Christmas Giveaway

Advent is a season of good will and also the time when people usually give presents to their family and friends, so I'm happy to announce my Christmas giveaway:

the first 10 people who will write to me using this email address

SanneW@gmx.com 

will receive a free digital copy of my recent book The Road To Power!

And for those who are looking for a nice present, I was taught that a book makes the best present:)

Both of my books are available on Amazon for a very reasonable price.  

Lydia Sherman Reviews My Book

In her latest installment of the Housewife Radio:




(For the review, scroll to the 25th minute.)

She was kind enough to link to it in her post, too.

St Nicholas Day

Don't forget that it's St. Nicholas Day today! Though we normally celebrate it's eve:)




The feast of St.Nicholas

Pill Will Fry Your Brain, Too

Women who take the Pill each day have a key brain region which is smaller, experts have found for the first time. 

The hypothalamus is crucial for the normal production of hormones and plays a role in mood, appetite, sex drive and sleep.

(The hypothalamus is also responsible for parental behaviour, see here: And cells signaling to a hormone-regulating region of the brain's hypothalamus appear to modulate the parenting-related hormones oxytocin, vasopressin, and the stress hormone corticotropin-releasing hormone. It's probably the reason why modern women are so non-maternal).

 

Researchers at Montefiore Medical Center in New York City scanned the brains of 50 women to make the conclusion. 

They saw a 'dramatic difference' in the size of the hypothalamus in women who took birth control pills.

But don't you worry, despite the crucial area of your brain shrinking 6%, it totally won't affect you:

But they said cognitive performance or behaviour did not change - despite the brain region being around six per cent smaller.  

Well, except you getting depressed and dealing with anger issues, that is:

However, other preliminary evidence from the same team found a link between the smaller size and anger and depressive symptoms. 

  

Probably other things, too:

Disease of the hypothalamus, most often caused by brain injury, surgery, tumours or genetic disorders, can cause insomnia, dehydration and infertility.

A feature or a bug? You decide!

Comfort Food For Winter

Lemon curd:

I used an adjusted version of the recipe from this book:

You'll need:

the peel and juice of 4-5 lemons (ab. 1c)
4 eggs, beaten
1/2 c cold butter, in cubes (I substituted some with coconut oil)
sugar - the original recipe says 2c, I actually used ab. 3/4c brown sugar with a bit of extra honey added

Use a smaller pan which will fit into a bigger pan. Combine all the ingredients in it, place it into the bigger pan and fill the bigger pan with water, bring it (gently) to a simmer and keep stirring your curd ingredients (if you let the water boil too vigorously it will make the egg coagulate and that's not what you wish). Cook and stir until thickened, then pour into sterilised jars. You'll get about as much lemon curd as shown in the top picture. It doesn't keep very long so it has little sense to make more than that. Enjoy!

P8rn Will Make You Retarded

Those folks on the internet who will tell you how great p*rn is and how it liberates you from dealing with those nasty women, aren't your friends:

...studies show people who regularly watch adult entertainment often develop damage to the prefrontal cortex, the brain region that controls morality, willpower and impulse control...

...
'Science is only just beginning to reveal the neurological repercussions of porn consumption.'

'It is already clear that the mental health and sex lives of its widespread audience are suffering catastrophic effects,' Barr says. 

'From depression to erectile dysfunction, porn appears to be hijacking our neural wiring with dire consequences.'

Do You Want To Save The Planet?

Eat meat:

Meat is crucial for feeding the planet, leading scientists have said, as they warned it is not more environmentally-friendly to go vegan...

“Meat has massive social benefits. It’s an important source of dietary protein, energy, highly bioavailable micronutrients, even small amounts of animal-sourced food have a really important effect on the development of children, in the developing world on their cognitive and physical development and they are really important.” 

Prof Mike Coffey, from Scotland’s Rural College, added: “It’s completely unnecessary to go vegan. 
“If everybody went vegan it would be devastating for the UK environment. Animals bred for food help boost biodiversity.”

In other news, fruit may be not as healthy for you as we have thought. 

Is Fruit Good or Bad?