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Thursday, May 2, 2013
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Wednesday, May 1, 2013
As world dials back death penalty, Japan heads in opposite direction
Few Japanese are likely to have mourned the deaths of Katsuji Hamasaki and Yoshihide Miyagi. In 2005, the two members of the gangster underworld conspired to shoot dead two rivals in a restaurant, jeopardizing the safety of bystanders. The men hanged for their crimes in Tokyo last Friday, as Japan conducted its fourth and fifth executions of the year.
Newspapers announced the demise of the hardened gangsters, sent to the gallows for their ?heinous and brutal? crimes. But human rights groups have voiced concern that Japan?s renewed enthusiasm for the death penalty is leaving it increasingly out of touch with the rest of the world.
The conservative administration of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe had been in office only two months before his justice minister, Sadakazu Tanigaki, ordered the executions of prisoners, including the killer of a 7-year-old girl, in February.
RECOMMENDED: Think you know Japan? Take our quiz to find out.
After the most recent hangings, Mr. Tanigaki cited clear public support for capital punishment and said he would not hesitate to sign more execution orders.
"It was an extremely vicious and cruel crime, and carried the risk of involving ordinary people," he told reporters. "And many people in Japan say we need [the death penalty].?
ATTACKS FEED SUPPORT
Public support for the death penalty hardened after a series of high-profile crimes that forced Japanese to question their country's reputation for safety. The March 1995 sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway, in which 13 people died, was a rare incident of indiscriminate mass murder, and left a nation traumatized. Similarly shocking crimes were to follow: in 1998, four people died and dozens were made ill in Wakayama after a housewife laced curry with arsenic at a local festival; and in 2001, a man burst into an elementary school in Osaka and fatally knifed eight pupils to death.
Last week's executions drew criticism from Amnesty International, which noted a ?chilling? escalation in the use of the death penalty since Mr. Abe?s Liberal Democratic Party [LDP] returned to power in December last year. (Japan has company in that regard. Read the Monitor's report on Amnesty International's global findings.)
?This chilling news appears to reinforce our fears that the new government is increasing the pace of executions at an alarming rate,? Catherine Baber, the organization?s Asia Pacific director, said in a statement.
?With five executions already this year, it seems clear the government has no intention of heeding international calls to start a genuine and open public debate on the death penalty, including its abolition.?
In executing its most wicked killers, Japan is further isolating itself internationally. It is one of 58 countries, including the US, China, and Iran, that retain capital punishment, while more than 140 other countries, including all members of the European Union, have abolished it in law or practice.
Last week?s executions mean there are now 134 inmates on death row in Japan, the highest number since records began in 1949.
But campaigners say they fear that a slew of executions is imminent, as Abe attempts to shore up public support before crucial upper house elections in July.
Victory for the LDP would give it control of both houses of Japan?s Diet, or parliament, ending years of political deadlock.
?We?re very worried that these recent executions could open the floodgates to even more in the near future,? says Hideki Wakabayashi, executive director of Amnesty International Japan. ?I believe there will be at least one more hanging before the elections.?
Japan?s previous government, led by the left-of-center Democratic Party of Japan [DPJ], had raised hopes that it was moving towards abolition ? a trend seen in other parts of the world, including in a growing number of US states.
No one was sent to the gallows under DPJ rule in 2011, the first time a year had passed without a single hanging for 19 years. But after an 18-month hiatus, executions resumed in March 2012.
?What we need now is a national debate, and to look sensibly at the pros and cons,? Mr. Wakabayashi says. ?At the moment, the debate is media-driven and too emotional. We need to remind people that two-thirds of the world?s countries have abolished the death penalty. Even the United States is moving in that direction.?
Tokyo, though, appears oblivious to the global trend toward abolition, ignoring a UN resolution adopted last December calling on it and other countries to impose a moratorium on executions and make the handling of death row inmates more transparent.
Typically, Japan?s condemned prisoners are given only a few hours? notice of their execution; their relatives and lawyers are informed only after it has been carried out.
SOME QUESTION DEPTH OF PUBLIC SUPPORT
Despite international criticism, a government opinion poll conducted in 2009 showed support for the death penalty at 86 percent. Campaigners say the poll is misleading, since it includes the 34 percent of respondents who nominally support capital punishment but would like to see it abolished under certain conditions.
The government can always point in support of its stance to Shoko Asahara, the leader of the doomsday cult that carried out the sarin gas attacks in Tokyo.
Death-penalty opponents believe that Mr. Asahara, now on death row, could soon be put to death. ?Parts of the media have been calling for Asahara to be executed as soon as possible,? says Yoshihiro Yasuda, a former lawyer for the cult guru and a member of the abolitionist group Forum 90, said recently.
?I believe that there is a great risk that [Justice minister] Mr. Tanigaki will respond to that by implementing the death penalty. Many people say that his political status will rise if he goes ahead and signs the execution order.?
Abe?s record on executions during his first stint as prime minister lends weight to speculation that Japan?s executioners will be called upon again this year: During his year in office from September 2006, 10 people were put to death.
?Mr. Abe says he wants Japan to play a bigger role in the international community as a member of the G8, but he still insists that capital punishment is a strictly domestic issue,? Amnesty's Wakabayashi says. ?That said, the fact that he and Tanigaki have to keep saying this shows that there is some anxiety within the government about international opinion.?
RECOMMENDED: Think you know Japan? Take our quiz to find out.
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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/world-dials-back-death-penalty-japan-heads-opposite-145707142.html
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New Italian gov't confirmed by Senate
ROME (AP) ? Italian Premier Enrico Letta's cross-party government won a final vote of confidence vote in Parliament on Tuesday, giving life to a grand coalition that aims to put aside decades of animosity to return the eurozone's third-largest economy to growth.
Letta's first order of business is a trip to Berlin, where he is expected to press German Chancellor Angela Merkel on the necessity of easing austerity politics that have put pressure on ordinary Italians in favor of growth policies.
Letta will take the message to Paris, where he meets Wednesday with President Francois Hollande, and then to Brussels. The European tour aims also to demonstrate that this government wants to remain at the heart of the decision-making in Europe.
The new government was confirmed Tuesday by the Senate by a vote of 233 in favor, 59 against and 18 abstentions, a day after it easily won confirmation by the lower house.
The government brings together in an uneasy coalition the center-left Democratic Party, which won the lower house in February elections ? but not the Senate ? along with its long-time political opponents, the center-right under Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party.
Letta outlined to the two houses an ambitious program to get young Italians into work , reform the electoral law, reduce the cost of maintaining Italy's political class, reform the judicial system and make it easier for the children of immigrants born in Italy to become citizens. He said the government would step down if he hasn't accomplished his goals within 18 months.
Letta already has made one big concession to Berlusconi's backers: a pledge to put on hold an unpopular tax on first residences until it can be reviewed. Berlusconi on Tuesday said he will only support the government if the tax is repealed.
The tax on first homes, which was reintroduced by the technical government of Mario Monti, generates 4 billion euros ($5.2 billion) a year, and the decision to suspend June payments will cost the state 2 billion euros, at a time when the government needs to come up urgently with additional funds to pay for a fund for workers on temporary layoffs.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/italian-govt-confirmed-senate-131911237.html
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'DWTS' final four? The finale could see a shakeup
TV 
4 hours ago
There are seven remaining pairs on "Dancing With the Stars" and only three more elimination nights before the finals. So, barring any surprise double eliminations, there will be four couples -- not the traditional three -- competing in the finale on May 20.
ABC
?It?s good for that fourth couple who?ll get paid an extra couple of bucks,? pro Val Chmerkovskiy shrugged to reporters in Monday night?s post-show press line.
Derek Hough thinks it?s a good idea too.
"Honestly, it means more dances for the finals," the three-time mirror-ball champion said. ?It?s more entertainment for the viewers at home, and that?s what it?s all about.?
Hough has said in the past that it?s best to come in either fourth or first, since exiting right after the semifinals means a dancer doesn?t have to come up with two more routines for a finale that he or she may or may not win.
?I think differently about that now,? he said. ?When I said that, I might have been thinking I didn?t want to do all that hard work. But I?m of the frame of mind that it?s an absolute pleasure and joy to be able to do any dance number on the show -- every time, even for results shows.?
Recap: 'Dancing With the Stars' judges take the ballroom to the bathroom
While anything can happen between now and the finals, it seems likely that three of the four finalists will be the competition's consistently high-scoring duos: Kellie Pickler and Hough, Zendaya and Chmerkovskiy, and Jacoby Jones and Karina Smirnoff. The fourth slot is up for grabs.
But the only sure thing right now is that Hough and Pickler won?t be going home on Tuesday night. They scored enough points on Monday to earn immunity.
Related:? Andy on how he's ranked on 'Dancing': 'It's not fair'
But while Hough and Pickler are safe for now, the pro feels that writing off low-scorer Andy Dick before the end just might be a mistake, given the show?s passionate fan base.
?I hope the judges did Andy a favor with their (strong) comments,? Hough offered. ?If you feel that (your favorite) is being picked on, then you?re going to say to yourself, ?I?m going to vote for him!??
Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/dancing-stars-final-four-finale-could-see-shakeup-6C9676198
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FDA will investigate added caffeine in foods
WASHINGTON (AP) ? For people seeking an energy boost, companies are increasing their offerings of foods with added caffeine. A new caffeinated gum may have gone too far.
The Food and Drug Administration said Monday that it will investigate the safety of added caffeine and its effects on children and adolescents. The agency made the announcement just as Wrigley was rolling out Alert Energy Gum, a new product that includes as much caffeine as a half a cup of coffee in one piece and promises "the right energy, right now."
Michael Taylor, FDA's deputy commissioner of foods, indicated that the proliferation of new foods with caffeine added ? especially the gum, which he equates to "four cups of coffee in your pocket" ? may even prompt the FDA to look closer at the way all food ingredients are regulated.
The agency is already investigating the safety of energy drinks and energy shots, prompted by consumer reports of illness and death.
Taylor said Monday that the only time FDA explicitly approved the added use of caffeine in a food or drink was in the 1950s for colas. The current proliferation of caffeine added to foods is "beyond anything FDA envisioned," Taylor said.
"It is disturbing," Taylor told The Associated Press. "We're concerned about whether they have been adequately evaluated."
Caffeine has the regulatory classification of "generally recognized as safe," or GRAS, which means manufacturers can add it to products and then determine on their own whether the product is safe.
"This raises questions about how the GRAS concept is working and is it working adequately," Taylor said of the gum and other caffeine-added products.
As food companies have created more new ingredients to add health benefits, improve taste or help food stay fresh, there are at least 4,650 of these "generally recognized as safe" ingredients, according to the nonpartisan Pew Charitable Trusts. The bulk of them, at least 3,000, were determined GRAS by companies and trade associations.
Caffeine is not a new ingredient, but Taylor says the FDA is concerned about all of the new ways it is being delivered to consumers. He said the agency will look at the potential impact these "new and easy sources" of caffeine will have on children's health and will take action if necessary. He said that he and other FDA officials have held meetings with some of the large food companies that have ventured into caffeinated products, including Mars Inc., of which Wrigley is a subsidiary.
Wrigley and other companies adding caffeine to their products have labeled them as for adult use only. A spokeswoman for Wrigley, Denise M. Young, said the gum is for "adults who are looking for foods with caffeine for energy" and each piece contains about 40 milligrams, or the equivalent amount found in half a cup of coffee. She said the company will work with FDA.
"Millions of Americans consume caffeine responsibly and in moderation as part of their daily routines," Young said.
Food manufacturers have added caffeine to candy, nuts and other snack foods in recent years. Jelly Belly "Extreme Sport Beans," for example, have 50 mg of caffeine in each 100-calorie pack, while Arma Energy Snx markets trail mix, chips and other products that have caffeine.
Critics say it's not enough for the companies to say they are marketing the products to adults when the caffeine is added to items like candy that are attractive to children. Many of the energy foods are promoted with social media campaigns, another way they could be targeted to young people.
Major medical associations have warned that too much caffeine can be dangerous for children, who have less ability to process the stimulant than adults. The American Academy of Pediatrics says it has been linked to harmful effects on young people's developing neurologic and cardiovascular systems.
"Could caffeinated macaroni and cheese or breakfast cereal be next?" said Michael Jacobson, director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, which asked the FDA to look into the number of foods with added caffeine last year. "One serving of any of these foods isn't likely to harm anyone. The concern is that it will be increasingly easy to consume caffeine throughout the day, sometimes unwittingly, as companies add caffeine to candies, nuts, snacks and other foods. "
Taylor said the agency would look at the added caffeine in its totality ? while one product might not cause adverse effects, the increasing number of caffeinated products on the market, including drinks, could mean more adverse health effects for children.
Last November, the FDA said it had received 92 reports over four years that cited illnesses, hospitalizations and deaths after consumption of an energy shot marketed as 5-Hour Energy. The FDA said it had also received reports that cited the highly caffeinated Monster Energy Drink in several deaths.
Agency officials said then that the reports to the FDA from consumers, doctors and others don't necessarily prove that the drinks caused the deaths or injuries but said they were investigating each one. In February, FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg again stressed that reports to the agency of adverse events related to energy drinks did not necessarily suggest a causal effect.
FDA officials said they would take action if they could link the deaths to consumption of the energy drinks, including forcing the companies to take the products off the market.
In 2010, the agency forced manufacturers of alcoholic caffeinated beverages to cease production of those drinks. The agency said the combination of caffeine and alcohol could lead to a "wide-awake drunk" and has led to alcohol poisoning, car accidents and assaults.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fda-investigate-added-caffeine-foods-205546269.html
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Tiny worm sheds light on giant mystery about neuron
Apr. 30, 2013 ? Scientists have identified a gene that keeps our nerve fibers from clogging up. Researchers in Ken Miller's laboratory at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) found that the unc-16 gene of the roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans encodes a gatekeeper that restricts flow of cellular organelles from the cell body to the axon, a long, narrow extension that neurons use for signaling. Organelles clogging the axon could interfere with neuronal signaling or cause the axon to degenerate, leading to neurodegenerative disorders.
This research, published in the May 2013 Genetics Society of America's journal Genetics, adds an unexpected twist to our understanding of trafficking within neurons.
Proteins equivalent to UNC-16 are present in the neurons of all animals, including humans and are known to interact with proteins associated with neurodegenerative disorders in humans (Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia) and mice (Legs at Odd Angles). However, the underlying cause of these disorders is not well understood.
"Our UNC-16 study provides the first insights into a previously unrecognized trafficking system that protects axons from invasion by organelles from the cell soma," Dr. Miller said. "A breakdown in this gatekeeper may be the underlying cause of this group of disorders," he added.
The use of the model organism C. elegans, a tiny, translucent roundworm with only 300 neurons, enabled the discovery because the researchers were able to apply complex genetic techniques and imaging methods in living organisms, which would be impossible in larger animals. Dr. Miller's team tagged organelles with fluorescent proteins and then used time-lapse imaging to follow the movements of the organelles. In normal axons, organelles exited the cell body and entered the initial segment of the axon, but did not move beyond that. In axons of unc-16 mutants, the organelles hitched a ride on tiny motors that carried them deep into the axon, where they accumulated.
Dr. Miller acknowledges there are still a lot of unanswered questions. His lab is currently investigating how UNC-16 performs its crucial gatekeeper function by looking for other mutant worms with similar phenotypes. A Commentary on the article, also published in this issue of GENETICS, calls the work "provocative," and highlights several important questions prompted by this pioneering study.
"This research once again shows how studies of simple model organisms can bring insight into complex neurodegenerative diseases in humans," said Mark Johnston, Editor-in-Chief of the journal GENETICS. "This kind of basic research is necessary if we are to understand diseases that can't easily be studied in more complex animals."
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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Genetics Society of America, via Newswise.
Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.
Journal References:
- S. L. Edwards, S.-c. Yu, C. M. Hoover, B. C. Phillips, J. E. Richmond, K. G. Miller. An Organelle Gatekeeper Function for Caenorhabditis elegans UNC-16 (JIP3) at the Axon Initial Segment. Genetics, 2013; 194 (1): 143 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.112.147348
- Q. Zheng, M. L. Nonet. UNC-16/JIP3/Sunday Driver: A New Cop on the Organelle Highway. Genetics, 2013; 194 (1): 35 DOI: 10.1534/genetics.113.150490
Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.
Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.
Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/1e_U4Eh4Zck/130430105950.htm
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Why Ireland Baldwin Challenged the Haters
Ireland Baldwin is as beautiful as her mother Kim Basinger, and as outspoken as her father Alec Baldwin! After the 17-year-old model did a swimwear shoot for The New York Post, she was met with the predictable outpouring of dumb and hurtful Internet comments. Instead of ignoring her critics, Ireland decided to address them with an open letter on Tumblr.
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