Monthly Archives: May 2012

Leaders from a variety of faith backgrounds, politicians and educators met Thursday in Washington, D.C., for the National Religious Freedom Conference: Rising Threats to Religious Freedom, an event that organizers say is part of a battle against the trampling of religious liberties in the public sphere.

"This debate is not just about contraceptives, but about coercion. It's not about Catholics it's about conscience," Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention said during one of the panel discussions. He went on to say, "it's about principle, not pelvic politics."

Former Utah Gov. Michael Levitt, also a former Health and Human Services secretary, said of the conference, "This is the uniting of the faith community to declare that we're going to fight back to defend religious freedom."

The conference outlined three major threats to religious freedom: The first is the government mandate that religious institutions, such as hospitals and universities, act contrary to their conscience by offering birth control coverage to their employees. The second is what religious leaders say is a threat to the autonomy of religious organizations to choose their own leaders.

The third issue, a key one, is religious principles in in everyday life, like pharmacists who object for moral reasons to carrying what believers equate to abortion-causing drugsor religious student groups being marginalized on school campuses. One example of the latter is the fight at Vanderbilt University over its non-discrimination policy, requiring student religious groups be open to anyone, even those who don't hold to their beliefs.

Conference participants see a prejudice that affects all religions.

"We need to find a way to bridge not only the faith divide but also the political divide to try to find a way where everybody can enjoy religious liberty," Nathan Diament, director of public policy for the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations, said. "It doesn't have to be a zero sum game. Some people's rights do not have to come at the expense of other peoples rights. We can find a way to make it a win-win situation for everybody."

The conference comes in the wake of a federal lawsuit filed by more than 40 Catholic institutions over the health care law that mandates the church offer institutional employees contraceptive coverage and other benefits that go against Catholic teaching. Churches already are exempt from the mandate.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan said the church is pushing forward, looking at all options.

"We are not going to give up dialogue with them. Who knows, maybe the lawsuits will make some progress, but so far we haven't seen any mitigation. Mitigation that the administration offered us back in February didn't help us much, because we are self-insured and it didn't touch those straight-jacketing exemptions."

Link:
Faith Leaders Outline Religious Freedom Threats

IRVINE, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

The Fuel Freedom Foundation says that a new warning from the International Monetary Fund underscores the urgency of opening markets to competition from alternative fuels such as natural gas, ethanol, methanol and electricity. The IMF Working Paper, entitled The Future of Oil: Geology versus Technology, predicts that oil prices could permanently double in the next decade.

The IMF report warns that a doubling in oil prices will send the global economy into uncharted territory, which would spell disaster, said Joseph A. Cannon, President of the Fuel Freedom Foundation. Fortunately, disaster can be averted if we open our markets to competition from cheaper, cleaner, American-made alternative fuels to gasoline. This is the only way to bring down oil prices significantly and structurally, and ensure future economic growth.

The paper combines two opposing positions in the debate to arrive at a more accurate model for predicting oil prices. On the one hand, the peak oil argument holds that the consumption of finite resources will push prices ever higher. On the other, the technological argument says that higher prices will spur new methods for extracting oil, as well as substitutions for petroleum products. These advances, in turn, will lead to greater output and eventually lower prices.

The authorswho emphasized that their findings do not necessarily reflect IMF policyfound the peak oil argument too pessimistic. However, they concluded that geological constraints on production, plus demand shocks such as rapid growth in China and India, best explain the trend in oil prices. At the same time, the researchers found limits to the impact of technological advances in the long run. The result is a near doubling in oil prices, and a pain barrier beyond which there is lasting damage to economic growth.

About The Fuel Freedom Foundation

The Fuel Freedom Foundation is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization based in Irvine, California, which is dedicated to breaking the U.S. economys oil addiction by removing barriers to competition to promote the development of cheaper, cleaner, American-made fuels. Fuel Freedom means that gasoline, diesel, methanol, natural gas, ethanol and electricity compete on equal footing both at the dealership and at the pump. Achieving Fuel Freedom will lower fuel prices, create jobs, spur economic growth, reduce pollution, and improve national and global security. For more information go to the Foundations website at: http://www.fuelfreedom.org.

Read more from the original source:
IMF Warning on Oil Prices Shows Urgent Need for Alternative Fuel Sources, Fuel Freedom Foundation Says

It's no secret that open source software is playing an increasingly prominent role in businesses around the globe, but a recent survey has uncovered a few surprising findings about adopters' motivations for choosing it.

Specifically, freedom from vendor lock-in is now users' top reason for choosing open source software, according to the 451 Group.

While we had seen vendor lock-in fade as a factor and cost as paramount two or three years ago, today vendor lock-in has become much more of a factor for customers, explains 451 Group analyst Jay Lyman in a Tuesday blog post announcing the results.

We believe this has to do with cloud computing and customers desire to maintain flexibility as they figure out how to best leverage cloud resources, Lyman added.

451 Group participated on the Future of Open Source Survey 2012 with North Bridge Venture Partners and Black Duck Software, garnering 740 responses from a variety of vendors and non-vendors in the industry.

Among the key results of that study was the finding that more than 50 percent of software acquired in the next five years will be open source software. Last year, in fact, was already a record year for open source investment, which increased by 49 percent to $675 million, the study found.

Survey respondents also said that open source is leading rather than following the pack when it comes to the cloud, big data, mobile apps, and enterprise mobility, in particular.

Perhaps most interesting of all, though, is that, when asked what are the top factors that make open source software attractive, a full 60 percent of respondents identified freedom from vendor lock-in as the top motivating factor.

Lower acquisition and maintenance costs (51 percent), better quality (43 percent), and access to source code (42 percent) were also among the top motivators mentioned.

The survey also showed that cost, which we also equate to time and efficiency, is always a strong factor, with 62 percent of respondents identifying reduced cost of development and maintenance as the main reason they use open source or initiate projects, Lyman added.

Original post:
Want Freedom from Vendor Lock-in? Survey Says: Choose Open Source

LAWRENCE, Mass., May 24, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --NxStage Medical, Inc. (NXTM), a leading manufacturer of innovative dialysis products, today announced the latest interim findings from its FREEDOM (Following Rehabilitation, Economics and Everyday-Dialysis Outcome Measurements) Study, which found daily home hemodialysis treatments with the NxStage System One are associated with long-term improvements in various physical and mental quality of life measures. These interim FREEDOM Study results, "At-Home Short Daily Hemodialysis Improves the Long-Term Health-Related Quality of Life," were published online on Kidney International's website in advance of its release in print.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110503/MM94799LOGO )

NxStage's FREEDOM Study is the largest prospective study of frequent home hemodialysis to date. The FREEDOM Study reported improvements in several quality of life measures in end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients at 12 months of follow-up, including:

"Today's data shows more frequent home hemodialysis unlocks a variety of clinical and quality of life benefits for ESRD patients that remain over an extended period of time," said Frederic Finkelstein, MD, Chief of Nephrology at the Hospital of St. Raphael in New Haven, Conn. and Clinical Professor of Medicine at Yale University Medical School, as well as the study's primary author. "ESRD patients struggle on a daily basis with maintaining their overall health while trying to better manage their chronic condition. This data shows that more frequent home hemodialysis can have a positive impact on a patient's perception of his quality of life."

"This recent data builds upon an already robust mountain of clinical evidence pointing to the benefits of more frequent home hemodialysis," said Jeffrey H. Burbank, Chief Executive Officer of NxStage Medical, Inc. "FREEDOM continues to show that more frequent home therapy with the NxStage System One transforms patient lives for the better, resulting in healthier, happier patients who are empowered in their own healthcare."

About the NxStage System One

The NxStage System One is the first and only truly portable hemodialysis system cleared for home use by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA). Its simplicity and revolutionary size (just over a foot tall) are intended to allow convenient use in patients' homes and give patients the freedom to travel with their therapy. When combined with the NxStage Pureflow SL Dialysis Preparation System, patients are able to further simplify, using ordinary tap water to create dialysis fluid on demand. Unlike conventional hemodialysis systems, the System One requires no special infrastructure to operate. Under the guidance of their physician, patients can use the NxStage System One, with their trained partners, where, how and when it best meets their needs, at home or on vacation. http://www.nxstage.com/.

About NxStage Medical

NxStage Medical, Inc. (NXTM) is a medical device company, headquartered in Lawrence, Massachusetts, USA, that develops, manufactures and markets innovative systems for the treatment of ESRD and acute kidney failure. For more information on NxStage and its products, please visit the company's website at http://www.nxstage.com/.

Forward-Looking Statements

Link:
FREEDOM Study Data: Patients Experience Sustained Quality of Life Benefits with More Frequent Home Hemodialysis with ...

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwire -05/24/12)- Generation Opportunity today launched an online scroll for Americans to sign to thank the brave men and women who have selflessly served the nation and made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure our enduring freedoms. The effort for Memorial Day 2012 -- called "Freedom Is Not Free" -- gained immediate attention and support across the country.

"On Memorial Day, families across the country will remember loved ones and relatives who made the ultimate sacrifice to defend our freedoms. Sharing in that remembrance will be many, many young Americans who honor and deeply respect those from their own generation and previous generations who gave everything for Americans to remain free. We are grateful to those who have taken the time to join our efforts to reaffirm the significance of this day through our 'Freedom Is Not Free' scroll, and we encourage every American, in any way they can, to remember the true meaning of Memorial Day," said Paul T. Conway, president of Generation Opportunity and a former Chief of Staff to Major General Douglas O'Dell, USMC (Ret.) at the United States Department of Homeland Security.

Earlier this year, Generation Opportunity successfully conducted an online initiative entitled "Valentines for Vets" that provided all Americans an opportunity to send a note of appreciation and encouragement to veterans receiving care and or treatment at veterans hospitals and Armed Forces retirement homes across the country.

The Generation Opportunity team delivered the messages to veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces at multiple facilities serving veterans, including Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (Washington, DC); Armed Forces Retirement Home (Gulfport, MS); Veterans in Partnership (VISN) 11 Healthcare Network (Ann Arbor, MI); Miami VA Healthcare System (Miami, FL); VA Southwest Health Care Network (Mesa, AZ); Chalmers P. Wylie VA Ambulatory Care Center (Columbus, OH); and Maine VA Medical Center (Augusta, ME).

Generation Opportunity will scroll the names and states of "Freedom Is Not Free" signers throughout Memorial Day week.

HOW IT WORKS

1. Go to this link - http://generationopportunity.org/memorial-day/ 2. Follow the instructions and write your personal message. 3. After submitting, your first name and the state you are from will appear on the scroll. 4. For questions or other information, please email info@generationopportunity.org

ABOUT GENERATION OPPORTUNITY

Generation Opportunity is a non-profit, non-partisan 501 (c)(4) organization that seeks to engage everyone from young adults, to early career professionals, college students, young mothers and fathers, construction workers, current service men and women, veterans, entrepreneurs, and all Americans who find themselves dissatisfied with the status quo and willing to create a better tomorrow.

Generation Opportunity operates on a strategy that combines advanced social media tactics with proven field tactics to reach Americans 18-29. The organization's social media platforms -- "Being American by GO," "The Constitution by GO," and "Gas Prices Are Too Damn High" on Facebook -- have amassed a total fan base of nearly 3.3 million. All three pages post links to relevant articles and reports from sources ranging from the federal Government Accountability Office (GAO), to The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Brookings Institution, The Wall Street Journal, The Huffington Post, and The Heritage Foundation.

Read the original post:
"Freedom Is Not Free" -- Young Americans Remember as Memorial Day Approaches