Okay, so at the end of my last post I said I wasn't going to get political. Well, I've got just a few opinions and then I'll get back to my normal stuff.
First, a few comments about the Cindy Sheehan hoopla. 1) She has every right to state her opinion and hold demonstrations. Gotta love that 1st amendment. 2) While I don't necessarily think that 'W' needs to meet with her personally, I agree that she, and the rest of the U.S., has a right to ask for and receive an explanation on this war. And it is still a war whether it is officially called that or not. We are spending billions of dollars and losing hundreds of men and women, and most of us (I would argue that includes 'W') don't know the reason. 3) The fact that this one woman has made so many headlines suggests to me that most Americans want answers because if they didn't, this woman probably would have been swept aside in the media's eyes as "just another nutcase."
Second, these freaking gas prices are outrageous! Seriously, $2.75 for a gallon? I remember paying less than a dollar (yes, yes, Dad, I'm sure you remember paying a nickel). While I don't mean to sound like a conspiracy theorist, isn't it strange how the oil prices increased so much within the past 5 years? Just asking...
Finally, a thought on stem cell research. One of the newest experiments involves the use of eggs donated by women specifically for stem cell research (for reference see the New England Journal of Medicine, July 7). These are not fertilized eggs mind you, just the normal eggs we will all lose naturally. This is happening in Korea, obviously not here, good ol' W. would never agree to something like that. While I don't know the details of the techniques (hey, I'm only an M2), here's the gist of it. Scientists would take an 'adult' cell, say maybe a maybe a muscle cel and implant the nucleus of that cell into a donated egg where it would develop into a blastocyst. This type of cell can become any type of cell in the body. Korea has conducted this type of research and it is looking especially promising in treatment/cure of diabetes and spinal cord injury. This makes me wonder if I would consider donating an egg for research purposes? Would you? What about if you had a family member with a disease that would benefit from this research? There are some risks involved, but would the risks outweigh the benefits? Of course, I will most likely never get the chance.
Just a quick update since I've been rambling on. Classes are going fine. I'm still trying to get used to the new 2hr format. Right now, I'm spacing out at about 1 and 1/2 hours in. Isabelle is doing fine too. She has now figured out that I am not going to take her back, so she is now attacking my legs, hair, arms, head...pretty much my whole body...in my sleep. She actually ran up and jumped onto my leg as I walked in the door yesterday. Yes, I was standing with a cat dangling from my let. After I knocked her off, it took me a minute to realize that wet feeling on my leg was probably blood. Good thing I'm not squeamish.
First, a few comments about the Cindy Sheehan hoopla. 1) She has every right to state her opinion and hold demonstrations. Gotta love that 1st amendment. 2) While I don't necessarily think that 'W' needs to meet with her personally, I agree that she, and the rest of the U.S., has a right to ask for and receive an explanation on this war. And it is still a war whether it is officially called that or not. We are spending billions of dollars and losing hundreds of men and women, and most of us (I would argue that includes 'W') don't know the reason. 3) The fact that this one woman has made so many headlines suggests to me that most Americans want answers because if they didn't, this woman probably would have been swept aside in the media's eyes as "just another nutcase."
Second, these freaking gas prices are outrageous! Seriously, $2.75 for a gallon? I remember paying less than a dollar (yes, yes, Dad, I'm sure you remember paying a nickel). While I don't mean to sound like a conspiracy theorist, isn't it strange how the oil prices increased so much within the past 5 years? Just asking...
Finally, a thought on stem cell research. One of the newest experiments involves the use of eggs donated by women specifically for stem cell research (for reference see the New England Journal of Medicine, July 7). These are not fertilized eggs mind you, just the normal eggs we will all lose naturally. This is happening in Korea, obviously not here, good ol' W. would never agree to something like that. While I don't know the details of the techniques (hey, I'm only an M2), here's the gist of it. Scientists would take an 'adult' cell, say maybe a maybe a muscle cel and implant the nucleus of that cell into a donated egg where it would develop into a blastocyst. This type of cell can become any type of cell in the body. Korea has conducted this type of research and it is looking especially promising in treatment/cure of diabetes and spinal cord injury. This makes me wonder if I would consider donating an egg for research purposes? Would you? What about if you had a family member with a disease that would benefit from this research? There are some risks involved, but would the risks outweigh the benefits? Of course, I will most likely never get the chance.
Just a quick update since I've been rambling on. Classes are going fine. I'm still trying to get used to the new 2hr format. Right now, I'm spacing out at about 1 and 1/2 hours in. Isabelle is doing fine too. She has now figured out that I am not going to take her back, so she is now attacking my legs, hair, arms, head...pretty much my whole body...in my sleep. She actually ran up and jumped onto my leg as I walked in the door yesterday. Yes, I was standing with a cat dangling from my let. After I knocked her off, it took me a minute to realize that wet feeling on my leg was probably blood. Good thing I'm not squeamish.
posted by Janet @ 6:59 PM
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