Word: gao
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There is persuasive evidence that the supply chain is easily infiltrated. A September report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) said flatly, "U.S. control systems cannot help deter illicit rough diamonds from entering the legitimate trade." Another disturbing finding: the U.S. reported exporting more diamonds than it received in 2003-- a remarkable trade imbalance for a nation without a single working mine. The GAO said, with bureaucratic dryness, that such figures were "not plausible...
...firms with a DNA sample in the form of a cheek swab and a detailed description of dietary and lifestyle habits. According to the agency, the reports peddled by these firms are in equal parts misleading, vague to the point of uselessness and based on scientifically dubious claims. The GAO sent in profiles for 14 mock customers - each with a unique lifestyle and physical profile - but derived from only two DNA sources. According to the GAO, the companies sent back a variety of reports. That suggested, in the GAO's opinion, that the advice had very little to do with...
...Rosalynn Gill-Garrison couldn't disagree more. The chief scientific officer of Colorado biotech Sciona, one of the companies probed by the GAO, says her firm's reports differed for each fictional customer because each report is a function of both the genetic and the lifestyle information provided. Change half the function, she says, and you?re bound to get a different result. And although she concedes that nutrigenomics is a young field, she disagrees vehemently with the GAO?s claim that her company cannot back up its reports with sound science. "Can we tell you that in 30 years...
...dangerous is direct-to-consumer nutrigenetics? It depends. Two of the firms probed by the GAO coupled their reports with a pitch for what they claimed were supplements designed to address the deficiencies in the DNA profiles of their customers. The supplements, one of which would have cost $1,880 a year, were not substantially different from those available for $35 a year at any drug store. It's not just about money, but safety too. As the GAO points out, not all supplements are harmless to all people...
...state has 40 to 50 different plans to choose from, and each insurance company is required to set up call centers to answer questions about the different plans it offers to help seniors pick the right one for their drug needs. But the lesson seniors should draw from the GAO report is that, whether signing up for the benefit the first time or renewing it, you need to study the plan carefully yourself...