We have moved our blog to http://thewateringholeblog.com

We have migrated our blog to http://thewateringholeblog.com/

Open Source Saturday!

Do you want your voice to be heard? This Saturday, 5/29/2010, we are accepting submissions on the topics of sports, technology, jokes, crazy stories, women, movies, or anything else of interest to men. We will choose a winner by the end of the day Sunday, 5/30/2010, and post it on the blog. Please send in submissions with the name you want displayed, the title of the post, and the post itself to either iwsmancom@gmail.com or dbbogey@gmail.com. Good luck and get to writing!

Feminism: The Rise of the Subservient Male, not the Stronger Woman

I see facile, domesticated, “tamed” herb-beta males everywhere. They generally populate the trendier parts of Brooklyn and scattered across big U.S. cities. Definition of "herb" via urbandictionary.com: "Someone who gets no respect from his peers, is usually laughed at and is bullied. A person that cannot stand up for himself therefore falls prey to ridicule, abuse and mockery by others." Apart from larger city dwells, herbs can be seen at parks, malls, around campus; and they seem completely oblivious or indifferent to what they are doing to mankind. What is wrong with this picture posted above? Take a look and try to analyze what kind of body language a sight like that gives off to other women in the park. Putting your head in a woman’s lap and looking adoringly into her eyes may be fine for the masturbatory romance novels, but in the real world this makes you appear subservient. Another woman sees you doing this and instantly thinks you can be controlled, manipulated, and fit for a leash. That should be her head in your lap and she should be performing fellatio (only kidding, of course). It looks as if the man herb needs to be coaxed and cooed like a newborn baby. Do not let this happen to you, gentlemen. Is it possible after this photo was taken, the herb started licking his lady’s boots? So, the girl says she wants a guy to be sensitive. Girls get off on the idea of being with a guy that has options in the dating market. She subconsciously yearns for alpha seed through her natural female instincts to procreate with the best suitable mate. As much as we kid ourselves, we are still just primates, and thus animals. A dominant Silverback can be found beating his chest, intimidating other male competitors, and protecting his female. Can you see a kid wearing girlpants and heels (pic above) ever protecting his woman from a rogue striker?

If you are a nonbeliever and think I am being too hard on these guys then feast your eyes on this poor bastard.

The sad thing about this picture is that this practice is commonplace amongst Asian couples. Make the poor guy a human coat hanger while you’re at it lady. Notice the article name on the blog is entitled, “Chivalry Not Dead In Shanghai,” for the uppity feminist snob.

This is not about the pictures, because they only allude to a bigger problem at hand. Our pitiful “generation” (post- Y generation) is the remnants of a group of people raised during the post feminist revolution era; leading to increases in single parent homes (divorce rate increase), increases in birth defects (late children baring), and an overall redistribution of wealth from working men to unhappy, unemployed wives (disproportionate alimony distributions). Yes, the couple raised a family together, but to turn over half of all assets when none of the income is earned at all by the other spouse? Surely this is robbery and devastating to the husband. Trying to get back on your feet after having to re-plan your entire retirement because of an alimony suit seems like injustice.
Achievement in schools and difficulty in curriculum continues to drop, and willing teachers are being let go for trying to do their jobs. Parents of bastardized children refuse to believe that they are the reason for their child’s underperformance. This is a result of parenting and should not be seen as a teacher’s issue or ability to teach. These parents, their children, and their family structure are in dire straights. The decline of the traditional family and these values, which I attribute to a steady rise in feminism, continue to plague this and future generations. The workforce has now been doubled, and salaries everywhere will see the inevitable decline in salary and increases in unemployment for men that want to provide for their families.

I wonder if we could still win World War Two with the amount of submissive, sniveling, beta males seemingly on the rise in this country. My Grandfather joined the War in the early 1940’s by lying about his age (he was 17) because he felt he had a duty to defend his country. Now, it’s arguable if this country is still worth defending; given the liberal, fiscally irresponsible increase in far lefty activism, but I digress. Seriously, do you think the average 18 year old man could go fight a war if he so wanted to? That sounds funny to us, right? One might think of the modern 18 year old male as growing up in a in a different world from then. Does the government draft the kid wearing girl jeans, putting on eye shadow, piercing his sack? Or can we choose from the obese, videogame obsessed, chubby cheeks McGee? Where has our society really gone to, a dark place? Those black and white pictures of our grandparents (no older than late teenagers) waiting to fight for this country, join the work force, and start a family, are slowly fading away to dull paper. Don’t let this happen to you. Strive to be this guy:

Masculinity: We've Lost Our Way

Post by: Kingpin

It became clear to me that I needed to write a mission statement for our blog and our eventual website. What is it we seek to do with our variety of articles? Why do we educate entrepreneurs, discuss sports, provide advice about women, rate beers, clothes, and technology, and tell entertaining jokes and stories? The truth is, we seek to re-masculate men who have been emasculated, and provide an outlet for men whose masculinity has not fallen victim to modern society.  Luckily for we men, masculinity has not completely disappeared from modern society (UFC, entrepreneurs, military men, athletes), but it’s easy to forget sometimes when you see these whiny emo kids with multiple piercings, long hair, whining about how women are out of their league, or these pushover guys who are their girlfriend's or wife's pet.  Let’s take a look at masculinity as it has changed over time. I know I can’t hit every detail, or every period of history, but I’ll hit the most significant ones.

Greek history is full of tales of masculinity—the pride of the Spartans facing impossible odds at Thermopylae, the Athenian defeat of the Persians at Marathon, and the creation of the Olympic Games, among others. However, the story that inspires me time and time again about a man’s drive to accomplish amazing things is the story of Alexander the Great.  Alexander embodied the qualities I believe every great man should have. He inspired confidence in his men to follow him into hell itself, he had honor, he exposed himself to the same dangers as his men, sometimes more danger, he never gave up on his goal, he pushed himself to his limits, and he sought to unite people for a greater good.  Upon taking the throne, he set off with his army to fight the Persians, who had the largest empire in the known world.  After conquering Babylon, capital of the Persian Empire, he continued eastward, his goal being the eastern ocean. He encouraged his men to marry Persian women and raise the children as Greeks in an effort to unite the two peoples. He cheated death when his forces refused to attack a fortress in India, so he assaulted the walls by himself, fighting off numerous men before taking a spear to the chest.  He survived the wound, and then renewed his men’s confidence by hopping on his horse as if nothing had happened and leading his men back to Babylon at their request. He had said that his only defeat came at the hands of his own men, when they refused to fight after many years of war. Unfortunately, he was known for his love of wine and eventually drank himself to death at a party in Babylon. I would not recommend making the same mistake.

Regarding masculinity in medieval times, we look at the stories of Beowulf and King Arthur. We can tell much about a society’s view of masculinity by the stories they tell. Beowulf was an embodiment of masculinity. He always bragged about his feats, but when challenged in sport or battle, he backed up his words with action. He would emerge from a contest victorious, with no lingering questions about who was in charge. He fought dangerous beasts to save other peoples, and was fearless and confident in his actions. King Arthur embodied similar characteristics, but his story also encompassed chivalry, the natural desire of men to protect women, the “fairer” sex.

As far as masculinity in society goes, the nuclear family after World War II is an excellent example. The man, devoted to his family, was the breadwinner, while his wife would run the house and raise the children. This traditional model indicates why men feel emasculated when they cannot provide for their families. I am not saying women do not belong in the workplace, in fact I am impressed by independent women. I am simply discouraging men from being deadbeat househusbands while their wives earn all the money. It is a disgusting role reversal.

What is the common denominator in all these past examples of masculinity? Duty, honor, a lack of selfishness, confidence, reliability, competitiveness, persistence, and, ultimately, success.  That’s what being a real man is about. Now, I’m not saying that in order to be masculine you must join the military, become a UFC fighter, or be a violent person at all. The essence of masculinity is a commitment to excellence. This includes sports and competition, providing for and defending your family, accomplishing great things, not behaving selfishly (true alpha males are not selfish, even when they help  themselves, because they are naturally inclined to do what is best for the species), and earning what you have, not taking it from someone else.

Modern society seeks to suppress your masculinity. Politics aside, here are the facts. Progressives constantly push for tighter gun laws, limiting your ability to own a firearm and defend yourself and your family.  In divorce cases, men get screwed over. Whether the man is responsible for the end of the marriage or not, he generally must give half of what he has earned (if he is the bread winner, of course) to his ex-wife, as well as sizeable alimony checks. Easily corruptible hate crime laws force men to hesitate to defend themselves in the instance of an attack. If a man is attacked by a man of another ethnicity or religion, should he have to worry about being tried for a hate crime if he successfully defends himself? To be fair, religious conservative laws also seek to emasculate men. In some states, premarital sex is illegal. Just think, through these laws society attempts to repress the most natural desire of humans in general, let alone men. Also, sexual assault cases are easily corruptible. In some areas, all that is needed for a conviction in sex offense cases is testimony from the alleged victim. Now, by NO MEANS am I defending true sex offenders. Rape (extreme statutory and aggravated) and sexual assault are horrible crimes, and those who are truly guilty of it are despicable human beings. However, all it takes is one jealous, irrational girl to point the finger at an innocent guy, and suddenly the man is thrown in jail. The same goes for domestic violence cases. But what does this mean for society? It means that the balance of power in relationships has shifted to the women, as she can have you arrested with one phone call if she likes. When you give women that kind of power in the relationship, they can emasculate you all they want, because one wrong move and suddenly you’re in cuffs for something you did not do.

 Here on our blog and on our website, we do not seek to correct these societal problems, because we cannot. That is the job of your congressman or woman. However, through our posts and forums, we seek to provide men with an outlet for their masculinity and help them harness their own commitment to excellence. If you follow our blog and eventual site and provide constructive feedback, you can help us build something we can be proud of.

"Beer is Proof That God Loves Us and Wants Us to Be Happy" - Benjamin Franklin

Post by: Kingpin

There's nothing I love more after a long day than an ice cold beer. While the mainstream world of Budweiser, Coors, Pabst Blue Ribbon, and Miller dominates the market, there is a whole variety of microbrews out there to suit different tastes. I would like to share my favorites with you, and I have divided them up by type of beer. I have also included an epic fail section for beers that don't make the mark. I will keep updating this post each time I try a new beer that makes or breaks.

Amber Ale
Leinenhugel's Classic Amber: 
★ ★ ★ ★
  
Black Lager
Samuel Adams Black Lager: A thick, dark beer with a very slight chocolate/malt taste. One of my favorite Samuel Adams beers.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★


Yuengling Black and Tan: When it comes to cheap beer, you cannot go wrong with Yuengling Black and Tan. It offers a delicious flavor, but it will not hit your wallet quite as hard as the other beers on this list. If I need to conserve a few extra dollars, I will usually buy Yuengling Black and Tan.
★ ★ ★ ★
 
Imperial Stout

Sweetwater Happy Ending: I did not know love until I tried Sweetwater Happy Ending. Aside from the 9% alcohol by volume, it is a bold, full figured, dry, tasty imperial stout that all men worth their salt should try.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout (Import): 
★ ★ ★  1/2

India Pale Ale

Dogfish 60 Minute IPA: My favorite IPA, it has an aggressive, hoppy taste.

★ ★ ★ ★★ 
 

Dogfish 90 Minute IPA: Aggressive, hoppy taste, even more-so than the 60 minute. Not for wimps. The only downside is that it only comes in a 4 pack.

★ ★ ★ ★★ 

Sweetwater IPA: A great alternative to Dogfish if you love IPA but do not want to dish out the extra couple of bucks.
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 


Pale Ale
Flying Dog Pale Ale: A very tasty pale ale. Try it.
★ ★ ★ ★★ 

Magic Hat Almost Pale Ale: A delicious pale ale with blueberry flavor.
★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 

Sweetwater 420: Very hoppy for a pale ale, and one of my favorites.
★ ★ ★ ★  
  
Pilsner
Samuel Adams Noble Pils: Sam Adams Noble Pils has a bright, lively flavor with a very, very slight citrus taste, which, along with the taste provided by the five Noble hops, makes for a delicious brew. 

★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Pilsner Urquell (Import): 
★ ★ ★ 1/2


Other
Arrogant Bastard Ale: Brewed by the Stone Brewing Company in San Diego County, CA, this is one of my favorite strong-flavored beers. It has a very aggressive, hoppy taste, so wimps need not apply.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Sweetwater Blue: If you like fruity tasting beers, I'll cut you some slack on this one. Drink it, and you'll taste blueberries. And beer. Beerberry. Good stuff.
★ ★ ★ ★
 
Samuel Adams Octoberfest:  The best way to describe this beer is tasty. It's not too strong for wimps, not too light for strong beer lovers. 
★ ★ ★ ★  1/2


Leinenhugel's Fireside Nut Brown Ale:
★ ★ ★ ★


Warsteiner Premium Dunkel (Import):
★ ★ ★ ★

Newcastle Brown Ale: 

★ ★ ★ ★ 1/2 

Negro Modelo:

★ ★ ★  1/2

Sierra Nevada Glissade:
★ ★ ★ ★

Sweetwater Georgia Brown:
★ ★ ★ 3/4

Samuel Adams Coastal Wheat: The most unique-tasting beer I've ever tasted. It is light with a hint of lemon. A good thirst quencher.
★ ★ ★ ★

Duvel (Import): 
★ ★ ★ ★ ★   

Kirin Ichiban Special Premium Reserve: Let's not let the Japanese out-beer us, too. A great tasting beer. Not too strong, not too light, but lighter than Samuel Adams Octoberfest.
★ ★ ★ ★  
    
Epic Fails 
Hoegaarden Witbier-Biere Blanche (Import):  Fruity names for fruity beers applies to this import. It is a very light beer with a very slight, sweet, fruity taste.  

★ ★

Abita Pecan Ale, Abita Purple Haze, Most other Abita Brews: My biggest problem with Abita is that their beers taste watered down. Their varieties are good ideas, but the taste just isn't there. However, their Jockamo IPA is pretty good.

★ ★

McSorley's Irish Black Lager:  Thick and dark, but not near as good as Samuel Adams Black Lager.
★ ★ 1/2

Halo: Reach: The Verdict

Top 10 Kills
Excellent Survival Tips

Post by: Kingpin

Halo: Reach, a prequel to the original Halo, is finally out for multiplayer beta testing. All you need is a designated copy of Halo 3: ODST, an Xbox Live Gold account, and, of course, an Xbox 360 console. As someone who has played multiplayer on the original Halo Trilogy, I just have to say...it's awesome. Let me give you a quick overview--you can find more detailed gameplay information on http://www.bungie.net/.  

Halo Reach has brought back the feel of the original Halo, but has added many new features that take gameplay to new heights. The levels do not seem as otherworldly as in Halo, since the game takes place on the Earth-like Reach, but the gameplay, including health bars, shields, and the lack of dual wielding, is very reminiscent of the original.

Armor: There are four armor types in the beta version, each with its own special abilities:

• Scout:  Your Spartan temporarily tuck away your weapon for a burst of speed

• Guard: Your Spartan stops and punches the ground, increasing the power of his shields. While in this pose, he is invulnerable, and if he holds the pose long enough, he will unleash an EMP when he leaves the pose or when he is meleed.

• Stalker: This is temporary semi-invisibility, or, as Halo players know it, active camo. Whenever you turn invisible, your motion tracker, as well as that of those around you, becomes filled with false enemy contacts.

• Airborne: This armor has a jetpack that can help boost your jumps for short periods of time.

*Note: In Elites vs. Spartans Slayer, Elites have a duck and roll maneuver.

Weapons: In Halo: Reach, there is no dual wielding, so many weapons have been cut out in the  beta version.

• M6G Magnum: It seems like Bungie has finally gotten the magnum right. It has its scope again, and its stopping power is equal to that of the DMR. To dispatch an opponent with full shields, it takes four shots plus a headshot. It has an 8 round clip and an above average rate of fire.

• DMR (Designated Marksman Rifle): The DMR replaces the human Battle Rifle from Halo 2 and 3. Instead of 3 shot bursts, the DMR is a single shot semi-automatic rifle with 12 round clips. It has the same stopping power as the pistol, but is far more accurate. It has a rate of fire similar to the Battle Rifles from Halos 2 and 3.

• MA-5 Assault Rifle: The MA-5 Assault Rifle is similar to the MA-5B Assault Rifle from Halo in accuracy, power, and rate of fire. It has fully automatic fire, and the longer you hold the trigger down, the less accurate the gun is. It has a 32 round clip.

• Shotgun: I love what they've done with the shotgun in Halo: Reach. In Halo, it had a slightly longer range with moderate to high power. In Halo 2 and 3, Bungie decreased the range significantly and increased the stopping power. Now, the shotgun has a perfect balance of power and range. It holds 6 shells at a time.

• SRS99 Sniper Rifle: The sniper rifle has the same power, kick, and rate of fire as in Halo 3. One head shot kills, two body shots kill. There are 4 rounds per clip.

• Rocket Launcher: The rocket launcher is pretty much the same it was in Halo and Halo 3...no guided projectiles, high explosive, 2 rounds to a magazine. The rockets do move slightly slower than they did in the previous games.

• Plasma Pistol: The plasma pistol can kill now. It is back to the way it was in the original Halo. It has both semi-automatic and charged shot firing capabilities. The charged shot takes down a shield and, well, you know what to do then.

• Needle Rifle: The Needle Rifle is replacing the Carbine from Halo 2 and 3. It fires the same type of rounds as the needler. If you put enough rounds into an unshielded opponent, they will explode as if you had unloaded a needler into them. However, the Needle Rifle has similar stopping power to the humans' DMR (i.e., a head shot on an unshielded opponent kills instantly. It's not like in Halo 3 when people would be walking around with a needle through their head perfectly fine.)

• Needler: The Needler is just as dangerous and effective in Reach as it was in Halo 3. Do not underestimate its power going against it, do not overestimate its effectiveness while engaging multiple targets.

• Plasma Repeater Rifle: The plasma rifle has a higher rate of fire than it did in previous games, and has moderate stopping power. It is good at taking down shields, then finishing with a melee.

• Energy Sword: The Energy Sword hasn't changed much from Halo 3. It has limited ammunition, a lunge attack, and a melee attack.

• Gravity Hammer: The Gravity Hammer has not changed from Halo 3, either. For those who don't know, when you swing the hammer a direct hit is an instant kill, and anyone close enough to the kinetic pulse takes damage.

• Focus (Beam) Rifle: The Focus Rifle has undergone some huge changes. No longer is it the Covenant answer to the human sniper rifle. It is now a cross between Halo 2 and 3's beam rifle and the sentinal beam. It can fire a continuous beam, but has the same zoom capabilities as the sniper rifle. It takes about 3 seconds of continuous fire to take down a fully shielded opponent.

• Plasma Launcher: Launches multiple guided, high explosive plasma projectiles. Very deadly, but you have to get your hands on it first, and it always seems like somebody has it...

• Metee: Unleash your inner brute and bash them with your weapon. It takes one melee to take down a shield. Also, once the shield is down, it only takes one melee to kill, even in SWAT game types.

I'd like to say one last thing--kudos to Bungie for introducing the beta version of Reach and allowing players to give feedback. The purpose of the beta release is, of course, to get consumer input on the game play so by the time the real game is released it has been perfected.

Book Analysis: "Rich Like Them"

Post by: Alphattude
I’ve recently finished Ryan D’Agostino’s book entitled “Rich Like Them,” based on door to door interviews of America’s richest neighborhoods in search of the secret to wealth accumulation. There is a common thesis; a mantra that all of these wildly successful people have in common. That mantra is being persistent and training yourself to always pay attention to new opportunities within your realm of expertise or interest. If you’re a realtor for instance, cheap waterfront properties should always be at the forefront of your brain at all hours of the day, even while on vacation. One should always place themself in an advantageous position to “connect the dots”. That perfect piece of real estate might be on a business trip in Arkansas, or in a little known area of Mexico. The three key words in business are: “you never know”. The people that spoke with the interviewer were those that believed in "you never know", part of the reason they agreed to speak to D’Agostino in the first place.

A curious mind is often a creative mind. Creativity in combination with risk taking often yields extraordinary results and rewards beyond imagination. If you are not always attuned to learning new things within the scope of your occupation, passion, or nature, then somebody else is gaining that edge on you. Not only are these people wealthy entrepreneurs, some are career businessmen and businesswomen that saw that edge and impeimented it into action. Some are just plain "lucky" (luck doesn't exist because people put place themselves in the position to be lucky), some are visionaries, and some are just renegades. 

These are regular people like you and me, with some slight variations. Studies show that key leaders are those of above average intelligence, but not by a margin too wide above the rest of the group. All of the wealthy interviewees “stuck to what they knew.” This advice should sound familiar. They worked in the industry, be it hospital administration, travel planning, real estate, etc. They saw the missing holes; the dots that had not been connected. They searched and worked incredibly long 15-20 hour days until prosperity. All of them were able to measure risk and reward, as well as implement hard work with a serious dose of persistence.

More importantly, coming up with a good idea is not even half the battle. So many people have good ideas everyday but the key is taking action and doing something about it. At some point, most of these successful interviewees find themselves at a crossroads. It’s easy to make risky decisions when you are young and without much responsibility. Take a chance and fail, so what? You go back and work for the man until you’re ready to try again or find a comfort zone.

(Deviating from the book) The most common millionaire in today’s America is usually a second generation American wearing an inexpensive suit, driving a modest car, and generally living below his or her means. Rolex, Rolls-Royce, Couture, these brands are not marketed to today’s trendy millionaire. They simply are not that target demographic. These are people that grew up having nothing and they... are hungry. They are hungrier than us Americans, with our sense of entitlement stemming from the booming economy of the 90’s. The guy now running the office I work at? He is a part time employee; an insanely driven and hardworking Indian guy in his mid 20's.

What do they have that we don’t have? They are today’s pioneers of innovation in computer technology, medical technology, doctors, engineers… what do they (first and second gen Americans) have? I refuse to believe it’s overall intelligence, although that could be proven with empirical data. Instead, I presume their main advantage is persistence. They want it more than we do, and if we don’t do something about it besides building invisible walls between our domestic world and the international world, we will lose.