SRB's comments:

on New Genetic Therapy

I completely honor the discussion regarding overpopulation, my support for this work has to do with changing the quality of lives that will be lived regardless . . .

I once worked for a family whose first child was born with Fragile X syndrome. The mother did not know she was a carrier and the family did not get a positive diagnosis until after their second child was born (fortunately, he did not exhibit the disorder).

Obviously, the family chose not to have any more children, however, the rest of thier years will be given to the therapy and care of thier first child. While I loved spending time with him in our sessions of physical therapy and play, I know that the entire family: father, mother, brother, extended family would be saved an entire generation of suffering if this disease could have been prevented.

The challenges:

1.  I don't know if Fragile X syndrome is of mitochondrial origination

2. The mother did not know that she was a carrier (would we all go through genetic testing at some time prior to procriation) Heck, I would be OK with application for reproduction and a limit to the number of children born (but I'm probably not too popular in my ideas).

In conclusion, I support research that reduces suffering that does not increase population. There's enough suffering in the world already.

peace,

SH

posted 2 years, 8 months ago
view in context

on World-Class Arts?

It seems critical to acknowledge that art is not necessarily a commodity. In our commercial culture, we have established means for art of all kinds to be bought and sold - however this tends to favor commercial or traditional/classical forms of art and performance leaving the more risky and evolving art forms without "funding".

I am a dancer and my carreer began as training at Reed College and Downtown Portland in the early 80's. Discovering contemporary dance felt like discovering who I was and where my passion lived. Like many, I moved to NYC to develop my training and eventually my carreer. I am now back in Portland and happy to see all that is brewing (TBA festival, etc) and saddened also to see that there is not a more thriving contemporary dance community.

State funding will DEFINITELY support contemporary and evolving arts that are not served by the false value for artistic survival in the public market.

Arts education of all kinds is equally valuable for state funding. Not only does art education expand one's experience of life but it provides the capability to appreciate, seek out, and explore art experiences, developing a culture that supports art in general.

Thanks for the discussion!

posted 2 years, 10 months ago
view in context

on Bottling It Up in Cascade Locks

Sounds like a difficult challenge. Residents deserve a means to uplift their local economy, certainly. It's just that we have to move AWAY from considering water a product to bottle in plastic containers. Already the plastics industry is causing havoc in the environment. It just makes me sad to think of such a beautiful part of Oregon sacrificing one of thier most importand resources to the community - clean water.

Neslie buying clean local water resources basically sounds evil and I hate to think of a community having to sell out to a corporation polluting the environment with plastic.

Just sounds wrong and I hope that the community of Cascade Locks can find abundant and healthy sources of providing for the local economy. There have to be better choices than an industrial mistake or a casino.

I would like to know when regulators will stop beverage bottling in plastics anyway. How much plastic in the ocean, how many cases of breast cancer . . .

This just seems like a bad idea for Oregon.

posted 2 years, 11 months ago
view in context



Become a sponsor