Melvin Fox, of Tampa, FL has been arrested and charged with 18 criminal counts – most relating to an alleged sex trafficking ring he operated.  After a two year investigation, Tampa police closed in on Fox.  He is alleged to have kept women in a local house, against their wills, forcing them to commit sexual acts with strangers.  They say he advertised the women on craigslist.com with the purpose of forcing them into prostitution.  Reports indicate that the women each profited Fox in the range of $18,000 to $30,000 per month.  This is just the latest case highlighting how, all too often, Florida is on the wrong side of sex crimes headlines.

Earlier this year, Rep. Rachel Burgin, R-Riverview, introduced HB 477, which is meant to crack down on sex trafficking in the state.  Her bill is meant to crack down on massage parlors and spas that offer sexual services behind the scenes, while purporting to operate as a legitimate business.  Burgin says that the business of sex trafficking is estimated to be a $32 billion dollar per year black market, with more than 2.4 million people being victimized per year around the world.

The story as to how women get caught up in sex trafficking is all too typical.  Often times the women come from extremely humble beginnings, with many originating from poor countries.  It is well documented that in certain countries women are lured into coming to well develop countries by underworld figures.  When the women arrive at their destination, they are responsible to work off the debt that they incurred during the voyage, which was fronted by the human traffickers.  Often times this debt can climb into the tens of thousands of dollars.

Whether originating in the U.S. or aboard, once a woman has gotten into the sex trade, it can be very difficult to escape.  Foreign woman may have their passports and identification stolen, while U.S. citizens are often dependent on traffickers for basic living needs.  Add to the mix drugs and violence, and many women feel that they have no way out.

Burgin’s bill would have ensured that all spa and massage parlor workers have identification that features their pictures, among other protective measures.   Currently the licenses do not feature a picture and are easy to forge. The legislation, which was originally filed on 1/25/2011, died in Business and Consumer Affairs Subcommittee on 05/07/2011.  I suppose, as the case of Melvin Fox shows, Florida still has a ways to go in shaking its bad reputation for sex crimes, and human trafficking.

Primary Source: http://www.gofbw.com/news.asp?ID=12707

Are you ready for some football?  After all the lockout talk, football is back in the swing of things.  That means hard hits, trash talking, and NFLers getting in trouble.  It seems that every year there is another set of NFL players branded with the “bad boy” brand for doing something socially irresponsible.  This time we have Denver Broncos cornerback Perrish Cox, who is accused of sexual assault.

Cox is facing is one count of sexual assault against a victim who was physically helpless, and one count of sexual assault against a victim who was incapable of determining the nature of the conduct.   The charges stem from claims made by a woman, who says she suspects she was drugged and possibly raped by Cox when she spent the night at his apartment in September, 2010.   She learned she was pregnant on October 28, 2010 and went to the police the same day.

During a November 8, 2010 interview with police Cox reportedly denied having sex with his accuser.  Additionally, Cox had refused a DNA test until a court order had been issued.  According to a court affidavit, the DNA test was eventually done – and it shows a positive match that Cox is the father.

The recent history of the NFL is rife with accusations of players participating in all kinds of reckless behavior, including sexual assault.  From the infamous Minnesota Vikings sex scandal, to the actions of Ben Roethlisberger, the league certainly has its hands full trying to police its players off the field.  Who can forget Pac-Man Jones?  He was arrested for his part in a shooting that followed his allegedly throwing over $80,000 at strippers in a Las Vegas strip club.  This was in performing what is called “making it rain”  – which is when a person throws dollars in the air and lets them flutter down on the dancers.

Despite these players having their various problems, they all seem to continue to have a place in the NFL.   I am not saying that the NFL should expel players that are accused of crimes, but there has to be more accountability in the sport.  Sure, the NFL is reaching out to its women fan base, and is trying to increase that fan base.  But, as people, we have to make it clear that, though we do not expect athletes to necessarily be role models, we do expect them to treat others with basic human dignity.

Nurofen is a pain killer that combines ibuprofen and codeine to produce a powerful pain-killing mix.  However, it was recently discovered that the substance some boxes of Nurofen – actually turned out to be an anti psychotic.  It seems that the anti-psychotic was a deliberately put into the boxes.  The switched drugs include Seroquel XL, which is used to treat disorders, including schizophrenia, mania, and bipolar disorder.  Also found was the anti-epileptic drug, Neurotin.

The manufacturer of Nurofen is Reckitt Benckiser.  Last night, a spokesman for the company said:

‘Sabotage is suspected and we are working with the police on a formal investigation to find the person or persons responsible. ‘Distribution of Noreen Plus has been halted at this time.’

It is suspected that animal rights activists may be behind the sabotage.  The Daily Mail, a British newspaper, reported yesterday that Reckitt Benckiser may be a target of animal rights activists for its animal testing policies, though it does not test Nurofen Plus on animals.  The affected packets seem to be centered in London, where a pharmacist discovered a pack containing Seroquel while performing stock checks.  But, the tampering has been found in other areas as well.  A person in Northern Ireland also found a package that had been switched out.

Medical director for Noreen, Dr. Aomesh Bhatt, said: “We are taking this matter extremely seriously and have decided to recall all packs of Noreen Plus as the most prudent course of action in the current circumstances. We’re asking consumers to return any packs of Nurofen Plus to a pharmacy. No other Nurofen products are affected or being recalled.”

The potential sabotage brings up the question about what would happen to a person that accidentally ingests the swapped out drug.  Experts say that there are potentially harmful side effects that could arise from taking the wrong drug.  For example, according to Professor David Nutt, head of the department of neuropsychopharmacology and molecular imaging at Imperial College, the effects of taking Seroquel alone could amount to nothing more than mere sedation, though operating heavy machinery is not advisable.  However, taking the drug in conjunction with anti-histamines could cause effects that could be “quite extreme.”

Pharmacists have been sent a safety alert by the the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), and have been checking packets for tampering.
Primary Source:  http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2030126/Nurofen-Plus-recall-Boots-packs-sabotaged-anti-psychotic-drugs.html#ixzz1WBS9qF4S