skip to main | skip to sidebar

Mar 19, 2012

Your 2 hourly digest for U.S. News

Comments
U.S. News
Stories from NBC reporters around the country.
Georgians are 'suckers' for the lottery
Mar 19th 2012, 20:59

By msnbc.com staff

Georgians are among the biggest suckers in the nation when it comes to buying lottery tickets, spending an average of $470.73 each on the games of chance, according to a report by BloombergBusinessweek.

Only Massachusetts residents spent more on the games, averaging $860.70 per adult, more than three times the U.S. average, according to the Sucker Index created by Bloomberg Rankings.  But Massachusetts players are luckier than those in Georgia, winning back 72 cents for each dollar spent.

In Georgia, players won only 63 cents for each dollar spent.


The Sucker Index was created using 2010 data from the U.S. Census and annual reports from state lottery commissions, which include multistate games like Powerball. The rankings are determined by subtracting the total dollar amount of prizes awarded from ticket sales. The difference is then divided by the total personal income of each state’s residents.

Using that formula, the top five Sucker Index states are: Georgia, Massachusetts, New York, Michigan, South Carolina, BloombergBusinessweek reported.

The rankings have gotten attention in Georgia, where the Atlanta Journal Constitution wrote a blog post about the Sucker Index, noting BloombergBusinessweek found that lottery players in the state are “doing the most damage to their personal finances” and that “the pot comes disproportionately from lower-income residents.”

In a guest editorial in the Sunday Augusta Chronicle, Georgia Lottery spokeswoman Tandi Reddick said Bloomberg’s story was “demeaning.”

New York ranked third in the index, followed by Michigan and South Carolina. The lowest scores went to Oklahoma, Washington, South Dakota, Montana and North Dakota.

Some states didn't rank at all because they don't have lotteries. They are Alabama, Alaska, Hawaii, Mississippi, Nevada, Utah and Wyoming.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

thumbnail Asian leaf 'kratom' making presence felt in US emergency rooms
Mar 19th 2012, 20:48

Paula Bronstein / Getty Images file

A drug user in Thailand breaks up kratom leaf into a pan in the process of creating a popular cheap narcotic drink called 4x100. It is one way that the traditional herb kratom, which is now illegal in Thailand, is used recreationally.

By Kari Huus, msnbc.com

When a patient showed up in a West Coast emergency room early this month suffering withdrawal from something he called "kratom," the psychiatrist on duty was forced to scramble for information. But when he looked it up, he found that the opiate-like leaf from Southeast Asia is well known in the worlds of alternative medicine and the drug culture.

What the doctor, who asked not to be named for patient confidentiality reasons, found in an Internet search were Web pages set up by dozens of companies selling kratom leaf and touting it as a way to combat fatigue, pain and depression -- even as an antidote to heroin addiction.

But in addition to its possible medicinal uses, kratom is beginning to show up in U.S. emergency rooms, with doctors saying they are dealing with people sick from taking it — especially teens who try it to get high.

"Every month somebody is trying to get a new 'safe high'," said Frank LoVecchio, medical director of the Banner Good Samaritan Poison and Drug Information Center in Phoenix, Ariz. "(Kratom) is definitely not safe."


Estimating usage of the drug is impossible, but emergency events involving kratom appear to be increasing, he said. In 2005, only two incidents were reported by poison control centers nationwide. But Banner’s center dealt with six emergencies involving kratom in 2011, he said.

As with many herbal and chemical products on the market, science and law enforcement are playing catch-up. Little research has been done to determine the risks of taking kratom, so it remains legal and unregulated in the United States.

The leaf, which is indigenous to Southeast Asia, has been around for thousands of years, and proponents argue that it is safe and effective for many maladies, while having fewer side effects and being less addictive than pharmaceutical alternatives, such as oxycodone. In small doses, they say, kratom provides an energy boost — the plant is in the coffee family — and in larger doses it creates a mellow, sedating effect, acting on the opioid receptors.

"Kratom makes people feel pain free, strong, active and optimistic," according to the Website Kratom.com. It has multiple functions, said the site, which sells kratom leaves, powder and extracts from Thailand — "as a strong and reliable herbal painkiller, to relieve depression and as a social and professional enhancer to intensify communicational skills and induce higher motivation."

Just as its safety has not been well studied, the drug has no scientifically established medical uses — though it has many enthusiastic adherents who swear by it. Testimonials in support of its ability to relieve chronic pain, depression, diabetes and other maladies surface in droves whenever kratom makes the news, as witnessed in the comments following this blog published in the Phoenix New Times in August 2011.


Kari Huus


Follow Kari Huus on Twitter and Facebook.



But even promoters warn that daily use of kratom can lead to dependence and nasty side effects.

“Long-term daily high dose kratom consumption is also reported to induce nervousness, sleeplessness, loss of libido, constipation and the darkening of skin complexion,” Kratom.com says in its "dangerous effects" section.

Although there have been no fatalities from kratom, "The known risks and dangers of Kratom overdoses include hallucinations, delusions, listlessness, tremors, aggression, constipation and nausea," the site said.

The emergency room psychiatrist said the patient who recently came in reported using kratom several times a day, every day, "because he discovered that if he stopped it he started getting withdrawal." The doctor said the man's symptoms appeared "identical to heroin withdrawal."

Upon arrival, the patient was suffering "severe depression and anxiety and emerging opiate withdrawal symptoms," including chills, aching muscles and gooseflesh, the psychiatrist said. The patient was treated to ease withdrawal symptoms and then hospitalized, according to the doctor. 

Like "bath salts" and "spice" — drugs that are now illegal but were legal and trendy until law enforcers and medical researchers gathered data on their dangers -- kratom is under scrutiny, having been added to a Drug Enforcement Administration's list of "drugs and chemicals of concern."

If the DEA concludes that kratom poses a public health risk, the agency can request that the Department of Health and Human Services place it on a schedule of banned and controlled substances.

The discovery and review process is accelerating in the Internet age, said Barbara Carreno, public information officer for the DEA.

"Things used to get around by word of mouth and it took a long time," said Carreno. "Now anyone can find out about anything within a matter of minutes … so there’s a lot of experimenting with exotic things that no one had ever heard of."

Kratom is illegal in a number of countries in Europe and Asia — most notably Thailand, where much of it is produced. It is now the third most commonly used illegal drug in Thailand, according to the DEA. In that country’s drug culture, the leaf is sometimes combined with cough syrup and Coke, tranquilizers and marijuana to produce a narcotic drink called "4x100."

LoVecchio, of the Phoenix poison control center, said his encounters with kratom are skewed, by definition, because he sees only people who have suffered ill effects, not people who say they are benefiting from it. The ones he treats are typically teens too young to buy alcohol who instead turn to kratom to get high, he said.

"When we see people who take this, they sometimes get respiratory depression," said LoVecchio, similar to the effect of opiates like heroin. "What’s odd is that some of them get really, really agitated, a little combative, (with) nausea and vomiting. They usually get medication for nausea and Valium to ease the paranoia," before being sent home.

He said other users, such as recovered heroin addicts, report that the symptoms are less pronounced, probably because they have built up a tolerance to opiates.

"I would say ban it until a study proves to me that there is a benefit, for anything," LoVecchio said of kratom. "Or restrict it to certain areas, make sure you can control it, make sure people aren’t driving" while using.

For now, kratom is being vigorously marketed in the United States. Some sellers label it as "incense," claiming it is not sold for human consumption while also requiring that buyers be at least 18 years old. One variety being touted for its powerful punch is Maeng Da, which translates to “pimp grade kratom.”

As new vendors get into the market, some of established sellers are trying to encourage self-policing in the industry to avert a ban on kratom.

A Website for the Kratom Association, which claims more than 100 members, has launched a campaign to counter what it describes as harmful and irresponsible representation of the herb — censuring or reporting sellers and head shops that market it as a "legal high," target teenagers or sell kratom adulterated with illegal drugs or other harmful substances.

They are pressing for more research to establish medicinal effects even as they fight efforts to ban kratom.

In one instance, nearly 600 people signed a petition addressed to a Louisiana lawmaker who recently proposed a ban on kratom in his state. Ultimately, Sen. A.G. Crowe of Pearl River withdrew the proposal, but indicated he would call for rules preventing people under 18 from obtaining it.

"Kratom has been used for thousands of years for its medicinal properties. Kratom, when consumed, can treat depression, chronic pain, anxiety, opiate dependence, fatigue, stress and many other ailments," according letter petitioning Crowe. "Besides this it is used by many former addicts of alcohol and opiates. … Comparatively speaking, it is less addictive than coffee."

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

Follow Kari Huus on Facebook

Using 'unholy water,' Florida atheists scrub away blessing from local road
Mar 19th 2012, 19:44

By msnbc.com staff

LAKELAND, Fla. -- A group of atheists in Polk County have scrubbed away a holy oil blessing placed on a local highway a year ago by a religious group.

Armed with brooms, mops and "unholy water," the atheists gathered Saturday to symbolically clean up the holy oil that a group called Polk Under Prayer (PUP) spread on Highway 98 near the Pasco-Polk county line last year, Tampa-St. Petersburg TV station Bay News 9 reported.


"We come in peace,” Humanists of Florida (HFA) director Mark Palmer shouted to crowd, according to News 9. “Now that's normally what aliens say when they visit a new planet, but we're not aliens, we're atheists!"

Palmer told CBS Tampa that the group’s major issue was with a billboard posted nearby by the Christian Churches of Polk County and PUP that boldly displays photos of Lakeland Mayor Gow Fields, Polk County School Board Superintendent Dr. Sherrie Nickell and Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd.

“If it were just some church blessing a road, that’s not a big deal – churches can do what they want,” Palmer told the station. “The point of [the demonstration] was to protest the co-mingling of church and state.”

Another HFA official, its president, Ellen Beth Wachs, told CBS Tampa that “We simply want Polk County to realize that … there are many different types of world views out there, and they need to open county borders to all of the people.

'Other types of faith'
“We understand that Christians have their way of life, and we’re not trying to take it away from them,” Wachs added. “But they need to realize that there are many other types of faith, and people of non-faith as well.”

Scott Wilder, director of communications for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office, told CBS Tampa that Sheriff Judd and other officials were not involved with the highway blessing ceremony.

“None of them had anything to do with it – the sheriff, the mayor, or the superintendent,” he emphasized.

PUP director Richard Geringswald told the station that his group had been “praying for that entryway in to the city, that God would protect us from evildoers, mainly the drug crowd, that they would be dissuaded to come in to the county.".

But HFA officials said it makes them feel unwelcome.

"It sends a very bad signal to everyone in Polk County, and (anyone) who travels through Polk County who doesn't happen to be Christian,” Palmer told Bay News 9, “This event is not about atheist rights; this is about welcoming everybody into Polk County."

Prayer bricks
According to the station, the groups have maintained an ongoing feud, with the atheists also unhappy with prayer bricks engraved with Psalm 37 that PUP members buried along Interstate 4 and various other roadways leading in to the county.

“Mainly, we want this to be a safe haven for folks who want to raise their families,” PUP’s Geringswald told WFTS-TV. “Asking God’s protection from ne’er do wells and evil doers.”

The website for Frank Smith Ministries, which took part in the 2011 holy oil ceremony, explained how the blessing administered by PUP would work.

“Its objective is to place Holy Angels at all roads that lead into or out of Polk County,” the blog post said. “A strip of anointed oil has been placed over all lanes of highway at the county line and a prayer has been given at each location asking God to have angels inspect every vehicle that travels into or out of this county and to bring under conviction to those who seek evil and we asked God to bring them to a state of submission and repentance.”

The post added, “If they will not submit to God’s way of living, then the prayer is to have them incarcerated or removed from the county.”

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

Prosecution rests in polo mogul DUI case
Mar 19th 2012, 19:38

By msnbc.com staff

The prosecution has rested its case against the wealthy South Florida polo mogul accused in the DUI manslaughter death of a 23-year-old man.

John Goodman, the founder of the International Polo Club in Palm Beach, is charged in the Feb. 12, 2010, crash that killed Scott Wilson.

Prosecutors say a drunken Goodman crashed his Bentley convertible into Wilson’s car, causing it to roll into a canal where Wilson drowned.


Read more about the case on NBCMiami.com                

Goodman’s defense team began presenting its arguments Monday, with attorneys saying they will only need about a day and half to complete their case. The jury could begin deliberating as early as Wednesday.

Goodman adopted his girlfriend, Heather Colby, in February to protect his assets. Colby testified last week but wasn't questioned about the adoption.

 

 

 

 

Goodman faces up to 30 years in prison if found guilty in the crash.

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Philly.com News: Inquirer investigation into Philly school violence wins prize

Comments
Philly.com News
News from the Inquirer and Daily News.
Inquirer investigation into Philly school violence wins prize
Mar 19th 2012, 21:12

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Economy: Economic News, Policy & Analysis - The Washington Post: The politics of ‘Obamacareapolooza’

Comments
Economy: Economic News, Policy & Analysis - The Washington Post
Economy News: Get the latest headlines and in-depth coverage of economic news, policy, analysis and more from The Washington Post.
The politics of 'Obamacareapolooza'
Mar 19th 2012, 20:30

Groups that vehemently disagree about the health reform law seem to have settled on one thing as of late: The next two weeks will be crucial to getting out their message about the Affordable Care Act.

Read full article >>

Add to Facebook Add to Twitter Add to Reddit Add to StumbleUpon

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Economy: Economic News, Policy & Analysis - The Washington Post: Chinese foodies have a solution for our Asian carp woes

Comments
Economy: Economic News, Policy & Analysis - The Washington Post
Economy News: Get the latest headlines and in-depth coverage of economic news, policy, analysis and more from The Washington Post.
Chinese foodies have a solution for our Asian carp woes
Mar 19th 2012, 20:35

In February, the White House allocated $51.5 million to fight the Asian carp menace threatening the Great Lakes. Few Americans cared. But, as Adam Miniter reports, it was huge news in China, where carp is a delicacy:

Read full article >>

Add to Facebook Add to Twitter Add to Reddit Add to StumbleUpon

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

U.S. News: Asian leaf 'kratom' making presence felt in U.S. emergency rooms

Comments
U.S. News
Stories from NBC reporters around the country.
thumbnail Asian leaf 'kratom' making presence felt in U.S. emergency rooms
Mar 19th 2012, 20:48

Paula Bronstein / Getty Images file

A drug user in Thailand breaks up kratom leaf into a pan in the process of creating a popular cheap narcotic drink called 4x100. It is one way that the traditional herb kratom, which is now illegal in Thailand, is used recreationally.

By Kari Huus, msnbc.com

When a patient showed up in a West Coast emergency room early this month suffering withdrawal from something he called "kratom," the psychiatrist on duty was forced to scramble for information. But when he looked it up, he found that the opiate-like leaf from Southeast Asia is well known in the worlds of alternative medicine and the drug culture.

What the doctor, who asked not to be named for patient confidentiality reasons, found in an Internet search were Web pages set up by dozens of companies selling kratom leaf and touting it as a way to combat fatigue, pain and depression -- even as an antidote to heroin addiction.

But in addition to its possible medicinal uses, kratom is beginning to show up in U.S. emergency rooms, with doctors saying they are dealing with people sick from taking it — especially teens who try it to get high.

"Every month somebody is trying to get a new 'safe high'," said Frank LoVecchio, medical director of the Banner Good Samaritan Poison and Drug Information Center in Phoenix, Ariz. "(Kratom) is definitely not safe."


Estimating usage of the drug is impossible, but emergency events involving kratom appear to be increasing, he said. In 2005, only two incidents were reported by poison control centers nationwide. But Banner’s center dealt with six emergencies involving kratom in 2011, he said.

As with many herbal and chemical products on the market, science and law enforcement are playing catch-up. Little research has been done to determine the risks of taking kratom, so it remains legal and unregulated in the United States.

The leaf, which is indigenous to Southeast Asia, has been around for thousands of years, and proponents argue that it is safe and effective for many maladies, while having fewer side effects and being less addictive than pharmaceutical alternatives, such as oxycodone. In small doses, they say, kratom provides an energy boost — the plant is in the coffee family — and in larger doses it creates a mellow, sedating effect, acting on the opioid receptors.

"Kratom makes people feel pain free, strong, active and optimistic," according to the Website Kratom.com. It has multiple functions, said the site, which sells kratom leaves, powder and extracts from Thailand — "as a strong and reliable herbal painkiller, to relieve depression and as a social and professional enhancer to intensify communicational skills and induce higher motivation."

Just as its safety has not been well studied, the drug has no scientifically established medical uses — though it has many enthusiastic adherents who swear by it. Testimonials in support of its ability to relieve chronic pain, depression, diabetes and other maladies surface in droves whenever kratom makes the news, as witnessed in the comments following this blog published in the Phoenix New Times in August 2011.


Kari Huus


Follow Kari Huus on Twitter and Facebook.



But even promoters warn that daily use of kratom can lead to dependence and nasty side effects.

“Long-term daily high dose kratom consumption is also reported to induce nervousness, sleeplessness, loss of libido, constipation and the darkening of skin complexion,” Kratom.com says in its "dangerous effects" section.

Although there have been no fatalities from kratom, "The known risks and dangers of Kratom overdoses include hallucinations, delusions, listlessness, tremors, aggression, constipation and nausea," the site said.

The emergency room psychiatrist said the patient who recently came in reported using kratom several times a day, every day, "because he discovered that if he stopped it he started getting withdrawal." The doctor said the man's symptoms appeared "identical to heroin withdrawal."

Upon arrival, the patient was suffering "severe depression and anxiety and emerging opiate withdrawal symptoms," including chills, aching muscles and gooseflesh, the psychiatrist said. The patient was treated to ease withdrawal symptoms and then hospitalized, according to the doctor. 

Like "bath salts" and "spice" — drugs that are now illegal but were legal and trendy until law enforcers and medical researchers gathered data on their dangers -- kratom is under scrutiny, having been added to a Drug Enforcement Administration's list of "drugs and chemicals of concern."

If the DEA concludes that kratom poses a public health risk, the agency can request that the Department of Health and Human Services place it on a schedule of banned and controlled substances.

The discovery and review process is accelerating in the Internet age, said Barbara Carreno, public information officer for the DEA.

"Things used to get around by word of mouth and it took a long time," said Carreno. "Now anyone can find out about anything within a matter of minutes … so there’s a lot of experimenting with exotic things that no one had ever heard of."

Kratom is illegal in a number of countries in Europe and Asia — most notably Thailand, where much of it is produced. It is now the third most commonly used illegal drug in Thailand, according to the DEA. In that country’s drug culture, the leaf is sometimes combined with cough syrup and Coke, tranquilizers and marijuana to produce a narcotic drink called "4x100."

LoVecchio, of the Phoenix poison control center, said his encounters with kratom are skewed, by definition, because he sees only people who have suffered ill effects, not people who say they are benefiting from it. The ones he treats are typically teens too young to buy alcohol who instead turn to kratom to get high, he said.

"When we see people who take this, they sometimes get respiratory depression," said LoVecchio, similar to the effect of opiates like heroin. "What’s odd is that some of them get really, really agitated, a little combative, (with) nausea and vomiting. They usually get medication for nausea and Valium to ease the paranoia," before being sent home.

He said other users, such as recovered heroin addicts, report that the symptoms are less pronounced, probably because they have built up a tolerance to opiates.

"I would say ban it until a study proves to me that there is a benefit, for anything," LoVecchio said of kratom. "Or restrict it to certain areas, make sure you can control it, make sure people aren’t driving" while using.

For now, kratom is being vigorously marketed in the United States. Some sellers label it as "incense," claiming it is not sold for human consumption while also requiring that buyers be at least 18 years old. One variety being touted for its powerful punch is Maeng Da, which translates to “pimp grade kratom.”

As new vendors get into the market, some of established sellers are trying to encourage self-policing in the industry to avert a ban on kratom.

A Website for the Kratom Association, which claims more than 100 members, has launched a campaign to counter what it describes as harmful and irresponsible representation of the herb — censuring or reporting sellers and head shops that market it as a "legal high," target teenagers or sell kratom adulterated with illegal drugs or other harmful substances.

They are pressing for more research to establish medicinal effects even as they fight efforts to ban kratom.

In one instance, nearly 600 people signed a petition addressed to a Louisiana lawmaker who recently proposed a ban on kratom in his state. Ultimately, Sen. A.G. Crowe of Pearl River withdrew the proposal, but indicated he would call for rules preventing people under 18 from obtaining it.

"Kratom has been used for thousands of years for its medicinal properties. Kratom, when consumed, can treat depression, chronic pain, anxiety, opiate dependence, fatigue, stress and many other ailments," according letter petitioning Crowe. "Besides this it is used by many former addicts of alcohol and opiates. … Comparatively speaking, it is less addictive than coffee."

More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:

Follow US News on msnbc.com on Twitter and Facebook

Follow Kari Huus on Facebook

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Breaking News: CBS News: Mistrial declared in "Housewives" firing case

Comments
Breaking News: CBS News
Top Breaking News Stories from CBSNews.com
Mistrial declared in "Housewives" firing case
Mar 19th 2012, 07:27

The panel was released Monday after jurors reported they were deadlocked

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Breaking News: CBS News: France raises terror alert after shootings

Comments
Breaking News: CBS News
Top Breaking News Stories from CBSNews.com
France raises terror alert after shootings
Mar 19th 2012, 15:29

Man, 3 children shot dead outside Jewish school; Same weapon used in two earlier attacks on paratroopers   Photos

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Breaking News: CBS News: Avalanche kills 5 tourists in Norway

Comments
Breaking News: CBS News
Top Breaking News Stories from CBSNews.com
Avalanche kills 5 tourists in Norway
Mar 19th 2012, 17:22

4 Swiss, 1 French citizen dead in Tromsoe, Norway near Sorbmegaisa mountain after avalanche; One person dug out alive

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Breaking News: CBS News: Santorum attack takes page from Dem playbook

Comments
Breaking News: CBS News
Top Breaking News Stories from CBSNews.com
Santorum attack takes page from Dem playbook
Mar 19th 2012, 18:11

John Dickerson: Santorum said Romney "doesn't have a core" on "CBS This Morning," echoing comments previously made by Obama's campaign advisers

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions

Breaking News: CBS News: Eye on potential nuclear site targets in Iran

Comments
Breaking News: CBS News
Top Breaking News Stories from CBSNews.com
Eye on potential nuclear site targets in Iran
Mar 19th 2012, 07:40

A look at the locations where Iran carries out work linked to its suspected pursuit of nuclear weapons

You are receiving this email because you subscribed to this feed at blogtrottr.com.

If you no longer wish to receive these emails, you can unsubscribe from this feed, or manage all your subscriptions
 

TOP POPULAR NEWS Powered by Blogger