What exactly does Trump want from this health care bill? – CNN

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On Friday morning, he awoke to fling a new wrench into already tense negotiations. "If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now," Trump tweeted, "they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date!"

The message represented yet another twist in the long series of contradictions that mark his ever-shifting prescription for health care.

It wasn't the first time Trump very clearly rejected the notion of any health care layover.

But the most glaring difference between what Trump touted on the trail and what the Senate bill might deliver involves Medicaid, a program he pledged to protect, along with Medicare and Social Security, while warning that other Republican candidates might not.

The CBO, a nonpartisan agency, has estimated that the House and Senate bills would, respectively, lead to 23 and 22 million people losing insurance -- in comparison to the numbers expected under current law -- over the next ten years.

"We're going to have insurance for everybody," he told reporters. "There was a philosophy in some circles that if you can't pay for it, you don't get it. That's not going to happen with us."

Except that, according to the plans Republicans are now pushing, it will. Trump must sense this as he has twice now referred to the GOP health care plan as "mean." When former President Barack Obama derided what he called its "fundamental meanness" in a Facebook post, Trump actually responded by reminding Fox News that he used the language first.

"Well, (Obama) actually used my term, 'mean.' That was my term," Trump said. "Because I want to see -- and I speak from the heart -- that's what I want to see, I want to see a bill with heart."

Senate Republicans, however, facing the prospect of an unpopular vote much like their House colleagues nearly two months ago, have revolted against Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's proposal. All of which set the stage for Trump's endorsement Friday of repealing Obamacare and then replacing it later -- the very thing he so publicly rejected months earlier.

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What exactly does Trump want from this health care bill? - CNN

A Price for the GOP’s Health Care Insanity – New York Times

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Average premiums for the benchmark Obamacare plan rose 8 percent in 2016 and 21 percent in 2017, according to Kaiser Family Foundation data, while deductibles were up by about 15 percent. For some markets and plans, the premium increases were considerably higher: 67 percent in Oklahoma City; 71 percent in Birmingham, Ala.; 145 percent in Phoenix.

Same deal for employer-sponsored plans. While Sen. Obama promised during his campaign in 2008 that the average family would see health insurance premiums drop by $2,500 per year, the average family premium for employer-sponsored coverage has risen by $3,671, noted Maureen Buff and Timothy Terrell in the Journal of American Physicians and Surgeons. That was back in 2014, and premiums continue to rise.

Meanwhile, insurers keep walking away from Obamacares unprofitable exchanges. Anthem and MDWise announced last month that they were withdrawing from Indiana, which will leave 76,000 Hoosiers in need of a new insurer. Anthem said it would be pulling out of the exchange in Ohio. Aetna warned it was pulling out of Virginia in May and Iowa in April. Humana did as much in Tennessee in February. More than 1,000 counties in the United States a third of the total are down to just one insurer, according to a Bloomberg analysis.

This was predictable. Obamacare was sold using the language of choice and competition, but it is actually reducing both, a Wall Street Journal editorial warned back in 2010, when the law was months old. Health insurance doesnt work when it isnt allowed to operate as insurance: when it cannot tailor its products to the preferences and budgets of consumers, and when it cannot make business decisions based on considerations of risk.

You do not get to insure your house after its on fire. Why should Americans have the unalienable right to wait till they get sick (at least during open enrollment) before buying health insurance?

Here, however, is where the philippic against the Affordable Care Act ends. Barack Obama inherited a broken health care model and made it worse, unless you count shunting millions of people into Medicaid as a triumph. For all the liberal angst about the Republican House and Senate bills, they are only tinkering with the same unfixable formula.

The only genuinely promising reform in the Republican health bills are proposals to nearly double contribution limits for heath savings accounts and allow them to be used to pay for premiums. Enrollment in tax-deductible, investable H.S.A.s has roughly doubled since Obamacare took effect, to about 20 million, because they help cover out-of-pocket costs for low-premium, high-deductible plans.

But as Peter Ubel of Duke pointed out last year, theyre mainly attractive to wealthier people with income to spare. Government subsidies of H.S.A.s for low-income people, Ubel writes, could turn H.S.A.s into something other than another tax break for the wealthy and make our health care system more responsive to consumer needs. This is what Singapore does, along with mandates for employees to set aside a portion of their income for H.S.A.s, and for employers to match it.

H.S.A.s can restore sanity to a market in which prices are invisible and costs keep rising, and in which the concept of insurance has lost its meaning. Republicans who want to salvage a conservative policy victory from their health care fracas would be wise to leave Obamacare alone, so that its authors can pay the price for its failure, just as the G.O.P. restores price to the rest of the health care system.

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A Price for the GOP's Health Care Insanity - New York Times

Fresh polls find Republicans’ health-care proposal is still a clunker – Washington Post

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A slew of new national surveys completed during the past week shed light on how voters are reacting to Republicans bills to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. The surveys show opposition continues to outpace support by a wide margin, with tepid support among Republicans and overwhelming opposition among Democrats.

Comparing polls, there is a range in how much opposition outweighs support. Among recent national live-interviewer polls, the Republicans health proposal fares best in a Fox News poll conducted June 25 to 27 that showed 27 percent of registered voters favored and 54 percent opposed the Senate Republican bill released last Thursday, a 2-to-1 margin of opposition. By contrast, a Suffolk University-USA Todaypoll starting one day earlier found a nearly 4-to-1 margin of opposition (45 percent opposed while 12 percent supported). The margin was similar in a Quinnipiac University poll begun the day Republican senators released their draft bill, with 58 percent who disapproved and 16 percent who approved. A fourth survey released this week by NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist found a 3-to-1 margin of opposition, with 55 percent who disapproved and 17 percent who approved.

Almost all the polls on the issue had high percentages of people saying they had no opinion, probably as a result of the complicated and changing nature of legislation as well as whether the polling firm explicitly offered respondents a no opinion option. For instance, the Suffolk-USA Today survey asked whether respondents support or oppose the GOP plan, or don't you know enough to have an opinion? and found 43 percent of registered voters took that option.

There are sharp partisan differences in opinion on the GOP health-care proposals, as there is with the Affordable Care Act, but also a clear imbalance, with Democrats far more united in opposition than Republicans are in support. Across seven polls conducted since mid-month, Democratic opposition varied from 70 percent opposed in the Suffolk-USA Today poll to 84 percent disapproving in the CBS poll and Quinnipiac polls. By contrast, Republicans support for the law is lowest at 26 percent in the Suffolk-USA Today poll and highest at 63 percent in the CBS poll, a massive range indicating ambivalence toward their partys top legislative initiative.

Polls asking about the House and Senate bills dont appear to show dramatically different results, a sign that as debate over the law has continued, Republicans repeal and replace efforts do not appear to be gaining or losing popularity.

The polls also asked different groups of people Fox, Suffolk-USA Today and Quinnipiac polls all interviewed registered voters while the other polls pulled from American adults overall.

Beyond that, each of the seven polls worded their questions on the Republican health-care plan somewhat differently. Fox News asked whether voters favored or opposed the Senate health-care plan that would replace the Affordable Care Act, while NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist asked whether people approved or disapproved of the Republican health-care plan. And NBC News-Wall Street Journal asked whether Americans thought the House bill was a good idea or bad idea.

Heres the full wording for each of the seven surveys:

Fox News: As you may know, the Senate recently released its version of a health care plan that would replace the Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. Do you favor or oppose this legislation?

Suffolk-USA Today: Senate Republicans have unveiled their proposed healthcare plan to replace Obamacare. Do you support or oppose the GOP plan? Or dont you know enough to have an opinion?

Quinnipiac University: There is a Republican health care plan to replace Obamacare. Do you approve or disapprove of this Republican health care plan?

NPR-PBS NewsHour-Marist: From what you have read or heard, do you approve or disapprove of the health care plan Senate Republicans have proposed?

NBC News-Wall Street Journal: The health care bill passed by the House is a good idea or a bad idea?

CBS News: As you may know, Republicans in Congress passed a bill in the House of Representatives to repeal and replace the 2010 health care law. From what you have heard or read, do you approve or disapprove this plan?

Kaiser Family Foundation: As you may know, Congress is currently discussing a health-care plan that would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Given what you know about this proposed new health-care plan, do you have a generally (favorable) or generally (unfavorable) opinion of it?

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Fresh polls find Republicans' health-care proposal is still a clunker - Washington Post

Researchers propose new approach to identify genetic mutations in men with prostate cancer – Medical Xpress

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June 29, 2017 Micrograph showing prostatic acinar adenocarcinoma (the most common form of prostate cancer) Credit: Wikipedia

Scientists have had limited success at identifying specific inherited genes associated with prostate cancer, despite the fact that it is one of the most common non-skin cancers among men. Researchers at University of Utah Health studied prostate cancer patients with multiple cancer diagnoses, many who would not be recommended for genetic tests following current guidelines, to identify genetic mutations that may influence cancer treatment and cancer risk assessment for family members. Their findings are reported in the June issue of the journal Cancer.

"We commonly use a combination of a patient's personal and family cancer histories to identify those individuals who may have a mutation in a gene that predisposes that individual to developing cancers," said Patrick Pili, M.D., medical oncology fellow at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center. "Testing for hereditary cancers impacts not only the patient with cancer but also potentially the cancer screening and health outcomes of their entire family, but many prostate cancer patients do not meet the current guidelines to test for genetic cancer heritability."

Pili was part of a research team led by Kathleen Cooney, M.D., chair of the Department of Internal Medicine at U of U Health and a Huntsman Cancer Institute investigator, who proposed a strategy to identify germline mutations in men selected for the study based on their clinical history not their family history.

The study was highly selective, including 102 patients who had been diagnosed with prostate cancer and at least one additional primary cancer, like melanoma, pancreatic cancer, testicular cancer, or Hodgkin lymphoma.

The researchers examined the frequency of harmful germline mutations in this group of men. These mutations originate on either the egg or sperm and become incorporated into the DNA of every cell in the body of the resulting offspring.

Using next generation sequencing, the researchers found that 11 percent of the patients had a disease-causing mutation in at least one cancer-predisposing gene, which suggests these genetic variations contributed to their prostate cancer. Cooney found no difference in cancer aggressiveness or age of diagnosis compared to patients without these mutations.

In addition, a certified genetic counselor and co-investigator Elena Stoffel, M.D., University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center, reviewed personal and family histories from each patient to determine whether they would meet clinical genetic testing guidelines. The majority of the men in the study, 64 percent, did not meet current criteria to test for hereditary cancer based on personal and/or family history.

The findings suggest that there are men with heritable prostate cancer-predisposing mutations that are not eligible for genetic screening under current guidelines.

"This is the first paper in which we can show the potential of using a clinical history of multiple cancers, including prostate cancer, in a single individual to identify inherited germline mutations," Cooney said.

The majority of harmful mutations identified were in genes involved in DNA repair.

"These mutations prevent the DNA from healing itself, which can lead to a predisposition for cancer," Cooney said.

This result is also beneficial because drugs like PARP [poly ADP ribose polymerase] inhibitors have a better success rate in treating cancers with the underlying gene mutation associated with DNA repair.

Cooney cautions that this is a small pilot study rather than a broader epidemiological survey, and it consists of a highly specific subset of patients.

"We cannot generalize these findings to the broader population, because we used highly selective criteria to tip us off to patients that may have mutations outside typical hereditary genetic patterns," she said.

The 102 patients included in the study were identified from the University of Michigan's Prostate Cancer Genetics Project, which registers patients who are diagnosed with prostate cancer before age 55 or who have a first- or second-degree relative with prostate cancer. In addition, the research team identified patients from the University of Michigan's Cancer Genetics Registry, which includes individuals with personal or family history suggestive of a hereditary risk of cancer.

"Our findings are in line with those of other studies, suggesting that approximately 1 in 10 men with advanced prostate cancer harbors a genetic variant associated with increased cancer risk," said Stoffel. "While family history is an important tool, there may be better ways to identify patients with genetic risk."

Future studies with larger sample sizes will include sequencing of tumors that will allow investigators to more carefully explore the different features associated with tumors that arise in individuals with germline mutations.

"This approach will help us identify patients at greater risk for aggressive prostate cancer so they can seek earlier screening while pre-symptomatic," Cooney said.

Explore further: Are men with a family history of prostate cancer eligible for active surveillance?

More information: Patrick G. Pili et al. Germline genetic variants in men with prostate cancer and one or more additional cancers, Cancer (2017). DOI: 10.1002/cncr.30817

Journal reference: Cancer

Provided by: University of Utah

Active surveillancecareful monitoring to determine if or when a cancer warrants treatmentis an increasingly prevalent choice for prostate cancer, but it's unclear if the strategy is appropriate for men with a family ...

Inherited mutations in genes that function to repair DNA may contribute to metastatic prostate cancer more than previously recognized, according to a study out today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Though infrequent ...

African-American men develop prostate cancer more often than other men, and it tends to be more deadly for this population. Some of the differences seem to be due to socioeconomic factors, but scientists wondered whether ...

(HealthDay)A man's risk of aggressive and fatal prostate cancer may be heavily influenced by gene mutations previously linked to breast and ovarian cancer in women, a trio of new studies suggests. Findings from the studies ...

Scientists are reporting a test which can predict which patients are most at risk from aggressive prostate cancer, and whether they suffer an increased chance of treatment failure. This test, reported at the European Association ...

A form of genetic variation, called differential RNA splicing, may have a role in tumor aggressiveness and drug resistance in African American men with prostate cancer. Researchers at the George Washington University (GW) ...

While mutations in protein-coding genes have held the limelight in cancer genomics, those in the noncoding genome (home to the regulatory elements that control gene activity) may also have powerful roles in driving tumor ...

A molecular test can pinpoint which patients will have a very low risk of death from breast cancer even 20 years after diagnosis and tumor removal, according to a new clinical study led by UC San Francisco in collaboration ...

Scientists have had limited success at identifying specific inherited genes associated with prostate cancer, despite the fact that it is one of the most common non-skin cancers among men. Researchers at University of Utah ...

Leukemia researchers led by Dr. John Dick have traced the origins of relapse in acute myeloid leukemia (AML) to rare therapy-resistant leukemia stem cells that are already present at diagnosis and before chemotherapy begins.

Follicular lymphoma is an incurable cancer that affects over 200,000 people worldwide every year. A form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, follicular lymphoma develops when the body starts making abnormal B-cells, which are white ...

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Researchers propose new approach to identify genetic mutations in men with prostate cancer - Medical Xpress

Research offers new clues to rare genetic disease – MSUToday

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Research offers new clues to rare genetic disease
MSUToday
Tuberous sclerosis complex, or TSC, is considered a rare genetic disease, yet for the estimated 50,000 patients in the United States and almost 2 million individuals worldwide, dealing with its symptoms can be overwhelming. It's a devastating disease ...

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Research offers new clues to rare genetic disease - MSUToday

LogicBio Lands $45M for Gene Therapies in Rare Pediatric Diseases – Xconomy

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Xconomy Boston

Gene therapy offers the potential for a long-lasting, if not permanent, treatment for an inherited disease, but cells that divide rapidly, such as those in the liver, present a thorny problem. Because of how they insert themselves in the cells, some forms of gene therapy get diluted as the cells divide.

Its a particular problem in growing children. Cambridge, MA-based LogicBio says it has developed a workaround by combining gene editing with gene therapy. The firm has raised $45 million in additional capital to help bring this technology into human testing, and it is moving from California to the LabCentral shared incubator space in Cambridges Kendall Square.

LogicBio calls its technology GeneRide. The company says its approach can transfer genetic material to specific sites to repair a faulty genetic sequence. The companys focus is metabolic disorders that affect the liver in children. Published research shows that metabolic disorders of the liver can progress to injury affecting other organs. In rare cases, the severity of the disease requires a pediatric liver transplant.

If GeneRide works as the company envisions, the gene therapy would offer a one-time treatment that avoids side effects.

London-based Arix Bioscience (LSE: ARIX) led the Series B round of investment, which was joined by new investors OrbiMed, Edmond De Rothschild Investment Partners, Pontifax, and SBI Japan-Israel Innovation Fund. Earlier investor OrbiMed Israel Partners also joined in the latest investment. In total, LogicBio says it has raised approximately $50 million in financing to date.

Gene therapy remains largely experimental. UniQure (NASDAQ: QURE) received the Western worlds first gene therapy approval in 2012 for alipogene tiparovec (Glybera), a treatment for a rare metabolic disorder. But earlier this year, the company, split between the Netherlands and Lexington, MA, announced it would not seek renewal of its conditional approval, set to expire in October. Patient demand for the drug was limited and the company did not expect that to change.

The first U.S. approval could come soon. Philadelphia-based Spark Therapeutics (NASDAQ: ONCE) is awaiting an FDA decision on a gene therapy for an inherited form of blindness. Cambridge-based Bluebird Bio (NASDAQ: BLUE) last week released early data from a Phase 3 study in patients with beta-thalassemia, a rare blood disorder.

The technologies underlying LogicBios approach were developed at Stanford University by company co-founders Mark Kay, Adi Barzel, and Leszek Lisowski. In addition to its Cambridge site, the company also has scientists in Tel Aviv, Israel.

Frank Vinluan is editor of Xconomy Raleigh-Durham, based in Research Triangle Park. You can reach him at fvinluan [at] xconomy.com

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LogicBio Lands $45M for Gene Therapies in Rare Pediatric Diseases - Xconomy

Manufacturing of AAV Vectors for Gene Therapy – Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

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Inherent Complexity

The inherent complexity of viral vector-based products, due to their physical size, formulation, and the fact that they often utilize a combined drug targeting/delivery vehicle function, makes their physical and biological characterization highly challenging from a regulatory perspective. Consequently, a fallback approach is adopted where the product is defined by the manufacturing process. This approach then makes the introduction of potentially product-impacting process changes difficult to implement and by default, the process becomes locked down within the early stages of development, severely restricting the scope for process improvement and scale up.

Classical process scale up tends to be via a vertical approach, with a focus on increasing the size of single operations (such as fermentation vessels) while keeping similar labor levels, subsequently achieving reduction in cost. This approach is valid if the process is well understood and amenable to linear scale up. The reality is that a large number of the key operations in the production of viral vectors are neither well characterized nor easily scaled. Lack of time and analytical tools will eventually direct developers to take a more horizontal approach to process scale up.

It seems likely that scale up will be based on limited vertical scale up, with multiple and overlapping production streams, potentially exploiting options around the adoption of closed single-use production systems to maximize outputs from production facilities. While this may not be the most efficient approach with regard to labor and facility costs and end-product testing, it is likely to be the only realistic option for many product development groups.

It is inevitable that some process changes will need to be introduced, for example, the requirement to replace purification of vectors by ultracentrifugation, as these processes are perceived as not only being unscalable, but also as highly operator-dependent with regard to yield and purity. The challenge becomes how engineers replace this type of operation. From a regulatory perspective, the key is an understanding of the critical quality attributes (CQAs) that impact product safety, purity, and potency; the critical process parameters (CPPs) required to control them; and the availability of the tools to measure CPPs.

This approach then, in theory, will allow process development groups to develop strategies for introducing and verifying the impact of desired process changes. However, the successful process development of these legacy processes will be dependent on the availability of suitable in-process and final-product assays. There is a clear regulatory, as well as operational, need for drug developers to invest in the analytical tools required to achieve greater understanding of AAV vectors and the processes used to make them for the products to receive commercial licensing.

The production of vectors through transient production routes entails a complex materials supply chain. At the front end is the supply of plasmid DNA constructs used to generate the vectors; clearly the quantities required will not only increase proportionally with the increased scale of vector manufacturing, but also, the associated quality requirements will be increased, moving from materials made to traceable standards to those made to GMP-grade standards (Figure 2). For early-phase development, non-GMP-grade plasmids may be used for the production of material for proof-of principle clinical studies. However, this may not be the case for commercial vectors, where GMP-grade plasmids may be required. One consequence of this will be the potential need for manufacturers to align with suppliers that have large-scale GMP capabilities to ensure the timely and secure delivery of plasmid supplies to support late clinical and commercial production.

At the end of the supply chain is the production of the viral vector drug product. For early-stage development, relatively little focus is given to either the product formulation or the filling process. There is often good reason for this, as material for such development studies is in very short supply, with all available material often directed into clinical studies to demonstrate product efficacy.

The result of this is that the basic formulations used in early-stage development are carried forward into late-stage trials, with the products 0.2-m filtered and hand filled into glass vials and stored at 80C.

Future development activities in the AAV field will need to be focused on identifying formulations that provide long-term stability, potentially moving to +28C storage, and generating meaningful stability data. Fully defining the drug product manufacturing process will also ensure the retention of product titers and activity throughout the manufacturing process, including activities such as inspection and labeling.

In conclusion, we are in exciting times with a number of these potentially life-changing products coming through to clinic. However, if we are to bring these products efficiently to the market, developers will need to adopt pragmatic and informed solutions for the manufacturing challenges that lie ahead.

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Manufacturing of AAV Vectors for Gene Therapy - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News

NightstaRx Raises $45M to Fund Phase III Study with Retinal … – Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (blog)

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U.K. firm NightstaRx raised $45 million in a Series C financing round to support continued clinical development of its pipeline of retinal gene therapies, including a pending Phase III study with lead candidate NSR-REP1 for treating choroideremia. The new funds will also be used to support an ongoing Phase I/II study with NSR-RPGR in patients with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (RP), and a proposed Phase I/II trial with a gene therapy product targeting an inherited form of macular dystrophy. Nightstar projects starting the macular dystrophy clinical trial during late 2018.

Investors in the Series C round included Nightstars existing investors Syncona and New Enterprise Associates (NEA) and new investors Wellington Management Company and Redmile Group. As an original investor in Nightstar, our goal from day one was to build a global gene therapy leader with the capability of developing multiple programs for inherited retinal diseases, commented Chris Hollowood, Ph.D., chairman of the board of Nightstar and chief investment officer of Syncona, which is funded by The Wellcome Trust. We welcome Wellington Management and Redmile Group as investors and look forward to working with them and NEA to fulfill Nightstars potential.

Founded in 2014 by researchers at the University of Oxford, Nightstar is developing a pipeline of one-time potentially curative treatments for rare inherited retinal diseases. Lead candidate NSR-REP1 is an adeno-associated virus (AAV) vector-based gene therapy in development for treating choroideremia, a rare X-linked inherited retinal dystrophy for which there are currently no disease-modifying therapies. The AAV vector is administered by injection under the retina, using standard surgical procedures performed under local anesthetic. Nightstar says a Phase I/II study carried out by the University of Oxford confirmed long-term benefits of the treatment including vision improvement or stabilization.

The firms AAV-vector-based NSR-RPGR gene therapy for X-linked RP is designed to deliver a normal copy of the RP GTPase regulator (RPGR) gene, which Nightstar says is mutated in more than 70% of cases of X-linked RP. The procedure similarly involves injecting the gene-carrying vector under the retina. The ongoing Phase I/II study with NSR-RPGR was started in March.

Nightstar has ongoing collaborations with the University of Oxford, the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, and the Institute for Ophthalmic Research, Tbingen University Hospital. In February, the firm inked a collaboration with Netherlands-based Preceyes to develop a subretinal drug delivery technology based on the latters high-precision robotic device for ocular surgery.

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NightstaRx Raises $45M to Fund Phase III Study with Retinal ... - Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (blog)

4 Comic Book Themes that Made Elon Musk a Futurist – Edgy Labs (blog)

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Elon Musk has a known penchant for reading in general, but there at least 4 ways comic books may have helped shape his persona.

Co-founder and previous co-owner of PayPal and Zip2, current CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, and Chairman of SolarCity, Elon Musk, at 45, is one of the most visionary entrepreneurs alive.

Musk, who, in the1990s attended a physics Ph.D. program at Stanford University and then left after only two days because it was irrelevant to himhas made his love for reading well-known. When you ask him how he managed to build and launch rockets, he reportedly says I read books.

Last year, Musks reading habits made headlines when he name-dropped and recommended an out-of-print history book,Twelve Against the Gods,which then sold out on Amazon within hours.

Beside fantasy and Sci-fi stories which he used to cope (J.R.R. Tolkien and Isaac Asimov), comic book themes, and especially super heroes, also had a big effect on Elon as a kid and the adult he would later become.

Bruce Wayne (Batman) and Tony Stark (Iron Man) are both men with a genius-level intellect whose super powers stem from a combination of wealth and love for science and technology.

We could learn from these two popular super heroes, as Elon the kid would have, that being smart can be a superpower that can be leveraged to the greater good. We can see some elements from the Caped Crusader and the Avengers member back stories in Musk, such as loving science, having a vision and a plan to serve humanity.

As far as Hollywood is concerned, this is perhaps the golden age of themultiverse, or shared universes, whatever you want to call it. But before Marvel and DC got into businessin mediums like Netflix Originals, the concept has been already in use in comics.

Interconnected plotlines that have a greater impact on a much bigger arc may have inspired Musk how to see the big picture, define priorities and have a plan as to where hes heading from the start.

And when we look at it, we see Musk as a macro thinker who plays with mini-plots to set the stage for some kind of a big denouement. Take Tesla, SpaceX and SolarCity: while each has its own agenda, its clear theyre synergistically operating in Musks universe.

Being one of the most formulaic genres, comic book themes and narratives often rely on saving the world from an apocalyptic threat. But before getting to that in the third act, our heroes have to discover their powers, harness them and learn how to use them for the good of humanity.

In a similar way, Musk seems to be in the process of getting the tools (clean energy, space exploration) to save the world, not from supervillains, but from its own demons. After all, Musks has a Mars Plan and his ultimate goal is making humanity an interplanetary species.

Theres a nod to all Spider-Man fans.

But apart from being the most quotable line from the web-slingers story, its not exactly unique among comic book themes. Acquiring and using a super power, whether by technological or supernatural means, is often balanced by ethical questions that affect the heros journey.

In 2015, along with Stephen Hawking, Bill Gates, Noam Chomsky and hundreds of other AI and Robotic researchers, Musk endorsed an open-letter that warns against AI misuse.

Now, with his forward thinking and innovative projects, Musk is building the power slowly and steadily, but he seems to be already aware of the challenges that come with it.

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4 Comic Book Themes that Made Elon Musk a Futurist - Edgy Labs (blog)

Facebook’s Drone Is One Step Closer to Beaming Internet to the World – Futurism

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In Brief Facebook's Aquila drone completed its second successful test flight. The solar drone stayed aloft for almost two hours, providing more data that will eventually help the Aquila team bring internet access to billions around the world. Second Successful Test Flight

Facebookssolar-powered Aquila drone completedits second successful flight Thursday near Yuma, Arizona. It stayed aloft for 1 hour and 46 minutes, cruising over the desert and gathering data the team will use to optimize its efficiency moving forward. After the flight was over, the drone landed smoothly without incident, Mark Zuckerberg reported in a Facebook post.

This was the latest step in the Aquila project which will eventually see an entire fleet of the drones staying in flight for months at a time. The unmanned drones will need to be completely optimized to make this kind of longer term performance possible, so these test flights are critically important.Zuckerberg said that Facebook intends to use the drone to increase the worlds access to the internet.

When Aquila is ready, it will be a fleet of solar-powered planes that will beam internet connectivity across the world, Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook. Today, more than half the worlds population 4 billion people still cant access the internet. One day, Aquila will help change that.

Aquilas wingspan is wider than a Boeing 737, but it weighs less than 455 kg (1,000 pounds). To stay aloft, Aquilas solar panels collect power during the day and stores enough in a battery for the dark hours. It uses about 5,000 W of power at its cruising altitude, which will be about 18,300 meters (60,000 feet). Aquila cruises at a deliberately slow speed of about 129 km/h (80 m/h) to maximize efficiency.

Right now the Aquila team is working to make the craft lighter and trim down its power consumption. They also aim to more accurately assess how much power it will take to operate during the different altitudes and temperatures of take off, flight, and landing, and how those power demands will affect battery size, latitude range, solar panel performance, and seasonal performance. Additional test flights will also allow the team to assess actual in-flight dynamics and see how the massive drone batteries stress the large, flexible wings.

The Aquila fleet is just one way Facebook is working to connect people with technology. Zuckerberg has also revealed that the company is working on a brain-computer interface that will let uscommunicate using just ourminds.

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Facebook's Drone Is One Step Closer to Beaming Internet to the World - Futurism

Here’s a First-Ever Look at the New Electric Vehicle That Charges in … – Futurism

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In Brief Henrik Fisker has given us a sneak peak of his luxury EV with an official reveal of the prototype scheduled for later today, and pre-orders of the car are available to the public. His company's statements about the car's potential are staggering, and establish it as fierce competition for Tesla. Fiskers Coming Soon

Fisker CEO Henrik Fisker has unveiled a prototype of his luxury electric vehicle (EV) the EMotion on Twitter, ahead of the official unveiling event that will occur later today. Pre-orders for the $129,000 vehicle have also opened, which require a $2000 deposit. Production of the car is set to begin in 2019.

The company also took to Vimeo to release a video of the hotly anticipated vehicle.

The car will, reportedly, have a range of over 643 km (400 miles), a top speed of 260 km/h (161 m/h), a charge time of nine minutes for 100 km (62 miles), and utilizesthe wonder material graphene in its battery, which wasdeveloped in collaboration with Nanotech Energy Inc. Fisker has previously announced that the cars other salient feature isfully autonomous driving capabilities. A press release stated:

The EMotion will be equipped with hardware that will allow fully autonomous driving when approved and released by a soon-to-be-announced partnered supplier. The interior will emphasize ultimate comfort and user interface from both front and rear seats, and all seats will have access to screens and infotainment features.

The development of EVs at all ends of the spectrum is pivotal to the success of the technology. Fiskers price indicates he is aiming for the luxury car price range, and if the figures stand up to scrutiny, the vehicle will be able to compete with its petrol or diesel powered counterparts.

If Fiskers bold claims are true, the car will exceed almost any other EV on the market including the Tesla model S, the car Fisker claims to have helped design and now seems to be taking aim at. Teslas vehiclehas a rangeof up to 300 km (186 miles) if you use the $10,000 85-kwh battery, and takes an hour to charge if you use a Tesla Supercharger station.

There is also promising competition from Porschein the form of the Mission E. The company aims to be producing the EV by 2020, which they estimate will have a range of 450 km (250 miles), and a charge time of 15 minutes.

This competition is good news for the EV market, as it will encourage innovation that will drive the more environmentally friendly type of car forward. Whoever wins the EV supercar race, the planet wins too.

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Here's a First-Ever Look at the New Electric Vehicle That Charges in ... - Futurism

Elon Musk Says Details on Tesla 3 Will Be Released This Weekend – Futurism

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In Brief Elon Musk told a Twitter follower asking about the final release date of the new Model 3 that he will release news this Sunday July 2. The first deliveries are expected by the end of July with scaled production to ramp up by the end of September.

If youve been waiting for more details about the Tesla Model 3 launch,youll want to stay tuned this Sunday, July 2. Late last night, Elon Musk responded to a Twitter users query about the exact release date of the latest Tesla model:

In the past, both Tesla as a company and Musk personally have stated that deliveries of the Model 3 will begin in July. Obviously, once the new models are in circulation, the final details will no longer be rumor, but verified fact. For instance, fans are waiting to see whether there will be a solar roof or windshield, and how much the cars final look will resemble leaked photos of prototypes.

Only the most hardcore Tesla loyalists and employees will be driving Model 3s from the first production run, but the plan has been for production toscale up by September. Sunday may also be when we find out what the configuration process looks like although Musk has already said it will be limited. In order to limit complexity and achieve an economy of scale, Model 3 buyers will probably choose their cars color and the size of its wheels.

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Elon Musk Says Details on Tesla 3 Will Be Released This Weekend - Futurism

SpaceX COO Claims the Company Will Produce 20 Rockets in 2017 – Futurism

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In Brief During an appearance on an online radio show, SpaceX president and chief operating officer Gwynne Shotwell revealed the company's upcoming plans for its Falcon Heavy rockets and more. As reusable rockets become the standard, space is becoming cheaper and more accessible.

SpaceX has no plans to relax following their recent successful weekend doubleheader. Serial entrepreneur Elon Musks space venture company is already looking ahead, beginning with a final upgrade to their Falcon 9 rocket scheduled for later this year.

We are flying Block 3s right now, SpaceX president and COO Gwynne Shotwell saidduring a June 22 appearance on the online radio program The Space Show. Block 4s start flying shortly, and then Block 5 at the end of this year. We definitely have gotten better [at] more smooth introducing of change. You dont see the big impacts to production weve had before when weve changed vehicle designs.

Block 5 is going to be the definitive version for the Falcon 9, Shotwell explained, and it is capable of being relaunched a dozen or so times. It would also not require refurbishing the reusable rocket would simply undergo inspections prior to launch.

Shotwell said during her radio show appearance that SpaceXs much larger Falcon Heavysfirst mission in 2018 will be carrying a payload for Arabsat. Well be flying Arabsat to [geostationary transfer orbit] on the second Falcon Heavy flight, and then well be flying STP-2, an Air Force mission, she said. In total, the Falcon Heavy has three missions scheduled in the next 18 months, the first being a demonstrationlater in 2017.

SpaceX has much more planned for the months to come, including that commercial Moon roundtrip. Three years ago or so we were producing six rockets a year, Shotwell said. This year we are going to produce more than 20. When you consider that reusability is a key element of SpaceXs design, you can imagine just how many missions those rockets will be capable of handling in the coming years.

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SpaceX COO Claims the Company Will Produce 20 Rockets in 2017 - Futurism

Freedom Festival takes to the skies with Balloon Fest – Daily Herald – Daily Herald

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As Fridays first light spilled into Utah Valley from behind the peaks of the Wasatch Mountains, hot air balloons rose into the skies above Provo.

As the balloons ascended, they tested the skies for the Freedom Festivals Balloon Fest. The Balloon Fest will take place Saturday, Monday and Tuesday from 6 to 8 a.m. at Bulldog Field, which is located at 1100 N. Freedom Blvd. in Provo. The event attracts balloonists from throughout the western United States and beyond, and Fridays preliminary rides brought out 11 different hot air balloons.

For the Balloon Fests three days, that number is expected rise to about 25.

Visitors will be able to watch as the balloons inflate and drift through Provos skies. Hot air balloons typically fly about 5 to 10 miles in a radius from their takeoff point, but balloonists may keep closer to Bulldog Field to allow visitors to get a better view.

The Balloon Fest annually attracts about 25,000 visitors to Provo and provides fun for the whole family. Though, for balloonists, flying hot air balloons is also a family affair.

When you start seeing balloonists, youll see families, said Keith Evans, pilot of Smileys Dream, a hot air balloon.

Evans and his family had their first experience with Balloon Fest 21 years ago through an eagerness to lend a hand. We were on the field to spectate, and they said they needed crew, said Evans.

Hot air balloons require much more than just a pilot to fly it takes a crew. The crew aids in helping unpack, inflate, land, deflate, pack away and guide hot air balloons through the air from the ground. Where hot air balloons land can be a bit up in the air, so the crews continually keep contact with the pilots and follow the balloons to wherever they might land.

Evans and his family acted as crew members for 18 years, and began flying a balloon of their own in the festival three years ago. He explained that the Balloon Fest is a wonderful way to interact with the family of ballooning.

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Freedom Festival takes to the skies with Balloon Fest - Daily Herald - Daily Herald

Demonstrators clash during ‘Freedom March’ at Portland waterfront – kgw.com

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Demonstrators clash on Portland waterfront

Christine Pitawanich , KGW 11:22 PM. PDT June 30, 2017

Demonstrators clash at the Portland Waterfront during the 'Freedom Rally' on June 30, 2017 (Photo: Christine Pitawanich)

PORTLAND, Ore. -- It was a moment that could have gone either way. Punches were thrown, insults flew, and mace shot through the air along Portlands waterfront.

Protesters from two sides showed up. One side was pro-President Trump. People in that group waved flags and wore red, white and blue. The other side was filled with people who were anti-Trump.

Trump is ruining America, yelled one woman.

Some anti-Trump protester wore black. Their faces were covered with masks. At one point, some people also burned flags and stomped on them.

Joey Gibson, who heads up a conservative group called Patriot Prayer, organized the Freedom March on Facebook. He said the event is about freedom in general and freedom of speech. More than 175 people indicated they were going on Facebook, and more than 300 said they were interested in attending the event.

As for Gibsons expectations regarding violence, We're always on high alert. We have a pretty good understanding of the opposition, he said.

Gibson also organized a rally in early June at Terry Schrunk Plaza. It drew hundreds of people to downtown Portland. On almost all sides of the plaza, there were groups who opposed Gibson and the people supporting him.

More:14 arrested during rally, counter-protests in downtown Portland

The Freedom March at the waterfront officially started at 6 p.m. at Salmon Street Springs. Then people began marching north. At one point, the march wound through a part of downtown.

You have the right as an American citizen. You are free. If they want to oppose us, it's their right too. But they can't silence us, said a pro-Trump demonstrator.

There were a lot of heated arguments and at times things briefly got out of hand. Some people decided to step in to de-escalate when they saw people starting to get physical again.

Why can't anybody talk to each other without trying to throw hands. Have a conversation. I'm disappointed in both sides and I want this to stop and that's why I stepped in, said the man.

Watch: Demonstrators clash during rally, counter-protest

Others with the group Patriot Prayer also tried to de-escalate.

I'm here because I'm trying to keep the peace between the left and right, said a man named John Beavers. We all have to get along. We have to talk. Weve gotta work this out or we're gonna tear ourselves apart, the right and the left. We've got to get along."

We tried multiple times to speak to people who opposed the march. They did not want to speak on camera.

One man who was a part of the Freedom March said after all the verbal and physical violence, he's done. He has a family and he's considering not participating in these types of rallies anymore.

Portland Police said they would monitor the situation. When the event began, police were present. But as the event proceeded, police maintained their distance.

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Demonstrators clash during 'Freedom March' at Portland waterfront - kgw.com

Unions not corporations stand for freedom of American workers – The Hill (blog)

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Freedom is one of the most cherished American principles. But freedom means more than the ability to speak your mind, practice your religion, or choose your own democratically elected leaders. Our freedoms dont end with the First Amendment to the Constitution.

Freedom is also the ability to enjoy economic security and stability. And that means more than making a decent living and having enough to pay the bills. Its about both financially supporting our families and having time to be there for them. Freedom is the ability to take your mom or dad to a doctors appointment, to attend a parent-teacher conference, and to retire with dignity.

At our union, we champion policies that benefit all Americans. We fight for affordable healthcare for all, especially now, as Congress is considering legislation which would inexplicably throw millions of people off the insurance rolls. Pat Waller, a union member who is a labor and delivery nurse at a rural hospital in southern Ohio, is speaking out against Medicaid cuts that threaten the health coverage of new mothers and babies.

We fight to improve the quality of public services. Union member Tyrone Wooten is an environmental technician at a medical facility in Flint, Michigan. He knows firsthand the devastating impact of the water supply contamination in his community. And he traveled 14 hours by bus last year to Washington, to protest the testimony of the Michigan governor, whose austerity policies led to the water crisis in Flint.

Were also on the front lines when it comes to retirement security. AFSCMEs nearly 250,000 retiree members, led by Gary Tavormina who began his public service career as a corrections officer in New York State in 1957 are active in protecting public pensions and safeguarding Social Security.

Its hard to believe anyone could be against pregnant women and infants having quality health services, families having clean drinking water, or retirees having rock-solid Social Security benefits. But many people actually are. The privileged and powerful CEOs, massive corporations, and the wealthiest 1 percent do not just oppose these freedoms. They rig the rules to undermine them and they spend billions of dollars lobbying against them.

And because unions fight for these freedoms, the moneyed interests have made us a target. They want to use the courts to chip away at the rights and protections unions have won for everyone. They have now petitioned the Supreme Court to take a case called Janus v. AFSCME, in which the plaintiffs seek to impose right-to-work as the law of the land in the public sector.

Right-to-work threatens the ability of working people to stand together in a strong union, drives down wages and weakens workplace protections, while redistributing wealth upward. Moreover, right-to-work has its roots in the Jim Crow south, where segregationists pushed it to restrict the labor rights of African Americans and keep them from finding common cause with their white coworkers. Right-to-work, in other words, was created to inhibit freedom.

Americans value their freedom, and they define it broadly. It is the ability to earn a decent paycheck without sacrificing family life. It is the opportunity to live in a safe community and send your kids to a decent school. It is the peace of mind of knowing that an injury or illness wont ruin you financially and that you can live in some modest comfort in your golden years.

The labor movement believes in and are the guardians of all of these freedoms. So, as the corporate special interests gear up for another well-funded attack, we will do everything in our power to protect and defend our freedom to join together in a union.

Lee Saunders is president of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, a labor union of 1.6 million American workers.

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

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Unions not corporations stand for freedom of American workers - The Hill (blog)

Man released from jail after 23 years for crime he didn’t commit finds freedom surreal – Fox News

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DeMarlo Antwin Berry no longer can recognize Las Vegas.

The 42-year-old Nevada man was freed from prison after 23 years behind bars for a crime he didnt commit. He felt a little overwhelmed by changes in the city where he was arrested when he was 19.

On Friday he sat flanked by his wife of seven years and lawyers who fought to get him exonerated and released from his sentence of life without parole. He looks forward to a steak-and-fries dinner and said he just wants to go to barber school and live a normal life.

It was a surreal moment, just taking it all in, Berry told reporters, noting the unfamiliar buildings, homes and freeways he saw.

He had with him only his release papers and a debit card for his prison commissary account. His lifelong girlfriend-turned-wife, Odilia, wasthere.

It means everything to me, said Odilia Berry, wearing a necklace bearing the word Amazin and offering her thanks to God that her husband was free.

The dismissal of Berrys conviction came after Steven Jackson, now 45 and serving life without parole in California for his conviction in a separate murder in 1996, confessed to Samantha Wilcox, a lawyer from Salt Lake City working on Berrys case for free with the Rocky Mountain Innocence Center.

Berrys legal team also found a former jailhouse informant, Richard Iden, who recanted his trial testimony that Berry told him hed killed Carls Jr. restaurant manager Charles Burkes.

They really did the job. They did the footwork. If theywerent as thorough as they were, we wouldnt be here, Berry said as he sat in a posh Las Vegas law office. Id just be another number in prison.

Nevada is one of 18 states in the nation that doesnt provide compensation funds for wrongfully convicted and newly released inmates, said Jensie Anderson, Rocky Mountain Innocence Center legal director. Sheestimated that 4 percent of the 13,500 inmates in Nevada prisons, or more than 500, may be wrongfully convicted.

DeMarlo Berry hugs his attorney Samantha Wilcox following a news conference after his exoneration held at the law office of Eglet Prince in downtown Las Vegas on Friday, June 30, 2017. The 42-year-old Nevada man freed from prison after 23 years behind bars for a crime he didnt commit said Friday he felt a little overwhelmed by changes in the city where he was arrested when he was 19. (Richard Brian/Las Vegas Review-Journal via AP) (Richard Brian Las Vegas Review-Journal @vegasphotograph)

DeMarlo Berry shed his shackles in what once was familiar territory. Before he was arrested in April 1994, he used to sell drugs and hangout at a bar several blocks away, according to testimony at his trial in 1995.That bar is gone now, closed as a nuisance by the City Council in 1996.

Las Vegas and surrounding Clark County doubled in population during Berrys time away. Downtown hotels like the Lady Luck closed; Fitzgeralds changed names; and a canopy was built over the Fremont Street corridor that most knew back then as Glitter Gulch.

Berry termed his feeling of freedom sensory overload. He said hed heard people describe his prison time as his entire adult life, but he said he still has a lot adult life in me.

Hell learn in coming days how to use a cellphone, a computer and the internet.

One thing hell keep from behind bars is work ethic, he said.

I figured that in order to be a better person than I was when I came in, you have to learn to do something different, Berry said, so I took it upon myself to learn a trade. Barbering.

Attorney Lynn Davies said it was too soon to say whether Berry would sue over his wrongful conviction and incarceration.

Berry said he wasnt angry.

Forgiving is, I guess, a large word, he said. I just want to continue with life. I have a second chance at life, and Ill take the opportunity.

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Man released from jail after 23 years for crime he didn't commit finds freedom surreal - Fox News

My Turn: Fight for freedom continues – Concord Monitor

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I love the Fourth of July. I love the flags and fireworks, burgers and baseball, parades and pancake breakfasts.

But Independence Day means more than just the things we eat and see. It also means pausing from the daily grind to come together with family and friends and give thanks for the freedoms we enjoy. The right to vote and speak and petition the government for change are a few of my favorite freedoms.

How much freedom do you enjoy?

For Vinny, a computer programmer turned homeless person, the answer is not so much. When I sat down with Vinny in Concord a few years ago, he was preparing for a court date to challenge a peculiar fine concerning the right to lay down his head on public land.

As he relayed to me over lunch at the Friendly Kitchen, he and more than a hundred of his fellow homeless people had been given a days notice to leave their encampment on an overlooked stretch of land they had occupied without incident for years. When they refused, having nowhere else to go, they had their belongings confiscated and were handed fines.

The bureaucrats, politicians say its your choice to be homeless but you dont get to choose where you live, Vinny said, adding that he would never choose this life.

It was not the only fundamental freedom Vinny wished he had. When our conversation turned to politics, the fifty-something independent with close-cropped hair and a sturdy build relayed to me that he had lost the right to vote. I was taken aback.

In my months spent traveling through 30 states by Greyhound bus on a poverty research tour, I had met countless low-income people in homeless camps and shelters who had lost the right to vote but none in the first-in-the-nation primary state I called home.

Vinny explained that he had recently been released from state prison for possession of prescription opioids (illegally obtained by his girlfriend to feed her addiction) and was subject to voting and employment discrimination now that felon followed his name.

By our system of so-called democracy, if I want to go and vote for somebody I cant, Vinny said. Im an ex-felon. I have no voice whatsoever. So how can you bring change by the way the system is right now?

In point of fact, people in New Hampshire who finished serving time behind bars regain the right to vote. Not so in Florida, where Vinny used to live, and 33 other states, where people with felony convictions are disenfranchised long after they have completed their prison sentence. More than 6 million American citizens, most of them impoverished, are currently disenfranchised because of a conviction.

But that does not mean that New Hampshire makes it easy for people like Vinny to vote. In fact, if the recently approved Senate Bill 3 is signed by Gov. Chris Sununu, low-income people who lack a stable address, as well as New Hampshire students living in college dorms, will find it significantly more difficult to vote and will be subject to de facto literacy tests when registering at the polls.

If they are unable to prove their New Hampshire domicile with official documentation, they may even be visited by government agents following Election Day and subject to fines up to $5,000 on the presumption of voter fraud.

It is the first such law in the country to be adopted following President Donald Trumps unproven claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2016 elections claims made all the more outlandish by the mounting evidence that Russian hackers went to great lengths to intervene in our election on Trumps behalf.

Voting rights or no, Vinny did not lack for political opinions. He fervently believed that politics comes down to money and people like him lose out time and again. Like anything else, its big business, he said, adding I think the money thats in it is all big businesses (that) control the vote (and) get their bills passed.

To prove his point, he mentioned drug companies that spend millions in campaign donations and lobbying to grease the wheels and get powerful painkillers approved by the FDA, resulting in people like his girlfriend addicted and people like him behind bars.

His words are a sobering reminder that even in the Live free or die state of New Hampshire, freedom is not enjoyed equally by all. Our system of so-called democracy is falling short.

As lawmakers in Concord conclude this legislative session with a state budget that spends more on business tax cuts for the top 3 percent than homelessness or opioid addiction not to mention rolling back voting rights and rejecting campaign finance reform we would do well to consider that definition of American freedom put forward by President Franklin D. Roosevelt on the eve of World War II: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, freedom from fear.

How free can a person be when voting laws or spending by special interests suppress his right to speak at the polls, when punitive drug policies exacerbate his want and fear?

This July 4th, lets celebrate the freedoms we enjoy and fight like Americans for those freedoms that have yet to be realized for all. Happy Independence Day!

(Dan Weeks is chairman of Open Democracy and author of Democracy in Poverty: A View From Below (PoorInDemocracy.org) published by the Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard.)

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Sally White: Where freedom ends – Santa Clarita Valley Signal

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I attended a public elementary school in San Diego during WWII. Among the excellent teachers who still have a fond place in my memory was Lila Dickson, who was my teacher in both fifth and sixth grades.

She kept us up to date on what was going on in the world, and at that time not much of it was very good. She also taught us about how our government worked and about our responsibilities as citizens.

Perhaps the most important thing I learned in those years was this: My freedom ends where the other persons freedom begins.

During those school days she taught us how that concept was violated when some students, while standing in line, chose to take more space than others and accomplished this with a push. They did not show respect for the freedom of their fellow students to also have space.

This concept of freedom also worked well when California residents decided to limit where people could smoke. Ergo, my right to smoke ended when my smoke reached your nostrils.

And when we, as a people, decided that the noise created by automobiles with fancy but noisy engines, as well as those with thunderous sound systems, would not be allowed on the streets. Their freedom to make noise ended when my freedom to have reasonable quietness began. This seems like a very simple concept, and it can be applied in ever so many ways from the close and personal to the local, state, national, and even at planetary levels.

For example, should businesses, large or small, be allowed to pollute the water, air or ground in such a way that it becomes unusable or otherwise dangerous for you and me? Should developers be allowed to build more homes than a community can support in terms of water availability, clean air supply, and a satisfactory quality of life for current residents? The Fourth of July is a splendid time to think on these things as this holiday always initiates a great deal of discussion about our freedoms what they are and their importance.

As we engage in conversations about freedom during this holiday, let us give thought to the idea of where freedoms are located as we remember our freedom ends where the other persons freedom begins.

Freedom is, indeed, a two way street!

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Pastor’s Corner: Freedom in forgiveness – Twin Falls Times-News

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We are just about ready to celebrate our nations independence and rejoice in the freedoms we have as Americans. I love the Fourth of July the food, the fireworks, the family fun. Even with our countrys weaknesses and imperfections, we live in a great land. Happy Fourth of July! Have fun and be safe!

As Christians, we know that our freedom was bought and paid for by Jesus on the cross. We can live in freedom, no longer enslaved by sin. Our day of liberty came when we asked Jesus to come into our lives. Galatians 5:1 basically says Christ has set us free to live in complete liberty; we never have to be harnessed again in the bondage and the slavery of sin. (Dorettes paraphrase)

Within the last month, two of my very dear friends have both published books that talk about freedom in different ways. Karen Jensen Salisbury released a book called I Forgive You, But and Tracy Wilde released her book called Finding the Lost Art of Empathy. I recommend both books highly, and to me their messages dovetail in a beautiful way. We all have suffered hurts. We live on an earth with a curse and people often hurt people, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Situations and circumstances can wound and pierce our heart. What both books emphasize in different ways is that forgiveness leads to freedom and freedom leads to loving others and ourselves with empathy.

Everyone I know wants peace, freedom and love in their lives, but most dont have the understanding that so often it starts with forgiveness. Unforgiveness can affect us in so many negative ways. In Karens book I Forgive You, But, she uses the example that unforgiveness is like drinking poison and praying for the other person to die. What actually happens is just the opposite. A slow death happens in us. Unforgiveness perpetuates pain, and only hurts us and those around us. Bitter people dont draw people to them, they push them away. I Peter 5:9 reminds us that we do not suffer alone; suffering goes on all around the world. (Dorettes paraphrase) We are not one isolated hurting heart, people have experienced hurts everywhere. We have to make a choice in our hurt, to forgive.

In Finding the Lost Art of Empathy, Tracy talks about the power of forgiveness when she was recovering from a tragedy in her own life. Her world was upside down and her physical body was suffering as well as her heart. Through the kind-hearted empathy of her trusted doctor, he suggested that her physical ailments were connected to her brokenness, and asked her if she had forgiven the other person involved. Her honest answer was that she didnt know. He then asked if she would repeat a phrase after him. She repeatedly said this, I forgive myself and others for all the wrong that has been done to me. Her doctors wisdom to walk Tracy toward forgiveness, not only healed her heart, but healed her body.

So my question to you is this, are you suffering in your heart or your body? Maybe freedom for you can start with forgiveness. This might be a great weekend to get free, and find true freedom!

The Rev. Dorette Schaal, of Amazing Grace Fellowship in Twin Falls, may be reached at 208-736-0727, 208-736-0727, on Twitter @doretteschaal and at Facebook.com/Encouraging Word.

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Pastor's Corner: Freedom in forgiveness - Twin Falls Times-News