In 1513, the Spanish explorer Juan Ponce De Leon set sail to present-day Florida in search of the fabled Fountain of Youth. It was believed the legendary, curative spring water from the fountain reputably restored the youth of anyone who drank of its source. It promised rejuvenation, eternal youth, wealth, and prosperity. Regretfully, Ponce De Leon never encountered the Fountain of Youth. Instead, in his attempt he did discover Florida, now the site of Disneyworld- the Magic Kingdom at it’s best.


Even to this day, the age old quest to regain youth and vigor remains an unquenced thrist. Today, people continue to seek a quick fix, placebo resolution. They buy products ranging from caffeine-loaded energy drinks, to power boosting, supplemental tablets, hoping with unrealistic expectations and to only end is despair, disillusionment, stress, and addiction - a vicious, downward, spiraling whirlpool cycle. Nonetheless, the million dollar, uncorked, bottled-up question prevails. Does the ultimate answer lie in a sparkling, luring never-found fountain?


There is a recent and convincing research indicating there is an answer. Several studies have shown that active, inquisitive minds can reduce e some of the negative side effects of aging, even delay the onset of dementia! In addition, a mind proficient in more than one language is further empowerment to staying young. In a new yet archaic alternative, there exist an interactive, delightfully stimulating process which not only re-energizes the elderly, but just as importantly bridges the generation gap between young and old. This dynamic, engaging exchange is facilitated via “dichos”, which can now be easily and readily accessed in a family-fun, interaction board game named “Dicho Al Hecho” ©.


The “dichos” are proverbs and sayings in Spanish. Their communicative intent is to instruct, nurture, and teach, valuable lessons. These lessons are based and founded on wisdom and life experiences stemming from past generations. Because “dichos” have been in existence for centuries, they serve as landmarks for clarity, guidance, and learning.


The “Dicho Al Hecho”© board game allows for time and attention directed t words the “dichos”. The participants in the game are able to reflect, gain insight, and build on indispensable knowledge base as they actively maneuver their way through the game board. There is enjoyment and long-lasting rewards within the 20-30 minute period of time outlining the “Dicho Al Hecho”© game. It truly amounts to a win-win experience for everyone, making it a desirable pastime entertainment and educational tool to be played again and again.


In all, this fusion and bonding between the new, old, and past generations is pivotal. The “dichos”serve as a fertile common ground and restorative panacea, rich with tradition and valuable life lessons. They are the ideal ingredient cultivating longevity and fueling the necessary vitality to move forward, prosper, and advance to a higher continuum- a true Fountain of Youth. After all, isn’t youth and happiness a state of mind?






Hasta la Proxima! (Til Next Time)

By a large margin, John Hackleman’s MMA Pit workout video is the greatest sweat I’ve had in a long while.  And I just got through the warm-ups! 


For those of you who don’t know who John Hackleman is, he is practically God in the eyes of Chuck Liddell. Chuck has been training in The Pit with John since his debut in the UFC, ultimately taking the title of Light Heavyweight Champion.  If you ever wondered how Chuck learned to how to break peoples jaws with his famous overhand rights, watch John Hackleman and you’ll end up punching like the former champ too.


Hackleman started the Pit in 1986 in Arroyo Grande, California and has been kicking the butts of the worlds top athletes ever since. This video combines all aspects of the Kempo Pit training regiment. From upper body to lower and a combination of both, you’ll be punching and kicking your way to some of the best aerobic and anaerobic excercise you’ve had in years.


At first glance, the routine may seem too easy when you look at it on paper. Its an hour long for each sectional workout and broken up into several five minute segments to simulate round lengths as if you were actually in the cage.


The first day is all about upper body and punching technique. And you’ll be doing A LOT OF PUSH-UPS!!! I mean your arms and chest will be burning like the fiery depths of hell. If you manage to get up from the push-ups, you’ll surely fall flat on your face when you’ve got to throw upper cuts and hooks on the heavy bag till you puke.


If you’re still with us by the second day, you’re a soldier. Now prepare to be tortured. The legs are by far the most humbling exercise because I couldn’t even last as long as fellow Stardum editor Nick-Sinn (and that’s sad). My legs were like wet noodles by the time we were finished.


If you think you’re brave enough to try John Hackleman’s The Pit Workout, you can pick it up on Amazon.com or any other major online retailer. But I recommend you get you lazy butt off the couch and purchase it yourself at a place like Big 5 Sporting Goods. I mean, what’s walking a mile when you’re making a commitment to the workout anyways?

Technology is wonderful.  With cars, computers, cell phones and PSP’s, technology takes lives, saves lives, makes theaters useless, and now apparently films documentaries with a bionic eye.  Tanya Vlach, a 35 year old San Francisco native and fellow filmmaker, dreams of becoming the bionic woman.  In an e-mail sent to CNET News, Vlach told of her unique inspiration and her plans to achieve it.  Ever since I lost my eye I would fantasize about having a bionic eye. So I did research and I realized that as technology becomes increasingly smaller it seemed doable to engineer a miniature video camera small enough to put inside my acrylic prosthetic. And then finally I would have a device as close to an eye as I could get. Also, I love photography and video, this would be a true P.O.V (point of view) perspective.  Although a relatively young and still developing concept, bionic technology is now becoming increasingly popular and interesting as studies further development.  Former military casualties who have previously lost limbs have been re-invigorated with hope after several success stories of utilizing this advanced technology.  The nerves that send messages from the brain to the muscles are adapted with the prosthetic to mimic natural movement.  The camera eye will be no different.  It will move the retinal nerves just the same as any other eye, giving the potential footage that could be covered a completely and utterly natural observational experience.  Some may say the eye is farfetched.  It won’t work.  There’s no technology.  Its too expensive.  Its just too out there.  Of course it is.  That’s why they call them inventions.  Usually because whatever is being invented hasn’t been well…invented yet.

In a city as vast as Los Angeles you are sure to get tire damage from one of the city’s many potholes. Even as the city continues to repair and fill potholes, including it’s 1 millionth repaired pothole milestone on November 1st, there are still more then 3 million to go. I happened to encounter a pothole just the other day. My front left tire got banged up and so began a steady so leak. I ended up with a flat tire and obviously had to replace it quickly. Fortunately for me a tire shop was nearby. Anthony’s Tire Center in Sun Valley, CA (San Fernando Valley) readily assisted me and even provided road side assistance. They quickly removed my flat tire and had it replaced with a brand new one. What was remarkable about this whole experience was the great price and excellent service these guys provided. You see, Anthony and one his employees, Vince, just happen to be big mixed martial arts fans and avid strdum.com readers. They were all excited at the prospect of helping out the OG DUDE with his tire woes . They also managed to help the OG DUDE out with a nice big discount on tire care and service. They mentioned that they can beat any prices and that their service is unbeatable. Remember to let them know your a big mma fan and a strdum.com fanatic! They specialize in new and used tires, speed balancing, tire accessories, and roadside service. They gave me a tour of their tire shop and believe me, their selection was impressive. They also specialize in rims and tires from size 20 to size 30. Their prices are very good for the quality products they offer.
Remember, if you’re in the Los Angeles area and need new rims or tires for your vehicle go see Anthony or Vince at Anthony’s Tire Center, located 9308 Glenoaks Blvd. Sun Valley, Ca 91352. They can also be reached at (818) 504-4816. Don’t forget to tell them the OG DUDE sent you.
Until the next lesson, “Stay Down.”
Written By: OG DUDE
(For more OG DUDE check under exclusives only at strdum.com.)

It’s here! Guitar Hero World Tour was released just this past Sunday and like a steam engine set to burst this game is tearing up vocal chords and living-rooms across the globe. Guitar Hero is a bona fide mass market appealing siren song of new technology and old fashioned musical fun for just about everybody. Turn on youtube to see expert 8 year olds shred songs or just walk downstairs in your apartment with a bottle of Vodka and you’ll find a Guitar Hero in no time flat. This game brings people together for better or worse. But don’t listen to us. Listen to this corporate breakdown of the newest installation of Guitar Hero:
“It packs in a sleek, new, wireless, six-piece drum set with fanlike cymbals; a slap-strum pad on its 25 percent larger sunburst guitar; a stunning, 86-master-recording track list; and absolutely nobody — I repeat, nobody — dies in this game. I’m talking about Activision Blizzard’s “Guitar Hero World Tour,” of course — aka “Take that, ‘Rock Band’!” — an extreme instrumental makeover for the series that launched a thousand armchair shudders. It will be available from day one for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 2 and Nintendo Wii owners anywhere.(© PC World)”
Are you ready to rock? We said, “Did you bring any rock?” Wait, “Are you ready to rock?”

This seems like a good idea, right? I mean there are a lot of guys out there who deal with an excess of back hair and they want to get rid of it. You cant use a razor to shave it ’cause you can’t reach it and it’s kind of hard to ask someone to shave it. It just comes across a little awkward. So why not put an extendable arm on an electric shaver and market it for $39.99. I was seeing ad’s for the “Mangroomer” everywhere and I was sick of my body hair as well so I figured why not give it a shot if anything it would be a good product review for StarDum. So I went down to Target bought the thing for $39.99 + tax came home and began to use it. My initial reaction was “Wow this is really cheaply made”. It also didn’t come with a brush to brush out any remaining hairs in the blades. It also has no rechargeable battery so it run’s on 2 AA batteries. For $39.99 you would atleast expect it to be rechargeable. I don’t know if the blades maybe just weren’t sharp enough or what it was but it seemed like rather than trimming the air it was pulling them out at times. Mangroomer also offers 2 other shavers to choose from one for your nose hair and another for your *cough* *cough* “special area’s”. I think it’s pretty safe to say that after my experiance with the back hair shaver I don’t think I’m going to have another Mangroomer product anywhere near my body especially my “special area’s”.

1 out of 5

I’m going to start this off by saying for all you Star Wars fans, I’m going to make sure there are no spoilers in this review. The first thing that came to mind from the opening cut scene was that this could have easily been another installment in the Star Wars saga. The story takes place between episodes three and four. Now wether you are an avid gamer or a casual gamer, the force unleashed will be able to satisfy you. The control scheme is easy to pick up on and basic moves and combo’s can be easily performed. On the other end of the spectrum there are also more difficult combo’s that you can unlock to perform ball breaking combinations using both your force powers and your light saber. Once I got a few levels into the game I found myself playing more just to be able to see the next cut scene. This isn’t saying anything against the gameplay or that it lacks anything in the gameplay department, just that the story is very compelling. There aren’t many outstanding issues with the game that I have that really stand out. I would say that the main issue is the camera. At times it becomes hard to see a target that you are trying to hit and you find yourself guessing where to aim and relying on the auto lock feature (which does the job pretty well) and by the time the camera gets to where you need it to be, it could be too late. But again this is few and far between. Through the majority of the game you are able to see and do exactly what you are aiming to do. All in all though Star Wars: The Force Unleashed is a great game and I recommend it as a must have for any Star Wars buff. As far as buying it or renting it goes, I would say definitely rent it unless you are a Star Wars Junkie and have to have it for your collection. I completed the story in 2 days, and that was playing for a few hours before work and a few hours after work. There are a lot of unlockable light saber’s you can go back and get plus some power ups and costumes. So if you want to unlock all that it may be worth your while to buy it. There is even a secret animation/cutscene that I haven’t been able to get yet but I am working on it.
Overall Score: 8.5/10