Removing the Moral Dilemma to Stem Cells

When George W. Bush announced a freeze on Federal support for Stem Cell research in 2000, he was roundly condemned by the medical establishment who accused him of "wanting Alzheimer's patients to suffer." But at the time, Pro-life advocates were already pointing to sources of stem cells which did not require the death of an embryo - fetal cord blood, for example. Now, scientists have announced they have found a way to produce stem cells without embryo death from any patient! A mere 8 years - when added to a little political pressure - was enough to completely free the way for future stem cell experimentation.

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...

Because the cells can be made from a patient's own skin, they carry the same DNA and so could be used without a risk of being rejected by the immune system.

So, not only is it a morally-defensible solution for Pro-Lifers, it is actually a better solution medically because it uses the patient's own cells and obviates the need for anti-rejection drugs (which suppress the immune system in general). In my ever-so-humble opinion, this justifies GWB's decision from 8 years back.

Does the road "belong to drivers"?

I have not been biking seriously for very long - and I suspect most real bikers would consider me NOT serious - but I have already seen and heard a few people in cars and trucks who are quite obnoxious. I have seen riding as close to bikes as possible, yelling at them to get off the road, or trying to make them crash. Not good. Luckily, being a large man (who would leave an unsightly dent in the hood of someone's new SUV if they hit me) they pretty much leave me alone.

It is discouraging to see sentiments like this one even among people with good intentions regarding bikers and drivers.

Cyclists must realize that that the road belongs to the driver and they are merely borrowing it.

My father was a lawyer and had a saying "Right of way is something you NEVER have, but are often required to yield." This is a good concept for all of your time on the road. No one "owns" the road, but very often we are required to give up our position on it out of consideration for others. It shouldn't matter if the "others" are a truck, an SUV, a car, a bike, or someone on rollerskates. Our job as road-dwellers is to keep the road safe for everyone.

What do Mod-Bloggers think? Am I right here, or is the road for automobiles and to heck with everyone else?

Safe Driving Tips the Police Use

This article is a nice summary of safe driving tips recommended to police officers which are VERY applicable to the average non-police driver. Some are common sense, some are not so much.

Airbags save lives, but many a police officer has been unnecessarily injured because their hands were over the airbag when it went off. At the school for law enforcement driving instructors I recently attended, the story was told of an officer who was driving with his wrist draped over the top of the steering wheel. His attention was diverted by the in-car computer and he smashed into a car that suddenly pulled in front of him: the deploying airbag broke his lower arm and caused his own hand to break out his front teeth. While driving straight, police instructors say that your hands should be at 3 and 9 o'clock on the steering wheel.

Another tip offered is to always drive with your windows all the up, or all the way down. They say that many accidents become lethal when a partially-opened window hits the drivers head sideways and cuts deep into the skull.