www.cnn.com/2006/HEALTH/12/05/ny.trans.fat.ap/index.html

NEW YORK (AP) -- The Board of Health voted Tuesday to make New York the nation's first city to ban artery-clogging artificial trans fats at restaurants -- from the corner pizzeria to high-end bakeries.

The board, which passed the ban unanimously, did give restaurants a slight break by relaxing what had been considered a tight deadline for compliance. Restaurants will be barred from using most frying oils containing artificial trans fats by July and will have to eliminate the artificial trans fats from all of its foods by July 2008.

Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said recently that officials seriously weighed complaints from the restaurant industry, which argued that it was unrealistic to give them six months to replace cooking oils and shortening and 18 months to phase out the ingredients altogether.

The ban contains some exceptions; for instance, it would allow restaurants to serve foods that come in the manufacturer's original packaging.

Trans fats are believed to be harmful because they contribute to heart disease by raising bad cholesterol and lowering good cholesterol at the same time. Some experts say that makes trans fats worse than saturated fat.

The panel also passed another measure that has made restaurants unhappy: Some that chose to inform customers about calorie content will have to list the information right on the menu. The rule would generally apply to fast-food restaurants and other major chains.

Trans fats are formed when liquid oils are made into solid fats by adding hydrogen in a process called hydrogenation. A common example of this is partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, which is used for frying and baking and turns up in processed foods like cookies, pizza dough and crackers. Trans fats, which are favored because of their long shelf life, are also found in pre-made blends like pancake and hot chocolate mix.

The FDA estimates the average American eats 4.7 pounds of trans fats each year.

Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who banned smoking in bars and restaurants during his first term, is somewhat health-obsessed, and even maintains a monthly weight-loss competition with one of his friends in order to stay slim.

He has dismissed cries that New York is crossing a line by trying to legislate diets.

"Nobody wants to take away your french fries and hamburgers -- I love those things, too," he said recently. "But if you can make them with something that is less damaging to your health, we should do that."

Many food makers have stopped using trans fats on their own, after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration began requiring companies to list trans fat content on labels.

Fast-food restaurants and other major chains were particularly interested in the board's decision on Tuesday, because for these companies, a trans-fat ban wouldn't just involve substituting one ingredient for another. In addition to overhauling recipes, they have to disrupt nationwide supply operations and try to convince customers that the new french fries and doughnuts will taste just as good as the originals.

Already, McDonald's Corp. has been quietly experimenting with more than a dozen healthier oil blends but has not committed to a full switch. At an investor conference last month, CEO Jim Skinner said the company is making "very good progress," at developing an alternative, and vowed to be ready for a New York City ban.

Wendy's International Inc. introduced a zero-trans fat oil in August and Yum Brands Inc.'s KFC and Taco Bell said they also will cut the trans fats from their kitchens.

Taco Bell worked for more than two years to find a substitute, conducting blind consumer taste tests and extensive research, the company said.

Chicago is also considering its own trans fat law, which wouldn't ban them outright but would severely restrict the amount that kitchens can use. The measure would apply only to large restaurants, defined as those that make more than $20 million in sales per year.

New York's move to ban trans fats has mostly been applauded by health and medical groups, although the American Heart Association warns that if restaurants aren't given ample time to make the switch, they could end up reverting to ingredients high in saturated fat, like palm oil.

Trans fats are believed to be harmful.

www.tbnweekly.com/content_articles/112206_pco-04.txt


Deputy indicted for tasering suspect who fired on police
PINELLAS COUNTY – A Pinellas County sheriff’s deputy who chose to taser a suspect that shot at him and another deputy instead of using deadly force was indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly using excessive force. Deputy Richard Farnham was on special volunteer assignment in the Florida Panhandle after Hurricane Ivan in September 2004 when the incident occurred.

Despite the fact that one of the suspects allegedly fired a handgun at Farnham and a Santa Rosa County deputy while on patrol in Navarre Beach, the jury sitting in the Northern District of Florida’s Pensacola Division agreed that Farnham used excessive force by using a Taser gun on one of two armed suspects who had allegedly fired their guns at the deputies.

Farnham, authorities said, actually had the right to shoot back, but chose instead not to use a life-threatening means to subdue the gunman. Farnham, who was to surrender in Santa Rosa County this week, is on administrative paid leave. The indictment has caused an uproar in the law enforcement community.

“We are concerned and disappointed about these allegations, but will continue to cooperate in this process,” Pinellas County Sheriff Jim Coats said.

U-M, Wayne State to continue affirmative action programs despite ban

December 7, 2006 - 10:03AM
DETROIT (AP) - Two of Michigan's largest public universities are moving ahead with programs to encourage diversity despite a voter-enacted ban on affirmative action policies.

The University of Michigan says it will continue to set hiring goals for women and minorities, saying not doing so would jeopardize federal funding.

Wayne State's law school also has a new admissions policy it hopes will maintain diversity. It states that students who meet certain grades and test scores will automatically be accepted, but it allows more than two dozen exceptions for those who don't meet that level.

Proposal 2 passed last month with 58 percent of the vote and banned the use of race and gender preferences. It has already been challenged in federal court.

At most companies, going AWOL during daylight hours would be grounds for a pink slip. Not at Best Buy. The nation's leading electronics retailer has embarked on a radical--if risky--experiment to transform a culture once known for killer hours and herd-riding bosses. The endeavor, called ROWE, for "results-only work environment," seeks to demolish decades-old business dogma that equates physical presence with productivity. The goal at Best Buy is to judge performance on output instead of hours.

Hence workers pulling into the company's amenity-packed headquarters at 2 p.m. aren't considered late. Nor are those pulling out at 2 p.m. seen as leaving early. There are no schedules. No mandatory meetings. No impression-management hustles. Work is no longer a place where you go, but something you do. It's O.K. to take conference calls while you hunt, collaborate from your lakeside cabin, or log on after dinner so you can spend the afternoon with your kid.

14-year-old boy commits suicide, hoping for better luck next life

KAWAGOE, Saitama -- A 14-year-old boy who leaped to his death from a condominium complex left a suicide note saying he will come back in his next life, police said.

"I'm sure I'll be reborn. I'll come back to you as a more capable person. Don't forget me. I'm sorry. Goodbye," his suicide note to his family left on his desk partly read.

Investigators said the boy, a second-year junior high school student, appeared shocked to lose his regular position in the school's basketball club. Police are investigating the motives for his suicide.

At about 2:45 a.m. on Saturday, a passer-by found the boy lying on the premises of the condominium complex where he lived, and alerted police. The boy subsequently died from blood loss.

The boy apparently jumped from the landing on the 10th floor of the structure, local police said.