My lovely and talented wife, Beth Ruyle-Hullinger, died on Sep 30, 2024 from complications from Multiple Myeloma and Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She fought the good fight at Moffitt Hospital in Tampa.
Beth thanks everyone for their kindness and friendship over the years. More about Beth at https://bethruylehullinger.
Rest in Peace
Craig Hullinger
The electoral College of the United States was one of the compromises made to protect the small States from the large ones when our country was being created. The electoral college provides one vote for each Senator and one for each Congressman. Thus a very low population State has 3 electoral college votes with under 200,000 people per vote, while a very populous State like California has over 700,000 people per vote.
This is clearly unfair, and violates the principle of one man one vote, but it was also part of the grand compromise that created the United States. The smaller States of the union will not voluntarily give up their extra clout. So don't hold your breath waiting for fairness.
States that have only 3 electoral votes, and thus far more influence than their population indicates include: Alaska, Vermont, North Dakota, South Dakota, Delaware, Wyoming, and Washinton, DC.
It would be an interesting court challenge, demanding fairness with a system that provides one vote per voter, but also very unlikely to succeed, especially with the current compromised Supreme Court.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Electoral_College
Sometimes, Thing Just Are Not Fair, and you have to put up with it.
Presidential candidates always tell us how great the economy was or will be under his or her administration. The true numbers above.
Covid hurt the last year of Trump and the first year of Biden. But neither administration was Economic Nervana.
https://www.investopedia.com/gdp-growth-by-president-8604042
The truth, of course, is that Presidents have minimal impact on the economy. But they don't tell you that, and low information voters believe the guy they like, never mind the facts.
Introduction
CRISPR, short for Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats, is a groundbreaking technology that has transformed the field of genetic engineering. Originally discovered in the genomes of bacteria and archaea, CRISPR sequences are part of a natural defense mechanism against viruses. Today, CRISPR-Cas9, a specific application of this technology, is widely used for gene editing, offering unprecedented precision and versatility.
How CRISPR Works
At its core, CRISPR is a method for locating specific sequences of DNA within a cell. The CRISPR-Cas9 system uses a guide RNA to direct the Cas9 enzyme to a precise location on the DNA strand. Once there, Cas9 makes a cut at the targeted site. This cut can then be repaired by the cell’s natural repair mechanisms, often resulting in the introduction of mutations or the insertion of new genetic material12.
Applications of CRISPR
The potential applications of CRISPR are vast and varied:
Medical Research and Treatment: CRISPR is being used to develop treatments for genetic disorders such as sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis. It also holds promise for cancer therapy and the prevention of viral infections2.
Agriculture: CRISPR can be used to create genetically modified crops that are more resistant to pests, diseases, and environmental stresses. This could lead to higher yields and more sustainable farming practices2.
Environmental Conservation: Scientists are exploring the use of CRISPR to protect endangered species and control invasive species. For example, gene drives could be used to reduce populations of disease-carrying mosquitoes2.
Basic Research: CRISPR is a powerful tool for studying gene function and regulation. By enabling precise modifications to the genome, researchers can better understand the roles of specific genes in health and disease1.
Ethical Considerations
While CRISPR offers tremendous potential, it also raises significant ethical questions. The possibility of editing human embryos, for instance, has sparked debates about the implications for future generations and the potential for unintended consequences. The scientific community is actively discussing guidelines and regulations to ensure responsible use of this technology2.
Conclusion
CRISPR is a revolutionary tool that has opened new frontiers in genetic engineering. Its applications in medicine, agriculture, and environmental conservation hold great promise for improving human health and the world around us. However, as with any powerful technology, it must be used with caution and ethical consideration to ensure that its benefits are realized without unintended harm.
If you have any specific questions about CRISPR or need more details on a particular aspect, feel free to ask!
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This article and illustration was created by the AI program https://copilot.microsoft.com/. Took about a minute. Took me longer to read it than AI took to write it. And it is taking me far longer to understand it.
Alaska Cruise, Victoria, Vancouver, Washingon, Oregon July 1-Aug 2, 2024 With Trusty Cell Phone Pixel 6 Pro
Click For More Photos
https://photos.app.goo.gl/NzUSK5xVCedQUchC9
More rules for the Department of Defense regarding gifts. The rest of the Federal Government and most State and local government have similar rules.
https://www.hqmc.marines.mil/portals/143/docs/standards_of_conduct.pdf
Common sense and basic morality tell you not to accept gifts. No ethical person would do so.
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Except, of course, the US Supreme Court. Pathetic. Embarrasing. A bunch on non elected lifetime appointed tyrants. This must not stand.
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See a list of all the gifts here.
All told, the number of gifts FTC identified that were accepted by the current nine, plus the eight who’ve left the court since 2004 (Justices Rehnquist, Stevens, O’Connor, Scalia, Kennedy, Souter, Ginsburg and Breyer) is 546, valued at $4,755,147. Adding in Thomas’ 126 likely gifts since his confirmation, that tally comes to 672 gifts valued at $6,592,657.
These numbers are largely based on last year’s groundbreaking work by ProPublica and includes data from stories in the New York Times, L.A. Times, the congressional record, annual disclosures and FTC’s own research, led by law clerks Olivia Rae Okun-Dubitsky and Ashley Alarcon.
“Supreme Court justices should not be accepting gifts, let alone the hundreds of freebies worth millions of dollars they’ve received over the years,” Fix the Court’s Gabe Roth said. “Public servants who make four times the median local salary, and who can make millions writing books on any topic they like, can afford to pay for their own vacations, vehicles, hunting excursions and club memberships — to say nothing of the influence the gift-givers are buying with their ‘generosity.’ The ethics crisis at the Court won’t begin to abate until justices adopt stricter gift acceptance rules.”
WASHINGTON (CN) — A report released Thursday puts numbers to the Supreme Court’s ethics scandals, finding that the justices have received over 300 gifts worth $3 million in the last 20 years.
Judiciary watchdog Fix the Court unveiled a detailed account of the value of the gifts that ignited calls for ethics reform at the court.
"Supreme Court justices should not be accepting gifts, let alone the hundreds of freebies worth millions of dollars they've received over the years," Gabe Roth, executive director at Fix the Court, said in a statement. "Public servants who make four times the median local salary, and who can make millions writing books on any topic they like, can afford to pay for their own vacations, vehicles, hunting excursions and club memberships — to say nothing of the influence the gift-givers are buying with their 'generosity.'”
From January 2004 to December 2023, the nine justices accepted 344 gifts valued at almost $3 million. That total grows to over $4.7 million when adding in 202 additional gifts accepted by the eight justices who have left the court since 2004.
Justice Clarence Thomas has accepted over twice as many gifts as any other justice, with a total of 103 gifts totaling $2,402,310. Fix the Court identified an additional 101 gifts the George H.W. Bush appointee likely received based on news reporting. The additional $1.7 million in gifts brings Thomas’ gift total to over $4 million.
Thomas’ trips on private jets, detailed in reporting from ProPublica, were among the most expensive gifts he accepted. In 2004, the Bush appointee flew on Wayne Huizenga’s personal 737 for two trips to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. The flights from the billionaire who founded Waste Management and Blockbuster were worth $130,000 each.
In 2007, real estate mogul Harlan Crow paid for a $160,000 yacht cruise Thomas took around the Greek Islands. The next year, health care executive Anthony Welters paid $253,686,the balance on Thomas’ RV loan. Welters also paid for Thomas’ roundtrip flight to Trinidad in 2010, which was worth $97,666.
Thomas’ most expensive gifts were trips to Bohemian Grove. ProPublica confirmed six of these visits worth almost $300,000. Reporting suggested that Thomas was a regular guest of Crow’s at the exclusive club for over two decades, adding $997,500 in likely gifts to his total.
Only 8.5% of the gifts noted by Fix the Court were reported in Thomas’ financial disclosure forms.
