In local news...
A provision in Switzerland's constitution recognizes the "dignity" of "animals, plants and other organisms," and a federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Gene Technology declared in an April report that vegetation has "inherent worth" and that humans cannot exercise "absolute ownership" over it but must treat it morally, measured case-by-case. For example, the committee said a farmer's mowing his field is acceptable, but not the arbitrary severing of a wildflower's bloom. The committee would permit genetic engineering of flora, since plants would still retain the "autonomy" to reproduce on their own. [Agence France-Presse, 4-14-08, Nature 4-23-08]
Ed: They get so nutty over this stuff here. Are flora really "autonomous"?? If so, where will the vegans go next?? Two words: SOYLENT GREEN, people!!
In April the Swiss watchmaker Romain Jerome (which last year created a watch made from remnants of the Titanic) introduced the "Day&Night" watch, which unfortunately does not provide a reading of the hour or the minute. Though it retails for about $300,000, it tells only whether it is "day" or "night" (using a complex measurement of the Earth's gravity). CEO Yvan Arpa said studies show that two-thirds of rich people "don't (use) their watch to tell what time it is" anyway. Anyone can buy a watch that tells time, he told a Reuters reporter, but only a "truly discerning customer" can buy one that doesn't. [Wall Street Journal, 4-25-08]
Ed: What kinda useless bajillionaire would drop half a mil on a WATCH THAT DOESN'T TELL TIME!?!? Apparently, only "discerning" people...which is good, since they'll have to DISCERN THE TIME. I guess they have personal time-telling people in their entourages for that. And of course, if you can't already tell the difference between DAY and NIGHT without a useless bauble on your wrist? You should probably be spending that wad o' cash on rehab.
Ed: They get so nutty over this stuff here. Are flora really "autonomous"?? If so, where will the vegans go next?? Two words: SOYLENT GREEN, people!!
In April the Swiss watchmaker Romain Jerome (which last year created a watch made from remnants of the Titanic) introduced the "Day&Night" watch, which unfortunately does not provide a reading of the hour or the minute. Though it retails for about $300,000, it tells only whether it is "day" or "night" (using a complex measurement of the Earth's gravity). CEO Yvan Arpa said studies show that two-thirds of rich people "don't (use) their watch to tell what time it is" anyway. Anyone can buy a watch that tells time, he told a Reuters reporter, but only a "truly discerning customer" can buy one that doesn't. [Wall Street Journal, 4-25-08]
Ed: What kinda useless bajillionaire would drop half a mil on a WATCH THAT DOESN'T TELL TIME!?!? Apparently, only "discerning" people...which is good, since they'll have to DISCERN THE TIME. I guess they have personal time-telling people in their entourages for that. And of course, if you can't already tell the difference between DAY and NIGHT without a useless bauble on your wrist? You should probably be spending that wad o' cash on rehab.
posted by Swizzies at 12:43
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