archetypal patterns in dating and pair bonding, including the warrior type found both among men and women. I'm not usually into Jungianism, but I do appreciate Dobransky's acknowledgment of different personae and the fact that a cookie-cutter approach of non-stop "cocky confidence" won't always communicate well with ALL types of women . . . At least not upon first acquaintance! Hmm . . . Is anyone familiar with the work of NLP practitioner/hypnotist Steve Piccus? Apparently he taught Stephane and has some very astute insight into the dynamics of attraction. I haven't checked him out, but I'm assuming that he's very anti-manipulation if Stephane endorses him--i.e., only using those powers of attraction in heart-centered, "win-win" situations. Stephane quotes him as saying, "Lead from the heart, but bring your crotch along with you." Yes, quite--I'll drink to that.

Welcome aboard and thanks for joining! Sounds like you have a lot to contribute--look forward to hearing more. Best, Peregrino

Wow Hagar, I have no other comment to make on this excellent post except to say that you have just come up with THE METAPHOR OF THE MONTH! Or, um . . . is that "simile"? Oh yeah! I is an English teacher, after all! Anyway, thanks for cracking me up in the midst of the unpleasant work of grading exams and essays. Although I do find Raymond Sigrist's meditation on dukkha useful at times like this, when positive thinking alone won't make the "unsat" go away, I still think that laughter is the best medicine! Re-adjusting my Depends and getting back to work now . . .

This is getting too funny! In fairness, I think the primary factor in hair loss is a genetic pre-disposition, notwithstanding other possibilities (e.g. stress, illness, etc.). It would be interesting to experiment, though! I am far from a qigong master and have started to experience some hair loss, which at first was unsettling since in my more androgynous days I used to have a full head of long, girly-girly glam rock hair. (No hairspray though! More like Ian Astbury . . . I even wore a wacko samurai topknot when I grappled, like Toshiro Mifune or a really undernourished sumotori.) Forunately, with my rugged good looks (hehe) underneath all that yin-ish affectation, I still managed to get lots of interested eye contact from arty-boho wimmin when I shaved my head for a while back in Eugene (aka "Granolatown") Oregon. I guess it was the Ken Wilber thang . . . And my Trinidadian style-cat friends said I wear the Mr. Clean look well, esp. when I lift weights . . . Maybe I'll do it again, though I'll have to apply lots of sunscreen now that summer is here! OK, so back to the (karma-free) meat of the matter! I do remember checking out YJM's book on _Shaolin Long Fist_ back when I was in high school and wanted to expand my then-limited martial arts repertoire (I had only trained in Tae Kwon Do at the time). I don't remember him getting into the internal practices much, but I did find the traps and joint attacks really useful for "reality combat" training, and I still incorporate such techniques (which I've since practiced in other MA training venues) to this day. And YJM, in case you're reading this--shave that pate! Tell 'em all, "I'm not bald, I'm glabrous!"

Maybe he should experiment with the He Shou Wu herbal treatment for hair loss . . . And if that doesn't work, go in the exact opposite direction, take steroid shots to deepen his voice and lose even more hair, so he's more like that virile babe-magnet Sean Connery. Or try the Jet Li shaven Shaolin badass look . . . Hmmm, Mantak Chia claims that frequent ejaculation leads to hair loss, but I ain't even gonna go there!

Going a bit afield from the topic of male health concerns here, but here's a question for Plato or anyone else with thoughts on the subject: If you think that the re-orientation of male sexuality towards prostate orgasms could help usher in a new era of enlightened relations between the sexes, what role might female ejaculatory orgasms play? In Plato's book he holds up the uterus-based orgasm as the most fulfilling for women, just as the prostate orgasm is most fulfilling for men; he also argues that the prostate is really akin to the "male uterus," rather than g-spot . . . and female g-spot orgasms (which would include the squirting kind--or are you not considering them here, Plato?) are also deemed as being less than what they're cracked up to be. Just wondering how all this data squares with other reports about the transformative spiritual power of squirting orgasms for women (e.g. the testimonies Stephane Hemon gives at ideagasms.com about female ejaculation . . . even though most of his "spiritual" teachings are pretty loopy to me, he seems compelling on this point). Thanks to any and all who can give their input here--especially the womenfolk! --Peregrino

I saw and dug the movie "Pushing Hands" too, Sean, although of course as a work of fiction it didn't make me a believer in the powers of "pushing hands" as an effective technique for real combat situations. (At least, it didn't convince me the way www.realultimatepower.net convinced me of the powers of ninjitsu! Sweeeeet!) As for those "real-life" demonstrations, I still suspect either direct hypnosis or a Ouija-board kind of unconscious wish-fulfillment among the participants . . . As the slogan for the X-Files goes, many people want to believe. Maybe if they can convince the Penn and Teller crew, or a sophisticated but skeptical research team, or a ring-proven combat athlete, I will be more open to the claims of push-hands advocates. I'm glad someone mentioned George Dillman, 'cause otherwise I was going to bring him up on another thread. Has anyone been to one of his pressure-point demos? Willingly and skeptically submitted to one of his "knockout taps"? I think there could very well be a hypnosis or placebo-type effect going on there too, especially since Dillman never took on a very public challenge from a scrappy, outspoken, karate badass called Jim Harrison, who said, "I'd love to see Dillman `drop me with a tap' . . . or even his best shot!" In his defense, though, I do think the pics of a 51-year-old Dillman doing splits in suspension is for real, since he used the theoretically sound and empirically proven Kurz method of stretching scientifically!

I'm a semi-veg (went back to fish and seafood) mainly for reasons of health and personal preference (beef and poultry don't settle well in my innards, which could very well have to do with the horrors of factory farming methods). However, I do respect the wisdom of hunting for your own food--it definitely keeps you in tune with where your food actually comes from, and ensures direct personal responsibility for the karmic cost . . . And I think karmic costs of one kind or another are INEVITABLE no matter what diet you choose (veg, carniverous, organic, macrobiotic, etc.). This article from the New Yorker raises some good points about the evolution of organic food production into a market dominated by "Big Organic," huge companies whose production and distribution methods significantly resemble those of the Bad Old Big Agriculture system . . . Even in cases of small-scale, locally transported organic produce, important ethical questions remain. As Steven Shapin, author of the New Yorker article points out, many advocates of small-scale, localized organic production don't pay much attention to "the most urgent moral problem with the organic ideal: how to feed the world's population" (emphasis mine). He goes on to say that the Bad Old Haber-Bosch process "averted disaster, and was largely responsible for a fourfold increase in the world's food supply during the twentieth century" (emphasis mine). Not that I'm a defender of the Nixon administration on most points, but Earl Butz, Nixon's secretary of Agriculture, made a good point when he told advocates of small-scale organic farming, "Someone must decide which fifty million of our people will starve!" And, as Shapin writes, "According to a more recent estimate, if synthetic fertilizers suddenly disappeared from the face of the earth, about two billion people would perish." It will take a lot of serious dismantling of the current world order to convert to a wholly localized, organically grown food production and distribution system, and if that dismantling occurs immediatlely and radically, the results could be catastrophic. Still (here I am being militantly wishy-washy), it would be something to live in a world with enough space and resources (i.e., if everywhere else follows Europe's pattern of demographic decline, which is itself another kind of "sustainability problem") in which everyone could see "every meal as a sacrament," as Michael Pollan would put it, in which "we eat by the grace of nature, not industry, and what we're eating is never anything more or less than the body of the world." So, back to hunting . . . Maybe one day I'll even reach the point where I'd still abstain from scarfing down hamburgers, but would welcome the opportunity to hunt down and prepare my own venison! He he, I think that viewing the movie RAVENOUS has attuned me to the truth that "you are who you eat." (A friend of mine actually became ravenously hungry and made a big pot of beef stew after watching that movie. Vegetarian messages notwithstanding, his main thought became MEAT! MEAT! MEAT!) PS OK, cannibalism only "suits my taste" as a *metaphor*, but it's one that interestingly recurs in many of the world's myths and religious doctrines, as RAVENOUS so twistedly shows . . .

The local press is furious over the author's descriptions of this part of Spain as being "somewhat poor and underdeveloped"; lifestyles might be more modestly scaled than in other parts of Europe (e.g. Monaco or Marbella!), and few people have US-style tract mansions, but given that life here is really affordable, there's little real poverty, the beaches are gorgeous, the seafood (and seaweed) delicious, the wine is fine, and there are fascinating historical sites galore, ranging from paleolithic petroglyphs to Celtic forts to Roman bridges to medieval cathedrals, I have to say I'm sold . . . I was a quick sell really, but with each year I appreciate it more and more. OK, enough travel plugs, and back to this boooring editing job! Ah, how less-than-masterful are my powers of concentration today . . . I wanna get on the road and head for the coast too! http://travel2.nytimes.com/2006/05/24/travel/24frugal.html

Yes, you can thank the retarding rays of the US public school systems . . . Although to be fair, recent comparative tests measuring high school students' knowledge of history and geography came out more or less even when comparing Europeans and Americans (although there were of course marked differences among the various countries/states). Having lived and studied in the US, the UK, and Spain, I can say that British and European public school systems are generally FAR better than their US counterparts for primary and secondary education, but the US UNIVERSITY system is excellent and generally is better than what I've seen in Europe, despite the party-hearty, frat boy aspect . . . And the strange system of favoritism that allows people like George W Bush to purchase degrees from Ivy League schools. (As he once asked, "Is our children learning?") My experience at British universities (Lancaster U, plus some classes at Birkbeck college in London--what nostalgia . . .) was very positive, but the learning environment wasn't necessarily better than what I had found in US universities . . . Though it was nice to get a change of scenery and finally visit the Lake District that Wordsworth and Coleridge had crowed about so much in their poetry. From my experience teaching here, I have to say that Spanish university students, while they come in with a lot of factual knowledge, have little ability to express and synthesize that knowledge, even in their own language. Most of them simply never learned to write essays while in secondary school! Spaniards, Brits, and Americans ALL have tendencies towards mono-lingualism, unlike what you find in other parts of Continental Europe, never mind Africa. (A Rwandan friend of mine grew up speaking nine languages with great ease!) BTW, do you consider yourself "European" as well as British, Freeform? People have their doubts here on the Continent about "perfidious Albion"!

Yes, thanks Plato, that's VERY generous! You're definitely earning a lot of merit here! As a lurker (here or at another site, I can't remember where) I read and was intrigued by an earlier version of these ideas of yours in a shorter, essay form, so I look forward to reading the expansion now. He he, I guess this practice conflicts with your stated aversion to gender role reversals, but I do find the (female) author's comments interesting at an epistemological level:

--Raymond Sigrist OK, here's another: -Raymond Sigrist I just can't get enough of this guy! I only "know" him via the web (his own website, plus his posts at other Taoist sites), but he is currently writing a book on "apophatic mysticism" I can't wait to read! So, if you're lurking here Raymond, best of luck, godspeed, and may the Tao be with you! --Peregrino

I know that earlier posts mentioned Scott Sonnon's victory in a San Shou tournament (even though he has a Sambo background), but I was wondering if any TB members have themselves trained in San Shou? There's a "Sanda" school in my town that I'd like to check out (it's towards the outskirts, otherwise I would have stopped by ages ago). I really need to train grappling again, but I'd like to train it in conjunction (i.e., working that "flow") with striking, which is definitely my forte. I've read that San Shou/Sanda/Xanda does teach lots of effective techniques for self-defense, although several of these (chokes, elbow strikes, arm bars) are prohibited in competition. I'd like to train that combination--what you can use to test your skills safely in sparring and competition, and what you can use to defend yourself in a life-or-death situation (e.g. keeping in mind that a simple jab from boxing can effectively convert to a finger jab aimed at the eyes, as Bruce Lee taught). Sanda is the only thing close to MMA I can find in my town, so I'm wondering how it compares to other MMA training methods (BJJ, submission wrestling, shootfighting, pankrase, etc.). BTW, I heard that pankrase was supposed to become an Olympic Sport and Frank Shamrock was vying to become the US coach. Anyone heard any updates on that?

I'll have to read what the "other" side has to say on the matter . . . In the meantime, here's a highly-evolved debate along the lines of "My master can beat up your master!" http://forum.kungfumagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4783 I'm just a fiend for drilling and conditioning. It is important for me to practice realistic--even deadly-- techniques that are effective in self-defense situations, like a lot of the attacks to the vitals and joints you find in more traditional Chinese martial arts. Still, I'm not sure how much extra time it takes to drill those techniques (e.g. converting a boxing jab to a finger-jab and doing reps aimed at an eye-sized target), as opposed to the kind of drilling it takes to build up speed and power for techniques in general, whether they can apply to competition or "real-life" situations. I know what I'm really missing out on right now is sparring. I only sporadically attend boxing classes at my gym--usually I train alone and drill what I know, or the coach takes me aside for some mitt work. When I look at the martial artists I most admire, however (Bruce Lee, Joe Lewis, the Gracies, MMA competitors like Maurice Smith), I notice that sparring is the nucleus of their training, for both developing skill and conditioning. Shucks, I gotta step to it . . . San Shou might then satisfy a lot of my criteria after all . . . I'd just have to make a point of "filling in the gaps," e.g. working to toughen my shins on my own time (since in San Shou they wear shin pads), and finding a grappling partner with whom to drill all those prohibited chokes and joint locks. Still, I'm psyched to check it out, as much as I would hate to give up my boxing gym altogether. (The trainer's a European cruiserweight champ, and an all-around great guy.) And dang, there are supposed to be some great JKD trainers in Spain, but they're all far away (Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, etc.). Again, I do envy the cornucopia of martial arts options you have in Cali!

Thanks, Sean! I must say though, I think you have the "Wong" Jack Man, har har har! I guess that's just your Oakland bias, right? (Or was there another fight between Lee and WJM outside of the one that took place in Oakland, and supposedly ended up with WJM running around the kwoon in an attempt to avoid a beatdown?) I've since found this interesting article by a Chinese martial arts practitioner who's rather critical of San Shou--not for being "untraditional," but for not being innovative enough. He claims, "Sanshou today is virtually a watered down version of amateur Muay Thai. This shows an unwilling admittance of the superiority of Muay Thai techniques & the importance of contact sparring." After giving an interesting history of encounters between various kung fu fighters and kickboxers (incl. Benny "the Jet" Urquidez) and muay thai fighters, he has this to say: Still, I'd like to check it out. Besides putting out an ad seeking a "vale tudo"-style sparring and training partner, training San Shao seems the closest I can get to integrated sparring here in Vigo. I do envy all the martial arts option you have out in CA!

On that debunking note, Cloud, *The Jung Cult* by Richard Knoll is also excellent. Not that I think Jung's ideas are *completely* worthless (I'd be pseudo-triumphantly standing on a giant to say that), but there are definitely cultic elements in his organizations, and he did have something do with forming that cult of personality himself.

Ha ha! I'm not surprised--they told me that a concoction made out of Guinness, condensed milk (they love that stuff!) and ice cubes was really good for that kind of "stamina" . . . The first time I tried it (the Guinness concoction) I thought it was disgusting (like robotussin), but another time it was mixed differently (maybe with more condensed milk) and it was actually agreeable, despite the seeming profanation of a good brew with ice! (They put ice in everything there--beer, wine, etc.). Don't know that it gave me extra "stamina," though, as I was living a celibate life at the time . . . in the midst of all those charming, richly hued hotties! Now that I have no such lifestlye limitations, I'll have to try blending in the carageenan. There's a kind of alga here in Galicia that the Japanese swear by, and import in massive quantities!

Peanut Punch Some Trinidadian friends made this for me, and it's absolutely delicious . . . though I'm not sure it's in keeping with the health-conscious focus of this thread so far. It's a great cocktail and even a great dessert--depending on your preference, you can blend it thick enough that you can eat it with a spoon. Of course, many variations are possible, including healthy ones. Instead of the incredibly decadent condensed milk, you can use skim milk, coconut milk, or even soy milk (if you don't think it's detrimental) along with some honey. Of course, you can skip the booze too, if you're a tea-totaller or abstainer from strong spirits. Just google "peanut punch" and you'll find lots of variations. Finally, you can use loads of peanuts instead of peanut butter. So, here goes: 1/2 cup, creamy peanut butter 1/2 cup, sweetened condensed milk 1 teaspoon, vanilla extract 1 teaspoon, Angostura bitters 2 cups white rum (or more milk/soy/etc.) loads of icecubes cinammon and nutmeg, to taste Combine all ingredients except the cinammon and nutmeg and blend together until the peanut butter is dissolved. Pour into tall glasses, add cinnamon and nutmeg, and serve immediately. (Serves four.)

I'm big on blended drinks with spinach too. Here's a really simple one that goes down smoothly: 50% spinach 50% orange juice I always feel really "cleansed" when I drink this--esp. when I'm stressed from work and don't have time to make a proper salad with raw vegetables. Sometimes I add a little ginseng, but I can't find any right now since my favorite Chinese grocery store just shut down--bummer!

An entertaining, informative, and edifying article: http://www.reason.com/0604/cr.az.mostars.shtml Too bad the nunchucks were almost immediately stolen from the monument; as the article states, "Nobody ever massacred a village with nunchucks"! BTW, anyone ever travelled in the Balkans? It's a part of the world that fascinates me, and I'd like to visit sometime soon to see for myself what I've been reading about--the good, the bad, and the ugly.