I’ve experimented with beatboxing ever since I was a little kid. I am nothing short of amazing, but I simply cannot compare to Japan’s Daichi. This kid is extremely creepy. However, he’s one of the best I’ve ever seen.
The following is an interesting and slightly horrifying article by Dr. Emily Willingham, Assistant Professor at St. Edward’s University. It’s something to read and ponder for any person who experiences flushing reponse to alcohol consumption.
“Just about every drug or toxin we ingest must pass through our liver before it goes anywhere else in the body. This “first-pass” metabolism takes the drug through the hepatic portal, where important enzymes await the most recognizable compounds, such as alcohol, and disable them to the best of their ability. When it comes to alcohol, one enzyme in particular can make or break the liver’s effectiveness. This enzyme, aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2), is responsible for metabolizing a breakdown product of alcohol, aldehyde. Too much aldehyde is toxic, so if the compound accumulates, the body will respond accordingly.
What is accordingly? I once worked with a man who found out the hard way. He was preparing to defend his dissertation in graduate school and thought it would be entertaining to spike the refreshments he had brought with some vodka. But one of the members of his committee almost immediately had a negative response to the spiked refreshment, becoming violently ill. Needless to say, the dissertation defense did not go all that well.
That committee member was of East Asian descent. East Asians—from China, Japan, and Korea—are far more likely to have that kind of a response to consuming alcohol. The reason is that about a third of the population carry a gene for ALDH2 that doesn’t work right—it encodes an inactive protein that does not break down aldehyde. For people who carry two genes coding the inactive form, their response to even a little bit of alcohol is like that of the man on my colleague’s dissertation committee. In other words, throwing up.
But for some people, only one copy of the gene encodes an inactive protein, and the other codes a perfectly good ALDH2. These folks do react to alcohol consumption, primarily with cheeks flushed bright red, a rapid heartbeat, and maybe a bit of nausea. In time, however, many people with this response continue drinking and build up a tolerance to the aldehydes that accumulate. In fact, some of them become heavy drinkers. And that may be the most dangerous scenario of all.
The reason is that researchers have recently identified a strong link between the flushing response to alcohol consumption and esophageal cancer, more specifically squamous cell carcinoma of the esophagus. This malignancy is one of the most deadly worldwide, with five-year survival rates of 35% in Japan, 16% in the United States, and only around 12% in Europe. Those rates indicate the number of people still alive five years after diagnosis. Looked at another way, 88% of people in Europe who receive a diagnosis of esophageal cancer will be dead in five years. Now we know there is a simple biomarker—probably one of the simplest ever detected—for identifying this risk: a red face after drinking alcohol.
One of the main risk factors for this cancer is smoking, but alcohol is also a known risk factor. What researchers previously did not know was that in people who carry a deficient ALDH2 gene and drink a couple of beers a day, the risk of esophageal cancer increases by as much as 10 times. As one researcher put it, “That’s a pretty serious risk.” Usually, the fold-increase in risk is not as dramatic because something with that level of risk would be more obvious, a raging mutagen like X rays.
The irony is that this recent research suggests that identifying this risk is obvious. Doctors don’t have to sequence a person’s genes to determine which variant of ALDH2 they carry. All they have to do is give the patient about half a beer. If the telltale bright red flush appears, that’s a sign that the person is a carrier of the inactive form of the protein. More important, that’s a strong signal that the person should try to avoid drinking alcohol altogether. It they must continue to drink, researchers have calculated that in a population of Japanese men carrying one inactive ALDH2, limiting their alcohol consumption to fewer than nine drinks a week would prevent 53% of the cancers that would develop if they drank more.”
All people are entitled to their own opinion. It’s the beauty of free will. You can secretly hate everyone you meet because their eyes are too far spaced apart. It doesn’t matter because it’s all in your head. A problem generally arises, however, when those words become audible gifts to the rest of humanity. Once you cross that threshold, you’ve entered a new realm of right and wrong. Despite our country-given right to freedom of speech, some tend to omit discretion when vocalizing personal thoughts. Speech before thought is a terribly chronic disease that plagues so many people. One such ailment is Advice.
I have always viewed advice (and more importantly, the act of giving personal advice) as an individual’s personal and verbal recollection of an event in their life. These history lessons are often presented when the individual feels that their personal experience is similar to one that is currently facing another person. The story teller feels the need to bestow this empirical wisdom with the hope that it may shed light on an otherwise dark situation.
It’s important to remember that people often seek advice for a multitude of reasons. Sharing experiences with someone who can empathize is a comforting human element. Some types of advice are absolutely crucial (i.g. legal, financial). After all, we can’t live our life without various forms of help along the way. What about advice on personal decisions? Where do I go to school? What do I want to do with my life? Who do I want to be with for the rest of my life? How relevant is your advice to another person with regards to their future?
I cannot figure out what possesses a person to truly believe that one size fits all. How does one come to the conclusion that, “because it worked for me, it can and will work for you”? I understand the unwritten duty of family and friends with regards to the well-being of a loved one. In the end, however, you make your own decisions. There is virtually no way to make someone do anything…even with a gun to their head.
I suppose it’s important to mention that I choose to hate forms of advice that come regardless of request. You should certainly try to help if someone is coming to you for guidance on a personal problem. I would only request that you preface the advice with a cautionary statement about how it might not work exactly as it did for you. I take issue when someone chooses to impose their thoughts and wisdom. How can you “care” for someone if you would rather get something off your chest than allow them to live their own life? I have yet to meet someone with prophetic insight or pure omniscience. I would imagine that kind of person can give any advice her or she desires. You and I cannot see the future. I dare say that your advice is one of many possible options, but it is not THE option. Those who cannot grasp that concept are destined for a very frustrating life. There are times that you have to let the person get burned to know that the stove is hot.
When it comes to giving advice on a person’s future, your guess is as good as mine. You are merely speculating if you attempt to direct a person based on precedents that shaped your life. We are all free to listen to ourselves speak. Some people love it more than others, but it’s our right. I just ask that you remember one thing: You do not truly know what you are talking about. It’s impossible.
(My apologies to any prophets who actually do know what they are talking about because THEY CAN SEE THE FUTURE)
I digress. Now bring the storm…
I am convinced that I am 80% more effective at my job when I have Channel Live sparking Mad Izms in my ear. That percentage goes down a bit if Kanye accidentally slips a verse in somewhere. The point is that I listen to music for about 60% of my day. I’ve exhausted my iTunes library, been a Slacker, and done the Pandora thing. Those and countless other options are tentative fixes. However, my recent discovery of Songza has further proved the existence of a higher being.
http://songza.com/ is beautiful and genius. Simply search for any song or any artist. You will be given a list of results that vary between videos (shaded in white) and songs (shaded in yellow). Select a song, click play, and enjoy. That’s it! If you sign up for an account (free of charge or gimmick), you can save your play list! I have yet to be unable to find a song, and I have certainly tested the database.
How is it legal you ask? Here is what Songza has to say:
Songza pays the major performing rights organizations (ASCAP, BMI,
SESAC), who then pay the publishers and songwriters in proportion to the number of plays they get on Songza. YouTube.com
and imeem, the sources of the music played by Songza, pay the sound recording owners.
It seems that everyone wins. Now they just need an iPhone app…
I have never been relieved of my duties by any former employer. I have certainly gone through lengthy periods of unemployment and government-classified poverty, but those situations were of my own making. I have even quit jobs for various reasons. However, our horrible economic decline plus recent news of my company’s initiative to downsize has lead me to face this reality (and throw up profusely).
I can only imagine that the initial impact is something horrible and completely distressing. Many people hate their jobs. There is just something disturbing about having to spend 9 hours of your day doing something quasi against your will. Still, most of the time it’s not that bad (especially when faced with the alternative). Furthermore, it pays the bills and keeps you off the street. So although one’s new found unemployment may remedy the “job hating” situation; it adds about 50 new shitty situations.
I would like to think that I would not be completely crippled by such news, but there is really no way to tell. California is a ridiculously expensive state. I’d be hard-pressed to make something happen AS-freaking-AP. Of course, it seems the 1.3 million people who have been laid off this year are in the same boat. I guess some people lay down and die while others make shit happen. Hopefully I don’t have to find out which of those categories I fall in.
I hear it now: “Be thankful you still have a job, stop stressing, and shut the hell up!”
I’m just saying…
Dear Kyle,
I’m sorry to hear about losing your stuff. I know things will be rough on you without your 360 and that guitar you never played. I regret to inform you, however, that I’ll have to decline your request for retribution. Besides, casting these individuals in the fires of hell is not quite “eye for an eye”. Perhaps I’ll consider striking them down with some kind of affliction.
In that vein, do you think you might want to consider taking up new hobbies? I gave this world alcohol for celebration and praise, but certainly not for swimming in. I admire your tolerance, but perhaps a bottle a night is a bit much. I think you also might want to reconsider this new “gun-toting” thing. I’m just saying…that’s all. You’ve stopped the different variations of smoke inhalation; so I guess that something. Oh, by the way, ABSOLUTELY NOT! You know what I am talking about. I will personally turn you in to a street sign if you proceed any further.
How did you like that earthquake the other day? I get bored sometimes, and I just have to shake things up (and Yes, pun intended). You should probably get earthquake insurance because I’ve got a few special ones lined up…oh wait, you have nothing to insure (sorry). Anyhow, keep your chin up and all that stuff. At least you’ve got a job….for now.
Palabra,
G to the O-D
