The Headline-- A Modest Proposal:How to Stop Aging Entirely

(Elders)

Biologist Aubrey de Grey lays out a plan to stay young forever. Key step: finally winning the war on cancer.by Aubrey de Grey and Michael Rae

The Lede:

In my view, we can probably eliminate aging as a cause of death this century—and possibly within just a few decades, soon enough to benefit most people currently alive.

What could that achieve, in humanitarian terms? I’ll start with some numbers. Around 150,000 people die each day worldwide—that’s nearly two per second—and of those, about two-thirds die of aging. That’s right: 100,000 people. That’s about 30 World Trade Centers, 60 Katrinas, every single day. In the industrialized world, the proportion of deaths that are attributable to aging is around 90 percent—yes, that means that for every person who dies of any cause other than aging, be it homicide, road accidents, AIDS, whatever, somewhere around 10 people die of aging.

Many people, when thinking about the idea of adding years to life, commit the “Tithonus error”—the presumption that, when we talk about combating aging, we’re only talking about stretching out the grim years of debilitation and disease with which most people’s lives currently end. In fact, the opposite is true. The defeat of aging will entail the elimination of that period, by postponing it to indefinitely greater ages so that people never reach it. There will, quite simply, cease to be a portion of the population that is frail and infirm as a result of age. It’s not just extending lives that I’m advocating; it’s the elimination of the almost incalculable amount of suffering—experienced not only by the elderly themselves, of course, but by their loved ones and caregivers—that aging currently visits upon us. Oh, and there’s the minor detail of the financial savings that the elimination of aging would deliver to society: It’s well established that the average person in the industrialized world consumes more health care resources in his or her last year of life than in an entire life up to that point, irrespective of age at death, so we’re talking about trillions of dollars per year.

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When someone simply states that humans may not die from aging in the next 25 years, it really makes you think about what the world could be in the not-so-distant future.

I like this lede mainly because of that first sentence that presents this crazy idea that's surely straight out of a sci-fi/fantasy novel. It's short, it's sweet, it's daring. To think that we may never live to see all the long years of suffering at the end of our lives is a wonderful thought.

Then she goes in with the facts and numbers. 100,000 people die of old age every second? Wow. Postponing death indefinitely? Wow.

We seem to be living in a time where change is moving at maximum velocity. The discoveries that we make today are pieces of enormous and intricate puzzles, in which many have been and are nearly complete. Less than 15 years ago, the Internet was made available for public use. Since then, it seems, we've become a world that revolves largely around technology. So much has changed since then.

Since the beginning of intelligent thought, we've strived to improve the quality of life. The idea presented in this lede is inspiring. I like it a lot.

New England Aster

The New England Aster (Symphyotrichum novae-angliae, formerly Aster novae-angliaeis) is a hardy perennial, native to the northeastern portion of the United States. The large light violet to deep purple flowers have distinct yellow centers found clustered at the end of branching stems. The plants height can be anywhere between two and six feet, this specimen at around two. Germination takes between 21 and 45 days during the months of August to October. The leaves, when crushed, release an aroma similar to turpentine.

This particular grouping was found about two feet to the left of my parents little garden in Cadyville, NY. Though these flowers weren't planted, they are popular at the Florist's. With over 20, 000 differing species in the aster family, each is similar yet unique. These flowers here will bloom right along with the changing of the leaves in the fall.

The Best Headline of All Time

I think my favorite headline was: Living in 'The Age of Stupid'. I feel like that's such a dumb but true statement, which is strong by itself.
In a time where it seems like there is such an abundance of technology and ideas, it seems like it should be simple to handle the immense problems in our world today. I think the answers to everything are out there and whether by time or human inclination to discover we will solve our problems--not to mention future problems.
We have the resources and the knowledge to act on certain things including solar, wind, water, and other forms of generating power. The fact that we are still continuing to live the same old lives regardless of what's happening to our planet is stupid. The lead is short, bitter, and powerfully true...what else do you need?

A Flush Flash of Fireweed

This beautiful species (epilobium angustifolium) often exists in large colonies in areas of land where burns have occurred, hence the name fireweed. These light pinkish-purple flowers have four large petals and are clustered from the mid-section to the top where the flowers are closed tightly and drooping. Also known as Great Willowherb, this plant has a variety of medicinal and edible uses.
This past Friday on the way to my parents camp in Onchiota, I stopped my Subaru Outback on the side of the Club's private dirt road. I saw to my left a small field of bright magenta floating amongst the tall pale green grasses and the sweet smell of late-Summer flowers was dense in the air. Dave Matthews Band played in the background as I pulled my tripod out of the trunk and screwed on my Kodak Z980. While humming "Why I am" the bees swarming all around in their florescent buffet seemed to add a distinctive bass-line that I'd yet to hear in the song, but enjoyed it thoroughly nonetheless.
The leaves can be eaten raw or cooked especially in cakes and Stir-Fries. Late season are more bitter and tougher, early to mid season leaves are best and should only be eaten in moderation as nausea can take effect. A syrup was originally extracted from the flowers and stems, and nowadays the flowers are used in the making of Fireweed Jam.
Medicinal uses include oral use of the plant extracts often in the form of an infusion or tea, to treat prostate problems as well as diarrhea. It's also used topically to heal minor burns, rashes, ulcers, and other skin afflictions.
This native 2-5 foot plant usually flowers between June and September and can easily be found in the mountains of the Adirondacks.

More Problems in Africa

My South-African World Systems professor would say of Africa, "as a continent, Africa is alright, help is often the worst possible method of correction." As a nation, however, Kenya needs help.
One of the most anticipated droughts in the history of the nation were simply shrugged off by government officials when the time to act was presented. Some speak of a conspiracy by certain individuals in the grain industry to recently sell out before crop losses became too severe.
So many things are wrong with Africa, as a continent. I must completely disagree with my Inside Africa professor on this one. Kenya needs help, Niger, Chad, and this list continues with African Nations in dire need of support to even survive the current drought. Meteorologists predict that rain will come by early October. How many more have to die before the proper aid is given?
At this point, government officials are turning a cheek to the situation by simply denying a fact-people are dying due a drought, and without food or water, nothing can possibly survive. In a nation where hospitals are rare and one cannot simply dial the local physician, this problem needs to be solved immediately. Help is needed. Support from the UN is not strong enough, nor is the Global effort to aid those still breathing.
It's not just people, everything is dying. Plants, animals, and anything living is being eliminated by the extremely hostile elements of the environment. With no help, it seems as though these countries are doomed by our planet. Along with a lack of technology, Kenya is deeply in need of new resources not only to protect themselves from drought, but from the countless dangers encompassed with life in Africa.

Portable Lung Cancer Detector

More people die from lung cancer than any other form of cancer. It's a fact. Not everyone can afford CT scans and other diagnostic methods to check for the disease. That's a fact.
Research shows that your breath, alone, can tell you if you have lung cancer. Apparently this has been a know fact for sometime now. The breath of those with this disease has higher concentrations of alkanes and other volatile organic compounds, according to the Times.
Members of the Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa have recently developed what is to be known as a fairly inexpensive, portable sensor technology that can differentiate a healthy person from a lung cancer patient.
The sensor consists of tiny(5 billionths of a meter in diameter) particles of gold, which are capped with organic compounds chosen specifically to react with the deadly compounds found in the breath of people with the disease.
Here's how it works: When the volatile particles are deposited between two electrodes, they act as an electrical resistor. Researchers found that when combined, an array of nine resistors creates patterns of change in the array, depending on whether or not the person has cancer. In plain English, this means that by breathing into a small tube, filled with little sensors testing for changes involved with highly volatile particles, such as alkanes. These changes will either tell you if you have cancer, or hopefully that you're a healthy non-smoker.
This is a great achievement, that could possibly save hundreds or maybe even thousands who cannot afford health care. The researchers are still developing the system, and in the near future, they hope a similar approach could diagnose a range of diseases.