Monthly Archives: May 2012

Libertarian Party releases first ad featuring Gary Johnson

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Posted at: 05/24/2012 7:20 PM By: Stuart Dyson, KOB Eyewitness News 4

Gary Johnson continues his long shot against-the-odds campaign for the U.S. presidency, with a new internet ad that hits hard on the issue of war and peace.

The new ad for the Libertarian Party candidate is so simple and direct, that it's almost staggering in today's political climate.

Its the stuff politicos call "red meat".

The ad does a slow pull from a crowd of people and tilts its perspective to reveal the peace symbol - the image that galvanized the antiwar movement in Johnson's own youth more than 40 years ago.

It's an unmistakable message that reverberates with millions of Americans - yet you won't see it in the mainstream campaigns of Democrats and Republicans.

It's a message Johnson has stuck with since his switch from republican to Libertarian last December, and his successful quest for that party's presidential nomination.

"I'm doing this today because this is agenda that I think resonates with most Americans," Johnson said in his formal Libertarian announcement last December. "It's an agenda that's not being addressed by either political party."

In fact Johnson was anti-war while he was running for the Republican nomination last year, and even came out against the American invasion of Iraq while he was still governor of New Mexico.

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Libertarian Party releases first ad featuring Gary Johnson

Is Gary Johnson Another Ron Paul?

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He has a very long way to go, but Gary Johnson is trying to pick up where Ron Paul left off.

Johnson is the Libertarian Party nominee for president, a perch that Paul has used in the past to run for the White House. But this year, Paul is still pursuing his long-shot bid for the Republican presidential nomination and it is Johnson who wants to emerge as the main alternative to the major parties.

Normally, there would be little reason to think that a Libertarian candidate would make much difference. But 2012 could be different because Paul has shown that some libertarian ideas have unusual power this year, such as an emphasis on individual liberty and on massive reductions in federal power and spending.

[See pictures of Ron Paul]

And Johnson, the former two-term governor of New Mexico, is starting to make his move to capitalize on what he sees as a promising environment. He is running a new ad on the Internet that bills him as the peace candidate because of his long-time opposition to the Iraq war and other U.S. military involvements abroad. This parallels Ron Paul's position.

And in a fund-raising appeal on the Internet, Johnson's senior adviser Ron Nielson recalls how Johnson reached the summit of Mount Everest on May 30, 2003, and Nielson uses the upcoming anniversary of that climb as a deadline for contributions. "Now, in 2012, Governor Johnson is on another, even greater, climb," Nielson says. "A climb to restore Liberty as the bedrock governing principle of this great nation. And he would be the first to tell you that this year's climb is far, far more important than the one he made 9 years ago."

[See a collection of political cartoons on the 2012 campaign.]

Nielson adds: "We know there are millions of Americans who see that Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will only offer more of the same big government, less liberty and interventionist policies that are driving us off a cliff."

Johnson's campaign has set a goal of raising $29,035 by May 30, matching the 29.035-foot height of Mount Everest. It's a relatively tiny amount, but Johnson supporters hope it will lead to bigger things.

He, in fact, is starting to register in some state polls as the Libertarian nominee. In Wisconsin, he gets support from 6 per cent of voters in the latest Reason-Rupe survey, while Obama is backed by 46 per cent and Romney 36 per cent. Public Policy Polling finds that Johnson garners 9 per cent in Arizona. If this trend continues, Johnson could conceivably make a difference in some states by pulling libertarian-conservative support away from Romney and making it harder for Romney to defeat Obama.

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Is Gary Johnson Another Ron Paul?

Cayman Islands native Webb elected CONCACAF president

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Jeffrey Webb of the Cayman Islands was officially elected as the new CONCACAF president on Wednesday after running unopposed.

The 47-year-old will complete the four-year term of Jack Warner, who was elected in May 2010 but resigned all of his positions in football in June after 20 years in the office.

Webb, who is also the president of the Cayman Islands Football Association, thanked the CONCACAF membership for demonstrating its faith in his ability to take the confederation forward.

Over the last year, our mission and our vision have been blurred, from lawyers, to audit reports to compensation, we have deviated from our mission, Webb said in his acceptance speech. I am here, we are here, because of our love for football; the passion for the game drives and motivates our every action.

Webb also serves as deputy chairman of the FIFA Internal Audit Committee and sits on the FIFA Transparency and Compliance Committee. In addition, he is chairman of the CONCACAF Youth Committee and completed his term as chairman of the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) Normalization Committee on Tuesday, following the organizations Ordinary Congress that was also held in Budapest, Hungary.

The events over the past year will not define and determine our destiny, Webb said. We have a responsibility to ensure that history isnt repeated. Let us use the events over the past year as a catalyst to promote positive change. Lets see it as an opportunity to return to the core values of the beautiful game the values which enchanted and sparked our love affair with this game.

Webb becomes the fourth president in CONCACAFs 51-year history: Ramn Coll Jaumet (Costa Rica, 1961-1968), Joaqun Soria Terrazas (Mexico, 1968-1990) and Warner (Trinidad and Tobago, 1990-2011). Honduran Alfredo Hawit has been serving as interim president since Warner stepped down.

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Cayman Islands native Webb elected CONCACAF president

Britain's best islands

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Our islands have become the custodians of character, where the busy grocery and car-free country road are not just a bygone. On these time-protected sanctuaries you still meet the Morris Minor burbling between hawthorn hedges to greet the morning ferry, the postie loading mail sacks and Amazon packets into an open boat. Nothing's quite the same on an island.

Clattering on to the deck of the Skye ferry in the Arctic half-light of a January blizzard, I felt as if we were crossing to a land invented by Tolkien. I first went to Skye as a teenager to climb mountains. Back then the island felt as remote as Spitsbergen. It still feels very Lord of the Rings. Toothsome fangs of old grey rock loom 3,000ft above silent lochs and hobbity crofts, while paths climb in riddles to the clouds. These days the ferry has been replaced by a slender parabola of concrete, so the transition from mainland to island is less sensational, but Skye is still a world apart.

There are sights on Skye you will see nowhere else in Britain. Up in the north, the road between Staffin and Uig squirms above the 250m contour past the pinnacles and cliffs of Quiraing, with its alien place-names such as The Needle, The Prison and The Table. Over on the west coast, on the moor beyond Talisker, there's a mountain walled with polygonal columns of solidified lava as strange as the Giant's Causeway. Then there are the Black Cuillins, the most ferocious range of peaks in Britain.

One of the most extraordinary boat trips in Britain can be taken from Elgol to the fjord-like chasm of och Coruisk, painted giddily by Turner and described by Lord Tennyson as "the wildest scene in the Highlands".

Where to stay and eat Sligachan Inn (01478 650204; sligachan.co.uk) set beneath the Black Cuillins with a sea loch on one side and mountains on the other. It has a little garden and a decent restaurant.

Information isleofskye.com.

Nick Crane

Forget Stonehenge and the Pyramids; the island of Mainland, largest among the Orkney Islands, is the place to come for prehistory. At each end of an isthmus, squeezed between lochs are the stone circles of Brodgar and Stenness. The Ring of Brodgar is the largest stone circle in Scotland and 27 of the original 60 stones remain. Nearby is Maeshowe, the most remarkable passage grave in Britain built in about 2,700BC and aligned on the midwinter sunset. In the 12th century, Vikings tagged the grave with graffiti. One of the less vulgar messages reads "Haermund Hardaxe carved these runes".

But Brodgar, Stenness and Maeshowe are just the prehistoric warm-up for Skara Brae, over on the west coast of Mainland, beside the Bay of Skaill. It's a Neolithic village, complete with walls and stone furniture. Built 5,000 years ago, before Stonehenge and the Egyptian pyramids, the village was engulfed intact by drifting sand. Now the houses have reappeared, complete with their box beds and hearths, and even the stone dressers that would have been used to display family treasures. You are closer to your ancient British ancestors on this island than in any capital city.

Where to stay and eat The Lynnfield Hotel and Restaurant (01856 872505; lynnfield.co.uk).

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Britain's best islands

Police extend HPP to islands

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25th May, 2012

KOTA KINABALU: Police will extend its High Profile Policing (HPP) programme to the islands of Sabah to enhance security.

Police would work together with islanders and resort operators on the islands, said State Deputy Commissioner of Police, Datuk Tan Kok Liang yesterday.

The HPP programme to be conducted on the islands will include educating resort operators on sea crime awareness and be alert on the presence of suspected criminals from a neighbouring country, he told reporters after launching a three-hour meet-the-people programme held at City Mall, here.

Tan said security in inhabited islands was under control and security was maintained by General Operations Force (GOF) teams and assisted by routine boat patrol from Marine Operations Force (MOF).

So far there is no untoward incident reported on the islands including those inhabited by fishing community except for thieving of fishing boats and outboard engines he added.

He said although crimes in these inhabited islands are isolated, police would conduct various types of operations.

In an unrelated incident, Tan said police in certain districts would mount roadblocks and carry out spot checks in plantations to track down motorcycle and car theft syndicate members and to recover stolen vehicles.

We have identified several plantation areas with reported stolen bikes and 4WD vehicles and we will act on them, Tan said.

To a question, Tan said the overall crime in Kota Kinabalu from January until May 23 had dropped by 370 cases or 33.18 per cent.

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Police extend HPP to islands

Vertex Appoints Dr. David Altshuler to its Board

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More Topics: Choose a Sector Accounting Firms Advertising/Media/Communications Capital CEO/Board General Business Health/Biotech Internet/Technology Investment Firms Law Firms Mergers & Acquisitions Money Managers People Private Companies Public Companies Venture Capital

Posted May 24, 2012

David Altshuler

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (Nasdaq: VRTX) announced that David Altshuler, M.D., Ph.D., joined its board of directors as an independent director. Dr. Altshuler was appointed to the class of directors whose term expires in 2015. With the addition of Dr. Altshuler, the Vertex board consists of 9 members.

"David's unique scientific experience with human genetics coupled with his background as a practicing physician will provide our board with strong scientific and medical direction as we both advance our broad pipeline of later-stage medicines and focus on early-stage research activities," said Jeffrey Leiden, M.D., Ph.D., Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vertex. "I welcome David to our board and look forward to his contributions at this exciting time for our company."

Dr. Altshuler is a Professor of Genetics and Medicine at Harvard Medical School, where he has served on the faculty since 2000. He is also one of the four founding members of the Broad Institute of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Trained as a clinical endocrinologist and a human geneticist, Dr. Altshuler's clinical work is focused on characterizing patterns of variation in human genetics and applying this information to help isolate the genetic contribution to common diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Through his work with multiple public-private partnerships, including the SNP Consortium, the International Haplotype Map Project and the 1000 Genomes Project, Dr. Altshuler has helped further the scientific community's understanding of DNA sequence variation in the human genome and its contribution to the development of specific diseases. At the Broad Institute, he has directed its Program in Medical and Population Genetics since 2003 and has served as Chief Academic Officer since 2009. He is also on the faculty of Massachusetts General Hospital's Department of Molecular Biology, the Diabetes Unit of the Department of Medicine and the Center for Human Genetic Research.

Dr. Altshuler has received numerous awards for his research and clinical activities related to human genetics, including the Stephen Krane Award from Massachusetts General Hospital, which recognized him as the Department of Medicine's top young investigator, the 2011 Curt Stern Award of the American Society of Human Genetics given for outstanding scientific achievements in the last 10 years and the Richard and Susan Smith Pinnacle Award of the American Diabetes Association, which recognized his research into the contributing genetic cause of diabetes. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians and the US Institute of Medicine. In 2010, Dr. Altshuler was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Human Genetics. He has served on advisory boards for many leading institutions, government organizations and nonprofit foundations, including The National Institutes of Health, The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, The Wellcome Trust and Merck Research Laboratories.

Dr. Altshuler received his B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Ph.D. from Harvard University and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He completed his internship, residency and clinical fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital.

About Vertex

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Vertex Appoints Dr. David Altshuler to its Board

Male fertility genes discovered

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Public release date: 24-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Lisa Lyons elyons@cell.com 617-386-2121 Cell Press

A new study has revealed previously undiscovered genetic variants that influence fertility in men. The findings, published by Cell Press on May 24th in the American Journal of Human Genetics, shed much-needed light on human reproduction and might provide answers for countless men suffering from infertility.

Despite its high incidence, infertility remains a sensitive topic. Some of the stigma surrounding infertility arises from a lack of known scientific causes. In fact, nearly a quarter of reported infertility cases remain unexplained. Research regarding the genetics of fertility has come primarily from studies involving infertile subjects. "Such studies have not been able to identify genes or pathways contributing to variation in natural human fertility," remarks Carole Ober, the lead author of the study. This is because numerous non-genetic factors, such as alcohol and tobacco use, certain medications, and disease history, can contribute to infertility.

Ober and her graduate student, Glm Kosova, at the University of Chicago have taken a different approach. By studying a founder population, the Hutterites, Ober's research maximizes genetic influences and minimizes non-genetic ones. The Hutterites are a branch of Anabaptists who conscribe to a common set of religious and social beliefs. "Hutterites [forbid] contraception and uniformly desire large families, providing an outstanding population in which to study the genetics of normal human fertility," explains Ober. Rather than studying infertile subjects, the team included Hutterite men who had one or more child, and it took both family size and birth rate into consideration.

The study uncovered more than 40 genetic regions that influence fertility in Hutterite men. Nine of these regions were additionally found to impact sperm quality in non-Hutterites. These regions harbor genes involved in several essential biological processes, including protein regulation, nucleotide binding, and immunity, and shed light on the complexity of human fertility. Ultimately, says Ober, further studies might find that mutations in these genes underlie some of the currently unexplained cases of male infertility.

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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

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Male fertility genes discovered

Armuchee junior to study human genetics at Duke University this summer

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by Floyd County Schools reports Rn T.Com

With small class sizes, the highly-selective courses in the Duke program are very competitive with limited availability. Just to be eligibility for enrollment is an honor and indicates the student has exhibited outstanding intellectual ability and dedication to academics. Duke TIP provides participants with an exciting, stimulating and challenging opportunity to augment their interests and capabilities. Through a variety of experiential activities, lab work, discussions, fieldwork, collaboration, presentations, and the use of advanced technology and lab equipment, participants in the genetics program will delve into cutting-edge human genetic research. Topics included in the program are: human gene expression, pharmacogenomics, and epigenetic control of DNA, SNP genotyping, gene sequencing, forensic biology, and medical genetics. Hosmer's experience will culminate with the creation of an individual laboratory project that she will present to Duke faculty and her institute peers.

At Armuchee High School, Hosmer is involved with the National Honors Society and Academic Decathlon and she has maintained a 4.0 GPA. Hosmer also volunteers in the community at Mount Berry Animal Hospital and the Rome Action Ministries Food Pantry. She plans to pursue undergraduate degrees in Biology and Veterinarian Sciences at Berry College or at the University of Georgia before deciding upon a school of medicine.

Click here to read additional press releases on RN-T.com.

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Armuchee junior to study human genetics at Duke University this summer

Vertex Appoints David Altshuler, M.D., Ph.D., to its Board of Directors

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CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated (VRTX) today announced that David Altshuler, M.D., Ph.D., joined its board of directors as an independent director. Dr. Altshuler was appointed to the class of directors whose term expires in 2015. With the addition of Dr. Altshuler, the Vertex board consists of 9 members.

Davids unique scientific experience with human genetics coupled with his background as a practicing physician will provide our board with strong scientific and medical direction as we both advance our broad pipeline of later-stage medicines and focus on early-stage research activities, said Jeffrey Leiden, M.D., Ph.D., Chair, President and Chief Executive Officer of Vertex. I welcome David to our board and look forward to his contributions at this exciting time for our company.

Dr. Altshuler is a Professor of Genetics and Medicine at Harvard Medical School, where he has served on the faculty since 2000. He is also one of the four founding members of the Broad Institute of Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Trained as a clinical endocrinologist and a human geneticist, Dr. Altshulers clinical work is focused on characterizing patterns of variation in human genetics and applying this information to help isolate the genetic contribution to common diseases, including type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer.

Through his work with multiple public-private partnerships, including the SNP Consortium, the International Haplotype Map Project and the 1000 Genomes Project, Dr. Altshuler has helped further the scientific communitys understanding of DNA sequence variation in the human genome and its contribution to the development of specific diseases. At the Broad Institute, he has directed its Program in Medical and Population Genetics since 2003 and has served as Chief Academic Officer since 2009. He is also on the faculty of Massachusetts General Hospitals Department of Molecular Biology, the Diabetes Unit of the Department of Medicine and the Center for Human Genetic Research.

Dr. Altshuler has received numerous awards for his research and clinical activities related to human genetics, including the Stephen Krane Award from Massachusetts General Hospital, which recognized him as the Department of Medicines top young investigator, the 2011 Curt Stern Award of the American Society of Human Genetics given for outstanding scientific achievements in the last 10 years and the Richard and Susan Smith Pinnacle Award of the American Diabetes Association, which recognized his research into the contributing genetic cause of diabetes. He is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation, the Association of American Physicians and the US Institute of Medicine. In 2010, Dr. Altshuler was elected to the Board of Directors of the American Society of Human Genetics. He has served on advisory boards for many leading institutions, government organizations and nonprofit foundations, including The National Institutes of Health, The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, The Wellcome Trust and Merck Research Laboratories.

Dr. Altshuler received his B.S. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a Ph.D. from Harvard University and his M.D. from Harvard Medical School. He completed his internship, residency and clinical fellowship training at Massachusetts General Hospital.

About Vertex

Vertex creates new possibilities in medicine. Our team discovers, develops and commercializes innovative therapies so people with serious diseases can lead better lives.

Vertex scientists and our collaborators are working on new medicines to cure or significantly advance the treatment of hepatitis C, cystic fibrosis, rheumatoid arthritis, epilepsy and other life-threatening diseases.

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Vertex Appoints David Altshuler, M.D., Ph.D., to its Board of Directors

Study Finds Male Fertility Genes

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May 25, 2012

Connie K. Ho for RedOrbit.com

A new report published in the American Journal of Human Genetics (AJHG) states that previously undiscovered male fertility genes were identified and the new findings provide more information regarding human production.

The study, conducted by University of Chicago researchers, hopes to shine some light on the issue of male infertility.

Much of the research on fertility has looked at studies dealing with infertile participants. Likewise, it is thought that a certain stigma is attached to the subject of infertility because there isnt enough knowledge regarding the scientific causes of male infertility. As such, almost a quarter of infertility cases are unexplained.

Non-genetic factors, including alcohol and tobacco use, particular medications, and disease history, are also though to affect infertility.

Such studies have not been able to identify genes or pathways contributing to variation in natural human fertility, commented Carole Ober, the lead author of the study, in a prepared statement.

Obers past research has focused on finding genes that impact complex phenotypes to bring more understanding to evolutionary history and how the variations in genes can influence their functions. Besides the issue of fertility, her lab has examined phenotypes that are linked to common diseases. The studies on common diseases have highlighted phenotypes related to asthma and heart disease.

For this project, Ober and Glm Kosova, a graduate student at the University of Chicago, studied the Hutterites, a founder population. The Hutterites are a branch of Anabaptists that keep to specific religious and social beliefs.

The Hutterite environment is so remarkably uniform, Ober said in a University of Chicago article Medicine on the Midway when addressing the culture of sharing food and goods among the Hutterites.

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Study Finds Male Fertility Genes

Obamacare: Secret Deals and Broken Promises – Video

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23-05-2012 15:55 In 2008, then-Candidate Barack Obama promised to usher in an era of transparency, "put an end to the game playing" in Washington, and broadcast health care negotiations on C-SPAN. The Energy and Commerce Committee launched an investigation more than a year ago to allow Congress and the American public to understand whether he upheld his promises when writing legislation that fundamentally transformed the nation's health care system. This video examines those promises and the confusion and conflicting information surrounding the closed-door negotiations that led to enactment of the law.

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Obamacare: Secret Deals and Broken Promises - Video

Incontinence Treatment: Alexis Chesrow, MD: Aurora Health Care – Video

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24-05-2012 14:51 Alexis Chesrow, MD, of Aurora Health Care discusses urinary stress incontinence on The Morning Blend on May 24, 2012. This common pelvic floor disorder affects one third of women and is treated at the Center for Continence and Pelvic Floor Disorders at the Women's Pavilion in West Allis, Wisconsin.

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Incontinence Treatment: Alexis Chesrow, MD: Aurora Health Care - Video

PoliGraph: Bills health care law claim leaves out key details

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Posted at 2:00 PM on May 23, 2012 by Catharine Richert (3 Comments) Filed under: PoliGraph

Last weekend, Republicans endorsed Rep. Kurt Bills to run against U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar this fall. If elected, Bills says cutting government spending will be one of his top priorities.

To stress just how bad things have gotten in Washington, D.C., Bills pointed to the rising cost of the new health care law.

"You have to look at Obamacare that was projected to spend $800, $900 billion and is now at $1.7 trillion," Bills told MPR's Mark Zdechlik in an interview May 21.

It's true that the latest gross cost estimate of the new health care law is about $1.7 trillion, but that's only part of the story.

The Evidence

To make his case, Bills relied on a recent estimate from the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office that pegged the gross cost of the health care law at about $1.76 trillion between 2012 and 2022.

In 2010, the CBO projected the gross cost of the law to be $938 billion between 2010 and 2019. In part, the initial 10-year cost was lower because many of the law's key provisions don't go into effect until 2014, ramping up in subsequent years.

But Bills' claim leaves out an important point.

The health care law also collects new revenue to help pay for it, including fees paid by those who don't have insurance and some employers who don't offer coverage, taxes on top earners and provisions meant to slow the growth of Medicare, among other offsets.

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PoliGraph: Bills health care law claim leaves out key details

Senator Slams Possible Health Care PR 'Blitz'

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The Department of Health and Human Services'recently signed $17.6 million dollar contract with public relations firm Porter-Novelli, to tout the Affordable Care Act, is coming under congressional scrutiny.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, has written a letter to HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius asking for details on how that money will be used.

"If you're trying to educate the public as to how to comply with a specific law, there might be a purpose in it," Portman told Fox News. "If, on the other hand, you're doing a PR blitz to try to sell a program during an election year, that seems to me to be more in the realm of something a political organization should be paying for rather than us as taxpayers."

In the interest of belt-tightening, Portman and Sen. Claire McCaskill, D-Mo., earlier this year wrote to 12 federal agencies asking for an accounting of any taxpayer money spent on public relations, publicity and advertising. Ten of 12 agencies complied with their request. The Department of Health and Human Services did not, leading to Portmans new inquiry to Sebelius this week.

The HHS website describes the purpose of the Porter-Novelli contract as"a national integrated multi-media campaign education campaign that promotes the preventive healthcare benefits availableto all Americansas a result of the Affordable Care Act."

As written, the Health Care Law actually requires "A national science-based media campaign on health promotion and disease prevention..." But it does not stipulate how much should be spent on any such campaign.

Previous administrations have also been criticized for ad campaigns. Senate Democratsdemanded that the George W. Bush administration return $240,000of taxpayer money that was paid to conservative commentator Armstrong Williams to promote "The No Child Left Behind Act." The Bush Administration alsospent well over a hundred million dollars in 2003 to inform seniors about the Medicare Prescription Drug Plan.

Tom Schatz of Citizens Against Government Waste says the timing of the new $17.6 million dollar HHS contract to promote the Affordable Care Act is deeply suspicious.

"If part of the health care law is found to be unconstitutional, and it's something that they're advertising, then it's been a big waste of money," he said. "The real purpose of this seems to be to promote the president's achievement with the health care law in the hope that this might assist in his reelection."

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Senator Slams Possible Health Care PR 'Blitz'

‘Obamacare’ Impact on Healthcare ETFs

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SPDR Health Care Select Sector (XLV - News) has been showing signs of an uptrend as companies within the index have dividend yields and decent valuations. The pending Supreme Court healthcare reform decision will eventually steer the healthcare sector.

Year to date through May 18, XLV was u 4.6%. This was near the 4.3% increase in the health care sector of the S&P 500 index, and ahead of the 3.0% gain for the S&P 500 Index. Interestingly, six of the 10 sub-industries in the sector were ahead of the broader benchmarks return, led by Healthcare supplies and Biotechnology, but this was partially offset by the larger Pharmaceuticals sub-industry, which was up only 0.9%, Todd Rosenbluth, S&P Capital IQ ETF Analyst wrote in a recent MarketScope Advisor note. [Checking up on Health Care ETFs]

The ETF XLV has stakes in some of the biggest names in health care: Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer, Abbot Laboratories and Merck. About half of the portfolio is dedicated to pharmaceuticals, followed by Healthcare equipment and Biotechnology. [Healthcare ETFs Look to Supreme Court Ruling]

Going forward, a decision to uphold the Healthcare reform law, or to vacate all or part of the law is due in mid-June of this year. Jeff Loo, head of Healthcare equity research for S&P Capital IQ, says there are three potential scenarios that would materialize from a decision: [Defensive ETFs for a Market Pullback]

Rosenbluth reports that the sector ETF is positioned to fare well if either scenario 1 or 2 plays out. The strength of the companies that the fund holds will keep performance steady, while the dividend yield is another plus. The fund yields 2.5%.

SPDR Health Care Select Sector

Picture 1

Tisha Guerrero contributed to this article.

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‘Obamacare’ Impact on Healthcare ETFs

Health care for poor slashed by lawmakers

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Hundreds of thousands of people would see their health care cut back or even eliminated under legislation approved Thursday by Illinois lawmakers in a desperate attempt to shore up the states crumbling budget.

The Medicaid cuts include ending a prescription drug program for senior citizens, halting two programs that provide health insurance for about 35,000 people, and restricting access to services from heart bypass operations to wheelchair repairs.

Opponents said the cuts will mean suffering and death for some of the 2.7 million people who get care under Medicaid.

Im begging you, representative, for the life of the people who are going to die as a result of this legislation. Im begging you. Please, let us do something different, Rep. Mary Flowers, D-Chicago, said to the measures sponsor.

Rep. Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago, said the Medicaid program will fall apart without fast action. Helping the states poor in the long run requires cutting back now, she said.

I know it seems ironic, but this is the only way we can accomplish that, Feigenholtz said.

The measure passed 94-22 and went to the Senate, where it was approved on a 44-13 vote. The next stop is Gov. Pat Quinn, who supports the proposal.

Its part of a package meant to fill a Medicaid shortfall of $2.7 billion, or nearly $1 in every $5 the program spends.

Service cuts would save about $1.3 billion. Payments to hospitals, nursing homes and other Medicaid providers would be trimmed by an additional $240 million. In a separate bill, lawmakers will consider more than doubling the state cigarette tax to bring in more money.

Republican opposition has left the outcome of the tax vote in doubt.

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Health care for poor slashed by lawmakers

Coding Contest Shows How Big Data Can Improve Health Care

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A recent coding competition in the Boston area brought together IT professionals, medical workers and others with an interest in health IT to show how data analytics can improve health care.

The Health 2.0 Boston Code-a-thon, held May 11 and 12, featured approximately 85 participants who formed groups to create, in approximately one day, an application that turns large amounts of health care data into useful information for patients and care providers.

The winning team created the No Sleep Kills website, where people can access information on how poor sleeping patterns can lead to drowsy drivers and auto accidents. The website aims to draw attention to the link between sleep apnea, a condition in which people temporarily stop breathing during sleep, and vehicular crashes.

Given the content's time constraints, Joel Sutherland and Guy Shechter, two members of the winning four-person team, noted that the site is still under development. They, along with team members David Dinatale and Amber Zimmermann, hope to incorporate additional information sources, allowing the site to offer deeper analysis.

Shechter wants to incorporate anonymized patient data from Athena Health, an event partner that offers health-care providers electronic medical record software.

"The whole goal of getting more health data digital is so you can start doing meaningful things with data," Shechter said. "If we can get access to Athena Health data on actual patients we can extract some of the risk factors we are looking at."

For now, people who visit the site can enter personal information, including age, weight and number of poor sleep nights, to determine if they are sleep deprived. For medical professionals, the portal offers information on determining whether their patients have poor sleep patterns.

The team would like the site to eventually include Medicare cost data to show that sleep apnea testing may help lower health care costs.

Data analysis highlights how a common health issue has consequences that can greatly impact lives, explained Sutherland, who works for Mitre, which manages U.S. government research centers, but who entered the contest as an individual.

"We need action items that say this is a problem," he said. "Here we can show that paying attention to sleep apnea improves fatal crash rates. If you can show that, then policy makers can say this work actually saves lives more than just treating sleep apnea."

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Coding Contest Shows How Big Data Can Improve Health Care