Monthly Archives: August 2012

Metropolitan Health Networks Enters into Definitive Agreement to Acquire Two Additional Primary Care Practices

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BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc. (NYSE: MDF) (the Company), a leading provider of health care services in Florida, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, MetCare of Florida, Inc. (MetCare), has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets and assume certain liabilities of Kanner, Shteiman, LLC. (Kanner, Shteiman), an entity that owns two physician practices that currently provide services to MetCare patients under contractual arrangements with the Company.

Kanner, Shteiman is owned and operated by Dr. Steven Kanner and Dr. Alexander Shteiman. Dr. Kanner is a board certified internal medicine physician and a subspecialist certified in geriatric medicine. Dr. Shteiman, a board certified internal medicine physician with over 25 years of experience, joined the practice 12 years ago. The partnership has developed two successful, high quality primary care practices that serve the Palm Beach market. Kanner, Shteiman and its employees have served MetCare customers for over a decade, and its practices currently serve over 1,100 Humana Medicare Advantage members. Kanner, Shteimans Humana membership is already included in MetCares customer base. In addition to the Humana plan members, these practices provide care to several thousand customers not included in the MetCare customer count. These include commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare patients. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to close within 90 days, were not disclosed.

Commenting on the acquisition, Jose A. Guethon, MD, MBA, President and Chief Operating Officer of Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc., stated, We are very pleased to announce that Drs. Kanner and Shteiman have agreed to become full-time members of the MetCare team. These physicians have built successful practices that have served MetCare and other customers in the Palm Beach area very well. By joining MetCare they will be able to leverage the resources of our entire organization as they continue to deliver quality health care services to their patient base.

Acquiring Kanner Shteimans practices is in keeping with MetCares goal of increasing its number of wholly-owned primary care centers. We have been actively pursuing these types of practices and will continue to do so. Through the deployment of our model of care, the strength and efficiency of our administrative infrastructure, and our health care IT systems, we believe we can deliver continued increases in patient outcomes and satisfaction with these acquisitions, while also driving both top and bottom line growth for the Company overall. These types of acquisitions also provide us access to the built-in growth potential of a practice whose fee-for-service patient panel, specifically those outside of the existing Humana Medicare customer base, is significant, Guethon concluded.

About Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc.:

Metropolitan is a growing health care companythat provides and coordinates comprehensive health care services for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and other customersthrough its primary care-centric businesses, MetCare of Florida, Inc., Continucare Corporation, and Symphony Health Partners, Inc. Metropolitan currently owns and operates 33 medical centers and contracts with a network of independent primary care practices.To learn more about Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc. please visit its website at http://www.metropolitanhealthnetworks.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements:

Except for historical matters contained herein, statements made in this press release are forward-looking and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as will, expect and believe or the negative other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, among others, statements we make regarding the expected timing for the closing of the acquisition of Kanner, Shteiman; the ability of Kanner, Shteimans physicians to leverage the resources of our organization; the strategic benefits to us that we believe may result from the acquisition; and our intention to continue to continue to pursue acquisitions of independent physician practices.

Investors and others are cautioned that a variety of factors, including certain risks, may affect our business and cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. These risk factors include, without limitation: (i) the impact of our significantly increased levels of indebtedness on our funding costs, operating flexibility and ability to fund ongoing operations with additional borrowings, particularly in light of ongoing volatility in the credit and capital markets; (ii) our ability to operate pursuant to the terms of our debt obligations; (iii) our ability to integrate the acquired operations of Continucare Corporation and to realize the anticipated revenues, economies of scale, cost synergies and productivity gains in connection with the merger and any other acquisitions that we may undertake, as and when planned, including the potential for unanticipated issues, expenses and liabilities associated with those acquisitions and the risk that Continucare fails to meet its expected financial and operating targets; (iv) the potential for diversion of management time and resources in seeking to integrate the operations of Continucare Corporation; (v) our ability to successfully establish a presence in new geographic markets and the risks involved in our geographic expansion efforts; (vi) our ability to meet our cost projections under various provider agreements with Humana, Inc.; (vii) our ability to reach an agreement to amend our new Medicare Advantage payor contract, pursuant to which we have realized certain operating losses to date, on favorable terms; (viii) our failure to accurately estimate incurred but not reported medical benefits expense; (ix) pricing pressures exerted on us by managed care organizations and the level of payments we indirectly receive under governmental programs or from other payors; (x) our still limited ability to predict the direct and indirect effects of the health care reform laws adopted in 2010; (xi) future legislation and changes in governmental regulations; (xii ) the impact of Medicare Risk Adjustments on payments we receive for our managed care operations; and (xiii) a loss of any of our significant contracts or our ability to increase the number of Medicare eligible patient lives we manage under these contracts. We are also subject to the risks and uncertainties described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2012.

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Metropolitan Health Networks Enters into Definitive Agreement to Acquire Two Additional Primary Care Practices

New marker for identifying precursors to insulin-producing cells in pancreas

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Public release date: 21-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, August 21, 2012For the millions of people worldwide with type 1 diabetes who cannot produce sufficient insulin, the potential to transplant insulin-producing cells could offer hope for a long-term cure. The discovery of a marker to help identify and isolate stem cells that can develop into insulin-producing cells in the pancreas would be a critical step forward and is described in an article in BioResearch Open Access, a new bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.com) The article is available free online at the BioResearch Open Access website (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores).

Pancreatic stem cells, the precursors of insulin-producing cells, have not yet been identified in humans or animals, and there is much debate about where they may reside. Ivka Afrikanova, Ayse Kayali, Ana Lopez, and Alberto Hayek, University of California, San Diego, CA, have identified a biochemical markerstage-specific embryonic antigen 4 (SSEA4)that they propose can be used to identify and purify human pancreatic stem cells. The article "Is Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigen 4 a Marker for Human Ductal Stem/Progenitor Cells" (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/biores.2012.0235) reports that when grown in culture with high levels of glucose and B27, these SSEA4+ stem cells can differentiate into insulin-producing pancreatic cells.

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About the Journal

BioResearch Open Access (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores) is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal that provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience. All articles are published within 4 weeks of acceptance and are fully open access and posted on PubMedCentral. All journal content is available online at the BioResearch Open Access website (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores).

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com) is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy and HGT Methods, and AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available at the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website (http://www.liebertpub.com).

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 140 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215 http://www.liebertpub.com Phone: (914) 740-2100 (800) M-LIEBERT Fax: (914) 740-2101

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New marker for identifying precursors to insulin-producing cells in pancreas

Viruses with integrated gene switch

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ScienceDaily (Aug. 21, 2012) Numerous viruses are used in the service of science today. They serve as gene taxis to transfer therapeutic genes into body cells or as therapeutic viruses targeted to infect and destroy cancer cells. For such applications, the viruses are often equipped with additional genes, such as for immune mediators or for proteins inducing programmed cell death. However, these gene products can harm the body if they are released at the wrong moment or at excessive levels. "Ideally, we want to be able to turn on and off the transferred genes at a specific time," says Dr. Dirk Nettelbeck, a virologist from DKFZ.

To this end, Patrick Ketzer of Nettelbeck's group experimented, jointly with colleagues from Konstanz University, with what are called RNA switches. In order to construct such a switch, the researchers inserted synthetic segments of DNA into the viral genetic material in the direct vicinity of the transferred gene. In the infected cell, this construct is transcribed together with the transferred gene into a single messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule. The switch is operated using an agent which is added to cells infected with the virus. The substance is precisely fitted to bind to the RNA molecule and induces it to cut itself up. Thus, the potentially dangerous protein cannot be produced. The researchers copied this regulation mechanism from bacteria which use RNA switches to regulate production of numerous proteins.

The DKFZ virologists first constructed an RNA switch that is kept in permanent "off" position by the substance. The production of the foreign protein does not start as long as substance is added. "This was a first proof that RNA switches work in viruses at all. But it is just as well possible to construct switches that do not allow production of the protein until the substance is added," Dirk Nettelbeck explains.

In cells, it has been possible for many years now to specifically turn on and off genes. To do so, scientists modified specific natural regulatory regions called promoters in the cellular genetic material. As a result, addition of the antibiotic tetracycline causes mRNA production to be turned on or off.

"However, this type of switch is too big and complex to be used in viruses or doesn't work there," says Dirk Nettelbeck. "The RNA switches, in contrast, are only 100 base pairs long." Using the RNA switches, the researchers managed to increase the production of the therapeutic gene by ten times. "But there is still room for a lot more," Nettelbeck explains. "The construction of RNA switches is extremely variable. Once the technology is fully developed, we will be able to better equip and regulate viruses for many therapeutic applications." Nettelbeck and his team are convinced that the useful RNA switches will become established for many other uses in research and medicine.

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He tried to build Wi-Fi — in 1902!

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The site of inventor Nikola Tesla's former laboratory sits idle and boarded up in Shoreham, New York.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- At the dawn of the 20th century, Nikola Tesla wanted to save the world from fuel dependency. Now, an Internet cartoonist wants to save Tesla's last remaining laboratory as a tribute to the futurist inventor.

The structure, a 94-by-94-foot building, was the location where Tesla hoped to develop wireless communications and clean, free energy for everyone in the early 1900s. He moved his operation to the Wardenclyffe Tower in Shoreham, New York, in 1902 -- so named because of a 187-foot tower rising from the ground (as well as being sunk 120 feet below it) that was to be one of the great transmitters for his wireless energy dream.

The facility was lost a few years later due to debts Tesla racked up, and the huge tower was demolished in 1917. The site would ultimately become a Superfund location because of silver and cadmium toxicity in the ground after a photographic film company used it for nearly 48 years. It has now been cleaned up and is no longer harmful.

Tesla died penniless and in debt in 1943.

Inventor Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943) foresaw wireless communications and wanted to develop clean fuel.

Currently, the building and surrounding land sit idle and are up for sale. Matthew Inman, the creator of Web cartoon "The Oatmeal," is joining forces with a nonprofit group, The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, to help preserve the facility as a science center and museum honoring "the father of the electric age."

'Fringe' star examines real weird science

"Tesla is an unsung hero, and there are very few monuments to him in the United States. I feel like that's something we need to fix," Inman said. "I made a comic about Tesla on my site. It got the most 'likes' on Facebook that I've ever seen in my career. Combine (the fact) that I've got this army of Tesla fans and the experience and success with my other fund-raiser, I felt like I was the ideal person to step in to control."

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He tried to build Wi-Fi -- in 1902!

Backers raise cash for Tesla museum honoring 'cult hero'

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The site of inventor Nikola Tesla's former laboratory sits idle and boarded up in Shoreham, New York.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- At the dawn of the 20th century, Nikola Tesla wanted to save the world from fuel dependency. Now, an Internet cartoonist wants to save Tesla's last remaining laboratory as a tribute to the futurist inventor.

The structure, a 94-by-94-foot building, was the location where Tesla hoped to develop wireless communications and clean, free energy for everyone in the early 1900s. He moved his operation to the Wardenclyffe Tower in Shoreham, New York, in 1902 -- so named because of a 187-foot tower rising from the ground (as well as being sunk 120 feet below it) that was to be one of the great transmitters for his wireless energy dream.

The facility was lost a few years later due to debts Tesla racked up, and the huge tower was demolished in 1917. The site would ultimately become a Superfund location because of silver and cadmium toxicity in the ground after a photographic film company used it for nearly 48 years. It has now been cleaned up and is no longer harmful.

Tesla died penniless and in debt in 1943.

Inventor Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943) foresaw wireless communications and wanted to develop clean fuel.

Currently, the building and surrounding land sit idle and are up for sale. Matthew Inman, the creator of Web cartoon "The Oatmeal," is joining forces with a nonprofit group, The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, to help preserve the facility as a science center and museum honoring "the father of the electric age."

'Fringe' star examines real weird science

"Tesla is an unsung hero, and there are very few monuments to him in the United States. I feel like that's something we need to fix," Inman said. "I made a comic about Tesla on my site. It got the most 'likes' on Facebook that I've ever seen in my career. Combine (the fact) that I've got this army of Tesla fans and the experience and success with my other fund-raiser, I felt like I was the ideal person to step in to control."

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Backers raise cash for Tesla museum honoring 'cult hero'

Dreaming up the shape of cars to come

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Motor industry futurist Sheryl Connelly looks forward to the rise of megacities and self-driving cars

Why do businesses need futurists? If you came up with an absolutely genius idea for a car right now it would take three years for the rubber to hit the road, so to speak - and by then it might not seem so brilliant, so relevant. So we have to be really careful about what we place our bets on. It is daunting. To help do that I look at social, technological, economic, environmental and political trends to try to understand the global forces that shape our values, attitudes and beliefs as consumers.

Does that mean you have to be a car nut? Not at all. I'm not a car person. I never look at the car industry. Ford has plenty of experts that can do that. My job is to look outside the automotive industry and to bring to light things outside their areas of analysis, beyond their scope. My key role is to spot trends that build a business case for the technologies our engineers invent.

And how do you present this "future" to them? It is simple scenario planning, which is basically telling plausible, provocative, fictional stories about the future - but which are based on facts, on current trends.

What kind of scenarios will influence what future cars are like? Earth's population has hit 7 billion and will grow by 2050 to 9 billion. That means megacities of more than 10 million people will proliferate, and that raises questions about how people will live, work and - for Ford - move about. In Beijing today, they have 5-hour commutes. During the 2008 Olympics, they had 12 days of traffic gridlock. Our Traffic Jam Assist technology will drive your car for you in a jam while you relax. Later, cars will talk to each other to route around traffic. In 10 years they'll even talk to road infrastructure and drive in follow-the-leader style, jam-free platoons.

What other factors do you consider? Well, populations are ageing. And that has an effect on the community and on transport. One thing we're working on is engineering cars that are easy to drive at ever older ages. We do that using special suits that are designed to constrain our testers' dexterity to that of elderly people with restricted mobility.

What about the "connected" car, how do you see that developing so it is safe? Ford's Sync system, which links smartphone music playlists, texts and calls to the console using Bluetooth, was not designed for safety, it was designed for connectivity. But if customers are going to bring all their devices into the car anyway this is the safest way to do it. We use Nuance's voice-recognition technology, as used by Apple's Siri assistant, to minimise distraction: in simulators we found people glance at their phone eight to nine times when making a call in the car - but that drops to three with voice-activated calls. There is also a "do not disturb" button that shuts off incoming calls and sends a text saying "I'm driving and can't answer" to people who call or text.

Sheryl Connelly is corporate futurist at the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan. After working as a customer adviser at Ford, she turned seven years ago to predicting social changes that affect the motor markets

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Dreaming up the shape of cars to come

Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – shortlist announced

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Amnesty International today announced the shortlist for its annual Freedom of Expression Award at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award, now in its ninth year, is presented in association with FEST magazine. This year saw a record number of entries, with 112 productions nominated.

The award, given to an outstanding play carrying a human rights message, will be presented on Thursday 23 August at an afternoon reception (for invitees/media only, details below).

The short listed productions are:

Shabnum Mustapha, Amnesty International's Scotland Director, said:

This has been another record-breaking year for the Freedom of Expression Award and it is extremely heartening to see so many productions tackling so many different human rights themes at the Edinburgh Fringe.

"For the last nine years, the Freedom of Expression Award has recognised productions which are both outstanding in their own right - and have the power to communicate, inform, inspire and challenge our perceptions about human rights. This year is no exception and the fact that we have six productions on the short list acknowledges the incredibly high calibre of performances which we have seen during the judging process."

Neil Cooper, Writer and Critic for The Herald and one of the award's judges, said:

"The fact that there are six so very different works in the short list for this year's Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award speaks volumes about the range of concerns there are among artists taking part in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This isn't tokenism, however. Every production named on the short list isn't there because they tick the right boxes or are saying the right things.

Of course, what these productions are saying is important, but it is how they're doing it that is so vital, and makes for such a rich set of artistic experiences that may change the world yet."

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Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe - shortlist announced

Myanmar media push for more press freedom

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Myanmar journalists are demanding more press freedom despite the end this week of the country's 50-year-long practice of censoring local publications before going to print.

Published: Aug. 21, 2012 at 6:30 AM

YANGON, Myanmar, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Myanmar's journalists are demanding more press freedom despite the end this week of the country's 50-year-long practice of censoring publications before they go to print.

Myanmar's Ministry of Information announced the move to end immediately the need for publishers to get prior approval from the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department.

However, publishers still must submit articles to the PSRD to determine if publishing laws have been broken.

"It's a real improvement, but the 2004 Electronics Act, as well as the draconian 1962 Printers and Publishers Registration Act, should also be abolished in order for the fourth estate to enjoy full press freedom," Zaw Thet Htwe, spokesman of the Committee for Freedom of the Press, told the Irrawaddy news Web site, run by expatriate Myanmar journalists operating in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Zaw Thet Htwe also said the CFP, which was formed last month to call for an end to censorship, planned protests this week to demand more media freedom.

Thiha Saw, the editor of Open News Journal and Myanma Danna magazine, told Irrawaddy that some subjects including corruption -- something of which many of the country's top leaders have been accused -- will remain extremely sensitive for the government. Post-publication scrutiny is the PSRD's way of letting editors know the government is watching them.

Incurring the government's wrath could mean the withdrawal of a publication's license to print, a permit mandated under the Printers and Publishers Registration Act.

There also remains a myriad of regulations, orders and directives that have been imposed over the five decades of military rule, he said.

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Myanmar media push for more press freedom

'Cyborg' done talking Rousey, says 'spoiled little girl' can come back to original weight

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Former Strikeforce women's featherweight champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (10-1 MMA, 4-0 SF) has made it clear she is not a Ronda Rousey (6-0 MMA, 4-0 SF) fan.

And while she would be more than happy to step into the cage with "Rowdy," especially after the current Strikeforce female bantamweight champion called her out, Santos has been medically advised against trying to make 135 pounds.

With that in mind, Santos said she's done talking about Rousey and any potential fight for the bantamweight title. If Rousey wants to prove her worth, Santos said, let her come back to 145 pounds to do it the same place she started her Strikeforce career.

"I get many questions about Ronda Rousey, and I would like to set the record straight for the last time, as I do not consider her much personally, much less as a fighter," Santos told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) through an interpreter. "She claims she is the champion and openly challenges me to fight at 135 pounds, which I find laughable. She competed in the Beijing Olympics at 154 pounds and fought at 145 pounds in MMA until she learned she would have to fight me and then dropped to 135 pounds.

"I have never fought below 145 pounds, and I am considered the pound-for-pound top woman fighter in the world. I have yet to lose a fight while holding the Strikeforce 145-pound title. My last fight was considered a no contest, but that has not changed the fact that I am the women's 145-pound champion."

Santos, who made her Strikeforce debut in April 2009, was stripped of the Strikeforce women's featherweight title one month after a post-fight drug test at "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal" turned up positive for stanozolol metabolites in late 2011.

The California State Athletic Commission, which oversaw the event, suspended Santos for one year and fined her $2,500. Additionally, her first-round TKO of Hiroko Yamanaka was also overturned to a no-contest.

Rousey, who was 2-0 in Strikeforce's 145-pound division, dropped to 135 pounds earlier this year and promptly earned the promotion's female bantamweight title by submitting then-champion Miesha Tate. This past Saturday night, the former Olympic judoka defended the title by submitting former champion Sarah Kaufman in just 54 seconds.

Following the win, Rousey called out Santos and challenged her to come down to 135 pounds.

"I need to send out a challenge to Ms. Cyborg, there," Rousey said after her victory. "People want to see you have the first fair fight of your life. I'm the champ now. The champ doesn't go to you. You go to the champ. Come down to 135 and let's settle this."

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'Cyborg' done talking Rousey, says 'spoiled little girl' can come back to original weight

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos Says Ronda Rousey Is Not Worth Her Breath

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Ronda Rousey’s attempts to provoke a showdown with the former Strikerforce women’s featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos has been met with a curt reply, with the Brazilian rebuking “Rowdy’s” challenge. Ronda called Cyborg out shortly after her first round victory against Sarah Kaufmann to retain the 135 lb title last weekend, but Cyborg says Rousey has to step up to 145 if she wants a ...

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Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos Says Ronda Rousey Is Not Worth Her Breath

Ronda Rousey to Cris 'Cyborg' Santos, 'Cut Down to 135 or I Don't Have Time for You': Fan's Look

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Bas Rutten, host of AXSTV's "Inside MMA", gave Strikeforce champion, Ronda Rousey, high praise for her opening move in her first title defense against former Strikeforce champion, Sarah Kaufman on August 18, 2012. Cris "Cyborg" Santos, next on Ronda's Strikeforce hit list, was not so complimentary. Ronda told Cyborg to cut weight to 135 or forget about fighting her.

Respect between champions seems to be missing

Kenny Rice, co-host of the show, shared a long email message from Cyborg to Ronda.

Cyborg reminded Ronda that she is addressing the number one, pound for pound female fighter in the world and ended by saying, "...I will not endanger my health to satisfy the rantings of a spoiled little girl".

I guess whatever banned substance Cyborg took doesn't appear on her list of things to avoid in order to live a long, happy and healthy life. Double standard?

In the message, Cyborg made it clear that even though her last fight, against Hiroko Yamanaka, was ruled a no contest, she still considers herself the women's 145 lbs. champion.

Cyborg is not impressed with Ronda's performance...and vice versa

Ronda responded with, "I have a whole line of girls waiting to fight me...She needs to fight me or she's pretty much done...She's not as awesome as she thinks she is...I've got other things to do. Come down to 135 or I don't have time for you." video

No doubt, cooler heads from the Zuffa team will help resolve this stand-off between the top two female MMA fighters in the world. No MMA fight fan is going to want to miss the Strikeforce war between Ronda and Cyborg. I bet that fight goes longer than one round.

Bas Rutten is "very impressed" with Ronda Rousey's striking

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Ronda Rousey to Cris 'Cyborg' Santos, 'Cut Down to 135 or I Don't Have Time for You': Fan's Look

MMAFighting: Rousey camp has 'Cyborg' issues

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By Mike Chiappetta - Senior Writer

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Aug 20, 2012 - In women's MMA, there's only one superfight that can be made: Ronda Rousey vs. Cris Cyborg. Grappling assassin vs. knockout queen. Former Olympian vs. recent drug cheat. It's a match made in promotional heaven, but it isn't without its early roadblocks. The two have already publicly sparred over whether a fight should take place at Rousey's current division of bantamweight, Cyborg's old stomping grounds at featherweight, or a catch weight number in between.

That's only one issue that will need to resolved. Another stems from Cyborg's recent suspension. Manager Darin Harvey has overseen Rousey's career from before her amateur days, and he says that if a fight between the two is officially proposed, he would request random drug testing to ensure a level playing field. But he's not talking just about VADA-style testing. On Monday's edition of The MMA Hour, Harvey said he'd go one step further and request hair follicle testing to ensure that Cyborg hasn't been using any drugs while on suspension.

Hair follicles capture drug molecules, and testing of the sample is able to detect drugs for up to three months after its original ingestion, according to drug testing experts.

Harvey said he would be willing to pay for the testing to ensure the costs would not dissuade participation.

"Ill tell you why," he said. "I believe this is not the first time she used steroids; it's only the first time shes been caught.

"I wasn't surprised," he continued. "People have speculated but you couldn't really prove it. Now, its been proven. This is my belief. Im not a doctor but I've been around athletes my whole life and I believe that when you take steroids, you alternate your body permanently. Maybe you lose some of the muscle mass, but a lot remains. So shes permanently altered her body. And I want everything to be to our advantage. She's been taking male hormones, and it's not only unethical, it's freaking dangerous, and you're endangering the lives of the athletes. She's coming in there basically with man-like strength or male hormones in her body, and she's endangering the lives of our athletes."

Harvey said the decision to request such testing wasn't a personal one, and that while he's made very critical comments about Cyborg in the past, that he has heard through mutual acquaintances that she's a very nice person.

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LDW approaching, still no sign of RVs on Wildwood beaches

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LDW approaching, still no sign of RVs on Wildwood beaches

Last updated 8/21/12 05:44 pm

"It's actually one of the most ridiculous things I have ever heard of" said Chris Henderson, Board of Directors, Wildwood Ocean Towers.

Weeks after a promising period where many thought that recreational vehicles would hit the Wildwood beaches this summer, there is still no sign of RVs on the city's beaches but still plenty of controversy with people who are against the idea.

"I definitely don't want to see them on the beaches here" said Dennis Herrighty, summer renter at Wildwood's Ocean Towers.

The city had posted stakes on the South end of Wildwood off Bennett Avenue to host parking for 80 RVs on its beaches but those poles were recently removed. That gave Ocean Tower employees and residents some hope that the idea may be out the window.

"We are hoping that it is on the back burner" said Henderson. "We have several pending sales with people waiting to find out what the decision is on the RVs. They are interested in purchasing a beautiful oceanfront property with a magnificent view but they don't want it to overlook a RV park" said Henderson.

But Wildwood Mayor Ernie Troiano says the posts being removed doesn't mean that RVs won't be strolling through the city's beaches sometime soon.

"Were just looking at some issues that came up and trying to resolve those and move forward" said Mayor Ernie Troiano, Wildwood. "As it stands right now, were looking at different problems that were arisen by people complaining as well as those who have legit concerns" said Troiano.

And that the possibility of moving the potential RV site just a few blocks away from Bennett Avenue and the Ocean Towers, is now a possibility.

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LDW approaching, still no sign of RVs on Wildwood beaches

Deadly jellyfish close beaches in Spain

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Scientists say unusual tides and currents are bringing the creatures, which pose a danger to bathers because they are so difficult to spot, towards shore.

"We are dealing with a species that potentially poses a great danger because of their high level of toxicity," said Luis Lara, head of Cepesma, a marine species protection organisation.

"It is a plague of proportions never seen before. There are great banks of them covering between a mile and a mile and a half from shore," he said.

Images showed tens of thousands of the pinkish globes washed in with the tide, covering sandy beaches usually packed with holidaymakers.

The Red Cross organisation, which provides lifeguards on popular beaches and has been treating hundreds of bathers for stings, said the beaches would likely remain closed over the next few days.

"Close inspection of the waters and sandy areas across the region will have to be undertaken before we can consider opening the beaches again," explained Enrique Perez Fernandez, head of the western zone for the organisation.

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Deadly jellyfish close beaches in Spain

Beaches in breach

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By Sean ORiordan

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Bathing water at contaminated beaches in Cork had nearly four times the permitted EU level of the E.coli bacteria, which if ingested can cause severe vomiting, diarrhoea, and in some cases even death.

The highest reading for the bacteria, which is normally found in excrement, was at Youghals Front Strand.

Its not safe to bathe where the level of faecal coliforms, such as E.coli, exceed 2,000 in 100ml of water. At the Front Strand a reading taken on Aug 14 was 7,701.

The strand, along with the towns Claycastle beach, lost its Blue Flag status for high-quality bathing water last year.

The faecal coliform reading at Claycastle was 3,964, while Youghals only remaining Blue Flag beach at Redbarn had a reading of 2,481.

The second highest reading of 6,488 was recorded at Coolmaine beach, near Kilbrittain. At 4,106, the Blue Flag beach at Garryvoe had a reading more than double the EU limit, while Garretstown, also a Blue Flag beach, registered 2,909.

No reading was available for Oysterhaven, which was also closed by Cork County Council officials last Friday due to a breach of E.coli levels.

Under EU legislation which came into effect last year, council officials are obliged to put up warning signs at the beaches, while lifeguards operating there told the public it was not safe to swim.

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Beaches in breach

Cork beaches shut as tests carried out

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The Irish Times - Tuesday, August 21, 2012

OLIVIA KELLEHER

BEACHES IN Co Cork affected by E.coli will not be open to swimmers until at least tomorrow as Cork County Council waits for test results on water samples taken yesterday.

People are being asked not to swim at Garrettstown, Redbarn, Garryvoe, Coolmaine near Kilbrittain, Oysterhaven and the Front Strand and Claycastle in Youghal until the restrictions are lifted. Public notices banning swimming were first posted by Cork County Council last Friday. It is thought the spike in E.coli levels was caused by the bad weather that hit the south of the country last week. The Environmental Protection Agency and the Health Service Executive are liaising with the council on the water tests.

Youghal councillor and mayor of Co Cork Barbara Murray said she was confident the situation would improve by tomorrow.

She said a waste treatment plant was a priority for Youghal, with two strands in the town losing their blue-flag status arising out of the absence of such a facility. Claycastle and Front Strand lost their blue flags after failing to meet the water quality criteria set by An Taisce for the international 25th anniversary Blue Flag Awards announced earlier this year. Untreated waste is being pumped directly into the sea in Youghal.

Minister for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government Phil Hogan has pledged that 18 million will be invested in a wastewater treatment plant in Youghal. The proposed scheme will provide improved wastewater treatment infrastructure in the town and its environs which will meet national standards for sewage treatment.

It is widely accepted it will be a number of years before Youghals blue flags will be reinstated because of guidelines requiring the recording of water quality to be of the highest standards for three consecutive years.

Three of the E.coli-affected strands at Garrettstown, Garryvoe and Redbarn are blue flag beaches. The flag is a voluntary eco label awarded to more than 3,500 beaches and marinas in 33 countries in the northern hemisphere.

Yesterday Fianna Fil councillor and mayor of Bandon Gillian Coughlan expressed her concern that the seven beaches in Co Cork had been shut due to poor quality water. This is a hugely concerning situation which needs to be resolved quickly. Its the high tourist season and the last thing we need is seven of the most popular beaches in Cork to be closed for swimming.

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Cork beaches shut as tests carried out

Will Eaves: What I'm thinking about … artificial intelligence

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'Babbage's beautiful monster, with all its banks of ante-digital data, is no more a self-starting entity than my laptop. Or my toaster' At a recent centenary-year conference on the life and work of the mathematician and logician Alan Turing – a pioneer in artificial intelligence (AI) – I found myself asking two questions: 1) what, pace The Stones, starts us up and gets us (or any kind of life ...

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Will Eaves: What I'm thinking about ... artificial intelligence

Vicarious Announces $15M Series A Funding Led by Good Ventures

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UNION CITY, CA--(Marketwire -08/21/12)- Vicarious, an artificial intelligence research company, today announced a $15M Series A round of financing led by Good Ventures LLC, a for-profit investment firm founded by Facebook and Asana co-founder Dustin Moskovitz that will donate all of its earnings to the Good Ventures Foundation. Also participating in the round are veteran institutional investors Founders Fund and Open Field Capital, as well as Vicarious angel investors Steve Brown and Zarco Investment Group.

Vicarious is developing machine learning software based on the computational principles of the human brain. Since its launch in February 2011, the company has developed a visual perception system that interprets the contents of photographs and videos in a manner similar to humans. Powering this technology is Vicarious' key innovation: a new computational paradigm called the Recursive Cortical Network. The research at Vicarious is expected to have broad implications for robotics, medical image analysis, image and video search, and many other fields.

"The technology that Vicarious is developing has the potential to improve all lives and revolutionize every industry. Even the intermediate technologies Vicarious creates en route to artificial intelligence will be immensely impactful," said Mr. Moskovitz, who will be joining Vicarious's board of directors. "It's essential that the right people bring this technology into the world," added Cari Tuna, president of the Good Ventures Foundation and Mr. Moskovitz's fiance. "Scott and Dileep share our mission to help humanity thrive, and we're deeply grateful for their efforts."

"Building machine intelligence is one of the most important and challenging problems humanity has ever faced. Advancements in neuroscience, probabilistic models, and computing power are enabling new strategies for AI research," said Vicarious co-founder Dr. Dileep George. "We are honored to pursue this long term goal with the support of investors who share our deepest values," added Vicarious co-founder D. Scott Phoenix.

"Vicarious is bringing us closer to a future where computers perceive, imagine, and reason just like humans. We are proud to support Vicarious in its quest," said Peter Thiel, partner at Founders Fund.

About VicariousVicarious FPC Inc is an artificial intelligence company that uses the computational principles of the brain to build software that can think and learn like a human. The company was founded in 2010 by D. Scott Phoenix and Dr. Dileep George. Before co-founding Vicarious, Mr. Phoenix was Entrepreneur in Residence at Founders Fund and CEO of Frogmetrics, a touchscreen analytics company he co-founded through the Y Combinator incubator program. Previously Dr. George was Chief Technology Officer at Numeta, a company he co-founded with Jeff Hawkins and Donna Dubinsky (PALM, HAND) while completing his PhD at Stanford University. For more information about Vicarious, please visit http://www.vicarious.com.

About Good VenturesGood Ventures LLC is a for-profit investment firm founded by Facebook and Asana co-founder Dustin Moskovitz that will donate all of its earnings to the Good Ventures Foundation. The Good Ventures Foundation is a philanthropic foundation created by Mr. Moskovitz and led by his fiance Cari Tuna. Its mission is to help humanity thrive. For more information about the foundation's activities, please visit http://www.goodventures.org.

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Vicarious Announces $15M Series A Funding Led by Good Ventures

Nextant Aerospace and Asia Pacific Jets Announce Agreement for Delivery of 400XT Aircraft for Service in Asia

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CLEVELAND & SINGAPORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Nextant Aerospace today announced that Asia Pacific Jets has placed an order for 10 Nextant 400XT aircraft, the worlds only FAA-certified remanufactured business jet. All 10 Nextant 400XT aircraft will be delivered over a period of three years, with a portion outfitted as 400XT air ambulances and others as normally outfitted 400XT business jet aircraft. Asia Pacific Jets also will serve as a sales agent in Asia for the 400XT, and has announced a new partnership with Hong Kong-based AirMed Asia, a subsidiary of AirMed International.

The first two of the 10-aircraft order will be delivered by the end of 2012, a timeframe aligned with the opening of a new Singaporean base that Asia Pacific Jets and AirMed Asia are launching later this year through a strategic partnership. Utilizing its strong operational background, AirMed Asia will coordinate maintenance and warranty support for Nextant Aerospace in the region, providing 400XT owners with exceptional post-delivery product support.

We are proud that Asia Pacific Jets has selected the Nextant 400XT, and to see the aircraft begin service on the Asian continent, said Kenneth C. Ricci, chief executive officer of Nextant Aerospace. With more than 15 400XT aircraft now in operation across the globe, feedback from operators has been outstanding. We are elated that the aircraft is performing so well for its owners, and look forward to introducing this groundbreaking aircraft with its unprecedented combination of value and performance to additional markets around the world.

Jeffrey Tolbert, the chief executive officer of AirMed International, added, We know based on our extensive experience flying the Beechjet 400A/XP as an air ambulance that the aircraft provides great versatility for air medical services. The Nextant 400XT will offer AirMed Asia and our partners at Asia Pacific Jets everything we like about the Beechjet, and everything one would expect from a brand-new light jet, but at a fraction of the cost. This includes range that will enable nonstop flights from our Singapore base as far west as Mumbai, India, and as far north as Shanghai, China, along with the absolute lowest operating cost basis in its class.

The Nextant 400XT uses a remanufactured Beechjet 400A/XP airframe that is enhanced with new, state-of-the-art technology including the Williams FJ44-3AP turbofan engine, the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated avionics suite, advanced electronics, including high-speed wireless Internet service, and new interiors.

The resulting aircraft has a 2,005 nautical mile (3,713 km) range and cruising speed of 460 nautical miles per hour (740 km per hour). It supports a remarkable 30 percent reduction in operating costs over the Beechjet 400 A/XP, fuel efficiency improvements of 20-30 percent, depending on the length of the flight segment, significantly reduced carbon emissions and noise compliance that exceeds Stage IV requirements. The 400XT is available at a cost about half that of competing clean-sheet designs.

The 400XT is considered to be a new type in the Aircraft Bluebook. Further options include additional avionics features, and an optional seating configuration that allows for the most leg room of any light jet in production without sacrificing seating capacity.

About Nextant Aerospace

Nextant Aerospace was founded in 2007 for the primary purpose of developing an aircraft modernization program. The company is credited with being the first to introduce the concept of aircraft remanufacturing to the business jet market. The Nextant 400XT is a remanufactured Beechjet 400A/XP equipped with the Williams FJ44-3AP engines and Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated avionics suite. The new aircraft also benefits from significant aerodynamic enhancements including newly designed nacelles, pylons and an improved engine mounting configuration. The 400XT is delivered as a new aircraft with a two-year, full aircraft warranty. Nextants design and manufacturing facility is located in Cleveland, Ohio, at the Cuyahoga County Airport. For more information, please visit http://www.nextantaerospace.com, like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter @nextantaero or join us on LinkedIn.

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Nextant Aerospace and Asia Pacific Jets Announce Agreement for Delivery of 400XT Aircraft for Service in Asia