After eight years of the Bush era, Americans who are pro stem cell research can finally have hope that they can hold onto. President Barack Obama signed an executive order today that will reverse the ban on funding stem cell research..I know there are many Americans who disagree with research because it is unethical, but I don’t see it the same way.
In case you were unaware what stem cell research is, I will give a short explanation based on my knowledge of it. I would recommend that those reading this should look up more info about it. Stem Cells are blank cells that can become any type of cell from muscle to nerve cells. There is controversy over the use of embryonic stem cells, but embryonic cells are not the only way to pull stem cells, however they are the most usable. Adult stem cells can come from Umbilical Cords, Placentas and Amniotic Fluid. They can also be pulled from adults including the patient for which it is being used on from their bone marrow, liver, epidermis, retina, skeletal muscle, intestine, brain, dental pulp, even fat from liposuction and others. They can also be available from people who have passed away up to 20 hours after. Some say it is unethical to kill a embryo and I agree, however, how many people who have already been born have to die because we are unwilling to make a couple of sacrifices.
Last year, it is estimated that 750,000 Americans traveled outside of the country to receive medical treatment. I thought America had the best hospitals in the world and I was right, however the lack of stem cell research makes it impossible for Americans to get the care that they deserve. Now that Obama reversed the ban, I hope that more people will see all that stem cell research can accomplish once it is made available. I am not going to sit here and try to be non-objective about this subject. I fully support stem cell research because I have been affected by illnesses of both my parents.
My father was diagnosed with a malignant (cancerous) brain tumor in March 1997. I was only 13 years old at that point. He fought cancer on and off for 11 years. Five brain tumors and colon cancer became too much for him and he passed away on July 6, 2008. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2008 there was just under 1.5 million new cases and just over 550,000 deaths from cancer. Isn’t that enough of an impact for stem cell research to be an important policy for the country. Over 1/2 million people died from cancer who could have had a chance if we funded stem cell research. Cancer must have touched almost every American at some point in their life.
For me, it isn’t just about cancer. My mother was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1990 when I was 6 years old and has been living with it since. It has greatly impacted my life and the lives of everyone who knows us. The National MS Society believes that with proper research using stem cells, there is great hope that they will be able to find a cure for MS. I blogged about Accelerated Cure which is a Non-Profit Organization that is dedicated to finding a cure for the disease. In less than a month I will be participating in the MS Walk to help raise money for a cure.
Can this executive order be the beginning of the end for diseases that affect millions of Americans around the country. Besides cancer and MS, stem cell research can make way for other illnesses like spinal cord injuries, brain damage, heart damage, ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease) and many others. Can we finally focus on our futures rid the world of these illnesses? If we can, we will be on our way to be the most respected country in the world for medical treatment.
Turkish intellectuals and academics apologized for the Armenian Genocide that took place in 1915. Now this doesn’t mean that the Turkish nationalists agree and they will recognize it as a genocide tomorrow. In fact, the Turkish nationalists are furious with the group for apologizing to Armenians around the world. However, this is the start of a chain reaction that will hopefully soon turn into a full blown genocide recognition. Many aspects of this issue has changed in the last couple of months.
In April 2008, Serzh Sargsyan took office as the newly elected President of Armenia. In September 2008, Abdullah Gül (President of Turkey) created a serious debate in Turkey because he visited the new President of Armenia during a World Cup qualifying match between the two countries. He was the first Turkish leader to visit bordering Armenia and hoped that it could be the beginning diplomatic normalization. The Turkish border has been closed from Armenia since 1993 and now with the ever changing world, we might see that border open soon.
In October 2007, George Bush (current US President) vetoed the bill that would have recognized the Armenian genocide in the United States because he wanted the Turkish airspace for the Iraq war. Now that Barack Obama is our 44th President, he has openly stated that he will be the President that will recognize the Armenian Genocide.
I believe that many Turkish intellectuals are now realizing that if the US recognizes it on the federal level, there is nothing stopping other countries from following. The Turkish people would deny it as long as the US doesn’t recognize the genocide, but since everything in the world will be changing, they will have to adapt.
Finally, the 1.5 million Armenian-Americans can receive recognition for their family member who were murdered by the Ottoman “Young” Turks in 1915. In my family tree, there are 17 family members who were killed by the Turks in 1915 and only 5 of the survived which included both my great-grandparents.
Last night I went to go see “NESN Comedy All Stars” with my best friend Kristin. This show is dedicated to sports comedy in the Boston area that is sponsored by NESN (New England Sports Network). They were free tickets from Ticketmaster since I just bought other tickets and I figured that it would be something different for us to do instead of getting dinner or just hanging out. I saw the show last season and it was alright, but not extremely funny. However, this live performance was absolutely amazing. When we arrived, we went up to the Mezzanine seats and were pretty far back, but one of the ushers escorted us to the box seats to the right of the stage overlooking it. They were amazing seats and I was extremely impressed.
Tommy Davidson, from “In Living Color”, was the host for the night. He not only made the crowd including Kristin and I laugh, but he made himself laugh a couple of times. He kept interrupting the stage manager when he was trying to countdown to taping and each time it was even funnier.
Iliza Shlesinger was one of the comedians that performed last night and she was awesome. In case you were wondering, she was the “Last Comic Standing” winner of season 6. She has two major qualities, she’s extremely hot and VERY funny.
The live taping of the show was really interesting. In one night, they taped three shows and made it seem like they were actually three different nights. Tommy Davidson was wearing different shirts and they closed out every third comic with saying goodnight and then they introduced him again two minutes later. There is one section of the show where they play something that is pre-recorded and they asked us not to clap after Tommy introduced it.
Overall the night was great and we had a lot of fun. Watch for season 2 of “NESN’s Comedy All Stars” which airs I believe Friday nights after Red Sox games (next season obviously).
The economy is so bad that some of the biggest stores are closing some/all of their stores because they are losing too much money.
I wanted to give everyone a heads up that if you tend to give gift cards around the holidays, you need to be careful that the cards will be honored after the holidays. Stores that are planning to close after Christmas are still selling the cards through the holidays even though the cards will be worthless January 1. There is no law preventing them from doing this. On the contrary, it is referred to as ‘Bankruptcy Planning).
Below is a partial list of stores that you need to be cautious about:
I know that 24 Redemption premiered last night, but I was DVRing it and watched it tonight. I miss 24 a lot because of how amazing the writing actually is. You are sitting on the edge of your seat the entire time. However, I will have to wait for January before I get to watch a new episode.
In about an hour, I am going to take the T into Boston to see the Jim Gaffigan show. I talked about it last week and I was still trying to figure out who to take. I talked with my friend Heather and she really wanted to go. Apparently there is an opening act that isn’t that good, but one of my friends who saw the show, said Gaffigan was absolutely amazing.
“It’s like having a really bad dinner and then having the best dessert ever.” – Eric
“All employees who have accessed the account — whether authorized or not — have been put on immediate leave, with pay,” McAdam said. “Employees with legitimate business needs for access will be returned to their positions, while employees who have accessed the account improperly and without legitimate business justification will face appropriate disciplinary action.”
I wonder if they actually got any information that Verizon is not disclosing.
Here is a preview of the Jim Gaffigan show I am going to a week from today. Here is a piece from his show on “Hot Pockets“. It is absolutely hilarious. Enjoy!
The other day, I started re-watching “On The Lot” videos and “Dough: The Musical” reminded me a lot of “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog“. Shorter and with less of a story line, but still really good.
After a very great night for this country, I found out that Michael Crichton (Jurrasic Park and ER) passed away from cancer that he kept private. He was a great story teller and was able to make the reader/viewer feel like they are actually a part of the story. I am very sad that Michael Crichton passed away because his movies/tv shows/novels were awesome and he will be missed. I have been watching ER since it premiered in 1994 and they are on their last season this year.
In December 1994, he achieved the unique distinction of having the #1 movie (Jurassic Park), the #1 TV show (ER), and the #1 book (Disclosure).
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