FDA Looking Into Blindness-ED Drug Link - Yahoo! News
Take Viagra, Go Blind. Who'da thunk it. Sounds like something that was said in the old days.
Friday, May 27, 2005
Wednesday, May 18, 2005
War on drugs gone to pot
War on drugs gone to pot - Yahoo! News
Very interesting article because I thought the war on drugs was supposed to be for things like the boats of cocaine/heroin coming in from South America or wherever, or planes, or whatever is used to bring the drugs into the US. Isn't that the justification for the high dollar helicopters and equipment that police receive? Wasn't cocaine/heroin the reason for the "war?" If the money for this war on drugs is being so mishandled, it's time to elect people who have the balls to say enough is enough, and go after the intended culprits, the foreigners who bring the cocaine and heroin into the US.
As for marijuana, I don't hear about or see on the news, babies being addicted to it when they're born. I don't hear about or see on TV people whoring themselves for it. When was the last time you saw on ER or Cops or anything, an episode where they rush someone to the hospital because they smoked too much pot, pumped their stomache, do CPR, or do anything else to save the life of someone too stoned? To know that America spends tons of money on this war and we're going after the stoners/pot-heads of America... I'm thinking the drug czar must be on drugs, because it seems pretty stupid to do so when there's drugs like cocaine, crack, PCP, heroin and god knows what else out there that impact society in a much more tangible and serious way than pot-heads.
"War on drugs gone to pot
Wed May 18, 6:25 AM ET
Marijuana is the most widely used illegal substance. About 15 million Americans smoke it, and police make nearly 700,000 pot-related arrests each year, accounting for nearly half of all drug arrests.
ADVERTISEMENT
The $35 billion-a-year war on drugs has turned largely into a war on marijuana, and a losing war at that. Pot isn't harmless, but shouldn't law enforcement focus more of its resources on hard drugs - cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines - that are associated with violence and devastated lives?
According to a new study by The Sentencing Project, a liberal research group that favors alternatives to incarceration:
• Marijuana arrests increased 113% from 1990 through 2002, while arrests for all other drugs rose just 10%.
• Four of five marijuana arrests are for possession, not dealing.
The theory behind the war on drugs is that enough arrests will curtail both supply and demand. But the impact of increased marijuana arrests appears negligible. According to private and government studies, overall marijuana use is the same as it was in 1990, while daily use by high school seniors has nearly tripled, from 2.2% to 6%. Since 1992, the inflation-adjusted price of pot has fallen about 16% while potency has doubled, the studies show.
So the intensified crackdown has coincided with cheaper, stronger pot that's readily available. Law enforcement's efforts to arrest marijuana smokers are diverting resources from combating other crimes and those who traffic in hard drugs.
Few people arrested for possessing marijuana serve jail time, but the consequences they face are severe. They may not qualify for federal student loans or entry to public housing, may lose the right to vote, and face a job market with criminal records they must report to potential employers.
The drug war against low-level users also sparks resentment against police, particularly in the minority community. African-Americans represent 14% of marijuana users but account for 30% of arrests, The Sentencing Project study found.
The get-tough approach is showing cracks both at home and abroad. Twelve states have some form of decriminalization or reduced sentences. Great Britain, Canada and Russia have decriminalized possession of small amounts of the drug.
Today's more potent marijuana carries substantial health and social risks. It can lead to depression, thoughts of suicide and schizophrenia, especially among teens, according to government research. Its use should be discouraged. But it's a smoke screen to suggest that rising arrest numbers show the war on drugs is working. It's time for a serious debate on whether massive arrests of low-level users are worth the cost or having any benefit."
Very interesting article because I thought the war on drugs was supposed to be for things like the boats of cocaine/heroin coming in from South America or wherever, or planes, or whatever is used to bring the drugs into the US. Isn't that the justification for the high dollar helicopters and equipment that police receive? Wasn't cocaine/heroin the reason for the "war?" If the money for this war on drugs is being so mishandled, it's time to elect people who have the balls to say enough is enough, and go after the intended culprits, the foreigners who bring the cocaine and heroin into the US.
As for marijuana, I don't hear about or see on the news, babies being addicted to it when they're born. I don't hear about or see on TV people whoring themselves for it. When was the last time you saw on ER or Cops or anything, an episode where they rush someone to the hospital because they smoked too much pot, pumped their stomache, do CPR, or do anything else to save the life of someone too stoned? To know that America spends tons of money on this war and we're going after the stoners/pot-heads of America... I'm thinking the drug czar must be on drugs, because it seems pretty stupid to do so when there's drugs like cocaine, crack, PCP, heroin and god knows what else out there that impact society in a much more tangible and serious way than pot-heads.
"War on drugs gone to pot
Wed May 18, 6:25 AM ET
Marijuana is the most widely used illegal substance. About 15 million Americans smoke it, and police make nearly 700,000 pot-related arrests each year, accounting for nearly half of all drug arrests.
ADVERTISEMENT
The $35 billion-a-year war on drugs has turned largely into a war on marijuana, and a losing war at that. Pot isn't harmless, but shouldn't law enforcement focus more of its resources on hard drugs - cocaine, heroin and methamphetamines - that are associated with violence and devastated lives?
According to a new study by The Sentencing Project, a liberal research group that favors alternatives to incarceration:
• Marijuana arrests increased 113% from 1990 through 2002, while arrests for all other drugs rose just 10%.
• Four of five marijuana arrests are for possession, not dealing.
The theory behind the war on drugs is that enough arrests will curtail both supply and demand. But the impact of increased marijuana arrests appears negligible. According to private and government studies, overall marijuana use is the same as it was in 1990, while daily use by high school seniors has nearly tripled, from 2.2% to 6%. Since 1992, the inflation-adjusted price of pot has fallen about 16% while potency has doubled, the studies show.
So the intensified crackdown has coincided with cheaper, stronger pot that's readily available. Law enforcement's efforts to arrest marijuana smokers are diverting resources from combating other crimes and those who traffic in hard drugs.
Few people arrested for possessing marijuana serve jail time, but the consequences they face are severe. They may not qualify for federal student loans or entry to public housing, may lose the right to vote, and face a job market with criminal records they must report to potential employers.
The drug war against low-level users also sparks resentment against police, particularly in the minority community. African-Americans represent 14% of marijuana users but account for 30% of arrests, The Sentencing Project study found.
The get-tough approach is showing cracks both at home and abroad. Twelve states have some form of decriminalization or reduced sentences. Great Britain, Canada and Russia have decriminalized possession of small amounts of the drug.
Today's more potent marijuana carries substantial health and social risks. It can lead to depression, thoughts of suicide and schizophrenia, especially among teens, according to government research. Its use should be discouraged. But it's a smoke screen to suggest that rising arrest numbers show the war on drugs is working. It's time for a serious debate on whether massive arrests of low-level users are worth the cost or having any benefit."
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
High Court Won't Revive Race Riot Lawsuit
High Court Won't Revive Race Riot Lawsuit:
"'I guess we just have to except whatever they do,' said riot survivor Otis"
Great writing skills, SHAUN SCHAFER-Associated Press Writer, but the word you meant to write is "accept."
"'I guess we just have to except whatever they do,' said riot survivor Otis"
Great writing skills, SHAUN SCHAFER-Associated Press Writer, but the word you meant to write is "accept."
Thursday, May 12, 2005
Bolton is an ordinary psycho
Is your boss just an ordinary psycho?
Is your boss a charming, well-educated and polished leader intent on climbing the career ladder? If so, he could be a psychopath, psychologists gathered in Stockholm said on Wednesday.
Recent research has shown that not all psychopaths are violent killers -- many of them hold normal jobs, with some rising to the highest levels of executive management.
But their charisma and ambition are often mistaken for leadership traits rather than psychopathic ones, industrial-organisation psychologist Paul Babiak of the United States told the EuroScience Open Forum in Stockholm.
'Psychopaths tend to be charming, have a grandiose sense of self, and they like money, power and sex. They have strong verbal skills and can manipulate by telling a good story. Because they can talk big, you think they have vision and can lead an organisation, but a psychopath will mislead,' Babiak said.
He warned that the number of psychopaths in corporations will probably increase in coming years, as they thrive in the dynamic and rapidly-changing organisations of today's business market where they can advance quickly.
Psychopaths don't like to work in bureaucratic organisations,' he said, noting that they are 'thrill-seekers who like to play the game'.
Babiak said a psychopath typically shows no signs of remorse, or feels other emotions the way mentally stable people do.
'So while a psychopath would have no qualms about closing down a plant, a true leader would feel bad about putting all those people out of work,' he said.
But the corporate world's dirty little secret may well be that psychopaths thrive because companies actively seek them out: The focus on short-term results in today's 'quarterly capitalism' requires ruthless leaders not afraid to take hard quick decisions without looking back.
Babiak conceded that a psychopath may indeed be good for a company in the short-term, but will invariably become a problem later. Psychopaths can spin a good tale, but they can't do the day-to-day work. They leech off other workers,' he said.
Psychopaths can spin a good tale, but they can't do the day-to-day work. They leech off other workers,' he said.
Professor Erich Bartel of the Frankfurt Business School of Finance and Management agreed.
'In the short-term the company will maximize its profit but in the long-term it will be unable to because it will lose out on human capital,' he said.
Babiak said psychopaths were found in all professions.
In his work as a consultant for US companies, Babiak said he had come across eight psychopaths among some 100 employees, and all but one have moved up in their organisation"
Is your boss a charming, well-educated and polished leader intent on climbing the career ladder? If so, he could be a psychopath, psychologists gathered in Stockholm said on Wednesday.
Recent research has shown that not all psychopaths are violent killers -- many of them hold normal jobs, with some rising to the highest levels of executive management.
But their charisma and ambition are often mistaken for leadership traits rather than psychopathic ones, industrial-organisation psychologist Paul Babiak of the United States told the EuroScience Open Forum in Stockholm.
'Psychopaths tend to be charming, have a grandiose sense of self, and they like money, power and sex. They have strong verbal skills and can manipulate by telling a good story. Because they can talk big, you think they have vision and can lead an organisation, but a psychopath will mislead,' Babiak said.
He warned that the number of psychopaths in corporations will probably increase in coming years, as they thrive in the dynamic and rapidly-changing organisations of today's business market where they can advance quickly.
Psychopaths don't like to work in bureaucratic organisations,' he said, noting that they are 'thrill-seekers who like to play the game'.
Babiak said a psychopath typically shows no signs of remorse, or feels other emotions the way mentally stable people do.
'So while a psychopath would have no qualms about closing down a plant, a true leader would feel bad about putting all those people out of work,' he said.
But the corporate world's dirty little secret may well be that psychopaths thrive because companies actively seek them out: The focus on short-term results in today's 'quarterly capitalism' requires ruthless leaders not afraid to take hard quick decisions without looking back.
Babiak conceded that a psychopath may indeed be good for a company in the short-term, but will invariably become a problem later. Psychopaths can spin a good tale, but they can't do the day-to-day work. They leech off other workers,' he said.
Psychopaths can spin a good tale, but they can't do the day-to-day work. They leech off other workers,' he said.
Professor Erich Bartel of the Frankfurt Business School of Finance and Management agreed.
'In the short-term the company will maximize its profit but in the long-term it will be unable to because it will lose out on human capital,' he said.
Babiak said psychopaths were found in all professions.
In his work as a consultant for US companies, Babiak said he had come across eight psychopaths among some 100 employees, and all but one have moved up in their organisation"
Hagel admits to being Bush's puppet
Voinovich Slams Bolton but OKs Senate Vote - Yahoo! News: "Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., who earlier expressed misgivings about the nomination, told the panel he decided he had 'enough confidence in this president to take him at his word, and take Mr. Bolton at his word.'"
Why is this guy even a Senator, he's supposed to be representing his constituency, not endorsing Bush. Well, unless that's why they elected him, and if so that's pretty pathetic and sad.
Why is this guy even a Senator, he's supposed to be representing his constituency, not endorsing Bush. Well, unless that's why they elected him, and if so that's pretty pathetic and sad.
Wednesday, May 11, 2005
Pastor Accused of Running Out Dems Quits
Pastor Accused of Running Out Dems Quits - Yahoo! News
How can someone this stupid ever get the opportunity to be a leader of any church, aside from the "Church of the Grand Old Party?"
How can someone this stupid ever get the opportunity to be a leader of any church, aside from the "Church of the Grand Old Party?"
Monday, May 09, 2005
Kingdom of B.S. by Debbie Schlussel
FrontPage magazine.com :: Kingdom of B.S. by Debbie Schlussel
For such a short article, it really tells a lot of truth. A must read for anyone that saw or is considering seeing the movie, "Kingdom of Heaven," or anyone wanting a reality check regarding muslims and the crusades.
For such a short article, it really tells a lot of truth. A must read for anyone that saw or is considering seeing the movie, "Kingdom of Heaven," or anyone wanting a reality check regarding muslims and the crusades.
Thursday, May 05, 2005
Evolution v. Creationism
Darwin on trial: Evolution hearings open in Kansas - Yahoo! News
Apples v. Oranges
Go back a few hundred years in science and Kansas would be having a hearing on whether to teach that Earth is not the center of the universe but actually orbits the sun. What dolts, from a Christian who isn't afraid of science or what it may reveal.
Apples v. Oranges
Go back a few hundred years in science and Kansas would be having a hearing on whether to teach that Earth is not the center of the universe but actually orbits the sun. What dolts, from a Christian who isn't afraid of science or what it may reveal.
Stern's Game Can Be Called Misdirection
Stern's Game Can Be Called Misdirection - New York Times
An assertion of a conspiracy against Ming... Stern quick to attack and fine the whistleblower without investigating the allegation... I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that the conspiracy existed, and I think it should be investigated rather than seeing a spat.
An assertion of a conspiracy against Ming... Stern quick to attack and fine the whistleblower without investigating the allegation... I don't think it's out of the realm of possibility that the conspiracy existed, and I think it should be investigated rather than seeing a spat.
Star Wars
Marin Independent Journal - Marin
PG-13. Wow, I was actually considering skipping the movie for a while since every SW movie since RotJ has been pretty kiddy. But if this next one is "for real," then I just might be standing in line.
PG-13. Wow, I was actually considering skipping the movie for a while since every SW movie since RotJ has been pretty kiddy. But if this next one is "for real," then I just might be standing in line.
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