These are the states hemorrhaging red ink

AP

Nevada is among the states most stung by the downturn. Between 2006 and 2010, home values plummeted a staggering 44.5 percent.

By Michael B. Sauter, Charles B. Stockdale and Ashley C. Allen, 24/7 Wall St.

Balancing the budget is not just a federal problem, but a state one as well. The Great Recession resulted in some of the worst state revenues and budget shortages of all time. According to a report on state budgets by the Center for Budget Policy Priorities, dozens of states faced shortfalls of hundreds of millions ? or even billions ? of dollars.

24/7 Wall St. examined the 10 states that had budget shortfalls of 27 percent or more of their general funds for fiscal year 2011 ? the states that were short the most money before they balanced their budgets. For the most part, the states with the worst budget gaps also had among the most anemic economies. Because of their budget shortfalls, all of them have been forced to make dramatic cuts to government services.

Every state but Vermont is required by its own law to balance the budget. In order to do so, state governments have to take extreme measures, instituting deep cuts that often hurt a diversity of residents. In the 2011 fiscal year, 29 states made cuts to services benefiting the disabled and elderly, 34 reduced funds for K-12 and early education, and all but six states reduced positions, benefits or wages of government employees.

24/7 Wall St.: The best- and worst-run states in America

The housing crisis was one of the primary causes for many of the largest budget deficits. The housing markets in states such as Nevada, Illinois and Arizona ? all of which are on the list ? have been hit particularly hard. Home values in Nevada declined the largest amount in the country between 2006 and 2010. Home values in Arizona decreased the fifth-largest amount over that same period. Sick housing markets weaken the economy and lower tax bases, which hurts state revenues and in turn helps create a budget gap.

Overall, weak state economies contributed to lower revenues and rising budget shortfalls. Not surprisingly, states with slower-growing economies tended to have a larger budget gaps. And although the GDP of every state in the nation grew between 2006 and 2010, seven of the 10 states on this list fell within the 15 states with the smallest increases.

While economic slowdowns and housing problems hit most of the states with the worst budget gaps, there were some exceptions. In four of the 10 states, home values actually rose between 2006 and 2010, the worst period of the recession. Similarly, other states with budget shortfalls weathered the recession relatively well and managed to maintain fairly healthy economies. In Washington state, for example, the median income rose 5.8 percent, the 16th-most in the country, while GDP increased 13.4 percent, the 12th most.

These are the states that cannot pay their bills.

24/7 Wall St.: Worst product flops of 2011

1. Nevada

  • ?2011 budget shortfall as a percentage of general fund:?54.5
  • ?2011 budget shortfall:?$1.8 billion
  • ?2012 projected budget shortfall:?37.4 percent (the largest)
  • ?GDP change (2006 - 2010):?+1.2 percent (smallest increase)
  • ?Median home value change (2006 - 2010):?-44.5 percent (the largest decline)

No state has suffered during the recession more than Nevada. Between 2006 and 2010, home values plummeted a staggering 44.5 percent, the poverty rate increased 26 percent, median income dropped 3.8 percent and GDP increased only 1.2 percent. Each was the worst in the country for that category. Last year, Nevada?s budget gap was $1.8 billion, the equivalent of 54.5 percent of available funds. This was the third year in a row the state has had one of the worst shortfalls in the country, and that trend appears ready to continue through at least 2013. In order to balance its budget last year, Nevada was forced to raise taxes significantly, cut dental and vision services from Medicaid coverage for adults, reduce financial aid funding, and cut state employee salaries.

2. Illinois

  • ?2011 budget shortfall as a percentage of general fund:?40.2
  • ?2011 budget shortfall:?$13.5 billion
  • ?2012 projected budget shortfall:?16.0 percent (11th largest)
  • ?GDP change (2006 - 2010):?+8.2 percent (13th smallest increase)
  • ?Median home value change (2006 - 2010):?-4.2 percent (11th largest decline)

Illinois has consistently had among the largest budget shortfalls in the country since 2009. It also was hit extremely hard by the recession. Between 2006 and 2010, home values decreased by 4.2 percent. GDP grew a relatively small 8.2 percent. Median household income increased less than 2 percent. The state made cuts in its budget for community mental health services for both children and adults, and it cut its school education funding by 4 percent, or $311 million. Governor Pat Quinn has announced also that he will lay off thousands of state employees.

24/7 Wall St.: The 10 most expensive weapons in the world

3. Arizona

  • ?2011 budget shortfall as a percentage of general fund:?39.0
  • ?2011 budget shortfall:?$3.3 billion
  • ?2012 projected budget shortfall:?17.0 percent (10th largest)
  • ?GDP change (2006 - 2010):?+2.7 percent (4th smallest increase)
  • ?Median home value change (2006 - 2010):?-28.6 percent (4th largest decline)

Like its neighbor Nevada, Arizona was hit particularly hard by the subprime mortgage crisis. Between 2006 and 2010, median home values plunged 28.6 percent in the state, the fourth worst price drop in the country. GDP, poverty and income levels have either stagnated or become significantly worse during this period. Since 2009, the state has had among the worst budget gaps in the country, a combined total of $12.1 billion for the three years. To balance its budget, Arizona has made dramatic budget cuts, including revoking Medicaid eligibility of more than 1 million low-income residents and cutting preschool for more than 4,000 children.

Click here for more states that cannot pay their bills

Source: http://bottomline.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/01/11/10126535-nevada-illinois-among-states-that-cant-pay-their-bills

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Does the La Ni?a weather pattern lead to flu pandemics?

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

Worldwide pandemics of influenza caused widespread death and illness in 1918, 1957, 1968 and 2009. A new study examining weather patterns around the time of these pandemics finds that each of them was preceded by La Ni?a conditions in the equatorial Pacific. The study's authors--Jeffrey Shaman of Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health and Marc Lipsitch of the Harvard School of Public Health?note that the La Ni?a pattern is known to alter the migratory patterns of birds, which are thought to be a primary reservoir of human influenza. The scientists theorize that altered migration patterns promote the development of dangerous new strains of influenza.

The study findings are currently published online in PNAS.

To examine the relationship between weather patterns and influenza pandemics, the researchers studied records of ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific in the fall and winter before the four most recent flu pandemics emerged. They found that all four pandemics were preceded by below-normal sea surface temperatures?consistent with the La Ni?a phase of the El Ni?o-Southern Oscillation. This La Ni?a pattern develops in the tropical Pacific Ocean every two and seven years approximately.

The authors cite other research showing that the La Ni?a pattern alters the migration, stopover time, fitness and interspecies mixing of migratory birds. These conditions could favor the kind of gene swapping?or genetic reassortment?that creates novel and therefore potentially more variations of the influenza virus.

"We know that pandemics arise from dramatic changes in the influenza genome. Our hypothesis is that La Ni?a sets the stage for these changes by reshuffling the mixing patterns of migratory birds, which are a major reservoir for influenza," says Jeffrey Shaman, PhD, Mailman School assistant professor of Environmental Health Sciences and co-author of the study.

Changes in migration not only alter the pattern of contact among bird species, they could also change the ways that birds come into contact with domestic animals like pigs. Gene-swapping between avian and pig influenza viruses was a factor in the 2009 swine flu pandemic.

###

Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health: http://www.mailman.hs.columbia.edu

Thanks to Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health 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/116744/Does_the_La_Ni__a_weather_pattern_lead_to_flu_pandemics_

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U.S. Wants to Buttress Alzheimer's Arsenal by 2025 (HealthDay)

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 18 (HealthDay News) -- With the Alzheimer's epidemic predicted to reach crisis proportions as the U.S. population ages, a panel of experts is meeting for two days to draft a plan to combat a disease that is fast emerging as one of the nation's biggest -- and costliest -- health threats.

The goal of the plan is to improve diagnosis, buttress support and training programs for families with a loved one stricken with the mind-wasting disease, and develop better treatments -- and possibly even a cure -- by 2025.

"The idea behind the plan is to develop a coordinated effort to solve the Alzheimer's problem," said William Thies, vice president for medical and scientific affairs at the Alzheimer's Association.

"We recognize that the demographic imperative is going to happen with the peak of the epidemic in 2050," Thies said. By that date, it's estimated that 16 million Americans may be suffering from Alzheimer's disease, he added.

"We are struggling to manage the number we have now, which is a little over 5 million. So you can imagine with three times as many [patients], current systems simply can't manage that increase. It points to a very bleak future if we don't do something pretty quickly as the baby boom population starts developing more Alzheimer's disease," he said.

"Using current systems, this is simply unmanageable," Thies said.

Over the next two days, the advisory council of experts is meeting in Washington, D.C., to review a draft of a plan proposed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The draft was created in response to the National Alzheimer's Project Act, signed into law one year ago by President Barack Obama.

The plan will include everything from increased scientific research into causes and treatments for Alzheimer's, to how Medicare would reimburse doctors, and everything in between, Thies said.

To make this happen it will cost some $2 billion a year, Thies said, adding, "It's clear we have to upgrade our effort."

"We are going to have a plan. We don't know what it's going to look like. The [Alzheimer's] Association is committed to get the best plan that is possible. And if the plan isn't good enough we will not keep that a secret," he said.

But some in the forefront in the fight against Alzheimer's disease worry that the plan won't be enough.

"While it is always helpful to call attention to the disease, I worry that efforts like these are mostly window-dressing," said Dr. Sam Gandy, Mount Sinai Professor of Alzheimer's Disease Research at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.

"There are no funds attached, and there are no basic scientists on the panel. I don't see how they can seriously discuss cure without basic science input. I would also say that 2025 is way, way too optimistic," he said.

Greg M. Cole, a neuroscientist at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, said the panel's goals are certainly worthy -- to be able to diagnose the disease early and provide support for caregivers and their families.

"But many people won't seek early diagnosis without more powerful treatments that do more than provide temporary symptomatic relief," he said. "Who wants someone to confirm a dreaded diagnosis with no expectation that they can beat this disease?"

That reality has to change and treatments must be affordable, Cole said.

"The diagnostic methods that have received the most government support use expensive imaging methods that would cost a fortune to implement on a mass scale. We need cheaper methods to screen an aging population," he said.

But the biggest challenge, Cole said, is the dearth of proven therapies to treat Alzheimer's.

"Most of the current approaches in the pipeline -- like passive immunization with antibodies -- are likely to be very expensive at tens of thousands of dollars per year per patient," he said. "Therefore they are not very suitable for prevention in an era of limited resources."

Even if treatments work to stabilize the disease and modestly improve symptoms, these approaches seem likely to increase -- rather than decrease -- the medical costs of the disease to government and insurance providers, Cole said.

"Drug companies will invest far more than government in finding new treatments. If the past is any guide, they will provide better tools for disease management but with increased costs," he said.

A plan that addresses the medical costs of dementia in an aging population has to center on prevention, Cole said. "There should be far more government resources aimed at a serious efforts at finding and implementing low-cost prevention methods," he said.

Currently, an estimated 5.4 million Americans have Alzheimer's or a similar dementia. Alzheimer's is the sixth-leading killer in the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In a related development, under new autopsy guidelines drafted by the U.S. National Institute on Aging and the Alzheimer's Association, pathologists are encouraged to look for Alzheimer's-related brain changes in dead people who may not have exhibited memory loss or other symptoms of dementia.

Previous guidelines, adopted in 1997, called for an autopsy check when a dead person had a diagnosis of dementia to determine if Alzheimer's had contributed to the dementia.

"The new criteria no longer require a dementia diagnosis while the person was living, as studies suggest that Alzheimer's develops years before it becomes clinically evident and research has revealed that the brains of even cognitively normal people may have Alzheimer's-related brain changes," the NIH said in a news release Wednesday.

An overview of the revised guidelines is published online Jan. 18 in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer's Association.

More information

For more on Alzheimer's disease, visit the Alzheimer's Association.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/seniors/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120118/hl_hsn/uswantstobuttressalzheimersarsenalby2025

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[OOC] Relationships

Forum rules
This forum is for OOC discussion about existing roleplays.

Please post all "Players Wanted" threads in the Roleplayers Wanted forum!

This topic is an Out Of Character part of the roleplay, ?Bite Me : Ijo Academy <3?. Anything posted here will also show up there.

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--> Forum for completely Out of Character (OOC) discussion, based around whatever is happening In Character (IC). Discuss plans, storylines, and events; Recruit for your roleplaying game, or find a GM for your playergroup.
Oh Here you will be posting your Relationships with characters. Update it regularly!

Acquaintance~ Someone you have learned their names but you wouldn't technically hang out with them yet. You have just really met them

Friend~ Someone you have met long enough to want to hang out with again.

Best Friend
~ You have known them for a while or just enjoy their company to the fullest. You would hang out with them almost every moment you could.

Enemy~ Someone you can't stand. They upset you and just anger you.

Crush~ Someone that you have known or haven't that you have a liking too.

Boyfriend/Girlfriend~ Someone you like and have known for a while. You hang out all the time and go out on dates and kiss and hug.

Just because someone has you as one of these things doesn't mean you have to too.

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? Reality ?
Member for 1 years



Watashi Ni Kisu

Ito Akaiumi
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Yuina Takudo
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Shingo Ury?
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Kasumi Ray
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Yoshizawa Hiro
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Breanna Johnson
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Ichiigo Mizuka
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Remember even if you aren't acquaintances you can have still have someone as an enemy or crush. Nothing else though

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Yoshizawa Hiro

Watashi Ni Kisu
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Ito Akaiumi
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Yuina Takudo
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Shingo Ury?
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Kasumi Ray
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Breanna Johnson
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Ichiigo Mizuka
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SuperQ19
Member for 2 years


Ito Akaiumi
Yoshizawa Hiro
~
Breanna Johnson
~
Watashi ni Kisu
~
Ichiigo Mizuka
~
Kasumi Ray
~
Yuina Takudo
~
Shingo Uryu
~

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GamerX
Member for 1 years


Breanna Johnson

Ito Akaiumi
~
Yoshizawa Hiro
~
Breanna Johnson
~
Watashi ni Kisu
~
Ichiigo Mizuka
~
Kasumi Ray
~
Yuina Takudo
~
Shingo Uryu
~

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KrazyTigger
Member for 3 years



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Divers suspend search of capsized Italy liner (Reuters)

GIGLIO, Italy (Reuters) ? Divers searching the capsized Italian cruise liner Costa Concordia suspended work on Wednesday after the vast wreck shifted slightly but officials said they are hoping to resume as soon as possible.

Five days after the 114,500 tonne cruise ship struck a rock and capsized off the Tuscan island of Giglio, hopes of finding anyone alive have all but disappeared and salvage experts are preparing to pump 2,300 tonnes of fuel from the hulk.

The ship's captain, Francesco Schettino, blamed for causing the accident by coming too close to shore and then abandoning the vessel before the evacuation was complete, was put under house arrest on Tuesday after being questioned by a judge.

The search continued overnight on sections above the water line but and until the order was given to suspend work, divers had been preparing to resume the difficult and dangerous search of partly submerged areas of the giant ship.

"The visibility is awful. Yesterday I couldn't see my hand in front of my face," said Giuseppe Minciotti, director of a school for cave divers in the northern city of Verona and part of the specialist team deployed on the wreck.

"I grabbed a piece of floating debris, and I couldn't see what it was until I had my head out of the water. It was a woman's shoe," he said.

"We're waiting today for new openings to be made, and we'll see if the visibility is any better in those points."

Coast guard spokesman Cosimo Nicastro said work would focus on an evacuation assembly area on the partially submerged fourth deck, where most of the 11 bodies found so far have been located.

"It's where we have already found seven of the bodies and it's where the passengers and crew gathered to abandon ship," said coast guard spokesman Cosimo Nicastro.

At least 23 people are still missing from the 4,200 passengers and crew aboard when disaster struck the Concordia, a vast floating resort just two hours into a week-long cruise of the western Mediterranean.

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RELATIVES

As the search work continued, relatives of some of the missing arrived at the scene, although no serious hope remained of finding anyone alive in the icy waters.

"We are asking that in this moment all the rescue team units and authorities don't lose any time and do everything they can to recover or find, dead or alive, my daughter," said Sartonino Soria who had come from Peru after learning that his daughter Erika, a member of the crew, was missing.

"This is the reason why we are here and we will not leave until we have found Erika," he said.

Italian authorities have put up a list of 28 missing people on an interior ministry web site, though they say that probably included five people found dead on Tuesday who are so far unidentified.

The list of people still unaccounted for on Tuesday evening included 13 German, four French, five Italian and two American passengers, together with four crew members from Italy, India, Hungary and Peru.

Dutch maritime services company SMIT said it was ready to start pumping fuel from the stricken liner as early as Wednesday once search operations for missing people have ended and they get the go-ahead from local authorities.

However there was no word on when the work may begin. Authorities fear that stronger winds forecast for the coming days may hinder recovery work and pose a potential threat to the stability of the ship, which rests on a submerged rock outcrop.

The Concordia lies on its side in some 20 meters of water but the rock shelf soon falls away into much deeper water and the wreck could slide down by as much as 130 meters if it shifts free from the rocks.

ALARM RAISED

As the search continued, a dramatic recording of a coast guard commander angrily ordering Schettino to return to the ship to direct rescue operations has transfixed Italy and made a media hero out of the straight-talking coast guard captain Gregorio De Falco.

"Thank you captain," wrote the daily Corriere della Sera newspaper in a front page editorial which said that De Falco's energetic and decisive words were as a wider call to a sense of personal responsibility in Italy.

Schettino is accused of multiple manslaughter, causing a shipwreck by sailing too close to shore and abandoning ship before all his passengers and crew scrambled off.

He has denied the charges and told magistrates on Tuesday he believed he should be credited with saving "hundreds, if not thousands" of lives because he brought the ship close to shore after it hit a rock, lawyer Bruno Leporatti said.

Video taken from a rescue helicopter in the early hours of Saturday, using a night vision camera, showed an extraordinary scene of dozens of passengers being gingerly lowered on ropes down the upturned hull of the ship into rescue boats.

The ship foundered after striking a rock as dinner was being served on Friday night. The owners say the captain swung inshore to "make a bow" to the islanders, who included a retired Italian admiral. Investigators say it was within 150 meters of shore.

Most of the passengers and crew survived despite hours of chaos and confusion after the collision. The alarm was raised not by an SOS from the ship but mobile phone calls from passengers on board to Italian police on the mainland.

(Additional reporting by Silvia Ognibene, Silvia Aloisi, Kate Hudson and Catherine Hornby, Writing by Barry Moody and Philip Pullella; Editing by Giles Elgood)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/world/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120118/wl_nm/us_italy_ship

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Philippine chief justice impeachment trial starts

Beleaguered Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, right, takes his oath of allegiance to the Philippine flag during flag-raising ceremony Monday Jan.16, 2012 at the Supreme Court in Manila. Corona is facing impeachment before an impeachment court composed of Philippine senators, the first such impeachment of a chief justice in Philippine history. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Beleaguered Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, right, takes his oath of allegiance to the Philippine flag during flag-raising ceremony Monday Jan.16, 2012 at the Supreme Court in Manila. Corona is facing impeachment before an impeachment court composed of Philippine senators, the first such impeachment of a chief justice in Philippine history. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Beleaguered Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona acknowledges the crowd of mostly lawyers shortly after addressing supporters at the flag-raising ceremony Monday Jan.16, 2012 at the Supreme Court in Manila. Corona is facing impeachment Monday before an impeachment court composed of Philippine senators, the first such impeachment of a chief justice in Philippine history. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez)

Congressman Niel Tupas stresses a point as he argues for the prosecution at the start of the impeachment trial for Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona in Manila, Philippines, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. The impeachment trial of Corona began Monday after he was accused of corruption and trying to block the prosecution of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, Pool)

Former Associated Justice of the Philippine Supreme Court Serafin Cuevas stresses a point as he argues for the defense at the start of the impeachment trial for Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona in Manila, Philippines, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. The impeachment trial of Corona began Monday after he was accused of corruption and trying to block the prosecution of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, Pool)

Philippine senators led by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, standing at upper right corner, stands for an invocation at the start of the impeachment trial for Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona in Manila, Philippines, Monday, Jan. 16, 2012. The impeachment trial of Corona began Monday after he was accused of corruption and trying to block the prosecution of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. (AP Photo/Bullit Marquez, Pool)

(AP) ? The Philippines' first impeachment trial of a Supreme Court justice opened Monday, in a major battle of President Benigno Aquino III's anti-corruption campaign targeting his detained predecessor and her allies.

Chief Justice Renato Corona was impeached by the House of Representatives last month on corruption allegations as well as accusations that he tried to block prosecution of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, who has been detained on vote-rigging charges.

Corona's trial before the Senate has sparked fears of a constitutional crisis pitting Aquino against the 15-member court, where 12 of the justices were appointed by his rival and predecessor, Arroyo.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile promised his chamber would hold an impartial trial as the nationally televised proceedings got under way Monday, attended by Corona, his wife and a dozen defense lawyers. In his first ruling, Enrile dismissed a Corona petition that may have halted the trial on grounds the charges against him were defective.

More than 300 left-wing activists demanding Corona's conviction rallied outside the Senate, a block away from dozens of Corona followers. Police anti-riot squads stood by to prevent any clashes.

Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., who leads a congressional team of prosecutors against Corona, said the chief justice was impeached due to eight acts of alleged corruption and improperly issuing decisions that favored Arroyo.

"We are not here to indict the Supreme Court as an institution," Tupas told the senators. "We are here because one man ? Chief Justice Renato Corona ? has bartered away for the pot of porridge the effectiveness, independence and honor of the Supreme Court."

A defiant Corona led a rally by hundreds of employees and judges at the Supreme Court before the trial, denying any wrongdoing and vowing to defend the high tribunal's independence.

"I have not sinned against the president. I have not sinned against the people. I have not stolen from anyone," Corona told his cheering followers. He expressed confidence he would be acquitted.

Aquino, son of revered pro-democracy icons, has accused Corona of trying to derail Arroyo's prosecution and his reforms, which are aimed at battling pervasive corruption and poverty.

Aquino said he expected Corona to be convicted due to the strength of the evidence against him.

The trial is the latest struggle in a political drama pitting Aquino against Arroyo, whom he blames for a decade of corruption scandals that eroded public trust in government and held back foreign investors.

Corona was Arroyo's chief of staff before she appointed him chief justice shortly before her stormy, nine-year rule ended in 2010. Corona has accused Aquino of acting like a dictator by maneuvering to oust him to gain a rubber-stamp Supreme Court.

A Philippine regional trial court ordered the 64-year-old Arroyo arrested on Nov. 18 after she was charged with ordering the rigging of 2007 senatorial elections to favor her candidates. She has denied any wrongdoing and is detained in a government hospital while awaiting trial.

The country's largest group of lawyers has backed Corona, accusing Aquino's allies of improperly rushing his impeachment. Aquino's administration was endangering democracy by undermining the independence of the judiciary, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines said.

Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said the trial will shed light on alleged wrongdoings by a chief justice, a subject largely regarded as taboo. "We believe that the truth will set the judiciary free," he said.

___

Associated Press writer Teresa Cerojano contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-01-16-AS-Philippines-Impeachment/id-213e2f7220dd46788dcee44b222e528b

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Masao Matsuoka awarded 2011 Ming K. Jeang Foundation Retrovirology Prize

[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 16-Jan-2012
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BioMed Central

Landmark HTLV-1 research honored

Professor Masao Matsuoka, from the Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Japan has been announced as the recipient of the 2011 M Jeang Retrovirology Prize. The annual prize, partly sponsored by the Ming K. Jeang Foundation, celebrates groundbreaking research from retrovirologists aged between 45 and 60.

2011 winner Professor Matsuoka graduated from Kumamoto University Medical School in 1982 before returning to study at the Graduate School there in 1984. He moved to UC Berkeley to work as a post-doctoral researcher before returning to the Kumamoto University and then finally to Kyoto University where he is currently the Director of the Institute for Virus Research. Professor Matsuoka research interests are primarily focused on examining how HTLV-1 (Human T cell Leukemia virus) induces diseases and he and his team are looking into treatment for those infected with the virus.

The award recognizes the exceptional work he has conducted which clearly demonstrated the significance of HBZ genes in the pathogenesis of HTLV-1 associated diseases and showed that HBZ promoted proliferation of T cells and induced both T-cell lymphomas and inflammations.

Receiving the prize, Professor Matsuoka said "It is a great honor and pleasure for me to receive this treasurable prize for retrovirology. This prize encourages me to further study mechanisms show HTLV-1 induces diseases and how we can prevent and treat these diseases."

To mark the award, an editorial has been published in BioMed Central's open access journal Retrovirology. The Retrovirology Prize recipient is selected by Retrovirology's Editors based on nominations submitted by the journal's Editorial Board. The prize consists of a $3,000 check and a crystal trophy.

Last year's winner was Professor Michael H. Malim, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at King's College London.

###

Media Contact
Matt McKay
Head of Communications, BioMed Central
Tel: 44-20-3192-2216
Mob: 44-7825-257-423
Email: matthew.mckay@biomedcentral.com

Notes to Editors

1. The 2011 Retrovirology Prize winner Masao Matsuoka:
forward looking and antisense
Kuan-Teh Jeang
Retrovirology 2011, 8:102 doi:10.1186/1742-4690-8-102

Please name the journal in any story you write. If you are writing for the web, please link to the article. All articles are available free of charge, according to BioMed Central's open access policy.

Article citation and URL available on request at press@biomedcentral.com on the day of publication.

2. Retrovirology is an open access, online journal that publishes stringently peer-reviewed, high-impact articles on basic retrovirus research.

3. BioMed Central is an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) publisher which has pioneered the open access publishing model. All peer-reviewed research articles published by BioMed Central are made immediately and freely accessible online, and are licensed to allow redistribution and reuse. BioMed Central is part of Springer Science+Business Media, a leading global publisher in the STM sector.



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[ Back to EurekAlert! ] Public release date: 16-Jan-2012
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Contact: Matt McKay
matthew.mckay@biomedcentral.com
44-020-319-22216
BioMed Central

Landmark HTLV-1 research honored

Professor Masao Matsuoka, from the Institute for Virus Research, Kyoto University, Japan has been announced as the recipient of the 2011 M Jeang Retrovirology Prize. The annual prize, partly sponsored by the Ming K. Jeang Foundation, celebrates groundbreaking research from retrovirologists aged between 45 and 60.

2011 winner Professor Matsuoka graduated from Kumamoto University Medical School in 1982 before returning to study at the Graduate School there in 1984. He moved to UC Berkeley to work as a post-doctoral researcher before returning to the Kumamoto University and then finally to Kyoto University where he is currently the Director of the Institute for Virus Research. Professor Matsuoka research interests are primarily focused on examining how HTLV-1 (Human T cell Leukemia virus) induces diseases and he and his team are looking into treatment for those infected with the virus.

The award recognizes the exceptional work he has conducted which clearly demonstrated the significance of HBZ genes in the pathogenesis of HTLV-1 associated diseases and showed that HBZ promoted proliferation of T cells and induced both T-cell lymphomas and inflammations.

Receiving the prize, Professor Matsuoka said "It is a great honor and pleasure for me to receive this treasurable prize for retrovirology. This prize encourages me to further study mechanisms show HTLV-1 induces diseases and how we can prevent and treat these diseases."

To mark the award, an editorial has been published in BioMed Central's open access journal Retrovirology. The Retrovirology Prize recipient is selected by Retrovirology's Editors based on nominations submitted by the journal's Editorial Board. The prize consists of a $3,000 check and a crystal trophy.

Last year's winner was Professor Michael H. Malim, Head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at King's College London.

###

Media Contact
Matt McKay
Head of Communications, BioMed Central
Tel: 44-20-3192-2216
Mob: 44-7825-257-423
Email: matthew.mckay@biomedcentral.com

Notes to Editors

1. The 2011 Retrovirology Prize winner Masao Matsuoka:
forward looking and antisense
Kuan-Teh Jeang
Retrovirology 2011, 8:102 doi:10.1186/1742-4690-8-102

Please name the journal in any story you write. If you are writing for the web, please link to the article. All articles are available free of charge, according to BioMed Central's open access policy.

Article citation and URL available on request at press@biomedcentral.com on the day of publication.

2. Retrovirology is an open access, online journal that publishes stringently peer-reviewed, high-impact articles on basic retrovirus research.

3. BioMed Central is an STM (Science, Technology and Medicine) publisher which has pioneered the open access publishing model. All peer-reviewed research articles published by BioMed Central are made immediately and freely accessible online, and are licensed to allow redistribution and reuse. BioMed Central is part of Springer Science+Business Media, a leading global publisher in the STM sector.



[ Back to EurekAlert! ] [ | E-mail | Share Share ]

?


AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.


Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-01/bc-mm011612.php

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Santorum urges 'conscience' vote (Politico)

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. ? Rick Santorum spent his Sunday morning at a prayer breakfast here, tending to his Christian conservative flock and trying to win new converts among the voters he hopes will carry him to a win in next week?s primary.

A day after being picked as the candidate of choice by the group of social conservative leaders who met Saturday in Texas, Santorum said at the South Carolina Faith & Freedom prayer breakfast that he felt ?very blessed? to be selected ? and cast their coalescing behind his candidacy as help from above.

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?I don?t know if that ever happens with a group of Christian leaders ? they were able to miraculously come together and stand in support of my candidacy,? Santorum said to applause.

?We have an opportunity for South Carolina to stand behind a candidate who has consistently, courageously, forcefully, publicly and led the fight for values of the people who are going to vote next Saturday. The question is, will the people of South Carolina vote their conscience?? Santorum asked.

But several Republican voters said they didn?t need the encouragement ? many had already made up their minds to go with Santorum, who?s aiming to consolidate the support that?s been splitting between him, Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry.

Walt Lee, 33, said the social conservatives? backing didn?t influence him, but he hopes it will give the former Pennsylvania senator a boost.

?I already decided after Iowa, after seeing Santorum shoot up there,? Lee said. ?His values and positions on the economy and national defense resonated with me. I didn?t hear about the folks in Texas until late last night, but I wouldn?t say it swayed me. It is good to see folks like that are getting on board, though ? it gives Santorum a better chance.?

For others, it was Santorum?s presence at the breakfast that made the difference.

Gary Goers, 64, said he?d been undecided and leaning toward Mitt Romney before Sunday, and the Texas endorsement ?doesn?t throw me one way or the other.? But seeing Santorum at the event ? and hearing what the candidate said ? made him reconsider.

While Santorum has said he would not ask any other candidate to step down due to the endorsement, conservative author Eric Metaxes said in a speech to the prayer breakfast he hoped the other contenders would ?hear from God? and drop out.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/politics/*http%3A//us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/external/politico_rss/rss_politico_mostpop/http___www_politico_com_news_stories0112_71460_html/44187939/SIG=11mikf59n/*http%3A//www.politico.com/news/stories/0112/71460.html

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