The Last Legion

Reading Valerio Massimo Manfredi now.. So far, it's been an ok book, but I haven't gotten to the part where Aurelius' identity is revealed - would it? Anw, I was a bit tickled that they have bad words in Latin too (tho it might be Manfredi's artistic licence kicking in).

"What does temetfutue mean?"... "It means 'F*** you!'"..... That was off the book, literally. Sheesh, wonder what I'll learn in the Latin for Beginners class at Sciences-Po.

The term break is ending. And term starts with a test. French at that. HELP. yelp.

Sympathique - Pink Martini

Ma chambre a la forme d'une cage
Le soleil passe son bras par la fenetre
Les chausseurs a ma porte comme les petits soldats
qui veulent me prendre

Je ne veux pas travailler
Je ne veux pas dejeuner
Je veux seulement d'oublier
et puis je fume

Deja j'ai connu le parfum de l'amour
Un million de roses
n'embaumeraient pas autant
Maintenant une seule fleur dans mes entourages
Me rend malade

Chorus

Je ne suis pas fier de ca
Vie qui veut me tuer
C'est magnifique
etre sympathique
Mais je ne le connais jamais

Chorus

Chimerism

Was watching CSI last night, there was this suspect whose seminal DNA didn't match his hair DNA. Same person, different DNA. Why? Chimerism. From the Greek mythical creature Chimera, a human chimera has 2 different sets of chromosomes and therefore 2 sets of DNA within the same body i.e. an animal which has 2 different populations of cells genetically distinct and originating from different zygotes (fertilized embryos).

Chimerism can occur when twins combine in the womb to form a single organism, but is formed from 2 eggs and 2 sperm. Therefore the different sets of choromosomes. Different sets of organs may contain different DNA. It can result also from an organ transplant (is marrow an organ? Hiakz there goes General Bio) containing imunologicallly and genetically different tissue.
About 8% of non-identical twins, according to what I found online, are chimeras.

In the show yesterday, the suspect had received (if I'm not wrong) a bone marrow transplant from his twin brother. Subsequently, he was diagnosed as having chimerism. Grissom found this out while recording the wounds on the suspect's body. Lines corresponding to the blood vessels gleamed in the light of the flash. I think they're a dramatical device to show the clueing-on of. Kinda creepy.. but fascinating to see blood vessels flashing bright blue in the light of the camera flash, spreading in dendritic pattern all over the guy's back.

Yikes.

Lost and found

Many thanks to the kind soul who returned my library book for me!! I shall endeavour to not hold stuff in my hands so as to lower the probability of leaving them behind. Arghs this sorta thing doesn't happen frequently. It had better not become a habit...