The Truth....do you even want to know?

Super Size Me  - Movie via Youtube (Yes, it's free :) )

I just watched this.

Wow.

I'm never going to look at Mcdonald's the same way. It's just sickening--literally.

Take a look yourself, be amazed, grossed out, inspired, or all of the above.

Russia Slams US for it's Human Rights Record (Yahoo!)

"MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's Foreign Ministry has attacked America's human rights record in its first report on injustice elsewhere in the world, offering examples such as the Guantanamo Bay prison and wrongful death row convictions to paint the U.S. as hypocritical for lecturing other nations on the subject of rights.

               "The situation in the United States is a far cry from the ideals that Washington proclaims," says the report released Wednesday.

               Moscow has previously reacted angrily to the accusations of human rights breaches that the U.S. State Department has leveled at Russia in its annual reports. The State Department has expressed concern about the violent attacks on rights activists and journalists in Russia, most of which go unpunished. It also has criticized abuses in Russia's Caucasus, including extrajudicial killings, kidnappings and torture.

             The 90-page Russian report slams EU nations, Canada and Georgia, but reserves its longest section of 20 pages for what it says are violations by the United States. The report does not cover Asia, Africa or the Middle East, other than a five-page section criticizing the NATO operation in Libya.

           Moscow laments the ongoing operation of the "notorious" prison in Guantanamo Bay, where terrorism suspects have been held since the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, and criticizes President Barack Obama for "legalizing indefinite and extrajudicial custody and the return of court martials."

The report accuses the U.S. of prying into citizens' personal lives and violating the rights of Muslim Americans in the fight against terrorism. It also points to errors made by American courts.
           'Judicial errors are the Achilles heel of American justice as concerns capital punishment,' the report argues. It notes the roughly 130 people sentenced to death in the past 30 years who were later cleared of the charges, some after they were executed.
           The Foreign Ministry also struck back at international criticism of Russia's recent parliamentary election, which independent observers said involved widespread fraud. Outrage over the vote set off a spate of protests led by citizens unhappy with Vladimir Putin's rule.
         The report accuses the U.S. of blocking independent candidates from elections and criticizes the practice of allowing governors to nominate senators when a Senate seat is vacated, as when Obama became president. It refers to the conviction this year of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich, who was accused of trying to auction off Obama's Senate seat.
         The State Department is reviewing the Russian report, spokesman Mark Toner said. He said such reports can be a 'useful mechanism provided that they are produced using objective methodology.'

        'We certainly don't regard it as interference in our internal affairs when foreign governments, individuals or organizations comment on or criticize U.S. human rights practices,' he said, adding later, 'In terms of our human rights record, we're an open book.' "

2 Earth-Sized Planets Discovered

Space-Discovery

I find space research an important field, however I'm curious for others' opinions.

Opinions on astrophysical research?

Education

How important is education to you?

Hmm...food for thought?

How do we explain our existance? Is the concept too difficult for human comprehension? Scientifically, many bring up the big bang theory. But much of what we are taugh is purely theory-based when it comes to space. The facts are what brings us more fiction and vise versa. It's an endlesss circle.

Space is an amazing thing. Just think about it. We are a speck in the realm of the universe. We like to say that we, as humans, are unique, the only living thing we know of. But to be unique, there must be something to compare to. A drawing cannot be called unique unless is different than other present paintings. The same concept applies to humans. How would you describe our existance?

Jellyfish~

Nature is exciting isn't is?

Yoav Meden

"Miracle Baby" Born with Foot in Brain

Something I found rather interesting. Comments?

Autism

What is Autism?

Autism is a developmental disorder that typically appears in the first 3 years of a child's life, and affects the brain's normal development of social and communicational skills. Autism is a physical condition linked to abnormal biology  in the brain. The specific causes of these abnormalities remain unknown, but this is a very active research area. Chromosomal abnormalities and other neurological issues are also more common in families with autism.
Boys are 3 to 4 times more likely to develop autism than girls; a fact that was unknown to me untill recently.
Children with autism typically have difficulties in:

• playing pretend
• Social interactions
• Verbal/nonverbal communication

Some children with autism appear normal before age 1 or 2 and then suddenly begin to regress and lose language and/or social skills they had previously acquired.


(Cute  kid, eh? :3 )

People with autism may:

• Be overly sensitive in the 5 senses
• Have unusual distress to change
• Perform body movements repeatedly
• Show unusual attachments to objects

Communication problems may include:

• Cannot start a conversation
• Communicates with gestures, not words
• Develops language slowly, if at all
• Uses nonsense rhyming
• Does not adjust gaze to look at objects others are looking at
• Does not correctly refer to self
• Does not point to direct others' attention to objects
• Repeats words or passages, such as commercials

Social interaction:

• Doesn't make friends
• Doesn't play interactive games
• May avoid eye contact
• Withdrawn behavior
• May treat others as objects
• Prefers to spend time alone
• Lack of empathy

Other behaviors:

• Doesn't startle at loud noises
• Has heightened or lowered senses
• May withdraw from physical contact because it is overwhelming
• Rubs surfaces, mouths or licks objects
• heightened or lowered response to pain

Play:

• Doesn't imitate the others
• Prefers ritualistic play
• Shows little imaginative play

Behaviors:

• intense tantrums
• Gets stuck on a single topic
• short attention span
• very narrow interests
• overactive or very passive
• Shows aggression to others or self
• strong need for sameness
• repetitive body movements

Stem Cell Research: Stiumulating Controversy

1st Artificial Windpipe Made With Stem Cells Seems Successful

Although stem cell research appears to stimulate controversy, it's also stimulating scientific changes to people's lives. That's at least the way its been portrayed, but looking at it with a skeptic eye, it may be the way they want people to see it as.

Basic Stem Cell Information 
Stem cells have the ability to develop into many different kind of cells during early life and growth, hence their seemingly usefulness in the scientific field.

Two important characteristics of stem cells:
1. they are nonspecialist cells capable or renewing themselves through cell division
2. under certain physiologic conditions, they can be induced to become tissue- or organ-specific cells with special functions

The embryos used in stem cell studies were created for reproductive purposes through in vitro fertilization.

Scientists primarily work with two kinds of stem cells:
1. embryonic stem cells
2. stomatic stem cells

A starting population of stem cells that proliferate in months may yield millions of cells.

Embryonic cells are not derived from the eggs inside a woman's body.

Human embryonic stem cells are generated by transferring cells from a preimplantation-stage embryo into a plastic laboratory culture dish that contains a nutrient broth known as culture medium.

To be useful for transplanting, stem cells must be reproducibly made to:

• Proliferate extensively and generate sufficient tissue quantities 
• Differentiate into the desired cell type or types.
• Survive in the recipient post-transplantation
• Avoid harming the recipient
• Integrate into the surrounding tissue after transplant.
• Function for the duration of the recipient's life.

A slightly religious way people tend to look at it:

I like this particular political cartoon because it illustrates (it's a pun....get it?....hehe) the controversy behind the stem cell research. Many believe it to be unethical and murderous, and many others believe it to be revolutionary and helpful.

Occupy Wall Street Protests

Well...

I'm all for activism and the sharing of opinions, but what are they expecting the protesting to do? There isn't an overnight solution that's going to solve everything at once. But my concern is more of the violence that's resulting from these protests. Pepper spray has been most prominent in the news. I'm curious to see if Obama plans to take action in this situation.

http://news.yahoo.com/occupy-movement-inspires-rise-u-campus-activism-165348141.html