An Indonesian fisherman who feared that he would be killed by tree-like growths covering his body has been given hope of recovery by an American doctor - and Vitamin A.

Tree man 'who grew roots' may be cured - Telegraph

In the next few weeks, a computer will start the task of translating his thoughts into sounds.

And intellectual property just gained a new dimension.

BBC NEWS | Health | Paralysed man's mind is 'read'

SEATTLE - Coming soon next to the Coke and Pepsi in a store near you: ham-and latke-flavored soda to make your holiday feast complete.
It even will be kosher, the company making it says - including the ham.

Salt Lake Tribune - Mmmm, ham soda

“I think it’s clear by now that the federal government needs to reclassify marijuana. People who need it should be able to get it – safely and easily,” says The Price Is Right and Power of 10 host Drew Carey in a new Reason.tv video examining medical marijuana and the war on drugs.

reason.tv - Videos | Medical Marijuana

As a result of a law enacted in January — called the Deficit Reduction Act, or the "DRA" — the price of birth control pills at universities and health centers across the country has doubled, tripled, or worse. In addition, our own Planned Parenthood health centers in Mississippi and Alabama have been forced to raise prices for women that are coming to us, a safety net provider, because they cannot otherwise afford their contraceptives.

It's great when the Uber-Christians up the need for abortions. The world needs more abortions, especially Uber-Christians.

Take Action: Nearly 4 million women are counting on you to help keep birth control affordable

EDINBURGH, Scotland (AP) — Donovan, famous for '60s pop hits such as "Hurdy Gurdy Man" and "Mellow Yellow," has announced plans to open the Invincible Donovan University, where students will adhere to the principles of transcendental meditation.

...

"I didn't know what to do because I couldn't do this on my own. But then I met David Lynch, who told me about the positive effects of TM in education. Although it's taken me 35 years, I will do what the Maharishi told me to do."

The Associated Press: Donovan Plans Meditation University

For years health authorities have warned of the growing threat posed by drug-resistant bacteria, but most of us have been half-listening. Not anymore.

A virulent strain of bacteria that resists many antibiotics appears to be killing more people annually than AIDS, emphysema or homicide, taking an estimated 19,000 lives in 2005, according toa study published last week in The Journal of the American Medical Association. The recent death of a 17-year-old high school football payer in Virginia is a tragic reminder that methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, can prey on otherwise healthy people.

Drug-Resistant Staph: What You Need to Know - Well - Tara Parker-Pope - Health - New York Times Blog

"Certain military personnel like deployed forces would get vaccinated before certain other military personnel," HHS science adviser William Raub said in a telephone interview.

Virtually all health experts agree that the world is overdue for a pandemic of some sort of influenza.

No one can predict when one might come, how bad it would be or which strain of influenza virus may be responsible. But the H5N1 bird flu virus that has infected 331 people since 2003, killing 203 of them, is the current chief candidate.

Troops, key doctors to get first US bird flu shots | Reuters

Tampa, Florida - A Lithia woman spends almost two months in jail over a vial of cat urine.

Cynthia Hunter was arrested in August accused of stealing at a Brandon Wal-Mart.

The 38-year-old mother was charged with possession of a controlled substance after deputies found a vial in her purse that a field test suggested was meth.

Hunter had said the substance was dehydrated cat urine for her son's science project and that it had been purchased at an animal clinic. She was released Thursday after lab tests found the substance was, in fact, cat urine.

Hunter pleaded guilty to petty theft and a judge gave her time served.

The new hot drug...

Lithia mother had cat urine in purse, not meth - Local & State News - Tampa Bay's 10 - tampabays10.com

So far, spread of the avian (bird) influenza virus (H5N1) from person to person has been rare, and spread has not continued beyond one person.

Wait a minute... I thought we were one mutation away from this. Anyone have a spare gas mask?

Laws and Regulations: Q&A on Executive Order 13295, Influenza Viruses | CDC DGMQ