Liberty Label Revision Allows Rate Increase – KTIC

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Control of glyphosate-resistant common waterhemp with Valor XLT applied PRE followed by Liberty in Liberty Link soybean (Photos by Amit Jhala/UNL Cropwatch)

Liberty (glufosinate ammonium: 24.5%) is a contact, broad-spectrum, non-selective herbicide for weed control in Liberty Link corn and soybean and a corn hybrid stack with glyphosate and Liberty tolerance. A recent update in the Liberty label will provide an opportunity to apply Liberty at higher rates in Liberty Link corn and Liberty Link soybean.

Six weeds in Nebraska are resistant to glyphosate. Liberty Link corn/soybean is an additional tool for control of such glyphosate-resistant weeds. Using diverse weed management tools is important to the control of herbicide-resistant weeds and to avoiding the further evolution of herbicide-resistant weeds.

Liberty can be applied from emergence up to V6 growth stage in Liberty Link corn and from emergence to R1 growth stage in Liberty Link soybean.

The Bottom Line:

For more information, view theupdated Liberty label.

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Liberty Label Revision Allows Rate Increase - KTIC

The Liberty Bell: Metaphor for America – LancasterOnline

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There is a crack in the Liberty Bell. What good is a cracked bell? Can it toll the hour, sound an alarm, mourn the dead, or sing in celebration? No, such a bell cannot do the work for which bells are made.

The bell did function as bells should when it hung in the tower of the old Philadelphia statehouse. It rang faithfully to call people together to hear the first reading of the Declaration of Independence. But a previous crack came back to haunt the bell when it rang in mourning for the late Chief Justice John Marshall. A new, larger crack was now to silence the bell.

The statehouse where the bell hung became known as Independence Hall. In this hall our Declaration was adopted and the U.S. Constitution came into being. These documents express the high ideals of the nations founders. They proclaim that all people are created equal with rights such as life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness and that we should enter into a more perfect union to secure and maintain these rights.

Today we enjoy many rights and liberties; however, there is still injustice. Because of race, color, gender, language, economic status, religion or other characteristics, not all of us enjoy the promises of the Declaration and the Constitution. There is a crack in the reality of our ideals.

Perhaps the Liberty Bell is a symbol of our ideals and our imperfection. As we view its crack, we are reminded of the cracks in ourselves and in our society. Yet, despite the crack, the bell calls us to renewed dedication. The inscription encircling its top calls us as it did the ancient Hebrews to proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof (Leviticus 25:10).

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The Liberty Bell: Metaphor for America - LancasterOnline

Trump administration "Made in America’ showcase to feature Union Gap’s Liberty Bottleworks. Watch live stream here … – Yakima Herald-Republic

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UNION GAP, Wash. -- Liberty Bottleworks will be featured in a Made in America showcase organized by President Donald J. Trump this afternoon.

The showcase kicks off the Trump administration's week-long effort to highlight its commitment to increase manufacturing in the U.S. and the jobs that come with it.

The event will showcase products from all 50 U.S. states. Union Gap-based Liberty Bottleworks, which manufactures bottles made with 100 percent recycled aluminum, will represent Washington state.

The company has manufactured bottles for the Trump administration in the past and is currently manufacturing a bottle with the Presidential Seal, said marketing director Kayla Dexter.

The event will be live streamed on YouTube starting at 3 p.m. Eastern time, noon local time. The video is embedded above.

This story will be updated.

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Trump administration "Made in America' showcase to feature Union Gap's Liberty Bottleworks. Watch live stream here ... - Yakima Herald-Republic

Truth, Liberty & Soul – PopMatters

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(Resonance) US: 26 May 2017 UK: 26 May 2017

For a good reason, Jaco Pastorius is almost exclusively thought of as a bassist. Without a doubt one of, if not the most influential electric bass players of all time, Pastorius was quick to make a name for himself with his lightning quick lines, impeccable melodicism and timing and flashy personality. But what often gets left out of the equationand unfairly sowas his skills as a composer of harmonically complex, progressive arrangements and original compositions. By the time the live performance that makes up Truth, Liberty & Soul was recorded, Pastorius had shifted his focus from virtuosity on the bass to stunningly complex works like Liberty City, Invitation, 3 Views of a Secret and, most strikingly, Crisis. The latter in particular set the tone for Pastorius new, post-Weather Report direction.

A brilliant work of composed chaos, Crisis is about as uncompromisingly challenging as Pastorius ever got. That he would choose to open his Word of Mouth (1981) album not with a retread of the virtuosity he displayed on his self-titled debuts blazing Donna Lee speaks to where he was at as a musician after having studied under and butted heads with Joe Zawinul. Assembling a whos who of top flight musicians including former Weather Report bandmate Peter Erskine, Randy Brecker, Don Alias, Toots Thielemans, Bob Mintzer and Othello Molineaux, post-Word of Mouth Pastorius strove to bring his creative vision from the record to the stage.

Arguably, the early 1980s (this performance having been captured in June of 1982) saw Pastorius at his best; just past his initial burst of fame and right before his tragic downfall and untimely death, he was a personal and creative peak. It was during this time that he was pushing his art to new and exciting levels of creative brilliance, allowing his compositional skills to rise to the level of his bass playing. Indeed, his bass complements the arrangements far better than many of the live Weather Report recordings captured in the years leading up to his taking charge of his own band. Here it is his writing and arranging for a progressive big band that is just as impressivenot to mention importantas his bass playing. Sadly, this would prove all too short of an artistic pinnacle.

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Originally captured for an NPR program, Jazz Alive!, Truth, Liberty & Soul offers an unedited, warts-and-all complete program featuring Pastorius and the mighty Word of Mouth Big Band. Featuring much of the same materialand personnelas both The Birthday Concert and Invitation, Truth, Liberty & Soul expands on each of these, allowing greater space for other solo features for the rest of the band rather than Pastorius alone. Pastorius, too, seems aware of this, stepping back somewhat to allow for greater visibility for his band.

Yet where the two previously-released albums feature a pared-down, tightly sequenced program of choice cuts, Truth, Liberty & Soul presents the full program, including some decidedly patience-testing moments. The programs first half is a virtual carbon copy of the performances on The Birthday Concert and Invitation, albeit with slightly more instrumental flair from the expanded band. Opening with Invitation, Pastorius ably leads the Word of Mouth Big Band through the songs knotty instrumental interplay, pushing the tempo with his bubbling lines, wending in and out of the soaring harmonized horn parts. Similarly, Donna Lee finds the entire band playing the unison head at a frantic pace before exploding the tune into something far more spacious and less frenetic than the songs bebop roots. Its a fine showing of each players instrumental prowess, while also affording the chance to break the standard down to its base elements, tear it down and build it back into something truly awesome.

A live staple in the latter half of his career and a clear homage to his formative years in the trenches of Florida R&B groups, Soul Intro/The Chicken finds Pastorius and company in fine, funky territory, ripping through Pee Wee Ellis standard with aplomb, his bass improbably filling the rhythmic cracks with stunning timing and control. Similarly, Fannie Mae explores similar territory with Pastorius taking a vocal lead. Much looser than the version on Invitation, here it sounds like the work of a band letting its hair down, Pastorius vocals nowhere near as precise as on Invitation, but still organic, raw and live.

As alluded to above, there are moments of Truth, Liberty & Soul that are flat-out dull. The tentative bass and steel drum rendition of Bob Marleys I Shot the Sheriff that opens the second disc is met with an appropriately tepid response, Pastorius sounding uncharacteristically unsure of himself as he navigates the melody using a series of false harmonics. That its immediately followed by the percussion-centric Okonkol y Trompa doesnt help matters. Stretching past the 15-minute mark its the longest track on the album and arguably filler that wouldve found itself on the cutting room floor had this been intended for wider commercial release. And while the combination of Alias and Erskine is particularly fiery, Okonkol y Trompa lacks the requisite structure and brevity to hold the listeners attention during the full run time.

Thankfully, the latter half of the collection picks back up with a blazing rendition of Reza/Giant Steps that again shows off Pastorius inimitable horn charts, the intricately harmonized lines delivered at jaw dropping speed with equally impressive accuracy and control. Twins, a track intended for the studio follow up to Word of Mouth, pushes Pastorius compositional complexity into high gear. At just under three minutes, its an intense blast of progressive big band jazz virtually without equal elsewhere on the program. Given the overabundance of live recordings from around the same era and later, all of questionable fidelity, its a thrill to be able to hear the band firing on all cylinders so clearly. Had he not gone off the rails due to the severity of his undiagnosed mental illness, Pastorius and the Word of Mouth Big Band wouldve been a formidable force in the world of contemporary jazz.

And as no live performance would be complete without the requisite bass solo showcase, Truth, Liberty & Soul finds Pastorius treading familiar ground, all of which he executed more compellingly with Slang off of Weather Reports 8:30. Seemingly having run out of ideas, Pastorius again does his rendition of America (more often than not credited as Amerika), teases Purple Haze, Portrait of Tracy and, in a somewhat leftfield twist, River People. In other words, it seems that nearly every recorded solo performance from Pastorius post-8:30 is essentially a retread of all thats come before. But given the level of Pastorius playing within the context of a song, this is a minor quibble. Over all, Truth, Liberty & Soul is not necessarily an essential, but no less welcome addition to the Pastorius canon.

Rating:

John is a Michigan-based musician and writer. He currently writes for PopMatters, Spectrum Culture, Freeform Noise and Cover Me, among others. Follow him at @john_r_paul

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Truth, Liberty & Soul - PopMatters

Liberty Links: Carmelo Anthony still expecting a trade to Houston Rockets – Liberty Ballers

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Just four days ago, a Carmelo Anthony trade to the Houston Rockets was at the two-yard line. But trade talks stalled towards the end of last week, leaving Anthony on the Knicks roster for the time being. New general manager Steve Mills was reportedly hoping to convince Anthony to stay, but the 10-time All-Star is expecting trade discussions to resume shortly. From ESPNs Adrian Wojnarowski:

Whatever stance a post-Phil Jackson front office is taking now, Anthony expects the Knicks to resume trade talks soon and honor the franchise's long-standing goal to rebuild without him, league sources said.

Anthony, 33, has been willing to waive his no-trade clause for Houston and Cleveland, but in recent weeks, he has begun to prioritize a trade to the Rockets to join Chris Paul and James Harden over one to the Cavaliers and LeBron James, league sources said.

Im probably in the minority of people who would rather see Anthony go to the Cavaliers instead of the Rockets, as unlikely as it may be. Good luck getting a player who has spent the last several years of his career shooting elbow jumpers almost exclusively to buy into launching threes at a rapid rate. Also, he played under DAntoni in New York from 2010-12, and that didnt necessarily go too well. Hes not going to put Houston over the top.

CJ McCollum Wants Carmelo to join the Trail Blazers

I dont think a team that was 11th in offensive efficiency and 21st in defensive efficiency should think that Carmelo Anthony is the answer to their problems, but to each his own.

Someone is selling a life-sized Joel Embiid balloon on Craigslist - Liberty Ballers, Kyle Neubeck

If youve got some nice power tools, it could be yours!

Luc Mbah a Moute agrees to sign 1-year deal with Rockets

Mbah a Moute played in 80 games with the Los Angeles Clippers last year, averaging 6.1 points and 2.1 rebounds in 22.3 minutes per game. The former Sixers deal is reportedly for the veterans minimum. Hell add some solid defense to a team that will desperately need it.

NBA Summer League: The Most Intriguing List - Sports Illustrated

When the quickest player on the floor at Summer League chooses to play at a moderate pace, that warrants some attention. [Dallas Mavericks rookie Dennis] Smith is a dizzying athletethe sort that can blow by the vast majority of his Vegas competition. Yet rather than seek out those openings whenever he could, Smith has showed a surprising willingness to rear back and reset the offense. Quick bursts have given his moves the edge they need without sacrificing control. Rarely are rookie speedsters so discerning, particularly when let loose on the first stage of their professional career.

Kendrick Perkins hopes to get training camp invite from a team - ESPN

"I've been keeping my weight down, making sure I'm getting all the cardio I need, staying in great shape," he told the newspaper. "I'm just going to do what I can. I feel good. I've been on top of my basketball work and I'm just waiting for my opportunity, [if it] happens. I've just changed my diet, working on my quickness, and just trying to get better. It's 30 teams out there and I'm just looking for one opportunity. It will come. I'm just trying to leave it in God's hands."

Big Perk, aka Swamp Thang, last played for the New Orleans Pelicans in 2015-16. Were all rooting for you, Perk. The NBAs a little tougher when youre in it.

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Liberty Links: Carmelo Anthony still expecting a trade to Houston Rockets - Liberty Ballers

Libertarian Party Gaining Ground as Primary Parties Lose Support – The Conservative Nut (blog)

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There are around 7,000 seats in the upper and lower houses of all the state governments in America, and of those, 4 are currently held by representatives of the Libertarian Party. This statistic provides a simple explanation to why third parties, in general, have such a hard time in elections, particularly the presidential election. In 2016, Libertarian nominee Gary Johnson pulled in 3.27% of the national vote, making him, based on numbers, the most successful Libertarian and third party candidate to ever run for president. Today, now over five months into Republican President Donald Trumps term, many officials in both the Democratic and Republican parties are changing their tune and switching their affiliations to be with the Libertarian Party.

The state of New Hampshire has become in a sense the epicenter of Libertarian activity, its state motto of live free or die clearly aligning with the partys principles. The past year has seen three state representatives switching to the party, two coming from the Republicans and one from the Democrats. In a statement regarding why he chose to change, Rep. Brandon Phinney shared that he felt the Republican Party was pressuring him to push certain ideas that didn't align with his own principles. Rep. Joseph Stallcop, the Democratic convert, said that the primary parties goal is simply to expand government and their own agendas, ignoring the protection of the peoples rights. The Libertarian Party of New Hampshire is now gaining ground in passing legislation that aligns with their values too, hoping to soon create laws that legalize recreational marijuana and outlaw the death penalty.

While there are currently no Libertarian officials in Congress, the party has their eyes on certain representatives whose work aligns with the partys values. Many analysts and speculators see the strategy as people running to be elected in one of the primary parties with the motive to convert to the Libertarians once elected. Nebraska State Senator Laura Ebke, the first to officially change to the third party says that this is the wrong strategy, as it could result in the person not getting elected at all. Instead, she sees the opportunity to work with sitting officials who seem to lean their way. While the funding for third party candidates election and reelection campaigns isn't nearly as great as the primary parties, Ebke and others are confident that if their party can be willing to put aside small differences with voters but agree on key points, they have a strong chance at increasing their numbers in state and federal legislatures as well as in the presidential race.

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Libertarian Party Gaining Ground as Primary Parties Lose Support - The Conservative Nut (blog)

The Perils of Single-Payer Healthcare – Being Libertarian

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As the American healthcare system continues to seeminglyspend more and get ranked lowerthan other developed countries, many progressives have suggested a shift to single-payer healthcare as a solution.

Such attitudes have been exacerbated by recent Republican attempts to reign in government healthcare spending,prompting 52% of Democrats to say they support a government takeover of healthcare (this is up from 33% in March 2014).

The shortcomings of the US status quo (and any potential Republican reforms) are greatly exaggerated, and adopting a single-payer system is likely to only worsen our quality of care.

Under the guidance of politicians with absolutely no background in healthcare, like Bernie Sanders or Elizabeth Warren, the left wing has epitomized the success stories of Nordic nations, such asSweden and Denmark (which are ranked second and first, respectively, by US News).

Little do they realize, however, that following these nations examples would undercut the rest of their proposed domestic policies.

The reason Nordic countries can spend so little on healthcare and still score highly on health metrics is because theyspend substantially more on social safety net services, like unemployment coverage, education, and foster care.

When these are taken into consideration,Nordic countriesactually spend more than the US per citizen; keep in mind, all this spending falls on the governments tab (i.e. the taxpayers), while in the USthe majority of healthcare spending is still paid by the individual.

Such high spending is only possible with proportionally higher taxation, but to stay globally competitive, these nations must maintain low corporate tax rates, so the tax burden is shifted to individuals, whopay taxes as high as 60% (incidentally, the amount that the rich contribute is actually less than that of the US).

This social redistribution scheme, where everyone pays in eagerly, is only possible because Scandinavian countries havesmall, homogenous populations, without any commitment to supporting historically impoverished and/or oppressed minorities.

In fact, quite to the contrary, the Nordic countries have some of the most nativist and anti-immigrant policies in Europe, going so faras to build a wall to protect against illegal immigrants and Middle-Eastern refugees. Sound familiar?

American progressives cant have it both ways: you either have a strong social safety net along with border protection and homogeneity, or neither.

A single-payer system has never been attempted in any country as populous and diverse as the US.

Those European nations, like the UK or Germany, that did implement some softer version of universal healthcare have seen mixed results:the UK is often ranked no better than the US, whileGermany has a rampant two tier system, with those able to afford private care receiving far better service than those on the public option.

The healthcare spending is supplemented, once again, by extensive social spending.

These countries are currently struggling with an unsustainable influx of immigrants and refugees (thanks to theSchengen area visa-free travel), which adds an even more unmanageable burden onto their already strained safety nets.

Combine that with the obligations that Germany has towards sustaining the rest of the European Union, who are themselves mired in their own debt crises, and the big picture becomes clear: Europes spending is not sustainable for a growing, diverse population.

The increased taxation and debt that European nations are facing in order to take in these immigrants has fomented nativist sentiments, leading to far right political victories (like Brexit), more walls and fences, and even aggression towards refugees.

This, in turn, has only fanned the flames for the already ostracized populations of Muslims, resulting in the horrific acts of terrorism that have become nearly synonymous with daily news in Europe.

Strained social relations and opposing political agendas, goaded in some part by single-payer healthcare, is not just endangering national finances its costing lives.

The dangers of single-payer medicine in Europe should leave us weary of adopting similar measures in our own country.

We have likewise witnessed arise in racism and xenophobia, which is often justified and exacerbated by the belief that our minority populations are draining our resources.

In expanding our social safety spending, the US would further these nativist sentiments to retreat back into its shell, abandoning the embrace of immigration and economic competitiveness that our nation was founded upon.

In the short term, our poor may be lifted up, but in the long term, such an Elysium would not be competitive globally and eventually collapse under its own weight.

The strong social safety net necessary to improve our national health metrics would alsoperpetuate poverty by disincentivizing work, thus emboldening negative stereotypes about lazy minorities.

To be lasting and self-sustaining, economic mobility (and the improvement that follows in the lifestyles and health outcomes of the impoverished) must come from the free market.

Considering the plethora of options around the globe that businesses have (for where to conduct business), the US must lower taxes if it is to remain competitive and augment said growth.

The American public must, in fact, look to Europe- but not as the city upon a hill which some progressive politicians paint, but as a case study in what not to do.

Single-payer is deceptive in theory and in name: although those like Bernie Sanders would have you believe the rich would be the single-payers, in reality,allof us(and our posterity) would pay dearly.

There is nothing singular about the suffering that would be brought on by single-payer healthcare.

* Adam Barsouk is a student of medicine and health policy at the Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University. As the son of Soviet escapees, he values the opportunity and freedom that America provided his family, and as a cancer researcher and aspiring physician, hopes to share his commitment by liberating others from the chains and suffering of disease.

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1 killed, dozens injured in clashes on Egypt’s Nile island – CBS News

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CAIRO -- One person was killed and 50 others injured during violent clashes in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Sunday.

Egyptian police fired tear gas to disperse a rock-pelting crowd of residents defending their homes on a Nile River island against bulldozers sent by the government to demolish their illegally-built dwellings.

The violence on the island of el-Waraq on the southern fringes of Cairo is likely to stain a nationwide campaign launched this summer by Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, Egypt's general-turned-president, to restore government control over state-owned land.

"The forces were surprised by demonstrations by some of the trespassers, who had assaulted the forces by firing birdshots and throwing stones ... Which pushed the forces to fire teargas to disperse the protesters and to control the situation," the ministry of Interior said in a statement to the Reuters news agency.

El-Sissi has vowed in televised comments to show no leniency to anyone taking illegal advantage of state-owned property, saying the law would prevail regardless of how powerful or wealthy the offenders were. Anyone using land that does not rightfully belong to them, he angrily said, is a "common thief."

Egyptians shout slogans against the government during the funeral of Syed Tafshan, who died in clashes with residents of the Nile island of al-Warraq island, when security forces attempted to demolish illegal buildings, in the south of Cairo, Egypt on Sun., July 16, 2017.

Reuters

Illegal use of state land is widespread in Egypt, as well as building on agrarian land in violation of the law. Since el-Sissi launched his campaign earlier in the summer, local media has been showing images of police and army troops demolishing buildings illegally built or operating without a license, attempting to project an image of a government keen on protecting what is being billed as "people's property."

To el-Waraq's middle class and poor residents, however, the sight of bulldozers coming to demolish their homes may have been more than they could bear at a time when they, like most Egyptians, are struggling to cope with soaring prices for food and services, a result of ambitious reforms introduced by el-Sissi's government to revive the country's battered economy.

The residents said they built their homes more than 30 years ago.

"We were born on this island ... we have proof of ownership, our parents were born here.. they want to give it to the Emirates to build hotels," 20-year-old Marzouk Hany, told Reuters.

"Get lost! Get lost!" the protesters shouted at the scores of policemen who descended on the island early Sunday, backed by bulldozers, scores of riot policemen and led by senior police generals. The protesters, mostly young males, succeeded in forcing the bulldozers to turn away, but clashes soon began.

The Health Ministry said a resident died and another 19 were wounded in the clashes. It did not say how the man, Sayed el-Tafshan, died, but a photo of his body posted on social media networks showed chest wounds compatible with birdshot.

The Interior Ministry, which controls the police, said its forces only used tear gas.

Egyptians shout slogans against the government during the funeral of Syed Tafshan, who died in clashes with residents of the Nile island of al-Warraq island, when security forces attempted to demolish illegal buildings, in the south of Cairo, Egypt on Sun., July 16, 2017.

Reuters

A ministry statement said a total of 31 people -- policemen as well as contractors who arrived with them on the island -- were injured in the clashes. The injured policemen included two generals.

Ten residents were arrested for their part in the violence, it added.

Video clips posted on social media networks showed hundreds of angry islanders, mostly young men, at the man's funeral, marching through farm fields while chanting "We will sacrifice the martyr with our soul and blood."

The statement said the residents attacked police with firearms, birdshot guns and rocks, and that police responded with tear gas. It said up to 700 building and land violations were recorded on the island. It acknowledged the death of one islander and that 19 others were injured.

In el-Waraq, a mostly agricultural island with shoddily built apartment blocks, residents maintain that their homes are legal, citing the government's supply of drinking water and electricity.

One of the Nile's largest islands in Egypt, it is home to nearly 200,000 people and is linked to the mainland by six ferries.

"How is my home illegal when you have for years provided me with water and electricity," said resident and civil servant Mahmoud Essawi. "It's our land and we are not leaving."

In a separate development, Egypt's military said its jet fighters destroyed 15 all-terrain vehicles carrying weapons and explosives along with "criminal elements" after they were detected getting ready to cross the Libyan border into Egypt.

A military statement Sunday said the warplanes monitored and "dealt" with the vehicles over the past 24 hours, but it did not say whether the airstrikes targeted them while on Egyptian soil. It also did not mention Libya by name, making only a thinly veiled reference to the North African nation.

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Virgin Islands claim Women’s Centrobasket Championship 2017 – FIBA

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17/07/2017

News

Virgin Islands v Puerto Rico, 2017 Centrobasket Women's 2017 (ISV), St. Thomas(USA), Round Robin, 16 July 2017

ST. THOMAS (WOMENS CENTROBASKET CHAMPIONSHIP 2017) The host Virgin Islands claimed the gold medal of the Womens Centrobasket Championship 2017, after finishing the tournament with a 4-1 record.

Bahamas, Mexico and Puerto Rico won in the fifth and final day of competition in the Women's Centrobasket Championship, which ended in a triple tie with a 4-1 record among the three qualified teams to the FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2017. In the tiebreaker, the host Virgin Islands came out victorious and was crowned champion. Mexico won the silver medal and Puerto Rico the bronze.

Natalie Day was named Most Valuable Player of the competition after finishing the tournament with a double-double average, 18.6 points and 11 rebounds per game.

Therefore, the three qualified teams of the Women's Centrobasket Championship 2017 to the FIBA Women's AmeriCup 2017 to be played from August 6-13 in Buenos Aires, Argentina are the Virgin Islands, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

The final positions of the Women's Centrobasket Championship 2017 is as follows:

1. Virgin Islands 2. Mexico 3. Puerto Rico 4. Jamaica 5. Bahamas 6. Guatemala

All the games of this championship can be relived on the official FIBA channel on Youtube and Facebook.

FIBA

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Virgin Islands claim Women's Centrobasket Championship 2017 - FIBA

Virgin Islands still unbeaten, Mexico and Puerto Rico win in Centrobasket Day 4 – FIBA

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16/07/2017

News

10 Victoria Hamilton (ISV) - 9 Lanese Bough (ISV) - Jamaica v Virgin Islands, 2017 Women's Centrobasket 2017 (ISV), St. Thomas(USA), Round Robin, 15 July 2017

ST. THOMAS (WOMENS CENTROBASKET CHAMPIONSHIP 2017) - On the fourth day of competition at the Womens Centrobasket Championship, host Virgin Islands maintained their unbeaten record and added another great victory over Jamaica, and Mexico and Puerto Rico dominated Guatemala and the Bahamas respectively.

Mexico opened the day with an important win over Guatemala by the score of 61-44. The Guatemalans took to the court with great effectiveness and won the first quarter 19-11. However, Mexico recovered and sealed the win early with a big second quarter of 21-4. Guatemala had problems scoring in the game, shooting 25.4% of field, against a Mexican team that shot 40%. The best for Mexico was Alexis Castro with 9 points and 9 rebounds, while for Guatemala it was Emily Rosales with 13 points and 7 rebounds in the loss. With the victory, Mexico improved its record to 3-1 in the championship, over a Guatemalan quintet that still has not won.

Puerto Rico came back strong after falling to Mexico the day before, and won against Bahamas by score of 69-42. The Puerto Ricans did not waste minutes and dominated from the opening minute with an impressive 19-6 first quarter, that had them in the lead throughout the game. Bahamas was erratic on offense with 27 turnovers, against only 13 of a Puerto Rico team that also had a great contribution from its bench with 41 points in the victory. The best for Puerto Rico was Dayshalee Salamn with 14 points, while for Bahamas it was Leashja Grant with 15 points and 11 rebounds in a lost cause. The Puerto Ricans improved their record to 3-1 in the tournament. Bahamas has yet to score victories and is 0-4 in the championship.

The hosts Virgin Islands closed the night with an important victory against Jamaica by the score of 60-40. It was a game in which both teams faced problems to score, with Virgin Islands making a difference with their three points accuracy from where they shot 7/14. Jamaica went through an offensive drought in the second and third quarter, enough to give the hosts an unsurmountable lead for their Caribbean rivals. For the Virgin Islands, Victoria Hamilton had a great offensive performance with 21 points, 8 rebounds and 4 assists, while for Jamaica the best was Shenneika Smith with 15 points and 5 rebounds in the loss. With the win, the Virgin Islands remain unbeaten in the tournament with a 4-0 record. Jamaica, meanwhile, has a 2-2 record.

On the fifth and final day of competition in the 2017 Women's Centrobasket Championship, Bahamas faces Guatemala, Jamaica faces Mexico and Virgin Islands faces Puerto Rico.

The best three teams from the Women's Centrobasket Championship 2017 will qualify for the FIBA AmeriCup Women 2017 to be played from August 6-13 in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

All the games of this championship can be seen live on the official FIBA channel on Youtube and Facebook.

FIBA

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Virgin Islands still unbeaten, Mexico and Puerto Rico win in Centrobasket Day 4 - FIBA

Where are the best islands for wildlife in Western Australia? – Telegraph.co.uk

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Abrolhos Islands

Bring binoculars and a large-capacity camera to this string of 122 uninhabited islands teeming with sealions, humpback whales, giant Samson fish and millions of seabirds.

Meet the quokkas the islands cute, smiley little marsupials found nowhere else in the world except Western Australia. Locals love to relax on this island playground just 11 miles off Perth and the quokkas enjoy the company. Jump on an eco boat tour to discover the marine animals that call the waters surrounding Rottnest home.

Visit the worlds smallest penguins at this popular destination 45 minutes south of Perth, home to a little penguincolony. A short ferry ride takes you to the island, where rangers arrange regular penguin feedings and visitors stand a good chance of seeing dolphins and sealions as well.

Sealife spotters will be in heaven on this island famed for its proximity to dolphins, whales, rays, dugongs and turtles.

Down in the blue lagoons lie colourful coral, masses of marine life and even a shipwreck, all part of the Rowley Shoals Marine Park.

In March 2018, Qantaswill launch the first-ever non-stop flight from the UK to Australia, using the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft to reach Perth in around 17 hours.

Perth provides an extraordinary gateway to exploring Western Australiaand Qantas multi-city itineraries make it easy to visit other great Australian destinations on the Qantas domestic network.

Trailfinderscan offer a 13-night holiday to Western Australia including the new non-stop service from London to Perth return with Qantas, internal flights between Perth and Broome, 11 days Maui motorhome hire and three nights Karijini Eco Retreat.

London Heathrow to Perth flights are non-stop, scheduled from 25 March 2018 (subject to aircraft and schedule change). Subject to government and regulatory approval.

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Where are the best islands for wildlife in Western Australia? - Telegraph.co.uk

Chinese scientists who made muscly ‘super dog’ could create genetically-modified human CHILDREN next’ – The Sun

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China's Dr Frankensteins are 'on a path to eugenics' as they tinker with the genetic code of animals - and we could be next

CHINESE scientists who are cloning canines to create mutated superdogs are on the road to eugenics, a top genetics expert has warned.

The pups, like the one below, are being bred to become stronger and faster and could be used for security or policing.

Sino Gene

Experts at Sino Gene, a biotech company based in Beijing recently revealed afluffy beagle called Long Long to the world.

It is the first of his kind because it has been cloned from a genetically modified parent, they claimed.

The pup arrived in late May in a Sino Gene lab, exactly where her dad was born in December last year.

But despite its adorable appearance, a British genetics expert said he is very concerned about how the scientists are using genetics for non-medical purposes.

Scientists genetically modify animals in the UK to test medicines like cancer treatments on mice, rabbits or dogs.

David King, director of Human Genetics Alert (HGA), warned that this was the first step to creating mutant children.

Asia Wire

Its true that the more and more animals that are genetically engineered using these techniques bring us closer to the possibility of genetic engineering of humans.

Dogs as a species, in respect of cloning, are very difficult and even more difficult to clone human beings.

Theres no medical case for it, the scientists are interested in being the first person in the world to create a genetically-engineered child.

Theyre interested in science and the technology and their careers. They will continue pushing the regulations for it.

Asia Wire

Eyevine

That does set us on the road to eugenics. I am very concerned with what Im seeing, he told the Express.co.uk.

Lai Liangxue, a researcher at the Guangzhou Institute of biological medicine and health, told China Plusthat the birth of Long Long put China on the map.

He said: This is a breakthrough, marking China as only the second country in the world to independently master dog-somatic clone technology, after South Korea.

With this technology, by selecting a certain gene of the dog, we can breed an animal with more muscles, a better sense of smell and stronger running ability, which is good for hunting and police applications.

Liangxue has already created the worlds first gene-edited dogs. beagles named Hercules and Tiangou.

They double the amount of muscle mass of a typical dog of its breed by deleting a gene called myostatin.

The dogs have more muscles and are expected to have stronger runningability,which is good for hunting, police (military) applications, Liangxue told MIT review back in 2015.

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Chinese scientists who made muscly 'super dog' could create genetically-modified human CHILDREN next' - The Sun

Highlights: Crucial week for Republican health care plan …

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Majority Leader Mitch McConnell needs the support of 50 of 52 GOP senators to proceed to a floor debate on the bill, and two senators have already said they will not support that motion. That means just one more GOP senator coming out against the motion to proceed would stop the bill, as written, in its tracks.

Increasing the pressure: GOP leaders have restarted the clock by publicly stating that they'd like a vote (or at least to take the procedural steps toward a vote) next week. The White House is also making its push -- on Twitter, by phone and behind closed doors -- in an effort to net President Donald Trump a major legislative achievement ahead of lawmakers' August recess.

The White House legislative affairs team held meetings on the legislation with Senate leadership "all afternoon" on Friday, a senior White House official said. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence will be making calls throughout the weekend on health care as well, the official said.

McConnell recently announced that the recess would be delayed by at least two weeks, but it still wasn't clear going into the weekend whether the additional time would help the GOP leadership get this legislation through the chamber.

Here's what we know after this week:

The revised legislation also has $45 billion in opioid-treatment funding -- a top request from senators like Rob Portman of Ohio and Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia -- and money for states meant to lower premiums for high-cost enrollees.

In several key areas, though, the new bill remains unchanged.

The new version does not address moderates' concerns about cuts to Medicaid, which the original bill would slash by $772 billion by 2026. That would leave an estimated 15 million fewer people insured by the program.

The Congressional Budget Office is expected to release its score of the revised bill early next week, when the White House will continue its lobbying effort, the senior White House official said.

Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky: "The new bill is the same as the old bill -- except for worse," he said Wednesday. Paul, who reiterated his opposition Thursday, is facing pressure from the White House to support the bill. While on an official trip to Paris, Trump called Paul urging him to vote yes, an aid to Paul told CNN.

The revised Senate bill left Medicaid virtually untouched, meaning the serious concerns of moderates (particularly those in Medicaid-expansion states) were not addressed. And with the Cruz amendment in the bill, all eyes are now on moderates.

Heller is another one to watch. In the past, he has sharply criticized the Senate's version of the bill, and he's recently indicated that he's in lockstep with his state's Republican governor, Brian Sandoval. The state's chief executive this week did not sound enthused with the bill, particularly as it relates to residents in his state covered under the Obamacare-era expansion of Medicaid.

"I'm greatly concerned and very protective of the expansion population," Sandoval told CNN Thursday at the National Governors Association meeting in Rhode Island. "They are living healthier and happier lives as a result of their receiving coverage, and for them to lose that at this point would be very hurtful for them. And it's about people -- this is about people. And 210,000 people in my state."

In addition to these senators, a number of others have remained noncommittal. They include: Murkowski; Jeff Flake of Arizona; Mike Lee of Utah; John Hoeven of North Dakota; Bill Cassidy of Louisiana; Thom Tillis of North Carolina; Ben Sasse of Nebraska; Thad Cochran of Mississippi; Cory Gardner of Colorado; and Todd Young of Indiana.

The President tweeted four times about health care on Friday from France. He said Vice President Mike Pence is "working hard" on it and that he'll have his "pen in hand" to sign a bill into law.

Pence touted the Senate bill -- and stressed his view that the Affordable Care Act is collapsing -- during remarks Friday to a group of about 30 governors at their group's summer meeting.

"Let me be clear: President Trump and I believe the Senate health care bill strengthens and secures Medicaid for the neediest in our society, and this bill puts this vital American program on a path to long-term sustainability," he said, without noting that the bill also cuts Medicaid spending from current projections.

"I understand and appreciate, as the President does, the concerns that many of you have as we talk about Medicaid in the future going forward. Our administration's paid very close attention to this issue," he said.

The President remains focused on getting a deal on health care that's better for the American people, a senior administration adviser told CNN on Friday.

"If they don't get this done now, I don't know when it'll happen," the adviser said. "We've had seven years to create an alternative plan."

CNN's MJ Lee, Lauren Fox, Tami Luhby, Eric Bradner, Liz Landers, Ryan Nobles and Ted Barrett contributed to this report.

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Highlights: Crucial week for Republican health care plan ...

Poll: Americans say health care is most important issue – CNN International

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Health care was cited by 35% of Americans as the most important challenge facing the nation.

It is the first time in the Bloomberg poll's history that respondents have said health care is the most pressing issue. Since it was first included in July 2010 as a response to the question of which issue is most important, health care has never been cited by more than 20% of Americans as most pressing and has never outranked all other issues.

Unemployment and jobs, terrorism or government spending have typically been mentioned as the most important issue.

Unemployment and jobs ranked as the second most cited issue in the poll, with 13% of Americans rating it most important. Eleven percent said terrorism was most important, while immigration and climate change were both rated most important by 10% of respondents.

The poll was conducted in English from July 8 to 12, based on interviews with 1,001 US adults ages 18 and older and has a +/- 3.1 percentage point margin of error. The pollsters dialed numbers from random samples of both landlines and cell phones.

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Poll: Americans say health care is most important issue - CNN International

How the Republican health-care bill could raise premiums for 177 million Americans – Washington Post

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A leading business coalition has warned that employers could pick up the tab if millions of people lose their coverage under the Republican plan to repeal the Affordable Care Act.

David Lansky, president and chief executive of the Pacific Business Group on Health, a nonprofit organization whose members include Boeing, Chevron, Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, Intel, Walmart and the Walt Disney Company, told The Washington Post that the Senate proposal to repeal the Affordable Care Act could push the costs of providing health care to uninsured people onto employers and their workers.

There are a couple of specific reasons continuing to support an effective Medicaid program and an individual market is important, and one of those is its importance to business, Lansky said .

Approximately177 million Americans receive insurance through employers. Until now those plans have been largely left out of the debateover the future of the Senate health bill, which would make long-term cuts to Medicaid, the government health program for the poor, and reshape the individual market where people buy their own coverage.

But if the bill is passed and more people are uninsured, or public sector programs facing federal funding cuts decrease their reimbursements, Lansky said hospitals will simply shift those costs onto commercially insured patients namely employers and employees.

He added that if Medicaid is cut and the individual market doesnt provide affordable, comprehensive coverage, new workers may delay care until they get a job which could make workers less productive and also create an initial surge in health-care costs that could increase premiums.

Any additional cuts to public programs are likely to make additional increases [on costs] to the employer and the employee at a time that most of us are worried about what were spending on health care, Lansky said.

[Health insurers have been strangely quiet about undoing Obamacare. Until now.]

Until now, big employers have praised elements of the health-care bill that would benefit them and been restrained in any criticism. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has been one of the few major industry groups to come out in support of the bill. The National Business Group on Health has praised the delay of theCadillac tax that would have been leveled on generous health-care plans and thegreater flexibility in howhealth savings accounts could be used.

The biggest impact on employers are the taxes and the added administrative requirements that have been imposed by the Affordable Care Act. We see the changes in those provisions, since they alleviate our concerns, as a good thing, saidSteve Wojcik, vice president of public policy at the National Business Group on Health.

But Lansky said despite those benefits, employers are becoming aware that insurance markets arent as siloed as it was once thought.

Commercially insured patients generally pay higher rates for health care in part to compensate for shortfalls created by public health-care programs and the uninsured. Lansky argued the cost-shifting would likely increase if millions more Americans were to lose coverage, as has been predicted. That could push health-care costs higher in the employer market.

(The most recent version of the Senate health bill has not yet been scored by the Congressional Budget Office, but a previous iteration was predicted to result in 22 million people becoming uninsured within a decade.)

Employers have a natural interest in a healthy workforce. If people delay health care while they are unemployed, they could be less productive or need more health services once they do start a new job.

Most large employers have been reluctant to be vocal about any health-care concerns. Its not their primary business or expertise and many have other, industry-specific issues pending before lawmakers or the White House that are bigger priorities, so they do not want to use up their political capital by taking a side.

Theyre alittle uncomfortable to be in this space; its very politically charged. And these companies have no desire to get in the midst of a partisan debate that isnt their primary issue, Lansky said. I think the stakes are very high, and they realize with this issue, its at least important to share our perspective to educate policymakers there are some effects of these bills that may have a larger effect.

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How the Republican health-care bill could raise premiums for 177 million Americans - Washington Post

Bet on health-care stocks ahead of earnings, trader advises – CNBC

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Health-care stocks have been on a tear, and with Johnson & Johnson and United Health Group reporting earnings on Tuesday, Todd Gordon of TradingAnalysis.com sees the sector rising even higher.

The health-care-tracking ETF (XLV) is already up more than 16 percent year to date, and from a technical standpoint, the XLV is forming a "pattern" that leads Gordon to believe the ETF could hit an all-time high as soon as next month.

On a chart of XLV, Gordon points out that the ETF has been making a continuous "uptrend" parallel channel, and there is still room to run on the upside.

"You can see that the market is more or less in the middle of this uptrending channel," the trader said Monday on CNBC's "Trading Nation." "[This] means with some strong earnings, we could continue to push up towards that upper end of that channel, right around the $83 region."

To play for that bounce to all-time highs, Gordon wants to buy the August monthly 79-strike call and sell the August monthly 82-strike calls, expiring August 18. Since Gordon is paying $1.48 total for the trade, or $148 per options contract, he would lose that amount if XLV were to close below $79 on the expiration date.

But if XLV were to close above $82 on August 18, then Gordon would make $152 on the trade.

Johnson & Johnson and United Health are two of the biggest holdings in XLV. Johnson & Johnson is currently up 14 percent year to date while UnitedHealth has also surged over 16 percent this year.

Originally posted here:

Bet on health-care stocks ahead of earnings, trader advises - CNBC

America’s Biggest Publicly Funded, Fully Integrated Health-Care System Is Under Attack – The Nation.

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Musician First Class Ernie Encinas talks with a patient at the Carl T. Hayden VA Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona, after a concert given by the US Navy Band Southwest the Destroyers. (Gary Ward / Wikimedia Commons)

In the Bay Area, public meetings critical of conservatives are not hard to find. But when about 200 San Francisco military veterans jammed into an auditorium in their citys Veterans War Memorial Building in mid-April, they added diversity to the local resistance. Those in attendancerepresentatives of veterans-service organizations, patients of the Veterans Health Administration, health-policy experts, and local Congresswoman Nancy Pelosiwere trying to educate veterans and the public about proposals that could destroy a single-payer plan for 9 million Americans whose past military service, in combat and noncombat jobs, makes them eligible for VHA coverage.

The threatfaced by VHA users and staff (one-third of whom are veterans themselves)is privatization. The Trump administration has no trouble boosting an already swollen Pentagon budget. But it favors only a modest increase in VHA funding, most of which would be spent on steering veterans care toward non-VHA doctors and hospitals and to for-profit companies for services like audiology and optometry. As part of their ever-expanding outsourcing strategy, Trumps Republican alliesand even some Democratshave demonized VHA employees and attacked their workplace rights and union protections. Meanwhile, according to a number of VHA clinicians I have recently spoken with, VHA leadership is making it difficult for facilities to hire needed staff. An in-house electronic medical-records system thats one of the best in the country is slated to be replaced by one produced by a private vendor. More importantly, Congress is considering legislation that could pave the way for agency dismantling.

Such steps will dramatically increase costs to the US taxpayerand strike a collateral blow against efforts by labor and the left to defend federally funded medical coverage in any form, whether through the Affordable Care Act (ACA), Medicaid, or Medicare.

The current VHA privatization push first gained traction in 2014, when staff whistle-blowing drew public attention to appointment delays at some overwhelmed VHA facilities, like the Phoenix VA Health Care System. Serious problems existed at the Phoenix VA and other VHA medical centers, where administrators, since fired or disciplined, were caught gaming performance measures that mandated that veterans be seen within 14 days of requesting an appointment (a performance standard many criticize as unrealistic and unattainable). A subsequent inspector generals report identified patterns of obstacles to care in the Phoenix VA Health Care System, including a faulty appointment-making system and limited access to psychotherapy and mental-health services. The inspector generals report found that 40 VHA patients had died while on treatment wait listsa number that was widely reported in the mainstream mediabut the report went on to say that only six of those deceased patients had experienced clinically significant delays, and concluded that it could not conclusively assert that the absence of timely quality care caused the deaths of these [six] veterans.

The Concerned Veterans for America (CVA), a Koch brothersfinanced Astroturf group that provides no services and has few actual members, quickly exploited this situation and helped foster a wave of highly misleading reporting about the VHA. Although average wait times at the VHA are comparable to wait times in the private sector (a recent estimate reported average wait times of 24 days), the CVA and its allies continue to argue that the VHA is broken beyond repair. Coverage in mainstream media, like The New York Times, reflects this narrative consistently, describing the VA as beleaguered, a stumbling bureaucracy, or a troubled health system.

Like the British National Health Service, the VHA not only pays for but also provides services to veterans.

Republicans seized on the trumped-up scandals, despite having blocked the effort of Senator Bernie Sanders, then chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee, to provide the needed level of funding and support the VHA earlier in the year. In response to the Phoenix scandal, Congress passed the hastily and ill-crafted Veterans Access, Choice, and Accountability Act of 2014, brokered by Sanders and Arizona Senator John McCain. Through the Choice program, vets faced with appointment delays of more than 30 days or more than 40 miles of travel to the nearest VHA facility could use private health-care providers instead.

The Choice program, which was originally scheduled to sunset in August, has already been extended until Choice money runs out. Now Republicans are seeking a wholesale expansion of the outside-the-VHA option, creating a gold mine for the health-care industry. At the San Francisco forum, speakers opposed to such privatization, like Michael Blecker, a Vietnam War veteran and leader of Swords to Plowshares, warned of its budgetary impact on successful VHA programs to reduce veteran homelessness in the Bay Area. House minority leader Pelosi argued that the Republican goal is not improving the quality of veterans care or reducing the cost of it. The people who want to privatize the VA dont want to make it better, she said. They want to make a buck.

Thats a lesson that Vietnam War vet Bob Rowen learned the hard way when his wife, suffering from terminal brain tumor, ran up largedoctor and hospital bills. His family almost went bankrupt over her medical expenses, Rowen reported at the San Francisco meeting. In contrast, his own coverage is fully paid, without copays or premiums. His salaried VHA caregivers can coordinate treatment, in cost-effective fashion, for his multiple conditions, which include heart trouble, high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), an area of unrivaled VHA expertise.

How will veterans with serious mental and physical conditions be able to navigate the maze that is private-sector health care? Rowenasked. My wife and I couldnt. We simply could not overcome the obstacles the system placed in our way.

As the San Francisco speak-out demonstrated, grassroots organizing against VHA privatization is growing among veterans, their advocacy groups, and the American Federation of Government Employees union (which has more than 100,000 VA dues payers). But many progressives currently fighting ACA repeal or Medicaid cuts are only dimly aware of the parallel threats to the VHA. Some health-care reformers erroneously assume that veterans can easily fend off these attacks because of the lobbying clout and patriotic cachet derived from their membership in veterans-service organizations like the American Legion or Disabled American Veterans, which oppose privatization. Others, in left and liberal circles, have been adversely influenced by negative coverage of the VHA.

When it comes to fighting to save Americas only single-payer system, even dedicated single-payer activists arent giving the issue much thought, says VHA physician and Medicare for all advocate Jason Kelley. Most health-care activists dont know much about the VHA, and have no idea about the high-quality of care it delivers. Their views on whats going on in the Canadian or European health-care systems are very up-to-date but, when it comes to the VA, they are closer to the publics outdated attitudes.

As Kelley points out, the VHA is the nations largest publicly funded, fully integrated health-care system. And the VHA is not just an insurerreimbursing private providers like Canada or our federal government does, in more limited fashion, to provide Medicare for seniors. Like the British National Health Service, the VHA not only pays for but also provides services to veterans. It is, as Kelley suggests, a workable model for those fighting for single-payer health care in the United States, which should be promoted more effectively. The agency employs 300,000 people (a third are veterans) many of them functioning like direct-care providers in the UKs national health service.

These VHA employees dont serve all US veterans. Congressionally mandated eligibility requirements limit VHA access to about nine out of Americas 21 million veterans. To qualify, you must be either low-income or have service-connected disabilities. (As a result, VHAs patient population is generally older, sicker, and poorer than in the private sector. There is, currently, no effort to expand benefits to veterans who are healthier and more affluent. In fact, current efforts to channel more veterans into private-sector care may lead to further restrictions in eligibility, cuts in services, or increased out-of-pocket payments.)

Because of the totality of veterans physical, mental, and economic problems, the VHA endeavors to be a leader in health equity, as the American Journal of Public Health has reported. Unlike its private-sector counterparts, the VHA operates extensive programs to reduce homelessness and help veterans find employment and adjust to civilian life when they leave active duty. The VHA also anchors a national system of Veterans Treatment Courts, helping veterans faced with minor criminal charges avoid jail time if they accept counseling help.

The VHA model of integrated care stands in stark contrast to the fragmented, episodic nature of much patient care elsewhere.

The VHA has developed what is, arguably, the only functional mental and behavioral health-care system in the United States. The veterans served by it have far more mental-health problemsincluding PTSD, depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and other conditionsthan the average private-sector patient. The VHA is one of the only health-care systems in the country that has integrated mental-health care into all of its primary-care settings. When patients raise a mental-health issue, their primary-care physician doesnt just provide a specialist referral and leave it to them to follow up. A primary-care doctor can walk a patient down the hall and personally introduce them to a psychologist or psychiatric nurse practitioner at the same clinic location. Vietnam War veteran Denny Riley, for example, went to his primary-care physician in Martinez, California, to talk about the fact that he was having trouble sleeping. She then immediately introduced me to a psychologist, he said. In the course of being treated for my sleep problems, I showed the psychologist a poem Id written about tinnitus and she immediately sent me to a hearing specialist for hearing aides to help with that.

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Veterans who need help understanding how to take their medications or who have trouble adjusting their diet or obtaining housing get the same kind of warm hand-off to a pharmacist, dietician, or social worker who are part of primary-care teams. Care is also coordinated between, for example, a specialist in hearing lossa widespread veteran problemand a neurologist familiar with Agent Orangerelated Parkinsons disease, or a pulmonologist who can diagnose the respiratory damage done by exposure to military-base burn pits in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Myriadstudies have found that treatment of veterans with diabetes, heart disease, and mental-health problems like PTSD is superior to private-sector care precisely because this VHA model of team-based integrated care stands in stark contrast to the fragmented, episodic nature of much patient care elsewhere. One RAND study on mental-health care documented that 70 percent of VHA mental-health providers understand military culture, while only 8 percent in the private sector had any familiarity with the kinds of specific military-related issues that effect veterans. A recent study on cancer care published in the Annals of Internal Medicine reported that older male veterans received care in the VHA that was often better than that in the private sector, because the VHA is much better coordinated than in most other settings.

The VHA is also able to deliver such high-quality care because its doctors, nurses, and other clinicians are salaried. They have no financial incentive to over-treat their patients, as so many private-sector physicians paid on a fee-for-service model do. Instead, the VHA encourages whats known as right careavoiding unnecessary tests, medications, and procedures that are sometimes harmful themselves, responsible for many patient injuries, and claim one-tenth of all US health-care spending.

Despite an aging US population, many private hospitals and health-care networks still have insufficient services for elderly patients. VHA hospitals are, in contrast, recognized leaders in the provision of geriatric and palliative and hospice care. As Dr. Diane Meier, a specialist in those fields, notes, The VA was first out of the box on geriatrics, starting fellowship programs throughout the country when few other hospital systems had them, and is a leader in delivering appropriate end-of-life care. The VHA trains a huge share of American physicians; 70 percent do their residency at the VHA. VHA clinicians also conduct research of great benefit to the broader US patient population; among their singular achievements are the shingles vaccine, the first implantable cardiac pacemaker, and the nicotine patch.

All of this and much more is in jeopardy. At a June 7 meeting of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, VA Secretary David Shulkin unveiled a plan to outsource more VA services to the private sector and defended White House budget priorities. Shulkin is a medical doctor and former VHA undersecretary for health under President Obama; he is the only Trump cabinet pick both qualified for his position and publicly supportive of his agencys mission. Now, in meetings at the White House, he must placate Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who leads the administrations Office of American Innovation, which includes VHA overhaul in its portfolio. In addition, Trump has saddled Shulkin with advisers like Darin S. Selnick, a former staffer for the Koch-funded CVA and leading conservative advocate of VHA privatization. Trump has also met with private-sector hospital CEOs who stand to gain from the outsourcing of VHA care to their institutions.

On Capitol Hill in June, Senator Jon Tester (D-MT) questioned the fact that 33 percent of the budget increase sought by Shulkin would be diverted to private-sector treatment, adding only 1.2 percent to support directly delivered care. It doesnt take very many budgets like that andwere privatizing the VA, Tester warned. In its longer-range forecast, Fighting for Veterans Healthcare, a San Franciscobased VA advocacy group, predicts that, as budgets are shrunk to pay for outsourced care, more salaried caregivers, specialized programs, and clinics would be eliminated, and the VA will become a shell of itself. In early July, the chair of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs, Johnny Isakson (R-GA),went even further, introducing adraft of a bill that would pave the way for the total privatization of the VA health-care system.

Those on the left who oppose the Trump agenda and want to erode his working-class supportwhere it existshave a golden opportunity in the fight to save the VHA. They can help promote the closest thing to a European-style national health service the United States has ever produceda working example of single-payer financing that has broad popular support among the millions of patients covered. Without additional allies and public broader understanding of whats at stake, national veterans organizations, plus affected VHA unions, could easily lose this crucial anti-privatization fight, making it even harder for health-care reformers to win Medicare for all.

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America's Biggest Publicly Funded, Fully Integrated Health-Care System Is Under Attack - The Nation.

Break-in, ‘threatening note’ at office of GOP senator considered swing vote in health-care bill – Washington Post

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A threatening note was found over the weekendafter a break-in at the Las Vegas office of Sen. Dean Heller (Nev.), a Republican senator who could be a critical swing vote on the GOP health-care bill, police said.

The Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department said officers responded to a call about a burglary alarm Saturday morning atHellers office in southwest Las Vegas. There, they discovered what they described in a statement as a threatening note addressed to Heller near the door to his office.

TheNevada Independents Jon Ralston reportedthat the note was related to the Senates upcoming vote on the GOPs health-care bill:

A note taped to Sen. Dean Hellers campaign office was from someone asserting that he would lose his health care if the key senator voted for the repeal bill and that he would die if that happened and would take Heller with him, a law enforcement source said.

Police said Monday that they would not disclose the content of the note, citing an ongoing investigation.Megan Taylor, a spokeswoman for Heller, confirmed the break-in but said thatshe could not comment because of the investigation.

Heller has been under tremendous pressure from both the left and the right on his vote on the health-care bill. Republican lawmakers have been steadfast for years in their promise to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obamas signature measure a pledge President Trump frequently invoked on the campaign trail.

However, as The Posts David Weigel pointed out, Heller is the only Senate Republican facing reelection in 2018 in a state won by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton last year. His unique position has made him the focus of several advertising campaignstrying to lobby for his vote.

Last month, Heller came out against an earlier iteration of the GOPshealth-care bill, becoming the fifth Republican senator to do so at the time. At a June 23 news conference, Heller said he was particularly concerned about potential cuts to Medicaid, as well as the impending loss of insurance for those struggling with mental-health and substance-abuse issues.

Im telling you right now, I cannot support a piece of legislation that takes away insurance from tens of millions of Americans and hundreds of thousands of Nevadans, Heller said then.

Sen. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) announced on June 23 that he would not support the Republican Senate health-care bill. (Reuters)

Three weeks later, Heller is in no less aprecarious spot when it comes to voting on the GOPs new proposal to remake the Affordable Care Act, unveiled by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) last week.

Currently two Republican senators Susan Collins (Maine) and Rand Paul (Ky.) have publicly said they continue to oppose the GOPs health-care bill. Just one more no vote from a Republican senator would mean the bill would not have the 50 votes it needs to pass.

When Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) announced that he needed to recover from surgery and would be absent from a vote Saturday night, McConnell said the Senate would postpone the vote.

The incident at Hellers office follows similar incidents involving other GOP senators in recent weeks. Over the July Fourth recess, a protester was arrested outside the Tucson office of Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) after asking a staffer: You know how liberals are going to solve the Republican problem? They are going to get better aim. And an Omaha man was arrested this month after walking into an Iowa motorcycle shop and saying that he could kill Sen. Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), who was scheduled to visit the shop the next day.

[Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval still doesnt support the Senate health-care bill. Thats big trouble for Republicans.]

The break-in also came just three days after the Federal Election Commission ruled that House and Senate lawmakers may now use campaign funds to pay for security upgrades at their personal homes a change from previous rulings that required lawmakers to petition the panel on a case-by-case basis. But after warnings from House and Senate security officials in the wake of the shooting of House Majority Whip Steve Scalise (R-La.), the FEC said that security upgrades now qualify as ordinary and necessary expenses lawmakers incur as part of official duties.

Security upgrades at congressional district offices are handled with taxpayer funding and Congress is preparing to spend tens of millions more dollars to protect lawmakers and their staffs. All 435 House lawmakers are receiving$25,000 in emergency funding added to their annual office allowances to be used for any security purpose a nearly $10.9 million expense that can be used to addbulletproof windows at district offices or to hire a private security guard for public events back home. And at least $5 million is earmarked for the House Sergeant at Arms to pay for security upgrades at House district offices that face threats or are considered vulnerable.

The Senate, which has fewer district offices to protect, has not yet allotted such money. Responsibility for securing Senate district offices, which are usually found in federal buildings or courthouses, depends on the location. If it shares space with a federal agency that also has a law enforcement responsibility, that agency likely provides protection. If the office is in a courthouse, U.S. Marshals likely provide security. But if the office is in a private building, a senators staff has likely made arrangements with local police or the buildings private security officers to keep an eye on the location.

This post has been updated.

Washington reacts to competing Senate health plans. (Lee Powell,Rhonda Colvin,Victoria Walker,Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

Read more:

In an arid, lonely stretch out west, the health coverage that bloomed is now at risk

GOP opponents to Senate health-care bill see vote delay as an advantage

Why would the GOP want to pass a hugely unpopular health-care bill? Lets debate.

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Break-in, 'threatening note' at office of GOP senator considered swing vote in health-care bill - Washington Post

"I could die in the street": For cancer survivor, health care debate gets personal – CBS News

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President Donald Trump has often said he doesn't want people "dying in the streets" for lack of health care.

But in the United States, where chronic conditions are the major diseases, people decline slowly. Preventive care and routine screening can make a big difference for those at risk for things such as heart problems and cancer, especially over time.

That edge is what doctors and patients fear will be compromised if Republican efforts to repeal the Obama-era health law lead to more uninsured people. The uninsured tend to postpone care until problems break through.

It's a message that lawmakers are hearing from doctors' groups and constituents, in letters and emails, and at town hall meetings.

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The non-partisan Congressional Budget Office projected Monday that the Senate GOP bill would leave 22 million more Americans without insurance in...

About 10 years ago, Cathy Cooper of Ocala, Florida, was battling a blood cancer. Against the doctor's advice, she continued to work full time as a paralegal, through chemotherapy and radiation, just to preserve her health insurance. Cooper said she would schedule chemo on Fridays, spend the weekend sick from side effects and report back to work Monday.

Now in her early 30s, Cooper is healthy. She has her own business as a photographer specializing in maternity, newborns, families and seniors, and a family of her own. Her health insurance is through HealthCare.gov. With her cancer history, Cooper is worried about changes under debate that may reduce options for people with medical conditions. She said she voted for Hillary Clinton in the presidential election.

"The 'dying in the streets' thing -- it's an over-time process," said Cooper. "If I didn't have insurance, it (cancer) could just keep forming inside me and I wouldn't know. Then I'd go into the hospital, and there's nothing they could do. And then, yeah, I could die in the street. But that's because I wouldn't have had insurance to get things checked out prior to that point."

In Charlotte, North Carolina, Dr. Octavia Cannon said that's basically what happened to one of her patients several years ago. The patient, a working mother with three young children and more than one job, was uninsured after losing previous Medicaid coverage. She went to Cannon, an osteopathic ob-gyn, because of abnormal bleeding. Cannon said she knew something was horribly wrong on the basis of her initial physical examination. The pathology lab confirmed advanced cervical cancer.

"In six months, she was dead," Cannon recalled. "All I could think was 'Who is going to take care of these babies?' If she had only come in for a Pap smear."

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Senator John McCain underwent emergency surgery on Friday to remove a blood clot from above his eye. This has forced Republican leaders to call o...

Such stories are swirling around the Senate debate as Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., pushes toward a vote on legislation rolling back much of former President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act. The GOP bill has been facing headwinds since the Congressional Budget Office estimated it would lead to 22 million more uninsured people by 2026.

Administration officials say the nonpartisan budget office has been wrong before about health coverage, and its analytical methods may give too much weight to the current requirement that most people carry health insurance or risk fines. (Republicans would repeal that immediately.) Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said Trump's goal is more people with health insurance, not fewer.

There's not much debate about the negative consequences of being uninsured.

Studies by the National Academies have found that the uninsured are more likely to receive too little care, and too late; be sicker and die sooner; and receive poorer care in the hospital.

But surprisingly, there are questions about whether gaining coverage produces tangible health benefits.

Major government surveys have documented clear improvements to family finances associated with Obama's coverage expansion. On health itself, the evidence is mixed.

Medicaid expansions in New York, Maine and Arizona in the early 2000s were associated with a 6 percent decline in death rates in those states, compared with neighboring states that did not expand coverage for low-income people. A study of Massachusetts found a similar trend.

But in Oregon a Medicaid expansion study that found a marked reduction in depression failed to detect significant improvement in blood sugars, blood pressure and cholesterol levels -- risk factors for heart disease and diabetes.

Dr. Cyrus Hamidi, a solo family medicine practitioner in Sparks, Maryland, said having insurance is a start, reducing barriers to access for patients.

"If you have to pay to go to the doctor, then you worry about payment instead of what you need to do to reduce the risk of dropping dead," he said.

Gaywin Day, a union electrician from Austin, Texas, said being able to get coverage under Obama's law in the aftermath of a medical crisis has been "a lifesaver."

Day, in his early 60s, was between jobs and uninsured when he had a stroke in March. A couple of months later, a "special enrollment period" enabled him to get subsidized coverage through HealthCare.gov, opening doors to physical therapy and follow-up medical care.

Now, Day no longer uses a walker or cane. He's thinking about returning to work.

"Nobody wants anybody dying in the streets, but if I hadn't got this ... I could just be shriveling up in my bed," he said.

He didn't cast a ballot last year. "I don't vote," said Day. "I do a lot of praying."

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"I could die in the street": For cancer survivor, health care debate gets personal - CBS News

Fixing health care the right way – The Boston Globe

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Health professionals rallied at the State House in February.

Massachusetts has consistently been a national leader in improving health care access and working to address high health care costs. We were the first state in the nation to provide near universal insurance coverage through health care reform legislation passed in 2006 and continue to pursue solutions to help drive costs down, such as those contained in legislation passed in 2012. These steps are a testament to the fact that, as a Commonwealth, we are willing to think creatively and boldly to achieve a health care system that works for all our residents.

But there is a great deal of uncertainty and instability in health care due to changes being considered at the federal level that would result in higher costs for seniors and children with disabilities, a loss of federal revenue for the state, and a reduction in payments for health care providers. Its unclear how such changes will impact the states ability to deliver on its goal of universal access to quality, affordable health care. Without regard to whats happening in Washington, Massachusetts needs to continue to innovate and create a sustainable health care system for both our residents and our economy. Health care costs currently strain not only the states budget, but also those of our businesses and families.

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Two weeks ago, Governor Baker put forward a significant package of changes to the states MassHealth program, the broader health insurance market, and certain care delivery systems. The governor requested that the six legislators negotiating the Fiscal Year 2018 budget adopt this entire package just as negotiations were wrapping up, and mere days before the new fiscal year began. The governors proposals represent some creative thinking; however, in order to accomplish meaningful health care reform, all stakeholders need to be at the table and the most diverse set of options should be considered. A broader conversation ensures that short term fixes are not overvalued at the expense of the long term sustainability of our health care system. We believe this broader conversation must address the drivers of health care costs, not just change eligibility benefit levels and move people from one program to another.

The Senate recognizes the need to address these fundamental challenges and believes that passing comprehensive health care cost containment this legislative session is important. For the last year, the Senate has been engaged in extensive preparation to undertake this work. A group of senators, with the help of the Milbank Memorial Fund, has been conducting ongoing research with other states to learn best practices on how to address significant cost drivers. Additionally, pursuant to legislation that was passed last year, the Legislature engaged with various stakeholders to produce recommendations on how to address certain provider pricing issues in the Commonwealth that contribute to inefficiencies in our health care system.

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The Senate even took a first step to implement some of those recommendations through the inclusion of out-of-network billing reform in its budget. The Senate has also remained focused on managing MassHealth costs by including a provision in the final Fiscal Year 2018 budget sent to the governors desk that requires the Massachusetts Health Connector to explore how it could create a premium sharing program for small businesses with MassHealth eligible employees.

The proposals that the governor introduced at the tail end of the budget process are an important part of this ongoing conversation. While welcome, those contributions should be part of a broader dialogue that engages the full spectrum of stakeholders in a robust discussion that moves along relatively quickly but thoughtfully. Massachusetts health care sector is one of our five largest industries, supporting the financial, physical, and mental well-being of communities across the Commonwealth. This sector is faced with complex issues that require thoughtful and meaningful solutions. We look forward to working with the governor, the House, the public, members of the health care sector, and all other stakeholders to engage in an open and productive exchange of ideas to develop meaningful reform legislation this session.

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Fixing health care the right way - The Boston Globe