SpaceChimp007

I'll buy the argument 100% that Nautilus machines are safer for those who are learning or incompetent. It is simply untrue that by doing a snatch or clean properly you will destroy your skeleton. I know people (myself included) who are living proof that his claim is incorrect. I would also agree that machines isolate individual muscles better. If you are looking for a beach body, I could see where utilizing a machine would be best. However, fitness is not solely comprised of people aiming for big chests. Some people who exercise want to perform better on the job or athletic field and in order to do that, you need to engage in explosive lifts and other movements that can not be done on a machine. You need to incorporate movements that require balance and coordination which are things that machines will restrict- if not outright prohibit. Doing a pullup versus a lat machine or a jerk versus a shoulder press machine are a few examples. That I think is the chief argument for barbells and free weights in general. Recruiting more muscles and requiring fast-twitch muscle fibers is more efficiently done with free weights versus safety for weekend warriors and greater muscle hypertrophy allowing more pump for muscle growth on machines. Fair enough I think. Maybe it depends on people's goals. Functionality versus beach body.

Do they have a good portion of their collection on display for their visitors to see? I am going to be headed to the area later this year and was curious as to whether it was worth checking out in person. I'll make sure to leave the plastic at home!

Just curious as to your opinions on ARI. Would you call it successful or do you think it has not been as effective as it could be? If you were running it, what might you do differently? Thanks!

Check out the Cordair Art gallery. I'm sure many people here may already be familiar with it but for those who aren't and are looking for romantic realism artworks, look no further! Christmas is coming. . . .

Hi neighbors! Does everyone here wanna meet up and test the waters of starting up a community group? Having UCLA, USC, UCI and ARI so close will give us an opportunity to go to all kinds of events and find like minded folks. It seems a simple, reasonable donation will land us on ARI/ARC's website. I think I know of at least one other person not active in this forum who would be willing and able. Perhaps an initial meeting within a month or so?

I'm on such a slow computer right now! The YouTube will take hours- is there a link to a specific thread in one of his forums or his books you could show me? Thanks.

What does everyone here think about the idea? Have an affirmitive action bake sale charging different prices to different students based on ethnicity. If you want a cookie and are white you pay $2.00. Blacks, Asians, Hispanics pay $1.00. What do you think would become of students on a campus who did this? The school recognized club they are affiliated with? They can offer pamphlets and fliers about the injustice of affirmitive action. Do you think this would be an effective way for (positive!) promotion and exposure? How long do you think this could go until the tables are thrown over on top of the students having it or until university administration catches a whif of it and shuts them down? Any and all opinions would be appreciated it. Thank you everyone

Forgot: I can second everything said above. I went with a friend a few times and really enjoyed it. While mixed martial arts is not my thing (any climbers here?), they may very well be the most fit people on the planet. Very knowledgable, friendly and positive. Can't say enough good things about the majority of people involved in MMA. And congradulations on the progress Luther. Come challegenge yourself with us now Go pick up a stopwatch and barbell and start WODs. You'll bust through the 10% wall you're stuck at now in a matter of a few months. Leave Metzer and the pop stuff behind.

Visit Crossfit The aforementioned bodybuilding.com is a good place too. Might not be the ideal starting place but I'd definitely check it out in the event you stick with it. Most of the others looked like crap IMO. Any website strictly geared towards running, called beachbody or ends in .gov is very suspect at best. This is interesting. It's run by an Ayn Rand fan, too! Alfa- I didn't spend too much time snoopin' around through the Arthur Jones site once he knocked barbells. Can you tell me why he isn't an advocate of employing barbells/Olympic lifts?

You're right as to the point being to withstand what you fear rather than discard the fear and embrace pain being the point of the training. Didn't you ever see Batman Begins I'll make two comments regarding this: 1. You should train like this to stretch and know your limits. An Austrian alpine climber, Herman Buhl, carries snowballs in his hands to develop his tolerance (psychological) and increase capillarization (physical). He climbs locally in Austria all winter long, even in storm conditions, and rides his bike for hundreds of kilometers on the way to the mountains for training. It paid off, of course,when he climbed alone to the summit of Nanga Parbat a few years ago. Nobody else had ever done that as they thought it suicide but he knew he could do it because he simulated the conditions and knew he could endure them. You too are simulating conditions to know your limits. You know you can take a punch from SpaceChimp007- athletic, but by no means a strongman or bodybuilder- and come back and strike me which would likely result in a KO I'm into climbing and I know what I can handle on a rock because I train to stretch and, equally important, know my limits. If I have to do something or feel something I have never done or felt before on a rock, I know I am taking a bad risk because I have never experienced anything like this before and as such, have no idea whether I can handle it. Better to test your limits in a climbing gym with padding and help than isolated high on a rock somewhere. So too goes for fighting. If you don't push yourself in training with protection where you set the limits, you'll be more likely to wind up beaten in a fight because you will have not stretched your limits and more (presumably) "bad guys" will fall on the untested side of your limits where you have never experienced the pain they will inflict and as a result, you (should) back down from more "bad guys" than you would have had you stretched and knew your limits. 2. In regards to Branden's compartmentalisation, it has not applied to anyone I have ever known- albeit few- or have heard of who has trained hard. I suspect there might be a few more variables at work in the bouncer's case rather than just did he or did he not take pain-conditioning. Perhaps he underwent an excessive amount which attributed to a dimished or non-existent sex drive- I don't know. What I can say is that by undergoing physical training and enduring pain and pushing through it, you will increase your testosterone which will actually increase your sex drive. Just my .02c though. . . . If you no longer find Heidi Klum hot or don't notice you cut your finger until you discover a blood trail from the counter to the kitchen table, I'd scale it back. Until then, man up!

I need to recite the last few lines of this to some people. Really love the last stanza Robert. Thanks for sharing it.

Anyone notice the comments posted by the viewers of the video in YouTube? Nothing but praise. . . . I second everything ruveyn. I enjoyed watching Blair, Bush and the rest of the leaders scramble and bump heads Also, the $ sign as opposed to the swastika, that kicked ass! How great would it be to have that on your sleeve if you went into battle?!?! Mammon, how did you come across this? Was this noted in the media, by a friend or are you just a fan of the band? Are they a "political" band. I grew up a huge Rage Against The Machine fan until I sat back and thought about what they were saying. I loved their aggressive style and lyrics. Can't stand them anymore now that I know something but they were a big influence on a lot of people who still parrot their contemptible lines. Is there a band that carries the flag of reason and freedom that gets radio play?

Very nice work Volco. Just wanted to add my .02c. Keep the pics coming- I for one am enjoying them!

There's some silver lining for you Megan. I wish my family would have been too broke to indulge in soda, alcohol and cigarettes instead of having enough $ to buy it and not miss a beat. I'm not equating the three although it's the same principle- just mentioning. In fact, people who are very strict regarding their diet often have to closely watch carb and sodium intake so I'm guessing that since people here are chugging gallons of soda every month, they'd be best just cutting them altogether rather than replacing them. This is all beside the point however. It's the fact that soda has such a high amount of sugar and acid that should concern you. I'm relatively new to Objectivism and it's applications in everyday life so I seldom have insight that others have not already considered. However, I do know a good deal about nutrition and enough about Objectivism to evidently enlighten everyone here : Soda is bad for your health- in any amount. Period. It's not a matter of opinion, it's an established fact that is no longer questioned among scientists and athletes who "do" nutrition for a living. The toll it takes on your body in the short term by way of tooth decay and a spiked glycemic index as well as long term in the form of osteoporosis and diabetes is dangerous and entirely unnecessary. If embracing reality is the hallmark of Objectivism, how can you not be convinced by the volumes of evidence compiled by scientists and athletes? Is it that the scientists from some of the most respected institutitons on the planet don't know how to control variables and just about every world class athlete on the planet has inferior genetics to those who drink it and "are fine"? Health is a big deal to me from some experiences I've seen people close to me go through. If you want to drink soda you certainly have the right and I too can't stand those people trying to ban soda. Just don't tell others to go ahead and indulge in their evil behavior! Be objective and learn from others to avoid the same pitfalls. I'll hop off my soapbox now and quit posting in this thread as I'm a little embarrassed I got so heated

Maybe it's the head in the sand after all . . . In which case, as Rand says, there's no point in trying to reason with you any further. I hate saying this but what argument would convince you since all of the ones put out by scientists in highly regarded, academic journals of science and nutrition can not do it. Neither can the testimony of athletes who have proven their claims in the field. Did you ever see the movie "Thank You For Smoking"? It's a fantastic film that is quite funny as well as being pro-freedom. I highly recommend it if anyone has not seen it. Reminds me of our dialogue Only difference is Nick Naylor knew he was slingin' BS. Soda has cumulative effects and if you don't notice them now, I hope you lay off the intake before it takes a much more serious toll on your body. Good luck. But, then again, A is A. . . .

So is everyone of the opinion that cds, television, movies etc. are no substitute for conversing with a native speaker? Also, do you think learning a foreign language could be done independent of a class? In other words, are there any other places you could speak the language assuming there is nobody you know who speaks it? Anything or place I have not thought of? It never occured to me that you could "lose" a language once learned by not speaking it but it makes sense. I'm afraid other than Spanish, this would be a serious concern. Seeing as I have a great opportunity to learn Spanish living in southern CA, I think that I'll take it up. As far as utility goes, I'm not an employee of a multinational and Spanish would definitely be an asset for me. Thanks for all the tips and input. I appreciate you taking the time. Just outta curiousity, are N. Saami and Tsez some of the most difficult to learn?

I have recently wanted to take up learning a foreign language. A friend of mine in the military is learning German and is telling me how much fun and beneficial- she's stationed in Germany- it has been for her. I too think learning a foreign language would be enjoyable and listening to her progress over the phone the past few months has really planted the bug in me! I live in southern California and learning Spanish would certainly be beneficial as a large part of the population here speaks Spanish. I also took a couple of years of it in school and recall most of it but I'm not convinced as to whether I'd like to learn Spanish but I would like to learn a foreign language. Learning in general is enjoyable and I want to find out what it's like to be fluent in another language. I know I'll be casting away the reading of, say, a book per month by spending my time instead on learning the foreign language which is a bit scary. YIKES! Any comments or recommendations regarding it's worth, the time commitment, the best method, importance of having someone to converse with in that language etc., for those who have looked into or have learned a foreign language- especially since formal schooling? Thanks everyone

Not sure where to begin. . . You're skinny despite drinking soda, not because of it. I should have stated that the consumption of soda will lead to weight gain, all else being equal. There are a great deal of variables involved but I would bet money that if you drank 1/2 a liter a day or more over the course of a month and then cut it cold turkey keeping everything else in your diet and lifestyle the same, you'd weigh more after the month of soda than after the month of consuming an extra 1/2 liter of water. It's human biology- not junk science. The Center for Consumer Freedom article depicting studies as such I cannot argue with. But there are MANY other claims against soda made from peer-reviewed, scholarly medical journals that cite the detriments soda has on your body. As the link musenji pointed out explains, the contents of soda have multiple adverse effects on your body. You've either got your head burried deep in the sand, need to claim your Nobel prize $ if you have any real counter-evidence to cite or, more likely, you probably view the negative impact moderate consumption of soda has on your body is outweighed by its taste. Is this fair? Being skinny is not being in good shape (see the residents of east Africa). Maintaining a healthy body weight certainly is though which is what you might have meant. I know the measuring stick for a lot of people is the scale they stand on but there is more to it than that. Off track, the $ comment was a joke Your posts on other threads have certainly been helpful to me- in particular the vegetarian posts a few months back! Say yes to meat You're certainly wrong here though. I'd be very interested to hear why my earlier sweeping claim, or this one, is wrong.

Thank you. The 30th pic is up on my computer! Great shots!

No need to bet unless you don't like $ The evidence is in on the effects of Pepsi and it's quite conclusive. Are you ignorant regarding health and athletic performance or do you simply not believe all the scientists and athletes that vehemently argue against it? It's possible I am missing something but I can't imagine what it is. . . Can the soda advocates tell me why Pepsi is actually good for you?! I would be really interested in it.

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Sugar is bad for you under normal circumstances to say nothing of soda's other shortcomings Mammon. If you're into Hedonism, by all means keep up the intake of Pepsi. Just because you like soda (or Oreos, heroine, vegetables), it does not mean that the consumption of it is rational. Like others have attested to, you'll find that you won't LOVE it after being off for a few weeks. In fact, I find it rather disgusting now since I cleaned up my diet a few years ago for whatever that's worth. If you give a hoot about your health, put down the soda and pick up some water, milk, tea or just about anything else. For those of you who drink it already and are in "good" shape, you'd be in better shape and health if you quit.

I'm confused about what type of content you'd like to see in the letters you proposed. Am I to apologize for my indifference (relative to the strikers in A.S.) to the federal tax code? Am I supposed to apologize on someone else's behalf for a sentence I did not hand down? Is the paying of federal taxes a form of appeasement to a tyrant and terrorist? Is W. Snipes' decision to not pay taxes rational? Do you all think W. Snipes was content going down as a martyr?

Take a look around the country- won't take a chemical plant to bring down value these days! You must be living in the boonies because there's not a snowball's-chance-in-hell any zoning ordinance would permit that! In any event, like the other members mentioned earlier, you'll need a better argument than this. . .

I agree. I would like to add that jazz is, at the least, equal to the level of classical music in the terms you mentioned above. It's freedom and flexibility allows it to evolve at a pace unmatched by any style of music which gives the listener a greater opportunity to appreciate a much wider variety of styles (bob, fusion, smooth etc.). Jazz is also the place where most of the great instrumentalists have gravitated to for the last 100 years. If you're smart, jazz, like classical, is a great style of music to listen to. *Currently listenin' to Sex Pistols so what do I know