Specialists want to add sleep to 'vital signs' list

Specialists want to addsleep to 'vital signs' list
After looking at a new national survey of older Americans about their sleep habits, some specialists on aging are suggesting sleep be added to the list of "vital signs" doctors and nurses evaluate in physical exams. Not getting enough sleep leaves people more susceptible to obesity, diabetes, cancer and stress that can both weaken the immune system and affect mental function. At the same time, poor sleep habits can signal illnesses ranging from breathing disorders and heartburn to depression and dementia. Yet the national survey by the Gallup Organization for The International Longevity Center found that more than half of adults age 50 and older are sleeping fewer than seven hours each night, and fewer than a third said they were getting a good night's sleep all seven days a week.
Blake's lawyer assertsthere's a lack of evidence
BURBANK, Calif. -- An attorney representing the children of Robert Blake's slain wife pleaded with jurors Thursday to find the actor liable for her death, but Blake's attorney said there was not enough evidence connecting him to the slaying. Eric Dubin said in closing arguments that Blake was responsible for the death of 44-year-old Bonny Lee Bakley, who was shot in the actor's car in May 2001 outside a restaurant where they had just dined. The 72-year-old Blake, who married Bakley in November 2000 after tests showed he was the father of her baby, Rosie, was acquitted of murder in March after a criminal trial. Bakley's children then sued Blake in an attempt to have him found civilly liable and to win damages. Blake's former handyman Earle Caldwell is a co-defendant. Closing arguments concluded Thursday, and jurors were expected to get the case today. Dubin alleged that in an eight-month span before Bakley died Blake tried to distance himself from her and then attempted to hire two former Hollywood stuntmen to kill her. "It's too much to say he didn't do it," Dubin said. "He did it. I wish he didn't, but he did."
Amazon to let customersbuy portions of a book
NEW YORK -- Book buyers, soon you'll be able to pay by the page. With its new Amazon Pages service, Amazon.com Inc. plans to let customers to buy portions of a book -- even just one page -- for online viewing. A second program, Amazon Upgrade, will offer full online access when a traditional text is purchased. Both services are expected to begin next year. "We see this as a win-win-win situation: good for readers, good for publishers and good for authors," Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos told The Associated Press on Thursday.
Judge strikes Missouri'schild abuse registry
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- A judge declared Missouri's child abuse registry unconstitutional Thursday, ruling that suspected offenders deserved a courtlike hearing before being listed. The registry is kept secret from the general public, but is used by child care providers and others to screen current and potential employees. Circuit Judge Richard Callahan concluded that people's reputations and professional careers were damaged when their names were placed in the child abuse registry before a due-process hearing. The Department of Social Services said it was likely to appeal the case to the Missouri Supreme Court. Callahan suspended the effect of his judgment pending an appeal. Callahan's ruling stemmed from a 2002 instance of alleged sexual abuse at the Faith House child care facility in St. Louis. Although they were not accused of abuse themselves, founder Mildred Jamison and nurse Betty Dotson were listed on the child abuse registry based on probable cause of neglect. The decision was upheld by the Department of Social Services' Child Abuse and Neglect Review Board, which holds only informal hearings, not ones following judicial procedures.
Court nullifies Calif. lawon falsely accusing cops
SAN FRANCISCO -- A federal appeals court nullified a California criminal law Thursday adopted after the Rodney King beating that made it unlawful for citizens to knowingly lodge false accusations against police officers. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the law was an unconstitutional infringement of speech because false statements in support of officers were not also criminalized. The decision, hailed by civil liberties groups and opposed by state prosecutors and law enforcement groups, overturns the California Supreme Court, which in 2002 ruled that free speech concerns took a back seat when it came to speech targeting police officers. Lawmakers enacted the law after a flood of hostile complaints against officers statewide following King's 1991 taped beating. The law is punishable by up to six months in jail.
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