Big Fat Arse Sugar Management

Crazy science for amazing discoveries

Scientific research is almost an obscure activity with reclusive scientists in their clandestine laboratories or backyard garages working on some mad idea that would not survive public scrutiny if discussed at the onset.

Meanwhile, someone somewhere has to sponsor these seemingly hare-brain activities which might first yield a “Eureka” moment and then possibly something beneficial to humankind whilst having some other venture capitalist laughing all the way to the bank having taken an almost incalculable risk that has now come good.

How to keep us breathing in health

An area of research that would never stop is that which pertains to battling diseases that affect us and which sometimes includes experimentation with animals – this for some is unfortunate but for all that we can humanely do to manage the suffering of animals the breakthroughs would eventually benefit both that species of animals and the human race.

I do not see anything wrong with animal testing in the main because the testing of those processes on human beings would elicit greater ethical and legal issues that could become insurmountable.

This is however my opinion, many might disagree with it; that is their prerogative but I would not entertain commentary that becomes disagreeable on this matter.

Animal skin in leather and fur

To put this is context Karl Lagerfeld [1] brings balance to another dimension of animal usage where there is the entire clamour about the use of fur but none about leather shoes, handbags and all other leather goods which are still animal skin but with the hair shaved off.

He goes on to deal with the matter of the few size 0 models in relation to a society that is full of obese and overweight people – obviously, those with vested interests would wail about animal cruelty and role models which again is their prerogative but they do need a wider perspective to the issues rather than their narrow agendas that they purvey.

One should not deny them the fundamentalism and fanaticism of their passionate causes; the will to live might desert them if they cannot bellow from the hilltops, wave their placards with fervour and make appearances on television as “rent-a-soundbite” experts.

However, I detest the way their ability to make noise about their causes visits the menace of the minority on the more tolerant majority whose concerns are rather more mundane and probably more serious as we devote our time to our responsible activities in everyday life.

Big bottom diabetes prevention

Now the rolling gait of African women has its attraction to a particular kind of African man – in Nigeria, certain ladies have to reside in fattening houses to be ready for marriage.

I have sometimes wondered how these women have been able to handle these humongous backsides without the need for radical hip replacement surgery after a while – I have considered this look rather unhealthy.

So imagine my amusement with scientists who have given rats dodo-butts and found out that shifting the fat from around the stomach to having a big backside helps prevent diabetes [2].

I have my doubts about the benefits of having a big backside and being free of diabetes and otherwise going from my comments about the rolling dawdling gait which might just be what tips the scales to a point where the springs break.

What is even more incredible is how the thinking of the scientists involved was able to link big arse cultivation to sugar management in the body – that is the madness of science and the genius of new ideas.

Now imagine conducting such tests on a human-being and realise that there might just be a point in some animal testing.

Sources

[1] Karl Lagerfeld defends fur industry saying 'beasts' would kill us if we didn't kill them – The Daily Telegraph

[2] Having a large bottom could help protect against diabetes claims study – The Daily Telegraph

Thought Picnic: Our Truth

Introduction

A friend once commented that I have a way of making a deep analysis of very simple issues – maybe it is a foible, but true to that observation I have decided to start a topical blog called – Thought Picnic – You get a brainwave and suddenly decide to go out into nature with a picnic basket of snacks and fellowship whilst admiring the beauty of nature.

The Thought Picnic visits the imponderable, sometimes it would admire thoughts, thinking or ideas but then there are times when it would all seem incredible, astonishing, amazing and downright outrageous – but that is a matter of opinion, not necessarily fact.

My first Thought Picnic appears below, it does not follow my stricter attribution system but all references are fully acknowledged with the text.

Lying to the truth

George Michael wrote in his song, Freedom – “All we have to do is take these lies and make them true, somehow”.

We find ourselves in a situation that we cannot trust that we are hearing or reading the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth.

Your opinions against the facts

Sadly, we are caught in a war of opinions about all sorts of issues which is fine and we have Senator Moynihan to thank for saying, “You are entitled to your own opinion but you not entitled to your own facts.”

What then is fact and what is fiction? Who documents the facts, who verifies the facts and who publishes those facts?

Those are the difficult questions and this is not helped by a comment that gives this blog its title; made by an Israeli representative this afternoon about their YouTube uploads showing their precision targeting in one of the most densely populated areas in the world.

“We are showing the world our truth”, she said – that elicited a wry smile from me, but truth has become a commodity to be managed and traded by those who can control access to the raw data that is gathered together to make up the body of facts.

The truth in the grist mill of propaganda

That way you find that journalists are not allowed in Gaza as the defence, retaliation, discipline, containment, war, massacre, carnage or genocide depending on which opinion of the facts appeals to you most from how each side wants you to view the situation.

And so we find that governments are unable in the main to tell the truth and so they repackage it for consumption and for those who do not bother to research beyond the headlines; who do not seek the facts, the detail behind the facts and whose agenda is being promoted; they are the sponges for what is conveniently called propaganda.

They are at pains to offer a perspective that is almost plausible but sounds so hollow to any right-thinking person who applies commonsense to the issue, it makes you cringe.

If I may, propaganda is the manufacture of a perspective to obfuscate the facts in order to create a truth of what is usually blatantly a lie, just because someone somewhere does not believe we can handle the truth – the resources required to maintain the machinery of propaganda is unwieldy.

Fact or perspective?

But in the game that juxtaposes fact against fiction and truth against opinion the big battles for the mind and elicitation of support for each position then becomes.

Almost 400 Palestinians have died in Israel’s precision targeting of Hamas infrastructure in probably the most densely populated place in the world whilst 4 Israelis have died as a result of Hamas’ imprecise and random home-made missiles falling on Israeli border towns - what is the significance of the numbers of the dead and people killed compared to the effectiveness of each campaign?

Is Palestine a worthwhile cause in the face of the purported defence of Israel against terrorism, the walls being built, the settlements that thrive or the supposed aggression of Israel against Palestinians in Gaza?

Is Hamas a legitimate democratic choice of the Palestinians or the pariah of terrorism as seen by the West?

Are the problems of Zimbabwe caused by white rule or black rule?

Should there be a free press including complete Western access to all issues, events and people in Zimbabwe and would this depict the whole truth?

Is the government of Sudan justified in crushing the rebels in Darfur?

Do your research

There are many questions and what suffers in finding answers to these questions is the way the opinions get in the way of the facts, the truth suffers for the portrayal of a preferred lie and the most disgrace propaganda tools are deployed in the process of presenting a manufactured view as news.

The old saying avers that all that glitters is not gold, but if we do not scratch the surface we would have paid for something that is probably completely worthless – it is incumbent on every consumer of information to objectively seek the facts and peel off the veneer of news and opinion to get at the truth – Do not be sold on everything that seems to agree with your pre-disposed sentiment.

Viewing Vienna through New Year's music

Compelling entertainment

One tradition I try to maintain at the New Year is watching the Das Neujahrskonzert der Wiener Philharmoniker [1] which translates from German to the New Year’s Concert performed by the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra.

The music is traditionally classical and mainly features the compositions of the Strauss family, however, this year [2] is the 200^th anniversary of Joseph Haydn’s [3] death and so some of his pieces were performed.

Conducting for peace

The orchestra usually has a guest conductor and the maestro for 2009 was Daniel Barenboim [4] an Argentine-Israeli with additional citizenships of Palestine and Spain who has worked tirelessly for the unified purpose of getting Israelis and Palestinians to work together especially through music.

He conducted one piece in the second session where one-by-one the orchestra left till he only had one player to conduct – interesting how the music maintained its context through what looked like a walk-out predicated by a strike.

The ticket

Tickets for these concerts are like gold dust and only be applied for [5] over a period of three weeks in January for the concert taking place the next year.

Prices could range up to 930 Euros, I just find a good television from where to watch it, and it is just as engaging until I befriend one of those aristocratic Austrian families who might invite me to their box.

Although not included in the programme [6, PDF], the traditional Blue Danube [7] and the participatory Radetzky March [8] were performed to great aplomb at the end.

They say the DVD would be out by the 12^th of January, I should be entertaining myself to one very soon.

Sources

[1] Vienna New Year's Concert - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[2] Barenboim and Haydn to premiere at Vienna New Year's concert

[3] Joseph Haydn - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[4] Daniel Barenboim - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

[5] Drawing for Tickets for the New Year's Concert 2010

[6] Neujahrskonzert 2009 [PDF]

[7] YouTube - Herbert von Karajan conducts The Blue Danube Waltz

[8] YouTube - Johann Strauss - Radetzky March - Abbado Vienna 1991

2009 neatly follows 2008

Noah’s Ark floats

The old year rolled away as the new rolled in like day follows day except for the auspiciousness that we confer on times, days and seasons.

In fact, in the 83 or so days in all that I have spent on Gran Canaria, we had the most rain ever just 2 days ago, it was like we would be needing Noah’s Ark but which 2 homo sapiens sapiens would be allowed on.

This island has no contingency for rain, every activity is to capture the fun in the sun to the maximum extent that when the rain comes, everything literally grinds to a halt.

To be honest, the island needs the water, the reservoirs are very low and resorting to desalination is not the cheapest water management option.

However, I felt sorry for the mini-golf circuits dotted all around the island, they are all water-logged filled to the brim with water in awkward shaped bowls – I offered to do an rain dance but weather sense prevailed, the sun came out yesterday.

Eat and drink to excess

The hotel had prepared a gala dinner for Saint Sylvester [1] which is the German celebration of New Year’s Eve, if I had paid attention the festivities programme that runs from the 22^nd of December up until the 6^th of January, I would have noticed that a 5-course dinner had been arranged all from a set menu of meals and wine apart from a grand buffet of deserts.

I have never thought myself able to see through a 5-course dinner, but I did well with this.

Earlier in the day, I had to book a table for the night’s entertainment and had tro decide if I wanted to lose just an arm or an arm and a leg – I went for the arm and that was the difference between being served Möet & Chandon Brut or Dom Pérignon champagne – considering I am hardly a fan of bubbly because it just goes straight to my head, I had a glass and really had to invite others to share when the New Year’s toast was made.

Grapes turning sour

Spanish have tradition of eating 12 grapes at the strike of the midnight hour when the New Year is ushered in with a wish for every grape, I could hardly keep up with the count but it was raucous enough.

One had to spare a thought for those who had to wait that interminably eternal extra second [2] added to the last minute of the year in London as the earth is slowing down though much as the economy and much else is slowing down we all will soon be back in that rat race that breaks speed limits with impunity. The leap second to end the leap year.

Later on a grumpy guest came round to wish me a happy new year, which was kid enough and then he launched into the tirade about the fun being excessive.

I told him, a good number of the people revelling probably work a good 50 or more weeks, they are leaders in their different professions and if they choose one week to be debauched with respectable restraint, I could not begrudge them. In fact, I am all for people knowing how to play hard having worked hard.

The man has to learn to “chill” as they say in parlance I do not find familiar in my kind of expression, I was almost too glad that he was leaving back for home the next day – we cannot afford to have such killjoys about when we have come out for fun.

Canticles of fiery praise

If anything, I miss the New Year’s Eve church services I used to attend in Nigeria, as Anglicans we burst into canticles singing praise at the turn of the year, every bit as fun without turning into a seeming Old Testament Jewish orgy that characterises a number of other denominations nowadays.

We walked out onto the terrace to watch the fireworks, my hotel having the license to close off the promenade and viewing area that leads unto the dunes – the whole spectacular show ended with a firework display that spelt out Riu Maspalomas 2009.

Out with the old and in with the new, the New Year has come – Have a Happy New Year.

Sources

[1] Tradition of Sylvester, or New Year's Eve - German Culture

[2] BBC NEWS | Science & Environment | New Year to arrive a tick later