Select Page ::

SUNDAY TIMES – New genetic test could predict if you’ll react badly … – Times LIVE

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

The R3,500 test called the mygeneRx created by Johannesburg company DNAlysis can analyse your DNA and look at the genetic variation in genes that control drug-using enzymes.

These enzymes can allow a drug to be metabolized (used) by the body so fast that it gets rid of the medicine before it has time to work or very slowly so the body can have difficulty eliminating the drug. The slow metabolism rate could lead to an overdose and unintended side effects.

The test which uses a swab from your cheek only looks at a personal response to 150 medications used for pain heart disease high cholesterol and depression.

But experts warn that genetic testing to determine how a person will respond to medication is not yet advanced enough to help the average patient.

University of Kwazulu-Natal Pharmacology lecturer Andy Gray said: "I certainly would not recommend blanked testing it's an exploitation of the worried well with questionable clinical benefits."

Dr Mamoonah Chaudhry Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Pretoria's Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, explained the field of individual testing is known as pharmacogenomics and can help warn of a person's likelihood to have bad reactions to a drug.

She said the personalized medicine approach will help reduce mortality and morbidity due to adverse (bad) drug reactions.

Chaudhry however warned that current genetic tests were not advanced enough to be used widely to guide doctors on what medication to prescribe.

"Most of the (laboratories) only test for a few genetic markers as also indicated in this test which are not enough for personalized treatment."

But Chaudhry said it did show a change in thinking about medication.

The idea of one size fits all has changed over the time and a personalized medicine approach has emerged.

Pharmacist Shafrudeen Amod said the 150 drugs the test looks at were too few and cause for concern.

If the aim of pharmacogenomics is to optimise drug therapy then this test represents a science at its infancy and the test is being prematurely released" Amod said.

Amod also said the medication's effect was never just related to a patient's genes.

"There are various reasons patients may not respond to a medication ranging from something as simple as not taking the medicine to complex drug interactions. Similarly side effects to medications range from minor to major Amod said.

Gray said there were genetic variabilities that affected how people reacted to some drugs such as warfarin which is used to stop blood-clotting and the common pain killer codeine where some people get high from it.

Some people on certain drugs such as warfarin may benefit from this testing Gray suggested. - TMG Digital/The Times

Continue reading here:

SUNDAY TIMES - New genetic test could predict if you'll react badly ... - Times LIVE

How to Run a Rogue Government Twitter Account With an Anonymous Email Address and a Burner Phone – The Intercept

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

One of the first things Donald Trump did when he took office was temporarily gag several federal agencies, forbidding them from tweeting.

In response, self-described government workers created a wave of rogue Twitter accounts that share real facts (not to be confused with alternative facts, otherwise known as lies) about climate change and science. As a rule, the people running these accounts chose to remain anonymous, fearing retaliation but, depending on how they created and use their accounts, they are not necessarily anonymous to Twitter itself, or to anyone Twitter shares data with.

Anonymous speech is firmly protected by the First Amendment and the Supreme Court, and its history in the U.S. dates to the Federalist Papers, written in 1787 and 1788under the pseudonym Publius by three of the founding fathers.

But the technical ability for people to remain anonymous on todays internet, where every scrap of data is meticulously tracked, is an entirely different issue. The FBI, a domestic intelligence agency that claims the power to spy on anyonebased on suspicions that dont come close to probable cause, has a long, dark history of violating the rights of Americans. And now it reports directly to President Trump, who is a petty, revenge-obsessed authoritarian with utter disrespect for the courts and the rule of law.

In this environment, how easy is it to create and maintain a Twitter account while preserving your anonymity even from Twitter and any law enforcement agency that may request its records? I tried to find out, and documented all my steps. There are different ways to accomplish this. If you plan on following these steps you should make sure you understand the purpose of them, in case you need to improvise. I also cant guarantee that these techniques will protect your anonymity there are countless ways that things can go wrong, many of them social rather than technical. But I hope youll at least have a fighting chance at keeping your real identity private.

For this exercise, I decided to pick a highly controversial political topic: Facts. I believe that what we know about reality is based on evidence that can be objectively observed. Thus, I created the completely anonymous (until publishing this article, of course) Twitter account @FactsNotAlt. Heres how I did it.

Threat model

Before we begin, it helps to define a threat model, that is: what we need to protect; who we need to protect it from; what their capabilities are; and what countermeasures prevent or mitigate these threats.

Basically, its impossible to be completely secure all the time, so we need to prioritize our limited resources into protecting what matters the most first. The most important piece of information you need to protect in this case is your real identity.

Law enforcement or the FBI might launch an investigation aimed at learning your identity. It may be to retaliate against you getting you fired, charging you with crimes, or worse. Your Twitter account might also anger armies of trolls who could threaten you, abuse you with hate speech, and try to uncover your identity.

If the FBI opens an investigation aimed at de-anonymizing you, one of the first things theyll do is simply ask Twitter and every other service that they know you use for information about your account. So a critically important countermeasure to take is to ensure that none of the information tied to your account phone numbers, email addresses, or IP addresses youve used while logging into your account lead back to you.

This is true for all accounts you create. For instance, if you supply a phone number while creating your Twitter account, the phone service provider associated with that number shouldnt have information that can lead back to you either.

Another concern: The FBI also might go undercover online and try to befriend you, to trick you into revealing details about yourself or to trick you into clicking a link to hack you. They might make use of informants in the community of people who follow you on Twitter as well. Organized trolls might use the same tactics.

Hiding your IP address with Tor

An IP address is a set of numbers that identifies a computer, or a network of computers, on the internet. Unless you take extra steps, every website you visit can see your IP address. If youre using Twitter while connected to your home or office Wi-Fi network, or your phones data plan, Twitter can tell. If they hand these IP addresses to the FBI, you will very quickly lose your anonymity.

This is where Tor comes in. Tor is a decentralized network of servers that help people bypass internet censorship, evade internet surveillance, and access websites anonymously. If you connect to Twitter while youre using Tor Browser, Twitter cant tell what your real IP address is instead, theyll see the IP address of a random Tor server. Tor servers are run by volunteers. And even if any of the servers bouncing your data around are malicious, they wont be able to learn both who you are and what youre doing.

This is the primary benefit that Tor has over Virtual Private Network, or VPN, services, which try to help users hide their IP addresses. The FBI can go to a VPN service to learn your real IP address (assuming the VPN keeps a record of its users IP addresses, and cooperates with these requests). This isnt true with Tor.

To get started with Tor, download Tor Browser. Its a web browser, like Chrome or Firefox, but all its internet traffic gets routed over the Tor network, hiding your real IP address.

Using Tor Browser is the easiest way to get started, but its not perfect. For instance, a hacker who knows about a vulnerability in Tor Browser can discover your real IP address by tricking you into visiting a website they control, and exploiting that vulnerability the FBI has done this in the past. For this reason, its important to always immediately update Tor Browser when you get prompted.

You can also protect yourself from Tor Browser security bugs by using an operating system thats designed to protect your anonymity, such as Tails or Qubes with Whonix, (Ive written about the latter here). This is more work for you, but it might be worth it. Personally, Im using Qubes with Whonix.

Getting an anonymous email address

Before you can create nearly any account online, you need an email address. While popular email services like Gmail or Yahoo Mail let anyone make an account for free, they dont make it easy to do so anonymously. Most of them require that you verify your identity with a phone number. You can in fact do that anonymously (more on that below), but I prefer using an email provider that is happy to give addresses to anonymous users.

One of these providers is SIGAINT, a darknet-only service that forces all its users to login using Tor to read or send email. The people who run it are anonymous and it contains ads for (sometimes very sketchy, sorry) darknet websites. However, you do end up with a working, anonymous email address.

If you prefer not to use SIGAINT, another good choice is Riseup, a technology collective that provides email, mailing list, VPN, and other similar services to activists around the world. Accounts are free, and they dont ask for any identifying information, but you do need invite codes from two friends who already use Riseup in order to create an account.

Yet another option is ProtonMail a privacy-friendly email provider based in Switzerland that asks for minimal identifying information and works well over Tor. However, to prevent abuse, they require Tor users to provide a phone number (that they promise not to store) to receive an SMS during account creation. So, if youd like to use ProtonMail instead (or any other email service that requires a phone number when creating an account over Tor), follow the steps below to create an anonymous phone number first.

I decided to use SIGAINT. In Tor Browser, I went to SIGAINTs onion service address, sigaintevyh2rzvw.onion, which I found on their public website. This is a special type of web address that only works in Tor Browser, and not the normal internet. From there, I filled out the form to create a new account.

Thats it. Ive now created a brand new anonymous email address: factsaretrue@sigaint.org.

Getting an anonymous phone number

While attempting to create a Twitter account, I quickly hit a snag. Even if I provide my (anonymous) email address, Twitter wont let me create a new account without first verifying my phone number. (You might get lucky and get the option to skip entering your phone number it doesnt hurt to try but if youre coming from a Tor node that isnt likely.)

This is a problem, because I obviously cant use my real phone number if I want to remain anonymous. So to proceed, I needed to figure out how to get a phone number that isnt tied to my actual identity. This is a common problem when trying to stay anonymous online, so you can follow these instructions any time you need a phone number when opening an account.

There are other ways to do it, but I chose a conceptually simple option: Buy a burner phone anonymously, use it to verify my new Twitter account, and then get rid of it. I wandered around downtown San Francisco looking in convenience stores and pharmacies until I found what I was looking for in a 7-Eleven.

Using cash, I bought the cheapest TracFone handset I could find (an LG 328BG feature phone as in, not a smartphone) as well as 60 minutes worth of voice service, for a total of $62.38 after tax. You might be able to find cheaper cell phone handsets if you look long enough.

If youre going to get a burner phone and want to maintain your anonymity, here are some things to keep in mind:

After buying phone service, youll need to activate the phone. This process will be different with different phone companies. TracFone requires you to activate your handset either by calling their phone number from a different phone obviously not a good option for someone trying to remain anonymous or by activating online at their website. I activated my burner phone online using Tor Browser.

Once youve activated your phone, you can use the phones menu system to learn what your new phone number is. On my LG 328BG, I pressed Menu, selected Settings, and finally Phone Information to find it.

Creating a Twitter account anonymously

Finally, armed with an email address and phone number that arent in any way connected to my real identity, I could create a Twitter account.

Before making an account, grab your laptop and burner phone and go to a public location that isnt your home or office, such as a coffee shop. When you get there, power on your burner phone. Keep in mind that this location is now tied to your burner phone, so you might wish to do this step when youre traveling in another city.

Using Tor Browser, I navigated to https://twitter.com/signup and signed up for a new account. The new account form asked for my full name (Facts Are True), my email address (factsaretrue@sigaint.org), and a password.

After clicking Sign up, I was immediately prompted to enter my phone number. I typed my anonymous phone number and clicked Call me. A Twitter robot called my burner and read out a six-digit number, which I typed into the next page on Tor Browser. It worked great.

With the phone number verification step complete, I powered off my burner phone. Once youre sure you dont need your burner phone anymore, its a good idea to get rid of it.

Toward the end of the signup process, Twitter prompted me to come up with a username. After many tries, I found one I liked: @FactsNotAlt. After clicking through the welcome screen, I was finally logged into my new anonymous account.

I went ahead and confirmed that I control my factsaretrue@sigaint.org email address.

And there you have it. I set up my new account and began tweeting about things that are true.

Maintaining the Twitter account over time

If youre following along, youve now created a completely anonymous Twitter account as well. Congratulations! But your work has only just started. Now comes the hard part: Maintaining this account for months, or years, without making any mistakes that compromise your identity. I wont be following these tips myself with the @FactsNotAlt account Ive already outed myself as the owner. But for anyone who is trying to anonymously maintain a popular Twitter account, here are some things to keep in mind.

Be careful about how you interact with people:

Compartmentalize:

Many successful Twitter accounts have a team of people who run them instead of a single individual. If youre part of such a team, or thinking of sharing access to your existing account with someone new:

And finally, keep in mind that after all this, Twitter can always kick you off for their own reasons. And if your account gets hacked and the email address associated with it is changed, youll have no way to recover it.

Good luck!

View post:

How to Run a Rogue Government Twitter Account With an Anonymous Email Address and a Burner Phone - The Intercept

Holistic medicine, what you need to know – Arizona Sonoro News

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

Eduardo Estrada and Manny pose for a picture while hiking. (Photo courtesy by: Eduardo Estrada)

October 2016. Eduardo Eddie Estrada gently sips a beer and while closing his eyes. He takes a French fry and looks at his hand as he begins to remember.

Its September 2012. Estrada returns to the United States after a serving his country as a Hospital Man Third Class in Afghanistan. This is where it all began; the nightmares, the stress, the anger.

It started gradually, said Estrada, When I got out of the military, I thought I was fine and didnt have any transition problems but I came from a place that was very strict and everyone respected you.

Estrada deals with a mental illness, as do other 57 million Americans, a disease that affects the individual and the people surrounding them. Most patients are prescribed medications, but new strategies like yoga, meditation, dance and art classes can hold less toxic effects on the body.

But what happens when Americans decide to use holistic methods to cope with their disease?

What Happens in the Brain?

When the brain, the soft-tissue organ whose main functions include nervous and intellectual activity, is damaged in certain regions or has some type of chemical imbalance, it creates a problem for the individual. These problems range from minimal complications to severe complications.

There are different levels of severity for mental disorders, said Dr. Kaitlyn Zavaleta, an adjunct professor at the University of Arizona.

Mental problems arise, not only when the brain is damaged, but when the mind is damaged as well. This, at times, is the result from a traumatic event.

Each mental illness affects the brain differently, said Zavaleta. For example with depression, there are different patterns activated in the brain causing it to be different for every person.

Holistic treatments, however, are not always sponsored by government funds, not covered by insurance companies or the community are not well informed about them even though they are of great value.

Holistic researcher

Holistic treatments involved taking care of the mind, body and soul while looking at all the aspects to help the well being not just from the medical standpoint, said Renee Gregg, Doctor and Assistant Professor, Doctor of Nursing Practice, and Certified Family Nurse Practitioner.

Gregg believes holistic treatments are of great value to society, especially patients suffering from mental health problems.

Everyone thinks they need medication to fix and treat whatever is wrong with them, Gregg said. Its a newer concept for all of us to think that medicine could not be the only concept and it will take time for us to adapt.

Eduardo Estrada posing with his dog Manny. (Photo by: Mar Ruiz/ Arizona Sonora News Service)

Gregg explained that sometimes when a patient has high blood pressure, it could be caused be stress or not having a good diet. There are multiple techniques that help patients like yoga, but patients have to learn how to handle their lifestyles and structures, she said.

We see many promising results and the nurse practitioners are saying theyre finding much more comfort in speaking and a much higher response of patients when they talk to them than they were before, Gregg said.

According to Gregg, the first thing that practitioners look at is prevention and then once the patient passes prevention, they look at yoga, meditation or other holistic treatments that could be used to improve the quality of life and the quality of overall care.

The Natural Medicine Journal says that the annual expenses for alternative car is around $34 billion, most of it coming from the patients own money. The first visit to a Naturopathic doctor could range from $150-$300.

As far as insurance companies, they are not covering the full coverage,said Gregg. They are covering some wellness programs but as far as yoga classes and meditation and massages they are generally not being covered.

Medical providers are being cautioned and limited in opiate medication that patients can get.

We are seeing more insurance coverage of therapies for depression that go along more of the holistic methods, even if its therapy music or a therapy dance, especially in teens and kids, Gregg said.

Insurance companys perspective

Therapy itself may be covered by the insurance companies as long as the patient has a referral from their medical provider. When a patient has a referral, the case manager can work with the insurance company to get the alternative treatment covered.

Judith Revell, Public Executive for the Citizens Commission on Human Rights International, a nonprofit mental health watchdog, says their company suggests, but never advises, that patients see a doctor before even trying to suggest other alternative treatments. Revell says that their company knows its important to know first what medical problem or mental problem someone has before giving them a treatment .

Mannys therapy vest worn only during his working time. (Photo by: Mar Ruiz/ Arizona Sonora News Service)

Because some psychiatrist are funded by the pharmaceutical industry, we are here to help them in anything they need so they can get the best treatment, Revell said.

Life

As he took a sip from his beer, Estrada said he never used medication to help him with his problem.not even once because he thought it didnt work.

I chose this route with my dog because I did not want to do medication because most of my friends who did medications were having problems with their sleep, anger, depression and had all the side effects, Estrada said.

Before deciding to actually go to therapy and getting a service dog, Estrada considered himself healthy despite his problems. His problem began gradually once he was back from Afghanistan.

Ive always thought I was a very strong man and some of the stuff I got to see over there were really strong but I thought I was good for it.

The nightmares, the endless fights with his wife, the sense of being lonely.everything went away once he rescued and trained his dog.

I thought I was rescuing him but he was helping me out all the time.

Mar Ruiz is a reporter for Arizona Sonora News, a service from the School of Journalism with the University of Arizona. Contact her at marery@email.arizona.edu.

Click here for high-resolution photos.

Read the original here:

Holistic medicine, what you need to know - Arizona Sonoro News

New provider joins Samaritan Lebanon Health Center Family Medicine clinic – Lebanon Express

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

Samaritan Lebanon Health Center-Family Medicine has added Certified Nurse Practitioner Devin Petschl to its team.

Devin attained a bachelors degree Gonzaga University, followed by a masters degree in nursing from Georgetown University.

She chose to become a nurse practitioner after working as a nurse in pediatrics and womens health for four years.

I always knew I wanted to be able to do more for my patients, she said. I appreciated the model of practice set for nurse practitioners and found a passion in helping patients meet their healthcare goals using a holistic approach by keeping in mind a patients ethnic, spiritual, environmental and family background.

I chose Samaritan for the opportunity to work in a positive, collaborative environment with easy access to multiple specialties, including in-house radiology and lab, Devin continued. I hope to live up to Samaritan values by increasing access to primary care for those who need care the most.

In her free time, Devin enjoys spending time with her family, hiking, and traveling.

For more information, call 541-451-6282.

New provider joins Samaritan Lebanon Health Center Family Medicine clinic - Lebanon Express

Trump stance on religious liberty leaves social conservatives nervous – Washington Times

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

Some social conservatives are growing impatient with President Trumps modest stance on religious liberty one month into his term, saying the president so far has not kept his promise to protect the rights of evangelicals and Catholics who supported his campaign.

Brian S. Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage, called on Mr. Trump to get moving on religious liberty.

The issue of religious liberty is one of the most important for people of faith, who happen to be the key voting [bloc] most responsible for electing Donald Trump as president, Mr. Brown wrote in a letter to supporters last week. Evangelicals voted over 80 percent for Mr. Trump, and Catholics went for him by 52 percent. Now its time for the administration to act to protect people of faith from being discriminated against because of their faith.

The primary source of frustration for the religious right is Mr. Trumps inaction on former President Obamas executive order requiring some religious groups, including charities and relief organizations, not to discriminate against employees based on sexual orientation and gender identity in order to receive federal contracts.

A draft of an executive order repealing that mandate circulated in the media and immediately drew the ire of the LGBT movement. Politico reported the repeal effort was squashed by the presidents daughter, Ivanka Trump, and her husband, senior White House adviser Jared Kushner.

Joseph Backholm, president of the Family Policy Institute of Washington, said Mr. Trumps own political instincts make him an unlikely champion of religious liberty in the face of a powerful gay rights movement.

I think that it is true that he is not willing to take the LGBT movement head on, Mr. Backholm said. I would not characterize him philosophically as a conservative, particularly a social conservative on issues of sexuality and gender. Thats just not his DNA.

Hes sympathetic to freedom in general, Mr. Backholm said. I think hes a good representation of a lot of Americans who dont want to have to choose.

In an attempt to win over skeptical religious voters, Mr. Trump promised throughout the campaign to prioritize protecting religious liberty if elected.

The first priority of my administration will be to preserve and protect our religious liberty, Mr. Trump said in a speech before the Iowa Faith and Family Coalition. The First Amendment guarantees our right to practice our faith as we see fit, not just during the holy days, but all the time, always, wherever.

Mr. Backholm said there are some signs that Mr. Trump will keep his promise.

He said Mr. Trump has surrounded himself with champions of conscience rights, pointing to the appointment of Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price and nomination of federal appellate Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court.

The president also is poised to sign legislation coming from a Republican-controlled Congress affirming the right to live by the tenets of ones faith, such as the Conscience Protection Act of 2017.

All of these are an indication that he is going to use the executive branch less to force people to do stuff than the last administration, Mr. Backholm said. So I think theres reason for optimism.

But there are signs on the state level that religious liberty is in retreat.

The Supreme Court of Washington state ruled last week that Barronelle Stutzman, the 72-year-old florist who owns Arlenes Flowers, violated state anti-discrimination law by refusing to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding ceremony.

And pro-choice advocates recently have tried to force religious entities to violate their conscience rights by providing abortions. The American Civil Liberties Union has sued Catholic hospitals that refuse to perform the procedure, and California and Illinois have passed laws forcing pro-life pregnancy centers to promote abortion.

The LGBT movement also has accelerated the debate over transgender rights, enlisting corporations to boycott states that regulate restrooms and locker rooms on the basis of biological sex.

Tim Chapman, chief operating officer of Heritage Action, said the lefts strategy is to wage scorched earth political campaigns at the state level, where they can gang up on a single governor or a legislature.

He said Mr. Trump could use his pulpit to nationalize the public debate.

President Trump has the unique ability to do that, and at the same time send a signal to lawmakers in state capitals all across the country that he will stand with them, Mr. Chapman said.

Sooner or later, Mr. Backholm said the president will be forced to take a side.

Its a choice that the left is forcing because they dont want tolerance for perspectives and views they disagree with, he said. This is not a debate you can stay neutral on as president of the United States.

Trump stance on religious liberty leaves social conservatives nervous - Washington Times

Liberty Gets Waiver to Join Football Bowl Subdivision – Inside Higher Ed

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

Virginian-Pilot

Liberty Gets Waiver to Join Football Bowl Subdivision
Inside Higher Ed
Liberty University will join the Football Bowl Subdivision, college sports' most competitive level, after receiving a waiver from the National Collegiate Athletic Association on Thursday. Liberty requested the waiver in January, seeking permission to ...
Minium | NCAA exception for Liberty was right call, but could have unintended consequencesVirginian-Pilot

all 3 news articles »

See the original post here:

Liberty Gets Waiver to Join Football Bowl Subdivision - Inside Higher Ed

Duntons lead Liberty High hoops teams into postseason – Roanoke Times

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

BEDFORD Randy Dunton has coached college basketball at schools in three states.

His daughter, Emilee, played college basketball in three different programs.

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

7-Day Delivery + Unlimited Digital Access

13 Weeks = $50.05 26 Weeks = $99.84 52 Weeks = $185.64

What's included?You'll get delivery of The Roanoke Times every day and access to all of our digital content, including roanoke.com and the eTimes at no additional charge.

Plus for a limited time get 2017 Pizza Card ($80 Value) with your new subscription!

NEW SUBSCRIBERS: You'll get delivery of The Roanoke Times every day and access to all of our digital content, including roanoke.com and the eTimes at no additional charge.

The first month's payment for your All Access package will be billed immediately to your credit card by PayPalPro, and you will receive instant digital access. Home delivery of the newspaper will begin within three to five business days, and The Roanoke Times will contact you to arrange future payment.

NEW SUBSCRIBERS:As a weekend subscriber, you'll get the paper three days a week plus digital access for $14.08 per month for the first month. Digital access includes unlimited access to roanoke.com and the eTimes. After the first month, your total subscription price will be $16.90 per month.

NEW SUBSCRIBERS:As a Sunday subscriber, you'll get the week's largest paper plus digital access for $9.79 for the first month. Digital access includes unlimited access to roanoke.com and the eTimes. After the first month, your total subscription price will be $16.90 per month.

NEW SUBSCRIBERS:This service allows you unlimited access to our digital content, including roanoke.com and the eTimes.The Digital-Only Access plan is available for $17 per month.

NEW SUBSCRIBERS:This service allows you unlimited access to our digital content, including roanoke.com and the eTimes.The Digital-Only Access annual subscription is available for $204 per year.

7-Day Delivery + Unlimited Digital Access

13 Weeks = $40.30 26 Weeks = $80.60 52 Weeks = $161.20

What's included?You'll get delivery of The Roanoke Times every day and access to all of our digital content, including roanoke.com and the eTimes at no additional charge.

Sunday Only Delivery

13 Weeks = $22.75 26 Weeks = $45.50 52 Weeks = $91.00

What's included?You'll get delivery of The Roanoke Times every Sunday.

Weekend Delivery

13 Weeks = $32.50 26 Weeks = $65.00 52 Weeks = $130.00

What's included?As a weekend subscriber, you'll get delivery of The Roanoke Times every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

CURRENT SUBSCRIBERS: Add unlimited access to our digital content, including roanoke.com and our eTimes, to your current print subscription for just $1.99 for the first month.

The $1.99 will be billed to your credit card immediately by PayPalPro. After the first month, yourtotal susbscription price will be $16.90 per month.

CURRENT SUBSCRIBERS: As a seven-day home delivery subscriber, you have unlimited access to our digital content, including roanoke.com and the eTimes, at no additional cost.

Simply login with your existing roanoke.com account or create a new account to link it to your print subscription. Be sure to use the email address we have on file with your print subscription.

Need an account? Create one now.

kAm%96 sF?E@?D 92G6 7@==@H65 E96 3@F?4:?8 32== 7C@> |2:?6 E@ ':C8:?:2[ 7C@> }6H *@C< E@ x@H2[ 7C@> 9:89 D49@@= E@ s:G:D:@? x 2?5 324< 282:?]k^Am

kAm}@H[ E96JC6 C6F?:E65 2E {:36CEJ w:89 $49@@=[ 2?5 E96 sF?E@?D @44FAJ 2 C2C6 A@D:E:@?i 2 72E96C52F89E6C 4@>3:?2E:@? 2D 9625 G2CD:EJ 32D<6E32== 4@2496D 2E E96 D2>6 D49@@=]k^Am

kAmt>:=66 sF?E@?[ ad[ 😀 😕 96C D64@?5 J62C 2D {:36CEJD 8:C=D 9625 4@249]k^Am

kAm#2?5J sF?E@?[ dd[ 😀 😕 9:D 7:CDE D62D@? 2D E96 3@JD 4@249]k^Am

kAmq@E9 sF?E@?D H:== 36 4@249:?8 E96:C E62>D 😕 E96 bp (6DE #68:@? E@FC?2>6?ED[ 368:??:?8 |@?52J ?:89E H96? E96 8:C=D A=2J 2 7:CDEC@F?5 82>6 2E 9@>6 282:?DE (6DE6C? p=36>2C=6]k^Am

kAm{:36CEJD 3@JD A=2J 2E }@CE9D:56 😕 2 %F6D52J BF2CE6C7:?2=[ sF?E@?D 7:CDE E:>6 =625:?8 2 9:89 D49@@= E62> 😕 2 A@DED62D@? 82>6 D:?46 E96 62C=J `hh_D H96? 96 =:G65 😕 p?49@C286[ p=2D<2]k^Am

kAm#2?5J sF?E@?[ E96 {:36CEJ &?:G6CD:EJ >6?D 9625 4@249 7C@> a__a_f[ @?46 =65 E96 u=2>6D E@ 2 G:4E@CJ @G6C ':C8:?:2 😕 r92C=@EE6DG:==6 5FC:?8 9:D 7:CDE DE:?E H:E9 E96 E62> W`hhfhg D62D@?X]k^Am

kAmxED 5:776C6?E E@ 8@ 324< E@ H2D9:?8 F?:7@C>D 2?5 G24FF>:?8 J@FC @H? =@4<6C C@@> 2?5 DH66A:?8 J@FC @H? 7=@@CD[ #2?5J sF?E@? D2:5] qFE 4@249:?8 😀 4@249:?8]k^Am

kAmqFE ?@E 2== 9:89 D49@@= ;@3D 2C6 6BF2=]k^Am

kAm%96 492==6?86k^Am

kAm{:36CEJD 3@JD 7:?:D965 `aa 😕 a_`d`e 😕 E96 @?=J D62D@? F?56C 7@C>6C 9625 4@249 s6CC:4< q@?5[ H9@ H2D 6@FED 3J E96 D:I>:?FE6 >2C< @7 E96 D64@?5 BF2CE6C]k^Am

kAm$6G6C2= A=2J6CD BF:E E96 E62>] qJ E96 E:>6 E96 3FD AF==65 324< :?E@ E96 D49@@= A2C<:?8 =@E 27E6C E96 D62D@?D 7:?2= 82>6[ {:36CEJ H2D C625J E@ 9:C6 2 ?6H 4@249]k^Am

kAmsF?E@?[ H9@ D6==D C62= 6DE2E6 😕 E96 {J?493FC8 2C62[ H2D 2=C625J H@C<:?8 2E {:36CEJ] w6 2DD:DE65 t>:=66 H:E9 E96 8:C=D AC@8C2> 5FC:?8 96C 7:CDE J62C 2E E96 q657@C5 r@F?EJ D49@@=]k^Am

kAm(96? E96 3@JD AC@8C2> H2D 😕 E96 D92A6 :E H2D :?[ E96 25>:?:DEC2E:@? 42>6 E@ >6 2?5 2D<65 >6 :7 x H@F=5 4@?D:56C E2<:?8 :E[ 96 D2:5]k^Am

kAmsF?E@?[ 2 7@C>6C 2DD:DE2?E 4@249 2E q:?892>E@? &?:G6CD:EJ 😕 }6H *@C< 2?5 2 7@C>6C 9625 4@249 2E |2CD92==E@H? r@>>F?:EJ r@==686 😕 x@H2[ 4964<65 9:D 68@ 2E E96 5@@C] w6 2=D@ 6 E@ =6E 9:D 52F89E6C 4@249 E96 8:C=D E62> H:E9@FE 9:D 52:=J 96=A]k^Am

kAm~3G:@FD=J[ x DA6?E >J A@CE:@? @7 >J 42C66C 2D 2 4@==686 4@249[ 96 D2:5] %92ED C62==J H96C6 J@F D2H J@FCD6=7 2E E96 E:>6]k^Am

kAmqFE E9:D 😀 8@@5] xED 8@@5 7@C >6] xED 366? H:?[ H:?[ H:? 2== E96 H2J 2C@F?5]k^Am

kAm$96 H2D 2E 2 DE286 H96C6 D96 5:5?E ?665 s255J >2<:?8 564:D:@?D 7@C 96C]k^Am

kAmr@249D H2E6C 8:C=k^Am

kAmt>:=66 sF?E@? 92D 366? F?56C 96C 72E96CD 4@249:?8 :?7=F6?46 D:?46 D96 DE2CE65 D9@@E:?8 3F4<6ED :? E96 72>:=J 5C:G6H2J]k^Am

kAm$96 244@>A2?:65 96C 72E96C 2D E96 @?=J 8:C= 2E 2==3@JD DF>>6C 32D<6E32== 42>AD 😕 %6I2D 2?5 |2:?6[ =2E6C D:EE:?8 4@FCED:56 2E 9:D 62C=J 4@==686 DE@AD]k^Am

kAmx H2D 9:D H2E6C 8:C=[ 2?5 x 2=H2JD D2:5[ s25[ x> ?@E 8:G:?8 9:> H2E6C :7 J@F =@D6 @?6 >@C6 82>6[ D96 D2:5]k^Am

kAmt>:=66 sF?E@? H2D 4@>A=6E:?8 96C 7C6D9>2? J62C 2E qC@@6?D 32D<6E32== 4@249]k^Am

kAm%96 ?@C>2= 4@FCD6 @7 24E:@? 😕 DF49 42D6D 😀 E@ =@@< 7@C E96 ?6IE ;@3]k^Am

kAm$@ #2?5J sF?E@? AFE 9:D 72>:=J 😕 E96 324< @7 E96 DE2E:@? H28@?[ C625J E@ H@C< 7@C 7@C>6C ':C8:?:2 %649 9625 4@249 #:4

kAm~?=J @?6 AC@3=6>] q67@C6 sF?E@? =67E 7@C vC66?G:==6[ }@CE9 r2C@=:?2[ $E@<6D H2D 42??65]k^Am

kAmx?DE625 @7 =62G:?8[ sF?E@? DE2J65 😕 {J?493FC8 2?5 A:4<65 FA E96 A:646D]k^Am

kAm(6G6 2== D66? 6?@F89 @7 E96 s:G:D:@? x C24<6E H96C6 J@F >@G6 2?5 >@G6 2?5 >@G6[ 2?5 J@FC 72>:=J 86ED E2EE6C65 😕 E96 AC@46DD[ 96 D2:5]k^Am

kAmw6 4@24965 t>:=66 3J E96? 2 DE2CE:?8 A@:?E 8F2C5 2E qC@@ 42==65 %62> ':C8:?:2 E92E H@? EH@ pp& ?2E:@?2= E@FC?2>6?ED]k^Am

kAmw6 2=D@ DA6?E E96 36EE6C A2CE @7 EH@ D62D@?D 2D E96 H@>6?D 9625 4@249 @7 E96 D9@CE=:G65 AC@8C2> 2E ':C8:?:2 &?:G6CD:EJ @7 {J?493FC8]k^Am

kAmt>:=66 sF?E@? 7:?:D965 96C 42C66C 2E qC@@6 😕 'w${ 42C66C 2DD:DED]k^Am

kAmu@C s25[ =@D:?8 9:D ;@3 2E {:36CEJ H2D @3G:@FD=J D@>6E9:?8 E92E H2D ?@E 8@@5[ 2?5 :E 9FCE @FC 72>:=J[ 3FE 7@C >6[ :E 3F:=E 2 C6=2E:@?D9:A E92E x H@F=5 92G6 ?6G6C 925[ D96 D2:5] %92E H2D 2 3=6DD:?8 😕 5:D8F:D6]k^Am

kAm$E2CE:?8 @G6Ck^Am

kAmt>:=66 sF?E@?D DF??J @FE=@@< H2D AFE E@ E96 E6DE H96? D96 H2D 9:C65 :? a_`d 2E {:36CEJ[ H9:49 925 ;FDE 8C25F2E65 2 ?F>36C @7 D6?:@C A=2J6CD[ :?4=F5:?8 a_`d %:>6D=2?5 76>2=6 2E9=6E6 @7 E96 J62C |:<2=29 y@?6D]k^Am

kAm%96J 925 366? DF446DD7F=[ 3FE :E H2D 2== D6?:@CD[ D96 D2:5] %96 q E62> 2?5 E96 y' 8:C=D 925 ?@E H@? 2 82>6 😕 EH@ J62CD]k^Am

kAms25 92D 2=H2JD E2F89E >6 E@ 36 A@D:E:G6[ D@ x H2D =:<6[ s25[ H6C6 8@:?8 E@ 36 ~z] w6 D2:5[ t>:=66[ E9:D 😀 32D<6E32== 42>A `_`]k^Am

kAmtG6? >J DE2CE6CD =2DE J62C 4@F=5?E D9@@E 2 AC@A6C =2JFA[ D@ H6 H6C6 DE2CE:?8 7C@> E96 8C@F?5 FA]k^Am

kAm{:36CEJ 7:?:D965 `a`a 😕 t>:=66D 7:CDE D62D@?]k^Am

kAm%9:D J62CD {:36CEJ E62> =65 3J D@A9@>@C6D $92?E6= rC@H56C 2?5 r6=6DE6 $E] y@9? 2?5 ;F?:@C #636442 w6?D=6J 😀 `gd 7@==@H:?8 2 cfbb =@DD 😕 E96 4@?76C6?46 7:?2= E@ qC@@2 >2E6C]k^Am

kAm*@F AFE E92E qC@@ 492?8:?8 >J 8:C=D >:?5D6E E92E 2 {:36CEJ ;6CD6J 😀 ;FDE 2D :>A@CE2?E 2D 2 qC@@

kAmqF:=5:?8 3@F?52C:6Dk^Am

kAm{:36CEJD 3@JD H@? EH@ 'w${ vC@FA pp 492>A:@?D9:AD F?56C |2C< w2?]k^Am

kAm%96 E2=6?E H2D @? 92?5[ 9@H6G6C] !@:?E 8F2C5 #2966> p?E9@?J 😀 A6C92AD %:>6D=2?5D BF:4<6DE A=2J6C[ E@AA:?8 `[___ 42C66C A@:?ED E9:D D62D@?] $6?:@C tE92? !2J?6 :D 2? 6IA6C:6?465 e7@@Ee 46?E6C]k^Am

kAmsF?E@?D 7:CDE C62= =@@< 2E 9:D E62> 42>6 😕 2 =2E6 DAC:?8 42>A 2E !2EC:4< w6?CJ w:89 $49@@=]k^Am

kAmx H2D =:<6[ (@H[ H6 ;FDE 925 ?@ 4=F6 9@H E@ A=2J 32D<6E32==[ 96 D2:5] pE E96 D2>6 E:>6[ J@FG6 8@E =:76D<:== :DDF6D[ H92E x 42== D6=756762E:?8 3692G:@CD]k^Am

kAm(2E6C H:E9@FE 3@F?52C:6D 😀 2 DH2>A] (2E6C H:E9 3@F?52C:6D 😀 2 C28:?8 C:G6C] (6 925 E@ 3F:=5 2 =@E @7 3@F?52C:6D]k^Am

kAm%96 |:?FE6>6? 2C6 ?@H `a`a 7@==@H:?8 2 hhhc EC:A=6@G6CE:>6 =@DD E@ E@AD66565 w6C:E286 😕 E96 r@?76C6?46 b_ 492>A:@?D9:A 82>6]k^Am

kAm(6C6 2 G6CJ 8@@5 32D<6E32== C:89E ?@H[ 96 D2:5] (6 >2J ?@E DFCG:G6 E96 ?6IE C@F?5 @7 E96 C68:@?D[ 3FE D@>63@5JD 8@:?8 E@

kAmw@H =@?8 H:== E96 sF?E@?D 6I6C4:D6 E96:C ?6H7@F?5 {:36CEJnk^Am

kAm#2?5J sF?E@?[ H9@D6 7:CDE 4@249:?8 ;@3 H2D 2E 286 ab 2E p?49@C286 (6DE w:89 😕 p=2D<2[ D66>D 5:D:?4=:?65 E@ <66A >@G:?8]k^Am

kAmw:D 7:CDE 8C2?549:=5[ ?@H a J62CD @=5[ 😀 ?62C3J 😕 {J?493FC8]k^Am

kAm(6G6 8@E 2 =@E @7 A@D:E:G6D 8@:?8 C:89E ?@H[ 96 D2:5] *@F ?6G6C @CC@H 9@=5D]k^Am

kAmq24< H96? H6 H6C6 >@G:?8 7C@> p=2D<2 E@ {J?493FC8 2?5 E96 <:5D H6C6 J@F?8[ E92E DEF77D 62DJ] xED 2 =:EE=6 >@C6 4@>A=:42E65 ?@H]k^Am

kAmt>:=66 sF?E@? 2AA62CD E@ 36 @? 2? FAH2C5 42C66C EC24<]k^Am

kAm$96 A=2J65 4@==686 32D<6E32== 2E E9C66 =6G6=D s:G:D:@? x {@?8H@@5[ s:G:D:@? xx uC2?4:D |2C:@?[ 2?5 s:G:D:@? xxx #2?5@=A9]k^Am

kAmt249 DE@A H2D AC6A2C2E:@? E@ 364@>6 2 4@249 2E 2 9:896C =6G6=]k^Am

kAmx 9@A6 E@ D66 >6 3F:=5 2 DEC@?8 AC@8C2> 96C6 367@C6 x E2<6 E96 ?6IE ;@3[ D96 D2:5] tG6C D:?46 x H2D 2 =:EE=6 8:C=[ s25 D2:5[ ,w2== @7 u2>6 %6??6DD66 H@>6?D 32D<6E32== 4@249. !2E $F>>:EE 92D ?@E9:?8 @? J@F] %92ED 2=H2JD DEF4< :? >J >:?5]k^Am

kAmx7 J@F 36=:6G6 😕 J@FC A=2J6CD 2?5 J@F 36=:6G6 😕 E96 A6@A=6 2C@F?5 J@F[ J@F== 36 DF446DD7F=] %92ED H92ED 92AA6?65 96C6] x =@@< 7@CH2C5 E@ H92ED ?6IE]k^Am

Go here to see the original:

Duntons lead Liberty High hoops teams into postseason - Roanoke Times

‘Liberty’ rolls through Beaumont to celebrate TxDOT centennial … – Beaumont Enterprise

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

By Dan Wallach, Beaumont Enterprise

In the 1890s and early 1900s, a mule-powered rapid transit system hauled people around downtown Seguin. Courtesy Seguin Public Library

The first public Commission meeting was held June 21, 1917, in Mineral Wells.

In 1917, the first Texas Highway Commission planned a network of highways that would span 8,865 miles.

In the early 1930s, the Texas Highway Patrol was part of the Texas Highway Department.

A flood washed away this 1923 Pecos River Bridge on U.S. 90 in 1954.

In 1956, the U.S. Congress passed a bill to build the interstate highway system. This is the first sign installed on I-30 near Greenville, on Dec. 16, 1958.

In 1957, Texas Highway Department employees Virgil Ingram and Harold Ringer repainted the Rainbow Bridge.

Rivet inspector D.A. Talbert during construction of the Neches River High Bridge (now known as the Rainbow Bridge) on Texas 87.

Andy Anderson outside the warehouse at Roby when he retired in 1958. He recalled living on $10 for half a month during the Great Depression. "It was worth it," he said.

Construction of Interstate 35 in Austin, looking south at the former intersection of East Avenue and 15th Street, in December 1959.

Palm trees line U.S. Highway 281 south of Pharr in the 1950s.

Light traffic on the section of Interstate 35E known as the Stemmons Freeway, looking south on Sept. 1, 1960, in Dallas.

Key punch machine operators perforating cards in 1962. These cards supplied data to TxDOT's IBM computer.

The Corpus Christi Harbor Bridge on U.S. 181, shown here in 1966, opened in 1959. The bridge is 235 feet high and the main span is 640 feet long.

In the 1960s, before Don't Mess With Teas, there was the Litter Critter.

Construction of the Interstate 10 bridge across the Llano River in Kimble County in May 1970.

In 1974, President Richard Nixon enacted a national 55 mph speed limit due to the energy crisis.

In 1977, after 20 years, the Dallas-Fort Worth Turnpike toll booths came down and Interstate 30 signs went up.

A portion of Route 66, known as the "Main Street of America," crossed the Texas Panhandle. It was replaced by Interstate 40.

Opened in 1982, the Pennybacker Bridge crosses Lake Austin on Loop 360.

'Liberty' rolls through Beaumont to celebrate TxDOT centennial

SOUTHEAST TEXAS TALES

When the Texas Department of Transportation looks in its rear-view mirror, it can see a century of road-building that grew from 8,865 miles of two-lane blacktop to more than 80,000 miles of pavement carrying more than 25 million vehicles.

The department, originally named the Texas Highway Department on April 4, 1917, used a World War I surplus truck for its first vehicle.

That truck, dubbed "Liberty," is coming to Jefferson County on Wednesday to help celebrate TxDOT's centennial.

In October 1918, the highway department got into the road-building business with a 20-mile stretch between Falfurrias and Encino in Brooks County, southwest of Corpus Christi, now designated U.S. 281.

>> See historic photos from TxDOT's first 100 years in the gallery above.

The "Liberty" truck will visit all 25 of TxDOT's districts around the state leading up to and beyond the actual centennial day. "Liberty" isn't making the statewide drive on its own power; it will be aboard an 18-wheeler truck for that.

The Beaumont district, formed in 1932 with eight counties, has almost 2,400 miles of highways and more than 1,500 bridges to look after, like the newly rebuilt Quick Sand Bridge in Newton County destroyed a year ago in the massive downpour and flooding in March 2016.

The Texas Highway Department name stuck around until 1978 when the Legislature changed it to the unwieldy mouthful of the Texas State Department of Highways and Public Transportation. It was mercifully shortened to Texas Department of Transportation in 1991.

(Story continues below)

Its mission changed in the 1970s to include local and regional transit providers. In the 1990s and 2000s, it added duties that included aviation, railroads, ports and waterways.

A local application of TxDOT's aid to ports and waterways can be seen in the under-construction "flyway" from Old U.S. 90 alongside Interstate 10 in Orange County into the Port of Beaumont's Orange County dock, vaulting over the KCS and Union Pacific railroad tracks and wetlands.

TxDOT is still rebuilding portions of Interstate 10 from the Sabine River to Winnie. Most of the work in previous years focused on Orange County, the Neches River Bridge - now Purple Heart Memorial Bridge - the intersection at Major Drive and now the section of interstate from Beaumont to Chambers County, transforming the oldest segment of Interstate 10 into the newest.

TxDOT also is nearing the end of its Eastex Freeway ramp change project and the Concord Road reconstruction.

TxDOT transformed the manner in which Southeast Texans commute when it built the new Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway in the 1980s.

Completion of Concord to Texas 105 will close a loop extending from Cardinal Drive, past Lamar University, through Old Town and into the North End, where it ultimately connects to the northwestern route to Interstate 45 and North Texas.

Southeast Texas Tales is a weekly feature that revisits regional history.

DWallach@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/dwallach

Continued here:

'Liberty' rolls through Beaumont to celebrate TxDOT centennial ... - Beaumont Enterprise

Meet The Immigrant Who Pioneered ‘Soul Liberty’ for a New Nation – Adventist Review

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

Posted February 20, 2017

By CHARLES SMALL LONGACRE, Liberty magazine

Reprinted with permission

Editors note: On Monday, February 20, the United States celebrates the federal holiday of Presidents Day, honoring the Feb. 22 birthday of George Washington and all the presidents of the nation. In 1939, Charles Small Longacre wrote an article about a man whose view of freedom of conscience largely influenced the freedoms enjoyed in this nation. We believe Longacres words are worth reflecting on during this holiday.

Roger Williams was the apostle of religious libertyof soul liberty in the New World. He had the high honor, in the providence of God, of being the first man to establish in practice the emancipation of the conscience of man from the fetter of politico-ecclesiastical rule. He became the harbinger of religious liberty in its true sense and reality, and pointed the true way for the greatest Republic of a free and democratic people. We Americans owe a debt of gratitude to Roger Williamsas preacher, prophet, and statesmanwhich we cannot pay in any better way than to defend and preserve the precious heritage of civil and religious liberty which he has bequeathed to posterity for the benefit of all mankind.

His ideal of the proper relationship of church and state and his political philosophy and principles of government perhaps cannot be summed up in a more concise form than in his own words:

The civil sword may make a nation of hypocrites, and anti-Christians, but not one Christian. Forcing of conscience is a soul-rape. Persecution for conscience [hath been] the lancet that letteth [the] blood of kings and kingdoms. Man hath no power to make laws to bind conscience. The civil commonwealth and the spiritual commonwealth, the church, not inconsistent, though independent, the one on the other. The civil magistrate owes to false worshipers, (1) permission, (2) protection.

If this fundamental principle of civil government had always been recognized and followed, there never would have been any religious persecution in this world.

No one was to suffer any civil disability by reason of his religious favor, provided he respected the equal rights of all others.

Roger Williams not only believed and taught this principle of government, but he practiced it. After having successfully operated this experiment in Rhode Island for twenty-seven years, he embodied, in 1663, in the memorial charter for the Commonwealth and English Colony of Rhode Island his fundamental tenet, as follows:

No person within the said colony, at any time hereafter, shall be in any wise molested, punished, disquieted, or called in question, for any differences in opinion, in matter of religion, who do not actually disturb the civil peace of our said colony; but that all and every person and persons may, from time to time, and at all times hereafter, freely and fully have and enjoy his own and their own judgments and consciences, in matters of religious concernments, throughout the tract of land hereafter mentioned, they behaving themselves peaceably and quietly and not using this liberty to licentiousness and profaneness, nor to the civil injury or outward disturbance of others.

In this charter are set forth the matchless provisions which were incorporated one hundred and twenty-six years later in the Federal Constitution of the United States of America, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, and similar provisions in the respective State constitutions.

Thus Roger Williams became the builder of the ideals of a new nation, which was destined to influence the ideals of many other nations. The equality of all men and of all religions before the law, without special privileges and preferences to any, was the cardinal principle in the government founded by Roger Williams. He not only legislated for his day, but, as he hoped, for all times hereafter. As long as men conducted themselves peaceably and civilly, they were not to be punished on account of their religious beliefs or practices. No one was to suffer any civil disability by reason of his religious favor, provided he respected the equal rights of all others.

Especially was Roger Williams opposed to any financial alliances between the church and the state such as compelled people to be taxed by the state for the aid and support of any sort of religion. He did not believe that any person elected to public office should ever take advantage of his public office through legislation or the administration of his civil duties, to promote the religious interests of religious organizations, nor should he ever attempt to settle religious controversies by law, or give preference by judicial decisions to religious opinions, creeds, usages, or customs. His attachment to the equality of all men before the law, placed a self-restraint upon the exercise of his own liberty concerning his own religious creed while exercising the functions of public office.

Roger Williams lived in advance of his age. The New World was not yet ready to adopt his liberal ideals. While he held strong religious convictions, he did not allow those convictions to develop in him the spirit of intolerance toward his opponents. The most difficult lesson which mankind must learn and keep constantly in mind, especially when one is entrusted with power and authority over others, is that religious truth, which we deem most precious and paramount, can never be advanced through coercion upon others. The purest faith can become corrupt by the employment of unholy and unsanctified means and measures to promote it. In fact, the adherents of the purest and most exalted faith are ever tempted to employ the instrument of misguided zeal in the hope of its advancement.

The great apostle of soul liberty was the instrument that gave inspiration and guidance to the shaping of the fundamental law of a nation which was destined to become the champion of the rights of all men.

Roger Williams lived in the days when bigotry and intolerance were making war against all who attempted to follow their own religious convictions independently of the established state religion. Whatever religion happened to be the state religion, whether Protestant or Catholic, the individual who had religious opinions of his own was not allowed to practice them. He was haunted and hunted night and day, and denied all semblance of libertyboth civil and religious. It cost something to be an independent and free Christian in those days of religious intolerance and persecution.

Roger Williams denied the right of the civil government to rule in all things, both temporal and spiritual. All governments in Europe were either totalitarian or authoritarian in form or in practice. No man could call his soul his own. He existed solely for the benefit of the state. All his activities in life were regulated, regimented, and restricted. Some of the governments in Europe today are reverting to the medieval type, and the results are conditions similar to those of medieval times. Whenever the consciences of men are controlled by the civil authorities, the destruction of libertyboth civil and religiousalways follows. Wherever religious dogma is made subservient to the authority of the state, those who dissent from the state religion are regarded as enemies of both religion and the state.

Those who attempt by legislative authority and arbitrary power to dominate the consciences of all men in all things, both temporal and spiritual, do so under the mistaken conception that they are keeping the true religion from being perverted and corrupted; but as a matter of fact, these self-appointed protectors of religion become, through their ill-conceived and misguided zeal and devotion, the real perverters and corrupters of religion.

Roger Williams struggled manfully to put an end to religious intolerance and persecution. By advocating the principle of essential justice and the equality of all men before the law, irrespective of religious creed, nationality, or race, he struck a death blow to the totalitarian and authoritarian forms of government. His seed of truth and liberty and justice for all men alike, found deep root in American soil, and it was in America that he finally succeeded in establishing his ideal form of governmentthat after which the American Republic was modeled more than a century later. We must look to Roger Williams, more than to Jefferson or Madison, as the true builder of our American Bill of Rights, because all the provisions of civil and religious liberty as set forth in the matchless Constitution of the United States, were incorporated in principle in the charter of Rhode Island as conceived and framed by Roger Williams.

Both Jefferson and Madison had the writings of this first and greatest of all Americans who formed the ideals and principles of civil government in Rhode Island, and they gave vital breath to those immortal and immutable principles of human rights and liberties in the Declaration of Independence and in the Bill of Rights of the Federal Constitution of the American Republic. The great apostle of soul liberty was the instrument that gave inspiration and guidance to the shaping of the fundamental law of a nation which was destined to become the champion of the rights of all men. It is only as we continue to live in the spirit and devotion of these great ideals of human liberty, of the inalienable rights of all men, and maintain and preserve both our civil and our religious freedom, which has been bequeathed to us as a precious blood-bought heritage, that we can hope for protection, for peace, for prosperity, and for human happiness, and that we can be saved from the errors and delusions which have led astray the nations of the past.

See more here:

Meet The Immigrant Who Pioneered 'Soul Liberty' for a New Nation - Adventist Review

Liberty Said to Name Stanlib CEO to Spearhead African Expansion – Bloomberg

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

South African insurer Liberty Holdings Ltd. plans to appoint the chief executive officer of its Stanlib asset management unit to oversee its expansion in the rest of the continent, according to two people with knowledge of the matter.

Seelan Gobalsamy will start the role from March 1 as the company seeks to bring businesses with the strongest growth potential both inside South Africa and outside the country under one head, the people said, asking not to be identified because news of the change hasnt been announced publicly. Hell retain his role at Stanlib until a replacement is found, they said.The change was announced to staff on Feb. 17 and forms part of a strategic review Liberty CEO Thabo Dloti started in September, the people said.

Your cheat sheet on life, in one weekly email.

Get our weekly Game Plan newsletter.

The management revamp was put in motion before an announcement on Jan. 27 that Libertys annual earnings per share dropped 40 percent to 60 percent, the people said.

Gobalsamy, appointed as CEO of Stanlib in March 2014, previously oversaw the three-year revamp of Libertys corporate business, and will focus on expanding the companys life insurance and asset management business outside South Africa, the people said.

Liberty late last year started making various changes to further align our leadership team and increase management bandwidth to accelerate the execution of our strategy, Liberty said in an e-mailed response to questions. It will provide clarity when it releases results on Friday, it said, declining to give further details.

Alt-Right Leader Richard Spencer Crashed a Student Libertarian Conference and Was Shunned – Reason (blog)

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

Jeff Malet Photography/NewscomOn Saturday, alt-right leader Richard Spencer crashed the 10th annual International Students for Liberty Conference at a hotel in Washington, D.C. After quarreling with conference attendees, he left the premises.

Spencer, a self-declared white nationalist who believes the U.S. is losing its white identity, had no business attending a gathering of libertarian students, and conference organizers had every right to eject him. Indeed, their decision to do so was a valid exercise of libertarian principles in action.

I attended the conference, along with several other Reason staffers. The Reason Foundation is a co-sponsor of ISFLC, and hosted several events during the conference. One of those events, a panel discussion about sex trafficking featuring Reason Associate Editor Elizabeth Nolan Brown and Director of Criminal Justice Reform Lauren Krisai, unfolded at roughly the same time as Spencer's unsolicited visit. I was in the audience at that event, and did not cross paths with Spencer.

But it's clear from video footage that Spencer set himself up in the bar of the hotelthe Marriott Wardman in Woodley Parkand attempted to host an unscheduled and unwanted conversation about his despicable views. To be absolutely clear: Spencer was not welcome at the hotel and had not been invited to participate in ISFLC.

"We did not invite Mr. Spencer," said SFL CEO Wolf von Laer in a statement. "We reject his hateful message and we wholeheartedly oppose his obsolete ideology."

Eventually, Jeffrey Tuckeran influential libertarian thinkerconfronted Spencer and made clear to the alt-right provocateur that he "did not belong" at ISFLC. Some shouting ensued, and hotel staff intervened. Shortly thereafter, Spencer left.

It's not completely clear whether Spencer departed of his own accord: he seems to think he was forced to leave, while others say he asked security to see him out safely, even though he was in no danger. But it hardly matters: the Marriott Wardman hotel is private property, and should enjoy the absolute right to evict irksome and unwelcome guests from its premises.

Spencer has attempted to wring as much publicity from the incident as possiblehe tweeted about it no fewer than 40 times, by my count. In his mind, libertarians are "lolbertarians" who need to "accept the reality of race" and get serious about "white replacement." To the extent that his only goal in life is to garner more attention for his fringe worldview, I suppose the stunt was a successhere I am writing about it. Congrats to you, guy who thinks "the United States is a European country."

In any case, the incident should make abundantly clear that the alt-right's racism is incompatible with the principles of a free society. Libertarianism is an individualist philosophy that considers all people deserving of equal rights. In contrast, Spencer is a tribalist and collectivist whose personal commitment to identity politics vastly exceeds the left's.

Spencer is entitled to broadcast his vile opinions, and to make equal use of public resources. He should not be attacked on the street, or anywhere else. But no private actor is required to give him a platformotherwise, property rights would cease to matter.

ISFLC, an organization that works tirelessly to support the cause of liberty all over the worldnot just for white American college studentshandled the matter correctly, in my view.

Disclaimer: I am a friend of Students for Liberty, and won the organization's 2016 Alumni of the Year Award.

Read the rest here:

Alt-Right Leader Richard Spencer Crashed a Student Libertarian Conference and Was Shunned - Reason (blog)

Andaman Islands – Wikipedia

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

The Andaman Islands form an archipelago in the Bay of Bengal between India, to the west, and Myanmar, to the north and east. Most are part of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands Union Territory of India, while a small number in the north of the archipelago, including the Coco Islands, belong to Myanmar.

The Andaman Islands are home to the Sentinelese, who have had no contact with any other people.[1]

The name of the Andaman Islands is ancient.[citation needed]. A theory that became prevalent in the late 19th century is that it derives from Andoman, a form of Hanuman, the Sanskrit name of the Indian God.[2][3] Another Italian traveller, Niccol de' Conti (c. 1440), mentioned the islands and said that the name means "Island of Gold".[4]

The Andaman islands have been inhabited for several thousand years, at the very least. The earliest archaeological evidence yet documented goes back some 2,200 years; however, the indications from genetic, cultural and isolation studies suggests that the islands may have been inhabited as early as the Middle Paleolithic.[5] The indigenous Andamanese people appear to have lived on the islands in substantial isolation from that time until the 18th century CE.

The Andamans are theorised to be a key stepping stone in a great coastal migration of humans from Africa via the Arabian peninsula, along the coastal regions of the Indian mainland and towards Southeast Asia, Japan and Oceania.[6]

From 800 to 1200 CE, the Tamil Chola dynasty created an empire that eventually extended from southeastern peninsular India to parts of Malaysia.[7]Rajendra Chola I (1014 to 1042 CE) took over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and maintained them as a strategic naval base to launch a naval expedition against the Srivijaya empire (a Hindu-Malay empire based on the island of Sumatra, Indonesia).[citation needed]

In 1789, Bengal Presidency established a naval base and penal colony on Chatham Island in the southeast bay of Great Andaman. The settlement is now known as Port Blair (after the Bombay Marine lieutenant Archibald Blair who founded it). After two years, the colony was moved to the northeast part of Great Andaman and was named Port Cornwallis after Admiral William Cornwallis. However, there was much disease and death in the penal colony and the government ceased operating it in May 1796.[8]

In 1824, Port Cornwallis was the rendezvous of the fleet carrying the army to the First Burmese War. In the 1830s and 1840s, shipwrecked crews who landed on the Andamans were often attacked and killed by the natives and the islands had a reputation for cannibalism. The loss of the Runnymede and the Briton in 1844 during the same storm, while transporting goods and passengers between India and Australia, and the continuous attacks launched by the natives, which the survivors fought off, alarmed the British government.[9] In 1855, the government proposed another settlement on the islands, including a convict establishment, but the Indian Rebellion of 1857 forced a delay in its construction. However, because the rebellion gave the British so many prisoners, it made the new Andaman settlement and prison urgently necessary. Construction began in November 1857 at Port Blair using inmates' labour, avoiding the vicinity of a salt swamp that seemed to have been the source of many of the earlier problems at Port Cornwallis.

17 May 1859 was another major day for Andaman. The "Battle of Aberdeen" was fought between the Great Andamanese Tribe and the British. Today, a memorial stands in Andaman Water sports complex as a tribute to the people who lost their life. Fearing foreign invasion and with help from an escaped convict from Cellular Jail, the great Andamanese tribe stormed the British post, but they were outnumbered and soon suffered heavy loss of life. Later, it was identified that an escaped convict named Doodnath had changed sides and informed the British about the tribe's plans. Today, the tribe has been reduced to some 50 people, with less than 50% of them adults. The government of Andaman Islands is making efforts to increase the headcount of this tribe.[10][11][12]

In 1867, the ship Nineveh wrecked on the reef of North Sentinel Island. The 86 survivors reached the beach in the ship's boats. On the third day, they were attacked with iron-tipped spears by naked islanders. One person from the ship escaped in a boat and the others were later rescued by a British Royal Navy ship.[13]

For some time, sickness and mortality were high, but swamp reclamation and extensive forest clearance continued. The Andaman colony became notorious with the murder of the Viceroy Richard Southwell Bourke, 6th Earl of Mayo, on a visit to the settlement (8 February 1872), by a Muslim convict, a Pathan from Afghanistan, Sher Ali. In the same year, the two island groups Andaman and Nicobar, were united under a chief commissioner residing at Port Blair.

From the time of its development in 1858 under the direction of James Pattison Walker, and in response to the mutiny and rebellion of the previous year, the settlement was first and foremost a repository for political prisoners. The Cellular Jail at Port Blair when completed in 1910 included 698 cells designed for solitary confinement; each cell measured 4.5 by 2.7m (15 by 9ft) with a single ventilation window 3 metres (10ft) above the floor. A notable prisoner there was Vinayak Damodar Savarkar.

The Indians imprisoned here referred to the Island and its prison as Kala Pani ("black water");[14] a 1996 film set on the island took that term as its title Kaalapani.[15] The number of prisoners who died in this camp is estimated to be in the thousands.[16] Many more died of harsh treatment and the harsh living and working conditions in this camp.[17]

The Viper Chain Gang Jail on Viper Island was reserved for troublemakers, and was also the site of hangings. In the 20th century, it became a convenient place to house prominent members of India's independence movement.

The Andaman and Nicobar islands were occupied by Japan during World War II.[18] The islands were nominally put under the authority of the Arzi Hukumat-e-Azad Hind (Provisional Government of Free India) headed by Subhas Chandra Bose, who visited the islands during the war, and renamed them as Shaheed (Martyr) & Swaraj (Self-rule). On 30 December 1943, during the Japanese occupation, Bose, who was allied with the Japanese, first raised the flag of Indian independence. General Loganathan, of the Indian National Army, was Governor of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, which had been annexed to the Provisional Government. According to Werner Gruhl: "Before leaving the islands, the Japanese rounded up and executed 750 innocents."[19] After the end of the war the islands returned to British control before becoming part of the newly independent state of India.[citation needed]

At the close of World War II, the British government announced its intention to abolish the penal settlement. The government proposed to employ former inmates in an initiative to develop the island's fisheries, timber, and agricultural resources. In exchange, inmates would be granted return passage to the Indian mainland, or the right to settle on the islands. The penal colony was eventually closed on 15 August 1947 when India gained independence. It has since served as a museum to the independence movement.[citation needed]

In April 1998, American photographer John S Callahan organised the first surfing project in the Andamans, starting from Phuket in Thailand with the assistance of Southeast Asia Liveaboards (SEAL), a UK owned dive charter company.[citation needed] With a crew of international professional surfers, they crossed the Andaman Sea on the yacht Crescent and cleared formalities in Port Blair. The group proceeded to Little Andaman Island, where they spent ten days surfing several spots for the first time, including Jarawa Point near Hut Bay and the long right reef point at the southwest tip of the island, named Kumari Point. The resulting article in Surfer Magazine, "Quest for Fire" by journalist Sam George, put the Andaman Islands on the surfing map for the first time.[20] Footage of the waves of the Andaman Islands also appeared in the film Thicker than Water, shot by documentary filmmaker Jack Johnson, who later achieved worldwide fame as a popular musician.[citation needed] Callahan went on to make several more surfing projects in the Andamans, including a trip to the Nicobar Islands in 1999.[citation needed]

On 26 December 2004, the coast of the Andaman Islands was devastated by a 10-metre (33ft) high tsunami following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake, which is the longest recorded earthquake, lasting for between 500 and 600 seconds.[21] Strong oral traditions in the area warned of the importance of moving inland after a quake and is credited with saving many lives. In the aftermath, more than 2,000 people were confirmed dead and more than 4,000 children were orphaned or had lost one parent. At least 40,000 residents were rendered homeless and were moved to relief camps.[22] On 11 August 2009, a magnitude 7 earthquake struck near the Andaman Islands, causing a tsunami warning to go into effect. On 30 March 2010, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck near the Andaman Islands.

The Andaman Archipelago is an oceanic continuation of the Burmese Arakan Yoma range in the North and of the Indonesian Archipelago in the South. It has 325 islands which cover an area of 6,408km2 (2,474sqmi),[23] with the Andaman Sea to the east between the islands and the coast of Burma.[8]North Andaman Island is 285 kilometres (177mi) south of Burma, although a few smaller Burmese islands are closer, including the three Coco Islands.

The Ten Degree Channel separates the Andamans from the Nicobar Islands to the south. The highest point is located in North Andaman Island (Saddle Peak at 732m (2,402ft)).[23]:33

The subsoil of the Andaman islands consists essentially of Late Jurassic to Early Eocene ophiolites and sedimentary rocks (argillaceous and algal limestones), deformed by numerous deep faults and thrusts with ultramafic igneous intrusions.[24] There are at least 11 mud volcanoes on the islands.[24]

The climate is typical of tropical islands of similar latitude. It is always warm, but with sea-breezes. Rainfall is irregular, usually dry during the north-east, and very wet during the south-west, monsoons.

The Middle Andamans harbour mostly moist deciduous forests. North Andamans is characterised by the wet evergreen type, with plenty of woody climbers.

The natural vegetation of the Andamans is tropical forest, with mangroves on the coast. The rainforests are similar in composition to those of the west coast of Burma. Most of the forests are evergreen, but there are areas of deciduous forest on North Andaman, Middle Andaman, Baratang and parts of South Andaman Island. The South Andaman forests have a profuse growth of epiphytic vegetation, mostly ferns and orchids.

The Andaman forests are largely unspoiled, despite logging and the demands of the fast-growing population driven by immigration from the Indian mainland. There are protected areas on Little Andaman, Narcondam, North Andaman and South Andaman, but these are mainly aimed at preserving the coast and the marine wildlife rather than the rainforests.[25] Threats to wildlife come from introduced species including rats, dogs, cats and the elephants of Interview Island and North Andaman.

Andaman forests contain 200 or more timber producing species of trees, out of which about 30 varieties are considered to be commercial. Major commercial timber species are Gurjan (Dipterocarpus spp.) and Padauk (Pterocarpus dalbergioides). The following ornamental woods are noted for their pronounced grain formation:

Padauk wood is sturdier than teak and is widely used for furniture making.

There are burr wood and buttress root formations in Andaman Padauk. The largest piece of buttress known from Andaman was a dining table of 13ft 7ft (4.0m 2.1m). The largest piece of burr wood was again a dining table for eight.

The holy Rudraksha (Elaeocarps sphaericus) and aromatic Dhoop resin trees also are found here.

The Andaman Islands are home to a number of animals, many of them endemic.

The island's endemic mammals include

The banded pig (Sus scrofa vittatus), also known as the Andaman wild boar and once thought to be an endemic subspecies,[26] is protected by the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 (Sch I). The spotted deer (Axis axis), the Indian muntjac (Muntiacus muntjak) and the sambar (Rusa unicolor) were all introduced to the Andaman islands, though the sambar did not survive.

Interview Island (the largest wildlife sanctuary in the territory) in Middle Andaman holds a population of feral elephants, which were brought in for forest work by a timber company and released when the company went bankrupt. This population has been subject to research studies.

Endemic or near endemic birds include

The islands' many caves, such as those at Chalis Ek are nesting grounds for the edible-nest swiftlet, whose nests are prized in China for bird's nest soup.[27]

The islands also have a number of endemic reptiles, toads and frogs, such as the South Andaman krait (Bungarus andamanensis) and Andaman water monitor (Varanus salvator andamanensis).

There is a sanctuary 45 miles (72km) from Havelock Island for saltwater crocodiles. Over the past 25 years there have been 24 crocodile attacks with four fatalities, including the death of American tourist Lauren Failla. The government has been criticised for failing to inform tourists of the crocodile sanctuary and danger, while simultaneously promoting tourism.[28] Crocodiles are not only found within the sanctuary, but throughout the island chain in varying densities. They are habitat restricted, so the population is stable but not large. Populations occur throughout available mangrove habitat on all major islands, including a few creeks on Havelock. The species uses the ocean as a means of travel between different rivers and estuaries, thus they are not as commonly observed in open ocean. It is best to avoid swimming near mangrove areas or the mouths of creeks; swimming in the open ocean should be safe, but it is best to have a spotter around.

Most of the tribal people in Andaman and Nicobar Islands believe in a religion that can be described as a form of monotheistic Animism. The tribal people of these islands believe that Paluga is the only deity and is responsible for everything happening on Earth.[29][30] The faith of the Andamanese teaches that Paluga resides on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands' Saddle Peak (Andaman Islands). People try to avoid any action that might displease Paluga. People belonging to this religion believe in the presence of souls, ghosts, and spirits. Interestingly, people of this religion put a lot of emphasis on dreams. They let dreams decide different courses of action in their lives.[31]

Other religions practiced in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands are, in terms of size, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Sikhism, Buddhism, and Jainism.[32]

As of 2011[update], the population of the Andaman was 343,125,[33] having grown from 50,000 in 1960. The bulk of the population originates from immigrants who came to the island since the colonial times, mainly of Bengali, Hindustani and Tamil backgrounds.[34]

Of the people who live in the Andaman Islands, a small minority of about 1,000 are the so-called Andamanese, the aboriginal inhabitants (adivasi) of the islands. By the 1850s when they first came into sustained contact by outside groups, there were estimated 7,000 Andamanese, divided into the following major groups:

As the numbers of settlers from the mainland increased (at first mostly prisoners and involuntary indentured labourers, later purposely recruited farmers), these indigenous people lost territory and numbers in the face of punitive expeditions by British troops, land encroachment and various epidemic diseases. Presently, there remain only approximately 400450 indigenous Andamanese. The Jangil were soon extinct. The Great Andamanese were originally 10 distinct tribes with 5,000 people in total; most of the tribes are extinct, and the survivors, now just 52, speak mostly Hindi.[35] The Onge are reduced to less than 100 people. Only the Jarawa and Sentinelese still maintain a steadfast independence and refuse most attempts at contact; their numbers are uncertain but estimated to be in the low hundreds.

Port Blair is the chief community on the islands, and the administrative centre of the Union Territory. The Andaman Islands form a single administrative district within the Union Territory, the Andaman district (the Nicobar Islands were separated and established as the new Nicobar district in 1974).

The islands are prominently featured in Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes mystery, The Sign of the Four, as well as in M. M. Kaye's Death in the Andamans. The magistrate in Lady Gregory's play Spreading the News had formerly served in the islands. Marianne Wiggins' novel, John Dollar (1989), is set on one of the islands; the characters begin an expedition from Burma to celebrate King George's birthday and after an earthquake and tsunami it becomes a grim survival story. A principal character in the book Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup is from the Andaman Islands. Kaalapani (Malayalam) and Sirai Chaalai (Tamil), a 1996 Indian film by Priyadarshan, depicts the Indian freedom struggle and the lives of prisoners in the Cellular Jail in Port Blair. Island's End is a 2011 novel by Padma Venkatraman about the training of an indigenous shaman.

The only commercial airport in the islands is Veer Savarkar International Airport in Port Blair, which has scheduled services to Kolkata, Chennai, New Delhi, Bengaluru, Visakhapatnam and Bhubaneswar. The airport is under the control of the Indian Navy. Previously, only daylight operations were allowed, but since the beginning of 2016 night flights have also operated.[36] A small airstrip of approximately 1000 metres is located near the Eastern shore of North Andaman near Diglipur.

Due to the length of the routes and the small number of airlines flying to the islands, fares have traditionally been relatively expensive, although cheaper for locals than visitors. Fares are high during the peak seasons of spring and winter, although fares have decreased over time due to the expansion of the civil aviation industry in India.

Continue reading here:

Andaman Islands - Wikipedia

Vietnam Seeks Stronger China Ties Despite New Buildup on Disputed Islands – Voice of America

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

TAIPEI

Vietnam is expected to keep chasing stronger relations with China, a political adversary for centuries, despite new signs that Beijing has added military infrastructure on several disputed islands in the South China Sea.

The Southeast Asian country, long accustomed to Chinas buildup in the contested Paracel and Spratly islands, is anxious to grow its exports and meanwhile wants stronger trade with the world's number two economy China. And analysts say Vietnamese officials are unsure whether U.S. President Donald Trump would help Vietnam defend itself against China if needed.

Vietnam may have decided long term diplomacy may be the way to go

Officials in Hanoi may figure long-term stable relations with Beijing could lead to negotiations over the Paracels or Spratlys, said Oscar Mussons, international business advisory associate with the Dezan Shira & Associates consultancy in Ho Chi Minh City. China has the worlds third strongest military and Vietnam ranks number 17 on the GlobalFirePower.com database.

At least they know what theyre going to find. They are going to find only one party, and so somehow they are comrades, Mussons said. The only way left for Vietnam is perhaps the diplomacy. They cannot match Chinas military power.

China strengthening its hold on the Paracel Islands

A South China Sea project under Washington-based think tank Center for Strategic and International Studies this month described new evidence that Beijing is adding naval and air facilities in the Paracel Islands.

China and Vietnam also compete for control of the Spratly Islands, which are claimed as well by Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and the Philippines.

Vietnams foreign ministry had published no response on its English-language website to the think tanks findings as of Monday, consistent with a softer approach to Beijing following senior-level meetings in September and January.

Vietnam will likely continue to protest but not take any action

Experts say leaders in Hanoi are learning to accept in private Chinas control over the Paracel Islands, despite 43 years of resistance. But, according to Carl Thayer, emeritus professor of politics at The University of New South Wales in Australia, Vietnam, with strong anti-China sentiment among its 93 million citizens, will stick to its sovereignty claims in public but mute official anger or retaliation as it cements stronger economic cooperation, including at sea.

I think Vietnam will make a pro forma protest about Chinese activities in the Paracels, because it also claims sovereignty, he said. So thats a bit of a ritual. Theres nothing Vietnam can do about it. Its adjusting to that.

China cites historical usage records to claim 95 percent of the South China Sea, which stretches from Taiwan to Singapore. All six claimants covet the sea for its rich fisheries. Some are also prospecting for undersea fossil fuels and prize the sea for its marine shipping lanes.

Vietnamese have had little access to the Paracel Islands, 130 tiny land features off its east coast and southwest of Hong Kong, since the Peoples Liberation Army of China took control in 1974 after a naval battle with what was then South Vietnam.

Of Chinas 20 holdings in the Paracels, three have harbors that can hold large numbers of naval and civilian vessels, the Asian Maritime Transparency Initiative said on its website in a Feb. 8 report. China has used landfill to enlarge some of the once uninhabitable Paracel islets in addition to an estimated 3,200 acres of reclamation in another disputed chain, the Spratly Islands.

Four other Paracel islets controlled by China include smaller harbors and a fifth is being built on another islet that previously lacked major military infrastructure, the think tank initiative said. Five islands support helipads and Duncan Island, Chinas second most advanced military base in the archipelago, berths a full helicopter base, it said.

Woody Island, the biggest land mass, has an airstrip, hangars and a deployment of surface-to-air missile batteries, the think tank report added.

On Feb. 5 the Vietnamese foreign affairs spokesman described as illegal the establishment of a Bank of China branch on Woody Island. But media reports say Vietnamese authorities put down a protest in Hanoi last month by about 100 people on the anniversary of Chinas Paracel takeover.

Deadly anti-China riots followed Beijings permission in 2014 for an oil firm to place a rig in disputed waters near the Gulf of Tonkin, which is just east of Vietnam and south of China.

China and Vietnam working together

After Vietnamese Communist Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trongs visit to China last month for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the two sides issued a statement agreeing to settle maritime disputes peacefully and work toward joint development in the gulf.

The countries have lived by a fishery agreement for more than a decade and discussed working together on oil exploration.

In September, Chinas premier and the Vietnamese prime minister pledged they would properly manage maritime differences and further enhance bilateral substantial cooperation.

China is one of Vietnams top trading partners, with $66 billion in imports and exports in 2015, according to Beijings state-run China Daily newspaper online.

Officials in Hanoi may value China more as they try to gauge U.S. policy on the South China Sea, analysts say.

President Trump has not indicated whether he will help Vietnam in its dispute with China, as predecessor Barack Obama had.

But Trump is angering China. U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has suggested blocking China from islets that it has reclaimed and on Saturday the aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson reached the South China Sea. That move poses a military threat to China, the China-based Global Times newspaper online said.

A balancing act for Vietnam

Trumps decision to scrap the 12-country trade Trans Pacific Partnership trade deal makes the U.S. president look shaky to Vietnam as well, Mussons said. Vietnam was one of four East Asian partnership members.

China looks more reliable by comparison and if economic ties go well, China eventually may be open to talks with Vietnam on rights to the Paracels, he said.

The Vietnamese government knows that it must avoid upsetting China while staying open to defense ties with the United States, said Jonathan Spangler, director of the South China Sea Think Tank in Taipei.

For Vietnam, regional stability is closely tied to national security, Spangler said. Vietnam, like other rival claimants, needs to balance the benefits of its economic ties with China and the political risks of not defending its sovereignty claims and thus appearing weak domestically.

See the original post here:

Vietnam Seeks Stronger China Ties Despite New Buildup on Disputed Islands - Voice of America

India’s only volcano is active again after 150 years – Mashable

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

Times Now

India's only volcano is active again after 150 years
Mashable
The volcano is situated in Barren Islands in the Andaman & Nicobar archipelago. Some unsubstantiated reports even claim that it is South Asia's only active volcano. Its first recorded eruption dates back to 1787. Since then, the volcano has erupted ...
Barren Island Volcano Of Andaman & Nicobar Islands Active AgainTimes Now
India's only volcano active againTimes of India
NIO scientists observe volcanic eruption on Barren Island in Andaman SeaIndia Today
India.com -Zee News -Swarajya
all 48 news articles »

Continue reading here:

India's only volcano is active again after 150 years - Mashable

Human Genetics Contributes To Zika-Induced Brain Damage – MedicalResearch.com (blog)

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

MedicalResearch.com Interview with:

Dr. Ping Wu

Ping Wu, MD, PhDJohn S. Dunn Distinguished Chair in Neurological Recovery Professor, Department of Neuroscience & Cell Biology University of Texas Medical Branch Galveston, TX 77555-0620

MedicalResearch.com: What is the background for this study? What are the main findings? Response: Zika viral infection poses a major global public health threat, evidenced by recent outbreaks in America with many cases of microcephaly in newborns and other neurological impairments. A critical knowledge gap in our understanding is the role of host determinants of Zika-mediated fetal malformation. For example, not all infants born to Zika-infected women develop microcephaly, and there is a wide range of Zika-induced brain damage. To begin to fill the gap, we infected brain stem cells that were derived from three human donors, and found that only two of them exhibited severer deficits in nerve cell production along with aberrant alterations in gene expression.

MedicalResearch.com: What should readers take away from your report?

Response: Our study indicates that human genetic makeup may be a determinant for the severity of Zika-induced brain damage.

MedicalResearch.com: What recommendations do you have for future research as a result of this study?

Response: Further studies are needed to identitywhat genes contribute to the human differences after Zika infection.

MedicalResearch.com: Is there anything else you would like to add?

Response: It is known that not all Zika virus strains causemicrocephaly. Our study now shows that brain cells from different human individuals can respond to the same Zika virus strain differently.Understanding the molecular mechanisms of human and viral determinants in response to Zika injection will provide important insights into new strategies to minimize ZIKV-mediated fetal brain malformations.

MedicalResearch.com: Thank you for your contribution to the MedicalResearch.com community.

Citation:

Stem Cell Reports:

Differential Responses of Human Fetal Brain Neural Stem Cells to Zika Virus Infection

Erica L. McGrath10,Shannan L. Rossi10,Junling Gao10,Steven G. Widen,Auston C. Grant,Tiffany J. Dunn,Sasha R. Azar, Christopher M. Roundy,Ying Xiong,Deborah J. Prusak,Bradford D. Loucas,Thomas G. Wood,Yongjia Yu,Ildefonso Fernndez-Salas,Scott C. Weaver,Nikos Vasilakis ,Ping Wu10Co-first author Published Online: February 16, 2017

Note: Content is Not intended as medical advice. Please consult your health care provider regarding your specific medical condition and questions.

More Medical Research Interviews on MedicalResearch.com

. Bookmark the

The rest is here:

Human Genetics Contributes To Zika-Induced Brain Damage - MedicalResearch.com (blog)

New Marshfield Clinic study aims to ID genetic factors linked to severity of blastomycosis illnesses – Wisconsin State Farmer

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

Wisconsin State Farmer 10:45 a.m. CT Feb. 20, 2017

Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation(Photo: Supplied)

Marshfield -Marshfield Clinic scientists have launched a new study aimed at determining which genetic factors increase peoples susceptibility to blastomycosis, a deadly fungal infection found throughout central and northern Wisconsin.

The first phase will include recruitment of up to 350 study participants. Anyone previously diagnosed with blastomycosis, or blasto, is encouraged to participate in the study, which could give doctors insight into a mysterious disease that has impacted Wisconsinites for generations.

Were in the heart of blasto country; one significant frustration is we dont know a lot about the disease, said Dr. Holly Frost, study co-investigator and pediatrician at Marshfield Clinic Minocqua Center. If we can find genetic variations that indicate which people respond severely to this disease, it could speed up diagnoses and allow doctors to treat it earlier.

A concern with blasto is the spectrum of severity among patients of all ages and overall health. For instance, the lung infection may spread quickly in a healthy child, resulting in death. Meanwhile, a 70-year-old adult with a compromised immune system may recover quickly.

Thats why its so important researchers unearth any genetic clues that could put doctors closer to understanding blastomycosis, said Jennifer Meece, Ph.D., a Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation (MCRF) scientist and national blasto expert who has studied the disease for more than 10 years.

Scientists know breathing in a naturally occurring fungus often found in moist soil containing rotting plants and wood causes blasto and most infections occur in spring and fall. However, symptoms are similar to other respiratory illnesses, making it difficult to identify early. Also, symptoms dont develop until 3-15 weeks after infection. And while its classified as a rare disease nationally, cases in Wisconsin far exceed the national average.

So much about blastomycosis remains unknown and seemingly random from who is susceptible to what exactly spurs an outbreak but we know the answers are on the horizon, said Meece, co-investigator and director of MCRFs Integrated Research and Development Laboratory. Its enthralling to launch such a study that could impact so many peoples lives.

The study is open to children and adults in Wisconsin, regardless of where they were diagnosed. Study participants do not need to be Marshfield Clinic patients. Due to budget constraints, this first study requires all participants speak English, given no resources for translation.

Participation requires about one hour of clinic time for researchers to gather a sample, explain the study and answer questions. Each participant will receive $25. For more information call 715-221-6445 or email Blastomycosis.study@mcrf.mfldclin.edu.

This study is funded by $150,000 from the Marshfield Clinic Developments Clinician Scientist Research Award.

Marshfield Clinic Research Foundation (MCRF), a division of Marshfield Clinic, was founded in 1959. Its the largest private medical research institute in Wisconsin. MCRF consists of research centers in clinical research, agricultural health and safety, epidemiology, human genetics, and biomedical informatics. Marshfield Clinic investigators publish extensively in peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals addressing a wide range of diseases and other health issues, including cancer, infectious diseases, heart disease, diabetes, eye disease, neurological disease, pediatrics, radiology, women's health, agricultural safety and genetics.

Read or Share this story: http://www.wisfarmer.com/story/news/2017/02/20/new-marshfield-clinic-study-aims-id-genetic-factors-linked-severity-blastomycosis-illnesses/98154778/

Original post:

New Marshfield Clinic study aims to ID genetic factors linked to severity of blastomycosis illnesses - Wisconsin State Farmer

Healthcare Stock Q4 Earnings Due on Feb 21: HLS, SCAI – Zacks.com

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

We are in the tail end of the Q4 reporting cycle, which is on track to witness the highest growth momentum in the last two years. As of Feb 17, 2017, 411 S&P 500 members, accounting for 88.4% of the indexs total market capitalization, have reported results, according to the latest Earnings Preview Their performance point to total earnings growth of 8% on 4.9% higher revenues. The beat ratio is strong with 68.9% companies surpassing bottom-line expectations and 54.7% outperforming on the top line.

Meanwhile, the earnings growth momentum is expected to ramp up in the future quarters. As per our report, total earnings for the S&P 500 companies will grow 7.4% year over year on 3.9% higher revenues. Notably, estimates for the current period (1Q17) are also looking up.

Healthcare, under the Medical umbrella, is one of the seven sectors in the S&P 500 group. So far, 83.3% of the total Medical sector companies have reported fourth-quarter results. The beat ratio is strong with 80.0% companies surpassing bottom-line expectations and 53.3% outperforming on the revenue front.

Here we take a sneak peek at two healthcare stocks scheduled to report fourth-quarter figures on Feb 21:

HealthSouth Corporation (HLS - Free Report) is the one of the nation's largest providers of outpatient surgery and rehabilitative healthcare services. The company provides these services through its national network of inpatient and outpatient healthcare facilities, including inpatient and outpatient rehabilitation facilities, outpatient surgery centers, diagnostic centers, occupational medicine centers, medical centers and other healthcare facilities.

Last quarter, HealthSouth beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 8.33%. This time, the company is unlikely to come up with a beat. HealthSouth an Earnings ESP of -3.18% as the Most Accurate estimate of 61 cents per share is lower than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 63 cents. Further, the company has a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell). We caution against Sell-rated stocks (#4 or 5) going into the earnings announcement, especially when the company is seeing negative estimate revisions.

Surgical Care Affiliates, Inc. (SCAI - Free Report) operates surgical facilities, including surgery centers, surgical hospitals, and hospital surgery departments. It serves customers throughout the United States. Surgical Care Affiliates Inc. is based in United States.

Last quarter, Surgical Care Affiliates missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 17.5%. This time again, the company is unlikely to come up with a beat. Surgical Care Affiliates carries a Zacks Rank #4. On top of this, it has an Earnings ESP of 0.00% as the Most Accurate estimate is the same as the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 78 cents per share. You can uncover the best stocks to buy or sell before theyre reported with our Earnings ESP Filter.

You can seethe complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank (Strong Buy) stocks here.

Surgical Care Affiliates, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise

Surgical Care Affiliates, Inc. Price and EPS Surprise | Surgical Care Affiliates, Inc. Quote

Zacks' Top 10 Stocks for 2017

In addition to the stocks discussed above, would you like to know about our 10 finest buy-and-hold tickers for the entirety of 2017?

Who wouldn't? Last year's market-beating Top 10 portfolio produced 5 double-digit winners. For example, oil and natural gas giant Pioneer Natural Resources and First Republic Bank racked up stellar gains of +44.9% and +44.3% respectively. Now a brand-new list for 2017 has been hand-picked from 4,400 companies covered by the Zacks Rank. See the 2017 Top 10 right now>>

More here:

Healthcare Stock Q4 Earnings Due on Feb 21: HLS, SCAI - Zacks.com

Fixing Health Care – Townhall

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

Posted: Feb 19, 2017 12:01 AM

Twenty million. That is the number foisted upon us by the Obama administration and all of its believers as to how many people got health insurance because of his signature health care program and how many will lose it if the evil Republicans tinker with the program; i.e., repeal and replace. Have you ever seen the figures behind that 20 million number? No you have not because it is a phantom number. Like the 97% of scientists believing in global warming sorry, climate change. Or that the day of the Super Bowl has the highest number of domestic violence incidences. The Left repeats things often enough, echoed by the compliant media, that they begin to believe their own lies.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA aka Obamacare) brought a sledgehammer to something they should have brought a ball-peen hammer to fix. It should have addressed only the uninsured plus the major challenge for the rest of us: pre-existing conditions. Instead, because they really wanted to make our health care system single payer (i.e. government run), they gave us a slew of new taxes (most of them hidden) and really covered very few new people outside of Medicaid. The real number appears to be about 2.2 million gaining coverage outside of Medicaid in 2013-2015. That should have happened through normal hiring and other processes. Medicaid added 11.8 million covered during that period so the real number is 14 million new people with insurance.

We have previously discussed the fact thatmany of those 11.8 million may have health insurance, but no health care because of the lack of physicians who accept Medicaid with its low reimbursement rates. People cannot find doctors in most rural areas. The doctors they might get in densely populated urban areas may require hours for transit to/from for services.

One of the elements of proposals floated by Republicans is a cap on how much an employer can pay for an employee's health insurance. I never like caps like this. For example, if we had not changed insurance companies we would have exceeded the caps with a $12,000 deductible. Arbitrary caps are just that -- arbitrary. For example, the IRS still thinks a $25 gift to a customer is appropriate or even achievable. These caps dont work.

Here are some suggestions for the Republicans while they are recreating the system bludgeoned by ACA:

1. Get the government out of the private sector health care. Too many requirements for people to have too many criteria loaded on their health insurance. Just require a clear, concise statement by the insurance companies of what is included and what is not included in a policy. Let the companies develop their options to meet the marketplace.

2. The only insurance people should be required to buy is catastrophic insurance or what was referred to as hospitalization (if you end up in a hospital from a traffic or skiing accident.) A 26-year-old should not be required to buy comprehensive insurance that will never be used. That is why they have not participated in Obamacare. That grand experiment failed. If the 20-somethings do not get insurance through work, they are not going to pay exorbitant rates to subsidize their parents and grandparents.

3. Dispense with the penalties and the enforcement by the IRS -- a despicable aspect of Obamacare. A lot of people got hit with penalties this past year and the Obama administration did not tell the world how many owe the government money because of premium supports that were overstated. Stop with the punishment. Emphasize rewards for acquiring insurance.

4. Lets get real about FDA approval of drugs. Not allowing legalization of medications tested and used in Europe is absurd. Not allowing people with virtual death sentences from disease to try an experimental process or medication is near criminal. Having drug tests taking eons and costing hundreds of millions is government in overdrive.

5. For the 9,548th time, the biggest problem with Obamacare was it increased demand, but did nothing about increasing supply (doctors, nurses, hospitals). There may not be a need for more hospitals as stays are shortening, but it does no good to have insurance if you cannot see a practitioner. We need to push down some services that do not need doctors or dentists to lower-level practitioners to increase the supply, especially in primary care. We need to address this issue and no one is looking at it. We keep building law schools to create lawyers to sue doctors, but few, if any, new medical schools.

6. Pricing for services has to become more of a marketplace. People need to know what the cost of their services are going to be before they are incurred. Being told not to worry because insurance will pay for your medical services is not good enough.

7. Please, please, please stop this nonsense that you have to be at a doctors office to get medical advice. In an era where we have modern communication including Skype where a doctor can physically see a patient why does everyone need to travel across town, sit in a waiting room with people coughing and sneezing to get a diagnosis on simple matters as if it is still 1966? The government insists on doctors only billing for office visits. I beg my doctor to just tell them I was there, give me the prescription and bill me, but no. That is what happens when government bureaucrats and policy wonks make up health care rules.

8. Reasonable levels of deductibles have to be established. Having significant deductibles is good to put the power of decision making back into the hands of the consumer. But $10,000 deductibles do not cut it for average Americans. This is where Health Savings Accounts need to come back into play after being attacked by Obamacare.

9. We need to consider high-risk pools for people with significant pre-existing conditions. These people are the most challenging part of the medical system and the reason people not in this group have the greatest fear. They fear becoming part of this group and not having proper coverage.

These are just some of the points that need to be addressed in this round of revamping our medical system. Dr. Tom Price, Secretary of Health and Human Services, understands these points because he was actually a practicing orthopedic surgeon. This is unlike the current system that was designed by a bunch of policy wonks. Price has had a plan ready for years to replace ACA despite the lie that has been perpetuated that Republicans have no plan, much like the lie about 20 million losing coverage.

Let us remember Obamacare actually threw millions of Americans out of their plans. I was one of them. That actually happened versus the projected number of people who might lose their plans in hypothetical scenarios.

The idea is that we can replace this government controlled top-down plan with one that focuses on control by citizens and their medical professionals.

P.S. They now say (Robert Reich/MoveOn.org) it will be 32 million losing their insurance. They are unhinged.

More here:

Fixing Health Care - Townhall

Lessons in Leadership from St. Thomas More, Catholic Answer to Healthcare Dilemma, and More Links! – National Catholic Register (blog)

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

Click on Lessons in Leadership from St. Thomas More link to read more.

Blogs | Feb. 20, 2017

Lessons in Leadership from St. Thomas More, Catholic Answer to Healthcare Dilemma, and More Links!

The Best in Catholic Blogging

Lessons in Leadership from St. Thomas More Laura DeMaria, Catholic Stand

Solidarity HealthShare: The Catholic Answer to the HealthcareDilemma Tom Perna

Does Catholic Social Teaching Require Ever More Government Regulation Jay Richards Ph.D. O.P., Catholic Vote

Mired in the Roiling Tar Pits of Lust Edward Feser Ph.D.

Words Please, Not Only Actions: Catholics and Evangelization Nick Chui, Ignitum Today

8 Surprising Facts About Catholic Education to Know and Share Justin McClain, epicPew

Celebrating Ordinary Time Extraordinarily Deacon Greg Lambert, Catholic Stand

Is Your Marriage Lacking a Certain ChemicalElement? Vicki Burbach, Pelicans Breast

Mindfulness and Catholic Mystical Tradition (Video) Dan Burke, Catholic Spiritual Direction

Breaking Cardinal Burke News by Eye of the Tiber!- Fr. John Zuhlsdorf, Fr. Zs Blog

La Civilt Cattolica and the Spirit of the Age Anthony S. Layne, Outside the Asylum

A Blow Upon a Bruise; Amoris Ltitia Edward N. Peters J.C.D. J.D., In the Light of the Law

For the Most Recent in 'The Best in Catholic Blogging' click on Big Pulpit.

Follow'The Best in Catholic Blogging' onfacebookandtwitter.

View Comments

Lessons in Leadership from St. Thomas More, Catholic Answer to Healthcare Dilemma, and More Links! - National Catholic Register (blog)

Genetic Variation: Causes and Examples

Posted on February 20, 2017 by Danzig

Updated March 05, 2016.

Definition: In genetic variation, the genes of organisms within a population change. Gene alleles determine distinct traits that can be passed on from parents to offspring. Gene variation is important to the process of natural selection. The genetic variations that arise in a population happen by chance, but the process of natural selection does not. Natural selection is the result of the interactions between genetic variations in a population and the environment. The environment determines which variations are more favorable. More favorable traits are thereby passed on to the population as a whole.

Genetic variation occurs mainly through DNA mutation, gene flow (movement of genes from one population to another) and sexual reproduction. Due to the fact that environments are unstable, populations that are genetically variable will be able to adapt to changing situations better than those that do not contain genetic variation.

continue reading below our video

What are the Seven Wonders of the World

Continued here:

Genetic Variation: Causes and Examples

Select Page ::