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Belgians seize India Made Counterfeit Africa-bound drugs

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:58:35 GMT

clipped by: Nerfzilla

Belgians seize Africa-bound drugs

More than two million counterfeit drugs destined for Africa have been seized in Belgium, customs officials say.

They said the shipment from India, including copies of an anti-malaria drug, was the biggest seizure of fake medication ever made in Europe.

Customs officers at Brussels airport became suspicious when they noticed spelling mistakes on the labels.

The UN says fake medicines represent 10% of the world market and up to 30% of the African market.

The seizure, made last week, was made public on Thursday night.

Hidden in large bags, the pills were copies of a strong painkiller made by a German company, and a Swiss-made anti-malarial treatment.

The shipment included drugs to treat malaria - a big killer in Africa

Facts and figures were flying around in the debate between US vice-presidential candidates Joe Biden

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:56:30 GMT

clipped by: Nerfzilla

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Biden and Palin debate

Facts and figures were flying around in the debate between US vice-presidential candidates Joe Biden and Sarah Palin.

The BBC News website took a look to see which claims were accurate.

THE US COMMANDER IN AFGHANISTAN

Claim: Joe Biden said that the US "commanding general in Afghanistan said the surge principle in Iraq will not work in Afghanistan". Sarah Palin responded by saying that "McClellan did not say definitively the surge principles would not work in Afghanistan".

Fact: On 2 October, the Washington Post quoted the head of the Nato-led coalition in Afghanistan, Gen David McKiernan, as saying: "The word I don't use for Afghanistan is 'surge'."

Verdict: Mrs Palin not only got the name of the US commander in Afghanistan wrong, but it would seem she also distorted his position.

Anger over Tata car factory move

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:52:35 GMT

clipped by: Nerfzilla

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Anger over Tata car factory move

Thousands of people have been protesting in the Indian state of West Bengal after the Tata group abandoned its plans to manufacture cars there.

Tata, one of India's leading industrial groups, had planned to make what it said would be the world's cheapest car, the Nano, at a factory in Singur.

But the project was disrupted by a row over land on which the plant was built.

Tata's decision to find an alternative location for the plant met with dismay from thousands of its supporters.

Tags: india, south asia

Indian ban on smoking in public

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:48:19 GMT

clipped by: Nerfzilla
clipper's remarks: Yipes...

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Indian ban on smoking in public

A ban on smoking tobacco in public has come into force in India.

Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss says he aims to cut the number of smokers and to protect passive smokers from the harmful effects of tobacco.

The government says India has more than 120 million cigarette smokers. Observers say the ban will need to be strictly enforced.

Those flouting it face fines of 200 rupees ($4.50). Tobacco smoking in India kills 900,000 people a year.

That figure is expected to rise to a million by 2010.

India's health ministry says hundreds of thousands of people who have never smoked die each year by inhaling smoke from other people's cigarettes and bidis (small hand-rolled cigarettes common in India).

Alligator blood 'may fight bugs'

Sat, 04 Oct 2008 21:41:38 GMT

clipped by: Nerfzilla

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Alligator blood 'may fight bugs'

Proteins isolated from alligator blood may lead to new antibiotics to treat "superbugs", such as MRSA.

Speaking at the American Chemical Society conference, US researchers said the discovery could also lead to treatments for severe burns and ulcers.

Alligators can suffer serious injuries during fierce territorial battles but heal quickly despite contact with bacteria, viruses and fungi.

Antibiotic resistance is on the rise yet there is a lack of new treatments.

Humans build up immunity to infection-causing organisms after coming into contact with them.

But, the Louisiana researchers said, previous work has shown alligators have a particularly strong immune system which can fight microorganisms such as fungi, viruses, and bacteria without being previously exposed to them.

Why you should eat fat

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:03:43 GMT

clipped by: Nerfzilla
clipper's remarks: Oh thank goodness...now I just need an article explaining why smoking cigarettes is prolonging my life...

Clip Source: www.salon.com

Why you should eat fat

From its surprising health benefits to its unrivaled deliciousness, "the greasy killer" is anything but, says author Jennifer McLagan.

Sept. 25, 2008 | Jennifer McLagan is on a mission: to dispel the myth that fat is a "greasy killer." Or, as she writes in her new book, "Fat: An Appreciation of a Misunderstood Ingredient, With Recipes": "Human nutrition is complex, and no two bodies function the same way, but for the majority of us, eating animal fat is not the death sentence we have been led to believe."

Keen cook died after eating red-hot chilli sauce as a dare

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:40:17 GMT

clipped by: Nerfzilla
clipper's remarks: Ow.....

Clip Source: www.timesonline.co.uk

Keen cook died after eating red-hot chilli sauce as a dare

An aspiring chef died after eating a super-hot chilli sauce as part of an endurance competition with a friend.

Andrew Lee, 33, challenged his girlfriend’s brother to a contest to see who could eat the spiciest sauce that he could create.

The fork-lift truck driver, who wanted to cook for a living, prepared a tomato sauce made with red chillies grown on his father’s allotment. After eating it, however, he suffered intense discomfort and itching. The following morning he was found dead, possibly after suffering a heart attack.

Toxicology tests are being conducted to try to establish if he suffered a reaction to the food.

An inquest was told that Mr Lee, from Edlington, West Yorkshire, was in perfect health and had just passed a medical examination at work. He was a keen cook and would often prepare meals for his parents. It is believed that Mr Lee had never prepared a dish as hot as the one he made the night before his death.

Tags: cookery

10 Books Not To Read Before You Die

Mon, 29 Sep 2008 17:14:01 GMT

clipped by: Nerfzilla

Clip Source: entertainment.timesonline.co.uk

10 Books Not To Read Before You Die

The producer of at least three television shows that you may quite like shares with us his definitive list of books that just aren't worth the bother

Recommended lists of ‘essential’ reading are the most pernicious ‘to do’ lists of all. Lists of physical achievements or magical holiday destinations or wonderful restaurants or fabulous hotels make you feel like your life has been wasted; a list of great books you should have read makes you feel like your brain has been wasted.

The Benefits of Therapy by Phone

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:31:13 GMT

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Clip Source: well.blogs.nytimes.com

The Benefits of Therapy by Phone

Most therapists schedule face-to-face meetings with their patients. But new data suggest that therapy by phone may be a better option for some patients.

It has long been a concern among therapists that nearly half of their patients quit after only a few sessions. As a result, a number of health care providers and employee-assistance programs now offer therapy services by phone.

A new analysis of phone therapy research by Northwestern University shows that when patients receive psychotherapy for depression over the phone, more than 90 percent continue with it. The research showed that the average attrition rate in the telephone therapy was only 7.6 percent, compared to nearly 50 percent in face-to-face therapy. The researchers also found that telephone therapy was just as effective at reducing depressive symptoms as face-to-face treatment.

No Laughing Matter

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:29:27 GMT

clipped by: Nerfzilla

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

No Laughing Matter

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

Of all the points raised by different analysts about the economy last week, surely the best was Representative Barney Frank’s reminder on “Charlie Rose” that Ronald Reagan’s favorite laugh line was telling audiences that: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: ‘I’m from the government, and I’m here to help.’ ”

Hah, hah, hah.

Are you still laughing? If it weren’t for the government bailing out Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac and A.I.G., and rescuing people from Hurricane Ike and pumping tons of liquidity into the banking system, our economy would be a shambles. How would you like to hear the line today: “I’m from the government, and I can’t do a darn thing for you.”

Spoof Stars a Bumbling Spy, but many Russian Moviegoers Aren't Laughing

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 19:27:02 GMT

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Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

A Spoof Stars a Bumbling Spy, but Many Russian Moviegoers Aren’t Laughing

MOSCOW — The new addition to the Russian pantheon of cinematic World War II heroes, a Soviet agent who has infiltrated the SS, has an unfortunate habit of waving around his passport, which is stamped with gold letters reading “Working Spy of the Soviet Union.”

Pavel Derevyanko, the star of “Hitler Kaput!,” a low-brow farce that opened Thursday in Moscow cinemas, dozes off while stealing top-secret documents, accidentally photocopying his face. He launches into a sentimental rendition of “Kalinka,” probably Russia’s most familiar folk song, at a Nazi watering hole. While groping a busty radio operator, he accidentally runs over people with a tank, making splattering sounds. In short, he is an idiot.

Fla. police use Taser on nude man walking a dog

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 22:04:36 GMT

clipped by: Nerfzilla

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Fla. police use Taser on nude man walking a dog

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) -- A 40-year-old man walking his dog in the nude was Tasered by police when he refused to follow an officer's commands. David McCranie of the Tallahassee Police Department said an officer on patrol spotted the man shortly after 8 p.m. Friday.

The man was asked what he was doing and told the officer, ''Allah told me to watch a Bruce Willis movie and walk the dog,'' McCranie said.

McCranie said using the Taser was the only way to subdue the man without having to hurt him. The man was then sent for mental-health evaluation and treatment.

Cattle Shown to Allign north-south

Tue, 26 Aug 2008 21:51:40 GMT

clipped by: Nerfzilla
clipper's remarks: Gosh.....

Clip Source: news.bbc.co.uk

Cattle shown to align north-south

Have you ever noticed that herds of grazing animals all face the same way?

Images from Google Earth have confirmed that cattle tend to align their bodies in a north-south direction.

Wild deer also display this behaviour - a phenomenon that has apparently gone unnoticed by herdsmen and hunters for thousands of years.

In the Proceedings for the National Academy of Sciences, scientists say the Earth's magnetic fields may influence the behaviour of these animals.

The Earth can be viewed as a huge magnet, with magnetic north and south situated close to the geographical poles.

Many species - including birds and salmon - are known to use the Earth's magnetic fields in migration, rather like a natural GPS.

Tags: animals, science

Lunar Therapy or Moonlight Madness?

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:26:50 GMT

clipped by: Nerfzilla
clipper's remarks: Well all righty then...................

Clip Source: www.abcnews.go.com

Lunar Therapy or Moonlight Madness?

Man Says Mirrors in Arizona Desert Harness Healing Power of Moonlight

Richard Chapin uses 84 separate mirrors in the Arizona desert at his Interstellar Light Applications. He says the moon has special healing powers. (Getty Images)

Some people are traveling to the Arizona desert to bask in the moonlight, as part of a new alternative therapy that claims lunar rays can treat a number of conditions from asthma to depression.

Richard Chapin, the founder of Interstellar Light Applications near Tucson, Ariz., believes the moon has healing powers and first experimented with using moonlight to help a friend with cancer.

"It's rich in a full spectrum of blues and frequencies we need to help cure us," Chapin said.

Chapin, a lifelong science buff, admits there's no scientific proof lunar therapy works, but hundreds of believers have made the trek to the desert to try it.

Tags: alternative medical nonsense

Prisoner gets compensation over cockroaches

Wed, 12 Dec 2007 02:23:05 GMT

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Clip Source: www.stuff.co.nz

Prisoner gets compensation over cockroaches

An Israeli judge has ordered the country's prison authority to pay an inmate over $1,300 in compensation after he complained of having to share a cell with cockroaches.

Mordechai Yehudai filed a lawsuit complaining of poor hygiene, a lack of fresh air, broken windows and inmates who smoke in a handful of cells, a spokeswoman for the Israel Prisons Service said

"The Prisons Service mistreated the plaintiff in a number of ways, including ... broken windows, cockroaches as well as incarceration with smokers," judge Irit Cohen wrote in her verdict, according to newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

The spokeswoman said the inmate's cell would be cleaned up. Yehudai has been held in three different prisons and has had complaints about conditions in all of them.

"Prisoners have the right to sue us whenever they see fit and we comply with the court's rulings," she said.

Tags: prisons, justice, israel