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Crazy Stupid – Paleo – Love #AHS11

August 5, 2011|Richard Nikoley||

 It’s 2:11 AM

Just got up after a couple of hours sleep. Bea’s right behind, sleeping soundly near as I can tell. And I’m filled to the brim with a mix of love, adoration and euphoria, such that I figured it was time to get my ass out of bed and write about it instead of merely thinking about it while staring at a dark ceiling — at 2 am. High emotion fuels a blog, and that’s just the fact.

Here’s all the pics I Tweeted earlier, throughout the night. This ought to give you an envious clue, even though I ought to just make you go look at them on Twitter and be my “follower.” But I’m such a nice guy. There’s lots, mostly candid. This is not even yet the beginning of the King of Earth Nutrition, the Ancestral Health Symposium. I’m not going to take time to link so if you’re new, stumbling in here or whatever, Google names, places, events.

I’m eating real beef jerky, but I’ll get to that later.

Rob Wolf
Rob Wolf
Melissa Chris
Melissa & Chris

That’s Pedro Bastos off to the right. Melissa McEwen & Chris Masterjohn are genetically made for each other, I’m certain. Cutest couple ever. After chatting with Gary Taubes in the lobby for 15 minutes and before chatting with Loren Cordain and Pedro in the bar for another 15 minutes or so, Bea & I met up wit Melissa and Chris and offered them a ride. We stopped off at a local Whole Foods, then went to the event.

Dr Stephan
Dr. Stephan

I was so embarrassed that Stephan finally came up to me and said “hey, Richard.” It’s like not noticing God in the room. I suppose that’s easy for me, though.

Pic Them Out
Pic Them Out

Who do you see?

Pedro Erwan
Pedro & Erwan

Pedro is very jet lagged, just in from Lisbon. Erwan is probably about to eat a piece of meat. We all fell victim.

Speaking of meat, 100 grassfed steaks donated by US Wellness Meats to this great Ancestral Health Cause.

US Wellness Meats 100 Steaks
US Wellness Meats
Me Doug McGuff
Me & Doug McGuff
Me The Sisson
Me & The Sisson
Don Matesz and Paul Jaminet
Don Matesz and Paul Jaminet

Don and his new wife both looked awesome. I talked with Don a lot and I did let him know about my beefs, a bit. But you know what? This is why the internet can never substitute for human contact. After talking with him, I’m anxious to see his presentation.

Frank Forench Aaron Blaisdell
Frank Forencich & Aaron Blaisdell

Frank is the Exuberant Animal guy and like me, is into not only how we eat and move, but how we think and how we may have been adversely conditioned.

Gary Taubes and Bea
Gary Taubes and Bea

Gary told me I should caption this something like “I met Beat at the hotel.”

There were so many others. My buddy Dr. BG is here, the Drs. Eades, Cordain, Staffan Lindberg and many more. Many more.

The feeling of privilege is really, frankly, overwhelming and I’m humbled about how so many came up and introduced themselves to me, including so many readers. I throw so much shit at my own blog because I feel like it sometimes and there seems to be a whole group of folks who get that about me.

 Singing off at 3:30 am.

Richard Nikoley

I'm Richard Nikoley. Free The Animal began in 2003 and as of 2021, contains 5,000 posts. I blog what I wish...from health, diet, and food to travel and lifestyle; to politics, social antagonism, expat-living location and time independent—while you sleep—income. I celebrate the audacity and hubris to live by your own exclusive authority and take your own chances. Read More

64 Comments

  1. Meghan on August 5, 2011 at 03:32

    Geeking out like CRAZY.

    Are there plans for a Symposium next year? I deeply, deeply regret the fact that I’m not there right now.

  2. Ben on August 5, 2011 at 03:56

    I never realized Gary Taubes was that tall!

    • Richard Nikoley on August 5, 2011 at 08:12

      Gary is a big guy. I never knew it either.

  3. Sean on August 5, 2011 at 03:58

    Looks like a blast.

    I hereby nominate next year’s AHS to take place in Europe. Anywhere in Europe is fine with me. California’s not the center of the Universe, you know 😉

    • Ben on August 5, 2011 at 04:43

      Seconded!

    • clarevh on August 5, 2011 at 09:16

      I think the reason AHS is in California is not because it is the Center of the Universe (although I am fairly sure it is 😉 ), but because the organizers are affiliated with UCLA, and had access to the facility and it’s many resources.

      Also I am happy to see that Melissa took the advise of her Facebook Fashionistas and chose the peacock feather dress!

  4. Lucy on August 5, 2011 at 05:15

    Looks like a great time…wish I could be there. Enjoyed seeing the photos…thanks for posting them.
    Interested to read more about your conversations and experiences.

  5. Dean on August 5, 2011 at 05:26

    Holy rock stars!

  6. Monica Hughes on August 5, 2011 at 05:42

    Looks like fun! 🙂

  7. Carlos on August 5, 2011 at 05:48

    Those pics are wonderful, and it’s great to see all the luminaries concentrated in one small space. Watching your Twitpics I actually worried that Durianrider or TCC would come do something crazy and end the whole paleosphere right there! Well, Mr. Archevore doesn’t seem to be at the place so I guess not all would’ve been lost. Following the #AHS11 hashtag…

    • Chris Tamme on August 5, 2011 at 06:00

      Durian could have ended the whole movement right then and there. Amazing to see all those individuals together. I am curious what Matesz presents as I think he has really gone off the reservation with what I have read on his site. Very cool experience I am sure and looking forward to hearing more about it.

  8. Alex on August 5, 2011 at 05:56

    No fruitarian jihadists with exploding watermelons strapped to their chests?

  9. MountainDew on August 5, 2011 at 06:39

    Wow, Don Matezs really needs to update that pic on his blog. And you’re all so fat because of all that fat you eat!

    /sarcasm

  10. Eric Lepine on August 5, 2011 at 06:40

    Richard! This is such an awesome post… I’m salivating over the meat and the people (in a good way, for the latter haha). I’m usually a very chill and relaxed guy but, I get the feeling that I would’ve been bouncing all over the place if I had been there, like a kid in a combination candystore/toystore/fair!!!!

    Short of not making it to the AHS, have you heard anything about the possibility of the whole thing being available on DVD?

    Cheers my good man, and keep keeping us posted 🙂
    Éric

    • Richard Nikoley on August 5, 2011 at 08:15

      I think all the presentations will be available on the Internet. There was some talk of live streaming but I don’t know about that yet.

  11. MountainDew on August 5, 2011 at 06:46

    No pic(s) of Minger (shame on you RN!!!)? Maybe the vegans are right! hmmm…

  12. O Primitivo on August 5, 2011 at 06:46

    This should be a major landmark in the hystory of human nutrition. Time will tell, but my guess is it is. Hope there will be many more of these events worldwide. I also vote for Europe for the next Ancestral Health Symposium. Wish all the best for all participants, specially for my portuguese friend Pedro Bastos.

  13. Peggy The Primal Parent on August 5, 2011 at 06:48

    Thanks for sharing those pics! I pictured a sterile convention center. That patio gathering looks so friendly and fun. And what a group of people – I can’t imagine you’d ever want to attend a normal bbq again!

  14. Eric Lepine on August 5, 2011 at 06:52

    My favourite part: “I was so embarrassed that Stephan finally came up to me and said “hey, Richard.” It’s like not noticing God in the room. I suppose that’s easy for me, though.” LMAOL

  15. Rob on August 5, 2011 at 07:10

    Great pics Richard. Does Doug McGuff age? Isn’t he like 50 years old? This looks a lot different then the couple of exercise conventions I’ve been to where they are peddling energy bars and drinks.

    • Richard Nikoley on August 5, 2011 at 08:19

      Doug is an amazingly cool guy. He’s 49. Told me he gets 35 y-olds in the ER, beat to shit by metabolic syndrome and sometimes they say, wait til you’re my age, doc.

      • Joseph on August 6, 2011 at 12:34

        Epic.



  16. John Nugent on August 5, 2011 at 08:07

    Inspirational pics Richard. Bea is either very short or Gary Taubes pretty fucking tall.

    • Ben on August 5, 2011 at 12:52

      I googled it, Gary Taubes is 6’3.

      • gallier2 on August 5, 2011 at 13:18

        Which is 1.90 m in real units. It’s not because we are on a paleo blog that we should use measuring units of that epoch 😉



      • Ben on August 6, 2011 at 00:41

        I hear ya. I was just being polite to the (i guess) majority of blog readers, which i assume are from the us.



  17. John Nugent on August 5, 2011 at 08:14

    I forgot to say how pretty your lovely wife is. Paleo suits her very well.

  18. CL on August 5, 2011 at 08:49

    Wow I’m so jealous. All those people in one location, the wealth of knowledge on that patio is astonishing! And look how good everyone looks too (as opposed to those vegan seminars which look like pictures of the holocaust).

  19. Matt on August 5, 2011 at 09:10

    Wow, so impressed to see all those famous (you included, Richard) in one place! Didn’t realise I was a paleo fanboy!

  20. Danny on August 5, 2011 at 09:18

    Wow, this looks like it was quite the hang. I can only imagine how great dinner must’ve been.

  21. ulfr on August 5, 2011 at 09:22

    This is so cool! Can’t wait to see the presentations online or however they come out. Thanks Richard for posting all this and the pics!

  22. William on August 5, 2011 at 11:07

    What on Earth is Robb doing with his hands? Where is Denise Minger? Thanks for the photos!

  23. Josh S on August 5, 2011 at 11:17

    How old is Robb Wolf? He’s looked 16 in every picture I’ve seen of him…I don’t think he ages either.

    Expect to see the most unflattering pics pasted around by He-Who-Shall-not-be-Named here as “proof” of how bad paleo folks look. Ya know..when they are jetlagged and in candid shots in bad lighting…

  24. Rob A. on August 5, 2011 at 11:55

    Frank is such a cool dude- one of my very favorites.

    Totally geeking out here with these pictures, too. Maybe next year I can be there with some of these rad folks. Looking forward to the videos afterward. Have fun and enjoy, Richard.

  25. Grok on August 5, 2011 at 12:23

    Gary has always been huge, and Minger is in two of the photos, and Rob Wolf appears to be air masturbating over the delicious beef jerky or being there. Maybe both 🙂

  26. Ron on August 5, 2011 at 12:26

    Richard, I feel so lame for not having made early arrangements to be there. Hell, I live in Long Beach, for crying out loud! My excuse is that my wife will be giving birth any day now. Anyway, if you get a line on an extra ticket, please let me know… my wife promises me not to deliver early. I would love to personally deliver some heart-felt thank yous to you and many of the good folks in attendance. Thanks!

  27. A.O. on August 5, 2011 at 12:37

    Richard, it worries me that this many anti-foodpyramid establishment leaders are gathered in one place. Seems like too easy a target for a deranged vegan or the FDA hit squad.

    • Ben on August 6, 2011 at 00:44

      Vegans lack the proper nutrition for organizing something that big (b12, carnitine, taurine, epa and dha deficiency among others… that has to impair cognition!), plus I guess most bombs have the odd animal product in there somewhere.

  28. Rhys on August 5, 2011 at 16:12

    haha wow its like a who’s who of the paleo world

  29. Razwell on August 6, 2011 at 05:22

    Hi, Richard.

    Perhaps a bit off topic, but have you seen the latest? The dimwitted Internet fraud/crackpot , Anthony Colpo, is attacking you and Jimmy Moore at his site.

    I have debunked this guy about what science has shown so far about obesity and also the HDL hypothesis repeatedly. Colpo knows I have him by the balls , so he ignores me now. He will soon be exposed for the fraud he is soon enough.

    He is hurling a whole bunch of insults against you guys. I just wanted to let you know , Richard, because I used to be the biggest Colpo sychophant around when I was naieve 6 years back.

    This guy is a fraud. A classic Internet scammer. He one time said to me via email that he “wants to profit off of his fellow humans stupidity”.

    P.S. He misrepresented Dean Karnazes’ diet too. Dr Eades was RIGHT about what Karnazes eats when he is not actively Marathoning. Karnazes eats the Neanderthal Diet in his own words.

    Take care,

    Razwell

  30. Razwell on August 6, 2011 at 05:51

    On to the main topic: That looked like a fantastic time you had 🙂 Great post.

  31. Kelly on August 6, 2011 at 09:39

    Richard, I’m curious about your newfound appreciation for Don Matesz. Are you saying “Farewell to Paleo” too, or was the post over exagerated?

    • Richard Nikoley on August 7, 2011 at 09:03

      I was angry at the way Don handled this and told him so. Told him also that the title of that post was “unfortunate.” And I told him I didn’t think it was necessary to distinguish himself from paleo but to rather work to expand it’s meaning to encompass his views of the best or better real food diet.

      Bottom line is that I think he has a regret or two and I think he’ll back off a bit, but we’ll see.

      I also brought up the fact that he writes just as authoritatively now as he did back then and he nodded his head in agreement.

      Don is a very personable, soft spoken guy with piercing eyes and an amazing voice. I’m very glad to have met him. Doesn’t mean I’m going to agree with him but I have a wider context. He looks fabulous and his wife is beautiful. They look wonderful together and the mutual love is apparent. That counts for a lot in my book, probably more than blog posts.

      • Aaron Blaisdell on August 8, 2011 at 14:20

        Well said! I’m glad you guys had a bit of coming to terms. It was a thrill to meet both of you. (At the party on Thursday, I waved a few bags of US Wellness Meats steaks under his nose and said “look what I brought just for you!” His smile indicated that he knew I was kidding, of course). I have immense respect for both you and Don.



  32. AJ Wow on August 6, 2011 at 10:22

    @ Kelly “newfound appreciation for Don Matesz” Where did Richard say this? I didn’t get that at all.

    • Kelly on August 6, 2011 at 12:27

      “I talked with Don a lot and I did let him know about my beefs, a bit. But you know what? This is why the internet can never substitute for human contact. After talking with him, I’m anxious to see his presentation.”

      My interpretation (stated another way) – Don comes across differently in person than he does on the internet, and Richard was interested in what Don would say at the symposium. I’m curious to get a more detailed explanation.

  33. Rob on August 6, 2011 at 12:49

    Pretty damn awesome.

  34. Branch Warren on August 6, 2011 at 16:23

    I was wondering what happened to all the hippies. Not anymore.

    • Richard Nikoley on August 7, 2011 at 09:14

      Hey Branch, I was wondering when you were going to post a comment that doesn’t make you look like a fucking moron.

  35. rob on August 7, 2011 at 01:08

    Good looking bunch of people, they must be doing something right …

  36. Erika on August 7, 2011 at 03:42

    Agreed. Most of these people, though, would probably be broadly defined as ‘paleo’ in orientation (and ‘big-tent paleo’ in practice). I highly doubt a like gathering of orthodox, Jimmy Moore-style ‘low-carbers’ would look anywhere near as good. That’s one thing, at least, that Anthony Colpo is entirely about correct about.

  37. Razwell on August 7, 2011 at 04:58

    Hi, Erika.

    Anthony Colpo makes a lot of assumptions, especially about obesity and body fat. Obesity is as almost as heritable as height, and possibly equalling it. Some of the greatest quality peer reviewed science demonstrates this ( Dr. Jeffrey Friedman, Dr. Stunkard). That is probably Jimmy Moore’s situation. Colpo is grossly misinformed. He is a cherry picker of the highest order.

    I also believe his photo is photoshopped. Blow it up to 400 % and look really closely at his neck.

    Does he workout in a turtle neck? Those are some extremely bizarre tan lines he has – 1/3/ of his neck and not even his forearms have any tan. The most revealing thing is his neck is absurdly loooooooong.

    He holds crackpot hypotheses, like iron therapy etc. Blood letting for normal people with normal iron levels is next to useless for CAD prevention.

    You also might want to have a look at Steven Nissen’s study on my blog . I have discredited Colpo about the HDL hypothesis. Plaque volume was erased ( 8% of the volume) in just 5 weeks ! Research is showing is the HDL function that matters, not the number level. Drs. Rader and Nissen’s pioneering woek show this.

    Science is like “peeling an onion” not openinga box. We know Ancel Keys was wrong, but the HDL function part of the hypothesis appears to be very solid. We also know low fat diets are not at all the solution. Science nows too little yet about coronary artery disease, but research looks promising.

    Colpo is a shady, shady guy.

    • Branch Warren on August 7, 2011 at 13:05

      Your retarded. Have you read the Fat Loss Bible?

      • Richard Nikoley on August 7, 2011 at 13:22

        Um, Branch: might I suggest that the next time you call someone “retarded,” you check your grammar, spelling and most particularly, punctuation first?



  38. Mallory on August 7, 2011 at 09:31

    cant wait to read about all this !!! it sounds so fun, i am so sad i cant attend something like this! i am curious, did any speakers touch on eating disorders(outside ‘obesity’)???

    • Richard Nikoley on August 7, 2011 at 09:57

      May have, perhaps Nora G. But due to the format, And my own need to prepare, I saw a bit less than half of the presentations.

  39. Todd on August 7, 2011 at 11:09

    Just read the abstract for Don’s talk. Simply opens up the problem of infinite regress. How far back do we go?

  40. Primal Toad on August 7, 2011 at 21:34

    Oh how I wish I was there! I will for sure be there next year!

  41. LisaW on August 9, 2011 at 07:21

    Glad you are having such a great time. Just a quick note: it is one thing to look beautiful in your 20’s or 30’s, but to look as radiant and lovely as your wife does some time after a 50th birthday is a whole other story.

    • Richard Nikoley on August 9, 2011 at 09:55

      Thanks LisaW. I’m sure Beatrice will appreciate that when she sees it.

  42. The Ancestral Health Symposium | Perfect Health Diet on August 9, 2011 at 17:08

    […] Nikoley took a lot of pictures at Aaron’s Thursday night party and has more photos in his appreciation of the symposium. PaleoHacks has a thread for pictures from […]

  43. Jolly on August 10, 2011 at 11:56

    1000 photos, cut down to 234.
    Facebook Day 1:
    Facebook Day 2:
    Flickr: – http://www.flickr.com/photos/ajolly/sets/72157627398946770/

    Let me know if anyone needs a photographer 🙂

    -Jolly

  44. Toppmötet, Ancestral Health Symposium | Primalisten on August 11, 2011 at 08:12

    […] Hunt Gather Love Nomnompaleo (1) (2) Paul Jaminet, Perfect Health Diet Patrick Riley, Big Think Richard Nikoley, Free the Animal (1) (2) (3) (4) Roger Dickerman Stephan Guyenet, Whole Health Source (1) (2) The Paleo […]

  45. World's Best Beef Jerky | Free The Animal on August 16, 2011 at 14:42

    […] flavor — 3 oz. in total — which I devoured in the wee hours while unable to sleep, drafting the my first on scene post of the AHS11 […]

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