October 25, 2012

Media Ignored Expert's Shocking Findings That Marijuana Helps Prevent Lung Cancer: Now It's ........

AlterNet / By Fred Gardner

Media Ignored Expert's Shocking Findings That Marijuana Helps Prevent Lung Cancer: Now It's Med-School Material
UCLA professor Donald Tashkin will share his research discoveries to medical students this week.

October 24, 2012 |


You'd think it would have been very big news in the spring of 2005 when Donald Tashkin, a professor of pulmonology at UCLA's David Geffin School of Medicine, revealed at a conference that components of marijuana smoke, although they damage cells in respiratory tissue, somehow prevent them from becoming malignant. But headlines announcing "Pot Doesn't Cause Cancer" did not ensue.

Tashkin will review his findings and discuss current research this Thursday in Santa Monica, California as part of a course for doctors accredited by the University of California San Francisco. (It is open to the public; pre-registration is $95.)

Tashkin has special credibility. He was the lead investigator on studies dating back to the 1970s that identified the compounds in marijuana smoke that are toxic. It was Tashkin who published photomicrographs showing that marijuana smoke damages cells lining the upper airways. It was the Tashkin lab reporting that benzpyrene -- a component of tobacco smoke that plays a role in most lung cancers -- is especially prevalent in marijuana smoke. It was Tashkin's data documenting that marijuana smokers are more likely than non-smokers to cough, wheeze and produce sputum.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse supported Tashkin's marijuana-related research over the decades and gave him a grant to conduct a large, population-based, case-controlled study that would prove definitively that heavy, long-term marijuana use increases the risk of lung and upper-airways cancers. What Tashkin and his colleagues found, however, disproved their hypothesis. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/drugs/media-ignored-experts-shocking-findings-marijuana-helps-prevent-lung-cancer-now-its-med-school

October 25, 2012

Best Buy-Bye?

(Bloomberg) Best Buy Co. (BBY), the retailer resisting a takeover attempt by its founder, said fiscal third-quarter profit will be “significantly” below last year’s results as sales at established stores continue to decline.

Comparable-store sales will drop at a rate consistent with the first two quarters, Richfield, Minnesota-based Best Buy said yesterday in a statement. Same-store sales fell 5.3 percent in the first quarter and 3.2 percent in the second.

Chief Executive Officer Hubert Joly, who started last month, put himself in charge of the U.S. business after eliminating the jobs of two senior executives. He’s accelerating turnaround efforts as the world’s largest consumer-electronics retailer tries to revive slumping sales and fend off rivals such as Amazon.com Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc.

“We see limited opportunity for a turnaround in sales and think gross margins will compress from an attempt to be more competitive in the fourth quarter,” Ian Gordon, an analyst at Standard & Poor’s in New York, wrote in a note. He cut his Best Buy rating to sell from hold. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-24/best-buy-says-third-quarter-profit-will-fall-significantly-.html

October 25, 2012

Fundie wigs have officially flipped this election season

talk2action.org / By Bruce Wilson

Almost 1.4 Million Pledge For Jesus as Write-In Candidate in 2012, as Disgruntled Evangelicals Vent Their Anti-Mormon, Anti-Obama Ire
Liveprayer.com founder Bill Keller makes a big call to "say 'no' to Satan this November."

October 25, 2012 |


As of October 18, 2012, when I reported in my story Graham's Romney Endorsement Accidentally Spreads "Mormonism is a cult" Meme to Millions - about superstar evangelist Billy Graham's disastrous effort to woo Protestant evangelical voters to vote for Mormon Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney in the 2012 election, I was unaware that the meme might, by then, already have spread to over a million disgruntled evangelicals who had reportedly pledged to vent their anti-Mormon (and anti-Obama) ire at the ballot box this November 6th.

Candidate "A" is clearly a tool of Satan. But candidate "B" is a tool of Satan too and, if elected president, he'll suspend the Constitution and implement a theocracy to be run by his satanically-inspired cult.

"Stop!", cries out evangelist Bill Keller, founder of the Internet ministry liveprayer.com; "CHRISTIANS MUST TAKE A STAND AND SAY "NO" TO SATAN THIS NOVEMBER!!!", he declares, "Vote for Jesus!"

Keller means it. His website http://www.votingforjesus.com/ claims to have received well over one million pledges from voters who say that they will, on November 6, 2012, cast their votes for the write-in candidacy of Jesus Christ for president of the United States. ...................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.alternet.org/election-2012/almost-14-million-pledge-jesus-write-candidate-2012-disgruntled-evangelicals-vent

October 25, 2012

Britain rejects US request to use UK bases in nuclear standoff with Iran

(Guardian UK) Britain has rebuffed US pleas to use military bases in the UK to support the build-up of forces in the Gulf, citing secret legal advice which states that any pre-emptive strike on Iran could be in breach of international law.

The Guardian has been told that US diplomats have also lobbied for the use of British bases in Cyprus, and for permission to fly from US bases on Ascension Island in the Atlantic and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean, both of which are British territories.

The US approaches are part of contingency planning over the nuclear standoff with Tehran, but British ministers have so far reacted coolly. They have pointed US officials to legal advice drafted by the attorney general's office which has been circulated to Downing Street, the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence.

This makes clear that Iran, which has consistently denied it has plans to develop a nuclear weapon, does not currently represent "a clear and present threat". Providing assistance to forces that could be involved in a pre-emptive strike would be a clear breach of international law, it states. ..................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/oct/25/uk-reject-us-request-bases-iran

October 25, 2012

Heated cycle lanes to warm Dutch winter cyclists

(BBC) Towns in the Netherlands are considering a proposal to heat cycle lanes to encourage greater use of bicycles in winter.

The scheme proposes to use geo-thermal energy to prevent ice forming.

The idea has been provisionally costed at 20-40,000 euros per kilometre (£26-52,000 per mile).

But the man behind the proposal, Marcel Boerefijn, said there would be savings from fewer accidents, less salt needed to grit roads and reduced car expenses. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20041522

October 25, 2012

Keiser Report: Asphyxiation Nation

Published on Oct 23, 2012 by RussiaToday

In this episode, Max Keiser and Stacy Herbert discuss mugging hoodies and asphyxiating economies with cynical bank fiddles and institutionalized fraud. They also review the past 18 months in which "Barclays has been exposed for ripping off the elderly, avoiding £500million in tax, mis-selling payment protection insurance to the tune of £1.5billion, manipulating crucial interest rates and now mis-selling loans to small firms."

October 25, 2012

(Washington DC) Metro shows off newest rail car

from the WaPo:



[font size="1"]A view from the center to the end of the new rail car shows the future flooring, rails, wind screens and seats. (Robert Thomson – The Washington Post)[/font]


There’s no mistaking Metro’s new rail cars for anything that’s in service now. If we blindfolded a bunch of riders, then opened their eyes inside car No. 7000 now in a Metro workshop in Landover, they wouldn’t immediately know they were aboard a Washington, D.C., transit vehicle. (They’d figure it out pretty quickly by looking at the new signs.)

I got a chance to look at No. 7000 Wednesday afternoon, along with most of the transportation team from The Post. You can see in the photo how this full-scale model looks. So let me tell you how it feels: For those used to traveling aboard the oldest cars in the rail fleet, this is like going from your parents’ home with the shag carpeting, dark wood and heavy drapes to a trendy new downtown apartment, with white walls, bare floors and big windows.

A transit historian might say we’re leaving behind a design from an era when planners weren’t sure D.C. commuters would ride a subway. We’re moving to a transit space that acknowledges many, many people will cram their way aboard the trains.

I’ll tell you what I like about it, but keep in mind that I saw No. 7000 as it stood still in a quiet room with only a handful of very well-behaved people aboard. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/dr-gridlock/wp/2012/10/24/metro-shows-off-newest-rail-car/

October 25, 2012

Heated cycle lanes to warm Dutch winter cyclists

(BBC) Towns in the Netherlands are considering a proposal to heat cycle lanes to encourage greater use of bicycles in winter.

The scheme proposes to use geo-thermal energy to prevent ice forming.

The idea has been provisionally costed at 20-40,000 euros per kilometre (£26-52,000 per mile).

But the man behind the proposal, Marcel Boerefijn, said there would be savings from fewer accidents, less salt needed to grit roads and reduced car expenses. ....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-20041522

October 25, 2012

When it Comes to Food, How Does Your Lawmaker Stack Up?

from Civil Eats:


When it Comes to Food, How Does Your Lawmaker Stack Up?

October 25th, 2012
By Tom Laskawy


Will the food movement ever really turn political? This question has been much discussed of late, thanks in part to Michael Pollan’s recent New York Times Magazine op-ed on California’s GMO labeling referendum (which I discussed here).

And yes, as Pollan argued recently, whether or not California’s Prop 37 passes will be one sign that the movement has come of age (i.e. eaters “voting with votes, not just forks”). But winning one election in one state, however large and trend-setting, would be just the beginning. Every good political movement identifies its allies and its enemies in an attempt to breed more of the former and weed out the latter.

Now we’re seeing signs that the food movement may in fact be starting to grow up. And like learning how to balance a checkbook or making sure bills get paid on time, some of the most crucial rites of passage can seem more like chores than privileges.

........(snip)........

The legislators who come up short receive the shameful label of “Food Policy Failure,” like Rep. Steve Stivers (R-Ohio) (0 percent), Rep. Diane Black (R-Tenn.) (8 percent), and Sen. Roy Blount (R-Mont.) (6 percent). You’d think it would be helpful to highlight “Food Policy Heroes” as well (you know what they say about carrots vs. sticks). But it’s not hard to find folks with good scorecards on the site. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), for instance, earned 100 percent, according to the scorecard methodology (as did about 40 other Democrats, although it’s worth noting that legislators don’t seem to get penalized for skipping a food-related vote, so 100 doesn’t mean a “yea” vote on every food-related bill or amendment). .................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://civileats.com/2012/10/25/when-it-comes-to-food-how-does-your-lawmaker-stack-up/

October 25, 2012

Firings Highest Since 2010 as Firms From Ford to Dow Face Slump

(Bloomberg) Ford Motor Co. (F) and Dow Chemical Co. (DOW) joined a growing number of companies firing thousands of workers as sluggish U.S. growth and Europe’s deepening recession lead to a persisting slump in sales.

North American companies have announced plans to eliminate more than 62,600 positions at home and abroad since Sept. 1, the biggest two-month drop since the start of 2010, according to data compiled by Bloomberg. Firings total 158,100 so far this year, more than the 129,000 job cuts in the same period in 2011.

Ford is closing its first European car-assembly factories in 10 years and Colgate-Palmolive Co. (CL) said today it will cut 2,300 jobs, adding to more than 5,500 cuts announced by Dow Chemical, DuPont Co. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. (AMD) in the past week. The reductions coincide with a majority of U.S. companies missing analysts’ third-quarter revenue estimates and a focus on jobs in the final weeks of the U.S. presidential campaign.

“Companies are saying, ‘Let’s not build up inventories, let’s be lean and mean until we know until we have a better idea of what 2013 is going to look like,’” said Janna Sampson, who helps manage more than $3 billion for Oakbrook Investments in Lisle, Illinois. “There is a fear now as companies see that the economic recovery is not picking up.” .....................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-10-24/firings-reach-highest-since-2010-as-ford-to-dow-face-sales-slump.html