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Liberty Silver Extends Offer for Sennen Resources

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Aug. 21, 2012) - Liberty Silver Corp. (LSL.TO)(LBSV) announced today that it is extending its offer for all the issued and outstanding common shares of Sennen Resources Ltd. until 9 p.m. Toronto time on Monday, September 10, 2012.

"We remain confident that tendering to our offer represents the best value for Sennen shareholders rather than maintaining Sennen's status quo", Geoff Browne, Liberty Silver's chairman and chief executive officer said. "Sennen's board formed a special committee and hired financial and legal advisers more than a month ago to examine our offer. The special committee has yet to come up with a superior - or indeed, any - alternative proposal."

Under Liberty Silver's offer, Sennen shareholders will receive 0.28 of a Liberty Silver common share for each Sennen common share. The exchange ratio, at the time the offer was made, represented an implied price of $0.20 per Sennen share.

The offer represents a premium of 47.3% to the 20-day volume weighted average trading price ended July 13, 2012, being $0.135. This is also higher than the 34.8% average take-over bid premium paid for mining companies listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange and TSX Venture Exchange over the past 12 months. The offer is valued at approximately $13.36 million, an amount that is expected to exceed Sennen's net cash reserves when the proposed transaction closes.

Mr. Browne added: "The combination of Sennen's cash resources and Liberty Silver's skilled management team and prudent risk-mitigation strategy will enable us to advance the Trinity Silver project, as well as identify other low-risk opportunities to the benefit of shareholders of both our companies.

"With the recent acquisition of the Hi Ho properties, we have met yet another milestone. As promised, we have added significant upside to our established resource, moved very close to fulfilling our earn-in requirements, and further de-risked the project. We are now planning the best path towards re-starting production."

Other benefits of Liberty Silver's offer include:

Setting the Record Straight

Liberty Silver also wishes to correct misleading allegations contained in a press release issued by Sennen on August 20, 2012.

"Our directors have significant skin in the game, a clear indication of their confidence in Liberty Silver's business strategy and in Trinity Silver's bright prospects", Mr. Browne said.

Liberty Silver Extends Offer for Sennen Resources

Romney backs audit for Fed, vows to not raise taxes on middle class

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

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GOFFSTOWN, N.H. Borrowing a key element of the anti-government libertarianism that fueled rival Ron Pauls presidential campaign, Mitt Romney said Monday that he thinks the Federal Reserve should face an audit.

Very plain and simple, the answer is yes. The Federal Reserve should be accountable. We should see what theyre doing, Mr. Romney, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, said at a town hall in New Hampshire.

Mr. Romney also pushed back against President Obamas claims that the former Massachusetts governor would raise taxes on the middle class if elected.

Let me tell you the heart of my tax proposal: I will not raise taxes on the American people, I will not raise taxes on middle-income Americans, Mr. Romney told supporters at St. Anselm College, where he and running mate Rep. Paul Ryan made a grand entrance to the theme song from the movie Rudy.

The visit marked the first joint appearance for Mr. Romney and Mr. Ryan in New Hampshire a state that could prove pivotal come Election Day.

The event gave Mr. Romney a chance to fire back at Mr. Obama, who two days earlier in nearby Windham told voters that Mr. Romneys tax plan would mean that the wealthy get a tax cut and middle-class families will pay more.

They have been trying to sell this trickle-down snake oil before, he said Saturday. It did not work then. It will not work now.

Mr. Romney fielded seven questions during the town hall, including the question about auditing the Fed.

Mr. Romneys answer puts him on the same page of the issue as Mr. Paul, the congressman from Texas who is Mr. Romneys only remaining active opponent in the GOP presidential race.

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Romney backs audit for Fed, vows to not raise taxes on middle class

Falkland Islands Hlg – AGM Statement

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

21st August 2012

Falkland Islands Holdings plc

AGM Statement

Falkland Islands Holdings plc ("FIH" or the "Group"), the international services Group which owns essential services businesses focused on transport and logistics and which has a 4% shareholding in Falkland Oil and Gas Limited ("FOGL"), is holding its Annual General Meeting ("AGM") at 11.00am today, 21 August 2012, at the offices of FTI Consulting (NYSE: FCN - news) , 26 Southampton Buildings, London WC2A 1PB.

At the AGM, Chairman, David Hudd, will make the following statement:

"The Group's trading for the first four months of the financial year has been at a similar level to last year and is in line with the Board's expectations. The successful equity fundraising in June 2012 has given us the resources necessary to take full advantage of emerging opportunities in the Falkland Islands linked to oil development.

"In the Falkland Islands a weaker illex squid catch and limited onshore oil activity has meant that trading has been flat. Retail profits have increased slightly thanks to the expansion of the general store at the MPA military base, improved margins and tighter cost control but this has largely been offset by reduced profits from support services and at the fishing agency.

"At the Portsmouth Harbour Ferry Company, passenger volumes in the first 19 weeks declined by 8.6%. This reflects very poor weather and a deterioration in the employment market in the area. However, the volume decline has been partially offset by fare increaseson 1 June 2012 which averaged 3% but profits have fallen back from the record levels achieved last year.

"Momart, the Group's fine art logistics and storage business, has seen continued strong demand particularly in the commercial market and although revenues in the first four months have not quite matched the exceptional levels seen in early 2011-12, the company's order book remains at record levels.

"Following the recent fund raising the Group's share capital has expanded to 12.4 million shares in issue. The liquidity position is very strong with cash on deposit in excess of 10 million and residual bank borrowings of 2.7 million being repaid at the rate of 1 million per year.

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Falkland Islands Hlg - AGM Statement

Caribbean islands under storm warnings

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

MIAMI (AP) Forecasters say Tropical Storm Isaac has formed in the Atlantic with a track that could possibly take it toward Florida where the Republican National Convention will be held next week.

Storm warnings have been issued Tuesday across a swath of islands in the Caribbean including Martinique, Guadeloupe and St. Martin.

It is too soon to say what exact path the storm will take. But some computer models show it headed toward Cuba and then Florida. Others have it making a sharp northern turn in the next couple days near Puerto Rico and then into the open Atlantic.

The National Hurricane Center says Isaac has maximum sustained winds near 40 (64 kph) but is expected to strengthen.

The storm is about 500 miles (804 kilometers) east of Guadeloupe and is moving west near 17 mph (28 kph).

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Caribbean islands under storm warnings

How Caribbean islands arc was formed

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

The movement of Earth's viscous mantle against South America has pushed the Caribbean islands east over the last 50 million years, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Geoscience.

The University of Southern California, in announcing the study, said the findings upend previous hypotheses of the seismic activity beneath the Caribbean Sea and provide an important new look at the unique tectonic interactions that are causing the Caribbean plate to tear away from South America.

The Caribbean plate is being pushed eastward due to a thick section of the South American plate called a "cratonic keel." This section of crust is three times thicker than its surroundings.

Meanwhile, part of the South American plate is being pushed beneath the Caribbean plate, a process called subduction. Intense heat and pressure gradually force water-containing magma to rise into the Earth's mantle and fuel the many active volcanoes in the region.

All of this pushing and pulling formed the distinctive arc shape of the Caribbean islands and has created a very complex system of faults between the two plates, in northern South America, according to the USC statement. The study mapped several of these strike-slip faults, which are similar to California's San Andreas Fault.

Science news from NBCNews.com

Science editor Alan Boyle's blog: For the past nine years, the Robot Hall of Fame has relied solely on expert judges to dole out its honors but this time, the people will get their say.

Recent earthquakes in the area helped the two researchers develop an image of the Earth's deep interior. The earthquake waves move slower or quicker depending on the temperature and composition of the rock.

"Studying the deep Earth interior provides insights into how the Earth has evolved into its present form," researcher Meghan S. Miller said in the statement.

For their study, the researchers used earthquake data to develop 176 computer models, USC said.

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How Caribbean islands arc was formed

Medical Providers Excited About Crosstown Potential

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

VOL. 127 | NO. 164 | Wednesday, August 22, 2012

The health care partners whove committed to having a physical presence in the soon-to-be-redeveloped Sears Crosstown Tower say theyre excited about the opportunities to join forces in promoting health and wellness in the Memphis community.

Of the nine founding partners that have committed to having a physical presence in the redeveloped building, five are health care-centered organizations: The Church Health Center, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare, The West Clinic, St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital and St. Judes fundraising arm, ALSAC.

The health care partners will occupy about 60 percent of the 1.5 million-square-foot historic Sears Crosstown Tower, at the nexus of Midtown and the Memphis Medical District at 495 N. Watkins St.

Having been vacant for more than 20 years, the building will be preserved and redeveloped for mixed use.

Its a vertical urban village thats grounded in art, education, health and wellness, said Todd Richardson, an assistant professor at the University of Memphis, whos leading the Sears Crosstown redevelopment project. Its really the combination for these four things that creates the real exciting possibilities that we can have. That synergy of arts, education and health care is something thats completely new, not only to us, but we think nationally.

Richardson said that in addition to housing health care facilities, the building will feature space for medical residents and fellows, which can help attract young health care industry talent to Memphis.

We think that putting all these bright minds and the resident and fellows from St. Jude to the University of Tennessee and from Rhodes in one location, what an incredible cauldron of ideas and relationships that will develop, said Dr. Kurt Tauer, chief of staff at The West Clinic.

Tauer said a move into the Sears Crosstown building would double or possibly triple The West Clinics current Memphis Medical District location at 1588 Union Ave., which he said needs to be upgraded and larger.

Tauer said The West Clinic staff isnt just excited about the concept of sharing space; they look forward to sharing culture with organizations such as the Church Health Center, whose focus on community and mind-body-spirit wellness offers numerous benefits for The West Clinics patients.

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Medical Providers Excited About Crosstown Potential

Health Care Advocate Hopeful of Medicaid Expansion

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) A leading advocate of health care expansion says he's optimistic Iowa will expand Medicaid coverage to thousands of uninsured residents under a federal health care law despite opposition by Republican legislators and the governor.

Des Moines Democratic Sen. Jack Hatch tells The Associated Press that after the general election, he'll lay out a plan to Republicans that will be hard to oppose.

Under the federal plan, it would cost state taxpayers $237 million over eight years to insure 182,000 additional people through Medicaid.

The federal government would pick up all costs for three years, with that share dropping to 90 percent by the eighth year.

Branstad and other Republican governors say they won't participate in the program.

Tim Albrecht, the governor's spokesman, says the effort is expensive, unsustainable and inflexible.

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Health Care Advocate Hopeful of Medicaid Expansion

Universal health care good for the economy

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

As a pharmacist here in Aroostook, I frequently see heartbreaking examples of people who cant afford to pay for necessary health care. A farmer, worried about his raspy voice, did not seek health care because he had no health insurance. Finally, his wife went to work for Burrelles in order to get insurance. By the time he was diagnosed with throat cancer and started to get treatment, it was too late, and he died within four to six months. Another man without insurance, diagnosed with cancer, decided not to get treatment rather than risk leaving his family with the burden of debt. He, too, died within six months. A young woman disabled by schizophrenia was kicked off Medicaid under new restrictions imposed by the state of Maine. Her mother does not know how the family will pay for her medication, which can cost into the thousands of dollars a month for people with serious mental illnesses. Another fellow with a small-engines repair business works every day, but cant afford the high costs of individual insurance and was dropped from Medicaid as a childless adult. He has serious health problems including diabetes and carotid arteries, and he has to go to Canada to buy medications he can afford.

With such widespread need for affordable health care for everyone, I dont see how Maine can afford to cut Medicaid instead of expanding it as provided for in the Affordable Health Care act. Such an expansion would alleviate some of these problems. Instead of reforming the system to better provide health care that is more affordable, better quality and more efficient, Maine under this administration is taking whole groups of people off DHHS programs who have no other way to pay for health care. The patient with schizophrenia is young. With proper care now, many of these patients will recover enough to go to work and become taxpayers. Without treatment, they are far more likely to remain permanently disabled.

Its the saddest thing to me that Maine is attacking health care to balance the budget and giving tax breaks to the richest 1 percent. At the same time, we are failing to improve our economy. For every dollar spent on Medicaid, the state gets two to three dollars back from the federal government. This money is spent right here in the state and creates jobs in the health care industry, long-term jobs with good benefits, clean jobs that dont pollute the environment. Maine has the oldest population in the nation on average and is very close to having the largest number of retirees with only Florida having more by a small percent. Considering that, you cant find a better job creator than the health care industry.

Ultimately, we need a universal, single-payer system to better compete globally. The Aroostook logging industry suffers in competition with Canada. Their workers can work for cheaper wages and still come out ahead because they have a universal single-payer system. Sixty percent of bankruptcies nationwide are caused by health care problems. Over 50 percent of personal bankruptcies are caused by health care costs. We need a single-payer system to compete globally.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, The United States has the highest per capita health expenditures of any country in the OECD [Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development]. The U.S. spends 15.7 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on health care compared to 8.4 percent for the United Kingdom, 8.1 percent for Japan, 10.4 percent for Germany, and 10.1 percent for Canada. Yet all the other countries mentioned have a higher life expectancy at birth and lower infant mortality rate than the U.S. ( http://suite101.com/article/universal-health-care-how-other-nations-compare-to-us-a289836).

All evidence I know of supports that universal health care makes people happier, healthier, less stressed and less prone to violence. If elected to the Maine House of Representatives, I will work for better health care for all because it is the right humanitarian thing to do and because it is the right thing to do for our economy.

Darrell Adams is a 2012 Democratic candidate for District 6 of the Maine State House of Representatives including Blaine, Bridgewater, Easton, Fort Fairfield, Mars Hill and Westfield.

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Universal health care good for the economy

Metropolitan Health Networks Enters into Definitive Agreement to Acquire Two Additional Primary Care Practices

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

BOCA RATON, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc. (NYSE: MDF) (the Company), a leading provider of health care services in Florida, today announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, MetCare of Florida, Inc. (MetCare), has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire certain assets and assume certain liabilities of Kanner, Shteiman, LLC. (Kanner, Shteiman), an entity that owns two physician practices that currently provide services to MetCare patients under contractual arrangements with the Company.

Kanner, Shteiman is owned and operated by Dr. Steven Kanner and Dr. Alexander Shteiman. Dr. Kanner is a board certified internal medicine physician and a subspecialist certified in geriatric medicine. Dr. Shteiman, a board certified internal medicine physician with over 25 years of experience, joined the practice 12 years ago. The partnership has developed two successful, high quality primary care practices that serve the Palm Beach market. Kanner, Shteiman and its employees have served MetCare customers for over a decade, and its practices currently serve over 1,100 Humana Medicare Advantage members. Kanner, Shteimans Humana membership is already included in MetCares customer base. In addition to the Humana plan members, these practices provide care to several thousand customers not included in the MetCare customer count. These include commercial, Medicaid, and Medicare patients. Terms of the transaction, which is expected to close within 90 days, were not disclosed.

Commenting on the acquisition, Jose A. Guethon, MD, MBA, President and Chief Operating Officer of Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc., stated, We are very pleased to announce that Drs. Kanner and Shteiman have agreed to become full-time members of the MetCare team. These physicians have built successful practices that have served MetCare and other customers in the Palm Beach area very well. By joining MetCare they will be able to leverage the resources of our entire organization as they continue to deliver quality health care services to their patient base.

Acquiring Kanner Shteimans practices is in keeping with MetCares goal of increasing its number of wholly-owned primary care centers. We have been actively pursuing these types of practices and will continue to do so. Through the deployment of our model of care, the strength and efficiency of our administrative infrastructure, and our health care IT systems, we believe we can deliver continued increases in patient outcomes and satisfaction with these acquisitions, while also driving both top and bottom line growth for the Company overall. These types of acquisitions also provide us access to the built-in growth potential of a practice whose fee-for-service patient panel, specifically those outside of the existing Humana Medicare customer base, is significant, Guethon concluded.

About Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc.:

Metropolitan is a growing health care companythat provides and coordinates comprehensive health care services for Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and other customersthrough its primary care-centric businesses, MetCare of Florida, Inc., Continucare Corporation, and Symphony Health Partners, Inc. Metropolitan currently owns and operates 33 medical centers and contracts with a network of independent primary care practices.To learn more about Metropolitan Health Networks, Inc. please visit its website at http://www.metropolitanhealthnetworks.com.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward Looking Statements:

Except for historical matters contained herein, statements made in this press release are forward-looking and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, words such as will, expect and believe or the negative other variations thereof or comparable terminology are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Examples of forward-looking statements contained in this press release include, among others, statements we make regarding the expected timing for the closing of the acquisition of Kanner, Shteiman; the ability of Kanner, Shteimans physicians to leverage the resources of our organization; the strategic benefits to us that we believe may result from the acquisition; and our intention to continue to continue to pursue acquisitions of independent physician practices.

Investors and others are cautioned that a variety of factors, including certain risks, may affect our business and cause actual results to differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. These risk factors include, without limitation: (i) the impact of our significantly increased levels of indebtedness on our funding costs, operating flexibility and ability to fund ongoing operations with additional borrowings, particularly in light of ongoing volatility in the credit and capital markets; (ii) our ability to operate pursuant to the terms of our debt obligations; (iii) our ability to integrate the acquired operations of Continucare Corporation and to realize the anticipated revenues, economies of scale, cost synergies and productivity gains in connection with the merger and any other acquisitions that we may undertake, as and when planned, including the potential for unanticipated issues, expenses and liabilities associated with those acquisitions and the risk that Continucare fails to meet its expected financial and operating targets; (iv) the potential for diversion of management time and resources in seeking to integrate the operations of Continucare Corporation; (v) our ability to successfully establish a presence in new geographic markets and the risks involved in our geographic expansion efforts; (vi) our ability to meet our cost projections under various provider agreements with Humana, Inc.; (vii) our ability to reach an agreement to amend our new Medicare Advantage payor contract, pursuant to which we have realized certain operating losses to date, on favorable terms; (viii) our failure to accurately estimate incurred but not reported medical benefits expense; (ix) pricing pressures exerted on us by managed care organizations and the level of payments we indirectly receive under governmental programs or from other payors; (x) our still limited ability to predict the direct and indirect effects of the health care reform laws adopted in 2010; (xi) future legislation and changes in governmental regulations; (xii ) the impact of Medicare Risk Adjustments on payments we receive for our managed care operations; and (xiii) a loss of any of our significant contracts or our ability to increase the number of Medicare eligible patient lives we manage under these contracts. We are also subject to the risks and uncertainties described in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2011, our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2012, and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended June 30, 2012.

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Metropolitan Health Networks Enters into Definitive Agreement to Acquire Two Additional Primary Care Practices

Rationing Health Care More Fairly

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

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Rationing Health Care More Fairly

New marker for identifying precursors to insulin-producing cells in pancreas

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

Public release date: 21-Aug-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Vicki Cohn vcohn@liebertpub.com 914-740-2100 x2156 Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News

New Rochelle, NY, August 21, 2012For the millions of people worldwide with type 1 diabetes who cannot produce sufficient insulin, the potential to transplant insulin-producing cells could offer hope for a long-term cure. The discovery of a marker to help identify and isolate stem cells that can develop into insulin-producing cells in the pancreas would be a critical step forward and is described in an article in BioResearch Open Access, a new bimonthly peer-reviewed open access journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (http://www.liebertpub.com) The article is available free online at the BioResearch Open Access website (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores).

Pancreatic stem cells, the precursors of insulin-producing cells, have not yet been identified in humans or animals, and there is much debate about where they may reside. Ivka Afrikanova, Ayse Kayali, Ana Lopez, and Alberto Hayek, University of California, San Diego, CA, have identified a biochemical markerstage-specific embryonic antigen 4 (SSEA4)that they propose can be used to identify and purify human pancreatic stem cells. The article "Is Stage-Specific Embryonic Antigen 4 a Marker for Human Ductal Stem/Progenitor Cells" (http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/full/10.1089/biores.2012.0235) reports that when grown in culture with high levels of glucose and B27, these SSEA4+ stem cells can differentiate into insulin-producing pancreatic cells.

###

About the Journal

BioResearch Open Access (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores) 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 online at the BioResearch Open Access website (http://www.liebertpub.com/biores).

About the Publisher

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (http://www.liebertpub.com) 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 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 at the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. website (http://www.liebertpub.com).

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. 140 Huguenot St., New Rochelle, NY 10801-5215 http://www.liebertpub.com Phone: (914) 740-2100 (800) M-LIEBERT Fax: (914) 740-2101

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New marker for identifying precursors to insulin-producing cells in pancreas

Viruses with integrated gene switch

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

ScienceDaily (Aug. 21, 2012) Numerous viruses are used in the service of science today. They serve as gene taxis to transfer therapeutic genes into body cells or as therapeutic viruses targeted to infect and destroy cancer cells. For such applications, the viruses are often equipped with additional genes, such as for immune mediators or for proteins inducing programmed cell death. However, these gene products can harm the body if they are released at the wrong moment or at excessive levels. "Ideally, we want to be able to turn on and off the transferred genes at a specific time," says Dr. Dirk Nettelbeck, a virologist from DKFZ.

To this end, Patrick Ketzer of Nettelbeck's group experimented, jointly with colleagues from Konstanz University, with what are called RNA switches. In order to construct such a switch, the researchers inserted synthetic segments of DNA into the viral genetic material in the direct vicinity of the transferred gene. In the infected cell, this construct is transcribed together with the transferred gene into a single messenger RNA (mRNA) molecule. The switch is operated using an agent which is added to cells infected with the virus. The substance is precisely fitted to bind to the RNA molecule and induces it to cut itself up. Thus, the potentially dangerous protein cannot be produced. The researchers copied this regulation mechanism from bacteria which use RNA switches to regulate production of numerous proteins.

The DKFZ virologists first constructed an RNA switch that is kept in permanent "off" position by the substance. The production of the foreign protein does not start as long as substance is added. "This was a first proof that RNA switches work in viruses at all. But it is just as well possible to construct switches that do not allow production of the protein until the substance is added," Dirk Nettelbeck explains.

In cells, it has been possible for many years now to specifically turn on and off genes. To do so, scientists modified specific natural regulatory regions called promoters in the cellular genetic material. As a result, addition of the antibiotic tetracycline causes mRNA production to be turned on or off.

"However, this type of switch is too big and complex to be used in viruses or doesn't work there," says Dirk Nettelbeck. "The RNA switches, in contrast, are only 100 base pairs long." Using the RNA switches, the researchers managed to increase the production of the therapeutic gene by ten times. "But there is still room for a lot more," Nettelbeck explains. "The construction of RNA switches is extremely variable. Once the technology is fully developed, we will be able to better equip and regulate viruses for many therapeutic applications." Nettelbeck and his team are convinced that the useful RNA switches will become established for many other uses in research and medicine.

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Viruses with integrated gene switch

He tried to build Wi-Fi — in 1902!

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

The site of inventor Nikola Tesla's former laboratory sits idle and boarded up in Shoreham, New York.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

(CNN) -- At the dawn of the 20th century, Nikola Tesla wanted to save the world from fuel dependency. Now, an Internet cartoonist wants to save Tesla's last remaining laboratory as a tribute to the futurist inventor.

The structure, a 94-by-94-foot building, was the location where Tesla hoped to develop wireless communications and clean, free energy for everyone in the early 1900s. He moved his operation to the Wardenclyffe Tower in Shoreham, New York, in 1902 -- so named because of a 187-foot tower rising from the ground (as well as being sunk 120 feet below it) that was to be one of the great transmitters for his wireless energy dream.

The facility was lost a few years later due to debts Tesla racked up, and the huge tower was demolished in 1917. The site would ultimately become a Superfund location because of silver and cadmium toxicity in the ground after a photographic film company used it for nearly 48 years. It has now been cleaned up and is no longer harmful.

Tesla died penniless and in debt in 1943.

Inventor Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943) foresaw wireless communications and wanted to develop clean fuel.

Currently, the building and surrounding land sit idle and are up for sale. Matthew Inman, the creator of Web cartoon "The Oatmeal," is joining forces with a nonprofit group, The Tesla Science Center at Wardenclyffe, to help preserve the facility as a science center and museum honoring "the father of the electric age."

'Fringe' star examines real weird science

"Tesla is an unsung hero, and there are very few monuments to him in the United States. I feel like that's something we need to fix," Inman said. "I made a comic about Tesla on my site. It got the most 'likes' on Facebook that I've ever seen in my career. Combine (the fact) that I've got this army of Tesla fans and the experience and success with my other fund-raiser, I felt like I was the ideal person to step in to control."

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He tried to build Wi-Fi -- in 1902!

Backers raise cash for Tesla museum honoring 'cult hero'

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

The site of inventor Nikola Tesla's former laboratory sits idle and boarded up in Shoreham, New York.

STORY HIGHLIGHTS

Tesla died penniless and in debt in 1943.

Inventor Nikola Tesla (1856 - 1943) foresaw wireless communications and wanted to develop clean fuel.

'Fringe' star examines real weird science

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Backers raise cash for Tesla museum honoring 'cult hero'

Dreaming up the shape of cars to come

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

Motor industry futurist Sheryl Connelly looks forward to the rise of megacities and self-driving cars

Why do businesses need futurists? If you came up with an absolutely genius idea for a car right now it would take three years for the rubber to hit the road, so to speak - and by then it might not seem so brilliant, so relevant. So we have to be really careful about what we place our bets on. It is daunting. To help do that I look at social, technological, economic, environmental and political trends to try to understand the global forces that shape our values, attitudes and beliefs as consumers.

Does that mean you have to be a car nut? Not at all. I'm not a car person. I never look at the car industry. Ford has plenty of experts that can do that. My job is to look outside the automotive industry and to bring to light things outside their areas of analysis, beyond their scope. My key role is to spot trends that build a business case for the technologies our engineers invent.

And how do you present this "future" to them? It is simple scenario planning, which is basically telling plausible, provocative, fictional stories about the future - but which are based on facts, on current trends.

What kind of scenarios will influence what future cars are like? Earth's population has hit 7 billion and will grow by 2050 to 9 billion. That means megacities of more than 10 million people will proliferate, and that raises questions about how people will live, work and - for Ford - move about. In Beijing today, they have 5-hour commutes. During the 2008 Olympics, they had 12 days of traffic gridlock. Our Traffic Jam Assist technology will drive your car for you in a jam while you relax. Later, cars will talk to each other to route around traffic. In 10 years they'll even talk to road infrastructure and drive in follow-the-leader style, jam-free platoons.

What other factors do you consider? Well, populations are ageing. And that has an effect on the community and on transport. One thing we're working on is engineering cars that are easy to drive at ever older ages. We do that using special suits that are designed to constrain our testers' dexterity to that of elderly people with restricted mobility.

What about the "connected" car, how do you see that developing so it is safe? Ford's Sync system, which links smartphone music playlists, texts and calls to the console using Bluetooth, was not designed for safety, it was designed for connectivity. But if customers are going to bring all their devices into the car anyway this is the safest way to do it. We use Nuance's voice-recognition technology, as used by Apple's Siri assistant, to minimise distraction: in simulators we found people glance at their phone eight to nine times when making a call in the car - but that drops to three with voice-activated calls. There is also a "do not disturb" button that shuts off incoming calls and sends a text saying "I'm driving and can't answer" to people who call or text.

Sheryl Connelly is corporate futurist at the Ford Motor Company in Dearborn, Michigan. After working as a customer adviser at Ford, she turned seven years ago to predicting social changes that affect the motor markets

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Dreaming up the shape of cars to come

Amnesty Freedom of Expression Award at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe – shortlist announced

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

Amnesty International today announced the shortlist for its annual Freedom of Expression Award at the Edinburgh Fringe.

The Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award, now in its ninth year, is presented in association with FEST magazine. This year saw a record number of entries, with 112 productions nominated.

The award, given to an outstanding play carrying a human rights message, will be presented on Thursday 23 August at an afternoon reception (for invitees/media only, details below).

The short listed productions are:

Shabnum Mustapha, Amnesty International's Scotland Director, said:

This has been another record-breaking year for the Freedom of Expression Award and it is extremely heartening to see so many productions tackling so many different human rights themes at the Edinburgh Fringe.

"For the last nine years, the Freedom of Expression Award has recognised productions which are both outstanding in their own right - and have the power to communicate, inform, inspire and challenge our perceptions about human rights. This year is no exception and the fact that we have six productions on the short list acknowledges the incredibly high calibre of performances which we have seen during the judging process."

Neil Cooper, Writer and Critic for The Herald and one of the award's judges, said:

"The fact that there are six so very different works in the short list for this year's Amnesty International Freedom of Expression Award speaks volumes about the range of concerns there are among artists taking part in the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. This isn't tokenism, however. Every production named on the short list isn't there because they tick the right boxes or are saying the right things.

Of course, what these productions are saying is important, but it is how they're doing it that is so vital, and makes for such a rich set of artistic experiences that may change the world yet."

Myanmar media push for more press freedom

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

Myanmar journalists are demanding more press freedom despite the end this week of the country's 50-year-long practice of censoring local publications before going to print.

Published: Aug. 21, 2012 at 6:30 AM

YANGON, Myanmar, Aug. 21 (UPI) -- Myanmar's journalists are demanding more press freedom despite the end this week of the country's 50-year-long practice of censoring publications before they go to print.

Myanmar's Ministry of Information announced the move to end immediately the need for publishers to get prior approval from the Press Scrutiny and Registration Department.

However, publishers still must submit articles to the PSRD to determine if publishing laws have been broken.

"It's a real improvement, but the 2004 Electronics Act, as well as the draconian 1962 Printers and Publishers Registration Act, should also be abolished in order for the fourth estate to enjoy full press freedom," Zaw Thet Htwe, spokesman of the Committee for Freedom of the Press, told the Irrawaddy news Web site, run by expatriate Myanmar journalists operating in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

Zaw Thet Htwe also said the CFP, which was formed last month to call for an end to censorship, planned protests this week to demand more media freedom.

Thiha Saw, the editor of Open News Journal and Myanma Danna magazine, told Irrawaddy that some subjects including corruption -- something of which many of the country's top leaders have been accused -- will remain extremely sensitive for the government. Post-publication scrutiny is the PSRD's way of letting editors know the government is watching them.

Incurring the government's wrath could mean the withdrawal of a publication's license to print, a permit mandated under the Printers and Publishers Registration Act.

There also remains a myriad of regulations, orders and directives that have been imposed over the five decades of military rule, he said.

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Myanmar media push for more press freedom

'Cyborg' done talking Rousey, says 'spoiled little girl' can come back to original weight

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

Former Strikeforce women's featherweight champion Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos (10-1 MMA, 4-0 SF) has made it clear she is not a Ronda Rousey (6-0 MMA, 4-0 SF) fan.

And while she would be more than happy to step into the cage with "Rowdy," especially after the current Strikeforce female bantamweight champion called her out, Santos has been medically advised against trying to make 135 pounds.

With that in mind, Santos said she's done talking about Rousey and any potential fight for the bantamweight title. If Rousey wants to prove her worth, Santos said, let her come back to 145 pounds to do it the same place she started her Strikeforce career.

"I get many questions about Ronda Rousey, and I would like to set the record straight for the last time, as I do not consider her much personally, much less as a fighter," Santos told MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com) through an interpreter. "She claims she is the champion and openly challenges me to fight at 135 pounds, which I find laughable. She competed in the Beijing Olympics at 154 pounds and fought at 145 pounds in MMA until she learned she would have to fight me and then dropped to 135 pounds.

"I have never fought below 145 pounds, and I am considered the pound-for-pound top woman fighter in the world. I have yet to lose a fight while holding the Strikeforce 145-pound title. My last fight was considered a no contest, but that has not changed the fact that I am the women's 145-pound champion."

Santos, who made her Strikeforce debut in April 2009, was stripped of the Strikeforce women's featherweight title one month after a post-fight drug test at "Strikeforce: Melendez vs. Masvidal" turned up positive for stanozolol metabolites in late 2011.

The California State Athletic Commission, which oversaw the event, suspended Santos for one year and fined her $2,500. Additionally, her first-round TKO of Hiroko Yamanaka was also overturned to a no-contest.

Rousey, who was 2-0 in Strikeforce's 145-pound division, dropped to 135 pounds earlier this year and promptly earned the promotion's female bantamweight title by submitting then-champion Miesha Tate. This past Saturday night, the former Olympic judoka defended the title by submitting former champion Sarah Kaufman in just 54 seconds.

Following the win, Rousey called out Santos and challenged her to come down to 135 pounds.

"I need to send out a challenge to Ms. Cyborg, there," Rousey said after her victory. "People want to see you have the first fair fight of your life. I'm the champ now. The champ doesn't go to you. You go to the champ. Come down to 135 and let's settle this."

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'Cyborg' done talking Rousey, says 'spoiled little girl' can come back to original weight

Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos Says Ronda Rousey Is Not Worth Her Breath

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

Ronda Rousey’s attempts to provoke a showdown with the former Strikerforce women’s featherweight champion Cristiane “Cyborg” Santos has been met with a curt reply, with the Brazilian rebuking “Rowdy’s” challenge. Ronda called Cyborg out shortly after her first round victory against Sarah Kaufmann to retain the 135 lb title last weekend, but Cyborg says Rousey has to step up to 145 if she wants a ...

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Cristiane "Cyborg" Santos Says Ronda Rousey Is Not Worth Her Breath

Ronda Rousey to Cris 'Cyborg' Santos, 'Cut Down to 135 or I Don't Have Time for You': Fan's Look

Posted on August 21, 2012 by Danzig

Bas Rutten, host of AXSTV's "Inside MMA", gave Strikeforce champion, Ronda Rousey, high praise for her opening move in her first title defense against former Strikeforce champion, Sarah Kaufman on August 18, 2012. Cris "Cyborg" Santos, next on Ronda's Strikeforce hit list, was not so complimentary. Ronda told Cyborg to cut weight to 135 or forget about fighting her.

Respect between champions seems to be missing

Kenny Rice, co-host of the show, shared a long email message from Cyborg to Ronda.

Cyborg reminded Ronda that she is addressing the number one, pound for pound female fighter in the world and ended by saying, "...I will not endanger my health to satisfy the rantings of a spoiled little girl".

I guess whatever banned substance Cyborg took doesn't appear on her list of things to avoid in order to live a long, happy and healthy life. Double standard?

In the message, Cyborg made it clear that even though her last fight, against Hiroko Yamanaka, was ruled a no contest, she still considers herself the women's 145 lbs. champion.

Cyborg is not impressed with Ronda's performance...and vice versa

Ronda responded with, "I have a whole line of girls waiting to fight me...She needs to fight me or she's pretty much done...She's not as awesome as she thinks she is...I've got other things to do. Come down to 135 or I don't have time for you." video

No doubt, cooler heads from the Zuffa team will help resolve this stand-off between the top two female MMA fighters in the world. No MMA fight fan is going to want to miss the Strikeforce war between Ronda and Cyborg. I bet that fight goes longer than one round.

Bas Rutten is "very impressed" with Ronda Rousey's striking

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Ronda Rousey to Cris 'Cyborg' Santos, 'Cut Down to 135 or I Don't Have Time for You': Fan's Look

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