Archive for June 3rd, 2008

D.C.’s metro was extremely packed during Monday’s morning commute, which could only mean one thing (aside from it being tourist season): Congress is back in session.

I blogged earlier about the major flaws in the latest climate change legislation, America’s Climate Security Act, introduced by Sens. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and John Warner (R-Va.) The Senate will be debating the bill all week, and although nobody expects the bill to get very far, it’s certainly creating a buzz among the media and some heated debate among lawmakers.

For those who want to get a feel for how the debate is going, Reuters has posted a sampling of some of Monday’s comments, from notaries such as President Bush, Al Gore and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.).

Some other media highlights:

  • A post from The New York Times’ political blog, The Caucus
  • A list of five things to watch during the debate from The Politico
  • A look at both sides of the debate from Wired
  • An overview of business’ take on climate change from CQPolitics

And in case all these facts on climate change become a bit dizzying, check out the resources from Public Citizen’s energy program

Are you or is someone you know taking codeine to relieve pain? Then some new information in Public Citizen’s Worst Pills, Best Pills June newsletter will be of interest.

It turns out a substantial minority of people using codeine may be at risk of getting inadequate pain relief or experiencing serious side effects because of certain genetic factors and other medications they may be taking.

The reason codeine works as a painkiller is because the body converts it into morphine in the liver using an enzyme called CYP2D6. However, not everyone has the same level of CYP2D6 activity. Some have activity that is higher or lower than normal, which could result in an excessive or inadequate response to codeine.

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