Whataburger pledges to keep employees paid following Liberty restaurant fire – Chron.com

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By Vanesa Brashier, vbrashier@hcnonline.com

Fire destroyed the Whataburger restaurant in Liberty on May 31.

Fire destroyed the Whataburger restaurant in Liberty on May 31.

Whataburger pledges to keep employees paid following Liberty restaurant fire

Employees of the Liberty Whataburger, which was destroyed by fire on May 31, may continue to be paid their average salary by working at one of several pre-approved non-profits in the Liberty area, according to Whataburger officials.

Construction of a new restaurant is expected to take five months. During that time, employees can volunteer at the non-profits and Whataburger will continue their paychecks, said William Tamminga, president of BurgerWorks Texas LLC, owner of the Liberty Whataburger.

"We have reached out to the chambers, schools, thrift stores and SpiritHorse about letting our employees volunteer for them," said Tamminga. "When the fire happened, we didn't even deliberate about it. It's one of the things Whataburger is all about -- family and faith. A family stands for each other and that is what we are doing for our family of employees."

For the company, it's is a win-win situation because it can retain trusted employees who would otherwise be forced to find other employment.

"All of our employees are excited to participate," he said.

Some of the Liberty Whataburger employees are familiar with the company's policy. A couple of years ago, a vehicle crashed into the building, forcing the restaurant to close for a short time while repairs were made. Employees then were given the opportunity to work for the non-profits to continue their paychecks.

"I couldn't sleep at night if I didn't take care of my employees," Tamminga said. "We don't want anyone to be hurt from the closing and are thankful that no one was hurt in the fire."

BurgerWorks Texas LLC is the owner of eight locations in Southeast Texas, including Livingston, Winnie, Cleveland, Groves, Bridge City and Orange.

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Whataburger pledges to keep employees paid following Liberty restaurant fire - Chron.com

A Socialist Answers Five Questions From A Libertarian – Patheos (blog)

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Previously I interviewed my friend Michael, who identifies as a libertarian. Despite our ideological differences, I really appreciated Michael taking time to chat with me about politics! I certainly learned a lot from his answers and it definitely helped me understand libertarianismin greater detail. My goal here is to reduce political polarization through mutual understanding. This time Michael asked me some questions and here aremy answers!

Michael:In your view, what does the individual owe to society, speaking in terms of moral and practical obligations? Conversely, what does society owe to the individual?

Matthew: As you discussin your answers, humans are fundamentally social creatures. Because of this, I do think there are certain obligations the individual should owe for society for it to work more effectively. Broadly, we should aim to not harm each other and help each other when possible.

Ideally, I would like society to offer a space of equality for everyone where they can express themselves how they wish if it doesnt interfere with other peoples liberty. However, I also think that if we have more than enough for ourselves, we should feel morally obligated to give to those less fortunate. The income inequality in the United States is ludicrous right now and only getting worse. I would like to the super wealthy give more to those who they make their money from.

Of course, actually making sure the wealthy give up some of their wealth is tricky! Right now we have elevated tax brackets for the wealthy and I personally think they could be even higher. Its not a perfect system, but taxing the wealthy and funneling some of their money into programs who help those who need it is still better than not providing any help to those in need.

Michael: As I mentioned in my responses, one of the things I most admire about you and many fine folks on the Left is your concern for those in need. My question is, What do you see as the boundaries of this moral concern? In other wordsand this does tie into my last questionis there a point at which an individual should be left to face the consequences of bad decision-making, without society stepping in to provide for them? For the sake of clarity, let me specify that here I am particularly thinking of people who run up massive gambling debts, or who abuse alcohol and/or other drugs until they lose jobs, homes, families, etc., and show no sign of sincerely wanting to change.

Matthew: Practically, there has to be some point. Even the most socialist utopia wouldnt be able to solve everyones problems through societal intervention. I suppose I take a rather utilitarian approach to this. If we tried to pour resources in solving everyones issues, it would be impossible and we would run out of resources. But I do think spending resources on large problems (for example, making sure the sick and disabled receive health care) is a worthwhile cause. We should aim to help as many people as we can with as few resources as we can.

But yes, I do think there should be checks in place so people dont abuse the system. However, for every person who finds some loophole with food stamps to eat lobster, there are many more that use them to feed their children. As I said above, I dont delude myself in thinking tax funded programs are 100% efficient. Far from it. But an imperfect system is better than nothing.

Michael: To what extent do you see connections between economic freedom and social freedomor do you see them as very different? For the purposes of this question, I will define economic freedom in terms of the ability to buy and sell ones labor and goods with others who are similarly free, and social freedom as the ability to express ones self, live as one wishes, marry whom one wishes, etc.

A quick word on where Im coming from with this question: my experience from my time on the Left, and from things I have seen since, is that many progressive liberals have a strong and very commendable commitment to social freedoms, particularly for LGBT people, women, and minority groups, but a deep skepticism of the free enterprise and markets system (aka capitalism). To my eye, the two are connected: having the freedom to buy and sell with people in other countries without having to pay onerous tariffs, for example, seems logically of a piece with the idea that discrimination against people because of race, ethnicity, nationality, gender, or sexual orientation is wrong.

Matthew: This is a great question and one Im constantly reflecting on. On the left, I know plenty of people who think they are connected, but in the opposite direction! As I mentioned above, those federal programs that offer food and healthcare aim to help those in need. So we forfeit some economic freedom to help out the most vulnerable groups like the poor, elderly, and disabled.

Again, I concede these programs are not perfect. I can understand how it would be frustrating to see ones money be taken away for a program that has explicit flaws. But again, I consider this the best option with what we have to work with. I think having a system in place to give is still better than hoping people give on their own without any direction.

Michael: Out of all the various activities in which the government is involved, and on which it spends money, are there any that strike you as unjust and objectionable? Which functions, if any, would you eliminate entirely, and which functions, if any, would you reform or change to make them more desirable?

Matthew: Yes! I dont care for our massive military budget as I think too often America tries to be the worlds police officer and doesnt always do a good job. An example of something that should be completely eliminated would be abstinence only education (which I believe most funding is now gone thankfully). Or of course many of Trumps proposals like his infamous wall.

Perhapslibertarians and socialists can find a lot of common ground with reforming programs. The issue I always have with libertarianism is the intermediate steps. Yes, lets say that a particular program is not working super well, but is still helping some people.If we slash the program, those people who really need it get screwed. Maybe we can work on some intermediate steps to make sure the program becomes more efficient, but those who need the services can still get them somehow.

So I can relate to a more libertarian perspective orientation here. When I see the government spending my tax dollars on things I feel very strongly against, I definitely do not enjoy it. However, I am in favor of things like healthcare and education so while the government may not do the most efficient job with covering those things, I am much more content in paying taxes on them. My hope and goal is to shape the government to fund efficient and helpfulprograms and reform them with any new evidence that arises.

Michael: When you think about the current state of the Left-Right divide in our country, particularly after the election (shudder), what message or insights do you most wish conservatives and libertarians would take the time to understand and internalize about progressive liberals and Democrat voters? How would you like people on the Right to view you, and people with similar views, such that they might be more willing to engage with folks on the Left in a respectful and civil manner?

Matthew: In general I wish everyone would make a stronger effort to understand their opposition. Too often we are quick to use strawman arguments and demonize people with bad information for merely being on the other side. We should all be mindful that we are biased and make our best effort to reflect on our own positions. You may not completely shift your values, but sometimes listening to those you strongly disagree with can illustrate some weaknesses in your own position.

For example, I think too often libertarians think socialists just want free stuff without considering why we think socialized things are important. Its not that we are lazy and dont want to pay for anything, we think that the government providing healthcare, education, and other resources is the best way for everyone to get what they need to live a happy and healthy life. Additionally, I think its unfair when socialists claim libertarians are incredibly selfish that dont care about anyone. I think many libertarians do care, they just think liberty, above other things, is most important for the well-being of our society. So we may all want similar things and our society to do well, we often just disagree on the methods.

On a related note, I also feel like conservatives are too quick to demonize those who care about social justice and lump us all in one group. Yes, there are jerks in every group, but to focus on a handful of people is simply unfair. Try talking to a variety of liberals and social justice activists. Try making an honest effort to listen to what we are concerned about. You might even find that we agree sometimes!

PS: I now have a Patreon if youd like to support my writing and podcasting.

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A Socialist Answers Five Questions From A Libertarian - Patheos (blog)

Westworld and the Roots of Self-Ownership The Chief’s Thoughts – Being Libertarian

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Being Libertarian
Westworld and the Roots of Self-Ownership The Chief's Thoughts
Being Libertarian
Since finishing the show, aside from some unrelated YouTube analyses, I have not read or watched any libertarian reviews of Westworld, so if you have written one and see similar themes in this piece, rest assured that I write only from my own memory ...

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Westworld and the Roots of Self-Ownership The Chief's Thoughts - Being Libertarian

Egyptian police deploy to deter Red Sea islands protest – Reuters

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CAIRO Egyptian police deployed in force on Friday to deter protests against President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's plan to transfer two Red Sea islands to Saudi Arabia.

Parliament voted on Wednesday to hand over the two uninhabited islands of Tiran and Sanafir and Sisi is expected to ratify the decision soon.

Politicians and activists opposed to the deal had called for protests on Friday in Cairo's Tahrir Square, center of the Arab Spring upheavals of 2011.

At least a dozen police vans and trucks were positioned around the square and in side streets on Friday. The metro station in the square was closed as a security precaution.

Armed police were also stationed in and around the Journalists' Syndicate building, scene of a protest earlier in the week.

Protest organizers said supporters had dispersed before the event started. Social media posts said other small protests in Cairo and elsewhere were quickly broken up by police.

The plan to cede the islands to Saudi Arabia, which has given Egypt billions of dollars of aid, was announced last year and has become mired in political protest and legal action.

Opponents of the plan say Egypt's sovereignty over the islands dates back to 1906, before Saudi Arabia was founded.

Saudi and Egyptian officials say the islands belong to the kingdom and were only under Egyptian control because Riyadh had asked Cairo in 1950 to protect them.

Small demonstrations have taken place over the past few days, despite a state of emergency imposed by Sisi in April following a wave of bomb attacks on Christian churches.

The controversy over the islands comes as Sisi is losing much of the popularity he enjoyed after overthrowing the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. With an election due next year, he is facing mounting criticism over the struggling economy and is seen by many Egyptians as a traitor for giving up the islands.

(Reporting by Amina Ismail and Mohamed Abdellah; editing by Giles Elgood and Janet Lawrence)

TOKYO/WASHINGTON Seven crew members are missing and at least three injured after a U.S. Navy destroyer collided early on Saturday morning with a Philippine-flagged merchant vessel south of Tokyo Bay in Japan, the U.S. Navy said.

BRUSSELS EU officials see the start of Brexit talks on Monday as a sign Theresa May is accepting their format for negotiations but they expect no quick deals and are wary the prime minister may try to break with Brussels protocol.

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Egyptian police deploy to deter Red Sea islands protest - Reuters

Plastic polluted Arctic islands are dumping ground for Gulf Stream – The Guardian

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Walruses with marine litter on Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago. Photograph: WJ Strietman/WUR

Beaches on remote Arctic islands are heavily polluted with plastic, a new expedition has found, demonstrating that the region is the dumping ground for waste carried northwards on the Gulf Stream.

The shorelines of islands in the Svalbard archipelago and of Jan Mayen island were found to be littered with much more plastic waste than on European beaches, despite tiny local populations.

The cause is plastic drifting northwards up the Atlantic from Europe and north America, before being stranded in the Arctic. Plastic waste dumped in UK seas is carried to the Arctic within two years, according to a previous study.

At least 1tn pieces of plastic have already been frozen into the Arctic ice over past decades, according to other research. This makes it a major global sink for plastic pollution, many times more concentrated than the well-known great Pacific garbage patch.

With global warming causing rapid melting of the ice cap, plastic is being released and making the problem even worse. Plastic pollution kills animals that become tangled up and seriously harms those that mistake it for food.

The latest expedition took Dutch scientists from the Wageningen Economic Research (WER) institute to six beaches in Svalbard, where they recorded 876 pieces of visible litter per 100m stretch of beach. On Jan Mayen Island, the most remote in the North Atlantic, they recorded 575 pieces. By comparison, an average of 375 pieces were found on Dutch beaches, despite their proximity to the source of the waste.

When these items arrive in the Arctic, they will remain here, said Wouter Jan Strietman, one of the WER team. This is why the amount of litter in the Arctic is building up every year. As a consequence, the sea around Svalbard ends up becoming the drain hole of the Gulf Stream.

The goal of the expedition, which has just returned from three weeks in the Arctic, is to try to identify the plastic waste. Almost nothing is known about the source of the litter, said Strietman. If you really want to do something about it, then you need to know the sources.

About half the plastic was too broken up to be identified, but 12% was nets, ropes and buoys from fishing vessels. The researchers also found large bundles of tangled strapping band, which is used to secure fish boxes on fishing vessels, with waste strapping most likely thrown overboard. Strietman is now working on projects with the fishing industry to reduce these problems.

But much of the waste comes from far away 8% of the items were plastic bottle caps and one distinctive bucket-like item was identified as being from oyster farms in southern Europe. The problem is increasing too, said Strietman: As you have the currents pouring in new amounts of plastic all day, and those pieces getting smaller, you get a multiplier effect.

When it really hit home was when I saw in front of the walruses, there was all kinds of plastic, Strietman told the Guardian. It was right there in front of me. Now you could see the direct relationship between these innocent animals and the plastic.

It was revealed in May that 38m pieces of litter had polluted the uninhabited Henderson Island in the South Pacific. With 99.8% of the litter being plastic, it represents the highest density of human-related debris recorded anywhere in the world. In February, scientists reported extraordinary levels of toxic pollution in the Mariana trench, with plastic waste carrying industrial chemicals to one of the most remote and inaccessible places on the planet.

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Plastic polluted Arctic islands are dumping ground for Gulf Stream - The Guardian

The never-ending school trip to the mainland – The Globe and Mail

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When the call came just after noon on May 17, Scott Woolford was told he would have to gather his things and leave by the end of the school day. He would have to pack his budget binder, medical emergency binder and the parent council binder, along with everything else: How do you pack up an office in twohours?

As principal at Island Public School, the school with the most unusual geography in the city, you sometimes have to beadaptable.

There are 246,000 kids attending Toronto District School Board schools. Only 236 of them attend school on the Toronto Islands. And while about 30 of them live there, the vast majority are from the Harbourfront community, which means they are the only students in the city who travel to school every day byboat.

When the water freezes during a harsh winter, shutting down the regular ferry for a day or two and keeping the Harbourfront kids from getting to school, the island-resident kids, supervised by two staff members who also live on the island, ride a city bus to Billy Bishop airport. The bus travels the airport runway, letting the students off at the airport ferry for a short ride to the foot of Bathurst Street, where the TDSB finds them some space forschool.

And when the island floods, as it has this spring, they are forced to find a temporaryhome.

Their school is dry, but the roadways to the ferry docks were not safe for the children and Mr. Woolford had to move his students to the mainland for the remainder of the schoolyear.

Izzy and Billie walk off the ferry as they temporarily attend Nelson Mandela Park PublicSchool.

Michelle Siu/The Globe andMai

How do you fit a whole school somewhere else? heasked.

On that phone call in May was Jason Kandankery, the tall, affable principal at Nelson Mandela Park Public School in Torontos Regent Park neighbourhood. The school accommodated the island kids before, and it had space forthem.

Mr. Kandankerys crew would get to work cleaning out 10 rooms for when the island kids arrived the next day. Yoga mats in one room were moved into storage; so were larger desks to make room for smallerones.

On the other side of the lake, Mr. Woolfords crew set aside laptop carts, students schoolwork, tables and carpets for the bigmove.

See these baby hands? We didnt have to pick up anything, Mr. Kandankery said jokingly, one afternoon thisweek.

Added Mr. Woolford, a friendly man: It was so well orchestrated. There were nohiccups.

Billie walks near large puddles of water and a shoreline lined with sand bags on WardsIsland.

Michelle Siu/The Globe andMail

The next morning, the island-students boarded the ferry at Wards Island with two teachers and met their mainland classmates and teachers, as well as Mr. Woolford, at the terminal. Three school buses followed one another to Nelson Mandelaschool.

By noon on May 18 a day after the call the children settled into their new classrooms. The principals have staggered recess time and lunch so that both schools get to use the playground and gymnasium for their meal. Sometimes, one class will invite another into its room, or kids from Nelson Mandela will read alongside island students in thehallways.

About a month in, eight-year-old Eli Prins-Carty has reluctantly settled into his new space. He cuts pictures for a collage on the floor of his large classroom, which he shares with another class. Nearby, the Grade 1s are rehearsing for theirplay.

Eli said he walks to the ferry dock to meet his island-side classmates every morning at 8:10 for their ferry-and-bus commute to school. Before the flooding, the school bus used to pick him up on the island and take him toschool.

Its way bigger, Eli said of his temporary classroom. There are so many floors, and there are so many more rooms and so many moreclassrooms.

The island school is a one-storey building, and Nelson Mandela has three floors. On the island, kids can see the forest outside their school windows, not the cranes and construction workers around the Regent Parkschool.

On the island, kids can see the forest outside their school windows, not the cranes and construction workers around the Regent Parkschool.

Michelle Siu/The Globe andMail

Billie Page, 6, wonders if the duck eggs on the playground at her island school have hatched. Her mom, Melissa Amer, said that, although spring is a magical time on the island, being in the city is anadventure.

Billie is not so sure. It has no nature, shesaid.

Yes, it does, said her twin sister, Izzy.

Billie, wearing a white summer dress with pictures of leaves, shrugs her shoulders: It has a bunch of cars, and itsbusy.

Both girls, fifth-generation islanders, were nervous when they first came to the city forschool.

Then I got used to it, Billie said, getting ready for her commutehome.

Billie dozes off as she rides the school bus to the ferry dock on her wayhome.

Michelle Siu/The Globe andMail

Izzy strapped on her backpack, the one with a bright pink unicorn on it, and formed a line in her classroom withBillie.

They followed their teacher down three flights of stairs, and burst out the school doors into the warm sunshine. They climbed onto the last of three school buses that would wind their way through the congestion of Lake ShoreBoulevard.

As they approached the ferry docks, two police officers had blocked off the bike lanes so the children could cross safely to the sidewalk. Time was running tight the ferry was scheduled to depart at 4p.m.

We got to go, one teacher said, we got togo.

Izzy and Billie ran as fast as their little legs could carry them onto the boat that would take themhome.

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The never-ending school trip to the mainland - The Globe and Mail

Official: Education needed to increase pedestrian island use – Online Athens

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Whether by force of habit, or youthful inattention, or something else, some pedestrians arent yet using at least some of the new pedestrian islands installed in a handful of locations around the county.

You do have that. Im not sure why, Steve Decker, Athens-Clarke Countys traffic engineer, said when asked about the number of pedestrians who are continuing to cross streets without the protection of an island in places where an island is now available.

I dont know whether its habit; something theyve always done, Decker said, explaining that most of the problems are on Cedar Shoals Drive.

The pedestrian islands were installed close to the edges of the Cedar Shoals High School campus, one near Barrington Drive and another near Laurie Drive, and it is mostly the young people who live in nearby apartments and other residential areas who are eschewing the pedestrian islands, according to Decker.

The islands are two sets of raised concrete curbing installed in the turn lanes of Cedar Shoals Drive. Other islands are installed in the middle of an intown stretch of Prince Avenue, and on Milledge Avenue between Broad and Baxter streets with a sidewalk-width walkway between them.

The islands give pedestrians a respite from having to traverse multiple lanes of traffic.

On Cedar Shoals Drive and Prince Avenue, the islands and their associated crosswalks are equipped with pedestrian-activated flashing yellow beacons to alert motorists to stop until the crosswalk is clear of pedestrians. Because Milledge Avenue is a state route, the county could not install the beacons at those islands, Decker explained.

I think its mostly going to be a matter of education, Decker said when asked how the county would address the issue of people not using the pedestrian islands.

Decker said he has already talked with the countys public information officer, Jeff Montgomery, and they have begun sifting through some ideas for some immediate educational initiative. Ultimately, Decker said, hed like to involve county parks personnel, police officers and University of Georgia representatives in planning an educational initiative.

For the longer term, according to Decker, there is the bicycle and pedestrian master plan currently under development in conjunction with Toole Design Group, a consulting firm working under a $200,000 contract with the county. The final plan, which will be ready for county commission review next spring, will include an educational component. It is that longer-term approach that ultimately will change ingrained pedestrian behavior, Decker said.

Decker said the pedestrian islands on Prince Avenue have worked well, and in addition to providing some assistance to pedestrians, have also served to slow vehicular traffic along the intown section of the street.

The islands are a bargain in comparison with the cost of installing traffic lights to regulate pedestrian flow at traditional intersection-based crosswalks. The concrete islands themselves now being filled with soil and planted with vegetation cost somewhere around $4,200, Decker said, and the roadside flashing beacons, which are solar-powered, add another $7,000 to the cost. Even if the islands themselves are eventually equipped with flashing beacons to provide additional warning to motorists that pedestrians are present, the total cost still wont approach the cost of installing a traffic signal, Decker said.

The pedestrian islands are the result of work done by a roadway safety audit team, an idea put in place by Decker.

Rather than relying solely on input from his departments engineering specialists, Decker assembled a team comprising police officers, Athens Transit bus drivers, Clarke County School District personnel and even county clerical personnel who regularly drive local roads to assess local transportation safety needs.

The pedestrian islands represent the first round of work by the audit team, Decker said. The team is already working on a second round of traffic safety assessments.

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Official: Education needed to increase pedestrian island use - Online Athens

Battle Islands: Commanders (Review) – AndroidGuys

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DISCLAIMER: We were provided with a code that provides us in-game currency. Boohoo, I know, but it has not influenced the review in any way.

Battle Islands: Commanders is a Clash Royale-style game (why does that concern me) made by 505 Games (I can feel my childhood coming back) that sets its premise to World War Two. You can see 505s page on it here, where they provide links to download on Android, Apple, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Steam! Now thats a collection!

Me being me, I always like to disclose the permissions an app uses. In this case, I have zero issues with Battle Islands and what it wants. Just storage (since its a large app) and the basics for any game.

Storage wise? As of writing, Commanders is using 291MB of storage. Those with newer phones shouldnt need to worry, but you may need to if you have a smaller storage say, 8GB. (Then again, Google Play Services is 473MB, so no worries!)

(You are here to read a review of the game, after all.)

The gameplay plays like Clash Royale, but with more things stuck onto it. If you arent aware, these deck-building/tower-defense hybrids have you build a custom deck of up to 8 units, which you then take into a real-time battle with another player. by charging points (Called command points in this case) you can summon units into battle. The goal? Destroy all 3 of your opponents buildings in 3 minutes. In the last minute, the rate you get command points doubles. In a tie, you get an extra minute if its still a tie after that minute, the game ends in a draw. Sounds simple, right?

Of course, winning games (or earning stars in a game, although this can be slower) earns you chests. These little guys give you money (or supplies, in this case) as well as some unit cards. Said cards can be used in the deck editor to upgrade existing cards(if you have more than 1 of them) or be swapped out.

Tutorials? Much like similar games, the tutorial is in-depth and covers everything it can. I wont narrate it here, it is a long one, but be assured that you will know how to play after it.

There are also alliances, where you can team with players and give them cards. And then leaderboards, which allow you to watch some of the top fights.

As for looks and sound, 505 have done well. You can tell that a lot of detail has gone into every single unit. Oh, did I say each unit is individually voiced in a variety of languages and accents?

English and American Accents? Got em. You want German and French units, with accents thicker than butter? Sure! But youmustkeep the Australian flamethrower guy. That accent warrants special powers.You must adhere to these powers.

What can I say? Its what you would expect from this sort of game. The basic pack costs 99p (or cents) and the most expensive /$99.99.

Overall? Not too shabby, 505. Not too shabby. I was expecting a disappointing clone of Clash Royale, but its gone beyond the base to make a feasible product. Fairly good gameplay, sounds and graphics are pleasantly surprising, and I cant really complain over the IAPs. Only real issue is that the games play store page can is a little confusing in its layout, but thats not too bad. They just used PC screenshots, thats all.

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Battle Islands: Commanders (Review) - AndroidGuys

How genetics is settling the Aryan migration debate – The Hindu

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The Hindu
How genetics is settling the Aryan migration debate
The Hindu
The dating of the profound population mixture event that Reich refers to was arrived at in a paper that was published in the American Journal of Human Genetics in 2013, and was lead authored by Priya Moorjani of the Harvard Medical School, and ...

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How genetics is settling the Aryan migration debate - The Hindu

This Study is Forcing Scientists to Rethink the Human Genome – Gizmodo

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The more data, the better, right? When it comes to genetics, it turns out that might not be the case.

As both genetic sequencing has gotten cheaper and computerized data analysis has gotten better, more and more researchers have turned to what are known as genome-wide association studies in hopes of sussing out which individual genes are associated with particular disorders. The logic here is simple: If you have a whole lot of people with a disease, you should be able to tell what genetic traits those people have in common that might be responsible. This thinking has resulted in an entire catalogue of hundreds of research studies that has shed light on the genetic origins of diseases such as type 2 diabetes, Parkinsons disease, Crohns disease, and prostate cancer, while helping fuel the rise of personalized medicine.

Now, though, a new analysis calls the entire approach into question.

Writing in the journal Cell, a group of Stanford University geneticists write that such large studies are likely to produce genetic variants with little bearing on the disease in questionessentially false positives that confuse the results.

Intuitively, one might expect disease-causing variants to cluster into key pathways that drive disease etiology [the causes of disease], they write. But for complex traits, association signals tend to be spread across most of the genomeincluding near many genes without an obvious connection to disease.

Their analysis suggests an intriguing new way of viewing the genome in which nearly every gene impacts every other gene. Instead of a system in which you can plug and play different variables to affect different results, its a complex, inter-related network. They call this the omnigenic model.

Their work has broad, sweeping implications for the entire field of genetics. First off, that all those big, expensive genome-wide association studies may wind up being little more than a waste of time because they turn up genetic variants that, while perhaps interconnected to the disease, may not actually point to a viable target for things like drug therapy.

Indeed, genes that often seem related to diseases have stumped researchers in terms of the role they actually play in the condition. In the paper, for example, the Stanford researchers re-analysed a 2014 study of 250,000 people which found nearly 700 DNA variants linked to heightbut only 16 percent of these variants had anything to do with a persons height. In the paper, the Stanford researchers suggest that the impact of each variant has a teeny impact on height.

Far from solving a problem though, this new research merely opens up an entirely new line of questioningand shows us once again, that we may not know nearly as much as we thought we did.

[Cell]

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This Study is Forcing Scientists to Rethink the Human Genome - Gizmodo

How Health Care Is Playing in Georgia’s Special Election – NBCNews.com

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First Read is your briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.

The long-awaited congressional runoff in Georgia takes place on Tuesday, and one way to look at the contest is as a referendum of sorts on the health-care debate, especially now with Senate Republicans working on their own bill. Democrat Jon Ossoff opposes the repeal-and-replace legislation the House passed last month, while Republican Karen Handel supports it. Heres an exchange from their debate earlier this month:

Handel: The system we're under now under Obamacare is collapsing. And I know because my husband and I get our insurance on the exchange. The premiums are skyrocketing and we are seeing a complete collapse in choice of plans, as well as physicians. Steve and I have seen our monthly premium go up from about $350 a month to nearly $1,200 a month. Our deductible from $2,500 to $10,000. So the status quo is unacceptable

Ossoff: I met a little boy about a month ago named Matt who came out to canvass with us, knock on some doors. He is 7 years old, and he was born with a heart condition -- a pre-existing condition. And he is able to get coverage right now because there are protections for children like that with pre-existing conditions. But Secretary Handel supports a bill that would gut the protections for Americans with pre-existing conditions

Handel: My sister has a pre-existing condition; she was born without an esophagus, and for you to suggest that I would do anything that would negatively affect her is absolutely outrageous and unacceptable. The facts are, ladies and gentlemen, that the bill in the Senate right now it provides more protections for individuals with pre-existing conditions...

Ossoff: When it comes to pre-existing conditions, I'm afraid you're mistaken. The bill that passed the House guts protections for pre-existing conditions for Georgians.

According to the recent Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll of this race, more than 80% of likely voters said health care is an extremely important or very important issue regarding their vote, and just 1-in-4 voters said they approved of the House health-care plan. And remember, this is the race to fill the seat vacated by Republican Tom Price, who is now Trumps HHS secretary and thats another way health care is an issue in this contest.

Given Rosensteins statement above, dont forget this reporting from MSNBCs Ari Melber: An FBI inquiry of the Comey firing makes it more likely Rosenstein could be a witness, and thus potentially meet the parameters for recusing himself from overseeing Mueller's investigation. Rosenstein told The Associated Press in an article published on June 3 that he would rescue himself if he were to become a subject of Muellers investigation. I've talked with Director Mueller about this, Rosenstein told the AP. Hes going to make the appropriate decisions, and if anything that I did winds up being relevant to his investigation then, as Director Mueller and I discussed, if theres a need from me to recuse I will.

Yesterday, we noted that Trumps closing argument in the final days of the 2016 election was that Hillary Clinton presidency would result in endless investigations and scandals. Now? Well, Trump finds himself under investigation for possibly obstructing justice. And NBCs Alex Seitz-Wald writes that Trump took to Twitter on Thursday to lash out at Hillary Clinton.

Tweet #1: Why is that Hillary Clintons family and Dems dealings with Russia are not looked at, but my non-dealings are?

Tweet #2: Crooked H destroyed phones w/ hammer, 'bleached' emails, & had husband meet w/AG days before she was cleared- & they talk about obstruction?

At 1:10 pm ET, President Trump gives remarks from Miami about his changes to Barack Obamas policies toward Cuba. In an overhaul of one of his predecessors signature legacies, President Donald Trump will redraw U.S. policy toward Cuba on Friday, tightening travel restrictions for Americans that had been loosened under President Barack Obama and banning U.S. business transactions with Cubas vast military conglomerate, the Miami Herald writes. Trumps changes are intended to sharply curtail cash flow to the Cuban government and pressure its communist leaders to let the islands fledgling private sector grow. Note, however, that Trumps change of policy isnt popular with Congress, including Republicans from outside of Florida. We have a bill to lift the travel ban completely, to have no restrictions at all. That has 55 co-sponsors, Sen. Jeff Flake (R-AZ) said on MTP Daily yesterday. If it came to a vote on the Senate floor, I'm convinced we would be between 65 and 70 votes in favor of that.

NBCs Benjy Sarlin: Despite the stakes, some Democrats and activists opposed to the GOP plan say Republican efforts to hide the legislative process and a relentless tide of major news elsewhere have made it harder to draw attention to the issue. If youre a voter sitting at home looking at your newspapers front page, its possible to have no idea the 'Trumpcare' train is barreling down the tracks at you, Ben Wikler, Washington director of MoveOn, told NBC News in an interview. MoveOn and a variety of other grassroots groups are warning members that a bill is imminent and sounding the alarm with events, petitions and phone calls to senators. Democrats have been giving floor speeches, holding town halls, and tweeting all week about the expected legislation. But some are expressing frustration that their message is getting lost in the noise.

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How Health Care Is Playing in Georgia's Special Election - NBCNews.com

French Montana: Health care should be a right, not a privilege … – CNN

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"Heath care is kind of a privilege right now but it needs to be a right. When it comes to humanity I feel like I a lot of people gotta step up to make it better," the rapper told CNN's #GetPolitical series.

"I feel like a lot of artists and a lot of actors and people that have a platform like mine don't like to touch them kind of subjects because they real risky," French said, adding that it's crucial to take action when you're passionate about something and not just talk about it or post about it on social media.

While many in the US remain uninsured, the Grammy-nominated rapper came face-to-face with a situation that is much more dire after a serendipitous trip to the east African country of Uganda in March.

The Moroccan-born rapper, who grew up in the South Bronx, was inspired to visit the country in February after coming across Uganda's "Triplets Ghetto Kids," whose dancing videos on YouTube went viral last year.

"I listen to a lot of African music, so me just scrolling through the computer I seen them kids and I saw something that I never saw before," French said. "I saw art; I saw kids that were rich on the inside. I saw a lot of love."

The rapper said that he was supposed to shoot his music video for his single "Unforgettable," featuring California rapper Swae Lee, "in Hawaii or something like that but I decided I wanted to go to Africa, especially because that's my roots."

"Once we got there, I saw life for what it was out there. Three-hundred thousand people, they have two rooms and one ambulance," French said, describing the medical facility. "I feel like every kid and mother need the proper health care and it kind of hurt me. It made my heart heavy for them ... it touched me so much I said I'm going to make a change, probably not for the whole world but at least right here."

"I feel like especially with artists like me and other artists that have a platform to showcase this kind of message and show a difference and really go out there and do it -- not just speak about it and post about it on Instagram," French said. "I feel like we gotta show action nowadays."

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Raucous crowd quizzes Deb Fischer on health-care bill being crafted in Senate – Omaha World-Herald

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U.S. Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., endured a slew of boos and hisses Friday as she faced questions from Omahans and others upset at the secrecy in which Republicans are crafting a health care bill in Congress.

One man told Fischer that he believed Republicans were hiding the bill because they knew it would drive up health care costs for many Americans.

Fischer did not condemn the process, but she also did not aggressively defend the Senate GOP leaders who are writing the bill. She told about 140 people gathered at a town hall meeting in Omaha that she would prefer a public hearing be held or Democrats be allowed to be involved in the process or both.

But Fischer made it clear it was not her call.

Im from Nebraska, where we have a public hearing on every bill introduced in the Legislature. I think thats a system that I would, of course, always endorse. But that doesnt (always) happen in Congress, Fischer said.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and others are currently writing the Senates own version of a repeal of Obamacare with no plans to hold either a public hearing or a public drafting process. So far, Fischer indicated, only Republicans have been a part of the process.

Fischer held her meeting at Metropolitan Community College in north Omaha with a heavy police presence because of this weeks shooting at an Alexandria, Virginia, ballfield, during which a Republican congressman was shot. One police officer said it was better to be safe than sorry.

Fischer appeared unfazed by the sometimes raucous crowd, even when she felt compelled to gently chide people for being loud and interrupting her answers. I would hope we can continue to show respect here. Were in Omaha. Were in Nebraska, she said.

A core group of the people who attended the meeting were there to express their concerns about health care and Republican efforts in Congress to repeal the controversial Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare. They argued that the law has made it much more affordable for people with pre-existing conditions to acquire health care.

Several also argued to thunderous applause that the time had come in this country to adopt a public health care system similar to other developed countries such as Canada and Sweden.

Theres a lot of people who make a lot of money off of our health and I dont think thats right, one man told Fischer.

Fischer made it clear she did not support universal health care or Obamacare.

She said that although she may not be totally comfortable with the way in which the current bill was being written in Congress, she believed that there had been plenty of discussion and debate over the years and that Republicans have been clear where they stood: They want repeal of Obamacare and its requirement that all Americans acquire insurance or face a penalty.

I am supportive of the marketplace, she said.

But Fischer said any bill must include provisions to ensure that Americans with pre-existing conditions have access to health insurance.

She also appeared to assure the crowd that she would not vote on a bill until its price tag and its impact on this nations health care system had been analyzed by the Congressional Budget Office and was known to the public.

We need a CBO score. I want to see a CBO score before I vote, she said.

Health care wasnt the only issue that prompted the boos to rain down upon Fischer. She also earned a round of heckling and hisses when she commented on President Donald Trumps proposed travel ban.

Fischer said the U.S. should never ban people for religious reasons but it should be able to ban people from countries such as Syria, where it is difficult to do background checks on its people. We cannot vet people right now from Syria, she said, because you have a country right now in chaos.

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The Latest: Genesis HealthCare pleased to resolve probes – ABC News

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The Latest on a settlement with Genesis HealthCare to resolve allegations that the company and its subsidiaries filed false claims with the U.S. government (all times local):

1 p.m.

Genesis HealthCare says it is pleased to resolve allegations that the company and its subsidiaries had submitted false claims for unnecessary therapy and nursing care.

Company spokeswoman Jeanne Moore confirmed Friday that Genesis agreed to pay a $53.6 million settlement with the U.S. Justice Department.

Moore says the company, which is headquartered in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, operates in a heavily regulated industry.

Prosecutors said the company had been accused of submitting false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary therapy, hospice service and substandard nursing care. The settlement also resolved allegations that some services provided by nursing homes owned by Genesis were "grossly substandard and/or worthless and therefore ineligible for payment."

12:20 p.m.

Federal prosecutors say Genesis Healthcare has agreed to pay $53.6 million to settle allegations that it submitted false claims for unnecessary therapy and nursing care.

The U.S. Justice Department announced the settlement Friday.

Prosecutors say the company submitted false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary therapy, hospice service and substandard nursing care.

The company headquartered in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania owns and operated nursing facilities, senior living facilities and rehabilitation centers.

The settlement also resolved allegations that some services provided by nursing homes owned by Genesis were "grossly substandard and/or worthless and therefore ineligible for payment."

A phone message seeking comment left with a media representative for Genesis Healthcare was not immediately returned.

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Health-Care Investors Are in Denial – Bloomberg

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The U.S. health-care system is full of things that don't make much sense. A lot of them are extremely profitable.

One of these, recently highlighted by legendary short-seller Jim Chanos,is dialysis, a market largely split in the U.S. between two large firms,DaVita Inc. andFresenius Medical Care AG & Co KGaA.If the Senate passes a health-care bill similar to one the House of Representatives passed last month, then it may become easier for private insurance plans to stop covering dialysis, cutting off a big source of profit for these companies.

This is just one of the more extreme risks, of many, looming over health-care companies these days. And yet shares of the two biggest dialysisfirms have outpaced the broader stock market since the election, and the rest of health care is keeping up.

Holding Up

Health care stocks, including the two biggest dialysis providers, have held up well to the threat of Republican health care reform

Source: Bloomberg

Dialysis is a costly procedure that is mostly paid for by government programs -- people with end-stage kidney disease become eligible for Medicare, regardless of age. Trouble is, those programs reimburse dialysis companies at a significantly lower rate than private insurers. According to a Bloomberg Intelligence analysis, DaVita made 95 percent of its Ebitda from patients with private insurance from 2013 to 2016. The profit margin for these patients is 77 percent, versus 2 percent for government patients.

Doing the Splits

A DaVita slide deck shows how much more profitable commercially covered patients are for the dialysis firm

Source: DaVita

Though eligible for Medicare, some dialysis patients prefer private insurance because it can be more flexible. The Affordable Care Act made that insurance easier to get. It requires insurers to cover such patients, says insurers can't charge those patients more, caps out-of-pocket expenses and helps less-wealthy patients cover premiums.

The Republican replacement for the ACA, the American Health Care Act, seems designed to be a pain for dialysis firms. The law may let states apply for waivers of the regulations that have made private insurance more attainable.If given the opportunity, insurers would likely make plans covering dialysis patients prohibitively expensive, to help keep such people out of their risk pool.

Dialysis companies have already been curtailed in their ability to nudge patients toward commercial insurance by funding third-party charities that help pay for it. The AHCA has the potential to enhance theirwoes by pricing patients out of the private insurance market, charity or no.

Not Dead Yet

Trumpcare

Not every part of the health-care sector is quite as exposed to the AHCA as dialysis is. But most companies have similar risks, for which stock prices have failed to fully account.

Drugmakers, for example, also spend significant amounts of money funding charities that help cover out-of-pocket drug costs for patients on expensive medicines. Those costs are expected to rise substantially if the ACA is repealed, hitting revenue and increasing the political and public pressure over high drug prices.

A Kaiser Family Foundation analysisfound that 75 percent of individual insurance plansin the pre-ACA era didn't cover maternity care, 45 percent didn't include substance-abuse services, 38 percent didn't include mental and behavioral health services, and 17 percent had prescription-drug restrictions. The ACA brought those percentages down significantly. Under the AHCA, the individual insurance market is likely to head back to those bad old days in some states, pricing people out of comprehensive coverage -- and hurting companies that provide these services and products.

That will have widespread and unpredictable knock-on effects throughout health care. People who don't get mental-health care also don't get prescribed medication, and so on.

This is not a small-scale or narrowly concentrated problem. Twenty-three million people are expected to lose health coverage outright under the AHCA, according to the Congressional Budget Office. An unknown number will have substantially skimpier coverage or higher out-of-pocket costs that may dissuade them from getting care. Millions of Americans with employer-sponsored coverage may once again face annual and lifetime coverage limits.

Yet health-care stocks in the Russell 3000 index of the largest U.S. companies are outperforming the index as a whole since the election.A few stocks with ACA exposure are down since the election, but many more are up.

Giddy

Health care stocks have outperformed the Russell 3000 since Donald Trump's election, despite the threat of GOP health care reform

Source: Bloomberg

It's become increasingly clear health-care investors can't rely on the Senate to save them. The Senate has gone from publicly decrying the House bill to reportedly working on something that copies it in many respects. There's not all that much room to soften the House bill, anyway, despite President Donald Trump apparently having come to believe the House bill is "mean."The revised bill is being designed in secrecy and hastened to a vote (again) for a reason.

The consequences aren't always as obvious as they are for dialysis firms. But they're there, and health-care investors appear to be in some denial about it.

Peter Grauer, the chairman of Bloomberg LP, the parent company of Bloomberg News, is a member of DaVitas board.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of Bloomberg LP and its owners.

To contact the author of this story: Max Nisen in New York at mnisen@bloomberg.net

To contact the editor responsible for this story: Mark Gongloff at mgongloff1@bloomberg.net

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Health-Care Investors Are in Denial - Bloomberg

Warren rips Senate GOP for secretive work on healthcare bill – The Hill

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Sen. Elizabeth WarrenElizabeth WarrenTrump probe puts spotlight on Justice's No. 3 Conway blames lawmaker shooting on 'personal attacks' against Trump Warren rips Senate GOP for secretive work on healthcare bill MORE (D-Mass.) on Friday ripped Senate Republicans in an interview with "CBS This Morning" for drafting their version of the bill to repeal and replace ObamaCare behind closed doors without any input from Democrats.

"Right now, the Senate Republican leadership has 13 men locked behind doors, negotiating what they're going to do on a healthcare bill won't let Democrats in the room to even see the bill," Warren said.

Prompted by CBS host Jeff Glor that President Trump had called the House bill "mean," Warren responded by blasting the president for holding a Rose Garden celebration with GOP lawmakers following its passage.

"This is a bill that's going to touch every American family," Warren continued. "Everybody who's got an elderly relative in a nursing home, everybody who has a child with special needs, these cuts to Medicaid will touch millions of families."

On Sunday, Republicans announced that they saw a path to repealing ObamaCare through the Senate. If the Senate bill passes, the two bills will go through a reconciliation process.

Warren, one of the most liberal members of the Senate, ripped the House bill shortly after it passed.

"A health care bill that destroys care & affordable coverage for millions seriously? What planet are these guys living on?!" Warren tweeted in March.

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Warren rips Senate GOP for secretive work on healthcare bill - The Hill

Sisters of St. Joseph stand up against federal health-care legislation – Timesonline.com

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BEAVER -- The Sister of St. Joseph organized a pray-in event for health care in front of the Beaver County Courthouse on Friday.

About 20 community members and sisters were there, standing up against federal health-care legislation that they say could negatively impact senior citizens, the disabled and children if passed.

It's not a political issue. It's a moral issue, said Sister Jeanette Bussen, who spoke in front of the group with signs and posters.

There are more than 160 members at Sister of St. Joseph in Baden. About 80 of those women use Medicaid as their health insurance.

Our mission is to serve God and the dear neighbor without distinction, said Sister Barbara Czyrnik, who is on the leadership team of the Sisters of St. Joseph. We found out that this moment in our history, probably one of the greatest needs right now, is to advocate for health care for everyone.

Many residents at Villa St. Joseph rely on self-pay or Medicaid, as well as other senior-care facilities. In Pennsylvania, nearly 75 percent of Medicaid funding is spent on care for seniors and people with disabilities.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services, more than 35,000 Beaver Countians were enrolled in Medicaid as of December 2015, which is more than 20 percent of the county's population.

Following prayers and speeches, the sisters urged that others contact U.S. Sens. Pat Toomey and Bob Casey to speak out against the American Health Care Act.

The bill was passed in the House of Representatives in May and awaits a Senate vote.

Katy Wilcox of South Beaver Township attended the event with her husband, David, in solitary with the sisters message about health care. Three years ago, her adult son Dan had serious complications following surgery, which led to him being in a seven-week coma. She held a large poster with photos of her son during his lengthy hospital stay and a recent photo of him doing well.

She credits the Affordable Care Act and prayer as the reasons her son is alive. She said she feels certain that he wouldnt be if the American Health Care Act were law instead.

He now works part time, but his health insurance could be at stake if the AHCA is signed into law.

I'm here for his sake, but our story is just one story, Wilcox said. We understand now, on a personal level, how health problems can devastate your savings. Our life savings has been just about wiped out. We do have retirement and Social Security, but our means are not what we anticipated they would be at this part of our life. And we're very proud of our son ... and the work he's done and the progress he's made.

Its stories like hers that further motivate the sisters.

When you take it to a personal level, it always affects you in terms of motivation to do more, Bussen said. Because that makes it real, and when it becomes real, then you're in the position of wanting to do something about it and to work with people. Otherwise, they become statistics and they become news briefs and they become something that people are doing in Congress, but they don't affect us. ...

"This particular bill is going to affect us greatly. And hearing those stories should motivate people to really want to take some action and make phone calls.

Wilcox said she hopes that both sides of the political health-care argument can unite, quoting one of her favorite Bible verses.

"Let justice roll down like a river. Righteousness, like a mighty stream, she said.

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Pat Toomey talks health care, Russia, and security during Lehigh Valley stop – Allentown Morning Call

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U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey isn't sure any issue in modern American politics has been as publicly litigated as Obamacare.

Now working on a bill to replace the existing health care law, the Lehigh County Republican spoke Friday about those efforts, alleged Russian tampering with U.S. elections, congressional security and other issues at WFMZ-TV. He took questions from anchor Rob Vaughn, other reporters and social media.

People submitting questions were most interested in health care, Vaughn said, and Toomey's one of about a dozen senators working on replacing the Affordable Care Act. Specifically, he's been tasked with working out changes to Medicaid, which covers low-income, elderly and disabled individuals.

Toomey noted that health care discussions revolve around changes to Medicaid and the individual markets created under Obamacare, and not the employer-provided health insurance or Medicare that cover the bulk of America. Given Democrats won't support a bill that repeals the heart of Obamacare, the Republican authors must hold the support of virtually every member of their party to be successful.

The group has been criticized for working in private, but Toomey said he can't imagine the bill his group produces wouldn't become a public document that would be evaluated by the Congressional Budget Office before the Senate votes on it. The House voted last month on its own health care bill without waiting for CBO.

Funding for the Medicaid program is one area where the Senate bill is likely to differ from the House's. The outcome is important for Pennsylvania, which is among 31 states that expanded Medicaid under Obamacare, allowing a new category of adults to access coverage beyond the traditional program.

The federal government has been paying the full cost for the new category, but those payments will drop to 90 percent by 2020. While both the House and Senate are looking to reduce how much the federal government kicks toward Medicaid, the House wants to make the change abruptly, Toomey said, while the Senate wants that change to be more gradual. Toomey said the federal government should eventually pay the same percentage for the the new category of the Medicaid population as it does the old, which in Pennsylvania is 52 percent.

Getting there would cost some recipients coverage, critics warn. Under Obamacare 700,000 more Pennsylvanians signed up for coverage, and the state is running a deficit.

Toomey said a measure of the new bill's success will be whether premiums decline, something he said wasn't seen under Obamacare. He noted some people under Obamacarehave one choice of insurer.

There has to be a viable health insurance market, Toomey said, and the new bill will have to make sure people aren't "gaming the system" by only signing up for health care after they have a problem.

"Let's get the policy right," he said. "If we get it right, people are going to want to have health insurance and they will and it will be available and affordable."

Toomey also spoke Friday about the investigation into alleged Russian interference with the United States elections. Addressing a comment he'd made previously on CNN, Toomey said the "media obsession" with the idea that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians was "overblown," noting two Democrats close to the investigation have said there's no evidence of it. Toomey said he's not aware of evidence of obstruction of justice, either.

But, he said, Russia's actions are a problem and their behavior has been "outrageous."

"I don't have any doubt that Russia tried to interfere with our elections," he said. "They are generally trying to discredit western democracies in the United States particularly."

Speaking to reporters after the televised interview, Toomey called the Wednesday shooting incident during a GOP baseball practice that injured House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, two Capitol Police officers and two others, "extremely concerning." He said there's reason to believe this was an isolated action of a "deranged individual."

"If that's the case then hopefully this sort of thing will remain exceedingly rare and we don't have a lot to worry about," he said.

The interview came a few hours after President Donald Trump fired off a series of tweets about reports of an investigation into whether he colluded with the Russians, calling it a "witch hunt."

Toomey was asked what he thought of such Twitter activity.

"Generally, I think we'd be better off if there were fewer tweets. I don't think it's helping to advance the agenda I want to get [done]," he said. "Fewer tweets wouldn't hurt."

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Scientists Find Genetic Mutation That Could Increase the Male Lifespan – Gizmodo

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Jiroemon Kimura, the oldest man ever (Image: YouTube/Screenshot)

Professor S. Jay Olshansky once told Gizmodo, In the world of aging sciences, if you want to live a long life, choose long-lived parents. So genetic markers linked to longevity are interesting as hell. But if youve got the wrong genes, then the wrong moves might do you in.

A team of researchers from universities in the United States wanted to figure out the role of genetics in human lifespan, specifically relating to growth hormone. The researchers work shows two main things: first, that a mutation in mens DNA relating to growth hormone might lead to a longer lifespan. And secondly, that treating older people with growth hormone might be dangerous if they dont have the variation.

Gil Atzmon, the studys principal investigator from Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the University of Haifa in Israel, was most excited by how a slight change in DNA could have such a big impact. Delete a few base pairs, and you still have a functional protein that now makes people live longer, he said. I think this is phenomenal.

This is complex, so Im going to take it slow and possibly oversimplify things. Basically, theres one system in question, the IGF-1/GH axis. Each of these are genes that code for different molecules in your body.

Researchers have already had a hunch that IGF-1 can regulate height at the expense of longevity, like the case in dogs. More IGF-1 means taller but shorter lifespan and less IGF-1 means shorter but longer lifespan. This should make senseits akin to the way big dogs live shorter lives than small dogs.

The researchers studied 800 men and women from across four populations and found something surprising. Indeed, the IGF-1 levels were lower in the centenarians, but many of the men were also taller. The data showed the researchers that theres more than just IGF-1 at play.

Centenarian males were often missing a specific snippet of DNA in their GHR gene. These people seem to be more sensitive to growth hormone and grow taller. So, even though their IGF-1 levels were lower (they lived longer), they still grew taller from their special GH gene. The people with this mutation seemed to live ten years longer, on average.

And the study really was huge. The replication across the four different populations makes our result more accurate and globally translated.

Atzmon himself admitted that all this is pretty complex. But its definitely new, important evidence pointing to the role that this IGF-1/GH axis plays in simultaneously determining your height and your lifespan, explained Andrzej Bartke, Professor of Physiology and Internal Medicine at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine, in a conversation with Gizmodo.

But were not at some level of life-hacking clarity. Clearly more research is needed to understand exactly why this type of GH receptor favors extreme longevity, why the effect was seen only in men and why the results in people studied by these investigators differ from some of the previous findings in different groups of human subjects with the same type of receptors, said Bartke.

Theres a catch to all this. Their results seemed to show that folks who dont have the GH variation might actually be sensitive to growth hormone therapy. This is a stark reminder that administering growth hormone as an intervention to slow agingwhich is still being done in the anti-aging medicine industry is not warranted by the scientific literature, Olshansky told Gizmodo. In fact, could actually be harmful.

So, youre still going to die one day. But as to when, that answer probably doesnt reside in what you eat (or in young blood) nearly as much as it does in what your DNA looks like.

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Scientists Find Genetic Mutation That Could Increase the Male Lifespan - Gizmodo

Precision medicine: Hype today but the promise is even bigger than we think – Healthcare IT News

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Precision medicine is more hype than reality right now but, at the same time, the incredible potentialit holds for the future is even greater than all the buzz teases today.

Thats what I came away with from the Precision Medicine Summit in Boston this week.

Lets look into the distant future: A patient walks into a hospital to meet with clinicians who run tests and pinpoint a biomarker for, say, Alzheimers. Then a gene surgeon does some on-the-spot genome editing. The patient walks out with that Alzheimers-free-for-life feeling.

Primary care andgenome sequencing will come to the forefrontto identify which patients can benefit in a future where genome editing is widespread, said Ross Wilson, principal investigator at the University of California Berkeleys Institute for Quantitative Biosciences.

Just how widespread can precision medicine get? Well, Eric Dishman, who spearheads the NIHs All of Us program said the program is starting off with the goal of attracting 1 million American participants but is already thinking about how toscale that into the billionsglobally.

Getting genomic data into an EHR The grand vision is to democratize research and apply more brainpower per problem to the most vexing medical issues.

Before we can get there, though, a lot has to happen to hammer out data gathering and sharing capabilities, retool the healthcare system so its much more adaptable to change and ultimately modernize IT infrastructure to support precision medicine and all the data that entails.

Robert Green, MD, a medical geneticist and physician-scientist at Brigham and Womens Hospital and Harvard Medical School predicted skirmishes,if not all-out war, over genetic and genomic screening practices: with clinicians and patients on one side, calling for as much information as they can possibly get, versus public health officials and others, warning about the unforeseeable consequences of over-screening.

Among the reasons that people are refusing to participate in genetic testing is fear of discriminationby life, disability or long-term care insurance companies, according to Mayo Clinic Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology attorney Sharon Zehe. She added that the whole scenario puts providers in an awkward position because even among patients who are willing to undergo screening, many dont want that data to live in their medical records.

Not that getting genetic data into a medical record is exactly easy. One of the fascinating accounts at the conference was Washington University genetics fellow and bioinformaticist Nephi Walton explaining how it took nine months working with Epic to include genetic results into the EHR. You can make a human in that time, Walton said to laughter from the audience as he turned to a slide with a baby picture.

Precision medicine architecture emerging While its true that todays EHRs and IT infrastructure are not ready for the big data needs of precision medicine and I saw that thesame thing is true about population healthlast month at least one architecture is emerging.

Indeed, the strategy of harnessing FHIR standards, with mobile phones as middleware and a common data repository outside the EHR, is an apt way to manage the demands of precision medicine, said John Halamka, MD, CIO of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. The idea is to maximize what patients already have in their homes.

That approach also gives patients more controlover who can and cannot share their data, including researchers, which India Hook-Barnard, director of strategy and associate director of precision medicine at University of California, San Francisco, said it is both the right thing to do and sound science.

But even the architecture Halamka described and giving patients more control over data sharing will not conquer all precision medicine challenges, of course. Michael Dulin, MD, director of the academy for population health innovation at the University of North Carolina Charlotte said simply dumping a whole heap of genomic data on top of the already broken healthcare system, replete with huge variances and medical errors, may actually yield worse outcomes than we have today.

We have to use technology, we need AI, Dulin said. We cannot do this without it.

Walton noted that first we need simple artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms just to clean up healthcares messy data so its suitable for more sophisticated AI tools.

Becoming'precision health' What was perhaps the boldest prediction to emerge from the conference came from Bryce Olsen, global strategist for Intels Health and Life Sciences unit: Patients will start asking for precision medicine in the second half of 2017 though many of them will not even realize what theyre requesting.

Patients are going to demand that doctors get a better understanding of underlying drivers of disease and defects in their tumor. Were going to see this for cancer first, Olsen said. Doctors that dont have good answers will see patients bounce.

Ill add one more to the mix: Precision medicine, in both term and concept, will be supplanted by the phrase precision health and, yes, this is distinct from how Im seeing digital health become digital medicine.

Precision health, said Megan Mahoney, chief of primary care in Stanfords population health division, is a fundamental shift to a more proactive and personalized approach that empowers people to live healthy lives.

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Precision medicine: Hype today but the promise is even bigger than we think - Healthcare IT News