IT'S ALL SO INTERESTING

For many years now I have watched from the sidelines as people around the world struggled with their gender identity. I have consumed a huge amount of media on the subject, from interviews, to debates, to documentaries, news articles, online discussions, and random youtube videos. I've always been a total layman on the subject, and I still am. I've also always been pretty unconvinced by it all. I heard the plight of these people, who were clearly suffering, but I could not understand the reason for their suffering, and I certainly didn't agree with their claims, demands or proposed solutions. I was much more likely to dismiss these people as suffering from a mild to severe case of gender dysphoria, than I was to take their arguments as reasonable justification for societal change. This all changed just 2 days ago when I was midway through watching the following video on the BBC news website: https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-53573764/pre-colonial-communities-history-of-gend

I want to preface this article by stating that I know human slavery to be utterly abhorrent in every form in which it does, has, and will ever, exist. I am, however, a total layman on the subject of slavery. I have no ancestry that was affected by slavery (to my knowledge), and I have never studied the subject outside of casual reading, viewing and discussion. This article is merely the musings of someone who finds the history of slavery interesting as a case study of human psychology, society (past and present), and the presence of racial discrimination in the modern world. The purpose of this article is to look at slavery through a lens that may not be utilised in many discussions on the topic in recent times (the working title of the article was "On slavery: an omission of interest"). It is a lens that considers the possibility that slavery, for some unfortunate few, may have actually been an improvement upon the circumstances in which they found themselves, or at the very

A Japanese wife; the dream of so many weeaboos, japan-o-philes, and anime fanboys. But is it all it's cracked up to be? Let's find out. As attractive and exciting as the prospect of having a Japanese wife may be, the true reality of joining your life with a girl from a completely different culture, language, society, is more complex and difficult than it might seem at first glance. One of the most important aspects of a successful marriage (or any relationship, for that matter) is communication. It is also one of the most difficult. I would consider it more of an art form than a skill. Speaking is a skill. Communication, on the other than, is more akin to whatever bundle of conscious, subconscious and semi-conscious processes are involved in creating a masterful sculpture, than a single acquirable skill. And whilst communication in all relationships is challenging at the best of times, it is especially challenging when massive, fundamental differences in the environment of our

I grew up in a household in which the motto "Think for yourself, question authority" was uttered or implied in some form or another on a regular basis. It was a cornerstone of my relationship with my father, who could be often heard telling myself and my two brothers to both listen to him without question AND simultaneously to never trust everything we hear (even what he tells us) without first considering and investigating the truth of it ourselves. It was, I'm sure you'll appreciate, pretty damn confusing for us as little elementary school-aged boys. During those formative years, I thought of myself as somewhat of a renegade. I went against the grain; a rebel, and proud of it. Every time I was confronted with some kind of authoritative figure - a teacher, a policeman, any adult at all for that matter - I would rebel against them. Even if I didn't overtly display this rebellion, I was silently internally rebelling. "Dad would approve," I was sure. I

Struggling to make decisions that are in our own best interest is something most of us have experienced at some point in our lives, or perhaps even experience on a regular basis. We know something would be good for us, but we can't seem to make lasting progress on achieving it or implementing it into our lives. The decision to lose weight, get in shape, get our health back on track - back to the glory days of our youth - is something many of us aim for, but ultimately fail at achieving. For my entire life as a young adult, I was, what is known in the world of body-building as, a 'hard-gainer'. My problem was not losing weight, but, in fact, gaining weight. The first time I made the decision to gain weight, I failed. The fifth time was no different. This track record of failure came to a protein-shake-fueled halt the moment I made one small, but incredibly significant, change to my approach. I've always had difficulty committing to a plan. I could create them.

This article inspired the creation of this video: https://youtu.be/0pQh1B4VH9g The handshake is a short-lived, but important part of the greeting procedure in many societies. It’s extremely common in greetings between men, but is also seen when the genders greet each other (as well as women greeting other women), particularly in business and politics where gender equality is centre stage. A handshake can convey information about the possible intentions of the parties, such as the type of relationship that each party wishes to create or maintain; and the self-perceived or actual social status of each party relative to one another. Further, and perhaps contradictorily, it is also an extremely effective social leveler; often communicating a message of equality between the parties. It says, “a hierarchy may exist, and my position on it may be above yours, but in this current medium, and in this current moment, of exchange, we are effectively equals.” Handshakes are also used when ma

First up, an introduction to face masks! There are a huge variety of face masks, most of which are designed to protect the wearer or those around them from becoming infected with some type of contagious pathogen, with exceptions such as those designed for fashion or non-medical non-health related purposes. Firstly let’s talk about the two main types of face mask; the surgical mask, and the N95 respirator. The difference between these two masks can be easily understood and remembered by comparing them to scarves and umbrellas. A scarf keeps you warm by trapping your body heat close to your body - it keeps the warm air around your body from escaping. The warm air around your body is analogous to the contagious particles that you might spread around when you cough. This is the primary purpose of a surgical mask. It keeps the sick wearer from spreading their germs around. An umbrella, on the other hand, prevents the rain from affecting you, the user of the umbrella. The rain