Saturday, February 16, 2002

GM bug to tackle tooth decay. Scientists believe they have found a way to stop tooth decay using a genetically modified bacterium in a mouthwash. [BBC News: sci/tech] Certainly a novel use of genetic engineering! Of course, this means that dentists will now join the ranks of luddite twits whining about the evils of genetic modification. comment () trackback ()  9:48:14 PM     US planes rain dollars on Afghanistan. "C-130 planes dropped white-coloured paper envelopes with a photo of President Bush and two bills of $100 each," said Abdul Hadi, a resident of Chaman on the border with southern Afghanistan. [The Times of India] This is the most effective foreign aid program the US has ever done. No doubt this will make it very unpopular. I'm sure we'll be hearing from the various "international relief organizations" and the interim government about how terrible we are for giving money directly to people who need it (thus denying them their usual 98% cut). comment () trackback ()  6:15:26 PM     "Miss Cleo" Sued by FTC, 9 States for Fraud - What Took So Long?. The US FTC and 9 states want to clamp down on "Miss Cleo's" lucrative psychic hotline businesses, saying they are "permeated with fraud": "toll-free" lines that run up hundreds of dollars; telemarketers who ignore "do not call" lists; and "tarot readings" that are actually read from a script. Well, that's what I call cost-cutting. It's kind of amusing that you can be busted for offering tarot readings which aren't actually tarot readings, but you can't be busted for offering "real" tarot readings. Both are fraud. Both play on suckers. Seriously, why is one OK but the other not? [kuro5hin.org] I think it's a First Amendment issue. Tarot card readings are a sort of religion, so they can't be banned. Sure, they're a fraud, but then religions generally are. It doesn't matter, because people have the right to believe in whatever they want to, no matter how absurd it seems to others who don't share those beliefs. comment () trackback ()  6:03:15 PM

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