Jesus Malverde
Jesus Malverde's JournalPortable drug test a new addition at New Year's DUI checkpoints
The upcoming New Year’s crackdown on drunken driving will include a new test for many people who are pulled over — an oral swab that checks for marijuana, cocaine and other drugs.
The voluntary swabbing has been used just 50 times this year. But Los Angeles City Atty. Mike Feuer is pushing to use it at more checkpoints and jails as officials try to limit the number of drivers impaired by substances other than alcohol.
“Traditionally, our office has focused on drunken driving cases,” Feuer said at a news conference Friday. “We’re expanding drug collection and aggressively enforcing all impaired-driving laws.”
Individuals arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs must submit to a blood test. But prosecutors said the eight-minute, portable oral fluids test could eventually become a more effective use of resources in drugged-driving cases.
The test screens for cocaine, benzodiazepine (Xanax), methamphetamine, amphetamines, narcotic analgesics, methadone and THC representative of marijuana usage within the past few hours. City prosecutors have yet to use results from the test as evidence in a case.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-new-years-dui-checkpoints-20131227,0,3004417.story
LAPD To Step Up Patrols Of Drunk, Drugged Drivers Over New Year’s Eve Holiday
The Los Angeles Police Department will be stepping up patrols for impaired drivers over the upcoming New Year’s Eve holiday.
Motorists can expect increased patrols, as well as random checkpoints across the city. In addition to beefing up staffing at local jails, authorities will also be monitoring drugged drivers, which City Attorney Mike Feuer believes are on the rise due to marijuana dispensaries.
http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2013/12/27/lapd-to-step-up-patrols-of-drunk-drugged-drivers-over-new-years-eve/
Why people still use inefficient incandescent light bulbs
Starting Jan. 1, the United States will no longer manufacture or import incandescent bulbs – although stores can still sell what they have in stock. The phaseout is a result of federal rules to switch to more energy-efficient bulbs.
Energy-efficient bulbs cost more than incandescent bulbs but last much longer and save on energy costs in the long-term. So why are people still buying incandescent bulbs and what will the phaseout mean for you?
Incandescent bulbs cost much less
Incandescents are known for their warm light
consumers complain that CFLs don't last as long as advertised
The price of LED bulbs has also gone down significantly. The first LED bulbs to hit the market cost $30 each. Now some manufacturers offer LED bulbs for as little as $10, vs..... 70 cents.
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2013/12/27/incandescent-light-bulbs-phaseout-leds/4217009/
Man feared to be Gacy victim found alive in Montana after 41 years
“I sensed a little bit of regret when I was speaking to him,” Moran said. “He said he just got caught up in the ’70s lifestyle, and after years went by he became embarrassed he hadn’t had contact with his family and that made it easier to dismiss them,” Moran said.
Hutton said he tried to contact his family in the ’80s and ’90s but had trouble tracking them down, Moran said.
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2013-12-19/news/chi-man-reunited-with-family-41-years-after-feared-a-gacy-victim-20131219_1_gacy-victim-gacy-investigation-william-george-bundy
Secret Handshakes Greet Frat Brothers on Wall Street
That’s one reason men continue to dominate on Wall Street, where no woman has run a big bank. General Motors Co. (GM) announced Dec. 10 it would make Mary Barra the auto industry’s first female chief executive officer, the same day research firm Catalyst Inc. showed women holding about one in eight executive roles in U.S. finance.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2013-12-23/secret-handshakes-greet-frat-brothers-on-wall-street.html
SFPD: Teen was shot dead by fellow robber
Officials released the shocking details of the death of 16-year-old Clifton Chatman while announcing the arrest of one of the alleged thieves, who is also 16, on suspicion of murder and attempted robbery.
The target of the robbery was hospitalized, but is expected to survive. Investigators are still searching for the other males involved in the crime.
http://www.sfgate.com/crime/article/SFPD-Teen-was-shot-dead-by-fellow-robber-5097201.php
Boy Scouts open ranks to gay youth on Jan. 1
Source: AP
The Boy Scouts of America will accept openly gay youths starting on New Year's Day, a historic change that has prompted the BSA to ponder a host of potential complications — ranging from policies on tentmates and showers to whether Scouts can march in gay pride parades.
Yet despite their be-prepared approach, BSA leaders are rooting for the change to be a non-event, comparable to another New Year's Day in 2000 when widespread fears of digital-clock chaos to start the new millennium proved unfounded.
"My hope is there will be the same effect this Jan. 1 as the Y2K scare," said Brad Haddock, a BSA national executive board member who chairs the policy implementation committee. "It's business as usual, nothing happens and we move forward."
Some churches are dropping their sponsorship of Scout units because of the new policy and some families are switching to a new conservative alternative called Trail Life USA. But massive defections haven't materialized and most major sponsors, including the Roman Catholic and Mormon churches, are maintaining ties.
Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/news/texas/article/Boy-Scouts-open-ranks-to-gay-youth-on-Jan-1-5098227.php
Christmas gift brings treatment hope for cancer patients
University of Leicester researchers discover cancer-killing properties of frankincense in ovarian cancerResearchers from the University of Leicester have, for the first time, demonstrated the potential of treating ovarian cancer using the Christmas gift frankincense.
Frankincense, along with gold and myrrh, is one of the most famous Christmas presents in history, and is a fragrant plant resin extracted from the Boswellia sacra tree found across Africa and Arabia. Using the compound AKBA (acetyl-11-keto-beta-boswellic acid) derived from the resin, the research, funded by the Omani government, has successfully shown its potential effectiveness in targeting ovarian cancer, the fifth most common cancer in females in the UK.
More specifically, they have been able to demonstrate the ability of AKBA to combat cancer cells in late-stage ovarian cancer which is extremely pertinent in Oman where ovarian cancer is often diagnosed late due to a lack of visible symptoms and education on what to look for, making treatment difficult.
Lead researcher Kamla Al-Salmani, PhD student from the University’s Department of Cancer Studies and Molecular Medicine explained: “After a year of studying the AKBA compound with ovarian cancer cell lines in vitro, we have been able to show it is effective at killing the cancer cells. Frankincense is taken by many people with no known side effects. This finding has enormous potential to be taken to a clinical trial in the future and developed into an additional treatment for ovarian cancer.”
Frankincense has been used as a folk medicine for centuries due to its anti-inflammatory properties, making it a viable treatment for asthma, skin conditions and gastroenteritis among others. Previous studies have also successfully linked AKBA as a potential treatment for many other cancers, including colon, breast and prostate cancer; however this is the first study to demonstrate its potential in combatting ovarian cancer.
http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/press/press-releases/2013/december/christmas-gift-brings-treatment-hope-for-cancer-patients
South Sudan: 'White Army' militia marches to fight
Source: AP
Twenty-five thousand young men who make up a tribal militia known as the "White Army" are marching toward a contested state capital in South Sudan, an official said Saturday, dimming hopes for a cease-fire.
Seeking an end to the nearly two-week crisis in which an estimated 1,000 people have been killed, leaders from across East Africa announced on Friday that South Sudan had agreed to a "cessation of hostilities" against forces loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar, whom the government accuses of leading a coup attempt Dec. 15 that erupted into spiraling violence.
But Machar rejected that, saying in an interview with the BBC that any cease-fire had to be negotiated by delegations from both sides. The government in the capital, Juba, seized on that statement to further condemn Machar.
"Dr. Riek Machar has put obstacles to this genuine call by issuing pre-conditions that a cease-fire cannot be reached unless a negotiation is conducted," said Vice President James Wani Igga. "This is complete intransigence and obstinacy because the main issue now is to stop violence."
Read more: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2013/12/28/south-sudan-white-army-militia/4231213/
Obama behind the scenes...
And 108 more great pictures...
http://www.usnews.com/photos/obama-behind-the-scenes
Profile Information
Name: Jesus MalverdeGender: Male
Hometown: SF
Current location: Japan
Member since: Fri May 17, 2013, 11:44 PM
Number of posts: 10,274
