For all you genetics history gurus, I direct you to a great websites on the Eugenics movement. Eugenics was dark time in American genetics. Although some of conditions studied were legitimate, such as hemophilia and huntingtons disease, many traits, like "feeblemindedness" and "criminality," are not.
"Eugenics was, quite literally, an effort to breed better human beings – by encouraging the reproduction of people with "good" genes and discouraging those with "bad" genes. Eugenicists effectively lobbied for social legislation to keep racial and ethnic groups separate, to restrict immigration from southern and eastern Europe, and to sterilize people considered "genetically unfit." Elements of the American eugenics movement were models for the Nazis."
Too learn more about the eugenics movment, check out this exbit put on by Cold Springs Harbor Laboratory.
Have you ever wondered....
if every type of animal dropping has its own name?
hat's the origin of "spitting image"?
what's the relationship between TV's Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo?
The answer to these and many other funky questions can be found at The Straight Dope. Thanks to my dad for pointing this site out.
Gary and I went down to Southern California this weekend. We got alot of wedding planning done; we met with the rabbi, photographer, florist, and seamstress. We were also able to swing down to Orange county and go to Mike's Halloween party.
Of course, the dominating issue down there is all the incredible fires. The sky was orange, ash drizzled occasionally, and it stunk something awful. It is just so sad - all those homes gone and quite a few people died. Gary and I got off relatively easy. All the regional airports were closed for much of the weekend. So our flight was cancelled Sunday and we weren't able to get back to Sac until Monday evening.
As we were flying out, we passed over the Simi Valley fire. We saw these enormous pillars of gross orange smoke. You could even make out the walls of bright flame moving along the hills. It was scary
Over the weekend Gary and I went camping in Yosemite. We had a great time. The weather was perfect. Besides hiking, we went on a ranger walk, and saw a play about John Muir and Teddy Roosevelt. Because it is getting late in the season the crowds were much less. Also, many of the waterfalls had little or no water. Yosemite Falls is now "Yosemite Walls." Mirror Lake is now "Mirror Meadows." But both were magestic and beautiful none the less. It is tough to be back home.
Last weekend,Gary and I flew down to LA for Yom Kippur. It was a little crazy, but good to spend time with my family during such an important time in the Jewish Calendar.Now that the High Holidays are over, it is back to life as usual in Sactown.
Recently a couple of individuals to whom I feel close have become very ill. At first we just brushed it off and moved forward with a positive attitude, trusting to modern medicine and time. Now, as things get worse, it makes me very sad and worried. I know there are no gaurentees in life, but it so hard to understand when a perfectly healthy, young, nice person becomes so terribly sick. I feel so bad for them.
At temple, a prayer is said for those who are sick and later, another prayer to remember those who have died. I usually don't say either, becaue I never know anyone who'd need it. At Rosh Hashanah, when I realized that I was going to say a name for the prayer for healing, it made me cry. It makes me think about how fragile our lives are. I hope I don't need to say the other prayer any time soon.