To Do's and Not To Do's

On today's To-Do List:

1. Gather at least 5 potential sources for a paper in biology lab.
2. Fold laundry.
3. Study for calculus test (TUESDAY!!)
4. Prepare for labs next week.
5. Walk the dog -- EXERCISE!!
6. Church tonight.
7. Prepare to teach Sunday.

But for now I choose to focus a bit on #5. Copper the dog is jonesing for a walk, and I will soon oblige him. He's part beagle, part bloodhound, all cute and loving! He's the kind of dog that will ferociously protect our family from invading frogs and cats, but lick robbers to death. And while beagles have a genetic disposition to run away, Copper seems to have (finally) overcome it and just waits for us at the gate. But put him on a leash, and look out!

The beagle part battles the bloodhound part on our walks. He gets so excited that he pulls on the leash, forging ahead as fast as the owner on the other end will let him. I decided at one time that Copper is a sprint-interval doggie; he likes to run all-out for 1-2 minutes, and then walk the same amount of time, for about 4-6 cycles. Which works well for me, since I like to do that, too. Copper's little body seems to be made mostly of fast-twitch muscle fibers, which give him a lot of power and speed for about 1/2 mile (maybe a bit more) but leave him breathless and helpless for long-distance walks. Once, he actually sat down before we got to the last mile of a 3-mile walk and refused to go further. I felt the need to carry him, he was panting so hard! Needless to say, a marathon is definitely not on Copper's to-do list.

There are other times, though, when the beagle of the beast seems to be (mostly) in check, and the bloodhound takes over. Those are the times that Copper resembles a canine vacuum cleaner. As soon as we hit the sidewalk, his nose is to the ground, sniffing after any trail he can pick up. Yet even then, the beagle creeps back in; while his front half is busy sniffing, his back half gets antsy, so he ends up walking sort of sideways as his hindquarters try to overtake and pass the front end.

We adopted Copper a couple of years ago on spring break. Prior to that I had relaxed my no-pets policy and gave in to the boys' requests for mice. We were at Petsmart to buy mouse food for Runner and Boomerang (neither of which are still with us, may they rest in peace) when we met Copper. He was in the PAWS pen in front of the store, wrestling with another dog, when he sniffed Luke out and commenced to making friends and stealing hearts. Luke was afraid of dogs -- deathly afraid -- since he was barely walking. Yet Luke fell for Copper. We would've gone on about our day without adding a dog to our family had Luke not put his foot down and said, "I'm not leaving without that dog!"

So we left Petsmart with mouse food, dog food, other various and sundry dogcare accessories and information, and a dog -- and with wallets about $300 lighter. Today, Luke plays with Copper occasionally, but he mostly waves to him as he walks past him toward his Legos. *sigh* But Copper has gained a family that feeds him and loves him, and Wes and I have gained a new walk/run partner.

On our walk/runs, Copper sniffs and marks, and I observe and admire my neighbor's landscaping prowess. We lovingly call our neighborhood "Pleasantville." It's deliberately designed to look like a scene from Leave it to Beaver. Only I don't wear pumps and pearls while vacuuming (or walking the dog) like June Cleaver.

There are some gorgeous yards in this subdivision! So many different colors and varieties of blooms and bushes and vines and trees, so many shapes of leaves and perfectly-coiffed lawns of full and fluffy green grass. Perfectly sparkling white picket fences surround family getaways in the back yards of these perfect houses, marking where perfect families reside. I find myself planning what I want to do with my landscaping, getting ideas from my neighbors, while I'm out exercising my body. I lapse into a bit of a dream state occasionally, visualizing a perfectly level back yard behind my house, complete with a great deck or rocked-in patio, topped by a canopy garden lights strung between the shade trees that sparkle in the twilight while we entertain. The scent of jasmine wafts on the breeze from vines covering the fences. Colors converge from various flowering bushes, perfectly pruned and arrayed. Tiki torches and lanterns light paths encircling the little garden patches, leading to a bench here, an arbor there...

Suddenly I'm ripped out of my reverie by a reminder of my to-do list:

1. Gather at least 5 potential sources for a paper in biology lab.
2. Fold laundry.
3. Study for calculus test (TUESDAY!!)
4. Prepare for labs next week...

And I shake it off, and return to my reality with a sigh.

Before I started school I had a pretty nice yard. It wasn't perfect, because I'm not a perfect gardener. Our home is only about eight years old, and we started from scratch in our yard. I have a short-sighted tendency to plant things too closely because the bed looks too sparse when the plants are first put in; next thing ya know, they're crowding each other and fighting for food and root space. At any rate, I began well, and we had a pretty nice look going. There was color in the front yard, with rows of white brick circling several flowerbeds. There was symmetry in the back yard, and while I wanted vines to line the fences and grow up lattices against the garage, I at least had a start with sage, boxwoods, and lantana in a variety of shades. Plans were made for planting more trees, and possibly a small kitchen garden.

Then the nudging on to higher education came; my yard has suffered ever since.

Copper and I return from our walks, tired yet invigorated, to a yard that sometimes grows more weeds than grass, complete with patches where nothing grows at all, and flowerbeds that grow more grass than flowers. He doesn't care -- he just wants to lie down after a long drink from the water bowl. But I have to put on blinders, because I know that my priority is research and homework, not gardening. What little time is left after that will go to laundry and dinner.

The unfortunate truth is there are only 24 short hours in everyone's day. Only so much can be crammed into those limited hours. This is a universal truth that nobody escapes. I feel at times that I have enough responsibilities to fill at least 30 hours on most days, when they're all piled up together in a big heap on my to-do list. Some days, my to-do list looks more like a dream list -- the list compiled of all the things I want to do, I wish to do, I dream to do. Only I dream of boring things like yardwork, while others dream of travel and shopping. But my list still looks dreamy (full of things that'll only get done in my dreams) especially when viewed in the light of what has to be done to prepare for tomorrow's classes or this week's tests or Nathan's band trip next week or Luke's chess tournament in a few days...

So I choose to neglect my yard. I'm sure my neighborhood association will not approve, and they may even send me a letter just so I'll know exactly how much they disapprove and on what grounds. It'll go in the pile of mail, along with the other low-priority stuff that will not get my attention today. I have to set priorities when so many things are screaming for my attention; at this stage in the game, school (and exercise -- why neglect my own health while endeavoring to become a healthcare practitioner?!) trumps yardwork.

And regardless of what my neighbors think, Copper still loves me.

Stem Cells

I decided I (finally) needed to start doing some medical reading. Behind the eight-ball, ya think??

At any rate, this was an intriguing abstract from a study I will read in depth:

Scientists Generate Stem Cell Line from Patient with Lou Gehrig's Disease

Privately funded scientists report successfully generating stem cells from a patient with an inherited form of Lou Gehrig's disease, or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Starting with skin cells from the patient, the scientists used viruses to insert factors to reprogram the adult skin cells into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC) (see Human Skin Cells Reprogrammed). Once they had generated an ALS-iPSC line, the scientists coaxed the cells into becoming the type of motor neurons that are destroyed in ALS. These iPSC-derived motor neurons carry genes responsible for ALS and hold great potential for investigating the ALS disease process in human cells. Scientists are still uncertain whether the iPSC-derived motor neurons will degenerate in the same way as the patient's naturally occurring motor neurons. Ongoing experiments are comparing healthy motor neurons to the ALS-iPSC–derived motor neurons. If the iPSC-derived motor neurons show signs of ALS-like degeneration, they will be invaluable for observing events in the course of the ALS disease process and for testing potential ALS drugs on human cells in the laboratory before the drugs are used in humans. Science advance online publication, laboratory of K. Eggan. 2008 July 31.

Of interest to me in this study:
1) The stem cells were generated using adult stem cells.
2) They were generated in the hope of observing the disease progress, in order to run drug trials that will not harm actual patients, which I would assume would allow for more progressive and innovative (read: risky) research.
3) The scientists running the study are privately-funded.

1) Why did the scientific community go to embryonic stem cells? Was this their first approach, or did some study or another suggest that they would work better than any others? It would seem, from the chronology that I've observed (admittedly, not in detail), that experimental success with adult stem cells is being reported only recently. Is that because the trials are just now coming to conclusions and they started the trials concurrently with embryonic research?

I wonder at the level to which we've sunk if our first thought is to start with an embryo. I guess it boils down to your definition of a living individual. If you believe that the baby growing inside a mother is merely a growth of cells, then they are cells that belong to her, they are part of an individual that reserves the right to do whatever she wants with her body. But if you recognize the embryo as an individual from the moment of conception, then that embryo is the most precious and innocent of all live, and deserves our utmost protection. The thought of fetus farming is reprehensible to me, as one who has taken medicine as her life's calling.

None of this is to say that I don't support the research -- I am sold! We should learn all we can, and innovate as many cures and preventions as possible. To that end, this study is extremely promising, because all individuals are served and protected, even the smallest of all.

2) Human cell petri dish -- how cool is that?? With this method, researchers can be as progressive in their drug protocols as they deem necessary without causing any harm. They can push the envelope and forge into new treatment territories. What a great place to start!

3) Privately-funded scientists would seem to have more freedom to innovate than those who are government-funded. Granted, the other side of the coin is the risk that your benefactor would not like the results you're observing and would threaten to pull the plug if you don't produce evidence to their liking. And there's the chance that the well would run dry. But on the upside, you would surely have more freedom, less parameters, and far less red tape than with the government funding your research.

On that note, I looked up John McCain's statements regarding health care and research. This was of interest:

Stem cell research offers tremendous hope for those suffering from a variety of deadly diseases - hope for both cures and life-extending treatments. However, the compassion to relieve suffering and to cure deadly disease cannot erode moral and ethical principles.For this reason, John McCain opposes the intentional creation of human embryos for research purposes. To that end, Senator McCain voted to ban the practice of "fetal farming," making it a federal crime for researchers to use cells or fetal tissue from an embryo created for research purposes. Furthermore, he voted to ban attempts to use or obtain human cells gestated in animals. Finally, John McCain strongly opposes human cloning and voted to ban the practice, and any related experimentation, under federal law.As president, John McCain will strongly support funding for promising research programs, including amniotic fluid and adult stem cell research and other types of scientific study that do not involve the use of human embryos.Where federal funds are used for stem cell research, Senator McCain believes clear lines should be drawn that reflect a refusal to sacrifice moral values and ethical principles for the sake of scientific progress, and that any such research should be subject to strict federal guidelines. (http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/95b18512-d5b6-456e-90a2-12028d71df58.htm)

Admittedly, it's only slightly interesting, because it's the talking points, the public statement found on his website. But, from my limited knowledge, it lines up with what I believe to be right. I will learn more in the days and months to come, and will continue checking the alignment.

NOW??

I have tried from the onset of this blog to not make it political; I figure I'd leave the soap-boxing to other bloggers, like my buddy Eric over at http://20thhole.blogspot.com. (You're welcome, E!) In fact, I try to reserve forming my opinions until I've done the research, and I don't count my daily dose of NPR Morning Edition as research. I'm aware that all news programs are sensationalist and that there's so much to the news than what is reported.

But I feel that NOW (the National Organization for Women) has forced my hand. I heard an interview with their president, Kim Gandy, this morning making an unprecedented statement, that NOW will be endorsing the Obama/Biden ticket. They don't usually make endorsements in general elections (at least not publicly), but Gandy claimed that Sarah Palin's appointment made it clear how crucial their endorsement was this year. A woman tapped to run for such a high office has scared NOW into endorsing the other, all-male ticket. Makes sense right? (How I wish you could see me roll my eyes here!)

I was impressed when John McCain appointed Alaska governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, even before I knew anything about her -- mainly because this election, on a social level, is historically significant. No matter which party is elected in November, history will be made and an underrepresented minority will take up office in the White House. And that's cool.

I'm trying (but not too hard, I must confess) to learn more about Governor Palin and her positions and policies. On a personal, woman-to-woman level, I am impressed that she seems to have made the balance work: She is an intelligent woman who has achieved sufficient status and power in her career while raising children. She is making her dreams come true on all the fronts. That is enough to make me applaud her, but not necessarily vote for her. Yet the picture is unfolding in front of me, the facts are rolling in, and I like her more and more every day. She wants more affordable fuel and alternative energy, she adheres to a moral and ethical center policy-wise that impresses me, she seems to be honest and clear-headed in her decisions, and she seems to be innovative and forward-thinking without selling America out.

NOW says that only 42% of women favor Governor Palin for the vice-presidency, and that number goes down 10% more when you talk to single women. Gandy stated in her interview that, although Palin is being portrayed as a feminist, she holds positions that are "anathema" to women's causes, because she believes in the sanctity of life regardless of how it comes about. She went on to say that Palin is "so completely out of step with American women."

I have to ask -- WHICH WOMEN? WHICH 42% responded to this poll that shows such a lack of support for the only woman in the running? And how, since I -- an American woman -- find her policies reasonable and can relate to her positions, can she be "completely out of step with American women"? She's not out of step with me.

Raise your hand if you have ever participated in a political poll. Say, "aye!" if you've been asked for your views regarding issues or politicians in order to be quoted by a news service. Give a shout-out if you've ever nudged your buddy while watching the news and said, "See that percentage of people polled? I'm one of them!"

I've never been asked to participate in a poll of voters, yet I am a voter. I have heard over and over again how leaders I support are losing favor among the American people while I continue to support them. And now I hear that a woman that I see as making American history is out of step with the overarching group called "American women," a group to which she and I both belong?

Puh-leeze!

I endeavor to stay away from partisan politics. I have been tempted to vote according to the Right to Life list of prolife politicians, disregarding their record on any other issue, but as I've grown and studied, and developed my critical thinking skills a bit more, I find myself more apt to look at many issues, not just the "values" issues. Even on the values issues (which I am in no way demeaning by saying this) I find myself a bit more pragmatic than I used to be. While I personally disagree with gay marriage because of my biblical perspective, I don't think it's the roll of my government to determine whether or not gay couples should be afforded the same financial or healthcare rights I get as a married person, nor do I think the Constitution makes any statement on the issue whatsoever. While I agree with Palin and other conservatives that human life is sacred from the moment of conception, I feel that conservatives would gain a lot more ground in their prolife policy agenda if they would scale back the rhetoric a bit. Those are hot-button issues that I may garner some flack over, and they're not the only issues, but are sufficient enough to express my political vantagepoint. All-or-nothing attitudes, when it comes to politics, will get you more of the latter.

NOW states that they are endorsing Obama and Biden because of their extensive record of support for women's rights. I've spent some time on the Obama-wagon. I admit, I was enamored with his crowd appeal, with his charisma, with his traditional black-preacher speaking style. I confess to watching Obama-girl on YouTube (it was a guilty pleasure) and kind of relating to her crush. But one thing I've never fooled myself into thinking was that Barack Obama has an extensive record on anything. Yet Kim Gandy, who I'm sure is an intelligent and strong woman of position, made a statement in a nationally-broadcasted interview that would lead listeners to think that the Democratic candidate has been in national government long enough to have amassed an extensive record. He just does not have enough experience under his belt to make it in the top office. I am willing to wager that he will have different opinions on many of the planks in his platform ten years from now. That's just life -- we live, we learn, we grow. If we don't, we're not really living. I am just more comfortable with someone who has done more of that living and learning before (s)he becomes President.

I still recognize that I did not get the entire story from this short interview on a left-leaning news show. But what I did hear frustrated me enough to make my voice heard.