House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) spoke on abstinence programs at the uber-liberal “Netroots Nation” blogger conference (formerly called “YearlyKos”). The Speaker accused abstinence-only programs as being “dangerous” to America’s youth and that the only solution is to elect more pro-choice politicians. She went on to criticize the proposed regulations on conscience protections as also being “dangerous” and that if “you don’t like abortion you should love contraception.” She goes onto say she is speaking as both a mother of five and a “devout Catholic,” despite her beliefs on both abortion and contraception running counter to the teachings of the Catholic Church. This Friday marks the 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI’s encyclical on human life, Humanae Vitae, which upholds the Catholic Church’s long-standing prohibition on artificial contraception. As a politician Rep. Pelosi has every right to disagree with her Church’s teachings on abortion and contraception (and in the case of criticizing the proposed HHS regulations she is directly opposing the Catholic Church as this letter from the USCCB shows), just as doctors, nurses and pharmacists should have every right to live by their respective church teachings and not be forced to perform abortions or distribute drugs that would violate their beliefs. America does not need more pro-choice politicians – but more politicians that believe people should be able to make choices of conscience without fear of retribution.

Hat Tip: Friend on the Hill

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Shoplifting costs American businesses an estimated $16 billion a year, according to the Better Business Bureau. Online Lawyer Source reports that shoplifting causes one-third of new businesses to fail and that adolescents account for about 25 percent of the value of shoplifted goods and about half of all shoplifting cases.

Without costing the taxpayer another dime, there is a way to reduce significantly the incidence of adolescent shoplifting, and that is the subject of the latest edition of Pat Fagan’s Mapping America.

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At one level it’s a bit embarrassing to admit that I regularly watch movies based on comic books. I’m 56 and my youngest is 14, so it’s at least a semi-voluntary endeavor. Nonetheless, I grew up with subscriptions to DC Comics, the “Justice League of America,” “Classics Illustrated,” and an obscure favorite called “Metal Men.” These readings did not replace literature for my siblings and me; they supplemented it, and, with “Classics” especially, helped to pique interest in the real (and even unabridged) thing. It’s hard even now to describe the imaginative windows opened by just a handful of N.C. Wyeth illustrations in the editions we craved as children.

Thus, an invitation to watch a full-fledged Batman movie with today’s technological accomplishment is no bow to my teenage son, it’s irresistible. The new feature, The Dark Knight, is engrossing and visually spectacular. Unlike the comic books, however, it also has psychological depth and is almost unremittingly dark. It is good v. evil, certainly, but it is a troubled good confronting, in the character of the calculating Joker played by the late Heath Ledger, an almost-explicable evil.

The intense scenes of the Joker wielding knives in the face of his victims are stomach-churning to watch (at least one hopes that audiences have not become used to scenes like this that, in Roman Polanski’s 1970′s film noir Chinatown, became an iconic image of sadistic criminality), but it is during these scenes that the character explicates his personal history. He is the tormented product, he seems to imply, of his father’s wanton cruelty to his mother, just as much as Batman, played by Christian Bale, is the product of his father’s heroic effort to save his mother. Role reversals abound in the movie, and the public’s need for heroes it can both treasure and revile supplies the broad dramatic tension, but good fathers clearly matter.

Among the twisted ethical dilemmas the Joker poses to Gotham City involves two ferry boats full of passengers who are challenged to a potentially mutually fatal decision. One boat is full of criminals, the other ordinary citizens, so it is not a “Sophie’s Choice” that is presented. The scene is played out to an extraordinary conclusion. In the murky moral swamp into which Gotham City has sunk, this depiction of “lifeboat ethics” leaves plenty of room for thought. The Dark Knight is overlong and the violence exceeds its prequel, Batman Begins, and there are instances of implied sexuality and some language.

Finally, the film redefines the Batcycle just as Batman Begins redefined the Batmobile. At least a few things in Gotham City have gotten definite upgrades. Now if only my mother hadn’t thrown out a half million dollars’ worth of comics . . .

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Last week’s report by my interns on the talk discussing the reason Ireland voted against the new EU constitution (disguised as the Lisbon Treaty) reminds me that we have a good resource available for those who are not up to speed on the EU and some of the problems it, and related European institutions, pose on social issues. The paper is by my former research assistant, John Henry Crosby.

Follow this link to read “A Primer on the European Union.”

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California’s Stem Cell Affordability Bill (SB 1565) has received no mention in the mainstream media, but has caused a tremendous stir. Sponsored by Sens. Sheila Kuehl, D-Santa Monica, and George Runner, R-Antelope Valley, the measure will supposedly ensure equal and affordable access to any products developed through the state taxpayer-funded $3 billion stem cell grant program, give more flexibility for approval of projects by the grants review working group, and provide for an audit of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) governing board. So far no legislator has voted against it, and it will likely soon come to Gov. Schwarzenegger for his signature.

But during the legislative process, it has been attacked relentlessly by some embryonic stem cell advocates and by surrogates of the CIRM, Sen. Kuehl has been personally, viciously attacked by those same forces, and questions about the leader of California’s embryonic stem cell enterprise have re-surfaced. In particular there has been criticism of Robert Klein holding dual, and conflicting, positions as chairman of the state stem cell agency, the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and president of the advocacy group, Americans for Cures. With the rather apparent conflict of interest, there were calls for Klein to resign from one or the other position, but despite some reports that he had resigned as president of Americans for Cures, that has yet to be confirmed.

For more stories and details on the histrionics in California, check the California Stem Cell Report.

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Scientists and journalists have not necessarily had a good relationship in the past. While scientists like the attention to their work, sometimes they have not been good at explaining their results, its real significance, and the process of scientific investigation, and there have been real fears about being misquoted. But the scientist-journalist relationship seems to be warming. In a report published July 11 in the journal Science, a majority of scientists interviewed said that they were generally happy with their media interactions. The report was by a team led by Hans Peter Peters of the Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany, interviewed more than 1,300 researchers in the fields of epidemiology and stem cell research. The survey found similar results with scientists from the U.S., U.K., Japan, France, and Germany. The study also suggests scientists are becoming more knowledgeable about how journalists work, and are more skilled at working with reporters than in the past.

One German stem cell researcher, Hans Schöler, obviously doesn’t fall in the majority, though. A number of German news stories (sorry, no English-speaking media have picked up the story yet) report that Schöler wants a gag rule for journalists. He even refused to continue a scientific talk recently in Berlin because he detected journalists present. Maybe a little media training is in order?

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Researchers at MIT and the Karolinska Institute in Sweden have identified specific adult stem cells in the spinal cord that might be activated to repair a spinal cord injury. Konstantinos Meletis and co-workers have been able to mark the specific stem cells for the spinal cord. “We have been able to genetically mark this neural stem cell population and then follow their behavior,” Meletis said. “We find that these cells proliferate upon spinal cord injury, migrate toward the injury site and differentiate over several months.” The study, published in the July issue of the journal PLoS Biology, could lead to ways to activate the cells in an injured spinal cord for repair of damage and regrowth of nerve axons.

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Newly-published research shows that new blood vessels for the heart can be grown using adult stem cells from blood and bone marrow. The work combined two types of specialized (progenitor) adult stem cell types transplanted into mice, to give the best production of blood vessels of the type that are used for heart bypass surgery. The study was reported in the July 18 issue of the journal Circulation Research. One of the authors, Dr. Juan M. Melero-Martin of Harvard Medical School, said that “For clinical use, the way we envision it, if a patient has need to vascularize ischemic tissue, we can get cells from the patient ahead of time, grow them and inject them back into the patient.” One goal now is to reduce the time it takes to grow the blood vessels outside the body. Extensive growth now is seen after seven days, and the hope is to reduce that to 24 to 48 hours.

Growing your own bypass, with your own cells, may be what is taking place for many heart patients that have already been treated with their own adult stem cells. That’s how Lieutenant Ronnie Smallwood sees it. Smallwood suffered from congestive heart failure. He was treated by putting some of his own adult stem cells into parts of his heart muscle. Smallwood is now feeling better, and ready to go back to fishing in his off hours. He was treated by Dr. Emerson Perin of the Texas Heart Institute, who has treated a number of heart patients with their own adult stem cells. “What we are doing with the stem cells is hopefully creating better blood flow to areas of the heart that don’t get good blood flow,” Dr. Perin says.

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Do you like the smell of fresh earth? Does a whiff from a freshly-plowed field or just-tilled garden improve your mood? Well it might soon be possible for you to get that fresh earthy smell even in your uptown apartment. That earthy smell comes from the combination of two harmless chemicals that are made by bacteria in the soil. Scientists report that they have successfully isolated the bacterial genes responsible for synthesizing those chemicals. Now maybe even those far from the farm (but who like the scent) can experience the scent, and without the dirt!

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The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life has issued a new report on Embryonic Stem Cell Research.

The reason for the report is not obvious, because it contains very little new information, and even as a collection of the arguments it is slanted and superficial. The science section is incomplete and contains a number of inaccuracies, e.g., “In the mid-1990s, scientists began studying embryonic stem cells, at first in mice” (instead, two groups first isolated mouse embryonic stem cells in 1981.)

Worthwhile are the interviews with Yuval Levin and Jonathan Moreno, presenting the case against and for embryonic stem cell research, respectively.

The poll information is somewhat interesting, showing continually decreasing support for embryonic stem cell research, though as most now realize, the phrasing of poll questions determines the responses.

Much more informative is the poll recently done by the Ethics & Public Policy Center on Public Opinion and the Embryo Debates, showing continuing confusion about the basic facts of the debate. That article is definitely worth your time to read. But the Pew report may only contribute to the relative lack of knowledge of real facts

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Oscar Pistorius of South Africa, nicknamed “Blade Runner”, will not be running in the Olympics. He failed to qualify in the 400m and was not selected for the 4x400m relay.

Pistorius received his nickname and running notoriety because he is a double amputee with two carbon-fiber prosthetics as legs; the prosthetics look like springy J-shaped blades. His bid to attempt an Olympic run was the subject of contention in the athletic community. Back in January 2008, the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAFF) had ruled that Pistorius had an unfair advantage and shouldn’t be allowed to compete against “able-bodied” athletes.

He appealed the ruling and in May, the Court of Arbitration for Sport overturned the ban. A team of scientists led by Peter Weyand of Rice University, Houston, had done testing and found that Pistorius’ prosthetic legs did not give him an unfair advantage.

While it’s sad to see that Pistorius barely failed to make the 2008 Olympics, count on more discussions about prosthetics, body modifications, and whether some of these qualify as enhancements.

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The Boston Globe is reporting that Advanced Cell Technology (ACT), a Massachusetts biotechnology company, is running low on cash and may have to shut down or at least make severe cutbacks. ACT has been in the news in the past (usually first with their own press releases) for claims such as the first cloned human embryo, animal-human hybrid clone, creating organs by gestating clones, and for a technique that supposedly might produce embryonic stem cells without harming embryos. As the Globe story notes, “ACT has been dogged by complaints that it over-hyped its research”, and there has also been controversy about the way it has promoted some of its science, including its penchant in some cases for publication via press release. In 2002 auditors found it had mispent grant funds. It is also facing some other recent problems, including departure of many of its executives, including founder Michael West.

Though unrelated to its own troubles, ACT’s name was also in recent news about the mayor of Beaufort, SC being charged with insider trading by the SEC. According to the SEC, in 2006 an ACT executive told Mayor William Rauch, who had been a consultant for ACT, about a breakthrough embryonic-stem-cell technique the company was about to make public, after which he bought more than $11,000 worth of ACT stock, which gained 360% after the announcement was made public.

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They finally got one right!  After two of the worst, most politically motivated decisions in history, the California Supreme Court finally issued a rational decision. The Court threw out a challenge to this fall’s ballot initiative seeking to enshrine traditional marriage in the California constitution.  The challenge was the latest attempt by social leftists to prevent the people of California from deciding an absolutely fundamental issue – the definition of marriage.  Of course, the traditional definition of one man and one woman was thrown into dispute because the same California Supreme Court held that “limiting” marriage to one man and one woman was discriminatory against homosexuals who wished to marry one another.  They then followed that up by what might be the most undemocratic action of all: refusing to “stay” the legal effect of their decision until the people of California could decide the issue in the fall.

Apparently, the chief justice and others are convening meetings to, as they call, it “preserve impartial courts in California.”  It is hard not to laugh.  Exactly what is “impartial” about outlawing marriage as an “irrational” institution?  Or about refusing to stay that decision until the people can vote?

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The journal Nature has a news focus in this week’s issue with three articles on in vitro fertilization (IVF) and related technologies. An Editorial piece looks back at the impact of IVF, Ruth Deech, a member of the UK House of Lords and former chair of their Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority (HFEA) looks at the legacy of the U.K.’s early regulation of this reproductive technology, and Nature reporter Helen Pearson interviews several scientists about the future developments they foresee in the next 30 years. There is some interesting history here for those who are unfamiliar with the IVF industry and its beginnings, important questions are raised about the need for monitoring and registries of IVF-conceived children (as the Nature editors note, “safety concerns about IVF have still not evaporated” and little information is available, especially regarding newer practices such as pre-implantation genetic diagnosis), and some thought-provoking and sometimes scary future scenarios (genetic engineering of babies, artificial gametes, artificial placentas, etc.) that deserve careful discussion about where we may be headed.

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I asked my Witherspoon Fellows, Jan Ledochowski and Simona Beskova, to attend a talk on Tuesday by the man behind the Irish vote against the Treaty of Lisbon, which would have further expanded and consolidated the European Union. Their report follows:

Continue reading »

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Representative Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) has a new proposal out that seems to be right on the dubious heels of the “Strip@Clothe” campaign to “help” the homeless. Rep. McDermott has just introduced legislation, H.R. 6501, that seeks to tax Internet gambling and use the “proceeds” to help those “in foster care and individuals in declining sectors of the economy.” This seems to be a typical liberal strategy – for who wouldn’t want to help orphans and such? (Perhaps those who believe it is the responsibility of people and not governments, however that is a different subject.) Who cares where the money is coming from if it is for a good cause?

Rep. McDermott’s bill does not seem to actually legalize Internet gambling in the United States, so apparently he would seek to tax illegal activities. Well it was Ronald Reagan who said “one way to make sure crime doesn’t pay would be to let the government run it” so this could be a way to stop Internet gambling – but the government would most likely find a way to eventually subsidize it. (As another great President Reagan quote (does he have any other?) goes “the government’s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.”)

I am curious on how my Libertarian friends view the actions of some of those who support overturning the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act and the argument on all the money that would come into the government coffers by taxing online gambling. Having worked at one of the finer Libertarian-minded think tanks I know that most good Libertarians are opposed to taxing anything on the Internet. It is also highly dubious if such an action would be profitable. Taxing Internet gambling would place an enormous burden on Internet companies, at a time when the pro-Internet gambling forces say the current proposed regulations place an unfair burden on the banking companies. Why should a company be forced by the government to become a tax collector for more than 30,000 tax jurisdictions across the country? If that expense doesn’t put them out of business then the countless lawsuits from state governments claiming they didn’t collect a sufficient amount of taxes on their behalf will.

Hat tip: Friend on the Hill

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Kansas State University researchers are developing a method to use umbilical cord cells to deliver cancer-fighting drugs directly to tumors. Dr. Deryl Troyer and colleagues note that these umbilical cord stem cells have a natural homing ability to areas of tissue damage, including tumors. “We are using the cells as stealth vehicles,” Troyer said. Their project involves loading the stem cells with nanoparticles containing the anti-cancer drugs, and letting the cells home in on tumors, where they would release their cargo.

The project, a part of Kansas State’s Midwest Institute for Comparative Stem Cell Biology, uses a type of adult stem cell that is not from cord blood, but is instead from the solid part of the umbilical cord, known as Wharton’s jelly. These adult stem cells have the ability to form various cell types of the body, including neuronal cells, and have already shown the ability in animal models to ameliorate symptoms of Parkinson’s diease.

There’s more than wheat and wind on the plains of Kansas.

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According to the EPA, that’s the current value for a human life (their value estimate has dropped over the last year.) The estimate is for the “value of a statistical life”, a number used in cost-benefit calculations. But before you brag you’re worth more than the $6 Million Man, note that other agencies have different figures for your value, so you may be worth more or less than that. Time magazine recently noted that the value of one year of human life was approximately $50,000. A different estimate, based on parting you out for transplants and biological reagents, puts the value at over $45 million. And of course there’s the old estimate that if broken down to basic elements, you’re worth a grand total of $4.50… But I prefer to think the value of an individual human life is, as the commercial says, priceless!

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I blogged Monday about the Forum on the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act (CIANA) that Judiciary minority members held last Thursday, July 10th, and I posted the statements made by Representatives Franks, Lamar Smith and testimony given by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen.

I wanted to make sure you saw the testimony of the other witnesses who discussed the effectiveness and constitutionality of CIANA and it’s importance to protecting young girls. You can read Professor Teresa Collett’s submitted testimony about the legal and constitutional aspects of CIANA here, and submitted testimony by Missy Smith, a post-abortion woman who has since become pro-life and works to prevent trafficking of young girls seeking abortions. Michael New also testified and he posted a blog with his testimony here.

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Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.), Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee has been reaping the rewards of his support for gambling online by a large increase of political donations from those who would profit from his efforts to de-legalize online gambling. In addition the gambling “industry” (which is estimated to be a $5.9 billion industry – despite being illegal in the U.S.) is holding high end fund-raisers in his honor according to a story in the Boston Globe. One of those fundraisers was held in the home of a former Rep. Frank staffer whom now makes a tidy sum lobbying for online gambling.

One of his “fans”, a media relations director from an online gambling site referred to Rep. Frank as a God for his efforts. New donors to his campaign also include celebrity poker players like Annie Duke (“The Duchess of Poker”), Howard Lederer (“The Professor”), and Andy Bloch (“The Rock”). I testified against the “Duchess” last year over online gambling, and while she seems very nice I unfortunately was not given a cool nickname (or at least not one to my face or that could be printable here.)

Elsewhere a study conducted jointly by academics of the University of Western Ontario in Canada and the University of Nevada at Las Vegas — found that online gamblers tend bet more frequently and aggressively than they do in casinos (they needed a study to figure that out?) They also discovered that “online gambling is readily accessible via the Internet even though it is outlawed or in a “legal grey area” in United States and Canada.”

While the study might not be new news their unbelievable conclusion is. After concluding how different real live gambling and online gambling are the crackerjack study team “suggest legalizing and regulating online gambling, similar to the way casino gambling is regulated, may help reduce the incidences of problem gambling.” They give a laundry list of suggestions, some which have been automatically ruled out because of the anonymity of the Internet, such as “cross-checking new users with lists of pathological gamblers.” Or have proven to not be successful when tried in regulating online pornography.

They also “recommend online gambling casinos minimize use of flashing bold graphics to signal wins to lessen the emotional experience for gamblers.”

Please tell me this was not a government funded study.

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