tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417Tue, 29 Apr 2008 16:29:20 +0000http://blog.netesq.com/Internet EsquireBlogger81125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-1120629216624284244Mon, 14 Apr 2008 06:27:00 +00002008-04-13T23:32:07.800-07:00childfreeautismThe United Nations designated April 2, 2008 as the first Worldwide Autism Awareness Day, and after being bombarded by a series of totally uninformative television reports that began the day before and lasted well into the day after, I was intrigued enough to bring myself back up to speed on the topic. Even though I've tutored autistic children in the past, I've never been able to get a http://blog.netesq.com/2008/04/mystery-of-autism.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-1867558175245594508Tue, 27 Nov 2007 18:21:00 +00002007-12-03T19:46:02.315-08:00rejuvenation researchtelomeraseFounder of T.A. Sciences Noel Thomas Patton read my recent blog post entitled Ending Old Age through Telomerase Activation, and called me on the phone to offer his feedback. Specifically, he made a point of questioning the accuracy of my claim that "there are many cell types in the human body that never stop reproducing," and he was right to do so. The only healthy cells in the human body thathttp://blog.netesq.com/2007/11/telomerase-activation-redux.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-3697626371279946792Fri, 23 Nov 2007 08:08:00 +00002007-11-23T00:13:16.834-08:00astragalussenescencetelomeraseWhen I took my first college level course in physical anthropology, I took it upon myself to research the emerging body of scientific knowledge regarding the biological process known as senescence. Simply put, many (but not all) biological organisms grow to maturity, then attempt to maintain vitality, but eventually succumb to the ravages of old age and die. The process through which such http://blog.netesq.com/2007/11/ending-old-age-through-telomerase.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-530728786444390166Mon, 12 Nov 2007 20:21:00 +00002007-11-12T12:29:23.082-08:00heuristicsartificial intelligenceWhile exploring the website of the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, I was guided to an essay by Eliezer Yudkowsy entitled Cognitive biases potentially affecting judgment of global risks. [PDF document]. I experienced several "A-ha!" moments while reading the essay, all of which synchronized with my inherent skepticism of supposed expertise. And at the risk of sounding like I http://blog.netesq.com/2007/11/being-too-smart-for-your-own-good.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-4304893831943837637Tue, 23 Oct 2007 17:11:00 +00002008-03-21T14:43:14.785-07:00ellenanimal rescuemutts and momsiggyWhile I believe that the Iggy news cycle finished out this last Sunday night, I feel compelled to post the following information that I found posted on the website for Ellen Degeneres' talk show: When Worlds Collide In the world of rescuers, companion animals are no different than children. They need our protection as they cannot survive on their own. They need our advocacy, as they cannot http://blog.netesq.com/2007/10/mutts-and-moms-rest-of-story.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-1779043864989036515Mon, 22 Oct 2007 15:19:00 +00002007-10-23T08:27:51.961-07:00ellenpet rescuejudy crozier[Added: Make that Tuesday October 23rd. The press release apparently confused the air date with the taping date.] While following up on the controversy involving Ellen Degeneres and Mutts and Moms, I stumbled upon a press release at PR Web Owner Saved by Dog to be on The Ellen DeGeneres Show. I immediately submitted the press release to Digg, but (much to my surprise) the Digg item has yet tohttp://blog.netesq.com/2007/10/ellen-to-feature-pet-rescue-on-monday.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-6238915584207654104Sun, 21 Oct 2007 15:59:00 +00002008-03-21T14:37:01.697-07:00ellenpet rescuemutts and momsLinda MilazzoWhile checking recent news reports on the Ellen Degeneres/Mutts and Moms controversy, I found a link to Linda Milazzo's Smirking Chimp Blog entitled Ellen DeGeneres' Misuse of Media and A Challenge To Right That Wrong. I highly recommend this post for the quality of its factual content, obtained from direct contact with many of the people involved in this controversy, but I respectfully disagreehttp://blog.netesq.com/2007/10/linda-milazzo-on-ellen-degeneresmutts.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-6267187891309932943Fri, 19 Oct 2007 17:37:00 +00002007-10-19T12:14:02.618-07:00ellenmutts and momsanimal rightsOver the last week or so, I've injected myself into the Mutts and Moms controversy, stating unequivocally that the Mutts and Moms dog rescue group should not have removed the dog Iggy from the loving home where Ellen Degeneres placed it, and that they should return Iggy to that home sooner rather than later. The vast majority of people who have expressed an opinion on this topic agree with me --http://blog.netesq.com/2007/10/putting-mutts-and-moms-controversy-into.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-194356609879822241Thu, 18 Oct 2007 20:44:00 +00002007-10-18T14:45:53.881-07:00ellenmutts and momsIt never ceases to amaze me how quick people are to throw down the guantlet with me rather than engage in rational discourse. To wit, one Laura Sweet responded to two of my recent carefully considered posts regarding Mutts and Moms with a tone that is anything but civil:"This controversy is fueled by people who have no idea what it's like to place dogs in proper care and all that is considered http://blog.netesq.com/2007/10/laura-sweet-on-mutts-and-moms.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-414254225610063300Thu, 18 Oct 2007 15:54:00 +00002007-10-18T08:56:11.849-07:00ellenmutts and momscontract lawApologists for Mutts and Moms are fond of pointing out that Ellen Degeneres signed a contract with Mutts and Moms that prohibited Ellen from placing Iggy (the dog that Ellen adopted) with a new home. Of course, Ellen never signed that contract, but since her partner Portia de Rossi did, I'm willing to ignore that particular fine brush stroke and discuss the big picture. In other words, assuminghttp://blog.netesq.com/2007/10/but-ellen-degeneres-signed-contract-so.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-2564742709700338849Wed, 17 Oct 2007 21:26:00 +00002008-03-21T10:24:37.190-07:00ellenmutts and momsiggyOn Tuesday October 16th, 2007, Ellen Degeneres made a tearful plea on her television show for the return of a dog named Iggy that was seized by the operators of a local Pasadena dog rescue after Ellen had given it away to a new family. Ellen had adopted Iggy through the rescue, and found the dog a new home a few weeks later after determining that the dog was not compatible with her existing http://blog.netesq.com/2007/10/mutts-and-moms-under-fire.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-2665859867191290266Sun, 15 Jul 2007 00:48:00 +00002007-07-14T17:50:08.024-07:00Back in November of 2004, I posted a blog entry entitled Why Does God Let Good People Suffer? On July 14th, 2007, this post got its fourth comment, the second one being one that I posted to provide a live link to Attorney Robert Sutherland's Book of Job website, which was mentioned in the first comment, an anonymous one. The last two comments were also anonymous, and they appeared to be made byhttp://blog.netesq.com/2007/07/where-to-turn-for-help.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-117358906819964973Sun, 11 Mar 2007 06:27:00 +00002007-03-14T00:44:56.893-07:00News commentators have been speculating about the possibility of former President Bill Clinton becoming the "First Gentleman" (First Spouse, maybe?) if and when Senator Hillary Clinton is elected President of the United States in November of 2008. That got me to thinking: Why not Vice President Bill Clinton in 2008? Many people would vote for a wife and husband Clinton ticket, whereas Article http://blog.netesq.com/2007/03/vice-president-bill-clinton.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-116961456411062550Wed, 24 Jan 2007 04:56:00 +00002008-03-21T15:56:33.177-07:00rejuvenation researchIn my most recent blog post prior to this one, I noted that Pharmexa was testing a possible cancer vaccine, referencing an earlier blog post of mine which asserted that the lengthening of telomeres on the ends of DNA strands would soon provide a cure for old age by rejuvenating old but healthy cells. I remain intrigued by issues of health and longevity, and my blog posts will probably continue http://blog.netesq.com/2007/01/health-and-longevity-redux.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-115887710304982644Thu, 21 Sep 2006 23:56:00 +00002008-03-24T09:54:55.345-07:00rejuvenation researchcancertelomeraseIn a previous blog post, I asserted that the lengthening of telomeres on the ends of DNA strands would soon provide a cure for old age by rejuvenating old but healthy cells. This has already been accomplished in vitro using the enzyme telomerase, and clinical trials with humans will eventually get underway. As such, all you have to do is stay alive and stay reasonably healthy until telomerase http://blog.netesq.com/2006/09/pharmexa-testing-posssible-universal.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-115802227661993129Tue, 12 Sep 2006 00:46:00 +00002006-09-11T17:52:40.750-07:00September 11, 2006 finds me in Austin, Texas, the state capital. As I sat in my hotel room last night, working through the night to prepare for a meeting with one of my clients at 7am, 9/11 documentaries were being broadcast on the History Channel, playing in the background, beguiling me away from the here and now, and taking me back in time to September 11, 2001. I was in Sacramento at the http://blog.netesq.com/2006/09/united-we-stand.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-115617125015064138Mon, 21 Aug 2006 14:45:00 +00002006-08-21T07:55:45.910-07:00Taking a radical departure from the political topics that have dominated my blog recently, this post introduces a topic that I consider much more important. However, to a certain degree, this post builds on my previous post concerning President Dubya's misguided opposition to funding for embryonic stem cell research. To wit, can medical science find a cure for old age? If so, when? According http://blog.netesq.com/2006/08/end-to-old-age.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-115475974409557084Sat, 05 Aug 2006 17:44:00 +00002006-08-07T06:17:31.690-07:00I've posted a couple of blog entries on the state of affairs in Iraq, and mosts of the people who have responded to my posts have a very different take on the situation than I do. I expected as much. To wit, Harold C. Hutchison writes:"Taking down Saddam's regime was the right call. As Senator Norm Coleman has shown, the UN was compromised due to the widespread corruption in the Oil-for-Food http://blog.netesq.com/2006/08/hans-blix-vs-colin-powell-on-wmds-in.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-115452968405940796Wed, 02 Aug 2006 16:40:00 +00002006-08-03T14:04:55.213-07:00In a previous blog post, I asserted:"Notwithstanding insidious suggestions and insinuations to the contrary, no evidence of WMDs was ever found in Iraq after Dubya launched his March 2003 invasion of that country, and neither can Dubya's invasion of Iraq be justified by Saddam Hussein's alleged failure to comply with the demands of United Nations (U.N.) weapons inspectors."To which Harold C. http://blog.netesq.com/2006/08/misleading-fox-news-reports-on-wmds-in.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-115447149271133567Wed, 02 Aug 2006 01:31:00 +00002006-08-02T05:57:17.650-07:00In a previous blog post entitled Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Weapons of Mass Distortion, I mentioned briefly that the purported existence of Weapons of Mass Destruction (abbreviated WMD) was one of the many pretexts that President George Dubya used for the invasion and occupation of Iraq. Notwithstanding insidious suggestions and insinuations to the contrary, no evidence of WMDs was ever http://blog.netesq.com/2006/08/president-dubya-and-weapons-of-mass.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-115419267119498080Sat, 29 Jul 2006 18:32:00 +00002006-08-01T09:24:11.630-07:00As noted by blogger Ric James in a post at Hoodathunk?, the United States House of Representatives recently approved a bill that would increase the federal minimum wage with a provision that makes permanent the soon-to-sunset reductions in the so-called "death tax." The "death tax" is the name given to the tax imposed on inheritances received from multi-million dollar estates, and its current http://blog.netesq.com/2006/07/tying-minimum-wage-to-death-tax.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-115402126404007450Thu, 27 Jul 2006 19:37:00 +00002006-07-27T12:56:28.853-07:00During President Clinton's tenure, state and local governments were given the right to pass their own minimum wage laws, and many of them have done so since 1996. While I stand opposed to minimum wage laws as a matter of basic principle, believing that the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) is a much more effective and equitable way of helping the working poor, state and local minimum wage laws arehttp://blog.netesq.com/2006/07/targeting-big-box-retailers-with.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-115387066377579484Wed, 26 Jul 2006 01:14:00 +00002006-08-18T02:50:55.763-07:00Recent news reports about Hazleton, Pennsylvania have repeated the erroneous claim that Hazleton has suffered an increase in crime that can be attributed to a sudden influx of illegal immigrants. As I pointed out in a previous blog post, that ain't the case. To wit, the total amount of crime in Hazleton decreased significantly between the year 2000 and the year 2005 notwithstanding a signicant http://blog.netesq.com/2006/07/anti-immigrant-propaganda-in-hazleton.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-115385528550535446Tue, 25 Jul 2006 20:00:00 +00002006-07-25T13:07:40.610-07:00The Blogging Curmudgette writes:"I became aware that someone who commented on The Blogging Curmudgeon a while back was taking my inventory on his own blog. He's entitled but I think it is particularly telling that rather than respond to my response to his initial comment on my blog, where he started this exchange, he scurried back to his own blog to issue his retort without even alerting me."As Ihttp://blog.netesq.com/2006/07/curmudgette-doth-protest-too-much.htmlInternet Esquiretag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9314417.post-115377044038511300Mon, 24 Jul 2006 19:47:00 +00002006-07-24T13:09:06.353-07:00In response to a recent blog post about the Wrath of the Blogging Curmudgette, an anonymous heckler asserted:"You DID incorrectly use the phrase 'begs the question'. While it is true that the usage you employed has fallen into the common parlance, it is the mark of a pseudo-intellectual, of someone who wishes to sound 'edumacated'."At the risk of descending into an even more pointless http://blog.netesq.com/2006/07/wrath-of-anonymous-heckler.htmlInternet Esquire