BioMarin Licenses Factor VIII Gene Therapy Program for Hemophilia A From University College London and St. Jude …

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SAN RAFAEL, Calif., Feb. 21, 2013 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. (BMRN) announced today that it has licensed a Factor VIII gene therapy program for hemophilia A from University College London (UCL) and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. The company expects to select a development candidate this year, initiate and complete IND-enabling toxicology studies next year and initiate proof of concept human studies by the end of 2014. The license and commitment to support the research program was made possible by UCL Business, UCL's wholly-owned technology transfer company, working with Professor Amit Nathwani of the UCL Cancer Institute.

"Gene therapy is emerging as a powerful and viable way to treat genetic disorders and is complementary to our current suite of commercial products and research programs," said Jean-Jacques Bienaime, Chief Executive Officer of BioMarin. "Hemophilia is an attractive target for gene therapy as factor levels in the blood serve as good biomarkers, relatively low factor levels are required for a clinically important benefit in severe patients and the current standard of care of intravenous infusions three times a week is quite onerous. We remain committed to maintaining a rich pipeline with the goal of filing an IND every twelve to eighteen months."

Mr. Cengiz Tarhan, Managing Director of UCL Business said, "This is an excellent partnership for UCL Business, which combines the world class translational research strengths of Professor Nathwani and his team with the significant development and commercialization capabilities of BioMarin to progress this ground breaking therapy for hemophilia A."

Professor Stephen Caddick, Vice-Provost (Enterprise) at University College London added, "UCL and BioMarin each bring distinct strengths to the partnership. UCL is a world leader in the biomedical sciences, with an unremitting commitment to outstanding research and translation into healthcare benefits for patients. We welcome this partnership which will continue to build on the excellence of our research to fully explore the potential of gene therapy as a life-saving treatment for people with hemophilia."

Andrew Davidoff, M.D., Chair, Surgery, St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, added, "We are pleased that our research with UCL on gene therapy for hemophilia has led to the development of a potential therapeutic tool for treating this devastating disease. This licensing agreement underscores St. Jude's commitment to rapidly translating our research into effective clinical interventions."

About Hemophilia A

The current market for hemophilia A products is about $6.0 billion worldwide. There are approximately 90,000 patients in territories where BioMarin has commercial operations and an annual incidence of about 400 new patients in the U.S. The standard of care for the 60 percent of hemophilia A patients who are severe is a prophylactic regimen of IV infusions three times per week. Even with the likely prospect of less frequently dosed products coming to the market, feedback from thought leaders indicates that significant unmet need will remain as factor replacement therapy will inevitably leave patients vulnerable to bleeding events. Many patients on factor replacement therapy still have bleeding events and experience debilitating damage to joints as a result of chronically low factor levels.

About BioMarin

BioMarin develops and commercializes innovative biopharmaceuticals for serious diseases and medical conditions. The company's product portfolio comprises four approved products and multiple clinical and pre-clinical product candidates. Approved products include Naglazyme(R) (galsulfase) for mucopolysaccharidosis VI (MPS VI), a product wholly developed and commercialized by BioMarin; Aldurazyme(R) (laronidase) for mucopolysaccharidosis I (MPS I), a product which BioMarin developed through a 50/50 joint venture with Genzyme Corporation; Kuvan(R) (sapropterin dihydrochloride) Tablets, for phenylketonuria (PKU), developed in partnership with Merck Serono, a division of Merck KGaA of Darmstadt, Germany; and Firdapse(TM) (amifampridine), which has been approved by the European Commission for the treatment of Lambert Eaton Myasthenic Syndrome (LEMS). Product candidates include BMN-110 (N-acetylgalactosamine 6-sulfatase), formally referred to as GALNS, which successfully completed Phase III clinical development for the treatment of MPS IVA, PEG-PAL (PEGylated recombinant phenylalanine ammonia lyase), which is currently in Phase II clinical development for the treatment of PKU, BMN-701, a novel fusion protein of insulin-like growth factor 2 and acid alpha glucosidase (IGF2-GAA), which is currently in Phase I/II clinical development for the treatment of Pompe disease, BMN-673, a poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitor, which is currently in Phase I/II clinical development for the treatment of genetically-defined cancers, and BMN-111, a modified C-natriuretic peptide, which is currently in Phase I clinical development for the treatment of achondroplasia. For additional information, please visit http://www.BMRN.com. Information on BioMarin's website is not incorporated by reference into this press release.

The BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=11419

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BioMarin Licenses Factor VIII Gene Therapy Program for Hemophilia A From University College London and St. Jude ...

Participation Culture – XMediaLab Basel 2012 Futurist

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Participation Culture - XMediaLab Basel 2012 Futurist Keynote Speaker Gerd Leonhard
This is the complete video of my keynote on the future of culture, content, media and creativity at the 2012 XMedialab event in Basel, Switzerland, October 2012 see xmedialab.com/xml-switzerland You can download my slides used in this talk here: gerd.fm/UqXOA1 My apologies for the rather funky sound, btw - this is the best version I could get from the organizers:( Topics include: the future of digital creation in a networked society, from paper culture to screen culture, social-local-mobile and the future of storytelling, the convergence of internet and television, new interfaces and mobile devices as #39;external brains #39;, trust is the new currency, and much more. Please note: you can now download most of my videos by simply subscribing to this iTunes video feed (via Blip.tv) gerd.fm Audio-only versions are being made available here: gerd.fm or on the web at http://www.futuretalks.com My vimeo channel is here vimeo.com (also allows downloads). Gerd Leonhard Futurist, Author and Keynote Speaker Basel / Switzerland http://www.gerdfuturist.com CEO http://www.thefuturesagency.com Mobile apps road.ie The Future of Business blog http://www.futureof.biz Twitter: http://www.twitter.com about.me

By: FuturesAgency

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Participation Culture - XMediaLab Basel 2012 Futurist

Futurist Says U.S. Entering Golden Age of Agriculture

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FARGO What do cell phones, baby kangaroos and DNA mapping have to do with agriculture?

A lot, potentially, according to futurist Lowell Catlett, a featured speaker Tuesday at the 2013 Northern Soybean Expo held at the Fargo Holiday Inn.

With the cost of buying a home the lowest its ever been in the United States and the price of food relative to income going down, Catlett said the jump in disposable income is creating oodles of new markets for farm producers to exploit.

Agriculture is now in its golden age, said Catlett, regents professor and dean and chief administrative officer at New Mexico State Universitys College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences.

On the subject of cell phones, Catlett said someday soon they may be used by farmers to diagnose crop disease on the spot.

And advances in DNA science, he said, are making it easier for producers to brand their products and improve quality, all essential, he said, for instilling confidence in buyers overseas.

And baby kangaroos?

Catlett said researchers who explored why baby kangaroos take so long to emerge from their mothers pouch discovered that the longer youngsters stayed close to mom, the stronger their immune systems were when they did enter the world.

The insights gained hold tremendous promise for improving the health and lifespans of many kinds of livestock, according to Catlett, who said the same idea applies to human beings.

Catlett said research shows that people who dont have deep and rich social connections die at four times the rate of people who make and keep close ties with others.

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Futurist Says U.S. Entering Golden Age of Agriculture

Happy Birthday, Futurists! A Movement Turns 104

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If you see any futurists today, dont forget to wish them a happy anniversary. Feb. 20th is considered the movements birthday, as it was on this date in 1909 that Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, an Italian poet, technophile, and promoter of the arts, had his The Founding and Manifesto of Futurism published on the front page of Le Figaro.

Marinettis manifesto was both anarchic and visionary. Marinetti championed the rise of a new age of mechanized transport and technology to usher in a blur of innovation and disruptive societal change. He also glorified warcalling it the worlds only hygieneand was one of Italian dictator Benito Mussolinis earliest and most vociferous supporters, which helped lead to the movements demise. Marinettis aim for futurismto embrace the future and systematically predict its pathproved enduring.

Today, futurists are as common at Washington think tanks as they are on Madison Avenue and in Silicon Valley. They tweet a lot and write books on corporate change management. Marinetti would never have seen it coming.On the 104th anniversary of the movements founding, here is a look at Futurism 3.0, by the numbers.

On LinkedIn (LNKD), there are 4,361 professionals who proudly fly the futurist flag, using the descriptor as part of their current or previous job title. Yes, there is such a thing as an ex-futurist. (An additional 541 go by the Italian futurista and 132, the French futuriste.) There are 3,249 self-described futurists listed on Twitter.

Tech heavyweights Intel (INTC), Google (GOOG), and Microsoft (MSFT) employ futurists, as do the big accounting firms Accenture (ACN) and Deloitte. Futurists are most likely to be found in the fields of management consulting, in IT, and also in advertising and marketing, which points to either the versatility of the discipline or the unimaginative overuse of the moniker. More than half (54 percent) of professional futurists listed on LinkedIn are social-media consultants and/or change management specialists. They easily outnumber futurist artists (935), perhaps the only group of LinkedIn futurists familiar with the movements roots.

Branding yourself a futurist appears to be easier than you think. Just 4 percent of futurists on LinkedIn say they are students and/or graduates of futurology or futures studies. For futurists, the future is bright indeed.

Here then are some notable futurist predictions:

The Good:

In his 1970 best-seller Future Shock, Americas best-known futurist, Alvin Toffler, wrote of the dawn of the super-industrial society, later to be called the information society. The book offered survival strategies for individuals to cope with information overload and the coming digital revolution, concepts Toffler coined.

The bad:

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Happy Birthday, Futurists! A Movement Turns 104

AudienceView Announces Futurist Garry Golden as AVConnect 2013 Keynote Speaker

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TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

AudienceView is pleased to announce that futurist Garry Golden will give the keynote address at its fourth annual AVConnect users conference, rounding out an already stellar line-up of industry experts. Attendees are getting ready to check in at the lovely Hilton San Diego Resort and Spa for this memorable user event taking place February 26 to 28, 2013.

An academically trained futurist, Golden is one of the worlds leading forecasters and strategists, speaking and consulting on issues that are shaping business and society in the 21st century. He trains audiences to close the gap that may exist between changes from the outside world and changes within their company or industry.

At AVConnect 2013, Golden will inspire attendees to tap into their inner futurist so they can spot market trends and disruptions on the horizon, then uncover the resulting opportunities. The big data buzz will be demystified and simplified, with Golden revealing how translating data can influence behaviour change in customer relationships and improve overall service satisfaction. This insight will enable entertainment professionals, as futurists, to navigate the opportunities and challenges of a more transparent, accountable relationship with their customers.

Golden will discuss the future of mobile and social media, how both will continue to evolve around advances in software and shifting cultural norms, and why being innovative with next-generation technologies will shape the audience experience. The demographic transition of Generation Y, which grew up with technology, will also present new opportunities and challenges for traditional business models as they experience changes in life stages and lifestyles.

Garrys keynote will be powerful and valuable for AVConnect 2013 attendees, helping them to embrace developments in a new way, increase their foresight to identify emerging trends, and solve business challenges through disruptive and transformative innovation, said Mark Fowlie, President and COO for AudienceView. There is something for everyone at AVConnect 2013. We are excited to be presenting three days of education and a forum ripe for networking with industry peers so that everyone goes home equally inspired.

Following feedback for a resounding more! and to meet user needs, AVConnect has been extended over three days for the first time this year, allowing for additional sessions and more time for each session. Attendees from around the world will benefit from hands-on training, engaging panel discussions, inspiring case studies, education sessions led by in-the-trenches experts, and networking with fellow AudienceView users in the sunny city of San Diego.

About AudienceView

AudienceView provides a powerful, enterprise-level e-commerce solution to the entertainment industry, including commercial and not-for-profit arts organizations, regional ticketing agencies, arenas, film festivals, college athletics, professional sports teams, and race tracks. With customer relationship management (CRM) at the core, it ensures ticketing/e-commerce, marketing, fundraising, content management, venue management and business analytics are effectively integrated in a single, easy-to-use, web-based solution. Supporting over 550 venues across five continents, AudienceView operates seamlessly across traditional and next-generation environments from physical box offices, kiosks and desktop computers to social media, mobile and tablet devices.

MarketView is the worlds first white-label, self-serve e-commerce and CRM solution. Developed upon the companys widely deployed e-commerce platform, the innovative, cloud-based solution enables any business or brand to enter the emerging self-serve event management and ticketing market quickly, affordably and profitably. It provides more features and functionality than other currently available self-serve platforms.

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AudienceView Announces Futurist Garry Golden as AVConnect 2013 Keynote Speaker

Ministry of Sound presents FUTURISM – Video

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Ministry of Sound presents FUTURISM
Preorder now: bit.ly Come and ride the new wave of electronica with FUTURISM, a 2CD journey that marks an exciting departure from Ministry of Sound #39;s upfront club compilations. Loosening the shackles of EDM, FUTURISM channels the depths of the most prophetic house and electronica circling the globe, delivering the next generation of electronic anthems. Kicking things off on Disc One is the trailblazer of the next generation Flume with his hypnotic jam #39;Holdin #39; On #39;. Disc One continues its voyage into futuristic electro-soul, courtesy of a who #39;s who of buzzland including Jessie Ware, Frank Ocean, Chet Faker, Gotye, Grimes and The XX. Taking things up a notch, Disc Two delves into the deeper into the dream bass revolution, bringing with it a bevy of lush house jams including the underground garage-inspired anthem #39;Latch #39; from Disclosure, plus more from Art Department, The Presets, Tensnake, Duke Dumont, Soul Clap, Justin Martin and Ben Pearce. Melding over 40 tracks of lush soundscapes and deeply provocative beats, this is electronica but not as you know it. Rebooted, refreshed and revolutionised, come on a journey through the future state of dance with FUTURISM. MINIMIX TRACKLIST Flume -- Holdin On Rudimental feat. John Newman Alex Clare - Not Giving In (Bondax Remix) Chet Faker -- I #39;m Into You Jessie Ware - 110% Disclosure feat. Sam Smith -- Latch Duke Dumont -- Need You (100%) jai Paul -- jasmine Passion Pit - Constant Conversations Frank Ocean feat. Earl Sweatshirt ...

By: ministryofsoundau

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Ministry of Sound presents FUTURISM - Video

Religious-freedom ambassador will face challenges from his own department

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The Harper governments new watchdog for international religious persecution is a scholar of Scottish nationalism who, until a few weeks ago, was a mid-level bureaucrat at the federal Department of Natural Resources.

If the experience of his U.S. counterpart is any indication, Andrew Bennett, appointed Canadas first ambassador of religious freedom this week, should study up on the hard-knuckle office politics of the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade.

The Conservatives are installing the Office of Religious Freedom within the secular confines of Foreign Affairs, just as Bill Clinton located a similar office inside the U.S. State Department 14 years ago. The Canadian office, like the U.S. one, will criticize mistreatment of religious minorities in other countries.

A U.S.-based expert on religious persecution said on Wednesday that successive appointees to the post in the United States have found themselves sidelined by Washingtons State Department as diplomats rebuffed attempts to introduce a new player into the countrys foreign policy.

These ambassadors at large for international religious freedom in the State Department, theres been three of them. Its fair to say all three, they have been marginalized. That didnt mean they did nothing, but the State Department didnt want them in the main line of stuff, said Paul Marshall, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institutes Center for Religious Freedom.

Mr. Marshall holds dual Canadian-American citizenship and was approached about a year ago to see if he was interested in the post of ambassador with the Harper governments religious freedom watchdog but was not formally offered the job.

He applauded the creation of the office, saying many in the West underestimate the influence of religion in politics around the world. The focus will be not so much on religious freedom itself but on violations of human rights in general on the grounds of religion.

Dr. Bennett, 40, has been described as the dean of a private Christian liberal arts college in Ottawa, but associates said the endeavour is really a part-time role. The Ukrainian Catholic sub-deacons full-time job was as a manager at the Department of Natural Resources, and his expertise lies in history and political science.

His 2002 doctoral thesis in political science at the University of Edinburgh was titled Nations of Distinction: An Analysis of Nationalist Perspectives on Constitutional Change in Quebec, Catalonia and Scotland. His McGill masters thesis was 20th Century Bannockburn: Scottish Nationalism and the Challenge Posed to British Identity 1970-1980. The battle of Bannockburn was a victory for the Scots in their 14th- and 15th-century wars of independence.

Mr. Marshall said U.S. State Department officials have often resented the intrusion of their ambassador for international religious freedom. Generally, the State Department does not like ambassadors at large for religious freedom. One thing they are usually doing is criticizing and raising issues with other governments and [U.S.] ambassadors to those countries dont like what they think of as crossed lines, he said.

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Freedom From Religion Leads to No Freedom

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February 21, 2013|5:24 am

It's interesting that much of the focus today on the First Amendment has to do with the so-called "separation of church and state." Yet, following the first two clauses concerning the freedom of religion there are additional sections about freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and freedom to peaceably assemble and petition for a redress of grievances. Many today, who would quickly proclaim there is an absolute, two-way, impregnable wall between church and state, somehow also assert that for some reason it stops there, and this same impregnable, two-way wall is considered anathema when it comes to other freedoms mentioned in the same amendment. In other words, there is no "separation of speech and state," no "separation of press and state," and no "separation of public protests and state".

Can you imagine someone seriously arguing the government cannot interfere with free speech, while simultaneously contending neither should citizens be allowed to speak whatever they choose with regard to issues of state? What if the government were to say, speak whatever you will, but when it comes to politics you should remain silent? You have no right to bring your opinions to bear on the political process.

Can you imagine someone seriously arguing the government cannot interfere with a free press, while at the same time advocating that neither can the press use its influence to affect matters of state? That would be a violation of the "separation of press and state."

Can you imagine someone seriously arguing the government cannot interfere with public protests, while also saying public protests are allowed except for those against the government? But then again, if that were the case, there wouldn't be much reason to ever protest.

The point here is such assertions with regard to free speech, freedom of the press, and freedom to peaceably assemble and redress grievances, would be ridiculous and gut the very purpose of the First Amendment. Nevertheless, with respect to America's first freedom, the freedom of religion, this notion of a two-way impregnable wall of separation between religion and its moral influences on the state is erroneously accepted. And God help the supposed religious fools that hope to correct it.

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Nothing in the First Amendment was ever meant to suggest our nation's Founders were trying to protect the state from the church, the government from the press, etc. The purpose of the first ten amendments to the Constitution was to create a one-way wall to protect the citizenry from the government, not the other way around. They were setting up a barrier to safeguard the public from abuses of power, not to save the state from the church or any other function of the people.

The concept of the "separation of church and state," as it's largely understood today, was first introduced by Chief Justice Hugo Black in Everson v. Board of Educationin 1947. Black drew the alien view from a brief written by ACLU lawyer, Leo Pfeffer. The ruling turned Thomas Jefferson's phrase "separation of church and state" in a letter to Danbury Baptists of Connecticut in 1802 on its head. Afterward, the ACLU would use it via the courts to force Christianity out of the public arena for decades.

What's even sadder is many Christians have been poisoned by it and either forgotten or were unaware that the moral ethic of civil liberty and the Christian reality of spiritual liberty are interlocked. Actually, the great principles advocated for a free Republic were originally made by those who knew the internal liberty that comes through Christ alone and is proclaimed on the sacred pages of the Bible.

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Freedom From Religion Leads to No Freedom

4 questions about Canada’s new Office of Religious Freedom

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It has been almost two years since Stephen Harper announced his government would establish an Office of Religious Freedom to monitor the safety of religious minorities around the world.

It was during the spring 2011 election campaign that the Conservatives promised that this new office would become a key pillar of Canadian foreign policy.

Since then, however, progress has been halting. There were reports that two people who had been approached to head up the new agency had turned down the post.

So the announcement Tuesday of the federal government's first ambassador of religious freedom put a face and public profile to an organization that has long been in the planning stages and is now operational.

The first head of the new Office is Andrew Bennett, a 40-year-old Catholic and academic. He has been the dean of Augustine College, a small, private Christian liberal arts college in Ottawa, since February 2011. He teaches the history of Christianity there and is completing a part-time degree in theology.

He has a Ph.D. in politics from the University of Edinburgh, an M.A. in history from McGill University and a B.A. from Dalhousie University.

Bennett is also a former federal public servant. He worked for several years as a political risk analyst for Export Development Canada, and as a policy analyst in the Privy Council Office in Ottawa.

"Dr. Bennett is a man of principle and deep convictions and he will encourage the protection of religious minorities around the world so all can practice their faith without fear of violence and repression," the prime minister said in announcing his appointment on Tuesday.

Augustine College administrator Harold Visser said Bennett would reach out to all those persecuted on religious grounds. "What Andrew brings is a familiarity with a diversity of faith, and a sensitivity to the validity of those various faith traditions," he said.

Its mandate is to promote freedom of religion or belief. The government says this promotion will be a Canadian "foreign policy priority."

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4 questions about Canada’s new Office of Religious Freedom

Freedom Drug Rehab Announces Upcoming State by State Addiction Treatment Survey

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Freedom Treatment Center is a drug and alcohol addiction center in Southern Michigan that has helped many individuals from all areas of the U.S. begin a new life of recovery. The center's Freedom Drug Rehab has collected 10 years' worth of data on drug addiction patients, treatments, regions and drug types and is putting together a comprehensive study that will be useful for helping many more individuals and treatment centers going forward.

Albion, MI (PRWEB) February 21, 2013

Study information came from a survey of nearly 1,000 individuals recovering from drug addiction, inclusive of the drugs to which they were addicted, the treatment plans they followed, and data from Freedom Drug Rehabs records of aftercare follow-ups. The comprehensive study of results is categorized by type of addiction, state and other factors.

We are really excited about this study, as it will give us great insight into addiction trends and treatment outcomes across a huge section of the population, said Nick Thiel, Chief Operations Officer of Michigan's Freedom Treatment Center.

The state-by-state survey has the potential to provide valuable insight to addiction treatment professionals who can use the information to most effectively treat their patients. Due to the multiple categories, addiction specialists will be able to review addiction trends in any given region, the types of treatments that have been most effective, and the types of drugs that have resulted in the highest numbers of addiction in any given area.

Our facility is not the only center and Michigan not the only state that can benefit greatly from this comprehensive study, said Freedom Treatment Center Senior Director Dominick Assante. We are hoping this data can help many centers across the nation implement the most effective programs to help patients in their areas obtain and sustain successful, drug-free lives.

Freedom Drug Rehab plans to announce and summarize survey results, making them readily available to treatment facilities, addiction professionals, program directors and individuals upon request.

Located in a semi-residential pocket of Southern Michigan, Freedom Treatment Center provides the soothing and safe environment and assistance so vital for helping people overcome drug and alcohol addiction. Treatment begins with a natural detoxification and continues with counseling, education and lifestyle changes that help ensure an ongoing and successful recovery.

Nick Thiel Freedom Drug Rehab 1 (866) 513-0725 Email Information

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Freedom Drug Rehab Announces Upcoming State by State Addiction Treatment Survey

Freedom's NCS run ends against De La Salle

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Freedom goalkeeper Chris Contreras stops a shot during the Falcons recent 2-0 victory over Pittsburg. Photo by Angelo Garcia Jr.

BOYS

No. 12 Freedom 3, No. 5 Berkeley 0

Freedom 2, No. 4 Pittsburg 0

No. 1 De La Salle 4, Freedom 0

The Freedom boys soccer team entered Tuesdays North Coast Section semifinal against De La Salle on a cloud.

But the Spartans brought them back to earth.

Freedoms first-ever appearance in the NCS ended last night in a 4-0 loss to top-seeded De La Salle in Concord. No matter how this game went, and we are all hurt and suffering inside, nothing can take away the fantastic season that we had, said Freedom head coach Sal Acevedo. We made history, and the boys fought as hard as they could. I couldnt ask for anything more from these guys. They finished with dignity.

Riding a six-game consecutive shutout streak, Freedom goalkeeper Chris Contreras fought off several early scoring attempts by the Spartans, but De La Salle finally broke through in the 20th minute on a header by senior Jack Karlesking.

From there, things only got worse for No. 12 Freedom, which entered the game after upsetting No. 5 Berkeley and No. 4 Pittsburg.

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Freedom's NCS run ends against De La Salle

Freedom High class teaches merits of community service

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By KENNETH KNIGHT | The Tampa Tribune Published: February 21, 2013 Updated: February 21, 2013 - 3:28 PM

TAMPA PALMS

It is 7:45 a.m. at Freedom High and students in Andrew Tillman's first period class are busy folding paper "Cat in the Hat" head gear for an upcoming reading festival.

The activity may look like fun, but there's a lesson in it.

It demonstrates the students' willingness to perform a seemingly mundane task to help accomplish a bigger goal. In this case, Freedom students are preparing to host second-graders from four area Title 1 schools for the annual I Feel the Need to Read Family Literacy Festival on March 1.

The students in Tillman's class are offered a unique opportunity to learn basic skills and explore ideas on how to successfully conduct community service projects.

"This is the only class like this in the district -- I am pretty sure the state," Tillman said. "We are trying to make this campus more community-service oriented."

It's the second semester Freedom has offered Engaged Citizenship, an elective class for all high school students. The course is designed to appeal to teenagers who are already active in community service or eager to get involved.

Most of the 18 students in the course are members of student service organizations such as Caf Freedom and Key Club.

Alexis Weinberg, a 17-year-old senior, was encouraged by school counselor Amber Wright to sign up for the class.

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Freedom High class teaches merits of community service

New ZBrush Tutorial Released: Concepting a Cyborg in ZBrush – Video

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New ZBrush Tutorial Released: Concepting a Cyborg in ZBrush
Learn more: http://www.digitaltutors.com Watch the trailer above! Course Description: Concepting a Cyborg in ZBrush Throughout this series of ZBrush tutorials, we will explore different techniques to create stunning concept art. We #39;ll go through the creation of a cyborg character using the powerful features of ZBrush and Photoshop, and you #39;ll learn how you can start using the techniques and workflows in your own projects.

By: DigitalTutors

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New ZBrush Tutorial Released: Concepting a Cyborg in ZBrush - Video

When will Rousey, 'Cyborg' duke it out?

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Ronda Rousey (left) and Cris "Cyborg" Santos would fight, but would the UFC make it happen?

AP (2)

"She wants nothing to do with Ronda Rousey. She does not want to fight Ronda Rousey."

That was UFC president Dana White talking a few weeks ago on the fight promotion's weekly show on Fuel TV, his appearance ostensibly to hype the first women's bout in company history. But his bitter words were not aimed at Liz Carmouche, who'll make history along with Rousey in the main event of UFC 157 on Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif. No, White was trash talking Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, whom he'd like us to believe is afraid of his women's champion.

But Santos isn't the one running scared. The UFC is.

Dana & Co. have a good thing going. They've created an attention-grabbing women's division solely upon the star power of Rousey, the former Olympian with the looks and charisma to draw the interest of the ESPN the Magazine "Body Issue," the HBO show Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel and other media avenues that otherwise have little use for this sport. She has captivated the mainstream like no mixed martial artist before her.

Rousey also has dominated her fights like no mixed martial artist before her. You know the resume by now: Six professional bouts, six first-round finishes, five of them in 49 seconds or faster. That's a vital ingredient of the Rousey narrative, even as it relates to her Hollywood red carpet and TV talk show appearances. "I probably get more attention fighting because of how I look," she acknowledges during the HBO show, which has been airing this week. "But if I didn't know how to fight, and I just looked the way I did, no one would know who I am."

If there's a question mark still lingering amid all of the exclamation points in the success story of Ronda Rousey, it has to do with the quality of the opposition she's faced. Sure, her last two conquests have been a reigning champion and a former champ. And Saturday night's opponent, known as the "GirlRilla," is toughness personified, from her military background to the grit she's shown in the cage against more experienced fighters. But those impressive labels - "champion" and "toughness" - are weighed down by the perception that women's MMA is lacking in depth. It's a perception that's both pervasive and longstanding. The women's game was viewed the same way back when a different fighter was the clear alpha female.

That fighter, of course, was Santos. And the only reason we're talking about her in the past tense is that she hasn't won a fight since the summer of 2010. Well, she actually did return to the Strikeforce cage a year and a half after that, and her stay lasted only 16 seconds before she TKO'd Hiroko Yamanaka. But the result later was changed to a no contest after "Cyborg" tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol.

There's the rub. Though Santos is once again eligible to fight after having her license suspended for a year by the California State Athletic Commission, the UFC hasn't exactly rolled out the red carpet. "Cyborg" vs. "Rowdy Ronda" would have been the logical choice for the promotion's historic first. It's the one fight that even those with little regard for women's MMA would be intrigued to see. But Dana White & Co. have invested much in this new division, a venture they had no interest in undertaking until Rousey came along. What if their Olympic-hero, sex-symbol champ were to be vanquished by a brutish Brazilian with the steroid-tainted resume? How does that fit into the marketing plan?

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When will Rousey, 'Cyborg' duke it out?

Jeff Wagenheim: White, UFC still nixing chance of Rousey-Cyborg duel

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Ronda Rousey (left) and Cris "Cyborg" Santos would fight, but would the UFC make it happen?

AP (2)

"She wants nothing to do with Ronda Rousey. She does not want to fight Ronda Rousey."

That was UFC president Dana White talking a few weeks ago on the fight promotion's weekly show on Fuel TV, his appearance ostensibly to hype the first women's bout in company history. But his bitter words were not aimed at Liz Carmouche, who'll make history along with Rousey in the main event of UFC 157 on Saturday night in Anaheim, Calif. No, White was trash talking Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos, whom he'd like us to believe is afraid of his women's champion.

But Santos isn't the one running scared. The UFC is.

Dana & Co. have a good thing going. They've created an attention-grabbing women's division solely upon the star power of Rousey, the former Olympian with the looks and charisma to draw the interest of the ESPN the Magazine "Body Issue," the HBO show Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel and other media avenues that otherwise have little use for this sport. She has captivated the mainstream like no mixed martial artist before her.

Rousey also has dominated her fights like no mixed martial artist before her. You know the resume by now: Six professional bouts, six first-round finishes, five of them in 49 seconds or faster. That's a vital ingredient of the Rousey narrative, even as it relates to her Hollywood red carpet and TV talk show appearances. "I probably get more attention fighting because of how I look," she acknowledges during the HBO show, which has been airing this week. "But if I didn't know how to fight, and I just looked the way I did, no one would know who I am."

If there's a question mark still lingering amid all of the exclamation points in the success story of Ronda Rousey, it has to do with the quality of the opposition she's faced. Sure, her last two conquests have been a reigning champion and a former champ. And Saturday night's opponent, known as the "GirlRilla," is toughness personified, from her military background to the grit she's shown in the cage against more experienced fighters. But those impressive labels - "champion" and "toughness" - are weighed down by the perception that women's MMA is lacking in depth. It's a perception that's both pervasive and longstanding. The women's game was viewed the same way back when a different fighter was the clear alpha female.

That fighter, of course, was Santos. And the only reason we're talking about her in the past tense is that she hasn't won a fight since the summer of 2010. Well, she actually did return to the Strikeforce cage a year and a half after that, and her stay lasted only 16 seconds before she TKO'd Hiroko Yamanaka. But the result later was changed to a no contest after "Cyborg" tested positive for the anabolic steroid stanozolol.

There's the rub. Though Santos is once again eligible to fight after having her license suspended for a year by the California State Athletic Commission, the UFC hasn't exactly rolled out the red carpet. "Cyborg" vs. "Rowdy Ronda" would have been the logical choice for the promotion's historic first. It's the one fight that even those with little regard for women's MMA would be intrigued to see. But Dana White & Co. have invested much in this new division, a venture they had no interest in undertaking until Rousey came along. What if their Olympic-hero, sex-symbol champ were to be vanquished by a brutish Brazilian with the steroid-tainted resume? How does that fit into the marketing plan?

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Jeff Wagenheim: White, UFC still nixing chance of Rousey-Cyborg duel

The deadliest cyborg ninjas in gaming history

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Originally a 360 Indie game, this XBLA success story reveled in the hardcore fun of hacking up cyborg ninjas--along with boring, regular cyborgs. The protagonist, a dishwasher turned samurai for the dystopia, wanted to free the world from cyborg oppression, as well as avenge the death of his sister, Yuki. Unfortunately for the dishwasher, one of his most challenging cyborg foes turned out to be his reanimated sister, and he had to de-animate her (so to speak) in his quest to save the world.

Sequels have a way of fixing tragedies like killing your brainwashed sister, and Yuki returned as a co-star in The Dishwasher: Vampire Smile. Now that she was back from the grave, players got to control her devastating combination of sword and chainsaw attacks. Old-school horror fans no doubt appreciated her Evil Dead-like appendage, and Yuki turned that unwanted enhancement back on her enemies with finesse matching her brothers. Perhaps she misses her right hand, but its hard to argue with the results.

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The deadliest cyborg ninjas in gaming history