The World Famous Herb Museum Opens in Vancouver BC -

This video is an introduction by David Malmo-Levine to The Herb Museum located at 343 East Hastings, Vancouver B.C. This newly opened attraction shows the history and medical uses of herbs including marijuana (pot, weed), opium (heroin, morphine), cocaine, and aphrodisiacs. See the Lilly Heroin Bottle and experience the Drug History Tour!

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Its Time to Move: Golden Earring - I am Living in the Twilight Zone

This song makes me want to do an interdiction.

Lilly's Cymbalta Promotion Misleading Says FDA

Here is a video that tells first hand one individual's experience with Cymbalta and how terrible the effects of the drug were. It has a long lead in, so please wait, it is worth it IF you ever consider taking Cymbalta.

Important Video: Black and Brown Dog tells you His Opinion about Cymbalta. It is a MUST WATCH! Listen to the DOG!



A Lovely Woman tells her story about how Cymbalta had so negatively influenced her life and her experiences with withdrawal and dosages. PLEASE watch if you are considering taking this drug!!

I tried Cymbalta for my Neurophathic Pain, and guess what boys and girls?

Not only did it NOT help me at ALL, Cymbalta made me VERY ILL. I wonder how many other people have been poisoned by this drug. In my humble Kitty Opinion, it is not a good drug. Because it IS an ANTIDEPRESSANT (SSNRI), it can cause serious side effects in people who run towards hypomania. The fact that there is NO WARNING TO PRESCRIBERS that they should SCREEN FOR BIPOLAR SPECTRUM disorders, in order to avoid creating hypomania or worse (mania) in patients who might have bipolar disorders is negligent in my mind.

I WISH you all a very happy Canadian Thanksgiving.

I give thanks for so many things in my life right now: Health, Home, Homies, and Happiness.


Reuters Health - Oct. 03, 2007

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eli Lilly and Co made misleading claims about its Cymbalta drug in a promotion to doctors about its use in treating nerve-related pain, U.S. regulators said in a letter released on Tuesday.

The promotion "is false or misleading in that it overstates the efficacy of Cymbalta and omits some of the most serious and important risk information associated with its use," the Food and Drug Administration said in a letter to the company.

The FDA asked Lilly to immediately stop using the material or any similar promotions, adding that the company made similar claims for the drug in other promotions.

A Lilly representative could not immediately be reached for comment.

Cymbalta, known generically as duloxetine, is approved for treating depression, neuropathic pain and anxiety.

The FDA said the Lilly promotion, which it called a "professional mailer," recommended Cymbalta only for the use of managing pain associated with diabetic peripheral neuropathy.

The material overstated the drug's effectiveness by suggesting that patients who took it experienced significantly less pain interference with overall functioning, the FDA said.

"This has not been demonstrated by substantial evidence or substantial clinical experience," said the agency's letter, which was dated September 21 and posted on the FDA Web site on Tuesday.

The FDA also said Lilly's promotion left out some important risk information, including reports of sometimes-fatal reactions if drugs such as Cymbalta are combined with medicines known as monoamine oxidase inhibitors.

(Reporting by Lisa Richwine)

Under Pressure- Here is Where I am Right Now

I listened to this randomly after a very bad day at work. The words seem to say everything I was not able to express. I hope we all can follow the message and give love one more chance. "Lets change the way we are caring about ourselves." This is ourselves under pressure.

It is hard to act your best Under Pressure.

The Good Doctor - Robbie Williams - I don't feel proper

Does this remind you of psychiatry? I think the pill giving is totally out of control. What do you think?

Would this Means of Traffic Control Work in the U.S.?

via videosift.com

A Wish for Zed - Happy Labour Day to a "Friend"

I hope you die - The Bloodhound Gang.

Sometimes I think - Heaven NO! Hell YEAH! - Ode from The Bloodhound Gang

If I were God....

Happy Birthday Albert - Rest in Peace

My Dad died 2 summers ago. It was a good death, it gave him back some quality in his existance. His birthday was September 3rd. Since my Dad was sketchy to say the least, this is a fitting tribute. Enjoy. Notice the dancing.. its very cool.

Tribute to one of my FAVORITE 70's Bands - The Spinners

Please enjoy an explanation of The Spinners and a medley of their popular songs. Watching this, I can understand why I was so attracted to these guys. Their songs are classic, simplistic and stay with you. I remember standing in my place through out whole performances moving my body to these songs. I have to admit, in the days of the 70's, they were performed more passionately and a little more up tempo :)

I Will Be There - The Spinners

This is absolutely true. I love The Spinners. I went to about 20 of their performances in and around Los Angeles. I took many friends and family members to see my favorite vocal group of this kind. I searched high and low for a video of them performing this, my favorite of their songs.

Unfortunately there isn't one that I can find, so this one has the words.

This is a shout out to those who ARE in fact, there for me in real ways. Thank you.

Happy Labor Day - CLois-Paranoid Clark

I hope this song helps someone understand something. Enjoy your Labor Day.

The Placebo Effect - Baby, Did U Forget to Take Your Meds?

This song hits really close to home for me. Perhaps, that is why it was given to me by a friend. Thank you for this song. It took a while for me to adopt it cognitively, but now I own up to it and I hope you don't hold it against me.

I Do Believe There IS Something More Than This

Please enjoy Peter Gabriel performing this classic piece which usually rips at my soul. I move often between two countries. The lyric which talks about being alone, yet connected really describes my life right now. I am intimately connected to people and lives in TWO cities.

Lately, I have felt very connected in one city, and not at all connected to life in the other. This posting is in hoping that when I travel back to my city numero uno, I will feel a fraction as connected as I do right now, in my new dwelling, and with my new friends.

I know you can not be a guru in your own yard, but the difference in the way I am treated, my interactions with people, and my emotional state is so orthogonal in the two dwellings. It is my most sincere intention to meld the two places into one cool loving environment for my heart and soul to dwell, for the time being, anyway. Cheers!

Integral - This Shows What Happens When Data Goes Crazy

Enjoy this U.K. Protest Anthem against the standardization of our human database.

We are all Mammals, so lets do it - The Bloodhound Gang

This is a great Bloodhound Gang Song, called "The Bad Touch." I think the lyrics are very intelligent.

You and me baby we ain't nothing but mammals, so lets do it like they do on the Discovery Channel.

Music IS the Victim of this Administration TOO - Scissor Sisters

I love this Live Berlin performance. Enjoy!

RUN - Snow Patrol - Final Fantasy

This song was given to me on a CD by a friend that was giving me some of her favorite music. After I listened to this song, it reminded me of DML so much, that I feel it could represent a movement of people. Let me know what you think.

"Light UP as if you have a choice. Even if you can not hear my voice, I'll will be right beside you, Dear."

Sanofi- Adventis SUED for Gender Bias

U.S. sales workers sue Sanofi for gender bias

Reuters Health - Aug. 30, 2007
By Martha Graybow

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Four women sales workers in the United States have sued drugmakerSanofi-Aventis for $300 million, contending they were denied promotions and paid less than their male counterparts.

An earlier version of the gender discrimination lawsuit was filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan in March by one woman. A revised complaint was filed on Wednesday that includes new claims by three more plaintiffs.

The women are current or former employees of the French pharmaceutical company's U.S. unit, which is based in Bridgewater, New Jersey. Sanofi, the world's third-largest drug maker, markets medicines, including sleeping pill Ambien and blood thinner Plavix.

The suit, which seeks class-action status, names the parent company and the U.S. unit as defendants. A lawyer for the women said the potential class of plaintiffs could total 6,000 to 7,000 current and former female sales employees.

"The essential allegations are that women are not paid the same amount as men and that women are not promoted at the same rate as men," said the women's attorney, David Sanford.

A spokesman for Sanofi's U.S. unit, Marc Greene, said that the company is "confident that the suit lacks merit and that all of our employees are treated fairly and in compliance with all applicable federal and state laws."

Sanford's firm, Sanford Wittels & Heisler, also represents female plaintiffs in a discrimination case against a U.S. unit of drug company Novartis AG. A federal judge in Manhattan earlier this month ruled the lawsuit, which seeks $200 million in damages, can proceed as a class-action.

According to the Sanofi complaint, the women plaintiffs lost out on promotions for which they were well qualified, while men on their teams were quickly promoted. The women also contend they were subjected to sexually hostile work environments.

The complaint contends that one woman, the only female on a team of eight sales representatives, was the target of misogynistic slurs, including lewd comments about her breasts. The woman's manager never reprimanded any of the men on her team about the remarks, the lawsuit says.

Another woman, according to allegations in the complaint, said that during a sales meeting, her manager took the men on their sales team to a strip club. On another trip, the woman contends, her manager announced a male team member wanted to see one of his women colleagues in a bikini sometime during the trip.

These Are MY Friends - Criminal Police Behavior

Neil, the gray-haired man being violently assaulted by the police in Ontario is my friend. So is the man that he was hugging. There was NO NEED for this type of action against peacefully gathered citizens. Canada is turning into a police state, trying to copy its big brother to the South. Poor Canadians.

I don't know who the articulate, calm and cool, heroic woman in the film is, but I will find out soon and let you all know about her. I don't think I could have behaved as well as they did. I love the guy they were trying to arrest. I spent an evening chatting with him, and he is the owner of a local head shop and he is a cannabis activist. He is also very gentle, intelligent and giving. So unlike the reaction and personalities of the arresting officers. It is so surprising that it took 3 officers to take down an old guy. What a shame! This is only one of the new police offensive (or old and long running one) that now tries to discourage the people from coming to rallies supporting legalization of Cannabis. If you look further, you will see videos of FAKE arrests of COPS dressing like activists, and then having their fellow cops take them DOWN, to make the activists look, violent?
Wow, which marketing expert thought that one up?

Can't forget this one.
Famous rodney king beating
http://youtube.com/watch?v=aH-nal6PkQo

Police beat down an old man.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6BsZUuZmr4

LAPD beating (hi-res)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o9hS0ZhpFPA

Man Gets Wacked Repeatedly
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2F8B2qSzhs&NR

MET Police Beat up man
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_PmSDA1HNc

If you are outraged, please send email to Neil and his crew, I am sure he would LOVE to hear from any of you. Neil is on a Freedom Tour across Canada, and he fights for YOUR right to personal freedoms. Please see www.freedomtour.ca for more information about the assault or the tour.

FDA Approves Risperdal for Two Psychiatric Conditions in Children and Adolescents

Evidence to support this approval was collected through studies the FDA requested as part of its pediatric drug development initiatives.

The efficacy of Risperdal in the treatment of schizophrenia in adolescents was demonstrated in two short-term (6 to 8 weeks), double-blind, controlled trials. All patients were experiencing an acute episode of schizophrenia at the time of enrollment. Treated patients generally had fewer symptoms, including a decrease in hallucinations, delusional thinking, and other symptoms of their illness.

The efficacy of Risperdal in the treatment of manic or mixed episodes in children or adolescents with bipolar I disorder was demonstrated in a three-week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicenter trial in patients who were experiencing a manic or mixed episode. Treated patients generally had fewer symptoms, including a decrease in their elevated mood and hyperactivity, and other symptoms of their illness.

Drowsiness, fatigue, increase in appetite, anxiety, nausea, dizziness, dry mouth, tremor, and rash were among the most common side effects reported.

Schizophrenia is a serious and disabling psychiatric disorder. Symptoms may include hallucinations, delusions, and disorganized thinking. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is a serious psychiatric disorder that causes wide shifts in a person's mood, energy, and ability to function.

Risperdal is manufactured by Janssen, L.P. of Titusville, N.J.

For more information:

FDA Office of Pediatric Therapeutics
www.fda.gov/oc/opt/default.htm

National Institute of Mental Health—Schizophrenia
www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/schizophreniamenu.cfm

National Institute of Mental Health—Bipolar Disorder
www.nimh.nih.gov/healthinformation/bipolarmenu.cfm

Is this a good thing, or another attempt to put our youth under the influence of synthetic molecules? It seems to me, that any child that is different will likely now be prescribed Risperidone.

This is not a good thing. IF and ONLY IF it is supervised with FDA oversight (which they can do by randomly interviewing children who have filled DSHS funded prescriptions) could this be a good thing, to treat children who suffer from schizophrenic symptoms. There is some evidence to show that the SOONER a child is treated for schizophrenic symptoms, the better the recovery is down the line in adulthood.

I hope Pharma Giles, Dr. Peter Rost, and Pharma Gossip are all doing well. I miss you guys so much. Thank you so much for all the support you have given me. I hope to see you all soon ON A NEW BLOG I WILL START SOON - ACADEMIC GILES/GOSSIP. Remember Gentlemen, imitation is the most sincere form of flattery. Sometimes humor makes the best of horrible life circumstances... Stay tuned.

House panel approves legal shield for bloggers

This is very good news, I hope. I miss you all, and I hope I will be able to return to blogging in the near future. I wish to shout out Dr. Peter Rost, in his new position at BrandRx, as a columnist. Wow, are they smart to hire him, as no ONE blog can contain this man :)

I am well, however, I am very busy. I am also moving around often, and that disrupts my internet access for many days. I am still very interested in everything that is happening and am following it carefully.

When I finish a mirror site that I am working on, I will be back....

Love, Peace, and more protections for journalists of every type,

BK

The Information Highway - Porn on the Web: The Facts

This video contains adult subject matter about the amount of porn on the web. Since my previous posts border on the fine line of porn, I decided to show you, that I am clearly in the majority. Don't be hypocritical, Porn is the most accessed information on the information highway :). I am bothered by Cuba, who bans Porn. I expect banning from Iran, but NOT Cuba. Oh well, they put AIDS victims in boats and/or prison, so I guess the culture is definitely NOT sex positive.

Via: VideoSift

If You Think This Is FICTION. - Think Again!

Kudos to Pharma Giles, the best humorous, yet very relevant PHARMA blog.

For Your Viewing Pleasure

I hope you enjoy these photos I shot, and please take them with the love they generate. The Kanji on the lovely woman's arm means LONG LIFE. Awesome.

"Do You Take it in the ASS?" - ODE to Many MDs

Contains Adult Language

Bush - You Drive Me Crazy!! Cheney Too!

Please forgive my absence. I am preparing an article and have been very busy with my activism. I hope to return to blogging when I return to work *sigh*. I am SO proud of Dr. Peter Rost and what he has accomplished.

FDA Advisory Panel Says Controversial Cannabinnoid Blocker Not Safe For Human Consumption

Thank you to NORML for this. I apologize for yet ANOTHER take on this same story. This one however, is from a cannabinoid receptor antagonist perspective. When I first heard the academic medical talk on this nasty harmful synthetic molecule, it made me want to go running from the auditorium. I stayed to listen to the cute, young and earnest researcher present her data from a study using this antagonist for college students who wanted to "quit pot."

I asked her if she didn't think that smoking pot was a normal social part of the college experience, much like drinking at frat parties? She said," well yes."

I asked her how does she determine if an individual needs to consider this type of extreme treatment? There was obviously no thought given to this issue other than "meeting DSM-4R criteria for Marijuana Abuse or Dependence."

Give me a break and a toke... my golly gee whiz.

Rockville, MD: An independent Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee determined on Wednesday that the controversial cannabinoid receptor antagonist Rimonabant (also known as Acomplia) is unsafe for human consumption in the United States. The drug's manufacturer, Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals, is seeking FDA approval to market the drug in the US as a dietary aid.

Members of the FDA's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drug advisory panel resolved 14-0 that the drug did not possess a "favorable risk-benefit profile" to warrant US regulatory approval. Panelists reported that patients prescribed Rimonabant experienced increased incidences of depression, nausea, vomiting, and suicidal tendencies. Adverse neurological symptoms, including multiple sclerosis, have also been documented in subjects who have taken Rimonabant.

European regulators previously approved the prescription use of Rimonabant, marketed under the trade name Acomplia, in 2006 but are now expected to review their decision. Rimonabant is the first cannabinoid antagonist ever to be approved for human consumption. More than 100,000 European patients have been prescribed Acomplia since its approval last year.

The FDA is expected to make a final ruling regarding whether to approve or reject the drug in July. The agency typically abides by the recommendations of its advisory panels, but it is not legally required to do so.

Rimonabant blocks the natural binding of endogenous cannabinoids (as well as exogenous cannabinoids such as THC) to the neuronal CB1 receptors, causing users to lose their appetites. However, because the endocannabinoid receptor system is intricately involved in the regulation of a broad range of primary biological functions – including appetite, body temperature, mood regulation, blood pressure, bone density, reproduction, learning capacity, and motor coordination – some experts are concerned that the long-term use of Rimonabant or similar drugs may contribute to a host of significant adverse health effects.

In preclinical trials, newborn mice injected with Rimonabant refuse feeding and often die days after birth. Mice genetically bred to lack the CB1 receptor also suffer from numerous health defects such as cognitive decline, hypoalgesia, decreased locomotor activity, and increased mortality compared to healthy controls.

At least one published case study reports that daily use of the drug may have triggered neurological symptoms of multiple sclerosis in a volunteer with no known history of the disease. Mental health side effects, such as depression, are also commonly reported among volunteers administered Rimonabant. FDA panelists reported that using Rimonabant nearly doubled the users risk of attempting suicide.

The FDA has previously rejected requests by Sanofi-Aventis to approve the drug as a smoking cessation agent.

For more information, please contact Paul Armentano, NORML Senior Policy Analyst, at: paul@norml.org.

Kitty Sees that the FDA is Reading Up on ITS Decision - Gotta LUV IT!

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14th June 2007	12:37:54	blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&client=news&q=zimulti&ie=UTF8 The Black Kitty - All Things Health Care Related: Acomplia - New Weight Loss Pill is Dead in the Water
14th June 2007	12:37:54	blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&client=news&q=zimulti&ie=UTF8 The Black Kitty - All Things Health Care Related: Acomplia - New Weight Loss Pill is Dead in the Water
14th June 2007	12:38:35	gcic.blogspot.com/2007/06/acomplia-new-weight-loss-pill-is-dead.html The Black Kitty - All Things Health Care Related: Unanimous "No" to Rimonabant: Safety Not Demonstrated, FDA Advisory Panel Says
14th June 2007	12:38:35	gcic.blogspot.com/2007/06/acomplia-new-weight-loss-pill-is-dead.html The Black Kitty - All Things Health Care Related: Unanimous "No" to Rimonabant: Safety Not Demonstrated, FDA Advisory Panel Says
14th June 2007	12:41:08	blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&client=news&q=zimulti&ie=UTF8 The Black Kitty - All Things Health Care Related: Acomplia - New Weight Loss Pill is Dead in the Water
14th June 2007	12:41:08	blogsearch.google.com/blogsearch?hl=en&client=news&q=zimulti&ie=UTF8 The Black Kitty - All Things Health Care Related: Acomplia - New Weight Loss Pill is Dead in the Water

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Glaxo is Watching... Thank you :)

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14th June 2007 18:13:42 peterrost.blogspot.com/2007/06/why-did-pfizer-hire-detectives-to-spy.html
The Black Kitty - All Things Health Care Related: Dr. Peter Rost Gives it to Pfizer in a Long Dark Way
14th June 2007 18:13:42 peterrost.blogspot.com/2007/06/why-did-pfizer-hire-detectives-to-spy.html
The Black Kitty - All Things Health Care Related: Dr. Peter Rost Gives it to Pfizer in a Long Dark Way
14th June 2007 18:14:59 peterrost.blogspot.com/2007/06/why-did-pfizer-hire-detectives-to-spy.html
The Black Kitty - All Things Health Care Related: Dr. Peter Rost Gives it to Pfizer in a Long Dark Way
14th June 2007 18:14:59 peterrost.blogspot.com/2007/06/why-did-pfizer-hire-detectives-to-spy.html
The Black Kitty - All Things Health Care Related: Dr. Peter Rost Gives it to Pfizer in a Long Dark Way

"Mother Goose" - "I Set Her Loose and SHE was Screaming!"

Good Bye Mother, YOU ARE SET FREE. I would scream too. This Kitty wished it was different, but since you are the BIG CAT, you NEED to be free of Black Scrappy Kitty :) Then maybe we can meet up on the THICK line of BIG LOVE rather than the thin line between Kitty Love and Kitty Hate. Its all the same, just a bundle of Kitty level emotions. That is what being in a parent-child relationship is about, basal animal feelings that defy rationality. Ask any parent of a teenager... they'll tell ya.

Love, Peace, and Positive Loving Mother LUV

Bungle in the Jungle - Good-Bye So CAL

Southern California can equal Florida for this Jethro Tull song, that allows embedding. I am very glad to leave. Although this place has great weather and nice palm trees, it lacks soul. It is police like in the oppression of free thought and speech. Living next to the largest West Coast Marine Base has its disadvantages. Seeing the poverty that is caused by the Bush Reign and wars is very sad to this Kitty. I visited with a wife of a soldier. This LOVELY lady has a new 3 month old and two kids. They all want their Daddy to come home FROM HIS THIRD TOUR IN IRAQ. When I met her a couple of years ago, she was very pro war. NOW, SHE IS ANTI-WAR. It is ironic that these very kind and sweet wives don't do ANYTHING to try to stop the war. Nothing. I guess given how repressed alternative thinking is in So. Orange.. its not surprising at all. Love, PEACE AND PEACE

Wind- Up by Jethro Tull

When I was an adolescent, I used to go to all the Jethro Tull concerts I could. My friend DK was really into him, and I was sorta into him. Well, I was playing the Aqua Lung album the other day and heard this song again. I just loved it. I played it like 20 times in a row in order to clearly hear the words. I think they are meaningful in light of my current belief system.

One of the most positive memories I have of my brother is when he was playing his drum kit to Aqua Lung.. the song. Those were the days... I guess. Enjoy.

Unanimous "No" to Rimonabant: Safety Not Demonstrated, FDA Advisory Panel Says

I apologize for not letting go of this story. But since you all know I am a pudgy Kitty, it is very relevant to my life, and the life of my pals. I think the continual search for the billion dollar anti-obesity PILL is a tragic story that in the end will just serve as a type of genocide against fat people. Who cares about fat people anyway? They are just lazy and don't care about themselves. They incur huge medical costs and they develop chronic conditions. In fact, obese individuals, and WOMEN in particular are discounted and marginalized by society. This is a fact that needs no support. If you are a fat woman, it doesn't matter who you are as a person, or what you have done, you are a fat chick.. period. You will reminded of it, by everyone, often.

I request that all of you normal weight people give us fat folks the benefit of doubt, and take us as we are. Please stop trying to find more and more extreme ways to kill us off... bariatric surgery, mouth wiring, starvation diets, harmful synthetics and social ostracism are just a few of the barbaric methods that society have deemed "acceptable" in the domain of treatment for obesity.

Speaking for my self only, ALL THE SYNTHETIC medications to help with weight loss, have been VERY DETRIMENTAL to humans. If you have a different take, pleases comment, I welcome alternative view points. It is my contention that weight loss is a very personal journey and it revolves totally around calories in and calories out and understanding your body and the effects of the environment on your health and metabolism.

Please, don't take any weight loss synthetic medications. Try walking around a bit, and find things to do that are not passive like watching things and reading.

Peace, Love and Liking your Body

Shelley Wood

from Heartwire — a professional news service of WebMD

June 13, 2007 (updated June 14, 2007)Silver Spring, MD - In a blow to the drug maker and millions of overweight and obese Americans hoping for a new weight-loss medication, the FDA's Endocrinologic and Metabolic Drugs Advisory Committee unanimously told Sanofi-Aventis to gather more detailed safety information about rimonabant over the long term, in larger patient numbers. All 14 members of the advisory committee agreed that rimonabant did not demonstrate the risk/benefit profile that would enable it to be approved for the indication sought: weight management in individuals with a body-mass index (BMI) of >30 kg/m² or in individuals with a BMI of >27 kg/m² when accompanied by at least one comorbid condition. Their concerns centered on a "clear" signal of increased risk of neurological and psychiatric side effects—seizures, depression, anxiety, insomnia, aggressiveness, and suicidal thoughts among patients randomized to rimonabant.

Indeed, new analyses of the randomized controlled trials of rimonabant suggest that "suicidality"—ranging from suicidal thoughts to successful suicides—was 30% higher among subjects taking rimonabant.

"We don't have enough patients who are on this for a long enough period of time to know what's going to happen down the road, and we have enough concerns," panel member Dr Paul D Woolf (Crozer-Chester Medical Center, Upland, PA) summarized. "If the drug were going to cause a 30% weight loss we'd all be jumping up and down and throwing our hands in the air and saying this is marvelous, and we wouldn't be overly worried about the safety concerns. But . . . this drug seems to have the same efficacy as the other two approved [weight-loss] drugs."

No way of managing unknown risks

Experts presenting data on behalf of the company recapped data from the RIO series of trials, previously reported by heartwire, showing that roughly one quarter of obese subjects randomized to rimonabant lost 10% of their body weight after one year, while half of subjects lost about 5% of their original body weight. These losses were significantly greater than those among placebo-treated patients. They also acknowledged some of the side effects of the drug but emphasized that the neurological and psychiatric effects were seen predominantly in people with a history of depressive or neurological disorders. This risk, they argued, could be managed by making these conditions contraindications to getting the drug and by the creation of a novel "risk management plan" for physicians. They also stated their intention to refrain from marketing the drug directly to consumers for the first year, so that physicians could have a chance to better understand the drug before being pestered about it by patients who might not be ideal candidates.

But panelists and speakers punched holes in the sponsor's testimony and plans. During the open public-hearing session, Lynn McAfee, director of the Medical Advocacy Project of the Council on Size and Weight Discrimination, suggested that the sponsor had to be more realistic about the environment a new weight-loss drug would be entering. "People are desperate," she said. "People will take on an enormous amount of risk; it's amazing what people will do, and we have a system in which the unscrupulous can prey on us and cause us harm. . . . I will tell you right now that if this gets out in the public, people will figure out a way to get the drug; it's not laser brain surgery."

Members of the panel, while praising the sponsor's attempts to come up with novel ways of managing use of the drug, suggested the degree of benefit was insufficient given the unknown risks.

"You're going to tell a 220-lb woman that she has a one in four chance that she'll get down to 200 lbs if she sticks with the program? Well, that's not going to make anyone very happy," Dr Jules Hirsch (Rockefeller University, New York) pointed out. "On the other side, what are the dangers? At least everyone will agree that we have to learn a little more and watch this whole affair carefully before we lunge into massive use of the drug."

Long-term data needed

Others pointed out that the popularity of the drug would vastly amplify the signal of adverse events that were seen in the study. "I have made some rough calculations based upon the psychiatric and neurological adverse effects, recognizing that some might be kind of trivial," Dr Robert Kreisberg (University of South Alabama, Birmingham) stated. "The absolute increase in risk is such that the number you'd need to treat to harm is about six and the number you'd have to treat for a benefit of 5% weight loss is about four and for a 10% weight loss is about six. So it looks to me like the number needed to harm and number needed to treat are pretty much balanced."

The panel was universally discomfited by the lack of long-term data in large numbers of patients. In all, only 441 patients stayed on the dose of 20-mg rimonabant over two years; the dropout rate during the first year of the RIO studies ranged from 32% to 49%. The trials were designed to carry over last reported events to the end of the trial rather than follow the large number of patients who discontinued their trial drug, many for adverse events, a design feature that did not sit well with panel members. In fact, patients who required treatment for depression were automatically taken out of the trial yet were not followed to the trial's conclusion. "I think the real implication here is that you've lost data on adverse effects and you've lost serious data on depression and anxiety," Dr Domenic A Ciraulo (Boston Medical Center, MA) suggested.

Several committee members acknowledged the clear need for a new weight-loss medication and suggested that certain subgroups might ultimately benefit from a selective CB1 endocannabinoid receptor antagonist such as rimonabant, but that the sponsor may not be chasing the right group.

Dr Philip S Wang (National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD) pointed out that the apparent doubling of neurological and psychiatric side effects with rimonabant also occurred in people with no history of these types of problems. Better candidates might be those with "extreme obesity," with BMIs over 40, he suggested.

"There's some preferential efficacy in this group, and according to my back-of-the-envelope calculation, it looks like you actually have lower risks of these psychiatric events in that group. . . . But this is all going to take more data."

Starting from scratch?

Indeed, more data was the unanimous recommendation of panel members.

Dr Katherine M Flegal (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA) called the sponsor's evaluation of adverse effects "a post hoc collection of adverse events and symptoms that really have not been adequately investigated enough in detail and that weren't identified in advance."

Dr Sid Gilman (University of Michigan, Ann Arbor), likewise, questioned why the sponsor had not "drilled down" into reported side effects like "dizziness" or "tremors" and performed the sorts of tests and imaging studies that would have better characterized these events.

"In this case," said acting chair Dr Clifford Rosen (St Joseph Hospital, Bangor, ME), "it's the adverse events and not the serious adverse events that tell the story, and we don't have enough information. . . . I would go back and ask the question, Why weren't these more detailed at the beginning of these big trials, when we knew that this is a central nervous system acting agent that's going to have these kind of effects?"

Even the ongoing CRESCENDO trial may not provide the answers the FDA would need, several members suggested, since it was not appropriately designed to clarify the types of adverse events occurring in people taking the drug.

"I personally don't think there is much you can do with the trials that are already under way," Kreisberg said. "They are what they are, and they probably all suffer from this lack of specificity about definitions. So I think it's going to be hard to mine that information" in the existing data set, he concluded.

The FDA had issued an "approvable letter" to Sanofi-Aventis back in February of 2006, but the panel's opinions Wednesday suggest that an antiobesity indication for rimonabant won't be coming any time soon.

The complete contents of Heartwire, a professional news service of WebMD, can be found at www.theheart.org, a Web site for cardiovascular healthcare professionals.

Shelley Wood is a journalist for Medscape. She joined theheart.org, part of the WebMD Professional Network, in 2000 and specializes in interventional cardiology. She studied literature at McGill University and the University of Cape Town and received her graduate degree in journalism from the University of British Columbia, specializing in health reporting. She can be reached at SMWood@webmd.net.

Heartwire 2007. © 2007 Medscape

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Did Marie Antoinette really say "let them eat cake"?

24-Oct-1986

---

Dear Cecil:

Did the French queen, Marie Antoinette, ever actually utter the phrase, "Let them eat cake"? I have a friend who claims that Crazy Marie actually said something in French that, in phonetic spelling, merely sounded like "Let them eat cake." Is the line in a class with Humphrey Bogart's "Play it again, Sam"--i.e., bogus? --Willie H., Chicago

Dear Willie:

I have a dream that someday one of these alleged facts of history is actually going to pan out. However, today is not the day. While Marie Antoinette was certainly enough of a bubblehead to have said the phrase in question, there is no evidence that she actually did so, and in any case she did not originate it. The peasants-have-no-bread story was in common currency at least since the 1760s as an illustration of the decadence of the aristocracy. The political philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau mentions it in his Confessions in connection with an incident that occurred in 1740. (He stole wine while working as a tutor in Lyons and then had problems trying to scrounge up something to eat along with it.) He concludes thusly: "Finally I remembered the way out suggested by a great princess when told that the peasants had no bread: 'Well, let them eat cake.'"

Now, J.-J. may have been embroidering this yarn with a line he had really heard many years later. But even so, at the time he was writing--early 1766--Marie Antoinette was only ten years old and still four years away from her marriage to the future Louis XVI. Writer Alphonse Karr in 1843 claimed that the line originated with a certain Duchess of Tuscany in 1760 or earlier, and that it was attributed to Marie Antoinette in 1789 by radical agitators who were trying to turn the populace against her.

As for your friend's suggestion, I suppose it's possible that one day, while under the influence of powerful hallucinogens, Marie said Le theme est quete ("The theme is quest"), and was overheard by an English-speaking tourist--thus giving rise, as your friend suggests, to the "Let them eat cake" legend. But frankly I doubt it.

LET THEM EAT POT SCRAPINGS

Dear Cecil:

Thank you for so nobly coming to the defense of the much-maligned Marie Antoinette, just as you did a few years ago with the equally vilified Catherine the Great. And now, as Paul Harvey would say, here's the rest of the story ...

At the time that whoever-she-was uttered the infamous quotation "let them eat cake," the word "cake" did not refer to the familiar dessert item that the modern-day French call le gateau. The operative term was brioche, a flour-and-water paste that was "caked" onto the interiors of the ovens and baking pans of the professional boulangers of the era. (The modern equivalent is the oil-and-flour mixture applied to non-Teflon cake pans.) At the end of the day, the baker would scrape the leavings from his pans and ovens and set them outside the door for the benefit of beggars and scavengers. Thus, the lady in question was simply giving practical, if somewhat flippant, advice to her poor subjects: If one cannot afford the bourgeois bread, he can avail himself of the poor man's "cake."

However, by the time Marie Antoinette ascended the throne, brioche had acquired its current meaning--a fancy pastry item which, like le gateau, was priced far beyond the means of any but the wealthiest classes. The anti-Marie propagandists were well aware that their compatriots, most of whom were uneducated in either history or semantics, would swallow the story whole, so to speak, and not get the joke. Bon appetit! --N.D.G., Chicago

Dear N.:

That's very interesting, N., but wrong. Brioche is a sort of crusty bun, typically containing milk, flour, eggs, sugar, butter, and whatnot. It's considered a delicacy, and as far as I can determine (which is pretty far) has been since the Middle Ages. According to one cooking historian, brioche originally contained brie cheese, whence the name. Nicolas Bonnefons, writing in Delices de la campagne in 1679, gives a recipe for brioche that calls for butter and soft cheese, plus a glaze containing beaten eggs and (if desired) honey. Sounds pretty tasty, and in any case certainly not something bakers would line pots with.

--CECIL ADAMS

eBay yanks ads from Google AdWords network

The article below is directly related to my earlier posting about GOOGLE's incessant invasion of private citizen Email with their KEYWORD searches. As I have ranted about before, GOOGLE scans all your communications (email, chat, documents) that you have not unchecked the boxes for on your options. Then they turn those KEYWORDS over to advertising, which then uses that private conversation data to send you tailored advertising in your side bars. Test it out as I described in a previous post, if you think I am wrong.

Reuters
Published on ZDNet News: June 13, 2007, 7:00 PM PT

Online auctioneer eBay has pulled its advertising from search company Google's AdWords network in the United States, an eBay spokesman said on Wednesday.

"This is part of an ongoing experiment to look at how we market across all media channels," said eBay spokesman Hani Durzy.

AdWords is Google's advertising system that shows ads based on words in Web searches and is the source of virtually all of Google's revenues.

Technology trade publication Computerworld, which originally reported the move, cited a source as saying it was in response to Google's decision to hold a party starting at the same time as an eBay conference for merchants who sell on its site.

The Google event, called the Checkout Freedom Party, is part of an effort to lobby eBay to accept its online payment system, known as Checkout, which competes with eBay's PayPal.

Durzy acknowledged that eBay was disappointed about the Google event. "We don't view that kind of activity as an appropriate activity for one partner to do to another."

The Thin Line Between Black Kitty LOVE and Black Kitty HATE

If you see, the Kitties have BIG LOVE and then in a minute...BIG BATTLE.. then LOVE again. If you start the song underneath first, then watch the kitties, you will get my vision for this posting. Sorry about the bad singing, but I could not find a copy of this song that would let me embed it. Cheers!



Here is the background Music for My Feelings About Pharmacological Medications. More in a later posting

Acomplia - New Weight Loss Pill is Dead in the Water

FDA Panel Rejects Acomplia Fat Pill
June 13th, 2007 4:43 pm By Ed Silverman - Thank you Pharmalot

The advisory committee unanimously voted against recommending the diet drug after hearing evidence that Acomplia increases the risk of suicidal behavior. Sanofi-Aventis didn’t help its cause by failing to convince the panel that the pill is safe. This is obviously a blow to the drugmaker, which already sells the diet pill in other countries, but was counting on the huge US market to make Acomplia a blockbuster.

“There is a reasonable suspicion we better learn some more and watch this affair more closely before we launch into massive use of this drug,” said panelist Dr. Jules Hirsch of Rockfeller University.

Given the microscope the FDA is under these days, it’s questionable whether the agency will approve Acomplia, especially since FDA officials usually follow the recommendations of its advisory panels. However, a final thumbs down may well create a black market for Acomplia, since many Americans are already reported to be crossing the border and buying the pill in Mexico.

Ironically, Sanofi-Aventis was going to call its pill Zimulti in the US, because the FDA thought Acomplia sounds too much like accomplished, which may be too suggestive for desperate dieters. So far, though, the drugmaker itself hasn’t accomplished anything. The FDA already declined to approve the pill to help smokers kick the habit.

In studies, patients given the once-daily tablet reported twice as many psychiatric side effects, including depression, anxiety and sleep problems, than those who received a placebo, Amy Egan, a FDA medical officer told the panel. “The numbers of events are small, but in aggregate they are worrisome,” she said.

Sanofi-Aventis execs suggested that patients be screened for depression before they are prescribed the drug, and also advised that patients visit their doctors five times during the first year of treatment to be reassessed to curtail any potential problems.

“Who is the right patient to receive rimonabant? Not everybody,” Richard Gural, the drugmaker’s vp of scientific affairs, told the panel The drug is not appropriate for anyone with a history of depression or suicidal thoughts, or who has been diagnosed with depression or is taking antidepressant medication, he conceded.

The FDA is to make a final decision on the drug by July 27.

The litany of mental problems associated with the drug clearly gave the panelists pause. “I think this is a drug that needs further understanding with respect to what it does to people’s psyche,” said panelist Sid Gilman, a University of Michigan neurologist.

Even if the FDA does approve the Acomplia the findings make it highly likely it would bear stern warnings. Company officials embraced the idea of such warnings, which could exclude FDA-approved use in some patients.

When used in conjunction with a modest-calorie diet and physical exercise, the drug significantly decreases body weight and waist circumference in overweight or obese patients, according to Sanofi-Aventis. In yearlong studies, patients on the drug lost roughly 14 pounds. Those given dummy pills lost only about 4 pounds. Patients regained weight when treatment was stopped after a year, the company said.

FDA reviewers didn’t question whether Zimulti works but remained worried the drug’s effect on the body could lead to an array of psychiatric symptoms, including anxiety, phobias, post-traumatic stress disorders and depression.

The company believes those increased cases were associated with depression or other disorders and weren’t directly caused by its drug. Egan, however, said they were. “We strongly believe that it is causal,” Egan said. She noted 88 percent of those reporting psychiatric problems while on the drug had no prior history of depression.

Furthermore, patients in the studies were carefully screened and monitored, suggesting the problems would be more common should the drug enter broad use, Egan added.

The screenings proposed by the company won’t keep the depressed and obese from Zimulti, warned Lynn McAfee, head of medical advocacy for the Council on Size & Weight Discrimination, a fat acceptance group. “If this gets out to be a real big deal in the public, you can figure out how to answer those questions to get the drug. It’s not going to stop anyone.”

The potential market for the drug is huge, as obesity rates have exploded in the past two decades. Today, nearly one in three American adults age 20 or older is obese, according to government data.

Sid Wolfe of Public Citizen said the obese are more likely to be depressed, and that many of them likely would take Zimulti along with the antidepressants they already use - with unknown consequences.

Rimonabant blocks the same pleasure centers in the body activated when pot smokers get the munchies. Blocking the receptors leads to patients eating less and losing weight. Sanofi-Aventis also believes the drug decreases fat storage.

The FDA previously told the French company it would not approve the drug to help smokers quit.

Sanofi-Aventis seeks to sell 20-milligram Zimulti tablets to the obese and to those who are overweight and have type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure or other conditions that put them at risk of cardiovascular disease.

There currently are two FDA-approved prescription drugs for the long-term treatment of obesity: Meridia, an appetite suppressant, and Xenical, which limits the amount of fat the body can absorb. Sales of Alli, a lower-dose version of Xenical that won’t require a prescription, start this week.

Source: Associated Press

"Power Point can Suck the Life Out of You" - Thanks PharmaGossip

This is hilarious to people like me, who live and breathe MS Powerpoint. I saw so many bad talks with horrible slides given by MDs that this comedian's spin actually does a good job of pointing out common errors. Research Girl would love this, as she has fixed many of my PPTs and I think she could add several new punch lines to this routine. Enjoy.

Who Really Believes that Only AZ are Greedy Captialists?

"AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers, Johnson & Johnson and Schering-Plough are defendants in a suit in Massachussetts and the litigation has revealed that they encouraged cancer docs to prescribe their drugs based on price rather than diagnosis."

Please read this post courtesy of NRx. It shows and links to other posts that Johnson and Johnson and several of the other BIG PHARMA companies show blatant disrespect for the economic well being of their U.S. consumer base. They show that they are looking at MDs as pure MARKETING AGENTS FOR THEIR OWN PROFITS (caps for emphasis only) and not PARTNERS in providing the safest and most efficacious health care for their consumers.

This is SO DAMN Funny

Pfizer's First Female Whistle Blower Is Grilled by Lawyers and is set to MARINATE!

Question Authority with Dr. Peter Rost: PFIZER CATCHES MARAVIROC WHISTLEBLOWER

In a previous posting
I re-posted and commented upon a story by Dr. Rost about the illegal marketing of an HIV/AIDS medication. I thought it was horrible what was being done, and I was so DAMN proud of Jane Roe. Well, now I am even MORE proud of her. WAY TO GO JANE!! For being cool and representing well. Your comments and statements were rational and articulate. Thank you so much for all your efforts, really for all of us.

Pfizer screws UP!: 17,000 employee names and SS numbers copied by Thieves

According to Pfizer, "the breach occurred when the spouse of a Pfizer employee loaded unauthorized software on the employee's Pfizer laptop. The software allowed outsiders access to a number of files, that included the names and SSNs of the affected Pfizer employees."Pfizer also writes that 15,700 employees "had their data accessed and copied."

Am I the only one in the Whole WORLD that thinks this is a very important commentary of the arrogance of Pfizer towards the protection of THEIR EMPLOYEE'S PERSONAL DATA?

The fact that this data was taken by thieves, insures those who may become the sad victims of identity theft, hassles for months to come.

I think that Pfizer is a big ship going down. Lots of great people have worked and do work for Pfizer and I wish them all well. However, this latest disregard for the quality of life, welfare and privacy of their employees is only a symptom of the cancer that lies in the bowels of this company.

read more | digg story

"What I Really Want to Say, My Baby" - Understanding My Big Love For Bradley

Warning - These Videos contain language not appropriate for young children.





Since this Kitty is sunning herself in Sunny SoCAL - SUBLIME and Brad invaded my thoughts for the last couple of days. I have followed this band since its inception in Long Beach CA... Being a SoCAL grrl, I have BIG LOVE for Brad. Its not rational, rather it is animal based, hard, lusty and deeply loyal. These kinds of feelings for someone you never met personally, and will never have the opportunity to meet.. are interesting to say the least. I have spent years in therapy trying to understand why I would care about a man like Brad and his life. The plain fact is that I do. This kind of love is not actualized. My intentions are NOT to actualize it. In fact, if Brad was alive today, I would still feel very strongly about him, but it would be actualized by watching his videos, buying his albums and supporting his trade label.

Saw Red featuring Gwen Stefani Is a Classic

I figured I would give you one more of my favorite Sublime songs. This one features Gwen when she was part of No Doubt. I love it!

"If it wasn't for date rape, I would never get laid" - Very Sad

I think this was based on a true story. Date Rape is no fun, and it happens all the time. This Kitty hisses at the concept, but unfortunately has been a victim. In this song, the rapist gets it in the behind.. and that makes me happy :)

What I Got - Sublime

This Song always moved me and makes me feel love and want love. Who knows why? Its an awesome song. I just wish that he would have taken his own advice and lived. Try to hear the words if you can.

The WRONG Way - Sublime

I love the way Bradley faced real world problems. He was obsessed with the sexual abuse of his gal by her daddy. If you listen carefully, it is in both of these songs. When I saw George Carlin a couple of weeks ago, his act revolved around dissing child sexual abuse and incest. The audience was a bit baffled by this, but I wasn't. Carlin Rocks SO HARD.

Okay, So This Is One of My Favorite Songs and I Miss It

Santaria - Sublime - Shout out to Bradley, who I adored, and whose death really affected me. Stay off the Synthetics Baby!!!!

Michal Moore - Letter from Cannes to his Fans

Michael Moore is a one of my heroes. He stands up for what he believes in, and even though I don't always agree with him (supporting Nader), I do always respect his movies, which are excellent, and the best mainstream documentaries we have in the U.S.

Moore is asking US the public to send him videos at youtube.com of any medical problems we care to film about. He will put his mouth where his commitment is, and he said he show them to congress. WAY TO GO MICHAEL! I wish I had the time to document (and I could) the deaths in my family that were direct results of poor medical practice at Kaiser Permanente of California. I have the Uniform Plan, and I could go on for hours about the incompetence and the leeching of money from State workers that is resultant from this type of pay for service insurance.








My Uncle Bill sent me this letter. He is 82 or so. Its cool that he is a MM fan like me. I think its very ironic that this movie bothered Canadians.

A Letter from Michael Moore: 'Sicko' is Socko in Cannes!

May 23rd, 2007

Friends,

Well, as you may have read by now, our premiere of "Sicko" at the Cannes Film Festival has been an overwhelming success. The 2,000 people inside the Lumiere Theater were alternately in tears and laughing during the two-hour film -- and when it was over, they gave it a standing ovation that seemed to go on for nearly 15 minutes! Many came up to me and said (and critics seem to agree) that this is my best film yet. I don't know about that, and it seems weird to compare any of these movies in the first place. But I do feel safe in saying that I am very, very happy with this film and I can't wait to show it to you when it opens on June 29th.

Cannes is a crazy place. There are film lovers here from nearly every country in the world. And then there are the people in "show business." These dark forces have virtually ruined this art form (invented by the French and nurtured to brilliance by the country I call home). There are so many bad, awful films now and less and less people are going to the movies. Many who run Hollywood believe that the American people are too stupid to enjoy a film that respects their intelligence.

At the press screening for "Sicko," the Wall Street Journal reported that hardened reporters and critics wept. Even those who have been harsh to me in the past, or who have not agreed with my politics, were moved. Aside from my stated desire that "Sicko" ignite a fire for free, universal health care (and a larger wish that we, as Americans, do a better job of treating each other with a true sense of solidarity and respect), I continue to hope that I can make a contribution to the art of cinema and give people a good reason to get out of the house for a few hours.

At my festival press conference, the only negative word came from the Canadians. Two critics didn't like all the nice things I said about their health care system. Yes, Canadian health care has its flaws, but when I asked the two critics if they would exchange their health care cards for mine, they said "No!" Of course they wouldn't. Canadians live longer than we do and their infant mortality is not as high as ours. Their system is underfunded because their leaders have been trying to push for more American-style health care.

The rest of the week has been good and I am now on my way back to the U.S. The New York Post reported Sunday that the Bush administration, in addition to going after me for filming scenes in or near Cuba, may now go after the 9/11 rescue workers I took with me to get the medical care they were denied by our own government. I couldn't make up irony like this if I wanted to, and I will do whatever is necessary to defend the human right of these true American heroes to receive the medical attention they deserve.

We've also received word that the HMO and pharmaceutical industries are gearing up to fight "Sicko." We received so many great whistleblower letters while we were making the movie from employees of these companies. We'd like to hear from you again! Send us the internal memos and any other plans you run across at the company copying machine or internet server. It will help to stay ahead of whatever they are up to, and it will also give us a chance for a bit of fun at the industry's expense.

I will soon have a special section of my website devoted to "Sicko." Until then, we'll move forward toward our June 29th release date. Hope to see you all there that weekend!

Yours,
Michael Moore
michael@michaelmoore.com
MichaelMoore.com

Never Poke a Big Kitty With a Stick

Thoughts On a Kitty's Day Today

My Southern California:


My East VAN:



My Head:

GOOGLE Rated Worst on Invasion of Privacy - TOLD You So - Validated After Ranting for a Year

SAN FRANCISCO — Google Inc.'s privacy practices are the worst among the Internet's top destinations, according to a watchdog group seeking to intensify the recent focus on how the online search leader handles personal information about its users.

In a report released Saturday, London-based Privacy International assigned Google its lowest possible grade. The category is reserved for companies with "comprehensive consumer surveillance and entrenched hostility to privacy."

None of the 22 other surveyed companies _ a group that included Yahoo Inc., Microsoft Corp. and AOL _ sunk to that level, according to Privacy International.

I just LOVE this article! I rant and rave to anyone who will listen about the SERIOUS global implications (think genocide) of the GOOGLE search machine's invasion of personal citizen rights to privacy in email, chatting and all web based communications. When will the Populous wake up to the fact, that unless you are a computer genius, you can not possibly avoid un-checking all the boxes and refusing all the options that allow GOOGLE to strip you of your personal data, give it to advertisers by reading all your email and other communications?

IF you think I am wrong, then try it yourself. If you have given GOOGLE permission to search your emails and communications, you can easily see for yourself what I mean. Send someone a letter containing a given key word that is good for advertising. For example, flowers or Plasma television sets or even medical illnesses. Then you will see a ad sense bar to the right of your email screen. That will have ads that are in response to your keywords. So if you write about flowers, all sorts of flower sites come up, or if you write about diabetes you get TONS OF PHARMA ADS.

Is this an invasion of personal privacy? Does anyone agree with me? Am I yelling into the wind as always?

While a number of other Internet companies have troubling policies, none comes as close to Google to "achieving status as an endemic threat to privacy," Privacy International said in an explanation of its findings.

The health care implications are enormous. If GOOGLE is allowed to search your private PC and your are a health care provider, then where is HIPAA? Can your child accidentally bring up and read your patient records when searching for something in GOOGLE?

Here is the GOOGLE Response:

In a statement from one of its lawyers, Google said it aggressively protects its users' privacy and stands behind its track record. In its most conspicuous defense of user privacy, Google last year successfully fought a U.S. Justice Department subpoena demanding to review millions of search requests.

"We are disappointed with Privacy International's report, which is based on numerous inaccuracies and misunderstandings about our services," said Nicole Wong, Google's deputy general counsel.

"It's a shame that Privacy International decided to publish its report before we had an opportunity to discuss our privacy practices with them......

Hoping to placate its critics, Google has pledged to begin erasing the information about users' search requests within 18 to 24 months.

The company says its stockpiles data to help its search engine better understand its users so it can deliver more relevant results and advertisements.

As Google becomes more knowledgeable about the people relying on its search engine and other free services, management hopes to develop more tools that recommend activities and other pursuits that might appeal to individual users.

Here is Privacy Internationals':

Privacy International contacted Google earlier this month, but didn't receive a response, said Simon Davies, the group's director.

The scathing report is just the latest strike aimed at Google's privacy practices.

An independent European panel recently opened an inquiry into whether Google's policies abide by Europe's privacy rules.......

Privacy International is particularly troubled by Google's ability to match data gathered by its search engine with information collected from other services such as e-mail, instant messaging and maps.

"Under the microscope, it turns out that Google is doing much more with our data than we ever imagined," Davies said.

Founded in 1990, Privacy International said it reached its preliminary findings after spending the past six months reviewing Internet privacy practices with the help of about 30 professors, mostly in the United States and United Kingdom. The group plans to update the report in September.

Seven of the Internet companies and Web sites included in Privacy International's analysis received the second lowest grade of "substantial and comprehensive privacy threats." This group included: Time Warner Inc.'s AOL, Apple Inc., Facebook.com, Hi5.com, Reunion.com, Microsoft's Windows Live Space and Yahoo.

None of the companies or sites received Privacy International's top grade, but five rated as "generally privacy-aware." They were: BBC, eBay Inc., Last.fm, LiveJournal.com, and Wikipedia.com.

Of course, everyone can not take up every issue, BUT this issue has such broad implications, much like bad PHARMA practices, that SOMEONE in POWER needs to speak up. I think perhaps, that the government might step in, although I don't think this is the correct approach to this problem.

The U.S. Gov Response:

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is looking into antitrust concerns raised by the DoubleClick deal, but has not indicated if privacy issues will be part of the inquiry.

Black Kitty's Response:

IBM was to the Holocaust AS GOOGLE is to ______________?

I wish I did not know this answer. Maybe you have a better one for me.

Peace, Love and End to Searching Private Citizen Email for Keywords by ANYONE.