Monthly Archives: October 2012

Kansas Man Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud

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A former executive with a Topeka-based non-profit corporation has pleaded guilty to scheming to steal more than $2 million in Medicaid funds

From about 2007 to 2011, Sellers was involved with several Topeka area sports teams. In addition to billing Kansas Health Solutions for sports equipment and uniforms for sports teams, Sellers used some of the stolen money to build and furnish a $375,000, 3,755-sq. ft. home on 11 acres in Lyndon, Kansas.

Medicaid funds are state and federal money that were administered in Kansas by the Kansas Health Policy Authority and the Kansas Department of Health And Environment, Division of Healthcare Finance. In order to manage community-based mental health services for Medicaid recipients, Kansas Medicaid contracted with Kansas Health Solutions in Topeka. Kansas Health Solutions was responsible for overseeing a provider network that provided all community-based health services covered under the contract with Kansas Medicaid.

Sentencing is set for January 17. The parties are recommending a sentence of three years in federal prison and restitution of more than $2 million.

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Kansas Man Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud

HSPH Study Suggests Health Care is a Deciding Factor for Voters

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Barack Obama wins three to one against Mitt Romney among those voters who say that health care is their primary concern, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health learned. Overall, with voters ranking health care as the second most important factor in determining their presidential choice for the first time since 1992, Obamas lead among that category of voters may prove significant.

With the passage of the Affordable Care Act, weve started a debate about one of the biggest pieces of health care legislation in U.S. history, said Robert J. Blendon, a School of Public Health professor who authored the study. Because its so large and so controversial, it really has become a voting issue.

Controversy over Obamas 2010 health care legislation, combined with campaign trail talk about Medicare policy, shifted voters attention to the issue of health care, Blendon said.

With Romney pledging to repeal Obamas Affordable Care Act and to follow his vice presidential candidate Paul D. Ryans plan to offer seniors a fixed voucher for either private insurance or Medicare, the divide between the candidates positions on health care seems stark.

Suddenly, you have two candidates representing vastly different policies on different elements of health care, and voters are taking notice and beginning to choose sides. Three times to one, that side was with Obama, Blendon said.

John M. Benson, a research scientist at the School of Public Health, said, We are always interested in what role health care has in the election. We wanted to, in this case, look at the issues that have been in the campaign, which would be the ACA, Ryans Medicare proposal, block grants for Medicaid, and more restrictions on abortionthe big four health care issues...and to look at the people who said health care and Medicare specifically was going to alter their vote.

To measure the significance of issues to the voters, Benson, Blendon, and their colleagues gathered polling data from citizens nationwide. After determining that a subject was registered and planning to vote in the 2012 election, poll administrators presented subjects with a list of issues: the economy and jobs, health care and Medicare, federal budget deficit and taxes, abortion, the war in Afghanistan, and immigration. They asked, What is your single top issue when it comes to your choice of a presidential candidate?

For 51 percent of the respondents, the economy and jobs was the most important issue. Health care and Medicare beat out the other options with 20 percent of votes.

Those who selected health care as their top issue were then presented with sets of issues that presidential candidates are talking about regarding nationwide health care and the candidates respective stances. Participants chose the specific decisions important to them.

The last time health care ranked as so many voters main concern was 20 years ago, when former President Bill Clinton ran in 1992 on implementing nationwide health insurance.

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HSPH Study Suggests Health Care is a Deciding Factor for Voters

2 Connecticut health care operators file RICO lawsuit

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By Rich Scinto, Register Staff rscinto@newhavenregister.com / Twitter: @rscinto_nhr

Healthbridge and CareOne jointly filed a RICO lawsuit against two Service Employees International Union affiliates just days before the union strike at five Connecticut nursing homes, including one in Milford, reaches its 100th day.

The companies claim United Healthcare Workers East, SEIU 1199 and New England Health Care Employees Union, District 1119 have engaged in a long-term pattern of sabotage, intimidation and other acts of extortion, according to a release from CareOne Management.

The nursing homes are in Danbury, Newington Stamford, Milford and Westport. About 700 strikers took to the picket lines in July to protest what they say are imposed labor concessions.

District 1199 representatives said the lawsuit is another desperate attack on union members.

The announcement of HealthBridges lawsuit against its own employees is just the latest in a series of aggressive actions by the company that has no basis in either fact or law, said David Pickus, president of SEIU District 1199 in a statement. HealthBridge has repeatedly filed charges at the labor board against the union that were then quietly withdrawn or dismissed.

The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Statute is a federal law enacted in 1970 as part of the Organized Crime Control Act.

It doesnt necessarily apply only to organized crime, but thats certainly the paradigm, said W. John Thomas, a professor in the School of Law at Quinnipiac University who specializes in health policy law.

Thomas said that RICO lawsuits arent unheard of in similar situations.

Its certainly an extreme tactic, Thomas said. Ive never seen it used successfully in this type of situation.

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2 Connecticut health care operators file RICO lawsuit

The Antidote To Your Burning Health Care Questions

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As we approach the presidential election in November, Weekend Edition is seeking your questions about issues and candidates in a new segment called Reporter Hotline. This week, we answer inquiries about health care.

Question from Bob Dunne of Cedar Park, Texas: "Why do you have to work to maintain health insurance? In other words, I know many people who won't quit their jobs because they're not working for the salary; they're working for the health insurance."

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Answer from NPR's Julie Rovner: "Well, you have to go back to World War II the U.S. had wage and price controls, but also a labor shortage because so many men were part of the war effort. So one of the ways employers started to differentiate themselves was by boosting benefits, and health insurance was one of those benefits they started offering. After the war, there was a huge boom in hospital building, so it made sense for more people to have hospital insurance, and our system kind of grew up as an employer-based one.

"By the time health care got so expensive that insurance was a real necessity rather than something that was just a nice fringe benefit, which was around the 1970s really we as a country were sort of settled into the idea of having that employer-based system. In fact, it was President Richard Nixon who first proposed the idea of getting everyone covered by requiring all employers to provide health insurance to their workers. That came in response to the Democrats' proposal of that same era to have a tax-funded insurance plan for everyone.

"Later on, the Democrats would pick up Nixon's idea and propose that so-called employer mandate. In response, Republicans came up with the idea of requiring individuals to have their own coverage, which is of course what ended up passing first in Massachusetts under then-Gov. Mitt Romney, and then in the Affordable Care Act, which we have today."

Question from Majal Perry of Monterey, Ky.: "I really want to know what each candidate's health care solution would specifically mean for me and other women like me, who are in their mid-20s, working, but low- to lower-mid-income and without insurance. How would their plans cover me should I ever choose to have children?"

Answer from Rovner: "Well, you're one of those people who would likely face a very stark difference between the two candidates' plans. Under the Affordable Care Act, starting in 2014, you'll likely be able to afford your own insurance through one of the health care exchanges, and you'll probably qualify for a subsidy. Insurance companies also won't be able to charge you more because you're a woman of child-bearing age, and they will have to cover maternity benefits. None of those things are true now.

"Gov. Romney hasn't told us enough about what he would do to replace the Affordable Care Act, which he wants to repeal, to know if he'd offer any of those same protections. He does have some proposals he said would improve competition and potentially lower prices for insurance for people like you, though."

Question from Patrisha Thomson of Los Angeles: "A social worker I know who works in the medical field was telling me that many doctors are not accepting Medicare patients because they're not receiving the amount of money that really makes it a reasonable income. I would be interested to know how prevalent that is. And if that's true, what has changed?"

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The Antidote To Your Burning Health Care Questions

Freedom Networks Settles With FatPipe Networks

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SALT LAKE CITY, UT--(Marketwire - Oct 12, 2012) - FatPipe Networks announced that it has successfully settled a lawsuit against Freedom Networks, (www.frdmnetworks.com) of Salt Lake City, UT.Freedom's products were similar to one of FatPipe's products. In accordance with the settlement, Freedom Networks owned by Sammy Wong and Lee Steinlauf, of Salt Lake City, UT, has ceased to be in operation and has taken down its website.Freedom Networks has agreed that it will no longer conduct any new business and has paid financial compensation to FatPipe Networks.

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Freedom Networks Settles With FatPipe Networks

Freedom 49, Pittsburg 48

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In a battle that many anticipated might swing the balance of the Bay Valley Athletic League football landscape, the Freedom High football team outlasted host Pittsburg 49-48 on Friday.

A blocked PAT kick by Darrell Daniels with 3:30 left in the game proved the difference.

"I just went all out and dove and the ball hit my helmet," said Daniels, who had 143 yards from scrimmage and scored twice.

Pittsburg would get the ball back with 1:21 remaining and no timeouts, but an interception by Christian Montion sealed the win with 30 seconds to go.

It was a see-saw battle the entire game with both teams holding 14-point leads at one point. The Pirates (4-3, 1-1 BVAL) built a 42-28 second-half lead behind a rushing attack that gained over 360 yards and produced all seven of their touchdowns. Harris Ross lead the ground attack with 169 yards on 14 carries.

"We bent but didn't break," Freedom coach Kevin Hartwig said of his defense. "Well, we broke, but mended things back together in time to make a play at the end."

Freedom quarterback Dante Mayes broke the 42-42 tie with a 14-yard touchdown pass to Daniels with 7:28 left in the game. It was his fourth scoring pass of the night. The first three went to running back Joe Mixon, who also rushed for a score and threw for one out of the wildcat formation.

"It was a great game," Pittsburg coach Victor Galli said. "It's a big win for Freedom. They're a good football team. Disappointed

Neither team wasted anytime displaying its offensive prowess.

Despite Mayes -- the Falcons' regular starting quarterback -- beginning the game on the sidelines, Freedom (5-2, 2-0) took the opening possession and scored on a 38-yard end-around run by receiver Daniels after just six plays.

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Freedom 49, Pittsburg 48

Wooden 'Plyscrapers' new eco-friendly solution for future housing

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London, Oct 13 (ANI): Both architects and engineers are reviving the use of wood as a quick and eco-friendly solution to modern construction that produces large amount of carbon footprint.

The recent completion of an eight-storey wooden office block in Austria and a nine-storey residential block in London shows how the "plyscraper" are fast becoming a reality.

The LCT One building in Dornbirn, Austria, is a "hybrid" building that is made up of both wood and concrete and is designed by Austrian architectural firm Cree, the Daily Mail reported.

The building assembled from solid panels made off-site from layers of wood and other materials, has a central concrete core housing its lifts and utilities.

From a concrete foundation, vertical posts of glue-laminated wood (known as glulam) provide support to hybrid floor panels made from more glulam beams that are embedded in reinforced concrete.

Made from sticking together smaller pieces of wood to create structural elements with a higher tensile strength than steel, glulam can resist compression better than concrete, but weighs a lot less and is more sustainable.

The firm claims that prefabricating the glulam elements of the building off-site, cuts construction time by half and guarantees quality and slashes the carbon footprint of the buildings.

Nabih Tahan, an architect with Cree, told The Institute of Engineering and Technology, "We want to make buildings like car companies make cars, or computer companies make computers, using an industrial process and a systems approach."

"To get good performance out of buildings, you can't keep making them chaotically piece by piece on site, cutting things in the rain. You need to design them right and have a step-by-step organised process," he said.

British architects Waugh Thistleton calculated that they avoided producing nearly 125 tons of carbon dioxide in building in what is so far the world's tallest modern timber structure, a nine-storey Stadthaus building.

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Wooden 'Plyscrapers' new eco-friendly solution for future housing

Two sharks spotted near Perth beaches

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Two sharks were spotted near Perth beaches today. Picture: Supplied Source: The Daily Telegraph

A TAGGED great white shark has been detected off the coast near Ocean Reef.

The shark was detected by receivers three times between 2.50pm and 3.15pm this afternoon.

The beach remains open.

Meanwhile, the Fisheries Department reported the sighting of a three-metre shark about 50m off the coast of Secret Harbour this afternoon.

It is not known if it was a great white.

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Two sharks spotted near Perth beaches

Fall astronomy days at MOSH, FSCJ and Hanna Park

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Discover the universe at Florida State College of Jacksonvilles Fall Astronomy Day, expanded to cover two weekends.

7 p.m. Friday - Whats Up. Doc? with NASA Teacher-in-Space National Finalist Mike Reynolds, followed at 7:30 p.m. with a session on Jacksonvilles Round Marsh Crater with University of North Florida Professor Emeritus Jay Huebner, all in Room E104 at Florida State College Kent Campus, 3939 Roosevelt Blvd.

10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20 - Solar viewing at the Museum of Science and History, 1025 Museum Circle, with ongoing childrens activities. This is included with regular museum admission.

Stargazing at Hanna Park - 7 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 20 at the park at 500 Wonderwood Drive in Atlantic Beach. The city may charge a $3-per-car fee.

Winter Star Party - 7:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 26 at the Bryan-Gooding Planetarium at the Museum of Science and History, 1025 Museum Circle.

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Fall astronomy days at MOSH, FSCJ and Hanna Park

ISS^3 | Bad Astronomy

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Here’s a slice of weird: a photo taken by an astronaut on the International Space Station of three small cubes floating by: What could they be? Balok’s warning buoy? Tiny little Borg ships? The ISS trying to roll a crit 18? Nope. Those are CubeSats , small satellites about 10 cm (4 inches) on a side and having a mass up to a little over a kilo. Even though they’re teeny, they can be packed with ...

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ISS^3 | Bad Astronomy

Initiative to help solve unfilled jobs in aerospace industry

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An initiative announced Friday aims to solve an ironic problem with Ohios economy in spite of high unemployment rates there are more than 10,000 unfilled jobs in the states aerospace industry.

Wright State University will be home to the Aerospace Professional Development Center, a first-of-its-kind outreach initiative in Ohio to train, educate and attract skilled workers into the ranks of the aerospace industry, officials said Friday.

Ohio has more than 10,700 unfilled jobs in the aerospace and defense-related industries, according to state Sen. Chris Widener, R-Springfield.

The Aerospace Professional Development Center will close that gap, Wright State University President David R. Hopkins said at a press conference Friday that unveiled the initiative.

The university will spend $8 million in state funding on the initiative gained through casino license fees.

The focus on jobs arrives at a time when other states, particularly Georgia and Alabama, have competed aggressively to attract aerospace work from Ohio, Widener said.

Our claim today is you better step up because you cant have our aerospace industry jobs, he said.

The aerospace and defense sector counts 100,000 workers and 1,200 companies in Ohio alone, officials said.

Aerospace firms face an aging workforce with one estimate that about half of the employees at the top 20 firms nationwide will be eligible for retirement by 2016, according to an Aerospace Industries Association official.

At the same time, economic development leaders have pinned their hopes on the Miami Valley becoming a leader in the burgeoning unmanned aerial vehicle industry.

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Initiative to help solve unfilled jobs in aerospace industry

WSU Neurology department researches cocaine withdrawal

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Some scientists in the WSU Neurology department are addicted to drug abuse research, like researcher Bradley Winters.

In his latest science fix, Winters affirmed a cellular factor for the emotional slumps and lack of motivation experienced by cocaine addicts in withdrawal.

Winters has been researching the effects of cocaine on emotions for several years, and recently published a paper in the science journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Science.

Its a very good piece of research being published in really prestigious journals, said Steve Simasko, WSU director of neurology.

Winters research focuses on cells in a region of the brain, the nucleus accumbens, that helps translate emotional drives into motivation for action. That region is strongly affected by drug abuse and is ultimately responsible for the all-encompassing need that addicts feel to get more of the drug.

The nucleus accumbens is the input region of the brain for what is called the Basal Ganglia system, which governs action selection by filtering out unwanted options for any given action or response. In some ways, it determines what we do.

The region adds what Winters calls the emotional flavor to the nervous system.

Its how your emotions affect the way you think and what you do throughout the day, he said.

He focused on cells that produced a molecule called the Cannabanoid Receptor 1 (CB1), which is most famous for being the cell type activated by smoking marijuana, Winters said.

We knew that the cells that expressed CB1 were important because of the effects marijuana has on mood, Winters said.

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WSU Neurology department researches cocaine withdrawal

10 things medical schools won’t tell you

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By Jonnelle Marte

How a spoonful of bullying, plus a heaping pile of debt, helps turn students into doctors.

By the time most medical school students are assisting in hospitals shadowing the doctors they aspire to someday become many are well-accustomed to being pushed around, yelled at, or called derogatory names.Such incidents arent new, but with the med student population only growing (admissions are up 17% since 2002, with schools working to address a projected shortage of 90,000 doctors by 2020), cracking down on the problem has becoming a matter of increasing urgency. Especially in cases of more severe abuse: A survey conducted this year by the Association of American Medical Colleges, or AAMC, 33% of students said they were publicly humiliated at least once during medical school, 15% said they were the object of sexist remarks and 9% said they were required to run errands for doctors.

And a study released this year by the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA found that despite several efforts by the school to hold bullying awareness workshops for third-year students (who bear the brunt of the mistreatment, because thats when they begin working in hospitals with medical residents and doctors) and to warn residents and teachers about the consequences of such actions, the abuse has persisted, with more than half of students surveyed between 1996 and 2008 reporting some form of mistreatment. Part of the problem, says Joyce Fried, assistant dean at the school of medicine, is that even though the school takes steps, such as waiting until after grades are awarded before launching investigations, to prevent retaliation toward students who come forward, many are still afraid to do so.

What should you look for in picking a primary-care doctor? The industry expects some movement among patients and doctors due to full implementation of the federal health overhaul. Anna Mathews has details on Lunch Break. Photo: Getty Images.

For its part, the AAMC is trying to keep an eye out for abuse: When students finally graduate from medical school, the AAMC typically sends them a questionnaire, which it recently updated to ask more specific questions about bullying. Additionally, president Darrell Kirch posted a letter to the AAMC website in September expressing concern that exposure to bullying could negatively impact a doctors future interactions with patients.

Student advocates say they also worry that such treatment often squelches a students desire to enter the field or worse yet instills a sense of fear among young doctors that could prevent them from challenging colleagues when errors are made or from trying new approaches to improve care. Theyre overworked and treated unkindly by people who are supposed to be teaching them, says Diane Pinakiewicz, president of the National Patient Safety Foundation, adding that those doctors often go on to mistreat other students when they begin to teach. Were trying to break the cycle.

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10 things medical schools won’t tell you

Ground broken for WMU medical school

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KALAMAZOO, Mich. (WOOD) - A groundbreaking ceremony occurred Friday morning for the new Western Michigan University medical school.

The school has been granted preliminary accreditation from the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the national accrediting body for educational programs leading to the MD degree.

"This is an important step because we now have the go-ahead to recruit students for our first class to begin in August 2014," Dr. Hal B. Jenson, MD, MBA, told the ceremony's crowd.

The medical school is a collaboration involving WMU and Kalamazoo's two teaching hospitals -- Borgess Health and Bronson Healthcare. It has been in planning since 2008.

In December 2011, William U. Parfet, chairman and CEO of MPI Research in Mattawan, donated the 320,000 square-foot building to WMU to be used by the new medical school.

In March 2011, WMU received a gift of $100 million for the medical school from anonymous donors.

The seven-story building at 300 Portage St. in Kalamazoo is located at the heart of the new W.E. Upjohn Campus. A $68 million renovation and expansion project is scheduled to be completed by May 2014, with 30,000 more square feet to be added to the building.

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WMU School of Medicine building stat sheet (pdf)

WMU School of Medicine future floor plans (pdf)

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Ground broken for WMU medical school

Beautifying the bizarre

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Artist Anil Goswami celebrates the flamboyant spirit of good old denim with a designer touch

Uninitiated into the design component of art, the visitors at the recently concluded United Art Fair (UAF) in the Capital overlooked an impressive work of art two mammoth-sized human skulls, a male and a female, positioned on either side of a giant glossy stainless steel wheel. The wheel had 16 partitions and the biggest one at the centre played the divider for the skulls.

The heads, albeit raw and apparently grotesque, possessed twinkling eyes. They wore pieces of denim all over them cut in spiral shapes. The denim is predominantly of various shades of blue followed by grey and black. The male skull wore playing cards symbols on its teeth, and the female, blood red and pink hearts. She was embellished with nose pins and rings piecing into her eyebrow as well. The spiral denim, pasted on the skull, was also anchored at a couple of places with art pins that served as added ornamentation.

The skull duo, paradoxically titled Immortality is designed by a 35-year-old Delhi-based Santiniketan student Anil Goswami to symbolise the Denim Festival organised by corporate entity DLF sometime ago. It made its entry into UAFs Sculpture Park section by the virtue of its uniqueness.

Mr. Goswami, who holds a post-graduate degree in Conservation and Restoration from National Museum Institute, New Delhi, explains the philosophy and engineering of his work, I was asked to make a work of art celebrating the flamboyant youth, both male and female, and the spirit of denim. Brain is the most important part of the human body; so I decided to show it through the skull. Its a terrific brain that innovated with denim and influenced the youth.

By using playing card symbols on the male skulls teeth, the artist has embellished the skulls with a character of their own. It represents the males gambling attitude, especially towards his career and often in matters of the heart, and pasted the heart shaped denims on the female skulls set of teeth to symbolise a womans emotional quotient.

Mr. Goswami had been experimenting with Celtic art, tattoos and the concept of spiral in literature and philosophy. Influenced by the spiral and its deeper meaning relating to lifes ups and down, in his work he cut denim in spirals and used light and dark shades of the fabric to represent the gloomy and glinting phases of life.

As a designer, he needed to be careful about the balance of colour, design, symmetry of the skull and weight. The skulls, as big as 13x8 feet in size, had to be weighed and balanced with 13 feet wheels only. He made 16 partitions within the wheel and metaphorically described them as peher or slots of the day or the power of time. So the overall meaning of the designer art roughly conveys that the human brain that made a terrific fabric is dear to all age groups and all genders at all times. It took him six months to conceptualise and two months to execute his work. He used 40 meters of denim for the entire work. I even cut my own jeans when I fell short of raw fabric, he says.

This kind of art, however, has its drawbacks. When its time-bound purpose is over, it is sent back to its maker/designer, and then there are no takers. Having admirers of such works is one thing but promoting them in public or art spaces is a different aspect altogether, the designer admits.

DLF sent the works to the fair for a resale, says Mr. Goswami. It went through an unplanned auction with no takers. Till there are any, it is installed outside Kiran Nadar Museum near Mehrauli, a DLF property in Delhi.

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Beautifying the bizarre

Jermichael Finley: Aaron Rodgers chemistry lacking

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Tight end Jermichael Finley began the 2010 season as the featured receiver in the Green Bay Packers' offense. Then he was lost for the year with a knee injury in Week 5.

Things haven't been the same since.

Finley's 2011 season was plagued by drops during a contract year for the matchup nightmare. The Packers' scheme also reduced the emphasis on Finley. With an extension signed, Packers fans hoped Finley would blossom and reach his Pro Bowl potential in 2012. The Green Bay offense, however, has taken a step back as a unit.

Finley believes the chemistry with quarterback Aaron Rodgers is lacking.

"I need the quarterback on my side, and I need to catch the ball when he throws it to me," Finley said, according to the Green Bay Press-Gazette. "It takes two things to get that going. So, the chemistry, I feel like we need to get that going."

Finley has 22 receptions for 198 yards and one touchdown this season. He is on pace for a career-high 70 catches, but his yards per game is down from 2011 (39.6 from 47.9). He's on pace for three touchdowns after having a career-high eight last season.

Finley had three receptions for 11 yards last week before a "slightly dislocated AC joint" in his shoulder forced him from the game. He did not practice Thursday.

Harrison: Week 6 predictions

Finley called the chemistry between he and Rodgers "OK."

"Not good enough at all," Finley said. "Something to be worked on, and try to work on it as much as I can, try to talk to him as much as I can.

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Jermichael Finley: Aaron Rodgers chemistry lacking

Jermichael Finley cites chemistry issues with Aaron Rodgers

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Green Bay Packers tight end Jermichael Finley has a reputation in the teams locker room for being a player who speaks his mind freely.

Its worth wondering if Finley went a little overboard this time in comments that could come back to haunt him when discussing the struggles of the 2-3 Packers as they prepare for their showdown Sunday night with the unbeaten Texans in Houston.

According to Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin, Finley says chemistry is lacking in the Packers offense this season. Specifically, he says his chemistry with quarterback Aaron Rodgers needs work.

It's OK," Finley said, according to Imig. "Not good enough at all. Something to be worked on, and try to work on it as much as I can, try to talk to him as much as I can, but like I said, it takes two people.

I need the quarterback on my side, and I need to catch the ball when he throws it to me. So it takes two things to get that going, the chemistry. I feel we need to get that going."

Finley, who signed a contract extension in the offseason, isnt putting up the kind of numbers he has previously. Drops have plagued his game, as well, which must fall under a chemistry problem on his half.

"I think everybody's gotten lost in the (Rob) Gronkowski numbers and Jimmy Graham numbers, going for a K (1,000 yards) a year," Finley said of the leagues best tight ends a year ago. "I mean, that's unheard of. Five years ago, you'd get in the Pro Bowl (as a tight end) at 500 yards. It's just gotten lost.

"I think I'm doing fair. I think I'm doing well, doing what I'm supposed to do. I think I'm giving my all out on the field, for sure. I think I'm doing fair. I'm not doing the best I can do, of course, but hey, who said it was going to be a great year?"

Finley went on to give credit to Rodgers for taking ownership of the offenses struggles earlier this week during an appearance on ESPN Wisconsin. But then Finley went on to call the quarterback scared. Oops.

"I would say, first of all, that's a leader taking the blame on himself," Finley said. "That's what you're supposed to do as a player, like I would say it's on me. So you've got to check yourself. I think that's leadership.

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Jermichael Finley cites chemistry issues with Aaron Rodgers

Jay Inslee and Rob McKenna to Speak at the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association’s Governor’s Life Science …

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SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Chris Rivera, President of the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) announced today that Jay Inslee and Rob McKenna have been confirmed as speakers at the Governors Life Sciences Summit and Annual Meeting at the Meydenbauer Center in Bellevue, WA on Friday, October 26 - just days before the gubernatorial election. In his announcement, Mr. Rivera noted that with Governor Chris Gregoire and the gubernatorial candidates at the podium, attendance is expected to approach 1,000 executives from the life science industry throughout the Pacific Northwest, and demonstrates the importance of one of Washingtons largest and fastest growing job sectors.

In making the announcement, Mr. Rivera said, We are very excited to have Governor Chris Gregoire join us again as our keynote speaker. This will be the Governors 8th consecutive year keynoting the event, and her last as her second term comes to an end this year.

Governor Gregoire stated, I am looking forward to speaking once again at the WBBAs Governors Life Science Summit & Annual Meeting. Washington states life sciences community has some of the best researchers and organizations developing some of the greatest advancements in the field. While our state has seen tremendous growth in this industry, we know theres incredible possibility for further growth. By expanding our life sciences industry we are not only creating good jobs for Washingtonians, we are ultimately creating a healthier state and world.

The slate of speakers will also include life science industry leaders Clay Siegall, CEO, Seattle Genetics, Inc.; Brian Webster, CEO, Physio-Control, Inc.; and H. Stewart Parker, CEO, Infectious Disease Research Institute (IDRI).

Following the keynote speakers, Mr. Rivera will release the 4th Annual Life Sciences Economic Impact Report for the state of Washington. Past economic reports have contained critical information regarding the number of direct and indirect life sciences jobs in the state, growth numbers within the industry over the past year, and other important statistical information for one of the states largest industry sectors.

The program will conclude with the announcement of two major association awards: the WBBA Innovation Award for major success within the life science industry, and the WBBA Volunteer of the Year Award recognizing a member for his/her tireless work within the association over the years.

About the WBBA

The Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association (WBBA) has over 480 member organizations and is an independent, non-profit 501(c)(6) trade association serving the life sciences industry in the state of Washington. It is completely resourced and supported by its members, including organizations engaged in, or supportive of, research, development and commercialization of life science innovation.

The WBBAs Mission; Supporting Innovation to Realization. From breakthrough discoveries to better health solutions, drives its core strategic focus on;

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Jay Inslee and Rob McKenna to Speak at the Washington Biotechnology & Biomedical Association’s Governor’s Life Science ...

Hail to a scientist

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The first emotion, for those of us in North Carolina who havent just won the Nobel Prize in chemistry, is pride. We are proud to have Dr. Robert Lefkowitz of Duke University living and working in our midst. We are proud of what his achievements say about this areas intellectual climate and depth of scientific expertise.

Pride verges with respect and gratitude. The award to Lefkowitz which he shares with Stanfords Brian Kobilka, whom he mentored at Duke recognizes a career that reached the apex of achievement in medical research.

Over the years in his lab, he hammered away at riddles of cell biology and biochemistry in search of answers that would make medicines work more effectively. It was a dedication that must have been driven not only by the thrill of discovery but also by the physicians desire to ease peoples suffering.

In the process, Lefkowitz fulfilled the high calling of a professor of medicine training more than 200 other scientists such as Kobilka to make their own discoveries in their own labs. That Duke, where he has worked since 1973, proved to be a fertile and compatible home base is a great credit to the university, which for the first time can point to a Nobel awarded for work done on its campus.

It takes a special kind of environment to foster research at such a high level. North Carolina is fortunate indeed that the region we know as the Research Triangle provides the environment that can support a scientist of Lefkowitz caliber.

He becomes the fifth Triangle-area Nobel winner, following previous laureates associated with UNC-Chapel Hill, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences and Wellcome Research Laboratories.

This state looks to the life sciences as an economic mainstay, both in the conduct of research that attracts many millions in federal grants and as a focus of industry. The honor to Lefkowitz amounts to putting a fresh shine on the North Carolina brand. And it underscores the appeal of that tried-and-true goal doing well by doing good.

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Hail to a scientist