Today at Titan

Ok, so Santa must have put me on the naughty list this year…

Late last night, the final decree from the highest of appellate courts of children sharing time with each parent, decided that Ainsley, my 5 year old daughter, and also my best friend, will NOT be spending Christmas with me. Honestly, I would have rather had a whole bag of coal than this. That’s the reason for Christmas isn’t it, to spend it with those who you love the most, not the food, spirits, and gifts, right?? Anyways, I have to be and am thankful that I was invited to share Christmas eve with her mom’s family, and I’ll make sure that I won’t waste a second when I’m with her.

To shed some light on the situation, I’m the weekend parent, so yeah, when she’s here, we have a blast. Whether we’re out on the town, or just hanging at the house, as long as we’re together. I haven’t seen her for some weeks now because she got sick and we decided it was better for her to stay put with her mom than to do a bunch of traveling and prolong her sickness. Sucks, but as I’m getting older and more mature (smirk), I realize that it’s not all about me anymore…

Have a safe and blessed Christmas and a great holiday season!!!

My favorite novelty shirt is now officially official…

In a survery conducted by Synovate, the market research arm of Aegis Group plc. 5,500 respondants over 7 countries including Brazil, Canada, China, France, Malaysia, South Africa and the United States conclude that people have a very interesting perspective of their doctors. But not necessarily in the way you might think…

87 percent of the respondants believed that doctors are the most trust worthy professionals. 86 percent said that educators were the most trust worthy. By contrast, actors and musicians, along with journalists and advertisers, were among professionals that people trusted the least, with the media coming in dead last. Obviously, being a doctor, I can’t help but not only strongly agree with this survey but also vigorously defend the infallable opinion of the people. I mean, really, the numbers don’t lie, do they??

What I did find interesting is nature of the survey. It asked people what makes for an admirable job, which professions they trust or do not, who is overpaid, and which profession they would prefer to marry. What?? The first few variables make sense, but marriage??

To my surprise, 16 percent nominated doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals as their preferred marriage partners, which was higher than any other profession. Educators followed closely behind with 14 percent. And again, professions such as actors and musicians, along with journalists and advertisers, were among the least likely for someone to choose a partner from.

So the next time you come across “the one” being skeptical of your game, throw it out there…trust me, it’s bonified.

Okay, so I know this is blog should be reserved for new health facts and research that is popping up in society and in the media, but i can’t help but to mention the huge victory of Manny Pacquiao over Oscar De La Hoya on Saturday in Las Vegas for a couple of reasons, and not just because it was an incredibly lop sided fight with De La Hoya unable to come out of his corner for the 9th round. These guys are both class acts, and for as many people paid $54.99 on Pay per View to watch two guys beat each other up, there are many lessons that can be taken away from this fight, that are worth more than that.

One, Manny Pacquiao is the national hero of the Philippines and easily the number one sports figure there. But he is also deemed the “People’s Champion” because of his level of generosity to numerous charities and orphanages in the third world country. 85 million people can now believe in themselves and in their champion because not only is he the best pound for pound fighter in the world, for certain, he will pump a large chunk of his 11 million dollar earning back into the homeland so others may have the same opportunity without having to use their fists like he had to.

Secondly, and more importantly, after the fight, Pacquiao and De La Hoya embraced in the center of the ring, and Manny said, “You’re still my idol.” and De La Hoya responded with, “No, you’re my idol.” Which was quite a touching moment for a sport with such bravado and machoism attached to it. These guys beat the pants off of each other, and yet had enough class and dignity to exchange pleasantries after it was all over.

In the days of immature and overpaid athletes that do nothing more than throw money, and caution, a la Plaxico Buress, into the air, it was a refreshing sign to see that elite, and still, overpaid athletes could provide a good example for the brawling football dads and scrapping soccer moms out there and that at least some of that purse money will go into improving quality of life for others instead of just their own.

So I don’t really know what your view is on shots and vaccinations and stuff, but I’m a research guy. Prove it to me. If you can’t prove it to me by some study that has been performed or case studies that have been published, I’m a tough sell.

Anyways, this came in from a buddy of mine who lives up in DC, and thought the fact was interesting enough to share. This came from the Washington Post late last month. I like these kind of studies, because most peer reviewed writers end with “more studies must be conducted”, which means “I’m really not sure” or “I need more funding so I can continue playing on Facebook for the majority of my day”, where newspaper writers are definitely going for the sensational headline, so they give it to the people straight.

According to the proof, looks like whether we get the flu shot or not this year, it doesn’t matter because we’re all going to die of old age. I’m gonna save my $25 this year and buy another Christmas gift that with certainty will be re-gifted.

I just read an article on the web regarding a new study coming out, funded by the World Anti-Doping Agency, that states that Viagra is a performance enhancing drug. Ummmmmmm…..duh.

However, the study is centered around it enhancing athletic performance by creating an unfair competitive advantage in dilating an athlete’s blood vessels and unduly increasing oxygen-carrying capacity. Here’s how the article explains it:

Viagra, or sildenafil citrate, was devised to treat pulmonary hypertension, or high blood pressure in arteries of the lungs. The drug works by suppressing an enzyme that controls blood flow, allowing the vessels to relax and widen. The same mechanism facilitates blood flow into the penis of impotent men. In the case of athletes, increased cardiac output and more efficient transport of oxygenated fuel to the muscles can enhance endurance.

Kenneth Rundell, the director of the Human Performance Laboratory at Marywood University, where the study is being conducted, says about Viagra, “Basically, it allows you to compete with a sea level, or near sea level, aerobic capacity at altitude.” There have been other studies also conducted in 2004 and 2006 that have shown that “the little blue pill” having a significant effect on athletic performance.

In today’s athletic world, where the million dollar contracts, fist fighting soccer moms, and ESPN fuel the competitive spirit, does it surprise me that athletes are turning to drugs like Viagra to get the edge? Certainly not. Through the decades, athletes have tried everything from strychnine to bulls’ testicles to veterinary steroids in a desperate, and frequently illicit, effort to gain an advantage. Currently, Viagra is not a banned substance, but I’m sure it will be. According to Anthony Butch, the director of the Olympic drug-testing lab at UCLA, “I think it’s going to be a problem.”

The detection process will be easier though, no need to draw blood, just check their pants…