Barbara McClintock

Barbara McClintock was a great geneticist; she was smart and she was brave. She did many experiments in her time, she made one of the biggest discoveries and yet she was criticized for her work. Ever since McClintock was a child, she had an interest in cells and genetic makeup. Her father was a doctor who encouraged and supported her interest in cells and genetic makeup while her mother was unhappy because she thought that having an interest in cells and genetic makeup were not normal for a young girl, and that McClintock was not developing “appropriate feminine behavior” (Cambridge para 1). McClintock was born on June 16 1902, she went to college at Cornell’s College of Agriculture and did research on chromosomes. Even though, McClintock did research in California, Missouri, Germany, and at Cornell, she still had a hard time finding a job. “When she did get a job at the University of Missouri as an assistant professor, her colleagues never included her and her chances of getting a raise or promotion were low” (Science para 1). Most of her colleagues were male and looked down on her because she was a female. She ended up working at the University of Missouri for five years and quit. Later McClintock found a position at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and that is where she discovered mobile genetic elements in plants or “jumping genes” (science para 1).

Many experiments that McClintock did were from corn because the plant can be self fertilized. She grew her own corn and experimented by staining the corn and looking at them through a microscope. By using the staining technique, McClintock was able to identify ten corn chromosomes and discovered that chromosome number nine was different than the others. “She was able to identify a series of genes on chromosome number nine that determine pigmentation and other characteristics of the endosperm. She found that variegation occurred when a small piece of chromosome nine moved from one place on the other chromosome to another close to a gene coding for a pigment” (Ringertz para 3). With this experiment, McClintock discovered that certain genes have a certain purpose of controlling other genes. Some are able to move onto other chromosomes and control a number of other genes, the key factor was the physical movement of DNA, and this was a huge discovery.
In 1951 McClintock presented her work but many geneticists did not fully understand the jumping gene theory. What they did not understand was that in order for genes to move onto other chromosomes there had to be physical movement of DNA. They did not understand that the DNA molecule stored genetic information in its structure. “Some objected to her approach, calling it mystical or mad” (Science in the Early Twentieth Century para 5). The reaction she received from the geneticists was very disappointing and upsetting to her and she stopped doing her experiments. The discovery that was made by McClintock was ground breaking in the world of science, what she discovered was evolution and would one day help explain the cause of cancer cells and how to detect mutation in cells but at the time, no one seem to realize it except for McClintock.

Finally, after two decades McClintock was credited for her work. It wasn’t until molecular biologists did research on bacteria DNA that confirmed McClintock’s theory was right. “Geneticists claimed later that they did not doubt McClintock’s findings, but they saw transposable element as a characteristic of maize, not necessarily as a fundamental principle to be generalized” (Science in the Early Twentieth Century para 5). At the time when McClintock gave her presentation on the jumping gene theory, the geneticists did not support her or try to understand the concept of the jumping gene theory. McClintock was misunderstood as a person along with her work. After her theory was confirmed, two decades later, the geneticists that were present when McClintock did her presentation never showed any sincerity or appreciation for McClintock’s work.
Barbara McClintock was a unique individual with a lot of passion. She was not the typical women, she never saw herself as being a homemaker but making discoveries that would change the world of science. She started off as a young child with interest in chromosomes and genetic makeup, and she followed her heart and went into science. Although she was the very few female in science, along with the discrimination she had to deal with. She kept her head up high and continued with her experiments, which lead her to prove that the jumping gene theory was true. No matter what obstacles came her way, she never let it get the best of her. She believed in her work and even though she did not have a lot of support from her peers, she kept on going until she got the results that genes do jump onto other chromosomes. From being that curious little girl interested in chromosomes and genes, she now is one of the most amazing geneticists in the world. Her work was recognized and credited; she won the first unshared Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine at the age of 81 in 1983. “Watson described her as one of the three most important figures in the history of genetics” (Cambridge Dictionary of Scientists para 2). Even though it took two decades until McClintock was rewarded for her work, she still had a great attitude. Barbara McClintock said “if you know your right you don’t care. “You know that sooner or later it will come out in the wash” (Cambridge Dictionary of Scientists para 2). I agree, “Barbara McClintock died on September 2, 1992” (autobiography 4). She was very deserving of the Nobel Prize award.


Ringertz, Nils. Nobelprize.org. 06 Dec. 2010 .

"McClintock, Barbara." Science in the Early Twentieth Century: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2005. Credo Reference. 30 June 2008. Web. 6 Dec. 2010. .

"McClintock, Barbara (1902 - 1992)." The Cambridge Dictionary of Scientists. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2002. Credo Reference. 1 Jan. 2001. Web. 6 Dec. 2010. .

"McClintock, Barbara." Science in the Contemporary World: An Encyclopedia. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2005. Credo Reference. 11 July 2008. Web. 6 Dec. 2010. .

"Barbara McClintock - Autobiography." Nobelprize.org. Web. 06 Dec. 2010. .

My Daughters Christmas Wish List

My daughter’s favorite holiday is Christmas, every year when it gets closer to the holidays. My daughter Diamond makes a “wish list” of 3 things that she would like. After looking at my daughter’s list, I am undecided on which item to purchase. The three items are a Nintendo DS, sketcher shoes, and a play kitchen with pretend food. I feel that the items on her list are too expensive or she does not need them. This year I am on a tight budget and I only want to purchase things that my daughter would need.
The first item on Diamond’s list was a Nintendo DS, she has been asking for a Nintendo DS for a year now. All her cousins and friends have one, and all I ever hear from Diamond is “mom, everyone I know has a DS except for me.” I told her that if she wanted a Nintendo DS she would have to save her money which would include her birthday money, the money she receives from the tooth fairy, and all her spear change. A Nintendo DS is expensive; they are two hundred dollars or more. She tells me it’s not fair that she has to save her own money, I told her that if she can save eighty dollars than I would pay the rest. I figured she would value the Nintendo DS more if she had to save her own money, since it is expensive. She is half way to having eighty dollars in her piggy bank, I thought maybe I should wait and not get Diamond the Nintendo DS.
The second item on Diamond’s list were sketcher shoes, not just any sketcher shoes but the ones that have little pretty jewels on them that light up when you walk. Diamond thinks she will be able to run faster if she had the sketcher shoes. I told her that it’s not the shoes that make a person run fast but the person themselves. She insists and says she needs the sketcher shoes. I wouldn’t mind buying her the shoes for Christmas but I had just bought her two new pairs of shoes. I don’t think she needs another pair of shoes, considering the fact that she just received winter boots for her birthday as well.
The last item on Diamonds list is a play kitchen with pretend food. She has absolutely no room in her bedroom for the play kitchen. She already has a television in her room and a full size bed. Diamond also hates picking up her room, I usually have to tell her to pick up her room three or four times, and then I end up putting her in time out. It’s a battle to get my daughter to clean her room. I don’t think she deserves to have a play kitchen with pretend food if she can’t pick up her room without me yelling at her. I can just imagine her room full of play food, and me telling her to pick up her room several times. Something I don’t want to have to do.
Although I do not have to pick an item on Diamonds wish list, I still wanted to know what she wanted for Christmas. She doesn’t know it is me who will be purchasing the gifts because she thinks it will be Santa Claus. If I do not pick any item from her list, she will be sad that Santa did not give her what she wanted and I really would not know what to get her. A Nintendo DS is way too expensive and Diamond has not saved enough money yet, Diamond already has two new pairs of shoes so if I buy her the sketcher shoes she will probably end up just wearing those and not the other two pairs, and she really doesn’t have room in her bedroom for a play kitchen plus she does not like to pick up her room. I really do not know what I should get her for Christmas. What do you think I should do?

Teens held hostage in Marinette WI

What would you do if you were held hostage? Imagine if you were fifteen years old and one of your classmates came into the classroom with a gun. This is exactly what happened to Zach Campbell who was held hostage at his school in Marinette Wisconsin. When I read this article I was shocked because Marinette is not far from La Crosse. I can only imagine the terror that the students went through along with the teacher.
According to the superintendent Tim Baneck who said “the student started class without any weapon, he asked to use the restroom, and when he returned he was carrying the duffel bag containing the two guns and ammunition” (para 12). It is frightening to think that this fifteen year old boy was able to get the two guns, a 9 mm semi-automatic and a .22 caliber semi-automatic with the ammunition into the school. I can’t even imagine how I would feel if it were my child being held hostage. What I don't understand is, why didn't the superintendent question him or wonder why he came out with a duffel bag if he didn't have one before he went into the rest room. Wouldn't that automatically set off a signal.
The gunman came into the class room and shot the projector while the class was watching a movie. He then fired again and told everyone in the class room to place their cell phones in the middle of the room, the gunman ended up breaking his phone in half after his phone rang (para 14). Everyone including the teacher tried to stay calm, after about six hours he let five hostages go, and then later he let the rest, twenty three hostages go. The teacher Valerie Burd tried her best to keep everyone calm and she did a great job dealing with the situation, Even though the gunman had no interest in talking to her. He did talk to the class mates that he held hostage and they tried their best to talk to him so that he wouldn’t flip out.
Zach, one of the hostage, said the gunman looked depressed but probably did not want to harm anyone( para 3), the police have no idea what the gunman’s motives were. The police heard three shots and broke down the door, as the officers approached him, he shot himself. He is in bad condition, “grave condition,” his name has not been released. I can just imagine what his parents are going through, this morning I heard on the radio station. The gun mans uncle saying that he couldn't believe that his nephew would do such a thing that it wasn't like him at all. I believe that when someone is depressed or broken, you have to search deeper, look closer and listen. I am sure the gunman had some problems and maybe he was depressed.
This whole incident makes me feel sad; it makes me wonder why a fifteen year old boy would do this to his classmates, to his teacher and to himself. What could be so bad that would drive this boy to go on a rampage? Whatever his reason is no one knows. I hope that the school will get past this along with the parents whose kids were held hostage like Zach Campbell and the teacher Valerie Burd. I am glad that non of the hostages were hurt.


Richmond, Todd. "Updated: Teen in Shooting in Grave Condition." La Crosse Tribune - LaCrosse News Source. 30 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Nov. 2010. .

Five Steps to Take When You've Been Stood Up

Have you ever gotten stood up by a date? If so, how did you deal with it? Here are five steps on dealing with being stood up. First is acceptance, embarrassment, anger, moving on, and why me.
First step is accepting the fact that your date did not show up. He or she didn’t show up because they didn’t want to. Let’s say your date was running late, he or she would probably call, unless they weren’t planning on meeting you. If it’s a no call no show, it means you were stood up. It happens to best of us, accept it. That’s the only way you can move past the fact that you were stood up. Whatever you do, do not call your date and ask why you were stood up. Let it be a lesson learned and know that whoever your date was that stood you up is not worth your time.
The second step is embarrassment; it is embarrassing when you and your date plan on meeting at a public place such as a restaurant or a bar and your date does not show up. Especially, if you two planned on meeting at a romantic place. You might feel less awkward if you two had planned on meeting at a pool hall or a bar. The embarrassment might not be that bad if you were stood up and this was only the second or third date. In reality, if that is the case you shouldn’t feel too embarrassed since you both don’t know each other too well. Either way the level of embarrassment varies depending how many dates you both have been on, the place of where he or she stood you up and if how much you liked your date. It’s always embarrassing if you and your date are on different levels of feelings. The more you like your date the level of embarrassment will be higher if you were stood up.
The third step is anger, no matter how angry or hurt you are; do not damage any of your belongings such as your phone or a mirror. Your phone is worth more than the person who stood you up. Damaging things or throwing things around might ease your anger at the moment but after you have calmed down you will probably realize that it was stupid of you to ruin your phone or whatever it is that you decided to break. Let out your anger by calling a friend, go for a walk, or play video games. Channel your anger into something positive.
The fourth step is moving on, move on and be happy. You are not a victim and there is plenty of fish in the sea. Obviously if your date stood you up, it means they just weren’t that into you. It doesn’t mean that you should never date again or trust anyone. Not everyone is going to like you and you are not going to like everyone you meet. It doesn’t feel good to be stood up but that doesn’t mean it is the end of the world.
Finally, the last step is why me, “why me?” you might ask yourself, and you’ll probably start thinking that it was your fault that he or she stood you up. You might never know why you got stood up, it might be something you said or it might not be you at all. It might have been your date. Instead of asking yourself “WHY” just be glad your date stood you up, he or she saved you a lot of time now you can cross him or her off your list and know for sure that the relationship would have gone anywhere.
These are just the simple steps you can do to deal with being stood up, but at the end you will figure out that it was for the best. Don’t be too hard on yourself, just accept the fact that you were stood up, face the embarrassment, take your anger out in positive ways such as going for a walk or a jog, get over it and move on, chances are you not the only one who has ever gotten stood up, and do not question yourself as to why your date stood you up. Being stood up is not fun and can damage a person but it is how you deal with it. If you act like it is the end of the world then it will be. If you stay positive, everything will work out at the end.


"5 Stages of Dealing with Being Stood up - CNN.com." CNN.com - Breaking News, U.S., World, Weather, Entertainment & Video News. 29 Nov. 2010. Web. 29 Nov. 2010. .

Twin Death Investigation

There has been many unusual deaths but what could be more unusual then the death of twins. The incident seems like a suicide, there was no reason for them to want to die, the details of the case seem strange.
They were at a shooting range, according to the owner of the shooting range Doug Hamilton, he said “the twins were using small caliber guns and were probably recreational shooters and that they probably had a plan to shoot each other (para 17). The case is still under investigation but they are not looking for a suspect. There didn’t seem to be a sign of a struggle and both of the twins fell to the ground at the same time.
The twins were from Australia, one was pronounced dead at the scene and the other is in the hospital recovering from surgery after being shot in the head. The police are trying to contact the twin’s family in Australia, so far the names of the twins have not been released. The police do not know which of the twin survived. I don’t see how they would shoot each other, no one knows, the police are waiting for the twin who survived to become conscious to ask her questions.
After all these details and the story line of where they were seen and how they were at the shooting range, shooting as if it wasn’t their first time. It is strange to me, that these twins would plan and willingly to shoot one another. It is unbelievable the story itself and that it actually happened. It is unfortunate because they were only 29 years old, hopefully when the twin wakes up the police can get to the bottom of this. I wonder what the surviving twin will feel when she wakes up knowing that her sister died and that she didn't, and if this was suppose to be a suicide mission, I can only imagine the chaos of everything that will come next for the twin that survived.

Wolf, Jeffrey, Matt Flener, and Anastasyia Bolton. "9NEWS.com | Denver | Colorado's Online News Leader | Twins Shot: Deputies Don't Know Which Twin Is Dead in Cherry Creek State Park Shooting Range Death." 9NEWS.com | Denver | Colorado's Online News Leader | Breaking News, Local News, World News and More... 16 Nov. 2010. Web. 22 Nov. 2010. .

Facebook

Many people use facebook, it is the new way to keep in touch with friends. Many people who use facebook post how they are feeling or what they have planned for the day on their status . They may even post a negative thought about an individual or how much they dislike that individual. Should there be a limit on certain things that can be posted on facebook, do you think there should be consequences for people who do post negative and nasty comments on facebook, and if the comments were about an individual’s employer should they get fired from their job.
The facebook world is huge, you can find almost everyone on facebook. People need to realize that posting something negative about certain things can result in a negative consequence. For instance, An emergency medical technician got fired from her job. She was accused of posting negative comments about her supervisor on facebook. I don’t think there should be a limit on what you can post on facebook but also one should know better than to post anything work related on facebook. Most people would say it’s common sense.
If one posts negative comments about anything work related they should be talked to by their employer, otherwise I don’t believe punishment is necessary. Even though, I have read some outrageous comments on facebook . I think it would be absolutely ridiculous if there were a law or some kind of violation on posting certain things on facebook, considering the fact that there are enough laws that limit us to doing simple things. UNLESS it is about one’s employer.
Getting fired for posting negative comments on facebook would be reasonable. Especially if it were a nasty comment. Dawnmarie Souza, the lady who got fired is going to court January 25th, “according to Jonathan Kreisberg, director of the board’s Hartford office, which filed the complaint, Ms. Souza then mocked her supervisor on Facebook , using several vulgarities to ridicule him” (Greenhouse para 11). I could understand why Dawnmarie mocked her supervisor on facebook, not everyone likes their boss or supervisor but expressing it on facebook is going to get an individual in trouble and that is exactly what happened to Dawnmarie.
Facebook is a great way to stay connected or reconnect with old friends. Sometimes expressing your honest thoughts could cost you. I was surprised when I read the article about Dawnmarie losing her job over a facebook post. I have read posts on facebook about how an individual felt about their job but to get fired over it, the thought of it is insane. Should there be a limit on certain things that can be posted on facebook, should there consequences and should an individual lose their job if the post is work related?


Greenhouse, Steven. "Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook Post." Company Accused of Firing Over Facebook Post 8 Nov. 2010. 8 Nov. 2010. Web. 9 Nov. 2010.

Ten Year Old Having a Baby

Can you imagine a ten year old girl giving birth? It’s hard to imagine and the thought of it is disturbing. It happened to a ten year old girl in Spain, this girl’s mother who is a Romanian Gypsy is absolutely delighted to be a grandmother and in some cultures certain things are acceptable. How would you feel if your mother let you lose your virginity at age ten and then finding out that you have a baby on the way?
The mother to the ten year old girl who gave birth sees nothing wrong in her daughter having a child. The father of the newborn is only thirteen years old, they both are so young. Their childhood years are completely gone. The mother of the ten year old made a comment to a reporter stating that “she also said she didn't understand the attention the case was generating because she and her daughter are Romanian Gypsies, or Roma, and their custom is to allow girls to marry young even though that's against the law in Romania.”(Associated press 4).
In the United States our laws and our beliefs are different than in other countries. We don’t have arranged marriages and the legal age in the United States is eighteen. With parental consent a sixteen year old can get married according to the Romanian law otherwise eighteen without parental consent. I understand that cultures vary in what they frown upon and what they consider to be acceptable, but I personally would never give permission for my daughter to marry at age sixteen or have a baby at age ten.
It is hard not to find it disturbing when you read about young children already having kids of their own. It’s unfortunate that it happened, although the article doesn’t express how the ten year old girl feels, she could be happy and she could be completely miserable but it is a a big responsibility. It’s a mother’s responsibility to protect her children; being that I came from a different culture than the American culture I do understand how that mother didn’t see anything wrong with her ten year old daughter having a baby but I would never allow my daughter to lose her virginity and age ten and have a baby. Like I said, every culture is different but to me a child should not be having a child of their own.


"Mom in Spain Happy That Her 10-Year-Old Gave Birth - FoxNews.com." FoxNews.com - Breaking News | Latest News | Current News. 3 Nov. 2010. Web. 03 Nov. 2010. .