Inside the Little Plastic Castle

Much thanks to forests_of_fire for linking me to this study. Twenty-three researchers in London, Liverpool and Sweden have replicated inducing FM symptoms in mice by transplanting immune cells from human fibro folk. Fibro may be an autoimmune disease (which could mean more treatment options and less gaslighting).

Press Release from Karolinska: https://news.ki.se/autoantibodies-a-possible-contributor-to-fibromyalgia

Details in the open access, peer-reviewed "Journal of Clinical Investigation"
https://doi.org/10.1172/JCI144201

Full text

Passive transfer of fibromyalgia symptoms from patients to mice

( authors and abstract )

( why I care )

* autocarrot kept changing that to womanizer

I adored Ann Patchett's early fiction — The Magician’s Assistant, The Patron Saint of Liars, Bel Canto, and Run. I was fascinated by the parallel experiences of reality gained from Lucy Grealy’s Autobiography of a Face in conversation with Patchett’s meditation on their friendship, Truth & Beauty.

But she fell off my radar. Then this outstanding 20,000 word essay fell into my eyes

These Precious Days in January 2021 Harper’s Magazine

It’s got a big twist, just like she enjoys writing in her novels. It takes its form from the current moment, so there’s lockdowns and air travel and Tom Hanks and more air travel. Along the way Ann encounters Hanks’ assistant Sooki. Ann recognizes that Sooki radiates beauty and competence, and offers her a place to stay during cancer treatment. In return, they develop a true friendship. It’s heartening to learn these magic moments can still lie ahead.

A few quotes: ( 400 words )

https://harpers.org/archive/2021/01/these-precious-days-ann-patchett-psilocybin-tom-hanks-sooki-raphael/

alternative backup

( goofy context )
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/1359105317722370
is the intro to the special issue of the journal, with actual science, but behind another paywall

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I'm not making light of the underlying issue. I've been sick since 1988, I know the PACE trial is evil, it just amuses me what my unedited brain creates.

Barbara Dawson is dead. Her life was deemed not that important, because she was sick, black, female, and fat. (CW: lots of anti-fat crap crawls into this story's discussion, including "blood clot caused by obesity.")

( click for horrible details )