Sure, writing about food all day may sound glamorous, but sometimes this job is hard, people. For example, when we taste ArKay, the world’s first alcohol-free whisky, according to its website. First of all, the reasons for this beverage sort of make sense: due to religious or dietary restrictions, not everyone can consume alcohol. But that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be able to at least simulate the taste experience. “We want everyone to know that ArKay is beverage that they can enjoy,” stated Zeshan Ahmed, Vice President for ArKay Beverages, in a press release. “Our product conforms to strict Halal standards and the fact that it contains no alcohol whatsoever, is just one way that we let the consumer know we are respectful of their needs and beliefs.”However, this taste experience doesn’t come close to mimicking what actual whisky tastes like. Our eight intrepid tasters were unanimous in that this alcohol-free whisky tastes, well, pretty awful. The smell alone was reminiscent of “shoe cleaner” and was “horribly offensive, similar to that of a litter box.” The taste made one taster “want to puke.” Another said, “This tastes like I’m licking a horse saddle — I can’t tell if it tastes like leather or shoe polish.”
Via www.huffingtonpost.com

In late 2006, the whole of Britain watched in horror as five vulnerable female prostitutes were, one by one over the course of one and half months, picked up off the streets of Ipswich and taken to their deaths. The last victim, Paula Clennell, was even seen on television stating that, despite news of the murders and despite being alerted to the fact a killer was on the loose, she would continue working the streets as she ‘‘needed the money’’ to fund her drug habit. The killer was eventually identified as a Mr Steve Wright. In February 2008, Mr. Wright was found guilty of all five counts of murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. But the truth is that all five deaths were preventable. Preventable, that is, for want of some political courage on the part of our leaders.In response to the murders, there was, of course, a wide and varied national debate about policy on prostitution, and how to make these vulnerable women safer. Criminalization of demand, legalization, brothels – all were considered and discussed. Although these are urgent and legitimate areas for debate, one simple way to keep vulnerable women away from ‘‘the oldest oppression’’ as some feminists prefer to call it, was ignored: heroin prescription.
Via www.opendemocracy.net

We analyzed previously secret tobacco industry documents to identify internal strategies for research on cigarette additives and reanalyzed tobacco industry peer-reviewed published results of this research. We focused on the key group of studies conducted by Phillip Morris in a coordinated effort known as “Project MIX.” Documents showed that Project MIX subsumed the study of various combinations of 333 cigarette additives. In addition to multiple internal reports, this work also led to four peer-reviewed publications (published in 2001). These papers concluded that there was no evidence of substantial toxicity attributable to the cigarette additives studied. Internal documents revealed post hoc changes in analytical protocols after initial statistical findings indicated an additive-associated increase in cigarette toxicity as well as increased total particulate matter (TPM) concentrations in additive-modified cigarette smoke. By expressing the data adjusted by TPM concentration, the published papers obscured this underlying toxicity and particulate increase. The animal toxicology results were based on a small number of rats in each experiment, raising the possibility that the failure to detect statistically significant changes in the end points was due to underpowering the experiments rather than lack of a real effect.
Via www.plosmedicine.org

Tobacco use is the single most preventable cause of death in the world today. It claims more lives globally than HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria combined. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), unless urgent action is taken, tobacco could kill one billion people during this century. WHO data also shows that in comparison to HIV/AIDS which claimed three million lives globally last year, Tobacco deaths were nearly six million cases.
Via allafrica.com

Nearly one-third (30.5%) of alcohol-related emergency department (ED) visits made by underage youth and young adults also involved illicit or pharmaceutical drugs in 2009, according to data from the Drug Abuse Warning Network (DAWN). The most prevalent drug reported was marijuana (51.0%), followed by sedatives/hypnotics (17.5%), cocaine (14.3%), and narcotic pain relievers (11.4%). Slightly more than 6% of underage alcohol-related ED visits involved ecstasy—more than twice as many as in 2008. All other drugs made up less than 5%. The study also found that nearly two-thirds (64.4%) of these visits that involved other drugs did not receive any follow-up care, defined as admission to an inpatient unit in the hospital, transfer to another health care facility, or referral to a detoxification program or substance abuse treatment.
Via newrelevant.com

Alcohol use has often been linked to criminal activity on the part of both perpetrators as well as victims. While this relationship has been well documented among adults, fewer studies have explored this relationship among adolescents. A new study has found a strong relationship between drinking during adolescence and the commission of crimes, and criminal victimization, for both genders.Results will be published in the March 2012 issue of Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research and are currently available at Early View.
Via www.medicalnewstoday.com

During the Vietnam War, around 20% of U.S. servicemen were addicted to heroin. It was an epidemic.
To figure out what was going on, the U.S. government started checking every soldier for addiction before sending them home — and those on drugs had to stay in the country until they were clean. Once they returned to the U.S., psychiatric researcher Lee Robins tracked their progress, reports Alix Spiegel at NPR.
Amazingly, only 5% relapsed on heroin use, according to Lee’s research. When addicts were treated in the U.S., 90% relapsed.

Via www.businessinsider.com

Mustafa Jum’a, who runs a coffee shop in Ramallah in the West Bank, began to worry about his business as the prices for hookah smoke rise due to an extra tariff imposed on tobacco.Israeli authorities suddenly raised import tariffs on tobacco, a move the Palestinians have to follow because of the Paris Economic Protocol signed with Israel in 1994, which states the two must have bond import tariffs in the light with the unified customs framework.The rise has caused a reduction of customers, said Jum’a, adding most of his customers are public employees that used to come to the coffee shop twice or three times a day. “(They) now come here only once, if not every other day,” he said.The hookah price in Jum’a’s coffee shop has risen from seven shekels (around 1.8 U.S. dollars) to 12 shekels (3.4 dollars). He made money when hookah smokers order tea, coffee or other drink, so now he makes less profit due to the reduction of customers.
Via english.cri.cn

A drunken driving test may not seem the likeliest place to come up with a mobile phone app, but that’s when inspiration struck Nashville resident Clay Bradley.He told The Nashville Ledger that he was following a policeman’s pen with his eyes when he thought a smartphone could be used for the same purpose.He mentioned his idea to a couple of friends, and they came up with BreathalEyes.The 99-cent app launched in November and can be used to measure involuntary eye movements when people are intoxicated, which is one method police use in field sobriety tests.
Via www.tennessean.com