Kathalina Gil

Source link

I believe in giving credit were credit is due and the service that I received today was exceptional. You went above and beyond to help me with my order. You are a credit to the company and please pass this email on to your manager as I believe that they should acknowledge the fantastic customer experience you gave me.

Laura T.

Just wanted to say thank you so much for your wonderful customer service! My order had a delivery issue but your wonderful staff promptly correctly the problem with no inconvenience to me. Good Customer Service is absolutely a requirement in the wedding industry, and for my very first order, you've proven to be a reliable asset. Thank you! I plan on referring you to my industry partners and hope to order from you in the future.

Nicole G.

Thank you very much for getting back to me and for waiving the rush charge so you can make my event. This is SUPER appreciated. I will certainly be ordering more from you, timeliness is a big issue for me and I put on a lot of events so will work to get the next one in earlier so I can avoid any expensive shipping charges : )

Manuela M.

Thank you! I like your company and will continue to do business with you. In the future I will make sure to order way in advance of any events. Unfortunately, we didn't know until this weekend what the date of this event would be.

Rachel A.

I just wanted to thank you for the beautiful piece of manzanita you sent me recently. Of course I had no idea what the piece I would receive would look like, and I was very pleasantly surprise at how beautiful it was. Thought I would share with you what I've done with it. I made hand painted place cards for my daughters wedding and had a lot of the painted paper left which I cut hearts out of. We hung the hearts on the manzanita and it looks so beautiful! Her wedding theme is vintage romance and her colors are cream and pink and grey.  Anyway….my daughter just LOVES LOVES LOVES this special addition to her wedding decor!  So thanks for making it possible.  It's going to be placed on the table where her guestbook will be. Thanks again!

Suzanne B.

I just wanted to say I was very pleased with your product and shipping services. I love love love the items [6" Evelyn White Rose Ball Pomander] I received. I had never ordered off line before because of being afraid I would not get what I ordered or liked what I ordered, I have to say that I was 1000% satisfied with the order and the delivery service.  Thank you soooo much! I hope to continue ordering from you when the need arises.

Floyard M.

Thank you for your support and your excellent customer service and most of all your patience. I would like to inform you that I received my order on the 24th at 7 pm. Same day I headed for Guadalajara! I reiterate my appreciation once again. I will contact you when I place another order. I hope that you had a Merry Christmas spent in the company of all your loved ones. Also, I hope you have a great New Year spent with your loved ones as well. Happy 2014!. A hug. Thank you.

Maria C.

Thank you. Very easy to chat from so far. Great service. Thank you again.

Madoeri R.

Thank you so much! Greatly appreciate it. Look forward to doing business with you in the near future. Happy Holidays :-)

Beth D.

Thanks alot, I'm so happy it arrived even earlier! I was checking the tracking and I got a call today before I go to work. Will check more items to shop by the next coming months. Just wanted to thank you :)

Nassra B.

Info Mag Koyal Group DNA Discovery Reveals Surprising Dolphin Origins

A well-known dolphin species, the clymene dolphin, arose from mating between two separate and distinct dolphin species, report genetics researchers.

Also known as the "short-snouted spinner dolphin," the clymene dolphin (Stenella clymene)grows to nearly seven feet (2.1 meters) long and dwells in deep waters in tropical and temperate parts of the Atlantic Ocean.

Evolutionary biologists have seen other such hybrid species elsewhere in the animal kingdom. The new discovery, reported in the journal PLOS ONE by a team led by marine biologist Ana Amaral of Portugal's University of Lisbon, adds to increasing evidence of such cross-breeding commonly leading to new species, even in the wide-open oceans.

Clymene dolphins feed mostly at night when squid and fish come to the surface of the water. The short-snouted dolphin gets its name from the ocean nymph Clymene of Greek mythology. (See "Dolphins Have 'Names,' Respond When Called.")

Researchers initially thought the clymene dolphin was a subspecies of the spinner dolphin (Stenella longirostris).However, in 1981, a closer look at the clymene's anatomy revealed it was a distinct species.

But experts remained uncertain about the clymene's relationship with its close relatives. Although its outward appearance and behavior are more similar to those of the spinner dolphin, its skull features closely resemble those of the striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba).

Info Mag Koyal Group

DNA Analysis

To help solve this mystery, the study scientists analyzed skin samples from 15 clymene dolphins, as well as from 21 spinner and 36 striped dolphins. They collected the DNA from free-ranging dolphins—using special tissue-collecting darts—and from dead, stranded dolphins.

The investigators looked at nuclear DNA, which is found in the cell's nucleus and comes from both the mother and father, as well as DNA from their mitochondria—the cell's powerhouse—which possesses its own genes and is passed down solely from the mother.

"When I was first analyzing the data I collected, it was very confusing," said Amaral.

That's because Amaral and colleagues discovered that while the nuclear DNA of the clymene dolphin most resembled that of the spinner dolphin, the mitochondrial DNA was most similar to that of the striped dolphin. (See pictures of other hybrid animals.)

This is strong evidence that the clymene dolphin is a naturally occurring hybrid of the spinner and striped dolphins, said Amaral. Continued hybridization may still occur between the clymene dolphin's parent species, although at low levels, the study authors added.

The birth of a new species, known as speciation, is often thought to happen when one species splits into two or more isolated populations that diverge as they amass differences over time due to a lack of interbreeding.

Hybrids are usually infertile, with the mule—a cross between a male donkey and a female horse—being the most familiar example of this.

Info Mag Koyal Group

Hybrid Species: How Rare?

Past studies have shown that hybridization could occasionally lead to fertile offspring and even new species in plants, fishes, insects, and birds.

To get a hybrid species, two things need to occur, said evolutionary ecologist Pamela Willis at the University of Victoria in Canada, who did not take part in the study.

"You need to have hybrids be as fit as the parental species, able to carve out their own ecological space," she explained.

Then they somehow have to mate with only each other, rather than with either parental species, "hence allowing them to spin off onto their own, independent evolutionary trajectory and become a species of their own," Willis added. "Both of these conditions are hard to meet."

Scientists had thought hybrid speciation was exceptionally rare in mammals. "Mammals generally are less capable than other types of animals to produce healthy, fertile hybrids," Willis said.

Still, hybrids were not unheard of in cetaceans such as whales and dolphins—both in captivity and in the wild. Since cetaceans have very similar numbers of chromosomes across species, researchers had speculated they could produce viable hybrids more easily than other mammals.

"Ironically, one translation of clymene can mean notorious or infamous, and now this dolphin turns out it's living up to its name by being the first marine mammal known to arise through hybrid speciation," said study co-author Howard Rosenbaum, a marine biologist at the Wildlife Conservation Society and American Museum of Natural History in New York.

Future research will analyze the DNA of these dolphins in greater detail to help deduce how long ago the clymene dolphin arose, Amaral says.

This study "adds to an ever-increasing amount of recent research that indicates that hybridization is a common and important part of animal evolution, facilitating the formation of new species," Willis said.

"Traditionally, biologists have viewed hybridization as rare and either insignificant, evolution-wise, or serving only to meld species together into one," she said. "We're undergoing a paradigm shift in recognizing the creative role hybridization plays in contributing to animal evolution and diversity."

"Dolphins could help us better understand this rare form of speciation," added Rosenbaum. "We hope this work highlights the importance of conserving dolphins."

Info Mag Koyal Group

LETTER: Scientific findings on climate are real, not optional

The letter by James Policelli (“America is heading down dangerous path,” Jan. 22) is proof that the far right lunatic fringe disavows science.

On the next page of that day’s paper was a statement by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that 2013 was the fourth warmest year on record. Policelli would likely claim that NOAA is a puppet of the Obama administration and has broadcast false information to further a socialist agenda. (What!)

Let’s look at some indisputable facts. A comparison of NASA space shots of polar ice caps clearly indicates they are shrinking. Ocean levels have been measured to be rising. (Where do you think the melting polar ice caps go?)

As a scientist, I have never been amused by junk science or those who espouse it. As one who helped develop some of the spectroscopic fingerprints used to monitor ozone-destroying man-made molecules in the upper atmosphere, I find the climate change denials of the far right lunatic fringe to be extremely offensive and exceptionally dangerous.

Fortunately, Policelli is not a scientist and his opinion, no matter how far from factual, is certainly in the minority. However, the average person reading his opinion likely has no clue. If we continue to ignore facts and disavow science, we will indeed be heading down a dangerous path.

At least his letter title was appropriate. Ignore the rest of his letter. Wake up. Here is a tip from a scientist: Reality is not optional.