Beyond The Hedges

1/20/11 6:00pm

National

Philadelphia physician accused of murder Physician Kermit Barron Gosnell and nine related medical personnel were charged Wednesday for allegedly causing the death of a patient named Karnamaya Mongar and killing seven late-term babies in illegal abortions. The babies were born alive, but their spinal cords were cut with scissors. Mongar died after overdosing on anesthetics that Gosnell had prescribed for her.

Gosnell worked at a clinic in West Philadelphia and was not a board-certified obstetrician or gynecologist. A grand jury investigation discovered that for 20 years, health and licensing officials had gotten reports of Gosnell's illegal practices and done nothing despite knowing that women had died during his abortions.

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Source: CNN

Flooding hits northwestern U.S.

Heavy flooding in Oregon and Washington caused landslides that are shutting down roads. Severe rains caused rivers to rise earlier, including the Snoqualmie River. U.S. Highway 20, also known as Santiam Highway, was closed after a landslide of 150 cubic yards of mud, rock and debris hit the road. In Portland a section of the Southeast Powell Boulevard southeast of 82nd Avenue was partially underwater, while another landslide closed Highway 26 in Hillsboro on the westbound side. Roads in Mason and Pierce County as well as parts of State Route 14, State Route 411 and State Route 508 have been closed due to landslides. Drier weather on Wednesday was expected to help with run-off problems.

Source: The Seattle Times

Final report on Deepwater Horizon oil spill calls for more regulation

The commission on the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, created by President Barack Obama last May, issued its final report. The report lays blame on the three main companies involved - BP, Transocean, and Halliburton - because of safety regulation short-comings. Failure to communicate between the companies as well as plain errors leading to unnecessary risks were the ultimate causes of the oil spill according to the report.

Findings say that offshore drilling is acceptable if properly regulated despite some expectations that the report would call for its end. Self-policing, supported by the final report, would include a separate safety body from the American Petroleum Institute that would be able to keep up with technological advances, including the rapid advances in deepwater and ultradeepwater drilling. Many of the suggestions made can be followed without government legislation, although Congress will need to be involved for some aspects.

Source: CNN

House of Representatives votes to repeal health care bill

The House of Representatives voted to repeal the Democrats' health care reform bill on Wednesday, with the final vote at 245 to 189. Those in support of the repeal included all 242 Republicans and Democratic Representatives Dan Boren of Oklahoma, Mike McIntyre of North Carolina and Mike Ross of Arkansas, all three of whom had resisted the health care law last year. Through this action, the new House Republican majority confirmed its initial goal to begin disassembling President Obama's main domestic policy enactment.

Leaders of the Democratic-led Senate impeded the House's call for repeal by stating that they would not respond to it. Still, House Republicans said they planned to proceed with their strategy to repeal and replace the health care reform bill. However, they will first need to propose alternative solutions that emphasize free market proceedings to limit health costs and increase coverage. They will also have to obtain a collective agreement for these solutions.

Source: The New York Times

International

Protests wreak havoc in Tunisia; president flees

Amid protests and violence plaguing Tunisia, former president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali fled the country for Saudi Arabia after 23 years of autocratic rule. Fouad Mebazza, leader of the lower house of parliament, was sworn in as interim president last Saturday. Formal elections will be held in 60 days.

Violence and death have plagued Tunisia for some time, as protests occured more and more frequently after a student lit himself on fire in protest of poor economic conditions. A fire killed 42 people at a prison in Monastir and inmates in Mahdia, further down the coast, set fire to their mattresses in protest as a result of which soldiers opened fire in the prison. The director of the Mahdia prison let 1,000 inmates flee to avoid even more bloodshed. Further protests have broken out against members of Ben Ali's family and supporters.

Source: Washington Times

Chinese President Hu Jintao visits Washington, admits China needs to work on rights

On Jan 19. President Hu Jintao of China arrived for a visit with President Barack Obama in Washington, D.C. The presidents held a press conference in the White House's East Room that focused on the nations' common interests but skirted around issues that divided the countries. The meeting showed that although the countries can't fix all points of tension, including China's currency policies, its human rights record and nuclear goals in North Korea, they can live with them.

China's Commerce Minister Chen Deming said that both leaders want to strengthen "strategic mutual trust" and that he is satisfied with the visit so far. Deming also pointed out that up to 11 contracts would be signed between Chinese and American government agencies and businesses.

Source: Wall Street Journal

Skin cancer drug shows success in early trials

RG7204, a skin-cancer drug developed by Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche Holding AG, has demonstrated that it could help patients with advanced, late stages of the illness live for longer periods of time without worsening in condition. These positive results were collected in a late-stage trial on 675 pre-screened patients. RG7204 works by concentrating a part of the cell that scientists think is causing cancer in half of all metastatic melanoma tumor patients. It attempts to keep a mutated form of the BRAF protein from acting.

According to reports, RG7204 is seen by analysts as capable of achieving tremendous market success of up to $1 billion or more per year if approved. However, the drug's side effects could prevent it from being accepted. Roche said these side effects included cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma - another type of skin cancer, rashes, joint pain, light sensitivity, hair loss and fatigue.

Source: Wall Street Journal

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