russoft

I stopped watching porn in 2008. With the extra time I had, I drastically improved my grades in college, and lost 70 lb of body weight. Got into good physical shape. Spent a couple years running and managed a 10 km run in under an hour. Spent another couple years weight lifting and managed to deadlift twice my weight. This coming from a guy who first had to shed 70 lb and dropped out of the category of "obese" to "normal". I also committed more of my time to volunteering. I agree with the OP: I believe pornography is immoral. This is based on my religious convictions. I won't endeavor to argue the case here, but everything I've heard about the negative effects since quitting it has convinced me that it's worth ditching porn and focusing ones time elsewhere.

So does this mean that wars fought by western powers to protect civilians from their government are as moral as wars to defend against an invasion? I mean, forget for a moment that taxation is theft, etc. Say it was a private defense force, or something. There are so many examples (many that have been ignored by the "world police" or UN) of dictators destroying the economy, impoverishing the people, and often then massacring any group that is seen as a threat to power. Of course, wars usually involve a ton of collateral damage including destruction of private property and killing of civilians, so maybe beyond talking about individuals the principle breaks down?

There are those wild success stories of people who struck it rich doing what they love to do. I think those are by far the minority. I think you should pursue your passions, but keep your day job. My cousin works as an animator/artist in Seattle. He can't give up his day job as a lead art director because the job covers his health insurance premiums, but despite his job very similar to his hobby, all he wants to do is come home at night and work on his comic books. He just doesn't make enough on comics alone to do only that. My wife does professional quality cake decorating, but when she breaks her projects down into per hour wages, she realizes that she can't make enough to do that alone. The money would come in high quantity output, rather than high quality. She enjoys high quality work. Highly customized designs for her customers. But there's just no money in that, so it remains a hobby that earns her a little money on the side. Scuba instructors apparently have a great life, except they get paid a pittance for the work they do. Their success ends up boiling down to how good a salesperson they are, as their livelihood comes mainly from commissions on equipment sales. Sure, if they're lucky they get to live somewhere nice and warm, but it's not exactly a way to provide for a family. Most of them still have a day job which pays the bills. As for myself, there are days that I love my job and days that it's the last place I want to be. There are days I want to give it all up, move somewhere tropical, and take up the aforementioned profession. But I know that long term, my current job is more meaningful and will take me further in life. In my spare time, I continue to pursue my various hobbies, though I haven't even made the equivalent of one month's rent in the past 10 years doing what I have a passion for. Career choice has to be pragmatic. If you have good reason to believe you can "make it" as an illustrator, then go for it. If not, keep it on the side and build your portfolio for now. There's nothing to stop you from turning your hobbies into second and third jobs. Of course, we're all different. I know that my interests wax and wane with time, so all I have to do is be patient at work during the times my job is unpleasant and I'd rather be doing anything else. I know that if I wait, work will get fulfilling again. But if your job never brings you any joy, maybe it is time for a change.

prey gotta be able to run away. Predators gotta be strong enough to tackle their prey In all seriousness, I really think it's foolish to focus on only one or the other. Cardiovascular fitness helps you live longer. Resistance training improves quality of life while you continue to draw breath.

Did they include Africans in this study? In Sub-Saharan Africa, being called fat isn't an insult and is rather a compliment. It means you're healthy for two major reasons: 1.) You probably come from a wealthy family and didn't suffer malnutrition (which has serious consequences if it occurs in childhood). 2.) You probably don't have HIV/AIDS.

Religious or not, marriage is a life long commitment. I am surprised that this wasn't a bigger part of your pre-marital discussions, since religion is a large part of what forms your world view. Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? - 2 Cor 6:14 NIV Now maybe this is about parenting styles more than it's about belief systems. So you don't agree on how to raise your kids? Join the club. I would encourage you to keep your commitments and find a common ground and learn to live with your differences with your wife. I frankly despise our culture of temporary commitments and rampant divorce. I believe it causes large amounts of harm. That said, if you don't think you can make your marriage work, better you find that out now before you have children. A broken marriage can be harmful to your children. Of course, don't think a divorce only hurts children. A divorce will leave your wife hurt and broken, especially in the context of your LDS community. If she seeks to find another partner, I imagine many LDS guys won't be interested in a divorcee. At least, that's how it can be in the Christian church. Anyone who is actually serious about their faith is cautious of dating someone who was in a marriage before. Broken commitments hurt people is what I'm saying. Think long and hard about how you proceed. I encourage you to work with your wife. Develop your relationship with your wife. A close relationship can help smooth over a lot of marital problems and enable spouses to put up with more from their partner. I don't know what LDS teaches, but I believe Christ is still important in the Mormon belief system. Christ-like behaviour means serving rather than leading. Spend some time serving your wife and giving of yourself, which is a true example of love. You may find her more receptive to your ideas if you show her that you love her. Spend less time arguing and debating her and more time loving her. Remember that love is not a feeling, it is an action. It is the way you treat your wife, not how you feel about her. Feelings follow actions. If it's alright with you, I'll keep you and your wife in prayer.

I'll look into this! I've spent so much time trying to figure out the truth with respect to climate change, but I eventually realized I didn't want to waste my spare time tracking down all the information. I eventually came to the conclusion that the truth must be "somewhere in the middle". I figured, if climate change is real, and as bad as people say, then we're screwed anyway. I decided that I should trust that climate scientists knew what they were talking about. After all, I generally trust professionals in other fields, so why not climatologists. I've never really liked that conclusion, but any proof against climate change seems to be quickly and efficiently debunked, so I figured it was time to give up on "climate change denial". Anyway, thanks for the info!

You bring up the climate. I think one major pull of the left is their seeming concern for the environment. While I do tend to think there is some truth to anthropogenic climate change (a position I was very resistant to), I don't toe the line in terms of the solution. The left would have you believe that the solution is higher taxes and/or bigger government. I naturally disagree. I don't disagree with the science as much as I disagree with the "interpretation" or "spin" given to it by politicians and the media. Frankly, if the left would stop being so hostile towards capitalism (under the veil of "fairness" or the environment) and embrace the free market, I'd feel more compelled to support them. Unfortunately, no political party seems to run on a platform of "we promise we'll leave you alone"

I'm sure you've received more advice than you want by now, but just wanted to also chime in again and say +1 to the intermittent fasting thing. I don't feel good after breakfast anyway, so choose to skip breakfast most of the time. Break my "fast" around 1-2 PM and then finish eating for the evening about an hour before bed (9 PM). 8 hour eating window, 16 hour fasting. I wouldn't say I saw any great results from it, but it taught me better self control. It taught me I don't need to eat just because I feel hungry. I learned how to manage my hunger either by distracting myself with work or some task, consuming caffeine, chewing sugar-free gum, etc. It helps around holidays when there are large turkey dinners. I fast all day right up until the large meal in the evening. Then I eat ad libitum. A bit of science to back up the idea that skipping breakfast isn't a big deal: http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonkblog/wp/2015/08/10/the-science-of-skipping-breakfast-how-government-nutritionists-may-have-gotten-it-wrong/

No problems from my leftist University!.... yet.

I'm holding out hope that the worst candidates end up pulling out of the race and Rand Paul gets the nomination. Not a perfect candidate, but he's a far cry better than anyone else, at least from what I've seen so far. I'm not nearly as enthralled by the Trump as some around here...

If the 2016 election is Bush vs. Clinton, I'll convert from libertarian to anarchist.

Lower weight may help. Good running shoes will also help. I find swimming an excellent work out, but don't get around to doing it nearly enough. I'd get on an exercise bike and crank the resistance as high as you can get it while still keeping up a good pace. My objection is against a regular bicycle. I always tire out my legs or hurt my knees long before I get my heart rate up. You could also look into muscle imbalance issues around the knee. Lower body weight training may help here. I'm no expert on joint problems, though I've had plenty of knee pain. I used to run through it. Probably not a wise idea. Also, to plug weight training again: I eat way more food now than I did while losing weight. I haven't gained any weight in 3 years despite not really watching my diet carefully. I have more muscle mass now to balance my eating habits. Muscle burns energy so building muscle will never hurt. It's sometimes hard to do while also trying to lose fat though, as you usually have to under-eat to lose fat and over-eat to build muscle (so conventional knowledge goes, at least).

I'm not going to peruse everyone's comments - I'm sure there's lots of excellent advice. I just read the post above me. I have to take my previous comment back... I was 230 lb (~100 kg) at the beginning of 2008. I began making healthy substitutions for food and ran each evening. I started at a slow pace and short distance and worked up from there. I also began lifting weights to preserve muscle mass. By the Christmas of 2009 (about 2 years in total), I'd gotten down to 160 lb (73 kg). I could've lost the weight faster, but I was still learning what worked and what didn't. For the last 25 lb (from 185 lb to 160 lb), I found that I had to count my calories. This mean weighting and measuring everything I ate. Most restaurants provide calorie contents for their meals. If they don't, the calories can usually be estimated. I didn't care about my macronutrients too much, but ensured I was consuming at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. This works out to about 40% protein, with the rest a combination of fat, carbs, and alcohol (if you really can't give it up while getting in shape). As for fitness, running is great. Not everyone can do it due to injuries (shin splints, bad knees, etc.). Cycling is okay, but you really have to search for demanding routes to ride because cycling is much easier than running on your heart/lungs. Cardiovascular fitness keeps your heart healthy and is very important. I say this because some body builder types make fun of cardio and undervalue it. That's because it won't change your body shape dramatically. There are a whole host of benefits to weight training. Any training is better than none, but I strongly encourage people to do free weights. If you take my advice and do free weights - PLEASE learn proper technique! Don't go injuring yourself! You can cover most muscles with a few barbell and body weight exercises. I do squats, dead lifts, bench press, overhead press, and barbell rows. I supplement with push ups and weighted pull ups. I haven't become any bodybuilder, but my body shape changed dramatically due to a year or two of dedicated weight training. Benefits from losing fat, building muscle, and improving my cardiovascular fitness: I have fewer back problems, I sleep better, I think better, my grades in college increased even though I studied less, I am less stressed, I am more self confident. Good luck! Some resources to excellent weight training programs: Starting Strength (Mark Rippetoe): http://startingstrength.com/ Stronglifts (a rip-off of Rippetoe's program): http://stronglifts.com/

The problem is that climate science has been corrupted by politics and mas media. The media can't appreciate the nuances that most research papers have. They'll claim scientists have achieved some grandiose feat, only to actually be totally wrong. As with any field of science, progress takes time and effort, and is imperfect at best. A fact many politicians and journalists don't appreciate.

If you have a scholarship to cover your living expenses, I say do it. Whether you have a B.Sc. or M.Sc. now, you'll find the Ph.D. valuable. Many jobs in STEM fields prefer Ph.D.s and come with an associated increase in base salary. It's going to be a hell of a lot of work though, if it's anything like a Ph.D. here. Pass a candidacy exam before you get to even begin thesis work. Some irritating course credits to fill. Writing the thesis is a lot of work, but the sense of accomplishment is great. Disclaimer: I don't have my Ph.D., just M.Sc. If I have the opportunity to complete my Ph.D. on someone else's dime, I will. I'm also an engineer and employment prospects are pretty good. Not sure about other STEM fields. Most people I know with a Ph.D. are involved in multiple upstart companies. There are strong entrepreneur opportunities (again, depending on specific field).

Speaking as a Christian, if you're asking your wife to give up her faith, I think you're only going to succeed if she's already only nominal or has serious doubts about Mormonism. I know little about LDS so can't speak with any authority. I find many of the principles Stef speaks about to be compatible with my faith. I don't think anarchy and atheism are inextricably linked. I haven't educated myself on UPB in particular, so can't speak to that.

I've been married a little over two years. I knew when we got married that we differed on some things. My wife is entirely uninterested and uninformed about most political issues, save a few, like abortion. I don't try to get her interested in my political ideas. I usually listen to FDR alone. Occasionally she'll listen in on the occasional presentation. I usually strategically pick presentations that I think she'll be receptive to, then watch/listen without headphones so she can listen. I don't expect her to accept some of the more "radical" ideas, yet. I feel free to speak my mind on issues I care about, and she listens. She doesn't always agree, or care, about the issue. But she hears it. I do not expect my wife to change. I married her knowing that possibility. I hope you did too. That said, I think gentle but consistent influence can help change minds. There's a reason unmarried women tend to be leftist but swing conservative once married. People's beliefs can be tempered by the relationships they have.

http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/the-coddling-of-the-american-mind/399356/ An excellent read, albeit lengthy. A few excerpts follow:

I've put these in Excel and plotted them. Take a look. If we continue to get a response, I'll make it look nicer. https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0ByXyiDkY8ma_fllaZHlIY2RyYnlTS05FNGZ5UlBzaWFINFVUUVpEN3NEdUZsQml2QnVJWlk&usp=sharing

There are quality women out there, but you have to be a quality man in order to get them. I didn't sleep around before marriage, and I found a woman who didn't either. We both were looking for someone who would be family minded and monogamous, and we found it. So it's possible. Don't be depressed. If you're religiously inclined, there's a moderately higher chance of finding a solid woman at your place of worship. It's only moderate, but the odds are improved.

Though I live in the U.S., I am a Canadian citizen and am interested in seeing the Canadian economy thrive. I'm also concerned about the lack of some basic civil liberties. In the past, I've voted for the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) on the basis that they were for the free market (more so than other parties) and promised to scrap the long gun registry. They followed through on the latter promise, which was important to me as a gun owner. Since last election, the CPC has shown itself to be rather neo-con. They seem to be running on hawkish foreign policy, increased prison sentences, and increased domestic security. The last on the list comes in the form of C-51, the Anti-terrorism Act of 2015. They've also introduced a law allowing the government to terminate the citizenship of anyone they deem to be a terrorist (C-24). I don't like ANY of this! The New Democrat Party (NDP) is essentially the Socialist party of Canada. They immediately begin with class warfare rhetoric and my eyes glaze over. Mulcair, their leader, believes that Canada should ensure that farmers and duck hunters can keep their guns. Translation: He wants to ban my "assault rifle" and pistols. They are against Alberta's oil and gas industry. Wanting to scrap pipelines which are vital to economic growth. Support cap-and-trade. I can't stand these guys! The Liberal party of Canada sort of falls in the middle. They support lower taxes for the middle class, poor, and small businesses, while increasing taxes on the rich and corporations. They oppose some pipelines while supporting others. Their leader is so weak and flip flops and "hems and haws" so much, I don't really know what this party actually stands for. They were the party that originally introduced our gun registries. I don't trust them. No one seems concerned about Canada's "human rights" tribunal which are effectively censorship on speech deemed offensive. Christians and white males are overwhelmingly the victims of these tribunals. They're dragged in front of these tribunals by radical imams or gay/lesbians. Our country does not protect freedom of speech. We have a State broadcaster (CBC) that is very leftist. The CTRC (Canadian telecommunications regulation commission) picks winners and losers in terms of which channels get included in basic cable, which is ridiculous. They've discriminated against right wing news agencies. Self defense is harshly punished. There are countless stories of people being charged with offenses for simply defending themselves within their own home. This seems to be an anti-gun campaign as it's frequently gun owners who find themselves being charged. The RCMP is out of control. They stormed into private residences to "secure" them during a natural disaster. They confiscated firearms and damaged property. They reclassified firearms independently and without consultation. I almost had a rifle of mine confiscated without compensation. To the credit of the CPC, they've addressed these concerns with the RCMP and the lack of self defense laws, but time will tell if the legislation is effective. I know as anarchists, most people here don't believe in voting. But I'd rather vote for the least terrible option. I really don't see how spoiling my ballot or voting libertarian is going to help steer my country towards greater freedom. I'm pulled more towards voting CPC at this point both because of their economic policy (which is less socialist) and because they've ensured I don't have my guns confiscated. I don't like their authoritarian angle, but it doesn't really affect me. I don't do drugs, I'm not a terrorist, and I'm not a violent criminal. I'd love to hear the thoughts of fellow freedom-loving Canadians! Maybe I've overlooked some aspects of the other parties. Maybe C-51 is the end of Canada as we know it. Maybe it's exaggeration. Give me some feedback!

Sorry, I missed you. I just updated it to include you. It'd be great if we had a larger sample size of FDR listeners (those who are willing to provide an answer to some of those infuriating false dichotomies).

The article below highlights my frustration with this ridiculous controversy. I grew up an hour from the Zimbabwe border. In 2000, Robert Mugabe began seizing farmlands. The economy tanked. Zimbabwe saw an almost unbelievable inflation rate in 2008 of 80 billion percent. The country has 90-95% unemployment. I know people personally who fled Zimbabwe. I watched as the largest denomination bill, 100, added a few more zeros before I left Africa in 2005. This is the real tragedy of Zimbabwe, and yes, a real concern for wildlife and the environment in that country. Poor people care little for nature when fighting for mere survival. They chop down trees indiscriminantly for firewood, burn the bush so they can hunt more effectively, and kill any animal available for eating. They are also vulnerable to dangerous animals like hippos, crocodiles, lions, and elephants. This puts them in direct conflict with these animals. At that point, it's them or the animal. The animal usually loses. Poverty is bad for the environment, whether it be flora or fauna. http://www.pri.org/stories/2015-08-04/zimbabwe-has-lot-more-going-death-cecil

So far, a pretty tight grouping with a few outliers. I realized after the fact that doing this in Excel would be easier and produce a nicer output.