China Opening up Disputed Islands to Tourists

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China says it is opening up a disputed island chain with just one hotel to tourism in another step in its battle to demonstrate that the potentially oil-rich territory is Chinese.

The official Xinhua News Agency reported Sunday that people will be allowed to go on cruise tours to the islands known as Xisha in China and Paracel elsewhere by next month.

Vietnam also claims the islets, sandbanks and reefs southeast of China's Hainan Island in the South China Sea.

Hainan's executive vice governor Tan Li told a news conference Saturday that tourists will eat and sleep on cruise ships and land on the islands for sightseeing, according to Xinhua.

A Hainan provincial government official who gave only his surname, Zhong, confirmed Tan's remarks at the Boao Forum for Asia Annual Conference and that local authorities plan to open the islands to tourists before the May Day holiday on May 1. "Detailed information, such as the tourist capacity and travel itinerary, is still not available," Zhong said.

There is one hotel with 56 rooms on Xisha's largest island, Yongxing, which is 2.13 square kilometers (0.82 sq. miles) and has no fresh water, said Xinhua. It quoted ship owner Haihang Group Corp. Ltd. as saying a cruise ship that can accommodate 1,965 passengers is ready for sailing, while a second company is building another one.

China claims virtually the entire South China Sea and its island groups, while Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries claim some areas. The disputes occasionally erupt into open confrontation. The islands amid some of the world's busiest commercial sea lanes, along with rich fishing grounds and potential oil and gas deposits.

Last year China created a city administration on Yongxing to oversee hundreds of thousands of square kilometers (miles) of water where it wants to strengthen its control. Vietnam said then that China's actions violated international law. The Philippines, which disputes another island chain further south over which China's Sansha city also claims jurisdiction, doesn't recognize the city.

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China Opening up Disputed Islands to Tourists

Health care in transition

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SARANAC LAKE - Adirondack Health administrators and doctors spoke openly for the first time Thursday about their plan to convert the 24-hour-a-day emergency department at Adirondack Medical Center-Lake Placid into a 12-hour urgent care clinic.

During a 90-minute interview with the Enterprise, Adirondack Health President and CEO Chandler Ralph, Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Broderick and Emergency Department Medical Director Dr. Anthony Dowidowicz said the proposal makes sense from both a medical and a financial standpoint.

They said their Lake Placid ER doesn't have CT scan machines and other modern medical technology, and that most seriously ill patients already bypass it and are taken to the more state-of-the-art emergency department 10 miles away at AMC-Saranac Lake. They also say the low volume of patients at the Lake Placid ER doesn't justify keeping it open around the clock, and that converting it to an urgent care facility would still provide a valuable service to the community while saving the hospital an estimated $1 million.

Dr. John Broderick, right, Adirondack Healths chief medical officer, talks about the proposed conversion of the Adirondack Medical Center-Lake Placid emergency room to an urgent care center Thursday at AMC-Saranac Lake as the organizations communications director, Joe Riccio, listens. (Enterprise photo Chris Knight)

Dowidowicz said health care reform is pushing organizations like Adirondack Health to use its resources more efficiently.

"There are a lot of silos in medicine that are these hard and concrete structures that people cling onto that really don't fit with change," he said. "A lot of people don't want to give up what they've held onto for a long time. In order to survive in the future with the way things are going, you need to adapt."

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Visits to the emergency room at AMC-Lake Placid

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Health care in transition

CONned again Raising NH health care prices

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Back in 1979, when the belief that government could and should beneficially control the prices of goods and services was popular, New Hampshire passed a Certificate of Need (CON) law. It forbade hospitals and other health care providers from buying expensive new equipment, or offering certain new services, without prior state approval.

The law "promotes rational allocation of health care resources in the state," it stated. Rational allocation. By the state. Let that sink in.

The next year, Jimmy Carter was defeated in a landslide, and in the years that have followed the public and policymakers have learned a great deal about economics and price controls. Here is what some of the official U.S. government studies have found.

A 1988 Federal Trade Commission study "finds that hospital costs are not lower in states that subject a larger proportion of proposed hospital expenditures to CON review. The study thus finds no evidence that CON programs have led to the resource savings they were designed to promote but rather indicates that reliance on CON review may raise hospital costs."

In 2004, the FTC and the U.S. Department of Justice revisited the CON issue. "The Agencies believe that, on balance, CON programs are not successful in containing health care costs, and that they pose serious anti-competitive risks that usually outweigh their purported economic benefits," the report concluded. "Market incumbents can too easily use CON procedures to forestall competitors from entering an incumbent's market."

(The 2004 study and several others are summarized nicely in a report issued last year by the Josiah Bartlett Center.)

Educated by such research, New Hampshire legislators voted in the last session to repeal the state's CON law. Incredibly, the state House of Representatives voted on Wednesday to reinstate the law before the positive effects of its repeal could be felt.

Why would New Hampshire, having just abolished a law that restricts the supply and increases the cost of health care services, bring it back? There are only two possible reasons. One, large hospitals, which benefit from the higher prices and reduced competition CON laws generate, have pressured politicians to revive the law. Or two, politicians don't want to give up the power CON laws give the state.

The CON law revival was part of the House budget. The Senate should strike that part and make clear that it will not find its way into any committee of conference report.

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Group says health care expansion positive for Scioto County

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Wayne Allen

PDT Staff Writer

On Thursday, the group Advocates for Ohios Future released a fact sheet showing the potential impact of extending health care coverage in the state budget, if approved by legislators.

The fact sheet states, Scioto Countys economy is stronger when everyone can participate in the economy. Healthy children become productive citizens, healthy citizens build strong communities, and health workers strengthen Ohios economy. If Ohio extends health coverage in the state budget 3,766 Scioto County uninsured 19-64 year olds are projected to gain health coverage by 2015.

According to 2010 figures the group estimated there are 5,422 eligible uninsured adults in Scioto County.

The fact sheet states that if Ohio extends its medicaid coverage, by 2015, only two percent of Scioto County would remain uninsured. Based on 2010 figures that would represent a 69 percent decrease.

In February the the Scioto County Health Coalition unanimously voted to endorse Gov. Kasichs plan to expand Medicaid in Ohio.

Kasich released his plan with this proposal for a $63.3 billion 2014-2015 state budget.

Kasichs plan would expand Medicaid eligibility to Ohioans earning up to 138 percent of federal poverty level (about $15,400 per person). But the extension comes with a condition: If the federal government fails to cover the bulk of the costs, as it has promised, the state will reverse course.

For a number of years weve lived with the reality that some of the unhealthiest folks in our community are unable to access health care services because they are uninsured. The Medicaid expansion will create a pathway for them to be able to access what we think is a very well developed system in our community, between primary care, hospitals and clinics that are available, Ed Hughes of Compass Community Health said. There is likely 20 percent of our citizens that can not access the services we have and this Medicaid expansion will create that opportunity.

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Group says health care expansion positive for Scioto County

Health care , accounting, tech are hottest fields for Coulee Region graduates

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Shainah Hughes knows shell find a job and support her family when she graduates.

Job security is one of the big reasons the 29-year-old student at Western Technical College is pursuing a degree in electronics and computer engineering.

When I graduate, theres going to be a need for that, Hughes said.

Health care, accounting and technology are big draws for grads who want to live locally, but college officials agree theres no hard and fast trend.

Job security is huge for todays graduates, said Beth Dolder-Zieke, director of career services at Viterbo University.

Many started college on the eve of the recession.

They heard you go to college, you do really well, get a job, Dolder-Zieke said. And then they go to college, and for those of them who were aware of what was going on, it was very discouraging.

College grads have high expectations from their first job. Nationally, they expect a salary approaching $50,000 and want opportunities for future growth, Dolder-Zieke said.

For that, many are looking to health care.

More than 160 students graduated from Viterbos un-dergraduate nursing and nursing-completion programs last year. Western, UW-L, Winona State University and Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical in Winona all offer degrees in health care, too.

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Freedom moving forward with primary center

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NEW SEWICKLEY TWP. The Freedom Area School District has vaulted the initial challenge to its plan to add a primary center onto the middle school building.

District Superintendent Jeffrey Fuller said geological studies show the property between the middle school and the stadium is stable. The district had concerns because of mine subsidence problems, mostly near the high school, in the past.

We can move forward with the planning and construction phases now, Fuller said.

The primary center, for pupils in kindergarten to fourth grade, will allow the district to close Conway and Big Knob elementary schools, probably at the end of the 2014-15 school year. All Freedom Area students will then be housed on the New Sewickley Township campus.

The district is waiting for its architect to complete his drawings for the expanded middle school building. Fuller said the architects deadline is as soon as possible.

In March, the school board decided not to relocate the stadium and track to the land between the high school and the middle school, which caused some alterations to the original vision. Fuller said the primary center can still fit in the envisioned space.

Fuller said eliminating the stadium from the plan will reduce costs by $3 million, dropping the project estimate to $10 million.

The savings will likely be applied to air conditioning, electrical and efficiency needs in the high school building, according to Fuller. Those needs will be addressed after the primary center is completed.

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Freedom i-Connex Bluetooth keyboard folds up, keeps typing

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For those of us who cling defiantly to our physical keyboards and find tapping away on a touchscreen a chore, a Bluetooth keyboard is a necessity. I went hands-on with a new one that crossed my desk today.

Clocking in at just 250g, the Freedom i-Connex keyboard is a cheaply constructed Bluetooth accessory that won't weigh you down. It'll hook up to your iPhone, iPad or Android device, BlackBerry PlayBook or even your PlayStation 3.

In our tests, the i-Connex worked fine with iOS gadgets, but had some difficulty connecting to an Android tablet. The included plastic tablet stand also proved too flimsy to support the weight of a Kindle Fire HD 8.9.

Typing on the chiclet-style keys -- or "chocolate style" according to the documentation -- feels unnatural at times and the split space key seems to be in the wrong place for your thumbs.

These are just the start of the problems. Leave the i-Connex keyboard connected to your device and you'll find the hinge mechanism stubbornly holds the Y key down, resulting in an infinite string of consonants. It's like unwanted ASCII art.

The pull-out smart phone stand is no more reliable, offering a construction akin to a toy you might find in a cracker. It's held up by a thin black wire barely fit to support the weight of the stand itself, and that's before you even attempt sticking your phone to it.

All in all, the Freedom i-Connex offers little benefit other than its relatively low price of 35 -- Apple's shiny aluminium alternative will set you back 57, and is less portable. Click through the photos above to see it in 'action', and let me know what you think down in the comments, or on our sturdily built Facebook page.

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Freedom i-Connex Bluetooth keyboard folds up, keeps typing

Cris Cyborg Wins Invicta FC Debut, Gets 145-Pound Title Shot vs. Marloes Coenen

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Cristiane Santos is back in business, making a successful debut with the Kansas City-based all-female MMA promotion, Invicta Fighting Championships.

Earning an aggressive first-round technical knockout victory against Australian fighter Fiona Muxlow, "Cyborg" Santos gave no mercy as she pummeled her opponent from bell to bell over three minutes and 46 seconds.

With the victory, Cyborg secures herself a shot at becomingInvicta FC's first featherweight champion.

That match is planned to take place in a few months, as Cyborg will assumedly compete in a rematch against one-time Strikeforce foe Marloes Coenen, whom Cyborg defeated in January 2010 during her first title defense.

This marked Cyborg's first MMA bout since December 17, 2011, when she defeated Hiroko Yamanaka in a third consecutive successful defense of the Strikeforce Women's Featherweight Championship.

Unfortunately, the Brazilian's 11th straight win was overturned into a no-contest following apositive test for anabolic steroids, resulting in a year-long suspension.

Cyborg had recently been in talks to set up a superfight with UFC women's bantamweight star Ronda Rousey, but negotiations broke down when Cyborg (and her manager, Tito Ortiz) insisted that cutting down to 135 pounds was out of the question.Rousey also refused to move up to 140 pounds for a catchweight bout, prompting Cyborgto call her rival a "bitch"in a heated message over Instagram.

But unfortunately for Ortiz and Cyborg, even UFC president Dana White statedthat a fight at 140 pounds wouldn't make sense, with Rousey as the 135-pound champion and the UFC currently not hosting any other female weight classes:

It's not a title fight. If that's what [Cyborg] is willing to do is go to 140, let's let Ronda defend her title a few times and see if Ronda wants to go to 140. If I know Ronda, she probably would anyway, so let's see what happens. But if [Cyborg] wants to fight for a title and have a title fight, she has to go to 135 pounds.

A fight at 140 would be a fan fight because everybody wants to see it, but it's not one of those fights that makes sense.

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Cris Cyborg Wins Invicta FC Debut, Gets 145-Pound Title Shot vs. Marloes Coenen

Invicta FC 5 results: ‘ Cyborg ‘ Santos victorious in first fight in 16 months

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In case you forgot what a Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos fight looked like, she didn't take long to refresh your memory.

The former Strikeforce women's featherweight champion returned to action for her first fight since Dec. 2011 on Friday night at Invicta FC 5.

Santos looked like the "Cyborg" of old as she unleashed the onslaught from the outset in a first-round technical knockout victory over Fiona Muxlow (6-3) at the Ameristar Casino in Kansas City. Only the overmatched Australian's toughness helped her hang on for several minutes though Santos' ruthless beatdown before referee "Big" John McCarthy called off the fight at 3:46 of the opening round.

With the victory, Santos (11-1, 1 no-contest) sets up a fight with Marloes Coenen to determine the inaugural Invicta featherweight championship.

"I want to come back, I want to fight soon. I am very excited to fight Marloes Coenen she is a very good fighter. I want to do a good fight in July, I hope everyone comes and watches."

Santos defeated Coenen in a 2010 Strikeforce fight.

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Invicta FC 5 results: ' Cyborg ' Santos victorious in first fight in 16 months

Cris Cyborg ‘s Invicta FC 5 Victory Sets Up Championship Rematch with Marloes Coenen

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Im very happy to come back and I want to fight soon.

Cris Cyborg made that statement following a first-round TKO stoppage of Fiona Muxlow at Invicta FC 5 on Friday night. It was Cyborgs first bout in 16 months, marking her return from a yearlong suspension for testing positive for steroids following her last fight.

The victory not only marked her return to action, it also launched her into a title fight with Marloes Coenen for the Invicta FC featherweight championship, assuring Cyborg that she will indeed fight again soon.

The bout is expected to take place sometime in July, although Invicta FC president Shannon Knapp told MMAWeekly.com that they had not yet set a date for the fight.

Coenen and Cyborg are looking forward to the fight just the same. Its a rematch of their Jan. 30, 2010, Strikeforce bout, in which Cyborg won via TKO stoppage in the third round.

After my first fight with Cris I know this sounds stupid but I kind of underestimated her, said Coenen on Friday night. But I hate it when I lose. I really hate that and I always want to make up for my losses.

What I like about Cris is she is a true, true fighter, Coenen continued.

I like a challenge. I always said I wanted to do it at the end of my career, but if it came sooner, it came sooner.

The respect is mutual.

I am very pleased because after the fight I did with her and she lose, commented Cyborg, she say to me, I want to fight you again.

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Cris Cyborg 's Invicta FC 5 Victory Sets Up Championship Rematch with Marloes Coenen

OU acquires rare Roman astronomy manuscript

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NORMAN A rare manuscript written by a leading astronomer in Rome at the height of Galileos astronomical discoveries recently was acquired by the University of Oklahomas History of Science Collections.

The newly acquired manuscript, Tractatus de sphaera, by Oratio Grassi records Grassis lectures in mathematics and astronomy. The Grassi manuscript is one of three works by Grassi to enhance OUs Galileo collection this year. In two just-acquired printed books, Grassi discussed three comets that appeared in the sky in 1618.

The Grassi manuscript is an important addition to the OU History of Science Collection, which is already recognized as among the small number of great collections in science in the world, said OU President David L. Boren.

The Grassi manuscript is one of only a few astronomical manuscripts from the leading Jesuit university preceding the publication and subsequent condemnation of Galileos Dialogo (1632). OU holds Galileos own copy of the Dialogo, containing his handwritten comments in the margins.

By any measure, this Grassi manuscript is a significant acquisition for the University of Oklahoma and an important addition to the prestigious Galileo works held by our History of Science Collections, said Rick Luce, dean of University Libraries. The penmanship is beautiful, said Luce, noting that some of the pages have detailed illustrations, all hand-drawn.

The Grassi manuscript discusses Gaileos discoveries, including imperfections on the surface of the Sun and Moon and the satellites of Jupiter. These discoveries were first published by Galileo in Sidereus nuncius, printed in Venice in 1610. The OU copy of Sidereus nuncius displays Galileos signature on the title page.

The OU Galileo collection is remarkable, Luce said. While many major libraries hold one or two first editions of Galileo, OU holds the entire set of 12 first editions. Neither the Library of Congress nor the British Library can say the same. Moreover, four of OUs first editions, including the Sidereus nuncius and the Dialogo, contain Galileos handwriting. The Grassi manuscript and the two other Grassi books are unique additions to an already world-class Galileo collection.

The acquisition was made possible with a $500,000 gift from the OU Athletics Department to establish an endowment to support exhibits and acquire rare works for the History of Science Collections.

We are grateful to the Athletics Department for funding the endowment that made it possible for this manuscript to find its way to OU for its permanent home, Luce said.

Key works from the OU Galileo collection, including the newly acquired Grassi manuscript, are now on display in the History of Science Collections on the fifth floor of Bizzell Memorial Library.

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OU acquires rare Roman astronomy manuscript

Will the state’s aerospace office survive budget cuts?

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Published: Friday, April 5, 2013, 4:26 p.m.

The Senate's proposed budget, which is being voted on this afternoon, would eliminate funding for the office.

Former Gov. Chris Gregoire named the first director, Alex Pietsch, of the aerospace office in March 2012. The office was part of Gregoire's pitch to Boeing when the state was vying for 737 MAX work in late 2011.

A state competitiveness study, conducted for the 737 MAX competition, also deemed the position vital to keeping Washington focused on the aerospace industry.

Aerospace groups in the state sent out emails and tweets on Friday urging people to communicate with the Senate and restore funding, $245,000, to the 2013-2015 budget.

Bob Drewel, with Prosperity Partnership, called the elimination of funding for the aerospace office a "stunning set-back to our collective efforts to compete for jobs in aerospace."

Washington Aerospace Partnership, which Drewel helped to create, partially funds the aerospace director position.

The idea of having a state aerospace director originated in 2003 when Washington was competing to win the original 787 final assembly line in Everett. The state was successful in that competition but didn't create the position. In 2009, Boeing selected North Charleston, South Carolina as the site of a second 787 assembly line.

Gov. Jay Inslee has outlined workforce training and transportation as key issues to winning work on Boeing's 777X, an updated version of the Everett-built 777 that the company is likely to launch this year.

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Will the state's aerospace office survive budget cuts?

Aerospace Day welcomes airplane enthusiasts, career seekers

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HOT SPRINGS, Ark. (April 6, 2013) -- Airplane lovers and career seekers are invited to attend the second annual Aerospace Day, which will be held from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. today, April 6 at Hot Springs Memorial Field, 525 Airport Road.

The event is free of charge and open to the public. Ample free parking is available onsite.

Representatives from various companies and educational institutions will be on hand to discuss local career opportunities in the aerospace industry.

"Local aerospace jobs are available right now," said Airport Director George Downie. "These jobs often become careers, as people tend to stay in the field once their training is complete."

High school students and those seeking new careers are encouraged to attend.

Henderson State University will bring a flight simulator and training aircraft display. National Park Community College, area airframe & powerplant (A&P) schools, and military recruiters will offer applications and additional information. AAR will provide facility tours, and Western Pilot, Inc. will give an air tanker water drop demonstration.

A highlight for families and airplane lovers of all ages will be the Commemorative Air Force Missouri Wing's B-25 "Show Me" Mitchell Bomber and TBM-3 Avenger Torpedo Bomber on display.

The B-25 will also be available for "Living History" rides for $395 per person, which include pre- and post-flight briefings and a half-hour flight. Advance reservations by calling 314-486-1205 are preferred, as each flight must carry five passengers. Flights may be available on event day. For more information on Aerospace Day, call the airport at 321-6750.

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Aerospace Day welcomes airplane enthusiasts, career seekers