Thursday, March 29, 2018

TRUST ME, I'M A DOCTOR: THE POISONING OF AMERICA


"BLUE" JIMMY:  PUBLIC HEALTH ADVOCATE

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  A family member was recently prescribed a medicine for a common ailment and the accompanying instructions contained this warning:  "May cause ...

  • fever, chills
  • body aches
  • flu symtoms
  • sores in mouth and throat
  • joint pain or swelling
  • swollen glands
  • skin rash
  • changes in mood or behavior
  • hearing loss
  • swollen tongue 
  • burning eyes
  • upset stomach
  • gas
  • diarrhea
  • nausea
  • headache
  • dizziness
  • unpleasant taste in your mouth
  • severe liver damage and oh yeah ... 
  • death
BLIND DOG OZZY:  Nice!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  The ailment this family member has? ... Toenail fungus.  These are the label warnings for turbinafine (Lamisil) an oral medication for discolored toenails.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Better to cut off your foot!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  I hesitated for a few years to write an article challenging "Big Pharma" (the pharmaceutical industry as a whole) but after watching my big brother die with a dozen or so vials of prescription medicine at his bedside, I have become emboldened.  


BLIND DOG OZZY:  Preach!


  • "BLUE" JIMMY:  Growing up in the 60' and 70's, I remember aggressive propaganda against drugs.  As schoolchildren, we were told that drugs were bad ... except the ones that "the doctor" gives to you.  There is no doubt that certain modern drugs have changed history and saved countless lives:  aspirin; insulin; penicillin.  But the line between drugs and DRUGS has become blurred throughout the decades. 
    Here is a small sample list of drugs that your friendly doctor once prescribed:

  • Opium:  The original Drug with a capital "D." Used for a variety of painkilling and mood elevating purposes since ancient times, people found early on that you could use it to just get good and f**ked up.
  • Methamphetamine:  was prescribed as a diet aid and to keep tired people perky and has kept the trucker industry going for countless years.
  • LSD:  used as a breathing aid and to fully enjoy Hendrix's set at Woodstock.
  • Cocaine:  as a stimulant and anesthetic and as legend tells us, was an ingredient in the original Coca Cola ... "Have A Coke And A Smile" is right!
  • Heroin:  was used as a very effective painkiller and an ingredient in cough medicine ... although it doesn't seem to have done Keith Richards any good in that respect.
  • PCP:  was used as a surgical anesthetic.  The problem was, the doctor could cut off your head and you wouldn't feel it.
  • MDMA (Ecstasy):  supposedly used by some psychiatrists for medical purposes until it was banned in the 80's for having no medical purpose other than to inspire hoards of badly-dressed people to crowd into old warehouses and dance to loud DJ music.
  • Peyote:  Although the doctors who prescribed this medicine were not exactly Marcus Welby M.D., the Native American shamans and healers who got you into a "spiritual place" were able to use this drug in their traditional ceremonies legally until 1970, when the government ruined everything and banned it.  No wonder there's no Jim Morrisons anymore. 
  • Amanita Muscaria (Magic Mushroom):  another drug with ancient origins and uses, it was called "Shrooooommmmmmsssssss!" by every stoner I knew in high school and despite its spiritual and ceremonial uses by cultures all over the world and the fact that it grows in the wild without cultivation, it is still illegal in the U.S.  One of the most fascinating theories about Magic Mushrooms is that its use in the Middle East by various holy men inspired the story of Jesus Christ and that the Magic 'Shroom was actually a metaphor for Jesus himself.  This theory was actually put forth in a book entitled, "The Sacred Mushroom And The Cross" (1970) by John Marco Allegro and despite much criticism from his peers and regret from his publisher, has not been completely dismissed by scholars.
  • Marijuana:  ask your local stoner (who knows more about the history of Marijuana than anyone else),
    Marijuana is yet another drug that has been used for medicinal purposes since ancient times for almost every malady.  In early America, it was legally used by doctors and country healers in tinctures, potions, balms, oils, poultices and every other form to treat:  headache; menstrual cramps; gout; arthritis; epilepsy; anxiety; depression; MS; loss of appetite; drug and alcohol addiction; insomnia and most importantly, to decipher Pink Floyd lyrics ...
BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... I'm still working on "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn."


"BLUE" JIMMY:  The lowdown is, yesterday's medicine can often become today's DRUG with all the stigma and societal disapproval attached.  But today, we have a different situation which is mainly that the pharmaceutical industry (which conspiracy theorists call Big Pharma) seems to have a stranglehold on the medical (healing) profession and anyone who offers a non-toxic, non-surgical, non-pill cure is labeled a "quack," "fraud" or "snake oil peddler."

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Case in point:  Dr. Fereydoon Batmanghelidj who authored the books, "Your Body's Many Cries For Water" (1992)
and "You're Not Sick, You're Thirsty" (2003).  His books claimed that most chronic ailments (e.g. diabetes, arthritis, asthma, bronchitis, ulcers, headaches, chronic body pain of all types) were the result of undiagnosed dehydration and that simply drinking enough water could cure these ailments.  Born in Iran and educated at St. Mary's Hospital Medical School in London, his credentials, medical practice and research was often called into question even though he submitted all his findings to the AMA (American Medical Association) WHO (World Health Organisation) and anyone else he could think of who might verify his findings.  Time and again he was told NOT THAT HE WAS WRONG but that they were not interested in any "alternative" cures that didn't involve some pharmaceutical product that could be marketed and sold.  This, despite countless cases in which he was able to cure patients of  "incurable" diseases using ordinary tap water.  He was criticized by some skeptics for not having peer-reviewed scientific research but yet, he spent most of his life
presenting his findings to anyone who would listen.  Keep in mind he did not recommend any type of cloistered, oxygenated, vitamin-enriched, lemon-infused, flavored, bottled or even purified water which might connect him to an industry or commercial venture.  He simply advised patients to drink ordinary tap water.

"BLUE" JIMMY:  An interesting addendum to this story is the fact that years ago, I heard a major-network evening news report which advised people not to drink any additional water in their daily regimen and to not expect any health benefits from drinking water.  The Journalist in me thought this sounded suspicious.  Why would an evening news report advise people not to drink water?  I did the research and found that this news report was sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry.  


BLIND DOG OZZY:  The plot thickens!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  I did further research and found that this is a common tactic in major-network news reporting.  Basically, you cannot report anything that would make any one of your sponsors look bad.  Like any television program that is not community supported, they operate on the largesse of their sponsors and diligent as their reporters may be, they are instructed in no uncertain terms to not bite the hand that feeds them.  If  Diet Coke contained a toxic chemical ( and it does, aspartame) and one of your sponsors is the Coca Cola Company, I guarantee you will not hear about it on the evening news.


BLIND DOG OZZY:  Bastards!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Another story relevant to this topic appeared in the book "Natural Cures 'They' Don't Want You To Know About" (2004) by Kevin Trudeau
and was not actually part of the main text but was known as Appendix B in the back of the book.  Entitled "No-Hunger Bread:  A True FDA Horror Story," it basically told the tragic story of a man who came up with a brilliant, useful commodity and was mercilessly shot down by government bureaucracies.  In 1977, A man named Ben Suarez literally, stumbled into the invention of a product that seemed to have no downside.  His wife had read an article that shared a recipe for a type of bread made and eaten by the Hunza people.  The Hunza people are an isolated, mountain-dwelling people of Pakistan/India who have strong cultural traditions and whose rudimentary lifestyle is thought to make them very healthy and long-lived.
  They make a type of bread that is very dense and filling and sweetened with honey which Suarez' wife tried to duplicate while tweaking the recipe just a little.

BLIND DOG OZZY :  That's all it takes!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  The result was a sweet, very satisfying bread which sat like a brick in the stomach and had the unexpected effect of  causing Suarez' family, friends and coworkers to lose significant amounts of excess weight without feeling deprived of food. 
He then, in a very efficient and professional manner, tried to market the bread as an aid to weight loss.  You would have to read the whole story to believe it but basically, Suarez ventured into an area inhabited by only a privileged few and his clever and homemade business idea was prosecuted with the full fire and fury of government agencies usually reserved only for child sex-traffickers and major drug cartels. 
All because he claimed that the bread could help you lose unwanted weight, which it did without toxic chemicals or harmful side-effects.  But small businesses like his don't stand a chance against corrupt government agencies like the FDA and FTC and he was ordered to destroy all of his product which he was willing to give to charity and estimated would have fed more than a million people.  The bread was nonetheless, destroyed. 

BLIND DOG OZZY:  And he took it in the butt!


"BLUE" JIMMY:  The last cases I have chosen ( and there are thousands) were revealed to me in a book entitled, "SURPRESSED INVENTIONS & OTHER DISCOVERIES:  True Stories Of Suppression, Scientific Cover Ups, Misinformation And Brilliant Breakthroughs" (1999) by Jonathan Eisen. 


In section I, entitled "The Suppression OF Alternative Medical Therapies," the author has written chapters that deal with unorthodox but seemingly, very effective treatments for a host of diseases:  Dr. Max Gerson's nutritional therapy which as far back as 1946, was being reviewed by a Senate sub-committee and was being considered as a legitimate treatment for cancer and other diseases until The American Medical Association hounded him and his treatment out of existence in The United States and he was forced to leave the country; Harry M. Hoxsey's family formulas for external and internal cancer which he demonstrated to medical doctors, only to have them try to make him sign over his family formula over to them and take credit for his family treatment; oxygen therapy, in which a patient's blood is infused with oxygen to combat AIDS, cancer and other immunological diseases but is still illegal in the United States despite apparent success among many patients; Gaston Naessenes, who invented a microscope much more powerful than science had ever seen which allowed him to create a disease theory and treatment outside-the-box which was rejected outright by the medical establishment.  He was arrested and faced prison rather than back down and relinquish the treatment he believed in his whole life.  

BLIND DOG OZZY:  These are only a few examples!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Yes, there are quacks and frauds who dupe desperate people and take their money but there are many others who have spent an entire lifetime developing treatments (not miracle cures) who made every effort to have their treatments legitimized by scientific testing only to be persecuted, arrested and shut down because they didn't have the backing of the medical industry for all the wrong reasons.


BLIND DOG OZZY:  WTF!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  The pharmaceutical industry has many tactics to increase their profits.  It thrives on sick people.  There is absolutely no benefit to drug-producing companies to produce a cure which you can take for a short time and experience relief.  Their method is to manufacture drugs which can relieve symptoms on a short-term basis and have doctors prescribe those drugs to their patients on an indefinite basis.  One such tactic is "evergreening."  A pharmaceutical company may produce a drug which is effective but is expensive and they will hold the patent to that drug for many years. When their patent expires, other pharmaceutical companies may reproduce their drug and offer it at a significantly lower price.  These are known as generic drugs. 
These generic drugs are sometimes all low-income patients can afford as well as those whose medical insurance has become strained.   A drug company can, at this point, merely tweak the formula of their drug or even just change the dosage and receive a new patent on their drug which prevents competitors from producing a generic version.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  And sick people get screwed!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Also, pharmaceutical companies send salesmen to doctor's offices and hospitals with boxes of sandwiches and coffee to promote certain drugs and offer kickbacks to doctors who promote their drugs, many times offering free samples for doctors to give to patients. 

Back in grade school, I remember those anti-drug abuse films they would show us about how pushers would give you a little taste to get you hooked and then make you sell your soul to get more ...


BLIND DOG OZZY:  "...I'm your mama, I'm your daddy, I'm that nigga in the alley
I'm your doctor when in need, want some coke, have some weed
you know me, I'm your friend
your main boy, thick and thin
 I'm your pusherman ..." - (Curtis Mayfield)

"BLUE" JIMMY:  It's illegal to pay doctors to prescribe a certain drug but it is not illegal to pay a doctor to "promote" the drug.  Pharmaceutical companies take advantage of technicalities like this and make big money.  

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ???

BLUE JIMMY:  Another tactic used by pharmaceutical companies is called "disease mongering."  In her book, "Disease-Mongering: How Doctors, Drug Companies And Insurers Are Making You Feel Sick" (1992)
health & science writer Lynn Payer, describes disease-mongering as "trying to convince essentially well people that they are sick, or slightly sick people that they are very ill."  Some examples of questionable "diseases" doctors might prescribe drugs for are: erectile dysfunction; osteoporosis; attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD); irritable bowel syndrome; baldness; chronic fatigue syndrome; gambling addiction; sex addiction; et al.  

BLIND DOG OZZY:  "... I got the rockin' pneumonia and the boogie woogie flu ... "  - (Huey "Piano" Smith)

"BLUE" JIMMY:  There is no doubt that many people suffer from these conditions and that they can cause a fair amount of grief.  The question is, do these conditions need to be treated with drugs?  Here is a fairly recent list of (FDA approved) prescription drugs which were recently pulled off the market due to certain "problems."

  • Acutane (acne) may cause: birth defects; miscarriages; premature births; inflammatory bowel disease; suicidal tendencies.
  • Baycol (cholesterol reduction) may cause: kidney failure.
  • Bextra (pain relief) may cause: serious cardiovascular adverse events; risk of serious skin reactions; gastrointestinal bleeding; death.
  • Cylert (ADHD) may cause: liver toxicity.
  • Darvon & Darvocet (pain relief) may cause: serious toxicity to the heart.
  • DBI ( anti-diabetic) may cause: lactic acidosis.
  • DES (synthetic estrogen) may cause: cancer of the cervix and vagina; birth defects.
  • Duract (pain relief) may cause: severe liver damage.
  • Ergamisol (worm infestation, colon and breast cancers, rheumatoid arthritis) may cause: low white blood cell count; blood clots.
  • Hismanol (antipsychotic) may cause:  Tdp, a heart condition.
  • Lotronex (irritable bowel syndrome) may cause: inflammation and injury of the large intestine; inflammation and injury of the small intestine; severe constipation requiring surgery; death.
  • Meridia (appetite suppressant) may cause: increased cardiovascular and stroke risk.
  • Merital & Alival (antidepressant) may cause: haemolytic amemia; death due to immunohemolytic anemia.
  • Micturin (bladder incontinence) may cause prolongation and potential for cardiotoxicity. 
  • Mylotarg (AML or bone marrow cancer) may cause obstruction of veins and increased risk of death.
  • Omniflox (antibiotic) may cause: severe low blood sugar; blood cell abnormalities; kidney disfunction; allergic reactions causing life-threatening respiratory distress.
  • Palladone (pain relief) may cause: slow or stopped breathing resulting in coma or death.
  • Permax (Parkinson's Disease) may cause: valve regurgitation resulting in shortness of breath, fatigue and heart palpitations.
  • Pondimin (appetite suppressant) may cause: abnormal echocardiograms; valvular disease; heart valve disease.
  • Posicor (hypertension) may cause: fatal interactions with at least 25 other drugs.
  • Propulsid (heartburn) may cause: serious cardiac arrythmias. 
  • PTZ & Metrazol (schizophrenia and other psychiatric conditions) may cause: uncontrollable seizures; pulled muscles; fractured bones; spine fractures.
  • Quaalude (sedative and hypnotic) may cause: mania; seizures; vomiting; convulsions; death.
  • Raplon (anesthetic) may cause: bronchospasms and unexplained deaths.
  • Raptiva (psoriasis) may cause: PML, a rare and usually fatal disease that causes inflammation or progressive damage of the white cell matter in multiple locations of the brain.
  • Raxar (antibiotic) may cause: cardiac repolarization; QT interval prolongation; ventricular arrythmia. 
  • Redux (appetite suppressant) may cause: abnormal echocardiograms; valvular disease; heart valve disease.
  • Rezulin (antidiabetic and anti-inflammatory) may cause: liver failure.
  • Selacryn (blood pressure) may cause: hepatitis; severe liver and kidney damage.
  • Seldane (antihistamine) may cause: life-threatening heart problems when taken in combination with other drugs.
  • Trasylol (antifibrinolytic to reduce blood loss during surgery) may cause: serious kidney damage; congestive heart failure; strokes; increased chance of death.
  • Vioxx (pain relief) may cause: increased risk of heart attack and stroke.
  • Xigris (severe sepsis and septic shock) may cause: no survival benefit
  • Zelmid (antidepressant) may cause: Guillain-Barre syndrome; higher risk of suicide.
Zelnorm (irritable bowel syndrome with constipation; chronic idiopathic constipation) may cause: heart/chest pain; higher chance of heart attack; stroke.
Source: PROCON.org The Leading Source Of Pros & Cons Of Controversial Issues

BLIND DOG OZZY:  There ain't THAT many dangerous chemicals in a nuclear waste dump!


"BLUE" JIMMY:  I don't know anyone over the age of 30 who hasn't gone to the doctor for a minor complaint and not come out of the office with a big bag o' pills.  For every year you age, the bag of pills seems to increase exponentially until like my late brother, you have a dozen or more bottles of pills, liquids, drops, syrups or god knows what at your bedside. 
And I am convinced that many medical doctors only take minimal considerations about drug interactions and label warnings when prescribing a drug or they would not prescribe a deadly poison to a 92 year-old woman with discolored toenails like the example I gave at the beginning of this article.  When they prescribe drugs like this to elderly people they probably figure that the person is going to die soon anyway and they might as well get some cash from their insurance company.


BLIND DOG OZZY:  Bastards!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Let it be known right now that I am not a representative of the alternative/holistic health industry.  If I get shot in a drive-by shooting, I don't want any hoodoo swamp woman waving magic crystals or burning sage over me.
  I need the best medical attention available.  But for CHRONIC conditions such as:  asthma; arthritis; obesity; migraine headache; high cholesterol; high blood pressure; dementia; depression; various addictions ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... And poor weiner performance?  You need to get rid of that fat, ugly mama!

"BLUE" JIMMY: There are other treatments a standard medical doctor may not even consider (e.g. nutrition, hydration, oxygenation, exercise, stress reduction) because those treatments cannot be patented, bottled and sold in pill form.  Also, I have noticed that many doctors will not even examine you or put their hands on you for fear of malpractice.  They refer to your charts which almost all doctors have online and play it safe.   One advantage alternative/holistic healers have is that they will take everything about you into consideration.  For example, If you go to a standard doctor who is an ear, nose and throat specialist and mention that you are getting severe gout pains in your foot, forget it.  They don't want to hear about it.  Book an appointment with another specialist. (this actually happened to my late Dad). An alternative/holistic doctor will  ask you what kind of pains you are having, what you are eating, what you are drinking, how you are sleeping, how your relationships are going, are you under any undue stress, what are you dreaming, where you want to go in life ... they take it all in and decide what you need.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  A shot an' a beer!


  • "BLUE" JIMMY:  One last solemn point about the Pharmaceutical Industry that I hesitate to mention to all my brothers and sisters throughout the world who have lost loved ones and cry every day due to gun violence and mass public shootings ... ALMOST EVERY SINGLE documented case of public mass shootings in recent years, has been committed by individuals who were once taking, currently taking, erratically taking or withdrawing from taking prescription psychiatric drugs. These drugs include:
  • Prozac (which is on the World Health Organization's list of essential medicines)
  • Paxil
  • Luvox
  • Pritiq
  • Effexor
  • Zoloft
and many others which have been know to cause:  aggressive/hostile behavior; psychosis, mania; hallucinations; anxiety; depression; paranoia; hearing voices; delusions of grandeur and suicidal tendencies among other symptoms which would cause a distraught person to go into a public place with a weapon and do the unthinkable. 
This is not my opinion.  The facts of this matter are well documented by medical researchers and writers.  But you have to go looking for it ... deep.  


BLIND DOG OZZY:  You will not hear this on the 6 o' clock news!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Remember what I said about network news outlets being silenced by sponsors ... when one of these mass shooting occurs, you will never hear the words, "prescription medicines," "pharmaceuticals" or "DRUGS."  And politicians will never mention it either.  Why?  Because it's not sexy for politicians to condemn drugs which are legal and approved by the FDA.  That's too big a can o' worms to open.  It's much easier to discuss gun control and get yourself a Pro/Con discussion on a news show where you got  a 50/50 chance of coming out looking good.  Guns are only half the issue here.  There is a whole 'nother side of the crazed public shooter story which needs to be investigated ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... And "BLUE" JIMMY & BLIND DOG OZZY got your backs!        

"BLUE" JIMMY:  But I've already said too much.  This Journalistic Investigation is not over.  There will be updates as necessary.   I have already taken the precautions most Investigative Journalists take.  I have a safe deposit box with the names and info of all the principals involved.  If anything happens to me, BLIND DOG OZZY knows where the bodies are buried.  And you can't get to him because he's already dead.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Yeah, I'm pretty dead.


"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!


BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com  

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

GET STRONG, MOTHERF**KER!!!: MOVEMENT # 4 PULL-UPS: LIFTING THE ONLY WEIGHT THAT COUNTS

"BLUE" JIMMY:  STRONG MOTHERF**KER
PULL-UP WITH HANDS IN THE OVERHAND POSITION


BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  When I used to manage a gym, I used to see the same sight out my office window every day --  some thick-neck musclehead, bench-pressing a bar full of big plates and then slamming it down and walking away with his chest and lats puffed up leaving all the weights on the bar for someone else to put away!  
BLIND DOG OZZY:  There's at least one a**hole like that in every gym!

  "BLUE " JIMMY:  Then I would get these same muscleheads in my Warrior Class which emphasized mostly bodyweight exercises and they would struggle to do a few pull-ups from a horizontal bar.  

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Steroids make your balls shrink, you know!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  I tell every new group of students, do you want to be good at lifting weights or good at lifting your body?  Tell me, when was the last time in real life you had to lie down on your back and lift 500 lbs off your chest?  But what if you needed to climb out the window of a burning building, get up into a tall tree or remove yourself from a wrecked car?  Could you do it?  Practical strength is different from weight room strength.  The pull-up exercise is a good test of whether you should be relied upon in an emergency or whether you should be flexing your muscles on a stage wearing a pair of panties.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Ooops!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Veteranos from the 'hood tell me that in The Joint, all inmates do pull-ups from cell bars, shelves, catwalks, pipes, fixtures or anything they can hook their fingers onto.   This is because the pull-up is the most effective back building exercise of all time!  The powerful back muscles which are some of the largest in your body, are the muscles necessary for pulling, such as lifting yourself out of a hole, climbing, dragging an opponent down to the ground or yanking a tree out of the soil by its roots (yes, I have had to do all of these things).

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Arrggghhhh!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  But the pull-up is superior to any weight or machine in the gym (e.g. row, lat pulldown) because your body was designed to do the pull-up exercise.  I've seen many people seriously f**k themselves up using back extension machines, barbell rows or the dangerous "good morning" exercise which is basically, bowing down with a barbell on your back!  It is a well-known fact that the great Bruce Lee screwed up his back doing this exercise and suffered from severe back pain for the rest of his life.  He was told he would never be able to throw a kick again but he recovered and relied upon more natural strength-building exercises like the pull-up to maintain that incredible physique and strength that he was famous for ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Whaaaaaaa, Yaaaaaaaaaaa!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Keep in mind that the term pull-up, for practical puposes, refers to the exercise being done with both an overhand and underhand grip.  Some people like to use the terms chin-up and pull-up to differentiate between the two but to avoid confusion, we're just going to call them pull-ups.  Keeping that in mind, the pull-up with the hands in an underhand position is also the best exercise for developing the biceps muscle, bar none!  When you pull up your bodyweight from a bar and you weigh 200 lbs like me, it's like you're doing curls with 200 lb dumbbells!!!  
PULL-UP WITH HANDS IN THE UNDERHAND POSITION


BLIND DOG OZZY:  That's why a lot of pussies give up on pull-ups!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  As far as technique goes, f**k it!  Some trainers say that you should drop all the way to the bottom on a pull-up and pull yourself up to your chin over the bar.  Others say you should keep your arms locked at all times.  Others say you should pull yourself up to your waist for maximum muscle-building benefit.  In my experience as a trainer, I have seen many people who could not even support their weight for a few seconds while hanging from a horizontal bar.  If you can do any of the above versions of the pull-up, you are getting an excellent workout in one way or another!  

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Just do it!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!


BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

THE 2016 OLYMPICS: WHY WE NEED THEM

"BLUE" JIMMY:  OLYMPIC ANALYST

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  We're a week or so into the 2016 Rio Olympics and I'm surprised as always, that most people I've talked to say they can take them or leave them!  "There are more important things going on in the world than sports" they say.  Is there?  What other event on the entire planet Earth can bring together almost every country in the world for nearly a month of  joyous activities without anyone killing each other?  I rest my case ... 

BLIND DOG OZZY: Thank you, you're welcome, b**ch!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  I remember a wise person once said, "The front page of the newspaper shows human failures, while the sports page shows our achievements."  Watching the news and seeing dirty politics, terrorist acts, cops shooting civilians, civilians shooting cops, bizarre senseless crimes all made me ashamed to be a human being at certain moments this year.  Watching this first week of The Olympics and seeing all the inspiring drama, incredible determination and heartwarming sportsmanship taking place in a country with so many internal challenges makes me proud to be human again ... 


BLIND DOG OZZY:  Yeah, we need this!!!


"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!


BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com


Saturday, June 11, 2016

OF ALL TIME!!! OF ALL TIME!!! : THE LEGEND OF MUHAMMAD ALI

"BLUE" JIMMY:  BOXING ANALYST

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"Look at your body fly like the beat,
you're the real thing the only chance for me!
whiplashing legs can shake the nation ...
just drive him in the corner, use a combination!" - "Rally With Ali" by Humble Pie

"BLUE" JIMMY:  I guess the only thing that could knock Muhammad Ali down for the count was the Grim Reaper ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  'Cause no one else could!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  My first memories of Muhammad Ali were of seeing him on black & white TV with his huge mouth open, taunting and clowning.  This was in the '60s.  By the '70s I saw him put his money where his mouth was and witnessed incredible, entertaining fights against guys like Floyd Patterson, Ken Norton, George Foreman and those duel-to-the-death battles against Joe Frazier.  

BLIND DOG OZZY:  And this was on regular TV!   No paying $100. bucks on pay-per-view to see Floyd Mayweather run around the ring for 12 rounds and win a decision on points!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  No!  These were (at that time 15 round) gladiator fights where people at ringside would hold newspapers over their face to keep from getting splashed with blood!  Don't get me started now, about how the heavyweight division in boxing don't have the kind of talent no more.  The truth is, the entire sport of boxing don't have that kind of talent no more!  I've always been attracted to flamboyant entertainers:  Elvis, James Brown, KISS, OZZY in music; The Showtime/Shaq/Kobe Los Angeles Lakers in team sports; Johnny Depp and Robert Downey Jr. in acting.  Ali, obviously stealing a little from Sugar Ray Robinson who fought in an era slightly before him, made boxing a supreme spectator sport and gave it a hero/villan/spokesman at a time when pro boxers were considered broken-nose neanderthals who could barely string a few sentences together after a fight.  Ali gave pre and post fight interviews which are legendary ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Howard Cosell:  " Muhammad, you aren't the same fighter you were 10 years ago ... "  Ali:  Howard, I talked to yo' wife and she said you ain't the same man you was 10 years ago, either!"

"BLUE" JIMMY:  His boxing skills are also legendary.  Where most boxers could hit an opponent with a jab at intervals, Ali could hit opponents with two or three jabs before they even realized they were hit.  His footwork mesmerized and confused, his inhuman reflexes made other fighters punch at air and when he did get hit, he clowned, taunted and asked opponents, "Is that all you got?"  His training regimen and conditioning no doubt, inspired Sylvester Stallone when creating the "Rocky" character and oh yes, he did have the knockout punch!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  BABOOM!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  One silly argument I have heard in recent years, is that a Mike Tyson in his prime, could beat a Muhammad Ali in his prime ... 

BLIND DOG OZZY:  OH, S**T!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  For those with memory loss, let me set the record straight.  Ali faced many killer, knockout punchers in his career.  Most notable among these were Sonny Liston early in his career and George Foreman late in his career.  Both times he was told, "Don't do it, champ!  They're too big, too strong ... you'll get killed!"  Both times he sent these "unbeatable" fighters to the hospital.  End of argument.


BLIND DOG OZZY:  !!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  But Ali had just as much impact outside the ring as he did within.  Becoming involved with the Nation Of Islam and Malcolm X early in his career, he abandoned his given, "slave name" of Cassius Clay and adopted the Muslim name of Muhammad Ali.  After refusing to be inducted into the U.S. Army to participate in the Vietnam War due to his religious beliefs in 1967, Ali was stripped of his Heavyweight Title, arrested and made the term "conscientious objector" a household word.  In the three years he was stripped of his title, he toured colleges and universities, made many public speeches and became a national and worldwide figure in the civil rights movement which at that time, was unheard of for a professional athlete. Being a former Olympic Gold Medalist in the 1960 Rome Olympics and World Heavyweight Champion in professional boxing, his presence gave teeth to a movement which was perceived as being dominated by kooks and radicals.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  The most radical thing about Ali was his "Ali Shuffle!"

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Ali condemned the 911 attacks, calling the perpetrators, "fanatics" and despite being hampered by Pakinson's disease, spent the latter part of his life promoting civil rights, charitable causes and unity.  But despite the seriousness of  the various causes he was involved in, my best memories of Ali are still the ones where he was clowning before, during and after a fight, defeating opponents with showmanship and funky style after being told he was "too young" or "too old" or "too Black."

BLIND DOG OZZY:  "I can't lose with the stuff I use!"


"BLUE" JIMMY:  And in the end, it is fitting that a man who overcame so many obstacles in his life and helped others overcome theirs, chose fighting as his career.  Yes, he was a fighter.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Amen, brother!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!

bluejames61@hotmail.com




Tuesday, February 9, 2016

GET STRONG, MOTHERF***ER!!!: MOVEMENT #3 THE KETTLEBELL SWING

"BLUE" JIMMY:  KETTLEBELL OPERATOR

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  People see me swingin' the kettlebell out in the park and they ask, "what the hell is that?"

BLIND DOG OZZY:  'Cause it looks like you got a cannonball with a handle on it -- THE BELL FROM HELL!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  The kettlebell is a Russian-born exercise device that has been around for more that one hundred years and has been turning boys into men for the same time!  What is unique about the kettlebell is that it not something you use to isolate certain body parts ... 

BLIND DOG OZZY:  I heard some pussy in the gym the other day saying he had to work on his "glutes!"

"BLUE" JIMMY:  But it's really a workout tool which makes your whole body strong all at once, the way the Good Lord intended!  Some have described the kettlebell as a gym you can hold in your hand and that's an accurate description.  Beware of videos you see on the Internet showing big galoots messing around with 100lb kettlebells or showing off, holding two kettlebells in each hand.  This is not how you use a kettlebell.  You only need one, which you hold in one hand or switch from hand to hand during various kettlebell drills.  For some reason kettlebells come in kilograms (or poods if you buy one in Russia) and most experts agree that an average-sized man in decent shape would get a good workout from a kettlebell weighing 16kg (about 35 lbs).
A well-worn, 1 pood, 16 kg (or if you're a Yankee) 35lb kettlebell


BLIND DOG OZZY:  So what do you do with this thing?

"BLUE" JIMMY:  There are various swings and drills you can do with the kettlebell such as:  The clean and press; the snatch; the figure 8; the windmill; the Turkish getup and many others that address such issues as strength, flexibility, endurance, balance, agility and  resistance to pain.  Beware:  If you take a traditional, Russian-style  kettlebell course from a certified instructor, it will be assumed that you are a Navy S.E.A.L.,  Mossad (Israeli Intelligence),  Spetsnaz (Russian Special Forces) or other hardcore law enforcement member and you will be expected to perform kettlebell drills until you cough up blood!  

BLIND DOG OZZY:  OH, S**T!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  If you're not required to take out a terrorist's vital organs with your bare hands on a  daily basis, there are other ways to learn how to use this valuable exercise tool.  One book I recommend is "Enter The Kettlebell" by Pavel  Tsatsouline, who is the Russian-born expert on kettlebells who also introduced them and popularized them in the United States.  He claims that kettlebells have "bred weakness out of the Russian gene pool" and also says that the kettlebell is the reason Russians have dominated strength-oriented sports for decades.  These are bold claims but I can guarantee you that "Pavel," as he is simply known in strength-training circles, knows more about kettlebell history, mechanics and training regimens than anyone around.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  I don't got thumbs so I can't use one! ... Does this goddamned thing work?

"BLUE" JIMMY:  As an experiment, I used nothing but a kettlebell for about 10 minutes a day for three years and I maintained all my muscle mass, got more cut and more athletic than ever before!  The gym I used to work in had about $100,000. bucks of equipment in it and I replaced it all with an $80.00 dollar kettlebell!  I'd say it was a good investment!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Where can you get one?

"BLUE" JIMMY:  I noticed all sporting goods stores have 'em now but they come in varying degrees of quality.  Some folks think a piece of iron is a piece of iron but do yourself a favor and get a real Russian-style kettlebell and if you're not stupid enough to lose it, it should last you the rest of your life.  How many things do you own that you can say that about?

BLIND DOG OZZY:  If you buy one of those cushioned, plastic-covered kettlebells that you see at Target, you're probably one of those people who steps out of the shower to take a pee in the toilet!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

RONDA ROUSEY GETS KNOCKED THE F**K OUT! : THE CASE FOR STAND UP FIGHTERS

"BLUE" JIMMY:  MARTIAL ARTIST

BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA

"BLUE" JIMMY:  UFC bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey was defeated (Sat. Nov. 14, 2015) at UFC 193 in Melbourne, Australia.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  She wasn't defeated, she was knocked the f**k out in the second round!!! 

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Her challenger Holly Holm , a former champion boxer, kickboxer and now UFC champion, showed superior fighting skills against Rousey, who was used to getting opponents on the ground and beating them in the first round with some sort of  joint lock ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Not this time!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  The term Mixed Martial Arts originally meant the practice of combining the best techniques from all martial arts to make a person a well-rounded, multi-skilled fighter.  One of the first to practice this was the great Bruce Lee, who made it a point to study fighting arts from all over the world (check out my blog, "Eternal Dragon:  Why You Will Never Be As Badass As Bruce Lee").  Now however, MMA refers to the sport where two combatants square off in a ring and try to bludgeon or choke each other into submission.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Like gladiators!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Modern MMA fighting derives much from Brazilian Jui Jitsu which was popularized and practiced by the Gracie family, who had been practicing Jui Jitsu since the early 1900's.  The Gracie family brought the sport to the U.S. in the 1990's and was instrumental in the development of the UFC.  At a certain point in their history, the Gracie family toured certain martial arts schools and took on challengers in no-holds-barred matches where they easily defeated poorly trained Karate and other martial arts students who had no real full-contact experience.  Thus, began the myth that Brazilian Jui Jitsu was somehow a superior form of self-defense.  It's true that BJJ brought valuable groundfighting, joint locks, chokes and submissions to martial artists who had neglected those techniques for years.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Since Kung Fu movies in the 70's showed nothing but flying kicks to the head!  "Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting!" ...

"BLUE" JIMMY:  But many folks like me take issue with the idea of BJJ-style groundfighting as self-defense.  Hand to hand martial arts were developed so that people of average size and strength could defeat larger and stronger opponents using leverage, skill and the striking of vital points on an opponent's body to render them harmless.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Like that roundhouse kick to Ronda Rousey's head that made her see her spirit guide!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  I seriously doubt that in a street situation, if you're facing a 300 pound weight lifter, a strapped gang member or a drunk with a broken beer bottle in his hand, you would want to try tackling them by the legs and wrestling on the ground with them for half an hour!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  And both of you are not gonna be fighting barefoot in your pajamies like an MMA match!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  You have to strike hard and fast at soft tissue or vital organs (eyes; throat; groin; kneecaps; etc.) and then get out of there before a fight even has a chance to start.  Look at video of some of those MMA matches and they last for hours on the ground before one fighter usually gets exhausted and finally taps out.  On the street, that's a good way to kicked senseless by your opponent's buddies or have a beer bottle broke over your head!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Look at the Rousey vs Holm  fight and you'll see a stand up fighter in Holm who refused to let  the fight go to the ground.  Rousey tried to turn it into a wrestling match so she could apply her famous arm bar and she got hammered with fists, elbows and feet and got taken out the old-fashioned way -- "Kill the head and the body will die!"

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Groundfighting is a valuable technique that shouldn't be neglected by martial artists. ( Watch the film "Game Of Death" and see Bruce Lee take out Kareem Abdul Jabbar with a BJJ-style choke hold!).  But there's a reason so many strikes are banned in MMA / UFC style matches -- There ain't no substitute for hitting someone hard and fast where it hurts and walking away!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  OW!  MY BALLS!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com

Monday, September 28, 2015

GET STRONG, MOTHERF***ER!!!: MOVEMENT # 2 SQUATS

"BLUE" JIMMY:  STRONG MOTHERF***ER
  DO THIS!!!


BLIND DOG OZZY:  NEUROTIC CHIHUAHUA  
NOT THIS!!!
"BLUE" JIMMY:  If you don't got strong legs, you got nothin'!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  You seen my videos -- I can climb fences!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Your legs are your foundation, The pillars of stone which hold up the whole temple.  In the gym, I've seen people who don't even work their legs!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Why do you think Popeye gets his ass kicked regularly by Bluto until he eats that goddamned can of spinach? ... Look at those skinny legs!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Screw all those machines in the gym what got cables, pulleys, wires, digital readouts and a faggoty cupholder so you can sip ice coffee in the middle of your set -- THE SQUAT  is the king of all leg exercises!!! 

BLIND DOG OZZY:  And you don't need s**t  to do it!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  I seen people put 4,5, heavy plates on each end of a barbell to do squats, have people sit on their back, tie weights to the leg machine and all kinds of useless s**t!  Tell me people, when was the last time you had to strap 500 pounds of iron to your back and move up and down like you got nothing better to do?  But I personally know many people who are so out of condition and decadently obese, they can't even get up off the floor if they fall down!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  I'm tempted to do a "Your mama so fat ... " joke right here!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  The point is, you need to be an expert in lifting and lowering your own body before you can  move on to other, more adventurous pursuits!  You can get incredibly strong legs by just lifting your own body weight.  Just like the pushup, there is an amazing variety of squats that you can do:  Deep squats; half squats; jumping squats; Hindu squats; sumo squats and whatever else people have thought up to torture their legs.
  
BLIND DOG OZZY:  How about the "I ain't got jack, squat!"    

"BLUE" JIMMY:  If you're a chronic weightlifter who's not convinced that bodyweight squats can get you strong, try these -- the one-legged squat and the horse stance.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  OH, S**T!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  The one-legged squat is popular among indigenous people, prison inmates and former KGB thugs who needed to kick down doors on a regular basis.  This is an exercise you to be in top shape to even attempt!  Sometimes referred to as a "pistol," most people find that they can get down all right ... 

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Everybody knows how to get down!!!
GET DOWN, GET DOWN!!!


"BLUE" JIMMY:  It's the getting up part that makes people cry!  Unless you spent your youth in a Russian prison, most people, (even me!) will have to hold on to something for stability on the way up.  Yes, this is cheating but you will still get excellent benefits from the exercise.  

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Another thing -- you're not gonna fire off  50 reps of  this exercise!
ONE-LEGGED SQUAT


"BLUE" JIMMY:  The strain on your one leg is so intense during this exercise, you'll be lucky if  you can do 3 to 5 reps per leg.  If you practice this exercise often, you might get up to 10 reps per leg.

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Any more than that, and you're probably on a United Nations s**tlist as a war criminal!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  I'm not even sure if you want to know about the Horse Stance.
HORSE STANCE


BLIND DOG OZZY:  Aw, hell no!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  The horse stance, as far back as I can research, was developed by Kung  Fu and Karate masters to make students regret the fact that they were born with legs.  Basically, you get down in a wide - legged squat ...

BLIND DOG OZZY: ... Like you're riding a big ass horse! ... 

"BLUE" JIMMY:  ... Or you're sitting on an invisible chair with no arms!  The purpose of this stance in combat, is to give you stability so no bullies can knock you over ...

BLIND DOG OZZY:  ... Or you're battling drug traders on the deck of a Chinese junk off the coast of Nei Lingding during the Opium Wars!   

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Whatever the case may be, martial arts instructors have been known to make students stay in this stance  for 10, 15, 20, 30 minutes! ...

BLIND DOG OZZY: ... Until you wish you were born with no legs!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  This builds incredible strength and endurance in your legs and back muscles as well as the ability to anchor yourself to the ground in a split second during combat.  I never met a Karate or Kung Fu master what had weak legs!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  And when they kick or sweep you, it feels like you been hit by a baseball bat!!!  

"BLUE" JIMMY:  People ask me, "Jimmy, there's all these squats and I want to make my legs strong -- which squat do I do?"  The answer is, you should try all these squats at different times, pick the two or three that you hate the most and stick with those until your legs look like the columns of the Parthenon in ancient Greece!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Or like the legs of my middle school lunch lady -- Damn!!!

"BLUE" JIMMY:  Sake's Alive!

BLIND DOG OZZY:  Wow!  Wow!
bluejames61@hotmail.com