j_p

I am so sorry I abandoned this post. Thousands of new potential donors were registered; nearly two hundred patients waiting for donors were matched. These numbers do not include those of you who may have registered. Unfortunately for all of us, my niece was not one of those who was matched. Emily Jane has gone home.

Well, if we are concerned about the world as a whole, we probably have nothing to worry about. But most of us worry most about ourselves, our descendents, our societies and our species. I believe humans are capable of causing catastrophic change.

I am outraged by the flagrant attempt at mis-direction. I wish I could be certain the my fellow citizen would not fall for it. The only justification for banning gay marriage is that marriage exists to provide a social construct for procreation. Great, I could have been shacking up and saving a bundle on taxes! There is no reason to deny ANY two adults from forming a legal marital partenership with all the attendent rights and responsibilities.

An important concept is the tipping point; non-scientists believe that progession is 'naturally' linear. People do not understand that complex systems are buffered, and that when the buffering capacity of the system is out-stripped, change is rapid, drastic, and irreversible in the short term.

Ahh, that is a good thing. Thank you for the work you are doing and may do in the future. There will be a lot of people depending on you. So, ah, maybe you should stop goofing off on message boards and get back to work?

May I ask, why you ask? Are stem cells currently an issue in your life?

In the '60's, when women's dress pants and mini-skirts were both very new and outrageous, a well-known socialite went to lunch at a very haute New York restaurant in a pant-suit. She was refused admittance in the suit but was allowed in in just the jacket [as a mini-skirted dress].

The first step to recovery is recognizing that your fears are not irrational; it is a cruel world. The second step is recognizing that they are excessive. Social situations will not kill you. Torture, but not kill. Are you by chance 1.) young 2.) smart 3.) scientificly inclined, and finally, 4.) less attractive than most of the public images of people of your age and gender? If so, you will outgrow the first, are typical in respect to the last, and in time you will find associates who value the second and third. Still, you want better advice than, 'Don't worry'. In social situations, watch people, listen to them; don't focus on yourself. And be charitable toward others.

Wait a minute; I thought this technology could be used to keep the muscles in a paralyzed limp from atrophizing? [bTW, I am not defending the sale of them as fittness aids, but I actually owned a home-use version once, and it was a lot of fun to watch the muscles jump. I wonder if I still have it?]

PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE ON YOUR CONTACT LIST. My friends, as most of Eastern Massachusetts now knows, my niece Emily has leukemia and is hoping for a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, she has no match on the international registries. So, her aunt Margaret O'Leary has started an e-drive. Those of you who can not attend any of the live-drives listed below have two options for registering as donors: http://www.crir.org [click on To Register As a Donor] http://www.giftoflife.org [click on DONORS & ONLINE REGISTRATION] The Caitlin Raymond International Registry [CRIR] is for anyone covered by a non-ERISA employer's health plan in Massachusetts; Gift of Life requires a tax deductible donation of $18. These sites, and http://www.marrow.org have lots of information on bone marrow donation. A lot of people have asked how to help; it's easy. Forward this email to EVERYONE in your contact lists, and post the information on every message board you visit. We will find a match for Emily, and for all the others without a match. Thanks, every-one. Emily's Wicked Aunt Jean Links: http://www.crir.org/registerdonor.html http://www.giftoflife.org/article.asp?ID=10 http://homepage.mac.com/dok/iblog/B1289807253/index.html http://www.bonemarrowtest.com/patient_services/calendar_of_drives/ Live-drives: BRING YOUR INSURANCE CARD! January 14th: The DANTE Club 3 Dante Terrace, Somerville off Craigie St. at the intersection of Somerville Ave & Elm St Saturday, January 14th, 10 am to 3 pm January 21st: The Elks Club 52 Long Pond Road, Plymouth Saturday, January 21st, 9 am to 5 pm January 21st & 22nd: Milford Portuguese Club 19 Prospect Heights, Milford Saturday, January 21st, 9 am to 5 pm Sunday, January 22nd, 10 am to 4 pm January 26th: VFW Post 8502 843 State Road [Route 6], Westport Thursday, January 26th, 2 pm to 8 pm January 28th: First Church [Congregational] 1 Meetinghouse Green [off route 1A/133], Ipswich Saturday, January 28th, 10 am to 4 pm January 29th: Subway 151 Highland Street, Worcester Sunday, Janudary 29th, Noon to 5 pm [parking: corner of West & Highland behind the Sahara] February 4th & 5th: Holy Family Parish Hall 5 Sparhawk Street, Amesbury Saturday, February 4th, 10 am to 6 pm Sunday, February 5th, noon to 5 pm We're gonna save a lot of lives. j.

Ah' date=' but I don't consider you strangers ... A more serious response would be that I am not asking a favor [ignore that Title behind the curtain'], but asking for assistance, not for myself but for one unable to ask herself. The most serious response is that the shortage of stem cell donors means that there are not enough matches in the system. And so, people die. The Little Beloved just cruised through chemo [it nearly killed her last time], and her extended family is running donor drives all over the country. So, lives will be saved.

So, just checking in, has any-one become a new platelet donor or registered stem cell donor? People are reluctant because platelets take longer to donate, and because many do not know that stem cells can be harvested from the blood and do not require mining the bone marrow. But it's a cheap good deed; how often do you get to safe a life by just hanging around in bed watching a movie? This isn't just for my little beloved; lots of people need donors. My greatest hope is that I get called up as a donor for any-one next year. So, make it your New Year's resolution to donate platelets as soon as your get over your hang-overs. And bring a friend.

Until the 22nd, when I drove it into a pick-up, I drove a '96 Geo Prizm stick. God, I loved that car. Great mileage, good acceleration and handling for my needs, comfortable, reliable, durable, back seat perfect for a large dog. I did a lot of research based on mileage v. durability, for total energy cost, and I picked the Prizm. Then I test drove 3 vehicles, and the Prizm won my heart and my wallet. I drove it in street traffic, highway rush-hour traffic, and back and forth across the U.S. I was rear-ended twice by pick-ups and it was still a good ride. The only thing I regret was getting a tune-up two weeks before I totalled it. I'm thinking about replacing it with a Scion ...

Thank you, very much.

That's a suphur smell, not an amine smell. Amines are volatile, boiling the water should remove them.

I, too, am a lousy bleeder, with miserable and miserly veins. I am the only person I know who actively dislikes giving blood. I don't mind needles, I don't mind blood, I just can't bleed. So, I drink lots of water and cut down on the caffeine and take vitamins and eat steak. I still take an embarassingly long time, but at least they don't unhook me and reject my donation because I can't fill the bag anymore. Thank you all for your donations. Now go ask a friend to join you. My loved one is in the first round of chemo; I plan to visit tomorrow.

Thank you. It's also a really good way to get screened every two weeks [that's how often you can donate platelets] for, among other things, cancer. In the U.S., it's 17 to give blood, but 18 to register as a bone marrow/stem cell donor.

Well, at least those of you over eighteen and 110 pounds. Would you make an appointment to donate blood platelets tomorrow? And while you're donating, would you please seriously consider registering as a stem cell/bone marrow donor. Donating platelets takes a bit longer than giving blood, and it can feel a little weird, but it's worth it. And they can get stem cells from your blood, so they don't have to drill holes in your bones. Here are a couple of URLs for the U.S. http://www.givelife2.org/donor/apheresis.asp#top%20idtop http://www.marrow.org/cgi-bin/NETWORK/all_center.pl?ctr_typ=DC&sort_order=ctr_st You will save a life. If you are of Azorean or Native American Indian descent, it might be the life of some-one very dear to me. They can't find a bone marrow donor, and without a transplant she will die. Probably very soon. The rest of you are not off the hook; they are not certain that the very rare factor is due to her Azorean or NAI descent. Besides, there's some-one else out there whose heart is breaking because a person they love is dying. So I am asking you, personally, to do this favor for me. We need your blood; please donate and register. And bring a friend. _________________

Is every male on this board determined to promote the stereotype of the socially inept science nerd? Can't you help each other out? In general, women are slower to arousal and climax than are men; this is not a problem, as sex is fun, and a man should be happy to spend enough time at it to satisfy the woman. The best time of day is completely situational; if one or both parteners need to get to work by a certain time, there just might not be enough time for good sex in the morning. Both partners might be too tired for good sex at the end of a long day. There might be children that keep the partners from prolonged sex in the early evening. When ever you are alone for half an hour to an hour is a good time. Sex with one's spouse is more fun; fantastising about sex with a new partner is more fun. The best solution is to fantasize about a different partner, and then spend all that energy with your spouse. Best position? Well, I've never found a bad one. However, if mutual satisfaction is a problem, try sex with the female on top until she climaxes; then the male can reverse positions if necessary for climax. Both partners should take care to support their body weight on their knees and/or arms when on top. The boost from being on top is not psychological, but physiological; the partner on top, in general, controls the rhythm necessary for climax. To arouse a woman, touch her in ways she finds arousing. There are two ways to determine what she finds arousing; touch her and observe the response, or ask her. In general, initial touches, particularly of genitalia, should be gentle. Inexperienced couples should try sticking to 'fore-play' until the woman climaxes, and then engaging in intercourse. And no position nor anything that both partners agree to try is 'wrong'. Except sex standing up on a cement floor; don't try that.

Well, what about it? I don't think any rational person would deny that interpretation at all levels is effected by expectations. So, when, late on a dark and stormy night, alone in the house, pouring over a volume of forgotten lore, I hear a sharp crack, followed by a low moan, and see a dark shape move slowly out of the corner of my eyes, and suddenly sense a wave of bitter cold, acompanied by a deep despair, I think, 'Damn, I have got to get plastic up over those windows, or I'll never be able to afford heat this winter.' Even if the wind is hitting the other side of the house, I have good drapes and storm windows, I just got a raise, and I put the plastic up last week-end.

This supports the theory that severely limited emotional function is a characteristic of serial killers. Furthermore, the poor function would permit one to 'read' others more effectively that those with more emotional response do. One's interpretation of others would not be distorted by one's own emotions. Low emotional response could be a very adaptive trait in unremittantly stressful environment. However, humans evolved in groups; the adaptive value of any trait must be evaluated with respect to how it effects group survival. Bashing heads in randomly would be bad; being able to evaluate the group and decide that it can not support the old hunters ["Sorry, Dad"] over the coming winter might be a good thing. As for serial killers being more intelligent and charasmatic and better at 'reading' people, that might be a result of the stupid and unpleasent killers getting caught early. Only the very intelligent and charming psycopathic killers get away with it often enough to be labelled 'serial'.