Author: Michelle Korhonen
C. J. Hopkins is one of the very few Americans to follow through on the quadrennial promise, sworn by countless millions, to leave the country because they didn’t like the result of a particular general election.You probably haven’t heard of C. J. Hopkins. A playwright, satirist, and self-described “old lefty,” Hopkins, who is now 62, was working in New York’s downtown experimental-theater scene in the early years of the 21st century when he began to “grow sick of the atmosphere” during the run-up to the Iraq War. “I helped organize those big protests before the invasion,” Hopkins told me, and…
Caffeine abstinence linked to increased sleep problems in older women – A Dutch study found that abstaining from caffeine can increase sleep disturbances in older women. The study suggested that sleep quality and caffeine intake were linked in a sex-specific manner, with older women who abstained from consuming caffeine experiencing shorter and more disturbed sleep than those who did not abstain.This association was not observed in older men. The findings highlight the potential impact of caffeine abstinence on sleep health, particularly in older women.BackgroundOptimal sleep is crucial for well-being and health, particularly as we age.Roughly 25% of adults over 65…
Some 24 years ago, Diana Bianchi peered into a microscope at a piece of human thyroid and saw something that instantly gave her goosebumps. The sample had come from a woman who was chromosomally XX. But through the lens, Bianchi saw the unmistakable glimmer of Y chromosomes—dozens and dozens of them. “Clearly,” Bianchi told me, “part of her thyroid was entirely male.”The reason, Bianchi suspected, was pregnancy. Years ago, the patient had carried a male embryo, whose cells had at some point wandered out of the womb. They’d ended up in his mother’s thyroid—and, almost certainly, a bunch of other…
Green Tea Compound Reduces Inflammation, but Effect on Iron Levels Needs Further Research – A study suggests that the green tea compound epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) may ease inflammatory iron deficiency.Iron deficiency affects nearly one in five children under five, leading to anemia and other health concerns. Inflammation can worsen this by reducing iron availability. New research explores whether EGCG, a green tea compound known to fight inflammation, might improve iron status.Note that excessive green tea drinking can lead to iron deficiency anemia due to its interference with iron absorption. When consumed simultaneously with iron, EGCG may lose its potential as an…
Teresa Hernandez with baby Lucca. Teresa Hernandez hide caption toggle caption Teresa Hernandez Teresa Hernandez with baby Lucca. Teresa Hernandez This story is part of the My Unsung Hero series, from the Hidden Brain team. It features stories of people whose kindness left a lasting impression on someone else. In Jan. 2020, Teresa Hernandez was 33 weeks pregnant. One morning, she had a strange feeling about her baby. He wasn’t moving as he usually did. She decided to go to the hospital to make sure everything was OK. When she got there, she and her husband learned that the baby’s…
The Great Book Review of 2023: Sharing the books I read in 2023 and whether I’d recommend adding them to your collection. Hi friends! Happy New Year! I hope that your morning is off to a great start and you enjoyed the festivities. The girls hung out with my mom and nana while the Pilot and I went up to Phoenix to see John Mulaney. I cried from laughter and it was an awesome show. In today’s post, I’m sharing almost all of the books I read last year. (I had a a few audiobooks and a handful of DNF…
For children, a bulky coat and a car seat can be a dangerous pairing. Pavlina Popovska/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Pavlina Popovska/Getty Images For children, a bulky coat and a car seat can be a dangerous pairing. Pavlina Popovska/Getty Images A major winter storm is headed for the East Coast this weekend, so people will likely want to dress themselves — and their families — to protect against the harsh elements. But before a car ride, parents should think twice about bundling up their little ones. For children, a bulky coat and a car seat can be a dangerous…
Sharing a review of 2023 and my goals for 2024. Since it’s a bright and shiny new year, I always use this opportunity to look back, see what I accomplished, and set my intentions for the upcoming year. If you’re setting your goals for 2024, I’d love to hear them in the comments. Also, if you’re looking for support for January, join our 21-day challenge here! When I look back on 2023, it’s easy for me to see all of the things I struggled with, and all of the things I set out to do, but didn’t. 2023 was full…
Late this summer, a white man opened fire in a Jacksonville, Florida, Dollar General, killing Angela Michelle Carr, Anolt Joseph “A.J.” Laguerre Jr., and Jerrald De’Shaun Gallion. Police are quite certain the attack was a hate crime. All three victims were Black; the killer reportedly used a swastika-emblazoned handgun and rifle and left hate-filled writings. “He hated Blacks, and I think he hated just about everyone that wasn’t white,” Jacksonville Sheriff T. K. Waters told CNN. “He made that very clear.”The Jacksonville rampage is just the latest bias-motivated mass murder to make headlines. Last year, another white supremacist attacked a…
Listen to this articleProduced by ElevenLabs and NOA, News Over Audio, using AI narration.Until a few years ago, I couldn’t speak Spanish without sounding about half a century older—and much more religious—than I am. The language is the first one I learned, but I was taught it primarily by my Dominican grandmother, a woman so pious that she routinely brags about her prayer regimen bruising her knees. Consequently, I wouldn’t say I was going to the grocery store without a compulsory “God willing”—si Dios quiere.My grandma helped raise me in the Dominican Republic, but I moved to the U.S. as…