iPhones and Mendel

So it seems that, no matter how wonderful the newest technologies are, enough to have people waiting outside all night in the rain for a phone they then can't hardly connect to the one provider they can use ...

there is still a time and a place for the old ways. Namely, in a world of laboratories fiddling with genetic material, a bunch out there in New Zealand has done something the old, Mendelian, way ... something that may within just a few years lighten the load on all non-vegans.

What the h#$% is she talking about now?

In a massive $130 million dollar project, involving the screening of the milk of literally millions of cows, scientists in New Zealand have discovered "Marge". Marge is a cow who, and I will call her who out of respect!, naturally makes milk which not only is naturally skimmed, but also high in omega-3 oils. What fat the milk has is almost entirely polyunsaturated. Not the saturated fat that makes whole milk dangerous for the heart and arteries. Butter from this cow has the added advantage of being spreadable straight from the fridge.

"Marge" has been bred, and her daughters do naturally produce the same milk. The scientists are hoping her sons will pass on the trait too - leading to herds of cattle producing healthier foods.

I don't want to get into the vegan, vegetarian, fruitarian, omnivore argument here. I just want to say how delighted I was to discover this development which has ultimately respected normal processes, involved no genetic modification, and worked because of human ingenuity applied to good old fashioned boring, long-term, Mendelian development. Go New Zealand. Think I'll even cheer for you in the America's Cup tomorrow.

Now's a good time, gentle readers!

If you like books, you might want to check out my on-line shop this week -- see link at right -- one of the first things I've needed to do on getting home again is list some seven enormous boxes full of really great condition, mainly non-fiction, UU type books. They are moving fast, but there are some real gems. If you set the way it lists my 1100 plus books to list the most recently listed first, you'll get to see just the latest ones first.

Other than that, I've gone back to quilting -- but I'm most unusually hating it at the moment. Oh, I enjoy the process, but this Mystery Quilt we made in our quilting bee looks like being the ugliest daughter of a stitch I've ever seen. Sigh. I'll have to plough on and finish it, waste of fabric otherwise, but it's not my style. Watch for a picture of it in a few months, it just occurred to me, it might be soneone else's style!

And about to start our annual house clean-out -- years of moving every year while doing Interim Ministries got us trained. Go through everything you own once a year, and ditch, pitch, bitch. The house will feel so light when you have.

And for goodness sake throw out all those magazines you've been saving to read "one day". Do you think, even if you break both legs twice in a year, they'll have stopped publishing magazines?