Anyone like me, who personally knows someone who has had their life destroyed because of Oxy probably had mixed feelings reading this today in the Times.

The company that makes the narcotic painkiller OxyContin and three current and former executives pleaded guilty today in federal court here to criminal charges that they misled regulators, doctors and patients about the drug’s risk of addiction and its potential to be abused.
...according to federal officials, Purdue sales representatives falsely told doctors that the statement, rather than simply being a theory, meant that OxyContin had a lower potential for addiction or abuse than drugs like Percocet. Among other things, company sales officials were allowed to draw their own fake scientific charts, which they then distributed to doctors, to support that misleading abuse-related claim, federal officials said.

Unbelievable. How many people died while they were deciding whether to come clean about their "misbranding"? Obviously people are responsible for their own actions, and people with a propensity to drug addiction will find something regardless, but this drug was especially insidious. It provided pain relief to very ill people who thought they had no hope, but it also destroyed so many lives. A little pill that, when crushed, was as powerful as heroin. Maybe a simple warning wouldn't have prevented it all, but one can't help but think it might have made some difference in the attention doctors paid to prescribing it.

Does the company deserve some credit for coming clean, rather than dragging the trial out?

In Guilty Plea, OxyContin Maker to Pay $600 Million

OxyContin Producers admit to 'Misbranding'

What's Known for Certain?

Scientists know for certain that human activities are changing the composition of Earth's atmosphere. Increasing levels of greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide (CO2 ), in the atmosphere since pre-industrial times have been well documented. There is no doubt this atmospheric buildup of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases is largely the result of human activities

The EPA's official stance on global warming can be found at this site. Hmm. With this level of certainty, within our government, as to the effects of humans on earth's atmosphere, what is the controversial issue about adopting more environmentally friendly policies?

Decius provided me earlier with some "non-partisan" websites with more info. Here they are:
"
http://yosemite.epa.gov/oar/globalwarming.nsf/content/index.html
http://www.realclimate.org/index.php?p=238
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Global_warming_controversy

Of course, the British Government could be viewed as "liberal:"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/4660938.stm

CNN is also known as the "Communist News Network:"
http://edition.cnn.com/2004/TECH/science/01/21/climate.cooling.ap/

The author of that report is: http://www.pik-potsdam.de/~stefan/

If you're looking for a politically conservative view, you should try
the Cato Institute:
http://www.cato.org/current/global-warming/"

If everyone agrees- at least- that humans have some effect on the atmosphere, why wouldn't it be at least a low-level priority to make that effect positive? Scientists? Explain please.

EPA : Global Warming : Climate : Uncertainties

Paramount Classics and Participant Prods. have teamed with NativeEnergy on an eco-savvy way to tout the film: They're offsetting 100% of the carbon dioxide emissions generated by pic-related globetrotting activities such as air travel, car services and hotels.

NativeEnergy calculates a "carbon footprint" based on the promopromo activities, with ParPar Classics and Participant splitting the costs associated with the footprint. NativeEnergy will use the proceeds to help build new Native American, Alaskan Native Village and farmer-owned renewable energy projects.

Thus, the doc becomes the first carbon-neutral pic in Tinseltown, Par Classics boasts.

And, its a fantastic movie. Everyone should go check it out, if only to get a handle on what they disagree with.

Variety.com - 'Truth' prevails as eco-friendly film