tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post2321647954670102184..comments2024-02-06T10:31:24.491-07:00Comments on Watching the World Wake Up: Pigeon Week Part 2: Mating, Meiosis and MilkWatcherhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-64039608822400225022013-08-29T03:27:27.156-06:002013-08-29T03:27:27.156-06:00Wowwwww. Great info about pigeons. Thank you very ...Wowwwww. Great info about pigeons. Thank you very much.Pigeon Farminghttp://www.roysfarm.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-61298531020972369782010-09-22T13:10:18.409-06:002010-09-22T13:10:18.409-06:00Anon- No I hadn't come across the info yet, so...Anon- No I hadn't come across the info yet, so your info is most appreciated! I'm not able to access the paper, but your comment answers the main question I had. Many thanks.Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-81678321736490694812010-09-20T08:37:05.513-06:002010-09-20T08:37:05.513-06:00Just came across your post, and just in case you h...Just came across your post, and just in case you haven't come across the info yet - birds are unlike mammals in that Prophase 1 (and all of meiosis 1 and 2) occurs 24-48 hrs before ovulation. (See Krackow, S. 1995 Potential mechanisms for sex ratio adjustment in mammals and birds. Biol. Rev. 70, 225–241)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-9564560749720246762010-02-15T10:55:15.718-07:002010-02-15T10:55:15.718-07:00Watcher - This is probably bad form, but I must us...Watcher - This is probably bad form, but I must use another Seinfeld quote in response to your assertion that you'd like to be a woman for day:<br /><br />JERRY: No, but I'll tell you something. Of all the guys I know, I could envision you going out with him.<br /><br />ELAINE: If you were a woman would you go out with him?<br /><br />JERRY: If I was a woman I'd be down at the dock waiting for the fleet to come in.KanyonKrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954169751206336705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-36824404382194025242010-02-14T19:53:14.635-07:002010-02-14T19:53:14.635-07:00Kori- OK, fair enough. I just hope it’s something ...Kori- OK, fair enough. I just hope it’s something better than liking dried flowers and Sean Colvin*. :^)<br /><br />*AW loves Sean Colvin. (And dried flowers.)<br /><br />Enel- No I’m a guy, and feel fortunate to be so. Though honestly, I’d love to experience being a woman for a day. No, no, no- not so I could go look at myself naked*- just to experience a female mind and perspective.<br /><br />*I’d probably do that too.<br /><br />In all seriousness though, while I respect that you feel woman is the pinnacle of God’s creation, I also feel that there’s enough in Genesis to support a less egalitarian reading. 2:18-23 frames the creation of woman as a “helper” only after a review of beasts and birds failed to turn up “a helper fit for him.” And I think a fair amount of biblical support could be found for a decidedly non-egalitarian view of the sexes (1 Timothy 2:11-14 as an example.) But then I guess this is both the best and worst thing about the bible- search long enough and you’ll find the viewpoint you’re looking for!Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-859249153464832002010-02-14T19:46:39.226-07:002010-02-14T19:46:39.226-07:00Kevin- good advice. (I still say a million years i...Kevin- good advice. (I still say a million years is a long time though…)<br /><br />Marissa- I can empathize with blaming weirdness/irresponsibility on “being a girl.” I’ve been doing the same with “mid-life crisis” for about a decade now. Eventually the people in my life are going to wise up and realize there really is no crisis; I’m just weird and irresponsible.<br /><br />KristenT- Ah, you reminded me- I still need to do that post on male cyclists and genitalia!<br /><br />So, re: the sorting/selecting ova and whole meiosis mystery: my gut is that this is the kind of thing in which researchers will make all kinds of breakthroughs in over the next 20 years. Seriously, I’m optimistic that a lot of the clueless questions I ask in this blog will be answered in my lifetime.<br /><br />CEW- Thanks. I’m not sure sometimes if I’m consciously “weaving”, or just a bad case of ADD.<br /><br />Christopher- I had to google the quote. Nice kiwi reference!<br /><br />SBJ- I’m on <i>their</i> (women’s) side. I just can’t figure out why they got the deal they got. When I think about it too much I start to worry we’ve got some kind of karmic payback coming our way…<br /><br />Phil- yes, good points, and you bring up another gender issue I want to blog about sometime: why men are so @$#!ing crazy. Seriously, think about the bad stuff in the world, and who does it.<br /><br />KKris- Good advice. AW’s valentine gift: a dozen roses and a Honda mini-van.Watcherhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02248341788957416471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-74208045285418047272010-02-14T19:44:43.991-07:002010-02-14T19:44:43.991-07:00I would tell you why it's so much better to be...I would tell you why it's so much better to be a woman, but I'm not allowed. The secrets of the sisterhood, you know.Korinoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-53520856631983535082010-02-12T22:25:32.735-07:002010-02-12T22:25:32.735-07:00That post took a lot of work, fascinating informat...That post took a lot of work, fascinating information.<br /><br />From a bible thumping theist non-LDS perspective, the woman is the pinnacle of God's creation. The Genesis account has God creating in increasing complexity and detail. The woman is created last, and interestingly, different words are used for her creation versus the Man's. Sometimes these words are translated "formed" for the man and "fashioned" for the woman. Either way, it is clear she is special and she pretty much blows the Man's mind when he meets her. This part of the story is found in <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%202:4-25&version=NASB" rel="nofollow"><br />Genesis 2</a> and is dramatic reading.<br /><br />Christian theology also holds total equality of men and women before God. <br /><br />This comes from Genesis 2:26 <br /> <i>So God created man in his own image,<br /> in the image of God he created him;<br /> male and female he created them.</i><br /><br />The point being that it takes both sexes together to accurately reflect the image of God. He has both male and femaleness for lack of better terms, and the man alone or the woman alone does not quite sum up "the image of God."<br /><br />The debate comes up in whether the sexes have different <i>roles</i>. Needless to say this is fiercely debated, and not necessarily salient to your topic.<br /><br />Women of course don't have broken chromosomes, and suffer much less form sex linked maladies because they have a spare.<br /><br />They also tend to use their entire brain due to great connective wiring.<br /><br />Regarding the gender of souls:<br /><br />Jesus had an <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark%2012:18-27&version=NIV" rel="nofollow"><br />interesting interaction </a>with some folks like yourself (who did not believe in an afterlife) on exactly this issue of gender in the afterlife. He was presented with a "resurrection thought experiment" and his answer seems to imply genderless souls. I only understand LDS theology at a basic level, but it would seem to disagree with orthodox Christian theology in this matter.<br /><br />I am frankly amazed at your ability to write stuff from so many angles. You must have a huge corpus callosum:) Are you <i>sure</i> you're not a ghost writing female?<br /><br />PS: Thanks for the HTML <a href="http://www.w3schools.com/html/default.asp" rel="nofollow"><br />tip site</a> as I used it a lot for this comment.Enelhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00967981896718833776noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-65060491238202412432010-02-12T16:20:06.429-07:002010-02-12T16:20:06.429-07:00More than once, when my wife is encountering one o...More than once, when my wife is encountering one of those downsides to being female, she'll ask me "Are you glad you're not a girl?" To which I immediately reply "Yes, yes I am." I know when I've got it good.<br /><br />To be fair, women are the fairer gender, so that's something. As evidence, I cite an authoritative source, Seinfeld:<br /><br />Elaine: "Well, the female body is a... work of art. The male body is utilitarian, it's for gettin' around, like a jeep."<br />Jerry: "So you don't think it's attractive?"<br />Elaine: "It's hideous. The hair, the... the lumpiness. It's simian."<br />George: "Well, some women like it."<br />Elaine: "Hmm. Sickies."<br /><br />Did you really say you don't want to be with AW forever in the afterlife? You'd want to play the field? You do know what holiday is fast approaching? If AW reads this post you'd better double your flower order, maybe triple it - you can't be too safe.KanyonKrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01954169751206336705noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-34423858553822979082010-02-12T16:10:52.138-07:002010-02-12T16:10:52.138-07:00"...and although all humans fall victim to ca..."...and although all humans fall victim to cancer, breast cancer strikes down under-40 women in their prime far, far more often than prostate cancer afflicts similarly-aged men."<br /><br />True, but male mortality is worse overall, and not because we're out fighting bears or playing sports. Men are far more likely to die of heart disease, stomach/intestinal cancers, etc. than women, and at younger ages. <br /><br />And let's not forget mental health: Men are 4 times more likely to commit suicide than women. Maybe that's why women don't seem (on the whole) unhappy about not being men!Phil O.https://www.blogger.com/profile/14499273759083108847noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-21666482852087248392010-02-12T16:03:12.605-07:002010-02-12T16:03:12.605-07:00First of all, pigeons are way cool. And we're ...First of all, pigeons are way cool. And we're not even done. Yay pigeon week.<br /><br />Second, I can't believe you actually said all that stuff that you told me like three months ago you wanted to mention about the suckiness of being female and nobody has called you out as chauvinistic or misogynistic yet. Wow.<br /><br />Third, being somewhat well-versed in Mormon theology, the notion of gender being assigned to the soul is actually one of my hangups. If gender is assigned to soul, how do you explain chromosomally XY individuals with female genitalia (google Caster Semenya for a high-profile example)? Nevertheless, if the soul doesn't have gender and there is an afterlife, I'm not interested. Living forever with no sex seems like the worst punishment ever.Ski Bike Junkiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12295969126174565599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-22246902515394064612010-02-12T16:01:16.437-07:002010-02-12T16:01:16.437-07:00"Aren't I lucky? I got a chunky bit!"..."Aren't I lucky? I got a chunky bit!"Christopher Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11075565866351612441noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-78995263720251833842010-02-12T12:48:50.658-07:002010-02-12T12:48:50.658-07:00Wow. The pigeon information is great. I like the w...Wow. The pigeon information is great. I like the way you weave the meaning of life into your post!C. E. Websterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01111408879288656762noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-37639125232360516612010-02-12T12:38:42.549-07:002010-02-12T12:38:42.549-07:00Very interesting post today, Watcher.
AS a female...Very interesting post today, Watcher.<br /><br />AS a female, I find your whole segment on femaleness, soul gender, etc to be interesting-- mostly because, as a female, I have no idea what goes on in the brains of the males in my life. So it's nice to get a little peek into the male thought-pattern, doubly so because it's an intelligent male.<br /><br />Yes, I didn't get "asked" if I wanted to be a girl. Yes, there's a lot of inconvenience, as you put it, on a monthly basis-- even worse, it's not that precise, so the inconvenience of wacked-out hormones doesn't fall into some nice calendar-driven span of time. Yes, there is danger and unfairness-- life isn't fair, though, and life is dangerous. Would I trade if I were asked? I don't know. Probably not; it's all an adventure, you know.<br /><br />At least my gonads aren't hanging outside the body in a very vulnerable position... Maybe that's "God" (for lack of a better name)'s way of evening things up, eh? :)<br /><br />As for soul-gender: the me that is Me is influenced by the gender I am now, but I don't think there is a gender involved that we as human beings can understand. Angels and souls are, according to the mystics of human religion, able to see things more clearly that us in our mortal shells, but I don't think there are blogs in the afterlife-- as least, not ones us mortals can read. It's ineffable, man.<br /><br />Oh yeah, pigeons: I like your hypothesis about the sorting and pre-selecting of the ova, both pre-birth and pre-laying. How would you test it, though?KristenThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01187723351100391708noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-19768624312945692842010-02-12T12:38:23.838-07:002010-02-12T12:38:23.838-07:00"Whatever is going on inside of female pigeon..."Whatever is going on inside of female pigeons, it is some seriously complicated shit" - quote of the day. Fantastic.<br /><br />As for being female, it definitely is getting the short end of the stick. I think, perhaps, the one perk to it (only works in this contemporary US context) is that I can adapt any weird or irresponsible behaviors out of laziness and then say, "Oh, gosh, I'm such a girl." 80% of this (sadly) sexist country will buy it. I like to use this approach when spending too much on shoes.Marissa Buschowhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14902867977131616596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9199848742267562587.post-11497065346543545902010-02-12T09:36:12.104-07:002010-02-12T09:36:12.104-07:00That 'nursing' diagram may be the best ill...That 'nursing' diagram may be the best illustration ever. You are indeed a powerpoint master.<br /><br />As to the 'what would you talk about' part in your double-nested tangent, dude, I've been married almost twenty years [1] and I think we ran out of things *from the past* to talk about about two years in. That's why you keep *doing things* [2]. They give you something to talk about.<br /><br />If the afterlife is all stasis and nothing new to do, count me out, man.<br /><br />[1] yes, honey, on the off chance you read this, I am aware that it is exactly nineteen years and ten days.<br /><br />[2] like reading weird blogs so you can go home and say 'do you have any idea how cool dandelions are?'Kevin Vigorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03367849895489512489noreply@blogger.com