erikscottberg.com

Okay, I have no idea who this candidate is, so this isn’t an endorsement of him. I just think Chuck Norris rocks.

I came across this amazing picture today. It’s a 330-foot-deep sinkhole that formed early in 2007 in Guatemala. It’s shocking to think about the ground just dropping out from under you.

There’s an MSNBC article about the incident here.

You can see more pictures here.

I’ll admit up front that I’m no expert in stem cell research, but there’s good news for both sides of the debate, according to an Associated Press story.

Instead of cloning embryonic stem cells, scientists have found a way to reprogram regular skins cells to act like stem cells. From the article:

Thomson said he was surprised it didn’t take longer to discover how to reprogram ordinary cells. The technique, he said, is so simple that “thousands of labs in the United States can do this, basically tomorrow.”

This new process will avoid the moral dilemmas that have been surrounding embryonic stem cell research. The technique is apparently easier to do and it’s seemingly just as affective. In spite of these factors, the article notes that some scientists are still unwilling to stop research on embryonic stem cells.

While I want to appreciate the researchers’ drive to study stem cells, I don’t understand why there has been such a backlash against alternative methods. If we can find another route to the same solution, (as in this case), then why insist on using controversial methods? Especially when this technique appears to be effective.

I also wonder at how much this new discovery will change the landscape of the debate. It may end up squashing any reason for debating about whether stem cells can/should be used for testing, but it’s probably not going to change anyone’s mind about the value of that embryo.

fathead.com is a site where you can buy life-sized images of famous people and characters. I’m not sure exactly how it works, but it there’s some sort of adhesive that lets it stick to walls. Anyway, they’ve got some cool Superman images so I thought I’d link to them.

The other day, I was flipping through the channels and caught the first 10 minutes of Oprah’s “Favorite Things” episode. Now, I’m sure I’m just jealous of the fact that I’m not there, but this annual event irritates me. Whenever the camera scans the crowd, it seems to be filled with affluent soccer moms who obviously don’t work (why else do they have time to go?). I realize this is a gross generalization, but please, have you ever seen anybody on that show that looks like they don’t have a housekeeper?

(Okay, I’ll admit, Oprah did give cars to teachers a few years ago. Major props for that one, but the rest? Meh.)

Anyway, I grabbed the above screen shot. It’s from just after Oprah announces that it’s her “Favorite Things” show. Apparently the girl in the pink didn’t hear over all the rich middle-aged women screaming hysterically, so her friend needs to explain it to her more slowly.

“My-fav-or-ite-things!” “Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!”

Hilarious.