Uh-oh

9 Killed as Suburban LA Trains Derail

Metrolink is a different transit system from the one I ride, but I'm still nervous. There have been a lot of problems with SoCal trains lately. *eep*

ETA: Life Imitates the Stupid Doctor Show

Suicidal man triggers California commuter rail crash, police say.

Survey

A couple days ago stevienicks321 posted about dream space, specifically about recognizing a place in her dream. It's not a matter of recognizing a location from waking life, but a matter of "visiting" a particular place often while dreaming. This was my reply to her, with a little more detail added:

I have places I always go when I dream. I don't know if it's all one big city or different places. But when I'm stressed, there's sort of a ghetto-inner city area I wander around. There's a university where I spend time going to lectures and such, a nice funky downtown with really cool cafes and an arty-bohemian flavor, and a seaport area that's really pretty and quaint with cobblestone streets and lots of ivy-- the streets are old and narrow, and you have to park your car and walk.

It's sea-side and sometimes I just drive along the coast.

What about you? Do you have regular haunts in your dreams, is every place a new one, or do you not remember?

Good news!

U.S. Drug Agency Approves Low-Cost, Generic Aids Drugs

United States Department of State (Washington, DC)
PRESS RELEASE
January 26, 2005
Posted to the web January 26, 2005
Washington, DC

Decision could open door to wider availability of drug treatment

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced January 25 that an AIDS drug manufactured in South Africa meets U.S. standards for quality, safety and efficacy.

The tentative approval means that the cheaper drug, although not eligible for sale in the United States due to patent and/or exclusivity concerns, becomes a suitable candidate for purchase with U.S. aid. Availability of less expensive drugs could allow AIDS-assistance dollars to stretch further, and thus provide treatment for more patients.

FDA review of the foreign-manufactured drug was conducted in order to ensure the drug meets quality, safety and efficacy standards. Only medicines that meet those standards are eligible for purchase with funds provided by the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Aspen Pharmacare makes the treatment, which combines three medicines in a one-dose package.

"Through an expedited review process, FDA has worked diligently to approve a product with great public health significance," said Dr. Lester Crawford, acting FDA commissioner. "Our contributions to the goals of the emergency plan are an integral part of that effort."

In a separate press statement, U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator Randall Tobias called the FDA's approval of the generic co-packaged anti-retroviral drug product made in South Africa "another step in ensuring that families throughout the world receive the same quality of drugs that we provide to our own families in the U.S."

Further information about U.S. initiatives on HIV/AIDS is available at http://www.state.gov/s/gac/