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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Sep 4 2008, 07:43 PM
 Prairie Vole
While Edwards is a rat, and a vole is a rodent, we have to delve deeper. What do they have in common? Well, John Edwards is prone to infidelity….he is prone to being promiscuous. And guess what…so are voles. Actually, voles are highly promiscuous. Maybe Edwards is too.
Yes, this is another study.
“A man's tendency to be unfaithful may be influenced by his genes, research suggests. Men who inherit a genetic variant that affects an important attachment hormone are more likely than usual to have weaker relationships and marital problems, and less likely to be married, according to the research. Their wives and girlfriends are also more likely to be less satisfied with them as partners. While the study did not look directly at infidelity, the findings suggest that male monogamy might also be influenced by variations in a single gene. The study's authors cautioned that any effect would apply only on average, and that it was impossible to predict whether any individual would be unfaithful or a bad partner on the basis of his genes.
The gene in question affects the receptor for a hormone called vasopressin, which plays an important role in social behaviour, pair-bonding and sexual attachment. Its effects were first characterised by studies of different species of voles. Although the meadow and prairie voles are close cousins, their sexual behaviour is dramatically different. Like most mammals, male meadow voles are highly promiscuous, but male prairie voles are monogamous. When boy prairie vole meets girl, the two indulge in 24 to 36 hours of nearly continuous mating, which cements a bond that invariably lasts for life. When one partner dies, the survivor usually opts to remain celibate rather than find another mate. Male prairie vole brains contain much higher levels of vasopressin than those of meadow voles. There also genetic differences in the receptor for vasopressin in the two species. “
You've got to read the whole article...it's really interesting. Seriously.
Who knew?
You can find the complete article from Times Online HERE
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Sep 1 2008, 05:15 PM
I’ve mentioned before that my son and daughter-in-law live in Colorado (transplants from Franklin, by way of Pittsburgh) and that they brew beer. They grew their own hops this year and just brewed some Pale Ale with them.
I had never seen fresh hops and when I visited them earlier this month found the pods, growing like ivy on their back fence, to be beautiful.
They sent me photos last week of the ripe pods.
Here is some information on hops, in case you are unfamiliar with what you have been drinking in that beer...
"Hops are the female flower cones of the hop plant (Humulus lupulus). They are used primarily as a flavoring and stability agent in beer, and also in other beverages and in herbal medicine. The first documented use in beer is from the eleventh century. Hops contain several characteristics favorable to beer, balancing the sweetness of the malt with bitterness, contributing flowery, citrus, fruity or herbal aromas, and having an antibiotic effect that favors the activity of brewer's yeast over less desirable microorganisms. The hop plant is a vigorous climbing herbaceous perennial, usually grown up strings in a field called a hopfield, hop garden or hop yard. Many different varieties of hops are grown by farmers all around the world, with different types being used for particular styles of beer."
"The first recorded reference to hops was by Pliny the Elder in his Naturalis Historia. The first documented instance of hop cultivation was in 736, in the Hallertau region of present-day Germany, although the first mention of the use of hops in brewing in that country was 1079. Not until the thirteenth century in Germany did hops begin to start threatening the use of gruit for flavoring. In Britain, hopped beer was first imported from Holland around 1400; however, hops were initially condemned in 1519 as a "wicked and pernicious weed". In 1471, Norwich, England banned the plant from the use in the brewing of beer, and it wasn't until 1524 that hops were first grown in southeast England. It was a further century before hop cultivation began in the present-day United States in 1629. " from Wikipedia
Early season hop growth in a hop yard in the Yakima Valley, Washington with Mount Adams in the distance
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Aug 27 2008, 06:42 AM
Remember that book/travel guide, “100 things You Should Do Before You Die?” Well, perhaps the title should have been:
100 50 Things You Should Do Before You Die
Why?
Because the author, Dave Freeman, died this month at the age of 47, and he only got halfway through his list.
"This life is a short journey," the book says. "How can you make sure you fill it with the most fun and that you visit all the coolest places on earth before you pack those bags for the very last time?" that, according to Freeman, before he checked his baggage and lost his claim ticket...if you will.
Actually, he fell and hit his head while in his home in a freak accident. You may wonder why I'm being flippant about it. It's just that maybe it was meant to be, and he sure lived a more fulfilled life than most people.
It just goes to show you, if there's something you really want to do, and you are able to do it..go for it. You never know what crazy thing may happen to you when you least expect it.
Read the article HERE
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Aug 19 2008, 11:54 AM
If there is anything that gets me going it’s poor customer service. Maybe that’s one of the main reasons I would rather shop on the internet rather than venture out into the stores. Granted, glitches can happen on the web, too, but at least I don’t have to deal with rude sales people, standing in long lines, or cashiers who can’t count money and acknowledge my presence or say hello or thank you.
With a slow economy, some businesses are looking into ways to make sure your business is a return business.
"At Lord & Taylor, staffers invite special customers in on their birthdays for cake and fitting-room parties. Moxie, the fashionable Charles Street boutique, has started making home deliveries. Get your oil changed at Sullivan Tire and Auto Service, and expect a phone call within the week - and a free re-do if you're not satisfied. With the economy struggling, some retailers - emphasis on some - are turning up the charm.
"It's all about customer service these days," says John Miller, Sullivan Tire's metro Boston area representative. Miller's made some 2,000 calls since February and says most people are happy to hear from him. "They feel we care, which we do." But awkward situations are not unheard of. One man became suspicious when Miller rang asking to speak to the guy's girlfriend. "He thought we were calling for another reason, if you know what I mean," Miller recalls.
But Miller's motivation, like that of Lord & Taylor's staff, is simply an attempt to keep those scarce dollars coming in. "We're trying to make it a more meaningful experience," says April Stern Riccio, the chain's regional public relations director, explaining that the company has increased a customer outreach program that was instituted as part of a rebranding effort in 2007."
Read the entire article from Boston Globe HERE
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Aug 15 2008, 05:55 PM
"The University of Central Florida student who stole something sacred from a Catholic mass will not be kicked out of school.
On June 29, Webster Cook said he attended a Catholic mass on campus with [friend, Ben] Collard. He stood in line to receive the Body of Christ, that’s the bread wafer known as the Eucharist. Catholics believe it is the Body of Christ after a blessing from a priest."
Read entire story HERE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The guy used poor judgment.
Death threats?
Are these not ALL Christians we are speaking about?
What’s wrong here?
Another reason why so many leave organized religion.
These are Christians...
Hypocrites.
Hypocrites all...
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Aug 15 2008, 06:35 AM
I don’t shop very often in stores. I shop online as often as I can. While on vacation I went into a store that had some hobby and toy items and came across the marbles pictured above. It was a lot of marbles. Not the most I’ve ever seen…but a good amount and a nice variety.
What does she know about marbles, you may ask? Not a lot, but seeing them just flooded my mind with memories and I was again a smiling 2nd grader. Long ago, I was a tomboy shooting marbles, especially in the spring. My friends and I always played for keeps. A purie was something I always had my eye on winning. Steely, aggie, cats eye, beach ball…there were many types of marbles we played with.
I made sure my kids had marbles…instead of the old fashioned homemade marble bag I had, somehow my kids ended up with Crown Royal bags, reinforced with my sewing machine.
So, parent’s of young kids today….
Do children still play marbles? Or are they just in the hobby stores for people to collect?
History of Marbles
Marbles originated from ancient Rome and Egypt. The name Marble comes from a material called Marble (expensive stone). In the year 1800 the best Marbles were made out of Alabaster (white Marble). People wanted to use a cheaper material. They tried clay but it crumbled when the marbles would hit each other. Finally in 1846 a German glass blower invented special scissors that could cu t glass and make marbles. That way marbles became cheaper and easier to produce. Now marbles are made in factories where hot glass is dropped onto steel rollers that shape the glass into marbles.
How to Shoot Marbles HERE
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Aug 11 2008, 11:50 AM
Pearl Street, Boulder, CO
I just returned from a week in Boulder, Colorado. I’ll be spending some time writing about some of my experiences there off and on during the week.
On Saturday’s there is a beautiful organic green market. The produce is out of this world. The colors fabulous. We found the freshest all white corn…which I haven’t see around here in ages. Carrots in shades of orange, red, yellow and gold. Beautiful, ripe, juicy peaches. Honey that looked like it was just scooped out of a hive from inside a tree, with comb included. Every type of green and herb you can think of and a beautiful array of wildflowers.
Many, many people in this area ride bicycles. It’s a way of life. And talk about clean. It looks like someone scrubs the landscape everyday. It’s spectacular.
One of the things I noticed while I was there was that there are a lot of what I’ll call free spirits. A lot of people doing their own thing. I like that very much, to an extent. Boulder is full of very artistic people. Pearl Street runs through a section of downtown. For blocks it is an outdoor festival of people, day and night, seven days a week. There are all types of shops and restaurants, which have outdoor seating. It is a very casual and inviting environment. It just draws you in. If you have any type of talent (or even think you do) you are welcome to set up in the middle of one of the squares and show it off, and hope to make a few bucks while you are at it. You’ll find all sorts of talent…jugglers, piano players, violinists, guitarists, Australian didgeridoos, American Indian wind instruments, acrobats, every day…all day.
Ah, yes…free spirits…a section with one of those fountains that has holes in the pavement where you don’t know when the water will pop up. With children running through having a great time. Mom’s sitting on park benches watching the children…people all around. Some mom’s breastfeeding off to the side. People, as usual, talking on cell phones. Tourists with cameras.
Then I see it…The three-year old looking little girl running through the fountain, back and forth over to the benches to her mom, who was near the crowd. And I cringe. This is not a back yard. This is a very public place. This is Boulder, Colorado…where the unsolved murder of JonBenét Ramsey is still lurking. Yes, this is free spirited Pearl Street, with the free spirited mom, who isn’t thinking about the internet age, and the cell phones with cameras as her little girl, naked, is running through the water in the fountain. Innocent? Of course. Just a little girl on a hot day…but this is not a commune. This is not a back yard.
Young moms and dads…you can’t be so free spirited when it comes to your children, not in public places…not anymore. You are watching your child, yes. But you don’t know what evil person is also watching. You don’t know who may have, in one split second, taken a photo of your little girl or followed you home.
This is where I am glad I am most conservative of all. I just have to ask, “What were you thinking?”
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By Janet Evans
Saturday, Aug 9 2008, 02:20 PM
We’ve gotten pretty accustomed to higher gas prices. The prices we never thought we would be paying. They have gone up and down...but we know they are here to stay.
How have you adjusted?
Have you dipped into savings?
Have you cut back on entertainment?
Have you just cut out the little things?
You probably have an idea of what you spend on utilities for your home each year, but do you know how much you actually spend to fuel your car each year?
CNN has a gas budget calculator for you to figure it out
HERE
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Aug 6 2008, 11:45 AM
Okay...I admit it...sometimes I'm really out of the loop on certain things. And it doesn't bother me either. This one doesn't bother me in the least. So what is it that I didn't know? What's the big deal?
That this hair style is called a "fauxhawk"
Ewan McGregor (well known for his role
as a young Obi Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars series)
Yeah...I didn't know it.
But did you know the history of the fauxhawk? I bet not...
Let me fill you in.
"The slight, sculpted crest that represents a civilized simulation of the ancient-warrior, punk-rock Mohawk speaks volumes about the wearer, who demonstrably straddles the fence between conformity and nonconformity: I'm a team player with an unrepentant dash of mischief. I may be rumpled, but I clean up nice.
Generally speaking, the fauxhawk represents the "safe," less severe version of the traditional Mohawk, without shaving the sides of the head or growing the top long enough to fashion Liberty spikes or the equally confrontational Roman helmet/broom-bristles affectation."
Read the story Tuft Love from the Boston Globe
HERE
And see a slide show of famous fauxhawks HERE
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Aug 6 2008, 01:41 AM
But you didn't!
Well, maybe some of you out there were savvy enough and did.
Stocks.
You took the plunge or you didn't.
Maybe you got a tip or maybe you are one of those people who just knows...
Did you invest in Franklin Rescources, Inc. (BEN)?
Why not? You "shoulda."
Who: Franklin Resources Inc. is a global investment management organization with offices in 29 countries around the world. They offer investment solutions for individuals, institutions, pensions, trusts, plans, partnerships and more.
Why: Franklin Resources credits its long term success to proven investment strategies. "The key guiding principle to our investment philosophy is - maximize the risk- adjusted returns for our investors in the respective asset classes, and create wealth for them over the long-term." - Franklin Resources Inc.
How Much: An initial investment of $100 dollars in 1984 would have resulted in a return of roughly $64,000 if sold at its peak in 2007.
~~~~~~~~~~~~
From Quicken...Pennies to Millions...10 Stocks You Wish You had Bought.
HERE
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jul 23 2008, 12:01 PM
More research….this time about tattoos.
A simple study and obvious finding. More women remove tattoos than men. But the next question is why? Why do they, after wanting them in the first place, feel the need to remove them?
Before I read the article I thought about it for a minute. I don’t have a tattoo, but it wasn’t hard to imagine that if I did, at my age why would I want one removed. Let’s see…
I thought I’d make it a nice one…I like flowers…If I had a tattoo of a rose (that’s common) on my shoulder, at age 40, would I still want it?
I’m trying to be open minded …when I was younger I used to dress differently… always had my shoulders showing….I guess that’s when someone would want to flaunt a tattoo (that wouldn’t have been me). Now, at my age, I can’t imagine having been at my child’s wedding all dressed up with a rose tattoo on my shoulder. I can’t imagine a 50 year old sitting in a church dressed formally that way. I would be embarrassed.
So I read the article.
“Most of them decided to have tattoos at their ages from 16 to 23 and decided to remove them at their ages of 30.About 44% of tattoo wearers said they wanted to feel unique, this is why they decided to have tattoos, 33% wanted to feel independent, 28% said it is a way for life experiences to 'stand out'. To the question on why they decided to remove tattoos 57% answered that it causes embarrassment, 38% said they feel that body image is lowered because of body art, 37% had problems while choosing clothing, 25% said that feel shame, 21% did it because of a special occasion, such as marriage.”
I guess I pinpointed that pretty well. I don’t think you needed a study for this one.
But you can read about it here. 
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jul 23 2008, 06:40 AM
You hear a lot about families with troubled kids. Kids dropping out of school, joining up with gangs, doing violent crimes. Eventually someone gets hurt or someone gets killed. Then blame is handed out. There is always a lot of blame. It isn’t very often that the blame takes a full circle and comes back to the parents, though. Usually the parents are blaming everyone else instead.
In Cleveland, Ohio there is a small group of woman who are on the streets trying to be moms. That’s because they’ve lost their real children…killed on the streets. Instead of taking the easy way out and blaming everyone else, they are taking the responsibility. They know their sons were "tearing up the community." They’re telling people it’s time “to take the blinders off.”
These mothers are working against youth violence in Cleveland
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By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Jul 22 2008, 05:44 PM
By Janet Evans
Tuesday, Jul 22 2008, 11:51 AM
Sometimes I drive out towards 27th Street and go past a home that has a lawn that gets mowed by a teenager. There have been times I wished I had my camera with me because I swear I would stop and take the guy's picture and put it up here for you to see. He actually mows the lawn with his pants down below his rear end...his entire butt hanging out, with boxers showing. I can't understand how he is doing it. Pushing the lawn mower up and down the slight hill when he can barely walk. I wonder if it is his way of getting back at his parents for making him mow the lawn...saying "I'll show you, if you're going to make me mow the lawn, I'm going to do it looking like this"...and he literally makes an ass of himself (in my opinion anyway).
Well, this fashion trend...pants hanging below the butt...I don't understand it, but I'm not meant to understand everything.
Many cities across the country are passing ordinances against wearing pants that way...and I'm not sure how they are getting those laws passed, but they are. New York, Flint, and Chicago are among them.
MARCIN SZCZEPANSKI/DFP
Flint Police Chief David Dicks pats down a man who was stopped
Monday in Flint for his sagging pants.
The man was warned and released.
Dicks said his officers would start arresting people wearing saggy pants that
expose skivvies, boxer shorts or bare bottoms
It's The Law: No sagging pants in Chicago
Are your Jeans Sagging? Go Directly To Jail
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By Janet Evans
Monday, Jul 21 2008, 11:55 AM
Mine? Not so good...not when it comes to mastering the the Hula Hoop, anyway.
Can you Hula Hoop?
"The hula hoop marks its 50th anniversary this year, and its popularity is still going strong."
I don’t know that I could master it now if I couldn’t before, but there are a lot of people who are giving it a try, and they are loving it.
Right…I rank that up there with baton twirling…another thing I could never do.
I was more of a stilts and pogo stick kind of girl….
Read the story from the Boston Globe
Hula Hoops Have Come Full Circle ×
View the Hula Hoop Photo Gallery ×
Hula hoop moment from Circus Smirkus performance 2006
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By Janet Evans
Saturday, Jul 19 2008, 09:09 PM
She calls it a miracle….
Well, maybe if I had $20,000 socked away into a pair of diamond earrings I could think of miracles in terms of material things.
And I can’t imagine I would be so careless with a pair of $20,000 earrings, either. But I guess you don’t know how you would be with luxuries like that until you have them.
I bet she wasn’t feeling too luxurious when she was sifting through the city dump looking for those gems, now was she?
A miracle? I call it lady luck.
Jeweler Somehow Finds Her 3-Carat Gems At Fresh Kills × here
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By Janet Evans
Thursday, Jul 17 2008, 11:59 AM
If you ever drive through Louisville, KY….mind your speed.
Landon Wilburn is on the prowl.
He doesn’t like people who drive too fast and he lets you know it.
Vigilantes! Taking the law into their own hands.
Read about it at MSNBC.com å
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By Janet Evans
Wednesday, Jul 16 2008, 12:42 PM
I prefer swimming holes, brooks and creeks.....
When I was a kid...we lived near "Branch Brook" in Watertown, Connecticut. We would take the long walk down the skinny, winding road, under the cool trees in our bare feet and then lounge in the bubbling brook.
The brook had huge slate edges in some places that made it look like a giant bath tub. There was a cliff area where my brothers would swing off a rope. And there were little water snakes too. I can still smell it...the combination of fresh, cool water, green foliage, and warm wild berries in the woods.
The brook led to a reservoir in Thomaston, CT that I blogged about back in December. Another place my family spent time. There are some beautiful places in Northwestern Connecticut. I miss those times very much.
Here is another way to cool off....to each his own I guess.
Sometimes you do what you have to do to keep cool...
A very crowded swimming pool
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By Janet Evans
Sunday, Jul 13 2008, 10:48 PM
Ah, yes…weddings.
Do you give the couple a gift from the bridal registry?
Sometimes you may not be able to find where the couple is registered.
Perhaps you don’t want to get a gift from the registry and would rather write a check.
Take a look at this from Reuters….
Do you take this credit card? Ã here
Just a little bit too tacky for me.
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By Janet Evans
Friday, Jul 11 2008, 11:02 PM
Eat your food, there are people starving in__________________
Enter name of country ….
During my childhood the country of choice was “China.”
I cringe when I think of being told that statement.
It was the thing to do during the 60s…
Maybe not everyone went through that, but I know from talking to others, they did too.
So I was supposed to eat more than I really wanted to because there were starving children in China?
My eating and cleaning my plate made it better?
Oh, wait…don’t waste any food on your plate…not when there are starving people in China.
I’m still cringing and would never think to say such a thing.
Then there's "waste not, want not."
That's the new motto of Britain.
Because of the economy and food shortages, they are being encouraged to think back to the time when the did have actual food rationing, during wartime.
"Well, of course, in the war years it was not only immoral to waste food — this was one of our slogans then — it also was illegal," said Marguerite Patten, 92, who worked at the Ministry of Food during World War II and urges a return to those more thrifty days.
"I know it's old fashioned, but some old fashioned things are worth doing," she said. During the war, Nazi Germany's U-boats crippled the flow of ships carrying food to Britain. Diets were tightly controlled by rationing. Bananas and pineapples became exotic treats, and enterprising housewives traded recipes for baked hedgehog and carrot fudge."
Britain Urging Return To Wartime Frugality í here
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