This post has almost nothing to do with what the title suggests. Now, there are two types of people in the world. Those who have left this post after reading the first sentence, since they now know that this post is NOT what they were originally hunting for when they opened their web browsers. And those like you, my dear readers who are still reading.
Tell me, did you click the link because of the title? Made ya look, didn't I? Evidently so, considering you're still reading this. To screwquote Malcolm X:
"My fellow Bloggers! You've been Had! Hoodwinked! Bamboozled! You didn't land on Faysy's blog! Faysy's blog...landed on you!" (It's eerie how much Malcolm X and black orators in general sound like Monty Python's Dead Parrot Sketch on paper)
Don't hum and haw. Don't be embarrassed. Don't hide your bruised ego. You subconsciously (or consciously; I'm cool with that) fell for the oldest trick in the book, one the media and those in the business of preying on the gazillion insecurities of men and women use all the time. Ray William Johnson, Shane Dawson etc. use this cheap method to garner more views on Youtube (hint: check out their videos' thumbnails and titles). And now, so am I (But this blatant exploitation is the subject of a future rant).
Irritated enough? Now let me fire my second exasperating salvo. Allow me to sound unintentionally condescending:
Your body is made up of many types of cells (billions of little things that you're made of). One of these cell types is the Red blood cell (found in, you guessed it, blood). Red blood cells are what make blood red (again, you guessed it). This is because they contain red pigment called haemoglobin, that binds to oxygen in the lungs and carries it around your body to deliver it to the parts that need it, simply put. Haemoglobin is made of 4 protein chains of two types, alpha and beta (2 of each). An inherited deficiency in any of these causes a disease called thalassemia. But before I go further, a 101 on genes. Genes are the "things" in your cells' DNA (which is the stuff that makes you who you are) that code for characteristics in your body like eye colour, sex (that's gender, you perv) and among other things, the alpha and beta haemoglobin chains. And each characteristic is coded by an EVEN number of 'alleles' (minimum 2). Half your alleles are from your mom and half from your dad. When the alleles combine, they make you. Regarding haemoglobin chains (which depend on 4 alleles for Alpha and 2 for Beta), the number of defective alleles will correspond to the level of thalassemia you have. i.e.
a) 1 or 2 Alpha alleles defective: not a big problem. Chances are you'll go through life without noticing it. Max you'll get breathless easily.
b) 3 alpha Alleles defective: major problem. You'll need regular blood transfusions your whole life. Sadly, such patients also have a shortened lifespan.
c) 4 alpha Alleles defective: you wouldn't be reading this. You would have died as a fetus, WAY before you were born, shortly after you were conceived.
d) 1 Beta allele defective: See a)
e) 2 Beta alleles defective: See b)
Which brings me to the main thrust of my post. I'm not an evolutionist in the popular sense. Alhamdulillah, I'm a creationist through and through. But I do admit, evolution in some forms can and probably has occurred (not as far as a whole new species being created though). The whole thalassemia case would be an example of natural selection and "survival of the fittest", to use Darwin's indelicate terminology. people with cases b) and e) are severely ill their whole lives. Most of the time, they expire early, don't usually marry and rarely, if ever, have children. Which leaves us with cases a) and d) they usually don't know that they are carriers of the disease. They live long lives, marry and procreate. Which is great Alhamdulillah (considering I am one of these people), but leads to a tiny problem. If they marry and procreate with another case a) or d), well, that's how cases b) and e) are born. To avoid this, before marriage and/or procreation, couples are advised to get their DNA tested for defects so that their children don't suffer from the disease. As society gets more educated, more people will learn to get their partners tested (which sucks for me, since I can't fall in love until and unless I've got the girl-of-my-dreams' blood tested, which elicits the necessity of backup girls-of-my-dreams). This will lead to a decrease in thalassemia patients and ultimately (barring the discovery of a cure for the disease, for which I, and ladies everywhere I'm sure, pray fervently) the elimination of the disease from the face of the earth. That's evolution for you. The weeding out of the disease.
Who am I kidding? Lust is a force to be reckoned with. People will continue to make babies, thalassemia or not. Abstinence is for monks. Nuts, Darwin.
P.S. As a reward for your patience, I've left it till the end to let the title make some sense.
P.P.S. If this ends up in my popular posts widget, my little social experiment will be validated.
I love sharks. Their grace, beauty, intelligence and efficient hunting capabilities are parallel to none mashaAllah. I've loved sharks ever since I was a kid. Growing up, I was a bookworm. My idea of chilling after finishing the day's homework was going through this book, aptly called "The Big Book of Knowledge" my aunt sent from the States. This was the book that gave birth to my love of science and was definitely critical in my career decision making process. This book plus House is why I'm a doctor today. I still have this book and plan to pass it on to my kids inshaAllah.
So whenever I'd leaf through the book, I'd skip the sections on machines and jump straight to the parts on World History, Animals and Dinosaurs (I have kept all my childhood books on dinosaurs, cetaceans and sharks. I still leaf through them occasionally). The Sharks page was right after the page on Rays. The Sharks Page had the following picture of the rightfully feared and wrongfully misunderstood Great White Shark that I was scared to death of. So whenever I'd get to the page on Rays, I'd quickly turn the page so I wouldn't have to see the picture. But of course, my borderline masochism and desire to achieve an adrenaline rush would overcome my inhibitions and I'd always take a peak. And then I'd inevitably silently cry for a few minutes. Now, I dream of petting a Great White Shark. It's on my Bucket List.
Sharks are misunderstood. The movie Jaws has done a disservice to Great Whites everywhere. Sharks will only attack a HUMAN if they are really really really hungry, or if they mistake us for their usual prey, i.e. seals and turtles. Sharks have poor eye-sight. In fact, most shark attacks occur because the human is infringing on their territory. An attack is a perfectly natural response from an animal. In fact, of the 300 plus discovered shark species, only maximum 20 are dangerous to humans. Indeed, you have more reason to fear a mosquito than a shark.
Ive compiled some of my favourite shark photos. Take a moment to let their size and majesty sink in. And praise Allah (SWT) for His greatness in creating such creatures.
Feeding Frenzy!
This is for Vogue right?
My favourite photo of all time. Look at those eyes, how close the Great White is to the cameraman, and compare the size of the cage with the animal. Courtesy of Jeff L Rotman http://www.jeffrotman.com/
Ummm. this one's a joke. Duh.
See, who says sharks can't have a lolsharks.com of their own?
I love reading, writing, Physics, Statistics, Disaster and Wildlife Medicine, Disaster Management, Emergency Department Administration, debating, punning, cracking one-liners, making lists and obscure cultural references.
