Only Declining Values Can Explain Nutty Bureaucrats, School Killers BBC News carried an item this week that seemed right out of Monty Python. In the U.K., a yellow line parallel to the curb denotes a no-parking zone. A work crew was painting such a yellow line at a newly designated location when it encountered - a parked car. Undaunted, the workers painted the line to the front wheel of the car, then underneath the car to the rear wheel, then continued down the road. [continues 685 words]
Cannabis Candidate Comes Out Of The Weeds Michel Ethier walked out of the North Bay courthouse, stood in the afternoon sun and celebrated his freedom in a style befitting a pot activist. "This tastes good. I love it," he said, savouring a joint offered by a supporter after being released from custody Tuesday. Ethier filed his papers from jail to challenge incumbent Joanne Savage and newcomer Claude Arcand for the mayor's job in West Nipissing during the Nov. 13 municipal election. [continues 566 words]
Toronto - Ontario nurses are lashing out at recently announced spending cuts by the federal Conservative government. In an open letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, the Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario says the cuts will impact various programs and hurt minorities. They claim high rates of smoking in aboriginal communities will go unchecked with the elimination of funding for the First Nations and Inuit tobacco strategy. They also take aim at money cut from the medical marijuana, Health Canada policy research and court challenges programs. [continues 54 words]
WEST NIPISSING, Ont. - A marijuana advocate says he expects to be released from jail in time to campaign to become mayor of this northeastern Ontario town. Speaking from a North Bay, Ont., jail, Michel Ethier said Wednesday he has no plans to withdraw from the race even if he is the only candidate challenging incumbent Joanne Savage. "I have no intention of throwing in the towel," said Ethier, who is awaiting trial for marijuana related offences. "If she wants to pull out ... that's fine with me." [continues 109 words]
Ottawa - After sneaking cocaine from an evidence envelope and pocketing the drug during traffic stops, Const. Kevin Hall is trying to convince a police hearing this week he should remain an Ottawa cop. But one senior officer who testified Tuesday at Hall's hearing said reintegrating him on the force would present "unprecedented challenges." Hall "is one of the last officers" the police force would want as its public face, said Supt. Ralph Erfle. The prosecution is asking that Hall be dismissed from the Ottawa Police Service. [continues 133 words]
Tips Have Led To $2M In Seized Drugs And $74,000 In Stolen Property You may just be an anonymous voice, but for two female officers on the other end of the line, you may have the one detail required to solve a crime. Const. Linda Burns and Const. Laura Houliston are the women behind the Greater Sudbury Rainbow Crime Stoppers. Burns has spent most of her police career as a front-line officer with the Greater Sudbury Police Service and is currently the senior/vulnerable adult liaison officer. [continues 446 words]
Over the past few days, Greater Sudbury Police have closed in on the largest marijuana production operation local police have ever uncovered. Police discovered another two marijuana grow operations Friday on The Kingsway. Since Thursday, police have busted a total of six indoor grow operations and seized "millions of dollars" in marijuana and grow equipment, Sgt. Peter Orsino said Monday. The exact amount of drugs and equipment seized is still unknown. Police plan to hold a press conference on Thursday to provide further details of the investigation. [continues 384 words]
Sufferers Feel Abandoned by Health-Care System No matter how you catch it, you likely won't get the care you need to deal with hepatitis C, experts and those living with the disease said Tuesday. Nor is the province doing much to prevent the spread of the disease, they said. That's bad news for the estimated 250,000 to 300,000 Canadians infected with the disease, roughly 132,000 of them in Ontario. People with hepatitis C will start dying at three times the current rate from the disease within 10 to 20 years. The impact on the health-care system will be enormous. [continues 671 words]
These images drop jaws and turn stomachs There's an old saying that showing someone something is far more valuable than merely telling them about it. Nothing conveys meaning like watching something unfold, touching it or experiencing it in some way. In recent years, public health officials trying to discourage youth from smoking have taken this message to heart by throwing the effects of tobacco use into the open. Statistics show that smoking leads to cancer and heart disease, but those are just numbers. [continues 471 words]
One Thousand Greater Sudbury Teens Get Graphic Lesson On Dangers Of Drugs And Driving Smart Youth Power Assembly * The Sudbury and District Health Unit sponsored the Smart Youth Power Assembly; * Public health nurse Nathalie Thistle said if kids take away the idea of making smart decisions when it comes to drugs and alcohol, and if better understand the risks involved in high risk behaviour, the presentation will have fulfilled its purpose; * Drug and alcohol use among northern youth, Thistle said, is higher than the provincial average. [continues 699 words]
Oxycodone Has Never Been More Available Than It Is Right Now There's a new drug of choice for Northern Ontario teenagers, one that should send shivers down the spines of every parent. Oxycodone, often sold over the counter as OxyContin, percocet or percodan, is a semi-synthetic opiod prescribed for pain relief. It is highly addictive and very destructive, much like heroin -- but it's much cheaper. It's also rampant in Greater Sudbury, an OxyContin/Narcotic Abuse Task force reported on Monday. [continues 450 words]
This is the final part of a three-part series to coincide with Drug Awareness Week Nov. 20-26 in Greater Sudbury. Today, The Star examines the work of the Salvation Army Centre's addictions and rehabilitation program. The euphoric pleasure of a crack cocaine or OxyContin high is tough to kick, but easy to replace. Addicts crave some sort of rush long after the drugs have left their system. "They do their drug of choice because they love the intensity," says Perry Kayes, an addictions counsellor. [continues 1967 words]
He started selling his dad's pot in Grade 6. By the time he was 15, Quin Grondin blew a hole through his nose from snorting so much cocaine and Ritalin. Snorting drugs damaged the septum between his nostrils, causing a hole in the middle of his nose. His nose was gushing blood but Grondin still had a bottle of coke left on him and didn't want it to go to waste. So when someone offered him a rig (needle), he changed his method of drug intake. [continues 1347 words]
In The End, The Law Is Stacked Against Law-Abiding Tenants Carmen Bechard, a grandmother who chased drug dealers out a Kathleen Street apartment building she manages, is both a hero and a cautionary tale. As a community, we can gain confidence from her heroic actions; as a society we need to learn from and act on the risks she took and why she took them. Bechard is a stickler for the rules, and has proven she will go to great lengths to abide by them and assure her tenants do the same. Bechard doesn't allow "illegal acts or business" to be carried out on the property, including "trafficking of drugs," and makes tenants sign waivers to this effect before they move in. [continues 446 words]
Clearly, the war on marijuana is an uphill battle, and one that comes with its own twists and complications Recreational marijuana use is increasing in Canadian society, across most age groups. A 2002 StatsCan survey concluded as many as 12.2 per cent of Canadians -- more than three million -- were recreational tokers, up from 7.4 per cent in 1989. No doubt there would be more users were it not for the stigma of illegality. Still, that's an awfully big -- and expanding -- market for marijuana producers, and an awful lot of people willing to skirt the law to indulge their ... uh, vice. [continues 451 words]
Big Houses, Small Houses -- Like The Former Grow Houses In The Above Photos - -- Can All Be Hiding Thousands Of Dollars Worth Of Illegal Drugs They're popping up over North Ontario, in quaint towns and farmers' fields. In the North, we now hear about sophisticated marijuana grow operations more than we do of nuisance black bears. According to Statistics Canada, marijuana grow operations have more than doubled over the past decade, from 3,400 busts in 1994 to more than 8,000 last year. [continues 1183 words]
In recent years, Canada's courts have all but given up trying to prosecute marijuana possession and the federal government continues to dangle a law that would decriminalize pot use. Both moves are widely accepted as necessary to avoid choking the courts with simple possession cases, the results of which would leave an untold number of otherwise law-abiding Canadians with a criminal record. It's curious, then, that federal drug prosecutor Robert Topp used a Sudbury courtroom as a pulpit earlier this week to rail against society's lack of understanding of the evils of marijuana abuse. [continues 456 words]
Efforts to Politicize Tragedy of Slain Officers Have Obscured the Real Issues In the broad daylight of hindsight, last week's murder of four RCMP officers at a northern Alberta farm is many things. It is as terrible a tragedy as Canadians will have to deal with on home soil this year. It is a cautionary tale of the nature of policework and of police resources. It is a reminder that Canadian society is not -- for many reasons -- as safe as we believe it to be. Unfortunately, it has also been used as a political tool to promote private agendas, especially during the Liberal Party of Canada's weekend convention. [continues 476 words]
Police officers in Sudbury were still reeling Friday over the loss of four RCMP comrades in a shootout Thursday at a drug grow operation in Alberta. "Whenever an officer is lost, there is always a demoralizing effect and a sense of loss. When four members are lost, it has a traumatic impact. We are all feeling it here," said Insp. Susan Evans of Greater Sudbury Police. Police officers "know when we sign on there is an inherent risk. We are performing a function that, although socially critical, is not necessarily applauded by some segments of the community," said Evans. [continues 565 words]
Marijuana Use Among Area Teenagers Must Be Challenged By Public Health Officials No doubt, there are more pressing health concerns in Sudbury and Canada than marijuana use. Still, the ease with which pot can be obtained in local schoolyards and the apparent lack of information available to pot smokers should be, as identified in a recent Sudbury Star story, cause for concern. A recent Health Canada survey showed that 47 per cent of Canadian teenagers have used pot and many Canadian teenagers use it consistently because it is easier to obtain and is thought to be less dangerous than tobacco. The study found the easier access to marijuana is ironically due to the legal age limit for smoking cigarettes and the fact that you have to buy cigarettes through traditional outlets, such as corner stores. [continues 472 words]
'Nobody on the street is going to ask you for ID' As Health Canada gears up for an information campaign aimed at warning young people about the negative health effects of pot, The Sudbury Star spoke to a group of five young people about the drug. All were 20 or younger, all active pot smokers. One girl smoked her first joint at the age of nine, while a young male offered that he smoked his first "oily doobie" (a joint tipped with hash oil) at age 11. [continues 561 words]
This week in a Sudbury courtroom, a Sudbury-area man was sentenced to six months of house arrest after he pleaded guilty to marijuana production. In 2001, 56 marijuana plants were found growing in and around his home, which the man, 56, and his wife claim were mostly for the medical purposes of a friend suffering from Hepatitis C and diabetes. While leniency was certainly warranted in this case, as there should be for cases involving the use of pot on compassionate grounds, it raises several questions about the status of marijuana production and possession laws in Canada, and the way they are prosecuted. This case took three years to wind its way through the courts, long enough that the friend for whom the pot was being grown died awaiting trial in 2003. [continues 426 words]
Local News - Northeast Mental Health Centre detox programs in Greater Sudbury are being slashed, a local union official says. Detox (or withdrawal management programs) services are being centralized under one roof and the number of treatment beds and staff will be reduced by nearly half, said Peggy Hong, president of Local 666 of the Ontario Public Services Employees Union. Jean-Guy Levesque, program manager for Pinegate Addiction Services, confirmed Friday that six full-time and four part-time positions are being cut. [continues 405 words]
Young Voters Seem to Like the Green and NDP Platforms The decriminalization of marijuana drew the most questions from students at an information session Wednesday with Sudbury riding candidates. While the candidates at the Lively Secondary School event were asked their views on everything from gay marriage to taxes, they were not allowed to engage in a debate. However, that did not stop them from firing the occasional potshot. Conservative candidate Stephen Butcher accused the Liberals of cutting health-care spending by 33 per cent, while Gerry McIntaggart pointed to incumbent Liberal MP Diane Marleau's performance on certain issues. [continues 697 words]
Plans To Ease Laws Die As MPs Ready For An Election Local News - Beou Leclair, an occasional pot smoker, says there's "no harm in blazing a dube, sitting back and zoning out." Life is stressful, and a casual joint takes the weight off your shoulders and makes you feel better about yourself, he said. No one should get a hefty fine and criminal record for such a mellow experience. Leclair was disappointed to learn Thursday that the federal government's plans to decriminalize possession of small amounts of pot had been relegated to the dead legislation pile. [continues 330 words]
In 2002, courts across Canada registered 93,000 drug-related convictions. Seventy-five per cent involved marijuana, and of those 75 per cent were for simple possession. More than half of the possession convictions led only to fines. The number of police-reported drug crimes has risen by 42 per cent in the past 10 years, and have now reached 20-year highs. We can only imagine how much police and court time have been dedicated to the investigation and prosecution of the possession charges that led to the fines, but it's hard to imagine it was worth it all. The federal government of the day seems to agree, and is promising to reform the laws that restrict marijuana use. [continues 476 words]
Indoor growing operations increased by 250 per cent in Ontario between 2000-02, according a report released Wednesday Local News - What harm could there be in growing a little weed indoors? Lots, according to a new report by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police. Green Tide: Indoor Marijuana Cultivation and its Impact on Ontario exposes a growing organized crime involvement in pot cultivation. According to the report, released Wednesday, an estimated 10,000 children live in cultivation houses and are exposed to numerous health and safety risks. Millions of dollars in electricity are stolen every year to fuel the growing operations, which has direct impact on hydro rates. [continues 406 words]
'They Are Allowed To Make Their Point,' Police Say Local News - Canada's high priest of pot culture was basking in his celebrity Thursday when he visited Sudbury. Canada's leading advocate for legalizing marijuana, was swarmed by about 100 supporters and autograph seekers on the front lawn of Greater Sudbury Police headquarters. The police acted as though he wasn't even there. "They are allowed to make their point," said Staff Insp. Brian Jarrett. "We live in a democracy and until the legislation is straightened out in November, any activity that involves simple possession of less than 15 grams will not be acted upon by the police." [continues 471 words]
Thumbs down to the federal government's bungling of its own attempt to make marijuana available to Canadians for medical use. For four years the feds have operated an underground grow operation in Flin Flon to test medical uses for pot. To date, no testing results have been made available, nor has any of the stash grown there been passed on the roughly 500 Canadians the feds have cleared to use it. Only now, under pressure from an Ontario court deadline, will federal Health Minister Anne McLellan reluctantly allow weed from Flin Flon to passed on to those 500, but only until an appeal of that court ruling can be heard. While the feds are anxious to control medical marijuana use, they have produced no research into its merits, no actual marijuana for consumption and still allow too few Canadians to participate in trials. "You can almost smell the bad faith," said Senator Pierre Claude Nolin. [end]
For Now, At Least, No Charges For Simple Possession Are Being Laid Local News - Greater Sudbury Police are following recent court rulings in Ontario and are using discretion when it comes to possession of small amounts of the drug. In most cases, according to an police official, charges aren't being laid for simple possession. The federal government is on course to decriminalize pot possession, but until new laws are passed, Ontario cops will follow recent Ontario court decisions, said Staff Sgt. Todd Zimmerman of the criminal investigation division. [continues 357 words]
Local News - A massive, undercover narcotics operation in downtown Sudbury has put 42 suspected drug dealers behind bars. And the crackdown is not over yet. Further arrests are expected, police officials said Wednesday. After a six-month investigation in which undercover officers from three Sudbury-area police forces made dozens of drug purchases, a co-ordinated series of arrests were carried out Wednesday morning. The bust filled police holding cells and netted $40,000 in drugs, thousands in cash, numerous weapons and drug paraphernalia. [continues 182 words]
71-year-old Elder Died After Ingesting A Solution Containing Tobacco, Water And South American Vines Local News - Saying he had to strike a balance between "the spiritual and the temporal," an Ontario judge sentenced a Shuar traditional healer to 12 months of house arrest for the death of a Wikwemikong elder in November 2001. Justice Gerald Michel also sentenced Juan Uyunkar's son Edgar to one day in jail, time served, plus six months probation. Edgar Uyunkar was also ordered to leave Canada as soon as possible. [continues 548 words]
Students Simulate High-Risk Situations They Might Find Themselves In During Their Careers Local News - So, I was hanging out with my sister Annik, her boyfriend Michel and my boyfriend Hissein the other day, when we heard an unexpected knock at the door. Hissein gets up to answer it, and half a dozen cops push their way into the house. In seconds, I am flipped around, pushed face down onto the couch and my hands are held behind my back. I am terrified, my heart is pounding in my ears, and all I can think is "What's going on?" [continues 667 words]
$4M LAWSUIT AGAINST COPS DISMISSED A multi-million-dollar lawsuit against Sudbury's municipal police service has been dismissed. The $4-million lawsuit was filed in December 2000 by a Sudbury couple. Louis Poitras and Karen Lunn launched the suit, as well as a third plaintiff, Allan Campbell. The lawsuit was filed in the aftermath of the arrests of all three in February 2000 on drug and weapons charges. Poitras and Campbell were arrested at a police roadblock in Coniston, after officers fired several shots at the suspects' vehicle, striking Campbell in the elbow in the process. [continues 229 words]
Police Officer Says It's 'a Gateway Drug.' Advocate Says 'No One Has Ever Died of Pot' Local News - The confusion surrounding the issue of decriminalizing marijuana was apparent Monday during a roundtable discussion at the Elizabeth Fry Society. The conflicting opinions and research presented during the day-long session demonstrated just how divisive the issue is. Barry Burkholder, an advocate for the legalization of pot for medicinal use, and Const. Robert Brunette, a Greater Sudbury Police crime prevention officer, delivered diametrically opposed addresses. [continues 667 words]
It's getting to the point where police don't even bother pressing pot possession charges Editorial - There is no compelling reason why the federal government should continue to delay liberalizing marijuana laws and removing the possession of marijuana as a criminal offence from the Criminal Code. A successful prosecution for marijuana possession is now unlikely at best, as the rulings of several Ontario courts have made clear in recent months. And the medicinal use of marijuana has become so commonplace that courts readily accept it as a just cause for possession. [continues 400 words]
Temporary Move Could Hurt Women Trying To Kick Habits, Experts Say Life - In an effort to save money, the Northeast Mental Health Centre will temporarily merge its men's and women's detox facilities at Pinegate Addiction Services. However, some mental health professionals in the Sudbury area say the move could make it harder for women to kick their drug and alcohol addictions. "Men and women just shouldn't be together at a detox facility," said Helen Shewchuk, a former chairwoman of the Mental Health and Addictions Committee of the District Health Council. [continues 146 words]
Times Have Changed, and So Must the Laws. Canada's Marijuana Laws Don't Work Anymore Editorial - It's easy to joke about politicians and pot heads, but the parliamentary committee that recommended changes to Canada's drug laws has offered advice that has to be taken seriously. For starters, the parliamentarians are not the first to suggest laws regarding simple possession should be eased. Last summer the Senate's legal affairs committee said the same thing, and federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon agreed, although not emphatically. [continues 422 words]
A Superior Court jury in Sudbury began deliberating Wednesday in the trial of an Ontario Provincial Police Drug Enforcement Unit officer charged with deliberately setting a fire in an evidence room in North Bay. The seven-man, five-woman jury began its deliberations around the dinner hour following a two-hour charge by Justice John Poupore. Det. Const. James Buckle, 40, who is suspended with pay, is charged with deliberately setting a fire Oct. 25, 1997 in the evidence room of an OPP building at 126 Lakeshore Dr. in North Bay. [continues 175 words]
While They're Involved In Prostitution, Police Say Their Main Source Of Cash Is The Drug Trade Local law enforcers hope a provincial funding announcement on Thursday to crackdown on outlaw biker gangs will help quell the Hells Angels' lucrative drug trade in Sudbury. 'It's a Hells Angels town,' said Sgt. Peter Koop, of the Greater Sudbury Police Service and a member of the provincial Biker Enforcement Unit. 'It's a great concern here in Sudbury. Any outlaw motorcycle gang -- patch-wearing members in your town -- it should be something to be concerned about.' [continues 358 words]
With harvest time approaching, growers set booby traps to prevent theft of their illegal harvest Booby-trapped marijuana grow operations are a serious danger for police and anyone else who may stumble upon them, an Ontario Provincial Police officer warns. As harvest season nears for growing operations, the plants become more valuable, said Oscar Horth, an OPP drug enforcement officer. Growers are taking more elaborate steps to protect their investment, Horth said. The traps consist of everything from razor wire to shotguns connected to trip wires. [continues 487 words]
Canada's marijuana laws don't work. The country's police chiefs said so years ago. More recently so did the Senate's legal affairs committee and so do millions of Canadians who every day continue to blaze a trail and flout the law through their recreational use of marijuana. Now federal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon is gingerly adding his voice to the growing number of credible sources who think Canada's laws must be reworked. Cauchon is toying with decriminalizing marijuana use by making possession of small amounts of cannabis a ticketing offence, much like a traffic violation. [continues 186 words]
School Board Must Now Decide Whether It Will Run Addiction Counselling Program For Students The co-ordinator of the Rainbow District School Board's Boost Program appears to have jumped the gun. In a story that appeared in Tuesday's The Sudbury Star, Gordon Payne said the Ministry of Education had decided not to fund the program, which helps students struggling with drug addiction. Payne, who could not be reached for comment Thursday, said the ministry cut funding because of low enrolment in the program. [continues 333 words]
Focusing Drug Enforcement Efforts On All Drug Use May Not Be The Best Use Of Police Resources The three police forces operating in Sudbury are collaborating to "do what it takes" to fight the war against drugs. Called Project Digger, the RCMP, the Ontario Provincial Police and the Greater Sudbury Police Service plan to crack down on drug producers, dealers and users in the Sudbury area, promises Sudbury Police Chief Alex McCauley. Officials for all three police services said the increasing role of organized crime in the local drug trade has made it necessary for police to step up the level of enforcement. This means working more closely together to do in combination what it is harder to do separately. [continues 406 words]
Joint Force Out To Bust Sophisticated Drug Dealers Police forces in the Sudbury area will "go as far as it takes" to disrupt and curtail the local drug trade, Greater Sudbury Police Chief Alex McCauley warns. Organized crime runs the lucrative trade, McCauley said at a joint police forces press conference Tuesday. Drug dealers are more sophisticated and more dangerous than ever before, said the chief. But that won't deter the new joint forces team, known as Project Digger, in its efforts to intimidate, bust and prosecute drug dealers, producers and users, McCauley added. [continues 546 words]
A Sudbury teen will be sentenced July 3 for punching a fellow St. Charles College student in the face so hard last October that two teeth were knocked out and four others loosened. Justin Bigras, 19, pleaded guilty Wednesday in the Ontario Court of Justice in Sudbury to a charge of assault causing bodily harm. Justice William Fitzgerald decided not to accept a joint submission by the Crown and defence for a four-month conditional sentence (a non-jail sentence with strict conditions) and one year probation. Instead, Fitzgerald ordered a pre-sentence report. [continues 356 words]
One Jokes He Has Yet To Exhale TORONTO - Three of five candidates vying to replace Premier Mike Harris for leadership of Ontario's law-and-order Conservative party say they've smoked pot - and one even joked he's yet to exhale. It's an admission that might once have caused political ambitions to go up in smoke, but attitudes both about the use of marijuana and expectations about honesty from politicians appear to have changed the situation. "Only at Argo (football) games ... when you had to," said Ernie Eves, 55, breaking into uproarious laughter when questioned about his marijuana use. "There were some pretty tough years in the Argonauts history ... oh, jeepers ... That was back when I was in university." [continues 382 words]
Alliance Between OPP And Sudbury Police Is The Way To Proceed In This Never-Ending Battle The elite police squad known as the joint street crime unit is a formal alliance between the Ontario Provincial Police and the Greater Sudbury Police Service. Its goal is simple: to combine skills, strengths, knowledge and sources to come down hard on the drug trade. Since the unit was formed three months ago, 40 individuals in northeastern Ontario have been charged with 120 drug-related and criminal code offences, hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of marijuana and hard drugs have been seized, pot growing operations in Noelville and Capreol have been found and destroyed and a group of alleged traffickers was intercepted and arrested at Pearson Airport in Toronto. [continues 525 words]
Man Charged With Promoting Drug Use By Selling Tobacco Smoking Accessories In His Store Dan Dubois says he has been selling tobacco smoking paraphernalia for close to five years, in his Dubois Collectibles in the Place Bonaventure mall in Chelmsford, without any problems with the law. Back on Oct. 30, Greater Sudbury Police officers raided the store, confiscated close to $4,000 worth of merchandise and arrested and charged Dubois. Sgt. Gary Davidson of the drug unit says Dubois has been charged with two counts of promoting illicit drug use. The items that were confiscated from his store are not illegal products in Canada, so long as they are not directly sold as items for drug use. [continues 370 words]
Teenagers Beat Substance Abuse While At School When Nick started itching for a drink after spending New Year's Day with his head in a toilet, he had an epiphany. "I didn't want to die," said Nick, 22, who wished to remain anonymous. "I was at the end of a three-month binge. I passed out on New Year's Eve. I remember falling asleep and thinking I wasn't going to wake up." When he awoke the next day with a crippling hangover, he was surprised. His heart was skipping beats from the frightening concoction of booze and pills he'd taken. [continues 337 words]
