syzygy

anarcho-queer:

Chicago Police Raids Wrong House, Demands 11 Month Old Raise Hands At Gunpoint And Kills Dog

Chicago police terrorized six children in the wrong apartment, demanding at gunpoint that an 11-month-old show his hands, and telling one child, “This is what happens when your grandma sells crack,” the family claims in court.

Lead plaintiffs Charlene and Samuel Holly sued Chicago, police Officer Patrick Kinney and eight John Does in Federal Court, on their own behalves and for their children and children.

The six children were 11 months to 13 years old at the time. Plaintiffs Connie and Michelle Robinson are Charlene Holly’s daughters.

The complaint states: “On November 29, 2012 in the early evening hours Charlene Holly was in the first floor apartment at 10640 S. Prairie in the front room helping minor Child #1, Child #2, Child #4, and Child #5 rehearse songs for their church choir. Charlene was also caring for Child #3, who was 11 months old. Child #6 was in the upstairs apartment alone.

“Charlene and the children heard a loud boom outside and a voice cry out ‘Across the street!’

“Defendant Officers John Doe 1-8 burst through the door to the first floor apartment dressed in army fatigues and pointing guns at Charlene and the children. The officers yelled at Charlene and the children to ‘Get on the ground!’ The officers referred to Charlene and the children as ‘m—-f—-ers’ numerous times …

“Charlene continually asked what the purpose of the detention was,” the complaint states. “Finally, an officer produced a warrant and handed it to Charlene. The warrant was for an individual named ‘Sedgwick M. Reavers’ and the premises listed was ‘The second floor apartment located at 10640 S. Prairie Ave. A yellow brick two flat building with the numbers 10640 on the front of the building.’ In other words, the warrant clearly identified the proper location as the second floor apartment. Charlene, Samuel, and the children were in the first floor apartment …

The family claims that “the following day Charlene discovered the family dog, Samson, not in the basement where the family kept him, but in an upstairs laundry room. Samson could not have reached the laundry room without human assistance. On information and belief, defendant

Officers dragged and choked Samson from the basement with the dog pole and left him in the upstairs laundry room unattended, where he died.”

Samuel Holly also went to the police station the day after the warrantless search to complain, but “despite his numerous calls the night before, was told that he could not make a complaint and he ‘should have made a complaint last night,” the family says.

holy shit!

(via witchsistah)

xanthocomically:

Mycorrhizae 

Mycorrhizae are mutual associations between fungi and plant roots. Fungal hyphae penetrate the roots to a certain degree (either entering into the spaces between cells, or into the cells themselves) and allow for the plant to have greater access to nutrients (especially phosphorus, which is crucial for metabolism and cell function) and water. The fungi can often protect roots from pathogens by forming an impermeable sheath around the plant tissues. This helps to increase root longevity and productivity. In exchange, the fungus receives shelter and nutrients such as sucrose. Two main types of mycorrhizae have been described.

Ectomycorrhizae: Ectomycorrhizae are associations in which the fungus penetrates the roots but does not enter the individual cell walls. Instead, hyphae grow to form a Hartig net in the matrix of space between cells. A thick and protective sheath of mycelia develops around the outside of the plant roots, and extramatrical hyphae extend out into the soil in search of nutrients. This greatly increases the surface area available to plant roots, and the fungus can grow much more rapidly than plant tissues. This type of mycorrhizae is formed by some species in the Zygomycota, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota. 

Endomycorrhizae: In this type of mycorrhizae, hyphae penetrate the cell walls of individual cells within the roots. Although there is still growth in the extracellular matrix, no well-developed Hartig net is formed. The sheath is also limited or non-existant. Instead, intracellular hyphae form structures within the root cells. The hyphae puncture the cell wall, but not the cell membranes, instead invaginating the the membrane to form their own structures. 

Subtype— Vesicular-Arbuscular Mycorrhizae: The vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhizae (VAM) are a subtype of the endomycorrhizae. This type is categorized by the formation of two types of structures within the plant cells. The first, vesicles, are round cavities that are used for storage. Arbuscules are branched hyphae that look like trees or the alveoli of the lungs. Due to their high surface area, these structures are useful for nutrient exchange. This type of mycorrhizal association is found in the Glomeromycota, the next phylum to be discussed in this short course.

Prevalence: Of the studied plant species, 80% were found to form associations with fungi. Many mycorrhizae-forming fungi, however, are obligate symbionts, meaning that they can only survive if associated with their plant partner. This makes culturing of many species on agar plates difficult or impossible. Fossilized VAM have been found with the earliest plants, suggesting that fungi-plant associations were important or crucial in the development of land plants. Species with ectomycorrhizae or with no associations with fungi at all are believed to have evolved away from those plants who still form VAM associations. One major family that does not form mycorrhizal association is Brassicaceae, the cabbage/mustard family. This family includes vegetables such as broccoli, cabbage, turnip, various mustards, radish, and rapeseed (canola).

(via mycology)

republicx:

Eyes as Big as Plates series by Karoline Hjorth & Riitta Ikonen

(via darksilenceinsuburbia)