I'm hoping to write today. A lot. I have a novella I want to be done. So in aid of that, and since I did write a nice bit of words for the article on public reactions to self-publishing over at the Mad Genius Club today (which I highly recommend, because it's not all my words and there is some good encouragement there for those who are independent in publishing), I'm leaving you all with a somewhat random selection of interesting items I have in open tabs.
Celiac Disease
Researchers in Norway have shown that the true cause of Celiac is autoimmune. Since I have memebers of my family who deal with this, I was very interested. Sadly, this also means it's unlikely that a cure will be found, since autoimmune is the body running amuck, and no good ways to switch that off short of killing the body have yet been found. The only things we can do are in aid of controlling the runaway immune reactions.
Saturated Fat
Another study recently released indicates that the much-demonized saturated fats found in meats and butter are not, after all, the major culprit in heart disease as was formerly assumed.
The researchers did find a link between trans fats, the now widely maligned partially hydrogenated oils that had long been added to processed foods, and heart disease. But they found no evidence of dangers from saturated fat, or benefits from other kinds of fats.
The recommendation? Avoid processed foods, eat more 'real' food. I can do that - I've been doing that and feeding my family that way, too. I grew up cooking from 'scratch' and I kept the knack.
The Brain (and Pinky?)
They can make us better, stronger, faster... can they now make us smarter? Scientists working on genetically altering mice discovered a way to make them smarter. The drawback? Well, beyond the fact that one gene rarely expresses only one thing, the mice were less fearful. Which could, as the article noted, lead to risk-taking behaviour. Ya think?
The "brainy" mice were better at recognizing a mouse they had seen the previous day, the researchers said, and were also quicker at learning the location of a hidden escape platform.
They were also less able to recall a fearful event after several days than ordinary mice, and as PDE4B is also found in humans, this could be of interest in the search for treatments for brain conditions as well as mental decline linked to aging.
The experiments also showed that PDE4B-inhibited mice suffered less anxiety, choosing to spend more time in open, brightly lit spaces than normal mice, which preferred dark, enclosed spaces.
You don't want that tab... well, maybe you do. If you're in the market for a corset, Damsel in this Dress is having a very good sale.
The link between the Church and Abuse
This is so spot-on it makes my skin crawl.
“My Christian upbringing in both my parents’ home and in my church home totally set me up as a target for an abuser. I was taught to be quiet and submissive, especially when I got married. I was taught that God hates divorce. I was taught that forgiveness always means reconciliation of relationships. I was taught that by my behavior and attitude I could change and “fix” my future husband when he sinned. And though I heard a lot about sin, I was taught that pretty much everyone who attended our church and said they believe in Jesus was to be considered a real Christian, no questions asked. These things and more set me up and put me on the abuser’s radar.”
I would add to this that a church faced with a young bride who has come to them for help, must not simply send her back into hell while offering marital counseling. The abuser's classic reaction is of course to repent hard and fast, then to withdraw her from the vicinity of the church which had been her only sanctuary. He's gotten what he needed from the church, and he can abandon it to focus on his prey.