North Liberty continues work on new $13.5 million water treatment plant – The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines

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Aug 11, 2017 at 7:26 pm | Print View

NORTH LIBERTY In building a new water treatment plant, North Liberty city officials are planning ahead to accommodate expected population growth in the future.

The plant, under construction along Front Street on the citys public works campus, could serve roughly 24,000 residents with 3 million gallons of water per day. The existing facility, built in the mid-1970s on South Chestnut Street, can put out around 1.25 million gallons of water per day with a peak flow of 2 million gallons, said Nick Bergus, the citys communications director.

The idea is that should take us to the population that we project North Liberty to have in 2028, Bergus said, adding many of the existing plants backup systems are being used more and more as everyday systems. Really, we just need everything weve got right now. So having some additional capacity is really critical.

City council member Jim Sayre said when it comes to deciding on major facility improvements, like the new water treatment plant, he often relies on the recommendations of experts and wants to make sure the city isnt spending money it doesnt have.

In voting for the nearly $13.5 million project, Sayre said he believed the city was financially stable enough to build a new plant. Additionally, he said he advocates for the city projects, like future construction of a roughly $5 million police station, to be able to serve a growing population.

According to the U.S. Census, North Liberty had 13,374 residents in 2010. In January 2016, the city announced a special census found the population had grown to 18,228 residents.

Portzen Construction won the contract for the new water treatment plant and the project is scheduled for completion in August 2018.

Once it comes online, Bergus said residents can expect improved water quality because the plant will use a method called nanofiltration, which uses membranes to clean the water.

Bergus said the improvement to the citys water system is expected to happen in four parts, the first being the construction of the plant itself. Then, new watermains to get water to the facility will be installed, as well as a ground storage tank on the plants property.

Finally, two new wells already have been completed in Quail Ridge Park.

The plant also is being built in a way that will allow additions to be made to expand capacity one to 4.2 million gallons of water a day and another to raise that number to 6 million gallons. Bergus said each expansion is planned to be built a decade apart.

Capacity is going to be something that were going to continue to need to be building for, Bergus said, adding that city officials need to be ready to expand the structure when needed.

It doesnt just happen overnight. It takes a lot of planning and a lot of building to add that capacity.

l Comments: (319) 339-3172; maddy.arnold@thegazette.com

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North Liberty continues work on new $13.5 million water treatment plant - The Gazette: Eastern Iowa Breaking News and Headlines

Welcome Back to 1950, America The Lowdown on Liberty – Being Libertarian

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George Santayana once said, Those who cannot remember the past are bound to repeat it, which cuts particularly deep this week for those who have been keeping up with the news. In America, communism is in on college campuses, the media is actively attempting to push us into a cold possibly hot war with Russia, and now we are contemplating whether or not a repeat of the Korean War is worth it. Its official, weve been thrown back to 1950 at least politically.

Its amazing how many people, given the overwhelming abundance of historical evidence against their case, will try to operate as if we havent dealt with our current predicaments before.

Libertarians have become rather well-versed with this line of reasoning, from the responses you get anytime you ask a collectivist where their theories have worked. That wasnt real [insert failed ideology]! theyll say, as they attempt to convince you to try some old-fashioned theory dressed up in a revamped, modern-day term. In 2016, for example, we had a self-described democratic socialist almost win the Democratic Partys nomination, if it wasnt for the party eating its own. Seeing students in America embrace a broken system with messianic zeal reveals just how blatant our regard for historical evidence has become.

And its the same story when you ask Republicans as well; just mention foreign policy. No matter which failed attempt at regime change you bring up, the neo-cons always seem to be convinced that this time will be different. Never mind the fact that when pressured into explaining why, the best response youll get will be Make America great again.

Whos to blame for this lack of basic historical knowledge though?

Is it our public education system, with their appalling literacy rates and test scores? Or perhaps its our media outlets, who openly claim its their job to scare people to death in order to push the narrative they want imposed. They successfully polarized both sides so extensively in the last election that our political sphere looks more like the 1850s than the 1950s in that respect.

In actuality, its all our faults, though. Anyone with an internet connection has the ability to learn history, yet the overwhelming majority do not.

Now, if you observe American politics through any sort of objective lens, it would appear as though George Orwells predictions have come true. War is peace, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength was the mantra of the Party in the dystopian novel, 1984. Nowadays, Republicans are claiming to achieve peace from war; Democrats are espousing policies that say freedom will bring slavery; and everywhere, you see ignorance on both sides being rewarded as strength. Weve all heard the #FakeNews accusations being used on both sides. You mustnt let those other people tell you lies they like to say as the majority of Americans eat up the propaganda, leaving those of us who study history left to look on in horror.

Unless were willing to admit that some of the decisions made in the past were, in fact, mistakes, well sentence ourselves to suffer more loss of life in vain. Regardless of affiliation, lets allow ourselves to examine and consider the events of the past as they relate to our current situations. Because remembering history is crucial in making the correct political choices today. We may not be able to undo our mistakes, but we can certainly learn from them.

Lets embrace our history and stop pretending that any hot war, whether it be North Korea, Russia, or any of the superfluity of countries weve been involved in militarily the past 15 years will ever result in an improvement by any measurable account. Lets stop acting like more freedom for the individual in society will result in slavery for the rest of us. And for the love of God, lets recognize that collectivist attempts at egalitarianism never bear the results that they were supposed to on paper. This way we can spare our children from having to find themselves being thrown back into the political nightmare that 2017 has been fifty years from now. Lets get our act together, America.

Featured image: Encyclopdia Britannica

This post was written by Thomas J. Eckert.

The views expressed here belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect our views and opinions.

Thomas J. Eckert is college grad with an interest in politics. He studies economics and history and writes in his spare time on political and economic current events.

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When the US Military Came to Guam – The Atlantic

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Since North Korea threatened to fire missiles into the water around Guam, much has been made of the islands strategic importance. It is the westernmost U.S. territory; it is home to two existing military basesfor the air force and the navyand a planned third, for the marines.

The United States retook Guam from the Japanese in World War II, and the military has been an outsized and sometimes controversial presence on the island ever since.

These geopolitical circumstances have physically remade the islanda third of which is under U.S. military control. It has meant the dredging of wharves for the navys ships, the construction of housing for thousands of U.S. soldiers, and a planned live-fire range right next to the islands national wildlife refuge.

And then there are the snakes.

North Korea: The View From Guam

Sometime in the years right after WWII, as military planes were flying in and out of Guam, a species called the brown tree snake hitched a ride from the South Pacific. It grows several feet long and feeds on small mammals, lizards, and birds. On the island, this invasive predator found easy prey. It feasted on Micronesian kingfishers and Mariana fruit doves and rufous fantails; in just a few decades, it ate 10 out of 12 native forest-bird species off the face of the island.

Its a really eerie feeling to spend a day by yourself in the jungle on Guam, a scientist told the BBC recently. There are no bird songs, no mating calls, no chattering.

Efforts to curb the snake population have become as extreme as dropping thousands of dead mice by airplane over the island. The mice are laced with acetaminophenthe active ingredient in Tylenolwhich is poisonous to the snakes.

The effects of the snakes appetite have rippled through Guams ecosystem. Without birds to eat them, spiders have flourished. Without birds to spread seeds, forests have thinned. According to one estimate, the growth of new tree seedlings has declined between 61 to 92 percent.

All this has been compounded by the buildup of military bases on the island. The military development of Guam has taken out a lot of forest, says Susan Haig, a wildlife biologist at the U.S. Geological Survey.

The military is uniquely exempt from critical habitat provisions in the Endangered Species Act, thanks to an amendment that Congress passed in 2004. Critical habitats are areas deemed crucial to an endangered or threatened species, and its harder to develop on those lands. Instead of going through the same process as everyone else when building on critical habitat, the military can work out an integrated natural-resources management plan with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2004, the Los Angeles Times reported, The agency initially proposed designating 24,803 acres of Guam's forests as critical habitat for the birds. After Congress gave the military the exemption from critical habitat, the agency slashed its proposal to 376 acres.

The plan to relocate a marine base from Okinawa to Guam will mean more habitat disruption. New housing for thousands of marines and their families will impact hundreds of acres of recovery habitat for birds and the endangered Mariana fruit bat. And a proposed live-fire training range will affect dozens to hundreds of acres.

The buildup on Guam has consequences for other islands nearby, too. The military has proposed conducting war games on Tinian and Pgan, two islands north of Guam that belong to the U.S. Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. Pagan would become a bombing range and coral reefs around Tinian practice grounds for amphibious vehicles. [The islands] have extremely rich biological diversity, and the increase of military activity on these islands is just going to pummel all of that, says Miyoko Sakashita, senior counsel for the Center for Biological Diversity. The center, along with several local groups, has filed a lawsuit against the military challenging this plan.

These remote islands will be key to the U.S. militarys readiness if there is trouble in Asia. But the environmental cost of projecting U.S. military power across the Pacific also falls disproportionately on them. Their wildlife has been a casualty of geopolitics. With Guam now the focus of North Koreas threats, Gordon Rodda, a retired biologist with the U.S. Geological Survey who has worked on the island, closed out an email to me this way: I do understand that nuclear exchanges would not be good for Guams wildlife!

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When the US Military Came to Guam - The Atlantic

Water Bank — Island homes swell in value as acquirers relish barrier retreats, secluded properties wrapped by marsh … – Charleston Post Courier

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A bridge away from peninsula Charleston, homebuyers shopping for a second home or a mid-sized primary locale can secure a three-tier townhome counting three bedrooms, access to a creek and unobstructed sights of marsh, priced at $485,000. The house sits in Palmetto Pointe, a less-than-decade-old neighborhood on the way to Folly Beach known as Peas Island.

"The views are great," says Bryan Weatherford, agent with ERA Wilder Realty in Charleston. He sees the residence with underneath garage as a second home, most likely for people who live a few hours away and can zip down to the Lowcountry in an afternoon.

"Greenville, Spartanburg, Charlotte -- they can spend all weekend," Weatherford says. A few owners in the 44-home village, which just completed its last four townhomes, possess docks that offer community use. "(Just) park your boat," he says.

The less than half-a-million dollar townhome at the southern tip of James Island exhibits a prime buying opportunity that's gained traction with Lowcountry property buyers. Many Charleston area house hunters are eager to live on an island, whether a water-ringed town or suburb such as James and Johns islands, a barrier expanse such as Isle of Palms and Sullivan's Island, resorts including Kiawah and Seabrook islands and Edisto and Folly beaches or an isolated property split from the mainland such as Pumpkin, Cusabo and Hoopstick islands.

Sometimes the properties don't literally have to be encircled by creeks, lakes or ocean. Weatherford lists a sizable home on Whispering Marsh Drive in James Island's fashionable Stiles Point community. Priced at $1,295,000, the "beautiful" home sets up as a family residence bordering the large-pond sized Kushiwah Lake. It's ideal for parents and "at least two or three kids," he says. The property stands off Harbor View Road a handful of miles from Charleston's historic district. "I wouldn't be surprised if someone who works downtown buys the place," Weatherford says.

Real estate figures confirm the notion that homes and condos on area islands or oceanside locales are hot commodities. Charleston Trident Association of Realtors separates out nine sections as beaches or islands showcasing median home prices in 2016 from $350,000 to $1,350,000 (Sullivan's Island). Only Charleston and Mount Pleasant among non-islands or beaches rise to those rarefied midpoint prices. Most waterside areas boast sizable price increases, with Isle of Palms' 11.5 percent rise from the year before placing second highest and Folly Beach, up 11.1 percent, the third steepest. Since 2012, median home prices on barrier islands and beaches stretched from a 43 percent gain on Daniel Island to a 4.6 percent decline on Seabrook Island, CTAR reports.

In terms of sales, island and beach properties aren't showing as unified growth as they are with home values. Yet Seabrook Island reported a 10.1 percent sales increase last year from 2015, Sullivan's Island rose 10.7 percent and Johns Island surged 21.3 percent to 649 homes traded, the fourth highest percentage boost in the Lowcountry.

The island and beach buzz has become so pronounced that a number of real estate agencies promote Charleston area "islands" as among their specialties.

Ravenel Associates Real Estate Inc. provides information on its website touting "Lowcountry living on the barrier islands" and focusing on James, Johns, Kiawah, Seabrook and Wadmalaw islands.

"Charleston's barrier islands are one of a kind," the agency says. "Old oaks draped with Spanish moss risemajestically from the ground and the area hums with cicadas in the summer, bringing with their southern charm the southern hospitality of the residents in these barrier islands." Ravenel Associates calls on readers, "Let's discover the distinct character of these islands."

Weatherford can relate to the interest in island houses. The Palmetto Pointe townhomes on seven-acre Peas Island are benefiting from a good economy and proximity to downtown Charleston, he says. "These things are selling really fast," Weatherford says.

For more information and photos, go to http://www.postandcourier.com/business/real_estate/jim-parker.

Reach Jim Parker at 843-937-5542 or jparker@postandcourier.com.

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Water Bank -- Island homes swell in value as acquirers relish barrier retreats, secluded properties wrapped by marsh ... - Charleston Post Courier

Minefields set up by Argentine forces on the Falkland Islands are costing British taxpayers 2million a year to … – The Sun

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Expert teams work removing thousands of anti-vehicle and personnel mines brought to the island during the 1982 war

ARGENTINE-laid minefields are costing British taxpayers 2 million a year to clear on the Falkland Islands 35 years after the war finished.

Expert teams are working removing thousands of anti-vehicle and personnel mines brought to the island during the 1982 war.

Times Newspapers Ltd

De-mining on the British territory in South Atlantic has cost more than 16 million since 2009 and a further 20 million has been pledged.

Thirty minefields have been treated in recent years with another 46 expected to be cleared by next year.

Surveys will also be carried out on another 27 sites under British obligations under the Ottawa Treaty setting out a worldwide approach to removing landmines.

110 people are working on the project which is currently funded by the Foreign Office and the Ministry of Defence.

Argentine forces invaded the Falklands in April 1982 hoping to reclaim sovereignty of the remote islands.

The 74-day conflict saw 255 British military personnel lose their lives.

Lib Dem MP Tim Farron last night said: It is a slap in the face for UK taxpayers that we have to foot the bill.

The government need to ask Argentina to stump up some more cash. The Falklands should be made safe but Buenos Aires need to cough up.

Foreign Office Minister Alan Duncan has said he welcomes the news residents and visitors will soon be able to go safely into areas which have been out of bounds for decades.

Landmines have been a long-lasting and unwanted legacy of the 1982 conflict and the UK continues to be committed to removing them.

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Minefields set up by Argentine forces on the Falkland Islands are costing British taxpayers 2million a year to ... - The Sun

Opinion: Why there’s more to the Blasket Islands then Peig Sayers – Independent.ie

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At this time of year, the roads on the mainland opposite are flanked by battalions of brightly coloured flowers.

On the island, the 60 acres of once-worked land had been divided into fields by banks of soil.

Now slumped, these banks are covered in old bleached grasses gone to seed interspersed with a few shy wildflowers.

The remaining few sheep and a few donkeys roam freely over the land and unsurfaced green paths.

The sparse vegetation makes the island perfect for rambling.

There are no trees. Apparently, a poster of a tree hung on the wall of the school (which was open from 1864 to 1941) for the information of pupils who had never seen one in real life.

This snippet of information was shared with us by an Office of Public Works guide named Louise. Most of the island is now managed by the OPW and, during the summer, there are guided tours for visitors which, depending on the weather, can number up to a few hundred.

The island is stunningly beautiful in an understated way. But the main interest in the Blaskets arises out of its remarkable literary output from the 1920s onwards, with other famous books including Tomas Criomhthain's An t-Oileanach and Muiris Silleabhin's Fiche Blian ag Fs.

In reality, the residents' lives at the time were possibly no tougher than those on the mainland but, for whatever reasons, theirs were the stories which got told.

Admittedly, much of the interest was a linguistic one, in that the Irish spoken there was largely unchanged down through the centuries.

But, even in English, I have discovered that there is appeal to at least some of the writing.

I started reading The Islander but it wasn't my cup of tea. However, I loved Twenty Years A-Growing. O'Sullivan's simple description of life growing up on the island is full of energy, wonder and joy.

Obviously, the experiences of a young man starting out in life are going to be very different from a woman nearing the end of hers. But I can't help wondering if many people would have a different view of Irish if this was the book we'd studied for the Leaving, instead of Peig!

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Opinion: Why there's more to the Blasket Islands then Peig Sayers - Independent.ie

The Senate’s healthcare double whammy: fewer jobs and less care – The Hill (blog)

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The House of Representatives passed the American Health Care Act. Though advertised as their repeal-and-replace bill, the AHCA amended and in some waysenhanced ObamaCare. In July, the Senate just said no to any action whatsoever on our failing healthcare system.

Congressional Republicans seem unable to envision a solution for healthcare that restores the proper relationship between doctors and patients where the payer is the patient.

The Obama administration promised byexpanding MedicaidAmericans would be freed from job lock and able towork less. This is another example of Washingtons attempt to orchestrate peoples behavior and its refusal to admit the purpose of any healthcare system is to improve access to quality care.

In a recent survey of businesses with fewer than 50 employees, economist Casey Mulligan found that ObamaCare contributed to killing at least250,000 jobs. These losses, whether direct fires or fewer hires, are driven by ObamaCares mandate that small businesses must guarantee workers health insurance.

If people cant find jobs, they either drop out of the labor force or apply for disability, which remains near record levels at8.8 millionAmericans.

Businesses higher cost from soaring insurance premiums for hiring that 50thworker explains more terminations and fewer new hires. But what is reducing current workers desire to work? Mulligan attributes this to theimplicit marginal income tax.

This implicit tax is not explicit like income tax, whereby raising your income to where you lose free government insurance reduces your incentive to work and earn more. A Medicaid recipient who works extra hard and increases his income could be rewarded by losing of thousands of dollars in welfare payments.

To pay the$2 trillion price tagfor ObamaCare,additional taxeswere levied on American workers. Many people decided to leave the workforce, collect benefits, and avoid paying income taxes. This promoted a vicious downward spiral with an ever-expanding Medicaid pool and an ever-shrinking taxpayer pool.

More ominous even than ObamaCare suppressing job growth, wage growth, and economic output, is the ACAs effect on care.

Healthcare discussions always seem to focus on the number of insured individuals with no proof that having insurance will lead to timely care.After paying the huge bureaucratic and administrative costs of ObamaCare, there is too little money remaining to pay for care. Already low doctor reimbursement schedules continue to fall.The hardest hit is theMedicaid population:only 53 percent of U.S. physicians acceptnew Medicaidpatients.

The experience of New Mexico Medicaid proves that ObamaCare reduces access to care. With expansion, New Mexico Medicaid added more than 300,000 new enrollees, causing a shortfall of $417 million. To balance the state budget, they had tocut low doctor reimbursementseven lower. The result is more insured people with fewer doctors to provide care.

Americans now experience the worst possible scenario. National spending is up, productivity is discouraged, and insurance premiums are more unaffordable. While more Americans have insurance, care is increasingly difficult to access.

Washington, D.C., should return healthcare to long-excluded free market principles instead of continuingfailed government controlslike ObamaCare.

There is no better example of an effective policy choice than the Texas model of limited government. Ranking as nearly the most economically free state according to theFraser Institute, Texas leads the nation ineconomic growthandjob creation, wherealmost 30 percentof all U.S. jobs were created in the last decade in a state with only 9 percent of the population.

Unleashing major economic activity comes from a host of pro-growth policies. However, the key decision is to limit the size and scope of government. Healthcare is a policy area that desperately needs the same key: less government.

Congressjust threw awayan opportunity to repeal oppressive ObamaCare. Eliminating its onerous mandates would have restored jobs, reduced bureaucratic waste in healthcare, and increased access to care.

America needs a system that puts patients back in the driver seat so they can shop for their health care and make their own health decisions. Healthcare should not be a system that de-incentivizes work, discourages risk-taking and innovation, keeps people dependent on federal handouts, and letsAmericans diewaiting inline for care. Its time for a market-based, patient-centered approach.

Dr. Deane Waldman, MDMBA, is Director of the Center for Health Care Policy at the nonprofit Texas Public Policy Foundation, Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics, Pathology and Decision Science, and the author of The Cancer in the American Healthcare System.VanceGinn,PhD, is senior economist in the Center for Fiscal Policy at the Texas Public Policy Foundation.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill

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The Senate's healthcare double whammy: fewer jobs and less care - The Hill (blog)

Trump Signs Bill Extending Veterans Health Care Program – Voice of America

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President Donald Trump signed into law Saturday legislation that extends a program allowing veterans to receive private health care.

The bill, which allocates $2.1 billion for the six-month extension of the Choice Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs, was signed by the president at his private golf club in Bedminister, New Jersey, where he is on a 17-day working vacation, according to the White House.

The program, which was set to run out of funds earlier than expected in mid-August, pays for veteran visits to private doctors if they are facing lengthy waiting periods or travel times. The program was created in 2014 in response to a scandal at the VA hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, where patient wait times had been manipulated.

VA Secretary Dr. David Shulkin has made it a priority to eliminate a rule requiring veterans to live at least 40 miles from the nearest VA facility or wait more than 30 days for an appointment to be eligible for the Choice program.

The law also authorizes an additional $1.8 for the VA to lease 28 major medical facilities and to strengthen a program overseeing the recruitment and training of VA employees.

Congress passed the bipartisan legislation before it began its August recess, but not before raising concerns among veterans groups and Democratic lawmakers about the trend toward privatization of the VA.

Several veterans groups, including Disabled American Veterans and Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, expressed concern to Congress in a letter on July 26.

"If new funding is directed only or primarily to private sector 'choice' care without any adequate investment to modernize [the] VA, the viability of the entire system will soon be in danger," the groups said.

Shulkin has maintained the administration is not trying to privatize the VA, but to modernize and strengthen the agency's operations.

"President Trump is dedicated to maintaining a stronger VA, and we will not allow VA to be privatized on our watch," Shulkin wrote in an op-ed published July 24 in USA Today. "What we do want is a VA system that is even stronger and better than it is today. To achieve that goal, VA needs a strong and robust community care program."

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Trump Signs Bill Extending Veterans Health Care Program - Voice of America

Dean Heller on health care: ‘I feel real pleased at the way this thing turned out’ – CNN

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Both liberals and his GOP primary opponent quickly seized on the comment, blasting it out to reporters and on Twitter.

The Republican from Nevada, who faces one of the toughest 2018 re-election battles in the Senate, was lobbied hard by both sides in the recent effort to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act.

He ultimately sided with President Donald Trump and his party's leadership by deciding to support the "skinny repeal" bill, a vote that could help him in the GOP primary but could complicate his general election bid next November in his purplish home state.

"I wake up every morning trying to figure out what's best for the state of Nevada, what can I do for Nevada families. And obviously we got in the middle of this health care battle and I feel real pleased at the way this thing turned out and we're turning the page now to tax reform," he said, according to video from CNN affiliate KRNV.

Throughout the summer, Heller expressed concerns about earlier efforts by conservatives to curb the provision of Obamacare that expanded Medicaid in many states, including Nevada.

The "skinny" bill, however, would have only repealed parts of Obamacare like the individual mandate but left in place Medicaid expansion, which was a big reason why Heller supported it in the end.

Heller campaign spokesman Tommy Ferraro said in a statement that Heller's comments to KRNV reflected his satisfaction at voting for a bill that repealed what they considered the "onerous provisions" of Obamacare.

"When asked about the health care debate, Dean Heller reaffirmed that he stands by his vote to repeal the most onerous provisions of Obamacare that hurt Nevadans who can least afford it," he said.

After his comments on KRNV, in which he said he was "pleased" at the outcome, the liberal group American Bridge started circulating video of Heller's comments, calling him "spineless."

"Fake news: I'm pleased with my vote to repeal Obamacare, a bill the @POTUS wanted to sign and @DannyTarkanian criticized."

While Republican leaders have said they're now ready to transition to tax reform, Trump ramped up pressure this week on the Senate to figure out a health care solution too.

Heller teased the upcoming tax reform fight, saying he'll be heavily involved. "You think I was in the front of that battle, wait 'til I sit on the finance committee, I'll be right on the front of finance for tax reform also," he said.

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Dean Heller on health care: 'I feel real pleased at the way this thing turned out' - CNN

The Impossible Burger wouldn’t be possible without genetic engineering – Grist

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The Impossible Burger has had a charmed honeymoon period. Crowds of foodies surged into fancy eateries to try it. Environmentalists and animal rights activists swooned. So did investors: Impossible Foods brought in $75 million during its latest investment round.

Now the backlash is here. The activist organizations Friends of the Earth and the ETC Group dug up documents which they claim show that Impossible Foods ignored FDA warnings about safety and they handed them over to the New York Times.

The ensuing story depicted Impossible Foods as a culinary version of Uber disrupting so rapidly that its running headlong into government regulators. In reality, Impossible Foods has behaved like a pedestrian food company, working hand in hand with the FDA and following a well-worn path to comply with an arcane set of rules.

So why isnt this story a nothingburger?

In a word: GMOs. You see, soy leghemoglobin, or SLH, the key ingredient that makes the Impossible Burger uniquely meaty, is churned out by genetically modified yeast. This is a protein produced with genetic engineering; its a new food ingredient, Dana Perls, senior food and technology campaigner at Friends of the Earth, told me when I asked why theyd singled out Impossible Foods.

The company has never exactly hidden the fact that they used genetic engineering, but they havent put it front and center either. You have to dig into their frequently asked questions to catch that detail and thats a recent edit, according to Perls. When I first looked at the Impossible Foods website, maybe back in March, there was no mention of genetic engineering, she said.(An Impossible Foods spokesperson disputed Perlss claim, saying the FAQ has included references to genetic engineering for at least a year, since before the burgers launch in restaurants. But areview of cached webpages suggests the references were added in June.*)

By tiptoeing around this issue, Impossible Foods set themselves up for a takedown by anti-GMO campaigners. These groups monitor new applications of genetic engineering, watch for potentially incriminating evidence, then work with journalists to publicize it. In 2014, Ecover, a green cleaning company, announced it was using oils made by algae as part of its pledge to remove palm oil a major driver of deforestation from its products. When Friends of the Earth and the ETC Group figured out the algae was genetically engineered, they pinged the same Times writer. Ecover quickly went back to palm oil.

When I asked Impossible Foods founder Pat Brown about the GMO question, he said he didnt think that battle was theirs to fight. After all, the SLH may be produced by transgenic yeast, but it isnt a GMO itself. He also pointed out that this isnt unusual: nearly all cheese contains a GMO-produced enzyme.

But now, Friends of the Earth and the ETC Group have brought their battle to Impossible Foods doorstep. (In a blistering series of responses to the New York Times article, the company charged it was chock full of factual errors and misrepresentations and was instigated by an extremist anti-science group.) The FDA documents handed over to the Times include worrying sentences like this one: FDA stated that the current arguments at hand, individually and collectively, were not enough to establish the safety of SLH for consumption.

If FDA officials say your company hasnt done enough to convince them that a new ingredient is safe, arent you supposed to stop selling it?

Not according to a risk expert at Arizona State University who reviewed the documents released by activists. There are no indications that they should have pulled this off the market, Andrew Maynard told me.

Thats just not how the food safety review process works, said Gary Yingling, a former FDA official now helping Impossible Foods navigate the bureaucracy. In the United States, its up to the companies themselves to determine if an ingredient is safe. (Not everyone likes that system or thinks the FDA is doing enough to protect public safety, but it is the law.)

Impossible worked with a group of experts at universities who decided in 2014 that their burger was safe. SLH, it turns out, grows naturally in the roots of soy plants, and the proteins in the burger look a lot like animal proteins a good indicator of safety.

Impossible could have stopped there: Companies, however, can ask the government to weigh in on their research. Sometimes, the FDA asks for more information, which is what happened with Impossible Foods. Its not unusual for the FDA to determine it cant establish the safety of a new ingredient its happened more than 100 times, with substances like Ginkgo biloba, gum arabic, and Spirulina. The FDA has called for more information in about one in every seven of the ingredients companies have asked it to review.

In the case of SLH, the FDA suggested more tests, including rat-feeding trials. Impossible Foods has finished these tests, and academics who have studied the new data confirmed that its generally recognized as safe. Next, Impossible Foods will bring the new evidence back to the FDA, Yingling said.

The criticism raised in this case is really criticism of a system that allows companies to decide for themselves if a new ingredient is OK to add to our food.

If a company decides something is safe, they can go ahead and do it, said Maynard, the risk expert. So thats a weakness in the system. On the other hand, you can argue that once you start this process with the FDA, they have smart scientists who ask tough questions. You can see in those documents that the level of due diligence that a company has to go through is really pretty deep. You really want to make sure that you have a system that doesnt inhibit innovation, but captures as much potentially harmful things as possible.

Each new innovation creates the potential for new hazards. We can block some of those hazards by taking precautions. But how high should we put the precautionary bar?

Impossible Burger could indeed pose some unknown hazard. We just have to weigh that against the known hazards of the present foodborne diseases in meat, greenhouse gases from animal production, the development of antibiotic resistant bacteria in farms, and animal suffering. These are problems which Impossible Foods is trying to solve.

There are other companies trying to solve these problems. (Friends of the Earth notes that the success of non-animal burgers, like the non-GMO Beyond Burger, demonstrates that plant-based animal substitutes can succeed without resorting to genetic engineering.) But its not yet clear that any of these companies including Impossible Foods will be successful in just generating a profit, let alone in replacing the global meat industry. No one knows which startups will pan out. And well probably need to try and discard lots of new things as we shift to a sustainable path.

Trying new things can be risky. Not trying new things and staying on our current trajectory is even more risky.

*This story has been updated to include a response from Impossible Foods about when references to genetic engineering first appeared in its FAQ, and to add information about the FDAs food safety review process.

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The Impossible Burger wouldn't be possible without genetic engineering - Grist

Gene Therapy is Finally Here, But Who Will Foot the Bill – Wall Street Pit

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Human protein-coding genes number from 20,000 up to 25,000.

If just one of these genes gets altered or a code gets missing, it can be fatal to an individual.

In fact, approximately 30 per cent of infant mortality at birth in developed countries are caused by genetic disease. Almost 50 per cent of all miscarriages worldwide are due to chromosomally defective fetus.

Furthermore, according to the World Health Organization, over 10,000 human diseases are linked to single gene mutation alone. Among these monogenic diseases are thalassaemia, sickle cell anemia, haemophilia, Fragile-X syndrome, cystic fibrosis, and Huntingtons disease.

The other two major types of genetic disorders are chromosomal and complex disorder, where theres mutation in two or more genes.

Genetic disease is not also simply inherited, our environment is another factor that can trigger mutation. Cancer, diabetes, and heart disease are classified as multifactorial inheritance genetic disorders.

Considering all these, one would expect that the world will be welcoming the revolutionary gene therapy with wide-open arms.

Yet, UniQures Glybera has been recently withdrawn from the European market in spite of its promising one-time cure for lipoprotein lipase deficiency (LPLD).

LPLD is a rare genetic disorder characterized by the bodys lack of lipase, which is an enzyme that breaks down triglycerides from the blood. The deficiency results to recurrent abdominal pain, fat deposits in the skin (xanthomata), and repeated attacks of acute pancreatitis. LPLD is known to affect one person in a million. However, UniQures Glybera costs as much as $1 million per patient. Since the drugs introduction in 2012, only one patient has been subscribed to the treatment.

Another genetic drug that offers one-time cure for Adenosine Deaminase Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (ADA-SCID) is GlaxoSmithKlines Strimvelis. ADA-SCID is an inherited genetic condition characterized by a damaged immune system. People with SCID are prone to persistent and recurring infections since they absolutely have no immune protection from microbes. Symptoms begin to appear in a babys first 6 months of life, and afflicted infants hardly reach two years of age without treatment.

GlaxoSmithKlines Strimvelis can cure the genetic disease and save precious lifes. But the $700,000 drug had only a couple of sales in 2016 and another two expected this year. With this disappointing development, GSK might simply sell its rare diseases unit.

Data shows that the prices of the current gene therapy in the market are too hard if not impossible for most families to reach, especially since it has to be a one-time payment. And health care systems which only pay on monthly basis are not of much help to pharmaceuticals, which have made such enormous investments to formulate genetic cures.

Is there real hope?

Many drug companies still think so.

Pfizer, Sanofi, and Shire are now also making the revolutionary pursuits. And GSK has not completely given up as it strives to use its gene therapy platform in the development of cure for more common genetic illnesses.

Yes, at the moment, the whole picture may appear dim. But, by creating new business models, the leading companies in the biopharmaceutical industry if they are really serious about doing something in relation to rampant increases in drug prices, can start by creating a business model which is first based on humanism and then their respective bottom lines.

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Gene therapy skin grafts for obesity and diabetes – BioNews

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A proof-of-concept study in mice has demonstrated how skin grafts could deliver gene therapy for obesity and diabetes.

'We think this platform has the potential to lead to safe and durable gene therapy, in mice and we hope, someday, in humans, using selected and modified cells from skin,' said senior author Dr Xiaoyang Wu of the University of Chicago, Illinois.

The technique explores the potential of glucagon-like peptide 1 (GLP1), a hormone which could help to treat conditions like diabetes and obesity. GLP1 reduces appetite and stimulates the release of insulin to lowerblood sugar, butdoes not last long in the blood and is challenging to deliver orally.

The researchers used CRISPR to edit skin stem cellstaken from newborn mice. They inserted a modified version of the GLP1 gene, designed to increase the duration of the hormone, and a genetic'switch' to turn the gene on in the presence of an antibiotic.

They grew the skin stem cells into a skin organoid, and grafted them onto mice. When the mice were fed small amounts of antibiotic, theysuccessfully produced modified GLP1, which lasted for three months, and showed higher levels of insulin and lower levels of glucose.

The researchers also tested feeding the mice a high-fat diet. Compared to controls, the mice with modified GLP1 skin grafts put on less weight.

Dr Wu said the skin graft method could be safer than using engineered viral vectorsto edit genes in patient's own tissues, as viruses 'may cause a very strong immune reaction and inflammation in vivo.' He added that lab-grown skin grafts have been used clinically for some time to treat burns, and have been proven safe.

Being able to control the gene expression using a drug would also allow doctors to calibrate how much of the enzyme enters a patients bloodstream.

'We think this can provide a long-term safe option for the treatment of many diseases,' Dr Wu said. 'It could be used to deliver therapeutic proteins, replacing missing proteins for people with a genetic defect, such as haemophilia. Or it could function as a metabolic sink, removing various toxins.'

Dr Jeffrey Millman of Washington University, St Louis, who was not involved in the study, told The Scientist that more research would be needed to ensure that neither the genome editing nor the stem cell culturing method inadvertently introduce dangerous mutations.

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Gene therapy skin grafts for obesity and diabetes - BioNews

DARPA is Working on Enhancing Human Senses with Computers – Futurism

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In Brief DARPA, the research arm of the U.S. Department of Defense, awarded contracts to six teams working on developing better brain-computer interface technology. The goal, according to DARPA, is to repair and enhance the senses of those with disabilities. Repairing and Enhancing

The U.S. Department of Defense is moving forward with its work on brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), with the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) awarding contracts to five research groups and one private company on Tuesday.

BCIs have been around for a while now, but the potential for expanding their capabilities is relatively recent. The primary purpose of BCIs have been developing better neuroprostheses, which is also one of the visions of DARPAs Neural Engineering System Design (NESD) program. Through NESD, DARPA wants to develop high-resolution brain interfaces that could restore and enhance human senses.

The NESD program looks ahead to a future in which advanced neural devices offer improved fidelity, resolution, and precision sensory interface for therapeutic applications, founding NESD program manager Phillip Alvelda said at the announcement, the Singularity Archive reports. Of the six awarded contracts, four will work on vision enhancement while the other two will focus on hearing and speech.

Back in 2016, DARPA announced that NESD will develop neural interface systems that will improve communication between the brain and the digital world. The idea is to convert electrochemical signals in the brain into the binary bits of zeros and ones used in computers. Braintree founder Bryan Johnson even thinks its possible to make our neural code programmable through such systems.

Not only would this help treat persons with sense disabilities by inputting various senses directly into the brain as digital signals, it would also enhance them. The ability of such neural interface systems to do this has led others working on similar technologies like Elon Musk with his Neuralink to consider BCIs as humanitys way of keeping up with the development of intelligent machines. Indeed, the power of BCIs to meld the human mind with machines has led to the emerging field ofneuroreality, which is a transformation of how we see and interact with the world around us.

For DARPA, it starts with helping those that suffer from sensory impairments. [I]f were successful in delivering rich sensory signals directly to the brain, NESD will lay a broad foundation for new neurological therapies, Alvelda said.

Significant technical challenges lie ahead, he added, but the teams we assembled have formulated feasible plans to deliver coordinated breakthroughs across a range of disciplines and integrate those efforts into end-to-end systems.

Disclosure: Bryan Johnson is an investor in Futurism; he does not hold a seat on our editorial board or have any editorial review privileges.

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DARPA is Working on Enhancing Human Senses with Computers - Futurism

Researchers Develop Bendable Batteries That Could Make Implants and Wearables Safer – Futurism

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In BriefChinese researchers have developed two safer alternatives totraditional batteries, which can leak hazardous chemicals. Thesenew batteries are flexible and thin, which could make them idealfor use in wearables and implantable devices. Flexible and Safe

Leaking batteries can corrode the interiors of electronics, sometimes causing irreparable damage. Even worse, they can harm people, and given the increasingprevalence of wearable technology and implantable devices, such a hazard is troublesome.

To avoid this issue altogether, researchers from ChinasFudan Universityhave developed a new kind of battery that doesnt include the chemicals that can make traditional batteries dangerous. As a bonus, their designs are also thin and flexible.

Current batteries like the lithium-ion ones used in medical implants generally come in rigid shapes, Yonggang Wang, one of the researchers from Fudan, said in a press release. Additionally, most of the reported flexible batteries are based on flammable organic or corrosive electrolytes, which suffer from safety hazards and poor biocompatibility for wearable devices, let alone implantable ones.

In a study recentlypublished in Chem, the researchers present their two flexibledesign alternatives, neither of which requires the electrolytes used in current batteries. Instead, these batteries use one of two bio-compatible sodium-based liquids: a normal saline solution or a cell culture medium that contains amino acids, sugars, and vitamins.

The first design is a 2D belt made of thin electrode films overa steel strand mesh. The other features a carbon nanotube fiber weave with nanoparticle electrodes embedded on it. According to the researchers, both designs showed excellent performance, even faring better than most existing lithium-ion batteries used in wearable electronics in terms of how much energy they could hold and the power they could produce.

The thinness and flexibility of these batteries make them idealfor implants, the researchers noted, and theycould be hugely beneficial to the development ofbrain-computer interfaces, which are, obviously, implanted into one of the most sensitive organs inside the human body.

The researchers also stumbled upon an unexpected potential use for their second battery design. The batterys carbon nanotube backbone caused the conversion of dissolved oxygen into hydroxide ions to accelerate. This isnt good for the battery itself, the researchers said, but it could prove beneficial forcancer starvation therapy.

We can implant these fiber-shaped electrodes into the human body to consume essential oxygen, especially for areas that are difficult for injectable drugs to reach, Wang explained in the press release. Deoxygenation might even wipe out cancerous cells or pathogenic bacteria since they are very sensitive to changes in living environment pH.

Of course, as this wasnt the object of the research, much more in-depth studies would be required to validate this effect. Until then, it remains largely theoretical.

The batteries themselves, though, show a great deal of promise for their intended use. The next step is to make sure they would be able to meet the power needsof todays wearables and implants, as well as those that are still to come.

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The FREEDOM! Line

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The wisdom within these pages has the power to unlock our potential as a species and establish an enduring civilization based on peace, self-ownership, and nonviolence.

You, as a free, beautiful, independent human being with inalienable rights, own yourself! You can do what you want with your own body and the product of your labor. All human interactions should be free of force and coercion, and we are free to exercise our rights, limited only by respect for the rights of others. Governments rely on force, and force is a poor substitute for persuasion. When you learned dont hit, dont steal, and dont kill, it wasnt, unless you work for the government. Governments frighten us into thinking we need them, but we are moving past the statist paradigm and rendering them obsolete.

This book will empower YOU to be more happy, free, and prosperous, while putting you in a position to help shape our destiny.

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REVIEWS If you publish a review of the book in any format (blog post, podcast, video, etc.) please email a link to adam at this website dot com and we will repost it on Facebook and Twitter. Adam is also happy and available to do interviews to promote the book. Please email requests with links to your platform and specifics about timing to adam at this website dot com.

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Freedom Caucus leader is flirting with saving Obamacare – Vox

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Donald Trumps archconservative allies in the House are trying to keep the Obamacare repeal dream alive but one key member is also starting discussions about fixing the law.

Freedom Caucus Chair Rep. Mark Meadows has started negotiating a deal with a top House moderate, Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-NJ), which would work to stabilize Obamacares individual markets, funding key payments to insurers while giving states more flexibility for their own health care programs.

Meanwhile, on Friday, while most of Congress was home on recess, three House Freedom Caucus members Reps. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Scott Perry (PA), Tom Garrett (VA) were on the House floor introducing and signing a discharge petition that would force the House to vote on a clean Obamacare repeal bill.

Republicans have been stuck in an intra-party battle between reviving Obamacare repeal or moving on and taking small steps to stabilize the law since last months failure in the Senate. The Freedom Caucus is now at the heart of that predicament: While they make a very public gesture to force another repeal vote, their leader is also setting up a scenario in which the law could largely remain in place.

Meadows has entered into initial talks with MacArthur about a much more modest health care bill that would actually be designed to stabilize Obamacare, as Axios first reported.

A House aide emphasized that these talks are in their early stages and do not represent an endorsement from the full Freedom Caucus.

The outline of the emerging deal is pretty simple, per the aide:

The cost-sharing reduction payments, which Vox has explained in great detail, have been repeatedly threatened by Trump in recent weeks. Because of an ongoing lawsuit, Trump could cut off the payments at any time, which could cause insurers to either hike their premiums or drop out of the market altogether. Some top Republicans in Congress have urged Trump not to follow through on the threat, but congressional action is the only sure way to prevent it.

But other Republicans, particularly the most ardent anti-Obamacare members in the Freedom Caucus, would be reluctant to support funding for the health care law without getting anything in return. So their win in this deal would be more flexibility for the state waivers already available under Obamacare.

Conservatives have been seeking such state flexibility throughout the Obamacare repeal debate its not yet clear how the new proposal would differ from previous iterations. There is a wide range of possibilities: The waivers could give states a blank check to undo Obamacares insurance regulations or they could leave most of the laws safeguards in place. It would depend entirely on the specific legislative language.

Part of the theory for conservatives, per the House aide, is that addressing the waivers in the stabilization bill would eliminate the need to deal with them in a bigger repeal-and-replace bill that Meadows and others still hope to revive. Those proposals have consistently run into trouble under the Senates procedural rules, which limit what policies Republicans can include in a budget reconciliation bill that needs only 50 votes to advance in the upper chamber.

But its not clear how this actually helps Republicans get the 50th vote in the Senate for any Obamacare repeal bill. The objections from the Republican senators who voted against three different repeal bills last month were not about the waiver proposals.

Republican leaders also have a packed schedule for the foreseeable future, with government funding and the federal debt ceiling on tap in September, and seem genuinely eager to move onto other issues like tax reform rather than continuing to litigate health care.

So in the end, this could wind up being the best deal the Freedom Caucus and other anti-Obamacare Republicans can get. State flexibility, in exchange for making sure the health care law they hate so deeply doesnt collapse.

Of course, it could still be a struggle. The leader of another conservative group in the House tweeted his skepticism about the nascent deal shortly after it went public.

Meanwhile, the discharge petition is an attempt to force a vote on a proposal the Senate already failed to pass in late July (seven Republicans voted against a proposal to repeal Obamacare and replace it later). But that vote hasnt deterred House conservatives from pushing forward.

If they get 218 signatures on their petition, House Leadership would have to bring a clean Obamacare repeal bill to a full floor for a vote. That vote would be difficult for the dozens of moderate Republicans in vulnerable House seats, and it wouldnt provide a clear path to repealing and replacing the health care law.

The clean repeal proposal would wipe the health laws coverage expansion off the books without a replacement in 2020, Voxs Sarah Kliff wrote, in what Republicans have named a repeal and delay strategy. However, the Congressional Budget Office, which evaluates the impact of bills, says it would still leave 17 million less people insured in the first year.

The House voted to pass a repeal bill in 2015 knowing it would go nowhere under then president Barack Obama. But voting for a repeal bill now is more than just a symbolic statement. There is a sizable contingent of moderates worried about any bill that would amount in a loss of health insurance coverage including the most politically vulnerable members of the House, such as Rep. Darrell Issa.

Forcing vulnerable moderate members into yet another difficult vote on health care is a big risk for a Republican Party looking to keep their majority. But the Freedom Caucus, adamant on making a statement that they still believe in repealing Obamacare, hopes this petition would bully members into a party-line vote. Even if it fails, a signed petition will show who has flipped on Obamacare repeal between 2015 and 2017, one Freedom Caucus aide said.

Freedom Caucus members think that the House passing the repeal bill would put added pressure on senators to change their votes if the measure came up again but there isnt any indication that would be the case.

House Leadership doesnt appear to be behind the new attempt. The House has already passed a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare," House Speaker Paul Ryans spokesperson AshLee Strong told Vox, referencing the 2015 vote.

In other words, there is no need to put members through it again now.

So while with one hand archconservatives members are taking steps down a road that could lead to Obamacare largely remaining the law of the land, they are hankering for another showdown with their colleagues over Obamacare repeal.

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Freedom Caucus leader is flirting with saving Obamacare - Vox

Freedom from cable isn’t free: Flood of streaming services will make cutting the cord more complicated – Washington Post

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In the old days of video streaming that is, not so long ago consumers could cut the cable cord and subscribe to one or two services, enjoying a vast array of movies and television programming at a rate far less than the monster cable bill.

Its not so simple anymore.

Disney, the juggernaut behind ESPN, Pixar, Marvel and the recent additions to the Star Wars franchise, shook the entertainment world this week with an announcement that it would remove many of its offerings from Netflix. The company said it would create a service or multiple services for its films and shows, and another for ESPN.

As a result, a Netflix user who enjoyed access to Disney content plus all of Netflixs other content on one site may have to turn to three or more sites to get it all. Its all in discussion, said Disney chief executive Bob Iger.

[Disney bidding Netflix goodbye as it ramps up its own streaming empire]

It is the most recent example of how the move toward streaming though consumers have been demanding it for years is proving to be a more fragmented experience than many have anticipated. Entertainment companies are now running services with increasingly narrow offerings, looking to hit consumers up for more subscription revenue wherever possible.

I worry that well be going down yet another rabbit hole where exclusivity will take over and Ill ultimately end up paying more for less, said Brett Hatten, a father of two toddlers from Chicago who already pays for six streaming services. I dont want to end up in a place where you have to subscribe to a bunch of different fiefdoms.

The shift is breaking down popular expectations in the entertainment world. For a half-century, for instance, viewers have expected to see shows on CBS broadcast free over the air on their TV. But this year, the network is launching highly anticipated shows such as the sequel to The Good Wife and a new Star Trek series only on its online service, marking yet another service people may need to subscribe to. CBS announced a separate sports streaming service this week.

CBS sees this as a way to court specific audiences. To succeed, you need a great core and content that only you have, Marc DeBevoise, the president of CBS Interactive, said of the networks streaming service, CBS All Access. These are not for a big, broad audience.

And the plethora of television options is changing consumer behaviors in still other ways, leading many viewers to hopscotch between services, subscribing to HBO for a few months to watch Game of Thrones, then moving to Showtime to take in The Affair, before joining yet another service for an eight-episode binge.

I happily subscribe to Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, which all have a wide selection of shows and movies. But when I consider other streaming services, the costs add up, said Diana Urban, a 30-year-old marketing manager and fiction author in Boston. She signs up for HBO Now during Game of Thrones season, when she also catches up on Veep and a few other shows. Paying $15 a month indefinitely for only four shows isnt worth it, she said.

Streaming services such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime, which offers a video library along with its other features, such as free two-day shipping, took off in part because they promised a convenient, cheaper alternative to cable. (Amazon chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos owns The Washington Post.)

Cable companies are bound to distribution deals from network conglomerates, including Disney, which require cable firms to pair their most popular channels with less popular ones. As cable-bill prices continued to climb every year, however, consumers balked at paying more for content that they didnt want and some decided to turn to streaming sites.

The shift has prompted cable companies to explore smaller cable packages that cut the bloat. But for many customers, making their own bundles of streaming services has proved appealing. Those not interested in live sports which contributes a lot to the cost of a cable package can easily get news, movies or sitcoms from Netflix or Hulu without having to buy a preset bundle. (Or they can get just the opposite, in the case of ESPNs upcoming stand-alone service.)

Thats provided consumers with a lot of choice, said John Bergmayer, senior counsel at the consumer advocacy group Public Knowledge.

The stranglehold of cable isnt broken yet for most people its hard to cut the cord but these are all really good signs, he said.

But its clear from viewers that the cost per service is a growing concern. The current influx of these subscription-based plans is saturating the market, said Jamie ODell, 35, a food safety program manager from Albany, N.Y. We do not need more options for streaming services, she said. We need less.

About 21percent of American video viewers pay for multiple streaming-video on-demand services, according to the market research company GfK. That number has grown by roughly one-third for the past three years.

Big streaming services such as Netflix provide subscribers content from many sources. But many others are now getting into the game. At least six networks have launched services, with subscription fees ranging from $6 to $15 per month. Many of those already offer their shows in some way through existing services.

Now, consumers may find that shows and films they used to be able to access on broader services such as Netflix are pulled out for a separate service. The cost and mental effort of managing multiple services may be starting to prove nettlesome.

I just dont want another subscription bill I have to pay, said Erin Thompson, a mother of four from North Tonawanda, N.Y.

Justifying the hassle of managing another service also puts pressure on Disney and rivals, creating a different kind of relationship with its fans, analysts say.

The company will have a more direct line to consumers but will also have to deal with complaints, for example, about the quality and reliability of their streams.

The appeal of streaming will prompt many more companies to launch their own video streaming services, said Brian Wieser, senior research analyst at Pivotal Research Group. Its inevitable [there will be] more direct-to-consumer offerings as time progresses.

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Freedom from cable isn't free: Flood of streaming services will make cutting the cord more complicated - Washington Post

All you need to know about Voice of Freedom – Goa’s underground radio station – Economic Times

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A NEW FM CHANNEL? Umm, not really. Rather, it was an underground radio station started by Goan nationalists in the mid-1950s, in the run-up to liberation of the state in 1961.

WOW, THATS UBER SUBVERSIVE. BUT WHY AN UNDERGROUND STATION? That calls for a quick history class. In June 1946, freedom fighter RM Lohia organised a Satyagraha campaign for the first time in Goa to demand civil liberties and to liberate Goa. Lohia was arrested, the movement was quashed, but it would spark off many more movements by Goan satyagrahis in the years to come. Portuguese police action would be swift and violent. The underground radio station was an attempt to sustain the morale of the people by keeping them updated on the progress of the freedom struggle, both inside Goa and outside.

HOW DID THE STATION ESCAPE THE PORTUGUESE CRACKDOWN? For one, the station essentially a transmitter mounted on a truck operated out of a dense forest in Amboli in Maharashtra, on Goas outskirts, where the nationalists were living incognito. Trial broadcasts began in November 1955, and by the 25th of that month Voice Of Freedom began.

WOW, THAT WAS QUITE A PLAN... Yes, hatched by three young Goan nationalists: Vaman Sardesai, Nicolau Menezes and Libia Lobo, the last two being Goans residing in Bombay.

ER, MENEZES, LOBO NATIONALISTS? SHOULDNT THEY BE PORTUGUESE? Well, its best to let a freedom fighter, Ronaldo Coutinho, answer that question: The liberation struggle of Goa saw the participation of both the communities, that is Catholics and Hindus. It was widely believed that the Catholics in Goa were loyal to the Portuguese rule and considered themselves more as Portuguese than the Portuguese themselves. But this was not true in regard to all the Catholic population. Coutinho said this in a newspaper interview in 2001.

COUTINHO MAY HAVE BEEN AN EXCEPTION. Not really. Guess who said: I belong to that race which composed the Mahabharata and invented chess A Goan politician called Francisco Luis Gomes, sometime in 1861 in Paris. In one of his novels, Luis Gomes also wrote: Impartial men, who are moved by justice and not by racialism, want India to be ruled by Indians.

HMM, TELL ME MORE. Tristao de Branganca Cunha established the Goa Congress Committee and linked it to the Indian National Congress, leaving little doubt that Goa was an integral part of India.The next time youre in Panjim, look out for TB Cunha Road.

AND THE MAN WHO GOT LOHIA TO GOA? Aha, so you do know something. Indeed, it was the initiative of a Goan academician and writer, Juliao Menezes, that was responsible for Lohias entry into Goa. Menezes was arrested along with Lohia for disregarding the ban and addressing a meeting in the Margao town square, which has been named after Lohia. Others who had gathered for the protest include Evagrio Jorge, Jose Inacio Loyola, JF Martins

WHOA, WHOA, HANG ON MATE, YOUVE CONVINCED ME. TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE VOICE OF FREEDOM, NOW. VoF broadcasts made Goans aware of the states long history of struggle for freedom, right from the 16th century. It also gave voice to the Satyagraha movement of 1946, eventually leading up to the liberation of Goa and, before that, the liberation of Dadra and Nagar Haveli by Goan nationalists in 1956. At a time when newspapers in Goa were censored, VoF proved effective in countering Portuguese propaganda.

COOL WONDERING IF ITS TIME FOR A VOF OF INDIA Got to go.

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All you need to know about Voice of Freedom - Goa's underground radio station - Economic Times

In Chicago, gay Russian violinist finds freedom, family – Chicago Tribune

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One day this spring, Artem Kolesov set up a video camera in the Chicago townhouse where he lives, sat down in a chair and started talking to the young gay people of Russia.

"Yesterday I turned 23 years old," he began.

He went on, in Russian, to tell the story of growing up as the fourth of six brothers in a small town, an hour's drive from Moscow, where his father was a deacon and his mother was a youth pastor at the Pentecostal church.

"In my family," he said on the video, "I often heard that all gays should be destroyed, that they should be bombed and that if anyone in our family turns out to be gay, my family should kill them with their bare hands."

He spoke for 15 minutes, dressed in a plain white pullover shirt, his voice occasionally shaky as he talked of his suicidal thoughts and his search for courage.

"I never thought I would live to be 23," he said into the camera, not knowing who, if anyone, would watch. "I think about everything I would have missed if I took my life."

Frankly, Kolesov hadn't been sure the world needed another coming-out video. But he told himself that if anyone did, it was kids in Russia, where being openly gay can be dangerous and discrimination is common and condoned.

The response to the video has proved him right.

John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune

"My heart has been breaking for the five months since I posted this video," he said one day this week, sitting at Cafecito, a Cuban coffee shop near Roosevelt University, where he is a master's student studying violin.

He's a slender man with sharp, bright eyes. The left side of his face droops slightly, which, as he explained in the video, is the consequence of nerves damaged when he was born. His English is impeccable.

Almost every day brings Kolesov new messages from Russian kids trapped in a culture where they're shamed and threatened. He spends hours communicating with them, grateful that he has made it to Chicago, where he doesn't have to hide.

He came to the city two years ago, after attending college in Canada, to work with the renowned violinist Almita Vamos, who calls him "a very natural player, with a natural, beautiful sound."

"When he started studying with me, he told the kids, 'Don't tell her I'm gay,'" Vamos said. "He was afraid I might not react well."

Eventually, he opened up to her about the conflict that being gay had created between him and his family, especially his mother, whom he loves deeply and has always wanted to please.

Once, at the age of 7, as he tells the story, he overheard her friends lamenting to her that she had no daughters.

He put a pair of leggings on his head, like braids, and went to her and said, "I will be your daughter and help you around the house."

If she suspected the truth about her son's sexuality, it was never spoken of, not until this March, after she'd made a strained visit to Chicago, when he wrote her a long coming-out letter and read it to her over the phone.

"I was afraid if I did it on Skype, I would chicken out," he said.

By his account, she didn't respond well. She told him it was unnatural, that he was just trying to be cool, hadn't found the right girl, should keep it to himself, needed an MRI, should come back to Russia to be cured.

Her censure motivated him to make the video, but also made him hesitate.

"People like to put out positive things," he said. "A boy comes out, his parents accept him and everyone cries. No one wants to see a video where people are disowned."

Apparently, they do. The video went viral.

Kolesov's decision to come out was also eased by his relationship with Carol and Rob Schickel, a couple he met while playing violin at Chicago's Holy Trinity Lutheran Church. Last summer, when they heard he had no money and nowhere to stay, they invited him to live with them in their South Loop townhouse. He made the video in their living room.

"I don't think it was until he got to Chicago that he could really publicly be out," said Carol Schickel, a psychotherapist. "His coming out has been not only about his sexuality. It's about him being in life. What's being revealed, even to him, is his deep inner strength."

Because of the video, many of Kolesov's old Russian friends deleted him from their social media accounts. He says the Russian church he once attended, aware of his video, is planning a youth course on why being gay is wrong.

Even if he wanted to go home for a visit, he wouldn't feel safe. With the video, he has broken the so-called "gay propaganda" law, which bans the distribution of information on "nontraditional sexual relationships" to minors.

But if making the video has cost Kolesov relationships he cherishes, it has also led him to new friends.

"I saw that video on Facebook," said Bruce Koff, a longtime Chicago gay activist, "and I wept. I went to my husband and said, 'You have to watch this,' and he wept."

They and some friends got in touch with Kolesov, and as a result have organized a benefit concert on Saturday, Aug. 26, at the Center on Halsted. Kolesov will perform, along with the well-known violinist Rachel Barton Pine. Some of the money raised will help him pay legal fees involved in getting a green card, and some will go to organizations that help LGBT people fleeing persecution in other countries.

Soon after that, Kolesov will leave Chicago for California. In May, he got married to a man who is enrolling in a PhD program at UCLA. The Schickels, whom he calls "my American parents," came to the wedding in San Francisco.

His only regret was that his mother wasn't there.

"I hope her love for me is bigger than these misconceptions," he said.

One thing he has learned in his 23 years is that you never know what's going to happen next.

mschmich@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @MarySchmich

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In Chicago, gay Russian violinist finds freedom, family - Chicago Tribune

New York Beaches | Eastern Beaches

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Brighton Beach New York

New York State has over 1800 miles of shoreline with some world class beaches between its northern and southern borders. Thousands of city dwellers and vacationers visit the nearby beaches of Long Island, Fire Island, The Hamptons, Greenport and Northfork.

Long Island Beaches

Long Island, although urban at the western end, is very much a beach resort location for New York City. Long Island is rich in natural beauty, with sandy beaches, parks, hiking trails, kayaking and boating, as well as stately historical mansions and museums to explore. You can find dinosaurs, fire fighting equipment, Grumman aircraft and historic railroad cars. There are miles of beaches, many secluded by dunes and land formations.

Jones Beach Jones Beach is the largest and best known of the beaches operated by the State of New York. Its located on Jones Island, a barrier island for Long Islands south shore. The 6.5 mile public beach faces the open Atlantic Ocean. The park, originally planned by Robert Moses, includes a two mile long boardwalk, dining and catering facilities, a Trump project restaurant in construction, and the 14,000 seat Nikon outdoor theater and arenalong a site for musical presentations and dances.

Fire Island Fire Island is another barrier island, located off Long Islands southern shore. Most of the 30 mile long island is part of the Fire Island National Seashore and protected from further development. The Fire Island Lighthouse, the Sunken Forest and the Fire Island Wilderness (accessible only by boat) are all points of interest to view for the visitor.

In addition to enjoying the beach and water activities, Fire Island is known for world-class shopping, a glittering nightlight and fine dining.

Greenport Greenport is another beautiful beach resort city located on Long Islands North Fork. Its known for the whaling and shipping industries which operated from this port in the past. Currently the village is more attuned to tourism and recreational opportunities provided by the miles of sandy beaches and acres of vineyards nearby.

Northfork Northfork is best known for the wine country which surrounds it. The nearby beaches of Suffolk County are known as excellent novice swimmer locations. The north side of Long Island facing the open Atlantic provides recreational activities, dining, shopping, and cultural events.

The Hamptons

The eastern end of Long Island is grouped as The Hamptons due to a number of towns and villages which contain Hampton as part of the name. The area is noted for wealthy secluded estates with tracts of rural land surrounding them. Many wealthy residents choose the quiet surroundings for homes or summer homes. Yet, The Hamptons is also a sought after tourist destination. The beaches here extend for miles and offer surfing, beachcombing, swimming and just lazing. Shopping is available for those who want high-end items that are created by some of the local artisans. The nightlife in The Hamptons is well known, but much of the activity is centered around the summer season, with less excitement during winter or off-season.

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New York Beaches | Eastern Beaches