Stay of Execution: Day 3

You treat me like a dirty clown
You're always kicking my dog around
I never get nothin' but constant abuse from you
You couldn't care less what I think, or my point of view
-Oingo Boingo, "Goodbye, Goodbye"

Well, I'm certainly not doing work right now. I mean, I did some in the morning, but nothing meriting any kind of mention. So here's some random musings at present time:

- I'm out of maple syrup. It's not just any kind of maple syrup. It's Vermont maple syrup. My cohorts devoured it all. I was relegated to Aunt Jemima, who, while a very sweet lady, simply shouldn't try to add a butter flavor to her syrup.

- The New York Knicks will be drafting eighth in the upcoming NBA Draft. They would be wise to draft Hakim Warrick of Syracuse. Yes, they need another undersized forward like they need a kick in the nuts, but he's won a national championship, gotten better every year, and has crazy ass mofo dunks that can excite a crowd. He's like Marcus Camby without the injuries. And yes, there is that Syracuse thing.

- The US House of Representatives passed a pro-stem cell research bill despite the President's wishes. Stem cell research is an interesting thing cause the focus is on embryonic stem cells, which come from embryoes created via in vitro fertilization. The idea is that the cells, which have no specific job (i.e. they aren't heart cells, or nerve cells - they're just unassigned, all-purpose cells), could have potential value in treatment of diseases like Altzheimer's, Parkinson's, or different types of cancer. The stem cells are taken, the embryo discarded. Seems wasteful. (This differs from adult stem cells, which can come from organs and tissue such as bone marrow, but are considered to have a narrow potential.) Bush's argument against embryonic stem cell research is that the embryo is a living being and it's life shouldn't be simply discarded for the benefit of science. Interesting. That implies that life (presumably from the point of conception) takes on a value independent of the mother, and keeps that value for the length of its existence. A value we can't take away - because that would be playing God. Which Bush technically does by endorsing the death penalty. Interesting.

- It's Fleet Week. I saw the USS John F. Kennedy stroll up the Hudson. Fathers, hide your daughters.

- Naptime for Matty.