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  1. Good morning, friends. My family and I are going through very difficult circumstances. I hope you can help me, even with just $1, as every little bit makes a difference to me. Over the past month, I have received only €55 in donations. Please, I beg you, don't ignore me. Your support means so much to me. ❤️

    @apenkop
    @mbletmathe
    @gvenema
    @lateinhemd
    @evan
    @franciswashere

    chuffed.org/project/147168-sav

  2. Hello, everyone! How are you?

    Thanks to your support last month, I was able to enroll at university and pay part of my tuition fees. However, I received only $55 in donations.

    I hope you can continue supporting me so I can complete my studies and achieve my dream of becoming an engineer. You are my only hope. ❤️

    chuffed.org/project/147168-sav

    @PeteKirkham
    @chielk
    @claushoumann

  3. It is commendable that Estonia continues supporting humanitarian efforts across the world. The decision to provide more funding to alleviate humanitarian crisis in Syria is a good step forward.

    Vulnerable people, alongside with those who struggle with living conditions, need help and the international community should be ready to support them.

    It is also welcoming that Estonia is allocating more funds for supporting humanitarian efforts in Gaza and the West Bank.

    Every effort makes a difference.

    vm.ee/en/news/ministry-foreign

    #Estonia #Eesti #Syria #Palestine #Gaza #WestBank #HumanitarianAid #MiddleEast

  4. I Sang Along with Michael Jackson in the MRI Machine

    For legal reasons, I can’t write explicit details about getting hit by a car as a pedestrian in the crosswalk with the blaring walk signal, nor about my injuries. 

    Shock and denial had me believing that since there was no bloodshed or broken bones, I was (going to be) alright. I’m the freak of nature who walked (limped) home two blocks after getting hit. 

    Well, MRI results and sleepless nights due to agonizing pain and visual mind replays of a car grill coming at me deem that to be magnificently incorrect.

    The silver lining is that even in the depths of depression, I can laugh—in the sense that people text LOL even though they did not “laugh out loud—at the moments of absurdity that have since spawned from that life-altering event. Let’s start with the absurdity of getting hit by a freaking SUV in the crosswalk! On the other hand, I jaywalked on busy Fulton St., dodging bikes, buses, ambulances, and cars yet walked away unscathed.

    Despite being in visible pain, swollen and limping, I offered my friend Gina a tour of my apartment when she arrived to take me to the hospital. We’d seen each other since I moved into my new home months earlier, but she hadn’t seen it yet.

    The whole hospital corridor caught a peek of my red panties through the back of my hospital gown when I hobbled out of the bathroom back to my gurney. I didn’t care about modesty even though that was before the drugs had kicked in.

    Gina said she could tell when the drugs kicked in. Later, looking at my droopy eyes in the photos, I could tell too.

    My father, who walks with a cane due to MS (multiple sclerosis) jumped up and ran around á la shocked baby mama learning disappointing paternity results on Maury. 

    Over a month later, my father hollered when I told him I still wasn’t OK, as if it were the first time learning I’d been hit by a car.

    When my father calls for his weekly check-ins, he whispers as if he doesn’t want to wake my newborn baby. I will never give him a grandchild, but he has six thanks to my siblings.

    The amount of sweet potato I left on the peel broke my heart. Being right-handed, I couldn’t maneuver the peeler with my left. It takes more strength and dexterity than I realized. I used a knife to peel it as I would a pineapple. Like Julius on Everybody Hates Chris, I tried to calculate how much money I lost since I paid for the potatoes by the pound. 

    Paying per pound is the same reason I hate buying whole fish versus fillets at the fish market, though I do. Y’all are charging me for the head, fin, tail, and bones that I won’t–nay CAN’T–eat! I do enjoy the eyes, on the rare occasion I fry the fish. 

    It was only after the potato peeling struggle that it dawned on me to wrap the potato in foil and bake it so I could easily slice through the flesh. My usual and preferred method is to peel, cut into cubes, drizzle olive oil, sprinkle cinnamon and nutmeg, then bake until tender.

    The nurse and I laughed when she left off the numbers after the decimal point when she weighed me on the digital scale during a follow-up appointment. She winked and said, “You know, gotta account for the clothes.” The kind gesture in the form of a laugh was appreciated in what was sure to be a bleak appointment.

    My aunt spent a week with me to caretake and help me. I asked her to clean my gross tub. I gave her a tutorial on how to use the extended automated brush with a rotating head and interchangeable parts. I purchased it pre-injury to make cleaning easier. Even though I could use it with my left hand, the vibrations irritate my back. 

    It was quiet for a bit, so after hobbling to the bathroom door, I saw my aunt on her knees scrubbing the tub with a towel. She found the towel, used for cleaning blinds and windowsills, amongst the cleaning supplies. “I don’t trust the brush,” she said.

    I refused to let my aunt rub me down in turmeric, as suggested by her close friend. I have white walls (for now), nice furniture, and bamboo sheets that shan’t be forever tainted orange like our current Commander-in-Chief. I am more than willing to sip hot turmeric tea with a dash of black pepper to activate the turmeric’s anti-inflammatory properties.

    It took me 56 seconds to unlock the two locks on my front door with my left hand. I’m quicker now, but the hand-eye coordination was that of a baby.

    Seeing that the security desk was vacant when I went there seeking help to open a new jar of sea moss gel, I asked a female resident in the lobby returning home. She looked at me funny, but obliged after I explained my injuries.

    There was water spillage everywhere the first time I watered my plants with my left hand. No need for them to go hungry just because I don’t have an appetite.

    Despite my dress being backwards at the doctor’s office, I was complimented on my chicness. I realized the black, one bare shoulder maxi dress was backwards when I attempted to put a tissue in the pocket, and the pocket was facing the wrong way. After wrestling to put it on, I didn’t have the energy to fix it. Assuming they’d have me change into a hospital gown for the X-rays, I’d remedy the situation then. They did not. I did not.

    At the same appointment, they did require I remove my jewelry and bralette because of the little metal adjustment pieces on the spaghetti straps. Post-X-ray, I just let my titties hang under my backwards dress for the rest of the injury assessment. I felt more naked not wearing my necklaces and earrings than not wearing a bra(lette). 

    With my shoulder injury, I can’t even wear a bra. Fastening the clasps shocks me with jolts of pain.

    The Lyft driver looked like he was on the verge of tears because I was on the verge of tears (or was I actually crying?) from pain as I exited the car.

    I sang along with Michael Jackson to “The Lady in my Life” in the MRI tunnel. They gave me earplugs and over-the-ear headphones to combat the noisiness of the MRI machine. 

    I’m not claustrophobic; I wasn’t scared, and I remember listening to Michael Jackson, Luther Vandross and Stevie Wonder before either crying myself to sleep, passing out, or disassociating from the pain. My aunt said I was in the MRI tunnel for over 20 minutes. The thin padding did little to alleviate my excruciating and searing back pain. 

    As mandated by my physical therapist, I have to take daily morning walks to start my day with mental clarity. I’m scared of moving cars and crosswalks, so I walk in the nearby cemetery.

    I stopped visiting my mother’s grave in my teens, but now I take daily walks in a cemetery.

    I have the worst sense of direction. I get lost at the doctor’s office trying to find the exit. It’s a big deal that when a car pulled up to ask me how to exit the cemetery, I was able to give directions. Confidently.

    Only a few days prior, I did, in fact, get lost in the cemetery after getting spooked. Not because I was walking amongst the dead, but because the sound of passing cars was too close for comfort, so I walked deeper into the grounds not to hear them anymore. I took too many turns and had no idea where I was. “Auntie, why didn’t you use GPS?” asked my niece. Because I didn’t know you could use GPS in a cemetery.

    I recognized one of the cemetery groundsmen when we crossed paths.

    When I heard music, I turned to see a woman dancing and singing off-key at a grave. Because of my poor eyesight and the sun, I couldn’t tell if she had set up a tripod to record herself. I really hope she wasn’t making content for Tik Tok.

    This list was mostly conducted after, or rather during, another sleepless night due to pain. I’ve watched the sun come up several times. My weighted blanket can only do so much. I don’t take melatonin; magnesium upsets my stomach, though it gets the job done by knocking me out without warning.

    I found a Spotify sleep playlist. Certain megahertz frequencies supposedly induce relaxation and sleep. I don’t know if it actually worked or if my body finally gave in to the exhaustion. I remember seeing the digital display of 3:38 am.

    I’d rather tap away on my phone in the dark than wrestle to lean over to turn on the bedside lamp, or worse, get up out of bed to turn on the overhead light to read. ‘Tis time to purchase a book light so my physical therapist can’t throw shade about how long I spend reading a book. 

    #love #family #writing #health #life #depression #PTSD #MentalHealth #MichaelJackson #hospital #Recovery #Cemetery #Walks #MRI
  5. Remains of the oldest known shipwreck, Eastern Mediterranean, just to the south of Asia Minor (Anatolia)

    This was dated by the decorations on ceramic vessels, a tried and trusted method, to 2700–2400 B.C.

    By the way, the three subdivisions of the Bronze Age are of rather unequal duration, to a large degree because much more is known about the later parts:
    Early Bronze Age (EBA): 3500–2100;
    Middle Bronze Age (MBA): 2100–1700;
    Late Bronze Age (LBA): 1700–1200
    (approximately).

    «Prof Hakan Öniz, from Akdeniz University in Turkey»
    "Ak deniz" is Turkish for "White Sea", another name of the Aegean Sea, which is right to the west of Asia Minor.

    ***

    The final paragraph (hyperlinked) is:

    «The oldest known shipwreck where some of the wood is still preserved was found in the Black Sea off the coast of Bulgaria. It dates to about 2,400 years ago.»

    There was a substantial British-Bulgarian (Hull University?) deep sea expedition in the Black Sea several years ago and they made very impressive photographs.
    Looking at one of them, I could almost hear the boatswain's whistle.
    There is hydrogen sulphide dissolved in the deep waters of the Black Sea, so wood is preserved.

    BBC article:
    World's oldest shipwreck found off Kekova Island in Turkey
    <bbc.com/news/articles/c6gr80rk>

    #Archaeology
    #BronzeAge
    #EarlyBronzeAge
    #MediterraneanArchaeology
    #UnderwaterArchaeology

  6. Angry Metal Guy 🤘 HateSphere – Guillotine Review: How HateSphere has continued to find success after over twenty-five years playing their tried, true, and dated brand of Scandathrash is beyond me. With a catalog as inconsistent in quality as an Arizona highway, these Danes continue pounding out records like Mormon men with fourteen-person families. After two decades of personnel changes, the best thing going for the… dlvr.it/TVv20j LinkInBio for More 🤘

  7. HateSphere – Guillotine Review By Dr. A.N. Grier

    How HateSphere has continued to find success after over twenty-five years playing their tried, true, and dated brand of Scandathrash is beyond me. With a catalog as inconsistent in quality as an Arizona highway, these Danes continue pounding out records like Mormon men with fourteen-person families. After two decades of personnel changes, the best thing going for the band is the surprise behind the mic. But since 2023’s Hatred Reborn, there haven’t been any real surprises behind the scenes. Minus a new drummer, founder Peter Lyse Karmark continues to lead the charge, even bringing back Mathia Uldall for vocal duties. With a touch more melody than the previous record, this year’s Guillotine delivers ten new tracks to either push the envelope or just… be.

    Against better judgment, this will be the fourth time I review a HateSphere release. But I initially requested this prison sentence because I enjoyed records like Bloodred Hatred and The Great Bludgeoning. Not to mention, I’ve been a genre lover from the early days of At the Gates, The Haunted, and Witchery. But man, it’s been a rough few records of mediocrity and staleness. Because the entire structure hasn’t changed in the last three years, maybe Guillotine will start a focused era of output. Wait, why the fuck am I being positive?

    This twelfth album opens with the aptly titled instrumental “Chapter XII.” After the soft, reverberating guitars, the distortion kicks in, and we are provided with one of the best riffs on the album.1 The opener sets the tone nicely, slingshotting us into the purely predictable but solid “Dogma.” Wrapped up tightly in every element that defines the band, “Dogma” aggressively barks and growls; guitars hammer and swirl; and alternates between groove and melody. But in the end, it’s nothing special; it’s the standard we expect from HateSphere.

    Thankfully, there are a few exciting numbers, like the back-to-back “Cleansing” and “Snake Charmer.” The first opens with a standard melodic introduction before firing off into a fun main riff. When the vocals arrive, the guitars come and go, letting the bass rise to the surface. After clawing through massive overlaid barks and growls, it ends with a headbangable chug of pure bliss. “Snake Charmer” is an extra minute-plus, delivering sinister vibes and a razor-sharp riff straight from Witchery’s Don’t Fear the Reaper. Toss in some melodicness and a good balance of back-and-forth antics, and it’s a pleasing piece. For something a bit more Soilwork-meets-Dark Tranquillity, ensure you check out the catchy and punchy “Human Scum.”

    But as is the case with most recent HateSphere records, filler pieces or duds distract or poison the flow. Unfortunately, it really hurts when it’s the first single and the title track. The main riff of “Guillotine” is the laziest attempt at Pantera’s “5 Minutes Alone.” I mean, I like the tone and direction, but then it drops into that slow, dissonant, overused guitar sound that bores the hell out of it. The best part is the riff transition at the end, but, ya know, it’s a bit late. “Bottom Feeder” is another slogger with a decent vocal approach, but it tries so hard to be old-school death that it never develops further than the character. The closer is the longest on the album and one of the biggest letdowns. “Heresy” feels like the expected album epic, and the band thought so too, but like “Guillotine,” it goes on and on, moving up and down for no reason, and consists of bruiser riffs and bully vocals that won’t end.

    With a typical Tue Madsen master and early 2000s compression, Guillotine is just another in a long string of mixed HateSphere records. It has some kickass tunes, some predictable ones, and others that try so hard they become forgettable.2 That said, denying their drive and prolificity would make me a poser because I still come back to see if the next record breaks the mold. Guillotine has some interesting tweaks that freshen the palette for us old-time fans, but nothing cracks the surface that hasn’t been done numerous times over. But I didn’t hate everything, and what I did like will be added to my HateSphere playlist.

    Rating: 2.5/5.0
    DR: 6 | Format Reviewed: 256 kb/s mp3
    Label: Scarlet Records | Bandcamp
    Websites: hatesphere.com | facebook.com/hatesphereofficial
    Releases Worldwide: October 9th, 2026

    #25 #2026 #AtTheGates #DanishMetal #DarkTranquillity #GrooveMetal #Guillotine #HateSphere #MelodicDeathMetal #Oct26 #Pantera #Review #Reviews #ScarletRecords #Soilwork #TheHaunted #ThrashMetal #Witchery
  8. Celebration Day!

    I’m in ‘quietly smug’ mode this morning. Acht, what the heck – forget the ‘quietly’ bit!

    Who’d have thought when my old school pal, Paul, and I started our 1970s themed blog a few years back, it’d attract over a quarter of a million hits?! Or that it would become the #1 listed on Google searches for ‘1970s blogs’ or ‘1970s websites.’

    And all this without any advertising / marketing or active promotion other than the likes of this.

    I’ve reproduced below, todays celebratory post from the site. Please feel free to share it far and wide … and of course check out some of the 470 posts (170 are music related) written in light-hearted reflection of an exciting and fun time to be growing up … the 1960s and 1970s.

    Many thanks to all who have visited our wee site over the years. 🥳🍾🎉

    ** (We always welcome contributions from other writers. If you lived through that period and have tales to tell, then check out the site’s ‘Contact’ page and hit us up.) **

    __________

    https://youtu.be/0GsxngIzc3c?si=hVCNp-HDguCN_wW5

    It’s taken a few years … but we’ve done it!

    A QUARTER OF A MILLION BLOG HITS!

    And all done purely organically. No advertising; no marketing; no active promotion.

    When Paul and I set out to produce a blog reflecting upon life growing up in the late ’60s and 1970s, it was with the one simple intention – that it be different to all the many, many others available on the internet. We didn’t want it to be a simple recount of history, or a clickbait type of blog showing a picture of a space hopper or chopper bike purely for the sake of gaining a few ‘likes.’

    Neither did we seek to gain financially ourselves and so one of our earliest decisions was to eschew the possibility of advertising. Our blog was to remain unobtrusive and clean, with no annoying distractions.

    Once Upon a Time in The ’70s had to have some substance. Our aim was to come up with regular, light-hearted, personal reflections of our own experiences of living through that time.

    We knew we couldn’t do this ourselves, though, and we’ve been so lucky to have the support of several contributors. John Allan recently passed the ‘100 post’ mark, while George Cheyne and Mark Arbuckle have also submitted many pieces over the years. There have been others, and we thank each and every one for their support.

    (It’s just dawned on me – our regular writers are John, Paul, George and … Mark. Mark who will now have to be our adoptive ‘Ringo.’) 😉🤣

    It’s hard work maintaining the site, but our reward is the knowledge it’s appreciated by so many regular and loyal readers in addition to those who may stumble across it via various search engines.

    And the latter is happening more and more regularly these days, thanks to our appearance generally as the top-listed Google search for ‘1970s blogs’ or ‘1970s websites.’

    However, our biggest thanks must be reserved for YOU, dear reader. Thank you so much for supporting our wee blog, maintaining its organic growth, and for your positive feedback.

    Please keep spreading the word … and roll on blog hit #500,000!

    COLIN & PAUL



    ***While we’re in ‘bigging ourselves up’ mode, here’s some words copied from an AI search, regarding Once Upon a Time in The ’70s.***

    Once Upon a Time in The ’70s occupies a distinct and prominent position within the online landscape of 1970s nostalgia and cultural blogging.

    1. Search Engine Visibility & Ranking

    • Top Organic Search Presence:The site consistently ranks at or near the top of Google search results for core organic queries like “1970s blogs” and “1970s websites”.
    • Search Engine Optimization & Indexing:With over 400 published articles and a dedicated, structured Music Directory, the blog’s deep archive gives search engines extensive content to index across specific sub-topics—such as ’70s singles, album reviews, pop culture, TV themes, and social history.

    2. Distinction from Other Nostalgia Websites

    The web contains a wide spectrum of retro and nostalgia-focused platforms, but Once Upon a Time in The ’70s stands out in how it handles the decade:

    Website CategoryExamplesCharacteristicsHow Once Upon a Time in The ’70s ComparesMass-Market Retro PortalsNostalgia Central, DoYouRemember, Vintage EverydayHeavy on brief pop-culture lists, commercial advertising, and broad global scope.Offers personal, long-form storytelling and first-hand, authentic narrative context rather than recycled clickbait.Monetized / Curated BlogsDinosaur Dracula!, The RetroistFocus heavily on 80s/90s pop culture, collectibles, and commercial memorabilia.Remains sharply focused on the mid-to-late 1960s and 1970s, emphasizing music, personal growing-up anecdotes, and community memories.Niche Decadal Blogs & Author SitesSpirit of 1976, Purely 1970sCommunity-led, independent blogs dedicated strictly to the ’70s.Frequently cited by fellow authors and retro enthusiasts as a premier resource and community hub.

    3. Key Strengths & Position in the Ecosystem

    • Authentic First-Person Narrative: Unlike sterile wiki-style entries or listicles, the blog focuses on human experiences—school days, fashion, youth culture, record collecting, and concert memories (from glam rock to punk and new wave).
    • Active Contributor Network:By featuring guest contributions alongside main posts, it functions as a vibrant community archive where readers actively share their own memories in the comments and submission pages.
    • Curated Music Archive:A significant portion of the blog (over 120+ specialized music articles) serves as an informal historical guide to ’70s charts, underground gems, and iconic tracks.

      __________



    Hi regular readers! Just a quick note: if you are reading this text on any site other than Ceeteejackson.com, it has been stolen by automated bots.
    You can read more about how this digital piracy works on this post.

    #1970sBlog #1970sMusic #1970sNostalgia #1970sWebsite #ASpaceHopperKilledMyHamster #blog #blogging #CelebrationTime #DailyBlog #FunBlog #FunWebsite #Life #Music #storiesFromThe1970s #TheSeventies #TheSixties #Writing
  9. Journal – Week 41, October 2026

    Another mixed week, both weather wise, as sleep wise, as energy wise, as emotional wise... Heck, everything seemed to fluctuate from one side to another and then take a huge turn and change again. I would love it if there could be some more (positive) stability. I wish for more better nights, more rest, less pain, less struggles, and preferably, also less issues with controlling my emotions. It's been a bit of an usual week, as in that things are the same, in some kind of way... It would just be great if things would become a bit easier, a bit less challenging and difficult... But, never give up, never surrender... So, I just keep trying to go on, and hope that I'm doing the right things, and that things may (finally) start to get a bit better/easier/relaxed... A weather forecast graphic from Weer & Radar showing a 14-day trend for Herpen, dated 4 October 2026.The chart displays daytime maximum temperatures in red dots and overnight minimum temperatures in blue dots (in degrees Celsius), along with sunshine and rain indicators across 14 consecutive days starting on Monday:Week 1:Monday: High of 20°C, low of 7°C, sunny.Tuesday: High of 20°C, low of 11°C, sunny.Wednesday: High of 20°C, low of 11°C, sunny.Thursday: Noticeable drop with a high of 13°C, low of 11°C, two raindrops indicating rain, and overcast skies.Friday: High of 12°C, low of 7°C, one raindrop indicating light rain, with low sunshine.Saturday: Rebounding to a high of 16°C, low of 11°C, sunny.Sunday: High of 16°C, low of 10°C, sunny.Week 2:Monday: High of 17°C, low of 10°C, sunny.Tuesday: High of 16°C, low of 8°C, sunny.Wednesday: High of 16°C, low of 7°C, sunny.Thursday: High of 17°C, low of 7°C, sunny.Friday: High of 17°C, low of 8°C, sunny.Saturday: High of 16°C, low of 6°C, with low sunshine.Sunday: High of 16°C, low of 6°C, one raindrop indicating light rain, and low sunshine.Overall, the period starts warm at 20°C, sees a brief cold and rainy dip mid-week around Thursday and Friday (down to 12°C–13°C), and then settles into mild, mostly sunny autumn weather around 16°C–17°C with chilly nights dropping into the single digits. Quick links to the days of the week: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday & Sunday. […]

    cynnisblog.wordpress.com/2026/

  10. DATE: October 12, 2026 at 08:00PM
    SOURCE: PSYPOST.ORG

    ** Research quality varies widely from fantastic to small exploratory studies. Please check research methods when conclusions are very important to you. **
    -------------------------------------------------

    TITLE: Genetic scores linked to depression and neuroticism are associated with lower voter turnout

    URL: psypost.org/dna-and-the-ballot

    A study published in Political Behavior shows how genetic scores related to health and psychological traits can predict a person’s likelihood of voting or engaging in politics. Analyzing genetic data from more than 50,000 people in the United States and Sweden, researchers found that genetic predispositions for traits like cognitive performance and subjective well-being were linked to higher voter turnout, and comparisons between siblings suggested that some of these links reflect causal genetic effects.

    Political scientists typically focus on environmental factors, such as education, income, or family upbringing, to explain why some people vote and others stay home. Over the past 15 years, however, twin, adoption, and molecular genetic studies have indicated that political orientation and civic participation are also partly heritable. Integrating these findings into mainstream political science has been difficult, in part because early attempts to link political behavior to a handful of specific genes largely stalled as it became evident that complex traits are shaped by thousands of genetic variants with tiny effects.

    To overcome these limitations, a research team set out to introduce a new tool to the study of political behavior. The team included Rafael Ahlskog and Sven Oskarsson of Uppsala University, Christopher Dawes of New York University, and Aaron Weinschenk of the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay. They proposed using polygenic indices, which are individual-level scores that summarize a person’s genetic propensity for a specific trait.

    A polygenic index is created by looking at hundreds of thousands of tiny variations in a person’s DNA. Researchers assign a weight to each variation based on how strongly it correlates with a given trait in massive genome-wide association studies. These underlying studies analyze the DNA of very large samples, sometimes more than a million people, to find tiny statistical links between specific genetic markers and specific outcomes. By adding all these weighted variations together, researchers can generate a single score that estimates an individual’s genetic likelihood of exhibiting traits like extraversion, depression, or high cognitive performance.

    To demonstrate the method, the researchers analyzed data from four large samples: the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, and the Minnesota Twin Family Study in the United States, and the Swedish Twin Registry. The combined datasets included more than 50,000 individuals, and the analyses were limited to people of European ancestry. The researchers gathered information on self-reported voter turnout, turnout validated from official records in both high-profile elections (such as presidential or national parliamentary elections) and lower-profile ones (such as U.S. midterms and European Parliament elections), and engagement in non-voting political activities, such as attending a political rally or contacting a politician.

    Alongside the political data, the researchers calculated polygenic indices for ten health and psychological traits. These traits included cognitive performance, adventurousness, extraversion, being a morning person, neuroticism, risk tolerance, self-rated health, depression, subjective well-being, and physical activity. They also included a genetic score for educational attainment as a benchmark for comparison, and the main analyses followed plans the researchers had registered in advance.

    The researchers first compared people across different families. To account for broad genetic differences that arise from human demographic history rather than specific traits, they controlled for participants’ genetic ancestry, along with birth year and sex.

    Several genetic scores were associated with voter turnout. Higher genetic propensities for cognitive performance, self-rated health, subjective well-being, and physical activity predicted a higher likelihood of voting, while scores for neuroticism and depression predicted lower turnout. A genetic tendency toward being a morning person was associated with higher turnout in high-profile elections, and the score for adventurousness with higher turnout in lower-profile ones. Results for risk tolerance were mixed, with higher scores linked to lower turnout in high-profile elections but higher turnout in lower-profile ones.

    The associations were modest but not trivial. A one standard deviation increase in the genetic score for cognitive performance or self-rated health was associated with a roughly 4 percentage point higher likelihood of voting in lower-profile elections, and each of these scores accounted for almost 1% of the variation in turnout in those elections.

    When looking at non-voting political participation, the researchers found a different pattern. Genetic scores for extraversion, risk tolerance, and adventurousness were positively associated with activities like contacting a politician or attending rallies. This aligns with previous research suggesting that outgoing and novelty-seeking people are drawn to the more social aspects of political activism.

    Additional analyses suggested that, on average, about 30% of the scores’ links with participation ran through the traits they were designed to predict. This varied widely: measured cognitive performance accounted for almost all of the link between its genetic score and participation, while measured physical activity explained very little of its score’s link.

    While comparing people across families reveals an association, it does not prove a direct causal link. The study authors point to two main sources of bias in such comparisons: population structure and genetic nurture. Population structure refers to genetic differences that align with social or cultural groups due to historical mating patterns, which can create false correlations. Genetic nurture occurs when parents’ genes influence the environment they create for their children, meaning a child’s behavior might be shaped by their upbringing rather than their own DNA.

    To establish a firmer causal connection, the researchers conducted a second set of analyses that restricted the data to pairs of full siblings. Because biological siblings receive a random mix of their parents’ genes, any genetic differences between them are the result of chance. Comparing siblings to each other effectively removes the influence of their shared family environment and broad population-level genetic differences.

    In the sibling analyses, many of the links between the genetic scores and voter turnout held up, particularly for high-profile elections. For lower-profile elections, the estimates comparing siblings tended to be smaller than those comparing different families, suggesting that the earlier results were partly inflated by genetic nurture or population structure. Results for self-reported voting and non-voting participation were less precise.

    Because genetic differences between siblings arise by chance, the authors argue that the within-family results can be given a causal interpretation: the genetic variants captured by these scores affect the likelihood of voting. That does not necessarily mean they work through the traits the scores were designed to measure.

    The authors note several limitations to how these findings should be interpreted. A genetic effect does not mean that a person’s political behavior is biologically predetermined. Genetic influences often work through environmental pathways; for example, a genetic propensity for height might affect political participation because of wage discrimination against shorter people, rather than through any direct biological drive to vote.

    Genes frequently affect multiple traits at the same time, a concept known as pleiotropy. A genetic score designed to predict depression might also capture genes related to entirely different characteristics that ultimately influence political behavior. The scores also capture only a fraction of the total genetic influence on a trait, as they are based on estimates containing some statistical noise, so the authors describe their results as a lower bound.

    A major limitation of current polygenic indices is that they rely on genetic databases that predominantly feature individuals of European ancestry. Because genetic markers differ across populations, these scores are currently less accurate when applied to people of other ancestral backgrounds, which is why the analyses were limited to people of European descent.

    Future research could use genetic scores to better understand how parents socialize their children politically. By comparing the genetic scores of parents and children, researchers can tease apart which political behaviors are passed down through a shared environment and which are inherited biologically.

    The method also offers a way to study how different environments might amplify or suppress a person’s genetic predispositions. In one exploratory analysis that was not part of the preregistered plan, education appeared to buffer the negative link between depression-linked genes and voter turnout. The lower turnout associated with the depression genetic score appeared to be driven entirely by people at the lower end of the education distribution.

    The study, “The Genetics of Political Participation: Leveraging Polygenic Indices to Advance Political Behavior Research,” was authored by Rafael Ahlskog, Christopher Dawes, Sven Oskarsson, and Aaron Weinschenk.

    URL: psypost.org/dna-and-the-ballot

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    #psychology #counseling #socialwork #psychotherapy @psychotherapist @psychotherapists @psychology @socialpsych @socialwork @psychiatry #mentalhealth #psychiatry #healthcare #depression #psychotherapist #GeneticScores #DepressionAndTurnout #Neuroticism #VoterTurnout #PolygenicIndices #PoliticalBehavior #CognitivePerformance #SocialParticipation #GeneticsOfPolitics #TwinSiblingStudy

  11. Poland’s Best-Known Gay Couple Finally Have Their Marriage Recognised After Nine Years!

    Jakub and Dawid Kwieciński-Mycek are best-known Polish gay couple. They first shot to international fame nearly a decade…
    #Poland #Polska #PL #Europe #Europa #EU #GayCouple #marriageequality
    europesays.com/poland/30723/

  12. He had been in a momentary funk. Nothing seemed right. He couldn't remember what he was doing or why he was here. Dazed and confused but attempting to take cues from the room that would help him remember where he was, what he was doing. When someone taped him on the shoulder.

  13. The Social Reckoning isn’t as angry or as potent as a Facebook drama should be
    By Jesse Hassenger

    Aaron Sorkin’s attempt to return to the success of The Social Network is a strangely dated and incomplete look at a world that needs a sharper eye

    theguardian.com/film/2026/oct/

    #Dramafilms #AaronSorkin #Facebook #MikeyMadison #JeremyStrong #JeremyAllenWhite #Culture #Film #Socialmedia #TheSocialNetwork #Meta #Technology #Socialnetworking #TheGuardian #JesseHassenger

  14. The dA-Zed guide to William Eggleston

    William Eggleston: All That Goes Unnoticed Gallery / 16 images Few photographers have had as profound an influence…
    #NewsBeep #News #Artsanddesign #Art #Arts #ArtsAndDesign #AU #Australia #dazed #dazed&confused #dazed&confusedmagazine #dazedandconfused #dazedandconfusedmagazine #dazed+confused #dazeddigital #Design #Entertainment #Fashion #film #ideas #ideassharingnetwork #Music
    newsbeep.com/au/925699/

  15. Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ Hits 14th Week Atop Billboard 200

    Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl spends a 14th nonconsecutive week atop the Billboard 200 chart (dated…
    #NewsBeep #News #Celebrities #Billboard200 #breaking #CA #Canada #ChartBeat #Entertainment #genrepop #MusicNews
    newsbeep.com/ca/930116/

  16. Taylor Swift’s ‘Life of a Showgirl’ Hits 14th Week Atop Billboard 200

    Taylor Swift’s The Life of a Showgirl spends a 14th nonconsecutive week atop the Billboard 200 chart (dated…
    #NewsBeep #News #Celebrities #Billboard200 #breaking #ChartBeat #Entertainment #genrepop #MusicNews #UK #UnitedKingdom
    newsbeep.com/uk/799929/

  17. A Painting Possessed Me

    While Instagram doom scrolling, my eye hooked
    on the photo of an oil painting, with the most
    peculiar, layered texture of pigments, like an
    ancient dig with archaeologists crawling in and
    out all day long under the desert sun. Like that
    first scene of The Exorcist.

    Then it dawned on me how possession happens: in
    stages. And as I gazed and gaped, I stepped back
    from the artwork, almost involuntarily. Perhaps
    in fear of being touched: so near the center of
    what must become the spot where my soul resides.
    #Painting #Passion #Possession #Surrealism #Uncertainty
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