Jack London: This well-known American author wasn't always such a success. While he would go on to publish popular novels like White Fang and The Call of the Wild, his first story received six hundred rejection slips before finally being accepted.
Interesting article about cancer cells:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20101223/hl_hsn/cancercellsmaybeabletourgetheirowndeath
Just think of the possibilities if the can encourage cancer cells to kill themselves.
Next up is what illnesses to watch out for during winter:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20101216/sc_livescience/7healthwoesbroughtonbywinter
I knew most of them but it did kind of surprise me that heart attack and strokes are more prevalent during the winter.
The United States has spent a trillion dollars over the years on their War On Drugs. Does Portugal have a better way?
http://www.officer.com/web/online/Top-News-Stories/US-Eyes-Portugals-Drug-Policy-Success/1$55981
And a brief correction to the above story:
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101227/ap_on_re_eu/eu_failed_drug_war_solutions;_ylt=Atzy5rPKWNlK3a3_hz8kiULVJRIF;_ylu=X3oDMTJ0ZjgwMTZsBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAxMjI3L2V1X2ZhaWxlZF9kcnVnX3dhcl9zb2x1dGlvbnMEY3BvcwMxBHBvcwMyBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA3BvcnR1Z2Fsc2RydQ--
Certainly sounds like something our government should look into.
The answer to yesterday's Who Am I was Sharlot Hall.
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4 comments:
Very interesting about the "eat me" protein. Sounds like a promising area for research. The second article was just depressing.
The link for the Portugal story only took me to a correction to the actual story. But it looked interesting, so I pursued the original story. I was surprised to learn that drug use seems to be rising in the Netherlands. I thought they had a handle on things. Switzerland's approach seems to be working, and Portugal's is a lot better than nothing. We seem to be taking tiny baby steps toward a more reasonable approach than our stupid "war", but we have a very long way to go. I'd say Portugal is ahead of us by quite a bit.
Hi Pat
The link to the drug story was good last night when I went to bed but you are right it is just the corrected story. I put in the link to the original story in the post and left the corrected on in there.
We just are drug knowledgeable here in the US, like they do with so many problems they just throw money at it.
The cancer cells eating themselves does look promising.
Bill
I gotta say Jack London has a lot more patience and perseverance than I do and I'm glad, because I've thoroughly enjoyed his books. 600 rejections? That has to be some sort of record!
I'd heard about cells killing cancer cells, when they first began the research and I'm delighted to know they're pursuing that option. If we can find ways for our bodies to battle the disease, with a little chemical help, I think it will make a big difference.
The second article didn't really surprise me, although I was surprised at the affect cold has on arteries and the like. We had a lot more heart attack and stroke deaths during winter when I lived in the north, but most of those seemed to be related to people with (sometimes unknown) heart conditions or overweight and non-exercisers suddenly spending three or four hours shoveling snow and such.
Our war on drugs is a dismal failure and one of the reasons it's so darned expensive is we spend so much on the legal system and then arbitrarily incarcerating drug users, even for small amounts of whatever. I don't know that legalizing drugs is the answer, but it makes a lot more sense to get addicts and potential addicts into treatment programs than into jail, where they aren't likely to pick up any good habits or such. The stats on the reduction in HIV alone are impressive. If we're going to throw money at a problem, let's take a look at the source of the problem and the best ways to deal with it, rather than relying on age old systems of punishment, especially jail time. Also, let's get this country to take a closer look at the methadone treatments, something I learned a whole lot about in editing a book written by a doctor who was administrator at a methadone treatment center. If this alternative is considered as a positive approach and fully supported, it would help tremendously in getting addicts of the "hard stuff" and into a regulated and positive health care program. Until we view addiction as an illness to be treated, rather than a "sin" to be punished, I don't see us making a lot of progress in a war we've tossed trillions at and aren't even close to containing, let alone winning.
Hi DR
Sorry for the late response, I ended up at the doctor yesterday and now am on an order to stay off my leg for three days. More on today's entry.
I would have quit long before six hundred rejections but like you I love London and am glad he continued.
If we can get cancer cells to kill themselves what an impact that will have on cancer treatments.
I was also surprised at the affect of the cold weather because I just thought the strokes and heart attacks were more stress related due to the holidays and being forced to stay in more.
Pat and I have gone around on around on the legalization of drugs and I'm still not all that excited about legalizing drugs but I'm softening my position. Interesting information from the book that you edited. I also know what we are doing isn't working.
Bill
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