So my friend Jen is a big amusement park freak especially for the Disney theme parks. She watches all the message groups that talk about various Disney park things and she sent me this link. Some one in the message group wanted to know if people boo the President Bush robot in the Hall of Presidents. This was one of the first responses.

“Aww I don’t like that. I’m not political at all, I
don’t really follow the news and I have no idea what’s
going on overseas but I am so patriotic otherwise!
Although I don’t know enough about GWB to like or
dislike him, it’s Disney people! Have a little
respect!”

I don’t know whether to laugh or cry.

I know I’ve let Friday Science entries slide lately. I just haven’t had the time or energy to do any research. That’s why today’s entry is brought to you by the letter R, which stands for Robin who sent me the link.

You know that scene in Jurassic Park where they find all the dinosaur eggs and what’s-his-name has to explain how female amphibians can “turn� male in predominately female environments? Today’s entry is kind of like that. Researchers have found that sharks can reproduce asexually.

The investigation all started when a female hammerhead shark was born at the Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo. What was so mysterious about the birth was that is happened in a tank that only contained female sharks. Sort of like a shark version of Jerry Springer, “who’s my baby’s daddy?�. The research team determined that the genetic makeup of the baby shark perfectly matched one of the females in the tank, but without any sign of a male parent.

The process is called parthenogenesis and happens when a byproduct called a sister polar body (formed when eggs are produced) fuses with an unfertilized egg. This occurs naturally in some species like plants, vertebrates such as aphids, and vertebrates like reptiles and fish. Parthenogenesis is a form of animal cloning because the new organism is identical to the cell donor. This process also decreases genetic variability which could be problem over time putting offspring at a genetic disadvantage.

Parthenogenesis is a testament to the resourcefulness of animals like sharks and reptiles. Mammals can’t reproduce asexually…yet.

You may have noticed that I’ve been posting more pictures then usual on my blog. This is all due to the new camera Chris got for me. There was really nothing wrong with my old camera. It took good pictures for what it was; it just had some limitations.

First of all the old camera was a little big. The new camera fits perfectly in my purse with out making my purse weigh twenty pounds. The old camera didn’t have a zoom or macro function. This is why I didn’t get a good picture of the bear in our campsite. I just couldn’t get close enough. I could never have gotten a picture like this with my old camera.

Now that I have the smaller camera, it goes every where with me and when I see quirky stuff like the Oreo Cookie Bus outside the downtown YMCA, I can take a picture of it. I’ve also gotten really good at uploading my pictures and posting them all by myself. That’s something Chris is really excited about.

I spent Saturday with my Mom and sister in Tulsa. We did a bunch of girly things like get pedicures and shop. But basically it was just about being together and doing some nice things for Mom.

We all pitched in and got my mom and iPod nano. She’s really excited about it. When I got my new iPod, I gave my old one to a friend and when I told Mom what I had done, I could tell that she was a little disappointed that I didn’t give it to her. I didn’t want her to have the old one because I new she wouldn’t be satisfied with it. Plus we all thought it would be nice for to have a new one that not only carries music, but she can put photos on as well.

We had a really nice day, had wonderful gelati at this totally chic chocolate place and lunch at this really great natural food store. Yes, we had desert before lunch. I thought it was a perfect idea. Our deserts were beautiful and I had devoured half my butterfly cookie and taken a bite out of the chocolate cup for the gelati before I realized that I should have taken a picture. This is just another reason to go back.

Happy Mother’s Day!

My sister called me Friday afternoon from Louisiana. She had gone on a car drive with dad and they stopped somewhere to get lunch and she wanted to know if I wanted her to bring us back some crawfish. I ordered two pounds and bought some potatoes.

All I had to do was steam them to warm them back up and boil potatoes and that’s what we had for dinner last night. The only regret I have is not ordering four pounds of crawfish. They were soooo good, I wish I were eating them right now.

I’ve been eyeing the Roller Girl Barbie for a while now. Every time I see her in the store I pick her up and think about buying her, but I always put her back because I really don’t need her. I love the Roller Girl Barbie because she is so blatantly pornographic. She looks like Heather Graham’s character in Boogie Nights. I love how they advertise her as “Retro Glam on Wheels!”.

Many people may not know that Ruth Handler, Barbie’s creator, based her doll off of the Bild Lilli doll. The Lilli doll was made in the image of Lilli, a German cartoon that ran as filler in a tabloid during the 1950s. She was slutty and talked openly about sex. The doll was first marketed as a gag gift for adults and sold in bars and tobacco shops. Ruth Handler saw them in a shop window while on a trip to Germany and thought they would make the perfect toy for her little girl. The Lilli doll was never intended for children, but she sparked all the fashion plate dolls from Barbie to Bratz that we see today.

I finally broke down and bought my Roller Girl the other day. She was on sale for $7.00! I totally couldn’t pass that up. She’ll fit in just fine with my Harley Quinn Barbie.

I’m one of those people that once they start reading a book, they become all adsorbed into that book. That’s one of the reasons for my infrequent postings lately. I’ve become addicted to the Darcy’s Daughters books. I love them. They are just so quaint. The books pick up with the various daughters and relations of the Mr. Darcy from Pride and Prejudice. Mr. Darcy’s Daughters is the first of the books and it introduces you to all five of the Darcy daughters.

I was about halfway through The Exploits and Adventures of Miss Alethea Darcy when I realized that I had never read Pride and Prejudice or any Jane Austin book for that matter. So I picked up a copy of P&P the other day and I have about half the book to go. I don’t know why it’s taken me this long to get around to reading anything by Jane Austin. I’m always on the hunt for a new book. Maybe it is time to explore some of the classics that I just missed reading over the years.

I will say that Elizabeth Aston does a very good job of catching the Jane Austin tone in her books. They really blend well from one book to the next and Aston gives us characters that we can easily fall in love with. The main character in each book is always a very headstrong, intelligent woman keeping with the same ideas as Jane Austin where brains were always more important than being beautiful.

I can’t wait to get the next book, The Second Mrs. Darcy. Unfortunately, I think that’s the last one of the bunch. Maybe I’ll pick up Emma next.