Archive | 2005

Testing Drugs on Indias Poor – Is it Ethical?

Now this is an interesting moral issue indeed, having previously discussed morality briefly, with the issue of Universal Morality (does it exist?)[/url] lets have a look at this.

Wired[/url] is reporting that a lot of medical research firms are using India’s poor as a hot test bed.

From the article:

The sudden influx of drug companies to India resembles the gold rush frontier, according to Sean Philpott, managing editor of The American Journal of Bioethics.

‘Not only are research costs low, but there is a skilled work force to conduct the trials,’ he said. In the rush to reap profits, Philpott cautions that drug companies may not be sensitive to how poverty can undermine the spirit of informed consent. ‘Individuals who participate in Indian clinical trials usually won’t be educated. Offering $100 may be undue enticement; they may not even realize that they are being coerced,’ he said.

By 2010, total spending on outsourcing clinical trials to India could top $2 billion, according to Ashish Singh, vice president of Bain & Co., a consulting firm that reports on the health-care industry.

Regardless of where clinical trials are performed, the FDA requires the same evidence showing that a drug is safe and effective before it will approve any drug, according to a written comment from Ken Johnson, senior vice president of The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Foundation.

So is this legal, or ethical?

You can look at it from various perspectives..

Are the big companies exploiting the poor by moving to a country with a weaker economy and offering less incentive for testing?

Do these uneducated people really comprehend the risks they are taking during clinical trials?

I know in Europe it’s quite common for students to do drug testing and it pays a lot, according to the risk and duration. I never considered it though, I mean just because it works as intended on a rat, who knows what it’s going to do to me.

Nevertheless, even before the anti-generic rules were enacted, companies performing clinical trials in India saw their share of problems. In 2004, two India-based pharmaceutical companies, Shantha Biotech in Hyderabad and Biocon in Bangalore, came under scrutiny for conducting illegal clinical trials that led to eight deaths.

I would imagine the insurance costs for such trials in Europe are MUCH higher aswell, perhaps they don’t even bother insuring the atendees in India as their lives are worth less?

Third World lives are worth much less than the European lives. That is what colonialism was all about,” said Srirupa Prasad, a visiting assistant professor of medical history and bioethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

This seems to be a fact.

Or are they just saving costs to develop better, safer and cheaper pharmaceuticals for the rest of the world?

Would you conduct in a clinical trial?

Is $100USD fair for you?

Source of quotes: Wired.com

Discussion on Slashdot

I thought this one was pretty funny.

So first they took away our call centers… Then they took away our IT jobs… Now they’re taking our priviledge to test dangerous drugs on the poor and destitute?

Damn you trained and abled Indian workforce!

It is a serious matter however..thoughts?

Tags: , , , , ,

Continue Reading · 6 Comments · Deep Thoughts, Serious Issues

New 18 Seat Honda MPV Released Today

No I’m not stealing Pauls job.

Here’s the new Honda MPV, I think it looks pretty comfortable with good aircon, but perhaps a little underpowered.

I don’t think acceleration would be great.

Cool eh?

Tags: , , , , ,

Continue Reading · 16 Comments · Weird/Humour

Cultural Differences Explained

This is for all you Asians who say we all look the same 😉

Aussies: Dislike being mistaken for Pommies (Brits) when abroad.
Canadians: Are rather indignant about being mistaken for Americans when abroad.
Yanks: Encourage being mistaken for Canadians when abroad.
Brits: Can’t possibly be mistaken for anyone else when abroad.

Aussies: Believe you should look out for your mates.
Brits: Believe that you should look out for those people who belong to your club.
Yanks: Believe that people should look out for & take care of themselves.
Canadians: Believe that that’s the government’s job.

Aussies: Are extremely patriotic to their beer.
Yanks: Are flag-waving, anthem-singing, and obsessively patriotic to the point of blindness.
Canadians: Can’t agree on the words to their anthem, when they can be bothered to sing them.
Brits: Do not sing at all but prefer a large brass band to perform the anthem.

Yanks: Spend most of their lives glued to the idiot box.
Canadians: Don’t, but only because they can’t get more American channels.
Brits: Pay a tax just so they can watch four channels. (or five, if you’re lucky.)
Aussies: Export all their crappy programs, which no-one there watches, to Britain, where everybody loves them.

Yanks: Will jabber on incessantly about football, baseball, and basketball.
Brits: Will jabber on incessantly about cricket, soccer, and rugby.
Canadians: Will jabber on incessantly about hockey, hockey, hockey, hockey, and how they beat the Americans twice, playing baseball.
Aussies: Will jabber on incessantly about how they beat the Poms in every sport they play them in.

Yanks: Spell words differently, but still call it “English”.
Brits: Pronounce their words differently, but still call it “English”.
Canadians: Spell like the Brits, pronounce like Americans.
Aussies: Add “G’day”, “mate” and a heavy accent to everything they say in an attempt to get laid.

Brits: Shop at home and have goods imported because they live on an island.
Aussies: Shop at home and have goods imported because they live on an island.
Yanks: Cross the southern border for cheap shopping, gas, & liquor in a backwards country.
Canadians: Cross the southern border for cheap shopping, gas, & liquor in a backwards country.

Yanks: Drink weak, pissy-tasting beer.
Canadians: Drink strong, pissy-tasting beer.
Brits: Drink warm, beery-tasting piss.
Aussies: Drink anything with alcohol in it.

Yanks: Seem to think that poverty & failure are morally suspect.
Canadians: Seem to believe that wealth and success are morally suspect.
Brits: Seem to believe that wealth, poverty, success and failure are inherited things.
Aussies: Seem to think that none of this matters after several beers.

Well there you go, next time you bump into an Ang Moh you should know where he’s from 😉

Tags: , , , ,

Continue Reading · 30 Comments · Weird/Humour

Penang Asam Laksa and Satay Cina (Pork)

There is another massive foodcourt on the way out of town towards Batu Feringgi where a lot of locals go, on a busy evening it’s *very* hard to find parking.

It’s just a whole bunch of stalls with seating provided by the stalls selling drinks, there are multiple stalls selling Laksa, Rojak and all the normal Penang treats.

The Laksa there was one of the best I’ve had, really really tasty. And amazingly fast, you got it about 30 seconds after you ordered, served by and old guy.

The place was pretty weird, one night I was there, there was a powercut about every 1-2 minutes haha, most of the stalls had torches or lanterns as they were used to it.

I had some O Jian too, which was much better than the one I had in Lorong Selamat (it was really lousy with tiny Oysters).

The other thing I discovered here was Satay Cina, which is a pretty interesting concept, they even had pig intestine Satay.

The stall was pretty busy, so I thought it must be decent.

Ok so when I do things, I do them properly, what better you ask than Pork Satay with BEER!

The Satay itself was ok, but a bit dry.

Still can’t beat the Kajang Haji Satay in Uptown, PJ!

Technorati tag: , , , , ,
Continue Reading · 11 Comments · Food/Eating, Malaysia, Trips & Travel

Famous Char Kway Teow, Ais Kacang and Popiah

So mostly I went to Penang to eat all the wicked stuff there, as you’ve probably noticed and I drove there this time so I was free to roam around, I chose not to get a local to show me around as I know quite a few places myself and I have more fun using a map and being independant.

The day after Roti Babi[/url] I went out looking for the best Char Kway Teow around, the one I had on the first day didn’t quite do it.

I headed out to Lorong Selamat (off Jalan Burma/Macallister) to find some famous Char Kway Teow, it’s been in the paper and shit so it must be ok, I’ve had the sisters one before with crab meat on top so I wanted to try this one.

I was greeted with the sight of a rather long queue..

And believe me when I say it was a VERY hot day.

What better to cool you down while waiting than some refreshing Ais Kacang!

It’s apparently quite famous in Lorong Selamat too.

But well really it was worth the wait!

Some of the hugest, freshest best cooked prawns I’ve had, it was really really good Char Kway Teow.

And a good sized portion, for around RM7 if I remember correctly.

I had some Popiah too, which were good, not too rich and nicely made.

Here is the famous lady with her red hat and safely goggles cooking Char-ing the Kway Teow.

Seriously, worth the wait!

Tags: , , , , ,

Continue Reading · 18 Comments · Food/Eating, Malaysia, Trips & Travel

Infamous blogger Wendy Cheng could be turn-off of the year?

According to the Electric New Paper, the very paper she so proudly boasted about being a columnist for, see where her ego gets her now?

Not surprisingly, she has inspired several hate sites, was abandoned by her sponsors and dropped by The New Paper on Sunday as a columnist as she didn’t meet the editorial standards required of our freelance contributors.

What cracked me up was this part..

Even fellow nominee Steven Lim sounded relieved when he found out she was in the running with him.

For those that don’t know Steven Lim, he’s hilarious, he’s quite a good looking guy, but he’s made a joke of himself, check out his site

Welcome to Singapore[/url]

Welcome to Singapore’s & USA’s Most Handsome Guy homepage!!!!!

Steven Lim- Famous Street Eyebrows Stylist In Singapore

Classic!

And check out what HE said.

‘I really think I might win, leh,’ he said, worriedly.

But he sounded relieved when he found out blogger Wendy Cheng was also nominated.

‘Oh, I think she has a very good chance,’ he said.

They said about our beloved XiaXue[/url]

SHE blatantly solicits freebies and invites to parties on her blog.

She’s ruffled many feathers for making insensitive remarks on her blog on everything from Malaysians to animal lovers, and launched many a vulgarity-laced diatribe against people who so much as rub her the wrong way.

I don’t read her site any more, but well I thought this was too good to miss and I should let you guys know about it 😉

All quotes from The Electric New Paper

What’s more disturbing is at the moment the voting for Best Asian Blog is going on and XiaXue has said that people are only voting for Mr Brown because they don’t like her, not because his blog has any merit.

I think that’s a good cause though, she shouldn’t win, there are far better blogs in Asia, look at mine for instance 😉

Technorati tag: , , , ,
Continue Reading · 21 Comments · Internet & Tech

Man Show Boy, Voltron Dancing and Chicks Fighting

On a lighter note, if you are bored check out the Man Show Boy at youtube, awesome funny stuff.

Man Show Boy at the Beach Man Show Boy Sells Girl Scout Cookies Man Show Boy with Fake ID Man Show Boy helps Old Ladies Across the Street Man Show Boy Sells Beer

Also you can check out these old dudes fighting, they’d kick your ass!

Shimi vs Max

And these 2 girls fighting.

Bitch Fight – Female MMA

The one in white clearly whoops some bad ass, but the one in black executed a near perfect arm bar, she just didn’t follow through 🙁

And the funniest video ever..

Voltron Break Dancing

Check out those bad ass moves homey.

Couple of dancing things too:

Hilarious Dance Funny Dancer and Rapper Crazy Korean Girls
Continue Reading · 5 Comments · Weird/Humour

Yahoo! follows in Google’s footsteps?

Seems like Yahoo! is trying to take over the world just like Google is (Gmail, Google Maps, Froogle, Google Base, Google Images, Google Groups, Google Video etc..)

Then Google bought blogger and got into the blogging scene.

Now Yahoo! is trying to catch up, first they bought flickr, now it’s just been disclosed they have purchased del.icio.us the blog aggregation service.

We’re proud to announce that del.icio.us has joined the Yahoo! family. Together we’ll continue to improve how people discover, remember and share on the Internet, with a big emphasis on the power of community. We’re excited to be working with the Yahoo! Search team – they definitely get social systems and their potential to change the web. (We’re also excited to be joining our fraternal twin Flickr!)

Source: Slashdot

Seems like the war is heating up.

Skype is crying along with their new owners eBay as Yahoo! aswell have just entered the VoIP market, adding good voice capabilities to Yahoo Messenger[/url].

The Yahoo! Internet portal is extending the use of its VoIP capacity built into its Instant Messenger product to take on Skype. The company says that within the next few days it will be debuting a new service ‘Phone Out’, with cheap call charges from computers to phones, and ‘Phone In’, a budget priced subscription service for phone callers to call computer users.

Source: PCPro

I like Google Talk[/url] though, the voice quality is very good.

Google is also piloting it’s click to call service.

Gmail has got RSS support finally, but it’s only one line at the top, pretty neat still.

Google’s Gmail email service now sports a new feature for displaying RSS feeds, dubbed Web Clips. You might remember this name, as it is the same name Google Desktop refers to RSS feeds. Web Clips for Gmail were announced a long time ago sometime during the summer but they were finally stable enough to release to the general public. You can check out the what’s new page for Gmail here. Essentially, you subscribe to a bunch of feeds and everytime you log into Gmail it loads the lastest title from each feed which you can scroll through with left/right arrows. Don’t forget to check the actual post about Web Clips for Gmail on the Google Blog

Source: Slashdot

I also found VoIPbuster[/url] by chance, which has some very nice rates for international calls, some destinations are free as long as you have $10 credit.

Technorati tag: , , ,
Continue Reading · 3 Comments · Internet & Tech

Roti Babi – Politcally Incorrect?

I thought it was pretty funny anyway almost like an oxymoron, but well that’s me and my rudimentary understanding of Malay. It intruiged me though, so I had to try some, even though I was pretty full (after my second plate of Char Kway Teow)..

I had some chicken wings to go with it, which were ok, but totally lose to the ones in Bandar Sri Damansara.

They were the crispy type..

The Roti Babi was actually nice, something like french toast with pork mince inside, served with some chilli sauce.

What I found funny about the whole thing though, was the fact the Roti Babi was operating right next to a Satay stall with Halal stickers plastered all over it..

That shows you, Malaysia is a tolerant country, at least in some aspects.

Yesterday I posted too early, I posted before I’d even had breakfast and almost killed myself from hunger pangs in the process!

Policy today was eat first, then post 😉

Technorati tag: , , , , ,
Continue Reading · 18 Comments · Food/Eating

My Trip to Penang – Char Kway Teow & Hokkien Mee

So a while before I came to Brunei, I took a small trip to Penang, to get out of the city, away from the traffic and see a bit of nice scenery (and eat loads of nice food of course).

So I drove down, the traffic wasn’t too bad, and arrived during fairly nice weather.

Of course the first thing I did after finding somewhere to stay was go and find some food!

I heard there were some good places down Gurney, so I went to check it out.

I ended up munching down some Char Kway Teow (which was very good):

Some Wan Tan Mee (which was very much just “ok”), I’ve had better in KL:

And some ‘Hokkien Mee’, which to my surprise turned out to be what we call in KL Prawn Mee.

Which was good, I had some better on other days though, which I’ll post about later 😉

Round 2, 3, 4…and more eating continued soon 🙂

Technorati tag: , , , , ,
Continue Reading · 20 Comments · Food/Eating, Malaysia, Trips & Travel