WASHINGTON — US National Security Advisor James Jones said Wednesday that his country was disappointed that Israel and the Palestinians have not begun direct negotiations. ‘It is time to begin those negotiations and to put an end to excuses. It is time for all leaders in the region-Israeli, Palestinian, and Arab-to support efforts for peace. It is time for today’s leader to demonstrate the courage and leadership of Anwar Sadat, King Hussein, and Yitzhak Rabin,’ Jones said during an event marking the 25th anniversary of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy (WINEP). Jones was representing President Barack Obama’s stand, that a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians would neutralize both the terror threat and the Iranian nuclear threat. He noted, however, that ‘in our pursuit of a two-state solution, we recognize that peace must be made by the parties and cannot be imposed from the outside.’ ‘At the same time,’ he added, ‘we understand that the status quo is not sustainable¦. It strengthens the rejectionists and weakens those who would live in peace.’ Addressing the Iranian and Syrian issues, General Jones said that ‘peace between Israel and Syria, if it is possible, […]
Depression Medication: Patients Report 20 Times More Side Effects Than Recorded In Charts, Study Fin
A study from Rhode Island Hospital shows that patients report side effects from medication for the treatment of depression 20 times more than psychiatrists have recorded in the charts. The researchers recommend the use of a self-administered patient questionnaire in clinical practice to improve the recognition of side effects for patients in treatment. The study is published in the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Volume 71, No. 4, now available online ahead of print. One of the most frequent reasons for the discontinuation of medication to treat depression is the side effects that patients may experience. The premature discontinuation of medication is also associated with poorer treatment outcomes. In his recent study, lead researcher Mark Zimmerman, MD, director of outpatient psychiatry at Rhode Island Hospital, notes that despite the clinical importance of detecting side effects, few studies have examined the adequacy of the detection and documentation methods currently in use among clinicians. Zimmerman and his colleagues asked 300 patients in ongoing treatment for depression to complete a self-administered version of the Toronto Side Effects Scale (TSES). The patients rated the frequency of the 31 side effects and the degree of trouble they experienced. Those patients’ charts were then examined […]
Will the White House punish Democrats who defected on the monumental health care overhaul? ‘There is not a whole lot of [President] Barack Obama and [Vice President] Joe Biden to spare on a good day, one senior White House official told POLITICO. ‘We’re going to have to focus on our friends. As for the five House Democrats who reversed their positions to vote against the final bill, another Obama aide said, ‘We appreciate the people who hung with us. The implied political hardball has drawn protests from some legislators. Rep. Chris Van Hollen, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chairman, for example, now talks about the need to help all Democrats. But Obama’s approach is hardly novel. Many presidents have aggressively disciplined wayward legislators: manipulating committee slots, stripping privileges, even campaigning against them in primaries. Effective presidents, particularly those with ambitious agendas, need to clarify for members of Congress the benefits of cooperation - and the costs of opposition. But they must calibrate their actions, avoiding the impression that they are interfering on congressional prerogatives or voters’ preferences. Like Obama, President Franklin D. Roosevelt came to Washington with a large Democratic majority. His […]
WASHINGTON — In a major First Amendment ruling, the Supreme Court on Tuesday struck down a federal law that made it a crime to create or sell dogfight videos and other depictions of animal cruelty. Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., writing for the majority in the 8-to-1 decision, said that the law had created ‘a criminal prohibition of alarming breadth and that the government’s aggressive defense of the law was ‘startling and dangerous. The decision left open the possibility that Congress could enact a narrower law that would pass constitutional muster. But the existing law, Chief Justice Roberts wrote, covered too much speech protected by the First Amendment. It has been more than a quarter-century since the Supreme Court placed a category of speech outside the protection of the First Amendment. Tuesday’s resounding and lopsided rejection of a request that it do so, along with its decision in Citizens United in January - concluding that corporations may spend freely in candidate elections - suggest that the Roberts Court is prepared to adopt a robustly libertarian view of the constitutional protection of free speech. And in the next couple of months, the court is set to […]
There is only one primary care doctor per 2,000 patients in certain parts of the country, which the government calls ‘health professional shortage areas,’ according to Medill Reports. ‘Health professionals worry there will be an even greater shortage after 2014 when about 32 million more people are insured, as mandated by the health care reform law and as the baby boomer generation becomes Medicare-aged’ (Adorka, 4/13). The Associated Press: Twenty-eight states are considering changing rules to allow nurse practitioners to practice independently as a means of combating the shortage of physicians. The 32 million expected ‘newly insured patients will be looking for doctors and may find nurses instead.’ But, the ‘medical establishment is fighting to protect turf. ¦ The American Medical Association, which supported the national health care overhaul, says a doctor shortage is no reason to put nurses in charge and endanger patients.’ Nurses argue that criticism is unfounded – plus, they charge less (Johnson, 4/13).
Remote Viewing the Year 2060
