Andrea Boggio

Italian Prosecution of Asbestos Boss Heads to a Verdict | Common Dreams

2011-11-24T12:09:00.000-05:00

Italian Prosecution of Asbestos Boss Heads to a Verdict | Common DreamsThe verdict will be issued on February 13, 2011.

Asbestos deja vu: House thinks litigation still a problem

2011-09-09T12:52:00.000-04:00

Reuters reports on today's House hearing on asbestos trusts and possible frauds associated with how claims are filed and paid. The allegations are that:1) claimants double dip by collecting money from in courts and from the asbestos trust funds in excess to their value;2) claimants back up claims for conditions that are not disabling with fraudulent evidence3) claimants contradictory reports in

ADAO Livestreaming Screening and Discussion of “Breathtaking” by Kathleen Mullen « ADAO – Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization

2011-09-05T15:07:00.000-04:00

On 9/26/11 at 6:30 EST, the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization - ADAO will broadcast in form of a livestreaming screening “Breathtaking”, a documentary by Kathleen Mullen who, upon her father’s death from an asbestos-related disease, ventures into a journey exploring current present-day use of asbestos in Canada and internationally.

Il legislatore che non vuol sentire la maggioranza | Associazione Luca Coscioni

2011-08-01T12:08:00.000-04:00

Commentary published in Agenda Coscioni (in Italian) on Evans & Kelley's US attitudes toward human embryonic stem cell research.The authors reports the finding of a 2009 US survey that shows that Americans are in favor of deriving human embryonic stem cells via somatic cell nuclear transfer--or better than they do not appreciate differences between deriving these cells from supernumerary embryos

NDP's semi-principled stand on asbestos

2011-06-17T12:57:00.001-04:00

NDP's semi-principled stand on asbestos is an interesting commentary assessing the anti-asbestos argument coming from the left in Canada. Here is one of the paragraphs:The arguments against asbestos, however, are logical rather than emotional. And the single argument in its defence -that it's harmless if used correctly -is laughable. In 2010, the top three markets for Canadian asbestos were India

Annual meetings elicit mostly yawns - PBN.com - Providence Business News

2011-05-28T00:54:00.000-04:00

This week's Providence Business News reports about shareholders' annual meeting at CVS. I was interviewed as part of the report with regard to the justification and value of these meetings. Link: Annual meetings elicit mostly yawns - PBN.com - Providence Business News

Canadian Prime Minister Harper reelected after defending the asbestos industry

2011-05-02T23:56:00.000-04:00

Canadians voters have handed Prime Minister Stephen Harper his first-ever majority government. During the campaign, Harper indicated that if he won the elections and the conservatives won majority government, he would work towards supporting the asbestos industry and the notion that asbestos should be reintroduced in Canadians' homes. While one can understand the concern for the local economy,

Spain: In a landmark asbestos ruling, court awards damages to victims of environmental exposure

2010-07-14T15:50:00.001-04:00

A Spanish court has for the first time ordered a firm to pay millions of euros in compensation to residents whose health was harmed by exposure to asbestos from one of its factories. These cases are known as cases of "environmental exposure." Previously, Spanish courts had awarded damages only to victims who had been exposed to asbestos in the course of their employment ("professional exposure

Spanish prosecutor Baltasar Garzón suspended

2010-05-26T13:30:00.000-04:00

Prosecutor Baltasar Garzón hits the headlines once again. Famous for prosecuting Mr. Pinochet in the late 1990s, Garzón investigated a series of complaints relating to more than 100,000 cases of enforced disappearances that are alleged to have occurred during the Spanish civil war and the regime of General Francisco Franco. The case is now ripe for trial. Yet, this trial is not welcomed by some

Notes on a previous bailout

2010-05-23T22:04:00.000-04:00

I am reading a Seth Borgos's chapter on industrial policy in the US (published in 'Managing Modern Capitalism: Industrial Renewal and Workplace Democracy in the United States and Western Europe' a book edited by Hancock and colleagues in 1991) and on page 75 I found this interesting observation with regard to the 1980 bailout of Chrysler: Chrysler Corporation embodied the ills of American

World Intellectual Property Day - 2010

2010-04-26T14:49:00.000-04:00

WIPO celebrates IP day. Emphatically, WIPO proclaims that:WIPO is dedicated to ensuring that the intellectual property system continues to serve its most fundamental purpose of encouraging innovation and creativity; and that the benefits of the system are accessible to all – helping to bring the world closer.WIPO's optimism seems to be odd with the growing sense that the IP system is hugely

Biobanks and the 'well-being' of humanity: integrating consent to research with the capability approach - Critical Public Health

2010-03-31T23:28:00.000-04:00

One of my papers on biobanks and genetic research appears in the latest issue of Critical Public Health. The paper (titled 'Biobanks and the 'well-being' of humanity: integrating consent to research with the capability approach') explores if and how the capability approach--an approach proposed by political philosophers Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum--can help us think about ethical, legal and

Washington, Bruxelles and the crisis of human rights - The Euros

2010-03-26T07:33:00.001-04:00

I published a short piece on the role of the USA and the EU with regard to advancing human rights. The point I make is simple: during the past decade, the USA has severely damaged its credibility as human rights promoter in the eyes of the international community (and by 'community,' I primarily refer to people rather than governments and international organizations). Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, the

Human Embryonic Stem Cells: Steps Back, Steps Forward

2010-03-24T10:58:00.000-04:00

[published with Andrea Ballabeni in the World Congress for Freedom of Scientific Research the bulletin, Number 10 (March 2010)] The scientific and political fate of human embryonic stem cells (hESC) is unsteady. In 2010, their use is still contested, and lab research suffers from that. It is increasingly clear that researchers need them, want to use them, and plan to use them for a long time.

The EU Commission and the Eternit trial

2010-03-15T09:53:00.001-04:00

Laszlo Andor, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion, indicated that the EU Commission will monitor the Eternit trial held in Torino as the implications for EU law. The EU Commission had touched upon asbestos disease several times in the recent past. Two examples are:1) In 2003, it had issued a Recommendation 'concerning the European schedule of occupational diseases':

Can we say that a parliament is bankrupt or that prostitutes populate it?

2010-02-19T15:16:00.002-05:00

After blogging about Lessig's remarks on the US Congress, I thought about what would happen if an Italian professor were to write the same things about the Italian Parliament. Would he or she be considered to be a thinker, an intellectual, who has something to contribute to the political debate? Would he or she be asked to talk or write on major networks, magazine, and radio programs? Well (the

Congress, Money & the Constitution | WBUR and NPR - On Point with Tom Ashbrook

2010-02-17T18:22:00.000-05:00

Recently, NPR’s On Point dedicated a segment on the issue of influence of influence of the private sector on policy—which happens to be one of my research interests. Building upon the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission, the radio program featured Larry Lessig, who recently published a thoughtful piece in The Nation in which the Harvard professor argues that

Eternit Trial: Pretrial motions

2010-02-16T11:26:00.000-05:00

A judge in Torino is hearing an asbestos criminal case against two major shareholder of Eternit SA. After a few hearings, the trial is not open. Pretrial motion are in fact still pending. 6392 victims filed motions to intervene as civil claimants in the trial. Under Italian law (as well as under the law of several European jurisdictions), a person entitled to recover (under tort law or criminal

New paper on assisted reproduction in Italy

2010-02-13T14:54:00.003-05:00

For the Italian readers: I just published the paper La procreazione medicalmente assistita tra diritto e clinica: il ruolo del medico (Medically assisted reproduction between legal and clinical practice: the role of the physician) in 'Pratica Medica e Aspetti Legali', an Italian medical journal published by SEEd edizioni, in which I discuss the professional, legal and ethical responsibility of

2009 comparative scholarship on mass torts

2010-01-02T19:33:00.001-05:00

The 2009 scholarship roundup published by the Mass Tort Litigation Blog lists three papers that address mass torts from a comparative perspective. Seeing papers discussing mass torts from a comparative angle is certainly good news as, traditionally, American legal scholarship and law school curricula have ignored (sometimes even dismissed) such valuable perspective. Here are some of the papers (

Freedom of Research: Brazil

2009-12-30T18:52:00.003-05:00

The World Congress for Freedom of Scientific Research published data on the freedom of research and cure in Brazil collected by some of my students at Bryant University in the Fall of 2008 when I taught the class Science, Law and Human Values.A discussion of the overall purposes and methodology the study are available here. Anybody interested in helping with data collection in Brazil (by

Book review of the volume on global health edited with Anna Gatti

2009-12-29T14:20:00.003-05:00

The review appearing in the November 2009 issue of the WHO Bulletin is authored by Richard Smith of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

A note to my reader(s)

2009-11-25T13:39:00.001-05:00

I have been blogging irregularly about various topics. At one point, I turned off the comments. Sometimes it feels that things are published online get easily lost in the tons of information that every second are added to the Internet. Yet, recently, a person wrote me and asked to blog about some news (here is the blog entry that followed that request). The famous Italian writer Alessandro

The Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act, our society and ourselves

2009-11-25T12:57:00.002-05:00

I have been asked to comment on the enactment of the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA). Title II of this law came into effect a few days ago. Under Title II, an employer may not ‘discriminate against any employee with respect to the compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment … because of genetic information.’ I do not feel particularly qualified to speak about

Marvel's Asbestos Lady

2009-11-06T17:46:00.002-05:00

It was 1947, and Marvel comics created the Asbestos Lady, a blonde-haired, brown-eyed knockout with a green mini-skirt, a purple cape, and a flamethrower with which she will try to take over the world! She wasn't a heroin: she a villain, which is certainly much more in tune with the properties of the 'mineral killer' underlining her powers.

A building full of asbestos near Milan, Italy

2009-11-04T14:11:00.004-05:00

A very will done report by the Italian TV program, Le Iene (in Italian, alas!) and on air on 11/03/09 tells the story of 55 families living in an asbestos-contaminated building near Milan. Built in 1984, the building is owned by the City of Milan and its fate is uncertain.

Drug-resistant TB, and human rights: a response to a reply

2009-10-10T15:32:00.003-04:00

The forthcoming issues of Health and Human Rights (Vol.11, no.2) will feature the paper by Limitations on human rights in the context of drug-resistant tuberculosis: A reply to Boggio et al. by Joseph J. Amon, Françoise Girard, and Salmaan Keshavjee. The paper is a “reply” to a paper I had co-authored with Matteo Zignol, Ernesto Jaramillo, Paul Nunn, Genevieve Pinet, and Mario Raviglione on

Asbestos: The Bill Gates Of Switzerland - Forbes.com

2009-10-03T12:16:00.003-04:00

This week, Forbes features a profile of Stephan Schmidheiny, the heir of the family that owned Eternit (the asbestos manufacturer) for four generations. Stephan is/was a major shareholder and board member of Swissair, Nestle, Swatch, the banking group UBS and the multinational Asea Brown Boveri. Stephan is a billionaire, the fifth richest Swiss business man; a resident of Costa Rica: a

From Nature: Japan relaxes human stem-cell rules

2009-08-25T09:28:00.000-04:00

I writing a short commentary on the new rules concerning human embryonic stem (ES) cells. I found this editorial published in Nature very interesting and I wanted to share. The field of research with Domestic regulation of human embryonic stem cell is very much an international one. Japan's new rules follow the new rules adopted by the NIH a few weeks ago in the USA. Domestic policy matters

Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal - Ethical Norms and the International Governance of Genetic Databases and Biobanks: Findings from an International Study

2009-06-30T18:31:00.002-04:00

The paper Ethical Norms and the International Governance of Genetic Databases and Biobanks: Findings from an International Study was published in the Kennedy Institute of Ethics Journal.Here is the abstract:This article highlights major results of a study into the ethical norms and rules governing biobanks. After describing the methodology, the findings regarding four topics are presented: (1)

CRAP paper accepted by journal - opinion - 11 June 2009 - New Scientist

2009-06-18T18:40:00.001-04:00

The New Scientist reports thata computer generated paper was accepted by a peer review journal. A graduate student in library and information science at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, "got a nonsensical computer-generated paper accepted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal."I love this stuff! The ingenuity of the student, the naivete of peer-review, and the thought that the system

Regulating assisted reproduction in Italy: a 5-year assessment - Human Fertility

2009-06-15T14:38:00.002-04:00

A paper co-authored with Gilberto Corbellini discussing empirical evidence of how well the Italian law on assisted reproduction is doing five years after its enactment appears in Human Fertility.Abstract. In 2004, the Italian parliament comprehensively regulated medically assisted reproduction. Law 40/2004 has outlawed several techniques and tightly compressed the freedom of research in the area

IVF and the health of the future baby

2009-05-23T00:12:00.002-04:00

Although bioethicists and policymakers often debate the merits and the permissible boundaries of assisted reproduction techniques (ARTs), IVF seems to be a (ethical) given even in more conservative legal environments: couples ought to be able to have children with IVF. It is important, however, to keep looking at health outcomes to make sure that the empirical foundation of an ethical argument is

Hans Rosling on HIV: New facts and stunning data visuals

2009-05-22T09:50:00.001-04:00

Hans Rosling, who wrote the preface to the book on global health I edited with Anna Gatti, presents recent data on the HIV-AIDS epidemic. Interesting powerpoint.

Fake peer review

2009-05-20T11:22:00.003-04:00

The Scientist reports that Elsevier published 6 fake journals. These titles were: the Australasian Journal of General Practice, the Australasian Journal of Neurology, the Australasian Journal of Cardiology, the Australasian Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, the Australasian Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine, and the Australasian Journal of Bone & Joint [Medicine]. [Elsevier] produced a

The Day The Endangered Species Act Died

2009-05-10T02:42:00.000-04:00

The Obama Administration announced today, through Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, that it would not break with the Bush II Administration's policy of abandoning the Polar Bear to its fate. Despite both the clear intent and letter of the Endangered Species Act to contrary, Secretary Salazar stated that "The Endangered Species Act is not the appropriate tool for us to deal with what is a

Research on asbestos litigation

2009-05-07T10:16:00.004-04:00

The semester is over and it's time to go back to an old love: comparing the compensation of asbestos victims and explaining how it contributes to our understanding of capitalism and modernity.

Swine flu or NAFTA flu

2009-05-04T12:33:00.005-04:00

Interesting interview published on Democracy Now! The video interview looks at the political choices behind the current pandemic threat with a focus on the livestock revolution:The swine are not in the driver’s seat. They are not in a position to organize themselves into what are now cities of pigs that stretch around the world.We really have to go back to the livestock revolution. Before World

The ethics of DNA databasing

2009-03-24T23:06:00.002-04:00

The Economist devotes a column to one of my long standing research interests: DNA databases.The questions posed is: "This house believes that people's DNA sequences are their business, and nobody else's."Craig Venter and Artie Caplan argue opposing pointes of view. While it is great that magazines discuss such an important topic, the Economist presents the debate in the wrong way as it lines up a

Another EU post on assisted-suicide: UK

2009-03-22T11:43:00.002-04:00

BBC reports that former health secretary Patricia Hewitt is urging MPs to change the law to allow people to take terminally ill patients abroad for assisted suicide.The proposed amendment amendment to the Coroners and Justice Bill would protect Britons seeking assisted suicide abroad from prosecution--i.e., the surviving spouse, relative, friend who help the patient to reach a jurisdiction in

Luxembourg becomes third EU country to legalize euthanasia

2009-03-20T15:09:00.001-04:00

Luxembourg became on Tuesday the third European country to legalise euthanasia after the Netherlands and Belgium, as a new law went into force.A law published in the official register said that doctors who carry out euthanasia and assisted suicides would not face "penal sanctions" or civil suits for damages and interest.The law was the source of great controversy in the tiny country where the

Roboetichs: interview in Corriere della Sera

2009-03-16T12:29:00.000-04:00

A Corriere della Sera interview on the ethical implications of robotics--tn particular on the implications of neural implants that produce deep brain stimulation to treat patients with Parkinson's disease. One of the issues is that neural implants cause apathy in the patients, this changing their personality. Did patients consent to the change of personality? What is their dear ones find the 'new

Video of paper delivered at the Second meeting of the World Congress for freedom of scientific research

2009-03-10T06:29:00.002-04:00

Video of paper delivered at the Second meeting of the World Congress for freedom of scientific research (click on minute 11:47).

2001 ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cells was lifted today

2009-03-09T12:00:00.003-04:00

At 12pm, President Obama signed an executive order lifting the ban of federal funding for embryonic stem cells. In his speech, he pointed out the fact that science serves humanity but also that science in itself is an exercise of freedom (i.e., science is free inquiry). ...promoting science isn't just about providing resources – it is also about protecting free and open inquiry.He also indicated

Interview at the World Congress on Freedom of Research

2009-03-06T02:34:00.000-05:00

Maurizio Paganelli reports from Brussels. The interview is in italian.

Pillsbury Winthrop's lay offs

2009-03-06T02:30:00.000-05:00

Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman sacked 55 associates, 10 paralegals and 90 support staffers indeed. Pillsbury is offering laid-off attorneys a chance to work for a year at a nonprofit legal services organization. Under the arrangement, the associate forgoes severance pay, and the firm pays his or her salary and benefits for a year. Rick Donaldson, the firm's chief operating officer, stated that:"

Which country has the greenest bail-out?

2009-03-05T04:26:00.001-05:00

The Financial Times published two interactive graphics reporting data on which country has the greenest bail-out. Here at the results by percentage:- South Korea: 81%- EU: 59%- China 38%- France: 21%- Germany 13%- US: 12%- Australia: 9%- Canada: 8%- UK: 7%- Japan: 3%- Italy: 1%

On global governance

2009-03-02T18:38:00.002-05:00

A provocative proposal to make global leadership more representative: Economists Vijaya Ramachandran and Enrique Rueda-Sabater propose a simple system for deciding who gets to run the world. Call it the Two Percent Doctrine: If your country has either 2 percent of the planet's people or 2 percent of the world's gross domestic product, you're in, a proud member of a committee overseeing the World

Law firm lay offs

2009-02-26T20:15:00.000-05:00

In this laying off frenzy, I found this bit of information funny:Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman inadvertently announced attorney layoffs last week, when a senior partner apparently discussed the firm's situation on his cell phone in a crowded train car. Full details, however, have not yet been provided, and the firm reportedly may not actually make these layoffs until March.

The Vatican and the US Congress

2009-02-21T12:30:00.002-05:00

PBS Religion & Ethics reports on Nancy Pelosi's visit to Pope Benedict XVI:Pope Benedict XVI apparently chastised Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi over her views on abortion. Pelosi is Catholic and pro-choice. After a private meeting with Pelosi at the Vatican this week, Benedict issued a statement saying all Catholics, especially lawmakers, should work to protect all human life.Here is the

Stem cells: is Obama acting slowly?

2009-02-19T19:50:00.003-05:00

The Washington Post reports that researchers are waiting for Obama to simply reverse the 2001 ban on federal funding on stem cells.Proponents expected Obama to lift the restriction in his first week in office, when he issued a flurry of executive orders to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, make government less secretive and lift a ban on funding international family planning groups that

Italy’s creeping fascism

2009-02-19T09:42:00.003-05:00

Discussing the controversial euthanasia case that is fueling the political and ethical debate in Italy on openDemocracy, Geoff Andrews rightfully suggests that,The country is at present dominated by intolerant public discourses and veering towards authoritarian solutions; in this febrile atmosphere, such an event threatens to become a serious constitutional crisis.

Death Ends Coma Case That Set Off Furor in Italy

2009-02-10T11:14:00.002-05:00

Over the past few days, Italy was the stage of a private tragedy that became a topic of public debate, constitutional battles, and political shame. A woman, who was about my same age, had been in a persistent vegetative state since a car accident in 1992. After 17 years, she eventually died yesterday with the assistance of a physician.About a month ago, a British philosopher wrote an op-ed. Here

The ethics of animal experimentation

2009-01-15T19:47:00.002-05:00

Today, I read with interest this paper on animal experimentation that was published today: Niall Shanks, Ray Greek and Jean Greek, Are animal models predictive for humans? Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine 2009, 4:2 (doi:10.1186/1747-5341-4-2). The authors look at the contentious claim that animal models are not good predictors of human response to drugs and other chemicals, and

Health and Development. Toward a Matrix Approach

2009-01-05T15:26:00.005-05:00

The book I edited with Anna Gatti, Health and Development. Toward a Matrix Approach (Palgrave Macmillan 2009) is available. A sample chapter can be downloaded here.Here is the Table of Contents:Preface; L. Brilliant and H. RoslingIntroduction: Toward a Matrix Approach; A. Gatti and A. BoggioPART I: THE GLOBAL HEALTH ARENAGlobal Health: Getting it Right; L. Garrett and K. SchneiderThe World Health

Science Commons

2008-12-23T09:21:00.003-05:00

A captivating video promotes Science Commons, which applies the Creative Commons philosophy and methodology to the world of scientific research. We leverage the existing CC infrastructure: open licenses for copyrighted works, commons deeds and metadata, international affiliations and more. We also extend the infrastructure into science where appropriate — creating CC-inspired contract suites for

Edited volume on biobanks

2008-12-08T13:01:00.006-05:00

The edited volume Ethical Issues in Governing Biobanks. Global Perspectives (Elger, Biller-Andorno, Mauron & Capron, eds., Ashgate 2008) is now available in print. I contributed with chapters on feedback to research participants, ownership of samples and data, public domain sharing and patents, and transfer of samples and data.Link to table of contents.Link to introduction.Link to index.

The financial crisis

2008-12-07T11:45:00.003-05:00

Interesting radio interview on the financial crisis. Here is the link to Jeff Frankel's Weblog.

Italian academia

2008-11-30T11:24:00.003-05:00

Parco BurcinaOriginally uploaded by tizianojA beautiful photo of the place in which I grew up made me think about how messy the condition of Italian academia is. On 11/29, a group of researchers from Bologna started the brilliant initiative of laying down the photos of about 1800 young researchers, most of them in their 30s as I am, so that people would literally walk on their faces while

To bring the tofu, or not bring the tofu?

2008-11-26T13:50:00.001-05:00

An article for vegetarians who have family in the States….Tofurky, the best-known substitute, draws mixed reviews. "Honestly, Tofurky is gross," says Ari Hershberg, who was a vegetarian for eight years. "You try and like it and you say you like it, but you really just want to be eating turkey like everyone else." (This may just be Hershberg: he went back to eating meat six years ago.) Others,

Bioethics and the US elections

2008-10-10T16:12:00.001-04:00

A short article on the upcoming US election was published by the Agenda Coscioni (available in Italian here). In the article, I look at the political program of both candidates, Sen. McCain and Sen. Obama, with regard to embryonic stem cells. A lot has been said and written about this topic. The statements from both candidates are sufficiently clear, although a closer scrutiny reveals ambiguities

Human rights and TB control

2008-06-30T17:14:00.003-04:00

The paper 'Limitations on human rights: are they justifiable to reduce the burden of TB in the era of MDR- and XDR-TB?', which I co-authored with colleagues at the World Health Organization has been published in Health and Human Rights. A more formal version will be published in the Fall.Abstract:Tuberculosis, in all its forms, poses a serious, demonstrable threat to the health of countless

The devil in the dark chocolate

2008-02-15T14:31:00.002-05:00

Food has become a hot commodity in academic discussions. I enjoyed reading this Lancet editorial on the benefits of eating chocolate:...dark chocolate that is rich in flavanols induced coronary vasodilatation and improved coronary vascular function in 11 heart-transplant recipients compared with patients taking a cocoa-free control chocolate. Other studies have also suggested that dark chocolate

Embryonic stem cells and the presidential race

2008-02-06T09:52:00.000-05:00

I published a short commentary in Italian - God, science, and research: the challenge of the primaries - on the American presidential campaign and the embryonic stem cells (ESCs) debate. In the piece, I note that, while general questions of biomedical research and its funding have not been to the forefront of the campaigns and the debates, the ESCs debates has. I then argue this state of affairs

Lessig on Obama

2008-02-05T00:36:00.000-05:00

Compelling ppt presentation by Larry Lessig on Obama (video)

Luca Cavalli- Sforza's comparative view of research

2008-02-03T09:54:00.000-05:00

In A Genetic and Cultural Odyssey, Linda Stone and Paul Lurquin reports on Luca Cavalli- Sforza's comparative view of research in the UK and in the US. Here is an excerpt: Cavalli's experience at Stanford during his trial year and later allowed him to form impressions of science in the United States as compared to elsewhere . . . science in England is highly efficient. This . . . is because

Who said people had to eat meat three times a day?

2008-01-28T07:40:00.000-05:00

Mark Bittman (NYTimes, 01/27/08) ends his article by quoting Polan's question: "Who said people had to eat meat three times a day?" In his article, Bittman provides an empirical account of why we should revisit the assumption that eating meat is good. Here some of the data:The world’s total meat supply was 71 million tons in 1961. In 2007, it was estimated to be 284 million tonsPer capita

American economy

2008-01-26T14:35:00.000-05:00

Wise words from Michael Kingsley on today's Time:We need a "fiscal stimulus" the way a drunk needs another drink. Let's sober up first

Italy's Malaise: La Vita Non É Cosí Dolce

2008-01-23T17:09:00.000-05:00

On the columns of the New York Times, Ian Fisher wrote "Italy seems not to love itself." In spring 2007, the Pew Global Attitudes Project surveyed 47 countries, and on a variety of issues -- life satisfaction, national conditions, immigration -- Italians had a distinctively negative outlook.

Investment Banker Donates $20 Million to Fund Stanford's Stem Cell Research, Therapeutic Efforts

2008-01-21T19:24:00.000-05:00

A California investment banker (and a Stanford alumnus) and his wife have donated $20 million to Stanford University for stem cell research.

Gomorrah

2008-01-15T07:58:00.000-05:00

This week's Economist reports on Saviano's Gomorrah, which has been translated and published in English by Farrar, Straus & Giroux. You can read the first chapter here. I really enjoyed reading it because of both the factual details in it and the its impressive narrative style. Each page is full of language discoveries, and keeps you wanting for more. For instances, the female mobsters are called

Will the Humanities Save Us?

2008-01-13T18:38:00.000-05:00

Although I disagree with the thesis presented in it, this is an interesting NYTimes post by Stanley Fish. I am more on Kronman's side, as characterized by Fish:The humanities do this, Kronman explains, by exposing students to “a range of texts that express with matchless power a number of competing answers to this question.” In the course of this program – Kronman calls it “secular humanism” –

Comparative analsys of biobanking policies

2007-09-14T16:59:00.000-04:00

A paper presenting a comparative analysis of biobanking policies (co-authored with N. Biller-Andorno, B. Elger, A. Mauron and A. Capron) has been made available on the website for the institution that funded the research.

The murder of Roberto Calvi

2007-06-07T00:19:00.000-04:00

I wrote previously about Roberto Calvi, an Italian banker known for his involvement in the financial scandal and collapse of the Banco Ambrosiano, for his enlisting in the secret and illegal Masonic lodge known as Propaganda-2 (P2), and for his mysterious 1982 suicide.On June 6, an Italian court acquitted five defendants who had been tried for Calvi's murder: Mr. Pippo Calò (often referred to as

Bondholder litigation against Argentina

2007-05-08T08:39:00.000-04:00

I recently published a short update on the bondholder litigation against Argentina pending before Judge Thomas Griesa in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Here is the link.

Encyclopedia entries on Italian criminal law

2007-04-06T17:04:00.000-04:00

I published two encyclopedia entries on Italian criminal law.The first is about Roberto Calvi, an Italian banker known for his involvement in the financial scandal and collapse of the Banco Ambrosiano, for his enlisting in the secret and illegal Masonic lodge known as Propaganda-2 (P2), and for his mysterious 1982 suicide.The second is about the Seveso Dioxin Disaster that took place in 1976 near

Craig Venter in Colbert Report

2007-03-14T17:35:00.000-04:00

Thanks to a fellow blogger, here is a funny clip on the human genome.

The Role of International Stakeholders in Genomics and Public Health

2007-02-14T18:46:00.000-05:00

My paper on the role of international stakeholders in genomics and public health has been published. The paper appears as book chapter in Genomics and Public Health: Legal and Socio-Ethical Perspectives (Bartha M. Knoppers, ed., Bril 2006): pp.221-237.

The Global Enforcement of Human Rights: The Unintended Consequences of Transnational Litigation.

2006-11-05T18:59:00.000-05:00

A paper on human rights, transnational litigation, and ethics is published in the December 2006 issue of the International Journal of Human Rights. The paper is available here.

Law and lawyers in the time of globalization

2006-08-07T22:00:00.000-04:00

I wrote a reply to a short piece written by Alberto Musy, an Italian law professor, on the Anglo-American lawyers dominate the market for legal services and the production of transnational rules.I argue that the causes of the Anglo-American oligopoly ought not to be identified with the success of Anglo-American law firms but in the ways in which globalization has taken place and in fact that the

Change of affiliation

2006-08-04T11:17:00.000-04:00

I moved from the Centre for Professional Ethics at Keele University (UK) to the Department of History and Social Sciences at Bryant University (USA).

The inter-generational conflict in Italy

2006-07-11T07:25:00.000-04:00

My latest writing for La Goccia has been posted. The issue is devoted to the inter-generational conflict in Italy. In Italy, young people often complain that society is not giving them enough opportunities, and that the primary reason lies with the desire of older generations to hold on to their positions without leaving much space left to newcomers. If that's true, what is the cause of that?

Review of Ira H. Carmen's Politics in the laboratory

2006-04-14T09:25:00.000-04:00

My book review of Ira H. Carmen's “Politics in the laboratory: the constitution of human genomics" has been published in Science and Public Policy, Volume 33, Number 2, pp. 161-162 (pdf)

Accountability, Please

2006-02-22T09:22:00.000-05:00

I wrote a short piece on ethics and the decline of Italy. After describing a series of 'unethical' events in Italian public life, I argue that the emerging theme that is common to all those instances is that in Italy individual accountability is not practiced. I then propose to draft and debate a bill that mandates that the institutional profiles that

Change of affiliation

2006-01-22T08:15:00.000-05:00

I moved from Geneva to the UK, where I am a lecturer at the Centre for Professional Ethics (PEAK) at Keele University. I am still collaborating with the World Health Organization.

The Compensation of the Victims of the Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease in the United Kingdom

2006-01-03T05:06:00.000-05:00

My paper on the compensation of the victims of Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease has been published in Medical Law International, Vol. 7, pp. 149-167, 2005.Abstract:Establishing no-fault compensatory schemes is problematic from both a political and legal point of view. In this essay, I analyse the process that led to the compensation of the victims of Creutzfeldt-Jacob Disease and its variant. The paper

Biobanks: September 05 presentation at WHO in Geneva

2005-11-05T13:13:00.000-05:00

This is the WHO link to my presentation at the WHO Ethics Council on 7 September 2005.

Biobanks: Charitable Trusts and Human Research Genetic Databases: The Way Forward?

2005-09-08T17:53:00.000-04:00

Charitable Trusts and Human Research Genetic Databases: The Way Forward?Genomics, Society and Policy (2005) Vol.1, No.2, pp.41–49http://www.lancs.ac.uk/fss/journals/gsp/issue2/boggioabstract.htmHuman genetic research databases cast a new light on the controversial issue of which uses of the human body are morally permissible.Human genetic research databases cast a new light on the controversial