The Andaman islands are under serious threat

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Are the islands of Andaman and Nicobar potential terror hubs?

Yes, feels the administration of the Union Territory, which has said the possibility of left out LTTE cadre trying to make them a safe haven cannot be ruled out.

The administration has also conveyed to the government that foreigners from Myanmar, Bangladesh, Thailand and Sri Lanka often intrude into the archipelago.

The Home Ministry has told the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs that according to the Union Territory Administration, Andaman and Nicobar Islands have settlers from Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Myanmar and possibility of these settlers being used "by elements from their erstwhile countries" cannot be ruled out.

"The UT government is of the view that left out LTTE cadre may look for safe havens in the near vicinity and may take advantage of our uninhabited islands for their temporary hideouts," the Home Ministry told the panel.

The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are situated in the Bay of Bengal at a distance of 1200 km from the mainland. These islands are spread over an area of 8249 sq km. This group comprises 572 islands of which only 38 are inhabited.

The island authority has conveyed that the local Tamil population in the islands, like other parts of the country, is also sympathetic to the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils.

Further, sympathy of Sri Lankan Tamil refugees who were brought and settled in these islands during 1960s and 1970s may be easily gained for abetting, aiding and assisting the LTTE outfit in providing temporary shelters under the thick forest covers in the islands.

"In fact the geographical locations and conditions make these islands an ideal place for providing safe havens for terrorist groups for jungle warfare training and even dumping grounds for arms and ammunition," the Standing Committee on Home Affairs has been informed.

Owing to its proximity to Myanmar (which is only 45 km from the northern most point of Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Indonesia is just 160 km from CampbellBay), Thailand and Indonesia, a large number of foreigners intrude into Indian territory for poaching of marine resources.

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The Andaman islands are under serious threat

Governors: Health care law is here to stay

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Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker uses a cell phone to illustrate a point about health care plans during a special session on jobs in America during the National Governor's Association Winter Meeting in Washington, Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014. ((AP Photo/Cliff Owen))

WASHINGTON The explosive politics of health care have divided the nation, but America's governors, Republicans and Democrats alike, suggest that President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is here to stay.

While governors from Connecticut to Louisiana sparred Sunday over how best to improve the nation's economy, governors of both parties shared a pragmatic outlook on the controversial program known as "Obamacare" as millions of their constituents begin to be covered.

"We're just trying to make the best of a bad situation," said Republican Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa, who calls the health care law "unaffordable and unsustainable," yet something he has to implement by law. "We're trying to make it work as best we can for the people of Iowa."

As governors gathered in Washington this weekend, Democratic governors such as Maryland's Martin O'Malley and Connecticut's Dannel Malloy made pitches to raise the minimum wage, while Republican governors such as Louisiana's Bobby Jindal and Indiana's Mike Pence called for more freedom from federal regulations, particularly those related to the health insurance overhaul.

But governors from both parties report that a full repeal of the law would be complicated at best, if not impossible, as states move forward with implementation and begin covering millions of people both by expanding Medicaid rolls for lower-income resident or through state or federal exchanges that offer federal subsidies to those who qualify.

Republican opposition to the law is the centerpiece of the GOP's political strategy ahead of the midterm elections.

Despite a troubled rollout, nearly 3.3 million people have signed up through Feb. 1 for health care coverage under the law.

The White House reported that 1 million people signed up nationwide for private insurance under the law in January alone. It remains unclear that the administration will reach its unofficial goal of 7 million people by the end of March.

Vermont Gov. Peter Shumlin, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, said governors spent about half of their private lunch session on Saturday discussing the health care law and the tone was much different than in past years.

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Governors: Health care law is here to stay

Governors: Health care law here to stay – Mon, 24 Feb 2014 PST

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WASHINGTON The explosive politics of health care have divided the nation, but Americas governors, Republicans and Democrats alike, suggest that President Barack Obamas health care overhaul is here tostay.

While governors from Connecticut to Louisiana sparred Sunday over how best to improve the nations economy, governors of both parties shared a far more pragmatic outlook on the controversial program known as Obamacare as millions of their constituents begin to becovered.

Were just trying to make the best of a bad situation, said Republican Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa, who called the health care law

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Washington Gov. Jay Inslee said he had a productive meeting with U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan on Sunday to discuss options to preserve the states waiver from provisions of the federal No Child Left Behindlaw.

The governor said in a statement that there is a realistic path tosuccess.

He said hell talk next with state lawmakers and the superintendent about the statesoptions.

WASHINGTON The explosive politics of health care have divided the nation, but Americas governors, Republicans and Democrats alike, suggest that President Barack Obamas health care overhaul is here tostay.

While governors from Connecticut to Louisiana sparred Sunday over how best to improve the nations economy, governors of both parties shared a far more pragmatic outlook on the controversial program known as Obamacare as millions of their constituents begin to becovered.

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Governors: Health care law here to stay - Mon, 24 Feb 2014 PST

Health-care help for older S'poreans will boost family ties

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THE measures to aid older Singaporeans with health-care costs are not just about providing monetary assistance but also strengthening family ties.

That was the view of both MP Lily Neo and Tsao Foundation chairman Mary Ann Tsao at The Straits Times Budget Roundtable discussion.

They noted that the nature of the benefits in last Friday's Budget will help both young and old, as it means elderly Singaporeans can have a greater degree of independence while reducing their financial reliance on their children.

That encompasses the key message from the Government: That part of the burden of health costs will be borne by the state and community and not just individual households.

A Budget highlight was the Pioneer Generation Package, which consists of lifelong health-care benefits for some 450,000 pioneers.

It includes subsidies for outpatient care, Medisave top-ups and MediShield Life subsidies, all to be paid for from an $8 billion fund set aside in the Budget.

Both Dr Tsao and Dr Neo agreed health-care costs were a key concern for the elderly, and said the pioneer package would help ease worries the older generation may have about being a burden to their children.

Dr Tsao said: "When you take that away, the older person is in control of their own health care without feeling that they're burdening their children. The children also feel that they don't have to be as burdened. This shifts their relationship to a more positive way."

Dr Neo added: "With this in place... they would have a better relationship and they can also live happily with their family members."

They also praised the Budget for including help not only with insurance premiums but also with specialist outpatient costs, and for extending this aid to lower- and middle-income Singaporeans.

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Health-care help for older S'poreans will boost family ties

Governors: Health care overhaul is here to stay

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Feb. 23, 2014 @ 11:24 PM

STEVE PEOPLES and KEN THOMAS

WASHINGTON -- The explosive politics of health care have divided the nation, but America's governors, Republicans and Democrats alike, suggest that President Barack Obama's health care overhaul is here to stay.

While governors from Connecticut to Louisiana sparred Sunday over how best to improve the nation's economy, governors of both parties shared a far more pragmatic outlook on the controversial program known as "Obamacare" as millions of their constituents begin to be covered.

"We're just trying to make the best of a bad situation," said Republican Gov. Terry Branstad of Iowa, who called the health care law "unaffordable and unsustainable" yet something he has to implement by law. "We're trying to make it work as best we can for the people of Iowa."

As governors gathered in Washington this weekend, Democrats such as Maryland's Martin O'Malley and Connecticut's Dannel Malloy made pitches to raise the minimum wage, while Republicans such as Louisiana's Bobby Jindal and Indiana's Mike Pence called for more freedom from federal regulations, particularly those related to the health insurance overhaul.

But governors from both parties say a full repeal of the law would be complicated at best, if not impossible, as states move forward with implementation and begin covering millions of people -- both by expanding Medicaid rolls for lower-income residents or through state or federal exchanges that offer federal subsidies to those who qualify.

Obama hosted most of the governors for a White House dinner Sunday night, calling for collaboration on the economy, education, climate change and health care in what he hopes will be "a year of action."

Republican opposition to the health care law is the centerpiece of the GOP's political strategy ahead of the midterm elections. And to be sure, not every GOP leader embraced the inevitability of the law's implementation.

"I don't think that it's so deeply entrenched that it can't be repealed," Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal said. "But I do think, as we argue for repeal, we have to show folks what you replace it with."

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Governors: Health care overhaul is here to stay

Health care reform bill needs sin taxes

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Written by: Nathan Warner on October 22, 2009.

Charging those with unhealthy habits is more fair than any alternative

click image to enlarge

One idea being tossed around in the current chaotic debate on health care is to instate a sin tax on unhealthy behaviors.

This idea is not new it has been endorsed and legislated worldwide for things like smoking and gasoline use. These Pigovian taxes (after economist Arthur Pigou) are intended to correct negative market externalities, unwanted consequences of economic activity that are experienced by unrelated third parties and in inefficient markets.

For example, all of humanity is affected by the environmental degradation inflicted by use of carbon fuels. But the incentive to drive less and thus contribute to less air pollution is, on the aggregate nonexistent.

There is no incentive for any single individual to drive less it is too much of an individual sacrifice. And it simply wont make a difference if the rest of society doesnt also change driving habits.

To rectify this, a high tax could be levied on gasoline. This would not explicitly prohibit driving but would decrease the total number of hours spent driving across society, thus lessening carbon emissions.

In other words, the externality would be corrected. Drivers would be made to internalize the full consequences of their decisions even those that affect others.

The same concept has been suggested regarding other sin behaviors actions that are entirely logical at the individual level but force high costs on unrelated parties who have no influence or choice on the action.

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Health care reform bill needs sin taxes

GOP intent on highlighting health care woes – NBC40.net

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By DONNA CASSATA Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Republicans intent on highlighting the woes of President Barack Obama's health care law need to look no further than their own back yards, some of which are traditionally liberal strongholds.

Maryland's online health care exchange has been plagued by computer glitches since its rollout last year, reflected in abysmal enrollment numbers well below projections through January. The state's lone Republican in Congress, Rep. Andy Harris, has asked the inspector general of the federal Health and Human Services Department to investigate.

In Oregon, the online portal has struggled to sign up a single individual, and Republican Rep. Greg Walden recently sent a letter to the Government Accountability Office pressing for an inquiry. Officials in both states insist they are working to fix the problems.

"Everybody's pointing fingers at everyone else, so we have no idea why this went wrong," Harris, who was an anesthesiologist at Johns Hopkins Hospital for 30 years, said in a recent interview.

Unified in their opposition to the law, Republicans have been relentless in focusing on its problems, from complaints of canceled policies to higher insurance premiums and Obama's unilateral decision to delay for two years the requirement that small businesses cover employees.

The GOP effort has intensified this election year as Republicans look to capitalize on dissatisfaction with the law, turning voter dismay into November victories. The ill effect of "Obamacare" is the GOP's constant refrain.

Nearly 3.3 million Americans have enrolled through the federal and state marketplaces as the federal online site worked out the problems of its disastrous rollout, a recent sign of promise for the 4-year-old law.

A silver lining for Democrats in the recent enrollment numbers is the actual sign-ups exceeding projected totals in New Hampshire, North Carolina, Michigan and Colorado, according to the January figures. Three of those states have Senate Democrats who voted for the law and now face re-election - Kay Hagan in North Carolina, Jeanne Shaheen in New Hampshire and Mark Udall in Colorado.

In Michigan, Democratic Rep. Gary Peters is trying to win the open seat currently held by retiring Democratic Sen. Carl Levin.

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GOP intent on highlighting health care woes - NBC40.net

Gene therapy a promising tool for cardiac regeneration

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After a heart attack, there is often permanent damage to a portion of the heart. This happens, in part, because cardiac muscle cells are terminally differentiated and cannot proliferate after blood flow is blocked off to the heart. This partial healing can be attributed to heart disease being one of the leading causes of death. What if the cells could be stimulated to divide and the heart could be induced to repair itself? This was the question posed by George Washington University (GW) researcher Scott Shapiro, M.D., Ph.D., and his co-authors, who found that cardiac regeneration may be a possibility with gene therapy.

The research, published yesterday in Science Translational Medicine, found that gene therapy can elicit a regenerative response in pig hearts. Shapiro and his research team first looked to small animals such as the zebrafish, which are able to regenerate heart tissue after a heart attack. This animal has a key protein at play, Cyclin A2 (Ccna2).

After seeing the effects of CCna2 in small animals, we began looking at the effects of the gene in larger animals, such as pigs, said Shapiro, assistant professor of medicine at the GW School of Medicine and Health Sciences. We delivered Ccna2 directly into the heart and found that pigs not only had improved cardiac function, but also found evidence of cellular regeneration.

Ccna2 is a prenatal gene normally turned off in humans after birth. Shapiro believes using gene therapy as a tool for cardiac regeneration, optimized for humans, could lead to a viable treatment option for patients who suffer from myocardial infarction, or heart attack.

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The above story is based on materials provided by George Washington University. Note: Materials may be edited for content and length.

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Gene therapy a promising tool for cardiac regeneration

Peter Schjeldahl: Futurism and Italian Fascism.

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Italian Futurism, 1909-1944: Reconstructing the Universe, at the Guggenheim, is a spectacular survey of what has long been the most neglected canonical movement in modern artbecause it is also the most embarrassing. An avant-garde so clownish, in its grandiose posturing, and so sinister, in its political embrace of Italian Fascism, has been easy to shrug off, but the show makes a powerful case for second thoughts. It arrays some superb paintings and sculptures, the best of them by Umberto Boccioni, whose death in the First World War, at the age of thirty-three, deprived the movement of its one great artist. And marvels of graphic and architectural invention reward a stroll up the Guggenheims ramp, through an eventful installation by the curator Vivien Greene. Yet even the most original Futurist artsuch as Boccionis gorgeous and explosive painting The City Rises (1910-11) and his dazzling sculpture of a body in motionfeels a bit unequal to the presumptions of the movements ringmaster, the poet and master propagandist Filippo Tommaso Marinetti. The show begins in 1909, the year of the publication of Marinettis first Futurist Manifesto; it ends in 1944, the year of his death, of heart failure, after service with the Axis forces on the Eastern Front. (He was at work on a poem celebrating an lite Italian Army unit.) Futurism was Marinettis creation. Both its glories and its miseries come home to him.

A cosmopolitan prodigy, Marinetti was born in Alexandria in 1876, and was educated at the Sorbonne and the University of Genoa, where he took a degree in law. He wrote most of his poetry in French. His father, a lawyer employed by the Ottoman administration in Egypt, staked him to a fortune. Like many a restless youth of his generation, he thrilled to new currents in the arts and philosophy, from Wagner, Nietzsche, and Bergson to the French apostle of revolutionary violence Georges Sorel. Marinetti streamlined a mlange of radical ideas into an aestheticized politics of upheaval for upheavals sake, with a strutting emphasis on heroic virility. He declared an intention to destroy museums, libraries, academies of every sort, and wrote, We intend to glorify warthe only hygiene of the worldmilitarism, patriotism, the destructive gestures of anarchists, beautiful ideas worth dying for, and contempt for woman....

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Peter Schjeldahl: Futurism and Italian Fascism.

Shark of the Sands – Let’s Play Monster Hunter Freedom Unite [Gameplay/Commentary] – Ep.56 – Video

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Shark of the Sands - Let #39;s Play Monster Hunter Freedom Unite [Gameplay/Commentary] - Ep.56
Remember to leave a like and a comment if you enjoyed the video - I #39;d really appreciate it :)! Plesioth wanna be Know When I Upload Faster - http://myapp.wip...

By: GamingBliss

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Shark of the Sands - Let's Play Monster Hunter Freedom Unite [Gameplay/Commentary] - Ep.56 - Video