Stephan:
People get very freaked out the societal effects of genetics becomes involved. I think it arises from Nazis Eugenics, and the experimentation done on Blacks in the South by White physicians that was justified by genetics. It makes people queasy to to talk about. But that doesn't mean it is not a factor with serious consequences. This article deals with one example: birth defects in the Islamic culture where close consanguinity is a social norm. But, as I read this article I thought of two other examples of either enforced or elected genetic selection that has demonstrated societal consequences.
Those descended from West Africans have resistance to malaria because over time only those who were survived malaria in Africa got to pass on their gene line. That's why there are African Americans in the South. The original attempt to people the southern colonies with Irish peasants, English slum poor, and prisoners failed. They tended to die within 18 months of malaria or yellow fever. But Africans did not. Unfortunately, as often happens in genetics, the gift came with a sting. At the same time West Africans became vulnerable to Sickle Cell Anemia.
Ashkenazi Jews, another defined group, because they were ghettoized and isolated in Christian countries, and because intellect, which was portable, became a value trait in the Jewish community created another kind of skew. A greatly disproportionate number of Ashkenazi Jews have been awarded the Nobel Prize. Of the 850 individuals who have won prizes, 22% (if the peace prize is deleted over 24%) have been Jews. To place this in context: Jews comprise less than 0.2% of the world's population. It breaks down thusly: Ashkenazis have won 41% of all the Nobel Prizes for economics, 28% of the prizes for medicine, 26% for Physics, 19% for Chemistry, 13% for Literature and 9% of all peace awards.
We are genetically labile just like every other being on Earth. We should remember that when we consider social programs. Once again, it will be clear that the compassionate and life-affirming options are the best choices.
Bradford Royal Infirmary, in the U.K., where the babies who were the subject of the birth defect study were born.
Credit: Christopher Thomond
Marriage between first cousins doubles the risk of children being born with birth defects, according to a study seeking answers to the higher than expected rates of deaths and congenital abnormalities in the babies of the Pakistani community.
Researchers have concluded that the cultural practice of marriage between first cousins is a bigger factor than any other – outweighing the effects of deprivation in parts of Bradford, where the study was carried out. Marriage to a blood relative accounted for nearly a third (31%) of all birth defects in babies of Pakistani origin. (emphasis added)
The risk of having a baby with birth defects – usually heart or nervous system problems which can sometimes be fatal – is still small, but it […]
No Comments
Carl Gibson, - Nation of Change
Stephan: Yet again we have evidence that the compassionate life-affirming choice in social programs is not only the most wellness oriented, it is also cheaper, and more efficient. We see this over and over, so one must ask, why so often is this not the option chosen? Hate, a need to punish the vulnerable? Self-righteous superiority? Just plain nastiness? Given the evidence I think we ought to be asking this question.
It is much more cost-effective to build public, low-income housing for the homeless than it is to leave them on the street. This was proven in Salt Lake City, Utah. The only thing we’re lacking is the political leadership willing to abolish homelessness for everyone, nationwide.
For the perfect image summarizing how cities are failing to address chronic homelessness, here is a 2013 video of Hawaii state representative Tom Brower smashing homeless people’s possessions with a sledgehammer while wearing an Armani hat. If that made you angry, keep reading. There is hope.
There are between 580,000 and 800,000 people around the country who are considered homeless. Roughly 84,000 of those are considered “chronically homeless,” meaning that they’ve been homeless for […]
No Comments
Markus MacGill , - Medical News Today
Stephan: This is how powerful the illness profit system is in the U.S.. Passing laws, if they are not strictly enforced, is Kabuki theater at best. And this article from a medical website shows how well we are enforcing. Don't get your hopes up. This is a shameful report.
Data on clinical trials in people have not reached the public registry within the required deadline, “violating ethical obligations” to the trial participants.
The pharmaceutical industry is responsible for most of the clinical trials for which summary information must be made publicly available, since US laws created the public registry, but it is failing to meet all its transparency obligations, say researchers – yet there are worse offenders.
The drug industry is the main target for public disclosure at ClinicalTrials.gov. The website was set up amid concerns that pharma sponsors and investigators running the trials “were selectively publishing trials that favored sponsors’ interests,” according to the lead author of a new study reviewing the registry.
And pharma has failed, in the first 5 years of the registry examined by the research, to get data onto it within the required 12 months – just 17% of industry-sponsored trials covered by the law made […]
No Comments
Moral decisions can be influenced by tracking moment to moment movements of the eyes during deliberation, finds new research from Lund University, Sweden, University College London and University of California Merced.
