I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable New Year's Eve. We'll be going to a friend's house for festivities (and I hope to get a chance to play Rock Band while there)! Here are a couple of neat links with which to wrap up the year.

Stand for Change: Full video of Barack's speech in Des Moines

Honestly, this is one of the best speeches given by a political figure in years. Regardless of your political party affiliation, this is inspiring stuff.



You can find an entire transcript right here.



AFP: 2007 stem cell breakthrough is like turning lead into gold

Stem cell research is getting more and more interesting, especially as scientists are finding ways to procure said cells without damaging embryos in the process. It's amazing this research is progressing so quickly despite political obstacles.

From the article:

"This is truly the Holy Grail: To be able to take a few cells from a patient -- say a cheek swab or few skin cells -- and turn them into stem cells in the laboratory," said Robert Lanza, a stem cell pioneer at Advanced Cell Technology.

George Orwell: The Freedom of the Press

This preface to Animal Farm was omitted at the time of the book's publication, and it's an interesting read for anyone who is a fan of Orwell's works. Additionally, like many of his writings, this preface is eerily prophetic in many aspects.

Tags: politics, science, media