The Dream Lounge » Lifestyle Design

A Young Floridian’s Declaration of Independence

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 00:53:18 +0000

On the fourth of July 2010 I spent my night writing a post for this blog.

Why did I not spend my time consuming alcohol, watching fireworks explode, and wishing “America” a “happy birthday” along with many of my peers?

The answer to this question is complex, so complex in fact, that I have chosen to weave the core of that night’s blog post into an answer for this question.

The title of that post being “I Carry a Gun: Here’s How and Why”.

The core?

Well at first it was only a technical post about carrying a firearm (concealed), and self defense. As my writing efforts carried on, the research to support my ideas rapidly expanded – coincidentally parallel with the increasing amount of fireworks blasting off outside as the night wore on.

Long story short, I finished the majority of the post that night, but not all of it.

Why?

I had a deep sense that there was a lot more to this post than “guns” and self defense, and I knew better than to stay up all night trying to wrap it up. Upon reviewing it the following morning, I realized I was dead right.

The core of what I had written was not about guns and self defense, it was a declaration of independence.

An individual and direct response to the injustices and wrong doings of a deeply broken, and collapsing as we speak, union of the States of America.

The abomination that is the current federal government of the united States of America.

At the same time, there was a frustrated, if not angry over tone to the entire post. As such, I have decided to reorganize my thoughts into something more intellectually provoking, and at the same time perhaps, uplifting.

Sounds great on paper, but before doing so, let us examine why I have chosen and taken the time to do this, for if we don’t know why we are doing what we are doing … well, we don’t know a whole lot of anything.

I have made this decision – to write an individual declaration of independence – because the world is starved of leaders at present.

In fact, the world has been starved for leadership for some time now. Our saving grace has been the men (and women) that have come before us.

Men and women who were willing, able, and not afraid to rise to their potential, and push humanity forward.

…

Recently in an e-mail sent to me by Dr. Doug McGuff regarding his presentation at The 21 Convention this year, Doug mentioned the following

“Yours is the first generation that has been metabolically poisoned starting en utero which is why most college age guys look soft and estrogenic. It takes a powerful combo of diet and exercise to reverse a process that began in the womb.”

Translation: not only were my parents consuming what amounts to poison before and directly preceding my birth, but I was also raised from that day until about ~20 years of age, on that same poison.

Copious amounts of sugar, polyunsaturated fat, grains (and corresponding oils), legumes (and corresponding oils), heavily processed foods, and animal products nearly 100% sourced from animals raised on the same “poison”.

By the same token, I believe our generation is the first in the modern era to not only be raised from birth on “intellectual poison”, but also come from parents fed that same poison.

Consecutive generations raised without morality and guiding principles … on a foundation of shame, guilt, anti-individual, and anti-freedom propaganda.

We are now seeing the consequences of such a “society” revealing themselves. “Revealing” in the form of rapidly deteriorating economic health (domestically and abroad), and outright misery.

If it is accepted that misery and tyranny are the normal state of humanity throughout history, then I would go so far as to assume that misery precedes tyranny.

Tyranny to whom?

Tyranny can come in many forms. It can come from a king, from a totalitarian government … and even democracy (eg lynch mob).

Kings are a thing of the past. Dictatorships are failures as well.

What we have left for potential tyranny, is democracy.

Now, this is not a post meant to discuss democracy, I would only like to stress the point that you can not only be a slave or serf to an individual or select group of individuals, but you can also be the slave of everyone.

And with that said, everyone can be the slave of everyone.

This is perhaps the worst form of tyranny, where the individual is suppressed the most – where humanity is suppressed the most.

If this ever takes complete root in our culture, we are in for the next “dark age”. This is where collectivism finally collapses in on itself, and perpetuates exactly what it sets out to prevent – anarchy – and destroys what it set out to improve, “the collective good”.

All in good intention of course.

And as the saying goes, “the road to hell is paved with good intentions”.

…

What does any of this have to do with a declaration of independence?

Well my friends, I sincerely believe we are at a turning point in our history as a species.

We can choose to rise up as individuals, reach our peak potential, and change the world the best way we know how – or we can watch it crumble, and continue it’s slow descent into the normal state of humanity, misery and tyranny.

This decision lies primarily with men. Women have the same ability to act rationally and rightly, but it is not their inherent role to lead.

It is ours.

And this is me, as a young man, and a citizen of the State of Florida, leading, the best way I know how.

What follows is both a declaration of independence, as well as a list of actions I am willing to back my words with, in addition to a redress of grievances from the current (broken in every way) federal government of the united States of America.

A Declaration of Independence and a Petition for a Redress of Grievances from the current union of the States of America

I, Anthony Paul Johnson, was born free.

I have a natural right – protected, not created, under the current constitution of the united States of America – to my life, my liberty, and the pursuit of my own happiness.

I think freely and independently, and do not need anyone to do my thinking for me (I am mentally healthy).

I do not need anyone to live my life for me. It is best lived as I see fit, without intruding on the right of others to do the same.

I am my own person. I am free, and no one individual, or collective organization of any kind, owns me.

I am a citizen of the State of Florida and the united States of America – not a subject, not a serf, and not a slave – to any degree, and in any way, shape, or form.

I am willing to back up the right to my life, with my life, with my born freedom, with my mind, and with my reason.

More specifically, I declare the following.

I declare any form of forced military conscription or “draft” to be out of place in the free society that is the united State of America, unconstitutional by it’s supreme law, and therefore, illegal.

It is unconstitutional – and therefore illegal – because our country was founded on the premise that individuals have the right to their life, liberty, and pursuit of their own happiness.

It is impossible for a document that was founded to protect these rights to authorize any government to perform such action.

For if I, Anthony Paul Johnson, could be forcibly sent many thousands of miles from home, and my life endangered, on the whim of a politician, what kind of man am I?

What kind of citizen would I be?

No citizen at all. In fact, I would be a subject stripped of the right to his life, freedom, and pursuit of his own happiness.

Should the country I am a citizen of ever be under imminent threat of attack, I would immediately consider volunteering for the defense of my country. But I will never be forced to join the military, or watched my loved ones fall victim to the same force.

As such, if an illegal military draft is ever implemented in my life time, I will support and uphold the supreme law of the land over the whims of the latest politician, and ignore the draft, and aid my loved ones in doing so should they request help.

By the same token, if ignoring a military drafts fails, I will avoid attempts to be conscripted, and aid my loved ones in doing so, should they request my help.

Finally, should ignoring and avoiding military conscription fail, I will defend myself, and my loved ones, from any such force upon their lives and liberty.

Force will be met with force.

I am an able bodied young male, and I am equipped to defend myself from any individual under the impression that they have the legal and moral authority to force me, or my loved ones, into military servitude, and deprive me or my loved ones of our natural right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of our own happiness.

…

I, Anthony Paul Johnson, declare any attempt to force extraction of a private product from the result of my efforts and reason – my wealth – to be unconstitutional, and therefore illegal.

Unconstitutional because I have a right to my life, liberty, and the pursuit of my own happiness. This nation, and the corresponding supreme law under which it’s government is currently restrained, was created to protect these rights.

If I do not own the fruits of my labor, and the sweat of my brow … then I own nothing, as I would be little more than a serf at that point, working hard, and keeping only what I was allowed, at the barrel of a gun.

This is beyond disgusting, and has no place in the free society that is the united States of America.

Perhaps more disgusting, is the idea that not only I am only allowed to keep whatever portion of the result of my labor that others decide, but that I must use that remaining portion as others see fit.

The federal government of the united States of America has no authority to perform such action, other than it’s monopoly on force.

Should the State of Florida not move to nullify such federal efforts, I will ignore all unconstitutional (illegal) attempts in forcing me, or my loved ones, to purchase a private product (or pay corresponding fines for not purchasing such product).

If ignoring such actions does not prevail, I will avoid them.

If avoiding such actions fails, as a last resort and in the defense of my self or my loved ones, force will be met with force.

I am a young, able bodied, mentally and physically equipped male, ready and willing to perform such action.

Redress of Grievances

The wrong doings of the broken in every way federal government of the united States of America, are limitless. It is likely we as a people will never know the full extent of the damages done by such government, domestically, and abroad – especially those in the name of imperialism and empire, hiding under the guise of patriotism, democracy, and freedom, wrapped in a flag no less.

As such, I humbly request every living member of the federal government – past and present – that has ever voted for or taken such action as to officially support undeclared, unconstitutional, and therefore illegal war, to face trial for the crimes that support generated – including murder and genocide – and be punished as the courts see fit.

Everyone one of these individuals swore an oath to uphold the constitution, and the majority have failed, miserably. Their failure resulted in the deaths of millions of people world wide, and thousands of American men and women – in the past decade alone.

Among these individuals are current members of the legislative branch of government, and the person currently acting as President of the united States of America.

While the current chief administrator of our union did not start such illegal wars, he has continued them, and in some cases, amplified them further.

He swore an oath to uphold the constitution the day he took office, and in light of his decision to continue undeclared, unconstitutional, and therefore illegal war, has failed to uphold the constitution since the day he took office.

Illegal wars are certainly on the list of “things to take responsibility for” upon taking such an oath, and residing upon such office, and as such, he should be removed from office immediately along with various members of the legislative branch, and face trial for the crimes he has perpetuated and/or committed.

…

While the crimes of the federal government of my country are numerous and potentially indefinite, this would be a good start for a redress of grievances.

From this, further positive changes could spring.

Or perhaps, from the idea and education of what I have sincerely written above, positive changes could spring world wide, starting with individuals willing to stand up for what they believe in, and willing to reach their potential as men and women.

-Anthony ‘Dream’ Johnson

July 12^th, 2010

Central Florida

The Community Tapes [Volume 1]: Adam Lyons

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Sun, 30 May 2010 22:27:23 +0000

“AFC” Adam Lyons: world renowned dating coach, CEO of Pua Training (North American branch), consistently ranked the number one pick up artist on the planet, and recently married – all at the same time you ask? So did we during The Community Tapes. Get inside the mind of one of the most influential, well known, and highly regarded coaches in the industry, and what led him to where he is today in this episode of The Community Tapes, filmed in beautiful South Beach Miami during one of Adam’s weekend workshops.

View all of Adam’s content (including over 3 hours of event footage) on The21Convention.com here.

See Adam at T21C 2010 of Stockholm Sweden AND Orlando Florida. (Sign up before June 9th for either event to save 50 dollars/euros and receive massive discounts on event DVDs). Two unique events, two unique opportunities to meet and talk with Adam Lyons, and hear him speak live and in person among other top authorities on dating, relationships, and other topics of importance to men of all ages.

See in depth discussion of this interview on our newly redesigned community here :compliments of Jonas Sandstrom.

The Dream Tour & Updates from Europe + T21C News

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Fri, 28 May 2010 02:44:04 +0000

So I’m sitting here at a Jazz cafe in Gothenburg Sweden, sucking down coffee and heavy cream (high quality I might add) like a vampire – and it’s 11 at night.

Why the late coffee?

Well, that opens up a whole nest of ideas and things to talk about – which is fine, more than fine actually.

Why?

Because sitting here in this Jazz cafe trying to relax from a long, long days work, makes me want to write, and reminds me that I have an audience on TDL that has taken a lot of time out of their lives to follow what I do and ramble about from time to time =).

In that sense, I hereby declare this post to be non work related, and only fun related. ‘Fun’ because if I did consider it ‘work’ – even work I truly love – I’d probably rip the hair out of my head right now. Sometimes we have to restrain ourselves even from the things we love and are truly dedicated to – and right now as I wait in a cafe writing on a laptop with a rapidly dying battery and no power outlet in sight, this is one of those times – the time when I remove myself for just a split second from focusing on The 21 Convention.

So, what have I been up to?

As you can see from the picture above, a mini-dream tour around Europe.

Jigga what you say?

Yep. It’s a risky move*, but I decided not long ago that if our first ever convention in Europe was going to pull through as a major success, it was going to happen not through blunt force, and not even channeling that blunt force in creative and highly effective ways – but by giving value, which at the end of the day is what this convention is really all about.

Changing lives.
Changing the course of a generation.
And giving massive value.

Which, is exactly what I’m trying to do with this short notice speaking tour around Europe.

*As I spoke about previously, The 21 Convention 2010 of Stockholm Sweden was/is in a limbo. Lots of sign ups, but not as many as I expected in the time span I predicted. This spurred me to work feverishly on the event from the United States, but to little avail – which is when I decided to immediately travel to Sweden to ensure the success of the event, at any and all costs.

At the moment things are “looking up”. Sign ups are trickling in, and the word of mouth surrounding the event has really taken off, but we are still struggling to cover hard, non flexible event costs over here, despite a sky rocketing US event. As such, I am either heading this convention in Sweden towards certain doom, or a triumphant success.

Experience has shown me that events of this nature sell the bulk of their seats last minute, and as such it’s difficult to say what will happen over the next two weeks, but time will certainly tell – and in the end, I am doing my absolute best with what really matters to me: living my life truthfully, just-fully, and on my masculine edge in the clearest sense I know how.

Which translates practically as: doing what I believe is right, and making my dream a reality – my dream to make a difference in a moderately, mildly, or severely f*cked up world – depending on your personal world view and level of cynicism.

My travel itinerary looks as follows (in case you couldn’t follow the MS Paint/track pad/super tired/poorly color coded quality map).

Orlando to London (layover)
London to Stockholm
Stockholm for just over 2 weeks.
Stockholm to Gothenburg (first time riding a real train!)
Gothenburg to Copenhagen (layover)
Copenhagen to Amsterdam
Amsterdam to London (maybe)
Amsterdam to Munich (for sure)
London to Munich (if Amsterdam to London works out)
Munich to Stockholm
Stockholm to London (layover)
London to Orlando

When I decided to travel to Europe wayyyyy earlier than I ever anticipated (or told anyone) just a few short weeks ago, never did I imagine I would do this much traveling around Europe.

I would say I can only hope it has the desired effect of attracting the necessary number of people – which is a by product of really bringing some value to the table at the free talks – but I won’t say that.

Why?

Because the only sanity I’ll ever find – or anyone else as far as I know – is in my own actions. Certain factors for the success of this convention are simply out of my hands at this point, and have been for some time. That is my own fault, and I am OK with it.

Why would I not be? What happened is unchangeable. What matters is right now, and the effects those actions have on whatever potential for massive success are left for this event (a lot IMO, but who knows).

Worrying about things that are out of my control seems … increasingly silly. And worrying about what I do have very real and rational control over – damn, I feel powerful.

Every day that goes by it’s as if I am under more and more pressure to pull this event off – but at the same time every day that goes by I feel stronger, almost physically at times.

It’s a total paradox that is almost, but not entirely unfamiliar to me. In that sense, I am comfortable with being under severe pressure, and “pulling through” where others may not, but this specific series of events is new to me – especially the traveling part.

I feel like a legit ‘vagabond’ at this point, and I still have a lot more traveling to do. I actually tweeted at Tim Feriss today thanking him for writing The Four Hour Work Week – because without that book, I would have never even imagined any of this was possible.

Seriously, it’s a real mind fuck to be across the world doing what I love in a very individual and independent way (which isn’t to say that I have not been receiving massive help from organizations like Charismatic Revolution, various speakers from the convention, and individuals in various cities around Europe).

And my laptop is about to die… to be continued.

…

Okay so I’m ‘back’, continuing this stream of thought post in the Gothenburg airport. It’s now 2 am (my flight leaves at 6:30am), and I am armed with a free Red Bull from an American bartender, as well as my boarding pass for the flight that according to the information desk should be impossible to have at this time.

In yo face!

Yeah I really showed her checking in at a self service kiosk, woot woot!

…

What else do I have to share during this sleepless night? Couple interesting things.

One, I have amazed myself at how little sleep I can run on, without losing too much “brain juice”. How is this so?

Well, I believe it’s partially due to being keto-adapted, and frequently in ketosis. I won’t take the time to argue that ketone bodies are the be all end all, but I will argue that because I am keto-adapted – and a “fat burner” instead of a carbohydrate addict consuming 200+ grams of carbohydrate per day like the typical American – I am able to function quite well during long periods without food.

Today for example I went ~22 hours between actual meals, including a long awaited decent nights sleep.

During that time I had a single cup of coffee with about 500 calories worth of high quality heavy cream (which is about 98% fat).

I also sat on my laptop and worked in a feverish, but not frantic fashion, for a clean 8 hours, only getting up to use the bathroom a few times.

I’ll get off the subject before I begin to ramble, but the point is, as I became aware that I was going to get hungry (I really couldn’t say I was ‘hungry’ even when I finally ate around 10:30pm), I felt ‘light’, very focused, and free of any physical distractions aside from having to pee from all the coffee.

On a carbohydrate rich diet I do not believe this would have been possible. Breaks would be needed to eat, and if negelcted head aches, light headedness, stomach pains, etc would ensue. If you are passionate about what you do and there is work to be done, these are not necessaryily insurmountable obstacles, but they are unnecessary.

Why make things harder for yourself? I don’t see the point, so I don’t. Fat, protein, and a little carbohydrate for the win =).

In other news I’d like to pretend for a second that I am some sort of professional nomad and announce my favorite travel items thus far on the trip.

1. The Life Saver Ultra Filtration Water Bottle (4,000L model)

This thing wasn’t cheap, but it has saved me so much money it’s laughable that I considered not buying it at one point.

At home I use it to filter tap water resembling something in taste from a water park kiddie pool. This alone saves me a boat load of money over bottled water like I used to buy.

But how about while travelling?

Well, I used it right off the bat at the Orlando airport to continually refill my water bottle that holds more than the Life Saver bottle – including after I was forced to empty both bottles while going through security.

Up yours over priced tap water masquerading as bottled water in airports!

The same applied during my layover in London. I simply didn’t trust drinking water from the tap in London.

In Sweden? Some of the best tap water in the world from what I hear and taste, so it’s not necessary for daily use (but I still use it for slightly improved taste).

But, few things are that simple, and the Life Saver bottle came in handy when I was on a crappy train left over from the Regan administration between Stockholm and Gothenburg. I only had a bit of water by the time I got on the train, and it was soon gone as I entered into a 4 hour long conversation with a cute red headed Svenska flicka (that means “Swedish girl” but apparently it’s more akin to a cheesy pickup line than the formal translation of Swedish girl).

What did I do? Went to the bathroom and filled up my Life Saver bottle with “Do Not Drink” train water from the sink.

Considering that the bottle is capable of filtering out polio, the last thing I was worried about was becoming ill from drinking the water. Sure enough it came out crystal clear, delicious, and safe =).

Bottled water wasn’t even available on the train, so the bottle really was a life saver in this instance.

2.Vibram Five Finger KSO Treks

I originally purchased these to go hiking in North Georgia, but they have quickly become my official and beloved travel shoe =). They are exceptionally rugged compared to other models of Vibram Five Fingers (probably due to being made out of kangaroo leather), and perhaps most importantly of all, have thicker padding than other models.

The point of VFFs is of course to emulate being barefoot – which these still pull off as well as any other Vibram – the difference is there is just enough padding to walk around on concrete all day ( a la Stockholm) and only experience as much discomfort as the next guy wearing heavily padded shoes – or perhaps even less once your feet adapt to their birth right level of strength.

Sort of the go between to “as close to barefoot as humanly possible”, and giant marshmallow/cast like shoes that quite literally weaken your feet and corresponding musculature.

In any case, I still prefer to workout in my Sprints as you saw in the last WOW video from Sweden because they are just a tiny bit closer to ABSOLUTELY barefoot, but KSO Treks are simply better equipped for heavy and/or urban use.

3. Merino Wool Clothing

I’ve been a fan of Icebreaker merino wool clothing for nearly 2 years now, and this trip is only amplifying that.

Why?

Well, I only took 1 ‘normal’ size backpack, and 1 smaller backpack on this trip, so I was kind of limited on space when you factored in the extra supplies needed to run The 21 Convention. My merino wool t-shirts however have stood up quite well to repeated use without washing, as well as merino wool boxers, partially merino wool socks, and merino wool gloves for the cold.

They are not immune to stinking, but have an impressive ability to repel odor – and I don’t even wear deodorant (it’s OK to smell like a man, deal with it! Haha).

And maybe it’s my imagination, but merino wool also seems to feel ‘fresh’ longer, despite repeated use. Cotton, or even polyester? Not so much. Wear it for a while and you can feel that it needs to be washed – not so much with merino wool (Icebreaker being my favorite brand).

4. MSR Pack Towel

Uhhhhhhh yeah, this thing is awesome. I got the extra large one, which was probably unnecessary, but never the less this towel has performed extremely well. For one, even the XL size is very portable, light weight, highly absorbent, and relatively quick drying.

For two … well, see above! No matter where I am this thing is with me and ready to roll. From my friends house in Stockholm (therefore not creating extra laundry to be cleaned), to a quick shower 15 minutes before a speech in Gothenburg (in a very randomly placed shower I might add), to the person’s house I stayed at in Gothenburg.

I just grab it from my bag and sha bam! I’m dry. Excellent investment and I could not recommend it highly enough for your travels.

Buy it on Amazon here.

5. The Tim Ferris earplugs and a simple sleeping mask

Two random, yet essential items for traveling (at least from my experience on this trip). The ear plugs aren’t cheap – and like Tim I recommend starting out with the sample pack to see which size fits you best – but they are a notch above the cheap foam crap available at Wal-Mart.

They come in use not only for high intensity training, but also for when your friend is hooking up with his girl friend in the next room and you are trying to sleep, as well as any other instance when you are trying to sleep or concentrate (sexual intercourse not required).

The cheapo sleeping mask (compliments of British Airways) is also extremely useful for a night owl like myself working like a maniac on something I love as much as humanly possible.

Basically in Stockholm, every night, I am up till 4, 5, or even 6 in the morning, working on the convention there, as well as the Orlando event. This is definitely not physically healthy, but hey it’s my choice.

In any case, the problem with this (besides only getting 3 hours of sleep some nights and consistently laying in bed for a solid hour with ideas for the convention) is that the sun sets late and comes up very early in Stockholm, like 4 am early.

So here I am, trying to go to sleep, trying to relax and just shut my brain off for a split second, and now the sun is coming up, or is already up, piecing the closed shutters in my friends room.

Anyway this is turning into a ramble but I am so glad I ‘borrowed’ this 25 cent sleeping mask from my fight over it’s not even funny.

Well actually it is funny because it took me a few nights to remember I had it, and that it would help massively with going to sleep (even for just a few hours before I woke up and hopped right back on my laptop) while the sun was up.

…

Okay so if you buy any of the above items from the Amazon links I get a small commission. Obviously I am strapped for funds right now, so if you were considering buying any of those items and were able to now, it would be much appreciated if you bought them through those links.

Then again, don’t buy something on Amazon from me if an item is better available elsewhere. I’m betting a sleeping mask is cheaper at your local drug store than Amazon for example.

BackCountry.com is a great site for buying travel gear to. Usually more expensive than Amazon, but they are very good at honoring a kick ass warranty (my room mate can attest to this with his backpack that he returned heavily used a full year later for a brand new one, simply because they sent him the wrong color).

Also, if you were interested in supporting The 21 Convention at a critical time in it’s growth, you can spam new agencies and do a few other non financial things at the following link.

The 21 Convention Phenomenon.

Financially, you have a number of options.

You can attend any of our live events, or more specifically, you can sign up before June 9^th – allowing for some extra breathing room on my end with the hard costs for the first ever European event – and at the same time save a significant amount of money on your ticket since June 9^th is the day ticket prices rise for all events.
You can donate via PayPal (just scroll to the very bottom, big fat PayPal button). We are not a “non profit”, but as I’ve talked about elsewhere – and as is perhaps obvious at this point – we are “not just for profit”. This is perhaps most evident with the amount of time I pour into the convention for such little financial return, as well as our 100% free event and documentary footage. Someone donated $50 USD the other week by the way, which I consider large, but he did not (once I contacted him and thanked him personally). In any case, no amount is too small or too large, so have at it.
Not everyone is able to attend a live event, finances aside, and not everyone is interested in donating – nor do I expect everyone to be. However there is another option that recently became available – event footage DVD.

As I see it, this is perhaps the best win/win right now for someone looking to support the convention that can’t attend live*, and also wants something tangible in return (nothing wrong with that).

*I should also mention DVD discount codes are being sent to all live attendees this week, and all future attendees of live events upon signing up. And by “discount codes”, I mean some serious friggin discounts for showing your support via attending live.

What is available you ask?

Quite an array actually. For one, you can order any speech ever given at The 21 Convention over the past three years on an individual DVD. Pretty awesome if you only feel like ordering your favorite presentations and not entire sets.

For those who do want entire sets though, you can get them by year at a significant discount (as compared to buying all of the DVDs individually). Each set also comes with a bonus disc not available for individual order containing rarely, or in the case of the 2009 twenty disc set, never before seen footage.

The prices are what I believe to be accurate as well when what else is “out there” is taken into consideration (dating and relationship products for men are notoriously overpriced), and the fact that you now own a physical copy of a presentation(s) in the highest quality currently available for offline viewing – forever.

…

Alright I feel like I’m selling used cars at this point – for some reason I am very poor at aggressively selling anything … maybe I am just a bad liar? – but never the less I believe I laid out everything pretty clearly (the DVDs are perhaps clearest of all because you know exactly what you are buying before you buy it!).

If you were interested in attending any of our events live, now is the time to sign up, and the same goes for any of your favorite speeches you wanted to purchase on DVD.

I need as much support as I can get right now, and those are some of the ways you can help. If you’re really messed up in the head you can also send me mixed messages of support/praise and extremely destructive/negative/you can’t do it criticism, because for some reason both seem to fuel my dreams (constructive criticism is also welcome of course).

Thank you and good night/good morning

-Anthony ‘Dream’ Johnson

~5am, Gothenburg Airport Sweden, off to Amsterdam!

The Community Tapes [Volume 1]: Bijal

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Sun, 23 May 2010 14:39:03 +0000

You’ve seen the speakers interviewed in The Community Tapes, and you’ve heard what they have to say about The 21 Convention, but what about hearing from an attendee?

Our question exactly, and Bijal fits the bill perfectly in this regard. Bijal is a three year attendee of The 21 Convention, and has seen it grow and evolve over the years like few have – as well as me personally throughout our friendship that spawned from The 21 Convention.

Get behind the scenes of The 21 Convention in this episode of The Community Tapes and be sure to register for the 2010 Orlando convention before June 9th for a $50 discount off the door price. (Ticket prices also rise June 9th for the Central Florida Exercise & Nutrition Seminar).

Video Presentation: How I Began My Personal Journey & How You Can Begin Yours

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Sat, 22 May 2010 01:23:47 +0000

This is a free talk I did in Stockholm for a little over 20 people on Wednesday right after my friend and fellow convention speaker Dejan. I talk about my history with women, how I began my “personal journey”, some realizations I have had along the way thus far, and how you can begin yours.

All in all an informal talk I think most will enjoy, despite a fair bit of profanity (you’ve been warned!), and a side of myself many TDL readers are probably not so familar with – until now =).

Cheers guys.

-Anthony

ps- there’s about a minute of footage missing in the middle where I talk about losing my butt financially with the 2008 convention and then my best friend dieing immediately after that. Unfortunately I simply don’t have the footage, but another person does, so I may swap the videos out in the near future if I can get a hold of a copy.

The Community Tapes [Volume 1]: Tim the “Right Hand Man”

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Sun, 09 May 2010 14:57:04 +0000

Tim the “Right Hand Man”: in his own words a “father, son, brother, former husband, and sometimes a lover”. We should probably add to that: mentor, leader, and one of the wisest men interviewed to date for The Community Tapes. Tim aka “Right Hand Man” brings an entirely new twist to this documentary series with his age, ideas, and experiences that other dating and relationship coaches, simply haven’t had.

Tim was interviewed on the infamous “Wall Street” of downtown Orlando Florida in the Spring of 2010. Find out more about him at his blog, RightHandManifesto.blogspot.com, and see his speech at T21C 2009 here. Tim will also be speaking for his third year at The 21 Convention during our Orlando event this July 22nd-25th.

My comments: Tim just totally crushes it in this interview. By far and large, I believe this one of the most professional interviews out of the entire first volume, and will catch a lot of people by surprise Dj Fuji 2009 style, simply because Tim has an awesome message to send, is coming from such a different angle, and excels so well at communicating in this medium.

The Community Tapes [Volume 1]: Steve “El Topo” Mayeda

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Sun, 02 May 2010 17:00:54 +0000

Steve “El Topo” Mayeda: the most down to Earth, honest, genuine, no BS lifestyle and dating coach, on the planet – period. Known for his revolutionary “Red Stack” coaching program and unparalleled personal attention, Steve was interviewed for The Community Tapes during the late Fall of 2009 in downtown Orlando Florida.

See Steve’s presentation at The 21 Convention 2009 here. Find out more about him at his website TheRedMole.com, and view further discussion of Episode 2 of The Community Tapes [Volume 1] here.

My Comments: Steve is a real bad ass, and this documentary style interview proves it beyond the shadow of a doubt. While a little long winded at first, I believe this is by far the most raw and powerful interview of the entire series. Really, Steve says things that just knock your socks off – especially about me – and for that, I thank him. He’s actually helped me realize a lot in my life, and I think you see that reflected recently on TDL, and will continue to see such reflection.

The Community Tapes [Volume 1]: Dj Fuji

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 15:20:26 +0000

Dj Fuji … life coach, ex-marine, rising star of The 21 Convention, and former chief instructor for Mehow Inc. – was interviewed for The Community Tapes during the Fall of 2009 in Orlando Florida. Move past the fame and inside the mind of one of the greatest dating and lifestyle coaches of our time, Dj Fuji, with the ground breaking new lens that is Episode 1, Volume 1 of The Community Tapes.

See Dj Fuji’s outrageously popular speech at T21C 2009 by clicking here.

Visit his blog at TaoofDjFuji.com and see him this July at T21C 2010 (USA).

My comments: Dj Fuji is an awesome guy – seriously. I got a great first impression when I met him in July of 2009 at T21C, and my respect only grew after he gave his ~2 hour presentation (that inevitably blew up online). All that was further compounded (and amplified) during this interview, that really helped me get to know the man behind the name. I believe it will help others in the same regard. Enjoy guys, and stay tuned next Sunday afternoon for Episode 2 of The Community Tapes.

The Dream Book Collection

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Thu, 01 Apr 2010 13:22:19 +0000

Someone tweeted at me the other day stating interest in what was on my bookshelf (reader Ben of this blog I believe). I thought about it and decided it would make for an interesting post.

What you see above is my personal and current book collection* . I’ve owned and read many more in my life time of course, but I frequently sell books that I won’t read twice, and would be better off in the hands of someone else (hence you don’t see The Primal Blueprint hard cover in here, for one example).

*With a shameless self promotional piece in the back ground of master copy event DVD’s to be delivered this week to the production/distribution company I have chosen. Check out one of the full DVD covers here (it’s pretty slick).

Below I’ll briefly discuss each book, and provide a link to purchase it. Most will be to Amazon, in which case I get a small commission (usually less than a dollar) should you buy from that link, instead of going to Amazon.com directly – at no extra cost to you. This is a great way to support the blog which I write and host at no direct charge to you the reader.

Let’s begin shall we?

Reinventing Collapse

For me, and probably many others, it is a rare find when I come across a book I have trouble putting down. This, is one of those books (on the far left, face up).

Reinventing Collapse: The Soviet Example and American Prospects by Dmitry Orlov

It just arrived in the mail yesterday and I’m already about half done with it. In fact, as I just mentioned, I had trouble putting this book down last night and going to sleep. It is very likely I will finish it today, in my second sitting – it’s that good.

Why is it good? Well for one, this guy is intelligent and very aware of BS, in many different fields. I don’t agree with every little thing in the book, but for the most part, I believe Dmitry has a high level of ‘altitude’ on life and the problems we face collectively – and not just economic collapse as one would assume by the title of this book.

What’s more, Dmitry has a good sense of humor – dark as it may be. Come to think of it, this guy reminds me of George Carlin and his knack for “poking holes” where most won’t (may he rest in peace).

The neat thing about his sense of humor however, is that it balances out a serious topic without going to far over the edge. In that sense, the book is easily ‘digestible’, and should bring most ‘around’ who are skeptical of the most catastrophic, economic cluster f*uck in history that is looming at our doorstep here in the states.

He makes a lot of good points that I have previously made here on TDL, or have planned to touch on. The two I am referring to specifically are

A. You don’t have to be an economics wizard to understand what’s going on in the US. In fact I would go one step further and say that an ‘advanced’ understanding of ‘economics’ may indeed be blinding to the coming economic catastrophe on a scale never before witnessed.

Not unlike a vegan who knows everything there is to know about vegetarianism – it doesn’t change the facts, and the reality than vegetarianism in any form is harmful to both humans, the environment, and not ‘even’, but especially animals – paradoxical, maniacal, murderous, and blasphemous as it may sound.

B. People have an extremely difficult time taking action that directly contradicts their every day life. I’ve seen this many times over, in my own life, and the lives of others. Clear examples can be found (being discussed) in a few speeches from The 21 Convention regarding success with women – most guys have a very difficult time admitting they have any sort of problem in that area of their life, let alone that they can improve their success.

Why? In admitting that there is room for improvement (and that you could have done better in past situations, intimate, social or otherwise), you are in a sense deflating a false, situational confidence, based on your experiences with women over the course of your life time – or your ‘ego’ for short.

In doing so, many perceive this as a personal devaluation of themselves – as a threat. This is of course complete nonsense, and no such threat is ‘real’, but never the less people have a difficult time unraveling these self induced rationalizations.

In the same sense – interestingly enough, multiple – close friends of mine that read The Dream Lounge have stated more or less the same thing, in an eerily similar manner. They begin talking about what I’ve written on here about “bug out bags” and economic collapse (on their own accord), laugh a bit, and then state that if “anything happens” they know where they’re going first – to my house (or anyone’s house for that matter, assuming it’s not a pre-planned “bug out location” of some sort).

This for one, is complete and utter bull$hit. If and when some kind of catastrophe or disaster does occur – of whatever nature – there are very few people I would ‘take in’ unconditionally. Those people include immediate family, close relatives, the immediate family of my former best friend, and less than a handful of my close friends or close friends of any of the above people (my criteria being if my best friend was still alive, and with me during a major event, would he or would he not take in a friend of his that I also knew).

That’s it. Unless you’re prepped and can carry your own weight (or most of it and can be of aide in other forms), you’re getting a handful of food, a best of luck wish, and a foot in the ass out the door.

Call me a cold heartless bastard, but I’m not going to risk my life/well being or the life of anyone listed above for a ‘friend’ who was to busy laughing to stock pile some basic supplies (that you use anyway, like food) and spend 30 minutes seriously thinking out and planning for a major unforeseen event that causes civil unrest to any significant degree, for any prolonged period of time, that could threaten your life or the lives of your loved ones.

Back on point, I’m glad the author addressed this issue. Being hesitant to take action that directly contradicts your every day life is nonsense whichever way you cut it, but it’s also dangerous when talking about something like economic collapse.

Moving on …

Meditations

This was hiding elsewhere during the taking of the main picture, hence it’s in a stand alone photograph. In any case, it also deserves special mention as it is one of my all time favorite books – thanks to Ryan Holiday for the find by the way.

As Ryan states, Meditations may be one of the greatest books ever written. It really is that good, that humbling, that insightful, and that inspiring. I am in the process of reading it a third time over, and as soon as I finish, I will start over once again and read it a fourth, and a fifth, and a sixth …

Way of the Peaceful Warrior

Sort of going left to right now, Way of the Peaceful Warrior is an excellent novel (supposedly based on true events) by Dan Millman, that was made into a major motion picture only a few years back – yet was published many decades ago. I actually saw the movie first, and am even more fond of the film than the book – but never the less the novel is an excellent and calming late night read. I’ve read the book once, seen the movie 5 times, and may read the book again someday. (Please ignore the nutritional and exercise ideas in the book however).

Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr

I’ve read Eragon three times over, Eldest 4 times over, and Brisingr 3 times over. Needless to say, this series (that is not yet finished) is by far my favorite fictional series. I can never pin point what it is exactly that draws me into this series so much, but I suppose I’ll figure that out after reading the entire series over a few more times.

The Alchemist

I close friend recommended this one to me, and I have yet to finish it. That said, I will read and finish it as soon as I knock out a few other books on my table (no pun intended).

Ron Paul Speaks

A simple idea, a profound result. Ron Paul Speaks is a collection of quotes from perhaps the only sane individual working in our federal government, Ron Paul. Every issue imaginable is covered in this book, in his perspective – from the disastrous ‘war’ on drugs and terrorism to the Federal Reserve, it’s here. Considering where a lot of these quotes are taken (all have citations), to say that Congressman Paul has balls of steel is a dramatic understatement.

Also worth noting is the NY Times #1 best selling book by Ron Paul, The Revolution: A Manifesto. I burned through this one pretty quick and then made the fatal mistake of lending it to a friend – who quickly lost it =/. Great read as well.

Body by Science

Like I haven’t pimped this book enough! Haha. (I often wonder if any blogger has pushed more copies than me.)

With good reason though, as Body by Science is perhaps the most influential print book of our time to be released on the subject of exercise. Authors Doug McGuff and John Little (along with other contributors to the book) really did something incredible in Body by Science by challenging the status quo ‘idiocracy’* on exercise, and backing it to kingdom come with the latest research – without undue abrasion to the reader neck deep in mainstream ‘body building’, ‘aerobics’, ‘cardio’, and so on.

They fought fire with fire, and won. The fact that this book hasn’t made it to the top of every best seller list in the country and won international awards is a damn shame as far as I’m concerned – it’s that important. But who knows? It took Tucker Max years to hit number one on the NY Times. Good things may come when the reality show Doug and John filmed for releases.

*These are my words, not theirs.

Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern World

An all time favorite of NY Times best selling author Tucker Max, this book is an excellent read from start to finish. I’ve discussed it before here.

Hamilton’s Curse: How Jefferson’s Arch Enemy Betrayed the American Revolution–and What It Means for Americans Today

I just got this yesterday along with Reinventing Collapse. I’ve read a tiny bit so far, and it’s right on track with The Real Lincoln (from the same author), which we’ll get to next. Chances are, it’s an excellent read.

The Real Lincoln: A New Look at Abraham Lincoln, His Agenda, and an Unnecessary War

I wrote about this book in the Heroes and Villains post quite a bit, and quoted liberally from it. That said, The Real Lincoln does an excellent job de-mystifying one of our supposedly “greatest president” and revealing him for what he is – one of, if not the worst leader in our history as a nation.

That will probably pis$ off a lot of people, but I suggest you take a good look at the book before judging it by it’s cover – or in this case, my 15 second summary.

Special thanks to my friend Peter who went and got my copy autographed when the author was in town and I was not.

Basic Economics

Loaned to me by a friend … well hell, the title pretty much sums up the book. I’m not too far into Basic Economics yet, but thus far it’s easy to digest (in fact, that’s the major premise of the entire book), while supposedly being used as a text book for many economics classes around the country.

Much to my delight, it thus far leans strongly in favor of free markets and against central economic planning – you know, like ‘health care reform‘.

The Little Black Book of Violence: What Every Young Man Needs to Know about Fighting

I saw Drew Baye post this on his Facebook a few months back and decided to pick it up. At first glance it sounds like a book that will try to teach the reader martial arts through text alone – but this book is anything BUT that.

The book is focused on pounding basic principles about fighting into your head, you know, like avoid it at all costs except under these circumstances, and when forced to fight take X, Y, and Z into consideration – especially the law.

While a bit repetitive (seemingly on purpose), it’s well worth your time no matter how experienced a ‘fighter’ or martial artist you think you are – as in the end, victory in a street fight is going to go to the guy who runs away and doesn’t get hurt, or the guy who is thinking ‘combat‘, not ‘fight’ – and is therefore ready to stomp on someone’s neck to save his life while the guy thinking ‘fight’ is still thinking about rules that simply don’t exist in a situation such as that.

In addition, as a testimonial, I’ve already had the opportunity to apply some of the ideas in this book, and it’s literally kept me out of jail, and another person in jail. This incident happened not two weeks ago, and is in no way/shape/form a joke.

Moment Arm Exercise

Truly one of a kind, Moment Arm Exercise dives head first into a field few have gone before – the overlooked yet critical bio-mechanics of exercise.

Check out my review here, interview with the author here, follow up interview with the author here (on another site), and the author’s videos here.

In case you haven’t guessed by now, you don’t want to miss this one. BUT, I would strongly recommend reading Body by Science first.

The Dip

I’ve read The Dip: A Little Book that Teaches you When to Quit (and When to Stick) … some 4 times over now? Regardless, it’s resonated with me pretty hard in the past, as someone who has been through a collage of business ventures, and as a college student alike.

Also, notice my exclusive focus on The 21 Convention? Take a guess where that came from (with ensuing success), as it wasn’t always that way.

The Four Hour Work Week

I confess, I do not yet own the revised and expanded edition, despite being mentioned in it . “Treason” you scream! Ha, maybe. I will grab a copy soon enough and read through it however – scouts honor.

That said, I’ve read the original 4, maybe 5 times over. Like Reinventing Collapse, it was one of those rare finds for me where I just couldn’t put it down.

And, in the end, had I not discovered this book, it is beyond unlikely that you would see The 21 Convention where it is today. It has had that profound of an effect on my life – albeit indirectly through T21C and the time, effort, blood, sweat, and tears poured into it.

Awaken the Giant Within

Man it’s been years since I’ve cracked open Awaken the Giant Within. To be honest, it’s been so long since this book has crossed my mind, I could hardly tell you what it’s about.

That said, I remember it being out right inspirational, and my guess is that it’s worth your time if you haven’t already read through it. Tony Robbins is an interesting guy, to say the least.

The Leap: How 3 Simple Changes Can Propel Your Career from Good to Great

To be completely honest, I feel a bit foolish for not putting out a full review on The Leap when it released. I instead opted to try something new and posted my highlights from the book – a decent enough idea on paper, but one that played out poorly here on TDL due to the quotes not making much sense when taken out of context.

That said, The Leap is an excellent and powerful read – entrepreneur or otherwise. Tim Ferris and Anthony Robbins, among others, seem to agree (see the back cover).

On the fence? I’ll add this then – 5 minutes into reading this book, and throughout the majority of my read beyond that point, I kept asking myself: Why couldn’t this book have come out 6 months ago!?!

In any case, Rick Smith, author of The Leap will be at The 21 Convention 2010 (USA) this year on Friday July 23^rd from 10-11 am. I suspect broadcasting his speech out to the world on The21Convention.com will alleviate the mildly botched post here on TDL.

I even set up a limited access ticket for locals that would only be interested in his presentation. I know , I know, I’m so thoughtful it hurts.

The Final 3

The final three in this picture include The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The Way of the Superior Man, and The Power of Now.

Admittedly, despite owning The 7 Habits for many years, I’ve never taken the time to finish it. Something about the way it was written … it just never hooked me. Even getting half way through it was a chore.

Never the less, it is wildly popular. Who knows, I may pick it up someday and finish it.

The Power of Now is another book I don’t have much to say about. Have I finished it? You’re damn right I’ve finished it, three times over if memory serves right.

However, I’ve always been a bigger fan of A New Earth, and as a result it’s difficult to differentiate between the content of the two books – on the fly anyway.

It’s probably worth checking out if you haven’t read A New Earth yet though.

Finally, The Way of the Superior Man IS a book I have some comments on. For one, I find it to be one of (if not) the best “how to be a man” books written in modern times. Or I suppose, how to be a superior man, and not just any man.

Seriously, this book is packed front to back with wisdom on difficult decisions and challenges we face. Whether it be work, relationships, or desire, David Deida* offers a third choice when we narrow things down to a black and white lose/lose scenario – the superior choice we often overlook, or are afraid to face.

I would be very surprised if more than a handful of people reading this post had not already read this book. If you’re one of those few, and you’re male, you should probably pick this one up before anything listed above.

*I’ve been exchanging e-mails with David’s assistant for some time now trying to get him to either T21C Orlando or T21C Stockholm this year. It’s unlikely due to his current ‘sabatical’, but still up in the air. If something comes through, I’ll let everyone know on The21Convention.com.

…

By the way, this is my room mates collection that I pick at from time to time, including books like Emergency, I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (he owns multiple autographed copies worth hundreds a pop), and A New Earth.

And this is a snapshot of what I’m currently digging through. You could add Body by Science to that list as well even though it’s not pictured, as I read through it pretty consistently.

Suppose I could have just listed those via text, but what fun would that be? It certainly looks cooler in picture format too.

Why I Prep: Bug Out Bags, Dual Citizenship, Zombies, Plant Pemmican & Other Mischief (Explained)

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 09:35:15 +0000

I released a post not long ago, about what I pack in my “bug out bags”.

You can read and view it here (mostly video, followed by item links that correspond to each video).

When creating the post, I knew I faced quite a challenge to communicate what I … really wanted to communicate.

I had all of these links, and a rather long, not terribly exciting series of videos. Both definitely needed more “splainin”, but I knew that if I tried to include a bunch of text either before or after the videos, it would just become a mess. Too much to absorb in one sitting.

I decided to split the post into two separate pieces, and today, is part two. My “master plan” is simply this: explain the underlying themes fueling part one so it makes more sense, and becomes more useful to those interested in a similar path/hobby.

Kinda put the cart before the horse, but in due time, I think these articles will work really well together =).

…

First things first, how did I get into “prepping”?

In the Fall of 2009 my room mate got me into a TV show called Jericho.

I’m not really a big fan of TV, but I have to admit, I watched two seasons of this nearly straight through. Easily my favorite show of all time (followed closely by The Shield).

Jericho is a television show about a small town during the crippling and fracturing of the US Federal Government.

During a State of the Union address, a nuclear weapon goes off in DC, literally cutting off the head of the federal government. At the same time, 22 other nukes go off in major cities around the country.

Millions die that day, and not surprisingly, the country falls into chaos. Some time later, three governments arise. The United States reforms in Columbus, Ohio, Texas becomes an independent republic, and everything else west of the Mississippi becomes the “Allied States of America”.

The USA and ASA are on the verge of war, and Texas remains neutral.

Check out a fan made trailer below.

Anyway, right after watching Jericho I finally got around to reading Emergency by Neil Strauss (author of The Game).

It was here that ideas like “bug out bag”, “survivalist”, “prepping” and dual citizenship were first introduced to me. I simply had never thought about those things before reading Emergency, but, after just finishing Jericho, they sure as hell fit into the puzzle that was then forming in my head – what if something like this (a $hit hit the fan scenario) actually happened?

How unlikely is it?

Hell, on September 11^th 2001 a few thousand people were murdered by those who hate the “United States”. How far fetched is it that something like that, happens again? Who’s to say it wouldn’t be a significantly more devastating attack?

As the saying goes, history repeats itself.

If it’s not apparent by now, our government has managed to anger a lot of people, both at home and abroad (enough to motivate suicide attacks apparently).

Saying that Jericho like events are unlikely? Sure, I’ll go with that. But impossible?

I’m not so sure, and I think anyone telling you for certain that it is impossible, is full of baloney. No one really knows for certain – all we can do is guess.

But, not even this was the driving motivation to read, research, and take action (at least regarding a “bug out bag”).

Far more likely events are bound to happen. Hurricanes most notably in Florida – and we’ll discuss others soon enough.

Combine a natural disaster with the way most people will act under extreme stress (various degrees of panic and irrational thought/action), and you have a serious problem on your hands.

The events following Hurricane Katrina are an excellent example.

…

It is largely due to the above topics that I chose to “build” a Bug Out Bag. I like to have my cake and eat it too though, so I wanted something more, especially since I do a fair bit of traveling around Florida, and soon elsewhere.

I’m not interested in spending money on things I don’t need however, so I decided to find a happy middle ground for everything that I wanted in a BOB.

What resulted in a long enough time span were the two primary bags you saw in the previous post (that third is good to have, but not as practical, or used as often).

Those two bags, as you saw, had a lot of little things that were otherwise laying around my room. I asked myself, why not organize this otherwise useless junk into a bag, in case I need it someday, or until I decide it takes up too much space and would be better replaced with something else? (related or unrelated).

Off hand examples include that little pack of Tide laundry detergent, a bunch of nail clippers, and a portable GPS I’ve had since I was a kid.

Some “preppers” are critical to include such insignificant items, but I ask, why the hell not? My nails grow like crazy, and those little clippers make my life all the more simpler. Why not include them?

Again, I find it wise to include items – if you have the space – that would otherwise just sit around, as long as they are even remotely useful.

What’s more, it didn’t cost me anything. This is the world we live in now, and I run a business. That, is numero uno on my list of priorities, and I’ll gladly go with the minimum amount necessary in a BOB to ensure the success of The 21 Convention.

In addition to all of this, like I mentioned, I do a fair bit of traveling around Florida. Gainsville, Jacksonville, Cape Coral, and so on.

You know what?

In the past, every time I went to one of these places, I had to spend a good deal of time packing a bag or two. And when I got back, unpack it.

A bit of a pain in the arse wouldn’t you say?

Enter the bastard child of a BOB (made on the cheap with items already laying around), and a “Nomadic” bag.

Of course, when I do travel abroad, I’ll have to remove a few items, and add in a few others. But on the whole, my bags are already packed.

If I want to go somewhere just a few hours away, I’m good in less than 2 minutes. I can just up, and walk right out the door. Independence and freedom on a small scale, but a great feeling none the less.

And if I want to travel afar? It’s really a simple matter of re-organizing a few things, and I know I’m set. No more wondering if I forgot anything last minute – I’m already prepared for WW3 =).

Zombies

__________________________________________________________________________________

The “Zombie Apocalypse” included in the title of the previous post was, mostly a joke.

Note the term mostly though.

Of course, a true Dawn of the Dead style zombie apocalypse is the least of my worries (at least I hope it is! Haha). But that’s not what I was really referring too.

I think the term “zombie” is actually quite fitting for unconscious, irrational, violent behavior people are prone to under extreme stress, manipulation, a lack of basic needs (food/water), or any combination of the above.

Think about it for a second, seriously. What is a zombie? A ravenous, mindless creature, that wants to “eat” you.

Do you see the parallel to a person who is desperately searching for food and supplies, either for themselves or their family – all under extreme stress and a probable (temporary or prolonged) collapse of order and law enforcement – in a SHTF situation?

In essence, the “zombie apocalypse” is similar to what we saw happen in New Orleans after Katrina. By preparing for “it”, you are simply preparing for if/when something like that happens, and people who are not prepared, and have yet to receive aid from large organizations (assuming it is coming in the first place), are beginning to get hungry, and desperate.

Not only for themselves, but for their friends, neighbors, even children. I’ve seen people do things most would consider insane, for no reason at all.

When your own life, or the life of your children is brought into the picture? Anything is possible.

Combine that with a partial or complete lack of law enforcement/emergency services … I don’t even like to think about it.

How probable is it that something like this happens?

Well, on temporary and smaller scale, 100%.

It is absolutely inevitable that more “Katrina” like events happen, both in the US and around the world. Natural disasters are simply part of the way things work, and to think that your state or country is immune to them (either through location or strength of aid organizations/government) is simply naive.

It can be big like the recent disaster in Haiti, or “small” (in comparison) like Hurricane Charley – which I experienced first hand. Heck, I watched the eye pass by just a handful of miles from my house.

Even something as small as the recent snow storms in the North East where supermarkets were picked clean by those caught unprepared.

I’m sure the more pertinent question on your guys minds though is – what about on a larger scale, and longer term?

Well, the nation of Haiti was nearly wiped off the map just a few weeks ago. If a country falling apart isn’t “major”, I don’t know what is.

But, there are bigger things at work. Obviously another terrorist attack, on a Jericho level, would be pretty devastating. At the rate the United State is starting (unconstitutionally by not declaring) aggressive wars in the Middle East, I think the probability of something on that massive a scale happening increases each and every day.

And it doesn’t even have to be entire cities disappearing via nuclear blast – a large EMP strike would be far more devastating (although maybe not as much as the author of the following book would like us to believe) to the continental United States and other “first world” nations.

This plot line is explored in modern America in One Second After.

Excellent book by the way.

Of course, attacks (including those that don’t pan out but still cause hysteria) and natural disasters, are not all we have to worry about though.

I think what is far more likely to happen is a “collapse” of some sort. Even this could come about in a variety of ways though (and there are quite a number of theories on if/how/when/why this will happen).

My guess?

A Soviet style financial collapse of the United States.

Of course, those are Ron Paul’s words not my own – but never the less, they fit my guess of what’s to come as well (assuming little or nothing changes over the next few years).

This warrants a discussion in and of itself – but this is not the time or post to do so. The take away message is what’s important: the society we live in is fragile. This is witnessed on a small scale when natural disasters happen. On a grand scale?

We have yet to see it in recent times, but I believe it to be a distinct possibility. In fact, I think the saying will hold true that

“the bigger they are, the harder they fall”

And financially is the most likely way, in my eyes, that this will happen, if a collapse of some kind does come to pass. I think this is just the natural order of things though, how human nature works on a large scale.

Societies grow, and unenlightened group think results in centralization. As a society continues to grow, the instinct (urge?) is to further and further consolidate “power”* into that already growing central authority. This is akin to filling a balloon with water and squeezing it tighter and tighter.

Eventually, it will explode (collapse).

*A reader not long ago asked what I thought of movies like Zeitgeist, and I assume, other “conspiracy” movies like End Game, Fall of the Republic, and The Obama Deception (of which, I’ve all seen). Well, this is it – they are a surface level representation of one group trying to prevent another group from squeezing the “balloon” ever tighter, until it explodes. There may very well be some sort of “new world order” conspiracy going on, I have no idea, and there is simply no way for me to know (I have my doubts however since I don’t think many people are that smart, and could keep secrets that long).

However, even if there definitely were, I wouldn’t find it very relevant. It would just be another expression of someone trying to squeeze the “water balloon” ever tighter. It’s already happening elsewhere in ways we can very directly influence. I’ll pass on being concerned about something outside my sphere of influence – mental focus is better spent elsewhere.

As long as I am prepared to the best of my ability, and can get home to my family – who wouldn’t last 2 days in a Katrina like situation – in the time of an emergency (hurricane, terrorist attack of some kind, or financial meltdown followed by civil unrest), I am satisfied – and in the mean time enjoy the freedom and convenience of well prepared supplies for a variety of situations.

And to be completely honest, “prepping” grows on you as a strange, yet fun hobby =). Others who are still in the dark about such a past time will find it strange of course, but I’d rather be considered a nut now and prophet come crunch time, than caught with my pants down completely unprepared.

Dual Citizenship

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It would be fitting to end the post with the previous paragraph, but I promised more in the title, so I’ll deliver and just call his bonus content.

First up is the dual citizenship.

Neil Strauss in Emergency is the inspiration for this btw.

It’s nothing amazing honestly. It works in one of two ways.

A. You have a $hit ton of money and buy your way into a citizenship.

B. You have family that was born in another country.

In my case, my maternal grand parents were born in Eastern Europe. One was born in a country that does not allow citizenship based on your family history. The other grandparent however, was born in a country that is somewhat laid back about citizenship policy.

In that country, as long as your parents or grand parents were born there, you automatically have access to full citizenship for only a measly few hundred dollars, and their approval (I imagine those with criminal records won’t be allowed in, for example).

The United States to this day technically* allows “dual citizenship”, as does the country I am applying too.

*It’s actually a little hazy, since technically you can only be a citizen of one country, but they allow it none the less and many people are dual citizens.

Why am I interested in becoming a dual citizen?

Mainly because it’s easy for me to do, and if the rules change, I’ll feel like quite an imbecile for not getting it when I could. Were it not so easy and inexpensive, I would simply not care – but that is not the case. In the rare and extreme situation where a dual citizenship would prove useful, I’ll be glad to have it – both domestically and abroad*.

*Neil Strauss cites an incident in India if I remember correctly where terrorists were executing only British and American citizens in a hostage situation.

Domestically it’s not quite as useful, and things would really have to be down the $hitter for me to even fathom fleeing the country (and airlines would still have to be functioning), not to mention my family. But, I think it’s worth having the option.

And on a less dramatic note, I can go to nations not friendly with the United States, such as Cuba (which I actually saw as a kid fishing).

So, there it is, how I’m becoming a dual citizen come May 2010 when I fly to NY to apply, and probably do some speaking for those interested in The 21 Convention there.

Plant Pemmican & Other Mischief

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“Pemmican”, is actually a combination of animal fat and protein. I’m in the now continual process of making it myself, and have bought some previously from US Wellness Meats as seen in the final video of the three part series.

Plant Pemmican is a term I coined the other day when I got my first box of YouBar custom nutrition bars (hat tip to Tim).

Of course, I think most plants we consider “food” aren’t really food at all, but something akin to cardboard. And naturally, I’m a firm believer than 99% of the time (100%?) animals are a better source of “food” than plants.

But, that doesn’t mean all plants are not real “food”. In fact it is our ability to eat both plants and animals that has kept us alive for all these years, and probably helped propel us to the top of the food chain as a by product.

As a result, what I call “plant pemmican” is simply a custom made YouBar that only includes real food, and while not perfect, would sure kick the crap out of most other “foods” in a survival situation.

You can get YouBars here, and the code for my last batch of bars is YCPNK

I don’t get an affiliate commission for that (although I have applied to be an affiliate), that is simply the code I got to reorder my bars as I had them last time.

My bars are medium size (45g) and include the following ingredients.

Almond butter
Organic Dates
Organic Clover Honey
Whey Protein Isolate
Organic Coconut
Organic Pumpkin Seeds
Pecans
Cocoa
Goji Berries
Carob
Organic Cacao Nibs
All in one vitamin infusion
Cinnamon

And have the following posted as nutritional information

Calories: 210
From fat: 101
Total Fat: 12g
Sat. Fat 3g
Trans Fat: 0g
Cholesterol: 1mg
Sodium: 18mg
Total Carb: 20g
Fiber: 4g
Sugar: 10g
Protein: 9g
Vitamin A: 22%
Vitamin C: 69%
Calcium: 30%
Iron: 25%

Not sure what % of those vitamins are locked up in fiber, but that fat and protein should be good to go (the protein being mostly from Whey, a complete, fast absorbing animal protein).

In any case, these taste quite good. The cinnamon is probably what adds the most flavor, so I may remove some of the other ingredients rich in carbohydrate. I also just ate the bar I read the above information off of, and piled on some coconut oil in the process.

DAMN

That’s good =). The texture and flavor skyrocket with coconut oil, along with the nutritional punch, and calories needed to survive in the wilderness (which I’ll be doing this spring break).

On the downside, these are expensive as hell*, so I will not be ordering them for anything but more food to stuff in my BOBs. Eating these on a regular basis would quickly bankrupt me.

The catch however, is that you choose exactly what goes into each one, unlike the ones you buy at a store which are packed with wheat, soy, corn, and other nonsense that’s horrible for us. I’ve scoured Whole Foods, and have yet to see a plant based bar even remotely as “good” as the ones I just got from YouBar.

Of course, home made animal pemmican kills these nutritionally =). You can’t just go and buy a ton though (well you can from US Wellness, but it wont last as long as a batch you make yourself), so this is what I’m left with to supplement the food supply in my BOB.

All in all, I recommend them for that purpose.

*By the way, you can use discount code TYNAN for 10% off. I’m not sure if Tynan get’s a commission off that or not, but if he does, it’s probably better to support him than just letting all the money go to YouBar, which has to be making a killing at $3 something a bar.

My New Vibram KSO Treks

I’m a huge fan of Vibram footwear. In fact this is my third pair of Vibrams (I once owned black KSOs, which I gave to my room mate as a birth day present, and I currently own Navy Camouflage Sprints ).

I love the KSOs, and I love the Sprints even more (for me personally, they both have their highlights). These treks are a different breed of Vibram though as they are tougher than nails (and expensive at $125 minimum).

I was pretty wary of dropping $125 on shoes I thought I just didn’t need. Vibram Sprints and sandals cover just about everything – but not everything.

Even with merino wool toe socks the sprints/ksos do not handle weather below about ~50 degrees Fahrenheit. You can suck it up of course, but cold feet is pure misery for me, even with hairy hobbit feet.

Because of this, I have always had an eye for Flows (which are heavily insulated). This is permanent with Flows however, and not something I would like for my shoes in the Florida Summer heat.

There is also another problem not addressed with Flows or Sprints – really rough terrain. Both have adequate soles for mildly rough terrain, but as soon as you step on something sharp or jagged, you will feel it in your feet.

Despite my Austin Powers like chest hair, I’m not Bear Grylls, so this isn’t a common problem. It is something I’ve experienced though, and something that’s crossed my mind – even in urban places like downtown Orlando (rough gravel).

Considering the above two issues, the KSO treks seemed like a possible solution to both considering it’s build.

For one, it’s made with kangaroo leather (that’s right, Mama Roo got turned into some shoes). Kangaroo leather is tougher than nails, and while not as insulating as the material found in Vibram Flows, I am betting it’s 100x more insulating than the paper thin regular KSO material that covers the top of the foot (and on the sprint, there is nothing there but air).

I’m also betting the substantially thicker soles of the Treks prove to be more insulating than the thin bottom layer of rubber found in classic KSOs and Sprints (this I believe, is where most of the heat is lost in your feet on cold ground, but that’s only based off of observation).

Secondly, the thick rubber soling is as strong or stronger than most conventional shoes (probably only short of heavy duty “hiking” boots). It’s seriously tough, and topped inside with more Kangaroo leather. This is another vital use of these shoes that is not found in any other Vibram.

Now, normally that aspect is useless to me, and even the added (moderate) insulation is only seasonal – but as mentioned eariler, this spring break I’m going camping in the middle of no where with two friends.

I’ll bring my sprints for sure, but I simply can’t risk my shoes being a liability camped in the middle of nowhere. The Treks not only provide some added insulation (which I’ll need in 30 degree weather), but are tougher than nails, bottom, top, all around – and even water resistant (not proof, but pretty damn close).

The only drawback of the Treks is the price (the cost of Kangaroo leather according to Vibram President), and slightly less mobility.

The mobility gained with classic Vibrams (and not so much the Treks) is primarily with the “inward” grip of the toes, which isn’t the most imperative part as I understand it.

What is important, to me anyway, is the “outward” or “upward” mobility gained with all Vibrams when attempting to run and trek about in the woods.

Rather than being chained to a moving plank during a sprint or strange angle while hiking in shoes, your toes can work as they were meant to, and even spread out as they were meant to for added “agility”, stability, and toe strength (I think the “agility” is simply being more aware of what the hell you are running on rather than being in constant contact with a flat cushy board in a typical shoe).

All in all, excellent shoes. Pricy, but I’ll be glad to have them next time it’s freezing out, or walking over sharp rocks in the middle of **cking nowhere come spring break.

Get them on Amazon here, but wait till the price drops to the MSRP of $125. No idea why they are so jacked in price on Amazon. Idiots.

You can also get them here at TravelCountry.com (a local store and small warehouse in the Orlando area where I bought mine in person). They have a bunch of brown* ones like mine in stock, but no black.

*The brown ones I have seriously look like dress shoes, and would probably pass as such if an occasion arises where I need dress shoes.

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And there you have it, my thoughts on all sorts of fun stuff, and hopefully clarification on my previous post detailing every little item I have organized into a few bug out bags for travel, convenience, and emergency use.

I am no “pro” at prepping, but then again I think it’s more of a personal/individual decision to make, so “pro” is a lofty term to throw around in the hobby/field. In any case, if you have questions, I’m an open book as always.

ps- I researched to hell and back which multi-tool was best for the money I was looking to spend. I decided on a Swiss made multi tool you can find here. Don’t have it yet, but that choice represents hours and hours of reading reviews and comparing models/brands. Is it the best for under $70? I’ll let you know when I do and compare it to my room mates Leatherman Wave – who, in case you havent guessed by now, also caught the prepping bug