Monthly Archives: August 2012

NASA Announcement of Flight Opportunities #5 Now Open

Posted on by

The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Dryden Flight Research Center has released a solicitation entitled "NASA Announcement of Flight Opportunities (AFO) for Payloads Maturing Crosscutting Technologies that Advance Multiple Future Space Missions to Flight Readiness Status." The current solicitation cycle, AFO #5, provides access to flights on parabolic flights, suborbital Reusable Launch Vehicles (sRLV), and high-altitude balloons.

Applications are due on or before 5:30 PM Eastern Time September 21, 2012, and selections will be announced in November 2012 (target). The solicitation is available by opening the NASA Research Opportunities home page at http://nspires.nasaprs.com , selecting "Solicitations," then selecting "Open Solicitations," and, selecting "NOCT110 Announcement of Flight Opportunities." To go directly to the solicitation page on NSPIRES click here.

NASA's Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) seeks to mature towards flight readiness status crosscutting technologies that perform relevant environment testing and advance multiple future space missions. To facilitate this goal, NASA is providing access to certain flight opportunities available to the Agency, on a no-exchange-of-funds basis, to entities that have technology payloads meeting specified criteria. The payloads may be exposed to a near-zero or reduced gravity environment by flying on aircraft that provide parabolic flight trajectories and on sRLVs that are potentially capable of flying to altitudes above 100 km. For flight tests that do not require microgravity, but do require the temperature, pressure and atmospheric conditions of high altitudes, balloon flights are available. Refer to http://flightopportunities.nasa.gov/ platforms for specific information on vehicle and flight characteristics.

This call is open to all individuals and organizations, U.S. and non-U.S. Such organizations may include educational institutions, industry, nonprofit organizations, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, NASA Centers, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), other Government agencies, and partnerships between such entities.

Science payloads will not be evaluated under this announcement. Prospective responders with science payloads are encouraged to respond to open solicitations for science from the NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and Human Exploration and Operations Research Mission Directorate (HEOMD).

All applications must be submitted electronically through NSPIRES by an authorized organizational representative (AOR). Potential applicants and proposing organizations are urged to access the electronic proposal system well in advance of the application due date to familiarize themselves with its structure and to enter the requested information. Note that it may require several weeks for non-U.S. organizations to obtain the registrations needed to submit a proposal.

Comments and questions may be sent via e-mail to peer-review-afo@nasaprs.com. Responses to inquiries will be answered by e-mail and may also be included in the Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document located on the NSPIRES page associated with the solicitation; anonymity of persons/institutions who submit questions will be preserved.

Visit us on the web: http://flightopportunities.nasa.gov

Follow us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/nasafo

Subscribe to our mailing list: https://lists.nasa.gov/mailman/listinfo/flightopportunities-news

More here:

NASA Announcement of Flight Opportunities #5 Now Open

NASA asteroid mission has guidance problem

Posted on by

Artist's impression of NASA's Dawn spacecraft orbiting the giant asteroid Vesta. The depiction of Vesta is based on images obtained by Dawn's framing cameras. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

Published: Aug. 14, 2012 at 5:49 PM

PASADENA, Calif., Aug. 14 (UPI) -- A NASA spacecraft on a mission to study the giant asteroid Vesta and dwarf planet Ceres has powered down part of a guidance system, the space agency reported.

A reaction wheel, part of a system that helps the spacecraft point precisely, was shut down automatically by the spacecraft with data beamed back to Earth suggesting the wheel had developed excessive friction, a release from NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif., reported Monday.

Another Dawn reaction wheel had been shut down in similar circumstances in June 2010, the release said.

During its flight to Vesta, the JPL team demonstrated they could, if necessary, complete the second part of the mission, the cruise to Ceres, without the use of reaction wheels.

Vesta, one of the largest asteroids in the solar system, and Ceres, the only dwarf planet in the inner solar system, are both located in the so-called asteroid belt, roughly between the orbits of the planets Mars and Jupiter.

Dawn has finished it science mission at Vesta, which it has been orbiting since July 15, 2011, and is slowly moving away for the journey to Ceres, using its thrusters to both move and to orient itself toward Earth for communications, JPL said.

Aside from the reaction wheel issue, the rest of the spacecraft is otherwise healthy, the Dawn team said.

"The Vesta mission has been spectacularly successful, and we are looking forward to the exciting Ceres mission ahead of us," Robert Mase, Dawn project manager, said.

More here:

NASA asteroid mission has guidance problem

NASA 'Itching to Move,' Maps Course for Curiosity

Posted on by

NASA's newest rover Curiosity has yet to make its first move on Mars, but scientists said Tuesday they are already mapping out possible driving routes to a Martian mountain.

Since landing in Gale Crater near the equator last week, the nuclear-powered rover has been busy getting a head-to-wheel health checkup while parked. It touched down about 5 miles from Mount Sharp where signatures of past water have been spotted at the base.

Its ultimate goal is to scale the lower slopes in search of the chemical building blocks of life to determine whether the environment was favorable for microbial life.

The team is "kind of itching to move at this point," said deputy project scientist Ashwin Vasavada of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, which manages the $2.5 billion mission.

Scientists have been poring over pictures of the landing site snapped by Curiosity and spacecraft circling overhead. The pebble-strewn terrain where the rover landed appeared easy to traverse but the landscape gets more rugged the closer to Mount Sharp.

The team identified half a dozen potential paths through buttes and mesas that are reminiscent of the southwestern United States. Vasavada estimated it'll take a year to make the trip to the mountain driving about the length of a football field a day. Along the way, the six-wheel rover will make pit stops to study interesting rocks and scoop up soil.

Before Curiosity can explore, it has to go through a laborious check of its tools and systems. As the most complex spacecraft sent to Mars, it landed using a novel routine that involved lowering it to the surface by cables.

It just completed an upgrade to its computers and planned to take its first, albeit short, test drive in several days. Engineers still have to test the rover's robotic arm and drill later this month before giving the keys to scientists.

"We're trying to just keep our eyes on the prize and finish these checkouts and then get going," said Vasavada.

Link:

NASA 'Itching to Move,' Maps Course for Curiosity

NASA: Mars rover Curiosity brain surgery complete

Posted on by

After a four-day software upgrade, NASA's Curiosity is ready to continue its 2-year search for Martian microbes. In about a week, the rover will go for its first test drive. Once it begins moving, it will be able to travel about the length of a football field daily.

NASA's Mars rover Curiosity has survived its four-day "brain transplant" in fine shape and is now gearing up for its first Red Planet drive, scientists announced today (Aug. 14).

Subscribe Today to the Monitor

Click Here for your FREE 30 DAYS of The Christian Science Monitor Weekly Digital Edition

Engineers upgraded Curiosity's flight software over the weekend, switching the rover's main and backup computers from landing mode to surface mode. The four-day overhaul temporarily halted Curiosity's science and instrument-checkout work, which had begun almost immediately after therover touched downinside Mars' Gale Crater on the night of Aug. 5.

But those activities can resume later today, on the rover's ninth full Martian day or Sol 9, in mission lingo becauseCuriosity's brain surgerywent well, researchers said.

"It came off pretty much without a hitch," Curiosity mission systems manager Mike Watkins, of NASA'sJet Propulsion Laboratory(JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., told reporters today. "All four days went as planned, so we're now 'go' to continue our checkout activities."

As part of the checkout process, Curiosity's handlers hope to turn the rover's wheels for the first time in the next week or so, Watkins added. [Gallery: Curiosity's 1st Photos of Mars]

"We're going to test the steering actuators on Sol 13, and then we are going to take it out for a test drive here probably around Sol 15," Watkins said. "We're going to do a short drive of, you know, a couple of meters, and then maybe turn and back up."

Curiosity is the centerpiece of NASA's $2.5 billion Mars Science Laboratory mission (MSL), which seeks to determine if the Red Planet could ever havehosted microbial life. To get at this question, Curiosity will analyze Martian rocks and soil with 10 different science instruments for the next two years or more.

See the article here:

NASA: Mars rover Curiosity brain surgery complete

NASA Releases New Stunning Images of Mars Curiosity Rover

Posted on by

NASA officials today released new images taken by and of the Mars Curiosity rover as it makes its way around Gale Crater.

Several images were captured by the High Resolution Imaging Science Experiment (HiRISE) on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, which is flying above the Red Planet. Officials added a color boost to the images in order to highlight the difference in terrain around the crater.

"The landing region is not as colorful as regions to the south, closer to Mount Sharp, where Curiosity will eventually explore. In reality, the blue colors are more gray," NASA said.

The dark blue color at the bottom of the first shot in the slideshow below are dune fields between the rover and Mount Sharp. The rover is located about 980 feet from the bottom of the shot, NASA said.

NASA also put together a 3D image of Gale Crater, with a green dot showing where the rover landed and Mount Sharp in the middle. The photo was put together thanks to images from three Mars orbiters: the High Resolution Stereo Camera on the European Space Agency's Mars Express orbiter, the Context Camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, and the Viking Orbiter imagery.

On Saturday, NASA started a four-day software update that ditched the rover's landing functionality and replaced it with an R10 update, which should allow the rover to drive and make use of its geochemistry lab sampling system.

On Monday, President Barack Obama called the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) to congratulate the Curiosity team.

Photographer Andrew Bodrov also stitched together many of the Mars images to create a stunning, 360-degree panorama (below).

PCMag's Meredith Popolo was at the JPL in California covering the Curiosity rover's arrival on Mars. For more, her tour of JPL. Also check out 7 Minutes of Terror: Landing the Mars Curiosity Rover and How to Hack NASA's Curiosity Mars Rover.

Read the original:

NASA Releases New Stunning Images of Mars Curiosity Rover

Nanotechnlogy delivery system for breast cancer could be game changer for treating diseases

Posted on by

A novel nanotechnology drug delivery system under development to infiltrate breast cancer tumors could pave the way for treating other diseases.

Penn State College of Medicine received a $1 million grant from a state research fund set up with money from its tobacco settlement to assess the drug treatments commercialization potential.

The principal investigator for the nanotechnology delivery system is Mark Kester, a professor of pharmacology and director of the Penn State Center for NanoMedicine and Materials. He has been working for the past five to six years with Jim Adair of Penn States department of material sciences and engineering, and Keystone Nano, a nanotechnology company spun out of Penn State University led by Jeff Davidson, the founder of the Biotechnology Institute and Pennsylvania Bio industry association.

The next generation of cancer-fighting drugs specifically target cancer proteins rather than attack cancer and noncancer cells indiscriminately. Although companies have recognized the ability of small interfering RNA as a small molecule that can be directed to interfere with the production of cancer cells, the toxicity of siRNA has proved a challenge in its use. Biotechnology companies and institutions have been studying ways to use different nanotechnology particles to house the toxic molecule.

In an interview with MedCity News, Kester explained that the team has developed nontoxic nanojackets that use calcium phosphocillate nanoparticles, material that makes up teeth and bones, to deliver the toxic siRNA safely to the gene mutation. In this case, the one that causes overexpression of an oncogenic protein in breast cancer patients.

Getting to this stage has taken five to six years. Kester estimates it will take another one-and-a-half years to get to the point where it will have enough data to submit an IND application. During that time it will work with contract research organizations across Pennsylvania to conduct preclinical trials using the nanojackets.

Even if the companys IND application is approved, it will take another five to eight years to get the technology to the point where it can be submitted for FDA approval.

A cursory search on Clinicaltrials.gov revealed that 10 clinical studies are using siRNA to combat diseases in clinical trials. The one that is using them to fight breast cancer uses fat cells to house the toxic molecule.

If successful, the siRNA molecule could theoretically be delivered to any protein mutation and destroy it, a development that would revolutionize not only cancer treatment but one that could lead to treating Alzheimers and Parkinsons disease and other unmet needs.

Read more:

Nanotechnlogy delivery system for breast cancer could be game changer for treating diseases

Afterlife Trailer – Video

Posted on by

13-08-2012 19:19 Afterlife is a novel about people who choose mind uploading as their method of living forever. But the religions of the world don't like the idea of someone trespassing on their territory. It becomes a battle to the finish as the people in the virtual world must use their expanded minds to fight against the real world military that is set against them. Out end of August 2012.

Excerpt from:

Afterlife Trailer - Video

Understanding the Peripheral Intervention Toolkit

Posted on by

NEW YORK, Aug. 14, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0944833/Understanding-the-Peripheral-Intervention-Toolkit.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=General_Medicine_and_Specialty_Medicine

In February 2010, Frost & Sullivan surveyed 157 vascular surgeons, interventional cardiologists, and interventional radiologists on a broad range of issues relating to peripheral intervention procedures. This study is based on their responses to an extensive online questionnaire. The study addresses balloons and stents, atherectomy devices, thrombectomy devices, and endovenous ablation. A wide variety of topics are covered in the study, including respondents' purchasing authority; referral pathways; treatment selection criteria; patient awareness of/receptivity to treatment options; procedures currently in use and likely to be adopted; and primary, secondary, and last-resort treatment options by pathology.

Balloons and stents Atherectomy devices

Topics covered in the study include:

Respondents' purchasing authority

Referral pathways

Treatment selection criteria

Patient awareness of/receptivity to treatment options

Procedures currently used and likely to be adopted

Excerpt from:

Understanding the Peripheral Intervention Toolkit

Common Lab Dye Found to Interrupt Formation of Huntington's Disease Proteins

Posted on by

A small molecule agent like methylene blue that has been grandfathered into approved use as a diagnostic tool in humans can be studied further as possible treatment for the neurodegenerative illness

By Kathleen Raven

Methylene blue Image: Flickr/amandabhslater

Showcasing more than fifty of the most provocative, original, and significant online essays from 2011, The Best Science Writing Online 2012 will change the way...

Read More

FromNature Medicine's"Spoonful of Medicine" blog:

A compound already sitting on the shelves of biomedical laboratories and emergency room supply closets seems to interrupt the formation of neurodegenerative protein clumps found in Huntingtons disease, according to a preliminary animalstudypublished August 7 in theJournal of Neuroscience.

This versatile agent, called methylene blue, gets a mention in medical literature asearlyas 1897 and was used to treat, at one time or another, ailments ranging frommalariato cyanidepoisoning. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has never formally approved it as a therapy for any illnesses. But that fact hasnt stopped biomedical researchers from tinkering with the agents apparent ability toimprovecognitive function. And although the new paper out today relies on a Huntingtons disease model in flies and mice, scientists are hopeful. "Because of existing knowledge of methylene blue and the fact that its not harmful to humans, I would hope that progress toward clinical trials could go relatively quickly," saysLeslie Thompson, a neurobiologist at University of CaliforniaIrvine and lead author on the new study.

Huntingtonsdiseaseoccurs when the C-A-G sequence of DNA base pairs repeat too often on theHTTgene, resulting in an abnormally long version of the huntingtin protein, that therefore folds incorrectly and forms clumps in the brain. The illness usually begins to affect people in their 30s and 40s, causing movement problems and early death. No drug is currently available to stop the disease from progressing.

For their experiment, researchers fed methylene blue mixed with food for a week toDrosophilaflies engineered to carry a mutated copy of theHTTgene. An examination of the flies brains showed that protein clumps had been reduced by 87 percent compared with a control group. Meanwhile, mice designed to carry the mutated gene were given methylene blue and underwent several tests to assess mobility. At two months of age, the treated mice showed abnormal clasping of their hind claws only 20 percent of the time in a reflex test, whereas their untreated counterparts clasped at a 60 percent rate. (Less clasping meant healthier mice.) While the number of mice used was not sufficient to provide statistically significant results and the difference in the test quickly dropped off at nine weeks of age, Thompson still views the data as hopeful, because even a delay in Huntingtons symptoms would be very helpful. Thompson quickly points out that more research is needed. "The early steps of aggregation [protein clumping] are getting altered in a test tube, in flies and in miceand thats significant," she says, and speculates that methylene blue may possibly prevent the mutantHttprotein from sticking to itself.

See the article here:

Common Lab Dye Found to Interrupt Formation of Huntington's Disease Proteins

Independent committee recommends changes at Harvard’s New England Primate Research Center

Posted on by

By Carolyn Y. Johnson, Globe Staff

An independent panel of scientists and veterinarians enlisted by Harvard Medical School to review its troubled primate research facility in Southborough is recommending that new leadership positions be created and a committee be formed to assure animal safety and foster closer ties with the main medical school.

The two-page executive summary of the report, released to the Globe by Deborah Kochevar, dean of the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University and the chairwoman of the committee, calls for establishing a new veterinarian position and appointing a biosafety officer specifically dedicated to the New England Primate Research Center. The committee did not set out to investigate the specific lapses in animal care and procedures that resulted in death and harm to animals.

Our charge and our intent was the evaluation of process improvements and these long-term strategies that would impact the delivery of humane, effective animal care and also ensure productive research, Kochevar said in an interview. The information about recent primate deaths was part of our context, but we werent there to investigate those incidents.

Many of the recommended changes involve adding layers of oversight and direct reporting to Harvard, including the designation of a senior leader at the medical school who would act as an advocate for the primate center.

The new attending veterinarian specifically assigned to the primate center would report directly to Harvard Medical Schools executive dean for administration. The independent committee recommended a review of training and policies to ensure they encourage open communication and reporting of problems.

Similarly, authors of the review recommended that a subcommittee be formed with the express task of focusing on the care and use of primates at the Southborough center. Now, there is a single committee overseeing animal research and care at all of the medical schools research facilities.

In a statement, Dr. Jeffrey S. Flier, dean of the medical school, said Harvard accepted the recommendations.

We have begun a timely implementation of these recommendations, Flier said in the statement.

Of course, this has been a challenging period, for the primate center, Flier wrote, but it has also been a time of reflection and analysis that has led to more stringent oversight and to a rigorous process of quality improvement.

Read more:

Independent committee recommends changes at Harvard’s New England Primate Research Center

Western Liberty Bancorp Reports Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results

Posted on by

LAS VEGAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Western Liberty Bancorp, Inc. (WLBC), the holding company for Service1st Bank of Nevada (Service1st Bank) and Las Vegas Sunset Properties (LVSP), today reported its tangible book value per share was $5.43, down slightly from $5.53 in the preceding quarter. Western Liberty reported second quarter loss of $1.5 million, or $0.11 per share, compared to $1.1 million, or $0.08 per share, in the first quarter of 2012, and $4.6 million, or $0.30 per share in the second quarter of 2011. For the six month period ended June 30, 2012, net losses narrowed to $2.5 million, or $0.19 per share, compared to $5.0 million, or $0.33 per share in the first half of 2011. All financial results are unaudited.

Our loan portfolio continues to stabilize with nonperforming loans down $3.5 million from year end, said William Martin, Chief Executive Officer. While we still have a lot of work to do, we believe the steps we are taking will help us achieve our operating goals. Fortunately, capital remains exceptionally strong.

Financial Highlights (at or for the six months ended June 30, 2012)

Nevada Economic Update

According to the July 31, 2012 report from the University of Nevada Las Vegas Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER), CBERs Southern Nevada Coincident Index grew by 0.61% in May, the strongest showing since before the financial crisis in 2008. Nonfarm employment grew by 0.45% and household employment increased by 0.77%.

Compared to the previous six months, CBERs Southern Nevada Leading Index slowed down, increasing by only 0.17% for May 2012. This is about 0.08 percentage points below the average for early 2012 and late 2011. Our neighboring states fared well; Arizonas component increased by 0.17% and Californias by 0.29%.

"Decreased activity at McCarran airport and lower stock prices werent enough to offset these gains. Changes in CBERs three other indexes for Southern Nevada were as follows:

Sources: http://cber.unlv.edu/commentary/CBER-31July2012.pdf

Balance Sheet Review

Read the rest here:

Western Liberty Bancorp Reports Second Quarter 2012 Financial Results

Liberty Mines reports financial results for second quarter 2012

Posted on by

TSX: LBE

TORONTO , Aug. 14, 2012 /CNW/ - Liberty Mines Inc. (LBE.TO) ("Liberty" or the "Company") today reported its financial results for the three- and six-month periods ended June 30, 2012 . All amounts are in Canadian currency.

"Our second quarter performance was effectively marked by the re-start of operations and the ramp-up of production," said Chris Stewart , President and CEO of Liberty Mines. "While Q2 results included our highest production of concentrate and our highest revenue total in nearly two years, our progress was impeded by the nickel price declining by more than 25 percent in the past six months and generally unfavorable market conditions.In response to the current market environment, we are undertaking a full review of our strategy and operational activities to reduce costs and improve efficiencies. To maximize the value of our ore for when nickel prices recover, we are temporarily suspending production immediately."

Adverse market conditions, including the declining price of nickel, has resulted in JIIL deciding to re-evaluate the terms of the restructuring and the parties were unable to resolve the outstanding issues prior to the completion of the Company's financial statements for the six monthsending June 30 , 2012. As a result, approximately $52.6 million in debt that comes due on December 31 , 2012and a further $10 million advanced in 2012 pursuant to promissory notes will continue to be treated as a short term liabilities.The remaining $25.5 million that was to be included in the restructuring continues to have a due date of June 30 , 2014. The Company will keepshareholders advised on developments with respect to this matter.

Q2 2012 Financial and Operational Highlights

Selected Q2 financial highlights

Review of Q2 Financial Performance Revenue for Q2 2012 was $5.4 million , up from negative $117,000 for the corresponding period of 2011. The growth was due to a re-start of mining and milling operations effective March 31 , 2012. In Q2 2011, Liberty had suspended mining and milling operations and its revenue total included an adjustment from previous periods. For the six-month period of 2012, Liberty generated revenue of $5.4 million , up 170% from $2.0 million for 2011. In Q2 2012, the average price of nickel was $7.78 per pound.

Liberty generates revenue through the sale of nickel concentrate and related by-products produced from its mining and milling operations in Timmins, Ontario. Liberty has a 100 percent off-take agreement with Xstrata.

Operating expenses for Q2 2012 were $7.4 million , up from $1.4 million last year. The increase in operating expenses is primarily due to the re-start and subsequent ramp-up of production activities throughout Q2 2012. In Q2 2011, Liberty's production activities had been suspended and the Company was chiefly in a maintenance and care-take mode. For the six-month period 2012, operating expenses were $10.7 million , up from $4.8 million .

Net loss for Q2 2012 was $10.3 million or $0.05 per share (basic and fully diluted). The loss included amortization/depletion expenses of $3.2 million , interest on long-term debt of $2.5 million and dividends on preferred shares of $0.3 million . Liberty recorded a net loss of $4.5 million or $0.03 per share for the same period in 2011 when its operations were suspended. For the six month period of 2012, Liberty recorded a net loss of $18.3 million or $0.09 per share. This compares to a net loss of $9.7 million or $0.06 per share for the six-month period of 2011.

Read this article:

Liberty Mines reports financial results for second quarter 2012

Libertarian Party signature checks to take at least two weeks

Posted on by

Ballot access signatures submitted by the Libertarian Party of Connecticut will take at least two to three weeks to verify, Av Harris, spokesman for Secretary of the State Denise Merrill, said Tuesday.

Signatures covering Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson and U.S. Senate candidate Paul Passarelli totaled 12,686 with 7,500 required to get both men on the ballot, according to party Chairman Dan Reale, who lives in Plainfield.

Reale is also running for Congress in Eastern Connecticuts 2nd District and his petition signatures totaled 4,303 with 2,404 required, he said. Reale said he plans to announce his campaign staff soon and has set a fundraising goal of between $500,000 and $1 million, adding that the party has hired fundraisers.

Marc Guttman, who is running for State Senate in 22nd District, which includes East Lyme and Waterford, will automatically be on the ballot because the party has received enough votes since 2008 to maintain its listing, Reale said in a Saturday email.

See more here:

Libertarian Party signature checks to take at least two weeks

Libertarian presidential candidate optimistic about uphill fight

Posted on by

ODESSA -- In an attempt to gain more supporters and increase polling numbers ahead of the presidential debates, Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson began a weeklong tour of Texas on Tuesday.

The third-party candidate gave a 20-minute stump speech before answering questions from a couple dozen West Texans at Dee's Bistro & Grill. After stating his credentials as a former small business owner and two-term governor of New Mexico, Johnson spent the majority of his time defining his nuanced view of issues that face America.

"I'm socially accepting and fiscally responsible," Johnson said. "I believe the majority of Americans fall into this category."

The Libertarian told supporters the biggest problem facing his campaign is a lack of exposure. He admitted that if he were to have any chance in the general election, he would need to be on the podium with President Barack Obama and Republican nominee Mitt Romney during the debates. But therein lies the problem, he said. To be invited to the national debates, which are viewed by millions, Johnson would need to poll at least 15 percent nationally. As it stands now, only three of the 18 major polling institutes have him on the questionnaire, and he is only polling about 1 to 2 percent nationally.

"We should readdress how the (election, polling and debate) system works, but the Commission on Presidential Debates is run exclusively by Democrats and Republicans and they have no interest in reworking presidential debates," Johnson said.

Johnson said that not only was he the only third-party candidate on the ballot in all 50 states, but that he was the only candidate who cared about civil liberty issues and a sound fiscal policy. Johnson rattled off a list of his Libertarian credentials to an enthusiastic crowd: Support for a balanced budget, equality for all Americans to marry, abolishment of federal income taxes, support for bringing the troops home from Afghanistan, the willingness to call the drug war a failure and to refuse to bomb Iran.

"I've always supported issues first and politics last," Johnson said about his willingness to tackle contentious issues such as entitlement reform and immigration.

Several in the crowd asked Johnson's opinion an array of subjects, and the former governor provided detailed, nuanced explanations instead of the typical 30-second sound bite. During most explanations, like immigration, he said there wasn't a simple answer or a one solution fix. He said the country needed to readdress its worker visa program, end the war on drugs to take away the black market profitability, offer a path to existing illegal immigrants in America, abolish racial and ethnic immigration quotas, end federal income taxes and allow the markets to decided how many jobs low-skilled immigrants could perform in America.

He described the Federal Reserve as a group of "crony capitalists" and called the bailout scheme an "inside job" that was tantamount to grand theft from taxpayers.

Charlotte Dameron brought her 10-year-old son, Michael, to teach him about the importance of integrity and leadership when considering political candidates.

See the original post here:

Libertarian presidential candidate optimistic about uphill fight

Health Care DataWorks Unveils New Version of KnowledgeEdge™ With Advanced Portal and Value-based Purchasing Application

Posted on by

Leading healthcare analytics and business intelligence solutions provider offers a new version of KnowledgeEdge that delivers enhanced capabilities, while the Value-based Purchasing application will enable hospitals and health systems to identify opportunities to secure more Medicare reimbursements.Columbus, Ohio (PRWEB) August 14, 2012 Health Care DataWorks, Inc. ...

Link:

Health Care DataWorks Unveils New Version of KnowledgeEdge™ With Advanced Portal and Value-based Purchasing Application

Wall signers welcome new Windham Hospital health center

Posted on by

Standing in what will one day be Windham Hospitals new cancer care center, Steve Larcen predicted that the future of health care is being built on the hospitals campus.

Larcen, CEO and president of the hospital, and about 50 people celebrated a milestone in the construction of the hospitals new Windham Hospital Family Health Center by signing walls that will become part of the facade of the building. The hospital strives to excel in patient care and to be seen as a trusted source of delivering personalized coordinated care, Larcen said.

This facility will help us on every one of those points, Larcen said. That is a big predictor of the future success of Windham Hospital.

Construction of the 30,000-square-foot facility is slated for completion in the spring. The $10.3 million facility, funded in part by $8.3 million in state bond money, will house dozens of primary care physicians, medical oncologists, physical therapists and rehabilitators, laboratory workers, orthopedic surgeons and general surgeons.

Elliot Joseph, CEO and president of Hartford HealthCare, which owns Windham Hospital, said the building would not have been possible without state money. He said about 60 percent of the hospitals patients are on Medicare. The hospital is reimbursed for 87 cents of every dollar of care it delivers to those patients, he said. Another 12-13 percent are on Medicaid, and the hospital is reimbursed 67 cents for every dollar of care it delivers to Medicaid patients, Joseph said.

It would have been impossible for a hospital to build this on its own, Joseph said. We, like all community hospitals, are vital and extremely fragile assets in the community.

State Sen. Donald Williams, D-Brooklyn, said state funding for the project makes sense when you consider all the benefits. In the short term, it has meant more jobs, he said. About 100 people have been employed during the construction phase. In the long term, Williams said, the building will mean quality health care for the residents of northeastern Connecticut.

What this truly represents is nothing less than saving lives, William said.

Robert Bundy, medical director of Windham Hospital, said the new building helps the hospital attract and retain top medical professionals because it represents the trend of delivering quality outpatient care. Windham Hospital has long been an epicenter of community care, he said, pointing out the variety of medical office buildings on adjacent Quarry Street.

This hospital has been delivering unconditional care for decades, he said. The focus is on the patient and offering compassionate and humanistic care. This facility allows us to do that at a time when more and more health care is being delivered in the community and on an outpatient basis.

See original here:

Wall signers welcome new Windham Hospital health center

Health care lawsuit cost Florida taxpayers $70,000

Posted on by

By Tia Mitchell, Times/Herald Tallahassee Bureau Tia MitchellTampa Bay Times In Print: Wednesday, August 15, 2012

TALLAHASSEE Florida's largely unsuccessful challenge of the federal health care law cost state taxpayers $70,000, the state Attorney General's Office said this week.

The total cost of the lawsuit, including appeals, cost much more: $338,827. Those costs were shared among the 25 other states that joined Florida's legal challenge.

Attorney General Pam Bondi continues to herald the legal challenge as a partial victory for Florida even if most of the provisions in the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act were allowed to stand. Most often, she points to the court's decision that states can opt out of expanding Medicaid to cover more people without losing billions of dollars in existing Medicaid funding.

"For all of those who care about fiscal sanity and protecting the taxpayers of our states, the court's decision on the Medicaid issue was a big win," Bondi said during a speech at an event this month sponsored by conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity.

Florida's total bill, $69,827.21, includes travel and expenses under Attorney General Bill McCollum, who filed the lawsuit immediately after President Barack Obama signed the health care bill into law in March 2010.

In December 2010, Florida and several other states hired the Baker Hostetler law firm at a total cost of $57,000. Later, the coalition of states hired former U.S. Solicitor General Paul Clement to take the case to the U.S. Court of Appeals and later the Supreme Court for a fee of $250,000.

Under a cost-sharing agreement, the 26 states split the financial burden according to their level of involvement with the case. Nebraska and South Carolina had the second-highest shares, contributing $26,000 each.

Five states are listed as co-plaintiffs but did not lend any money to the cause: Washington, Indiana, Mississippi, Iowa and Kansas. Jenn Meale, a spokeswoman in the Attorney General's Office, said these states either couldn't afford it or were legally restricted from using money for such endeavors.

Tia Mitchell can be reached at tmitchell@tampabay.com or (850) 224-7263.

The rest is here:

Health care lawsuit cost Florida taxpayers $70,000

Ryan's health care plan coming under scrutiny

Posted on by

This section displays the last 50 news articles that were published.

Even before being tapped as Mitt Romney's VP pick, Congressman Paul Ryan was considered a rising star among Republicans for his budget plan, which was a stark contrast from what President Obama was proposing. Now, it's his health care plan that's getting a lot of attention. Grace Rauh takes a closer look at how Ryan's proposals compare to President Obama's.

To view our videos, you need to enable JavaScript. Learn how. install Adobe Flash 9 or above. Install now. Then come back here and refresh the page.

UNITED STATES More than any other election, this is a choice about two different visions for the country. For two different directions about where America should go, President Barack Obama said.

When it comes to health care, the differences between the Democratic and Republican candidates for president are stark.

Mitt Romney and his running mate, Congressman Paul Ryan, have pledged to undo the president's massive health care reform law. It is the single biggest legislative achievement of the president's first term.

In June, the Supreme Court upheld most of the law, including the individual mandate. It would require most Americans to obtain health insurance in two years or pay a fine. Insurers will be required to cover people with pre-existing conditions. And it allows young adults to remain on their parents' health plans until they are 26. The President also sought to expand Medicaid, the government health program for low-income Americans. But it was dealt a blow when the court ruled that states can opt out.

In addition to scrapping the law, Ryan has also proposed deep reductions in Medicaid spending. Henry Aaron, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, says the cuts would have a severe impact.

And would eventually, virtually end the program as we currently know it, Aaron said.

Ryan and Obama's budget plans both call for more federal spending over the next decade. But Ryan would spend about $5 trillion less over the next decade than President Obama.

More here:

Ryan's health care plan coming under scrutiny