Mainstream News

Former jail keeps memory of Communist repression raw in Romania

"The extent of the suffering had largely been hidden. Stalinist purges in the former Soviet Union and Communist repression in Eastern Europe claimed millions of lives in the 20th century, according to historians. In Romania alone, more than 600,000 people were sentenced and jailed between 1945 and 1989 for political reasons. Stanca was one of them. 'In the jail, we suffered from hunger, we did not get any medical assistance, we were continuously humiliated,' he said. He was then sent to a labour camp to erect dikes along the Danube river. 'I think only the pyramids were built with such inhumane physical work,' he added." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFormer jail keeps memory of Communist repression raw in Romania

‘Crack baby’ study ends with unexpected but clear result

"A social worker on TV predicted that a crack baby would grow up to 'have an IQ of perhaps 50.' A print article quoted a psychologist as saying 'crack was interfering with the central core of what it is to be human,' and yet another article predicted that crack babies were 'doomed to a life of uncertain suffering, of probable deviance, of permanent inferiority.' But the researchers consistently found no significant differences between the cocaine-exposed children and the controls. Drug use did not differ between the exposed and nonexposed participants as young adults." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Crack baby’ study ends with unexpected but clear result

Weed War: Marijuana Plants Sprout across German City

"The German university city of Göttingen is being taken over by marijuana plants. Behind the phenomenon is a group of pro-pot activists who planted seeds around town to stir debate over the plant's illegal status. City authorities are not amused. The university town of Göttingen is getting greener and greener. But not everyone is pleased: The new plants sprouting up in parks, planter boxes and gardens across the city aren't part of an official city-beautification project. Planting the seeds was a protest against Germany's 'restrictive drug policies,' the group said, arguing that it's incomprehensible 'why cannabis, unlike alcohol, cannot be legally purchased.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWeed War: Marijuana Plants Sprout across German City

Japan warns Britain to stay in the European Union

"Japan has warned that tens of thousands of British jobs with Japanese firms could be at risk if London pulls out of the European Union, a newspaper reported on Sunday. Tokyo’s submission to a British government consultation said Japanese companies liked Britain because it offered a gateway to the European market, the Sunday Times said. Prime Minister David Cameron has vowed to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the EU and then hold a referendum on membership before the end of 2017 if he is still in office. Close ally the United States has also previously warned Britain against isolating itself from the EU." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJapan warns Britain to stay in the European Union

Wind Energy Encounters Problems and Resistance in Germany

"Germany plans to build 60,000 new wind turbines -- in forests, in the foothills of the Alps and even in protected environmental areas. But local residents are up in arms, costs are skyrocketing and Germany's determination to phase out nuclear power is in danger. Even valuable tourist regions -- such as the Moselle valley, the Allgäu and the foothills of the Alps -- are to be sacrificed. On one side stand environmentalists and animal rights activists passionate about protecting the tranquility of nature. On the other are progressively minded champions of renewable energy and climate activists determined to secure the long-term survival of the planet." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWind Energy Encounters Problems and Resistance in Germany

Floating Nuclear Power: Inside Russia’s Reactors at Sea

"The U.S. and Russian navies have long used nuclear-powered submarines, aircraft carriers, and icebreakers. But a new kind of nuclear power is coming. Russia's Akademik Lomonosov, currently under construction, will be a floating power plant with two 35-megawatt generators designed to supply power to hard-to-reach Arctic communities straight from the ship. After years of delay, the Rosatom State Nuclear Energy Corporation says it plans to build this first ship by 2016 and to ramp up to four to six in the near future to power up remote cities and industrial areas cut off from the regular power grid." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFloating Nuclear Power: Inside Russia’s Reactors at Sea

In Oregon, The GMO Wheat Mystery Deepens

"The USDA is trying to answer two big questions about this wheat. First, where else can it be found? Second, how did it get into this farmer's field? Hundreds of millions of dollars could hang on the answer to the first question. If rogue genes are present in America's wheat harvest, some customers — especially in Japan and Korea — say they won't take it. Every test that comes up negative eases the worries of the wheat industry, but it also makes the source of this GMO wheat a bigger mystery. Investigators are finding no trail that leads from the Oregon farm back to Monsanto's research operation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIn Oregon, The GMO Wheat Mystery Deepens

Medical Marijuana for Kids Could Pit Parents Against Pediatricians

"Hope resident Jennie Stormes advocated for the change in the law on behalf of Jackson Stormes, a 14 year old who has used marijuana to reduce the symptoms of Dravet Syndrome, a severe form of epilepsy. She said the substance has reduced the intensity and duration of her son’s seizures, after years of unsuccessful approaches such as brain surgery. 'The additional doctor appointments for a child who has failed so many medications, brain surgery, and other treatments are cruel and the cost is burdensome for a single mother who is working more than one job without any child support,' said Stormes, a pediatric nurse." Continue reading →

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Medical Marijuana Achieves ‘Complete Remission’ Of Crohn’s Disease With No Side Effects

"Crohn's disease, one of several inflammatory bowel diseases, achieved 'complete remission' in nearly half the subjects of one study that were exposed to smoking medical marijuana on a regular basis. Published in the journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, the study examined the effects of consistent marijuana use on Crohn's patients who suffered from severe cases of the disease. The results of the 21-subject study point toward the drug's anti-inflammatory properties as being responsible for quieting symptoms in many patients, and even reaching total remission in others." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMedical Marijuana Achieves ‘Complete Remission’ Of Crohn’s Disease With No Side Effects

Leaked memo reveals big pharma’s strategy to combat publishing of drug trial results

"Drugs companies publish only a fraction of their results and keep much of the information to themselves, but regulators want to ban the practice. If companies published all of their clinical trials data, independent scientists could reanalyse their results and check companies’ claims about the safety and efficacy of drugs. Under proposals being thrashed out in Europe, drugs companies would be compelled to release all of their data, including results that show drugs do not work or cause dangerous side-effects. The latest strategy shows how patient groups – many of which receive some or all of their funding from drugs companies – have been brought into the battle." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLeaked memo reveals big pharma’s strategy to combat publishing of drug trial results