Monday, March 19, 2012

News and Events - 20 Mar 2012




19.03.2012 15:00:00

by


counterfeitdrugs.jpg
Last week, the U.S. Sentate unanimously passed a bill sponsored by Patrick Leahy (D-VT ,
S. 1886, the Counterfeit Drug Penalty Enhancement Act of 2011. The Bill increases penalties for trafficking counterfeit drugs.

Currently, it is illegal to introduce counterfeit drugs into interstate commerce, but the penalties are the same as for illegal trafficking other goods, such as electronics or other merchandise. In essence, the penalties for copying a company's logo on a prescription bottle were more severe than for making and selling counterfeit drugs. The Bill targets violators who knowingly manufacture, sell, or traffic counterfeit medicines in the United States.

Senator Leahy was clearly pleased with the result and is urging the House to act quickly on the Senate's lead,
stating:

We cannot allow the counterfeiting of life-saving medicine to be just one more low-risk venture from which international organized criminals can profit . . . While we should not expect that enactment of this or any legislation will completely deter the serious problem of counterfeit medication entering the American supply chain, it is an important step in the fight. I urge the House of Representatives to act quickly on this legislation.


Worldwide counterfeit medicines are a multi-billion dollar industry, and growing at an alarming pace, especially over the internet. These medicines pose a serious threat to the health and safety of unsuspecting Americans . . .The House should act as quickly as possible to ensure that counterfeit drug traffickers are punished accordingly for putting people's lives at risk with this serious crime.

Continue Reading



18.03.2012 9:00:00

The federal government's illegal war on drugs is big business for lobbyists who profit on making sure you never have access to marijuana, whether for recreational or medicinal purposes. And one such lobbyist, John Lovell, reportedly raked in nearly $400,000 from the...



18.03.2012 8:45:30
Rome - The Health Ministry has recalled hair-loss treatment drug "Crescina", on grounds that it doesn't make hair re-grow. Consumer organisation Codacons announced that it will take legal action against the move in support of those people who have already bought the drug. "All the people who bought the product, out of confidence in the miraculous effects of Crescina, have the right to be refunded.





Nanogen for hair loss




19.03.2012 1:59:30

AFTER securing a $40m judgment against a newspaper that criticised him and jail sentences for its employees, Ecuador's president
announced he would pardon them.
The Economist
's readers supported this decision:
77% of them said they supported the pardon.

This week's poll concerns American drug policy. Continuing violence spawned by the drug war has led to
increased calls for legalisation. However, the United States insists it has
no plans to reconsider its ban. Do you think the American government will ever change its mind?
Let us know.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2012/03/economist-asks-0#comments



19.03.2012 17:32:51
NHRC asked the Health Ministry and state officials to respond within six weeks or face action under law.



19.03.2012 1:00:58
Led by Boxer and DeFazio, Bicameral Letter Calls for Reversal of Two Decade-Old Labeling Policy, Supports CFS Legal Petition In Only 6 Months, Already 850,000+ Public Comments To FDA In Support Of Labeling This morning a bicameral letter signed by 55 Members of Congress was sent to U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg calling on the agency to require the labeling of genetically engineered (GE foods. The bicameral, bipartisan letter led by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA and Congressman Peter DeFazio (D-OR was written in support of a legal petition filed by the Center for Food Safety (CFS on behalf of the Just Label It campaign and its nearly 400 partner organizations and businesses; many health, consumer, environmental, and farming organizations, as well as food companies, are also signatories. Since CFS filed the labeling petition in October 2011, the public has submitted over 850,000 comments in support of labeling.



19.03.2012 7:53:41

The revelation that Australia has recorded it first death related to use of the abortion pill RU486 has prompted a warning from the gynaecologist who supported the drug's legalisation in Australia.




bmarler@marlerclark.com (Bill Marler
18.03.2012 12:59:01
I was sitting in my office in Seattle watching the snowfall on this St. Patrick's Day, while working on one of the latest food disasters, when the staff at Food Safety News reminded me that my "Publisher's Platform" was due. After spending most of my day reading about the horrible illnesses and deaths caused by eating
Listeria cantaloupes, I honestly needed something a bit more positive to write about.


12629691310aJ7ZC.jpgFor those who have known me for sometime you have often heard me say: "put me out of business."  But, I doubt most know when I first said it.  It was in an Op-ed in the Denver Post on August 4, 2002, entitled, "Four steps to safer food." Here it is in full:

This summer, scores of Americans, most of them small children or senior citizens, have already or will become deathly ill after eating ground beef boldly labeled "USDA approved."
The now infamous ConAgra case started with a few sick kids in Colorado and quickly spread coast-to-coast, eventually triggering the recall of 18 million pounds of ground beef tainted with E. coli.

Now we know that this recall came weeks late, after most of that meat had been consumed by innocent consumers from Washington State to New Jersey. Because they trusted government's food inspections, several kids suffered kidney failure and spent days or weeks hooked up to kidney dialysis machines. For some, the long-term prognosis is grim, with the risk of further kidney failure, dialysis, transplants or worse. I know this because I am a trial lawyer who has built a practice on food pathogens. Many of those kids' parents have hired me to help them get compensation for hundreds of thousands in medical costs. Which may prompt some readers to consider me a blood-sucking ambulance chaser who exploits other people's personal tragedies.

If that's the case, here's my plea:

Put me out of business. Please.

For this trial lawyer, E. coli has been a successful practice - and a heart-breaking one. I'm tired of visiting with horribly sick kids who did not have to be sick in the first place. I'm outraged with a food industry that allows E. coli and other poisons to reach consumers, and a federal regulatory system that does nothing about it.

Stop making kids sick - and I'll happily move on. Here's how:

Actually inspect and sample food. At present, the U.S. Department of Agriculture employs thousands of inspectors across the nation to inspect hundreds of plants that produce millions of pounds of beef at processing plants and retail outlets. The General Accounting Office has warned that the USDA's food samplings are so scattered and infrequent that there is little chance of detecting microscopic E. coli or any other pathogen.

So hire more inspectors and give them real authority to sample meat and stop its distribution as soon as a pathogen is detected. Implement a sampling system that provides a reasonable chance of preventing another outbreak.

Doing so might add a nickel a pound - maybe less - to the price of hamburger. But it will also cut into my business. And isn't that the idea?

Consider mandatory recall authority. This authority was required in Sen. Tom Harkin's Safer Meat, Poultry and Foods Act of 2002. Under the present system of voluntary recalls, no company has actually refused to recall contaminated product. But in its recent report, the GAO did document several instances where companies delayed complying with recall requests. Delays mean tainted product has more time to reach consumers.

Require the meat industry to document where specific lots of food are sold. That way, it can be recalled quickly if a pathogen is detected. In most E. coli outbreaks, there is no recall because retailers don't know where the meat came from and processors rarely step forward. ConAgra deserves credit for owning up to its responsibility to track down as much of the tainted meat as possible and for covering the medical costs of its victims.

But ConAgra is the exception. Timely online records would allow meat to be efficiently tracked down and recalled as soon as inspectors get a positive test result. Those plastic club cards issued by grocery chains could enable stores to contact specific individuals who have bought suspect ground beef. Merge the two federal agencies responsible for food safety. Right now USDA's Food Safety Inspection Service and the inspection arm of the Food and Drug Administration share this mission. The system is bifurcated, which leads to turf wars and split responsibilities. We need one independent agency that deals with food-borne pathogens.

None of this will stop E. coli entirely. This invisible poison has been around a long time and is bound to pop up again. But these steps will enable us to detect it far more quickly, to alert stores and families, and to keep our most vulnerable citizens - kids and seniors - out of harm's way. And, with a little luck, it will force one more damn trial lawyer to find another line of work.


Fact: 
E. coli O157:H7 cases were down 44% in 2010 compared to 1996-1998.  See,
Vital Signs: Incidence and Trends of Infection with Pathogens Transmitted Commonly Through Food --- Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, 10 U.S. Sites, 1996--2010.


m6022a5f1.gifI sit here now working on the cases of two 80 plus year olds, who fought in World War II, (splitting three purple hearts between them - coming home as heroes who got married, who raised families and who then died from eating cantaloupes tainted with Listeria. 

In years past, my Saturday would have been focused on a 5-year-old who had died or suffered from acute kidney failure (
hemolytic uremic syndrome - HUS due to E. coli O157:H7 in hamburger. From 1993 though 2003, most of my firm's revenue was directly related to E. coli O157:H7 in hamburger. That has changed and changed for the better.

To the beef industry -- yes, including those who sell
"pink slime" -- thank you for meeting my challenge. That being said, there is still much the industry can do. Shiga-toxin producing E. coli will always be an issue, and antibiotic resistant Salmonella, and other bad bugs we do not even know about lurk around the corner. The industry cannot let up. Even with the success there still have been people like
Stephanie Smith and
Abby Fenstermaker who remind you the battle will likely always have to be fought.

However, to the beef industry, take some solace that you have been doing a far better job on food safety -- and doing really well not putting money in my pocket.  

Well, back to cantaloupe.





19.03.2012 17:36:00

Dana Thornton was admitted to pretrial intervention and will be required to see a probation officer, complete 50 hours of community service and undergo a psychological evaluation


dana-thornton.jpg


Dana Thornton, pictured in a November photo, today was admitted to pretrial intervention after she was accused of creating a fake Facebook page to mock her ex-boyfriend, a Parsippany police detective.









BELLEVILLE — A Belleville woman accused of creating a fake Facebook page to humiliate her ex-boyfriend – a Parsippany police detective – was admitted into the state’s Pretrial Intervention program today.

Dana Thornton, 41, faces a single charge of identity theft, but that charge would be dismissed if she successfully completes PTI.

Superior Court Judge David Ironson, sitting in Morristown, this morning admitted Thornton into the PTI program for one year. Thornton will be required to regularly see a probation officer, complete 50 hours of community service and undergo a psychological evaluation, as part of the conditions imposed by Ironson.

Ironson told Thornton, “PTI is not a right. It is an opportunity to get the charges dismissed” upon successful completion of the program. Otherwise, the charges would be reinstated.

Thornton’s application for PTI represented a change of legal strategy. She had previously rejected the state’s offer of PTI, saying she “didn’t do anything wrong.”

Thornton’s former attorney, Richie Roberts, withdrew from the case after the rejection, but she hired a new attorney, Vincent Sanzone, and wound up applying for PTI with his assistance.

Morris County Assistant Prosecutor Michael Werner said his office is not opposing Thornton's entrance into PTI.

Thornton allegedly created the fake Facebook page in the name of Parsippany narcotics detective Michael Lasalandra on which the impersonated officer admitted using drugs, having herpes and going to prostitutes.

The fake posts included, "I’m a sick piece of scum with a gun" and "I’m an undercover narcotics detective that gets high every day," according to a brief filed by the prosecution.

Previous coverage:


N.J. woman accused of making fake Facebook page to mock ex-boyfriend wants to enter pretrial intervention


Belleville woman who made fake Facebook page to spite ex-boyfriend wants new lawyer

Editorial:
Woman who made fake Facebook page for ex should be tried on identity theft charges


Judge rules case of Belleville woman's fake Facebook page can proceed

Saturday, March 17, 2012

News and Events - 18 Mar 2012




16.03.2012 22:20:00
?Latin American Presidents' Calls For Legalization Debate Go Unheeded At UN Drug Policy MeetingThe annual Drug War meeting of the United Nations is just wrapping up in Vienna, and sadly, none of the sentiments recently expressed by Latin American presidents about the need to consider legalization were raised during the sessions."Alarmingly, the U.S. even opposed amending one of its resolutions to include mention of the need to consider human rights when implementing drug policies," Tom Angell, media relations director at Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP , told Toke of the Town on Friday morning.Even while several Latin American presidents are calling for an outright debate on drug legalization, delegates at the United Nations Commission on Narcotic Drugs meeting this week failed to even discuss a change in the global prohibitionist drug treaties, reports a group of judges, prosecutors and jailers who were at the meeting in Vienna to promote reform.
Continue reading "Human Rights Is A Foreign Concept In The UN's War On Drugs" >



17.03.2012 1:10:00

A claim for restitution filed by Pennsylvania's attorney general caused a last-minute delay in the sentencing of
Merck & Co. (MRK for its violation of a federal drug law in connection with its marketing of former painkiller Vioxx.

At a hearing Friday in federal court in Boston, U.S. District Judge Patti Saris delayed Merck's sentencing until April 19 to allow for more time to consider the Pennsylvania claim. Merck was originally scheduled to be sentenced Friday.

Merck, of Whitehouse Station, N.J., agreed in November to pay $950 million and plead guilty to a misdemeanor charge of marketing a misbranded drug, to resolve government allegations that the company illegally promoted Vioxx and deceived the government about the drug's safety.

The government alleged Merck promoted Vioxx for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis before that use was approved by regulators. A portion of the $950 million settlement also was to resolve parallel civil allegations that Merck made false and misleading statements about Vioxx's safety, causing government health programs to pay for the drug's use. Merck denied the civil allegations.

Merck had withdrawn Vioxx from the market in 2004 after a study showed it increased the risk of heart attacks and other cardiovascular events.

The proposed November settlement was to resolve claims by the U.S.
Justice Department, more than 40 states and the District of Columbia.

But last week, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania filed a so-called victim impact statement with the court. Pennsylvania's attorney general office argued that Judge Saris shouldn't impose a sentence unless Pennsylvania obtains restitution for
Medicaid payments allegedly resulting from Merck's criminal misconduct, according to a court document filed by the U.S. Justice Department.

Pennsylvania is continuing to pursue Vioxx-related claims against Merck in proceedings coordinated by a federal judge in Louisiana, according to the Justice Department.

The Justice Department argued that Pennsylvania therefore has a forum to pursue its claims, and it shouldn't hold up the sentencing in Boston.

Merck also urged Judge Saris to decline Pennsylvania's application for restitution because it would delay distribution of the settlement money to participating states.

In a written statement Friday, Merck said: "Through a last minute request the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania has attempted to derail an agreement already reached in good faith with the federal government, 44 other states, and the District of Columbia. There is no legal foundation for the Commonwealth's claim in this court and Merck will vigorously oppose it."

The Justice Department said Pennsylvania was allocated $4.5 million for alleged Medicaid losses under the $950 million settlement. States had the choice of either accepting their allocations or initiating or continuing litigation against Merck.

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Leave a comment  »




16.03.2012 21:24:14



In medical practice, the term "drug abuse" is typically understood to describe habitual consumption with harmful consequences to the user.

It's also sometimes used to describe non-therapeutic or unintended use of a medical drug. But when it comes to illegal substances, the press routinely -- and ignorantly – calls it full-blown "drug abuse," even if you try the substance just one time.

read more

http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/2012/03/16/Surprise-Media-Doesnt-Understand-Why-People-Take-LSD#comments



16.03.2012 19:49:36

Medtronic enrolls the initial patient into its Medtronic Registry for Epilepsy to look at the long-term efficacy and safety of deep brain stimulation therapy for patients with drug-resistant epilepsy.

MassDevice On Call

MASSDEVICE ON CALL — As neuromodulation therapy celebrates its 25th year,
Medtronic (NYSE:
MDT enrolled the 1st patient into its Medtronic Registry for Epilepsy, a database tracking the safety, efficacy and quality of life of patients receiving deep-brain stimulation for treatment of drug-resistant epilepsy.



read more

http://www.massdevice.com/news/medtronic-enrolls-1st-patient-epileptic-brain-stim-registry-massdevicecom-call#comments



17.03.2012 5:01:00
?Country music legend Willie Nelson has endorsed the Oregon Cannabis Tax Act 2012 (OCTA 2012 , which is gathering signatures to qualify for the November general election ballot. If passed by the people of Oregon, OCTA 2012 would regulate the legal sale of marijuana through state-licensed stores, allow adults to grow their own, license Oregon farmers to grow marijuana for state-licensed stores and allow unlicensed Oregon farmers to grow hemp for fuel, fiber and food.OCTA 2012 will raise an estimated $140 million a year by taxing commercial cannabis sales to adults 21 and older, and save an additional estimated $61.5 million as law enforcement, corrections and judicial attention can focus on violent crimes and theft."We estimate this will amount to $200 million a year more funding for state government," the Campaign for the Restoration and Regulation of Hemp (CRRH said. Ninety percent of those proceeds will go into the state general fund, seven percent for drug treatment programs, with one percent each going to drug education in public schools and to two new state commissions to promote hemp biofuel, hemp fiber and food.
Continue reading "Willie Nelson Supports Oregon Cannabis Tax Act" >



17.03.2012 3:06:00

21 Jump Street (15
(Phil Lord, Chris Miller, 2012, US Jonah Hill, Channing Tatum, Brie Larson. 109 mins.

As with comic books, now that all the big titles have gone, it's down to TV's B-list to feed Hollywood's appetite for ready-made movie concepts.
Based on the show that first traded on Johnny Depp's youthful good looks, it stars Hill and Tatum – a great odd-couple anchor – as two low-flying cops who are sent back to high school to infiltrate a drugs ring. The premise is an almost pitifully obvious excuse to aim for broad-appeal paydirt with a mix of fratboy crudity, teen-movie romance and crime-flick action, but for all the box-ticking, it has intermittently hilarious results.

Contraband (15
(Baltasur Kormakur, 2012, US Mark Wahlberg, Kate Beckinsale, Giovanni Ribisi. 110 mins.

Mark Wahlberg sticks to what he's good at, which is muscled, breathy and slightly high-pitched posturing in a brooding action thriller. Here he plays a smuggler lured out of retirement for one last job, carrying counterfeit bills out of Panama City.

We Bought A Zoo (PG
(Cameron Crowe, 2011, US Matt Damon, Scarlett Johansson, Thomas Haden Church. 119 mins.

Crowe brings his hard-to-resist sentiment to bear on this story of an LA hack (Damon who buys a rundown zoo after his wife dies and tries to get it up to legal standards. A fluffy, melancholy romcom.

Once Upon A Time In Anatolia (15
(Nuri Bilge Ceylan 2011, Tur/Bos-Herz Muhammet Uzuner, Yilmaz Erdogan. 158 mins.

Ceylan's latest is his most ambitious yet, a slow-burn procedural as an arrested man searches in the Turkish wilderness for the body of a man he is said to have killed. It's long, rigorous, with many loose ends, but rewarding for those brave enough to take the challenge.

Booked Out (12A
(Bryan O'Neil, 2012, UK Sylvia Sims, Mirren Burke, Rollo Weeks. 86 mins.

Small-scale Brit movie about a lonely illustrator. Tries to be a charming homegrown Amelie, but resembles more a goofy US indie.

Four Horsemen (NC
(Ross Ashcroft, 2012, UK 97 mins.

Somewhat doom-mongering doc with its sights on the global power elite.

The Devil Inside (15
(William Brent Bell, 2012, US Fernanda Andrade, Simon Quarterman. 83 mins.

Cheap Last Exorcism rip-off about a late-80s possession case that suggests some "found footage" shouldn't be spared the bin.

Bill Cunningham New York (12A
(Richard Press, 2010, US/Fra 84 mins.

Amiable doc on the veteran fashion photographer; one to file next to The September Issue.

How To Re-Establish A Vodka Empire (15
(Daniel Edelstyn, 2011, UK/Ukr 75 mins.

Easygoing doc about a Jewish Londoner seeking to explore his family's roots as Ukrainian manufacturers of premium-brand vodka.

In Darkness (15
(Agnieszka Holland, 2011, Pol/Ger/Can Robert Wieckiewicz, Benno Furmann, Agnieszka Grochowska. 144 mins.

Poland's own Oscar-nominated Schindler's List tells the true story of a sewer worker who saved Jews from the Nazis.

Out from Friday

The Hunger Games

Battle Royale meets Twilight in this hyped teen action flick based on the bestselling books.

Wild Bill

Coming-of-age drama dealing with thugs, drugs and deadbeat dads in the shadow of the Olympic stadium, starring Charlie Creed-Miles.

Act Of Valour

A cast of real-life Navy Seals star in a fictional kidnap drama-thriller.

The Kid With A Bike

The Dardennes brothers bring their latest nuanced, realist drama, a hit at Cannes 2011.

Agent Vinod

Hindi action spy thriller.

Coming soon

In two weeks …

Aardman sets sail with The Pirates!

Werner Herzog's death row doc Into The Abyss

In three weeks …

Sean Penn plays a neurotic rock star in This Must Be The Place

Julia Roberts reimagines Snow White in Mirror Mirror

In a month …

Writer Joss Whedon invites us to The Cabin In The Woods

Liam Neeson sinks your Battleship



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info@foodsafetynews.com (News Desk
16.03.2012 7:00:42
Del Monte Fresh Produce has withdrawn its threatened lawsuit against the Oregon Public Health Division and its senior epidemiologist, who with other public health officials last year  traced a multistate outbreak of Salmonella infection to cantaloupes imported from the company's Asuncion Mita farm in Guatemala.

The news was reported by Lynne Terry of The Oregonian. She wrote that Del Monte Fresh Produce notified the state earlier this month that it would not go forward with legal action against William Keene and his department.

Del Monte Fresh Produce had announced its threat in a news release in August, claiming that "misleading allegations" had been made in naming the Guatemalan cantaloupes as the likely source of Salmonella infection that sickened at least 20 people, and sent three to the hospital. The case patients were from Arizona, California, Colorado, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington.

Twelve of 16 ill people had reported eating cantaloupe in the week before they became ill, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report on the outbreak investigation. Eleven of those 12 people had purchased cantaloupes from eight different Costco stores and traceback information indicated the melons were from a single farm -- Asuncion Mita in Guatemala.

Del Monte Fresh Produce voluntarily recalled the Guatemalan cantaloupes on March 22, 2011 after it was notified of the epidemiological link between the melons the outbreak of Salmonella Panama infection.

But when the Food and Drug Administration banned further cantaloupe imports from the company's Guatemalan farm, Del Monte Fresh Produce sued the FDA and got it to back down on the import alert. It also claimed it was wrongly blamed for the outbreak.

Food safety experts and consumer activists predicted the case targeting Oregon Public Health -- recognized for its food safety leadership -- would not go far, but said they saw the complaint filed by Del Monte Fresh Produce as an attempt to intimidate public health programs across the country.

Dr. Katrina Hedberg, Oregon state epidemiologist, told The Oregonian that dealing with the tort claim had been time-consuming, so it was a relief when it was withdrawn and they could resume focusing on their job -- protecting the public's health.

The claim was unprecedented, Terry noted:

State epidemiologists investigate dozens of foodborne illness outbreaks every year and name the culprits to prevent more people from getting sick. No other company has ever filed a suit or threatened to sue Oregon over one of those investigations.

"There have been lots of outbreaks," Hedberg said. "Why some companies choose to work with public health and others want to fight it -- I can't answer that."

A Del Monte Fresh Produce spokesman declined to comment, telling Terry the company "does not comment on ongoing or closed investigations."




17.03.2012 2:32:34
See what the cast of "The Hunger Games" looked like back in the day.

By Drew Mackie and Rebecca Silverstein. Let the games begin! Well, soon enough, anyway. While you ravenous fans of "The Hunger Games" get excited for the movie premiere, have a look at who the "Hunger" stars were before they embodied the characters in this epic story. Jennifer LawrenceRole: Katniss EverdeenJennifer rose to fame when she was nominated for a 2011 Oscar for "Winter's Bone." But that was far from the actress's breakout role. After moving to Hollywood from Louisville, Ky., Lawrence began acting in 2006 at age 16. From 2007-09, Jennifer starred as Lauren Pearson on the TBS sitcom "The Bill Engvall Show." Sure, it wasn't Emmy-worthy material, but it got her where she is today.

Liam Hemsworth. Role: Gale HawthorneBefore he was known as Miley Cyrus' boyfriend and Chris Hemsworth's little brother, Liam (seen left in 2008 was a star back in his native Australia. In 2007, he got his big break playing paraplegic Josh Taylor on the soap opera "Neighbours." (Liam and Chris' other brother, Luke, had previously starred on the show as Nathan Tyson. But it wasn't until he showed his abs in "The Last Song" that U.S. audiences got a load of Liam's leading man potential.

Josh Hutcherson. Role: Peeta MellarkIf you're just catching wind of Josh right now, then you obviously weren't a kid -- or didn't have children -- in the early- to mid-2000s. This chubby-faced youngling (seen left in 2003 moved from Union, Ky., to Los Angeles when he was 9 and quickly became a go-to guy for tween-friendly fare, bringing him starring roles in movies like "Little Manhattan," "Zathura: A Space Adventure" and "Bridge to Terabithia." We think it's about time he's grown up, don't you?

Woody Harrelson. Role: Haymitch AbernathyHarrelson's road to "The Hunger Games" began in Midland, Texas. In 1985, Harrelson joined the cast of "Cheers," and he used the popularity of the show to launch a successful film career (beginning with 1992's "White Men Can't Jump" that has brought him to play Katniss' mentor in "Hunger." Harrelson wed his longtime love, Laura Louie, in 2008; they have three daughters: Deni Montana, Zoe Giordano and Makani Ravello. A tireless advocate of liberal political causes, he has become known in particular for his support of marijuana legalization, vegetarianism and biodiesel.

Elizabeth Banks. Role: Effie TrinketBack in 2002, this Pittsfield, Mass., native and UPenn grad was a relative Hollywood unknown who had just scored big playing Betty Brant in the "Spider-Man" trilogy, but comedy fans already knew her as the burger-loving French kisser from "Wet, Hot American Summer." Since, Banks has become a mom and a bankable star known for smart comedy ("30 Rock" and dressing to impress. Banks married Max Handelman in 2003, and she had a son, Felix, via surrogate in March 2011.

Lenny Kravitz. Role: CinnaThe son of "The Jeffersons" star Roxie Roker, Kravitz has performed music his entire life, making his mainstream splash in 1993 with "Are You Gonna Go My Way." (He's pictured at left at the 1993 MTV VMAs with Cindy Crawford… and his signature shades. Kravitz has continued to rock in the interim, and today, his role as Cinna, Katniss' stylist, marks his second major movie role after his turn in "Precious." Kravitz married actress Lisa Bonet in 1987, and Bonet gave birth to Kravitz's only child, singer-actress Zoe Kravitz, in 1988.

Wes Bentley. Role: Seneca CranePictured at left during his high school days, Bentley, now 33, is best remembered for two major movies in the late '90s: "American Beauty," in which he played the creepy videographer neighbor boy, and "Beloved," in which his character sexually assaulted Oprah's. Following those, Bentley married actress Jennifer Quanz in 2001, but Bentley's drug problems ultimately caused the two to split. Finally sobering up in 2009, Bentley refocused his energies on his career. In 2010, he married producer Jacqui Swedberg. They have a son, Charles, who was born in 2010.

Jack Quaid. Role: Marvel"The Hunger Games" may be Jack's movie debut, but he's been around Hollywood longer than most of his castmates. That's because his parents are Meg Ryan and Dennis Quaid! "I've been on sets my whole life," Jack tells People, "but this is the first time in front of the camera and not in a chair with Sour Patch Kids from the craft services truck. ... It was a new sensation. It was weird ... I really liked it. " Check him at left with pudgier cheeks back in 2003.

Isabelle Fuhrman. Role: CloveThe last time we checked in with Fuhrman, the Washington, D.C., native was playing a psychotic seductress trapped in a child's body in the 2009 horror film "Orphan." That's not all that long ago, we admit, but it's worth it to see what a lovely young woman Fuhrman, now 15, has grown into… and, you know, that she isn't actually trapped in a child's body.

Jacqueline Emerson. Role: FoxfaceHer role as one of Katniss' competitors marks her feature film debut, but you still might have heard of this 20-year-old Washington, D.C., native before. Pictured at left back in 2005, she played keyboards in Devo 2.0, the bizzare, kid-friendly, Disney-produced "spinoff" group of the '80s band Devo. (Yes, that was actually a thing that happened.

Alexander Ludwig. Role: CatoThis Vancouver native had mostly TV and direct-to-DVD movies on his resume before scoring a starring role in 2007's "The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising." It's not much to write home about, but at least it got him out of people's living rooms and onto the big screen.

Leven Rambin. Role: GlimmerConsidering how well she can work it on the red carpet, it's hard to believe that "The Hunger Games" is actually one of Leven's first flicks. Before now, she's been queen of the small screen. You might remember this 21-year-old Houston, Texas, native as Ava Benton on "All My Children," for which she attended the 2005 Daytime Emmy Awards. Leven also appeared as Riley Dawson on "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and as Sloan Riley on "Grey's Anatomy."

Stanley Tucci. Role: Caesar FlickermanAfter this Peekskill, N.Y., native made his film debut in 1985's "Prizzi's Honor," Tucci went on to be one of Hollywood's most reliably great actors, whether for comedy ("The Devil Wears Prada" or drama ("The Lovely Bones" . Pictured at left in 1996, Tucci looks more or less the same today -- minus a bit of hair, maybe. Tucci had three daughters with his wife Kate, who died from breast cancer in 2009. Tucci has since become engaged to Felicity Blunt, sister of Emily Blunt.

Donald Sutherland. Role: President Coriolanus SnowWhere to start? This celebrated Canadian actor began with the amazingly titled 1965 film "Die! Die! My Darling!" and ever since has straddled the line between mainstream drama ("Ordinary People," "Klute" and niche weirdness ( "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" , so he's right at home in "The Hunger Games." Pictured at left in 1982, Donald had twins Kiefer and Rachel, with his second wife, Shirley Douglas. In 1972, Donald married his current wife, actress Francine Racette. They have three sons.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

News and Events - 16 Mar 2012




15.03.2012 15:53:36

It's hard to know these days which way the proverbial worm is turning when it comes to shifts in drug policy. Election years tend to do that. Despite an historical turn of events in Central America which saw Presidents of drug trafficking nations come together to call for world wide decriminalization of drugs, in an effort to end the violence and corruption of the drug trade, the US continues to demur, absurdly claiming that the "War on Drugs" has been a success. Even stranger is Canada's recent announcement that they plan to follow the US model of a "tough on crime" approach to drug policy, which threatens to swell their correctional system in the same ways as in the US. Still, good news abounds with recent studies showing that LSD can cure alcoholism, psychedelics can cure PTSD, and cannabis smoking is not nearly as harmful as the prohibition governments claim. ~ CS 

Google+ Presents: 
It's Time To End The War On Drugs

To liberalise or prohibit, that is the question. And to answer it the masters of live debate have joined forces with the masters of web technology to create a never-seen-before combination of Oxford debating and Silicon Valley prowess.

Prohibitionists argue that legalising anything increases its consumption. The world has enough of a problem with legal drugs like alcohol and tobacco, so why add to the problem by legalising cannabis, cocaine and heroin? 



The liberalisers say prohibition doesn’t work. By declaring certain drugs illegal we haven’t reduced consumption or solved any problem. Instead we’ve created an epidemic of crime, illness, failed states and money laundering.

Julian Assange and Richard Branson; Russell Brand and Misha Glenny; Geoffrey Robertson and Eliot Spitzer. Experts, orators and celebrities who’ve made this their cause – come and see them lock horns in a new Intelligence?/Google+ debate format. Some of our speakers will be on stage in London, others beamed in from Mexico City or Sao Paulo or New Orleans, all thanks to the “Hangout” tool on Google+.

The web will have its say, and so can you at the event in London. Be part of the buzz of the audience, be part of an event beamed across the web to millions. Come and witness the future of the global mind-clash at the first of our Versus debates, live at Kings Place

Source:
Intelligence 2 from Google +

North America


America's plague of incarceration

The message is (or should be deeply disturbing. Shouldn't the USA be ashamed at having the world's largest prison system and highest incarceration rate (754 per 100 000 people ? The richest country in the world has so many of its citizens in prison that it can't afford to house them with even basic minimum medical care (more than half of all prisoners have mental health or drug problems . Prison overcrowding itself has become so terrible in California, that in May, 2011, the US Supreme Court affirmed a lower court order that California release some 46 000 prisoners because of the inhuman conditions under which they were being held. In the Court's words, “A prison that deprives prisoners of basic sustenance, including adequate medical care, is incompatible with the concept of human dignity and has no place in a civilised society.”

Source:
"
A Plague of Prisons: The Epidemiology of Mass Incarceration in America," 
The Lancet.


International Women's Day:  U.S. Must Address Impact of Mass Incarceration on Women.

More women are ending up behind bars than ever. Between 1980 and 1989, the number of women in U.S. prisons tripled. And the number of women in prison has continued to rise since. In the last 10 years, the number of women under jurisdiction of state or federal authorities 
increased 21 percent to almost 113,000. During the same time period, the increase in the number of men in prison was 6 percentage points lower, at about 15 percent. The increase in women in the federal population was even larger- over 41 percent from 2000 to 2010.

Most women are incarcerated for nonviolent offenses. Over one-fourth are in prison for a drug offense, while 29.6 percent were convicted of a property crime. Addiction plays a large part in a number of women's property crimes, and a lack of available or appropriate treatment only serves to drive their contact with the justice system.

Source:
Justice Policy Institute


From Cell to Screen: The Story of Mumia Abu-Jamal -- Part I


 

Stephen Vittoria is that rare commodity in Hollywood today: a filmmaker with a conscience. To be more precise, a filmmaker with a strong political conscience. After making two feature films,>Black and White& Hollywood Boulevard (1996 , as well as three feature documentaries:Save Your Life -- The Life and Holistic Times of Dr. Richard Schulze (1998 ,;Keeper of the Flame (2005 and the award-winning art house hit One Bright Shining Moment: The Forgotten Summer of George McGovern (2005 , a portrait of the South Dakota senator who tried to unseat Richard Nixon from the White House in 1972.

For his latest exploration into America's socio-political landscape, Vittoria joins forces with radio producer Noelle Hanrahan to bring Long Distance Revolutionary, the story of Mumia Abu-Jamal, to the screen. Born Wesley Cook in Philadelphia, Abu-Jamal made his name as a tireless writer and journalist during the racially-charged 1970s that often portrayed the City of Brotherly Love as anything but. With his intense coverage of the MOVE organization, a black empowerment group whose ongoing battle with the police and city hall came to a fiery end in 1985, Abu-Jamal become a constant thorn in the side of the city's powerful establishment. Things came to a sudden head for Abu-Jamal himself on the evening of December 9, 1981 when he was accused of murdering a Philadelphia police officer. He received a death sentence the following year, and has been on Pennsylvania's death row until early this year, when his death sentence was commuted to a life sentence in December, 2011.

Abu-Jamal's case remains one of the most controversial and heatedly debated in American legal history, with participants on both sides either protesting his innocence in the murder of Officer Daniel Faulkner or his absolute guilt with equal passion and more often, great vehemence.

Source:
Huffington Post


What’s In a Name? A Lot, When the Name is “Felon”

At a
recent conference of journalists at John Jay College, I raised an issue I have about language in the media:  the frequent use of the word “felon” to describe a person who has been convicted of a crime.

“Felon” is an ugly label that confirms the debased status that accompanies conviction. It identifies a person as belonging to a class outside many protections of the law, someone who can be freely discriminated against, someone who exists at the margins of society. 

In short, a “felon” is a legal outlaw and social outcast.  

Source:  
The Crime Report


Addiction: Medical Disease or Moral Defect?

Scientific theories that addiction hijacks the brain have just increased the stigma that they were meant to stop. At least in the moralistic bad old days, addicts were still viewed as having free will. Here's an alternative to both of these no-win approaches.

Source:
The Fix


Scientists Explore Hallucinogen Treatments for PTSD, Sex Abuse Victims

Mind-altering compounds, such as LSD and psilocybin, stirred controversy in the 1960s. As the counter-culture’s psychedelic drugs of choice, the widespread use - and abuse - of hallucinogens prompted tougher anti-drug laws.

That also led to a crackdown on clinical studies of the drugs’ complex psychological effects. However, now the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA has begun to approve limited research into the potential benefits of psychedelic drugs.

No one is more aware of the stigma attached to psychedelics than Rick Doblin, director of the Multi-Disciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS , a drug development firm that funds FDA-approved clinical trials to examine the potential therapeutic uses of psychedelics.

Source: Voice of America

PBS Newshour: "Clearing the Smoke: The Benefits, Limits of Medical Marijuana"

Sixteen states have passed laws that allow patients to use medical marijuana to treat side effects of various illnesses, but now some are moving to either limit or repeal those laws. Anna Rau of Montana PBS reports.

Source: PBS Newshour

Drug users' union in San Francisco part of growing movement

Heroin shooters, speed users, pot smokers and even some men and women who now are drug-free convene regularly in this city's gritty Tenderloin district — not for treatment, but to discuss public health policy and share their experiences free from shame or blame.

Source: LA Times

New Report on Police Use of Force

How do varying policies affect police use of force? A new report, from research funded by the Department of Justice, examined eight police agencies, (Columbus, OH, Charlotte-Mecklenburg, NC, Portland, OR, Albuquerque, NM, Colorado Springs, CO, St. Petersburg, FL, Fort Wayne, IN, and Knoxville, TN and examined how different policies changed law enforcement strategies.

Researchers found that there is no ideal (or flawed policy approach across all outcomes, but the report offers ranking and outcomes for each policy offered allowing police executives to choose the best route for their force.

Access the report  here.

Source: The Crime Report

End 'destructive' war on pot, panel urges Harper

The Global Commission on Drug Policy says it's "very weird" that Canada is taking a tougher line on marijuana when governments across the globe are reconsidering the war on drugs.

In an open letter Wednesday to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the Brazil-based commission calls on Canada to stop pursuing the "destructive, expensive and ineffective" prohibition of pot.

Louise Arbour, a former Supreme Court of Canada judge, former Brazilian president Fernando Cardoso, former Swiss president Ruth Dreifuss and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson are among the signatories to the letter that warns Canada is repeating "the same grave mistakes as other countries."

"Building more prisons, tried for decades in the United States under its failed war on drugs, only deepens the drug problem and does not reduce cannabis supply or rates of use," says the letter. "Instead, North American youth now report easier access to cannabis than to alcohol or tobacco."

Source: CBC

Marijuana Smokers Breathe Easy Says The University of Alabama

As of January 10, 2012, a new study has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association exonerating marijuana from the bad reputation of being as harmful to your lungs when smoked as tobacco cigarettes. Researchers at the University of California San Francisco and the University of Alabama at Birmingham completed a twenty-year study between 1986 and 2006 on over 5,000 adults over the age of 21 in four American cities. Study co-author Dr. Stefan Kertesz is a professor of preventive medicine at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. He explained that the studies measured the pulmonary obstruction in individuals with up to seven joint-years of lifetime exposure (one joint per day for seven years or one joint per week for 49 years . "What this study clarifies," Kertesz explains in a released video, "is that the relationship to marijuana and lung function changes depending on how much a person has taken in over the course of a lifetime."

Source: Nugs.com

Marijuana Training Considered In Colorado Senate

DENVER (AP – Colorado senators have delayed action on a proposal to increase training for medical marijuana workers in Colorado. A Senate committee delayed a vote Wednesday on a bill setting up an optional “preferred vendor” classification for dispensaries and other companies that deal with medical marijuana. Under the proposal,the business community could decide to give all their employees additional training in exchange for a chance at softer penalties if they ever run afoul of state marijuana rules.

Source: CBS 4 Denver

Europe

Greek Health Crusader Is Arrested For Ordering Hemp Protein

Athens, Greece — On Wednesday morning July 16th, Anna Korakaki went to her local post office in Athens, Greece to pick up her latest health product order from Navitas Naturals, a health food company based in the USA. Anna had previously received shipments from Navitas which included raw cacao and maca from Peru, goji berries from China, and other high-quality nutritious foods. Moments after accepting her package Anna was immediately intercepted by 4 police officers, thrown on the hood of a police car and brutally handcuffed. Police then ransacked her apartment and after finding nothing suspicious or illegal, took Anna to a police station for further interrogation. Anna was then forced to spend the night in an Athens jail cell. The reason for Anna Korakaki's arrest was that she had received 4.5 kilos of hemp protein (a 'super-food' made from powdered hemp seeds , which she had ordered for the express purpose of making healthy smoothies. The order had a value of 57 Euros (US$89 , and represented but one of hundreds of hemp products available worldwide in health food stores, super-markets and via the Internet.

Source: Hemp Industries Association

LSD 'helps alcoholics to give up drinking"

A study, presented in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, Helmet, Freesans looked at data from six trials and more than 500 patients. It said there was a "significant beneficial effect" on alcohol abuse, which lasted several months after the drug was taken.

An expert said this was "as good as anything we've got".

LSD is a class A drug in the UK and is one of the most powerful hallucinogens ever identified. It appears to work by blocking a chemical in the brain, serotonin, which controls functions including perception, behaviour, hunger and mood.

Source:  BBC

Having trouble with drinking? Maybe you should try a dose of Acid. Researchers claim that a single dose of LSD could be helpful in treating alcoholism. A new paper, published in the  Journal of Psychopharmacology , examines six different trials throughout the '60s and '70s, involving a total of 536 patients being treated for alcohol problems. The researchers, from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology's department of neuroscience, discovered that 59% of subjects given a single dose of LSD showed improvements in their alcohol habits in follow-up assessments months later—compared with just 38% of people who didn't take the drug.

Source: The Fix

Source: The Journal of Psychopharmacology: "Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD for alcoholism: meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials."

Latin America

Legalization Debate Takes Off in Latin America

Something incredible is happening right now in Latin America.

After decades of being brutalized by the U.S. government's failed prohibitionist drug policies, Latin American leaders, including not just distinguished former presidents but also current presidents, are saying "enough is enough." They're demanding that the range of policy options be expanded to include alternatives that help reduce the crime, violence and corruption in their own countries -- and insisting that decriminalization and legal regulation of currently illicit drug markets be considered.

Source: Ethan Nadelmann, Huffington Post

Is Latin America heading towards drug legalization?

On Saturday February 11, Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina declared that following discussions with Colombian President Santos, he will present a proposal for the legalization of drugs in Central America at the Summit of the Americas, on April 14-15. Guatemalan Vice-President Roxana Baldetti toured Central America to discuss the proposal with regional leaders and garner support for it, starting with Panama on February 29. Unsurprisingly, the move was greeted by a quick rebuke from the US government who hurriedly dispatched Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano to the region on February 28, one day ahead of Roxana Baldetti’s own tour. Baldetti still managed to gain the support of Costa Rica and Salvador. The US is now pulling out its heavy artillery, sending to the region VP Biden, a staunch supporter of the War on Drugs.

Source: World War-D

Honduras Invites Colombia and Mexico to Join Drug Legalization Debate

President Porfirio Lobo yesterday invited Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Mexican President Felipe Calderon to a meeting of the presidents of Central American Integration System (SICA on March 24 in Guatemala. The gathering will focus on a recent proposal by Guatemalan President Otto Perez Molina to legalize drugs. On Tuesday, presidents met in Honduras with United States Vice-President Joe Biden to discuss the issue of drug legalization as strategy for combating the growing power of organized crime in Central America and Mexico and the associated violence plaguing the region. Despite Vice-President Biden's reiteration that the US government is adamantly opposed to legalizing drugs, there appears to be enough support for the idea among SICA heads of state to continue the debate and expand it to other nations such as Mexico and Colombia, which have also been affected by transnational narcotrafficking.

Source: Honduras Weekly

New Exile Nation Video

JULIE FALCO & DAN LINN

Julie Falco and Dan Linn are two of the leading drug policy reform activists in the State of Illinois. They have spent the better part of the last 10 years attempting to pass a medical cannabis bill, and have found themselves consistently thwarted.

Julie has advanced Multiple Sclerosis and is confined to a wheelchair. When she discovered edible cannabis as a medicinal therapy for MS patients it changed her life, and so she dedicated herself to bringing this medicine to others. But it was only after the death, in police custody, of a quadriplegic named Johnathan Magbie, that she found her strength to speak out.

Dan Linn began his activist work as a college student, and has since grown into a formidable voice for reform, appearing on television and in the news debating with career drug warriors.

Weekly Newsletters & Digests

Drug War Chronicle #725 - March 15, 2012

UK Drug Policy Commission - New Reports Online

14.03.2012 13:32:00

One Pennsylvania doctor in 2008 wrote 1,913 prescriptions for the antipsychotic drug Risperdal - a bit more than 5.2 per day in that leap year, counting weekends and holidays - costing Medicaid $341,273.71.

The top 10 prescribers in Pennsylvania's system that year wrote 9,557 Risperdal scripts costing Medicaid $1.76 million, according to figures provided by a state official to U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley (R., Iowa , who has pushed for disclosure of such information and the relationship between doctors and pharmaceutical companies.

The numbers raised questions for Grassley, and Pennsylvania officials sent letters to scores of doctors emphasizing the need for safety in prescribing antipsychotic drugs. Twelve were suspended, dropped from Medicaid, or are under investigation, according to a copy of a letter to Grassley released Tuesday by the state welfare department.

The numbers also play a role in the U.S. Department of Justice's efforts to fight health care fraud. In the case of Risperdal, the Justice Department is negotiating with Johnson & Johnson, whose Janssen subsidiary makes the drug, to address allegations that the company illegally promoted it to doctors and through Medicaid programs.

Medicaid is the taxpayer-funded insurance plan for poor Americans and is administered by the federal and state governments.

J&J previously disclosed that it set aside money to settle criminal and civil charges in the Risperdal litigation, though it had not specified the amount.

Reports over the weekend from the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg News said the Justice Department had demanded a payment of about $1.8 billion, an increase from the $1 billion figure reportedly negotiated by the U.S. Attorney's Office in Philadelphia in December.

Spokesmen for J&J, the Justice Department, and the U.S. Attorney's Office declined to comment.

The $1.8 billion figure would be the largest settlement for a case involving a single drug, but some of the other big settlements also involved antipsychotic drugs.

"Both Sen. Grassley and the Department of Justice are making great headway in the battle against Medicaid fraud," said Allen Jones, the former investigator for Pennsylvania's Office of Inspector General whose findings were ignored by state officials in 2004.

Jones was fired by state officials when he took the information to the New York Times, but his whistle-blower lawsuit resulted in J&J's paying $158 million to settle charges that it illegally marketed Risperdal through the Texas Medicaid system. Jones will get a portion of that settlement. He now works as an adviser to attorneys in related litigation.

Eli Lilly & Co. paid $1.7 billion to settle charges of illegal marketing of its antipsychotic drug Zyprexa. Pfizer Inc. paid $2.3 billion to settle charges of illegal marketing of several drugs, notably Bextra, but also its antipsychotic Geodon. Late in 2011, GlaxoSmithKline P.L.C. said it had reached a deal to pay $3 billion to settle charges related to several drugs, including Avandia, but the Justice Department has declined to comment on that one as well.

Jones provided The Inquirer with state figures sent to Grassley's office in 2010 by Michael Nardone, then an official with the Pennsylvania Medical Assistance Program.

New Jersey never responded to Grassley's 2010 request for information nor a follow-up letter dated Jan. 24. State officials could not be reached for comment Tuesday. Delaware Medicaid officials responded to Grassley in 2010 and again in February.

J&J's Risperdal lost patent protection at the end of 2007, so the 2008 figures were the beginning of the decline in costs as generic versions were used more often.

As a comparison, AstraZeneca P.L.C.'s antipsychotic, Seroquel, is just now losing patent protection on most versions.

In 2008, the top 10 prescribers in Pennsylvania wrote 18,705 prescriptions for Seroquel, costing Medicaid $3.67 million. State officials provided The Inquirer with the most recent response to Grassley. That letter says the top 10 prescribers wrote 17,692 scripts for Seroquel, costing Medicaid $5.73 million.

In 2010, AstraZeneca paid $520 million to settle charge of illegal marketing of Seroquel.

"I liken the DOJ effort to a storm surge building for a long time," Jones said, crediting Grassley and a few others in Congress for helping to push the issue. "They have a clear eye on the dirty ways of fraudulent marketing and are systematically exposing it. It is changing the way antipsychotic drugs are marketed in America."

Contact David Sell at 215-854-4506 or dsell@phillynews.com.

Permalink | Leave a comment  »

14.03.2012 1:00:00
?To Be Discussed Thursday, March 15: Legalization Debate in Latin America, Portugal's Decriminalization Experience, Marijuana Legalization Ballot Initiatives in Colorado and Washington, and the State of National Drug Policy Reform EffortsVirgin Group founder Sir Richard Branson will join Drug Policy Alliance Executive Director Ethan Nadelmann to speak about the need for greater momentum and political debate to end the failed Drug War this Thursday, March 15, at a forum organized by The Atlantic (600 New Hampshire Ave. NW, 8th Floor from 9:15 to 10:30 a.m.Steve Clemons, editor at large of The Atlantic, will host the session and interview Branson and Nadelmann before opening to questions from the audience and media.In the past year, Branson has stepped out as a prominent supporter of drug policy reform. His involvement with the Global Commission on Drug Policy electrified the international media and brought a new level of attention to the growing movement to end the 40-year-old War On Drugs. Continue reading "Branson, Nadelmann To Speak In DC About Failed War On Drugs" >
ggoetz@foodsafetynews.com (Gretchen Goetz
14.03.2012 12:59:07
Drug led to shorter period of E. coli shedding in victims of European "sproutbreak"

Antibiotics are not usually recommended for treating E. coli infections; however one of these drugs showed promising results when given to victims of last year's massive European outbreak linked to sprouts. 
Azithromycin, administered to patients to prevent the spread of meningitis, was associated with a shorter duration of shedding of the E. coli O104:H4 bacteria in stool specimens according to a study published in the March 14 issue of JAMA (Journal of the American Medical Association .
Patients who received azithromycin were also less likely to carry the bacteria long-term. Out of a group of 65 patients treated at the University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein in Lubeck, Germany, 22 were given the drug and 43 received no antibiotic treatment. Patients who received the drug (both in-patients and out-patients were treated approximately 12 days after they started showing symptoms of infection.
After 21 days, only 31.8 percent of the treated group were still carriers of the bacteria, whereas 83.7 percent of those not treated continued to be Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC carriers. 
Long-term carriage was measured starting at day 28. At this time, 4.5 percent of those treated carried the bacteria. That percentage was 81.4 among those not treated with azithromycin. At day 35, none of the treated patients was still an STEC carrier. However 8 days later, at day 43, 57.7 percent of the control group was still carrying the bug. 
Long-term carriage of STEC can be dangerous both to those exposed to the patient, who is infectious, and to the individual himself.
"Long-term carriers of entheropathogenic bacteria represent a chronic risk of human-to-human transmission and, therefore their individual social and working life is legally restricted by the German health authorities, posing a high psychological and socioeconomic burden," says the report, according to Science Daily
These patients also risk persistent diarrheal symptoms, according to the authors. 
The jury is still out on whether or not azithromycin can be used to treat STEC patients, in addition to reducing the endurance of the disease. A major concern in STEC treatment is preventing the onset of hemolytic uremic syndrome, or HUS, a potentially life-threatening complication that affects the kidneys.
"Clinicians should not consider these data as an endorsement of the safety or efficacy of using azithromycin to treat diarrhea caused by Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, because the subjects in this study were treated late in illness well after the outcome of greatest concern, i.e., HUS, had already ensued," warns Dr. Phillip Tarr, Co-Leader of the Pathobiology Research Unit and Director of the Division of Gastroenterology and Nutrition at the Washington University School of Medicine's Department of Pediatrics. 
While the study was "very well done," he says, "its applicability is limited to the carriage state, after the most severe phase of illness has passed," he noted in an emailed statement to Food Safety News
It is possible, however, that future research on the drug may reveal an ability to combat STEC symptoms. 
Azithromycin could be "a safe therapeutic option for the treatment of [Shiga toxin-producing enterohemorrhagic E. coli] diarrhea to avoid development of HUS," said Dr. Johannes Knobloch of the University of Luebeck when presenting the preliminary results of this study at the Interscience Conference on Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy (ICAAC in Chicago last September.
However, a prospective trial would need to be conducted to test this potential, he noted. 
The European outbreak, which began in May of 2011 and was eventually linked to sprouts grown from fenugreek seeds, sickened 3,816 people in that country alone and over 4,000 people total. Of all victims, 852 developed HUS and 50 died from both HUS and non-HUS infections.   
15.03.2012 20:51:18
Senior Pre-Formulation Scientist - South East - c45,000 + excellent benefits

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A position has now become available for a high calibre pre-formulation scientist to join the Pharmaceutical Chemistry group.

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Interested? Apply online now or contact PULSE Scientific on 01235 861732.

All applicants must be in a position to prove that they are legally entitled to work in the UK and accept employment without infringement of their immigration status.
15.03.2012 20:51:12
Oncology Cell Culture Team Leader - Cambridgeshire - ?30,000 - ?40,000

An excellent opportunity has arisen for a Team leader in a leading Drug Discovery innovator.

The successful candidate will be responsible leading a team of scientists working on complex assay development for drug discovery. This is a challenging technical role, and involves both line management and client interaction.

This position requires a strong grasp of cellular and molecular biology, and be able to guide the team members in compound screening, cell cycling analysis, migration invasion and proliferation assays. As such candidates require a related PhD and post doctoral or industry experience
Suitable candidates must have;
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All applicants must be in a position to prove that they are legally entitled to work in the UK and accept employment without infringement of their immigration status.
15.03.2012 23:23:18

DESPITE a 30-year-old drug war, trafficking gangs continue to wreak havoc in Latin America. This week's issue of The Economist reports that an increasing number of prominent commentators are now supporting legalisation as an alternative. It also looks at sports policy in Venezuela, a scholarship programme in Brazil and Colombia's oil industry.

http://www.economist.com/blogs/americasview/2012/03/week-print-1#comments
dflynn@foodsafetynews.com (Dan Flynn
14.03.2012 12:59:02
The Hoosier Legislature is over, but it left behind an assignment for the Indiana State Board of Animal Health -- study whether farmers should sell unpasteurized milk to consumers and publish a report by Dec. 1.
Those instructions are contained in House Bill (HB 1129, a largely technical bill dealing with powers of the state chemist. Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels is expected to sign the bill.
When the Indiana Legislature began its business for 2012, it was on the verge of adopting Senate Bill (SB 398, the upper chamber's version of the state chemist bill.  It included language that would change current Indiana law, which prohibits raw milk from being sold for human consumption, to allow on-farm raw milk sales by licensed producers with no more than 20 cows.
After it passed the Senate, 30-20, Jan. 30, the measure was dropped and work went forward on HB 1129, the House version of the state chemist bill.
In addition to calling for the study, the new Indiana law:
- includes a definition of "raw milk" as "any milk or milk product, including butter, yogurt, cottage cheese, and cheese from any species other than humans that has not been pasteurized according to processes recognized by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration," not including U.S. Department of Agriculture approved veterinary biologics
- adds conditions to state law that would make animal feed unfit if any part is "filthy, putrid, or decomposed;" if it has been prepared, packed or held under unsanitary conditions; or if includes any diseased animal
- adds specialty pet food to the previously covered commercial feeds and pet foods
-  requires raw milk distributed as commercial feed for animals to be prominently labeled "Not for Human Consumption"
-  requires the animal-health board's raw milk report to the governor and Legislature to be made available to the public
-  empowers the state chemist to issue subpoenas
In launching a study, Indiana is following the track Wisconsin took in 2010 after former Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed a bill that would have made the commercial sale of raw milk legal.     Wisconsin's study took the approach of setting certain criteria to increase the chances that  raw milk could be safe if it were legalized.   Wisconsin SB 108, which pretty much ignores the safety standards and other criteria recommended by the Wisconsin study, has not gone anywhere. And SB 108 has picked up a long list of opponents, including state cheese makers, dairymen, grocers and veterinarians, in addition to public health professionals and local health organizations.
Wisconsin lawmakers remain in session until May 30.
A raw milk bill passed the Kentucky Senate in January, 22 to 15, but it has remained bogged down in the House, locked up in the House  Agriculture and Small Business committee. The measure sets up a mechanism for shared cow ownership agreements without any state dairy permit requirement.
Kentucky lawmakers are scheduled to go home on March 29.
In New Hampshire, where adjournment is set for June 7, a bill that allows the unlicensed manufacture of homemade foods and raw milk sales ( HB 1402 still has not cleared the lower house. That may change on March 20 when the House has the measure scheduled for executive session.
Raw milk bills in New Jersey and Idaho are also sitting in committees, so far without action.    The New Jersey Legislature remains in session year-round, while Idaho lawmakers go home April 7.
15.03.2012 20:51:18
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Salary: ?50 - 75K (depending on experience
13.03.2012 17:24:20

With all the fuss about the salary cap hits given to the Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys, the decision made by the league in the last week that seems most vulnerable to reversal is the suspensions handed down to Denver Broncos players D.J. Williams, Ryan McBean and Virgil Green. On March 9, it was announced that Williams and McBean would each be suspended six games without pay, and Green suspended four games without pay, for violations of the league's policies on performance-enhancing substances. The process seemed sketchy at the time, as Williams pointed out in a statement, and as Green wrote on his Twitter account.

ESPN reported on Tuesday morning that Williams and McBean have filed suit against the NFL.

Perhaps the most bizarre aspect of the case is that the NFL contends the samples given by Williams and McBean were of the "non-human" variety. However, Peter R. Ginsberg, Williams' attorney, said that the since-fired specimen collector was a witness to the ... uh ... "sample collection."

From Williams, the day the suspensions were handed down:

I understand from media reports today that the NFL has announced a suspension based on a specimen that the NFL acknowledges did not contain steroids or any illegal substance. Instead, the NFL contends that I provided a non-human specimen.

I have never failed a test of any kind — for steroids or illegal substances — during my eight-year pro career. I am proud of my record and proud of the way in which I conduct myself as a professional athlete and citizen. We proved — conclusively — at the NFL hearing on this matter that the NFL and its specimen collector wholly failed in their duties to safeguard and process my specimen properly.

In fact, the specimen collector was fired by the NFL after compromising my specimen as well as others'. The hearing officer, an NFL executive, ignored the NFL's own Policy, engaged in inappropriate communications with top NFL officials about this matter without my knowledge or approval, corrupted the system, ignored that my specimen had been compromised, and now has subjected me to humiliation as well as suspension. We will be vigorously pursuing my rights in the judicial system.

My suspension is unjust; the NFL has undermined and corrupted its own steroid policy.

Green wrote on Twitter that "I was suspended for taking ADHD medication prior to approval from NFL. I have now been approved to take the medication to treat my ADHD. I apologize to my teammates, the Bronco Organization and my family and friends. Thank you guys for all your support."

According to ESPN's Josina Anderson, Green will not appeal his suspension, even though he's since been approved to take the drug for which he was suspended.

On Tuesday morning, the NFL Players Association released this statement:

The NFLPA is disappointed by the decisions in the cases of Ryan McBean and D.J. Williams. Despite substantial evidence of breaches in the collection protocol and other procedural irregularities, the NFL decided to punish these players without judicious review of the facts. The League-appointed hearing officer then affirmed the discipline, even though the specimen collector was fired by his agency for not following procedures. The NFL also failed to produce the sample collector as a witness during the players' appeals hearing.

The NFLPA and NFL have been negotiating a new and comprehensive Substances of Abuse and Steroids policies. The facts in these two cases and in recent cases in other sports, dramatically underscore the players' insistence to have independent, neutral arbitrators as part of any future policy. We will continue to fight for a fair, clean and safe game.

In other words, Roger Goodell's desire for HGH testing - -which needs agreement by the NFLPA before it will ever happen -- probably just took a pretty substantial hit. And the league may very well have to reverse course on this one as a matter of law.

15.03.2012 13:45:00

As part of our project to create a new vision for London, we want your views on how to improve the city for cyclists and walkers

Cycling and walking have had to wait their turn in this fortnight-long crowdsourcing project. Why? Two reasons. One, because cycling issues in particular attract comment thread contributions of a very high standard, so I've saved that treat for near the end. Two, because if London were a truly cyclist and pedestrian-friendly city it would look, sound and feel radically different. Just imagine. After all, imagining is a part of what our model mayoral manifesto is about.

One burning question is whether Boris Johnson, the "cycling mayor" who claims he's been leading a "cycling revolution", has got his policy priorities right – and, if not, what would a model mayor do differently? His Barclays-sponsored cycle hire scheme has undoubtedly caught on in central London and just been extended east. But has the take-up justified the cost to Transport for London, given that sponsors Barclays are contributing only an undisclosed fraction of its cost? Should our model mayor keep expanding the scheme along its present lines, do it differently, or curtail it and invest in different cycling projects instead?

At the beginning of his term Johnson halved funds for extending the London Cycle Network, a web of cycle-friendly corridors across the whole of the capital. He's introduced some blue-painted, radial cycle superhighways on commuter routes, but was that the right choice? If not, what should happen next instead?

Cycling campaigners have been making their mark on London's politics, infuriated by Transport for London's proposed new Blackfriars Bridge road layout and impassioned by recent fatal collisions. The London Cycling Campaign is urging the next mayor to help London to "Go Dutch," by supporting "continental-standard cycling infrastructure in the capital," and in so doing tempting many more Londoners to turn to pedal power.

Top of its list of principles is safety – an acknowledgement that the dangers of London's road are the biggest reason why so many journeys that could be made by bike are not, as Transport for London's own research (pdf has confirmed. The same document found that, "the growth in cycle travel between 2001 and 2008 was largely caused by cyclists increasing their cycle trip-making. There is no evidence of a net increase in the number of cyclists overall." There's food for thought.

The watchdog London TravelWatch argues that, "London's streets can and should be more pedestrian-friendly." It mentions better upkeep of pavements, removal of "clutter" such as guard rails, "fresh thinking about the design of crossings" and more encouragement of walking short distances between stations. But where do readers stand on "shared space" schemes, which aim to equalise the rights of four-wheel, two-wheel and foot travellers by removing features designed to segregate them (and much else besides .

Kensington and Chelsea councillor Daniel Moylan, who is also Boris Johnson's appointee as deputy chair of Transport for London, is a champion of the principle and a major force behind the recently reconstructed Exhibition Road. Moylan is a Tory, but support for shared space crosses political boundaries. Should London have more of them? Is segregation better for cyclists and pedestrians in some situations but worse in others? If so, how should the difference be defined?

Finally, as I work feverishly on drafting the manifesto for a model mayor, I'm very tempted to include a bold cycling idea left on a transport thread last week by commenter Ben Beach. He proposed establishing factories in high unemployment areas of London to manufacture bespoke, lightweight bikes.

"The economies of scale could allow the distribution of hundreds of thousands of these bikes, and with new cycling infrastructure kickstart a genuine cycling revolution," Beach wrote. He argued that unemployment would be reduced, cycling encouraged and air quality improved, while the cost of boosting this transport mode would be considerably less than building extensions to London Underground lines. I like that plan. How about you?

thereverent suggests:

Remove the remaining gyratorys in London (Vauxhall, Aldgate, Parliament Square, etc . The LCC has some up with a good plan for a much better Parliament Square for example.
Get small streets in central London (particually in Soho and the City closed to motor traffic (open only to pedestrians and cyclists . These are only used as Taxi rat runs at the moment.
Ensure that any TfL staff working on cycling projects actually cycle (and not just at the weekend . This should reduce the amount of poorly design cycle paths.
Ensure that all cycle paths end in an appropriate way (safely with a dropped curb rather than just disappear .
At major junctions segregate the cycle lane and introduce cycle only phases to the lights.
Get more Met Police out enforcing the road laws at rush hour (dangerous driving, red light jumping, blocking junctions, using a mobile phone, driving into ASLs on red, etc . particular focus on HGVs and Coaches which are more dangerous to vulnerable road users.
Ensure all cycle lanes are at least 1.5m wide (or 2m where they can be and have parking banned on them at all times (double yellow or double red lines .
When there are roadwork warning or division signs the default should not be to put them on the pavement or in the cycle path (blocking them .
A crackdown on pavement parking (already banned in London and removal of all parking spaces that are half on the road and half on the pavement (reducing the pavement width .
Pedestrian crossings to be sited on obvious pedestrian routes (so you don't have to walk out of your way to cross the road safely. Ensure they have a decent length of time to cross.
Ensure the sighting of signs, utility boxes, advertising boards etc don't obstruct the pavement. Also get rid of guard rails between roads and pavements (dangerous to cyclists and an obstruction for pedestrians .
Get rid of Pelican crossings (with the flashing amber phase that drivers ignore and drive through and replace with Puffin crossings or Toucan crossings (for both pedestrians and cyclists which have no flashing amber phase.

DaveHill responds:

I might just have to cut and paste this. All further Labour-saving contributions equally welcome.

AndyLucia suggests:

Arm all pedestrians, so they have a way of dealing with those cyclists who don't understand that the red light applies to them as well!!

DaveHill responds:

I have great sympathy with cyclists but the reckless ones are a serious menace on the roads. One of my loved ones avoided serious injury by a whisker only yesterday by a cyclist hurtling through a red light as she crossed a road on green. Absolutely outrageous. I'd like to see much stricter enforcement of all rules of the road in London, from uninsured drivers to dangerous cycling.

P0kerFace suggests:

Schools
- Cycle parking facilities at all schools in the greater London area, enough to support 10% of pupils cycling to school.
- Shower facilities and lockers at all schools to be made available to children and teachers who cycle to school in the morning
- 15mph limits or less on roads that have schools beside them
- Special 'yellow routes' on roads within 1/2 mile of a school leading to the school where segregated cycle ways are unavailable
- Annual cycle-safe training for all pupils in junior and secondary schools
Buildings and Parking facilities
- New buildings to have minimally enough cycle parking for 20% of capacity of building
- New parking to have cycle parking equivalent to 20% of the number of car parking spaces
- New builds to have shower facilities for cyclists and runners
- Financial help with installing cycle parking and shower facilities in existing builds
- Publically owned or financially assisted institutions (public car parks/museums et al to have full financial support for adding/growing safe cycle parking
- Cycle parking/shower co-ops, whereby several small to medium sized enterprises are encouraged and supported to set up shared cycle parking/shower facilities
Driver Awareness
- A series of advertisements to be played on London radio such as Magic FM explaining the rights of cyclists. These adverts will ~ Explain that road tax does not exist and that cyclists have every right to be on the road.
~ Insist drivers should not be in the Advanced Stop zones ~ Remind drivers that they should give cyclists the same amount of space when overtaking as they would a car ~ Highlight that cylists are entitled to cycle in any lane on the road and take the middle of the lane when they feel it is safer to do so ~ Encourage drivers to be patient with cyclists, particularly at junctions ~ Highlight that cyclists are often children and the elderly, even if they can't see this from behind ~ Remind them they can be prosecuted for being abusive to cyclists ~ Highlight the many advantages of cycling, including but not limited to
- physical health improvements, mental health improvements, reduced sick-leave, financial benefits, savings to NHS, reduced obesity, faster during rush hour, carbon neutral, non-polluting and most of all: great fun
Infrastructure
- Implement the road redesigns as recommended by LCC http://lcc.org.uk/pages/go-dutch
- The Times campaign is highlighting the 500 most dangerous junctions. Make those that fall within London safe.
- Complete the LCN+ network, with all lanes minimum 2 metres wide
- Put policies in place to ensure cyclists are put at the forefront of all future transport system works
- 20mph limits in residential areas where no segregated cycle lane is present
- Pending successful safety results of east london trial, roll out Cyclists-first traffic light systems at junctions london-wide
- Convert more one way systems to two-way, using only contraflow cycle lanes where possible
- Expand the cycle hire scheme into the outer boroughs. Discount rental for children, the elderly and students.
- Build more cycle parking on high streets and at supermarkets
Legal and Policing
- Appoint a London cycling commissioner
- Prevent HGVs from using the roads between 7am and 9:30am
- Extend congestion charging zones and low emissions zones in all directions
- Ban and fine parking in cycle superhighways and other cycle lanes, including at weekends
- Introduce European style presumed and strict liability laws
- Reform the law so that drivers who kill cyclists and pedestrians while driving dangerously receive an appropriate sentence
- Allow T-junction style left turns for cyclists at Traffic lights (i.e. can pull out when no cars approach from right
- Expand the police cycle task force, prioritise bike theft.
- Regulate sellers of second hand bikes to ensure they are not passing on stolen bikes
- Revoke permission for motorcyclists to use bus lanes, following the unsuccessful trial period in which accident rates increased.
- Crack down on speeding, driving while drunk/drugged, driving without insurance/licence, jumping reds, using mobile while driving.
- Make the last Sunday of every month between 9am and 5pm car-free (with obvious exceptions . Charge ~?30 fines for breaches and enforce in strength early on
Public Transport
- Improvements to trains to better support cycles on trains. E.g. roll out more trains styled like the east london line trains.
- Cycles to be permitted more widely where possible, particularly on the DLR and the Croydon Tramline.

DaveHill responds:

You haven't just chucked this stuff together, have you?!?!? Perhaps you should expand it into your own manifesto - wouldn't need much more work. A fantastic contribution. Many thanks.

JoeDunckley suggests:

Shared space: great for little streets that are full of people but which don't make sense as through routes. Places like Brick Lane, where, er, it's being ripped out by Tower Hamlets (with TfL funding . Especially so if traffic is further reduced, e.g. by clever layout of the one-way system such that the streets are useful for access and deliveries, but useless as a taxi rat run.
Crap for massive through roads like Exhibition Road, which just fill up with motor vehicles. I mean, it's slightly better than it was before, but a massive wasted opportunity. If they'd blocked it up half way along to prevent thousands of vehicles passing through every hour, perhaps it would work. Or made all the entry and exits left turns only for motor vehicles, so that it always sends you back in the direction you came from, reducing its utility as a through route.
"Shared space" is pretty vaguely defined. There are many different shared space designs, and the only unifying feature is the idea of opening up the carriageway for pedestrians. If that is done by severely restricting the freedom of drivers to go wherever they like, drive dangerously, and park anywhere: great!
The problem is the extreme "naked streets" side of things, which advocates the exact opposite -- that idea that if you just take away all the signs and signals and kerbs and give motorists absolute freedom, people will play nice and everything will sort itself out. This variety of "shared space" does not cross political lines. It's pushed by libertarians like Daniel Moylan, and the Mitchell brother who was advising No.10 but whose name I forget. It's based on libertarian ideology and it results in the most powerful road users -- the motorists -- dominating the space and bullying everybody else out of the way.

DaveHill responds:

Thanks. You've helped me clarify my own rather conflicted view of "shared space." I haven't been to Exhibition Road since its surgery was completed so I'm grateful for your assessment of it. Putting the pedestrian first does seem to be the way to go.

solomongursky suggests:

Encroaching an ASL after the lights change is a TS10 offence, anecdotally I heard the cops are reluctant to enforce because it seems unfair to penalise motorists for what the police consider a trivial offence.
Allowing for the disparity in numbers between cyclists and motorists on many London roads (I know cyclists are the majority on some those figures look wildly disproportionate.
And then:
The Met does not separately record the numbers of motorists infringing ASZs, but does record the number of fixed penalties it hands out each year for red light offences as a whole. Since 2008 it has issued about 3,000 fixed penalties annually at the roadside to motorists for these offences. In the same period the number of fixed penalties for cyclists for red light offences has gone up from around 1,000 in 2008, to 1,700 in 2009, to over 3,000 in 2010. So the figures for cyclists and motorists are now roughly equal.

DaveHill responds:

Thanks, that's extremely useful. Perhaps the manifesto ought to simply say that under the model mayor all rules of the road would be enforced with far more rigour and without prejudice against any particular type of road-user for the equal benefit of them all. Your suggestions for improvements welcome.

mestizo suggests:

10mph speed limit on all roads, except A roads and the bit of the M4 that goes into London. Then replace most traffic-light controlled crossing with zebra crossings, and put roundabouts on junctions. A few months of strict enforcement of the proper road rules.
I'm serious! As a driver, you spend most of your time either not moving, or speeding to reach the next lights before they go red. Everyone is wound up. By doing this, we'd have order and calm. Cyclists would be safe, and driving would be no slower - in fact probably faster because all the incidents and bad driving that result from the frustration and nippyness of London driving would stop.

DaveHill responds:

Thanks. I can see that you are indeed entirely serious. Might be hard to persuade voters that 10 mph is a good idea. Would 20 be plenty? My worry about more zebra crossings is that my impression - not very scientific, of course - is that increasing numbers of drivers - and cyclists - seem to be ignoring those we have. Makes me extremely cross. The model mayor would make a big noise about this erosion of common civility, I reckon.

botned suggests:

I think that it would be a good idea if those posting declared their staus, namely are they 1/ Walkers 2/ Cyclists 3/ Car drivers, or any combination of the three.

DaveHill responds:

OK. Use bus and Tube a lot and walk a lot. Almost never drive (no fun or cycle (too scared .

deirdremcg suggests:

I mentioned this in a previous topic, but what we must not accept is the argument that London's streets are 'not suitable' for the construction of cycle lanes. Such an argument leaves no room for contingency; if cycling infrastructure is improved and motor vehicles more heavily regulated, the space will appear. It is well known that traffic swells to the available space, so by limiting the space AND providing high quality alternatives, the street space becomes far more amenable to cyclists and pedestrians. A road user hierarchy should not be anti-motor vehicle, but should recognise that some road users are more vulnerable than others. Otherwise, the kind of innovative approaches already detailed are sensible, in particular phased traffic lights, left turns at T-junctions, segregated cycle lanes and so on, where necessary. My feeling is that on the kind of quiet streets found all over London, segregated routes are not always necessary, but that a 20mph speed limit should be standard. That, in combination with fairly narrow streets and little traffic, should make it a lot safer.
HGVs on the streets of London are a real hazard. The cause disproportionate damage to public infrastructure and pose real dangers to walkers and cyclists. This is exactly the kind of thing a strategic body like the GLA should be working on. It is simply unacceptable for such large vehicles to be using London's roads, especially when there are alternatives. The Regent's Network has done a lot of research into using London's waterways, with sensibly placed logistical sites where lorries can load their freight on to boats. Canal- and river-based transport is much more efficient and much less damaging. It may mean that Tesco have to come up with a more sophisticated delivery system than simply adding another destination for a fully-loaded lorry, but what are the alternatives? London is a huge market, and no business will leave simply because they need to adapt to some sensible regulation.
The cyclist lobby is vocal and well organised. Unfortunately, walking does not have such a public presence, despite the fact that we all do it. The benefits to walking are myriad, but it does require the right kind of infrastructure. Legible London should be rolled out across the capital, and walking should be more fully considered as a mode of transport, a mode which is more fully integrated into the system as a whole. For example, all bus, tube, tram and rail nodes could have well-placed local maps, perhaps with walking times to other nearby nodes displayed. Kerbs could be better designed. Traffic lights could be phased so that pedestrians don't have to run to cross in time! These are all genuinely cheap measures, and there is a real financial mismatch between the provision for the mode that everyone uses, i.e. walking, and those which only some people use, i.e. the tube, Crossrail and the cable car (! . Investment in walking and cycling may not be very blingy or exciting, but it makes a real difference to everyone. It is time that the transport ideology of moving people over a longer distance more quickly was rethought.

DaveHill responds:

I cannot find a word to disagree with in your comment. Thank you. Fellows readers might find it useful to follow the link to Legible London.


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14.03.2012 20:28:28

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky. told a constituent in favor of legalizing marijuana that he doesn't support the idea because drugs like pot lead to death.

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http://www.cannabisculture.com/v2/content/2012/03/14/Mitch-McConnell-Constituent-Marijuana-Leads-Death#comments