Archive for August, 2009

Pilger on Obama

Aug 31

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Politics, Your community | No Comments

The Barrack Obama Roadshow was an absolutely amazing spectacle. One cannot help but marvel at the immense passion, cost and footprint such an phenomenon manifested. We all seem to have gotten caught up in the hype, in the hope, in the dream. Well, maybe not all of us.

John Pilger is one of the greatest journalism alive. He is an Australian, an unashamedly dissident and a socialist. But beyond his politics he is honest, accurate and fearless in his dissection and presentation of the governments of the world and what they are really up to. Pilger’s dedication to true journalism is uncommon in the extreme. If you haven’t read one of his books or watched one of his documentaries, then do so without delay. Pilger has a clear vision of our world and chances are it’s not the way you see it. He peels back the layers and pries out the truth.

In the below video Pilger talks about Obama and explains how he isn’t the President you perhaps thought you he was.

Richard Dawkins: a true free-thinker

Aug 25

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Religion, Your community | 3 Comments

Richard Dawkins is a true free-thinker. He is a celebrated evolutionary biologist and a staunch atheist. I read his book “The God Delusion” last year and have to say it is one of the most important works that I have ever read (I’m currently listening to the audio version). It is at times funny, sarcastic, and poignant; and always well researched, considered and delivered. It should be read by all (those with and without religious beliefs) for it explains clearly the polarity between science and religion.

I enjoy Dawkins because he does not suffer fools lightly and because he has the courage to speak about his beliefs in a world in which atheist is still a bad word.

The below video is of an interview on The Hour about The God Delusion. I hope you enjoy it.

And, yes, I am an atheist too. Don’t hate me.

Tags: atheism, faith, religion, Richard Dawkins

A side project: my photoblog

Aug 15

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Uncategorised | 1 Comment

I’ve started a photoblog. Because I can. Because I like taking photos. And because it’s a good way to stop just thinking about work, life and all that and start looking at things from a slightly different perspective.

It’s here if you’re interested (and it’s still in development so be kind if you have any feedback).

A challenge!

Aug 14

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Health, Nutrition, Yourself | 1 Comment

It strikes me that many people are coming to the understanding that gluten isn’t all that good for us mere mortal humans. I’ve been of this thought for a little while. My mother is coeliac which means gluten is a complete no-no. So, I’ve been monitoring myself when I eat gluten-containing foods. I have found that if I ever get a crook tummy or a bit of wind (well, more than normal) it’s after I’ve eaten bread or pasta or pizza…you get the idea. Now, I don’t eat these foods very often (although I really like to) but my ad hoc investigation seems to validate the ideas of Robb Wolf and other.

So, here’s the challenge:

One week of not eating anything that contains gluten. That should be simple enough.

If you’re up for it, the bigger challenge is to go one month without gluten.

I expect that anyone who takes up this challenge will be feeling a whole lot better about themselves very soon.

Tags: gluten, gluten-free, Robb Wolf

Paleo, baby!

Aug 13

Posted by Adam Stanecki in Nutrition, Yourself | No Comments

Healthy?

If you haven’t worked it out yet, I’m a big fan of simple. An even bigger fan of thinking for yourself. And a huge fan of evidence-based activity.

Today, there are so many “diets” that it’s enough to drive you completely bonkers. And most of them are – please pardon my French – complete bullshit! If people actually stepped back a moment and thought for themselves they’d soon discover that pills, potions and quick fixes don’t work and are not sustainable.

Worse still, our government agencies have got the heads planted firmly in the sand (perhaps an upgrade from where they normally plant them). Take a look at the so called Healthy Food Pyramid from Nutrition Australia. Does anything look wrong to you?

Please tell me that I’m not the only one looking at this diagram and thinking “what the…?” It’s all over the place like a mad woman’s shopping. Let’s take a quick step back…

Mmm, fresh!

Consider the humble human being – Homo sapiens – as a species we have existed for about 200,000 years. Not long in the scheme of things. We lived as hunters and gatherers until about 10,000 years ago then we start to get civilised. Soon, we domesticated animals and developed agriculture.

So, have a think about it. We lived for almost 200,000 years as hunter-gatherers and for under 10,000 years we’ve been moving to an agriculture-based diet. In this time do you think our genetic make-up has changed? If our genetics have in fact altered in the last 200,000 years, the change would be infinitesimal.

As the situation stands we are eating foods that we are simply not designed for.

What you eat matters! There is no use concerning yourself with portions, combinations, meal timings, Glycaemic index values…blah…blah…blah…if you are eating crap! It can’t get any simpler than that.

What to do? Go Paleo, baby! It’s not pseudo-science. It’s been proven over hundreds of thousands of years. Eating from a can or a box is not good for you. Eat fresh, eat real whole foods and you will be healthier than ever. Visit Dr Loren Cordains’s site for all the Paleo info you need.

Need a simple nutritional guide? Here’s CrossFit’s maxim: