Cold Weather. . .Yes

I'm definitely liking the cooler weather right now. I just checked the 10-day forecast and the lows will be in the sixties for the next 10 days. This is awesome. Tonight the low will be approximately 55. Too bad this isn't a game night because that would be optimal weather for watching a football game.

Cold Weather = Good

Stem Cell Research

It is sad to see today how so many Americans are misled by the media, politicians, and interest groups. There is a common misconception that by using embryonic stem cells, scientists can cure diseases such as Parkinson's, cancer, AIDS, diabetes and paralysis. My opinion is that it is a device used to decieve others, mainly pro-life groups and just the general population.

Putting the pro-life argument aside, embryonic and adult stem cells have been researched for approximately the same amount of time and it is adult stem cells that have a great track record. In practically every case that embryonic stem cells were applied in a study, the stem cells had very negative effects on the patients or lab animals. Adult stem cells on the other hand have been found to reverse the effects of many diseases such as Parkinson's and diabetes and even spinal chord injuries. In one spinal chord injury case in Portugal, a nineteen year old girl from Texas had adult stem cells inserted into her body and now her paralysis is reversing. Here's the article: http://www.leaderu.com/science/stemcelltestimony_dominguez.html. The best part about adult stem cells is that they can be taken from virtually anywhere in the adult body and require no cell specialization (unlike embryonic stem cells). On a similar note dealing with paralysis, before Christopher Reeve died, he participated in a conference promoting stem cell research. At the conference a debate was held between a pro-embryo researcher and a pro-adult researcher. In the debate, the pro-adult researcher was getting ready to declare to Reeve the success from the previously stated case in this post. The pro-embryo researcher instead covered up his opponent's mouth so Reeve could not hear about the success from adult stem cells. Reeve died three monthes later from an infected pressure ulcer, which is a common ailment of paralysis. The pressure ulcer caused him to go into cardiac arrest.

One thing the media commonly does to trick the public is, NOT specify which type of stem cell is being used in a clinical trial. For example, one night a few weeks ago on the CBS Evening News, it was reported that Stanford University reportedly made a breakthrough in stem cell research for curing Parkinson's disease. In the WHOLE interview, the journalist never specified what type of stem cells were being used in the research. I would bet that the stem cells they are using is adult stem cells.

It's time Americans know the truth about stem cell research. If you want the real score in the battle of stem cell research, here is a good article to read: http://www.cbhd.org/resources/stemcells/mcconchie_2004-06-16.htm#note1.

F-L-O-R-I-D-A S-T-A-T-E!!!

WOOOO HOOO! WE BEAT MIAMI TWO YEARS IN A ROW!!!!!

13-10!!! GO DREW WEATHERFORD, GARY CISMESIA, THE FSU DEFENSE AND BOBBY BOWDEN!!!

F-L-O-R-I-D-A
S-T-A-T-E

FLORIDA STATE!
FLORIDA STATE!
FLORIDA STATE!

Film Score and Other News

I recently downloaded part of this ablum called Classic FM at the Movies. The album showcases some of the best movie themes. One of them is for "Lady in Lavendar." I'm not sure what the movie is about, but the theme is absolutely beautiful. It makes me want to see the movie just to hear the rest of the score. Although, the title sounds like it's some type of chick-flick or horror film with a sick and twisted title.

In other news, Steve Irwin, the famous zoologist died after being attacked by a stingray. The stingray's barb went directly into his heart.

Clarification

Just so it's clear, I hope anyone reading this doesn't think I'm hateful towards homosexuals or bisexuals because of my last post. I believe in loving homosexuals or bisexuals just as I love heterosexuals (in a Christian sense of course). What I do not believe in is the homosexual agenda. This is because (1) The Bible says it is wrong and (2) I have not seen any evidence that homosexuality is something that an individual is born with. As much as people (homosexuals) say they are born that way, I don't believe it. I believe there is substantial scientific evidence proving otherwise. Here is a pretty lengthy article that cites a lot of evidence against a homosexual gene: http://www.trueorigin.org/gaygene01.asp. I've also heard many people say that "there is no heterosexual gene either" but I think the fact that approximately 98% of the world's population is heterosexual is enough proof to not find a heterosexual gene. In addition to that, the undisputable fact that homosexuals cannot reproduce by natural means is enough proof for me. In my opinion, homosexuality and bisexuality has strictly to do with the individual's behavior and not their genetic makeup.

Remember. . . hate the sin, but love the sinner.

If You Haven't Heard The News. . .

Wal-Mart has recently joined the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. It was apparently because they wanted to broaden their appeal to the gay and lesbian community (this is probably the first time you have heard about it, that is because Wal-Mart did not want to publicly announce their membership in the news). Here is the article about it: http://www.afa.net/walmartadage.htm. I find it rather interesting that Wal-Mart feels the need to appeal to the homosexual community. First of all, why would they need to appeal to the homosexual community more if everyone already shops at Wal-Mart? They don't. So that leaves really only one explanation: they are trying to push the homosexual agenda. I am rather shocked at this move (no actually I'm not) and I think I might just stop shopping at the corporate giant of the world. In addition to that, does Wal-Mart know that the homosexual population accounts for approximately 1,470,000 people in the U.S.? That may seem like a lot but that is approximately a half of a percentile of the total population(Total Population in 2000: 285,230,516, U.S. Census; National Survey of Family Growth). This is also much different from the old urban legend that homosexuals accounted for ten percent of the total population. The percentage of homosexuals in most other countries is approximately the same. What are your thoughts?

A Musical Revelation (For Myself)

I was assigned to listen to Benjamin Britten's, "Young Musician's Guide To The Orchestra," yesterday in Survey of Music Lit. When I was listening to the theme, I realized it sounded really familiar. I had not really listen to Britten's piece before so I knew it wasn't from that. I realized that in the movie, "Pride and Prejudice," Dario Marianelli steals the theme from "Young Musician's Guide. . ." and put it into the eigth track in the score. Pretty cool.