West Virginia Schools May Offer Gun Training

There’s a hole in the West Virginia budget. Hunters have decreased in recent years and one lawmaker has an idea on how to get their numbers up, teach kids how to hunt in public schools.

Senator Billy Wayne Bailey introduced a bill this month that would allow for seventh through ninth graders to have survival training in schools.

Children as young as ten are allowed to get hunting licences in the state of West Virginia already. Hunting courses are offered outside of school to train children on the proper use of guns. Bailey wants to make it so that training is offered in the school setting.

The course that Bailey is backing would offer instruction for survival skills and gun safety. All guns in the classroom would have dummy ammunition or be disabled according to his plan.

It’s a way to take this kind of education in the classroom and make it more convenient for young people,” said Bailey, a Wyoming County Democrat.

In a nation that has dealt with gun violence in the school system this idea is not seating well with some but supporters are saying that training programs could ease concerns.

The state is in the top six for hunter licences but has seen a decrease of 10 percent since 1996. Part of that reason is that senior citizens are not required to have a hunting licence.

To obtain a licence a person has to complete at least 10 hours of training and be 10 years old.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and the National Wild Turkey Federation have all been pushing to get more young people on the hunting path. They want to reduce the restrictions placed on younger hunters.

“The hunting population in general is aging, and it’s not being replaced by young hunters,” said Tony Aeschliman, spokesman for the Newtown, Conn.-based National Shooting Sports Foundation.

What do you think? Should public schools be teaching children how to fire a gun?

Britney Spears Taken Away In Ambulance

Britney Spears has been taken by ambulance to an undisclosed facility on Thursday at about 1 a.m. The ambulance was escorted by more than a dozen police officers and two helicopters. The 26 year old star was being taken to somewhere to “get help.”

The “Times” has reported that Spears was taken to UCLA Medical Center from her home where she was placed on a “mental evaluation hold.” Her mother Lynn was seen leaving its psychiatric hospital at about 5:30 a.m.

On January 3 Spears had a meltdown when she was to return her sons to their father and had to be placed on a mental evaluation hold. She spent a day and a half at that time in cedar-Sinai Medical Center.

Spears has been on a downward spiral since she filed for divorce from Kevin Federline. At this time Federline has custody of the couple’s two sons.

Researchers Say The Super Bowl May Trigger Heart Attacks

Major sporting events can produce stress and excitement for their fans to such a degree that it can trigger a heart attack for those with heart conditions. Being in the heat of the moment may cause those with heart conditions to have some health concerns.

German researchers found that the rate of heart attacks increased by over two and a half times above normal during the 2006 World Cup.

It’s those big games that have fans biting their nails as their favorites go for the gusto that produces a spike of emergency cardiac situations.

“We definitely believe that this is statistically highly significant,” senior author Dr. Gerhard Steinbeck said from Munich, where he is a cardiologist and director of internal medicine at Ludwig-Maximilian University’s Medizinische Klinik und Poliklinik.

On game days there appears to be a surge of cardiac patients that need emergency service as opposed to non-game days. That surge increased 2.66 above normal days when Germany was at the World Cup.

For those who had previous heart problems the news is even worse, they hit the emergency services at a rate of fourfold on game days.

In Canada the increases were noticed when Team Canada plays in the Olympics.

“It’s an extremely plausible idea, namely that exuberant entertainment and excitement might lead to all sorts of lifestyle indiscretions in terms of alcohol or smoking or skipping medication or other imprudent behaviour,” said Redelmeier, who in 2003 published findings in the same journal showing that motor vehicle fatalities rise by 41 per cent in the hours after the Super Bowl Game, making Super Bowl Sunday a more dangerous time to drive than New Year’s Eve.

There is little that doctors can do to decrease the numbers but by being aware of the increase they can staff Emergency Rooms with more cardiac services to prep for the big game.

She Knew It Wasn’t False Labour

On Sunday Charryse Brooks went to the hospital in labour. The twenty five year old was sent back home told her contractions were just false labour pains. She went home but the pains increased and she was about to return to the hospital…..

When she and her husband Rev. Timothy Brooks had to deliver their own child. Mackenzie Nichole Brooks was born in the leg of her mother’s sweat pants in the driveway of her home.

The 4 pound, 3 ounce baby girl wasn’t due to be born until Feb. 22. She is the first child for Rev. and Mrs. Brooks.

The Rev. had been preparing his sermon. Sunday was his one year anniversary of becoming a pastor at Norwood Church of the Nazarene. Instead of delivering the sermon he was racing to the hospital with Charryse and Mackenzie who was still attached to her mother by the umbilical cord.

It’s Time For Cougars and Boy Toys, Speed Dating Event Planned

Rich older women are wanted by pocketchangenyc.com. Applicants need to be over 35 and loaded. New York City has a new dating service and it’s all about the money. Well not just the money there are hopes that a love match could happen too.

“Symbiosis has allowed ugly rich men to attract young, gorgeous, money-hungry women for centuries; it’s now the women’s turn,” proclaims pocketchangenyc.com, the Web site that Jeremy Abelson is using to promote the event.

Speed dating is a fun tool of dating services. On February 7 at Manhattan’s 230 Fifth Club it’ll be all about the rich older lady and the hunky younger guy who wants a Sugar Mama.

In speed dating people are set up on multiple quickie dates that last for mere minutes. It allows participants to check out several potential partners in the course of one night.

This time around the Hot Mamas have to be over 35 and the Boy Toys have to be under 35. More than 5,000 men have signed up for a chance to impress those hot Cougar babes and become a kept treasure. Only 20 though made the cut and will be on hand for the ladies to ogle.

I find younger guys will usually be totally into you while older guys will be looking over your shoulder at a younger woman,” said Gail Garrison, 44, a fashion designer and former model.

“Younger men expect an older woman to be more accomplished. They are looking for you because you are intelligent. They are not looking for a mother,” she said.

Breaking News: Edwards To Drop Out Of The Running

John Edwards. – File photo

Senator John Edwards has dropped out of the race for presidential nomination. He is expected to make the announcement in New Orleans on Wednesday at 1 p.m. That leaves two heavy hitters left on the ballot for the Democrats.

New Orleans is the same city that Edwards announced that he was running for president. His web site says that his speech will highlight the poverty in the area and work on Habitat for Humanity.

Edwards has been in third place behind Hillary Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama in early primaries.

The Flu Even Hits News Anchors

Gayle Guyardo has long been a favorite anchor for the WFLA-TV in Tampa Bay, Florida. On Saturday she was briefly removed from coverage of the yearly Gasparilla parade after complaints about her slurred speech from viewers.

Some have claimed that the slurred speech and comments that seemed disoriented came from a bottle. Guyardo is angry. She’s had the flu for a week and that her illness may have affected her performance.

“No one could say that they saw me consume any alcohol, because I didn’t,” she said. “Channel 8 would not let me go up there if I was showing signs of being drunk. … I was burning up with fever, my throat was closing up, and it was clear that I was sick.”

Guyardo’s parade co-anchor, Bill Ratliff, supported her. “I’m not covering for a friend. … I never noticed anything,” said Ratliff, who has also co-anchored WFLA’s morning and midday newscasts with Guyardo for years.

Guyardo was briefly removed from the air so that she and news director Don North could have a telephone meeting to determine if she could continue the coverage. She returned to the air around 4:30 p.m.

The anchor had been on air all last week while also dealing with the flu. Her fans had suggested that she go home and recover.

“I watched (a videotape of parade coverage) … and I was not on my ‘A’ game,” she said. “If I had it do over again, I would have called in sick 1,000 times over.”

Just a side note.

If you have the flu the best course of action is to rest and not go into the office. Your office mates will thank you if they don’t come down with the virus.

Sneezing, coughing and spreading germs cost companies a ton of money every winter.

A Possible AIDS Crisis Is Posed At Kenya

The refugees in Kenya could be seeing a possible health crisis soon. At least 15,000 of those who have fled the attacks are HIV positive and most of those are not receiving the medicine they need to survive.

With thousands of Kenyans in refugee camps there is the fear that the rising sexual attacks will further spread the disease in this African nation. Most of those in the camps are not receiving their HIV medicines that is needed to fight the virus.

Many of the health clinics are closed in Kenya. People who have the virus are also too afraid to leave their homes to get to where the medicine is.

We don’t know where our patients are,” Florence Muli-Musiime, deputy director-general of the Kenya-based African Medical and Research Foundation, said in a statement.

“We had a very good tracking system using our contacts in the community, but this has now broken down,” she said.

There have been a rising number of rapes in the camps. Women are not even safe to go to the latrine in the middle of the night without protection.

Some of the girls and women in the camps have been so desperate for food and protection that they are offering to trade their bodies to obtain it.

Kenya has roughly 934,000 citizens living with the HIV virus, 165,000 of those had been receiving government supported anti-retroviral treatment during December 2007.

When this treatment is interrupted it can have dire consequences. Not only does the risk increase that the medicines will no longer work but the new line of defense once these drugs fail is very expensive. In a nation going through the type of civil unrest that Kenya is the costs could cripple the health care of it’s residents.

“HIV patients are receiving sub-optimal treatment, and because tuberculosis is not diagnosed, it is not treated,” said Ian Van Engelgem, a Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) physician in Nairobi’s Kibera slum.

“It is a very explosive cocktail,” he said by telephone.

Kim Ledger Visits Loft Where His Son Died

Kim Ledger visited the Manhattan loft that his son Heath called home before returning to Perth and Heath’s funeral. He went into the building through a back entrance and left after an hour.

On Monday there was a small service for Heath Ledger at Westwood Village Memorial Park. Michelle Williams and Heath’s daughter Matilda Rose were in attendance.

His co-star from Four Feathers Wes Bentley spoke of his friend during the service.

“While most of us forget we’re alive and are dead on our feet, Heath woke up every day excited about what was out there to enjoy. He lived in a way that spread so much spark to so many people every day he had. Heath not only lived for himself, if he could’ve, he would lived for all of us as well. That was his way.”

There will be a small funeral next week in Perth. The arrangements are being handled by Bowra & O’Dea Funeral Home located in the nearby town of Midland.

A con man impersonating Kim Ledger has been all of the town trying to capitalize on this family’s tragedy. He spoke to John Travolta, Tom Cruise, medical authorities and the funeral home that handled Ledger’s body right after his autopsy attempting to get air fare to the States. If the man is caught he will face fraud and larceny charges.

Happiness May Be Overrated Or Is It?

In our daily pursuit of happiness are we deluding ourselves? While people strive for bliss, finding moderate happiness is a better objective. Do you want to be all that you can? Then you may have to settle for just being moderately happy.

Looking at the World Values Survey, researchers from the University of Virginia, the University of Illinois and Michigan State University analyzed the behaviours and attitudes of 193 students to help them come up with their findings. Those findings show that as overall well-being increases, so does happiness. Surprisingly those who rated their happiness levels in the 10 range of a scale from 1 to 10 were often less well off than those who were in the more moderate range of happiness.

“Happy people are more likely (than unhappy people) to get married, are more likely to stay married, are more likely to think their marriage is good,” Diener said. “They’re more likely to volunteer. They’re more likely to be rated highly by their supervisor and they’re more likely to make more money.”

Happy people are also, on average, healthier than unhappy people and they live longer, Illinois psychology professor Ed Diener, an author of the study said. And, he added, some research indicates that happiness is a cause of these sources of good fortune, not just a result.

“But there is a caveat, and that is to say: Do you then have to be happier and happier. How happy is happy enough.”

Those who placed themselves in the 8 and 9 positions on the scale tended to be more successful in more areas than those in the 10 zone. Those who are moderately happy tend to be higher in achievements within income, education and political participation.

While the 10’s may not make as much money or soar higher in the educational world, they do tend to have more stable relationships and volunteer more.

In a nutshell, it seems that if you want to be at the top of the corporate ladder maybe you have to adjust your ideals in the happiness quota. If you want to be a peacemaker or volunteer at the local animal shelter you may be happier than others but your bank account could very well be lighter.

It comes down to what you think is more important, happiness or ultimate success. The smiles are in your court.

Where Not To Go This Year

Traveling on holiday should be relaxing unless you choose an area in the world that is a little to risky for comfort. Forbes.com has recently compiled a list of the 10 most dangerous places to go.

Even if you are the most adventurous traveler some areas of the world are not worth the risk of losing your life. The ten most dangerous areas of the world for travelers are;

Somalia

This country has been war torn for decades. The warlords have no problem killing whoever come into their line of fire. Other than death travelers risk kidnapping, landmines and pirates that make Jack Sparrow like like a choir boy.

Iraq

It should go without saying that Iraq is a travel don’t. Roadside bombings, suicide attacks, military action and a nation that isn’t fond of Westerns makes this country not a place for the holiday parade.

Afghanistan

Although the Taliban was ousted in 2001 they still manage to attack in this nation. There are daily deaths due to road side bombings and suicide attacks.

Haiti

While a part of the Caribbean, Haiti is a very poor country with civil unrest. Guns are readily available and there are claims that the police are corrupt. It’s a far safer bet to pick any one of the other many Caribbean Islands.

Pakistan

Bordering Afghistan this nation has been dealing with the fleeing Taliban and political unrest that resulted in the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. There are suicide bombings and riots that breakout between the Shia and Sunni Muslim communities.

Sudan

The nation is in the midst of battles between government groups and militias. These areas are to be completely avoided; Darfur, Ethiopian and Eritrean border regions and all of southern Sudan.

DRC- Democratic Republic of the Congo

Anyone that follows the news knows that the Congo is not a safe nation. Along with crime in the past year there have also been numerous serious health issues in the area.

Lebanon

While Lebanon hasn’t dominated the news as of late there is still civil unrest in the nation. That coupled with the warring factor of its neighbour Israel makes Lebanon not a wise move for a holiday destination.

Zimbabwe

When the government doesn’t like you it’s best to avoid the climate. This is the case in Zimbabwe. Inflation is out of control as well. This nation is not ready for a tourist invasion.

Palestinian Territories

Have you listened to the news lately? Some areas of the world are just no brainers when it comes to avoidance. The Palestinian Territories is one of those. With daily clashes between pro-Fatah and pro-Hamas factions and Israel this region is a powder keg ready to explode. It’s best not to travel to areas where you could be part of the news as a body laying dead on the street.

Happy packing.

German Nudist Get A Flight

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If you are a German nudist there’s a holiday flight just for you on July 5. The flight from Erfurt to the Baltic Sea resort town of Usedom will cost $734 (499 euros). It may be a little bit pricey but you can fly naked and not be thought of as a deviant.

Passengers will be able to shed their coverings after they board the plane and not have to dress until they leave the flight. The staff though have to remain in their uniforms for safety reasons.

The flight for 55 is being booked by the travel agency OssiUrlaub.de and does admit that it’s a bit more costly than other flights. This is due to the fact that they are having to use a smaller plane.

Managing director Enrico Hess says that the idea for the flight didn’t come from his company but rather a client.

“It’s an unusual gap in the market.”

There is a very strong nudist culture in Germany where it’s called “free body culture” or FKK. During the time of the Nazis it was banned but it has been quite active since the end of the Second World War.

“There are FKK hotels where you can go into the restaurants and shops naked, for example,” Hess said. “For FKK fans — not that I’m one of them — it’s nothing unusual.”

“I don’t want people to get the wrong idea. It’s not that we’re starting a swinger club in mid-air or something like that,” he added. “We’re a perfectly normal holiday company.”

More Violence In Kenya As Military Helicopters Fire Into Mob

The violence in Kenya reached new heights on Tuesday as two Kenyan military helicopters firing rubber bullets into armed crowds that were terrorizing refugees in Naivasha hoping to leave for a safer venue.

Police are trying to evacuate 300 Luo refugees when mobs of about 600 people threatened the members of the tribe. There is no word if any of the mob was hit by the rubber bullets.

Just after midnight Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) member of parliament Melitus Were was gunned down at his home. He was shot twice in the head as he reached the gate of his house.

Police are calling the death murder while the ODM says that Were was a target of political foes.

“We want no stone unturned in the investigation, but we suspect foul play,” ODM spokesman Tony Gachoka said.

Since the December election there have been at least 850 people that have been killed as the once peaceful nation spirals out of control.

Did The Plague Pick Its Victims?

Was the Black Death really the bubonic plague or could it have been caused by a viral hemorrhagic fever? Did the disease pick out its victims depending on their overall health? It appears that being frail did make a difference when it came to the illness.

Some researchers think that the pandemic that took the lives of about 75 million people could have actually been a virus that could be compared to today’s Ebola or dengue viruses. Other researchers still believe that the plague was caused by a virus caused by the bite of an infected flea.

It appears from recent findings that how healthy a person was to begin with had a factor if a person survived their ordeal. While the disease did kill those of good health experts are saying that the vast numbers of the dead suggest that malnutrition or those in already ill health had little defense against the rapid disease.

The new theories come from a study of 490 skeletons that were analysized from victims of the Black Death in London by two United States researchers.

Anthropologist Sharon DeWitte of the University of Albany in New York worked with the remains from East Smithfield cemetery in London. The skeletons were excavated in the 1980’s for the expressed purpose of studying plague. The skeletons revealed that many of those who died had health problems prior to the plague.

By using the proportion of those who were in frail health prior to infection and those who appeared to be in good health it can be indicated that the plague hit those who were already ill more often than healthy people.

“On average, it killed between 30 to 50 percent of affected populations. But we know that there were some areas where mortality was even higher. So there would have been villages that were completely wiped out,” DeWitte said.

The Bubonic plague still kills 100 to 200 people a year.

Hookers For Jesus Are On A Mission

Former sex workers are trying to save the souls of those who walk the street for money. “Hookers for Jesus” and “JC’s Girls” are two groups walking the streets for a new reason in Sin City.

These born again Christians don’t look the part of soul saviours with their tight T-shirts stretched across their surgically enhanced breasts. Their shirts though state their mission with messages such as “Holy Hotties” and “Hookers” above the symbol of the fish.

They are a new type of missionary reaching out to those who are in a trade they understand very well. Just a few years ago they were in the same high heeled shoes out to make a buck laying on their backs.

“The girls can relate to who we are and how we look in a way that they can’t with some of the typical frumpy Christians who come here,” said Ms Lobert, 40. “We don’t preach to them and we’re not judgmental. We tell them that God loves them, even if they are hookers or strippers or porn stars. We offer help and advice – we do whatever we can for them.”

They are gathering in Vegas to work their message through the casinos while another convention is in town, the annual international gathering of the porn industry. Both Annie Lobert, a $500-a-day escort girl, and Heather Veitch, a highly-remunerated stripperwere there to chat up the stars and hand out cards detailing a new way of life.

They do have some success this time around. One is Stephanie who now goes to church and works as a front desk receptionist at a Vegas hotel instead of turning tricks.

The pair know that some mock them and men pose for photos with them without understanding their mission until they search on the Internet about the sayings on their shirts.

“A lot of guys pose for photos with us and when they go home and look up what’s on our T-shirts, they learn what we’re about. We call it booby-trapping,” explained Ms Lobert cheerfully.

This pair doesn’t mind the jokes about “porn-again Christians” as long as their true message comes through. They are on a mission and the sex filled streets of Vegas is their beat.

The Prince Of Wales Plans To Snub Chinese Olympics

Prince Charles has told Tibet that he will not attend this year’s Olympic Games in Beijing. The Prince gave no reason for this decision but he has been hostile in the past of the communist country.

As you know, His Royal Highness has long taken a close interest in Tibet and indeed has been pleased to meet His Holiness the Dalai Lama on several occasions,” a letter, written to the Free Tibet Campaign by Clive Alderton, the Prince’s deputy private secretary, said.

“You asked if the Prince of Wales would be attending the opening ceremony of the Beijing Olympics in 2008. His Royal Highness will not be attending the ceremony.”

This shouldn’t come as a surprise considering the relationship that Charles has had in the past with the Chinese government. The Chinese have been trying to woo the prince as of late. The highest ranking woman diplomat of China Fu Ying has singled him out for attention since her arrival in Britain as ambassador last year.

Since that time Prince Charles has toured Chinatown and has dined with visiting business people from the country. He even attended an awards ceremony with Madam Fu during a special “Chinese day” last year in the autumn.

Some in government think that Charles’s refusal to go to the games may be a politically correct step. He is openly hostile of the governmental views of the nation and England is attempting to improve their relations with China.

He is not alone. Several other heads of state are refusing to attend the games including the United States’ president George Bush. There are already star powered boycotts being started, one by Mia Farrow who has termed the Olympics this summer as the “Genocide Games”.

Some Strains Of The Flu Are Resistant To Tamiflu

Doctors are getting worried that many strains of the flu do not respond to Tamiflu. The “miracle” flu drug is being stock piled by countries in the event of a flu pandemic. What will happen if that cure proves to be ineffective?

“I think this is a very concerning change in influenza virus resistance patterns,” Dr. Frederick Hayden, a leading antiviral expert and a member of the WHO’s Global Influenza Program, said from Geneva.

“This is not only interesting, it’s unusual and would not have necessarily been predicted by the necessary information. So it’s certainly something we’re taking seriously and trying to gather additional information (on).”

It appears that the “flu” can mutate quickly making the available drugs that are on the market at this time not as effective or not effective at all in the treatment of the condition.

The mutation has appeared in the H1N1 virus. Scientists say that at this time it is too early to say that this is a trend in the influenza virus.

“It’s a somewhat higher proportion of resistance than we would have expected and (than) we’ve seen in the past,” he said from Atlanta.

“But we don’t know yet if it represents a trend upward or just we’re doing a better job of doing surveillance.”

There are reports that six 204 HiN1 viruses in the United States and fewer than one percent in Europe have the mutation rendering the present course of flu treatment unable to treat the illness. This needs to be watched closely and underscores the need of new flu treatments.

Gordon B. Hinckley Dead At 97

Gordon B. Hinckley, leader of the Mormon church is being mourned in Utah at the age of 97. Hinckley was the 15th president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Hinckley died from complications of old age. Hinckley’s grandparents were pioneers for the Mormon church. He became the president of the church on March 12,1995. During the time he served membership rose form 9 million to about 13 million. He also saw the number of temples built almost triple to a total of 120.

If tradition is followed Thomas S. Monson, 80 will become the next president of the church.

Republican Mitt Romney plans to take a break from campaigning to attend the funeral of Hinckley.

“He smiled and said it would be a great experience if you won and a great experience if you lost,” Romney said.

Hinckley had to deal with some of the health issues that older people have thrown at them. In January 2006 he had a cancerous growth removed. He had diabetes. As soon as he was able he returned to a regular work day. He was making public appearances up until Jan. 4, 2008.

He begun his work with the church at Church Radio. He made $60 a month. Other than a brief time during World War Two when he took a job as a railroad agent Hinckley always worked for the church.

The Mormon faith has often been looked down upon from some of the other large Christian sects. Each of the three largest U.S. denominations; the Roman Catholic church, Southern Baptist Convention and United Methodist Church believe that the Mormon faith departs from mainstream Christianity.

“The more people come to know us, the better they will understand us,” Hinckley said in an interview with The Associated Press in late 2005. “We’re a little different. We don’t smoke. We don’t drink. We do things in a little different way. That’s not dishonorable. I believe that’s to our credit.”

His wife Marjorie Pay Hinckley passed away in 2004. Hinckley is survived by his five children: Kathleen Barnes, Richard Gordon Hinckley, Virginia Pearce, Clark Bryant Hinckley and Jane Dudley. He will also be missed by dozens of grandchildren and great grandchildren.

“His life was a true testament of service, and he had an abiding love for others,” said U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican and fellow Mormon. “His wit, wisdom, and exemplary leadership will be missed by not only members of our faith, but by people of all faiths throughout the world.”

Why Are The Young Adults Of Blaengarw, Wales Killing Themselves?

Blaengarw, Wales has seen seven of its youth take their own lives. Could the Internet be the link between all of the deaths? Could be having your name on a Memorial Site be so “cool” that young people would kill themselves for it?

Messages have now been left on Natasha’s own site, with one saying “RIP tash – can’t believe you done it!” and another from Sadie James saying: “Heyaa Babe. Just Poppin In To Say I Let My Balloon Off With A Message On It, Hope You Got It Ok And It Made You Laugh Up There.”

Natasha Randall is the latest to commit suicide in a year’s span in the town. The seventeen year old hung herself in a bedroom of her home. How is this young girl connected to the other six who have taken their lives or is there no connection at all?

Two of Natasha’s friends have already attempted suicide. One was on life support as of January 24 and the other recovering from slitting her wrists.

Some of the seven that have died were casual friends. All of the seven though belonged to a social networking site called Beebo. They all lived within a few miles of each other. The police though haven’t been able to connect the dots in which a true connection can be made or if there are more suicides lined up. They are also looking into 13 other suicides that have taken place in the past year by people under the age of 30.

There has been some speculation that a Memorial Site on the Internet was a motivating factor. Police fear that some teens and young adults think it would be “cool” to have their names on the site.

“There does seem to be an increase in the suicide rate particularly recently,” said Darren Matthews of Bridgend Samaritans. “We have seen a number of suicides of quite young people. It is very difficult.”

The other six deaths were all men between the ages of 17 and 27. One of the men, Liam Clarke, 20, had a message left by Randall. He too had hung himself in a park in the town of Bridgend in December.

20 year old Thomas Davies from North Cornelly hung himself in Feb. 2007. He was friends with David Dilling and Dale Crole who both had been found just weeks earlier.

Thomas’s mother, Melanie Davies, said she had talked to her son about the deaths of his friends: “He was quite upset about Dai [David Dilling] because he went to school with him.

“I said to him: ‘You would never do that to me, would you?’.

“He said: ‘I’d never do that to you – I wouldn’t hurt you mam’. I think it was a couple of days later that he did it.”

The town only has a population of 40,000. In it’s glory days it was a coal mining town. Nowadays there isn’t much to do in the town even the local bowling alley has closed down. A long time resident said that many of the youth drink alcohol and take drugs because of this.

Dr. Arthur Cassidy believes that there could have been a suicide pact between the victims and their friends.

Leah Phillips’s parents want to know if this is the case. The fifteen year old almost died when she attempted to hang herself this week. A neighbour, Andrew Grzywaczewski saved her life by cutting her down and then performing mouth to mouth resuscitation on her until she began to breathe on her own. Leah told her parents that she doesn’t know why she attempted to take her life.

“Nobody really knows what to do,” Robin French, an administrator at the nearby Nolton parish church said. “Society is disconnected. We’re used to suicides in our village. People do the business from a big tree near the chips shop or jump off the train. It seems everybody knows a family that’s been affected.”

Mother Chooses Baby Over Cancer Growing Inside Her

Lorraine Allard gave her life for a child yet to be born. Doctors told the young mother she had terminal liver cancer. She refused treatment to allow the child she was carrying a chance to live. Two months after having Liam she died Jan. 18.

Liam was born 15 weeks early.

Allard was 33 when doctors told her she had liver cancer and to begin treatment she would have to terminate her pregnancy. She decided to allow for the pregnancy to continue and then attempt treatment.

“Lorraine was so brave. I can’t begin to describe how brave she was,” 34-year-old Mr Allard said.

“She knew all too well she didn’t have long to live. So she put little Liam’s life before her own.”

She had felt uncomfortable during this pregnancy. The cancer was discovered when doctors were checking to see if Lorraine had gallstones. The search found two secondary tumours on her liver, one of them 13cm in diameter.

The primary cancer was never found although doctors believed that there was a bowel tumor. Allard heard the hard words, very little hope for survival. With that said she opted to give life and hope for the best.

She lived long enough to give birth to son Liam on November 18 in Norfolk. Liam weighed just 1lb 11oz at birth and is still in hospital gaining the weight he needs to survival outside it’s walls. His Mum’s wish to see him home was unable to be fulfilled.

When Liam does come home he will join his siblings Leah, 10, Amy, eight, and Courtney, 20 months.

The Allards were high school sweethearts and had been together for seventeen years.

Allard honestly had little chance to survive, but earlier treatment may have given her a bit more time. But who is to say if that would have happened.

Lorraine Allard will be buried on Feb 4 at the church she and Martyn were married in St Olaves.

Her father, Tom Berry remembered his daughter, “I was overwhelmed by the way she took it. Lorraine has always been a superb girl and a grafter who did not want to rely on anybody.

“She lived for her husband and her children. She was a big personality with a heart of gold.”

Tasered Victim Wins Lawsuit

William and Kathy Grider have won a lawsuit against Tacoma, Washington’s municipality, police department, Chief Larry Saunders and four police officers in a Taser case for $90,000.

While the deal signed last month for the Grider’s did not include any admission of wrongdoing it could help change how officers use Tasers in the future in Washington state. As of January 1 officers need to consider if the person they are dealing with could have a medical condition before they use a Taser on them.

The case that spurred this new policy on had nothing to do with criminal activity.

William Grider,63 has epilepsy. He works as a clerk at an auto parts store. One day Grider had a seizure at work and passed out. A co-worker called 911 and medics and the police showed up at the store. When Grider regained consciousness it is said he was aggressive and threatening according to one of the officers who was there, Reynaldo Z. Punzalan.

Grider refused to allow the medics to examine him. When the police tried to calm him down and demanded that he see a doctor he still refused.

With Grider being hostile the police decided to give him a couple of zaps with their 50,000 volt Tasers. Punzalan was also kind enough to punch Grider in the face so that they could handcuff him and take him into the hospital.

Grider wasn’t charged for a crime.

According to the lawsuit Grider had let the medics know that he had occasion seizures and he already had a ride arranged if they did occur at work. He also let them know that within a short period of time he would recover and medical care was not needed.

The police report states that;

According to a police report by another officer, however, “Fire Department personnel told us they have dealt with Grider before, and he got very violent that time as well … they also told us he had to get medical help.”

Those who deal with people with seizure disorders should know that sometimes when a person is recovering from a seizure they are a little hostile.

“Accordingly, restraint of persons soon after a seizure may exacerbate or precipitate combativeness the opposite of the intended result,” according to an Epilepsy Foundation report entitled “Inappropriate Response to Seizures.”

Those Cute Little Puppies May Have Rabies

Aren’t puppies cute?

Toronto Public Health is advising anyone who touched or bought puppies at Pets R Us at Dr. Flea’s Market to get in touch with their local health unit. The puppies were exposed to rabies and anyone who had contact is at potential risk.

An eight week old border collie that was bought at the flea market died Monday of the rabies virus.

A large number of puppies were sold at the market. So far there have been no human cases of rabies. The illness can be fatal in humans and animals.

The business cards that were given out carry the name Feed Me More Pets and has a Chesley,

Self Immolation May Become More Commonplace In The West

Earlier this month in Winter Haven, Florida a Hindu woman set herself and her two young children on fire. Deliberately setting oneself on fire is not an uncommon act in some cultures and as the world blends together it is becoming more common in the West.

Some Hindus believe that self-immolation can bring about a connection to God. Others say these acts are not to be considered a religious rite. Regardless of those feelings the West is having to understand Eastern religions as the two merge into one.

There is no word as to the motivation that caused Priya Masters to kill herself and her two children Milan, 1 and her Mahi, 3, last week but it could have to do with her Hindu religion.

This month’s deaths were quite similar to a case last August in Chicago. When Nimisha Tawari became distraught over her marriage she set fire to herself and two children Vardaan, 4, and Ananya, 18 months in a bedroom.

“Fire is sacred for us. We are taught to respect fire,” which elevates the distress associated with fire-induced deaths, said Suman Lingappa, a volunteer at the Hindu Temple of Florida in Tampa.

Three other burning incidents followed the Tawari case in Chicago. Subhash Chandler set fire to a home where her daughter, son-in-law and young son lived. They mother did so because of anger over the fact that her son in law was of a lower caste and had not sought her consent for the marriage.

Kaushik Patel set fire to himself and two young sons in the shower of his home in late November. He and the older of the two boys survived but his four year old perished in the blaze.

Some say that self immolation comes from the Indian culture where women have been set ablaze in dowry disputes. At one time the practice of “sati”, requiring a woman to self immolate at her husbands funeral pyre was commonplace. Sati is now banned in India.

While it is banned the practice of sati still happens. Within the Hindu faith is the belief that life will renew, the soul will live on and that reincarnation happens until the soul has become pure and is able to escape the karmic scope of being reborn to learn what needs to be learnt. The sati shows a devote faith and family members are proud of the women whose lives are lost to this rite.

The Hindu religion believes in nonviolence. The gun culture of the West is far removed from the mostly peaceful members of this religious belief.

“In many parts of India, people would not kill an insect, even inside their home,” Dilip Shah, one of the founders of the Lakeland temple said. “They’ll pick it up and put it outside.”

So why would a people with such a peaceful nature use fire as a means to killing themselves?

Shah says that in the Hindu culture fire is considered a purifying element and that it is easy to set fire to oneself with gasoline and kerosene readily available.

The Hindu family is generally very close knit. Many of the culture put their family, friends and spiritual communities above everything. Seeking help for a mental health concern is considered a weakness and therefore many will not look outside of their ring of community for help.

It’s Not Science Fiction Anymore, Big Brother Is Watching Your Every Move With RFID

The tiny RFID microchip will soon be invading public privacy as a tracking device used by retailers and law enforcement with the sale of almost anything consumers purchase. The future is already here.

From a distance the tiny chips will be able to let those in the know what you have recently obtained.

Do you think that it’s science fiction that the microchip will be tracking your moves? Think again.

There are plans to have customized ads, “live spam” just by the radio tags that will be on a person in the near future. Marketers will only have to get reports from your own house to know which products to spam you with as our own residences become “smarter.”

The technology already exists to allow for objects and people to be tracked wirelessly. Everyday new patents are being deployed to make these marketing tools faster, better and potentially more intrusive.

Right now RFID technology is a hot market for the world’s largest corporations.

The tiny chips can already be found in computer printers, car keys, tires, shampoo bottles and the tags that go beep on department store clothing tags. The books you check out from the library have them as well as “contactless” payment cards.

The use of RFID tags isn’t just to spy on consumers though. Stores use them to cut down on shoplifting and to guarantee that the products that they are selling are the real thing. In the future they will be used to make going to the store easier by letting you bypass the checkout counter, automatically deducting your debit card for your purchases as you exit a store.

When you get home from the store that you’ve purchased your items your house will be using those RFID chips to help you function. Spoiled milk will be a thing of the past as your fridge warns you that it’s expired. Your fridge will always hand you a shopping list for your weekly trip to the grocers and send messages to your TV so that the commercials you view will be of relevance for your home. That microwavable dinner you put in the oven won’t require any reading on your part, the oven will “know” what to do on it’s own.

Companies are hopping on broad for these kind of technology that can “rifle” through your home like a theft in the night to send in a detailed marketing report on what items your family uses.

“You’ve got the possibility of unauthorized people learning stuff about who you are, what you’ve bought, how and where you’ve bought it … It’s like saying, ‘Well, who wants to look through my medicine cabinet?,’” says Mark Rasch, former head of the computer-crime unit of the U.S. Justice Department.

So are we as consumers ready for most companies to have flies on our walls? It doesn’t really matter how we feel as the companies that sell the items we use on a daily basis are hopping on the “free” marketing tour to peek into our closets.

Nathen Smith Sentenced To Be Homeless For A Night

Nathen Smith was sentenced to a night as a homeless person after stealing a Salvation Army kettle containing about $250 dollars worth of donations. He was fitted with a GPS device to track his moves for Thursday night’s venture of being homeless.

Smith spent the night ducking in and out of government buildings for a little bit of warmth.

It’s hard to find a spot to go that’s warm, unless you’re inside,” an unshaven Smith told Municipal Judge Michael Cicconetti, who issued the sentenced.

Smith will also spend three nights in jail, get his GED, complete eight hours of community service and find a job for the misdemeanor charge of theft.

The crime happened on Dec. 17 in Eastlake, Ohio.

Killed Expelled From Medical School In Sweden

Can a person capable of murder reform enough to become a doctor? That is a debate in Sweden where Karl Svensson was expelled because of his involvement in the 2000 shooting of Bjorn Soderberg.

Svensson had been enrolled at Karolinska institute for four months before it was revealed that he had served seven years for Soderberg’s death.

Debates are now brewing on whether a person could reform enough after a murder conviction to become a physician. Students are mixed about the topic.

We talked about it when it emerged and it was in the paper,” said Elin, 21, a biomedicine student who did not want her last name used because the topic was sensitive on campus.

“People felt it was strange that he should be allowed to become a doctor,” she said. “On the other hand, people change. Maybe he’s become a better person.”

The expulsion came after the revelation but that was not the grounds that sent Svensson packing. There were irregularities on the grades from his high school records that had been submitted with his application. Those irregularities were found from a background check.

Part of the reason that Svensson had avoided confrontation about his criminal past was that he has a new name. When he was convicted he went by Hampus Hellekant.

Hellekant is an alleged neo-Nazi sympathizer. Soderberg was a labour union activist who had denounced a co-worker who belonged to a neo-Nazi organization.
Because of this case the Education Minister of Sweden Lars Leijonborg has been prompted to “discuss whether there is a need to change the regulations surrounding students who have committed crimes.”

Don’t Sell The Farm, Asteroid Will Miss Earth Next Week

Asteroid Collision with Earth. Image: Google

A 500 foot long asteroid will pass the Earth next week but it won’t be the big one to wipe out civilization. The asteroid, 2007 TU24 should pass by the world on Tuesday. It could come as close as 334,000 miles.

Those wishing to view the sight should be able to with medium sized telescopes according to Don Yeomans of the Near-Earth Object Program Laboratory.

According to Yeomans this massive asteroid doesn’t have a chance of wiping out Planet Earth.

On average an asteroid of this size does make direct contact with the Earth every 37,000 years or so. It was spotted last October by NASA funded Catalina Sky Survey in Arizona. It’s expected to be the largest drive by asteroid to come close to the 3rd rock from the Sun until 2027.

Mars will be having its own drive-by asteroid on Monday. 2007 WD5 is expected to come within 16,000 miles of our Red Planet neighbour. The odds of an impact there are 1 to 10,000.

Teen Arrested For Planning Hijacking

A teenager planning to hijack a plane from Las Angeles to Nashville was arrested in Nashville Tuesday night. The 16 year old was removed from Southwest Airlines flight 284 with suspicious items in his luggage.

George Bolds, FBI spokesman said that the teen’s luggage contained handcuffs, rope and duct tape. He is believed to have been traveling alone. Because of his age his name is being withheld.

The teen did not attempt to take over the flight at any time while a passenger.

The youth is being held at Davidson County Juvenile Detention Center. There are state charges pending against him with federal charges expected to come.

Authorities searched his California home finding a mock cockpit. It is said that the teen is suicidal but because of his age further comments about his mental health will not be disclosed.

A hearing with scheduled on Friday with Juvenile Court Administrator Tim Adgent to see if the teen will be kept in custody or if there are avenues to allow for him to be released.

Boy Gets To Tell His Side Of Things In Family Dispute On Circumcision

A twelve year old boy Court. The court is allowing the son of James and Lisa Boldt to have his say about being circumcised. Both parents state that their child sides with them. Now the son will be able to let a judge in on his thoughts.

The divorced Boldt’s are in the middle of a religious dispute.
At the center of the case is their young pre-teen son who James wants to have circumcised in accordance of his new found Judaism faith. Lisa contends that having the surgical procedure could harm their son.

The parents each say their son agrees with them. A judge will now question the youth to see who is right on this matter. The Supreme Court made the ruling on Friday.

Be Careful When Mixing Drugs

With the death of Heath Ledger bringing accidental overdoses into view it is important to know how to protect yourself from the same fate. Often times when a person is sick they can mix up dosages and find themselves in trouble.

One of the wisest things you can do when you are ill is to ask your pharmacist if there are any drugs that don’t work well together in the mix you may be taking.

Another smart thing to do when taking multiple medications is to make a dosage chart and check off medicines when you take them. It’s rather easy to take a dose too often when you are groggy from illness to begin with.

Ledger isn’t the only one to die from prescription medicine overdose while sick. (The autopsy results aren’t back yet so this is a purely speculative statement.) In November R&B singer Gerald Levert died from a combination of Darvocet, Percocet and Vicodin, the anxiety medicine Xanax and two over-the-counter antihistamines. He had been ill with pneumonia, shoulder problems and recovering from a surgery repairing his Achilles tendon.

In 2004 almost 20,000 people died when taking drugs that had prescribed to them caused a accidental acute intoxication according to a report by the CDC.

Prescription drugs, especially prescription painkillers, are driving the prolonged increase,” the report stated.

Many of the over the counter medications on the market today were prescription drugs just a few years ago. If you are combining medications it is always wise to make sure that they interact okay with other drugs, regardless if they come from a prescription or just over the counter.

There are many online drug interaction checkers for those who would rather check on their own. Caremark, the University of Maryland Medical Center, Drugs.com, Eckerd, Discovery Health, Drugstore.com and Express Scripts all have online checkers for people to double check their own medications. These checkers often will list foods that should be avoided also when taking certain medications.

These checkers though are not without problems. It is always best to have medications checked by a medical professional.

“It is very important for patients to use the same pharmacy and make sure that they share all of their prescription drugs and their OTC drugs with their pharmacies,” said Jody Cook, a spokeswoman for Rite Aid.

updated: Ledger’s Massage Therapist Called Olsen Twin Before Dialling 911

The massage therapist that discovered Heath Ledger was not breathing called Mary Kate Olsen three times before dialing 911. She spent a total of nine minutes dialing the actress.

After the paramedics arrives she dialed the actress for a fourth time.

Authorities believe that when the massage therapist arrived Ledger was already dead. They do not believe there was any foul play related to the actor’s death.

These details have come out as the Ledger family makes arrangements to bring their son home to Australia for burial. There will be no details of the service shared with the media.

There were several prescription medicines in the Manhattan apartment where Ledger was staying leading medical examiners to believe his death was the result of an overdose.

What is now known about the timeline of Ledger’s last few hours show that at 1 p.m. he was alive and snoring according to the housekeeper. She was in his room to change a light bulb at that time.

When Diane Wolozin arrived to give the actor a massage there was no answer from knocking at his bedroom door. When Wolozin discovered that he was not breathing she used Ledger’s phone to call his friend Mary Kate Olsen prior to calling 911 a total of 3 times starting at 3:17 p.m. That call lasted for 49 seconds. Three minutes later she again called Olsen for a call that lasted for a little over a minute and a half. The third call was placed at 3:24 p.m. for 21 seconds. Two minutes later Wolozin dialed 911.

Between these calls Olsen called her own security guards to help with the situation. The paramedics and security guards both arrived at Ledger’s apartment at the same time, 3:33 p.m. and rode up on the elevator together. The paramedics announced the young star dead at 3:36 p.m.

A minute after the paramedics arrived Wolozin called Olsen a last time.

Last November Ledger had given an interview with The New York Times stating that the stress from his last two projects, “The Dark Knight” and “I’m Not There” had caused for restless nights and he was having to take Ambien to get some sleep.

His former fiance Michelle Williams and the couple’s two year old daughter arrived in Brooklyn on Wednesday evening from Sweden where Williams had been working on a film.

U.S. Blocks Report On Artic Area As It Prepares Auctioning It Off

The United States has blocked an assessment of oil and gas activity in the Arctic as it prepares to sell off an area in the Chukchi Sea off of Alaska. The area is one of the last remaining habitats that is intact of the polar bear.

The blocking of the report that was released in Norway is a “huge frustration” to scientists that are involved in the race to harass the vast energy reserves of the Arctic.

The report was to bring together work done by scientists in the eight Arctic nations and give a true exploitation of oil and gas in the region. The propose was to figure out how to safely extract what is thought to be up to a quarter of the world’s energy reserve.

“They [the US] have blocked it. We have no executive summary and no plain language conclusions.”

one of the lead authors who asked not to be named

Earlier this month the Bush Administration announced that they were planning on auctioning off 30 million acres of the Chukchi Sea on February 6. The Sea separates Alaska and Russia. Criticisms have been running rapid since the announcement.

The sale to oil and gas companies have been rushed through before the U.S. Congress has a chance to protect the polar bears under the Endangered Species Act. This move could create future problems as the Bush Administration begins to auction off the habitat to oil companies.

The report had recommendations about how to advance without endangering ecologically sensitive areas.

“For a polar bear population already stressed due to massive climate change, these activities could be the last straw,” said Kassie Siegel, the climate director at the US-based Centre for Biological Diversity.

The Pill Has Saved Thousands Of Lives

Research from the UK is showing that the Pill has saved 100,000 lives that could have been lost to ovarian cancer in the 50 years that it’s been used. By taking the Pill a woman has a greater chance of being protected from that form of cancer.

According to the Oxford University team the increasing popularity of the Pill has allowed for 30,000 cases of ovarian cancer will soon be avoided each year.

The findings were based on a total of 45 previous studies. This study may lead the way for the Pill to become an over the counter drug in the future.

The link between lower rates of ovarian cancer and the birth control pill has been known for quite some time. This study though was able to show the long term effectiveness of the Pill and avoiding ovarian cancers.

In the 1960’s and the 1970’s hormones were almost double the dose in today’s version of the oral contraceptives. This does not to seem to make a difference as to the amount of protection from the deadly cancer.

It also appears that the protection offered a woman extends decades after a woman stops using the medication.

While this is great news for ovarian cancer there is a smaller risk of short term increases of breast and cervical cancers.

“The eventual reduction in ovarian cancer is bigger than any increase in other types of cancer caused by the pill,” researcher Sir Richard Peto said.

Dr Lesley Walker, of Cancer Research UK, said: “All women who have taken the pill or are currently taking it should be reassured by this study.”

This is wonderful news for the millions of women who take or have taken the Pill. Even short term use of the medication seems to be able to provide years of reduction of risk to ovarian cancer.

Some women though should not be using the drug. Those who have a history of blood clots, heart or liver disease are not candidates for this form of birth control. Also women over 35 who smoke should find an alternate method to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

Creationists To Launch Scientific Journal

A new scientific research journal has been launched by the organization that bought the world the creation museum in Kentucky. The journal, Answers Research Journal, is a free online publication devoted to creationism.

The journal is being run by Answers in Genesis. The Christian ministry is run by evangelical Ken Ham. According to the editor-in-chief Andrew Snelling of Brisbane, Australia papers will be peer reviewed by those who support the theory of creationism.

“There have been these kinds of publications in the past,” says Keith Miller, a geologist at Kansas State University in Manhattan, who follows creationism.

Most work using the creationism approach is ignored by those in the scientific community. Those without a science background though may not be able to judge the difference in a paper that will appear on ARJ with a non-creationism science journal.

Because of recent court rulings the theories of intelligent design has been banned by many US public schools. Creationists still try to discourage the teaching of evolution and other scientific theories at the local level according to Eugenie Scott, executive director of the National Center for Science Education.

According to Scott, “Creation science is alive and well and appealing to a substantial minority of the American public.”

Keith Miller cautions those scientists that believe in other theories than creationism to be careful when responding to ARJ. If there is negativism then it could cause the creationists to stress that there is scientific “bias” against religion. Miller suggests that instead researchers should use education to teach non-scientists about the scientific process.

English Girls Subjected To Strip Search At Orphanage When Mother Falls Ill On Holiday

When Yvonne Bray of Appledore, Devon fell ill during a holiday in the United States her two girls were sent to an orphanage and strip searched. Now the mother is being investigated by the ACS.

Bray had decided that with the exchange rate being as good as it was in December to give her girls the trip of a lifetime for Christmas. That trip quickly became a nightmare.

Gemma, 15, and Katie Bray, 13, traveled with their mum to New York City on December 27. On the flight Ms. Bray started to cough but thought that it the air pressure of the plane was bothering her asthma. The next night though she had to admit that it might be more so she and the girls went to Queen’s Medical Centre in Harlem. The doctors told the mother of the two teens that her girls could not stay with her when she had to be admitted for pneumonia but would be sent to a foster family until Ms. Bray could be released.

That turned out not to be the case at all. Gemma and Katie were taken to an orphanage. Once there they were told to hand over their clothes and wear the uniform of a T-shirt and jeans. Next officials split the girls up. Alone and afraid the girls were then forced to undergo a medical examination.

Being away from Mum when you are alone in New York in an strange place with people you don’t know – it’s just scary,” said Katie.

“At first it was so shocking – it was as if it wasn’t happening but then it hits you.

“You didn’t know how long you’d be there or if Mum would get better.”

The girls were both photographed before they were informed that they would not be allowed to visit their mother in hospital.

When the duty social worker informed Ms. Bray where her children were she had no choice but to go against doctor’s orders and discharge herself.

The mother is now rightfully livid. Her girls were subjected to not only a medical exam but to questions such as if they had been raped. She has even received a letter for the Administration for Children’s Services telling her that she is being investigated.

“It’s disgraceful, but I’m trying to totally dismiss this,” Ms Bray said.

“It seems like a standard letter because the children have been entered into the child care system.

“I’m not guilty of anything other than getting ill in a country without family or friends.”

The ACS refused to comment when questioned by BBC News stating that the case is an “entirely confidential matter.”

9.7 Million Children Died In 2006

Children are suffering and dying in record numbers. In Sierra Leone 270 out of every 1,000 children will die before they reach the age of five. Every day 26,000 of the world’s young perish according to UNICEF.

In 2006 almost 9.7 million children left behind grieving families before they reached the age of five. They died of mostly preventable causes. Hunger, thirst, illnesses that are cured with medicine that isn’t available to all.

There is hope and progress is being made in the plight of children though as local health services gain strength.

Sierra Leone’s children are the ones most at risk, followed by Angola and Afghanistan. In industrialized countries only six per thousand children can be expected not to make their fifth birthday. Compare that figure to countries that are undeveloped and the death rate is 72 in 1000.

The Sub-Saharan African countries have the highest death rate in the world for young children. Of the 30 countries in that region of the world 28 have the world’s highest death rates.

Many of these deaths could have been prevented with such simple measures as vaccinations, mosquito netting for beds and vitamin’s to supplement diets.

We know exactly what works,” said Angela Hawke of UNICEF, referring to strategies the agency has been promoting for some time.

“But we need to make sure that these kinds of services are integrated at the most local level, in the villages where children live,” she said, adding that governments and health experts should design the best solutions for each community.

“We want to make sure that there are local health services that really work with properly staffed health centers … and there’s a proper national health plan,” Hawke told The Associated Press.

War torn countries have the hardest time in protecting their children. When children fall ill many haven’t got the money to see a doctor and attempt to treat their children on their own. It’s a practice that often fails when the stakes are high.

Some countries are improving their death rates when it comes to children. Mexico for one has made some wonderful strides. Since 1990 Mexico has improved their rate by 34 percent.

Mozambique in the deadliest region for children is also a ray of hope. They have seen a 41 percent drop in child deaths as the government made a massive push to educate the public on simple and cheap practices to save lives.

More has to be done though to protect the young that reside on planet Earth.

Anne Frank’s Tree Saved For Another Fifteen Years

The tree that comforted Anne Frank during her long stay in an Amsterdam attic during World War Two has been saved from the axe. The 150 year old horse chestnut tree is in danger of toppling over.

Anne Frank

How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.

The Support Anne Frank Tree Foundation won a court order last November stopping the city from cutting down the massive diseased tree. The plan is to have a framing support to stop the tree from toppling down before the summer.

There have been fears that the tree could fall and crash into the Anne Frank Museum. The museum gets about one million visitors a year.

The plan was agreed on by the museum, The Support Anne Frank Tree Foundation, the owner of the tree, the Netherlands’ Trees Institute and the city of Amsterdam. Experts from several countries worked out the plan to help preserve the tree.

A symbol of freedom to the neighbours and fans of the young girl who immortalized it in her diary it was agreed that this tree should have extraordinary efforts made to preserve it.

If in fifteen years those efforts were made in vain grafts have been taken so that it will be replaced by its own seedlings.

Mother and Children Dead From Murder-Suicide Fire In Winter Haven, Florida

Last week in Winter Haven, Florida a young mother and her young children died during a fire at a local hotel. The news out today is sadder still, the mother set her children on fire and then killed herself.

Priya Master, 25, used gasoline and a lighter to snuff out her and her children’s life in a storage room at the Camellia Hotel. Master was the wife of the establishment her husband Bimal, 44 co-owned. The couple and their children lived in an apartment behind the motel’s office.

Master and her two children Milan, 1 and Mahi, 3 died on January 15 at the motel on one of the busier streets of Winter Haven.

She left behind no motive of why she killed her children and herself. There was no past history of postpartum depression or spousal abuse.

Masters locked herself and the children into the storage room before igniting the gasoline. The force of the resulting explosion blew the door off its hinges.

Master’s sister in law dragged the woman from the room and attempted to save her but t was too late.

The fire was limited to the young bodies in the storage room. The cause of death was determined to be from smoke inhalation and severe burns.

Priya Masters was known by the disabled that stayed at the motel on a weekly basis as a kind woman who went out of her way to check on their needs. She was known in the Indian community as a good wife and mother.

Bimal was in his shower when the fire occurred at about 7 am. He is in a state of shock and finds it very hard to understand that his wife was capable of this kind of act.

The family had been planning a trip to their native India set for the end of February.

“She was making lists of what to bring and who to visit,” Patel said. “She was very excited about it.”

“Does this sound like someone who would kill herself and her children?”

Human Pet Refused Access To Bus

She wears a leash and proclaims she is a pet. He is a bus driver. The two have clashed in London in the past. The bus driver driving for the firm Arriva refusing to allow Tasha Maltby on his bus.

Tasha Maltby is engaged to Dani Graves. She and Graves live an alternative lifestyle that includes her being lead around by a leash.

According to a spokesperson for the London bus driver with the firm Arriva refused to allow her on his bus saying that her leash could prove hazardous in an accident.

She says the driver stated another reason for his refusal to allow her to board his bus.

“We don’t let freaks and dogs like you on.”

Arriva has apologized to the couple if they feel that their refusal was an act of discrimination but they say “the driver was worried about safety and the company told Maltby to take the leash off in the future.”

“We have spoken to the driver who has talked about health and safety,” a spokesman said. “Should she be attached to a chain and something happens on the bus, that could be dangerous. All we are saying is that she is very welcome to use the buses but not when she is on her lead.”

What do you think? Do transportation companies have the right to refuse persons that live an alternate life style passage?

Op-Ed: Westboro Baptist Church Plans To Picket Ledger Funeral

The hate group masquerading as a church, Westboro Baptist Church has plans to picket Heath Ledger’s funeral. They are saying his portrayal of a gay man in the movie Brokeback Mountain means that the actor is damned.

As Trans World News reports:

“God hates the, tacky bucket of slime seasoned with womit known as Brokeback Mountain and he hates all persons having anything whatsoever to do with it,” the church writes on a flyer.

To picket a man who acted in a movie is in complete bad taste but it seems that it’s the way of this group. By pretending to be a church they raise hate to a new level.

Heath Ledger was an actor. Actors that have merit tend to pick roles that are difficult and stretch their abilities. Ledger had begun to prove that this was the type of actor he wanted to be remembered as. He didn’t play the easy characters, the part of Ennis in Brokeback Mountain is a prime example. It is also an example of why some people of different sexual orientation live inside their closets not allowing the rest of the world to know their true nature.

Groups such as this Westboro Baptist Church use religion as a means to spread hate. By saying they will protest an actor’s funeral, saying that a father is already damned, they show the rest of the world how spiteful a group they are.

There is a time and a place to be ugly and spiteful. Okay, there really isn’t a time for those qualities but at a man’s funeral is one time to set aside hatred and allow for families and friends to gather without the pain of a picket sign.

Mr. Ledger deserves that. His child deserves that.

Rest in peace, Heath, at least you do not have to deal with this type of hate any longer.

The “Abortion Pill” RU-486 Has Reduced Clinic Abortions

Abortion rates have dropped but the use of RU-486 is up. The use of a pill to terminate a pregnancy has transformed the need of going to a clinic for an abortion. Since 2000 doctors have been able to prescribe the pill in the United States.

The French pill was first introduced in 2000. It’s use has been increasing as abortions have decreased in recent years. More than one in five early abortions are performed before the ninth week of pregnancy. The use of the pill for those pregnancies accounts for 14 percent of total early terminations.

Physicians that do not perform abortions have been prescribing the pill.

“The impact and the promise is huge,” said Beth Jordan, medical director of the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals. “It’s going a long way towards normalizing abortion.”

By being able to take the pill at home women do not have to deal with picket lines at abortion clinics during an already difficult time.

“It was something I could do at home and be with my husband,” nurse Judi Gilbert said of taking the pill. “It was a decision we made together alone, and we were able to take care of it this way alone. It was just a much more private affair.”

She added: “I wouldn’t say it was easy — it’s never easy to terminate a pregnancy. But in the grand scheme of things, it was much more pleasant than a surgical procedure.”

The drug works by blocking the hormone progesterone. The pill is taken in a doctor’s office and then the patient returns home to take another pill misoprotol that triggers contractions in essence causing a miscarriage. After two weeks the woman returns to her doctor’s to make sure the process worked.

In 2006 about 150,000 abortions in the United States were done using this process.

The cost of the pill is about $100 compared to the cost of a surgical abortion at $400. More than half of abortion providers offer the pill. That is an increase of 70 percent since 2001.

In Europe more than 60 percent of abortions are a result of using the pill.

The pill is not without risk. There have been a handful of women who died as a result of severe complications from bacterial infections. Those opposed to abortion of any kind cite this as a reason to be concerned about the method.

Not Dead Yet

Feliberto Carrasco’s family was shocked when the eighty one year old woke up in the middle of his own wake Sunday. The somber event was taking place in the Chilean village of Angol.

Instead of calling a doctor when Feliberto Carrasco’s family found the older man cold and limp they called the local funeral home. Carrasco was dressed up in his finest suit for the wake with his family wishing him a fond farewell.

Sitting up in the coffin Carrasco asked calmly for a glass of water.

Local radio stations had to announce a correction about the man’s obit saying that the news had been a bit premature.

“I couldn’t believe it. I thought I must be mistaken, and I shut my eyes,” Carrasco’s nephew Pedro told the daily Ultimas Noticias.

“When I opened them again, my uncle was looking at me. I started to cry and ran to get something to open up the coffin to get him out.”

Crocodile Attack Leaves Man In Hospital For Gun Shot Wound

Jason Grant was rescued from certain death by friend Zac Fitzgerald on Tuesday when a crocodile grabbed him. He ended up going to the hospital for the wounds from the croc and a bullet wound in his arm.

Grant and Fitzgerald were collecting crocodile eggs by a river bank in Australia’s Northern Territory on Tuesday when a crocodile grabbed Grant by his lower right arm.

Fitzgerald quickly pumped a bullet into the croc and then another. The second bullet hit Grant in the upper right arm.

Grant was flown to hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

The two men work for a crocodile farm in Darwin. They were collecting the eggs legally.

Mayans Used Young Boys Not Female Virgins As Offerings According to Guillermo de Anda

It looks like the Mayans didn’t sacrifice them virgin girls to appease the Gods, instead they threw young boys and men into watery caverns. That finding could change the history books.

Before the 1500’s the Maya were the leaders of Central America and Mexico building palaces and temples throughout the jungles until the Spanish conquest.

In the city of Chichen Itza Mayan priests offered human sacrifices to the gods for rain and a bountiful crop. The sacrificed children were thrown into “cenotes”, sinkhole caves. The Mayans believed that this source of water was also the entrance into the underworld.

Archaeologist Guillermo de Anda from the University of Yucatan has been able to piece together 127 bodies that were found at the bottom of one of the most sacred caves in Chichten Itza. His findings show that 80 percent of the boys appear to have been young boys between the ages of 3 and 11. The other 20 percent were most adult men.

The sacrifice rituals were rather brutal. Some of the children were skinned or dismembered before the Chaac the rain god received his offering.

It was thought that the gods preferred small things and especially the rain god had four helpers that were represented as tiny people,” said de Anda.

“So the children were offered as a way to directly communicate with Chaac,” he said.

It had previously been believed that these young gifts to the gods had been virgin girls. That belief stemmed from the jade jewelry that had often been found adorning the remains.

It is difficult to determine the sex of human skeletons prior to puberty but de Anda believes from cultural evidence about Mayan mythology that the offerings were indeed young boys.

Lachlan Nally Saved His Father’s Life On Monday

Matthew and his 11 year old son Lachlan Nally of Australia were in a car wreck on January 21, 2007. Matthew is alive because of the quick and fearless action young Lachlan took.

The car the two was in rolled several times before coming to a stop. Lachlan quickly checked on his father who was not breathing. Using first aid skills he had learned in school Lachlan known to friends as Lochie performed mouth to mouth resuscitation until his father started to breath on his own. Knowing that in the remote area that they had wrecked would not likely be receiving quick traffic Lochie ran through the wilderness barefoot and hurt himself to get help for his father.

Lochie ran to the only place he knew of in Koolunga where he and his dad had just been, an old tin roofed pub. His persistent knocking at the door woke the owners who called for help.

Kim March, Lachlan’s mother found out about the ordeal at 3 a.m. when the police brought her son home.

He jumped out the window and he ran for help and that just blew me away,” Ms. March said. “For 3 kilometers and it’s pitch dark by yourself . . . for a little boy it’s, like, amazing, so I told him he’s saved his Dad’s life.”

Lachlan was given a bravery award for saving his father’s life. Lachlan suffered seat-belt burns to his neck, two lumps on his head and a graze on his lower back.

Matthew Nally is still in critical condition at Royal Adelaide Hospital where he was taken by helicopter.

The local police chief said Lachlan would receive a bravery award.

“We think it’s one of the more heroic acts we’ve seen here and the police will certainly be recognising that in some form.”

Heath Ledger’s Death Is A Possible Suicide

Heath Ledger was found in Mary-Kate Olsen’s apartment in New
York dead at the age of 28. Police sources have stated that
there are signs that Ledger committed suicide or accidentally overdosed on drugs.

A masseuse arrived at the apartment at 421 Broome Street in SoHo for a scheduled appointment with Ledger at 3:31 p.m. Tuesday afternoon. The housekeeper let her in and then went to alert Mr. Ledger. She and the masseuse opened the actor’s door when there was no responce. Ledger was naked and unconscious on the bed with pills scattered around his body. They called authorities immediately.

Ellen Borakove, a spokeswoman for the office of the city’s chief medical examiner, Dr. Charles S. Hirsch stated that an autopsy would be conducted on Wednesday.

Ms. Olsen is believed to be in California. She had attended the Sundance Film Festival in Utah. The police were unsure of how long Ledger had been staying at her home.

The offical police summary of death is as follows:

“ON TUESDAY, 01/22/08, AT APPROXIMATELY 1530 HOURS, IN THE CONFINES OF THE 5 PRECINCT, POLICE RESPONDED TO 421 BROOME STREET AND FOUND A M/W/28 UNCONSCIOUS. THE VICTIM WAS PRONOUNCED DOA AT THE SCENE. M.E.’S OFFICE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF DEATH. INVESTIGATION CONTINUES.”

Gharials Have Been Washing Up Dead In India

Gharials are dying. The Indian reptiles have been washing ashore since early December. With only about 1,500 gharials left in the wild researchers are scrambling to find out what is killing them.

Some Folk Medicines Can Cause Lead Poisoning

A Latin American folk medicine could contain a toxic dose for children. “Greta” is a Mexican remedy that contains almost 90% lead in its bright orange powder. That is well over the amount that could cause death in a child.

Across the United States immigrants from Latin America, India and other parts of Asia are using home remedies that could very well kill. Those remedies are the second most common source of lead poisoning in the United States. Only the use of lead paint exceeds these remedies putting tens of thousands of children at risk annually for lead poisoning.

In the past eight years dozens of children and adults have become ill or have died after being dosed with the medicines that contain lead according to federal and local health officials.

The medicines are made outside of the United States and then sold by folk healers known as curanderas. The products can also be bought at ethnic grocery stores and shops selling herbs. The remedies bypass government regulators being brought in the country by suitcases.

“No one’s testing these medications,” said Dr. Stefanos Kales, an assistant professor of environmental health at the Harvard School of Public Health who researched the problem. “There’s no guarantee it doesn’t have dangerous levels of lead.”

In some parts of the world lead is added to curative formulas. There has been no proven medical benefits and many proven problems from taking these folk cures.

In Harris Country, Texas one fifth of children suffering from lead poison have taken traditional medicines. The count is even higher in Arizona with folk cures to blame for one fourth of childhood lead poisoning cases.

Some of the names these remedies go by are greta, azarcon, rueda (mainly in Texas, California and Arizona) and litargirio (mainly in New York and Rhode Island). Drugs from India called ayurvedic medicines contain high lead levels. The South Asian medicine ghasard which is used for constipation in infants and mahayogaraj gugullu which is used to treat high blood pressure also contains lead.

The figures are high when it comes to these remedies and lead poisoning among the young. As many as 30 percent of all childhood lead poisoning cases come from traditional medicines. The EPA estimates that 240,000 children were diagnosed with high levels in 2004 and 2006. Many more cases could be out there with children never being detected.

“People think, well, my grandmother did it, so it’s not a problem. It’s extremely hard to change cultures and beliefs,” said Brenda Reyes with the Houston Health Department.

The trouble is these medicines have been used for generations in immigrants native lands. Arurvedic can be traced back more than 2,000 years ago in India. It is still used by 80% of the population in India today.

Those who become sick because of home remedies often have more serious cases than those who are poisoned from other sources. The reason for this is because of medicines are deliberately swallowed.

Symptoms of lead poisoning are lethargy, confusion, learning problems and convulsions. In severe cases brain damage can occur. There have also been deaths that happen with excessive lead levels.

There are treatments used to help the body reduce the amount of lead. Oral medicines and chelation therapy allows for the lead to be removed by urination.

The only way though to help rid this problem though is through educating the public that these folk cures could poison children.

Armed Robbers Leave City Of Gothenburg In A State Of Chaos

Gothenburg, Sweden was the scene of a very sophisticated robbery on Tuesday. Armed robbers attacked the main post office and left a wave of confusion that almost completely paralysed the city.

At least five fake bombs were left behind, three of which were in front of the main police station. The robbers also set fire to several cars and spread spikes on roadways to puncture the tires of anyone trying to pursue them.

No one was harmed in the heist at the post office but the actions of the robbers left the city in a state of chaos.

“We have never before experienced anything as spectacular, where they have tried to hinder the police and create public confusion,” Gothenburg Police Commissioner Krister Jacobsson was quoted as saying by Swedish news agency TT.

Al Gore was due to visit Gothenburg to collect a prize for his work during all of the chaos. That visit should still be able to take place according to the organiser of the event.

Yahoo Could Be Facing Massive Layoffs

As economics slump in the United States hundreds of employees at Yahoo,Inc. could be feeling the pinch. The company could be preparing for massive layoffs as early as January 29.

The number of layoffs could be announced as early as next week when executives review the fourth quarter results of the company.

Silicon Alley Insider, a blog this weekend had reported that the company could be clearing out as many as 2,500 jobs. Monday’s report by The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal show a smaller number of jobs being on the chopping block.

If the company does do a massive layoff it would be the first time since 2001. In 2001 after 9/11 many dot.com companies took massive economic hits.

At the moment Yahoo is making a profit. That profit though isn’t as high as it could be. Yahoo stock is down to $20.78.

Ex-Pat Democrats Able To Vote Online Using Democrats Abroad.Com

Ex-Pat Democrats can cast their ballots online this year in a presidential primary for people living outside the United States. The vote will take place from Feb. 5 until Feb. 12.

Democrats Abroad is an official branch of the party representing overseas votes who still want their voices heard. American Democrats living aboard will be able to vote by the Internet, fax, mail and in person at polling place in more than 100 countries this year.

“The online system is incredibly secure: That was one of our biggest goals,” said Lindsey Reynolds, executive director of Democrats Abroad. “And it does allow access to folks who ordinarily wouldn’t get to participate.”

U.S. citizens must join Democrats Abroad before Feb. 1 if they wish to vote online. One of the rules in joining is to not vote twice for president.

Members get a personal identification number from Everyone Counts Inc. That number allows a person to log in and cast their ballot.

The online votes from Democrats Abroad will be represented at the August Democratic National Convention by 22 delegates. According to party rules that will allow for a total vote of 11. The online vote will get more votes than that of U.S. territories but not as many as states with low populations like Alaska which get 18 delegate votes.

The San Diego based Everyone Counts has been in the software business for a decade. The company has been running the online voting for the British Labor Party since 2000 and other British elections since 2003.

“We’ve had no security breaches. We do constant monitoring,” chief executive officer Lori Steele said. Online voting “provides really a higher standard of security than is available in any other kind of system, including paper.”

Steele said a number of U.S. states had contacted her company to inquire about online voting for the 2008 presidential election.

“There are many, many states in the U.S. that would like to be offering this to their expatriate voters, their military voters and their disabled voters,” Steele said.

This option is not available for Republican ex-pats. Republicans Abroad has been in operation independently of the Republican Party since 2003.

“In the Republican primary, the overseas vote could actually have a bigger impact: That vote could be the tipping vote, so to speak, that decides an election in a close race,” said Steven Hill, an elections expert who directs the New America Foundation’s Political Reform Program.

Shunning An Old Practice Returning To Some Protestant Evangelical Churches

In some Protestant evangelical churches in the United States disagreeing with the pastor could get you banned from church. That happened to 71 year old Karolyn Caskey of Michigan last June.

Sodas Banned From Seoul Schools

Soft drinks are about to be ousted from schools in Seoul this year as the South Korean capital wages a war against obesity.
The first step will be banning carbonated soft drinks at schools and libraries.

“All soda drinks will be completely banned at concessions and vending machines at Seoul schools this year,” a spokesman said.

“The ban began last year to address the obesity problem among school students, but it was not fully implemented due to contract problems.”

South Korea has just recently seen a surge of obesity. In 1995 only 22.2 percent of the population was overweight compared to today’s 36 percent. In the past three years a growing number of children in the nation have been classified as obese.

Kiefer Released From Jail

Kiefer Sutherland is a free man again, serving his 48 days without complaining once. Most of his time while in jail was sent on laundry duty. The star made sure that those working on his show 24 would not be out of work due to his conviction.

Sutherland was serving a sentence for drunken driving. He was nabbed in September while still on probation from a prior conviction. He pleaded no contest and took his punishment like a man without citing that the legal system was out to get him because he was a celebrity.

He was also sentenced to five years probation and has to complete a 18 month alcohol education program. In addition he must attend six months of weekly therapy sessions.

Canadian born Sutherland is the star of the Emmy Award winning show 24.

The New Homeless Vet

An old sad story is being revisited in the United States, that of the homeless vet. Young, angry and unable to cope with the world around them after war. The Vietnam War showed my generation a new war vet, this generation gets the Iraqi War Vet.

“People come back from war different,” Peter Mohan

There is no question that war changes a person. Having to watch death up close does emotional damage. Fearing that today may well be the day that you die everyday for long periods can trigger paranoia.

The U.S. has been in war for seven years starting with the bombing in Afghanistan and two years later Iraq.

Dealing with the mental scars of war isn’t new. During the Civil War boys came home addicted to morphine. They were called tramps, searching for a job often while war wounds hadn’t even mended.

The “Bonus Army” from WW1 demanded their benefits that had been promised them.

We didn’t witness those lost, they are long dead. We did and do witness the boys from ‘Nam. Lost, rejected, on emotional edge. Movies have been made about these souls that left their innocence behind on the killing fields.

The United States has a new group to add to the homeless vet, those returning from another war that has divided a country. There have been at least 1,500 vets from Iraq and Afghanistan identified by the government. The Department of Veteran Affairs estimates that 36,000 veterans were homeless for some time during 2006.

Those who work with homeless vets fear that the coming years will bring on a huge wave of lost souls wrapped in a blanket with no home as vets return to struggle with post-traumatic stress.

As the United States braces itself for this wave there is a resounding question being asked “How? Why?”

“I really wish I could answer that question,” says Anthony Belcher, an outreach supervisor at New Directions, which conducts monthly sweeps of Skid Row in Los Angeles, identifying homeless veterans and trying to help them get over addictions.

“It’s the same question I’ve been asking myself and everyone around me. I’m like, wait, wait, hold it, we did this before. I don’t know how our society can allow this to happen again.”

The how is easy even if it is a sad issue. Mental illness, money trouble and not being able to find a home within budget are the primary causes of homelessness when it concerns veterans of wars.

The Vietnam Vet also had the issue of drug abuse. That issue does not appear to be a concern with those returning from the Middle East. What does seem to be affecting those that back it home is the multiple deployments and abundance of roadside bombings is triggering stress disorders.

Stress disorders started appearing in ‘Nam Vets about 10 years after they returned home. The returning soldiers from the Middle East are having signs of the disorders much sooner.

“There’s something about going back, and a third and a fourth time, that really aggravates that level of stress,” said Michael Blecker, executive director of Swords to Plowshares,” a San Francisco homeless-vet outreach program.

“And being in a situation where you have these IEDs, everywhere’s a combat zone. There’s no really safe zone there. I think that all is just a stew for post-traumatic stress disorder.”

While this war does not reflect the harsh homecomings that Vietnam is shamefully remembered for once a vet is home those around them quickly move on from the homecoming. The promised jobs don’t always come. Those who haven’t been in the war don’t understand them.

War changes people,” says John Driscoll, vice president for operations and programs at the National Coalition for Homeless Veterans. “Your trust in people is strained. You’ve been separated from loved ones and friends. The camaraderie between troops is very extreme, and now you feel vulnerable.”

The VA spends about $265 million annually on programs targeting homeless veterans. And as Iraq and Afghanistan veterans face problems, the VA will not simply “wait for 10 years until they show up,” Pete Dougherty, the VA’s director of homeless programs, said when the new figures were released.

“We’re out there now trying to get everybody we can to get those kinds of services today, so we avoid this kind of problem in the future,” he said.

Help may come but sadly there will always be that fraction that slips away unnoticed.

It’s collateral damage.

Suzanne Pleshette Dead at 70

The Bob Newhart Show actress Suzanne Pleshette died of respiratory failure at the age of 70 on Sunday at her LA home. In 2006 she was diagnosed with lung cancer and had undergone chemotherapy.

Pleshette was best known for her role as the wife on the Bob Newhart show.

Born in New York City the actress attended the city’s High School of Performing Arts. She married actor Tom Poston in 1999 after knowing him for 40 years. Pleshette had been married to teen star Troy Donahue and Texas oilman Tim Gallagher prior to that marriage.

She starred in many films including Hitchcock’s “The Birds” and the Disney comedies “The Ugly Dachshund,” “Blackbeard’s Ghost” and “The Adventures of Bullwhip Griffin.”

“I’m an actress, and that’s why I’m still here,” she said. “Anybody who has the illusion that you can have a career as long as I have and be a star is kidding themselves.”

Johnny Depp Gives Donation To Hospital That Saved Daughter’s Life

Last year Johnny Depp faced a parent’s worst nightmare, his young daughter was in a life and death struggle. This year with eight year old Lily-Rose healthy Depp gave the London hospital a hefty donation.

Last year Lily-Rose was at Great Ormond Street Hospital for nine days struggling to remain alive as an E.Coli infection caused her kidneys to fail. The doctors and nurses at Great Ormond Street fought back and Lily-Rose is again healthy.

This week Depp arrived unannounced with a donation of 1 million pounds.

“It was the most frightening thing we have ever been through. It was hell for all of us,” Johnny said soon after his daughter’s recovery. “But the magic is that she pulled through beautifully. She was amazing — a strong, strong kid.

This isn’t the first time Depp has shown his gratitude towards the medical facility. In November he spent four hours in the children’s ward reading stories to the sick children dressed as Captain Jack Sparrow. Last week he invited five doctors and nurses to the premiere of his film Sweeney Todd.

This helps prove that Depp is indeed a decent man and a very loving father.

15 Year Old Girl Attacked By K-9 Dog In Lakeland, Florida

Shakeria Smiley of Lakeland, Florida is lucky tonight to only be needing crutches to get around. The fifteen year old was attacked by a K-9 dog that was accidentally allowed out of the squad car it was in.

Smiley wasn’t doing anything wrong mind you, she just was in the way of Bodo and his handler officer Ted Sealey. Bodo, who is trained to protect Sealey at all costs bit down on Smiley’s thigh twice. Although the canine was quickly removed that didn’t stop an innocent girl from experiencing a great deal of pain. After a trip to the hospital Smiley had six stitches and blood stains to her blue jeans to remind her of the attack.

“It just scared me so bad,” Smiley said. “I thought I was going to lose my leg.”

Sealey and another officer had been at a Lincoln Ave. apartment building to mediate a landlord-tenant dispute when the incident happened. Smiley was at the apartment visiting her mother who lives there.

While the dispute was going Sealey reached over to calm one of those involved down when the woman gestured accidentally hitting the policeman in the chest. That action caused Sealey’s “deployment device” to go off in the patrol car to release Bodo. The devices are like small garage door openers.

“I don’t believe any changes will be employed because of this,” he said. “The dog was doing what it was trained to do. The girl was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time. This was a freak accident.”

Smiley is a freshman at Lake Gibson High School. She has been afraid of dogs since the age of 5 when she was almost bitten.
Chance are high that her fear will not be leaving anytime soon.

Special Muffins Send Eight To Hospital

Some home made muffins sent seven students and their teacher to Pierre-Le-Gardeur Hospital in Repentigny. It seems that the baked goods had a little too much of a special ingredient in them.

There is speculation that the muffins had a strong concentration of cannabis added to the ingredient list. The 18 year old student who brought in the special muffins could be facing a grocery cart’s worth of charges if they did.

The class was celebrating the end of a course at a trade school in the Quebec city of Repentigny. After eating the muffins several students began to feel ill.

All of the students are doing well. The muffins are being analyzed to find out what the students were exactly consuming.

14 Arrested During Raids In Barcelona, Suspected Of Terrorism

Spain is on high alert as police arrested 14 suspected terrorists on Saturday. The suspects of Pakistani and Indian origin were believed to be plotting an attack in Barcelona.

All of the arrests took place in Barcelona and there are more arrests expected to take place. The police had help with unidentified foreign intelligence agencies. They raided several apartments, a mosque and a prayer hall to obtain the suspects.

Along with the arrest were the discovery of materials used in making explosives. Timing devices were also found during the raids. The detainees are members all “belonged to a well-organized group that had gone a step beyond radicalization” according to Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, the interior minister.

Spain has a general election slated for March 9. Because of this the police are on alert for terror attacks by Islamist groups or the Basque militant group ETA. During the last election in March of 2004 191 were killed March 11, 2004 when an Islamist terror group attacked Madrid commuter trains. That attack was just three days prior to the election.

“When someone has timers in their home you have no option but to think violent acts are being planned,” he said. Photographs of material found in the raids included the timing devices, a small quantity of ball bearings, batteries and plastic cables.

A prominent Muslim representative in Barcelona said that the men arrested belonged to Tabligh Jamaat. The group is based in Pakistan and claims to be non-political.

Should AIDS Funding Be Divided For Basic Health Concerns?

Should money slated for AIDS be divvied up for a broader scope when it comes to health related budgets. With the focus for decades on combating HIV/AIDS basic health care in developing countries has fallen to the wayside.

Neglecting to focus on simple basic health care in developing countries while targeting in on the AIDS crisis has resulted in less funding. Simple ideas like clean drinking water and birth control education have suffered while Western funds have funneled billions to HIV treatments.

Clean water, family planning and healthy sanitation have been neglected as the world spends $8 to $10 billion a year on taking care of HIV/AIDS patients. Experts are now agreeing that much too much funding is going to just one area (HIV) when several health concerns are not getting adequate monies to improve conditions.

“If we look at the data objectively, we are spending too much on AIDS,” said Dr. Malcolm Potts, an AIDS expert at the University of California, Berkeley, who once worked with prostitutes on the front lines of the epidemic in Ghana.

In Africa alone more children die from malnutrition, pneumonia and malaria from AIDS, yet those conditions have not had funding any where close to HIV funding. The billions spent on HIV is 100 times that of funding for water projects in developing nations.

In undeveloped nations 2 billion people do not have access to safe sanitation and 1 billion drink unclean water. According to a series in the journal Lancet one third of deaths in children are the result of not enough nutrition. Eleven percent of the total burden of disease, including HIV, stems from mothers and children unable to have enough to eat.

“We have a system in public health where the loudest voice gets the most money,” said Dr. Richard Horton, editor of Lancet. “AIDS has grossly distorted our limited budget.”

The other side of the coin are those who argue that because of the funding those with HIV/AIDS are getting the medicines that they need and by reducing the funding that may reduce the amount of patients receiving treatment.

“We cannot let the pendulum swing back to a time when we didn’t spend a lot on AIDS,” said Dr. Kevin De Cock, director of the AIDS department at the World Health Organization. “We now have millions of people on treatment and we can’t just stop that.”

Still, De Cock once worked on AIDS projects in Kenya, his office just above a large slum.

“It did feel a bit peculiar to be investing so much money into anti-retrovirals while the people there were dealing with huge problems like water and sanitation,” De Cock said.

This is a problem that many have had to deal with. A recent report on the Gates Foundation recorded the same quandary. In many areas of Africa HIV has relatively low rates but high rates of diseases like diarrhea and respiratory illnesses. Much of the funding that these areas receive from the West though is still for AIDS.

“Why does the public health budget have to be so limited?” asked Tom Coates, a professor of global AIDS research at the University of California, Los Angeles. “Let’s not drag AIDS care and prevention down to the level of every other disease, but let’s bring everything else up to the level of AIDS.”

As new drugs have been discovered HIV has become a treatable condition in the Western world. A large part of that treatment though is the fact that overall health care and nutrition needs are on par in the West. That is not the case in the countries where funding is being sent.

When the basic health care is diminished it produces a trickle down effect. While the meds are now there for those with HIV/AIDS if there isn’t enough to eat it will not help in the end.

“At the end of the day, there are limits to how big the public health pie can be,” Daniel Halperin, an AIDS expert at Harvard University’s School of Public Health.

A better funding budget has to be made in which all aspects of health care are addressed. While the funding for HIV/AIDS would be reduced the underlying conditions that cause many of the problems with this crisis could be addressed.

To cure a crisis you have to look at all sectors of it, not a narrow scope.

Etravirine Approved By FDA

The FDA approved the drug etravirine for those who do not respond on other HIV treatments Friday. Sold under the name Intelence the drug is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, or NNRTI.

The goal of this drug is to block an enzyme that the HIV virus needs to multiple according to the FDA. It was approved for use in combination with other anti-HIV medications.

The drug reduces the amount of HIV in the blood and helps increase white blood cells. It may be able to reduce the risk of death or infections that can happen when a person has a weakened immune system.

Last July etravirine was placed on a list of drugs to be fast tracked through the approval phase. Johnson and Johnson had requested the fast tracking of the drug. Etravirine is made by a division of Johnson and Johnson, Tibotec Therapeutics which is a division of Ortho Biotech Prodcuts, L.P. The company is based in Bridgewater, New Jersey.

“This is another significant new product for many HIV-infected patients who are NNRTI-resistant and whose infections are not responding to currently available medications,” said Dr. Debra B. Birnkrant, director of the FDA’s Division of Antiviral Products.

Daryl Atkins’ Sentence Commuted To Life In Prison

Daryl Atkins’ death sentence has been commuted to life in prison. Atkins is mentally retarded. He was convicted at eighteen of the 1996 robbery and murder of Eric Nesbitt, 21, an Air Force mechanic.

Atkins is now 30. He has spent a decade sitting on death row while appeals have been ongoing. His lawyer argued that because of his mental disability he should not be executed. The case was turned over to the U.S. Supreme Court after a ruling in 2002 that it was unconstitutional to execute the mentally retarded.

A jury decided in 2003 that Atkins was not retarded and upheld his original sentence. That verdict was overturned because of errors made during the time of the trial. It was revealed while Atkins was awaiting a new trial this year that prosecutors withheld evidence during his original 1998 trial.

Atkins was a drug user. Prosecutors tried to contend that his bad marks in school did not stem from his retardation but rather from a bad attitude. In Virginia mental retardation is defined as having an IQ below 70 before the age of 18 and not being able to function well in society. His stepsister stated that as a teenager Atkins was unable to prepare his own meals or “even clean out his own ears.”

Atkins has taken four IQ tests since he was charged with the murder. He scored between 59 and 76 on those tests.

Virus Discovered That Seems To Cause Merkel Cancer

Researchers in the United States have discovered a new virus that may be linked to a lethal form of skin cancer according to a study published in the journal Science. The virus is called Merkel cell polyomavirus (MCV).

This is the first polyomavirus to be strongly associated with a particular type of human tumor,” said Patrick Moore, a member of the research team.

The discovery could lead to new treatments but much more research must take place before that will be able to take place.

Scientists located the virus DNA sequence in 80 percent of all Merkel cell tumors. It appears that the virus precedes the tumor growth. Merkel cancer cases have tripled in the past two decades. About 1,500 people a year are diagnosed with the lethal form of skin cancer, half die within nine months if they have advanced stages of the illness. Two thirds do not survive for five years.

Researchers point to the vaccine for a virus that causes cervical cancer as a next step with Merkel cancer.

MCV is another model that may increase our understanding of how cancers arise, with possibly important implications for non-viral cancers like prostate or breast cancer,” said pathology professor Yuan Chang.

Chess Master Bobby Fischer Dead At 64

Fischer put chess on the map in 1972 when he dethroned the Soviet world champion has died after a long illness of kidney failure. He was 64. The often controversial master died in Iceland on Thursday.

Fischer was born in Chicago and raised in Brooklyn. In 1992 he faced criminal charges for playing a chess rematch against Boris Spassky in Yugoslavia defying international sanctions. He later renounced his American citizenship.

In 2005 he moved to Iceland, a nation that loves chess. He was a master at the game, using his eccentricities to unsettle those who sat across the table from him.

“Chess is war on a board,” he once said. “The object is to crush the other man’s mind.”

In 1975 he lost his world title after he refused to defend it against Anatoly Karpov. He dropped out of the competitive chess scene and emerged in public rarely, mainly to make anti-Semitic comments.

Fischer become a grand master of chess at the age of 15. Winning the title of world champion in 1972 in Iceland he was the first American to do so.

In July 2004 he was arrested in Japan for travelling with a revoked U.S. passport. He was threatened with being sent to the United States for violating sanctions from the 1992 chess match that was against sanctions imposed to punish then-President Slobodan Milosevic.

He spent nine months in custody in Japan before Iceland granted him citizenship. He moved there with his longtime partner Miyoko Watai. She survives him.

Spassky, reached briefly at his home in France, said: “I am very sorry, but Bobby Fischer is dead. Goodbye.”

Drug Charges Dropped For David Faustino

Actor David Faustino’s drug charges on a May 2007 misdemeanor marijuana arrest have been dropped by prosecutors in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. The 34 year old actor is best known for his role of Bud Bundy in the show “Married With Children.”

Faustino successfully completed a drug treatment program in California according to Linda Pruitt, spokeswoman for the State’s Attorney’s Office.

“He received no special treatment from the State Attorney’s Office,” Faustino’s Daytona Beach defense attorney, Mike Rodriguez, said Wednesday. “He did what was asked of him, and he fulfilled all of his conditions.”

In May 2007 Faustino and his wife were having an argument with his wife while in their car. He tried to climb out a car window while the car was stopped at an intersection. Police spotted this and moved in to investigate. According to police they could smell alcohol on his breath and had a gram of marijuana in his pocket.

The couple has since divorced.

Elijah Gasque Was Buried On Thursday

When Julie Adkins-Gasque saw a fresh bruise on her one year old she didn’t think he was in danger rather he was playing rough with the babysitters little boy. She buried her son on Thursday.

Babysitter Yalines Torres of Ellington, Conn. has now been charged with one year old Elijah Gasque’s death. She sits in jail with a $1 million dollar bail.

“What, did he cry too much for her? I don’t know why she would do it,” Adkins-Gasque said after the funeral. “I’m angry. I’m confused. I’m blank sometimes. I miss my son.”

According to Torres the little boy’s skull fracture happened when his head hit a door frame as she ran around with him slung over her shoulder in a sleeping bag.

Little Elijah had been taken care of by Torres for the past two months sometimes for five days a week. She had seen bruises but thought they came from when Elijah and Torres son played a little rough. On Thursday he came home with a fresh bruise on his forehead. She couldn’t find a new sitter that she could afford on her salary at a fast food restaurant and had to work on Friday. She left him a last time on Friday with Torres. During her shift she received a call no parent could fathom, her son had collapsed and had a seizure.

Torres has given the police different versions of how little Elijah suffered his fatal injury. At one point she said her two year old son hit him in the head with a toy xylophone, another version was he had been hurt when she twirled her in the air. there is yet another version that Elijah was injured during a game and she bundled him up in a sleeping bag and jogged through her apartment with him slung over her shoulder losing her balance going through a doorway and the baby’s head stuck the door frame twice. At the end of that version she heard a whimper and upon checking him Elijah was not breathing and pale.

Young Elijah died in hospital the next day. The medical examiner ruled his death from a skull fracture and bleeding in the brain a homicide.

Torres was first charged with risk of injury to a minor and reckless endangerment and made bail on Tuesday. She was recharged on Wednesday and charged with capitol felony. That charge carries a possible death penalty or life in prison without parole if a conviction is made.

Defense attorney Claudia Jones requested on Thursday to keep Torres on a suicide watch at the state women’s prison.

op-ed: Where Did “My” Nation Go?

As I read through the various political propaganda that the candidates have going around the Internet I have to ask myself what I honestly feel about the nation of my birth. Am I the one who changed too much or did she?

Blast At Drayton Winery Kills Two, Another In Critical Condition

Winemaker Trevor Drayton has died from injuries sustained during a massive explosion this morning at a Hunter Valley winery. Another unnamed person also died in the blast that rocked the property this morning.

Drayton was working at his family owned Drayton’s Winery when ethanol fumes reportedly were ignited by a spark from a welder. The resulting explosion could be heard five kilometres away as it blew the roof from the main shed of the winery and damaged the cellar door. Neighbouring vineyards reported seeing a fireball at the winery.

The Drayton family has been in the wine business since the 1850’s in Pokolbin, Australia. The winery is operated by Max Drayton and his sons John, Trevor and Greg. In 2003 Max Drayton was awarded an Order of Australia Medal for his contribution to the wine industry.

Two people were killed in the blast, another was airlifted to John Hunter Hospital in critical condition. The man airlifted has been said to be a twenty seven year old worker. He escaped the blaze running towards the dam on his own. Witnesses said that he was badly burnt and in extreme pain.

There have been no other reports of injuries from the blast. The vineyard was not open to the public when the blast occurred this morning.

“Looking around and you look at damage in trees around the place from what was obviously a shockwave of some sort from the explosion, I think it’s probably very lucky that it happened early,” Rural Fire Service Superintendent Jason McKellar told Macquarie Radio.

Mark Backlund Dead Because Of Taser

Mark Backlund is yet another person to have died after being stunned with a Taser by the police. The 29-year-old Minnesota man is said to have been uncooperative after being involved in a car wreck.

Backlund’s death has placed five state troopers on administrative leave. The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is in charge of the investigation. The police are not commenting about what type of behaviour Backlund was demonstrating when he was zapped by the Taser.

“This is a traumatic event for a lot of people,” superintendent Tim O’Malley said. “Someone has died and we need to make sure that we’re accurate and thorough.”

Backlund was involved in a single car crash during the evening rush hour.

Gordon Backlund was told that his son’s heart stopped. He stated that his son had no prior heart conditions.

New Brighton police officers began carrying Tasers eighteen months.

Resolution 888 Could Change American History

Have you heard of Resolution 888? It’s a little bit of proposed legislature that could help rewrite the foundation of the United States. Should you be scared? Only if you believe that the US should be a nation tolerant of all religious beliefs.

The resolution was introduced by Republican Randy Forbes on December 18,2007 and is being backed by thirty one other Representatives. If it were to pass through Congress American history could be rewritten. The victors after all are the ones that word the history books.

What would change in those texts that school children would take as fact? Mainly that the United States is a Christian nation. There is no question that a mass majority of United States citizens are Christian but this measure would declare the country as a Christian nation as a whole.

Some of the passages that are in the proposal are as follows;

“Whereas political scientists have documented that the most frequently-cited source in the political period known as The Founding Era was the Bible” and “Whereas the United States Supreme Court has declared throughout the course of our Nation’s history that the United States is ‘a Christian country’, ‘a Christian nation’, ‘a Christian people’, ‘a religious people whose institutions presuppose a Supreme Being’ and that ‘we cannot read into the Bill of Rights a philosophy of hostility to religion….’”

The document could change forever the way United States history is presented. Some of the misrepresentations are that Thomas Jefferson “urged local governments to make land available specifically for Christian purposes, provided Federal funding for missionary work among Indian tribes, and declared that religious schools would receive ‘the patronage of the government.’”

Those who study history know the falsehoods of those statements.

Not every lawmaker on the hill is backing this resolution including head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and a former White House counsel for President Reagan, Michael Weinstein.

He states, “House Resolution 888 is perhaps the most disgraceful, shocking and tragic example yet of the pernicious and pervasive pattern and practice of the unconstitutional rape of our bedrock American citizens’ religious freedoms by the fundamentalist Christian right.”

Right now this document is still in its infant steps and may never leave committee and even if it does may not ever come into being. It has been referred to the House Oversight and Government Reform committee. What is important though is that a document is even being considered that would change American history. It’s a change that seems to be gaining standing during this presidential campaign. Mike Huckabee appears to be leading a fundamental Christian backing to take over the country. He has made it very clear that religion should be at the fore front of the country with statements like, “I hope we answer the alarm clock and take this nation back for Christ,” Huckabee told a Baptist convention in 1998. He assured the crowd that he had not entered politics “because I thought government had a better answer. I got into politics because I knew government didn’t have the real answers, that the real answers lie in accepting Jesus Christ into our lives.”

Resolution 888 also calls for a `American Religious History Week’ that would take place the first week in May. This week would have schools teach the appreciation of and education on America’s history of religious faith.

There is nothing wrong with having Christian beliefs. That said changing history to suit those beliefs creates a gray area that could prove to be the country’s undoing.

Colbert Proves Worthy: Portrait to Hang at Smithsonian For Six Weeks

Stephen Colbert is set to have his portrait grace the walls of the Smithsonian Institution’s National Portrait Gallery in a place the museum thinks is most appropriate — between the bathrooms near the “America’s Presidents” exhibit.

The officials at the museum want it to be clear that the showing of Colbert’s portrait will be for a short six week run.

As AP reports:”We agreed to go along with the joke and hang it for a short time in between the bathrooms,” said museum spokeswoman Bethany Bentley. “Let me tell you two key things here: His portrait is not coming into the collection, and it’s not hanging permanently.”

Colbert boasted on Tuesday night that he was “hanging in the hall of presidents, just a few yards from the father of our country — exactly where I believe it belongs.”

The star of The Colbert Report attempted to run as a Democrat in the current Presidential campaign. South Carolina blocked that attempt. He then went to great lengths to get his face staring at the crowds at the Smithsonian. The portrait is a three-in-one piece — Colbert standing at a fireplace in front of a similar portrait of himself posing in front of the same mantel with a third picture of himself.

The portrait had been rejected from the National Museum of American History before Colbert begged enough to get the Smithsonian to take pity on him. Bentley denies that the satire talk show host was begging so much as “making his case” as he made his way to get his face shown in the portrait galley.

As AP reports: “Who’s the competition? Who do I need to knock out of here to get me up?” Colbert asked gallery director Marc Pachter. Colbert and Pachter seemed to come to an agreement somewhere between Colbert saying he was more deserving to hang on the walls than Lance Armstrong or Andre Agassi and pulling out his hacky sack. The comic kicked the sack a few times in the gallery.

As AP reports: “You do realize I’m in big trouble if you hit any of these portraits,” Pachter said It appears to have worked — Colbert’s face stares out to those exiting the washrooms.

Colbert said:

I don’t mean to brag, but as it contains three portraits, my portrait has more portraits than any other portrait in the National Portrait Gallery. All Employees must wash hands before returning to work.

FDA: Over-the-Counter Cold Medicine Too Risky for Kids Under 2

Youngsters and cold medicine have proven to be an unhealthy mix. So how are parents to ease the common cold in their young tots? Love and lots of fluids may be the only solution.

Parents in the United States may have to rely on old mother folklore when it comes to taking care of their children when they have a cold. Modern over the counter medicines have shown to be more of a risk than a help when it comes to the sniffles and coughs of a common cold.

Chicken soup and lots of popsicles may be the alternative to the over-counter drugs. The FDA has issued a warning that children under two are at risk when using nonprescription cold medicine and children under six are advised not to use the drugs either.

The problem is that the medicines don’t show a true easing of cold symptoms and while rare side effects can be serious. Over the past two years over 1,500 babies and toddlers ended up in hospital emergency rooms because of using the drugs.

As AP reports:

“It’s one thing if you’re curing cancer, but we’re talking about a self-limiting illness,” said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore’s health commissioner. “If there’s really no evidence of benefit, you don’t want to risk the rare problem. Then you’re left with tragedy that you can’t justify.”

Decades ago the junior market of cold medicines appeared on the shelves. The drugs were junior versions of the adult formulas. Scientists today understand that these formulas do not work on children in the same manner that they do on adults.

The risk isn’t so much side effects but the fact that parents unintentionally overdosing their sick children. With the same active ingredients in several products all treating different symptoms parents may accidentally give a high dose of medicine without even knowing it. The medicines are also often not given using the dropper or measuring cap that comes with the product, instead relying on kitchen teaspoons to ante up the drugs.

If you still choose to medicate your tots with cold medicine be careful and follow the directions to a tee. Don’t mix and match medicines to symptoms, pick one and only use that medicine. Understand that colds are viruses, they last five to seven days regardless of treatment. The medicines are only to treat symptoms not rid the body of the virus.

Chicken soup and lots of liquids often do a better job of treating colds. Maybe mom was right all along.

Fake Testicles May Be Banned For Virginia Truck Drivers

In Virginia some truck drivers are sporting testicles on the back of their trucks. Some of the models hang 10 inches down making them pretty oblivious to other motorists. Lawmaker Lionel Spruill is trying to make the fake sacs a thing of the past.

In 2005 Spruill tried and failed to ban baggy pants. This time around he is going to bat for a constituent. The man complained about the plastic male “private parts” were spotted on the back of a truck by his six year old daughter who asked what they were.

That’s all Spruill needed to agree to act on the man’s behalf.

“I said, ‘Sir, I’m going to be the laughing stock, but I’m going to do it’,” he told the Virginian-Pilot.

If the lawmaker wins this case truck drivers sporting a set of testicles on the back of their trucks would be forking over a fine of $250.

They’re offensive to some folks,” said Mr Spruill, a Chesapeake Democrat. “It’s OK to express yourself, but citizens have the right not to be subjected to something vulgar.”

The fake sets seem to be gaining size as they gain popularity. John Saller is the owner of bullballs.com. He has sold several hundred thousand fake balls in the past year. His stock ranges in size from two and a half to ten inches.

“It’s a novelty. It’s funny. It doesn’t have anything to do with being macho,” he insisted.

Um, yeah John, sure you’re right on the money there. Macho men don’t have to advertise they have a nice set.

Dade City Girl Stabbed In Eye During School Bus Ride

A 13 year old girl in Dade City, Florida will be learning how to deal with impaired vision after slapping a 14 year old boy. The boy struck back after being slapped and stabbed the girl in her eye.

“If she would have kept her damn hands to herself, none of this would have happened,” the eighth-grade boy told sheriff’s deputies, according to the report

The attack took place on a school bus ride home from Centennial Middle School. According to the girl the boy started to taunt her on the bus. She warned him if he didn’t stop she was going to slap him. Giggling he continued and she followed through with her threat. At that point the boy took a pen and stabbed her in the eye. There is possible damage to her cornea and a chance her vision has been permanently damaged.

The girl was transported to Lakeland Regional Hospital for emergency surgery. She was released from hospital on Tuesday unable to see. The family will be travelling back and forth to Lakeland to see a specialist.

Both children claim the other is a neighbourhood troublemaker. The principle at their school, Tom Rulison refused to discuss either child’s past behaviour.

The boy is now sitting in detention without remorse. He was informed that she may have serious injuries to which he replied, ““Good. She should have kept her hands to herself.”

This story has no happy ending. Children will suffer for their altercation and in the end did they learn anything?

Robber Shoots Self In A Bad Place

Derrick Kosch went into the Village Pantry to rob the place he made sure he had a loaded gun. It’s a tool of the trade for some thieves. He just didn’t make sure the safety was on. Kosch was filmed on the surveillance camera accidentally shooting himself.

Police found the 25 year old thief nursing a gun shot wound to his right testicle and lower left leg at his home.

After a brief stay at the hospital Kosch was charged with of armed robbery, criminal recklessness and battery and placed into a cell at Howard County jail.

The Kokomo man had demanded cash and a pack of cigarettes. The clerk handed over the money and turned around to grab the man’s smokes when she heard the gun go off. Kosch had put the gun back into the waist of his pants when it fired.

Some people just bend over backwards to prove that Darwin was right.

Op-Ed: Westerners Could Stop Eating Out in Kabul

Will threats from the Taliban cause Westerns to stop enjoying a meal out in Kabul? The Taliban has stated that they will target restaurants that cater to foreigners in the city a day after the deadly attack at the Serena Hotel that claimed eight lives.

Security experts are evaluating whether Westerns should avoid establishments that cater to foreigners. The Taliban has said that they will step up attacks. In the past these threats often failed to come true but the case of suicide bombing has increased during the past two years. Those bombings though have not targeted spots that favored Westerns. That may change with the current threats being issued by the Taliban.

As AP reports:

“We will target all these restaurants in Kabul where foreigners are eating,” Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid told The Associated Press by telephone. “We have jihadists in Kabul right now and soon we will carry out more attacks against military personnel and foreigners.”

Security companies that protect international workers restricted their Western clients movements on Tuesday. Stores and dining establishments that cater to Westerns may soon find their foreign traffic diminishing as those companies work to keep Westerns safe in the war torn city.

Most of these establishments are run by ex-pats do not allow for Afghans to enter because they serve alcohol. Muslims are not allowed to drink in Afghanistan because it is against religious beliefs. These restaurants, often themed for a more Western dining experience rely on word of mouth instead of advertising. The threats will not stop all from enjoying a meal out.

As AP reports:

I will still go out but not as often as before, maybe, and the venue now is more important,” Christoph Klawitter, the head of a German logistics company said. “The Serena was pretty secure, and even there they got in. So I don’t know. The more security, the more likely it is I might go there.”

The Taliban has often used their force of power to change how people move around a city they inhabit. If they are against something they will bomb those places until owners finally give up for safety reasons and close up shop. In Peshawar, Pakistan they have recently used this force of might to stop video stores from operating.

Westerns in the city have joked in the past while eating out that they were targets. At that time though threats have been tossed around they weren’t the focus of the Taliban. Now they are.

All of the attackers to the Serena are either dead or in custody. The police found a video tape of the attackers at a home in Kabul. Two have been arrested. One was killed at the scene in a blaze of gunfire and the fourth blew himself up.

As AP reports:

“I commit this suicide attack for Allah,” the attacker named Farouq said on the video. He was the one believed to have blown himself up during the attack.

Eight foreigners died in the attack at the hotel including Thor Hesla, 45, of Atlanta.

Will the Taliban win this round? Will Westerners back away from areas that hosted them in the past to stay safe? It’s not generally the way of the West. Backing down from a fight isn’t how many react, instead they suit up and have a come and get me attitude. But that is in the West and those not of Kabul and surrounding areas aren’t at home there. So who will be the victors here?

When people lay dead in the street there are no victors, only tears of what should be.

Will Afghanistan ever get back to the place that they “should” be in? Only if toleration can find a foot hole in the ideals of those who do call Kabul home will the people become truly free.

Mohandas K. Gandhi’s Ashes Finally Allowed To Rest At Sea

Mohandas K. Gandhi, also known as Mahatma, was murdered sixty years ago in 1948 by a Hindu hardliner. Since that time his ashes have been displayed in one memorial after another in several urns throughout India.

Soon those ashes will be scattered in the Arabian Sea.

One of the urns that carry the ashes of Gandhi was to be displayed at a museum dedicated to Gandhi. Along with personal belongings the ashes were due to appear at The Mani Bhawan Gandhi Sangralaya. Family relatives intervened and asked the museum to consider scattering the ashed at sea.

“In deference to the wishes of the family the ashes will be scattered over the Arabian Sea on January 30, which is his 60th death anniversary,” museum official Dhirubhai Mehta said.

At the time of Gandhi’s death, father and eldest son Harilal were at odds. The son at one point converted to Islam to spite his father, Harilal refused to attend his father’s funereal.

Sixty years later Harilal’s descendants will get the chance to participate in the funeral ritual that normally occurs on the 13th day after death. Typically Hindus are cremated and then their ashes are scattered over rivers or seas on the 13th day from their death.

“The family has decided to give Harilal’s descendants the opportunity they never got” to participate in a funeral ritual for Gandhi, the newspaper quoted Ushaben Gokani, one of Gandhi’s granddaughters, as saying.

Brad Renfro Dead At 25

Brad Renfro started an early rise in Hollywood starring in “The Client” as a child only to allow drugs and alcohol cloud his promising future. He was found dead early Tuesday in his home at the tender age of 25.

Paramedics pronounced him dead at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning. An autopsy will be conducted to pinpoint the cause of death.

The night before Renfro passed away was spent with friends drinking according to Craig Harvey, chief investigator for the Los Angeles County coroner’s office. Richard Kaplan, his lawyer, did not know for certain if Renfro’s death was connected to his addition troubles.

Renfro had just completed filming a role in the movie “The Informers” starring Winona Ryder, Brandon Routh and Billy Bob Thornton. After his breakout performance at the age of 12 in “The Client” he worked on several movies; “Sleepers,” “Deuces Wild,” “Apt Pupil” and “The Jacket.”

Unfortunately the young star was more well known for his drug addiction in recent years. His first arrest in 1998 for cocaine and marijuana possession started a downward spiral for the young man. He was in and out of court for arrests on drug charges over the years. He spent ten days in jail for his 2006 conviction of drinking while intoxicated and attempting to buy heroin. The charge came from 2005 when he attempted to make a drug buy from an undercover officer.

“He was working hard on his sobriety,” Kaplan said. “He was doing well. He was a nice person.”

Funeral arrangements have not been announced as of this time.

Eating the Mediterranean Way During Pregnancy May Help Provide Asthma In Children

A study conducted by an antenatal clinic in Menorca seems to indicate what a mother eats during pregnancy makes a difference in whether her children will come down with asthma.

In 1997 503 pregnant women were recruited for a study on their dietary habits. The women have been followed for the past six years along with the children they gave birth too.

The children were recently examined for asthma and allergies. It appears that there is no impact on the children’s dietary intake at this age and whether or not they have asthma or allergies. Surprisingly what does make an impact on these conditions is the diet their mothers had during pregnancy.

One third of the mothers had a low rating on the Mediterranean Diet Score. The score is a measurement of fruits, vegetables, olive oil, fish, wholegrain cereals, legumes and nuts that are consumed. Two thirds of the mothers had high scores.

The children whose mothers were on the lower end of the scoring were three and four times more likely to have symptoms of asthma than those whose mothers ate more of the Mediterranean diet. The children whose mothers were in the lower end were also twice as likely to suffer from allergies.

Eating your veggies at least eight times a week, fish more than three times a week and legumes at least once a week may be a step in protecting your children from having to deal with asthma. Eating red meat more than three or four times a week seems to have a negative impact risk wise.

The paper was published in the British journal Thorax.

Amnesty Calls For Halt Of Stonings In Iran

In Iran the price for the crime of adultery is being stoned to death as in olden days. A woman caught in the act of adultery is buried up to her breasts and then stoned until she dies of her injuries.

Amnesty International is calling for the nation of Iran to halt this cruel form of capital punishment. The agency is against any form of capital punishment but calls this particular form “grotesque and horrific”.

“Amnesty International is calling on the Iranian government to abolish immediately and totally execution by stoning and to impose a moratorium on the death penalty,” the rights group said in a 30-page report on the practice.

“Iranian law prescribes that the stones are deliberately chosen to be large enough to cause pain, but not so large as to kill the victim immediately … It is a particularly grotesque and horrific practice.”

Iran enforces more capital punishment than most countries. In 2006 117 people were executed alone. Most of those were killed by hanging. The first seven months of 2007 were just as deadly with 124 people put to death.

Amnesty is also asking for the Islamic nation to decriminalize adultery. Most other countries do not consider the act illegal regardless of how it is viewed morally.

Dogs Will Be Protecting The Super Bowl Crowd This Year

Trained dogs will be part of the security team to keep Super Bowl fans safe on Feb. 3 this year. The dogs are trained to sniff out explosives like the ones used by Islamic extremists.

The ATF plans on having an undisclosed number of trained Labrador Retrievers at the game. The dogs have been trained to know explosives that were used in attacks from Afghanistan, Iraq, Britain and Spain. One of the compounds that the dogs have been trained to detect is TATP. That compound was used by extremists in the attacks on Madrid and London transport systems in 2004 and 2005 according to ATF agent Thomas Mangan.

The plan is for the dogs to make a sweep of the University of Phoenix stadium, the game site and other related areas around the Phoenix area. There are eight different law enforcement agencies being used to handle the security for this year’s game.

We want to make sure that the only thing that people worry about on the day is whether their team wins or loses,” said William Newell, the head ATF agent in Phoenix.

Maybe this is the year not to try to go to the game but have a party and watch it at home.

Six Dead In Hotel Attack In Kabul

Guests at the 177-room Serena, a luxury Kabul hotel were attacked by militants sporting suicide vests, grenades and AK-47 rifles earlier today. Six people in the hotel were killed during the attack.

Updated: Spears No Show For Court Today

Britney Spears failed to show up for the latest round of court hearings in her ongoing child custody case with ex husband Kevin Federline. The hearing was scheduled after Spears had a breakdown in front of the couple’s two children.

Federline showed up in court sporting a new Mohawk. As of earlier this month Federline has been given sole custody of the couple’s two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James.

Superior Court Commissioner Scott Gordon had suspended visitation rights for Spears after she had a breakdown in front of her two young sons earlier this month. Police officers and other witnesses from that night were on hand to testify in today’s court proceedings.

Today’s proceedings were closed to the public.

Spears has continued to be on a downward spiral since the breakup of her marriage. Her children sadly were witness to the latest setback of the young mother. It has been said that Federline wants his sons to have a relationship with their mother but in light of the recent developments that may have to be put off until Spears is stable enough to take care of the boys when they are with her.

update:
The court has upheld the decision to suspend visitation rights for Britney Spears. The children will remain in the custody of their father Kevin Federline.

The word victory is not something Mr. Federline or his counsel would ascribe to this. There is no joy. This is a grave situation for all,” Kaplan said.

Drug Resistant Staph Being Spread By Gay Sex

A drug resistant staph is being passed by gay men during sex. The potentially deadly bacteria , MRSA is appearing outside of hospitals in San Francisco, Boston, New York and Los Angeles.

Once this bacteria hits the general public it will be unstoppable according to researcher Binh Diep of the University of California.

The thought is that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is being spread through sexual contact. In 2005 it killed about 19,000 Americans most of which were in the hospital when they contacted the bacteria.

About 30 perscent of the population carries ordinary staph chronically. It is easily spread by simply touching another person. When it enters the body through a wound in the skin it can cause deep tissue infections.

Ordinary staph is carried in the nasal area while methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus is carried in and around the anus.

The infection is rising along with syphilis, rectal gonorrhea, and new HIV infections partly because of changes in beliefs about the severity of HIV. Risky sexual practices have once again become more common.

“Your likelihood of contracting each of these diseases increases with the number of sexual partners that you have,” Diep said. “The same can probably be said for MRSA.”

Gokul, A School That Cares In India

A small school in India is using books and laughter to bring hope. All of the students here are infected with the HIV virus, many have lost family members to AIDS. Most will die many years to soon but for now they have a school of their own.

Gokul is a special school in India’s city of Mumbai. All of the students here deal with life and death on a daily basis. Each student’s story could fill a book about discrimination and family suffering.

All of the students are the school are orphans. They were born with the virus that in the end will probably kill them. Many have been kicked out of other schools because of their HIV status. There are only a few schools in this nation that take in these children who in many areas are expelled for the virus that runs in their veins. It is run by a voluntary group.

In India those who are infected with HIV face discrimination at every turn. They are turned away from hospitals, landlords evict them, employers fire them and families turn their backs to their suffering.

The children are the ones that pay the heaviest cost. When a parent is infected and sick it is the children that neglect their education in order to care for the family. they are often the breadwinners working long hours to support their families until their parents die.

India does not include children in their national HIV figures. The nation’s adult HIV population is estimated at 2.5 million. The government guesstimates that 50,000 children under the age of 15 are infected every year.

At Gokul the children know how deadly the virus is. Seven children have died at the school in the past few years. There are 53 students being able to learn at the school, all infected but so far they have not been diagnosed with AIDS yet. The students are all taking anti-retroviral treatments.

Gokul was born out of the social rejection of these children,” says Ujwala Lawate, the school’s managing trustee.

“Some of them were sent from government remand homes, some we picked up from villages and some were brought in by their families.”

The students who live on the campus range in age from two to 16 years of age. Villagers protested when the school was founded claiming that their children would be at risk. The villagers relented but only after governmental health care workers intervened and a promise was made that the children would remain behind the school’s high walls.

Lawate wishes her school wasn’t needed, that education in India was for all students but at this time that is not happening. While the governmental stance is that no school should turn away a student it has yet to ban discrimination against those with HIV/AIDS.

“While we debate what is right and wrong, children are being discriminated against,” she says as groups of smiling students jostle around her, their “kaki” or aunt.

“What would happen if these 53 children were not here? Maybe they would just be lying sick somewhere by the streets and waiting to die.”

Until these children are treated as any other children they are lucky to have a safe haven like Gokul.

Scientists Have Grown A Heart Using Stem Cells

A new process where transplantable hearts using stem cells from the recipients has passed important lab tests according to researchers. Whole organ decellularization has been able to create functioning heart tissue.

A team at the University of Minnesota Center For Cardiovascular Repair reported their findings on the process in the Jan. 13 issue of Nature Medicine. Using detergents and other chemicals to wash out the old heart cells from rat and pig hearts scientists were left with a scaffold of tubes that had once been the previous organ’s blood vessels. Stem cells were then injected into that scaffold and supplied with nutrients that allowed them to grow a new organ. The new hearts started pumping within eight days. The technology of this process has been used before in the creation of heart values.

“We have done it on the scale of a pig heart, which is the size and scale of a human heart,” lead investigator Doris Taylor said. “A human heart would be the next step, but we want to perfect the technique first.”

The Minnesota researchers have applied for a patent for their system of technology in creating an organ the size of the human heart. Human trials are not in the works yet.

Taylor said. “In theory, we could be able to use stem cells from a recipient’s body to regenerate a heart,” she said. “We could rebuild a heart that is immunologically similar to yours.”

This process could in the future help those seeking organ transplantation be able to have organs that the body accepts as their own much easier. At this time 5 million people in the United States deal with heart failure. 50,000 people die per year awaiting a new heart.

The process is several years away from being able to grow a new organ for transportation but it is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Taylor said. “We are certainly several years away, but not tens of years away” from a human transplant trial, she noted.

One Body Found, Searchers Still Looking For Three Others In Dauphin Bridge Case

One of the bodies of the four children thrown from an Alabama bridge have been recovered. The children range in age from a few months to 3 years of age. Their father is in jail charged with four counts of capital murder.

The body of an infant was discovered by a duck hunter five miles west of the Dauphin Bridge on Sunday.

Authorities have been searching for the bodies since Tuesday near the mouth of Mobile Bay. Strong currents have forced the search to be extended toward Pascagoula, Miss. On Friday searchers using sonar technology saw images that they believed to be three of the bodies. The strong current prevented divers from being able to access the area.

Lam Luong, 37, is being held with no bond for the murders of the young victims. The presumed dead are Ryan Phan, 3, Hannah Luong, 2, Lindsey Luong, 1, and Danny Luong, 4 months.

“The inevitable nightmare we have feared has now been confirmed,” Mobile County Sheriff Sam Cochran said Saturday. “We believe, certainly now, that the father of these children threw these children off the Dauphin Island bridge.”

Luong had confessed to throw the children from the Dauphin Island bridge. He has since recanted that confession stating that two Asian women took his children and never brought them back home. Witnesses though have placed Luong on the bridge with the children and also leaving the area without the children.

Joe Kulakowski has been appointed as Luong’s attorney. He met with his client on Saturday. If Luong is convicted he could face the death penalty or life in prison without parole.

Sex Slave Ring Break Made In Toronto

A brave woman from Eastern Europe made her way to the police station at Dundas St.W. and University Ave. in Toronto Thursday. Claiming that she was a sex slave police set forth several raids the next day.

Six suspects are now in custody believed to be part of an international human trafficking ring.

The woman that started the chain of events thought she was coming to Canada to work as a model. Her hopes and dreams were dashed when she entered a life of prostitution after arriving in the country. There are more victims, all from Eastern Europe.

The women were all brought into Canada with false passports. Once they had crossed the border they were forced to work as escorts for the leaders of the operation.

One of the homes that was raided was in North York near Steeles Ave. and Bathurst Street. Two more suspects were arrested at Thornhill addresses.

At this time the number of victims is unclear. The police did not state if the women would receive amnesty in Canada. They are taking this complex case one step at a time.

“She is a victim and a witness to a criminal investigation,” Staff Sgt. Deb Abbott said.

“That’s it. This is a cross-border investigation with multiple agencies, multiple locations and multiple victims and witnesses who are reluctant to share for fear of reprisal. It makes it difficult to investigate.”

Three of the six charged have been identified as Artur Boris Tomchin, 35, of Toronto, Andrei Khazarov, 39, of Thornhill and Daniel Leshinsky, 38, of Thornhill. They face ten charges related to human trafficking. Among the array of charges are the trafficking of persons, forcible confinement and procuring a person to become a prostitute. Three others are in custody and more suspects are being sought by Toronto police.

“We have a belief that it’s a general area,” Abbott said. “It’s an international case, and the investigation is ongoing. It’s going to take quite a bit of time. We have to maintain the integrity of the investigation.”

In 2006 the Toronto police sex crimes unit estimated that between 600 and 800 people are brought into the country illegally and forced into prostitution, domestic servitude and forced labour. A number of the victims has not been disclosed.

Abbott stated, “If you understand human trafficking, you’ll know they have complete control over them. They are held.”

Stepfather Rapes Stepson After Stepson Released From Jail For Raping Stepsister

A father is in jail after sodomising his stepson in revenge of his young daughter’s rape. The 32 year old father attacked his 18 year old stepson after the teen was arrested on January 2 on charges of aggravated sexual assault.

The father had caught his stepson assaulting his eight year old daughter. Further tests at the hospital showed that the young girl had been sodomised. Because of the age of the young girl all names are being withheld.

The father from Fort Worth, Texas took the law into his own hands by attacking his step son in the same manner as his own child had been attacked. He turned himself in to authorities on Saturday. After paying a $19,560 bond he was released from jail today.

The man had warned his wife not to get the teenager out of jail. She instead posted bail for her son’s release. The teen called home on January 3 to get a ride after being released. His stepfather picked him up but did not take him home, instead he took him to an abandoned house in Fort Worth. At that location the man beat the teen with a baseball bat and then used a metal tool to sodomise him.

After his stepfather left the teen made his way to a payphone and called the police. The police searched the abandoned home and found evidence to support the teen’s story.

Sergeant Cheryl Johnson, supervisor of the Fort Worth sex crimes unit, said in a story posted today on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s website that people need to “allow the criminal justice system to work for them.”

“This is a very unique case, but we have a criminal justice system in place, and no one can take the law into their own hands,” Johnson said.

Goodness Finds A Way

A neighbourhood in New Orleans has some good news at last. There is a doctor is in the pretty blue house on their street. A group of nurses in New Orleans have turned the house into a clinic.

After the devastation with Hurricane Katrina most doctors took off from New Orleans. There are medical centers that still remain closed after the flood waters damaged the buildings. The city has half the hospital beds they had prior to the storm.

Charity Hospital, the facility that had for generations taken care of the poor remains unused with plywood covering the main entrance.

Now there is hope in the city at Lower 9th Ward Health Clinic, housed in the blue residence at the corner of St. Claude Avenue and Egania Street. The clinic is open giving free medical care to anyone in need.

The clinic was once the home of Patricia Berryhill. Berryhill calls the clinic a medical home. The former living room is now a waiting area, the bedrooms are where the city’s sick are examined. A registered nurse, Berryhill spends almost everyday in her former home tending to the care of others as the medical director. Alice Craft-Kerney is in charge of the business operation.

This is the story of how good people have stepped up mending the hearts and bodies in this broken town.

The two women are friends from their days at Charity Hospital. They worked side by side knowing the other always had their back if needed. Berryhill eventually went to work at University Hospital but the duo remained friends. They were close enough friends that Kerney helped plan Berryhill’s second wedding.

When Katrina hit the city they were doing what they do best, taking care of others. Berryhill was managing the high-risk ob/gyn unit at University while Kerney was a supervisor at Charity in the trauma, surgery and the prison wards. Berryhill stayed behind working with the medical team that was assigned to take care of the first wave of people. Kerney was in the team delegated to relieve the first team.

Charity become an empty tomb as its basement flooded. University was closed for more than a year with doctors treating patients in a tent. Health work workers took to the streets on bikes looking for patients.

“Pre-Katrina there was an inadequate number of beds,” says Kerney. “Charity Hospital was the safety net that would take all of the medically indigent. With Charity being closed and so many of the private sector hospitals closed, it put a tremendous strain on the health care system.”

Berryhill and Kerney began to pick up the pieces of their lives. Berryhill’s home was standing but inside was wrecked. She put in for retirement and thought about changing her career to teaching the next wave of nurses. She rented a townhouse and tried to decide what to do with the home that she had raised her four children in.

Kerney meanwhile was finding work doing nursing through an agency. Berryhill offered her a room to stay in while the her house was being repaired. Kerney declined that offer but would soon turn to her friend with another request.

Kerney was asked to spearhead the rebuilding of a house to make a clinic with a charity group Common Ground. The group was willing to put up as much as $35,000 to rebuild a home.

I wouldn’t want to do it without my friend Pat,” the nurse replied.

“I prayed on it,” says Berryhill, who then asked her children what they wanted her to do with the house.

“`Do what the Lord calls you to do,’” they told their mom.

During the summer of 2006 the renovations started. Air conditioning was donated. A local doctor who was getting married asked for donations to the clinic instead of wedding presents. New walls were risen. A new home for medical care was born.

Not everything went according to clockwork though. On the first day of operation August 30, 2006 city building inspectors closed the doors. The permits had been for a residential building and not a commercial one. New paperwork was filed and handicapped accommodations were added. The clinic reopened on March 1, 2007.

The first patient through the doors was so ill that she passed out. The nurses had to call 911 to transport the woman with severe respiratory problems to a hospital.

The incident only proved to Kerney, “We were sorely needed here. Every day.”

Today the clinic is brimming with patients. There are shelves filled with children’s books and a plastic bin offering children to take bags of notepads, glue and erasers home with them.

They aren’t the only clinic in town, others are scattered through the flood damaged city. They are though one of the few that offers free care. There is another in Algiers, the Common Ground Health Clinic where patients line up long before the doors even open.

Both clinics see a lot of patients with hypertension, uncontrolled diabetes, asthma, depression and anxiety. Those who labour at the clinics do so for free.

“When you drive past Charity Hospital … and you see that it’s gone, and then you drive to a corner grocery store in Algiers and you see what’s left, the enormity of what’s been lost in this city, it’s just overwhelming,” Carley says. “What we’ve been reduced to is just trying to help people willy-nilly.”

Berryhill and Kerney are now looking for a larger place. There are problems that crop up. Some medical workers have to leave the clinic when they find a paying job. The pair though have remained firmly devoted to this cause and their friendship remains as strong as their faith in God.

“We are two different human beings, but we have the same vision,” Berryhill says. “We have a heart for people.”

Stuffed Animals May Help Children Suffering From War Related Stress

Taking care of a teddy bear may help youngsters deal with the stresses dealing with traumatic or stressful life events according to Israeli researchers. A study involving children involved in war times appears to prove this theory.

Court Rules That ICE Can Not Sedate Deportees

Some deportees in the United States were given psychotropic drugs during a seven month period in 2006-2007. Most of those who were drugged did not have a history of mental problems.

In June a federal lawsuit was filed stemming from this practise by the American Civil Liberties Union.
56 detainees were sedated during their removals from the United States. Most of those had no prior history of mental problems.

The Associated Press revealed that an internal memo issued on Wednesday from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents must now be granted a court order prior to administering drugs “to facilitate an alien’s removal.” The memo was issued by John Torres and further stated that there are to be no exceptions to this new policy.

To be granted such an order the ICE must prove that the deportee has a history of physical resistance to being removed or be a threat to themselves.

“Medical sedation will only be considered as a last resort,” ICE spokeswoman Virginia Kice said.

The class action lawsuit is still pending. The suit follows after a some immigrants in Southern California laid claims to have been drugged or threatened to have drugs used on them during deportation attempts.

We are very happy that the government recognized that their barbaric sedation policy was wrong,” ACLU lawyer Ahilan Arulanantham said. “This has been a shameful chapter in the country’s immigration history.”

ACLU is going forward with the lawsuit hoping to learn more details. They hope to learn how sedation was used and who it was used on.

Amadou Diouf, one of the two plaintiffs in the lawsuit, said that he was sedated by injection on a plane that was to carry him home to his native Senegal after overstaying a student visa. He had asked to be allowed to talk to the pilot to inform him that he had a judge’s order temporarily staying his deportation.

Diouf said escorting ICE agents gave him the injection after he asked to speak with the plane’s pilot to tell him that he had a judge’s order temporarily staying his deportation.

Last year there was Senate testimony that 33 of 56 deportees were injected with psychotropic drugs without a prior history of problems. Julie Meyers, assistant secretary of homeland security for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said that the 36 demonstrated “combative behaviour.”

Teach Us About Sex Says Some Bronx Student Activists

When it comes to sex ed some Bronx students have been fighting to get knowledge put into the classroom. Ten students recently testified before the City Council that sex education needs to be mandatory in the classroom.

Catholic Priest Busted For Coke

A man claiming to be of the cloth was arrested at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport carrying 7.7 pounds of cocaine. The man was concealing the stash under his robes said a spokesman for the Dutch border police.

At first the man refused to undergo a body search for religious reasons. The drugs were taped to his body.

“We’ve seen a lot of things, baseballs filled with cocaine, wine bottles, plaster casts, but this is a first,” spokesman Robert van Kapel said.

The man whose identity is being traced was traveling form Boliva. He refused to confess to any wrongdoing. He has also agrued that his rights had been violated because of the search.

In order to enter Europe one must be willing to go through such a search if the border police request it. You also have to pass a security check.

Update: Murdered Marine Grave Found

The grave of Lance Cpl. Maria Frances Lauterbach appears to have been found in the yard of the man that she said raped her. Authorities discovered what could be the pregnant Marine’s body in a fire pit on the property of Marine Cpl. Cesar Armando Laurean.

Kidnapping Is Becoming Commonplace Within The Phoenix Drug Community

In the harsh world of Latin American drug dealing kidnapping is a common practise. It’s not unusual for a member of one drug gang to kidnap a member of another gang and ask for an enormous ransom. It is however not a common practice in the United States.

The times they are a changing.

When a woman was kidnapped after leaving an eyeglass store by four men Phoenix police moved in. A ransom was soon demanded for $900,000. Investigators thought something was up when the family appeared to be holding something back. Later investigators found out that the family had arranged on their own for the release of the woman. They also discovered that the family was heavily into marijuana trafficking.

Once a very rare crime in the southwestern city it is becoming as commonplace as they are south of the border. Bound bodies filled with bullet holes are also becoming a common find in the hot desert sun for lawmen.

The typical kidnapping victim is an actual drug smuggler. The reasoning behind the crimes is simple; money and lots of it. Those who make a living by criminal activity generally don’t call 911 when a crime takes place.

“We have never had a victim that we have investigated that has been as clean as the new driven snow,” said Sgt. Phil Roberts, who investigates the kidnappings. “There has always been some type of criminal element to it. Either they are criminals, drug dealers or human smugglers — or a close family member is.”

Last year there were 340 reported kidnappings. Police say the actual number is much higher.

Phoenix isn’t alone in this crime wave. San Diego has also seen a rise in kidnappings over the past year. There are two or three a week in the California town. Still Phoenix seems to be the leader in this criminal activity.

In Mexico kidnapping is common, not just with criminals but also with those in business like bankers. In Arizona the criminals seem to be steering clear of the business men knowing that families would go straight to the police.

This wave of activity started about three years ago in the Arizona city. In the beginning the kidnapping was linked to illegal immigrant smuggling. This type of smuggling brings in the big bucks. One trip with 30 illegal immigrants can easily gross $45,000 to $75,000.

Smugglers can quickly get large sums of money which makes them a target. Often the kidnappings take place at “drop houses” where customers are held until they pay up. A common practice is for the kidnappers to raid the drop house at gun point, attack the victim, tie them up and drive away to a hiding place to prepare for a ransom coming their way.

These aren’t nice men playing around either. They have no qualms about cutting off a victim’s finger to prove to his family that they mean business. There have been reports of phone calls where family members have to endure the sounds of a loved one being raped.

It’s rare for the families to go to the police. They already know what will happen to their loved one if they don’t pay. Non payment results in a body being dumped in the desert.

“It’s usually because they don’t get paid. These people are ruthless, serious criminals,” said police spokesman Sgt. Joel Tranter.

Missing Marine Declared Dead

Missing Marine Lance Cpl. Maria Frances Lauterbach has been declared dead even though her body has not been recovered. The pregnant Marine had been missing for almost a month.

Authorities now believe that her body is buried in a shallow grave in Onslow County, North Carolina.

21-year-old Cpl. Cesar Armando Lauren has been named as the suspect in Lauterbach’s murder. He is still at large.

They don’t know where he is,” Brown said of the suspect. “He’s gone.”

Lauterbach had made a claim of being sexually assaulted by a supervisor. She was worried that the investigation was not going anywhere. Last month she disappeared before she was due to give testimony in the military probe. The Navy was pursuing rape charges against Lauren. A hearing had been planned to take place in December.

The baby that Lauterbach was carrying “might provide evidentiary credence to charges she lodged with military authorities that she was sexually assaulted by a senior military person.”

Lauren had refused to talk to investigators on the advice of his lawyer. He was not considered a flight risk until Friday. At this time Lauren has not been charged with Lauterbach’s death.

Ringo Back In Liverpool

Ringo Starr was on hand to open Liverpool’s year in the spotlight as a European Capital of Culture on Friday. On Saturday Starr will star on stage with many other acts for “Liverpool, The Musical.”

Marion Jones Sentenced To Six Months

Disgraced sprinter Marion Jones was sentenced to 6 months in prison Friday for lying to federal prosecutors about using steroids. She plead guilty to the charges in October. She teared up as she admitted that she had betrayed the trust of her fans.

Jones lied about her steroid use and that of her knowledge that her ex-boyfriend Tim Montgomery having committed check fraud. She was sentenced to an additional two months for the check fraud case. The sentences will run concurrently.

She has now admitted to taking THG prior to the 2000 Olympics. In 2003 she lied to federal investigators on those charges.

She has since been stripped of the five track and field medals that she won in Sydney. She had won three gold medals during the games there. Along with her medals being taken away her name has been erased from the record books.

Jones was once worth millions by pulling in product endorsements. She is now in financial ruin because of her steroid use.

Filmed Hanging Stunt Proved Very Real

A 23-year-old Canadian man is lucky to be alive today. The man is recovering in a Vancouver hospital after trying to stage a fake hanging as a film stunt. The fake hanging turned very real.

The man thought he had protected himself by using a harness when he and a friend started filming in a suburban park on Wednesday. The plan was to have his friend film him hanging lifelessly from a tree. The police say this is a case of not listening to the statement of “Don’t try this at home.”

“Unfortunately things did not go as planned and the male was unintentionally hung from the rope he had placed around his neck,” according to a police spokesman who said the friend initially did not realize anything was wrong.

Two Old Stars Are Acting Like They Are New

A second wave of planet formation appears to be taking place around two older stars, BP Piscium and TYCHO 4144 329 2, possibly billions of years after planets would have initially formed around them.

“This is a new class of stars, ones that display conditions now ripe for formation of a second generation of planets, long, long after the stars themselves formed,” said UCLA astronomy graduate student Carl Melis, who reported the findings today at the American Astronomical Society meeting in Austin, Texas.

“If we took a rocket to one of these stars and discovered there were two totally distinct ages for their planets and more minor bodies like asteroids, that would blow scientists’ minds away,” said Benjamin Zuckerman, UCLA professor of physics and astronomy and co-author of the research, which has not yet been published. “We’re seeing stars with characteristics that have never been seen before.”

The stars are in the constellations Pisces and Ursa Major. Melis says that these two older stars have amazing properties for their age.

They are behaving like very young stars with rapid accretion of gas, extended orbiting disks of dust and gas and a large infrared excess emission. BP Piscium is also shooting jets of gas into space. Olanets, comets and asteroids form from the gas and dust particles that orbit young stars.

75 percent of BP Piscium’s radiant energy is being converted into infrared light. TYCHO 4144 329 2’s conversion level is at about 12 percent. This is highly unusual for stars that are as old as these two.

Scientists are looking at the heavens using Hubble and Chandra X-ray Observatory among other space based observatories and Earth based telescopes to study these two remarkable stars and search for more like them.

“With all these characteristics that match so closely with young stars, we would expect that our two stars would also be young,” Melis said. “As we gathered more data, however, things just did not add up.” For example, because stars burn lithium as they get older, young stars should have large quantities of lithium. The astronomers found, however, that the spectroscopic signature of lithium in BP Piscium is seven times weaker than expected for a young star of its mass.

“There is no known way to account for this small amount of lithium if BP Piscium is a young star,” Melis said. “Rather, lithium has been heavily processed, as appropriate for old stars. Other spectral measurements also indicate it is a much older star.”

Breast Cancer Site Asks For Women To Show Your Tits

Canadian women are being asked to show their breasts online with a new breast cancer campaign. Hundreds of women have already uploaded pictures of their chests including at least 20 breast cancer survivors who have had mastectomies.

“This is a creative, different, bold, a bit in-your-face way of getting young women’s attention,” M.J. DeCouteau, executive director at Rethink Breast Cancer told Reuters.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a lot of women doing it.”

Rethink is a breast cancer charity for young people. The campaign’s purpose is to make young women more aware and to take the fear of cancer away. Breast cancer is the leading cause of death in women aged 15 to 40. One fourth of all breast cancers occur prior to age 50.

When breast cancer is caught early there is a 82% five year survival rate.

The campaign is asking women to examine their breasts and then post a picture either clothed, in a bra or topless to boobywall.ca.

The wall is secure, anonymous and confidential according to Decouteau.

“We really believed the benefit of getting information out to young women outweighed any men who were checking it out for their own reasons,” DeCouteau said.

Women of all ages are asked to participate in the project. Have you uploaded your tits yet?

Where Do The Candidates Stand On Energy Sources?

When it comes to being green where do the candidates stand? The environment is a large issue for many people. Renewable energy sources, biofuels and the nuclear energy are all key issues that could lower greenhouse gas emissions.

New Life For Colman School

In Seattle, Washington the Colman School has been a landmark for almost 100 years. The school, built in 1909, is about to get new life as a home for 36 units of affordable housing and the Northwest African American Museum.

The Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle president James Kelly called the $22.6 million project “a deferred dream come true” as the housing portion has it’s dedication on Thursday afternoon. the museum will be dedicated on March 8.

“It’s kind of a cultural gateway that connects communities. Colman was once this very vibrant place, a cultural icon, that basically was abandoned for 30 years,” he said. “And now the Urban League has restored this community icon to provide what we call a public benefit.”

Since the 1985 closure of the school activists have been working, sometimes not in the most legal ways, to have the building at South Massachusetts Street and 23rd Avenue South turned into a museum. At one time it was broken into by activists for that purpose. In 2003 the Urban League bought the property.

The ground floor is being dedicated to the museum with the upper two floors reserved for affordable housing units. The one and two bedroom units will have rents that range from $635 to $965 per month.

All of the two bedroom units have already been leased.

Kelly noted, the rooms boast something that higher-priced housing often lacks.

“These places have million-dollar views, man,” he said.

Update: Washington Mother Kills Daughters, Claims They Were Possessed

Banita Jacks, 33, has been charged with three counts of felony murder and one count of first degree murder while armed in the case of her four daughters. The girls decomposing bodies were found in their Washington D.C. home.

The girls have been identified as Brittany Jacks, 17; Tatianna Jacks, 11; N’kiah Fogle, 6; and Aja Fogle, 5. All four had been dead for at least 15 days when U.S. marshals made the discovery. The marshals were in the area while serving an eviction notice at Jack’s apartment in the southeast of D.C.

Jacks is being held without bail. Her next appearance in court has been set for February 11. If the mother is convicted she could receive a life in prison sentence.

Jacks claims that her daughter were possessed by demons and died in their sleep during a seven to ten day period. She claims that Aja died first followed by N’kiah, Tatianna and Brittany.

“She said that as the first three younger children died, she placed them side by side in the room in which they died,” according to court documents.

She claims the children died prior to her electricity in the apartment was cut off. Records show that the apartment had their power disconnected on September 5, 2007. She admits that she had not fed her children for some time prior to their deaths.

Jacks said she never tried to call authorities to remove the bodies “because she didn’t trust either agency and because she thought if she notified emergency personnel, that would cause her more problems,” the documents said.

More tests are needed to confirm on how the girls died but from preliminary findings the girls did not just up and die. Brittany was stabbed to death. Aja suffered from blunt force impact to the back of the head and possible ligature strangulation. Tatianna and N’kiah both appeared to have been strangled as well.

The girls were all wearing white T-shirts when they were discovered. Three were in one bedroom while a fourth was alone in another bedroom. The rooms were unfurnished.

A witness have told police that Jacks treated Brittany differently than her younger three daughters. The mother is allegedly reported to have denied the older girl food while feeding her younger sisters.

City officials are trying to determine how four children could have been dead for at least two weeks without anyone noticing they were not around. The girls had been in and out of the public school system. Child welfare caseworkers and the metropolitan police both have had at least one contact with the family.

So You Think You’re Ready For That Raise?

Have you been getting kudos at work? Are you always pulling the big projects and completing them on time and in great form? Perhaps it’s time for you to go to your boss and get that big raise.

Here are some tips for making sure you are ahead of the game when you ask for it.

Know what the bottom line is. Research what other companies are paying people in your position. Ask yourself if your boss will agree that you are worth the same thing. If your answer is yes be able to back that up.

Don’t go to the boss because a team mate is making more. Pay rates are based on individual job performance. There may be a reason they exceed your pay level.

Be honest with yourself. Does your effort bring forth achievement? In the past year have you achieved your objectives time and again or just barely made it?

Go into the manager’s office prepared. Have already played out all of the possible outcomes in your head so you are ready for whatever answer comes forth. Throwing a temper tantrum should not be part of any of these scenes.

Watch your manager. If they are under a ton of stress then it may not be the right time to ask for an increase in pay. If your company uses an appraisal system don’t rock the boat, when it’s time for your review then ask not before.

Asking for a raise should not be akin to ultimatums unless you honestly will walk out the door don’t say you will.

“If you have a manager who is worth their salt, they won’t give in to blackmail like that,” Professor Binna Kandola, a senior partner at Pearn Kandola says.

A pay raise may not be the only alternative when it comes to negotiation time. Benefits can also be part of the package.

Ask for a challenge along with the raise, something to show the company that they are justified in upping your salary or position. This is the time to show your boss that you’re in this job for more than just the money. By taking the incentive to ask for more responsibility instead of waiting for your boss to give it to you shows that the company made the right choice in hiring you in the first place.

Harvard Releases New List of Proteins That HIV Virus Attacks

The HIV virus is a simple one, consisting of just nine genes. That simple virus though is a monster in how it takes over other cells destroying them so it can multiply. As a virus it’s top dog in a doggy eat dog world of blood and proteins.

The HIV virus was dropped into genes during the study that was lead by geneticist Stephen Elledge of Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Using thousands of human genes in test tubes scientists dropped the virus in one by one to record what happened. If HIV couldn’t grow well then it signaled the protein that the gene had failed to produce. Far more research is required to find the role that each of the new proteins has when it comes to the HIV virus’ life cycle.

In order for the virus to work it has to hijack human proteins. Scientists have known a few dozen of the virus’ cellular targets in the past but on Thursday Harvard released a new listing of the HIV protein target list and it is much larger than any list before. That list is an important step in the development of new drugs to fight the monster virus.

Before the list released online by the journal Science was released on Thursday it was thought there were 36 proteins that are HIV dependency factors. The Harvard list found that there are at least 273 of the potential HIV targets.

Most of today’s medicines for HIV target the virus. In August the first drug that works by blocking the HIV dependency factor CCR5. There is hope that the new list will point to where researchers can target similar drugs to work.

FBI Has Wiretapping Phone Shut Off Because They Forgot To Pay The Bill

When customers don’t pay their phone bills they lose the right to that service. The phone company doesn’t care who you are, even if you’re the FBI and working on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.

It seems that the FBI in some cases is not on top of paying their bills.

“Late payments have resulted in telecommunications carriers actually disconnecting phone lines established to deliver surveillance results to the FBI, resulting in lost evidence, including an instance where delivery of intercept information required by a … FISA order was halted due to untimely payment,” the audit said.

An audit was conducted after a FBI employee pleaded guilty to stealing more than $25,000 that was meant to pay for undercover telecoms services.

There were no details about much of the wiretap case due to the sensitive law-enforcement information that is said to be involved.

The wiretapping of phones without a warrant is a pet project of the Bush Administration. It has been critics as overly intrusive and unconstitutional and up for another term of renewal before Congress. The FISA is manned by several different agencies. The FBI helps in the listening in on people’s telephone conversations to ensure national security.

Four Girls Dead, Mother Arrested

Banita Jacks of Washington D.C. has been charged with the murder of who are assumed to be her four daughters. The girls ranged in age from 5 to 17. The 33 year old woman is set to appear in court Thursday.

Deputy U.S. marshals serving the next door neighbours an eviction notice discovered the gruesome scene on Wednesday.

The girls appeared to have been dead for at least two weeks. City Council member Marion Barry is asking how could the four children not have been reported missing prior to the discovery.

Somebody should have known that some people were not in school,” said City Council member Marion Barry, the former mayor who now represents the neighborhood, part of a block of virtually identical apartment houses near Bolling Air Force Base.

The children were not enrolled in school although records show that one had attended a public school prior to 2006 and was withdrawn as a fifth grader.

The manner in which the children were killed has not been disclosed. The condition of the bodies made it difficult to do a ID on them. There will have to be tests run by the chief medical examiner’s office.

There was at least one report of child abuse that came through the D.C. Child and Family Services agency last April. The agency made several attempts to contact but were never able to have a face to face meeting with them. The last attempt was made in May 2007. At that time it appeared that they were no longer living at the address given. Later investigators obtained a Maryland address and alerted authorities there of the report.

“This is a sick-making situation,” Mindy Good, a spokeswoman for the D.C. Child and Family Services agency said. “It’s a horrible thing.”

Op-Ed: Mother of Detained 5-Year-Old Not Allowed to Comfort Child

Homeland Security is at it again detaining a 5-year-old child at Sea-Tac Airport. The child was taken into custody and thoroughly searched in another case of having the same name as someone else of the No-Fly list.

When the child’s mother tried to comfort him during the proceedings she was told not to touch her own child because he was a national security risk. The authorities then frisked her again to make sure her little boy hadn’t slipped her anything during their brief comfort time.

It’s a case of a mistaken identity for a 5-year-old boy from Normandy Park. He had trouble boarding a plane because someone with the same name is wanted by the federal government. Mimi Jung reports from Sea-Tac Airport.

What kind of security risk can a five year old boy be? I am sorry but in my eyes Homeland Security needs to get a little more intelligent about these searches and detentions. The United States is so close to being a police state because of incidents like this it isn’t funny.

Op-Ed: Did Dr. Phil Cross The Line?

When “Dr. Phil” McGraw spoke out last weekend about Britney Spears’ condition did he cross a line? Her family thinks so. Dr. Phil breached patient doctor confidentiality by talking to the press after a weekend visit with Ms. Spears.

“The family basically extended an invitation of trust for him to come in as a resource to support them, not to go out and make public statements,” Taylor said. “Any statement publicly that he made, because he was brought in under this cloak of trust, (is) just inappropriate.”

The family did not invite him to visit with Ms. Spears to add to the ongoing media circus that surrounds her every move.

On his own behalf Dr. Phil states:

Somebody needs to step up and get this young woman into some quality care – and I do not apologize one whit, not one second, for trying to make that happen”

As for the law it is not so much a law but the ethical stance of the Oath of Hippocrates.

“Whatever, in connection with my professional service, or not in connection with it, I see or hear, in the life of men, which ought not to be spoken of abroad, I will not divulge, as reckoning that all such should be kept secret.”

“Those things which are sacred, are to be imparted only to sacred persons; and it is not lawful to impart them to the profane until they have been initiated into the mysteries of the science.”

While what McGraw did by talking to the media is ethically wrong he wasn’t going against the law unless a bona-fide doctor-patient relationship exists or existed in that case he really blew it. There is an exception though to the law and McGraw could be in shaky legal water because of it.

California’s legal privilege expressly includes psychotherapists and psychiatrists (Section 1010 of Evidence Rules). Patients must expressly waive doctor-patient confidentiality when they become plaintiffs in civil lawsuits (Section 1016 of Evidence Rules). Doctors may withhold certain mental health records from patients if disclosure would have an adverse effect on patient. (H&S Section 1795.12 and.14).

Regardless of the law what “Dr. Phil” did by speaking out about Spears was not on the up and up. If I were a patient in his practice I would be looking for another doctor. One I could trust not to discuss what was going on with my case to anyone other than a person I had authorized.

When trust is broken, a doctor has failed to do their duty.

It may surprise some that as of 2008, McGraw is not licensed to practice psychology because of a ruling on January 27, 1989. In that ruling the Texas State Board of Examiners of Psychologists placed disciplinary sanctions on McCraw for inappropriate “dual relationship” reported in 1988 by a therapy client/employee from 1984 who was 19 years of age at the time. McGraw was ordered to take an ethics class, pass a jurisprudence exam, complete a physical evaluation, undergo a psychological evaluation and have his practice supervised for one year in order to continue his private practice in Texas.

Dengue Fever a New Health Threat for the United States

Could dengue fever be heading to the United States? Cases of the mosquito borne disease have been reported n Texas according to Dr. Anthony Fauci of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases.

With a warming climate and less than stellar efforts in mosquito management Fauci and his senior scientific adviser, Dr. David Morens warns that the flu like illness could spread northwards.

“Widespread appearance of dengue in the continental United States is a real possibility,” they wrote in a commentary in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

“Worldwide, dengue is among the most important reemerging infectious diseases, with an estimated 50 to 100 million annual cases, 500,000 hospitalizations and, by World Health Organization estimates, 22,000 deaths, mostly in children.”

Another mosquito borne illness, West Nile virus started appearing in New York 1999. It has now spread throughout North America. In the United States West Nile killed at least 98 people.

The Dengue Fever virus is carried by three different species of mosquito; Aedes albopictus, Asian tiger mosquito and the more common Aedes aegypti. The Asian tiger mosquito appeared in the United States in 1985.

While most cases of dengue virus are mild it can also cause minor bleeding from the nose or gums. In the most severe cases it can also cause severe fever and shock. In these causes without proper treatment it can prove fatal.

“The combined effects of global urbanization and increasing air travel are expected to make dengue a growing international health problem for the foreseeable future,” Fauci and Morens wrote.

While malaria has been eradicated from major cities Dengue Fever is more common in urban settings. It is a common illness in Singapore, Taiwan and Brazil.

The disease starts with a sudden onset of fever, severe headache, muscle and joint ache. It can also cause a rash that is bright red and appears first on the lower limbs and the torso. In some cases it spreads to the entire body. The fever can also cause nausea, vomiting or diarrhea. It is often confused with influenza. The illness generally lasts for six to seven days. Platelet counts drop until the a patient’s temperature is normal.

Father Confesses to Throwing His Children Off Bridge

Authorities are looking for the bodies of four young children along the Dauphin Island Bridge in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. Lam Luong confessed that he threw the children into the water below the bridge on Tuesday night.

The children are 4 month old Danny Luong, 1 year old Lindsey Luong, 2 year old Hannah Luong and 3 year old Ryan Phan. All except for Ryan are Luong’s biological children. Luong raised Ryan from infancy.

Luong is being jailed in Mobile. He is due in court Wednesday to face four capital murder charges.

It is alleged that Luong committed this heinous act as revenge aimed at his wife. He reported his children missing on Monday. He told the police that a woman who had the children failed to return them to him.

The bridge connects coastal Alabama to a barrier island three miles south of Mobile Bay in the Gulf of Mexico.

U.S. Coast Guard personnel. “We’ll be back first thing in the morning. We’ll have a command post set up here at the bottom of the bridge, and the sheriff’s department is going to try to do all we can to help the situation or recover what we can,” Cayton tells the station.

A press conference will be held at noon.

Dead Men Can’t Cash Cheques

In what could have been a scene from the cult movie “Weekend At Bernie’s” two men tried to cash a dead man’s SSI cheque at the local check cashing store in Manhattan by wheeling the dead man’s body down a city block.

David J. Dalaia and James OHara pushed Virilio Cintron to Pay-O-Matic in an attempt to get his money. Cintron was loaded into an office chair for his final trek to the cheque cashing venue.

The duo left Cintron outside when they went into the store to cash the cheque. A policeman dining next door to the cheque cashing store noticed that a crowd had formed around a man sitting in an office chair outside Pay-O-Matic. It was immediately clear to the policeman that Cintron was no longer alive.

The witnesses saw the two pushing the chair with Cintron flopping from side to side and the two individuals propping him up and keeping him from flopping from side to side,” Browne said.

Cintron had been dead for less than a day when his body was taken out for the stroll. The 66 year old appears to have died from natural causes.

The pair, both 65 years old were arrested and charged with fraud by New York’s finest. Cintron lived with O’Hara. There is no known address for Dalaia.

Diego Didn’t Want His Vacation To End

A young boy hated the thought of returning to school after the Christmas break so much that he glued his hand to his bed. Diego,10 Palacios of Mexico City used industrial glue to ensure he wouldn’t have to leave his bed when it was time to go to school.

Mother Sandra spent almost two hours Monday morning using water, oil and nail polish to free her son’s hand. She finally had to give up and call for the authorities to step in.

“I didn’t want to go to school because vacation was so much fun,” Reforma newspaper quoted the boy as saying.

The mischievous little guy had crept into the family kitchen early in the morning for the glue. He pulled it on his hand and attached himself to the bed.

“I don’t know why he did it,” she told Reforma. “He’s a good boy, but mischievous like all kids.”

Diego’s plan failed. Paramedics were able to free him and he arrived in time for his classes.

The US Finished Last In Study Of Preventable Deaths

According to the Commonwealth Fund the United States is in last place when it comes to providing timely and effective health care to its citizens. The results of a study the fund completed will be in the January/February issue of Health Affairs.

France is the leader when it comes to preventable deaths by timely and effective treatments within the 19 industrialized countries that were part of the study. The countries that were studied in order of best to worst the countries are France, Japan, Australia, Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The US has been falling further down the scale for quite some time. In the 1997-1998 study it placed at 15th. It had fallen to last place by the time of the 2002-2003 study. All of the other countries that have been studied have seen substantial improvement over the past decade with the exception of the United States.

If the United States had improved like the other nations in the study there would have been 101,000 fewer deaths per year. What is even more disheartening is that the other nations have reduced their preventable death rates while still not spending as much capital as the United States.

The study is titled “Measuring the Health of Nations: Updating an Earlier Analysis.” It was written by researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. The researchers studied the death rates of subjects younger than 75 years of age that could have been prevented had timely and effective medical care by applied to their case.

Dead Woman Allowed To “Speak” At Her Murder Trial

Julie Jensen didn’t trust her husband. That distrust could well be his undoing as Mark Jensen goes on trial for the murder of his wife. He allegedly poisoned her with an ingredient found in antifreeze in 1998.

“I pray that I am wrong and nothing happens, but I am suspicious of Mark’s suspicious behaviors and fear for my early demise,” Julie Jensen said in the letter read in court by Special Prosecutor Robert Jambois.

The Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin man is accused of poisoning his wife in 1998. Jensen was charged in 2002 but because of legal wrangling over the evidence the trial was delayed until this week, almost ten years from the day that Julie Jensen was murdered.

The defense claims that Julie was depressed and disturbed after finding out her husband was having an affair. They further state that she committed suicide and framed her husband for murder while doing so.

The state though tells a very different story. While it is true that Julie Jensen was disturbed, it wasn’t from depression but the very real fear that her husband was plotting her murder. Julie Jensen reportedly had told police, a neighbour and one of the teachers who taught her two sons that she feared that her husband was trying to kill her.

Julie Jensen suffered at home for three days from ethylene glycol poisoning. Her husband at any point could have taken his ailing wife to the hospital but failed to do so. Special Prosecutor Robert Jambois says the reason why he did not was because he was the one responsible for her being so sick.

“As Julie Jensen lay in her bed, desperately ill, her husband knew exactly why she was ill,” he said.

This will be a text book case because of the use of evidence written by the deceased. In the past constitutional guarantees giving criminal defendants the right to confront their accusers would have made the use of the dead woman’s letter a piece of evidence the jurors would not be allowed to see. That will not be the case this time though, Wisconsin Supreme Court created new evidence rules that allow for the dead to “speak” in certain situations.

Mark Jensen married the woman he was having an affair with after his wife died.

Newest Blogger On The Scene : George Bush

All the cool kids are blogging their lives even good old George Bush. There are plans underway for the Bush team to blog his Mideast trip according to White House press secretary Dana Perino Tuesday.

The blog is titled “Trip Notes for the Middle East” and will feature musings from the senior members of Bush’s staff who will travel with him when he leaves Tuesday evening for a eight day trip to the Middle East. Bush is planning on visiting Israel, Kuwait, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. The blog will be on the White House government page.

It’s not clear how often the blog will be updated. Perino says that this experience is new for the President and will be “just a little bit of a blog.”

Some of those expected to post are chief of staff Josh Bolten, national security adviser Stephen Hadley, counselor Ed Gillespie, chief speechwriter Bill McGurn and Perino herself.

“We’ll see how it goes, and then we may do it in the future as well,” Perino said.

Survey Says Companies That Don’t Invest in Customer Service Risk Losing Clients

The easiest way to fail when it comes to business is to not have an effective customer service department. A recent survey reported that 59 per cent of polled participants said they quit conducting business with a company because of poor customer service.

Consumers have learned to expect better service and if your company is not equipped for that you are already on shaky ground.

When management consultancy Accenture did research on the way customer service influences clients they found that 59 per cent of the 3,550 polled had quit doing business in the past with a company because of inadequate service. “You can imagine what that costs in terms of bottom-line dollars,” said Woody Driggs, a managing director of Accenture’s Customer Relationship Management practice.”It takes a lot of money to acquire new customers. This is an issue that needs to be front and centre in boardrooms.”

The survey was conducted online in Canada, Australia, Brazil, China, the US, Britain and France.

So what services do clients want? Problem solving is a top one. Being able to solve a problem within the time frame of a single phone call is looked upon as a good indication that a company is on the ball. Fast service is also a value that is appreciated.

According to the survey, Canadians are the most demanding of customers. They actually believe that service reps should be able to answer questions. Canadians also will not tolerate bad service, happy to switch to another retailer, bank or Internet service if they are not satisfied.

Rogers Clemens Not Taking Steroids Accusations Lying Down

Roger Clemens is mad. The pro baseball star is now having to work hard to clear his name after he has been accused of being hopped up on steroids during part of his long baseball career. He admits trainer McNamee injected him but not with steroids.

The injections according to Clemens who played with the Toronto Blue Jays were of the painkiller lidocaine and vitamin B-12.

Brian McNamee his personal trainer has been saying that the Cy Young winner was injected with steroids. Clemens is hitting back hard refusing to allow his name to be slurred with that type of negative connection. He wants it known that his skill was not enhanced by a drug but by hard work.

Clemens appeared on the show “60 Minutes” to deny the allegations made by McNamee. He also shared a phone call that lasted 17 minutes with the personal trainer that stopped just short of McNamee admitting that he had made up the story.

“How do I prove a negative? How do I do it?” said Clemens. “We had to go through this torment for a year with the LA Times allegations. All I got at the bottom of the page was, ‘We’re sorry.’ That was in my gut for a year.

“I have to pay a lot of money to defend myself again. Do I just keep shelling out millions? Is that what I do? At the end of the day, all I’ll get is an apology and a ‘we’re sorry.’

“I got another [expletive] question the other day about the Hall of Fame. You think I played my career because I’m worried about the damn Hall of Fame? I could give a rat’s ass about that also. If you have a vote . . . you keep your vote. I don’t need the Hall of Fame to justify that I put my butt on the line and I worked my tail off.

“And I defy anybody to say I did it by cheating or taking any shortcuts.”

Clemens is in a hard place. Having to prove your innocence when a media court has already stated your guilt. There is no way to prove that he never had the drug in his system. One can not go into the past and take a drug test. In the end it will come down to who do you believe.

Shrimpers In Florida Turn To Jellyfish For Profits

Florida shrimpers have suffer losses during the off season but some have branched out to another sea creature, the cannonball jellyfish. The cannonballs are wanted for the Asian market where they are turned into crispy protein wafers.

“Cannonball is a whole new business to us,” said 68-year-old shrimp boat operator Steve Davis. “We used to run from them when we were shrimping because they would fill up the nets. Now we run to ‘em.”

The cannonballs are a non-stinging jellyfish that can grow to nearly a foot wide. For the three months after September they show up in the Gulf of Mexico where former shrimpers are picking them up for a nice little profit. A day of jellyfishing costs about $70 in fuel but brings in a profit of about a thousand dollars. Roger Newton has been in the jellyfish market for about seven years owning Gulf Jellyfish Inc. out of Panama City, Florida.

Although they don’t sting their covering can burn the eyes of those working with them as they are loaded onto a conveyor belt and scooped into plastic bins set to make the journey to the Asian market.

Circumcision Does Not Take The Fun Out Of Sex

A new study shows that circumcision does not curb sexual enjoyment. The study was conducted using almost 5,000 Ugandan men half of which were circumcised and others who have not had the operation.

When it came to performance and enjoyment there was very little difference between the two study groups.

These results are promising for the operation that has shown to cut the risk of HIV in half, although use of condoms is still the best approach in avoiding the virus.

Researchers believe that specific cells in the foreskin are a target of the HIV virus. The skin beneath the foreskin is less sensitive and stronger, making it less likely to bleed after circumcision.

Although this study provides positive news there are still those who fear the cutting of the foreskin will reduce the pleasure of sex.

Our study clearly shows that being circumcised did not have an adverse effect on the men who underwent the procedure when we compared them with the men who had not yet received surgery,” said Professor Ronald Gray, who led the study.

“Other studies already show that being able to reassure men that the procedure won’t affect sexual satisfaction or performance makes them much more likely to be circumcised

More than 98 per cent of the men in the study who were circumcised felt satisfaction compared to 99.9% of those who were in the control group.

While circumcision does seem to be a deterrent in the fight against the HIV virus, it does not offer total protection like the condom. There is a fear that some men will consider their penis snipping will make them unable to contact the disease.

Deborah Jack, chief executive of the National Aids Trust, said: “There is a fear that people that have been circumcised will feel they are protected from HIV when they are not.

“Condoms remain the best way of preventing HIV through sexual intercourse.

“It should be noted that research into HIV and circumcision has been very limited in its scope.

“We still need further research into new prevention methods from circumcision to microbicides and vaccines

The study was published in the journal BJU International.

Op-Ed: Facebook Groups and the Alberta Microwaved Cat

The news was horrific as headlines announced that four teens broke into an Alberta house and microwaved the family’s pet cat. The Internet allows for people speak out on these kind of crimes. Facebook is one such tool. Has it become a cyber lynch mob?

On Facebook alone there are at least two groups dedicated to this story. One group already has 50 members speaking out against the teens actions.

“I think we should start to make a better example out of these things that are happening so that other people will think twice before doing something like this,” Laura Westgate, who started the group, said in a telephone interview.

The crime itself happened on December 29 and December 30 while the owners were out of town on vacation. The four teens broke into the home in Camrose two nights in a row. The killing of the family pet allegedly took place on the second night when the group put the cat in the microwave. A family friend who had been visiting to take care of the animal was the one who found it.

Each of the four teens have been charged with unlawfully killing an animal, causing unnecessary pain and suffering to an animal, breaking and entering, theft, and possession of stolen property. They are scheduled to appear in court on Feb. 7.

Another group on Facebook is seeking violence.

Another Facebook group on the issue said the teens should be shot, while individual posters threatened violence. “That’s NOTHING compared to what the good people of Camrose will do to these pricks now they know their names, and hopefully soon phone numbers and addresses,” one person wrote about any legal sanctions the teens could face.

With the use of these high profile social networking mediums could true justice be out the door? There is a “wild west” mentality at times with these sorts of groups. The “lynch mob” of the 21st century perhaps.

Do you believe in causes that you yourself sign up for on Facebook? Do you allow yourself to get carried away with the “message”? Just checking.

Bif Naked Announces That She Has Breast Cancer

Canadian rocker Bif Naked just revealed that she has breast cancer. The native of Vqancouver was diagnosed two weeks ago. She made the announcement on the syndicated radio program “The Strombo Show” on Sunday.

The 36 year old singer whose real name is Beth Torbert found the lump herself two weeks ago and went straight to the doctor. Surgery is scheduled for this week with radiation and chemotherphy forwarding.

She was upbeat and very positive during the interview with George Stroumboulopoulos Sunday afternoon.

Torbert is a Juno Award winner. She has been married to sports columnist Ian Walker for three months.

Was The Declaration For A Lakota A Bloodless Takeover?

Who is behind the current push for Lakota sovereignty? When Russell Means and a group of activists announced a Lakota withdrawal they were not representing the Lakota nor other Sioux tribes in the area according to those leaders.

Rodney Bordeaux, president of the Rosebud Sioux Tribe says that Russell’s group was not authorized to speak on the behalf of the tribe. The announcement to the United States was done by individuals acting on their own. The Sioux tribe is not behind this and does not support this action.

The Rosebud Sioux number 25,000 enrolled members. Of those members 15,000 to 20,000 live on 900,000 acres of trust land.

”That’s all our treaty lands,” Bordeaux said. ”Russell made some good points. All of the treaties have not been lived up to by the federal government, but the treaties are the basis for our relationship with the federal government and also the basis for the trust relationship to our lands. We’re trying to recover the lands that were wrongfully taken from us, so we are going by the treaties. We need to uphold them.

”We do not support what Means and his group are doing and they don’t have any support from any tribal government I know of. They don’t speak for us.”

This is something that Means himself does not deny calling those that do not support his actions “hang around the fort” Indians. Means states that the actual name is “Republic of Lakotah” and that his group went through legal means according to Article 6 of the U.S. Constitution. At this time the republic is operating with a provisional government.

”I maintained from the get-go I do not represent, nor do the free-thinking, free-seeking Lakota want to have anything to do with, the ‘hang around the fort’ Indians, those collaborators with the government who perpetuate our poverty, misery and our sickness – in other words, our genocide. They are part and parcel of that genocide. I couldn’t care less what the bought-and-paid-for, ‘hang around the fort’ Indians represent or what they say. End of conversation,” Means said.

But is this new nation real? Not so much according to the Native groups that could support it. This tribal government was not elected by the people and therefore does not represent the desires of the people. While some may agree and others disagree the key to last month’s declaration is that it was not so much for the entire Lakota people but more for a few select members who deemed it right for themselves.

When asked how the republic’s government was formed Means revealed very little.

”Actually, that’s none of your business. I went around and we, the people who are leading this, we got critical mass – enough freedom-seeking Lakotas – to make it worthwhile for us to seek our freedom.”

There is no question as to the United States not honouring treaties made with the Lakota people. There are no questions that those that reside at Pine Ridge reservation live in third world country conditions. What can be questioned though are the true motives behind the push for a sovereign nation and who would benefit from this. Those who went to Washington D.C. are not those who have been elected by the people who live within the new boundaries.

Could this be a set up for a new version of Wounded Knee?

The Man That Will Lead A New Nation, Russell Means

To take the reins of the Lakota people and pull them out of poverty is a worthy cause but is Russell Means the man to do this? Means has lived a hard life including harming his family. What are the chances that he won’t do this to the rest of his people?

Freedom is for everyone, whatever lifestyle they
choose, as long as it’s peaceful and honest.
—Russell Means

“I’m Russell Means,” he said. “I’m a convict.”

Russell Means is an actor. He is also a proud Lakota member. Born November 10, 1939 on the Pine Ridge reservation he is the man that is behind the movement for his people to be a sovereign nation.

Means is the first national director of the American Indian Movement (AIM) and has been an active member for the past 27 years. In 1973 he helped lead the takeover of Wounded Knee. He also resigned from this group at least six times. He has been in conflict with other chapters of AIM for many years. In 2004 he ran for president of the Oglala Sioux Tribe but was defeated by Cecelia Fire Thunder, the first woman to be elected to that position.

On his personal web page he solicits money for the Russell Means Philanthropy and AIM Club Membership in name of the American Indian Movement.

He has appeared in films including “The Last of the Mohicans” and “Natural Born Killers”. He has penned an autobiography “Where White Men Fear To Tread.”

For some time now he has stated that he and his current wife Pearl are building a “Treaty Total Immersion School” on the Pine Ridge reservation. The hope of this is to instill children with pride of their Lakota heritage. As far back as the late 1990’s he has talked on this matter. The school still does not exist.

Means was arrested in Chine Dec. 29, 1997 for battery against Leon Grant, his father-in-law. That act in itself shows that he doesn’t always respect the laws of his own people, one of the most important beliefs is that of respect for elders. He plead not guilty to those charges. He fought the court for years on this one case because Grant is Navajo and he is Lakota. Means fought the Navajo Nation’s jurisdiction since 1997 on this matter. The “Duro fix” (the power of tribes to exercise criminal jurisdiction within their reservations over all Indians, including non-members) was applied to this case.

He has stood trial a total of twelve times. In 1975 he was accused of the murder of Martin Montileaux. He was acquitted on that charge. He served a year in 1979 on charges that resulted from a riot that took place at a courtroom in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Means has been married four times. He blames substance abuse for wrecking three of those marriages. His wives were the ones that supported the family by holding down jobs.

In 2003 South Dakota Governor Bill Janklow pardoned Means for the felony conviction for riot to obstruct justice.

“The Means pardon deals with a felony conviction for riot to obstruct justice. The law was repealed by the Legislature in the late ’70s, but with no retroactive provision for those convicted, Means said. He recalls the incident in the Sioux Falls courtroom.”

“I refused to stand up for Judge Joe Bottum. There is no crime for not standing up for a judge, but it is a polite show of respect. So he sent in the riot police to deal with us, and we (Means’ supporters – W.) beat up the riot police,” Means said. “I did my time, one year, three days, 22 hours in the Sioux Falls penitentiary.”

We agree with Walter that while Means might have committed other transgressions in his younger days, “The charge for which he was actually imprisoned is bogus. Federal and local authorities pulled out all the stops to try to convict Means of something, anything, but that was the only charge that stuck.”

The bottom line has to be is this the man that the Lakota Nation should put on the front line? Is this even something that the people of the Lakota want? Means talks a great game but looking at his actions it does cause at least for me to pause and question what is behind the call for sovereignty now. Is it truly for the people of the Lakota Nation or is it a way to insure Means stays in the public eye?

Update On Alcides Moreno: Do You Believe In Miracles?

Alcides Moreno soon will be a walking miracle. He’s already a living miracle, surviving a 47 story fall on December 7 that took the life of his brother. He has beaten every odd. He claims it’s because it wasn’t his time yet.

Medically Moreno was a mess when he entered the hospital. He required 24 units of blood and had a catheter inserted into his brain. He had a broken arm, two shattered legs, broken ribs, injured spine and has endured 14 operations in 28 days since his body hit the New York City pavement.

He doesn’t have a memory of the beginning. After the 500 foot fall he was in a coma for weeks. Now awake and more surprisingly talking his doctors announced on Thursday that they expect him to walk again.

“If you’re a believer in miracles, this would be one,” said Dr. Philip Barie, chief of critical care at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell.

“I’ve seen it all – or at least I think I have – until something like this happens.”

His wife Rosario received her Christmas present as he spoke his first words on Christmas Day.

Then he said, ‘What did I do?’ … I was stunned.”

The family praises the staff at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Weill Cornell who refused to allow the man to die. That makes his children Michael, 14, Mariah, 8, and Andrew, 6, very happy.

The native of Ecuador still faces at least a year of rehab and more surgery. His medical bills will end up being in the millions.

The family plans to sue the building owner, building manager and the companies who installed the scaffold rigging.

“I’m still in awe, I’m still in shock,” Rosario Moreno said. “I’m grateful, that’s all I can say.”

Map of the Lakota Nation Revealed

Declaring freedom is a powerful responsibility. Can the Lakotah provide for it’s people without making their desperate conditions even harsher? Will the release of their map cause problems with the United States government? What is Lakotah’s next step?

“The free Lakota nation is regaining the original natural territory of its unceeded land,” said Lakota Freedom Delegate Canupa Gluha Mani (Duane Martin Sr.). “The white man promised that as long as the grass grows and the rivers flow this land will always be yours[the Lakota]. This promise still lives within the heart of the Lakota Nation.”

The Lakota Freedom Delegation does not speak for the Lakota people. They do not act for those who have been “colonized” not wanting the freedom the Delegation is proposing.

The first mandate for the Lakota Nation was the Declaration of Indigenous Rights in September of 2007. The second mandate is the returning to the original status they once had as a free and Independent Nations. That process began with the notification the the Department of State of the United States of America that they were withdrawing from all Treaties and Agreements that had previously been entered into between the US and the Lakota.

PREAMBLE
The United States of America has continually violated the independent Native Peoples of this continent by Executive action, Legislative fiat and Judicial decision. By
its actions, the U.S. has denied all Native people their International Treaty rights, Treaty lands and basic human rights of freedom and sovereignty. This same U.S. Government,
which fought to throw off the yoke of oppression and gain its own independence, has now reversed its role and become the oppressor of sovereign Native people.

Might does not make right. Sovereign people of varying cultures have the absolute right to live in harmony with Mother Earth so long as they do not infringe upon this same right of other peoples. The denial of this right to any sovereign people, such as the Native American Indian Nations, must be challenged by truth and action. World concern must focus on all colonial governments to the end that sovereign people everywhere shall live as they choose; in peace with dignity and freedom.

The International Indian Treaty Conference hereby adopts this Declaration of Continuing Independence of the Sovereign Native American Indian Nations. In the course of these human events, we call upon the people of the world to support this struggle for our sovereign rights and our treaty rights. We pledge our assistance to all other sovereign people who seek their own independence.

Lakota Oyate have just released a map of national boundaries which will they believe will change five states in the United States. They released the map in order for the US government to begin the process of planning governmental initiatives without the massive land that the Lakota Nation has taken back.

Now the Lakota people start the process of reclaiming what they had lost for decades. They are recovering their natural land base without interference or help from the United States government. They claim that at the forefront is protecting sacred sites and confrontation with exploitative government and private enterprises that have damaged by removing or polluting Lakota lands. As they work through that simple common things will have to be taken care of also. Passports, drivers licenses and dealing with those who are not Lakota who reside on their land. There is a call for the members of the new Nation not to pay taxes.

They do have the backing of several countries including Bolivia.

Bolivian Ambassador Gustavo Guzman, who attended the press conference out of solidarity, said he takes the Lakotas’ declaration of independence seriously.

“We are here because the demands of indigenous people of America are our demands,” Guzman said. “We have sent all the documents they presented to the embassy to our ministry of foreign affairs in Bolivia and they’ll analyze everything.”

As the tribal leaders make these grand announcements do they have the backing of their people? Are these leaders, many of whom have police and prison records according to a private source qualified to “take back” what time has stolen from the Lakota people? Those in the lead of this process have faced allegations in the past of being corrupt and taking from the very people that they serve. How will they deal with their own past as they work to rebuild their once proud nation?

Will the change of who is in “charge” improve the crime levels in this land? Will rapes remain uninvestigated? Will the women’s shelter that takes care of those abused by their mates be maintained in a better fashion? Will cut phone lines be fixed quickly unlike now where months can pass? Or will it remain as the shelter’s director stated, “This is a lawless land where people are making up their own laws because there’s no justice being done.”

Those answers will be in the next installment.

Canupa Gluha Mani added, “The He Sapa will never be for sale, its just returning to its natural owners, the Lakota Independent Nation.”

I Text You A Divorce

Could it be possible that Iqbal Abul Nasr is divorced by text message? The Egyptian woman received a text message telling her she was divorced by her husband. Now it’s up to a courtroom to decide if divorce by text is valid with sharia.

“I divorce you because you didn’t answer your husband”

The message came after the woman missed a call from her husband on her mobile phone. According to sharia( Islamic law) men do not have to go to court to file for divorce. All it takes under this law for a man to divorce his wife is for him to make a unilateral declaration of divorce and repeat it three times.

Abul Nasr did receive three text messages from her husband. The engineer then sought for a legal decision from family court on the status of her marriage.

If the court approves the divorce it will be the first time in Egypt that a SMS message is all it takes to finish a marriage. This is a highly debated subject throughout the Muslim world. In Malaysia divorce by text is banned. In Egypt a couple files for divorce every six minutes.

Gee, it the rest of the world could do this divorce lawyers would be crying in their beer.

Brit Not Scoring Well When It Comes To Custody

Britney Spears appeared Thursday for a deposition concerning the child custody case between her and former husband Kevin Federline. She was in the offices for a total of fourteen minutes.

After playing the “I’m too sick to show up” card last time around in December Spears showed up in a pink dress and sunglasses.

On December 12 when she had reported to lawyers to being to sick to appear she was filmed driving with a friend later in the day. That didn’t score her a big point in court or in the public’s opinion of her desire to have joint custody of her children.

On Wednesday her lawyers Trope and Trope asked to be relieved from their client due to a “breakdown” in communication. They will remain on the case until they have permission from the judge in the custody case grants their motion. That hearing is set for February 4. the next custody hearing is set for February 19.

Those lawyers though were present for today’s very short session.

“The deposition proceeding did go forward today. It was scheduled for 9:45 to 11:45,” Kaplan said. “However, it wasn’t able to commence until 11:32.”

“You can imagine in 14 minutes there’s not a lot of time to develop questions,” he said.

Spears was scheduled to be in the lawyer’s office this morning at 9:45 a.m. It is reported that she didn’t leave her home until 10 a.m. arriving just after 11:30 a.m.

Kaplan has already completed depositions with others in Spear’s universe. Those who have shown up and talked to the lawyer are manager Larry Rudolph, assistant Alli Sims and bodyguard Daimon Shippen. Five more are on the schedule to give their deposition in January, Anthony Barretto , former bodyguard Lonni Jones, former day-to-day manager Adam Leber, friend and actress Christina Cindrich, and Ashley Chapman.

Another deposition will be scheduled. For the time being Federline has temporary sole custody of the couple’s two children, Sean Preston and Jayden James. Spears continues to have very limited visitation rights.

On a separate matter, her misdemeanor driving charges will be heard on January 25. If she loses that case she faces a year of probation.

Update On Free Tribute Concert For Oscar Peterson

There will be no tickets for the Oscar Peterson concert on Jan. 12 at Roy Thomson Hall. The 90 minute tribute to the jazz great will be treated as a church service. The doors will open at 3 p.m. for the 4 p.m. program.

In the past tickets to free events have had negative consequences. Tickets handed out and then empty seating during the show. That happened with the tribute to Richard Bradshaw as the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. There were thousands of opera lovers who were denied the chance to attend because they didn’t have a ticket and yet many seats were left empty.

For the Peterson event there will be seating for 2,300 after 200 seats that are already reserved for VIP guests. CBC will also be broadcasting the concert for those who can not make it to the showing at 4 p.m. on Radio One and at 8 p.m. on Radio Two.

Already the talent lineup is impressive. So far the tribute will include Sharon Riley & Faith Chorale, the Nathaniel Dett Chorale, and the University of Toronto Gospel Choir, as well as previously announced Measha Brueggergosman.

The TD Canada Trust has also signed on as a sponsor of the event.

op-ed: Are You Numb Yet?

Everyday the news brings details of another car bombing, another death from the wars that rage in Afghanistan and Iraq, political unrest. Do you care anymore or has the 21st century already numbed you?

In just the past 24 hours five died in Turkey from a car bomb. Israel fired rockets killing 9 in Gaza. I could give you more bombings if you would like, they happen often enough.

Politically just this year alone Pakistan and Kenya are both in the throes of unrest. Kenya was known as the peacemaker in Africa, that sadly with the burning of a church can no longer be stated as the case. The war in Sri Lanka is as strong if not stronger than ever. In the Congo fighters are raping innocents. The United Nations lost more workers to murder in 2007 than any other year.

Journalists have died left and right reporting the truth. Young men and women from the United States and Canada die on the front lines everyday. Young men and women die on the front lines from Afghanistan and Iraq every single die.

The war is a violent place. The news reflects that violence.

Religious wars wage on as strongly as they did in the Middle Ages. Brother against brother, neighbour against neighbour. Those who believe against those who are fed up with those beliefs. Depending on where in the world you were born your side was chosen before you took your first breathe. Christian and Islamic. Islamic and Jew. See the trend? Do you care anymore?

The world though hasn’t changed in terms of violence. Human beings are a violent sort. Top of the food chain and all that rot. We want to be on top. Because of that guns will fire, children will die and observers will at some point become numb to the death and destruction that surrounds them.

Look in the eyes of a child who has known nothing but war. They are not the eyes of a child filled with games and innocence. They are the eyes of an old man ready to pass on to another life. They are ready for something they have never known or can barely remember, peace. Is that word though an impossibility? Could this orb ever know overwhelming peace?

It’s said with faith you could move a mountain. With hope can you change the world?

op-ed: Lakota Nation Withdraws From United States

On December 19, 2007 the Lakota Sioux people declared sovereign nation status in Washington D.C. after the withdrawal from all signed treaties with the United States government.

“Today is a historic day and our forefathers speak through us. Our Forefathers made the treaties in good faith with the sacred Canupa and with the knowledge of the Great Spirit,” shared Garry Rowland from Wounded Knee. “They never honored the treaties, that’s the reason we are here today.”

The withdrawal of all treaties was hand delivered to Daniel Turner, Deputy Director of Public Liaison of the State Department. The full document is here.

A four member Lakota delegation, activist and actor Russell Means, Women of All Red Nations (WARN) founder Phyllis Young, Oglala Lakota Strong Heart Society leader Duane Martin Sr., and Garry Rowland, Leader Chief Big Foot Riders traveled to Washington D.C. to claim their people’s destiny.

“In order to stop the continuous taking of our resources – people, land, water and children- we have no choice but to claim our own destiny,” said Phyllis Young, a former Indigenous representative to the United Nations and representative from Standing Rock.
Property ownership in the five state area of Lakota now takes center stage. Parts of North and South Dakota, Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana have been illegally homesteaded for years despite knowledge of Lakota as predecessor sovereign [historic owner]. Lakota representatives say if the United States does not enter into immediate diplomatic negotiations, liens will be filed on real estate transactions in the five state region, clouding title over literally thousands of square miles of land and property.

Young added, “The actions of Lakota are not intended to embarrass the United States but to simply save the lives of our people”.

After the withdrawal from the State Department the Lakota representatives began the process of meeting with foreign embassy officials to hasten their official return to the Family of Nations. Bolivia and Venezuela both have had positive reactions.

The Lakota people live in the most impoverished area of North America. There has been a legacy of broken treaty promises and apartheid policies between the tribe and the United States. Lakota has the highest death rate in the United States and its male population has the lowest life expectancy of any nation on this globe at the young age of 44. Teen suicide rates are 150% higher than the United States average. 3% of the Lakota nation live above the national poverty line and only 15% are gainfully employed.

“After 150 years of colonial enforcement, when you back people into a corner there is only one alternative,” emphasized Duane Martin Sr. “The only alternative is to bring freedom into its existence by taking it back to the love of freedom, to our lifeway.”

Now the Lakota people are taking stock of their priorities; education, energy and justice. By using solar, wind, geothermal and sugar beets to provide electricity and heat they hope to become energy independent. There are plans to mesh cultural immersion education to protect their language, culture and sovereignty.

One very telling difference is the address of a story, Wounded Knee, Lakotah (formerly South Dakota) that change is in the air. 44 riders began a ride under the weight of United States treaties at Standing Rock on December 15 287 miles from Wounded Knee. They completed the ride 13 days later a new sovereign nation.

“The purpose is to ride the spirit trail of Chief Big Foot,” said Tegihya Kte also known as Garry Rowland, leader of the riders and recent delegate of the Lakotah Freedom effort in Washington D.C.. “The Tree of Life died in Wounded Knee in 1890, and the ride was begun to mend the Sacred Hoop.”

Is it to late though for the Lakota people? Have the decades that they have been opposed be undone? Will they be able to stand on their own two feet without aid? Are their tribal leaders to immersed in corruption to lift all of their people up? Will the mighty reign over those that have lost hope for the future?

Only time will tell.

Fire At Royal Marsden Hospital In London

Firefighters are battling a blaze at the Royal Marsden Hospital, one of the world’s leading cancer facilities. Just after lunchtime crews were called for the fire on Fulham Road in West London.

There are no reports according to CNN of casualties at this time. At least 15 fire engines and 75 firefighters are in the process of fighting the inferno. 15 ambulances have been sent to the scene along with with a hazardous area response team.

Some patients have been evacuated from the top floor of the hospital. All patients and staff have reported to be out of the building and safe.

According to patient Paul O’Bryne the fire alarm sounded at 1330 GMT. Patients were first kept within the wards. The fire started on the roof.

“The atmosphere was very calm and ordered. Everyone in our ward was mobile, no one had actually had surgery, so they left us,” he told PA. “We could see the smoke going past the window, it was really billowing past.”

Because of the wind the roof has started to fall in. The air conditioning system is located near the fire. There are reports of heavy smoke in the area.

The hospital is renown for their treatment and study of cancer. There are annually more than 40,000 patients from the UK and overseas.

Kenya’s Death Toll Tops 300 As The Term Genocide Is Used

President Mwai Kibaki of Kenya has accused Raila Odinga’s party of unleashing genocide in Kenya as the death toll pushes past 300. Riots and street violence has gone on since the announcement of Kibaki’s reelection on this past Saturday.

“It is becoming clear that these well-organized acts of genocide and ethnic-cleansing were well-planned, financed and rehearsed by Orange Democratic Movement leaders prior to the general elections,” the statement read by Lands Minister Kivutha Kibwana on behalf of his colleagues said.

The opposition counters that the violence is from Kibaki’s side because he “stole” the vote from the December 27 election. The opposition now dominates parliament. Kibaki invited all members of the new parliament to a State House meeting in Nairobi on Wednesday. It is unclear if the opposition will attend.

The use of the word genocide has deep meaning in Kenya, a nation scarred by the 1994 Rwanda genocide. The Kenyan nation is normally considered to be the peacemaker in African war torn nations like Somalia and Sudan.

The Kikuyu tribe has dominated the political and business power in Kenya since gaining indecency from Britain in 1963.The nation has the fastest growing economy of East Africa. Western powers are requesting the African Union and Commonwealth to step in and try to ease tensions in the country that is on the brink of a civil war. Ghanaian President John Kufuor is expected to arrive on Wednesday in Nairobi to act as a mediator.

All of this comes on a day when the largest newspaper of the nation, The Herald announced that they do not know for sure who won the election. That type of comment could possibly spur even more violence. The official stance is that Kibaki was re-elected with 51.3 percent of the vote, to 48.7 percent for Odinga.

As the New Year was rang in Kibaki urged calm for his nation. The government said on Tuesday that rallies in the aftermath of the election are forbidden.

“If the tear gas doesn’t work then unfortunately they have to use live bullets,” Foreign Minister Raphael Tuju told CNN. “The president has been sworn in, the elections are over, the Kenyans have to accept the results, the opposition has to accept the results.”

And the violence wages on causing businesses to close in fear of their lives.

“As a reaction, some protesters are responsible for the assassination of Kikuyus,” added the Kenya Human Rights Commission and the International Federation for Human Rights.

There is new added fear that this in a election year for many of Africa’s nations is only the beginning. The continent needs for Kenya, the peacemaker nation to gain control of their nation as a sign of how to operate.

“There are elections in other parts of Africa over the next 18 months, in Angola, in Ghana, in Malawi. Kenya is very, very important in itself and is important for what it says about the rest of Africa and its approach to democracy,” Miliband said.

For the people of Kenya fear is not a common one. To have to seek refuge in churches and jails is not what they are used to. In the town of Naivasha the jail is exactly where the people have sought out for protection camping out at a police station and the prison.

“We had to seek refuge in the only safe place we know,” said Agnes Alouch, in the prison hall.

Something is wrong in the world when the innocents are forced to go to jail to be safe.

Pakistan Elections Pushed Back At Least A Month

As predicted the elections in Pakistan will be delayed by one month following the assassination of Benazir Bhutto. There have been threats of street protests if the vote is not held next week on the original January 8.

The Election Commission though has agreed to the new date. The actual set date has not been announced but it was said that the election will not take place before the second week of February. The exact schedule will be announced on Wednesday.

The opposition parties have accused the Pakistani government of delaying the elections to avoid their defeat. They also said that they fear there will be violence because of the delay in a country struggling to deal with the death of Bhutto.

Many believe that Bhutto’s party will get the sympathy vote if the election were to take place on the scheduled day. Bhutto had accused party elements prior to her death of plotting to kill her. That charge has been denied.

“We reject this delay outright,” said Sen. Babar Awan from Bhutto’s party, the most powerful opposition group. “(President Pervez) Musharraf fears outright defeat. If this election process is jeopardized, they (our followers) may protest again and there is a chance of riots.”

In the days that have followed the former Prime Minister’s death violent riots have taken to the streets of Pakistan. At least 58 people have died and millions of dollars in damage has been reported. An official said that it would take at least a month to make arrangements for free and fair elections after damage to offices in the Sindh province. Another consideration to the election is the holy month of Muharram from January 10 to February 8. Security can not be guaranteed during this time according to the government. Sectarian violence is a common occurrence during the month between the Shiite and Sunni Muslims.

Canadian Hay Being Imported To Help Farmers In North Carolina

Farmers in North Carolina will be able to feed their cattle and horses a little longer after a shipment of hay arrived from Canada. The drought in the state has caused the price of hay to sky rocket.

The shipment this past Monday is the first of 36 truckloads purchased from the state’s agricultural department from farms near Perth, Ontario. On December 20 it was announced that the N.C. Department of Agriculture was buying the hay so that livestock owners could tap into it instead of having to sale horses and cattle so they could survive.

The United States Southeast is dealing with the worst drought in history. Because of the barren conditions the governors in Georgia, Florida and Alabama are having to work together on a water sharing agreement.

North Carolina has lost about a half of their hay crop according to Dr. Ed Estes of North Carolina State University. He valued the loss of the crop at $91 million dollars. He further estimated that the total loss for the state’s economy due to crop loss because of the draught at $537 million in 2007. Because of this the price for hay has skyrocketed. Some livestock owners have been force to hand their horses over to animal rescue agencies.

The Canadian hay will be resold in six locations throughout the state in the first two weeks of January. The revenue will be used to buy addition hay. There is no set target as to how much hay could have to be obtained from Canadian sources. As long as the farmers purchase the hay the hay will be brought. Livestock owners who import hay from out of state on their own will be reimbursed up to $500 per truck load for shipping costs.

Tribal Shame: Murder At Pine Ridge Reservation

It is not a secret that the tribal government at Pine Ridge reservation is corrupt. The case of Anna Mae Aquash, a Mi’kmaq from Nova Scotia is just one story about corruption. 33 years ago she was murdered. The man accused will be facing a jury this year.

A long time ago my father told me what his father had told him, that there was once a Lakota holy man, called “Drinks Water”, who dreamed what was to be… He dreamed that the four-leggeds were going back to the Earth, and that a strange race would weave a web all around the Lakotas. He said, “You shall live in square gray houses, in a barren land…” Sometimes dreams are wiser than waking. Black Elk (1932)

At Pine Ridge Reservation speaking out against the corruption in the tribal counsel can be a way to end your life early. Anna Mae Aquash was one who died while trying to improve conditions at the poorest place in the United States. Aquast was an activist working with the American Indian Movement (AIM). Arlo Looking Cloud and John Boy Graham were part of the group that silenced her in November 1975. According to those that live in and near the reservation the corruption of that time period remains today. Looking Cloud was a free man until 2003 when he was finally charged with her murder and put behind bars. But Looking Cloud was not the one who pulled the trigger that took Anna Mae’s life. The finger allegedly belonged to Graham. The U.S. charged him in 2003 also but “John Boy” had fled to Canada where he was a citizen. He has fought for against being extradited since. As of September 25, 2007 had yet again appealed for the order for extradition to the Canadian Supreme Court. Graham was finally returned to South Dakota on December 7, 2007. The now 52 year old plead not guilty to the charges of murder. After 33 years he will face a court room for the charges.

“I’m Indian all the way and always will be. I’m not going to stop fighting until I die, and I hope I’m a good example of a human being and of my tribe.”-Anna Mae Aquash

The case of Anna Mae is chilling. She was accused of being an informant to the FBI in 1975. She was brutally beaten, raped and shoot execution style by the organization she herself belonged to. AIM was filled with members who were corrupt and those who were not.

Anna Mae was from Canada. Nova Scotia to be exact. She was involved in the Teaching and Research in Bicultural Education School Project in Maine. The program is designed to teach young natives their heritage. She was at Pine Ridge with her husband Nogeeshik Aquash during the 71 day armed re-occupation of Wounded Knee happened in 1973. The couple was married by Wallace Black Elk during that period. She also marched in Washington during the 1972 Trail of Broken Treaties marich. In short the woman was a born activist. By the spring of 1975 her role in AIM was increasing. She was close to leaders Leonard Peltier and Dennis Banks. She worked for the Elders and Lakota people of Pine Ridge until her death.

She was found by the side of the road on February 24,1976. She had been there near Wanblee, South Dakota for about ten days. When the first medical practitioner, W.O. Brown examined her body he missed the bullet wound in her skull and listed her death as a result of exposure.

Because she was a Jane Doe her hands were cut off and sent to the Washington, D.C. bureau of the FBI for fingerprinting. There were agents present who knew who she was but they said nothing. She was buried as a Jane Doe. On March 10, 1976 her body was exhumed and a second autopsy conducted. This time the bullet wound showed that the young mother had been killed execution style.

There have been many theories behind the murder of Anna Mae but the one that stands out the most is the thought she was an FBI informant. To this day there has been no evidence that she worked for the FBI. Indeed at times she angered the FBI that were about the reservation after Wounded Knee. She spoke like a militant at times. In 1975 she is quoted as saying:

“These white people think this country belongs to them. They don’t realize that they are only in charge right now because there’s more of them than there are of us. The whole country changed with only a handful of raggedy-ass pilgrims that came over here in the 1500s. And it can take a handful of raggedy-ass Indians to do the same, and I intend to be one of those raggedy-ass Indians.”

The last 36 hours of Anna Mae’s life were filled with the modern ways of many not the tradition ones. She endured violence against women, mental, physical and sexual abuse that many indigenous now face. She was a proud woman. She was a First Nations woman. She was Canadian. She was murdered. For 33 years one who may have been the trigger man has walked free.

I have to admit when I started this article it was to be a broad topic but the story of Anna Mae knocked too loudly. As her daughter stated she was a woman, she was a mother, she was Canadian. It’s time for justice to finally visit her grave.

Mounting Violence In Kenya, Church Filled With Villagers Burnt To The Ground

The death toll continues to raise in Kenya. A mob burnt a Kenyan church on Tuesday killing those inside. The ethnic riots motivated by the questionable ethics of the reelection of President Mwai Kibaki have been the cause of nearly 200 dead.

According to the opposition who back Raila Odinga around 250 have died.

The targeting of a church though has been the most vile of the acts committed during the riots that begun on Saturday after the announcement that Kibaki had been re-elected. The church was located near Eldoret where many of the Kikuyu tribe had taken refuge. The Kikuyu tribe are behind President Kibaki. A reported 30 people died in the blaze.

Witnesses reported that the charred bodies of women and children were in the smoking embers that once was a church. The fire was started by youths who back the opposition.

This is the first time in history that any group has attacked a church. We never expected the savagery to go so far,” police spokesman Eric Kiraithe said.

There is a police order to arrest all troublemakers. Status will not make a difference in this latest police order.

In the town where the church was burnt are as many as 15,000 seeking refuge. Most of those are of the Kalenjin tribe. The people have known ethnic violence in the past. Between 1992 to 1997 hundreds of Kikuyus were killed and thousands more displaced.

A senior security official in Rift Valley blames the opposition for the massive violence that is now tearing Kenya apart.

“We have lived together for years, we’ve intermarried, we have children, but now they’ve asked them to turn against them,” the security official said. “We don’t do this in Kenya. It is what happens in Yugoslavia and Sudan.”

There is fear that the nation has started a complete meltdown.

Doctors Pressured Not To Talk About Benazir Bhutto’s Final Hour

It appears that Pakistani authorities would rather the public to not know how Benazir Bhutto really died. They have removed her records from the facility where she spent her final hour and allegedly pressured the doctors not to talk.

Doctors at Rawalpindi General Hospital have revealed that they are under pressure not to discuss details about the injuries that took the life of the opposition leader when she was murdered in the December 27 attack.

“The government took all the medical records right after Ms. Bhutto’s time of death was read out,” said a visibly shaken doctor who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue. Sweating and putting his head in his hands, he said: “Look, we have been told by the government to stop talking. And a lot of us feel this is a disgrace.”

The government’s official stance is that Bhutto died from the force of the suicide bombers blast when she hit her head across the lever of her Land Rover’s sunroof. They maintain this even as videos emerge showing that the beloved former Prime Minister was caught by a bullet from the guns of the suicide bombers prior to their self detonation.

What is at stake is how the government did or did not provide her adequate protection. Her supporters allege that the government did not. Bhutto herself protested that she was in danger and was not being given enough protection to survive after the suicide bombing that took hundreds of lives when she returned to Pakistan from exile in October.

Questions are swirling around as to why the government is denying that Bhutto was shot to death. Her supporters are requesting an international investigation into the matter.

The government has dismissed all allegations that a cover up is in the works. Some U.S. medical experts who have reviewed the description of her wounds have surmised that a skull fracture rather than a bullet was the cause of death.

An investigation will be difficult to completely conduct. The crime scene was not sealed off. Within moments of her death workers hosed down the blood from the blast area. No evidence was collected prior to that. Several witnesses have yet to be interviewed by the police. Others close to Bhutto when the attack occurred have not been asked a single question.

“Why is no one asking me what happened? It’s important to know the truth,” Kamran Nazir, 19, who was badly injured by shrapnel at the rally said as his father’s eyes went wet.

The principle surgeon at the hospital has changed his story as often as the days that have past since Bhutto was laid into the ground. Muhammad Mussadiq Khan first claimed that there were two bullet wounds, entry and exit. Those wounds were clearly and easily identifiable. He has since backed away from those statements. He has admitted to Babar Awan, a top official in Bhutto’s Pakistan People’s Party that he was under pressure not to discuss how the former Prime Minister perished.

trying to “do my duty and remain a doctor.”

Journalists were emailed a document by Athar Minallah, a board member at the hospital claiming to be Bhutto’s medical report. The report was not the documents that doctors have said were confiscated. According to this report Bhutto had a deep wound that was leaking brain matter. There was no “foreign body” found within the wound and no exit wound was recorded. Doctors did make a notation of “two to three tiny radio-densities” from an x-ray of Bhutto’s skull.

Thomas M. Scalea, physician in chief of the shock trauma center at the University of Maryland Medical Center is having a difficult time buying what the officials are trying to sell the world. He was perplexed how the blunt force was so severe that she died as quickly as she did.

“The whole thing strikes me as very unusual,” said Scalea.

President Pervez Musharraf is “considering” allowing the British government to help with the investigation. Retired General Rashid Qureshi Musharraf’s spokesman is placing blame on Bhutto’s husband for the controversy because he denied the government permission to conduct an autopsy on the grounds that it could not be trusted.

“The body can be exhumed now if the family allows,” Qureshi said. “There’s no problem with that.”

Money Doesn’t Buy Happiness Giving Does

It’s that time of the year. Charities are out in droves trying to get your hard earned cash. According to the Social Capital Community Benchmark Survey those who pull out their wallet just may be a happier lot for it.