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NEXT by Michael Crichton

Posted by RobertB on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 5:36:36 PM
 

He's done it again and as only he can do it.
This time it covers the gamut of bioethics.
http://www.amazon.com/Next-Michael-Crichton/dp/0060872985/sr=8-1/qid=1167777723/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-2316885-2866523?ie=UTF8&s=books


One of my regular bioethics blog "reads" - www.2bhuman.worldmagblog.com/2bhuman (Matthew Eppinette) pans the novel as too much "rubbish" and "ugliness"    in his review here ( http://www.mercatornet.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=441)    but likes  the "(a)uthor’s Note  (as it ) gives a good overview of Crichton’s position on genetic science, and the annotated bibliography is a helpful resource for those wanting to explore the topic on their own".

I more heartily endorse this novel. It doesn't sugarcoat the possibilities and the actualities (most of the occurrences except the monkey boys and the annoying parrot have happened in one way or another and are fictionalized here).  It just puts them in "novel" form through a set of very flawed characters - its fast paced chapters outlining new biotech "advances" and problems at nearly every turn of the page would seem to prevent its cinematic conversion as too many subplots  but we'll see.  As to its ugliness, has Eppinette read today's detective and legal novels?  Does he not know that we're a bit immunized from the "grossness" by the CSI effect?

God bless Crichton for making a riveting story (multiple stories, actually) in a popular and secular format that amazingly lead to the same conclusions of caution that we in "absolute morals" community have been talking about for years.


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Donate Life ... Promise it wont hurt a bit.

Posted by RobertB on Tuesday, January 02, 2007 5:18:34 PM
 

Did you see the DonateLife "organ donor" float in the Rose Parade?

Maybe you've signed that DMV slip once upon a time but even if that pink dot hasn't fallen off your license, it's not worth much without your signature. Is that form still there or did it disappear that last time you pulled out your ID.

Hey it’s the electronic age! Please logon to www.donatelifecalifornia.org and quickly register.*

 

And yes it might give me a warm fuzzy if you dropped me an email or visit my web page (www.bioethics.townhall.com)

when you did.

--------------------------------------------------

Also in the line of healthy and ethical donations, though these may hurt since you're still with us.

https://www.givelife.org/ (Blood donation - they're really short this time of year)

http://www.marrow.org/ (Yes it would be a real pain in the behind to save someone's life if you match)

___________________________________

For more info on organ and tissue donation.

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/99370.html (by Judy Lin)

While everyone will be counting down to the new year this weekend, the state will be counting up to its 1 millionth organ donor. California's organ and tissue donor registry has tripled, from 280,000 names to more than 860,000, since the online database was linked to the Department of Motor Vehicles in July. Tracy Bryan, president of Donate Life California, the state's nonprofit organ and tissue donor registry, says California is on track to register 1 million people after the start of the new year. She says the nonprofit hopes to enroll 15 million of the state's 23 million licensed drivers in the next five years. "It really was a wonderful thing that we had that partnership. It's really increased the numbers substantially," Bryan said. Before July, Californians who wanted to volunteer for the program had to sign a donor card and affix a small pink dot on their driver's license or identification card. However, the DMV did not keep track of how many people used the pink stickers, and the donor cards can easily get lost…(more above link)

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http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/opinions/ci_4930102 (by Reg Green)

In the past year, the number of Californians registered to be organ and tissue donors has soared. A year ago, there were 200,000. Today there are nearly 900,000. Some of these registrants have already saved lives. While the efforts of thousands of health care professionals and volunteers have been pushing up these numbers for years, this stunning increase is due to one simple change: as of July 1, every time a California resident applies for or renews a driver license or ID card at the DMV, the opportunity to register as a potential organ and tissue donor is offered. It's true that previously hundreds of thousands of Californians had taken the trouble to indicate on their driver licenses their wish to be donors. But in the trauma that follows sudden death - a road accident, or an unexpected stroke - family members are generally too distraught to hunt for the wallet or purse with the vital information in it … (more above link)

http://www.nicholasgreen.org/

Reg Green is the father of Nicholas Green, the 7-year-old boy who died during a botched robbery in Italy in 1994. Reg and Maggie Green donated Nicholas' organs and saved seven lives. Reg is an internationally recognized expert on the impact of donation decisions. The Greens run the Nicholas Green Foundation.

 

 

*You get a "card" template to print out - I put my next of kin info on the back, so my wife confirms when I'm dead, and we put a cheap plastic lamination on the card.

I also added the info on the ICE listing on my cell phone.

www.bioethics.townhall.com

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