MOSCOW (AP) ? Russia's Foreign Ministry says it has invited Syrian authorities and opposition for talks in Moscow.
The ministry said in a statement Monday that Syrian authorities have already agreed to come. The ministry is hoping that opposition leaders will send their reply in the coming days. The opposition has balked at holding talks with the regime, saying the violence must end first.
The U.N. estimates about 5,400 people have been killed in 10 months of violence.
The ministry said the Syria talks need to be conducted "as soon as possible" to stop violence in the country.
Russia, Syria's longtime ally has been backing the regime of President Bashar Assad although Moscow has also talked to Syrian opposition leaders in the past months.
Here are some recent stories on TechCrunch Gadgets: nanox: High-Quality iPod nano Watch Conversion Kit WiGig: Panasonic Tablet Wirelessly Transmits A Full DVD Video In 60 Seconds (Video) Flying People Spotted Over New York City?Film At Nine
Performers Christina Aguilera and Stevie Wonder were on hand to pay tribute to the late Etta James at the blues legend's funeral last Saturday. Hundreds of James' family and friends gathered at a Los Angeles church to mourn the singer, who died on Jan. 20 after a two-year battle with leukemia.
We've seen all kinds of medical implants over the years, but none that had a musical preference -- until now. Researchers at Purdue University have created a pressure sensitive microelectromechanical system (MEMS) that uses sound waves as an energy source. The proof-of-concept has a vibrating cantilever that's receptive to sound -- or music -- in the 200 - 500Hz frequency spectrum, which is towards the bottom end of the audible range. The subcutaneous implant converts the low-frequency vibrations into energy, and then stores it in a capacitor. Once the cantilever stops vibrating, it sends an electrical charge to a sensor and takes a pressure reading, the result is then transmitted out via radio waves for monitoring purposes. The immediate real world applications include diagnosing and treating incontinence, but we're already wondering if that self-powering mp3 player implant could finally become a reality?
UPDATE: Hold your horses, everyone. When most of us went to bed, it appeared as though Roy Oswalt was St. Louis-bound. That may still be the case, but Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com has backtracked a bit from his previous report. He calls a deal likely to happen ?soon? and was told by a source that it?s ?not 100 percent? yet.
Meanwhile, Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports?that the Cardinals are insisting that no deal is in place with Oswalt.?Any deal would be contingent upon a physical and the veteran right-hander has a history of back problems, so it?s possible some formalities are standing in the way of an official agreement.
1:09 AM: Gordon Edes of ESPNBoston.com reports that Roy Oswalt is headed to the Cardinals. No word yet on the terms of the contract.
8:36 PM, Friday: Jim Duquette of MLB Network Radio on Sirius XM reports that the Cardinals and Roy Oswalt are close to agreeing on a contract. Michael Silverman of the Boston Herald?confirms Duquette?s report, but adds that the process may take ?another day or two.?
No word on the specific terms being discussed, but Joe Strauss of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported earlier this week that the Cardinals made an offer to Oswalt a few weeks ago ?approaching $5 million.? Strauss didn?t think that would be enough to get it done and even pegged the Rangers as the favorites.
As for Duquette, he hears that the Red Sox, Astros and Rangers remain in the mix. The Astros are a bit of a head-scratcher given that they haven?t been mentioned until this point and aren?t anywhere close to contending, but perhaps Oswalt gave some thought to going back to where it all started.
Of course, the interesting part of a potential match with the Cardinals is that they already have five starters and Kyle Lohse and Jake Westbrook have full no-trade clauses in their respective contracts. By the way, Lohse will make $11.57 million in 2012 while Westbrook is owed $8.5 million this season and a $1 million buyout on his $8.5 million mutual option for 2013. Oswalt has the potential to make them better, obviously, but that could be a messy situation.
LOS ANGELES ? The Screen Actors Guild national board of directors has voted to approve a plan to merge with the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists.
In a statement, SAG says the board voted 87 percent to 13 percent Friday for the proposed merger at its meeting in Los Angeles.
The American Federation of Television and Radio Artists' board is scheduled to meet Saturday for a vote on the package. If approved, a referendum will be sent out for a vote by members of both unions in the coming weeks.
The merger plan comes after two years of negotiations between the groups to join forces in a bid to gain more leverage in contract negotiations.
The TV and radio artists' group supported a merger with SAG in 1998 and 2003 only to see those efforts fail.
DENVER ? Talk about red tape: Colorado's Department of Human Services last year proposed regulating child care businesses down to the number of crayons per box and the color of dolls kids can play with.
Also included: How many books child care centers should have, limits on computer and TV time, and bans on "googly eyes" and cotton balls, considered potential choking hazards.
Republicans in the Legislature say it highlights out-of-control government ? and they are introducing a bill Friday limiting how far the state can go when it comes to regulating child care.
"This one is at the top of my list because it seems so contrary to what the governor has been saying he wants the state agencies to do," said GOP Sen. Kevin Lundberg. "I expected the governor, when he found about it, to say, `Whoa, hold on a minute ? this isn't what I had in mind ? and to pull the plug. But he hasn't.'"
The state says it's backing off some of the more controversial proposals but is still in the process of drafting dozens of pages of new rules for more than 1,300 licensed child care centers and more than 800 licensed preschools.
"We continue to support the Department of Human Services as it works through a public process on the proposed regulations," Democratic Gov. John Hickenlooper's office said in a statement.
Some child-care providers say they worry excessive rules will put them out of business. And Lundberg, who is sponsoring the legislation, said he wants to ensure that the state only regulates health and safety matters.
Department spokeswoman Liz McDonough said new rules are needed because child-care has evolved and is not just about putting kids in front of the television for eight hours.
Reggie Bicha, the executive director for Human Services, told a committee of lawmakers this week that quality child care helps children's long-term success.
"I don't think that we need to trade lowering standards to keep mediocre child care providers in business," he said, according to The Pueblo Chieftain.
Julie Krow, director of the Office of Children, Youth and Families, said businesses are contributing to the rules being crafted. At the earliest, it's possible a draft will be completed late this year, she said.
"We know that investing in early quality childhood education is an investment that saves money later," Krow said.
McDonough said guidelines on the "race" of dolls and classroom materials, such as having a minimum of 10 crayons per box, have been dropped. Officials said the proposal for crayons was based on national quality suggestions for a rich educational experience.
Sandy Bright, who directs three child-care centers in Weld County, is taking a wait and see attitude.
Bright said existing regulations have compelled her to pull her college transcripts from the early `70s as part of her child-care recertification. Employees are required to take classes with titles like "infant-toddler theory."
"Which is kind of interesting because if you don't take infants or toddlers, you're still required to take that course," Bright said.
Bright recently sought assurances from Hickenlooper at a luncheon for the Colorado Association of Commerce and Industry during which the governor reiterated his commitment to eliminating red tape.
"If these go through ? four colors of dolls per classroom, numbers of crayons and numbers of everything. I've been in business for 40 years. I'm very concerned about where this is headed," she said.
Hickenlooper responded that his administration is aware of the child-care industry's concerns.
"I guarantee you no one's going to tell you how many crayons you have to have in your crayon box," he said.
___
Follow Ivan Moreno on Twitter: http://twitter.com/IvanJournalist
LONDON ? British police say they have arrested four people, including a police officer, on suspicion of corruption as part of an investigation into police bribery by a tabloid newspaper.
London's Metropolitan Police said two men aged 48 and one aged 56 were arrested early Saturday at homes in and around London.
The fourth, a 29-year-old police officer, was arrested at the London station where he works.
The investigation is running parallel to a police inquiry into phone hacking by Rupert Murdoch's now-defunct News of the World.
Police said the arrests were made as a result of information provided by Murdoch's News Corp.
A dozen people have now been arrested in the bribery probe, though none has yet been charged.
ATLANTA ? He's an ardent supporter of Israel. A megabillionaire casino mogul whose Las Vegas Sands Corp. is under federal investigation. And the self-proclaimed "richest Jew in the world."
Sheldon Adelson is also, far and away, the biggest patron of Newt Gingrich's surging Republican presidential bid. Adelson and his wife, Miriam, have pumped $10 million into a political action committee backing Gingrich that is run by the former House speaker's onetime aides. Campaign finance experts say the two $5 million contributions are among the largest known political donations in U.S. history.
No other candidate in the race for president appears to be relying so heavily on the fortune of a single donor. It's been made possible by last year's Supreme Court rulings ? known as Citizens United ? that recast the political landscape by stripping away restrictions on contributions and how outside groups can spend their money.
Sheldon Adelson is Citizens United come to life.
"The bottom line is that it creates that potential for one person to have far more influence than any one person should have," said Fred Wertheimer, president of the campaign finance watchdog group Democracy 21.
When any candidate is beholden to a single donor for so much money, Wertheimer said, "it opens the door to corruption and influence peddling." Wertheimer said the infusion of cash would raise questions about any decision Gingrich would make that touches on gambling, for example. And similar questions could be raised about Gingrich's Mideast policies.
Indeed, without recent disclosures by news organizations, voters would not have even known about the large contributions until campaign filings due Feb. 20. That would be long after a number of key primaries.
The outsized contributions are stirring some unease among the evangelical Protestant voters whom Gingrich is counting on to help him defeat Mitt Romney. Richard Land, head of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, called the gambling cash fueling Gingrich's bid "discomforting."
Land said Gingrich should make clear what his views are on legalized gambling.
Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond said the candidate believes it is a states' rights issue and does not gamble.
Friends say Adelson and Gingrich met when Gingrich was House speaker and Adelson was lobbying to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. Gingrich backed the legislation and the two bonded over a shared hardline stance on Israel.
In Cocoa, Fla., Gingrich on Wednesday called Adelson "very deeply concerned about the survival of Israel" and the threat of a nuclear Iran. Asked if he had promised Adelson anything, Gingrich replied that he pledged "that I would seek to defend the United States and United States allies."
Those who have followed Gingrich's career say he has long staked out a tough stance on Israel that predates his friendship with Adelson.
Gingrich "has been one of the few politicians who has had the courage to tell the truth about Israel," said Morton Klein, head of the Zionist Organization of America. "I think that is why they became such good friends."
In December, Gingrich proclaimed the Palestinians "an invented people." Israel's Haaretz daily reported later that month that Adelson approved of the remarks. And Gingrich has said that one of the first executive orders he would sign if elected president would move the American Embassy to Jerusalem.
Through a spokesman, Adelson declined an interview request from The Associated Press.
His rags-to-riches story as the son of poor Ukrainian immigrants in Dorchester, Mass., is well-known lore in the pro-Israeli circles he inhabits and where his philanthropy is legendary.
Adelson entered the business world as a 12-year-old selling newspapers. He began to make his fortune when he founded Comdex, a trade show that became a staple for the computer industry. He then moved into the casino industry. His gambling empire stretches from Las Vegas to Macau and Singapore and includes the Venetian and Palazzo casinos in Las Vegas.
The FBI and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating Adelson's company for possible violation of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, according to a filing with the SEC. The company denies any wrongdoing and says the investigation stems from the allegation of a disgruntled employee.
The son of a cab driver, Adelson now ranks as the eighth wealthiest person in America, according to Forbes Magazine, which places his net worth at $21.5 billion.
Last year, Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial in Israel, said it received its largest private donation ever ? a $25 million gift ? from Adelson. Since 2007, he has donated more than $100 million to Birthright Israel, a group that sends young adult Jews from the United States and other countries on 10-day trips to Israel.
Adelson is an outspoken supporter of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and owns a widely read, right-wing Israeli newspaper, Israel Hayom, which is distributed at no cost throughout Israel and is supportive of Netanyahu.
The hefty donations to Gingrich's presidential bid aren't the first checks he's written to help the former Georgia congressman. He ponied up more than $7 million to help get Gingrich's conservative political group American Solutions for Winning the Future off the ground.
The first $5 million donation from Adelson came at a critical juncture for Gingrich's campaign as he entered South Carolina, stung by a humbling fifth-place finish in New Hampshire's Republican primary. The Adelson money to Winning Our Future, a pro-Gingrich PAC led by former Gingrich aide Rick Tyler, helped finance a 28-minute movie bashing Mitt Romney's tenure at the helm of the private equity firm Bain Capital.
Gingrich was able to leverage the support into a double-digit win in South Carolina over Romney.
Presumably pleased with his investment, Adelson doubled down in Florida, where the next Republican contest will take place Jan. 31. This week, Adelson's wife chipped in another $5 million. The money is quickly going right back out the door.
Tyler told the AP that Winning Our Future had made a $6 million ad buy in Florida. A spot is planned to take aim at Romney's health care plan as governor of Massachusetts and its connection to President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, Tyler said.
___
Associated Press writers Ian Deitch in Jerusalem, Brian Bakst in Cocoa, Fla., and Jack Gillum in Washington contributed to this report.
TRENTON, N.J. ? Two of New Jersey's most influential black leaders blasted Gov. Chris Christie on Wednesday for proposing gay marriage be put to a popular vote in November, but the Republican governor insisted he's offering a reasonable compromise amid his personal opposition to same-sex nuptials.
Assembly Speaker Sheila Oliver and Newark Mayor Cory Booker said in separate forums that civil rights are guaranteed by the Constitution and don't belong on the ballot.
Booker said baseball great Jackie Robinson would not have had the opportunity to break the sport's color barrier had the matter been put to a vote, and the mayor himself would not have had the opportunity, years later, to be elected to lead New Jersey's largest city. Oliver said in a statement she was offended by Christie's comment Tuesday that bloodshed may have been avoided in the South, and people would have been happier, if the civil rights issues of the 1960s were settled by public referendum.
"Governor, people were fighting and dying in the streets of the South because the majority refused to grant minorities equal rights by any method," Oliver said. "It took legislative action to bring justice to all Americans, just as legislative action is the right way to bring marriage equality to all New Jerseyans."
Booker said during a news conference in Newark: "Dear God, we should not be putting civil rights issues to a popular vote, to be subject to the sentiments, the passions of the day. No minority should have their rights subject to the passions and the sentiments of the majority. This is the fundamental bedrock of what our nation stands for."
Christie defended himself at a Statehouse news conference, saying he's offering a compromise on gay marriage.
"I'm in divided government and I'm trying to find a way for people ... to find another pathway where everybody can have a chance to get what they want," he said. "My view is a public referendum on a constitutional amendment regarding same-sex marriage is a way to get to that result."
Six states and Washington, D.C. permit gay marriages. Thirty-one states have adopted constitutional amendments defining marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
The effort to legalize same-sex marriage gained new momentum this month when the Democratic-controlled Senate declared the issue a priority for the new legislative session. The Senate Judiciary Committee advanced the measure in an 8-4 party-line vote following a three-hour hearing on Tuesday, but Christie upended their efforts by announcing that he would veto any gay marriage bill that made it to his desk. He previously said he would consider the bill but was unlikely to change his mind.
A gay marriage bill failed in the Senate two years ago.
Christie said during the 2009 campaign that the issue should be put to a public vote because of its significance, and he reiterated that call on Tuesday, likely derailing any Republican legislators from supporting gay marriage legislation.
A day earlier, the governor, who is Catholic, surprised almost everyone by nominating an openly gay black Republican and a Korean-born immigrant to the state Supreme Court.
With Christie seeking a referendum on gay marriage and Democratic leaders issuing a resounding "no way'" a protracted political standoff seemed inevitable.
Christie acknowledged that eventuality Wednesday, saying: "We all know how this movie is going to end. If they pass the bill, it's going to be vetoed. If they attempt to override the veto, it will be sustained. So, I'm trying to give them an alternative movie."
Other black Democrats weighed in later in the day.
"If the governor was hoping to defend his reprehensible stance on marriage equality by suggesting that those who fought and died for civil rights in this county would have preferred a referendum, that by all historical accounts would have been most likely defeated, he failed miserably," said Assemblywoman Bonnie Watson-Coleman, former Assembly majority leader.
___
Associated Press Writer Samantha Henry in Newark contributed to this report.
ROME ? Search efforts aboard the capsized Costa Concordia resumed Wednesday, even as the official overseeing the operation acknowledged for the first time it would take a miracle to find any more survivors from the ship's Jan. 13 grounding.
Franco Gabrielli, head of Italy's national civil protection agency, told reporters that rescuers would keep searching the ship, which is half-submerged off the Tuscan island of Giglio, until every reachable area is inspected.
"Finding someone alive today belongs in the realm of miracles," Gabrielli said. "But since none of us, at least inside, wants to give up on that possibility, we will continue."
And operations did continue Wednesday as crews set off more explosions on the submerged third floor deck to allow easier access for divers. On Tuesday, the body of a woman was found on the deck.
Rescuers have found 16 bodies, with 17 people still unaccounted for. The last time anyone was found alive was on Jan. 15, when a senior crew member was discovered less than 36 hours after the grounding.
The Concordia ran aground and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio on Jan. 13 after the captain, Francesco Schettino, veered from his approved course and gashed the ship's hull on a reef, forcing the panicked evacuation of 4,200 passengers and crew.
On Wednesday, the chief executive of Costa Crociere SpA, Pier Luigi Foschi, insisted that Schettino didn't have approval to change the ship's routing and was going far too fast ? 16 knots ? to be so close to shore.
But he defended the practice of so-called "tourist navigation," whereby enormous cruise ships steer close to shore to give passengers a look at the sites. He said it was part of the "cruise product" that passengers demand and that cruise lines are forced to offer to stay competitive.
"It's something that enriches the cruise product," Foschi told a parliamentary committee. "There are many components of the cruise product, and we have to do them like everyone else because we are in a global competition."
Costa is owned by Miami-based Carnival Corp., the world's largest cruise company.
Foschi stressed that such deviations from charted routes are supposed to follow strict protocols that ensure safety: ports are informed, the company is informed, and certainly no ship of the Concordia's size would be charging 200-300 yards (meters) off shore at 16 knots.
"For anyone who knows that zone, that ship with those characteristics shouldn't have been there," he said.
Schettino is under house arrest, facing accusations of manslaughter, causing a shipwreck and abandoning a ship before all passengers were evacuated.
On Wednesday, his lawyer filed a motion challenging the house arrest, saying Schettino wasn't a flight risk and asserting that there was no risk that he would repeat the crime since no cruise line would hire him, the ANSA news agency reported.
DORAL, Fla. ? Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Wednesday ridiculed rival Mitt Romney's call for self-deportation of illegal immigrants as an "Obama-level fantasy" that would be inhumane to long-established families living in America.
The former House speaker ripped that part of Romney's immigration policy during a forum Wednesday with the Spanish-language network Univision. The interviewer also asked sharp questions about Gingrich's marital history.
Gingrich laughed at the idea of self-deportation and said it wouldn't work.
During a debate earlier this week, Romney said he favors self-deportation over policies that would require the federal government to round up millions of illegal immigrants and send them back to their home countries. Advocates of Romney's approach argue that illegal immigration can be curbed by denying public benefits to them, forcing them to leave the United States on their own.
"You have to live in a world of Swiss bank accounts and Cayman Island accounts and automatically $20 million income for no work to have some fantasy this far from reality," Gingrich said, alluding to details in Romney's income tax returns made public on Tuesday. "For Romney to believe that somebody's grandmother is going to be so cut off that she is going to self-deport, I mean this is an Obama-level fantasy."
But Gingrich's campaign has spoken of the self-deportation policy he ridiculed Wednesday.
Romney's campaign directed reporters to past comments by Gingrich spokesman R.C. Hammond, who said that only a small percent of illegal immigrants would likely be allowed to stay in the U.S. under Gingrich's plan. Hammond went on to say that the vast majority of them would likely "self-deport."
At the forum, Gingrich spoke instead about border control and establishing a guest-worker program to better manage the influx of immigrants. Gingrich said he favors a path to citizenship for illegal immigrant children who serve in the military but not for simply completing college.
As to communist Cuba, not far off Florida's southern shore, Gingrich said he would be open to using everything up to covert operations to replace stalwart Fidel Castro's regime. "Hands off Cuba, that's baloney," he said. "The people of Cuba deserve freedom."
Florida is home to many Hispanics of Puerto Rican or Cuban descent and who view immigration policy as a priority. Thirteen percent of the state's registered voters are Hispanic.
While the questions were mostly about Hispanic concerns, moderator Jorge Ramos asked Gingrich whether it was hypocritical for him to criticize then-President Bill Clinton and pursue his impeachment in the 1990s when Gingrich was also being unfaithful to his second wife.
Gingrich snapped at the premise of the question and said it was Clinton's false testimony under oath that bothered him most.
"The fact is I've been through two divorces. I've been deposed both times under oath. Both times I told the truth in the deposition," Gingrich said. "I have never lied under oath. I have never committed perjury."
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) ? A German national accused of setting dozens of fires across Los Angeles over the New Year's weekend out of what investigators described as anti-American rage will be charged on Tuesday with another 63 criminal counts, prosecutors said.
Harry Burkhart already faces 37 counts of arson in connection with the three-day wave of fires that caused an estimated $3 million in damage and left residents of Los Angeles and surrounding communities on edge.
Prosecutors will file the additional charges ahead of a court appearance scheduled for Burkhart, 24, later on Tuesday, Los Angeles County District Attorney's spokesman Jane Robison said.
During an initial court appearance earlier this month a judge ordered Burkhart, a native of Chechnya who holds German citizenship, held without bail.
A Los Angeles police arson investigator has said in court papers that he believes Burkhart harbors anger toward Americans.
"It is my opinion that the defendant's criminal spree was motivated by his rage against Americans and that by setting these fires (the) defendant intended to harm and terrorize as many residents of the city and county of Los Angeles as possible," arson investigator Edward Nordskog wrote in court documents filed earlier this month.
State prosecutors in Germany say Burkhart is also wanted there on suspicion of starting a fire that burned down his family's home in Neukirchen.
Burkhart's 53-year-old mother was arrested in Los Angeles in December on a provisional warrant issued by German authorities and was facing extradition.
Dorothee Burkhart, who has been living in a Los Angeles apartment with her son, faces multiple charges of fraud and embezzlement in Germany, according to court documents.
Harry Burkhart was taken into custody after a tip from a member of the U.S. State Department's Diplomatic Security field office who recognized him on surveillance videotape from an outburst during his mother's initial court hearing, a state department spokeswoman said.
According to the declaration filed by Nordskog, Harry Burkhart was ejected from the courtroom during December 29 extradition proceedings for his mother after angrily shouting a profanity against Americans.
A man resembling Burkhart was captured on security cameras leaving the scene of several of the fires, which caused no fatalities. One firefighter was injured and another person suffered from smoke inhalation.
One of the fires damaged a house in the Hollywood Hills where late rocker Jim Morrison was inspired to write the 1968 song "Love Street" about his girlfriend.
(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb. Editing by Paul Thomasch)
California residents are frustrated over the UC university system's uniform pricing. Would it be better if each campus set its own tuition rates?
Students want an excellent education and low tuition but a "free lunch" is hard to find during these tough times. ?The LA Times has some choice quotes over the pain and frustration playing out in California. ?As I understand it, all nine UC Campuses charge the same tuition prices. ?This is the problem. ?
Skip to next paragraph Matthew Kahn
Mathew is an economics professor at UCLA and has written three books: Green Cities (Brookings Institution Press); Heroes and Cowards (Princeton University Press, jointly with Dora L. Costa); and in fall 2010, Climatopolis: How Our Cities Will Thrive in the Hotter World (Basic Books).
Recent posts
I suggest that each UC campus be allowed to set its own tuition and that the rules are such that 10% of the collected revenue is redistributed from the top 4 schools in terms of tuition is sent to the 5 campuses that charge less. ??If the UC feels innovative, it could charge different tuition prices by campus and by major. ?Such customization of tuition would generate more revenue, offer students more financing options. ? ?One definition of discrimination is to treat different UC campuses the same.
While people moan about rising UC tuition, they forget that the UC is much cheaper than Ivy League schools (our peers!) and that?many students transfer into the UC from a community college. ?This means that their effective tuition is roughly 30% lower because the formula (assuming an interest rate of 0%) becomes ?.5*community college tuition + .5*UC in-state tuition. ?
Switching subjects: ? I would like to show my appreciation to my uncountable number of blog readers by revealing my blog royalties for the last 3 months.
Publication: Environmental and Urban Economics Earnings This Reporting Period: $28.30 So, over the course of 3 months I post around 100 entries. If it takes me 10 minutes to write each of these then that's 1000 minutes or roughly 16 hours so $28/16 = $1.6 an hour ?---- not bad for a big bad full prof at UCLA?
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Availability and use of sanitation reduces by half the likelihood of parasitic worm infectionsPublic release date: 24-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Clare Weaver press@plos.org 44-122-344-2834 Public Library of Science
Availability and use of sanitation reduces by half the likelihood of parasitic worm infections
Access to sanitation facilities, such as latrines, reduces by half the risk of becoming infected by parasitic worms that are transmitted via soil (soil-transmitted helminths) according to a study published in this week's PLoS Medicine. These findings are important as infection with parasitic worms can cause diarrhea, weakness, and malnutrition, which in turn can impair physical and mental development in children; they reinforce the importance of increased access to sanitation (a Millennium Development Goal target) to improve health outcomes.
In an analysis of 36 relevant studies led by Kathrin Ziegelbauer and Benjamin Speich from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, in Basel, Switzerland, the authors found that compared to people without access to latrines, the chance (odds ratio) of infection with roundworm, whipworm, and hookworm among people who had access to latrines was 0.49. Furthermore, people who actually used a latrine were also half as likely (odds ratio 0.51) to be infected with these parasitic worms.
These findings confirm that sanitation is an effective control measure for parasitic worm infections and therefore, according to the authors, there should be more emphasis on improved access to adequate sanitation in control strategies, in addition to reinforcing the current control measures, such as regularly giving drugs that kill the worms (but do not prevent rapid reinfection) and health education.
The authors say: "Our findings, therefore, underscore what the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission stated more than 70 years ago''Cure alone is almost useless in stamping out hookworm disease, because the patient can go out and immediately pick up more hookworms. The cure should be accompanied by a sanitation campaign for the prevention of soil pollution.''"
Importantly, increased access to sanitation would also improve the control of other neglected tropical diseases (such as schistosomiasis and trachoma) and would reduce the incidence of diarrhea and consequently child mortality in low-income countries.
The authors conclude that with the elimination of neglected tropical diseases coming to the forefront of global attention, integrated control approachesusing a combination of regular deworming; information, education, and communication campaigns; and improvements to basic sanitation and access to safe, clean watercannot be overemphasized.
###
Funding: This project was partially funded by the World Health Organization (WHO). JK acknowledges financial support from the Swiss National Science Foundation (project no. PPOOA-114941). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation and revision of the manuscript.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Citation: Ziegelbauer K, Speich B, Musezahl D, Bos R, Keiser J, et al. (2012) Effect of Sanitation on Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS Med 9(1): e1001162. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001162
CONTACT: Jrg Utzinger Department of Epidemiology and Public Health Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute Socinstrasse 57 CH-4002 Basel Switzerland 41-61-284-8129 juerg.utzinger@unibas.ch
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Availability and use of sanitation reduces by half the likelihood of parasitic worm infectionsPublic release date: 24-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Clare Weaver press@plos.org 44-122-344-2834 Public Library of Science
Availability and use of sanitation reduces by half the likelihood of parasitic worm infections
Access to sanitation facilities, such as latrines, reduces by half the risk of becoming infected by parasitic worms that are transmitted via soil (soil-transmitted helminths) according to a study published in this week's PLoS Medicine. These findings are important as infection with parasitic worms can cause diarrhea, weakness, and malnutrition, which in turn can impair physical and mental development in children; they reinforce the importance of increased access to sanitation (a Millennium Development Goal target) to improve health outcomes.
In an analysis of 36 relevant studies led by Kathrin Ziegelbauer and Benjamin Speich from the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, in Basel, Switzerland, the authors found that compared to people without access to latrines, the chance (odds ratio) of infection with roundworm, whipworm, and hookworm among people who had access to latrines was 0.49. Furthermore, people who actually used a latrine were also half as likely (odds ratio 0.51) to be infected with these parasitic worms.
These findings confirm that sanitation is an effective control measure for parasitic worm infections and therefore, according to the authors, there should be more emphasis on improved access to adequate sanitation in control strategies, in addition to reinforcing the current control measures, such as regularly giving drugs that kill the worms (but do not prevent rapid reinfection) and health education.
The authors say: "Our findings, therefore, underscore what the Rockefeller Sanitary Commission stated more than 70 years ago''Cure alone is almost useless in stamping out hookworm disease, because the patient can go out and immediately pick up more hookworms. The cure should be accompanied by a sanitation campaign for the prevention of soil pollution.''"
Importantly, increased access to sanitation would also improve the control of other neglected tropical diseases (such as schistosomiasis and trachoma) and would reduce the incidence of diarrhea and consequently child mortality in low-income countries.
The authors conclude that with the elimination of neglected tropical diseases coming to the forefront of global attention, integrated control approachesusing a combination of regular deworming; information, education, and communication campaigns; and improvements to basic sanitation and access to safe, clean watercannot be overemphasized.
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Funding: This project was partially funded by the World Health Organization (WHO). JK acknowledges financial support from the Swiss National Science Foundation (project no. PPOOA-114941). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation and revision of the manuscript.
Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.
Citation: Ziegelbauer K, Speich B, Musezahl D, Bos R, Keiser J, et al. (2012) Effect of Sanitation on Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infection: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. PLoS Med 9(1): e1001162. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001162
CONTACT: Jrg Utzinger Department of Epidemiology and Public Health Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute Socinstrasse 57 CH-4002 Basel Switzerland 41-61-284-8129 juerg.utzinger@unibas.ch
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Quality of life for younger breast cancer patients more adversely affected than older women
Monday, January 23, 2012
Quality of life in younger patients treated for breast cancer is seriously compromised and these women suffer from severe psychological distress, infertility, premature menopause, a decrease in physical activity and weight gain, according to a study by researchers at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
The study, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the National Cancer Institute, found that the mental issues faced by younger breast cancer survivors were more serious than the physical impacts compared to a general age-matched population of women who didn't have cancer and those more than 50 years old who did.
The study points to the need for oncologists to let these younger patients know from the beginning of their therapy what may happen to them after it's finished, said study lead author Dr. Patricia Ganz, director of cancer prevention and control research at UCLA's Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
"We know that educating and providing younger breast cancer patients with information about what they might experience once their treatment ends is very helpful," said Ganz, who has been conducting research on quality of life after cancer treatment for 25 years. "If they know what to expect, their anxiety level will be greatly reduced. Up to now, oncologists have not done a good job of preparing these women for what will come."
Reducing anxiety is crucial, Ganz said, as pre-clinical studies have shown that stress can promote cancer growth and spread in animal models. A study by Jonsson Cancer Center researchers published in 2010 in Cancer Research showed that chronic stress acted as a sort of fertilizer that fed breast cancer progression, significantly accelerating the spread of disease.
The need to prepare younger breast cancer survivors for any adverse effects they may experience and seek ways to address those problems is vital as more and more younger women are surviving their cancer diagnosis due to improvements in early detection and treatment, Ganz said.
"A cancer diagnosis can challenge younger women with issues that don't impact older patients," she said. "A younger breast cancer patient may have young children and may be worried about living to raise them to adulthood. A younger breast cancer patient may not have had children yet and may be faced with infertility following her treatment or may return to the dating scene following treatment. We need to find ways to reduce the stress and anxiety that dealing with these issues may create."
Ganz recently received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that will fund a leading-edge program that seeks to enhance outcomes for young breast cancer survivors in the Los Angeles region. The program is being done in collaboration with the Jonsson Cancer Center, the UCLA-LIVESTRONG Survivorship Center of Excellence and the Simms/Mann ? UCLA Center for Integrative Oncology.
The three-year, $700,00 grant will focus on making life after breast cancer better for women aged 21 to 45 in Los Angeles County by funding a program designed to meet their unique needs, Ganz said. UCLA is one of seven organizations nationwide to receive funding for this focus on young breast cancer survivors. The resources and strategies developed in this diverse and populous region will serve as a model for other organizations across the country.
Services will be offered to these women through the UCLA Health System and with collaborators at Torrance Memorial Medical Center and the South Bay Cancer Survivorship Consortium, as well as the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, a public hospital in northern Los Angeles County which treats mostly minority women who are underinsured or who have no insurance.
"These three health systems provide breast cancer services for a substantial number of ethnically diverse, newly-diagnosed women with breast cancer under 45 years old. They see about 225 new cases annually," Ganz said Ganz. "We estimate that there are hundreds of young breast cancer survivors who are being followed in these institutions, who will directly benefit from the programs that we will develop."
Ganz anticipates such services might include a regional resource with information and assistance in obtaining fertility preservation services, a website that hosts specialized information about community and hospital resources for younger women with breast cancer, as well as specialized programs to meet the unique psychosocial needs and concerns of this population.
Ganz also has received a grant from the Susan G. Komen foundation that is testing the practice of mindful awareness, a form of meditation, as a way to combat stress and anxiety in younger breast cancer patients.
For the Journal of the National Cancer Institute study, Ganz and her team did a review of studies that focused on overall quality of life, psychosocial effects, menopause and fertility-related concerns and behavioral outcomes related to weight gain and physical activity. The 28 studies reviewed were published between January 1990 and July 2010.
Ganz said that weighing therapies with the thought of quality of life after treatment in mind may help reduce some of the issues these younger women face.
"By tailoring adjuvant therapy regimens and giving cytotoxic therapy only to those who may benefit, we can mitigate some of these side effects, but the long life expectancy for these young women also provides a window of opportunity for cancer prevention and health promotion activities," the study states.
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University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences: http://www.uclahealth.org/
Thanks to University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences for this article.
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Florida State's Michael Snaer shoots the game-winning basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Florida State won 76-73. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Florida State's Michael Snaer shoots the game-winning basket during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Florida State won 76-73. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Florida State's Michael Snaer (21) and Ian Miller celebrate Snaer's game-winning shot against Duke during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Florida State won 76-73. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
Florida State's Michael Snaer (21) and Ian Miller celebrate Snaer's game-winning basket against Duke during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game in Durham, N.C., Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. Florida State won 76-73. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) ? Michael Snaer acknowledged he never felt comfortable playing in one of college basketball's most hostile environments, from the rowdy fans perched on the sideline to the way Duke tried to pressure the Seminoles out of their offense.
One shot changed everything ? and ended Duke's long reign on its famed home court.
Snaer hit a 3-pointer as time expired and Florida State beat the fourth-ranked Blue Devils 76-73 on Saturday, snapping Duke's 45-game home winning streak.
With the game tied, Luke Loucks sprinted up the middle of the court before zipping a pass to Snaer on the right side in front of the FSU bench. Snaer quickly launched the shot over Andre Dawkins that dropped cleanly through the net at the horn, stunning the once-rowdy crowd at Cameron Indoor Stadium and sending the Seminoles' bench spilling onto "Coach K Court" in celebration.
"When it went in, I didn't know what to think," Snaer said. "It was amazing."
Snaer's basket gave the Seminoles (13-6, 4-1 Atlantic Coast Conference) a fourth straight win, which includes last weekend's 33-point home rout of preseason No. 1 North Carolina. It marked only the second time in school history that the Seminoles have beaten both Duke and North Carolina in the same season, the other time coming in 2002.
It marked the first home loss for the Blue Devils (16-3, 4-1) since falling to the eventual national champion Tar Heels in February 2009. It also ended Duke's 64-game home winning streak against unranked opponents, which began after a one-point loss to Florida State five years ago.
"There's not too many times teams can come in and win at a hostile environment like Duke and a great team like Duke," Loucks said. "We just kind of saw an opportunity here and went ahead and seized it. After the jubilation and jumping around in the locker room, the whole speech was that we're not finished. We only have four ACC wins right now, and that's not going to get us into the (NCAA) tournament."
Xavier Gibson led Florida State with 16 points, while Snaer scored 14 ? including a banked-in 3 to beat the buzzer on the final play of the first half.
Duke led by nine in the first half and by eight midway through the second, but the Seminoles just wouldn't let the Blue Devils pull away to tie a school and ACC record for the longest home winning streak. Instead, they kept attacking and knocking down tough shots.
In fact, Snaer knocked down a pair of clutch shots in the final minute. On the first, he drove into the paint and knocked down a pull-up for a 71-70 lead with 55.8 seconds left. Then ? after Austin Rivers tied the game on a driving basket with 4.9 seconds left ? Snaer answered with an even bigger one, putting him at the center of a celebration that migrated all the way across the court to stand in front of a stunned group of Cameron Crazies.
"The kid hit a beautiful shot," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said.
FSU coach Leonard Hamilton said the shot looked good to him, prompting a reporter to ask him if he had any doubts it would go in.
"None whatsoever," Hamilton said as he playfully looked to the ceiling. "That's my story and I'm sticking to it."
Duke came in ranked last in the ACC in field goal percentage defense, an unusual stat for Krzyzewski's program. Florida State finished this one at 54 percent, including 67 percent (18 for 27) in a tense second half. The Seminoles scored 50 points after halftime.
Rivers hit a free throw to give Duke a 70-69 lead with 1:13 left, but he missed the second and Snaer followed with his basket for the lead. But Loucks and Gibson each went 1 for 2 at the line in the final 35 seconds, setting up Rivers' final basket that put Duke within reach of overtime.
Duke had won 46 straight at home from 1997-2000, and most of the wins in the current 45-game streak had come by double-digit margins. Duke overcame its own 40-percent shooting by knocking down 10 3-pointers. The Blue Devils also dominated the offensive boards and outscored Florida State 20-6 on second-chance points, but they couldn't come up with a final stop.
"It's so frustrating because we prepare so well and work so hard," Rivers said. "Everybody fought. I don't think anybody was lazy. We were blow for blow and they got that last blow in, the last shot at the last second."
Rivers had 19 points to lead Duke, while Dawkins had 14.
FILE - This Jan. 8, 2012 file photo shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords waving at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six in Tucson, Ariz. Giffords announced, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file)
FILE - This Jan. 8, 2012 file photo shows Rep. Gabrielle Giffords waving at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six in Tucson, Ariz. Giffords announced, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file)
This video image provided by the Office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shows Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, walking. Giffords announced Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012 she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt a little more than a year ago. (AP Photo/Office of Gabrielle Giffords)
FILE - In this Jan. 2, 2012, file photo Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, left, accompanied by her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly, reacts after leading the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of a memorial vigil remembering the victims and survivors one year after the Arizona congresswoman was wounded in a shooting that killed six othersin Tucson, Ariz. Giffords said Sunday Jan, 22, 2012, that she will resign from Congress this week. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
This video image provided by the office of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords shows Giffords announcing her plans to resign, Sunday, Jan. 22, 2012. (AP Photo/Office of Gabrielle Giffords)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? Rep. Gabrielle Giffords of Arizona announced Sunday she intends to resign from Congress this week to concentrate on recovering from wounds suffered in an assassination attempt a little more than a year ago that shook the country.
"I don't remember much from that horrible day, but I will never forget the trust you placed in me to be your voice," the Democratic lawmaker said on a video posted without prior notice on her Facebook page.
"I'm getting better. Every day my spirit is high," she said. "I have more work to do on my recovery. So to do what's best for Arizona, I will step down this week."
Giffords was shot in the head and grievously wounded last January as she was meeting with constituents outside a supermarket in Tucson, Ariz. Her progress had seemed remarkable, to the point that she was able to walk dramatically into the House chamber last August to cast a vote.
Her shooting prompted an agonizing national debate about super-charged rhetoric in political campaigns, although the man charged in the shooting later turned out to be mentally ill.
In Washington, members of Congress were told to pay more attention to their physical security. Legislation was introduced to ban high-capacity ammunition clips, although it never advanced.
Under state law, Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer must call a special election to fill out the remainder of Giffords' term, which ends at the end of 2012.
House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he saluted Giffords "for her service and for the courage and perseverance she has shown in the face of tragedy. She will be missed."
In a statement, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California said that "since the tragic events one year ago, Gabby has been an inspiring symbol of determination and courage to millions of Americans."
Democratic officials had held out hope for months that the congresswoman might recover sufficiently to run for re-election or even become a candidate to replace retiring Republican Sen. Jon Kyl.
The shooting on Jan. 8, 2011, left six people dead, a federal judge and a Giffords aide among them. Twelve others were wounded.
A 23-year-old man, Jared Lee Loughner, has pleaded not guilty to 49 charges in the shooting. He has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and is being forcibly medicated at a Missouri prison facility in an effort by authorities to make him mentally ready for trial.
In the months since she was shot, Giffords, 41, has been treated in Houston as well as Arizona as she re-learned how to walk and speak.
She made a dramatic appearance on the House floor Aug. 2, when she unexpectedly walked in to vote for an increase in the debt limit. Lawmakers from both parties cheered her presence, and she was enveloped in hugs.
More recently, she participated in an observance of the anniversary of the shooting in Arizona.
In "Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope," a book released last year that she wrote with her husband, the astronaut Mark Kelly, she spoke of how much she wanted to get better, regain what she lost and return to Congress.
She delivers the last chapter in her own voice, saying in a single page of short sentences and phrases that everything she does reminds her of that horrible day and that she was grateful to survive.
"I will get stronger. I will return," she wrote.
Giffords was shot in the left side of the brain, the part that controls speech and communication.
Kelly commanded the space shuttle Endeavour on its last mission in May. She watched the launch from Cape Canaveral, Fla.
Kelly, who became a NASA astronaut in 1996 and made four trips into space aboard the space shuttle, retired in October.
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, and his wife Karen, stand with cadets from The Citadel, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, at the Patriots Dinner in Charleston, S.C. Santorum was presented with the Nathan Hale Patriots award. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, and his wife Karen, stand with cadets from The Citadel, Friday, Jan. 20, 2012, at the Patriots Dinner in Charleston, S.C. Santorum was presented with the Nathan Hale Patriots award. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks at The Citadel Patriots Dinner in Charleston, S.C., Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks at Captain Steve's Restaurant in Fort Mill, S.C., Friday, Jan. 20, 2012. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) ? With the race here seemingly between Mitt Romney and Newt Gingrich, Republican rival Rick Santorum is bracing for a setback and looking ahead to the next contest: Florida.
Santorum planned to visit polling locations in South Carolina and attend an evening rally in Charleston on Saturday before his campaign moved South. Santorum's advisers said he would have no reason to exit the four-man race for the GOP nomination after voting ends and those allies note he went into primary day the top vote-getter in Iowa's leadoff caucuses and besting Gingrich in New Hampshire.
Romney and Gingrich were battling for the top spot in South Carolina and Santorum was looking to post an acceptable showing. During campaign stops on Friday, he cast himself as a Goldilocks candidate: just right when compared to Gingrich's "too hot" rhetoric and Romney's "too cold" personality.
Santorum also looked to disqualify the fourth candidate in the race, Rep. Ron Paul of Texas. Santorum said there were three candidates who could capture the GOP nomination and cast libertarian favorite Paul as a gadfly annoyance.
As voting opened, Santorum planned to stop by polling locations in Chapin and Greenville. He also planned an election night party at The Citadel in Charleston.
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Public release date: 24-Jan-2012
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