Annoyed by Occupy

March, chant, and peaceably assemble to your heart’s content, but share a message that makes sense.

I am extremely grateful that we live in a nation where you can speak out against injustice as an individual or in a group, without fear.  Taking it to the streets is an effective way to make a point.  I admire protestors because they are passionate enough about their cause to carry signs and shout about it.  My admiration turns to annoyance, though, when the shouting just doesn’t make any sense.  Here is and Occupy MN protest about a foreclosure, which is an example of a movement without a sensible message.

Nobody gets foreclosed on because their bank doesn’t like them.  There’s a very specific process that must be followed.  People lose their houses because they can’t afford them and they stop making their payments.  I understand that it’s sad because we’re talking about a person’s home, but that person got a loan, promised to pay it back through monthly installments, and failed to honor that promise.

I fully support bringing predatory practices to light.  If banks are maliciously foreclosing on people for no valid reason, I’d very much like to hear the details painted on signs and chanted in the streets.

Casa Group - Twitter 101

A few members of the Casa group met with staff at the organization to teach them Twitter. The women were hesitant about creating twitter accounts. I heard statements ranging from "I don't see the value" to "I don't need more social media in my life." I stressed to the women that it only had to take up as much time as they wanted to devote to it and they may even like it! I also spoke with the volunteer coordinator about creating a page that will encourage communication with college students.

On a personal note- when "teaching" people about Twitter, I realized I am very good at the technical side of using the site, but I need to work on creating professional content. My own twitter account is more personal. I write about anything from work annoyances to my love life. Twitter 101 was a wake-up call to me that creating (interesting) professional content is a lot harder than blabbing on about myself. I appreciate that I have learned this now and can work on it.

Twitter for Travelers (Blogging as connected writing)

I am a Twitter fanatic (as some of you already know). Lately I have become obsessed with a handful of travel bloggers who also tweet.  Some people may think twitter is only good for news and celebrities. But I see Twitter as a way to get information on basically any topic you can think of. Here are a few tips I have received for traveling:

1) Names of places that are off the beaten path as well as places the locals enjoy (if you want to get away from the tourists. Haha).
2) Ways to save money on flights, hotels, transportation and places of interest.
3) Best times of year to visit different countries
4) Neutral insights for destinations that you cannot get from a book

Here are a few of my favorites twitter travel accounts...

The Frugal Traveler
Gary Ardnt
Gadling
The Twitchiker

Kickstarter Success Story

This past weekend (June 9th) I attended the Northern Spark Festival. If you have not heard about it, it is an annual, citywide outdoor art festival that takes place from 10pm-6am. My friends and I rode our bikes to the St. Anthony Main area near downtown Minneapolis to partake in the festivities. The art that stood out the most to me were the projections on the side of buildings. One of these projections was filmed under the ice in a lake. The video was eerie but amazing.

I found out that the man who created this video used a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the equipment needed to project the film he had made. To learn more about how his successful campaign, visit Under Ice.

Slanted View on Stem Cell Research

As I quickly learned from working with GUSU, one of major limitations to finding a cure for spinal cord injuries has been the controversy regarding the use of stem cells.  Years ago, in my biology class, we learned about embryonic stem cells and how they can be differentiated into any other type of cell.  But, as this was years ago, I needed to brush up on my stem cell facts since GUSU supports stem cell research.

A Google search of stem cell research facts pulled up this article on ChristiaNet.  The first few sentences in the article were surprisingly objective considering the source of the article (if you ignore the link that leads straight to an abortion quiz) and the fact that it was found under the section:  abortion articles.

The stem cell controversy involves the destruction of human embryos in order to treat degenerative and genetic diseases. Embryonic cells have the potential to repair tissue damage. They can be used for different types of cells located throughout the body.

Unfortunately, it all goes downhill from here.  The first problem with the article is that some of the information provided is inaccurate.

Human embryos are fertilized eggs that are frozen. The embryo is usually frozen at eight weeks after fertilization.  Little babies that already have brain activity and a heart beat . .

According to The National Institutes of HealthResource for Stem Cell Research, embryonic stem cells are derived from a blastocyst, which is actually only five to six days old.  A blastocyst is a sphere, made up of two layers of cells with a fluid-filled cavity in-between;obviously at this stage there is no heart or brain.

The second major problem with the article is that it is written with a clear bias against embryonic stem cell research using as much loaded language as the author can pack into the paragraphs, along with assumptions about women who have abortions.

Little babies that already have brain activity and a heartbeat are not asked what they want. They are not considered at all. These little ones have no voice in this world. The stem cell controversy is a morale issue; an issue that every person should be concerned about. Using embryos for research is considered murder and goes against Christian beliefs.

Women who decide to abort a child may find doing so easier if they think that research on the child's stem cells could help to save another's life.

The third problem is the lack of research and cited sources other than the Bible.  It’s obvious that some research has been done, but there is no way of knowing where the author obtained his or her information, some of which we already know is inaccurate.  There are also no hard facts offered such as the different types of stem cells and the advantages and disadvantages to each individual type.  When the author does attempt to include research, he quickly offers a rebuttal if she doesn’t agree with the statement.

The stem cell controversy includes research that is being done to use the fluid that surrounds the fetus because it contains many different cell types that can be utilized without the destruction of a human embryo. The cell types in this fluid contain cells from muscles, nerves, the liver, blood vessel, bone, and fat. The research being done is bent on providing a resource for tissue repair and for organ repair but at what cost? The removal of this fluid is not supposed to be harmful to the fetus but it makes sense that this fluid is there for a reason. Perhaps this fluid is there to protect the fetus.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.  The problem I have with this article, and it shouldn’t even be called an article, is the fact that it is so poorly presented.  The author tries to make a point using scare and guilt tactics rather than presenting an argument based on facts.  The author does offer a possible solution to the article, which is to use autologous stem cells instead, but again there are neither solid facts, nor a discussion of the disadvantages to using autologous stem cells, such as the fact that they can’t be used to treat genetic disorders.





 

Colorado Drive Part II: Ugh.

Coming into Omaha, and then Lincoln, there's actually some life to this state... or so it seems... Get out of Lincoln, and you finally find yourself in a proverbial Hell. If you've never driven through Nebraska, just don't. Do what you can to avoid it. Please. There's all kinds of flat and road and nothing and more nothing. For a full five hours. Hopefully you can find a gas station to fill up - just don't get the regular unleaded, because it might just mess up your engine due to the lower-than-normal octane rating.

Then comes a bridge... and a sign... Colorado! Seriously, when you cross the state line, the road seems to brighten, the landscape becomes a little less flat, and the native plants turn from complete randomness to a beautiful bouquet of sage and wildflowers. The skies open up, and before long, the mountains start to appear.

It's worth the drive, methinks. Just bring someone else with you to drive through Nebraska so you can sleep through it.

Colorado Drive Part I: Pre Nebraska

Last week I moved my wife out to Colorado since she had accepted a new job out there. I'm following her once we sell the house - but unfortunately we need to get our things out there. This entails 13 hours or so of driving.

Waking up at 4am, we get on the road. The drive is actually kind of nice through southern Minnesota - everything is green from the recent rain we've had, and there's actually a little bit of topography. I feel like I've driven this so many times before, but it's still worth it.

Then you hit Iowa. I always hated Iowa. Farms and cows, followed by more cows, a farm or two, a city, then more cow farms. At least this time, there are quite a few more wind generators dotting the landscape. More of those, says this observer.

Ugh. Then comes Nebraska.