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By Dale T. McKinley · 8 Sep 2009
A large part of the political, social and economic edifice of the apartheid system in South Africa was built on, and sustained by, the control of information and enforced secrecy. This was at the heart of the anti-democratic character of the apartheid system. It was the glue that held together the institutionalised violation of the basic human rights of South Africa's majority. The struggle against apartheid was fundamentally, a struggle for the democratic reclamation of those human rights, inclusive of the right of access to information.
It is understandable that in the post-1994 era, the central focus of both the government and the majority of South Africans - with varying degrees of legislative and 'civic' intensity and effect - has been on those rights whose potential realisation, historically, provided the greatest impetus to the struggle against apartheid (for example: equality before the law regardless of race, ethnic or social origin, culture and belief; freedom and security of the person, expression and association; the right to adequate housing, health care and basic education and so on). The indirect result however, has been that other constitutional rights such as the right of access to information (Section 32 of The Constitution - which provides for the right of access to 'any information … required for the exercise or protection of any right'), have taken a backseat and been generally viewed as secondary human rights, artificially detached from the realisation of the more 'central' rights. This is a major elision of South Africa's post-1994 democratic character and content.
If there is one right contained in The Constitution that symbiotically connects all other rights, it is the right of access to information. This is the case precisely because public access to information is the life-blood of any meaningful democratic participation. Without the right of access, the affirmation, and more concretely the realisation, of this basic right, all other rights are fundamentally compromised.
The tacit recognition of this reality no doubt informed the adoption of the Promotion of Access to Information Act of 2000 (PAIA), which legislated the affirmation of the right of access. In his remarks to Parliament on the occasion of the passage of PAIA, then Minister of Justice and Constitutional Development, Penuell Maduna, foreshadowed the expectations that accompanied the legislation: 'We are turning on the light to bring to an end the secrecy and silence that characterised decades of apartheid rule and administration'. Likewise, the Government Communication and Information System (GCIS) has stated that, "all citizens of South Africa have a right to access information which affects their lives. They have a right to know how government functions and how decisions taken by them may affect their lives. This transparent flow of information between government and its citizens is necessary for democracy."
Not surprisingly, PAIA was warmly welcomed by most South Africans (or at least those who knew about it), especially in light of the possibilities for using PAIA to access information from various levels of government around decision-making processes, the use of public finances and service delivery programmes/plans having a direct impact on both individuals and communities. Yet, almost a decade since PAIA became South African law and despite the generalised goodwill surrounding PAIA and the spirited activism of a select group of civil society organisations, the practical realisation of the right of access remains stillborn for the vast majority.
If people do not know about something then it is axiomatic that they are powerless to engage with, make use of and/or impact on, it. A 2007 national survey by Markinor revealed that only 25% of all South Africans even know about PAIA and there is no concrete indication that this has improved over the last two years. The result is that we continue to suffer from the debilitating, systemic disease of a constructed 'ignorance' when it comes to crucial information about the who, what, when, where and how of those who have political and economic power – and who thus make decisions that are fundamental to our lives.
The result is that most South Africans – particularly the poor - have no knowledge of the content of PAIA or how to use the legislation to enforce their rights. Any meaningful and sustained right of access to information requires that people first know their rights and secondly, know what information is in custody, that records are kept properly and that records are readily available. All of these 'requirements' are far from being realised/implemented with the public sector, and to a lesser extent the private sector, being generally under-resourced and unprepared to ensure effective implementation of PAIA with the key area of management of information/records being in varied states of (denied) chaos.
As if this is not enough of a body blow, a majority of those in possession of public sector information simply refuse to allow access. A 2008 study by the Open Democracy Advice Centre found that 85% of formal information requests using PAIA that went to district/local municipalities, and 60% that went to provincial government departments, were met with a 'deemed refusal' (non)response. In other words, they were simply ignored. Yet, such open contempt for one of the most crucial, participatory and empowering pieces of law in our country, not to mention for the principles that inform the constitutional right of access, have gone completely unpunished. Instead, they seem to be embraced and celebrated as if government has 'gotten one over' on those they claim to work for and represent. Even if to a lesser extent in practice and application, the same can be applied in general terms to the private sector.
When there is a response, it is most likely to be a refusal based on extremely broad and vaguely defined grounds. The most widely used grounds for refusal being, 'unavailability', 'commercial and third party confidentiality', a non-transparent 'national and international security', and the application of exemptions for certain senior level public institutions and officials. The only way to contest such refusals is to first lodge an 'internal appeal' (which, in most all cases is rejected by the very same people) and then to appeal to a court of law. Despite the Constitutional Court's recent ruling declaring the 30-day period for lodging such court appeals to be unconstitutional, the reality is that the last procedural chance to realise access, remains out of reach of most South Africans due to its commodification.
A constructed lack of knowledge, inaccessibility and unaffordability – it's a sure recipe for frustration, disempowerment and conflict. And, this is precisely what has happened. The tens of thousands of community protests over the last several years in South Africa are not simply reducible to a lack of physical 'service delivery' and/or exploitative activities of the private sector. They have been one of the few available responses by ordinary people (whether planned or spontaneous) to the almost complete lack of information and communication - and thus, institutional, democratic transparency and accountability. Similarly, those few activists and intellectuals who speak out/stand up are not some Trojan 'third force' or simply disgruntled naysayers.
If one of our most basic and crucial human/constitutional rights can be treated with convenient disdain simply because those in positions of power don't like the implications that accompany their realisation, then those rights are not even worth the paper on which they are written. We must not allow our hard earned democracy to be sacrificed on the altar of the arrogance of power. In the case of information, what we don't know can definitely 'kill' us.
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In 1953, respondent fled mainland China, of which he was a national, going to Hong Kong, where he resided with his family until 1960, when he came to the United States as a business visitor. He remained in this country, though he kept his business in Hong Kong for several years. His temporary permit having expired, the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) in 1966 began deportation proceedings. Respondent then sought classification as a refugee under 203 (a) (7) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, which provides that aliens may apply in any non-Communist country for conditional entry into the United States if (i) they have fled from any Communist country because of persecution or fear of persecution for reasons of race, religion, or political opinion, (ii) are remaining away from that country for those reasons, and (iii) are not nationals of the country in which they apply for conditional entry. The INS Director denied respondent's application on the ground that 203 (a) (7) requires that "physical presence in the United States [be] a consequence of an alien's flight in search of a refuge" and that such presence must be "reasonably proximate to the flight and not one following a flight remote in point of time or intervening residence in a third country reasonably constituting termination of the original flight in search of refuge." Without deciding whether resettlement would have barred respondent's claim, the District Court reversed the INS determination, on the ground that respondent had never firmly resettled in Hong Kong. The Court of Appeals affirmed on the basis that the relevant factor was not the "firmly resettled" issue but that under 203 (a) (7) (iii) respondent was a national of Communist China, from which he was a refugee, and not a national of Hong Kong. Held: Whether a refugee has already "firmly resettled" in another country is relevant to determining the availability to him of the asylum provision of 203 (a) (7), since Congress did not intend to grant asylum to a refugee who [402 U.S. 49, 50] has found permanent shelter in another country, and the 203 (a) (7) (iii) nationality requirement is no substitute for the "resettlement" concept. Pp. 52-58.
419 F.2d 252, reversed and remanded.
BLACK, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which BURGER, C. J., and HARLAN, WHITE, and BLACKMUN, JJ., joined. STEWART, J., filed a dissenting opinion, in which DOUGLAS, BRENNAN, and MARSHALL, JJ., joined, post, p. 58.
Charles Gordon argued the cause for petitioner. With him on the briefs were Solicitor General Griswold, Assistant Attorney General Wilson, Jerome M. Feit, Beatrice Rosenberg, Paul C. Summitt, and George W. Masterton.
Gordon G. Dale argued the cause and filed a brief for respondent.
MR. JUSTICE BLACK delivered the opinion of the Court.
Respondent, Yee Chien Woo, is a native of mainland China, a Communist country, who fled that country in 1953 and sought refuge in Hong Kong. He lived in Hong Kong until 1959 when he came to the United States as a visitor to sell merchandise through a concession at a trade fair in Portland, Oregon. After a short stay, he returned to Hong Kong only to come back to the United States in 1960 to participate in the San Diego Fair and International Trade Mart to promote his Hong Kong business. Thereafter he remained in the United States although he continued to maintain his clothing business in Hong Kong until 1965. In 1965 respondent's wife and son obtained temporary visitor's permits and joined him in this country. By 1966 all three had overstayed their permits and were no longer authorized to remain in this country. After the Immigration and Naturalization Service began deportation proceedings, Yee Chien Woo applied for an immigrant visa claiming a "preference" [402 U.S. 49, 51] as an alien who had fled a Communist country fearing persecution as defined in 203 (a) (7) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, as amended, 79 Stat. 913, 8 U.S.C. 1153 (a) (7) (1964 ed., Supp. V).
The District Director of the Immigration and Naturalization Service denied respondent's application because "the applicant's presence in the United States . . . was not and is not now a physical presence which was a consequence of his flight in search of refuge from the Chinese mainland." (Emphasis added.) On appeal within the Immigration and Naturalization Service, the decision of the District Director was affirmed by the Regional Commissioner on the ground that "Congress did not intend that an alien, though formerly a refugee, who had established roots or acquired a residence in a country other than the one from which he fled would again be considered a refugee for the purpose of gaining entry into and or subsequently acquiring status as a resident in this, the third country."
Respondent then sought review in the United States District Court for the Southern District of California which reversed the District Director's determination. That court, without ever deciding whether resettlement would have barred respondent's claim, found as a matter of fact that he had never firmly resettled in Hong Kong. 1 The Immigration and Naturalization Service appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. That court affirmed the District Court because in its view whether Yee Chien Woo was "firmly resettled" in Hong Kong was "irrelevant" to [402 U.S. 49, 52] consideration of his application for an immigration quota. It stated:
Since 1947 the United States has had a congressionally enacted immigration and naturalization policy which granted immigration preferences to "displaced persons," "refugees," or persons who fled certain areas of the world because of "persecution or fear of persecution on account of race, religion, or political opinion." Although the language through which Congress has implemented this policy since 1947 has changed slightly from time to time, the basic policy has remained constant - to provide a haven for homeless refugees and to fulfill American responsibilities in connection with the International Refugee Organization of the United Nations. This policy is currently embodied in the "Seventh Preference" of 203 [402 U.S. 49, 53] (a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952, 8 U.S.C. 1153 (a) (1964 ed., Supp. V), which provides in pertinent part:
Second, the Ninth Circuit gave particular significance to the statutory requirement that refugees "are not nationals of the countries or areas in which their application for conditional entry is made." Thus, in the court's view, Congress intended to substitute the "not nationals" requirement for the not "firmly resettled" requirement. For substantially the reasons stated by the Second Circuit in Shen v. Esperdy, 428 F.2d 293 (1970), we find no congressional intent to depart from the established concept of "firm resettlement" and we do not give the "not nationals" requirement of 203 (a) (7) (A) (iii) as broad a construction as did the court below.
While Congress did not carry the words "firmly resettled" over into the 1957, 1960, and 1965 Acts from the [402 U.S. 49, 55] earlier legislation, Congress did introduce a new requirement into the 1957 Act - the requirement of "flight." The 1957 Act, as well as the present law, speaks of persons who have "fled" to avoid persecution. 4 Both the terms "firmly resettled" and "fled" are closely related to the central theme of all 23 years of refugee legislation - the creation of a haven for the world's homeless people. This theme is clearly underlined by the very titles of the Acts over the years from the Displaced Persons Act in 1948 through the Refugee Relief Act and the Fair Share Refugee Act of 1960. Respondent's reliance on the Fair Share Refugee Act of 1960 to show that Congress abandoned the "firmly resettled" concept is particularly misplaced because Congress envisioned that legislation not only as the means through which this country would fulfill its obligations to refugees, but also as an incentive to [402 U.S. 49, 56] other nations to do likewise. 5 Far from encouraging resettled refugees to leave one secure haven for another, the Act established United States quotas as a percentage - 25% - of the refugees absorbed by all other cooperating nations. The Fair Share Refugee Act, like its successor and predecessors, was enacted to help alleviate the suffering of homeless persons and the political instability associated with their plight. It was never intended to open the United States to refugees who had found shelter in another nation and had begun to build new lives. Nor could Congress have intended to make refugees in flight from persecution compete with all of the world's resettled refugees for the 10,200 entries and permits afforded each year under 203 (a) (7). Such an interpretation would subvert the lofty goals embodied in the whole pattern of our refugee legislation.
In short, we hold that the "resettlement" concept is not irrelevant. It is one of the factors which the Immigration and Naturalization Service must take into account to determine whether a refugee seeks asylum in this country as a consequence of his flight to avoid persecution. The District Director applied the correct legal [402 U.S. 49, 57] standard when he determined that 203 (a) (7) requires that "physical presence in the United States [be] a consequence of an alien's flight in search of refuge," and further that "the physical presence must be one which is reasonably proximate to the flight and not one following a flight remote in point of time or interrupted by intervening residence in a third country reasonably constituting a termination of the original flight in search of refuge." 6
Finally, we hold that the requirement of 203 (a) (7) (A) (iii) that refugees not be "nationals of the countries or areas in which their application for conditional entry is made" is not a substitute for the "resettlement" concept. In the first place that section is not even applicable to respondent. He was applying for an immigrant visa, not a conditional entry permit to which part (A) (iii) of subsection 7 is expressly limited. He had already been granted entry to the United States as a business visitor. Second, even if the provision were applicable, the country [402 U.S. 49, 58] "in which" respondent's application was made was the United States and he was certainly not a national of this country. Had he been a national he of course would have been entitled to remain here. Section 203 (a) (7) (A) (iii) applies only to applications for conditional entry into this country made to Immigration and Naturalization officers authorized to accept such applications at points outside the United States.
Because it was under the erroneous impression that resettlement was irrelevant to refugee status under 203 (a) (7), the Court of Appeals failed to review the District Court's finding that respondent had never firmly resettled in Hong Kong. The District Director is, of course, entitled to review of that determination under the legal test set out in this opinion and the appropriate standards for judicial review. Consequently, the judgment below is reversed and the case is remanded to the Ninth Circuit for further proceedings not inconsistent with this opinion.
[ Footnote 2 ] The Second Circuit dealt at length with the Ninth Circuit's opinion in this case, concluding:
[ Footnote 3 ] The Displaced Persons Act of 1948 defined a "displaced person" by reference to the Constitution of the International Refugee Organization (IRO) and to persons who were of concern to that organization. Persons ceased to be of concern to the IRO when they acquired a new nationality or by their firm establishment. S. Rep. No. 950, 80th Cong., 2d Sess., 68.
The Refugee Relief Act of 1953 provided: " `Refugee' means any person in a country or area which is neither Communist nor [402 U.S. 49, 54] Communist-dominated, who because of persecution, fear of persecution, natural calamity or military operations is out of his usual place of abode and unable to return thereto, who has not been firmly resettled, and who is in urgent need of assistance for the essentials of life or for transportation." Refugee Relief Act of 1953, 2 (a), 67 Stat. 400.
[ Footnote 4 ] The 1957 amendments to the Refugee Relief Act of 1953 did not mark any great change in American refugee policy. Congress was primarily concerned with distributing 18,656 visas that were originally authorized under the 1953 Act but remained unissued when that Act expired on January 1, 1957. The Senate report on the bill states the congressional intent: "It is the intention of the committee that the distribution of this remainder will be made in a fair and equitable manner, without any prescribed numerical limitations for any particular group, according to the showing of hardship, persecution, and the welfare of the United States." S. Rep. No. 1057, 85th Cong., 1st Sess., 6. Indeed, after the 1957 Act became law the Immigration and Naturalization Service promulgated and uniformly administered regulations which specifically referred to the resettlement requirement.
[ Footnote 5 ] Careful study of the Fair Share Refugee Act demonstrates that resettlement was relevant even under that legislation. In order to qualify as a refugee under the Fair Share Refugee Act, the alien had to be "within the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees." Specifically excluded from the Commissioner's competence was a person who "is recognized by the competent authorities of the country in which he has taken residence as having the rights and obligations which are attached to the possession of the nationality of that country . . . ." Statute of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, c. II, par. 7 (b), contained in G. A. Res. 428 (V), December 14, 1950. It appears that under this statute, Yee Chien Woo probably would not have fallen within the Commissioner's mandate because although he was not a Hong Kong (or British) national, he possessed valid Hong Kong identity papers enabling him to return and live there.
[ Footnote 6 ] The legal standard employed by the District Director and approved here today does not exclude from refugee status those who have fled from persecution and who make their flight in successive stages. Certainly many refugees make their escape to freedom from persecution in successive stages and come to this country only after stops along the way. Such stops do not necessarily mean that the refugee's aim to reach these shores has in any sense been abandoned. However, there are many refugees who have firmly resettled in other countries and who either never aimed to reach these shores or have long since abandoned that aim. In the words of the District Director, the presence of such persons in this country is not "one which is reasonably proximate to the flight" or is "remote in point of time or interrupted by intervening residence in a third country." Such persons are not entitled to refugee status under 203 (a) (7).
In this very case, the District Court found that Yee Chien Woo was not firmly resettled even though he had lived in Hong Kong for six years after his initial flight. We do not express an opinion on that finding but merely remand the case to the Court of Appeals for review in accord with the proper legal standard.
MR. JUSTICE STEWART, with whom MR. JUSTICE DOUGLAS, MR. JUSTICE BRENNAN, and MR. JUSTICE MARSHALL join, dissenting.
On March 8, 1966, the respondent, who fled mainland China for Hong Kong in 1953 and has resided in the United States since May 22, 1960, filed with the Immigration and Naturalization Service an application for adjustment of status pursuant to 203 (a) (7) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, as amended, 8 U.S.C. 1153 (a) (7) (1964 ed., Supp. V). By the terms of 203 (a) (7) applicants for adjustment of status are required to show:
1. that they "have been continuously physically present in the United States for a period of at least two years prior to application for adjustment of status;"
2. that "because of persecution or fear of persecution [402 U.S. 49, 59] on account of race, religion, or political opinion they have fled (I) from any Communist or Communist-dominated country or area . . .;"
3. that they "are unable or unwilling to return to such country or area on account of race, religion, or political opinion;"
4. that they "are not nationals of the countries or areas in which their application for conditional entry is made . . . ."
The District Director denied the respondent's application for adjustment of status because of "intervening residence in a third country reasonably constituting a termination of the original flight in search of refuge." An administrative appeal was certified to the Regional Commissioner who held that 203 (a) (7) does not apply "to aliens who although they had fled from their own country were later resettled in another country."
Section 203 (a) (7) contains no requirement that an applicant shall not have "resettled" prior to his application for conditional entry or adjustment of status. A requirement that an applicant shall not have "firmly resettled" did appear in an earlier version of the law but was eliminated by the 1957 amendments to the Refugee Relief Act of 1953. The requirement was not reintroduced in any of the subsequent enactments. To the contrary, cognizant House and Senate committees rejected a proposal of the Department of State that contained a requirement that a refugee alien must be one who "has not been firmly resettled . . . ." S. Rep. No. 1651, 86th Cong., 2d Sess., 19; H. R. Rep. No. 1433, 86th Cong., 2d Sess., 12. Senator Kennedy, who, as Chairman of the Subcommittee on Immigration and Naturalization of the Senate Judiciary Committee, presided over Senate hearings on the present 203 (a) (7), stated that refugees "[a]s defined in this bill" "must be currently settled in countries other than their homelands." [402 U.S. 49, 60] III Cong. Rec. 24227. This statement is flatly inconsistent with the proposition that the persons described in 203 (a) (7) cannot have resettled in another country following their original flight.
In the face of the unambiguous language of 203 (a) (7) and this clear legislative history, the Court today holds that a requirement of firm resettlement may properly be read back into the statute so as not to subvert what it considers to be the "central theme" of refugee legislation - "the creation of a haven for the world's homeless people." I have no doubt that in enacting refugee legislation Congress intended to provide a haven for the homeless. But the Court offers no reason to believe that Congress did not also intend to help those others who have fled their homeland because of oppression, have found a temporary refuge elsewhere, and now desire to immigrate to the United States. Congress may well have concluded that such people should be preferred to immigrants who have not suffered such hardship. The clear language of 203 (a) (7) demonstrates to me that this was exactly what Congress intended to accomplish.
Whether the Attorney General has discretion concerning the order in which 203 (a) (7) applications are processed is a different issue and one that is not before us. The Attorney General has not sought to invoke whatever discretion he may have to process the applications of the homeless before turning to those whose plight may be thought less pressing. 1 Indeed it appears [402 U.S. 49, 61] that in many years a number of the visas annually available for 203 (a) (7) applicants have gone unused. 2
The only issue before the Court is whether a refugee is totally barred from any consideration under 203 (a) (7) by virtue of resettlement following flight. In view of the language of the statute and its legislative history, I cannot but conclude that under 203 (a) (7) the respondent was eligible for the adjustment of status that he sought.
For these reasons I dissent.
[ Footnote 1 ] Section 203 (c), 8 U.S.C. 1153 (c) (1964 ed., Supp. V), which provides that visas shall be issued to eligible immigrants in the order in which a petition in behalf of each such immigrant is filed with the Attorney General, does not by its terms apply to visas issued pursuant to 203 (a) (7). And Senator Kennedy stated that under 203 (a) (7) "the cases of greatest need can be processed at once." 111 Cong. Rec. 24227.
[ Footnote 2 ] 1969 Annual Report, Immigration and Naturalization Service 38. [402 U.S. 49, 62]
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The Lean Software and Systems Consortium Conference is April 21-23. I'll be attending and am looking forward to a great conference.
The Lean SSC conference in Atlanta will be great. I'm already looking forward to more hand's on content, empirical data, and reconnecting with colleagues from last years Lean and Kanban conference in Miami.
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This is the first in a series of articles on using DNA for genealogy. I'm going to start by taking a look at two types of DNA that are used in genetic genealogy, Y-DNA and mtDNA, and explain how they can be used by family researchers to help in finding relatives and in confirming relationships. A later post will look at autosomal DNA, and how this newer test can be both very useful, but less accurate as a genealogy tool. Keep in mind that nothing I will be discussing in these articles will relate to the issue of DNA testing for health reasons. While there are companies that do both genealogy and health related DNA tests, I will only be focusing on the genealogy side.
DNA Basics
Let's start by explaining some of the basic terms and concepts of DNA, and DNA testing. As some may recall from high-school biology, humans each have 23 pairs of chromosomes. Twenty-two pairs of chromosomes are what we call autosomal chromosomes, and are inherited in equal part from both of a persons parents. In general, it is these 22 pairs of autosomal chromosomes that contain all the information that make up who you are physically – what color your hair is, what color your eyes are, how tall you are, what diseases you are pre-disposed to, etc. While interesting, most of this information is not particularly useful for genealogy purposes. The last pair of chromosomes are the sex chromosomes – two X chromosomes in a woman and an X and a Y chromosome in a man.
For the most part, the X chromosome is not very interesting from a genealogical point-of-view, or at least not any more interesting than autosomal chromosomes, since in women they are combined from each parent like autosomal chromosomes, and in men they get combined when passed on to daughters and are not passed on at all when the man has a son. Technically a man does receive the complete X chromosome from their mother, but this has limited genealogical value. From a genealogy point of view it's best to ignore the X chromosome, or at least group it with autosomal chromosomes (which will be discussed in a future article).
Y-DNA Basics
The Y chromosome, unlike autosomal chromosomes, is only passed on from father to son, and is not modified at all. Thus if you are a man you have the exact same Y chromosome as your father, as your father's father, etc. This is true going back many more generations, except that over time small mutations are introduced to the Y chromosome so eventually you will find a father who has essentially one character out of thousands that is different in the Y chromosome he has compared to his son. These mutations over time are what allow us to use the Y chromosome (or Y-DNA) for genealogical purposes.
If you find someone who has the exact same Y-DNA as you, then they are descended from a common male ancestor. Figuring out how far back that common ancestor is is where the mutations come in to play. If you find someone who has the same Y-DNA as you, except for one mutation, then you can assume the connection is further back than someone with no differences in their Y-DNA. If the person has two mutations, than the common male ancestor is even further back in time. By looking at the exact mutations, one can even figure out which people are in which branch of a family. For example, if you find three people with two mutations difference from your Y-DNA, and two of them share the one of the mutations, then you know it is likely that those two people descend from a common branch.
mtDNA Basics
You may have noticed that Y-DNA is only found in men. So how does one track their maternal line (mother to daughter)? The answer is not found in the 23 chromosome pairs of one's DNA, but in the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is the DNA in the mitochondria of cells (essentially the engine of cells). Mitochondria, found in all cells, converts food in energy to power the operation of the individual cell. The mtDNA is the DNA of the mitochondria and is passed down from a mother to her children (both daughters and sons).
There are probably a few reasons that mtDNA is only passed from mother to child, and not from the father. The first reason is that the mtDNA of sperm is found in the tail section, and the tail breaks off during the fertilization process, and only the front section of the sperm makes it into the egg to fertilize (and contribute DNA). There have been some rare occasions where it has been shown that the entire sperm has made it into the egg, but in this case there are orders of magnitude more mtDNA molecules in the woman's egg than there are in the sperm, so through dilution alone, the male's mtDNA has little chance to have an effect.
Like Y-DNA, mtDNA mutates over time, and thus can be used for genealogical purposes. However, mtDNA mutates at a slower rate than Y-DNA, and thus a single mutation would push a common maternal ancestor back much further than a single Y-DNA mutation would push back a common paternal ancestor. This slower mutation rate makes mtDNA less useful for practical genealogy.
The Path of Y-DNA and mtDNA
Thus, Y-DNA allows one to trace back direct paternal lineage (for men) and mtDNA allows one to track back direct maternal lineage (for both men and women). The following chart illustrates the path of Y-DNA and mtDNA inheritance (click to enlarge).
|The path of Y-DNA and mtDNA inheritance
Note that out of thirty-one ancestors on each side of your family going back five generations (parent + 4 grandparents + 8 great-grandparents + 16 gg-grandparents) only five people on each side share the relevant DNA (i.e. mtDNA on your mother's side, and Y-DNA on your father's side) with you. Another way to look at this is that out of the 62 ancestors you have in the past five generations, only 5 match your Y-DNA and only 5 match your mtDNA.
That, of course, is only true when looking in one direction of your family tree (from you up). For example, you share the same mtDNA with all your siblings, as well as your mother's siblings, your mother's mother's siblings, etc. and the children of all the women included among those people. Thus if your mother had a sister, then her children, your first cousins, would also share the same mtDNA that you have. If you find someone whose mother's mother's mother's mother's sister was your mother's mother's mother's mother, you would also share the same mtDNA, even though you are fourth cousins. Of course, as mtDNA mutates slowly, you may share mtDNA with people much farther away as well, so sometimes this information is not so useful (and can be frustrating). The same is true of Y-DNA, except it is only in men, so if you are male you will match with your father's brother's son, but not with your father's brother's daughter since she has no Y-DNA to match, and not with your father's sister's son, since he inherited his Y-DNA from his father, not from his mother (which is your blood relative).
How Y-DNA is used for Genealogy
I'm going to start on the genealogy side by looking at Y-DNA because it has some significant advantages over mtDNA for using as a genealogical tool. First, as traditionally surnames were passed down from the father to his children, Y-DNA should in most cases match with people's surnames. For example, just like your father's father's brother's son's Y-DNA should be the same as yours, so should his surname. This makes doing genealogy research using Y-DNA significantly easier.
Keep in mind that only men can take Y-DNA tests. If you are a woman and want to test your paternal line, you will need to have a male relative in the same paternal line take the test instead. For example, your father or brother could take the test, or your father's brother, or your father's brother's son, or any number of other male relatives that are descendent father-to-son from a common paternal ancestor.
Another important point is that some people's families only started using surnames in the past two hundred years (such as much of the Ashkenazi Jewish population) and you will find many different surnames that may match your Y-DNA since the matches (depending how close of a match) may have happened before two hundred years ago when your ancestor started using a surname. In fact, sometimes brothers in the same town were assigned different surnames (if they lived in different houses at the time surnames were assigned) and thus even if you find a close match that shares a common ancestor close to the time your family started using surnames, you might find a person with a different surname, and not realize how they are related.
This brings up an important point in using DNA for genealogy – DNA by itself will not build your family tree for you. Using DNA for genetic genealogy is just a supplement to traditional genealogy, and without pre-existing research of your family back to when there was a common ancestor, it won't help very much.
So how does Y-DNA testing work? First, you take a DNA test from a company like FamilyTree DNA (FTDNA). I mention FTDNA in particular as they have the largest Y-DNA database. When doing any DNA test for genealogy, the results you get will depend on the number of people who have also tested and have their information in the company's database. In other words, doing a DNA test for genealogy cannot tell you very much about yourself, but it can tell you about yourself in comparison to others.
FTDNA offers several levels of Y-DNA tests. They differentiate these tests by the number of 'markers' that are tested. Essentially, markers are locations on a person's Y-DNA that are prone to mutation. By comparing these markers and seeing how many are different, you can figure out how closely someone is related to you. Y-DNA tests that FTDNA offers, or has offered, include 12, 25, 37, 67 and 111 marker tests. Each test with more markers allows more accuracy in predicting relationships between people. At the 12-marker level, for example, even an exact match on all 12 markers will only indicate a common ancestors thousands of years ago. This is beyond the 'genealogical time frame' – i.e. it is beyond the point that anyone would be able to trace back their family trees and is thus essentially useless for genealogy purposes. Of course, your father and your father's father will all match you on all 12 markers, so while a 12 marker test cannot be used to show any kind of useful family connection, it can be use to disprove a family connection. For example, if you are a man and you find another man who you think is related to you on your paternal line, if your 12 marker test shows different results than the other man, then you are not likely related on your paternal line. Thus even a 12 marker test has some usefulness, but it is limited to disproving theories, not proving anything.
For genealogy, if you are planning to do a Y-DNA test, you really need to start with at least (at FTDNA) their 37 marker test. FTDNA estimates that when you find someone with the same surname as you and who has a full 37 marker match on the 37 marker test, that there is a 95% chance of a common male ancestor within 8 generations and a 50% chance of there being a common ancestor within 5 generations. Of course, these odds may not sound too good to you. Even if you have tracked your family back 8 generations, the other person who matches you on your test may not have done enough research to make a connection. With a common surname and an exact match on all 67 markers of a 67 marker test, FTDNA estimates a 90% chance of a common ancestor within 5 generation and a 50% chance of a common ancestor within 3 generations. That said, these percentages assume that all the markers match. For example, if only 66 out of 67 markers match on a 67 marker test, then the common ancestor is pushed back further in time.
Of course, each level of test with more markers is more expensive than one with less markers. One good thing about FTDNA is that they bank your DNA samples so if you, for example, buy a 37 marker Y-DNA test and later decide to upgrade to a 67 marker test, you can just order the upgrade online and they will retrieve your existing DNA sample and run the new test. You can thus spend less at the beginning, and if you find that you get a lot of 37-marker matches and want to get the 67 marker test (or even the 111 marker test) to help you refine your results, you can always do that later.
Once you have the test done, you get a few things from the company.
First, you get a list of the marker values. If you got a 37 marker test, then you'll receive a list of 37 marker values. These numbers are what get matched to others.
FTDNA will also estimate your haplogroup. Your haplogroup is a very broad designation of your ancestral origins. Essentially it means you match a common ancestor tens of thousands of years ago. This is not particularly useful from a genealogy point of view, but it can tell you something about where your very distant ancestors lived. You may have noticed I said FTDNA will estimate your haplogroup.The reason it is an estimate is that a Y-DNA test tests STR mutations and you need to test SNP mutations to really confirm one's specific haplogroup. I'm not going to go into the differences between STR and SNP mutations in this article, but FTDNA can predict your haplogroup based on how other people in its database have matched, and if they can't they will run SNP tests to confirm their result. If you want even more specificity in your haplogroup results (and sub-group results) you can also pay for what they call a Deep Clade test, which will confirm your haplogroup using SNP tests. None of this is particularly useful for practical genealogy.
In addition to your marker results and your haplogroup, FTDNA gives you what they call 'ancestral origins'. This is a list of where other people who closely match you have indicated their family originated. This is largely dependent on the information people provide on their family, and how far back people have researched their families. This can give you some areas to research, but again it is based on what other people know about their own families, which is not always accurate.
Your Y-DNA Matches
Lastly, and most importantly, you receive a list of matches. FTDNA will compare your Y-DNA markers to all the results in their database and give you a list of matches. They start by showing you a list of all the 12 marker matches. If you have an Ashkenazi Jewish background, expect hundreds or thousands of matches at this level. As mentioned, at this level your matches have little meaning from a genealogical point of view since the match could be thousands of years in the past. FTDNA then proceeds to show 25 marker matches (I believe 25 marker tests were offered in the past and later replaced by the 37 marker test), 37 marker matches, 67 marker matches, etc. Obviously you will only see results up to the level you have had tested.
Keep in mind that if you receive a match at 25 markers and you don't see the same person listed in your 37 marker results there are two possible reasons for this:
The first reason is that the person matched at 25 markers but mismatched on many of the 12 additional markers in the 37 marker test and therefore no longer shows up as a match.
The second reason that someone might not show up in the 37 marker results is that they never had more than 25 markers tested. They might actually match you completely at 37 or even 67 markers, but you won't know unless they upgrade to more markers. In this case, if you find someone at a lower marker level that you think might be a match (for example because they share your surname, or they originate from the same ancestral town) then you can try asking them to upgrade their test.
Because FTDNA is completely focused on genealogy, and does not offer health information, the assumption when you sign up is that you want to be in touch with people to research your families. In fact, when you take your initial test (by scrubbing your cheek with three swabs and mailing them in) you will also sign a release form that allows them to share your e-mail address with other matches. Other companies like 23andMe which does health testing also, have double-blind communication systems that let one communicate with someone anonymously initially, share just genealogically relevant data and then share health information later if you choose. As long as you sign the release form when you send in your DNA sample, FTDNA eliminates this extra step and just provides you with e-mail addresses of your matches. If you don't want matches to know your real e-mail address, you can always set up a dedicated e-mail address on gmail or similar service to communicate with matches on FTDNA.
In addition to the exact matches, the list includes matches that are one or more markers off from the total. For example, if there is a 12 marker match that matches 11 exactly, and the twelfth match is one value off, then it will show up as a 12 marker match with a genetic distance of 1. If another genome matches yours on 35 out of 37 markers, and the other two markers have values that differ from yours by one each, then it will show up as a 37 marker match with a genetic distance of 2. However, if the same genome was tested at 67 markers and matches all the other 30 markers, then it would instead show up as a 67 marker match with a genetic distance of two. As you move up in the number of markers you will continue to have fewer and fewer matches, as it becomes less and less likely you will receive a match. You may have hundreds of matches at the 12 marker level, dozens of matches at the 37 marker level and only a few matches at the 67 marker level, none of which may be exact matches.
All of this may seem abstract, so let's take a look at what matches look like (click to enlarge):
|Some Y-DNA matches
In the screenshot you see a selection in the middle of my results. You see all (four) of my exact matches at 37 markers (names and e-mail addresses are blurred). You can also see that there are nine 37 marker matches that are a genetic distance of one (although only the first two are shown in the screenshot). Other things to notice are that those matches that have tested at 67 markers, show that in parenthesis next to the match's name, so the last exact 37 marker match and the 2nd 37 marker match with a genetic distance of one, both show they have been tested with 67 markers.
You can also see that there are one or two icons on the right side of each match line. The first one which all of the matches show is what FTDNA calls the FTDNATIP. This is FTDNA's projection of how closely the match is related to you. For a 12 marker exact match, for example, it would show you that the person has a 33.57% chance of sharing a common ancestor within 4 generations, a 55.88% chance of sharing a common ancestor within 8 generations, and a 94.80% chance of a common ancestor within 28 generations. Like mentioned before, 12 marker matches are not easy to work with for genealogy since the matches can be so distant. By the 37 marker exact matches, the chance of a common ancestor within 4 generations jumps to 83.49% and 97.28% within 8 generations. I can't tell you what the chances of a common ancestor are for exact 67 marker matches since I don't have any, but I can tell you that the 67 marker match at a genetic distance of one has lower probabilities than an exact 37 marker match.
Oddly, FTDNA doesn't check to see if a match shows up in higher marker tests when showing these calculations, so it will show a higher probability for the same match when showing it as an exact 37 marker match than it does if it later shows up as a 67 marker match at a genetic distance of one.
The second icon with an FT in the middle, which only shows up in two of the matches in the image, indicates the person has uploaded a GEDCOM of their paternal family tree. A GEDCOM is a standard file that most genealogy programs support that contains information on who is in your family tree and how they are related. FTDNA allows you you upload a different GEDCOM for your paternal family tree (for Y-DNA matches) and for your maternal family tree (for your mtDNA matches) so that other people can view the relevant family tree and try to find relatives or at least family names in common. If the person has uploaded the relevant GEDCOM file then the icon will show up on the right side of their match and allow you to view it.
An interesting point to make here is that out of the four exact 37 marker matches, only one of them has been tested at 67 markers. This means only one match has the possibility of showing up as an exact 67 marker match in my results. In fact, that match shows up as a 67 marker match with a genetic distance of one, which means of the extra 30 markers in the 67 marker test, one of the markers is off by one value. It is possible that the other three exact 37 marker matches could be exact 67 marker matches, but without them upgrading their tests to 67 markers, there is no way to know. However, keep in mind that if you only look at the 67 marker matches, then you might miss out on these three matches which may actually be closer relatives than the one of the four which shows up in the 67 marker results.
How mtDNA is used for Genealogy
As discussed, mtDNA tracks one's maternal line, so it shows you matches from mother to child. Both men and women can take this test, since all children receive their mother's mtDNA. When you take an mtDNA test, you can use the higher-resolution tests to try to find common maternal ancestors, or you can use it to disprove a theory if you think someone shares a common maternal ancestor.
Instead of marker values like Y-DNA, mtDNA gives you the differences between your results and the CRS (Cambridge Standard Reference). The CRS is the mtDNA whose sequence all other mtDNA results are compared to, and since mtDNA mutates so slowly, the changes are not usually so large. For example, at the lowest resolution (the mtDNA test of the HVR1 region) I only differ from the CRS in two locations. In the high resolution results (the mtDNA Plus test of both HVR1 and HVR2 regions) I differ in seven locations. In the full sequence (the mtFullSequence test of the entire mtDNA genetic sequence) I differ in only 13 locations from the CRS. It is these differences which are compared to others in the database when looking for matches.
FTDNA will also assign you a maternal haplogroup and show you your ancestral origins for your mtDNA.
Your mtDNA Matches
Matches to your mtDNA work similarly to your Y-DNA matches, so I won't go into every detail, but I will explain the differences.
First, there are three levels of mtDNA matches available through FTDNA. Most other companies that provide mtDNA testing offer at least the first two. At FTDNA these testing levels are called mtDNA, mtDNA Plus and mtFullSequence. The mtDNA test tests a region of mtDNA called HVR1. The mtDNA Plus test also tests the region called HVR1 but adds a region called HVR2. This added region, like additional markers on the Y-DNA test, increases the likelihood that matches are closer related. mtDNA comprises a much smaller amount of DNA than Y-DNA or certainly all of autosomal DNA, so FTDNA offers a third option, called mtFullSequence, which tests all of the mtDNA strand.
When viewing matches, they are shown in three categories which correspond to the three testing levels: Low Resolution (HVR1), High Resolution (HVR1 + HVR2) and Full Genomic Sequence. Like in Y-DNA matches, when a match has tested at a higher level it will show when viewing the match at what level the person has tested. For example, when viewing the Low Resolution matches, if a match has taken the mtDNA Plus test, then the match will show in parenthesis next to the name HVR2. If the match has tested with the myFullSequence test, then it will show FGS next to the name. If the match also has tested in Family Finder (FTDNA's autosomal test which I will discuss in a future article) it will also indicate this next to the name.
If the person has uploaded a GEDCOM file of their maternal line, then a icon (with the letters FT) will indicate this, and clicking on it will show you the person's maternal family tree (thus the FT).
Like with Y-DNA matches you are show their actual e-mail addresses and you must contact your matches directly in order to find a connection. Finding mtDNA matches is harder than Y-DNA matches since the mutation rate is slower, the connections are generally farther back, and the matches have no correlation to one's surname. If one family had five daughters three hundred years ago and you are descendant from one of the five daughters, think how many family names each of the five daughters descendents have gone through in the intervening years. It is very difficult to track these kinds of connections.
Genetic testing is an interesting supplement to traditional genealogy, and can connect you to many potential relatives when doing research on your family. It is not a replacement for doing real genealogical research, but can help you confirm or disprove theories of how people are related, and can connect you to many potential relatives that may know of branches of your family that you are unaware. The same tests can also provide health information, genetic traits, ancient origins, etc. but these are not useful for genealogy. While genetic testing can be expensive, the cost is continually going down as more and more people try it out. As more people test, the databases in which one is comparing their DNA to others is also getting larger and larger, making them more and more useful. Genetic genealogy is only ten years old, so as more and more time goes on, it will become more and more useful, more and more accurate, and more people will be able to find real matches to relatives using genetics as their roadmap.


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Search results for author:"Lawrence P. Gallagher"
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Preparing Teachers to Design Instruction for Deep Understanding in Middle School Earth Science
William R. Penuel; Lawrence P. Gallagher
Journal of the Learning Sciences Vol. 18, No. 4 (2009) pp. 461–508
This study compared the efficacy of 3 approaches to professional development in middle school Earth science organized around the principles of Understanding by Design (Wiggins & McTighe, 1998) in a sample of 53 teachers from a large urban district....
Integration of Technology, Curriculum, and Professional Development for Advancing Middle School Mathematics: Three Large-Scale Studies
Jeremy Roschelle; Nicole Shechtman; Deborah Tatar; Stephen Hegedus; Bill Hopkins; Susan Empson; Jennifer Knudsen; Lawrence P. Gallagher
American Educational Research Journal Vol. 47, No. 4 (December 2010) pp. 833–878
The authors present three studies (two randomized controlled experiments and one embedded quasi-experiment) designed to evaluate the impact of replacement units targeting student learning of advanced middle school mathematics. The studies evaluated...


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The Nightmare Before Christmas: Autumn Snowliage in Vermont
The Blue Green Dragon has Her Autumn Fire Cooled by Old Man Winter
Mother Nature had early tricks in mind for Vermont this Halloween, though fortunately, she and her pal, Old Man Winter, kept things light. Autumn snowstorms can be devastating to deciduous trees and shrubs here in New England; especially when the more fragile species are still in full canopy. Two years ago, to the day (October 26-27, 2016), fall foliage held late, and my garden did not escape Winter's early wrath so easily. There was heavy, wet snowfall and a great deal of damage. Thankfully, this year's snowliage was light and for the most part, less Nightmare Before Christmas and more pre-Halloween treat . . .
And the Lovely Scarlet Leaves of this Cornus kousa Catch a Premature Chill
Snow-Dusted Loungers, Shiver out on the Balcony
Taking in the Chilly-Looking, North-Western View
Frozen Leaf-Dance in the Water Bowl. Perhaps it's Time to Gather in the Pots
And Tuck the Secret Garden in for a Long Winter's NapÂ
Fire and Ice: Cornus kousa in Snow.Â
Article and Images copyright Michaela at The Gardener's Eden, all rights reserved. All content on this site, (with noted exceptions), is the property of The Gardener's Eden and may not be used, reproduced or reposted elsewhere without written consent.
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2 Replies to "The Nightmare Before Christmas: Autumn Snowliage in Vermont"
It made for some beautiful pictures! Glad you didn't sustain too much damage.
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Summer Carnival Event 2016The Carnival has returned to town! Get ready to play some games, help some Bushwhackian residents and win carnival tokens which you can exchange for cool prizes at the Carnival Event Vendor!
The Carnival Games:
A staple of any summer carnival or fair, are those devilish carnival games. There are four different games which will unlock over the course of the event and they include "Balloon Popper," "Whack-A-Mole," "Baseball Throw," and "Duck Shoot." Don't worry, there's no skill involved with these games, you play them automatically when you interact with them.
- It costs 4 carnival tickets to play each game, and you can whack those tickets out of the bushes, or purchase them from Timmy in the Event area for Bush Bucks (30 Salvaged Tickets for 30 Bush Bucks)
- You receive Carnival Tokens based on how well you do. Now, we're not saying they're rigged in the Carnival's favour or anything, but you'll definitely want to ask your friends to help you rig these games to help you! (Platforms without Friend functionality are balanced accordingly.)
To get started, the Balloon Popper game is unlocked! As well, it seems William needs your help to satisfy his sweet-tooth!
The Pandaclaw was wandering around here somewhere....build the teleporter and complete all the quests and get your very own!
The dunk tank makes a triumphant return this year! Can you dunk all 8 helpless Bushwhackian residents? This year, NPCs you haven't dunked yet will have a yellow exclamation mark above their heads, to let you know you still need to send them plunging into the icy waters of the tank! Help them all cool off!
New for 2016
We've added 6 new quest to the event! Look for them to start as it unfolds! Did you know that Pete the Carney (the clown posted at the entrance to the event zone, had a brother?
And all that bush whacking must make you hot. I wonder how you could cool down....
Event Achievements- POSSIBLE SPOILER ALERT!!!There are up to 14 possible achievements that can be picked up during the Summer Carnival 2016 event, depending on your game history.
Achievements Returning in 2016:
Step Right Up - Win a Prize Token gaming at the Carnival!
We have a Winner - Win 8 Prize Tokens at once at the Carnival.
Carnival Ace - Win 8 Prize Tokens at all 4 Carnival Games.
Gotta Try 'Em All! - Play all four games offered at the Carnival!
Big Time Bonus Buyer - Purchase 10 Bonus Prize Packs from the Carnival!
Sweet Tooth - Help William satisfy his Sweet Tooth. Or not.
Nostalgic Whacker - Repair the teleporter and fulfill your duty…
Dunk-a-Thon! - Dunk all eight unique Carnival Event dunk-ees!
Added/Changed for 2016
Carnival Compulsion - Purchase all the 2016 Carnival Event items.*
* The Carnival Mini Golf piece is NOT included in the Carnival Compulsion achievement, and therefore it is not required to purchase it.
We have 5 achievements from previous years, which may be earnable by spending some Bush Bucks, if a player was not present during the initial year:
Carnival Customization - Buy all 6 player items from the 2012 Carnival
Party at My Place - Buy all 6 house items from the 2012 Carnival!
Carnival Collector - Purchase all of the 2013 Carnival event items.
Carnival Connoisseur - Buy all the 2014 Carnival event items. Carni-Value! - Purchase all the 2015 Carnival Event items.
Pet PacksNew 2016 Pet Packs (Coming Soon)
Previous Year Pets (Available for Bush Bucks)
Unraveling Doll - Decreases your odds to win Nothing by up to 30%
Turtle Wagon - Up to 30% of your Nothing wins will turn into Gold
Orangutan - Increases your odds to win Fruit(Energy) by up to 30%
Teddy Bear Car - Turns up to 25% of Nothing wins into Mana at Max Level
Carnie Pig - Increases Puzzle odds by up to 15% at Max Level
Stuffed Unicorn - Turns up to 25% of Nothing Wins into Energy at Max Level
Nate Duck: Odds to win Nothing -30% at Max Level
Cotton Candy Duck: Nothing wins change to Energy by up to 25%
Gunslinger Duck: Nothing Wings change to Mana up to 25%
Post your celebration plans on the forums!
The event will run until Friday August 5th at Noon PDT!
To kick off the event, we're having a sale! Get 30% more on purchase of 50 Bush Bucks or more! Plus, if you purchase 100 Bush Bucks or more, get a free mount! The sale runs until Monday July 25th at Noon PDT!
Frequently Asked Questions
- When will the last quest unlock?
All quests will be unlocked by the 11th day of the event.
- Where can I buy Last Year's items?
There are two vendors. The one in the tent has this year's items. The other is the one with the party hat and will have all previous year items for Bush Bucks.
- What contributes to my 100% progress?
You need 200 plays of any combo of the games to get 100%. Just whack up tickets to play the games, and turn in quests to get tickets as well.
- Why do I want to ask friends for help?
It helps you rig the game and improve your chances of getting 8 tokens.
- Do I have to do the achievements?
No. Completing the goals for the achievements is totally optional. You get either a large energy pack or a title for your character from them, no event progress.
- Where can I see all the achievements available and how to get them?
Either on the holiday dialog, the achievements dialog, or on the blog.
- Where can I see progress on the Dunking Achievement?
Click on the inventory icon and then click on the Achievements list (gold star). Look for the ones listed above in that list.


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Is it possible to add new fonts to the Text tool? How is this done and where can I obtain/prepare font files to use in AR?
Is it possible to add new fonts to the Text tool? How is this done and where can I obtain/prepare font files to use in AR?
Hello Kupuna,
ArtRage doesn't actually store any fonts itself, instead it accesses the fonts that are installed on your system.
So to add a new font, just instal it to your computer as normal and then launch or relaunch AR and the new font should be available.
Maker Of Replica Macoys
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The only restriction is that they need to be TTF (TrueType Fonts). ArtRage will automatically load any supported fonts installed on your computer.
Feeling foolish, I blew right past the fact that there was a Font popup. I have many fonts on my system. Happy guy!
Thanks for your patience! I'm slowly knitting the pieces together. Now I can add fonts to my repertoire.
That is not true...I have about 50 .ttf fonts, that do not load.
@ sydney1940
It's a bit tricky with fonts. I don't really know why some programs don't load certain fonts, but it happened to me too repeatedly. I also had this problem some years ago with Adobes Creative Suite. In that case I could solve the problem by installing the concerning fonts a second time directly into the fonts folder of the Creative Suite. Unfortunatly ArtRage doesn't have such a folder. But that is not so important for me. ArtRage is a painting-software that works with pixels. And pixels aren't optimal for text. I use to work with some additional programs like Inkscape and GIMP to create content like canvas, stencils and brushes for ArtRage. It's no problem to create even text with those programs, to use it in ArtRage. Or, especially for running text, to import the images I painted with ArtRage into a vector or DTP Software and combine them with text there.
Last edited by Somerset; 08-18-2020 at 04:43 AM.


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