15 June 2011

News Roundup!

Half of the people "euthanized" in Belgium are really murdered. That's what I'd call killing someone or allowing them to die without their consent. It's ok, though: those people have realllly good organs. Why wait around for some young kid to die in a car accident and bother with consent and all that blah blah blah. What a pain. Easier to just have a team of organ transplant people standing by while you kill somebody.

Just think of all the advantages! You know the blood type, size, weight, age and ethnicity of the deceased... before they're even deceased! That means you can line up your transplantees ahead of time. They don't have to wait for that phone call in the middle of the night; they can be allll ready at the hospital, waiting for their special moment. They're paying, so it's their organ, you know. It's all about the money.

Please ignore my opinion - and the opinion of many people in the world - that organ donation is supposed to be a last gift to the people of the world who are still living. Part of a sweet and selfless good-bye. No. That's old-fashioned and unscientific. Just wheel 'em in, chop 'em up piecemeal, and dump the remains somewhere factory-style. You watch and see if more science about how best to harvest organs for transplant and related science stories don't come right out of Belgium. These people are so advanced and civilized. Seriously, you watch.

On a lighter note, I figured out that it is NOT incorrect for me to say "learnt" and similar words. They are called "variants" on this website about how to conjugate about any verb you could imagine. And dude, this isn't on the website, but "whilst" isn't formal English. It's just English. I'm not playing Queen of England if I say it.

I can be the president if I want to be in this game. I thought I'd share it with you as it seems to be for children upper elementary and beyond. It teaches what the president does and which department carries out which sorts of laws. I know the president doesn't really ferry the legislation over himself, but the point is to teach the children which department does what. It isn't very nuanced politically (understatement) but it's a cute starting point for discussion, I think. Let me know if you try it what you think about it.

And finally, a story about some guy spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on equipment is trying to go fishing - for bin Laden's body. I had no idea that having doubts about bin Laden's death made one a "scary conservative," but apparently so. Or that some anonymous dude who has a Russian girlfriend would know all about what people "in intelligence circles" in Russia really think about anything. I have a husband who is a computer programmer, but I can't tell you what the latest gadget from Apple is gonna be. Bad journalism. But an interesting thought: if the sea in which the body were dumped is public information, and bin Laden is buried in a 200-pound weight sealed bag, it stands to reason that the body is not only recoverable but largely undamaged. I'm left wondering, "Is this a real story? Or some guy with a boat who wanted to be on the news?"

Post edited because I SPELT "euthanized" incorrectly. Wow, "spelt" is the only correct form, but it is never used here. Almost never... everyone says "spelled." :)

7 comments:

  1. Whatever happened to the physicians oath, "First, do no harm."?

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  2. I'm not sure if they swear that in Belgium, does anyone reading know? Though GENERALLY speaking, I'll bet these folks think they are doing the soon-to-be deceased a favour because their lives aren't worth living (in the doctors' judgment).

    Just as a human being, this is disconcerting, but as a mom of several disabled children? Terrifying.

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  3. The first story is scary. Amazing how we use the excuse of saving a human life for the excuse of exterminating another one.:(

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  4. Wow! That was quite a lot of news!

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  5. I'd like to see anyone cut me up before I'm ready! I'm leaving my body to study anyway, medical schools still need cadavers to learn/teach from, but they'd beter wait until I'm dead.

    I used to always use "spelt", I don't remember when I startd going with the flow and using spelled.

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  6. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  7. When a beloved family member died last month, we found out just how many restrictions and safeguards Australia has on organ donation.
    I think you can relax, Red, and trust in your Down Under surgeon.

    Oh, and I had always thought spelled was to do with witchcraft vs. spelt for English and grains.

    My Princess and I looked up the "learnt/learned" issue only last month - she was pleased it was a "t" as that is how it sounds.

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Non-troll comments always welcome! :)

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