Monthly Archives: July 2017

The DSCSA Delay: What it Means to Manufacturers – Automation World

Posted: July 8, 2017 at 9:06 pm

The FDAs latest draft guidance on the Drug Supply Chain Security Acts (DSCSA) product identifier requirements gives pharmaceutical manufacturers a little breathing room, as enforcement of the original November 2017 deadline gets pushed back a year.

But this news should not inject indolence into the industry, because the reality is, nothing has changed except that companies wont be facing enforcement of the requirementsuntil November of 2018.

To be clear: the law remains intact and this should not be seen as a sign that the FDA is easing off the industryat all. In fact, I asked a few industry experts what this change means, and it seems to be a friendly gesture by the FDA to give the companies that are way behind in compliance some more time. But there are no free rides here. In fact, it just means stricter enforcements in the future.

It is more than likely that this suspension of enforcement for 12 months will entail a complete zero-tolerance approach in 2018 as anyone not in compliance would technically have been in violation of the law for a full year, said Dave Harty, vice president of professional services at Adents, a maker of unit identification serialization and traceability software.

In short, pharmaceutical companies and CMOs producing prescription medicines will not be penalized if they do not meet the upcoming serialization deadline of November 2017, Harty explained. But, and this is very important, the original deadline remains unchanged. You still are legally required to serialize prescription medicines intended for distribution to the American market before the end of the year.

Peter Sturtevant, senior director of industry engagement for GS1 US, agrees. Even though it may seem like manufacturers have the luxury of an additional year, the FDAs enforcement delay has no direct impact on the Act itself.It would require an act of Congress to change DSCSA, he said. The question for manufacturers now becomes, when November 27th approaches, do we want to be compliant with the law or not? The FDA announcement means it will not enforce any penalties on manufacturers for non-compliance of the serialization requirement, but it still makes good business sense for manufacturers to continue to prepare their production lines for serialization.

Indeed, the law is not expected to change, even though theres been industry speculation that the Trump administration is angling to eliminate regulations that burden businesses unnecessarily. But this law is not about creating problems for pharma companies. Rather, it is meant to protect the consumer by keeping counterfeit products out of the supply chain.

The next obvious observation, however, is, how this will impact the downstream deadlines for repackagers (November 2018), distributors (November 2019) and dispensers (November 2020), which must comply with the same serialization mandates.

There is a strong possibility downstream trading partners will experience cascading discretionary delays as a result of this announcement, as we saw this happen the last time there were discretionary enforcement delays on two different occasions for phase one of DSCSA for the lot-based requirement, Sturtevant said.

Similarly, Dirk Rodgers, a regulatory strategist with Systech International and the founder of RxTrace, noted in an article that, by not enforcing the manufacturers requirement to apply the new DSCSA product identifier on all drug packages by this November, the FDA is forced to soften some of the deadlines for other segments of the supply chain. But, he added, that the new draft guidance makes it clear that the repackager, distributor and dispenser deadlines will still be enforced for product that the manufacturer introduced into commerce with the new DSCSA product identifier before November 27, 2017.

In addition, Rodgers noted that other than the product identifier enforcement delays, manufacturers should be aware that there are a number of requirements that will still go into effect on November 27, 2017. In his article, Rodgers stated: Manufacturers must begin to provide the transaction information, transaction history and transaction statement in electronic format only, except when selling directly to a licensed healthcare practitioner who is authorized to prescribe medication under State law, or to other licensed individuals who are under the supervision or direction of such a practitioner who dispenses product in the usual course of professional practice.

The bottom line here is that nothing has changed, because, as noted, Congress set the deadlines and only Congress can change the deadlines. And, Rodgers points out that because the FDA is the agency that enforces the law, they can choose to enforce it selectivelyparticularly to minimize possible disruptions in the distribution of prescription drugs in the United States.

For now, the FDAand hopefully the industryis still on track to meet the 2023 deadline for full serialization interoperability with track and trace for all supply chain trading partners.

So, pharma manufacturers, take a breath, but keeping moving forward on thisquickly.

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Four reasons why welfare reform is a delusion – EUROPP – European Politics and Policy (blog)

Posted: at 9:05 pm

Reforming the welfare system has been a key aim of British government since 2010.Richard Machinwrites that the concept makes no economic sense, it does not produce the outcomes the government is seeking, all while the UK is actually spending less on welfare than countries with comparable economies.

Back in 2010, the coalition governmentstatedthat welfare reform is essential to make the benefit system more affordable and to reduce poverty, worklessness, and fraud. The2017 manifestos of the main partiesoffered a genuine choice of whether to pursue or abandon this policy. For working-age benefit claimants, Labour and the Liberal Democrats proposed a series of sweeping reforms including the abolition of the bedroom tax and the sanctions regime. A lack of detail in the Conservative manifesto could be read as an intention to continue with the roll-out of the many changes that we have seen over the last seven years, although planned changes to benefits for pensioners have been abandoned under the confidence and supply agreement with the DUP.

In the aftermath of the election where does this leave us? For working-age claimants presumably we will see the minority government pursuing the welfare reform programme. Political opposition to austerity both in Westminster and with voters has gained some traction as a consequence of the election result, and there are strong arguments that welfare reform has failed to meet its intended aims and negatively impacted on claimants.

Welfare reform does not make economic sense

Research by Sheffield Hallam Universityfound thatthe post-2010 welfare reform policies will take 27 billion a year out of the economy, or 690 a year for every adult of working-age. The Institute for Fiscal Studiesestimatethat the cash freeze to most benefits, and cuts to child tax credit and universal credit, to be pursued in this parliament, will affect 3 million working households. The Cambridge University economist Ha Joon-Changarguesthat the mainstream political narrative that welfare spending is a drain and should be reduced is illogical. He asserts that a lot of welfare spending is investment and believes that appropriate funding in areas such as unemployment benefits can improve productivity and workforce capability.

When thinking about what an appropriate welfare state looks like in this parliament we would also do well to consider the findings of Professor John Hillsslatest book, which emphasises that we all rely on welfare at some point in our lives. A sensible debate about the affordability of welfare benefits should be framed with reference to accurate statistics about the recipients of welfare spending. The Institute for Fiscal Studiesreportthat 46.43% of total social security spending goes on benefits for older people, with only 12.82% on benefits for people on low incomes (for example housing benefit) and just 1.11% on benefits for unemployed people. The governments aim of producing a fairer and more affordable system is hamstrung by ignoring fiscal facts on one hand while perpetuating inaccuracies about the profile of benefit claimants on the other.

Professionals working in the advice sector have long advocated the principles of the multiplier effect. This argues that there are economic advantages to high levels of benefit take-up as claimants spend money on goods and services in the local community. Ambrose and Stone (2003) found that a multiplier effect of 1.7 exists, meaning each pound raised in benefit entitlements for claimants should be multiplied by 1.7 to give a much greater overall financial benefit to the economy.

My own experience of working in advice services demonstrated that where household incomes are protected through adequate levels of social security there are direct savings to the public purse: rent/council tax arrears are avoided, contact with overstretched public services is reduced and improved health outcomes reduce burdens on the NHS.

Welfare reform is regressive

There is clear evidence that welfare reform has a disproportionately negative impact on some groups in society and some areas of the UK. TheSheffield Hallam researchfound that those particularly hit by welfare reform are working-age tenants in the social rented sector, families with dependent children (particularly lone-parent families and families with large numbers of children) and areas with a high percentage of minority ethnic households. Geographically, the impact of welfare reform is stark with the greatest financial losses being imposed on the most deprived local authorities. As a general rule, older industrial areas and some London Boroughs are hardest hit, with southern local authorities the least affected.

The mainstream media often fails to report the true impact of welfare reform that this research highlights. A more accurate account of the human costs can be found inFor whose benefit? The everyday realities of welfare reformin which Ruth Patrick documents her research on the impact of sustained benefit reductions. Dominant themes include the stigma felt by benefit claimants, the negative impacts of a punitive sanctions regime, and living with persistent poverty.

Welfare reform does not produce the behaviour changes sought by the government

Although welfare reform is a values-laden policy underpinned by a strong, but flawed, ideology (only those who fail to do the right thing are affected) there is little evidence that the retrenchment of the welfare state has been accompanied by the change in claimant behaviour that politicians desire. The bedroom tax was supposed to provide an economic incentive to move to smaller accommodation. Theevaluationindicates that more than 7 in 10 claimants affected had never considered moving, with an estimate that no more than 8% of those affected having downsized within the social sector.

The Benefit Capplaces a limit on the total amount of certain working age benefits available to claimants. One of the governments main intentions was for this to improve work incentives. There is no common consensus on the extent to which this aim has been achieved: the Institute for Fiscal Studieshave suggestedthat the majority of those affected will not respond by moving into work, however, government ministers rarely waste an opportunity to tell us that low levels of unemployment are partly due to the benefit changes introduced.

The research of David Webster into sanctionsarguesthat Sanctions are not an evidence-based system designed to promote the employment, wellbeing and development of the labour force and that this regressive system results in lower productivity, pointless job applications, and poverty-related problems.

In the last days of the previous administration we saw the introduction of the2-child limitfor child tax credit and universal credit. Child Poverty Action Groupemphasisethe contradiction in a policy which supposedly provides parity between those in work and those out of work, when 70% of those claiming tax credits are already working.

Comparable countries spend more on their welfare systems than the UK

Given the huge variations in social security systems across countries, a true comparative exercise is somewhat problematic. However, we can again rely on the analysis ofHa-Joon Changwho debunks the myth that the UK has a large welfare state. Taking public social spending as a percentage of GDP, the UK is only slightly higher (21.5% of GDP) than the OECD average (21%):

Moving forward a key challenge for all political parties is to start a serious conversation about benefits for older people and how to create a sustainable system with an ageing population. At the other end of the age spectrum, much has been said about the increased engagement of younger people in the political process; ironically many commentators argue that it is this age group that will be hardest hit by a continuing programme of welfare reform.

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Note: This article gives the views of theauthor, and not the position of EUROPP European Politics and Policy, nor of the London School of Economics.

_________________________________

About the author

Richard MachinStaffordshire University Richard Machinis Lecturer in Social Welfare Law, Policy and Advice Practice at Staffordshire University.

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Faith groups welcome adoption of Nuclear Ban Treaty – Religion News Service

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NEW YORK, USA: On July 7, the group Faith Communities Concerned about the Humanitarian Consequences of Nuclear Weapons issued a joint statement in support of the historic adoption of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons at UN Headquarters on the same day.

The treaty, a long-awaited step on the road to a world free from nuclear weapons, lays out detailed provisions calling for a comprehensive ban on the development, production, possession, stockpiling, testing, use or threat of use of nuclear arms.

Supported so far by more than 40 groups and individuals of Christian, Quaker, Buddhist, Muslim and Jewish affiliation, the statement reads, As people of faith we accept as our special responsibility the work of raising awareness of the risks and consequences of nuclear weapons for current and future generations, awakening public conscience to build a global popular constituency in support of the Treaty in order to achieve and sustain a world free from nuclear weapons.

The full text of the statement and list of endorsers can be found at: http://www.sgi.org/resources/ngo-resources/peace-disarmament/ptnw-joint-statement-july-2017.html

Kimiaki Kawai, SGI Director of Peace and Human Rights, comments, Like-minded groups and individuals of many faiths have come together to condemn nuclear weapons as incompatible with our shared human values. The continued existence of nuclear weapons hampers peoples ability to envisage a hopeful future and thus threatens human dignity.

This interfaith statement builds on previous statements issued by the same group during initial negotiations related to the ban treaty and efforts ongoing since 2014 to highlight the catastrophic humanitarian impact of nuclear weapons.

Another statement has been put out by the SGI in the name of Hirotsugu Terasaki, Director General of Peace and Global Issues. It states, The existence of nuclear weapons is the greatest threat to the right to life of both the individual and humankind as a whole. For this reason, their total elimination is a desire shared by all people. See: http://www.sgi.org/resources/ngo-resources/peace-disarmament/ptnw-statement-july-2017.html

During the recent negotiations on the text of the treaty, SGI representatives put forward proposals for including reference to international human rights law, in particular, the right to life, strengthening the reference to disarmament education and highlighting the role of women in promoting peace and security.

The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is a community-based Buddhist association with 12 million members promoting peace, culture and education around the world.

2017 marks the 60th anniversary of the Declaration for the Abolition of Nuclear Weapons made by second Soka Gakkai president Josei Toda on September 8, 1957, and the start of the organizations efforts to raise awareness and call for a world free from nuclear weapons.

Photo caption: Interfaith vigil outside the UN in New York outside the ban treaty talks, July 5, 2017. Faith communities gathered every morning during the talks at 8:00 am at the Isaiah Wall, Ralph Bunch Park, First Avenue and 43rd Street.(Image by Clare Conboy for ICAN)

The organizations and/or individuals who submit materials for distribution by Religion News Service are solely responsible for the facts in and accuracy of their materials. Religion News Service will correct any errors brought to its attention.

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Here’s how to respond to religious freedom crises around the world … – Deseret News

Posted: at 9:04 pm

Kelsey Dallas

Katrina Lantos Swett, a former commissioner for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, speaks at BYU's Religious Freedom Annual Review.

PROVO Responding to religious freedom crises around the world starts with strong religious commitment in believers' daily lives, according to law and religion experts gathered at Brigham Young University's Religious Freedom Annual Review.

"We need to be serious believers if were going to convince the world that religious freedom matters," said Kent Hill, executive director of the Religious Freedom Institute, during his remarks Friday afternoon.

He and his fellow panelists admitted it may seem like a simplistic approach in the face of mounting challenges to conscience rights. In 2015, the most recent year for which data is available, 79 percent of the world's population lived in a country with high or very high restrictions on or hostilities toward religious beliefs and practices, the Pew Research Center reported earlier this year.

However, deep personal faith energizes other practical steps toward addressing religious freedom violations, such as contacting policymakers or building understanding through interfaith friendships.

"We're not called to do everything but each of us has a certain capacity to do something," Hill said.

Religious individuals can explore their own traditions for calls for peace and then help others do the same, said W. Cole Durham, founding director of BYU's International Center for Law and Religion Studies.

"Religions should mine their own resources and come to understand them more deeply," he said, noting that Muslim leaders are increasingly undertaking this type of effort in order to counter the message of extremists using their faith to advocate for violence.

People of faith can also contact political leaders about the importance of prioritizing religious freedom in our interactions with leaders of other countries, said Katrina Lantos Swett, a former commissioner for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.

Katrina Lantos Swett, a former commissioner for the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, speaks at BYU's Religious Freedom Annual Review. | Kelsey Dallas, Deseret News

"Tell them that you care about religious freedom and think advancing this right is in our national interest," she said.

The panelists said they have seen the value of connecting on an emotional level with people who don't understand or care about religious freedom, rather than relying on general arguments about why related protections benefit everyone.

"We must be ready to show our heart and show the sincerity of our faith when we are trying to share value of religious freedom and tolerance," Swett said. "People are much more likely to consider us credible interlocutors if they get that we have deep beliefs, too."

The panel discussion focused on the best responses to international religious freedom violations, which come in many forms. In dozens of countries across the globe, minority faith groups are forced to register their activities with the government or abandon their houses of worship in the midst of interreligious violence.

"If you look at whats happening day by day, you will see similar kinds of things" everywhere, Durham said.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom's 2017 Annual Report highlights rising anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, as well as the threat of blasphemy laws, which enable people to be arrested and even put to death for a perceived statement against a dominant religion.

The commission works with the U.S. government to seek solutions, as well as with leaders in the State Department tasked with outreach to religious communities.

The panelists expressed disappointment with the fact that the Trump administration has yet to appoint an ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom.

"This is a tragedy that we dont even think we can do anything enough to get somebody in place with authority to do something," Hill said.

In the midst of a global refugee crisis and the Islamic State's reign of terror, it's understandable that some Americans feel helpless, the panelists said. But by turning to their own faith for spiritual nourishment, they can gain the strength to keep working toward a better world.

"I think the great temptation for people who see a big problem is to despair and to decide that they really can't do anything," Hill said. "I would point out that despair is not a Christian virtue."

The Religious Freedom Annual Review is a two-day conference that brings together leading lawyers, scholars and activists to discuss and debate conscience rights. It's sponsored by the BYU International Center for Law and Religion Studies.

Email: kdallas@deseretnews.com, Twitter: @kelsey_dallas

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Hundreds gather to help restore vandalized Colorado Freedom Memorial – FOX31 Denver

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Vandalism at the Colorado Freedom Memorial

Vandalism at the Colorado Freedom Memorial

AURORA, Colo. Robert and Jean Terry stood looking up at the Colorado Freedom Memorial under a row of names. Your brother was 14th I see him, they said pointing above on the wall.

The Terrys came to visit and remember her brother Raymond Stolte who was killed in WWII.

The Freedom Memorial is dedicated to all from Colorado who died while defending freedom.

But July 3rd, someone vandalized it causing at least $55,000 in damage.

Stoltes name is just one panel over from the glass that someone smashed the day before Independence Day.

Its hard to understand the mindset of someone that would damage something like this, Robert Terry said. You know its just beyond my comprehension.

Some of their friends are also among six thousand names of those who died from Colorado.

More than half of whom never made it back home but were buried overseas.

They were headed back to the fire base when the IED went off under his vehicle, said John Harris whose son Blake was killed in Iraq 10 years ago and now appears on the memorial.

I think its an affront to every family member that has a name on the memorial.

Their kids are on this memorial, said Colorado Freedom Memorial founder Rick Crandall. So whoever breaks it you broke a piece of glass you broke the heart of families whose hearts have been broken enough already. I mean this is beyond sick to me.

Crandall worked nearly 20 years to create the memorial only to find it vandalized.

But the vandalism has also sparked a huge outpouring of support from visitors.

Along with donations to replace the expensive shattered glass where more names were to be added.

I fail to understand vandalism in any way, said Colorado State Senator Nancy Todd, (D) Aurora. It is so disrespectful to those whove given their life in freedom for our country.

When this happened and I saw how people responded, said Crandall. Six thousand names on the memorial over 3,000 never came home. Those moms never had a grave to go grieve. This is their grave.

A grave desecrated but never to be forgotten.

If you would like to donate to restore the Colorado Freedom Memorial, a Go Fund Me page is available.

The Aurora Police Department is investigating and is offering a reward of up to $2,000 from the Aurora Police Reward Fund for information that leads to an arrest and conviction in the event its determined to be a criminal incident.

RELATED: FOX31 Problem Solvers Serving Those Who Serve

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Soccer tourney celebrates refugees who came to America looking for freedom – Daily Republic

Posted: at 9:04 pm

The event, organized annually by the Global Friends Coalition, aims to raise awareness of refugees not just in Grand Forks, but all across America, according to Cynthia Shabb, executive director of the Global Friends Coalition.

"The idea is to celebrate refugees," she said. "Just as a remembrance that there are people all over the world that are displaced, there are people all over that are looking for freedom."

The event was originally to take place on World Refugee Day, which has been celebrated on June 20 every since its inception in 2001, but was rescheduled due to Ramadan falling during that time.

The traditions of Ramadan - fasting, abstaining from drinking liquids - would have made playing soccer games too strenuous for observers of the holiday, Shabb said, so the tournament was delayed until after Ramadan and the Fourth of July.

Shabb has been organizing the tournament since its kicked off in 2011. This year is the most successful year the tournament has seen, despite one of the main teams pulling out of the tournament at the last minute. This year's lineup brought two women's team and four men's teams from, coming from Grand Forks and Fargo.

The North Dakota Shining Star club team is a Fargo-based team that will travel to tournaments in Omaha, Neb., and Pittsburgh, Pa., in addition to attending regional tournaments this summer.

Shabb said that soccer was chosen as the event to commemorate refugees because it is shared by so many cultures and is a healthy thing for the community. And she hopes it shows the community a thing or two.

"Many of the players came as refugees themselves and are now in Grand Forks...pursuing the American dream." she said.

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Reflecting on freedom – Concord Monitor

Posted: at 9:04 pm

The fireworks have faded, the grill is cold, the parade has marched into the distance and the family has all gone home. With all the hoopla, it is easy to forget that the Fourth of July is actually Independence Day, an event that marks something really meaningful the day, almost two and a half centuries ago, when 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence. It was a time of transition when a young nation forged its own identity from oppressive British rule, a movement that required great resilience and grit.

As I reflect on Independence Day, it evokes thoughts about another kind of independence, that of young people breaking away from their parents. As we settle into summer and anticipate time to relax and ponder, let us consider the opportunities we all have to declare independence in times of transition and identify the skills we need to be successful in doing so.

Helicopter, bulldozer or Velcro parent, tiger mom, not exactly labels that we as parents can celebrate. What is behind this trend to pathologize and disparage our well-intentioned efforts and concern for our children? Those terms dont apply to me, most of us tell ourselves, but could the culture of fear and enmeshment surrounding us be blinding us to a dark reality?

Research, books, seminars and headlines abound about parenting in the 21st century and the ways in which we are damaging our children. It can be overwhelming to imagine even where to start. The growing literature on resilience, grit and anxiety all point towards encouraging independence in young people. If you read three books this summer, make them GRIT The Power of Passion and Perseveranceby Angela Duckworth, Mindset: The New Psychology of Successby Carol S. Dweck and Anxious Kids, Anxious Parents: 7 Ways to Stop the Worry Cycle and Raise Courageous and Independent Childrenby Reid Wilson and Concords own Lynn Lyons.

Needless to say, we must find the balance between engaged parenting and fostering independence. Allow your high school student to make mistakes, take ownership for her learning and advocate for herself. The college admissions process is the perfect opportunity to turn over control. Empower your young person to take the reigns in the college search and application experience, providing support rather than action. If you have a child leaving for college this fall, give her space to navigate the transition on her own. The students who struggle the most and who are the least happy with their college choice are those who talk/text with their parents everyday and rely on mom and dad to resolve every challenge they face.

While you may feel like you are under the oppressive rule of teachers and parents, this is not permission to take a back seat to your life. Do not overlook the proactive ways that you can be independent.

If your parents are managing your college search, then perhaps you are not ready for college.

If you do want to go to college then listen up. I recently met with a group of selective college admission deans who lamented about how often a students parents initiate contact on behalf of their child. Dont be that kid who lets their parents set up all the college visits and then fills out forms for you when you arrive. And definitely do not allow the adults in your life to write your essays, complete your application or dictate all the activities in which you should be involved.

Socrates wrote, to find yourself, think for yourself. In its purist form, high school is about finding yourself and when you rely on friends, family and teachers to think for you, you renounce your independence. Preparation for college is an ideal opportunity to assert your individualism and self-reliance.

Prom, graduation ceremonies and senior parties are behind you and now it is time to look forward to the next phase of your education. For many young people, college is the first time they are able to truly dabble with being independent. Nobody is going to make you go to class, clean your room or eat healthy. The decisions you make and the approach you take toward your college experience are yours and yours alone. This can be a time that is wonderfully liberating when students come into their own and embrace self-advocacy and ownership for their lives, but it can just as easily go the other way.

Students who struggle with this freedom generally fall into two categories those who abuse independence and those who refuse independence. The abusers often skip classes, excessively use alcohol and drugs and make poor decisions in other areas of campus living and learning. Frequently these young people find themselves with low grades, disciplinary issues and a college career cut short. The refusers avoid the opportunity to live autonomously and flounder without the constant support of family and high school friends. These students fail to engage in campus life in meaningful ways and are quick to blame their unhappiness on the institution rather than their inability to be self-reliant.

Increasing independence requires balance and resilience. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, freedom makes a huge requirement of every human being. With freedom comes responsibility. For the person who is unwilling to grow up, the person who does not want to carry his own weight, this is a frightening prospect.

So, carry your own weight and embrace opportunities to be involved on campus. Take risks, be open to failure and acknowledge that being independent can be uncomfortable, and that is alright.

The Fourth of July holiday presents a great opportunity for us all to consider from what we need to declare independence. What is not serving us in our lives? What can we do without? What habits, relationships or ways of thinking keep us stuck in a rut? How are we oppressed by our own thoughts, actions or rules? Even if we do not have any significant transitions in our lives, the pace of summer can provide the ideal space to reflect on ways in which we are dependent. Let us all articulate one change that would allow more liberty.

It is one thing to declare independence, but the difficult work happens when we attempt to live it. How do we best stay dedicated to finding freedom in the areas in which we need it? Remember that independence does not mean isolation and we are often best served to enlist friends and family in our efforts after all, it took 13 colonies to rally against the British Empire. I have committed to a three-day silent mindfulness retreat each summer as a way to reconnect and set intentions for my personal independence. This is not for everyone, but whether in high school, college or life, I encourage us all to identify and celebrate the power we have to liberate ourselves.

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Trust the truth that lives deep in you to find freedom – Fairfield Daily Republic

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We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Thomas Jefferson

In the United States, we celebrate our freedom. It is one of our most fundamental values.

When we take time to reflect on the freedom that we have, hopefully all of us can find reasons to be grateful.

The freedom that we embrace is a work in progress. We are still on the road to growing into the vision of freedom that our founding fathers gave us.

Growing into a vision is good. A vision is meant to guide us to a better place. Growing into a vision of freedom requires work, dedication and vigilance.

A vision of equality and freedom for all is a vision well worth the responsibilities it brings.

As we celebrate our freedom it is important to remember that freedom is not just political it is also very personal.

Its the freedom to think, to discover, to know, to understand and to speak our truth.It is freedom to love, to dream, to work and to create.

We need to be vigilant about how we allow external pressures to steal away our personal freedom. When we are not careful, we can allow circumstances to interfere with our ability to think, to love and to feel the joy that comes from deep within our souls.

We can live in a society that offers freedom, but still be bound by internal chains that hold us down.

Throughout history there have been amazing people true heroes who were able to demonstrate freedom of spirit even while they were held captive, sometimes under unthinkable conditions.

Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Tchicaya Missamou are just a few. We can allow them to inspire us to be greater than our circumstances to live beyond the apparent limits that life seems to have dealt us.

When we are tempted to let an old wound or grudge take away our freedom to love, we can remember our personal vision of freedom and follow the example of these heroes instead.

When we are tempted to allow sound bites and Twitter feeds to decide what we think and how we react, we can choose to remember the power of our minds and our freedom to think independently instead.

In each circumstance, we can allow the truth that lives deep within us to set us free.

The Rev. Dalia Adams is the pastor of Unity Church of the Valley in Vacaville. She can be reached through http://www.unityvacaville.net.

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Freedom fall to Lake Erie Crushers on their field, 11-5, despite four home runs and a comeback push – User-generated content (press release)…

Posted: at 9:04 pm

Despite four home runs and a comeback push in the middle innings, the Florence Freedom could not overcome an early four-run deficit Friday night at Sprenger Stadium and fell to the Lake Erie Crushers by a score of 11-5. With newcomer Eric Gleese (0-1) on the mound for the Freedom (32-17), the Crushers (21-27) rallied for four runs in the first inning. L.J. Kalawaia led off with a bunt single and scored the games first run on a double by Brandon Murray, who later came home on a Cody Lenahan single. Austin OBrien immediately followed with a two-run homer for a 4-0 advantage.

But as Gleese rebounded to hold Lake Erie scoreless for the next three innings, Florence gradually pushed back. Collins Cuthrell led off the second inning with a home run to left field off Crushers starter Juan Caballero (3-1), and Andrew Godbold hit a solo homer in the fourth inning. In the top of the fifth, Austin Wobrock hustled out an infield single and took second on a groundout. Taylor Oldham then walked before Jose Brizuela drove in Wobrock with a bloop single to center field, putting the tying and go-ahead runs on base with the score 4-3. Godbold, however, struck out looking to end the threat. Gleese returned to the mound in the fifth and would serve up a three-run homer to Sean Hurley, re-extending Florences deficit to four runs. In the sixth, the rookie right-hander allowed a double and a single before yielding to Laetten Galbraith. The latter hit Trever Achenbach with a pitch to load the bases, and all runners would score on a triple by Kalawaia, who in turn raced home on a sacrifice fly to center. Gleese gave up a total of nine runs, all earned, on eight hits, but still struck out seven batters in his Freedom debut. Meanwhile, Caballero pitched five innings for the win and struck out five, while Justin Sinibaldi fanned four over three innings of relief before turning the ball over to Manny Arciniega for the ninth. Jose Brizuela and Jordan Brower hit solo homers in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, giving Florence its final two runs of the evening, but the five total runs on seven hits was not enough against Lake Eries 11-run, nine-hit onslaught. The loss was the Freedoms third straight, and the team has now two of its last seven games. The series continues Saturday with first pitch scheduled for 6:05 p.m. at Sprenger Stadium. Enrique Zamora (1-0) will start for the Freedom against Lake Eries Payton Lobdell (0-3).

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Freedom fall to Lake Erie Crushers on their field, 11-5, despite four home runs and a comeback push - User-generated content (press release)...

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Crispr Patent-Holders Move Toward Easing Access to Gene-Editing Technology – Wall Street Journal (subscription)

Posted: at 9:03 pm


Wall Street Journal (subscription)
Crispr Patent-Holders Move Toward Easing Access to Gene-Editing Technology
Wall Street Journal (subscription)
A holder of key patents to the Crispr gene-editing technology is willing to join a world-wide joint patent poola development that medical and legal experts think could hasten the development of new human therapies. The Broad Institute of MIT and ...

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Crispr Patent-Holders Move Toward Easing Access to Gene-Editing Technology - Wall Street Journal (subscription)

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