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"Some college administrators seem so distracted with fund raising, academic infighting, and community initiatives that they set up their emergency communications departments very poorly. Training is poor to nonexistent, secretaries are pressed into service with tremendous responsibilities for running 'notification systems' 24/7 and on weekends because no one else knows how to do it and the administration won’t pay for additional staff. Procedures are seat-of-the-pants and dependent on HIPPO (highest paid person’s opinion), except when something like Virginia Tech happens and there is some sort of scramble to do something different." --Donna
Most Colleges Avoid Risk Management, Report Says
U. of Georgia Paid 2 Fraternities $2.4-Million to Relocate, Contracts Show
The two were among five that houses on property where the university plans to build new academic facilities.
New Allegations in Admissions Controversy at U. of Illinois Suggest Ex-Provost Played a Role
Linda P.B. Katehi, the incoming chancellor of the University of California at Davis, has insisted she knew nothing of the admission of politically connected applicants at Illinois.
Sonoma State U. Foundation May Lose $350,000 on Loan to Former Board Member
The foundation will be forced to issue fewer scholarships in the 2010-11 academic year because of a diminished endowment, a university official said.
Court Overturns $2-Million Verdict for Former Coach at U. of Louisiana-Lafayette
The coach, one of the few African-Americans in big-time college football, was fired after three losing seasons. He sued, saying he had been dismissed because of his race.
The notorious vermin have forced Colorado State University at Fort Collins to cancel its annual Great Sofa Roundup, which allows students to donate unwanted couches.
College Suspends Student for Working in Gay Pornography | 58
President Obama's Visit to Notre Dame Carries Barely a Hint of Controversy That Preceded It | 58
Drug Sting Nabs 21 Students at U. of Illinois | 57
Faculty Members and Union Protest Staff Layoffs at Temple U. as 'Cruel' | 57
North Dakota Board's Vote Puts 'Fighting Sioux' Mascot on Thinner Ice | 57
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January 18, 2008
Animal-Human Hybrid Embryos Are Approved in Britain
Two universities in England won approval yesterday to create embryos by mixing animal eggs with human DNA in order to create embryonic stem cells and to study diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. The Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority granted permission to researchers at the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne and at King’s College London to generate embryos by inserting human DNA into eggs from rabbits, cows, and other mammals. The Guardian and the BBC have complete coverage.
Comments
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The Brits might come up with a new and improved version of Cruella DeVille who would not have to kill Dalmatians to have a black on white spotted fur coat. She might just be able to be born with one of her own!
— Tom Jan 18, 03:58 PM #
God help us. This is the beginning of a very slippery slope – once we start dabbling in ‘creating’ human beings, we’re just a short ways away from ‘creating’ second-class citizens who are only created for organ donation or the like. This is very sad news.
— Profet Jan 18, 03:59 PM #
Don’t be so scared of the future, people will have a second chance on better life, free of disease. Also Don’t believe everything you see in “Hollywood”, were are not building the Island…
— ROM Jan 18, 04:42 PM #
The “Untermenschen” philosophy that we fought so much against, seems to be about to enter the living room by means of the kitchen door. Instead of welcoming it with a rowdy “Heil Hitler,” we will now revenrently embrace it as “The Progress of Humanity and Science,” all in order to improve the human race, make it stronger, healthier, and better looking (blond? blue eyed?) Now, since the Brits invented the concept of the concentration camp, are there plans for the improved version of holding stables for the forthcoming wave of “Mischlinge”?
One shudders at the thought of what comes next, but for sure those who dabble in biomedical ethics will have planty of work to do, and a lot of new positions opening for them. Pity the British authorities failed to hire one of those people before approving the project: a bucket of ice cold water over a badly overheated head would, hopefully, perform the required miracle. Incidentally, we will also need to start thinking about new laws: what a bonanza for lawyers! I may even drop everything else, and, in order to forestall the competition, gallop back to finish my own doctorate in the noble discipline!
— Dag von Lubitz Jan 18, 05:00 PM #
I think this is a terrible step, for reasons too many to name. Don’t waste my time with arguments about genetic alteration to avoid certain diseases (to which certain animals might be immune). There will always be idiots who’ll pay to see if humans can run like leopards or fly like birds. When the mutants arrive (and they will), then we’ll get to see the horror fully-formed. Pun intended.
— Ergum Soloff Jan 18, 07:09 PM #
This is incredibly sad – we surely do not learn from history. These people believe they are so intelligent that nothing can go wrong – they confuse intellect and wisdom…just because we can – doesn’t mean we should.
— Karen Jan 18, 07:50 PM #
The genie’s out of the bottle; no doubt about that. But just as history shows us what horrors people are capable of when advanced tool s are placed in their hands, it also shows us they sometimes use the occasion as a time for creating a better future. We can’t go back. Now is the time for forward-thinking legislators to begin creating policy for how these new tools should – and may not – be used. I know Hillary would be up to the task; not sure about Gordon Brown. :-)
— MDR Jan 19, 09:08 AM #