So, what’s so special about embryonic stem cells? Here’s how President Obama described them in the speech we looked at in a previous post:
At this moment, the full promise of stem cell research remains unknown, and it should not be overstated. But scientists believe these tiny cells may have the potential to help us [...]

A few months ago, when President Obama lifted the ban on federal funding for research on human embryonic stem cells (HESCs), he seemed to portray his action as an affirmation of “sound science” as contrasted with “moral values” and “ideology.” From his speech that day:
In recent years, when it comes to stem cell research, rather [...]

I’ve been stewing on this column by David Brooks in the New York Times last month on the supposed irrelevance of moral reasoning in an age of neuroscience. Brooks quotes Michael Gazzaniga’s book Human:
”[I]t has been hard to find any correlation between moral reasoning and proactive moral behavior, such as helping other people. In fact, [...]

There’s been a fair amount of press coverage lately about situations where parents are refusing medical treatment for their kids based on religious reasons.  Parents are currently in court or on the run from authorities being accused of neglect.
In one case, a Wisconsin mom is on trial, charged with second degree homicide, after her 11-year-old [...]

On the next episode of 24, according to the previews, tireless hero Jack Bauer (played by Kiefer Sutherland) will walk into the hospital room of a U.S. senator and threaten to torture him. And I expect I’ll be cheering him on. I wonder if that’s OK.
Critics have long said that 24 glorifies torture, and it’s [...]

Our friend Kent Shaffer over at churchrelevence.com recently posted some stats from The University of Texas Health Science Center about middle school age kids and sex.
1/3 of students experienced sexual touching
12% of students experienced sex by age 12
7.9% of students experienced oral sex by age 12
6.5% of students experienced non traditional sex by age 12
4% [...]

The locavore trend has recently been getting media attention since First Lady Michelle Obama started an organic vegetable garden in the white house lawn, and enlisted local school children to help out with the planting.  As a busy grad student often cooking for one, I’m not exactly a huge boon to the local veggie economy [...]

I’ve made a bold choice for this New Year.  I’ve decided to give up my DVR.
A DVR is a Digital Video Recorder.  It allows you to pause, rewind, and record TV shows with alarming ease.  For me, this meant I could start a program, pause it, go get a cup of tea and a cookie, [...]

I’m used to hearing and seeing certain things this time of year at church.  The Christmas songs are back.  There are Advent candles burning bright.  And there’s a sermon series that’s looking at the problems with the world.  Wait…that last one is something I was not expecting.
Most of the sermons I usually hear this time [...]

I’m not much of a sports person. When I was in fifth grade, the only game my junior league soccer team won all year was the one that I missed due to illness (a coincidence, I’m sure). But nevertheless, I found this New Republic essay about the moral crisis facing professional sports in America interesting. [...]