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Medicare: Where Presidential Politics And Policy Collide

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

President Obama and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney first debated Medicare on Oct. 3.

Medicare, the federal health insurance program for about 50 million senior and disabled Americans, is simultaneously one of the most popular and imperiled programs in America.

Its participants and their relatives tend to be highly satisfied with the generous health benefits it provides. But some 78 million baby boomers are now beginning to qualify for the program at a rate of an estimated 10,000 every day.

The first presidential debate earlier this month in Denver had an entire segment devoted to the subject of health care. And it's almost certain to come up in tonight's debate in New York.

But it wasn't the 2010 health law that the candidates brought up first in the last debate. It was Medicare. Specifically, each candidate went after what he saw as the weaknesses of the other candidate's plan.

Here's what President Obama had to say:

"The idea, which was originally presented by Congressman Ryan, your running mate, is that we would give a voucher to seniors, and they could go out in the private marketplace and buy their own health insurance. The problem is that because the voucher wouldn't necessarily keep up with health care inflation, it was estimated that this would cost the average senior about $6,000 a year."

Romney countered with a critique of what President Obama's health law would do to Medicare:

"For current retirees he's cutting $716 billion from the program. Now, he says by not overpaying hospitals and providers, actually just going to them and saying we're going to reduce the rates you get paid across the board, everybody's going to get a lower rate."

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Medicare: Where Presidential Politics And Policy Collide

Health shift will affect 860,000 Calif. children

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) California's top health care official told lawmakers Tuesday she is confident the state can eliminate a health insurance program serving more than 860,000 children from low-income families without disrupting the quality of their care.

Lawmakers held a hearing in the state Senate wanting to know if the administration is prepared to make the transition without disrupting children's medical care. California is eliminating its Healthy Families program and moving those children into the state's Medicaid program in an effort to save a projected $73 million a year.

"We do not want to throw no pun intended the babies out with the bathwater," said Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco.

California Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley said in an interview Monday that the shift will help streamline children's health care and reduce government complexities. But state lawmakers and children's advocates are concerned about the possibility of having children's medical services disrupted.

Assemblyman Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, said he is concerned about the number of doctors willing to accept more Medi-Cal clients. State officials estimate that health providers will receive about 15 percent less under Medi-Cal, which is California's version of the federal Medicaid program for the poor.

"My main concern is that those children continue to have access to the care they need," Pan, a pediatrician, said in an interview Monday. "Ultimately it's about the quality of care."

The Department of Health Care Services has issued a strategic plan that proposes to move all 863,000 children enrolled in Healthy Families into Medi-Cal by Sept. 1, 2013. Families are expected to be moved in four phases, depending on whether their doctors and health plans already accept Medi-Cal. The state plans to start notifying parents next month.

According to the state, eliminating Healthy Families is projected to save the state $13 million this fiscal year and $73 million annually once the transition is completed.

"We recognize these are austere times. The state employees who took a 5 percent pay cut took the pay cut as loyal dedicated public servants," Dooley said. "I believe (health providers) will continue to serve even though there will be a reduction. It does require some sacrifice, not from the children, but will require sacrifice from the people who provide care."

Sen. Ed Hernandez, the Baldwin Park Democrat who is the chairman of the Senate Health Committee, said he questions whether the administration can ensure enough health providers and whether the state will receive the federal waiver it needs to make the change.

Health shift will affect 860,000 Calif. children

Health Care Shift To Affect 860,000 California Children

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

Examination in a doctors office. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

SACRAMENTO (CBS / AP) Californias top health care official told lawmakers Tuesday she is confident the state can eliminate a health insurance program serving more than 860,000 children from low-income families without disrupting the quality of their care.

Lawmakers held a hearing in the state Senate wanting to know if the administration is prepared to make the transition without disrupting childrens medical care. California is eliminating its Healthy Families program and moving those children into the states Medicaid program in an effort to save a projected $73 million a year.

We do not want to throwno pun intendedthe babies out with the bathwater, said Assemblyman Tom Ammiano, D-San Francisco.

California Health and Human Services Secretary Diana Dooley said in an interview Monday that the shift will help streamline childrens health care and reduce government complexities. But state lawmakers and childrens advocates are concerned about the possibility of having childrens medical services disrupted.

Assemblyman Richard Pan, D-Sacramento, said he is concerned about the number of doctors willing to accept more Medi-Cal clients. State officials estimate that health providers will receive about 15 percent less under Medi-Cal, which is Californias version of the federal Medicaid program for the poor.

My main concern is that those children continue to have access to the care they need, Pan, a pediatrician, said in an interview Monday. Ultimately its about the quality of care.

According to the state, eliminating Healthy Families is projected to save the state $13 million this fiscal year and $73 million annually once the transition is completed.

We recognize these are austere times. The state employees who took a 5 percent pay cut took the pay cut as loyal dedicated public servants, Dooley said. I believe (health providers) will continue to serve even though there will be a reduction. It does require some sacrifice, not from the children, but will require sacrifice from the people who provide care.

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Health Care Shift To Affect 860,000 California Children

HCANJ Signs Preferred Partnership Agreement with COMS Interactive

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

HAMILTON, N.J., Oct.17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --The Health Care Association of New Jersey (HCANJ) has signed a Preferred Partner Agreement with COMS Interactive, LLC (COMS). With a key goal of helping the Association's membership to improve resident clinical outcomes, the partnership with COMS is a natural extension of HCANJ's offerings to its members. The focus of the three-year agreement is improving clinical and financial outcomes for each member facility.

The COMS flagship Disease Management software, Daylight IQ, is used in leading nursing homes, assisted living facilities and home care organizations nationwide. The Software as a Service (SaaS) product features a series of integrated, disease-based library of clinical protocols that significantly empower the entire care team including physicians, therapists, nurses, and nurse aides, and facilitates enhanced communication between all parties. The initial Daylight IQ training can be completed in less than two hours, immediately improving clinical results and providing positive tangible financial outcomes.

"With over 50 years representing long-term care providers, HCANJ is committed to providing products and services that afford our member facilities the opportunity to continually improve outcomes," noted Paul Langevin, President of HCANJ. "The implementation of Daylight IQ offers the triple benefit of allowing our member facilities to reduce unnecessary hospital readmission rates, enhance the overall quality of care provided by member clinicians, and improve financial outcomes."

Daylight IQ empowers clinical teams with information and technology at the point of care. This results in caregivers providing better care for residents. A key component of Daylight IQ is the reduction in unnecessary hospital readmissions by as much as 50%, a related decrease in premature mortality rates, and an increase in successful discharges.

"Clearly, HCANJ is a thought leader in the long-term care marketplace," noted Edward J. Tromczynski, Chief Executive Officer, COMS Interactive. "As a strong advocate for implementing progressive solutions for the health care market, HCANJ is leading the charge to improve the quality of life for those individuals served by their member organizations."

Data indicates that the average nursing home, home care or assisted living resident has a complicated disease profile, with one primary disease and up to eight secondary diseases or afflictions. Over 70% of re-hospitalizations are due to the worsening of secondary or new diseases. By providing early detection of changes in condition, Daylight IQ highlights potential problems and offers caregivers the opportunity to respond, preventing further progression of the illness.

About the Health Care Association of New JerseyHeadquartered in Hamilton and founded over fifty years ago, the Health Care Association of New Jersey is a non-profit trade association representing long-term care providers who believe that the individuals they serve are entitled to a supportive environment in which professional and compassionate care is delivered. This belief compels HCANJ and its members to advocate for individuals who, because of social needs, disability, trauma, or illness, require services provided in a long-term care setting, while also advocating for the long-term care provider community. For additional information on HCANJ, visit http://www.hcanj.org or contact the association directly at #609.890.8700.

About COMS Interactive, LLC COMS Interactive, LLC deploys processes and systems that stabilize and improve resident health while improving financial outcomes for skilled nursing facilities. The Daylight IQ Software as a Service (SaaS) product combines business administration, disease management and long-term healthcare knowledge to empower the nursing team, reduce medical errors, more efficiently address resident healthcare needs and increase facility revenues. This combination of clinical and technical processes can save millions of dollars a year in preventable hospital readmissions. Additional information regarding COMS Interactive and Daylight IQ is available at http://www.comsllc.com or by contacting COMS at #330.650.9900.

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HCANJ Signs Preferred Partnership Agreement with COMS Interactive

Cigna and Banner Health Network Join in Collaborative Accountable Care Effort in Arizona

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

PHOENIX--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Cigna (CI) and Banner Health Network are launching a collaborative accountable care initiative to expand patient access to health care, improve care coordination, and achieve the triple aim of improved health outcomes (quality), lower total medical costs and increased patient satisfaction.

Collaborative accountable care is Cigna's approach to accomplishing the same population health goals as accountable care organizations, or ACOs. The program will benefit over 20,000 individuals covered by a Cigna health plan who receive care from among approximately 2,600 doctors affiliated with Banner Health Network in Arizona.

This collaboration between Cigna and Banner Health is an example of how we are fundamentally changing the way we deliver health care, by putting greater emphasis on outcomes, said Chuck Lehn, chief executive officer for Banner Health Network. What matters most to our physicians is ensuring that our patients receive well-coordinated care that helps them live healthier, more productive lives. This model allows us to attain that level of care, while keeping the cost of medicine affordable.

Under the program, Banner Health Network doctors monitor and coordinate all aspects of an individuals medical care. Patients continue to go to their current physician and automatically receive the benefits of the program. Individuals who are enrolled in a Cigna health plan and later choose to seek care from a doctor in the medical group will also have access to the benefits of the program. There are no changes in any plan requirements regarding referrals to specialists. Patients most likely to see the immediate benefits of the program are those who need help managing chronic conditions, such as diabetes or heart disease.

We are pleased to expand our collaborative accountable care program in Arizona through this initiative with Banner Health Network, said Stephanie Gorman, president and general manager for Cigna in Arizona. We share a commitment to prevention, improving health care quality and changing the health care delivery system from one that focuses on volume to one that focuses on quality of care and value.

Critical to the programs benefits are registered nurses, employed by Banner Health Network, who serve as clinical care coordinators and help patients with chronic conditions or other health challenges navigate the health care system. The care coordinators are aligned to a team of Cigna case managers to ensure a high degree of collaboration between Banner Health Network and Cigna that ultimately results in a better experience for the individual.

The care coordinators will enhance care by using patient-specific data from Cigna to help identify patients being discharged from the hospital who might be at risk for readmission, as well as patients who may be overdue for important health screenings or who may have skipped a prescription refill. The care coordinators are part of the physician-led care team that helps patients get the follow-up care or screenings they need, identify any issues related to medications and help prevent chronic conditions from worsening.

Care coordinators can also help patients schedule appointments, provide health education and refer patients to Cigna's clinical programs, such as disease management programs for diabetes, heart disease and other conditions; and lifestyle management programs, such as programs for tobacco cessation, weight management and stress management.

This newest initiative, which takes effect November 1, 2012, builds on Cigna's collaborative accountable care efforts locally, including those of Cigna Medical Group, the Phoenix-based multi-specialty practice division of Cigna HealthCare of Arizona. Cigna Medical Groups strong focus on the patient and improved care coordination resulted in 24 percent lower avoidable emergency room visits, 14 percenthigher adult preventive care and 8 to 10 percent lower total medical costs in 2011 compared to the Phoenix market. Cigna Medical Group doctors consistently receive patient satisfactions scores of 93% or higher.

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Cigna and Banner Health Network Join in Collaborative Accountable Care Effort in Arizona

Carlson Selects Castlight Health to Help Employees Reduce Costs and Improve the Quality of Care

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Castlight Health, the leading provider of health care transparency solutions for employers and payers, today announced that global hospitality and travel company Carlson has selected Castlight to help 10,000 of the companys employees make better-informed decisions about their health care.

Carlson, a global leader in the hospitality and travel industry, launched Ambition 2015, an internal initiative focused on making Carlson the top hospitality and travel company to work for and invest in. One element was to improve the health and wellness of its workforce, which Carlson planned to achieve by upgrading its health care plan and benefits program. In addition to improving employee health, this health care transformation is expected to reduce costs, allowing Carlson to reinvest resources and capital to fuel company growth.

With the cost of health care continuing to increase, we needed to get creative with our benefits program to lessen the financial burden and remain a top company to work for, said Shawn Leavitt, vice president of global compensation and benefits, Carlson. By using Castlight to turn our employees into more engaged health care consumers, we found we could reduce this expenditure and in turn, invest the savings into growing our business."

Carlson is offering Castlight as part of an enhanced benefits package for 2013, which includes a broad consumer-driven health plan. After a competitive evaluation of health plan and third-party options, Carlson determined that Castlights health care management suite was the best on the market, due to its accurate pricing information and clinical quality data. This insight into cost and quality of services and procedures will help Carlsons workforce become more engaged and informed health care consumers, enabling them to derive better quality care for their money. Additionally, Carlson was drawn to Castlights commitment to technology innovation, which the company plans to capitalize on as it continues to evolve its employee benefits offerings.

Carlson is a forward-looking company that has developed one of the most innovative benefits programs in the U.S., said John Driscoll, president, Castlight Health. Directly linking health care transparency with company growth will aid in Carlsons goal of becoming the leading hospitality and travel company, as they will be able to leverage health care cost savings from Castlight into new initiatives.

About Carlson

Carlson is a global hospitality and travel company headquartered in Minneapolis, Minn. Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group includes more than 1,300 hotels in operation and development, including, Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Plaza; Park Inn by Radisson, Country Inns & Suites By CarlsonSM and Hotel Missoni; more than 900 T.G.I. Fridays restaurants; and a majority stake in Carlson Wagonlit Travel, the global leader in business travel management. Carlson operates in more than 150 countries and territories and its brands employ more than 170,000 people. For more information, please visit Carlsons website: http://www.carlson.com.

About Castlight Health

Castlight Health enables employers, their employees, and health plans to take control of healthcare costs and improve care. Named #1 on The Wall Street Journals list of The Top 50 Venture-Backed Companies for 2011 and one of Dow Jones 50 Most Investment-Worthy Technology Start-Ups, Castlight Health helps the countrys self-insured employers and health plans empower consumers to shop for health care. Castlight Health is headquartered in San Francisco andbacked by prominent investors including Allen & Company, Cleveland Clinic, Maverick Capital, Morgan Stanley Investment Management, Oak Investment Partners, Redmile Group, T. Rowe Price, U.S. Venture Partners, Venrock, Wellcome Trust and two unnamed mutual funds. For more information, please visit our web site at http://www.castlighthealth.com or call (415) 829-1400.

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Carlson Selects Castlight Health to Help Employees Reduce Costs and Improve the Quality of Care

Casey Analyst Forecasts Explosive Biotech Growth

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

Submitted by The Life Sciences Report as part of our contributors program .

This interview was conducted by The Life Sciences Report (10/11/12)

The myth of technology, whether for smartphones or cancer treatments, is that the next big thing appears suddenly and magically. Casey Research Analyst Alex Daley sets the record straight in this exclusive interview with The Life Sciences Report . While the science of genetic medicine has accelerated the process of turning magical thinking into practical medicine, Daley cautions investors in biotech and medical device companies to be patient, and names companies with innovative technologies poised for explosive growth.

The Life Sciences Report: At Casey Research's "Navigating the Politicized Economy" summit, you talked about the difference between the speed of science and the speed of technology, and how quickly the time to market and cost of products in the life sciences space is decreasing. Can you provide some examples?

Alex Daley: Many technologies, like the touch-screen tablets and smartphones that now dominate the market, seem to come out of nowhere, perpetuating the myth of technology as almost magical. But you only have to look as far as the as-yet-unfulfilled promises of recent years to see the slow development curve that leads to explosive growth. This has been most noticeable in the advent of genetic medicine.

We all remember the sequencing of the human genome as a scientific milestone. Announced in 2000, just at the turn of the millennium, it was followed by much media fanfare about the dawn of genetic medicine. Every untreatable disease was going to be cured. Every person was going to receive medicine tailored to his or her unique makeup.

Yet, more than a decade later, that promise remains almost entirely unfulfilled. It's not that the science has stood still. Quite the opposite: It has been moving forward at blazing speed. The original human genome project, which sequenced a single person's genome to 92%?including everything but some particularly difficult areas?took 13 years and cost more than $3 billion ($3B). It was a monumental advancement, but not practical for everyday use.

Over the last decade the cost of genome sequencing has fallen far faster than many predicted. We've gone from taking 13 years to taking just about one day to sequence a whole genome. And the cost has fallen from billions to thousands of dollars. We've now sequenced tens of thousands of genomes for scientific research, and with the falling price that number is skyrocketing. We have built an amazing scientific base for study, and driven down costs to make it viable for mainstream use. All of that had to happen before genetic medicine could even begin to crawl forward?precisely what is happening now, with the advent of the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved antisense drug and other genetic milestones just being reached.

Just as the plasma TV (invented in the 1930s), the LED light (1960s), the industrial robot (also a child of the '60s), the touch-screen interface for computers (early 1980s) and other inventions we think of as thoroughly modern took decades to go from the lab into our everyday lives, it will take considerable time for genetic medicine to fully develop. But the pace is ever-increasing and advances happen at an astounding rate. The decrease in time needed for gene-sequencing, for instance, far outpaced the development of computer chips in terms of cost/speed, as in the famous Moore's law (predicting a doubling of circuit capacity every two years).

TLSR: What is the role of FDA in that race to market? Is it a speed bump, a safety crew or something else?

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Casey Analyst Forecasts Explosive Biotech Growth

Progress in Cell-SELEX compound screening technology reviewed in BioResearch Open Access

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

Public release date: 17-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, October 17, 2012SELEX is a rapid, efficient, and iterative high-throughput method for screening large libraries of molecules to identify those with the potential to be developed as drug compounds or research tools. Advances in SELEX technology that have enabled screening in live cells, called Cell-SELEX, are explored in a comprehensive Review article published in BioResearch Open Access, a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. The article is available free on the BioResearch Open Access website.

Cell-SELEX uses live cells as targets for binding of molecules called aptamers, comprised of short chains of nucleic acids. Aptamers share many of the qualities that have made antibodies such successful drugs, but offer additional advantages such as stability, short length, and ease of manufacturing. Shoji Ohuchi, University of Tokyo, Japan, examines the ongoing progress in developing and refining this useful process for drug compound screening in the Review article "Cell-SELEX Technology."

"This review summarizes the progress and application of Cell-SELEX technology, providing an excellent resource for beginners to the field and experts alike," says Editor-in-Chief Jane Taylor, PhD, MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh, Scotland.

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About the Journal

BioResearch Open Access is a bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal that provides a new rapid-publication forum for a broad range of scientific topics including molecular and cellular biology, tissue engineering and biomaterials, bioengineering, regenerative medicine, stem cells, gene therapy, systems biology, genetics, biochemistry, virology, microbiology, and neuroscience. All articles are published within 4 weeks of acceptance and are fully open access and posted on PubMedCentral. All journal content is available on the BioResearch Open Access website.

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Assay and Drug Development Technologies, Tissue Engineering, Stem Cells and Development, Human Gene Therapy and HGT Methods, and AIDS Research and Human Retroviruses. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 70 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website.

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Progress in Cell-SELEX compound screening technology reviewed in BioResearch Open Access

Are young people who join social media protests more likely to protest offline too?

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

Public release date: 17-Oct-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, October 17, 2012Among adults who use social media such as Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, and blogs for political purposes, 42% are under the age of 30. A case study of the controversial Budget Repair Bill in Wisconsin explored whether young adults who use social media are more likely to engage in offline protests, and the results are published in an article in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers. The article is available free online on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

In the article entitled "Killing the Bill Online?: Pathways to Young People's Protest Engagement via Social Media ," Timothy Macafee, University of Wisconsin-Madison, compared the relationship between information-seeking behaviors online versus expressive engagement online (defined as using social media as a "soapbox" to share personal views and political events and issues) and actual participation in political protests.

"Individuals use social media primarily for informational and expressive purposes," Macafee concludes. College students used social media to gain information related to the protests in this case study, but that activity did not affect their offline behavior; whereas, "expressive" political social media use encouraged offline protest participation.

"Using social media for information gathering has quite different implications for real world behavior than does use of social media to express oneself (through blogs, tweets, etc.)," says says Brenda K. Wiederhold, PhD, MBA, BCIA, Editor-in-Chief of Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, from the Interactive Media Institute, San Diego, CA. "As young people utilize social media for information gathering more than traditional means, such as television or newspapers, those wishing to influence opinion and individual behavior should pay heed."

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About the Journal

Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking is an authoritative peer-reviewed journal published monthly in print and online that explores the psychological and social issues surrounding the Internet and interactive technologies. Complete tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed online on the Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking website.

About the Publisher

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Are young people who join social media protests more likely to protest offline too?

Nanoparticles seen as gene therapy advance

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

Published: Oct. 16, 2012 at 8:30 PM

EVANSTON, Ill., Oct. 16 (UPI) -- U.S. scientists say they've discovered how to control the shape of nanoparticles that can move DNA through the body to treat cancer and other diseases.

A gene therapy technique utilizing nanoparticles is significant in that it does not use a virus to carry DNA into cells, as some gene therapy strategies relying on viruses have posed health risks, researchers at Northwestern University and John Hopkins University reported.

"These nanoparticles could become a safer and more effective delivery vehicle for gene therapy, targeting genetic diseases, cancer and other illnesses that can be treated with gene medicine," John Hopkins material science Professor Hai-Quan Mao said.

Mao, who has been developing non-viral nanoparticles for gene therapy for a decade, said a major breakthrough is the ability to "tune" the particles in three shapes, resembling rods, worms and spheres, which mimic the shapes and sizes of viral particles.

The nanoparticles carry healthy snippets of DNA within protective polymer coatings and are designed to deliver their genetic payload only after they have moved through the bloodstream and entered the target cells, prompting the cells to produce functional proteins that combat disease.

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Nanoparticles seen as gene therapy advance

Ray Kurzweil’s new book predicts development of a super ‘digital brain’

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

Futurist Ray Kurzweil optimistically predicts much longer life expectancies, cures for cancer and heart disease, flying cars and robot butlers.

Humans will become capable of feats that now seem impossible for many of us, in our lifetime in large part due to expected advances in brain research, posits the inventor and author in his new book, How to Create a Mind: The Secret of Human Thought Revealed, due out next month.

Key to his predictions, which hes also outlined in a series of other books including The Age of Spiritual Machines and The Singularity Is Near, is the law of accelerating returns. Kurzweil suggests the pace of information technology advances will grow at an exponential pace until sometime near the end of the century.

In his new book, he predicts technology will virtually grow the human neocortex the section of the brain responsible for thinking, language, and sensory perception by directly tying into electronic resources, including the Internet.

In another 25 years, computers will be the size of blood cells, theyll be another billion times more powerful and well put them inside our bodies and brains, says Kurzweil, who is speaking at Torontos Danforth Music Hall on Thursday.

Nanobots, little robotic computerized devices, will keep us healthy from inside by augmenting our immune system, theyll go inside our brain, interact with our biological neurons, put our brains in the cloud, on the Internet, and well be able to actually have direct brain connection to artificial intelligence, which will incorporate a synthetic neocortex.

While some will undoubtedly write off Kurzweils predictions as hokum, he has an impressive list of inventions to his name and a proven capacity for visionary thinking. Hes credited with inventing the first flatbed scanner, multifont optical character recognition, the first print-to-speech reading machine for the blind, the first text-to-speech synthesizer, and the first music synthesizer to mimic the sound of a grand piano among many other things.

While his track record of previous predictions has been debated he claims hes been on the mark or close the vast majority of the time, while critics suggest thats not really true he has made a number of prescient calls.

In The Age of Spiritual Machines, which he says he wrote in the mid to late 1990s, back when nearly everyone used dial-up modems, he outlined his visions for 2009. He wrote about the widespread use of portable computers, mobile devices without keyboards, the adoption of digital music, movies and books, the implementation of facial recognition technology, and distance learning.

A transition toward a cyborg future in which society accepts becoming part human, part computer may seem beyond belief, but Kurzweil doesnt think so. He points to present-day medical treatments that already involve brain implants of electronic devices and argues similar procedures could become common among the healthy, too.

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Ray Kurzweil’s new book predicts development of a super ‘digital brain’

Freedom from Islam

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

By Daniel Greenfield

In 1941, FDR proposed his famous Four Freedoms. Some seventy years later it may be time to add a fifth freedom to that list. Freedom from Islam. Freedom from Islam would have seemed like an unlikely candidate back in 1941 when the worry was over secular ideologies, but as the West and its ideologies have fallen into a soporific state of decline, the fascism that concerns us no longer wears a military uniform or any of the trappings of nationalism, but instead wraps itself in the turban of religion. Of those four freedoms, three are directly endangered by Islam. We have seen Freedom of Speech being burned in effigy across the Muslim world, and even in the urban centers of Western nations. The Muslim bomb plots aimed at synagogues and the specter of Americas first, albeit unofficial, blasphemy trial, warns us that our Freedom of Worship is also under threat. Coptic Christians, who for many centuries were forced to live in an atmosphere of terror, subject, like all Christians in the Muslim world, to blasphemy trials as tools of persecution, have found that their land of refuge here is not so different a place from their old homeland after all. As Coptic Christian churches are patrolled against the threat of Muslim violence and one of their own is on trial for offending Muslims, they cannot help but wonder what happened to the vaunted freedoms to worship and believe, to speak and be free, that first drew them to this country. And third, Freedom from Fear, not a right but the outcome of a well-managed system of government, has been under attack by decades of Muslim terrorism whose purpose is to terrorize the non-Muslim into surrendering to its demands. Instead of freeing us from Muslim terror, government authorities have universalized it, spreading it about as much as possible to avoid offending Muslims by drawing attention to the motives and religion of their terrorists. Finally, there is Freedom from Want, which like Freedom from Fear, was an example of positive rights being snuck into a national compact based on the negative rights of minimal government, and yet it is interesting to note how the liberal mega-state has failed to uphold even its own four freedoms. Domestic drilling is banned, while the oil wells of Saudi Arabia and the other backward monarchies, that fund terrorists with one hand while slipping bribes to our officials with the other, go on pumping day and night. Gas prices in America keep climbing and the terrorists draw out those record profits to expand their sphere of terror. Despite all this wealth, created by non-Muslims for Muslims, where Islam goes then poverty soon follows. Even with wealth, the Muslim world remains a place of great poverty where powerful families and organizations control access to the economy and women are kept out of the workplace. Muslim economic failure has been chronicled elsewhere and yet it is worth noting that Muslim immigration fills up not only the prisons of the West, but also its social service centers. When Islam has the freedom to undermine freedom of speech and freedom of religion then no freedom is safe. And when Muslim immigration is unleashed on the free world, then freedom from fear and even freedom from want also become distant memories. Why discuss the Four Freedoms at all? Perhaps because they remind us that the freedoms inscribed into the Bill of Rights are meant to protect us against the abuses of government authority. And yet there is a more primal form of freedom that must first be defended if those freedoms are to have any meaning at all. Before the American colonies were free of British rule, the Bill of Rights could have no function. The first freedom, before all freedoms from domestic government authority, is the freedom from rule by external oppressive forces. Only when a people are free of foreign dominance and alien rule and are able to lift their heads and make their own laws without fear of their oppressors, can there be true freedom. The first freedom in the days of the American Revolution was freedom from British rule. The first freedom in 1941 was freedom from Nazi Germany and Imperial Japan. The first freedom during the Cold War was freedom from Communism. The first freedom in our own time is freedom from Islam. The freedoms of our Constitution express a relationship between us and our government. But when a third party invades this relationship and imposes its will on both parties then the relationship can only be rebuilt by banishing this external oppressive force. When that oppressive force is comprehensive enough, when like Nazism, Islamism or Communism it represents both a physical means of conquest as well as a political ideology with its own cult, then freedom comes to be defined in terms of being free of that external force. Islam is not a subject for civil liberties debates. Those only address the relationship between a people and their government. It is not a constitutional issue because Islam already has its own Constitution, its own government and its own set of laws. It is a wartime matter. There are two kinds of wars: wars of survival and wars of choice. The war of choice is optional; it may be fought or it may not be fought. There may be compelling moral, political or economic reasons why it should be fought, but if it is not fought then life for most people will still go on much as it has before. And then there are wars of survival. Those wars are no more optional than fighting off a shark circling you in the water is optional. A war of survival is a conflict where an external force is determined to conquer the United States and eliminate the rights, freedoms and identities of all Americans. And in a war of survival, freedom is defined by remaining unconquered. Freedom from Islam is the fundamental freedom of our time. It is the freedom in whose shelter America can still be America. It is the freedom on which all other freedoms depend.

Daniel Greenfield is a blogger, columnist and freelance photographer born in Israel, who maintains his own blog, Sultan Knish.

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Freedom from Islam

Quest Software Founder Vinny Smith Announces $1 Million Donation to the Fuel Freedom Foundation

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

IRVINE, CA--(Marketwire - Oct 17, 2012) - Vinny Smith, technology entrepreneur, founder and former CEO of Aliso Viejo-based Quest Software, which recently sold to Dell for $2.4 billion, announced today a $1 million donation to the Fuel Freedom Foundation. This is a non-partisan, non-profit organization dedicated to breaking America's oil addiction by opening markets to competition from replacement fuels for gasoline. Smith made his gift, which consists of two $500,000 installments, through the Orange County Community Foundation, a leading philanthropic institution that connects donors to the organizations they care about most.

To achieve its objectives of ending America's oil addiction, the Fuel Freedom campaign focuses on five priorities: outreach and education, regulatory reform, legal initiatives, political advocacy and alliance building.

"I am privileged to have the opportunity to be a part of the Fuel Freedom campaign," said Smith. "The need to end our dependence on foreign oil is one of the most important issues facing our country right now. Fuel Freedom has found a solution that appeals to all Americans, which includes lifting barriers to competition so that innovation and entrepreneurship can work their magic, just as they have done in my industry and across our economy."

Abundant supplies of natural gas, together with ethanol and methanol, could enable American consumers to have $2-a-gallon fuel if outdated regulations and commercial barriers to competition were removed. Most new cars would require a relatively minor upgrade to become flex fuel cars, and could be modified to do so for as little as $100, allowing them to optimize the use of fuels like ethanol and methanol.

"I am more than pleased that my friend and partner Vinny has so graciously donated to Fuel Freedom Foundation. Vinny is a proven visionary and a leader, and with his support we will continue to build our foundation and succeed in our mission to end our nation's oil addiction," said Eyal Aronoff, Co-Founder of Fuel Freedom Foundation, and Co-Founder of Quest Software. "Gaining Fuel Freedom will impact the whole fabric of our nation for the better. It will create jobs in the burgeoning industry of American made fuels, provide a cleaner environment and reduce health risks for our children, enhance our national security and give a much needed boost to our economy. This is the legacy we can all proudly leave for those who come after us, and I urge every American to follow Vinny's lead and stand with us for Fuel Freedom."

Please visit http://www.fuelfreedom.org to learn more about how you can join the Fuel Freedom team, get involved, and help end America's addiction to oil.

About Fuel Freedom The Fuel Freedom Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to breaking the U.S. economy's oil addiction by powering our cars and trucks with cheaper, cleaner, healthier American replacement fuels. Consumers could easily convert their cars to run on replacement fuels for gasoline, but outdated regulations and entrenched commercial interests stand in the way. The Fuel Freedom campaign aims to remove barriers to competition so that natural gas, methanol, ethanol and electricity can compete on equal footing with gasoline at the pump and at the dealership. Achieving Fuel Freedom will lower fuel prices, create jobs, spur economic growth, reduce pollution, and improve national and global security. For more information go to the Foundation's website at http://www.fuelfreedom.org; Facebook: FuelFreedomFoundation; and Twitter: @FuelFreedomNow.

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Quest Software Founder Vinny Smith Announces $1 Million Donation to the Fuel Freedom Foundation

Nayland Blake: Freedom key to Tool Box

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

Nayland Blake's hot-colored new installation at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, "Free!Love!Tool!Box!," celebrates sexual and artistic liberation as it played out in San Francisco during two culture-changing periods: the early 1960s, when the artist was a toddler in Manhattan and knew nothing of places like the storied South of Market leather bar called the Tool Box, and the early '90s, when the pioneering queer performance artist, as Chronicle Art Critic Kenneth Baker recently called him, was at the hub of the action.

"It was this moment that was post-ACT UP, post the activism coming out of the AIDS epidemic," said Blake, a warm, gray-bearded bear of a man who was busy mulling what to put where in this improvised project, which he calls a big installation with discrete parts. "There was this kind of flowering of a new sort of drag scene, a new art scene, an explosion of activity among a lot of queer people in San Francisco.

"The show tries to evoke those two moments," adds Blake, who was lit up by the famous 1964 Life magazine photograph of the Tool Box that figured prominently in Life's revealing spread on homosexuality in America. Many of the patrons in the photo, which Blake came across a few years ago, appear in the striking 1962 black and white mural Chuck Arnett painted on the wall behind the bar. Blake, who moved to Brooklyn in '96 but has remained a presence in museums and galleries here, has re-created the mural on a gigantic digital print on silk, which fills an entire wall at Yerba Buena.

The artist is also mixing things from his box of materials - plastic bags, an old wood bench and other discarded objects he found on the street outside his house, clown shoes, tutus, latex face casts and other things he's used in performances and sculptures - with personal objects from people at ancillary events whom the artist asked to bring something expressing freedom.

He's placing them on shelves on a canary-yellow wall (he chose the color because it had a psychedelic feel that suggested the free-loving hedonism of '60s San Francisco). A reading in the gallery last week yielded a self-published chapbook, and a studded dog collar in a red velvet-covered case.

Blake has also built some new things in the galleries. There's a hanging sign glowing with red and yellow bulbs that says "Tool Box" on one side and "Free Love!" on the other.

The actual Tool Box stood at Fourth and Harrison streets, a block from where the long-delayed Yerba Buena project would eventually rise, a connection not lost on Blake. It closed in '71 and the building was torn down. But the mural, which had been painted on a wall adjoining another building, was exposed and visible to drivers coming off Highway 101 until it was demolished a few years later.

"It's a piece of art that allowed guys to identify with something they only thought about in their heads before," Blake said, "and it counteracted the image of these people as freaks and losers. They're not tortured souls." He speaks of the moment in the early '60s when artists and "people in these sexual minorities" embraced the idea that "freeing yourself sexually would lead a kind of transformation of society. This photograph served as a kind of siren call to all these guys who were into leather, around the world, that San Francisco was a place you could go."

Blake, who hopes this show offers a taste of liberation, has also built a tall metal pole with crossbars, draped at the moment with chains made of black construction paper of the kind we all used in grade school.

"I was thinking of maypoles. I wanted to come up with something that would be like scaffolding," the artist said. "I like that it suggests a ship's mast and also a Christmas tree."

Nayland Blake: Freedom key to Tool Box

EU Ambassador to Ukraine: There Is Freedom of Self-Expression in Ukraine

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

KYIV, Ukraine, October 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

"There is a complete freedom of self-expression and no censorship in Ukraine," stated the Head of the Delegation of the EU to Ukraine Jan Tombinski. At the same time, he said, there was an issue regarding the ability of citizens to express their views through the media.

Tombinski mentioned that the Ukrainian media were focused on influencing voters instead of educating them. It is only after the election that it would be possible to see to what extent access to the media or its absence influenced the results of the vote, he added. Many international and local activists, including the international NGO CANADEM, indicate that media freedom has been an important factor for Ukrainian voters while making an informed choice at the October 28 parliamentary elections.

While the media in Ukraine is widely criticized for placing paid publications and spreading biased information regarding both the opposition and the ruling party, Freedom House gave free Internet freedom status to Ukraine in the organization's September 2012 report. Ukraine received 27 points out of 100 (maximum points indicate the least free environment) - the best Internet freedom result among the researched CIS countries.

"Ukraine has relatively liberal legislation governing the Internet and access to information," reads the report. The document states that access to broadband Internet in Ukraine is fairly affordable, Internet penetration in Ukraine has been growing steadily, YouTube, Facebook, Twitter, WordPress and LiveJournal are freely available. The authors note that the backbone connection of UA-IX to the international Internet is not centralized.

Notably, in September 2012, Ukraine hosted the 64th World Newspaper Congress and 19th World Editors Forum. Almost 1,000 representatives of the world-leading media from more than 90 countries attended the event in Ukraine, receiving first-hand experience in the state of the media environment in the Eastern European country. International media CEOs had a chance to meet Ukrainian government officials and reflect on the issues of freedom of press and speech in Ukraine.

The issue of media freedom is particularly important on the eve of the parliamentary elections in Ukraine, which will take place on October 28, 2012.

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EU Ambassador to Ukraine: There Is Freedom of Self-Expression in Ukraine

Tunisian struggle with new freedom hits silver screen

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Although Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali was toppled nearly two years ago, Tunisia's fight for freedom has only just begun, acclaimed Tunisian filmmaker Nouri Bouzid says in his latest film.

In "Hidden Beauties", Bouzid uses the Islamic veil to symbolise the struggle facing Tunisians now negotiating issues of religion, freedom and identity in the vacuum left in the aftermath of an uprising that ousted Ben Ali after 23 years running a model police state.

Bouzid's central characters are two young women, Aisha, who is veiled but struggling with her need for freedom and her desire for a young man, and her free-spirited friend Zainab, who is fighting a family that wants her to wear a veil and get married.

The film, part family drama, part love story, depicts the deep personal conflicts the revolution has brought to individuals, who, in the new-found freedom that they craved, are having to face up to the contradictions that were weighing on society and on them.

"You need something concrete in cinema, and the hijab is a good incarnation of this precarious freedom and the struggle for it," Bouzid told Reuters in an interview on the sidelines of the Abu Dhabi Film Festival.

Bouzid, who previously spent time in prison for his political views, studied film in Brussels. His first feature, "Man of Ashes" in 1986 won the Un Certain Regard critics prize at the Cannes Film Festival. His other titles include "Bezness" (1992), "Clay Dolls" (2002) and "Making Of" (2006).

The role of Islam in government and society has emerged as the most divisive issue in Tunisia in the wake of Ben Ali's departure, which sparked revolts that brought changes of government in Libya, Egypt and Yemen.

The Islamist-led government that won elections in October is treading a fine line between conservatives who see the revolution as a chance to express a religious identity suppressed by Ben Ali and secularists who want to broaden freedom of expression.

"The real revolution is happening now, the real battles are now because there are precise issues at stake, like the constitution," Bouzid said.

Many Tunisians fear that the North African country, long considered one of the most secular in the Arab region, may succumb to Islamist pressure to ban films, plays or musical performances, and to censor exhibitions.

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Tunisian struggle with new freedom hits silver screen

The Cricket

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

"Melodic hardcore" band Taking Back Sunday marks its 10th anniversary with a complete performance of their debut album "Tell All Your Friends," at In the Venue, 219 W. 600 South, Salt Lake City. Show starts at 6:30. Tickets are $25, available at Smiths Tix and 24Tix.

Minimalist rock band The xx performs at The Complex, 536 W. 100 South, Salt Lake City. Opening acts: John Talabot, 2:54. Show starts at 7. Tickets are $27.50, at Smiths Tix.

Rock band Switchfoot performs at The Depot, 400 W. South Temple, Salt Lake City. Opening act: Paper Route. Show starts at 7. Tickets are $25, at Smiths Tix.

A screening of Tod Brownings infamous 1932 horror film "Freaks," and a presentation by author Angela Smith of her new book "Hideous Progeny: Disability, Eugenics and Classic Horror Film," will happen at the City Library auditorium, 210 E. 400 South, Salt Lake City. The event, part of the Utah Humanities Councils 15th annual Book Festival, is free.

Jazz double-bassist Ben Allison performs at the Capitol Theatre, 50 W. 200 South, Salt Lake City. Show starts at 7:30. Part of the JazzSLC series. Tickets are $25, at ArtTix.

Funk performers The Steve Kimock Band featuring the legendary Bernie Worrell (Parliament-Funkadelic), Black Crowes bassist Andy Hess, and Timbuk 3 drummer Wally Ingram plays The State Room, 638 S. State St., Salt Lake City. Opening act: Zach Deputy. Show starts at 8. Tickets are $25, at the venues website.

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The Cricket

Tintin racism row puts spotlight on children's literature

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

The decision to reshelve Hergé's books because of their perceived colonial and racist tint has generated heated debate Last month, one of Sweden's most prestigious national dailies blew up an article on its front page about cultural director at Stockholm Culture House Berhang Miri (a Swede of Iranian descent) reshelving Hergé's Tintin books because of their perceived colonial taint, generating ...

Tintin racism row puts spotlight on children's literature

Face Off 3 Recap: Calling All Cyborgs!

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

Why Did Kate Gosselin REALLY Get Fired From Coupon Cabin? | Home | Kate Gosselins TLC Earnings Revealed In Controversial New Book

October 17, 2012 10:57 AM by Ryan Haidet

Face Off took a robotic twist this week as the final five aspiring makeup artists worked to create an original cyborg character. To help get them each motivated for the project, the contestants were taken to a junkyard where they gathered various parts to include in their final product. While I didnt think this task would interest me very much since cyborgs arent my thing, I was extremely impressed by some of the finished makeups.

Sarah was a tad weary of the task because of her Mormon upbringing, which sheltered her from seeing a lot of cyborg-style flicks. She has admittedly seen two of the Terminator films, so she clearly isnt oblivious to the concept. While it seemed everybody else started zipping through their creations, Sarah struggled choosing which direction she wanted to go with.

Different Task, Same Worries

As it has become customary, the episode showcased everybody fighting the clock trying their best to avoid cracked molds. No surprises here. When judge Glenn Hetrick stopped by the lab on the second day of the challenge, he offered up advice to each contestant. He liked the concepts and overall designs that Derek, Nicole and Laura had come up with. Meanwhile, he offered up some warnings to Sarah about her lackluster chest piece.

Model Woes

With less than an hour before revealing their finished products, Lauras model suddenly started to feel faint. She asked production to get him some water before he stepped away to go to the restroom. Naturally, Laura was freaking out about it because she still had work to do. He returned a few minutes later saying he was feeling OK.

Face Off 3 Recap: Calling All Cyborgs!

Parks and Beaches group sets priorities for budget cycle

Posted on October 18, 2012 by Danzig

By Pat Sherman

La Jolla Parks and Beaches, Inc. (LJP&B) voted on its top priorities for capital improvement projects, in anticipation of an invitation by the mayors office for community groups to provide input on the capital improvement budget for fiscal year 2014 this time, well before the city begins working on it in December.

After some discussion and a vote by active LJP&B members in attendance last month, the group decided that its top four priorities (and estimated costs) are: 1) Aesthetic improvements to the sidewalk on Coast Boulevard near Childrens Pool ($250,000) 2) A Coast Walk parking feasibility study ($50,000) 3) Improvements to Scripps Park ($1,863,000) 4) A parking plan for South Coast Boulevard ($299,942).

Prior to the meeting, LJP&B president Patrick Ahern and Dan Allen came up with a list of nine projects to consider. The chosen four priorities were sent to the La Jolla Community Planning Association to be integrated with other La Jolla capital improvement projects of importance, such as park, sewer and street repairs.Projects already under construction were removed from the prioritization process, Allen said, because they are expected to be complete.

Mount Soledad lighting update During public comment, architect James Alcorn offered an update on the Mt. Soledad Memorial Associations proposal to illuminate the flag and portions of the veterans memorial at night. During a lighting test held in July, some of the lights proposed to illuminate the steps and portions of the memorial wall were found to be too bright, Alcorn said.

The end result is that the client has decided not to try to illuminate the walls, Alcorn said. Lighting of the flag was received favorably by those at the test, Alcorn said, and will remain in the plans, thought the flag will be lit from below, rather than from the side.

Alcorn said 7-watt lamps illuminating the steps looked horrible and gave off too much light.

Thank God they did some testing, he said. Theyre now looking at a 3-watt LED lights to light the stairs at the end of certain walls, Alcorn said, for a total of 12 lights.

Lighting of plaques around the circumference of the memorial was also considered too bright and removed from the plans.

Eventually, Alcorn said, there may be a second phase with more lights added to steps at the opposite side of the memorial, but for now there is no plan to add additional lights, he said.

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Parks and Beaches group sets priorities for budget cycle

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