Free Republic

If you make big bucks — or enjoy alcohol, cigarettes and Coke — the government might hit you up to pay for fixing the nation’s health care system. On Tuesday, the Senate Finance Committee peeked into vending machines and liquor stores, company payrolls and health savings accounts, looking for a mix of tax increases and spending cuts as a way to pay for a health overhaul — which could cost more than $1.5 trillion over 10 years.

Underage drinkers who attempt to buy alcohol may be thwarted by the technology that police use to identify suspected criminals. A supermarket chain is introducing face recognition cameras to prevent staff mistakenly selling cigarettes and alcohol to under-18s. Face recognition: Will be used to stop underage drinkers buying alcohol The biometric technology is being piloted by Budgens at one of its London branches. If successful, it could be rolled out across the country to create a database of youngsters who try to buy alcohol. The system alerts a cashier if it 'recognises' someone who has previously been unable to prove...

NHS may not treat smokers, drinkers or obese By Celia Hall, Medical Editor (Filed: 09/12/2005) People who are grossly overweight, who smoke heavily or drink excessively could be denied surgery or drugs following a decision by a Government agency yesterday.The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (Nice) which advises on the clinical and cost effectiveness of treatments for the NHS, said that in some cases the "self-inflicted" nature of an illness should be taken into account. But the report bars any discrimination against patients on grounds of age alone. Nice stressed that people should not be discriminated against by...

That’s a CROC !! A French-sponsored 12 member Peruvian exploration team has discovered the fossil remains of a 46 foot crocodile – deep in the Amazon jungle. It is believed the entire Amazon Basin was once an inland sea – stretching from Atlantic to Pacific, and inhabited by creatures such as this monster and a relatively demure and petite giant armadillo – whose fossil was also found nearby. The crocodile fossil, which included skeleton, jaws, and very large teeth , indicates the creature may have had a head measuring four feet across ; and it probably weighed “about 9 tons...

LONDON (Reuters) - Britons are the worst binge drinkers in Europe and women are catching up with men in the heavy drinking stakes, the government said on Friday, urging a "more civilized" late-night culture. A report by Downing Street's strategy unit found that while Britons drink less than most of the continental neighbors, they drink more intensively. "In the UK, binge drinking accounts for 40 percent of all drinking occasions by men and 22 percent by women," the unit said in a report designed to inform government policy on alcohol abuse. That put Britain at the top of the binge...

Coffee drinkers have lower diabetes risk 00:01 08 November 02 NewScientist.com news service Drinking a lot of coffee may give people a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a preliminary study. After analysing over 17,000 Dutch men and women, researchers found that those who drank seven or more cups of coffee a day were half as likely to develop the disease than those who drank two cups or less. The study was led by Rob van Dam while at the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and Environment in Bilthoven. A spokesperson for Diabetes UK says that...