Tuesday, May 22, 2007

American businesses just can't catch a break. Consider this story about pharmaceutical companies data-mining physician prescribing practices. As usual, the typical bugaboo of patient privacy rights is used to attack drug company efforts to better understand their market--in spite of the fact that patient privacy is clearly and carefully being protected.

If government or a Leftist non-profit were to perform such research to show evil-doing on the part of drug companies, nothing would be said. Much would be made, though, of the value of such information in understanding the cost and efficacy of the heathcare industry.

Not so much, however, when private enterprise does it.
English asks, and Russia refuses. I'm glad to see that Litvinenko's death remains a priority for someone. It's doubtful that his murderer (cough, Putin?, cough) will ever be brought to justice, but it's important that Russia's slide (back) into dictatorship remains in the news.
In this Gallup Poll, Ron Paul registers a solid zero. Nada. Zilch. The opposite of something.

And so, it suggests that Internet movements are less a barometer of society's politics and more an indication of how a small handful of very vocal people can make hay. This is particularly true at sites like Technorati and Digg, where Ron Paulism is particularly virulent.
Anyone who lets politics determine their diet is a fool. Someone who let politics determine their infant's diet is an evil fool. Here's an article on why a vegan diet isn't good for anyone, let alone for developing children.

It might make sense, from a health perspective, to reduce the intake of red meat and increase the intake of fruits, vegetables, and whole wheat. Naturally, increasing the "nutritional density" of the food one eats makes sense, and veggies are very dense. But, one makes such decisions based on biology and physiology, not on politics.

These "parents" found out the hard way. As the father said, "We're vegetarians; we are against animal cruelty, so why would I be cruel to my son?" How's that for asserting moral equivalence between animals and humans?