Shooting for the Moon

On Friday, September 21st, Houston's MD Anderson Cancer Center announced its goal to reduce death from a handful of cancers by the end of this decade in its "Moon Shots Program." The program is inspired by John F. Kennedy's program from the 1960s to land on the moon. Doctors at MD Anderson believe that dying from cancer could eventually become as rare as dying from pneumonia. The Moon Shots Program is aiming at five types of cancer: lung cancer, melanoma, triple negative breast cancer and ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, and the blood cancers acute myeloid leukemia/myelodysplastic syndrom and chronic lymphocytic leukemia. These cancers were chosen to be eradicated because of the knowledge of prevention treatment, and survivorship. New technological advances will assist with the program. It will be backed by a $3 billion investment over the next ten years and it plans to launch in February 2013.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/09/21/health/cancer-program/index.html?hpt=hp_c2

Pink Slime or Perfectly Safe?

Beef Products Inc. is suing ABC News for $1.2 billion in damages. The company has suffered after ABC reported on BPI's lean finely textured beef product (LFTB), which has also been called "pink slime." ABC made 200 reportedly false statements that led the public to believe that LFTB was not beef an not safe for consumption. Dan Webb, the company's lawyer states that there is overwhelming evidence that their product is 100% beef. BPI makes the "pink slime" by grinding beef scraps and connective tissue together. Ammonia and water treats the beef to prevent E. coli or salmonella. The Food and Drug Administration has determined this safe practice but many consumers still question the lean finely textured beef product.

http://eatocracy.cnn.com/2012/09/13/pink-slime-manufacturer-sues-abc-news-for-1-2-billon-in-damages/?hpt=hp_t3

Blow to al Qaeda in Yemen

Monday, Saad Al-Shehri, al Qaeda's number 2 leader, was killed in an airstrike.A missile, fired by a U.S. operated drone, killed the Saudi national. A senior official at the Yemeni president's office confirmed the attack by DNA tests have not been conclusive.  This is a major blow to the militant group; this will cripple the group in Yemen, which is a crucial battleground for the terror network. Yemen's branch of al Qaeda is the world's most active and the most dangerous to the U.S. Al Qaeda in Yemen has been linked to several attempted attacks on U.S. targets.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444100404577643462142706758.html

Pregnant Persecution

The state-funded Delhi Charter School in Louisiana recently adopted a new "Student Pregnancy Policy," which placed a classroom ban on pregnant students and mandated pregnancy tests for students suspected of being pregnant. The school stated that pregnant girls should leave the school and study at home. Those who do not comply with taking a pregnancy test will be asked to leave the school also. This policy discriminates against pregnant students and targets those who may be pregnant. The school treats pregnancy like “a contagious disease,” says Marjorie Esman, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana. The ACLU says that the policy violates Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972, which bans discrimination based on gender in education programs, AND the equal protection  clause of the Constitution. As a result, the school has been asked to revise the policy so as to be in compliance with constitutional law.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/48554183/ns/today-back_to_school/t/schools-policy-requires-girls-take-pregnancy-tests/#.UEevFrJlQzA