11 June 2007
Netherlands - Rotterdam To Close Half Of Its Marijuana-Selling Coffee Shops
Almost half (27 out of 62) of Rotterdam's coffee shops where marijuana can be sold, have been told to close down because they are located within 250 meters of a secondary school or a college. Rotterdam authorities said that students should not be exposed to the temptation of smoking marijuana. The measure is a consequence of the new Dutch coffee shop policy. Rotterdam Mayor, Ivo Opstelten, said that the use of soft drugs by groups of "vulnerable" youngsters is on the increase and problems have also arisen due to drug dealing and use. A tougher line will also be taken with regard to illegal drug sales on the street. ...[more]
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Poland - Polish Rip Van Winkle
Jan Grzebski has woken up from a 19-year coma. He was hit by a train while Poland was in the depression of Communism and now is awake up to a new country that has fully embraced capitalism and democracy. He commented, “When I went into a coma, there was only tea and vinegar in the shops, meat was rationed and huge petrol lines were everywhere… Now I see people in the streets with cellphones, and there are so many goods in the shops it makes my head spin.” He added, “It was Gertruda (his wife) that saved me, and I’ll never forget it.” For 19 years, she cared for him as an intensive care team would, changing her comatose husband’s position every hour to prevent bed-sore infections. Jan said he vaguely remembers family gatherings he was taken to during his coma, and his wife and children trying to communicate with him. ...[more]
USA - California’s Assisted-Suicide Bill May Face Mercy Killing
It seems the Californian proposed Assisted Suicide Bill (AB374) is gasping for support, slipping to the same fate that befell its fellow-bills in Vermont and Hawaii. The authors of the bill are rallying for more and have asked for a further two days postponement of the vote. While the Republicans have formed a strong opposition to the bill, the backing Democrats seem divided over the issue, and it seems there aren’t enough to see the bill through. ...[more]
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Switzerland - Swiss Unhappy With Suicide Clinic
Despite its publicity, the Swiss Suicide Tourism is now under fire by prosecutors calling for an investigation that some patients are merely depressed and not suffering from any terminal illness or incurable pain. Some foreigners die within hours of arrival, suggesting incomplete medical and psychological examination. A senior prosecutor commented, “We’re not trying to ban so-called death-tourism, but… it must be put under stricter control… There are too many cases where it is not clear whether the assisted person has chosen death in full possession of their decision-making capacity.” ...[more]
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USA - After Civil Unions... Polygamy?
Now that New Hampshire has joined a few other states in legalizing same-sex unions, some say the next battlefront over exchanging vows will be along religious lines. People who wish to have more than one spouse, or polygamists, say their right to marriage under the freedom of religion should be recognized next. The most common form of polygamy is called polygyny, when a man has more than one wife. A less common form is known as polyandry, when a woman has more than one husband. The possibility that one alternative to traditional marriage will lead to another is enough to encourage some polygamists to support gay rights, although their religion may not condone homosexuality. ...[more]
USA - Homosexual-rights groups object to Bush pick for surgeon general
President Bush's nominee for surgeon general, Kentucky cardiologist Dr. James Holsinger, has come under fire from homosexual-rights groups for voting to expel a lesbian pastor from the United Methodist Church and writing in 1991 that homosexual sex is unnatural and unhealthy. Also, Holsinger helped found a Methodist congregation that, according to homosexual-rights activists, believes homosexuality is a matter of choice and can be "cured." "He has a pretty clear bias against gays and lesbians," said Christina Gilgor, director of the Kentucky Fairness Alliance, a homosexual-rights group. ...[more]
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USA - Phony Cloning Ban Loses in House
A law that redefines human cloning in a way that it legalizes it while purporting to ban it is all the rage these days among Big Biotech boosters. An attempt to pass such a phony ban in Congress lost today by a majority vote. ...[more]
USA - Progress on Cell Reversion
Scientists continue to make headway on the goal of reverting adult cells back to an embryonic stem cell state. Their procedure makes ordinary skin cells in animals behave like stem cells. If the same can be done with human cells - a big if - the procedure could lead to medical treatments without the contention surrounding the use of embryos. While the process may be far off for humans, if the benefits flaunted by Embryonic Stem Cell Research (ESCR) may be obtained from regular cells, the Bush administration’s policy banning ESCR funding should be credited, for it has created the incentive to research alternatives to killing embryos. ...[more]
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USA – Abortion Raises Suicide Risks
Doctors in England testifying before the British House of Commons, said abortion is a serious risk to a woman's mental health and can make her six times more likely to consider committing suicide. The doctors cited medical studies backing up their assertions as they commented on a bill to make the information available to women. Dr Trevor Stammers, who practices at St. George's University of London, said he supported the measure to make women aware of the risks and dangers associated with abortion. He said that in 26 years of medical practice, all of which come after Britain legalized abortion in 1967, he has seen numerous women come to him with physical or mental health problems resulting from their abortion. ...[more]
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