Neanderpundit

New on the blogroll is Professor Plum. I was lucky enough to make an (online) acquaintance with this fine gentleman some months ago, and I’ve recently discovered he had started a blog. I’m happy to have found it, because he fills it with interesting quotes from famous people whose thinking was clear and often humorous, and uses those quotes to frame brief but thought provoking discussions. He has some regular commentors who have their heads out of their asses as well. He is an educator whose take on the education system is very similar to that of Mrs Gun Guy: it is broken, and bears repair or replacement.

Please check him out. I doubt you’ll be disapointed.

I have been off the last six days, and during the entire time felt like the dog’s breakfast. During the time when I like to do small indoor home-improvement projects, spend time with the oglet, make a couple bucks side gigging, I was basically in bed dreaming about hunting the Snuggles bear with a 416 rigby bolt-action, breathing through my mouth. I return to a big pile of work tomorrow, and my excitement at the prospect is a hyperactive weasel in my bowels. I hope 2005 comes together better than 2004, workwise. I love my gig, and I have no doubt it will present me with adequate challenges. I just hope i have the tools to withstand them.

Specifically, in reference to this news item

Look, I’m not a biochemist, and I do not play one on TV.
However, it doesn’t take much of a scientist to do a google search and discover that the big brouhaha about Stem cell research has one and only one purpose: To give some credence to the late term partial birth abortion.

Lissenup, folks. You probably will never hear this anyplace else.

Placental and umbilical stem cells have all the same abilities as embryonic stem cells. This tissue is discarded by the ton as medical waste every single day. There are, to my knowledge, absolutely no advantages to using embryonic stem cells. I’m willing to be taken to school on this, but so far, I have not seen any evidence to the contrary. There are also, to my knowledge, no legal restrictions to doing stem cell research on placental and umbilical stem cells.

Placental and adult stem cells are already being used, for instance, in eye surgeries to help heal injury and treat macular degeneration, among many, many other medical uses.

Not one person has ever been cured of anything, not one cure has ever been developed, using embryonic stem cells.

Get with the program. Next time someone says something to you about stem cell research, remind them. Those all-important stem cells can be found as easily in discarded placentas, they work better, and result in no discarded babies. No, this is not a discussion about abortion, and I will brook none.