miércoles, 29 de febrero de 2012
martes, 28 de febrero de 2012
lunes, 27 de febrero de 2012
moral issues- discuss
THE American philosopher Ruth Barcan Marcus died on Sunday. Although best known as a logician, she did a lot of work in moral philosophy, and her work on moral dilemmas is worth revisiting. This month has seen a surge in political rhetoric over values, particularly in relation to abortion, with each side apparently feeling that the other is being largely unreasonable. Some social liberals feel that social conservatives are actually opposed to women's health, rights and autonomy; some social conservatives feel that liberals don't care about families or children, at least not when such concerns are inconvenient. You can find a bit of bad faith on both extremes, as a moderate on either side of the line would probably agree that there is some room for reasonable people to reasonably disagree.
Ruth Barcan Marcus
Moral dilemmas
Feb 21st 2012, by E.G. | AUSTIN
THE American philosopher Ruth Barcan Marcus died on Sunday. Although best known as a logician, she did a lot of work in moral philosophy, and her work on moral dilemmas is worth revisiting. This month has seen a surge in political rhetoric over values, particularly in relation to abortion, with each side apparently feeling that the other is being largely unreasonable. Some social liberals feel that social conservatives are actually opposed to women's health, rights and autonomy; some social conservatives feel that liberals don't care about families or children, at least not when such concerns are inconvenient. You can find a bit of bad faith on both extremes, as a moderate on either side of the line would probably agree that there is some room for reasonable people to reasonably disagree.
I had this context in mind when looking at Marcus's widely cited paper, "Moral Dilemmas and Consistency". She argues that moral dilemmas are real (as opposed to an accidental outcome of our failure to develop an internally consistent moral outlook), and that although we may be tempted to try to break through a dilemma by asserting more certainty than we actually feel—in other words, by asserting that there is no real problem, only an incomplete understanding—that's an ultimately unsatisfying shortcut. With regard to abortion, for example, she notes that people marshal a variety of arguments, some of which reference competing claims (such as the right of the fetus to live, or the right of a woman to control her own body), and some of which make prima facie claims (such as that a fetus is not a human, or that it is). She continues:
What all the arguments seem to share is the assumption that there is, despite uncertainty, a resolution without residue; that there is a correct set of metaphysical claims, principles, and priority rankings of principles which will justify the choice. Then, given the belief that one choice is justified, assignment of guilt relative to the overridden alternative is seen as inappropriate, and feelings of guilt or pangs of conscience are viewed as, at best, sentimental. But as one tries to unravel the tangle of arguments, it is clear that to insist there is in every case a solution without residue is false to the moral facts.
I think she's on to something here. Our desire for things to be morally clear-cut often exceeds the degree to which they are clear-cut. Individuals have varying degrees of awareness and acceptance of this. Some will accept that the dilemma exists and is difficult, although that doesn't tell us much about how they will respond; some will try to avoid the dilemma as far as possible; others are willing to get their hands dirty. People with a higher threshold for doubt, however, will push back by doubling down on the prima facie claims ("But a fetus is/is not a person!").
In American politics, it's the latter group of people who typically seek access to the system. A person who believes the prima facie claim is more likely to be an activist than someone who's a little more iffy. You hardly ever see interest groups coalescing around the fact that the members have conflicting intuitions, and asking the candidates to pledge that they will remain agnostic about an issue because we're really not sure and it's not necessarily our place to judge. This might be one of the reasons why American political rhetoric tends to be overheated or slightly paranoid. The good news is that the more temperate heads haven't disappeared. They're just not so likely to turn up on talk radio.
viernes, 24 de febrero de 2012
Vaccine against drug By Ioan Grillo
MEXICO CITY |
(Reuters) - While Mexico grapples with relentless drug-related violence, a group of Mexican scientists is working on a vaccine that could reduce addiction to one of the world's most notorious narcotics: heroin.
Researchers at the country's National Institute of Psychiatry say they have successfully tested the vaccine on mice and are preparing to test it on humans.
The vaccine, which has been patented in the United States, works by making the body resistant to the effects of heroin, so users would no longer get a rush of pleasure when they smoke or inject it.
"It would be a vaccine for people who are serious addicts, who have not had success with other treatments and decide to use this application to get away from drugs," the institute's director Maria Elena Medina said Thursday.
Scientists worldwide have been searching for drug addiction vaccines for several years, but none have yet been fully developed and released on the market.
One group at the U.S. National Institute on Drug Abuse has reported significant progress in a vaccine for cocaine.
However, the Mexican scientists appear to be close to making a breakthrough on a heroin vaccine and have received funds from the U.S. institute as well as the Mexican government.
During the tests, mice were given access to deposits of heroin over an extended period of time. Those given the vaccine showed a huge drop in heroin consumption, giving the institute hope that it could also work on people, Medina said.
Kim Janda, a scientist working on his own narcotics vaccines at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, said that based on some earlier research papers he had read, the Mexican vaccine could function but with some shortcomings.
"It could be reasonably effective but maybe too general and affect too many different types of opioids as well as heroin," Janda said.
Mexico, a major drug producing and transit country for drugs smuggled into the United States, has a growing drug addiction problem. Health Secretary Jose Cordoba recently said the country now has some 450,000 hard drug addicts, particularly along the trafficking corridors of the U.S. border.
Mexican gangsters grow opium poppies in the Sierra Madre mountains and convert them into heroin known as Black Tar and Mexican Mud, which are smuggled over the Rio Grande.
Every year, the heroin trade provides billions of dollars to gangs like the Sinaloa Cartel and the Zetas. Since 2006, cartel violence has claimed the lives of over 47,000 people in Mexico.
(Additional reporting by Jorge Lebrija; Editing by Anthony Boadle)
miércoles, 22 de febrero de 2012
lunes, 20 de febrero de 2012
If you discover someone has stolen your content, you should act quickly to have it removed. Since copyright laws vary from place to place, it is always best to seek professional legal advice from a qualified lawyer before proceeding. Here are some steps to consider:
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martes, 14 de febrero de 2012
As others said:
we got back to the better ways on Monday thanks to the Greek Parliament wisely seeing the need for austerity no matter how many citizens are rioting in the streets. Note that when my children throw tantrums, I don't give in to it either. And simply the government of Greece coddled their citizens for so long (with cushy government jobs, cradle to grave benefits, early fat pentions and lax tax collection), that they have no way of knowing right from wrong. So this was some tough medicine that had to be administered.
we got back to the better ways on Monday thanks to the Greek Parliament wisely seeing the need for austerity no matter how many citizens are rioting in the streets. Note that when my children throw tantrums, I don't give in to it either. And simply the government of Greece coddled their citizens for so long (with cushy government jobs, cradle to grave benefits, early fat pentions and lax tax collection), that they have no way of knowing right from wrong. So this was some tough medicine that had to be administered.
domingo, 12 de febrero de 2012
martes, 7 de febrero de 2012
Los grandes empresas de Mexico 2011 - rango mundial.
| Rank | Company | Country | Sales | Profits | Assets | Market Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 88 |  Am�rica M�vil | Mexico | $49.2 B | $7.3 B | $69.7 B | $110.1 B |
| 406 |  Femsa | Mexico | $13.7 B | $3.3 B | $18.1 B | $18.6 B |
| 485 |  Grupo Mexico | Mexico | $8.3 B | $1.8 B | $14.9 B | $27.6 B |
| 719 |  Grupo Modelo | Mexico | $6.9 B | $804.6 M | $9.8 B | $19.8 B |
| 785 |  GFNorte | Mexico | $4.4 B | $542.6 M | $47.8 B | $9 B |
| 810 |  Cemex | Mexico | $14.4 B | -$1.3 B | $39.8 B | $8.8 B |
| 864 |  Grupo Inbursa | Mexico | $2 B | $631.4 M | $21.4 B | $14.1 B |
| 880 |  Grupo Televisa | Mexico | $4.7 B | $621.7 M | $11.1 B | $13.8 B |
| 974 |  Grupo Bimbo | Mexico | $9.5 B | $436.5 M | $7.8 B | $9.5 B |
| 1010 |  ALFA | Mexico | $11 B | $398.7 M | $9 B | $6.7 B |
| 1077 |  Industrias Pe�oles | Mexico | $5.1 B | $513.7 M | $4.5 B | $13.9 B |
| 1097 |  Minera Frisco | Mexico | $5.9 B | $559.6 M | $1.6 B | $9.6 B |
| 1151 |  Fresnillo | Mexico | $1.4 B | $681.7 M | $2.4 B | $17.4 B |
| 1256 |  Grupo Carso | Mexico | $5.2 B | $571.6 M | $6.6 B | $7.5 B |
| 1344 |  El Puerto de Liverpool | Mexico | $4.2 B | $417.1 M | $5.5 B | $10 B |
| 1493 |  Soriana | Mexico | $7.6 B | $265.3 M | $5.6 B | $6.1 B |
| 1548 |  Grupo Elektra | Mexico | $3.7 B | $17.5 M | $9.8 B | $10.2 B |
| 1926 |  Kimberly-Clark de Mexico | Mexico | $2.1 B | $341.7 M | $2.2 B | $6.2 B |
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