Ever been obliviated?

Toronto researchers at Sick Kids Hospital recently announced that they are now able to erase painful memories from the minds of mice. Harry Potter, Orwell, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind comes to mind.


The possibilities for this technology are endless and so are the ethical dilemmas. I'm not really sure where to start, but neither are the researchers.

Mostly, the technology has been proposed to help detach people from the strong emotional reactions that accompany traumatic memories and are usually associated with PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). In theory, PTSD will be reduced, but I think that the potential for this technology to be abused is very strong.

Hopefully this will have strong restrictions to the use of it and will only be used as a last resort.

United Way for the third world?

On Thursday, March 12th I went to the launch dinner of Belleville's own Streams of Hope, which bills itself as the United Way for the third world.

I was very impressed with the overall message behind the organization: 100% of funds go to help organizations that already exist within the countries in need. Streams of Hope is able to do this by being entirely volunteer based.

That's right. They have no paid staff.

From a donor's perspective, this is pretty sweet for me! I know where the money is going and I'm fortunate enough to know the people who are involved in going over to visit and help the third party organizations in person to make sure that the funds go to what's needed the most. Overall, I think it's an awesome idea for a non-profit. Finally, someone's getting it right.

Charity starts at home

Have you ever wanted to make a difference but didn't know how? Danny Brown of Press Release PR can help with that. Danny is spearheading the 12 for 12k challenge:

- 12 months
- 12 charities
- 1200 people
- $10 per person
- $12,000 per person

Sound like something you'd be interested in helping out with? Visit the site here for more info! This month's charity is Share Our Strength, which is campaigning to end child hunger.

Technology gone too far?

I stumbled on ViaGen's site recently and was curious as to what the services the company offers. ViaGen is a cloning company that offers equine, bovine, porcine, and pet cloning services.

I'm not really sure as to how I feel about the company. Everything is presented in a rose-tinted kind of way "Ever wish you could have offspring from a champion gelding? Cloning offers the possibility to fulfill that desire by producing an intact male that is genetically identical to a champion gelding."

The site goes on to caution that "Not every animal is suitable for cloning" but reassures the reader that cloning is "a valuable tool." No mention of ethics is made; they could be cleverly included in a FAQ section.

Never mind ethics, has the laws behind cloning caught up with the technology yet? If enough people clone a champion racehorse and race them in the same race, how would officials decide on the winner? Is ViaGen a sign of greed gone out of control or a new step forward in keeping racing bloodlines pure?

Pictured above: Clayton, clone of Scamper, barrel racing champion