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A Fair on Castro Street
Sunday was the Castro Street Fair. The weather took an unexpected
turn towards warm and it was a really great day out...
Year of the Black Sheep
Back in February, when the new Chinese New Year ushered in
a new animal 'The Ram', I was told that it also symbolized
a time for the black sheep of the family to rise to prominence.
I love rooting for the underdog so I thought it was a cute
idea... here it is months later and the Chicago Cubs, the
black sheep of the National League have finally won their
first postseason series victory since the 1908 World Series.
Chicago played in the 1945 World Series, but there was no
divisional play at the time. Even after cheater Sammy Sosa
tarnished their image and called into question the integrity
of the team's record, they managed to get farther than in
the previous 95 years. Who knows? Maybe there's hope for other
black sheeps too.
When Two Tigers Attack
World Famous German illusionist, Roy Horn of "Siegfried
and Roy" was mauled by one of his white tigers this week.
Apparently he survived, but shocked audience members weren't
sure if it was all part of the act...
In a seperate, but related
story, a full grown male tiger was discovered in a New
York City apartment. Apparently, the owner raised the tiger
from a cub to the 400 Lbs giant in his public housing apartment
with other exotic animals. Police investigated the incident,
discovered the big cat and had to shoot a tranquilizer dart
through the window to subdue the tiger...
Orientation Fixed Pre-Birth
A new U.K.-based study claims to prove that
sexual orientation is decided before birth,
being "hard-wired" into the human brain along
with other key traits.
The report, a combination of work between the
University of East London (UEL) and the Institute
of Psychiatry, investigates sex differences in
the startle response -- the eye-blink reaction to
sudden loud noises.
The researchers announced on Friday in a press
release that there may be a notable difference
between homosexual and heterosexual subjects in
terms of their brain circuitry. Since being
startled is an involuntary reaction, rather than
a product of environmental conditioning,
researchers claim it is a strong indication that
sexual orientation is determined before birth.
The research involved a technique known as
prepulse inhibition (PPI), which measures the
strength of response to loud noises.
Results showed clear differences between the groups, with lesbians showing a markedly stronger
inhibition (a PPI of 33 percent) compared to
straight women (just 13 percent).
Although the difference between heterosexual men
and gay men is less extreme, 40 percent vs. 32
percent. respectively, researchers claim the
difference is still significant.
"The startle response is pre-conscious and cannot
be learned, " UEL's Dr. Qazi Rahman
explained. "It is mediated by an ancient region
of the brain called the limbic system which also
controls sexual behavior."
Dr. Rahman added that the findings could have a
large impact on the way sexuality is treated,
both culturally and during health programs.
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Week
Ending 5 October
The
Age of Imperialism
