Well, school is officially out, but somehow I still have various meetings and stuff to go to - got one tomorrow, all day Thursday and Friday and Tuesday of next week - but for extra pay (except the one tomorrow). So I guess that's all right. But it is, of course, preventing me from making much progress on the clean-up-the-horribly-messy-house front.
One of my goals for summer is to try to develop an exercise routine again and get back in shape. I think I'll start with walking every day. I do have a track right across the street from me that I use a few times a week but I should be using it more.
Yesterday mom, my bro and his family and me went to Territory Days down in Old Colorado City and then we had a barbecue at mom's. Saturday I did mostly nothing.
Monday, May 29, 2006
Thursday, May 25, 2006
from a graduation speech today....
The proper function of man is to live, not to exist. I shall not waste my days in trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.
-Jack London
-Jack London
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
Ah, so it may not be as simple as Punnet Squares after all...
May 25, 2006
Mouse Finding Violates Laws of Heredity (from scientific american blog)
DNA has long been considered the sole arbiter of heredity. New research seems to show, however, that its lesser known cousin, RNA--previously thought only to facilitate the creation of proteins as dictated by the genetic code--may itself pass traits down through the generations.
Fifty years ago, researchers observed that the genetics controlling the amount of purple coloring in certain corn kernels deviated from the accepted laws of genetics. Genetic variants that should have been bred out could sometimes exert their empurpling effect in subsequent generations. Dubbed paramutation, the phenomenon remained unexplained.
In experiments with mutant mice, Minoo Rassoulzadegan of Inserm in France and his colleagues observed a similar phenomenon. A mutation in the Kit gene is known to produce white patches of fur on the toes and tails of brown mice. The researchers bred together mice that each carried one normal copy of the gene and one aberrant copy--that is, they were heterozygous. Mice that inherit two normal copies of the gene should not exhibit this coloring. But oddly enough, the team found that a large percentage of the resulting mice in their study that inherited only normal copies of the gene from their heterozygous parents did in fact have the white spots.
Searching for an explanation, the scientists found that the mutant mice bore unusually low levels of regular RNA interspersed with unusually large versions of the messenger molecule. Further, they found that this RNA found its way into mouse sperm. And when they injected the RNA into developing embryos it produced the tell-tale patches in nearly 50 percent of the offspring, who in turn passed the trait along to their offspring. Control mice occasionally exhibited white spots as well, though they rarely passed the trait to subsequent generations
The exact mechanism by which the RNA transmits the spotting trait to the progeny in the absence of the gene that causes the spotting in the parent remains mysterious. But the finding does challenge the existing understanding of genetics and it may have implications for humans. In a commentary accompanying the report, Paul Soloway of Cornell University remarks: "A particularly intriguing possibility is that such RNAs regulate other non-genetic modes of inheritance, such as metabolic or behavioral imprinting." The research and commentary appear in today's Nature.
Mouse Finding Violates Laws of Heredity (from scientific american blog)
DNA has long been considered the sole arbiter of heredity. New research seems to show, however, that its lesser known cousin, RNA--previously thought only to facilitate the creation of proteins as dictated by the genetic code--may itself pass traits down through the generations.
Fifty years ago, researchers observed that the genetics controlling the amount of purple coloring in certain corn kernels deviated from the accepted laws of genetics. Genetic variants that should have been bred out could sometimes exert their empurpling effect in subsequent generations. Dubbed paramutation, the phenomenon remained unexplained.
In experiments with mutant mice, Minoo Rassoulzadegan of Inserm in France and his colleagues observed a similar phenomenon. A mutation in the Kit gene is known to produce white patches of fur on the toes and tails of brown mice. The researchers bred together mice that each carried one normal copy of the gene and one aberrant copy--that is, they were heterozygous. Mice that inherit two normal copies of the gene should not exhibit this coloring. But oddly enough, the team found that a large percentage of the resulting mice in their study that inherited only normal copies of the gene from their heterozygous parents did in fact have the white spots.
Searching for an explanation, the scientists found that the mutant mice bore unusually low levels of regular RNA interspersed with unusually large versions of the messenger molecule. Further, they found that this RNA found its way into mouse sperm. And when they injected the RNA into developing embryos it produced the tell-tale patches in nearly 50 percent of the offspring, who in turn passed the trait along to their offspring. Control mice occasionally exhibited white spots as well, though they rarely passed the trait to subsequent generations
The exact mechanism by which the RNA transmits the spotting trait to the progeny in the absence of the gene that causes the spotting in the parent remains mysterious. But the finding does challenge the existing understanding of genetics and it may have implications for humans. In a commentary accompanying the report, Paul Soloway of Cornell University remarks: "A particularly intriguing possibility is that such RNAs regulate other non-genetic modes of inheritance, such as metabolic or behavioral imprinting." The research and commentary appear in today's Nature.
Monday, May 22, 2006
What we eat has lots of effects
May 22, 2006
from the scientific american feed, thought this was interesting. While I try to not to eat horribly, I know I definitely don't have the world's best diet. But it is interesting to think about how all the processed and modified stuff we eat with chemical-name ingredients might have effects no one knows about....
Diet Linked to Twin Births
Over the last 30 years, the number of twin births has nearly trebled. This rise seems to have followed the introduction of in vitro fertilization and a preference for having children later in life. But in the mid-1990s, doctors began limiting the number of transferred embryos and still the proportion of twin births rose. Now new research seems to show that growth hormone in the food supply may be responsible.
"The continuing increase in the twinning rate into the 1990s, however, may also be a consequence of the introduction of growth hormone treatment of cows to enhance their milk and beef production," argues physician Gary Steinman of the Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
Steinman and his international colleagues solicited answers on a questionnaire from mothers. He then compared the number of twin births from those who consumed meat and/or milk and those who consumed no animal products at all. The omnivores and vegetarians were five times more likely to have twins than the vegans.
Steinman argues that insulin-like growth factor, a protein released by the liver in response to growth hormone, may be the reason. Studies have shown that the protein increases ovulation and that it persists in the body after entering via digested food, particularly milk. Daily drinking of a glass of milk over a 12-week period raised levels of the protein in the body by 10 percent and vegan women have 13 percent lower concentrations of it in their blood.
There is also a genetic factor at work. Africans--particularly the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria when eating their traditional diet of yams--have the highest number of twin births while the Japanese experience the lowest. Yet, when Japanese people move to California their twinning rate doubles and Yorubas eating a European diet drop to match Caucasian levels of twin births.
The insulin-like growth factor seems to play a key role in explaining the recent trend. Although the twinning rate in the U.K.--where bovine growth hormone is banned--rose by 16 percent between 1992 and 2001, it increased by 32 percent in the U.S., where the substance is not banned, Steinman noted in a comment in the May 6 issue of The Lancet. "This study shows for the first time that the chance of having twins is affected both by heredity and environment or, in other words, by both nature and nurture," Steinman says. The paper presenting the research appears in the current issue of the Journal of Reproductive Medicine.
from the scientific american feed, thought this was interesting. While I try to not to eat horribly, I know I definitely don't have the world's best diet. But it is interesting to think about how all the processed and modified stuff we eat with chemical-name ingredients might have effects no one knows about....
Diet Linked to Twin Births
Over the last 30 years, the number of twin births has nearly trebled. This rise seems to have followed the introduction of in vitro fertilization and a preference for having children later in life. But in the mid-1990s, doctors began limiting the number of transferred embryos and still the proportion of twin births rose. Now new research seems to show that growth hormone in the food supply may be responsible.
"The continuing increase in the twinning rate into the 1990s, however, may also be a consequence of the introduction of growth hormone treatment of cows to enhance their milk and beef production," argues physician Gary Steinman of the Long Island Jewish Medical Center.
Steinman and his international colleagues solicited answers on a questionnaire from mothers. He then compared the number of twin births from those who consumed meat and/or milk and those who consumed no animal products at all. The omnivores and vegetarians were five times more likely to have twins than the vegans.
Steinman argues that insulin-like growth factor, a protein released by the liver in response to growth hormone, may be the reason. Studies have shown that the protein increases ovulation and that it persists in the body after entering via digested food, particularly milk. Daily drinking of a glass of milk over a 12-week period raised levels of the protein in the body by 10 percent and vegan women have 13 percent lower concentrations of it in their blood.
There is also a genetic factor at work. Africans--particularly the Yoruba tribe of Nigeria when eating their traditional diet of yams--have the highest number of twin births while the Japanese experience the lowest. Yet, when Japanese people move to California their twinning rate doubles and Yorubas eating a European diet drop to match Caucasian levels of twin births.
The insulin-like growth factor seems to play a key role in explaining the recent trend. Although the twinning rate in the U.K.--where bovine growth hormone is banned--rose by 16 percent between 1992 and 2001, it increased by 32 percent in the U.S., where the substance is not banned, Steinman noted in a comment in the May 6 issue of The Lancet. "This study shows for the first time that the chance of having twins is affected both by heredity and environment or, in other words, by both nature and nurture," Steinman says. The paper presenting the research appears in the current issue of the Journal of Reproductive Medicine.
Saturday, May 20, 2006
swamp cooler
I am sooo happy that today my parents came over and we got my swamp cooler operating for the season. It had been getting too hot in the house and it works so quickly and effectively to cool things down. One week of school left, although I have some meetings the next week also. Caught an end of the year something or other; using it as an excuse not to address my house cleaning issues this weekend..... But I really do need to clean up a bit in case I have company or something.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
MOST POPULAR BABY NAMES IN COLORADO, 2005
"NUMBER" is total number of babies with that name
TOP 50 OVERALL
RANK FEMALE NUMBER MALE NUMBER
1 EMILY 300 JACOB 389
2 EMMA 299 JOSHUA 368
3 ABIGAIL 273 ALEXANDER 349
4 MADISON 272 JOSEPH 341
5 ISABELLA 269 ETHAN 324
6 OLIVIA 256 TYLER 309
7 HANNAH 250 DANIEL 303
8 SAMANTHA 237 MICHAEL 303
9 ASHLEY 233 ANDREW 294
10 ELLA 225 ANTHONY 294
11 SOPHIA 225 WILLIAM 289
12 ELIZABETH 224 RYAN 283
13 AVA 211 NOAH 280
14 GRACE 207 SAMUEL 279
15 MIA 190 DAVID 268
16 ALEXIS 179 MATTHEW 268
17 LAUREN 173 GABRIEL 259
18 SARAH 173 JOSE 259
19 HAILEY 165 ANGEL 255
20 TAYLOR 163 DYLAN 254
21 ANNA 162 BENJAMIN 248
22 NATALIE 160 JACK 236
23 SYDNEY 149 JOHN 234
24 CHLOE 146 JONATHAN 234
25 NEVAEH 138 LOGAN 232
26 ALYSSA 137 CHRISTOPHER 229
27 JASMINE 130 JAMES 222
28 VICTORIA 125 NICHOLAS 222
29 AVERY 124 ZACHARY 217
30 MORGAN 124 ELIJAH 214
31 LILY 122 NATHAN 211
32 ALEXANDRA 120 JACKSON 207
33 ZOE 120 EVAN 198
34 MARIA 118 ISAIAH 193
35 BROOKE 112 AIDEN 191
36 JESSICA 112 AIDAN 188
37 KATHERINE 108 CHRISTIAN 187
38 MEGAN 108 LUKE 187
39 RACHEL 108 CALEB 183
40 BRIANNA 106 ISAAC 181
41 JENNIFER 106 AUSTIN 173
42 EVELYN 102 JUAN 170
43 JULIA 98 DIEGO 167
44 SAVANNAH 98 LUIS 167
45 ANGELINA 97 BRANDON 164
46 KAITLYN 97 THOMAS 161
47 KAYLA 94 HUNTER 160
48 TRINITY 93 KEVIN 159
49 LILLIAN 91 CONNOR 158
50 PAIGE 90 GAVIN 154
TOP 20 HISPANIC
RANK FEMALE NUMBER MALE NUMBER
1 ASHLEY 137 JOSE 250
2 MARIA 99 ANGEL 245
3 ISABELLA 87 JUAN 164
4 MIA 87 DANIEL 160
5 EMILY 83 LUIS 157
6 JENNIFER 79 DIEGO 142
7 ALONDRA 72 JESUS 140
8 NEVAEH 68 ANTHONY 127
9 LESLIE 66 DAVID 126
10 JASMINE 65 JONATHAN 126
11 KIMBERLY 60 GABRIEL 119
12 SAMANTHA 59 CARLOS 118
13 EVELYN 58 JOSHUA 113
14 ANDREA 56 KEVIN 103
15 DIANA 53 ALEJANDRO 98
16 VALERIA 53 ADRIAN 94
17 VICTORIA 53 CHRISTOPHER 93
18 NATALIE 49 ISAIAH 90
19 STEPHANIE 49 JOSEPH 87
20 ABIGAIL 47 CHRISTIAN 84
TOP 20 BLACK
RANK FEMALE NUMBER MALE NUMBER
1 NEVAEH 10 ELIJAH 18
2 TRINITY 9 ISAIAH 18
3 AALIYAH 8 JOSHUA 16
4 DESTINY 8 JOSEPH 14
5 SARAH 8 ANTHONY 13
6 JADA 7 JAYDEN 12
7 ALIYAH 6 JEREMIAH 12
8 ANIYAH 6 JAMES 11
9 ARIANNA 6 JONATHAN 11
10 JADE 6 JOSIAH 10
11 RUTH 6 XAVIER 10
12 SYDNEY 6 CHRISTOPHER 9
13 ALICIA 5 JORDAN 9
14 GIANNA 5 AARON 8
15 GRACE 5 DANIEL 8
16 JASMINE 5 DAVID 7
17 MORGAN 5 DONOVAN 7
18 NAOMI 5 JAYLEN 7
19 NIA 5 MALACHI 7
20 SAVANNAH 5 MARCUS 7
TOP 50 OVERALL
RANK FEMALE NUMBER MALE NUMBER
1 EMILY 300 JACOB 389
2 EMMA 299 JOSHUA 368
3 ABIGAIL 273 ALEXANDER 349
4 MADISON 272 JOSEPH 341
5 ISABELLA 269 ETHAN 324
6 OLIVIA 256 TYLER 309
7 HANNAH 250 DANIEL 303
8 SAMANTHA 237 MICHAEL 303
9 ASHLEY 233 ANDREW 294
10 ELLA 225 ANTHONY 294
11 SOPHIA 225 WILLIAM 289
12 ELIZABETH 224 RYAN 283
13 AVA 211 NOAH 280
14 GRACE 207 SAMUEL 279
15 MIA 190 DAVID 268
16 ALEXIS 179 MATTHEW 268
17 LAUREN 173 GABRIEL 259
18 SARAH 173 JOSE 259
19 HAILEY 165 ANGEL 255
20 TAYLOR 163 DYLAN 254
21 ANNA 162 BENJAMIN 248
22 NATALIE 160 JACK 236
23 SYDNEY 149 JOHN 234
24 CHLOE 146 JONATHAN 234
25 NEVAEH 138 LOGAN 232
26 ALYSSA 137 CHRISTOPHER 229
27 JASMINE 130 JAMES 222
28 VICTORIA 125 NICHOLAS 222
29 AVERY 124 ZACHARY 217
30 MORGAN 124 ELIJAH 214
31 LILY 122 NATHAN 211
32 ALEXANDRA 120 JACKSON 207
33 ZOE 120 EVAN 198
34 MARIA 118 ISAIAH 193
35 BROOKE 112 AIDEN 191
36 JESSICA 112 AIDAN 188
37 KATHERINE 108 CHRISTIAN 187
38 MEGAN 108 LUKE 187
39 RACHEL 108 CALEB 183
40 BRIANNA 106 ISAAC 181
41 JENNIFER 106 AUSTIN 173
42 EVELYN 102 JUAN 170
43 JULIA 98 DIEGO 167
44 SAVANNAH 98 LUIS 167
45 ANGELINA 97 BRANDON 164
46 KAITLYN 97 THOMAS 161
47 KAYLA 94 HUNTER 160
48 TRINITY 93 KEVIN 159
49 LILLIAN 91 CONNOR 158
50 PAIGE 90 GAVIN 154
TOP 20 HISPANIC
RANK FEMALE NUMBER MALE NUMBER
1 ASHLEY 137 JOSE 250
2 MARIA 99 ANGEL 245
3 ISABELLA 87 JUAN 164
4 MIA 87 DANIEL 160
5 EMILY 83 LUIS 157
6 JENNIFER 79 DIEGO 142
7 ALONDRA 72 JESUS 140
8 NEVAEH 68 ANTHONY 127
9 LESLIE 66 DAVID 126
10 JASMINE 65 JONATHAN 126
11 KIMBERLY 60 GABRIEL 119
12 SAMANTHA 59 CARLOS 118
13 EVELYN 58 JOSHUA 113
14 ANDREA 56 KEVIN 103
15 DIANA 53 ALEJANDRO 98
16 VALERIA 53 ADRIAN 94
17 VICTORIA 53 CHRISTOPHER 93
18 NATALIE 49 ISAIAH 90
19 STEPHANIE 49 JOSEPH 87
20 ABIGAIL 47 CHRISTIAN 84
TOP 20 BLACK
RANK FEMALE NUMBER MALE NUMBER
1 NEVAEH 10 ELIJAH 18
2 TRINITY 9 ISAIAH 18
3 AALIYAH 8 JOSHUA 16
4 DESTINY 8 JOSEPH 14
5 SARAH 8 ANTHONY 13
6 JADA 7 JAYDEN 12
7 ALIYAH 6 JEREMIAH 12
8 ANIYAH 6 JAMES 11
9 ARIANNA 6 JONATHAN 11
10 JADE 6 JOSIAH 10
11 RUTH 6 XAVIER 10
12 SYDNEY 6 CHRISTOPHER 9
13 ALICIA 5 JORDAN 9
14 GIANNA 5 AARON 8
15 GRACE 5 DANIEL 8
16 JASMINE 5 DAVID 7
17 MORGAN 5 DONOVAN 7
18 NAOMI 5 JAYLEN 7
19 NIA 5 MALACHI 7
20 SAVANNAH 5 MARCUS 7
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Update
Hello everyone!
Well, I am blogging from my new iMac. I am in the process of getting it set up right now. All of my contacts, data, etc., are in the other computer and right now I can't get it all out. Don't know if I want to bother getting it repaired to possibly get it out either. Here's yet another person who didn't back up data regularly. A clean start can be nice too, though. But I probably don't have your e-mail address anymore - so click on the e-mail me link near the top of my sidebar so I can get you in my new computer's memory, please.
The computer is beautiful - has DVD, built-in isight camera, etc. I decided to check out Internet bill pay and checking my account, etc., online and man, that is really easy and useful, and saves stamps.
Speaking of stamps, there is talk of a universal price first class stamp - basically, it would have no price on it, and when prices go up you could keep on using whatever you have in stock until it runs out. There was also an article about First Fuel Banks in the online paper - for years, they have let people buy gas in advance at whatever the current price is. So, some people who paid for a lot in advance years ago can go to those stations and still get gas for whatever the price was then - even as little as 99 cents a gallon. The company is in great shape financially. What a neat idea, I wish they had that here, but they seem to be located only in the northeast. When I went to King Soopers (Krogers in some parts of the country) last time, they sold canvas bags for putting your groceries in and you get a nickel off your order every time you use them. I bought three of their largest size and my whole grocery order fit in 'em. As a country we need to get back in the environmental mode a bit and waste less. At the flea market last weekend I bought one of those tire mats - my parents had one in the seventies. They are awesome, they never wear out, they're easy to clean, they get mud and stuff off your shoes well and they reuse tires.
Lulu died this week. So I'm mourning him, I miss him. For those of you who don't know, Lulu was my bird; he was the king the flock (I had 6, now have 5 birds). He was a great, kind, perfect bird for me and for the other birds - and very very beautiful. He had no known health problems, apparently just died in his sleep of old age. It was a bit of a shock - I was running late for work, and I pulled up the sheet that covers the cage while they sleep and greeted all my birds but he was passed on.
And this morning I was greeted by a neighbor informing me someone had slashed two of my tires. They apparently did several cars up and down the street. We filed police reports although it doesn't really help for that kind of crime. I feel fortunate they didn't get my red car that I drive all the time. But the neighbor has been wanting to buy my car and now I'll need to get it fixed in order to sell it - I don't want to give it to him all messed up. There's a couple that lives a few houses away from me - an elderly hispanic couple in their 80's and I went to check on them because their grandson's car out front looked like it might have been damaged, too. The lady Mary cracks me up - if you go over she doesn't want to let you leave and she wants to chat away. She says, "we can gossip about people because I don't know the people you know and you don't know the people I know so we wouldn't be hurting anyone" and she gives this sweet old grandma laugh. And then she whispers that we don't have to gossip if I don't want to and goes on to tell me about other things....
My mom got a new dog, it is a silky terrier that is almost 2, named Toby. In November or so they had got a small black lab named Daisy. So far they seem to be getting along.
Well, I am blogging from my new iMac. I am in the process of getting it set up right now. All of my contacts, data, etc., are in the other computer and right now I can't get it all out. Don't know if I want to bother getting it repaired to possibly get it out either. Here's yet another person who didn't back up data regularly. A clean start can be nice too, though. But I probably don't have your e-mail address anymore - so click on the e-mail me link near the top of my sidebar so I can get you in my new computer's memory, please.
The computer is beautiful - has DVD, built-in isight camera, etc. I decided to check out Internet bill pay and checking my account, etc., online and man, that is really easy and useful, and saves stamps.
Speaking of stamps, there is talk of a universal price first class stamp - basically, it would have no price on it, and when prices go up you could keep on using whatever you have in stock until it runs out. There was also an article about First Fuel Banks in the online paper - for years, they have let people buy gas in advance at whatever the current price is. So, some people who paid for a lot in advance years ago can go to those stations and still get gas for whatever the price was then - even as little as 99 cents a gallon. The company is in great shape financially. What a neat idea, I wish they had that here, but they seem to be located only in the northeast. When I went to King Soopers (Krogers in some parts of the country) last time, they sold canvas bags for putting your groceries in and you get a nickel off your order every time you use them. I bought three of their largest size and my whole grocery order fit in 'em. As a country we need to get back in the environmental mode a bit and waste less. At the flea market last weekend I bought one of those tire mats - my parents had one in the seventies. They are awesome, they never wear out, they're easy to clean, they get mud and stuff off your shoes well and they reuse tires.
Lulu died this week. So I'm mourning him, I miss him. For those of you who don't know, Lulu was my bird; he was the king the flock (I had 6, now have 5 birds). He was a great, kind, perfect bird for me and for the other birds - and very very beautiful. He had no known health problems, apparently just died in his sleep of old age. It was a bit of a shock - I was running late for work, and I pulled up the sheet that covers the cage while they sleep and greeted all my birds but he was passed on.
And this morning I was greeted by a neighbor informing me someone had slashed two of my tires. They apparently did several cars up and down the street. We filed police reports although it doesn't really help for that kind of crime. I feel fortunate they didn't get my red car that I drive all the time. But the neighbor has been wanting to buy my car and now I'll need to get it fixed in order to sell it - I don't want to give it to him all messed up. There's a couple that lives a few houses away from me - an elderly hispanic couple in their 80's and I went to check on them because their grandson's car out front looked like it might have been damaged, too. The lady Mary cracks me up - if you go over she doesn't want to let you leave and she wants to chat away. She says, "we can gossip about people because I don't know the people you know and you don't know the people I know so we wouldn't be hurting anyone" and she gives this sweet old grandma laugh. And then she whispers that we don't have to gossip if I don't want to and goes on to tell me about other things....
My mom got a new dog, it is a silky terrier that is almost 2, named Toby. In November or so they had got a small black lab named Daisy. So far they seem to be getting along.
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