| Teens turning to prescription painkillers, survey finds
TORONTO - While alcohol still remains the substance of choice among Canadian teens, a new study in Ontario released Tuesday shows use of prescription painkillers is a growing cause for concern. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, 21 per cent of students surveyed about their drug use revealed they had tried a prescription pain medication for non-medical purposes at least once in the past year. More than 75 per cent of teens reported getting the pills from home. .
Tibetans have gained 5cm height in India: Research
IT SEEMS that not only has the Dalai Lama � the Tbetan spiritual leader � gained in stature after he was given asylum in India where he heads a Tibetan government-in-exile. Anthropologists at Kolkata�s Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) say that even ordinary Tibetans born and brought up on Indian soil are taller than the original Tibetan highlanders! New studies show that Tibetan men and women between the ages of 18 and 40 who were raised at low altitudes in India are on an average about 4 to 5cm taller than their counterparts in Chinese-administered Tibet. The path-breaking research was conducted by Ranjan Gupta, head of the ISI�s biological anthropology section, and another scholar, Vikal Tripathy, who probed how Tibetans � the world�s longest-surviving high altitude residents � are adapting to the low altitude environment in India.
Salmond: Scotland independent in 10 years
ALEX Salmond has, for the first time, named a date by which he believes Scotland will be an independent country - 2017. The First Minister made the dramatic assertion on the eve of the SNP's first budget in government, a day in which the party will set out its spending priorities over the next three years. In a remarkable departure from his previous reluctance to set a timetable for achieving sovereignty, Mr Salmond yesterday said he anticipated Scotland would break away from the United Kingdom in a decade. The First Minister made the declaration, which was immediately attacked by political opponents, as he launched the Scottish Government's economic strategy, setting out ambitious targets for a decade of growth. .
Cullen: Partners in sustainability
Address to Federated Farmers National Council Conference, Icon Room, Te Papa, Cable St, Wellington. 10:00AM Tuesday 20 November 2007.
Good morning and thank you for that introduction. Federated Farmers do not need me to tell you that this is a very important time for New Zealand’s farmers. Our agricultural sector is changing and growing rapidly. Rising international commodity prices – not least of all for dairy – are providing new opportunities for farmers to invest in the expansion and improvement of their operations. The threat of global climate change is forcing the entire agricultural sector to think about how we will cope with rising temperatures and extreme weather patterns into the future. Global trade talks remain a source of frustration, but the real potential for major progress on eroding protectionism remains.
In Vegas, wasting water is a sin
Outside the Bellagio casino, tourists stare at fountains thrusting water into the sky as Elvis sings "Viva Las Vegas." Meanwhile, off the Strip, residents dig up their lawns to save water — and get paid for it. That's the paradox in this desert town where water lured people thousands of years before casino-constructed wonders such as the canals of the Venetian, the shark reef of Mandalay Bay and the fountains of the Bellagio. .
Gebhard Ullmann At 50: A Career Retrospective
Gebhard Ullmann (born in Bad Godesberg, Germany, November 2, 1957) is a composer and improvisor unique in the jazz world today. Playing a multitude of reeds and flutes, and maintaining an international presence with both European and American groups, Ullmann has created a body of work that is much more than a chronological series of recordings documenting his musical thinking. Each of his various projects addresses different musical issues and hence has its own distinctive voice, which is magnified by the reworked compositions that flow through them; the thread of his recurring compositions connects the different projects. Each release stands alone, of course, but Ullmann's oeuvre ought to be viewed by the differing lenses of project or composition. Each individual album is connected to the others, not only by the presence of Ullmann, but also by how the compositions mutate.
Oxford Union debate with David Irving hit by protests - Summary
London - Angry student demonstrators Monday delayed a debate at the Oxford Union in Britain, forcing controversial historian David Irving to withdraw to a side room to air his views. Irving, the British historian notorious for his denial of the Holocaust, an offence for which he has served a prison term in Austria, was forced to abandon his plan to address the famous debating society in its main chamber. After a delay of several hours, he and fellow speaker Nick Griffin of the right-wing British National Party (BNP) were later chairing "mini-debates" in separate side rooms of the Oxford Union building. Earlier, police said that a group of about 30 students stormed the main debating hall, delaying the start of proceedings with a sit-down protest and by chanting anti-fascist slogans.
Lessons in 'going green'
When it comes to global warming, the planet may face a large and puzzling problem, but every person can make a difference, including every resident in Haverhill. That was the message last week when residents got a 'convenient' lesson in the earth-saving efforts happening in Haverhill and ways they can make their city eco-friendly.The list of eco-friendly efforts are things as simple as changing light bulbs, keeping tires inflated and using less hot water -- to planting trees, bringing your own bags to the supermarket and switching to wind, solar and hydroelectric power.The lesson came along with the showing of the Academy-Award-winning film "An Inconvenient Truth" at Haverhill Public Library. Haverhill Recycling Committee and the Haverhill Energy Task Force hosted the event along with Haverhill Environmental League and the state-wide groups Clean Water Action and Environment Massachusetts.For organizers, the film, which documents Al Gore's crusade to fight global warming, was the perfect way to start a dialogue about the environmental issues that face us and future generations, and what we, as individuals, can do to help."I think it is a movie that raises a lot of issues and provides a lot of important information that affects all of us," said Jim Paikos of the Haverhill Recycling Committee.
|
