While Indiana was getting reamed, nothing else happened in the NCAA!
Few tilts have spoken to us at this point; conference play has only been hinted at, and, frankly, it’s still hot as hell and hard to believe anyone is padding up for scrimmage already. That said, we have results from another week . . . but, sadly, no news whatsoever.
Week Three Most OverRated Football Program Results
1 Utah annihilated who-knew-there-was-an Idaho State
2 Florida escaped a solid Kentucky with a fourth quarter resurgence
3 Notre Dame flexed their way past New Mexico
4 Auburn curb-stomped Joe Walsh (the rocker) alma mater Kent State
5 Boise St galloped past alphabet people’s studies heavyweight Portland State
5 Oregon mauled the Montana Grizzlies
7 Texas beat Rice for the 70th or 80th time
8 Georgia bravely blanked the Fighting Osteopaths of Arkansas State
8 Clemson took it to formerly over-rated Syracuse
8 Oklahoma handled winless UCLA
So there’s just nothing in the way of take-downs to high five anyone over.
Off topic: Penn State almost got shown up at home by Pitt.
Not rated and not worth mentioning: The University of Tennessee bulldozed an University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, but no copyrighting was attempted. Reportedly, 1996 third round 49er draft pick Terrell Owens watched every snap over popcorn.
So we await next Saturday’s scrums with few changes to the OverRated other than the odd addition.
Week N + 1 Most OverRated Football Programs
1 Utah must run a gauntlet of 20-ish rated PAC8, 10, or 12 teams
2 Cal same as Utah, must endure hellish, SEC-like conference; welcome!
3 Iowa escaped the Cyclones; welcome to our list, latest national sweetheart
4 Washington St re-enters the list; Houston was much tighter than the score shows
5 Florida may live up to their vaunted spot . . . but has not yet
5 Notre Dame must put up or shut up at Athens; somebody’s gotta lose that game
5 UCF might well run the tables and get to a very nice bowl
5 Georgia would be humiliated by a loss to the Irish ‘twixt the hedges
9 Clemson can only screw up; anything shy of perfection is unacceptable
9 Oklahoma is solid and should have a thoroughly nice season
11 Oregon PAC10 anybody as the best cage match this fall anywhere?
11 Auburn starts a grueling, PAC8-worthy loop through neighbors and cousins
11 Boise St can’t fail in the regular season unless they lay an egg somewhere
14 Texas has a comfy few weeks until the Red River rivalry resumes
Year to Date Hides on the Wall Ratings
1 Stanford was revealed by USC
2 Syracuse was unranked after Maryland
3 Iowa State was dethroned before their decent showing against Iowa
4 Texas probably over-paid for losing to titan LSU
4 Texas A&M probably over-paid for losing to titan Clemson
4 Florida was ranked down after silly pre-season enthusiasm (but are back up now!)
Year to Date It-Would-Seem Blown Calls Because They’re Doing Okay
1 LSU
2 UCF
3 Michigan
4 Washington State . . . but we get another bite at this apple !
Disclosure of sources of bias: your writer has attended the University of Tennessee, Memphis State and the University of Memphis, Christian Brothers College . . . and he sleeps with an alumna of Georgia whose parents met at Washington State . . . and his son went to Houston . . . and he never met anyone from TCU he didn’t like . . . and he irrationally hates Notre Dame, UCF, Clemson, and Notre Dame.
Here’s another week’s snark from the peanut gallery as to who’s too big for their britches in the NCAA game as it is assessed and ranked and reported.
Speaking briefly of galleries instead of team rankings, we wish to note that BYU this week played in front of their fifth largest crowd ever: 92,000. We don’t wish to note that they won, taking the Vols to 0 – 2 on the year, but we do note that (our) coach Jeremy Pruitt will make $3.8M this year all the while UT continues to pay former coach Butch Jones $2.4M per year net of the fabulous $35k he was raking in last year as an analyst at Bama.
Ranking college football teams remains contentious stuff. Last week I had a fresh slate of opinions, and now there are results; let’s take a look!
Week Two Most OverRated Football Program Results
1 Iowa St our new king simply spent the weekend napping
2 Florida stomped accounting powerhouse UT Martin
3 Utah bested Northern Illinois exactly by the margin expected
3 Syracuse lost to Maryland by over forty
5 Texas lost to LSU but only to the degree we expected
5 Michigan St sent Western Michigan crying back to western Michigan
5 Georgia blasted nationally ranked normal school Murray State
8 UCF punked local directional patsy Florida Atlantic
9 Notre Dame rested up since big bad New Mexico is coming to town soon
9 Texas A&M lost to Clemson by the margin expected
9 Auburn washed over Tulane
12 Stanford lost by 25 to USC
12 Clemson see Texas A&M
12 Oklahoma destroyed doctor and lawyer mill South Dakota
12 Oregon owned Nevada
Off topic: Michigan wasn’t necessarily over-rated, so I didn’t have an opinion on them, but they notably underperformed by a baker’s dozen by edging Army by only 3. Washington was obviously over-ranked, but I completely failed to notice and so get zero credit for their loss to Cal at home.
I’m going to call Syracuse and Stanford my first hides on the wall for the year: their deep humiliations prove they had no business being ranked whatsoever. I’m also going to reclass Washington State from last week from a blown call to a small win because they were downgraded seriously (thanks: forget who pointed that out) after my call, so I really wasn’t wrong to call them over-ranked; it’s a spike, not the sort of buck one would have mounted, but the meat is going in the freezer nonetheless.
No Longer OverRated Because I was Wrong
nothing new this week
LSU from last week
Okay, the pollsters saw those games, so they have new opinions . . . so I have new opinions:
Week N + 1 Most OverRated Football Program Results
1 Utah is skyrocketing in the vacuum just because they haven’t lost
2 Florida is also buoyed in the over-ratedness by the national blandness
3 Notre Dame has a great schedule that will tell much
4 Auburn getting that undeserved SEC love?
5 Boise St joins my list of the damned
5 Oregon will play Washington St, U Wash, and USC this year
7 Texas their stock is getting much closer to right after the loss
8 Georgia continues over-loved at least a little
8 Clemson can’t be tested if they don’t play anybody
8 Oklahoma will play the Horns, but nobody else that matters
Iowa State fell completely out of the ratings, so I’ll take that as another tepid told-ya-so.
Texas A&M fell four spots and is no longer over-rated, another good call.
UCF seems to be on their way and maybe wasn’t over-rated; I’ll accept the miss on this one.
Michigan State is cooking along, so I’ll take this as another miss.
Score YTD: 4 to 3 with 10 opinions outstanding
I’ll continue to have opinions (shock!) and will heckle the AP poll in particular. Eventually the committee over at the College Football Playoff will start to publish their rankings, and we’ll then switch to heckling them.
So closes another week.
Disclosure of sources of bias: your writer has attended the University of Tennessee, Memphis State and the University of Memphis, Christian Brothers College . . . and he sleeps with an alumna of Georgia whose parents met at Washington State . . . and his son went to Houston . . . and he particularly hates Notre Dame, UCF, and Clemson.
Ranking college football teams is contentious stuff, and since I love football and math and human nature, this is one of my favorite topics.
Since I’m a jerk, I like making fun of people, and over-rating things is easy pickings. People are optimistic; they run in herds (so do lemmings), and they are bad at math and statistics. So, since figuring your own ratings takes time while poking fun at the overly optimistic is easy (sports is a target-rich zone), I just point out rankings that are likely to be too high. I’ll get some of these wrong (shrugs: so does everyone, that’s how the pointy ball bounces), but I’ll also get to point and Nelson-laugh a time or two most weeks.
To get us started, I stuck my neck out and had some opinions last week and was brave enough to put them in writing. Like most first weeks, this one didn’t tell us much, but a couple of teams failed to handle their cupcakes well.
Week Zero Most OverRated Football Program Results
1 UCF played nobody
2 Northwestern oops; see below
3 Washington St played nobody
4 Florida barely survived Miami
5 Utah did not man-handle BYU
6 Syracuse hung 24 on Liberty!
7 Iowa St edged North Iowa . . . edged!
8 Texas played nobody
8 Stanford hung 17 on Northwestern!
8 Georgia handled Vandy
11 Clemson destroyed hapless Ga Tech
11 Oklahoma was sorely tested by Houston
11 LSU played nobody
So not much news, irony, or missteps . . . as we would expect.
I honestly can’t figure out why I had an opinion about them
Northwestern: how’d they get in my list last week!? I have no idea. . . . . . let’s get back to business.
So I had a clerical error and a few insights for the first week. Since the weekend, the AP re-racked its votes and came out with a new top 25, so here’s, predictably,
Week Two Most OverRated Football Program Results
1 Iowa St how our new king is still ranked at all?
2 Florida no one will admit they were wrong yet
3 Utah they know something or I do; we can’t both be right
3 Syracuse holding steady, their news yet to come
5 Texas the Notre Dame of southwestern over-ratedness
5 Michigan St joins our list after stomping little Tulsa
5 Georgia is good, but more than two teams are even better
8 UCF opinions and facts are coming together slowly
9 Notre Dame perennially over-rated, they finally join our list
9 Texas A&M joins the list after blowing up Texas State at home
9 Auburn is suddenly slightly over-rated after defeating Oregon
12 Stanford proved enough to be somewhat less over-rated
12 Clemson it’s always easy to say the number one team is slightly over-rated
12 Oklahoma is plenty deep, solid, and might justify the hype eventually
12 Oregon got spanked in the ratings but is still barely over-rated
No Longer OverRated Because I was Wrong
LSU I think this was a brain fart, but I should have caught it so my bad
People pay close attention – maybe too close attention – to political polls for the 2020 presidential election. But you hardly ever hear about how bookmakers handicap the various candidates. The comparison is interesting.
There are two reasons why you might think the betting odds are more accurate than the polls. First, bookmakers only make money if they set their odds in the correct ratio that corresponds to the relative amount of money actually bet on each candidate. Second, people who lay real money down have a lot more at stake than someone answering a poll. Some of them might also have some inside information that the general public doesn’t have access to.
The average numbers of recent national polls listed by RealClear Politics (as of August 26) shows these percentages: Biden 27.2, Sanders 16.7, Warren 16.2, Harris 7.5, Buttigieg 4.8, O’Rourke 2.8, Booker 2.5, Yang 2.0, Gabbard 1.3, Castro 1.5, Klobuchar 1.2, Williamson 1.0. Nothing too surprising there.
But what do the bookmakers say? I found four wagering sites (BetVictor, betWay, Bovada, and NordicBet) that offered political bets and gave a good set of choices. These are all based outside the U.S. The average money lines of candidates for the Democratic nomination who were listed on all four sites were:
Elizabeth Warren, +219
Joe Biden, +244
Kamala Harris, +550
Bernie Sanders, +575
Pete Buttigieg, +1025
Andrew Yang, +1600
Tulsi Gabbard, +2625
Cory Booker, +3375
Hillary Clinton, +3875
Beto O’Rourke, +4200
Amy Klobuchar, +7000
Michelle Obama, +7000
Julian Castro, +7250
For those not familiar with money lines, that is the amount you would win if you bet 100 on that candidate. If you divide the number by 100, that is the approximate odds against them winning. For example, the odds are approximately 2.2-to-1 against Warren winning, or, alternatively, she has roughly a 1-in-3.2, or 31%, chance. I say “approximately” since the vigorish (the bookmaker’s edge) built into these payouts mean they cannot be exactly interpreted as the odds of winning.
Other candidates were not listed on all sites. Only two had lower odds than those above: Michael Bloomberg was +4000 and Andrew Cuomo +5000 on betWay. Oprah Winfrey appeared twice, at +10000 and +15000.
One major takeaway from this is that bookmakers, whose livelihood depends on having the pulse of their bettors, think that Warren, with the lowest money line, is the most likely to win, or at least that bookmakers think the betting public thinks she is most likely to win. Another is that Sanders has a smaller chance than the polls suggest. Also, Harris is much stronger, coming in just ahead of Sanders. Converting the odds to approximate win chances, the bookmakers rate Buttigieg, Yang, and Gabbard higher than the polls, while O’Rourke is even weaker than the polls show. And, of course, there is some action for Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama. For those who think that Hillary is just waiting in the wings and will be anointed as the 2020 nominee, now is your chance to profit: a $100 bet could net a profit of $3875.
Also note that the two most recent national polls (Economist/YouGov and Monmouth) have shown a shift among the top three: the averages are Biden 20.5, Sanders 19.5, and Warren 19.0); Sanders and Warren have gained at Biden’s expense. Sanders remains much stronger in the recent polls than the odds suggest. Perhaps the bettors believe that the fix will be in again against Bernie.
For the general election, the average money line was -120 for the Democratic nominee, -110 for the Republican. A negative money line is how much you have to bet to win 100. If you divide it by 100, it is approximately the odds in favor of winning. A more negative number implies being a bigger favorite, so the generic donkey is currently favored. The fact that both numbers are negative just means the bookmakers are getting their cut. Not all sites gave an Other option for the winning party; among the ones that did, the money line ranged from +2500 to +9000 (sorry Libertarians and Greens!).
One other site not included above, MyBookie, seemed out of line compared to the others. The money lines for the top four Democratic candidates there:
Biden, +300
Harris, +300
Warren, +375
Sanders, +765
Here Harris shows a lot more support than the other sites. Also, the Republican party was listed as -200 in the general election, i.e., about a 2-to-1 favorite, with the Democrats at +160 and Other at +5000. I don’t know why these are so out of line with the other sites; one would think that arbitragers would have pounced on these differing odds and brought them more in line with each other. By placing appropriately-sized bets at three different sites (Dems +160 on MyBookie, Pubs +109 on Pinnacle, and Other +2500 on Marathon), one could guarantee an 11% profit. That’s my pro-tip for the day.
The MyBookie site also had some Donald Trump specials:
Will impeachment begin by 12/31/2019? -5000 no, +1200 yes.
Will Trump resign before the end of his first term? -9000 no, +1200 yes.
Will Congress obtain Trump’s tax returns by 12/31/2019? -500 no, +300 yes.
Nothing too surprising there, as none of these are given much chance of happening. Then there’s this one:
Will Greenland become the 52nd state by the end of Trump’s second term? -140 yes, +100 no!
That’s a bit of an eye-opener, although MyBookie seems to be considering DC to be the 51st state (unless that bet needs somewhere else, like Puerto Rico, to precede Greenland to statehood). Maybe the Free State Project can change their target; Greenland’s population is about 1/24th that of New Hampshire, and should be easy to take over if it becomes a state.
It is still early, and a lot can happen between now and next year. But people who are willing to put their money where their mouth is (or at least the people who are taking that money and want to make a profit) tend to be careful with their prognostications, and my bet (!) is that the bookmaker odds are a better gauge than the political polls.
Kayaking is a fun and safe recreational activity enjoyed by people at all levels of fitness and mobility. Kayaking can be done on almost any body of liquid water, but I’m going to focus on flatwater and stillwater paddling since that is the entry point and maximum level of attainment for most people. Kayaking is a good low-impact exercise and enables fishing, nature photography, and camping. Nothing beats the relaxation of a day on the water.
The most frequent question I get from people who have never kayaked is: “Do I have to learn how to flip the boat back up?” No. Ideally you won’t turn over, but if you do you swim free. Which inevitably leads to domanda numero due: “Do I have to be strapped in?” Again, the answer is “no.” Recreational kayaks are designed for easy exit – they have large cockpit openings and ample, unobstructed under-deck space. Plus, there is a new class of sit-on-top, self-draining kayak where no part of you is enclosed at all. To complete the trifecta of answers to questions I am frequently asked by non-boaters – no, they are not as tippy as you probably think; kayaks are designed to keep your center of gravity low which stabilizes things nicely.
“The kayak was first used by the indigenous Aleut, Inuit, Yupik and possibly Ainu hunters in subarctic regions of the world.” And those dudes were totally badass hunting seals and contending with orcas in frigid waters in boats made of hide and bones. Modern kayaks are almost exclusively made of rotomolded polyethylene plastic, with a small number of specialty boats made of fiberglass or wood.
Kayakers sit with their legs stretched out ahead of them and use a two-bladed paddle; as opposed to canoeists who kneel, or sit with legs tucked under, and use a one-bladed paddle.
The author in a sit-on-top boat designed for whitewater use, hence the straps and helmet.
Ideally your first kayak experience should be in the company of two or more experienced paddlers. Kayak enthusiasts often have extra boats and gear and will outfit you for your first trip. Etiquette tip – spring for beers afterwards for your guides and outfitters. Offer to serve as a shuttle monkey or lunch bunny if you want a second invite.
There are kayak rental concessions at/near various lakes and rivers, some of which offer guided trips. These people are very conscious of their liability and will not put their customers in harm’s way. If your first kayaking experience is with other inexperienced paddlers, start with a one or two hour rental on a quiet lake in a party of three or more people all of whom should know how to swim even though you will use the PFD (life vest) you are issued.
So, you do a trip and you have fun and decide to buy your own kayak. The type of kayak you should purchase depends on the type of kayaking you’ll be doing. If you’re going to be paddling on ponds and smaller lakes (collectively, stillwater) then you can get by with a cheap department store boat for around two hundred dollars. Inexpensive recreational kayaks can also be safely used on rivers with no rapids (flatwater), or on Class I-II whitewater – caution or instruction recommended for the latter.
At the absolute minimum you will also need: a PFD (aka life vest, and yes you really, really need one), paddle (you notice I put this behind PFD on the list, right?), whistle or air horn, and a broad-brimmed hat. Appropriate footwear is sandals with ankle straps (no flip-flops), water shoes such as Nike Aquasock, or wetsuit booties. Always have with you water, sunscreen and a snack. Usual outdoor safety and first aid equipment, but Glibs know this already.
Please don’t buy a cheap polyvinyl inflatable kayak, aka pool toy. These things are truly POS, puncture easily and are not durable. There is a better class of inflatable made of rubberized fabric, but those cost as much as a rigid boat; they do have the advantage of portability and compact storage.
If you want to do bigger water, want to take long trips, or haul lots of gear then you’re going to need a bigger, more durable boat than they sell at department stores.
A Tarpon model 130T (thirteen-foot, tandem) sit-on-top recreational boat. Two drain pipes in the rear cargo compartment, four in the front of the cockpit. The ridges are molded-in footbraces to accommodate various leg lengths.
If you want to do long downriver trips, or haul lots of gear then I recommend a sit-on-top, self-draining recreational kayak such as Wilderness Systems’ Tarpon line of boats. These boats are sturdy, stable and durable. Recently Wilderness replaced the rubber cargo hatches with hard plastic hinged hatches – much more durable and reliable. The drain pipes go all the way through from the top deck to the bottom deck without letting water into the space between decks. Perhaps counterintuitively, the drain pipes add a huge amount of structural integrity to the hull. These boats can do up to Class III whitewater, and can even surf a bit, but they are not nimble.
Obligatory Stirring Kayak Anecdote: During rescue operations in chilly whitewater I had two men in a one-person, sit-on-top boat, exceeding the rated cargo capacity by over one hundred pounds. Although the boat sat low in the water and the cockpit was partially flooded, the kayak remained floatworthy and maneuverable; when the extra man got out of the boat the water drained out within ten seconds and full floatworthiness was regained.
The only disadvantage to self-draining kayaks is that they are slower than traditional kayaks – the drain holes add drag. And while you sit higher in the water in a sit-on-top than in a conventional kayak, the designers compensate for that by making these boats extra-wide for added stability. The drain pipes also provide an easy way to secure the kayak against casual theft using a chain or cable lock.
Another Anecdote: One of the recreational boaters I’m trying to get to level-up has long been wary of trying my sit-on-top. Once she finally tried it she was impressed by the stability generally solid character of the craft to the point of jealousy.
If you want to do Class III+ whitewater and be able to surf (including ocean waves) and do tricks then you will need a whitewater kayak – these are made of thicker plastic than cheap recreational boats and have internal supports to keep them from being crushed like a soda can in rough water. You will need to learn to roll – contact your local paddling club, Parks and Rec (SLD), or YMCA about rolling classes which are often conducted in pools. Expect to spend $1,200-$1,600 for all new whitewater kayak, PFD, paddle, skirt and helmet. Whitewater boats are short, and by design easily tip and spin.
If you are going to do long treks on open water (ocean, sea, bay, sound, great lakes, etc) you will probably want a sea kayak. These boats are long and narrow, relatively stable, but don’t turn well. Many deepwater paddlers learn to roll in case they are swamped by waves or wakes. Some sea kayaks are equipped with sailing rigs, retractable keels for speed and tracking, and outriggers for stability.
There are also a few pedal-powered kayaks on the market where the pedal rotation powers underwater flaps which help propel the boat; paddles are used for turning and maneuvering, and for additional propulsion. Pedal drive boats are not recommended for water with lots of vegetation, underwater obstructions, etc. Some of those pedal units are removable.
Fiberglass boats are great if you are a competitive whitewater kayaker, competitive flatwater racer, squirt boater, or want to make your own boat. They are certainly light, but break in situations where a polyethylene boat would bend or dent.
Wooden boats are so very pretty, but they are heavy and expensive. You don’t see many of them in river kayaking as the owners tend to avoid anything that might scrape them up, like rocks.
Buying a used boat is often a good way to break into the sport on the cheap without sacrificing equipment quality. Scrapes and scratches consistent with normal use are fine. Beware of dents, folds, creases, cracks, brittle plastic, dry rotted rubber, etc. Generic replacement nylon carry handles are readily available, but rotted handles are indicative of poor kayak storage. Best time to find a used boat is December through March as people get new boats for Christmas or for Spring.
A single short boat will fit inside a hatchback vehicle with the front seat folded forward. For longer or multiple boats you will need a roof rack, or a pickup truck. A Subaru Outback wagon can easily haul four kayakers with boats and gear for a day trip.
Tonio has been a canoeist since 1985, and a kayaker since 1990. Tonio’s maximum level of attainment was solid Class IV whitewater paddling skills, but he has dialed things back to Class III now that he is older. Tonio loves practicing kayak safety and rescue techniques. Tonio is not a real Italian.
Gather ‘round children, it’s time for another exciting installment of Q’s brain toilet!It may be snowy and cold outside, but my tortured neurons are just getting warmed up.So let’s jump right in.
MGTOW: Pathetic Losers, Misogynists or Canaries in the Coal Mine?
First off, MGTOW is something I could never do.There’s no way I could live without nourishing my soul by drinking from the well of feminine soft sweetness.Sure, there are plenty of crazy bitches out there (just as there are plenty of imbalanced doods), but after a certain age and experience level, I’d like to think that a person can get better at spotting the true nutballs and avoiding them.And if you get fooled and roped in by one… oh well, shit happens.You play, you pay (another one of my personal mottoes).
However, I will say that I would consider myself a MGTOW sympathizer on some level.After watching several videos produced by self-proclaimed MGTOW, I would say that the majority of them are making a rational, thoughtful choice based on a personal cost-benefit analysis.Feminism, the Pill and openly misandric family courts have upended male and female relations to such an extent that, at least until people truly adapt to the situation (probably in a few generations), I can understand how a man would come to the rational conclusion that opting out is the safest and most reasonable course of action.The rub here is that maximizing safety is not always the best way to go through life, and there are plenty of people who think that the only reason these guys “go MGTOW” is that they can’t get a girl anyway so they cover up their inadequacy by claiming that it’s a choice (hence the “pathetic loser” label).There also are some genuine misogynists in the community, though I would say that the vast majority of apparent woman-haters have been legitimately screwed over by a specific woman or set of women and make a category error of ascribing evil motives to all women.I will say that I think the problem will get worse before it gets better (if it ever does) and many men will take a MGTOW-like path even if they don’t formally ascribe to the philosophy.So in answer to the question, MGTOW are all of the above.
One final point addressing criticism of the group that they gather online to constantly talk about women.If you’re walking away from opposite sex relations, then why obsessively talk about them all the time?My theory on that is MGTOW primarily acts like a support group for men in recovery.The desire for sex, love and companionship is so fundamental that consciously choosing to walk away from it is extremely difficult and daunting; akin to an alcoholic walking away from alcohol, but from a healthy, even stronger, drive.Therefore, MGTOW groups are like AA meetings and one could make the same criticism; if these AA people are trying to quit drinking, why do they talk about it so much?
Supplements Galore!
As many of you may have surmised, I am a great proponent of better living through chemistry.Capitalism and human innovation has provided us with a cornucopia of options to enhance, modify and optimize our physical and mental abilities, so why wouldn’t you take advantage.This section will focus on my favorite OTC supplements.Future Brain Toilets may touch on prescriptions, but I’m not sure about liability in that case and would need to confer with the Overlords (if you’re feeling bold, go here for your favorite prescription meds).
Yohimbine: I relentlessly evangelize for this, but only because I’m a true believer in its amazing sexual powers.If I’m anticipating a particularly boisterous bedroom session, I’ll pop a capsule an hour before, then break open another one about 20 minutes before and take about half sublingually.PDE5 inhibitors like Viagra may help the flag get to full staff, but Yohimbine will make the big finish so explosive that it’s like unleashing a tsunami.You may just feel like passing out and your partner(s) will be greatly impressed by the increased volume of “output”.Women can get in on the fun too as it’s been reported to me it turned her into an “orgasm machine”.Side effectsat high doses can be uncomfortable (racing heart, sweats, chills, anxiety) so start slow.
Diphenhydramine: AKA Benadryl.Sticking with the sexual side of things, if you are unfortunate enough to suffer from premature ejaculation (or you just feel like having an extra long session), popping a Benadryl about 30 minutes will effectively delay climax and give you more control over when it happens.Side effects are well known, so unless you want to be falling asleep on her instead of servicing her, tread lightly.
DHEA: This is a testosterone precursor that is (inexplicably) legal and OTC.If you like it, I’d stockpile it before the DEA decides it’s eeeeeeeevul and poleaxes it.This basically works like a kinder, gentler anabolic steroid.Good for weight loss, increased muscle mass/gym performance and even elevating mood.Women get all these benefits plus a raging libido and a “magic vagina”.Taking too much has similar side effects to steroids; acne, mood swings and possibly lowered fertility.Don’t take it longer than 4 weeks at a time without a 2 week break.
5-HTP: This is a chemical precursor to Serotonin so at higher doses it can work on depression in a similar way to an SSRI, but with a completely different mechanism of action.At lower doses, it just promotes relaxation.This can be serious stuff though, so I’d recommend asking your doctor before taking it (especially if you’re already on antidepressants).
Commieball 101
As a preface, I can completely understand why some people think soccer is boring, especially if you don’t watch it much and aren’t familiar with the strategy.It’s low-scoring, can be (apparently) slow and doesn’t have the rigid structure of more traditionally American sports.This isn’t trying to convince anyone to watch it, just explain why I love it and it’s played such a big part in my life.
To my eyes, the moniker “beautiful game”, clichéd as it may be, is entirely accurate.I believe it is the sport that most closely mirrors life itself in all its beauty.There can be stretches of boredom and torpidity (though I like to think of these stretches as deliberation) but they are always punctuated by bursts of excitement, speed and energy.While the object is definitely to score, it’s not the centerpiece of the joy in watching.It’s about the strategy, teamwork and skill.The journey is more important in many ways than the destination and the free-flow lack of structure gives great freedom to players.An individual contributor can have an effect on a game, but one star player is never enough to win single-handedly without support from his family (team).Similarly, team cohesion almost always beats individual skill and flashiness.On a practical level, the amount of conditioning and stamina required is monumental with the average professional running 7 miles each game, much of that sprinting.In high school, we practiced on a field right next to the football team and always chuckled at their “conditioning training” which consisted of running 50 yards then taking a 5 minute break.Boxing Day is one of my favorite days of the year in which I can rise early, head to a bar and drink beer and watch the Premiership all day long.
That’s All Folks!
Another installment of Q’s Brain Toilet is on the books, hope you enjoyed it.It’s like a wart, it’ll just keep coming back until someone freezes or cauterizes me.
A lot of chatter happening this week, which made me postpone what I planned to write about for another week. As many are undoubtedly aware Gillette, a company that markets razors to both men and women, aired a controversial commercial linked here.
This is my review of Full Sail Malted Milkshake IPA:
Many took the message as a negative, saying the commercial insults their customer base. Making a statement like this their critics say, will drive their customers away, that disagree with the social statement being made. Strange, given the company itself profits from one of the defining physical characteristics of men—having a beard.
Gillette itself is not a stand alone company that will suffer as a result of this, rather they are a subsidiary of Proctor & Gamble. As of this writing P&G was not immediately shorted by a large number of investors, like what happened with Nike. Their stock price was rather flat for the week. Unlike Nike, their product lines are diverse and are necessities that nearly everyone uses. People will continue buying their soap, their toothpaste and Double Quilted Charmin Toilet Paper. While it can be argued this is not the first time P&G made such a social statement with one of its brands (remember the ‘like a girl’ campaign?) this is different because they did not criticize previously. Rather they took what was a pejorative often used by men toward other men (i.e. you play ball like a girl!) and turned it into something positive. Here it appeared to be open criticism, constructive or not.
Interestingly enough, another P&G brand is Old Spice, whose marketing campaign a few years ago appealed to the lighter side of masculinity, to great success.
H/T: You know who you are, you MAGNIFICENT….
The merits of the message itself, and whether it was intended to insult is not a question to be answered here. As usual such interpretation is best left to the individual. Will I buy Gillette’s products? No. Recently, a fellow Glib challeneged me with an incredibly thoughtful gift. Should I do what I always do and pick up yet another skill, I may never need to buy a razor again.
A better question is, are the attributes commonly associated with men something we evolved beyond? Men typically are more predictable than women at any given time, more assertive, are motivated by physical things, are driven to compete and succeed at different interests than women. The downside to this, is men more often than women will behave recklessly, and aggressively. These characteristics though are even now being portrayed as positive attributes—in women, as this recruiting commercial for the United States Marines Corps suggests.
Have we moved past the point where the potential for the negative is too much of a liability for any benefit it can provide? Competition often breeds adversity, which does not have to be a bad thing. Teaching others in that sense, to overcome adversity and handle it when it defeats them while they are young may be in their best interests later on. Others might be less assertive, and might have a more difficult time adjusting so the argument to show respect for the brainy kid also has merit, because one might not grow up and cure cancer if he or she is always being put down. Is developing confidence through physical strength best frowned upon, to allow for the more cerebral, even one that might go so far as to act (ahem) like a girl?
Why does it have to be one or the other? As I write this, I am at my son’s Tae Kwon Do class. I am reminded of last week while he was sparring a older boy, with a higher belt. My son comes across as the brainy kid; in fact he takes an advanced math course because it comes easy to him. That day, his opponent moved to strike with a round kick. In response, he stepped in closer to avoid the kick’s impact and landed a front kick to his opponent. His opponent, a larger and more experienced martial artist, lost his balance and found himself on the floor. At that moment, my son beat his opponent by outsmarting him. He learned more about himself than I could ever teach, but he’s still a math geek.
In the end they shook hands and moved to their next opponent. No hard feelings.
If men acting like men are frowned upon, perhaps a way to fight this perception is to understand why those attributes are positive and where to apply them. The fact these attributes are being encouraged in women is proof enough then are a benefit to society. The attributes cannot be negated, unlearned, or taken away, they are hard wired psychologically and genetically. The trick then becomes learning how and when to strike, and use the inherent strengths tactically. Perhaps then, critics will see the problem is not masculinity, but in their own shortcomings.
As for the beer, it appears Full Sail went and rebranded unfiltered Sculpin. Which for the IPA…people is not a bad thing. Not the hoppiest of IPA out there, but if you dig grapefruit and texture this will not dissapoint. Full Sail Malted Milkshake IPA: 2.7/5
Why does it have to be one or the other?