Interview with the Editor of Men's Fitness

Pretty good interview with a guy who edited Men's Health and Men's Fitness. Louis offers some insight into his thoughts on training and nutrition along with some tidbits about the magizine biz both pro and con.

A paleontologist friend of mine, John Williams at SMU, told me something I’d never heard before: He said that humans are by far the fattest and least muscular primates, and the theory is that this is because of our brains. They’re so much bigger than other primate brains, and require so much more fuel to keep them working. Thus, our bodies need to store fat, and they’re damned good at it.

Looking at it that way, it’s a wonder anyone is thin, given that food is so cheap and abundant. This is kind of my soapbox issue, so I’ll throw this in here:

I think we’re making a huge, huge mistake in this country by talking about the obesity epidemic as a disease that people catch because they’re lazy. If I could single-handedly change the tone, I’d start by saying that fat happens. For some people, it’s perfectly natural to overeat when food is available.

But, because we all now understand how dangerous it is to have this excess weight, we have to work together on a solution. So let’s collectively find ways to eat less and exercise more. Let’s get the Coke machines out of schools and make PE a bigger priority. Let’s make it easier for kids to walk to school. Let’s change the work culture a little, build more corporate gyms, encourage people to take workout breaks.

And on the diet side, let’s focus on the positive instead of the punitive. Instead of telling people to eat less, let’s focus on eating strategically. Every guy reading T-Nation knows how important it is to time meals for the effects he wants. We need to get that message out to everyone else.

Letter from Ali G to the mover and shakers that he tries to get on his show

The professional approach shows why Ali or his producers, more likely, are able to trick folks into an interview.

BlogShares - Champology 101 -- Diesel Style

Here is the blogshare value of my blog. Not that pricey ehh....I like to think of it as a value play myself.

Walter E. Williams: Danger of no tax liability

Walter Williams breaks down the problems with the 122m (on last count according to a tax foundation study) or 44% of the American public pays zip, zero stingy with dinero dollars in federal income taxes. Wow that is an amazing stat. Williams then warns us of the danger that people who are not paying taxes pose by voting for more free goodies that they aren't paying for, as he takes to task both Regan and Bush for celebrating how many people were removed from the tax rolls. His solution to this problem is brillant though.

So here's my idea. Every American regardless of any other consideration should have one vote in any federal election. Then, every American should get one additional vote for every $10,000 he pays in federal income tax. With such a system, there'd be a modicum of linkage between one's financial stake in our country and his decision-making capacity.

This is not a far-out idea. The founders of our country worried about it. James Madison's concern about class warfare between the rich and the poor led him to favor the House of Representatives being elected by the people at large and the Senate elected by property owners. He said, "It is nevertheless certain, that there are various ways in which the rich may oppress the poor; in which property may oppress liberty; and that the world is filled with examples. It is necessary that the poor should have a defense against the danger. On the other hand, the danger to the holders of property cannot be disguised, if they be undefended against a majority without property."

Calling it what it is - PittsburghLIVE.com

Nice article from the old stomping grounds news paper about the socialist and there resistence to allowing individual indepence. He even invokes the great Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises. Hopefully the Burghers are listening, but based on the cities policies, I doubt it.

In 1922's "Socialism," one of Austrian economist Ludwig von Mises' seminal works, he offered that it is the "intellectual leaders of the peoples" who "have produced and propagated the fallacies" of socialism "which are on the point of destroying liberty and Western civilization."

It is "reason and ideas" -- not mythical and magical forces -- that determine the course of human affairs, Professor von Mises reminded. "What is needed to stop the trend toward socialism and despotism is common sense and moral courage."

Reason Mag interview with the creator of HBO's The Wire

Interesting interview that offers some insight into the war on drugs and into the world that help lead to this great television show.

Simon: Ed Burns and I spoke at one of those groups. There came this point where a guy said, "Well, what is the solution? Give me the paragraph; give me the lede. What’s the solution, if not drug prohibition?" I very painstakingly said: "Look. For 35 years, you’ve systematically deindustrialized these cities. You’ve rendered them inhospitable to the working class, economically. You have marginalized a certain percentage of your population, most of them minority, and placed them in a situation where the only viable economic engine in their hypersegregated neighborhoods is the drug trade. Then you’ve alienated them further by fighting this draconian war in their neighborhoods, and not being able to distinguish between friend or foe and between that which is truly dangerous or that which is just illegal. And you want to sit across the table from me and say ‘What’s the solution?’ and get it in a paragraph? The solution is to undo the last 35 years, brick by brick. How long is that going to take? I don’t know, but until you start it’s only going to get worse." And the guy looked at me and went, "But what’s the solution?" He said it again. Ed Burns restrained me.