The Anger of Compassion

Get AMPed up for a good run

Okay, I was always a pretty good runner, although I tended to prefer longer-distance running as opposed to sprints -- but long-distance running plays hell with testosterone levels. And as an esthetics-oriented lifter I also like the idea of nutrient-partitioning. But I like the way Loki puts it:

Trying to lose fat? You should be sprinting. Trying to gain lean mass? You should be sprinting. Trying to defy conventional established wisdom and be really badass and do both simultaneously in an effort to 'recomp?' Then you damn-sure NEED to be sprinting. And a look at the physiological effects and adaptations elicited by consistent (and possibly even infrequent) sprint-sessions, which I shall now share with you... will make things abundantly clear.

And make it abundantly clear he does, in his discussion of "the purest, most powerful physique-shaper in an athlete's arsenal," parts one and two.

I like doing my sprints on hills, which, fortunately, are easy to find in El Paso.

I'm a Pepper

What soda am I? Well, they don't appear to have an entry for Diet Dr. Pepper, but...

You Are Dr. Pepper

You're very unique and funky, yet you still have a bit of traditionalism to you. People who like you think they have great taste... and they usually do. Your best soda match: Root Beer Stay away from: 7 Up

What Kind of Soda Are You?

People who like me think they have great taste...but of course!

Songs and Cento

The ClassiCarnival is up, at RogueClassicism.

Art Updates: Elephant Dung, Monstrous Projections, and Air Guitar

Gus Van Horn recently accused me, I think, of being a culture blogger, so...well, so as not to embarrass the guy, and 'cause I really do covet the title, I'll pull my share of the load and report on a development or two...

The first one I discovered is from this New York Times story, in which we discover that some pretty prominent stuff has been wiped from the most recent edition of Janson's History of Art:

In some ways, art history is like an episode of "The Sopranos." A relatively small number of artists are welcomed into the family of the famous, their works immortalized in museums and on postcard racks — in other words, they are made. But hit men, otherwise known as critics and scholars, are lurking around every corner, waiting to whack even the most sterling reputation.

Almost no one is safe. Not even, as it turns out, Whistler's mother.

This month, the publisher Pearson Prentice Hall is introducing the first thoroughly revised version of "Janson's History of Art," a doorstopper first published in 1962 that has been a classroom hit ever since Horst Woldemar Janson wrote it while working at New York University. For a generation of baby boomers, it defined what was what and who was who in art, from Angelico (Fra) to Zurbarán (Francisco de).

But in recent years it has lost its perch as the best-selling art survey and has been criticized for becoming a scholarly chestnut. So its publisher recruited six scholars from around the country and told them to rewrite as much as they wanted, to cast a critical eye on every reproduction, chapter heading and sacred cow.

First of all, Janson's is a brand name in the Art History biz, as is Fowler in the English grammar and usage game. In other words, Fowler's dead, and Janson's dead too, but publishers, while conscious of the need to remain contemporary and relevant, want to keep those names on books. So. Really, you know the rest: while Alexandra can do a more capable evaluation in detail, you already know the basic bits: Whistler's mum is gone, Audubon isn't in there (and Grant Wood still isn't), but women have been added and, of course, paintings "resting on" elephant dung.

It's art, you philistines. Gotta have elephant dung.

The second entry I have for you is from Van Horn himself, who refers us to a seeming development of trompe loeil known as anamorphosis. I've never heard of anamorphosis, but it's definitely worth a look, so go look. Strange.

Finally, take note of Peter Cresswell's comments on why, notwithstanding your fondness for performing air guitar to AC/DC, you might enjoy checking out Duke Ellington, classical music, and even (gasp!) opera. Three chords is fine, writes Mr. Cresswell:

There’s nothing inherently more rational about a violin than a guitar – as Eric Clapton says, ‘It’s in the Way That You Use It!' It just so happens that over the last three centuries or three most violins have been asked to do more than have most guitars. That’s just the way it is.

Yes, he tells us: the violin has been asked to do more than the guitar. Something more than rage, pain, anger, and hurt. Go read what he says about it. And then do some listening, and really, you'll thank Cresswell, you'll thank me, and you'll thank yourself for having done so. More than that: you'll thank those composers who have asked the violin, the piano, and the human voice to do, and to say, more, more, more...

The Carnival of the Objectivists

I'm in the rear party on announcing this one, but there's now a Carnival of the Objectivists, inaugurated by Nick Provenzo, and the first one is up.

Do I know my Slavic women or what?

"March 8 is International Women's Day," writes Christy Robinson of the Dallas Morning News, "but Russia and the former Soviet states are the only countries to do it up big with flowers, candy and a national holiday designation. See how much you know about Slavs of the fairer sex."

Now how could I resist a challenge like that?

See how you do on these five questions.

I scored a nice round 100 per cent. Not that I'm braggin'.

Does your mother know you're singing that song?

In the "Somebody better authorize them a clue" category:

No, I can't believe it, either, but Papa John's Pizza is using the old Go-Go's tune "We Got the Beat" and now, on a TV commercial, offers female voices (perhaps the Go-Go's themselves?) actually singing "We Got the Meat."

I am not making this up.

Now, maybe I was born this way, or maybe I spent too many years in the Marines, but I don't think I'm hearing it the way they really want it to be heard.

Females enthusiastically belting out: "We got the meat!!" Can I get an "Oh my god?" Actually, though, the more I think about it, the more I like it.

And then, at least such a healthy, open celebration of sexuality is better than what that other pizza guy is doing.

Many Happy Returns

Culture bloggers, art historians, air rifle aficionados, and homeschoolers may want to meander over to Out of Lascaux to wish Alexandra a happy birthday.

Defending Our Southern Border

Now, could be we're holding the fort against illegals, wannabe terrorists, and the occasional revenoor. It is west Texas, after all, and right on the border.

Or, it could be that we just got us a Crosman 760 Pumpmaster and we're plinking cans, paper targets, and plastic bottles. Fun is fun.

Youth, Yoga, and Weight Loss

Researchers at Hampton University in Virginia report that a program combining yoga and breathing exercises helped teens shed unwanted pounds.

The study included 60 overweight high school girls and boys who were divided into two groups. One group received 40 minutes of yoga and pranayama (quiet, deep and forced breathing) four times a week for 12 weeks, while those in the control group did their normal activities.

"Pranyama and yoga are two potential exercise solutions that concentrate on the abdominal region. They have been associated with changes in blood flow to different regions of the brain and changes in metabolic activities of the brain," study author Anand B. Shetty, an associate professor in the department of physical therapy, said in a prepared statement.

After 12 weeks, the average body mass index (BMI) in the yoga/pranayama group went from 22.8 to 21.5 (a 5.7 percent decrease), while the average BMI in the control group increased from 22.3 to 22.4.

"The average body weight reduction for the pranayama group was six pounds, with no restrictions on either group in daily caloric intake," Shetty said.

It's short. Go ahead and read the whole thing.

Anger of Compassion Deadlifting Bonus: Video

Just watch this one:

NFL prospect Matt Meinrod deadlifts 700 pounds.