KFC's original original recipe was moved today.

So important is the 68-year-old concoction that coats the chain's Original Recipe chicken that only two company executives at any time have access to it. The company refuses to release their name or title, and it uses multiple suppliers who produce and blend the ingredients but know only a part of the entire contents.

Larry Miller, a restaurant analyst with RBC Capital Markets, said the recipe's value is "almost an immeasurable thing. It's part of that important brand image that helps differentiate the KFC product."

Posted by: hln at 07:28 AM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
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1 The packet has been analyzed in a lab before. Salt, black pepper, MSG. I'm sure it had more in it in the Colonel's day, but today the corporation has distilled it down to what matters.

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...as played out by the American media.

Or, the best and worst of the human condition runs the gamut in a very short timeframe. Help me complete this if I'm missing anything.

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But some are, of course, more equal than others.

BEIJING (AP) - Nearly 2,000 officials in central China's Hunan province have been caught breaking China's strict one-child policy, state media reported Sunday.

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It was Germany's federal post office. But now it's so much more.

I follow this with more interest than most because I've done some work for DHL over the last 5 years, and DHL was loosely affiliated with Deutsche Post until 2 years ago when it became the yellow and red UPS and FedEx competitor whose trucks you now regularly see. (and fully owned by Deutsche Post)

Deutsche Post seeks to purchase Exel, a UK-based company that would (according to the Thursday September 15 print edition of the Wall Street Journal) "double the size of Deutsche Post's logistics operation." Whoa.

Even more interesting, the purchase is rumored to be largely completed in cash. "Deutsche Post, in which the German government still owns 45%, would likely finance the purchase with a combination of cash and stock. The company has no debt, and has liquid assets of more than [pound symbol I'm too lazy took look up the ASCII for]4 billion." Evidently the boys in brown are also at least interested in the bidding, as UPS is, according to this same article, "eager to beef up its international presence."

Whoa. Just whoa. Consider the huge losses DHL has incurred in branding itself - 1.2 billion - and the linked article's out of date. And then figure that its parent company has no debt. Yeah, I'll bet brown has paled to tan, if not publicly. This company's serious.

hln

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Hey, all you blamers out there who think you know what really happened...

Why don't you just blame me? I'll be the goat, and we can all get back to what really needs to be done: helping people.

(No lawsuits, please. I'm not really to blame, as you might have suspected. Carry on.)

I might be to blame for the hole in Sean Penn's boat, though.

hln

Posted by: hln at 09:28 PM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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1 The "no time for the blame game" mantra is not helping anyone, and is, in fact, part of the game. Particularly when chanted in the same breath as buck-passing to local authorities. Step one is to help people. This is finally happening, as more survivors make it into Red Cross jurisdiction and the smaller charities get operations established. Step two is to find out what lessons can be learned from the entire ordeal. The current mantra does nothing to support either step. At least, no one has explained to me why that second step has to wait for step one to be finished, nor convinced me that step one will ever be complete. Or is all this "blame" talk just a public warning to Pat Robertson to keep quiet?

Posted by: hans at September 09, 2005 10:33 AM (SSLGd)

2 Yes, step two is to find out what we can learn. But except for logistics problems caused by the the conditions currently making issue, we're not ready for step 2. It's MONTHS away. For the poke at Sean Penn, at least I can say he was trying to do something, regardless of the motivation. It's more than what I've done - send money and stress. hln

Posted by: hln at September 09, 2005 12:08 PM (V04ml)

3 What are the prerequisites for step 2? How do we know it's time to start discussing preparations for the next emergency?

Posted by: hans at September 09, 2005 01:28 PM (SSLGd)

4 When people are safe. When the waters subside. When the bodies are counted, and when people know the state of their relatives. Then we take stock. I'm not knocking constructive criticism. I'm just thinking the politics of this - both sides - are absurd (and upsetting). hln

Posted by: hln at September 09, 2005 05:09 PM (ZFerI)

5 Fair enough, I think public officials would be right to put "lessons learned" discussions off until they are done with their jobs. (Waving fingers at each other about the blame game is hardly the moral high ground, a simple "I don't have time to talk about that right now, I'm trying to save lives" would suffice.) The rest of us, including the media, not busily employed with the relief effort have no cause to wait. The apologists for those presently in power seem to want to just put it off until we've all forgotten (and can go back to focusing on 9/11) and the far left seems to want everyone to stop what they're doing and talk about what went wrong immediately, while it's still fresh in our memory. The reasonable path lies somewhere between; I believe it sensible for those in public service to simply ignore the politics until at least relief efforts are in cruise, and the rest of us should already be doing our duty as citizens in a democracy and evaluating their performance.

Posted by: hans at September 12, 2005 09:47 AM (MNL0s)

6 But what's to be gained? Even if you point a finger at a single person/institution, what's to be gained? I've seen the following blamed: 1) President Bush 2) The federal government 3) FEMA specifically 4) Mayor Nagin 5) Governor I forget her name 6) The Sierra Club 7) People who live in New Orleans Global warming I could add chinchillas, but then it gets even more absurd. Brian put it well. If you blame the federal goverment/Bush administration, then it has an excuse to get more and more authoritian in control (a big ewwww at that, no). And what are we blaming - the response? What specifically about the response? The hurricane? There's just this big general assignation of "blame." (See the 7 silly things above) It's obnoxious. Not so much that the blame's being assigned, but the media humping the leg of reporting blame. I stand by the original - no matter what was done, it would never be good enough. Nothing short of holding up a hand and saying "stop" to the hurricane (and achieving the desired result). Even then you'd have pundits who'd state that wasn't done quickly or decisively enough. But it's so convenient to blame the Bush administration. Perhaps that should be put in with "the dog ate my homework." hln

Posted by: hln at September 12, 2005 02:12 PM (MNL0s)

7 Let me pose a question. Is there a middle ground to who/what is to blame for the current situation? If so, does that middle ground extend to when the "blame game" can begin? Personally, I don't believe in assessing/assigning blame right now, not enough relief has been given to the victims. However, it's impossible to expect the court of public opinion to remain silent (I mean come on people were blaming things before the hurricane even hit). I think people need to remember (or learn from this) that nature is a pretty friggin powerful thing and for all of man's "vaunted" accomplishments, mother earth can wipe us out pretty easily. For reference, review late 90's movies when natural disaster movies were all the rage.

Posted by: scott at September 12, 2005 02:40 PM (MNL0s)

8 "What could have been done better in responding to ensure citizen safety?" is a question that should be thoroughly and publicly answered after every crisis, regardless of public perception about whether the response was "good" or "bad." Of course the media is going to react to a public perception of "bad" with a lot of "who's fault?" hand waving, but this absurdity does not diminish our responsibility to study and critique our government's performance.

Posted by: hans at September 13, 2005 10:34 AM (MNL0s)

9 An aside: how did we come to this? You "conservatives" are supposed to be on my side on this as advocates of smaller government. When our huge, politically-motivated bureaucracy appears to fall short on one of the few things we're happy to pay taxes for, it should be seen as an opportunity to engage in public discussion about reducing its scope. Perhaps large-scale emergency management should be wholly federalized or wholly localized? Why was Mike Brown given that job? Sure, it's egg on the face of a Republican administration, but does anyone whose name doesn't end in (D) believe Democrats would have been any more selective in appointing to an ancillary post? Maybe, as the WSJ has claimed, we should just privatize FEMA? Or should emergency management be made a bullet point in the list of DoD responsibilities? What good is the FCC if all their red tape and regulations didn't provide us a communication infrastructure able to support relief work (a former chairman has been crying for this for years)? Bush apologists have just gotten defensive on behalf of the system [it's not time to blame yet, there's too many moving parts to assign blame, it's just an act of God, what could we mere humans have possibly done]. This is why I stopped voting Republican; unwavering faith in leadership from the very party that I grew up expecting to defend me from authoritarian rule. Bush is a lame duck anyway, stop running his campaign and start questioning why so much of our economy is drained into a fat, bloated government that trips over itself responding to predictable crisis! Don't any of you share my indignation that so much of my work goes to pay government salaries, and now I question whether they'll even help keep me alive when the New Madrid quake hits?

Posted by: hans at September 13, 2005 11:00 AM (MNL0s)

10 Privitize. I'm ok with that. I wouldn't blame Clinton or Reagan or Carter or Nixon in the same situation - so I won't blame Bush. "Risky" states should plan for these things, no? That includes coastal states planning for hurricanes, California also planning for earthquakes, Missouri planning for earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes (lots of midwestern states planning for tornadoes, no). This isn't about defending President Bush. It's about why are people blaming him anyway? I don't see that he is the answer to the problem or ever was really involved other than as a figurehead. If you could give a specific course of how he's to blame (other than he sits at the top of the governmental heap), please, expound. My whole argument is predicated on the fact that it makes no sense to blame the guy at the top on this one (unless you mean God, and if that's so, sure, go ahead). If we sink into "where Heather thinks the blame lies" - I'd say it's lack of foresight - basic human error. After that, it's political pressure - from both parties and local concerns - and subsequent decisions made from that. In most circumstances, these are harmless decisions (in terms of human life). What if the emergency management section of the federal government ran itself like I approach everything - trying to cover every possible scenario? Can you imagine the cost? Can you imagine how absurd the general populace would find this approach? Somehow, the practice in place in mid August when Katrina was a gnat, represents a compromise. If we knew when each policy/decision/game plan/law was put into place, then we could decide exactly who was at blame (whether you place blame at local, state, or federal level). But, yikes, what an undertaking. And to what gain? Whose responsibility is it to keep you alive when New Madrid makes its name again? Answer that question and then maybe that's where the blame is. Is it President x? I doubt that's your answer. As you and I have discussed before, maybe it's the Red Cross. Or, if you're all that concerned, perhaps we should all move to Kansas. I also don't understand how I'm running Bush's campaign (Scott, too, for that matter). It was never my aim to state anything other than that the blame game doesn't accomplish squat and our focus now should be elsewhere. Regarding "how the government will keep you alive" - I stand by my "it'll never be good enough" assertion from my original post. Regardless of who is in charge/to blame. If all of the people who were supposed to handle these issues truly did play 6 rounds of canasta instead of dealing with the crisis - if anyone was nonconcerned/nonstressed - then I'm concerned. But if a crisis happens, then a crisis wasn't averted. So it's not good enough. Privatize. Praxair St. Louis should definitely be considered in the bid. (Wow, there went a large portion of my lunch hour. hln

Posted by: hln at September 13, 2005 12:02 PM (MNL0s)

11 "This isn't about defending President Bush. It's about why are people blaming him anyway?" I'm in the wrong discussion, then. I haven't blamed Bush and I really don't care whether other people are or not. "it'll never be good enough" It will never be perfect, but as a taxpaying citizen, I expect a hell of a lot better than we've just witnessed.

Posted by: hans at September 13, 2005 02:41 PM (MNL0s)

12 Fair enough on both accounts. Can you objectify what you expect? (I'm asking myself the same question and haven't come up with an answer yet). It'll make for interesting discussion. hln

Posted by: hln at September 13, 2005 02:43 PM (MNL0s)

13 What I expect and am still waiting for: frank, public discussion on: - How various agencies collaborated (or failed to) in Katrina response - How the segmentation necessitated by our federal system might be mitigated in emergency cases without risking the federal martial law our founding fathers so rightly feared More specifically, I'd like to see: - A public-facing office, akin to the LLIS, that e.g. publishes UASI ratings, holding all public agencies accountable. Perhaps this should be under the GAO (Congressional) rather than DHS (Administrative). - Less "terrorism" politics and a more general "disaster prevention and response" orientation for DHS. (I believe that FEMA should be a member agency of DHS, just that DHS's goals need to be better aligned with FEMA's.)

Posted by: hans at September 27, 2005 10:48 AM (MNL0s)

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Something about this just warms my heart. Thank you, Mexico.

Carrying water treatment plants and mobile kitchens that can feed 7,000 people daily, the convoy bound for San Antonio is the first Mexican military unit to operate on U.S. soil since 1846.

The first green tractor-trailers, with Mexican flags attached to the tops of their cabs, crossed the international bridge at Laredo at about 8:15 a.m.

The rest of the 45-vehicle convoy was in a staging area on the U.S. side in about 15 minutes.

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In the interest of time and general summary, here's what's on my mind right now:

1. The politicization of Hurricane Katrina sickens me.
2. ~65 miles (bike) today and 30+ on Saturday do make me ready to return to nice, quiet, sedentary work tomorrow a.m.
3. I need to tell you guys the story of 3 flats and zero miles (next)
4. The book I'm reading - Freddy and Fredericka - is worth sending to every bibiophile you know. (And darned cheap on Amazon, as you can see).
5. My mother, who is retired, is too busy to read my blog. Isn't that obnoxious! Social butterfly.
6. Dance Dance Revolution Extreme 2 comes out September 27th!
7. And Civilization IV releases on November 14, 2005 (expect Brian's blogging to be light to nonexistent that week)

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Bored in the airport and perusing the news. This from the Post-Dispatch's online site just makes me smirk.



May, is; what's the difference in journalism?

hln

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Is the question I asked Brian this morning on my way out the door to work. We agreed on the answer: you can't.

He had some time to post this morning. I'm certain this question is one a lot of people are either directly or indirectly asking themselves today in wake of London Bombings Part II.

DC officials have a rather silly idea about how to deal with potential suicide bombers in the Metro stations: random backpack searches: Subway riders may face random police checks of their bags under a security measure being considered in the nation's capital, the latest city to look for ways to deter terrorism on rail systems.

No decision has been made on the idea for the city's 106-mile Metrorail system, and the logistics would be difficult. But “it would be another tool in our security toolbox,” says Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.

All right, class, let's hit the highlights of how this would not work:

• If the random searches occur in crowded stations or, heaven forfend, crowded trains, what's the difference of detonating the backpack on schedule or when the Metro cop says, "Hey, you!"? Not much to a suicide bomber.

Posted by: hln at 12:47 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 I still think addressing some of the liberal-perceived root causes of terror is at least worth a try. [As an aside: Bombs are hardly a new technology, so I find it odd how many people seem to be willing to attribute the "new" threat of terrorism in our backyard to the march of progress.]

Posted by: hans at July 21, 2005 07:09 PM (SSLGd)

2 Bombs aren't a new technology, but technology makes their materials more prevalent. And smaller. And the liberal-perceived causes seem to look past "evil," which is my primary umbrage taken. Are they wholeheartedly wrong, no. But I can loan you the book I briefly mentioned in this post (the point where I abruptly ended to go back to work ) - these terrorists are well educated, young, and idealistic. Their values are different than ours. In the first London bombing, they were citizens of the country. One was an 18 year-old "schoolboy" with good grades. Another was a 22 year-old with a sports science degree. A third was a primary school teacher who had a young child. These people are not to be reasoned with. I suppose that's the point of my rant. And if you can't reason, you can't dissuade. hln

Posted by: hln at July 21, 2005 08:12 PM (BF++d)

3 Root causes: * Existence of Israel. * Existence of infidels. * Government without sharia. * Spain no longer part of dar Islam. Which one should we address first in such a fashion that will lesson the terrorists ire?

Posted by: Brian J. at July 22, 2005 06:47 AM (V04ml)

4 Oops, my mistake. Those aren't the liberal-perceived root causes. Those are the terrorist-stated root causes. Never mind, then, blame America/civilization. Carry on.

Posted by: Brian J. at July 22, 2005 06:57 AM (V04ml)

5 When I first read the headline for this post, I thought it said, How Do You Stop A Suicide Blogger? That would have been a much funnier question to try to answer. Hrm. To answer the question, stopping a single bomber is nearly impossible, but stopping suicide bombing as an industry is quite do-able. All it would take is conquering the middle east and remaking it in the image of the west. I don't think the current administration has the stomach for doing that in the way that it would have to be done in order to succeed, though. Apparently, three thousand people murdered in a single attack isn't enough to piss America off the way we're going to have to get pissed off in order to win this war.

Posted by: Ardsgaine at July 26, 2005 12:25 PM (bgzMN)

6 Stopping suicide bombers? Technology is the key. Identifying them without their knowledge will take advances in chemical sniffing and through-your-undies vision at a minimum. Once covertly located, a quick bullet in the back of the head will render them harmless. Either that... or quickly suck all the oxygen out of the room while you aprehend them and hope nobody suffocates. ...just a thought.

Posted by: William Squire at July 30, 2005 05:28 PM (Rk6XA)

7 We certainly do need to keep playing the technology arms race with them, but cannot stake our safety on it. This belated comment is here to clarify that addressing the liberal-perceived root causes of terror does not involve naive efforts to reason with terrorists, nor taking them at their word for what will make them stop. At least in this newly-minted liberal's worldview, there's nothing that can be done to make the current generation of terrorists put down their arms. Rather, addressing the root causes (fairly well articulated by the IGD) must be done for tomorrow's sake, while today must be secured by diligent (rather than public-mullifying) security measures and, well, killing the actual bad guys.

Posted by: hans at August 15, 2005 09:20 AM (MNL0s)

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James Joyner posts about bad writing. Specifically, he posts about productivity lost due to poor writing in public sector jobs. He's quoting from this, an AP source, part of which I will repeat.

States spend nearly a quarter of a billion dollars a year on remedial writing instruction for their employees, according to a new report that says the indirect costs of sloppy writing probably hurt taxpayers even more.

The National Commission on Writing, in a report to be released Tuesday, says that good writing skills are at least as important in the public sector as in private industry. Poor writing not only befuddles citizens but also slows down the government as bureaucrats struggle with unclear instructions or have to redo poorly written work.

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Yesterday in the St. Louis metro suburb of East St. Louis, a 19 year-old woman named Katie Wolfmeyer was acquitted in the Mike Danton (Blues hockey player) murder-for-hire debacle. Jurors stated they couldn't find enough evidence to convict. (Article.)

This post is only barely about that. Rather, a quote from the formerly accused's father really rubbed me the wrong way.

Pat Wolfmeyer, the defendant's father, said of the FBI, "I think they set that little girl up. They got in too deep and couldn't get out."

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Oracle has the "okay" to munch PeopleSoft, if PS shareholders agree. And why wouldn't they? Oracle's a big timer.

Info at Yahoo.

hln

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Yellow's not just for Livestrong.

Yellow is the crux of this article, a piece about a company that manufactures synthetic urine.

I was hooked on the first paragraph, asking myself the question, "why would a company do that?" Well...

While the business plan might induce stifled giggles, synthetic urine is a serious matter in the laboratory industry.

Researchers, drug-testing labs and other institutions buy thousands of gallons of the real stuff, mostly to calibrate the equipment used to test regular urine samples for drugs or other substances. Researchers periodically check the accuracy of their equipment by introducing samples that have been intentionally spiked with chemicals.

But human urine has its limitations.

It's unstable, decaying rapidly if not kept refrigerated and must be frozen when shipped. It can smell, it foams and donors must be screened carefully for drug use or disease. Also, different body chemistry guarantees that no two people's urine is exactly alike, an irritation for researchers who rely on consistency.

In the end, a fully synthetic urine has remained a laudable goal in scientific circles.

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How do you define molested? Somehow this isn't my definition.

ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- A 13-year-old girl testified Monday that a Walt Disney World worker dressed as the beloved character Tigger fondled her breast while she posed for a photo with him and her mother.

"I didn't know what to do. I didn't know what to say," the girl said during the first day of Michael Chartrand's trial on battery and lewd and lascivious molestation charges.

Earlier Monday, Chartrand, 36, rejected a plea deal that would have spared him prison time if convicted.

Prosecutor William Jay offered Chartrand one year of probation and 50 hours of community service if he accepted the plea agreement for misdemeanor battery. Under the terms, Chartrand also would have been banned from theme parks and required to undergo a psychosexual evaluation.

"He didn't do it," said Jeffrey Kaufman, Chartrand's attorney. "We're going to fight it."

Chartrand now could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

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Oregon Republican Gordon Smith took the floor to introduce a youth suicide prevention bill named after his own dead son. "He saw only despair ahead and felt only pain in his present. Pain and despair so potent that he sought suicide as a release. As a release," Smith said, recalling his son Garrett, who killed himself in his college apartment last September, one day before his 22nd birthday. Smith recalled a "beautiful child, a handsome baby boy" that he and his wife Sharon adopted a few days after birth. He had vast intellectual gifts but struggled with learning disabilities, dyslexia, and bipolar disorder, sometimes called manic depression, Smith said.

Endorsing Smith's $60 million bill, Nickles said, "I have no doubt as a result of us passing this legislation, we'll end up saving a lot of lives, maybe thousands of lives." The bill would help states develop prevention strategies and fund more mental health services on college campuses.

More than 30,000 Americans kill themselves each year and suicide is the third-leading cause of death for people aged 10-24.

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Don't disrespect the sisters.

I would've expected an article about fighting tendencies and girls/young adults to be about hair pulling. Not quite what this one says.

For both girls and boys, the most common reason for a fight was teasing or "being disrespected." In contrast to incidents between boys, clashes between girls were more often a recurrence of a previous fight.

Compared to boys, violence among girls was more likely to occur at home and it was more likely a family member would intervene to stop the violence.

The study also found weapons were present more often in incidents involving at least one girl and that girls were more likely than boys to be injured by a weapon, especially blunt objects such as sticks or rocks.

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Victor sent me this link - a newspaper article from my hometown Springfield News-Leader about a young woman with chronic hip displasia who is not allowed to bring her specially trained service dog to school.

The girl's mother believes that the school's refusal to accommodate Karen's condition is in violation with the Americans With Disabilities Act. I tend to agree. Here's why.

1) Service dogs are not disallowed in this school. Animals are not disallowed in this school. The article makes both of these points.

2) Although the article does not mentioned how the dog, Zeus, was obtained, a sidebar contains an interview with a professional service dog trainer. I'm going to go ahead and make the leap that Zeus is appropriately trained and that the organization that oversaw his training found him to be a good match to aid the young lady's condition.

3) The law. I'll just quote the section of the article.

Under Title II of the Americans With Disabilities Act, any public entity — which includes schools — is guilty of discrimination if it does not make reasonable accommodations for the needs of the disabled.

The law's provisions include permitting a person to be accommodated by an assistance animal, which is defined as "any guide dog, signal dog or other animal individually trained to work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability including, but not limited to, guiding individuals with impaired vision, alerting individuals with impaired hearing to intruders or sounds, providing minimal protection or rescue work, pulling a wheelchair, or fetching dropped items."

Under the Americans with Disabilities Act, a school would be in violation if it had a blanket policy restricting students from using necessary methods to aid with their disability, said Cecilia Callahan, director of advocacy for Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services, a watchdog group based in Jefferson City.

Klatt said the school does not have a policy prohibiting animals from being brought onto district property.

If no such policy exists, an accommodation plan must be constructed, ensuring that students with disabilities have the same access to a quality education as other students, Callahan said.

Another law that may apply is the Vocational Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which prohibits discrimination by a school district because a student is disabled. According to the federal act, disabled students are defined as those who have a "physical or mental impairment which substantially limits one or more major life activities such as walking, learning, hearing, caring for one's self, performing manual tasks, speaking and breathing."

Michael Jungers, an assistant dean of students at Southwest Missouri State University, oversees the university's office for disability services. He said if a case like Karen's arose at the university level, officials would confer with the physician to determine whether a student was qualified to use a service animal.

If school officials agreed such an animal was needed, it would be permitted to be used in all aspects of university life, Jungers said.

"The law would pretty much apply at the elementary and secondary levels," he said.

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Roundup Ready wheat is in a holding pattern.

St. Louis-based Monsanto has been doing field tests of Roundup Ready wheat, which has been genetically modified to tolerate applications of Monsanto's Roundup herbicide, for six years and spent hundreds of millions of dollars on the project.

The company already has successfully commercialized Roundup Ready corn and soybeans, key feedgrains, and had hoped to spread its herbicide-resistant technology into the vast wheat-growing industry, starting in the United States and Canadian markets.

But the company's efforts have ignited an outpouring of opposition by environmentalists, farmers, consumers and religious groups, as well as foreign wheat buyers. Concerns include worries about possible human health hazards, increased weed resistance and fears that Monsanto is gaining control over key world crops.

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Brian caught me reading the latest print copy of Reason (May's - the one about pornography) and pointed me to the Hit & Run proclamation that the next issue will include a bunch of our personal information, including a picture of our house, within its pages.

He wasn't kidding.

Most subscribers will receive an issue that features four cover pages of intensely personalized information, a demonstration of bleeding-edge technology that may one day allow for mass-customized and hyper-individualized print publications (btw, pace the Times' headline, our monthly print circulation totals about 55,000).

Posted by: hln at 06:42 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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In light of the Senate's passage of the Fetus Protection Bill, I would like to define the word "fetus" in this short entry.

First, the dictionary. Dictionary.com:

1. The unborn young of a viviparous vertebrate having a basic structural resemblance to the adult animal.

2. In humans, the unborn young from the end of the eighth week after conception to the moment of birth, as distinguished from the earlier embryo.

• Abortion is legal. A mother can terminate the life of her fetus (or embryo) at any time until the law considers the pregnancy to be at a state that an abortion of same pregnancy would be considered a "partial birth."
• Anyone else bothers that fetus, knowing about its existence or not, whammo! Your crime's been doubleminted.

Posted by: hln at 07:29 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 237 words, total size 2 kb.