18 May 2010

we're human and pigs ain't.

Is it time for a new post? I’m thinkin yes. And so, let’s settle into it. You know what I’ve been thinking a lot about lately? I bet you can’t guess, but if you could, you might be tempted to say some things like “coffee,” or “The Constitution,” or “bagels,” or even “The Divine Command Theory.” And let me tell you something, all of those guesses would be so painfully correct, but they’re not the direct basis of this here new post.

So, if you kept on listing things, trying to find the actual topic of this post, and if you guessed “Xenotransplantation,” not only would you be right, but I’d also be awfully impressed. Now, I realize that seems like a heavy topic and son-of-a-b, it sure as hell is, but more than that, it’s downright interesting and it’s super-important.

In order to set the scene, I first have to tell you that I ended up with a B in Philosophy. Upon first learning of my grade, it was a kind of depressing thing for me. Cause, here’s what: that was definitely some of the most interesting stuff I’ve heard in years. I mean really. So, when you don’t get the top grade, you feel a little down about yourself. And really, you start to question it all.

But hold on, cause then I realized it would be kind of silly to award a shiny A in Philosophy. Because I mean, that would mean that I fully understood everything that was taught to me, and I don’t. And that’s the best part. And I’ve got to tell you something: I have never been happier about a B. Really. It’s a good thing.

Anyhow, you might be currently asking yourself, “Wait. What in the hell is Xenotransplantation?” And it’s to that question that I tell you to cool your jets, cause I’m fixing to fill you in.

In my Philosophy class, right there towards the end, we watched a PBS documentary called “Organ Farm.” Now, I have to tell you that I don’t know where it is that I stand on the whole thing. I mean, it’s a big issue, but really, I guess it’s not an issue any longer if it’s already going on. And I can see the pros and I can certainly see the cons.

Holy smokes. Wait a second, you need a definition. Okay, Xenotransplantation is a big, fun n’ fancy word that basically means that we inject animals with human DNA, raise them, and harvest their organs for human transplantation. And then, you know, hope for the best. And, in this PBS flick, the animals being used are pigs.

And I gotta tell you, at first, I felt sorry for the cute little things, but then I thought, well, our society has no problem [at least for the majority] with justifying killing pigs for nothing more than a little breakfast side-dish. And then I felt like a jerk, but there’s certainly something more exploitive about this whole organ farm thing. It seems, as barbaric as it may sound, natural to kill an animal and eat it. That’s been going on for years, and that certainly isn’t to say that it’s right, but the idea of re-harvesting a species just so that we can have hearts and kidneys on stand-by feels egotistical.

And get ready, cause here’s where the Philosophy really sets in with this whole topic of Speciesism. I mean, I guess we’re all guilty of it, cause most of us eat animals. But let me tell you something. I was a vegetarian once for a day. And it was the worst day of my life. And I don’t feel guilty about it, cause I treat animals with respect. I mean, I feel like I at least give them a proper send off by really appreciating them as good food. Oh, gees. Now I just feel sick.

And I appreciated that these doctors, who are of obvious brilliance that I don’t think I’ll ever be able to achieve, allowed cameras to document what’s happening inside their big, white, top-secret warehouses. Regardless of how I or anyone else feels about it, there’s no denying the historical significance, but then I really start to wonder whether or not these brilliant scientists aren’t just on some super-warped power trip. If I had the ability and the know-how to dominate a species that can’t speak for itself just to save a member of my own species, I don’t know how I’d handle that power, but just because we’ve learned enough to keep on advancing in these “scientific breakthroughs,” well, that certainly doesn’t justify us actually doing so.

Furthermore, this whole “AIDS II” thing really makes me want to take a back-seat. Undeniably, being able to give the people who patiently wait exactly what they need to get up out of their hospital beds and live-out the rest of their life would be wonderful. I mean really.

I’m sure that I would be whistling a different tune [if I could actually whistle] if I found out tomorrow that I had to have a heart transplant. I think that I would see it as such that I could, in fact, die waiting for a human heart. And, hell, if that’s going to be the case, then I might as well put it all out there and go for it. Sure, sign me up for a pig heart, but then again, what if we did manifest AIDS II? In that respect, the good would not outweigh the bad. Because even though I would live with this new beating heart, I could have the potential to wipe-out the entire human race. I’m sure that’s not what those auspicious white-clothed scientists set-out to achieve.

Cause it’s really scary. Because we don’t know what kind of disease could mutate, because it’s something that we would have never seen before, we would have no way of testing for it. You can’t test for something that you’ve never seen before.

And it really seems nothing short of disgusting that these drug companies are funding this whole endeavor. Really, I’m sure that a lot of the doctors and the scientists who were interviewed in this good-time PBS movie genuinely do see all the good in what they’re doing, but it probably goes without saying that the drug companies only see dollar signs.

The disgust sure would lie within using and exploiting pigs, but it really lies within the reality that these cures aren’t being funded so that we’ll have some pretty little rainbows-and-sunshine ending to our heartbreaking situations. The funding is being granted so that yet another big-time medicine franchise can get going, so that the drug companies can make even more gargantuan amounts of money. And, of course, with these shiny new genetically manifested organs, we’ll live longer. And living longer sure does mean that we’ll need even more treatments and more medicine. And more reasons to turn ourselves into hypochondriacs every time we switch on the TV.

SCREW THOSE DRUG ADS AND THEIR GENERAL SYMPTOMS OF THEIR MADE-UP ILLNESSESS AND THEIR WORD VOMIT LISTING OF LIFE-THREATENING SIDE-EFFECTS. Those things ruin perfectly good television.

Side effects may include, but are not limited to: DEATH WITHOUT PURPOSE. Holy smokes. Wouldn’t that just be the worst?

Inevitably, if [when] this really does take-off, I wonder how they’ll advertise it. I wonder what pretty little pictures they’ll use to make us feel like what’s been done is completely justified because big-time ivy league graduates have researched and developed it, just for us.

Just because “smart people” are doing it, doesn’t mean it’s a “smart idea.”

Moreover, on the video aspect, I can’t understand how these extremely educated people could say some of the things they were saying. It doesn’t take an important diploma to see that a cold, metal room with tons of plastic enveloping every table is not, at all, “a pig-friendly environment.” I mean really. At some point, you start to realize that these scientists aren’t just giving us the facts. They’re pitching the idea. They’re promoting it and trying to make it sound as cuddly as possible. And by stating that they’re “trying to make [the pigs’] lives as pleasant as possible” well, that’s a ridiculous thing to say. If they were, in fact, doing so, all they’d really need is some mud.

I realize that’s an overstatement of what they’re saying. I realize that what they’re doing is nothing short of incredible, but I also realize that a lot of the interviews felt contrived and rehearsed. It seemed as though the doctors were given a list of little phrases to try and work in. For instance, “it will change the face of medicine forever,” or “it creates a set of options for physicians,” but the reality is that we’re constantly searching for something else to secure our own best interests, no matter the cost, both literally and figuratively.

Hello speciesism. It’s nice to see you again.

Anyhow, let me sum this topic on up with the following, because I just, ever so confidently, added “xenotransplantation” to my e-lectronic dictionary. So, let’s hear it for seemingly logical innovation at the cheap little cost of swine exploitation in some top-secret warehouse. Justification lies in the reasoning that we’re human and pigs ain’t. Rest in peace, benevolence. We’ll bury you right-next to Hippocrates and his oath. Speciesism looks better on us, anyhow.

Gees, guys.

Well, that wasn’t too heavy, was it? I hope not. I also would like to congratulate the undoubtedly few who actually made it to the end of this post. And just when I thought you couldn’t get any cooler. Way to keep with it, my good and beautiful reader.

At any rate, I guess you now see why this class was so down-right awesome. And there’s more to come. Cause I really like talking about it. I hope you like reading it. Alright, now that this post is over, you know I always invite you and honestly implore you to stick around and enjoy some of those tunes. I think you and me both need some background music while we sit around and ponder all that is “xenotransplantation.” And really, ponder all that is the blog.

Now, go eat some bacon.

Yours,
katie beth
Hey, wait a second. Did you know that James Earl Jones had an incapacitating stutter until he was fourteen? Well, just thought I’d throw that out there.















13 May 2010

touch gloves again.

Holy moly. It’s been a good little while since we last talked, blog-style. First things first: if you told me happy b-day, via the wonder that is facebook, let me tell you how glad I am that you decided to do so. You people are completely boss. Also, somewhere between that last post and today, we broke 1,000 hits, people. You know I want you to go fix yourself another drink and toast the blog. You can even pop champagne. I mean, granted you got that dough. So, now that we’re back into the swing of things, let me give you a fast little update on some important stuff:

1. I am now twenty years-old and man-oh-man, do I look different. No, that was a lie, but I do feel different. Why? Cause, holy smokes, I’m no longer a teenager. And rightfully so. I’ve felt far-away from that for a good little while, anyhow.

2. There are some kickin’ songs getting their well-deserved time on this here blog, over to your right. Check em out, while you’re checkin’ in.

3. I stayed up the other night and watched True Life, over on MTV. You and me both will be glad to know that Nikki and Amanda no longer hate their plastic surgery.

4. Summer is in full-on-good-times mode. Let’s make plans to hang out. And let’s do it real soon.

5. I can’t stop watching those “Real Housewives,” over on Bravo. The New York ones make me feel like I actually am Jewish. (ch-yeah!) The New Jersey ones make me feel like an Italian. (ch-yeah! again) The Orange County ones make me want to get a spray tan. (not so ch-yeah.) And the Atlanta ones make me want to kick-start my rappin’ career (total ch-yeah!)

6. I heard and then saw that girl again from Books-A-Million. And she acted like she remembered who I was, but I dodged her and kept on moving. It was an awkward situation for everyone involved.

7. I am still frantically checking my final grades. I don’t know what the damn hold up is. I showed up on time and took the tests. The least you can do is let me know how much I rocked it. So far, we’ve got three As, but I’m still waiting on Philosophy and Anatomy II. CROSS YO FINGAS!

Okay, now that you’re updated on some important stuff, let’s talk a little:

I know I already said it, but I really was impressed and down right honored by all of the awesome people who took the time out of their day to tell me happy birthday. It really did mean the world. I mean, really. It did. And do you remember that one post I did with the picture of them Power Rangers on it?

Well, if you do, you are a true fan of the blog and, therefore, a true love in my life, but if you don’t, I pretty much promised to always be there for you. In fact, I told you that if anyone or everyone starts giving you a bunch of shit, you can call me. And I really meant it. HOLY MOLY, now you really can call me and I guess you could have called me before, but now it’s a lot more exciting, since I got a new phone. 423.384.9126 Now, I’m gonna trust you with that number. Don’t abuse it. And now, I know who I can give shout-outs to:

The following is a list of the people who told me happy b-day, via the book of face. And I am so super-honored. And we’re even gonna shout-out to the people who got there a little late. Quite frankly, nothing’s better than hearing “happy birthday” after the fact, cause then it still feels like it’s going on.

Anyhow, here it is. And I just took the liberty of abbreviating names, cause I don’t want to step on anyone’s privacy. Although, I mean, it’s not like anyone outside of the following list would read the blog, so I don’t think we have anything to worry about, but for just-in-cases, I chose to
abbreviate:

a. nunley
a. richardson
a. wilder
b. bailey
c. brown
c. carden
c. hicks
c. morelock
c. walker
d. preston
d. walker
d. wilcox
e. byerley
e. gooch
e. helton
e. wadewitz
f. counts
g. valentine
h. laughlin
j. beatty
j. hurd
j. lane
j. murray
j. taylor
j. glenn walker
j. walker
j. welch
k. bussell
k. lyons
l. coffey
l. mears
l. wagner
m. byerley #1
m. byerley #2
m. fox
m. hash
m. peters
m. todd
m. walker
m. williams
o. whitlock
p. byerley
p. crisp
r. hudson
r. skoby’s
s. barker
s. ehrhart
t. cleek
t. helmer
t. roark
v. cooper
v. Germinario
v. wheeler
w. gregg


Holy smokes, that was hard work. Was it goofy that I alphabetized it? Well, rightfully so. At any rate, I hope I didn’t leave anyone out, cause then I’d just feel like a jerk. And if you didn’t tell me happy birthday, well, that’s alright. Just be sure and try to not to forget important dates ever again. Cause I know you’re super-jealous of those lucky and elite people who now have their names [well, at least their abbreviated names] on the blog. Man, that is a ridiculously huge honor, and I’m glad to be able to give it to people who are truly worthy.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it all night, you people really are completely boss, and I can’t thank you enough.

Okay, one more thing:

Now that the school year’s over, I thought I’d give you an end-of-the-year assessment:

:: Art History ::
Basically, Art History is just another way of saying, “Humanities,” which I’ve had. And which I liked, but it was basically a lot of the same stuff. I’m not sure if that’s how it was supposed to go down. Anyhow, I had a really cool teacher who was totally chill. He didn’t waste anyone’s time with being all silly and counting off points for lack of attendance. And it really goes to show how well that whole system works, because people still did show up. Treating students like adults works. It really does.

:: Philosophy ::
“Philosophy = Beard. Beard = Philosophy.”
“Wait, what?” Well, that’s a good-enough quote to signify the overall experience of the class, but once I got into it, gees, I really got into it. Now I find myself buying books on the subject and it couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. I thought, wow, there is actually a huge and beautiful field of study dedicated to what I was already thinkin’. I have never felt more sane about being a little crazy. Plato and a platypus walk into a bar…

:: Speech ::
Well, I ended up really surprising myself. I was pretty much dreading having to take the class, but it ended up being my favorite. I met some pretty awesome people and it felt really good to know that there are going to be people out there in the world that like what I write, how I write it, and how I say it. That’s genuine vindication right there.

:: Marriage & Family ::
There are no words. Actually, there are: basically, this class taught me that marriage is a hoax and that, sure, it exists, but only for about six months. And then that little fire you got going will hopelessly go out. Let’s pretend like we didn’t already know that and just keep on keepin’ on. We already knew that love is a battlefield. I could have just tuned-in to a little soft rock and saved myself the agony.

:: Anatomy II ::
Surprisingly, just as painfully, hopelessly, and depressingly flat-out, full-on awful as Anatomy I.

Well, that settles it and finishes it. Another semester gone, but I really did learn a whole lot. I feel immensely enlightened, and I sure do hope the same is true for you.

As always, I send you love and appreciation for taking the time to read a little on the blog. And I really do love you for it.

Anyhow, in the same fashion as that last power ranger post, in which I promised to be there for you whenever you need me, let’s touch gloves.

Also, let’s make even more plans to grow old together. And I feel like it was okay for me to recycle that picture and use it again on the blog. Some things are just instant classics and that’s a thing that they can’t help.

Also, go settle into those songs that are new to the blog. Especially that first one. Did you hear that one line? “you came, you saw / you sawed her brains / cut out all the parts that held your stain” man-oh-man, I love you J. Vernon. Really.

MOST IMPORTANTLY: I really did get a brand&shiny&new cellular device. It is really beautiful and I am currently obsessed with three things:

1. I have a barcode scanner which means that I can scan things and see where I can get them for a cheaper price. But really, who cares about being economical? Scanning things is the total best part.

2. I have a really neat application called “Campfire Games.” So, I’ll never be bored again.

3. I now have a bitchin compass. Right now, I am settled-in at 202 SW.


4. Pandora. Gees.

And, speaking of Pandora, you just better get ready cause I’ve already started up a new set of post-its and I am rapidly filling it up with epic tunage. You’re so welcome.

Yours,
katie beth
literal age: 20
metaphysical age: 117
power ranger age: bitch please. seriously though, touch gloves.