SJS Division IV basketball: Liberty Ranch falls to West Campus in semifinals – Lodi News-Sentinel

Posted on by

Three times in its Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV semifinal game on Wednesday, the Liberty Ranch High boys basketball team knocked on West Campus door.

But the second-seeded Warriors were quick to slam the door shut, knocking off the No. 6 Hawks 79-64 at The Jungle on Tokays campus. The win sends the Warriors to face top-seeded Central Catholic of Modesto, which spanked No. 4 Ripon, 82-61 in the other semifinal game.

An online service is needed to view this article in its entirety. You need an online service to view this article in its entirety.

If you are a current print subscriber to the Lodi News-Sentinel (and are not subscribed as a business), please choose this option for FREE online access. You will need to know your account number to finalize accessing this service. If you do not know your account number, please contact us at 209-333-1400.

If you are a business with a current print subscription to the Lodi News-Sentinel, please choose this option for FREE online access. You will need to know your account number to finalize accessing this service. If you do not know your account number, please contact us at 209-333-1400.

Need an account? Create one now.

kAm{:36CEJ #2?49 WaagX 2?5 #:A@? DE:== 25G2?46 :?E@ E96 }@Cr2= A=2J@77D] ~? $F?52J[ E96 52J 27E6C E96 D64E:@? 2?5 E96 C6DE @7 r2=:7@C?:2D D64E:@?D A=2J E96:C 3@JD 2?5 8:C=D E:E=6 82>6D[ E96 r2=:7@C?:2 x?E6CD49@=2DE:4 u656C2E:@? 😀 6IA64E65 E@ C6=62D6 :ED }@Cr2= 2?5 $@r2= A=2J@77 3C24<6ED]k^Am

kAm(:E9 eidc =67E 😕 E96 D64@?5 BF2CE6C[ 2?5 E96 82>6 E:65 2E `f`f[ {:36CEJ #2?49 E@@< :ED 7:CDE =625 @7 E96 82>6 H96? ;F?:@C 8F2C5 r92?5=6C v2C4:2 W82>69:89 a` A@:?EDX C:AA65 E96 32== @FE @7 E96 92?5D @7 (6DE r2>AFD 8F2C5 tC:4 p=DE@?D 92?5D[ H6?E 4@2DEE@4@2DE 7@C 2 32D<6E E@ >2<6 :E `h`f]k^Am

kAm%96J 42>6 @FE 2?5 >256 D@>6 D9@ED[ D2:5 {:36CEJ #2?49 4@249 y@D9 (:==:2>D] qFE H6 H6C6 23=6 E@ DE@A E96:C >@>6?EF> 2?5 C6EFC? E96 72G@C]k^Am

kAm%96 w2HAFD >256 :ED CF? 😕 E96 7:?2= EH@ >:?FE6D 7@C 2 beb_ 92=7E:>6 =625]k^Am

kAmx? E96 E9:C5 BF2CE6C[ {:36CEJ #2?49 D66>65 E@ 92G6 A:4<65 FA >@>6?EF> H96? 7C6D9>2? 8F2C5 y2=6? !2EE6CD@? 9:E 2 bA@:?E6C 7C@> 2=>@DE 92=74@FCE] %92E EC:>>65 E96 (2CC:@CD =625 E@ c`bb]k^Am

kAm{:36CEJ #2?49 4@?E:?F65 :ED C2==J E92E =65 E@ 2 @?6A@:?E 5:776C6?46 😕 E96 E9:C5 BF2CE6C] v2C4:2 9:EE:?8 2 D9@E ?62C E96 H:?8 E92E 4FE E96 (2CC:@CD 25G2?E286 E@ cdcc H:E9 bi`c =67E 😕 E96 BF2CE6C]k^Am

kAmx? E96 D64@?5 92=7[ H6 >256 2 76H CF?D 3FE H6 4@F=5?E 86E @G6C E96 9F>A[ (:==:2>D D2:5]k^Am

kAm%92E H@F=5 36 2D 4=@D6 E92E E96 w2HAFD[ H9:49 4@?4=F565 E96 7:?2= E9C66 >:?FE6D @7 E96 BF2CE6C H:E9 2 `bc CF? 7@C 2 dgcg =625]k^Am

kAm%H@ 7C66 E9C@HD 3J !2EE6CD@?[ A=FD 2 bA@:?E6C 7C@> D@A9@>@C6 7@CH2C5 y2J56? q2C@?: 96=A65 {:36CEJ #2?49 4FE 5@H? (6DE r2>AFD =625 E@ eedc 92=7H2J E9C@F89 E96 7:?2= BF2CE6C] qFE E96 (2CC:@CD H6C6 BF:4< @? E96 3@2C5D 7@C C63@F?5D[ H9:49 =65 E@ 62DJ A@:?ED 2?5 E96 H:?]k^Am

kAm!2EE6CD@? 7:?:D965 H:E9 a` A@:?ED 7@C E96 w2H6 v@?K2=6K 2?5 q2C@?: H:E9 D6G6? A@:?ED 6249]k^Am

kAm(6DE r2>AFD =625:?8 D4@C6C H2D 8F2C5 tC:4 p=DE@? H:E9 a_ A@:?ED[ 7@==@H65 3J 8F2C5 x>56CA2= s92=:H2= H:E9 `d A@:?ED]k^Am

kAm}@H E96 w2H6 😕 E6C>D @7 E96:C 7:CDE C@F?5 }@Cr2= @AA@?6?E]k^Am

kAm(6== 8:G6 @FCD6=G6D WE@52JX E@ C64@G6C[ 2?5 86E @G6C :E[ 2?5 86E 324< E@ H@C<[ (:==:2>D D2:5]k^Am

kAmk6>mr@?E24E C6A@CE6C |:<6 qFD9 2E k2 9C67lQ>2:=E@i>:<63o=@5:?6HD]4@>Qm>:<63o=@5:?6HD]4@>k^2m] u@==@H @? %H:EE6Ci o|qFD9{@5:$A@CED]k^6>mk^Am

Originally posted here:

SJS Division IV basketball: Liberty Ranch falls to West Campus in semifinals - Lodi News-Sentinel

Liberty Hill looks inside in bid for breakthrough state-tournament win – MyStatesman.com

Posted on by

LIBERTY HILL

It took one free throw for Kandyn Faurie to realize the Alamodome is not your basic high school basketball venue

To her surprise, Faurie, a Liberty Hill junior, could see fans looking at her from behind the backboard. At most high school gyms in Texas, a blank wall is the typical backdrop behind the backboard.

Faurie and her teammates should be more accustomed to the spacious Alamodome when they play there in the UIL girls state tournament for the third straight year. Liberty Hill (35-2) will face Godley (35-4) in a Class 4A state semifinal at 3 p.m. Friday.

Liberty Hill junior center Sedona Prince said some of the Panthers felt like babies when they played at the Alamodome last March. They had trouble adjusting their depth perception while shooting inside a cavernous venue constructed for football that opened in 1993.

You think youre close to the basket and then you shoot an air ball, said Prince, a 6-foot-7 University of Texas pledge. Last year we had trouble adjusting to the lighting, which was very, very bright. The light was messing with my eyes.

The Panthers and the other 23 girls basketball teams that will convene at the Alamodome this weekend all will have to adjust to playing in an arena that can seat up to 39,500 for basketball, although the setup for the UIL tournament includes roughly 20,000 seats. Liberty Hills players also believe the other Class 4A semifinalists will have to adjust to the Panthers style of play.

Combining a powerful frontcourt with a pressing defense this season, the Panthers topped Austin-area teams in scoring at 65 points per game while allowing only 33.5. They enter the state tournament with a 15-game winning streak under second-year coach Chris Lange.

After being promoted from Liberty Hill Junior High, Lange tweaked the Panthers style of play upon his arrival at the high school in the fall of 2015. A team that relied heavily on 3-point shots began to feed the ball inside.

Faurie, who describes herself as a banger, is a muscular 5-8 forward who uses her strength and quickness to offset taller opponents. Prince is a five-star recruit who played for Team USA junior squads during the past two summers.

Faurie averages a team-high 17.3 points while Prince chips in 15.3. Prince finished the regular-season as the Austin-area in field-goal percentage (.595) and blocked shots (5.2 per game). She also averaged 9.1 rebounds.

It makes common sense for teams to play to their advantages, Faurie said. If you have an advantage shooting threes, then shoot threes. If your advantage is height and the inside game, go there first.

Faurie listed three reasons why the Panthers have blossomed this season chemistry, speed and their press.

Ten of the 14 girls on Liberty Hills roster have been playing together since the fourth grade, and Faurie and Prince have been friends since they were in the same class in second grade.

The Panthers quickness comes from guards Shaylin Vickers and Bethany McLeod, whos also a 100- and 300-meter hurdler. Vickers, meanwhile, has raced with Liberty Hills 1,600-meter relay team that has won state titles in each of the past two years. The duo has combined for 6.2 assists per game, most of them coming off feeds to Faurie and Prince.

In its latest trip to the UIL state tournament, Liberty Hill will be trying to break an 0 for 5 drought in state-semifinal contests. In 2016, the Panthers lost to Argyle the two-time defending Class 4A champion by 11 points, 43-32.

The goal as always for the Panthers will be to earn the right to hang a banner that reads 2017 state champions inside their cozy campus gym. Right behind a backboard.

Read the original:

Liberty Hill looks inside in bid for breakthrough state-tournament win - MyStatesman.com

Swarthmore Libertarian running against Casey to hold town hall – The Delaware County Daily Times

Posted on by

A Swarthmore Libertarian whos launched a campaign against U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., is holding a town hall on Sunday, March 12, to talk about the impact of legal force on addicts.

Dale Kerns is an estimator for an electrical contractor. He also serves on the board of Goodwill of Delaware and Delaware County and is seeking the Libertarian nomination to run against Casey next year.

At 11 a.m. on March 12, he will host a town hall at the Clarion Philadelphia Airport at 76 Industrial Highway in Essington.

Speakers at the event include Christopher Dreisbach, CEO of Blueprints for Addiction Recovery and Christopher Baston, a U.S. Air Force veterans and contributor on WPHL radio.

Advertisement

The Kerns campaign said the event was motivated by his own recent loss of a relative to drug addiction and is meant to show the negative impact that the criminalization of addiction had on families and homes.

Two Republicans have already announced theyre in the race as well: Andrew Shecktor, a Berwick borough councilman who ran successfully last year as a delegate for Donald Trump to the Republican National Convention, and state Rep. Rick Saccone of suburban Pittsburgh.

Originally posted here:

Swarthmore Libertarian running against Casey to hold town hall - The Delaware County Daily Times

UN: All Sides Committed War Crimes in Aleppo – Being Libertarian

Posted on by

The UN has determined that both the rebels and the opposition from Syrian and Russian forces had committed war crimes that have caused many casualties among the civilian population of Aleppo.

The investigation report released by the UN Commission of Inquiry noted that Syrian and Russian forcespervasively used weapons to bomb highly populated areas in the rebel-held capital of Aleppo during last years conflict.

According to Al Jazeerathesemunitions included aerial bombs, air-to-surface rockets, cluster munitions, incendiary bombs, barrel bombs, and weapons delivering toxic industrial chemicals.

The Syrian governmentalso used chlorine bombs, a banned chemically toxic weapon that caused hundreds of civilian casualties according to the UN report.The government has repeatedly denied using chemical weapons in the war, which has killedalmost 400,000 people.

The report also accused the Syrian government of ameticulously planned and ruthlessly carried out air strike on a UN and Syrian Red Crescent convoy in western Aleppo in September, which killed14 aid workers.

According toAl Jazeeras Mohammed Jamjoom, the press was told was that the UN is preparing a dossier so if there is a tribunal that eventually happens, the evidence is ready to try to prosecute those who are accused of doing war crimes.

Rebels have been accused of firing shells indiscriminately at government-held areas and other parts of western Aleppo. Rebels also reportedly prevented groups of civilians from escaping eastern Aleppo during the latter stages of its fall, and used some civilians as human shields.

The Syrian government has repeatedly deniedmost of the claims put forth against it, and the rebels have also failed to take any accountability for their actions. Both sides have ravaged the city of Aleppo, killed many innocent civilians, and have used inhumane and illegal methods in fighting each other.

Photo Credit: Reuters/Kenan Al-Derani

This post was written by Nicholas Amato.

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

Nicholas Amato is the News Editor at Being Libertarian. Hes an undergraduate student at San Jose State University, majoring in political science and minoring in journalism.

Like Loading...

See more here:

UN: All Sides Committed War Crimes in Aleppo - Being Libertarian

Rothbard’s Revenge: The Developing Libertarian-Right Alliance To Crush Leftist Influence In Modern Society – The Liberty Conservative

Posted on by

The past week has been a wild one in the libertarian movement that resulted in a great deal of soul-searching and reflecting. With left-libertarians triggered and showing their nasty, totalitarian colors under the pressure, many rational libertarians are realizing that this poison must be removed from the movement post haste before even more damage is done.

Anarcho-capitalist author and philosopher Christopher Chase Rachels has taken the lead in this valiant effort. In an apparent response to the growing acceptance of violence, harassment, and mob tactics by left-libertarians, Rachels is striking back. He drafted a manifesto for his new right-libertarian alliance that he published earlier today.

We as the libertarian right seek first and foremost to promote a society whose prevailing legal system(s) is/are firmly rooted in the private property ethic and the NAP, Rachels said in his manifesto. That this is the fundamental core of the peaceful, civilized, and prosperous society.

Those words sound like doctrinaire libertarianism, but Rachels manifesto definitely could appeal to those on the right as well. Rachels cleverly outlined language to satisfy right-wingers who are growingly interested in forming model communities to rid themselves of leftists completely, a noble goal if there ever was one.

People have the right to pool their property and form whatever type of community they wish based on whatever cultural values they have so long as insodoing they do not violate the private property of others, Rachels said.

This means that right-wing people could clique up with fellow right-wingers, even if they happen to be white, and form exclusionary communities. While this notion may make a left-libertarian run shrieking to the safety of a lynch mob, right-libertarians understand that this is true freedom. Rachels alliance might finally be the vehicle to promote a consistent, unapologetic strain of libertarianism that unabashedly promotes freedom, no matter what the outcome.

Jared Howe of Being Libertarian has provided a great deal of intellectual ammunition on Rachels behalf as he embarks upon his new mission.

When the left organizes, the right traditionally does nothing, though this is rapidly changing, Howe said. When the right organizes, the left spergs the fuck out and lapses into hysterical purity spiraling, gaslighting and Kafkatrapping.

This tells me that the left is TERRIFIED of the right. As Brexit, the election of Trump, and the rise of the Alt-Right have demonstrated, the left clearly isnt going to prevail through verbal abuse alone. Thats why theyve been escalating and provoking violent conflicts with Trump supporters. For them, it isnt about being right; its about survival through parasitism.

As the libertarian movement inevitably splits along partisan lines, opportunities will arise for libertarians to regroup, strike back, and make a lasting impact. Rachels and Howe clearly understand the need to combat the stasis in the libertarian movement. Their project has the real potential to focus libertarian resources toward achieving necessary ends.

The alliance does not have a website at the current time, but interested individuals are encouraged to email [emailprotected] for more details.

Read the original here:

Rothbard's Revenge: The Developing Libertarian-Right Alliance To Crush Leftist Influence In Modern Society - The Liberty Conservative

JMU professor reflects on experiences in the Galpagos Islands – The Breeze

Posted on by

Conley K. McMullen steps into a high ceiling lab located in the bioscience building and points to a prickly-pear cactus that came all the way from the remote Galpagos Islands. What was once only an inch tall when he got it in 1984, now towers over him at almost 10 feet.

Its amazing what time will do to plants from the Galpagos, McMullen, a JMU biology professor, said. But the Galpagos is far more than just cacti.

According to him, there are many problems The Galpagos Archipelago faces.

With the islands only 600 miles west of Ecuador, most of the profits made from tourism go straight to Ecuadors economy, leaving the Galpagos struggling to maintain its unique character. The 13 major islands and seven smaller islands are all volcanic, straddling both sides of the equator.

When McMullen first began going to the Galpagos in 1983, the population was much smaller. According to McMullen, there used to be around 5,000 residents and 12,000 tourists.

Now there are around 30,000 residents and there are about 200,000 tourists visiting, McMullen said.

As the population of residents rises to meet the demands of growing tourism, more and more invasive species appear each year. This poses a threat to the existence of native species. Blackberries, for example, have proliferated, leaving no room for indigenous species.

McMullen is a governing member of the Charles Darwin Foundation, which strives to conserve Galpagos Archipelago biodiversity and promote ecological awareness.

Some question why this matters but dont realize that most species found on the islands are the only one of its kind in the entire world, McMullen said. So once they are gone, theyre gone for good. And with most of the revenue coming from tourism, if these species disappear, there is no reason for people to come to the islands.

He added that the foundation struggles with conservation because most of the time they are on a shoestring budget.

Dennis Geist, who is currently the president of the Charles Darwin Foundation in Washington, D.C., spoke about the importance of conservation as well.

The Galpagos are important historically, having had such an impact on Darwin, Geist said in an email. And they serve as a natural laboratory for evolutionary studies today.

Every day researchers examine the flora and fauna of the Galpagos and note any changes they see within the landscape, hoping to prevent extinction of certain species.

Some of these exotic creatures include the giant Galpagos tortoises, which can weigh over 900 pounds and can live to be over 100 years old. Along with them, would be marine iguanas which can dive over 9 meters into the water.

In the early 2000s, goats were the biggest threat to indigenous species of the Galpagos.

They would send me off to my little island with a rifle and say, If you see any goats, you [have to] shoot them, McMullen said. It was quite the eye-opening experience.

Luckily, McMullen never encountered any.

He explained that around 200,000 goats were eradicated at the time due to the competition of food between them and the giant tortoises.

It was a complete burial ground of all bones, McMullen said.

At times, he explained that he and his team watched the plants for up to 72 hours straight to see if any insects would come.

Those were two rough summers with just us on the island, McMullen said. Oh man, we played a lot of cards. This kind of thing, just watching plants and checking off boxes, is not for everybody. But I personally loved the opportunity. Imagine having an entire island to yourself.

His fascination with botany all began back when he was an undergrad at Eastern Mennonite University, which was then called Eastern Mennonite College. He had to create a floristic, or catalog, of all of the plants of Rockingham County for a school project.

According to McMullen, at the time he stated that there were 1,095 species of vascular plants in the county. Later he then went to graduate school at JMU, continuing to explore his passion for conservation research. When the opportunity arose to travel to the Galpagos to do research with his predecessor, Norlyn Bodkin, everything seemed to click.

He really inspired me to want to continue botany research, McMullen said.

Twenty-five trips to the Galpagos later, McMullen is happy to now teach two courses this year on his favorite subjects, field botany and biodiversity.

One student, senior biology major, Sara Schoen, is currently enrolled in his Galpagos and Ecuador course, and opened up about how her perspective of the islands has changed.

Ive become more open minded, Schoen said. Before I knew that they were just a group of islands. Now I can see why its so imperative to conserve the islands, all thanks to Professor McMullen.

She explained that McMullen conveys his passions for the islands through videos, pictures of his travels and storytelling.

He once joked saying the locals should call a nearby, unnamed body of water, McMullen Bay for all of his efforts of research on the island, Schoen said. He is always very lighthearted and enthusiastic. It makes us want to learn.

As McMullen walks through a laboratory that he teaches classes in, he pulls out an old photo of him in the Galpagos. He smiles as he reflects on all of his adventures and achievements.

It sounds clich but they always said youll never work a day in your life doing something you love, McMullen said. They were right.

Contact Nastacia Nickolaou at nickolnt@dukes.jmu.edu.

Success! An email has been sent with a link to confirm list signup.

Error! There was an error processing your request.

Read more:

JMU professor reflects on experiences in the Galpagos Islands - The Breeze

Two days of rain saturate Hawaiian islands – Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Posted on by

Top News| Weather

By Star-Advertiser staff

Posted March 01, 2017

February 27, 2017

Updated March 2, 2017 5:05am

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM

A pedestrian walked in the rain this morning on South School Street near Kalihi.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM

Rain poured down on a homeless woman and her belongings this morning at the intersection of South School and Lusitana streets.

CRAIG T. KOJIMA / CKOJIMA@STARADVERTISER.COM

Steady rain soaked Honolulu this morning.

COURTESY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE

A composite radar image showed areas of heavy rain over Oahu and Kauai this morning.

MAUNA KEA WEATHER CENTER

The view Tuesday morning from the webcam aimed north-northeast toward the Keck Telescope.

Update: Thursday 4:30 a.m.

Most weather advisories and watches have expired or been canceled.

The lone advisory remaining is a small craft advisory for coastal waters off Oahu and Kauai through noon today.

Forecasters expect southerly winds of 17 to 28 mph and seas of 6 to 9 feet in affected areas.

Update: 10:10 p.m.

A storm system that dumped rain throughout the islands for two days was slowly moving away from the state but the threat of flooding remained late tonight.

A flash flood watch was still in effect late tonight from Oahu to the Big Island, with National Weather Service forecasters in Honolulu saying that the saturated ground and higher stream and river levels means that lingering showers could still cause flooding even if the rainfall accumulation is not high.

Earlier flood advisories for Oahu and Maui, however, have expired.

The forecast calls for more humid weather with the possibility of spotty heavy rainfall Thursday; mostly sunny, but hazy skies Friday; and a cold front bringing an increased chance of rain over the northern half of the state this weekend, the weather service said.

Heavy rain caused road closures and some flooding throughout the state over the last two days.

Over the 24 hours ending 9 p.m. Wednesday, about 5 inches of rain fell in Kahuku on Oahu and on Kauais Mount Waialeale. More than 3.6 inches of rain fell at Honolulu Airport, according to the weather service.

Previous coverage

Heavy rain continued falling over Maui tonight, while downpours over Oahu have diminished, the National Weather Service said.

At 6:32 p.m., radar indicated moderate to heavy showers moving over Maui from the south, mainly impacting the area from Napili to Lahaina to Kihei, the weather service said. Lighter showers were spreading to windward areas.

One to two inches of rain per hour can be expected.

Portions of South Kihei Road were closed due to ponding on the roadway.

The weather service extended the flood advisory for Maui to 9:45 p.m. A flood advisory for Oahu remained in effect until 8:15 p.m.

On Oahu, light to moderate showers continued to move in from the south.

The weather service said ponding could be expected on roadways, especially in town, as showers moved ashore from Honolulu to Hawaii Kai.

Locations included, but not limited to, in the advisory for Oahu were: Pearl City, Moanalua, Honolulu, Hawaii Kai, Salt Lake, Kalihi, Halawa, and Waimalu.

The rest of the islands east of Kauai remained under a flash flood watch through late tonight. The watch means conditions may develop that lead to flash flooding.

Update: 5:40 p.m.

Heavy rain again moved over Oahu this evening, placing most of the island back under a flood advisory until 8:15 p.m.

At 5:17 p.m., radar indicated moderate to heavy showers moving over Oahu from the south, affecting urban Honolulu, and spreading over the Koolau and affecting windward communities from Kaneohe to Kahaluu, the National Weather Service advisory said. Rain was falling at a rate of 2 inches an hour. The advisory includes, but is not limited to, Honolulu, Kalihi, Nuuanu, Maunawili, Kailua, Waikane, Salt Lake, Kaneohe, Waiahole, Moanalua, and Halawa.

Most of the state, from Oahu to the Big Island, is also under a flash flood watch through tonight.

Update: 3:45 p.m.

All islands except Kauai and Niihau remain under a flash flood watch until late tonight, forecasters said.

The National Weather Service in Honolulu said the storm system that has been dumping rain across the state since Tuesday will lift away to the north tonight resulting in heavy rain and thunderstorms with the potential to produce flash flooding. Maui County will have the highest chance with Oahu and the Big Island more of a periphery flash flood threat.

Kauai and Niihau were removed from the watch by mid-afternoon.

But a flood advisory is in effect for the Valley Isle until 6:45 p.m. At 3:28 p.m., radar indicated moderate to heavy rainfall over the south-facing slopes of Maui from Kaupo to Maalaea. Another area of rainfall was headed toward Maui from the south and is expected to reach the island within the next hour, forecasters said. The advisory includes, but is not limited to, Kahului, Kihei, Lahaina, Kaanapali, Waikapu, Maalaea, Honokohau, Wailea, Puunene, Kula, Waiehu and Pukalani.

The weather service forecast for the rest of the week calls for more humid weather with the possibility of spotty heavy rainfall Thursday; mostly sunny, but hazy skies Friday; and a cold front bringing an increased chance of rain over the northern half of the state this weekend.

Update: 1:45 p.m.

Maui County remains under severe thunderstorm watch until 4 p.m. today, according to the National Weather Service.

A severe thunderstorm warning for Molokai was canceled at 12:45 p.m.

A flash flood watch is in effect for all islands through late tonight.

Update: 12:15 p.m.

The National Weather Service has posted a severe thunderstorm warning for Molokai.

At 12:06 p.m., radar indicated a severe thunderstorm 12 miles southwest of Kaunakakai, moving north at 25 mph. This storm is capable of producing damaging winds up to 60 mph, the warning said.

Severe thunderstorms produce damaging winds, destructive hail, deadly lightning and very heavy rain.

The warning is scheduled through 12:45 p.m. today.

The severe thunderstorm watch for Maui County and the coastal waters from Molokai to just off Hawaii island has been extended through 4 p.m. today.

A flood advisory has been issued for Lanai through 2:30 p.m.

The severe thunderstorm watch for the Kaiwi Channel has been canceled.

Update: 11:30 a.m.

Heavy rains looming just off Lanai and Kahoolawe prompted the National Weather Service to issue a special weather statement for those islands.

At 11:30 a.m., radar indicated heavy downpours with gusty winds were located along a line extending from 10 miles west of Lanai to 20 miles southwest of Makena. Movement was northeast at 35 mph, the statement said.

Wind gusts up to 50 mph, very heavy rain, and maybe a rumble or two of thunder can be expected as this line comes across those islands between 11:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Update: 10:30 a.m.

Weather officials have canceled the flash flood warning for Oahu.

Weather radar showed that heavy rain has ended over Oahu and runoff has receded, the National Weather Service said in a statement.

A flash flood watch remains in effect for Honolulu through tonight.

Update: 10:15 a.m.

The National Weather Service has canceled the severe thunderstorm watch for Oahu and surrounding waters.

Update: 9:30 a.m.

Strong thunderstorms approaching West Molokai from the southwest have prompted weather officials to issue a special weather statement for the Friendly Isle.

At 9:24 a.m., radar indicated strong thunderstorms located over the Kaiwi Channel, moving northeast at 40 mph, the statement said.

Forecasters expect torrential rainfall and gusty winds for affected areas.

Locations in the bulletin include, but are not limited to, Kepuhi, Hoolehua, Kualapuu, Maunaloa, Kaunakakai and Molokai Airport.

A severe thunderstorm watch remains in effect through noon for the state.

The flash flood warning for Kauai has been canceled. However, Kuhio Highway remains closed at the Hanalei Bridge as the Hanalei River water level has not yet receded to a safe point.

A flash flood watch remains in effect for Kauai County through tonight.

Update: 8:15 a.m.

Despite easing rains, an area of rainfall approaching combined with saturated ground has prompted weather officials to extend the flash flood warning for Oahu to 11 a.m.

At 7:44 a.m., radar data, rain gages, and spotter reports showed that rainfall has eased over most of Oahu for now. However, an area of heavy rainfall is approaching the island from the south. This rainfall is expected to produce rapid runoff on saturated ground and urban flooding, the warning said.

Update: 6:50 a.m.

Strong thunderstorms around the islands have prompted weather officials to issue a severe thunderstorm watch for the waters around Oahu and Maui County.

At 6:47 a.m., radar indicated strong thunderstorms capable of producing winds 46 mph or greater. These storms were located over the leeward Oahu waters, moving northeast at 28 mph toward the Kaiwi channel and windward waters, the warning said.

Areas covered under the warning include the Kaiwi Channel, Kauai Channel, Maui County windward and leeward waters, and Oahu windward and leeward waters.

Mariners are advised to expect gusty winds, high waves, lightning and heavy rains in affected areas.

The weather service also said that radar showed more heavy rain sitting just off the Waianae coast and south shore, moving north at a rate of 15 to 20 m.p.h. Flash flooding can occur when the rain moves on shore, according to the weather service.

Update: 4:45 a.m.

The flash flood warning for Oahu has been extended through 8 a.m. today, according to the National Weather Service.

At 4:26 a.m., radar indicated heavy rain has temporarily eased across Oahu. However, radar shows more heavy rain located just off the Waianae coast and south shore. These cells are moving north at 15 to 20 mph. Flash flooding can occur when they move ashore, the warning said.

Police closed Kamehameha Highway in both directions in front of Turtle Bay around 4:15 a.m. due to roadway flooding.

Locations in the warning include, but are not limited to, Honolulu, Maunawili, Kailua, Waikane, Mililani, Waialua, Hawaii Kai, Salt Lake, Kaneohe, Waiahole, Moanalua and Halawa.

The flash flood warning for Kauai has been extended through 6:45 a.m. today.

Radar shows an extensive area of moderate to heavy rain that will be affecting the island for about the next two hours. Some of the streams especially on the north and east side of the island are swollen and running high. And with a rainfall rate of 2 inches an hour, there is a high potential for flash flooding, the warning said.

Locations in the warning include, but are not limited to, Lihue, Kapaa, Kalaheo, Kekaha, Princeville, Kilauea, Wailua Homesteads, Barking Sands, Moloaa, Anahola, Kokee State Park and Mana.

The summits of Hawaii island, blanketed by snow on Tuesday, are now under a blizzard warning.

An approaching upper-level trough will pass from west to east across the islands through tonight. Heavy snow showers, strong winds and poor visibilities are expected at the Big Island summits, with a chance for thunderstorms as well, the warning said.

The warning applies to summits above 11,000 feet and is in effect through 6 a.m. Thursday.

Forecasters expect snowfall of 6 to 10 inches and southwesterly winds of 45 to 55 mph, with gusts to 65 mph.

Update: 1:45 a.m.

The National Weather Service has extended a flash flood warning for Oahu until 5 a.m. today as a persistent storm system continues to dump rain throughout the state.

At 1:25 a.m, radar indicated much of the heavy rain has abated across the warning area. However, the ground is saturated from the heavy rain in the past few hours and any additional heavy rain will easily lead to flash flooding. Some of the rivers are still swollen and running high as well, the warning said.

More:

Two days of rain saturate Hawaiian islands - Honolulu Star-Advertiser

Big Two lead Liberty Co. to Final Four with win over Islands – Savannah Morning News

Posted on by

HINESVILLE A determined Islands team started the third quarter with an impressive run to put some pressure on host Liberty County on Wednesday night, but the defending state champion Panthers were not going to be denied on their home court.

Guards Will Richardson and Davion Mitchell put on a spectacular show, combining for 71 points as the Panthers rolled to an 89-72 win over Islands in the GHSA Class 3A quarterfinals.

It was the 14th straight win for Liberty County as the Panthers finished off a perfect season at home and improved to 22-5 overall. Liberty County, which won the Class 4A title last season before moving down to 3A, will face Pace Academy in a Final Four matchup set for 4 p.m. Saturday at Armstrong State University.

The Sharks third-quarter run lit a fire under Mitchell, the senior point guard headed to Auburn, and Richardson, a junior guard with an array of offers from some of the top programs in the country. Richardson had four 3-pointers among his 42 points, and Mitchell also connected four times from distance as he put up 29 points. Mitchell had 14 in the first half and became the first Panther to reach the 2,000-point milestone for his career.

They have some players that can shoot the ball, Mitchell said. So defense was the key for us tonight, and thats what we had been working on in practice all week. When Will (Richardson) and I are on, we know we are hard to stop. We won tonight, and we have a lot of confidence heading into the Final Four.

Richardson said he and Mitchell have been playing ball together since they were in the fourth grade, and the chemistry they have was evident from the opening tipoff.

Davion and I have played together for so long, we know exactly where the other guy is going to be, said Richardson, who entered the night averaging 31.1 points per game and reached the 40-point mark for the sixth time this season. We knew Islands had some great guards in (Justin) Cave and (Trae) Broadnax, so we were focused on slowing those two down. Were taking the approach like we are the underdog in every game. Were going to do whatever it takes to get that W.

Trailing 40-24 at the half, Islands came out strong in the third quarter. A steal led to a Broadnax layup, and the defense kept the pressure on leading to a basket in transition followed by a 3-pointer by Hugh Durham. Justin Cave added a dunk and a layup as Islands went on an 11-1 run to close the deficit to 41-35.

But Liberty County responded. Mitchell hit a step-back trey, and Richardson pulled up to connect on a mid-range jumper to stem the tide. Richardson closed out the third quarter by draining his final three 3-point attempts as Liberty County extended its lead to 62-45 after three quarters and never looked back. Jaalon Frazier added nine points for the Panthers.

The final two minutes resembled the NBA All-Star game with uncontested 3-pointers swishing through the nets, and spectacular dunks bringing the crowd to its feet. Richardson had a memorable windmill jam, and Mitchell skied to flush a nice two-hander. Cave returned the favor with a dunk of his own for the final basket of his high school career.

Cave finished with 24 points, and the standout sophomore Broadnax had 22. Senior Durham scored all eight of his points in the second half and Justin Walker added seven for Islands.

Liberty County has some talented guards and they made all their shots tonight, said Durham, who will play at Vassar College in New York. Its tough knowing this is the last game for our senior class, but we had the first winning record in school history last year and made it to the Elite Eight this season. We helped build a strong program at Islands.

Cave was impressed with his teams start in the third quarter, but said Mitchell and Richardson played well.

We played some good defense to get back in it, but Richardson is so smooth, and Mitchell is slick and fast. They are a good combination. But we had a great road to the Elite Eight this year, it was an awesome journey, said Cave, who has an offer from Savannah State and is receiving interest from Wofford, Presbyterian and VMI.

Islands coach Karl DeMasi said his senior class of six players has put Islands on the map.

It was the final game for Heath Tofflemire, Alex Cabrera, Justin Walker, Justin Cutter, Walker, Durham and Cave.

I give them credit for hanging in there tonight against a great team in Liberty County, DeMasi said. This senior class has been a joy to coach. I knew they were special when they were freshmen, and its been great to see them mature as players, students and young men. I never had to worry about anything with them, on or off the court. They made my job easy.

ISLANDS (72)

Trae Broadnax 22, Edwards 1, Cabrera 6, Durham 8, J. Walker 7, Justin Cave 24, DeLoach 4.

LIBERTY COUNTY (89)

Haggray 3, Will Richardson 42, Davion Mitchell 29, Frazier 9, Washington 4, Golden 4.

I|12|12|21|27|--|72

LC|18|22|22|27|--|89

RecordsIslands 19-10; LC 22-5.

ON THE WEB

View more photos from the Islands game against Liberty County at savannahnow.com/sports.

Read the rest here:

Big Two lead Liberty Co. to Final Four with win over Islands - Savannah Morning News

Tiwi Islands Sistagirls prepare to wow Sydney Mardi Gras, want to show Indigenous LGBTIQ culture – ABC Online

Posted on by

Updated March 02, 2017 15:07:20

It took decades of fighting for recognition and several suicides before the Northern Territory's Tiwi Islands community finally accepted a group of Aboriginal transgender women.

The Sistagirls want to spread the message of their journey of resilience and hope when they travel to Sydney's Mardi Gras for the first time on Saturday.

"To go to the Mardi Gras is to showcase our culture and our people, how Tiwi people evolved in this generation and how we became stronger in our community," said Sistagirl Crystal Johnson.

"To show people you can make a change."

The group of 30 is preparing to travel almost 4,000 kilometres after numerous fundraising campaigns, both on the Tiwi Islands as well as around the country.

"It's going to be fantabulous, I'm looking forward to it," Ainsley Kerinaiua said.

"I can't wait to be in a glamorous outfit and parading out there with the rest of the LGBTI community."

The group have screen-printed costumes with glow-in-the-dark paint emblazoned with traditional graphic patterns and totems.

"We want to show off all the glitz and glamour but also the Tiwi culture with our traditional dressing and our traditional songs," Ms Johnson said.

"We want to showcase out there in the wider world that there are people who are Indigenous in Australia and LGBTIQ."

It has taken years for the Sistagirls to feel they can be open about their identities, including a spate of suicides among the group.

Those who died "had been bullied, picked on in our community, but they left their legacy behind, they left something for us", Ms Johnson said.

"We thought about suicide and why did they do that, and I tell the Sistagirls, 'they're not dead, they're still alive'. We believe in spirits, they're still with us 24/7. That's the thing about Indigenous people, we have our spirituality."

It took the women 15 years to win tolerance from the community, Nicole Miller-Mungatopi said.

"We had to fight for our acceptance," she said.

"Now they are accepting us because of suicides we've had here, deaths amongst our girls ... Now we're out, I just hope other communities accept their Sistagirls like ours."

Watch Story Hunters' story about Sistagirls on ABC iView.

Topics: sexuality, events, suicide, community-and-society, indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, tiwi-0810, darwin-0800

First posted March 02, 2017 07:31:06

See more here:

Tiwi Islands Sistagirls prepare to wow Sydney Mardi Gras, want to show Indigenous LGBTIQ culture - ABC Online

From cloning Dolly the sheep in a lab to gene editing dogs in a shed: progress? – The San Diego Union-Tribune

Posted on by

Cloning is making news again. Last week saw the 20th anniversary of a University of Edinburgh research teams announcement of the first successful cloning of a mammal from an adult cell Dolly the sheep.

The accomplishment made headlines worldwide for its audacity. The United Kingdom-based TechRadar website has a quick, clear recap:

She was a perfectly normal sheep in every way, except that she was an exact genetic copy of another one. ... Her creation was a biological triumph. Before Dolly, it was believed that animals could only be produced when an egg cell is fertilised by a sperm cell. ...

Dolly was created in a different way a process that biologists call somatic cell nuclear transfer. No sperm is involved instead, you use a body cell from an adult animal that you want to clone, and an egg cell. Remove the nucleus from both, pop the one from the body cell into the now-empty egg cell, and you get a cell that's ready to begin doubling. Zap it with some electricity and it'll start dividing.

The first cat was cloned in 2001 and the first dog in 2005. Now pet cloning is a fairly big business, with plenty of companies making pitches like this one from ViaGen:

A beloved pet is much like a family member. The unique life-enriching bond, the love and companionship a truly special pet provides us a unique sense of comfort and life-enriching fulfillment which is nearly impossible to extend beyond your pets natural lifespan. Until now.

But mammal cloning has had one of its biggest effects on an obscure corner of the sports world. In 2015, Vanity Fair explainedhow Argentine polo champion Adolfo Cambiasos 2007 loss of his beloved Aiken Cura, a white-faced chestnut stallion, led him to team with wealthy Texas entrepreneur Alan Meeker to have cloning revolutionize his sport.

Cambiaso had a veterinarian puncture his horses neck to get a tissue sample in the vague hope of bringing him back somehow.

Now he makes millions of dollars from cloned horses and regularly sees his old Aiken Cura model.

Cambiaso, Vanity Fair reports, is ...

... surprisingly shy. Walking across the Palermo polo field, where hes come to watch his oldest daughter play, he speaks in short spurts, as if he would rather not be talking to a stranger. Staring into the distance, he says, Today, seeing these clones is more normal for me. But seeing Cura alive again after so many years was really strange. Its still strange. Thank goodness I saved his cells.

In December, Cambiaso rode six clones of the same horsein the Palermo polo tournament in Buenos Aires to help his team win one of the sports biggest events. His company Crestview Genetics raises the cloned horses in Argentina and South Carolina and is now producing clones of Storm Cat, a descendant of Secretariat and the great-grandfather of 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah. But they wont be showing up at the Kentucky Derby. Thoroughbred racing bans clones.

Lately, however, advances in the CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing tool and the way the technology has become far cheaper and more available make cloning feel tame and ho-hum to those who follow science blogs. The Singularity Hub website posted a storythis week about David Ishee, a Mississippi man with a GED degree who breeds gene-edited dogs and wants to use CRISPR to improve dogs health. (Because of severe in-breeding, dogs have the most genetic diseasesof any species.) The story said:

Youd think that to tweak the genome of an animal, some serious training and education would be necessary maybe a post-graduate biology degree or several years working in the lab of a large genetics company.

But in a prime example of both the democratization and demonetization of technology, Ishee taught himself to do genetic engineering right in his own backyard shed, using a kit and some DNA he ordered online. ...

That experimentation could just as easily be done by our next-door neighbor as by a government agency [is] an idea that will take some getting used to. As Ishee put it:

When you think about genetic engineering, you think of Ph.D.s in white coats working in multimillion-dollar labs. The idea of a dog breeder in rural Mississippi doing genetic engineering in his shed is insane. But thats how you know youre in the future, right?

Ishees next project editing the genes of dalmatians to limit their susceptibility to a deadly bladder ailment is on hold. In January, the FDA issued a directiveon genetic engineering that included a ban on editing the genomes of animals.

So humanity realizes the stakes at hand, and wont rush into an era in which animal gene-editing inevitably morphs into human gene-editing and designer babies, right?

Well, no. Scientists in China have been editing human genomesfor at least two years, using what The Verge described as non-viable human embryos that were incapable of growing into adults to see if they can edit out genes that are linked to a deadly blood disorder and to add a mutation to genomes to promote resistance to HIV. Last year, the United Kingdom also gave the go-ahead to similar experiments. And two weeks ago, a 21-member committee jointly created by the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine recommended the U.S. eventually allow human genetic engineering, but only to prevent babies from being born with diseases or disabilities.

If David Ishee can design dogs in his shed, does anyone really think human baby designing isnteventually going to be an immense phenomenon, with or without the governments blessing? If CRISPR can be used not just to prevent babies from being born with medical problems but to reduce their genetic predisposition to many diseases later in life, many millions of parents would want that for their children. And while the designers are at it, why not also nice teeth, enhanced intelligence and physical strength and a facial-structure gene or two from Beyonc or Jon Hamm available at a future genetic stock market in Hong Kong or Singapore? Or from a future genetic black market in the dark corners of the Internet?

Which brings us back to Cambiaso and his beloved Aiken Cura: Not just attractive people but elite athletes and geniuses may start thinking about having people puncture their necks to get tissue samples or start worrying about criminals taking a slice. Theres gold in them thar genes.

Reedis the Union-Tribunes deputy editorial and opinion editor. Twitter: @chrisreed99. If you have an idea for a topic that lends itself to this kind of treatment, please send it to chris.reed@sduniontribune.com.

Twitter:@sdutIdeas

Facebook:UTOpinion

Read the rest here:

From cloning Dolly the sheep in a lab to gene editing dogs in a shed: progress? - The San Diego Union-Tribune

VT ranks high on welfare, health care, roads spending – BurlingtonFreePress.com

Posted on by

Art Woolf, Free Press contributor Published 2:02 a.m. ET March 2, 2017 | Updated 2 hours ago

Vermont ranks No. 1 in per capita health care spending, third in welfare spending and fourth in transportation spending. Clover Whitham/Free Press

A bed at the Porter Medical Center in Middlebury.(Photo: FREE PRESS FILE)Buy Photo

Vermonts state government and all of its local governments collect $3.5 billion in taxes, $2 billion in federal revenues, and more than one billion dollars in additional funds from a variety of other sources. Vermont governments'largest single expenditure item is for education, which I will focus on at another time. Lets just look at where governments spend the remaining $4.2 billion.

The single largest expenditure is the $1.7 billion we spend on public welfare, which includes many different programs that primarily go to low income Vermonters. Some of that comes from federal government grants and some from Vermont taxpayers. On a per capita basis Vermonts spending on public welfare is 50 percent more than the 50-state average, ranking us third highest in the nation. We cant tell exactly how much of that spending comes from the federal government and how much from Vermont taxpayers, but compared to most states, we spend a lot more tax dollars to support our low income population.

Double health care costs

Closely related to that is the $343 million the state spends on health care. Although a great deal of health care spending goes to low income people, in Vermont a lot of people who are not poor also get their health care and health insurance from the state. On a per capita basis, Vermonts health spending is thehighest in the nation and we spend nearly twice as much as the average state.

Vermont is not a poor state our incomes are about average so its somewhat surprising that we spend so much more on health care than most states. One reason is that 28 percent of Vermonters under the age of 65 are on Medicaid compared to 20 percent nationally. That difference translates into a higher cost out of the state budget. The state has enacted programs and policies over the past several decades to encourage people to enroll in Medicaid. But that has not significantly reduced the number of uninsured Vermonters. Many of the non-poor people on Medicaid were formerly on their employers health care plans or bought health insurance on the private market. Over time that number has fallen and the number on Medicaid has increased.

Transportation costs are higher

While health and welfare spending go primarily to poor and low income Vermonters, the third largest expenditure item for Vermonts governments, transportation, benefits everyone rich, poor, and especially the middle class. The nearly $700 million we spend, mostly on roads, bridgesand highways, comes to more than twice the national average per person and ranks us the fourth highest spender in the nation. Part of the reason we spend so much is that maintaining highways is expensive in cold, snowy, northern climates. But there is more to our high spending than just climate. Because Vermont is a rural state we have a lot of miles of roads to maintain and not very many people to pay for it.

The bridge carrying Route 2 over I-89 at exit 17 in Colchester, seen on Monday, February 27, 2017, has been classified at structurally deficient by the state.(Photo: GLENN RUSSELL/FREE PRESS)

What do we get for our above-average level of transportation spending? Forty-five percent of our roads, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, are in either poor or mediocre condition. That sounds bad, but 26 states ranked worse than Vermont. The U.S. Department of Transportation also says one-third of our bridges are in bad shape, but 42 states have higher percentages of poorly maintained bridges. So we spend a lot on our highways, but that spending seems to make our transportation system better than most states.

Those three areas welfare, health, and transportation account for nearly two-thirds of our non-education spending and we spend a lot more than most states on all of those. As far as most other large categories of spending go, Vermont is close to average. We spend slightly less than most states on police and on prisons. Despite our reputation as a green state, we also spend a little bit less on parks, sewage treatment, solid waste, and other natural resource areas. But those three below-average categories account for only 15 percent of total non-education spending so they are relatively small potatoes.

Economies of scale?

Our small size does seem to affect how much we spend on the general cost of governmental administration everything from paying the governors salary, financing the legislature, supporting our town offices, maintaining government-owned buildings, and the judiciary. It costs every Vermonter $472 for those services, 17 percent more than the average state. We may spend more because were a small state and with 250 mostly small towns, we cant realize economies of scale in state or local government. But maybe thats not the case. Two of the largest states in the nation, New York and California, spend even more per capita than Vermont on the government administration.

In general, Vermont government spends a lot on health, welfare, transportationand government itself and is not much different from most states for most other spending items. But the biggest difference is how much we spend on education. More on that later.

MORE FROM ART WOOLF:

THE BURLINGTON FREE PRESS

Are VT taxes high? Art Woolf counts the ways

THE BURLINGTON FREE PRESS

Are VT taxes high? Art Woolf counts the ways

Vermonts future: Raise taxes or eliminate programs

Art Woolf is associate professor of economics at the University of Vermont.

Read or Share this story: http://bfpne.ws/2mbVEsu

Follow this link:

VT ranks high on welfare, health care, roads spending - BurlingtonFreePress.com

Trump Speech Leaves Health Care a Big Mess – Bloomberg

Posted on by

The health-care goals President Donald Trump mentioned in his address toa joint session of Congress Tuesday night werea high-water mark for policy specificity from this president. But that mark was a low bar.

The lack of detail was still glaring, and Trump either skirted the alligators lurking in the morass of Affordable Care Act repeal and replacement, or just poked them with a long stick. The process remains as chaotic as ever. That's a threat to health insurers who focus narrowly on government programs. It may also hurt those who don't.

Divergent

Some insurers have fared better than others since Trump's election, but a messy ACA fight could impact all of them

Source: Bloomberg

A draft of a possible Republican plan for ACA replacement, leaked last week, is splitting the GOP into factions.Some governors don't like the plan because it could leave too many people uncovered. More conservative membersof the party, meanwhile, find it too generous because it offers refundable tax credits, even if those areless generous than the ACA's.

TheGOP strategy, according to The Wall Street Journal,is to bet hardliners won't ultimately vote against a repeal -- a game of legislative chicken with more than 20 million ACA-insured lives at stake.

Untroubled By Trump's Speech

ACA Repeal Alligators

Trump didn't do much to resolve this stalemate with his address. Trump expressed support for tax credits, but still appears to differ with House leadership on other key points. Thefour biggest insurance-related goals outlined in the speech are vague and riddled with massive political and policy difficulties.

Shifting the Burden

A leaked draft bill suggests the GOP's ACA replacement would substantially favor the wealthy at the expense of older and poorer Americans

Source: Kaiser Family Foundation

The speech also avoided therather important question ofhow to pay for these efforts. A solution proposed by some in House leadershipis to cap the tax break people and employers get for employer-provided health insurance. This proposal was anathema to the GOP when it was made part of the ACA. Now it may be massively expanded under the GOP plan.

Such a cap would still be widely controversial. It could substantially shake up the employer-focused commercial insurance market. So would a repeal of the ACA's employer mandate and expansionoftax credits for individual coverage.

Meanwhile,insurers who participate in Medicaid still have to worry Trump will end up moving toward the House on capping grants and repealing the expansion.

Appetite For Disruption

Large parts of the health insurance market could be disrupted by a GOP effort to repeal and replace the ACA

Source: Bloomberg Intelligence

No one will be immune from the market disruption and policy chaos that has only just begun.

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

Read the original here:

Trump Speech Leaves Health Care a Big Mess - Bloomberg

Republican Unity on Health Care Is Elusive, Despite Trump’s Support – New York Times

Posted on by

New York Times
Republican Unity on Health Care Is Elusive, Despite Trump's Support
New York Times
While Mr. Trump appeared to back a health plan being drawn up by Republican leaders, it became clear Wednesday that lawmakers were continuing to argue over its details. Republican senators emerged from a closed-door meeting on health care ...
Trump backs healthcare tax credit amid conservative oppositionThe Hill
GOP Urges Trump to Use Bully Pulpit on Health CareRealClearPolitics
No, Steve Bannon is not going to save your health careWashington Post (blog)
Los Angeles Times -Slate Magazine -Newsweek
all 3,846 news articles »

Continued here:

Republican Unity on Health Care Is Elusive, Despite Trump's Support - New York Times

78% of Americans Support This Revolutionary Healthcare Technology, but Only 21% Have Tried It – Motley Fool

Posted on by

Imagine a new restaurant that's getting rave reviews...but few people have actually eaten there. That's kind of the scenario that currently exists for a revolutionary idea known as virtual healthcare.

What is virtual healthcare? It includes any type of healthcare services that are technology-enabled and are provided independently of location, such as video encounters with physicians, remote biometric tracking, and mobile apps for health management.

A recent Accenture (NYSE:ACN) survey found that 78% of respondents would be interested in receiving healthcare virtually. However, only 21% had actually received virtual healthcare of any kind. Why is this idea such a big deal -- but not yet big enough to engage more Americans?

Image source: Getty Images.

One major reason why some Americans haven't tried virtual healthcare is that they don't know what it is. The Accenture survey found that 27% of respondents had never heard of virtual healthcare. Another 36% had heard of virtual healthcare, but knew nothing about it.

Of those who were more familiar with virtual healthcare, just 5% said that they knew a lot about it. The other 32% responded that they only knew a little. It seems that the classic line from the movie Cool Hand Luke sums the issue up pretty well: "What we've got here is a failure to communicate."

More communication about the benefits of virtual healthcare is needed, especially from physicians and healthcare payers. Around 44% of consumers surveyed by Accenture said that they would be more likely to try virtual healthcare if encouraged to do so by a physician. Roughly 31% of respondents said that they would be motivated if their health plans encouraged them.

Accenture estimates that using virtual healthcare for annual patient visits could save more than $7 billion worth of primary care physician (PCP) time each year. This approach wouldn't eliminate in-office visits, but augment them.

The scenario envisioned by Accenture would have the patient wear sensors and use digital weighing scales prior to visiting the physician. Prior to the in-office visit, data from these devices would be sent to the electronic health record (EHR) system used by the physician. The patient would also use a secure portal to answer standard questions. A diagnostic artificial intelligence system would then suggest clinical options to the physician prior to the in-person exam.

There are other ways virtual healthcare could generate financial benefits. Accenture projects that using technology to enable patients to better manage chronic conditions could save $2 billion annually. Using electronic visits when in-person exams aren't necessary could provide another $300 million annually in savings.

Virtual healthcare could be huge for several types of healthcare companies.

Masimo (NASDAQ:MASI) stands out as one potential winner; the company is a leader in the development of non-invasive patient-monitoring technologies. Masimo's pulse-oximetry solutions currently generate most of the company's revenue. However, Masimo launched a new non-invasive total hemoglobin monitoring technology in 2016 that could significantly expand growth opportunities.

Physicians will need EHR systems that effectively support virtual healthcare. The top provider of cloud-based software solutions for healthcare professionals, athenahealth (NASDAQ:ATHN), should be in position to gain market share as a result. The company already has an technological ecosystem for virtual healthcare. It integrates with multiple telehealth applications, including Chiron Health's telemedicine platform and SnapMD's virtual care management systems.

Perhaps an even greater beneficiary from virtual healthcare, though, will be the payer community. As the largest health insurer in the U.S., UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) should especially profit as more Americans adopt virtual healthcare. UnitedHealth is already a pioneer among health insurers when it comes to virtual healthcare; the company provides a mobile app that allows patients to view a list of virtual care providers with which it has contracted. UnitedHealth Group's Optum segment operates NowClinic, which allows patients online access to secure, real-time interactions with a network of physicians.

Patients should benefit from virtual healthcare's convenience. Healthcare professionals should benefit from the technology's efficiency. And forward-thinking investors could profit as well, with stocks like Masimo, athenahealth, and UnitedHealth Group that are poised to be part of the virtual healthcare revolution.

Keith Speights has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Accenture, athenahealth, Masimo, and UnitedHealth Group. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.

Read the original:

78% of Americans Support This Revolutionary Healthcare Technology, but Only 21% Have Tried It - Motley Fool

House Republicans moving forward with ‘secret’ health care plan – MSNBC

Posted on by

MSNBC
House Republicans moving forward with 'secret' health care plan
MSNBC
Seven years ago, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) used a phrase Republicans loved in reference to the Affordable Care Act: We have to pass the bill so you can find out what is in it, away from the fog of the controversy. For the right, it ...
House Republicans Announce Only Republicans Are Allowed to See New Health-Care PlanNew York Magazine

all 2 news articles »

Follow this link:

House Republicans moving forward with 'secret' health care plan - MSNBC

Why the AIDS Healthcare Foundation is behind Measure S – Los Angeles Times

Posted on by

For 30 years, the AIDS Healthcare Foundation has fought social justice battles against governments that fail to serve the people but are only too happy to help big-moneyed interests.

The foundation began in the 1980s in Los Angeles with a few friends who set out to fight a fear-based statewide initiative to quarantine the earliest AIDS patients. We set up the first full-service medical hospice in L.A. for AIDS patients, and it eventually helped 1,200 people die with dignity. But first, we had to fight to get Los Angeles County to wake up.

As we grew into the largest HIV/AIDS medical care provider in the world, we battled change-resistant bureaucracies both locally and globally. In South Africa in the early 2000s, for example, then-U.S. Rep. Diane Watson and I dissuaded the government from disastrous notions that the disease could be treated by healthy living. AHF's historic clinic there has saved tens of thousands of lives.

We are now fighting Washington, to address an increase of HIV/AIDS in the Deep South.

Our employees have taken on racism, gender inequality, inequitable immigration policies, public health threats, dangerous stigmas and the dire demand for affordable housing. Indeed, after medical care, housing is our patients greatest need.

We believe L.A. is in the grip of a social justice crisis over whom our city really serves. As we work to house patients in L.A., City Hall focuses on approving $3,500 apartments that sit empty.

Why do billionaire developers profit by tens of millions thanks to backroom favors from City Hall while our homeless population spikes? Why did we lose 22,000 rent-stabilized apartments without any discussion? Why does City Hall designate "open space" land for luxury developments when L.A. is the most park-poor of Americas 65 largest cities? Why does City Hall promote gentrification in Boyle Heights, Frogtown, Westlake, MacArthur Park, South Central, West Adams, Palms, Venice and Van Nuys with no apparent concern for the elderly or working-class Latino and African American families who are displaced by it?

These and other reasons are why AHF is the primary supporterof the Yes on Measure S campaign. Our government and its corporate allies are defending a self-benefiting system. We understand the arm-twisting that goes on, the effort to amass groups against Measure S who rely on City Hall for funding, contracts, letters of recommendation and other favors. Other organizations see thisabominable track record and are standing with us.

We must put a stop to the unmitigated greed andcorruption that will forever change L.A. from a welcoming place to a city built only for the privileged.

Michael Weinstein is president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and a member of the Coalition to Preserve L.A.

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter@latimesopinionorFacebook

Read the original:

Why the AIDS Healthcare Foundation is behind Measure S - Los Angeles Times

Healthcare reform is going to require bipartisan effort – The Hill (blog)

Posted on by

Welcometo one of the smallest clubs in Washington: those of us still hoping for bipartisan deal making that produces broadly acceptable national policy. We urge you to add health reform to your portfolio because history teaches us major social policy change seldom succeeds without the backing of both parties.

The Affordable Care Act, passed strictly along party lines in 2010, is a case in point. For any replacement of the ACA to gain traction, and become the effective salve to health system woes that Americans deserve, a bipartisan effort must ensue.

Consider as well the advice that two respected former political leadersVice President Walter Mondale, a Democrat, and Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker, a Republican mentioned several times to members of the Mayo Clinic board of trustees.Without bipartisan support, they said, The outside party will use it as a political football.

The ACA was enacted when Democrats controlled the White House, the Senate, and the House of Representatives. Mondale and Bakers warning played out shortly after the 2010 mid-term elections, when the Democrats suffered massive defeats in national and state elections and lost the majority in the House.

With both parties in play, the new health law got shuttled to the Supreme Court, which unsettled the health care system, weakened the law and ultimately put consumers at risk.

We urge Republicans to not make the same mistake the Democrats made when considering repairsto the ACA. Politics is mercurial. But one thing is certain: neither party will control three branches of government forever. And the citizens of our country need and deserve a better functioning, affordable health system that is sustainable for future generations.

There are many good examples of bipartisan action to draw from:

The Medicare vote during President Lyndon Johnsons presidency in 1965 was especially insightful. The Democrats controlled 68 Senate seats (60 votes are required to overcome a filibuster). But the vote to approve Medicare came from 57 Democrats and 13 Republicans. LBJ knew that getting the bill passed was only the first step. He used his political savvy and arm-twisting skills, not to muscle his own party, but to ensure that both parties would push out this major legislative vehicle to the American people and, in current parlance, own it.

President Reagan and Democratic House Leader Tip ONeill came up with an effective bipartisan way to reform Social Security in 1983. The popular program for seniors, survivors and the disabled faced a funding shortfall. To ensure solvency, the two leaders developed a compromise that would, only slightly, raise taxes and curtail benefits. The House vote on this reform is testament to its bipartisanship: Republicans voted 80 yea and 86 nay; Democrats voted 163 yea and 105 nay.

We need a bipartisan reform of the Affordable Care Act that can transform a political football into a major solution. A caucus of problem-solving lawmakers seems like the perfect place to start.

Health reform is a critical policy issue impacting the livesand pocketbooksof every American. The average citizen does not view health care from a political party perspective. We need to approach change to the U.S. health care system from the perspective of the average citizen. Uppermost in our minds should be to ensure that health care is affordable and patient-centered. We must eliminate waste from the system and provide better results and lower spending (value) across the board.

We were heartened by the words of Rep. Tom Price at his first Senate confirmation hearing to become Secretary of Health and Human Services: The last thing we want to do is go from a Democrat health system to a Republican health system. Our goal would be to go to an American health care system that recognizes the needs of all.

We can begin with the items we all agree upon: expanding health insurance to millions more Americans, including individuals with pre-existing conditions and young adults signing up via their parents policies. We also agree that the ACA fell short in important respectshigh costs, a confusing array of new regulations and an insufficient emphasis on quality.

Now is the time for leadership and compromise. It took leadership for LBJ to shoulder through a change as massive and costly as Medicare. It took compromise, and mutual respect, for Reagan and ONeill to solve a Social Security fiscal crisis.

Major social policy that benefits millions of people, for many generations, is something that can take years to get right. The Affordable Care Act has shown us a lotin six years. Now we need to take those lessons and move forward in a bipartisan way. Sure its hard. But thats why we have political leaders.

CeciConnolly is [resident and CEO of the Alliance of Community Health Plans and a former national health correspondent for the Washington Post.She is an author of the book Landmark: The Inside Story of Americas New Healthcare Law. Dr. Denis Cortese is director of the Healthcare Delivery and Policy Program, Arizona State University and Emeritus CEO of Mayo Clinic. Robert Smoldt is associate director of the Healthcare Delivery and Policy Program, Arizona State University and Emeritus CAO, Mayo Clinic.

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

Read more:

Healthcare reform is going to require bipartisan effort - The Hill (blog)

Protecting Patients from Genetic Discrimination – The Scientist

Posted on by

The Scientist
Protecting Patients from Genetic Discrimination
The Scientist
In a 2015 article in the New England Journal of Medicine, medical geneticist Robert Green of Harvard analyzed the impacts of GINA seven years after the law's passage. He noted that virtually no cases of genetic insurance discrimination had been ...

More here:

Protecting Patients from Genetic Discrimination - The Scientist

Six diseases reap benefits of biomarkers, genetic tests – ModernMedicine

Posted on by

Biomarker testing for harmful genetic mutations provides the opportunity to identify at-risk individuals who might benefit from risk modification strategies and/or enhanced disease screening. This may translate into preventing disease through risk reduction, prevention of advanced disease through earlier detection, and decreased cancer mortality from detection and treatment of localized disease, says Dennis Holmes, MD, breast cancer surgeon and interim director, Margie Petersen Breast Center at John Wayne Cancer Institute at Providence Saint Johns Health Center in Santa Monica, California.

Heres how biomarkers are currently being used to treat diseases, and what promises they hold.

Acute myeloid leukemia

For more than 40 years, acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a cancer of the blood and bone marrow, has been treated as one disease. The standard of care, which involved two toxic chemotherapy drugs, has not changed much over that time, says Ross Levine, MD, director, Memorial Sloan Kettering Center for Hematologic Malignancies, New York, New York. Most patients, especially older adults, do not respond well or cannot tolerate the treatment. The prognosis for most seniors with AML is very dismal.

However, an endeavor currently under way could improve patient outcomes. In conjunction with the FDA, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS) launched a collaboration of cancer centers, pharmaceutical companies, and a genomics provider to design a protocol for the Beat AML Master Trial in October 2016 that will include multiple clinical sites and multiple treatment arms.

The Beat AML Master Trial is the first-ever precision medicine clinical trial in a blood cancer, where multiple drugs are tested simultaneously at multiple clinical sites. With a patient-focused neutral party such as LLS at the center, it eases the way for multiple pharmaceutical companies to join the collaboration to test their agents, Levine says.

Newly diagnosed patients can provide a bone marrow sample to a genomics laboratory and have their specific genetic mutations identified so clinicians can prescribe a more precisely targeted novel therapy matched to their subtype of AML.

Understanding a patients biomarker(s) helps clinicians make better decisions about appropriate drugs for an individual patient by targeting the drivers of the cancer and sparing the healthy cells, Levine explains.This trial aims, for the first time, to use these genetic markers to assign first-line therapy in real time, which we believe will accelerate our ability to get molecularly targeted drugs to AML patients at diagnosis and to accelerate drug development.

Reimbursement for testing is a rapidly moving target. We are waiting to see how the government handles reimbursement of such tests and hope that genetic testing will soon be covered for all cancer patients, Levine says.

See the original post:

Six diseases reap benefits of biomarkers, genetic tests - ModernMedicine

Justice minister seeks input from premiers on genetic discrimination bill – Medicine Hat News

Posted on by

By Joanna Smith, The Canadian Press on March 1, 2017.

OTTAWA Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould wants to know whether Canadas premiers think barring insurance providers from asking clients to disclose the results of genetic testing would stray too far into provincial jurisdiction.

In a letter to Yukon Premier Sandy Silver, current chair of the group known as the Council of the Federation, Wilson-Raybould says a number of provinces have a constitutional problem with parts of Bill S-201, which would add genetic characteristics as prohibited grounds of discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Given the important constitutional issues in play, we call on the Council of the Federation to communicate its views on the constitutionality of Bill S-201s proposal to regulate all contracts, agreements, and goods and services to prohibit genetic discrimination, Wilson-Raybould wrote in the letter sent Wednesday.

The insurance industry has strongly opposed that aspect of the proposed legislation, which would make it illegal for anyone to require a person to undergo genetic testing, or disclose the results of previous tests, as a condition for signing or continuing an insurance policy or any other good, service, contract or agreement.

It would also prohibit anyone from sharing the results of someones genetic testing without their written consent, although there are exceptions for physicians and researchers.

Breaking the law could mean a fine of up to $1 million, or five years behind bars.

The unusual step of seeking formal input from the provinces and territories comes after the Liberal government brought forward amendments last month to remove those parts of the bill, arguing that MPs had a duty to respect the constitutional division of powers.

That move caught the opposition off guard, prompting both the Conservatives and the NDP to note that witnesses who appeared before the House of Commons justice committee studying the bill largely agreed it was constitutional.

It also surprised Liberal MP Rob Oliphant, who has shepherded the Senate bill through the House of Commons, who said at the time the changes would essentially gut this bill.

If they are passed, they would rob it of its ability to help all Canadians and limit its effect to very few, Oliphant said Feb. 14 in the Commons.

The Conservatives and the NDP are generally supportive of the bill and Oliphant said he also has support from many of his Liberal caucus colleagues.

Wilson-Raybould said she received letters of dissent from Quebec, Manitoba and B.C., but suggested there are still other opponents.

In direct communications with me and my office, other provinces have raised doubts about this legislation but have declined to take a public position, she wrote.

She said she wants the premiers to share their views by the time debate on the bill resumes in the House of Commons next week. A final vote on the bill could come as early as March 8.

In her letter, Wilson-Raybould expressed strong support for the part of the bill that would bring genetic discrimination under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

The knowledge obtained by a diagnostic test could lead to early medical decisions that reduce risk to Canadians health, Wilson-Raybould wrote.

These important advantages are liable to being frustrated if Canadians avoid such tests due to fear of genetic discrimination. It is imperative that we, as a country, take proactive measures to address this emerging human rights issue.

Wilson-Raybould also urged the premiers to tackle the issue within their own jurisdictions.

I am confident that we can add the prohibition of genetic discrimination to that proud human rights heritage.

Follow @smithjoanna on Twitter

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Go here to read the rest:

Justice minister seeks input from premiers on genetic discrimination bill - Medicine Hat News