Bear Left!

Fact of the Week

**Fact of the Week**
Pharmaceutical companies spend more on drug promotions in the United States than they spend on R & D; more than they spend on raw materials for their products; and more than is spent on medical school and residency training combined. In 1999, promotional spending reached a record high of $13.9 billion. Source: www.nofreelunch.org (PowerPoint file: try this if that link does not work for you).

Power Down, Profit Up: An Oklahoma company cut output during periods of shortfall in California to sell power at up to 12 times its cost (Chris Knap and Ronald Campbell, Orange County Register).
McVeigh's Path to Death Chamber: He learned his twisted sense of right and wrong from the government that executed him. (Howard Zinn, Boston Globe via Common Dreams News Center).
Catholic Colleges Face Doctrine Requirement: Theologians in American Catholic colleges will need to toe the line or else (Michael Paulson, Boston Globe).
No iPatents: Everything you need to know about software patents in 15 minutes (euroLinux).
The Letter of Dr. Baburam Bhattarai on the Palace Massacre in Nepal: The letter to the editor that got the editors and publishers of Kantipur, a daily Kathmandu newspaper, jailed for over a week (Monthly Review).
Secular Society at Stake: The United States government is helping cults get footholds in Europe (Bruno Fouchereau, Le Monde-Diplomatique).
Inmates on Alabama's Death Row Lack Lawyers: Most inmates on Alabama's death row lack appellate attorneys, and that's the way the state likes it (David Firestone, New York Times).
Dark Side of U.S. Quest for Security: Squalor on an Atoll: The Marshall Islands, site of the testing for Star Wars Episode II, are great for American military contractors but horrible for the natives (Howard French, New York Times). If the Times wants you to pay for this, consider this archive at CounterPunch.

Bear Left! Is a production of Paul Corrigan and Tim Francis-Wright, who produce this as a public service.