Erin Brockovich is on Channel 5 tonight. I recommend it.

In my opinion, Erin Brockovich is a great film. It's on Channel 5 at 9pm tonight. Julia Roberts is exactly right for the eponomous role of 'spirited heroine', as Alan Jones describes it in his review in the Radio Times. And Albert Finney is a perennial favourite of mine - and very likely one of your favourite actors too. Do read the review!

The film's story is based on real-life corporate crime in America, in which toxic industrial waste water contaminated the drinking water of a local community. Erin Brockovich's straight-forward and genuine concern about the devastating harm done to the victims wins her their respect and impels her to fight for them in the courts, there to win financial reparation in a historic legal case. (I have made brief reference to this film in one of my previous posts.)

Jeremy Laurance draws attention to vast scale of drug company criminality

Jeremy Laurance draws attention in his detailed article in the Independent to the vast scale of drug company criminality and the failure of multibillion-dollar fines to curb the criminality. What is necessary is for the criminal bosses of these companies to appear in court to be tried and sentenced as individuals. Prison sentences for the people who initiate and sanction the bribery, corruption, fraud, cover-ups, lies, etc that result in great and avoidable suffering and premature deaths for innocent victims would be more likely to curb the criminal behaviour than corporate fines.

Bribery of doctors and other NHS healthcare staff by pharmaceutical companies may be reduced by the Serious Fraud Office

An Independent on Sunday investigation has revealed that the bribery of doctors and other NHS healthcare staff with lavish hospitality and freebies by pharmaceutical companies may be reduced by the Serious Fraud Office.

"Big drug firms have spent millions of pounds on bankrolling events and trips for NHS staff, an Independent on Sunday investigation of trust records has revealed. The catalogue of freebies includes Pfizer providing hospitality to dozens of doctors attending a meeting at the five-star Gleneagles hotel resort in Scotland, and a dinner meeting between three Eli Lilly staff and two nurses at which 22 alcoholic drinks were consumed.

Healthcare staff, who influence how the £12bn annual NHS drugs budget is spent, insist they are not swayed by hospitality. However, it has emerged that big firms such as Sanofi-Aventis, Napp and Cephalon all feature in reports by the industry's watchdog, the Prescription Medicines Code of Practice Authority (PMCPA), into alleged breaches in the rules on hospitality."

I recommend reading the whole of this damning report, including the Comments beneath the report.

Dr Mercola pillories drug industry's corporate criminality

Dr Mercola pillories Big Pharma's corporate criminality: read this shocking article.