Mixed Emotions

It seems scientist at Stanford have used stem cells to create human eggs and sperm. This development, besides taking sex out of the human reproduction equation, creates some big questions around the ability to engineer the human race. From a geeky, science fiction point of view this is all very cool but from a philosophical one its as scary as all get out.

to quote the article:

Now that we can genetically create children out of a lab with a few samples of skin cells, we can continue to refine the genetic make-up of our species and "refine" our genes, potentially putting evolution into our own hands.

We are obviously making some good progress in stem cell research.

The Vultures are Back

Cookie Jill pointed this out in the comments and it really wasn’t the best way to start the day:

Whether they deserve to be or not, Countrywide Financial and its top executives would be on most lists of those who share blame for the nation’s economic crisis. After all, the banking behemoth made risky loans to tens of thousands of Americans, helping set off a chain of events that has the economy staggering.

So it may come as a surprise that a dozen top Countrywide executives now stand to make millions from the home mortgage mess.

Stanford L. Kurland, Countrywide’s former president, and his team of former company executives have been buying up delinquent home mortgages that the government took over from other failed banks, sometimes for pennies on the dollar. They get a piece of what they can collect.

“It has been very successful — very strong,” John Lawrence, the company’s head of loan servicing, told Mr. Kurland one morning last week in a glass-walled boardroom here at PennyMac’s spacious headquarters, opened last year in the same Los Angeles suburb where Countrywide once flourished.

The next thing we are likely to hear is that George Bush and Darth Cheney have teamed up and formed a company to sell cheap Bibles for big bucks to the families of those killed in Iraq with the name of the lost loved one inscribed in gold. Oh! and if you buy two you get a genuine picture of Shrub in his flight suit with the "Mission Accomplished" banner. with a simulated signature, of course.

Unbelievable.

I'm Rich!

I've gotten this email 3 times today so it must be true. I don't remember Harry very well but I must have made a big impression on him. It would have been a little better if they had gotten the address of Monomark House correct, it is actually at 27 Old Gloucester St. and it also happens to be the address of any number of odd organizations mostly related to psychics and the such.

DYNAMIC LAW CHAMBERS, MONOMARK
HOUSE, 25 OLD GLOUCESTER STREET.
LONDON WC1N 3XX.

Dear

We act as solicitors and our services have been retained by Henry Toppin now late here in after referred to as our client. On behalf of late Henry Toppin , I write to notify you that my late client made you a beneficiary to the bequest sum of One Million, Seven Hundred Thousand British Pounds in the codicil to his will and last testament. Henry died on 8th day February 2004 after a brief illness at the age of 65. Until his death he was consultant to several oil and gas industries. He had a sojourn in the United States and so many other countries before he came to Cairn Energy PLC, United Kingdom. He was a knight in the Church and belonged to several non-governmental and scientific organizations. He was also great philanthropist and Fellow of the Rotary Club International. This bequest is to support your activities, humanitarian services and help to the less-privileged. In accordance with our inheritance laws you are required to forward the following details of yours; identification, full names, address, occupation, age, phone and fax numbers for verification and re-confirmation. Please acknowledge the receipt of this letter immediately.


Yours faithfully,
Raymond Greenfield Esq.