Men Are The Weaker Sex

The males in the insect world are mere bit players. Prized only for their sperm, most males, especially in species sporting elegant social hierarchies like bees and ants, are dispensable members and are woefully equipped to live long, healthy lives.

Ironically, in humans, occupying the upper echelon of evolution, the same thing can also be said. 

In this article by Alice Shabecoff, she says that human males have built-in biological triggers which make us more prone to environmental abuse and more susceptible to diseases and/or disorders.

As she aptly concludes:

While not forgoing the push for fairness and equality, it seems wise to accept the scientific reality of male weaknesses. This likely won’t mean the end of men, but their vulnerability to environmental contaminants and diseases could have serious ramifications for the future of the entire human race unless we find ways to protect them from harm.

Ouch. That last part feels emasculating. 

You can read the rest of the article here.

How Not To Get Drunk

This isn't a secret anymore. I do drink. In fact, I wrote about it sometime ago. I've also had my share of hangovers (two to be exact) and I'm not proud of each one. 

On a positive note, I make sure that I never get drunk. I always drink lots of water beforehand, eat a proper meal, and regulate my pacing at all times.

Thankfully, there's another tip I can add to my list. This tip involves ingesting a small amount of active dry yeast before drinking and was brought to me courtesy of an article by Aaron Goldfarb:

"You wanna know my secret? How I can drink beer all night long and never get drunk?" 

In fact, I had always wondered that. Though this was the first time I’d ever formally met Koch, I’d “met” him in the past at a few beer festivals. Those sorts of events are always kind of Bacchanalian shit shows, with people imbibing dozens of beer samples in a short period and soon stumbling around large convention halls drunk of their asses. Brewers included. But not Koch, who I’d long noticed was always lucid, always able to hold court, and hold his own with those much younger than him. This billionaire brewing raconteur was doing likewise with me at 4 PM on a Thursday afternoon despite the fact we were both now several beers deep. So what was the secret?

“Yeast!”

“Yeast?”

“Active yeast. Like you get at the grocery store.”

Koch told me that for years he has swallowed your standard Fleischmann’s dry yeast before he drinks, stirring the white powdery substance in with some yogurt to make it more palatable.

“One teaspoon per beer, right before you start drinking.”

You can read the rest of the article here. It also shows you the scientific reason why.

The Feast

I finally attended the Feast.

Sir Chris, a colleague, invited me yesterday to join them at the CAP Auditorium. Although I was part of another community, I honored the invitation to see the Light of Jesus (the group organizing the Feast) in action.

I don't know if this was the flow for every event but we did start off with a mass. After which came the talk which, in turn, was followed by a praise and worship session.

When I first stepped inside the function hall, I was surprised by how few of us were there. The venue could accommodate around two hundred people but only fifty were around that night. It was also evident that the people who were there didn't know the entire group, preferring to huddle closely with their friends or families. I was a stranger, with no companion, so I opted to occupy an entire row by myself and observe the rest.

What impressed me the most about the Feast was their music ministry. It totally brought back memories of my Youth For Christ days. The Light of Jesus community in CAP featured capable singers and musicians with complete band equipment to boot. I've said back in the past that music indeed plays a very big role in evangelizing and the music ministry delivered that night. The songs were new and really apt for praise and worship. The worship leader and the band had flow and were never disjointed. Plus, the guitarist shredding it at several moments was pretty cool too. Hands down, the music ministry made it very conducive to praise and worship God.

I was also amazed at the speaker, Eric. The guy had charisma and delivered his talk with smiles all through out. Though the content of his talk was intentionally watered down (he described the mass using pop culture references which, I believe, still failed to encapsulate the richness of the Eucharist), he delivered it with such fervor that his enthusiasm was infectious.

All in all, it was a great experience and perhaps lit a fire or two inside me. God willing, I may be back again for the next session. To Him be the glory always.

BIR Versus Doctors

I know I'm really late but I'm writing this anyway. 

Today, the BIR's shame campaign to compel doctors to pay the right taxes may have run its course. 

Several weeks back, columnists have already castigated the BIR for what they think are hugely unjustified attacks against medical professionals. Doctors have also weighed in, condemning the campaign as putting every doctor under a bad light.

But, first, I'll share a story. 

The Month That Was

Last year, the Brooklyn Nets struggled during the first part of the season. Kevin Garnett, the team’s outspoken All-Star, had this to say about that: “November was a shitty year for us.”

To some extent, I can say the same thing about April.

No, it wasn’t that bad. But April wasn’t good to me either. Many things didn’t go my way and it seemed that I was caught in quicksand.

I’m not elaborating on this since this isn’t the best time to expound. But I’m also grateful for the blessings, however meager, I’ve received for April.

Among these blessings, the best is the gift of hope. Despite the past month, I feel that things are looking up, that perhaps things aren’t as bad as they seem to be. That alone is a cause for celebration.