Elderly woman’s daily pizza habit may have saved her life: police

Authorities say a pizza delivery driver who was concerned about a regular customer may have saved the elderly woman's life.

Domino's delivery driver Susan Guy told WMC-TV that Jean Wilson has ordered pizza every day for the past three years.

On Monday, Ms. Guy said her boss told her Ms. Wilson hadn't called in three days. Ms. Guy insisted on going to check on the woman. When no one came to the door, Ms. Guy asked a neighbour whether he'd seen Ms. Wilson and then called police.

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Police broke the door down and found Ms. Wilson on the floor. She'd fallen Saturday and couldn't get to a phone to call for help.

Investigators said it's possible her pizza-heavy diet may have saved her life.

Late Monday evening, Ms. Wilson was listed in non-critical condition at a hospital.

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Bahrain police retreat, protesters retake square

Thousands of singing and dancing protesters streamed back into Manama's central Pearl Square Saturday after Bahrain's leaders withdrew tanks and riot police following two straight days of a bloody crackdown by security forces in the tiny monarchy.

The royal family, which was quick to use force earlier this week against demonstrators in the landmark square that has been the heart of the anti-government demonstrations, appeared to back away from further confrontation following international pressure from the West.

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The demonstrators had emulated successful uprisings in Tunisia and Egypt in attempting to bring political change to Bahrain, home to the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet – the centrepiece of Washington's efforts to confront Iranian military influence in the region.

Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, deputy supreme commander of the armed forces, appealed for calm and political dialogue in a brief address on state TV.

People circling through the square clapped, whistled and wept. Some wore white sheets symbolizing their readiness for martyrdom, while others carried Bahraini flags, flowers and signs that said “Peaceful.”

“We are victorious!” they chanted as they marched back into the square that has been the headquarters for their revolt against the Sunni monarchy in the predominantly Shiite island nation.

They also chanted: “The people want the removal of the regime.”

President Barack Obama discussed the situation with King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, asking him to hold those responsible for the violence accountable. He said in a statement that Bahrain must respect the “universal rights” of its people and embrace “meaningful reform.”

British Foreign Secretary William Hague also expressed his concern about “clearly unacceptable and horrifying” violence against demonstrators in Bahrain. He urged Bahraini authorities to hold accountable those responsible for the deaths in protests there and to halt the intimidation of journalists.

The crown prince has been delegated by the royal family to open a dialogue with the opposition.

“The sooner we return to calm, the sooner we can reach our goals,” Mr. Salman said. “Citizens of Bahrain, let's work together with all political blocs to help return the security situation to normal so we can announce a day of mourning for those we've lost.”

The violence has already forced the cancellation of a lower-tier auto race in Bahrain that had been scheduled for this weekend. Formula One officials also are weighing whether to cancel the season-opening event in Bahrain on March 13 – a move that would be a huge blow to the nation's prestige.

Ibrahim Sharif, head of the opposition Waad Society, said that pulling the armed forces off the streets of Manama was not enough and demanded guarantees that protesters can stage rallies without fear of being attacked. Waad is an umbrella group of protest factions.

Some of the protesters were wary of Bahrain's leaders, despite the military withdrawal.

“Of course we don't trust them,” said Ahmed al-Shaikh, a 23-year-old civil servant. “They will probably attack more and more, but we have no fear now.”

He questioned what kind of dialogue could proceed after the crackdown.

“How can we have trust? Now there is one demand: We want the whole government to step down,” he added.

Hassan Youssef, 33, called the crown prince's speech “hypocritical and self-serving.”

“He is afraid for his Formula One contract and thinks by just telling us to calm down we will listen,” Mr. Youssef said. “We want the entire royal family to step aside. We don't want to dialogue. They will most definitely attack us again, but let them – we are ready for our blood to spill again.”

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Police warn of rise of mephedrone following GTA bust

The drug is called meow-meow and British club-goers have taken to it like a kitty to cat-nip, hospitalizing dozens and leaving lawmakers scrambling to legislate it out of existence.
Now it’s Canada’s turn.
On Tuesday, a drug bust conducted throughout the Greater Toronto Area netted four kilos of mephedrone, the main culprit in England’s recent legislative drug war. Authorities here were so unfamiliar with the narcotic, an off-white powder often marketed as plant food or bath salts to circumvent European trafficking laws, that no one knew exactly what it was when drug officers stumbled upon the stash during an early morning raid.

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The drug – known by the street names meow-meow, MCAT, bubbles and drone – has appeared in small quantities in Newfoundland and Quebec. In all, Health Canada has identified just five samples from drug busts across the country.
But the recent seizure could signal an escalation in efforts to push the club drug on Canadian streets.
“Is it readily available out there or is this the first shipment and we just got lucky? I’m not sure,” said Inspector Tim Farquharson, of Peterborough Lakefield police, another agency involved in the bust. “We already have enough problems with crack and OxyContin here.”
In the U.K., mephedrone filled a void created by the rapidly declining quality of cocaine and ecstasy. Where street-level cocaine 10 years ago often sold at 66-per-cent purity, authorities in England say they are now seizing samples as low as 3-per-cent purity. Users were drawn to the drug on the promise of a brief but intense euphoria combining the best elements of cocaine and ecstasy.
What’s more, it was cheap, costing half the price of the $60 an ounce that Britons were dropping on adulterated cocaine. “It proved very attractive for disillusioned cocaine users,” said Allen Morgan, a prominent expert witness in U.K. drug trafficking cases.
But its most appealing quality had to be its ambiguous legal status. “There were no controls and the police were unable to take any action,” Mr. Morgan said. “Essentially the drug was legal, clean and unadulterated and it took off. There hasn’t been a drug for a long time that has become so publicly prominent.”
Head shops began selling mephedrone over the counter and online. Scooter delivery services started up so users could order it to their doors like fresh pizza.
But serious health effects began emerging in late 2009 and 2010, with dozens of mephedrone users admitted to emergency rooms complaining of heart palpitations, anxiety, nausea, hypertension and vomiting. The British Parliament finally banned it in April of last year after media reports linking mephedrone to several deaths. Producers soon tweaked the drug’s chemistry enough to once again obscure its legality, prompting a cat-and-mouse game between drug-makers and legislators.
The law isn’t so vague in Canada. As an analogue of amphetamine, mephedrone is a Schedule 3 controlled substance. The Toronto-area bust – which included seizures of cocaine, marijuana and hashish – led to 19 arrests on 115 charges. The street value of the mephedrone was pegged at around $350,000.
“We’re trying to scramble and educate ourselves as to what this is,” Inspector Farquharson said. “And, at the same time, we’re hoping it’s a one-off.”

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