Chris

I am a Yankee. Apparently this is a term reserved for anyone that is less southern than you are. I am less southern than a lot of people. I am a scientist. I am in my 4th year now at the Medical University of South Carolina studing sphingolipids in cell signaling...lipid molecules named after the sphinx due to their unusual structure...more specifically I study a molecule called sphingosine-1-phosphate and its synthesizing enzyme, sphingosine kinase. Sphingosine-1-phosphate and sphingosine kinase seem to be important for cancer cells to proliferate and recruit blood vessels for tumor growth within the body. My goal is to figure out how it works and how important it truly is within different forms of cancer. In this manner I hope to contribute to our understanding of cancer and identify weaknesses that we can target to aid in our fight against it. I am also a liberal. I lived in California. I now live in South Carolina. That pretty much sums it up. I do not wish to be represented by our current government. It brings me shame. Conflicts of interest in science have long been recognized as roadblocks to discovering the truth in the universe. Financial or personal conflicts of interest all too often lead to scientists skewing data in order to support a point that is really false. Therefore, in science, conflicts of interest are best avoided. I wish that such nobleness of truth that you can often find in science would seep its way into the way the government functions. For example, a major stockholder in cigarette companies should not be the sole determinant of cigarette policies due to the risk of those policies being skewed in a single direction...or the head of an oil company should not solely determine our oil regulations since this could lead to oil as the only conceivable energy supply while potentially others exist. In short, these conflicts of interest could lead to misdirected use of national resources for personal gains. The goal of a government should not directly involve the personal gain of the individuals in charge, but rather should be to benefit the country as a whole. I admit that this is a difficult ideal to maintain, but should be sought nontheless. If we are to hold ourselves on a pedestal as an obelisk of democracy then we should also criticize ourselves on policies that do not align themselves with this idealism. Never before have I had such a strong opinion about our democracy, but I have also never felt it being ripped out from underneath our feet so openly.Sorry about the rant, but I think we all hope that the people in charge of us are in some way more suitable than ourselves to do the job. I do not think that this is true with our current regime.As one of my core beliefs I believe that all people have the same basic needs. These basic needs include not only biological needs such as air, water, and food, but also include psychological needs such as social acceptance and self-determination. How much value we put into each need and how those needs are fulfilled is what makes us different. Fortunately, on our planet and in this country food,air, and water do not have to be major concerns in people's lives. On the other hand, a desire and/or lack of social acceptance along with an individual's perception over their self-control are very important variables that regulate people's moods and approaches to life within the world. .. width="425" height="350" .. .. width="425" height="350" ..