LIFE's Ion Suite Thrives on Tie-Ups

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Life Technologies Corporation (LIFE) has entered into several collaborations to expand the scope of sequencing. The latest in a line of alliances is with Boston Children's Hospital. The tie-up is meant to develop an end-to-end genetic sequencing lab workflow based on the companys Ion Proton sequencer. This collaboration will facilitate treatment decisions for patients with complicated conditions.

The tie-up with Boston Children's Hospital comes on the heels of collaboration with the University of North Texas Health Science Centers Institute of Applied Genetics. Both parties would utilize the company's Ion Personal Genome Machine (PGM) system for implementation of best technologies in forensics DNA analyses. Training forensic analysts on the application of next generation sequencing will be a key output of the collaboration.

In another development, Life Technologies partnered with the Hospital for Sick Children to advance pediatric genomic research on the Ion Proton sequencer. Under the agreement, numerous clinical research samples will be mapped daily using the sequencing platform in the hospital's newly launched Centre for Genetic Medicine. The Ion Proton sequencer, which relies on semiconductor chips, is designed to sequence an entire human genome in a day for $1,000. This is much faster and less expensive than traditional next generation systems.

Life Technologies Genetic Analysis business received a strong boost from the Ion Torrent franchise. This franchise was inducted into the companys portfolio with the acquisition of Ion Torrent, a DNA sequencing company, in October 2010. The company realized robust growth from its Ion PGM in the last few quarters. Launched in December 2010, shipment placements of the Ion PGM numbered 700 at the end of 2011.

Maintaining the upbeat trend, sales of the PGM rose during the last reported quarter. The company is satisfied with the progress made so far with Ion Torrent technologies and expects the growth momentum to continue. This growth will be supported by more PGM placements and the scheduled launch of the Ion Proton Benchtop sequencer in the second half of 2012.

The sequencing market has become competitive with the presence of Illumina (ILMN). Moreover, another player, Qiagen (QGEN) is also entering the next generation sequencing market.

We have a Neutral recommendation on Life Technologies. The stock retains a Zacks #3 Rank (hold) in the short term.

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LIFE's Ion Suite Thrives on Tie-Ups

Researchers develop vaccine to treat nicotine addiction

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Researchers have developed a vaccine that successfully treated nicotine addiction in mice, according to a study published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine.

With just a single dose, the vaccine protected mice against nicotine addiction for the rest of their lives, the researchers said. The vaccine works by prompting the animals liver to act as a factory that continually produces antibodies. The antibodies then absorb the nicotine as soon as it hits the bloodstream, preventing it from reaching the brain or the heart.

According to the studys lead investigator, Dr. Ronald Crystal, chairman and professor of Genetic Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, it normally takes nicotine about six to 10 seconds to cross the bloodstream, reach the brain and bind to receptors. This is what produces the calm or relaxed feelings that drive nicotine addiction. By blocking nicotine from reaching the brain, the antibodies prevent those pleasurable feelings from occurring.

"As far as we can see, the best way to treat chronic nicotine addiction from smoking is to have these Pacman-like antibodies on patrol, clearing the blood as needed before nicotine can have any biological effect," Crystal said in a released statement.

Importantly, the vaccine allows the body to build up its own immunity against nicotine, making it more effective and consistent than vaccines developed in the past.

Crystal said previous nicotine vaccines likely failed because they directly injected nicotine antibodies into the body, rather than prompting the body to build its own antibodies. This meant these passive vaccines had to be injected multiple times, because they only lasted for three to four weeks, and the dosage level required may have varied from person to personparticularly if the person started smoking again.

On the other hand, the researchers knew the second main type of vaccines, known as active vaccines, wouldnt protect against nicotine addiction either. Active vaccinesused to protect people against viruses such as polio or the mumpswork by introducing a piece of a virus into the body, which in turn prompts the body to develop a lifelong immune response against the invading agent. However, nicotine molecules are too small for the immune system to recognize.

As a result, the researchers had to develop a third kind of vaccine: a genetic vaccine, which works by binding the genetic sequence of a nicotine antibody to a non-harmful virus. The virus is directed to go to the liver cells, and the genetic sequence of the antibody then inserts itself into those cells, causing the cells to produce a stream of the antibodies along with the other molecules they make.

We can target almost any organ [with this type of vaccine], but the reason for using the liver is that it is a very good secretory organ, Crystal told FoxNews.com. The liver is very good at making and secreting many proteins, so we just genetically modified the liver cells to also make antibodies against nicotine.

Crystal said he first thought of the concept behind the vaccine a few years ago while passing by a newsstand. I saw a magazine cover that said something along the lines of Addiction: We Need Vaccines and got this idea to use gene therapy.

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Researchers develop vaccine to treat nicotine addiction

Vaccine stops nicotine from reaching the brain, may prevent addiction

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(CBS News) Trying to quit smoking? It's tough - studies suggest 70 to 80 percent of people who try to quit smoke within six months.

That's because nicotine is so addictive, says Dr. Ronald G. Crystal, chairman and professor of Genetic Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City. Crystal's team has announced they've successfully tested a new vaccine that may treat nicotine addiction.

Crystal told HealthPop that many stop-smoking campaigns try to attack the source of smoking, cigarettes, but what his team wanted to do was find a way to block the sensation nicotine provides in the brain that makes smoking so addictive.

"Smoking is a terrible problem in society," Crystal told HealthPop. "It's enormously costly to our society, not only the pain and suffering, but the amount of health care costs. In that sense, it's important for us to develop strategies that in fact will be effective."

His team's vaccine is described in the June 27 issue of Science Translational Medicine. How does it work?

Much like vaccines for diseases that create antibodies to fight infection, the vaccine creates antibodies against nicotine. However, previous attempts at similar vaccines have failed because within a few weeks the antibodies are gone, which won't exactly help people stay smoke-free.

Crystal's team developed a vaccine that contains a virus consisting of a genetic sequence they engineered from a nicotine antibody, and injected it into the liver of mice. The injection genetically modifies the liver to churn out nicotine antibodies, along with other cells it typically makes, thus providing a nicotine antibody "factory" in the body. That suggests the effect won't diminish over time like that of other antibodies. The antibodies then work by targeting the nicotine cells within seconds of exposure and preventing them from reaching receptors in the brain that provide the "chill out" feeling, as Crystal called it.

"The antibodies are little Pac-men that like nicotine and just gobble it up," Crystal said.

When mice are given nicotine, they experience reduced blood pressure and heart activity and appear "chilled out," which suggests the nicotine reached their brains. But mice tested with the new vaccine appeared just as active as they were before, as measured by infrared beams in their cages.

"It's like giving them water - nothing happens," Crystal said. However he added that there was a caveat to his study: "Mice aren't small humans."

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Vaccine stops nicotine from reaching the brain, may prevent addiction

First Genetic Cure For Cancer Anchors Provocative New Thriller

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Author Steve Hadden returns with a riveting story of greed and redemption.Dallas, TX (PRWEB) June 27, 2012 What would happen if a groundbreaking advance in medicine fell into the hands of a desperate Wall Street executive, hell-bent on taking the company public and turning a huge profit… no matter the cost. In his newest novel, "Genetic Imperfections", author Steve Hadden deftly guides readers ...

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First Genetic Cure For Cancer Anchors Provocative New Thriller

Advances in genetic testing allow for more personalized medical treatments

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Close up of laboratory microscope (Matthew Jones)

"Without question, man's knowledge of man is undergoing the greatest revolution since Leonardo. In many ways personalized medicine is already here." - Dr. Francis Collins

That quote, from Dr. Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, was used at the beginning of a report on genetic testing by UnitedHealth Group's Center for Health Reform & Modernization.

The report, "Personalized Medicine: Trends and prospects for the new science of genetic testing and molecular diagnostics," was released in March.

For the paper, the organization surveyed the public on their familiarity with genetic testing. While 71 percent said they were familiar with the concept, only one in two indicated they were knowledgable about genetic science.

So the Los Angeles News Group spoke with doctors at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to shed light on this rapidly evolving field of health care.

Genetic testing analyzes a person's genetic material, including genes and biomarkers. While a person's complete DNA can be decoded, a process called whole genome sequencing, researchers don't know how to interpret all of the information quite yet. Currently, tests can be used to detect 2,500 conditions, according to UnitedHealth.

"The whole genetic testing story is linked to an entire paradigm in medicine that is evolving, and that is personalized medicine," says Dr. Mahul Amin, chairman of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine at

Amin's research focuses on uncovering biomarkers for cancer - particularly of the prostate, bladder, kidney and testis - that will allow for personalized treatment of patients with these diseases.

A biomarker is a biochemical, genetic or molecular characteristic that acts as an indicator of a particular biological condition.

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Advances in genetic testing allow for more personalized medical treatments

PlantBricks

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The iGEM team that I helped advise a couple years ago recently published a short paper about their project in the Journal of Biological Engineering (open access!). We were inspired to think about plant engineering in the context of iGEM and standardized genetic parts, in part thanks to an interesting passage in Stewart Brands book Whole Earth Discipline. In his chapter on genetic engineering, Brand writes:

One can imagine organic crops biotically engineered as Rachel Carson might do it. They would be designed in detail to protect and improve the soil they grow in, to foil the specific pets and weeds that threaten them, to blend well with other organic crops and with beneficial insects, to increase carbon fixation in the soil and reduce the release of methane and nitrous oxide, to be as nutritious and delicious as science can make them, and to invite further refinement by the growers.

Along with genetic BioBricks, let there be AgriBricks to finesse crop genomes for local ecological and economic fitness. (If Monsanto throws a fit, tell them that if theyre polite, you might license back to them the locally attuned tweaks youve made to their patented gene array. Pretty soon theyor some company that replaces themwill be providing you with lab equipment.)

Our project and the final paper were obviously of much much smaller scope, but we hope that other iGEM teams will be inspired to work with plants and to use our BioBricks to build something great. Heres the abstract:

Background Plant biotechnology can be leveraged to produce food, fuel, medicine, and materials. Standardized methods advocated by the synthetic biology community can accelerate the plant design cycle, ultimately making plant engineering more widely accessible to bioengineers who can contribute diverse creative input to the design process.

Results This paper presents work done largely by undergraduate students participating in the 2010 International Genetically Engineered Machines (iGEM) competition. Described here is a framework for engineering the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana with standardized, BioBrick compatible vectors and parts available through the Registry of Standard Biological Parts (www.partsregistry.org). This system was used to engineer a proof-of-concept plant that exogenously expresses the taste-inverting protein miraculin.

Conclusions Our work is intended to encourage future iGEM teams and other synthetic biologists to use plants as a genetic chassis. Our workflow simplifies the use of standardized parts in plant systems, allowing the construction and expression of heterologous genes in plants within the timeframe allotted for typical iGEM projects.

And you can download the paper (currently only a provisional PDF) from the Journal:

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PlantBricks

New Smoking Vaccine Using Gene Therapy Being Developed

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Featured Article Academic Journal Main Category: Smoking / Quit Smoking Also Included In: Immune System / Vaccines Article Date: 28 Jun 2012 - 2:00 PDT

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In a study reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine this week, Researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York City show how a single dose of the vaccine protected mice, over their lifetime, against nicotine addiction.

The addictive properties of the nicotine in tobacco smoke is a huge barrier to success with current smoking cessation approaches, say the authors in their paper.

Previous work using gene therapy vaccination in mice to treat certain eye disorders and tumors, gave them the idea a similar approach might work against nicotine.

The new anti-nicotine vaccine is based on an adeno-associated virus (AAV) engineered to be harmless. The virus carries two pieces of genetic information: one that causes anti-nicotine monoclonal antibodies to be created, and the other that targets its insertion into the nucleus of specific cells in the liver, the hepatocytes.

The result is the animal's liver becomes a factory continuously producing antibodies that gobble up the nicotine as soon as it enters the bloodstream, denying it the opportunity to enter the brain.

The researchers write:

"In mice treated with this vector, blood concentrations of the anti-nicotine antibody were dose-dependent, and the antibody showed high specificity and affinity for nicotine."

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New Smoking Vaccine Using Gene Therapy Being Developed

Gene therapy curbs nicotine addiction in mice

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Forget patches: gene therapy could suppress cigarette cravings by preventing the brain from receiving nicotine. The treatment is effective in mice, but with gene therapy still not fully tested in people, human trials and treatments are a long way off.

For drug users who really can't quit, vaccination might one day be an option, and several groups have attempted to develop such treatments.

But nicotine vaccines have mostly flopped. This is because nicotine is a very small molecule, so the immune system has difficulty recognising the drug and making antibodies that bind it. Physicians can inject antibodies directly into a patient, but this treatment quickly becomes expensive because the antibodies don't last long.

Ronald Crystal of Weill Cornell Medical College in New York and his team decided to bypass that problem by putting the gene for a nicotine antibody right into the body.

They selected the strongest antibody against nicotine from a mouse and isolated the gene that produced it. They then placed this gene into a carrier called adeno-associated virus (AAV), which is widely used for gene therapy.

When the researchers injected the virus and its cargo into nicotine-addicted mice, the rodents' livers took up the virus, began making antibodies and pumped them into the bloodstream. The researchers injected two cigarettes' worth of nicotine into AAV-infected mice. The antibodies were able to bind 83 per cent of the drug before it reached the brain.

Without their drug, the mice's behaviour changed. Nicotine usually causes mice to "chill out", Crystal says, but the researchers found that the treated mice stayed active and their heart rates stayed normal when they received nicotine.

Eighteen weeks later, the mice's livers were still making the antibody, suggesting that the therapy might render nicotine useless to smokers for long periods.

Jude Samulski at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who was part of the team that developed AAV as a gene therapy vector, says he's "ecstatic" that the vector has come so far. He calls the research "a gorgeous piece of work" that has "leapfrogged" the difficulties faced by vaccines.

But he has doubts about whether gene therapy is well-tested enough to be used to treat nicotine addiction. So far, AAV has been clinically tested in people with HIV or terminal cancer where potential benefits far outweigh the risks. "It's ahead of its time. In 10 years there may be enough safety data," he says. "Quitting smoking might be easier."

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Gene therapy curbs nicotine addiction in mice

Gene Therapy Against Nicotine May Someday Help Smokers Quit

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By Elizabeth Lopatto - 2012-06-27T18:00:00Z

An experimental vaccine againstnicotine, delivered using gene therapy, prevents the substance from reaching the brain and may make quitting easier for smokers, a study using mice indicates.

A single dose of vaccine allowed the liver to produce antibodies that stopped most of the nicotine from getting to the brain, according to a study in the journal Science Translational Medicine. The concentration of nicotine in the brains of treated mice was just 15 percent of that in untreated ones.

Of the more than 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke, it is nicotine that leads to addiction, the researchers wrote. Keeping the substance away from the brain might stymie nicotines addictive power by preventing smokers from enjoying their cigarettes, giving them no incentive to relapse, said Ronald Crystal, one of the studys researchers.

This looks really terrific if youre a mouse, but the caveat is that they arent small humans, said Crystal, the chairman of genetic medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College in New York, in a telephone interview.

The gene therapy delivers the vaccine to the liver using a virus engineered not to be harmful. The gene sequence for the antibodies is inserted into liver cells, which then begin to create antibodies to nicotine.

The antibody is floating around like Pac-Man in the blood, Crystal said. If you give the nicotine and the anti- nicotine gobbles it up, it doesnt reach the brain.

The idea of vaccines against nicotine has emerged before, in the form of injections used to trigger an immune response. Those methods proved ineffective, according to the researchers. They turned to gene therapy to trigger production of antibodies.

About 20 percent of U.S. adults are smokers, and most relapse shortly after quitting.

We dont have very effective therapies, Crystal said. The problem is even with the drugs we have now, 70 percent of people go back to smoking within 6 months of trying to quit.

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Gene Therapy Against Nicotine May Someday Help Smokers Quit

Futurist: Computers to Outsmart Humans by 2029

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Computers will soon be able to pass the Turing Test, convincing human judges that they too are humans, says Ray Kurzweil.

Photo courtesy Chris Devers

Kismet the robot at the MIT Museum.

Futurist and tech inventor Ray Kurzweil told an audience this week that by 2029, computers' reasoning will be on par with that of humans, the Wall Street Journal reports. Kurzweil made the declaration in an onstage interview at the Journal's CFO Network annual conference in Washington.

By 2029, Kurzweil predicts, computers will have the capacity to pass the Turing test--a criterion proposed in 1950 by English mathematician Alan Turing to determine whether a machine can "think." Passing the test would mean that a human judge could not distinguish between artificial intelligence and human thoughts.

Kurzweil based his argument in the rate of technological innovation, the Journal reports: As technology continues to grow at an exponential rate, things that seemed like science fiction years ago will soon become attainable, he said.

Some of Kurzweil's other seemingly sci-fi predictions included humans eventually being able to store knowledge outside of their brains, to access when needed, and the implantation of tiny computers into a person's body to help stave off disease and live longer, according to the report.

The idea of sentient computers matching wits with humans brings about obvious comparison to a litany of science fiction horror stories. But Kurzweil says he is not worried about deploying the sentinels.

"We're not creating these machines to displace us," he said in the interview. "We create these machines to make ourselves smarter."

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Futurist: Computers to Outsmart Humans by 2029

Freedom Days kicks holiday off on Friday in Farmington

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FARMINGTON Every year, the buzz surrounding Freedom Days can be heard early in summer. It's grown into an event that businesses, families and the entire community looks forward to all year.

"Freedom Days is a great family oriented event that not only attracts locals but draws interest region wide," said Tonya Stinson, interim Farmington Convention & Visitors Bureau manager. "With great community minded sponsors and committee members that work hard to keep it going, it offers high quality, fun and inexpensive activities for people of all ages to enjoy. It is a great way to honor and remember the freedoms we are so fortunate to have in this country and those that fight to protect our freedoms."

Celebrating its 26th year, Freedom Days has events spread throughout the five-day celebration that begins Friday.

The annual Gem and Mineral Show runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Friday and Saturday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, at the Farmington Civic Center.

Rock collectors from all over venture to this show to bring the best of what they have or to find one-of-a-kind pieces to add to their collections.

A silent auction will take place as well as a raffle, with proceeds to be used toward funding a scholarship for a San Juan College geology student.

What has grown to become a staple during Freedom Days, the Sullivan Hill fireworks display will take place Tuesday night beginning around 9:25 p.m.

The best places for viewing are from Gateway Park or San

A Freedom Days favorite is the "Party in the Park" at Brookside Park from 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Food vendors and live music will take over the park, offering families a great opportunity to kick back and enjoy the holiday with others. A skateboard competition will take place during the party at the skate park.

"The Farmington Convention & Visitors Bureau, the city of Farmington and the Freedom Days committee work very hard on this event from January till the start of Freedom Days," Stinson said. "We are always looking for ways to keep events fresh, fun and accessible to everyone. With so many events on the schedule, it takes a lot of dedicated people and sponsors to make all the logistics come together. But everyone is happy to help out with something so fun, rewarding and meaningful."

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Freedom Days kicks holiday off on Friday in Farmington

Freedom Energy gets one-year extension to start construction

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Although it was necessary to get an extension of a property agreement between Freedom Energy Diesel and Morristown, one of its principals said the company is wrapping up financial arrangements and should begin construction on its $405 million coal gasification plant there in August.

The Morristown City Council last week voted to give the company a one-year extension to start construction. Under the original agreement the 116 acres that Freedom Energy bought for its plant would have reverted back to the city if construction did not begin this month.

"If they did not in good faith begin construction by June 2012, the real estate reverts to the city," said Morristown Mayor Danny Thomas. Without the extension Freedom Energy would have forfeited the $448,000 it paid for the property.

The company, which plans to build a 570,000-square-foot plant in East Tennessee Progress Center industrial park near Interstate 81, bought the land from Morristown in June 2011. Freedom Energy intends to build a plant that would use a proprietary technique called plasma point technology to break down coal to the molecular level and process it into other fuels like diesel, naphtha and activated carbon.

The plant is expected to generate nearly 600 jobs.

The company originally expected to have the plant under construction before now, but so far only grading of the site has taken place. David A. Wild, president of Freedom Energy in Morristown, wrote Morristown's Industrial Development Board in May that the company needed additional time to complete financial transactions. This involves a trip overseas to negotiate with investors, he wrote.

Before it approached Morristown, Freedom Energy had approached the Industrial Development Board of Cumberland, Morgan and Roane counties about building the plant in Cumberland County. At that time, Bernie Rice, Freedom Energy CEO, told the board the $400 million in capital to build the plant had already been raised.

Asked Tuesday why financing was still needed, Christian Kotcher, one of the principals of Freedom Energy's parent company, D4 Capital Holdings LLC, said most of the capital had been raised but there were additional needs requiring financing.

Kotcher said this process is proceeding well and the project is on track to start construction by the end of August and the plant should be operational by late 2014.

"We have invested over $1,500,000 in grading and site preparation which should indicate our commitment to this project and to Morristown-Hamblen County," Wild wrote the Morristown industrial board.

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Freedom Energy gets one-year extension to start construction

Freedom Bus Tour to educate seniors on healthcare

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WEST CHESTER, OH (FOX19) -

The Healthcare Freedom Bus Tour stops in the Tri-State on Thursday to educate seniors on the health care reform bill.

The "Healthcare Freedom" Tour will visit with seniors to discuss their reaction to the controversial health reform care bill passed in 2010.

Events surrounding the tour will include rallies, health care briefings, meet & greets, and townhall meetings. It will also feature health care experts and advocates, as well as the 60 Plus leadership team, including legendary entertainer Pat Boone at some stops.

The tour is stopping by the Ronald Reagan Lodge, 7850 VOA Park Drive in West Chester on Thursday from noon to 1:30 p.m.

Copyright 2012 WXIX. All rights reserved.

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Freedom Bus Tour to educate seniors on healthcare

Let (Work) Freedom Ring; 86% of Micro Service Entrepreneurs Want to Declare Job Independence, Global Fiverr Survey …

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TEL AVIV, ISRAEL--(Marketwire -06/28/12)- Millions of workers around the world are seeking additional income, freedom and fun by embracing alternative career paths and starting their own businesses, according to new research. In the spirit of Independence Day, Fiverr, the leading global marketplace for micro services, today announced the results of its international "Road to Job Independence" survey. More than 1,100 Fiverr sellers revealed their motivations to start a business on the world's largest marketplace for the freelance service industry, providing new insights into the flourishing economy of micro-entrepreneurs.

The freedom of the Internet now allows people to work where they want, when they want, how they want. Around the world new types of entrepreneurs are channeling their talents, passions, interests and skills to replace or supplement traditional 9-to-5 jobs. Fiverr makes it easier for anyone to make money doing what he or she loves.

According to the Road to Job Independence survey, most Fiverr sellers are successfully able to increase their income by offering unique services (Gigs) not available anywhere else:

Fiverr's survey discovered 6 out of 10 (57%) of all sellers have joined in the last 6 months as they seek the site's freedom to work at their own time, pace and place. These new sellers are already making money, with 40% reporting they've earned over $100 through Fiverr. And they're making money through a large variety of gigs, including graphic design, writing, personalized greetings, voice-overs, video production, expert advice, software and web development, advertising and marketing, music and much more.

Fiverr opens a world of possibilities for global commerce, removing the need for office space, set commerce hours and a business payment structure. Fiverr provides liquidity to the global network of service providers, connecting sellers directly with interested buyers. It gives burgeoning entrepreneurs all the tools they need to get started and be successful.

A vast majority (86%) of Fiverr sellers seek job independence, and 1 in 5 report their goal with Fiverr is to quit and work for themselves. Frustration with traditional 9-to-5 jobs is high, at more than 80%. The top 6 frustrations respondents have with their current job situation include:

"Creativity and freedom are the core drivers of today's new entrepreneurial economy. Anyone, anywhere can use Fiverr to quickly and easily start their own businesses -- we give people the platform and the tools to harness their skills, resources and creativity to make money on their own terms," said Micha Kaufman, co-founder and CEO of Fiverr. "Our goal is to offer people an alternative from the traditional work structure and become their own boss. As sellers gain experience and a positive business reputation, they can charge more for their services. Now 1 in 3 gigs sell for more than the base price, and 34% of sellers report they're getting an average of 5 or more gigs per week."

So why do people turn to Fiverr?

Since launching in early 2010, Fiverr has grown rapidly and now lists close to 1,000,000 gigs priced between $5 and $150. Sales on the site have increased 600% since January 2011, and continue to rise rapidly.

An infographic of the results can be found here: http://fiverr.com/financial-freedom.

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Let (Work) Freedom Ring; 86% of Micro Service Entrepreneurs Want to Declare Job Independence, Global Fiverr Survey ...

Freedom Communications Announces Sale of Florida, North Carolina Properties Has Closed

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IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Freedom Communications announced today that the sale of all of its newspaper properties in Florida and North Carolina to Halifax Media Group has closed.

The properties involved in the transaction include Holmes County Times-Advertiser, Bonifay, FL; Times-News, Burlington, NC; Havelock News, Havelock, NC; The Daily News, Jacksonville, NC; Free Press, Kinston, NC; The Star, Port St. Joe, FL; The Walton Sun, Santa Rosa Beach, FL; Washington County News, Chipley, FL; The Crestview News Bulletin, Crestview, FL; The Destin Log, Destin, FL; Northwest Florida Daily News, Fort Walton Beach, FL; The Gaston Gazette, Gastonia, NC; Jones Post, Kinston, NC; Santa Rosa Press Gazette and Santa Rosa Free Press, Milton, FL; Sun Journal and The Shopper, New Bern, NC; The News Herald, Panama City, FL; The Star, Shelby, NC; The Times, Apalachicola, FL and The Topsail Advertiser, Surf City, NC.

Providing value for our shareholders was a major goal of this transaction and the others weve undertaken, said Mark McEachen, Freedom Executive Vice President, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer. At the same time we wanted to make sure current employees would transition to the new owner and that the new owner shared our view of the importance of community journalism.

Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP acted as legal advisors to Freedom.

About Freedom Communications

Freedom Communications Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Irvine, CA, is a national privately owned information and entertainment company of print publications and interactive businesses. The Companys print portfolio includes approximately 50 print publications, including seven daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, plus ancillary magazines and other specialty publications. The Companys news, information and entertainment websites and mobile applications complement its print properties. For more information, visit http://www.freedom.com.

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Freedom Communications Announces Sale of Florida, North Carolina Properties Has Closed

N.C. eugenics compensation out for now

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Victims of North Carolinas former eugenics program will have to wait for compensation from the state.

Legislators recently approved a $20 billion budget that excluded funding for eugenics programs. The new budget goes into effect July 1, setting those who have pushed for state compensation back another budget year.

Gov. Beverly Perdue included $10 million in her budget proposal to go towards $50,000 lump sum payments for verified living victims and continued operations of the N.C. Justice for Sterilization Victims Foundation to provide outreach and clearinghouse services. A bipartisan group of legislators in the House approved Perdues proposal to compensate living victims, but the package did not make the Senate budget.

I think when it got down to it on the Senate side there were two things that happened: First, belief that the budget was so tight this year that some of Republican majority didnt feel as if this was a year to begin that process, said Sen. Floyd McKissick, D-Durham. Then, there is a group that feels an apology itself would be sufficient. They believe it was a terrible thing, but theyre afraid to go down the path of compensating victims.

The Governors Eugenics Compensation Task Force found that 7,600 North Carolinians many of whom were poor, sick or disabled were sterilized by force or coercion under the authorization of the states Eugenics Board from 1929-74.

Survivors told gut-wrenching stories of being robbed by the state of the opportunity to bear children at public meetings held by the Task Force in the past year.

Elaine Riddick, a Winfall, N.C., native, has been one of the most vocal victims. Riddick said she was sterilized after giving birth to a son as the result of being raped at age 13. She had health complications, but didnt find out about the sterilization until a doctor told her she had been butchered, when she was trying to conceive when she married at age 19.

Females made up 85 percent of sterilization victims in North Carolina. Blacks and Native Americans made up 40 percent, according to the task forces report. Task force researchers found some victims or their families were threatened with losing welfare benefits.

Don Akin, a statistician for State Center for Health Statistics, estimated that there were between 1,500 and 2,000 living victims at a task force meeting last summer.

The N.C. Justice for Sterilization Foundation verified 161 victims in 57 counties, including 146 living victims.

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N.C. eugenics compensation out for now

‘Eco Villa’ project launched

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Eco Villa, a contemporary dwelling featuring traditional Qatari architecture, culture and heritage, has been launched by a research and development organisation promoting sustainable development. The project, presented by Gulf Organisation for Research and Development (GORD) reinforces Qatars reputation as a leading advocate for sustainable development, said Qatar News Agency (QNA). The Eco Villa is designed to win high star rating based on the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), as it offers a genuinely sustainable, smart and healthy living environment for residents while preserving the Qatari architectural motifs, GORD said yesterday. The sustainable features of the Eco Villa include on-site renewable energy generation system, water-efficient plumbing fixtures and irrigation system, energy reduction, indoor lighting design, and intelligent building control system. It will also be constructed using sustainable and recycled building materials that have low volatile organic compounds (VOC) emission rates, GORD said. The villas design is a modern interpretation of traditional Qatari architecture, reflecting the culture and heritage of Qatar, GORD said.

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‘Eco Villa’ project launched

'Eco-landscaping' Protects Against Flooding

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From street lamps and sidewalks to storm drains and sewers, civil engineering projects designed to be environmentally friendly are under way in communities across the United States.

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Green infrastructure

Jeanette Stinson has lived on Maywood Avenue, a lower income neighborhood on the north side of Toledo, for 58 years. Shes seen a lot of changes in that time, but says some of the best have come in the last year and a half.

With money from the federal government, the city transformed the existing grassy areas between the sidewalk and street into a natural storm water drainage system, and landscaped it with native plants, flowers, and shrubs. Stinson added some of her own perennials.

These new areas, or bioswales, as theyre known, are actually designed for floods, not flowers. Before they were put in, most of the basements on Maywood would flood whenever the city experienced a heavy rainfall. That caused sewers to back up, sometimes spilling raw sewage into the area rivers.

Slowing runoff with bioswales

Engineer Andy Langenderfer worked on the project to slow the runoff by diverting it into the bioswales. "We dug out the existing [area] behind the curb, which used to drain from behind the sidewalk, over the curb and then it would go directly into the storm sewer. Now were taking off all that direct runoff to the storm sewer. "

To create a bioswale, they dug a shallow ditch, then filled it with layers of gravel and soil that permit rainfall to drain into the ground instead of overflowing into the sewers. These strips were planted with grasses and deep-rooted groundcover to further aid absorption. New sidewalks and driveways were built behind the bioswales with a water-permeable type of concrete that also slowed run-off.

Coordinators chose Maywood Avenue because there was already a community garden on the street, so they believed the neighbors would embrace the project. But, resident Jonathan White remembers being uncertain about the project when the organizers went door to door to explain the plan.

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'Eco-landscaping' Protects Against Flooding

Qatar- GORD Launches Eco Villa Featuring Qatar's Traditional Motifs

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(MENAFN - Qatar News Agency) Eco Villa, a modern contemporary dwelling featuring traditional Qatari architecture, culture and heritage has been launched by a research and development organisation promoting sustainable development.

This landmark project, presented by Gulf Organization for Research and Development (GORD) reinforces Qatar s reputation as a leading advocate for sustainable development.

The eco villa is designed to win high star rating based on the Global Sustainability Assessment System (GSAS), as it offers a genuinely sustainable, smart and healthy living environment for residents while preserving the Qatari architectural motifs, GORD said Wednesday.

The sustainable features of the eco villa include on-site renewable energy generation system, water-efficient plumbing fixtures and irrigation system, energy reduction, indoor lighting design, and intelligent building control system.

The eco villa will also be constructed using sustainable and recycled eco-friendly building materials that have low Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC) emission rates, GORD said.

The villa's design is a modern interpretation of traditional Qatari architecture, reflecting the culture and heritage of Qatar whilst being contemporary in character and function - it creates a new aesthetic for sustainable development in Qatar, GORD informed.

GORD has selected three consulting firms; LSI Architects, MYAA Architects and RHWL Architects to design the sustainable Qatari Modern villa.

A committee consisting of representatives from the Qatar Museum Authority, Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage, Qatar University and Private Office has been formed in addition to GORD's experts to manage the bidding process and oversee the design of the eco villa, GORD added.

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Qatar- GORD Launches Eco Villa Featuring Qatar's Traditional Motifs