a story which involved President Obama signing an executive order that will open up federal funding for stem cell research. Now this is as controversial as a topic as abortion. But when it comes to stem cells there is an affect on far more people. For when it comes to stem cell research the possibilities are endless. Without getting far to technical let me make an attempt at telling you what are stem cells. But to understand the controversy all you have to do is ask one simple question.
First understand that there are mainly two types of stem cells. Adult stem cells at as sort of an repair system for the body while helping the normal turnover of cells in certain parts of the body. These cells are very specialized for that part of the body so they are very limited in their capabilities. An example is bone marrow transplants, it is usually adult stem cells that are transplanted where they multiply and order to help cure the ailment. Very non-controversial because there are no embryos involved nor is the patient in danger because of the testing involved in matching.
Embryonic stem cells are...well...let's just start from the beginning...the very beginning. Most of us know that after conception the fertilized egg divides two-by-two-by-two and so on. What makes this so special is that these new cells are not specialized. This means that you cannot call them anything specific (heart cells, blood cells, nervous cells, etc.) that are just embryonic cells. Four to five days after conception this mass of cells is called a blastocyst. It is soon following that where differentiation comes. This is where each cell, in no lesser terms, gets their assignment and turns into something. Then that embryo becomes a fetus and so on and so forth.
What scientist wanted to do is take those non-differentiated cells and be able to give them their assignment. If successful we will be able to grow new cells to help aid and hopefully heal what some consider tramatic ailments. Think about it. What if you can grow new brain cells that can be implanted into a patient with parkinson's disease or alzheimer's? Being able to regenerate nervous cells that can be placed into someone that has suffered a spinal cord injury. You could one day (possibly not in our lifetime but it's nice to dream) create your own organs. Maybe down the road if you were to suffer kidney failure and needed a transplant. Take some stem cells then slap in your DNA from your kidney in a dish, simmer and stir, then viola a new kidney!! Freshly made to order like Subway sandwich.
Here's the question that starts the argument: When do YOU believe life begins?
Depending upon your answer places you somewhere on the polictical seesaw that quabbles over whether stem cell research should or should not be allowed. If you believe that life starts at conception then you lie on the far right. From your prespective stem cell research is more immoral then unneeded for society. There is a very good chance that say that you cannot disrupt God's work and to do so would be against God's law. Nothing wrong with that view. It clearly shows a belief in a higher power that drives everything in our lives. There has to be a higher power involved in one way or another due to the fact I have yet to hear a legitimate reason as to what factors make what cells in the blastocyst. If you say that life begins at birth then you lay on the left side of the argument. You say that research is needed to help the ills of society for eveyone deserve to live a ailment free life as much as possible. You feel that if God gave humans the ability to think on a higher level than other species then humans should be able use that intelligence to better there society. Just as good of an argument. You still believe in a higher power but your a little more liberal in your interpretation. Most of us lie someone in between and some change our views dependent on what is happening in our lives. Oh and myself, I believe that life begins once the heart begins to beat. Without getting to technical, in order to have a heartbeat there must be brain activity. You cannot have one without the other. It is just scientifically impossible. With that happening you will have your two most important organs functioning and everything else goes from there. So I feel that there can be stem cell research for the good of society.
Now other than abortion, stem cell research is as much of a fire starter as any argument you could find. If you are a radio talk show host and the content is getting dull and boring then open up either on eof these two arguments and watch the phone lines light up.
What's your opinion???
Friday, March 6, 2009
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
So I hear that Jack Cafferty of CNN...
has a crush on Michelle Obama. Well Jack join the club!!! There are no dues and we will meet on the internet on a predetermined date. I voted for Obama in November on the belief that he will and is currently trying to bring about a change that is so surely needed after the hell we just went through. A bad war fought over false pretenses and a form of constitutional dictatorship that seems to have violated millions of peoples rights with no regard to the bill of rights. Backroom deals along with backstabbing acts that causes some to try and invoke executive privilege in the hopes of slithering out of town untouched. We the people needed something better so we can hold these truths to be self-evident. What if Congress did not pass the 22ND amendment in 1947 and the states ratify it in 1951? Think of the possibilities. Just the shear thought of Bush even considering running for a third term; what would his platform be? How would he be received at the convention? But enough with dreaming...
January 20th 2009 is one of the greatest days in American history. Hell, over the past fifty years, it may be one of the greatest days in world history. What came from that day is an almost complete 180 shift from what we had been going through for the better part of a decade. To see that type of man take the oath of office after running that type of campaign is a sight that I will surely remember for the rest of my life. We as a people needed this. It was the fresh air that comes into a stagnant room an a spring day once you open the window. Every generation has a moment in time either good or bad (mostly bad) that is defining to them decades from now. Pearl Harbor, Bombing of Japan, Kennedy Assassination, MLK Assassination, Watergate, Challenger, Oklahoma City, and 9/11 are all of those generational stamps that when you ask someone that lived during that time they remember exactly when, where, and what. I was with my dad watching it on TV while my sister was freezing on the Mall and my mom was at work.
President Obama carries with him the hopes and dreams of millions of people that saw from where we have came and were afraid of where we were going. It is a new day in America. But this man shows what America is all about. The land where truly it is possible for someone with good intentions, clear path, focus, and determination can become whatever they want to be. Now if he succeeds or fails only time will tell. But at least to be given the opportunity says more about this country than anything else.
Remember "Life, Liberty, and the PURSUIT of happiness"
January 20th 2009 is one of the greatest days in American history. Hell, over the past fifty years, it may be one of the greatest days in world history. What came from that day is an almost complete 180 shift from what we had been going through for the better part of a decade. To see that type of man take the oath of office after running that type of campaign is a sight that I will surely remember for the rest of my life. We as a people needed this. It was the fresh air that comes into a stagnant room an a spring day once you open the window. Every generation has a moment in time either good or bad (mostly bad) that is defining to them decades from now. Pearl Harbor, Bombing of Japan, Kennedy Assassination, MLK Assassination, Watergate, Challenger, Oklahoma City, and 9/11 are all of those generational stamps that when you ask someone that lived during that time they remember exactly when, where, and what. I was with my dad watching it on TV while my sister was freezing on the Mall and my mom was at work.
President Obama carries with him the hopes and dreams of millions of people that saw from where we have came and were afraid of where we were going. It is a new day in America. But this man shows what America is all about. The land where truly it is possible for someone with good intentions, clear path, focus, and determination can become whatever they want to be. Now if he succeeds or fails only time will tell. But at least to be given the opportunity says more about this country than anything else.
Remember "Life, Liberty, and the PURSUIT of happiness"
Monday, March 2, 2009
It all starts while watching Family Guy....
...some of you may know the episode where Brian gets the radio show which is eventually called "Dingo and the Baby" after Stewie gets to be co-host. It all got my thinking about Rush Limbaugh, well not just Rush, but most of these so-called pundits (mostly Rush though). People that try to persuade public opinion either to the right with Bill O'Riley or the left with Keith Olberman (maybe the middle "allegedly" according to Lou Dobbs) with an hour or two of information-laced personal opinion. I mean most of these people are very well educated in their fields which have over the years helped formulate these views.
But doesn't it seem that maybe, just maybe, it's getting to be more of an infomercial for his/her version of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. The big initial advertisement of the problem (the government/country is going to hell in a hand basket), then there is the explanation of the solution (change and/or criticize leaders in a seven minute block). Finally there is the "BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!!!" moment which is that top story which makes you stick around through all those smaller segments. It's like a fancy Shamwow segment.
I guess it is the craziness which makes are Democracy so great. Just the good fortune of living in a country that allows for such contrast of opinions and yet we are able to listen and choose between the them without the threat of imprisonment or worse.
God Bless America!!!!
But doesn't it seem that maybe, just maybe, it's getting to be more of an infomercial for his/her version of the Constitution and Declaration of Independence. The big initial advertisement of the problem (the government/country is going to hell in a hand basket), then there is the explanation of the solution (change and/or criticize leaders in a seven minute block). Finally there is the "BUT WAIT THERE'S MORE!!!" moment which is that top story which makes you stick around through all those smaller segments. It's like a fancy Shamwow segment.
I guess it is the craziness which makes are Democracy so great. Just the good fortune of living in a country that allows for such contrast of opinions and yet we are able to listen and choose between the them without the threat of imprisonment or worse.
God Bless America!!!!
Thursday, February 26, 2009
I'm lifting weights right...
wait a minute!!! You are reading thinking that a person who has a blog doesn't lift??!! Bwah haha you of narrow mind! Oh yeah I lift. But no weird cousin going out of the country to get me roids and such. My frame is o' naturale ladies and gentlemen.
But to the subject for tonight. Our economy is so out of control I swear somebody needs to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch. It is to the point where is it me or are fewer and fewer people watching the Dow Jones Industrial Average like it use to during the "boom" prior to the most recent crash. It use to be that as the dow fell the inverse would happen for americans fears. But like most other finite quantities in life a ceiling was found. Now it seems like americans just don't care about wall street. What is happening on main street is a thousand times more important.
Take me for example. This time last year I was just starting to dip my size 13 toes into the stock market in an way just to save a little more money than to make more money. I opened an account with TDAmeritrade, placed in a modest amount (not the ENTIRE fortune, just a couple of bucks) and began to play the game. At first I was ok. Small gains and losses, hell, one stock I picked went up 50% in a three months span. Nothing spectaular but the best thing was that I was learning along the way and CNBC became one of the great four (ESPN, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN). Then all hell broke loose. The big honking financial institutions began to crumble and be eaten by the even bigger and more honkiner financial institutions. This mainly due to (but not exclusive) bad mortgages, CDO's, and CDS's (I know those abbreviations thanks to CNBC). Add onto that the loose and I mean brothel loose regulation that started way back during the Clinton administration but was encouraged during W's stint on Pennslyvania Avenue. Sprinkle on a little corruption and horrific management and you now get the President saying that it may take $3 trillion+ dollars to get it back on the right track, hopefully. Once that crap slapped the fan like an angry pimp I got out the water and until the lifeguard tells me that the clorine level is normal and its safe to swim I'll just stay on the astroturf.
The more and more people I come across everyday I see the same conclusion; people just want to be able to keep the money they have and not necessarily make more, just keep making. How this bank or that brokerage firm does doesn't mean a damn thing to the average american. At least the ones that I speak with at work. If the big three car companies were to collapse, so what, as long as my job is ok I could care less. With the threat of failures and collapses of big companies seem not to affect the average Joe/Jane I see. As a note, I do work in an area of the country where to be middle class would be great but most are not. If a store closes then they will shop at another, if a dealership closes then they will buy from somebody else. It is not a case of who is leaving but who is still here. Simple case of another one bits the dust.
Unfortunately, it took years and years of greed and deception that got us into this deep collapsing hole but we have gotten out of just as deep of ditches. But as a country we must learn from our mistakes and hope that at least for a time somewhere in the future we will look and see how deep the hole is before falling in.
But to the subject for tonight. Our economy is so out of control I swear somebody needs to wipe the slate clean and start from scratch. It is to the point where is it me or are fewer and fewer people watching the Dow Jones Industrial Average like it use to during the "boom" prior to the most recent crash. It use to be that as the dow fell the inverse would happen for americans fears. But like most other finite quantities in life a ceiling was found. Now it seems like americans just don't care about wall street. What is happening on main street is a thousand times more important.
Take me for example. This time last year I was just starting to dip my size 13 toes into the stock market in an way just to save a little more money than to make more money. I opened an account with TDAmeritrade, placed in a modest amount (not the ENTIRE fortune, just a couple of bucks) and began to play the game. At first I was ok. Small gains and losses, hell, one stock I picked went up 50% in a three months span. Nothing spectaular but the best thing was that I was learning along the way and CNBC became one of the great four (ESPN, MSNBC, CNBC, CNN). Then all hell broke loose. The big honking financial institutions began to crumble and be eaten by the even bigger and more honkiner financial institutions. This mainly due to (but not exclusive) bad mortgages, CDO's, and CDS's (I know those abbreviations thanks to CNBC). Add onto that the loose and I mean brothel loose regulation that started way back during the Clinton administration but was encouraged during W's stint on Pennslyvania Avenue. Sprinkle on a little corruption and horrific management and you now get the President saying that it may take $3 trillion+ dollars to get it back on the right track, hopefully. Once that crap slapped the fan like an angry pimp I got out the water and until the lifeguard tells me that the clorine level is normal and its safe to swim I'll just stay on the astroturf.
The more and more people I come across everyday I see the same conclusion; people just want to be able to keep the money they have and not necessarily make more, just keep making. How this bank or that brokerage firm does doesn't mean a damn thing to the average american. At least the ones that I speak with at work. If the big three car companies were to collapse, so what, as long as my job is ok I could care less. With the threat of failures and collapses of big companies seem not to affect the average Joe/Jane I see. As a note, I do work in an area of the country where to be middle class would be great but most are not. If a store closes then they will shop at another, if a dealership closes then they will buy from somebody else. It is not a case of who is leaving but who is still here. Simple case of another one bits the dust.
Unfortunately, it took years and years of greed and deception that got us into this deep collapsing hole but we have gotten out of just as deep of ditches. But as a country we must learn from our mistakes and hope that at least for a time somewhere in the future we will look and see how deep the hole is before falling in.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
So I was thinking....
what you may think that I was not thinking??!! Really, I mean for the stuff I go through and see on a daily basis a few thoughts tend to run through my head. I mainly get my musings from everyday life. Especially if told through the four basic forums: ESPN, MSNBC, CNBC, and CNN. I just got on twitter (which is a very good social tool) and got the idea to start a blog that just allows me to upchuck (vomit to those who don't know) my mental abnormalities onto the laptop screen. Here will be my format:
Probably 2-3 times a week I will give you my take on a few topics that may or may not lie on the frontpage or featured in the A-block. Now this take is definitely not of the usual take. This is mainly due to may lifetime of sit-coms and a weird obsession with the History Channel. A subtle melting pot of experience and insanity with a dash of WTF!!!
So sit back or lay back and relax depending on your current position in life and be entertained. Hope you enjoy!!
Probably 2-3 times a week I will give you my take on a few topics that may or may not lie on the frontpage or featured in the A-block. Now this take is definitely not of the usual take. This is mainly due to may lifetime of sit-coms and a weird obsession with the History Channel. A subtle melting pot of experience and insanity with a dash of WTF!!!
So sit back or lay back and relax depending on your current position in life and be entertained. Hope you enjoy!!
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