| Christopher Kennedy Lawford discusses addiction agony at FoundCare event
As a member of a political family known at times for excess, it's no wonder Christopher Kennedy Lawford's philosophy was once "better living through better chemistry." Lawford — an actor seen recently in Slipstream with Anthony Hopkins and the author of Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption — recalled Tuesday the perfect storm that led to his drug and alcohol addiction at a tender age. Lawford, 52, the son of hard- living actor and Rat Pack member Peter Lawford and Patricia Kennedy, said he began drinking and using drugs at 13. He started with LSD before moving on to heroin and other narcotics. Lawford's parents had divorced when he was 11. He was left alone at boarding school while his parents lived their own lives.
Do the Noble thing
In the race of Noble vs. Nobles, The Times supports the singular candidate, Scott Noble. He is the incumbent King County assessor, who runs the office that sets the value of land and buildings for tax purposes. Voters and politicians determine the total property tax to be collected. The assessor divides that figure, parceling it out to owners. Noble has been assessor since 1993, and has done a professional job of it. He is a Democrat but is not partisan; he has spoken out against proposals by Democrats and Republicans both, such as the tax-increment financing law. A few years ago, Noble led a court challenge against Tim Eyman's Initiative 722, which he said would have shifted the tax burden unfairly. This year, he spoke against Senate Bill 5498, which appeared to undermine the 1-percent tax lid of Eyman's Initiative 747.
Death-Defying: Aging can be cured, scientist maintains
WASHINGTON - Aubrey de Grey may be wrong but, evidence suggests, he's not nuts. This is a no small assertion. De Grey argues that some people alive today will live in a robust and youthful fashion for 1,000 years. In 2005, an authoritative publication offered $20,000 to any molecular biologist who could demonstrate that de Grey's plan for treating aging as a disease - and curing it - was "so wrong that it was unworthy of learned debate." Now mere mortals - who may wish to be significantly less mortal - can judge whether de Grey's proposals are "science or fantasy," as the magazine put it. De Grey's much-awaited Ending Aging: The Rejuvenation Breakthroughs That Could Reverse Human Aging in Our Lifetime was published in September by St. Martin's Press. The judges were formidable for that MIT Technology Review challenge prize.
Alcohol killed wrongly-convicted mum
Sally Clark, the mother wrongly-convicted of killing her two sons, died as a result of acute alcohol intoxication, a coroner has ruled. Mrs Clark, 42, of Hatfield Peverel, Essex, was jailed over the deaths of her sons, Christopher and Harry in 1996 and 1998. She was released in January 2003 after being cleared on appeal. The solicitor was found dead at her home last March. A few days later, Essex coroner Caroline Beasley-Murray opened an inquest in Chelmsford and was told pathologists thought Mrs Clark had died of natural causes. Ms Beasley-Murray said on Wednesday that there was no evidence that Mrs Clark intended to commit suicide. Coroner's officer John Pheby told the inquest Mrs Clark had been found in bed, apparently not breathing, by her cleaner on March 16 and paramedics were called who confirmed that Mrs Clark was dead.
Rollover on I-15 ramp claims young West Vally man
A 19-year-old West Valley man was killed in a rollover accident on the freeway early Saturday. About 2:45 a.m., the driver and a passenger, also 19, were taking the ramp to go from northbound I-15 to westbound I-215. The driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a concrete barrier on the left side of the road, said Utah Highway Patrol trooper Cameron Roden. The vehicle rolled several times, ejecting the driver who was not wearing a seat belt, he said. Toeuth Loeuth was transported to a local hospital where he later died, Roden said. The passenger was taken to the hospital in fair condition. Although it was cloudy, the roads were dry at the time of the accident. Speed and alcohol were being investigated as possible factors in the crash, Roden said. .
Results Of Clinical Trial: Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis
Patients with chronic hepatitis C and advanced liver disease who did not respond to previous standard therapy experienced significant decreases in their liver enzymes, viral levels, and liver inflammation following treatment with long-term pegylated interferon. However, the treatment did not slow or prevent the progression of serious liver disease. These findings come from the clinical trial, Hepatitis C Antiviral Long-Term Treatment Against Cirrhosis (HALT-C) and were reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Disease in Boston. HALT-C is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) with additional support from Hoffmann-La Roche Inc.
"The HALT-C trial unequivocally demonstrated that maintenance therapy with peginterferon does not prevent progression of liver disease among patients who have failed prior treatments," said James Everhart, M.D., project scientist for HALT-C and a program director for the Division of Digestive Diseases and Nutrition, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the principal sponsor of HALT-C at NIH.
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