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The Human Genome

The science started with Gregor Mendel--
priest, abbot, geneticist

Friends, we live in the golden age of genetics. Six years ago, in 2001, scientists first published the human genome--a map of the 6 billion chemical markers that encode human beings. Last week, scientists did it again: publishing, for the first time, the genome of a single person.

All previously published human genomes have been composites, maps made from the genes of multiple people. The previous genomes made assumptions, too, so scientists could look at only half of our chemical markers. The new genome is a complete and personalized look at one man--geneticist Craig Venter--and it's already changing the way scientists think about your genes.

One big learning: we're not quite as identical as scientists used to think. "Instead of 99.9 percent identical," says Venter, "maybe we're only 99 percent" the same as every other human being on the planet. That's still mind-boggling. To think it all started when a monk discovered genetics. Do you know how Gregor Mendel's "peas-ful" research changed the world? If not, here's a story from Biology 101.

Monkish Business

Johann Mendel, born in 1822, took the name Gregor at age 21, when he entered a monastery at Brünn in Moravia (now Brno, in the Czech Republic). He was ordained a priest and taught school here and there, but failed the exam to become a full-time teacher--botching biology, of all things. So his abbot sent him to the University of Vienna to brush up.

He returned in 1854 and began mining the excellent library at the monastery and, perhaps, discussing husbandry with the local farmers. In 1856, he began to experiment on the plants in the monastery garden, trying to find the underlying laws of plant hybridization.

Mind Your Peas and Choose

In the garden, Mendel laboriously crossed and recrossed different varieties of pea plants, classifying their offspring by seven different characteristics, such as seed color and shape. He kept detailed records and used a large enough sample for statistically valid patterns to emerge.

Specifically, he noticed that although crossing reliably yellow pea plants with reliably green pea plants made for yellow peas, in the second generation a quarter of the peas would turn out green, even though they had only yellow parents. Somehow, their green grandparents had passed along the quality of greenness unchanged.

When he crossed strains with two differences--smooth yellow and wrinkly green--those differences also followed a statistical pattern: nine smooth and yellow, three wrinkly and yellow, three smooth and green, one wrinkly and green. And so on for several years and thousands of pea plants.

Laying Down the Laws

From this statistical pea soup, Mendel derived two "laws of heredity." His law of segregation says that each parent contributes its traits to offspring separately, and that these traits pair up, in what we now call gene pairs. The different varieties of each gene, what we now call alleles, explain variation in inherited traits. If the parental alleles differ--green seeds or yellow?--then only the dominant allele manifests in the offspring.

But the recessive allele still exists and segregates out into some of the offspring's sex cells. So even if all the peas in the first generation are yellow, the trait for greenness remains and can emerge in future generations.

Mendel's law of independent assortment goes one step further, saying that each pair of genes does not affect the expression of others. Yellowness and greenness have nothing to do with smoothness and wrinkliness. The two genetic traits sort out independently. Bolstered by his years of experimental data, Mendel's two laws remain the taproot of genetic theory even now.

Mendel's Inheritors

Mendel presented his work in 1865, and it was published the next year by the Brünn Natural History Society. It was forgotten almost immediately. One of the 115 copies of the journal may have found its way to Charles Darwin, as the urban myth claims, but there's no evidence for that.

Mendel's later work with hawkweed turned out to be a dead end (hawkweed is self-fertilizing), and by the time of his death in 1884, Abbot Mendel was concerned more with his monastery's tax status than with heredity. Only in 1900 did other botanists independently repeat his research, and discover that Mendel had beaten them to it 35 years before.

Mushy Math?

A few scientists have claimed that Mendel's research was too good. Much like a bad biology student in high school, Mendel may have trimmed data that didn't fit his theory from his final report. Sir Ronald Fisher, the British biologist and statistician who helped put Mendel's and Darwin's theories together, first called attention to Mendel's "all too goodness of fit" in 1936.

Some defend Mendel by saying that he may have thrown out anomalous results because he believed that stray pollen had contaminated an experiment. Others wonder whether Mendel actually performed all of the crossings he said he did, or if he simply extrapolated after investigating a few crosses. But really, if you can't trust a monk to tell the truth about the genetics of pea plants, who can you trust?

--Kenneth Hite

September 7, 2007
The Dwelling Pulse

Our homes are filled with energy that we create and allow to flourish. In many cases, our relationship with the pulse of our homes is passive rather than active because we do not pay particular heed to the energy that has been established. It is only when we regard these spaces as unique entities that we begin to understand why it is necessary to take charge of the energy that fills our homes. Stagnant, inharmonious energy can find its way into our dwellings through many avenues. Previous occupants, builders, visitors, and the individuals who maintain a home leave a strong energy imprint behind. Objects and symbols can also have an effect on the energy of a residence. When we are aware of all that can influence the energy of our spaces, we are empowered to create harmonious homes that do more than meet our need for shelter.

Exercising care with regard to who and what we invite into our homes is one of the easiest ways we can ensure that the energy within remains loving and supportive. It is not always possible to keep potentially harmful people and possessions from entering our homes, but we can take precautions. Individuals can be kept from private spaces like bedrooms and meditation areas, while property can be purified through cleansing or smudging. During periods of remodeling or construction, Reiki symbols and other positive imagery can be printed on surfaces that will later be covered by walls or flooring. Though hidden, these will continue to attract good energy and cleanse the existent energy. Blessings can also be drawn in plain sight, where they remind us of how potently our home's energy can affect our own.

A home can appear beautiful, comfortable, and stable while still serving as a dwelling place for negative or otherwise offensive energy. If you care for your home conscientiously and with great care, you will instinctively look beyond the surface qualities of your home when assessing how it feels. Since you actively guard your home against the intrusion of unwelcome energy, you will have the time and vigor necessary to cope with it constructively when should it appear in your midst. The spirit of your spaces will respond to your thoughtful ministrations, nurturing and supporting you for as long as you choose to reside within her walls.

THE 'BIRD FEEDER'

I bought a bird feeder. I hung it on my back porch and filled it with
>> >seed.
>>
>> >

Within a week we had hundreds of birds taking advantage of the continuous
flow of free and easily accessible food.

>But then the birds started building nests in the boards of the
>patio,above the table, and next to the barbecue.
>

Then came the poop. It was everywhere: on the patio tile, the chairs,
the table...everywhere.
>
Then some of the birds turned mean: They would dive bomb me and try to
>peck me even though I had fed them out of my own pocket.

And others birds were boisterous and loud:
>>
>> >They sat on the feeder and squawked and screamed at all hours of the day
>> >

and night and demanded that I fill it when it got low on food.
>>
>> >

After a while, I couldn't even sit on my own back porch anymore.
>>
>> >

I took down the bird feeder and in three days the birds were gone.
>>
>> >I cleaned up their mess and took down the many nests they had built all
>> >over the patio.
>>
>> >

Soon, the back yard was like it used to be...... quiet, serene and no
>> >one demanding their rights to a free meal.
>>
>> >

Now lets see....... our government gives out free food, subsidized
>> >housing, free medical care,
free education and allows anyone born here to be an automatic citizen.
>>
>> >Then the illegals came by the hundreds of thousands.
>>
>>
Suddenly our taxes went up to pay for free services;
small apartments are housing 5 families:
you have to wait 6 hours to be seen by an emergency room doctor:

Your child's 2nd grade class is behind other schools because over half the
class doesn't speak English
Corn Flakes now come in a bilingual box;

I have to press 'one' to hear my bank talk to me in English,
and people waving flags other than Our Flag are squawking and screaming in
the streets,
and free liberties.
>>
>>
>> >

Maybe it's time for the government to take down the bird feeder.
>>

No more drought: it's a 'permanent dry'

Rachel Kleinman
September 7, 2007

* Farmer's high hopes fading fast as rain stays away

DROUGHT will become a redundant term as Australia plans for a permanently drier future, according to the nation's urban water industries chief.

And climate experts yesterday predicted the present drought would continue, signalling a cruel summer for farmers and sparking fears of higher food prices.

"The urban water industry has decided the inflows of the past will never return," Water Services Association of Australia executive director Ross Young said. "We are trying to avoid the term 'drought' and saying this is the new reality."

Bureau of Meteorology national climate centre chief Michael Coughlan said hopes were fading fast for desperately needed rains. "Is this drought over? Certainly not — we can't predict when this drought will end," Dr Coughlan said.

Murray Darling Basin Commission chief executive Wendy Craik said irrigators on the Murray River, including many Victorian citrus growers and dairy farmers, faced their worst ever summer. Fresh produce would be hit and food prices would probably rise, Dr Craik warned.

The experts were at a drought briefing in Melbourne organised by the Australian Science Media Centre.

More than half of Australia's agricultural land, including all of Victoria's, is now drought-declared, costing the Federal Government $1.8 billion so far.

Exceptional circumstances funding for many areas will run out in March next year.

But the Government may extend the emergency relief, Department of Agriculture drought manager Matt Koval said. That would mean spending hundreds of millions of dollars extra to bail out farmers.

Victorian Farmers Federation president Simon Ramsay said it was crunch time for farmers.

"If rain is not forthcoming (over the next week or two), there's going to be … quite a few farmers, particularly those dairy farmers on the Murray, that will fall by the wayside," he said.

Dr Craik said combined storages and inflows in the Murray system were at record lows and the situation was deteriorating. "These are the worst conditions since the Hume Dam was completed in 1936," she said. "It will take multiple years for storages to recover and the outlook is very grim."

Mr Young blamed climate change for the nation's water woes. "No one predicted how savagely low inflows would be under climate change," he said. Strong population growth combined with low inflows had created a dual squeeze on city water supplies.

Melbourne's water stores were yesterday at 38.7 per cent, 8 percentage points lower than the same time last year. They have risen by only 0.1 of a percentage point in the past 10 days.

The city is on stage 3a water restrictions, but may move to stage 4 bans over summer. Adelaide and Brisbane also face a dire summer of restrictions.

Dr Coughlan said the La Nina weather system, originally predicted as a drought-breaker, had so far dumped rain over the eastern seaboard and into the ocean without sufficient impact on mainland Australia.

He warned Australia could face another El Nino (which would bring more severe drought conditions) within 18 to 24 months.

The only eternal relationship anyone ever has is with the higher Self. The real spiritual work is to learn self-love.

The mind can be trained into self-love by being shown, over and over, that the higher Self is a safe haven of love and protection.

It is kind of a circular process:

The higher Self cannot protect you until you seek its security; this process begins when you devote time and energy to self-love.

Self-love grows when you refuse to follow the impulses of anger and fear, trust that the universe is on your side, form your desires from the heart and watch the higher Self carry them out, believe that you are enough in and of yourself, heed the tenderness and sweetness of your love for others, put your attention on positive energies in every situation, honor your own needs without having to seek outside approval, and cultivate the peace of inner silence.

August 24, 2007
Experiencing Nature By Night

In the height of summertime's heat, we drift outdoors at dusk to refresh ourselves in the temperate air of evening. Cricket song and the glow of fireflies come together with ever-lengthening shadows to create a natural symphony of overlapping sensations that invigorate the body and gladden the soul. As the sun sets, the vivid colors of most flowers and leaves fade, becoming a dull grey, but moon gardens provide us with a space to appreciate Mother Nature's bounty long after the light of day has retreated. Designed to be enjoyed from dusk until the coming of the darkness, these gardens serve as a perfect complement to silvery moonlight, mild summer nights, and the spirit of rejuvenation.

Most plant life worships the sun, but a select few shrubs and flowers come into their own in luna's glow. The silvery leaves of lamb's ears and artemisia reflect the radiance of the moon, while the bright-white flowers adorning yucca and evening primrose seem to shimmer brilliantly in dusk's gloom. Certain blossoms such as the moonflower and four o'clocks open only at night, releasing their sweet fragrances in spectacular displays of scent and beauty. While creating a moon garden, remember to take each human sense into account. We appreciate the ghostly beauty of nighttime nature best when we can sit comfortably until our eyes have adjusted to the surrounding darkness. Bamboo and thick grasses make a comforting sound when bandied about by gentle nighttime breezes.

Transforming a portion of your existing yard or patio into a moon garden is simple, and the pleasure you will derive from your nighttime retreat will become worth it once you start to enjoy it. Green spaces come alive at night when nocturnal blossoms release their perfume into the air and ethereally lovely and luminous foliage dances in the breeze. In a moon garden, relaxation is a simple matter of attuning yourself to the stillness of evening and seeing, for the first time, the myriad shades of beauty that can be found in the darkness

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LUV it Val, xoxoxoxoxox

Alice in Wonderland was penned.

Quote: "Age is a very high price to pay for maturity." — Tom Stoppard

We are about to enter the summer and BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity, as it's the only type of cooking a 'real' man will do, probably because there is an element of danger involved.

When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:

Routine...

(1) The woman buys the food.

(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert.

(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, places it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.

Here comes the important part:

(4) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL.

More routine....

(5) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.

(6) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is burning. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he deals with the situation.

Important again:

(7) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN.

More routine....

(8) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.

(9) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes.

And most important of all:

(10) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts.

(11) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed "her night off." And, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women....

Spotlight: In another strike for women's independence, Alice Huyler Ramsey — a 22-year-old housewife and mother from Hackensack, NJ — became the first woman to drive across the US, setting out on this date in 1909.

Three female companions, none of whom could drive a car, accompanied her on the 3,800-mile (6,100-kilometer) trip in a Maxwell automobile. Ramsey had no road map, and the roads were mostly unpaved or non-existent.

It took 59 days to drive from Manhattan, NY, to San Francisco, CA. In 2000, Ramsey became the first woman to be inducted into the Automotive Hall of Fame.

Edgar Allan Poe: wed 13-year-old cousin Virginia (1836)

shield nickel: US Congress voted to replace half dime with new nickel (1866)

Annie Get Your Gun: opened on Broadway (1946)

Junko Tabei: ascended Mt. Everest, becoming the first woman to summit the world's highest mountain (1975)

Today's Birthdays

Elizabeth Palmer Peabody (1804-1894): American educator who was instrumental in developing the kindergarten

Henry Fonda (1905-1982): actor, Mister Roberts

Pierce Brosnan (54): 4-time James Bond

Stanislav Ianevski (22): Viktor Krum in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

I sure did with a special time with my son :)

Happy Mother's Day

Louis XIV: became king of France at age 4 (1643)

Israel: Jewish state was declared (1948)

Seinfeld: final episode aired (1998)

Today's Birthdays

George Lucas (63),

Tim Roth (46),

Sofia Coppola (36):

directors and more

Cate Blanchett (38): Galadriel in The Lord of the Rings

Robert Pattinson (21):
Quidditch captain Cedric Diggory in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Here's a project that is very popular here in Australia, specifically Victoria.

New born AIDS babies on the African Continent, many of which are sent home wrapped in newspaper, need your help.

Form a knitting circle in your area and knit little jumpers (very easy} for these babies.

AIDS BABY JUMPERS KNITTING PATTERN.

Knitted all in one, double knit wool is ideal (8ply)

Size 5mm needles (tight knitters)
size 4.5 for (loose knitters)

Cast on 44 stitches
work 18 rows in K2, P2
Then work 30 rows of the stocking stitch

Cast on 12 stitches at the beginning of the next 2 rows.
At the same time change to K2, P2 (for sleeve) Knit 22 more rows

Next row; Rib 21 cast OFF 26 stitches, rib 21
Next row, rib 21 stitches cast ON 26 stitches, rib 21

Work 22 rows kn K2, P2 rib
Cast off 12 stitches at the beginning of the next 2 rtows
work 30 rows of stocking stitch
work 18 rows K2, P2, rib

Cast off

Turn inside out and stitch the sides together.

PLEASE stick to this pattern, it works well.

Do not use White wool (this signifies death)

Stripes and bright colours are fine

Get in touch with a church or humaitarian aid group such as Rotary etc and they will see to it that these precious jupers make their way to the needy.

A big thank you from the babies of Africa.

Does anyone have a way to stop thinking about a horrid promo? The news promo was for animal cruelty segment. I am a softie...

Thought for the day:

Some people are like slinkies... not really good for anything but still brings a smile to your face when you push them down the stairs

Originally measured at 24.8 mi/40 km, based on the legendary run of the Greek foot soldier Pheidippides from Marathon to Athens, the distance was changed in 1908 to 26 miles, 385 yards (41.8 km, 352 m), when King Edward VII and his queen asked that the Olympic Marathon begin at Windsor Castle, so the royals could view the start. This year, astronaut Sunita Williams ran the marathon on her treadmill on the International Space Station, finishing in about 4.5 hours, nearly two hours longer than the first woman who crossed the finish line in Boston.

Quote: "The true runner comes to the finish and receives the prize and is crowned." — Plato