Yup. It's real. Via TPM:
Showing posts with label ethics. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ethics. Show all posts
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Who Owns Your DNA?
Nov 26th, 2011
You might be surprised.
Brad Jacobson interviews Harriet Washington, author of the recently released Deadly Monopolies, about the four decade transformation of gene patenting law in the U.S. and its implications for the future. Washington states:
You might be surprised.
Brad Jacobson interviews Harriet Washington, author of the recently released Deadly Monopolies, about the four decade transformation of gene patenting law in the U.S. and its implications for the future. Washington states:
"We're vulnerable because if we undergo surgery in certain hospitals, such as the Harvard University hospitals or Duke and a number of others, we are given a consent form to sign, which will give a private corporation, in many cases Ardais [Corp.], the rights to any tissues or cells taken from our body, often described in the consent form as "discarded and worthless." But they're not worthless or the corporation wouldn't have bought them."
The cells and tissue she is referring to are increasingly being used to create millions, in some case billions, of dollars worth of research and medical materials. For lack of a better phrase, we are being farmed.
"Also, in many cities in this country -- in fact, in more than half the states -- have something called medical examiners laws, or presumed consent law. These laws dictate that a medical examiner or coroner in these cities, when someone dies, can take any tissues from your body that could have some medical value. Then they're transferred to a broker or two, who then eventually transfers them to surgeons or hospitals. At each step, there is a hefty fee paid. And then the institution pays a fee. So although it's against the law technically to sell an organ or sell these tissues, from my point of view they are actually being sold."
More and more, we are being regarded by some sectors of the for-profit scientific community as just so much raw material. Sleep tight.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Quote Of The Day
Aug 10th, 2011
"It is curious - curious that physical courage should be so common in the world, and moral courage so rare."
-- Mark Twain
-- Mark Twain
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Quote Of The Day
August 6th, 2011
"A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world."
--Albert Camus
A Healthy Reminder...
August 6th, 2011
...for bloggers such as myself to maintain some basic standards.
...for bloggers such as myself to maintain some basic standards.
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| La Cucaracha by Lalo Alcaraz via |
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Paul Ryan's Little Ethics Problem
June 22nd, 2011
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has been called "a very serious man." Ross Douthat lauded his "honesty." Peter Wehner credited Ryan with restoring the GOP as a "party of ideas." David Brooks called him "courageous." The National Review said that Rep. Ryan was doing nothing less than "pointing the way back toward a republic."
With all due respect, it appears they might have hitched their carts to the wrong horse. This is putting it very politely.
From The Daily Beast:
"The financial disclosure report Ryan filed with Congress last month and made public this week shows he and his wife, Janna, own stakes in four family companies that lease land in Texas and Oklahoma to the very energy companies that benefit from the tax subsidies in Ryan's budget plan."
"Ryan’s office says the congressman wasn’t thinking about himself or the oil companies that lease his land when he drafted the budget blueprint that extended the energy tax breaks. “These are properties that Congressman Ryan married into,” spokesman Kevin Seifert said. “It’s not something he has a lot of control over.”
Nonetheless, the properties have been a lucrative investment for Ryan and his wife, earning them as much as $117,000 last year, and $60,000 the year before, his personal financial disclosure reports show. Overall, Ryan, 41, listed assets worth between $590,000 and $2.5 million, putting him in the top third of the richest members of the House."
Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) has been called "a very serious man." Ross Douthat lauded his "honesty." Peter Wehner credited Ryan with restoring the GOP as a "party of ideas." David Brooks called him "courageous." The National Review said that Rep. Ryan was doing nothing less than "pointing the way back toward a republic."
With all due respect, it appears they might have hitched their carts to the wrong horse. This is putting it very politely.
From The Daily Beast:
"The financial disclosure report Ryan filed with Congress last month and made public this week shows he and his wife, Janna, own stakes in four family companies that lease land in Texas and Oklahoma to the very energy companies that benefit from the tax subsidies in Ryan's budget plan."
"Ryan’s office says the congressman wasn’t thinking about himself or the oil companies that lease his land when he drafted the budget blueprint that extended the energy tax breaks. “These are properties that Congressman Ryan married into,” spokesman Kevin Seifert said. “It’s not something he has a lot of control over.”
Nonetheless, the properties have been a lucrative investment for Ryan and his wife, earning them as much as $117,000 last year, and $60,000 the year before, his personal financial disclosure reports show. Overall, Ryan, 41, listed assets worth between $590,000 and $2.5 million, putting him in the top third of the richest members of the House."
An ethical man would have already divested personal holdings that directly benefit from his own legislation. Period. But not Ryan... He apparently thinks this isn't "serious."
Thursday, June 9, 2011
"Uncharted Ground"
June 9th, 2011
If Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) maintains his resolve not to resign, Ben Pershing of The Washington Post notes that the investigatory process will find itself in potentially murky territory:
"Within hours of Weiner’s public confession Monday, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called on the Committee on Standards of Official Conduct, as the ethics panel is formally known, to launch an investigation. The panel issued a statement the next day, saying, “If and when an investigation is appropriate in any matter, the committee will carry out its responsibilities pursuant to our rules.”
But which rules, exactly?
The word “Twitter” does not appear in the House Code of Official Conduct, nor does “direct message” or “explicit photo.” Infidelity is not referenced, either, and while the means of communication may be new, lawmakers have generally been wary of policing each other’s sexual behavior.
“If the only evidence out there . . . clearly indicated that this was personal conduct only between consenting adults, I just don’t see a reason why the ethics committee would or should take it up,” said Robert L. Walker, the former staff director of both the House and Senate ethics panels. “Even if people think it’s reprehensible conduct, that doesn’t mean it’s an ethics violation.”
The House does have guidelines governing “official electronic communication content,” and rules permitting lawmakers to post content on external Web sites for “official purposes,” but it’s not clear whether Weiner’s Twitter account falls under those categories."
If Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) maintains his resolve not to resign, Ben Pershing of The Washington Post notes that the investigatory process will find itself in potentially murky territory:
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| (via) |
But which rules, exactly?
The word “Twitter” does not appear in the House Code of Official Conduct, nor does “direct message” or “explicit photo.” Infidelity is not referenced, either, and while the means of communication may be new, lawmakers have generally been wary of policing each other’s sexual behavior.
“If the only evidence out there . . . clearly indicated that this was personal conduct only between consenting adults, I just don’t see a reason why the ethics committee would or should take it up,” said Robert L. Walker, the former staff director of both the House and Senate ethics panels. “Even if people think it’s reprehensible conduct, that doesn’t mean it’s an ethics violation.”
The House does have guidelines governing “official electronic communication content,” and rules permitting lawmakers to post content on external Web sites for “official purposes,” but it’s not clear whether Weiner’s Twitter account falls under those categories."
Morality Vs Criminality
June 9th, 2011
by F. Grey Parker
by F. Grey Parker
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| ADMITTED FLIRT |
Yes, this is another article about "Weinergate." What do we know? We know that Rep. Anthony Weiner (D-NY) was responsible for the cheesy underwear tweetpic that has so enthralled all-media. We know that he may have used a Blackberry associated with his official House accounts for flirtatious chat and that might have cost the taxpayers, gee, tens of dollars. We also know that he lied about it. That's it. There really isn't much of an actual story here. Face it. As political sex scandals of the last several decades go, nothing much happened.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Quote Of The Day
June 3rd, 2011
"In law a man is guilty when he violates the rights of others. In ethics he is guilty if he only thinks of doing so."
-- Immanuel Kant
-- Immanuel Kant
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
How The Internet Is Telling Us What We Want
May 3rd, 2011
Meet Eli Pariser of TED. The following is a presentation from a recent TED Talk in which he demonstrates how many of the sites we use most on the internet are editing what we see without our knowledge. In everything from search engines to social networks, algorithms are selecting out certain information based on past use in the name of "personalization." His examination of different Google Search results across multiple users during the Tahrir Square demonstrations is a bit chilling.
Meet Eli Pariser of TED. The following is a presentation from a recent TED Talk in which he demonstrates how many of the sites we use most on the internet are editing what we see without our knowledge. In everything from search engines to social networks, algorithms are selecting out certain information based on past use in the name of "personalization." His examination of different Google Search results across multiple users during the Tahrir Square demonstrations is a bit chilling.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Andy Comes Unglued
April 22nd, 2011
If you have not yet seen the exchange between Martin Bashir and a somewhat unhinged Andrew Breitbart discussing his new book and the Sherrod affair, it is remarkable. That Breitbart becomes so flummoxed by Bashir's soft spoken style should serve as a lesson to all pundits today; Keep cool. It seems to drive the outliers nuts.
If you have not yet seen the exchange between Martin Bashir and a somewhat unhinged Andrew Breitbart discussing his new book and the Sherrod affair, it is remarkable. That Breitbart becomes so flummoxed by Bashir's soft spoken style should serve as a lesson to all pundits today; Keep cool. It seems to drive the outliers nuts.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Quote Of The Day - Here and Now Edition
April 14th, 2011
SFWeekly blogger Matt Smith opens his piece on this past weekend's intense debate between the NY Times' Bill Keller and Wikileaks' Julian Assange at U.C. Berkeley by humorously summing up each man's basic assessment of the other.
"Julian Assange is a paranoid, misguided, smelly bag lady -- not an open government hero. And New York Times executive editor Bill Keller? Well, he is a cynical dissembler interested more in covering his own ass than telling the truth."
SFWeekly blogger Matt Smith opens his piece on this past weekend's intense debate between the NY Times' Bill Keller and Wikileaks' Julian Assange at U.C. Berkeley by humorously summing up each man's basic assessment of the other.
"Julian Assange is a paranoid, misguided, smelly bag lady -- not an open government hero. And New York Times executive editor Bill Keller? Well, he is a cynical dissembler interested more in covering his own ass than telling the truth."
Smith's coverage is very entertaining indeed and definitely recommended.
Monday, April 11, 2011
Kid Rock 'Steal Everything' PSA
April 11th, 2011
Having spent a great deal of my life in the music business and having watched the collapse of old financial models, I was quite amused when this was forwarded to me yesterday. It's wonderful. Frankly, it's better than any of his recent records. Props to Kid Rock.
Having spent a great deal of my life in the music business and having watched the collapse of old financial models, I was quite amused when this was forwarded to me yesterday. It's wonderful. Frankly, it's better than any of his recent records. Props to Kid Rock.
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