Such nakhes!

[sistawendy]

I was driving m'boy back from synagogue when he speculated aloud about whether JFK would still be alive today if he hadn't been murdered. My son pointed out that he'd be around the same age as George H.W. Bush. I said probably not, because he'd be over the median life expectancy for men. But, said my son, what about life epectancy for men who die of causes other than accidents & violence ("natural causes", as he put it)? It's bound to be higher.

I asked him where he learned that. He said he came up with that himself. Awesome. He was surprised that I thought it was a big deal, that it wouldn't have occurred to everyone. Sadly, my son, it wouldn't.

I recommended Freakonomics to him. He wasn't enthusiastic about it, but I haven't given up hope.

And while he & I were walking the dog, he reminded me of something. Back when I first told him I was going to change sex, he was under the impression that the physioligical transformation would be... more complete than it is, and that it can be. He thought there would be a "genetic mutation". Oh, kiddo, if only.

Comments

[darkmane.livejournal.com]

Make a billion dollars, while that happens hope they have figured out how to cloning, then get them to clone you with a XX.

[sistawendy.livejournal.com]

Funny you should mention that. A British medical researcher working on prostate (or was it ovarian?) cancer activated some gene on the X chromosome that made cells in mouse ovaries start producing testosterone and otherwise acting like testicle cells. There's a similar gene going the other direction. Someday there really could be a gene therapy for transsexuality.

[tmfkan64.livejournal.com]

Didn't JFK have Addison's Disease? It's rather unlikely he'd still be alive as a result.

Unless I'm thinking of Lincoln, and whatever odd fatal disease he was rumored to have had.

[sistawendy.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, I think you're right.