Life | Jotup

The Anglican Communion has deep differences over homosexuality – but a process of dialogue, known as ‘via media,’ has helped hold contradictory beliefs together

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Tuesday, April 23, 2024

In the past six months, hundreds of congregations voted to leave the United Methodist Church over same-sex marriage and whether LGBTQ+ people should be clergy.

Key Points:

In the past six months, hundreds of congregations voted to leave the United Methodist Church over same-sex marriage and whether LGBTQ+ people should be clergy.
With over 80 million believers in 160 countries, the Anglican Communion has been grappling with LGBTQ+ issues since the 1970s.
It is a long-standing process for navigating disputes called the “via media,” or middle way, which has thus far succeeded in holding together people with contradictory beliefs.

Controversies in the Anglican Communion

For decades, diverging points of view over homosexuality and rumors of schism have both confused and polarized believers in the global Anglican Communion.
This is part of a larger struggle within the Anglican Communion to renegotiate imbalances of power and authority left over from the colonial era of the British Empire.
In the 21st century, these churches still have most of the money in the Anglican Communion, but congregational numbers are dwindling.
That is the orthodox Anglican position.” Views like these carry great weight in the Anglican Communion, even today.

But they remain within the Anglican Communion.
The Episcopal Church in the U.S. has ordained openly gay bishops – most controversially Gene Robinson, former Bishop of New Hampshire, in 2003.
In 2016, the primates – the most senior leaders of the Anglican Communion – voted to suspend the Episcopal Church from decision-making on Anglican governance and policy for three years.

The via media

Despite such heated conflicts, the Anglican Communion holds together through the via media.
Via media was first mentioned by English reformers who broke from the Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century.
It is this Church of England that eventually spread globally with the British Empire to become the Anglican Communion.
In the 19th century, via media became a way of thinking about internal, rather than external, challenges, such as resolving debates over how to interpret scripture.

Holding together

It is this understanding of via media, I argue, that is holding the Anglican Communion together thus far.
Instead, it seeks to include people with deeply held but contrary beliefs within the same church through common worship and life.
The Church of England, for example, made plans for negotiations between people holding differing viewpoints before the Synod meets again in July 2024.

Lisa McClain is affiliated with her local Episcopal Church and the Diocese of Idaho. She is a professor of Gender Studies and a member of the international think tank The Inclusion Crowd as a gender expert.

Chemical pollutants can change your skin bacteria and increase your eczema risk − new research explores how

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Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Also known as atopic dermatitis, this chronic skin disease affects about 1 in 5 children in the industrialized world.

Key Points:

Also known as atopic dermatitis, this chronic skin disease affects about 1 in 5 children in the industrialized world.
Some studies have found rates of eczema in developing nations to be over thirtyfold lower compared with industrialized nations.
Scientists know that factors such as diets rich in processed foods as well as exposure to specific detergents and chemicals increase the risk of developing eczema.
Living near factories, major roadways or wildfires increase the risk of developing eczema.

There’s something in the air

Then we looked at databases from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to see which chemicals were most common in those areas.
Diisocyanates were first manufactured in the U.S. around 1970 for the production of spandex, nonlatex foam, paint and polyurethane.
The manufacture of xylene also increased around that time, alongside an increase in the production of polyester and other materials.

After 1975, when all new cars became outfitted with a new technology that converted exhaust gas to less toxic chemicals, isocyanate and xylene both became components of automobile exhaust.
How directly exposing mice to these toxins compares to the typical levels of exposure in people is still unclear.

Skin microbiome and pollution

Every person is coated with millions of microorganisms that live on the skin, collectively referred to as the skin microbiome.
You’ve probably seen moisturizers and other skin products containing ceramides, a group of lipids that play an important role in protecting the skin.

To see which toxins could prevent production of the beneficial lipids that prevent eczema, my team and I used skin bacteria as canaries in the coal mine.
Lysine helps protect the bacteria from the harms of the toxins but doesn’t provide the health benefits of ceramides.
Bacteria that help keep skin healthy could live on any fabric, but, just as with air pollution, the amount of beneficial lipids they made dropped to less than half the levels made when grown on fabrics like cotton.

Addressing pollution’s effects on skin

Detectors capable of sensing low levels of isocyanate or xylene could help track pollutants and predict eczema flare-ups across a community.
Better detectors can also help researchers identify air filtration systems that can scrub these chemicals from the environment.
In the meantime, improving your microbial balance may require avoiding products that limit the growth of healthy skin bacteria.
I believe that it may one day allow us to get back to a time when these diseases were uncommon.

Ian Myles receives funding from the Department of Intramural Research at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. He is the author of, and receives royalties for, the book GATTACA Has Fallen: How population genetics failed the populace. Although he is the co-discoverer of Roseomonas mucosa RSM2015 for eczema, he has donated the patent to the public and has no current conflict of interest for its sales.

Taylor Swift’s The Tortured Poets Department and the art of melodrama

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Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Depression, Broken Heart, Grief, The Eras Tour, Noise, Smith, Death, Life, Poetry, Love, Down Bad, Creativity, Music, Language, Emotion

Lyrically, The Tortured Poets Department is a euphoric rejection of societal expectations.

Key Points:

Lyrically, The Tortured Poets Department is a euphoric rejection of societal expectations.
The title track declares: “You’re not Dylan Thomas, I’m not Patti Smith”, pointing to other famously troubled (or “tortured”) lyrical poets.
“In melodrama,” he explains, “man remains undivided, free from the agony of choosing between conflicting imperatives and desires”.
This speaks to the extremes of emotion explored in The Tortured Poets Department, including frequent references to death.

Planting trees in grasslands won’t save the planet – rather protect and restore forests

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Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Many of these tree planting projects target Africa’s rangelands (open grasslands or shrublands used by livestock and wild animals).

Key Points:

Many of these tree planting projects target Africa’s rangelands (open grasslands or shrublands used by livestock and wild animals).
Our goal is to protect and promote rangelands that combat desertification and support economic
growth, resilient livelihoods and the sustainable development of pastoralism.
In pursuit of this goal, we reviewed all the scientific studies we could find on the effects of planting trees in rangelands.

Why rangelands matter

Rangelands provide critical ecosystem services, but these are lost when open grassy vegetation is converted to forest or plantation.
Many rangelands are too dry, steep or rocky to grow crops but are suited for livestock grazing to produce meat, milk and fibres such as wool.
Read more:
When tree planting actually damages ecosystems
The ecosystem services provided by rangelands are generally overlooked while those provided by forests and trees are assumed to be far superior.

Afforestation in the wrong places often fails

This is a suitable form of land use for those environments, which would be harmed by planting trees.
Tree planting projects are commonly portrayed as reforestation, which implies that the target areas have lost their original forest cover.
In fact, planting trees in rangelands that naturally have low tree cover is afforestation.
This often fails because they don’t have enough rainfall throughout the year to support high tree cover.

Afforestation can be damaging to people, water and climate

Despite being portrayed as supporting local economic development and ecosystem restoration, afforestation projects often exclude existing land users and limit their access to land and resources.
Rangeland afforestation also reduces streamflow and lowers water tables as trees use much more water than grasses.

What is a better solution?

If these initiatives were focused on degraded forest instead, three-quarters of degraded forests could be restored.
In rangelands, the best approach is to protect and enhance their existing carbon stores rather than replacing them with forests or plantations.

Susanne Vetter does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Robert Adamson’s final book is a search for recognition and a poetic tribute to his love of nature

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Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Birds and Fish: Life on the Hawkesbury – Robert Adamson (Upswell) In 2004, Adamson published Inside Out: An Autobiography.

Key Points:

Birds and Fish: Life on the Hawkesbury – Robert Adamson (Upswell) In 2004, Adamson published Inside Out: An Autobiography.
Adamson grew up in Neutral Bay on Sydney’s lower north shore, which afforded him ample opportunity to pursue his interest.
It is a terrifying, beautiful scene, recounted not by the fallen boy, of course, but the poet he became.

What I think I was aiming for when I stared into each bird’s eyes was some flicker of recognition, some sign of connection between us.
What I think I was aiming for when I stared into each bird’s eyes was some flicker of recognition, some sign of connection between us.
Theories of recognition have a long history, which in the Western tradition date back at least as far as Hegel.
Read more:
Poetry goes nuclear: 3 recent books delve into present anxieties, finding beauty amid the terror

Blunt and honest

This was the year of Mr Roberts, the teacher who introduced me to poetry and what they called nature studies.
This was the year of Mr Roberts, the teacher who introduced me to poetry and what they called nature studies.

It helped, too, that Mr Roberts “knew a bit about birds” and that he was encouraging about projects and assignments.
The young Adamson lights up, a recognition undimmed, even when a new teacher tells him “to forget [his] ambition”.
Nature was blunt and honest.
There was no third party, no good manners, no god involved – no reasoning or theology, let alone spelling and maths.
Nature was blunt and honest.
It is to do with the field of being; you can project yourself back to the original lores, rites and rituals.
It is to do with the field of being; you can project yourself back to the original lores, rites and rituals.

Craig Billingham has previously received funding from The Australia Council for the Arts (now Create Australia).

Would you be happy as a long-term single? The answer may depend on your attachment style

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Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Life, Friends, Ageing, Family, Journal, Avoidant personality disorder, Single person, Research, Emotion, Happiness, Anxiety, Canada immigration statistics, Weaving

When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume it’s because single people have insecurities that make it difficult for them to find a partner or maintain a relationship.

Key Points:

When we think about people who have been single for a long time, we may assume it’s because single people have insecurities that make it difficult for them to find a partner or maintain a relationship.
Our study shows a crucial factor may be a person’s attachment style.

Singlehood is on the rise

Singlehood is on the rise around the world.
In Canada, single status among young adults aged 25 to 29 has increased from 32% in 1981 to 61% in 2021.
The number of people living solo has increased from 1.7 million people in 1981 to 4.4 million in 2021.

What does attachment theory say about relationships?

Attachment theory suggests our relationships with others are shaped by our degree of “anxiety” and “avoidance”.
Attachment anxiety is a type of insecurity that leads people to feel anxious about relationships and worry about abandonment.
Read more:
Is attachment theory actually important for romantic relationships?

Single people represent a diverse group of secure and insecure people

In our latest research, our team of social and clinical psychologists examined single people’s attachment styles and how they related to their happiness and wellbeing. We carried out two studies, one of 482 younger single people and the other of 400 older long-term singles. We found overall 78% were categorised as insecure, with the other 22% being secure. Looking at our results more closely, we found four distinct subgroups of singles:
secure singles are relatively comfortable with intimacy and closeness in relationships (22%)
anxious singles question whether they are loved by others and worry about being rejected (37%)
avoidant singles are uncomfortable getting close to others and prioritise their independence (23% of younger singles and 11% of older long-term singles)
fearful singles have heightened anxiety about abandonment, but are simultaneously uncomfortable with intimacy and closeness (16% of younger singles and 28% of older long-term singles).

Insecure singles find singlehood challenging, but secure singles are thriving

Our findings also revealed these distinct subgroups of singles have distinct experiences and outcomes.
Secure singles are happy being single, have a greater number of non-romantic relationships, and better relationships with family and friends.

However, they also have fewer friends and close relationships, and are generally less satisfied with these relationships than secure singles.
Avoidant singles also report less meaning in life and tend to be less happy compared to secure singles.

It’s not all doom and gloom

First, although most singles in our samples were insecure (78%), a sizeable number were secure and thriving (22%).
Being in an unhappy relationship is linked to poorer life outcomes than being single.
Our studies are some of the first to examine the diversity in attachment styles among single adults.

Geoff Macdonald receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.
Yuthika Girme receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Passover: The festival of freedom and the ambivalence of exile

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Tuesday, April 23, 2024

Freedom, Taste, Aciman, The New York Times, Muslims, Seizure, History, Moses, Hebrews, Life, Passover Seder, Pleasure, Dust, Atmosphere, Family, Government, Book

The Jewish holiday cycle is, to a large extent, an exploration and commemoration of the experience of exile.

Key Points:

The Jewish holiday cycle is, to a large extent, an exploration and commemoration of the experience of exile.
The fall festival of Sukkot, for example, is celebrated in small booths, temporary shelters that recall the Israelites’ experience sheltering in tents while wandering in the desert for 40 years after fleeing slavery in Egypt.
The story of Purim, a springtime festival, takes place when ancient Jews lived in exile in the Persian Empire – and illustrates the precariousness of life as a minority.

Into the unknown

In her 1983 novella “The Miracle Hater,” the late Israeli novelist Shulamit Hareven depicts the Hebrews in their passage from Egypt and their first taste of freedom.
Writing a modern “midrash” – a rabbinic genre that elaborates on a biblical text – she reimagines the story of Exodus.

They have fled oppression, but that means leaving everything familiar to wander, seemingly endlessly, in the great unknown of the desert.
Israeli writer Orly Castel-Bloom weaves family lore, history and some alternative history into “An Egyptian Novel,” published in 2015.
Those who remained in Babylon became the root of the diaspora and established the oldest continuous Jewish community in the world.

‘Out of Egypt’

While those in Iraq could claim a history of hundreds of years, those in Egypt were more likely to have moved there within the last few generations.
The Egypt of the Exodus story seemed far from the Egypt of Aciman’s childhood, the one he loved.

“The fault lines of exile and diaspora always run deep, and we are always from elsewhere, and from elsewhere before that,” he noted.
In “Out of Egypt,” the irony of the family preparing to leave on Passover is not lost on the author, the reader or, one suspects, the characters themselves.
After a rather dismal attempt at a Seder, the narrator wandered through the streets of Alexandria, mourning a place that had become home.

It is a poignant account of the very personal nature of exile. And yet it is an experience potentially shared by everyone in the Jewish community. Exile is a place unknown, over the edge of the precipice.

Into Iraq

The Passover holiday is also at the center of British journalist Tim Judah’s visit to Iraq to cover the 2003 American invasion.
His father’s family had left Iraq in the 19th century for India in the wake of persecutions during Dawud Pasha’s reign.

By 2003, the few Jews Judah found lived in trepidation and ramshackle homes.
“I tried to picture my forebears, in the fields or perhaps in the shops or the market, but I couldn’t,” Judah wrote in Granta magazine.
I will never need to do it again.” Judah’s pilgrimage leads not to a renewed sense of belonging but a break.
Yet at the same time, families around the Seder table can remember those who are not yet free, and those still suffering from being uprooted.

Nancy E. Berg does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

What doesn’t kill you makes for a great story – two new memoirs examine the risky side of life

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Tuesday, April 23, 2024

HR, Head, Excitable Boy, Monster Energy, Progressivism, Face, Human, Learning, Risk, Memory, Name, Essay, Shock, Education, Travel, Angel, Diary, Politics, Commodore, Bucking horse, Life, Student, Eye, Adolescence, Datsun, Woman, Male, Sydney University Dramatic Society, Peisley, Hachette, Embarrassment, System, Mouth, Injection, Catharsis, Collection, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Instinct, Virtue, Hand, Syndrome, Fear, State, Book

She questions whether women like herself – that is, the well-educated, sexually liberated beneficiaries of second-wave feminism – are really better off than their 1940s counterparts.

Key Points:

She questions whether women like herself – that is, the well-educated, sexually liberated beneficiaries of second-wave feminism – are really better off than their 1940s counterparts.
But it isn’t quite the avant-garde art crowd looking for anonymous vaginas to cast in their latest 16mm masterpieces either.

Reconstructed from the travel diary the author kept at the time, the adventure is everything you could possibly hope for in a road trip – provided you (or your daughter) aren’t the one taking it.
Datsun Angel proves the old adage about time and tragedy making for champagne comedy.
It self-consciously situates itself as a cross between the substance-induced exuberance of Jack Kerouac and Hunter S. Thompson, and the provincially impassioned politics of Australian novelist Xavier Herbert.

For all her progressivism, there is a note of nostalgia ringing through Broinowski’s recollections.
Datsun Angel harks back to a looser – dare I say, more enjoyable – university experience.
The narrative promises, against well-intentioned assurances to the contrary, that what doesn’t kill you will, at the very least, make for a good story later on.
Broinowski goes part way towards acknowledging as much when she ends her postscript with: “If you’re male and reading this, kudos.

Detachment

Let me borrow one instead from the middle-aged Elmore Leonard fan whom Gordon encounters in the State Library Victoria early in the book: “dickhead”.
Yes, that about captures it: the protagonist of Excitable Boy is an unequivocal, grade-A dickhead.
Fortunately for Gordon (and dickheads more generally), the affliction may be chronic, but it need not be terminal.
This denotes an overriding structure or cohesion that I felt somewhat lacking from the work as a whole.

Detachment characterises much of Gordon’s storytelling as he kicks his younger self around the back alleys of Melbourne like a half-squashed can of Monster Energy Drink.
To be honest, I still haven’t made my mind up if Gordon’s aversion to Aristotelian catharsis is one of the book’s virtues or vices.
Detail has to be controlled by some overall purpose, and every detail has to be put to work for you.
Detail has to be controlled by some overall purpose, and every detail has to be put to work for you.
It is often difficult to gauge what overall purpose the details are serving in these essays, beyond fidelity to memory.

Luke Johnson does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Christine Lagarde: Unlocking the power of ideas

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Tuesday, April 23, 2024

CHIPS, Reproduction, International Energy Agency, Friends, Face, Learning, Theodore Roosevelt, CIT, The New York Times, Printing, History, Pleasure, Commerce Clause, Frankfurt, Artificial intelligence, Commerce, Wine, Congo, European Commission, Rail transport by country, USD, Inflation, Courage, Speech, Congress, Liberty, Hidden champions, ECB, Gibbons v. Ogden, Shock, Diffusion, Observation, Communication, International Monetary Fund, Ambition, GDP, Coal, IEA, McKinsey & Company, Electricity, EDS, European University Institute, Public policy, CHIPS and Science Act, Research, News, AI, EMU, Competition (economics), Robotics, Oxford University Press, Single market, Machine learning, Book, Australian Strategic Policy Institute, Solow–Swan model, European Central Bank, Democratic republic, Brain, Growth, Brookings Institution, European Council, Supreme, Steel, Natural Resources, Society, University of Chicago Press, Literacy, Necessary, Life, Diplomacy, Heart, Optimism, Economic growth, European Investment Fund, Renewable energy

Since 2022 rising housing costs have, on average, largely been offset by growth in household income, leading to stable housing cost to household income ratios.

Key Points:

Since 2022 rising housing costs have, on average, largely been offset by growth in household income, leading to stable housing cost to household income ratios.
The housing cost burden has, however, increased slightly for both renter and mortgage households at the upper end of the income distribution.

Type 2 diabetes is not one-size-fits-all: Subtypes affect complications and treatment options

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Friday, April 19, 2024

You may have heard of Ozempic, the “miracle drug” for weight loss, but did you know that it was actually designed as a new treatment to manage diabetes?

Key Points:

You may have heard of Ozempic, the “miracle drug” for weight loss, but did you know that it was actually designed as a new treatment to manage diabetes?
In Canada, diabetes affects approximately 10 per cent of the general population.

Locks and keys

Every cell in the body needs sugar as an energy source, but too much sugar can be toxic to cells.
This equilibrium needs to be tightly controlled and is regulated by a lock and key system.
Cells cover themselves with locks that respond perfectly to insulin keys to facilitate the entry of sugar into cells.
The body can encounter difficulties producing an adequate number of insulin keys, and/or the locks can become stubborn and unresponsive to insulin.

Severe insulin-deficient diabetes: We’re missing keys!

In the severe insulin-deficient diabetes (SIDD) subtype, the key factories — the beta cells — are on strike.
Why the beta cells go on strike remains largely unknown, but since there is an insulin deficiency, treatment often involves insulin injections.

Severe insulin-resistant diabetes: But it’s always locked!

In the severe insulin-resistant diabetes (SIRD) subtype, the locks are overstimulated and start ignoring the keys.
There are many treatment avenues for these patients but no consensus about the optimal approach; patients often require high doses of insulin.

Mild obesity-related diabetes: The locks are sticky!

Mild obesity-related (MOD) diabetes represents a nuanced aspect of Type 2 diabetes, often observed in individuals with higher body weight.
The locks are “sticky,” so it is challenging for the key to click in place and open the lock.

Mild age-related diabetes: I’m tired of controlling blood sugar!

Mild age-related diabetes (MARD) happens more often in older people and typically starts later in life. With time, the key factory is not as productive, and the locks become stubborn. People with MARD find it tricky to manage their blood sugar, but it usually doesn’t lead to severe complications. Among the different subtypes of diabetes, MARD is the most common.

Unique locks, varied keys

In Canada, unique cases of Type 2 diabetes were identified in Indigenous children from Northern Manitoba and Northwestern Ontario by Dr. Heather Dean and colleagues in the 1980s and 90s.
Read more:
Indigenous community research partnerships can help address health inequities
Childhood-onset Type 2 diabetes is on the rise across Canada, but disproportionately affects Indigenous youth.
Acknowledging this distinct subtype of Type 2 diabetes in First Nations communities has led to the implementation of a community-based health action plan aimed at addressing the unique challenges faced by Indigenous Peoples.

A mosaic of conditions

Type 2 diabetes is not uniform; it’s a mosaic of conditions, each with its own characteristics.
Since diabetes presents so uniquely in every patient, even categorizing into subtypes does not guarantee how the disease will evolve.

Lili Grieco-St-Pierre receives funding from Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé (FRQS). Jennifer Bruin receives funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), JDRF, Diabetes Canada.