Monthly Archives: July 2012

DNA Links Fox Murder, OWS Protest Scenes

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Officials have linked forensic evidence from the 2004 murder scene of a 21-year-old Juilliard student to the scene of a recent Occupy Wall Street subway protest, NBC 4 New York has learned.

DNA evidence from the scene of Sarah Fox's murder in Inwood Hill Park eight years ago has been connected to DNA from a chain left in a subway station by Occupy protesters in March, NBC 4 New York first reported Tuesday.

Fox was found nude and strangled in the park in May 2004, days after she disappeared during a daytime jog. Investigators recovered her pink CD player in the woods just yards from her body.

Sources said Tuesday the DNA found on the CD player matches DNA found on a chain left by Occupy Wall Street protesters at the Beverly Road subway station in East Flatbush on March 28, 2012.

"I hope the person or persons who killed this young woman are found and brought to justice," said BillDobbs, a spokesman for Occupy WallStreet. "We don't know anything about it... I hope no one jumps to any conclusions."

In March, protesters chained open emergency gates and taped up turnstiles in eight subway stations and posted fliers encouraging passengers to enter for free.

A "communique" posted online later that day by the "Rank and File Initiative" described the act as a protest against service cuts, fare hikes and transit employees' working conditions.

It was attributed to "teams of activists, many from Occupy Wall Street... with rank and file workers from the Transport Workers Union Local 100 and the Amalgamated Transit Union."

No one was arrested in the March subway protest incidents. Police are continuing to investigate, and are now working to try to identify the source of the DNA found in common with the chain and the CD player.

There's no immediate evidence that the DNA belongs to the protesters who chained open the gates.

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DNA Links Fox Murder, OWS Protest Scenes

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DNA Ties '04 NYC Death to 'Occupy'

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A DNA match has created a puzzling new turn in a prominent unsolved killing, linking crime-scene evidence from a drama student's 2004 death to a chain collected after a protest that claimed affiliation with Occupy Wall Street this spring, a law enforcement official said Tuesday.

A database of DNA samples recently matched DNA on the chain to material on a compact disc player found near Sarah Fox's body, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because the official wasn't authorized to discuss the ongoing investigation.

But the DNA hasn't been matched to any person, and it remains to be seen what authorities will be able to make of the unexpected find and what it might mean for a longtime suspect who has never been charged.

NBC 4 New York first reported the DNA match.

Fox, 21, was on a semester off from her studies at The Juilliard School when she vanished after setting out to go running in an upper Manhattan park on May 19, 2004. Her disappearance spurred a search that involved 260 police recruits, as well as volunteers, and thousands of dollars were offered as a reward for information.

Her body was found after six days in the park, with her clothing gone and her larynx fractured. Her CD player was about 100 feet away.

Police questioned a resident of the neighborhood near the park, Dimitry Sheinman, and he surprised them by saying he had "visions" about Fox that could help the investigation. Former Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau pronounced Sheinman the "No. 1 suspect," but Sheinman was never charged. He has denied any wrongdoing. No contact information for him could immediately be found.

The chain was used to hold open an emergency exit gate during a protest this March 28 at a Brooklyn subway station. Aiming to draw attention to transit issues by giving passengers free rides, the demonstrators opened exits at various subway stations. A statement described many of the participants as members of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

An Occupy representative didn't immediately respond to an email message late Tuesday.

It wasn't immediately clear who might have provided or touched the chain.

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DNA Ties '04 NYC Death to 'Occupy'

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DNA links Occupy protest scene, killing

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Occupy Wall Street protesters hold up signs outside near the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street In New York City on April 23, 2012. UPI/John Angelillo

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NEW YORK, July 11 (UPI) -- DNA taken from the site of an Occupy Wall Street protest in New York has been matched to DNA linked to an unsolved killing of a student in 2004, officials said.

The DNA from the protest site was taken from a chain Occupy Wall Street protesters had used in March to keep open an emergency exit door at a subway station to allow passengers to ride free, The New York Times reported.

The Juilliard School student, 21-year-old Sarah Fox, had disappeared while on a jog in Inwood Park in upper Manhattan in May 2004 and her naked body was found in the park nearly a week later surrounded by yellow tulip petals.

The DNA on the chain, which MSNBC reported was found at a Brooklyn subway station, matched DNA found on Fox's portable CD player, which had been recovered from Inwood Park several days after the discovery of her body, law enforcement officials said.

A law enforcement official told the Times it remained unclear who might have touched both the CD player and the chain or why. The official said it was possible that person was not the killer.

"Whether it's a friend or the bad guy, we have to find out," the official said.

Police had released Occupy Wall Street protest surveillance video showing people in dark hoods wrapping a long silver chain around the emergency exit door at the subway station.

Officials hoping to determine who chained open the emergency exit entered DNA from the chain into a database.

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DNA links Occupy protest scene, killing

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DNA Links Student's Slaying to 'Occupy'

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DNA found on a chain used by Occupy Wall Street protesters might lead New York police to new clues in the unsolved 2004 slaying of Julliard student Sarah Fox.

DNA found on Fox's CD player has been linked to DNA found on a chain the protesters used during a subway protest in March, sources told ABC News and its New York station WABC.

Fox, 21, was a student in the drama department of the renowned Julliard School. She had taken a temporary leave from the school when she disappeared May 19, 2004, after going out for a run in New York's Inwood Hill Park.

Her body was found naked six days later, surrounded by tulip petals. She had been strangled. Fox's CD player was later found in the area during a search for evidence. No arrest was ever made.

Now, DNA from the CD player has apparently been linked to DNA from a chain used during Occupy Wall Street protests on March 28, 2012.

Protesters wearing masks, hoods and gloves chained open the emergency gates to at least three subway stations in Manhattan and Brooklyn, according to Crime Stoppers. The suspects posted signs that said, "Customers ride for free." They also taped over the metro-card readers so that they could not be used.

The DNA was found on the chain used at the Beverly Road subway station in East Flatbush.

Sources said the DNA has not been linked to a specific person, and might not even belong to the protestors who chained the gates open.

Nobody was arrested for the subway protests. The NYPD had released surveillance video of the suspects chaining the gates.

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True Blood: SLU Scientist Investigates Clotting Factors

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Newswise ST. LOUIS -- Alireza Ray Rezaie, Ph.D., professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, has received a $1.52 million NIH grant to study how the key blood clotting inhibitor antithrombin might be exploited to prevent premature death from heart disease.

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute awarded the four-year grant, which will allow Rezaie to continue studying how to maintain the delicate balance between the life-preserving and life-threatening activity of blood clotting.

Blood clotting factors must be turned on and off at exactly the right time so a person does not bleed to death or die of an episode such as a heart attack, which is triggered by a blood clot, said Rezaie, who has engineered molecules that impose equilibrium on the delicate system.

Rezaie recently discovered that antithrombin, which is a molecule produced by the liver that turns off several proteins in the coagulation system, can block inflammation in the blood vessel wall. This inflammation can lead to heart disease as well as a violent, life-threatening reaction to blood infections called acute sepsis.

Rezaie is working on harnessing the anti-inflammatory activity of antithrombin to reduce the incidence and severity of heart disease and to save the lives of those who suffer from acute sepsis. He has studied the control of blood clotting factors for 23 years.

Blood carries nutrients and oxygen to the bodys organs and tissues as well as the ordnance of immunityantibodies and white blood cellsthat defend organs and tissues from infection. Given these critical functions, it is essential that bodies preserve blood against loss from bleeding injuries.

Imbedded in blood is the chemistry to stop bleeding before too much blood is lost. Whenever small cuts or bruises occur, the blood at the site of injury rapidly mobilizes clotting factors that build a plug at the breech in the blood vessel to prevent blood loss.

However, the ability to make blood clot is also the cause of vascular disease and sudden death for some when it is not controlled properly.

Efficient blood clotting can be a double-edged sword when clots appear at the wrong places and times. Heart attack, stroke and pulmonary embolism are life-threatening conditions stemming from clots that block blood circulation to the heart, brain or lung.

Currently, a patient who suffers a heart attack, stroke or pulmonary embolism is treated with heparin, a medication that prevents the formation of additional life-threatening blood clots. At the same time, heparin treatment puts patients at risk of uncontrolled bleeding by inhibiting antithrombin, which upsets the bodys normal response to injury and infections.

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The Canadian Space Agency and NASA Test Lunar Technologies

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LONGUEUIL, QUEBEC--(Marketwire -07/10/12)- At the invitation of NASA, the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) begins a joint nine-day field test today in a volcanic area near Hilo, Hawaii, to test technologies and concepts for lunar exploration.

Dubbed RESOLVE (short for "Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction,") the project will demonstrate how future explorers could extract water and other useful resources from the lunar soil at potential polar landing sites. Terrestrial field work, like the RESOLVE mission, allows scientific and technical teams to test exploration concepts in a cost-efficient manner to reduce the risks in designing future missions.

The CSA is contributing the following Canadian-built equipment to the NASA RESOLVE field mission:

The RESOLVE field work will be conducted in an environment similar to the Moon. In fact, the lava-covered mountain's soil and dust is quite similar to that in the ancient volcanic plains on the Moon. The Canadian rover's small size, versatile tools and robust equipment make RESOLVE suitable for any kind of investigation work, whether exploring the Moon or digging into Martian soil.

Work done here on Earth through missions like RESOLVE helps prepare the international space community for its eventual next steps in space exploration. In the future, unmanned missions will set out to explore areas humans have never visited. Robotic explorers will analyze and transform matter samples, for instance to confirm the existence of frozen water in the polar regions.

NASA is hosting a media day on July 19 at 9 a.m. HST. Reporters should contact Amber Philman at 321-431-4970 (amber.n.philman@nasa.gov) by Tuesday, July 17, to attend. Access to the test site requires an escort and a letter of assignment on company letterhead for credentials.

The Pacific International Space Center for Exploration Systems, or PISCES, at the University of Hawaii, Hilo, also hosts the collaborative mission.

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The Canadian Space Agency and NASA Test Lunar Technologies

Research and Markets: Nanotechnology Cookbook. Practical, Reliable and Jargon-free Experimental Procedures

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ctsvt2/nanotechnology_coo) has announced the addition of Elsevier Science and Technology's new report "Nanotechnology Cookbook. Practical, Reliable and Jargon-free Experimental Procedures" to their offering.

The peculiarities of materials at the nanoscale demand an interdisciplinary approach which can be difficult for students and researchers who are trained predominantly in a single field. A chemist might not have experience at working with cell cultures or a physicist may have no idea how to make the gold colloid they need for calibrating an atomic force microscope. The interdisciplinary approach of the book will help you to quickly synthesize information from multiple perspectives.

Nanoscience research is also characterized by rapid movement within disciplines. The amount of time it takes wading through papers and chasing down academics is frustrating and wasteful and our reviewers seem to suggest this work would give an excellent starting point for their work. The current source of published data is either in journal articles, which requires highly advanced knowledge of background information, or books on the subject, which can skim over the essential details of preparations. Having a cookbook to hand to flick through and from which you may select a preparation acts as a good source of contact both to researchers and those who supervise them alike.

This book therefore supports fundamental nanoscience experimentation. It is by intention much more user-friendly than traditional published works, which too-frequently assumes state of the art knowledge. Moreover you can pick up this book and find a synthesis to suit your needs without digging through specialist papers or tracking someone down who eventually may or may not be able to help. Once you have used the recipe the book would then act as a reference guide for how to analyze these materials and what to look out for.

- 100+ detailed recipes for synthesis of basic nanostructured materials, enables readers to pick up the book and get started on a preparation immediately.

- High fidelity images show how preparations should look rather than vague schematics or verbal descriptions.

- Sequential and user-friendly by design, so the reader won't get lost in overly detailed theory or miss out a step from ignorance.

- A cookbook, by design and structure the work is easy to use, familiar and compact.

Key Topics Covered:

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Research and Markets: Nanotechnology Cookbook. Practical, Reliable and Jargon-free Experimental Procedures

New curriculum teaches internal medicine residents high value, cost-conscious care principles

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Public release date: 10-Jul-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Steve Majewski smajewski@acponline.org 215-351-2514 American College of Physicians

Philadelphia, July 10, 2012 -- The American College of Physicians (ACP) and the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine (AAIM) today unveiled a high value, cost-conscious care curriculum to help train internal medicine residents about how to avoid overuse and misuse of tests and treatments that do not improve outcomes and may cause harms.

The free curriculum, available at http://www.highvaluecarecurriculum.org, is designed to engage internal medicine residents and faculty in small group activities organized around actual patient cases that require careful analysis of the benefits, harms, costs, and use of evidence-based, shared decision making. The flexible curriculum consists of ten, one hour interactive sessions that can be incorporated into the existing conference structure of a program.

"Physicians receive little specific training about identifying and eliminating wasteful diagnostic and treatment options," said Cynthia D. Smith, MD, FACP, ACP's Senior Medical Associate for Content Development and the lead author of "Teaching High-Value Cost-Conscious Care to Residents: The AAIM-ACP Curriculum," published online in Annals of Internal Medicine, ACP's flagship journal. "Residency training is an excellent time to introduce the concept of high value, cost-conscious care because the habits that residents learn during training have been shown to stay with them throughout their professional careers."

Health care expenditures are projected to reach almost 20 percent of the United States' GDP by 2020. Many economists consider this spending rate unsustainable. Up to 30 percent, or $765 billion, of health care costs were identified as potentially avoidable -- with many of these costs attributed to unnecessary services.

The committee that developed the curriculum consisted of ACP-AAIM members and staff, program directors, associate program directors, a department chair, residency faculty, and internal medicine residents.

What is High Value, Cost-Conscious Care?

High value, cost-conscious care means that a test or treatment has benefits that make its potential harms and costs worthwhile. Some expensive tests and treatments have high value because they provide high benefit and low harm. Conversely, some inexpensive tests or treatments have low value because they do not provide enough benefit to justify even their low costs and may even be harmful.

Because misuse and overuse of medical interventions that do not improve patient health contribute significantly to the unsustainable growth of health care spending, ACP launched a High Value, Cost-Conscious Care initiative in 2010 to help physicians and patients understand the benefits, harms, and costs of tests and treatment options for common clinical issues.

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New curriculum teaches internal medicine residents high value, cost-conscious care principles

Research and Markets: Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine. A Color Handbook

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DUBLIN--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/r9t5ks/small_animal_emerg) has announced the addition of the "Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine. A Color Handbook" book to their offering.

Emergency and critical care medicine is one of the fastest growing fields of veterinary practice. Virtually every life-threatening disease can present for emergency evaluation, requiring knowledge of internal medicine, neurology, cardiology, oncology, anesthesia, and much more. Rapid and effective application of this knowledge can mean the difference between life and death for the animal.

Critical care requires the recognition of subtle changes in the clinical course of animals, and the ability to take corrective action before severe systemic disease becomes irreversible. Clinical decisions regarding seemingly small items, such as fluid therapy, antibiotics or analgesics, can have a profound impact on patient outcome

The main aim of this book - now re-issued in softcover with revised text and references (2012) - is to focus on management of the more common emergency and critical care conditions encountered in clinical practice, collated in a concise manual. There are chapters on emergencies affecting each body system, on toxicology and other environmental causes, and on critical care techniques ranging from patient monitoring, anesthesia and analgesia to fluid therapy, transfusion medicine and nutritional support, plus a chapter describing clinical skills and procedures. The text is illustrated by top-quality color photos, imaging and diagrams, and key information is highlighted in tabular form.

The authors combine experience in teaching and in clinical practice, and provide a ready resource for all those actively engaged in the field - practitioners and trainees, technicians and nurses.

Reviews of the previous edition:

A welcome addition to the reference library of any emergency clinician.

JAVMA

Extremely easy to read.. well suited for dipping into a particular chapter to get an overview of a topic.

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Research and Markets: Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care Medicine. A Color Handbook

Construction begins on QU med school

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NORTH HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) -- Construction is underway on the state's third medical school at Quinnipiac University in North Haven.

While the Frank H. Netter School of Medicine at Quinnipiac University doesn't look like much now, much like its namesake, a renowned medical illustrator, school officials view it as a palette for change.

"We will train medical students with nursing students, physician assistant students because healthcare more and more is a team activity," said Dr. Bruce Koeppen, Dean, Frank H. Netter School of Medicine.

And more and more in need of primary care doctors.

"If you look at the needs of CT and in fact, the country, there is a physician shortage in general," said Koeppen, "but a severe shortage for primary care physicians."

That's where the medical school, which will be the third medical school in the state, sees its role in the future of healthcare. Its focus will be on training medical students to enter the primary care field.

"Right now if you look at the national statistics about 15 percent of current medical students are planning a career in primary care," said Koeppen. "We hope that 50 percent or more of our graduates will go into primary care."

Studies in the medical field indicate lower salaries and less control over work hours in primary care practice play a role in steering med students to specialized fields.

Yet, Koeppen says there is no better time to grow the field of primary care than now, especially since the Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act, which supports more preventative health care.

"Absolutely, you've got the uninsured who will have insurance," Koeppen said. "Estimates are 30 plus million. You also have the baby boomers that are entering the Medicare system and there you've got 80 million plus, so there will be a huge influx of patients into the health care system."

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Construction begins on QU med school

Catchings' late FTs lift Fever past Liberty

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INDIANAPOLIS (AP) -- Tamika Catchings scored 23 points, including the winning free throws with 8.4 seconds left, to give the Indiana Fever an 84-82 victory over the New York Liberty on Tuesday.

Katie Douglas scored 20 points and Shavonte Zellous added 12 as the Fever (10-6) squandered a 12-point lead and trailed by four in the final minutes before rallying.

''We did a good job holding our composure down the stretch,'' Catchings said. ''When you look at it there are things that you're happy about and things you aren't happy about. Just continuing our quest to be a good team. We made some great defensive stops.''

Indiana finished 53 percent from the field, including 9 for 18 on 3-pointers.

Cappie Pondexter scored a season-high 33 points and Essence Carson added 14 for the Liberty (6-11), who have lost two straight and six of nine.

''Felt like we could have won the game,'' Pondexter said. ''We had a chance. It seems like we battle this team back and forth, playoffs, regular season, for the past three years ever since I've been in New York.''

Trailing 73-70 midway through the fourth quarter, the Liberty scored seven consecutive points to take their biggest lead. Leilani Mitchell made 3 to tie the score, Pondexter hit a technical free throw called on Indiana's Briann January for arguing and then Pondexter made a 3 to put New York up 77-73 with 3 1/2 minutes to go.

Catchings came back with a 3-pointer nearly a minute later and hit another one with 1:53 remaining to give the Fever a 79-77 lead.

Pondexter hit a tying jumper, and Douglas and Pondexter traded 3-pointers 14 seconds apart to leave the score tied at 82 with 35.5 seconds to go.

Indiana passed inbounds with 17.5 seconds left in the game and 6 seconds to go on the shot clock. The ball went all the way to the backcourt, where January tracked it down, hustled upcourt and missed a desperation shot. Catchings rebounded and was fouled. She made both free throws to put Indiana ahead.

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Catchings' late FTs lift Fever past Liberty

Liberty fall to Fever in closing seconds

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INDIANAPOLIS Tamika Catchings scored 23 points, including the winning free throws with 8.4 seconds left, to give the Indiana Fever an 84-82 victory over the Liberty on Tuesday.

Katie Douglas scored 20 points and Shavonte Zellous added 12 as the Fever (10-6) squandered a 12-point lead and trailed by four in the final minutes before rallying.

We did a good job holding our composure down the stretch, Catchings said. When you look at it there are things that youre happy about and things you arent happy about. Just continuing our quest to be a good team. We made some great defensive stops.

Indiana finished 53 percent from the field, including 9 for 18 on 3-pointers.

Cappie Pondexter scored a season-high 33 points and Essence Carson added 14 for the Liberty (6-11), who have lost two straight and six of nine.

[I] felt like we could have won the game, Pondexter said. We had a chance. It seems like we battle this team back and forth, playoffs, regular season, for the past three years ever since Ive been in New York.

Trailing 73-70 midway through the fourth quarter, the Liberty scored seven consecutive points to take their biggest lead. Leilani Mitchell made 3 to tie the score, Pondexter hit a technical free throw called on Indianas Briann January for arguing and then Pondexter made a 3 to put the Liberty up 77-73 with 3/ minutes to go.

Catchings came back with a 3-pointer nearly a minute later and hit another one with 1:53 remaining to give the Fever a 79-77 lead.

Pondexter hit a tying jumper, and Douglas and Pondexter traded 3-pointers 14 seconds apart to leave the score tied at 82 with 35.5 seconds to go.

The Fever passed inbounds with 17.5 seconds left in the game and six seconds to go on the shot clock. The ball went all the way to the backcourt, where January tracked it down, hustled upcourt and missed a desperation shot. Catchings rebounded and was fouled. She made both free throws to put Indiana ahead.

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Liberty fall to Fever in closing seconds

Libertarians on the Rise

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Posted // July 11,2012 -

In a state dominated by Republican politics, the minority party may be the Democrats, but the runner up in ideology has to be Libertarianism, whose followers take Republicans distrust of big government and apply it to all scenarios. Not only do Libertarians not like government interfering in the market, they also dont like government interfering in peoples private liveseven if that means having to support legalized marijuana, gay marriage and other controversial views that send traditional Republicans running in the other direction.

Because of such baggage, most Libertarian political candidates are perennial third-party participants throughout the country and in Utah. Now, Libertarian activist Connor Boyack has created a Libertarian think tank to push Libertarian ideas and policiesas opposed to Libertarian candidatesin government and the Legislature. Hes also flanked by a newly formed nonprofit law firm that plans to lobby elected officials on Libertarian principles and take the government to court if necessary.

Boyack sees his Libertas Institute think tank as being one that can unite consensus support around ideasideas that may be proposed by Republicans or Democrats.

You cant put Libertarians into a box, Boyack says. And thats a good thing for us because it makes it so we can work with who we wantsuch as Republicans on free-market issues and Democrats on social issues.

The institute already plans to host educational events and is holding an essay contest on its website, LibertasUtah.org. The website also features scorecards for legislators for the past three sessions, rating them on how well their votes align with individual liberty.

Paul Mero, executive director of conservative think tank the Sutherland Institutewhich has, in the past, lobbied for such issues as compassionate immigration reform and for not allowing state discrimination protections for LGBT Utahnsdoubts that a Libertarian think tank will have much more traction than a Libertarian candidate. Mero says Libertarian ideology just doesnt mesh with the values of everyday Utahns, although Boyack has made a favorable reputation for himself as a Libertarian and a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having written two booksLatter-Day Liberty and Latter-day Responsibilityabout Libertarianism and Mormonism.

While Mero says that Libertarians believe 80 to 90 percent of the same things that conservatives do, he says, If you go to their website, my guess is you wont find on the front page this disclosure that: Oh, by the way, as Mormon Libertarians, we also support the legalization of drugs, prostitution, gambling and we favor gay marriage.

But the Libertas Institute doesnt have to champion every value of every Libertarian. Thats part of the reason Boyack believes the organization can be an effective lobby for liberty, as it can get behind individual laws, policies and ideas instead of trying to push candidates for office.

Unlike a candidate that can get in trouble for having an [unpopular] position, think tanks dont necessarily have to do that, says University of Utah political-science professor Matthew Burbank. Theyre not running for public office, so they dont have to take positions on things if they dont think its in their political interest.

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Libertarians on the Rise

Editorial: Political parties earning freedom more fans

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Is libertarianism, the philosophy of voluntary arrangements, free markets and individual liberty, en vogue? After years of overreaching government by the Republican and Democratic parties, there are signs that a freedom movement is beginning to bristle.

The Associated Press moved a story July 7 with the headline: "With 'freedom' in fashion, is libertarianism back?" AP reporter Pauline Arrillaga wrote: "Something's going on in America this election year: a renaissance of an ideal as old as the nation itself that live-and-let-live, get-out-of-my-business, individualism vs. paternalism dogma that is the hallmark of libertarianism." She is correct.

A screen shot of the FreedomFest website.

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Those yearning for a liberty movement in the United States often cite the 2010 midterm elections, where voters, some reacting to the passage of President Barack Obama's health care overhaul, ousted Democrats from office throughout the country and gave control of the House of Representatives to the Republicans. But even before that, liberty-minded voters began rejecting intrusive government policies.

In 2006, Republicans lost control of the House and Senate and a majority of the contested governorships. In 2008, Democrats won the White House, and increased their majorities in both chambers of Congress.

Those discouraging reversals for Republicans were due, at least in part, to the disenfranchisement felt toward the GOP by freedom-focused voters and the libertarian wing of the Republican Party. Too many policies enacted by the GOP during the George W. Bush presidency, especially when the GOP controlled both houses of Congress, were suspect. Republicans went along with bailouts, stimulus packages, unpopular wars and an arguable precursor of Obamacare, the Medicare Part D prescription drug program.

Every time politicians of either major party step on liberty, which they do far too frequently, voters react. Now, with the odious requirement in Obamacare that all Americans buy government-approved health insurance or pay what a Supreme Court majority decided to call a tax, the libertarian streak within many American voters may play a deciding role in the presidential election, now less than four months away.

Judging by this week's annual FreedomFest conference in Las Vegas, the liberty movement is gaining momentum. Thousands will pour into the largest city in Nevada, a key swing state, to promote all things free-market and pro-liberty. FreedomFest typically provides insight into what liberty-leaning voters are thinking. This year's event could even turn out as the unofficial kickoff of a push that decides the winners in November.

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Editorial: Political parties earning freedom more fans

Falkland Islands Hlg – Application for Blocklisting

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11 July 2012

Falkland Islands Holdings plc

("FIH" or "the Company")

Application for Blocklisting

Falkland Islands Holdings plc announces that an application has been made for a block listing of 725,510 ordinary shares of 10 pence each to trading on AIM. A block listing has been applied for to facilitate the issue of any new shares that may be required to satisfy the future exercise of existing share options. The block listing will be utilised, pursuant to the Company's Executive Share Option Schemes and board resolutions, as vested options are exercised. Any new shares so issued will rank pari passu with the existing ordinary shares.

Enquiries:

Falkland Islands Holdings plc

David Hudd, Chairman Tel: 07771 893 267

John Foster, Managing Director Tel: 01279 461 630

WH Ireland Ltd. - NOMAD and Broker to FIH

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Falkland Islands Hlg - Application for Blocklisting

House Republicans launch all-out assault on health care law

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POSTED: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 2:00am

UPDATED: Wednesday, July 11, 2012 - 2:14am

WASHINGTON (CNN) House Republicans continue their all-out assault on President Barack Obama's signature health care reform law Wednesday, with a planned vote to repeal the measure.

The vote will be the latest of more than 30 House GOP efforts to undermine the 2010 Affordable Care Act, including previous Republican-led moves to repeal the measure or cut funding for various provisions.

Any House repeal effort is sure to die in the Democratic-led Senate, and the White House made clear Obama would veto such a measure.

At news conferences, in media interviews and before congressional panels on Tuesday, GOP opponents of the health care law depicted it as an unwarranted government intrusion in health decisions that would reduce patients to commodities treated on a cost basis.

"This is all about the government. It is Washington knows best, and it is wrong," said House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Dave Camp, R-Michigan, in floor debate ahead of the Wednesday vote.

Republicans also complained that the bill known as Obamacare would fail to control spiraling health care costs, and that it included new taxes and fees despite the president's promise not to raise middle-class taxes.

To Democrats, the entire exercise was an unnecessary repetition of past political posturing on a settled issue, now that the Supreme Court has upheld the law's constitutionality.

"This repeal vote is a waste of time and tax dollars," said Rep. G.K. Butterfield, D-North Carolina.

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House Republicans launch all-out assault on health care law