Messages

76

General Discussion / Anyone interested in Permaculture?

« on: March 24, 2008, 10:46:25 PM »

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-6370279933612522952&q=the+permaculture+concept&total=26&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=4

This concept is making me think quite a lot. Like, do I want to get a computer job, complain about problems on the internet, or possibly become involved with permaculture, and be a force for good, part of the solution.
Is anyone else interested in this concept?

77

Advice Column / Re: rock lifting

« on: March 24, 2008, 10:08:09 PM »

Believe it or not, good old chin-ups (with hands facing toward you) are one of the best exercises around for biceps, as well as the obvious and massive benefits for your entire back and shoulder structure.

Chin-ups are awesome, and can be quite hard and challenging - hence why you see people sticking to the assisted pullup machine.

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The Voting Booth / Re: 3 days without television, can you do it?

« on: March 24, 2008, 10:03:53 PM »

The purpose of television shows has almost always been to entertain and attract as many viewers as possible. Still you can learn a lot from factual documentaries. I download the few shows that I want to watch from the internet, haven't really watched anything apart from the odd episode of the simpsons on telly in ages.

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General Discussion / Re: One more reason why tobacco is bad for you, that you might not have known

« on: March 24, 2008, 10:00:39 PM »

I do not and never will accept genetics as an excuse for bad behaviour and choices. People like to jump on genetics as the latest excuse in a long list of excuses for being unable to do something. I think the way we are raised has a much more profound impact on these things, and that is something that should be looked at closely. Regarding the self esteem issues of many people, I feel that is indeed an area for concern and they do definitely need help to overcome the issues holding them back in their lives. But they need true help, something that will break through the issues and actually deal with them so they can move on. Too often the "help" merely masks over the cause by treating the symptoms, hence the drug co's stranglehold on the health industry. This kind of treatment is pointless as the underlying issue(s) are still there and continue to come up throughout their entire lives. We really have to change how we as a society treat psychological issues.

With you on this one buddy. People use age, genetics, whatever they can as a defense mechanism to exempt themselves from personal responsiblity. "Oh, I can't lose weight, I've got an endomorph build, it's just in my genetics" Well people 100 years ago weren't obese, genetics haven't changed much in 2 or 3 generations. "I can't exercise, I'm too old". My personal favourite: "I've got an addictive personality." Hahaha. Sorry, but that's a scientific way of saying "I have no willpower".
As a free man (or woman) you ought to take responsiblity for your actions. This all said, we live in the type of society that makes it perfectly okay to be average, and even provides us the excuses.

80

Food & Diet / Re: salt

« on: March 23, 2008, 05:38:17 PM »

Oh, I almost forgot:  If you haven't tried this, you really should!  Yesterday I made a huge baking sheet of roasted veggies.  First, I preheated my oven to 400 degrees.  Then, in a big bowl, I mixed up some  chunks of parsnip, turnip, carrot, yellow onion, red pepper, portobello mushroom and also added some garlic cloves (still in skin).  I drizzled olive oil all over everything and sprinkled in a liberal amount of dried rosemary.  I spread the mixture out onto a baking sheet (no need to grease it - the olive oil is enough) and the last thing I did was put some chunks of fresh beet in the bowl to coat them with what was left of the oil, and then placed the chunks in and around the other veggies.  I did this last so as not to color all the vegetables pink.  I roasted the veggies for 45 minutes and was it ever delicious.  The roasting was so yummy that I didn't even need any salt, but a small amount would probably make it even more delicious.  I would add the salt after baking though, so that the juices of the veggies (especially the mushrooms) stay intact.  Nothing like a roasted mushroom!  Or a roasted clove of garlic. 

This big pan of veggies is enough for a few meals - and they taste great cold out of the fridge the next day - I just put them into a big tupperware container once they've cooled.

Good work Brandy! That sounds delicious. Something just extremely pleasing about a roast huh? Well about salt, it's my personal opinion that it's a natural taste that humans and all animals crave, and ancient civilisations held it in high regard. That said, the salt they got was probably not pure sodium chloride. Just guessing here but the salt the romans ate would have probably been much higher in minerals. I personally eat salt and enjoy it, maybe just don't eat too much because it can make you retain water and you'll seem heavier than you really are. I remember when I first started dieting I lost 3 kgs the first week which would have been mostly water, because I always used to get salty takeaways on the way home from school but cut that out on the diet.

81

Advice Column / Re: A question about posture...

« on: March 23, 2008, 05:29:05 PM »

Merry Christmas to you too Madison 

Forgive me for getting all excited when I see a conversation about posture on this forum but it's what I do for a living so I can't help but put in my two cents.

The feet are the foundation of our posture so having them in good working order can help to alleviate many problems like lower back pain that can often be caused by fallen arches leading to instability and rotation through the hips. This can also set up the posture of rounded shoulders that leads to those nasty tension headaches.

So, if your feet are not in the best shape you can improve your posture by improving the functionality and strength of the muscles in your arches by practising picking up a pen or a towel from the ground with your toes. This will strengthen and help lift your arches which will in turn improve your posture by creating a solid foundation. Walking barefoot on uneven surfaces is also a brilliant suggestion and probably best attempted after a few weeks of strengthening your arches.

One other tip for good posture from the ground up is to stand with your feet aligned hip width apart, then lift your toes and wiggle them to ensure your weight is evenly distributed throughout your foot rather than on the balls of your feet which will again put pressure on your lower back. Do this any time you need to stand still for any length of time and you'll notice you wont need to shift your weight around so much to stay comfortable.

Didn't see this topic before, but thanks heaps. My posture leaves a bit to be desired, and my feet are pretty flat. I'm gonna go around barefoot and try some of those exercises, cheers LAChick.

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Advice Column / Re: How old is too old...?

« on: March 23, 2008, 05:22:46 PM »

Never too late to get fit. There are men in their 50s and 60s that could beat me in an arm wrestle, and, dare I say it, a real wrestle. There are men in their 70s who can still "rise to the occasion" (I'm guessing they probably eat a lot of caveman foods) so I'd say that a number is indicative of how many years you have lived, not your health in any way. I say bugger genetics, bugger age, bugger self-imposed and society-imposed restrictions and "I can'ts". I'd say getting your ass out and exercising is one of the best things you could do, as the average man who doesn't, gets lower muscle mass, testosterone and growth hormone every year in his 40s. Exercising is great if for no other reason than to keep your hormonal system functional. Use it or lose it I guess.

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Advice Column / Re: rock lifting

« on: March 23, 2008, 05:08:55 PM »

Imo the best abdominal exercise I've done is the plank. It sounds easy, but you'll change your mind after a minute.

http://exercise.about.com/od/abs/ss/abexercises_10.htm

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Add some photos! / Re: Humorous Images

« on: March 23, 2008, 05:55:22 AM »

The food pyramid is a joke. Why would I eat eggs fish and meat in moderation? I eat plenty of eggs and I'd bet I'm a whole lot healthier than most doctors. Ditch this crap.

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General Discussion / Re: The revolution - is it coming?

« on: March 20, 2008, 04:04:16 PM »

I can't see anyone changing from oil any time soon. Although brazil did do this a while ago, converted their cars to run on ethanol.

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General Discussion / Re: Obesity debates in television news

« on: March 20, 2008, 04:01:58 PM »

It's really funny that scientists are always saying how they're finding the obesity gene, doing more research etc...
My parents tell me there were almost no fat kids at their school back in the 50s. And our genes have been the same since paleolithic times.
Good luck finding that obesity gene guys, I think I'll just eat sensibly in the mean time....

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Food & Diet / Re: vegetarians

« on: March 19, 2008, 10:07:38 PM »

Yeah, it has no place in my diet. We already get plenty of industrial estrogens in large quantities from what I hear, no need to stack more on top of that for whatever perceived benefits it might have. No reason to pick this bean out of the multitude of others.

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Food & Diet / Re: vegetarians

« on: March 19, 2008, 02:50:19 PM »

Unless they are fermented, like asian cultures traditionally do (soy beans were mainly for making condiments) they contain phytoestrogens that may act as real estrogens in estrogen sensitive people's bodies.

89

Philosophy / Re: What's wrong with modern humanity - add yours.

« on: March 18, 2008, 10:58:53 PM »

I'm actually not a resident of the United States, it's just a general observation of democracy. For all that we rant and rave about how great democracy is, we have little more say than people in dictatorships do. The only difference is we decide which puppet to elect. Sometimes I look at the candidates and think - how the hell did you get there? I didn't nominate you as a candidate. Ah the illusion of choice.

confident that most people are too ignorant and too lazy minded to even find out about it. The truly scary thing is, they're right!

Kind of makes you wonder: if we're too lazy to care about our own environment that our kids will grow up in, do we deserve liberty?

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General Discussion / Re: Obesity & Mass Marketing - The Fat Get Fatter and The Rich Get Richer.

« on: March 18, 2008, 06:58:05 PM »

Great stuff Dan.

91

General Discussion / Re: The Lunch Box Challenge

« on: March 17, 2008, 10:31:36 PM »

That was a lot more food than I ever got as a kid, although of a similiar quality.
As a kid I got sandwiches (white bread) with not much nutrition in them, usually marmite, jam, peanut butter, something like that. Muesli bars, sugary yoghurts, sugary cordial.
In primitive societies, they give pregnant mothers and children especially nutrient dense foods. We tend to do the opposite.

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General Discussion / Re: School is partly responsible for the dehumanisation of children [opinion]

« on: March 17, 2008, 04:13:50 PM »

Yeah thats definitely a possibility.

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General Discussion / Re: One more reason why tobacco is bad for you, that you might not have known

« on: March 17, 2008, 03:50:39 PM »

Yeah, because there weren't any laws about smoking in your house. Just smoking at the workplace.

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Food & Diet / Re: lightheaded

« on: March 17, 2008, 03:49:33 PM »

Maybe you have low blood pressure, which you should get checked out. Do you eat enough iron in your diet?

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General Discussion / Re: The revolution - is it coming?

« on: March 17, 2008, 03:48:37 PM »

Definitely. The gap between rich and poor has been growing since the early 90s,  and I think some people are going to be very, very pissed off when driving a car becomes a luxury. Buying power decreases and the government can't afford to give welfare to the many poor, also the hospitals find themselves running out of money treating the people who become sick (due to poverty).

I can see a time when thieves will break into mansions to get food for themselves and their children. I can see a situation where everyone domesticates animals, grows potatoes (they'll grow in poor soil and you can harvest many times a year) fishes, and eats insects and edible plants (returning full-scale to hunting and gathering would be impossible with the population we have now). Maybe we'd see the return of blacksmiths, melting down car bodies to make farming tools....

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Food & Diet / Re: confused

« on: March 16, 2008, 03:14:45 AM »

Kinda like the pharmaceutical industry....at the end of the day, it's still just an industry.  More medicine, supplements, nutritionists and diets than there have ever been before, yet people are more obese and unealthy than ever. But I hear they're working on a pill for that.

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Philosophy / Re: What's wrong with modern humanity - add yours.

« on: March 16, 2008, 03:12:09 AM »

Democracy eh? The whole left-right spectrum polarizes everyone and makes us think we actually have a choice. Either you're a leftie and a rightie. People get pretty passionate about it. But at the end of the day, what do WE THE PEOPLE actually decide? Nothing. We get excited and vote once every 4 years or whatever, then we complain about how crap the government is, how our dollar is becoming worth less and less. Rinse and repeat.

Oh and about vaccinations, they are most definitely bad for you.

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General Discussion / Re: One more reason why tobacco is bad for you, that you might not have known

« on: March 16, 2008, 02:56:07 AM »

Nope, just in houses. There was an advertising campaign encoruaging parents to take the ciggies outside, because secondhand smoke can hurt your children. I think smoking in bars etc was tolerated, in restaurants they had smoking areas. Where my dad worked he'd always go outside to have a smoke, and I'm guessing it wasn't by choice.

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Food & Diet / Re: confused

« on: March 14, 2008, 03:49:47 PM »

Hey Ryan,
About the 3 meals a day construct, think about this - do you ever feel tired and sluggish after eating breakfast or lunch?

100

General Discussion / Re: One more reason why tobacco is bad for you, that you might not have known

« on: March 14, 2008, 03:31:27 PM »

Well during the 90s it was pretty commonplace to "take it outside" because everyone knew it was bad for you.