Five months after South Korea made international headlines for the world's first cloned dog, a leading researcher's misdeeds have left the nation's scientific reputation in tatters -- and may shrink its role in a stem cell industry to be worth billions. For Hwang Woo Suk, Seoul National University's finding that two crucial scientific papers were faked may end a career that peaked with claims of stem cells tailored to patients' DNA. For Korea, it cuts the chances of beating the U.S., the U.K., Singapore and China to breakthroughs that may yield cures for Parkinson's, diabetes and heart disease. Hwang's research was expected by a South Korean state institute publication to be worth 33 trillion won ($34 billion) by 2015, a tenth of the global industry. The country was highlighted as a world leader in a U.K. report last month. ...
http://quote.bloomberg.com
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Editor - 19:20:00 01-12-06
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 Sentencing by Vermont Judge Generates Calls for Resignation and Impeachment |
Judge Edward Cashman should be the darling of conservatives: a churchgoer, a former prosecutor, a Vietnam vet and a member of the bench known for his hard-line stands: A decade ago he jailed for 41 days the parents of a suspect in a rape case because they refused to cooperate with prosecutors. In the past few days, though, Cashman has been vilified by conservatives on TV and on blogs. On Fox News, Bill O'Reilly told viewers as video of Cashman rolled: "You may be looking at the worst judge in the USA." And several Vermont Republican lawmakers have demanded he resign or be impeached. The reason: Cashman sentenced a child molester to just 60 days of jail time a sentence he said was designed to ensure the man got prompt sex-offender treatment but critics say was too soft....
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1500299&CMP=OTC-RSSFeeds0312
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Editor - 19:17:00 01-12-06
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| Teacher pay tied to test scores in Houston schools |
Houston became the largest school district in the country on Thursday to adopt a merit pay plan for teachers that focuses on students' tests scores. By a 9-0 vote, the Houston school board approved a plan that offers teachers up to $3,000 in extra pay if their students show improvement on state and national tests. The program could be expanded to provide up to $10,000 in merit pay for teachers. The vote came after several teachers told the board during its monthly meeting they believed the plan was flawed and unfair because some teachers will be eligible for larger bonuses than others. "This is not a perfect plan but it is a beginning," said school board president Diana Davila. ...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2006-01-12-houston-merit-pay_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 19:16:00 01-12-06
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| States cite issues with national driver’s licenses Officials: ‘Flat out impossible’ to comply with Real ID Act’s 2008 deadline |
An anti-terrorism law creating a national standard for all driver’s licenses by 2008 isn’t upsetting just civil libertarians and immigration rights activists. State motor vehicle officials nationwide who will have to carry out the Real ID Act say its authors grossly underestimated its logistical, technological and financial demands. In a comprehensive survey obtained by The Associated Press and in follow-up interviews, officials cast doubt on the states’ ability to comply with the law on time and fretted that it will be a budget buster. Why Americans would stand for a National ID is a mystery. Unless they are so brainwashed and scared that they will trade freedom for this illusion of safety then they deserved what they will get. ...
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/10826523/from/RSS/
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Editor - 18:42:00 01-12-06
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| Violence expected to engulf Iraq in coming weeks |
The U.S. military predicted Thursday that more violence will engulf Iraq in the weeks ahead as the country's splintered politicians and religious groups struggle to form a government. The warning followed a week marked by what U.S. Brig. Gen. Donald Alston described as "horrific attacks," amid deteriorating relations between the Iraq's largest Shiite religious group and Sunni Arabs who make up the core of the opposition. Alston, spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition force, said attacks that have killed at least 500 people since the Dec. 15 elections were a sign insurgents were using the difficult transition to a new government to destabilize the democratic process. In the month since the elections, 54 U.S. forces also have been killed. Violence dropped after Iraqis began celebrating the four-day Islamic feast of sacrifice, Eid al-Adha, on Tuesday. But Alston said it was likely to rise. ...
http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/iraq/2006-01-12-iraq_x.htm?csp=34
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Editor - 18:20:00 01-12-06
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| French Interior Minister Lays Out Bold Reform Vision, Marks Radical Break With Chirac |
France got its clearest look yet at the man who would be its next president, as Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy called Thursday for sweeping changes in the way France and the European Union operates. Stopping short of announcing his candidacy for next year's presidential election, the ambitious interior minister said his aim was to "embody the future." He marked a clear break with President Jacques Chirac's style of governance, asking whether the presidency had become "archaic." He held up a vision of a re-styled seat of power to narrow the credibility gap between old guard polticians and the people....
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=1500256
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Editor - 17:46:00 01-12-06
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