Liberty girls basketball team clinches D11 berth with win over Freedom

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A five-game losing streak in late January left the Liberty girls basketball team no wiggle room. The Hurricanes had to win their three Lehigh Valley Conference games in February or they could forget about the postseason.

By Friday evening, Liberty's hopes of playing into March remained intact.

Kay West drilled seven of her nine foul shots over the final 1:38 to help the Hurricanes hold off rival Freedom for a 56-45 LVC win at Memorial Gym. The victory gave Liberty (10-11 overall, 7-7 LVC) the .500 league record it needed to qualify for the District 11 Class 4A playoffs.

A week ago, Liberty owned a 4-7 league mark after a loss to Bethlehem Catholic. The Hurricanes rebounded to post a two-point win over Emmaus last Saturday and a three-point win over Easton on Tuesday, setting up Friday's make-or-break game with the Patriots (9-11, 4-9).

West, Nicole Amann, Maddie Capuano, Torie Zerbe, Gabby Pastor and Dominique Oyeniyi all came through at different times to help Liberty fend off several Freedom rallies.

"I definitely wanted to keep playing," said an out-of-breath Amann after a 13-point, four-rebound, three-steal night. "We fought hard these last couple of games. We just had to come out and win it. Who wanted it more? We did."

Up five points at halftime, Liberty took control of the game with a 16-3 run to start the third quarter. Oyeniyi scored all four of her points during that stretch, West had a basket and three assists and Amann added four points. Capuano and Zerbe also hit 3-pointers during the spurt, which left Liberty with an 18-point lead, its largest advantage of the game.

Freedom kept coming, closing within six points with 1:42 to play in the fourth quarter. Sophomore guards West (14 points) and Capuano (nine points) combined to make nine foul shots down the stretch to prevent the Patriots from completing their rally.

Zerbe, another member of Liberty's sophomore class, added eight points off the bench. She made all three shots she attempted, including a layup and 3-pointer midway through the second quarter to halt an early Freedom surge.

"Those sophomores are coming along," first-year Liberty coach Becky Soto said. "We're a young team, but we're graduating five seniors. It's just finding those roles for those younger girls. [Zerbe] did a great job tonight."

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Liberty girls basketball team clinches D11 berth with win over Freedom

Rand Paul, visiting Dallas, says hes considering White House bid

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Sen. Rand Paul acknowledged Friday he is strongly considering a run for the White House, predicting that libertarian philosophies would revitalize the Republican Party and boost his potential bid.

What the party needs is somebody who will invigorate the party and bring new people, the Kentucky Republican said in an interview for Lone Star Politics, airing Sunday on KXAS-TV (NBC5). African-Americans and Hispanics, Asian-Americans are going to look to the Republican Party, if we express ideas of freedom and liberty.

Paul noted that he has a trip scheduled in April to New Hampshire, site of the first presidential primary, and he is widely expected to carry the libertarian standard once held by his father, former Rep. Ron Paul of Lake Jackson.

I keep looking at my schedule, and I see New Hampshire, I see Iowa, I see South Carolina, and I dont understand why I keep going to these states. Paul joked. We are considering it. We havent made a decision yet, but I am interested in the idea.

Paul acknowledged that Sen. Ted Cruz and Gov. Rick Perry were possible Republican presidential contenders in 2016. He said his libertarian views distinguish him from the pack, offering as an example his goal to fix the racial outcome of the war on drugs, in which punishments hit minority offenders particularly hard.

While he did not compare himself directly to Cruz or Perry, Paul touted his own appeal.

Ive got to try to stand on my message, he said. We need to get back to the boldness of our message.

Paul was in town Friday for meetings and a rally to help the Texas Senate campaign of Dallas businessman Don Huffines.

Huffines, a fellow libertarian, is running in the GOP primary against longtime incumbent and Dallas businessman John Carona.

Huffines, who also recorded a segment for Lone Star Politics, said he would focus on rebuilding infrastructure and developing viable solutions for transportation problems while adhering to conservative principles.

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Rand Paul, visiting Dallas, says hes considering White House bid

One Silicon Valley, Under Libertarian Hero Senator Rand Paul

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Internet-savvy Tea Party activists have shoved the once small-government fringes of the Republican party into the spotlight, with Libertarian-leaning Sen. Rand Paul a leading figure.

At the State of the Net Conference, I spoke with this new leader in the Republican party, asking about what life wouldbe like for innovators if he and his small-government brethren continue their rise to power.

I kept it deliberately philosophical to understand how Paul will view issues in the future. Here are a few take-aways.

Science Funding, If You Can Find It

The real explosion of the Internet was the lack of control, argues Paul, in response to my question about if the Internets origins in military labs proves that government is essential to American innovation.

Paul maintains that we shouldnt overestimate the need for government to support Silicon Valley. But, hes a fan of federal-funded science and technology, just so long as it doesnt add to the countrys trillion-dollar-sized debt. Id rather spend the money on R&D if theres not a marketplace for that, he says.

Paul is admirably consistent here; scientistsfreaked out over one of his early budget proposals to slash R&D funding, but calmed down after he brokered a deal with Democrats that would slightly increasefundsfor higher education and research (by finding other programs to cut, of course).

Civil Liberties Galore And No Killing Of Hackers

Paul infamously said that whistleblower Edward Snowden and intelligence director James Clappershould share the same jail cell(Clapper for lying to Congress). I pressed Paul on how he would treat information activists.

There do have to be some rules and there are some problems with disclosing secrets and people could die, he warns. But, security hawks are calling for the death penalty for Edward Snowden, and I think thats inappropriate.

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One Silicon Valley, Under Libertarian Hero Senator Rand Paul

M.J. Farabee: Human Genetics – Estrella Mountain Community …

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Table of Contents

The human karyotype | Human chromosomal abnormalities

Human allelic disorders (recessive) | Human allelic disorders (dominant)

Sex-linked traits | Diagnosis of human genetic diseases | Radioactive probes

Links

There are 44 autosomesand 2 sex chromosomes in the human genome, for a total of 46. Karyotypesare pictures of homologous chromosomes lined up together during Metaphase I of meiosis. The chromosome micrographs are then arranged by size and pasted onto a sheet.

Click here for a larger picture. This picture is from The Primate Cytogenetics Network at ( http://www.selu.com/~bio/cyto/karyotypes/Hominidae/Hominidae.html).

A common abnormality is caused by nondisjunction, the failure of replicated chromosomes to segregate during Anaphase II. A gamete lacking a chromosome cannot produce a viable embryo. Occasionally a gamete with n+1 chromosomes can produce a viable embryo.

In humans, nondisjunction is most often associated with the 21st chromosome, producing a disease known as Down's syndrome (also referred to as trisomy21). Sufferers of Down's syndrome suffer mild to severe mental retardation, short stocky body type, large tongue leading to speech difficulties, and (in those who survive into middle-age), a propensity to develop Alzheimer's Disease. Ninety-five percent of Down's cases result from nondisjunction of chromosome 21. Occasional cases result from a translocationin the chromosomes of one parent. Remember that a translocation occurs when one chromosome (or a fragment) is transferred to a non-homologous chromosome. The incidence of Down's Syndrome increases with age of the mother, although 25% of the cases result from an extra chromosome from the father. Click hereto view a drawing (from Bioweb) of a karyotype of Down's syndrome.

Sex-chromosome abnormalities may also be caused by nondisjunction of one or more sex chromosomes. Any combination (up to XXXXY) produces maleness. Males with more than one X are usually underdeveloped and sterile. XXX and XO women are known, although in most cases they are sterile. What meiotic difficulties might a person with Down's syndrome or extra sex-chromosomes face?

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M.J. Farabee: Human Genetics - Estrella Mountain Community ...