Suspicious package advisory from Campus Community Police By Jasmine Ball Lance Writer December 10, 2008 Due to recent suspicious package threats at Ryerson University, the University of Windsor’s Campus Community Police wish to remind students to be cautious of unusual packages.
 According to an advisory released on Dec. 6 by Campus Community Police, there has been an increasing amount of concern about the use of the mail to deliver potentially dangerous substances.
“Government and law enforcement officials have urged the public to use common sense in assessing the suspicious nature of packages,” the statement read, adding to bear in mind that the targeting of University of Windsor locations for this type of threat is extremely remote.
On Oct. 27 at Ryerson University, an envelope containing white powder was slipped under a doorway in an office of Jorgenson Hall. >> | Local produce: good for you and your wallet By Jill Moysiuk
Lance Writer December 10, 2008 Have you ever been in the produce section of a grocery store and wondered how the exotic fruit got there in the middle of winter? The truth is much of the produce from around the world is picked unripe to make the long trips to our local grocers and many fruits and vegetables are chosen for shelf life and handling capabilities rather than for their flavour. When the produce has arrived it is generally sprayed with chemical ripening agents to soften them and turn them the right colour. To add, environmental issues that occur from industrialized agriculture are alarming. To start, the irrigation systems required to grow mass amounts of produce have huge quantities of salt in them causing major damage to the soil. As well, most produce is shipped by truck and cargo, whose long trips cause enormous amounts of air pollution. In fact, Canada’s agriculture is responsible for 12 per cent of Canada’s greenhouse gases. Purchasing local produce can alleviate all of that. By purchasing locally, we can save our environment as well as our economy. As well, we can bring back personal interaction between community members that is lacking in a grocery store, while at the same time being aware of where exactly the produce that you are purchasing is coming from. >>  | | Campus Kiss | | IPS cells promise all of the nice and none of the naughty By Desiree Chevalier
Lance Writer December 10, 2008 Amidst stale ethical debates about stem cells, a new technique for making adult stem cells pluripotent has emerged, offering up a resolution to both ethical and technical problems surrounding stem cells. Termed IPS (Induced Pluripotent Stem) cells, these cells offer new hope to those suffering from serious diseases and injuries. However, this new buzz has many wondering if this new technology still carries the old ethical baggage.
Many medical researchers consider stem cells a potential source of cures for many serious diseases. There are many varieties of stem cells, but generally, they are considered to have the “potential to develop into many different cell types in the body,” according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
The NIH notes that stem cells can keep dividing generally without limit for as long as an organism is alive. But not all stem cells are created equal. Adult stem cells are undifferentiated cells found in differentiated tissue of adults. These cells are considered to be able to differentiate into many different types of tissue, although are generally considered to be more limited in their ability to form any and all tissue types.
Embryonic stem cells, on the other hand, can be obtained from embryos and are able to differentiate into almost any tissue type (pluripotency). >> |
