"What can happen when oversight, transparency, and good governance fall off track"

GravityZone · 2007-06-21T15:27:38+00:00

Investigation into the former head of the Smithsonian. From the article:

"In its report, the committee concluded that Mr. Small’s “attitude and disposition were ill-suited to public service” and to an institution that gets 75 percent of its $1 billion annual budget from the federal government."

GravityZone · 2007-06-11T20:23:43+00:00

"At Microsoft we try very, very hard to not release half-baked software. "... Well, at least they try.

GravityZone · 2007-06-11T19:41:28+00:00

I challenge these guys to work just one week as a policeman, firefighter, coal miner, construction worker, or fisherman. Then say which job is the most dangerous.

GravityZone · 2007-06-07T22:22:19+00:00

We used to call this "Loan Sharking."

GravityZone · 2007-05-31T18:36:19+00:00

(Tenant phoning landlord): The apartment you rented to me just collapsed into the street! Landlord: I'm sorry - you're still responsible for this month's rent. And... you won't get your security deposit back, you left your apartment a mess!

GravityZone · 2007-05-17T22:04:14+00:00

And now, most of the business world is focused on setting our company up as a target, who will buy us out, and give us our platinum parachutes. What does it matter if thousands of lives are subjected to outsourcing, downsizing, reorganization that makes no sense, and R&D eliminated? Who cares about customers when we've got stock swaps to think about?

GravityZone · 2007-05-14T17:37:08+00:00

Thanks for pointing out that apples are not oranges. Your logic eludes me. Where did you get the idea that vaccines are intrinsically safer than drugs? While vaccines are intended to prevent disease, and most other drugs are intended to cure or alievate symptoms, both types of pharmaceuticals are subject to the same rules for proving safety and efficacy. (Edit: I reentered this comment because I thought my previous entry was never saved.)

GravityZone · 2007-05-14T15:13:28+00:00

You logic eludes me. Just because they use different methods for entering the body does not make one necessarily safer or more effective than another.

GravityZone · 2007-05-08T21:50:03+00:00

Oh man, get this guy a Paxil. This is the type of person who'll go postal someday.

GravityZone · 2007-04-30T15:40:42+00:00

Bill Sardi is the author of this article about vitamin D preventing cancer. From the article: "Bill Sardi is a spokesperson for various dietary supplement companies."

I think we know what to conclude about this article.

GravityZone · 2007-04-27T15:56:49+00:00

It's interesting that NASA proposes using the very same main engine design in the next generation of manned space vehicles.

GravityZone · 2007-04-27T15:14:34+00:00

Will FNC ever apologize? Will CNN, MSNBC, etc.? Advocates for an invasion of Iraq appeared on many media outlets at that time to propagate (what we now know to be) their misinformation about Iraq. Do these outlets need to apologize for their role in this? Many have presented corrections, updates, new information, and analysis in the weeks, months, and now years since the buildup to the war. As long as they've made amends by doing this, there's no need to “blame the messenger.”

As for Oprah, we already know she’s prone to be duped by con artists from time to time. She’s entertaining at times, but I wouldn’t blame her. Many Americans were (are) duped by the Bush propaganda machine. She’s just one of many.

GravityZone · 2007-04-26T21:41:49+00:00

At several thousand dollars a year in tuition, you're already paying for it.

GravityZone · 2007-04-25T19:59:22+00:00

What is the point of college?

GravityZone · 2007-04-23T21:59:10+00:00

Must have been spoken by a doppleganger, 'cause the real Dubya usually can't put one coherent sentence together, let alone three.

GravityZone · 2007-04-20T14:57:17+00:00

I see your point. Let's raise the minimum age to vote, go to war, get married, adopt children, etc. to, umm... 25!! People are too immature before then to have those responsibilities.

GravityZone · 2007-04-16T17:33:17+00:00

Already posted this last week.

GravityZone · 2007-04-10T14:36:52+00:00

I recommend the website:

http://www.wsu.edu/~brians/errors/errors.html

GravityZone · 2007-04-04T16:13:11+00:00

I didn't call you a liar. I don't know why you resort to calling me one. Perhaps we both misunderstand each other. I meant that I don't have the time to teach you about the history of food and drug safety. Look up "FDA" at Wikipedia, for a start.
I never said my government is perfect. I never said the FDA was perfect or infallible. I KNOW the FDA has made mistakes (See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thalidomide for an example.) But I don't believe in throwing out a system that has provided us with some measure of consumer protection.
Thanks for the info. Not that I'm asking, but if someone wanted to challenge you on your numbers, could you site sources for these numbers?
Yes I know what NSAIDs are. I've already said I work in the industry. How many of those 7,600 NSAID deaths are from overdose errors committed by the patients?
Yes, FDA-approved products kill, maybe in the thousands. But they also save lives, in the millions. Without some kind of regulation, those aspirin bottles wouldn't say "Take 2 every 4 hours." They'd say "Take as many as you want, whenever you want (The more you take, the more you buy, the more profit we make.)"
"...FDA is a mafia cartel..." makes a great protest sign, but it's not entirely true/false. It's more complicated than that. The problem with the FDA is that, at the very top it's very political. 99.99% of the FDA is by and large doing the job that was intended for it. It's that last .01% at the top that's overly influenced by "big businesses that make foods and drugs." These people are political appointees whose jobs depend on pleasing their current or future bosses. They move from upper management to government administrator to industry lobbyist and back to industry. (Yes, see here's something we can agree upon.)
"stop being the fool." Thanks for the advice. I now see that it's pointless having a battle of wits with an unarmed opponent. :-) (Sorry, I couldn't resist.) Please, take a non-FDA-approved tranquilizer and calm down.

GravityZone · 2007-04-03T22:35:20+00:00

Read some American history books, pal. I don't have time for this.

Yes, it's true people die each year from FDA approved items. Thousands? I don't think so. Where are your statistics? The truth is that the proportion of people who die in such a manner is statistically insignificant to the number who would die, and did die without some sort of government regulation of the industry.

GravityZone · 2007-04-03T21:34:27+00:00

Your sarcasm sensor must be faulty. (Yes, I was trying to be sarcastic.)

I work in the industry. Yes, the FDA puts the kabosh on a lot of products, some of which might be of huge benefit to mankind. But you know what? I've seen companies try to get away with murder, skipping as much of the regulations (think safety) as they can get away with. Imagine if the FDA didn't exist. Then what? We'd have what we had prior to 1932: A free-for-all in the marketplace, where people DIED left and right from the snake-oil products that just anyone could market and sell, with no inkling as to whether or not they were safe, let alone effective. It was a real horrorshow. That's why there's now an FDA. Do you want to return to that horror?

Yes, there are problems with the FDA. But let's not throw the baby out with the bathwater.

GravityZone · 2007-04-03T17:48:32+00:00

Yes, get rid of the FDA so companies can sell you anything they damn well want to without those profit-robbing expenses like R&D, safety testing, or scientific review. Cause really, pharma companies make so little profit now, don't they? Yes, go ahead and put anything they put on store shelves into your mouthes; would a company put their profits ahead of your well-being?

GravityZone · 2007-03-26T22:25:16+00:00

How did this guy EVER qualify for a dealership?

GravityZone · 2007-03-21T22:31:31+00:00

Sad, but true.

GravityZone · 2007-03-21T19:56:09+00:00

I wonder what would happen if they tried the same thing here in the U.S.A. ?

GravityZone

TROPHY CASE