Archive | September, 2010

Money Is Not Value

By Anthony Dream Johnson in Wealth

 
The video above is embedded not in support or against the return of a gold standard, but because it helps highlight a very important concept – “money” is not value.

If you believe it is, I want you to repeat the following with me.

Money is not value.

Money is not value.

Money is not value.

“Money” is, at best in the 21st century, a common medium of exchange (a representation of value). It does not actually have any inherent value, other than perhaps as toilet paper, emergency fuel for a fire, or a paper airplane/paper hornet.

Why is this important to understand?

Well, I hear it expressed often enough (mostly in person, but on this blog from time to time as well), that people want to “make money”.

This counterfeiting operation is actually reserved for criminals, and your respective, benevolent masters in government around the world (as if there were a legitimate difference at this point).

What you…

Reality Check: Muscular Hypertrophy

By Anthony Dream Johnson in Exercise

One of the biggest pit falls to avoid in the self education of proper exercise is the application of the right principals, followed by the false expectations set forth by a few decades of consistently poor judgment, mysticism, win/lose commercial interests, and all things ridiculous.

In other words: doing what makes sense, and actually works, but ditching it for the next magic pill of a promise to “get you ripped in 90 days” (or whatever the snake oil, catch phrase of the day is), the minute you don’t see instantaneous “results”.

The reality is, 99.9999% of the people reading this spent at least 20, if not 30 or 40+ years of their life in a biological train wreck.

The fact that more of us aren’t in a vegetative state or recovering from one is a testament to the adaptive capability of the human body.

It’s miracles like this that have bred my deep “faith” in the individual, independent thought, and independent action in the face of overwhelming collectivism on the most…

The Next Chief Administrator of our Federal Union

By Anthony Dream Johnson in Independent Thinking

Sitting here in one of the hearts of the American Empire, Los Angeles, I can’t help but post one of my favorite Ron Paul videos. It’s not a fancy remix of his greatest moments or anything like that, just a quick, simple, and to the point interview that highlights some of our most critical issues in the 21st century.

My favorite ones – because they are especially disgusting – are the personal income tax and “the draft” (by that I mean forced military servitude of any kind, for any reason).

Both of these ideas are morally bankrupt, and tragically absurd.

Perhaps more absurd is the idea that the federal government has the ability and authority to define it’s own power. This power was never delegated to the federal government, and as such, it remains with the people and the states respectively.

Think about it, how redundant would it be to limit your own power? That is the pinnacle…

Compromise, Quackery, and Accepted Norms – No Thanks

By Anthony Dream Johnson in Independent Thinking, Nutrition

Below is my response to a recent comment written by a Professor at Harvard on TDL. His comment was lengthy, and I knew a response of my own would be long as well, so I took the liberty to expand on a few ideas I wanted to share regardless and turn this into a full post.

What selections of his comment I took are quoted via Wordpress.

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I’d like to continue by addressing what I feel is a theme in many of your articles, if only sparsely woven through some. It is the notion that the medical and federal authorities that exist are non-trustworthy.

At this point in time, 99% of medical professionals and and federal officials have no legitimate authority that any sane person would recognize – none because authority can only be found in truth, not the other way around. To think that a sizable amount of either party have any regard for the search of truth left, is sadly, a cruel joke.

Without wasting your time in explaining…

High Protein? Think Again

By Anthony Dream Johnson in Nutrition

High protein diet

“Fat is the Regulating Nutrient for Body Composition, Not Protein” quickly jumped to be the most commented on post in the history of this blog with 117 comments and counting.

Not surprisingly, that discussion was pretty heated, and highly interesting to follow.

Am I here to continue it today? Directly, no, indirectly, yes.

Check the following posts out that relate to what I discussed in that article and the ensuing comments.

Feel free to discuss here of course.

Lifestyle Experiment: Homeless By Design

By Anthony Dream Johnson in Lifestyle Design

I originally wrote something a bit more emotional up, but decided to instead re-write this as bare bones as possible (take that for what it’s worth, as I am pretty long winded at times).

Long story short: I am homeless, have been since July 30th 2010, and plan to continue this lifestyle for … man, who knows how long.

What do I mean by “homeless”?

Just that: I have no home. There is literally no where in the world right now that I would consider “home”.

No bedroom, no house, no apartment, no condo, etc.

I have chosen to simultaneously live no where and everywhere, all at the same time.

From mainland Florida, to California, Texas, the Florida Keys, Australia, and Europe, my goals are set high, far, and wide.

As I write this I sit in a coffee shop off Sunset Blvd in Los Angeles California. Yet, this was not my first stop. That title goes, ironically, to Orlando Florida.

I lived there for four years, and the lease on my then current…

A Declaration of Intent and Assertion of Rights: My Time is Valuable, and My Actions Shall Now Reflect That

By Anthony Dream Johnson in Independent Thinking, The 21 Convention, Wealth

This is a post simultaneously written for and released on The Dream Lounge and The21Convention.com.

It is as much a declaration of change in my actions, as it is an assertion of the right to exist for my own sake, and nothing else.

While brief in script, this is months if not years in the making – slow as some of these realizations have been.

1. The 21 Convention is the #1 men’s convention in the world. There is nothing else like it even remote in comparison, on any level, and to any degree.

2. The 21 Convention is a gathering of the best and brightest men in the world – both on stage and in the audience. It is these individuals that I have sought to address since the very beginning – knowingly or unknowingly – and it is these individuals I will continue to address.

3. If you are not one of these individuals yet, fear not,…

16 Pounds of Muscle in 16 Months

By Anthony Dream Johnson in Exercise, Nutrition

From Florida to Sweden, doing the mind numbingly simple exercises you see above – about once a week (or less) – I built ~16 pounds of muscle in ~16 months time.

I did it with less dietary carbohydrate per week than most people eat in a single day, and more saturated fat per day, than some eat in an entire month.

In other words, I stimulated and allowed for the growth of ~16 pounds of new muscle, in direct opposition to the prevailing conventional wisdom.

99% of “personal trainers”, “body builders”, “nutritionists”, and “dieticians” would tell you what I have done is impossible, and quickly dismiss it as a lie, or superior genetics (labeling me an anomaly instead of the norm).

Indeed, quite the opposite is true.

  • What I have accomplished is very possible for the average joe.
  • I would sooner stab myself than lie.
  • I grew up a fat kid. While some parts of my…

No Truth in Authority, Only Authority in Truth: Setting Your 3 G’s Straight

By Anthony Dream Johnson in Independent Thinking, Nutrition
All authority belongs to the people.
Thomas Jefferson

No, this isn’t a post about your new AyePhone, Andross, Strawberry, or whatever. It’s a post about deriving ideas, opinions, and conclusions with and from a clean slate – and from the bottom up, not the top down.

It’s a post about

  • God
  • Grub
  • and Government.

Mostly grub and government. God, not so much, but it’s relevant per this interview with Ayn Rand, author of The Fountainhead.

From the video …

You can’t prove there isn’t [a god].

-Phil Donahue

You are never called upon to prove a negative … that’s, a law of logic.

-Ayn Rand

I’ll say it again, I’m not here to discuss “god” beyond what is relevant for the rest of the discussion. It’s simply not something I think about.

What I am here to discuss is applying this same principle to nutrition (grub), and the written constitution of the voluntarily created federal union that is the united States…

Overdose: The Next Financial Crisis (Documentary)

By Anthony Dream Johnson in Independent Thinking, Wealth

Right in line with “For Liberty“, Overdose is one of my favorite new documentaries. Favorite because it’s …

  • Extremely professional and well done.
  • Easy to understand for the lay person
  • Not boring for the previously interested (read: educated) individual.
  • Very down to earth (read: not crazy/conspiracy sounding)
  • A great length at ~46 minutes.

My only criticism of the entire film is of the comptroller general – one of the primary interviewees of the production. I got the feeling he only disagreed with recent and present fiscal policy superficially – not on the foundations and principles of liberty.

While this is not necessarily a film about “liberty”, I find it increasingly disturbing to see thought leaders weak in character, and ignorant of freedom -discussing problems directly caused by a progressive ignorance or outright dismissal of freedom.

In other words, if we don’t identify the root of the problem, why should we NOT expect the same or similar difficulties to repeat themselves in…