First, let it be known that I love men. Sure, I can find things to complain about, but I'd miss 'em if they all disappeared.
There are articles and even books about how men may become "obsolete" one day, since they can't reproduce themselves, and all that separates them from women is that tiny little (oops, sorry) Y chromosome. And in many species (including, sadly, a percentage of humans), the male just provides the sperm and then goes on his merry way.
Even without a male, females in many species can reproduce. Parthenogenesis. It happens all the time in some plants and insects, and has been seen in snakes and lizards, too. Now a captive hammerhead shark has given birth, and it's been proven that the baby shark was an immaculate conception.
One researcher quoted in the article says that parthenogenesis is a last-resort tactic that females can use when they can't find a mate. Since the shark in question was in captivity without any male sharks to chat up or have a drink with, she had no other choice. She wanted to pass on her genes, and that's the only way she could.
I can't say how happy I am that this does not occur in humans. Can you imagine having to worry about whether your own body was going to decide it was time to take matters into its own hands and make a baby for you?
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
Starting Again.
Yet another attempt at a blog...we'll see if I can stick with this one.
The title comes from one of Dorothy Parker's book reviews, BTW. "This wasn't just plain terrible. This was fancy terrible. This was terrible with raisins in it."
And no, I'm not planning to write fancy terrible stuff. I just didn't want a too-heavy title that would compel me to write deep thoughtful crap every day. Sometimes you just want to type, you know?
National News: Jimmy Carter has the cojones to call the Bush Admin "the worst in history" - and the White House calls him "sad" and "irrelevant." Now, being called the worst admin in history hardly is constructive criticism....but is it ever possible for Republicans to take the high road and be gracious about things like this? No way. Instead they are reactionary and mean. Not surprising.
And sure, Carter was not a great president himself. But at least he's a decent person. (My theory: bad presidents often are stellar human beings. Anyone who could be a great president also has a DSM-IV diagnosis waiting to happen.)
Local News: Matt shocked the water that's collected in our pool cover. The birds are pissed. They had a nice insect drive-in thing going there for awhile. Now it's Chlorine City. There were two of them sitting on the deck railing this morning being belligerent.
This swimming pool is really more of a PITA than anything. I think we may just tear it out this summer and build a Zen garden or something. (Would that be a garden where you go to meditate, or a garden that you leave alone to do what it will? Hm...I prefer the latter.) The swimming pool season in Vermont is about 10 days long anyway...so the cost per dip comes out to money better spent on organic raspberries.
Personal News: I'm back running again, motivated by spring and cash. Well, potential cash. My company has instituted this team-based exercise competition that requires you to exercise 25 minutes a day from now until September in order to be eligible for prizes. Do I seem like the kind of kid who would care about prizes? Yeah, well, it's more the principle of the thing. I am a follow-the-rules girl, after all. But a big fat American Express gift card would be nice too.
Photo Op: I took this last weekend in Montpelier. I feel it expresses the fractionation of government. Or something. ;) Really I just thought it was cool.
The title comes from one of Dorothy Parker's book reviews, BTW. "This wasn't just plain terrible. This was fancy terrible. This was terrible with raisins in it."
And no, I'm not planning to write fancy terrible stuff. I just didn't want a too-heavy title that would compel me to write deep thoughtful crap every day. Sometimes you just want to type, you know?
National News: Jimmy Carter has the cojones to call the Bush Admin "the worst in history" - and the White House calls him "sad" and "irrelevant." Now, being called the worst admin in history hardly is constructive criticism....but is it ever possible for Republicans to take the high road and be gracious about things like this? No way. Instead they are reactionary and mean. Not surprising.
And sure, Carter was not a great president himself. But at least he's a decent person. (My theory: bad presidents often are stellar human beings. Anyone who could be a great president also has a DSM-IV diagnosis waiting to happen.)
Local News: Matt shocked the water that's collected in our pool cover. The birds are pissed. They had a nice insect drive-in thing going there for awhile. Now it's Chlorine City. There were two of them sitting on the deck railing this morning being belligerent.
This swimming pool is really more of a PITA than anything. I think we may just tear it out this summer and build a Zen garden or something. (Would that be a garden where you go to meditate, or a garden that you leave alone to do what it will? Hm...I prefer the latter.) The swimming pool season in Vermont is about 10 days long anyway...so the cost per dip comes out to money better spent on organic raspberries.
Personal News: I'm back running again, motivated by spring and cash. Well, potential cash. My company has instituted this team-based exercise competition that requires you to exercise 25 minutes a day from now until September in order to be eligible for prizes. Do I seem like the kind of kid who would care about prizes? Yeah, well, it's more the principle of the thing. I am a follow-the-rules girl, after all. But a big fat American Express gift card would be nice too.
Photo Op: I took this last weekend in Montpelier. I feel it expresses the fractionation of government. Or something. ;) Really I just thought it was cool.
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