Water You Gonna Do?

Slumdog Millionaire's Child Actors Still Live in 'Grinding Poverty' in Mumbai

A Fox Searchlight spokesperson said he is “proud” of their treatment, “the children were paid three times the average local annual adult salary.”

Rubina Ali and Azharuddin Ismail, two of the child actors in “Slumdog Millionaire,” are still living in the slums of Mumbai, despite the film’s $14 million budget and worldwide success. Ali earned 500 British pounds ($710) for one year’s work and Ismail earned 1700 pounds ($2414), “less than many Indian domestic servants”:

Both children were found places in a local school and receive £20 a month for books and food. However, they continue to live in grinding poverty and their families say they have received no details of the trust funds set up in their names. Their parents said that they had hoped the film would be their ticket out of the slums, and that its success had made them realise how little their children had been paid.

Ismail is in fact “worse off” now, as his “family’s illegal hut was demolished by the local authorities and he now sleeps under a sheet of plastic tarpaulin.” Ali lives nearby — in a “hut.” A Fox Searchlight spokesperson said he is “proud” of their treatment and boasted, “For 30 days work, the children were paid three times the average local annual adult salary.”

Original article can be found here.

My comment:
Yea it’s nice they got paid extra… a whole years worth. But I think this is appauling to me that they’re still left in the slums with only few bucks in there pockets. Mr Danny Boyle, why don’t you just not buy one of your expensive cars, and meals and send the boys some money.

Marijuana Cuts Lung Cancer Tumor Growth In Half, Study Shows

ScienceDaily (Apr. 17, 2007) — The active ingredient in marijuana cuts tumor growth in common lung cancer in half and significantly reduces the ability of the cancer to spread, say researchers at Harvard University who tested the chemical in both lab and mouse studies.

They say this is the first set of experiments to show that the compound, Delta-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), inhibits EGF-induced growth and migration in epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expressing non-small cell lung cancer cell lines. Lung cancers that over-express EGFR are usually highly aggressive and resistant to chemotherapy.

THC that targets cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2 is similar in function to endocannabinoids, which are cannabinoids that are naturally produced in the body and activate these receptors. The researchers suggest that THC or other designer agents that activate these receptors might be used in a targeted fashion to treat lung cancer.

“The beauty of this study is that we are showing that a substance of abuse, if used prudently, may offer a new road to therapy against lung cancer,” said Anju Preet, Ph.D., a researcher in the Division of Experimental Medicine.

Acting through cannabinoid receptors CB1 and CB2, endocannabinoids (as well as THC) are thought to play a role in variety of biological functions, including pain and anxiety control, and inflammation. Although a medical derivative of THC, known as Marinol, has been approved for use as an appetite stimulant for cancer patients, and a small number of U.S. states allow use of medical marijuana to treat the same side effect, few studies have shown that THC might have anti-tumor activity, Preet says. The only clinical trial testing THC as a treatment against cancer growth was a recently completed British pilot study in human glioblastoma.

In the present study, the researchers first demonstrated that two different lung cancer cell lines as well as patient lung tumor samples express CB1 and CB2, and that non-toxic doses of THC inhibited growth and spread in the cell lines. “When the cells are pretreated with THC, they have less EGFR stimulated invasion as measured by various in-vitro assays,” Preet said.

Then, for three weeks, researchers injected standard doses of THC into mice that had been implanted with human lung cancer cells, and found that tumors were reduced in size and weight by about 50 percent in treated animals compared to a control group. There was also about a 60 percent reduction in cancer lesions on the lungs in these mice as well as a significant reduction in protein markers associated with cancer progression, Preet says.

Although the researchers do not know why THC inhibits tumor growth, they say the substance could be activating molecules that arrest the cell cycle. They speculate that THC may also interfere with angiogenesis and vascularization, which promotes cancer growth.

Preet says much work is needed to clarify the pathway by which THC functions, and cautions that some animal studies have shown that THC can stimulate some cancers. “THC offers some promise, but we have a long way to go before we know what its potential is,” she said.

Original article can be found here.

My comment: I’m not endorsing marijuana smoking, but this definitely shows us that we should keep an open mind to this so called “gateway drug” and the benefits it can bring.

i have two fingers

Avoid These 20 Worst Supermarket Foods

Editor-in-chief of Men’s Health and author of the bestselling book Eat This, Not That has just released a new supermarket survival guide. Here’s a quick look at what it says you should avoid putting in your cart:

The roundup features 20 of the worst supermarket foods you can find organized by category. If a few goodies you love made the list, don’t despair. The article also lists healthier alternatives that should satisfy many of the same cravings that made you reach for the unhealthy food in the first place. According to the author, the 20 worst supermarket foods include:

* Worst Crunchy Snack: Gardetto’s Special Request Roasted Garlic Rye Chips
* Worst Cookie: Pillsbury Big Deluxe Classics White Chunk Macadamia Nut
* Worst Yogurt: Stonyfield Farm Whole Milk Chocolate Underground
* Worst Candy: Twix
* Worst Condiment: Eggo Original Syrup
* Worst Ice Cream: Haagen-Dazs Chocolate Peanut Butter
* Worst Drink: AriZona Kiwi Strawberry
* Worst “Healthy” Pantry Item: Pop-Tarts Whole Grain Brown Sugar Cinnamon
* Worst Frozen “Healthy” Entree: Healthy Choice Complete Selections Sweet & Sour Chicken
* Worst Cereal: Quaker 100% Natural Granola, Oats, Honey & Raisins
* Worst Packaged Pasta: Pasta Roni Fettuccine Alfredo
* Worst Baked Good: Otis Spunkmeyer Banana Nut Muffins
* Wort Frozen Treat: Toll House Ice Cream Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich
* Worst Individual Snack: Hostess Chocolate Pudding Pie
* Worst Packaged Lunch: Oscar Mayer Maxed Out Turkey & Cheddar Cracker Combo Lunchables
* Worst Stir-Fry: Bertolli Grilled Chicken Alfredo & Fettuccine Complete Skillet Meal for Two
* Worst Frozen Breakfast: Jimmy Dean Pancake and Sausage Links Breakfast Bowls
* Worst Frozen Pizza: DiGiorno for One Garlic Bread Crust Supreme Pizza
* Worst Frozen Entree: Hungry-Man Classic Fried Chicken
* Worst Packaged Food in America: Marie Callender’s Creamy Parmesan Chicken Pot Pie

Original article can be found here.