Wondering about all the hoo-haa in South Korea and what it exactly means? Vis DailyKos, an excellent article on the new stem cell process. Please note that the cell itself is stripped of its own genetic content, and is unfertilized to boot.
Also note, just today the President has reminded everyone he will veto the new bill loosening restrictions agasint stem cell research in the US.
CUT TO:
The year 2042.
Timmy (in wheelchair): Mommy, why are all those other children skipping and playing?
Mommy: Because President Bush saved us from evil, evil gene science!
Timmy: ... you do realize I hate you, right?
Mommy: At least you don't have devil cells in your spine. Now hold still while I clean your breathing tube.
13 comments:
Like those Truth anti-tobacco commercials, that would be funny if it weren't true.
It's gotten to the point now where every time I see a picture of Bush, or hear his voice, I just want to punch him in the face.
We need a campaign - just like the Truth ads - to call these right wing religious zealots on the carpet. This is a technology that could cure Alzheimer's, Parkinson's (which my grandfather had)and myriad other diseases.
People WILL go to other countries for treatment. The US will become dependent on other countries for medicines and procedures...welcome to the third world good old US of A.
What's it going to take? One of his relatives to get a disease?
And don't even let me get started on this bullshit about intelligent design in schools...
"Cant we just split, North and South, red state and blue."
Man, and we're even behind Korea in that, too.
It's worth pointing out that stem cell research itself is not restricted in the US -- There are, instead, restrictions on what types of stem cell research the US federal gov't is allowed to fund.
That's not to say those restrictions aren't significant; but at the same time, private biotech firms in the US are still free to do more or less whatever regarding stem cell research provided they do it with their own money.
those restrictions aren't just significant -- they're crippling. Because of the ban, scientists are not only forced to work within the 11 approved strains, but because everyone is, there are incredibly long delays in getting samples of those stem cell strains.
Corporate-funded research into this tends to be more results-oriented, and the funds available vary wildly from state to state -- forcing researchers, if they want to work on stem cell research to relocate. And that's assuming there's a facility in a friendly state with a slot open for them.
On a personal preference point, I don't like this sort fo research being dominated by private research. More copyrighted genes are not our friends.
A lot of you talk about slapping Bush. I don't know how funny that actually is... I mean, he's still the President of the USA, and if you don't like him, fine. But resorting to juvenile violence seems pretty low brow and disrespectful to me. Perhaps you all need to grow up, or stop trying to be funny, because you're not. But I am. Oh jeez, now you're all gonna cry, I'll get out the tissues.
"bitch-slap", tristan, is a commonly used metaphor for a "public come-uppance." See, in example, George Galloway's recent "bitch-slap" of the Senate Oil-for-Food hearing and specifically Norm Coleman.
I don't believe these folk were trying to be funny. They generally leave that to me. But seeing as you didn't recognize a commonly used metaphor, I'm not surprised you couldn't tell which humans were trying to be funny and which weren't.
I, on the other hand, never metaphor I didn't like.
Asking others to grow up, and then mocking them for crying, like you're a school-yard bully ... well ... if you think that's funny, then despite what your mom may have told you about not worrying about the girls dating all the other boys because they don't appreciate your special gifts like your sense of humor, well, I hate to to break it to you, but it was just her way of keeping you from slitting your wrists on prom night because you were sitting there watching "Dukes of Hazzard" while everybody else was out forming sex/booze memories to last a lifetime.
I can assure you, it'd take a lot more than whatever you call that weak-ass piece of writing you just flopped on the table to reduce anyone at this site to tears. Bring strong facts or good jokes to the dojo, insert-your-ad-hominem-attack-here, or do not return. Your kung fu is not strong.
On the other hand, you have some very talented artists on your site. Nice job.
See, that's what I love about America. We have low brow humor ranging all the way to high brow humor. I was just talking to Salman Rushdie (yes in person) about fiction recently. People get too serious about the reality of fiction and begin to believe it's real. And in defense of myself, I may have missunderstood the metaphor, but I'm more about the deep reaching alegory. So perhaps it comes back to the fact that I stood up for a time honored position out of resprect, meanwhile there are those... who, and this doesn't change the facts, that are running around using a vocabulary that consists of "bitch" and "slap" and sorry if I find that all together crude. I can roll with the punches like anybody, but I think my sarcasm came off a just plain mean. So, I apologize, and if anyone still needs a box of tissues...
It's o.k. to kill a baby if you give birth to it, raise it with love and than give it over to the Government at the age of 18 so it can be killed. Of course that same baby is too young to drink, (he know it doesn't have enough sense yet.) But killing another 18 year old or being killed is appropriate. F-them. Next election VOTE OTHER... They all have to go! THE RICH VS. THE POOR(NEW ORLEANS FOR EXAMPLE)
u people are plain stupid i dont agree about slapin bush my family and friends beleive in him and also my family voted for him so slap your selfs
bitch slap all of u
all u peeps are just out of your mind if u dont like bush goodness hes cool u guys and gurlz must come from another country or some where not on the map
Unfortunately, it turns out that the numbers in this research were, in some portion, cooked by the head scientist. Not to say this technique can't eventually work, just not yet. All the more reason for better/more funding in the United States. (12/16)
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