Salon.com > The Fix http://www.salon.com Tue, 21 May 2013 19:31:14 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Man loses life savings in carnival game http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/man_loses_life_savings_in_carnival_game_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/man_loses_life_savings_in_carnival_game_partner/#comments Wed, 01 May 2013 18:41:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13286937 the fix An innocent carnival arcade game turned into a vicious cycle for Henry Gribbohm of Epsom, New Hampshire, who spent his entire life savings, only to walk away with a giant banana. The 30-year-old father reportedly got "caught up" playing "Tubs of Fun" at a local carnival, which involves attempting to lob a ball into a plastic tub without it bouncing out. The prize was a motion-sensing video game controller, the XBox Kinect, which goes for about $96 online. After dropping $300 in just a few minutes, Gribbohm upped the ante, returning home to grab $2,300 more—all the money he had to his name. “You just get caught up in that whole 'I've got to win my money back,” said Gribbohm, who ultimately lost the game. However, he did return the the next day to plead his case, and the vendor agreed to give him back $600, along with a giant banana clad in a Rasta wig. John Flynn, Vice President of Fiesta, the company that manages the carnival, says it's “pretty next to impossible” to have lost that much money to a single game, but acknowledges that Tubs of Fun is hard to win. At Gribbolhm's request, the Manchester Police Department is investigating if any fraud was involved, and he's also considering a lawsuit. “For once in my life I happened to become that sucker,” says Gribbohm. “It was foolish for putting up my life savings.”

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/05/01/man_loses_life_savings_in_carnival_game_partner/feed/ 13 Baltimore prison guards indicted in massive drug conspiracy http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/baltimore_prison_guards_indicted_in_massive_drug_conspiracy_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/baltimore_prison_guards_indicted_in_massive_drug_conspiracy_partner/#comments Thu, 25 Apr 2013 16:22:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13281822 the fix Thirteen female corrections officers have been indicted for helping a national gang known as Black Guerrilla Family (BGF) run a drug-trafficking and money-laundering scheme from behind bars. The prison guards were among 25 defendants, including inmates and outside suppliers, charged with racketeering and drug conspiracy, with each of them facing a maximum sentence of 20 years for the charges. Prosecutors accused the 13 women of essentially handing over control of the jail to the gang, helping them conduct their business by smuggling cellphones, prescription drugs and other contraband in their clothing and hair. Four of the officers even became pregnant by one inmate, with two of them also getting tattoos of his first name. Affadavits for search warrants at the homes of the prison guards report that the inmates specifically looked for female officers they perceived to have "low self-esteem." “The inmates literally took over ‘the asylum,’ and the detention centers became safe havens for BGF,” says FBI Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt. Court documents show that one-gram bags of marijuana sold behind bars for $50, a profit of about $1,000 per ounce, while Percocet pills went for triple their street value.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/04/25/baltimore_prison_guards_indicted_in_massive_drug_conspiracy_partner/feed/ 8 Inside the Aryan Brotherhood’s prison heroin empire http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/inside_the_aryan_brotherhoods_prison_heroin_empire_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/inside_the_aryan_brotherhoods_prison_heroin_empire_partner/#comments Tue, 19 Mar 2013 17:58:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13245848 the fix Prison is a place where racial hatred is routine, where gangs rule the roost and heroin is the most valuable commodity. “A white person in prison is in deep trouble if he doesn’t have people to stand with him,” one prisoner tells The Fix. “The guards can’t do nothing. All they can do is prosecute the winner.” And there are few bigger winners in the feds than the Aryan Brotherhood.

Despite some high-profile crackdowns against the gang in recent years, its grip on many facilities remains strong. “I just came from USP Lompoc [in Southern California] and the AB is running that yard,” the prisoner says. “The drugs are flowing. They got Atwater, Victorville, Canaan, Hazleton, Florence, Marion, Big Sandy and Coleman on lock. They are all over the system. The feds can’t stop anything.”

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/19/inside_the_aryan_brotherhoods_prison_heroin_empire_partner/feed/ 1 U.N. development chief slams War on Drugs http://www.salon.com/2013/03/15/un_development_chief_slams_war_on_drugs_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/15/un_development_chief_slams_war_on_drugs_partner/#comments Fri, 15 Mar 2013 21:15:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13242581 the fix

Helen Clark, the head of the United Nations Development Program, has publicly slammed global strategies to combat drugs, claiming there is increasing evidence that "the war on drugs" has failed. The former prime minister of New Zealand urged Latin American leaders to develop new policies to tackle drugs, which she says should be addressed as a public health problem rather than criminalized. "I've been a health minister in my past and there's no doubt that the health position would be to treat the issue of drugs as primarily a health and social issue rather than a criminalized issue," she told Reuters. "Once you criminalize, you put very big stakes around. Of course, our world has proceeded on the basis that criminalization is the approach. To deal with drugs as a one-dimensional, law-and-order issue is to miss the point." Although she did not directly comment on US involvement in the drug war, her words have been widely interpreted as a criticism of US drug policy, which she later denied. "She was speaking about the negative effects the drug trade has had on development in some Latin American countries in the context of the Human Development Report," said UNDP spokeswoman Christina LoNigro in a statement.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/15/un_development_chief_slams_war_on_drugs_partner/feed/ 13 Your tap water is probably laced with antidepressants http://www.salon.com/2013/03/14/your_tap_water_is_probably_laced_with_anti_depressants_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/14/your_tap_water_is_probably_laced_with_anti_depressants_partner/#comments Thu, 14 Mar 2013 21:01:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13229450 the fix The idea that we’re being unwittingly drugged when we drink a glass of ordinary tap water smacks of dystopian science fiction or political conspiracy theory. Accusations that Communists were spiking America’s water with sedatives—under the cover of the federally instituted fluoridation program—were such a staple of Cold War–era paranoia that Stanley Kubrick satirized it in his 1964 masterpiece, Dr. Strangelove. While such fear-mongering may seem quaint, what’s truly ironic is that Americans today are consuming prescription drugs—including addictive psychoactive ones—via the water supply. Who knew?

There’s a good chance that if you live in an urban area, your tap water is laced with tiny amounts of antidepressants (mostly SSRIs like Prozac and Effexor), benzodiazepines (like Klonopin, used to reduce symptoms of substance withdrawal) and anticonvulsants (like Topomax, used to treat addiction to alcohol, nicotine, food and even cocaine and crystal meth). Such are the implications of environmental studies that have been leaking out over the past decade. Whether or not this psychoactive waste has any effect on the human nervous system remains unclear, but when such pharmaceuticals are introduced into the ecosystem, the fallout for other species is demonstrable—and potentially dire.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/14/your_tap_water_is_probably_laced_with_anti_depressants_partner/feed/ 9 Addiction’s shrinking gender gap http://www.salon.com/2013/03/11/addictions_shrinking_gender_gap/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/11/addictions_shrinking_gender_gap/#comments Mon, 11 Mar 2013 22:30:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13225789 the fix
 The worse women have it, the better off they are. This is the lesson we might draw from looking at one (and only one) global trend: addiction. Worldwide, women have always had lower rates of drug and alcohol use and dependence than men. Butas women’s access to opportunities grows along with a nation’s affluence, this gender gap begins to close. In fact, just as women often outstrip men in the classroom and office if given the chance, they have already forged ahead in the abuse of certain substances. It may not be the most celebratory way to mark International Women's Day (March 8), but the fact is, equal rights have their penalties.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/11/addictions_shrinking_gender_gap/feed/ 2 Could a brain implant cure anorexia? http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/could_a_brain_implant_cure_anorexia_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/could_a_brain_implant_cure_anorexia_partner/#comments Fri, 08 Mar 2013 17:53:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13223072 the fix Anorexia has the highest mortality rate of all mental illnesses and is notoriously difficult to treat, but a team of scientists believe they have found a breakthrough solution. The scientists have developed a technique by which they insert a "brain pacemaker" electrode deep inside brain regions that promote appetite and lift mood. The technique was tested on six women between the ages of 24 to 57 at the Krembil Neuroscience Centre in Toronto, all of whom were considered high risk, and had been unsuccessful with previous treatments. Researchers say nine months after the brain implant surgery, half of the patients had experienced their longest period of weight gain since they developed anorexia. None had lost weight, and almost all of the women said they felt significantly better. Two patients were even able to successfully finish an inpatient eating disorder treatment program for the first time. Researchers say that the results, published in the journal The Lancet, “give hope to patients with especially pernicious forms of the disorder and their families.”

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/08/could_a_brain_implant_cure_anorexia_partner/feed/ 1 Will Chavez’s death improve drug war diplomacy? http://www.salon.com/2013/03/07/will_chavezs_death_improve_drug_war_relations/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/07/will_chavezs_death_improve_drug_war_relations/#comments Thu, 07 Mar 2013 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13221281 the fix
 After the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, some are optimistic about the country improving cooperation with the US in the fight against drug trafficking. Despite the infamous photo of Chavez and President Barack Obama smiling and shaking hands at the 2009 Summit of the Americas, US officials say that relations with Venezuela are at a low point since each country rejected the others' ambassador in 2010. Last October, Obama also accused Venezuela of "failing to meet its obligation" on combatting drug trafficking. The nation has become a major drug hub since Chavez took power, and analysts believe as much as 25% of the cocaine that enters the US comes from Venezuela. The US Treasury Department has blacklisted seven current and former Venezuelan officials, including former Defense Minister Henry Rangel Silva, because of suspected ties to drug-dealing Colombian insurgents. And although several senior officials in the country say drug corruption is weakening the government, other high level officials are suspected of making millions off the trade. "People in very important positions in government are getting rich, so if change comes, it's probably going to be very, very gradual," says Michael Shifter, president of the Inter-American Dialogue think tank in Washington.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/07/will_chavezs_death_improve_drug_war_relations/feed/ 6 Jake “The Snake” Roberts: “I started drinking when I was 11″ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/04/jake_the_snake_roberts_i_started_drinking_when_i_was_11_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/04/jake_the_snake_roberts_i_started_drinking_when_i_was_11_partner/#comments Mon, 04 Mar 2013 22:04:00 +0000 http://www.railrode.net/?p=13218550 the fix When it comes to the giants of pro wrestling, Jake “The Snake” Roberts (real name Aurelian Smith, Jr.) is right up there. From 1986-1992, Roberts wrestled in stadiums throughout the world with the WWE, winning immense popularity for his intense character, his in-ring psychology and his ever-present pet python.

But all the while, this dark public persona was being outmatched by his true-life troubles outside of the ring. Roberts frequently used drugs and drank heavily throughout his wrestling career, which ultimately led to him being fired from the WWE during a 1997 comeback attempt. A highly unflattering portrayal followed in the 1999 wrestling documentary Beyond the Mat, in which he was reported to have smoked crack in a hotel room after a reunion with his estranged daughter. As he began wrestling on the independent circuit—the equivalent of baseball's minor leagues—his behavior became increasingly erratic, including instances of drunken breakdowns in the ring and exposing himself to the crowd.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/04/jake_the_snake_roberts_i_started_drinking_when_i_was_11_partner/feed/ 2 My sober conversion to atheism http://www.salon.com/2013/03/03/my_sober_conversion_to_atheism_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/03/03/my_sober_conversion_to_atheism_partner/#comments Sun, 03 Mar 2013 19:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13216306 the fix

I stood on a mountaintop and looked out over the sea. A thousand feet below me, eagles soared on thermals. Wind blew through my hair and I felt dizzy. I fell to my knees and cried. I didn't realize it at the time, but this “white-light” experience was the moment I realized there was no God — I had been struck atheist.

To be accurate and appropriately less dramatic, my atheist conversion was far from immediate. It was a process that began when I got sober about five years earlier.

I finally stopped drinking and drugging at age 30, in the summer of 2004, after about 15 years of relatively high-functioning abuse. I took to 12-step recovery like a fish to water and was especially drawn to Alcoholics Anonymous’ message of a spiritual solution.

I was perfectly comfortable with spirituality. I had been exposed from an early age to a hodge-podge of spiritual ideas by Goldwater Republican parents who had baptized me Episcopalian but referenced Joseph Campbell and the Buddha in casual conversation and sent me to an astrologer in lieu of a child psychologist.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/03/03/my_sober_conversion_to_atheism_partner/feed/ 319 Is Dr. Drew too dangerous for prime time? http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/is_dr_drew_too_dangerous_for_prime_time/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/is_dr_drew_too_dangerous_for_prime_time/#comments Mon, 25 Feb 2013 19:40:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13211659 With the news last week of country star Mindy McCready’s suicide by gun, the death toll among Dr. Drew’s "Celebrity Rehab" patients now stands at five, giving the show an unusually high mortality rate of nearly 13 percent. But what’s even more disturbing is that most of those deaths — possibly even McCready’s — might have been prevented if the program had utilized treatment practices proven to be most effective.

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Although Dr. Drew appears to truly believe in what he does, addiction experts say that the treatment philosophy and policies demonstrated in his show and public statements often do not reflect the best evidence-based practices. His rejection of maintenance treatments, use of punitive detox practices and humiliating therapy, and insistence that people cannot truly recover without complete abstinence through 12-step programs reflect the conventional wisdom of the 1980s, not the data of the 21st century. Indeed, "Celebrity Rehab’s" treatment — leaving aside the massive confidentiality violation of being televised — diverges dramatically from the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA) Principles of Drug Treatment, a guide that lays out standards for the best addiction care.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/25/is_dr_drew_too_dangerous_for_prime_time/feed/ 21 Is porn addiction real? http://www.salon.com/2013/02/22/is_porn_addiction_real_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/22/is_porn_addiction_real_partner/#comments Fri, 22 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13208587 the fixPornography addiction deserves a little more respect, because porn affects the brain much like a drug, as illustrated by a new video from AsapScience (below). "The not-so-shocking truth is that pornography has profound consequences for the brain and acts, in many ways, like a drug," says the SFW video. It explains that viewing pornographic images can increase tolerance, while causing loss of control and a compulsive need to get more. Just like drugs, porn can rewire the brain's flow of the feel-good chemical dopamine, reinforcing the behavior until it becomes addictive. Some compulsive viewers may even experience withdrawal when denied their fix. This might explain why porn makes up 25% of all internet searches and is the 4th most common reason people go online, the video points out. Like any addiction, watching too much porn can create problems in "the real world," such as making it "difficult to be turned on by reality.”

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/22/is_porn_addiction_real_partner/feed/ 22 Getting prescription meds right http://www.salon.com/2013/02/18/why_wont_the_media_stop_freaking_out_over_prescription_drugs_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/18/why_wont_the_media_stop_freaking_out_over_prescription_drugs_partner/#comments Mon, 18 Feb 2013 16:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13202942 The media seems to have three modes of action when it comes to psychoactive drugs: intense promotion of advances and benefits; general disregard; and full-on panic about negative effects, including potential for misuse and addiction. During both the benefits and the risks periods, many myths and misinformation are disseminated. But between these bouts of euphoria and panic, there is little coverage at all, especially of addiction. This up/down/off pattern does a disservice not only to people suffering from addiction, but to those with other diseases as well.
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Right now, we seem to be moving from a period characterized mainly by disinterest into one of attention and fear. Though we’ve never returned to the peak freak-out of the late ‘80s and early ‘90s—in 1989, a Gallup poll found that Americans viewed drugs as the number one problem threatening the nation, eclipsing even the economy during a recession—we have seen brief but blinding spotlights on Oxycontin, methamphetamine and now prescription drugs more generally.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/18/why_wont_the_media_stop_freaking_out_over_prescription_drugs_partner/feed/ 12 How prisoners make moonshine http://www.salon.com/2013/02/13/how_prisoners_make_moonshine_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/13/how_prisoners_make_moonshine_partner/#comments Wed, 13 Feb 2013 18:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13199940 the fix

Drinking problems drag many people to jails or other institutions—it's a weary story of alcohol impairing self-control and morals, over and over again. Most of us can testify how much more prone we are to doing something reckless, out of character, or even criminal when we're on the "liquid courage." The impact on incarceration rates is huge: A 2008 Pew Center report indicated that 5.3 million imprisoned adults in the US—36% of the total at the time—were drinking at the time of their offense. And 2007 Bureau of Justice stats showed that over 20% of victims of violent crimes perceived that their attacker was under the influence of alcohol.

DUIs, for example, are familiar news fodder. But when you live on the inside like I do, you hear plenty of variations: "My dude got in a fight at a bar when he was plastered," one fellow prisoner tells me. "He got his ass beat, so in his alcohol-induced haze he decided to get a gun and go back to the bar. When he got there, the dude who beat him up wasn't there. But the cops were; he got arrested for being a felon in possession of a gun, and is now in the feds with me." But as with many inmates, the human ingenuity that cravings can inspire means his drinking doesn't have to end here: "What we like to do is make moonshine."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/13/how_prisoners_make_moonshine_partner/feed/ 4 What really goes on inside rehab http://www.salon.com/2013/02/12/what_really_goes_on_inside_internet_rehab_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/12/what_really_goes_on_inside_internet_rehab_partner/#comments Tue, 12 Feb 2013 21:48:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13198563 the fix

Anne M. Fletcher’s new book, Inside Rehab—out this week—is a no-holds-barred report on addiction treatment in America today. Fletcher, who struggled in the past with her own drinking problem, got involved in the rehab field a decade ago after writing Sober for Good, a book about long-term recovery. While only a brief section of Sober for Good focused on treatment, Fletcher was “astounded” by the shortcomings she discovered.

About five years later, a massive amount of media coverage focused on hot-mess celebrities like Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan, as they bounced in and out of pricey rehabs, stirring up misconceptions about addiction treatment. “I said, someone needs to write a book about what really goes on in rehab,” Fletcher tells me. Turns out that someone was her.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/12/what_really_goes_on_inside_internet_rehab_partner/feed/ 0 Why can’t Hollywood get bipolar disorder right? http://www.salon.com/2013/02/05/misdiagnosing_bipolar_disorder_in_tv_and_movies_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/05/misdiagnosing_bipolar_disorder_in_tv_and_movies_partner/#comments Tue, 05 Feb 2013 19:20:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13191401 the fix

I’m not sure what happened exactly in the last 10 years, but apparently I tapped into a popular trend when I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder back in 2003.

What I mean by that is, when I was first diagnosed, I’d never even really heard of bipolar as a mental illness before. I knew the Jimi Hendrix “Manic Depression” song. And I’d heard stories of how Francis Coppola was such a crazy genius back in the '70s, but how once he started taking Lithium, he lost his creative edge and ended up making movies like—well—Jack. Oh and of course, Nirvana had that “Lithium” song.

But other than that, I wasn’t super aware of bi-polar disorder in popular culture. Now hit TV shows like Homeland and Academy Award-nominated movies like The Silver Linings Playbook all feature bi-polar characters.

Bipolar disorder is very real for me. But it’s also completely manageable.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/05/misdiagnosing_bipolar_disorder_in_tv_and_movies_partner/feed/ 18 Can magic mushrooms help cancer patients? http://www.salon.com/2013/02/04/can_magic_mushrooms_help_cancer_patients_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/04/can_magic_mushrooms_help_cancer_patients_partner/#comments Mon, 04 Feb 2013 21:21:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13190728 the fix
 Psilocybin, the hallucinogen found in “magic” mushrooms, may have the power to help cancer patients deal with the psychological suffering associated with cancer, claims new research from the New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD). Previous studies have suggested that psilocybin may help ease depression and increase "openness." And according to Anthony Bossis, PhD, a clinical assistant professor at NYUCD and Langone Medical Center, it may also relieve cancer patients of some of the "existential distress" that can accompany a life-threatening diagnosis. "The emotional, spiritual and existential distress that can often accompany a diagnosis of cancer often goes unidentified and untreated," says Bossis. He notes that cancer sufferers often experience side effects from the physical pain of illness and chemotherapy—such as anxiety, depression, anger, denial, social isolation, hopelessness, and loss of independence—which the hallucinogenic drug could help alleviate.

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/04/can_magic_mushrooms_help_cancer_patients_partner/feed/ 6 Obesity could be more dangerous than smoking http://www.salon.com/2013/02/01/obesity_could_be_more_dangerous_than_smoking_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/02/01/obesity_could_be_more_dangerous_than_smoking_partner/#comments Fri, 01 Feb 2013 19:54:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13188425 the fix Obesity is approaching smoking as the leading cause of avoidable and premature deaths around the world, new research finds. The obesity epidemic continues to rise in the United States—as well as across the globe—contributing to premature deaths from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and many more life-threatening conditions. "I am deeply concerned that the United States is the fattest society in the world and likely to be the fattest in the history of the world," says the study’s author Dr. Charles H. Hennekens. "Unfortunately, most people prefer prescription of pills to proscription of harmful lifestyles. I am, however, optimistic that weight loss of 5% or more combined with a brisk walk for 20 or more minutes daily will significantly reduce cardiovascular and total deaths." Published in the American Journal of Medicine, Hennekens’ report states that obesity is becoming a huge hazard worldwide, comparable to smoking cigarettes. The author notes that in the United States 40% of adults over forty have some form of metabolic syndrome—a precursor of diabetes. These adults have a ten-year risk of a coronary event of 16 to 18% that may even result in premature death and disability. Henneken warns: “Unless Americans lose weight and increase their levels of physical activity, cardiovascular disease will remain the leading killer in the US."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/02/01/obesity_could_be_more_dangerous_than_smoking_partner/feed/ 21 Tom Tancredo breaks pot-smoking promise http://www.salon.com/2013/01/29/tom_tancredo_breaks_pot_smoking_promise_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/29/tom_tancredo_breaks_pot_smoking_promise_partner/#comments Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:56:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13185418 the fix Those who were waiting with bated breath for Tom Tancredo to light up will be disappointed. The former Republican congressman from Colorado, who promised to smoke weed—in public—if his state's marijuana legalization bill passed, has reneged on his pact. The conservative Republican was an unlikely supporter of Colorado's Amendment 64, which legalized weed for recreational use, but he says he never thought the bill would actually pass. "I thought it would take at least one more time around to do it," Tancredo told ABC News last week. In the newly released trailer for his film, Grassroots—The Comeback of Cannabis, comedian Adam Hartle asks Tancredo if he would agree to smoke a joint if the bill passed. “When marijuana legalization passes and marijuana is legal, the next time I’m out in Colorado, we’re going to smoke a joint together,” Hartle proposes. “Deal,” Tancredo replies, and they shake on it. Although on Friday, Tancredo vowed to keep the promise, he has now reportedly backed out of the deal due to pressure from his wife, who is "pissed" and his grandchildren who he says are "very upset with grandpa." "Will have to welch. Political heat is one thing. Am use to that," Tancredo wrote in an email. "Heat from my family is quite another."

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]]> http://www.salon.com/2013/01/29/tom_tancredo_breaks_pot_smoking_promise_partner/feed/ 7 Tom Tancredo: I’ll smoke a “marijuana cigarette” in public http://www.salon.com/2013/01/26/tom_tancredo_ill_smoke_a_marijuana_cigarette_in_public_partner/ http://www.salon.com/2013/01/26/tom_tancredo_ill_smoke_a_marijuana_cigarette_in_public_partner/#comments Sat, 26 Jan 2013 20:00:00 +0000 http://www.origin.railrode.net/?p=13181802 Not everyone would give too much credence to what the DEA has to say about marijuana legalization, but this week's claims by the agency that “legalizing marijuana would…encourage promotion and acceptance of drug use," already seem strangely prescient. Former Colorado Republican congressman Tom Tancredo—who came out as a surprise supporter of Amendment 64, whichlegalized recreational pot use in his state—has vowed to smoke a joint publicly now that the law has come into effect. As you might remember, Tancredo penned an op-ed for the Colorado Springs Gazette prior to the historic vote entitled, “Marijuana Prohibition Has Failed Us.” “I am endorsing Amendment 64 not despite my conservative beliefs, but because of them,” he wrote then. “Our nation is spending tens of billions of dollars annually in an attempt to prohibit adults from using a substance objectively less harmful than alcohol.”
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