Florida vaccine policy based on ‘careless’ research practices, UF faculty say
TAMPA, Fla. — A report circulating among faculty at the University of Florida’s College of Medicine sharply criticizes the work behind Florida’s recent COVID-19 vaccine guidance, arguing Florida’s top health official, Joseph Ladapo, may have violated university policy against “careless, irregular, or contentious research practices.”
Ladapo, the state’s surgeon general and a professor in the College of Medicine, recommended in October against mRNA COVID-19 vaccines for men ages 18-39. The recommendation stemmed from a state Department of Health study that talked about the health risks of the vaccines for men in that age group. Ladapo is the head of the state health department.
The seven-page report authored by a committee of College of Medicine professors echoed many of the criticisms raised by scientists across the country about the state’s study and recommendation. But while it said the policy and research were of “highly questionable merit,” the report, which was shared among faculty Tuesday night, did not conclude there was any research misconduct. And UF said it has no plans to investigate further.
David Norton, UF vice president for research, said in a statement that because Ladapo oversaw this research in his role with the state and not in his role as a faculty member, UF’s Office of Research Integrity, Security and Compliance “has no standing to consider the allegations or concerns regarding research integrity” mentioned in the report.
—Tampa Bay Times
Twitter to ease ban on political advertising under Musk
Twitter Inc. will relax a three-year ban on political advertising in a continued policy shift after its takeover by billionaire Elon Musk.
The company said on Tuesday that it will expand the political advertising it permits in coming weeks to “facilitate public conversation around important topics” and align its advertising policy with those of TV and other media outlets, with further details to be announced.
While it wasn’t immediately clear how extensive the changes will be, it represents a departure from a global ban on advertisements by candidates, elected officials and political parties first announced in 2019 by Twitter co-founder — and chief executive officer at the time — Jack Dorsey.
Dorsey justified the ban, which attracted the ire of then-President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign, by saying that “political message reach should be earned, not bought.”
—Bloomberg News
A gun in a raw chicken and cattle prods in a guitar case make TSA's top finds in 2022
The plan to hide a gun inside of a raw chicken was half baked. The efforts to stuff soiled money inside a pair of crutches stunk, and it was a hair-brained idea to try to smuggle drugs inside a hair scrunchy.
2022 was a year of odd finds and catches at airport security points, where agents of the Transportation Security Administration screen hundreds of thousands of passengers daily. The TSA recently released its list of top 10 catches at nation's airports, from inert grenades to peanut butter-smeared handguns.
Passengers are not allowed to bring weapons of any kind, including replicas, into the cabin of a commercial plane. TSA agents are primarily on the lookout for any threats to the safety of the plane but will report to local authorities any illegal drugs or other suspicious contraband they come upon.
These TSA discoveries go way beyond finding a tube of toothpaste in a carry-on bag that exceeds the maximum limit of 3.4 ounces.
—Los Angeles Times
Iran condemns Charlie Hebdo's Khamenei caricatures
TEHRAN, Iran/PARIS — Iran has condemned the publication of caricatures of supreme leader Ali Khamenei by French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo.
The Foreign Ministry in Tehran described the publication as "insulting and inappropriate" on Wednesday and said Charlie Hebdo repeatedly mocks Iranian politicians. The magazine has already been put on a sanctions list by the Islamic Republic.
"We will not allow the French government to overstep the mark," the ministry statement said, with the Tasmin news agency reporting that the French ambassador had been summoned. Charlie Hebdo published several entries to its #MullahsGetOut cartoon competition on Wednesday. Iran has been rocked by anti-government protests for months.
"We wanted to support Iranians' struggle for their freedom by ridiculing their antiquated religious leader and throwing him in the dustbin of history," it wrote. One of the drawings shows Khamenei trying to save himself from drowning in a lake of blood.
—dpa
