staying abreast of current events
December 16, 2005
i used to watch cnn headline news as my primary source of the world's news in college because i had only 13 channels and it was an easy 15 minute digest after getting home from work and school. the school's small newspaper publication wasn't interesting enough and had very little news outside of campus affairs, although i'd rather read it than listen to professors ramble on. and i can't forget the crossword, the wonderful little daily puzzle that i adored to no end.
now that i've finally jumped on the rss bandwagon and started using thunderbird to keep up with the day's newest stories and blogs, i can get a daily dosage of headlines from cnn and other sources without having to actively seek for them (which i rarely did because watching or listening to it on tv was always my preferred medium).
listed are my takes on a few current issues:
- nyc transit workers threaten to strike: why is it that almost every time a union decides to strike it seems like it's almost always in the area of transportation? what is it about public transportation that makes workers so jilted? perhaps it's the smell of the commuters. please wear deodorant or the transit operator may snap and run the bus/train into a wall.
- monumental stem cell research goes awry: being a person with a scientific background i am absolutely stunned with the fabrication of one of the biggest findings in stem cell research. a korean researcher fabricated data regarding the daunting task of cloning embryonic stem cells. this man makes me ashamed to have ever been a part of the scientific community (even if some would dub psychology as a pseudo-science). taking science, molding it to how one wants it, and then convincing the world of breakthrough findings only to retract the publication is the most absurd thing a researcher can do. the scientific community took a big blow from and for this man, and so did his career. i almost have pity for him. almost.
- pharmacists refuse to dispense plan B (morning-after-pill) to patrons: without going into my views on abortion, i personally find it unethical for a pharmacist to impact the rights that a person has to medication. if it will harmfully interact with her current medications then that's all fine and dandy as the pharmacist is protecting the health of the patient/customer (yes, one can argue about the rights of the zygote, but one won't here). outright denying someone a pill due to the pharmacist's personal moral obligations shouldn't be an issue; their job is to be knowledgable of drugs and to dispense them properly without outwardly passing judgment. if a drug is legal the moral decision should be up to the person who requests the drug and nobody else, whether it's a pill to disallow implantation of a zygote or something for seizures. i find this to be especially the case when a pill needs to be taken within 72 hours to be effective. like i said, whether or not i agree with taking plan B is not an issue. leave it up to the patient and the patient only.
- clintion v. giuliani in 2008: awesome. ten bucks on giuliani. my apologies to my fellow (closet) feminists, but i don't think this country is ready for a woman to be president. the traditional/conservative states won't let it happen any time soon.
- heartbroken man gives $15k ring to stranger: man leaves engagement ring in unlocked car with a note:
Merry Christmas. Thank you for leaving your car door unlocked. Instead of stealing your car I gave you a present. Hopefully this will land in the hands of someone you love, for my love is gone now. Merry Christmas to you.
ouch. i'm sorry your heart got broken and that you retardedly gave away $15,000 in diamonds in gold. in other news, congratulations to the man who acquired $15,000 in diamonds and gold.
1 comment(s)
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1. Jungle Faced Jake said:
Nothing really to add... just if you are really interested in jumping into the whole RSS thing, I'd recommend Klipfolio, a small desktop widget like reader that will really easy your news reading. Not a spam link, just tip... cause RSS is not Thunderbird' strong piont.
12.17.05, 04:11 PM
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