Month: November 2011

My 2 years with cancer and what I learned from Steve Jobs

Exactly two years ago today, I was lying in a hospital bed literally across the street from lab here at UC Davis. It seems unreal in a way, but painfully real it was and still is. On November 30, 2009, I had surgery for prostate cancer. Two years ago, things seemed pretty bleak. Now on …

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To the Republican Party: where’s the beef?

The Republican Party is a shadow of its former self. It seems to have lost touch with reality, abandoned real leaders, and given up on facts. One of the most damaging trends for the Republican Party has been their lack of presidential candidates who have gravitas, meaning they can be taken seriously as national leaders. …

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Is a fertilized egg a Californian? Personhood movement brings battle to California

Remember those folks who were pushing an amendment in Mississippi that would have defined the one cell fertilized egg as a full blown person with all the same rights as a living, breathing, thinking Mississippian? Now the new battlefront for their movement is California. They want to get an initiative on the ballot to make …

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Video of Katehi’s speech today at UC Davis rally: “I’m sorry”

Chancellor Katehi gave a short, ~2 min. speech, at today’s UC Davis rally. Regrettably, I wasn’t there, but there is already video of it up on Youtube. You can watch it here. The gist of the speech is that she’s sorry and that she wants to connect more with students. The students in the crowd …

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Unprovoked UC Davis Police Attack Peaceful Student Protestors: some perspectives

I usually stick to science on this blog, but Friday’s events on my campus compel me to take a moment to discuss what happened. I am proud of our school and to be a member of the UC Davis faculty. I’m proud of our students too. I am shocked and disappointed at the events that …

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New England Journal of Med: most Americans, including Republicans, and Europeans support ES cell research

Today, an authoritative article was published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) that included some of the most comprehensive polling of attitudes in the U.S. and around the world on embryonic stem cell (ESC) research. Their findings indicate very widespread and deep support for ESC research around the globe including in the U.S. and …

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The Scarlett letter? What the experts really think about Geron

The grapevine is afire with the Geron news and there are many interpretations out there of what it means and why it happened. Based on several accounts from folks who remain anonymous, here is the most probable prediction of what happened to lead us to yesterday’s announcement. Geron has been worried for a long time …

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