The Dream Lounge

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

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 21:24:58 +0000

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 of America (government).

In this sense, my tolerance for defensively battling conventional wisdom head on has grown thin. Unless I am being paid fiat dollars, or otherwise being compensated for my time, I have very little interest in regurgitating what others have said much more eloquently over the past few years (and in some cases, decades, or in even rarer cases, centuries) – or better yet, using my precious little time on this earth doing anything but what I see as the best use of that time.

I have tackled conventional wisdom on multiple fronts to the point of becoming intellectually nauseous, which I deem to be a very good thing. “Good” because it has led to a personal discovery of how and why to argue a point (which I’m sure has been discussed elsewhere, but this is my own spin on it regardless).

The “how” is anything but defensively – barring an intentional and defined reason for doing so.
The “why” has to do with the basic premise of a particular point of view.

If another person or party is arguing from the same basic premise – and it is not without foundation – debate to your hearts delight.

If you discover they are not operating on the same premise (and in itself, their premise poses no cause to question your own), or that their premise is entirely without foundation, you have three options.

Discuss the (as of yet) unspoken difference in basic premise (or lack of base for theirs)
Stop debating all together
Argue into an intellectual abyss

Option one is for the patient individual with free time to spare, and a desire to improve the situation.

Option two is for the individual lacking spare time at present and/or a desire to improve the situation.

Option three is for the person interested in wasting a massive amount of time.

Contrary to the abrasive nature of the way it has been written above, this is actually irrelevant of the individual on the opposing end of the discussion.

If you don’t agree on a basic premise you might as well have General Hammond warp you through the middle of a black hole.

You’re simply arguing details which are inconsequential to changing a rational person’s opinion. You can both debate till your blue in the face – barring random chance of multiple, overlapping threads of reasoning, you might as well be talking to a brick wall.

The Grub

“Paleo nutrition through the lens of modern medicine.”

Regarding the above statement, I am referencing the best human diet possible – regardless of one’s goals and aims: competitive, environmental, and otherwise – and it’s demand to originate from a thorough and wise look at our evolution, in combination with our modern understanding of biological processes.

In other words, look to the past for a nutritional base to build upon, and use modern advances in technology and thought to top it off.

Two men that do this extraordinarily well are Mark Sisson and Kurt Harris MD. (Runner up: Doug McGuff MD, with regards to his Diet DVD, both impressive in explanation and comprehensive in content).

Now, what does this look like in practice?

Well, it depends on who you ask. I have my own ideas that you can read about or even watch on video. And it certainly doesn’t end with me, or even any of the above mentioned men. The “paleo community” is large and highly diverse in all senses of the term.

Yet, I am not here to discuss the “paleo community”, nor the agreements and disagreements thereof.

What I am here to openly and clearly state is that the conventional wisdom of our day regarding nutrition is entirely lacking foundation and should be immediately and wholly rejected on all fronts for your own sake and the sake of your posterity.

Current mainstream ideas on nutrition – headed by monopolies on force (government), and private bureaucracies – are …

Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing.

Conventional wisdom regarding nutrition (on all fronts), literally represents a bastion of ignorance, mysticism, and in some (many?) cases, outright stupidity.

…

It’s been said that if the best minds of our day could devise the absolute worst series of decisions possible by the federal union of these States united – and only with the past decade in mind – the decisions those individuals would make would be remarkably similar to, if not exactly what the federal government HAS done over these past ~10 years.

Similarly, if the best minds of our day gathered to devise the absolute worst nutritional recommendations possible for the individual, for “society”, and for the environment – the results in my opinion would be remarkably similar to what governments worldwide – and equally influential bureaucracies – have come up with.

The notion that a nutritional recommendation in disagreement to any degree (up to and including diametric opposition of) with the conventional position, would require intense and “extraordinary” support, is laughable beyond all measure. That’s the equivalent of requesting someone to prove god doesn’t exist.

It’s absurd – you can’t prove “god” exists in the first place.

In this sense I am proposing that the conventional wisdom surrounding nutrition and related subjects currently, is a negative, and requires absolutely zero refutation.

Conventional wisdom in all its nutritional forms, is in my eyes, hereby, completely null and void.

It is one of the largest piles and clearest depictions of intellectual trash and constipation in all of history.

What was once only horrifically bad science has now exponentially mutated over the course of a few decades into an ideological plague that has brought the civilized world to its knees in poor health, confusion, and apathy.

I refuse to further knowledge the validity of something with NO FOUNDATION beyond that of a psychological house of cards, coming from collective think tanks (collectivized well beyond the minimum amount necessary for the benefit of parties involved) that represent the pinnacle of all things “stupid”.

While I sympathize with requests to refute 40+ years of poor judgment , my sympathy adds no validity to the request itself.

I will not further attempt to disprove conventional wisdom in nutrition any sooner than I would attempt to disprove the existence of “god”.

The task is absurd (barring intentional and defined purposes), and more people need to realize this the next time their friends and family start grilling them on their eating habits.

You are not on the defensive.

You need not intellectually defend eating in accordance with evolution, filtered through modern biology, than you do the natural rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, in accordance with your own values.

You can if you choose of course, just do so with clearly defined purpose and intent.

The Government

In an effort to keep this post moderate in length, I would like to immediately introduce the idea that virtually all of the above, directly applies to the general (read: federal, not national, the latter of which is not authorized by our supreme law) government of these States united.

In this sense – and as was requested recently in one of the largest discussions on my personal Facebook account ever (see above picture) – no defense is required to defend the statement that the “federal government is broken in every way”, and has absolutely negligible respect left for the contract that binds it.

For one, it is utterly absurd to think that this should EVER be required by the people and states who populate the federal union itself. The general government is delegated only certain, limited powers, with all other powers residing in the states and people respectively.

Every action taken by the federal government must either be authorized in the constitution, or justified as being within the restraints of the document (or, an amendment must be made to the contract).

In other words, the federal government should always be on the defensive and justifying its actions as its powers are NOT unlimited and indefinite.

What’s more, the unconstitutional and illegal nature of the current federal government is so blindingly obvious, I question any person’s ability to discern useful information should they be aware of and educated on the factual history of our country and the current rule of law that governs the general government.

Unfortunately, most people are not, in which case the individual is either totally ignorant, lost in a sea of ambiguity and contradiction, apathetic, or some combination thereof.

In all cases, the federal government is so far outside it’s clearly defined limitations, we are long past the point of generously pointing out for them that they are a “bit out of line”.

Unconstitutional acts by the federal government of these States united, in the past 10 years alone have led to a modern day, middle eastern holocaust, the outright dismissal of freedom (that the founding generation of our union fought, bled, and died for), and the implied, de facto, state ownership of the individual.

This is accomplished through the “constitutionality of a draft” (for a constitution and country founded on the unalienable rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, this is beyond oxy-moronic), the theft of labor by force of a gun (income tax), and most recently, the acclaimed authority of the general government to force the individual citizens it derives its power from, to purchase a private product with whatever wealth they have left after it’s taken with the force of a gun, if necessary.

Essentially, you don’t even have the freedom to spend the fiat money they let you keep.

This is so repulsive and in defiance of our written law it defies proper description.

…

In summary of today’s post, I ask everyone to stop de facto defending the blindingly obvious and self-evident – beyond the fact that it is in fact self-evident.

Conventional wisdom in nutrition is highly absurd, and utterly invalid: yet trounced by the tragic train wreck that it is the current federal government of these States united.

Arguing trivial details while Mariana Trench size gaps in basic premise on these subjects exist is an impressive waste of time, that I strongly advise against, except in clearly defined and purposeful situations when such time is justly allotted to the task, for whatever reason one deems necessary.

-Anthony/Dream

Overdose: The Next Financial Crisis (Documentary)

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 14:33:26 +0000

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 due time?

I witnessed this same phenomenon at the recent Florida Liberty Summit with a small selection of speakers and will be discussing it soon enough.

In any case, the single file link to this documentary was removed last night – with 50,000 views. I have no idea why, but here are 3 separate links to the documentary in standard quality. If they cease to work at some point search the title of this post, or even add “torrent” to the end of the title. It needs to be watched and shared.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Dude, You’re Gettin a Dell!

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 14:39:47 +0000

Okay first things first. I couldn’t resist changing the title to “Dude, you’re getting a Dell!”. I saw those commercials one too many times as a kid and it was time for a return of the quote. What I didn’t know was that the actor, Ben Curtis, stopped doing the commercials after becoming a fan of Gateway …. (of which, I am not, but then again I am no fan of unconstitutional federal drug wars, either).

In any case, I wrote about some pretty serious stuff yesterday, and while I woke up with the intention to finish the post, I quickly realized I need a break for at least one day to write about something less dramatic.

So, you guys get to hear about my new laptop today, including why I bought it, what’s under the hood, and some of the benefits of this laptop over my previous HP.

For starters, my previous laptop was a 2007, HP DV 6700. I got it new in the spring of 08 for about $90 (no, not discussing how today).

It served me well over its’ ~2.5 year lifespan, especially considering the digital abuse I put it through (physically it was 99% as mint as the day it was bought, as, you guessed it, I’m pretty anal about taking care of things like this).

That said, over the past few months the video card began crashing at random intervals (crashing Windows in the process), and as time went on, ever more frequently. Over the past few weeks it had been at least once daily, without lapse.

While I am no tech whiz, I suspected this was the hardware failing itself due to the onslaught of video editing I put the poor thing through in years gone by – editing it simply wasn’t made to handle.

In combination with aging technology, and a battery that could barely sustain the laptop for more than 20 minutes, I decided it was time to grab a new computer.

Boy was this a good idea.

My new laptop – pictured above – does everything I need it to, and then some.

It’s funny, computers haven’t been on my mind for years – until the above problems arose. In this sense, I cared less and less about the speed and power of my laptop as time went on, as long as it could “get by” with what I needed it to do.

Until recently at The 21 Convention 2010, when my former computer was on its death bed. Dj Fuji commented to me on the internet speed at the hotel, and how for a small fee per day, you could upgrade to a ridiculously high speed.

The free internet was already pretty fast, so this was puzzling.

Well, simple as this is, man having fast internet – or a fast computer in my case – really increases how productive you can be.

Yeah no kidding right?

Well, it’s a surprise to me because it’s been so long since I’ve bothered to have either, and I have to say, this is absolutely true.

The added risk is getting sucked into direct multi-tasking. I’ve found that if I can avoid this though, I’m golden.

I’m actually pretty stoked to play around with some old convention footage, since I can have it converting/rendering in the background of my new laptop, and all it does it laugh while I continue to do whatever I need to do at that particular time.

On my old laptop, anything heavy like messing with footage would immediately lock the whole thing down. Meaning if I wanted to use my laptop on a particular day and get something power intensive like that done, my only option would be to set it overnight and guesstimate how much it could get done (and hope it wouldn’t freeze or crash in the process).

Of course, I’d have the added pleasure of waking up to a lava-hot laptop that sounded like a space shuttle launch.

Again, this is no brainer stuff for most, but it’s all a huge refresh for me since it’s been so long since I’ve messed with anything technical =).

And, in case you’re wondering, here are the (relevant) specs for my new Dell Studio 1458.

Intel Core i7-740QM (1.73-2.93Ghz, 6M/8 threads)
6GB Shared Dual Channel DDR3 at 1066MHz
14.0 inch High Definition (720p) LED Display (1366×768 resolution)
ATI Mobility Radeon HD 5450 1GB
500GB 7200 RPM SATA Hard Disk Drive
Intel WiFi Link 6200
Dell Wireless 365 Bluetooth Module (2.1)

Compared to the old HP…

1.67 GHz Intel Core 2 Duo Processor T5450 (2mb L2 cache)
3 GB DDR2 Ram
15.4 inch (1280×800 resolution)
NVIDIA GeForce 8400M GS 256mb
250 GB (5400 rpm) Hard Drive
Intel PRO/Wireless 4965AGN Network Connection
No built in bluetooth

For anyone who’s not a tech geek, the Dell does circles around the old HP in every way possible. Even the Wifi card is better (I’ve been able to pick up networks where I wasn’t previously at all). The Bluetooth is pretty bad ass too, half a decade late as I am with the technology.

Is the Dell the ultimate laptop? No, there are a few things that would be awesome to upgrade even further, but considering that I spent next to nothing on it (no, I’m not telling how today), I can’t even contemplate complaining.

…

Favorite feature(s)?

Ironically, the simple things: size, and I swear to god, the charger.

15.4 to 14 inches doesn’t sound like a big drop, but it is. My old laptop weighed about 6 and a half pounds, whereas the Dell weighs right at 5 and a quarter. Both the weight and size seem like small improvements for my current and foreseeable future, but they are indeed pretty dramatic. This thing literally feels like a feather compared to the HP, and the screen size is just right (I don’t feel like I’m on an Ipad that’s for sure).

The charger is sick too. Sounds dumb, but it’s a LOT thinner than the old clunky one for the HP (easy for packing), it’s lighter, and it has a nifty rubber strap for the cord, which can otherwise be a pain in the ass to wrap up.

My only real bitch is that it comes with 2 USB ports and 1 ESATA port (which I may use someday, but it’s not super likely), and no media card reader (despite the advertising saying it would, which I will be contacting Dell about).

Boo-hoo, I ordered a $6 usb hub from Belkin, and I can live without a media card reader.

Other than that, very happy I was able to nab this laptop, and I look forward to putting it through hell with videos and such over the coming months and years.

Last thing I’ll mention are a few programs I have installed. Nothing out of the ordinary, but it always amazes me when people are completely in the dark about some of these (and of course, I am open to suggestion for better programs).

AVG Anti-Virus
Open Office
Quick Books 2010
VLC Media Player
Mozilla Thunderbird (best decision I ever made regarding e-mail)
Google Chrome (Not a fan of IE or FireFox)
FileZilla FTP Client
CC Cleaner
Utorrent
WinRar
Speccy
Steam (I’m new to this)
Starcraft II (yes I am human, I own video games)
Left 4 Dead 2 (haven’t played it yet but I loved it on Xbox before I sold the console)
F.lux

Comments, thoughts, suggestions? I’d love to hear em, laptop, new blog design, or otherwise.

-Anthony/Dream

ps- Tynan got a pretty sick laptop recently as well. Read his thoughts here.

###############

Edit: It does have a media card reader. Woops.

The Best TV Show You’ve Never Seen: John Adams

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 15:33:04 +0000

The amount of live television I’ve watched over the past 12 months is so tiny, it’s probably best measured in minutes. That said, I do see movies from time to time, and on occasion, watch shows on my computer.

One I heard about recently at the Florida Liberty Summit where I had the chance to see Ron Paul speak live, was an HBO series titled “John Adams”.

A few weeks have passed, but I finally got around to watching it … wow.

For a TV series made to entertain, this show is provides a more accurate depiction of the founding of these states united than 99% of currently elected and appointed officials could piece together over the next decade – that’s how far our nation has drifted from the intent of the founders and the original constitution.

It’s not perfect, but it is definitely worth your time. The ideas presented, the main actors, the quotes, the scenes, the supporting cast … awesome.

Considering how often I talk about TV shows on TDL, you should take this recommendation to heart and give this series a shot.

Get it on Amazon via DVD or Blu-ray.

Fat is the Regulating Nutrient for Body Composition, Not Protein

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 15:18:01 +0000

I’ve had this on my mind since the Spring of 2010. I even wrote a rough draft of what follows before my travels to Europe.

I have since scrapped that, and have decided to begin anew.

As the title suggests, my working hypothesis is this: fat intake is the defining factor for body composition.

Now, for those neck deep in conventional wisdom, this makes a lot of sense – if taken to mean that fat intake will determine whether or not one is “fat”.

“Eat fat get fat.”

“Eat less fat get skinny.”

Yikes.

Well, for those that are long time readers of this blog, or otherwise aware that fat is a gift from Zeus himself, you know very well that this is not the idea I am supporting or looking to perpetuate in any way.

What I am suggesting more literally is this: (proper) fat intake determines body composition in all senses of the term.

Not only body fat levels, but muscle mass as well – contrary to popular opinion that excessive protein intake is the be all end all for promoting muscular hypertrophy within the limits of your genetic potential.

Striking?

It should be, but before you grab the pitch fork and torch, let’s think further about this, and reveal how I came to this conclusion.

1. Carbohydrate is an unnecessary nutrient in the diet.

It’s true. Born a normal, healthy human being, you absolutely do not need to ever eat carbohydrate, so far as I am aware. You simply don’t need it.

Some argue you need at least some for optimal health, others argue that only carbohydrate contains certain vitamins and minerals that you won’t find adequate amounts of elsewhere.

While I disagree with both of these ideas – especially the latter – they are aside the point that you do not need carbohydrate in and of itself, from the diet, to survive.

2. Humans evolved, and are adapted as such, to consume mostly cooked animals.

I’ve written about this ad infinitum on TDL before, both here and here. Long story short, I am utterly convinced humans evolved eating animals, lots of them, and mostly cooked over the past few hundred thousand years.

As such, I find the optimal human diet to be one that consists mostly of … you guessed it, cooked animals.

If you disagree, I congratulate you on forming your own opinion. However, this doesn’t change the fact that you’re flat out wrong, or more likely, misinformed and coming to wrong (and perhaps even dangerous) conclusions as a result.

All that said, I don’t think “eating plants” will be the end of you. Some even, by coincidence, over lap pretty well with the nutritional content found in “animals”, in a very general sense of the term.

Common and easy to find examples in today’s food repertoire would include dark chocolate and coconut fat, among others.

3. If we are to accept premises 1 and 2 as listed above, we must then accept the premise that insulin levels were chronically low in (most) humans throughout the vast majority of our evolution.

The only extraordinary spikes in insulin production would come from an exceedingly rare surplus of carbohydrate – fruit in the summer time, finding honey, etc – or alternatively, and perhaps somewhat more commonly, a large kill and/or surplus of meat, for whatever reason.

Considering that for most of our history our ancestors practiced “intermittent fasting” involuntarily – because they were starving half the time – eating till they were blue in the face is an opportunity they probably would not have passed up, when it presented itself.

…

Now, why would ‘meat’ (or eggs, or any other animal product containing protein) spike insulin?

Well, so far as I am aware – and this seems to be a neglected fact in the low/zero carb community – protein spikes insulin every bit as much as carbohydrate does.

While insulin is not inherently evil, and is in fact necessary, this is interesting to note because even when carbohydrate is dramatically reduced in the diet – or almost entirely eliminated – the first idea people gravitate to – to further lower body fat levels or increase muscle mass – is the idea that protein can and should be consumed in copious amounts, with complete disregard for the insulin release that it promotes.

Which is interesting, because this is the idea commonly practiced by the person who just took very intentional steps to lower insulin levels.

Even more interesting is the idea of whether or not you have the ability to use more protein than is required for the purpose of muscular hypertrophy.

That is, can you suck down protein, and force your muscles to grow, more than they would otherwise from their natural course, and provided stimulus (preferably, properly conducted strength training).

My guess is, no, you can’t, no matter how much we would like to sometimes.

Which means, there is degree of protein intake that equates to a minimum amount necessary for the production of new muscle tissue, various bodily processes, and in the case of a low or very low carbohydrate diet, energy via gluconeogenesis.

As a direct consequence, if you get in the realm of this minimum amount necessary, you are (in combination with a low or very low intake of carbohydrate), stimulating the minimum amount necessary of insulin.

Or, getting close enough to that optimal level that the difference between your intake and the optimal amount for you as an individual, is negligible.

…

Some would argue that there are other benefits to enormous, or even elevated levels of protein in the diet. While I won’t take the time to debunk these – because I can’t at present, don’t care to, the benefit is real*, or some combination there of – I would encourage you to look at our history as a species with regards to diet, and what could possibly be optimal for producing your ideal and peak body composition, with regards to both body fat and muscle mass.

*Any benefit of elevated levels of protein in the diet has to be immediately weighed against raising insulin levels – insulin being a trump hormone – beyond what is absolutely and minimally necessary.

I would also warn that, so far as I am aware, most of the people supporting these “protein is the essence of all things holy” ideas, are the same people perpetuating ideas like (the conventional view of) cardio – the most mystical, ill devised, irrational, and devoid of logic use of time created within the past 100 years.

…

Now, if carbohydrate is limited in the diet (or so low it is borderline irrelevant), and there is a minimum amount necessary of protein for health, energy, and the production of new muscle, this leaves us fat as the key and primary nutrient to tinker with.

My hypothesis is this: if you have difficulty gaining muscle, and are naturally thin, you should be eating as much fat as possible (mostly saturated), from the best sources you have available.

In doing so, you provide your body with a calorie (energy) surplus – probably not a bad idea in the process of attempting to stimulate the production of the riskiest investment by your body possible: new skeletal muscle.

The catch here being, by providing those calories via saturated fat – diesel fuel for the body – you do so without stimulating any extra insulin (or, any meaningful amount of it).

In this sense, you are promoting the best hormonal environment possible while simultaneously providing your body with an energy surplus – never mind that saturated fat and cholesterol (often accompanying saturated fat) are the building blocks of testosterone, among other hormones.

With regards to decreasing body fat levels, I believe fat (mostly saturated) to still be the primary and key dietary nutrient to success, not protein as is common opinion.

To clarify the premise: carbohydrate should always remain low, or very low in the human diet, if at all possible, and with your best health in mind.

If we accept this, and we accept that there is a minimum amount necessary of protein for optimal health and maintaining (or even increasing) muscle mass in the face of fat loss, then only fat intake is left to tinker with.

For why would increasing insulin – THE fat storing hormone – levels be desirable during an attempt to lower and then maintain a decreased level of body fat?

As far as I’m concerned, it’s not.

…

In conclusion, and rare occasions aside, we should all be eating low or very low levels of carbohydrate (with respect for the idea that the maximum tolerable amount for best health and personal preference may differ from individual to individual).

Similarly, the amount of protein we consume – regardless of goals and desires – should remain relatively constant and in the realm of the minimum amount necessary (unlike the highest tolerable amount of carbohydrate, should we choose to eat any significant amount in the first place).

The dietary nutrient that can and should be experimented with, with regards to our individual aims – whatever they may be – is fat (which should always consist of mostly saturated fat, from the best sources available, budget and circumstances permitting).

As such, I believe the idea that protein is the deciding factor (within our control) in body composition, to be faulty – muscle mass and body fat alike.

It’s not protein, it’s fat – saturated fat. Increase it, decrease it, it’s what we have to work with, like it or not, profitable or not.

-Anthony ‘Dream’ Johnson

It Only Takes One Man

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 13:40:53 +0000

What follows is a quote from The Fountainhead (more specifically, a quote from the latter part of the 25^th anniversary edition introduction). I quote the following today – the day of my 22^nd birth day – because this passage strikes me like few other collections of ink on paper ever have.

As such, rather than ask for something on the anniversary day of my birth, this is my gift to all those that read my blog and follow my work.

I have not modified it in any way, other than the bolding of specific parts that I found especially moving.

From The Fountainhead

It is this highest level of man’s emotions that has to be redeemed from the murk of mysticism and redirected at its proper object: man.

It is in this sense, with this meaning and intention, that I would identify the sense of life dramatized in The Fountainhead as man-worship.

It is an emotion that a few – a very few – men experience consistently; some men experience it in rare single sparks that flash and die without consequences; some do not know what I am talking about; some do and spend their lives as frantically virulent spark-extinguishers.

Do not confuse “man-worship” with the many attempts, not to emancipate morality from religion and bring it into the realm of reason, but to substitute a secular meaning for the word, the most profoundly irrational elements of religion. For instance, there are all the variants of modern collectivism (communist, fascist, Nazi, etc.), which preserve the religious-altruist ethics in full and merely substitute “society” for God as the beneficiary of man’s self-immolation. There are the various schools of modern philosophy which, rejecting the law of identity, proclaim that reality is an indeterminate flux ruled by miracles and shaped by whims – not God’s whims, but man’s or “society’s”. These neo-mystics are not man-worshipers; they are merely the secularizers of as profound a hatred for man as that of their avowedly mystic predecessors.

A cruder variant of the same hatred is represented by those concrete-bound “statistical” mentalities who – unable to grasp the meaning of man’s volition – declare that man cannot be an object of worship, since they have never encountered any specimens of humanity who deserved it.

The man-worshipers, in my sense of the term, are those who see man’s highest potential and strive to actualize it. The man-haters are those who regard man as a helpless, depraved, contemptible creature – and struggle never to let him discover otherwise. It is important here to remember that the only direct, introspective knowledge of man anyone possesses is of himself.

More specifically, the essential division between these two camps is: those dedicated to the exaltation of man’s self-esteem and the sacredness of his happiness on earth – and those determined not to allow either to become possible. The majority of mankind spend their lives and psychological energy in the middle, swinging between these two, struggling not to allow the issue to be named. This does not change the nature of the issue.

Perhaps the best way to communicate The Fountainhead’s sense of life is by means of the quotation which had stood at the head of my manuscript, but which I removed from the final, published book. With this opportunity to explain it, I am glad to bring it back.

I removed it, because of my profound disagreement with the philosophy of its author, Friedrich Nietzsche. Philosophically, Nietzsche is a mystic and an irrationalist. His metaphysics consists of a somewhat “Byronic” and mystically “malevolent” universe; his epistemology subordinates reason to “will”, or feeling or instinct or blood or innate virtues of character. But, as a poet, he projects at times (not consistently) a magnificent feeling for man’s greatness, expressed in emotional, not intellectual terms.

This is especially true of the quotation I had chosen. I could not endorse its literal meaning: it proclaims an indefensible tenet – psychological determinism. But if one takes it as a poetic projection of an emotional experience (and if, intellectually, one substitutes the concept of an acquired “basic premise” for the concept of an innate “fundamental certainty”), then that quotation communicates the inner state of an exalted self-esteem – and sums up the emotional consequences for which The Fountainhead provides the rational, philosophical base:

“It is not the works, but the belief which is here decisive and determines the order of rank – to employ once more an old religious formula with a new and deeper meaning, – it is some fundamental certainty which a noble soul has about itself, something which is not to be sought, is not to be found, and perhaps, also, is not to be lost. – The noble soul has reverence for itself. –“ (Friedrich Nietzsche, Beyond Good and Evil.)

This view of man has rarely been expressed in human history. Today, it is virtually non-existent. Yet this is the view with which – in various degrees of longing, wistfulness, passion, and agonized confusion – the best of mankind’s youth start out in life. It is not even a view, for most of them, but a foggy, groping, undefined sense made of raw pain and incommunicable happiness. It is a sense of enormous expectation, the sense that one’s life is important, that great achievements are within one’s capacity, and that great things lie ahead.

It is not in the nature of man – nor of any living entity – to start out by giving up, by spitting in one’s own face and damning existence; that requires a process of corruption whose rapidity differs from man to man. Some give up at the first touch of pressure; some sell out; some run down by imperceptible degree and lose their fire, never knowing when or how they lost it. Then all of these vanish in the vast swamp of their elders who tell them persistently that maturity consists of abandoning one’s mind; security, of abandoning one’s values; practicality, of losing self-esteem. Yet a few hold on and move on, knowing that that fire is not to be betrayed, learning how to give it shape, purpose and reality. But whatever their future, at the dawn of their lives, men seek a noble vision of man’s nature and of life’s potential.

There are very few guideposts to find. The Fountainhead is one of them.

This is one of the cardinal reasons of The Fountainhead’s lasting appeal: it is a confirmation of the spirit of youth, proclaiming man’s glory, showing how much is possible.

It does not matter that only a few in each generation will grasp and achieve the full reality of man’s proper stature – and that the rest will betray it. It is those few that move the world and give life its meaning – and it is those few that I have always sought to address. The rest are no concern of mine; it is not me or The Fountainhead that they will betray: it is their own souls.

Ayn Rand

New York, May 1968

After the conclusion of filming one episode of The Community Tapes, the director, myself, and the interviewee for that day were driving across town. At some point, the conversation ventured into what I want to do with The 21 Convention.

My immediate and very serious answer to this question was, I want to change the course of a generation. The answer was met with a mildly skeptical “Well, it only takes one man”.

My response was: why can’t that man be me?

The response then was a long, ambiguous line of rationalizations and reasons why that was highly unlikely and not “really” possible.

The reality is, that man can be me. Same as it can be anyone reading this blog.

The problem with my generation lies in the infrequency that this question is asked: why can’t that individual be me?

Why can’t I change the world?

I carry no delusions. While I certainly hold it to be possible that I can change the world, this idea alone provides zero guarantee that anything of the sort will happen.

However, this is aside the point. The point is, more people need to be asking themselves these types of questions. Not asking them is the dereliction of responsibility for our own lives, freedom, and well being – the source of what has led us to current problems world-wide.

When more individuals rise up and ask themselves these types of questions, in all seriousness, the quality of all our lives will improve dramatically.

For it is men and women that ask themselves these things that open the door to such change – for all of us.

Great men of the past and present are not gods … they are individuals who decided to rise up, stand out, and speak their mind in the face of overwhelming criticism and group consensus to the contrary.

These are the men and women who change the world – and everyone has the potential to be one.

Cheers guys

-Anthony ‘Dream’ Johnson

Great Men of Our Time (Part 1)

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 22:12:13 +0000

It’s been said that there are three types of men in this world – men who wish to rule over others, men who seek to obey, and men who pursue freedom, independence, and their own visions and dreams with unmeasurable vigor.

The third type of man – the passionate men who shape the world we live in, the men who live their lives as they see fit (without intruding on the right of others to do the same), and accomplish great things in the face of all odds (often to our benefit) – is an increasingly rare breed.

Yet, not all hope is lost, as those men do indeed still exist. In fact, you are looking at three of them above as you read.

Pictured from left to right are Doug McGuff MD, Mark Sisson, and Bill DeSimone – men who’s work I was very familiar with and had a lot of respect for, before meeting them just this past July at The 21 Convention 2010 of Orlando Florida.

After meeting them?

Extremely impressed is an understatement.

All three of these men are some of the greatest and wisest of our time, yet at the same time, are all massively under appreciated – even Mark Sisson, who has thus far seen the most tangible success with his best selling book and insanely popular blog.

Throughout the past year I have done my best with The Dream Lounge to correct what I see as an imbalance in the world. This blog holds top reviews of both Mark and Bill’s books, and as far as I am aware, TDL has sold more copies of Doug’s book Body by Science than any other independent website on the net.

But their work is one matter, and while critically important, it is a matter I am not here to discuss today, so much as I am to discuss the men behind the work – the men I had the good fortune to meet face to face recently.

Behold Mark Sisson.

I really didn’t know what to expect when I met Mark. I’ve followed his work closely, yet at the same time, I had seen some negative criticisms of him. “Elitist” comes to mind, something he even addressed in his book The Primal Blueprint.

Guess what?

Mark is one of the most down to earth, happy guys I’ve ever had the chance to meet my entire life. This guy is nearly triple my age, not many years away from becoming a senior citizen – and had more energy, a better physique, and expressed more JOY than nearly if not everyone that attended a young men’s success convention.

Seriously, Mark was having FUN at this convention, on and off stage, as much or more than any other speaker that has ever spoken at the event.

And for that alone – waking up every day, enjoying his life to the fullest, and living his passion – he has my deepest respect.

But there’s more to Mark than even that, as Mark is also one of the most confident men I have ever had the chance to meet.

Some may recognize it as ‘arrogance’, but I believe there is a thin line between arrogance (or perhaps the ‘elitist’ attitude he’s been accused of) and confidence, and in my opinion, Mark stands of the foundation of core confidence.

While modern society tends to praise self sacrifice over personal productivity, weakness over success, shame over pride – Mark remains on the right side of all these.

As far as I can glean, Mark is a proud man, who has enjoyed an immense amount of success, and did so by being intensely productive over a pro longed period of time.

Mark’s success, pride, confidence, and personal work ethic are a beacon for men pursuing their own happiness and independence – myself included.

And with that said, my hat is off once again just as it was upon finishing The Primal Blueprint.

And, if I were a betting man, I would be ready to throw it off once again, as I believe Mark has only experienced a tiny fraction of his peak potential as a world leader in nutrition, exercise, and healthy living.

Kudos Mark, and thank you again for speaking at The 21 Convention this year.

…

Moving on, behold Bill DeSimone.

Now here’s a guy who’s sitting on an intellectual gold mine, a man re-writing and thoroughly explaining ideas on exercise bio-mechanics like no one else in the world is able to – let alone, even understands.

In my opinion, Bill DeSimone is a wrecking ball to the mainstream “fitness industry”, just waiting to be discovered. He is taking conventional wisdom head on – and winning – day by day, video by video, book by book.

What’s a bit ironic is that I don’t believe he fully knows it yet, the same way Arthur Jones didn’t know he was onto something HUGE until it was smacking him in the face. The difference here though is that the internet is now around, and in that regard, Bill is expressing his revolutionary ideas at exactly the right time – where as Arthur may have been a bit ahead of his time.

With that said, I believe it is very possible that Bill will sky rocket in popularity. In fact, I’d bet it’s little more than a matter of time before that happens.

As for the man behind the work, like Mark, Bill carries himself very well, especially considering his age (a year older than Mark I believe). While he hasn’t experienced the same degree of success with his work yet, he beams the same self confidence.

And like just like in his videos, Bill has a really, really good sense of humor – a sense of humor that will carry him far, and only comes from a core sense of confidence.

My hat is off to you Bill. Excellent speech, and I can’t thank you enough for speaking at The 21 Convention this year.

…

Finally, behold Dr. Doug McGuff

Doug McGuff co-authored a book on exercise titled Body by Science. I imagine most if not all long time readers of this blog have read it – it is my all time favorite book on exercise, period.

And while Doug McGuff’s work as a leading authority on exercise science profoundly impacted my life, it is the man behind the work that I have really come to respect and admire.

More specifically, his deep and authentic work on BodybyScience.net is what has truly inspired me.

It’s a bit difficult to navigate the older content, but that blog (especially the comments) is a gold mine of search for truth in the world. Not only with exercise, nutrition, and healthy living … but life, philosophy, history, and nearly every subject of importance for that matter – and Doug is at the head of it all.

He is a leader in his family, his place(s) of work, his blog, and in person. More importantly, he is a leader that people like myself freely choose to follow at various times and in various ways.

Which brings us full circle to the opening of this post, because all three of these men are great for that very reason – they lead because it is their nature, not because they have any interest, so far as I am aware, in deriving power from and over others, as many leaders in our current society do.

They do what they do because they have a vision of the way the way the world should be – and right now, it’s not there.

Combine that with a disdain for obedience and strive for independence , and you have three of the greatest men of our time – little do they know, every bit as ‘great’ as other leaders of our time like Ron Paul, Anthony Robbins, and Tim Ferriss.

I strongly encourage everyone to support their work whenever and in whatever way possible. These are men here to change the world in their own unique ways, and they need all the help they can get.

-Anthony ‘Dream’ Johnson

Dream Vitality Is Nearly Here, Are You Ready?

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 20:44:10 +0000

Compliments of Dj Fuji

To my pleasant surprise there has been a lot of interest in the Dream Vitality CYL program. Considering the massive comment history on TDL with regards to exercise and nutrition posts, I suppose this shouldn’t be a surprise, but no biggie. I always welcome comments and suggestions, and indeed there has been a ton.

Which is pretty exciting. I really had no idea how you guys would respond to me offering a 12 week phone and e-mail coaching program, but here we are, only days away from it beginning.

So what does Dream Vitality come down to exactly?

It boils down to this – I have spent an enormous amount of time and effort researching exercise, nutrition, and healthy living over the past few years.

While my research pales in comparsion to people like Doug McGuff, Mark Sisson, Kurt Harris, Drew Baye, and so on, I feel that I have learned an immense amount, and really dug through a lot of outright nonsense in industries neck deep in mysticism and bull shit.

While I am still learning, and constantly experimenting with new ideas, my views have been pretty consistent over the past ~2 years – consistent because I believe they are founded on the right principles.

And with those principles, well rounded success has stemmed. Mentally, physically, and even emotionally.

I am in the absolute best shape of my life, and at the same, have exercised on average once per week for over 18 months straight.

I love exercising more than ever, yet at the same time, I no longer feel anxious or stressed out in between work outs (this was a big hurdle when I stopped working out every day).

I have been grain and legume free for just under 2 years, and never look back.

I have learned how to maintain my habits while travelling the world and putting myself through extreme stress.

…

In the end, I believe my understanding of how to live a “healthy life” is a very comprehensive one. I’ve learned from a ton of different people, and have experienced a lot of different obstacles.

And I am now ready to help others on the same path, who have had difficulty getting started (or have not kicked themselves in the ass hard enough to begin changing their lifestyle at all).

If you would like to sign up for The Dream Vitality 6×6 CYL Program, here is what’s included.

12 weeks of rapid fire private e-mail exchanges
Six 45 minute phone consults
3 conference calls with others in the program, where you get to hear their questions answered (as well as your own)

The point of the program to to spend 12 weeks communicating with me personally, non stop, about getting your physique and health on the track YOU want them to be.

We will tweak your workouts in every way possible until we find what works best for you, and the same with your eating habits.

While I am not god and do not posses magical powers, I believe I can help you almost regardless of your goals, experiences, or current limitations.

As the old saying goes, where there’s a will there’s a way – and with the internet fueling our communication I think a lot can be achieved in 12 weeks.

Truth be told I will probably continue the e-mail exchanges past 12 weeks, and the phone consults past 45 minutes, I just want to set a minimum standard since a good number of people are exchanging money for my personal time, and they should know exactly what they are signing up for.

As mentioned in the previous post, I am also going to throw in a DVD copy of my 2009 speech on “Proper Exercise & Nutrition”. It’s free online at the moment, but that’s a far cry from owning a physical copy of the speech, which completley bypasses needing an internet connection, and viewing it on a tiny computer screen.

I mean come on, you can watch me rant and rave about food and working out on your big screen TV. How awesome is that? =)

A few seats are still available, with a cap of 10 total people. I would take more people on, but I don’t feel it would be fair at the current price. This is going to absorb a good deal of my time, and I am not interested in diluting my attention beyond 10 people this time around. You guys are paying good money for this, and I intend to deliver.

You can sign up below via PayPal, and contact me with questions about the program at Dream(at)The21Convention.com.

The cut off date was originally August 2nd, but I have now moved it to August 3rd as this post was meant to be written and released earlier this week, but I found that a tad difficult without internet and while moving across the State of Florida.

Also, if you have a ticket to The 21 Convention 2010, that was not used, you can either transfer it to 2011 for a 15% charge (waived if the ticket was over $250), or you can apply your ticket towards Dream Vitality. E-mail me to arrange this.

Introducing The Dream Vitality 6×6 CYL Program

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 21:43:10 +0000

Give me…

6 phone consultations
12 weeks of e-mail exchanges
3 conference calls
12-15 work outs

And with a bit of self discipline (can you exercise once per week?), I can Change Your Life.

I would say just your body, but quite a bit more is bound to change – I know it did for me. I went from a flabby low of 161 pounds, to a solid 196 in less than 2 years, dramatically increasing my strength.

The most interesting part?

I went from exercising 1-2 hours per day, 7 days a week, YEARS on end … to exercising about once per week, 10 to 30 minutes per session.

My life changed. I felt better than ever once I stopped over training - physically, mentally, and emotionally. Not to mention the 10+ hours a week of free time that opened up, allowing me to focus on other areas of my life, more productively, effectively, and efficiently.

Fast forward to this past Spring, I decided I wanted to “lean up”.

So I dropped down to 186 pounds in six weeks, with minimal effort, and WITHOUT changing the types of foods I was eating, or increasing the frequency of my exercise program.

How did I do it, safely, effectively, and efficiently?

That’s what I’m going to share with The Dream Vitality 6×6 CYL Program.

Dream Vitality is a book I began writing in late 2008 as a follow up to The Dream Way, my first book that discussed dating, relationships, and personal transformation.

However, as the course of life events would have it, I have not been able work on the book in quite some time. I still get e-mails about it from time to time … just enough to keep it in the back of my head. I know deep down though that the chance of finishing it anytime within the next few years is slim to none. My focus is simply elsewhere (on this blog, and on The 21 Convention).

I love exercise, nutrition, health, fitness, and helping people though. These are things I am deeply passionate about. As such, I have decided to not let the time required to write, edit, and format a book stop me from doing what I love, and have decided to do this 12 week program in the stead of a book version of Dream Vitality.

After all, what’s more powerful for changing YOUR life? A book, or a customized service where we talk one on one every step of the way?

Books are incredibly powerful tools no doubt, but at the same time, the obstacles are limitless when it comes to changing this area of your life. Books are static, this program is dynamic, and I believe, best suited for those who were originally interested in the book version of Dream Vitality.

Here’s what were going to do.

I will take on 10 clients and 10 clients only.

Beginning Monday August 2nd I will call each of you personally to outline all of your goals with health, fitness, nutrition, exercise, and life for that matter.

On Wednesday August 4th we will have a 60 minute conference call that will be recorded (in case you miss it) where I answer any and all questions about the program, and about getting started.

For the following 12 weeks you will have access to a private e-mail account of mine, created specifically for this program. You will be garunteed unlimited, in depth e-mail consultation during this time span, with a maxiumum of a 48 hour turn around time (I will respond within 48 hours or less, every single time).

For the first 6 weeks, we will schedule a time each week to speak for 30-45 minutes for a total of 6 phone consults via Skype or cell.

During these phone consults we will track your progress with your workouts, and nutrition plan in accordance with the goals we set on day 1. We will modify them accordingly. My brain is also yours to pick during this time span for any and all questions you may have.

At the conclusion of those first 6 weeks we will have another conference call (to be recorded if you miss it) for 90 minutes. During the conference call everyone will share and discuss their progress, obstacles, and success thus far.

The final 6 weeks will be e-mail exchanges only, with a garunteed response in 48 hours, or less.

At the conclusion of all 12 weeks a final conference call will be hosted for 90 minutes (to be recorded if you miss it).

In total you will get…

6 phone consultations up to 45 minutes each, plus an initial goal setting phone consult.
12 weeks of unlimited, private e-mail consultation with a guaranteed 48 hour turn around time.
3 conference calls to share your ideas and progress with other clients on the program

As a bonus, I will also personally review and critique any workouts you are able to record on video – even if it’s every single workout.

As an additional bonus, I will also include my 2009 speech titled “Proper Exercise & Nutrition” on DVD, shipped free to your home.

This alone costs $25 normally, if shipped domestically. It’s your’s at no extra cost when signing on for The Dream Vitality 6×6 CYL Program.

Are there any requirements for the program?

Yes, there are.

You must be very serious about changing your life to sign on for this program. While we will keep things as light hearted as possible, I do not want anyone taking up a spot who is going to waste my time and half ass things. There are other people who would be willing to take that spot, and it will piss me off if someone decides to just throw money at me and then waste my time, which I value far more than money.

Other than that you must have access to a gym of some kind. The type and variety of equipment is not so important as just having access to a gym. Free weights, machines, barbells, we’ll make it work. You just need access to a weight training facility.

Finally, you must follow what I prescribe nutritionally as close as humanly possible in relation to the goals we set for you. None of what I advise should be taken as medical advice of course, as detailed in the disclaimer of this blog, but you must be willing to try new things and not ‘cheat’, otherwise the program is simply not going to work.

Finally (finally), you must be willing to workout at least once per week, and no more than twice per week. Pretty straightforward.

…

And that’s it. This is the best opportunity I’ve ever made to work with you guys. It is the best way to get inside my head and learn about the ideas I have that are months or even years away from being posted on TDL.

Things like

Supplementation
Vitamin D
Eating awesome for next to nothing
Macro nutrient ratios for various goals
“anti-oxidants”
Sleep/stress related issues
Eating tips while travelling
Hygiene

And loads more.

The price for joining this program is $250.

If you’ve read my blog and have been interested in starting (or getting more serious about) a dramatic lifestyle overhaul, I am here to help for the first 10 people to sign up. Once the program beings, new clients will not be accepted.

At the moment, this is a one time opportunity. It does not mean I will never do something like this again, but it does mean I will never do exactly this again, at this price, and with this much of my time dedicated to this number of people.

You can sign up below.

The Community Tapes are on DVD + Orlando News

Anthony 'Dream' Johnson — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 17:45:09 +0000

Ah how I long to rant and rave about nutrition, exercise, travel, government, politics, guns, and freedom.

That time is soon coming, but right now it’s crunch time for The 21 Convention. As such, I have managed to push through a first run production of The Community Tapes on DVD that is being manufactured as we speak by the DVD elves of Orlando.

Above is the graphic art for the cover produced by a one Matthew Macar. Matthew is new to still graphic work for T21C (he did not produce the previous event DVD artwork), but he is familar with the convention.

He worked heavily on the event trailer for T21C 2009.
He worked as an assisant on the live event for 2009.
He single handedly filmed The 21 Convention 2010 of Stockholm Sweden.
And he filmed the first three episodes of The Community Tapes [Volume 2].

The DVDs will be shipping off this week, and a few dozen copies will be available at the live event in Orlando no later than Friday.

The cost online is $30 plus shipping/handling. At the live event they will be available for a flat rate of $25.

As you guys know the production quality of The Community Tapes is astounding. Total run time of all six episodes is about 3 hours. Not bad for the first volume.

If you’d like to own a copy of the footage, this is your chance to do so.

In other news, today is the last day for tickets to The 21 Convention 2010 of Orlando Florida.

Full access tickets are $400 online, and $500 at the door. There is also a limited access ticket available for $200 online, and $250 at the door. That special access ticket grants you entrance for all health, fitness, and business related presentations (total of 5).

Both tickets grant you advanced free access to all event footage that corresponds with your ticket.

You can sign up for the main event here, and the special access ticket here.

The line up for both tickets is … well, pretty bad ass no matter what your interests are.

Today is also the first day tickets are available for The 21 Convention 2011 (North America). This will be the final “21 Convention” held in Orlando next summer. After that we will be moving to another major North American city. Mega early bird tickets are available here, and a full post on The21Convention.com will be released later today regarding the event.

And in case you missed it, we’re heading to London June 2011.

The Dream Lounge

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

The Grub

The Government

Overdose: The Next Financial Crisis (Documentary)

Dude, You’re Gettin a Dell!

The Best TV Show You’ve Never Seen: John Adams

Fat is the Regulating Nutrient for Body Composition, Not Protein

1. Carbohydrate is an unnecessary nutrient in the diet.

2. Humans evolved, and are adapted as such, to consume mostly cooked animals.

3. If we are to accept premises 1 and 2 as listed above, we must then accept the premise that insulin levels were chronically low in (most) humans throughout the vast majority of our evolution.

It Only Takes One Man

Great Men of Our Time (Part 1)

Dream Vitality Is Nearly Here, Are You Ready?

Introducing The Dream Vitality 6×6 CYL Program

I went from exercising 1-2 hours per day, 7 days a week, YEARS on end … to exercising about once per week, 10 to 30 minutes per session.

Are there any requirements for the program?

The price for joining this program is $250.

The Community Tapes are on DVD + Orlando News