Embracing Death through Celebrity Lives: Johnny CarsonWritten by C. Bailey-Lloyd/LadyCamelot
In lieu of recent passing of Television great Johnny Carson, we, Gen-Xers, BabyBoomers, and older generation are vividly being slapped into a dramatic reality-check. It's not alone that we grew up with late-night superstar, but it is also fact that he inadvertantly shaped our exaggerated perception of immortality. An icon to masses for over three decades, Carson defined way we viewed world around us through comical antics. His diverse guests ranged from Cher, to David Lee Roth, Roseanne Barr, Jerry Seinfeld, and even Pee Wee Herman (Paul Reubens). As we matured, The Tonight Show host shared satirical wisdom about politics, family and life in general. Whether he played host to monkeys and leaopards, or superstar celebrities; Johnny Carson entered our living rooms and dens each night with a larger-than-life improvisation of humanistic character. Not all of us were avid fans of Carson, but most of us held great respect for a man with such candor and sincerity in public eye. When he left Tonight Show in 1991, people everywhere were stunned by his retirement. But like so many of us, he wanted to leave a lasting impression that would virtually immortalize his existence - and that, he did. Without a whimper, without a bang, Johnny Carson left stage quietly and was seldom seen or heard again. Our final, visual impression of him was that of an mature, but healthy, witty gentleman. We forgot about his human, or mortal side. We didn't remember his notorious marriages, and we certainly didn't personally know 'man' - Johnny Carson. We knew him for that 1/2-1 hour show each night as he so graciously beseeched us with his bravado. As personal friends now (who knew Mr. Carson) retell stories of his utter shyness, Mr. Carson was as human as we come. Suddenly, without a glimpse of his real, personal life, TV legend has been shockingly stripped from our lives. Yes, we can watch his eternally-capsulated shows on DVD, or VHS but now it's distinctly 'different.' Our own human minds have created an illusion of eternal life. By virtue of example of Mr. Johnny Carson, we've unintentionally led ourselves to believe that man can be an immortal, physical species. And it is when those thoughts or ideas are quickly placed back into perspective, that we realize physical immortality is not case at all. It wasn't that stars like Johnny Carson, Bob Hope and many others like them did this to us on purpose - in fact, it is our own thinking that deceives us so willingly. Because we live in a technological age, media has composed an elaborate scene of false perceptions. In doing so, we see our public figures day in and day out - whether it be television news, films, radio, or like - their presence is always there.
| | WILL YOUR CHILDREN OWN THEIR GENES?Written by Candas Emcioglu
The completion of Human Genome Project was greeted with much enthusiasm and many hopes for a bright future pregnant with new possibilities. Currently incurable diseases would be detected early enough and would be prevented before they developed. Damaged organs would be replaced with brand new cloned organs perfectly compatible with our bodies as these organs would be specially grown out of our own stem cells. Our children would be healtier and would live longer. The possibilities that were in horizon seemed endless. Some even believed that one day we would even defeat death and would perhaps beat God in his own game. Over past forty years, genes have gradually gained a new value as raw resources or building blocks of an already happening biotech revolution that has been penetrating virtually every industry in world markets. Those who have been involved in race of deciphering genetic code of life forms on this planet have also been part of a more vicious race of acquiring patents and intellectual property rights. Although ethical challenges posed by biotech revolution are still being debated, patents on biotechnological inventions on living matter, such as genetically modified seeds, micro-organisms, genes, tissues, cell lines and many other components of life are now a reality. This double-edged sword has created a dilemma. On one hand, it is imperative to form a healthy balance between interests of inventor and society via a social contract, such as a patent, which should also encourage scientific progress and a safe platform for continuation of future inventions. On other hand, such patents closely related to life and healthcare, under strict control of a small group of corporate entities, worry many people, who clearly understand that in near future one will have to pay royalties or will have no access to certain healthcare services.
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