Bruce D. Kennedy ran for Secretary of State in 2006 (and lost). He keeps his website up, because it has these wonderful campaign ad spoofs. He also has a blog.

If you want to watch is campaign ad spoofs, go here. In fact, these negative campaign ad spoofs are negative campaign ads about Bruce Kennedy. No one would make negative ads about him, so he made negative ads about himself. (That’s what he gets for running as an independent!) In addition, he teaches about some of the tactics used in negative campaign advertising, mainly sophistry.

I very much respect Bruce Kennedy. It’s too bad non-Democrat-or-Republican candidates don’t seem to stand a chance.

So, take a break, watch an ad, and laugh.

Update: This ad is probably the worst! Totally misleading! It angers me.

Update 2: Another particularly atrocious ad that uses the State Fair as a negative ad campaign tool!

Fortunately, Tarryl Clark responded with a positive campaign ad instead of continuing the vicious cycle.

I learned many things in that experiment back in July. (Yeah, I started this blog post a long time ago, during a frustrating lab experiment.) One very important thing: Tyrophagus putrescentiae eggs disintigrate in 70% ethanol. Important lesson! Next, we tried freezing, since it was extremely difficult to sort through the food in all ten vials  in one afternoon (every other day). Fortunately, freezing worked! Refrigeration probably would have also worked.

Anyway, science does not always go as planned, and you have to adjust to that.

Now I’m running a different experiment. It’s always interesting to find a different organism in your arena, but sometimes it’s hard to avoid. Those moths are sneaky! Fortunately, some of the little snafus aren’t likely to mess up your experimental results. Also, that’s why you use replication.

Okay, those are my musings for now. Any interesting experiment stories?

Some highlights of the trip:

The petroglyphs themselves (of course!)
Seeing the endangered species Prairie Bush Clover
The buffalo rub (shiny!)
Actually getting a guided tour
Throwing an arrow using an atlatl
Seeing prairie again (and pretty rocks! and lichens! Except the lichens cover some of the petroglyphs)
Having an opportunity to learn about a variety of topics
Seeing children enthralled by all there was to learn

There were monarch butterfly larvae in the visitor center, and we just missed watching one spin a chrysalis!We started with the multimedia presentation about the petroglyphs, which noted the importance of bison and showed a few key petroglyphs. After watching the presentation, we began to walk to the tour and got distracted by a large thistle plant with a hummingbird moth, bee and monarch butterfly on it. Plants and insects everywhere!

I don’t think I ever actually got a guided tour the other times I went to the petroglyphs. This included a special manipulation of the sun (using a source of shade and a mirror) to illuminate the petroglyphs. They popped out! A couple of the children were especially enthralled by the figures of the fighting men, one of whom was stabbed in the heart. One part of the site was recently cleared of soil and plants (a small area, but it had several petroglyphs.) There were some very interesting figures. It would be neat to see more of the site excavated to see what other figures lie below the soil! These figures were also easier to see, because they weren’t covered with lichen like many of the earlier revealed figures. (They are currently trying to remove some of the lichen from an area of the rock by placing a tarp over it. This will deprive the lichen of the sunlight it needs to survive.)

The tour guide provided some helpful information, as well as some stuff that really didn’t interest me. (I’m not very interested in the spiritual aspects. I prefer science.) Eventually, we got more onto the topic of science and discussed a lot about plants, animals, and anthropology. I am somewhat interested in cultures (especially ancient cultures and mythology), but what can I say? I am not spiritual and don’t believe in the supernatural.

Several children attended the events at Jeffers Petroglyphs, including the aforementioned guided tour. Then there was a special presentation to introduce children (and adults) to American Indian life (pre-technology). The children intently listened to the guide about the tools, clothes, and games/toys they used, including many things made from buffalo parts! The children were captivated by the presentation, especially since it was hands on and interactive. They got to participate and pretend they were Native American children.

Then the group moved outside to learn how to use an atlatl. A young 6-year-old boy went first and launched the arrow quite a long ways! Children as young as four tried and successfully used the atlatl. I even made a few throws, which skewed to the left, but went fairly far! An 8-year-old girl said she didn’t want to try it, but I could sense it was due to a lack of confidence. I goaded her into trying it and said I’d help her along the way. Well, she did it, we cheered her and she smiled with a sense of accomplishment. Sometimes trying is 95% of the battle.

Then we went to see the buffalo rub–one place where the bison would rub up against, most likely to fight itch and slough off dead skin, extra fur and ectoparasites. Eventually, parts of the rock were polished to a shiny smoothness!

I had mentioned to the tour guide earlier in the  day how much I would love to see the prairie bush clover, since it is threatened or endangered throughout its native range. She found some, including one that was still blooming and made sure to show us. It (Lespedeza leptostachya) looked quite different from its congener round headed prairie bush clover (Lespedeza capitata). Apparently the two have been hybridizing, something which could end up being bad for the threatened species.

All-in-all it was a fruitful day. I’d like to go back again some day, near dusk, where the petroglyphs are best lit. Plus there’s always more to learn!

For more on the trip, read here.

The mold mite Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acari: Acaridae), is a stored product pest of economic significance that has been a problem in many types of food. This mite can cause significant damage to grains (Hughes 1976), cheese in cheese houses (Robertson 1952), cured ham (Arnau & Guerrero 1994) and pet food (Brazis et al. 2008). Recently, mites have been found in very large numbers infesting bagged dry (and semi-moist) dog food in grocery stores and other retail facilities. The mites burrow into and consume the kibble, destroying its quality. In addition to destroying food, there is evidence that the mite may be a source of allergens affecting dogs and humans (Brazis et al. 2008).

This mite is weakly sclerotized, which means its exoskeleton isn’t very hard, so it is prone to desiccation (drying out).  The mite collects moisture from the air via supracoxal gland and hygroscopic secretions in order to prevent desiccation (Wharton and Furumizo 1977). High relative humidity (>65%) is ideal for T. putrescentiae survival and reproduction/fecundity. Under ideal conditions mites have a generation time of 12.6 days and a population doubling time of 1.75 days, so they can quickly reach very large densities (Sánchez-Ramos and Castañera 2005).  The areas where this mite lives can be highly variable with regions of high and low humidity.  In areas of high humidity, rapid proliferation will occur when appropriate food sources are available. In areas of low humidity, the mites tend to clump together to avoid desiccation (Sánchez-Ramos and Castañera 2007).

Some other time I will talk more about dispersal behavior, since that will be what I will be studying. I will also be studying more about the effects of neryl formate, the alarm pheromone, which can cause escape behavior!

References & Other Resources

Arnau, J and L Guerrero. 1994. Physical methods of controlling mites in dry-cured ham. Fleischwirtsch 74:1311–1313.

Brazis, P, M Serra, A Sellés, F Dethioux, V Biourge and A Puigdemont. 2008. Evaluation of storage mite contamination of commercial dry dog food. Vet Dermatol. 4: 209-214. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-3164.2008.00676.x

Eaton, M and S A Kells. 2009. Use of vapor pressure deficit to predict humidity and temperature effects on the mortality of mold mites, Tyrophagus putrescentiae. Exp Appl Acarol. 47: 201–213. doi: 10.1007/s10493-008-9206-2

Hughes, A M. 1976. The mites of stored food and houses. Technical bulletin of the ministry of  agriculture, fisheries and food 9, Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, London. 400 pp.

Robertson, P L. 1952. Cheese mite infestation: an important storage problem. J Soc Dairy Technol 5: 86–95. doi:10.1111/j.1471-0307.1952.tb01555.x

Sánchez-Ramos, I and P Castañera. 2005. Effect of temperature on reproductive parameters and longevity of Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Acari: Acaridae) Exp Appl Acarol 36: 93–105. doi: 10.1007/s10493-005-0506-5

Sánchez-Ramos, I and P Castañera. 2007. Effects of relative humidity on development, fecundity and survival of 3 storage mites. Exp Appl Acarol 41: 87-100. doi: 10.1007/210493-007-9052-7

Wharton G W and R T Furumizo. 1977. Supracoxal gland secretions as a source of fresh water  for Acaridei. Acarologia 19: 112–116.

The weather is beautiful.

AHA later this week!

That is all for now.

Maybe something of substance later.

Tonight I ate at a place called India Palace, and it was delicious!
Another good Indian restaurant I’ve been to in the Twin Cities Metro Area is Sambol.

That is all for now. (Back to homework.)

Last summer, I did a lot of traveling. On the plane I would often listen to a Millencolin mixed CD.  I would wake up about 1 minute into this song. I’d fall asleep about the 3rd or fourth song on my mixed cd I burned and would wake up to this song.
It brings me back to 2006, reminding me quite a bit of my aunt, since she was like a mother to me. (My aunt Catherine died May 19, 2006, of a breast cancer relapse. It spread to her lungs and we had to watch her struggle to breathe. She lived a block away from me for the fist 19 years of my life, so we were very close.)

“Shut up, you’re dreaming!” is what I want to scream when people tell me she’s in a better place or I can see her again some day. I don’t believe I will, and these phrases don’t bring comfort. Comfort comes from the memories I do have.

I guess I get to see her in my dreams, and I treasure those moments, even though I know they aren’t real. Shortly after my aunt died, I would see her in my dreams. I was filled with hope for her survival. Then I would flashback through the process of her cancer and watch her body fail and it became apparent to me that this was just a dream. Over these past (nearly) four years, I’ve somehow developed a delusional technique. When she shows up in my dreams and I remember that she died, I somehow delude myself into forgetting this and enjoy my time with her. She was a great role model and I am better off for having known her.

About a week and a half ago I participated in the University of Minnesota Relay for Life event. I knew it would be difficult and I’ve stayed away from the Relays for Life since it’s such a painful subject for me. I decided to try, and it was more difficult than I expected.  There were lots of tears. A stranger was the first to notice my tears, and she reached out and comforted me.

As a group, the University of Minnesota raised a lot of money for the American Cancer Society, which was great. I do feel, however, that they put too much money into the event. I’m all for a good time, but when it comes to charity, I prefer the charity gets more bang for our buck. I believe they mentioned that they got about $3o,000 from sponsors and that covered the overhead costs for running the event.  This event in my hometown has live local bands and other forms of entertainment and ran on such a low budget, that I didn’t realize how extravagant some of Relay events were.

I found the speakers to be overly sentimental. Everybody seemed to look at cancer as if it’s a single entity. It’s not. It’s a plethora of diseases. Even breast cancer has several types and causes. If more people understood the underlying mechanisms (and how cells work), they might have a better understanding of cancers and their risk factors. Also, people kept talking about the importance of hope and faith, when I remember reading a study that showed these had no effect on cancer treatment (although a positive attitude sure does make the trip a lot more bearable.)

(I strongly recommend looking up the multi-hit or multi-step model of cancer. Also look up the definition of carcinogen and be able to distinguish a carcinogen from a toxin.)

I also got a very morbid and harrowing thought while seeing all of the people in their purple survivor shirts. How many of these people will be dead in two years? I remember going to my hometown Relay and seeing my aunt wearing a survivor shirt. That thought certainly did not help my mood or my grieving. Fortunately, I had a few friends around who comforted my in my time of sorrow.

Some things I appreciated about the U of MN Relay for Life:

• They provided tables with information about different types of cancers and their treatments and prevention
• They promoted a healthy lifestyle and encouraged ways to reduce personal risk factors (such as quitting smoking) to many cancers.
• They promoted a community and compassion.
• They promoted scientific research!

All in all, I support the American Cancer Society and their programs to help fund and treat cancer patients and to raise awareness for early detection, symptoms, and risk factors.

Also, did you know that smoking has been linked to colorectal cancer? I read about that a couple years ago and it didn’t surprise me at all. Smoking isn’t just harmful for your heart and lungs (and the people around you), it’s also bad for your butt.

First, prom was canceled because Constance McMillen, a gay teen wanted to go to prom with her girlfriend–and wear a tux. Unfortunately, her classmates got mad at her, as though it’s her fault prom got canceled. She didn’t cancel it! The school district did. They should be upset at the school district.

Anyway, the parents of the Mississippi community arranged a private prom, and sent Constance and her girlfriend to a different, fake prom. Not only are they bigots, they are bullies, too! Let’s take action!

Go here right now to sign the petition. Spread the word!

Let me know if you find any more action alerts and I will do likewise. Spread the world. Let people know we will not tolerate their bigotry!

H/T Johnny F

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