Stem Cell Research

Brock Carroll6^th hourAdvanced Comp.December 10, 2007Stem Cell Research             Nancy Reagan recently said, “I offer my support for stem cell research and to tell you I’m in favor of new legislation to allow the ethical use of therapeutic cloning. Like you, I support a complete ban on reproductive cloning. However, I believe that embryonic stem cell research, under appropriate guidelines, may provide our scientists with many answers that are now beyond our grasp.”  Although stem cell research could do wonders for the world of medicine and many people, it is a controversial issue when involving the destruction of human embryos.  The topic used to be a black and white issue with many people having a moral and ethical problem with this embryonic destruction, but with recent discoveries, there may be no need to destroy embryos for research.              Stem cell research first took off back in the 1960’s, after a discovery by Earnest McCulloch and James Till. (National Institutes of Health)  Thanks to those two men, the world of medicine was changed forever.  By discovering stem cells, they opened up a world of doors that lead to the further findings of stem cells.  There are two main types of stem cells, adult stem cell and embryonic stem cells.  Adult stem cells come from such bodily areas as umbilical cord blood, bone marrow, and many other adult cells.  Also, they are mainly used to help fight Leukemia along with bone and blood cancers. (National Institutes of Health)  Embryonic stem cells are more complex than adult stem cells, and they are taken only from human embryos.  If the medical field continues to aspire as it has been in recent years, embryonic stem cells could do wonders with medicine.  Stem cells in general are very special and complex, with embryonic stem cells being able to transform into 220 different cells, if done right, and adult stem cells also able to turn into many cells, it leaves the options wide open for what could happen with medicine in the future.            Adult stem cells do not contain the controversy that surrounds embryonic stem cells.  There are many reasons why adult stem cells don’t have the conflict that embryonic stem cells do.  The main reason is that adult stem cells come from easily accessibly areas on the body, which makes them rather simple to gather.  Doctors can get adult stem cells from many adult cells in the human body, including: skin, fat, bone marrow, stromal cells, umbilical cord blood and more. (Jean Peduzzi- Nelson)  Not only are they easier to get, adult stem cells come from many developed organisms, which can be found in both adults and children, so the option of who to take adult cells from is rather vast.             Not only is there no controversy with adult stem cells, but some claim that they are more beneficial to the future of medicine than embryonic stem cells.  The testing of adult stem cells on animals has produced better results than that of embryonic stem cells, the fact that those tests were done on animals is claimed to be semi questioned as to how they would play out in humans.  With the thought that adult stem cells have done better on animals, scientists say that embryonic stem cells have done better on humans but Jean Peduzzi- Nelson said some interesting thoughts about that.  She said, “Studies have been done to show that stem cells come from adult cells, and that adult stem cells have the same capabilities as embryonic stem cells.” In order for either of the stem cells to have better results would be quite interesting seeing as how each of the stem cells seems to be closely related.  Yet it seemingly would be possible for there to be different results with both types of stem cells.  For the adult stem cells, there has always been a long struggle to overtake the spot light from embryonic stem cells, but there has been no such luck, and seems that it will continue to stay that way.   The process and goals of adult stem cells is kept under pretty tight raps and not many people know about what is being accomplished.  Some say it is because philosophers and scientists have more faith in embryonic stem cell research and see it going farther in the future so they have placed more attention and effort on that, but no one knows the precise reason.  Adult stem cells are more than just fat cells and umbilical cord blood, they can be multiplied into many new cells and then be stopped, while once embryonic stem cells multiply, then they usually continue to multiply until there is an excessive amount of them, which can not be good.  “Despite adult stem cell treatments not being available for years, it will eventually end a pointless controversy.” (Jean Peduzzi- Nelson)  The problem with stem cells is the controversy that is tied to embryonic stem cell research, which is why many people believe that adult stem cells are the key to the future of medicine and they soon will be uncovered and turned into the media headlines, just as embryonic stem cells once were.            Adult stem cell research has been focused generally on two areas.  With most of the research being focused directly to clarifying what their capacity to self renewal indefinitely is, and looking at their changing potential.  Both of those topics bring interesting information along with mass amounts in confront able data.  Research has also been heavily looked at to help fight Leukemia and some bone and blood cancers.  As of now, many of the few adult stem cell treatments that have been approved are for those specific diseases, and to the knowledge of the public, they have been very successful.  As adult stem cells continue to flourish and become more inspiring, keep in mind that they too could hold the key to the future of medicine. 

College essay- someone who has had a significant impact on me

Brock Carroll

Mrs. Meeuwenberg

Advanced Comp

College Essay

                My father has had the biggest impact on me throughout my life.  All along I have grown up learning, laughing, and enjoying my dad, it has been a wonderful relationship.  It seems as if I didn’t have my father I would be lost in this world.

                To me it seems obvious that my mother often times gets jealous of me and my father’s relationship.  Every weekend we’re off doing something new and exciting, everyday we’re talking at home, on the phone, or through e-mails.  No matter where either of us is we find someway to communicate.  I do feel bad for my mother sometimes, but she has a great relationship with my older sister, so I’m not too worried about her, yet it still feels like she longs for a relationship like me and my father have.

                My dad and I have been pretty much inseparable since I was very young.  I was always one to make him take me for motorcycle rides, to go hunting, and just ride with him if we were going anywhere.  If I wasn’t allowed to go, I’d kick, scream, and be the fussiest little devil you’ve ever seen until I was able to go with my father.  Even now that I can drive I still try to do a lot with my dad.  We go out to eat quite a bit, go look at cars, he shows me funny “adult” e-mails, and we travel together.  The best part about being so close to my dad was we have the same interests, so whenever my dad needed someone to go either hunting, fishing or snowmobiling with, I’d get to go with him, and often times that included me skipping school which often times made my week.  I don’t know many people who are so connected with there dads

                Not only is my dad fun, but he’s smart and cool.  It’s been great throughout my life getting to skip school and do all this good stuff with him, but it’s more special to me that I get to use everything that he’s taught me.  With all the time I’ve spent with this great man, I’ve been blessed with the ability to learn a lot of what he knows.  With him scoring just shy of genius on the IQ test, there’s much that I can inquire from him.  But it’s not so much the school knowledge I endure from him, but more so the street smarts and stuff I’ll need in my everyday life that has shown through and been most noticeable.  I’ve learned so much, from changing oil in dirt bikes, hot to rig a downrigger, how to unstuck a half ton pick up, but most importantly how to be a good father.

                His influence on me has been nothing shy of marvelous.  Of course taking out the three birthdays he’s missed between hunting trips and vacations to California, It’s been unforgettable.  In all of this he has been more than a father to me; he’s been my best friend.  I feel that I can be completely open around him, and share things with him that I wouldn’t with some of my normal friends.  I know that I hear things from him about stuff that I most likely am too young to hear, but that’s what makes our relationship so strong and his influence to me so great.  I always learn from his mistakes and the ones I haven’t learned from him, he definitely learns from me.  Even though he is way more stubborn than me and quite ADD, I still learn tremendous amounts of knowledge and insight from him.

                This man may not be the best and brightest person I know, well actually he’s pretty close, but either way he’s my father, my best friend, and my teacher.  That is why I’m so influence and without the presence of him, I’m not sure what I’d do or where I’d be.  My father is the one who taught me how to love, and I have used that that love to love him.

Acid spill, rainy weather force evacuation

http://www.upi.com/NewsTrack/Top_News/2007/10/16/acid_spill_rainy_weather_force_evacuation/1509/

Early this morning there was a acid leak reported in Melvindale Michigan, located near Detroit. In response to the leak police and other officials canceled activities for the near by surrounding areas. There were 3 schools closed and a old peoples home had to be on lock down to make sure all vents were closed and windows were shut. The hydrochloric acid that was spilled is not to big of a threat on it’s own, but when it’s mixed with water there can be a nasty cloud that appears and can cause throat and eye irritation. Since there were wide spread rain storms today they were forced to cancel schools and activities do to high risks of danger. They still do not know what caused the leak, but it came from a plating plant in Melvindale.
It’s an interesting story with a very nice outcome for the children in Melvindale who didn’t go to school, as long as they didn’t get the irritations. The thesis for this essay was basically the title, the acid spill in Detroit forced 1500 kids to miss school. This was an interesting this to read but yet with all that’s going on in Detroit doesn’t surprise me. It also sucks for the senior citizens who are lock down and are being cooped up in there little rooms. Hopefully it all gets cleared up and today i wish i lived in Melvindale.

Mercedes-benz first in California with diesel

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/10/15/mercedes-benz-first-in-california-with-diesel/

Mercedes-benz has finally changed it’s E320 blutec model to fit California’s emission laws. Previously this vehicle was not able to be sold or driven in this very popular state. Now available for the upcoming 2009 sales year is the new benz. You will only be able to lease this vehicle in the sense that people Mercedes wants to get out the name of this car and how reliable it really is. Also they are only going to put about 100 of these pristine vehicles up for sale. They are going to produce this vehicle in the M, R, and GL class so it will also be able to be sold in California.

I think it’s a grand idea to finally make this vehicle meet California’s steep standards. With California being such a high end state in vehicles and everything else, it’s about time they are making this be purchasable in the state.  If they didn’t have this vehicle open for sales in California, they would be loosing loads and loads of money.  Also I think that it’s good for Mercedes just to get its diesel line out there and more promoted.  Being a big named car brand, you need to have your name out to keep sales up.

Freeing myself through forgiveness

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=14547176&ft=1&f=4538138

In this essay, the lasy starts off with a thrilling/sad story, leading to a very sad and depressing list of her fathers failures.  She talked about how he forgot her birthday by 5 month, how she saw him beat a woman in the street, and how she watched him shoot her mother.  Throughout all of this she claims to still not hate her father.  She says she doesn’t hate him b/c she never loved him.  It talks about how she got all sorts of strenth and courage from her mother, as to how she was a very willing and surviving woman.  Even though she went through all of that she kept on.  It continues to talk more about her dad and how he calls and if she doesn’t say what he wants her to hear he’ll get angry and bsaically “cut her off.”  With all of this she says that she would still be willing to look into a relationship with her father, and if he asked for one, she’d be wiling to go and take it a little deeper.  She is a very strong person and some one who has an amazing soul/heart.  She says by forgiving her father, it’d free herself and let her have more peace.

This woman is crazy! after all he father has put her and her family through it’s amazing that she’s even semi normal and can write a very good essay like this.  She uses many excelent and detailed stories, also she puts lots of effort and attention into making you feel not sorry for her, almost as though it’s her fault.  I like how she puts the thesis at the end, it gives it a nice affect on this essay, because you’re not quite sure as too where this essay may go by reading the begining and then she hits you with the end about forgiveness.  It seemed very well writen and organized properly.  I enjoyed this one for it’s great entertainment and wild stories, i sure hope this never happens to me.

Finding the strenght to fight our fears

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=15237115&ft=1&f=4538138

For this “this is believe” the women has turly been moved.  She was young child living under the israeli occupation, one night she decided to run to her grandmothers house who lived, only two blocks away.  As she ran she fas forced to stop and hide under a truck from some israeli soldiers.  They came very close to her and walked around and by the truck for quite sometime.  She prayed and just tried to think about what the soldiers are going through being away from their families and also having fears and needing strenght.  She was lucky to get out of that sittuation and live through the rest of it.  She relates that to Detroit and Sept. 11, with the whole arab community leaving the outskirts of detroit and being somewhat segregated and keeping to themselves and only conversing w/ other arabs.  She doesn’t understand why they won’t all converse with everyone, they may be scared.  She’s saying how we all need to look for strenght and fight what what we are afraid of.

This is a very good article and it’s compelling. I began to read it and was very intrigued after reading the first paragraph of her hiding story w/ the soldiers and everything, i liked her begining very much.  It was a good idea for her to keep her thesis to the last paragraph.  You could still understand what she was getting at but then you read it and it was all out in plain view, it was very good and interedting.  She also did a good job with relaying both stories, the one from her childhood and the one from detriot into each other.  I thought this was very well written and strongly appinionated, in a good way.

I believe in Streetlights

I believe in streetlights, as a metaphor for how I live my life in reverence to God.  To follow such minuscule objects as street lights, I feel well off on my own religious journey. 

I have had the privilege to drive for just over a year now.  As I began my driving journey I was constantly criticized and scorned for my driving techniques, they weren’t too far off from that of your average gung-ho, teenage male driver.  It consisted of speeding a little here, tailgating there, and listening to my music way too loud.  Yet at that point I was completely satisfied.

One day as I was speeding a little excessively on a local highway, weaving in, out, and around traffic, I was faced with a challenge, a red light, do I stop or do I continue?  No one was coming, but it’s the law, so I slammed on my brakes and listened to all three of my tackle boxes, waders, and poles came crashing into the rear seat of my SUV.  It was at that point as a driver when I noticed how easily I am controlled; I live my life by following colored lights.

God is played major factors in my life.  I have grown up in a Christian home, gone to Christian schools all throughout my life, and so far I’m convinced that it has been one of the best things for me.

Now after driving I questioned myself, how is living by lights affecting my relationship with God?  Every time I would stop at a streetlight I became another follower, that’s how I wanted to live in my life with Christ, in a world with a countless numbers of other believers.

There is a synopsis which I have based my life, it’s the Bible.  I know and believe that God has created everything in this world, including the streetlights.  I struggle to understand why so many people in this world cannot follow God’s word to much of any extent.  Yet a very high percentage of people follow streetlights to a T.  The percentage of people who follow God’s rule is much lower than that of the streetlights.  Everyone is to busy trying to better themselves in power, wealth, strength and fame to worry about God’s rules.  Though many of those people stop for yellow and red lights, they may not follow God.

To go on living my life to the way God and I both would like me too, it consisted of me changing my driving techniques.  Now instead of tailgating, it’s sought of as a relaxed time to enjoy and see God’s wonderful creation.  In replace for the music, I have many times when I turn all normal decibel music off, roll down the windows and just enjoy the beautiful sounds from around.  The speeding, well that just makes life worth living for.  As for streetlights, I now try to stop, enjoy, and reflect on how I can live my life in full commitment to God. 

By Brock Carroll

Revised copy:

I have had the privilege to drive for just over a year now.  As I began my driving journey I was constantly criticized and scorned for my driving techniques, they weren’t too far off from that of your average gung-ho, teenage male driver.  It consisted of speeding a little here, tailgating there, and listening to my music way too loud.  Yet at that point I was completely satisfied.

One day as I was speeding a little excessively on a local highway, weaving in, out, and around traffic, I was faced with a challenge, a red light, do I stop or do I continue?  No one was coming, but it’s the law, so I slammed on my brakes and listened to all three of my tackle boxes, waders, and poles came crashing into the rear seat of my SUV.  It was at that point as a driver when I noticed how easily I am controlled; I live my life by following colored lights.

I believe in streetlights, as a metaphor for how I live my life in reverence to God.  To follow such minuscule objects as street lights, I feel well off on my own religious journey. 

God is played major factors in my life.  I have grown up in a Christian home, gone to Christian schools all throughout my life, and so far I’m convinced that it has been one of the best things for me.

Now after driving I questioned myself, how is living by lights affecting my relationship with God?  Every time I would stop at a streetlight I became another follower, that’s how I wanted to live in my life with Christ, in a world with a countless numbers of other believers.

To go on living my life to the way God and I both would like me too, it consisted of me changing my driving techniques.  Now instead of tailgating, it’s sought of as a relaxed time to enjoy and see God’s wonderful creation.  In replace for the music, I have many times when I turn all normal decibel music off, roll down the windows and just enjoy the beautiful sounds from around.  The speeding, well that just makes life worth living for.  As for streetlights, I now try to stop, enjoy, and reflect on how I can live my life in full commitment to God.

Living in the Here and Now

 http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11888509

Due to his brothers death, he was forced to see what his life was really worth and where his priorities were and are.  In this case he didn’t just loose his brother, but he lost his best friend.  He claimes that he would do good to his brother by “being present,” after feeling like he’d missed so much of there past.  Spiritually he had been living without a good sense of what was going on, just thinking about and recreating what had happened to his brother.  He now knew that he needed to fins somthing more and rearange his life, so in honor of his brother he began to live in the present.  Inorder to do so it involved being more aware of what is going on around you in your everyday life.  Also he needed to stop responding to questions and start asking them.  He realized that our mind was the thing that limited us the most, so he stoped leting his mind think on it’s own and now only positive thought come from it.  In turn to all of this life has all new meaning and power to living here and now.

I think this man did a wonderful thing by rearanging his life after his brothers death.  It showed how big of an impact and feature he really was in his life.  To me it truly shows what lenghts this guy was willing to go to to make everything better for all, specially when his past life wasn’t so great, now that he knows what priorities are needed to be had it’s good for him that he’s now living in the present and has come to do what his brother did and would have wnated him to do.  With all that said, what this man went through is an awful thing that has long lasting affect on a person, so in turn that should help him live in the present from here on out. 

Every Person Is Precious

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=10365439

The writer here for this piece is a very bright anesthesiologist.  It involves her and how she sees God in the work she does everyday.  Whether it’s careing for a patient who is going into surgery, making her rounds or bretahing for someone who can’t.  She discovered that every person is precious when a friend in med school asked her to sum up her religion in one sentence, this is the phrase she came up with, “every person is precious.”  She see’s and acts this out in her everyday job as she has to care for people who are suffereing.  Faith is somthing that moves her, and when she has proof of somthing of that faith and see’s miracles happen everyday. You know what you can beleive.

This lady seems to have a very good grasp on her beleifs and religious views.  It impresses me how much an anesthesiologist has to put up with everyday and what type of effort is put into her job.  It’s hard to imagine trying to fend for someones life, breathing for them and watching them suffer constantly.  Goes to show how some people’s faith is so storng that they can see people suffer everyday and still know that every person ir precious.  I know that lady is a better person than I am.

Ferrari joins folding hard-top gang with 430

http://www.channel4.com/4car/news/news-story.jsp?news_id=16532&intcmp=rss_4car_news

Ferrari is now producing a folding hardtop in it’s f430 line.  It all started when ferrari relaized they needed to compete with Ashton Martin and they’re Vanatge model.  With the Ferrari f149 430, it’s the most compatable and cheapest ferrari made at this time.  This magical car has 430 horse power, and is driven by a 6 speed manual, with a 4.3 Liter v-8.  So far this car has been a big hit with the conveience of having a convertible and a hardtop all in one, they finally figured out what the customer wants.  The Ferrari f149 430 is estimated to go for around 130 Euro’s or roughly $145,000 American.  So now it’s up to you, you can have the Ferrari or the Ashton Martin, both comparible cars, make the right decision.

It’s about time Ferrari joined the hardtop convertible trend, i mean everyone’s doing it and it’s what’s hot.  It seems that they were about to start loosing money and sales to other companies that have already begun on this fad.  The ferrari f148 430 is an amazingly good looking car, it’s extremely hard to compare somthing to a ferrari, specially one as beautiful as that.  They do a good job of finding a car that’s fairly similar, even though the Ashton Martin is fairly cheaper it’s still a wonderful car and i’m sure a pleasure to drive.  To all the people out there willing to spend hundreds of thousands on a car, i’d prefer this wonderful Ferrari f149 430 hardtop convertible, she’s a beauty.