'Having
a bad day? Don't let life get you down! Order Xanax online now, no
prescription needed!'
Even in my early morning pre-caffeine daze, something seemed irregular
in the email. It was from a sender identifying themselves as AmericanDrugstore
Online and blithely informing me of the online availability of a number
of hardcore prescription drugs. Having recently overcome a spam problem
by changing my email address, I had grown unaccustomed to the arrival
of unsolicited mail in my inbox. Perhaps absence makes the heart grow
fonder, but I was morbidly fascinated by the flashing banner advert
and the photographs of the different potions and pills on offer. From
tranquilizers and anti-depressants to libido enhancers, they were
all there in badly art-directed technicolor.
Spiritual Viagra
There seems to be a proliferation of television ads for Viagra, Cialis,
and the other mass-market impotence drugs. There are nearly three
times as many Google hits for ''Viagra'' as for ''George Bush.'' Then
there is the most frequently deleted spam title from my email box,
something about potions that one can order online to restore vitality.
I suppose with the market as it is, Bob Dole's crusade against ED
(erectile disorder) is moving toward a victorious end. Yet the question
remains, what about the vitality of the soul?
It is a question neglected by an age that wants to feel good in the
flesh, but has systematically and painstakingly ignored the overwhelming
questions about the spirit. The greatest plague of our time is a drastic
spiritual impotence that we might say requires a heavy dose of spiritual
Viagra.
How much for medicine? Depends on where you buy
Drug prices vary widely in the Bay Area, with discount and mail- order
stores generally offering the best deals, according to a survey to
be released today.
The report by Bay Area Consumers' Checkbook, a nonprofit consumer
group that publishes a price-comparison magazine, looked at 17 relatively
common medications and compared their retail prices at about 250 drugstores
in six area counties. It also looked at differences in prices between
online retailers, mail-order outlets and Canadian pharmacies. One
key finding was that Canadian drugs are not always cheaper than those
sold in the United States.
Spam, spam, spam, spam, spam, spam
Spam is the term used to represent unsolicited commercial email
(UCE), which is also known as the electronic version of junk mail.
According to a study conducted by Trend Micro, an antivirus software
company, the average cost of spam per employee is US$188. Ten hours
of IT maintenance services are utilised by enterprises each month
to get rid of unsolicited email. An enterprise with 25,000 staff
will thus need about US$4.7 million to do the job, said Ang Ah Sin
(left), regional marketing manager for Asia South Region, Trend
Micro.
And spammers are known to be able to easily send out more than 10
million emails in one day, he added.
Doctor facing federal indictment
An Oregon doctor has been indicted on federal charges of importing
drugs from China that were "misbranded" so that they appeared
to be Viagra.
Steven Moos also is charged with illegally importing human growth
hormone, falsifying information to the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
and illegally obtaining controlled substances, according to a release
from the U.S. Attorney's office in Portland.
None of the products Moos allegedly imported included required warnings
on safe use, the indictment said.
In previous interviews, Moos has blamed inaccurate labeling by the
drug's manufacturers.
In March 2000, Moos was placed on probation by the Oregon Board
of Medical Examiners after he sold prescription drugs over the Internet.
The indictment alleges he later misrepresented the status of his
medical license to the DEA.
In 2003, he was suspended by the state board after police seized
drugs from his Tigard home. The indictment alleges Moos continued
to misrepresent himself as a doctor in good standing to drug manufacturers,
in order to maintain access to controlled sustances.
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