Diabetes: It's in your genes

That's the message of the book What Your Doctor May Not Tell You About Diabetes: An Innovative Program to Prevent, Treat, and Beat This Controllable Disease. A publisher recently sent it to me and although I don't have diabetes, I have had family members who do.

The first chapter lays out how diabetes is "in your genes." Dr. Steven Joyal, the author of the book, states that:

... although you can't change your genes, you can change the degree of expression of your genes. This means that you can impact to what degree certain genes involved in blood sugar metabolism are turned on or off. In fact, you can easily and conveniently modify the expression of your genetic code through lifestyle modifications, including food choices, exercise, stress management, and the use of botanicals, nutraceuticals, and medications (if needed).

The rest of the book goes on to describe diet, exercise, natural supplements, pharmacologic approaches and lifestyle concerns of living with diabetes. Overall, it looks like a pretty good resource to go to if you or a family member has diabetes.

Neo-NeoCon: Do we talk about Obama like we talk about dogs?

FoxNews.com: "'Alpha-Male' Role in Hollywood Is a Dying Trend, Experts Say" (thanks to reader Eleanor for emailing the article):

The masculine, alpha-male movie star – brought to life in films such as “Rambo,” “Die Hard,” and “Rocky” – is becoming extinct in Hollywood, according to actress Michelle Rodriguez.

“The alpha man is dying in film, the warrior is dying,” she told us. “Hello geek.”

Carey Roberts at PJM: "Domestic Violence Fairytales Threaten Constitutional Protections" (thanks to Trey for emailing the article):

Like everything in the law, the problem begins with definitions. The Violence Against Women Act, passed during the first term of the Clinton administration, includes a definition of domestic violence that is so wide you could drive a Mack truck through it.

States picked up on the loophole, and now most states include within their definitions of abuse, actions like making your partner “annoyed” or “distressed.”

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) likewise followed suit. The CDC’s Uniform Definitions and Recommended Data Elements declares that partner violence includes “getting annoyed if the victim disagrees,” “withholding information from the victim,” and even “disregarding what the victim wants.”

In her book, Violent Partners: A Breakthrough Plan for Ending the Cycle of Abuse,Lawyer Linda Mills makes the point that domestic violence is a complex story in which both partners often participate in the dynamic of abuse. She also mentioned that more than 800,000 men are assaulted by their intimate partners every year. I bet it's more than that. Why call 911 when attorneys give advice like this (click on report):

“Don’t call 911 unless you are bleeding and she still has a weapon in her hand. Too many men who have called 911 for help have ended up being arrested for DV.”13
—Family law attorney Lisa Scott

Civil rights groups are starting to file law suits on men's behalf. If you are the victim of an unfair domestic violence charge, contact one of these groups and do the same. When the cost of stripping men of their Constitutional rights starts to cost something, it will change.

CARPE DIEM: Evidence of a New "Reverse Gender Wage Gap" (via Newsalert):

In other words, if you control for all of the important variables that contribute to wage differentials (age, marital status, having children, etc.), i.e. impose ceteris paribus conditions, there is no evidence of gender discrimination, and either there is no statistically significant wage gap, or now there's a wage gap in favor of women.

"The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class - it is the cause of humankind, .."

Have you ever read the quotes across the top of your passport? I never really noticed them until recently and one of them by Anna Julia Cooper really stood out:

Pages 26 and 27 of every new United States passport contain the following quote: "The cause of freedom is not the cause of a race or a sect, a party or a class - it is the cause of humankind, the very birthright of humanity." - Anna Julia Cooper

I was recently at a law conference where there was a discussion of the Fourth Amendment (search and seizure). I was shocked when one of the panel speakers (a lawyer!) stated that the Fourth Amendment was in place only to protect minorities. I thought she was kidding but alas, she was not. Perhaps she should check out her passport one of these days and realize that freedom and equal rights is the birthright of all human beings, regardless of race or sect.