Scientists call it germline modification. We call it designer babies. Either way it entered a new stage recently when Chinese scientists were able to alter a human embryo by removing a potentially fatal blood disorder. What’s to be underlined is that the technique does not only alter the fact for that embryo but for all the human lives that would derive from it. So it is more than just an individual alteration, it tinkers with the process of evolution and alters the species. Some scientists are now asking, is this a technique we want to use? They make a distinction between gene editing to remove Continue reading “Good Eugenics?”
Category: Social Issues
Institutionalized Investing
I had read about the rise of institutional investors, mutual funds, pension funds and the like, but a NYT op-ed by Eric Posner, Fiona Scott Morton and Glen Weyl places that rise in terms that require thought, if not concern. In 1950 institutional investors made up 7% of the market, today it is 70%. Among the largest investors are Blackrock with a total of 5 billion in assets and Vanguard with a total of 3.5 billion. These firms, which obviously buy substantial amount of stock, work for the benefit of their customers, not necessarily Continue reading “Institutionalized Investing”
Human Trafficking–Some Stats
Here are some statistics about human trafficking, statistics that require no commentary.
<>79% of trafficked people are women and children
<>Victims of trafficking are found in 106 of 193 countries
<> from 2012-14 the UN Office on Drug and Crime estimated 0ver 500 flows of trafficking from 137 different nationalities
<>Victims are compelled to act as beggars, enter into sham marriages, forced into organ removal, participate in pornography production among others Continue reading “Human Trafficking–Some Stats”
An Anti-War Lesson
The tragedy in Syria, now in its 7th year, is inescapable to anyone who cares about what’s happening in the world. We have all been touched by the number of refugees escaping their war torn country, by the number of casualties, by the number of orphans, or wounded who have gone untreated. There’s also another aspect to the devastation of this war. Whether it’s been on the screen or in print, pictures of the destruction of several cities seem unparalleled. I for one have not been aware of a country with as much Continue reading “An Anti-War Lesson”