Monthly Archives: August 2012

Korea, Japan clash over islands

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South Koreans stand behind President Lee Myung-bak's decision to visit disputed islands. Sophia Soo reports.

A SURPRISE presidential visit to some disputed islands between Japan and Korea has fired tensions in the region, even as China and the Philippines manoeuvre further south.

South Korean President Lee Myung-Bak has paid a surprise visit to the islands at the centre of a decades-long territorial dispute with Japan, which has recalled its ambassador from Seoul in protest.

Lee was making the first visit by a South Korean president to the rocky volcanic outcrops in the Sea of Japan, roughly midway between South Korea and its former colonial ruler, Japan.

This is just one of many island disputes. Last week, the United States warned China over its aggressive campaign to build outposts on disputed islands and reefs in the South China Sea.

Disregarding Tokyo's warnings that the move would strain already prickly relations, Lee toured the main island and shook hands with coastguards as a South Korean flag fluttered in the breeze.

"Dokdo is indeed our territory and a place worth staking our lives to defend. Let's make sure to safeguard it with pride," pool reports quoted him as saying.

A police guard with a rifle is seen before a South Korean landing ship on the remote islands disputed with Japan. Picture: DONG-A ILBO

TV footage showed him posing for a photo in front of a rock painted with the slogan "ROK (South Korean) territory".

The South has stationed a small coastguard detachment since 1954 on the islands known as Dokdo in Korea and Takeshima in Japan.

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Oregon AG suggests Islands Tanning change its contract to meet consumer laws

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A day after Islands Tanning was the subject of an investigation by The Desk, the Oregon attorney general's office alerted business owner Jon Guyette that his contracts for tanning packages don't appear to comply with state consumer laws.

"You may want your attorney to review your contracts and bring them into compliance with the law," a state investigator said in a July 23 email to Guyette. "Failure to comply with this law is a violation of Oregon's Unlawful Trade Practices Act."

Guyette and his 10-salon chain were featured in Complaint Desk on July 22 after 19-year-old Peter Santoro applied for a job at the Islands Tanning outlet in Wilsonville. The teenager walked in looking for work and walked out with a yearlong tanning contract that cost $548. Oregon's Health Spa Law, which also applies to gyms and tanning salons, requires those businesses to alert their customers that they have the right to cancel their contracts within three days.

The Desk noted in the July 22 report that Guyette's employees hadn't told a number of customers about the cancellation right and that his contracts did not include the required wording. In fact, Guyette's contracts stated that "Islands Tanning has a no refund, no return policy."

Guyette confirmed that he'd received the email from the state and that he planned to update his contracts.

"I would think so, yeah," he said, hanging up on The Desk before answering whether he planned to refund Santoro's money.

Santoro's mother, Juliet Santoro, contended the company had taken advantage of her son.

Guyette originally told Juliet Santoro that her son was mature enough to sign the contract and that he'd have to follow its terms for a refund: Paying six monthly payments of $44 and then a $199.99 cancellation fee.

However, an attorney general's office investigator told Juliet Santoro on Friday that her son's contract had been voided and the cancellation fee waived. The investigator also said she would look into a refund for money the Santoros already had paid.

-- Laura Gunderson

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Oregon AG suggests Islands Tanning change its contract to meet consumer laws

Fires on Spain's Canary Islands force 4,700 evacuations

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Wildfires raging on the Spanish Canary Islands of La Gomera and Tenerife have forced the evacuation of more than 4,700 people in two days, the regional government said Saturday.

Firefighters battling the blazes on the islands off Morocco were up against "high temperatures, low humidity and wind" that fanned the flames, said regional economy minister Javier Gonzalez Ortiz.

A pitiless heatwave originating from north Africa that follows Spain's driest winter in seven decades has shown no sign of letting up, and fires were also raging in the mainland Galicia region.

On La Gomera, the most devastating fires in a decade have ravaged some 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of land, including about one-tenth of the Garajonay nature reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site.

About 2,500 people from 13 villages in the island's west and southwest were evacuated as a precaution, the regional government said in a statement.

On the other Canaries island of Tenerife, more than 2,200 people were moved from their homes.

"The fires are still burning on three fronts," an emergency services spokesman said earlier. "There is no positive change for the moment."

Water-dropping aircraft again flew missions Saturday as blazes erupted anew in the Garajonay reserve, home to rare subtropical forests which boasts 450 plant species, including eight found only in the park.

Ventura del Carmen Rodriguez, the island's environment secretary, said last week it would take 30-40 years for Garajonay's burned areas to recover.

Three more villages were evacuated after 300 people fled their homes to safety on Friday, as roads leading to the affected areas were cut off.

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Fires on Spain's Canary Islands force 4,700 evacuations

Cayman Islands scraps expat tax plan

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Unpopular proposal to tax expatriates in the Cayman Islands has been dropped.

The Cayman Islands has axed a plan to tax foreign workers that sparked widespread outrage.

Residents of the British Caribbean territory, which famously imposes no direct taxes, were shocked when the government announced the introduction of a 10 per cent community enhancement fee on the income of foreign workers earning over 15,300 (later lifted to 27,600).

Premier McKeeva Bush said the tax was imperative to help Cayman tackle its financial problems. But both expats and locals expressed concern that it was not only unfair, but could damage the Islands' status as one the of the worlds leading offshore financial centres.

After nearly two weeks of vigorous campaigning by islanders, a statement was issued by Mr Bush confirming the tax was off the table and will not be implemented.

In a meeting on Wednesday, he identified other sources of revenue which were likely to be brought in to replace the expat tax, including raised work permit fees and property stamp duties.

Robyn Larkin, an American expat living on the Islands, was one of many expats celebrating the demise of the plan. I am glad to hear that the expat tax is off the table, she said. "Cayman is my home, no matter where I was born, and I want to see this community prosper, not suffer as it has since this tax was announced.

In 2009, official statistics showed that there were nearly 23,000 foreigners living in the Cayman islands, comprising 41 per cent of the population. A significant number work in the two pillars of the Islands economy, finance and tourism.

The Cayman Islands Real Estate Brokers Association said that the tax would have meant giving up "the single-most important value proposition that the Cayman Islands has to offer our investors no direct taxation" and would see the territory lose out to its competitors.

The Cayman Islands has long been the worlds most important hedge fund location, and is the fifth biggest banking centre. A combination of the financial crisis and alleged government overspending however has seen it struggle to balance the books in recent years.

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Japan to take islands dispute with Korea to international court

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TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan said on Saturday it will take the long-running islands territorial dispute with South Korea to the International Court of Justice, after South Korean President Lee Myung-bak made a surprise visit to the islands this week. The islands, known as Takeshima in Japan and Dokdo in South Korea, lie equidistant from the two mainlands and are believed to contain frozen natural gas ...

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Hilltop health care center delayed over funds

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Even a parade of politicians apparently isnt enough to get construction moving on a major new health care center in Tacomas Hilltop neighborhood.

Its been four months since dignitaries and officeholders including U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell and U.S. Rep. Norm Dicks gathered under a rain-soaked tent to break ground for Community Health Cares Hilltop Regional Health Care Center.

But the site for the $26-million, three-story medical building at 1202 Martin Luther King Jr. Way remains a weed-choked lot with neither an excavator nor a bulldozer in sight.

Blame the complications of the exotic financing that Community Health Care is using to get the job done, said Community Health President David Flentge.

We have finished the architect selection and weve named a contractor, but weve still got some work to do on the details of the financing, Flentge said this week.

The health care provider is using a combination of state and federal grants, private and foundation funding and tax credits to raise the funds needed to build the center.

The tax credits are the most complex instruments used to gather the funds. And final issues concerning those credits are still being finished, said Flentge.

Federal law allows health care facilities in certain low-income areas such as Hilltop to sell tax credits, which corporations can use to reduce their income taxes. In return, the health care facilities receive money from those banks or corporations.

Flentge said the health care concerns revised schedule calls for a construction start on Sept. 18 with building completion next summer.

The original schedule had projected completion next spring.

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Hilltop health care center delayed over funds

The health care law's tax hikes are coming: Who pays?

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The health care law's tax hikes are coming: Who pays?

By Connie Cass Saturday, August 11, 2012 12:11 AM EDT

Associated Press

WASHINGTON Who gets thumped by higher taxes in President Barack Obama's health care law? The wealthiest 2 percent of Americans will take the biggest hit, starting next year. And the pain will be shared by some who aren't so well off people swept up in a hodgepodge of smaller tax changes that will help finance health coverage for millions in need.

For the vast majority of people, however, the health care law won't mean sending more money to the IRS.

And roughly 20 million people eventually will benefit from tax credits that start in 2014 to help them pay insurance premiums.

The tax increases plus a mandate that nearly everyone have health coverage are helping make the law an election-year scorcher. Obama is campaigning on the benefits for the uninsured, women and young adults. His rival, Mitt Romney, and Republican lawmakers are vowing to repeal "Obamacare," saying some health care reforms are needed but not at this cost.

Lots of the noise is about the financial consequences for people who decline to get coverage and businesses that don't offer their workers an adequate health plan. Some 4 million individuals without insurance are expected to pay about $55 billion over eight years, according to the Congressional Budget Office's estimates. Employers could be dinged an estimated $106 billion for failing to meet the mandate, which starts in 2014.

But that mandate money, whether it's called taxes or penalties, is overwhelmed by other taxes, fees and shrunken tax breaks in the law. These other levies could top $675 billion over the next 10 years, under the CBO's projections of how much revenue the government would lose if the law were repealed.

The biggest chunk is in new taxes on the nation's top 2 percent of earners some $318 billion over a decade.

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The health care law's tax hikes are coming: Who pays?

Health plan CEO touts reform, makes waves with Regence BlueCross BlueShield, others

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On this sunny August afternoon, joggers and cyclists pass by Mark Ganz as he strolls along the Willamette River in downtown Portland, a missionary preaching about health care.

Doctors used to be like his father, a family practitioner. "He spent a lot of time with his patients," Ganz says. But when the retired doctor got sick a decade ago, his own physicians missed symptoms of bone marrow cancer until it was too late. Today's time-pressed health providers don't have the same "human touch," he says.

Ganz, a trim 51-year-old in light chinos, is in a position to change that; he's the CEO over Regence BlueCross BlueShield, one of Oregon's largest health plans. Ganz's reform agenda has transformed the staid nonprofit into an aggressive health services conglomerate whose internal literature states it is "positioning to win."

Changes in federal health laws are barreling down on his industry and the country at large that espouse the same goals Ganz has advocated for years: better care, eliminate waste.

"His philosophy and ideal is that if we want to change the world we have to change ourselves first," says Louis Machuca, a board member for Cambia Health Solutions, the parent company of Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon and counterparts in Washington, Utah and Idaho. Ganz heads Cambia as well.

Regence is breaking new ground with award-winning technologies aimed at helping consumers understand the true costs of services, says Ganz. Health care should work more like other industries, he adds, which is why he brought executives from Nordstroms and Starbucks onto his board of directors.

Not everyone appreciates Ganz's efforts. In recent years, the company once considered the conscience of the region's health insurers has steadily lost members, raised rates and become a lightning rod for complaints over slashed benefits.

Some fear the changes Ganz is leading threaten to undermine federal reforms, rather than further them.

Critics "don't understand what we're doing," says Ganz. "I find it interesting that people would be quick to criticize the current health care system, and then when a player like us steps forward and says 'We are willing to change, we are willing to challenge our long-held business model to achieve a greater good,' that we would be criticized.

"In fact, I'm proud of it," he says.

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Health plan CEO touts reform, makes waves with Regence BlueCross BlueShield, others

Health care reform law's tax hikes are coming: Who pays?

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WASHINGTON Who gets thumped by higher taxes in President Barack Obama's health care law? The wealthiest 2 percent of Americans will take the biggest hit, starting next year. And the pain will be shared by some who aren't so well off people swept up in a hodgepodge of smaller tax changes that will help finance health coverage for millions in need.

For the vast majority of people, however, the health care law won't mean sending more money to the Internal Revenue Service.

And roughly 20 million people eventually will benefit from tax credits that start in 2014 to help them pay insurance premiums.

The tax increases plus a mandate that nearly everyone have health coverage are helping make the law an election-year scorcher. Obama is campaigning on the benefits for the uninsured, women and young adults. His rival, Mitt Romney, and Republican lawmakers are vowing to repeal "Obamacare," saying some health care reforms are needed but not at this cost.

Lots of the noise is about the financial consequences for people who decline to get coverage and businesses that don't offer their workers an adequate health plan. Some 4 million individuals without insurance are expected to pay about $55 billion over eight years, according to the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office's estimates. Employers could be dinged an estimated $106 billion for failing to meet the mandate, which starts in 2014.

But that mandate money, whether it's called taxes or penalties, is overwhelmed by other taxes, fees and shrunken tax breaks in the law. These other levies could top $675 billion over the next 10 years, under the CBO's projections of how much revenue the government would lose if the law were repealed.

The biggest chunk is in new taxes on the nation's top 2 percent of earners some $318 billion over a decade.

Other major taxes are aimed at the health care industry, and some of that cost is sure to be passed along to consumers as higher prices.

A rundown of the most significant tax changes and who pays:

The 2 Percent

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Health care reform law's tax hikes are coming: Who pays?

Cancer Cure Close, Liu Says

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BAR HARBOR Advances in genetic medicine are proceeding at such a rapid clip that solutions to some of humanitys most intractable medical problems could be present within the decade, Jackson Laboratory President and CEO Edison Liu, M.D. said Monday. Dr. Liu was speaking before a crowd of 150 gathered at the Bar Harbor Club for the annual meeting of the Mount Desert Island Hospital.

If we can push the envelope, we will cure cancer by the year 2020, Dr. Liu said in his keynote address. If Jackson Lab, on the little island on MDI, can win the Nobel Prize, we can beat breast cancer.

Advances in technology and in knowledge of the human genome have risen so much in the past decade that what we imagined just a few years ago is now reality, Dr. Liu said.

Today, we have high-resolution understanding of your genetics and your genome. We dont have to guess anymore, he said. We havent seen anything like this since the development of the motherboard in electronics.

In typical cancer treatment, a 30 percent response rate is considered a good outcome. But, with the growing ability to tailor drugs to each individual, the field of personalized medicine now promises the ability to increase that rate greatly, if not eliminate mortality from the disease altogether.

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Cancer Cure Close, Liu Says

Freedom Dominate Crushers in Series Opening Win

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August 10, 2012 - Frontier League (FL) Florence Freedom Avon, OH-The Florence Freedom(41-35) put together a fourteen hit attack and registered a 9-3 win over the Lake Erie Crushers(42-34)on a chilly Friday night at All Pro Freight Stadium.

Freedom starter Brent Choban(1-1) earned his first pro victory by pitching 6 strong innings of 8 hit baseball while striking out two. The only runs he gave up was a three run double in the 6th to Daniel Bowman with the Freedom already leading at the time 9-0.

The Freedom built a 3-0 advantage against Crusher starter Eric Gonzalez(6-7) in the 3rd. Kyle Bluestein led off the inning with a single. Two batters later it was David Harris belting his 9th homerun of the season to put the Freedom ahead 2-0. Junior Arrojo who reached on an error also scored on a wild pitch in the inning.

The Freedom then put the game out of reach in the 5th. The Freedom did all of their scoring with two outs in the inning. Peter Fatse drew a walk, later stole second and scored on an RBI single by Eddie Rodriguez to make it 4-0. Then Jim Jacquot came through with an RBI single to push the lead to 5-0. John Malloy followed with a two run single for a 7-0 advantage. Bluestein and Harris also added RBI singles in the inning to give the Freedom a commanding 9-0 lead.

Harris finished the game 2-4 with 3 RBI, while Bluestein and Drew Rundle each had three hits apiece.

The Freedom and Crushers continue their series Saturday night as Florence will send LHP Andres Caceres(7-3, 4.21) to the mound. The Crushers will counter with RHP Pat Arnold(3-2,3.79) The game can be heard starting at 6:50 on Real Talk 1160 AM and realtalk1160.com.

Discuss this story on the Frontier League message board... Digg this story Add to Del.icio.us

The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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Freedom Dominate Crushers in Series Opening Win

Testing finds toxic algae at some Manitoba beaches

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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

By: Staff Writer

Posted: 08/10/2012 5:45 PM | Comments: (including replies)

LAURIE BAILEY / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES Enlarge Image

Blue-green algae washes onto a Lake Winnipeg beach in a 2010 file photo.

Water testing this week shows E. coli levels within recreational water quality guidelines at all beaches monitored by safety inspectors.

Algal blooms were reported at a number of beaches over the past week.

A news release from Manitoba Conservation and Water Stewardship advised people to avoid swimming in water where severe algal blooms are visible and to prevent pets from drinking water along the shoreline.

At Killarney Lake beach and on Pelican Lake (at Ninette and Pleasant Valley beaches), the number of blue-green algal cells and the concentration of the algal toxin microcystin were above the recreational-water-quality guideline. A toxic-algae advisory has been posted at all three beaches to let swimmers know cyanobacteria toxins have been observed and drinking, swimming or other contact with the water is not recommended.

At Hillside Beach on Lake Winnipeg, the number of blue-green algae cells was above the recreational-water-quality guideline on Aug. 7. The concentration of the algal toxin microcystin was below the recreational-water-quality guideline.

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Testing finds toxic algae at some Manitoba beaches

South Mississippi beaches called 'amazing' by USA Today

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AMANDA McCOY/SUN HERALDThe sun sets as beachgoers enjoy the sand and surf in Gulfport. USA Today has named the beach along the Mississippi Coast one of the most amazing American beaches.

AMANDA McCOY SUN HERALDBuy Photo

BILOXI -- USA Today has named the beach along the Mississippi Coast one of the most amazing American beaches.

The newspaper Friday listed 20 of the best beaches in the U.S., and Coast beaches are listed alongside those in Hawaii, Florida, Massachusetts and South Carolina.

"Although Hurricane Katrina badly damaged Biloxi in 2005, the white-sand beaches have largely been redeveloped and revitalized," the article said. "And with luxury casino resorts, golf courses and world-class seafood restaurants, the area earns Mississippi Gulf Coast its nickname of 'the playground of the South.'"

Chuck Loftis, director of the Harrison County Sand Beach Department, said he didn't know about the designation but was pleased.

"That's fantastic," he said Friday. "Great news. We can always use positive news."

The article didn't say what criteria were used to choose the beaches but did urge readers to "check out these 20 awe-inspiring beaches that America has to offer, from Alaska to Washington state (and nearly everywhere in between)."

The other beaches on the list include Shell Island and Fort Zachary Taylor in Florida; Anini Beach and Lanikai Beach in Hawaii; Natural Bridges State Beach in Santa Cruz, Calif.; Cannon Beach in Oregon; Old Orchard Beach in Maine; Secret Cove in Lake Tahoe, Nev.; Montauk Point State Park in New York; Isla Bianca Park in South Padre Island, Texas; Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan; Aquinnah Cliffs in Martha's Vineyard; Second Beach in Washington; Leigh Lake in Wyoming; Folly Beach in South Carolina; Icy Strait Point in Alaska; Presque Isle State Park, Pennsylvania; Children's Pool Beach, La Jolla, Calif.; and Harkers Island in North Carolina.

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Scientists integrating multiple organ-on-chip systems to mimic the whole human body

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Wyss Institute researchers and a multidisciplinary team of collaborators seek to build and link 10 human organs-on-chips to mimic whole body physiology. The system will incorporate the Institute's Human Lung-on-a-Chip (top) and Human Gut-on-a-Chip (bottom).

The Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University today announced that it has entered into a Cooperative Agreement worth up to $37 million with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to develop an automated instrument that integrates 10 human organs-on-chips to study complex human physiology outside the body. This effort builds on the Institute's past breakthroughs in which Institute researchers engineered microchips that recapitulate the microarchitecture and functions of living organs, such as the lung, heart, and intestine. Each individual organ-on-chip is composed of a clear flexible polymer -- about the size of a computer memory stick -- that contains hollow microfluidic channels lined by living human cells. Because the microdevices are translucent, they provide a window into the inner-workings of human organs without having to invade a living body.

With this new DARPA funding, Institute researchers and a multidisciplinary team of collaborators seek to build 10 different human organs-on-chips, to link them together to more closely mimic whole body physiology, and to engineer an automated instrument that will control fluid flow and cell viability while permitting real-time analysis of complex biochemical functions. As an accurate alternative to traditional animal testing models that often fail to predict human responses, this instrumented "human-on-a-chip" will be used to rapidly assess responses to new drug candidates, providing critical information on their safety and efficacy.

Several U.S. agencies are working together to help safeguard Americans from deliberate chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear threats, as well as from emerging infectious diseases, by drastically accelerating the drug development process. As an example, DARPA, the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are actively collaborating to develop cutting edge technologies to predict drug safety. The Wyss project was selected under the DARPA Defense Sciences Office (DSO) Microphysiological Systems Program and will be administered through a Cooperative Agreement by the Army Research Office (ARO) and DARPA.

This unique platform could help ensure that safe and effective therapeutics are identified sooner, and ineffective or toxic ones are rejected early in the development process. As a result, the quality and quantity of new drugs moving successfully through the pipeline and into the clinic may be increased, regulatory decision-making could be better informed, and patient outcomes could be improved.

Jesse Goodman, FDA Chief Scientist and Deputy Commissioner for Science and Public Health, commented that the automated human-on-chip instrument being developed "has the potential to be a better model for determining human adverse responses. FDA looks forward to working with the Wyss Institute in its development of this model that may ultimately be used in therapeutic development."

Provided by Harvard University

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Scientists integrating multiple organ-on-chip systems to mimic the whole human body

Veteran rider Spitz wins silver in mountain bike

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HADLEIGH, England (AP) -- Sabine Spitz's longevity at the top of her sport was remarkable even before she won that silver medal in mountain bike in the bucolic English countryside.

The 40-year-old German rider failed to defend her mountain bike Olympic title Saturday, but her second-place finish was enough to make the veteran proud.

Spitz, who competed in her first world championships more than 15 years ago, won a third consecutive Olympic medal on the challenging Hadleigh Farm course, gaining praise from her younger rivals.

"Now I have my Olympic collection of three different medals, so it's perfect," said Spitz, a bronze medalist in Athens. "I always had a medal on my mind."

Spitz's aging legs did not betray her. But after a good start to the race, she crashed over a technical section of the course called "the rock garden," which also slowed up bronze medalist Georgia Gould of the United States and left eventual winner Julie Bresset of France alone at the front.

"In the fourth lap, when I went over the handlebar, I hurt my knee a bit," Spitz said. "That broke my rhythm for a short time. Thank God nothing was wrong with the bike, so I could keep on going. But Julie was too strong today."

Competing in her fourth Olympics, Spitz was the oldest competitor of the field.

"She was really amazing today," British rider Annie Last said after crossing the line nearly two minutes behind Spitz. Last, who ended eighth after being tipped a contender for a medal, was a 5-year-old girl when Spitz took part in her first world championships in 1995.

"She is very experienced and today she knew exactly what to do at the right time," she said.

Spitz, a versatile athlete who also holds a cyclo-cross world title, went all out in the final lap and crossed the line six seconds ahead of Gould.

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Veteran rider Spitz wins silver in mountain bike

Chandra Wilson, Kevin McKidd to direct more 'Grey's Anatomy' episodes

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Chandra Wilson and Kevin McKidd are to direct new episodes of Grey's Anatomy, it has been announced.

The duo are set to helm upcoming episodes of the ABC medical drama's ninth season, reports TV Line

Wilson will mark her seventh time in the directing chair, while it will be the fourth time for McKidd, who voiced Lord MacGuffin in Pixar's latest animated film Brave.

The last episodes directed by the stars aired during season eight - McKidd helming episode 21 and Wilson overseeing episode 22.

Grey's Anatomy's ninth season will see the return of its series regulars with the exception of Eric Dane, Chyler Leigh and Kim Raver.

Grey's Anatomy will return on Thursday, September 27 on ABC.

Watch a clip from season eight of Grey's Anatomy below (US only):

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Chandra Wilson, Kevin McKidd to direct more 'Grey's Anatomy' episodes

Chandra Wilson, Kevin McKidd to direct more 'Grey's Anatomy' episodes

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Chandra Wilson and Kevin McKidd are to direct new episodes of Grey's Anatomy, it has been announced.

The duo are set to helm upcoming episodes of the ABC medical drama's ninth season, reports TV Line

Wilson will mark her seventh time in the directing chair, while it will be the fourth time for McKidd, who voiced Lord MacGuffin in Pixar's latest animated film Brave.

The last episodes directed by the stars aired during season eight - McKidd helming episode 21 and Wilson overseeing episode 22.

Grey's Anatomy's ninth season will see the return of its series regulars with the exception of Eric Dane, Chyler Leigh and Kim Raver.

Grey's Anatomy will return on Thursday, September 27 on ABC.

Watch a clip from season eight of Grey's Anatomy below (US only):

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Chandra Wilson, Kevin McKidd to direct more 'Grey's Anatomy' episodes

Nanotechnology Comes to TedTalks, with Mixed Results

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For all the TEDTalks that there have been, few have adequately addressed the topic of nanotechnology, with the possible exception of Bill Joys ironic path from nanotechnology doomsayer to cheerleader.

That is why when I saw that venture capitalist and Nanoholdings CEOJustin Hall-Tippinghad been given a forum to discuss nanotechnology for the illustrious TedTalks last year, I had to give a listen (see video below).

Hall-Tipping did not disappoint. As you will see in the video, he provides all the gee-whiz nanotech applications one could hope for and throws in some emotion to pull at our heartstrings.

Hall-Tipping highlights three technologies in the video that, as he explains, exhibit exquisite control over the electron and could change our current energy paradigmwhich, according to his calculations, is doomed to ultimate failure. Two of the technologies come from research originated at the University of Florida; the third comes from the University of Texas at Dallas.

Hall-Tipping says that one of the technologies developed at the University of Florida will result in a world that doesnt need artificial light to illuminate our nights. In this case, I believe he is referring to the work of Prof. Franky So, developer of lightweight night-vision technologies. Thats great, but if Hall-Tipping really expects that nearly ubiquitous night-vision capabilities are going to spell the end for artificial light, I think he may have overstated his point.

The other University of Florida technology that Hall-Tipping highlights uses carbon nanotubes embedded in transparent polymer films to absorb the suns energy and release it indoors during the winter. And as Hall-Tipping describes it, the same film will flip it back in the summer, preventing solar energy from heating living spaces when you want to keep things cool. This application seems to be built around the work of John Reynolds and Andrew Rinzler.I suppose this work could be adapted to collect solar power and reflect away sunlight, but I would like to see some figures on energy conversion efficiency before I start disconnecting myself from the grid.

In the final technology, from the University of Texas at Dallas, nanomaterials (of the carbon nanotube variety,we assume) enable a device that, according to Hall-Tipping, can park an electron on the outside, hold it until it's needed, and then to release it and pass it off. The machine that accomplishes this electron parking, dubbed eBox, has apparently been around since 2009. A prototype has been running for over a yearwithout, it seems, any effort to commercialize it.

Later in the video, Hall-Tipping makes the cogent point that water shortages are already becoming acute around the world and that energy-intensive desalination is a problematic solution based our current energy paradigm. But removing the grid, or depending on solar power to change the dynamics, seems to be missing the point of a lot of nanotech research related to desalination. I suppose Hall-Tippings company is not backing those horses.

Finally, Hall-Tipping makes his concerns about water shortages personal when he reveals a photograph that he has carried with him for the last 18 years; in it, a young girl in the Sudan is dying of thirst. A truly heart-wrenching image, and as Hall-Tipping says, one that should never happen. But maybe that girl would have been better served by rather simple nanotech-based solutions for providing clean drinking water instead of reinventing the electrical grid.

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Nanotechnology Comes to TedTalks, with Mixed Results