the End

I am constantly updating my treehouse plans...

I have never worked with Linux myself, but having lived long term with people who did, I got a pretty hardy laugh from this one.



Just fucking funny.


Another one that I love.


Americans...always escaping to Canada when the going gets tough.

All Cartoons Provided By http://xkcd.com/

The end is in sight

It's the end of the semester and I'm getting sick. Finals are right around the corner and I'm getting sick. I havent spent a lot of time in the lab lately and I have extreme guilt issues with that. I promise myself that I will spend all day Friday and some Saturday in the lab. BLOG BLOG BLOG.

New Dolphin

"A new, third species of bottlenose dolphin has been discovered in the waters off southern Australia. It is only the second new dolphin to be discovered in 50 years."

http://zaxy.wordpress.com/

BUY BUY BUY

With Obama standing for combating and reversing global warming, we stood by his side, and we confirmed our loyalty with our vote. And to continue to prove our loyalty what should we do? Write our congressperson? Stay abreast of current events? Reduce, Reuse, Recycle? NO!!! Buy the Special Edition Obama Plate. Yes that's right for a limited time only you can purchase this wonderful object for your kitchen wall, for your office, or for the lobby in your business. Help support 3rd world countries by making this purchase. We paid impoverished persons a penny a day to use toxic paints ,with little to no protection, to capture Obama's sleek jawline, and now you can bring that priceless quality into your home.

WHAT SHITHEADS!!!!!

living mammoth

So it is being claimed that they can "regenerate" an extinct mammoth from a tuft of hair. These sort of claims always seem a little far fetched for me. How do they complete the rest of the DNA from just a tiny tuft of hair. It makes me curious and skeptical to hear such statements. Just because you publish in the NY times doesnt make it the truth.


And it always seems to be the case with these sorts of things...I know that we can, but should we?

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/20/science/20mammoth.html?ref=science

Beach Clean Up

I went to a beach clean up today. I had the most wonderful time. We cleaned for about 4 hours then lunched and went home. We built a fire and played soccer. We had a really good time and we were able to get 5 truck loads of trash out of there. Which is surprising because we didnt really cover much ground or have a lot of people. Most of the trash was probably left with the last hurrican, and was not the direct fault of humans. I strongly reccomend a good beach clean up for anyone wanting a reason to go to the island. the local parks and wildlife gave us the bags and gloves and we provided our own trucks to haul the trash out of there. Good times.

my memories?

Why do we have memories? Why do we store and organize memories from our past, those that seem purely sentimental and those that have logical rational reasoning(like that time I learned not to touch fire)? I wonder this now because in my physiological psychology class we are going over memory. And one of the main things he mentioned was that there was no where in the brain that specifically stores memory, so where is it all? I know that the hippocampus is involved with consolidation but after that where and why. This is what I've been researching in my spare time. which me luck.

Good Luck Obama

I sit here trying my hardest to study neuro, but I can't take my eyes of this little red and blue map of the USA. The NYTimes has amazing up to date coverage of the election. They have a constantly updated blog commenting on the states and the race along with several maps indicating state and county leads. I don't think I've ever been so justifiably distracted from homework.
I find myself emotionally involved with this race. I was involved with the Bush Kerry race but this is different. I think because it's been so long with such a dumbass "leader" in office that I think I would cry if Mcain won, quite literally.
Good luck Obama.

NYTIMES Updated MAP

Boston

So I'm headed to Boston in January. I will be presenting a poster detailing my research thus far. I'll probably only be including the establishment of the population research. I'll leave the genetics and behaviour for some other presentation. This is mostly due to the fact that the population research is sort of guaranteed to have reliable data while the other two may not produce substantial work. I'm extremely excited because I have very limited travel experience in the USA. I think it will be good for me to take a look at a different part of my own country for a change. Best of all I think therewill be the snow. I have hardly ever seen snow in my life, and whenever I get a chance to see it, it's always so magical, so romantic. I'm sure if I lived where it snowed regularly I would grow to hate it. :P

Power Vote

Today was a great week for Power Vote.

I am apart of the Environmental Awareness Club, and we have adopted a national campaign titled Power Vote. Its goal is to get as many Americans as possible to pledge their vote to clean energy. Meaning let the American Candidates know that America cares about a clean future. Today the EAC had a table stationed outside of the SU and we attacked as many people as possible to sign on. It was really wonderful how receptive everyone one was to the campaign, and excited to sign. Good job everyone who helped and signed. now GO VOTE!!!

I'm tired

How do we deal with stress? I'm under quite a lot of pressure right now. My life is chaotic with work and school. I have a professor that LOVES to give out homework, he loves it so much that I have daily quizzes and weekly assignments. And work is endless, besides basic care of 80 animals I have 2 different genetics experiments(that's with no experience in genetics at all) and some behavioral stuff that I have been trying to start for the past 2 months. Then I get home and the dishes are not washed, cats need to be fed, clothes washed, bathrooms cleaned, medicine picked up, bills paid, and food made. Plus my great grandmother is dying and there's family coming in from all over....And my parents have essentially given up on my little brother and I am having to help him out of his teens and into adulthood while paying all his bills. I am very tired these days.

Filler 1

It's been a while since my last post and so I feel the obligatory session is in order. Currently I am trying to choose my first domain name. I have had the suggestion that it have my name in it, but I think that may be a little too self centered and uncreative for my taste. I've settled on a few strange names I like. I'm really quite exited to learn about wordpress and the art of keeping a website.

James Watson and DNA

Fast Food Sucks!

Above is a picture of a burger from 1996, the catch, the picture was taken in 2008. This burger has been sitting in a plastic bin for 12 years and it hasn't really changed at all. The meat is a little lighter than a fresh burger, but it looks the same. It was not preserved in anything but a plastic bin. This was not my idea though, the wonderful woman who thought of saving such a weird item teaches nutrition to parents. This is one of her prime examples of how fast food gives you nothing as far as nutrition. Take a look at her blog for more info.

Best of mother earth blog

The winners are in

Every year the National Science Foundation along with Science host a science and engineering picture competition. Well the winners are in and everyone should take a look.

WINNERS

I will be a woman scientist.

As I encroach upon 26, I begin to look forward at that vast expanse also known as MY FUTURE and I wonder.."How will I ever manage a family and science?" . So lets do the math here:
I will be 26 when I receive my BS in bio. That puts me at around 31-32 by the time my doctoral is done(hopefully), plus lets tack on my post-doc which leaves me in the middle of my 30s decade by the time my life is stable enough to think about "settling down".
So I'll be right in the thick of things as my body will be screaming at me "HAVE CHILDREN!". *Great*

So what is a girl to do? Of course the obvious option is to not have children. Don't think this thought hasn't crossed my mind, and while I think I'm much too young to really make a decision, there are a lot of factors that lean me towards this avenue mainly...
>>OVER POPULATION. The world is already above max capacity for humans, why add another one to the mix. But my thoughts take to a kind of strange reasoning. I consider myself a semi intelligent being, and I can very plainly see that the future is going to lean and depend upon those with ideas on how to change the planet in revolutionary ways. I think that with my some what progressive ways I might be able to rear a human with such capabilities. (Is that egotistical or what?)
My other reasons for ignoring my biological clock would be purely selfish. Kids take money, they take time, they take sleep (away), and no matter how hard you try you will inevitably frack them up.

So while I really don't have an answer to this weighty dilemma, as I get older it pushes itself further and further to the forefront of my mind.

www.bbc.co.uk/parenting/images/300/bw_crying_girl.jpg

Our Future

How are we supposed to know what exactly we want to be?

I'm a senior now, although I still have a year and 1/2 till graduation. This means, I think, that I should have some sort of handle on what it is I want to do with the rest of my life....right? I think that I've narrowed it down to a field, but now I am in the dilemma of picking a career path that leads to the subfield I'm most interested in. The way that our society breeds scientists is by having them focus all of their energy and life to one tiny spec of science. So that those who are familiar with the biochemistry of mitochondria are almost completely focused on particular types of enzymes or functions within the mitochondria. What I've taken this to mean is that if you don't plan well now you might get ushered into a subfield that you don't enjoy, or that you have to force yourself to love. That seems like a lot of pressure. I'm a little worried that next December when the I walk across that stage and get handed that faux degree that I'll be clueless and planless. About to set forth on a community that can be as cut throat as any business.

I guess I'm just venting in this entry. I don't really have a conclusion or plan on how to get to that point I think I need to be at. I'm working on it though. But if you read this, I'd like to know what you think about it.

humanist?

i was reading through the humanist manifesto today, both I and II, and I began thinking about labels. Both Kris (my partner) and I have been discussing this the past couple of days. What do I label myself? As a general rule I dislike labels because they lead to a predisposition of assumptions and judgments from others, but I wonder are they beneficial in some way. How and when do labels become effective and necessary, if ever? i.e. Is admitting you're an alcoholic the first step to recovery, or is defining yourself as a feminist a sort of commitment to the cause?

As I read through the humanist manifesto I decided that yes indeed I am willing to label myself as a HUMANIST, and above that I think that I would call myself a humanist above calling myself a feminist. Because it's not that I want to fight a war in the name of women it's more about fighting a war for all human rights. It is never going to be about battling stereotypes of one kind or another it's about all of them. And this leads me another question I want to pose you my readers...
Do you think that humor that furthers stereotypes should be accepted and even laughed at by a devoted humanist?Am I a bad person for laughing at a joke about how women should be in the kitchen? Should there be a difference when the joke comes from my friends or if it comes from a stranger?
Kris often accuses me of being overly sensitive to feminist issues. He says I over react to certain things like, when a male jokes about how all feminists really just want to be men, or a simple comment regarding the objectification of a woman. Is it over-reacting? When did I stop reacting and start over reacting, where is that line?
Tell me what you think, and I'll keep filtering out my thoughts for you.


***NOTE: cross-posted from my other non-assignment blog uteal2@blogspot.com

puppet

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

Matt Damon on Sarah Palin

though not a personal fan of Matt Damon, I think what he has to say here is rather funny and slightly true.

Personal Growth

I want to write quickly today about my experience thus far being a co-president to a student organization.

Well let me start by giving you a bit of personal background. One year ago I was a completely different person. I'm sure you're saying that after a year no person should be the same person, but I think I have made substantial personal progress over this last year. I was shy, to say the least. I was bordering on hermit. I didn't talk to people I didn't already know, and I hid in house when I wasn't at school. I have my own reasons for acting this way, but I knew I wasn't happy like this. And so after some serious advice from my best friend I put myself in a position that I knew I wasn't ready for. To say it bluntly- I jumped in head first, head first into society. I started talking to the people I sat next to in class, I applied and was accepted to a research program at school, I walked with my head up and said hi to people I didn't even know. It was an uphill battle that I know I am still fighting, but I think that it has been well worth it.

One of the major steps I took was to nominate myself to be a co-president of The Environmental Awareness Club. We aim to activate humans in the name of environmentalism. So here I am standing in front of roughly 20 people each Tuesday leading them towards the green light at the end of the tunnel. I love it and would recommend this sort of activity to everyone especially shy people. I'm learning to lead and better yet to be apart of some thing bigger than myself. More important than any other aspect is the fact that I have no idea what I'm doing. I don't know how to motivate people, I don't know how to organize major environmentalist movements, I don't know how to worry about liability issues and fund raising crap, but everyday I grow more and more excited about this team that I've aligned myself with. I'll continue to write about my trials and tribulations here, till then:

Environmental Awareness Club
Meets Every Tuesday
12-1
Room 1.288

Stray Cats

* This is a picture of Cletus outside by my screen door. *
I have recently had the joy of finding a new friend. I call her Cletus, and she is a black and brown stray cat, that has made my carport her home. I began feeding her about a month ago and about a week ago she began letting me hold and pet her. She's a beautiful starving little thing, that just sits by my screen door and waits for me to go out and visit her. She doesn't smell she looks healthy, besides being underweight, and she never causes any ruckus or urinates all over the outside of the house. I've taken a real shining to her. She is the reason that today I sat down in front of my computer to find out "what kind of effect am I having by feeding strays, and what effect do strays have on my neighborhood". Because there are dozens of stray cats around my house I know that my neighborhood has been harboring and feeding these animals for quite a while.

After some peliminary research into the topic, I find that there are people who support a humane answer to this issue.
First stray cats pose a series of problems.
1) They create feral offspring. Those that are afraid of humans and will bite or scratch if cornered.
2) They invade yards and gardens. Easily prevented with some choice herbs or special devices.
3) They kill birds. Yes, although humans are responsible for killing more birds per year than stray and feral cats, and that excludes liscensed hunting. (statistics vary)
4) During mating their howls can be annoying.

Some solutions:
Edwardsville, Illinois had implemented a Trap, Neurter, and Release program. Finding that just collecting cats a killing them only leaves room for new dominate cats to establish colnoies and start breeding. Their method is outlined in their website .
http://www.metroanimal.org/feral/main.shtml

What can we do to help? Well if you are like me, and can't help assisting a hurting or starving animal in need, then there a few things you can do. Talk to you local humane society about what's already being done, and ask if they've tried any other method besides straight up killing all the cats. Advocate to your friends and family what a bad idea it is to abandon your pet. You can also adopt. For every cat or pup that is being bred for sale, I'm sure there are dozens of homeless pets in the animal shelters. So if you're in the market for a pet, ALWAYS visit your local animal shelter first.

What a Day!

I recently possibly fractured my ankle. (I say possbile cause I never forked up the money for an x-ray.) This was 4 weeks ago, and since then I managed to almost reach some sort of healed state but in the fervor of my wanting to be "normal" again I believe I injured it again. So here I am limping around campus, it takes me three times as long to get anywhere and I've been forced to use crutches and a cane (not at the same time though). Well last night I installed a special pedal on my bike that allows me to just use one leg to pedal. This morning it was all going well UNTIL I got to school. I had put my mug of tea in my backpack since I couldn't hold the mug and the cane while riding the bike. While leaning over to lock my bike the tea mug top popped off and tea went streaming down my back side. I looked like I had urinated all over myself. Then in my crippled rush to get to a bathroom (all the while trying to find some sort of humor in the situation) I was bombarded by people I know. I hardly ever see any of my friends on campus, let alone all with in 20ft of each other, but nonetheless here they all were between me and the girls restroom. I had to of course stop and run through the formalities of having friends, the hug, the hello, the how's your ankle, do you have class now, and so on and so on. The rest of my morning was spent with a soggy bottom and I was late to my 2nd class due to limping.
What a day!

Ant Mascot

Today in an officers meeting of the Environmental Awareness Club it was suggested that the ant be our clubs mascot. One of the other co-presidents was opposed to this idea because "ants are annoying" . Funny that I happen to fall upon this video today. The most amazing film devoted to ants that I've ever seen.

Hello World

Though I've tried to start a few personal blogs in my past, this is the first time it's been required of me. I'm excited to have no choice but commit to this project and hope that this purpose will lead me to some sort of self development. I've inserted a Links Gadget to link the reader to several websites and other blogs that I find of interest in my spare time. Some will have to do with science and others not, but that's the beauty of trying to remain a well rounded person. Till next time.