Seeing Double...or Triple...or More...

Fla. Couple pick up their cloned yellow lab puppy

MIAMI (AP) - A Boca Raton couple got a new dog, and it's just like their old dog. Not just the same breed and gender, but the same DNA. Nina and Edgar Otto picked up their cloned yellow lab puppy at the Miami International Airport Monday night. Lancelot Encore was cloned from the DNA of the Ottos' late dog Lancelot, which died of cancer in January 2008.

Guessing that pet cloning would one day be possible, the Ottos had DNA samples of their dog frozen five years ago.

The Ottos paid $155,000 in a San Francisco biotech firm's dog-cloning auction last July.

BioArts International created Lancelot Encore in South Korea, where he was born 10 weeks ago. The Ottos say he's the first single-birth, commercially cloned puppy in the United States.

Now, I believe that cloning has its place. I want to say that right off the bat. Cloning organs, for example, would be a huge scientific advancement, because someone needing a heart transplant could just get his or her own heart cloned (using a gene knock-out technique to destroy any genetic defects the heart may have), and there would be no risk of his or her body rejecting it. No need for anti-rejection drugs, etc, etc. It is also closely related to stem cell research, so advances in cloning may help in that area, as well, but this nonsense (article above) is just plain wrong!

Let's teach our children that, when a beloved pet dies, it's no big deal! We just a need a bit of Fluffy's DNA and a load of cash, and we'll get to have Fluffy2, an genetic copy of our dead pet. Perfect in every way.

...ahem...of course, there's no saying that there really would be cloning errors as we see in the movie Multiplicity, since a clone is an exact genetic copy, when done correctly. It is exactly the same in each and every way...which is exactly why I'm against the idea of cloning entire organisms.

You see, as someone who once wanted to be a geneticist, I have what probably isn't a unique view of cloning, but it is one that, perhaps, the Average Joe might not think about. The idea behind reproduction is genetic advancement of the species. Cloning is anything but. A clone is an exact copy of the original, making the next generation exactly the same as the one before. There is no genetic improvement, no chance for adaptation, and no true advancement of the species. In 1997, the average annual milk production per cow (in Oklahoma, because that's the only chart I could find that would tell me anything useful) was around 14,000 pounds (that's around 1,647 gallons of milk per cow per year, for those who are curious), by by 2006, that had climbed to almost 17,000 pounds (2,000 gallons). If someone had cloned an average cow in 1997, the calf was born in 1998, and she came into milk in 2000, she would have been producing about 1,000 pounds (~117.6 gallons) less than the average cow of her generation. Of course, they didn't clone an average cow, they cloned a super cow: Aspen, the Holstein who they say produced 35,000 pounds (4,117.6 gallons) annually. I don't know what Amy's milk production turned out to be, but I am not sure that is was the same as Aspen's.

There is, of course, a good reason for full-animal cloning. Not genetically, of course. It makes an ideal way to run experiments on drugs and the like, because the control animal can be genetically identical to the animals used in the experiment, making genetic differences a non-issue when analyzing the outcome of the tests (say, they're testing something that helps an animal live longer, and the not genetically identical control animal dies of natural causes that are actually created by a genetic defect no one knows it has, while the animal on the experimental drug lives almost twice as long. With cloning, that would not happen, and the results of the study can be considered more accurate). They can also be used to see if the clones would all end up just like their original, even if raised in different environments, and to see how those different environments seem to effect the animals. Things like that. Of course this can (and has, as far as i know) been done with mice. It's economically inefficient to use cows, for example, because they can't safely reproduce until 1.5 years of age, where as mice are ready to go in 4-7 weeks (and will only live up to about 3 years, while the average life-span of a cow is 20 or so years, so waiting for a cow to die of old age takes considerably longer, too). The cow and sheep cloning, in my opinion, was more to see if it could be done.

There are other issues with cloning, as well. Rapid aging, for example. Unfortunately, I couldn't gain access to the entire article put up by Dr's Yang and Tian (of UConn), because I don't have a subscription to the web site and am no longer an active student, meaning I can't use UConn's account access the paper (it's here, if anyone with access wants to take a look), but, if I remember correctly, there is some evidence to support the idea that an animal cloned from an adult may suffer from rapid aging.

Basically, I am of the belief that it is too early to tell if cloning Fido is really a good idea. Of course, the other problem with cloning the family pet is the fact that the owners will expect the copy to be exactly like the original, which it won't be if they don't treat it exactly the same as they treated Fido1.

Modern Celebrity + Role Model = FAIL

So, I've had a great admiration for Veronica Lake for quite some time. In fact, I've worn my hair over one eye just like her for a number of years, now. Like, since before I knew exactly who she was. There's just something beautiful about her. To me, she embodies what a woman should be. Don't ask me why. I can't say for sure.

There is one thing about her, and about all of the women who were celebrities in her day, that the celebrities of this day don't have. The actresses of the 1940s were just so glamorous. I mean, Joan Fontaine, Judy Garland, Bette Davis, Lucille Ball, Ingrid Bergman, Vivien Leigh, Veronica Lake...they're all names people still remember. And they remember them as well loved actresses and role models. They were held on a pedestal, but they were allowed to be human, and they acted like real people. I mean, during war time, what did Veronica Lake do with her celebrity status? She didn't attack cars with umbrellas, go crazy, or make a scene. She encouraged women to become involved with the war effort, and told them to wear their hair (which women were wearing in her trade-make "peek-a-boo" style) in a more practical manner to prevent accidents at the factories. Things like that. She lead by example. She was a true role model.



And who do the children of the newer generations have to look up to? Skeletal Paris Hilton, crazy Brittany Spears, strung-out Lindsey Lohan? I'm throwing Taylor Swift out here, too, because she's like 19 and they make her out to look like a 2-bit whore (seriously, in every picture of her out there she's wearing a plunging neckline, too much make up, and her mouth is slightly open and her eyes have this lusty look in them. She's pretty, sure, but a standard head shot is pretty much porn for teens who haven't seen "real" porn before). Honestly, these people who are plastered all over the tabloid magazines don't belong there. I'm generalizing, yes, there are a few out there who are worthy of their celebrity status, but all the press goes to the ones that make the biggest waves, and nothing makes bigger waves than a scandal.

The anthem to my cause:



(I really have no intention of dedicating my blog to this kind of thing, but I felt like it, and it's my blog, after all...)

Let's Get Rich

I just wanted to post a YouTube video of my new favorite song. It's cute! You'll like it!



Something about it just makes me smile. The entire album is great, and part of the proceeds for it goes to Stand Up to Cancer, making it a guilt-free purchase for those like me, who have more important things to spend what little money they have on (like car payments, insurance and student loans). I encourage everyone who likes her music to buy this album, and if you don't know if you like her stuff or not, but enjoyed this one, check out the others she has on YouTube. She is quite a talented musician.

Now, speaking of getting rich, and spending money on charitable causes...

The other day, one of my co-workers and I were talking about what we would do if we had a disgusting amount of money. Of course, this is something I have thought of often, considering the success of writers such as J. K. Rowling and my own desire to become a well loved author, myself. Everyone always talks about some day when they're rich and famous. Well, some day when I'm rich and famous, here's what I'll do:

1. Pay off those student loans. If they're not paid off already, of course. I'm hoping to become a published author in the next few years (after I finish something, or course), so it'll just be a matter of how long it takes me to be a well read author. I'm not expecting myself to be an overnight sensation, but maybe I'll write something Oprah Book Club worthy? You never know, although, I don't think she has any fantasy books on her list.
2. Pay off any other outstanding bills. My truck, for example. Of course, I'm paying her off as my birthday present to me in May, but, I'll have other bills to worry about, too, so this will still apply.
3. Find myself a place. I am unlike most women my age. I do not have my entire wedding planned out. I have my perfect house thought up. I want an older (Victorian?) style house with a tower, a wrap-around porch, a hipped roof (or something less boring than a normal peeked one, anyway) and a big attic that can become my writing "cave". I'd also like to be able to put radiant heat in the floors, and be able to adapt it to solar energy. A big yard is a must. I don't want to be too close to my neighbors. Seeing them is ok...from a distance. I want space for livestock if I decide I want some. I also want room for a great big herb garden. oh! And a gazebo!
4. Help out the family. Maybe put some solar panels on my folks' house, too. Stuff like that. I figure I owe them. That, and I'd help my brother's kids with books for college. I feel that, paying your own way through school helps you appreciate it more, but a little help in the form of books can't hurt.
   
5. Put some aside. Just in case. What's J. K. Rowling going to do when the Harry Potter craze wears off? What will I do if my own success wanes? A writer depends on his or her fans to live. If he or she can't sell books, he or she can't eat dinner. Putting a bit aside for a rainy day can't hurt.
6. Talk to a financial advisor and set up a budget. Figure out how much excess i'll have once all of my needs are taken care of.
7. Pick a charity...or five. I want to live comfortably. I don't need oodles of money and fancy crap. If I have extra money I don't need, why not donate it to a worthy cause? Stem cell research? Alternative energy? Aid to agriculture? Heifer International? I don't know what. I'd probably put a good chunk into 4-H. Give back a little, you know? Maybe I'll even start a charity. Who knows?

Of course, my co-worker wanted to know what I'd do that was greedy. Everything I've listed above is practical, I think. Pay off debts, buy a place, help the family, ensure my own survival, and get rid of the excess. As far as greedy goes? What would I do that was completely unpractical and 100% greedy? Maybe I'd start treating myself to facials. Or buy a vehicle that runs on hydrogen fuel cells (only when the technology is ready, though. I don't want to be driving an experiment). Something like that. Ooh, and I'd update my wardrobe. That would be nice...

The Return of the Occasional Blogger

So, yes, it has been a while since I've updated. That's what happens when you forget your password...and the password to the email address your account is set up through...and the pseudonym you so cleverly thought up to make the account under, which is also the name for the email address. A vicious circle, really. I will try not to forget again, but I'm not making any promises.

Now, an update: I still haven't finished writing anything, so you will have to wait a bit longer to read one of my inspired master works of fiction. I did get over 50,000 words in the 2008 NaNoWriMo. That was a great month of writing insanity. I enjoyed it completely! In more recent days, I haven't been doing as much, but I have temporarily hit a literary wall, and am, at present, trying to decide if I would be better off scaling it, or bashing through it. Right now, I'm waiting to see if it will fall on it's own. I've had a tickling of inspiration over the last few days, so, maybe...

And, on a side note, as an American citizen, I would like to say a great "Huzzah!" for Obama. Change is good. I am ready.