I read your blog with great interest – and have sent it on to others. I have a question about Proposition 8. As a lesbian with a partner of 20 years, we were delighted to finally have a legal wedding on Sept 27th. Our party favors were No on Prop 8 yard signs and Obama/Biden stickers.
BUT now I hear that Prop 8 may pass.
This is really distressing. Could you tell me what you ’see’?
Thank you
I was delighted as well when this passed and all people were recognized as human beings with the right to share their life with the person they love. How beautiful is that? Isn’t that what we all want. I can’t believe it has ever even been an issue in our land of “freedom.”
It was about time.
I don’t understand how anyone could believe they have the right to interfere in another person’s life, stand in someone’s way to happiness and the right of all people to have a family. It really upsets me, but anyway. I’ve seen the lame prop 8 ads, and it’s really been upsetting me, too. So let’s ask the tarot:
Will Prop 8 Pass?
It will be close.
But NO it will not pass.
Phew, I was worried there. I do feel that it is imperative for people to really get out and let their voices be heard about this. Like I said, sadly, it will be close. But it looks like there are enough people who see loving another as a right and they won’t take it away.
From another Reader:
Hello, I represent an online community of individuals who suffer from acne scarring and other types of facial scarring (due to surgery, burns, etc). As of yet there are no procedures that can offer us any real improvement and so we’re looking to the newly emerging field of tissue regeneration to yield a real solution. There is currently a global race between countries and scientists to see who can achieve perfect skin regeneration and scarless healing first. Many scientists are confident that humans contain the dormant capacity to regenerate tissue and organs, and that that can be turned on with proper gene-therapy and other types of stimulating treatments. Other scientists are working on means of “rebuilding” lost or damaged tissues. But the truth is that we do not know for sure if any of this is truly possible. However, it is something that many scientists are working hard to figure out.
That said, with the impending global financial crisis, many of us have become disheartened that research that will lead to scarless healing/skin regeneration will lose steam or halt completely. Could you give us any insight into the following questions?:
1.) What do you forsee happening in the next 20 years with the progress of stem cell research and the development of other tissue regeneration technologies? How badly will they be affected by the financial crisis?
2.) Some of us in this online community have discussed at length contacting an existing research institute in hopes of starting a foundation within the institute devoted solely to skin regeneration. We would endeavor to raise funds by contacting millionaire/billionaire biotech investors around the globe. If scarless healing ever is achieved it will be worth billions. In these tumultuous financial times, is it even worth our effort to try and spearhead something like this? If not, when WILL it be the right time to start something like this?
3.) Will we ever make the scientific advancements & developments necessary to achieve perfect or near-perfect skin regeneration on individuals who’s skin has been badly damaged (i.e. acne scarring or third degree burns)?
4.) If so, when will this happen/what is the timeframe (i.e. 10 years… 20 years….30 years…. 100 years….. never?)
5.) From what country will the solution emerge?
We are essentially a group of people with deeply broken hearts, hanging onto hope that we aren’t even sure is valid. Modern medicine does not currently have an answer for us, but it is our deepest hope that someday it will. However, if it is not to be in our lifetime, then knowing that would help all of us to move on and not spend any more time waiting in vain. Perhaps you can help ease the burden of “not knowing” by infusing our search with a little foresight into the future.
In Deepest Gratitude,
Octavia
Hi Octavia. I’m very sorry to hear about the plight of so many with this problem. I will try to tackle as much and as many of these questions as possible.
I asked the tarot if there would be any significant advancement in the next 10 years:
The tarot gave me a maybe.
It will depend on all of you. You will be able to sell this idea to a research/cosmetic or medical company, mainly for cosmetic reasons that can be applied to the larger population. You guys need to gather a think tank and figure out how your healing your condition could benefit the greater market. For example perhaps this condition if cured could lead to doctors using this treatment post surgery so people would not get scares. This would be especially appealing to the plastic surgery community. You also maybe able to convince researchers to get to the root of the problem with similar broader application. Perhaps if it is a genetic collegan problem then understanding how this gene works and repairing it may also be applied to how to enhance this gene in ordinary people so their skin can look perpetually youthful. Don’t loose hope. You guys just need some angles outside of your group. I believe if you start working on it, and ask me this question again in six months or a year, after you have made a plan, there will be a very different outcome and the answer will be yes. You will see a cure. But you guys are going to have to make it happen.
You can do this even with the financial market in crisis. And actually, oddly this came up as an advantage because once the turmoil settles a bit, there will be people looking to invest in new technology, especially medical technology as the baby boomers age. And as we all know, they are the biggest generation on the planet. I have a strong feeling once you hone your plan you will find investors willing to help you get it to the next level.
I have been watching the news coverage of McCain/Palin rallies and I can’t believe all the hatred especially from some of the African American people. It leaves me uncomfortable as a black person. Literally, the feeling I have is down right sick to my stomach. Why are people negative about Barack Obama? I understand having a difference in views and opinions but HATE…why? I am not for Obama because he is black. I’m for Obama because of his policies and the sense of his character. Like I’ve said before, I feel something about him that is different and honest and feel he is for the people. I would encourage any candidate if I felt the same way about him. I don’t understand why McCain is encouraging this hate by speaking the way he does at these rallies. McCain is not speaking about the issues important to me and the policies he has I don’t agree with. But, I don’t wish him harm or hate. I just won’t vote for him…that’s all. Karma has to come and take care of McCain/Palin. All this negative energy is unbelievable…it too much. I’m not naive, believe me, I know racism but come on. I don’t see any democrats yelling out ignorance…why do republicans? Yes, Obama is a bi-racial. Yes, he has a Kenyan name. Ok, let’s move on!
I couldn’t agree more with you about McCain/Palin whipping up hatred and racism. It is despicable, dishonorable, traitorous, disgusting, pathetic and desperate. It pains me to say the reason they are doing this is because that’s all they’ve got. They are both clearly morons with no answers. Neither of them answer a question directly or have any clue how to get us out of this financial crisis. In Palin’s case she went to 5 party schools taking a total of 6 years to get her bachelors degree. In McCain’s class he graduated in the bottom 5 of his class.
Barack Obama had an academic scholarship to Harvard. I think its clear that Obama does not just have a compassionate agenda, and is even keel, but he’s also a brilliant man. Clearly, we need someone with a brain to get us out of the mess the last nit wit put us in. It shouldn’t come as a surprise that after 8 years of Bush we’re bankrupt. He did the same thing to every company he headed. He even managed to bankrupt a Texas oil company. That’s like going broke selling gold for copper. It doesn’t even make sense. I can’t tell you how angry I am that we have such an ignorant, mean spirited, doggedly small minded contingency of Americans. It is beyond sad. I used to believe most people were good. I’m starting to believe that there is a huge percentage of people who don’t want to think. They may not be “bad” people, but they just want an authoritarian style leader, they live in fear, are reactive, cloistered and unintelligent. They think of politics like some people think of sports, they’re team Red no matter how insane, or terrible their candidate might be. These people are not thinking about how their “team” will impact their life but rather they have some kind of identity wrapped up in belonging to this group. Even if it means their extinction, a global depression, their daughters inability to get an abortion if raped by a relative, or the loss of their own job. It’s just mindless! I wish they would pay attention to the actual truth, listen to the positions, look at people’s records and vote according to who is best for our country not because they want their team to win or because they can’t stand the idea of anyone other than a white person being president. Let’s face it, this is the undercurrent of the Republicans. I’ve had people post insanely racist things about Obama, which of course I deleted. I wish the media would deal with this, it’s just disgusting.
I read an article on a blog, someone analyzed Palin’s IQ at between 100 and 115. Here’s the link if anyone is interested in reading this person’s assesment: http://www.halfsigma.com/2008/09/sarah-palins-iq-no-higher-than-110.html
If she were on the higher end of this scale, she’d be smarter than something like 75% of the American people. That is really scary! The more we are finding out about Palin the more frightening she gets. I recently read she is a Dominion, a branch of Evangelicals who believe in ushering in the end of days, better known as Armageddon. Here’s a quick little explanation I found:
Dominion Theology
From Sociologist Sara Diamond in an article titled “Dominion Theology:”
More prevalent on the Christian Right is the Dominionist idea, shared by Reconstructionists, that Christians alone are Biblically mandated to occupy all secular institutions until Christ returns — and there is no consensus on when that might be.
From George Grant, a leading dominionist writer in The Changing of the Guard, Biblical Principles for Political Action:
Christians have an obligation, a mandate, a commission, a holy responsibility to reclaim the land for Jesus Christ — to have dominion in civil structures, just as in every other aspect of life and godliness.
But it is dominion we are after. Not just a voice.
It is dominion we are after. Not just influence.
It is dominion we are after. Not just equal time.
It is dominion we are after.
World conquest. That’s what Christ has commissioned us to accomplish. We must win the world with the power of the Gospel. And we must never settle for anything less… Thus, Christian politics has as its primary intent the conquest of the land — of men, families, institutions, bureaucracies, courts, and governments for the Kingdom of Christ. (pp. 50-51)
(The above quote comes from Dominion Theology: Blessing or Curse by Thomas Ice, published in 1988 by H. Wayne House and Thomas Ice. pp. 412)
From Reconstructionism to Dominionism, Part 1, Talk To Action, November 25, 2005 — Includes links to interviews Bill Moyers gave with Rousas Rushdooney in 1989
Sorry to get so angry about all of this. I just don’t like people playing dirty, being cruel or illiciting violence against others. Hate mongering makes me very angry!
We must not be passive in the face of violent hate mongers. As the famous poem states about Nazi Germany:
When the Nazis came for the communists,
I remained silent;
I was not a communist. When they locked up the social democrats,
I remained silent;
I was not a social democrat.
When they came for the trade unionists,
I did not speak out;
I was not a trade unionist.
When they came for the Jews,
I remained silent;
I wasn’t a Jew.
When they came for me,
there was no one left to speak out.
We are all going to need to be, not just compassionate, kind and honest right now, but feisty as well. We are in for some very strange and difficult times. And the kind hearted can not let themselves be trampled on any longer!
Blessings and best wishes to all of you.
Astrology and Psychic Predictions 