DNA testing is not just for CSI anymore. A person’s DNA is absolutely unique to that individual and can be used for identification with greater certainty than even fingerprints. A person’s DNA also carries the genetic markers of everyone that individual is related to back through millennia which make DNA testing useful for establishing paternity or tracing your ancestry. The DNA located throughout the human body including in the skin, bone, teeth, and blood is identical in form and may collected from any of those sites. As DNA collection technology has simplified, several commercial labs now provide a kit that lets you collect a DNA sample yourself and send it to the laboratory for analysis.

DNA is an acronym that stands for DeoxyriboNucleicAcid. The DNA molecule consists of a long twisted spiral or string of polymers called a double helix. In the body, DNA is organized into structures called chromosomes that are duplicated before cells divide and are then passed on to an embryo. More then 99% of DNA is identical between humans. However, there are unique strings of polymers in DNA in known locations and these 12 to 16 strings are used in DNA testing to establish genetic matches.
One type of DNA testing that you can conduct in the privacy of your home is a paternity test. The DNA testing kit includes DNA collection apparatus usually a buccal or cheek swab, simple instructions and a pre-paid return envelope to return the samples to the laboratory for analysis. Collecting the sample is easy and painless. The pricing of paternity DNA test kits range from $99 to $190 and results can be known in as little as three days.

The other type of kit is for Genealogy DNA testing at home and is available from several companies, including the National Geographic Genomic project. The costs of Genealogy analysis are around $100 to $125 dollars and they measure either regular DNA, for males or mitochondrial DNA for females as a way of showing you where your ancestors came from. When the analysis is complete, you may receive both a written report and a map that tells you where your ancestors traveled from your origins in Africa tens of thousands of years ago.

Doing the DNA Testing at Home

Doing the DNA buccal testing at home is simple. It is often done in two parts. The steps to doing DNA tests at home are as follows:
1. Rinse your mouth with water to clean out food particles.
2. Take the swab, which is actually a brush and brush the inside of the cheeks for at least one minute.
3. Place the swab in the provided test tube and then into the envelope.
4. On a different day, repeat the same steps one through three and seal the envelope.
5. Mail the envelope to the company.
6. The results can take as little as three days or as long as 6 weeks.

If secrecy is essential, some companies such as DNA Solutions, will accept used toothbrushes and Q tips with earwax on them for paternity or other tests that are done in secret without the individual knowing he or she is being tested.

There are many reasons that you may want to perform home DNA testing including: family relationship testing to determine grand parentage and siblingship, especially when one or more parents are unavailable; determining full or half siblings; reconstructive testing to determine the father of a child by examining the other close family members. In cases of adoption or separation, maternity testing may be warranted. Twin zygosity is done whenever it is unclear whether twins are identical or fraternal. Or, you may want to bank or store your DNA for comparison in case of unexpected future events, such as if you become a missing person or are killed under questionable circumstances.
DNA testing at home is a valuable resource that offers anyone wanting to know DNA relationships within their family a simple and inexpensive method to do so.

We are in the process of planning a very large Thanksgiving celebration with my husbands family.  When all of our children were little, we would get together every year for every holiday.  Then as all the kids grew up, some went their own way.  We have some on each side of the country and some with significant others that require their attention at the holidays too.  So, this year, we found out that the ones who no longer live near home are able to come home for Thanksgiving.  We have decided to plan to have everyone together again to celebrate the holiday like we used to.  We used to number around 12.  Now we grew to almost 30.

My mother-in-law called me last week to talk to me about this planned dinner.  We are renting a hall because no one has a big enough house to hold everyone and cook.  What my mother-in-law wanted to know is if we have ever had ham for Thanksgiving?  I do remember a time or two when we did.  She was happy to hear that as she is hungry for ham and wants to go out and buy a ham.  Now my sis-in-law found out about this and was not happy.  She said “no ham because no one will eat turkey.”

Now, I don’t see what difference it makes.  Ham or turkey is fine with me.  Sure turkey is tradition, but whats more important, holiday tradition or family tradition?  Eating ham instead of turkey is not going to make it any less Thanksgiving than eating turkey.  Besides, I think just being together again is the highlight of the holiday.  I don’t care if I eat mac and cheese, with all the people I love around me, I am more than thankful.

If it’s time to put down new floor coverings in your home, take the time to do your homework before you go blindly replacing what you have with more of the same. Options in today’s flooring market include carpeting, vinyl, ceramic tile, hardwood and laminate.

Carpeting is nice to walk on, it gives your home a warm and friendly feeling, and looks good, at least in the beginning. However, it requires frequent cleanings which can be rather costly. Repeated cleanings may also eventually take the stiffness out of carpeting as well as the vibrant look that it initially had. Carpet may become rather downtrodden in certain high-traffic areas as well, and is especially prone to staining.

Vinyl can also show traffic pattern wear, and if you drop something sharp on it such as a knife or glass that breaks, an actual cut can occur in the vinyl. Also those that have decorative creases or indentations may look very nice, but it can become a nightmare to keep those little cracks and crevices clean.

The biggest complaints from people who have ceramic tile in their homes seem to be about the difficulty in keeping the grout between the tiles clean and also how uncomfortable they are to stand on for any amount of time, due to the hardness of the ceramic tile itself.

Hardwood floors are quite beautiful but need to be refinished at times, especially if you’re moving into an older home that hasn’t kept the floors up over the years. Refinishing hardwood can be quite a costly home repair  item.

This brings us then to the new laminate floor coverings available on the market today. There are the traditional styles that look like a hardwood floor but there are also ones that look like vinyl or ceramic tile. The laminate floor coverings are very durable. They are so resistant to scratches, in fact, that you can actually move your furniture across them without leaving a mark on the laminate.

Simple dusting or sweeping with a vacuum will take care of your day to day cleaning and occasional damp mopping will clean up everything else. Laminate won’t stain which is especially important if you have pets or small children. Spills can be cleaned up with a damp cloth and you’ll never know they even happened. Many of the newer laminate floor coverings are waterproof and can be used in kitchen and baths without worry.

Installation can be done professionally, but many do-it-yourselvers are able to install laminate floors themselves thus saving a considerable amount on the cost. Generally, unless it’s carpeting, the old flooring doesn’t even have to be removed. The new laminate can be put right over the top of it, thus eliminating the expense of doing the removal as well as the added expense of disposing of the old flooring. In comparison to the cost of most other types of floor coverings, laminate is very competitive and will probably outlast many of them as well, making it even more cost-effective.

So as you can see, laminate floor coverings have many wonderful attributes going for them. One of the best, however, is how beautiful they look in your home. By adding a few area rugs, you’ll have the warm feel of carpeting but still be able to enjoy freedom from worrying about keeping your floors clean. Bring on the dirty shoes, pets, cooking messes, or kids’ escapades. None of these will bother you if you have laminate flooring since most clean-ups can easily be handled with no lasting effects.

INTRODUCTION

Why don’t you try designing your own walls instead of hiring someone? I’m sure you can do it because there are lots of way on how to design it. I am actually designing my own room and actually my own house and then lots of my friends saw my work so they let me design it. It will be cheaper and it is enjoy to do just like your taking up interior designing course.

Making your own style will be sweet and unique and then let your friend watch on how you create it and then it will be interesting. I will share you one of my style on how I design my walls.

THINGS TO DO

Choose any paint color that you want and then ready some old foam that you have. Cut the foam in any art do you want like heart, guitar, moon, star shape or more.

Start mixing the paint that you read and then prepare some old newspaper to protect your floor to the paint. Make sure that all you stuff is outside the room so that there will be no mess at all and then you can work easily.

After that, try to use the shape stuff as your brush and just stamp it to the wall. Try to spread it all over the wall with different kinds of shapes and colors then you will have a unique design of your walls.

If you’re looking for a fun and unique idea for your daughter’s next birthday party, why not try having a Photo Shoot party? Most girls enjoy posing for the camera, especially when they get to dress up or be made up pretty.

Start with invitations announcing your glamorous day. If you like, you can go with a theme suitable for your daughter’s age or interests, such as Princess or Fairies for younger girls or Hollywood or Top Model for older girls. Let them know that they will be dressing up and taking lots of pictures! You can also have just a general photo shoot with different kinds of props of your own choosing.

Begin to gather items for the girls to dress up in or use as props. Thrift stores are excellent for this, you can find old prom dresses, hats, jewelry, long gloves, sunglasses, etc. If it happens to be near Halloween, all the better. Wait until after Halloween when things are marked down and you can find princess tiaras, wands, boas, funky jewelry, makeup and all kinds of great stuff for really cheap.

Set up an area where you will take the pictures. Inside is best, where the lighting and weather can be controlled. You can use just a blank wall if you like, but props make the photos much more interesting. Even a simple chair or bench can be a lot of fun for silly or dramatic girls in front of a camera. Other items you can use could be colorful pillows, hanging strands of beads, stuffed animals, etc.

You can set up other “stations” also where the girls can get ready. One area for costumes, one for makeup, one for props, and so on. They can go one by one through each station as they get ready. The birthday girl gets to go first, of course! Be sure to have something else for the others to do while waiting their turn. Some may be entertained to just watch their friends, but a backup is always a good idea, especially for younger ones. Try a fun craft or simple game.

Enlist other moms to help. If you have friends that will be coming and don’t mind pitching in, use them to help coordinate outfits, apply makeup or just keep things in order. This can be a huge help in a situation that could get out of hand. Plus it will keep things moving faster.

Play some fun music to set the mood. Girls will feel even more like a ‘model’ if the atmosphere is there. Select age appropriate tunes to keep the energy up and the inspiration high.

A digital camera is highly recommended. This way, you can take lots of shots of each girl without worrying about wasting film. Another plus and really fun thing to do is to post the pictures online with www.snapfish.com or another photo website so they can go see all the pictures themselves and order some if they want. Place an inexpensive frame with a note in the goody bags letting the moms know where to go to see the pictures. Don’t forget to take a group shot as well!

If you have the opportunity, you can print out one picture for each girl before they leave as a souvenir or send one in a thank you note. Go with whatever works for you and whatever your birthday girl prefers. In any case, she and her friends will feel like beautiful stars for the day and your party will be remembered for a long time to come!

The times have changed dramatically, including the way we celebrate some of the holidays, since I was a child. Although I wasn’t raised in the “Over the river and through the woods” era, holidays are celebrated a lot different now, then they were 40 or 50 years ago.

We no longer have to get up at 5AM to stuff the turkey and get it into the oven so it’s done when the company arrives for dinner. Today we have turkeys with pop up timers to let us know exactly when they’re done. In addition to the electric and gas ranges we have to cook the bird in, there are now convection ovens, microwave ovens, deep fryer turkey cookers, and gas grills to get that bird all cooked up for dinner. You can even pre-order your whole Thanksgiving dinner and have it delivered, or pick it up yourself, and it’s fully cooked, if you so desire. Last, but not least, how about the Thanksgiving buffet at the local restaurant?

In addition to the meal, the entertainment aspect of the day has changed also. The men no longer sit in the living room and just visit, while the women stay in the kitchen and wash up the dinner dishes. There’s usually an array of football games on the two or three television sets the American home now has. The kids aren’t usually outside throwing snowballs, or making snow angels in the snow, like years past. If they aren’t on the computer, or playing on the playstation, or watching a movie on the vcr, they’re probably talking on their cellphones.

Many of our larger malls have stores that are open on Thanksgiving Day, so this may be a time to start your Christmas shopping, instead of waiting for the day after Thanksgiving Day sales to start.

Technology, electronics, and the space age, are all signs of our modern times. They have replaced the old fashioned turkey, stuffing, yams, and pumpkin pie Thanksgiving Day of years gone by, somewhat. I kind of miss those sit-down dinners, where the finest dinnerware was set out, Grandpa carved the turkey, and we all held hands and said grace, thanking the good lord for all our blessings.

In some homes, they still celebrate the day in a similar fashion to the way their ancestors did, but in many homes, it just seems to be another day. Football, the internet, and shopping have replaced some of the family togetherness, that used to be such an important part of the day. Our grand kids are constantly complaining how bored they are if the television isn’t blaring, or they aren’t playing some video game.

The good old days style of Thanksgiving may have gone by the wayside, but I still miss Grandma’s pumpkin pie with “real” whipping cream, instead of “coolwhip”.

INTRODUCTION

Some of us focus on how to design and enjoys it very well but how will you improve it if you don’t have enough time for it because of some reasons?.. Well I am sure there are lots of ways to improve them and the only thing that you need is a little bit time and interest to it.

All of us love to design our own house but how? Where? and when? Each of us dream to have a native style house or modern style house or unique house with all the things that we want to put there. Deciding what color of tiles or curtain and more. I myself always want to have a plan dream for my house and luckily, one of my friend referred me this programs and now I will share it to you.

There are two programs that I will share to you and all of this are really useful to all of the plans that you want from your house.

MYMINILIFE - This program is really enjoy and funny. It is like a game that you will design your own house and name it. They will give you a minimum of 10,000 gold and decide how many square meters of lot you will buy. You will also decide what kitchen wear, chairs and tables do you want. This is an 3d screen and you can zoom the house. Now they have new features where you and you friends can create your own village or neighborhood for the rest of the team. You can even sell your house here and connect with your friend using offline messaging.

GOOGLE SKETCH - In this program, you can create anything you want, a dog, a house, a robot, a chair and more. You need to download it to your computer and start sketching. Practices your skills here and for sure it will improve. I myself made some robot sketch here and all the things that I want to sketch.

I hope you guys will have fun by designing your dream house. Me and my fiancee already made about 8 houses here and share them to my friends and embed some of it in my own site.

Good luck for your dream house and Godbless.

For many of us that enjoy the great outdoors and wildlife, there is an area close to home that we often overlook when studying nature…our own backyards!  Yes, some of the most interesting forms of wildlife, the feathered and furred, can be found right outside your back door.

My own little wildlife haven is nestled in the suburbs, just outside center city Philadelphia.  It is a residential area bordered by busy streets and heavy traffic.  The street outside my door is bursting with traffic at least 16 hours a day.  However, the roar of buses, cars, and trucks, has little or no effect on the many animals that make our home-their home.

Unfortunately, in this day and age, because of over-development and crowding, many animals have learned to adapt and live in close proximity to people.  And for those of us that enjoy sharing our space with these intelligent and sometimes industrious creatures, we can derive much enjoyment from them, if we are careful and observant.

On almost any given morning just before sunrise, my yard plays host to a multitude of varying animals.  Some like the raccoon have been busy all night searching for food, while countless feisty squirrels are just awakening to start their busy day.  When the raccoon is about to retire for the day, the squirrels are starting their day.  The squirrels day is a busy one and their survival depends upon their success.  The chilly days of autumn are becoming shorter now and this triggers the squirrels instinct to find and store food for the long winter months ahead.

Another patient but busy little body is the eastern cottontail rabbit.  Every morning scattered about our lawn is a family of rabbits chewing away on a vast menu of grass and other green goodies.  Like the squirrels, the rabbits have become accustomed to my wife and I, and politely ignore our presence.  I find it fun watching the tiny newborns as they romp and eat alongside their mother.   Its also interesting to see how easily they get along with the more energetic and industrious squirrels.

Not all of our backyard wildlife are frequent visitors.  For example, I like to classify some of these critters as interlopers, or species,” just passing through.”  We don’t always see the raccoon or the opossum as often as  the rabbits and squirrels, but nonetheless, they make their presence known, and we see enough of them to enjoy their antics.

The slow moving opossum with its lack of keen vision saunters about our yard as though it is intoxicated, but this hardly impedes its ability to find food, even under the worst conditions.  The raccoon, that clever little masked bandit, is readily adept at opening trash cans to get whatever morsels it might offer.  One of my daily chores each day is to place the lid back on the trash can and replace the scattered food the raccoon refused to eat from its menu.  He is smart enough to sense that I like him, and on some nights will raid my trash can while I am watching him.  His antics are hilarious and we really enjoy his company.

Then there is the colorful variety of birds that fill our yard with their melodic chirps and beautiful songs.  We have robins, mockingbirds, blue jays, sparrows, juncos, finches and catbirds.   One of my favorite birds is the mourning dove.  Its song is sad and doesn’t seem to fit the beauty of this friendly bird, that returns each year to use the same nest to raise its young.

Sometimes, on occasion,  we have the opportunity to see an owl or hawk interrupt its journey to seek rest in a nearby tree.  They are a large and imposing figure as opposed to the songbirds, who immediately sound the alarm and vacate the area until the raptors move on.

In the winter months we miss our feathered friends when they migrate, but leave plenty of food in our feeders for those too old or weak to make the long journey.  This provides us with an opportunity to share the company of our avian friends all year long.

The natural world is fascinating and has much to offer us if we know where to find and enjoy it.  In this case, there are no travel plans needed, no reservations or expense, you need only step out your back door to discover and share one of nature’s greatest treasures.

Vincent Robert Capodanno was a soldier of extraordinary courage.  He was born on February 13, 1929 in Staten Island, New York.  He was a catholic priest that graduated from the Maryknoll Seminary in 1949.   Father Capodanno initially worked as a Missionary travelling the world and serving in countries like Taiwan, China, and Korea.

After serving several years in foreign countries where he helped to build schools and establish catholic parishes, Father Capodanno opted to embark on a career much more challenging.  Father Capodanno requested service as a chaplain in the United States Marine Corps.

Father Capodanno attended Officer Candidates School and in the midst of the Vietnam war was assigned to the 7th Marine Division, in 1966.  His service during that year was at the height of the war, when the fighting was intense and casualties were high.

Father Capodanno was not your ordinary chaplain.  The majority of chaplains were kept away from the real dangers of combat, and usually served in areas of relative safety.  They usually conducted religious services and counseled weary and tired troops at base camps.

Father Capodanno was a different breed of Marine Chaplain.  He was always in the midst of the fighting, going out on missions with his beloved Marines.  There was no safe area for the chaplain, only the front lines where the Marines needed him the most.  As a chaplain, he led, inspired, and constantly exposed himself to enemy fire while attempting to console and administer the “last rites,” to critically injured Marines.  The Marines loved their chaplain and thus named him, “the grunt padre.”  The word “grunt” is a term used to describe combat infantryman.

Upon completion of his initial tour of duty in Vietnam, Father Capodanno requested an extension of duty and was then assigned to the 5th Marine Division.  Once again Father Capodanno, fearless and resigned to serve alongside his battle weary Marines, was immersed in some of the worse combat of the Vietnam war.

On September 4th, 1967, in the Que Son Valley, soldiers of the 5th Marine Division found and engaged a large unit of North Vietnamese, approximately 2,500 of them near the village of Dong Son.  It was only 4:30 in the morning, but the fighting was savage and intense, some of it at very close quarters.  The Marines of Company D were far out-numbered and in desperate need of reinforcements.  The casualties mounted and there were desperate attempts by medevac choppers to evacuate the dead and dying, but intense ground fire kept the choppers from landing.

As the battle continued, there were 26 marine casualties by mid morning.  The situation was becoming dire and in an attempt to avoid being overrun by the North Vietnamese, an additional Company of Marines joined the battle.  By 9:15 am, the fighting was so intense that yet another request for help arrived in the form of two more Marine company’s.

During the early hours of the fighting, Father Capodanno monitored the progress of his Marines from the Headquarters operations room at his base camp.  He felt helpless and isolated from his beloved Marines and boarded a helicopter with other soldiers heading for the battle.  Whenever his Marines needed him, he was always there, and this was no exception, they needed him now more than ever.

Father Capodanno and the troops reinforcing the already beseiged Marines joined the battle just outside the small village of Chau Lam.  They immediately came under horrific and intense fire from the large contingent of North Vietnamese soldiers.  They were caught in a large, open area and the fighting was fierce.  The North Vietnamese soldiers were so close that the Marines at times, engaged their enemy in intense “hand to hand” combat.

Father Capodanno completely ignored the danger of the situation, as he ran in the face of intense enemy fire to help his Marines.  Father Capodanno, undeterred in the midst of the battle, continued to tend to the wounded and dying.  Going from man to man, he prayed, cradled, and when needed, gave comfort and consolation to his dying Marines.   The soft words of comfort and prayer from Father Capodanno would be the last words some of these Marines would ever hear.

As the fighting progressed, Father Capodanno was severely wounded in the face and hit by a round that almost severed his entire hand.  Still the Chaplain continued on his mission.  Father Capodanno spotted a lone Marine that was gravely wounded only a few feet from an enemy machine gun position.  Father Capodanno started for the soldier but was hit and killed trying to save the wounded Marine.

Father Vincent Robert Capodanno, a Marine Corps legend, was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on December 27, 1968 for his courage and service.

All of us, as a rule, are afraid of snakes. But do you know that certain species of snakes are afraid of human beings too? One such species is the garden snakes or gardener snakes. As the name suggests, garden snakes are usually found in the gardens in our homes.

As soon as a garden snake sees a person approaching it, it hides in the grass or shrubs in the garden. Most gardeners cannot spot garden snakes as they are green and remain invisible in the grass. The only way gardeners come to know of their existence is through their skins that they discard periodically.

The reason why garden snakes are green is that most snakes are of the color of their environment. They can be observed only if they make any movement and this happens when they hear any sound such as the footsteps of someone approaching. If you are watchful, you can spot the flash of their movement as they quickly go out your sight once again.

Since garden snakes do not harm you and your pets, it is better that you should allow them live unharmed.

What do garden snakes eat?

Garden snakes, like all other snakes, are carnivorous which means they live on animals. They catch their preys whenever they find the opportunity. Generally they eat whatever comes in their way, worms that eat leaves and stems of small plants. They also eat creatures like snails, slugs, earthworms, leeches and spiders.

Garden snakes eat rodents like mice like all other species of snakes. Garden snakes like to live near the water bodies.

They also feed upon the amphibious and aquatic animals such as toads, frogs, salamanders, fish, and tadpoles. Even though toads have poisonous skins, garden snakes can eat them with immunity. They also eat small mammals, small birds and lizards. Sometimes, they eat eggs and carrion.