‘The Obligation to Participate in Biomedical Research’

 dumbassery, I'm from the government, Obamazombies, politics  8 Responses »
Sep 052009
 

Ho.

Lee.

She.

It.

http://homepage.mac.com/gerardharbison/blog/wosb.html

Largely unnoticed, Ezekiel Emanuel, President Obama’s ‘Special Advisor for Health Policy to the Director of the Office of Management and Budget’ recently published a paper with the above title, in the Journal of the American Medical Association (July 1, 2009). In it, Emanuel argues that individuals have an obligation to submit themselves to medical research experimentation. No, I’m not kidding.

Individuals have an obligation to participate in biomedical research because the knowledge produced by the system of biomedical research is what economists call a “public good.”

and

Individuals ought to participate in clinical trials when presented with the option. Well-functioning institutional review boards ensure that the risks are not excessive relative to the benefits of research. When the risks are significant, the obligation may be weaker. The obligation to participate applies to both healthy volunteers and patients. Both are needed to advance biomedical knowledge. For patients, there is an obligation to agree to participate in a study involving their condition when appropriate. Healthy individuals should participate in a fair share of the research for which they are eligible and needed.

This administration is coming off like a bad fricken’ joke, or like the sort of two-dimensional scumbags from Ayn Rand’s “Atlas Shrugged.” But sadly, they are not a joke, they are not fiction. They are the real deal.

 Posted by at 7:12 pm

Here’s a man worthy of recognition

 awesomeness, news  7 Responses »
Sep 052009
 

From azcentral.com:

Elderly Holocaust survivors were reunited at a London railway station Friday with the man who saved them on the eve of World War II – a now 100-year-old former stockbroker who rescued hundreds of Jewish children from Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia.

…

 

It is estimated there are 5,000 people around the world who owe their lives to Winton – the children he saved and their descendants.

 

 Some other news articles:

Rescuer of 669 Holocaust Children Honored by Survivors

 Trip re-creates escape of young Jews

Re-run of Holocaust rescue

And this from the Wiki entry:

 Winton kept his humanitarian exploits under wraps for many years until his wife Greta found a detailed scrapbook in the attic in 1988. The scrapbook contained lists of the children, including their parents’ names, and the names and addresses of the families that took them in. After sending letters to these addresses, 80 of “Winton’s children” were found in Britain. The world found out about Winton’s work in 1988 on a television programme titled That’s Life when Winton was invited to be an audience member. At one point during the programme Winton’s scrap book was shown, and his achievements explained. The host of the programme then asked if there was anyone in the audience who owed their lives to Mr. Winton and if so to please stand – at which point over 2 dozen audience members surrounding Winton rose and applauded.

Here is that moment on YouTube.

Now, if you can read all this and watch that 1:39-long clip and not get a little something in your eye, then you are very likely a coldhearted bastard who kicks puppies and voted for Obama.

 Posted by at 4:15 pm

This is *exactly* what I’m talking about

 blather, dumbassery, I'm from the government, politics  No Responses »
Sep 052009
 

Remember this posting from just a few days ago?

Convicted Thief Sues Store He Robbed

Sure, of course you do. One of my recommendations in that award-worthy screed was the adoption of the SSS mindest:

Shoot.

Shovel.

Shut up.

<> Here’s an example from across the pond in Ol’ Blighty that shows that even more than Americans, the Brits *really* need to man up and adopt the SSS philosophy:

Gardeners banned from using barbed wire in case they hurt vandals

Gardeners have been banned from using barbed wire to stop allotment vandals – in case the yobs hurt themselves.

The council blocked the allotment holders’ bid to increase security because it was afraid the criminals would sue.

Property has been damaged up to three times a week at the Muddy Bottom East Allotment in Southampton. In one attack 15 sheds were smashed, water butts overturned and taps left running.

Now, some solutions present themselves as being pretty much self-evident. This is a garden, after all, with all the tools and requirements that come with it. If said intruder gets fed into a wood chipper and converted into mulch for the gardens, there are several clear positives:

1) No lawsuits

2) Free fertilizer

3) Improved gene pool

Now, if’n yer squeamish about wood chippers, or one simply isn’t available, there are other options, such as deadfalls. Dig a nice deep pit (say, 8-10 feet) and cover it with sticks, a tarp, whatever, then cover *that* with leaves or some other form of inconspicuous ground cover. Vandal sneaks in, steps on the deadfal, and *splat,* down he goes. You can then either refill the hole, or, perhaps better, put a small fence around the hole and charge admission to the local children to come and laugh at him down in the pit. Since it’s a garden, you’ll probably have some rotten veggies lying around; charge a small sum for these for the kids to hurl at the trapped dumbass.

But if you’re just not in the mood for all the effort, there’s always this:

 Posted by at 3:49 pm

Shuttling the Shuttle: Twin fuselage C-5 Galaxy

 aircraft, awesomeness, drawings, projects, spacecraft  6 Responses »
Sep 052009
 

Taken from a NASA briefing is a drawing showing a twin-fuselage C-5 transport plane designed to carry the Space Shuttle Orbiter. Advantages of doing it this way – rather than using a more-or-less standard 747 – include easier mating (simply tow the Shuttle underneath, no giant cranes needed) and safer drop testing… just drop it. Additionally, much more “stuff” could be carried by the aircraft.

Disadvantages would include a far more extensive modification and qualification program, as well as limitations regarding runway width.

image61.jpg

 Posted by at 2:52 am

There are two things wrong with this story…

 dumbassery, I'm from the government  5 Responses »
Sep 052009
 

From the Daily Mail:

Council binmen (EDITORIAL NOTE FOR UNWANTED BLOG READERS: “binmen” is apparently Englandlanderese for “garbage men”) refused to empty a recycling box containing a maggot – claiming it amounted to livestock.
Homeowner John Harlow, 60, was told it was against council rules for contractors to handle ‘live animals’.
…
‘It’s ridiculous. I pay nearly £2,500 per annum to the council for services. When am I going to get any?

‘It is hardly surprising the odd maggot gets into the rubbish when they only collect the bins every two weeks.’

Errr… first, there’s the obvious bureaucratic nonsense involved with considering maggots to be “livestock.” Second, but perhaps more importantly, is the notion of paying £2,500 per year to have your household garbage hauled off (along with other “council sevices,” the nature of which can only be guessed at. Water? Electricity? Gruel? Daily Queen polishings?). Back when I paid for garbage removal, it cost me something like $30-$40 per month. Now, it costs me one of these:

img_1153.jpg  img_1154.jpg

Here’s a hint: save yourself the equivalent of $4100 a year or so, and just torch the garbage. Plus, it’s much more interesting and entertaining, and if you do it right, you can make a religious thing out of it. Ain’t nuthin’ better on a chilly autumn evening than a good old fashioned pagan garbage bonfire.

 Posted by at 2:14 am

Little furry need machines

 cats  4 Responses »
Sep 032009
 

I shot a few extremely brief videos of the kittens downstairs, using my Canon SD960 camera. It makes nice videos, but, damn, the filesizes are *huge.* I suppose if I had more incentive and enthusiasm I’d go and get me a YouTube account or something. But…. meh.

Edit: what the hell. Got me one of them there YouTube thingies.

Video 1

Video 2

Video 3

 Posted by at 8:55 pm
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