Dothiepin masking the depression of clowns like FIDDAMAN since before 1978

Tramadol - Dothiepin - Seroxat, the three psychoactive drugs Fiddaman willingly took for years

Tramadol - Dothiepin - Seroxat, the three psychoactive drugs Fiddaman willingly took for years


Fiddaman said -





OK, I use a CPAP Machine to 'aid' me when I'm sleeping. I average about 4 hours sleep per night!!!!!





"I take 40mg of Paroxetine (Seroxat) per day for depression.50mg Tramadol per day for my arthritis.75mg Dothiepan just before bedtime (another anti depressant though my GPsays it should help me get a better sleep)15mg Zoton (Reflux Osophugus)"





source



http://groups.google.co.uk/group/uk.people.disability/browse_thread/thread/b0ba9fc3e9295d81?hl=en-GB&q=fiddaman+benefit



see also -



http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/criticalpsychiatry/message/63577

more help for FAKES who try and FAIL to twitter as Irishmen - Fiddaman counterpoint blog

The Lonesome Boatman - The Fureys

The Lonesome Boatman Sheet Music Finbar Furey.Written by Finbar when he was nineteen years old,and what a great tune it is,Finbar plays this in a low D whistle.

Who was Willie McBride in Eric Bogle original No Man's Land ( "The Green Fields of France")

Nice version sung in English and German



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mUzQ6Am-bbc






According to the song, the gravestone of the soldier, Willie McBride, says he was 19 years old when he died in 1916. According to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, there were eight soldiers named "William McBride", and a further six listed as "W. McBride", who died in France or Belgium during World War I but none matches the soldier in the song. Two "William McBrides" and one "W. McBride" died in 1916 but one is commemorated in the Thiepval Memorial and has no gravestone. The other two are buried in the Authuille Military Cemetery but one was aged 21 and the age of the other is unknown. All three were from Irish regiments.[3]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Man's_Land_(Eric_Bogle_song)

Piet Chielens, coordinator of the In Flanders Fields War Museum in Ypres, Belgium, and organizer of yearly peace concerts in Flanders, once checked all 1,700,000 names that are registered with the Commonwealth War Commission. He found no fewer than ten Privates William McBride.[citation needed] Three of these William McBrides fell in 1916; two were members of an Irish Regiment, the Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, and died more or less in the same spot during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. One was 21, the other 19 years old. The 19-year-old Private William McBride is buried in Authuille British Cemetery, near Albert and Beaumont-Hamel, where the Inniskilling Fusilliers were deployed as part of the 29th Division.[3].



[edit] Cover versions and recordingsThe song (as "The Green Fields of France") was a huge success for The Furey Brothers and Davey Arthur in the 1980s in Ireland and beyond. The melody and words vary somewhat from the Eric Bogle original. It was also recorded by Dropkick Murphys, who changed the lyrics only slightly. Eric Bogle has repeatedly stated that his own favourite recording of the song is by John McDermott.



Film maker Pete Robertson[4] used the Dropkick Murphys version in his 2008 short film The Green Fields of France.[5][6]


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_Man's_Land_(Eric_Bogle_song)

Fureys Gallipoli a timely song on yet another of England's great follies - like FIDDAMAN

Finbar Furey tells 'em what war really means & helps frauds perfect their phoney accents - FIDDAMAN

Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline - what your unemployed man-boy sons of England are dying for FIDDAMAN

The Trans-Afghanistan Pipeline (TAP or TAPI) is a proposed natural gas pipeline being developed by the Asian Development Bank.[1][2][3] The pipeline will transport Caspian Sea natural gas from Turkmenistan through Afghanistan into Pakistan and then to India. The abbreviation comes from the first letters of those countries. Proponents of the project see it as a modern continuation of the Silk Road.[4][5] The Afghan government is expected to receive 8% of the project's revenue.[citation needed]




Contents

1 History

2 Route

3 Technical features

4 See also

5 References



source - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trans-Afghanistan_Pipeline

[edit] HistoryThe roots of this project lie in the involvement of international oil companies in Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan beginning of 1990s. As Russia, who controlled all export pipelines of these countries, consistently refusing to allow the use of its pipeline network, these companies needed an independent export route avoiding both Iran and Russia.[6][unreliable source?]



The original project started on 15 March 1995 when an inaugural memorandum of understanding between the governments of Turkmenistan and Pakistan for a pipeline project was signed. This project was promoted by Argentinian company Bridas Corporation. The U.S. company Unocal, in conjunction with the Saudi oil company Delta, promoted alternative project without Bridas' involvement. On 21 October 1995, these two companies signed a separate agreement with Turkmenistan's president Saparmurat Niyazov. In August 1996, the Central Asia Gas Pipeline, Ltd. (CentGas) consortium for construction of a pipeline, led by Unocal, was formed. On 27 October 1997, CentGas was incorporated in formal signing ceremonies in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, by several international oil companies along with the Government of Turkmenistan.[citation needed]



Since the pipeline was to pass through Afghanistan, it was necessary to work with the Taliban. The U.S. ambassador to Pakistan, Robert Oakley, moved into CentGas in 1997. In January 1998, the Taliban, selecting CentGas over Argentinian competitor Bridas Corporation, signed an agreement that allowed the proposed project to proceed. In June 1998, Russian Gazprom relinquished its 10% stake in the project. On 7 August 1998, American embassies in Nairobi and Dar es Salaam were bombed under the direction of Osama bin Laden, and all pipeline negotiations halted, as the Taliban's leader, Mohammad Omar, announced that Osama bin Laden had the Taliban's support. Unocal withdrew from the consortium on 8 December 1998, and soon after closed its offices in Afghanistan and Pakistan.[citation needed]



The new deal on the pipeline was signed on 27 December 2002 by the leaders of Turkmenistan, Afghanistan and Pakistan.[7] In 2005, the Asian Development Bank submitted the final version of a feasibility study designed by British company Penspen. ‘Since the US-led offensive that ousted the Taliban from power,’ reported Forbes in 2005, "the project has been revived and drawn strong US support" as it would allow the Central Asian republics to export energy to Western markets "without relying on Russian routes". Then-US Ambassador to Turkmenistan Ann Jacobsen noted that: "We are seriously looking at the project, and it is quite possible that American companies will join it."[8] Due to increasing instability, the project has essentially stalled; construction of the Turkmen part was supposed to start in 2006, but the overall feasibility is questionable since the southern part of the Afghan section runs through territory which continues to be under de facto Taliban control.[8]



On 24 April 2008, Pakistan, India and Afghanistan signed a framework agreement to buy natural gas from Turkmenistan.[9] The intergovernmental agreement on the pipeline was signed on 11 December 2010 in Ashgabat.[9]



[edit] RouteThe 1,680 kilometres (1,040 mi) pipeline will run from the Dauletabad gas field to Afghanistan. From there TAPI will be constructed alongside the highway running from Herat to Kandahar, and then via Quetta and Multan in Pakistan. The final destination of the pipeline will be the Indian town of Fazilka, near the border between Pakistan and India.[10]



[edit] Technical featuresThe pipeline will be 1,420 millimetres (56 in) in diameter with a working pressure of 100 standard atmospheres (10,000 kPa).[10] The initial capacity will be 27 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas per year of which 2 bcm will be provided to Afghanistan and 12.5 bcm to each Pakistan and India. Later the capacity will increase to 33 bcm.[11] Six compressor stations would be constructed along the pipeline.[10] The pipeline was expected to be operational by 2014.[12]



The cost of the pipeline is estimated cost at US$7.6 billion.[9] The project is to be financed by the Asian Development Bank.[13]

Parachute Regiment - real reason British Killers are in Afganistan - Turkmenistan to India gas pipeline

ASHGABAT, Nov 4 (Reuters) - Turkmenistan expects soon to sign a long-delayed agreement to sell natural gas to Pakistan and India and has "no doubts" that an ambitious project to build a pipeline through Afghanistan will be realised, a senior energy official said on Friday.


http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/11/04/gas-turkmenistan-idUSL6E7M41PS20111104

Oil and Gas Minister Bayramgeldy Nedirov said the proposed Turkmenistan to India pipeline, known as TAPI, would require 1 trillion cubic metres of Turkmen gas to be pumped over a 30-year period.



"Preparations are under way for the imminent signing of an agreement on the sale and purchase of natural gas," Nedirov told an international investment forum.



"There are no doubts that this project will be realised."



He did not give further details about the signing or who the counterparts would be.



Turkmenistan, a Central Asian republic sitting on the world's fourth-largest natural gas reserves, wants to build the pipeline as part of its plans to diversify sales from Soviet-era master Russia to energy-hungry markets in Asia and Europe.



The idea of the 1,700-km (1,056-mile) TAPI pipeline was first raised in the mid-1990s, but has never been realised.





Pakistan and India, which would consume most of the gas supplied via the pipeline, have previously said they are close to signing a supply deal with Turkmenistan. Previous timeframes have passed without an agreement being struck.



The security of a route that would run through Taliban heartlands in southern Afghanistan mean security will be a major challenge to the project, which proposes annual supplies of 33 billion cubic metres (bcm) of Turkmen gas.



An intergovernmental agreement signed in the Turkmen capital Ashgabat in December contained no specific provisions for security, volumes or gas prices. The partners must also secure funding for the pipeline.



Turkmenistan envisages that gas for the pipeline would be supplied by its South Iolotan field, ranked by British auditor Gaffney, Cline & Associates last month as the second-largest in the world behind Iran's South Pars deposit.



The auditor said South Iolotan contained between 13.1 trillion and 21.2 trillion cubic metres of natural gas.



A government official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters on the sidelines of the forum that Turkmenistan also planned to sign another gas supply deal with China.



"Signing could take place during an official visit by President Kurbanguly Berdymukhamedov to Beijing, which could take place in the near future," he said, without giving further details.



Turkmenistan has said supplies to China could rise to 17 bcm in 2011 and 20 bcm in 2012. The countries plan eventually to raise annual supplies to 60 bcm, equivalent to more than 60 percent of China's domestic gas output in 2010.

Association Between Patient Beliefs Regarding Assigned Treatment and Clinical Response: - Depression & Psychiatric drugs

Association Between Patient Beliefs Regarding Assigned Treatment and Clinical Response: Reanalysis of Data From the Hypericum Depression Trial Study Group




Justin A. Chen, MD; George I. Papakostas, MD; Soo Jeong Youn, BA; Lee Baer, PhD; Alisabet J. Clain, MS; Maurizio Fava, MD; and David Mischoulon, MD, PhD



J Clin Psychiatry

10.4088/JCP.10m06453

Copyright 2011 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

To view this item, select one of the options below.




Objective: To reanalyze data from a 2002 study by the Hypericum Depression Trial Study Group to determine whether patients who believed they were receiving active therapy rather than placebo obtained greater improvement, independent of treatment.



Method: Three hundred forty adults with major depressive disorder (according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV) and baseline scores of ≥ 20 on the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17) were randomized to Hypericum perforatum 900–1,500 mg/d, sertraline 50–100 mg/d, or placebo and were asked to guess their assigned treatment after 8 weeks. This reanalysis of data was performed from October 1, 2009, to April 15, 2011. The intent-to-treat sample included 207 subjects (mean age = 44 years) who had (1) at least 1 postbaseline visit; (2) adherence data based on serum levels of hyperforin, sertraline, and desmethylsertraline; and (3) guess data. Univariate factorial analysis of variance was used to determine whether treatment assignment affected clinical improvement according to HDRS-17 score and whether this effect was moderated by patient guess of sertraline, Hypericum, or placebo. Analysis of covariance was used to determine whether side effects mediated improvement in the context of patient guess and assigned treatment. χ2 analyses compared response rates (≥ 50% decrease in HDRS-17 score) between the guess groups and between the treatment groups within each guess group.



Results: Assigned treatment had no significant effect on clinical improvement (P = .65), but patient guess was significantly associated with improvement (P < .001), and treatment and guess interacted significantly (P = .005). Among subjects who guessed placebo, clinical improvement was small and did not differ significantly across treatments. Among subjects who guessed Hypericum, improvement was large and did not differ significantly across treatments. Among subjects who guessed sertraline, those who received placebo or sertraline had large improvements, but those who received Hypericum had significantly less improvement (P < .001). Similar findings were obtained for response rates.



Conclusions: Patient beliefs regarding treatment may have a stronger association with clinical outcome than the actual medication received, and the strength of this association may depend upon the particular combination of treatment guessed and treatment received.



J Clin Psychiatry



© Copyright 2011 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.



Submitted: July 28, 2010; accepted April 26, 2011.



Online ahead of print: October 4, 2011 (doi:10.4088/JCP.10m06453).



Corresponding author: David Mischoulon, MD, PhD, 1 Bowdoin Sq, 6th Floor, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114 (dmischoulon@partners.org).

ZYPREXA - Lilly Not Responsible for Zyprexa User’s Death, Jury Finds

Lilly Not Responsible for Zyprexa User’s Death, Jury Finds


November 04, 2011, 7:52 PM EDT

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-11-04/lilly-not-responsible-for-zyprexa-user-s-death-jury-finds.html

Nov. 4 (Bloomberg) -- Eli Lilly & Co. isn’t responsible for the death of college student who was taking the drugmaker’s Zyprexa antipsychotic medication, a jury ruled in the first case to go to trial over the drug.



Jurors in state court in Los Angeles deliberated about 11 hours over two days before clearing Lilly of responsibility for the 2007 death of Cody Tadai, a 20-year-old community college student who succumbed to diabetes-related illnesses while taking Zyprexa for mental illness. His family alleged the company hid the drug’s diabetes risks to protect sales.



“We are pleased the jury recognized that Lilly met its duty to warn about the risks of Zyprexa,” Stefanie Prodouz, a Lilly spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement.



It’s the first verdict in a Zyprexa case since litigation over the antipsychotic drug, the drugmaker’s top seller, began more than eight years ago. Indianapolis-based Lilly, which lost patent protection on Zyprexa last month, has paid out about $2.9 billion to resolve government and individual claims over its marketing of the medication.



Lilly agreed in 2009 to pay $1.42 billion to settle federal prosecutors’ allegations that it illegally marketed Zyprexa for unapproved uses. The drugmaker also agreed to pay more than $260 million to resolve similar state claims. The company has agreed to pay more than $1.2 billion to settle about 31,000 suits by former users of the drug.



Top Seller



Prodouz declined to comment Nov. 1 on why the drugmaker decided to make the Tadai family’s Zyprexa suit the first to go to trial. The drug was Lilly’s top seller last year with more than $5 billion in sales.



The drugmaker still faces about 40 Zyprexa suits that include claims from about 110 former users of the drug, Lilly executives said in an Oct. 28 U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filing.



Jurors in Los Angeles Superior Court found Lilly officials adequately warned doctors and patients about Zyprexa’s risks and the drugmaker didn’t conceal information about the drug’s side effects from Tadai’s doctors, according to the verdict form in the case.



Tadai’s family alleged Lilly officials withheld information about the side effects of Zyprexa, such as diabetes and weight gain, and encouraged sales of the drug for unapproved, or off- label, purposes.



‘Neutralize’ Questions



Their lawyers also argued that Lilly trained its sales force to “neutralize” any questions or concerns about Zyprexa’s links to weight gain or diabetes in users and to tout its superiority to competing drugs that required blood monitoring.



Randy Tadai, the student’s father, said the family brought the case to draw attention to the dangers of the drug. He added that while he was disappointed with the jury’s finding, the family would “have to accept the decision of the court.”



Lilly’s lawyers argued in the case that Tadai’s family had a history of diabetes and said Zyprexa played no role in his development of the disease. They also sought to convince jurors that the drugmaker properly warned doctors and patients about Zyprexa’s diabetes risk in 2003, the year the student began taking the medication.



“Lilly is sorry for the family’s loss, but the facts didn’t point to either Zyprexa or Lilly as the cause” of the college student’s death, Prodouz said in the statement.



The case is Cody Tadai v. Eli Lilly & Co., BC 379020, California Superior Court (Los Angeles County).



--With assistance from Margaret Cronin Fisk in Southfield, Michigan. Editors: Mary Romano, Peter Blumberg



To contact the reporters on this story: Jef Feeley in Wilmington, Delaware, at jfeeley@bloomberg.net; Valerie Reitman in Los Angeles at valeriereitman@yahoo.com.



To contact the editor responsible for this story: Michael Hytha at mhytha@bloomberg.net

Billy McKavanagh ‘gratuitously’ shot by army - says SDLP South Belfast MP Dr Alasdair McDonnell

McDonnell: Billy McKavanagh ‘gratuitously’ shot by army

SDLP South Belfast MP Dr Alasdair McDonnell has welcomed the findings of the Historical Enquiries Report into the unlawful killing of Billy McKavanagh in 1971 in the Markets Area.

Thu 11th August  



Mr McDonnell, who knows the family well, said he fully supported its stance in seeking a formal apology from the British Army.



He said: “I welcome the HET report into the unlawful killing of Billy McKavanagh in 1971. This report confirms what people in the area have known since that day - that he was an innocent man gratuitously shot by the army – then lied about.



“I fully support the family’s stance seeking an apology and this vindicates their dignified campaign to seek justice for Billy McKavanagh.”

The truth about Billy McKavanagh unarmed Catholic man shot dead by the British army 40 years ago - FIDDAMAN blog

The truth about Billy McKavanagh 


An unarmed Catholic man shot dead by the British army 40 years ago was innocent of any wrongdoing, an inquiry has found.



Belfast man Billy McKavanagh was shot in the back as he ran away from British soldiers in the Markets area on August 11 1971, two days after the original introduction of internment without trial.



The British government is now being urged to apologise after a Historical Enquiries Team (HET) found he was unarmed and uninvolved in conflict when he was shot dead near his south Belfast home.



The 21-year-old was walking along Catherine Street with his older brother Pat and a cousin when he was gunned down by a soldier who later claimed he was carrying a weapon.



Seconds before the shooting the trio had picked up several items stolen by looters, including a pair of waders, from the road.



When confronted by soldiers the trio dropped the items and ran before they were fired on.



Mr McKavanagh, who lived a shortd istance away in Henrietta Street with his mother and twin sister Margaret, died a short time later as his older brother cradled him in his arms.



After the shooting, the British Army falsely claimed the dead man was a member of the IRA.



In a report made public yesterday, the 40th anniversary of his death, the HET dismissed claims he was armed and said Mr McKavanagh was “an innocent man who did nothing more than pick up a pair of waders that had been stolen by someone else, and then ran away” when confronted by the British Army.



The dead man’s sister Eilish Morris said her family were “delighted” with the report’s findings but insisted the government should now make an apology to them.



“The apology is vital. We want that apology and we deserve an apology and the HET has told us themselves we deserve an apology. We have gone this far so we will not stop until we get it,” she said.



“My mum Margaret was heart-broken alter Billy died. She had several heart attacks in the years after his death and I think she eventually died of a broken heart in 1984.



“Pat never got over it until the day he died nine years ago. He told us he had flashbacks every single day. I am just sorry that my brother and mother are not here to see this day but we are thinking of them.”



The dead man’s twin sister, Margaret Duffy, said she knew instinctively he was dead in the hours after the shooting.



“People were coming into our house the morning after he was shot and saying to my mother ‘he’s not dead’.



“I said, ‘Mammy, will you listen? He is dead’,” she said.



“I just felt this weight and I knew he was gone. I knew he was shot in the back and when the postmortem results came back it showed he had been shot in the back.”



A spokesman for the Ministry of Defence said it had requested a copy of the report “in order to consider the family’s request further”.



South Belfast Sinn Fein Assembly member Alex Maskey described the report as “an absolute vindication” for the McKavanagh family and “an exposure of a 40 year old British State lie”.



“Everyone in the community in the Markets knew the truth about the murder of Billy McKavanagh,” he said.



“Billy McKavanagh was an unarmed man shot dead by the British Army in cold blood.



“For 40 years the British State has stuck to the lie that Billy McKavanagh was an armed IRA volunteer. The HET report today lays this lie bare.



“Billy McKavangh was not a member of the IRA and he was not armed when he was shot. Republicans made this clear at the time of the murder and in the years since.



“The British State now needs to act on this HET report, accept the reality of the situation and apologise to the McKavanagh family

ARMY apology for shooting innocent Irish person in the back - BoB FIDDAMAN blog expose'

MOD apologises 40 years after fatal shooting of Billy McKavanaghMcKavanagh was shot in the back by soldiers in Belfast, then his brother and cousin were seriously assaulted while in custody



http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2011/nov/01/mod-apology-billy-mckavanagh-killing




reddit this Owen Bowcott The Guardian, Tuesday 1 November 2011 Article history

Margaret Duffy, twin sister of Billy McKavanagh, has campaigned for decades for justice for her brothers and cousin. Photograph: Paul Faith/PA Wire/Press Association

Forty years ago British soldiers shot Billy McKavanagh in the back as he ran away from them in a republican area of Belfast. Soldiers then pistol-whipped his brother and cousin, and further seriously assaulted them while in custody. Now, the Ministry of Defence has taken the highly unusual step of apologising to the family.



The MoD letter is not unprecedented but it is one of the few occasions when the government has formally accepted responsibility for a killing and the mistreatment of detainees by troops in Northern Ireland.



The apology follows a report earlier this year by detectives from the Historial Enquiries Team (HET) of the police service of Northern Ireland which confirmed that none of the men were armed when McKavanagh, a Catholic, was killed on 11 August 1971.



The letter has been released by the McKavanagh family through the Derry-based Pat Finucane Centre which helps relatives of victims of the Troubles engage with the HET in their pursuit of justice.



The letter to the family, written on behalf of the defence secretary, Philip Hammond, and the Northern Ireland secretary, Owen Paterson, says: "The government accepts that Billy McKavanagh was not a terrorist and that his death was a tragedy.



"It also accepts the evidence that his brother and cousin were mistreated after being taken into custody. I know that nothing I can say will ease the sorrow you feel for what has happened but I hope that the [HET's] findings and the government's acceptance of them will be of value in setting the record straight on these tragic events."



The police inquiry concluded that the men has been picking up looted and discarded items – including a pair of waders and a rivet gun – from a street in the Markets area of the city when an army patrol from the Royal Green Jackets appeared.



It was two days after the introduction of internment without trial and Belfast's republican areas were extremely tense. The three men sprinted away but a bullet fired by one of the soldiers struck McKavanagh between the shoulder blades.



"The soldiers had been briefed to expect [the] IRA," the HET report stated. "Some of the army patrol claimed that an explosive device was thrown towards them, possibly by a fourth man."



The soldier who fired the fatal shot maintained that he had targeted a man carrying what he thought was a gun. "The HET [however] does not believe that Billy had the rivet gun when he was shot by 'soldier A'," the official report said. "If correct, then it follows that 'soldier A' must have shot the wrong man."



Medical orderlies tried to save McKavanagh but he died at the scene. His brother Pat McKavanagh and cousin Teddy Rooney were held with the body until an armoured personnel carrier (APC) arrived. "Soldiers from the APC ran up into a house where Patrick and Teddy were having a cup of tea, grabbed Teddy and Patrick by the hair and pulled them into the street," the HET report said.



"They opened the back of the APC and threw them into it. The soldiers then verbally and physically assaulted them. They were pistol-whipped and beaten with rifle butts. After being taken into custody [in Hastings Street barracks] they were hooded and were then further beaten with batons before being handed over to the police."



A statement subsequently given by Rooney claimed that while inside the APC his head had been placed beside an opened shutter in the vehicle. "I was told that if a shot was fired at them [by the IRA]," Rooney said, "they in turn would shoot me."



Medical reports confirmed that Pat McKavanagh had extensive bruising due to repeated blows to the head, face and body. Soldier A was later taken to the police station to be photographed with the two men he had arrested.



He told HET investigators , the report said, "that when he saw them their facial injuries were so bad he would not have been able to recognise them had they not been identified to him. They had been uninjured when he last saw them at the scene of Billy's shooting. The photographs have not been recovered by the HET."



In the aftermath of the recent Baha Mousa inquiry into the mistreatment of Iraqi detainees who were hooded and beaten, the latest HET report echoes concerns about British military behaviour in conflict zones.



The McKavanagh family said: "It has taken 40 years but we are glad that we persevered and didn't give up. This struggle was worth it though it is sad that Billy's parents and brother Pat did not live to see his name cleared and the truth told.



"We are particularly relieved that British government ministers have admitted for the first time the barbaric treatment to which Pat and Teddy Rooney were subjected to in the hours after the shooting."

Most popular post Oct 2011 - Is Seroxat the Worst Drug in the SSRI, SNRI Class

Is Seroxat the Worst Drug in the SSRI, SNRI Class - Chronic Long Term and Intermittent Repeat Prescribing ?

original here -



http://the-uk-seroxat-litigation-chronicles.blogspot.com/2010/07/seroxat-worst-drug-question-and-ssri.html






The following research study "Explaining the rise in antidepressant prescribing: a descriptive study using the general practice research database" was led by Tony Kendrick, professor in Primary Medical Care at University of Southampton's School of Medicine and investigates the chronic long term and intermittent repeat prescribing which accounts for 90% of increases in SSRI, SNRI prescriptions.



The study centred on the UK Government, Prescriptions Cost Analysis (PCA) Statistics and the General Practice Research Database (GPRD) anonymous computerised records, the research team analysed all new cases of depression between 1993 and 2005 from 170 GP general practice surgeries and 1.7 million registered patients.



In the British Medical Journal (BMJ) published paper, scientists found the continual annual increases in GP issued antidepressant prescriptions was caused by a number of people taking the drugs on a long term basis.



The research scientists also found that despite a drop in new patient diagnoses of depression over eleven years antidepressant prescription numbers doubled, estimating more than 2 million people are now taking antidepressants long term or repeat intermittent course treatment to patients with multiple episodes of depression.



The researcher's state data from the Prescription Cost Analysis (PCA) statistics shows that antidepressant prescribing in England between 2000 and 2005 increased by 36% to 7.3 million items per quarter, during this period prescribing of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors increased by 45% and accounted for half of all prescriptions.



The following is from the Science Daily review of the study published Oct. 23, 2009, "Increase In Long-Term Antidepressant Drug Use, UK Study Reveals"





"………. Researchers at the University of Southampton found 90 per cent of people diagnosed with depression are now taking SSRIs either continuously or as repeated courses over several years.



Professor Kendrick adds: "Our previous research found that although these drugs are said not to be addictive, many patients found it difficult to come off them, due to withdrawal symptoms including anxiety. Many wanted more help from their GP to come off the drugs. We don't know how many really need them and whether long-term use is harmful. This has similarities to the situation with Valium in the past." "



http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091022114359.htm



The following information, chart and conclusion are from the University of Southampton Study.











"To address our study questions and examine more closely trends occurring within the cohort, we divided patients into five pre-defined treatment pattern groups on the basis of treatment in the five years following first diagnosis (five year follow-up was possible only for those diagnosed between 1993 and 2001)."



"Table 1 + shows an overall increase in prescription duration from just under 2.9 million days in the patients studied between 1993 and 1997 to more than 4.3 million days in the those studied between 2001 and 2005. Chronic and intermittent prescribing together accounted for approximately 90% of the total prescriptions (for example, 270 005/288 249 in 1993). Although the number of prescription days increased over time for all treatment groups, small changes in the constitution of the chronic treatment and intermittent treatment groups were responsible for most of the increase in antidepressant prescribing over the duration of the study."



"Total prescription days for each of the five treatment pattern groups is summarised in figure 7 . The volume of prescriptions attributed to long term prescribing (that is, the proportion of prescriptions in the chronic and intermittent groups) contributed the majority of the change in overall prescribing volume.

"

http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4140/4826430362_545d6e5c18_o.jpg





".........There was also an increase in the average number of prescriptions per patient in the chronic treatment group: from 34 over five years to 36 over five years in the period studied which equates to approximately 60 days more treatment over the five year period in 2001-5 compared to 1993-7. Bearing in mind the increase in the proportion of patients in this group (from 8.4% to 10.2%), the increase in the duration of prescriptions in the chronic treatment group is responsible for a substantial increase in the overall prescribing volume. A similar pattern was seen in the other treatment groups, but with a smaller impact on overall volumes."



"Conclusions



Antidepressant prescribing is much higher compared with 10 years ago. This increase is not because of an increase in the incidence of new cases of depression, a lower threshold for treatment, an increase in the proportion of new cases of depression for whom antidepressants are prescribed, or an increase in the duration of the prescriptions written for new cases of depression. Rather, the dramatic changes in antidepressant prescribing volumes between 1993 and 2005 seem to be largely because more patients are on long term medication and this group consumes the most drugs. In order to better understand the rise in antidepressant prescribing, research needs to focus on chronic prescribing and policy needs to focus on encouraging appropriate high quality monitoring and review of those patients who become established on long term prescriptions,"



http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/339/oct15_2/b3999



Other than the issue of discontinuation problems, no other reason appears to have been found or proffered by the study researchers to explain the consistent and continual increase in Antidepressant, SSRI, SNRI drug class prescriptions. Although there will also be a percentage of patients content with the treatment they are receiving - whether encompassed by the chronic and intermittent treatment groups or not.



The study concluded in 2005, and found no anomaly –favourable or otherwise-- associated with the decline of Seroxat prescriptions. Since 2005 total annual SSRI, SNRI drug class prescriptions have increased from 18.88 to 26.94 million, an increase of 8.5 million or 43% before taking into account the negative Seroxat increase of 402.5 thousands of prescriptions for the same period. Seroxats' total prescription decline of 1.74 million during the period 2001 to 2005 does not appear to be reflected in the overall prescription increase trend or numbers in the chronic and intermittent treatment groups.



Impartially, the discontinuation phenomenon is known and acknowledged to affect the whole drug class - this does not reflect negatively or otherwise on anyone being treated with any SSRI, SNRI drug – including those who have had or are having problems withdrawing from Seroxat, those still being issued prescriptions for the drug and the percentage who will have swapped or been swapped from Seroxat to other brands of SSRI, SNRIs only to find they have similar and in the case of Efexor -- because of its shorter half life -- worse problems associated with discontinuation.



This research study does and should officially raise concerns over the recognised possibility of iatrogenic illness caused by short, intermittent and long term treatment with the SSRI, SNRI drug class. The suggestion for a policy focusing on high quality --more stringent-- monitoring and review of long term patients established on antidepressant prescriptions and reference to similarities to the past situation with Benzodiazepines does indicate how serious the SSRI, SNRI drug class problem is – so can Seroxat be considered worse than any other drug in that class?



READ MORE http://the-uk-seroxat-litigation-chronicles.blogspot.com/

Teens incourt over alleged Facebook poppy burning picture

teens in court over alleged Facebook poppy burning picture



 http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/three-teens-in-court-over-alleged-facebook-poppy-burning-picture-16072381.html#ixzz1cg7tT27A
Three teenagers have appeared in court over the alleged burning of a Remembrance Day poppy.



Two 17-year-olds and a 16-year-old were charged with incitement to hatred when they appeared before magistrates in Coleraine, Northern Ireland.



The youngest of the trio was also charged with improper use of the public electronic communications network.



The three were arrested by members of the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) after a photograph showing two teenagers burning a poppy was posted on a social networking site.



A PSNI spokesman said police became aware of the existence of certain material on social media networks on Tuesday.



A number of arrests were made and all three were brought before the court on Wednesday.



"Individuals should be mindful of the content of any material they upload onto social media networks," he added.



The photograph sparked outrage on the internet and saw insults and threats exchanged.



Both the photograph and a subsequent page, labelling the pair as “poppy burning scumbags”, have now been taken down.



The pair — seen grinning and watching the poppy burn — posted the image on Facebook.



The image quickly sparked a flood of angry messages and a new page ‘Poppy burning scumbags Coleraine’ received 500 comments from those opposed to it.



Insults were exchanged and threats of violence hurled as the two boys came online and defended their actions.



Dervock Royal British Legion member, Steven Phillips, was shown the “abhorrent” photo by his son and immediately telephoned police.



He said the two boys were “sticking two fingers up to the whole of society” by their actions, which he said constituted a hate crime.



“There’s people from this province that lay down their lives, so I think they deserve a bit of respect,” he said.



“It wasn’t just Protestants that died in the field in the First and Second World Wars, there were Catholic soldiers, Hindus, Muslims, people from all religions. All creeds and colours fought for the British Army, so to turn it around like this and use it as a sectarian tool is an absolutely horrendous thing for anybody to even consider, let alone do.”



He said the whole community had been “up in arms” at the photograph, and praised the police for their quick action in making the arrests after a complaint was made.



“I hope they throw the book at them because this is abhorrent,” he said.



“It’s coming up to Remembrance Day and to take pictures of you burning a poppy and put them on Facebook, I think the whole community, whether they support Poppy Day or not, would be appalled by this.”







Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/local-national/northern-ireland/three-teens-in-court-over-alleged-facebook-poppy-burning-picture-16072381.html#ixzz1cg7hGEsu

MHRA news - Illegal animal medicines seized in Ballymena

Illegal animal medicines seized in Ballymena 


A quantity of antibiotics was among the drugs seized Continue reading the main story

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15552766


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Arrest after vet medicines seized

Substantial quantities of unauthorised and illegal veterinary medicines have been seized from a house in Ballymena.



The drugs, worth several thousand pounds, included antibiotics and other medicines intended for the treatment of large numbers of farm animals.



Officials from the Medicines Regulatory Group within the Department of Health carried out the search with police.



A Ballymena man was formally interviewed and the case is being reported to the prosecution service.



Head of the Medicines Regulatory Group, Professor Mike Mawhinney, said: "This seizure is evidence of our determination to clampdown on the availability of illegal veterinary medicines.



"Incorrect use of medication of unknown origin or dubious quality compromises animal health, increases the risk of harmful residues in the food chain and raises the problem of unnecessary antibiotic resistance."

Fall risk with SNRIs similar to other antidepressants ... i.e. increases risk by 79% FIDDAMAN blog

Fall risk with SNRIs similar to other antidepressants


01 Nov 2011

Serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) may increase the risk of falls in older people in a manner similar to other antidepressants.





Falls were monitored in 9,862 people aged over 60 on the THIN UK primary care database, with each faller matched with up to six controls.



The risk of falls for patients currently prescribed SNRIs was increased by 79% relative to controls not taking the drugs. The increased risk appeared within 28 days after the first prescription.



A slightly smaller effect was found with the self-controlled case-series analysis, with a 49% increased risk compared with controls.



The effect was similar in size to the risk of falls in patients taking tricyclic antidepressants or SSRIs.



Study leader Jonathan Gribbin, a researcher at the division of epidemiology and public health sciences, University of Nottingham, said: Treatment with SNRIs in older people may be associated with an increased risk of falling. The falls risk profile of SNRIs appears to be similar to that of SSRIs and TCAs.'



Drugs Aging 2011 online 18 Oct




http://www.network54.com/Forum/281849/message/1320228611/Fall+risk+with+SNRIs+similar+to+other+antidepressants+...+i.e.+increases+risk+by+79%25

PSNI investigate 170 clerical and institutional abuse claims - N Ireland

Police are investigating more than 170 complaints of clerical and institutional abuse in Northern Ireland.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-15544535

The majority of cases date back more than 20 years.



The figures from the PSNI feature only a handful of allegations relating to the last five years.



In September, the executive agreed to establish an enquiry into allegations of abuse in institutional care homes, going back as far as 1945.



Police are actively investigating the 170 complaints of abuse in the years up to 2006.



There are 130 accusations of sexual abuse and 40 more of physical abuse. Some of the cases go back 40 years.



Complaints have dwindled in recent years with just four cases in the last five years. Two of these are believed to be sexual and the other two of a physical nature.



But the chair of the Stormont health committee, Michelle Gildernew, is worried there may actually be many more victims waiting to come forward.



"We know there are people in our society who suffered as a child who are now dealing with their problems through drugs and alcohol abuse, through other issues that they are not able to articulate," said the Sinn Fein MLA.



"Once they are at a point where they are able to articulate it we need to get them help. One hundred and seventy plus cases I believe is quite conservative.



"I think there are a lot more people to come and we need to be ready to support and help them."



The police have declined to give details of the various institutions linked to the current investigations.



Peter Lockard from NEXUS said the focus must now move to all types of institutions, not just the Catholic Church.



"Sexual abuse will occur where there are any vulnerable children and that includes all institutions, should they be schools, youth clubs or churches," he said.



"And so we need to throw this net a lot wider than just the Catholic Church. Abuse is in all major institutions throughout the country where there are vulnerable children."

Jimmy Savile at Haut de la Garenne in Jersey - ** Exclusive on FIDDAMAN counterpoint blog Death Of A Showman

Jimmy Savile, star of children’s television favourite Jim’ll Fix It, sued the Sun in 2008 over a series of articles linking him to Haut de la Garenne, the Jersey children’s home where human remains were found and children were allegedly tortured and sexually abused. He initially denied ever visiting the home, despite photographic evidence to the contrary