This past week a perfectly preserved woolly mammoth carcass was found on a remote Arctic island.  This is not the first intact mammoth that has been found, however it is the first one found with preserved liquid blood.

The blood is very dark and was found when scientists broke through the ice.  The ice cavities were broken and the blood came flowing out.  Scientists believe that the blood was still in liquid form due to the survival mechanisms of the mammoth.  The fact that the blood did not freeze in extreme temperatures may have been how the mammoth kept itself warm. 

The blood was collected in tubes and sent for testing.  In addition the carcass’ muscle tissue was also in perfect condition meaning there are a number of different types of cells scientists have access to.

Scientists believe that it now may be possible to clone the woolly mammoth… an animal which went extinct over 10,000 years ago.

This past week the World Health Organization (WHO) warned the global community that the threat from a SARS – like virus is very real and poses a danger to the entire planet.  The Centers for Disease Control explained that the coronavirus can affect people or animals and can lead to severe acute respiratory syndrome or SARS.  Currently there is no vaccine to protect against infection.

To make matters just a bit more complicated, officials are not exactly sure how the virus is spread, but symptoms include fever, cough, pneumonia, and eventually kidney failure. 

Officials believe that the virus originated somewhere in the Middle East and has thus name it Middle East Respiratory Symptom Coronavirus or MERS-CoV. 

Thus far there has been 49 infections and 27 deaths worldwide.  Officials are working hard to identify a cause and develop treatment to prevent a world-wide pandemic.

Thoughts? 

Since taking leadership of the Catholic Church earlier this year, Pope Francis I has attempted a more conciliatory and unifying approach to his stewardship over the Church.  Last week he made headlines by saying that each person, even non-Catholics, non-Christians, and atheists must work to do good in the world and that each person can be redeemed through the power of the Holy Spirit.

These words angered many at the Vatican as it sounded as if the Pope was saying that the Catholic Church was not necessary for people to be saved.  In a statement released from the Vatican yesterday however, it clarified the Pope’s statements saying that doing good is one thing but that atheists and all non-Catholics cannot be saved, and should expect to go to hell unless they willingly join the Catholic Church.

Such a statement is a stark departure from Pope Francis’ ministry so far and it will be interesting to hear his personal response regarding this statement.

It a related story… Atheists still do not appear to be concerned about their “ impending doom… “

Thoughts?

The mayor of Osaka, Japan is backtracking this week from comments he made concerning the realities of Japan’s so-called ‘comfort women’ of World War II.  In a statement last week he suggested that state sponsored sexual slavery of thousands of Japanese women was a necessary evil provided to soldiers in order to relieve the stress of the dangers of enemy fire.

Following his statements two Japanese women, now in their 80’s, canceled a meeting with Mayor Hashimoto.  The two women, Kim Bok-dong and Kil Won-ok are former comfort women and said that the mayor’s comments are just the latest example of the Japanese government not taking responsibility for the evils it perpetrated on the region as well as its own people during the War.  Mr. Hashimoto’s statements indicated that he didn't believe the brothels were as bad as is made out and even pointed out that Japan was not the only country to employ ‘comfort women’ and has been unjustly singled out.

In 1993 Japan issued a formal apology for its role in the World War II era brothels, but the government has recently debated taking back said apology.  National and international pressure has recently made the government rethink that action.

Some historians estimate that as many as 200,000 women were rounded up to provide sex for the Japanese military serving in Japan, Korea, China, Taiwan, and the Philippines. 

While the 193 member General Assembly of the United Nations passed a nonbinding resolution which demands a diplomatic end of the ever intensifying violence engulfing Syria, Syrians were dealing with yet another mass killing… such events have become commonplace for the citizens of Syria.

Footage released from anti-government forces show the killing and mutilating of Sunni Muslim rebels by the Shiite Muslim forces of President Bashar al-Assad.  The videos show people being shot, unborn babies being cut out of their mother’s wombs, and soldiers cutting out organs of enemies in order to take a bite out it as a sign of their intense devotion to their cause. 

This past week forces supporting President al-Assad in the bloody civil war went from house to house killing entire families including women and children of all ages. 

Supporters of the government are calling the killings “cleansings” claiming that peace can only happen when the Sunnis are removed from Syria.  Christians in the area have been helping Sunni families find shelter and even escape the country.

On May 2 security forces raided a small town called Bayda.  During the raid soldiers once again went door to door separating the men and boys 10 and older from the women and younger children.  The men were beaten to death or shot while the women were placed under massive house arrest.  About 100 women awaited their fate an order was given by the military commander to kill all of them to which a guard was reported to have said, “Don’t be rash! Take a breath.”  The women were spared… the men and boys were not as lucky.

With hundreds of bodies littering the streets of many villages and towns, citizens in Syria are wondering when the world will take some real action in stopping the mass killings of innocent civilians.  Thus far bold words from President Obama and the United Nations have done nothing to detour President al-Assad from continuing his campaign of torture and murder.

At what point will the world take some real action to help the people of Syria?  I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Thoughts?

This past Tuesday, prosecutors in Egypt indicted a Christian school teacher on charges of insulting Islam.  Dimiana Abdel-Nour was arrested following accusations by students and parents that she made comparisons between Islam and Christianity claiming that the late Coptic Pope Shenouda was “better than the Prophet Mohammad.”

Since the government of Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in the February 2011 Revolution, tensions between Muslims and Christians have been steadily rising.  As Egypt struggles to once again become a stable nation, they face not only these issues of religious freedom, but also deep political and economic turmoil, as well as issues of free speech as earlier this year Bassem Youssef, host of Al Bernameg (The Program) was arrested on similar charges of insulting Islam and insulting the government of Egypt.  Youssef’s show is an Egyptian version of John Stewart’s Daily Show.

About 10% of Egypt’s population is Christian and many feel that since the ousting of Mubarak they have been unprotected by the government.  Last year a 17-year-old Christian was sentenced to three years in prison for posting cartoons on his Facebook page which mocked the Prophet.  It is unclear what possible sentence this teacher may receive, but for the time being she was freed on a $2,900 bail posting.

Thoughts?

Tired of students habitually skipping class, school and police officials have begun using GPS to track the movements of students.  The devices ensure that the student is where he or she is supposed to be.  Some of the devices look like normal watches or small cartridges which can be carried in a backpack.

Students are tracked with the GPS and randomly checked to see if they are really the ones carrying the device.  If they are found to not be the carrier (say they gave it to a friend to make it seem like they are going to class) then the student and his “helpful” friend would both face serious consequences.

Parents have begun purchasing these devices in order to track the movement of their children as well.  Some parents do not even tell their child that they attached a device to their back packs.  Parents say that they are doing everything they can to ensure that their children are making good decision about where they go and who they are with.

Some students however claim that for parents to attach such a device to a child without any real cause is unfair, and that they should be trusted until they do something to lose that trust.  Many students seem to have little issue with the punitive version of the GPS… those students, by not going to class, have brought this on themselves.

It may not be a perfect system, and you may already be thinking of ways around it… but if that is where your mind is going, you may be proving why such measures are needed to ensure young people are doing what they are supposed to do.

Thoughts? 

Each spring, high school seniors anxiously await response letters from their prospective colleges.  They have dreamed, for one reason or another, of going to a certain school which will, of course, make all of their dreams come true.  Thus it can be a joyous moment when that acceptance letter arrives or a crushing one when they read that they were rejected from that dream school.

There is however another possibility, one that for some is worse than the rejection letter… the dreaded waitlist!  For some, college acceptance letters are hardly black and white, they can be a painful, confusing, frustrating shade of grey as they must decide whether or not to go to another college or try their luck at remaining on that waitlist.

The reality is that most of those waitlisted students will not end up getting into the school that placed them on that list.  As an example, Trinity College in Connecticut has hundreds of students on the waitlist each year and last year only 30 students from that list were eventually accepted; the year before that no one was taken from the list, and in 2011 over 100 students were accepted from the list.  College admissions officers say that students should treat a waitlist letter like the lottery.  If it comes through, great! But don’t plan on it.

So what can students do to help their chances of getting off the waitlist?  Admissions officers say that students and parents should avoid personal phone calls, promises of gifts, and anything else which could be seen as unprofessional.  These are academic institutions, and any actions taken by prospective students or their parents which are unprofessional or foolish will result in the student being removed from consideration. 

Jessica Marinaccio of Columbia University says that students should send a brief letter affirming their interest in the school and updating the school on the progress of their senior year.  Students should absolutely avoid extra letters of recommendation or any other supplementary materials.

Thoughts?

Yesterday prosecutors in Salt Lake County, Utah filed third-degree felony homicide by assault charges against a 17-year-old boy accused of punching a soccer referee, which led to the man’s death.

Witnesses reported seeing Ricardo Portillo give the accused a yellow card during the game.  The teen then punched Portillo from behind.  Portillo was complaining about pain in his face and back, then began to spit up blood.  He was transported to the hospital where he died of a subarachnoid hemorrhage and traumatic brain injury. 

At this point it is unclear whether or not the teen will be charged as an adult.  Utah law allows persons under 18 to be charged as adults in the cases of certain aggravating crimes such as murder, robbery, or sexual assault.

If convicted as an adult, the charge of third-degree felony homicide by assault carries a maximum of five years in prison… a length of time some feel is too short based on what the accused is charged with doing.

Whether or not the teen in convicted, this is a prime example of how sometimes spontaneous, emotional reactions can have devastating, unintended consequences.  Did this teen intend to end the life of Portillo… no… but I doubt that is much comfort to his family.

Thoughts?

This past week three women, who were held captive for over ten years in a Cleveland home, escaped their tormentors who were quickly arrested.  Amanda Berry, who had not been seen since April 21, 2003 when she disappeared after leaving her job at a local Burger King, was seen in the doorway of the home which served as her prison… she was with a young child and was screaming, “I need help! I need help! I have been kidnapped for 10 years!”

Two neighbors freed her by kicking in the door.  Berry then called 911 which led to the freeing of Gina DeJesus who disappeared in 2004 at the age of 14, and Michelle Knight who vanished at the age of 20 in 2002.

Three brothers were arrested in the kidnapping, Ariel, Pedro, and Onil Castro.

According to the FBI these men used a perverse system of rewards and punishments to create fear, submission, and loyalty.  They achieved almost total control over the women who needed them in order to survive. 

Some neighbors seemed surprised, while other claimed that they always thought something was odd about the brothers. 

Police and FBI officials are thrilled the three women, now in their 20’s and 30’s, survived for such a long period of time as often such cases end tragically. 

Other similar cases recently in the news include Jaycee Dugard who was help prisoner in California for 18 years; Elizabeth Smart who was tormented for 9 months, and six women who were held and tortured in Belgium in the mid 1990’s.

Thoughts?