Phasing out of Oxycontin

OxyContin - the popular painkiller known as hillybilly heroine on the streets - is no longer available in Canada, but health-care workers say doctors, manufacturers and government officials need to team up to tackle pill addictions. Starting Thursday, Canadian manufacturer Purdue Pharma will roll out another painkiller called OxyNEO instead of OxyContin.

The new type of oxycodone is supposed to be harder to abuse and can be swallowed as a whole pill but not crushed or injected to get high.

The medication, which is produced by drug company Purdue Pharma, is also no longer on the list of drugs doctors can prescribe. Oxycontin has also been removed from the Health Canada program that pays for prescription drugs for First Nations members.

For someone who needs Oxycontin as a painkiller, a prescription for Oxycontin can still be filled during March, which is being called a transition period. But doctors are now asked to prescribe OxyNeo, instead.

As of Feb. 28, 2013, a period of one year, doctors will have to make a special application for patients to get OxyNeo. Only patients being treated for cancer pain or palliative care will be eligible without a special application. In all other types of chronic pain, the doctor will have to prove no other medication has worked for the patient.

Nicolas Sarkozy meets mob of angry protesters

French President Nicolas Sarkozy took refuge from a crowd of several hundred angry protesters in a cafe, as riot police swarmed in to protect him while he campaigned in the country's southwest Basque country. Three cheers. Nicolas Sarkozy is a dirty dog who took money from Gadhafi for his election campaign then screwed him royally.

Robocall Scandal Continues to Expand

Well the latest break in the Robocall scandal is Stephen Harper’s bold claim that they had discovered that the Liberals were behind it. Which didn’t only not makes sense, turned out to be completely false.

It was the NDP that pointed out their error. The company, Prime Contact in Canada is not affiliated with the American company of the same name. Del Mastro made the same point Harper did in the house of commons but later revealed in a televised interview on CBC that he was not aware there was a Canadian company, PrimeContact Group, by the same name as a U.S. company based in North Dakota.

To claim that the Liberals would harass and discourage their own voters from showing up on election day fails the test of believability. It doesn’t make sense. Why would they do that? To make it look like the other side was pulling dirty tricks after an election? No way.

Those guys are all desperate for votes. As pointed out by one analyst, they will do everything in their power to not only win an election but to crush their opponents and win by an even larger margin. To say that they were willing to not only lose votes but lose an election in the hopes that nine months after the election the other party would look bad is absurd.

Although the political analysts are proceeding on innocent until proven guilty, all the political analysts discussing the matter in the news agree that this is a serious scandal and if true this conspiracy would rock the foundations of democracy and clearly be a criminal act. Trying to prevent someone from voting is as outrageous as stealing a ballot box. Most analysts also agree that since it did involve more than one riding it is highly unlikely one 20 year old kid could be responsible for the entire operation. Who seemingly denied he was to blame but claimed he knew who was.

The thing that bugs me is the rating of how the politicians are fairing in the scandal as opposed to finding out the truth behind the scandal. Saying Harper should respond by counter attacking the Liberals record and denying his involvement is outrageous. Criticizing the opposition because there complaint appears to lack continuity is ridiculous. This is a huge concern. Every day the scandal expands and gets more complex.

Most of the calls from the initial complaint falsely claimed to be from Elections Canada fraudulently telling voters of a certain political persuasion their place of voting was changed to discourage them from showing up on election day. Yet there are other bizarre claims in other ridings now as well like Jewish voters in Joe Volope’s riding being harassed on the Sabbath and other voters being harassed several times a day and at night claiming to be from the Liberal party. All the parties were using robocalls this election and it is possible there were glitches in the system. Yet fraud directed at certain voters in more than one riding is a lot more than a glitch. It is as the analysts’ claim, a criminal act that needs to be properly addressed.

A court order executed on an Edmonton call centre in November specifically refers to records related to the campaign of Conservative candidate Marty Burke in Guelph, where many voters reported receiving pre-recorded messages that falsely claimed their polling stations had moved.

Since reports of that investigation came to light last week, Liberals and New Democrats have reported fraudulent calls in dozens of ridings across the country and the Conservatives have called on anyone with information to send it to Elections Canada.



Vancouver demonstrators hit the streets. Elizabeth May and Lybie Davies are both reporting false Elections Canada calls made in their ridings.

Bandera Gold (BGL)

Bandera Gold Ltd. is a Junior Canadian Exploration Company located in Edmonton traded on the TSX maintaining a significant interest in projects in Colombia and Mexico. The stock isn't doing too well but penny stocks can be volatile.

I'm not sure where this picture came from:



But it appears to be the same picture that the Mexican newspaper got their picture of two Canadians tied to the UN gang charged with money laundering. Edmonton is an interesting location. That's red and white town. Alberta is the home of Brey-X ironically enough.





The State Attorney and the PGR are investigating two foreigners for fraud and threats. Ex-Cinco Minas owners Barnet and Bandera Gold directors face Criminal charges in Mexico.

This article claims that Ke(l)vin Williams who was director of a company called flag Gold was involved with two men identified as Eliot Castañeda, alias “El Taco”, of Guatemalan origin and Ahmet Kaawach, nicknamed “Lou” of Canadian origin, who had relations with Barnett Salazar.

EU losses to Fraud

This buried headline in today's Vancouver Province could well be the most important story of the year. The European Union loses some $800 million to suspected fraud every year and it will consider setting up an office to combat it, a senior official said Tuesday.

This is relevant because that is a huge drain on the system. It is also relevant because the Greek financial crisis was the result of investment fraud. That massive fraud was hidden by Goldman Sachs who ripped off the EU of that massive bailout.

Allegations against Goldman Sachs highlight the pressing need to break up big banks and introduce strict financial regulation. Deregulation opens the flood gates wide open to investment fraud.

Kelowna Grow op bust and GHB

Another grow op bust in Kelowna in the 500 block of Gowen Place Friday. More than 1,200 plants were seized.

In the last two months police had shut down five marijuana grow-operations in the Central Okanagan including a business in West Kelowna (1,600 plants), two homes in Lake Country (1,800 plants) a warehouse next to a home on Belgo Road (3,600 plants) and a home in the Upper Mission (5,500 plants). Police also seized 23.5 litres of GHB, five gallons of unprocessed marijuana oil, over $12,000 in cash and several thousand dollars worth of growing equipment. Street value of the drugs is well over $100,000.

That's quite a shopping list. So in the past two months the police have raided five grow ops in the area and have also made a large date rape drug seizure. It doesn't say that the GHB was found with the pot but it does imply it. I suppose that technically could have been a separate bust.

What I find interesting is that we all know who controls the grow ops in Kelowna. If police found and seized date rape drug with or at a Kelowna grow op, then that would mean you know who was selling date rape drug again. Just sayin.

Ohio school shooting leaves one teen dead, 4 wounded

Another tragic school shooting in the States. This month alone, at least four shootings of students have occurred in schools across the country, including today's deadly attack outside Cleveland, Ohio. We can talk about guns, bullies and violence but one thing is certain - something is wrong.

The Columbine High School massacre occurred on Tuesday, April 20, 1999 where two students killed 12 other students and one teacher and wounded 21 others. Michael Moore's movie Bowling for Columbine was thought provoking.

The Robocall Scandal widens

The robocall scandal continues to widen. It certainly wasn't just one riding where one young kid was involved. Elections Canada and police are currently believed to be looking into reports that automated calls in as many as 18 ridings falsely advised voters that the location of their polling stations had changed. Opposition parties claim it's more like 27 to 34.

The Conservative Party does not need to look into "robocalls" made during the last federal election any further, Defence Minister Peter MacKay says. "It's certainly not something our party condones," MacKay said Sunday of the fraudulent calls to voters. "It's inappropriate behaviour to say the least." But he told CBC News in New Glasgow, N.S., that he believes the calls directing people to wrong or non-existent polling places were isolated incidents.

Yeah, right. It's not something we condone. Just like we don't condone torture of prisoners. Much. Harper initially said the Conservative party had no knowledge of the scam. Yet with the rapidly expanding magnitude of the scandal, that is really becoming hard to believe.

I'm not a fan of Bob Rae but he did say one thing in question period that made sense. When will Stephen Harper begin to take personal responsibility? Excellent question. Unfortunately the answer is never.

Elizabeth May was profoundly eloquent on the matter. She said she was enraged because this scandal is an assault on Democracy. Turns out the robocalls were used in her riding as well to discourage non conservative voters from voting by telling them where they vote was moved. Elizabeth May said we don't have a smoking gun here. We have a dead body on the floor. I like her. She is a welcome addition to the debate. Clearly the police should investigate the matter because it is fraud.

Hells Angels Arrested in Funeral Shooting

Police have arrested a Hells Angel gang member several months after he was suspected of fatally shooting a fellow member at a funeral for the regional leader of the motorcycle gang.

Steve Ruiz surrendered Saturday evening after San Jose police surrounded his motel in Fremont, police Sgt. Jason Dwyer said Sunday.

Ruiz, 38, had been the subject of a widespread manhunt since Steve Tausan was shot and killed during memorial services for Jeffrey "Jethro" Pettigrew on Oct. 15. Police believe that Ruiz shot Tausan when a fight broke out at the San Jose funeral, which was monitored by police.

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What's the matter? Isn't anyone going to scream and claim that the Hells angels didn't have anything to do with this shooting either? Just because the accused is a member of the Hells angels and just because the guy he shot was a member of the Hells angels and just because it happened at a Hells angels funeral doesn't mean it involved the Hells Angels. Much.

Dave Pickton's revolting cover up

Well, convicted sex offender Dave Pickton is in the news again. Earlier this month, scared women on Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside put up posters warning that the brother of infamous serial killer Willie Pickton has been seen in the area. “BEWARE!!! Don’t be fooled!” reads the poster, under a 1995 picture of Dave Pickton.

Now, he contacts the newspaper claiming he has started another nonprofit and is fundraising for poor children in Africa. I think we have a legal liability to notify the good people of Ghana that Dave Pickton is a convicted sex offender.

Dave Pickton was convicted of rape in 1992 on the same pig farm his brother was convicted of murdering and mutilating numerous women. Not only that, but during Pickton's trial Dave was accused of another rape. The victim claimed in 1999 he tied her to the bed with bungee cords and tried to shove pills down her mouth. Sgt. Dan Almas said he was aware of that allegation, and agreed that pills and bungee cords were found in a search of the younger Pickton's bedroom but stated "Someone who is alleged to have committed a serious sexual assault does not a murderer make." No but someone alleged to have committed a serious sexual offense should be charged and tried for that serious offense.

One of the most disturbing elements of the Pickton case was that Dave Pickton knew where bodies were buried on the farm. If that doesn't make him an additional suspect it surely makes him an accessory to the crime.

Recently we heard that the Hells angels ran an illegal booze can on sight right across from the Pickton farm which also contained a grow op run by the Hells angels. Yet Dave Pickton was the one who ran another supposed charity called the Piggy Palace Good Times Society. So was it a Hells angels booze can or was it Dave Picktons? Sometimes it's hard to tell. Either way letting him raise money for the disadvantaged is shocking to say the least. It's rather disappointing he still shows no regard whatsoever for the East Vancouver homeless. You'd think he'd have a little more compassion and remorse since so many of them were murdered and mutilated on his farm.