Wednesday, June 30, 2010

iSnaper: A Must-Have App for the iPhone

For all the buzz about the new iPhone - and the phone does, indeed, look amazing - the apps are the real source of strength for this product. And, while there are (by my count) nearly 200,000 apps for the iPhone, there are some apps that are worthy of immediate praise. One such app is iSnaper (http://itunes.apple.com/app/isnaper/id352104456?mt=8), a brilliant - and FREE - app that is perfect for selling, sharing and editing photography.

Instead of just sharing a picture of a celebrity with friends, iSnaper lets users distribute that photo worldwide. The process is very simple: CelebrityVibe will review photos submitted through iSnaper within 48 hours and determine its value.

Users will then be contacted once their photo has been approved for sale. The iSnaper app user will receive 70% of all proceeds. Users can make $700 for a $1000 per sale, just by being at the right place at the right time. iSnaper lets users have full control of this amazing app.

The iSnaper interacts with leading image giants like Animoto®, Imagekind® and SmugMug®, Personal Creations® and ModelScouts®. It also updates users about the latest gossip by linking to 20 leading celebrity news sites.

Translation: iSnaper is a winner. And in Hollywood, this app is a savior. Get it now! I give iSnaper my highest rating.

Parents Owe Kids Explanations

Luke Ford says:

From Dennis Prager’s eleventh lecture on Deuteronomy (2003):

Dennis: “When people say ‘Jews’, nobody yawns.”

Deut: 6:20: “If your child asks you tomorrow, saying, ‘What are the testimonies and the decrees and the ordinances that HaShem, our God, commanded you?”

Asking questions is a Jewish mentality. “At yeshiva we were taught to ask questions. Often the rabbis didn’t have answers. I have friends who grew up in other faiths and they were not encouraged to ask questions.”

“Moses is instructing every Jewish generation that will ever live how to answer your child – how come we keep kosher? How come we keep Shabbos? Because God took us out of Egypt.”

Reading aloud different translations of the Torah, Dennis says: “The Jewish commentators don’t like the word ‘fear’. The Orthodox can live with it. The non-Orthodox don’t like it. The Christians are OK with it. But the Hebrew word is ‘fear.’ It doesn’t mean scared. If God created the world and judges everything, He is worth fearing.”

“It’s OK for children to ask questions. The Torah assumes your child will ask you questions. Notice it doesn’t say, keep quiet and do them. This sets a tone. Parents, you owe your children explanations. So many parents think you just tell your kids to do it. It says to give a reason.”

“Judaism forgot to give rational answers over thousands of years. When people do something over and over, it becomes tradition. The Hebrew word for tradition, ‘minhag’ spelled backwards is ‘Gahnim’ (hell).”



Governed By Reason Or Emotion?

Luke Ford says:

On his radio show today, Dennis Prager says he can’t think of any circumstance where he’d be governed by his emotions.

If Dennis Prager says it, it must be true! I wanna be like Dennis Prager. He’s my hero.

Crissy posts: “As opposed to being governed by what? Oh and how realistic is it not to ever be governed by emotions?”

I’m a very strong man Crissy. I am governed by my values, my discipline, my mind, my fears, grrrr… I’m in psycho-therapy, hope to sort this out… i am often governed by my feelings and not realizing it.



Taking A Woman Captive

Luke Ford says:




In his 12th lecture on Deuteronomy (2003), Dennis Prager says on the Torah verse about taking a captive woman as a wife after she’s left alone for 30 days to mourn her family: “You may not touch her for 30 days. This shows the wisdom and goodness of the Torah. If it said, don’t rape women when you win a war, forget it. It’s too utopian.


“But it says, hey, we know you want beautiful women. So hold on. No problem. Just wait 30 days.


“But please. Thirty days a woman is going to sit there and you’re going to get to know her and she’s crying over her relatives, and then on the 31st day, you’re going to rape her? That’s not the way men function. It’s brilliant. Guys, no problem. You can have your beautiful booty after winning a war. Just wait a month. But get to know her. Learn that she’s a human, not just a beautiful object.”



Perfect Apps for Summer

With all the media buzz about the new iPhone, it's worth revisiting those apps that make the iPhone so valuable. Two such apps, Travel Interpreter and Language Coach from Jourist (www.iphoneapp.jourist.info), are must-have products for the iPhone -- especially during the summer travel season.

By using illustrated, talking phrases, Travel Interpreter and Language Coach help users find the right phrase (in 23 lanaguages) at the right time. The latter app is ideal for people who want more exposure to a specific language, a perfect tool for students and teachers alike. And, as I have mentioned in more recent praise for these apps, Travel Interpreter and Language Coach are incredibly user friendly and affordably priced: the amount of content - along with the innovative way these apps work - is a deal. No other app, and I have yet to find an app of equal or greater caliber, is this intuitive, fun and beautifully designed.

This summer, as people travel to Europe or elsewhere, it makes sense to have apps that improve the way individuals visit a specific locale. No more fumbling for the right word or phrase. No more awkwardness about not being able to communicate in a native language. No more silence. Period. Travel Interpreter and Language Coach eliminate these problems. Think of these apps as necessary tools. They ARE necessary tools! Buy them!

Happy traveling.

Torah Portion Pinchas XI

I will discuss parsha Pinchas live on my cam starting at 1:15 PM PST Tuesday with Rabbi Rabbs.

Rabbi Ari Kahn writes:

 



The Reasons For Jewish Law

Luke Ford says:

In his third lecture on Deuteronomy in 2002, Dennis Prager says: “The rabbis [of the Talmud] distinguished between chukim (laws between man and God) and mishpatim (laws between man and man) as chukim are laws we can not understand and mishpatim are laws we can understand.

“There is a real problem asserting at the outset that there are laws we can not understand. If you believe that there are many laws that you can not understand, then you will never seek to understand them. That ends intellectual inquiry into their purpose.

“I grew up in the world that learned this way. It was the most difficult aspect of the thinking of the Judaism I was raised in, that there were laws I can never understand. There may well be, but to declare it at the outset means that it is pointless to try to understand.

“That leads to some terrible consequences — to an unintellectual observance of rules.

“For example, the law in Judaism of how you slaughter an animal. You take a blade that is extremely sharp, can not have any nick in it, and you have to be able to slice the animal’s throat in one cut across the neck.

“Everybody I know understands this as a way to minimize the animal’s suffering. Presumably the shochet (slaughterer) does it quickly.

“I was explaining this to a group in Halifax, Nova Scotia, about 25 years ago.

“In the audience was a newly ordained Orthodox rabbi who was trying out for his first pulpit.

“After I spoke about this, he politely raised his hand and said, ‘I disagree with Mr. Prager. We do not know why Jewish law ordains a sharp knife without a nick in it. He proclaims that it is to reduce the animal’s suffering but we don’t know that. The proof is that under Jewish law I can take a very long time in the speed with which I cut the animal’s throat, and then the animal will suffer.’

“I wanted to punch him. It was so painful to hear this was what he believed and this is what he was telling Jews, none of whom kept kosher.

“I believe you have to do things because God said so, but even if God said so, why did God give me a brain if not to understand why he said so?”



Torah Portion Pinchas IX

I will discuss parsha Pinchas live on my cam starting at 1:15 PM PST Tuesday with Rabbi Rabbs.

Rabbi Ari Kahn writes:

 



Torah Portion Pinchas X

I will discuss parsha Pinchas live on my cam starting at 1:15 PM PST Tuesday with Rabbi Rabbs.

Rabbi Ari Kahn writes:

 



Torah Portion Pinchas V

I will discuss parsha Pinchas live on my cam starting at 1:15 PM PST Tuesday with Rabbi Rabbs.

Rabbi Ari Kahn writes:

 



Torah Portion Pinchas VIII

I will discuss parsha Pinchas live on my cam starting at 1:15 PM PST Tuesday with Rabbi Rabbs.

Rabbi Ari Kahn writes:

 



Torah Portion Pinchas VII

I will discuss parsha Pinchas live on my cam starting at 1:15 PM PST Tuesday with Rabbi Rabbs.

Rabbi Ari Kahn writes:

 



Torah Portion Pinchas VI

I will discuss parsha Pinchas live on my cam starting at 1:15 PM PST Tuesday with Rabbi Rabbs.

Rabbi Ari Kahn writes:

 



Torah Portion Pinchas III

I will discuss parsha Pinchas live on my cam starting at 1:15 PM PST Tuesday with Rabbi Rabbs.

Rabbi Ari Kahn writes:

 



Torah Portion Pinchas IV

I will discuss parsha Pinchas live on my cam starting at 1:15 PM PST Tuesday with Rabbi Rabbs.

Rabbi Ari Kahn writes:

 



Torah Portion Pinchas II

I will discuss parsha Pinchas live on my cam starting at 1:15 PM PST Tuesday with Rabbi Rabbs.

Rabbi Ari Kahn writes:

 



Torah Portion Pinchas

I will discuss parsha Pinchas live on my cam starting at 1:15 PM PST Tuesday with Rabbi Rabbs.

Rabbi Ari Kahn writes:

Sometimes, biblical stories are complex or densely and intricately woven; other times, the storyline seems straightforward, morally unequivocal, simple stuff: right and wrong, good and bad. One such seemingly open and shut case is the killing of Zimri at the hands of Pinchas. While pacifists might decry the taking of a life, in this case a moral outrage was spreading in the camp – wanton, orgiastic debauches and idolatry. Zimri, a leader of the tribe of Shimon, publicly takes Kozbi, a willing participant from the daughters of Midian. The transgression is flagrant and unmistakable, brazen and unabashed. Pinchas steps in to end the disgrace, to halt the epidemic by means of the sword. The reward he is given leaves little room for doubt: Pinchas is good, Zimri is bad. Pinchas is right, Zimri is wrong. In fact, Jewish tradition sees these two as archetypes of good and evil; the Talmud’s expression for the epitome of hypocrisy is “one who acts like Zimri and expects the reward of Pinchas.”



Monday, June 28, 2010

Fitness Innovator and Business Star: An Interview with Mike Mahler

Mike Mahler says: A common thing that people often tell me is that I live life aggressively. The more I thought about it the more I realized that I do live aggressively and that this aggression caries over to my training as well. Thus, my style of training is called Aggressive Strength training.



Allow to me clarify how I define aggression. For me, aggression has nothing to do with being violent. I do not want to inflict harm on any being and would never recommend violence to others. What I mean by being aggressive is being proactive about your life. It is about going after what you want with full intensity like a warrior that will not accept defeat. Living aggressively is about being in the moment and taking care of things immediately. Living aggressively is about building a fulfilling life, rather than living vicariously through other people's lives on TV. Living aggressively is about having the courage to stand up for what you believe in.

What does this have to do with strength training? Simple, it is not enough to just have a strong body. That is not real strength in my opinion. I see big and physically strong men and women frequently that cannot think for themselves and are at the mercy of the people around them. On the other hand, I know many intelligent people that excel in academia and in the business world. Yet, physically, many of them are weak and would be in serious trouble in any situation that required physical strength. They may be mentally strong, but overall they are weak.




1. What are some of the benefits, for both fitness enthusiasts and those who want to improve their physical health, from using kettlebells?

1. Kettlebells are an incredible tool for building incredible stamina, structural integrity, and work capacity. An entire endurance sport exists around three full body kettlebell exercises: the jerk, the clean and jerk, and the snatch. Kettlebells work very well for high rep ballistic exercises such as the swing, snatch, and clean and jerk.
2. Kettlebell ballistic exercises work the often-neglected posterior chain. These are all of the muscles that you do not see when you look in the mirror.
3. The weight with the kettlebell is off center. As a result the stabilizer muscles are always in play to keep the kettlebell in place. Having strong stabilizer strength is very important for wellness as weak stabilizer muscles often lead to injuries.
4. Most kettlebells have thick handles, which turns just about every exercise into a grip exercise. Having a strong grip is a must for athletes and for anyone that wants to be strong and powerful.
5. Kettlebell training is fun and challenging. While serious training is hard work and not meant to be entertaining, there has to be an element of fun with training in order to make it a life long habit.

2. Please describe your role as an advocate for the use of kettlebells. In other words, how did you become a leader concerning this issue?

I started training with kettlebells back in 2001. After training with kettlebells for a few months the benefits were obvious and I knew that kettlebell training would take off in the years to come. I wanted to get into the fitness business and saw kettlebells as my unique selling point. I had genuine passion for the kettlebell training and it was a ground floor opportunity at the time. No one was teaching kettlebells to the masses and certainly not as the focal point of his or her business. I started my kettlebell focused business in 2002 by teaching kettlebell workshops across the US and even did a course in the UK in my first year.

I went on to develop several kettlebell DVD's and also got kettlebell articles published in several major fitness magazines such as Muscle & Fitness and Ironman Magazine. I was one of the major driving forces behind the explosion of the modern day kettlebell movement and as the kettlebell industry grew I grew right with it and developed a very successful business.

3. Kettlebells seem like an excellent way to burn fat and build muscle. And yet, many people at my gym are unsure how to use kettlebells. Indeed, there's a sense of intimidation when I raise this issue. Why is that?

The second you pick up a kettlebell you know that this is something different than the garbage that people are inundated with on late night infomercials. Kettlebell training is not easy and there is no faking getting a workout with kettlebells. You either do it right and get incredible benefits or you do it wrong and get injured. Similar to any effective fitness system, you need professional training in order to maximize the benefits of kettlebell training. Kettlebell training requires a very precise technique and if you do not know what you are doing you are not going to get very far. Kettlebell training is not for people that want to run on a treadmill like a caged hamster. It is for people that realize that getting strong and fit requires hard work and are prepared to face their fears and persevere. Not too many people fit that category and as a result will be intimidated by anything that requires hard work.

4. Nutrition also plays a big factor in personal fitness. Please offer some practical ideas concerning nutrition

Nutrition is at least 70% of fat loss. People need to focus on real food and avoid all processed junk. Ingredients should be simple. If an ingredient panel has a bunch of ingredients that you cannot pronounce then put it back on the shelf and move on. Focus on real food such as organic fruits, veggies, legumes, nuts, seeds, and if you eat meat it must be organic. Meat that is not organic is loaded with endocrine disrupting hormones as well as toxins that will overload your liver and impede fat loss and wellness goals.

Take a page from Dr Braverman, author of "Younger Thinner You Diet", and add spices to each meal. Spices such as ginger, turmeric, nutmeg, and cinnamon all have health benefits and this is an easy way to turn good meals into great meals.

In addition to making real food a priority, avoid snacking and do not eat as often. Some of the worst advice ever is to graze all day long and consume 5-7 small meals through out the day. Every time you eat, the hormone insulin goes up and when insulin goes up you are no longer in the fat burning zone. According to Bryon Richards author of "Mastering Leptin" When you take longer stretches between each meal and eat less frequently, insulin sensitivity goes up and you get a snack from stored bodyfat to keep your glucose levels steady. Start with four meals per day with four hours in between each meal and work up to three meals per day with at least six hours in between each meal. Cut out all eating three hours before bedtime so that you get the maximum growth hormone response when you sleep which is a powerful restorative hormone as well as fat burner.

5. Where do you see this issue - the popularization of the use of kettlebells - developing in the next few years? How common will the use of kettlebells be?

Back in 2002 I was training five people in a park with kettlebells. There were probably no more than a a hundred people that even owned kettlebells at the time. Now you see kettlebells everywhere. MMA fighters use them, Sylvestor Stallone used them in the last Rocky movie, they are all over TV and magazines. Several major gyms carry kettlebells no and offer kettlebell classes and even retail stores such as Target and Walmart carry kettlebells.

Kettlebells are here to stay. I think in the future people will be more interested in how to combine kettlebells with other training tools instead of only using kettlebells as a stand alone training system. People crave novelty and variety and this will be the natural course of things. Regardless, unlike other fad training tools, kettlebells actually deliver and will not go the way off useless training fads that simply do not work.

6. How do you use kettlebells in your daily exercise routines?

It varies often. Right now I am combining kettlebells with standard weight training. I am working out under the guidance of top strength coach and former stongman competitor Mark Philippi. After I do his workouts I end each workout with a kettlebell ballistic exercise such as the Double Swing or One-arm KB Snatch.

When I do KB only workouts I like to focus on full body workouts revolving around five primary exercises. Here is an example:

Monday-Wednesday-Friday

* Double Clean and Military Press 1x10
* Double Bent-over Row 1x10
* Windmill 1x5 each side
* Low Position Lunge Walk 1x10 each side
* Double Swing 1x12

Take 30 second breaks in between each exercise and round. Five rounds per workout. This is a great strength-endurance workout.

7. Please offer some "success stories" of people you've helped by introducing them to kettlebells.

"I owe you my life. I have followed the HFT you suggested from your dvd, also cut out starches/sugar/fried foods and forced myself to eat more fruits and vegetables. By no means are my workouts and diet perfect, but I have lost 23 pounds so far, 23!!!! I am down to 222lbs and I hope to get to 170-180 by summer. I seriously can't thank you enough. You are a great man doing great things. P.S. Funny thing is I told a couple buddies about KB's and your site months ago and they laughed at me. Now they are both getting your dvd's."--Freddy Maysonet

"I have been following the Kettlebell Fat Loss e-book/DVD principles the last 6 weeks and have lost 7-8# and 11/2 " off waist - fantastic info and programs."
- Steve Fink

8. How is your approach to this topic different from the competition?

The competition style of kettlebell training is very effective to build structural integrity, work capacity, and serious mental toughness. It is not however the best way to lose fat and develop a toned body. My style of kettlebell training

involves using kettlebells more as a weight training implement than as a tool for cardiovascular conditioning. An example would be circuit training in which you pick five kettlebell exercises and do one exercise after another with short breaks. An example would be five rounds of Clean and Military Presses, Renegade Rows, Front Squats, The Windmill for the core, and Double kettlebell swings. Do eight to twelve reps per exercise using the heaviest kettlebells you can handle with proper form. This program works the entire body and when combined with a clean nutritious diet and proper sleep regimen will develop a hard lean physique.

9. Your website has a lot of useful content. What sections would you like visitors to further explore?

Thanks and it depends on what the individual is looking for. If you are new to kettlebell training and want to learn more, start here: http://www.mikemahler.com/kettlebell_training.html

If you are interested in hormone optimization then start with this article: http://www.mikemahler.com/articles/hormoneoptimization.html

I have a ton of free articles on my site that cover a variety of health and fitness topics at: http://www.mikemahler.com/articles.html

10. Please offer some of your best tips for summer fitness.

When the summer comes people tend to want to workout a lot outdoors (assuming you like to workout) unless of course you live in Las Vegas like me where we have 110+ degree hot summers that suck the life right out of you! It is important to stay hydrated to have water with you at all times when training outdoors. While some exposure to the sun is important for Vitamin D and can improve our mood, we all know that too much is not a good thing so avoid being in the sun for prolonged periods of time. You are better off doing your workouts early in the morning before it gets to hot or in the early evening when the sun is going down and it cools off.

Sunday, June 27, 2010

It's OK To Ask Questions

From Dennis Prager's eleventh lecture on Deuteronomy (2003):

Dennis: “When people say ‘Jews’, nobody yawns.”

Deut: 6:20: “If your child asks you tomorrow, saying, ‘What are the testimonies and the decrees and the ordinances that HaShem, our God, commanded you?”

Asking questions is a Jewish mentality. “At yeshiva we were taught to ask questions. Often the rabbis didn’t have answers. I have friends who grew up in other faiths and they were not encouraged to ask questions.”

“Moses is instructing every Jewish generation that will ever live how to answer your child – how come we keep kosher? How come we keep Shabbos? Because God took us out of Egypt.”

Reading aloud different translations of the Torah, Dennis says: “The Jewish commentators don’t like the word ‘fear’. The Orthodox can live with it. The non-Orthodox don’t like it. The Christians are OK with it. But the Hebrew word is ‘fear.’ It doesn’t mean scared. If God created the world and judges everything, He is worth fearing.”

"It's OK for children to ask questions. The Torah assumes your child will ask you questions. Notice it doesn't say, keep quiet and do them. This sets a tone. Parents, you owe your children explanations. So many parents think you just tell your kids to do it. It says to give a reason."

"Judaism forgot to give rational answers over thousands of years. When people do something over and over, it becomes tradition. The Hebrew word for tradition, 'minhag' spelled backwards is 'Gahnim' (hell)."

"If you keep the commandments, have you achieved righteousness? The Jew says yes, the Christian says no. You achieve righteousness and then you do what God wants.

"The Jewish way is that you do what is right and then you're good with God. The Christian view is that that's nonsense. You get good with God and then you do what's right."

"The Jew is right that you have to keep these commandments. The Christian is right that that is not enough. That's a means, not an ends. The ends is to fear and love God properly. The law is a vehicle, not an end."

"Law becoming an end in itself is becoming a problem in modern society outside of Judaism. I had a big international law professor hang up on me on the radio right before the law in Iraq. He was inveighing how terrible it is, how it is against international law.

"I asked, if the UN security council voted for it, would it then be illegal?

"And he hung up. He realized what I was implying -- law is just what people vote on. There's got to be something more important than law -- morality. It was legal to kill Jews in Germany. Legal is just what people vote on. Legal may be moral or it may not be moral."

The New Testament Is Feelings Oriented And The Hebrew Bible Is Action Oriented

There's plenty about action in the New Testament and plenty about feeling in the Hebrew Bible but the stereotype in my headline is generally true.

When the Hebrew Bible talks about loving God, it refers primarily to action, not feelings and theology.

My mischievous side just took over and I made this Facebook update: "Luke Ford got up in shul today and talked about what God had done in his life."

I have never heard a Jew speak this way. We don't speak about God acting in our lives. Our religion is not feelings oriented, it is law oriented. We don't trust feelings and we don't trust the heart and we don't trust people to intuit what God wants and we don't trust people to feel their way to God and goodness.

If I did get up in shul and speak about what God had done in my life nobody would notice because I would have nothing to say. I can't get my head around talking with assurance about God acting in your life. How do you know? How do you know it's not just your feelings acting in you? How do you know it is not a delusion?

I grew up a Seventh-Day Adventist Christian where talking about how God has acted in one's life was the norm and you were a freak if you didn't assent to this approach. Women used to hit up my dad --when he was single -- and say that God had told them they were to marry. My dad would say that God had given him no such message.

In Judaic history, we believe that prophesy ended with the prophet Malachai about 2,400 years ago.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Brownies That Taste Like Brownies

I love authentic foods, products that embody the ideals of good nutrition: excellent, all natural ingredients, delicious taste and a commitment to personal wellness. Alas, few brands - and this number becomes even smaller when reviewing various protein bars - uphold these principles. Often, a brand aims for, at best, a simulacrum of taste. Translation: a bar has some harsh additive to mimic the taste of a brownie or cookie or muffin. Why not create the real thing, forgoing all those additives and artificial flavorings? Good question! The answer, in my humble opinion, is this: most food companies want to make money; and anything that adds to the bottom line - as if great taste and a loyal clientele are needless expenses - is a waste. Please.

Thankfully, one company gets it. Lenny & Larry's (www.lennylarry.com) makes a series of all natural, protein-enriched brownies, cookies and muffins. In a word -- delicious! I tried the brand after one of their contacts approached me - thank you for acknowledging my blog! - and I went to my local Whole Foods to buy some product. Did I expect to be blown away? No. Did I think the brownies would be amazing? No. And then I actually ate one. Amazing. Amazing. Amazing.

To repeat: Lenny & Larry's is my new favorite product. Healthy, all natural and delicious. Get some!!!

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Tainted Chinese Drywall IV

Read on:

My February interview with Mike Foreman of constructionguru.com.

I talk to Mike Friday afternoon, June 18, 2010.

 

"We're exceeding the guidelines.

"My clients get a completed operations insurance policy that states that if anything associated with Chinese drywall comes back, then you've got a policy that will cover you for it and you won't have to spend any more money to pay for it.

"Now let's get on to the savings and benefits coming out from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. I think it is great that Fannie and Freddie are giving six month loan moratoriums on loan payments to people with Chinese drywall.

"What does that mean? We're adding six months worth of payments to the back-end of your loan. All this does for the regular consumer is to give them a little more money to pay their regular bills.

"A standard 2,000 square foot house runs $60,000 – $70,000 to abate and correct. The standard payment for such a house is about $1500 a month. Times six equals $9,000. That's not the money they need to fix the house. It gets them out of the house but now they have to rent a place to live while the house is being fixed. That's a good concept. But none of these people have the money necessary to fix their house.



Tainted Chinese Drywall III

Read on:

My February interview with Mike Foreman of constructionguru.com.

I talk to Mike Friday afternoon, June 18, 2010.

 

"My company has come up with a protocol where we're getting down to less than one part per billion. There's no such thing as zero in the real world of construction.

"In our system, we're able to treat the cabinets and to re-install them. We're able to treat the tile, stone, hard floor surfaces in place and solve the problem. We can treat pre-engineered, pre-finished wood floors in place so you don't have to rip them out."

"Judge Fallon is a great guy and he's done a lot of good things for the Chinese drywall class action lawsuits, but I don't see any money coming out of it so far to off-set the costs for the consumer. The Virginia Seven as we call them got a $2.6 billion judgment against the Chinese drywall manufacturer. They've yet to collect a dime. It's now in the appeal process. The consumer is still out on the limb because they have no money to fix the problem."

"The product I'm talking is Abisso Cleanse. I don't own the company. I don't have anything to do with the company except that we inspect them and they do a great job.

"They'll be the first to tell you that I am hard to deal with. I made them do a lot of things they don't normally do because I want my clients to have an excess of what the local agencies are calling for. The Consumer Product Safety commission has come up with interim guidelines. Interim means we're still working on it.



Tainted Chinese Drywall V

Read on:

My February interview with Mike Foreman of constructionguru.com.

I talk to Mike Friday afternoon, June 18, 2010.

 

"The government needs to come up with a loan program or they need to tell the lenders to refinance that loan, include the six-month moratorium, include the funding required to correct the house, and then lower the interest rate so it comes out to be the same payment people had originally or less.

"A program like that would answer a lot of the issues coming out of this. And if there's a settlement to the class-action lawsuit and these people get money, then they can have an agreement that that money goes straight to the principle and pays off that part of the loan.

"The judgments that these people got against the Chinese manufacturers are just judgments. They're not checks. They're getting appealed and dragged out. Meanwhile, the consumer is getting hung out to dry. The consumer is being told to spend your savings, do whatever is necessary, and we'll take care of you later. And if later never comes, where are they?"



Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Luke Ford's Torah - Balak XIII

Luke Ford says:

Join the fun.

I’m studying this week’s Torah portion — Balak.

I wonder if I would’ve participated in the cult of Baal-peor for my fair share of those hot Midianite women. I know you think I’m so holy, but I’m only flesh and blood. I have many of the same impulses that you do, only mine are bigger.

Read On



Luke Ford's Torah - Balak IX

Luke Ford says:

Join the fun.

I’m studying this week’s Torah portion — Balak.

I wonder if I would’ve participated in the cult of Baal-peor for my fair share of those hot Midianite women. I know you think I’m so holy, but I’m only flesh and blood. I have many of the same impulses that you do, only mine are bigger.

Read On



Luke Ford's Torah - Balak XI

Luke Ford says:

Join the fun.

I’m studying this week’s Torah portion — Balak.



Luke Ford's Torah - Balak X

Luke Ford says:

Join the fun.

I’m studying this week’s Torah portion — Balak.



Luke Ford's Torah - Balak VII

Luke Ford says:

I’m studying this week’s Torah portion — Balak.

Read On



Luke Ford's Torah - Balak VI

Luke Ford says:

I’m studying this week’s Torah portion — Balak.



Luke Ford's Torah - Balak VIII

Luke Ford says:

Join the fun.

I’m studying this week’s Torah portion — Balak.

I wonder if I would’ve participated in the cult of Baal-peor for my fair share of those hot Midianite women. I know you think I’m so holy, but I’m only flesh and blood. I have many of the same impulses that you do, only mine are bigger.

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Luke Ford's Torah - Balak III

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In the morning, Balaam saddled his donkey and departed with the dignitaries, but God was incensed at his going and placed an angel in Balaam’s way. (Numbers 22:21–22.) When the donkey saw the angel standing in the way holding his drawn sword, the donkey swerved from the road into the fields, and Balaam beat the ass to turn her back onto the road. (Numbers 22:23.) The angel then stationed himself in a lane with a fence on either side. (Numbers 22:24.) Seeing the angel, the donkey pressed herself and Balaam’s foot against the wall, so he beat her again. (Numbers 22:25.) The angel then stationed himself on a narrow spot that allowed no room to swerve right or left, and the donkey lay down under Balaam, and Balaam became furious and beat the ass with his stick. (Numbers 22:26–27.) Then God allowed the donkey to speak, and she complained to Balaam. (Numbers 22:28–30.) And then God allowed Balaam to see the angel, and Balaam bowed down to the ground. (Numbers 22:31.) The angel questioned Balaam for beating his donkey, noting that she had saved Balaam’s life. (Numbers 22:32–33.) Balaam admitted his error and offered to turn back if the angel still disapproved. (Numbers 22:34.) But the angel told Balaam: “Go with the men. But you must say nothing except what I tell you.” So Balaam went on. (Numbers 22:35.)

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Luke Ford's Torah - Balak IV

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Balak

son of Zippor,

king

of

Moab

, grew alarmed at the

Israelites

’ military victories among the

Amorites

. (

Numbers 22:2–4.

) He consulted with the elders of

Midian

and sent elders of Moab and Midian to the land by the

Euphrates

to invite the

prophet Balaam

to come and curse the Israelites for him. (

Numbers 22:4–7.

) Balaam told them: “Spend the night here, and I shall reply to you as the Lord may instruct me.” (

Numbers 22:8.

)

God

came to Balaam and said: “You must not curse that people, for they are blessed.” (

Numbers 22:9–12.

) In the morning, Balaam asked Balak’s dignitaries to leave, as God would not let him go with them, and they left and reported Balaam’s answer to Balak. (

Numbers 22:13–14.

) Then Balak sent more numerous and distinguished dignitaries, who offered Balaam rich rewards in return for damning the Israelites. (

Numbers 22:15–17.

) But Balaam replied: “Though Balak were to give me his house full of

silver

and

gold

, I could not do anything, big or little, contrary to the command of the Lord my God.” (

Numbers 22:18.

) Nonetheless, Balaam invited the dignitaries to stay overnight to let Balaam find out what else God might say to him, and that night God told Balaam: “If these men have come to invite you, you may go with them.” (

Numbers 22:19–20.

)

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Luke Ford's Torah - Balak II

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Balak (בָּלָק — Hebrew for “Balak,” a name, the second word, and the first distinctive word, in the parshah) is the 40th weekly Torah portion (parshah) in the annual Jewish cycle of Torah reading and the seventh in the book of Numbers. It constitutes Numbers 22:2–25:9. Jews in the Diaspora generally read it in late June or July.

The lunisolar Hebrew calendar contains up to 55 weeks, the exact number varying among years. In most years (for example, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, and 2015 ), parshah Balak is read separately. In some years (for example, 2009), parshah Balak is combined with the previous parshah, Chukat, to help achieve the appropriate number of weekly readings.

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Luke Ford's Torah - Balak

Luke Ford says:

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I’m studying this week’s Torah portion — Balak.

I wonder if I would’ve participated in the cult of Baal-peor for my fair share of those hot Midianite women. I know you think I’m so holy, but I’m only flesh and blood. I have many of the same impulses that you do, only mine are bigger.

Oy, if I had too been stuck in a place called Shittim, who knows what would’ve happened.

I wonder if AIDS could’ve been stopped by 1979 if somebody had followed Pinchas’s example and driven a spear through that Canadian flight attendant and one of his early partners.

Jodi, who I went to 6-8th grade with at PUC Elementary School, posts to my Facebook: “What is all that?????All i remember was when we were in school you ate ants off the window Lol”

 

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Sunday, June 20, 2010

Luke Ford's Torah Hour Of Power VIII

Luke Ford says:

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This week’s Torah portion is Chukkat (Number 19 – 22).



Luke Ford's Torah Hour Of Power V

Luke Ford says:

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This week’s Torah portion is Chukkat (Number 19 – 22).



Luke Ford's Torah Hour Of Power VI

Luke Ford says:

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This week’s Torah portion is Chukkat (Number 19 – 22).



Luke Ford's Torah Hour Of Power VII

Luke Ford says:

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This week’s Torah portion is Chukkat (Number 19 – 22).



Luke Ford's Torah Hour Of Power IV

Luke Ford says:

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This week’s Torah portion is Chukkat (Number 19 – 22).



Luke Ford's Torah Hour Of Power III

Luke Ford says:

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This week’s Torah portion is Chukkat (Number 19 – 22).



Luke Ford's Torah Hour Of Power II

Luke Ford says:

Join the fun.

This week’s Torah portion is Chukkat (Number 19 – 22).



Friday, June 11, 2010

Exxxit: Life After P*** IV

Luke Ford says:

2:45. Sunset 5. I see myself on the big screen for the first time in the new documentary Exxxit.



Exxxit: Life After P***

Luke Ford says:


2:45. Sunset 5. I see myself on the big screen for the first time in the new documentary Exxxit.


I’m shocked by my beard. I look big and ugly.


Asia Carrera has gained 40 pounds. “We don’t get TV in this house. We each have our own computers. My kids are two and three. My little girl (3yo) is super-smart. She can use Photoshop, Word. She can read and write. I live in the desert [in Utah] where I don’t know anybody.”


Tyffany Million is a private investigator and bounty hunter.


The women (Mary Carey, Seka, Houston, Shelley Lubben, Amber Lynn) look haggard in this movie while the guys (Richard Pacheco, Randy West, John Leslie) look good. It reminds of the old saw that with every conquest, a man blooms, while with every new lover, a woman loses a petal off her rose.


Raylene, the former Vivid girl, is shown working as a real estate agent: “It took me a year after leaving until I got serious about studying. It took me three times to pass the [real estate license] test but here I am. I’ve been doing it for five years.”


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Exxxit: Life After P*** III

Luke Ford says:

2:45. Sunset 5. I see myself on the big screen for the first time in the new documentary Exxxit.

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Exxxit: Life After P*** II

Luke Ford says:

Randy West says he wishes he had a wife and kids “but nobody gets everything.”

After sleeping with about 3,000 women in his life, he now lives alone.

Houston: “I had a labiaplasty long before most women knew you could get your labia lips trimmed. When I did that, it was a no-brainer. I was going to take the trimmings and encase them with lucite and sell it.”

“When the stock market went kaput, I lost almost all of my savings.”

Bill Margold: “What we give them in the adult entertainment industry for a brief shining moment is immortality, validation and credibility. Everyone of us wants to be recognized. When you went to the conventions, they lined up at your booths for autographs like you were professional athletes.”

Crissy Moran: “When I got into the business, a lot of people told me, you don’t look quite comfortable. I think it was the innocence that attracted a lot of my fans. I didn’t look comfortable in anything I did. Even if I was speaking, I didn’t look confident. I wasn’t very verbal. I just started feeling really depressed about it. I hit rock bottom emotionally. I went into the bathroom and threw a glass on the ground and then, crying, I fell to the ground and started cutting myself with the glass and blood started flowing everywhere. I had lost hope.”

“I didn’t have anybody who said, ‘You’re better than that.’”

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Rabbi Hershel Rabbs Remer XV

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

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Thursday, June 10, 2010

Rabbi Hershel Rabbs Remer XIII

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

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Rabbi Hershel Rabbs Remer XIV

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

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Shakira's World Cup Concert

So I was saying my blessings and humbly eating my lunch this afternoon around 1:30 p.m. I was tuned to ESPN2 watching Shakira in concert celebrating the World Cup.

She's blonde and white and lithe and gorgeous to watch.

My lunch was going down nicely.

Then she took the mic and put it on a bench and rolled it back and forth with her breasts.

I can't get that move out of my head.

I'm a simple Jew. I don't do things like this. I don't know girls who do things like this. Oy, this is all so foreign to me and so disturbing.

I was appalled and aghast and very deeply morally opposed. So after she gyrated through three more songs and ESPN went to a commercial break, I turned off my TV to demonstrate my moral opposition to hot blooded blonde Latina singers rolling mics between their breasts while in concert on ESPN.

Enough is enough!

Then I Googled "Shakira breasts" and learned that Shakira is happy with her small breasts.

That's cool. I'm happy with Shakira's small breasts too. Though they may not be large, they seem to fold very nicely around a mic.

It's been five hours since I saw that obscene image and it's still haunting me. It runs in a repeating loop in my brain. It only lasted about three seconds on my TV, but it has inspired these thoughts, that oy, a simple Jew should not think about.

Now I understand why Jimmy Carter told Playboy magazine that he lusted in his heart. It's taken 33 years, but I've finally understood his remarks.

According to Urban Celebs: Shakira has revealed that she is very happy with her body despite the fact that she has small breasts. She said:

“I used to worry about my breast size, but I’ve finally accepted myself for who I am. Besides, a big butt is more important in Latin culture.”

So, Shakira's happy. I'm happy, though tormented. She moves well. I guess it helps to not be weighed down by gargantuan breasts.

Shakira's concert ended hours ago but I can still see her in my mind dancing around the stage.

And then there was the time she took a refreshing sip of some drink. That straw just disappeared into her mouth, just slid in there all smooth and natural like, and then she wrapped her lips around that straw and without any undue strain, she just lightly sucked on that straw and the refreshing liquid poured down her throat and she seemed so refreshed and happy.

I wish I was that straw. I want to be the straw that stirs the drink. That's kinda how I see myself as a moral leader, not exerting power over people but just exercising a benign influence. I'm the straw that stirs the white girl's drink.

Rabbi Hershel Rabbs Remer VIII

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

“I didn’t do real well when I was in classes. I’d be stuck listening to somebody speak for an hour. Everybody would be taking notes. I couldn’t pay attention. When someone talks to me, I start taking on their voice and start memorizing their things and at the end of the hour, everybody else is discussing the content and Rabbs has the person down pat and can do an impression of them. I’m convinced that at the end of the interview, I can do for you.

“You’re going to be blown away by the things I saw and I’m going to be walking around all night doing your voice.”

Luke: “Have you ever had psycho-therapy?”

Rabbi: “I’ve spent half of my life on the couch. I’ve been inside the offices of at least a dozen therapists, psychiatrists, counselors. I’ve been on meds. I’ve had group therapy. I’ve had the works. And you know what? It’s all a crock. None of it did jack for me. I have a psych degree. I was accepted at Pepperdine University for graduate school. I was going to get an MFC degree but I bailed.”

Luke: “Did you ever get to nail any of your mental health professionals?”

Rabbi: “What do you mean?”

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Rabbi Hershel Rabbs Remer VII

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

“Comedians tend to come from a very tragic abnormal sorry-ass life. I think it was Shakespeare who said that from the greatest tragedies come the greatest comedy. I’ve led a very tragic life. As a result, I became a comedian.

“I’ve been around a lot of comedians for the past decade and all of them have one thing in common — they’re all misfits and they all had a screwed-up childhood.”

“For me, normal English language is every fourth word is a curse word… I was screamed at and cussed at and humiliated every way you can imagine from the time I was born until I got out of the house. I ran away at 16. The dumbest thing I ever did was to come back. Telling somebody to go back to a situation like that is like saying, ‘Hey, get on the trains and go to the camps. Auschwitz is a good place to do picnic dinners.’

“There’s a reason why someone runs away from home and that has to be explored. You don’t just send a person back.

“At 18, I was out.”

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Rabbi Hershel Rabbs Remer XII

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

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Rabbi Hershel Rabbs Remer XI

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

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Rabbi Hershel Rabbs Remer X

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

“Growing up, I was a loser. Probably still am a loser. I’ve always been the loser. I had a really bad childhood. I had a lot of problems in my house, growing up with my family.

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Rabbi Hershel Rabbs Remer VIII

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

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Rabbi Hershel Rabbs Remer VI

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

Luke: “How are you doing so far?”

Rabbi: “Here with you? I’m doing great. This I can handle because it’s not really real. There’s an air of not realness to this. But if you want to hang out and do dinner and do stuff tonight, I’d get really nervous. I put up walls.”

“I didn’t do real well when I was in classes. I’d be stuck listening to somebody speak for an hour. Everybody would be taking notes. I couldn’t pay attention. When someone talks to me, I start taking on their voice and start memorizing their things and at the end of the hour, everybody else is discussing the content and Rabbs has the person down pat and can do an impression of them. I’m convinced that at the end of the interview, I can do for you.

“You’re going to be blown away by the things I saw and I’m going to be walking around all night doing your voice.”

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Rabbi Hershel Rabbs Remer V

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

Luke: “This may be just me, but I’ve always thought the hottest thing would be to sleep with your therapist.”

Rabbi: “No, I never did.”

Luke: “Why did you keep doing it for years?”

Rabbi: “I thought I was addicted. They’re really good at addicting people. There was the hope that this would somehow change me and I’d be able to stand up to people. One of the things I always daven for is to stand up to people who pick on me. I never do. I suck at that. I grew up in a house and there’s no overcoming it. I can’t stand up to my dad or to anyone who has a personality like him. You can lay on a couch for a decade and it’s not going to help. If you grew up with that and it’s driven into your soul, you’re stamped.”

“I don’t want kids. I’d be a terrible parent just like my parents.”

“I am strongly against child abuse. That’s my big ticket item.”

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Rabbi Hershel Rabbs Remer III

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

“At one point, I really wanted to be a comedian. My dream was to perform at the world famous comedy store in Hollywood. It was for 21 and over. I couldn’t go. They opened up one in Westwood. It was for 18 and over. It’s since closed.

“They had an amateur night. Anybody could go on stage for three minutes. All my friends were like, ‘Rabbs, you’re really funny. You should do this.’

“I went down there. I had my name on the list. I was 18. Right before I was called up on stage, and I looked at the crowd and it looked like a hard room to play, and I said to the manager, ‘Get me off that list!’

“I completely chickened out. I shelved the whole idea.

“When I turned 21, I went to the Comedy Store in Hollywood.

“Fast forward a couple of decades and I finally couldn’t take it anymore. I said, I want to try this again. I can’t die and never know what would have happened if I had gone into comedy. I could’ve been something.

“And I tried it and I started performing live. In less than a year, I was invited to perform at the Comedy Store. I was a regular… The first time I stepped on stage at the world famous Comedy Store was the greatest moment of my life because I had gone full circle.”

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Rabbi Hershel Rabbs Remer II

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

“Growing up, I was a loser. Probably still am a loser. I’ve always been the loser. I had a really bad childhood. I had a lot of problems in my house, growing up with my family. Little kids have a real way of pinpointing who’s got problems and then they compound those problems by picking on those kids. I was the kid who was picked on. And it’s always the kid who was picked on who later in life goes ballistic and kills everyone. So look out world!

“I was that kid. I became very introverted. I was a loner. I didn’t have a lot of friends. I spent a lot of time alone. My cat was like my best friend and then my cat died.

“Comedians tend to come from a very tragic abnormal sorry-ass life. I think it was Shakespeare who said that from the greatest tragedies come the greatest comedy. I’ve led a tragic life.

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Where Are The Orthodox?

Luke Ford says:


Here’s an analogy that comes to mind. A group of terrorists say you Jews have no right to live in this neighborhood. To prove it, they’re going to walk all over your property next Tuesday night. You have good reason to believe that they will bring weapons as their peers have tried to kill you before. When they arrive on Tuesday night, you are armed. You warn them that you will stop them by any means necessary from trespassing on your property. They trespass anyway and begin to lynch your family. In response, you kill nine of them.


Rabbi Brous writes about “a tragic narrowing of the American Jewish heart and mind.”


I can’t think of any Jewish leader who’s announced pride in the killing of the nine Turkey-backed activists. What Jews and Christians who care about Israel have united on is their stand against the worldwide condemnation of Israel’s right to exist and to defend itself.


I didn’t hear anyone at the parade on Sunday say they thought the killings of the nine Muslim activists were great. What I picked up from the crowd and the speakers was that Israel has a right to defend itself, even when it sometimes acts in a clumsy way.


Rabbi Sharon Brous can name no examples of placards or speakers on Sunday glorifying in the killing of the nine Muslims.


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Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer

Luke Ford says:

Rabbi Hershel “Rabbs” Remer a comichas spent most of his life in Los Angeles. (R. Rabbs YouTube)

Luke: “When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?”

Rabbi: “I wanted to have my own web cam equipment so that I could interview people.”

“At one point, I really wanted to be a comedian. My dream was to perform at the world famous comedy store in Hollywood. It was for 21 and over. I couldn’t go. They opened up one in Westwood. It was for 18 and over. It’s since closed.

“They had an amateur night.

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Tuesday, June 08, 2010

I'm Losing My Life To Distractions

Luke Ford says:

This article rings true to me.

I find I’ve become addicted to the thrill of email. I check mine way too much.

I got a Blackberry two years ago so I could check my email anywhere.

I have friends who spend hours a day on Facebook, creating fake profiles so they can track the ex-girlfriends of their boyfriend.

What saves me is the Sabbath when I turn off my computer and cell phone.

Alexander Technique also helps me to be more present. And therapy. And good friends. When I’m with them, I don’t yearn so much to check my email.

I grew up a Seventh-Day Adventist, where I got lots of warnings about the distracting and negative power of television and rock music.

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