The Endicott Enquirer News from the Southern Tier

1Mar/090

Finally, Stem Cells for the Masses

Scientists have found a way to make an almost limitless supply of stem cells that could safely be used in patients while avoiding the ethical dilemma of destroying embryos.

In a breakthrough that could have huge implications, British and Canadian scientists have found a way of reprogramming skin cells taken from adults, effectively winding the clock back on the cells until they were in an embryonic form.

The work has been hailed as a major step forward by scientists and welcomed by pro-life organisations, who called on researchers to halt other experiments which use stem cells collected from embryos made at IVF clinics.

Source: The Guardian

It's finally come where we can all get behind stem cell research. While I have been for this research before now (I really don't think storing embryonic cells in a big freezer that will never be used is an issue) but this at least allows the folks who couldn't stand the thought of the massive numbers of unused embryos being used for this finally get behind the process as well.

Imagine one day being able to cure diseases like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Multiple Sclerosis. How many people do you know that have these diseases or know someone that is affected by them. The hope that future treatments offer these people is well worth the expenditure of time and money on this research. The fact that we can now get the cells from skin only makes this process easier. Let's hope we see more innovation in this area come forward soon.

12Oct/080

Hypertension at 26

So it happened and I know a lot of it is my fault as much as anyone else, but I have been diagnosed with Hypertension at 26 years of age. If you look on WebMD they will tell you the age you need to start worrying about this is 45 years old.

So that means I have beaten the average by 19 years, lucky me.

So what is the cause? Well, for one I am overweight, I'm not going to lie. That is likely issue number one, but the I also imagine some of it has to do with the fact that high blood pressure runs in my family. My dad has it as do others so it doesn't surprise me that I do too. I guess I just wish it did not occur so early in me. I don't eat much salt, I don't drink, I try to stay away from a lot of the bad stuff but I still have it. Then again, I make up for these in having a really high stress job.

How do you deal with this? I'm now going to be on a maintenance dosage for the rest of my life and I'm 26...

25Jul/080

Randy Pausch Dies

Randy Pausch — Life Teacher - TIME

There were times I couldn't bear to watch. But then there were others when his exuberance — physical and spiritual — made it easy to convince myself it would never happen, and so I would call up Randy Pausch's Last Lecture on YouTube and watch it with my children, receive the gift he was giving us and reject the idea that it would come at an ultimate price: that Pausch would indeed die one day of pancreatic cancer, as he did this morning, at the age of 47.

We all knew that it had to come at some point but we did not want to really think about it and when it would really happen. Randy was an inspiration to many young people, teaching us that we must work hard for what we want and to not be afraid of falling down a few times trying to get it. We will miss you Randy, our thoughts and prayers go out to your family and hope that they are able to live the rest of their lives just as you wanted them to.

4Jul/080

Alcohol!? Let’s Bring Back Prohibition!

"I was reading Mail Call this morning, July 1, and I agree 100 percent with the person that called in about having alcoholic beverages at The Maryland Theatre. I think it's totally ridiculous that we have to have alcohol at any function, such as the blues festival. That was mighty disgusting when we were down there, when we had friends to take down from out of town. We don't need alcoholic beverages for entertainment. I would like to also add it'd be great if we could bring the fair back to Hagerstown fairgrounds, and some craft shows, such as Williamsport C&O Canal and etc." - Hagerstown

OK, so I don't drink much either, but this comment is rediculous. There is no need to ban alcohol at the Blues Fest, if someone wants to have a beer then let them. Are you the same person that was disgusted when there was alcohol at Octoberfest? The truth is, if you could trust people to be responsible with the substance then there would not be any issue with this at all, but at the same time, those that are responsible should not be penalized because of the few that are.

But we banned smoking in public places right? Yes we did, but that poses an iminent health risk to all people around the smoker which is putting the people that don't feel like having cancer at risk. In the case of drinking, just because you have a personal belief that it should not be going on it does not mean that you are really putting others at risk if it is. Whereas smoking truly does put others at risk no matter if you feel like it should or not.

The bottom line is that if people are not responsible drinking then that is when they get thrown in jail. If you don't like drinking because it offends you moraly then I would suggest you stick to places where alcohol is not offered. For example, I would never go to a strip club brcause I don't feel like it is the right thing to do, but I don't go around telling people they should all be put out of business, nor do I care if my friends go. IF you feel the same way about alcohol and where it is served, just stay away.

8May/080

Commentary: Democrats need more than working-class whites – CNN.com

"I have a much broader base to build a winning coalition on," she told USA Today.

The newspaper quoted her as saying that an Associated Press article showed how Sen. Barack Obama's support among "working, hard-working Americans, white Americans, is weakening again, and how whites in both states who had not completed college were supporting me."

Commentary: Democrats need more than working-class whites - CNN.com

So it is about time someone actually came out and said it. Why does Hillary Clinton think that by having the uneducated white Americans she can win the White House? Last time I checked, this is not really the constituency that I would be courting if I wanted to get to be president. Sure, these are hard working people and they do make up a significant amount of the population but in many ways I would rather say I have the hard working, educated people that want to vote for me.

Personally, if the really smart people in the country think that Obama is doing something right then maybe the rest of us should listen rather than going out and voting for Hillary because she'll be like Bill right? Wrong. Last time I checked, not too many people liked her as first lady, after all she was commonly referred to by people of generation Y as the ice queen or other terms like that. Now in addition to being a completely cold person she has added "will do anything for power" to her list of descriptors.

Are you voting for her because she is going to give you a "gas tax holiday" or because she is going to socialize health care? If so you'd best do a reality check because the gas tax holiday is an empty promise that won't actually amount to anything (this is coming from someone that drive 100 miles every day) and socialized health care is about the worst idea you can imagine. If you want to see why, I would go move to Quebec for a year and try and live with their health care. I hope you don't have cancer or some other serious injury because they will not likely be able to treat you in any reasonable amount of time and when they are ready you likely will already be dead. This coming from someone who's mother had breast cancer and moved away from Canada because there are no oncologists left in the country.

I'm not rich, but I do consider myself to be relatively bright and hard working and after thinking about this election the choice is clear, Barack Obama is the only candidate that actually offers real character and substance to the position of President. Honestly, if he doesn't win the nomination, I think I would actually vote for John McCain just because I can at least come to terms with fiscal conservatism. If you want to be one of the dumb white people that Hillary Clinton says is her constituency then more power to you but I think I will consider myself to be a little brighter than that and vote for a candidate that looks at me as more than a means to an end.

7Feb/080

NPR: Army Blames ‘Miscommunication’ in Fort Drum Flap

What was so surprising was that the people you spoke with gave you an account that not only was different from the account in these documents and [from] others I've spoken with, but that almost could not have been more opposite.

A: I know. Isn't that amazing? It sort of speaks to miscommunication, doesn't it?

Is there anything you'd like to say to the VA team at Fort Drum now?

A: I think it was the message we tried to convey a year ago, which is, "Hey, thanks for helping our soldiers. You're doing a terrific job. We think that the practices and behaviors exhibited is among the best we've seen. We want to encourage you to continue to help us, and we're very grateful for the assistance you're providing our warriors and our families."

NPR: Army Blames 'Miscommunication' in Fort Drum Flap

What kind of jerk says these kinds of things other than one who is trying to save his own butt after clearly turning a blind eye to the soldiers that have fought so hard in this country because he did not want to pay their benefits? This is one of the most unconscionable things I have ever seen done in my life and I hope that Eric Schoomaker and who ever this Col. Baker is looses their jobs for it. If the Army won't take care of the people that are on the ground then they shouldn't wonder why no one wants to be a part of their organization when they see recruitment numbers fall. As a patriotic American and one that believes in this country despite having problems with how this war has been fought, I cannot believe that someone who calls themselves an American did this. It disgusts me and I hope that I never see something like this again.

30Jan/081

Was Your Vegetarian Letter not Good Enough for the Post?

To the editor:

Think a small serving of meat each day is harmless? Think again. A new study from the National Cancer Institute showed that the more red and processed meat you eat, the greater your risk of developing a variety of cancers becomes.

In the study, the average red meat consumption was about 2.5 ounces of red meat per day for a person consuming the average 2,000-calorie diet. This study found an association between high consumption of red and processed meat and an increased risk for myeloma and colon, esophageal, liver, bladder and lung cancer.

The good news is that scientific studies also show that fruits, vegetables and other vegetarian foods can help prevent cancer. In addition, following a plant-based diet can help people trim their waistlines and maintain a healthy weight - another key factor in preventing cancer.

Jennifer K. Reilly
Washington, D.C.

Letters to the Editor - The Herald-Mail Online - News for Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia

Remind me why this was printed in the Herald Mail? I don't think anyone living in Washington DC is considering Hagerstown a huge media outlet for announcing National Cancer Institute findings. I would assume from this letter that your are a vegetarian and I would point out that humans are omnivores for a reason. We eat meat, we eat fruit and we eat vegetables because they all contain things we need. I bet if you ate oranges your entire life laced with all of the crazy pesticides they use you would have an increased risk of getting cancer too. I'm not a big red meat person, I prefer chicken myself, but people have been eating this for millennia and it hasn't seemed to kill off the majority of us yet.

Try taking a swim in the Anacostia and see what that does for your cancer risk and get back to me on whether I should worry about red meat.

30Jan/080

Why do People In Hagerstown Think Canadian Health Care is Great?

"This is to all the people that think the health care is so great in America. I saw something on the news the other day that was very fascinating. Canada has the highest life expectancy of any country on the North and South American continents. Now how could that be, with their socialized medicine, as you people call it? In fact, there was a survey about a year ago where they asked Canadians how they felt about their health care, and 88 percent said they were very satisfied. I'll bet you if they did a survey in the U.S., it wouldn't be that high. We have ... people die every year because they have no health insurance, and they just don't bother to go to doctors, so it says a lot about supposedly the wealthiest country in the world. Of course ... they have good retirements. America is just a country for the rich 10 percent anymore, and I used to love my country, but I couldn't care less anymore." - Hagerstown suburb

Mail Call - The Herald-Mail Online - News for Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia

Why is it that people defend Canada's socialized health care so often in this area, this is at least the second time I have seen a statement like this in Mail Call? Is it because they don't understand what that really means or just that they have not really educated themselves on the facts of the situation. The truth is that unless you are going to die in the emergency room in a few minutes, the Canadian health care system will not take care of you well at all. Go ahead and try to get your cancer treated in Quebec and see how well that goes. You will find that there is no such thing as good cancer care because all of the specialists in the field have left due to impossibly low pay and bad conditions. Try finding an emergency room that is going to treat you for a serious concussion and you will find the same service level because you care able to walk on your own despite the fact that you may have a serious injury that could kill you in a few hours, days or months.

Again, unless you have seen the health care system there first hand as I have (my parents lived there for 1.5 years in Quebec) then I really don't think you can pass judgement on how great it is. Dig a little deeper and you will find a whole lot of bad an not a lot of good.