-Caveat Lector- from: http://www.aci.net/kalliste/ <A HREF="http://www.aci.net/kalliste/">The Home Page of J. Orlin Grabbe</A> ----- ------------------------------------------------------------------------ BioTech Same Sex Parenting on the Way Virgin Birth LONDON -- Scientists are developing a genetic technique that could remove the biological barriers preventing same-sex parenting in mammals, the Sunday Times reported here. The newspaper said in its Internet edition that an American team believed it might be just two years away from creating a healthy mouse with all its chromosomes from the female line -- normally half come from the father, half from the mother. The technology, which involves nuclear transfer methods and is fundamentally different from cloning, would remove the biological barriers that prevent same-sex parenting in mammals. It will surely revive concerns that science is creating "unnatural" ways in which people can conceive and bring up children. The work on mice is being led by Dr Rudolf Jaenisch at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US, who aims to overcome the genetic barrier that prevents mammals -- alone in the animal kingdom -- from producing the young from an unfertilised egg, which can occur naturally in reptiles and amphibians. The process is called parthenogenesis. The problem is thought to be due to the unique way mammalian DNA functions, where some vital genes inherited from one parent are chemically gagged while those from the opposite sex are able to work as normal. Previous attempts to tinker with this system, known as "imprinting", have resulted in grossly deformed offspring, but Dr Jaenisch's experiments with mice so far have led him to believe it might be possible to remove all the chemical gags in one go without any harmful effects. The DNA from one treated egg could then be inserted into the nucleus of another, applying the nuclear transfer methods used in cloning to create a viable embryo ready for implanting in the womb. Dr Jaenisch intends his mouse to take both sets of its chromosomes from a single mother but he said it would be just as easy if they came from two separate females. "If parthenogenesis works, then so will using two eggs -- there is no significant difference between them," he said. While some scientists were sceptical about the potential success of the research, Prof Laurence Hurst of Bath University said it was probably only a matter of time before solutions were found. "The rate at which genetics is getting increasingly competent is astonishing, so I doubt there will be many technical hurdles." The American team's work on mice is certain to be followed by other scientists keen to develop the techniques for use on humans. Dr Jaenisch believes that the research would take about two years. "If this is the correct principle and if the mice were completely viable, it would be a spectacular result," he was quoted as saying in the Sunday Times. But some experts have warned that this sort of research might end up producing children with abnormalities that appeared in later life. "We seem to be getting to the stage where researchers are allowed to do what they want without anyone asking why," said Dr Richard Nicholson, editor of the Bulletin of Medical Ethics. The Straits Times, Jan. 11, 1999 Impeached POTUS Report: Clinton Did Not Father Child by Black Prostitute Primary Colors: switch the DNA GENETIC evidence has proved that President Clinton is not the father of a 13-year-old boy, despite the claims of his mother, a black prostitute, it was reported at the weekend. The blood sample supplied by Danny Williams has been compared to the President's DNA and there is no similarity. A source at the Star magazine, the supermarket tabloid that paid Danny and his mother Bobbie Ann Williams for the samples, said the match was "not even close". It removes an embarrassing side-show that posed unpredictable dangers to Mr Clinton. While the White House may breathe a sigh of relief, the collapse of the scandal does not affect the President's impeachment trial in the Senate. If Danny had proved to be his son, it would have added to the record of Mr Clinton's past. It might have prompted senators to turn up their noses even more than before in dealing with him. But it had no direct bearing on his guilt or innocence of perjury and obstruction charges. Time magazine's website reported that the Star, responsible for revealing the most scandalous and salacious details of the President's past, had come up empty handed in the latest search of what would have been its most sensational story. The Star paid genetic experts to compare Danny's DNA with the characteristics of Mr Clinton's genetic profile, already revealed in evidence supplied to Congress by Kenneth Starr, the independent counsel. Mr Clinton had been forced to provide the DNA to test whether he was responsible for a semen stain found on a blue cocktail dress belonging to Monica Lewinsky, the woman with whom he had a long affair, including sex sessions in the Oval Office. He was later found to be responsible for the stains. Phil Bunton, editor of the Star, was quoted by Time as saying: "We investigate dozens of stories each week and if they do not prove to be true, we do not run them." The rumour, widespread in Arkansas for years, that the President was a "deadbeat dad" refusing to acknowledge an illegitimate child by a local prostitute emerged during the 1992 election campaign. At the same time Mr Clinton was denying, falsely, as subsequent admissions have shown, that he had an affair with Gennifer Flowers, a singer. Mr Clinton's siring of a black child was implied in the anonymous novel, Primary Colors, in which the fictional candidate, Jack Stanton, supplies false DNA samples to prove that he is not the father of an unborn child conceived by a teenage black girl. The London Telegraph, Jan. 11, 1999 Chinese Finance Foreigner Investors Lose Confidence in China Delays in repaying bad GITIC debt Foreign banks lending in China suffered a blow yesterday when administrators for a failed Chinese investment company told creditors that the outstanding debts were double original estimates and dismissed hopes of prompt and full repayment. Bankers called to a restaurant in a southern Chinese city to discover the fate of the money they lent to Guangdong International Trust and Investment Corporation (Gitic), were told that the company had debts of $4.37bn, double market expectations and nearly twice its assets. Gitic, which was backed by the government of the prosperous Chinese province of Guangdong and borrowed extensively from foreign banks to fund infrastructure and real estate projects, will file for bankruptcy, signalling that some debts may not be repaid. Creditors' hopes of repayment faded further as Guangdong officials appeared to backtrack on earlier comments that foreign lendors would have priority. Bankers' concerns focused on the gap between Gitic's RMB21.47bn assets and RMB36.17bn liabilities which, they said, far exceeded the figures they saw at the time of writing loans. "It's a bit disappointing," said a lender whose rough calculation suggested a repayment of 60 cents in the dollar. The handling of the liquidation process of one of China's most prominent, failed financial institutions is likely to add to the disquiet among foreign banks lending in China. The abrupt closure in October of Gitic has already rattled foreign investors. In the wake of the company's collapse, many international banks called in credit and refused to extend loans to other international trust and investment companies, known as the Itics. The banks feared that the incompetence and corruption that proved the downfall of Gitic was present in many other Itics. Beijing intended the closure of Gitic to signal its resolve to clean up its troubled financial institutions and many international investors still have confidence in the long-term prospects for China. But banks have become much more cautious about lending to Chinese businesses and investment companies after Gitic's collapse. Lenders to Gitic, which have spent the three months since October 6 registering their loans and accompanying official loan approvals, were told yesterday they must re-register all debts within three months, extending the period of uncertainty surrounding Gitic's closure. The more than 100 foreign creditors at the meeting - which followed a similar meeting for domestic lenders - were told that Chinese bankruptcy law does not necessarily make a distinction between Chinese lenders and foreign lenders. Even those whose loans had secured the requisite mainland registrations, and had hoped to be repaid in full, were warned they may only get part repayment. Wu Jiesi, assistant to the Guangdong provincial governor, said that earlier commitments from the People's Bank of China, the central bank, had simply stated that registered debts would be given priority. "He [Dai Xianglong, governor of the People's Bank of China] did not say it would be fully repaid," he said. The Financial Times, Jan. 11, 1999 Mysterious Deaths in Arkansas Ex-Alltel Director Killed by Gunshot Police say it's suicide [Note: Alltel is the Arkansas phone company and has a number of subdivisions or subsidiaries. Systematics, highlighted in my Vince Foster series, was purchased by Alltel and renamed "Alltel Information Services". All parts of Alltel are fairly closely integrated. --Orlin] The November death of Charles Wilbourne Miller, 63, a prominent businessman whose father co-founded the telephone company that became Alltel Communications, has been ruled a suicide, authorities said. Miller's body was discovered Nov. 17 in a shallow pit about 300 yards from his ranch house at 5100 Studer Road near Ferndale. On Wednesday, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette obtained a copy of the autopsy report prepared by assistant medical examiner Frank Peretti. Miller died of a "contact gunshot wound of the head", Peretti wrote. The assistant medical examiner ruled the death a suicide. Police found a .410 gauge shotgun near Miller's body and a Ruger .357-caliber revolver submerged in the water. Two spent rounds were in the handgun's cylinder, Peretti wrote. Investigators said the Ruger was the weapon Miller used to kill himself. Miller's wife, Katie Campbell Miller, 44, reported her husband msising earlier on Nov. 17. He had not been seen at their Little Rock home since 11 a.m. that day, a police report said. She told police that when she drove to the ranch, she found the cattle gate locked and the house lights off, but Miller's pickup was in the garage, unlocked, with his cellular phone inside. Deputies and Miller's sons Alan H. Miller and Charles M. Miller searched the ranch and found Miller's body. Miller had been president and chairman of the board of Allied Telephone, founded by his father, Charles B. Miller and his uncle, Hugh R. Wilbourne Jr. He then served as executive vice president and a member of the board of directors of Alltel, Allied's successor. In 1989, he left Alltel and founded Network Design Engineering, where he was president and chief executive officer. Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Jan. 9, 1999 ----- Aloha, He'Ping, Om, Shalom, Salaam. Em Hotep, Peace Be, Omnia Bona Bonis, All My Relations. Adieu, Adios, Aloha. Amen. Roads End Kris DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. 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