British Study: Artificial Food Additives Linked to Children’s Behavioral ProblemsDate Published: Wednesday, May 9th, 2007
In a new study that may have major implications for the food industry, scientists at the University of Southampton have found what they believe is a definitive link between artificial food additives and hyperactivity and restlessness in young children. The research was commissioned by Britain’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) and is set to be peer-reviewed and published later this year.
Researchers tested six artificial colorings; tartrazine (E102), ponceau 4R (E124), sunset yellow (E110), carmoisine (E122), quinoline yellow (E104), and allura red AC (E129) and one preservative, sodium benzoate. All of the tested chemicals were associated with some sort of medical risk, including hyperactivity, mood swings, asthma, allergic reactions, and intolerance.
While the FSA and the University refuse to issue any authoritative statements about the study until it is peer-reviewed and published, numerous food-safety experts are urging parents to remove these substances from their children’s diets until more information is released. ...
Monday, May 14, 2007
blamed the federal government's inadequate response to Katrina on the predominantly black racial makeup of New Orleans ...
Congressman blames Katrina response on race in commencement addressRAW STORY | Published: Friday May 11, 2007
House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) blamed the federal government's inadequate response to Katrina on the predominantly black racial makeup of New Orleans during a commencement address to Southern University, a historically black college in Baton Rouge, LA, RAW STORY has learned.
"I truly believe that if the demographics of the affected areas were different, the response of the federal government would have been different," Clyburn said. "So I have taken this on as my personal mission."
Clyburn continued, "We acted swiftly and effectively to assist those devastated by Hurricane Andrew in Florida. Why did New Orleans not receive the same treatment? The only logical conclusion one can make is that the communities impacted didn’t hold the same 'value' to those in charge as the communities affected by Hurricane Andrew." ...
House Majority Whip Rep. James Clyburn (D-SC) blamed the federal government's inadequate response to Katrina on the predominantly black racial makeup of New Orleans during a commencement address to Southern University, a historically black college in Baton Rouge, LA, RAW STORY has learned.
"I truly believe that if the demographics of the affected areas were different, the response of the federal government would have been different," Clyburn said. "So I have taken this on as my personal mission."
Clyburn continued, "We acted swiftly and effectively to assist those devastated by Hurricane Andrew in Florida. Why did New Orleans not receive the same treatment? The only logical conclusion one can make is that the communities impacted didn’t hold the same 'value' to those in charge as the communities affected by Hurricane Andrew." ...
Senators who weakened drug bill got millions from industry
Senators who weakened drug bill got millions from industry | By Ken Dilanian, USA TODAY
WASHINGTON — Senators who raised millions of dollars in campaign donations from pharmaceutical interests secured industry-friendly changes to a landmark drug-safety bill, according to public records and interviews.
...
However, the powers granted to the FDA in the bill's original version were pared back during private meetings. And efforts to curb conflicts of interest among FDA advisers and allow consumers to buy cheaper drugs from other countries were defeated in close votes.
• A measure that blocked an effort to allow drug importation passed, 49-40. The 49 senators who voted against drug importation received about $5 million from industry executives and political action committees since 2001 — nearly three quarters of the industry donations to current members of the Senate, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data compiled by two non-partisan groups, Center for Responsive Politics and PoliticalMoneyLine.
• Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said he demanded removal of language that would have allowed the FDA to ban advertising of high-risk drugs for two years because it would restrict free speech. Roberts has raised $18,000 from drug interests so far this year, records show, and $66,000 since 2001. His spokeswoman, Sarah Little, said he "takes great pains to keep fundraising and official actions separate."
• Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., claimed authorship of a change that reduced the FDA's power to require post-market safety studies. He said he wanted to target drugs only if there was evidence of harm. Gregg has raised $168,500 from drug executives and PACs since 2001 and sided with them in four key votes.
• The bill's chief sponsors — Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., — agreed after consultations with industry officials and others to modify a proposal that all clinical drug studies be made public, said Craig Orfield, Enzi's spokesman. Under the change, only those studies submitted to the FDA would be available.
Enzi took in $174,000 from drug interests since 2001; Kennedy, $78,000. Their spokesmen said the money did not influence them. ...
WASHINGTON — Senators who raised millions of dollars in campaign donations from pharmaceutical interests secured industry-friendly changes to a landmark drug-safety bill, according to public records and interviews.
...
However, the powers granted to the FDA in the bill's original version were pared back during private meetings. And efforts to curb conflicts of interest among FDA advisers and allow consumers to buy cheaper drugs from other countries were defeated in close votes.
• A measure that blocked an effort to allow drug importation passed, 49-40. The 49 senators who voted against drug importation received about $5 million from industry executives and political action committees since 2001 — nearly three quarters of the industry donations to current members of the Senate, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data compiled by two non-partisan groups, Center for Responsive Politics and PoliticalMoneyLine.
• Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said he demanded removal of language that would have allowed the FDA to ban advertising of high-risk drugs for two years because it would restrict free speech. Roberts has raised $18,000 from drug interests so far this year, records show, and $66,000 since 2001. His spokeswoman, Sarah Little, said he "takes great pains to keep fundraising and official actions separate."
• Sen. Judd Gregg, R-N.H., claimed authorship of a change that reduced the FDA's power to require post-market safety studies. He said he wanted to target drugs only if there was evidence of harm. Gregg has raised $168,500 from drug executives and PACs since 2001 and sided with them in four key votes.
• The bill's chief sponsors — Sens. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., and Mike Enzi, R-Wyo., — agreed after consultations with industry officials and others to modify a proposal that all clinical drug studies be made public, said Craig Orfield, Enzi's spokesman. Under the change, only those studies submitted to the FDA would be available.
Enzi took in $174,000 from drug interests since 2001; Kennedy, $78,000. Their spokesmen said the money did not influence them. ...
vulnerability of guest workers on H-2B visas, and their exploitation at the hands of so-called “recruiters” and the companies they work for ...
Human trafficking of Indian guest workers alleged in Mississippi shipyard; Contractor defends 290-man campLindsay Beyerstein and Larisa Alexandrovna | Published: Friday April 13, 2007
Paid $18.50 an hour, but living twenty to a trailer and fighting for spoons
A month ago Monday, a group of guest workers from India placed a frantic 3:00 am phone call to Saket Soni, lead organizer for the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice. The workers said that armed security guards were holding some workers prisoner in the TV room of the Signal International Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where the company's 290 welders and pipe fitters live.
The men told Soni that Signal International – a sub-contractor for mammoth defense contractor Northrop Grumman – had staged a pre-dawn raid and that six Indian workers had been detained in the “TV room,” flanked by security guards, one of whom carried a gun. About 200 other Indian employees at Signal were standing outside the room.
Signal says they detained the guest workers at the advice of US immigration officials, in an attempt to forcibly deport them following a labor dispute. Though the workers were later released into the custody of community groups, the incident has shed light on a longstanding immigration problem – the vulnerability of guest workers who travel to the United States on H-2B visas, and their exploitation at the hands of so-called “recruiters” and the companies they work for. ...
Paid $18.50 an hour, but living twenty to a trailer and fighting for spoons
A month ago Monday, a group of guest workers from India placed a frantic 3:00 am phone call to Saket Soni, lead organizer for the New Orleans Workers' Center for Racial Justice. The workers said that armed security guards were holding some workers prisoner in the TV room of the Signal International Shipyard in Pascagoula, Mississippi, where the company's 290 welders and pipe fitters live.
The men told Soni that Signal International – a sub-contractor for mammoth defense contractor Northrop Grumman – had staged a pre-dawn raid and that six Indian workers had been detained in the “TV room,” flanked by security guards, one of whom carried a gun. About 200 other Indian employees at Signal were standing outside the room.
Signal says they detained the guest workers at the advice of US immigration officials, in an attempt to forcibly deport them following a labor dispute. Though the workers were later released into the custody of community groups, the incident has shed light on a longstanding immigration problem – the vulnerability of guest workers who travel to the United States on H-2B visas, and their exploitation at the hands of so-called “recruiters” and the companies they work for. ...
Resigns amid irregularities: COO of the Department of Financial Aide in 2002 after a successful career at top student loan lender Sallie Mae
UPDATE #3 Teresa Shaw, Federal Student Loan COO to resign amid irregularities | by pkbarbiedoll | Tue May 08, 2007 at 09:15:32 PM PDT
Amid growing awareness of gross corruption in the student loan industry, Teresa Shaw, former Sally Mae employee and (soon to be former) Chief Operations Officer of the Federal Financial Aide office quits her post amid allegations of wrongdoing in federal/corporate lending practices.
Ms. Shaw was appointed COO of the Department of Financial Aide in 2002 after a successful career at top student loan lender Sallie Mae. She recently announced her resignation (due to take place July 1st) over growing concerns of improper relations between the Department of Education and private lenders.
Like many other scandals in the Bush administration, this is yet another attempt by private enterprise to infiltrate and abuse government power to futher corporate profits. The student loan industry in particular is spinning way out of control. As thousands and thousands of borrowers have testified, lenders have gotten away with financial murder. The worst lender by far happens to be Sallie Mae, whose former CEO lives a life of luxury that even the richest of the rich envy.
The purpose of student loans is to make it possible for lower income students to afford to obtain a quality education -- an investment -- so that after graduation they can quickly pay off their rightful debt and go on to live the American Dream. A handful of borrowers manage to do just that, but for a growing majority - borrowing money for college is a one-way ticket to a lifetime of ever-increasing interest and threats of financial ruin if payments are not made in a timely manner. Lenders simply do not care if you've been involved in an accident and do not have health insurance. In fact, there are documented cases of lenders seizing social security payments from poverty stricken borrowers who are no longer able to work. ...
Amid growing awareness of gross corruption in the student loan industry, Teresa Shaw, former Sally Mae employee and (soon to be former) Chief Operations Officer of the Federal Financial Aide office quits her post amid allegations of wrongdoing in federal/corporate lending practices.
Ms. Shaw was appointed COO of the Department of Financial Aide in 2002 after a successful career at top student loan lender Sallie Mae. She recently announced her resignation (due to take place July 1st) over growing concerns of improper relations between the Department of Education and private lenders.
Like many other scandals in the Bush administration, this is yet another attempt by private enterprise to infiltrate and abuse government power to futher corporate profits. The student loan industry in particular is spinning way out of control. As thousands and thousands of borrowers have testified, lenders have gotten away with financial murder. The worst lender by far happens to be Sallie Mae, whose former CEO lives a life of luxury that even the richest of the rich envy.
The purpose of student loans is to make it possible for lower income students to afford to obtain a quality education -- an investment -- so that after graduation they can quickly pay off their rightful debt and go on to live the American Dream. A handful of borrowers manage to do just that, but for a growing majority - borrowing money for college is a one-way ticket to a lifetime of ever-increasing interest and threats of financial ruin if payments are not made in a timely manner. Lenders simply do not care if you've been involved in an accident and do not have health insurance. In fact, there are documented cases of lenders seizing social security payments from poverty stricken borrowers who are no longer able to work. ...
Giuliani Partners, have served as key advisors for the last five years to the pharmaceutical company that pled guilty today to addiction risks
OxyContin: The Giuliani Connection | May 10, 2007 1:28 PM | Brian Ross, Richard Esposito & R. Schwartz Report:
Rudolph Giuliani and his consulting company, Giuliani Partners, have served as key advisors for the last five years to the pharmaceutical company that pled guilty today to charges it misled doctors and patients about the addiction risks of the powerful narcotic painkiller OxyContin.
Federal officials say the company, Purdue Frederick, helped to trigger a nationwide epidemic of addiction to the time-release painkiller by failing to give early warnings that it could be abused.
Prosecutors say "in the process scores died." ...
Rudolph Giuliani and his consulting company, Giuliani Partners, have served as key advisors for the last five years to the pharmaceutical company that pled guilty today to charges it misled doctors and patients about the addiction risks of the powerful narcotic painkiller OxyContin.
Federal officials say the company, Purdue Frederick, helped to trigger a nationwide epidemic of addiction to the time-release painkiller by failing to give early warnings that it could be abused.
Prosecutors say "in the process scores died." ...
Rudy Giulian's illegal relationship with the Yankees, a relationship that broke all the NYC government's Conflict of Interest Board's rules
Giuliani's Illegal Relationship With The Yankees (5 comments ) | READ MORE: Rudy Giuliani
The current issue of The Village Voice has a huge story by Wayne Barrett on Rudy Giulian's illegal relationship with the Yankees, a relationship that broke all the NYC government's Conflict of Interest Board's rules for what a public official can and cannot get from a company that does business with the city.
In addition to the free use of box seats and what some might call "pocket money" gifts, Giuliani received four World Series Rings -- something no other mayor of a World Series winning team has ever received. These rings -- engraved with Giuliani's name -- are estimated to be worth $200,000.
It's a long and very worthwhile story. I also recommend you listen to the interview with Wayne Barrett that can be found at the same Village Voice site.
At one point the article details the incredible hypocrisy of how Rudy would berate others for breaking the Conflict of Interests Board's rules:
New York officials are barred from taking a gift of greater than $50 value from anyone doing business with the city, and under Giuliani, that statute was enforced aggressively against others. His administration forced a fire department chief, for example, to retire, forfeit $93,105 in salary, and pay a $6,000 fine for taking Broadway tickets to two shows and a free week in a ski condo from a city vendor. The city's Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) has applied the gift rule to discounts as well, unless the cheaper rate "is available generally to all government employees." When a buildings department deputy commissioner was indicted in 2000 for taking Mets and Rangers tickets, as well as a family trip to Florida, from a vendor, an outraged Giuliani denounced his conduct as "reprehensible," particularly "at high levels in city agencies," and said that such officials had to be "singled out" and "used as examples." ...
The current issue of The Village Voice has a huge story by Wayne Barrett on Rudy Giulian's illegal relationship with the Yankees, a relationship that broke all the NYC government's Conflict of Interest Board's rules for what a public official can and cannot get from a company that does business with the city.
In addition to the free use of box seats and what some might call "pocket money" gifts, Giuliani received four World Series Rings -- something no other mayor of a World Series winning team has ever received. These rings -- engraved with Giuliani's name -- are estimated to be worth $200,000.
It's a long and very worthwhile story. I also recommend you listen to the interview with Wayne Barrett that can be found at the same Village Voice site.
At one point the article details the incredible hypocrisy of how Rudy would berate others for breaking the Conflict of Interests Board's rules:
New York officials are barred from taking a gift of greater than $50 value from anyone doing business with the city, and under Giuliani, that statute was enforced aggressively against others. His administration forced a fire department chief, for example, to retire, forfeit $93,105 in salary, and pay a $6,000 fine for taking Broadway tickets to two shows and a free week in a ski condo from a city vendor. The city's Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) has applied the gift rule to discounts as well, unless the cheaper rate "is available generally to all government employees." When a buildings department deputy commissioner was indicted in 2000 for taking Mets and Rangers tickets, as well as a family trip to Florida, from a vendor, an outraged Giuliani denounced his conduct as "reprehensible," particularly "at high levels in city agencies," and said that such officials had to be "singled out" and "used as examples." ...
Rudy Giulian's illegal relationship with the Yankees, a relationship that broke all the NYC government's Conflict of Interest Board's rules
Giuliani's Illegal Relationship With The Yankees (5 comments ) | READ MORE: Rudy Giuliani
The current issue of The Village Voice has a huge story by Wayne Barrett on Rudy Giulian's illegal relationship with the Yankees, a relationship that broke all the NYC government's Conflict of Interest Board's rules for what a public official can and cannot get from a company that does business with the city.
In addition to the free use of box seats and what some might call "pocket money" gifts, Giuliani received four World Series Rings -- something no other mayor of a World Series winning team has ever received. These rings -- engraved with Giuliani's name -- are estimated to be worth $200,000.
It's a long and very worthwhile story. I also recommend you listen to the interview with Wayne Barrett that can be found at the same Village Voice site.
At one point the article details the incredible hypocrisy of how Rudy would berate others for breaking the Conflict of Interests Board's rules:
New York officials are barred from taking a gift of greater than $50 value from anyone doing business with the city, and under Giuliani, that statute was enforced aggressively against others. His administration forced a fire department chief, for example, to retire, forfeit $93,105 in salary, and pay a $6,000 fine for taking Broadway tickets to two shows and a free week in a ski condo from a city vendor. The city's Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) has applied the gift rule to discounts as well, unless the cheaper rate "is available generally to all government employees." When a buildings department deputy commissioner was indicted in 2000 for taking Mets and Rangers tickets, as well as a family trip to Florida, from a vendor, an outraged Giuliani denounced his conduct as "reprehensible," particularly "at high levels in city agencies," and said that such officials had to be "singled out" and "used as examples." ...
The current issue of The Village Voice has a huge story by Wayne Barrett on Rudy Giulian's illegal relationship with the Yankees, a relationship that broke all the NYC government's Conflict of Interest Board's rules for what a public official can and cannot get from a company that does business with the city.
In addition to the free use of box seats and what some might call "pocket money" gifts, Giuliani received four World Series Rings -- something no other mayor of a World Series winning team has ever received. These rings -- engraved with Giuliani's name -- are estimated to be worth $200,000.
It's a long and very worthwhile story. I also recommend you listen to the interview with Wayne Barrett that can be found at the same Village Voice site.
At one point the article details the incredible hypocrisy of how Rudy would berate others for breaking the Conflict of Interests Board's rules:
New York officials are barred from taking a gift of greater than $50 value from anyone doing business with the city, and under Giuliani, that statute was enforced aggressively against others. His administration forced a fire department chief, for example, to retire, forfeit $93,105 in salary, and pay a $6,000 fine for taking Broadway tickets to two shows and a free week in a ski condo from a city vendor. The city's Conflicts of Interest Board (COIB) has applied the gift rule to discounts as well, unless the cheaper rate "is available generally to all government employees." When a buildings department deputy commissioner was indicted in 2000 for taking Mets and Rangers tickets, as well as a family trip to Florida, from a vendor, an outraged Giuliani denounced his conduct as "reprehensible," particularly "at high levels in city agencies," and said that such officials had to be "singled out" and "used as examples." ...
Since George W. Bush became president, OSHA has issued the fewest significant standards in its history
OSHA Leaves Worker Safety in Hands of Industry | By STEPHEN LABATON | Published: April 25, 2007
WASHINGTON, April 24 — Seven years ago, a Missouri doctor discovered a troubling pattern at a microwave popcorn plant in the town of Jasper. After an additive was modified to produce a more buttery taste, nine workers came down with a rare, life-threatening disease that was ravaging their lungs.
Puzzled Missouri health authorities turned to two federal agencies in Washington. Scientists at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which investigates the causes of workplace health problems, moved quickly to examine patients, inspect factories and run tests. Within months, they concluded that the workers became ill after exposure to diacetyl, a food-flavoring agent.
But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, charged with overseeing workplace safety, reacted with far less urgency. It did not step up plant inspections or mandate safety standards for businesses, even as more workers became ill.
On Tuesday, the top official at the agency told lawmakers at a Congressional hearing that it would prepare a safety bulletin and plan to inspect a few dozen of the thousands of food plants that use the additive.
That response reflects OSHA’s practices under the Bush administration, which vowed to limit new rules and roll back what it considered cumbersome regulations that imposed unnecessary costs on businesses and consumers. Across Washington, political appointees — often former officials of the industries they now oversee — have eased regulations or weakened enforcement of rules on issues like driving hours for truckers, logging in forests and corporate mergers.
Since George W. Bush became president, OSHA has issued the fewest significant standards in its history, public health experts say. It has imposed only one major safety rule. The only significant health standard it issued was ordered by a federal court.
The agency has killed dozens of existing and proposed regulations and delayed adopting others. For example, OSHA has repeatedly identified silica dust, which can cause lung cancer, and construction site noise as health hazards that warrant new safeguards for nearly three million workers, but it has yet to require them.
“The people at OSHA have no interest in running a regulatory agency,” said Dr. David Michaels, an occupational health expert at George Washington University who has written extensively about workplace safety. “If they ever knew how to issue regulations, they’ve forgotten. The concern about protecting workers has gone out the window.” ...
WASHINGTON, April 24 — Seven years ago, a Missouri doctor discovered a troubling pattern at a microwave popcorn plant in the town of Jasper. After an additive was modified to produce a more buttery taste, nine workers came down with a rare, life-threatening disease that was ravaging their lungs.
Puzzled Missouri health authorities turned to two federal agencies in Washington. Scientists at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which investigates the causes of workplace health problems, moved quickly to examine patients, inspect factories and run tests. Within months, they concluded that the workers became ill after exposure to diacetyl, a food-flavoring agent.
But the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, charged with overseeing workplace safety, reacted with far less urgency. It did not step up plant inspections or mandate safety standards for businesses, even as more workers became ill.
On Tuesday, the top official at the agency told lawmakers at a Congressional hearing that it would prepare a safety bulletin and plan to inspect a few dozen of the thousands of food plants that use the additive.
That response reflects OSHA’s practices under the Bush administration, which vowed to limit new rules and roll back what it considered cumbersome regulations that imposed unnecessary costs on businesses and consumers. Across Washington, political appointees — often former officials of the industries they now oversee — have eased regulations or weakened enforcement of rules on issues like driving hours for truckers, logging in forests and corporate mergers.
Since George W. Bush became president, OSHA has issued the fewest significant standards in its history, public health experts say. It has imposed only one major safety rule. The only significant health standard it issued was ordered by a federal court.
The agency has killed dozens of existing and proposed regulations and delayed adopting others. For example, OSHA has repeatedly identified silica dust, which can cause lung cancer, and construction site noise as health hazards that warrant new safeguards for nearly three million workers, but it has yet to require them.
“The people at OSHA have no interest in running a regulatory agency,” said Dr. David Michaels, an occupational health expert at George Washington University who has written extensively about workplace safety. “If they ever knew how to issue regulations, they’ve forgotten. The concern about protecting workers has gone out the window.” ...
Sunday, May 13, 2007
contracts awarded without competitive bidding has soared since President Bush took office in 2000
Competitive Bidding Falls Off in Bush YearsFriday, May 11, 2007; Page A17
The value of federal contracts awarded without competitive bidding has soared since President Bush took office in 2000, according to a new study to be released Monday by the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.
Federal contracting grew from $203 billion in fiscal 2000 to $377 billion by fiscal 2005. During the same period, the value of federal contracts awarded without competitive bidding more than doubled, from $67 billion to $145 billion, the study found. At the same time, government oversight of contracting has weakened, according to the study's author, Scott Lilly, a senior fellow at the center and a former House Democratic aide.
For example, the Defense Department is responsible for 80 percent of the overall federal contract growth during the five years under study. But the number of federal civilians employed by the department declined by about 2,000 in the same period. As a result, contractors have increasingly stepped in to fill the void -- to help the government decide its needs, draft contracts awarded to other private firms and then monitor their performance, the study found. ...
The value of federal contracts awarded without competitive bidding has soared since President Bush took office in 2000, according to a new study to be released Monday by the Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank.
Federal contracting grew from $203 billion in fiscal 2000 to $377 billion by fiscal 2005. During the same period, the value of federal contracts awarded without competitive bidding more than doubled, from $67 billion to $145 billion, the study found. At the same time, government oversight of contracting has weakened, according to the study's author, Scott Lilly, a senior fellow at the center and a former House Democratic aide.
For example, the Defense Department is responsible for 80 percent of the overall federal contract growth during the five years under study. But the number of federal civilians employed by the department declined by about 2,000 in the same period. As a result, contractors have increasingly stepped in to fill the void -- to help the government decide its needs, draft contracts awarded to other private firms and then monitor their performance, the study found. ...
Thursday, May 10, 2007
Brazil to buy indian generic at 0.45; Merck offers 1.10 vs 0.65 Thailand pays
Friday, 4 May 2007, 20:59 GMT 21:59 UK | Brazil to break Aids drug patent
Brazil's president has authorised the country to bypass the patent on an Aids drug manufactured by Merck, a US pharmaceutical giant.
The country will import a cheaper, generic Indian-made version of the patented Efavirenz drug.
The decision came after talks between Brazil and the US company broke down.
Merck had offered Brazil a 30% discount on the cost of the drugs but the country wanted to pay the same price as Thailand, which gets a larger discount.
Small royalty
Merck offered Brazil almost a third off the cost - pricing the pills at $1.10 (£0.55) instead of $1.59.
But Brazil wanted its discount pegged at same level as Thailand, which pays just $0.65 per pill.
Now, though, it will source Indian-made versions of Efavirenz for just $0.45 each. ...
Brazil's president has authorised the country to bypass the patent on an Aids drug manufactured by Merck, a US pharmaceutical giant.
The country will import a cheaper, generic Indian-made version of the patented Efavirenz drug.
The decision came after talks between Brazil and the US company broke down.
Merck had offered Brazil a 30% discount on the cost of the drugs but the country wanted to pay the same price as Thailand, which gets a larger discount.
Small royalty
Merck offered Brazil almost a third off the cost - pricing the pills at $1.10 (£0.55) instead of $1.59.
But Brazil wanted its discount pegged at same level as Thailand, which pays just $0.65 per pill.
Now, though, it will source Indian-made versions of Efavirenz for just $0.45 each. ...
Illegally push $MMs in addictive drugs? plead guilty today as individuals to misbranding charges ... or locked up for 20 years?
OxyContin Maker Expected to Plead Guilty Today | By BARRY MEIER | Published: May 11, 2007
ABINGDON, Va., May 10 —The company that makes the narcotic painkiller OxyContin and three current and former executives are expected to plead guilty today in federal court here to criminal charges that they misled regulators, doctors and patients about the drug’s risk of addiction and its potential to be abused, federal officials said.
To resolve criminal and civil charges related to the drug’s “misbranding”, the parent of Purdue Pharma, the company that markets OxyContin, has agreed to pay more than $600 million in fines, these officials said. That is the third-highest amount ever paid by a drug company in such a case.
Also, in a rare move, three executives of Purdue Pharma, including its president and it top lawyer, are expected to plead guilty today as individuals to misbranding charges, a criminal violation. They have agreed to pay a total of $34.5 million in fines, said these officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because court proceedings have not been completed. ...
ABINGDON, Va., May 10 —The company that makes the narcotic painkiller OxyContin and three current and former executives are expected to plead guilty today in federal court here to criminal charges that they misled regulators, doctors and patients about the drug’s risk of addiction and its potential to be abused, federal officials said.
To resolve criminal and civil charges related to the drug’s “misbranding”, the parent of Purdue Pharma, the company that markets OxyContin, has agreed to pay more than $600 million in fines, these officials said. That is the third-highest amount ever paid by a drug company in such a case.
Also, in a rare move, three executives of Purdue Pharma, including its president and it top lawyer, are expected to plead guilty today as individuals to misbranding charges, a criminal violation. They have agreed to pay a total of $34.5 million in fines, said these officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because court proceedings have not been completed. ...
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Rep. Renzi may resign. ... FBI raids of an insurance agency owned by his wife.
Rep. Renzi may resign.
“Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., could soon step down in the wake of a federal investigation into his involvement in a federal land swap deal and FBI raids of an insurance agency owned by his wife. His resignation could come as early as Friday or soon after, according to sources familiar with the matter. Top Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, have been meeting to discuss what they will do if Renzi resigns and his rural congressional seat opens up.” (Via War & Piece) April 26, 2007 11:57 pm | Comment (28) ...
“Rep. Rick Renzi, R-Ariz., could soon step down in the wake of a federal investigation into his involvement in a federal land swap deal and FBI raids of an insurance agency owned by his wife. His resignation could come as early as Friday or soon after, according to sources familiar with the matter. Top Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, have been meeting to discuss what they will do if Renzi resigns and his rural congressional seat opens up.” (Via War & Piece) April 26, 2007 11:57 pm | Comment (28) ...
Insider Trading? On Monday, 3,464 call options were traded ,,,, before Newscorp bid for Dow Jones ...
Subpoena Issued in Dow Jones Stock Inquiry | By REUTERS | Published: May 6, 2007
Dow Jones & Company said yesterday that the New York state attorney general and federal securities regulators were investigating unusual trading in its stock and options before it announced a takeover bid by the News Corporation last week.
Dow Jones, which runs a financial newswire service and publishes The Wall Street Journal, said Tuesday that it had received a $5 billion bid from the News Corporation, after CNBC reported the bid that morning.
A Dow Jones spokesman said the company had received a subpoena from the attorney general and an inquiry from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A spokesman for the News Corporation said his company had received similar documents.
Leading up to the announcement, a surge in volume in Dow Jones’s June and September call options, which allow investors to buy shares at a specific price and time, suggested to some analysts that some investors knew an offer was in the works.
On Monday, 3,464 call options were traded betting that the company’s share price would reach $45 or above by September, said Michael Schwartz, chief options strategist at Oppenheimer & Company in New York. the same day, he said, 641 call options were traded betting that the price would hit $40 or above by June. ...
Dow Jones & Company said yesterday that the New York state attorney general and federal securities regulators were investigating unusual trading in its stock and options before it announced a takeover bid by the News Corporation last week.
Dow Jones, which runs a financial newswire service and publishes The Wall Street Journal, said Tuesday that it had received a $5 billion bid from the News Corporation, after CNBC reported the bid that morning.
A Dow Jones spokesman said the company had received a subpoena from the attorney general and an inquiry from the Securities and Exchange Commission.
A spokesman for the News Corporation said his company had received similar documents.
Leading up to the announcement, a surge in volume in Dow Jones’s June and September call options, which allow investors to buy shares at a specific price and time, suggested to some analysts that some investors knew an offer was in the works.
On Monday, 3,464 call options were traded betting that the company’s share price would reach $45 or above by September, said Michael Schwartz, chief options strategist at Oppenheimer & Company in New York. the same day, he said, 641 call options were traded betting that the price would hit $40 or above by June. ...
Whistelblower: department largely shut off the subsidies by sending a simple letter to lenders — the very measure Mr. Oberg had urged in 2003
Whistle-Blower on Student Aid Is Vindicated | By SAM DILLON | Published: May 7, 2007
WASHINGTON — When Jon Oberg, a Department of Education researcher, warned in 2003 that student lending companies were improperly collecting hundreds of millions in federal subsidies and suggested how to correct the problem, his supervisor told him to work on something else.
Jon Oberg, a former Department of Education researcher, warned that student loan companies were abusing a subsidy program and collecting millions in federal payments to which they were not entitled.
The department “does not have an intramural program of research on postsecondary education finance,” the supervisor, Grover Whitehurst, a political appointee, wrote in a November 2003 e-mail message to Mr. Oberg, a civil servant who was soon to retire. “In the 18 months you have remaining, I will expect your time and talents to be directed primarily to our business of conceptualizing, competing and monitoring research grants.”
For three more years, the vast overpayments continued. Education Secretary Rod Paige and his successor, Margaret Spellings, argued repeatedly that under existing law they were powerless to stop the payments and that it was Congress that needed to act. Then this past January, the department largely shut off the subsidies by sending a simple letter to lenders — the very measure Mr. Oberg had urged in 2003. ...
WASHINGTON — When Jon Oberg, a Department of Education researcher, warned in 2003 that student lending companies were improperly collecting hundreds of millions in federal subsidies and suggested how to correct the problem, his supervisor told him to work on something else.
Jon Oberg, a former Department of Education researcher, warned that student loan companies were abusing a subsidy program and collecting millions in federal payments to which they were not entitled.
The department “does not have an intramural program of research on postsecondary education finance,” the supervisor, Grover Whitehurst, a political appointee, wrote in a November 2003 e-mail message to Mr. Oberg, a civil servant who was soon to retire. “In the 18 months you have remaining, I will expect your time and talents to be directed primarily to our business of conceptualizing, competing and monitoring research grants.”
For three more years, the vast overpayments continued. Education Secretary Rod Paige and his successor, Margaret Spellings, argued repeatedly that under existing law they were powerless to stop the payments and that it was Congress that needed to act. Then this past January, the department largely shut off the subsidies by sending a simple letter to lenders — the very measure Mr. Oberg had urged in 2003. ...
Allies offered $854 million in cash and in oil that was to be sold for cash. But only $40 million has been used ...
Most Katrina Aid From Overseas Went Unclaimed | By John Solomon and Spencer S. Hsu
Washington Post Staff Writers | Sunday, April 29, 2007; Page A01
As the winds and water of Hurricane Katrina were receding, presidential confidante Karen Hughes sent a cable from her State Department office to U.S. ambassadors worldwide.
Titled "Echo-Chamber Message" -- a public relations term for talking points designed to be repeated again and again -- the Sept. 7, 2005, directive was unmistakable: Assure the scores of countries that had pledged or donated aid at the height of the disaster that their largesse had provided Americans "practical help and moral support" and "highlight the concrete benefits hurricane victims are receiving."
Many of the U.S. diplomats who received the message, however, were beginning to witness a more embarrassing reality. They knew the U.S. government was turning down many allies' offers of manpower, supplies and expertise worth untold millions of dollars. Eventually the United States also would fail to collect most of the unprecedented outpouring of international cash assistance for Katrina's victims.
Allies offered $854 million in cash and in oil that was to be sold for cash. But only $40 million has been used so far for disaster victims or reconstruction, according to U.S. officials and contractors. Most of the aid went uncollected, including $400 million worth of oil. Some offers were withdrawn or redirected to private groups such as the Red Cross. The rest has been delayed by red tape and bureaucratic limits on how it can be spent. ...
Washington Post Staff Writers | Sunday, April 29, 2007; Page A01
As the winds and water of Hurricane Katrina were receding, presidential confidante Karen Hughes sent a cable from her State Department office to U.S. ambassadors worldwide.
Titled "Echo-Chamber Message" -- a public relations term for talking points designed to be repeated again and again -- the Sept. 7, 2005, directive was unmistakable: Assure the scores of countries that had pledged or donated aid at the height of the disaster that their largesse had provided Americans "practical help and moral support" and "highlight the concrete benefits hurricane victims are receiving."
Many of the U.S. diplomats who received the message, however, were beginning to witness a more embarrassing reality. They knew the U.S. government was turning down many allies' offers of manpower, supplies and expertise worth untold millions of dollars. Eventually the United States also would fail to collect most of the unprecedented outpouring of international cash assistance for Katrina's victims.
Allies offered $854 million in cash and in oil that was to be sold for cash. But only $40 million has been used so far for disaster victims or reconstruction, according to U.S. officials and contractors. Most of the aid went uncollected, including $400 million worth of oil. Some offers were withdrawn or redirected to private groups such as the Red Cross. The rest has been delayed by red tape and bureaucratic limits on how it can be spent. ...
stinging report that said she violated federal rules by giving industry lobbyists internal agency documents and rode roughshod over agency scientists
Interior Official Steps Down Over Rules Violation | By FELICITY BARRINGER | Published: May 2, 2007
WASHINGTON, May 1 — A deputy assistant secretary at the Interior Department resigned Monday, a month after the department’s inspector general issued a stinging report that said she violated federal rules by giving industry lobbyists internal agency documents and rode roughshod over agency scientists. ...
..
Even as environmental groups issued statements of satisfaction with the departure of an official who had become a magnet for accusations of political interference with the work of federal biologists, they and Congressional critics said they were not convinced that the interference would end.
Representative Nick J. Rahall II, Democrat of West Virginia and chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said Tuesday in a statement, “The problems at the Fish and Wildlife Service are not merely a matter of people and personalities; the faults run much deeper than Julie MacDonald.”
...
Among other actions that drew the ire of wildlife biologists and lawyers, Ms. MacDonald had heavily edited biologists’ reports on sage grouse, a species that in the end was not placed on the threatened or endangered lists. Their habitat overlaps with vast parts of the Rocky Mountain West, where oil and gas drilling and cattle ranching are prevalent; listing the grouse as endangered or threatened could have curbed those industries’ access to federal lands.
In another case in the inspector general’s report, Ms. MacDonald demanded that scientists reduce the nesting range for the Southwest willow flycatcher to a radius of 1.8 miles, from a 2.1-miles, so it would not cross into California, where her husband has a ranch....
WASHINGTON, May 1 — A deputy assistant secretary at the Interior Department resigned Monday, a month after the department’s inspector general issued a stinging report that said she violated federal rules by giving industry lobbyists internal agency documents and rode roughshod over agency scientists. ...
..
Even as environmental groups issued statements of satisfaction with the departure of an official who had become a magnet for accusations of political interference with the work of federal biologists, they and Congressional critics said they were not convinced that the interference would end.
Representative Nick J. Rahall II, Democrat of West Virginia and chairman of the House Natural Resources Committee, said Tuesday in a statement, “The problems at the Fish and Wildlife Service are not merely a matter of people and personalities; the faults run much deeper than Julie MacDonald.”
...
Among other actions that drew the ire of wildlife biologists and lawyers, Ms. MacDonald had heavily edited biologists’ reports on sage grouse, a species that in the end was not placed on the threatened or endangered lists. Their habitat overlaps with vast parts of the Rocky Mountain West, where oil and gas drilling and cattle ranching are prevalent; listing the grouse as endangered or threatened could have curbed those industries’ access to federal lands.
In another case in the inspector general’s report, Ms. MacDonald demanded that scientists reduce the nesting range for the Southwest willow flycatcher to a radius of 1.8 miles, from a 2.1-miles, so it would not cross into California, where her husband has a ranch....
largest yet in a renewed effort by the Justice Department ...to root out fraud that puts average investors at a disadvantage in the stock market
Guilty Pleas Expected in Big Insider Trading Case | By Carrie Johnson | Washington Post Staff Writer | Tuesday, May 8, 2007; Page D01
A former Morgan Stanley executive responsible for making sure that employees obey the law is preparing to plead guilty this week for her role in one of the largest Wall Street insider-trading rings in more than two decades, according to court papers.
Randi E. Collotta and her husband, Christopher, are scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in New York on Thursday. The negotiations between the Collottas and federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York became public yesterday upon the release of correspondence from a government lawyer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew L. Fish asked the judge to delay a prior court session because "the parties are very close to completing plea negotiations."
"The Government anticipates that both defendants will be ready to enter guilty pleas on May 10, 2007," Fish wrote.
The case is the largest yet in a renewed effort by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission to root out fraud that puts average investors at a disadvantage in the stock market. ...
A former Morgan Stanley executive responsible for making sure that employees obey the law is preparing to plead guilty this week for her role in one of the largest Wall Street insider-trading rings in more than two decades, according to court papers.
Randi E. Collotta and her husband, Christopher, are scheduled to appear before U.S. District Judge Victor Marrero in New York on Thursday. The negotiations between the Collottas and federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York became public yesterday upon the release of correspondence from a government lawyer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Andrew L. Fish asked the judge to delay a prior court session because "the parties are very close to completing plea negotiations."
"The Government anticipates that both defendants will be ready to enter guilty pleas on May 10, 2007," Fish wrote.
The case is the largest yet in a renewed effort by the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission to root out fraud that puts average investors at a disadvantage in the stock market. ...
group of six cancer doctors received $2.7 million from Amgen for prescribing $9 million worth of its drugs last year
Doctors Reap Millions for Anemia Drugs | By ALEX BERENSON and ANDREW POLLACK | Published: May 9, 2007
Two of the world’s largest drug companies are paying hundreds of millions of dollars to doctors every year in return for giving their patients anemia medicines, which regulators now say may be unsafe at commonly used doses.
The payments are legal, but very few people outside of the doctors who receive them are aware of their size. Critics, including prominent cancer and kidney doctors, say the payments give physicians an incentive to prescribe the medicines at levels that might increase patients’ risks of heart attacks or strokes.
Industry analysts estimate that such payments — to cancer doctors and the other big users of the drugs, kidney dialysis centers — total hundreds of millions of dollars a year and are an important source of profit for doctors and the centers. The payments have risen over the last several years, as the makers of the drugs, Amgen and Johnson & Johnson, compete for market share and try to expand the overall business.
Neither Amgen nor Johnson & Johnson has disclosed the total amount of the payments. But documents given to The New York Times show that at just one practice in the Pacific Northwest, a group of six cancer doctors received $2.7 million from Amgen for prescribing $9 million worth of its drugs last year.
Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration added to concerns about the drugs, releasing a report that suggested that their use might need to be curtailed in cancer patients. ...
Two of the world’s largest drug companies are paying hundreds of millions of dollars to doctors every year in return for giving their patients anemia medicines, which regulators now say may be unsafe at commonly used doses.
The payments are legal, but very few people outside of the doctors who receive them are aware of their size. Critics, including prominent cancer and kidney doctors, say the payments give physicians an incentive to prescribe the medicines at levels that might increase patients’ risks of heart attacks or strokes.
Industry analysts estimate that such payments — to cancer doctors and the other big users of the drugs, kidney dialysis centers — total hundreds of millions of dollars a year and are an important source of profit for doctors and the centers. The payments have risen over the last several years, as the makers of the drugs, Amgen and Johnson & Johnson, compete for market share and try to expand the overall business.
Neither Amgen nor Johnson & Johnson has disclosed the total amount of the payments. But documents given to The New York Times show that at just one practice in the Pacific Northwest, a group of six cancer doctors received $2.7 million from Amgen for prescribing $9 million worth of its drugs last year.
Yesterday, the Food and Drug Administration added to concerns about the drugs, releasing a report that suggested that their use might need to be curtailed in cancer patients. ...
Monday, May 07, 2007
Senate blocks bid to allow drug imports: Sen. Thad Cochran (news, bio, voting record), R-Miss., a "poison pill" for the drug-imports legislation
Senate blocks bid to allow drug imports | By ANDREW BRIDGES, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 7 minutes ago
WASHINGTON - In a triumph for the pharmaceutical industry, the Senate on Monday killed a drive to allow consumers to buy prescription drugs from abroad at a significant savings over domestic prices.
On a 49-40 vote, the Senate required the administration to certify the safety and effectiveness of imported drugs before they can be imported, a requirement that officials have said they cannot meet.
"Well, once again the big drug companies have proved that they are the most powerful and best financed lobby in Washington," said Sen. David Vitter (news, bio, voting record), a Louisiana Republican.
The vote neutralized a second amendment, later passed on a voice vote, that would legalize the importation of prescription drugs manufactured in Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan and New Zealand.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called the certification amendment, introduced by Sen. Thad Cochran (news, bio, voting record), R-Miss., a "poison pill" for the drug-imports legislation. Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record), D-N.D., acknowledged it nullified his bid to allow the purchase of drugs abroad. ...
WASHINGTON - In a triumph for the pharmaceutical industry, the Senate on Monday killed a drive to allow consumers to buy prescription drugs from abroad at a significant savings over domestic prices.
On a 49-40 vote, the Senate required the administration to certify the safety and effectiveness of imported drugs before they can be imported, a requirement that officials have said they cannot meet.
"Well, once again the big drug companies have proved that they are the most powerful and best financed lobby in Washington," said Sen. David Vitter (news, bio, voting record), a Louisiana Republican.
The vote neutralized a second amendment, later passed on a voice vote, that would legalize the importation of prescription drugs manufactured in Canada, Australia, Europe, Japan and New Zealand.
Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., called the certification amendment, introduced by Sen. Thad Cochran (news, bio, voting record), R-Miss., a "poison pill" for the drug-imports legislation. Sen. Byron Dorgan (news, bio, voting record), D-N.D., acknowledged it nullified his bid to allow the purchase of drugs abroad. ...
the racial disparities in infant mortality rates are criminal: [black]infant mortality rate almost two-and-a-half times higher
Conservative Infant Death Syndrome
The rate at which infants are dying has begun to creep upward in several Southern states. This is an entirely predictable—and deadly—outcome of a systematic squeezing of federal and state health programs under conservative rule.
The report in The New York Times Sunday that outlined some of the effects of cuts in federal and state health programs on infant care, particularly in Mississippi under Republican Gov. Haley Barbour, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, certainly was no surprise to Julie Winokur, an independent filmmaker. She has spent the past few months investigating health care problems in Tennessee, where Democratic governor and former health care executive Phil Bredesen took a page from the conservative playbook and slashed a Medicaid program that had been hailed as one of the most inclusive in the country.
Should the life of a child depend on where they are born and the politics of their state? ...
The rate at which infants are dying has begun to creep upward in several Southern states. This is an entirely predictable—and deadly—outcome of a systematic squeezing of federal and state health programs under conservative rule.
The report in The New York Times Sunday that outlined some of the effects of cuts in federal and state health programs on infant care, particularly in Mississippi under Republican Gov. Haley Barbour, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee, certainly was no surprise to Julie Winokur, an independent filmmaker. She has spent the past few months investigating health care problems in Tennessee, where Democratic governor and former health care executive Phil Bredesen took a page from the conservative playbook and slashed a Medicaid program that had been hailed as one of the most inclusive in the country.
“There is absolutely no question,” Winokur says, that the tragedies caused by Bredersen’s actions in Tennessee, Barbour in Mississippi or by governors and legislators where health care is deteriorating, especially among the poor and among people of color, are caused by the inherent flaws of a conservative ideology that turns its back on public investment and forces people to fend for themselves against a rapacious insurance industry.
In Mississippi, Barbour, like Bredesen, rode into office with a promise to cut Medicaid, and he delivered on that promise: about 54,000 fewer non-elderly people are enrolled in the Medicaid and children’s health insurance program under Barbour’s policies, which force those who remain eligible for Medicaid to jump through more bureaucratic obstacles to get it. “The philosophy was to reduce the rolls and our activities were contrary to that policy,” Maria Morris, who resigned last year as head of an office—which was sharply cut under Barbour—that informed the public about eligibility, was quoted in The Times as saying.
While the infant mortality rates are terrible, the racial disparities in infant mortality rates are criminal. Nationwide, the infant mortality rate among black people, 13.6 per 1,000 live births, was almost two-and-a-half times the rate among white people, 5.7 per 1,000, when it was last measured in 2003. In Mississippi, the rate is 6.6 percent among white people, among black people it is 17, about three times higher. Such sharp racial disparities do not only show up in areas where conservatives dominate government, but neither can conservatives show where their policies have dramatically narrowed the racial gap. In fact, the evidence suggests the opposite. ...
Should the life of a child depend on where they are born and the politics of their state? ...
U.S. Fights Off Bid to Punish [ex-Republican congressman] UNESCO Official: opposing an initiative to improve accountability at UN [!!]
U.S. Fights Off Bid to Punish UNESCO Official | Former Congressman Accused of Giving 'Preferential Treatment' on Contract to Chicago Firm | By Colum Lynch | Washington Post Staff Writer | Sunday, May 6, 2007; Page A08
UNITED NATIONS -- The United States and its key allies last week fended off a campaign by developing countries to discipline UNESCO's highest-ranking U.S. official, Peter Smith, a former Republican congressman from Vermont. Smith resigned in March after an audit found he granted "preferential treatment" to a Chicago-based consulting firm that received $2.15 million in contracts -- often without competitive bidding.
The move placed the United States -- which has long called for greater transparency and accountability at the United Nations -- in the awkward position of opposing an initiative to improve accountability and fiscal integrity in the global body. Louise Oliver, the U.S. representative to UNESCO, recently told foreign delegates it is time to put the matter to rest and implement reforms Smith put in place before he left the Paris-based U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. ...
Friday, May 04, 2007
Occidental Petroleum ... dumping an estimated 9 billion barrels of toxic waste ... widespread lead and cadmium poisoning
4 May 2007 17:14 | Oil company accused of dumping waste in Amazon | By Andrew Gumbel in Los Angeles | Published: 04 May 2007
A US oil company has been accused of contaminating an area of the Peruvian Amazon where it and its successor company have drilled for oil for the past 32 years, creating misery for the local Achuar people and widespread lead and cadmium poisoning.
A report issued by a coalition of protest groups including Amazon Watch and EarthRights International yesterday accused the company, Occidental Petroleum, of violating Peruvian and international law by dumping an estimated 9 billion barrels of toxic waste in the area since it started prospecting in the early 1970s.
The "produced waters", as the waste is technically known, were allegedly dumped directly into rivers and streams used by the Achuar for drinking, bathing, washing and fishing. Medical research documented in the report showed dangerously elevated levels of lead and cadmium in the Achuar population.
"Oxy's activities fell far short of the accepted industry standards throughout the course of their operations, as the company discharged massive quantities of contaminated waters into local streams, stored wastes improperly, and caused periodic oil spills," the report alleges. ...
A US oil company has been accused of contaminating an area of the Peruvian Amazon where it and its successor company have drilled for oil for the past 32 years, creating misery for the local Achuar people and widespread lead and cadmium poisoning.
A report issued by a coalition of protest groups including Amazon Watch and EarthRights International yesterday accused the company, Occidental Petroleum, of violating Peruvian and international law by dumping an estimated 9 billion barrels of toxic waste in the area since it started prospecting in the early 1970s.
The "produced waters", as the waste is technically known, were allegedly dumped directly into rivers and streams used by the Achuar for drinking, bathing, washing and fishing. Medical research documented in the report showed dangerously elevated levels of lead and cadmium in the Achuar population.
"Oxy's activities fell far short of the accepted industry standards throughout the course of their operations, as the company discharged massive quantities of contaminated waters into local streams, stored wastes improperly, and caused periodic oil spills," the report alleges. ...
Tuesday, May 01, 2007
Interior Official Quits Ahead of Hearing: "betrayed the mission she swore to uphold,"
Interior Official Quits Ahead of Hearing | May 1, 5:18 PM (ET) | By MATTHEW DALY
WASHINGTON (AP) - An Interior Department official accused of pressuring government scientists to make their research fit her policy goals has resigned.
Julie MacDonald, deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, submitted her resignation letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, a department spokesman said Tuesday.
MacDonald resigned a week before a House congressional oversight committee was to hold a hearing on accusations that she violated the Endangered Species Act, censored science and mistreated staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
MacDonald was recently rebuked by the department's inspector general, who told Congress in a report last month that she broke federal rules and should face punishment for leaking information about endangered species to private groups.
Interior Department spokesman Hugh Vickery confirmed MacDonald's resignation but declined to comment further.
Environmentalists cheered the departure of MacDonald, who they say tried to bully government scientists into altering their findings, often without scientific basis.
"Julie MacDonald's reign of terror over the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is finally over," said Kieran Suckling, policy director of the Center for Biological Diversity. "Endangered species and scientists everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief."
MacDonald, a civil engineer with no formal training in natural sciences, had served in her post since 2004. She was a senior adviser in the department for two years before that.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said MacDonald had "betrayed the mission she swore to uphold," adding that her actions "undermined both the work and the integrity of the Fish and Wildlife Service and its many dedicated employees." ...
WASHINGTON (AP) - An Interior Department official accused of pressuring government scientists to make their research fit her policy goals has resigned.
Julie MacDonald, deputy assistant secretary for fish, wildlife and parks, submitted her resignation letter to Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne, a department spokesman said Tuesday.
MacDonald resigned a week before a House congressional oversight committee was to hold a hearing on accusations that she violated the Endangered Species Act, censored science and mistreated staff of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
MacDonald was recently rebuked by the department's inspector general, who told Congress in a report last month that she broke federal rules and should face punishment for leaking information about endangered species to private groups.
Interior Department spokesman Hugh Vickery confirmed MacDonald's resignation but declined to comment further.
Environmentalists cheered the departure of MacDonald, who they say tried to bully government scientists into altering their findings, often without scientific basis.
"Julie MacDonald's reign of terror over the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is finally over," said Kieran Suckling, policy director of the Center for Biological Diversity. "Endangered species and scientists everywhere are breathing a sigh of relief."
MacDonald, a civil engineer with no formal training in natural sciences, had served in her post since 2004. She was a senior adviser in the department for two years before that.
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said MacDonald had "betrayed the mission she swore to uphold," adding that her actions "undermined both the work and the integrity of the Fish and Wildlife Service and its many dedicated employees." ...
Student Loans: Bush Aides Derailed New Rules in 2001: problem that this year has grown into a major controversy
Warnings On Student Lenders Unheeded | Bush Aides Derailed New Rules in 2001 | By Amit R. Paley | Washington Post Staff Writer | Tuesday, May 1, 2007; Page A01
The Bush administration killed a proposal to clamp down on the student loan industry six years ago following allegations that companies sought to shower universities with financial favors to help generate business, according to documents and interviews with government officials.
The proposed policy, which Education Department officials drafted near the end of the Clinton presidency and circulated at the start of the Bush administration, represented an early, significant but ultimately abortive government response to a problem that this year has grown into a major controversy.
Now, as the $85 billion-a-year student loan industry faces an array of investigations into questionable business practices that some officials believe could have been curtailed by the 2001 proposal, ...
The Bush administration killed a proposal to clamp down on the student loan industry six years ago following allegations that companies sought to shower universities with financial favors to help generate business, according to documents and interviews with government officials.
The proposed policy, which Education Department officials drafted near the end of the Clinton presidency and circulated at the start of the Bush administration, represented an early, significant but ultimately abortive government response to a problem that this year has grown into a major controversy.
Now, as the $85 billion-a-year student loan industry faces an array of investigations into questionable business practices that some officials believe could have been curtailed by the 2001 proposal, ...
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