Corruption
See the following -
"More Marketing Than Science" - An Anonymous Confession About Deceptive Marketing Published in the British Medical Journal
The British Medical Journal just published an anonymous article by a pharmaceutical company insider that explained once again how pharmaceutical companies turn research studies, apparently scholarly articles, and medical education into stealth marketing efforts. Read More »
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5 Civic Projects Aim To Make Data Useful
How can we use data to improve our lives, our communities, and the world at large? At the recent Microsoft Design Expo, students from eight universities showcased design projects along the theme of “making data useful.” Read More »
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Apps: The Afro Revolution
Five mobile apps that are putting key information into the hands of ordinary Africans Read More »
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Bad Pharma: Account Of The Bottomless Corruption Of The Pharma Industry Is A Stirring Call To Arms
I mentioned in September that Ben "Bad Science" Goldacre had a new book out, Bad Pharma: How drug companies mislead doctors and harm patients. I was sure at the time that this would be the usual excellent Goldacre fare -- lucid, thorough, and important. Now that I'm back from my own book tour, I've had a chance to read it and I'm pleased (or rather, furious -- more on this later) to report that this really is the usual, excellent Goldacre stuff. Read More »
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Beyond Property Rights: Thinking About Moral Definitions Of Openness
It is hard for Westerners to realize just how much we take for granted about intellectual property, and in particular, how much the property owner’s perspective--be it a corporation, government or creative artist--is embedded in our view of the world as the natural order of things. Read More »
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Carmen Ortiz And Stephen Heymann: Accountability For Prosecutorial Abuse
Imposing real consequences on these federal prosecutors in the Aaron Swartz case is vital for both justice and reform Read More »
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Chinese Melamine and American Vioxx: A Comparison
In contrasting China and America, pundits often cite our free and independent media as one of our greatest strengths, together with the tremendous importance which our society places upon individual American lives. For us, a single wrongful death can sometimes provoke weeks of massive media coverage and galvanize the nation into corrective action, while life remains cheap in China, a far poorer land of over a billion people, ruled by a ruthless Communist Party eager to bury its mistakes. But an examination of two of the greatest public-health scandals of the last few years casts serious doubt on this widespread belief.
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Citizens Against Corruption
Last week, the UK’s Overseas Development Institute hosted an event examining the role that citizens can play in challenging corruption. Read More »
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Citizens United
The Supreme Court examined the Arizona immigration law in minute detail, but when it came to revisiting the damage caused by its own handiwork in the 2010 Citizens United case, it couldn’t be bothered. In a single dismissive paragraph on Monday, the court’s conservative majority refused to allow Montana or any other state to impose limits on corporate election spending and wouldn’t even entertain arguments on the subject. Read More »
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Dazed And Confused: Drugs In Drinking Water
Drugs in Drinking Water: There is an unhealthy cocktail of drugs in your drinking water. With each sip, you self-medicate with anti-anxiety and even psychotropic drugs. Read More »
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Does Science Need 'Open Evaluation' Before 'Open Access?'
In an editorial accompanying an ebook titled "Beyond open access: visions for open evaluation of scientific papers by post-publication peer review," Nikolaus Kriegeskorte argues that scientists, not publishers, are in the best position to develop a fair evaluation process for scientific papers. Read More »
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Editorial: Campaign-finance Future Haunted by Montana's Past
Money spent anonymously to influence elections is almost by definition corrupting. If the public cannot make the connection between lawmakers' actions and the monied interests backing them, the temptation for almost extortion-like pressure is sure to follow.That prospect is very troubling. The future, it seems, might not be so far removed from Montana's past. Read More »
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Executive Bonuses: An Excess Of Crony Capitalism And Corruption
I recently had my attention called to a great post on the WSJ.com blog by Henry Mintzberg, a professor of management at McGill University in Montreal. Though it’s the opposite of the sort of advice one would expect to get from the Wall Street Journal, it was apparently first posted in 2009 and then re-upped in November, 2012: Read More »
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Ghosts In The Criminal Machine - How A Drug Company Can Plead Guilty To Federal Fraud, Yet No One Is Held Responsible
We have often discussed how leaders of health care organizations have become increasingly unaccountable for their actions. A recent, slightly obscure story shows how a corporate admission of guilt to a felony can be used to prevent anyone, including anyone in corporate management, from being held responsible for that fraud. Read More »
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Giant GSK Settlement Provides Reminder of the Pervasiveness of Stealth Marketing
The latest and biggest legal settlement involving health care to hit the news, that of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and the US government, has many familiar elements. [These documents] provide good documentation about how pervasive systematic, deceptive stealth marketing campaigns have become in health care. Read More »
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