Haitian lawmaker released from jail amid protests (AP)

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti ? A Haitian lawmaker who was jailed on charges that he escaped prison on the day of last year's massive earthquake was let go Friday.

Following his release, Dep. Arnel Belizaire went to parliament as several dozen supporters gathered outside the building to greet him with hugs and cheers.

The overnight detention of Belizaire was a rare instance in which police have locked up a government official. Investigators must formally request that immunity be lifted before they can question an official.

Police jailed Belizaire Friday shortly after he had returned from a trip to France. Police say Belizaire was an escaped prisoner who fled the national penitentiary in the chaotic aftermath of the Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake. He had been locked up since 2004 on an illegal weapons charge.

Despite his criminal record, Belizaire somehow proved eligible to run for office in a drawn-out election that began last year and ended early this year; candidates are required to show they have a clean record. Belizaire was elected to parliament in a March 20 runoff.

Since he took office, Belizaire has been an open critic of Haitian President Michel Martelly, who was sworn in in May, and the two have been heard lashing out at each other at the National Palace.

Belizaire is a member of Veye Yo, a political party headquartered in Miami, Florida, that has strong ties to former President Jean-Bertrand Aristide.

The detention of Belizaire threatens to aggravate already uneasy relations between Martelly and parliament, whose members rejected the leader's first two picks for prime minister before approving the third.

The head of the United Nations mission in Haiti and the French Embassy on Friday responded to Belizaire's detention by issuing statements. France urged the government and legislature to bear in mind "procedures" involving the separation of powers and parliamentary immunity.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/latam/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111028/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/cb_haiti_deputy_detained

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Gov't considers testing anthrax vaccine in kids (AP)

WASHINGTON ? Should the anthrax vaccine be tested in children?

Concerned that terrorists might use the potentially deadly bacteria in some future attack, the government has stockpiled the vaccine, and it's been widely tested on adults. But never on children.

The question is whether to do those tests now so that doctors would know if and how well children respond to the shots ? or just wait and, if there is an attack, offer the vaccine experimentally at that time.

That issue was before the National Biodefense Science Board on Friday. The board gives advice to the Department of Health and Human Services on preparations for chemical, biological and nuclear events.

Even if the board recommends testing, there is no deadline for the government to decide whether to go along. And if it does agree, it's not clear how much time it would take to find money for such research and get clearance from review boards at medical centers that would conduct studies.

Another big question is whether parents would sign up their children to test a vaccine when there is no immediate threat. It's not possible to get anthrax from the vaccine, but there are side effects. In adults, shot-site soreness, muscle aches, fatigue and headache are the main ones, and rare but serious allergic reactions have been reported.

Anthrax is among several potential bioterror weapons and is of special interest because it was used in letters sent to the media and others in 2001, claiming five lives and sickening 17. That prompted extensive screening of mail and better ventilation and testing at postal facilities and government agencies.

The FBI has blamed the attacks-by-mail on Bruce Ivins, a scientist at an Army biodefense laboratory, who committed suicide before he could be charged.

Anthrax can be difficult to treat, especially if someone has breathed anthrax spores. Millions of doses of antibiotics have been stockpiled since the 2001 episode, and two experimental toxin-clearing treatments also are being stored.

U.S. troops deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan and some other countries are required to get anthrax shots. Since 1998, more than 1 million have been vaccinated. After lawsuits objecting to the requirement, a federal judge suspended the program in 2004, finding fault in the Food and Drug Administration's process for approving the drug. The next year, the FDA reaffirmed its finding that the vaccine was safe.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111028/ap_on_sc/us_sci_anthrax_vaccine

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Expert says Jackson likely addicted to pain med (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Lawyers for Michael Jackson's doctor sought to shift blame Thursday to another doctor and a drug different from the anesthetic that killed the star, calling an expert to testify that Jackson was addicted to Demerol in the months before his death.

They suggested the singer's withdrawal from the painkiller triggered the insomnia that Dr. Conrad Murray was trying to resolve when he gave Jackson the anesthetic propofol.

Murray's attorneys claim Jackson self-administered a fatal dose of propofol as a sleep aid.

Authorities contend Murray delivered the lethal dose and botched resuscitation efforts. Murray has pleaded not guilty to involuntary manslaughter in Jackson's June 2009 death.

There was no mention of propofol during the testimony of Dr. Robert Waldman, an addiction expert who said he studied the records of Dr. Arnold Klein, Jackson's longtime dermatologist, in concluding the star developed a dependency on the powerful painkiller. Records showed Klein used Demerol on Jackson repeatedly for procedures to enhance his appearance.

No Demerol was discovered in the singer's system when he died, but propofol was found throughout his body.

Waldman relied on Klein's records from March 2009 until days before Jackson died. Waldman said he was not shown records for earlier periods and didn't review a police interview of Murray about his treatment of the star.

Under questioning by Murray's lead lawyer, Ed Chernoff, Waldman said: "I believe there is evidence that he (Jackson) was dependent on Demerol, possibly."

Klein has emerged as the missing link in the involuntary manslaughter trial, with the defense raising his name at every turn and the judge ruling he may not be called as a witness because his care of Jackson is not at issue. He has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

But Klein's handwritten notes on his visits with Jackson were introduced through Waldman, who said Klein was giving Jackson unusually high doses of Demerol for four months ? from March through June, 2009 ? with the last shots coming three days before the singer's death.

Over three days in April, the records showed Jackson received 775 milligrams of Demerol along with small doses of the sedative Versed. Waldman's testimony showed Klein, who also was Jackson's longtime friend, was giving the singer huge doses of the powerful drug at the same time Murray was giving Jackson the anesthetic propofol to sleep.

"This is a large dose for an opioid for a dermatology procedure in an office," Waldman said.

He told jurors the escalating doses showed Jackson had developed a tolerance to the drug and was probably addicted. He said a withdrawal symptom from the drug is insomnia.

On cross-examination, prosecutor David Walgren tangled with the expert, who was hostile to most of his questions. He elicited from Waldman that the law requires physicians to keep accurate and detailed records, which Murray did not. The doctor also said all drugs should be kept in a locked cabinet or safe where they could not be stolen or diverted by anyone.

Waldman said every doctor also must document when the drugs are stored and when they are used. Murray told police he kept no records on his treatment of Jackson.

Waldman, who has treated celebrities and sports stars at expensive rehab clinics, told jurors treatment can work if the addict is willing to admit a problem.

Several prosecution experts have said the propofol self-administration defense was improbable, and a key expert said he ruled it out completely, arguing the more likely scenario was that Murray gave Jackson a much higher dose than he has acknowledged.

Jackson had complained of insomnia as he prepared for a series of comeback concerts and was receiving the anesthetic and sedatives from Murray, his personal physician, to help him sleep.

Murray's police interview indicates he didn't know Jackson was being treated by Klein and was receiving other drugs.

In response to questions from a prosecutor, Waldman said some of the symptoms of Demerol withdrawal were the same as those seen in patients withdrawing from the sedatives lorazepam and diazepam. Murray had been giving Jackson both drugs.

The final defense witness was to be Dr. Paul White, a propofol expert.

White and Waldman do not necessarily have to convince jurors that Jackson gave himself the fatal dose, but merely provide them with enough reasonable doubt about the prosecution's case against Murray.

___

AP Entertainment Writer Anthony McCartney contributed to this report.

___

McCartney can be reached at http://twitter.com/mccartneyAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111027/ap_en_ot/us_michael_jackson_doctor

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State budget cuts clog criminal justice system (AP)

ATLANTA ? Prosecutors are forced to ignore misdemeanor violations to pursue more serious crimes. Judges are delaying trials to cope with layoffs and strained staffing levels. And in some cases, those charged with violent crimes, even murder, are set free because caseloads are too heavy to ensure they receive a speedy trial.

Deep budget cuts to courts, public defenders, district attorney's and attorney general offices are testing the criminal justice system across the country. In the most extreme cases, public defenders are questioning whether their clients are getting a fair shake.

Exact figures on the extent of the cuts are hard to come by, but an American Bar Association report in August found that most states cut court funding 10 percent to 15 percent within the past three years. At least 26 states delayed filling open judgeships, while courts in 14 states were forced to lay off staff, said the report.

The National District Attorneys Association estimates that hundreds of millions of dollars in criminal justice funding and scores of positions have been cut amid the economic downturn, hampering the ability of authorities to investigate and prosecute cases.

"It's extremely frustrating. Frankly, the people that do these jobs have a lot of passion. They don't do these jobs for the money. They are in America's courtrooms every day to protect victims and do justice," said Scott Burns of the National District Attorneys Association. "And they're rewarded with terminations, furloughs and cuts in pay."

The ripple effects have spread far beyond criminal cases to even the most mundane court tasks, such as traffic violations and child custody petitions. The wait to process an uncontested divorce in San Francisco, for example, is expected to double to six months as the system struggles to absorb state budget cuts that have led to layoffs of 40 percent of the court's work force and the closing of 25 of 63 courtrooms.

Some wealthier residents are turning to private arbitrators to hear their cases, said Yasmine Mehmet, a family law attorney in San Francisco who advises some of her clients to settle disputes outside the public court system.

"We're seeing huge delays in getting trial dates and just getting standard documents processed," she said. "The courts are just so overwhelmed. They just don't have the people-power to handle these cases."

The cuts come as civil and criminal caseloads for many state and county systems have swelled. Maine had a 50 percent increase in civil cases during the last five years, in part because of foreclosures related to the nation's housing crisis, records show.

Iowa's court system is struggling to recover from cuts in 2009 that forced officials to lay off 120 workers and eliminate 100 vacant positions. Staffing levels there are now lower than in 1987, while district court filings since then have increased 66 percent.

Public defenders, whose offices also are absorbing cuts, are taking more clients.

"If you don't have enough lawyers to handle the cases, it leaves them open to speedy-trial challenges and ineffective assistance of counsel," said Ed Burnette, a vice president of the National Legal Aid & Defender Association.

Some of the lapses are testing speedy-trial rules, in some cases resulting in dismissals that otherwise are hard to win. In Georgia, trial and appellate courts have dismissed a handful of indictments against suspects accused of violent crimes because they could not be brought to trial fast enough.

In one case, a judge tossed out murder charges against two Atlanta men because it took Fulton County prosecutors four years to indict them after they were arrested and charged with a 2005 shooting. Local prosecutors say strained resources were partly to blame for the delay.

Legal agencies that represent the poor and depend on government grants also have been hit hard.

State funding for the Georgia Resource Center, which represents indigent death penalty defendants in post-conviction proceedings, has fallen by about $250,000 over three years. This year, the center fell short on a $300,000 grant from a foundation, forcing layoffs of a paralegal and an assistant administrator and the reduction to part-time status of a staff attorney.

"We've been running on a shoestring for years and we are minimally available to take care of all the guys on death row," said Brian Kammer, the center's executive director, who said he is writing grant applications at the same time he is representing death row inmates. "But with this kind of funding loss, we're getting crippled."

New York and California are among the states that have been hit hardest by budget cuts.

California's attorney general's office has considered eliminating units that work with local law enforcement agencies on gang and drug crimes as a way to address a projected $70 million in budget cut over two years.

After the San Francisco Superior Court laid off 67 staffers and shuttered courtrooms because of budget cuts, judges warned it could take residents hours just to pay a traffic fine in person. The court would have been forced to make deeper cuts had it not received an emergency $2.5 million loan from the state.

New York lawmakers slashed $170 million from the Office of Court Administration's $2.7 billion budget, forcing layoffs and a hiring freeze. Judges were ordered to halt proceedings at 4:30 p.m. sharp to control overtime pay, and courts also were told to call fewer potential jurors, who cost $40 a day.

Defendants in New York are generally supposed to see a judge within 24 hours of their arrest. But staff cuts left them waiting an average of about 50 hours over the summer, said Julie Fry, vice president of the Brooklyn division of the union representing Legal Aid lawyers.

"People were waiting for two, three and four days at a time. Some are waiting for administrative code violations, like riding bicycles on the sidewalk or sleeping on a subway train," she said.

"This really disrupts people's lives. Some of these people are on the cusp of being employed, and they can't afford missing a few days of work."

In Alabama, the state's top judge rescinded an order issued by his predecessor that would have dramatically reduced the schedules for civil and criminal trials, telling a local newspaper that the cost of additional jury trials was "not that significant." The move was aimed at coping with a budget that had dropped nearly $30 million in the last year.

"Victims should not become victims of our system," Judge Chuck Malone said in August.

The trial for one high-profile case there was delayed almost a year.

An Alabama man accused of killing his wife while on a honeymoon scuba diving trip in Australia was supposed to be in court in May, but his trial is now scheduled for February because of a shortage of bailiffs and other court personnel. Statewide, more than 250 people have been laid off from Alabama's trial courts.

In California, attorneys with the Sacramento County district attorney's office are taking on heavier caseloads while the office scales back popular services such as its community prosecution program, which dispatched staffers to meet with neighborhood associations to address quality-of-life issues such as public drunkenness.

Attorneys also refer misdemeanor cases to pretrial diversion programs, while marijuana possession, trespassing and other such crimes are often treated as mere infractions.

"We're doing it as best we can," said Jan Scully, the top prosecutor in the county where the state capital is located. "But doing it as best we can doesn't mean we're doing it as best we should be doing."

___

Bluestein can be reached at http://www.twitter.com/bluestein.

___

Associated Press writers Paul Elias in San Francisco, Mike Glover in Des Moines, Iowa, and Bob Johnson in Montgomery, Ala., contributed to this story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/crime/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111026/ap_on_re_us/us_broken_budgets_criminal_justice

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New drug targets revealed from giant parasitic worm genome sequence

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Scientists have identified the genetic blueprint of the giant intestinal roundworm, Ascaris suum, revealing potential targets to control the devastating parasitic disease, ascariasis which affects more than one billion people in China, South East Asia, South America and parts of Africa, killing thousands of people annually and causing chronic effects in young children.

Dr Aaron Jex and Professor Robin Gasser from the University of Melbourne's Faculty of Veterinary Science led the international research project which was published in the journal Nature today [Oct. 27].

The work has provided new insights to treat the condition ascariasis, identified by the World Health Organization as a key, neglected disease in urgent need of extensive research and significantly improved control.

"Sequencing the genome of Ascaris suum is a major step towards controlling the infection it causes because the more we know about the genetics of the parasite and how it works, the better we can fight it with novel treatments," Dr Jex said.

"From the genome sequence we have identified five high priority drug targets that are likely to be relevant for many other parasitic worms. New treatments are urgently needed and genome-guided drug target discovery is ideal for identifying targets that selectively kill the parasite and not the host.

"We also identified key information on how the parasite hides from the immune system, which is essential for any future vaccine development."

The team sequenced the nuclear genome of Ascaris suum which is an easier worm to study in the laboratory and mainly only infects pigs, but is very closely related to Ascaris lumbricoides which causes ascariasis in humans. The worms range from 15-30cm in length and are spread via eggs in contaminated food.

Ascaris lumbricoides is one of the most common parasites of humans, affecting more than one billion people in developing countries, particularly children, causing impaired physical and cognitive development, and in severe cases death, due to lack of nutrient absorption and intestinal blockage.

Ascaris suum also causes major production losses in swine farming due to reduced growth, failure to thrive and mortality.

###

University of Melbourne: http://www.unimelb.edu.au

Thanks to University of Melbourne for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/114655/New_drug_targets_revealed_from_giant_parasitic_worm_genome_sequence

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Japan sounds intervention alarm on strong yen (Reuters)

TOKYO (Reuters) ? Japan's finance minister put traders on alert for possible currency intervention on Monday after the yen's rise to a record high against the dollar threatens to further squeeze exporters' profits and hold back economic recovery.

In a sign of resilience, Japan's exports growth slowed down less than expected in September, finance ministry data showed, but economists warn that persistent yen strength and Europe's sovereign debt woes pose increasing risks to external demand.

The Bank of Japan, which meets on Thursday, will probably cut its economic forecasts because of slowing global growth but keep monetary policy unchanged unless disappointment over Europe's plans to solve its crisis roils markets.

Even if the BOJ keeps policy unchanged this week, Japan's government and central bank may not be able to hold off from taking action much longer as safe-haven flows keep the yen stubbornly high against the U.S. currency.

"The dollar/yen rate fell sharply, to between 75 and 76 yen, in a short time. This is an utterly speculative move and not reflecting the economic fundamentals at all. This is regrettable," Finance Minister Jun Azumi told reporters.

"If this move becomes excessive, we have to take decisive action. I already instructed my staff on Saturday to be prepared to take action."

He added that the strong yen would have a major impact on Japan's export sector, especially the auto industry, and could dent the country's economic recovery from a slump triggered by the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.

Azumi spoke after the dollar hit a record low of 75.78 yen on trading platform EBS on Friday. That surpassed its previous record low of 75.94 yen in August, and brought back into focus the possibility of official intervention to weaken the Japanese currency.

The dollar rose slightly after Azumi's remark, but later ceded ground to trade around 76.23 yen.

Analysts do not rule out a currency intervention, most likely unilateral, if yen rises continue.

"Japan may intervene in the currency market if dollar/yen stays below 76 or falls below 75. Unless it intervenes, the yen may continue to rise and verbal warnings alone may not be able to reverse that trend," said Yoshiki Shinke, chief economist at Dai-ichi Life Research Institute.

Traders in Tokyo, however, were skeptical whether latest market action would serve as trigger for intervention, citing a broad sell-off in the dollar as the main driver and data showing margin traders have recently built up their long dollar/yen positions.

Since September last year, the government has intervened twice on its own and once jointly with other Group of Seven rich nations to weaken the yen, but the effects of intervention have proved short-lived.

Japan's exports rose 2.4 percent in September from a year earlier, boosted by shipments of cars and car parts. That compared with a median forecast for a 1.0 percent increase, and followed a 2.8 percent climb in the year to August.

Imports increased 12.1 percent in September, against a forecast of a 12.6 percent rise.

The trade balance turned to a surplus of 300.4 billion yen ($3.95 billion) following the previous month's deficit. That compared with a median forecast of a 198.8 billion yen surplus.

Exports to Asia, which account for more than half of Japan's total exports, edged up 0.2 percent from a year earlier, with China taking in 2.7 percent more Japanese goods than a year ago while exports to the United States were up 0.4 percent.

The Japanese economy probably rebounded in the third quarter from the damage caused by the March 11 disaster but is expected to slow to a crawl in the final quarter due to an intensifying euro-zone debt crisis that threatens to drag down the world economy, a Reuters poll shows.

Euro zone leaders are striving to agree on new steps to reduce Greece's debt, strengthen the capital of banks with exposure to troubled euro zone sovereigns and leverage the euro zone's rescue fund to stem contagion to bigger economies.

(Editing by Tomasz Janowski and Neil Fullick)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/asia/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20111024/bs_nm/us_japan_economy

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Horological Genius George Daniels Dead At 85

george_homeThe reclusive horologist George Daniels, famous for his work on Breguet and his important co-axial escapement, died last Friday at his home in the Isle of Man. Daniels was 85. The horologist was one of the first to catalog some of the best known watches in the world, traveling through Europe to examine rare and odd pieces from his favorite manufacturer, Abraham-Louis Breguet, and great watches from manufacturers like Patek Philippe. He was also an avid motorist and noted trickster, pretending to misuse some rare watches while he was photographing, nearly driving their curator to apoplexy.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/ch53Qu-14tM/

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Great investing books for beginners

Visit www.gearhood.com for more cool stuff Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits & Other Writings by Philip Fisher, The Essays of Warren Buffett, One Up on Wall Street by Peter Lynch, The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham
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Source: http://www.wallstreetallstars.com/2011/10/24/great-investing-books-for-beginners/

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