You don’t have to have a stroke to get brain damage. This podcast deals with concussion and CTE. I’m posting this here because I’m very interested in brain science and brain damage. It’s amazing to me how many ways there are to damage the brain and just how similar each type of damage is. Weather it’s a stroke, brain tumor, or heading a soccer ball every day, there are striking similarities in the way the damage affects the person. This is a long video, over an hour, so watch as much as you want, I won’t be offended. I found this to be a fascinating conversation, especially when Heather Berlin gets to speak.
Tag: sports
Boxing fans should be paying attention to the news. Putin should put up or shut up.
So, if you’ve been with me since March of 2012,you might recall a post I wrote entitled the sweet science in which I confess my love of heavyweight boxing. This post includes an image that is very interesting today, politically.
As I’m sure you know, Russia has attacked Ukraine. And as I found out this morning that the mayor of the largest city in the Ukraine, Kiev is someone known to me, in Canada as one of the world’s best heavyweight title holders. Ironically, I was recently wondering what ever happened to the Klitschko Brothers and it turns out that one of them is the mayor of Kiev. Here he is in his official mayoral portrait,
And here he is with his brother as I very fondly remember them
If we could choose the ones doing the fighting. Klitschko vs Putin is a fight I’d pay to see. Man to man. Gloves off!
Watch “Reefer Madness: The Science of Marijuana with Neil deGrasse Tyson and Dr. Staci Gruber” on YouTube
Those of you who have been paying attention know that this is an important conversation in my life. I currently eat a 55 mg thc gummy daily to combat chronic pain. Which, for me, works far better than the opiates that they gave me in hospital. Unfortunately, they don’t get me high, but being pain free for hours is a high all of its own.
Put up or shut up. The best war ever.
Canadian Members of Parliament, Justin Trudeau and Patrick Brazeau boxing for charity.
Someone once suggested that, instead of sending young men and women to war, we should round up all of the world leaders, put them in a field somewhere and let them duke it out among themselves. Sadly, this suggestion, while a good one, won’t solve the issue that war is profitable. The above photo is from a boxing match that took place last year between Canadian MPs Justin Trudeau and Patrick Brazeau. This match raised $230,000 for Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation. If this kind of cash can be raised with just one local match lasting just 2 and a half rounds that didn’t even air on pay per view, imagine how much could be earned by a world leader boxing tournament.
We could separate the world into 4 quadrants, using the equator and the International date line as our lines in the sand. Each quadrant would have their leaders fight each other until there were two winning fighters left, then both leaders would enter the quarter final round, boxing the winning rulers from other quadrants until there were just 4 heads of state left to enter the semi finals, then the winning 2 would fight each other in the final match for all the marbles. The United Nations could oversee the matches and negotiate the terms that each match would be fought over… free trade, oil etc. I can just see Don King salivating at the thought of all those dollar signs.
Putin the Punisher.
I would pay big bucks to see Vladimir Putin taking on Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey or Angela Merkel taking the piss out of David Cameron. In North America, it would be a tough call for the Vegas odds makers between Barack Obama, Steven Harper (the commonwealth countries would have to put up their heads of government, though it would be funny to see the Queen in the ring with her crown and knighting sword!) and the young Mexican president, Enrique Peña Nieto. Every country would participate, except, of course, Switzerland, who would get an automatic bye.
Of course, we’d need an undercard. What better way to whet our appetites than to have the religious leaders of the world (aka the other war mongers) beat each other senseless?
I would be glued to my sofa to see this guy,
pounding on this guy.
The election of a new Pope would sure be a different proposition if he had to put up his dukes.
Terry Crews as the American President in the movie Idiocracy
This might really separate the cowards who hide behind 18 year old kids, doing their dirty work for them from the real leaders who are willing to get punched in the face for their convictions. Unfortunately, we would likely end up with a world akin to the one in the movie, Idiocracy where we elect the strongest and not the smartest, although its not like the smartest are in power now, so maybe it wouldn’t be so different after all.
Good news and bad news for women at the 2012 Olympics
I don’t generally pay much attention to the Olympic Games. For me, it seems like a lot of money spent on an event that could bring the world together, but instead creates yet even more nationalistic behavior. This time around, however is a different story. The feminist in me is thrilled to see history (her-story) being made. This year marks the first time that all the attending countries have women athletes competing. This is a particularly encouraging step for women in Arab countries.
Saudi Arabia has two women in the games. Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani in judo and 800-meter runner Sarah Attar.
Sarah Attar
Wodjan Ali Seraj Abdulrahim Shahrkhani
Qatar has one competing woman, a swimmer by the name of Nada Mohammed Wafa.
Nada Mohammed Wafa
Even Brunei has entered a female athlete with runner/hurdler Maziah Mahusin.
Maziah Mahusin
There are women from every imaginable background in London this year. One of the most inspirational and controversial has got to be Malaysian shooter, Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi who is eight months pregnant. Sadly, she recently ended her bid for the gold when she finished 34th in the qualifying rounds.
Nur Suryani Mohamed Taibi
Yes, it seems women are making great strides in sports, a field once dominated by men and this is a wonderful thing. But just so women worldwide don’t forget that we are, first and foremost, objects to be lusted after, Yahoo Sports posted an article praising the Dutch women’s field hockey team for being the best looking female athletes at the Olympics… complete with photo gallery. Now I expect men to notice a pretty woman, but to make this a news story is just plain insulting. Yes, it’s another case of one step forward, two hundred years back. If you want to read what the yahoos at Yahoo have to say on the subject, click here
I wish every woman at this year’s Olympic Games the very best of luck in their respective competitions and say to them, thank you for inspiring the next generation.
As Canadian as Hockey
With Canada Day fast approaching, I have decided that this week will be Canada week. Each day I will blog about something or someone distinctly Canadian.
What is more Canadian than hockey?
Team Canada 2010 celebrates Olympic gold
Hockey is such a big part of the fabric of our society. All year long on suburban streets throughout the country you will hear the cries kids saying, “Car!” and “Game on!” as they play street hockey, fantasizing that they will one day be playing for real on the ice.
The NHL has more players from Canada than any other country. So much so that it is not sacrilegious to root for an American team because they are all filled with Canadian players. The Canadian men’s national ice hockey team (or Team Canada) has won more Olympic gold medals than any other country with a total of 8. Yes hockey is a point of pride in Canada.
Hockey players are treated like kings here. Little boys across the country grew up idolizing men like Gordie Howe, Bobby Hull, Mario Lemieux and of course, the Great One, Wayne Gretzky.
Wayne Gretzky
Even the Canadian restaurant chain, Tim Horton’s was started by a hockey player… Tim Horton played for 22 seasons in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs, the New York Rangers, the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Buffalo Sabres.
Tim Horton in 1965
So here’s to hockey, our national pastime. I can think of no one better suited to end this post than Canadian country and folk singer Stompin’ Tom Connors singing the Hockey Song.
The sweet science
Lennox Lewis
I’m a woman who enjoys a well aged single malt scotch (neat, in a chilled glass), a Cohiba cigar and watching a heavyweight title fight. Most sports bore me, but there’s something about the pugilistic arts that speaks to me on a primal level. It’s a sport that doesn’t run around after a ball on a grassy field. Boxing takes place in a smoke-filled, indoor arena where two well muscled, sweat soaked men beat each other senseless for the blood thirsty crowd.
It’s the heavyweight boxers that capture my attention most, but I have a lot of respect for boxers who can win in multiple weight classes like Bernard Hopkins, Roy Jones Jr., and Oscar De La Hoya.
Bernard Hopkins
Roy Jones Jr.
Oscar De La Hoya
I remember seeing Muhammad Ali fight when I was a little girl. To this day I can’t recall who his opponent was. Ali had so much charisma in the ring. His footwork and speed were unparalleled for man his size. he may have been arrogant in interviews, but I suppose it was tough not to be when you can back it up like he could.
Muhammad Ali
Over the last 20 or so years, boxing has been the only sport I look forward to watching.
In the 1990’s I rooted for Evander Holyfield, “The Real Deal” is still the only 4 time heavyweight champion to this day. I liked his style in and out of the ring. He was a boxer, not a brawler. Built on talent and not on hype. His behavior was that of a sportsman and a gentleman, even as he was pummeling his opponent.
Evander Holyfield
In this millennium, there have been some stand outs as well. I love watching the Klitschko brothers in the ring. Both Vitali and Wladimir are awesome sights to behold. Add to that, they made history by being the only brothers to hold all of the World Heavyweight Titles collectively. Also, they’re pretty easy on the eyes.
The Klitschko Brothers
My all time favourite boxer is a career athlete and, in my opinion, the most interesting to watch, Lennox Lewis. A true student of the sport, Lewis is one of only 3 boxers to retire with no unavenged defeats. Watching him in the ring was like watching a master at work. He was a chameleon in that he could alter his style in order to best beat his opponent, which made him almost impossible to defeat. Lennox Lewis came off as a real fan of boxing from the beginning of his career right up til the end in 2004. You could tell he really loved every minute of every fight.
So that’s a little bit more about me. Atheist, Feminist, Single, Childless, Drag Lover, Occasional Scotch Drinker and Cigar Smoker and Boxing fan.