Monthly Archives: August 2012

HK Activists' Boat Nears Disputed Islands

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Regional tensions flared on the emotional anniversary of Japan's World War II surrender as activists from China and South Korea used Wednesday's occasion to press rival territorial claims, prompting Japanese authorities to arrest 14 people.

China's official Xinhua News Agency said the arrests of the 14 people, who included Hong Kong residents and mainland Chinese, had caused tensions over its territorial dispute with Japan to surge "to a new high."

Within hours, Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Fu Ying summoned Japan's ambassador to China, Uichiro Niwa, and called her Japanese counterpart, Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi, to protest the detention of Chinese citizens, the Foreign Ministry said.

Fu demanded that Japan release the detainees immediately and without condition, the ministry said in a statement.

The 14 people who were arrested had traveled by boat from Hong Kong to a set of uninhabited islands controlled by Japan but also claimed by China and Taiwan. Japanese police initially arrested five activists who swam ashore in the East China Sea chain, known as Senkaku in Japanese and Diaoyu in Chinese.

Japanese coast guard officers later arrested nine others who stayed on the fishing boat, the Kai Fung 2, including two who had earlier landed on one of the islands and went back on board, officials said. Coast guard officials said the activists were likely to be taken to Naha, the capital of Okinawa prefecture, which has jurisdiction over the islands, for further questioning.

"We want the world to know that this is way back in history the territory of China, and as Chinese people we can go there fishing, touring at our own right," David Ko, a spokesman for the activists, said in a telephone interview from Hong Kong. "The Japanese have no right to stop us."

Chinese activists last landed on the island in 1996, and seven who were arrested were repatriated quickly.

Japan says it has controlled the five main islands for more than 100 years. It has been trying to place four that are privately held under state ownership to bolster its territorial claim.

Chinese patrol vessels have been spotted frequently in the waters, prompting Tokyo to repeatedly protest and beef up its own patrols in the area.

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HK Activists' Boat Nears Disputed Islands

Health reform law could improve AIDS treatment in Kentucky, advocate says

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Thousands of Kentuckians with HIV or AIDS could have access to more effective treatment because of health care reforms if advocates and providers inform state officials what's needed to make it work now.

"It's like building a plane while we are flying a plane," said Amy Killelea, senior manager for health care access for the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors, a national advocacy group.

Killelea spoke Wednesday, the second day of a two-day conference on AIDS and HIV that drew advocates and health providers from across Kentucky to Lexington.

Kentucky is one of 16 states in the process of creating health care exchanges to provide new insurance options. By September, she said, a benefits plan is to be completed detailing the types of coverage private insurers need to offer to be part of the state system. By October, she said, enrollment is to begin. These changes are aa result of the new health care reform act.

It's time for advocates to let state legislators and the Kentucky office of Health Care Reform know what they need because reform changes are evolving rapidly, Killelea said.

There are thousands of pages of documents streaming to the states about enacting health care reform since the July decision by the U.S. Supreme Court that allowed the law to move forward. That includes, she said, to laughs from the room, some 400 pages on how to streamline the application process for those currently without insurance.

"Multiple federal agencies are issuing hundreds and hundreds of regulations. I know because I've read them," she said.

The good news is that health care reform offers the promise that many of the roughly 8,000 Kentuckians with AIDS and HIV will have health insurance for the first time, replacing "a patchwork system with many, many holes and gaps," she said. This is especially true for those who are poor and could not get insurance before because of what she deemed discriminatory practices concerning pre-existing conditions.

And, she said, states are allowed wide discretion on how to implement the Affordable Care Act within the federal guidelines.

But its incumbent on people working with AIDS and HIV patients to make sure, for example, that the anti-viral drugs needed to keep HIV and AIDS patients alive are covered at a reasonable cost under the plan, she said.

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Health reform law could improve AIDS treatment in Kentucky, advocate says

Kaiser Permanente Serves as the Official Medical Services Partner and Health Care Partner for the 34th America's Cup

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OAKLAND, Calif., Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Kaiser Permanente, one of the nation's leading health care organizations, will serve as the Official Medical Services Partner and Health Care Partner for the events being held in San Francisco during the 34th America's Cup. Kaiser Permanente physicians, nurses and staff will enhance the existing emergency response and first aid capabilities on-site by providing high quality health care for spectators, athletes and team members during the America's Cup events.

"Kaiser Permanente is among the most respected and trusted names in health care, and we are proud to have this important partnership with an organization that is widely recognized for its innovation in delivering high-quality health care," said Stephen Barclay, CEO of the 34th America's Cup.

"Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to providing the highest quality care to our more than 9 million members and the communities we serve, and we are proud to provide our medical expertise and support to America's Cup," said Bernard J. Tyson, president and chief operating officer for Kaiser Permanente. "Additionally, the America's Cup organizers share Kaiser Permanente's commitment to carbon reduction and healthy communities, and we look forward to working with them on important sustainability initiatives in California."

"Through our integrated and technologically advanced model of care delivery, our physicians, nurses and staff work together to consistently deliver high-quality health care, and we will bring that same level of clinical expertise to the America's Cup in San Francisco," said Robert Pearl, MD, executive director and CEO of The Permanente Medical Group.

The 2012-2013 racing season for the America's Cup World Series starts Aug. 21, 2012, in San Francisco the first time America's Cup teams will race on San Francisco Bay. Admission to the America's Cup Village on Marina Green will be free to the public and open from Aug. 21-26.

About the America's Cup

One of the most fiercely competitive and sought after trophies in all of sport, the America's Cup was first raced in 1851, 45 years before the modern Olympics. The U.S. yacht America won, giving the international sailing competition its name.

The next Louis Vuitton Cup, America's Cup Challenger Series (July-August 2013) and America's Cup Match (September 2013) will be held for the first time in San Francisco Bay, a natural sailing arena where more than one million spectators are expected.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, our mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 9 million members in nine states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: http://www.kp.org/newscenter.

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Kaiser Permanente Serves as the Official Medical Services Partner and Health Care Partner for the 34th America's Cup

Single-payer healthcare is more budget hawkish than Ryan's plan

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A national nurses' union is lobbying for a single-payer health care system, saying it's the only plan most Americans can afford. Proponents also argue that Medicare-for-all is more fiscally hawkish than Romney's new running mate.

Mitt Romney's vice-presidential choice of Wisconsin Congressman Paul Ryan, an arch enemy of the Affordable Care Act, may push President Barack Obama's health care reform into the center of the 2012 political ring.

For advocates of a full-scale public health insurance program--and for women's health as well--that could mean another chance to carve out their position as deficit-hawks with much sharper budget-cutting teeth than Ryan himself.

"Research shows that private insurance bureaucracy and paperwork consume 31 percent of every health care dollar," said Dr. Diljeet K. Singh, who is a board member of Physicians for a National Health Program, a Chicago-based nonprofit of 18,000 physicians across the country who support a Medicare-for-all system. "Streamlining payments through a single nonprofit payer system would save the United States more than $400 billion a year, enough to provide comprehensive, high-quality coverage for all Americans."

Singh, a Gilbert, Ariz., gynecologist, predicts that more women will support a single-payer system because under the Affordable Care Act insurance companies and drug companies will still be able to charge what they want due to weak restrictions on premium rate increases and out-of-pocket costs. Older people may pay up to three times more for insurance than younger patients.

"These restrictions will hit women hard because they use more health services, have lower incomes and live longer than do men," Singh said. "This will lead to more patients skipping care and suffering serious health and financial consequences. Illness and medical bills are linked to 52 percent of personal bankruptcies in the United States."

Jean Ross is co-president of the California Nurses Association/National Nurses United, the Oakland-based union that has more than 85,000 registered nurse members in 50 states and is lobbying for California to adopt a single-payer health care system.

"Despite its modest benefits, the ACA is no remedy for our health care crisis because it perpetuates the principle of all the health care you can afford," Ross said in a recent telephone interview, referring to the Affordable Care Act. "In California and a growing number of states, insurance premiums already equal or exceed 20 percent of median incomes. If premiums continue to rise at the current rate, the average family premium would total $24,000 by 2020."

Drumming Up Support

To drum up grassroots support for passage of a single-payer health system in California, the California Nurses Association sponsored a bus tour that visited 19 communities during June and July. The tour drew about 1,000 people for free blood pressure readings and blood sugar screenings and another 2,000 to the town hall meetings.

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Single-payer healthcare is more budget hawkish than Ryan's plan

Press Ganey Hires Industry Veteran as Chief Analytics Officer

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SOUTH BEND, Ind., Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Press Ganey Associates, Inc., a recognized leader in health care performance improvement, today announced that David Costello, Ph.D., has joined as Chief Analytics Officer. Costello will focus on enhancing analytics solutions, providing greater profiling of patients and clients, and delivering predictive modeling and segmentation solutions. Costello joins Press Ganey's team of professionals, including Dennis Kaldenberg, Ph.D., Chief Scientist, in the effort to provide more targeted improvement strategies.

"Since our founding 27 years ago by Dr. Irwin Press and Dr. Rod Ganey, our company has continuously been home to some of the brightest and most accomplished minds in health care analytics," said Patrick T. Ryan, CEO, Press Ganey. "We are proud to add another highly respected individual to our team. David will greatly enhance our ability to deliver actionable insights that help improve the entire patient experience."

Throughout his more than 25-year career, Costello has successfully developed innovative analytics approaches for the health care industry. He has a proven track-record for decreasing health care costs, and simultaneously improving clinical quality outcomes and generating positive brand affinity. Most recently, Costello was building patient segmentation models for care management, carriers, Accountable Care Organizations, and other health care sectors.

"It's an honor to join Press Ganey at a dynamic time when analytics plays such a critical role in health care reform," said Costello. "Because of Press Ganey's history, we are uniquely positioned to deliver better, more sophisticated, and more targeted insights that will substantially improve organizations. We recognize the critical importance of understanding both entire patient populations and the entire experience for each individual patient. Being able to provide actionable insights at both levels will truly be a difference-maker for our clients."

Prior to Press Ganey, Costello served as Executive Vice President and General Manager for SCIOinspire, a health analytics company focused on helping clients translate big data in to actionable applications. Previously, Costello was Senior Vice President of Consumer Segmentation and Engagement Strategies at Health Dialog. While at Health Dialog, he created and implemented clinical, analytic and segmentation products aimed at decreasing medical costs and improving clinical quality among its 20 million members.

Costello received his Ph.D. and master's degree in sociology from the University of Delaware.

About Press Ganey Associates, Inc.

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Press Ganey Hires Industry Veteran as Chief Analytics Officer

Hoag and St. Joseph Health Announce Historic Affiliation to Transform Health Care Delivery

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NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. & ORANGE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

St. Joseph Health and Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian announced plans for a new regional health care affiliation which will take bold, innovative measures to transform health care delivery, ultimately becoming a model for addressing some of the biggest challenges in American health care.

The organizations intend to form an integrated regional health system including their respective Southern California hospitals, an expansive physician network, and numerous outpatient and urgent care facilities in Orange County and the High Desert. Their shared vision includes taking action to fix fragmented systems of care, greatly improve access for the underserved, and deliver on the goal of making the region among the healthiest in the country.

This affiliation is a catalyst to extend our mission and make a real difference in health care delivery by assuring a system of highly-connected, quality services. New access points will be developed to enhance community wellness and allow more people to benefit from the research and advanced care of a vast network of doctors, clinics, and exceptional hospitals, said Deborah Proctor, president and CEO of St. Joseph Health. We believe St. Joseph Health and Hoag have the foresight and expertise to address some of the greatest needs and accomplish the greatest good for Orange County and the High Desert. This is a critical step for the future of our communities that only can be accomplished by the brightest minds and the biggest hearts in health care.

This is a historic day for medical care in Orange County, said Dr. Richard Afable, Hoag president and CEO. Together, we share over a century of collective experience and a commitment to serving the health needs of people in Southern California. Our goal in forming this affiliation is transformational. Current models of medical care are too complex, too expensive, and lack the integration needed to effectively and compassionately care for people in need. It is also unacceptable that models of care are far too often out of reach for those who are most vulnerable and in need of help. Our vision our promise is to transform Orange County into one of the healthiest communities in California and the country. Our affiliation will introduce innovative care processes that will improve clinical outcomes, reduce the overall cost of care, and enhance the health care experiences of all members of our community.

Specifically, the health system leaders have identified as part of their vision:

Under the affiliation, Hoag and St. Joseph Health will retain their individual identities and faith affiliations Presbyterian and Catholic, respectively.

In planning to work together, St. Joseph Health and Hoag recognized many similarities. They are both non-profit, faith-based health care organizations, committed to providing the highest quality, affordable, and accessible health care services in the community. Both institutions achieve this through thoughtful planning of their networks of services, fostering an environment of best practice health care, and reaching out to vulnerable populations through extensive community benefit programs.

The planning process is being aided by support from the community, elected officials, faith-based organizations, physicians, and hospital employees. Their support and review continue to be instrumental in this process.

The health systems entered into a letter of intent to form an affiliation. The next step is an application with the California Office of the Attorney General, which is planned for October and could require more than 100 days for a decision.

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Hoag and St. Joseph Health Announce Historic Affiliation to Transform Health Care Delivery

VHA Inc. Launches Center for Applied Healthcare Studies

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IRVING, TX--(Marketwire -08/15/12)- To address the complexities resulting from sweeping health care reform, including value-based payment models and reduced reimbursements, VHA Inc., the national health care network, today announced the launch of its VHA Center for Applied Healthcare Studies. A collaborative think tank, the Center is comprised of top industry experts in the areas of safety, quality, delivery models, economics and finance, who will work with VHA and its member organizations to develop, pilot and evaluate innovative approaches addressing high quality, affordable care delivery.

Industry advisory group leaders include:

VHA advisory group representatives are:

"Our members are progressing well on their journey to necessary financial, clinical and operational improvements that will be important to the future of quality health care," explained Keith Kosel. "The Center will play an important role in developing and testing evidence-based approaches to some of the industry's most challenging issues that systems can assimilate seamlessly and quickly."

The Center is organized into two divisions: Policy and Research, and Demonstrations.

Policy and Research focuses on understanding the environmental and governmental drivers of future health care models. The studies will be accomplished via VHA-directed and VHA-sponsored research studies covering topics such as bundled payments, population health, care coordination, and patient engagement and experience.

To ensure relevant insight, the Center will maintain relationships with national health care organizations tasked with setting standards and policy tied to health care reform. The Center will work closely with VHA's Washington, DC-based public policy group, providing a focal point for understanding the scope, structure, participants and policies related to current and emerging health care legislation. Kosel said, "Keeping close tabs on what is happening in Washington will help us anticipate trends and events that affect important areas for research such as episode-based payments and population health management."

The Demonstration division focuses on delivering both large- and small-scale tests of change within VHA's hospital membership. These demonstrations are linked to national initiatives through the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as with commercial payers or health plans. Early projects will include testing new payment models such as episode-based payments and new delivery models such as patient-centered medical home-neighborhoods.

Currently, VHA is engaged in two demonstration projects that are housed in the Center.

First is a clinical improvement collaborative sponsored by the CMS Partnership for Patients Initiative. Last fall, CMS awarded VHA funding to be one of 26 Hospital Engagement Networks charged with reducing hospital-acquired conditions by 40% by the end of 2013, compared with 2010, and cutting readmissions by 20% during the same period. Working with 200+ participating hospitals, VHA's HEN employs proprietary tools including its Rapid Adoption Network Contextualist methodology, peer networks and leading practices to drive culture change and address the CMS contract goals.

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VHA Inc. Launches Center for Applied Healthcare Studies

School food — on the front line in the fight against childhood obesity

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Public release date: 15-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

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

New Rochelle, NY, August 15, 2012Childhood Obesity, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, has published a special issue dedicated to the role that schools can and should play in providing and encouraging healthy nutrition and good eating habits to help stem the tide of the obesity epidemic in children and adolescents. The special issue provides comprehensive coverage of food policy, systems, and programs to improve food culture, practices, and nutrition standards in the school environment, and is available free on the Childhood Obesity website at http://www.liebertpub.com/chi.

Efforts to improve school nutrition have been limited mainly "by a relative absence of evidence," says David L. Katz, MD, MPH, Editor-in-Chief of Childhood Obesity and Director of Yale University's Prevention Research Center. "Standards for school food should be set high, and our society should do what it takes to get there from here," writes Dr. Katz in his editorial.

The issue contains multiple Perspectives including an article in which authors from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Washington, DC, advocate replacing less healthful competitive foods with healthier options without compromising food service revenues. A team comprised of authors from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Atlanta, GA, Food Family Farming Foundation, Boulder, CO, United Fresh Produce Association, Washington, DC, and Whole Foods Market, Inc., Austin, TX, describes the progress to date of the LMSB2S model for introducing salad bars in schools, launched in 2010 in support of First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! initiative, in the article "Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools: A Public-Private Partnership to Increase Student Fruit and Vegetable Consumption." The article "Causal Pathways Linking Farm to School to Childhood Obesity Prevention" presents a framework for developing an evidence base to support a link between Farm to School programs and prevention of childhood obesity.

In the interview entitled "Salad Bars in Schools," Rodney Taylor, Director of Nutrition Services at Riverside, CA, Unified School District, discusses how his Farm to School salad bar model is unique, offering an option to the traditional hot lunch, and has been shown to yield a sustainable improvement in health and nutritional behaviors in children.

Original research articles include "School Lunches and Lunches Brought from Home: A Comparative Analysis," in which authors from Baylor College of Medicine and The Cluthe & William B. Oliver Foundation, Houston, TX, examine differences in nutritional quality between school lunches and home-prepared lunches. "Local Wellness Policy Strength and Perceived Implementation of School Nutrition Standards across Three States," evaluating the influence of federally mandated local wellness policies on reimbursable school meals and nutritional guidelines for competitive foods, was coauthored by a team of researchers from Iowa State University (Ames), Pennsylvania State University (University Park), and University of California, Berkeley.

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This special issue of Childhood Obesity was funded by a grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to ensure that the Journal is accessible as widely as possible, and to provide a framework that addresses the social and environmental conditions that influence opportunities for children to have access to healthy, affordable food and safe places to play and be physically active.

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School food -- on the front line in the fight against childhood obesity

Sans soleil/La jetée

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Directed by Chris Marker. Screens Aug. 21, 6:30 p.m. at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

I think I was already suspicious when I was born. I must have travelled a lot before then! So said Chris Marker in a rare interview in 2003, and by that ethereal logic, the great French filmmaker is probably somewhere very interesting right now. At the risk of getting mystical about an artist whose work was so peerlessly clear-eyed, its arguable that Marker, who died on July 29 at the age of 91, transcended the physical boundaries and entrenched expectations of his chosen media. Whether you ultimately classify him as a journalist, a polemicist, or a futurist, his was the cinema of out-of-body experiences.

Its bittersweet timing that TIFFs Summer in France program gets around to Marker so quickly after his passing, and frankly its hard to think of another film as disturbingly death-tinged as his 1962 short La jete, a pocket-sized existentialist fable that quotes from Hitchcock and anticipates The Terminator (and, most famously, inspired 12 Monkeys). Told via a series of still photographs (with one unforgettable, near-subliminal flicker of movement inserted at a key juncture), La jete uses a pulpy post-apocalyptic time-travel conceit to plumb big questions about mortality and memorythe latter being one of Markers favourite subjects, which is appropriate given the indelible quality of his image-making.

Sans soleil (1983) is not the only example of Markers work as a cine-essayist but it has endured as arguably the keynote work in the format. Framed as a series of letters and sent from a (fictional) globe-trotting cameraman to his friend, its a film of geographical, historical, and intellectual sweep that finds time for grace notes involving Japanese whack-a-mole games, gently pecking emus, and cats (Markers other favourite subject). There are a few fleeting shots that feel like epic films in and of themselves, but Marker knew better than to linger, because, in the words of Sans soleils globe-hopping narrator, a moment stopped would burn like a frame of film blocked before the furnace of the projector. Markers films are the light that will never go out.

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Sans soleil/La jetée

Rights and freedom

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By LIM MUN FAH Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE Sin Chew Daily

Media practitioners are well aware that there is not government that does not wish to suppress freedom of the press and freedom of speech in the world. And there is no political party that does not wish to manipulate the media and public opinion.

You might have heard a clich for thousands of times, but I still have to mention it here. That is, there is no absolute freedom in the world, but only relative freedom.

If you understand the above mentioned reality, you will then find it not difficult to understand why governments around the world always introduce laws to restrict freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

Originally, the formulation and adoption of any statutes in democratic countries should consider the following points:

The answers are not absolute for the same questions.

It depends on your view point and what stand you are taking. Take Section 114A of the Evidence Act as an example, it is definitely necessary, urgent and reasonable in the eyes of the ruling coalition.

On the contrary, the opposition will never agree with it. Instead, it is neither necessary nor reasonable. Moreover, the next general election might be held at any time now and in this crucial period, of course the alternative coalition is very much worried that the government might make use of the Act to stop the alternative coalition from gaining the people's support through the Internet.

In fact, not only alternative coalition members, but also some in the ruling coalition, are opposing Section 114(a) of the Act. Among them are Umno Youth chief Khairy Jamaluddin and Deputy Higher Education Minister Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah.

Saifuddin has very accurately grabbed the people's anxiety, namely the provision might create a culture of fear.

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Rights and freedom

Rights and freedom — Lim Mun Fah

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AUG 15 Media practitioners are well aware that there is no government that does not wish to suppress freedom of the press and freedom of speech in the world. And there is no political party that does not wish to manipulate the media and public opinion.

You might have heard this clich a thousand times over, but I still have to mention it here. That is, there is no absolute freedom in the world, but only relative freedom.

If you understand the above-mentioned reality, you will then find it not difficult to understand why governments around the world always introduce laws to restrict freedom of the press and freedom of speech.

Originally, the formulation and adoption of any statutes in democratic countries should consider the following points:

1. Is it necessary?

2. Is it reasonable?

3. Is it urgent?

4. Have adequate consultation, discussion and debate sessions been conducted?

The answers are not absolute for the same questions.

It depends on your viewpoint and what stand you take. Take Section 114A of the Evidence Act for example; it is definitely necessary, urgent and reasonable in the eyes of the ruling coalition.

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Rights and freedom — Lim Mun Fah

Hoy set for Freedom of Edinburgh

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15 August 2012 Last updated at 15:59 ET

Sir Chris Hoy is set to be awarded the Freedom of Edinburgh if councillors vote to approve the honour next week.

Edinburgh's Lord Provost also vowed the city would welcome home Sir Chris and other Olympic heroes despite official celebrations being in Glasgow.

It comes after SportScotland confirmed the official victory parade for Scotland's Olympians will be held in Glasgow on Friday 14 September.

Scottish athletes won a record 13 medals at the London Games.

Lord Provost of Edinburgh Donald Wilson said the capital would host its own parade for Edinburgh Olympians.

Mr Wilson said: "While I am naturally disappointed the parade for our Olympians and Paralympians will not be held in the nation's capital, I am pleased that their fantastic achievements are being celebrated.

"This does not affect Edinburgh's intention to welcome our own local Olympians and Paralympians to their home city and to show them how proud we are of their achievements."

Sir Chris won two gold medals at the Games in London to become Britain's most successful Olympian.

Councillor Steve Cardownie added: "There is no higher - or more fitting - recognition for Sir Chris than to offer him the Freedom of the City of Edinburgh."

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Hoy set for Freedom of Edinburgh

Freedom fighters lament the decline and decay

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New Delhi, Aug. 16 -- They are witness to how the century unfolded: how India started the freedom struggle, raised the pitch to 'Britishers Quit India', got freedom and made its place in the comity of nations. And on Wednesday, the 66th Independence Day, they were pained to witness the fast degrading state of affairs in today's India.Freedom fighters regretted the decline in values and ethics in ...

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Freedom fighters lament the decline and decay

Freedom Energy Holdings, Inc. To Seek Listing On AMEX

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FORT WAYNE, Ind., Aug. 15, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --Freedom Energy Holdings, Inc. (Pink Sheets: FDMFD) CEO, Brian Kistler, today announced today that the company's first and foremost goal is to become full reporting once again and filing a registration statement with the SEC, with the goal of being listed on the American Stock Exchange (AMEX).

The requirements to make application to the AMEX are quite reachable as shown below.

Requirements

Standard 1

Standard 2

Standard 3

Standard 4

Shareholders' equity

$4 million

$4 million

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Freedom Energy Holdings, Inc. To Seek Listing On AMEX

This 3D-Printed Exoskeleton Could One Day Turn You Into a Cyborg

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For years, the military has worked on exoskeletons to help turn soldiers into heavy-lifting cyborgs. Now with the first civilian exoskeleton manufactured using a 3-D printer, the budding robosuit industry may someday get a little more DIY. If the military gets in on the trend, it means that soldiers could one day make their own combat exoskeletons using desktop computers.

The 3D-printed exoskeleton (seen above) is not exactly a super-suit its designed for a toddler and is about as sophisticated as a swing-arm desk lamp and human-assisted limbs are not new. But like other tools that once required complex manufacturing, theres now another device you can imagine printing yourself.

Engineers at the Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children in Philadelphia used a 3-D printer to make a lightweight plastic exoskeleton for a 2-year-old girl named Emma Lavalle, who was born with a rare condition called arthrogryposis. Her condition which weakened her muscles and joints prevented Lavalle from lifting her arms. She couldnt feed herself, and was too weak to lift a toy.

A video from 3-D printing company Stratasys, though partly an advertisement, is stunning.Lavalle, who was too small to be fitted with a conventional metal exoskeleton, was equipped with plastic magic arms attached to a suit fitted around her body. The suit was light enough for her to carry, and gave her enough augmented strength for her to lift her arms all on her own. The suit can also be customized. As Lavalle grows, the suit can be upgraded with newer printed parts.

The exoskeleton also seems the furthest thing away from the militarys plans tobuild advanced exoskeletons for years to help soldiers carry heavier cargo and lug around more gear. Theres Lockheed Martins Human Universal Load Carrier exoskeleton, or HULC. Raytheon has a wearable robot called the XOS 2. And the Pentagons mad scientist research agency Darpa has been kicking around the idea of creating biomechanical underwear. Yet, Lavalles story could be instructive.

It would mean combining those plans with the Pentagons search for 3-D printers. Last year, the United States Special Operations Command (SOCOM) sought to buy one. In May, the Air Force Research Laboratory, Materials and Manufacturing Directorate solicited proposals from universities for an additive manufacturing institute. Additive manufacturing is industry terminology for the printing machines. If the Air Force finds a partner, the service could end up spending $60 million on additive research.

But what would the military actually want with 3-D printers? Many uses would likely be mundane, such as printing out spare parts for everyday equipment and doing so relatively quickly and cheaply. The Air Force, for instance, already prints up replacement parts for older aircraft, though the Air Forces printers are obviously more advanced than those in the domestic market. Physicians at Walter Reed Army Medical Center use 3-D printers to modelprosthetic body partsto help guide reconstructive surgeries. The Army Corps of Engineers has used 3-D printers to make topographic maps. Other purposes are more far-off and experimental, like the Navys proposal to use the printers to buildswarms of micro-robots.

I could certainly imagine a field hospital in Afghanistan having a 3-D printer on hand to manufacture syringes, tourniquets, etc., Jesse Waites tells Danger Room. Waites, a former medical technician and Air Force nurse, and now a Boston-area programmer and technology activist, thinks wider adoption of 3-D printers and exoskeletons is inevitable for both the military and the civilian world.But these civilian exoskeletons,Waitesadds, would be used for just regular civilian life. They could be used by firefighters and dockworkers, tohelp the wheelchair-bound walk, and as preventive medical measures to make sure you dont throw out your back.

Still, that could be scary. Its already possible to use a printer to build a homemade rifle. A 24-year-old Frenchman named Emmanuel Gilloz designed a carrying case small enough to lug around a 3-D printer. On a long enough timeline, this could mean civilians carrying around a portable exoskeleton (or weapons) factory in a box.

For the military, it could mean using the printers to repair or tweak exoskeleton components. Its almost very much like Iron Man has different suits for different occasions, Waites says. Need to replace a spare part or customize your armored exoskeleton? Or need a new one? You would be able to print yourself out some kind of specialized body armor for the rest of the team in the unit; certainly advantageous, he added.

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This 3D-Printed Exoskeleton Could One Day Turn You Into a Cyborg

Beaches, Ponte Vedra schools open Monday

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Posted: Wednesday, August 15, 2012 10:02 pm | Updated: 9:55 pm, Wed Aug 15, 2012.

Beaches, Ponte Vedra schools open Monday by Chuck Adams, Staff Writer The Beaches Leader, Inc.

School bells ring Monday for all Duval County students including those who attend Beaches schools. The four Ponte Vedra Beach schools Ponte Vedra, Landrum, Ocean Palms and PVPV/Rawlings also welcome students Monday.

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Posted on Wednesday, August 15, 2012 10:02 pm. Updated: 9:55 pm.

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Beaches, Ponte Vedra schools open Monday

Bacteria levels close beaches at Picnic Island, Cypress Point

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Hillsborough County issued health advisories Wednesday for beaches at Picnic Island and Cypress Point due to bacteria.

This should be considered a potential risk to the bathing public, the county said.

Samples the county took Monday were above threshold established by the Environmental Protection Agency for enterococci bacteria. The beach will be re-sampled Aug. 20 and when re-sampling indicates water quality is satisfactory, the advisory will be lifted.

Enterococci bacteria are normally in intestinal tracts of humans and animals, and might cause human disease, infections or rashes. The presence of the bacteria indicates fecal pollution, which may come from stormwater runoff, pets and wildlife, and human sewage.

Beachgoers can go to the state Department of Health's Internet Beach Water Quality website http://www.floridashealth.com/beachwater to find more information on beaches.

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Bacteria levels close beaches at Picnic Island, Cypress Point

Red tide being blamed for fish kill at Galveston beaches

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GALVESTON - State officials confirmed Monday that a toxic algal bloom known as red tide is responsible for thousands of dead fish that washed ashore on Galveston Island the day before.

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists found the algae Karenia brevis, one of several types of toxic algae that cause red tide, in concentrations high enough to kill fish in samples taken at Surfside Beach and Galveston Island, said Winston Denton, a biologist with the agency's marine fisheries division and a member of its "spills and kills" team.

Biologists are continuing to gather information to determine the extent of the red tide and its concentration, but they can't say yet whether further fish kills will occur or how long the algal bloom will last, Denton said.

A red tide last year covered most of the Texas Gulf Coast and Galveston Bay, forcing a closure of the oyster beds to harvesting, Denton said.

The red tide of low-to-moderate concentrations last year arrived in August and lasted until February but caused no fish kills, he said.

The Texas State Health Services Department's seafood safety division halted oyster harvesting in Galveston Bay because of red tide at 12:01 a.m. Monday, Health Department spokesman Chris Van Deusen said. Van Deusen said the economic impact would be relatively light because harvesting by the oyster industry and the public is at a low point this time of year.

Parks and Wildlife said reports of hundreds of dead fish came on Saturday, but on Sunday dead fish littered the beach by the thousands. Dead flounder and stingrays were reported Friday in Kemah and Bacliff, but Denton said more testing remains to determine whether the deaths were caused by red tide or low oxygen levels in the water.

Reports of dead fish came from Quintana Beach in Brazoria County to the mouth of the Colorado River, the department said on its web site.

Most of the dead fish were menhaden, Denton said, which are more susceptible than other species to red tide. The fish are common and swim in large schools, he said.

In Galveston, Parks Board Executive Director Kelly de Schaun said crews worked overnight to clean the beaches most frequented by the public and the western end of the island, which had the largest concentrations of dead fish. A second, smaller wave of dead fish arrived Monday morning and was removed, she said.

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Red tide being blamed for fish kill at Galveston beaches