Advances on Stem Cell Research

I was watching a segment on the news about stem cell diseases and saving cord blood, a concept that I have always found repulsive. Imagining saving that blood from such a gorey site... gasp! But anyway, it was supposed to be almost like an insurance policy to save the stem cells from your babies' umbilical cord so in the case they were to have some stem cell issue in the future, they'd be protected or something. But come to find out, its recently been shown that if they do have most of the diseases listed on those "Save their Stem Cells- Save your Baby" brochures, if they are genetic diseases- most of them are- they cannot use their own cord blood. Amazing right? They spend all this money to cryogenically freeze and protect these cells in private xpensive cord banks and when it comes down to saving their lives, they have to use some body else's cord blood from a free public Cord Bank.

Jokes with the President

At the 2010 White House Correspondents Dinner, Pres. Obama seemed to enjoy himself as he opened with several jokes that were actually quite funny. Particularly the one about Sen. John McCain. The President said "Unfortunately, McCain couldn't make it. He recently claimed that he had never identified himself as a maverick, and we all know what happens in Arizona when you don't have an ID." I found this and several other of his jokes to be very amusing. With every that is going on, in Arizona, the President is already quite comfortable making light of the situation. And this is perfectly okay! In times where things are not going so smoothly, a good joke doesn't hurt anything. "Laughter is the best medicine," right? It's relieving to know that if your President is not stressed, uptight, and worried. While he leads the nation, eyes are constantly watching his every move, sensing how we should feel about situations we only know from what we see on TV. If he can deal with them firsthand and still come out smiling, it gives us a sense of calm and relaxation.

Educating the "Whole Child"

I was in the car a couple days ago and came upon a bumper sticker that sparked my interest. It was for a Christian academy and it said "Educating the WHOLE child." I found this intriguing. Having only gone to Christian school for my kindergarten year, I began to ponder- Had I not been wholly educated? Or anyone who does not attend a religious school, for that matter. Has going to a secular public school restrained me from receiving spirtual enlightenment? I consider myself fairly religious- attending church on a regular basis. Having been raised in a Christian home, a third-generation "PK" or preacher's kid, I considered myself to have a strong religious foundation. But maybe the secular environment in which I was educated prohibited me from fully understanding and involving my religion in my everyday life.
I have witnessed students at Christian schools, especially the younger ones. Matriculating through religious environments seemed to have taken a different effect on them. As opposed to the children I went to elementary, middle, etc. with. The craved religious knowledge and understanding. They wanted to become more grounded in the Word and to learn all they could about the Bible and becoming a better Christian. Perhaps by not growing up in such environments prohibited me from being wholly educated?

Age Limits?

My mom always tells me that I won't be an adult until she has taken me off of her insurance when I turn 24. Well, 26 now, thanks to the brilliant new Obama health care bill. But the age of legal "independence" is 18. I find it interesting that we have always had legal age minimums but no age maximums. You have to be at least 16 to drive, 18 to vote, 21 to drink, etc. But there is no age at which you must stop driving, voting, drinking. If I'm too young and inexperienced to vote at 17, is it possible that someone at say 77 would be too old and not in their right mind to do the same. I'm no ageist, but people mature at different ages. One could be mature enough to vote, drink, drive, etc. before their legal age. Of course this would be the anomaly but they exist. Also, someone past a certain age cannot be expected to be able to drive with the same attention, or be mentally sound enough to make political decisions. And that's in the case they are sober. Add alcohol to the picture, and that would be an entirely different story.

Diversity

When I walked through the halls of my high school, diversity radiated about me. Though our colors were green and gold, faces of olive, ebony, and cream made their ways to classes. Some would wear the brightly colored garments of their cultures. The girls would wear jewel-encrusted hijabs on their heads and sandals on their feet, which seemed to disappear behind the curtains of fabric that draped over their conspicuous frames. Then others, appeared to have assimilated. Any connection to the parents' native cultures was as far away as their home nations. The wear red, white, and blue shirts that scream "American Eagle" but the tags on their collars still whispered "Made in Vietnam." Even now, in this new college environment, the presence of other nationalities has become the norm. My best friends are Jamaican, Kurdish, Vietnamese, Mexican and bi-racial. Being the only "African-American" in the group, not to mention the only one of a darker complexion, often merits several odd stares when we hang out in public. Whether on campus or off, people often seem to look and wonder, "How do they know each other?!" In a nation that is supposedly embracing diversity, I often wonder is this really the case? When I cannot walk with my best guy friend that happens to be Vietnamese without people making comments about a "Blasian" couple, it begins to seriously concern me. It maybe meant as a joke but the truth is underlying.

School Budget Cuts

The economy has indeed received several devastating blows over the last few years. The greatest car companies have been through struggles, jobs have been lost and budgets are being cut back. Some of the budgets that have been cut include schools, in particular, my high school. We never really have had the greatest funding. Field trips and activities were and still are scarce, unless paid for by some outlying source. And graduation from the school gym was not exactly the classiest event.

But the new threat? To completely shut down the school. Well, this isn't exactly new. There have been rumors of such ever since I first began my matriculation through high school. My class was the first to make AYP which is Adequate Yearly Progress, often called Annual Yearly Progress- so redundant... This explains why we had yet to make it before last year. Anyway, in 2009, my class made AYP on the Graduation Test for the first time in the school's history. In order to get off the "Needs Improvement" list, this year's junior class must do the same... Talk about pressure!

However, before they have even had the chance to take the test, the rumors start back up. Apparently, several schools in our district will be closed next year due to budget cuts and my high school is on the list! Of course, I'll be gone by then but I will have no Alma Mater to go back and visit, no building in which I can thank the ones who helped me become the success story I plan to be. Additionally, this year's juniors, the same ones that have been pressured all year to "Pass plus, pass plus, pass plus!!" in order to save their school, may not even have that chance!

How can we prepare the "Leaders of Tomorrow" if they are not even guaranteed to have a school tomorrow?!!

Identifying the Lost

My heart, thoughts and prayers go out to those lost in the Haitian earthquake this past week and to their loved ones. Such a tragedy is one that hopefully helps people realize how fragile life is. The most gripping aspect of this tragedy is the piles of unknown corpses and not knowing whether or not your loved one is alive or amidst the mass graves. Knowing there are thousands that have been killed must be agonizing for those who have not heard from their loved ones. Just a thought, but, perhaps some of the forces that have been sent should begin with helping loved ones identify the lost.