Not so ‘humane’—“Phoenix, Arizona—Medical examiners have found that Taser electric stun guns may have played a role in at least five deaths, contradicting the manufacturer’s claim that they never killed or injured anyone…”—Arizona Daily Sun.

How compassionate can they get?—“Jackson, Mississippi—The Mississippi Department of Corrections is considering the early release of as many as 20 terminally ill inmates. Those who qualify in the late stages of diseases such as cancer and lung disease and would be too ill to cause harm.”—News item.

A bright future—Halliburton, the big-time builder, held job fairs in 22 cities, and recruited 112 people for jobs in Iraq. The company has a $4.5 billion Pentagon contract in Iraq for rebuilding projects. Halliburton says those taking the jobs can make $60,000 to $110,000 a year, working an 84 hour week. We don’t know if life insurance is available.

Care for the colony—“U.S. territory, Puerto Rico—Some 102 cases of viral meningitis have been reported in Puerto Rico since an outbreak began last week. Officials said many more likely have the disease but haven’t required medical attention.”—USA Today—July 29.

Get with the program—Thousands of young people are surgically altering their appearance each year. Teenagers “are having breasts enlarged, noses and ears reshaped and skin peeled and plumped. In 2003, almost 336,000 teens 18 or younger had some kind of cosmetic surgery or procedure, a 50 percent increase over 2002.”—News item.

Parking tickets—“Oil refineries, power plants and other industrial operations typically pay fines of a few thousand dollars for exceeding air pollution standards, not enough to deter them from repeated violations, according to an environmental group's review.”—Los Angeles Times.

Don’t squeeze the meat—London supermarkets are pumping 13 percent water into fresh, expensive pork. “Water added” labels are added on the meat packages, but so artfully designed that consumers are not likely to notice. Earlier in the United Kingdom there was a major expose of water-injected chickens.

Reminder—You can now send e-mail clippings directly to: thegreatsociety@sbcglobal.net.  
 
 
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