NEWSMAX.COM:  Investigators are confronted with a series of nagging questions as they try to unravel the case of a California real estate agent who said his Toyota Prius turned into a runaway death trap after the gas pedal became stuck.

Toyota has said all Priuses are equipped with a computer system that cuts power to the wheels if the brake and gas pedals are depressed at the same time, as Sikes was doing…

Raj Rajkumar, an electrical and computer-engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh who studies auto electronics, said the Prius could still have acceleration malfunctions even with the fail-safe system…

Rajkumar said the two engine control unit microprocessors could still receive common erroneous signals from sensors or experience software errors that could cause the throttle and the fail-safe mechanism to malfunction…  (more)

By [Congressman] Joe Pitts, Guest Columnist

WEST CHESTER DAILY LOCAL NEWS:  …. Running a family farm is hard, but now the federal government wants to make it even harder.…  

The new regulations would put a number of new requirements on farmers whenever their vehicle travels along, or even just across, a public road. When you think about Pennsylvania farms, you realize that many of them, especially in our area, have roads running through them. Here are just some of the new regulations farmers would have to comply with….

Government certainly has responsibility to ensure safety and clean air, but I believe many new regulations go too far and are not supported by elected officials. I don’t want to see government regulators shut down our farms … (more) 

We often wonder who writes the New Era editorials.  Some are rational and erudite.  Others are sheer ignorance and prejudice. 

“States on slippery pot-laced slope” is an excellent case in point of the latter. It provides not one shred of evidence for any of its contentions.  Let us consider them point by point:

NEW ERA:  “A growing number of states are rethinking their laws prohibiting marijuana use.  It’s a disturbing trend.  Sadly, the change is not the result of an important breakthrough in, say, the science behind the medicinal use of pot.  Nor is it a great cultural awakening to the benefits of cannabis.”

By prohibiting universities and others from conducting medical marijuana research, the federal government has prevented studies for two decades.  Here is the result of a federal government sponsored study from 1988:

“Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis, marijuana can be safely used within a supervised routine of medical care. …

“The administrative law judge recommends that the Administrator [of the DEA] conclude that the marijuana plant considered as a whole has currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, that there is no lack of accepted safety for use of it under medical supervision and that it may lawfully be transferred from Schedule I to Schedule II.”  (more)

 Here is an excerpt from a 2010 state sponsored report:

“By design CMCR [Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research] clinical studies focused on conditions identified by the Institute of Medicine for which cannabis might have potential therapeutic effects, based on current scientific knowledge (Institute of Medicine, 1999). To date, four CMCR-funded studies have demonstrated that cannabis has analgesic effects in pain conditions secondary to injury (e.g. spinal cord injury) or disease (e.g. HIV disease, HIV drug therapy) of the nervous system … This suggests that cannabis may provide a treatment option for those individuals who do not respond or respond inadequately to currently available therapies. The efficacy of cannabis in treatment-refractory patients also may suggest a novel mechanism of action not fully exploited by current therapies. In addition to nerve pain, CMCR has also supported a study on muscle spasticity in Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Such spasticity can be painful and disabling, and some patients do not benefit optimally from existing treatments. The results of the CMCR study suggest that cannabis reduces MS spasticity, at least in the short term, beyond the benefit available from usual medical care.”   (more) 

New Era:  “The societal costs – lives and families destroyed?  Well, potheads aren’t talking about that.”

Families are going to be destroyed because a sick person takes natural marijuana rather than some prescription narcotic?  The use of marijuana socially is going to bring harm to family members?

Please  look at a federal sponsored study of the comparative dangers of legal and illegal drugs.

New Era:  “First, it’s medical marijuana.  Then it’s available to any adult who wants to get high.  What’s next?  Cocaine?  Heroin?”

This is the spurious “Gateway theory” that suggests that those who smoke marijuana will go on to use hard drugs. In fact, only about 1½% of marijuana users currently use hard drugs.  This may be little different from the percent of the population drinking beer, coffee or Coke going on to hard drugs. 

Here are excerpts from federally sponsored studies from 2008 and 1999:

“More than 102 million Americans have tried marijuana; 15.2 million Americans are estimated to be ‘past-month’ users. Yet there are only an estimated 1,855,000 “past-month” users of cocaine and 213,000 ‘past-month’ users of heroin.”  (more)

“The Institute of Medicine’s 1999 report on medical marijuana examined the question whether the medical use of marijuana would lead to an increase of marijuana use in the general population and concluded that, ‘At this point there are no convincing data to support this concern. The existing data are consistent with the idea that this would not be a problem if the medical use of marijuana were as closely regulated as other medications with abuse potential.’ The report also noted that, “this question is beyond the issues normally considered for medical uses of drugs, and should not be a factor in evaluating the therapeutic potential of marijuana or cannabinoids.”  (more)

New Era:  “Once, we were a nation that recognized the harm of illegal drugs and vices.  Now we regulate and tax them.”  

Sure we knew better in the past!  We enslaved Africans, banned women from voting, prosecuted gays, prohibited alcoholic beverages, and forbade shopping on Sundays.  Now we tax, regulate and control far more dangerous alcoholic beverages as well as tobacco.  As a result, now no one is peddling bourbon in schools or on downtown street corners!

Editors of major newspapers around the country favor medical marijuana, as do almost 80% of the population according to recent polls. 

“A few of the editorial boards that have endorsed medical access to marijuanainclude: Boston Globe; Chicago Tribune; Miami Herald; Denver Post; Los Angeles Times; New York Times; Orange County Register; and USA Today.”  (more)

The New Era editors are correct when they suggest the greater tolerance towards social marijuana  “…seems to be about money as much as anything.”

Due to the sharp recession, people are recognizing the extraordinary costs of incarcerating hundreds of thousands of persons (and all of the dire and implications to their families and resulting costs to society) for doing nothing worse than those violating the law during alcohol prohibition.

Marijuana was banned during times when its use was associated with Mexican immigrants and ‘rebellious’ youths who opposed the Viet Nam War.  It is an extension of Jim Crow-ism, a way of holding down the African-American and Latino male populations by first giving them a chance to earn money and then putting them either in prison or under the thumb of the criminal justice system.    (Regrettably, the African-American community has been among the last to wake up to this.)

As we have said in the past, the New Era editorial board reminds us of the “little girl with a curl in the middle of her far head.”  When they are good, they can be very, very good.  When they are bad, they are “horrid.”

NEW YORK TIMES:  — The White House and Congressional leaders put Democrats on notice Friday that they would push ahead next week toward climactic votes on the health care legislation, as President Obama delayed a foreign trip and Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she hoped to complete House action before he leaves.

As early as Thursday or Friday, Democrats said, they would first pass the health care bill already approved by the Senate in December, clearing the way for Mr. Obama to sign it, and then approve a package of changes in a separate bill that the Senate would also pass by a simple majority vote.   (more)

Tucked along the green, pedestrian-friendly walks of Millersville University’s broad campus grounds, the George Street Café modestly churns out some of the finest café fare in Lancaster County. This 304 North George Street shop offers a cool, tasteful environment; a fresh, lively staff; and a refined-yet-affordable menu—well worth a short trip to this idyllic little college town.

Café food is always hit-or-miss. At it’s worst, you’ll often see a pre-packaged afterthought of a menu—really just an excuse to serve something other than coffee and tea. At it’s best, you’ll see a genuine effort to serve up colorful cuisine for a casual price—where the composition is simple, but the ingredients are far from run-of-the-mill. George Street is the living definition of that latter camp.

All of the shop’s specialty sandwiches are available on a wrap, ciabatta bread, or on their “bread of the day.” A wrap—whole wheat, spinach, or tomato—is highly recommended to showcase these sandwiches’ thoughtful flavor combinations.

The Turkey, Brie, and Cranberry wrap creates a profound blend, in which all of the namesake ingredients taste as though they had always been destined for one another. The turkey is moist and generously piled, joining with the brie in a deep base of flavor that is expanded by the high-hitting tang and sweetness of cranberry sauce. Lined with leaves of fresh baby spinach, the wrap offers a uniquely satisfying blend of both bright and savory tones.

A sandwich with chips and a pickle rings in at around $10 when you add a bowl of George Street’s soup of the day. The rich, warm spinach soup partnered well with the generally cold turkey wrap, and pushed the meal just past the finish line of this reporter’s appetite.

You never know what to expect from a coffee shop menu. This is dangerous territory, folks. But you can rest assured that George Street provides a delicious display of café food at its very finest, proving that thoughtful cuisine does not have to be expensive cuisine.

From POLITICO.COM:

The prospects for piggybacking a student loan reform bill onto the Senate health care fixes improved considerably Thursday, with Democrats signaling support for the move and the Senate Budget Committee chairman also giving his assent.

The move could deliver twin victories to President Barack Obama, who has pushed to shake up the student loan market. But it also opens Democrats to attacks from Republicans who say Congress and the White House are already overreaching by using fast-track parliamentary rules to finish health care reform — let alone enact major changes to the college lending industry…

Click here to read the full article.

From the FINANCIAL TIMES:

US retail sales recorded a surprise rise in February, as wary consumers lifted recovery hopes by braving harsh winter storms with renewed interest in spending.

Sales rose by 0.3 per cent last month, commerce department figures  on Friday, defying expectations of a drop. Compared with a year ago, retail sales are up by 3.9 per cent.

“Consumers are beginning to come out of their shells,” said Nigel Gault, chief US economist at IHS Global Insight…

Click here to read the full article.

From the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER:

One of many disturbing aspects of the Luzerne County “kids-for-cash” scandal is that authorities could have stopped two allegedly corrupt judges sooner.

A new report shows that the state’s Judicial Conduct Board, which is responsible for investigating complaints of wrongdoing by judges, twiddled its thumbs as kids were shipped off to detention for minor offenses.

The board admitted that it received four complaints about former Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Conahan in 2004, 2006, and 2008. But the board failed to investigate those complaints, claiming it could have conflicted with an inquiry of a different Luzerne judge.

The conduct board’s chief counsel, Joseph Massa, told a special state commission reviewing the case that the board didn’t refer a 2006 complaint about Conahan to the U.S. Attorney’s Office until nearly 18 months later. A copy of the board’s statement was reported by the Legal Intelligencer.

Click here to read the full article.

On Thursday evening, March 11, about 30 community residents gathered at the Lancaster Public Library to discuss library service in Lancaster County and to share their ideas for its improvement. The gathering was one of a series of town hall meetings called by the County-appointed libraries task force, in an effort to collect the community’s insights during their final months of research. And one insight came through loud and clear: The need to solicit grassroots, popular support for county libraries.

The task force was appointed last fall by the Lancaster County board of commissioners to take an objective look at the funding and administration of area libraries. The group’s seven members represent a broad spectrum of library leadership, including larger libraries, smaller borough and township libraries, and the Library System. Only two members—Diane Rice of the System and John McGrann of LPL board—were present at Thursday’s meeting.

One man in attendance suggested that library officials work to alter the public’s perception of these institutions. With tens of thousands of cardholders countywide, the man argued, libraries are an integral part of public education efforts. But most people do not see this critical role, he said.

The man further noted that, on a given weekday, there are likely more people bustling through the Lancaster Public Library than there are in the Lancaster County Convention Center. In a city billing itself as a sophisticated destination for the arts and education, he said, such meager financial support for our library is senseless.

A home-schooling mother noted that, for families such as hers, the public library is the only library their students ever know. The home-schooling community, she said, is one that would not only benefit from more targeted programs but could also become a great asset to the county’s libraries by way of support and advocacy.

Library System administrator Susan Hauer added that Lancaster County contains more home-schooling families than any other county in Pennsylvania.

Warren Anderson, former owner of Chestnut Street Books, recommended that the county’s libraries make a strong case for how library funding can concretely benefit the community. It may be provocative to note that Lancaster’s libraries receive far less than in other counties, he asserted, but no politician would increase spending in any area without having the public convinced of its worth.

A report distributed at the meeting did note that, while Lancaster libraries recently received a $4.89 per capita County appropriation, Adams, Cumberland, and Chester Counties received more than double that amount. Dauphin’s allocation was over three times as much, at $16.22.

The discussion of public engagement ultimately pointed to the primary objective of driving our state and local elected officials to direct a more generous allocation to libraries in Lancaster County. As one man put it, the only way to get the attention of such leaders is to generate a “groundswell” of public support.

Other ideas proposed by members of the audience included:

• Advocating for a per capita library tax, rather than the earlier proposal based on millage
• Soliciting small donations from county cardholders
• Pushing for contributions from area schools, since libraries fall under the state’s department of education
• Having the libraries’ financial woes presented as clearly as local schools have in recent news reports
• Imposing a small fee on computer and premium database usage (McGrann noted that this would likely clash with the driving philosophy of public libraries to provide free access to information)

The task force members in attendance took note of all of the public’s suggestions, promising to take them into account as the task force moves toward presenting their final recommendations to the Lancaster County commissioners in June.

As a mark of quality, experience, and excellence in delivery of care, Lancaster General Health was named by SDI Health LLC, a nationally recognized healthcare data and consulting firm, as one of the nation’s top 100 health systems for integrating services to improve performance and operate efficiently.  The honor positions LG Health among the best-performing, most-efficient health organizations in the nation.

Strategies that led to LG Health’s recognition as a top performer include:

• A network-wide Intranet system for employee and physician communication.
• A strong commitment to develop electronic medical records (EMR).
• Alignment and integration of physicians across the health network.

The SDI Integrated Healthcare Networks (IHN) survey, which is regarded as the nation’s premier rating system of healthcare, identifies the top 100 out of more than 500 health systems graded annually on 33 elements in eight categories including: operations, quality, scope of services and access, physician participation, integrated technology, efficiency, and financial stability. Health systems are graded on performance levels in each category, which are weighted in value, resulting in an overall score and placement in the ranking.