The most popular drug in America is an antipsychotic — and no one really knows how it works

Does anyone remember Thorazine? It was an antipsychotic given to mentally ill people, often in institutions, that was so sedating, it gave rise to the term “Thorazine shuffle.” Ads for Thorazine in medical journals, before drugs were advertised directly to patients, showed Aunt Hattie in a hospital gown, zoned out but causing no trouble to herself or anyone else.

New Jersey cop exposed himself to young male drivers during traffic stops

A Newton police officer was arrested Monday on accusations that he unzipped his pants and exposed himself to young male drivers during “numerous” traffic stops. Jason R. Miller, 37, of Hampton Township, a patrolman since 2001, turned himself in at the Sussex County Prosecutor’s Office and has been indefinitely suspended without pay pending the outcome of the criminal case, according to a statement issued by Sussex County Prosecutor Francis Koch and Newton Police Chief Michael Richards.

Thief Swipes Disabled Women’s Tricycle, Walker From Home

The mother of two disabled women is pleading for a thief to return the walker and tricycle taken from their home. Anna Lisa Abrahams was shocked when she looked through her surveillance video. Despite the signs warning about her cameras, she watched as the thief came back not once, but twice.

Ferguson Cop Advises Residents to Get a Gun: ‘We will not be able to protect you or your family’

Things are about to get real in Ferguson, Missouri, regardless of the decision of the Grand Jury in the Michael Brown case. So real, in fact, that the governor of Missouri has already declared a State of Emergency and called in the National Guard. So real, in fact, that at least some of the local cops believe citizens need to arm themselves, because they know they won’t be able to protect them from the chaos that is sure to ensue.

Secret EU document outlines sanctions to impose if Israel thwarts two-state solution

The European Union has distributed a confidential document to its 28 member states that contains the draft of a proposal for sanctions to be imposed on Israel if it takes action in the West Bank that could make the two-state solution impossible, European diplomatic sources and senior Israeli officials said. (Read the rest of the story here…)

Putin Warns He Won’t Let Ukraine Defeat Eastern Rebels

Russian President Vladimir Putin warned he won’t allow rebels in eastern Ukraine to be defeated by government forces as European Union ministers met to consider imposing more sanctions on the separatists. “You want the Ukrainian central authorities to annihilate everyone there, all of their political foes and opponents,” Putin said in an interview yesterday with Germany’s ARD television. “Is that what you want?

Israel economy shrinks for first time in more than 5 years

Israel’s economy contracted for the first time in more than five years in the third quarter, as growth was hit by the effects of a war with Islamist militants in Gaza. Gross domestic product fell 0.4 percent in the July-September period, the Central Bureau of Statistics said on Sunday.

Three years into drought, Californians adapt to a drier way of life

Three years into a historic drought in California, with 2013 being the driest year on record for the state, stories like the ones above are proliferating. They point to the fact that Californians are finally turning their concern about the drought into changed behavior. “I think people are just taking it more seriously,” says John Moore, an insurance salesman from Sherman Oaks.

ISIS has 200,000-strong force, says Kurdish leader

Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) militants have an army of about 200,000 fighters, over six times larger than previous CIA estimates, a senior Iraqi Kurdish leader has claimed. “I am talking about hundreds of thousands of fighters because they are able to mobilize young Arab men in the territory they have taken,” Fuad Hussein, the chief of staff of Iraqi Kurdish President Massoud Barzani, told the UK Independent in an exclusive interview. Controlling roughly one third of Iraq and Syria, Hussein says the 250,000 square kilometer territory has provided IS a 10 to 12 million-large population from which to attract potential fighters.

U.S. government houses veterans in dilapidated building filled with mold, bedbugs and disease-carrying rats

It’s becoming clear — honorable US service men and women are becoming nothing more than expendable numbers filed away in a system set up to profit off their service, rather than respect and honor their service. For those who volunteer to serve, it’s about defending the country’s freedom and values, but as they begin to take orders, many realize that they are just being used. Some soldiers feel like they are nothing but mere pawns in a global industrial chess match.

David Cameron warns of looming second global crash

David Cameron has issued a stark message that “red warning lights are flashing on the dashboard of the global economy” in the same way as when the financial crash brought the world to its knees six years ago. Writing in the Guardian at the close of the G20 summit in Brisbane, Cameron says there is now “a dangerous backdrop of instability and uncertainty” that presents a real risk to the UK recovery, adding that the eurozone slowdown is already having an impact on British exports and manufacturing. His warning comes days after the Bank of England governor, Mark Carney, claimed a spectre of stagnation was haunting Europe.

5 reasons to worry about the world economy

There’s little reason for cheer in Europe. While Germany narrowly avoided a recession in the third quarter, the latest numbers show the $13 trillion eurozone economy is stuck in first gear. High unemployment, high debt and a lack of investment continue to hold the region back.

Doctor’s death marks second U.S. Ebola fatality

A doctor who spent time treating Ebola patients in West Africa died from the virus Monday. The death of Dr. Martin Salia, who contracted Ebola in Sierra Leone, marks the second time Ebola has claimed a victim in the United States.

Cattle Prices Hit Record High

Prices for slaughter-ready or cash cattle in the U.S. Plains hit an all-time high on Friday, fueled by an early winter storm at a time of the smallest herd since the early 1950s.

Japan enters recession in second quarter

Japan reported Monday that its economy contracted at a real annual rate of 1.6 percent in July-September, in a second straight quarterly decline that returned the country to recession. A steep drop in residential investment failed to offset a modest recovery in exports, the government reported.

Navy Vet Labeled a ‘Terrorist’ For Posting Images of DHS Vehicles in Missouri

A Navy veteran was labeled a “terrorist” and fired from his job as a Houseman at the Drury Plaza Hotel in Chesterfield, Missouri after he posted a video of dozens of Homeland Security vehicles and asked if they were linked to impending civil unrest in Ferguson. he chain of events began when 28-year-old Mark Paffrath saw dozens of DHS vehicles in the parking garage of the hotel on Thursday evening. He took photos and video footage of the vehicles before uploading them to Facebook alongside the words, “I wonder if it has anything to do with Ferguson” along with the hashtags #Ferguson and #NoJusticeNoPeace.

DEA agents raid NFL medical staffs after games

Federal drug enforcement agents showed up unannounced Sunday to check at least three visiting NFL teams’ medical staffs as part of an investigation into former players’ claims that teams mishandled prescription drugs. There were no arrests, Drug Enforcement Administration spokesman Rusty Payne said Sunday. The San Francisco 49ers’ staff was checked at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, after they played the New York Giants.

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