* * * HIATUS * * *

Another year has passed since we last went to Jubilee.    During that time, an additional

      1,094 U.S. service members have been killed, and

     7,863 more U.S. service members have been wounded

           in "W"'s War.

Absolutely nothing has gone on DNA-wise for over a month now.    Our last results were received on July 25.    I posted them and the then (and now) current 'pipeline' on July 29.    Nothing's changed.    Brian's, #50, results are still overdue.    These are the dog days of summer.

I might as well go to Jubilee again.    See you next week.

$3,000,000,000

How many of us can even imagine $3,000,000,000?    That's what we're spending EACH WEEK on "W"'s War.    Where do you suppose all that money's coming from?    You and me?    Nope.    From our grandkids.

This is in real time, folks.
Think about these numbers the next time you see an appropriation bill for public education or children's health that Congress can't pass or that the President threatens to veto because it would be 'too costly'.

More than you wanted to know Mitosis and Meiosis

"Mitosis is the process in which a cell duplicates its chromosomes to generate two identical cells.    It is generally followed by cytokinesis which divides the cytoplasm and cell membrane.    This results in two identical cells with an equal distribution of organelles and other cellular components.    Mitosis and cytokinesis jointly define the mitotic (M) phase of the cell cycle, the division of the mother cell into two sister cells, each with the genetic equivalent of the parent cell."¹


"During meiosis, the genome of a diploid germ cell, which is composed of long segments of DNA packaged into chromosomes, undergoes DNA replication followed by two rounds of division, resulting in haploid cells called gametes.    Each gamete contains one complete set of chromosomes, or half of the genetic content of the original cell.    These resultant haploid cells can fuse with other haploid cells of the opposite sex or mating type during fertilization to create a new diploid cell, or zygote."²

I Have a Dream August 28, 1963

This film courtesy Roots Television.

The Innocence Project

Again, nothing happened during my absence.    Vernon Berry of Virginia transferred his Genographic Y-DNA12 results to FTDNA on the 21st but, so far, hasn't responded to Carol's invitation to join the Project.    He is Hg R1a1 and has no apparent matches.

So, here's a DNA related clip -
Quicktime 7 required

* * * HIATUS * * *

This week it's a trek down to John C. Campbell Folk School in Brasstown, NC.    That's about as far down in North Carolina as you can get, down in the corner where North Carolina, Tennessee and Georgia meet, in the Southern Appalachians.    This should be a treat because Betty and I are both taking the same class from two of our favorite people.

We're taking Playing Appalachian Music in a Group from Peggy and Chuck Patrick.

Play Sing Behind the Plow: John C. Campbell Folk School Video on realPlayer

LOW Speed - HIGH Speed

(this might require that you double click a downloaded realPlayer icon named 'folkschool_2007_5.rm')

Comedy Central

The appearance of Dr. Spencer Wells of the Genographic Project on the Steve Colbert show, The Colbert Report, recently has generated a great deal of comment, both pro and con, on the GENEALOGY-DNA list.    It seems somewhat innocuous to me and at least gets the discussion of DNA a bit more into the public consciousness.

Apparently, however, the subgroups of Hg K are incorrect.    It would have been nice to be accurate.

I'll let you judge it for yourself -

who was that masked man?

146?    "How many additional dead Americans is Saddam worth?"

               3,705 U.S. service members have now been killed,

                    and 27,186 U.S. service members wounded.

what happened to "not very many"?

Orange Co. Berrys reunion

Fun with gourds

You all can rest assured that if there were anything DNA to talk about you'd be seeing the 'Hot Now' sign.    It seems that the U.S. President, the U.S. Congress and the Iraqi Parliament aren't the only ones taking August for a vacation.

I told you earlier that last week I'd not be taking an instrument class but instead would be building a gourd banjo.    Well, here goes.    First you start with some gourds -
and a neck blank.    This one's mahogany.    Maple was also available -
first, you cut out the neck blank -
and shape it -
and oil it-
Then, cut the top off your gourd -
and cut your holes for the neck and the sound hole -
and stretch wet goatskin over it, tacking it -
Prepare your tuning pegs and tailpiece -
and get everythhing ready for assembly -
Then just string it up to pull it all together -

Did I make any mistakes?    Yep.    If you look closely at this 5th string peg photo you can see two other moon-shaped places where I drilled the hole at the wrong angle - twice! - and had to plug and redrill it -
Here's mine just before stringing it up -
And here are some examples of others' -

The Birthday Boy Axel's Edn Von Reiteralm

Edn is the clown of the family.    He's always ready for a romp and if you can catch his eye you can see the devilment there.    Today is his 5th birthday and he doesn't even know it.Maybe a run in the woods.    He'd like that.

Happy birthday, my friend.

P.S. - A romp in the woods     POSTED AT 7:15 PM

Is this a happy dog, or what?

zilch . . . .

If you were afraid that you might miss out on some Berry DNA news while I was gone, never fear.    With the exception of a minor hiccup that ultimately turned out to be just that, ABSOLUTELY NOTHING happened!    Not even Brian's, #50, Y-DNA48-60 Markers which are overdue from 07/23/2007.

Here's a photo good enough to have a title that I call Midnite Jam.

* * * HIATUS * * *

There he goes again . . .

I leave this morning for the Appalachian String Band Music Festival at Clifftop, WV, until Sunday, the 5th.    Betty had to fly to Miami to be with her niece for the week so we gave up our cabin at Babcock and I'll be tent camping!    It's been a while since these old bones have done that but I expect that it'll be fun.

The real fun comes on Sunday the 5th when I get to drive from Clifftop to Reagan National in D.C. to pick her up and then back to Elkins, WV for Augusta Old Time Week followed by the Augusta Festival the weekend of August 10-12.    Betty's doing Vocal Week again, but this year instead of an instrument class I'm going to build a gourd banjo with Pete Ross.    I'll take pix.

Here's this month's blog usage -
Remember the troops.

               3,653 U.S. service members have been killed,

                    26,558* U.S. service members have been wounded, in

                         "W"'s War.

*last updated by DoD 7/5/2007