For those of you who did not heed my warning …
05-03-2007, 19:23Lit / Art / Music /PhotoPermalink... here is Jennifer Holiday singing "And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going" from the pre-Oscar festivities on E!
iTunes is currently playing: Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight from the album Best Live by James Taylor.
iTunes is currently playing: Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight from the album Best Live by James Taylor.
Comments
I wonder if Down Syndrome activists will argue …
26-02-2007, 10:10News / SportsPermalink... that there is nothing wrong with being mentally retarded (along the same lines as deaf "activists" who argue against cochlear implants for hearing-impaired children).
Down syndrome researchers see promise in PTZ, or pentylenetetrazole.
By Denise Gellene, L.A. Times Staff Writer
Lab mice with the mental retardation of Down syndrome got smarter after being fed a drug that strengthened brain circuits involved in learning and memory, researchers reported Sunday.
After receiving once-daily doses of pentylenetetrazole, or PTZ, for 17 days, the mice could recognize objects and navigate mazes as well as normal mice did, researchers said. The improvements lasted up to two months after the drug was discontinued, according to the report in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Scientists said the study opened a promising avenue for research in a field that had seen little success.
"These mice are essentially restored to normal, which I haven't seen before," said David Patterson, a Down syndrome researcher at the University of Denver, who was not involved in the study. "And the treatment seems to be long-lasting, which is a pretty surprising observation all by itself."
Senior study author Craig C. Garner, a Stanford School of Medicine professor, said his lab was preparing to conduct human trials of the drug, although he said it would take time to complete more preliminary studies and procure a supply of purified PTZ.
People with Down syndrome should not be given the drug until it has been studied further, he cautioned, because PTZ can induce seizures at high doses and might have other serious side effects.
More than 300,000 Americans have Down syndrome, making it the leading cause of mental retardation. There is no approved drug to improve cognition in people with Down syndrome.
iTunes is currently playing: Things We've Handed Down from the album The Rainy Season by Marc Cohn.
Down syndrome researchers see promise in PTZ, or pentylenetetrazole.
By Denise Gellene, L.A. Times Staff Writer
Lab mice with the mental retardation of Down syndrome got smarter after being fed a drug that strengthened brain circuits involved in learning and memory, researchers reported Sunday.
After receiving once-daily doses of pentylenetetrazole, or PTZ, for 17 days, the mice could recognize objects and navigate mazes as well as normal mice did, researchers said. The improvements lasted up to two months after the drug was discontinued, according to the report in the journal Nature Neuroscience.
Scientists said the study opened a promising avenue for research in a field that had seen little success.
"These mice are essentially restored to normal, which I haven't seen before," said David Patterson, a Down syndrome researcher at the University of Denver, who was not involved in the study. "And the treatment seems to be long-lasting, which is a pretty surprising observation all by itself."
Senior study author Craig C. Garner, a Stanford School of Medicine professor, said his lab was preparing to conduct human trials of the drug, although he said it would take time to complete more preliminary studies and procure a supply of purified PTZ.
People with Down syndrome should not be given the drug until it has been studied further, he cautioned, because PTZ can induce seizures at high doses and might have other serious side effects.
More than 300,000 Americans have Down syndrome, making it the leading cause of mental retardation. There is no approved drug to improve cognition in people with Down syndrome.
iTunes is currently playing: Things We've Handed Down from the album The Rainy Season by Marc Cohn.
Perfection? No …
24-02-2007, 13:27News / SportsPermalink... but how about "expected to live to adulthood"?
Pope speaks out against "designer babies"
ROME (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Saturday condemned genetic engineering and other scientific practices that allow people to select so-called "designer babies" by screening them for defects.
In a speech to the Pontifical Academy for Life, a Church body of experts, the Pope also attacked artificial insemination and the widespread use of medical tests that can detect diseases and inherited disorders in embryos.
"In developed countries, there is a growing interest for the most sophisticated biotechnological research to introduce subtle and extensive eugenics methods in the obsessive search for the 'perfect child'," the Pope said.
iTunes is currently playing: Lost Child (String Quartet Remix) from the album Moto.Tronic by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Pope speaks out against "designer babies"
ROME (Reuters) - Pope Benedict on Saturday condemned genetic engineering and other scientific practices that allow people to select so-called "designer babies" by screening them for defects.
In a speech to the Pontifical Academy for Life, a Church body of experts, the Pope also attacked artificial insemination and the widespread use of medical tests that can detect diseases and inherited disorders in embryos.
"In developed countries, there is a growing interest for the most sophisticated biotechnological research to introduce subtle and extensive eugenics methods in the obsessive search for the 'perfect child'," the Pope said.
iTunes is currently playing: Lost Child (String Quartet Remix) from the album Moto.Tronic by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
Some things are sacred …
23-02-2007, 13:56News / SportsPermalink... and should NOT be tampered with.
We're talking about something you can only buy once a year, after all!
BOO HISS!!!!!!!!
Girl Scouts Cut Trans Fats From Cookies
The Girl Scouts have marked their 90th year in the cookie business by getting most of the artificial fat out of all varieties of their iconic treats, which had been under attack by a few health-focused consumer groups.
[USA Vice President Denise] Pessich said she was confident fans would notice few differences. The recipe changes have also given troop leaders an opportunity to talk more about the importance of eating right, Pessich said.
iTunes is currently playing: Mind Your Own Business from the album 24 Greatest Hits by Hank Williams.
We're talking about something you can only buy once a year, after all!
BOO HISS!!!!!!!!
Girl Scouts Cut Trans Fats From Cookies
The Girl Scouts have marked their 90th year in the cookie business by getting most of the artificial fat out of all varieties of their iconic treats, which had been under attack by a few health-focused consumer groups.
[USA Vice President Denise] Pessich said she was confident fans would notice few differences. The recipe changes have also given troop leaders an opportunity to talk more about the importance of eating right, Pessich said.
iTunes is currently playing: Mind Your Own Business from the album 24 Greatest Hits by Hank Williams.
Set your TiVo!
14-02-2007, 06:56Lit / Art / Music /PhotoPermalinkJennifer Holliday, who played Effie in the original Broadway production of "Dreamgirls," will perform the show's big number, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going," during E! Entertainment Television's "Countdown to the Red Carpet: The 2007 Academy Awards," airing from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Feb. 25.
iTunes is currently playing: Can't Let Go from the album Heart Still Beating by Roxy Music.
iTunes is currently playing: Can't Let Go from the album Heart Still Beating by Roxy Music.
And who is surprised by this …
01-02-2007, 07:48News / SportsPermalink... after her four-day coronation?
The office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pressing the Bush administration for routine access to military aircraft for domestic flights, such as trips back to her San Francisco district, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
The sources, who include those in Congress and in the administration, said the Democrat is seeking regular military flights not only for herself and her staff, but also for relatives and for other members of the California delegation. A knowledgeable source called the request "carte blanche for an aircraft any time."
Sources said Mrs. Pelosi's request goes beyond what [former speaker Dennis] Hastert received [following heightened security after 9/11].
iTunes is currently playing: Why Walk When You Can Fly from the album Stones In The Road by Mary Chapin Carpenter.
The office of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is pressing the Bush administration for routine access to military aircraft for domestic flights, such as trips back to her San Francisco district, according to sources familiar with the discussions.
The sources, who include those in Congress and in the administration, said the Democrat is seeking regular military flights not only for herself and her staff, but also for relatives and for other members of the California delegation. A knowledgeable source called the request "carte blanche for an aircraft any time."
Sources said Mrs. Pelosi's request goes beyond what [former speaker Dennis] Hastert received [following heightened security after 9/11].
iTunes is currently playing: Why Walk When You Can Fly from the album Stones In The Road by Mary Chapin Carpenter.
R.I.P. Barbaro.
29-01-2007, 10:36News / SportsPermalink
We'll never know what might have been.
iTunes is currently playing: Fragile from the album Flyer by Nanci Griffith.
There is a reason why people wear t-shirts that say …
26-01-2007, 09:11News / SportsPermalink... "I SURVIVED CATHOLIC SCHOOL."
As kids, we were taught primarily by nuns, many of whom were clueless about the emotional needs of children. Most of us can recall incidents in which some child was singled out and publicly humiliated during class in a way that would be considered borderline-abusive today.
I like to think that those days are gone and that children who attend contemporary Catholic schools are being educated by people who understand children. Then I read something like this.
Sigh ... Why not just send your kid to reform school ...
From the Associated Press
January 26, 2007
WARWICK, R.I. — A Roman Catholic elementary school adopted rules this week requiring students to remain silent while eating. The move comes after three recent choking incidents in the cafeteria.
No one was hurt, but the principal of St. Rose of Lima School explained in a letter to parents that if the lunchroom is loud, staff members cannot hear a child choking.
Christine Lamoureux, whose 12-year-old is a sixth-grader at the school, said she respected the safety issue but thought the rule was a bad idea.
"They are silent all day," she said. "They have to get some type of release."
iTunes is currently playing: Don't Talk from the album MTV Unplugged by 10,000 Maniacs.
As kids, we were taught primarily by nuns, many of whom were clueless about the emotional needs of children. Most of us can recall incidents in which some child was singled out and publicly humiliated during class in a way that would be considered borderline-abusive today.
I like to think that those days are gone and that children who attend contemporary Catholic schools are being educated by people who understand children. Then I read something like this.
Sigh ... Why not just send your kid to reform school ...
From the Associated Press
January 26, 2007
WARWICK, R.I. — A Roman Catholic elementary school adopted rules this week requiring students to remain silent while eating. The move comes after three recent choking incidents in the cafeteria.
No one was hurt, but the principal of St. Rose of Lima School explained in a letter to parents that if the lunchroom is loud, staff members cannot hear a child choking.
Christine Lamoureux, whose 12-year-old is a sixth-grader at the school, said she respected the safety issue but thought the rule was a bad idea.
"They are silent all day," she said. "They have to get some type of release."
iTunes is currently playing: Don't Talk from the album MTV Unplugged by 10,000 Maniacs.
More on the discriminatory practices of Congress
26-01-2007, 08:07News / SportsPermalinkFrom the Associated Press
January 26, 2007
WASHINGTON — Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), a White House hopeful, said Thursday that the existence of the Congressional Black Caucus and other race-based groups of lawmakers amounted to segregation and should be abolished.
"It is utterly hypocritical for Congress to extol the virtues of a colorblind society while officially sanctioning caucuses that are based on race," said Tancredo, who is most widely known as a vocal critic of illegal immigration.
"If we are serious about achieving the goal of a colorblind society, Congress should lead by example and end these divisive race-based caucuses," he said in a letter to Administration Committee Chairwoman Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Carson).
Amen!
iTunes is currently playing: The Fences from the album Alexei and the Spring by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
January 26, 2007
WASHINGTON — Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), a White House hopeful, said Thursday that the existence of the Congressional Black Caucus and other race-based groups of lawmakers amounted to segregation and should be abolished.
"It is utterly hypocritical for Congress to extol the virtues of a colorblind society while officially sanctioning caucuses that are based on race," said Tancredo, who is most widely known as a vocal critic of illegal immigration.
"If we are serious about achieving the goal of a colorblind society, Congress should lead by example and end these divisive race-based caucuses," he said in a letter to Administration Committee Chairwoman Juanita Millender-McDonald (D-Carson).
Amen!
iTunes is currently playing: The Fences from the album Alexei and the Spring by Ryuichi Sakamoto.
