tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-177889862024-03-13T00:29:39.931-04:00Brave New WorldA free space where I rant and rave about science, culture, biotechnology, poetry, literature, the stock market, and the perks and pitfalls of being a recent college grad in the big city.Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-14613055733311661202017-07-28T17:43:00.004-04:002017-07-28T17:43:53.909-04:00The Current Problem<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Fair warning: I'm going to be cynical here. I don’t know how medical graduates can stomach $200,000 or more in student debt. Actually, it’s over $600,000 in debt if you factor in interest. I’ve heard the advice from other people: “Do what you really want to do and worry about the debt later”, “Follow your passion”, “You’ll be making more after so the debt won’t seem as large later”, and “Just worry about getting in and finishing,” “you’ll be paying more for a house later anyway.” I don’t know though. Taking on that much debt just gives me the heeby-jeebies. I don’t know how medical students are able to sleep at night having that loom over them constantly, and what with worrying about grades, working long hours, having minimal if any appreciation, and worrying about messing up anything with the patient -- that just seems like a recipe for a breakdown if you ask me. After what I’ve been through, being in my 30’s already, suffering heavy investment losses, major depression, and having a past with no money to begin with; I just cannot stomach that kind of expenditure, even if it would be for the most noble of causes (education, medicine, and helping people). It stings though because I know I can do it. I have the grades, the drive, the intellect, the perseverance, the prerequisites, and even a master’s degree in the sciences to help make things easier. The only thing I lack is the money! And for me, that is key: an unwillingness to go into more red. That is why this decision is so difficult for me. I can’t do it. The alternatives are really seeming more attractive to me. Thank God there are alternatives! It will mean disappointing people though, explaining myself, having slightly less prestige, which actually, I’m okay with. Even if people will see me as “less than” what I could have been, I could be okay with that -- but how will I see myself? When I have certain things that other people lack, but other people went through with this course anyway, and I’m not going to, voluntarily. How could I live with myself then?</span>Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-2445234708665225552017-07-28T17:33:00.000-04:002017-07-28T17:38:00.124-04:00Coming Back Again<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I haven’t written in this in a long time. That’s okay. A journal can evolve into something else, with time, from what it was originally envisioned as. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be growth, or learning; it wouldn’t be a journey. I almost hope that no one reads this. It’s going to be a little more personal from now on. I say ‘almost’ because I do want certain people to read it. Although most likely the people I want to read it will not, and it will be read by other strangers entirely, and at that point I would have moved on already. Except, I do want it to stand as a record, if even only a personal one, that I did once think of this decision for a long time, and regardless of what path I will eventually choose, I want my future self to know that I made this decision with a lot of thought. I really struggled with myself about it, and that’s okay. At some point, I will make a decision, of what I will </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">eventually</span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", sans-serif;">do with myself. I want it to be the right one, so I’m going to be recording my thought process here. My hope is that one day I'll look back on it and smile, but even if I don't, I'll feel much better knowing that I put everything I had into making this decision.</span></span>Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-25688220298625889012013-09-24T13:26:00.000-04:002013-09-24T22:57:59.050-04:00Spinosaurus Tooth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kpuY1lbfzYA/UkJFdHW-7yI/AAAAAAAACAk/iAxo-2MOWkE/s1600/1-Spinosaurus_2-003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kpuY1lbfzYA/UkJFdHW-7yI/AAAAAAAACAk/iAxo-2MOWkE/s400/1-Spinosaurus_2-003.JPG" width="357" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is a fossil tooth I recently acquired, from a <i>Spinosaurus</i>, which is likely the largest carnivorous dinosaur, if not the largest land predator, that ever lived. It's somewhat difficult to say for certain as a complete skeleton has never been found (only scanty partial specimens). They have prominent dorsal neural spines for which various theories have been proposed. Some people think they were used for thermal regulation, others for sexual display, others to show aggression and dominance. It could also have been a hump. Regardless, this is one of the larger fossil teeth I own and one of my favorite specimens.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/gallery/image/29231-spinosaurus-tooth/">http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/gallery/image/29231-spinosaurus-tooth/</a></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Spinosaurus Tooth</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Kem Kem Beds, Morocco</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Upper Cretaceous</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">70 million years old</span></div>
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Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-28707736074304020952013-09-18T22:57:00.001-04:002013-09-24T23:01:10.683-04:00Pyritized Ammonite<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CYOg2IGSg60/UjxKjLbFxYI/AAAAAAAAB9o/nU7uU5lSqAw/s1600/1-IMG_0502-004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-CYOg2IGSg60/UjxKjLbFxYI/AAAAAAAAB9o/nU7uU5lSqAw/s400/1-IMG_0502-004.JPG" width="353" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here is a beautiful Jurassic ammonite preserved in iron pyrite, commonly known as fool's gold. Almost hard to believe that this came from a squid-like animal with a shell (instead of a snail -- though I have plenty of those fossil shells as well). Ammonite fossils make great index specimens for dating rock formations, and have been found in every continent of the world. Sadly, they went extinct in the late Cretaceous, after what was likely a catastrophic bolide impact, alongside the dinosaurs.</span><br />
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<a href="http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/gallery/image/28933-pyritized-ammonite/">http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/gallery/image/28933-pyritized-ammonite/</a><br />
<br />Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-78957112998282223822013-09-16T12:08:00.000-04:002013-09-24T23:10:10.991-04:00The Trilobite<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l-LQ_f2Tl9k/UjKS4Js-qwI/AAAAAAAAB1w/ZmqtMnEpvfg/s1600/1-IMG_0591+Trilo+B-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-l-LQ_f2Tl9k/UjKS4Js-qwI/AAAAAAAAB1w/ZmqtMnEpvfg/s400/1-IMG_0591+Trilo+B-002.JPG" width="367" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">No fossil collection would be complete without the trilobite. The trilobite is the most-studied fossil arthropod, and was likely the dominant life form during the Cambrian age (though they lasted well into the Late Permian). They were probably the first animal to have compound eyes. Their form is easy to recognize and enigmatically beautiful, like a strange visitor from an alien world. The trilobite is a boon to fossil collectors. Many species are quite common and readily available, though there is plenty of diversity around to satisfy the most exotic of tastes. This little guy holds a special place in my heart as one of my first fossils. </span><br />
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<a href="http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/gallery/image/28462-flexicalymene-trilobite/">http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/gallery/image/28462-flexicalymene-trilobite/</a><br />
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<br />Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-54026564571520669652013-09-12T13:00:00.001-04:002013-09-16T15:58:40.721-04:00Like a Dirty Snowball from the far-flung reaches of our Solar SystemSome scientists believe certain meteorites to originate from comets, which have colloquially been termed "dirty snowballs" -- a mixture of frozen water and accreted stony material. Carbonaceous chondrites such as the CI chondrites have never been heated above 50°C during their formation and subsequent history. Otherwise, the water would have rapidly evaporated and the hydrous phyllosilicates would have been metamorphosed into other minerals due to the loss of water.<br />
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CI chondrites and the closely related CM chondrites are particularly rich in volatile substances, including water. It is possible that the CI meteorites could have originally formed in the outer solar system, at a distance greater than 4 AU (1 AU is the distance between our Earth and the sun). They were formed beyond our solar system's "snow line", a division representing a temperature of 160° K. At this temperature, any water present in the cometary/asteroidal body would have condensed to ice and been preserved. This is supported by the similarity of CI chondrites with the icy moons of the outer solar system, such as Europa and Triton. Based on mineralogical and chemical evidence, including the high deuterium/hydrogen ratio of CI meteorites, it is possible that the CI meteorites could be fragments of comets or extinct cometary nuclei. These are the extinct bodies of comets that have exhausted their volatiles, losing their tails, and subsequently being captured by the inner asteroid belt between the gravities of Mars and Jupiter.<br />
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Here is an article discussing the outer asteroid belt origins of the Tagish Lake meteorite:</div>
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<a href="http://www.psrd.hawaii.edu/Dec02/TagishLake.html">"Tagish Lake -- A Meteorite from the Far Reaches of the Asteroid Belt"</a></div>
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"Peter Brown and friends noted that the orbit of Tagish Lake extended to that part of the asteroid belt where asteroids classified by astronomers as C, P and D types predominate. These asteroids are know to have hydrated silicates (water-bearing minerals) on their surfaces, and because of their dark color, are suspected to be rich in carbon compounds. These are also characteristics of the most primitive meteorite types known -- the carbonaceous chondrites, especially the types classified as CI and CM. This was the first clue that Tagish Lake might be a primitive type of chondrite." </div>
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Thought to contain the most primitive matter in our solar system, could Tagish Lake have also been a comet in it's long and mysterious past? D-type asteroids are thought to have originated in the Kuiper Belt, a region of the solar system beyond the orbit of Neptune. Tagish Lake's characteristics strongly suggest that it is a primitive body coming from the far reaches of our solar system. </div>
<br />Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-55678313150737433242013-09-11T10:18:00.003-04:002013-09-16T15:45:38.123-04:00We too are stardustHere is an interesting Scientific American article on the Murchison meteorite, and why I have unofficially dubbed it "The Biologist's Meteorite." Murchison was found to contain more than 70 amino acids, as well as other organics (purine and pyrimidine precursors) that may have provided the raw materials for life.<br />
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<a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=murchison-meteorite">http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=murchison-meteorite</a><br />
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They say that you can actually smell the carbonaceous compounds in freshly-cut specimens. Well, I recently won an auction for one and will soon see for myself! Waiting for it to come in the mail is killing me!<br />
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Additionally, powdered samples of the Murchison meteorite, when heated up to 900°C, show strong similarities in their reflectance spectra to C- and G-type asteroids. G asteroids exhibit strong UV absorption, a good example being the large asteroid / dwarf planet 1 Ceres. C asteroids, additionally, are thought to be the parent bodies of the carbonaceous chondrites.<br />
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Here is another (BBC Science) article discussing organics found in the Tagish Lake and Murchison meteorites:</div>
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<a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8068049.stm">"Space Rock Yields Carbon Bounty"</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=16875">Murchison</a><br />
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<br />Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-45259409994725143752013-09-10T11:11:00.003-04:002013-09-16T16:01:06.308-04:00AllendeThe Allende meteorite is the largest carbonaceous chondrite ever found on Earth. The bolide was witnessed on February 8, 1969; falling over the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. The Allende meteorite is notable for possessing many, large calcium-aluminium rich inclusions (CAIs), which are among the oldest objects formed in our solar system.<br />
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Some portion of the carbonaceous chondrites are thought to originate from 1 Ceres. While no meteorites have conclusively come from Ceres, it is possible that the reflectance spectrum of the surface of Ceres is not indicative of its crustal rocks.<br />
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The present models assume instantaneous cold accretion of Ceres from approximately 1-km-sized objects. These may have accreted earlier from solar nebula during a duration period of about 2.4 million years from nebula cooling and formation of CAIs. This means that Ceres may have evolved further from the simple aqueous thermal evolution found in CC meteorites.<br />
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<a href="http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/metbull.php?code=2278">Allende</a>Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-72622092434928815992013-08-13T00:47:00.002-04:002013-08-13T00:48:37.661-04:00Elysium<div>
Oh, I enjoyed Elysium. It's just that the film had two sides for me: a social agenda and an action story, and those two didn't necessarily work well together for me. The story didn't challenge me intellectually. It's been done before (and better) in other science fiction novels, and none of the emotional scenes really worked on me. Still, I found the movie as a whole rather enjoyable. Better than most I've seen this year. A surprise: Kruger is an amazing villain! The race-and-chase scenes were awesome, and the display of military technology had me drooling (just don't get me started on the physics involved, or lack of adherence to them. You've got to cut the line somewhere). Overall, not disappointed in the least.</div>
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Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-20159213251663660292013-08-01T19:55:00.001-04:002013-08-02T00:08:24.432-04:00The deafness of deliberate solitude<div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VWd4qG3ZglE/UfsvXRoPuPI/AAAAAAAABvU/_ZDifrqajXw/s1600/1-deer_v02.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-VWd4qG3ZglE/UfsvXRoPuPI/AAAAAAAABvU/_ZDifrqajXw/s400/1-deer_v02.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Tahoma; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; widows: 2;">At least he has his own devices, he can give himself that. Thinking to himself, who can fault them, for not seeing a thing that takes years of discipline and solemn inquiry to see? There is that certain kind of beauty that blooms in solitude, a rare flower that only grows under the most unexpected of circumstances. Wouldn't it be silly, to think that every seed would be exposed to the same photohydrological and chemical conditions? No, he would not assume that every sporophyte would remain the same. There is far too much left to be understood.</span><br />
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Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-32396539132865788062013-07-28T23:25:00.002-04:002013-07-28T23:42:41.441-04:00Why do so many drugs fail to get FDA approval?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XkuuNEMZfWg/UfXh7ZmQvmI/AAAAAAAABsg/fE1s0vOERCQ/s1600/clinical-trials-process.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-XkuuNEMZfWg/UfXh7ZmQvmI/AAAAAAAABsg/fE1s0vOERCQ/s320/clinical-trials-process.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-soJ5piMqE6c/UfXh7NcJqZI/AAAAAAAABsc/vhqZ5vnF_fM/s1600/Phases+of+Clinical+Trials.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-soJ5piMqE6c/UfXh7NcJqZI/AAAAAAAABsc/vhqZ5vnF_fM/s320/Phases+of+Clinical+Trials.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Some thoughts / notes on the topic of why so many drugs fail to get FDA approval:<br />
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<li>Efficacy-related failures</li>
<li>Safety-related failures</li>
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<li>assess risk profile </li>
<li>ex. systemic toxicity, tumorigenicity, arrhythmias, side effects</li>
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<li>Research, Manufacturing, & Commercial Processes</li>
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<li>optimized for one objective and not the other</li>
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<li>Suboptimal endpoints chosen</li>
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<li>clinical benefit difficult to measure</li>
<li>disease progression</li>
<li>overall survivability</li>
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<li>Control Group Problems</li>
</ul>
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<li>Poorly-chosen Patient Populations</li>
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<li>broad vs. targeted</li>
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<li>Data Management</li>
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<li>Suboptimal data capture / entry</li>
<li>Investigator bias</li>
<li>Reporting bias</li>
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<li>Patient Enrollment</li>
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<li>Suboptimal inclusion / exclusion criteria</li>
<li>Failure to meet enrollment goals</li>
<li>Cannot recruit enough patients for clinical trial</li>
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<li>Although most patients do not have a problem with the drug; there is a need to redesign the trial</li>
<li>ex. change the dosage, administration, or procedure</li>
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<li>Lack of money to redesign the trial and start the process over again</li>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rJ1BsffU2EU/UfXh6zbXbSI/AAAAAAAABsU/_Qatb5eZsG0/s1600/RCT_phases.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-rJ1BsffU2EU/UfXh6zbXbSI/AAAAAAAABsU/_Qatb5eZsG0/s320/RCT_phases.gif" width="320" /></a></div>
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<li>Regulatory</li>
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<li>Key parameters must be clear</li>
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<li>establish criteria needed for safety</li>
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<li>Learning curve for both clinical operations and regulatory agencies</li>
<li>Agencies fear bad press & litigation</li>
<li>The framework is still evolving</li>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7XhhIY36V8g/UdOElkNdorI/AAAAAAAABfA/q3SQRfFlAkY/s1600/Caco-2+cells+right.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7XhhIY36V8g/UdOElkNdorI/AAAAAAAABfA/q3SQRfFlAkY/s320/Caco-2+cells+right.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">caco-2 immortalized human epithelial colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit;">is used to search for novel compounds to treat colorectal and other cancers</span></i></div>
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<br />Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-55291664075352469562013-07-09T00:41:00.005-04:002013-08-16T16:05:10.298-04:00Miles to go before I sleep<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xiDtM_Jl85I/UfsvNK99BqI/AAAAAAAABu8/8lFNlSXh92o/s1600/1-IMG_0345-002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-xiDtM_Jl85I/UfsvNK99BqI/AAAAAAAABu8/8lFNlSXh92o/s320/1-IMG_0345-002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I don't remember where I heard it from, but it seems rather fitting for today.<br />
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Looking at my fossils and meteorites is some comfort. One represents almost unfathomable time, the other almost unfathomable space. What a difference that seems juxtaposed against my present turbulence. What I would give for a little stability and a kind face.<br />
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<a href="http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/gallery/album/1761-neos-vertebrate-fossils/">Fossil Forum Gallery</a><br />
<br />Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-54332184586869325162013-07-01T21:46:00.003-04:002013-08-16T16:03:48.567-04:00A view into the past<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xHeTv2yrKNo/UeTJzDWLLMI/AAAAAAAABmM/tHQIOqLyq0w/s1600/1-IMG_0252-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xHeTv2yrKNo/UeTJzDWLLMI/AAAAAAAABmM/tHQIOqLyq0w/s320/1-IMG_0252-001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Knightia alta Fossil</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Early Eocene, 50 million years old</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit; font-size: x-small;">Green River Formation, Wyoming</span></i></div>
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Fossils are comforting in a way, because they remind us that time has existed eons before us into the past, and will continue to exist long into the future. It's almost enough to melt away present-day worries. In a hundred years, the world will be inhabited by entirely new people, and our worries & insecurities will be nothing more than a distant memory.<br />
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<a href="http://www.thefossilforum.com/index.php?/gallery/album/1761-neos-vertebrate-fossils/">Noel's Vertebrate Fossils</a><br />
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<br />Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-69991621923405281912013-06-14T12:23:00.000-04:002013-06-14T12:24:54.173-04:00To catch a fallen starI just obtained my first three meteorites! It's amazing. Just last week I didn't know ordinary people could obtain meteorites. I thought that they were just for the very rich or the very lucky (who happened to be at the right place and the right time when a meteorite fell). With the internet, ingenuity, and the help of a small but very dedicated group of scientists, meteorite hunters, and hobbyists; meteorites have become much more widely available. These are the first three I've added to my collection. I have several more on their way, but I can barely contain my excitement with these. I love holding them in my hands and thinking about their origins in outer space.<br />
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My very first meteorite is called "Vaca Muerta". That means "Dead Cow" in Spanish. What can I say? You know I have to start things off with something colorful and peculiar. Here are some links to my collection in the Encyclopedia of Meteorites. You'll have to scroll down to "Noel Darlucio Pura" to see my actual pictures.<br />
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Vaca Muerta:<br />
<a href="http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/index.php?code=24142">http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/index.php?code=24142</a><br />
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Sikhote-Alin:<br />
<a href="http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/index.php?code=23593">http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/index.php?code=23593</a><br />
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NWA 869:<br />
<a href="http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/index.php?code=31890">http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/index.php?code=31890</a><br />
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My meteorite collection:<br />
<a href="http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/MetBullFindphoto.php?credit=Noel+Darlucio+Pura">http://www.lpi.usra.edu/meteor/MetBullFindphoto.php?credit=Noel+Darlucio+Pura</a><br />
<br />Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-38469652253069983102013-06-11T06:44:00.001-04:002013-06-11T06:49:11.005-04:00Gene Regulatory NetworksA special feature from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on the gene regulatory networks that control animal development. These systems regulate the expression of thousands of genes in the course of embryonic development and have been evolving for billions of years.<br />
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<a href="http://www.pnas.org/cgi/collection/gene_reg">http://www.pnas.org/cgi/collection/gene_reg</a><br />
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This page has a useful link to the 50 most-read and most-cited PNAS articles.<br />
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My paper on Bicoid-depending anterior-posterior patterning can be <a href="http://www.pnas.org/content/102/14/4960.full">found here</a>.<br />
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<br />Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-90076610746416034692013-06-11T02:29:00.002-04:002013-06-11T02:29:19.964-04:00Anybody home?Not sure yet.<br />
Just testing the waters.<br />
Not exactly sure what I'm doing here, but I'm suddenly awash in memory.<br />
Don't feel like starting all over exactly, but this place needs an entirely different approach.Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-92059503624767136642008-09-28T13:01:00.001-04:002013-06-11T02:26:03.486-04:00A New ExperimentSomething new I'm working on. It should keep me occupied in the next following months. Not sure yet how long I'll be keeping the domain.<br />
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.poetryblog.org">www.PoetryBlog.org</a>Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-17586195843706198812007-02-19T13:28:00.000-05:002013-06-11T02:24:43.029-04:00Subconscious Ramblings #101<div class="MsoNormal">
I haven't written in my blog in what seems like ages. I was once religious about this (updating it I mean), but recently I've been questioning what its objectives are and whether those objectives are still worth pursuing. At the moment, I will entertain the notion that it has no objectives. I once thought I could use it as a medium to find friends, or people who think similarly to how I do, but that idea quickly deflated and it became something akin to a notebook I use to sketch things or paste articles I could have found in a newspaper. As it goes, several things have happened in my life, and I'm not at comfort to discuss most of them in great detail. I will make a list of sorts, as that is really all I'm prepared to do, and you can make do with any of them as you will.</div>
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1. I will miss you dearly, Lauren, more than you or anyone could ever know.</div>
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2. I met the poet Rafael Campo a few days ago, while he was giving a poetry reading at the <st1:place><st1:placetype>College</st1:placetype> of <st1:placename>Physicians</st1:placename></st1:place>. He is a very likeable gentleman, and I am surprised at how well the crowd took his poems on sensitive topics like incest and suicide.</div>
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3. The Mutter's Museum is a fascinating place to be, filled with skulls and portions of preserved human bodies. I was able to see it briefly while walking with Dr. Campo. It was an unnerving experience.</div>
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4. The interview went very well for the new job I am considering. </div>
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5. I hope pharmaceutical marketing will prove to be every bit as challenging and stimulating as I hope it will be.</div>
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6. I will try to stay interested in school, but it is hard when the topics are so theoretical and far-removed from any actual business. My recent experiences have made me interested in entrepreneurship, and I no longer think merely about genes and biotechnology.</div>
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7. My group didn't make it to semi-finalist phase of the Wharton Business Plan Competition, but I'm still satisfied with what I learned. I partially saw that this was coming.</div>
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8. I don't particularly believe in psychic experiences, but when I opened the doors of perception, I found a place of undeniable beauty and peace, and I thought for a moment that I would be alright. I sought to commune with an eternal and universal subconscious mind, and I felt that there was nothing to fear. I could feel the writhing minds and presences of people I know, and in the wide expanse of the universe, I wasn't alone. </div>
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9. I have a rather active and inescapable imagination.</div>
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10. This could be the last, but this is it.</div>
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Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-1164984989287074332006-12-01T09:55:00.000-05:002006-12-01T09:56:29.306-05:00High RiseA fascinating article.<br /><br />http://www.newyorker.com/printables/critics/030106crbo_booksNoelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-1164921980049049822006-11-30T16:25:00.000-05:002013-06-11T02:44:43.140-04:00Not KnowingI have a lot on my mind. I can’t even post it here because part of it is work-related. Part of it is people-related. Another part, a huge part, is money-related. What am I doing with my life? <br />
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Just yesterday I saw cancer patients getting surgery and having parts of their bodies removed. It wasn’t just teeth or organs underneath your skin that you never see. They were important parts-- like eyes, noses, and lips. Some of them will die. <br />
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When will I? Am I using my time here as best I can? I have avoided certain things, but maybe I should confront them. It will mean saying things I don’t wish to say. I will never know how much time I can possibly have. <br />
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Am I cutting my life short, stressing, burning myself out? or am I squeezing the most out of the short time there is?Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-1164037417180179232006-11-20T10:38:00.000-05:002006-11-20T11:07:30.866-05:00^._.^ //We came to the guy’s apartment, and the kittens were hiding at first. He gave me a drink and pulled the black one out of a corner. The black-and-white kitten came next. They were a little bit older than what you would typically call kittens, but they were very cute. Mike started playing with them immediately. The guy gave me a catnip mouse on a wand and the black one started playing with it, curling up into a ball. In a few minutes, after a nice conversation, Mike and I left with two kittens, meowing in a small plastic carrier.<br /><br />After Mike left, the kittens started playing around in my room. They were very curious at first, sticking their heads in every nook and crevice. The black one came to me first. She’s more adventurous. I opened the door to their cage, and she came out sticking her head out to look at the room. She looked underneath the desk and the drawer first, then darted underneath my bed. The black-and-white kitten was a different story. Mike aptly named him “Penguin” for his tuxedo coat. He’s a shy Penguin. I had to pull him out of the cage, and he barely looked around before darting underneath the bed. He stayed for a good long while. I eventually had to pry him off with a cardboard roll in order to play with him. The black kitty was completely different. She didn’t want to stay underneath the bed for long. Instead, she jumped up on all my furniture -- the computer desk, the book case, the old fireplace mantelpiece, and if I hadn’t stopped her -- the paper lantern lamp next to my bookcase.<br /><br />The kittens are absolutely adorable. When they’re sitting down, feeling too lazy to move, they just look at me as I pace back and forth around my room. They watch me as I move from corner to corner, their eyes like small green pools. I come back to my room from the kitchen or the bathroom, and there they are sitting on my bed, acting like they have every right to be there (and I guess they sort of do, but it is a human bed after all). Shy Penguin leaves immediately, but the black kitty just stays there, like her neat prissy self. Thank god they’re already litter box trained. I don’t know how I would deal with that if they weren’t, but so far they’ve been neat and well-mannered. The only weird thing is, sometimes the black kitty starts digging in the litter box, and then she clambers all over my bed, including all over my pillows! I still have to think of a name for her, but I don’t think it’s going to be quite so lonely around the house anymore. I can sit in my chair and the black kitty jumps unto my lap in the middle of nowhere. I spent hours watching them. I have to cut myself short. Time passes by and it is already time for bed. No wonder I didn’t get any work done.<br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v738/sirnoel003/blackkitty.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a><br />Black Kitty looking deviously cute at food<br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v738/sirnoel003/115-1592_bnwkitty.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a><br />"Penguin" is so shy he has to be photographed in a cage. Poor kitty. He doesn't like to stay still.<br /><br /><a href="http://photobucket.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v738/sirnoel003/115-1587_mikeandkitty.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting"></a><br />Mike holding the Black Kitty<br /><br /><a href="http://new.photos.yahoo.com/pura_noel/album/576460762344557661">More Kitty Pictures</a>Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-1163447014573200292006-11-13T14:38:00.000-05:002006-11-13T14:43:34.590-05:00On Pleasure, and On PainThree journal entries here. One from last week which I did not post because it was too negative. A second I wrote today and will post because I thought it would balance out the first, and a third just now. I'm not really a pessimist. I'm not exactly a realist either.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">11/6/06</span><br /><br />Dear Journal,<br /><br />To what end do I write in you? It is not exactly boredom. Boredom implies a lack of work and responsibility, but my weariness of life (and it is a weariness of life) is something quite different. It is not lack of responsibility, but lack of purpose, and a questioning of why I do certain things. Work and study seems to be so obvious a pursuit I shouldn’t even question it. One works and studies to advance oneself, and learn a vocation -- to put food on the table so to speak, but it is also, shamefully, tedious. I fear it is becoming a chore. I must constantly remind myself that what I do matters to someone and will make some difference in the world. Then, I assure myself, it must certainly be worth it. Even then, I am using an external justification for something which should be able to stand on its own merit alone. Why can’t I just be at peace with myself? Why can’t I be at peace with being alone?... My life has been a constant search for work and companionship. To search for those two as I do is not exactly wrong, but not exactly right either. To what end do I search for friends and try to find people to fill the void within my life? I don’t think it has an end. I search for people because I’m bored. I search for people because I feel powerless and lonely. I search for people because I don’t know what else to search for. There is always the dark, tainting presence of death. I think the only way I handle it is by knowing that all of us will die, and maybe then I won’t be alone in embracing something I fear. I am a fool -- a poor, witless fool.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">11/13/06</span><br /><br />For once, let me write something in here when I’m happy. The world can’t possibly be so bad. There are creatures here that live and work, finding food for themselves, raising young, taking each new day without a care. Millennia of evolution, and each new creature has the resolve to survive. Surely they are aware of death on some level. They feed themselves, they avoid predators, they move on. It is man, who is bestowed with gifts beyond that of any animal, who uses it too to destroy himself. Perhaps it is the awareness of destruction that compels him to destroy. There is an awareness of something rotten and imperfect, perhaps the distance from an unknowable God? Yet, Joy. I said I would write about it today. It is merely the opposite side of the coin, opposite of pain. Pain cannot exist without joy. Things exist in relation to one another. I am joyful today. I see the darkness, but I walk in the light. How could any rational man choose not to? Divided between two paths, of pleasure and of pain, why would any rational man choose pain? Some people choose as events are doled out to them, but we all must experience pain and we all must experience pleasure. Do not dwell on things, but take them as they are. There is an end to everything. Change the things you can.<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2:35 pm</span><br /><br />Writing again. Yes, I am happy today. I have cleared my mind of worry and restraint. The rain is refreshing. The light falls softly on the leaves. I think I am happy when I am not deep in thought. Troublesome, is it not?Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-1162261256544655252006-10-30T21:18:00.000-05:002006-10-30T21:20:56.563-05:00Courage to StrengthenAs should be befitting for this night, some quotes—from <strong>Robert Jordan’s </strong><em>Wheel of Time</em>:<br /><br /><em>I would not mind you in my head, if you were not so clearly mad.<br /> -Lews Therin Telamon<br /><br />Nothing ever goes as you expect. Expect nothing, and you will not be surprised. Expect nothing. Hope for nothing. Nothing.<br /> -Lews Therin Telamon<br /><br />An open chest hides nothing, and an open door hides little. But an open man is surely hiding something.<br /> -Lini<br /><br />A beautiful battle is one you don't have to fight.<br /> -Mat Cauthon<br /><br />I trust you like a brother. Until the day you betray me.<br /> -Rand al'Thor<br /><br />Do not trouble trouble till trouble troubles you.<br /> -saying in the Maule<br /><br />Stopping a man from what he wants to do is like taking a sweet from a child. Sometimes you have to do it, but sometimes it just isn't worth the trouble.<br /> -Egwene al'Vere<br /><br />If I had told Mother I think you are handsome, she certainly would have had you locked in a cell.<br /> -Elayne Trakand, to Rand al'Thor<br /><br />Both of them? Light! Two! Oh, burn me! He's the luckiest man in the world or the biggest fool since creation!<br /> -Mat Cauthon, regarding Rhuarc's wives<br /><br />I hope you're not Darkfriends. I don't like killing people after I've fed them.<br /> -Elyas Machera, to Perrin and Egwene<br /><br />He had four rules concerning action and information. Never make a plan without knowing as much as you can of the enemy. Never be afraid to change your plans when you receive new information. Never believe you know everything. And never wait to know everything.<br /> -Pedron Niall<br /><br />Until you can, remember this. We are always more afraid than we wish to be, but we can always be braver than we expect. Hold on to your heart, and the Aes Sedai cannot harm what is really you, your heart. They are not nearly so far above us as we believed. May you always find water and shade, Egwene. And always remember your heart.<br /> -Sorilea</em>Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-1159973830050575272006-10-04T10:55:00.000-04:002006-10-04T10:57:10.063-04:00An Observation on the Male SpeciesThis is just a random observation, but I find that men in general tend to like either sports or fantasy. At the heart of it lies a primal urge to kill. Sports is actually just simulated warfare. There is an offense, a defense, a hierarchical order, and a communal desire to win. Fantasy is the same, though it takes place in a quasi-historical battlefield and often finds ways of expression in novels and video games. Intelligence has nothing to do with it. Even intelligent men desire to kill. The male species must fight for something, secure social position and order, and make itself feel important. Fantasy and sports are two ways of doing this in a socially and morally acceptable manner. Gay men, however, are the exception. Although there are many who like sports or fantasy, there are some who choose neither. Whether they do this because they lack the primal urge to fight or because they’ve found a different and less obvious battlefield is another matter.<br /><br />...so, philosophical considerations aside, I’m playing Halo this Friday with some friends. It should be fun. Anyone want to join?Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17788986.post-1159818212529644292006-10-02T15:42:00.000-04:002006-10-02T15:43:32.556-04:00"Nothing to be done."<span style="font-style:italic;">"There is but one truly serious philosophical problem and that is suicide. Judging whether life is or is not worth living amounts to answering the fundamental question of philosophy. All the rest—whether or not the world has three dimensions, whether the mind has nine or twelve categories—comes afterwards. These are games; one must first answer."</span> -- Albert Camus<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">"At any street corner the feeling of absurdity can strike any man in the face."</span> -- Albert Camus<br /><br />Sometimes the sweeping existentialism comes. I could be watching a scene, walking to class, or holding a pen. Then, the sweeping thought hits, “Why toil at all?” I know there is more to life than this. I want there to be something more. Yet, it seems so petty, so insignificant to want to write more, learn more, do more and more endlessly. It is as if the bricks are being lay one by one, but the question of what they are being built for is paramount. I want a degree. I want money. I want to improve. But is there something more than this, more after this? Why must it seem so empty when everyone else is out of the picture? It all must come down to happiness. Oh, how to be happy …without love, or without drugs, or without God? Would it be possible? Man will always be entitled to some degree of unhappiness. It seems a part of existence…<br /><br />Then, after the thought, to go back to work and blend in with the secular crowd, to the people who actually LIVE. Why must I think such things? Of all the people I know, I am probably the most existential of them all. Not to say that more existential people do not exist, but I do not know them. I do not know them.Noelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06070457087375162140noreply@blogger.com0