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<DIV>In a message dated 8/8/2006 3:43:08 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
jrd1415@gmail.com writes:</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>In some
ways it's old news, but it's good news, hopeful news, extropic
news.<BR><BR>One thing, if and when it proves successful, the whole Luddite
stem<BR>cell obstructionism is going to suffer a crushing
blow.</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV> Doubt they'll be finished by it anytime soon,
though. Ludds honestly don't care if something works or not. They're just
worried that all the psychological coping mechanisms developed to deal with
Human mortality, relentlessly hammered into everyone's minds since childhood,
will end up becoming useless after all. At the root of their concerns is seeing
all that effort (widespread public psychological conditioning to accept what
*was once* inevitable) wind up wasted.</DIV>
<DIV> That story about the "Dragon Tyrant" from Nick
Bostrom's personal site, where a huge bureaucracy develops to service the
dragon, and Human dignity is conceived in terms of going willingly to be
devoured when one's time comes, pretty much sums it up. And sadly, most current
governments aren't even as reasonable ultimately as the king in that story. We
*really* need more elected officials with a (explicitly or otherwise)
transhumanist bent. I understand Natasha once held public office, as a
"transhumanist" I believe :-)</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000 size=2>
That's good,<BR>hopeful, and extropic as well.<BR><BR>Human Tests of Embryonic
Stem Cell Treatments Planned<BR><BR>A California biotech company expects to
begin trials of a treatment<BR>for spinal cord injuries next
year.<BR><BR><BR>http://www.technologyreview.com/read_article.aspx?id=17256&ch=biotech&sc=&pg=1</FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV> Thanx.</DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: blue 2px solid"><FONT
style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: transparent" face=Arial color=#000000
size=2><BR><BR>-- <BR>Best, Jeff Davis<BR></FONT></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV>Darth Mencken</DIV></FONT></BODY></HTML>