Coast Guard hauls in 20 tons of cocaine in record bust
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The U.S. Coast Guard unloaded nearly 20 tons of cocaine with a retail street value of $600 million at a California port Monday following what they called the largest drug bust at sea.
The armed Coast Guard Cutter Sherman made the bust March 17 when it stopped the Panamanian cargo ship Gatun about 20 miles off a Panamanian island.
On Monday, dozens of Coast Guard officials under heavy armed protection hauled bales of tightly wrapped packs of cocaine onto a pier at the service’s West Coast command center near Oakland, California.
“It was the largest bust in U.S. history. It’s the largest interdiction on the ocean,” Lt. Brock Eckel, one of the officers from the Sherman who discovered the illegal drugs, said in an interview. “It was very exciting, of course. Fifteen guys moved 20 tons of contraband in five hours, so it was very exhausting.”
The find aboard the Gatun, which was heading from Panama to Mexico in the Pacific Ocean, came late at night following a tip from an intelligence source, officials said.
Coast Guard Petty Officer Keith Alholm estimated the U.S. street value of the record bust at $300 million wholesale, $600 million retail.
The cargo ship’s 14 crew members were Panamanians and Mexicans, who acted nervously but were not armed and offered no resistance when stopped, according to Coast Guard officials who were present during the inspection. The cargo ship also carried tiles and sand.
“If you try to fight with the U.S. Coast Guard, you come out on the losing end. It would be futile,” said Charles DeMore, head of the San Francisco office of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The Panamanians were handed over to Panama while the Mexicans were taken into U.S. custody, Eckel said. The drugs would be transferred to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency for eventual incineration.
The Coast Guard ship had experienced mechanical difficulties during its mission and was running so low on water that the crew had stopped showering by the time of the March 17 raid, officials said.
“At the end of the day there is nothing like a good drug bust to lift everyone’s spirit,” said the ship’s captain, Charlie Diaz. “We were, of course, elated.”
The Alameda, California-based crew also made two smaller drug interdictions during their 101-day patrol at sea, officials said.
Gates Foundation Billions Change Pharma Landscape
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By Ben Hirschler
The billions of dollars thrown at global health problems by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation are changing the game in drug discovery, posing big challenges to the world’s top drugmakers, according to a report on Tuesday.
Pharmaceutical information group IMS Health Inc. said the emergence of megabuck philanthropy was both a threat and a collaboration opportunity for manufacturers.
“Pharma companies need to develop an explicit strategy to deal with this phenomenon,” IMS said in its annual Intelligence.360 report on factors shaping the industry.
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The power of the Gates Foundation was bolstered last year when Warren Buffett signed over much of his fortune to the organization, uniting the world’s two richest people in a bid to fight disease, reduce poverty and improve education.
The move will roughly double the foundation’s size to $60 billion, giving it plentiful resources to compete in the medical research arena with both government-funded institutions and commercial pharmaceutical firms.
As a result, even if drug companies succeed in making key discoveries first, they may still find it attractive to partner with the Gates Foundations, from a practical and public relations point of view, IMS believes.
AIDS VACCINE
VIAGRA - FUNNY JOKES
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ODE TO VIAGRA
Some say it is super.
Some say it is silly.
We hear it works great
for a limp-acting Willie.
You’ve heard no doubt
Of a starch called Niagara.
We found out by chance
It’s what’s contained in Viagara.
At ten dollars a pop
This seems like a buy.
But can you suggest it
To your impotent guy?
It’s side effects aren’t charted
It may be too iffy.
But what some men won’t do
For a good old-fashioned stiffy!
This old man in his eighty’s got up and was putting on his coat. His wife said, “Where are you going?”
He said, “I’m going to the doctor.”
And she said, “Why, are you sick?”
“No,” he said. “I’m going to get me some of those new Viagra pills.”
So his wife got up out of her rocker and was putting on her sweater and he said, “Where are you going?”
She replied, “I’m going to the doctor too.”
He asked why.
She says, “If you’re going to start using that rusty old thing again, I’m going to get a tetanus shot!”
Grandpa and Grandma were living with their son and daughter-in-law. Grandpa noticed that his son had a bottle of Viagra and asked if he could have one.His son said, “Dad, I don’t think you should take one - they’re very strong and expensive.”
Grandpa said, “I know, but I want to try one. How much are they??”
His son replied, “$10 each.”
Grandpa only had a $50 bill but was going to the bank. He told his son that he would leave $10 under his pillow that night.
The next morning his son found $110 under his pillow and said, “Dad, I told you it was only $10. There’s $110 under my pillow!”
Grandpa said, “That’s ok, the other $100 is from Grandma!”
A woman asks her husband if he’d like some breakfast; bacon, eggs, perhaps a slice of toast? Grapefruit with coffee to follow?He declines. “It’s this Viagra,” he says, “it’s really taken the edge off my appetite.”
At lunch time, she asks if he would like something. A bowl of home made soup, maybe, with a cheese sandwich? Perhaps a plate of snacks and a glass of milk?
He declines. “It’s this Viagra,” he says, “It’s really taken the edge off my appetite.”
Come tea time, she asks if he wants anything to eat. She’ll go to the cafe and buy him a burger. Maybe a steak and cheese pie? Pizza? Or a tasty stir fry that would only take a couple of minutes?
He declines. “It’s this Viagra,” he says, “it’s really taken the edge off my appetite.”
“Well,” she says, “would you mind getting off me? I’m fucking starving!”
Concerned about his failing manhood, a farmer went to the local doctor for help. The doctor gave him a small container of Viagra and told him to take no more than one a day.Back home, the farmer thought he’d try the medication on his stud horse first. The horse swallowed the pill, jumped out of his stall, kicked a side of the barn over, and ran off down the road.
“Those pills are too strong for me,” the farmer thought, and poured the rest into his well.
Later, when the doctor came to check on him, the farmer told how he had disposed of the medication.
“Heavens!” exclaimed the doctor. “You haven’t drunk any of the well water, have you?”
No,” said the farmer. “We can’t get the pump handle down.”
Bartender: “Joe, you look kinda down, what’s the matter?”Joe: “Well, I went to the doctor this morning and told him I had to get some of those Viagra pills. The doctor told me they wouldn’t help my love life at all.”
Bartender: “Why not? I thought that they would do the trick for any guy.”
Joe: “The doctor told me it wouldn’t help me at all to put a good flag pole on such a worn out old building!”
The impotent bus driver goes to see his doctor. He wants some Viagra, but he doesn’t want his wife to know about it. The doctor prescribes it for him, he heads to the pharmacist, who fills the prescription. Home is a good hour away so the bus driver quickly downs one of the little blue pills.When he gets home, he doesn’t even have to tell his wife with words. That twinkle in his eye speaks volumes. They tear off each others clothes and are quickly in bed.
He manages to “rise to the occasion” three times. Three times! He expects his wife to be delighted, but instead, she seems rather sad.
“What’s wrong, dear?” he asks
“I think your job is taking over every aspect of your life and it’s doing you in,” she sighs.
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, even our sex life is like the bus service. Nothing for ages, and then three come all at once!”
A middle aged man, about 5 foot 8 inches tall, walks into a Walgreens and asks where the pharmacy counter is. He is directed to it. When he reaches it, he asks to see the pharmacist. He comes out and the man, looking around furtively, asks sotto voce, “Do you sell VIAGRA here?” The pharmacist answers firmly, “Yes, sir. We certainly do.”
The man then says, “Do you think I could get it over the counter?”
The pharmacist looks at him for a moment and then says, “Perhaps if you took 5 or 6 pills at once, you might.”
The FDA says pilots shouldn’t go into the cockpit until 6 hours have elapsed after using Viagra. Strange, I thought you used Viagra to get INTO the cockpit.
An elderly gentleman went to the local drug store and asked the pharmacist for Viagra. The pharmacist said, “That’s no problem. How many do you want?”The man answered, “Just a few, maybe 4, but cut each one in 4 pieces.”
The pharmacist said, “That won’t do you any good.”
The elderly gentleman said, “That’s alright. I don’t need them for sex anymore as I am over 80 years old. I just want it to stick out far enough so I don’t pee on my shoes.”
Did you hear about the snake that took Viagra and ended up as a walking stick?They’ve discovered the secret ingredient in Viagra.
Fix-a-Flat!
Viagra has been a big boon to “stand up” comedians.
The man spent too much money on Viagra: Now, he’s hard up.
Viagra in chocolate bars - you eat it … she says, “Oh, Oh Henry!”
A bank sign in Dallas during this heat wave complains: “Who put Viagra in the thermometer?”
Bread with Viagra as an added ingredient is being marketed through a Boston bakery under the name “Pepperidge Firm.”
Have you tried the new hot beverage, Viagraccino? One cup and you’re up all night.
A guy said that he left his Viagra tablet in his shirt pocket when he sent it to the laundry. Now, his shirt is too stiff to wear.
SLOGANS FOR VIAGRA
“Viagra, the quicker, dicker upper.”
“Viagra, one-a-day, like iron.”
“Viagra, when it absolutely, positively has to be there tonight.”
“Viagra, home of the whopper.”
“Viagra, it plumps when you take ‘em.”
“Viagra, strong enough for a man, but made for a woman.”
“Viagra, tastes great, less filling.”
“Viagra, ten inches long…and growing.”
“Viagra, we work harder, so you don’t have to.”
“This is your penis. This is your penis on Viagra. Any questions?”
“Get a piece of the rock.”
“You’ve come a long way, baby!”
“Viagra, built ram tough.”
“Here’s the beef!”
“Just do her.”
HOW TO TELL IF YOUR VIAGRA IS WORKING
* At work, they call you a spiritualist because when you sit down at a meeting, the table floats.
* The paleness of your face (because of the lack of blood)–It’s all you-know-where.
* You begin to look at the dog with interest.
* You fall naked and face down on the beach and the point comes out in New Zealand.
* When you come into a sauna, everyone stands up and applauds.
* You begin to thing that your mother-in-law is pretty.
* They begin to call you “the tripod.”
* You go out to sunbathe nude and (if you’re standing) the birds perch on it to rest, or (if you’re lying down) you look like a sundial.
* When you go camping all you bring is the canvas, but you leave the tent poles behind.
* Everyone lets you get in line in front of him or her in the bank, the supermarket, etc.
* Pinocchio doesn’t look like such a liar, compared with you.
* You always lose limbo contests.
* Lewinsky wants you to be president someday.
* You can make drawings in the sand at the beach without having to look for a stick.
* You had them take down the ceiling fan in the bedroom because you like to sleep on your back.
Did you hear the first Viagra baby has been born?
It could stand up right away.What’s the generic name for Viagra?
Mycoxafillin.
What do Disneyland and Viagra have in common?
You wait one hour for a two minute ride!
If you do need to take Viagra, remember to swallow them quickly otherwise you’ll get a stiff neck.
Before Viagra, for some people, making love was classified as “assault with a dead weapon.”
Viagra, medicine’s version of “MIRACLE-GRO.”
If I give my computer monitor Viagra, will the screen get bigger?
I would only take Viagra for intellectual purposes, so my head would swell!
Viagra Falls, the new waterfall that flows upward.
Mix Viagra and Prozac and you have a guy who is ready to go, but doesn’t really care where.
Did you hear that they are giving the old guys in the nursing home Viagra every night?
It keeps them from rolling out of bed.
Did you know they are mixing Viagra and Doans (the backpain medicine)?
It keeps the back from petering out and the peter from backing out.
Are you taking Viagra or are you just happy to see me?
Did you hear about Levi’s new jeans for Baby Boomer men?…. They come with just a “Viagra” more room.
For women not-in-the-mood, California bars now have Viagra-free zones.
And the New Viagra SMILEY FACE! :—)
What do you get when you cross Viagra with Rogaine?
Don King.
What do the vacuum “dirt devil” and Viagra have in common?
They both put the power of an upright in the palm of your hand.
A shipment of Viagra was highjacked today. Police have put out an All-Points bulletin: Be on the lookout for two hardened criminals! They will face a stiff sentence when convicted and they’ll surely be sent to a Penal Institution.
THE 16 DAYS OF VIAGRA
Day 1
Just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary with not much to celebrate. When it came time to re-enact our wedding night, HE locked himself in the bathroom and cried.
Day 2
Today he says he has a big secret to tell me. He’s impotent, he says and he wants me to be the first to know. Why doesn’t he tell me something I DON’T know! I mean, give me a break. He’s been dysfunctional for so long, he even WALKS with a limp.
Day 3
This marriage is in trouble. A woman has needs. Yesterday, I saw a picture of the Washington Monument and burst into tears.
Day 4
A miracle has happened! There’s a new drug on the market that will fix his “problem.” It’s called Viagra. I told him that if he takes Viagra, things will be just like they were on our wedding night. He said, “This time, I’d rather not have your mother join us.” (I think this will work. I replaced his Prozac with the Viagra, hoping to lift something other than his mood.)
Day 7
This Viagra thing has gone to his head. (No pun intended). Yesterday, at Burger King, the manager asked me if I’d like a Whopper. He thought they were talking about him. GET OVER YOURSELF! Not everything is about you!
Day 8
I think he took too many over the weekend. Yesterday, instead of mowing the lawn, he was using his new friend as a weed wacker.
Day 10
Okay, I admit it. I’m hiding. I mean, a girl can only take so much. And to make matters worse, he’s washing the Viagra down with Hard Cider! The photo of Janet Reno isn’t working. What am I going to do?
Day 11
The side effects are starting to get to him. Everything is turning blue. The other day, we were watching Kenneth Branaugh in Hamlet, and he thought it was The Smurfs Do Denmark.
Day 12
I’m basically being drilled to death. It’s like going out with Black and Decker.
Day 13
I wish he was gay. I bought 400 Liza Minelli albums and I keep saying “fabulous” and still he keeps coming after me!
Day 14
Now I know how Saddam Hussein’s wife feels. Every time I shut my eyes, there’s a sneak attack! It’s like going to bed with a scud missile. Let’s hope he’s like President Bush and pulls out in 100 days.
Day 15
I’ve done everything to turn him off. Nothing is working. I even started dressing like a nun. Now he tells me sister Wendy revs his motor.
Day 16
I may just have to kill him. Then he’ll go out the way he wants to: stiff. With my luck, I won’t be able to close the casket.
A man comes to a doctor and, twitching his fingers and stuttering, finally manages to say, “Doctor, I have a sexual performance problem. Can you help me?”“Oh, that’s not a problem for us men anymore!” announces the proud physician. “They just came out with this new wonder drug, Viagra, that does the trick! You take some pills, and your problems are history!”
So the doctor gives the man a prescription and sends him on his merry way.
A couple of months later, the doctor runs into his patient on the street. “Doctor, Doctor!” exclaims the man excitedly, “I’ve got to thank you! This drug is a miracle! It’s wonderful!”
“Well, I’m glad to hear that,” says the pleased physician. “What does your wife think about it?”
“Wife? I haven’t been home yet!”
Suplements and Your Health
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Suplements and Your Health
By: Galina Samitova
Galina Samitova - Who is Living a healthy Life with Veriuni nutritionals. http://www.ezinfocenter.com/8386375/VNU
Suplements and Your Health
A lot of people these days are trying to make their health better. No matter where you turn, from TV to newspapers, you’ll see stories about people and how bad their health actually is. Even though there are many different companies out there that offer vitamins and supplements and claim that they will change your healthy, you’ll need to research what they offer and sure that you aren’t just wasting your money.
If you are looking to improve your health, you’ll need to at many different vitamin supplements to find which ones are the best for you. You should look at everything available, and not just try a few to see what happens. Dieting is the ideal place to start, as it can make the most improvements on your health. Dieting can change your body, and make you feel a lot better as well.
These days, a lot of people eat way too much sweets and sugar, choosing refined products over healthy food. Even though it isn’t a bad thing to enjoy sweets and chocolate, you should never make a habit out of it. You can still enjoy your favorite foods as well, although you should be looking at the healthy benefits of food as well and think of everything as a whole.
If you include healthy foods such as salads, vegetables, and fruit into your diet, you’ll be eating healthy. Protein is also beneficial to your health, as it promotes the growth of your muscle. Those of you, who are serious about eating healthy but are unsure where to start, should contact a nutritionist. They will be able to tell you where to start, and how to achieve a healthy diet that will chance your life.
Even though you may be eating healthy or trying to eat healthy, you’ll probably find yourself wondering about vitamins and supplements and how much of an impact they have on your diet. Dieticians are ideal to consult with these types of questions, as they can answer any questions relating to vitamins that you have. They can also tell you which supplements are ideal to your health, and which ones you should include in your diet.
Different people will have different needs and requirements, making it essential to get advice from a qualified professional. If you get the advice from a professional, you’ll know what you can add to your diet. If you try to do it all yourself without the advice of a professional, you can end up not getting enough in your diet, or you could end up taking something that you shouldn’t be taken.
Exercise is also important to your diet and your health. Although supplements and vitamins will go a long way, exercise will do a lot for your body. If you exercise on a regular basis, and take the right supplements and vitamins with your diet, you’ll notice that you have more energy and you feel better than you ever have in your life.
Before you start with your new diet or rush out and buy your new vitamin supplements, you should always check with your doctor first to see if he has any recommendations. You should also tell him what type of exercise you are planning on doing, and see if there are any complications with your health. Getting a healthy lifestyle is always a great thing, although you should always consult with your doctor. This way, you’ll know the best way to start and how to go about getting in the best shape of your life.
Healthy Food Shopping - a Few Tips
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We all have to go grocery shopping, and ok, it can be a bit of a chore, and not that easy to find the healthiest foods in the store. But it is worth putting in a bit of extra effort, as you may as well come away from the store with a bag full of healthy food, rather than a bag full of rubbish. Hopefully the tips below will help you in this endeavor just a bit.
1. First and foremost, do not go food shopping on an empty stomach.
2. Always choose whole grain breads, cereals, and rolls. No white bread, please.
3. If you need chicken, opt for the skinless pieces and turkey with no skin on it.
4. If you go for the TV dinner type of frozen meal, make sure they are low in fat, and also low in sodium and cholesterol too.
5. Try and make sure you read the labels and look for the word ”hydrogenated”, the higher on the list you see this term, the more of the unhealthy fatty acids the food will contain.
6. Have a look at calcium fortified orange juice, especially if you or your family does not consume many dairy products.
7. Always try to include some fruit on your shopping list. Obvious, I know, but it still merits a mention.
Make a start and follow the above tips when out grocery shopping and it should help you to avoid some of the less healthy food on the grocery stores shelves. It really is just as easy to choose healthy, low fat, nutritional foodstuffs as it is to choose the bad alternative. Trust me, you will feel better for it.
Of course we now have a fantastic resource called the internet. So, go seek out the wealth of information regarding healthy diets that is available. There is a very true saying “you are what you eat” just think about that as you’re browsing the aisles, and you won’t go far wrong.