NASA buys private inflatable room for ISS

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New York, Jan 13:

NASA has signed a $ 17.8 million deal to attach an inflatable private module to the International Space Station (ISS).

NASA will pay the hefty amount to the Nevada-based private spaceflight firm Bigelow Aerospace for the companys Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM), which will be affixed to the orbiting lab as a technology demonstration.

This partnership agreement for the use of expandable habitats represents a step forward in cutting-edge technology that can allow humans to thrive in space safely and affordably, and heralds important progress in US commercial space innovation, NASA Deputy Chief Lori Garver said.

NASA said Garver and Bigelow founder and President Robert Bigelow will discuss the BEAM programme at a media event on January 16, Space.com reported.

BEAM is likely to be similar to Bigelows Genesis 1 and Genesis 2 prototypes, which the company launched to orbit in 2006 and 2007, respectively. Both Genesis modules are 4.4 by 2.5 meters, with about 11.5 cubic metre of pressurised volume.

NASA said that BEAM could be on orbit about two years after getting an official go-ahead. The module is likely to be launched by one of the agencys commercial cargo suppliers, California-based SpaceX or Virginia-based Orbital Sciences Corp.

The company also intends to launch and link up several of its larger expandable modules to create private space stations, which could be used by a variety of clients.

Tenants could get to orbiting Bigelow habitats in several different ways. The company has set up a partnership with SpaceX for use of its Dragon spacecraft and another one with Boeing, to use the aerospace giants CST-100 capsule.

Bigelow is also eyeing a possible outpost on the moon, for which the company envisions using its BA-330 modules. Several BA-330 habitats, along with propulsion tanks and power units, would be joined together in space and then flown down to the lunar surface.

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NASA buys private inflatable room for ISS

Major NASA Air Pollution Study To Fly Over California

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A multi-year NASA airborne science mission is on its way to California to help scientists better understand how to measure and forecast air quality globally from space. Two NASA aircraft equipped with scientific instruments will fly over the San Joaquin Valley between Bakersfield and Fresno in January and February to measure air pollution. One aircraft will fly within 1,000 feet of the ground.

The aircraft are part of NASA's five-year DISCOVER-AQ study, which stands for Deriving Information on Surface conditions from Column and Vertically Resolved Observations Relevant to Air Quality. Its researchers are working to improve the ability of satellites to consistently observe air quality in the lowest part of the atmosphere. If scientists could better observe pollution from space, they would be able to make better air quality forecasts and more accurately determine where pollution is coming from and why emissions vary.

A fundamental challenge for space-based instruments monitoring air quality is to distinguish between pollution high in the atmosphere and pollution near the surface where people live. DISCOVER-AQ will make measurements from aircraft in combination with ground-based monitoring sites to help scientists better understand how to observe ground-level pollution from space.

"DISCOVER-AQ is collecting data that will prepare us to make better observations from space, as well as determine the best mix of observations to have at the surface when we have new satellite instruments in orbit," said James Crawford, the mission's principal investigator at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Va. "NASA is planning to launch that satellite instrument, called TEMPO, in 2017."

Because many countries, including the United States, have large gaps in ground-based networks of air pollution monitors, experts look to satellites to provide a more complete geographic perspective on the distribution of pollutants. A fleet of Earth-observing satellites, called the Afternoon Constellation or "A-train," will pass over the DISCOVER-AQ study area daily in the early afternoon. The satellites' data, especially from NASA's Aqua and Aura spacecraft, will give scientists the opportunity to compare the view from space with that from the ground and aircraft. "The A-Train satellites have been useful in giving us a broader view of air pollution than we've ever had before," said Kenneth Pickering, DISCOVER-AQ's project scientist at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, MD. "DISCOVER-AQ will help scientists interpret that data to improve air-quality analysis and regional air quality models."

Test flights are scheduled to start January 16 with science flights continuing through mid-February. A four-engine P-3B turboprop plane from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Wallops Island, VA, will carry eight instruments. A two-engine B200 King Air aircraft from Langley will carry two instruments. Sampling will focus on agricultural and vehicle traffic areas extending from Bakersfield to Fresno. The flight path passes over six ground measurement sites operated by the California Air Resources Board and the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District.

The 117-foot-long P-3B will fly spiral flights over the ground stations. These flights will be from an altitude of 15,000 feet to as low as 1,000 feet. They will sample air along agricultural and traffic corridors at low altitudes between the ground stations. The smaller B200 King Air will collect data from as high as 26,000 feet. The plane's instruments will look down at the surface, much like a satellite, and measure particulate and gaseous air pollution. The two airplanes will fly from NASA's Dryden Aircraft Operations Facility in Palmdale, CA.

(Images courtesy NASA)

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Major NASA Air Pollution Study To Fly Over California

What Can I Use if I Don’t Have a Neti Pot at Home? : Naturopathic Medicine – Video

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What Can I Use if I Don #39;t Have a Neti Pot at Home? : Naturopathic Medicine
Subscribe Now: http://www.youtube.com Watch More: http://www.youtube.com If you don #39;t have a Netti Pot, it #39;s important to realize that you still have a few key options. Learn what you can use if you don #39;t have a Netti Pot at home with help from a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and a Registered Nurse in this free video clip. Expert: Holly Lucille Contact: http://www.drhollylucille.com Bio: Dr. Holly Lucille is a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and a Registered Nurse with a passion for facilitating good education in an entertaining way. Filmmaker: Dr. Holly Lucille Series Description: Naturopathic medicine is a type of alternative medicine that can be used to help with a lot of different conditions. Learn more about Naturopathic medicine with help from a licensed Naturopathic Doctor and a Registered Nurse in this free video series.

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What Can I Use if I Don't Have a Neti Pot at Home? : Naturopathic Medicine - Video

Women and Infants Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist selected for editorial team

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Public release date: 11-Jan-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Amy Blustein ablustein@wihri.org 401-681-2822 Women & Infants Hospital

Dwight J. Rouse, MD, MSPH, of Providence, a specialist in the Division of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island and a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, has been selected to serve as the Associate Editor for Obstetrics of Obstetrics & Gynecology, the official journal of the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Obstetrics & Gynecology, also called "The Green Journal," is the most widely read journal in the specialty of obstetrics and gynecology, with more than 46,000 subscribers worldwide, and has the highest ranking impact factor for all general obstetrics and gynecology journals.

Dr. Rouse is the Brown/Women & Infants principal investigator for the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Maternal-Fetal Medicine Units (MFMU) Research Network. He received his bachelor's degree from Harvard University, his medical degree from the University of Illinois in Chicago, and his master's degree in public health from the University of Alabama in Birmingham. He is board certified in obstetrics and gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine.

Dr. Rouse is an author of the 23rd edition of Williams Obstetrics, a past member of the editorial board of Obstetrics & Gynecology, and past editor-in-chief for obstetrics of the journal Obstetrical and Gynecological Survey. He has authored more than 150 original papers and scholarly publications. Through the MFMU, he has led studies on the prevention of prematurity in twins, and the prevention of cerebral palsy with magnesium sulfate. His research and clinical work are focused on clinical obstetrics, particularly labor management.

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About Women & Infants Hospital

Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, a Care New England hospital, is one of the nation's leading specialty hospitals for women and newborns. The primary teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for obstetrics, gynecology and newborn pediatrics, as well as a number of specialized programs in women's medicine, Women & Infants is the eighth largest stand-alone obstetrical service in the country with nearly 8,400 deliveries per year. In 2009, Women & Infants opened what was at the time the country's largest, single-family room neonatal intensive care unit.

New England's premier hospital for women and newborns, Women & Infants and Brown offer fellowship programs in gynecologic oncology, maternal-fetal medicine, urogynecology and reconstructive pelvic surgery, neonatal-perinatal medicine, pediatric and perinatal pathology, gynecologic pathology and cytopathology, breast disease, and reproductive endocrinology and infertility. It is home to the nation's only mother-baby perinatal psychiatric partial hospital, as well as the nation's only fellowship program in obstetric medicine.

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Women and Infants Maternal-Fetal Medicine specialist selected for editorial team

Local medical school class size to nearly double

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The opening of the Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences was celebrated July 23, 2008 with the dedication of Butler-Haney Hall in Yakima, Wash. (AP photo/Yakima Herald-Republic, Gordon King)

Pacific Northwest University of Health Sciences is set to nearly double the size of its medical college class next year, increasing the number of students from 70 to 135.

The increase will take effect in time for new students entering the school in fall 2013.

Administrators and faculty are thrilled that the Commission of Osteopathic College Accreditation, or COCA, approved the schools application for a class increase, said Dr. Keith Watson, PNWUs president.

This is another step towards realizing PNWUs vision as a leader in community-based primary care education and our efforts to increase the numbers of primary care physicians in the healthcare force, Watson said in a news release. Our graduates will become well-trained, primary-care-focused osteopathic physicians addressing the vast and significant physician workforce shortage areas in the Pacific Northwest and beyond.

The COCA approval came two weeks ago after PNWU submitted its application on Dec. 1. But the efforts to make PNWU ready for a larger class go back much further.

The university has been looking to expand its 70-student limit since 2008, with the number of applicants growing from 1,976 for the inaugural class to 2,536 for the class that will graduate in 2016.

In certifying schools for class size increases, COCA examines classroom and lab space, school curriculum, adequacy of faculty and staff, and rotation openings for third- and fourth-year medical students, among other criteria.

In June, PNWU broke ground on a $5 million expansion of the main Butler-Haney Hall as part of the schools Phase II of construction, in anticipation of a larger class and the application it would file with COCA, administrators said at the time.

The school has also been working with a consultant who specializes in medical school buildings to learn how to optimize existing space for students and classes.

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Local medical school class size to nearly double

Liberty Wins First Conference Game

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From Liberty athletics:

LYNCHBURG, Va. The Liberty men's basketball team avoided starting Big South Conference play 0-3 for the second straight season, defeating Coastal Carolina, Saturday night, 64-56. The Flames win inside the Vines Centers marks its second straight victory against the Chanticleers.

Liberty improves to 5-12 on the year and 1-2 in Big South action. The Chanticleers fall to 7-7 overall and 2-1 in conference play. The Flames now lead the all-time series 27-23.

Tomasz Gielo finished with a career-high night in points for the second straight game, pacing the Flames with 19 tallies. John Caleb Sanders chipped in 13 points, followed by Tavares Speaks who had 11. Joel Vander Pol led Liberty in rebounds with eight, while adding seven points.

Kierre Greenwood led the Chanticleers with 27 points, finishing the contest as Coastal Carolina's only double-digit scorer. The Liberty defense held Coastal Carolina leading scorer Anthony Raffa to eight points after the senior went scoreless in the first half.

Liberty concluded the night with its third highest field goal percentage of the season, shooting 47.6 percent (20-of-42) from the field. Defensively, the Flames held Coastal Carolina to 29.2 percent shooting (19-of-65), marking the first time a Liberty opponent has finished under 30.0 percent from the field since Campbell shot 29.0 percent (18-of-62) in the Flames' 49-41 regular-season finale win on Feb. 25, 2012.

Liberty also held the Chanticleers to 10.0 percent (2-of-20) from three-point range, while shooting 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from long distance.

Greenwood started things off for Coastal Carolina, posting six unanswered points. The Flames answered with a 14-2 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Davon Marshall and Gielo, followed by a traditional three-point play by Casey Roberts. The Chanticleers responded with another 6-0 burst to knot the contest, 14-14, at 8:41.

Gielo put the Flames on top with another three-pointer over a minute later. On the defensive end, JR Coronado caused the Vines Center crowd to erupt at the 6:45 mark after swatting a layup attempt by Charles Ashford. The Flames closed out the half outscoring Coastal Carolina, 10-6, including four unanswered tallies before the buzzer to take a 27-20 halftime lead.

Liberty began the second half with six straight points, including a third Gielo trey at 16:30 to stretch its advantage to 13. The Chanticleers chipped away at the deficit over the ensuing 5:31, making it a six-point game, 39-33, following a Michel Enanga layup at 10:59.

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Liberty Wins First Conference Game

Pasco GOP, Libertarian leaders exchange accusations of intimidation, lies

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By Lee Logan, Times Staff Writer Lee LoganTampa Bay Times In Print: Sunday, January 13, 2013

NEW PORT RICHEY A top Libertarian Party official accuses a Pasco GOP power broker of intimidating a young city council candidate. The Republican says the other guy's lying and that he was only enforcing party guidelines.

And you thought we were taking a break from local politics for a while.

The story begins with a phone call.

GOP state committeeman Bill Bunting spoke Tuesday afternoon with Michael Malterer, who's running on an anti-red-light camera platform for New Port Richey City Council. (Each man says the other person initiated the call.)

Here's how Bunting described the call:

Malterer asked if he could speak at one or more Republican clubs. Bunting asked Malterer's party affiliation. Malterer told Bunting he is not a registered Republican. But he said the City Council race is nonpartisan and asked what difference his affiliation makes.

"It makes a difference to us because we have party rules," Bunting recalled saying. "Unfortunately I cannot allow you to speak. Good luck on your campaign."

Malterer, 24, declined to discuss specifics of the call, saying the dispute is not relevant to his campaign. He did say Bunting's "version of events are untrue." He borrowed a phrase from retired major league baseball player Roger Clemens and said Bunting "may be misremembering."

Malterer is the chairman of the Libertarian Party of Pasco. The party's vice chairman is Alex Snitker, who ran under the party's banner for U.S. Senate in 2010.

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Pasco GOP, Libertarian leaders exchange accusations of intimidation, lies

Chris Ringor as MC Rocker/C-Ringor performing on stage at CSU Channel Islands Relay for Life 2012 – Video

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Chris Ringor as MC Rocker/C-Ringor performing on stage at CSU Channel Islands Relay for Life 2012
Here #39;s me performing at CSU Channel Islands #39; Relay for Life 2012 on stage singing rapping 3 songs: "CSUCI Rules", "Dolphins" (Song Cover: Airplanes by BOB/Hayley Williams), "Mark #39;s House (Na Na Na)" (Song Cover: La La La by Mac Miller). The event date was on March 2nd, 2012 which is the first inaugural annual of RFL.

By: Chris Ringor

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Chris Ringor as MC Rocker/C-Ringor performing on stage at CSU Channel Islands Relay for Life 2012 - Video

Defence chiefs prepare war plans for Falkland Islands

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The Government is expecting a 100 per cent yes vote when the islanders are asked on March 11: Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?

Intelligence chiefs have warned David Cameron that a resounding yes vote could lead to an aggressive stunt by the Argentine government, such as the planting of the countrys flag on the island by a small raiding party.

Other possibilities include a cod war style harassment campaign by the Argentine navy of the Falklands fishing fleet and the disruption of British oil and gas exploration.

Such a move, officers have warned, could quite quickly escalate into aggressive action if the Royal Navy was ordered to intervene.

Senior sources emphasised that in drawing up the contingency plans they were acting out of prudence so that nothing would take them by surprise.

A senior defence source told The Telegraph: Britain needs to be in a situation to respond very quickly to a whole series of threats that is why we have contingency plans. Our posture has not changed but neither are we complacent.

There are a number of contingencies to deal with any threat to the Falklands and they are currently being reviewed. No orders have been given to any military unit at this stage but prudent planning within all units who could be deployed in the event of a crisis is taking place.

That is quite normal. Commanders like to be two steps ahead rather than two steps behind.

With more than 8,000 soldiers from five infantry battalions, including the 2nd and 3rd battalions of The Parachute Regiment, which both fought in the first Falklands conflict in 1982, 16 Air Assault Brigade is trained and equipped for short notice rapid deployment operations.

While no official warning order has been issued, it is understood that the brigades staff already have contingencies prepared for deploying elements of the force such as a 150-strong company group to be flown to the Falklands via Ascension Island, in a matter of hours if needed.

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Defence chiefs prepare war plans for Falkland Islands

Britain set to up military presence in Falkland Islands

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'Britain needs to be able to respond quickly to series of threats'

By Daily Mail Reporter

PUBLISHED: 05:03 EST, 13 January 2013 | UPDATED: 06:40 EST, 13 January 2013

Britain is prepared to send additional military backup to the South Atlantic as a 'show of force' to Argentina over the Falkland Islands.

It is understood an extra warship, another RAF Tycoon combat aircraft and further troops could be dispatched to the region ahead of the March referendum over whether the islands remain part of the UK.

According to the Sunday Telegraph, the options being proposed by planners at the Permanent Joint Headquarters in Northwood, London, include conducting naval exercises in the region.

Show of force: Additional military support could be sent to the Falklands to support HMS Edinburgh (pictured), which is currently patrolling the South Atlantic Ocean, as tensions over the islands' future rise ahead of the March referendum

Ours: A British flag is planted at a farm in the Falkland Islands. Residents will vote in a referendum on March 11 about whether they want to remain part of the UK

This could also involve the deployment of the Royal Navys Response Task Force Group, a flotilla comprising destroyers, a frigate, a submarine and commandos.

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Britain set to up military presence in Falkland Islands

Defence chiefs prepare new plans to defend Falkland Islands

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The Government is expecting a 100 per cent yes vote when the islanders are asked on March 11: Do you wish the Falkland Islands to retain their current political status as an Overseas Territory of the United Kingdom?

Intelligence chiefs have warned David Cameron that a resounding yes vote could lead to an aggressive stunt by the Argentine government, such as the planting of the countrys flag on the island by a small raiding party.

Other possibilities include a cod war style harassment campaign by the Argentine navy of the Falklands fishing fleet and the disruption of British oil and gas exploration.

Such a move, officers have warned, could quite quickly escalate into aggressive action if the Royal Navy was ordered to intervene.

Senior sources emphasised that in drawing up the contingency plans they were acting out of prudence so that nothing would take them by surprise.

A senior defence source told The Telegraph: Britain needs to be in a situation to respond very quickly to a whole series of threats that is why we have contingency plans. Our posture has not changed but neither are we complacent.

There are a number of contingencies to deal with any threat to the Falklands and they are currently being reviewed. No orders have been given to any military unit at this stage but prudent planning within all units who could be deployed in the event of a crisis is taking place.

That is quite normal. Commanders like to be two steps ahead rather than two steps behind.

With more than 8,000 soldiers from five infantry battalions, including the 2nd and 3rd battalions of The Parachute Regiment, which both fought in the first Falklands conflict in 1982, 16 Air Assault Brigade is trained and equipped for short notice rapid deployment operations.

While no official warning order has been issued, it is understood that the brigades staff already have contingencies prepared for deploying elements of the force such as a 150-strong company group to be flown to the Falklands via Ascension Island, in a matter of hours if needed.

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Defence chiefs prepare new plans to defend Falkland Islands

In map, China claims islands

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Beijing, Jan. 12 -- Beijing has issued a new map that shows 130 islands in the East and South China seas as part of mainland China.

Besides Japan in the East China Sea, China is locked in dispute with Vietnam, the Philippines and Malaysia among other countries over the ownership of islands in the South China Sea.

A new map, it seems, is Beijing's new diplomatic tool. In November, it had emerged that in its new biometric passports issued in 2012, Beijing was printing maps that showed the entire South China Sea and Taiwan as part of China. (India began to mark its visas for anyone travelling from China to India with its own official map that showed the disputed areas of Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh as part of India after the Chinese passport mapped these areas as part of China.)

In the latest episode, state-run Xinhua news agency issued an early-morning government statement on Saturday announcing that China for the first time had inked South China Sea islands on its new official maps in equal scale to that of the Chinese mainland.

At the very end of the statement, it was mentioned there was "a zoomed illustration of the Diaoyu Islands, displaying their positional relations and those of their affiliated islets with the Chinese mainland and Taiwan."

China and Japan are entangled in a dispute over the Diaoyu islands (Senkaku in Japanese) and both countries have been testing each other in the sky this past week with fighter jets flying over East China Sea.

"The new vertical-format maps of China, published by Sinomaps Press, include more than 130 islands and islets in the South China Sea, most of which have not been featured on previous maps of China, the National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation said," Xinhua reported.

Published by HT Syndication with permission from Hindustan Times.

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In map, China claims islands

China publishes new maps highlighting islands being claimed by PH, Japan

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By: Pots de Leon, InterAksyon.com January 12, 2013 8:58 PM

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

MANILA, Philippines - China has published new maps that for the "first time" put disputed islands in South China Sea (West Philippine Sea) being claimed by the Philippines "in equal scale" to that of Chinese mainland, Xinhua, China's official press agency, reported on Friday. The maps also featuredislands in East China Sea being claimed by Japan.

Quoting information from China's National Administration of Surveying, Mapping and Geoinformation, Xinhua said the country had included in its new vertical-format maps over 130 islands and islets in the South China Sea, "most of which have not been featured on previous maps of China."

Also, the report said that a "zoomed illustration" of the Diaoyu or Senkaku Islands being claimed by Japan had been included in the bottom-left corner of the maps "displaying their positional relations and those of their affiliated islets with the Chinese mainland and Taiwan."

In the old horizontal maps, only bigger islands such as the Xisha (Paracel), Zhongsha, and Nansha islands were featured, which were illustrated in the bottom-right corner at half the scale used for the Chinese mainland, the report said quoting Zhou Beiyan, editor of the new maps.

China considers Scarborough or Panatag Shoal (Huangyan Island) as part of Zhongsha Islands. The shoal, located between the Macclesfield Bank and Luzon Island, is being claimed by the Philippines.Also, the Philippines claims portions of Nansha Islands or the Spratly Islands.

The new maps published by China's national map publisher SinoMaps Press will be available to the public by end of January this year.

Xinhua quoted Xu Gencai, chief editor of SinoMaps Press, as saying that the new maps "have marked clearly the major South China Sea islands and demonstrated their geographic relations with surrounding island countries as well as surrounding islands and islets."

The report further said that according to Xu, "the maps will be very significant in enhancing Chinese people's awareness of national territory, safeguarding China's marine rights and interests and manifesting China's political diplomatic stance."

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China publishes new maps highlighting islands being claimed by PH, Japan

Collin County couple arrested for health care fraud violations

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A Collin County husband and wife have been arrested and charged with health care fraud violations in the Eastern District of Texas, announced U.S. Attorney John M. Bales today.

John Mitchell Rutoskey, 59, and Gwenice Rutoskey , 54, were arrested early this morning at their McKinney home without incident. On Dec. 12, 2012, the Rutoskey's were named in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury charging them with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, six counts of health care fraud, causing false representations in relation to federal health care programs, and two counts of money laundering. The Rutoskey's will make an initial appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Amos Mazzant.

If convicted of these charges, the Rutoskey's face up to 10 years in federal prison for each health care fraud and money laundering charge. They face up to five years in federal prison for the charge of causing false representations in relation to federal health care fraud programs.

Any individuals with knowledge of these or other health care fraud violations are encouraged to contact the Department of Health and Human Services' fraud hotline at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (447-8477)

A grand jury indictment is not evidence of guilt. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of Starlocalnews.com

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Collin County couple arrested for health care fraud violations

Father's Death Spurs Son To Tackle Health Care

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Businessman David Goldhill's father died of a hospital-related infection. His book Catastrophic Care argues that the American health care system needs to become more consumer-driven.

Businessman David Goldhill's father died of a hospital-related infection. His book Catastrophic Care argues that the American health care system needs to become more consumer-driven.

In 2007, David Goldhill's father, in good overall health, checked into the hospital with a minor case of pneumonia. Within a few days, he developed sepsis, then a wave of secondary infections. A few weeks after entering the hospital and the day after his 83rd birthday, he died.

Shortly after, Goldhill read an article that changed the course of his life. He learned just how common hospital infection deaths like his father's are: An estimated 100,000 happen in the U.S. each year. Goldhill also learned just how simple it can be to prevent them in some cases as simple as regulating physician hand-washing.

So Goldhill set out to learn as much as he could about our convoluted, insurance-based health care system. And he found that much of it is broken.

His new book is called Catastrophic Care: How American Health Care Killed My Father and How We Can Fix it. Goldhill first wrote about the experience in a 2009 Atlantic cover story.

As president of the Game Show Network, Goldhill approaches the topic from a business perspective. He believes patients should take on more of a consumer role.

"It seemed strange that any industry could have a relatively low-cost way of significantly improving its customer experience," he tells weekends on All Things Considered host Jacki Lyden, "and it would be hard to get the industry to adopt it."

Goldhill says the true cost of our health care is massive and it is hidden.

He looks at a typical entry-level employee earning about $35,000 a year. He finds that over the course of her lifetime she will pay more than $1 million to support her and her family's health care. And that's if there is zero growth in costs and if she avoids major illness.

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Father's Death Spurs Son To Tackle Health Care

Health care workers who refuse flu shot thorny issue

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Employee gets flu shot from nurse

Bill Staples, a Mississippi Department of Health employee, is given a flu vaccine shot by registered nurse Rosemary Jones, also with the health department, in this October file photo taken in Jackson, Miss. A survey by Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers found that in 2011, more than 400 U.S. hospitals required flu vaccinations for their employees and 29 hospitals fired employees who were not vaccinated against the virus. Associated Press

Should health care workers have the right to refuse getting a flu shot?

CHICAGO - Patients can refuse a flu shot. Should doctors and nurses have that right, too? That is the thorny question surfacing as U.S. hospitals increasingly crack down on employees who wont get flu shots, with some workers losing their jobs over their refusal.

Where does it say that I am no longer a patient if Im a nurse, wondered Carrie Calhoun, a longtime critical care nurse in suburban Chicago who was fired last month after she refused a flu shot.

Hospitals get-tougher measures coincide with an earlier-than-usual flu season hitting harder than in recent mild seasons. Flu is widespread in most states, and at least 20 children have died.

Most doctors and nurses do get flu shots. But in the past two months, at least 15 nurses and other hospital staffers in four states have been fired for refusing, and several others have resigned, according to affected workers, hospital authorities and published reports.

In Rhode Island, one of three states with tough penalties behind a mandatory vaccine policy for health care workers, more than 1,000 workers recently signed a petition opposing the policy, according to a labor union that has filed suit to end the regulation.

Why would people whose job is to protect sick patients refuse a flu shot? The reasons vary from allergies to flu vaccine, which are rare, to religious objections and skepticism about whether vaccinating health workers will prevent flu in patients.

Dr. Carolyn Bridges, associate director for adult immunization at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, says the strongest evidence is from studies in nursing homes, linking flu vaccination among health care workers with fewer patient deaths from all causes.

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Health care workers who refuse flu shot thorny issue