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3/10/09 - Frozen


MOVIE - "Last House" & "Witch Mtn"
ART - These are your arts, on sale -high-
LOCAL - No state stem cells -ajc-
U.S. - Guilty consumption -nyt-
FRANCE - Eat in NYC & Paris -nyt-
WEB - Green Guide -nat geo-

Photo shoot at Beleza and March 1st Snow. After last weekend's gorgeous weather, it's hard to believe the snow pics are from only 6 days prior. Mother Nature isn't fooling me, though; the tomato plants are staying indoors.

MOVIE NEWS - "Last House on the Left" re-envisions the 1972 original & "Race to Witch Mountain", remakes "Escape to Witch Mountain" from 1975.

ART NEWS - These are your arts, on sale -high- I've been a member of the High Museum of Art since 1987 and I don't recall ever seeing so many discount tickets being promoted - 50% off evenings, $5 college night, aquarium/high discount passes. That, to me, is a real sign of the recession.

LOCAL NEWS - No state stem cells -ajc- A Senate Committee in our brilliant state legislature has approved a bill that would to define an embryo as a person, thereby making all stem cell research illegal and putting Georgia in the back of the line in the forward-moving science of stem cell research. Specifically, the bill would prohibit couples from donating their embryos to science or discarding them. Dan Becker, president of Georgia Right to Life, argued - “No one’s right for a cure supercedes another’s right to life." So, every embryo has a right to life, but some folks (with MS, Parkingson's, etc) only have a right to a shitty life.

Thanks, Guv'nor Sunshine; those frozen, future taxpayers would have more legal protection than I do; how about passing legislation for a Hate Crimes Bill that would protect us all right here and now? Because this could have been me ---> "Man Attacked Outside Popular Gay Bar" -wsb-

U.S. NEWS - Guilty Consumption -nyt- Finally! I'm cool! I've always been a little on the frugal side, preferring to have money than to spend it ("thanks, dad!"), but now apparently that is trendy: “I do think that maybe now it’s a little bit chic or something to save money, or to be pinching pennies”

FRANCE NEWS - Eating in NYC & Paris -nyt- I like the quote “Americans in a bistro are like ladybugs in a garden, a sign of its rude good health.”

WEB NEWS - Green Guide -nat geo-

"If I had a hammer..." ...I probably wouldn't wear it (exactly) like this --> nyt

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Jeff,

We can honorably disagree about when human life actually begins, but your post about stem cells ignores the very valuable and promising research on adult stem cells that could avoid the need for research on embryos altogether. Adult stem cells have the potential to transform into all other cell types and, unlike, embryonic stem cells, have actually been used in therapy.

Nothing in the article you cited indicates that the state intends to make ALL stem cell research illegal, just the research that destroys human embryos. That's a big difference from "making all stem cell research illegal," don't you think?

Research: it's not just for college anymore.

Contrarily Yours,

Anonymous Coward

Jeff Keesee said...

OMG! Thanks, A.C.! You've totally changed my mind! The courage of your convictions resonates strongly through the mask behind which you hide! Bravo!

1 - "Research". You are so right, the GA Legislature (or GALE) only seeks to make illegal the destruction of embyronic stem cells and thereby restrict research on those stem cells, not "adult stem cells". With that teensy, weensy little restriction in place, I'm totally sure that any high tech firm would still gladly locate in Georgia instead of some immoral state with no restrictions.

2 - "Adult stem cells...potential". Once again, you got me! At this point, adult stem cells do indeed have "potential". Currently, they are considered "rare" and can not be replicated in any useful quantities, but they still have potential! Just like I have potential to grow a 3rd eye or sprout gills. I mean, it COULD happen! Yeah, potential!

3 - Sanctity of Life. From what I hear on NPR (I know, I know, not balanced...I need to hear the other side of the story reported by someone more even-handed, like Shawn Hannity or Howard Stern), GALE wants to prevent the "destruction" of all embryos. I guess that means that all embryos (created in an IVF process) must be either brought to term or frozen forever. In my mind, that means either:

1) No embyros - No extra embryos can be created and therefore no IVF.

2) Embryos forever - People seeking IVF must agree to fund the storage of their little popsicles in perpetuity. (We'll just store them next to radioactive waste...they'll have the same 1/2 life!)

3) All embryos to term - More octomoms.

Thanks so much for opening my eyes!

http://stemcells.nih.gov/info/basics/basics5.asp

http://www.emoryhealthcare.org/departments/ivf/services/ivf_procedures.html

Anonymous said...

Wow. You sound bitter. You might want to lay off the caffeine next time.