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2004 Pharmacology and Therapeutics Publications
Aljada IS, Ramnath N, Donohue K, Harvey S, Brooks JJ, Wiseman SM, Khoury T, Loewen G, Slocum HK, Anderson TM, Bepler G, Tan D. Upregulation of the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase –1 protein is associated with progression of human non-small-cell lung cancer. J Clin Oncol 22:3218-3229, 2004
Ammanamanchi S, Brattain MG. Restoration of TGF-â signaling through receptor RI induction by histone deacetylase activity inhibition in breast cancer cells. J Biol Chem 279(31):32620-32625, 2004
Ammanamanchi S, Tillekeratne MPM, Ko TC, Brattain MG. Endogenous control of cell cycle progression by autocrine TGF-b in breast cancer cells. Cancer Res. 64:2509-2515, 2004
Appendino G, Bettoni P, Noncovich A, Sterner O, Fontana G, Bombardelli E, Pera P, Bernacki RJ. Structure-activity relationships of ring C-secotaxoids. 1. Acylative modifications. J Nat Prod 67(2):184-188, 2004
Azrak RG, Cao S, Slocum HK, Toth K, Durrani FA, Yin M-G, Pendyala L, Zhang W, McLeod HL, Rustum YM. Therapeutic synergy between irinotecan and 5-fluorouracil against human tumor xenografts. Clin Cancer Res 10:1121-1129, 2004
Azrak RG, Cao S, Slocum HK, Toth K, Durrani FA, Yin M-G, Pendyala L, Zhang W, McLeod HL, Rustum YM. Therapeutic synergy between irinotecan and 5-fluorouracil against human tumor xenografts. Clin Cancer Res. 10:1121-1129, 2004
Bai S, Goodrich DW. Different DNA lesions trigger distinct cell death responses in colon carcinoma HCT116 Cells. Mol Cancer Ther 3(5):613-619, 2004
Bateman NW, Tan D, Pestell RG, Black JD, Black AR. Intestinal tumor progression is associated with altered function of KLF5. J. Biol. Chem. 279:12093-12101, 2004
Berleth ES. Fanconi anemia pathway defects in neoplasia: Cause or effect? Cancer Biol Ther 3(6):538-539, 2004
Bernacki RJ, Pera P, Morazzoni P, Manzotti C, Riva A, Bombardelli E. Effect of silbin and docetael on LNCap prostate cell growth and total PSA levels. Eur J Cancer supplements 2:175, 2004
Bhattacharya A, Toth K, Mazurchuk R, Spernyak J, Slocum HK, Pendyala L, Azrak R, Cao S, Durrani FA, Rustum YM . Lack of microvessels in well differentiated regions of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma A253 is associated with fMR imaging detectable hypoxia, limited drug delivery and resistance to irinotecan therapy. Clin Cancer Res. 20(23):8005-8017, 2004
Bihani T, Mason DX, Jackson T, Lin A. Differential oncogenic Ras signaling and senescence in tumor cells. Cell Cycle 3:9:88-94, 2004
Brooks TA, Kennedy DR, Gruol DJ, Ojima I, Baer M, Bernacki RJ. Structure-activity analysis of taxane-based broad-spectrum multidrug resistance modulators. Anticancer Res 24(2A):409-415, 2004
Cao S, Durrani FA, Rustum YM. Selective modulation of the therapeutic efficacy of anticancer drugs by selenium containing compounds against human tumor xenografts. Clin Cancer Res 10(7):2561-2569, 2004
Clark JA, Black AR, Leontieva OV, Frey MR, Pysz MA, Kunneva L, Woloszynska-Read A, Roy D, Black JD. Involvement of the ERK signaling cascade in protein kinase C-mediated cell cycle arrest in intestinal epithelial cells. J Biol Chem 279:9233-9247, 2004
Deeb G, Wang J, Ramnath N, Slocum HK, Wiseman S, Beck A, Tan D. Altered E-cadherin and epidermal growth factor receptor expressions are associated with patient survival in lung cancer: a study utilizing high-density tissue microarray and immunohistochemistry. Mod Pathol 17(4):430-439, 2004
Dong Y, Lee SO, Zhang H, Marshall J, Gao AC and Ip C. Prostate specific antigen (PSA) expression is down-regulated by selenium through disruption of androgen receptor signaling. Cancer Res. 64(1):19-22, 2004
Dziegielewska B, Kowalski D, Beerman T. SV40 DNA Replication Inhibition By the Monofunctional DNA Alkylator Et743. Biochemistry 43:14228-14237, 2004
El-Araby ME, Bernacki RJ, Makara GM, Pera PJ, Anderson WK. Synthesis, molecular modeling, and evaluation of nonphenolic indole analogs of mycophenolic acid. Bioorg Med Chem. 12(11):2867-2879, 2004
Frey MR, Clark JA, Bateman NW, Kazanietz MG, Black AR, Black JD. Cell cycle and protein kinase C-specific effects of resiniferatoxin and resiniferonol 9,13,14-orthophenyl acetate in intestinal epithelial cells.. Biochem. Pharmacol. 67(10):1873-1886, 2004
Gangjee A, Jain HD, McGuire JJ, Chu E, Kisliuk RL. Effect of an electron-withdrawing 3-fluoro in a classical 2-amino-6-methyl-3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-5-substituted thiobenzoyl-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine on the thymidylate synthase inhibitory activity and binding to TS mRNA. Pterins, Folates and Meurotransmitters in Molecular Medicine 2:184-187, 2004
Gangjee A, Jain HD, McGuire JJ, Kisliuk RL. Benzoyl ring halogenated classical 2-amino-6-methyl–3,4-dihydro-4-oxo-5-substituted thiobenzoyl-7H-pyrrolo[2,3-d]-pyrimidine antifolates as inhibitors of thymidylate synthase and as antitumor agents. J. Med. Chem. 47(27):6730-6739, 2004
Gangjee A, Zeng Y, McGuire JJ, Mehraein F, Kisliuk RL. Synthesis of classical, three carbon bridged 5-substituted furo[2,3-d]pyrimidine and 6-substituted pyrrolo[2,3-d]pyrimidine analogues as antifolates. J. Med. Chem. 47(27):6893-6901, 2004
Geng XD, Geney R, Pera P, Bernacki RJ, Ojima I. Design and synthesis of de novo cytotoxic alkaloids through mimicking taxoid skeleton. Bioorg Med Chem Lett 14(13):3491-3494, 2004
Ghosh D. Mutations in X-linked ichthyosis disrupt the active site structure of Estrone/DHEA sulfatase. Biochim. Biophys. Acta 1739, 1-4, 2004
Hector S, Porter CW, Kramer DL, Clark K, Prey J, Kisiel N, Diegelman P, Chen Y, Pendyala L. Polyamine catabolism in platinum drug action: Interactions between oxaliplatin and the polyamine analogue N1,N11-diethylnorspermine at the level of spermidine/spermine N1-acetyltransferase. Mol Cancer Ther 3(7):813-822, 2004
Jackson JG, St.Clair P, Sliwkowski MX, Brattain MG. Blockage of Epidermal Growth Factor- or heregulin dependent ErbB2 activation with the anti-ErbB2 monoclonal antibody 2C4 has divergent downstream signaling and growth effects. Cancer Res. 64:2601-2609, 2004
James TA, Sheldon DG, Rajput A, Kuvshinoff B, Javle M, Nava HR, Smith JL, Gibbs J. Risk factors associated with earlier age of onset for familial pancreatic cancer. Cancer 101 (12):2722-2726, 2004
Karpf AR, Lasek AW, Ririe TO, Hanks AN, Grossman D, Jones DA. Limited gene activation in tumor and normal epithelial cells treated with the DNA methyltransferase inhibitor 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine. Mol Pharmacol 65:18-27, 2004
Kee K, Foster BA, Merali S, Kramer DL, Hensen ML, Diegelman P, Kisiel N, Vujcic S, Mazurchuk R, Porter CW. Activated polyamine catabolism depletes acetyl-CoA pools and suppresses prostate tumor growth in TRAMP mice. J Biol Chem 279(79):40076-40083, 2004
Kee K, Vujcic S, Merali S, Diegelman P, Kisiel N, Powell CT, Kramer DL, Porter CW. Metabolic and antiproliferatiave consequences of activated polyamine catabolism in LNCaP prostate carcinoma cells. J Biol Chem 279(26):27050-27058, 2004
Lala P, Higashiyama T, Erman M, Griswold J, Wagner T, Osawa Y, Ghosh D. Suppression of human Cytochrome P450 aromatase activity by monoclonal and recombinant antibody fragments and identification of a stable antigenic complex . J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 88(3):235-245, 2004
Lee SO, Lou W, Qureshi KM, Mehraein-Ghomi F, Trump DL, Gao AC. RNA interference targeting Stat3 inhibits growth and induces apoptosis of human prostate cancer cells. Prostate 60(4):303-309, 2004
Lee SO, Lou W, Johnson CS, Trump DL, Gao AC. Interleukin-6 protects LNCaP cells from apoptosis induced by androgen deprivation through the Stat3 pathway. Prostate 60(3):178-186, 2004
Lee JE, Settembre EC, Cornell KA, Riscoe MK, Sufrin JR, Ealick SE, Howell PL. Structural comparison of MTA phosphorylase and MTA/AdoHcy nucleosidase explains substrate preferences and identifies regions exploitable for inhibitor design. Biochemistry 43(18):5159-5169, 2004
Leontieva OV, Black JD. Identification of two distinct pathways of PKC á downregulation in intestinal epithelial cells. J Biol Chem 279:5788-5801, 2004
Ling X, Bernacki RJ, Brattain MG, Li F. Induction of survivin expression by taxol (taxane paclitaxel) is an early event and independent on taxol-mediated mitotic arrest. J Biol Chem 279(15):15196-15203, 2004
Ling X, Li F. Silencing of antiapoptotic protein survivin expression by multiple approaches of RNA interference (RNAi) technology. Biotechniques 36(3):450-460, 2004
Mason DX, Jackson TJ, Lin AW. Molecular signature of oncogenic Ras-induced senescence. Oncogene 23:9238-9246, 2004
Masso-Welch PA, Zangani D, Ip C, Vaughan MM, Shoemaker S, McGee SO, Ip MM. Isomers of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) differ in their effects on angiogenesis and survival of mammary adipose vasculature. J. Nutrition 134(2):299-307, 2004
McCann SE, Ip C, Ip MM, McGuire MK, Muti P, Edge SB, Trevisan M, Freudenheim JL. Dietary intake of conjugated linoleic acid and risk of pre- and postmenopausal breast cancer, Western New York Exposures and Breast Cancer Study. Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention 13:1-5, 2004
Mihich E. Cancer therapeutics: personal experiences and future perspectives. Cancer Biol Ther. 3(9):911-915, 2004
Mihich E, Kaelin W. Fifteenth Annual Pezcoller Symposium: Molecular in Vivo Visualization of Cancer Cells. Cancer Res. 64(8):2929-2933, 2004
Minderman H, Brooks T, O'Loughlin KL, Ojima I, Bernacki RJ, Baer MR. Broad spectrum modulation of ATP-binding cassette transport proteins by the taxane derivatives orataxel (IDN-5109, BAY 59-8862) and tRA96023. Cancer Chemother Pharmacol 53(5):363-369, 2004
Muindi JR, Modzelewski RA, Peng Y, Hershberger PA, Trump DL, Johnson CS. Plasma 1alpha, 25-dihydroxycholecalciferol pharmacokinetics n normal and tumor bearing mice. Oncology 66(1):62-66, 2004
Mulhall JP, Martin DJ, Lubrano T, Moser M, Kwon E, Wojcik E, Shankey TV. Peyronie's disease fibroblasts demonstrate tumorigenicity in the severe combined immunodeficient (SCID) mouse model. Int J Impot Res. 16(2):99-104. 2004
Narayan S, Jaiswal AS, Kang D, Srivastava P, Das GM, Gairola CG. Cigarette smoke condensate-induced transformation of normal human breast epithelial cells in vitro. Oncogene 23(35):5880-5889, 2004
Posner GH, McRiner AJ, Paik IH, Sur S, Borstnik K, Xie S, Shapiro TA, Alagbala A, Foster BA. Anticancer and Antimalarial Efficacy and Safety of Artemisinin-Derived Trioxane Dimers in Rodents. J Med Chem. 47(5):1299-1301, 2004
Ramanathan R, Hwang JJ, Zamboni WC, Sinicrope F, Finkelstein S, Safran H, Wong MK, Earl M, Brufsky A, Evans T, Troetschel M, Walko C, Day R, Chen HX, Finkelstein S. Low overexpression of HER-2/PPPneu in advanced colorectal cancer limits the usefulness of trastuzumab (Herceptin) and irinotecan as therapy. A phase II Trial. Cancer Invest. 22(6): 858-865. 2004
Ramnath N, Hamm J, Schwartz G, Holden S, Eckhardt SG, Vredenburg MR, Bernacki RJ, Kaidbey J, Lathhia C, Kanter P, Creaven PJ. A phase I and pharmacokinetic study of BAY 59-8862: A novel taxane. Oncology 67(2):123-129, 2004.
Rustum YM. Thymidylate synthase: a critical target in cancer therapy? Front Biosci. 9:2467-2473, 2004
Sawhney RS, Cookson MM, Sharma B, Hauser J, Brattain MG. Autocrine TGFá regulates cell adhesion by multiple signaling via specific phosphorylation sites of p70S6 Kinase in colon cancer cells. J Biol Chem. 279(45):47379-47390, 2004
Sugiyama T, Ohno S, Ghosh D, Nakajin S. Alpha/beta,20beta-Hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase also has a cysteine residue that is involved in binding of cofactor NADPH. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 88(4-5):393-398, 2004
Tan DF, Wiseman S, Zhou YT, Li Q, Ward P, Slocum HK, Alrawi S, Loree T, Hicks W, Rigual N, Anderson G, Stoler D. Definition of a region of loss of heterozygosity at chromosome 11q23.3-25 in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma using laser capture microdissection technique. Diagn Mol Pathol 13(1):33-40, 2004
Trump DL, Hershberger PA, Bernardi RJ, Ahmed S, Muindi J, Fakih M, Yu WD, Johnson CS. Anti Tumor activity of calcitriol: pre clinical and clinical studies. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol 89:519-526, 2004
Tu CH, Melendy T, Beerman TA. DNA damage responses triggered by a highly cytotoxic monofunctional DNA alkylator, Hedamycin, a pluramycin anti-tumor antibiotic. Mol Cancer Ther 3:577-585, 2004
Wang J, Sergina N, Ko TC, Gong J, Brattain MG. Autocrine and exogenous transforming growth factor b control cell cycle inhibition through pathways with different sensitivity. J. Biol Chem 279(38):40237-40244, 2004
Wilkinson N, Black JD, Roukhadze E, Driscoll D, Smiley S, Hisakasu H, Geradts J, Brattain M. Epidermal growth factor receptor expression correlates with histologic grade in resected esophageal adenocarcinoma. J Gastrointest Surg 8(4):448-453, 2004
Xiao D, Choi S, Johnson DE, Voegl VG, Johnson CS, Trump DL, Lee YJ, Singh SV. Diallyl trisulfide-induced apoptosis in human prostate cancer cells involves c-Jun N-terminal kinase and extracellular-signal regulated kinase-mediated phosphorylation of Bcl-2. Oncogene 23(33):5594-5606, 2004
Xiao D, Johnson CS, Trump DL, Singh SV. Proteasome-mediated degradation of cell division cycle 25C and cyclin-dependent kinase 1 in phenethyl Isothiocyanate-induced G2/M phase cell cycle arrest in PC-3 human prostate cancer cells. Mol Cancer Ther 3(5):567-575, 2004
Xie TX, Wei D, Liu M, Gao AC, Ali-Osman F, Sawaya R, Huang S. Stat3 activation regulates the expression of matrix metalloproteinase-2 and tumor invasion and metastasis. Oncogene 23(20):3550-3560, 2004
Yang L, Cao Z, Li F, Post DE, Van Meir EG, Zhong H, Wood WC. Tumor-specific gene expression using susrvivin promoter is further increased by hypoxia. Gene Ther 11(15):1215-1223, 2004
Yin MB, Li ZR, Cao S, Durrani FA, Azrak RG, Frank C, Rustum YM. Enhanced 7-ethyl-10-hydroxycamptothecin (SN-38) lethality by methylselenocysteine is associated with Chk2 phosphorylation at threonine-68 and down-regulation of Cdc6 expression. Mol Pharmacol 66:153-160, 2004
Zanker KS, Mihich E. Meeting Report: International symposium on emerging perspectives in clinical cancer research (Cape Town, South Africa 11/26-29, 2003). J. Cancer Res Clin Oncol 130:491-495, 2004
Zhang H, Zhang H, Lee L, Ip MM. The LIP isoform of C/EBPb, but not NFkB, mediates the transcriptional inhibition of b-casein by tumor necrosis factor-a (TNF). Endocrinology 145:2833-2844, 2004
Zhu N, Gu L, Findley HW, Li F, Zhou M. An alternatively spliced survivin variant is positively regulated by p53 and sensitizes leukemia cells to chemotherapy. Oncogene 23(45):7545-7551, 2004
Zhu ZB, Makhija SK, Lu B, Wang M, Kaliberova L, Liu B, Rivera AA, Nettelbeck DM, Mahasreshti PJ, Leath III CA, Barker S, Yamaoto M, Li F, Alvarez RD Curiel DT. Transcriptional Targeting of Tumors with a Novel Tumor-Specific Survivin Promoter. Cancer Gene Ther 11(4):256-262, 2004


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Archive for July, 2015
What I Write, How I Write It, and Why
I write my message on issues. I craft my message on hunches. I hope with my message to make a difference.
These past few weeks have presented me with no shortage of blog-worthy issues to write about. Bruce Jenner became Caitlyn Jenner. The Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage nationwide. On the heels of a horrific racist shooting in Charleston, a fight erupted over whether and how to display the Confederate flag. And a secret video of a Planned Parenthood executive talking casually about abortion and the sale of aborted fetal tissue was posted on YouTube. It's been a busy few weeks.
As I've been thinking about the crush of big stories that have occupied my thoughts, something struck me regarding two of the stories about which I had written. When writing about the Supreme Court's ruling on same-sex marriage, my tone was gentle and measured – concerned about ethics, but much more focused on people. When writing about Planned Parenthood, my tone was considerably more straightforward and even somewhat brash. Why?
I write my message on issues. I craft my message on hunches. I hope with my message to make a difference. I just had a hunch that the legalization of same-sex marriage needed to be handled more delicately and interpersonally than the revelation that Planned Parenthood is allegedly selling aborted organs for possible profit. So I crafted my message accordingly.
Ontologically, of course, what advocates of same-sex marriage and Planned Parenthood promote is very similar. Both tout what one author has referred to as "erotic liberty" – that is, freedom to have sex with whom you want, when you want, and how you want without having to consider or confront the natural and reasonable entailments sex brings with it. Sexual desire and autonomy, in this view, cannot be impeded by gender or pregnancy.
But even though these two issues share a great deal in common ontologically, they are perceived in very different ways epistemologically in our broader culture. In other words, the nature of these things in and of themselves may be quite similar, but how people think and talk about these things is very different.
When it comes to same-sex marriage, there is a tension between what people know and what they believe. Most people know that Christianity places certain ethical restrictions on sexual expression. But many cannot bring themselves to believe that these ethical restrictions are reasonable or loving. In a world where it is increasingly difficult – and, I would add, unnecessary and unreasonable – not to have friends, relatives, coworkers, or, at the very least, acquaintances who are in same-sex relationships, believing that such relationships deserve anything less than a full-throated endorsement is a hard pill for many to swallow. After all, so many of these relationships seem healthy and loving. So even if many know what Christianity teaches about sexual intimacy, they have a hard time believing it's right.
Likewise, when it comes to Planned Parenthood and abortion, there is also a tension between what people know and what people believe. In this instance, however, the tension is inverted. The problem is not so much with what people intuitively believe as it is with what people intellectually know. Most people – regardless of their political sensibilities – can't help but be viscerally repulsed by Planned Parenthood executives who talk casually about a "'less crunchy' technique to get more whole specimens" of aborted organs for medical research and how, when performing an abortion, you have be "cognizant of where you put your graspers, you try to intentionally go above and below the thorax … I'm going to basically crush below, I'm gonna crush above, and I'm gonna see if I can get it all intact." It is hard to escape a nagging belief that this is not an outright assault against human dignity and life. This is why, when I address abortion, I quickly strip away sterile terms like "dilation," "curettage," "aspiration," "evacuation," and "Intrauterine Cranial Decompression" to write in frank and sometimes startling terms about what abortion really is: the ending of life in utero. Intuitively, people already believe this. I want people to intellectually know, however, just how grave the situation really is with Planned Parenthood.
In the case of same-sex marriage, people often know what Christianity says about sexual ethics, they just have a hard time believing it. When it comes to Planned Parenthood's practices, there are a great number of people, including those who publicly support abortion, who believe what Planned Parenthood has done is wrong. They just don't always know how to express their concerns in ethically rigorous ways.
It is this distinction between knowing and believing that shapes how I have written over these past few weeks. When I write about same-sex marriage, I know I am diving into deeply held and tender beliefs about love. So I address these beliefs tenderly. When I write about Planned Parenthood, I know I am up against a whole host of euphemisms meant to obscure what people actually know about abortion. So I cut through the euphemisms with candor. In the first instance, I'm trying to persuade people to believe a little bit differently. In the second instance, I'm trying to bring attention to something I think people need to know more about.
When we address today's cultural issues as Christians, it is important to ask ourselves: What are we trying to do? Are we trying to change a belief? Are we trying to share important knowledge? And how do the ways in which we address broad concerns actually make things better?
Though my approach to addressing society's issues du jour is by no means exhaustive or comprehensive, I hope it proves helpful – at least in a limited way. Frankly, it is born out of a concern that, all too often, when addressing cultural controversies, many of us who are Christians wind up doing little more than beating our chests in self-righteous indignation at our culture's ills. The problem is, even if this makes us feel better, it does nothing to make our world better. Our world needs gentle persuasion when it believes wrongly. It needs frank facts when it lacks knowledge. But most of all, it needs people who are devoted not only to being right about issues, but to doing good for our world. This is why Jesus, during His earthly ministry, wasn't just right in what He said, He was righteous in how He said it. And thanks to Him, the world has never been the same.
May Jesus' legacy be evident in our lives.
What Planned Parenthood Wants You To Believe About Sex
"Planned Parenthood." "Selling." "Aborted Baby Parts." When a friend first texted me a link with these words in the URL, I knew I was in for a wild ride. The Center for Medical Progress, an anti-abortion group, released a video, recorded in 2014, of two of their operatives, posing as employees from a biotech firm, having a discussion over lunch with Deborah Nucatola, Planned Parenthood's Senior Director of Medical Research. The Center for Medical Progress claims the video blows the whistle on the trafficking of aborted baby organs. Planned Parenthood disputes these claims. Eric Ferrero, Planned Parenthood's Vice President of Communications, issued this statement:
In health care, patients sometimes want to donate tissue to scientific research that can help lead to medical breakthroughs, such as treatments and cures for serious diseases. Women at Planned Parenthood who have abortions are no different. At several of our health centers, we help patients who want to donate tissue for scientific research, and we do this just like every other high-quality health care provider does – with full, appropriate consent from patients and under the highest ethical and legal standards. There is no financial benefit for tissue donation for either the patient or for Planned Parenthood. In some instances, actual costs, such as the cost to transport tissue to leading research centers, are reimbursed, which is standard across the medical field.
In the video, however, Ms. Nucatola seems to contradict Mr. Ferrero's statement when she explains:
I think every provider has had patients who want to donate their tissue, and they absolutely want to accommodate them. They just want to do it in a way that is not perceived as, "This clinic is selling tissue, this clinic is making money off of this." I know in the Planned Parenthood world they're very, very sensitive to that. And before an affiliate is gonna do that, they need to, obviously, they're not – some might do it for free – but they want to come to a number that doesn't look like they're making money …
I think for affiliates, at the end of the day, they're a non-profit, they just don't want to – they want to break even. And if they can do a little better than break even, and do so in a way that seems reasonable, they're happy to do that.
Ms. Nucatola's slippery language is striking. She never asserts that Planned Parenthood is not, as a matter of fact, making money off organs from abortions, she just says Planned Parenthood doesn't want it to "look like they're making money." She even admits, "If they can do a little better than break even … they're happy to do that." In other words, Planned Parenthood does make money off selling organs from aborted babies according to Ms. Nucatola, they just don't make a lot of money off it.
It sounds like Planned Parenthood may be gaming federal law. 42 U.S. Code § 289g–2 states:
It shall be unlawful for any person to knowingly acquire, receive, or otherwise transfer any human fetal tissue for valuable consideration if the transfer affects interstate commerce … [which] does not include reasonable payments associated with the transportation, implantation, processing, preservation, quality control, or storage of human fetal tissue.
Selling fetal tissue for profit is illegal. Getting reimbursed for expenses associated with shipping and processing fetal tissue, however, is not. It seems as though Planned Parenthood will take any money they can claim as reasonable reimbursement for the costs of transporting and processing aborted organs, and if these monies are slightly more than what the actual costs are, so be it – as long as they're not exorbitant enough to look like "profit."
Planned Parenthood may not have gamed federal law as well as they thought, however. In the video, Ms. Nucatola links Planned Parenthood to an organization called StemExpress, a company that bills itself as providing "qualified research laboratories with human cells, fluids, blood and tissue products for the pursuit of disease protection and cure." StemExpress also explains to potential allies that "by partnering with StemExpress, not only are you offering a way for your clients to participate in the unique opportunity to facilitate life-saving research, but you will also be contributing to the fiscal growth of your own clinic." I'm not sure how "the fiscal growth of your own clinic" can be construed to be anything other than profit for your clinic. And considering the prices StemExpress charges for their fetal organs, if StemExpress does indeed share some portion of their proceeds with Planned Parenthood for the "fiscal growth" of their clinics, it seems awfully shady for them to claim they are not, at least indirectly, profiting, perhaps handsomely, off fetal tissue.
This is really bad. But it gets worse.
In the conversation, Ms. Nucatola also talks about intentional steps clinics will take during abortions to keep a baby's organs in tact so they can be sold later:
You're just kind of cognizant of where you put your graspers, you try to intentionally go above and below the thorax, so that, you know, we've been very good at getting heart, lung, liver, because we know that, so I'm not gonna crush that part, I'm going to basically crush below, I'm gonna crush above, and I'm gonna see if I can get it all intact. And with the calvarium, in general, some people will actually try to change the presentation so that it's not vertex, because when it's vertex presentation, you never have enough dilation at the beginning of the case, unless you have real, huge amount of dilation to deliver an intact calvarium. So if you do it starting from the breech presentation, there's dilation that happens as the case goes on, and often, the last, you can evacuate an intact calvarium at the end.
This is all deeply disturbing. What is allegedly happening is not only potentially illegal; it is profoundly immoral. In what world is it okay to turn a baby breech so you can smash its legs, kill it, and then harvest its organs for profit? Is there any conceivable scenario where this is okay? Have we decided that a baby, growing in its mother's womb, is so devoid of any rights and is so unable to be considered life in any meaningful way that it can be stripped of its dignity limb by limb – literally? This is self-evidentially morally repugnant. And if you can't see that, we no longer need to have a conversation about abortion. We need to have a conversation about nihilism.
This is not to say Planned Parenthood doesn't have its supporters, even if supporting the organization is a little untenable right now. Amanda Marcotte, writing for Slate Magazine, admits:
As someone who is squeamish, it was extremely difficult for me to listen to Nucatola talk about extracting liver, heart, and other parts to be donated to medical research. (I nearly fainted when a friend showed me the video of her knee operation once.) But people who work in medicine for a living do, in fact, become inured to the gore in a way that can seem strange to those of us who aren't regularly exposed to it. She also thought she was speaking to people in her profession who would be similarly accustomed to this sort of thing.
Abortion is gross, no doubt about it. It becomes grosser the later in a pregnancy it gets. But so is heart surgery. So is childbirth, for that matter.
Behold, the fallacy of false equivalence. How one can equate the grossness of abortion to the grossness of heart surgery or birth is beyond me. Two of these things sustain life. One of these things, as more honest abortion supporters will admit, ends life. As any child who watches Sesame Street could tell you, "One of these things is not like the other."
In researching for this blog, I went to Planned Parenthood's website. I was greeted by a banner that said, "Worried? Had unprotected sex?" It is here that we find the real reason behind Planned Parenthood's existence. This organization exists to promote sex-on-demand, divorced from any of the entailments that come with it like, in this instance, children. Sex with whom you want, when you want, and how you want is Planned Parenthood's holy grail. And it is so sacred that they will kill for it – again, literally.
In other posts on this blog, I have painstakingly sought to not flippantly dismiss or diminish the desires and struggles people face when it comes to sexuality. I want to be as sensitive and empathetic as possible. These are, after all, confusing issues that deserve compassionate thought rather than self-righteous ire. But this is not about these issues. In fact, this is not about individuals and abortion. This is not about the woman who has suffered through the trauma of an abortion, though I grieve for you and, I am afraid, many times, with you. This is not about the woman who went too far and is now pregnant and scared and is contemplating an abortion, though I would encourage you to seek guidance and help from people committed to alternatives to abortion. You are in genuinely confusing and painful situations and have my concern, my compassion, and my prayers. This is not about you. This is about Planned Parenthood and their pack of twisted lies that unashamedly promotes the sacrifice of life for sex, which, I should point out, is the precise opposite of what sex is meant for and, by its very nature, is designed to do. Sex is not meant to take life. It's meant to give it. This is not about personal sexual confusion. This is about an organization's out and out corruption that has expressed itself again and again in the most macabre of ways – this time, in the sale of aborted organs.
At the risk of being offensive, I think it's time for us to ask ourselves a few frank questions: Is indulging every sexual impulse in ways that transgress the sanctity of marriage and the security of family really our best strategy for intimacy? Is this really the legacy we want to leave our children, our children's children, and so on? Is this really the evolutionary ethical curve we want to ride? Is it really beneficial for us to do what we want, when we want, and with whom we want and then use any means necessary to impede the entailments of our actions, even when impeding the entailments of our actions includes ending lives in utero? Is sexual self-control – even when it is difficult and involves some emotional pain – really that out of the question? Have we become that banal? Is Planned Parenthood's view of human sexuality really the banner we want to wave and the worldview we want to adopt? And does it really take deceitful operatives from an anti-abortion organization secretly videotaping a conversation with Planned Parenthood's Senior Director of Medical Research, which itself presents us with a whole other set of legal and ethical difficulties, to get us to ask these questions? Shouldn't we be thinking about the weighty ethical implications and aberrations of abortion even when there's not a titillating video making its rounds on the Internet?
Ms. Marcotte was right about this much in her article for Slate:
This latest attack on Planned Parenthood is not just about abortion, but about demonizing an organization that makes sex safer and easier, while making it possible for women to plan when they have children.
This is exactly what Planned Parenthood is all about. They're all about "safe sex," which, if we're honest, is just a euphemism for what Ms. Marcotte refers to next: "easy sex" – sex without responsibility, commitment, or offspring. So really, Planned Parenthood is about easy sex – even when easy sex involves dismembering babies and selling their organs. So let me ask:
Is the easy sex worth it?
On Edge…About Everything
Last Wednesday morning was an unexpectedly frenzied one. Within the scope of a few hours, all United Airlines planes were grounded, the website for the Wall Street Journal went dark, and trading at the New York Stock Exchange grinded to a screeching halt. The problem in each instance? Computer glitches.
It didn't take long for people to begin to fear that we under some sort of cyber attack. Lester Holt, anchor of NBC Nightly News, opened the newscast that night with an honest acknowledgement of the anxiety so many were feeling:
A lot of us got that uneasy feeling today when within hours of each other separate computer outages grounded all United Airlines flights and halted trading on the New York Stock Exchange.
Uneasy feeling, indeed. What happened was so startling, it got the attention of Homeland Security.
In the end, it was discovered that United's problems stemmed from "a failed computer network router that disrupted its reservation system." Trading on the New York Stock Exchange went down because of a "botched software upgrade" the night before. As for the Wall Street Journal, though no definitive explanation has been offered for its problems, some are speculating that the trouble at the Stock Exchange drove people to the Wall Street Journal for updates, which, in turn, crashed the website. Cyber terrorism had nothing to do with anything. We had no need to fear. But we did.
Fear is plentiful these days. It doesn't take much to make us apprehensive. Sadly, fear is just as prevalent – if not more so – in the Church as it is in wider society. I have talked to Christians who are wringing their hands over what could very well be an erosion of our religious liberty. I have talked to Christians who are terrified by what is happening oversees – and, for that matter, close to home – with ISIS. I have talked to Christians who are anxious about our nation's economic path. I have talked to Christians who are frightened by just about everything.
For Christians who are full of fear, this description of who we are as the Church from Pope Benedict XVI strikes me as timely:
Is the Church not simply the continuation of God's deliberate plunge into human wretchedness? Is she not simply the continuation of Jesus' habit of sitting at table with sinners, of His mingling with the misery of sin to the point where He actually seems to sink under its weight? Is there not revealed in the unholy holiness of the Church, as opposed to man's expectations of purity, God's true holiness, which is love – love which does not keep its distance in a sort of aristocratic, untouchable purity but mixes with the filth of the world, in order thus to overcome it?[1]
This is an impressively clear, cogent, and, I should affirm, broadly, even if not comprehensively, correct ecclesiological statement from the former leader of the Roman Catholic Church. The Church, Benedict reminds us, is incarnational in her character and missional in her charter. She goes to places no one else would dare to darken – filthy places, impoverished places, wicked places, sinful places. As the Church ministers in sinful places like these, she, like Jesus, in the words of the former pope, can "actually seem to sink under [sin's] weight." But, of course, when Jesus sank, He didn't sink for long. Three days is all sin got of Him. So it is with Christ's Church. "The gates of Hades will not overcome it" (Matthew 16:18), Jesus promises. Sin may attack the Church, but it will not overcome her.
When we, as the Church, become afraid of the sinfulness in our world, we stop acting as the Church should for our world. We become so scared of sinners because of what they might to do to us that we forget to love sinners as Christ has loved us. The fearfulness of the faithful, it turns out, can be just as dangerous to the Church as the sinfulness of the world, for it stymies the Church in her mission.
In 1931, Swedish theologian Gustaf Aulén published Christus Victor where he wrote of how Christ "fights against and triumphs over the evil powers of the world, the 'tyrants' under which mankind is in bondage and suffering."[2] To this day, his book is a standard-bearer for discussions about Christ's work and accomplishments on the cross. But we must always remember that Christ's victory is also our victory. Christus Victor is the promise of Ecclesia Victor.
Do not, then, be afraid. Instead, be the Church. The world needs us.
[1] Pope Benedict XVI, Introduction to Christianity, Second Edition (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2004), 342.
[2] Gustav Aulén, Christus Victor: An Historical Study of the Three Main Types of the Idea of Atonement, A.G. Hebert, trans. (Eugene: Wipf & Stock, 2003), 4.
Obergefell v. Hodges
When the Supreme Court ruled on Obergefell v. Hodges[1] a little over a week ago, the verdict was not a surprise, but the reaction was fierce. Facebook profiles and even the White House went rainbow. Crowds gathered to celebrate and shed tears of joy. Others were not nearly so jubilant. Jonathan Saenz, President of Texas Values, issued this statement:
This decision is the most egregious form of judicial activism of our time, overriding the votes of over 50 million voters, including millions in Texas. The freedom to democratically address society's most fundamental institution is central to ordered liberty. The Court has taken that freedom from the people.
This decision has no basis in the text of the Constitution and will never be accepted by millions of Americans and Texans that understand that marriage, by nature and God's design, can only be the union of a man and woman, husband and wife, mother and father. No decision by five judges can ever alter this fundamental truth.[2]
As Christians, it can be hard to know what to say or where to stand. The day the Supreme Court's decision came down, I offered some initial reflections with the promise of more to come. These are those further reflections. Though these reflections will not address every concern, they will hopefully give us a way to begin to think theologically and pastorally about what has transpired and help us live together peacefully and in love.
What Scripture Says
As I said in my original blog on the Supreme Court's decision, we need to remain committed to what Scripture says about all our relationships and, specifically, those that are deeply intimate in nature. But we also must remember that our understanding of Scripture can prove fallible. It is easy to fall prey to foolish and sloppy readings of what the Bible has to say on sexual ethics, making assumptions that are based more in our cultural biases than in careful exegetical study. As William Eskridge explains in an article for The New York Times:
Biblical support for slavery, segregation and anti-miscegenation laws rested upon broad and anachronistic readings of isolated Old Testament passages and the Letters of Paul, but without strong support from Jesus' teachings in the Gospels … The current … view that God condemns "homosexual behavior" and same-sex marriages comes from the same kind of broad and anachronistic scriptural readings as prior support for segregation.[3]
Although Eskridge's assumed contradiction between what Jesus taught and what the rest of the Bible has to say is problematic, he does have a point: we have not always gotten things right.
So how do we avoid misreading Scripture on gay marriage? To begin with, we must never handpick proof texts without context. Arguments made in this way against gay marriage are not only not persuasive theologically, they're also not solid methodologically. A better hermeneutical case for traditional marriage can be made by looking at the sweep and scope of Scripture. Scripture begins (Genesis 2:24) and ends (Revelation 19:7) with the wedding of a bride and her groom. Jesus affirms both God's creational and eschatological pattern for this staid institution as one that involves a husband and a wife (Matthew 19:4-6). Furthermore, when this pattern for marriage is abandoned, the results never seem to be good (e.g., Genesis 29:30; 1 Kings 11:1-4; Proverbs 6:32; 1 Corinthians 5:1-2).
The Bible does not seem to be nearly so concerned with condemning gay marriage specifically as it is with affirming God's design for marriage generally – and not just because deviating from God's design is morally wrong, though, in fact, it is, but because it is personally hurtful. Marriage has not only a moral design; it has a compassionate intent. This is why God institutes it as gracious gift (cf. Genesis 2:18). The biblical authors do not want people to miss out on God's gracious gift by not receiving it as God intended it.
How We Say What Scripture Says
When speaking about same-sex marriage, we must stop embracing and employing over-the-top rhetoric. A pastor who threatens, even if figuratively, to immolate himself if the Supreme Court allows for nationwide gay marriage sounds, and perhaps is, insane. A preacher who drops the Supreme Court's ruling to the ground while holding up the Bible in the middle of his sermon may garner some applause from the faithful, but such grandstanding does nothing to contribute to civil and important conversation.
I can't help but wonder if the reason we are sometimes tempted by such silly stunts is because we live with a kind of Chicken Little apocalypticism. We really are afraid the sky is falling. But it is not.
Chief Justice John Roberts, in his dissenting opinion, writes:
The Court today not only overlooks our country's entire history and tradition but actively repudiates it, preferring to live only in the heady days of the here and now. I agree with the majority that the "nature of injustice is that we may not always see it in our own times." … As petitioners put it, "times can blind." … But to blind yourself to history is both prideful and unwise.
This is well stated. As Justice Roberts notes, the ethical stances of yesteryear are by no means unimpeachable, but they are also not meant to be thoughtlessly discardable in an assumed inexorable evolutionary advancement toward ethical nirvana. C.S. Lewis would remind us that there is a "great cataract of nonsense that pours from the press and the microphone of [our] own age."[4] In other words, we're not as enlightened or as advanced as we think we are.
Thus, we need not fear. What is happening now does not mean the sky is falling. It simply means that history is marching – sometimes wisely and sometimes foolishly. Waiting and watching to see what comes of "the heady days of the here and now" is a much smarter – and, I would add, much less stressful – option than opining about the doom and gloom that lurks around the corner.
Religious Liberty and Pastoral Care
Sadly, the Supreme Court's decision does raise real concerns over religious liberty. In the majority opinion, Justice Kennedy addresses these concerns, writing:
It must be emphasized that religions, and those who adhere to religious doctrines, may continue to advocate with utmost, sincere conviction that, by divine precepts, same-sex marriage should not be condoned. The First Amendment ensures that religious organizations and persons are given proper protection as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faiths, and to their own deep aspirations to continue the family structure they have long revered.
Justice Kennedy's synopsis of the First Amendment is interesting – and troubling. He sees the First Amendment as protection to "teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to … lives and faiths." This is well and good. But what happens when teaching faith translates into living faith? What happens when those living their faith intersect with others who do not share their faith? Does religious protection now extend only to what one says?
The dissenting justices are rightfully skeptical of the majority's nod to and definition of religious liberty. Justice Thomas Roberts warns:
Religious liberty is about more than just the protection for "religious organizations and persons … as they seek to teach the principles that are so fulfilling and so central to their lives and faiths." … Religious liberty is about freedom of action in matters of religion generally, and the scope of that liberty is directly correlated to the civil restraints placed upon religious practice.
It is not just paranoid, martyrly Christian activists who have concerns about the narrowing parameters for religious liberty; it is a sitting justice of the Supreme Court. So how are we to respond?
I would argue that the best way to respond to threats against religious liberty is not politically, but pastorally. This is not to say that Christians should never be involved in politics; it is only to say that politics must take the backseat to love. So rather than offering a political strategy, allow me to share a few pastoral thoughts.
What makes same-sex marriage an ethically thorny issue is that it simultaneously aches for something that deserves our compassion while also promoting something that calls for our repudiation. On the one hand, the desire to marry someone to whom you are attracted, whether that person is of the same or opposite sex, represents an ache for companionship. This is why, in the majority opinion, Justice Kennedy writes:
From their beginning to their most recent page, the annals of human history reveal the transcendent importance of marriage. The lifelong union of a man and a woman always has promised nobility and dignity to all persons, without regard to their station in life. Marriage is sacred to those who live by their religions and offers unique fulfillment to those who find meaning in the secular realm. Its dynamic allows two people to find a life that could not be found alone, for a marriage becomes greater than just the two persons. Rising from the most basic human needs, marriage is essential to our most profound hopes and aspirations.
Such an ache for companionship not only ought to be acknowledged, it ought to be affirmed by all Christians. God did, after all, create us as relational beings (cf. Genesis 2:18). Desire for companionship, regardless of whether you are gay or straight, is perfectly normal and natural.
At the same time the Bible affirms the human ache for companionship, however, it also puts boundaries on how such companionship is expressed erotically and, ultimately, maritally. Again and again, the Bible calls upon us to control our desires – erotic and otherwise (cf. James 1:14-15). Though such a call runs quite contrary to the spirit and sensibilities of our age, Christians must continually uphold this call in their speaking and living.
Tragically, many Christians have spent so much time proclaiming that people must control their desires that they have forgotten to empathize with them in their loneliness. People who are romantically attracted to the same sex have much deeper and more profound needs than just sex. They, like everyone, need love, which we must be prepared to show, lest we defy the command of Christ: "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35).
Ultimately, we must never forget that same-sex marriage involves people. Indeed, though nearly everyone knows the Supreme Court has now legalized nationwide same-sex marriage, few know the particulars of the plaintiff who brought the case. Jim Obergefell married John Arthur three months and 11 days before John died. Jim knew their marriage would not last long because, when they wed, John was in the dying throws of ALS. Jim brought a case to the Supreme Court because he wanted to be listed as the surviving spouse on John's death certificate in Ohio, a state that heretofore did not allow for gay marriage. Their story, then, is not just about gay marriage. It's also about sickness, sadness, and caregiving – all universal themes to the human experience. Even as we express concerns over same-sex marriages, we must also recognize that the people in them do things that are noble and hold values that we share.
Decrying same-sex marriage with protests, rallies, and votes will not change hearts. Love, however, just might. So let's focus on what people actually need – not a vote against them, but love for them. In today's milieu of broad and fierce political support for same-sex marriage, it is probably our only option. But that's okay. Because it just so happens that it's also our best option.
[1] Obergefell v. Hodges, 576 U.S. (2015).
[2] William Eskridge cited by David Walls, "Supreme Court's Marriage Ruling Is Egregious Attack On Democracy, Will Never Be Accepted," Texas Values (6.26.2015).
[3] William Eskridge, "It's Not Gay Marriage vs. the Church Anymore," The New York Times (4.25.2015).
[4] C.S. Lewis, "Learning in War-Time," The Weight of Glory, Walter Hooper, ed. (San Francisco: HarperSanFrancisco, 2001), 59.

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In re: Hayes Family Trust
This appeal arose out of a property damage claim filed by the Hayes Family Trust with its insurer, State Farm Fire & Casualty. When the parties could not agree on the amount of loss, Hayes invoked an appraisal process provided by the policy to calculate the loss incurred. After Hayes sought the district court's assistance with the appointment of an umpire, the parties participated in the appraisal process, which resulted in a unanimous award. State Farm paid the balance of that award, and Hayes accepted payment. But despite State Farm's payment, at Hayes's request, the district court confirmed the award and entered judgment in favor of Hayes. Hayes promptly moved for an award of prejudgment interest, attorney's fees, and costs under a prevailing party statute. In response, State Farm moved to vacate or amend the judgment. Finding that the parties settled any dispute over the amount of loss, the court agreed with State Farm and vacated its order confirming the appraisal award and the judgment. Hayes appealed the order vacating judgment in an attempt to recover prejudgment interest, fees, and costs. Finding no reversible error, the Tenth Circuit affirmed. View "In re: Hayes Family Trust" on Justia Law


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Appalachian Trail
Appalachian Trail
The Appalachian Trail route through the northwestern corner of Connecticut meanders across the worn-down remnants of a once lofty mountain range. The Housatonic River Valley to the east and Taconic Range to the west are particularly scenic, and one section of the Trail near Falls Village has been designed for wheelchair accessibility. Many sections run along the banks of rivers. Hiking is mostly moderate, with steep, fairly challenging sections that are short in duration. Views are often pastoral.
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Roar of the Panther
Celina: Miles Martin, a customer of CRSI in Mercer Co., "roars" with artistic talent. Miles attends the Cheryl Ann program each weekday where he shares his artistic abilities with sketches and bulletin board design, according to the Cheryl Ann News Review. Through the program, he was invited to create a design for the Parkway Elementary parent organization known as High Five, which commissions a school spirit shirt each year for the Parkway Panthers.
Miles has a keen observation skill and the ability to remember graphically what he has seen, according to Tony Richmond, support specialist in Mercer Co. He is especially good at drawing animals, trains, Disney & Dr. Seuss cartoon characters with very good detail.
The spirit design was a big hit with the Parkway students and shirts are now proudly worn throughout the school district.


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Mr. Gurecka has over 36 years of experience in the Social Service field, starting in 1978 as one of the first members of the newly created Weatherization Assistance Program funded by the US Department of Energy with the State of Connecticut. With his degree in Business Management and Marketing, he gained certifications in Federal Grants Management and State plan submittals. Mr. Gurecka extended his career as the Chief Fiscal Officer with the Human Resources Agency of New Britain, Inc. During this 23 year period, Mr. Gurecka specialized in early child care becoming a certified national Federal Reviewer for Administration for Children and Families Head Start and Early Head Start programs in the areas of Financial Management and Board Governance.
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Doug Casey's International Man
International Man: Everything seems to be increasingly politicized these days… in a way that it wasn't just a few years ago. To name a few, we see it in sports, with large corporations like Procter & Gamble in their razor blade ads.
Politics is creeping into more and more areas. It's a trend that seems to be accelerating.
How did this happen and what does it mean?
Doug Casey: The politicization of the country is poisonous. Politics is not like the fiction of some friends getting together and deciding what movie to see. It's about force and coercion. This is the myth of democracy, which amounts to a somewhat gentler version of mob rule.
Politics is about getting control of the reins of the State. It's a question of one group of people getting to tell every other group what they must and must not do. And how much they have to pay for the privilege.
It's astonishing politics has become so popular—considering that only the worst kind of people are drawn to it. As evidence, I'd offer the current slate of Democratic presidential candidates. Although, I promise you, their Republican counterparts, waiting in the wings, are no better. Remember that lineup of buffoons who were on stage in 2016?
In theory, the purpose of the State—which itself is congealed force—is to protect its citizens within its bailiwick from illegitimate force. That means police to protect you from force within the country, a military to protect you from outside force, and a court system to allow you to adjudicate disputes without resorting to force.
But the State has gone far, far, beyond those boundaries. In fact, it does none of those three things well today. Instead, it tries to control every other aspect of life, at the expense of its subjects.
That's why everything has become politicized in the US. Americans have come to see the State as their parent, so they're constantly pleading with it, like children, asking it for favors and benefits. Like children, they expect the State to magically support them.
They don't seem to understand that the State isn't a cornucopia. It's the opposite. It's a dangerous parasite. A huge tapeworm in the body of society.
Over the last 100 years the average American's mind has been captured by the idea of politics and the State. It's the Stockholm syndrome—where people are captured by kidnappers and actually grow to love and support them—writ large.
Where's this trend going to go?
I'm a believer that trends in motion tend to stay in motion until they reach a crisis. Only then can the trend change. So the growth of the State—which is abetted by the politicization of American society—is going to continue growing until we reach a crisis. I don't know what will happen during that crisis. Will it change direction, or will it mutate into something even worse? Could it be as bad as what happened in France in 1789, Russia in 1917, Germany in 1933, or China in 1946? It's unpredictable.
International Man: Where do you think this shift in seeing everything through a political lens comes from?
Doug Casey: The State has expanded hugely from its original function of protecting people from actual force. It's now perceived as a cornucopia that can give everybody everything.
For instance, it's completely taken over the education system—and the public applauds that, because they think it's "free" and "fair." Most teachers today—almost all college professors—are cultural Marxists, leftists, socialists, welfare statists, and the like. And they indoctrinate the students in their classes.
There was always a tendency for this to be the case, because academics naturally tend to live in a bubble. They resent the fact that although they're well educated, they generally earn far less than businessmen. That resentment is evident in their political and economic views.
Even as recently as the '60s relatively few kids went to college. Now practically everybody goes to college. Not only is the indoctrination now far more virulent, but far more people are being exposed to it.
You can see this in the Democratic Party, where the two dozen or so people running for president vie with each other to promise more free stuff than the last person. They're coming up with the most collectivist possible ideas. The millennials—who've been indoctrinated in college, high school, and even grade school—accept these ideas. Kids will have a much bigger effect on the 2020 elections than they did in 2016.
Not only don't I see any change in the trend—I only see an acceleration of the current trend from every point of view.
International Man: A big part of this trend involves the politicization of Big Tech companies like Google and Facebook.
When people engage in discourse that is at odds with mainstream ideas on these platforms—not just in politics but in health, nutrition, economics… everything—there seems to be a concerned effort to silence it.
How did these powerful platforms become guardians of the mainstream and leftist propaganda?
Doug Casey: It seems the main way people communicate with each other today is through platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the like. And these platforms—as huge as they are—are indirectly controlled by elements of the government.
People on these platforms who believe in ideas at odds with what "everybody" believes are apparently being de-platformed in large numbers.
I personally know people who've had a presence on Facebook or YouTube, and have been kicked off it. Because of what they believe or say. That makes it very hard for them to communicate with their previous audiences.
Now on the one hand, Facebook, YouTube, and others have a perfect right to kick anybody off their platforms because they're privately owned. On the other hand, these companies are indirect arms of the government. Or, more precisely, the Deep State.
International Man: With these Big Tech companies it seems to go beyond politics. They're now policing people who have alternative views on health and medicine.
For example, recently, Facebook targeted the global exercise brand CrossFit. The group, which had about 1.6 million users on Facebook, was de-listed without warning because the individuals in that group were discussing a low carb, high fat diet.
This is contrary to the mainstream ideas on health and nutrition, which is of course dictated by large government agencies like the USDA. Is this further proof that companies like Facebook have become extensions of the government?
Doug Casey: It really is. Busybodies are naturally drawn to organizations where they can impose their views on others.
Like most government departments, the USDA should be abolished. It has over 100,000 employees and it doesn't produce a single bushel of wheat, or a single cow. On the contrary, it makes farmers lives miserable. Any useful functions it has would be easily provided by entrepreneurs in the market.
I'd look at pair trades—short things like Facebook, and long equal amounts of smaller companies and startups looking to dethrone them.
Editor's Note: The politicization of everything is spreading like a wildfire across all parts of life. It's contributing to a growing wave of misguided socialist ideas.
All signs point to this trend accelerating until it reaches a crisis... one unlike anything we've seen before. That's exactly why Doug Casey and his team just released this urgent video. G Loomis NRX LP Lite Presentation Fly Rod and Free Fly Line Bundle.


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The International Society for Krishna Consciousness was founded by His Divine Grace A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada in 1966. It belongs to the Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition, a devotional tradition based on the teachings of Bhagavad-gita and Srimad-Bhagavatam.
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Meaning of the words?
'Krishna' means the all-attractive, and because God has all the opulence's in full; Beauty, Fame, Strength, Wealth, Knowledge, and Renunciation, He has the ability to attract all living beings to His association.
'Rama' means the reservoir of all pleasure, and since every living entity by constitution is pleasure-seeking, they can only satisfy this propensity when directed towards the Supreme Lord.
'Hare' refers to the pleasure giving energy of the Lord, personified in His eternal consort – Srimati Radharani, only through whom can we attain the favour of Lord Krishna.


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Photo by: Tracey shelton
Construction at the Camko City satellite city in Phnom Penh - a high-profile South Korean development project.
Photo by: PHOTO SUPPLIED
Mr Lee Kyung-soo, the Republic of Korea's ambassador to Cambodia.
The Phnom Penh Post
Construction at the Camko City satellite city in Phnom Penh - a high-profile South Korean development project.
Photo by: PHOTO SUPPLIED
Mr Lee Kyung-soo, the Republic of Korea's ambassador to Cambodia.
The Phnom Penh Post
Written by George Mcleod
Tuesday, 26 May 2009
In his first interview in Cambodia, South Korea's new ambassador Lee Kyung-soo talks to the Post about the economic crisis, North Korea and growing ties with Cambodia.
You took up the post of ambassador to Cambodia in March. What are your initial impressions of Cambodia?
It has been about two months since my arrival in Phnom Penh on March 27.
As director general of the South Asian and Pacific Affairs Bureau of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, I visited most Asian countries, but I never made it to Cambodia....
I'm very proud to be working as ambassador to Cambodia, a beautiful country with time-honoured culture and tradition. I was very impressed with the appearance of Cambodian people working and developing this city with towers and cranes in every corner. I'm also deeply touched by the warm hearts of Cambodians.
How are political links with Cambodia and ASEAN evolving, and why is South Korea becoming such a big economic and political player in the region?
Cambodia is a very important partner to Korea not only in the context of bilateral cooperation but in the framework of regional cooperation.
This year marks the 10th anniversary of Cambodia's membership of ASEAN. For the past 10 years, Cambodia has played a leading role in the development and integration of ASEAN.
I'm confident that Cambodia will, with its valuable contribution, lead ASEAN to further development in the future. I hope that Korea will continue to collaborate with Cambodia for the prosperity and peace of our region.
I hope that North Korea goes its way towards openness and cooperation following the example of Cambodia.
This year also marks the 20th anniversary of ASEAN-ROK [Republic of Korea] Dialogue Partnership. Over the past 20 years, Korea-ASEAN relations have continued to develop in a wide range of areas.... Korea's trade volume with the ASEAN countries was US$90.2 billion in 2008, making the region Korea's third-largest trade partner after China and the European Union. Korea's investment in ASEAN was $5.9 billion in 2008, making the region Korea's second-largest investment destination following the United States.
About 3.5 million Korean people visit ASEAN countries every year. In March this year, the ASEAN-ROK Centre was established in Seoul as an international organisation for promoting ASEAN culture and tourism in Korea.
In addition, the ASEAN-Korea FTA Agreement on Investment will be signed during the ASEAN-ROK Commemorative Summit to be held on Jeju Island from June 1-2 in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the ASEAN-ROK Dialogue Partnership.
Together with the already effective ASEAN-Korea Free Trade Agreement Framework Agreement and Agreements on Trade in Goods and Services, the Agreement on Investment will complete the entire set of the ASEAN-Korea FTAs. With this, trade and investment between ASEAN and Korea will be greatly increased....
The Korean government is pursuing in earnest the "New Asia Initiative". It focuses on strengthening mutual cooperation to achieve prosperity in the Asian region. In this vein, ASEAN is the most important partner for the initiative.
Korean investment in Cambodia fell to $472.89 million in 2008 from $629.49 million in 2007. You reportedly told Foreign Affairs Minister Hor Namhong that Korea will try to attract more investment to Cambodia, especially in construction, tourism and garments. Can you explain how you will do this?
I'm very proud to tell you that many Korean enterprises have actively worked in the key industrial sectors of Cambodia.... The figures you quoted are statistical data based on the actually transferred amount.
According to the statistical figures of investment registered with the Council for the Development of Cambodia (CDC), Korea's investment to Cambodia has shown an 8.4-fold increase to $1.24 billion in 2008 from $148.1 million in 2007.
It is true that Korea's investment in Cambodia has been temporarily affected by the global economic downturn.
However ... I have high hopes that Korea's investment will rise again if the Cambodian government continues to introduce active and transparent policies to attract foreign direct investment and improve the investment environment in Cambodia.
Basically, it is business judgment on the market and its future prospect that makes a decision on where and what to invest.
My embassy will make every effort to forward information to the Korean business community on the investment environment and promising sectors for investment in Cambodia.
Cambodia has had strong historical links with North Korea. Has this negatively affected diplomatic relations with South Korea?
The Korean government hopes North Korea will undertake its responsibility as a member of the international community.
I hope that North Korea goes its way towards openness and cooperation following the example of Cambodia, which is pursuing development on the foundation of market economy and democracy.
I'm happy to note that since the establishment of diplomatic ties in 1997, the friendly relations between Korea and Cambodia have been satisfactorily developed. Prime Minister Hun Sen's visit to Korea this time will further strengthen our bilateral relations.
When the financial crisis hit, the won dropped 30 percent against the dollar, raising building costs. The developer behind the proposed Phaeros Mekong Towers is now gone, for instance, and the IFC developers are redrawing their plans. Camko City is also slowing development. How optimistic are you that Korean developers will renew their commitment to Cambodia?
The reason why Korean developers rushed to Cambodia is that they have confidence in the future of the country.
Some large-scale construction projects were affected by the global economic crisis, but I think it is a passing phenomenon. If international business recovers, Korea's investment to Cambodia will come back.
Korean developers were also outspoken against a controversial prakas on housing development financing. What correspondence have you had with developers and the Cambodian government on this issue, and are you confident agreement will be reached?
Not only Korean developers but also Cambodian local developers recognise that some provisions of the Cambodian government's prakas on housing development do not appropriately reflect what is happening in the construction market.
I know that the Cambodian government is now examining the cases of other countries including Korea.
I expect that the Cambodian government will find a suitable solution that can accommodate the intent of the prakas, which is "protection for buyers", and the policy goal of inducing more foreign investment.
Korea exported $294.4 million worth of goods to Cambodia in 2008, including $117.5 in textiles, $54.8 million in car machinery and $43.2 million in textile goods. It imported $14.3 million in goods, including $8.8 million in textile goods, $2.4 million in non-ferrous metals and $1.6 million in agricultural food. What is being done to correct the trade imbalance?
Such trade imbalance between Korea and Cambodia is structural and due to Cambodia's imports of Korean goods as inputs for Cambodia's products such as garments. But such Cambodian products contribute to Cambodia's exports.
I expect the trade between the two countries will become balanced with the growth of the Cambodian economy in the long run.
It should be also taken into account that the influx of Korean investment into Cambodia greatly contributes to Cambodia's economy.
Last year, the Korean government urged companies to sell assets abroad to cover any shortfalls at home. How has that policy affected Cambodia?
It is up to businesses whether they sell their assets abroad to secure liquidity in preparing for unforeseen shortages of funds.
Interview by George Mcleod


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The Versa Star Pro can be configured for any parameter combination you need for your application. Further modules can be added to change your meter to meet your latest testing needs. Modules can be changed without powering down, the meter automatically recognizes the changes and datalogs remain unchanged and stored in the meter.
Each module includes the necessary probe connections for the measurement parameter. The meter includes two stirrer probe ports, one RS232 port, two USB ports, power port and grounding port.
Modules are available for pH/Temperature, pH/ISE/Temperature, Conductivity/Temperature, Dissolved Oxygen/RDO/Temperature and LogR.


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I've been trying to keep this under my hat for a while, as it's been in the work for a week or so, but not confirmed- I have a solo exhibition at the Art Gallery of Calgary! It's official now- I signed the contract yesterday! Super cool!
My work will be in the media room, and I will be showing my film, Morphopodia, and an installation to go along with it. At this point, I don't want to give too many details, as I still need to work out the details. For now, I'll leave you with a short clip from the film, Foraminifera.
I'm very extremely super awesomely incredibly excited about this- quite honestly, it doesn't feel real! I don't think it will be until I've installed the show in September.
The show runs from September 7th to December 23rd, opening September 7th! It's coming up quick- I have a lot of work to do!
Here's the clip- I actually haven't seen the film on a screen bigger than our TV- I missed the EMMEDIA Production Access screening at the Plaza because I was doing the Trap/Door Gushul residency in the Crowsnest Pass. (BTW, here's what this year's participants are doing!) It will be good to see it on a larger screen- although seeing myself on film is a little uncomfortable….


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If you're looking for wine cork craft ideas, here is a DIY kitchen utensil holder that will look great in your kitchen or make an ideal gift for wine lovers. If for some crazy reason you end up with an abundance of wine corks (I know, I'm not sure how it happens either), there are plenty of wine cork craft projects out there to put them to good use.
Crafts with wine corks are fun to make and an excellent way to upcycle. Here is a wine cork Christmas tree craft for around the holidays.
Shelley created glue gun crafts for back to school recently. This kitchen utensil holder is more for the adults. If you plan to make some homemade holiday gifts this year, you'll want to add this wine cork utensil holder to the list.
DIY Wine Cork Kitchen Utensil Holder
- Empty tin can washed and dried. This is a larger soup can or a can for pie filling or beans/tomatoes/vegetables.
- High-temperature hot glue and glue gun
- Natural corks vs. synthetic
- Wax paper
- Cover a flat surface with wax paper to protect it.
- Place your can onto the surface and place corks around the can making sure they fit. Leaving your can upright, place the hot glue on the cork and press onto the can, keeping the bottom row of corks flat to the bottom of the table. Let the glue set a bit. Flip the can over and add hot glue where the corks meet. Let set to harden.
- Return the can to the upright position and continue to place corks, on top of the bottom row. Add hot glue to the cork and press firmly onto the can. Continue until the entire can is covered.
- Once at the top of the can, you may have about 1/4' to 1/2" of the can to work with. Add glue to the top of the can and press corks firmly onto the can. Let set so the glue can harden.
- Fill your can with your favorite kitchen utensils, flowers, plants, or pencils.
If you're not a big wine drinker but want to create a wine cork craft for a friend, you can purchase corks on eBay. Heck, if you are a wine drinker and not a big crafter, go ahead and sell corks on eBay! We all have a purpose, my friends.
This craft is a fun idea for girls' night in. Start a collection over the course of wine nights together. Once you collect enough corks, get everyone crafting.
More ways to upcycle:
- Upcycle empty baby food jars into storage containers
- Plastic spoon lotus planter
- Creative ways to reuse tennis balls
Would you like this DIY kitchen utensil holder?


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"The proposition 1 urban rail line as currently envisioned is a poor investment for the residents of the NACA area. It will be paid for with higher property taxes, provide no appreciable decrease to existing traffic in our daily commutes, and does not have a planned service extension to the North Austin area, one of the most densely populated in the City. While transit solutions and investments are sorely needed in Austin right now, this one is not comprehensive enough to materially affect the way we move through and around Austin. As the great American architect and planner Daniel Burnham once stated, "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans; aim high in hope and work." I personally would like to see this plan taken back to the drawing board and put before the people of Austin as a rail/transit plan that aims high and seeks to change the transportation equation in Austin in a much bigger way."
Gabe Rojas
NACA Contact Team, Chair
Zoning and Platting Commission, Parliamentarian
Former Austin District 4 Council Candidate
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Diaspora Town House Property Developers
"I'm excited to become a Property Developer and supply Town Houses as jobs are created," says a Diaspora who has opened a Kenya University Project - Property Developer file at Attorney Njoroge Kamau law firm in Worcester, MA. The Diaspora Property Developer adds, "I was happy to get a job when I needed one and find a developed house with clean water, sanitation and energy – to live in – close to my job." This thinking has today motivated over 500 Diaspora Kenyans – and growing – to embrace an innovative system to develop town houses in a university town. The university town main development plans are: University, Medical Hospital, Biotechnology Company, Town houses and other plans that create jobs and provide housing.
A registered nurse (RN) who has worked over 10 years in the U.S says, "The projected return on investment on my property developer capital after I sell the Town House I develop to the user is a great property developer income." As she visualizes the education opportunity she got, her job and her family house in U.S; she appreciates the developers who enabled her live the life she has lived in the U.S for over ten years. She adds, "Diaspora have an opportunity to develop for Kenyans this kind of opportunity." Her plan is to be a property developer of four town houses and also be part of the medical-hospital plan developers.
Diaspora property developers whose capital will flow to Town House development are happy Kenya University Project system is a packaged project for remitting to Kenya. Discussing this the Diaspora property developers have adopted the statement, "Diaspora have remitted cash and there is no development to show for this cash over the last 20 years. Let's now remit expertise, money and developments that create good jobs in Kenya, provide housing to make life better, and at the same time earn us a return for our capital investment."
Using this stated approach Diaspora are progressing in the development of a university and town they can point to and be proud of as they say, "Diaspora remitted back a university town to Kenya."