Just one non-matching locus would be sufficient for exclusion as suspect. There is some wiggle room for the attorneys, such as being absolutely sure that none of the parties involved has had a blood transfusion or a bone marrow engraftment, beside ruling out any degree of consanguineity.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 1:37 PM on July 20, 2008

Thank you for the post- I have a mpther-in-law who is 92, still living in her home and a stepmother-in-law living in a nonprofit assisted living center.

This post is a gold mine of practical information.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 7:41 AM on July 12, 2008

The fact is, the religious mindset is not concerned with fact in any real sense.

Very true. I'm able to ignore "fact in any real sense" because the various theological constructs, appendages, and interpretations do not change the message of "The Way": to do justice, love kindness and walk humbly with my God.

I'm unabashedly a cherry picker when it comes to reading the Bible.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 4:13 AM on July 6, 2008

sotonohito- I'm with you on the mutts. Why would anybody want a inbred dog with all the genetic problems that come from inbreeding? About the Amish though, after that school tragedy, I have felt nothing but admiration for the forgiving way they adopted toward the family of the killer.

I wish their charity extended to animals.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 6:16 AM on July 4, 2008

"I stand by the "idiot" thing."
In the back of my mind I have this thought that, when I'm tired of living, I'll stop taking my meds.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 12:36 PM on June 30, 2008

Bah! 4/20. It must be the pasta that is making me fat>
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 8:53 AM on June 28, 2008

Those tentacles are a lot slicker than I imagined way (way, way) back then, when I first read Lovecraft.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 8:38 AM on June 28, 2008

My son is a schizophrenic who became suicidal last year, just before Christmas. I emphatise with Peter and Jesse, since I see my son life in their stories.

The best thing my husband and I did to learn how to cope with his terrible disease was taking a NAMI Family to family twelve weeks class, where relatives of people with mental illness shared their coping skills. We were thus able to recognize his sudden suicidal impulses and get him to the Emergency room: he was... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 5:24 PM on June 23, 2008

I cried too.
The mentally ill are the Ugly of humanity. The meds make them fat, the high dosage necessary to subdue their fears make their expression vacant, shakes and tremors are a frequent side effect. At best they are tolerated, most times they are shunned, in the worst cases they are thrown in jail. Strike that last part: in the worst cases they are beaten to death.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 6:17 PM on June 22, 2008

I love this type of Americana. Here is Route 66 Blue whale
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 5:39 PM on June 22, 2008

The absolute duty of every human to question authority has to be relearned every generation?

Damn the sixties that made me believe change is possible!
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 5:24 PM on June 19, 2008

I learned that people and relationships are important to living, and the rest of what I learned was barely adequate to make a living.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 1:55 PM on June 19, 2008

Funniest review I ever read!

The worst books I ever read are the attempts of Brian Herbert to cash in Frank Herbert's "Dune". The sad thing is that I keep checking the new ones out from the library (at least I'm not buying them anymore) hoping against hope for a spark of Frank's genius.

I read the first two chapters of the Celestine Prophecy standing in the aisle of Barnes and Noble. I bought it, took it home, and was utterly... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 1:59 PM on June 15, 2008

Some inaccuracies in the article.

Most of of Ms. Sedia opinionated opinions seem derived from old scientific methods. I do not think (my opinion) that there is a reputable scientific journal that would publish a paper with a guesswork assignment to monozygotic or dizygotic twin when a simple DNA test would correctly distinguish between the two.

I did not particularly like her "without much proof" statements, especially when related to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 1:34 PM on June 1, 2008

Oops! Strike out "in addition to my normal chromosome 21" . in my comment above.

My old boss, Dr. Rodman Seely, who was a pioneer in the field of cytogenetics in the state of Oklahoma, told me this hearthbreaking story about a woman who had a Down syndrome baby before the advent of amniocentesis and routine chromosome studies. Genetic counselors at that time thought that the risk of having a second child with Down syndrome was minimal. She took the risk and had... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 6:42 AM on June 2, 2008

After hearing one too many act of inhumanity by humans to humans, I'm no longer jocking in wishing for the rats to take over: they could not be any worst than we have been.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 4:42 PM on May 26, 2008

I feel an overwelming sense of sadness for those poor boys. Such a criminal waste of lives.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 8:27 PM on May 17, 2008

I liked God emperor of Dune too, but none after that one ( at least of the two or three I tried to read, since I quit reading them).

I also liked all six CJ Cherryh "Foreigner" books and all four "Fortress" books.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 12:30 PM on May 15, 2008

I do not have access to the original article from the Cornell group and I must have missed the description of the type of genetic engineering. What did they engineer? Did they give the embryo a third eye, change hair color, cure it of a disease? Just curious.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 6:12 PM on May 13, 2008

Without DNA testing it would be hard to diagnose. Here an additional link to all the labs that do the test, mostly by direct sequencing now.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 1:26 PM on May 10, 2008

My stomach is still churning from reading this story. So many victims.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 4:00 PM on May 6, 2008

Obama is probably a religious fake with a true believer following. Is there any other kind?

One little known fact about United Church of Christ congregations is that they are non-credal or covenant churches. One can be a member of UCC and not have to recite any Credo or subscribe to any official or unofficial theology.

I would not call Obama a religious fake: his beliefs are between him and his God and he is lucky to... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 12:51 PM on April 29, 2008

I learned how to extract square roots by hand, carried a slide rule (in my purse, not on a belt loop). I remember when in my first real job we bought the first calculator: it was a Casio, could only do basic arithmetic, did not have memory, and cost $528.

Those were the days!
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 2:58 PM on April 25, 2008

What does the fact that I really liked the post and the comments says about my Nerd Quotient?
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 2:05 PM on April 23, 2008

No, no no, Pitfall was the best: I never could beat it, I'll get right to the end and call my eight year old to get me across the last bit. He is way more coordinated than I ever was. Those hypnotic birds, and the hypnotic sound...
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 5:20 PM on April 21, 2008

The most compelling evidence is for schizophrenia. More than 200 studies have suggested that schizophrenia occurs between 5 and 8 percent more frequently than average in children born in the winter or spring. Scientists realized that viruses, which are most prevalent in the cold, dry winter months, could be one of the factors influencing this correlation...
...“We showed that if [flu] infection occurred in the early to middle part of pregnancy, the risk of schizophrenia was... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 11:32 AM on April 20, 2008

There are a few (very few) subsets of Christianity that strive for intellectual honesty in dealing with their holy book and their God. They tend to be pacifists.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 10:10 AM on April 14, 2008

If he has to brag about dropping $50K, he is overcompensating about something.

Arcadia, could I have squatter rights on a little corner of all that land? I'll move to Canada.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 9:54 AM on April 14, 2008

I would guess that, in the same way that you cannot be forced to submit to a lie-detector, you would not be forced to submit to a brain scan. Maybe we can breathe now.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 10:45 AM on April 13, 2008

francesca: Did you read either of the articles?
Yes I did read the articles: I should have said "Maybe I can breath now". The way I figure it, I'll retire in a couple of years, I'll be dead five years after that ( going by family history).
Apres moi, le deluge. I'll let the rest of you worry about mind reading and bending.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 3:39 PM on April 13, 2008

I love lists of best books: there is always at least several that I did not read and it gives me something to look forward. But, sadly, no Dorothy Sawyer in the mistery section
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 10:17 AM on April 8, 2008

Second the great resource. Interesting stuff about the World Bank and Social Security of the poor
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 12:57 PM on April 5, 2008

Sometimes I think that we have made a lot of progress in desegregation, other times I think that laws which favor discrimination have just become more subtle. Take for example the way schools are supported by property taxes here in Oklahoma City: the better schools are in predominantly white suburbs, leaving de facto segregated and substandard schools in the poorer areas of the city. The poverty cycle remains unbroken.

As much as it pains me to admit it, I believe that... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 9:35 AM on April 2, 2008

"Citius, Altius, Fortius?" More like "Moribundus" if you are from Darfur.

I'm not watching anymore.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 6:21 PM on March 30, 2008

What can I do about Darfur? Seriously.

Sending money to a relief organization helps. Money always helps, money for food, health care, clothing, education. Making someone life a little better is better than doing nothing at all.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 2:18 PM on March 31, 2008

The one thing I love about the US is that you could be ninety years old and be accepted as a student by some Universities. Colleges here are expensive compared to the universities of some other countries, but do not seem to be biased against age, sex, or religion, or intelligence.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 1:56 PM on March 29, 2008

Fairly safe for work: on the level of "shit".
I have had american fresh mozzarella and it is all right, a little lacking in flavor. Brucellosis as the italian MSG?
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 5:37 PM on March 28, 2008

The books I buy for myself I get on ebay or from amazon, because I know what I want. But when I buy books as gifts, I have to hold them, look at them, read half the book in the store (except maybe Post Secret books).

I'll miss Borders.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 2:12 PM on March 27, 2008

There is a set of homeless people rarely talked about: the just released prisoners are left out of jail with $50 and no ID. Unless they have a family that takes them in they are on the streets without resources. It takes money to get a driver license, it takes time and money to obtain a copy of a birth certificate, especially in this post 9-11 climate. This, to me, is institutionalized homelesness.

The most pressing need, according to the homeless themeselves, is... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 11:33 AM on March 23, 2008

Jacqueline, you are right that some panhandlers use the system to make a living: there are always people who take advantage of the kindness and compassion of other people. They appear homeless, but they actually are not.

Most homeless I know live at shelters, or in a car, or under a highway bridge. Some have a job that does not stretch to provide a shelter for themselves and the children with them. Some are too ill and confused to work at all. Some are on drugs or... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 2:00 PM on March 23, 2008

Why spoil the scenery? I would have preferred something inobtrusive.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 12:36 PM on March 22, 2008

Pratically, it is similar to solving a maze: keep your hand on the wall, start walking without llifting your hand away until you are out.

The exciting and awesome part is proving it mathematically. I read about it in today's paper, but it lacked details. Thanks for the links!
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 8:22 AM on March 21, 2008

Today is the fifth anniversary of the start of the Iraq war. I was becoming more and more despondent about this country, and I was starting to regret becoming an American citizen until I read Obama's speech ( and the comments on this thread).

Today I remember why I have chosen this country, and it is not just the natural beauty and the elbow room. It is the generosity and the kindness of people, the willingness to try new things and to experiment with new ideas, the... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 10:14 AM on March 19, 2008

"An adult salamander can regenerate a lost arm or leg this way over and over again, regardless of how many times the part is amputated."

I now have in my brain this image of a deranged human chopping a salamander's limb everyday, lovingly feeding the salamander everyday, to again chop a limb off next day, ad infinitum. Ugh!
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 5:28 PM on March 18, 2008

Institutionalized poverty and racism, a problem that could be solved by providing affordable decent housing to the mentally ill and to single parents. Thank you for the post, although it totally ruined my day of rest.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 3:22 PM on March 16, 2008

I'm agreeing with Tanya Hull on the need to decently house the poor, not only families and mentally ill but also the people just released from jail, in order to break this cycle.

I have learned from the founder of Hand Up, a foundation that finds housing and work for released prisoners, that the rate of recidivism is around 1% (sex offenders comprise 60% of the people they help) when they are given a hand up with housing, with obtaining identification, with finding a job.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 4:49 PM on March 16, 2008

We all have a long way to go before global civilization
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 7:44 AM on March 16, 2008

No, not one of my fantasies or dreams.
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 7:18 AM on March 16, 2008

It makes me sad to see and hear this irrational hatred of people that are perceived as different. I wish those who object to homosexuals would actually read Leviticus in its entirety, thus realizing how much cherry picking out of contest they are doing.

And I am a lolXian: I feel lucky that the church I frequent is an open and affirming one, welcoming anyone, no matter what their sexual inclinations.

Too bad about this being a pirated copy: it is... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 6:35 PM on March 8, 2008

creasy boy- Your point

This is why the argument should be that there's nothing wrong with homosexual love, not that it's biologically ingrained or natural. Plenty of things are natural or biologically ingrained without being morally right, and vice versa. There simply is no argument from biology to moral value, and to make that argument is to implicitly dismiss personal responsibility. Imagine saying "I can't help (stealing/lying/killing), it's in my genes.... [more]
posted to MetaFilter by francesca too at 5:59 AM on March 9, 2008