* Apparently there was a mass exodus from the ballroom yesterday after Michael J. Fox completed his speech, with 40-50% of the audience leaving -- even though there was a panel following Fox's presentation, featuring the President of the Michael J. Fox Foundation, Debi Brooks, and the Foundation's Chief Scientific Advisor, Dr. Gene Johnson. An attendee mentioned this to me and found it awfully rude of the audience to do this.
* Couldn't find your friend Tom Thornton, although I
left my card at the Kansas pavilion, with a message
inscribed on the back: "Tom: Ron May wants to track
your movements with a GPS system."
Tom, by the way, has a little baseball card in a
packet the pavilion was handing out. It reads as
follows:
===========================================
"Tom Thornton is implementing a strategic vision while
guiding the state in its investment of over $580
million generated by the Kansas Economic Growth Act.
Thornton is leading the state's mission to develop an infrastructure that makes Kansas a center for bioscience research, innovation and commercialization.
* Recruited as the first President and CEO of the
Kansas Bioscience Authority.
* Leading the state's effort to enhance bioscience
research and development.
* Organized the strategy behind the public/private
team pursuing the $451 million dollar National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Kansas.
* Developed the regional strategy behind Heartland
BioVentures - designed to provide promising bioscience
start ups with business acceleration and access to
capital."
==================================
* As conference speakers mention the intense
politicization of stem cell research, I can't help but
mention the case of Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill. McCaskill, as you may recall, recently defeated conservative Jim Talent in a very close Senate race where the stem cell issue loomed large.
McCaskill had been invited to speak at her daughter's
Catholic high school commencement, but was recently
told that she was no longer invited because of the
church's rejection of her positions on abortion and
embryonic stem cell research.
You know what this kind of reminds me of? When the
Baseball Hall of Fame cancelled a 15th anniversary
screening of "Bull Durham" because actor Tim Robbins
(and Susan Sarandon) had criticized the Iraq war.
Clearly, unless you get your stem cell/abortion/war
views in order (call the White House for guidance),
you're not invited.
I was going to approach my elementary school about
being a 6th grade graduation keynote, but they fired
back, "Jeff Meredith - how dare you oppose repeal of
the estate tax? Your views are a danger to our country!"
* Couldn't find your friend Tom Thornton, although I
left my card at the Kansas pavilion, with a message
inscribed on the back: "Tom: Ron May wants to track
your movements with a GPS system."
Tom, by the way, has a little baseball card in a
packet the pavilion was handing out. It reads as
follows:
===========================================
"Tom Thornton is implementing a strategic vision while
guiding the state in its investment of over $580
million generated by the Kansas Economic Growth Act.
Thornton is leading the state's mission to develop an infrastructure that makes Kansas a center for bioscience research, innovation and commercialization.
* Recruited as the first President and CEO of the
Kansas Bioscience Authority.
* Leading the state's effort to enhance bioscience
research and development.
* Organized the strategy behind the public/private
team pursuing the $451 million dollar National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility in Kansas.
* Developed the regional strategy behind Heartland
BioVentures - designed to provide promising bioscience
start ups with business acceleration and access to
capital."
==================================
* As conference speakers mention the intense
politicization of stem cell research, I can't help but
mention the case of Missouri Senator Claire McCaskill. McCaskill, as you may recall, recently defeated conservative Jim Talent in a very close Senate race where the stem cell issue loomed large.
McCaskill had been invited to speak at her daughter's
Catholic high school commencement, but was recently
told that she was no longer invited because of the
church's rejection of her positions on abortion and
embryonic stem cell research.
You know what this kind of reminds me of? When the
Baseball Hall of Fame cancelled a 15th anniversary
screening of "Bull Durham" because actor Tim Robbins
(and Susan Sarandon) had criticized the Iraq war.
Clearly, unless you get your stem cell/abortion/war
views in order (call the White House for guidance),
you're not invited.
I was going to approach my elementary school about
being a 6th grade graduation keynote, but they fired
back, "Jeff Meredith - how dare you oppose repeal of
the estate tax? Your views are a danger to our country!"
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