Boys Basketball: Extra energy lifts Liberty past Falcons – Carroll County Times

Posted on by

The Winters Mill boys basketball team got off to a better start against Liberty in the first half of the Class 2A West Section 2 quarterfinal Friday night than the team's meeting two weeks ago.

But the ending looked all too familiar to the visiting Falcons.

Liberty won its third straight over Winters Mill with a 69-53 victory and advanced to the next regional playoff round.

"We realized we weren't playing with enough toughness or energy in the first half," Liberty sophomore center Tristan Kent said. "And that we needed to really step it up in the second half if we wanted to win."

Kent had 24 points and Justin Brookhart, a senior guard, scored a game-high 27 to carry the Lions (13-9) to the victory.

"Justin has been just solid for us all year and he really stepped up tonight and shot the ball really well," Liberty coach Brian Tombs said. "Tristan finished his shots and got some key rebounds for us."

Winters Mill senior point guard Tre Woodyard totaled 21 points, three rebounds and three assists, and teammate Grant Sabad added 10 points. But the Falcons couldn't stay with the hosts in the second half.

Liberty started to take control in the third quarter after leading by four points at halftime. Kent sparked the Lions with three layups in the first four minutes as their advantage grew to 39-30. Liberty pushed the advantage to 47-32 with 1:10 remaining on Jack Selby layup.

The Lions lead by double digits for the entire fourth quarter.

"We just had a lapse here and there where they took advantage of it," Winters Mill coach Billy Mays said of the second half. "That's how it's kind of been this season. We miss some shots when we need them and they make the shots."

Liberty jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first 4:50 of the first quarter as Kent scored five points during that stretch.

Winters Mill had four turnovers and shot 1-for-6 from the field in that span. One of those turnovers resulted in Woodyard picking up his second foul and coming out of the game for three minutes.

Ronak Morgan hit back-to-back 3 pointers for Liberty to push its lead to 13-2 with about a minute remaining in the period.

But Devin Callahan drained a 3-pointer from well beyond the arc right before the buzzer to make it 13-5 at the end of the quarter. Winters Mill made more field goals (two) in the first two minutes of the second quarter than it did in the entire first quarter.

Still, the Falcons (2-22) trailed by double digits.

They cut the margin to 20-14 with 4:03 remaining in the second quarter on forward Sabad's medium-range jumper, and tied it at 25-25 three minutes later. Brookhart made a layup and sank a jumper from just inside the 3-point line to give his team a 29-25 bulge at the intermission.

"We thought it would be a cakewalk at first, we quickly realized they are going to fight," Kent said.

Liberty advances to face Francis Scott Key, which defeated South Carroll on Friday night, in the sectional semifinals.

Liberty (65): Ronak Morgan 6, Nick Tilson 2, Tristan Kent 24, Jack Selby 6, Justin Brookhart 27, Steven Goetz 3, Nick Loppatto 1.

Winters Mill (53): Grant Sabad 10, Chandler Gentzel 9, Avery Serafin 4, Tre Woodyard 21, Devin Callahan 9.

Halftime: Liberty, 29-25.

sports@carrollcountytimes.com

410-857-7896

Continue reading here:

Boys Basketball: Extra energy lifts Liberty past Falcons - Carroll County Times

First Person: The East Liberty I know – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Posted on by

I have been getting my hair braided at Okapi braiding salon in East Liberty for seven years. Despite the salons success, it recently moved to its fourth location.From fifth grade to my senior year, I have watched Okapi, which was opened by a Congolese woman, grow. It is troubling to watch it shrink after all the effort thats been put into maintaining it.

Okapi isnt to blame for its constant movement. Many black women need their hair braided, and hair-braiding options are scarce in Pittsburgh. The problem has never been a shortage of clients or growing competition. The problem is gentrification.

Gentrification is a system in which a seemingly uninhabited or run-down neighborhood is renovated and developed by newer, wealthier, outside businesses, restaurants and residents. I have watched my neighborhood gentrify block by block.

While this may be seen as positive for some, I have firsthand knowledge that its not. The problem with this system is that when new people come in, the old people are forced out. Renovation comes at the cost of lower-income people. Gentrification is why Okapi, a thriving black-owned business, is in its fourth location on the outskirts of the neighborhood it was created in.

The same was true for the Shadow Lounge, a neighborhood venue for people of all ages that hosted open mic events and concerts for internationally recognized artists. The former community hub is now the Livermore, a hipster bar that Im not even old enough to enjoy. We lost Cut and Sew Studio, the place where I learned to sew. We lost Abay, the best Ethiopian cuisine in Pittsburgh, which had a full house every night. We lost Royal Caribbean and its sweet cocoa bread. Affordable, popular businesses were snuffed out and replaced with things that appeal to an entirely new demographic. We even lost our name. Now a sign reads East Side, because East Liberty sounds too old and too different and too black.

Gentrification is controversial because new people often see only its benefits. Growing up in a middle-class family, Ive experienced these benefits. Ive eaten at new restaurants, and Ive never worried about being forced out of my home.I could live a life of privilege in ignorant bliss, seeing only the positives of gentrification, but I wont. I still get my hair braided at Okapi salon, and its displacement still affects me. The small businesses that have existed in East Liberty since before it was gentrified should still be there.

Gentrification functions under the misconceived notion that an uninhabited neighborhood needs renovation when the reality is that these neighborhoods arent uninhabited. Historically, East Liberty was diverse and flourishing; it had a plethora of cultures, people and perspectives.

Living in East Liberty affects me deeply because of the culture and diversity that existed before gentrification, and because of the ways Ive witnessed that diversity be erased.

As long as those with power deem neighborhoods like East Liberty as uninhabited or run-down, our names will be lost, and the people who make Pittsburghs culture so vibrant will be forced further into the margins.

Ua Hayes is a high school student who lives in East Liberty.

Continued here:

First Person: The East Liberty I know - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Mansfield Legacy – Frisco Liberty girls basketball playoff recap – Feb … – Fort Worth Star Telegram

Posted on by

Fort Worth Star Telegram
Mansfield Legacy - Frisco Liberty girls basketball playoff recap - Feb ...
Fort Worth Star Telegram
The Mansfield Legacy Broncos succumbed to Frisco Liberty's clutch play in the final minute to lose 50-44 in a Class 5A regional semifinal. It was the Broncos' ...
On to the next one: Liberty escapes past Mansfield Legacy for trip to ...Star Local Media

all 3 news articles »

See the article here:

Mansfield Legacy - Frisco Liberty girls basketball playoff recap - Feb ... - Fort Worth Star Telegram

Jerome Tuccille, Libertarian Author and Trump Biographer, Dies at 79 – New York Times

Posted on by

New York Times
Jerome Tuccille, Libertarian Author and Trump Biographer, Dies at 79
New York Times
Jerome Tuccille, who wrote one of the first manifestoes of the American libertarian movement and the first biography of Donald J. Trump, died on Feb. 16 at his home in Severna Park, Md. He was 79. The cause was complications of multiple myeloma, his ...

Go here to see the original:

Jerome Tuccille, Libertarian Author and Trump Biographer, Dies at 79 - New York Times

Perspectives: The Forcible Removal of Milo Yiannapolous – Being Libertarian

Posted on by

Being Libertarian Perspectives serves as a weekly, multi-perspective opinion and analysis piece by members of Being Libertarians writing team. Every week the panel, comprised of randomly selected writers, will answer a question based on current events or libertarian philosophy. ManagingEditor Dillon Eliassen will moderate and facilitate the discussion.

Dillon Eliassen: Please answer in the affirmative or negative, and provide reasoning for the following question: The conservative and liberty movements will benefit from Milo Yiannapolous continuing to lose access to privately owned and maintained speech platforms. Hes been banned from Twitter, his college campus tour is continually disrupted and he just lost his Simon & Schuster book deal. Conservatives and libertarians are better off with him out of the public eye; hes become a pariah and his advocacy for free speech is a mask for his desire for flamboyancy and notoriety.

David McManus Jr.: At least from my lens, what he is saying is a complete detraction from libertarian thoughts and ideals, although its quite possibly our best tool in sustaining free speech. In the day and age of the left vs right dichotomy, people are afraid of language from both sides and the right wing have been castrated and forced to kowtow to PC culture. Regardless of how you view his advocacy, it hits headlines on CNN and is starting to cloud the mainstream media with a puppet from the internet that dances on a whim of what the online communities want. As Im sure you can all agree, the online anonymity allows people to splurge their innermost thoughts all over a forum and not get arrested for thought crime (yet). So this incredible ability that Milo brings to the table to put a name, face and sense of rationality to the online hub of free speech does help to advance a free thinking society through acceptance and tolerance of other ideas. He is a pawn in a big game of chess, he learned his place, which was playing the role of the contrarian on a massive scale. It just so happened that he jumped the gun and perhaps tried to advocate for something that our culture wasnt quite ready to discuss as of yet.

Danny Chabino: On the one hand, freedom of speech is exceptionally vital to a free society. However, on the other hand, private groups must be free to select whomever they want to speak and whatever messages and ideas they wish to convey. Otherwise, it is pointless to have such organizations. I dont particularly like people who stir the pot for the sake of stirring the pot. They tend to be arrogant and obnoxious, seeking only attention for themselves. But, Milo is free to speak whatever he wishes to speak and to associate with whatever group he chooses. Is he good for freedom and for the liberty movement? I dont really know or care that much. Ill readily admit that I dont follow him too closely because I find him off-putting. The voices that put forth solidly logical thought will usually end up being heard. Im certain that if Milos ideas are found worthy, he will be heard.

Charles Peralo: I think the answer to this is simple: The roots to Being Libertarian were Being Banned From Being Liberal. Id say right now a page, thanks to Billy Bob Clinton, we just barely passed was Occupy Democrats Logic. Both pages were founded due to censorship from a group. Now, Being Libertarian has banned people. People posting spam or maybe sometimes some HEAVILY racist or bizarre stuff. But theres no Banned From Being Libertarian or no claim we deny people the power to ask a question. Being Libertarian is always open to the left or right to like us and make a point. So We have some censorship rights here and pages get the right to censor how they wish, the same as universities. The question is between denial of speech or denial of the right to ask a question. BL being at 400,000 followers and ODL being at 350,000 is kind of just proof being rude and just denying some rights to talk creates the problem from the likely reality neither groups would exist if Being Liberal and Occupy Democrats werent so ban happy. But we need to actually point out the left isnt immune to this. One of my best friends got banned from the LP page for saying in a comment You guys should just nominate Rand Paul. Also, our own special neck bearded pal from Fresno and our favorite guido with a taxation is theft hat and jersey block people left and right. So All movements do this. And Im going to stand up for Berkeley here. Rand Paul goes to speak and gets a standing ovation there, with it being the largest crowd a Republican ever got there. Milo speaks and its a riot. That shows this is not really a censorship of the right, because of economics or whatever. Theres clearly a line drawn in how they are different. And why do they stand for Rand and riot for Milo? Because Rand Paul says we need to abolish the payroll tax. He devotes an entire chapter in his book saying the criminal justice system is rigged against black people and our big government economics are making them poor. He says the TSA is bad for wrongly profiling Muslims. He says we shouldnt bomb the shit out of everyone. He had a plan to make getting a work visa much easier for immigrants. Milo runs around and says transgenders are mentally confused, black people have no real issues that are the polices fault and he does it all from the perspective and life experience of a 32 year old college dropout who gets joy from riots.

Jacob Linker: Theres a difference between saying theres a right for someone to speak and actively providing them a platform though. BL as a private entity has a total right to decide to limit input from detrimental content providers. Also I doubt weve seen the last of Milo.

Baruti Libre Kafele: The truest test of ones advocacy for the natural and constitutional right of freedom of speech is for one to convey or disseminate perspectives that may be contradictory or disagreeable to ones social and political views whether they are politically correct or not. Whether I, or anyone agrees with Milos views on pedophilia and other topics or not, he is unequivocally making history and getting crucified for all of us to share our idiosyncratic perspectives or views to the world via journalism, blogging, public speaking, etc. His flamboyancy, sexual orientation or courting tendencies should not negate that he has the right to express himself however he pleases.

TJ Eckert: I agree with Charles and Danny to some extent. Free speech is one of, if not the most important, rights to maintain. That includes the ability to pick and choose when in private groups, otherwise private groups lose part of their meaning. While I think Milo should be able to speak when invited by a group that thinks they will benefit from having him, I dont think he benefits our movement much at all. He is a provocateur, in my opinion, a narcissistic egotist, and isnt interested in helping anyone really. Like Charles said, Rand Paul can come speak, deliver a message, and even get through to some who would riot for Milo. Why? In my shooting classes we have a saying that if you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. In my opinion, Milo has been playing these stupid games for a while, and hes just won his stupid prize. Were better off without him, and good riddance. The only thing he was ever even good for, if you can call it that, was pointing out how absolutely crazy the left can go to twist their own thinking. Believing that words are actual violence, and actual violence in response was just self defense. But all the baggage he brings with him isnt worth it.

Bric Butler: I think we are all in agreement that free speech is vital to protect and the only such limitations to be put on it should be in regard to private institutions deciding who they allow to use their venues. Yet this Rand Paul and Milo comparisonIm not OK with. In my shooting classes we have a saying that if you play stupid games, you win stupid prizes. That is overt victim blaming. Same as, Well what did she expect when she wore such a short dress? Of course she was going to get raped! Milo might be unhelpful and just being an ass, but that doesnt mean we should make even small excuses for rioters.

TJ: Im not excusing riots, nor am I victim blaming. Maybe I shouldve been clearer: The stupid prize is him being dropped from his book deal, and possibly fired from Breitbart. Him pointing out that the left will riot over words may have been his only good contribution. The riots werent justified. The case of play stupid games, win stupid prizes is not a victim blame. Much like the kids who think its fun to shoot each other with Roman candles, they dont get my sympathy when they get burned. Milo tried making a career at just pissing off anyone and everyone. Look at his Bill Maher interview. He just had to get a fuck you from each panelist, he was literally begging for it. Well, now hes getting a big fuck you, just like hes asked for.

Bric: Yeah, the Bill Maher interview really kind of finally turned me off from supporting him, before all this other stuff even came out. I think Milos problem is he got too famous too fast. Wasnt able to properly handle it.

TJ: I honestly think his pedophilia video is a planned attack on him more than anything. I just dont really feel bad for him though. Hes not an innocent victim by any stretch of the imagination. I dont know if hes the type that would handle it well even if he got famous in other ways.

Anna Trove: I used to like Milo. I agreed with him on a lot of issues and liked how he was blunt and uncompromising in the face of SJWs and feminists. However, as he got more in the public eye he just got more ridiculous. His views became giant caricatures. He started saying things like there should be a cap on women in STEM fields, and that birth control makes girls unattractive and crazy. Instead of simply using facts to dispel myths like the gender wage gap, he started promoting his own insane ideas about things. The Bill Maher interview was the nail in the coffin for me. It was painfully cringe-worthy. I absolutely dont think the liberty movement should be associating themselves with Milo. It is not beneficial for us. Did anyone else hear in the Maher segment Milo said something like Im a liber- but Bill cut him off? He has distanced himself from libertarians in the past (thankfully) and I hope he continues to.

Nima Mahdjour: Yes, conservatives & libertarians will continue to benefit from the establishments attempts to prohibit his free speech. No, I dont think theyre better off without him in the public eye, but we dont know since hes just been getting more and more publicity from the smear attempts, especially this past month.

David: Hes really just the exodus king. If you take him away from one place (Twitter), hell find another way to come back bigger and better. You take away his spotlight and you give the spotlight to another spot. He will march them all towards a new platform. Hes kind of like hosting pornography on your website, hes big business for whatever platform hes on, but youve got to deal with the morality and the consequences of hosting a provocateur. He and Trump are two sides of the same coin ridiculously offensive and for that reason theyve inspired a new counterculture, but at the same time, they are in no way libertarian. Libertarians are grasping at straws to tag their ideology onto his likeness, but within a societal context, hes doing us proud on our only shred of common ground.

John Engle: Milo has helped to normalize and propagate a brand of populist conservatism that has hijacked many of the people who would have once been found in the liberty movement. It hardly seems likely that his public censure will do much to bring all those people back, but it at least removes from that strand of thought one of its most able propagandists. Free speech is obviously fundamental. And odious though I find much of what he says (and claims to believe), Im no great fan of de-platforming. As a general thought though, this is not a classic no-platform case since the moves have been made due to revelation of new information, so in the presence of that information no invitation may have been forthcoming in the first place. That said, it is interesting how quickly so many groups moved to distance themselves from someone who has said some provocative, even hateful things. Its a decent case study of how uncomfortable provocation makes many people. Simon & Schuster was clearly desperate for a way to cut ties after the bashing they have received over the past several months and this is a face-saving opportunity for them.

Dillon: The freedom to express ones self does not exist in a vacuum. Like the Second Amendment, there is a functionality required to exercise this natural right. An individual must own a gun for his right to bear arms to have any real meaning. The First and Second Amendments are not as abstract as other entries in the Bill of Rights, such as the Fourth, Fifth and Tenth Amendments, as those exist regardless of your behavior and interaction with others, and the application of those Amendments to you. Yes, you exercise your free speech when conversing with friends, or yelling at passers-by on a street corner, but to use your speech to effect change, tools and infrastructure are needed for your speech to be entered into the public domain. i.e. TV, radio, the Internet, printing press, etc. Milos speech will no longer be discursive since hes been banned from Twitter, hes resigned from Breitbart, hes forced to cancel his college campuses speeches, his books been cancelled, etc. Milo has essentially squandered his right to free speech by prioritizing confrontation, flamboyance and provocation; he fell into the style over substance trap and hes paying a price for it. Hes become radioactive; Milo made choices regarding how he would exercise his right to speech that caused not only those ideologically opposed to him to try to stifle him, but those normally predisposed to his beliefs are now shying away from him. In some ways, hes made it more difficult for conservatives and libertarians who can make valid arguments and have important things to say due to guilt by association. Milos reaping what he has sewn. He spent so much time portraying feminism as cancer. IRONY ALERT: Milos the cancerous entity now, having expended so much time and effort arguing that Muslims, feminists and other groups who are the subject of his ire should be forcibly removed from society, but he has proven to be the most effective in causing himself to be removed from society.

This post was written by Dillon Eliassen.

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

Dillon Eliassen is the Managing Editor of Being Libertarian. Dillon works in the sales department of a privately owned small company. He holds a BA in Journalism & Creative Writing from Lyndon State College, and needs only to complete his thesis for his Masters of English from Montclair State University (something which his accomplished and beautiful wife, Alice, is continually pestering him about). He is the author of The Apathetic, available at Amazon.com. He is a self-described Thoreauvian Minarchist.

Like Loading...

See the article here:

Perspectives: The Forcible Removal of Milo Yiannapolous - Being Libertarian

Libertarian Media Outlets Denied Access To White House Exclusion List – The Libertarian Republic

Posted on by

AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

By: Eli Bowman

NATIONAL HARBOR, MD Its no surprise that certain media outlets have received criticism from President Trump. Attacks during campaign season, as well as recent criticisms of the Presidents policies and executive orders have likely been the fuel for Trumps media hating fire. A source close to the President said If he could hed rather burn fake news reporters instead of booksbut hes sticking with books for now.

Large left-leaning media outlets such as CNN and The New York Times were banned from a White House press conference earlier today. The Overton window would suggest that this slippery slope will soon turn into a regular occurrence.

Among the media outlets that have been journalistically castrated by the white house are wildly popular libertarian publications The Libertarian Republic, Liberty Hangout, and Liberty Viral. They were banned from todays white house briefing as well.

Of course, youd never know it because these three publications were also banned from the articles naming the media outlets that were banned.

This is a shame for our readers. We work tirelessly to put our lighthearted, yet informative pieces to advance liberty and be included in the list of exclusions. Being left of the list of excluded media is a big league mistake. Grant Deltzsaid in letter to Liberty Virals subscribers. Trump responded via Twitter.

When Kody Fairfield, Editor-in-chief of The Libertarian Republic, was asked about the matter he said It doesnt make sense. I understand being banned from the white house for doing unbiased journalism, but to be banned from the list of banned media outletsthats a real punch in the gut. Well, Trump is banned from TLR in that case then. Thatll piss him off.

When hearing of his ban from TLR Trump took to Twitter.

Keith Doiron, founder of The J3BOLUTION and Chairman of the Please Clap Foundation cant believe it either, telling us in a text message Ive clapped for many things before that werent necessarily popular at the time, but I just cant clap for thisnot even if Jeb! asked me to. Lets just say that Jeb Bush wont ban those three groups when hes President in 2020.

President Trump initially denied our requests for comment but then tweeted out the following.

Justin Moldow, founder of Liberty Hangout, had this to say about the sneak diss. Its a total shock to me. On his helicopter he specifically told me that Liberty Hangout would never be excluded from briefings and press conferences. He said that right to my faceon his helicopter. Now, Im about to take him for another helicopter ride.

While libertarian media outlets are hoping to be able to once again gain access to the White House, this tweet from The Cheeto King isnt promising:

Liberty Virallibery hangoutsmediapress corpssatireThe Libertarian RepublicWhite House

Follow this link:

Libertarian Media Outlets Denied Access To White House Exclusion List - The Libertarian Republic

Le Pen Refusing the Headscarf: Hero or Hypocrite? Its Complicated. – Being Libertarian

Posted on by

The Complexity of French Secularism Examined

This past week, during her visit to Lebanon, the French presidential candidate, Marine Le Pen, made headlines when she refused to dawn the proper dress in order to meet with a local Islamic cleric. Many conservatives and libertarians applauded her for defiance towards, and rejection of, one of the most notorious symbols of a repressive religious ideology, the headscarf (the least concealing of a variety of head and body coverings for women in the Islamic world). The justifications for this are found in such passages in the Quran as 33:59, that states:

O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veils) all over their bodies. That will be better, that they should be known so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.

Many modern Islamic scholars will attempt to explain away this as an error of translation or that there is no specific mention of the face or head. Yet, this does not bode well when you read in the Hadith, Sahih Bukhari (60:282),

Aisha used to say: When (the Verse 24:31 of the Quran): They should draw their veils over their necks and bosoms, was revealed, (the ladies) cut their waist sheets at the edges and covered their faces with the cut pieces.

The face is found upon the head, and these women began to cover themselves there, and it must have pleased the Prophet for he did not correct them. Yet, I digress, Im sure defenders of Islam will say I continue to misinterpret the texts due to my bias against the religion (disclaimer: as an atheist and anti-theist I am against all religions, not just Islam). Even if they are correct, the very fact that their holy texts contain passages that can easily lead to interpretations causing such marginalization of women is another problem in itself that no amount of historical revisionism can whisk away.

Okay, now Im really off topic. Lets get back to the main point.

Marine Le Pen refused the headscarf, and many cheered her defiance of religious fundamentalism and applauded a true act of legitimate feminism. Amidst the fanfare, some raised objections. These people branded her a hypocrite because of her strict support for French secularism, known as lacit, and the use of legislation to further legally ingrain it in French society. Those who subscribe to lacit often oppose almost any form of religious expression in the public square. Lacit has been the driving force behind a law forbidding religious symbols and dress (including Islamic headscarves) to be worn by children in public schools. It has also been rumored to be a driving force behind the law that banned face concealing headwear in all public spaces in France, even though it was officially promoted for security reasons. Le Pen supports both of these laws, and even wishes to expand laws regarding religious dress in order to further legally enshrine lacit.

So, in short, she sees being forced to wear a headscarf as an affront to liberty, yet also sees no affront to liberty in forcing women to not wear one.

To those outside of France, this seems like utter hypocrisy, and understandably so, but only because we (speaking to my fellow Americans) come from a society with a much different history pertaining to religions relationship with the law. So, please, before judging her as an enemy of freedom, take the time to discover the history behind the secularisms of France and America.

French lacit in not like American secularism, also known as the Jeffersonian wall of separation enshrined in the Constitutions First Amendment, stating:

Congress shall make no lawrespecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof

American secularism is a very live-and-let-live secularism. Basically, it only limits the government, making sure it doesnt suppress a religion or give one special preferential treatment. This has left citizens free to practice and demonstrate their religion in almost any way. Yet, French lacit is much more strict and regulatory in nature.

The differences stem from dissimilar histories.

America was first settled by those who were fleeing religious persecution, and by the time it was organizing as a new nation under the Constitution, dozens of sects of Christianity had made themselves at home along the Eastern Seaboard. Therefore, the lingering thoughts of their forefathers religious persecution and the need to facilitate peace among multiple sects naturally led the framers of the Constitution to create such a liberal, free-range secularism.

In France, the history since the Revolution of 1789 had been marked by struggle against an often legally entrenched and powerful Catholic Church that acted jointly with the monarchy to suppress the French people. Its power would fall with the rise of each Republic but would return once more with the return of monarchy. For example, after the rise of Napoleon via the Concordant of 1801, he made Catholicism the official state religion once more. This was a policy continued through the Bourbon Restoration and July Monarchy until 1848, with the rise of the 2nd Republic. Yet, upon the 2nd Republics fall in 1852, Catholicism was once again resurrected as the state religion. This remained throughout the whole 2nd French Empire, and then for 35 years into the 3rd French Republic until the 1905 French law on the Separation of the Churches and State disestablished Catholicism as the state religion and ended the churchs privileges in society once and for all.

That was a 116-year battle between the French people and legally privileged organized religion.

So, the French people, out of fear of the return of Catholicism to its former power, have since 1905 passed many laws, and continue to support many more, that place harsh restrictions on all religions in the public sphere to make sure none may rise to have political power or legal privilege ever again.

As a society, they have decided to place relatively mild restrictions on liberty with regards to religious expression so as to guard one of their societys greater liberties: freedom from state religion. This is a utilitarian approach to liberty, but an approach to liberty nonetheless. Accepting a cost, in this case, a little loss of freedom in one area to get the benefit of securing a larger freedom; the freedom from an established religion by further safeguarding their return to revolutionary struggle between church and state that plagued their nation for over a century.

So, do not cast off Le Pen as a hypocritical foe to liberty. She is simply promoting liberty as she understands it; albeit a precarious brand of it. But for France, a nation with a long and complicated relationship to such an idolized ideal, that may ever be the only way.

After all, France is the nation who prides herself as being depicted as the bare breasted Marianne. Can we really ever realistically expect her to accept her fellow women to be wrapped in veils?

This post was written by Bric Butler.

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

Like Loading...

Read more:

Le Pen Refusing the Headscarf: Hero or Hypocrite? Its Complicated. - Being Libertarian

Report: China Nears Completion of Militarizing Island Chain – Voice of America

Posted on by

WASHINGTON

China is almost finished building military structures on its artificial islands in the South China Sea (SCS), Reuters reports, in a development that is sure to test the new Trump administration.

Unnamed U.S. officials told the news service construction is almost complete on nearly two dozen structures with retractable roofs designed to house long-range surface-to-air missiles on the Spratly Island chain.

The new development could be considered a military escalation on Chinas part, several experts told VOA, and could serve as an early test for President Donald Trump, who took a hard line against China throughout his campaign.

This is part of their effort to eventually control that first island chain in the SCS and assert their claim, even though they have been completely repudiated by the International Court of Appeals, The Hague, based on the Law of the Sea Treaty, of which they are a member, Robert Manning, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, told VOA.

Brad Glosserman, executive director of the Hawaii-based security think tank Pacific Forum, told VOA this was another step in Chinas recent attempts to further militarize the islands.

Clearly, they are intending to build facilities that allow them to permanently store or deploy equipment of a military nature to these islands, he said.

A report released by the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative (AMTI) in December shows China has been building airstrips and anti-aircraft systems on the artificial islands since at least June of 2016.

An undated satellite image released by the Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative at Washington's Center for Strategic and International Studies shows construction of possible radar tower facilities in the Spratly Islands in the disputed South China Sea.

Mainly for civilian use, China claims

China's Defense Ministry issued a statement at the time, saying the construction was "mainly for civilian use."

The Trump administration has taken a strong stance against the militarization of the islands, with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in January suggesting the United States block China from accessing the islands.

We're going to have to send China a clear signal that, first, the island-building stops and, second, your access to those islands also is not going to be allowed," he said during his confirmation hearing before the U.S. Senate.

White House Spokesman Sean Spicer backed Tillerson up when asked about the comments, saying the United States needed to protect our interests in the South China Sea.

It's a question of if those islands are in fact in international waters and not part of China proper, then we're going to make sure that we defend international territories from being taken over by one country," Spicer said during a press briefing last month.

While the artificial islands could become a serious test of the Trump administrations foreign policy, the islands werent designed with that intention, Glosserman said.

It constitutes a test for this president, just as it constitutes a test for any president, but this was not done specifically to challenge Mr. Trump, he said. This was a determination that the Chinese had made about what they wanted to do, and that therefore they are going to proceed. It becomes a challenge, but it was not designed as such.

Read the original here:

Report: China Nears Completion of Militarizing Island Chain - Voice of America

Little Cumberland spaceport promises jobs, threatens islands – Savannah Morning News

Posted on by

Camden County Administrator Steve Howard sees the planned Spaceport Camden as both a fulfillment of this small coastal countys space legacy and a way to launch the future of the local economy.

On a 12,000-acre brownfield site that in the 1960s tested a rocket for the Apollo program, Howard envisions a launch pad and landing zone, plus ancillary manufacturing and educational services around it, all producing jobs.

We have a 2030 vision for the county and one of those pillars is a successful world class spaceport, said Howard, who attended an elementary school named for astronaut Neil Armstrong but had no other connection to the space industry before undertaking this project. Part of that would be the opportunity to build for the future and for Georgias next generation in Camden.

Critics of the plan, including property owners on nearby Little Cumberland Island and local environmental groups concerned about Cumberland Island National Seashore, are more focused on the risks of launching rockets over their beloved islands. They picture a rocket taking off from the launch site just six miles west of them then exploding and raining down debris, threatening the barrier islands themselves as well as the people on them.

We said we must be missing something, said Kevin Lang, an attorney in Athens whose family owns a house on Little Cumberland. A NASA expert said you cant launch a rocket there without evacuating Cumberland Island and Little Cumberland Island. Georgia law considers that a partial taking and doesnt allow it.

Spaceport plans

Under its proposal to the Federal Aviation Administration, the county would construct and operate a commercial space launch site consisting of a vertical launch site, a landing zone, a control center complex, and another facility that would include provisions for visitors and viewing launches. The site would be offered to commercial operators for up to 12 vertical launches and up to 12 landings per year.

Companies regularly express interest in Spaceport Camden, Howard said, but before it can recruit a private company to build a launch facility the county must get licensing and permitting from the FAA, which oversees commercial space flight. The first step is an environmental review already underway, with a draft expected by mid-year. The FAA bid the review to a third party, Virginia-based Leidos, and the county is responsible for paying the companys $700,000-plus fee for the service.

Another contractor, The Aerospace Corp., is preparing a safety analysis that looks at the risk to nearby people and property from rockets launching overhead. Property owners and the National Park Service worry the analysis will call for evacuations of the islands during launches and landings.

Closures and other restrictions associated with the proposed launch facility will impact the visitor enjoyment and experience for many, NPS Regional Director Stan Austin wrote in a 10-page comment letter in late 2015. In many cases this may affect once in a lifetime opportunities, months or years of planning, financial obligations, time commitments, and or other commitments. Moreover, some closures/restrictions may occur with little notice and create further, more severe hardship.

Spaceport Camden consultant Andrew Nelson said the analysis so far indicates evacuations wont be necessay to meet the FAAs safety standard of one casualty in 10,000 launches. And Howard said until the FAA signs off on the environmental and safety reviews, the talk of whos at risk is just conjecture.

They say youre keeping us from accessing our property. Well, we havent completed that analysis yet. And the fact is you can mitigate, Howard said.

Howard suggested that landowners know when theyre likely to be there and that such data like the peak use of about 100 people at Thanksgiving could play into the analysis. So will the fact that Cumberland limits its visitors to a maximum of 300 a day. Access to Cumberland is also restricted by the ferry, which operates only five days a week from December through February.

But Lang doesnt want to be told when he can use his property at Little Cumberland.

Theyre ignoring a core issue, he said. Its not how often youre there. Its that you have the right to be there any time. Thats part and parcel of private property rights.

Data debate

Some other launch data has already been the subject of debate.

Lang wrote a letter to the editor in the Savannah Morning News putting the odds of rocket failure at 1 in 20. Nelson responded in a op-ed refuting that number and putting it at to 1 in 100 after throwing out data on foreign rockets.

Bill Ostrove, aerospace/defense analyst for Newtown, Conn.-based Forecast International Inc., came up with a number in-between.

I typically use the roughly 1-out-of-20 failure rate that Mr. Lang used in his article, he wrote in response to an inquiry from the Savannah Morning News. However, Mr. Nelson is correct that that is a global figure. I looked through my database of launches and filtered out launch vehicles built by American companies.

Using those recent American launch stats, the success rate over the past five years is just about 97 percent, Ostrove said. That works out to a failure rate of 3.09 percent, or 1 in 32.4.

Ostrove didnt include a SpaceX Falcon 9 that blew up on the launch pad in September 2016, since that technically blew up before the launch, not during. If that were included, the failure rate becomes 4.08 percent or 1 in 24.5. But there are reasons to exclude other failures, too. The Antares that exploded in 2014 has been heavily modified by its prime contractor (Orbital ATK) since the explosion, he wrote. In addition, the Super Strypi that failed was an experimental Air Force rocket.

Another factor, is where in the flight path the rocket fails, Ostrove said. The Antares, for instance failed seconds after liftoff, while it was still directly over the launch pad. Basically, its difficult to determine exactly how dangerous a failed launch would be to the surrounding community.

Proxy war

As the licensing and permitting of the facility makes its way through the regulatory process each side is jockeying to get its arguments front and center. A proxy battle erupted over Georgia House Bill 1, The Georgia Space Flight Act, and an identical Senate bill that would shield commercial space companies from litigation brought by injured passengers, paving the way for manned space flight in Georgia, a possibility not yet contemplated for the Camden site.

In a Facebook video, the bills sponsor, Rep. Jason Spencer, R-Woodbine, discusses the fact that many of the opponents of the bill who own property on Little Cumberland dont live there full-time. He shows a map of the county showing voters identified as red dots. None appear in the expected rocket trajectory cone over Cumberland and Little Cumberland.

These are a handful of folks, he said. Theyre wealthy and they have means to influence this legislative process up here in Atlanta. A lot of them live up here in the Atlanta area, Athens. Some of them live outside of the state of Georgia. These folks are trying to determine the economic fate of Camden County and southeast Georgia. And really the entire state of Georgia because really this is a statewide project. This bill would affect the entire state.

Joyce Murlless, a Savannah resident who has long owned a 2-acre undeveloped lot on Cumberland and recently bought a modest house there, said she doesnt recognize herself in that description.

I dont consider myself rich, she said. Frankly, Im not.

Along with her late husband Dick and John Crawfish Crawford, Murlless founded the nonprofit Wilderness Southeast and spent her career educating children and adults about the outdoors.

Dick and I bought in (to Little Cumberland) when we were in grad school, she said, noting that they had to be considered good conservationists to buy on the island, which is entirely within the boundaries of a National Seashore.

The Little Cumberland Island Homes Association Inc. consists of 100 lots, each with a single owner. There are 43 cottages. The groups mission statement is to own, protect, maintain, and preserve the island and all of its habitats in as natural a condition as possible, while setting aside a portion of the high ground as second home sites for members. Where conflicts occur between these two objectives, preservation and the natural integrity of the island shall be the prevailing consideration.

Still, Howard said, there are Little Cumberland owners who welcome the Spaceport. He points to Craig and Mary Root, who wrote to legislators to express support, saying we believe there will be a significant economic impact in Camden which will lead to head of household jobs and has the potential to positively influence Georgias Coast and our State as a whole. We also support a stringent Environmental Impact Study as part of the decision-making process.

The majority on Little Cumberland reflect the concerns of the National Park Service, Lang said.

We have been painted as being selfish, elitist, second home owners who dont want to be inconvenienced by a spaceport, he said. This narrative, while politically useful by Rep. Jason Spencer and the leadership in Camden County, is far from the truth. The common thread among Little Cumberland Island owners is a deep appreciation for the island and a desire to preserve and protect it.

Howard is fond of saying You take a risk doing something. You take a risk doing nothing.

On these two islands where large swaths remain wilderness, many prefer the latter.

Read the original here:

Little Cumberland spaceport promises jobs, threatens islands - Savannah Morning News

Islands sweeps SEB in key region contest – Statesboro Herald

Posted on by

Friday night wasnt a great home debut for Southeast Bulloch soccer however theres an asterisk to be inserted there. In whats only their second game of the season, the Yellow Jackets would be down four of their better players and it showed in bunches on the pitch. Mascon Canicotti, Evan Heidler, Michael Chambers and Andrew Kalaani were all out with injury with the exception of Chambers who sat the night out because of a red card earned against Wayne County on Tuesday. SEB would fall 6-0 where Islands scored all but one of their goals in the first half. It was evident from the beginning SEBs attack was not going to be able to hold up without their starters, so it would be up to the midfield and defense to try and hold back a very skilled Islands attack. We just had too many guys out of position, and it messed up our flow, said head coach Jonathan Graham. And we may have to keep playing guys out of position until were fully healthy. The Yellow Jackets would earn a pair of corners at the very beginning of the game, but outside of those two minutes Islands would control the entire game with an iron fist. Eight minutes later the Sharks would draw a foul inside the SEB box, forcing a corner kick which would be slammed home by Chas Buie for the first goal of the game. 49 seconds later Islands would run a counter attack all the way back into the SEB box, and for a moment it looked to be harmless until Christian Rodriguez was able to kick the ball back into threatening position before it rolled out of the endline. Buie would once again be at the right place at the right time to score his second goal in less than a minute and put Islands up 2-0 in a flash. Buie would put up three more shots after, putting a huge amount of stress on SEB goalkeeper Max Muellner and the entire SEB backline. We still learning how to play together, and Im still trying to figure out who would best play where, Graham said. Its going to be a learning process as the season goes along. Islands would really break down the flood gates with a 25 yard looper over the head of Muellner and right into the net for the Sharks third goal on the 22nd minute, then would add two more within the next six minutes to have SEB down 5-0 with another 52 minutes of play. SEB was finally able to breath a sigh of relief when Chandler Sturdivant was ejected on a red card for yelling obscenities at the referee, and it was then playing with a one mad advantage SEB was able to hold back the Islands attack. SEBs best chance can in the 73rd minute when Kyle Edwards had a one-on-one chance with an Islands defender off a deep, midfield service but the attempted shot went wide and the Yellow Jackets remained scoreless. Even after giving up six goals, Muellner still came away with five saves on 11 shots on target from Islands. But down four players and not even a weeks worth of practice in, there was only so much to expect from SEBs soccer team. With Graham on basketball duty until this week, he had no time to be around the team. We really havent been at this for very long, and since were so banged up I dont know what well be until we get everyone back, Graham said. Until then were just going to have to manage game by game. SEB (0-1-1) will look for their first win of the season against a very tough opponent in Savannah Arts (0-0-1) on Tuesday in Savannah at 7:00.

Islands drops SEB girls 3-1 From the beginning of the year, the Southeast Bulloch ladies knew if they wanted to host a playoff game at the end of the year they had to play well against three teams: Islands, Savannah Arts and Windsor Forest. After a season opening win over Wayne County Tuesday, SEBs ladies were faced with their first true test in the early season with their home opener against Islands a legit contender for the region 3-3A championship. The first 40 minutes looked promising for SEB, even after giving up the first goal of the game on a defensive lapse. Goalkeeper Makayla James looked to pass the ball out of goal on, only to find a streaking Stevie Norris come through the SEB defense and laying in an easy strike in the 18th minute. It wasnt as if SEB wasnt playing well at that point. Star forward Cole Robertson had already created four chances with two shots one of which forced a save by Marissa Bodenrader. But down 1-0 SEB would continue to push on offense, with Robertson continuing to create on the offensive end just like head coach Kristin Barnhill expects her to do all season. Coming out of basketball season we havent had a lot of time to practice, and it shows in our communication on the field, Barnhill said. The run doesnt meet the pass, but thats why its nice to have someone like Cole who can make up for that. Islands would control possession for the middle part of the first half, but for Barnhill thats quite alright. Shes content with not being a possession team, and prefers her girls get back on the counter attack. After absorbing a free kick and a number of shots on their half of the field, SEB was able to set up one of those counter attacks after Islands was called offsides. Emily Barnard took a service pass down field and dribbled down the endline and rocked a cracker of a shot near the inside corner past Bodenrader to tie the game at 1-1 on the stroke of halftime. With the score 1-1, SEB had Islands right where they wanted them. Emily is a fast, athletic player who finds a way to sneak it into the near post all the time, Barnhill said. Shell come off the bench and spark it for us like she did tonight all season. However the second half is where SEB found trouble. The Yellow Jackets were unable to create the number of chances they did in the first half, as Islands found a way to box SEB into their defensive half of the field and work passes around the Yellow Jacket defense. In the 48th minute this led to Norris second goal off a throw-in by Kylie Gordon an unmarked strike into the upper right hand corner to make it a 2-1 game. SEBs offense continued to stagnate, only getting off one shot the rest of the half from Robertson. Islands finally put the game away with a goal off a straight corner kick. The ball looked to go over the goal but looped into the upper-90 at the last minute as James simply lost track of the ball in goal. That put all three goals off a set piece, which Barnhill knows her team is better than to give up goals in such a fashion. I dont tolerate giving up those easy goals off set pieces, Barnhill said. But this is all going to settle back in with game experience as the season goes along. SEB (1-1-0) only held 38 percent of the possession, but was still able to create more chances (12-7) than Islands and get off only two fewer shots (7-5). However it was the shots on target (5-2) in favor is Islands that made the key difference. SEB gets right back on the gauntlet next week when they face Savannah Arts (1-2-0) in Savannah at 5:00.

Excerpt from:

Islands sweeps SEB in key region contest - Statesboro Herald

Suggestion on Beautifying Islands in City – The Missourian

Posted on by

Its time to do something about Bernies weed patch:

Several weeks ago, as I was driving back into Washington from the east on Highway 100, I came upon a lane restriction, only to find five or six park department workers all working on the islands alongside WalMart, commonly referred to as, Bernies weed patch.

This seven-month-old unsightly eyesore needs to be addressed, permanently.

I have observed other areas where communities or cities have developed attractive landscape appeal when we drive by. I mention the Chesterfield area where the islands are well sculptured along Clarkson Road. Also, if you drive by Forest Park in the city alongside Barnes Hospital, they have ornamental light standards with a place for hanging flower displays throughout the summer months. Very attractive to visitors in the area.

What I propose is that the city consider using the monies they spend during the spring, summer and fall for our park department workers and instead put it into a project to pave over the islands and then install a series of decorative lighting, ones that could hold flower displays all season long. They could also have Christmas decorations for that season. There would be no further intense labor once installed.

The present areas could be blacktopped and painted green to maintain the green atmosphere we strive to present for all.

Im the first to recognize the many benefits the city earned from Bernie Hillermann. We all miss saying hello as he continued to enjoy greeting friends from time to time. But realizing that we all get involved in projects that dont always work out, the weed patch he proposed is not a legacy he would be proud to have his name associated with.

Im sure many of our citizens of Washington feel as I do. Its almost embarrassing to have visitors drive through and see our demonstration of the weed patch.

Lets use our city monies more prudently and fix these areas.

Washington Resident

Editors Note: The Missourians understanding is that Bernie planted what was ordered.

The writer asked that his name be withheld.

Continued here:

Suggestion on Beautifying Islands in City - The Missourian

Art Made with Human DNA Explores the Future of Genetics in Birmingham – Labiotech.eu (blog)

Posted on by

Gene Craft: Art in the Biogenetic Ageopened this week at Birmingham Open Media (BOM) in the UK. Aiming to explore thesocial, economic and emotional implications of the most recent breakthroughs in genetics, the exhibition features two living art piecescreated with human DNAby bioartists Laurie Ramsell and Gina Czarnecki.

After theHuman Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) approvedthe technology to create three-parent babies in the UK last December, many have started to question the broader implications of genetic technologies. The Gene Craft exhibition elaborates on this concept by presenting living artwork that makes visitors imagine a future of bioengineered beings built and controlled by humans.

The first piece is by British artist Laurie Ramsell,who explores the genetic relationship between humans and model organisms. One of them is the zebrafish, which is routinely used in research to understand basic molecular processes that can then be extrapolated to human biology.

Laurie Ramsells Homdanio Birminghamensis

Homdanio Birminghamensisis a sculpture taking the shape of a zebrafish embryo made from bacterial cellulose and the artists own DNA. The piecewas created in collaboration with professor and bioartist Simon Park. As part of the 100,000 Genomes Project, it is intended to raise public awareness about research into the human genome being pioneered at the University of Birmingham.

The second piece featured in the Gene Craft exhibition is Gina Czarneckis Heirloom, a living portrait of the artists daughters. Skin cells from the girls are cultured and grown onto glass casts of their faces, creating paper-thin portraits with their own DNA.

Gina Czarneckis Heirloom

Heirloom invites visitors to imagine a future where our own cells are grown on demand for medical applications. But, at the same time, it intends to highlight the ethical implicationsof these procedures regarding the ownership of our own biological materials.

Gene Craft: Art in the Biogenetic Age will be open until May 13 in Birmingham. During that time, the BOM gallery will host a series of talks and workshops to bring together artists and scientists and discuss the issues raised by the bioart pieces exhibited.

Images via BOM and Gina Czarnecki

Read more:

Art Made with Human DNA Explores the Future of Genetics in Birmingham - Labiotech.eu (blog)

Women in health care: Meet Kitty Joy Thomas – Albany Times Union

Posted on by

Photo: Colleen Ingerto / Times Union

January/February 2017 edition of Women@Work magazine.

January/February 2017 edition of Women@Work magazine.

Women in health care: Meet Kitty Joy Thomas

Kitty Joy Thomas is patient care service director at Albany Medical Center, where she started in 1980 as a registered nurse. With the exception of some time spent as a nurse practitioner elsewhere, the bulk of her career has been at Albany Med; she returned to the hospital full time in 2004 as one of the nurse experts in obstetrics. After nursing school, she furthered her career with a master's degree to become a nurse practitioner, a post-graduate certificate in nursing leadership and a health care finance certificate. She credits a former boss, who mentored Thomas and named her as part of her succession plan, with helping her rise through the ranks.

Q: How did your mentor help you advance your career?

A: I met her probably 25 or 30 years ago. She had very definitely always encouraged all of us who worked with her to identify succession plans to be leaders vs. managers because there's a difference between managing and leading. That's what she did for not just myself but for a variety of us, and she challenged us. It wasn't an easy ride. It wasn't everybody gets a trophy. It was, 'You didn't do well with that, but what did you learn? What would you do differently next time?' Even to the point of practicing interviewing skills. ... In order to be credible, you have to know your stuff, and you have to communicate it, and she was really good at helping us learn those skills.

Women@Work

This story also appears in the January/February issue of Women@Work magazine.

For more inspiring stories about Capital Region working women and articles that offer career advice, sign up today for $25 at tuwomenatwork.com.

You'll get a year's subscription to the magazine and become part of a network of 1,700 Capital Region women who want to grow their careers and help other women grow, too.

Q: What are the challenges facing women who want to rise to the top jobs in health care?

A: Nurses as leaders have to become more well-rounded. So in order to become a COO or a CFO as a nurse, or even a CEO, you really have to add to your skill set. Nurses are really smart women and men. ... Women have to understand how to work in a male world. We communicate differently I think that's huge and we have to be able to understand how they think, especially if you're in a male-dominated organization.

Women who are nurses, in particular, may step outside of nursing for their education or get an MBA or master's in health care administration. They may interface with hospital organizations across the state or the nation to network with a variety of groups of people and regions.

Q: Has the climate for nurses changed?

A: Health care is moving more toward team approaches, which is something that I spent time studying, as well as communication. I'm seeing that change tremendously, and have newfound respect for what we do know. I know many, many physician colleagues who will very, very clearly say, 'The nurses are the ones who are doing the work here,' which is great, and again, that's one of the most powerful questions for someone to say, 'What's going on? What do you think?'

Q: What do you tell new nurses?

A: When I talk to nurse residents, in particular, because they're newbies coming out of school, is that sense of no one can know everything anymore. We all need each other to call on as resources, so I might not be the best mathematician or I might not be the best person to plan this piece. Somebody else has that expertise, so you need to identify and use your resources.

The other thing that's exciting about being a nurse in particular is that there's so many different things that you can do. I didn't envision myself in this chair when I got out of nursing school. I was a clinician at the bedside. I was a nursing manager. I was a nurse practitioner. ... Then I became a nurse leader, whether that's a director or manager, and now I'm also looking at other professional development in the education field. There's lots of different things you can do, let alone the specialties, whether you're a surgical nurse or a pediatric nurse or a critical care nurse.

See the article here:

Women in health care: Meet Kitty Joy Thomas - Albany Times Union

Kasich fights for federal health care funds – Dayton Daily News

Posted on by

WASHINGTON

Gov. John Kasich met today at the White House with senior administration officials to urge them to continue funneling hundreds of millions of federal dollars to the states to finance health care for millions of low-income people who have received coverage under the 2010 health law.

With congressional Republicans hoping to scrap the health law, known as Obamacare, and replacing it with a substitute, Kasich has mounted an effort to retain a key feature that expanded eligibility for Medicaid coverage, the joint federal and state program that provides health coverage to low-income people.

Kasich was one of the few Republican governors to accept the additional federal Medicaid dollars available through Obamacare, allowing 700,000 previously uninsured low-income people in Ohio to receive health coverage.

Following a meeting today at the White House with U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, Kasich said in a video posted on his Facebook page that he was expressing my concerns and some of the ideas I think (that) can allow us to reform the health care system, save some money, but yet make certain that people who need coverage that theyre going to be able to receive the coverage that they need.

All in all a lot of work, but its worth it if we can have this come out in the right place, Kasich said in the video posted by his staff. I cannot predict the future. But we are certainly doing everything we can do.

Kasich also joined the nations Republican governors at a second meeting in Washington to press for support to retain the Medicaid expansion. Kasich is one of a handful of GOP governors trying to propose a compromise to House Republicans to at least provide Medicaid coverage to families at the federal poverty line, which is $24,600 for a family of four.

A Kasich adviser would not elaborate on the meetings other than to say they were productive. But there was no sign today the Republican governors are ready to forge a consensus on Medicaid.

The 2010 health law extended coverage to more than 20 million Americans previously without insurance in two ways.

Middle income people who worked for companies that did not insure their employees were eligible for federal financial assistance to buy individual health plans through state and federal marketplaces, known as exchanges.

In addition, the law expanded Medicaid to allow families of four earning as much as $33,948 annually which is 138 percent of the federal poverty level to be eligible for health coverage. Ohio and 31 other states accepted additional federal dollars to provide for the Medicaid coverage, while 19 states did not.

But a fissure has opened between congressional Republicans and Kasich on Medicaid as well as the 2010 health law.

In a proposed bill outlined by House Republicans, GOP lawmakers want to scale back federal spending for Medicaid and eliminate federal financial assistance used by middle income people to buy private plans.

Instead, House Republicans would replace the subsidies with tax credits to allow people to buy their own plans.

In an opinion piece Friday in Forbes Magazine, Kasich suggested scaling back Medicaid coverage to families at the federal poverty line and providing federal subsidies to families of four earning between $25,000 a year to $34,000 a year so they could buy their own private plans on the federal exchanges.

Under Kasichs plan, as many as 150,000 people in Ohio would lose their Medicaid coverage. It was unclear whether federal subsidies would allow families earning between $25,000 a year and $34,000 a year to receive the same kind of coverage that had through Medicaid.

See original here:

Kasich fights for federal health care funds - Dayton Daily News

Discovery of genetic mutation may boost cancer therapies – Medical Xpress

Posted on by

February 24, 2017 by Geri Clark Killer T cells surround a cancer cell. Credit: NIH

A newly discovered type of genetic mutation that occurs frequently in cancer cells may provide clues about the disease's origins and offer new therapeutic targets, according to research from Weill Cornell Medicine and the New York Genome Center.

Using next-generation sequencing technology, scientists have previously traced cancer's roots to mutations that disrupt the sequence of proteins. As a result, the cell either creates hyperactive or dysfunctional versions of proteins, or fails to produce them at all, leading to cancer. Now, a study published Jan. 12 in Cell illuminates a possible new type of driver of the disease: small (one- to 50-letter) insertions or deletions of DNA sequence, also called "indels," in regions of the genome that do not code for protein.

"Those noncoding regions are still important because they contain sequences that affect how genes are regulated, which is critical for normal cell development," said lead author Dr. Marcin Imielinski, an assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Weill Cornell Medicine and a core member at the New York Genome Center. "We already know they are biologically important. The question is whether they can impact cancer development."

In the study, Imielinski and his colleagues analyzed sequencing data from several publicly available databases of tumor samples, focusing on the 98 percent of the genome that does not code for protein. They initially looked at lung adenocarcinoma, the most common type of lung cancer, and found that the most frequent indel-mutated regions in their genomes landed in genes encoding surfactant proteins.

Though these genes are essential for healthy lung function, they had not previously been associated with lung cancer. However, they are highly and specifically expressed by the cell type that gives rise to lung adenocarcinoma.

The researchers then looked at the genomes of 12 other cancer types and found similar patterns in liver, stomach and thyroid tumors.

"In each cancer, noncoding indels clustered in genes that are critical to organ function, but had not been associated with the cancer," said Imielinski, who is also an assistant professor of computational genomics in the HRH Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud Institute for Computational Biomedicine and a member of the Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center at Weill Cornell Medicine.

Most strikingly, these noncoding indels are very common, occurring in 20 to 50 percent of the associated cancers.

"They occur as frequently as the most famous cancer-causing mutations," said Imielinski, a paid consultant for the company 10X Genomics, which sells devices and technology to analyze genetic information. "Any gene or any sequence that mutated at this frequency has been shown to play a causal role in cancer. That would be an exciting outcome, if we can prove it."

Even if these mutations are not shown to cause cancer, they can be used in the future to improve cancer diagnosis and treatment.

"These mutations can be biomarkers that help us to diagnose a cancer early, or they could be used to pinpoint a primary cancer when there are metastases and we can't find the original cancer," Imielinski said. "There are a lot of potential clinical implications from these findings."

Explore further: Researchers pinpoint key regulatory role of noncoding genes in prostate cancer development

More information: Marcin Imielinski et al. Insertions and Deletions Target Lineage-Defining Genes in Human Cancers, Cell (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2016.12.025

Journal reference: Cell

Provided by: Cornell University

Prostate cancer researchers studying genetic variations have pinpointed 45 genes associated with disease development and progression.

The steroid dexamethasone could potentially deter the growth of a prostate cancer subtype that was previously thought to be difficult to treat with medications, Weill Cornell Medicine researchers report. Their findings were ...

New research shows that current approaches to genome analysis systematically miss detecting a certain type of complex mutation in cancer patients' tumors. Further, a significant percentage of these complex mutations are found ...

Researchers from several major U.S. universities and ITMO University in Russia have identified a number of new driver mutations in lung cancer cells that may be responsive to genomically targeted therapies and to immunotherapy.

A Yale-led study describes how a known cancer gene, EGFR, silences genes that typically suppress tumors. The finding, published in Cell Reports, may lead to the development of more effective, individualized treatment for ...

Short, unstable stretches of DNA, called microsatellites, may play a far greater role in the development and progression of cancer than previously thought, UW Medicine researchers report in a study appearing Oct. 3 in the ...

A new discovery by researchers at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle makes an important step in identifying which specific T cells within the diverse army of a person's immune system are best suited to ...

An interaction between two proteins enables cancer cells to use the physical forces of healthy cells to start spreading to other parts of the body.

Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) researchers have identified a mechanism that controls the expression of genes regulating the growth of the most aggressive form of medulloblastoma, the most common pediatric brain tumor. ...

Scientists at The Wistar Institute and Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc. have devised a novel DNA vaccine approach through molecular design to improve the immune responses elicited against one of the most important cancer antigen ...

A newly discovered type of genetic mutation that occurs frequently in cancer cells may provide clues about the disease's origins and offer new therapeutic targets, according to research from Weill Cornell Medicine and the ...

(Medical Xpress)One major challenge in pathology is to determine if a group of cells are cancerous. By 'cancerous' one generally means that they have the potential to grow and spread, or that they have already spread from ...

Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more

View original post here:

Discovery of genetic mutation may boost cancer therapies - Medical Xpress

Scientists find a striking number of genetic changes can occur early … – Medical Xpress

Posted on by

February 24, 2017 Dr. Pengfei Liu holding human DNA treated with fluorescent dyes prepared for copy number variant analysis. Credit: Baylor College of Medicine

The genetic material of an organism encodes the instructions that guide its development. These codes are not written in stone; they can change or mutate any time during the life of the organism. Single changes in the code can occur spontaneously, as a mutation, causing developmental problems. Others, as an international team of researchers has discovered, are too numerous to be explained by random mutation processes present in the general population. When such multiple genetic changes occur before or early after conception, they may inform scientists about fundamental knowledge underlying many diseases. The study appears in Cell.

"As a part of the clinical evaluation of young patients with a variety of developmental issues, we performed clinical genomic studies and analyzed the genetic material of more than 60,000 individuals. Most of the samples were analyzed at Baylor Genetics laboratories," said lead author Dr. Pengfei Liu, assistant professor of molecular and human genetics Baylor College of Medicine and assistant laboratory director of Baylor Genetics. "Of these samples, five had extreme numbers of genetic changes that could not be explained by random events alone."

The researchers looked at a type of genetic change called copy number variants, which refers to the number of copies of genes in human DNA. Normally we each have two copies of each gene located on a pair of homologous chromosomes.

"Copy number variants in human DNA can be compared to repeated or missing paragraphs or pages of text in a book," said senior author Dr. James R. Lupski, Cullen Professor of Molecular and Human Genetics at Baylor. "For instance, if one or two pages are duplicated in a book it could be explained by random mistakes. On the other hand, if 10 different pages are duplicated, you have to suspect that it did not happen by chance. We want to understand the basic mechanism underlying these multiple new copy number variant mutations in the human genome."

A rare, early and transitory phenomenon that can affect human development

The researchers call this phenomenon multiple de novo copy number variants. As the name indicates, the copy number variants are many and new (de novo). The latter means that the patients carrying the genetic changes did not inherit them from their parents because neither the mother nor the father carries the changes.

In this rare phenomenon, the copy number variants are predominantly gains duplications and triplications rather than losses of genetic material, and are present in all the cells of the child. The last piece of evidence together with the fact that the parents do not carry the alterations suggest that the extra copies of genes may have occurred either in the sperm or the egg, the parent's germ cells, and before or very early after fertilization.

"This burst of genetic changes happens only during the early stages of embryonic development and then it stops," Liu said. "Interestingly, despite having a large number of mutations, the young patients present with relatively mild neurological problems."

The researchers are analyzing more patient samples looking for additional cases of multiple copy number variants to continue their investigation of what may trigger this rare phenomenon.

"We hope that as more researchers around the world learn about this and confirm it, the number of cases will increase," Liu said. "This will improve our understanding of the underlying mechanism and of why and how pathogenic copy number variants arise not only in developmental disorders but in cancers."

A new era of clinical genomics-supported medicine and research

This discovery was made possible in great measure thanks to the breadth of genetic testing performed and genomic data available at Baylor Genetics laboratory.

"The diagnostics lab Baylor Genetics is one of the pioneers in this new era of clinical genomics-supported medical practice and disease gene discovery research," Lupski said. "They are developing the clinical genomics necessary to foster and support the Precision Medicine Initiative of the National Institutes of Health, and generating the genomics data that further drives human genome research."

Using state-of-the art technologies and highly-trained personnel, Baylor Genetics analyzes hundreds of samples daily for genetic evaluation of patients with conditions suspected to have underlying genetic factors potentially contributing to their disease. Having this wealth of information and insight into the genetic mechanisms of disease offers now the possibility of advancing medicine and basic research in ways that were not available before.

"There is so much that both clinicians and researchers can learn from the data generated in diagnostic labs," Liu said. "Clinicians receive genomic information that can aid in diagnosis and treatment of their patients, and researchers gather data that can help them unveil the mechanisms underlying the biological perturbations resulting in the patients' conditions."

Explore further: Largest study of its kind finds rare genetic variations linked to schizophrenia

More information: An Organismal CNV Mutator Phenotype Restricted to Early Human Development. Cell, DOI: dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2017.01.037

Journal reference: Cell

Provided by: Baylor College of Medicine

Many of the genetic variations that increase risk for schizophrenia are rare, making it difficult to study their role in the disease. To overcome this, the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, an international team led by Jonathan ...

Scientists at Baylor College of Medicine, Baylor Genetics, the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and Texas Children's Hospital are combining descriptions of patients' clinical features with their complex ...

Scientists have linked a gene called PKD1L1 with disarrangement of human internal organs, known as laterality defects, and complex congenital heart disease. This discovery contributes to a better understanding of the genetic ...

A team of scientists from a number of institutions around the world, including Baylor College of Medicine, has discovered that rare neurological syndromes for which there was no cause can be the result of variations in the ...

A team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine has developed a family-based association test that improves the detection in families of rare disease-causing variants of genes involved in complex conditions such as Alzheimer's. ...

An international team of scientists has identified variants of the gene EBF3 causing a developmental disorder with features in common with autism. Identification of these gene variants leads to a better understanding of these ...

The genetic material of an organism encodes the instructions that guide its development. These codes are not written in stone; they can change or mutate any time during the life of the organism. Single changes in the code ...

A research team from the United States and Canada has developed and successfully tested new computational software that determines whether a human DNA sample includes an epigenetic add-on linked to cancer and other adverse ...

Gene discovery research is uncovering new information about similarities and differences underlying various neurodevelopmental disorders.

A University of Toronto (U of T) study on fruit flies has uncovered a gene that could play a key role in obesity in humans.

Our genes play a significant role in how anxious we feel when faced with spatial and mathematical tasks, such as reading a map or solving a geometry problem, according to a new study by researchers from King's College London.

Gene editing techniques developed in the last five years could help in the battle against cancer and inherited diseases, a University of Exeter scientist says.

Please sign in to add a comment. Registration is free, and takes less than a minute. Read more

Read the original:

Scientists find a striking number of genetic changes can occur early ... - Medical Xpress

Gene mutations in brain linked to OCD-like behavior – Medical News … – Medical News Today

Posted on by

Researchers provide further evidence of how gene mutations in a certain brain region might fuel behaviors associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder. The findings could pave the way for new treatments for the condition.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a condition characterized by uncontrollable thoughts, obsessions, and compulsions.

Obsessions include repetitive thoughts or mental images that trigger anxiety, while compulsions refer to the urge to repeat certain behaviors in response to obsessions. Common examples of compulsions include excessive hand-washing, arranging items in a particular way, and compulsive counting.

OCD is estimated to affect around 1 percent of adults in the United States. Of these adults, 50 percent have severe OCD, which can significantly interfere with daily life.

While the precise causes of OCD are unclear, previous studies have suggested that the disorder may be caused by specific gene mutations.

In the new study, researchers from Northwestern University in Chicago, IL, have pinpointed gene mutations in the corticostriatal region of the brain that led to OCD-like behaviors in mice.

Lead author Anis Contractor, associate professor of physiology at Feinberg School of Medicine, and colleagues recently reported their findings in the journal Cell Reports.

In humans and mice, the corticostriatal brain region is responsible for regulating repetitive behavior. "People with OCD are known to have abnormalities in function of corticostriatal circuits," notes Contractor.

By analyzing this brain region in mice, Contractor and colleagues identified a number of synaptic receptors - called kainate receptors (KARs) - that play a key role in the development of the corticostriatal region.

The researchers then set out to investigate whether disrupting KAR genes in mice - thereby eliminating KARs - might induce repetitive behavior in the rodents. They found this was the case.

Mice whose KAR genes were erased displayed a number of OCD-like behaviors, such as over-grooming and repeatedly digging in their bedding.

The team says these findings provide further evidence that KAR genes play a role in OCD in humans, and a possible biological mechanism.

"A number of studies have found mutations in the kainate receptor genes that are associated with OCD or other neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders in humans.

I believe our study, which found that a mouse with targeted mutations in these genes exhibited OCD-like behaviors, helps support the current genetic studies on neuropsychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders in humans."

Anis Contractor

The team suggests that in the future, KAR genes could be a target for the development of new drugs to treat OCD.

Learn how exposure therapy might help treat people with OCD.

Read the original post:

Gene mutations in brain linked to OCD-like behavior - Medical News ... - Medical News Today

Bitcoin Prices Have Surged to an All-Time High – Futurism

Posted on by

In Brief

Bitcoinis a term we often hear tossed around in the headlines. We know that it deals with money, online transactions, and just maybe the deep web. Back in 2014, the Washington Postestablished that only 24% of theAmerican public was aware of what bitcoin actually was. Meaning that almost three-quarters of the country had no idea. But maybe they just might want to start paying attention, especially now since it is at its all-time high value.

Bitcoin was introduced in 2008 by an anonymous group of programmers under the name of Satoshi Nakamotoand was eventually released to the public in 2009 as an open-source software. Unlike other online payment services like PayPal and Venmo, Bitcoin is a peer-to-peer network that takes place privately between two usersmeaning there is no intermediary involved. The cryptographic virtual currency is completely decentralized from any external influence while all transactions with the currency are accounted for through ablockchain ledger.

While bitcoin is thoroughly anonymous, the blockchain ledger has all transactions available publicly. Therefore, theoretically, if you know the time and date of a particular transaction, you may be able to match someones online address to their identity. On the other hand, all transactions made through bitcoin are encrypted with military grade cryptography, ensuring that all deals are secure. Sending and receiving bitcoins is as easy as sending an email, but does that mean its worth it?

With all that said and done, Bitcoin has made it far since its substantial price drop in 2013. Since then Bitcoin has stabilized around a margin of $250, with most experts believing it was doomed. However, it seems to have returned to a relatively stable rise since last year. This time last year bitcoin was valued at $367, with its steady rise,it is now valued at 1,177.18. Many speculate as to what is causing the recent trend from Congress to WallStreet to even sheer luck.

Excerpt from:

Bitcoin Prices Have Surged to an All-Time High - Futurism

New Brain-Reading Computers Let the Paralyzed Communicate Using Their Thoughts – Futurism

Posted on by

Typing With Thought

Researchers from Stanford University have built a new brain-computer interface (BCI) that allows paralyzed people to type with their brains at a rate faster than was previously possible.

For their study, they worked with threeparticipants with severe limb weakness, two due to Lou Gehrigs disease and one with limited movement due to a spinal cord injury. All three participants had electrode arrays embedded in their brains to record signals from the motor cortex, which controls muscle movement. A cable then transmitted the brain signals to a computer, and they were then translated by algorithms into point-and-click commands that prompted a cursor to move over letters. Basically, participants were able to move the cursor by imagining their own hand movements.

While it took some training, the subjects were able to achieve BCI results that outperformed any available platform today. One patient was able to type 39 correct characters per minute, which is around eight words per minute, proving that BCIs have the potential to enhance communication among people with impaired movement. It should be noted that these typing-rates were achieved without the use of automatic word-completion.

The performance is really exciting. Were achieving communication rates that many people with arm and hand paralysis would find useful. Thats a critical step for making devices that could be suitable for real-world use, says Chethan Pandarinath, one of the authors of the paper, told Stanford.

The Stanford teams contribution toward advancing peoples ability to control machines with just their thoughts reflects the progressbeing made in this field. In addition to this breakthrough, a team from the Wyss Center for Bio and Neuroengineering in Geneva, Switzerland, built a BCI that can decipher thoughts of people with complete locked-in syndrome, giving them the ability to answer yes or no questions. Meanwhile, researchers at Harvard are using BCI tech to restore sight in the blind.

In the U.S. alone, millions of people suffer from paralysis, some from degenerative conditions like ALS and others from unfortunate accidents that cause severe spinal cord injury.This point-and-click approach developed at Stanford could be the key to making a more efficient BCI geared toward improving the quality of life for those people. It could restore their ability to communicate while teams like that at the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE)work on ways to use BCIs to help the paralyzed walk again.

With some modifications, the team believes its system could be applied to other devices, including smartphones or tablets. Were approaching half of what, for example, I could probably type on a cell phone, neurosurgeon and co-senior authorJaimie Henderson of Stanford University told Scientific American. This study reports the highest speed and accuracy, by a factor of three, over whats been shown before. In the future, the team hopes to refine the technology so that it becomes wireless, fully implanted, and self-calibrating, thus being able to provide around-the-clock support.

The rest is here:

New Brain-Reading Computers Let the Paralyzed Communicate Using Their Thoughts - Futurism

Our Computers Are Learning How to Code Themselves – Futurism

Posted on by

On the Hunt for Code

Those of you who followed the first season of HBOs Westworld know that one of the things that made an artificially intelligent (AI) host in the show truly intelligent, so to speak, was the ability to write its own code. Its a form of reasoning with itself something that current AI technology is still far from capable of doing. One company is trying to close that gap viadeep learning algorithms that use probabilistic programming,and now, researchers from Microsoft and the University of Cambridge are bringing us closer to self-coding AI with a system they call DeepCoder.

DeepCoder is a machine learning system that can write its own code. It does this using a technique called program synthesis. Essentially, it creates new programs by combining existing lines of code taken from other software, which is what human coders do. With a particular output in mind, DeepCoder was able to determinewhich lines or pieces of code would be particularly useful.

The approach is to train a neural network to predict properties of the program that generated the outputs from the inputs. We use the neural networks predictions to augment search techniques from the programming languages community, including enumerative search and an SMT-based solver, writes the research team, which is led by Alexander Gaunt from Microsoft Research and Matej Balog from Cambridge. Their study is currently being reviewed for the 5th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR 2017) this coming April.

DeepCoder successfully plowed through the basic, input-output style challenges usually set by programming competitions. It was able to search through lines of code more thoroughly and widely than a human coder could, piecing together code in a manner humans might not think of and more quickly. And because DeepCoder is essentially a deep learning algorithm, every time its given a new problem, it gets better at combining lines from source codes.

Ultimately, this algorithm can make programming accessible to non-coders, allowing anyone to easilybuild simple programs. Researcher Marc Brockschmidt, one of DeepCoders creators from Microsoft Research in Cambridge, UK, believes that their approach would make it possible for non-coders to just describe a program and leave the system to build it. All of a sudden, people could be so much more productive, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) associate professor Armando Solar-Lezama, who wasnt part of the research,told New Scientist. They could build systems that it [would be] impossible to build before.

DeepCoders current version only allows it to handle programming challenges with around five lines of code. Brockschmidt said that future versions of DeepCode could facilitate building routine programs that do information scraping from websites without the need for human coders.The potential for automation that this kind of technology offers could really signify an enormous [reduction] in the amount of effort it takes to develop code, Solar-Lezama said. No need for programmers to start updating their resumes, though, as this tech wouldnt replace humans. Instead, DeepCoder could handle the more tedious parts of programming, while human coders could focus on more sophisticated work.

Read the original post:

Our Computers Are Learning How to Code Themselves - Futurism