ABC's of Stargate ver.1

[Falcon Horus]

V -- Very strange that the NRA has to agree. Last I checked, they weren't part of the government, just donating money and endorsing men to do their bidding.

W -- What you need is less NRA and more balls to put stricter gun laws through. But Americans think they're all part of a militia and thus have a right to bear arms.

X -- Until then, you will continue to find shootings happening every day. If shootings like Sandy hook or Columbine, or whatever aren't reason enough to change the laws, then nothing will ever change in favor or stricter laws.

Y -- You want to be able to protect yourself. Fine, try using a 9 mm. you really don't need an AR-15 for that.

[SGalisa]

Z = Zzzzz's, so imzadi35 can now rest from all the pre-wedding jitters and planning..! Loved the embroidered design in the bridal dress -- it was beautiful, imzadi looked lovely in it, and hope everyone there had a lovely time. Weather looked like it co-operated, too. Hoping the future is a *joy-filled* one... btw, that's 3 weddings/anniversaries of people I know of just in this one week in itself (less than a 7 day span), with mine included.

[SGalisa]

A = Added what is called Tuscan Kale to my salads! Yummmm. Decided to try it out, and like it better than regular kale. It's also known as black kale, lacinato kale, and dinosaur kale. Very hearty. Bury it in a balsamic vinegar salad dressing with garlic and a bunch of other salad favorites, and Ooooooo! well, for the moment, I like it..!

[Falcon Horus]

B -- Bleh... Kale... ...Not a fan. I'll take regular salad, or grandma's salad or iceberg salad, or rucola.

[imzadi35]

C - Can safely say I love classic iceberg lettuce myself. With Western dressing... YUMMY!

D - Darlings, I'm back, and the wedding was a success! I just wish my dad and two brothers could have been there from Heaven though...

E - Everything worked out, including the weather, and it was a good time by all. Here's a pic my photographer took and edited...

forever6-16-17.JPG

[Falcon Horus]

F -- Festivities a succes is always nice. And congrats again, looking good there.

[SGalisa]

G = Gifts received from loved ones (or family members)... It was a very sad realization as I was walking with a gift (a carrying bag) I received from my now deceased sister, how much I more I appreciated it now than before. Yes, I desperately needed something to replace the other bag that was falling apart --even tho it was once super, super sturdy-- so I used this new one to replace the old other one. The new bag was (definitely) not my first choice in style or colors (seemed rather gaudy to me or my usual more reserved style), but something I made room for making it into a useful item. I know my sister picked it out because it was very pretty and brightly colored -- and since it uplifted her -- I think she figured it would bring some brilliant, bright spot into my life (in more ways than one!).

H = Have I found myself clinging to this simple gift (carrying bag) more now for cherishing the memories of who gave it to me, because it seemed that's all I have left physically of that person. I think my sister would be surprised at how much I do appreciate her choice in this gift more than just the initial thoughts I used to have about it.

I = I just wish such *precious* moments of genuine appreciation wouldn't come soooooo late in life, after the person we've lost is unable to see or hear our joy, as intensely as it should be (or now exists), than it is often expressed in the first place.

[imzadi35]

Totally agree with you, SG!

J - Just have to believe my dad WAS there, as I had one of his handkerchiefs with me. I'd saved it after he died.

K - Kind of tired so will head off to bed now. Night all!

[Falcon Horus]

L -- LOL'd and EW'd at the same time just now, when reading an article about a woman who woke up to the sight of a snake next to her bed. The thing was about a meter long, of the not poisonous variety but nevertheless not something that roams around in the wild over here. And certainly not in our backyards. It probably slipped in through an open window (or so the cops thought).

M -- Meh, sick at home. I didn't feel like going to work today but this was not what I had in mind. A colleague called me earlier cause she didn't see me being online on our network, and when I informed her I was home sick she asked me whether it was flu-like symptoms. And I'm like, yeah -- how do you know? -- turns out she was feeling unwell on saturday so it's something that's making the rounds apparently.

N -- Now I should get to buying a rainbow flag first. With all the pride coverage going on I want that flag so bad. Also, totally loved Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at Toronto Pride Parade. He's so awesome.

O -- Oh, and it was also Chelsea Manning's first pride. She looked so happy. Apparently also lost her voice from all the cheering. *snort*

P -- #PrEide: combo of Eid-el-Fitr (end of Ramadan) and Pride hashtag. Making the trending rounds thanks to Blair Imani (another one of my twitter heroines). LOL, have to admit, I was hoping I could score some left-overs from my friend's Eid yesterday but now I'm sick in the couch. Doubt there will be any left overs tomorrow.

[pscard]

R - Really weird thing happening when visiting this site. None of the graphics appear, only the text.

S - Seems to be happening when using Firefox but not Google Chrome.

[Falcon Horus]

T -- To add, I'm using Firefox (have been all day) and nothing's wrong on my end.

[imzadi35]

U - Unfortunately nothing going on here, and I'm using Firefox as well.

V - Very sorry I am, but I can't join in on the pride thing because I don't believe in it. I believe that relationships are meant for one man, one woman. But that's just my belief.

W - We might be under a severe storm watch later tonight. Severe weather is forecast for our area. They're talking mainly high winds and hail. We could use the rain though.

[SGalisa]

XY = XY chromosomes! Was reading a report "Women Absorb And Retain DNA From Every Man They Have Sex With" -- which basically stated how women tend to carry some of the DNA characteristics of their male partners for the rest of the female's lifespan. The study went into great details about "male microchimerism".. Basically, if a female has had multiple (male) sexual partners prior to marriage, some of their prior partners DNA can appear in the children of the married couple. So, genetically, the child is not totally born from the DNA of just two people (male + female), but of other previous boyfriends or even rapists -- if that sort of situation occurred as well. Both humans and animals were examined in this particular study, with similar results. Whether female DNA transfers forever over into the male is something yet to be further researched. For the moment, females carried the genetic traits from intimate contact with male chromosomes, whether or not they want to keep that male person in close physical contact for the rest of their life...

Z = Zoo of information! The report was claiming that female physical contact with male DNA is carried over into the female's body (or brain cells) permanently. A discussion came up on the forum where the article was mentioned and the following info was being tossed around for further investigation ... So, for criminal cases, it is theoretically possible to identify the DNA of previous rapists to that particular female. This could be helpful in standard (western civilization type of) court cases, but could also be harmful in Sharia Law rape cases, if the ruling favors the guy(s) who did the deed instead of the female--who ended up being the victim. On the other extreme, since Sharia Law requires the witnesses of 3 or 4 males in female rape situations (to resolve if rape actually occurred.. which seems ludicrous if the males choose to lie about doing such a thing), this "male microchimerism" phenomenon could be proven without the males actually being in the same court room with the female!

[Falcon Horus]

V - Very sorry I am, but I can't join in on the pride thing because I don't believe in it. I believe that relationships are meant for one man, one woman. But that's just my belief.

A -- And that's perfectly okay with me. I do assume in that case that your husband gained some land, or a title, or something extra marrying you. I mean, that's what marriage is for after all.

B -- But then again, Pride isn't about marriage. It's about being proud of who you are and that you matter in the world of humans. I do assume you are proud of who you are, and that you would stand up for your fellow man/woman/child in a time of need.

C -- Could you tell me why you believe my love for -- okay, I'm single but pretend I'm not -- my girlfriend is any less than your love for your husband? What is different about it? What defines love in your eyes? Do not mistake this for anything else than genuine curiosity -- thank you in advance.

D -- Does it also bother you that same-sex couples have the same rights as straight couples do in marriage? F.e. be on their childrens' birthcertificate, receive survivor compensation, can inherit, be automatic guardians of children in the relationship when something happens with either partner, receive tax-cuts, be on their partner's health insurance, be counted as a family ... everything you get married to your husband -- why would you willingly deny this to other people?

E -- Every human being on the planet has a fundamental right to exist and to be who they want to be, and to be proud of that existence. Some of us have a harder time at it, and sometimes it's made harder by others. But down to the core, we all bleed red. We are all human. Do we not deserve to be treated equally and respected equally?

F -- For the record, I made a suggestion in the "Ask the Moderators"-thread about a theme weekend celebrating the queer characters in fandom (I don't know many to begin with, but it seemed like a brilliant idea to celebrate the diversity of Gateworld and add our own little something to pride-month). Would you have been offended if your title had been a queer character? Would that have bothered you?
Don't worry, it's not happening since I had no reply from any of the moderators, and june is almost over anyway. The only one who replied and thought it would be a great idea was Draco-Stellaris.

G -- Gotta go now, cause I started a Eureka rewatch yesterday and I want to watch some more episodes (I'm home sick so I got to entertain myself otherwise I go bored, and running around isn't an option cause I can't take 5 steps without feeling like I've just run a marathon ). Already finished my third or fourth run through season 2 of Supergirl, so onwards I go.

[Falcon Horus]

H -- Hey SGAlisa, you cheated with the XY. Also, the article from YourNewsWire.com is spreading false information. Just for the record.
Here's the actual study from 2012: Male Microchimerism in the Human Female Brain (source: PLOS ONE magazine, authors: William F. N. Chan, Cécile Gurnot, Thomas J. Montine, Joshua A. Sonnen, Katherine A. Guthrie, J. Lee Nelson, published: September 26, 2012)

I -- It's a fascinating study, though, I give you that. I wasn't aware microchimerism existed. Then again, it's also a word I'm at the moment unable to pronounce without breaking my tongue.

In humans, naturally acquired microchimerism has been observed in many tissues and organs. Fetal microchimerism, however, has not been investigated in the human brain. Microchimerism of fetal as well as maternal origin has recently been reported in the mouse brain. In this study, we quantified male DNA in the human female brain as a marker for microchimerism of fetal origin (i.e. acquisition of male DNA by a woman while bearing a male fetus). Targeting the Y-chromosome-specific DYS14 gene, we performed real-time quantitative PCR in autopsied brain from women without clinical or pathologic evidence of neurologic disease (n?=?26), or women who had Alzheimer’s disease (n?=?33). We report that 63% of the females (37 of 59) tested harbored male microchimerism in the brain. Male microchimerism was present in multiple brain regions. Results also suggested lower prevalence (p?=?0.03) and concentration (p?=?0.06) of male microchimerism in the brains of women with Alzheimer’s disease than the brains of women without neurologic disease. In conclusion, male microchimerism is frequent and widely distributed in the human female brain.

J -- Just for the record, if you manage to understand half of it, that's as much as I understand from it. But nevertheless, a very interesting read (the science paper, I mean).

During pregnancy, genetic material and cells are bi-directionally exchanged between the fetus and mother, following which there can be persistence of the foreign cells and/or DNA in the recipient. This naturally acquired microchimerism (Mc) may impart beneficial or adverse effects on human health. Fetal Mc, which describes the persistence of cells and/or DNA of fetal origin in the mother acquired during pregnancy, has been associated with several different autoimmune diseases as well as implicated in tissue repair and immunosurveillance.

K -- Kay... wow... this study suggests Mc in the brain could help in the fight against brain tumors and degenirative brain diseases. I wonder whether there are more recent studies done. I mean, 2012 was already 5 years ago.

L -- Looks like there weren't any new studies published on the subject, but I did find another article in the International Journal of Epidemiology from 2014, issue 43. A study by Danish scientists (the paper's in English): Mortality, Male Microchimerism and Survival Among Women