Can human DNA be patented? (May 25 2013)

Stephanie Trouillard the French TV journalist and blogger has published an article on France24 titled ‘Can human DNA be patented?’ in which she states “The US Supreme Court is hearing a case against a US biotech company that wants to defend its exclusive rights over two human gene sequences that could be used to identify people at greater risk of developing ovarian and breast cancer. Myriad Genetics, based in Salt Lake City, Utah, developed a genetic diagnosis tool based on the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes — sequences that the company successfully patented — in the late 1990s. …Myriad’s monopoly over the two genes is contested. Researchers, doctors and patients argue that the company’s patents prevent wider testing and research into cancer. The US-based Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP) is one of several scientific bodies contesting Myriad’s patents at the Supreme Court, whose nine justices are expected to deliver their ruling in June. The AMP argues that the genetic sequences for which Myriad holds the patents, awarded in 1997 and 1998, unfairly block further and more extensive research into cancer treatments. … AMP lawyer Christopher Hansen argued to the court that a company could not have exclusive rights over DNA, it being a substance created by nature. “The question presented by this case is what exactly did Myriad invent?” Hansen said. “And the answer is nothing.” The groups opposing Myriad’s patents are supported by Nobel Prize-winning scientist James Watson, who discovered the double helix structure of DNA in 1953. He argued that the product of nature could not be monopolised by any entity. “Knowledge per se cannot be patented. Myriad should not own breast cancer genes,” Watson said outside the Supreme Court. Myriad, meanwhile, wants to secure its rights on the genetic sequences and so safeguard the substantial investments it made in researching and developing its analysis tools.”

Inspired by Stephanie Trouillard, France24 ow.ly/kuIe9 Image source ow.ly/kuIci

Gitmo Is Killing Me (May 24 2013)

Samir Naji al Hasan Moqbel the 35 year old Yemeni, held in extrajudicial detention in the United States’s Guantanamo Bay detention camps has published an article in The New York Times titled ‘Gitmo Is Killing Me’. Moqbel states “…I weighed 132, but that was a month ago. I’ve been on a hunger strike since Feb10 and have lost well over 30 pounds. I will not eat until they restore my dignity. I’ve been detained at Guantánamo for 11 years and three months. I have never been charged with any crime. I have never received a trial. I could have been home years ago — no one seriously thinks I am a threat — but still I am here. Years ago the military said I was a “guard” for Osama bin Laden, but this was nonsense, like something out of the American movies I used to watch. They don’t even seem to believe it anymore. …Where is my government? I will submit to any “security measures” they want in order to go home, even though they are totally unnecessary. I will agree to whatever it takes in order to be free. I am now 35. All I want is to see my family again and to start a family of my own. The situation is desperate now. All of the detainees here are suffering deeply. At least 40 people here are on a hunger strike. People are fainting with exhaustion every day. I have vomited blood. And there is no end in sight to our imprisonment. Denying ourselves food and risking death every day is the choice we have made. I just hope that because of the pain we are suffering, the eyes of the world will once again look to Guantánamo before it is too late.”

Inspired by Samir Naji al Hasan Moqbel, New York Times ow.ly/kuHp7 Image source Wikipedia ow.ly/kuHoz

I help the movement spread its message (May 23 2013)

Marni Halasa the British lawyer, journalist, and performance artist for Occupy Wall Street in New York City and member of Occupy’s Alternative Banking Group, a direct action and seminar group that distributes information to the public, has published an article on Huffington Post titled ‘Show Time! Tripping the Light Fantastic as a Performance Artist for Occupy Wall Street’. Halasa states “My conservative Arab father always told me I had no shame. Little did he know that my insatiable desire to exhibit and entertain as a performance artist would come in handy for Occupy Wall Street. I help the movement spread its message of the 99 percent in a somewhat unique and flamboyant way. Whether I am dressed as Marie-Antoinette, protesting against workers’ low wages in front of a Walmart in New Jersey; a police officer during an anti-police brutality march in Union Square; or a dominatrix covered in fake money in front of the Federal Reserve, I am compelled to be a living breathing costumed illustration of my own political beliefs. And mind you — all of this is done on skates. So why do I risk arrest, brave the sometimes hostile elements and lose sleep over hours of preparation? An obsessive desire for creative self-expression is the obvious reason. The other is that it is my chance to belong to an amazingly purposeful politicized community. When Occupy began, I connected with a group of people who could discuss the complexities and dynamics of wealth, power and social mobility in our society. From them I learned how bankers from HSBC laundered money for the drug cartels and avoided criminal prosecution, why the Dodd-Frank reforms do not go far enough to insure our country’s financial stability, and the reasons behind the lack of mobility for the low income. Although these people were for the most part strangers, they charmed me with their warmth, intellect, and uncanny ability to make complex information understandable. They were also keen to make a positive impact. I quickly decided I had to join the Occupy movement…”

Inspired by Marni Halasa, Huffington Post ow.ly/kuGR4 Image source Twitter ow.ly/kuGMQ

Complex jargon-laden artist statements (May 22 2013)

Daniel Campbell Blight the British writer and curator with a specific interest in the history and theory of photography, and cultural media studies, has published an article in the Guardian titled ‘Writing an artist statement? First ask yourself these four questions’. Blight states “…You can find preposterously complex, jargon-laden artist statements on the websites of galleries and pop-up project spaces all over the English-speaking world. If you don’t believe me, join the e-flux mailing list. I regularly visit such exhibition spaces in London and beyond, and read – with total, dulling indifference – the often pompous ramblings of what Alix Rule and David Levine call International Art English. This is a dialect of the privileged; the elite university educated. If you can’t write it effectively, you’re not part of the art world. If you’re already inside but don’t understand it, you’re not allowed to admit it, or ask for further explanation. This kind of rhetoric relies on everyone participating without question. To speak up would mean dissolving the space between inside and outside: quite literally, the growing boundary between the art world and the rest of society. …The funny thing is, the chat you actually hear at a gallery opening rarely uses this language. …The vocabulary of artspeak is not without meaning, but it has a specific place. Academia is only one part of the art world. My dislike is not for the language of artspeak, more the effect it has on the art industry in its ability to engage with a wider audience. Not to mention what such language does to the reputation of writing in the arts, as well as the wider practice of writing itself. Writing about your work should be an open and compelling activity, not a labyrinthine chore.”

Inspired by Daniel Blight, The Guardian ow.ly/kuGnt Image source Twitter ow.ly/kuFEd

Inside America’s Dirty Wars (May 21 2013) 

Jeremy Scahill the 38 year old American National Security Correspondent for The Nation magazine and author of the international bestseller Blackwater: The Rise of the World’s Most Powerful Mercenary Army, has published an article in The Nation titled ‘Inside America’s Dirty Wars’. Scahill states “…Abdulrahman al-Awlaki, the oldest son of Anwar al-Awlaki, was born in Denver. Like his father, he spent the first seven years of his life in the United States, attending American schools. After he moved to Yemen with his family, his grandparents—Anwar’s mother and father—played a major role in his upbringing, particularly after Anwar went underground. Anwar “always thought that it is best for Abdulrahman to be with me,” Anwar’s father, Nasser al-Awlaki, told me. Anwar believed that his wife and children “should not be involved at all in his problems.” …Abdulrahman was not his father; he loved hip-hop music and Facebook and hanging out with his friends. They would take pictures of themselves posing as rappers, and when the Yemeni revolution began, Abdulrahman wanted to be a part of it. As massive protests shook Yemen, he would spend hours hanging out in Change Square with the young, nonviolent revolutionaries, sharing his vision for the future and, at times, just goofing off with friends. …As Abdulrahman mourned [his father’s assassination], the boy’s family members in Shabwah tried to comfort him and encouraged him to get out with his cousins …and joined a group of friends outdoors to barbecue. There were a few other people doing the same nearby. It was about 9 pm when the drones pierced the night sky. Moments later, Abdulrahman was dead. So, too, were several other teenage members of his family, including Abdulrahman’s 17-year-old cousin Ahmed. …The Obama administration would fight passionately to keep answers secret, invoking the “state secrets” privilege repeatedly …The consensus that has emerged from various anonymous officials commenting on Abdulrahman’s killing was that it was a mistake.”

Inspired by Jeremy Scahill, The Nation ow.ly/kuEpP Image source Terri M Venesio ow.ly/kuEoO

Extremist ideologies attract droves of followers (May 20 2013)

Michael Brant Shermer the 58 year old American science writer, historian of science, and founder of The Skeptics Society has been interviewed by Joseph Cotto for the Washington Times in an article titled ‘Asking Michael Shermer: Why is mythology more popular than science?’. Shermer states “…it is better to live in a reality-based worldview than a faith-based (or superstition-based) worldview. Plus, for a liberal democracy to work we need informed voters, but not just informed—they need to know how to think critically. That is, not just what to think, but HOW to think. That is what scientific skepticism is all about—knowing how to think about claims, how to test hypotheses, how to challenge ideas fairly and objectively …Mythology (and its cousin religion) are only more popular in certain areas. When it comes to, say, medical treatment, almost everyone in the industrial West still favors going to a medical doctor instead of a witch doctor. You show me someone who prefers mythology at 35,000 feet and I’ll show you a hypocrite. …Derision only comes from a few corners: religious fundamentalists on one extreme and academic postmodernists on the other extreme. I have debunked them both thoroughly and they are not worth bothering about unless they try to influence education and politics, which they occasionally do, so we monitor their activities and respond when necessary; otherwise they are best ignored for the ignorance they portray. They reject science because it is open-ended and they already know the truth. …Extremist ideologies can attract droves of followers, but in the long run they do not survive. Moderate politics is in it for the long haul, which is why no terrorist organization in half a century of attempts has ever overrun a state. In fact, studies show that 95% of the time terrorists fail to achieve even one of their objectives.”

Inspired by Joseph Cotto, The Washington Times ow.ly/kuDXs Image source David Patton ow.ly/kuDWe

Venezuela today has serious problems (May 19 2013)

Diana Cariboni the 50 year old Argentinean associate editor in chief at the IPS New Service and regional editor of IPS Latin America has published an article on IPS News titled ‘Maduro, Capriles and Wayward Democracy’ stating “When the left was in opposition in Latin America, it never tired of repeating that true democracy was not limited to electing governments at the ballot box. Democracy was also needed in the distribution of rights and riches. Now that self-described leftwing governments predominate in the region, the catch is to make that maxim their political practice. They must fulfill the formality of celebrating clean, fair and transparent elections that produce governments of the majority that do not trample on the minority, nor prevent them from exercising their role of social control. …But the country’s democracy is far from being perfect, and further still from being predictable. …although Maduro and Capriles have both called repeatedly for “peace,” violence has taken over the streets. There have been fatalities, and dozens of people have been injured. Amid the commotion, something has been lost from view: Venezuelan society has long wanted to put an end to decades of apparent democracy, and oil profits for only a few. In the last 15 years, the country has made strides in poverty reduction, and many marginalised people were able to learn to read and write, and gained access to education and health care. They were also empowered to speak up, and to feel that one of their own, someone close to them, represented them in the presidency. But it cannot be forgotten that Venezuela today has serious problems, such as a high crime rate, a weak economy and excessive dependence on oil. If they do not understand the electoral snapshot represented by Sunday’s results, Maduro and Capriles risk riding the roller coaster of setting at odds the two halves of their nation, instead of leading them to a mirror and showing them the need to coexist and understand each other.”

Inspired by Diana Cariboni, IPS News ow.ly/kuDnM Image source Twitter ow.ly/kuDva

Children in Greece Are Going Hungry (May 18 2013)

Liz Alderman the American Paris based writer on European economics, finance and business has published an article in the New York Times titled ‘More Children in Greece Are Going Hungry’ in which she states “The Greek economy is in free fall, having shrunk by 20 percent in the past five years. The unemployment rate is more than 27 percent, the highest in Europe, and 6 of 10 job seekers say they have not worked in more than a year. Those dry statistics are reshaping the lives of Greek families with children, more of whom are arriving at schools hungry or underfed, even malnourished, according to private groups and the government itself. Last year, an estimated 10 percent of Greek elementary and middle school students suffered from what public health professionals call “food insecurity,” meaning they faced hunger or the risk of it, said Dr. Athena Linos, a professor at the University of Athens Medical School who also heads a food assistance program at Prolepsis, a nongovernmental public health group that has studied the situation. “When it comes to food insecurity, Greece has now fallen to the level of some African countries,” she said. Unlike those in the United States, Greek schools do not offer subsidized cafeteria lunches. Students bring their own food or buy items from a canteen. The cost has become insurmountable for some families with little or no income. Their troubles have been compounded by new austerity measures demanded by Greece’s creditors, including higher electricity taxes and cuts in subsidies for large families. As a result, parents without work are seeing their savings and benefits rapidly disappear. …A 2012 Unicef report showed that among the poorest Greek households with children, more than 26 percent had an “economically weak diet.” The phenomenon has hit immigrants hardest but is spreading quickly among Greeks in urban areas where one or both parents are effectively permanently unemployed…”

Inspired by Liz Alderman, New York Times ow.ly/kuDf7 Image source Facebook ow.ly/kuDeq

Children paying high price for scholarships (May 17 2013)

Pauline Rose the British Director of EFA Global Monitoring Report with her expertise themes of governance, marginalization and conflict, has published an article on Aljazeera titled ‘The world’s poorest children are paying a high price for scholarships’. Rose states “For many donor countries, a large proportion of “aid” never leaves their country. Spending this money on education in the world’s poorest countries could go a long way to giving the 132 million out-of-school children and adolescents the chance for a better future. Our recent policy paper, Education for All is affordable – by 2015 and beyond, shows that the financing gap for achieving basic education has grown by $10 billion in three years and now totals $26 billion per year. This increased finance gap is primarily due to donors failing to increase aid significantly to help developing countries send children to school. This finance gap can be bridged, however, if both developing countries and donors prioritised basic education. Currently, however, donors spend $3.1 billion per year on university students from poor countries to study in donor countries, equivalent to one quarter of total direct aid to education. This money is spent on scholarships and imputed costs (costs incurred by donor-country institutions when they receive students from developing countries). While higher education is undoubtedly important, allocating aid in this way does little to help the world’s poorest and most vulnerable children and young people and does little to fill the finance gap. …Donor countries should prioritise basic education by targeting 20 percent of overall aid to education. If they also allocated half of these funds to basic education, we could raise a total of $14 billion. This would go a long way in reducing the current financing gap for basic education. It will be even more vital to ensure aid reaches those who need it most as we approach the prospect of even more ambitious education goals after 2015.”

Inspired by Pauline Rose, Aljazeera ow.ly/kuD1T Image source Twitter ow.ly/kuCVg

The Promise of Abenomics (May 16 2013)

Shinzo Abe the 58 year old and youngest post-World War II Prime Minister of Japan and also the President of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) has been the subject of article by Joseph Stiglitz on the Project Syndicate titled ‘The Promise of Abenomics’. Stiglitz states “…Abe’s program for his country’s economic recovery has led to a surge in domestic confidence. But to what extent can “Abenomics” claim credit? Interestingly, a closer look at Japan’s performance over the past decade suggests little reason for persistent bearish sentiment. Indeed, in terms of growth of output per employed worker, Japan has done quite well since the turn of the century. …as many Japanese rightly sense, Abenomics can only help the country’s recovery. Abe is doing what many economists (including me) have been calling for in the US and Europe: a comprehensive program entailing monetary, fiscal, and structural policies. Abe likens this approach to holding three arrows – taken alone, each can be bent; taken together, none can. …Government efforts to increase productivity in the service sector probably will be particularly important. For example, Japan is in a good position to exploit synergies between an improved health-care sector and its world-class manufacturing capabilities, in the development of medical instrumentation. …There is every reason to believe that Japan’s strategy for rejuvenating its economy will succeed:  the country benefits from strong institutions, has a well-educated labor force with superb technical skills and design sensibilities, and is located in the world’s most (only?) dynamic region. It suffers from less inequality than many advanced industrial countries (though more than Canada and the northern European countries), and it has had a longer-standing commitment to environment preservation. If the comprehensive agenda that Abe has laid out is executed well, today’s growing confidence will be vindicated. Indeed, Japan could become one of the few rays of light in an otherwise gloomy advanced-country landscape.”

Inspired by Joseph Stiglitz, Project Syndicate ow.ly/kuCAs Image source TTTNIS ow.ly/kuCDc