There is no shortage of Americans who loathe President Obama – railing against him as a “socialist”, a “Muslim” and even “The Antichrist.” But for the most part, these have been the fevered rantings of right-wing demagogues and mildly delusional bloggers.

But no more.

Because even the mainstream media – who once considered Obama their darling – are turning on the Commander in Chief as his administration becomes more and more aggressive in their “media relationships.”

In his time in office, President Obama has managed to earn himself a unique position in history as the most secretive president in American history. As the New York Times described him: “he’s has gone overboard in his zeal to find and muzzle insiders” and this has manifested itself in a very open assault on the constitutional “freedom of the press”

Even Britain’s left-wing The Guardian recognized that “it is virtually impossible at this point to overstate the threat posed by the Obama DOJ to press freedoms.” They and other mainstream publications have observed several worrying trends that demonstrate a menacing lack of regard for freedom of expression.

In short order, here is what Americans need to be worried about:

• President Obama has prosecuted more “whistleblowers” than all other American presidents combined. And remember, “whistleblowers” are government employees and insiders who reveal wrongdoing by the administration; making their testimony incredibly important to keep our government accountable.
• Obama has made reporting the news a criminal offense. It used to be that sources of leaked government information were prosecuted. Now Obama has taken the unprecedented step of prosecuting the newspapers and media outlets that report on this leaked information as well. As Gabe Rottman of the ACLU pointed out: “What’s astonishing here is that never before has the government argued that simple newsgathering—that is, asking a source to comment on a news story—is itself illegal. That would, quite literally, make virtually any question by a reporter implicating classified information a potential felony.”
• While simultaneously cracking down on leaks of classified government information, President Obama’s administration has also made use of it to an extent that’s never been seen before. Time and again, “accidental” leaks of information that supports Obama’s agenda have slipped through the cracks and neither the source of those links, nor the media outlets that report on them, have faced prosecution.

As Professor Jeff Bachman explained in The Hill: “The Obama administration has sent a clear message. Government officials and journalists who wish to work together to create news stories through the leak of classified information that portray the president and his administration in a positive light should have no fear.”

But on the flip side of that, Obama’s administration has sent a very clear message that “the journalists and whistle-blowers thinking about publishing that other kind of classified information,” i.e. the unflattering stuff, “be prepared to have your emails read, your phones tapped without your knowledge and your life and career turned upside down.”

Given the extent of the possibly criminal activities being committed by Obama’s administration – like the abusive use of the Inland Revenue Service (IRS) to pursue conservative political groups, and the extent of collusion (or incompetence) by our government in Benghazi, one would think more transparency and more accountability is needed – not less.

But Obama’s administration is doing everything they can to ensure that the general public doesn’t find out about what they’re doing which is “wrong” – by silencing whistleblowers, leaks and the media outlets brave enough to report on them.This presents the very real possibility that Obama’s offenses we are aware of are just the tip of the iceberg – and when the dust settles, and we are finally free to pick through the coals of Obama’s time in office, far worse things will be discovered.

There’s the very real possibility that “the good guy” president – who won the hearts and minds of the world with his appeal to “hope and change” – might actually be one of the most shifty, secretive and downright dangerous leaders of our age. Only history will tell – and only if we fight tooth and nail to stop his administration from burying his secrets.

The Hipster Beard

In Brooklyn, especially, there seems to be a trend for not shaving. And when I say “not shaving” I’m not talking about stylish sideburns, mustaches or goatees – I’m talking full-on, wild and woolly beards that wouldn’t look out of place on Grizzly Adams.

I’m not sure what the purpose of these “hipster” beards is – but they should be ruthlessly trimmed. There are certain circumstances in which it is acceptable for a man to grow such a beard (driving to Pakistan in a Land Rover. Being lost in the Alaskan wilderness) but none of these circumstances exist in Williamsburg or Bedford Avenue.

Friends don’t let friends grow beards like this one…

The Tiny Jacket

Skinny is “inny” – but you can’t get the fitted look with a jacket that is clearly two sizes to small for you. A disgusting and inexcusable trend in modern menswear is for a jacket that is cut too short – with the bottom hem ending just below the belt and the button hitting mid solar-plexus (I complained about such in this video post.)

A man’s jacket should always – always – fall to below the trouser pocket. Ideally, the hem should reach to the bottom of a man’s buttocks. Likewise, the button you use to close the jacket (and remember, you only button one of them) should hit dead on your belly button – not lower and most definitely not higher.

The tiny jacket is a horrible, horrible fashion disaster that will one day be looked back on with the same level of disgust as the shell suit and corduroy flairs.

This man compounds his crimes against fashion with a horrible scarf

Leather Shoes Without Socks

Socks are not the sexiest of clothing items, but they serve an invaluable purpose. Without socks, your shoes would stink of sweat within a few days, and your feet would be covered in blisters and scrapes. In only a few circumstances – such as wearing boat shoes on a boat, or beach shoes on a beach, or sandals or five-fingered running shoes – is is acceptable not to wear socks.

Yet another horrible modern trend is the wearing of leather loafers – or, in some horrible examples, lace-up dress shoes – without socks. Barefoot is apparently “in” and you will see people cruising sockless on streets in Brooklyn, Chelsea, SoHo and the Village.

It needs to end. If for no other purpose than not being stinkily anti-social everytime you take your shoes off at a friend’s house.

Going sockless delivers the “well-dressed hobo” look that’s so fashionable today

Rolled Up Jeans

One of the signs of a well-dressed man is that his clothes fit. This makes another popular menswear trend – rolling up the bottom of your jeans – somewhat inexplicable. It has the twin issues of revealing inches of pink ankle (or even more, if paired with sockless shoes as I complain about above) while simultaniously making it took like your jeans are either too short or two long for you.

Again, traditional sartorial tradition dictates that you buy a pair that fits you; because then you don’t need to stroll about looking like you’re wearing somebody else’s trousers.

A “tiny jacket” is the sartorial sin that completes this monstrous outfit

The V-Neck Tee

While other items in this list are quietly tolerated by mainstream society, the v-neck t-shirt has quickly become recognized as “douchebag couture” by even the fashionably oblivious.

It’s a favorite amongst both steriodly-enhanced New Jersey juice heads (eager to show off their pecs) and Brooklyn’s hipster elite (who use the cut to reveal their chest tattoos and hair.) Unless you want people to think that you belong in one of those brackets, it’s a style of shirt you should never wear.

Ever.

Words fail me. Disgusting.

Skinny Jeans

Being a fan of Dukes of Hazzard, I’m all wearing tight jeans – but there is a limit to what is and isn’t acceptable. The popular modern trend of “skinny” jeans on guys goes far beyond that limit.

Dressing like you accidentally put on your girlfriend’s jeans that morning is not a hot look. Nor is wearing a pair of trousers so tight that you can’t put your wallet, keys or phone in the pockets. Skinny jeans are balanced on the knife-edge between extreme metrosexuality and plain and simple cross-dressing.

A good rule of thumb to follow is this: Never wear trousers so tight people can tell what religion you are. Skinny jeans fail that rule; and should be justifiably shunned as a result.

Skinny jeans are so tight, hipsters rely on “man bags” to hold their stuff

Inside Scarves

Scarfs are awesome. When it’s cold. But when it’s not, they should be avoided at all costs.

Wearing a scarf inside, over your shirt or suit jacket, is the clearest indication ever that you’re trying too hard. Nobody wears a scarf inside except out of vanity; and a man can be as vain as he wants as long as his outfit never screams it out loud.

Interior scarves prove one of the essential rules of men’s fashion – that everything in an outfit should be practical or traditional. If it’s neither of those things, than you have no business wearing it.

A scarf, inside, without your coat and gloves, fits that bill exactly. Avoid.

This is a great outfit. Except the scarf. Now it looks dumb.

Honorable Mention

T-Shirt Under a Dress Shirt

One fashion choice I’m highly skeptical about has always been the American style of wearing a t-shirt under a dress shirt. While this is not a look I am fond of myself, I’m not going to say that it should be “eliminated” like any of the travesties above; but men should consider why they dress that way before they do so.

The style of wearing a t-shirt under a shirt originated during World War II, when G.I.s were issued cotton t-shirts to wear beneath their uniform. This protected them from sweat and helped keep them cool in hot tropical weather (meeting one of the requirements of stylish menswear – being practical.)

Following World War II, veterans would often rock the same style under their dress shirts. By wearing a t-shirt under a dress shirt, it meant you could get three or four wears out of it before washing; which was a practical consideration in the days before washing machines in every home.

Today, there are few of us who would consider wearing the same shirt two days running, so the practical necessity for wearing a t-shirt underneath your shirt has passed. However, I get and appreciate the tradition; and think that it’s such an engrained American style that I can’t really class it anywhere near the sartorial sins listed above.

That being said, it’s worth remembering that t-shirts under dress shirts make them look bulkier, and can often be seen through from underneath. Add in the fact that this is a traditionally “blue collar” style choice, and there are solid reasons why men might not want to do it any longer.

Brad Pitt is excused for wearing a t-shirt under his dress shirt. The hat is still an issue.

Conclusion

There we go! My laundry list of fashion faux pas. Anything I missed from the list? Any you disagree with? I’d love to hear about it below.

She’s only in it for a few minutes, but for me one of the most memorable characters from 2001′s Bridget Jones’ Diary was Bridget’s journalist friend Shazza – who, Bridget explains, “likes to say fuck. A lot.”

Shazza, Bridget Jone’ foul-mouthed friend, played by Sally Phillips.

The reason Shazza resonated with me is because we all know her. The brassy, foul-mouthed girl is such an archetype that we probably all know at least one woman who fits that mold.

A fine example is talented speaker and writer Erika Napoletano – better known to many under her moniker “Redhead Writing.”

She gets people UNstuck (and says fuck)

Erika Napoletano: Redhead Writing

When I first launched myself on the Internet as “Militant Ginger” I quickly latched onto Erika because she, too, was a redheaded writer who prided (and branded) herself on her ginger hair.

I’ve been following her long enough to have born witness to her meteoric rise from social media celebrity to renowned author and motivational speaker (you should check out her presentation at TEDx Boulder and her best-selling book The Power of Unpopular.)

But through it all, there’s been something about Erika that hasn’t sat right with me (and it’s not just because she has defined herself by being Marmite.) And I think part of it is the fact that she says “fuck” such a lot.

Now, don’t get me wrong – I have nothing against salty language. In fact, I’m fairly fluent in Anglo-Saxon obscenities myself.

Yet to me, there’s always been something a bit weird about people who market themselves as being foul-mouthed (and there are plenty of them, hence the Shazza archetype.)

To me, it just reeks of trying too hard.

Like Going Beep

The whole point of swearing is that it draws attention to whatever you’re saying – as the Association of Psychological Science’s Timothy Jay explains: “Swearing is like using the horn on your car.” To the average person, including the expletive “fuck” in a sentence generally indicates that you’re particularly passionate about what you’re saying, or that it’s particularly important.

But what if you say “fuck” all the time? Does that mean you’re always particularly passionate about what you’re saying? Or that it’s always particularly important? Or is it just the editorial equivalent of WRITING IN ALL-CAPS ALL THE TIME?

To me, the more you use the word “fuck”, the less impact it actually has – until the audience eventually tune it out like you would a neighbor’s over-sensitive car-alarm, or a yapping dog.

Origins of the Foul-Mouthed

And at that point, the use of the word “fuck” begins to say more about the person using it, than whatever it is they’re actually saying – and that’s one of the reasons I’ve always been a bit uncomfortable about Erika’s embrace of obscenity.

In Bridget Jones, the foul-mouthed character of Shazza was based on the classic 80s and 90s archetypal Fleet Street journalist – a talented and capable woman struggling to be recognized in an aggressively “man’s world”. The reason women like Shazza swore so much was to present a tough exterior that her male colleagues would respect (although it rarely worked that way.)

For those of us who knew “Shazzas” in real life, it was typical to discover that the more outwardly tough and bad-ass her personality was (and the more she used bad language) the more insecure and unsure of herself she actually was.

It’s called “overcompensation” – and while the Shazza archetype is generally a female one, that sort of behavior is non-gender specific. Just look at those swaggering, overtly heterosexual “bros” who end up coming out of the closet as gay years down the line. Or even characters like myself – I branded myself as a rampant womanizer for years, simply because wooing women salved the insecurity I’d had growing up as a “ginger minger” back in England.

So for me, my discomfort with Erika Napoletano embracing the word “fuck” is that it reeks of insecurity. The more she brands herself as foul-mouthed, the more I try to figure out what that foul mouth is being used to compensate for (and brand herself she does: Just look at this t-shirt design you can buy from her website for a cool $25.)

As Erika describes it: “Classy. As. Fuck.”

My whole attitude is that saying “fuck” is kind of like a dyslexic midget – it isn’t big and it isn’t clever; and my problem with Erika branding herself as “that redheaded chick who says fuck a lot” is that she is big and she is clever and instead of actually bolstering that credibility, her frequent use of the word “fuck” actually diminishes it.

Maybe I’m the f**k

But then again – perhaps I’m the one who’s over-thinking all this.

I’m looking at Erika through a very specific (and oh-so-British) filter which cynically considers any overtly deliberate type of behavior as having to be overcompensation for something. So much of “being British” is being obsessed with what other people think of us; and the majority of us Brits don’t even choose a brand of beer, or an item of clothing, without wondering: “What does this say about me to other people?”

I’m looking at Erika’s foul-mouth through my uniquely British filter – but another possibility exists: Perhaps she’s totally sincere, utterly indeliberate and just happens to honestly, genuinely be a foul-mouthed filly.

Perhaps what I cynically consider “an act” is just how Erika really is – and what I consider a deliberate choice of word to make herself sound more passionate is actually just her being that passionate.

Ultimately, my fixation on Erika’s salty language could say more about me than it does about her – that I’m cynical, distrustful and assume that nobody does or says anything without deliberate, calculated intent.

But then again, she’s a marketing and branding professional herself – so her not being that deliberate and calculating would perhaps be a worse realization than knowing that she was.

Crossfit is the antithesis of bodybuilding – with a minimalist approach to equipment and a constantly rotating cycle of exercises.

A while ago, I wrote about how one of my new projects was to get a James Bond body – and it’s not as easy as it looks! Although theoretically it’s simple enough (eat right, workout regularly) it’s not as easy to do when you’re working 13 hour days, running a side business and have two kids to look after (and a new one on the way.)

Which is why I recently checked in with one of my oldest friends, Marc. A hugely talented photographer and light artist (you can check out his incredible work here) Marc is not just impressive with a digital camera – he’s also sleeker and fitter than he ever was when I knew him.

When I went to school with Marc, over twenty years ago now, he was the big kid with the big heart. Now he’s the dude with the big biceps. I wanted to learn what his secret was – and how the results had stuck.

I’ve know you for, like, 25 years now. When we were kids, you were always the big kid with the big heart. Now you’re all ripped and buff and badass. What happened?

I’ve always struggled with my weight, probably always will, I just…love…food.

Those people that say they tried everything to lose weight? I am one of those people. Seriously, all manner of fad diets, exersise regimes, you name it, I tried it.

It wasn’t until one day, when I was shooting the formal shots at a wedding, that it really hit home; I needed to do something. I was simply standing still, squatting down, standing up again taking pictures and the sweat was bucketing off me. I was trying to promote myself and my business and all I could think about was all the guests wondering who this sweaty fat guy was.

I joined a regular Globo Gym, got into interval rowing and got the bug. I started to see real improvement so took up classes, BodyPump, Spinning etc…It wasn’t until a bodybuilder friend of mine said “Ok, you’ve got the dedication to get fit, try CrossFit, that’ll REALLY get you fit”.

He looked up my local box, gave me the address. Within a month of joining, I’d cancelled my Globo Gym membership. A year and 3 months later, I’m still a CrossFitter who’s looking to take up Krav Maga as a side interest as I hear it compliments CrossFit.

So everybody I know who’s doing CrossFit swears by it. What exactly is CrossFit, and why does it work so well for you?

I’m not going to bore you with the finer details as I could talk for hours about it. I try to resist the cult mentality it brings but it’s hard not to sound off about it!

Basically, if you want to get fit, you need to change your mindset and make fitness a part of your life. CrossFit promotes ‘functional fitness’. It incorporates many different disciplines from the fitness world making you a kind of jack of all trades, master of none. Think the middle ground between a long distance runner and a massive weight lifter.

That’s where the beauty of comes. You turn up to your box, you could be doing some kind of Olympic weight lifting that day, say the Clean & Jerk. (Think picking up a suitcase on a plane and putting it into an overhead locker – functional). The next day, you’re doing a 20 minute workout involving x-amount of kettlebell swings, x-amount of pullups, x-amounts of squats. The day after that you may do a sliding scale of double unders and situps. You then take a rest day and go back in for 3 days of completely different stuff.

The great thing about it is you’re benchmarking yourself. You’ll finish the workout of the day, or ‘WOD’ in 12 minutes. You’ll write your time down and then when it comes around again, say in 6 months time, you’ll have a time to beat, you’ll smash that time and be able to see how much fitter you’ve become.

It works for me because it never gets boring. There’s no sense of ‘the grind’ you get when going to a Globo Gym. Add in the camaraderie (the workout is hard for everyone, no matter how fit you are), the coaching and the subconscious desire to compete against your friends. What more do you need to push yourself? You’ll work harder in CrossFit than you will in the Globo Gym. You’ll see gains so much quicker. It’s addictive.

So I’ve heard a lot of people who do CrossFit also eat something called the “paleo diet.” What is that? What’s the philosophy behind it?

Ahh, the Paleo diet. It depends who you ask about it as to what answer you’ll get. It’s basically the diet the Paleolithic man would’ve eaten. Meat and vegetables. Nothing processed. No refined sugars or grains – in a basic sense.

I find it hard to stick to but take some of the thinking behind it when I’m making food choices. There is a common joke amongst CrossFitters “I’m 80% Paleo, 20% of the time”.

CrossFit champions two diets, Paleo and another called ‘The Zone diet’. Again, basically splitting your food groups up into blocks, protein, carbs and fats. I’ve never done it but hear it’s a lot more palatable than Paleo.

So how do you factor in “cheats” like essentials to a happy and balanced diet such as pizza and beer? And more beer.

Cheats. In my opinion, you have to. Life would get boring without it.

If you’re actively looking to lose weight, then have a cheat meal once a week. Not a cheat day…important. That being said, gorging on a massive pizza wont make you fat, just the same as having one Paleo meal won’t make you lean.

If you’re eating properly most of the time and really working yourself hard, you’re going to be burning off a lot of calories so you can have the occasional burger, just not all the time. Everything in moderation. – This is all just my opinion, of course.

Strikes me that CrossFit is intrinsically more social than going to the gym to pump iron or run on a treadmill. Do you think that’s one of the reasons it works so well for some people?

CrossFit is very social. There’s no getting away from it. You’re exercising with the same people day in day out, it’s more like a club.

You could go for a year at a Globo Gym and not talk to one person. Whereas with CrossFit, give it a week, you’ll know everyone, what they do and would quite happily invite every single one of them back to your place for dinner!

I’ve made some really good friends. There’s so many different disciplines to learn, all the Olympic lifts, double unders, the dreaded ‘muscle up’, rope climbing, kettlebells, running, all manner of bodyweight exersies, different kinds of pullups. It’s endless. What with the whole community, It becomes more of a hobby which keeps you coming back for more. That’s why I think it works so well.

Finally, if Crossfit sounds like something to try out, how would somebody get involved? Where’s the best place to start?

Look up your local ‘box’ (CrossFit gym) and get yourself down there. Chances are your first session will be free to see if you like it.

You’ll probably have to do something called an ‘on ramp’ class. This will teach you the fundamental movements in CrossFit, such as how to squat properly, the Deadlift, Cleans and presses and so on. Some of these lifts, particularly the ‘Snatch’ are very technical and can take months to learn but you’re always trying to better yourself so it gives you something to work on over time.

There’s so much you can take out of CrossFit, it truly becomes a way of life. I’ll always be a CrossFitter!

I have to admit, Crossfit is something that looks very interesting. What appeals to me about it is that it’s “functional fitness” – which is very much in the mold of the James Bond regimen.

When Daniel Craig was training for Casino Royale, he told trainer Simon Waterson: “I’ve got to look like I could kill someone when I take my shirt off.” When he was training for Quantum of Solace, he added boxing to his routine – so he could (theoretically) do exactly that.

No promises yet (I’m having enough trouble sticking to my existing routine) but I’m definitely going to check out my local box!

Thanks, Marc!

All over the United States, people are debating the gun control issue. Bills are being drawn up to strengthen background checks, restrict access to weapons and ban so-called “assault rifles” and high-capacity magazines. It’s debatable whether any of these measures will work, as I have discussed here, but most of them seem well-intentioned efforts to reduce gun crime.

But one trend that we know won’t work – and actually seems to fly in the direct face of logic – are the increased calls to create “gun free” zones by banning people with “carry and conceal” permits from bringing their guns to certain locations.

In Colorado, for example, four items of gun-control legislation recently passed a House vote, including a law to ban concealed weapons on college campuses. Sponsor of that bill, Democrat Claire Levy, argued: “There are a lot of students who simply are not ready to be in the presence of firearms. It’s a dangerous mix.”

But is it?

In actual fact, gun-owners with carry and conceal permits are amongst the safest and most law-abiding in America. They’re responsible for a statistically insignificant number of gun offenses, and it’s a proven and inarguable fact that the more permissive a state’s carry and conceal laws are, the lower its crime rate is.

In the American mold – in which there are 9 guns for every 10 people – the presence of citizens with concealed weapons actually makes sense. It’s the “wild west” out there, and one incredibly powerful deterrent against crime is the knowledge that any of your “victims” could be carrying a weapon (the same reason why burglary rates are far lower in America than in countries with strict gun control, like Great Britain.)

As somebody recently pointed out, all but a handful of America’s most horrific mass shootings occurred in so-called “gun free” zones, where the perpetrator knew they would be the only person armed. That’s often why they chose that location.

So while you might not like the idea, it’s a cold, hard, objective fact that concealed weapons in the hands of permit-holders save lives.

Which demands the question: If lawmakers really want to reduce the risk of gun crime, shouldn’t they be encouraging more citizens to “carry and conceal”? And allowing concealed weapons in more locations?

Statistically, yes. Logically, yes. But they’re not.

Which leads to another question: If reducing gun crime is not lawmaker’s primary motivation for tightening gun laws… What is?

Finally: The effectiveness of a conceal weapon in action:

I’ve argued before that American beer is some of the best in the world – but not all American beer deserves that compliment.

Much of what’s churned out by the “super brewers” – Anhauser Busch’s signature Budweiser, and SABMiller’s famous Miller as examples – simply isn’t very good.

It’s made with inferior products (Budweiser uses cheap rice to bulk out the barley malt) and is deliberately given a bland, generic taste to offer superior “drinkability” (meaning you can drink more of it, which you don’t tend to do with more strongly flavored beer like I.P.A.)

It’s as cynically marketable a product as it’s possible to make; and it works. Anhauser Busch has a 50% market share in the USA for a reason (and in their defense, it’s hard to argue with a cold mug of Bud after a hard day’s work.)

But even the ‘super brewers’ are starting to get wise to the microbrew revolution; as demonstrated by Batch 19 – a beer I discovered in my local liquor store the other day.

Made by the iconic American brewing company Coors (who are just as guilty of any crimes against beer as Anhauser Busch and SABMiller are) this limited-edition beer claims to be inspired by the beer recipes in production just prior to the passing of the 18th Amendment in 1919.

I bought it because I’m a sucker for archive recipes. Enjoying them is almost like “drinking history” (which is certainly the case with my favorite beer, Yard’s of Philadelphia’s Thomas Jefferson’s Tavern Ale.) I was dying to get a taste of American beer as it would have been before the prohibitionists came along and ruined everything.

So what’s the verdict?

Overwhelmingly good.

Batch 19 is a clear, clean Pilsner-style lager that’s arguably not too different from the bland and generic Coors product they produce today. But that small difference makes all the difference – a depth and complexity lacking in most big-brewery beer.

For a start, Batch 19 has all the hoppy flavor you’d expect from a high-end European lager; clean and crisp while remaining flavorful. It also has the natural carbonation and rich head of a ‘real’ beer, which is all-too-commonly added with CO2 and chemical foaming agents in cheaper brands of “typically American” lager.

In short, it’s the real deal – a supremely drinkable, enjoyable product.

And the archive recipe allows drinkers to experience something you can’t with products like Budweiser and Miller – a true comparison between American and European lager. German beer, made in accordance with their historic “purity law”, is consistently good, but sharper and dryer than Batch 19. If I had to choose between a German brand, like Becks, and Batch 19 the American beer would win hands down.

But ultimately, that’s the only contest Batch 19 is equipped for.

While it is a highly superior product compared to most big brewery beer, it’s ultimately exactly that – a historical snapshot of what one of America’s biggest breweries was producing just prior to prohibition. It’s a good beer – something I wish represented the American beer market more so than our “Lite” beer products – but will never be able to compete against the booming market for American microbrews.

It’s the ‘real’ beer, made by small brewers like the Mischief Brewery, that really represent the best of American beer making – and are convincingly proving that we have some of the most talented and imaginative brewers in the world right here at home.

Last year, when I was deciding what to spend my Audible credits on, I learned about a book by New York Times journalist Neil Strauss called The Game. It was the story of his time within the shadowy community of “Pick Up Artists” – men who have teamed up, in person and online, to develop and perfect foolproof methods for seducing women.

Neil Strauss’ memoir is one of the best autobiographical books I’ve ever read.

The Game isn’t a “how to” book about how to pick up women – it’s actually a memoir; one of the best I’ve ever read.  But it did spark an investigation into the culture and community of so-called PUA’ers and it’s a fascinating subculture. I was keen to learn about it for my M for Man blog; in which I hope to teach my two boys some of the skills they’ll need growing up.

Now a lot of women in general, and so-called feminists in particular, have serious issues with the PUA culture – because they claim it’s manipulative at best, and encourages misogyny and even “rapey” behavior at worst; and not without good reason.

One particularly nasty example is the infamous Pick Up Artist who went by the moniker “GunWitch.” His “GunWitch Method” of seduction boiled down to the philosophy of “Make the Ho say “No”" (or, essentially, keep verbally and even physically harassing a girl until she either surrenders to the ‘seduction’ or loudly and definitively says “no” – which sounds a little rapey to me.)

GunWitch, the self-proclaimed Pick Up Artist, in his Klamath County Jail mugshot.

It probably comes as no surprise that the crowning achievement of GunWitch’s career was being arrested for shooting a woman in the face at a New Year’s Eve party (for the record, historically this pick up method has had a very low success rate.)

But GunWitch is by no means a fair representation of the PUA community – which for the most part, I see as a positive thing, rather than a negative.

In fact, back in the 1990s – long before there was an official PUA community – I benefited from many of the teachings they share online today.

I was 19 and single back them – and rather pathetic. So I picked up a book called How To Make Anybody Fall In Love With You, by an author called Leil Lowndes, and it changed my life.

Don’t judge me for saying it, but this is one of the books that changed my life.

Written by a woman (so definitely beyond the scope of traditional PUA material) it covered the social skills needed to build up a rapport – and eventual attraction – with a member of the opposite sex.

It covered some specific, deliberate techniques you could employ (like eye contact, mirroring another person’s movements, and guiding conversations) to trigger a release of phenylethylamine, the “love hormone”, in your “prey.”

And the techniques worked. Not so much romantically – although I did manage to steal a ravishing brunette from her boyfriend that summer – but charismatically. Since reading that book, I became known as a very charming, charismatic person and part of that stems from continuing to employ the techniques I learned in that book in pretty much all my interpersonal relationships.

So long story short [a bit late for that - Editorial Bear] the tips and tricks PUAs exchange do actually work. In fact, if I hadn’t learned what I did from that book, I would probably have never married my beautiful, brilliant Mummy Militant.

But does that make them manipulative? Or even intrinsically evil?

I’d argue no. From my perspective, the PUA community might be framed as a desire to “pick up women” but at its heart, it’s something bigger than that. It’s a community of men who are exchanging amongst themselves practical and effective social skills that can help them interact with other people – of either sex – better.

Some of these would-be PUA’ers are unsuccessful with women – and with relationships in general – because they actually lack some of the most basic social skills we all take for granted. Smiling at people. Making eye-contact. Being able to keep a conversation going.

Others, like the so-called “gurus” of the community, were simply unexceptional beforehand; and used the techniques they’d learned and shared to simply become more effective socially; by learning the tips and tricks that came instinctively to people who were naturally successful with women.

In short, it wasn’t manipulation, or ‘cheating’, or being dishonest – it was just a skill that could be taught and improved upon.

Neil Strauss proves that looks and ‘attractiveness’ – for men, anyway – is 90% about personality and presentation.

And perhaps representing the best of the PUA community is its most famous figurehead, Neil Strauss. After the success of The Game, he actively embraced his new career as a PUA instructor, and taught eager students how to be successful with women while maintaining a strict and admirable ethical code.

For example, he encourages his students to become “the best version of themselves” rather than to lie and deceive women (and this has a positive effect in other areas of their lives as well.) Likewise, he teaches the golden rule of “always leave a woman better than you found her.” Which means no lies, no betrayal and no broken hearts.

Neil, amongst others, often refers to PUA techniques as being like the stuff Jedi Knights do in Star Wars – and if that analogy is true, he’s definitely one of the “good guys” – a Yoda, or Obi Wan Kenobi.

But similarly, “evil” PUAs exist – like GunWitch, and some of the other sinister characters online (some of whom post ‘field reports’ of their seductions which read like how-to guides to date rape.)

But at the end of the day, Pick Up Artistry is neither inherently good, or bad. It just is. It’s what people do with it that produces the positive, or negative results.

I kind of look at the PUA community the same way I look at Mini Militant’s karate classes. For students like Mini, it’s a positive thing. He learns focus, and confidence, and the skills and ability to defend himself and others. But equally, some shitty little kid could use the punches, blocks and kicks he learns in karate to beat up his siblings, or other kids in school.

Knowledge is neither good or bad – it’s how you use it that counts.

And that being said, I think there’s a lot of validity to many of the techniques taught within the PUA community; and much of the hostility so-called feminists have towards PUAs stems from misunderstanding, mistrust and – more often than not – a little bit of misandry.

While redheads are still the butt of a lot of jokes, there’s a definite cultural shift going on. Where women are concerned, especially, red hair seems to be in – and as this post reveals, even some of most famous and beloved ginger celebrities weren’t actually born that way.

So what’s the appeal? To find out, I checked in with my friend Kemmie, who’d recently swapped her beautiful blond locks for a fiery curtain of lustrous ginger.

Kemmie – You’re the classic blond-haired, blue-eyed, all American beauty. What inspired you to go red?

There were two causes: one conscious, the other rather sub-conscious.

Consciously, I felt like I just needed a change. My gold-blonde hair had darkened over time from my childhood days and I just didn’t like it anymore, so I dyed it in November.

But the unconscious was at work, too: two months later my New Year’s Resolution was to put myself first from now on, because I’m the kind of person that takes care of everyone else’s needs before my own. I think this wildly different, dazzling red hair was the statement I needed to make to myself, and to the world, that I was ready to take it all on.

What do your family and friends think?

They’re pretty crazy about it. My best friend also told me that I am the only person he’s ever known who can pull off fake red and own it like it’s mine.

Has the way people treat you changed in any way?

I’ve certainly gotten a ton of compliments!

I was told the other day that the red hair brings out the color of my eyes more, which are really closer to hazel than blue. People tend to look more my way in public, too, because the color is rich and vibrant and perhaps not a color one would expect to see often.

Has becoming a redhead made you feel or act any differently? Becoming more badassy and femme fatale, or the same inside?

Definitely!

I’m in the best shape of my life, I’m working more efficiently, I am happier, have a lot more energy and, for the first time in my 27 years, am treating myself the way I should be treated: like a queen.

Redhead women are seen as passionate and sexy… Redheaded men not so much. Why do you think this is?

I honestly don’t know, but my first inclination would be to blame the media and our culture: the ideal beauty for women these days is bold and beautiful (whether blonde, brunette, black or red), and for guys it is often dark, ripped, and tan.

You don’t see ginger male models because, well… they don’t tan, they burn (like me), and I suppose freckles are seen as more of a feminine aspect than a masculine one. Plus, you have the whole pop-culture stigma a la South Park and YouTube debating “whether or not gingers have souls” and the masses flock to it because it’s a popular form of modern-day humor: random, senseless, and stupid.

But hey, who says women can’t be attracted to ginger men? I once had a huge crush on one, once upon a time…

How did you go redhead? Did you do it yourself? Any recommendations, tips or advice?

The upscale hairstylist that dyed my hair has done it since I was probably five, so we go way back. But this guy knows what he’s doing!

If you consider doing it, make sure you go to someone you trust. I asked him how he ended up picking this particular shade of red for me, and he said three things: eyes, eyebrows, and skin tone. The color should bring out your eyes, complement your skin tone, and not be any darker than your eyebrows. Can you imagine the look on my face when I saw the result?! This color gives me all three…. and THEN some! Hell yeah, I’m a ginger. Jealous?

Kemmie finished off her interview with some great words of wisdom regarding her gorgeous new look:

In the words of Alicia Keys, watch out world… this girl is on fire!

It wasn’t on the list of goals I mentioned in this post, but one of the things I want to do this year is finally get my physique in gear. I got pretty close in January of last year, but life quickly got in the way of keeping that momentum going.

But now I’m back in the saddle – and having made some progress with Project #1 (getting my Cadillac roadworthy) I’ve decided to move onto this objective.

Daniel Craig’s body in Casino Royale. He said of it: “I’ve got to look like I can kill somebody. If I take my shirt off, it’s not, ‘Oh, nice body.’ It’s got to be, ‘Oh f***ing hell, he could do somebody.’”

So here’s my goal – to have a physique resembling that of Daniel Craig, in his role as James Bond. Believe it or not, I think it’s actually an entirely achievable goal, since he’s not ridiculously muscular and not absurdly lean – and I’ve spent the past two years learning such a lot about weightlifting and bodybuilding that I think I have a blueprint of how I can get there.

But the first, and most important, step is not to focus on the end result. One great piece of advice that was shared with me last year is that it’s not about the outcome, it’s about the process. Too many people concentrate on “losing 10lbs by April” or other goal-based measures; which can work against you when you miss those targets.

If you work on the process for achieving your goal instead of the outcome, you will at least keep getting closer to achieving it even if you do miss your arbitrary deadlines for weight loss, or whatever.

So what is the process for getting a physique like that?

Well, for me it’s a case of shedding my comforting layer of winter fat, while retaining all those muscles I’ve built up over the past two years of weightlifting. I need to eat less, and keep hitting it hard and regularly at the gym.

So here’s my plan:

Eating Right

Monday to Friday, eat 1,700 calories or less per day, with at least 30g of dietary fiber and, ideally, about 170g of protein (which is going to be tricky, on the Engine 2 Diet.) I used to use My Fitness Pal to help my track this, but this time around I’m instead going to take a leaf out of Peter Bregman’s book and keep it simple.

He writes about losing 15lbs in a month by identifying the one thing that made the biggest impact on his weight and changing it. In his case, it was giving up sugar. In my case, the culprit is beer.

I love beer, and I tend to have a couple of glasses of beer every night to unwind. But that, more than anything else, is contributing to my decidedly unBond-like tubby tummy. So to get lean and mean in record time, I’m going to give up the beer during the week.

Why break my fast for the weekend? Because if I don’t, I’m going to fail.

Four or five beer-free days at a stretch is achievable – any longer than that and I’ll crack. And while that might sound wimpy, it’s a tactic lifted straight from Bond’s playbook. When Daniel Craig was interviewed about his Bond-fitness regime under the tutelage of personal trainer Simon Waterson, he revealed:

At weekends, Simon said do what you like, drink what you like. My view is there’s no point getting fit if you can’t abuse yourself.

The ethos also fits in with the whole Bond persona. There’s no point having a body like Bond’s, if you can’t enjoy a vodka martini like him as well.

Lifting Right

So what’s Bond’s fitness regime? It was explained in painstaking depth in Ian Fleming’s novel From Russia With Love:

Bond went down on his hands and did twenty slow press-ups, lingering over each one so that his muscles had no rest. When his arms could stand the pain no longer, he rolled over on his back and, with his hands at his sides, did the straight leg-lift until his stomach muscles screamed. He got to his feet and, after touching his toes twenty times, went over to arm and chest exercises combined with deep breathing until he was dizzy. Panting with the exertion, he went into the big white-tiled bathroom and stood in the glass shower cabinet under very hot and then cold hissing water for five minutes.

The problem with this routine is that it’s bullshit.

As cool as it sounds, it was written during an era in which men simply did not look like Daniel Craig, and even if they had done, Ian Fleming was definitely not qualified to write a fitness program to achieve that look. Ian Fleming died of a heart attack in his fifties, brought about by drinking a bottle of vodka a day, choked down with 70 cigarettes. His idea of exercise was a leisurely swim – not the punishing routine Daniel Craig adopted prior to filming Casino Royale.

And what was that routine? Only Daniel Craig knows for sure, but he revealed some parts of it:

We mainly did cardio weights. We’d only work out for 45 minutes, but we didn’t stop. Circuits, lifting, working weights, lots of pull ups, push ups, lots of old-fashioned stuff. If I wanted to lose weight then I’d get on the bike afterward. All I had to do was get my heart rate to about 160 and keep it there for ten minutes and that’s when your weight drops off.

This is an interesting regimen because it burns fat as well as testing muscles – very different to the traditional weightlifting routine of 3/4 “sets” of 10 to 12 “reps.”

I’m going to aim for Craig’s 45 minutes in the gym as well, although I might spend my time a little differently. My aim is to hit the gym five days a week, with two days for rest and recuperation (a must, as any bodybuilder knows.)

I’ll be following a more traditional cycle – focusing on one muscle group each day:

• Day One: Chest and Triceps
• Day Two: Legs
• Day Three: Back and Biceps
• Day Four: Abs and Core
• Day Five: Shoulders

Each routine takes about 25/30 minutes to complete, with about five different exercises in each one (working on the old mantra that: “If you can do more than five sets of exercises, you’re not lifting heavy enough.”) And weight is going to be the key. To get Daniel Craig’s muscles, you need to tear your muscles to shreds during that day’s routine, then give them five days to rebuild themselves before you do it all over again.

So the remaining 15/20 minutes is reserved for cardio – hitting a treadmill or going for a run. I hate cardio, and I hate running – but it’s a great way to shred fat after lifting weights, as you’ll have depleted your stores of energy and when your heart rate hits “the zone”, you’ll start feeding your muscles from your fat deposits instead.

The Rest (literally)

In addition to eating right, and exercising right, there’s one more part of my James Bond routine that I’ve got to work on – sleeping.

It was a running joke that James Bond was a night owl – responding to M’s query: “When do you sleep” with a smooth: “Never on the company’s time, Sir.” But in reality, sleep is an essential part of any weight loss or fitness routine.

Sleep is when your body has the bandwidth to repair and rebuild your torn muscle fibers, and replenish your muscles with energy ready for the next workout. If you don’t sleep properly, all the effort you’ve spent eating properly and hitting the weights will be wasted.

So now I’m going to be really disciplined, and pledge to get at least seven or eight hours of sleep a night. That might mean going to be at 9pm most nights; but in the long term, I know it will be more than my body that appreciates it.

Sticking to the plan

So my plan is broken down into three easy steps. Each day I need to:

• Eat right
• Work out right
• Sleep right

And looping back to my original point, about how achieving your goals requires focusing on the process, not the outcome, I can see that instead of setting monthly milestones (losing 10lbs by April) I should instead set daily ones: Did I eat right, work out right and sleep right today?

And will it work? Well, that’s the question.

But I feel by putting my strategy down on paper – and committing to it – I might have a better shot than I would do otherwise.

I will keep you updated on how Project #2 goes!