A Place of Brightness

The Paleo Diet: Take Magnesium for Better Sleep

2012-01-28T18:36:00.003-05:00

I've experienced much better sleep since beginning magnesium supplements. In this video, I explore the reasons why, based on Paleo Diet principles, humans may require more magnesium than our foods generally contain.It all goes back to the fact that our ancestors cooked meat directly on fire for millions of years.Photographer Nick Riley graciously gave me permission to use one of his photos which

Getting Back to Proto-Human

2012-01-16T22:45:00.005-05:00

It's been an exciting last couple years for people, like myself, who are deeply interested in paleolinguistics. I've already blogged about research that demonstrates that all languages are or once were of the basic structure Subject-Object-Verb, suggesting a common ancestor to all. There is also now the assertion that the reduction in phonology as you move farther away from Africa points to a

Arlyn Fuerst, the Greatest Teacher I Ever Had

2012-01-06T18:39:00.004-05:00

I love music. It enriches my life in countless, limitless ways. I hear a chorus in harmony and my heart soars. I can feel, while listening to music, the positive physical effects of it.I would not have the appreciation and experience of it that I do but for my great fortune to have studied music under the direction of the genius Arlyn Fuerst. He labored for decades as the organist and music

The Rose Bowl, My War, and Your War

2012-01-02T17:45:00.009-05:00

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A Latin Origin for the Romanian Word DA (YES)

2012-01-01T19:34:00.005-05:00

A few years ago I published an academic article in which I demonstrated a possible Latin origin for the assumed Slavic borrowing into Romanian of DA (YES).To read the original article, click here.To see the argument in a nutshell in a more accessible video form, enjoy the following:

David Justice: Murphy on the Mount

2011-12-31T23:36:00.004-05:00

I was lucky enough to record a dramatic reading by David Justice of a scene from his novel Murphy on the Mount. It was a powerful moment:

Paleo Detox!

2011-12-28T20:49:00.007-05:00

If you're like me, you ate a few more carbs on Christmas than you usually like to. And if you eat Paleo, that means you may have eaten forty where you usually eat ten! No matter, we're ready for what we call Paleo Detox. But the good news is--that means we just spend a few days eating strictly Paleo. Now, personally, I need to wean off the bad foods. So here's what I came up with for a good

Paleo Christmas Beef Hash!

2011-12-25T13:00:00.008-05:00

One of the problems that will come up from time to time when you eat Paleo is, what am I going to do with all this left over steak?!Last night I had a T-Bone, my wife had one of two filet mignon steaks, all broiled. So we just got back from Liturgy and we needed a lunch of some sort until tonight's roast turkey.I decided to quickly make up a concoction using up the steak, some organic non-nitrate

A Visit to Bethlehem

2011-12-24T20:43:00.002-05:00

In this video I show the highlights of our trip to Bethlehem this Summer. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Scrambled Quail Eggs!

2011-12-24T09:35:00.004-05:00

Paleolithic humans didn't raise birds for their eggs. But we, like many species, were opportunistic consumers of whatever eggs we could find. We probably didn't make a habit of climbing high into trees looking for the things. But birds like geese, ducks, chickens, and quail make their nests on the ground and were prime pickings for us.So in the spirit of egg variety, I picked up a carton of quail

Merry Christmas Eve Morning!

2011-12-24T07:57:00.006-05:00

I can distinctly remember once asking the question of what to call this moment in time, the morning of the day that will end as Christmas Eve. And my mother (requiescat in pace) looked up in thought and replied, "It's Christmas Eve Morning." Now, liturgically, she was wrong. Vigils (Eves in the Western Tradition) are anticipatory of the greater Feast they precede. And since the Church uses the

Paleo 102

2011-12-18T21:09:00.002-05:00

Still energized by eating nothing but fish for two weeks, Ozzie just won individual immunity!Paleo Rules!

Paleo 101

2011-12-18T20:58:00.004-05:00

On Survivor, Ozzie spent the last 15 days eating nothing but fish. The rest of them, including Brandon, ate lots of stuff, including the rice they provide at the main camp.And in a challenge of sheer physical endurance, of course Ozzie wins!Paleo Proves it!

Why the Paleo Diet is Awesome: Reason #79

2011-12-18T09:48:00.003-05:00

Bacon, with Eggs Fried in Bacon Grease. Nuff' Said.

Lost Ark of the Covenant--Not Paleo!

2011-12-17T13:14:00.002-05:00

I've enjoyed Nadia Bilchik's reporting on many topics. But she seemed to express some confusion over the potential dating of the Lost Ark of the Covenant in today's Morning Passport segment.She said that "this is a mystery that has been going on for hundreds of thousands of years" (00.28 seconds into the video).The Ark was reportedly constructed by the Israelites soon after they began the Exodus,

The So-Called God Particle

2011-12-13T20:47:00.003-05:00

As the Hadron Super Collider reportedly closes in on the so-called "God Particle" I'm excited as a student of science. As a practitioner of Religion, however, I must state that the weekend after the thing is finally found (if it really ever is), people will still go to Mass/Church/Synagogue/Mosque and worship what they understand to be the Divine Being. The Higgs Boson particle, if it exists, if

And with your Spirit!

2011-12-11T22:12:00.003-05:00

The new English translation of the Latin Mass is causing some controversy among the Roman Catholics. The really sad thing is that this is primarily the result of their laboring under a disgrace of a translation for over thirty years. In this video I describe just why it was so God-Awful:

In Search of the Perfect Roasted Almond...

2011-12-11T08:50:00.004-05:00

Something in the process my wife invented creates the world's most absolutely delicious roasted almond. Others from our CrossFit Box agree. So to help others enjoy this supernal experience, we've documented the process in detail step-by-step.If you try this and agree, let me know.

An English Muffin on the Fourth of July??!!!!!!!

2011-12-08T15:06:00.003-05:00

That's apparently something that Fox News would consider an unacceptably unpatriotic food option. I base this on the fact that they considered it newsworthy that the President's daughters go to a school where the cafeteria menu had a Japanese Food Theme on the 70th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor.For the record, I risked my life for my country in Iraq in 2004. As for knowing exactly what date Pearl

Veni, Veni, Emmanuel!

2011-12-06T19:25:00.001-05:00

I've created a new version of the beautiful Western Advent hymn, Veni, Veni, Emmanuel, "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel."This hymn was based on the "O Antiphons," which are sung liturgically in anticipation of Christmas. The traditional order of the verses, however, reverses the dramatic culmination just before Christmas of the verse "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." I've reordered the song to make this the

Paleo Taco Salad!

2011-12-05T21:37:00.004-05:00

I love Mexican Food! And when, maybe just twice a year, I have a hankering for Non-Paleo Mexican, I have a cheat day at Taco Bell.But on a weekly basis, we have what we call "Paleo Taco Salad."And it's quite simple.One head of lettuce, rip it up, wash it, spin it, put it in the fridge to await the meal.One pound of hamburger. We also use Bison meat for this. Brown in a pan. Strain.We have found a

Paleo Shrimp Curry!

2011-12-02T20:34:00.004-05:00

It's Friday night and time for something "Fast" friendly.We wanted to shake up our traditional shrimp casserole somehow. So here's what we did.One whole bunch of celery, chopped small.One large onion, chopped similarly.I fried the celery and onion together in a bit of olive oil until they were starting to brown.I then cooked a two pound bag of raw shrimp until done.I added the shrimp to the

Paleo Ideas: Goulash!

2011-11-27T20:25:00.003-05:00

Goulash is such a comfort food. But those noodles are just not Paleo!I've not yet found an acceptable non-carb noodle. There are products out there that claim to be low-carb pasta, with technologies that make the grain not give up its carbs. I'm not convinced.So here's my non-noodle Paleo Goulash:Steam a head of Cauliflower. Drain and set aside.Cook a pound of ground meat. I used Buffalo. You

A Land Flowing with Milk and ... Wine?

2011-11-27T19:07:00.006-05:00

That's the title of a chapter in my book, Original Thin: the Paleo Diet in the Bible and Ancient Literature.I argue that Paleo purists are wrong in asserting that we should avoid dairy products and alcohol simply because ancient humans didn't enjoy them or couldn't digest them.I've made a video in which I argue my case:I do hope that other Paleo enthusiasts can either agree to disagree with me or

Advent at Lingua Sacra Publishing

2011-11-25T14:04:00.003-05:00

Lingua Sacra Publishing, which publishes several of my books, has dramatically overhauled the main web site, declaring instead of Black Friday, Advent as an appropriate time to buy books from the heart for loved ones.With stories of frustrated shoppers assaulting each other with pepper spray, it's easy to forget that the so-called "commercialization" of Christmas is merely the perversion of a