Code of Ethics?

Today, I read with interest the following news:

Like doctors and lawyers, teachers may soon be subject to a “code of professional ethics”, which includes clauses for disciplinary action over corporal punishment, private tuitions and other “anti-community” activities.

This led me to think not about the teaching profession but about the other two professions which are already under the “code of ethics”. Are our doctors and lawyers always operating with ethics? Has this code done any good? If this code of ethics was a deterrent factor how did our CJI get embroiled in the current scam?

Trouble is brewing for former Chief Justice of India K G Balakrishnan, with allegations of amassing of property worth crores of rupees sufacing against his son-in-law and former Supreme Court judge V R Krishna Iyer today demanded a judicial probe into it.

What is professional ethics?


Professional ethics concerns the moral issues that arise because of the specialist knowledge that professionals attain, and how the use of this knowledge should be governed when providing a service to the public.


The professional carries additional moral responsibilities to those held by the population in general and in society.

One of the most far-reaching recommendations of the code is setting up of a professional body like the Indian Medical Association or Bar Council of India, which applies to professionals in their respective fields and imposes penalties in case of reported violations of ethical practices.

As stated above, is it because violations are not reported?



I guess, in the end it all depends on the individual when it comes to integrity and honesty. No amount of “codes” can make one perform ethically if one puts more value to money and power above “professional ethics”.




Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_ethics http://www.indianexpress.com/news/scams-embroil-top-exjudges-balakrishnan-and-krishna-iyer/729883/1 http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-professional-ethics.htm

Honey, it is just money

It was not very long ago that Amazon.com upheld the right of their customers or their right to choose within the world's largest democracy by the following statement:

Let me assure you that Amazon.com does not support or promote hatred or criminal acts; we do support the right of every individual to make their own purchasing decisions,"

And if some of you missed this news and failed to see the kind of privilege/freedom it offered  to it’s valuable customers,

It was the following electronic book,

"The Pedophile's Guide to Love and Pleasure: a Child-lover's Code of Conduct," by Philip R. Greaves II, went on sale on Oct. 28 and cost $4.79 to download.

But sane customers were quick to lodge their protest:

The book quickly sparked a massive protest online, with thousands of Twitter users and Amazon customers calling for Amazon to remove the book, and some threatening to boycott the company altogether until it did.

Even if Amazon.com was not forthright in its intention, the author was, since he did not mince his words:

"I can see where they would come to that kind of conclusion and to a certain extent I wanted that kind of notoriety to affect the book. ... I wanted it to effect sales," he said.

But I am glad that this world still is still sane since only one book was sold.

Not sure if those aspiring pedophiles were scared to download fearing watchful eyes, but it seems before Amazon pulled the book, it apparently shot to #96 on Amazon's Top 100 list.

And now Amazon.com has chosen to block wikileaks and  most of it's sites are under attack by hackers.

Source:

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/amazon-removes-pedophilia-book-store/story?id=12119035&page=1
http://www.dailypioneer.com/303373/Amazon-sites-down-after-WikiLeaks-supporters-threat.html

The leaks...

Against the backdrop of wikileaks and after reading the following from Pioneer, thought I would re-post what I had posted earlier.

Secret cables, which were leaked by WikiLeaks, show that US diplomats and spies believe Pakistan army and its Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) continue to quietly back four militant groups -- the Afghan Taliban, its allied Haqqani and Hekmatyar networks on the western Afghan frontier, and LeT on the eastern border with India.


Some ISI officials "continue to maintain ties with a wide array of extremist organisations, in particular the Taliban, LeT and other extremist organisations," US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton wrote in December 2009.

Resolving the 63-year-old Kashmir conflict "would dramatically improve the situation", Patterson said.

Click to read the full article.

As for wikileaks, I continue to believe that nothing new has been revealed. Whatever is in black and white now has been leaked earlier in the media. Some believed while some did not. And now one can either take the stand of Mrs. Clinton and call them terrorists or one can call them a whistle blower. But even if it is late, America can now publicly acknowledge what they really think of Pakistan and it's leaders.

I also believe that the ones on the banks that are yet to come may be of help to the US citizens themselves. Are they not interested in knowing how the financial crisis came about and how those who are responsible for it are still being protected? As an Indian citizen, I would love to have the same leaks on my own government especially after the recent scams.

The following was a comment from my friend when I posted on FB that if US has done nothing wrong then why they should fear the leaks. 

That is very easy for you to say. It is like you having a frank, private discussion with your husband about all your neighbors and then find out that someone has recorded the conversation and given it to the whole neighborhood. The point is that the cables are and were meant to be confidential communications and diplomatic missions require such internal information to function well.

I did respond thus and further chat did not reach anywhere

Well, you can put it thus if you think you have been given the moral right to control every neighbour that lives around you..



nd feels it is right to maintain diplomacy/silence as you deem, even when you know that one of your neigbour is s...ending a dagger right through the heart of the other :)

___________________________________________________________________________________
My earlier posts on US's obsession with Pakistan and Kashmir.

For the carrot - dated 2-Feb 2010

Thus blogs the great enlightener of the masses..


Wow!

Nd why in the world should India be obsessed with Pakistan?

Oh yes… they have an answer to that too.. The much coveted seat in the great UN besides the great US.

And hence, US is dangling this carrot and sweet talking to India so as to end its stand with Pakistan since the great citizens in the US thinks and is made to think that all the problems in Pakistan ( Afganisthan , Bin Laden, Islamic terrorism) is only because of Kashmir (India). Literally speaking, every Pakistani wakes up in the morning and was waking up since Pakistan’s independence and thinks and was thinking only about Kashmir and the myriad ways to save the multitude of suffering souls in Kashmir. And now it seems US is also thinking along these lines!

And it is only we stupid Indians who is yet to realize this great truth… but let us not be discouraged since our government has realized it too..

Did anyone say that Bombay.. sorry Mumbai was attacked?

Another one posted on India Tweets

What an idea! (Dec 14, 2009)


Pakistanis should thank their government for their brilliant idea of nurturing terrorists; if their soil had not bred them would the US part with so much money?

Would their houses light up and would their thirst be quenched if not for the terrorists?

WASHINGTON - Electricity and water projects will be an early priority for nearly $1.5 billion a year in new U.S. non military aid for Pakistan expected to be passed by the Senate on Sunday, senior U.S. officials said.

The aid is included in a $7.5 billion, five-year package proposed by President Barack Obama as one tool to combat extremism in Pakistan. He has called the region the "epicenter" of violence and Pakistan is seen as critical to U.S. efforts to fight the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.

Kasab can have a few friends.. if not Biriyani or the noose.

Tomorrow would be yet another anniversary of that terrible day in November.


All is well, says State home minister R R Patil and opposition leader Eknath Khadse who visited Kasab yesterday. His mood swings continues to keep the media engaged. If one day he lunges at the camera, another day he complains of the food served to him and was heard asking for mutton biriyani. Yesterday he seems to have said “I have reaped what I sowed.”

But then, he was only a petty criminal willing to kill for a few more dollars. He had already made his pact with the devil. But now I am glad that he survived, else like many other confused Indians, it would have been hard to believe he was not made in India.

I know I am blabbering, but hasn’t the events that unfolded the last 2 weeks reduce us Indians to blabbering fools. What else should we call ourselves when we are robbed of Rs 1,76,000 crores! (not including the CWG, the flat and now the Mumbai land scam) Like a swishing sword, scam after scam has wounded us left and right and one has never felt so low in life. Should we continue to believe in our honest Prime Minister when he is more interested in being meek? The Congress needs to go, along with the Sonias and Rahuls even if the next could be BJP with the Yedurappas, Reddy’s and Modi’s. But let it be so. The country badly needs a change. But before you step down, if you still believe you are a man of integrity, please clean up the mess. Mess would be a mild word, with the media and even the judges now being implicated.

"With the CVC headed by former telecom secretary P J Thomas non-suited to supervise CBI in 2G spectrum scam, the SC should choose an officer of unimpeachable integrity to monitor the probe," he said. Upset at his offer being spurned, senior advocate K K Venugopal said he would rather argue for dismissal of petition than make any further concession.


You may bring back a few crores if you can, but more than that, it would heal the wounded nation if one could see a few give Kasab company. Kasab murdered Indians in cold blood while the elected leaders have killed the spirit of millions of Indians.


Edited to add the following:

Corrupt India: $462 billion illegally transferred overseas between 1948 and 2008



The poor state of governance is reflected in a growing underground economy which in turn has fueled more transfers of illicit capital from India. This analysis is cast in terms of a pre- and a post-reform period spanning a total of 61 years since independence.