In recent months you've noticed the vast proliferation of intrusive ads on websites, such as the New York Times, Huffington Post, etc. Websites both big and small have made the brilliant decision to frustrate the shit out of visitors with auto-loading videos that freeze visitors' browsers and pop-ups that block content. Last week on GQ.com one popped up after I clicked a headline, it ran a 30 second ad, then disappeared to reveal the "article" was a single paragraph, and worse, the "headline" that made me interested in it in the first place was misleading. Both GAWKER and HUFF POST are egregious examples of websites that have bought whole-hog into the misleading/lying headline bullshit. What kind of idiots think that misleading visitors and screwing up their computers with delaying tactics will be met with anything other than fury? The stupidity of any website owner to think that forcing visitors to click, watch, read and wait endlessly is bizarre, as with most of you, I just move on. A number of websites I used to visit have been deleted from my bookmarks and my mind.
Now, free software is proliferating that allows us to shut off these disprespectful annoyances, but the downside is that many websites make their income with advertising, and these websites are justifiably crying loud and clear that they may soon have to disappear.
I have seen online tirades by small website owners demonizing AdBlocker Plus and Ghostery, when in fact it's the website owners themselves who are to blame by allowing this gross intrusiveness in the first place. Hey website owners! Stop this crazed advertising invasion and go back to ads that visitors can click if they want to, rather than alienating visitors wholesale to such an extreme that they download AdBlocker. The problem isn't the ad blocking software, it's the foolish website owners who have turned what used to be passive or optional participation in advertising into something mandatory, controlling and highly intrusive, and the result will be a disaster to especially smaller websites that have enough regard for visitors to not allow these auto-loading videos and javascript nightmare animation ads that freeze up our computers and turn internet browsing into a nightmare obstacle course.
Saturday, March 29, 2014
Friday, March 21, 2014
Real Peanut Butter vs. Fake
Above you can see the same manufacturer sells both GOOD peanut butter and BAD peanut butter. The Adams 100% Natural is the good stuff; the Adams "No-Stir" is the bad stuff.
If the peanut butter you buy has any ingredient other than peanuts, then you’re buying trans fat-filled crap, or its slightly less-awful tropical-oil-filled crap.
Don’t be lazy. Buy the stuff with the peanut oil floating on top, like Adams or Laura Scudder’s, or the grind-it-youself variety from the health food store.
The manufacturers of Jif, Skippy, Adams No-Stir and the like sell off the peanut oil in their brands because it’s highly profitable, then they add back in garbage like trans fats, palm oil, coconut oil, sugar, flavorings and hard-to-pronounce chemical compounds, trying to restore some semblance of the taste and texture that REAL peanut butter already has in spades.
REAL peanut butter has only one ingredient: peanuts. Any addition — other than salt—
makes it non-peanut butter.
A Bad Egg — and Sperm
Self-loathing is a bizarre thing, whether it takes the form of a 400-pound human, or someone who works tirelessly against their own best interests. How troubling to see the people who need it most marching in the streets and hollering against Obamacare. Never mind that the USA is the only developed country on earth with no public healthcare program. Where does the self-loathing and convoluted “thought process” that demonizes one’s primary basic human right come from? As taxpayers the first perk we should enjoy for our tax contribution is access to an affordable fair plan whose goal is keeping its taxpaying citizens productive, healthy and alive. Dead people can’t buy things. Dead people can’t contribute to generating an economic recovery. Dead people pay no taxes. Cigarettes are not only legal in the US but are subsidized by our government. Making people sick — then dead at the rate of 400,000 Americans a year —drives nobody into the streets in protest, yet the wackos pour out the door into the lanes and avenues at the “threat” of accessible health care.
The female “celebrity” who blames her child’s autism on vaccinations is well known among her friends for her emotional problems and self-destructive and reckless lifestyle prior to her becoming pregnant, as well as during her pregnancy. Unwilling to take responsibility for her past choices, she now wants us all to suffer by placing OUR children at risk with her bat-shit crazy crusade that is now paying off in spades as we see diseases once thought eradicated now reemerging.
People — meaning both men and women — who refuse to accept responsibility that their smoking, drugging, boozing, junk fooding and whoring contributes overwhelmingly to the production of compromised eggs and sperm are fools. They damage themselves and thus damage their ability to produce viable cells. It’s a roulette wheel, and those that brag how reckless they were prior to or during pregnancy, claiming their child “turned out all right” have 18 years or so to observe just “how well” the kid came through in the aftermath of mommy and daddy’s partying years. Parents like to speak of schizophrenia, ADHD, autism, mental retardation and the like as if these things were just quirks of fate — as if it were no fault of their own that caused or contributed to their damaged baby.
Throughout my life I’ve been aghast at parents who actually blame their own kids for how they “turned out,” refusing to review what they themselves did or did not do that contributed or caused their child to be such a disappointment to them.
The female “celebrity” who blames her child’s autism on vaccinations is well known among her friends for her emotional problems and self-destructive and reckless lifestyle prior to her becoming pregnant, as well as during her pregnancy. Unwilling to take responsibility for her past choices, she now wants us all to suffer by placing OUR children at risk with her bat-shit crazy crusade that is now paying off in spades as we see diseases once thought eradicated now reemerging.
People — meaning both men and women — who refuse to accept responsibility that their smoking, drugging, boozing, junk fooding and whoring contributes overwhelmingly to the production of compromised eggs and sperm are fools. They damage themselves and thus damage their ability to produce viable cells. It’s a roulette wheel, and those that brag how reckless they were prior to or during pregnancy, claiming their child “turned out all right” have 18 years or so to observe just “how well” the kid came through in the aftermath of mommy and daddy’s partying years. Parents like to speak of schizophrenia, ADHD, autism, mental retardation and the like as if these things were just quirks of fate — as if it were no fault of their own that caused or contributed to their damaged baby.
Throughout my life I’ve been aghast at parents who actually blame their own kids for how they “turned out,” refusing to review what they themselves did or did not do that contributed or caused their child to be such a disappointment to them.
Sunday, March 9, 2014
Eating Issues: Cravings and Whatnot
Other than “How old are you?” the question I get most is “What do you eat?”
I think I have a good understanding — in an obtuse way — of addiction and obsession, because I’m surrounded by people who routinely eat or drink what they are told they shouldn’t, but have a WTF attitude. I myself will polish off an entire bag of frozen Snickers minis in a few hours, so I do get it. But my personal quirk is I will rarely buy the stuff that I believe is bad for me. And that decision is painless for me, mostly, compared to everyone else I know. For them it takes teeth-grinding determination and self discipline. For me, it’s “so what?”
So for that reason my answering the question “What do you eat?” has no basis in reality for others.
For example, I never in my life have had food delivered to my door. Never. No pizza, no Chinese. Nothing. I’m also too lazy to put my shoes on and get in my car to go to the store when I have a craving. I’d rather do without. Laziness overrules cravings in my case. Also, I might lose my parking spot.
At the supermarket I might buy a bag of Snickers or a tub of Roselani ice cream or a bag of Lay’s chips, but never all three. That’s just me, because the person in front of me in the checkout line has his cart filled with little other than sweet snacks, Hot Pockets, cases of soda, and convenience/prepared foods. I also won’t buy frozen meal items, like Bertolli’s or PF Chang’s frozen meals or frozen lasagna, etc. Making a stir fry takes me the same amount of time, and I know what’s in it. I mean, freezing food preserves it, so why does frozen food have preservatives added? The ingredients list on the package is in a tiny point size for good reason. With all the bizarre chemicals these corporate assholes add to food, and I’m talking about petroleum products and the yoga-mat chemical that is stated to be present in at least 500 prepared foods, and also having worked in a restaurant for 3 years, I am not big on letting others make my food. So I don’t eat out very often, knowing as I do what goes on behind the scenes. And since the restaurant I worked in was a hot celebrity hangout, I figure if the owner was going to be as casual about cleanliness and food handling as he was with food that Streisand and Voigt and Minnelli were eating, I can only imagine what goes on at the chain restaurants.
I think I have a good understanding — in an obtuse way — of addiction and obsession, because I’m surrounded by people who routinely eat or drink what they are told they shouldn’t, but have a WTF attitude. I myself will polish off an entire bag of frozen Snickers minis in a few hours, so I do get it. But my personal quirk is I will rarely buy the stuff that I believe is bad for me. And that decision is painless for me, mostly, compared to everyone else I know. For them it takes teeth-grinding determination and self discipline. For me, it’s “so what?”
So for that reason my answering the question “What do you eat?” has no basis in reality for others.
For example, I never in my life have had food delivered to my door. Never. No pizza, no Chinese. Nothing. I’m also too lazy to put my shoes on and get in my car to go to the store when I have a craving. I’d rather do without. Laziness overrules cravings in my case. Also, I might lose my parking spot.
At the supermarket I might buy a bag of Snickers or a tub of Roselani ice cream or a bag of Lay’s chips, but never all three. That’s just me, because the person in front of me in the checkout line has his cart filled with little other than sweet snacks, Hot Pockets, cases of soda, and convenience/prepared foods. I also won’t buy frozen meal items, like Bertolli’s or PF Chang’s frozen meals or frozen lasagna, etc. Making a stir fry takes me the same amount of time, and I know what’s in it. I mean, freezing food preserves it, so why does frozen food have preservatives added? The ingredients list on the package is in a tiny point size for good reason. With all the bizarre chemicals these corporate assholes add to food, and I’m talking about petroleum products and the yoga-mat chemical that is stated to be present in at least 500 prepared foods, and also having worked in a restaurant for 3 years, I am not big on letting others make my food. So I don’t eat out very often, knowing as I do what goes on behind the scenes. And since the restaurant I worked in was a hot celebrity hangout, I figure if the owner was going to be as casual about cleanliness and food handling as he was with food that Streisand and Voigt and Minnelli were eating, I can only imagine what goes on at the chain restaurants.
Friday, February 7, 2014
What's HIS Probem?
The claims made by rabid detractors of hormone replacement therapy, or HRT, that steroids shrink men’s testicles or cause “roid rage” and the like are preposterous lies. Whenever we hear a criticism, especially an impassioned emotional criticism — of anything or anyone — our first reaction should be, “What the hell is HIS problem?” not, “Please, tell me more, oh Wise One.”
The fascinating thing about the internet is how many people present themselves as experts in areas they know absolutely nothing about, and how they simply parrot disinformation they’ve read elsewhere online or heard on talk radio. People need to feel special and important, and spouting crap overheard elsewhere as if it is gospel is a common way for these individuals to prop up their ego.
Cigarettes are legal despite killing 400,000 American annually. Steroids are classified in the same group as heroin, yet steroids are non-addictive, and the only way people die from steroids is the same way they die from Tylenol — by taking so much that it damages their liver and kidneys. This steroid hysteria is insanity plain and simple, and yet people not only shrug their shoulders over this corporate and social hypocrisy, but eagerly volunteer to become disseminators of lies and disinformation concerning both.
I have stated before that I myself do not take any of these pharmaceuticals because of the adverse effect they have on my cholesterol and red blood cell count. The greatest advantage to my taking testosterone when I was able to safely do so under a physician's supervision was the enhancement of quality of life. Hormones are complicated things, regulating and affecting as they do a whole range of physical and emotional issues. A hormone we all produce naturally, testosterone, when production falls or fails, affects far more than just our physical strength. It detrimentally affects our mood by initiating depression and diminishing our positive outlook on life in general. Hormonal treatment is a balancing act that must involve a physician, a specialist preferably, one with much experience in the field.
Having been married to a physician for seven years, and attending social events where doctors after a few drinks begin to reveal the most outrageous attitudes, prejudices and biases, I became aware that ignorant doctors are just as common as ignorant plumbers, ignorant contractors, or anything else. Physicians who are anti-HRT have emotional reasons for their prejudice having no connection to the medical.
The fascinating thing about the internet is how many people present themselves as experts in areas they know absolutely nothing about, and how they simply parrot disinformation they’ve read elsewhere online or heard on talk radio. People need to feel special and important, and spouting crap overheard elsewhere as if it is gospel is a common way for these individuals to prop up their ego.
Cigarettes are legal despite killing 400,000 American annually. Steroids are classified in the same group as heroin, yet steroids are non-addictive, and the only way people die from steroids is the same way they die from Tylenol — by taking so much that it damages their liver and kidneys. This steroid hysteria is insanity plain and simple, and yet people not only shrug their shoulders over this corporate and social hypocrisy, but eagerly volunteer to become disseminators of lies and disinformation concerning both.
I have stated before that I myself do not take any of these pharmaceuticals because of the adverse effect they have on my cholesterol and red blood cell count. The greatest advantage to my taking testosterone when I was able to safely do so under a physician's supervision was the enhancement of quality of life. Hormones are complicated things, regulating and affecting as they do a whole range of physical and emotional issues. A hormone we all produce naturally, testosterone, when production falls or fails, affects far more than just our physical strength. It detrimentally affects our mood by initiating depression and diminishing our positive outlook on life in general. Hormonal treatment is a balancing act that must involve a physician, a specialist preferably, one with much experience in the field.
Having been married to a physician for seven years, and attending social events where doctors after a few drinks begin to reveal the most outrageous attitudes, prejudices and biases, I became aware that ignorant doctors are just as common as ignorant plumbers, ignorant contractors, or anything else. Physicians who are anti-HRT have emotional reasons for their prejudice having no connection to the medical.
Counterfeit Online Drugs
If you have purchased drugs online — Pain killers, Viagra, Cialis, testosterone, HGH, steroids — chances are excellent that you not only didn’t receive the actual drug, but that the “ingredients” pose a direct threat to your health.
About 2/3 of all the world’s counterfeit goods come from China. India is an especially active hotbed for bogus pharmaceuticals.
It has always been alarming to me when friends told me they purchase drugs on the street, since drug pushers aren’t exactly the most ethical humans on the planet, and God knows what they put in their wares. But still, these eager customers cling to the “nothing bad’s going to happen to me because I’m so smart and special” mantra as they merrily ingest questionable materials.
Counterfeiters have sunk so low as to market bogus cancer pharmaceuticals such as a phony form of Avastin, a chemotherapy infusion pharma, the counterfeit version having infected the US supply chain in 2012. Automobile brake pads, computer chips, airliner replacement parts — even breakfast cereals like Cheerios are being counterfeited. The crash of the Concorde supersonic airliner in Paris in 2000 was directly due to the plane hitting a counterfeit airline part that fell off a DC10 airliner that preceded the Concorde on takeoff. Counterfeit parts have been found on the US President’s Air Force One 747 and Marine One helicopter.
People who buy counterfeit running shoes, purses, watches and the like are directly contributing to this threat to our everyday well-being by supporting the increasing power of these out-of-control underground industries.
So, how can we tell if a pharma is counterfeit or genuine? The truth is, we can’t.
If you visit hulu.com you can watch a well-produced Canadian documentary titled Counterfeit Culture: http://www.hulu.com/watch/521530
About 2/3 of all the world’s counterfeit goods come from China. India is an especially active hotbed for bogus pharmaceuticals.
It has always been alarming to me when friends told me they purchase drugs on the street, since drug pushers aren’t exactly the most ethical humans on the planet, and God knows what they put in their wares. But still, these eager customers cling to the “nothing bad’s going to happen to me because I’m so smart and special” mantra as they merrily ingest questionable materials.
Counterfeiters have sunk so low as to market bogus cancer pharmaceuticals such as a phony form of Avastin, a chemotherapy infusion pharma, the counterfeit version having infected the US supply chain in 2012. Automobile brake pads, computer chips, airliner replacement parts — even breakfast cereals like Cheerios are being counterfeited. The crash of the Concorde supersonic airliner in Paris in 2000 was directly due to the plane hitting a counterfeit airline part that fell off a DC10 airliner that preceded the Concorde on takeoff. Counterfeit parts have been found on the US President’s Air Force One 747 and Marine One helicopter.
People who buy counterfeit running shoes, purses, watches and the like are directly contributing to this threat to our everyday well-being by supporting the increasing power of these out-of-control underground industries.
So, how can we tell if a pharma is counterfeit or genuine? The truth is, we can’t.
If you visit hulu.com you can watch a well-produced Canadian documentary titled Counterfeit Culture: http://www.hulu.com/watch/521530
Thursday, January 23, 2014
The Selfie
To more accurately track your progress, enlist a friend, or put your camera on a tripod (or ladder or table or other stationary resting place), set the self-timer and standing in front of a plain wall, take straight-on shots from all four angles: front, back, left side, right side.
A month from now set up the identical situation (especially the same lighting, whether natural or artificial) and repeat.
Lots of before-and-after photos used in ads to sell you products or services are rigged by changing the lighting, having the subject tense their ab muscles, taking the photo immediately after a workout so that the subject has a pump, etc.
Keeping your chosen photo set up the same from photo shoot to photo shoot will allow you to accurately gauge your progress.
On the other hand, when taking selfies for social reasons, you’ll want to show yourself off at your best, so do whatever it takes to create the most flattering shot.
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Human Growth Hormone
Around age 21 the ends of our bones seal off and further bone growth stops. This means, for one thing, after age 21 we won't be getting any taller. I'm not an expert in HGH, just a short-term participant in a medical study, but I do know that HGH used in children who are deemed small for their age accelerates both bone and muscle growth. In adults, the bones can no longer lengthen. The effect on me personally was that my bones were trying to grow regardless of their inability to do so, which created pressure at the ends of bones, in my hands, feet and legs. In addition, I had up to that point had developed what I thought was an esthetically pleasing physique. My ideal weight was 185 lbs., but after three months on HGH I weighed 200 lbs., and I was no longer happy with my appearance. So this esthetic result too contributed to my disenchantment with HGH and ending my participation in the study.
Many bodybuilders' main goal is indeed size, but my priority was "the look" as I perceived it to be, rather than getting big at any cost. Both friends and strangers however reacted very positively to the change in me. A noted sculptor, Kira Od, asked that I pose for her for her series of bronze castings of male physiques topped by animal heads, such as horse, or in my case, a water buffalo.
In the end, the decision to employ the use of medically supervised testosterone, nandrolone or HGH is a highly personal one. These three pharmaceuticals saved thousands of lives in the 80s and 90s when the AIDS epidemic was at is most horrifying, when muscle wasting was the number one cause of terrible bacterial and fungal infections' ability to take a foothold in patients and no drugs were yet available to treat HIV. The bizarre beliefs that certain ignorant, fearful individuals embrace, that certain pharmaceuticals are inherently "bad" or "unsavory" for example, is to be questioned always. A timely case is medical marijuana, its use by people who are suffering or dying demonized as "illegal" and "immoral" with all fury that control-freak behaviorists can muster.
Who are these people whose lives are so screwed up that their paramount objective becomes controlling others?
Using pharmaceuticals bought on the street is crazy, pure and simple. If you feel you would benefit from growth-enhancing pharmaceuticals, there are many ways that a doctor can prescribe them for you. It is essential that your blood work be monitored closely. Every pharmaceutical has it's potential negative side effects, as watching TV ads for them in which the list of side effect warnings take up almost the entire voice-over in those commercials. Growth-enhancing pharmas in fact are safer, under a physician's supervision, than Tylenol as proven by the statistics. Over 100,000 Americans annually end up in the ER due to Tylenol use.
visit www.kiraod.com
Wednesday, January 15, 2014
Circumstances In Opposition
I hear you. You want to exercise, work out, swim, etc., but circumstances impede your way.
I am once again living in a community where there is no gym within a reasonable drive, and when I go to the gym the commute takes longer than the actual workout. It's a 40 minute drive each way, so the getting ready, the commute, finding parking and the workout itself eat up three to three-and-a-half hours a day. That's a lot of time not to be attending to income-generating business. So as an alternative I work out at home. But the basic equipment at home doesn't even begin to compare with the sophistication and variety at the gym, and so my progress is stunted.
What to do, what to do?
Happiness in life to a large measure begins with acceptance. And that includes not beating yourself up when you are truly making an effort. When I drive to the gym I feel guilty that I am ignoring work in a diminished economy where having an income that allows me to grow a rainy day fund is imperative for my own peace of mind. And the best way for me to do that is stay at home and put in the work hours, because peace of mind is something at the very top of my list. But when I don't go to the gym I feel guilty in a different way because my personal fitness goals suffer. I think Oprah places this dilemma under the heading of "having it all."
Right now I can't have it all.
For many years I was in a situation that was ideal for reaching my fitness goal. Economically and personally things were better, because the 2008 crash hadn't happened yet. Then I lived in a huge city, 15 minutes from 4 different phenomenal gyms and certain complications that exist today did not exist then. Today I live in a rural place that I love, and having friends in distressed situations involving finances, health issues and relationship fiascos, despite things not being even close perfect in my own case, has made me fully realize what I do have and how lucky I am compared to my friends.
Like any normal person, I do want it all, and so should you. But we can't always have what we want when we want it. All we can do is make the best of what we have at this moment and keep laying the groundwork for the future so we'll be prepared when opportunity again presents itself.
I am once again living in a community where there is no gym within a reasonable drive, and when I go to the gym the commute takes longer than the actual workout. It's a 40 minute drive each way, so the getting ready, the commute, finding parking and the workout itself eat up three to three-and-a-half hours a day. That's a lot of time not to be attending to income-generating business. So as an alternative I work out at home. But the basic equipment at home doesn't even begin to compare with the sophistication and variety at the gym, and so my progress is stunted.
What to do, what to do?
Happiness in life to a large measure begins with acceptance. And that includes not beating yourself up when you are truly making an effort. When I drive to the gym I feel guilty that I am ignoring work in a diminished economy where having an income that allows me to grow a rainy day fund is imperative for my own peace of mind. And the best way for me to do that is stay at home and put in the work hours, because peace of mind is something at the very top of my list. But when I don't go to the gym I feel guilty in a different way because my personal fitness goals suffer. I think Oprah places this dilemma under the heading of "having it all."
Right now I can't have it all.
For many years I was in a situation that was ideal for reaching my fitness goal. Economically and personally things were better, because the 2008 crash hadn't happened yet. Then I lived in a huge city, 15 minutes from 4 different phenomenal gyms and certain complications that exist today did not exist then. Today I live in a rural place that I love, and having friends in distressed situations involving finances, health issues and relationship fiascos, despite things not being even close perfect in my own case, has made me fully realize what I do have and how lucky I am compared to my friends.
Like any normal person, I do want it all, and so should you. But we can't always have what we want when we want it. All we can do is make the best of what we have at this moment and keep laying the groundwork for the future so we'll be prepared when opportunity again presents itself.
Metabolism Slowdown
Commentors take me to task for my basic denial of metabolism slowdown as pertains to age. They are mad at me for my view that it isn't age that slows metabolism, it's the slowdown in activity and the denial about what we're eating, and how much, that slows metabolism.
I understand that science supports the idea of age-related metabolism slowdown, which makes lazy people VERY happy. "Yay! Science agrees with me! See? I told you!"
I may be dumb when it comes to some things, but I'm very smart when it comes to others, like denial, procrastination, projecting, and excuse-making. I see right through that stuff, and THAT makes people mad. Because I won't let them off the hook about it.
But I do! I do let everyone off the hook by famously saying you don't have to eat right, or work out or exercise. The police will not come to your door and drag you away.
Writing to me in a futile attempt to make your contrarian point will not work. I'm empathetic only up to a certain point. You don't have to read my book or blog or watch my videos. But you insist on doing these things regardless, and then you want to argue about it.
I urge you to stop this nonsense. Rather, just live your life and be happy. Eat. Lay on the sofa. Watch duck shows. But stop complaining. You can't have it both ways, intentionally sabotaging yourself, then lying about it ("Honest! I eat like a bird!") and then whining about the result.
I understand that science supports the idea of age-related metabolism slowdown, which makes lazy people VERY happy. "Yay! Science agrees with me! See? I told you!"
I may be dumb when it comes to some things, but I'm very smart when it comes to others, like denial, procrastination, projecting, and excuse-making. I see right through that stuff, and THAT makes people mad. Because I won't let them off the hook about it.
But I do! I do let everyone off the hook by famously saying you don't have to eat right, or work out or exercise. The police will not come to your door and drag you away.
Writing to me in a futile attempt to make your contrarian point will not work. I'm empathetic only up to a certain point. You don't have to read my book or blog or watch my videos. But you insist on doing these things regardless, and then you want to argue about it.
I urge you to stop this nonsense. Rather, just live your life and be happy. Eat. Lay on the sofa. Watch duck shows. But stop complaining. You can't have it both ways, intentionally sabotaging yourself, then lying about it ("Honest! I eat like a bird!") and then whining about the result.
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