Monthly Archives: January 2013

Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc., Hires Peter W. Nyland as Senior Vice President of Asset Management

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IRVINE, Calif., Jan. 15, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. ("Sabra," the "Company" or "we") (SBRA) is pleased to announce its hiring of Peter W. Nyland, who will join Sabra's team as Senior Vice President of Asset Management, effective immediately.

Within this role, Nyland will oversee Sabra's asset management function. Nyland's proven background as SVP of Purchasing, Asset Development and Real Estate for Sun Healthcare Group, Inc. will support Sabra's continued growth, allowing the company to further its position within the healthcare REIT industry. "I've known and worked with Pete for ten years. Pete has an operating background and in his years at Sun Healthcare Group headed up construction, development, and capital expenditures," said Rick Matros, Chief Executive Officer of Sabra. Matros added, "That background makes him a perfect fit for the culture we have developed at Sabra and we believe he will bring great value to our operating partners."

Nyland comes to Sabra with over 29 years of experience in the health care/nursing industry. He graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health Care Administration from State University of New York at Utica. Nyland resides in New Mexico.

ABOUT SABRA

Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. (SBRA), a Maryland corporation, operates as a self-administered, self-managed real estate investment trust (a "REIT") that, through its subsidiaries, owns and invests in real estate serving the healthcare industry. Sabra leases properties to tenants and operators throughout the United States. As of January 15, 2013, Sabra's investment portfolio included 120 properties leased to operators/tenants under triple-net lease agreements (consisting of (i) 97 skilled nursing/post-acute facilities, (ii) 22 senior housing facilities, and (iii) one acute care hospital) and two mortgage loan investments. As of January 15, 2013, Sabra's properties were located in 27 states and included 12,552 licensed beds/units.

The Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=8563

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Sabra Health Care REIT, Inc., Hires Peter W. Nyland as Senior Vice President of Asset Management

Quantum leap in gene therapy of Duchenne muscular dystrophy

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Jan. 15, 2013 Usually, results from a new study help scientists inch their way toward an answer whether they are battling a health problem or are on the verge of a technological breakthrough. Once in a while, those results give them a giant leap forward. In a preliminary study in a canine model of Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), University of Missouri scientists showed exactly such a leap using gene therapy to treat muscular dystrophy.

The results of the study will be published in the journal Molecular Therapy on Jan. 15, 2013.

Muscular dystrophy occurs when damaged muscle tissue is replaced with fibrous, bony or fatty tissue and loses function. Duchenne muscular dystrophy is the most common type of muscular dystrophy predominantly affecting boys. Patients with DMD have a gene mutation that disrupts the production of dystrophin, a protein essential for muscle cell survival and function. Absence of dystrophin starts a chain reaction that eventually leads to muscle cell degeneration and death. For years, scientists have been working to find the key to restoring dystrophin, but they have faced many challenges.

One of the largest hurdles in DMD gene therapy is the large size of the gene. Dystrophin is the largest gene in the human genome, containing approximately 4,000 amino acids. To fit the dystrophin gene into a vehicle that could deliver the gene to the appropriate site in the body, one has to delete 70 percent of the gene. The highly abbreviated gene is known as the "micro-dystrophin" gene. Previous studies suggest that micro-dystrophin can effectively stop muscle disease in mice that are missing dystrophin. However, mice that are missing dystrophin show minimal DMD symptoms, and results from mice often do not predict what will happen in humans. In contrast to mice, loss of dystrophin results in severe muscular dystrophy in dogs. If micro-dystrophin can work in dystrophic dogs, it will likely work in human patients. Unfortunately, when micro-dystrophin was tested in dogs in previous studies, it was not successful.

To overcome these hurdles, a team led by Dongsheng Duan, the Margaret Proctor Mulligan Professor in Medical Research at the MU School of Medicine, engineered a new micro-dystrophin gene that carries an important functional region missing in previously tested micro-dystrophins.

"We placed the new microgene into a virus and then injected the virus into dystrophic dogs' muscles," Duan said. Following gene therapy, Duan's team examined the dogs for signs of muscle disease and measured muscle force in treated and untreated dogs. After careful evaluation of 22 dogs, Duan and colleagues found that the new version of micro-dystrophin not only reduced inflammation and fibrosis, it also effectively improved muscle strength.

"This is the first time that we have seen positive gene therapy results in large mammals of DMD," said Duan. "We still have a lot of work to do, but we now know that our gene therapy strategy works in large mammals; this is a quantum leap forward in fighting this disease. Our next step is to test our strategy in a large group of muscles in the dogs, and then, eventually, see if 'whole body therapy' will work in the dogs. We are still a long way off before we will have a human treatment, but with this finding, I do see a light at the end of this tunnel."

If additional studies, including animal studies, are successful within the next few years, MU officials would request authority from the federal government to begin human drug development (this is commonly referred to as the "investigative new drug" status). After this status has been granted, researchers may conduct human clinical trials with the hope of developing new treatments for Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

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B.C. futurist a free spirit

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Frank Ogden, the free-spirited futurist known as Dr. Tomorrow who was one of the first people to predict that Internet would come to dominate our lives, has died.

The world-renowned Vancouverite with an eclectic resume, including pilot, corporate consultant, broadcaster, LSD therapist, teacher and author of 22 books, died on Dec. 29.

He was 92. A close friend of science fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke, a fellow futurist, Ogden predicted a future of teleports, limited labour unions, the growth of self-employment, and body implants that would turn people into cyborgs.

He travelled widely throughout his long life, giving lectures on all things high-tech and experimenting with different cultures, including studying voodoo in Haiti.

The nonconformist felt just at home on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo or the Sahara desert as he did in Vancouver. When he wasn't roaming the planet, Ogden worked from home on his wired houseboat in Vancouver's Coal Harbour, and was a pioneer in streaming live video Internet broadcasts.

From his floating electronic cottage, Ogden conducted the first two international seminars via satellite and fibre-optic technology, for Australia's Telstra Communications Network in Sydney and Melbourne.

Years before he started using the Internet to stream live video, Ogden predicted that the broadcast universe wouldn't be limited to 500 traditional channels, but would instead be a universe frequented by anyone with a camera, computer and limited money.

It was one of his many prognostications that he lived to see become a reality.

Cybersex was another, as Ogden had predicted 20 years ago the rise of what he called virtual sex.

Ogden, whose boundless curiosity and insight into the future of computers and satellites made him one of the world's foremost futurists, was ahead of his time when he wrote The Last Book You Will Ever Read and Other Lessons from the Future in 1993.

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B.C. futurist a free spirit

Philippines up 10 notches in 'economic freedom' list

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Manila (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) - The government's anti-corruption efforts helped push the Philippines' global ranking in terms of economic freedom by 10 notches to 97th among 177 countries and territories.

This was according to the editors of the 2013 Index of Economic Freedom, jointly released by Washington D.C.-based The Heritage Foundation and The Wall Street Journal.

Based on the latest annual index, the 19th since it first came out in 1995, the Philippines scored 58.2 out of 100 points.

Such score keeps the Philippines in the category of "mostly unfree" countries or those within the range of 50 points to 59.9 points.

"(The) score is 1.1 points higher than last year, with notable improvements in investment freedom and freedom from corruption outweighing a decline in business freedom," the editors said in a statement.

They added that such score was below the global average of 59.6, but noted that the Philippines' improvement provided contrast to the world's 0.1 point gain.

"The global advance toward economic freedom has ground to a halt," they said. "Since reaching a global peak in 2008, economic freedom has continued to stagnate."

Even then, the editors observed an overall positive trend in 2012, with 91 countries improving their scores compared to 78 that declined.

As for the Philippines, they noted that the government has pursued a series of legislative reforms toward an improved business environment that encourages broader-based job growth.

Still, the editors said Philippine institutions needed "deeper commitment to reform."

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Philippines up 10 notches in 'economic freedom' list

Let Freedom Ring – A Growing National WWII Museum Opens Newest Building

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NEW ORLEANS, Jan. 13, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --The National WWII Museum celebrated the next milestone in its $325 million expansion with a Grand Opening ceremony for the new US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center. An expansive, patriotic and emotional ceremony was matched only by the grandeur and glory of the new pavilion, which opened to the public today.

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Called "A Salute to Freedom" and presented by CenturyLink, the event marked a weekend of celebration as an array of VIPs, veterans and young scholars from every state in the union and the District of Columbia gathered in New Orleans for the occasion.Attending were members of the national news media such as Tom Brokaw, politicians including US Senators Mary Landrieu and David Vitter, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu and Lt. Governor Jay Dardenne; representatives from CenturyLink and The Boeing Company; Museum board members; student historians and military figures from all branches of service. The throng joined National WWII Museum President and Chief Executive Officer Dr. Gordon H. "Nick" Mueller to dedicate the $35 million building. The thrusting glass and steel exhibit space holds a tribute to WWII Medal of Honor recipients and displays huge macro artifacts including a B-17E Flying Fortress the massive bomber was part of America's "Arsenal of Democracy" that won the war. It now joins one of the world's finest collections of WWII artifacts.

"We are the nation's WWII museum," Mueller said. "And with Sunday's public opening of the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center, we'll have even more compelling artifacts to display to our community, our visitors and the world. This is an exciting and emotional day."

Other artifacts inside the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center include the "big guns" of American military might, consisting of restored aircraft such as a B-25J Mitchell, SBD-3 Dauntless, TBM Avenger, P-51D Mustang, Corsair F4U-4 and an interactive submarine experience based on the final mission of the USS Tang. Visitors will man authentic positions and perform the battle actions of actual crewmembers as theTangengages the Japanese forces in a recreation of the doomed sub's final war patrol battle. The USS Tang, launched in 1943, was America's most successful submarine during World War II. Roaming the Pacific she sank 33 Japanese ships. In 1944 she was sunk during her last engagement by a circular run of her final torpedo. Only nine men escaped. They were captured by the Japanese and sent to a prison camp. Seventy-eight others died. This educational and interactive exhibit, Final Mission: The USS Tang Submarine Experience, honors their memory. Exhibits in the new pavilion make full use of the newest digital technologies for a thrilling journey into the heart of the war experience.

Funds for the US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center came from a $20 million Congressional grant through the United States Department of Defense and $15 million gift from The Boeing Company. The gift from Boeing, which built the B-17, represents the largest private contribution the Museum has received to date. Funding for individual exhibits and artifact restoration were provided by other generous donors including Madlyn and Paul Hilliard, the Goldring Family Foundation & The Woldenberg Foundation, Pratt & Whitney, Martin Granoff, the Ricketts family, the Ready family, Capital One and Whitney Bank.

"The swift progress that has been made on this project is emblematic of the unity of spirit, dedication and selfless hard work that won the war on the battlefronts and on the Home Front seven decades ago," said Dennis Muilenburg, Executive Vice President of The Boeing Company and President and CEO of Boeing Defense, Space & Security. "It is great to see the vision of the Museum's founders come to life as a place where visitors can gain a fuller appreciation of what so many Americans achieved in World War II and can reflect on what today's generation of war fighters continue to do for us every day."

Mueller gave more background to Boeing's wartime accomplishments.

"Activity on the Home Front was vital to the Allied victory in World War II, and Boeing was at the epicenter of that industrial movement, producing more than 19,000 B-17s, B-29s and other essential aircraft," he said. "The B-17 and other artifacts in our US Freedom Pavilion: The Boeing Center represent the nation's tremendous industrial capacity and American wartime ingenuity. We thank Boeing for its contribution to preserving our freedoms then and now."

The Museum opened the new pavilion even as another, the $33 million Campaigns of Courage: European & Pacific Theaters, rises nearby scheduled to open in 2014. The last major building, The Liberation Pavilion (scheduled opening in 2016), will focus on the war's closing months and the immediate post-war years and contain an expansive special exhibits gallery. A proposed hotel and conference center as well as a parking structure, if built, will finish out the expansion. Upon completion, the Museum will directly sustain more than 400 jobs and generate $100 millioneach year in positive economic impact.

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Let Freedom Ring - A Growing National WWII Museum Opens Newest Building

Harley-Davidson Freedom Jacket Journeys Thousands Of Miles In One Year To Unite Independents Around The World

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MILWAUKEE, Jan. 15, 2013 /PRNewswire/ --In August 2012, Harley-Davidson fans around the world kicked off a year-long celebration of the company's 110th Anniversary. Over the course of an entire year, millions of fans across 11 countries and six continents are celebrating their shared passion for freedom, self-expression, epic adventure, and the stories that unite them.

As part of the year-long celebration, Harley-Davidson has enlisted individuals from all over the world to take a single black leather jacket the 'Freedom Jacket' on an adventure and to share their stories online. The Freedom Jacket will pass from rider to rider and visit dozens of iconic destinations in all corners of the globe, collecting their stories before coming home to Milwaukee for the final celebration, Aug. 29 Sept. 1, and for display at the Harley-Davidson Museum.

"The Freedom Jacket represents one of the most elemental, yet powerful truths of what it means to be a Harley-Davidson rider," said Harley-Davidson's Chief Marketing Officer Mark-Hans Richer. "A leather jacket is like a rider's soul every pin, scratch, scrape and patch is a visual marker of your journey and becomes part of your identity and the stories you tell."

The Freedom Jacket was born last August when Richer wore a simple Harley leather jacket during an epic ride across the Tibetan Plateau in China to help kick-off the 110th Anniversary. At a stop along the ride, Richer asked a local Chinese man, who was working painting road markers, to paint something on the jacket to symbolize what he thought about Harley-Davidson. The man painted the Chinese character for "freedom."

Since then, the Freedom Jacket has been worn by passionate enthusiasts who've traveled to destinations around the world, including the foothills of the Alps in Faaker See, Austria for European Bike Week; the highways of Mexico; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and even the starting line of the NHRA Pro Stock finals in Pomona, CA. In the coming months, the Freedom Jacket will journey to destinations both on and off the beaten path, including official Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary events planned in India, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and Rome.

Fans can explore the inspiring videos, photos and stories of those who have worn the Freedom Jacket by visiting http://www.h-d.com/110jacket, the company's Facebook page (Facebook.com/Harley-Davidson), Twitter handle (@harley-davidson) or via the hashtag #FreedomJacket.

Harley-Davidson is also inviting fans to share stories about their own journeys via the 110th Anniversary website. On January 22, the company will launch a unique online app that allows fans to create a personalized version of the 110th Anniversary "110 Years of Freedom" graphic with photos of their own epic adventures which will be featured on Harley-Davidson's Facebook page and other online channels. The company is also allowing fans the opportunity to create their own 110th Anniversary pages within the site to share their experiences with the world.

"The 110th Anniversary is, first and foremost, a celebration of our fans, so it's only natural that user-generated content would be at the forefront of our efforts," added Richer.

Harley-Davidson is planning to reveal several other exciting details related to the 110th Anniversary in the coming weeks, including announcing headlining talent for the Rome and Milwaukee celebration events, as well as sharing upcoming Freedom Jacket adventures. Tickets for the 110th Anniversary celebration in Milwaukee are currently on sale at http://www.ticketmaster.com.

About the Harley-Davidson 110th Anniversary

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Harley-Davidson Freedom Jacket Journeys Thousands Of Miles In One Year To Unite Independents Around The World

Politics Book Review: The New World Order and the Eugenics Wars: A Christian Perspective by Andre… – Video

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Politics Book Review: The New World Order and the Eugenics Wars: A Christian Perspective by Andre...
http://www.PoliticsBookMix.com This is the summary of The New World Order and the Eugenics Wars A Christian Perspective by Andrew John Hoffman.

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Politics Book Review: The New World Order and the Eugenics Wars: A Christian Perspective by Andre... - Video

MIND CONTROL * FOOD * Diet * Health * Disease * Eugenics * Social engineering * Nutrition – Video

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MIND CONTROL * FOOD * Diet * Health * Disease * Eugenics * Social engineering * Nutrition
Short documentary features DR. LLAILA AFRIKA, DR. SCOTT WHITAKER, CHE NAZZERITH and Dr Rima E Laibow Wholefood nutrient supplement 80 plus nutrients (minerals, vitamins, trace minerals) facebook.com/pages/Help-launch-worlds-healthiest-supplement-Eco-business-Charity/110321455803857 Plant based power made from a few ingredience no additives, fillers, chemicals or steroid. Science behind this supplement Article - livinginnatureengland.wordpress.com/2012/09/24/importance-of-nutrients-also-source-for-over-100-minerals-vitamins-antioxidants/ Tags. Dr mona harrison, robert morse, dr oz, dr coldwell, dr sebi, Christopher Key, da raw journalist, phil valentine and juice plus

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MIND CONTROL * FOOD * Diet * Health * Disease * Eugenics * Social engineering * Nutrition - Video

Eugenics is alive and well as 45 year old twins going blind are Euthanized in Belgium WTF – Video

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Eugenics is alive and well as 45 year old twins going blind are Euthanized in Belgium WTF
http://www.youtube.com http://www.facebook.com twitter.com Plz sup to my channel to keep up to date with all the latest news and updates And plz thumbs up if your glad i brought this info to your attention Eugenics is alive and well as 45 year old twins going blind are Euthanized in Belgium WTF news.yahoo.com

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Eugenics is alive and well as 45 year old twins going blind are Euthanized in Belgium WTF - Video

Square Enix Play Arts Kai Metal Gear Solid Cyborg Ninja – Video

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Square Enix Play Arts Kai Metal Gear Solid Cyborg Ninja
Other than sporting the longest title in the history of toy video review titles, this video is a quick summary of Rad Toy Review #39;s PAK Cyborg Ninja review! You can check out the whole written shabang over at Rad Toy Review! Just follow this shiny link.. wp.me The camera was getting bumped around a bit whenever I nudged the table a.. apologies for that.. will work on a better, less annoying solution for next time. We hope you enjoyed the review! We #39;re working on improving our videos and truly appreciate you stopping by! - Knives

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Square Enix Play Arts Kai Metal Gear Solid Cyborg Ninja - Video

Beaches, bombs and gangsters — Corsica’s dilemma

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AJACCIO, Corsica The bombs exploded across hundreds of miles of Corsican coastline, gutting two dozen villas nearly simultaneously on some of Europes most beautiful and valuable land. Elsewhere on the same French island off the Mediterranean coast, a young man was shot to death in his car, his stepson wounded beside him.

The night of violence in early December epitomized the problems of Napoleons native island today: Organized crime is gaining ground, spreading beyond the usual vices on the mainland to real estate, tourism and politics back home. And separatists, who extinguished themselves in a spasm of deadly infighting in the late 1990s, have come back with a vengeance, as they wage a desperate battle to prevent mob-dominated mass tourism from dooming their dreams of self-rule.

Corsican coastal land prices have risen as much as five times in as many years, and the number of tourists also has shot up as a once-exclusive haven for the wealthy and their yachts and private vacation homes became a destination for cruise ships and budget flights. Corsican mobsters infamous in mainland France and the United States for their ties to gambling, nightclubs and drugs saw a killing to be made back home.

Gang warfare over Corsican spoils and the separatist bombing campaign have created a climate of lawlessness, although the combatants have been careful not to turn the violence on the tourists themselves.

The state has completely failed, said Dominique Bianchi, a former nationalist leader who recently stepped down as mayor of the southern village of Villanova. In this world, theres only one thing that counts: how to divide the loot.

Shaken by the bombings, and the recent assassinations of a defense lawyer and community leader, the Paris government is making new promises to clean things up on an island where separatist sentiment has simmered ever since France officially took charge in 1769. Corsica has emerged as a jewel of French mass tourism only recently: More than 4.2 million tourists visited the island last year, compared to 2.4 million in 1992. The 2013 Tour de France, the worlds premier cycling competition, will begin here adding to the sense that Corsica has joined the big leagues as a top travel destination.

Complicating the challenge for France is what mainland officials describe as a code of silence known as omerta that also runs through areas of mafia-plagued southern Italy. Locals say its fear, not omerta, that keeps people silent.

Of the 85 gangland killings and attempted assassinations in Corsica in the past eight years, only one case a plot against a former nationalist turned president of Corsicas biggest soccer team has ended in conviction.

Both the mob violence and the bombings claimed by militant nationalists have the same root, Corsicans say: the land.

Three-quarters of the coastline is untouched, the beaches and Mediterranean views achingly empty of a human presence just a 90-minute flight from Paris as developers were scared off by gangland warfare and separatist militancy. Where else could you go and have this kind of virgin land? It doesnt exist anymore, said Dominique Yvon, who is part of an anti-corruption group on Corsica.

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Beaches, bombs and gangsters — Corsica’s dilemma

Pastor Chui Astronomy Grab Bag – Video

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Pastor Chui Astronomy Grab Bag
This is a 13-minute sermon from science. It summarizes many new discoveries in astronomy in 2012, including Venus volcanoes, night lights, Martian floods, moons from rings, Kuiper belt comets, tidal heating, Europa geysers, Oort cloud, star birth, dark matter, dark energy, galaxy upset, and early supernovae.

By: Christopher Chui

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Pastor Chui Astronomy Grab Bag - Video

Crafts Book Review: The Design and Construction of Large Optical Telescopes (Astronomy and Astrop… – Video

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Crafts Book Review: The Design and Construction of Large Optical Telescopes (Astronomy and Astrop...
http://www.CraftsBookMix.com This is the summary of The Design and Construction of Large Optical Telescopes (Astronomy and Astrophysics Library) by Pierre Bely.

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Crafts Book Review: The Design and Construction of Large Optical Telescopes (Astronomy and Astrop... - Video