Alcohol-related deaths, ODs on the rise in NM
ALBUQUERQUE (AP) - Despite recent success in lowering drunken driving deaths, overall alcohol-related and drug overdose deaths are still rising in New Mexico, leading health officials to call for the state to expand its work to prevent substance abuse to save lives. Drug overdose deaths have nearly tripled from 7.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 1991 to 22.3 deaths in 2006, the latest year available, according to statistics presented by deputy state epidemiologist Dr. Michael Landen at the New Mexico Public Health Association conference this week. Alcohol-related deaths - including driving while intoxicated fatalities, alcohol-related injuries, and deaths from alcohol cirrhosis - have increased from nearly 44 deaths per 100,000 people in 1998 to almost 49 deaths in 2006, the statistics showed.
Tofu-related license plate phrase deemed profane
DENVER (AP) - One Colorado woman's love for tofu has been judged X-rated by state officials. Kelly Coffman-Lee wanted to tell the world about her fondness for bean curd by picking certain letters for her SUV's license plate. Her suggestion for the plate: "ILVTOFU." But the Division of Motor Vehicles blocked her plan because they thought the
combination of letters could be interpreted as profane. "We don't allow 'FU' because some people could read that as street language for sex," said Department of Revenue spokesman Mark Couch. Officials meet periodically to ensure state plates stay free of letters that abbreviate gang slang, drug terms or obscene phrases. The 38-year-old Coffman-Lee says tofu is a staple of her family's diet because they are vegan and that the DMV misinterpreted her message.
Jews worldwide observe special prayer ritual
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JERUSALEM (AP) - Devout Jews around the world on Wednesday observed a ritual performed only once every 28 years, saying their morning prayers under the open sky in a ceremony called the "blessing of the sun." Tens of thousands of worshippers stood next to the Western Wall in Jerusalem's walled Old City, the holiest site where Jews can pray. Hundreds headed to the ancient desert fortress of Masada, while others prayed on the roof of a Tel Aviv high-rise and congregated on roadsides. "God created the world in seven days," said Yona Vogel, one of the estimated 50,000 who attended the Western Wall prayers. "On the fourth day he put the sun into orbit and every 28 years it returns to the original place that it stood when God created the world." The special blessing - called the Birkat Hachamah in Hebrew - was marked in many time zones, starting with members of the small Jewish community in New Zealand. In hundreds of places, from Israel and Italy to New Zealand and Kyrgyzstan, observant Jews rose before dawn for outdoor prayers and dancing.
