Free Republic

Study: Don't Avoid Opioids to Treat Back Pain By Holly VanScoy HealthScoutNews Reporter (HealthScoutNews) -- Doctors and pharmacists tend to avoid prescribing them, patients are afraid of becoming addicted to them, and government officials are concerned about their abuse. It's little wonder that opioids have acquired something of an unsavory reputation in medicine. But is it all deserved? A new study suggests it's a mistake to ignore the potential value of these powerful pain relievers for chronic conditions, including musculoskeletal pain and lower back pain. There's evidence that opioids such as morphine, oxycodone, and fentanyl can help and should be...

Boycott may doom talks on Kosovo Helena Smith in Athens Monday October 13, 2003 The Guardian Talks due to start tomorrow between political leaders from Serbia and Kosovo seemed doomed last night after the main Albanian delegation said it would boycott the discussions, the first since the end of the 1999 war. The pledge by Bajram Rexhepi, the province's Albanian prime minister, came hours before Serbia's parliament speaker confirmed that the Belgrade government will face a no-confidence motion tomorrow, which may also jeopardise the negotiations in Vienna. It had been hoped that the vote - which could force Serbia's ruling...

Homeland Security asks industry for border security ‘vision’ By Shane Harris sharris@govexec.com Homeland Security Department officials want the private sector to take the lead in developing and implementing a plan to track the 300 million foreign nationals who visit the United States each year. Immigration and border security laws passed in reaction to the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks require that by the end of 2005, the identities of all foreign nationals must be verified whenever they enter or leave the country. By the end of this year, all visitors must submit copies of their fingerprints to the Homeland Security...

Reza Pahlavi, son of the former Shah of Iran has just released a letter to: His Excellency Kofi Annan Secretary General United Nations New York, NY 10017 Your Excellency: For the seventh consecutive night, the people of Iran have courageously defied the harsh repression of the ruling clerics and have expressed their legitimate demands for freedom and democracy in Iran via nonviolent methods.

passed this morning, vote was 113-58 AUTHORIZATION OF CEREMONIES TO CELEBRATE RELATIONSHIPS of MUTUALITY AND FIDELITY WHEREAS, the Episcopal Church professes that at its best, a Christian community lifts up its members, freeing their gifts and supporting their life; THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED: That the 33rd annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Nevada, desiring to support relationships of mutuality and fidelity which mediate the grace of God between those persons for whom the celebration and blessing of a marriage is not available, does hereby authorize that ceremonies to celebrate the relationships of such persons who are baptized members in...

OK, I'm reaching a milestone in stupid thinking, and I'm toying with the idea of installing Pergo/Bruce flooring the length and breadth of about a 600 square foot room. My questions are twofold - first, for anyone who has done this themselves, am I biting off more than I can chew, and how long an I expect to be at this. Second, for those who paid for this installation, what was the rate per square foot, and how long were they at it? All observations welcome. Thanks in advance.

<p>Notwithstanding her star power, or the fact that she can raise money and build an organization, some political experts say the drop-dead date has already passed for Sen. Hillary Clinton to seek the Democratic presidential nomination in 2004.</p> <p>Clinton's husband, the former president, a relative unknown at the time, officially launched his campaign on Oct. 4, 1991, though he had been campaigning in key states and building a political base before then. Still, since Bill Clinton's late entry, the date has been a guidepost for would-be candidates, said Democratic Party spokeswoman Deborah DeShong.</p>

Turks will bring chaos, say Kurds Michael Howard in Irbil Monday October 13, 2003 The Guardian (UK) The Bush administration is in danger of scoring a disastrous own goal with its decision to bring Turkish peacekeeping troops into Iraq, a Kurdish leader has warned. Necirvan Barzani, prime minister of the Kurdistan regional government in Irbil and a key US ally in the war to remove Saddam Hussein, said the plan to bring Turkish soldiers to Iraq had needlessly upset the pro-American Kurdish population in the north, and was also opposed by Sunni and Shia Arab communities in central and southern...

Associated Press NEW YORK -- Boston Red Sox ace Pedro Martinez should have been arrested for throwing 72-year-old Yankees coach Don Zimmer to the ground during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series, Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Sunday. "If that happened in New York we would have arrested the perpetrator," Bloomberg said. "Nobody should throw a 70-year-old man to the ground, period. You start doing that pretty soon you're going to throw a 61-year-old man to the ground, and I have a big vested interest in that." "You just cannot assault people, even if it's on a baseball field,"...

Reuters News Wire ^ | Sun June 15, 2003 02:01 PM ET | Patricia Wilson Posted on 06/15/2003 11:26 AM PDT by Ernest_at_the_Beach KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine (Reuters) - President Bush on Sunday praised pro-democracy demonstrators in Iran, calling their protests a positive step toward freedom. "This is the beginning of people expressing themselves toward a free Iran which I think is positive," Bush said.

Now that winter weather is approaching, you might find yourself stuck in the TV room. Fear not! The following is one man’s guide to what’s on. Feel free to add your own. This excludes pay-cable (like HBO, Cinemax, etc.) And you have to allow for regional variations (e.g., differences in time, football game coverage, affiliates, etc.) Includes selected talk shows. All times Eastern.Sunday 9:00AM TVLand – Burns & Allen - Cameo by Ronald Reagan.9:00AM CBS Sunday Morning. - Retrospective on the Pope’s 25th Anniv. 9:15AM AMC – To Catch a Thief – Too bad AMC added commercials, though10:00AM TOON –...

I am taking a lead from BigMack I want to commend all of you for your zeal, but it is time for me to step away from the religion threads. May you all find peace in the Lord. v.

<p>In a statement during his nationally syndicated radio show Friday, Rush Limbaugh acknowledged an addiction to prescription pain medication. The conservative commentator also said, "I am checking myself into a treatment center for the next 30 days to once and for all break the hold this highly addictive medication has on me."</p>

LISBON (AFP) - A youth-oriented clothing store located in the heart of the Portuguese capital plans to give away clothes on Wednesday to any customer who is willing to go shopping at the shop naked. "Those who come naked, will leave clothed," one of the managers of Yorn Store, Vera Guedes, told AFP. Participants at the clothing giveaway will be allowed to undress inside the shop and will then be given a towel to cover themselves while they wait in the busy downtown street outside the store for the event to begin. Once the signal is given, the shoppers will...

Syndicated columnist Jill Stewart blasted the Los Angeles Times for its coverage of Arnold Schwarzenegger, and said the paper continues to cover-up for Gray Davis. Appearing on CNN’s Reliable Sources, Stewart, a former Los Angeles Times reporter, told host Howard Kurtz that the paper has still not covered stories of Gray Davis’ violent temper tantrums. Stewart first broke the story of Davis’ Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personality in 1997 writing for Los Angeles’ New Times. She claimed at least one female said Davis had physically assaulted her. But Stewart made new claims on CNN Sunday. "Last year, on...

NEW YORK -- None of Rush Limbaugh's friends contacted by Newsweek seemed to know the talk-radio host had a drug problem. "What's interesting," one of these friends told Newsweek, "is that he apparently hid the pills from his wife." Limbaugh's dependence on painkillers began after an unsuccessful back surgery in the late '90's, reports Assistant Managing Editor Evan Thomas in the October 20 issue of Newsweek, (on newsstands Monday, October 13). In last week's radio confessional, Limbaugh told his listeners that he had twice gone to a hospital to detox. "What did he tell his wife when he checked into...

Important people traveled last week.Gov. Rick Perry searched New York City for factories to transport to Texas. He set aside a little time to raise money from those who sell insurance to state governments.House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Sugar Land, worked Austin's state Capitol offices in search of additional Republican votes in Congress.Perry and DeLay both had practical aims based on sharp-eyed calculation. Yet each, in his own way, is sort of a dreamer.The governor told the financial media what we might call "The Texas Story": Balanced budget, good tort reform, independent electricity grid, good for business. He left out...

If Rush Limbaugh's ex-housekeeper Wilma Cline tape-recorded her prescription drug sales to the talk radio megastar, as claimed in the National Enquirer, she committed a felony punishable by up to five years in jail, according to lawyers familiar with case. That means that Mrs. Cline - and not Mr. Limbaugh - could be the one doing jail time if the Florida State's Attorney's office decides to prosecute. Although so-called legal experts outside Florida have repeatedly called Mrs. Cline's tapes the most legally problematic evidence against Limbaugh, Assistant State's Attorney James Martz told the Palm Beach Post that Cline's recordings were...

Senator Fern Shubert, Republican Whip, toured Western NC for three days this week, ending with the 11th Congressional District's Golden Elephant Awards Dinner. The citizens we came in contact with were as kind as anyone could possibly be, and the enthusiasm for Fern's positive message was greatly received. Fern appeared on WISE Friday morning with Bill Fishburne, and WWNC on Friday afternoon with Tony Dale. A local cable show (Channel 10) will carry an interview with Fern Shubert this coming week, and look for interviews with Fern in local newspapers.

ALABAMA BISHOP SENDS IN SPY TO AAC DALLAS MEETING Special Report By David W. Virtue The Bishop of Alabama, the Rt. Rev. Henry N. Parsley, Jr., sent a spy to the AAC conference in Dallas, and in a letter to his clergy, urged them "not to associate this diocese or yourself with any statement or documents that support schismatic action." The name of the plant was the Rev. Ron Morpeth. He went as the bishop's "official representative for the Diocese," and obtained "press" credentials even though he has not now, nor has he ever been, a journalist. According to the...