Penn Medicine Appoints Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH, as Executive Vice Dean for Institutional Affairs

PHILADELPHIA Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH, has been appointed to the role of Executive Vice Dean for Institutional Affairs, at Penn Medicine. The appointment, made by J. Larry Jameson, MD, PhD, Executive Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Dean of the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, will take effect on March 1, 2012.

In his new role, Strom will assume the responsibilities of coordinating Penn Medicine's efforts in comparative effectiveness research, as well as the Neuroscience of Behavior Initiative, which seeks to strengthen Penn's programs in basic, translational, clinical, and population research in the areas of addiction, depressive disorders, and neurodegenerative disease. In consultation with Dean Jameson, Strom will also provide administrative leadership for the recruitment of department chairs, center and institute directors, and other senior faculty members. Along with other members of Penn

Medicine leadership, he will also assist with implementing recommendations that emerge from the School's current strategic planning process.

Since 2007 Strom has served as vice dean for institutional affairs, with primary responsibilities as Penn Medicine's liaison to the Philadelphia Veteran's Administration Medical Center and Penn's global health programs in Guatemala and Peru. He will continue to serve the Perelman School of Medicine in these areas.

Strom is the founding chair of the Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology and the founding director of the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics at Penn Medicine. As the George S. Pepper Professor of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, he has served as chair and center director since 1995. Author of more than 550 papers and principal investigator of more than 250 grants, he is an elected member of the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and one of the few clinical epidemiologists elected to the American Society of Clinical Investigation and American Association of Physicians. He is renowned for his work in the field of pharmacoepidemiology, and serves as editor-in-chief for Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety, the official journal of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology.

The Perelman School of Medicine is currently ranked #2 in U.S. News & World Report's survey of research-oriented medical schools. The School is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $479.3 million awarded in the 2011 fiscal year.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System's patient care facilities include: The Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania -- recognized as one of the nation's top 10 hospitals by U.S. News & World Report; Penn Presbyterian Medical Center; and Pennsylvania Hospital the nation's first hospital, founded in 1751. Penn Medicine also includes additional patient care facilities and services throughout the Philadelphia region.

Penn Medicine is committed to improving lives and health through a variety of community-based programs and activities. In fiscal year 2011, Penn Medicine provided $854 million to benefit our community.

More:

Penn Medicine Appoints Brian L. Strom, MD, MPH, as Executive Vice Dean for Institutional Affairs

Inform Genomics Announces Preliminary Results of OnPARTâ„¢ Personalized Medicine Product: SNP Network Identifies …

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Inform Genomics, Inc., a private company focused on developing novel platforms of genomic based personalized medicine products for cancer supportive care and inflammatory diseases, today announced preliminary results from its initial study for its lead product, OnPART, which is designed to determine an individuals risk of side-effects associated with chemotherapy regimens based on his or her individual genomic profile. The study utilized advanced Bayesian network technology to identify (single-nucleotide polymorphism) SNP networks associated with common side-effects of chemotherapy regimens. In the plenary session Molecular Predictors in Supportive Care, Dr. Stephen T. Sonis, D.M.D., D.M.Sc. who is a co-founder of Inform Genomics and also a Clinical Professor of Oral Medicine at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine, reported that for patients receiving dose-dense doxorubicin, cyclophosphamide, plus paclitaxel (AC+T) a preliminary SNP network correctly identified patients at risk for chemotherapy-induced diarrhea with an accuracy of 96.7% and an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.994.

We are very encouraged by these early results and they are in line with what we previously demonstrated with a high-degree of precision using our Bayesian network technology to predict oral mucositis with our transplant product, said Ed Rubenstein, President & CEO of Inform Genomics. We are excited to see further data demonstrating OnPARTs ability to predict serious toxicities from chemotherapy regimens based on his or her individual genomic profile which may lead to actions to reduce the burden of potentially curable interventions for patients with cancer.

About OnPART

OnPART, Oncology Preferences And Risk of Toxicity, is Inform Genomics lead platform personalized medicine product for treatment decisions in patients who will receive chemotherapy for colorectal, breast, lung, or ovarian cancer. Based upon response rates and survival, more than one chemotherapy regimen may be considered appropriate care for patients with these common solid tumors, yet the regimens vary widely in their side-effect profiles. OnPART is being developed to assess genomic risk for common and often debilitating therapy-related side-effects, including fatigue, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, oral mucositis, cognitive dysfunction and peripheral neuropathy. The product includes a differentiating factor in personalized medicine, quantifying patient concerns for side-effects, using a copyrighted patient questionnaire (Preference Assessment Inventory). OnPART is expected to provide valuable information for patients and medical oncologists to help clarify critical clinical choices and be commercially available in 2014.

About Cancer Supportive Care

Most patients with cancer receive supportive care as part of their multimodal anti-cancer therapy, regardless of cancer diagnosis, stage of disease, or treatment modality. Common symptoms associated with cancer or its treatments include fatigue, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea, oral mucositis, cognitive dysfunction, and peripheral neuropathy. Some of these conditions are manageable with commercially available medications, while others are the focus of drug development programs. The development of these side-effects may interfere with ongoing anti-cancer treatment, impair patient functioning, negatively impact the patients quality of life, and may increase the risk of mortality. Treatment of these side-effects also results in significant costs for payers and providers.

About Inform Genomics

Inform Genomics, Inc. is a private company focused on developing novel platforms of genomic based personalized medicine products for cancer supportive care and inflammatory diseases, including its lead platform product, OnPART, designed to determine an individuals risk of side-effects associated with chemotherapy regimens based on his or her individual genomic profile. The companys business model leverages existing technology in conjunction with proprietary analytic methods for conducting genome-wide association studies. Product development programs will lead to commercial, single source laboratory tests consisting of single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) networks that determine the likelihood of individual patient clinical outcomes to drug therapies. The U.S. market opportunity for these differentiated products exceeds $2 billion annually. Inform Genomics is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, please visit http://www.informgenomics.com.

Continue reading here:

Inform Genomics Announces Preliminary Results of OnPARTâ„¢ Personalized Medicine Product: SNP Network Identifies ...

BG Medicine, Inc. Appoints Bill Densel, General Manager, CardioSCORE

WALTHAM, Mass., July 2, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- BG Medicine, Inc. (BGMD), a company focused on the development and commercialization of novel cardiovascular diagnostics, announced today that Bill Densel has joined the company as General Manager, CardioSCORE. In this role, he will report to President and CEO Eric Bouvier, with overall responsibility for the development and growth of CardioSCORE, BG Medicine's diagnostic blood test designed to improve the identification of individuals at high risk for near-term major cardiovascular events such as heart and stroke. Mr. Densel brings nearly two decades of developing and commercializing breakthrough technologies in medical devices, biotechnology and diagnostics to BG Medicine. He most recently served as Chief Executive Officer of Dune Medical Devices.

"Bill is a welcome and strategically important addition to our management team," said Eric Bouvier, President and Chief Executive Officer of BG Medicine. "We believe that his proven general management experience, coupled with an extensive sales and marketing background focused on cardiology and oncology, will provide us with an ideal skill set to commercialize and build the CardioSCORE franchise, which is a key component of our product portfolio. CardioSCORE is designed to identify high risk patients who would not otherwise be identified using traditional risk scales, particularly in the near-term, and has the potential to enable optimized preventative treatment and save many lives."

Prior to Dune Medical Devices, Mr. Densel held positions of increasing responsibility at Hologic Corporation where he was Vice President of Marketing for the GYN Surgical business and Sr. Director of the Neuroscience Business Unit of Cytyc Corporation. Previously, he held roles in Strategic Planning and Market Development for Boston Scientific. Mr. Densel began his career at Snowden Pencer, a surgical instrumentation company that was acquired by Genzyme Corporation, where he held positions of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing and business development. Following his graduation from Duke University, Mr. Densel received a commission in the U.S. Navy and served for four years as a Special Operations Officer.

About CardioSCORE

CardioSCORE is a diagnostic blood test designed to improve the identification of individuals at high risk for near-term major cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke, over conventional risk factor scoring, in otherwise asymptomatic adults. The test is a proprietary in vitro diagnostic multivariate index assay that measures the levels of several protein biomarkers in blood and integrates the results to yield a single numerical score that is related to an individual's near-term cardiovascular risk. BG Medicine filed a 510(k) Premarket Notification with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in December 2011 for regulatory clearance of CardioSCORE, following the successful completion of a pivotal clinical validation study.

The American Heart Association estimates that in the United States alone, more than one million people die annually from complications from atherosclerosis and atherothrombosis, and that the total annual cost of treating these conditions exceeds $360 billion.

About BG Medicine, Inc.

BG Medicine, Inc. (BGMD) is a life sciences company focused on the discovery, development, and commercialization of novel cardiovascular diagnostics to address significant unmet medical needs, improve patient outcomes and contain healthcare costs. The Company's first commercialized product, the BGM Galectin-3(TM) test for use in patients with heart failure, is available in the United States and Europe. BG Medicine is also developing CardioSCORE, a blood test designed to identify individuals at high risk for near-term major cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke. For additional information about BG Medicine, heart failure and galectin-3 testing, please visit http://www.bg-medicine.com and http://www.galectin-3.com.

The BG Medicine Inc. logo is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=10352

Safe Harbor Statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: Certain statements made in this news release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, that are intended to be covered by the "safe harbor" created by those sections. Forward-looking statements, which are based on certain assumptions and describe our future plans, strategies and expectations, can generally be identified by the use of forward-looking terms such as "believe," "expect," "may," "will," "should," "could," "seek," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "anticipate" or other comparable terms. Forward- looking statements in this news release may address the following subjects, among others: our expectations concerning our belief that CardioSCORE may improve the identification of individuals at high risk for near-term major cardiovascular events over conventional risk factor scoring; our expectations for the market potential of CardioSCORE; our expectation that the FDA will provide regulatory clearance for our CardioSCORE test; and our beliefs regarding expected contributions from our new General Manager. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements, as a result of various factors including those risks and uncertainties described in the Risk Factors and in Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations sections of our recent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q. We urge you to consider those risks and uncertainties in evaluating our forward-looking statements. We caution readers not to place undue reliance upon any such forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Except as otherwise required by the federal securities laws, we disclaim any obligation or undertaking to publicly release any updates or revisions to any forward- looking statement contained herein (or elsewhere) to reflect any change in our expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Continue reading here:

BG Medicine, Inc. Appoints Bill Densel, General Manager, CardioSCORE

ATK Announces Independent Assessment Team for Liberty

SALT LAKE CITY, July 2, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --ATK (ATK) and the Liberty program announced an independent assessment team and their first tasking to advise the company on development of its commercial human certification plan for the Liberty system, which includes the launch vehicle, upper stage, abort system, composite spacecraft, ground and mission operations, crew and passenger training and a test flight crew.

The FAA is authorized by Congress to regulate commercial human spaceflight. Over the next few years, the FAA will use a phased approach to regulating the crew and passenger safety of the emerging commercial human spaceflight industry. In the meantime, and in the absence of specific government human certification standards, the developers themselves must look to NASA and International Partner human spaceflight best practices and lessons learned to develop their own design and operations criteria. Developing the Liberty-specific commercial human certification plan early in the program ensures the system will be designed from the outset to ensure flight crew and passenger safety.

Liberty's independent assessment team is led by Bryan O'Connor with team members Ken Bowersox, Kevin Leclaire and Alain Souchier. This team brings former space shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) commanders together with experts in NASA Safety and Mission Assurance, commercial space business and cryogenic engine development.

"As we build Liberty using streamlined and affordablecommercial approaches, we intend tomaintain asteady emphasis on crew safety, which is why we brought together top talent for the Liberty independent assessment team," said Kent Rominger, ATK vice president and program manager for Liberty. "We have one of the best teams whose background and expertise will ensure Liberty is safe and reliable for our commercial customers."

Leading the Liberty independent assessment team, O'Connor brings a strong background in flight test, program management, safety and mission assurance (SM&A). As a former two-time shuttle astronaut and United States Marine Corps test pilot he has served in various high-profile positions over his career including assistant program manager for the Marine AV-8 Harrier and NASA Space Shuttle Programs, NASA's first chairman of the Space Flight Safety Panel that was established to support return-to-flight design re-certification. During O'Connor's tenure at NASA Headquarters he served as director of the Space Station Redesign Team, Space Shuttle Program director, and later as the chief of Safety and Mission Assurance where he was responsible for the safety, reliability, maintainability and quality assurance of all NASA programs.

"I am looking forward to working with ATK on their commercial human certification plan for Liberty," said O'Connor. "It is extremely important to get this plan right. Fortunately, they have a head start because all of Liberty's subsystems were originally designed to be human-rated."

Bowersox is also a former navy test pilot and shuttle astronaut with four shuttle missions and one ISS mission, which included Russia Soyuz training and a return via the Soyuz capsule. He served as the Expedition-6 crew commander for over five months aboard the International Space Station. During his tenure at NASA he held a variety of assignments, notably chief of the Astronaut Office Safety Branch and chairman of the Spaceflight Safety Panel. Bowersox will oversee crew training and the commercial human certification plan for the Liberty program.

Leclaire brings extensive experience in starting and developing space-related companies. He has provided management consulting services to clients involved in the space, satellite and technology sectors and was previously a senior associate at the preeminent venture capital firm that focused on space-related companies. Leclaire will oversee the business aspects of the Liberty program with a focus on ensuring a solid business case without compromising crew safety.

Souchier was the program manager for the design of the stage propulsion systems on the Ariane 5 central core, the technical manager over the engineering department that developed the Vulcain Ariane 5 cryogenic engine and the stage associated propulsion systems, and Snecma's future programs director. During his 30-year career, he has been honored with a bronze and silver medal from the French space agency (CNET). Souchier will ensure all aspects of the Vulcain 2 engine upgrades for air start will be effectively implemented.

About Liberty

See the original post here:

ATK Announces Independent Assessment Team for Liberty

Liberty Star Receives Updated ZTEM, South Block Big Chunk, Alaska

TUCSON, Ariz.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Liberty Star Uranium & Metals Corp. (Liberty Star or the Company) (LBSR: OTCBB) is pleased to announce that the Company has received updated, geophysical ZTEM electromagnetic imagery of the south block of its Big Chunk Super Project (BCSP) in southeastern Alaska.

GEOTECH LTD. Airborne Geophysical Surveys delivered the updated data comprising:

Comments James Briscoe, Liberty Stars CEO and Chief Geologist, ZTEM technology has improved since 2009 when the processed survey was first presented to us. We applaud and appreciate Geotechs efforts to deliver to us an updated detailed view of our south block. We will use this information to draw detailed plans for drilling at the Big Chunk as soon as possible.

James A. Briscoe James A. Briscoe, Professional Geologist, AZ CA CEO/Chief Geologist Liberty Star Uranium & Metals Corp.

Read Your Invitation and RSVP to Briscoes Whirlwind Trip, July 5-18 http://www.libertystaruranium.com/ja-briscoe-whirlwind-trip/

Read the original:

Liberty Star Receives Updated ZTEM, South Block Big Chunk, Alaska

Picture of the Day: Jupiter and Venus Gleam Above the Pacific

NASA

In this picture, taken last week near Buenos Aires, Venus and Jupiter gleam above the sea, joined by the star Aldebaran below and to the right. The dwarf planets Vesta and Ceres, normally invisible to the naked eye, were also captured. NASA points them out in its version of this photograph, available at its Astronomy Picture of the Day site.

Below, recent Pictures of the Day:

More From The Atlantic

Read more here:

Picture of the Day: Jupiter and Venus Gleam Above the Pacific

The Radical Libertarianism of Richard M. Daley

The progressive Democrat who ruled Chicago for 22 years has a simple explanation for America's decline: "The federal government destroyed big cities."

"Once the federal government said it was going to control urban education, it destroyed the cities," he said. "People fled. It didn't matter who you were ...They mandated everything in big cities. They destroyed us and they destroyed the middle class."

Despite his fierce support of local regulation on certain issues (gun control, climate changeto name a few) Daley's reflection of his 22-years in office conveyed a hopelessness in federal power. "It's not the Obama administration. It's every administration since Roosevelt," he said. From immigration to education to foreign policy to Congress, he described an entire system of bumbling bureaucracy. "Could you see your board of directors meeting every day, continuously, all year around? Congress meets every day, all year around. They have more bureaucracy than the executive branch."

He introduced a utopian vision of the 21st century in which the federal government was reined in domestically and internationally to make way for a more nimble power structure of mayors working together. "We should dilute the power of the federal government," he said. "The more we do that, the better the city and state and the better it is for international relations."

"Mayors can deal with mayors," he said. But the federal government "is sobureaucraticand dysfunctional. There are good people there but they're getting in the way of the century. This century we should have economic power and aid" as opposed to going "the military route."

While Daley has long-depicted himself as an independent-minded Democrat, it's starting to feel like less of a coincidence that two of the country's most progressive mayors (Daley and Bloomberg) are finding it impossible to lend their full support behind a Democratically-controlled White House. Does the office of mayor just lend itself to federal antagonism?

View post:

The Radical Libertarianism of Richard M. Daley

Libertarian Nominee Gary Johnson Wants to be Taken Seriously

Republican presidential candidate former New Mexico Gov. Gary Johnson makes a statement during a debate Thursday, Sept. 22, 2011, in Orlando, Fla.

Libertarian presidential nominee Gary Johnson is trying to elbow his way into contention as a major national candidate who deserves to be take seriously.

To that end, Johnson is joining the many conservatives who have condemned the Supreme Court's ruling that President Obama's healthcare law is constitutional. Johnson calls it a "truly disturbing decision" because the law requires people to buy health insurance, and this erodes freedom and liberty. Johnson is urging Congress to repeal the law.

Johnson, the former two-term governor of New Mexico, is stepping up his campaign in advance of the Republican National Convention in Tampa next month as he tries to tap into libertarian sentiment within the GOP. Johnson is campaigning this week in Florida.

[Photos: At The Supreme Court]

Meanwhile, GOP presidential candidate Ron Paul says he will appear at a University of South Florida rally to boost his own candidacy on the eve of the GOP convention. Paul admits he cannot wrest the Republican nod from presumptive nominee Mitt Romney. But he told supporters in an email, "The Republican National Conventon is just around the corner, and the establishment is about to find out what you and I have known all along this election seasonthe future is ours! So on August 26, the day before the convention convenes, I hope you'll join me to at a special rally to celebrate how far our message and movement have come this year."

Paul's delegates to the convention want to inject his libertarian ideas into the Republican platform, such as his opposition to U.S. military interventions abroad and his support for cutting back the federal government in a dramatic way.

However, Johnson hopes to eventually bring Paul supporters into his own campaign in time for the general election this November. To that end, Johnson is expected to speak at a festival honoring Ron Paul in the Tampa area just prior to the GOP convention. That festival is being organized by conservatives who are not part of the official Paul campaign.

Ken Walsh covers the White House and politics for U.S. News. He writes the daily blog, "Ken Walsh's Washington," for usnews.com, and is the author of "The Presidency" column for the U.S. News Weekly. He can be reached at kwalsh@usnews.com and on Facebook and Twitter.

See the rest here:

Libertarian Nominee Gary Johnson Wants to be Taken Seriously

People smugglers move to Cocos Islands

Asylum seekers arrive on Christmas Island yesterday. Photo: Sharon Tisdale

AUTHORITIES are rushing to upgrade quarantine facilities at the remote Cocos Islands, confirming fears that people smugglers from Sri Lanka and southern India have chosen the location as a new frontier in the asylum seeker trade.

A jet-load of stretchers, washing machines, dryers, antiseptic and other supplies was flown out of Christmas Island early yesterday morning, bound for the Cocos Islands, almost 1000 kilometres across the Indian Ocean to the west.

A boat carrying 67 Sri Lankan Tamils arrived at the Cocos cluster of islands, also known as the Keelings, on Saturday. They were housed overnight in the only available accommodation, the Cocos and Keeling Social Club, before being flown by chartered jet back to Christmas Island this morning, where they were transported to the island's packed detention centre.

Advertisement: Story continues below

It was the fourth people smuggling boat transporting Tamils in less than a month to reach Cocos, which previously had been immune from the sea-borne traffic of asylum seekers.

However, the Cocos group is much closer to Sri Lanka and southern India, where hundreds of thousands of Tamils are in refugee camps, than Christmas Island. Christmas Island itself is more than 1500 kilometres west of the nearest point on the Australian mainland.

The latest arrival at the Cocos cluster has alarmed Border Protection authorities, because the route to the Cocos group adds many thousands of square kilometres to the already vast spread of ocean it must place under surveillance.

The tiny population of the Cocos Islands - 600, spread over two outcrops, one inhabited mainly by Caucasians, the other by ethnic Malays - is angry at losing access to its only social club every time a load of asylum seekers arrives.

The club, on the main Caucasian-inhabited island, known as West Island, is closed to its members while asylum seekers are housed there, and also for several days after they leave, because it must be quarantined and disinfected.

Original post:

People smugglers move to Cocos Islands

Maine islands at risk

Post offices play a key role in keeping Maines islands sustainable. Aside from helping maintain the islanders contact with each other and with the mainland, they serve as social centers.

The U.S. Postal Service tries to protect small rural post offices as best it can while cutting back service to deal with reduction in mail use and a mounting deficit. But one of the measures in its two-year reorganization plan discriminates against the island post offices.

Most of Maines small post offices are scheduled to have their hours of operation cut to four from the present eight. But theres an exception for post offices located 25 miles or more away from another post office. They will be operational for six hours a day regardless of their workload, says Tom Rizzo, the National Postal Service spokesman for its northern New England district.

Heres where the islands are hurt: That exemption doesnt apply to the two year-round inhabited Cranberry Isles or to Swans Island, Matinicus or Monhegan. Each is within 25 miles of a mainland post office. But a 25-mile trip is a lot harder and more expensive than most 25-mile trips on land. It involves paying for a ferry ride or owning or borrowing a boat.

Any island post office that seeks relief from this 25-mile rule, so it can keep six-hour service, should probably apply first to the postmaster general. Another possibility would be to bring up the matter at one of the community discussion meetings that the postal service plans to schedule in September.

Still another avenue would be to ask for help from Maines congressional delegation. U.S. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, interceded last year when the Matinicus Island post office was slated for closing. She obtained a reprieve.

Maines islands are a prime asset to the state, but they are vulnerable to change. Fifteen of them still have year-round populations, but some of them are gradually losing residents. On Swans Island, two of its post offices have already been closed. If its remaining post office and those on other islands serving as social centers for the islands are cut to four hours, eventual complete closure is probably more likely than if they are on the six-hour list.

The Stamp by Mail program has helped keep some of the island post offices profitable or at least less unprofitable. Summer residents have been ordering their year-round supply of stamps from their island post office, making its balance sheet look good to postal headquarters.

But, the postal service is discontinuing that program. Summer folks will still be able to buy their stamps in quantity from their island post office, but they must go to the counter instead of getting delivery by mail.

People who want to help keep their island post offices in business will do well to speak up at the September meetings or write letters to the postmaster general or their federal lawmakers.

Read more:

Maine islands at risk

Falkland Islands Hlg – Sale of FOGL shares

2nd July 2012

Falkland Islands Holdings plc

("FIH" or the "Group")

Sale of Falkland Oil and Gas Limited ("FOGL") Shares

Falkland Islands Holdings plc, the AIM quoted international group which owns essential services businesses focused on retail, transport and logistics announces that on 29 June 2012, FIH sold 1.18 million shares in FOGL for 1.01m, generating a profit of 0.77m for FIH. Following the sale, FIH owns 12.82 million shares in FOGL; representing 4.01% of the issued share capital. The funds will be available for the development of the Groups businesses in the Falkland Islands and the UK.

The Board of FIH does not intend to dispose of any further shares in FOGL prior to the completion of the drilling of the Loligo well in the South Falkland basin.

Chairman of FIH, David Hudd commented:

"As a result of this disposal, we have more than recouped the further investment we made in FOGL in January this year and have generated a useful profit for the Group. The Subscription and Open offer announced by the Group on 14 June and this disposal have significantly enhanced the resources of the Group whilst retaining a substantial financial interest in FOGL and we look forward to their drilling campaign which is expected to commence in July 2012."

- Ends -

Enquiries:

Read the original:

Falkland Islands Hlg - Sale of FOGL shares

FACT CHECK: Can you keep your health plan under 'Obamacare'?

WASHINGTON -- In promoting the health care law, President Barack Obama is repeating his persistent and unsubstantiated assurance that Americans who like their health insurance can simply keep it. Republican rival Mitt Romney says quite the opposite, but his doomsday scenario is a stretch.

After the Supreme Court upheld the law last week, Obama stepped forward to tell Americans what good will come from it. Romney was quick to lay out the harm. But some of the evidence they gave to the court of public opinion was suspect.

A look at their claims and how they compare with the facts:

---

OBAMA: "If you're one of the more than 250 million Americans who already have health insurance, you will keep your health insurance. This law will only make it more secure and more affordable."

ROMNEY: "Obamacare also means that for up to 20 million Americans, they will lose the insurance they currently have, the insurance that they like and they want to keep."

THE FACTS: Nothing in the law ensures that people happy with their policies now can keep them. Employers will continue to have the right to modify coverage or even drop it, and some are expected to do so as more insurance alternatives become available to the population under the law. Nor is there any guarantee that coverage will become cheaper, despite the subsidies many people will get.

Americans may well end up feeling more secure about their ability to obtain and keep coverage once insurance companies can no longer deny, terminate or charge more for coverage for those in poor health. But particular health insurance plans will have no guarantee of ironclad security. Much can change, including the cost.

The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office has estimated that the number of workers getting employer-based coverage could drop by several million, as some workers choose new plans in the marketplace or as employers drop coverage altogether. Companies with more than 50 workers would have to pay a fine for terminating insurance, but in some cases that would be cost-effective for them.

Obama's soothing words for those who are content with their current coverage have been heard before, rendered with different degrees of accuracy. He's said nothing in the law requires people to change their plans, true enough. But the law does not guarantee the status quo for anyone, either.

Continue reading here:

FACT CHECK: Can you keep your health plan under 'Obamacare'?

Health care law takes center stage in Vitter town hall

Vitter to hold town hall in St. Bernard Monday morning

Vitter to hold town hall in St. Bernard Monday morning

It was an open discussion, but nearly every other questioned centered around the subject of health care, at a town hall meeting Monday.

Sen. David Vitter, R-Louisiana, hosted the event at the St. Bernard Parish council chambers.

He took questions from the audience while flanked by two posters. One showed a map of the health care bureaucracy. The other offered negative statistics on the impact of "Obamacare".

The meeting comes just four days after the Supreme Court upheld key provisions of the health care law. The decision galvanized many Republican voters.

Vitter is one of many Republicans making the rounds of public appearance to try and rally support for repeal efforts. On Sunday, Republican Governor Bobby Jindal appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press" to discuss the Supreme Court ruling.

Vitter said he was the first lawmaker to file a repeal bill after the health care law passed.

View original post here:

Health care law takes center stage in Vitter town hall

Thinking through health care reform: a compilation of diverse perspectives

When it comes to health care, people can have very strong opinions. Conversations can get heated and personal. Understandably so; we are talking about something that directly and inevitably affects us, our families, and all Americans. No one, after all, is safe from illness.

From my discussions with others, Ive found there are two basic routes to a strong conclusion. One is by gathering as much evidence as possible, from as many angles as possible, and reasoning throughideas with a critical eye to form a decision. The other is by having a conclusion in mind first and then looking, after the fact, for evidence to support it.

In the second case, where might those preconceived conclusions come from? Perhaps they are based on what group a person identifies with: Im a Democrat, and most Democrats support the reform, so I probably do, too, or Im a registered Republican, so Ill probably think Obamacare is a bad idea. Or, maybe everyone around you tends to believe one thing. Or, maybe a person whose knowledge you generally trust believes something, and its easier to listen to one person who has already worked it all out.

Compounding the problem is that people have a natural tendency to surround themselves with friends, coworkers, and news sources that largely confirm, rather than dispute, what they already believe. Its simply more pleasant to interact with someone who agrees with you.

While the two routes are not so black and white, I do think its all too easy to fall into the second type of reasoning. And its much more difficult to come to a new conclusion if youre cornered by everyone chirping in unison.

So, I decided to compile my selections for the some of the most clear, thoughtful, and diverse pieces about theSupreme Courtruling and its implications Ive come across. Taken alone, each is insightful and well-written. Taken together, they portray health care reform issues from valuably distinct perspectives. I hope youll give them a read, and that youll power through the ones that dont immediately resonate with your political instincts.

Because the Internet is a vast, vast space, and its hard to triage.

Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Atul Gawande, published in the New Yorker. Gawande takes a step back and captures the uncertainty in any health reform initiative an inherently complex and wicked problem in which Trade-offs are unavoidable. Unanticipated complications and benefits are both common. And opportunities to learn by trial and error are limited. No step forward will be perfect, Gawande reminds us, but taking no action comes with its own risks. All that leaders can do is weigh the possibilities as best they can and find a way forward.

Chief Justice Roberts and His Apologists, by John Yoo, published in the Wall Street Journal. Even though the Affordable Care Act was upheld, the reasoning behind the decision has been interpreted as a victory for fiscal conservatives, too. But the restrictions on congressional coercion may not be as significant as they appear, Yoo argues, with Chief Justice John Roberts not the hero for both sides some are making him out to be. Congress may not be able to directly force us to buy electric cars, eat organic kale, or replace oil heaters with solar panels. But if it enforces the mandates with a financial penalty then suddenly, thanks to Justice Robertss tortured reasoning in Sebelius, the mandate is transformed into a constitutional exercise of Congresss power to tax.

Unpopular Mandate, by Ezra Klein, published in the New Yorker. Two years ago, the odds that the individual mandate would be overturned were considered slim to none; yet a few days before the decision, experts predicted them at closer to fifty-fifty. Why did the Republican party change its opinion, making the clause they once supported the main target to oppose? Thats the question at hand, but to answer it, Klein expands beyond the Republican party into why people change their opinions and how in politics, on both sides, it has to do more with adhering to the beliefs of the group than rational reasoning. But parties, though based on a set of principles, arent disinterested teachers in search of truth, he writes. Theyre organized groups looking to increase their power. Or, as the psychologists would put it, their reasoning may be motivated by something other than accuracy.

Continue reading here:

Thinking through health care reform: a compilation of diverse perspectives