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Weekly Overseas Health IT Links - 4th October, 2014.
Here are a few I have come across last week.
Note: Each link is followed by a title and few paragraphs. For the full article click on the link above title of the article. Note also that full access to some links may require site registration or subscription payment.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/cvs-joins-forces-hospitals-docs
CVS joins forces with hospitals, docs
By Kaiser Health News
By Shefali Luthra, KHN Staff Writer
Neglected to pick up your prescription? Now, there's a good chance your doctor will know and do something about it, thanks to a slew of new partnerships between CVS Health and various health systems. One of the most recent, which is slated to begin by early next year, will integrate the electronic medical records from MedStar Health's 10 hospitals and 4,000 doctors – located in Washington, D.C. and Maryland -- with CVS pharmacies as well as the chain's 900 Minute Clinics located across the country.
It makes coordination easier, said Bob Gilbert, MedStar's president of ambulatory services. When someone gets care at a pharmacy or retail clinic, it will be entered in the patient's MedStar records for the doctor to see. If a MedStar patient receives CVS service in another state, practitioners there will still be able to see the patient's records.
http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/hitrust-issues-alert-operating-system-vulnerability/2014-09-25
HITRUST issues alert on operating system vulnerability
September 25, 2014 | By Katie Dvorak
An alert has been issued by HITRUST C3 that a vulnerability--Shellshock--has been discovered in Unix- and Linux-based operating systems, as well as Apple Macs OS X, that could put them at risk to being attacked; and the organization is asking that healthcare organizations take steps to safeguard their systems from the threat.
The vulnerability was discovered on Wednesday in Bash, a shell for evaluating and executing commands from other programs within a OS, according to HITRUST's alert. The vulnerability happens when Bash is starting up; and it could allow a hacker to create a malicious code that would allow them to gain control of a compromised server.
http://www.politico.com/story/2014/09/health-applications-wearables-congress-111299.html?hp=r5
Tech giants move to protect wearables
By ASHLEY GOLD | 9/24/14 3:01 PM EDT Updated: 9/24/14 4:20 PM EDT
Technology giants poised to reap billions from selling "wearables" and other personal health technology are furiously lobbying Capitol Hill with a strong message: Don't regulate our Fitbits.
The Affordable Care Act calls for patients to become bigger players in their own health, and companies that make personal health devices want Medicare to incentivize doctors who encourage patients to use them.
As the market for the devices grows, however, the companies that make them and collect the data are coming under increasing scrutiny over privacy and security issues, because everything from heartbeats to insulin deficiencies will be stored on the devices and possibly on the cloud. Under the old Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), these devices – Fitbits, Jawbones and the like – aren't covered. But some regulators and lawmakers believe that at least some of them should be regulated like other medical devices.
http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/patient-tools/va-implements-waiting-room-smart-chairs/d/d-id/1316057?
VA Implements Waiting Room 'Smart Chairs'
Alison Diana
The Department of Veterans Affairs installs Vecna's kiosk-based Vitals Chair at some facilities, aims to give patients more control and insight into their healthcare while streamlining practitioner workloads.
The US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is preparing to roll out "smart chairs" in waiting rooms at a small group of hospitals and clinics. This follows the agency's nearly completed implementation of 6,000 kiosks at 1,000 sites across the United States.
The Vitals Chair, designed by the kiosk maker Vecna, is not your typical waiting-room seat. It includes an antimicrobial touchscreen with magnetic stripe, blood pressure cuff, anti-bacterial wipes, thermometer, printer, sensor, and scale -- all of which are FDA-approved, according to Vecna. The wheelchair-accessible seat has one power cord and a network cable but no hard drive, because it does not store data. It can pose questionnaires, take vital statistics, and display information to users, among other features, Ben Bau, vice president and general manager patient self-service solutions at Vecna, said in an interview.
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/a90e6044-1bcf-11e4-9db1-00144feabdc0.html#axzz3ESsBLjkZ
Doctors may advise: 'take your tablet to a consultation'
By Sarah Murray
In touch: interacting more easily represents a big step forward for patients
Using "Team Up" – Macmillan Cancer Support's online matching service – volunteers can be connected to cancer sufferers who need help with shopping, ironing or simply some company on a walk. But while the digital revolution makes possible everything from remote monitoring to virtual consultations, it is raising questions for healthcare professionals.
Digital technology provides cancer patients with access to a far wider range of services than were available or accessible in the past. True, searching online for information relating to a particular condition has been possible for a long time. But Twitter, Facebook and other social media sites, as well as live-streamed video, are changing the way patients seek information about what to expect after a diagnosis.
http://blog.oup.com/2014/09/health-apps-really-matter/
Do health apps really matter?
By Andrew Larkin
Apps are all the rage nowadays, including apps to help fight rage. That's right, the iTunes app store contains several dozen apps designed to manage anger or reduce stress. Smartphones have become such a prevalent component of everyday life, it's no surprise that a demand has risen for phone programs (also known as apps) that help us manage some of life's most important elements, including personal health. But do these programs improve our ability to manage our health? Do health apps really matter?
Early apps for patients with diabetes demonstrate how a proposed app idea can sound useful in theory but provide limited tangible health benefits in practice. First generation diabetes apps worked like a digital notebook, in which apps linked with blood glucose monitors to record and catalog measured glucose levels. Although doctors and patients were initially charmed by high tech appeal and app convenience, the charm wore off as app use failed to improve patient glucose monitoring habits or medication compliance.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/Health-IT-Safety-Remains-Work-in-Progress-for-EHRs-48862-1.html
Health IT Safety Remains Work in Progress for EHRs
Greg Slabodkin
SEP 24, 2014 11:15am ET
The widespread adoption of electronic health records is a double-edged sword for the healthcare industry with the potential for both improving and harming patient safety.
Earlier this month, data from the 2013 National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey of Physician Workflow revealed that physicians using EHRs that met the meaningful use criteria were significantly more likely to report safety improvements than physicians that were not using EHRs. In addition, three times as many physicians reported that their EHR prevented a potential medication error than caused one.
"Even with this progress on EHR adoption and the improvements in quality and safety, we realize that patient safety events related to health IT can still occur," wrote Amy Helwig, M.D., from ONC's Office of the Chief Medical Officer, and Judy Murphy, R.N., director of the Office of Clinical Quality and Safety in a recent blog. "New analyses show that the most common types of health IT-related events involve medications and most often involve data input or display errors, software configurations, and/or interfaces between systems."
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/acos-held-back-poor-interoperability
ACOs held back by poor interoperability
By Mike Miliard, Managing Editor
Most accountable care organizations have health information technology in place to improve quality and lower costs, but many say difficulties with data exchange are keeping them from reaching their potential.
Of the 62 ACOs polled by Premier healthcare alliance this past summer, 88 percent report "significant obstacles" in integrating data from disparate sources. Also, 83 percent say they have a hard time fitting analytics tools into their workflow. As ACOs grow, gathering data from more and different care settings, these challenges become more accute, according to Premier.
Cost and ROI are also cited as key roadblocks to more effective implementation of health IT, according to 90 percent of respondents.
http://www.ehi.co.uk/news/EHI/9650/punish-epr-laggers---kelsey
Punish EPR laggers - Kelsey
24 September 2014 Sam Sachdeva
Healthcare leaders must consider implementing "radical" proposals to improve the use of electronic patient records, such as stripping training accreditation from providers who fail to implement them, Tim Kelsey has said.
Speaking at the Healthcare Efficiency Through Technology expo in London, NHS England's director of patients and information said providers who do not make the most of EPRs must be held to account.
"There must be no tolerance for hospitals that are not taking seriously their obligation to safely and digitally record what is happening to their patients, because that means we cannot measure outcomes," he said.
http://online.wsj.com/articles/hospitals-cut-costs-by-getting-doctors-to-stick-to-guidelines-1411416051
Hospitals Cut Costs by Getting Doctors to Stick to Guidelines
'Choosing Wisely' Campaign Has Physicians Weigh in on Standardizing Care
By Jeanne Whalen
Updated Sept. 22, 2014 7:00 p.m. ET
A hospital group in Delaware was concerned it was spending too much on cardiac monitoring for patients outside of intensive care who didn't need it. So it changed its computer system to encourage doctors to follow American Heart Association guidelines for using the monitors.
The number of patients using the monitors, and the group's daily costs for such monitoring, fell by 70% without any harm to patient care, researchers from Wilmington, Del.-based Christiana Care Health System report in a study in JAMA Internal Medicine.
The effort is part of a push by some hospitals across the nation to cut costs by standardizing care. Although professional bodies such as the AHA publish numerous guidelines advising doctors how best to treat various diseases, many doctors deviate from guidelines, which can lead to overuse of some tests and procedures. Doctors cite various reasons for deviating, from personal preference to institutional custom. Pressure from patients and doctors' desire to avoid getting sued can also be a factor.
http://www.healthcare-informatics.com/news-item/klas-clinical-usability-ranks-top-concern-when-choosing-ehr
KLAS: Clinical Usability Ranks as Top Concern When Choosing an EHR
September 22, 2014 by Rajiv Leventhal
Nearly 75 percent of interviewed providers around the world reported that clinical usability outweighed every other criteria when choosing an electronic health record (EHR), according to a recent report from the Orem, Utah-based KLAS research.
After clinical usability, integration, product technology/architecture, and cost/value were respondents' top concerns. Providers feel Epic is the clear leader in clinical usability and mention Cerner's population health solutions. Perceived lower-cost solutions from Allscripts, CSC, InterSystems, and MEDITECH face an uphill battle; as providers weight their selections heavily toward usability and technology, higher-cost solutions Cerner and Epic benefit, according to the report. "Usability is the top dog. It is critical. We have to match the process and the system. There are a whole lot of things the system should be able to handle, and a big workflow is one of the key ones," said one IT director who was interviewed.
http://www.fierceemr.com/story/klas-three-fourths-providers-globally-list-ehr-usability-most-important/2014-09-22
KLAS: Three-fourths of providers globally list EHR usability as most important
September 22, 2014 | By Marla Durben Hirsch
American providers are not the only ones seeking well designed electronic health records; almost three-fourths of providers around the world say that usability is the No. 1 factor in choosing an EHR system, according to a new report from Orem, Utah-based KLAS Research.
The report, Global EMR Perception 2014: Usability and Integration Driving Mindshare, found that 74 percent of those interviewed cited usability as their most important criterion; almost two-thirds (61 percent) identified clinician adoption/workflow issues their top concern about implementation.
http://www.cio.com/article/2687072/healthcare/in-evolving-healthcare-business-model-tech-plays-vital-role.html
In Evolving Healthcare Business Model, Tech Plays Vital Role
The healthcare industry's shift toward value-based, coordinated care won't succeed if providers, payers and patients aren't connected to the information they need to make better health and wellness decisions. Entities that fail to do so could put themselves out of business.
By Brian Eastwood
CIO | Sep 23, 2014 5:15 AM PT
The healthcare industry's shift from its dominant fee-for-service structure forces organizations to rethink the way they do business. Embracing a value-based, bundled payment model means doing more to connect patients to providers, providers to each other, providers to payers and patients to payers.
Technology plays an important role on a number of levels, from consumer health applications and patient portals to analytics and electronic health record (EHR) systems. In fact, the success of payment reform and the accountable care organization (ACO) model may depend on IT, in part because value-based payment models beget administrative complexity.
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/perspectives/2014/stage-2s-365day-reporting-period-could-jeopardize-future-of-meaningful-use
Stage 2's 365-Day Reporting Period Could Jeopardize Future of Meaningful Use
by Fred Bazzoli and Jeff Smith Thursday, September 25, 2014
Industry reaction to the Aug. 29 final rule issued by CMS was strong, swift and, to some, may have appeared ungrateful.
The rule was an acknowledgement that progress on Stage 2 of meaningful use had been excruciatingly slow. Well into 2014, the numbers weren't lying -- only a tiny percentage of providers had been able to prove that they met Stage 2 objectives. The new rule established new approaches for meeting meaningful use requirements in 2014, extended Stage 2 through 2016 and pushed back the start of Stage 3 until 2017.
But a key industry request -- a reduction in the length of time for which providers must report data proving they've achieved objectives included in Stage 2 -- was not heeded. CMS left the reporting period at 365 days, declining to cut it to 90 days, as many industry groups had asked. Providers recoiled at the decision; Russell Branzell, president and CEO of the College of Healthcare Information Management Executives, reflected provider sentiment by stating, "Now, the very future of meaningful use is in question."
http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/who-will-be-the-netflix-of-healthcare/a/d-id/1315994?
Who Will Be The Netflix Of Healthcare?
David F Carr
Healthcare disruption is real, the MediFuture event showed. How you react determines whether it's a threat or an opportunity.
Technological and structural changes pose an existential threat to healthcare incumbents but also a potentially rich opportunity for those who pivot fast enough to take advantage of them.
In other industries that have undergone disruptive change, the incumbents have often decided -- very belatedly -- to partner with the insurgents rather than dismissing them, according to Adrian Slywotzky, a "partner emeritus" with the international consulting firm Oliver Wyman and author of books including The Profit Zone and Demand.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/Penn-State-Launches-Massive-Epidemic-Game-Online-Course-48853-1.html
Penn State Launches Massive Epidemic Game, Online Course
Greg Goth
SEP 23, 2014 9:31am ET
Researchers at Penn State University will launch Moocdemic 2.0, a massive multiplayer epidemic game simulation, on Sept. 29.
The game uses augmented reality to allow players to travel around the world and detect, spread, or even treat a virtual disease using their mobile phones. It supports Apple and Android devices and is completely free to play.
http://www.fiercemobilehealthcare.com/story/electronic-surveillance-helps-hospitals-slash-death-rates/2014-09-24
Electronic surveillance helps hospitals slash death rates
September 24, 2014 | By Dan Bowman
The use of an electronic physiological surveillance system (EPSS) on patients correlated with two United Kingdom hospitals slashing mortality rates by more than 15 percent over the course of a year, according to research published online this week in BMJ Quality & Safety.
For the study, the researchers retrospectively examined the use of EPSS software--which streamlined the process of recording patient vital signs such as blood pressure and pulse--at Queen Alexandra Hospital, Portsmouth and University Hospital, Coventry; according to The Mirror, nurses deployed the software on mobile devices, including iPads, iPods and smartphones.
http://www.fierceemr.com/story/ehrs-too-inauthentic-be-relied-court/2014-09-23
EHRs too inauthentic to be relied on in court
Electronic health records are too variable to be reliable or authentic and should be tested before being used in evidentiary proceedings, according to an article in the Ava Maria Law Review, a publication of the Naples-Florida-based Ava Maria School of Law.
The article, "Electronic Health Records Systems: Testing the Limits of Digital Records' Reliability and Trust," notes that the HITECH Act does not address whether EHR information originates from a reliable and trustworthy source, and may need "special treatment" when called upon to support business requirements in legal proceedings.
For instance, since EHRs are used as much for securing payment as for documenting clinical information, they are used for "gaming" the system and creating false representations in the record, according to the article's authors. They also lack standardization, are easy to manipulate and are subject to "auto-spoliation."
http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/electronic-med-packaging-records-dosing-boosts-patient-adherence-more-simil/2014-09-24
Electronic med packaging that records dosing boosts patient adherence more than similar tools
The use of electronic medication packaging (EMP) devices that are integrated into the care delivery system and designed to record dosing events are more frequently linked to improved medication adherence than other such devices, according to new research published this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
http://www.ehi.co.uk/Features/item.cfm?&docId=430
It's big, but is it clever?
Big data has become a big buzz word. But what is it, how does it differ from traditional analytics, and why should the NHS care anyway? Fiona Barr finds out; and finds that some trusts are already embracing the big data future.
From Amazon recommendations to Tesco vouchers, big data touches the lives of almost every UK citizen; but so far its impact on UK healthcare has been minimal.
The potential of this nebulous concept to transform the health and social care systems is, however, widely anticipated; and tentative first steps are now being taken to exploit it.
Projects promoted as use of 'big data' in the health service include analysis of seven years of free text and structured data by a Leeds trust, plans by a commissioning support unit to combine Google information with its own data sets, and a national initiative to analyse genomic information on 100,000 patients.
Physicians, Patients Embrace Technology in Medicine
Brenda Goodman, MA
Technology is quickly changing many aspects of medicine, giving patients more power to take charge of their healthcare.
These changes are being embraced by many patients and physicians alike, a new survey has found.
The findings are part of the WebMD/Medscape Digital Technology Survey, which included more than 1100 patients and 1400 health professionals, including 827 physicians. Questions focused on issues related to the evolution of medical care, including smartphones to assist in the diagnostic process, procedure costs, the right to review medical records, radiation risks from imaging tests, and genetic testing.
Eric Topol, MD, editor-in-chief of Medscape and chief academic officer of Scripps Health, said the report is unique. There hasn't been a large survey that's asked the same questions of clinicians and patients.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/Epic-Ties-MyChart-App-to-Apple-HealthKit-48845-1.html
Epic Ties MyChart App to Apple HealthKit
Hospital and physician software vendor Epic Systems Corp. is integrating Apple's HealthKit into its EHR systems, which serve more than 170 million patients per year. Specifically, Epic customers will be able to use HealthKit through Epic's MyChart app, which the company says is the most popular U.S. patient portal.
MyChart provides patients with access to their lab results, appointment information, current medications, immunization history, and more on their mobile devices. Sumit Rana, chief technology officer for Epic, told Health Data Management that the company has updated its MyChart app to—with a patient's permission—access data from Apple's HealthKit data repository and share it with their provider. And, on the provider side, Rana said clinicians can set rules as to what types of information they want access to.
"This has pretty profound implications for chronic disease management such as diabetes to be able to track how a patient is doing, providing a care team with a more complete picture of the patient's health story," says Rana. He argues that the HealthKit-MyChart integration "bridges the gap between consumer-collected data and data collected in traditional healthcare settings."
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/blog/early-experiences-iphone-6
Early experiences with the iPhone 6
By John Halamka, CareGroup Health System, Life as a Healthcare CIO
I'm truly not an "Apple fanboy". I'm a believer in "do-acracy", rewarding people and companies that create useful products which save me time.
I stay objective about every company. I recently emailed one of my favorite companies which has slowed its innovation, "we need products not powerpoint".
So what about the iPhone 6?
Although I'm an early adopter of many technology ideas - social media, mobile, analytics and cloud, I tend to be a laggard when purchasing devices for myself. I do not drive a Tesla, I drive the simplest, most cost effective Prius. I used an iPhone 4S from 2011 to 2014, skipping the entire iPhone 5/5S generation.
http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/dartmouth-researchers-designs-bracelet-secure-health-it-systems/2014-09-23
Dartmouth researchers design bracelet to secure health IT systems
A bracelet designed by Dartmouth University researchers could be a breakthrough when it comes to securing information systems--notably for medical records in healthcare settings.
The bracelet would authenticate users while they are using a computer and would automatically log them out when they step away from it or when someone else steps in to use the machine, according to an announcement from the school.
"In this work, we focused on the deauthentication problem for desktop computers because we were motivated by associated problems faced by healthcare professionals in hospitals," senior study author David Kotz, a professor in Dartmouth's department of computer science, said in the announcement.
http://ehi.co.uk/news/primary-care/9639/emis-creates-phr-with-apple-healthkit
Emis creates PHR with Apple HealthKit
18 September 2014 Lyn Whitfield
Emis is using the Apple HealthKit platform to create a personal health record that is integrated with its Emis Web GP and clinical system.
Patients from the area covered by NHS North West London Clinical Commissioning Group will be the first to have the chance to use the new record, with the CCG encouraging its GPs to use the data collected.
Emis chief executive Chris Spencer said the company had been working on the project for two to three months, with "increasing visibility" as Apple got ready to launch its Apple Watch product, which can be used with the Apple Health app and HealthKit.
Are wearable activity monitors equivalent to professional health advice?
Last updated: 20 September 2014 at 12am PST
Wearable tech is all the rage right now, with Google Glass and now the Apple Watch being gadget fiends' latest must-have items. Electronic activity monitors may be the most popular example of health-monitoring wearable technology. A new analysis from researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston - published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research - compared 13 of these devices.
"Despite their rising popularity, little is known about how these monitors differ from one another, what options they provide in their applications and how these options may impact their effectiveness," says Elizabeth Lyons, senior author of the new study and assistant professor at the Institute for Translational Sciences at the university.
http://www.informationweek.com/healthcare/leadership/is-your-healthcare-it-governance-keeping-up/a/d-id/1315826?
Is Your Healthcare IT Governance Keeping Up?
Some healthcare organizations struggle with ineffective steering committees, budgets that slash critical IT support, and disengaged users. Is yours one of them?
Over the past decade, healthcare information technology has transformed. Health systems small and large are increasingly automated and dependent on information systems. But even as they have embraced IT, a divide has emerged within organizations. Advanced governance allows some front-running organizations to rationalize IT spending, achieve unprecedented automation, and use critical data to drive the organization. But others -- perhaps yours -- struggle with ineffective steering committees, budgets that slash critical IT support, and disengaged and oppositional users.
Which side of this sounds like your organization? Here are some ways to tell.
http://www.healthleadersmedia.com/content/TEC-308668/QA-ONC-Deputy-Natl-Coordinator-on-EHR-Usability
Q&A: ONC Deputy Nat'l Coordinator on EHR Usability
Scott Mace, for HealthLeaders Media , September 23, 2014
Jacob Reider, MD, discusses the usability of electronic health record systems, which was recently lambasted by the AMA. He concedes usability can be improved. At issue is "the progression from where we are to where we need to get to," he says.
The AMA made its latest broadside last week against the appalling state of user interfaces in EHRs. Barely usable EHRs are arguably the biggest impediment to the promised productivity improvements that EHRs were supposed to deliver.
In the wake of the AMA's condemnation, I sat down last Friday with Jacob Reider, MD, deputy national coordinator, during his visit to a patient experience hackathon at Stanford University. Although we also spoke at length about interoperability, this week I will share the usability portion of our discussion.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/Meta-Analysis-Shows-Telehealth-Reduces-Chronic-Condition-Costs-Mortality-48842-1.html
Meta-Analysis Shows Telehealth Reduces Chronic Condition Costs, Mortality
The use of telemedicine to help manage chronic diseases such as congestive heart failure, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease can yield clear benefits including fewer and shorter hospital stays, fewer emergency room visits, less severe illness, and even fewer deaths.
That's the conclusion of a study published in Telemedicine and e-Health. The authors of the multi-institution study said their findings were based on a systematic review of the professional literature published from 2000 to early 2014, selected on the basis of scientific merit. Of the studies that met the minimum criteria for inclusion, 19 dealt with CHF, 21 with stroke, and 17 with COPD. An additional set of 14 studies investigated cost.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/wheres-plan-interoperability
Where's the plan for interoperability?
By John Loonsk, MD, CGI Federal
It is a simple question: "Why doesn't electronic health information flow after the nation spent $26 billion on electronic health records?" Suggesting a 10-year timeframe or arguing that there is progress if you look hard enough just doesn't answer it.
Congress does not think so either. Despite the HITECH funds' accomplishing a significant degree of EHR adoption there is still a large amount to do to achieve modest interoperability. And the question posed above is going to politically fester until something significant is done.
Part of the interoperability problem is that only a limited amount of the HITECH meaningful use leverage has been used to encourage data exchange. Interoperability took a back seat to adoption of EHRs and other things in meaningful use plans.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/cerner-athenahealth-work-apple
Cerner, athenahealth to work with Apple
Epic won't be the only electronic health record company to leverage Apple's HealthKit technology: Cerner and athenahealth are the latest EHR vendors to say they'll develop apps that interface with the platform.
Both Kansas City, Mo.-based Cerner and Watertown, Mass.-based athenahealth are working with Apple to develop patient-facing tools that will make use of data aggregated via HealthKit, Reuters reports.
It was announced this past week that HealthKit's rollout will be delayed a few weeks as Apple addresses some bugs discovered in the 11th hour before its scheduled debut with the rest of iOS 8. When it's eventually released to the public, the plan is to put the platform to work in spurring wellness activities and keeping tabs on chronic conditions.
http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/health-analytics-market-reach-208-billion-2020/2014-09-22
Health analytics market to reach $20.8 billion by 2020
Federal mandates and chronic ailments will be key drivers of growth in the global health analytics market, which is expected to reach $20.8 billion by 2020, according to a report published this month by IQ4I Research & Consultancy.
http://www.fiercehealthit.com/story/governance-key-robust-health-it-system/2014-09-22
Governance key to a robust health IT system
When it comes to growth of information technology at healthcare organizations, advanced governance is one of the key pieces to having a robust system, according to Dick Taylor, managing director and chief medical officer of the advisory services division of consulting firm MedSys Group.
Advanced governance, Taylor writes at InformationWeek, allows "organizations to rationalize IT spending, achieve unprecedented automation, and use critical data to drive the organization." However, he adds that many struggle with governance.
To that end, in a survey of 1,000 healthcare professionals, 35 percent of respondents say they either do not know if their organization has any information governance efforts underway or needs them, according to an American Health Information Management Association white paper.
http://www.healthdatamanagement.com/news/Surescripts-Expands-e-Prescribing-Service-Network-48838-1.html
Surescripts Expands e-Prescribing Service Network
Health network Surescripts says it is expanding its electronic prior authorization (ePA) service for e-prescribing with four nationwide pharmacy benefit managers, including CVS/caremark and Express Scripts, as well as six health technology vendors.
The vendors include: Aprima Medical Software, DAW SYSTEMS - SCRIPTSURE, digiChart, First Databank, Inc.'s FDB MedsTracker, OA Systems, and Stratus EMR.
"Through these connections and others already in place, prescribers nationwide will be able to submit ePA requests for 70 percent of patients, representing 210 million lives covered by the nation's largest PBMs, and realize significant time and cost savings during the electronic prescribing process," Surescripts executives said in announcing the new agreements.
http://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/health-it-jobs-garner-big-bucks
Health IT jobs garner big bucks
By Bernie Monegain, Editor
A new survey from online jobs search firm HealthITJobs.com reveals that work in health IT results in above-average salaries for many positions in the field, depending on experience, location and gender.
Many of the jobs also come with bonuses.
Some of the key survey findings are:
Health IT consulting companies pay the most with an average of $109,715.42.
Health IT professionals in the Mid-Atlantic region make the most – $105,923.00.
Some 80 percent of health IT professionals are satisfied with their jobs.
There is a $35,000-plus salary difference between those with experience and those without experience in the field.
http://www.ihealthbeat.org/insight/2014/confidentiality-of-health-information-in-phrs-and-mobile-health-apps-in-california
Confidentiality of Health Information in PHRs and Mobile Health Apps in California
by Deven McGraw and Susan Ingargiola, Manatt Health Solutions Monday, September 22, 2014
Consumers are increasingly using personal health records and mobile health applications to store their health information and to track and improve their health. However, federal privacy and security protections for health information stored in certain PHRs and in most mobile apps are spotty.
Recognizing this, California enacted legislation (AB 658) to protect the confidentiality of health information maintained in these increasingly popular tools. This law has important implications for consumers, developers of consumer-facing health tools and the quality of privacy and security protections afforded to health information stored in some PHRs and mobile health apps.
http://medicaleconomics.modernmedicine.com/medical-economics/news/ama-ehr-discontent-taking-significant-toll-physicians
AMA: EHR discontent is 'taking a significant toll' on physicians
The organization has issued eight priorities to improving system usability
Publish date: SEP 19, 2014
By: Alison Ritchie
The American Medical Association (AMA) is calling on electronic health record (EHR) vendors to drastically improve the design and functionality of their systems, which have been a source of frustration for many of its members.
"Physicians have long embraced new technology quickly and regularly, and they see value that EHRs can deliver," says Steven Stack, MD, president-elect of the AMA and chair of its Advisory Committee on Physician EHR Usability. "We do not want to go back to paper records. But today's current EHR products are immature, costly, and are not well-designed to improve clinical care."
In fact, a survey recently published in the Journal of the American Medical Association's Internal Medicine found that physicians lose an average of 48 minutes per day to EHR data entry.
Posted by Dr David G More MB PhD at Saturday, October 04, 2014
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A Suffolk proposal would require businesses without sewers to upgrade wastewater treatment systems during redevelopment projects.
A proposed Suffolk law would require businesses without sewers that expand or redevelop parcels to upgrade their wastewater treatment systems, closing a loophole that had allowed them to discharge untreated wastewater based on past usage.
A Newsday/News 12 investigation in December found that every year the county issues permits to dozens of commercial sites that allow developers to construct new buildings, add restaurant space and build condominium complexes based on measurements of sewage flows that sometimes were decades old.
The proposed law would require commercial developments that are expanding or rebuilding after two years of being shut down to use new advanced wastewater treatment systems, which remove nitrogen from the water.
Kevin McAllister, founder of Defend H2O, an environmental conservation organization based in Sag Harbor, said the changes would prevent "egregious" approvals, such as construction of waterfront condominiums in Hampton Bays based on sewage flows from a motel that had closed nine years earlier.
"Better treatment should be expected with redevelopment. Revisions to the grandfathering provisions will achieve this goal," McAllister said.
Walter Dawydiak, director of Suffolk's Division of Environmental Quality, told the county legislature's environment committee that current policies were based on an interpretation of a 1981 law, which found the sewage flow was attached to the land.
If approved, the proposed measure would go into effect Jan. 1. The proposal, which also includes changes to cesspool requirements, was tabled Monday and is scheduled to be heard again in committee later this month.
Dawydiak estimated that about 20 commercial projects a year would have to upgrade their wastewater systems under the proposed law.


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GryphTech Announces Partnership With Peter Mueller of the Profit Centre to Help Broker Customers Increase Profits
iBroker, a powerful real estate brokerage back office management application by GryphTech Inc., today announced a new partnership with Peter Mueller, CEO of the Profit Centre, to offer insight and tools Brokers need to run an efficient and profitable business.
As CEO and Founder of The Profit Centre, a powerful business evaluation software, Peter Mueller is an accomplished industry expert and coach, who has helped thousands of real estate professionals, including agents, teams, brokers and executives reach their profitability goals.
"One of our top priorities is investing in technology that simplifies the way brokers do business. This application integration helps us accomplish this," said Carlos Matias, CEO of GryphTech and creator of iBroker. "We will continue working with industry leaders, such as dotloop, to ensure our customers experience the most efficient and effective system possible."
Peter's application helps brokers understand and track key metrics to inform business strategy and measure profitability. The first phase of this partnership will offer a streamlined workflow for shared customers via Single Sign-On (SSO), bringing together complimentary service offering and creating the foundation for phase two of the partnership – a direct data feed from iBroker to The Profit Centre application, providing actionable insights that will help Brokers understand and optimize their business in real time.
"We see this partnership as a natural pairing." said Carlos Matias, CEO of GryphTech and creator of iBroker. "Together with Peter and The Profit Centre, we will continue to add tools to our product that will provide the business insights Brokers need to run a profitable business. Peter brings a wealth of knowledge and experience that will help us to track the data that will provide the business intelligence that can feed into a broker's strategy and improve profitability."
"Working with the right financial and operational management solution is crucial to having clarity and understanding of your business," said Peter Mueller, Founder and CEO of The Profit Centre. "We believe this partnership is a marriage made in heaven. The best of all worlds… Management, Accounting and Operations all in one package."
This is a unique partnership that provides broker clients an easy to use, feature rich back office solution – complete with operational insights (powered by The Profit Centre) that will give them the clarity they need to increase profitability.
About Peter Mueller and The Profit Centre
As the founder and CEO of The Profit Centre, a powerful business evaluation software, Peter speaks to thousands of brokers and agents annually. His clients span ten time zones and a host of countries and range from startups to large regional enterprises. He is passionate about helping agents, teams, brokers and executives reach their profitability goals.
The company is based in Cincinnati, Ohio. Dotloop is owned and operated by Zillow Group, Inc.
dotloop is a registered trademark of dotloop, LLC.
Learn more at goibroker.com/profitcentre

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Kandanishikicho
1K Apartment
1K Apartment Chiyoda-ku
disclosed
NEW! Humble and Cozy Studio: Otemachi/Tokyo Sta.
Kandanishikicho, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo
Takebashi Station (7 min. walk)
Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line
Service available in English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese
Utility Fee: ¥300
Cleaning Fee: ¥8,000
Linen Fee: ¥0
Price may differ depending upon the season.
Short Term Stay
Direction Facing
Ōtemachi (大手町) is a district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. It is located north of Tokyo Station and Marunouchi, east of the Imperial Palace, west of Nihonbashi and south of Kanda. It is the location of the former site of the village of Shibazaki, the most ancient part of Tokyo. Ōtemachi is known as a center of Japanese journalism, housing the main offices of three of the "big five" newspapers as well as being a key financial center and headquarters for large Japanese corporations. It is also the location of the Japan Postal Museum. Within a 5 minute walk you are exposed to some great local Japanese cuisine. Walk a bit further within 10 minutes and you will reach the Kanda area which has plenty of restaurants, pubs, karaoke bars and local Japanese business people.
This apartment is perfect for both longer term business stays as well as the casual traveller looking for a centrally located apartment within Tokyo.
My place is conveniently located near the station so you don't have to worry about getting to places.
Just 3 minutes on foot, you can reach Tenri Gallery,
Ideal for anyone who wishes to explore the area more. You can also reach Kanda Bridge Park
Uchikanda Ojima Park
Statue of Wake no Kiyomaro
Nikkei Hall
Taira no Masakado's Grave
Ninomaru Garden
Harakawa Gate
The National Museum of Modern Art Crafts and
The East Garden of The Imperial Palace in a few minutes on foot and via car.
Cozy & comfortable apartment. Fully furnished with everything you need to live comfortably. WiFi is also provided as well as a good running washing machine to do your laundry needs. It comes with a bathtub & shower, a separate toilet and also a complete kitchenette to complement your stay. The apartment is complete with everything you need for a perfect stay!
The house is stylishly decorated, spacious and comfortable. Free access to Wifi, Equipped with complete and furnished kitchen, separated bath and fully furnished interior.
Absolutely no deposit, no guarantor, no key money required.
Unit description may be subject to change. You can confirm the details with the landlord.
Refrigerator / Freezer
Otemachi Station (Tokyo Metro Hanzōmon)
10 min. walk
Takebashi Station (Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line)
Ogawamachi Station (Toei Shinjuku Line)
Chiyoda-ku - Tokyo	¥240,000


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Home Gist 21 Savage's Lawyer Denies He Had Loaded Gun During ICE Arrest
21 Savage's Lawyer Denies He Had Loaded Gun During ICE Arrest
21 Savage's legal team is speaking up following reports the British-born artist was carrying a loaded gun at the time of his ICE arrest. According to a statement sent to HipHopDX, attorney Brian Steel unequivocally denies the Glock found in the red Dodge Challenger belonged to 21 Savage. He also insists the vehicle didn't belong to the I Am > I Was rapper either.
"That was not his car and the gun retrieved is not his," Steel said. "No one will be falsely accusing my client. 21 Savage has done absolutely nothing wrong."
Alex Spiro, who was brought on by JAY-Z and Roc Nation to assist the case, also refutes the recently reported arrest by the Atlanta Police Department.
"ICE has confirmed he was targeted for immigration enforcement and nothing more," Spiro explained in the statement. "He was never arrested by the police and some other individual's firearm and vehicle is not our concern here."
21 is currently undergoing ICE "removal proceedings" and being held without bond.
21 Savage was arrested by ICE officials on Sunday (February 3) and remains detained. In the wake of his arrest, more details are starting to emerge. According to TMZ, the platinum-selling rapper was in possession of a loaded gun when he was pulled over.
The Saint Laurent Don was reportedly "driving recklessly" before hitting a marked cop car. Consequently, police pulled over his red Dodge Challenger and discovered a Glock with an extended magazine inside his glove compartment. 21 was then taken by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF).
Cops also said they confiscated a styrofoam cup containing an unknown substance for evidence. It was reportedly found in the center console of the vehicle.
Young Nudy and two other men were taken into custody as well. Several documents confirm multiple law enforcement agencies were involved, including DeKalb K-9 Unit, Vice Unit, Narcotics Unit, ATF, Georgia State Patrol and the DeKalb 90 Unit. Although there was no mention of ICE, a source at ATF insists ICE was on the scene.
21 is currently represented by legal experts Charles Kuck, Dina LaPolt and Tia Smith. On Wednesday (February 6), JAY-Z and Roc Nation hired attorney Alex Spiro to assist the case.
"In addition to being a successful recording artist, Savage deserves to be reunited with his children immediately," Hov said in an official statement.
Despite having a pending U Visa application and no criminal convictions that make him deportable, 21 is being held without bond.
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Meet the Innovators: Xiaolin Lu, R&D Manager of Texas Instruments
The majority of Lu's career has been at TI. Now, she spends her time at Kilby Labs—which touches every area of TI—to turn projects into products.
by Dallas Innovates | Staff Report • Jul 15, 2019
Xiaolin Lu in Ti's Kilby Labs. [Photo: Courtesy TI]
From her work with the first generations of DSL broadband internet to sensing networks to the IoT to the smart grid, Xiaolin Lu has done it all in her 20-plus years at Texas Instruments. And she has a strong drive to remain on the cutting edge of innovation.
Lu works at Kilby Labs, which is the semiconductor, system, and technology innovation research and development arm across TI, including analog and embedded processing. In general, Kilby Labs addresses every area of TI.
The projects being done are incubated from customers, business units, and engineers, some of which (the majority, Lu hopes) actually turn into products that TI works on. The Lab's performance is measured by how many of the projects become productized.
"Sometimes we are solving the power consumption problem. Sometimes we are solving the high voltage problem," she says. "My specific area is solving problems related to low-power or battery-powered devices and the robustness of wireless communication in harsh industrial and automotive environments. That's specific to me."
Most recently, Lu led the team that worked on a newly launched project: TI BAW. The two devices that TI announced both incorporate bulk acoustic wave (BAW) resonators as a "new type of electronic heartbeat."
Lu is featured in Dallas Innovates 2019—The Magazine's 26 North Texas Innovators who are the future today. Meet the R&D Manager of Texas Instruments in our extended Q+A.
What makes Kilby Labs different than others in the industry?
Each of our projects is targeted for key differentiations and value-added innovations. Projects must be unique, either in performance, cost, ease of use or flexibility of the functionalities—these are the kind of value-added key parts.
Also, what we are working on is usually not the complete product—it might be a portion of the key technology or intellectual property (IP) or an enabling technology that will be integrated into products. And sometimes we are working to put multiple components together, so we differentiate at the integration level, such as system-level optimization and packaging. It's a very broad area that we work on.
Is there a real world example you can give?
One real world example is a small, wireless sensor node made up of TI semiconductor components including sensors, microcontrollers, a low-power wireless connectivity device, and a flexible, multiple-input, power-management circuit. We put them in locations such as water pumps in our own fabrication facilities, as well as in lab equipment, offices and other buildings. These sensor nodes automatically form a reliable network with mesh capability and they collect environmental, multi-modal sensing data such as temperature, humidity, light and pressure—and they do this every 10 seconds or even more frequently.
No network maintenance is needed and all of the sensor nodes will last for around 10 years with battery plus energy harvesting from photovoltaic, radio frequency (RF). In this setup, applications such as predictive maintenance, remote monitoring, asset tracking and localization can be all realized. They can be deployed on the factory floor, in building automation, in automotive and electrical vehicle battery management systems, high-speed railways, smart buildings, farms, parking lots, and street lights, to name a few.
What are your real responsibilities day to day?
I spend my time defining and executing projects, engaging with customers, and working with our businesses to identify product opportunities. I also do competitive performance benchmarking and participate with industrial groups defining standards for cutting-edge technology.
How has your previous experience played a role in your success?
The majority of my career has been at TI. I would say that intern work experience can be very helpful in combining the knowledge that you learn from classes and utilizing that knowledge to solve a real-world problem.
What do you like about working in tech in Dallas?
We have technical communities, such as IEEE Dallas chapter, and we also have the University of Texas at Dallas, which is a fast growing college that provides a lot of technical front-end research activities. And of course, there are community colleges, which help provide technical talent.
There are also active diversity engineering groups, various technical conferences at the national and international level hosted in Dallas, and of course there are numerous technical companies including startups in the area, which offer opportunities to collaborate.
What was your first breakthrough moment?
It's really seeing the original idea put into action and into a product, and having the product be loved by the customer. That's my breakthrough.
What is your latest breakthrough moment?
I recently led the team that worked on a breakthrough project called TI bulk acoustic wave (BAW) technology.
You may not know it, but most electronic devices that power our world need clock and timing references to generate and transmit data. This is increasingly important for reliable products and infrastructure in our connected world. For decades, engineers have used quartz crystals to generate these signals, but as these crystals start to wear down over time or other environmental factors like temperature, they can jump (or "jitter"), impacting their accuracy.
With TI's new BAW technology, we created the world's first crystal-less microcontroller as well as a best-in-class network synchronizer with a BAW resonator to help clean the "jitter" in high data rate communication systems. Our customers are thrilled because with these innovations, they'll be able to improve and create many new technology applications, from faster data center systems to building automation and even virtual healthcare.
What have you tried and failed at?
I have tried many ideas. Some of them may be too early for the market to be ready to adopt. So I have to either archive it for potential future use or I simply have to say that the technology is great, but the market is not ready for it.
You have to be patient and wait for the market.
What's on the horizon for you and TI?
Of course, I am looking forward to when my company can grow into the next level—from both a revenue, profit and business perspective as well as talent pool or people.
Myself, I am looking forward to having bigger impact to the success of the company. I truly believe personal success has to attach to company success.
Who is inspiring you now and why?
Our chief technology officer, which is my boss, Ahmad Bahai. He is a visionary and has a depth of knowledge across many, diverse product lines. In Ahmad's role, he must look ahead into the future, but at the same time, he has to live in today's business environment and work with internal business leaders to get their endorsement of our R&D projects.
This requires him to understand today's business climate, come up with innovative solutions, and continually sell his vision across multiple different product lines. It is very challenging for a single person to accomplish this, in my opinion. He is definitely my role model.
Tell us about some cool tech that's underway that you're excited about.
Embedded artificial intelligence, which provides data and signal analytics capability in every "thing" around and every IC, whether it's analog or digital.
What advice do you have for someone who is trying to breakthrough in tech right now?
My advice would be to never give up. Be persistent and never give up. Or don't give up easily. We have a lot of things come and go, come and go.
Sometimes it takes seven or eight years for something to really turn into something big. So anything big doesn't come quickly. Have a dream and a vision and don't give up on that.
This article was updated on Aug. 5, 2019.
The Countdown: Dallas Innovates' 10 Most Popular Stories in June
Take a look back on the stories that grabbed our readers' attention last month.
A Baker's Dozen: Dallas Innovates' Most Popular Stories So Far This Year
We're halfway through 2019. Let's take a look back on the stories that have grabbed our readers' attention the most.
Tech for Troops: Free Computers Help North Texas Veterans Rejoin the Workforce
Tech for Troops is teaming up with Toyota to provide VA North Texas veterans refurbished computers to help them rejoin civilian life in the 21st century.
Finalists Announced for the 2019 Tech Titans Awards
The Tech Titans Awards recognize the elite in North Texas technology and highlight the innovators, adopters, and executors impacting the technology industry for the greater good.
Discovery: UTA Team Leads Fort Worth Medical Innovation District Planning, UNT Economist Tapped as Fellow
In this roundup of research and development in North Texas, you'll also read about a prestigious summer research program sending a UT Dallas senior 'across the pond.'
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96" x 49" x 78"
This new mid-sized NBA Gametime Basketball Pop-a-shot Arcade Game Can be branded with your own company logo or no Logo and is perfect for any home game room, bar arcade, or business. This new NBA Hoops boasts the latest technology such as new LED lighting, slam dunk sound effects, moving hoop, and more. See how many points you can rack up against the ticking clock!
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1st Pallet Dimensions 96" x 49" x 78"


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'Blues for Mr. Charlie,' further James Baldwin ruminations on race
March 20, 2019	12:55 PM CST By Ed Rampell
From left, Kristian Maxwell-McGeever, Les Jennings / Emma Latimer
SHERMAN OAKS, Calif.—Loft Ensemble's lofty, must-see, powerful production of Blues for Mr. Charlie is the latest in a growing list of a revival of works by author/playwright/polemicist James Baldwin, one of America's "poet laureates" opposing racism. I believe this renaissance was launched by Haitian filmmaker Raoul Peck's Best Documentary Academy Award-nominated 2016 I Am Not Your Negro, with Samuel L. Jackson giving voice to the man who wrote 1962's The Fire Next Time and so much more.
Writer/director Barry Jenkins's 2018 sensitive feature film adaptation of Baldwin's 1974 novel If Beale Street Could Talk, which scored Regina King a Best Supporting Actress Oscar and Jenkins a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination, followed. Actor Charles Reese has been mounting his one-man show An Evening in History with James Baldwin, which I was lucky enough to catch Feb. 23 at Emerson College in Hollywood, where Reese's Baldwin pieces were presented by the Eboni LA Alumni Association as part of its Black History Month programming. The cover story of the current issue of The Progressive Magazine references Baldwin's famous essay A Letter to My Nephew (which is part of Fire).
Now this welcome James Baldwin renaissance keeps rolling out the hits with Loft Ensemble's scintillating stage revival of the bard's 1964 Blues for Mr. Charlie, which was originally a three-act play but is presented here in two acts with one intermission. After a shocking curtain opener (don't arrive late for your seats!) followed by the grim aftermath of a violently suppressed protest, what smacks you right in the kisser is Baldwin's precise prose, his dynamic dialogue and lilting lines clearly penned with the assuredness of a master scribe.
Baldwin brilliantly uses words, as well as images, to conjure up the racism of Apartheid America in the Deep South during the Civil Rights movement, which the large cast and crew flawlessly, deftly dramatize, skillfully directed by Tor Brown. Following the brutal, Bull Connor-like suppression of the African-American characters' opening protest, one clearly sees they are, literally, Black and blue, adorned with bruises ably highlighted by makeup designer Angela Santori.
The protesters have picket signs, among them one emblazoned with the slogan: "No Justice, No Peace." Some sticklers for fact may point out that this is historically inaccurate as this particular movement catchphrase was not part of the parlance in the early 1960s, when Blues is set. Or perhaps the helmer is slyly visualizing that the struggle then, alas, continues 50-plus years later.
The play's protagonist seems to be Richard Henry. (Is his name a wry reference to Richard Wright, the militant novelist Baldwin also wrote about? Apropos, Wright's 1940 Native Son re-opens April 20 at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Culver City as part of Center Theatre Group's annual "Block Party," bringing intimate theatre productions such as this 2018 Antaeus Theatre Company show to a bigger venue. HBO is also screening an all new film version of Native Son later this year.)
Richard's trajectory spurs and moves the drama's action forward. Portrayed by Jefferson Reid, Richard is the son of preacher Meridian Henry (Tony Williams), a Martin Luther King-like minister. Baldwin's choice of nomenclature is astute, as according to the Cambridge Dictionary, "meridian" means "an imaginary line that passes from the North Pole to the South Pole through any place on the surface of the earth, used to show the position of places on a map."
Indeed, presumably to spare his son the indignities of existing in the segregated South, Rev. Henry has dispatched his son to the North, to live in New York City. But this proves to be no panacea either, for the would-be musician becomes addicted to heroin, involved with (what I suppose could be called "disreputable") white women and so on. The play opens with Richard way down yonder in the land of cotton, where he has been largely forgotten. Used to the greater relative freedom of the North, Richard stirs things up back home in the Deep South, where soon enough he finds himself in deep shit. (The Virgil Tibbs character in John Ball's 1965 novel In the Heat of the Night and as portrayed by Sidney Poitier in the 1968 movie has a similar "fish out of water" dynamic—a Black man from the North navigating the segregated South.)
Part of Blues' vibe is derived from actual historic events, including 1955's Emmett Till tragedy that triggered the Civil Rights cause, the 1963 murder of Mississippi's NAACP field secretary Medgar Evers at Jackson, and the KKK's 1963 bombing of Birmingham's 16th Street Baptist Church that killed four girls. In my opinion, much of what is the Loft Ensemble version's second act is also Baldwin's response to the enormously popular 1960 Pulitzer Prize-winning Harper Lee novel To Kill a Mockingbird and its beloved 1962 screen adaptation. (Will Geer's Theatricum Botanicum presented a stage iteration in 2015, while another rendition is currently on the boards on Broadway.)
As Baldwin's title indicates, Blues for Mr. Charlie does not deal solely with Black dramatis personae, but also with whites, and their complex interactions with one another. "Mr. Charlie" is Black slang for whites—or perhaps more precisely, the white power structure. Before the proverbial curtain lifted, Brown's mise-en-scène cleverly and literally sets the stage, with a group of Caucasians ensconced on one side of the theatre and clear across from them on the other side, the African-American cast members. They are explicitly, graphically blocked so that they are segregated—separate, and not necessarily equal.
Pursuing the Mockingbird analogy, if Reid's Richard is roughly equivalent to Harper Lee's Tom Robinson, and Mitch Rosander's snarling racist redneck Lyle Britten is the counterpart to Robert E. Lee "Bob" Ewell, then Parnell James (Kristian Maxwell-McGeever) has Blues' closest approximation to Atticus Finch—the white man Blacks go to when they're in a pinch.
However, unlike Atticus (memorably played by Gregory Peck, who won an Oscar doing so) James is not an attorney, but rather editor of the small town newspaper. Like Finch, James is more educated than the other "crackers" like Lyle, as he comes from a more well-to-do, well-connected, refined family pedigree. (Ideologues may fault Baldwin here for "class incorrect" typecasting.) Although Richard is probably Blues' protagonist and Lyle the play's antagonist, Parnell James, illumined by Maxwell-McGeever's finely etched, tortured portrayal, is arguably Baldwin's most interesting character. (But then again, I'm Caucasoid, so maybe it's easier for me to relate to him?) Intriguingly, James's last name is the same as the author's first name.
Parnell James plainly sees the era's injustices, but as a white man of privilege, he is conflicted, with one foot in each camp. He is also one of the "good ol' boys," and Lyle has been one of his best friends. But the editor has been indulging in some "communist propaganda" (as some of the racists deride any editorial favoring, you know, social justice) in his newspaper, and worse, in race mixing, daring to love (not just lust after) a Black woman or two, whom he had yearned to wed (which explains this bachelor's marital disposition). James wants to do what Spike Lee pithily calls "the right thing," but he has lots to lose in a land of night riders and racist vigilantes. To a large extent, Baldwin's tragedy pivots on what the compelling Parnell James will or won't do.
James seems to epitomize "the white moderate" that Dr. King critiqued in his 1964 Letter from Birmingham Jail: "Over the past few years I have been gravely disappointed with the white moderate. I have almost reached the regrettable conclusion that the Negro's great stumbling block in his stride toward freedom is not the White Citizen's Counciler or the Ku Klux Klanner, but the white moderate, who is more devoted to 'order' than to justice; who prefers a negative peace which is the absence of tension to a positive peace which is the presence of justice; who constantly says: 'I agree with you in the goal you seek, but I cannot agree with your methods of direct action'; who paternalistically believes he can set the timetable for another man's freedom; who lives by a mythical concept of time and who constantly advises the Negro to wait for a 'more convenient season.' Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."
Change is more likely to be made by those who have nothing left to lose—not by those privileged few acting out of noble convictions instead of their own self interest. Blues also closely tracks the tension between nonviolence and militancy, which has been a central part of the African-American liberation movement since slavery times. Historic examples include: W.E.B. Du Bois versus Booker T. Washington; SCLC versus far more passive "resistance"; Martin versus Malcolm; nonviolence versus Black Power; and so on. In fact, not only did this dynamic play out in the Black Panther Party itself, but in the blockbuster movie Black Panther itself.
This production of Blues is creatively structured to be told out of narrative order. Richard's spectral appearance in Act II is chillingly effective. The play has an excellent recorded and live soundtrack that includes gospel and blues songs, Negro spirituals and sound effects. Its repeated use of gun blasts put me in mind of American Saga—Gunshot Medley by Dionna Michelle Daniel, which was premiered by Rogue Machine Theatre last year (which also happily revived Lorraine Hansberry's Africa-set, anti-colonial classic Les Blancs in 2017).
Reid's incarnation of Richard is moving. The play strikes a note of moral ambiguity, as it touches upon whether or not Richard has a firearm, nude pix of Northern white women, is still a narcotics addict, and so on. While Baldwin clearly has his sympathies, he realizes nobody has an absolute monopoly on morality and honesty. There is even a sort of Freudian rivalry or competition between father and son regarding Juanita, whom Richard and Meridian both fancy. (Baldwin, of course, was gay, but I did not detect any LGBTQ subtext in Blues—perhaps as a straight male it flew under my "gaydar?")
Other standouts in this oversized cast in a diminutive playhouse with an effectively spare set include Latiera Harmon, who has a great stage presence as Juanita and quickens the pulse not only of the Henry menfolk but, as you'll see, another character. Casting directors, talent agents, etc., should be lining up to sign the gifted Harmon to a contract, if she isn't already inked up.
For my money, if you listen closely, the best bit of dialogue is uttered by Kevin Padilla as Lorenzo, but you have to aurally zoom in and focus on him at the end of his testimony, otherwise it may just sound like throwaway lines. Throughout the drama and in the courthouse sequence, Lorenzo has vacillated between defiance and going along to get along. While on the stand, he is almost insolent to the judge and court, which clearly represent the white supremacist power structure. As his testifying comes to an end, His Honor dismisses the world-weary witness, and the relieved Lorenzo plaintively mutters, "Thank you kindly, sir."
There it is: The servility centuries of the lash, shackles, lynching, enslavement, Jim Crow and worse have whipped and beaten into the oppressed. Padilla delivers a brief, hushed, but extremely truthful moment that speaks volumes.
If I have one criticism of this play, as a Mississippian theatergoer explained to me, Southerners generally speak more slowly than the actors did. I was told by someone associated with Loft Ensemble that director Brown is from Kentucky, so I imagine he's aware of this. But clocking in at about two and half hours, perhaps he and his cast felt that they had to move things along.
But this is a mere quibble. It never stops amazing me, it's absolutely uncanny, how works of art are often coded chronicles commenting on our own time. James Baldwin's rumination on race and white supremacy re-emerges as a white nationalist racist maniac carries out the despicable mosque massacres in New Zealand. That Australian madman would be right at home with Lyle and the other good ol' boys – but hopefully, we pray, not with Parnell James.
This was my first visit to Loft Ensemble, but it certainly won't be my last. If you care about race relations and the dramatization of them in entertaining, enlightening ways, Baldwin's ingenious gem is the indispensable drama you absolutely can't afford to miss. Bravo!!!
Blues for Mr. Charlie is performed Sat. at 8:00 pm and Sun. at 7:00 pm through April 7 at The Loft Ensemble, 13442 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks 91423. For more info: (818) 616-3150 or www.loftensemble.org.
L.A.-based reviewer/film historian Ed Rampell is moderating a panel on "Blacklist Exiles in Mexico" April 2 at the San Francisco Art Institute. For details see here.
Ed Rampell
Ed Rampell is an L.A.-based film historian/critic and co-organizer of the 70th Anniversary Commemoration of the Hollywood Blacklist.
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This Comet Might Reveal Secrets About Alien Life In Space
January 10, 2023 - 15:21 IST
Salva Mubarak Senior Features Writer
If you're an astronomy enthusiast, this news is going to blow your mind. A comet is going to pass by the Earth in the upcoming weeks that was last seen 50,000 years ago!
What's more exciting is that you won't need any fancy equipment to catch a glimpse of this rare astronomical event. The comet will be visible through the naked eye, granted the moon is not too bright that night.
Did You Hear? Life On Mars Has Become A Real Possibility
The comet is called C/2022 E3 (ZTF), after the Zwicky Transient Facility which first spotted it passing Jupiter in March last year. The much-awaited comet is making its way from the far, far reaches of our solar system and will pass the sun on January 12, and the Earth on the first of February. According to astronomers, the comet is made of ice and dust and emits a greenish aura. It's also relatively small, with a diameter of just a kilometre. But what it lacks in size, it will make up in the proximity to Earth.
What's Up in January? 🔭
Throughout the month, a new comet may be seen gliding across the sky towards the northwest. Plus, the bright winter constellations are a nightly treat for stargazers. Lastly, expect the Wolf Moon on Jan. 6.
Read the full guide: https://t.co/P2s1urpEX6pic.twitter.com/fsZRYxU0vm
— NASA (@NASA) December 30, 2022
Experts believe that the comet is coming from the Oort Cloud, a theorised celestial body comprising icy objects that surrounds our solar system.
NASA Has Put Together A Team That Will Study UFOs
While the comet supposedly made an appearance when neanderthals roamed the planet, it's not going to make a reappearance 50,000 years in the future. It will be ejected from our solar system after this trip.
The James Webb Space Telescope will be used to study the comet's composition but it will not take any images. As it turns out, the sun will boil off its outer layers and reveal its inner layers which would make it easier for the telescope to study the comet. Experts also believe that it will be carrying information about the inhabitants of our solar system well beyond the most distant planets.
NASA Is All Set To Take A Woman To The Moon
NASA Shares A Surreal Picture Of Moonlight And Lightning From Space


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LATEST LEADERSHIP NEWS
GHANA: WEEK OF CSIR CONFERENCES
October 28, 2019 October 28, 2019 africanakua 0 Comments
(Research Staff Association AGM, 24-10-2019)
(CSIR Administrators conference, 25-10-2019)
Source: www.africanakua.com/ Chamba Napoleon Ato Kittoe, Ghana
The last weekend of October 2019 was abuzz with CSIR activities in events that drew large pools of staff to same locations. Key among these were the Annual General Meeting of the Research Staff Association, RSA held at Kasoa in the Central region and the Accra Conference of CSIR administrators.
The big events which had distinct themes were bound by a common thread reflected in concerns over inadequate funding for research in Ghana.
At the Research Staff Association AGM, there were calls to take the veil off the enormous influence researchers under the stamp of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research exert on national life but that which have remained latent. Arguably this is the one of the means the council may attract much needed funds to fend its core business. The Deputy Director General of the CSIR, Prof Paul Bosu, said the President of the Republic, His Excellency Nana Akufo Addo, had occasion to commend the council for the amazing work it is doing when he paid a working visit to the CSIR's Oil Palm Research Institute, OPRI, at Kusi in the Eastern region early October.
Wielding a quality workforce with PhD as entry requirement for all scientists, Prof. Bosu said, "the capability of CSIR is without a shred of doubt. Most of the nation's scientific breakthroughs stood in the name of the council's members and the sterling track record must not be shelved". The irony is that such a wealth of human resources operate with scant resources. In absence of adequate budgetary allocation, the CSIR largely depends on donor funding for research skewed in the prescriptions of benefactors. He argued research remains the only means by which Ghana can carve up a clear identity and take control of its own desirable goals.
The Deputy Minister of Environment, Science, Technology and Innovation, Madam Patricia Appiagyei welcomed comments in the direction to put the CSIR into visibility, saying that will market and justify the potential force it represents in national development efforts. She said, a bill to raise allocations for research to one percent of GDP, doubling current figures, is before parliament.
She also announced government's intentions of setting up an innovation and commercialisation centre to properly tie development with research. Finally, she charged the researchers to find answers for environmentally related health cases. This event was attended by the Directors of Water Research Institute, Institute of Industrial Research, the Institute for Scientific and Technological Information as well as the Lawmaker representing Oforikrom in Kumasi, Hon. Dr Emmanuel Marfo who is member of the parliamentary select committee on Science and Environment.
Hon. Pat Appiagyei and some mebers of the CSIR
At the CSIR conference of administrators, much of the attention focused on practices for the efficient running of public organizations. A retired Director of Administration of CSIR, Mrs Eileen Odartei-Laryea who was guest speaker called for convergence of practitioners on sound professional standards to be referenced in administrative manuals. Despite her espousal on the rules, she gave room for human discretion which settled on tolerance in all engagements among staff. The former administrator who joined the CSIR in 1976 and retired over thirty years later, said administration divisions of public organizations must keep abreast of modern trends particularly information technology and financial management systems.
The CSIR's Director of Finance Mr Emmanuel Ofosu Brako chaired the function. He said, the fourteen institutions of CSIR are walking the financial tightrope and needs to vigorously advance commercialisation of its activities and increase internally generated funds.
Questions centered on promotions and performance assessments during an open forum. There were the Directors of Administration, Mrs Genevieve Yankey, the Director of Institute for Scientific and Technological Information, Dr Manteaw and the Deputy Director of Water Research Institute, Dr William Agyekum in the seat to answer questions.
Chamba Napoleon Ato Kittoe is a senior journalist with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation.
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Unincorporated areas of Starr County could be first to see border wall construction in South Texas
by: Sandra Sanchez
Posted: Sep 18, 2019 / 06:15 AM EDT / Updated: Sep 18, 2019 / 06:16 AM EDT
FRONTON, Texas (BorderReport.com) — River Road, a dirt road leading from a windy bluff in the tiny unincorporated town of Fronton, in far western Starr County, has for years led locals to the Rio Grande.
But construction of a border wall here, which U.S. Customs and Border Protection have announced as part of 52 miles to be built in Starr County, would wall off this area making it inaccessible to locals.
And it is most likely that the smaller, unincorporated communities within Starr County — those with the least political representation and tax base — that will be the first to see the construction of a wall. That is because federal guidelines make it much easier for construction to begin in unincorporated areas where they do not have to consult with local officials.
"CBP has announce plans for construction just east of Salineno, and west of Escobares, and so we are pretty much in between those two towns," Jonathan Salinas, a member of No Border Wall coalition and who serves on the executive board of the Lower Rio Grande Valley Sierra Club told Border Report on Friday as he explored the area with a Border Report correspondent. "This is pretty close on the edge of border wall construction."
Peace and quiet disturbed
A submerged vehicle can be seen floating on Aug. 16, 2019, in between the two shores of the Rio Grande from the banks near Fronton, Texas. (Border Report Photo/Sandra Sanchez).
This particular bend in the river — about as wide as a football field and fairly deep — is where U.S. Border Patrol agents on Aug. 9 were shot at from the Mexican riverbank. A news release from CBP said "agents saw four subjects with automatic weapons who shot over 50 rounds at them."
There is no more information about the incident and it's unclear if the attack was in response to plans to wall off this area.
On Friday, Carrizo cane and tall reeds swayed in the breeze in this peaceful stretch of the river, where birds and insects, and likely some snakes, mill about.
A submerged vehicle midway between the two countries was the only indicator that anything out of the norm might have ever happened here.
This part of the river is kind of like the town of Fronton: Not much to it. It's peaceful, quiet and keeps toitself.
A house at the corner of River Road, which leads to the Rio Grande, is seen in Fronton, Texas. (Border Report Photo/Sandra Sanchez).
The riverbanks of the Rio Grande at Fronton, Texas. (Border Report Photo/Sandra Sanchez).
The Mexican shoreline is seen from Fronton, Texas. (Border Report Photo/Sandra Sanchez).
Tracks from an animal can be seen in the sand at the riverbank of the Rio Grande in Fronton, Texas. (Border Report Photo/Sandra Sanchez).
Naydia Ramirez and her neighbor Yvette Gaytan, who live in rural Starr County, said they aren't selling their riverfront property on the Rio Grande. They picketed the Aug. 11, 2019, visit by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Mission, Texas. (Border Report Photo/Sandra Sanchez).
Residents here are leery of strangers. Some, we're told, have been approached by the federal government about selling their riverfront lands. The going rate starts at $100.
But many residents in Starr County are holding out and refusing to sell.
Naydia Ramirez and her neighbor Yvette Gaytan said they aren't selling. They also live in an unincorporated area of Starr County a few miles to the east.
"I could lose my home over this. Mind you, they have a border wall map that runs through the whole county and nobody stepped on my land, her land, my grandparents' land and yet they are planning a wall," Ramirez told Border Report on Aug. 11 as she picketed the arrival of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at the La Lomita Chapel, in Mission, which has been exempted from wall construction.
Not much political clout or sway
All of Starr County eventually would be cut off from the Rio Grande if the Trump Administration's border wall plans go through. Federal maps show the county's meandering river border would be entirely blocked off by 52 miles of steel bollard wall measuring 18 to 30 feet high and ringed with a 150-foot-wide enforcement zone that will include a patrol road, floodlights and specialized cameras.
CBP has asked for local input on how a wall would impact communities. They have extended through Aug. 26 the deadline to submit comments online or through mail to U.S. Border Patrol Headquarters, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. 6.5E Mail Stop 1039, Washington, D.C. 20229-1100
But other than submitting online, Salinas and others who oppose a border wall say locals in unincorporated areas don't have much say, or political sway. As a result, they believe that these less populated areas of Starr County will be one of the easiest areas for federal officials to begin wall construction.
Under the 2019 federal appropriations bill, which provided funds for the border wall, Congress stipulated that federal officials must "confer" or consult with local community leaders on border wall plans in incorporated areas in Starr County, which include the nearby town of Roma and the county seat of Rio Grande City. But that rule does not apply to unincorporated areas, like Fronton.
Language in the 2019 appropriations bill requires federal officials to consult or "confer" with local community leaders in Starr County's incorporated cities over plans to build a border wall in South Texas.
Construction contracts that have, thus far, been awarded and announced by CBP either refer to areas that are federally owned, like the Arroyo Ramirez Wildlife Refuge, southeast of Fronton, or unincorporated parts of Starr County. No specific contracts have been announced for areas residing within city limits.
"Federal officials are hearing from local governments on populated urban areas," Salinas said. "As you can see there aren't solid plans for the wall in city limits right now."
Visit the BorderReport.com homepage for the latest exclusive stories and breaking news about issues along the United States-Mexico border
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US citizenship, legal residency may be out of reach for many in 2020, advocates say
by Julian Resendiz / Jan 17, 2020
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) -- With a substantial increase in filing fees for immigration benefits looming, advocates are urging migrants to get their applications in as soon as possible.
Once the fees go up, attorneys and nonprofits who assist migrants fear the benefits of U.S. citizenship, legal residency for relatives, work permit renewals and a host of other services will be out of reach for many of their clients.
South Texas congressmen address reports Trump will divert $7.2B from military to border wall
by Sandra Sanchez / Jan 14, 2020
McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) -- Three congressmen from South Texas expressed outrage Tuesday over a report that President Donald Trump is planning to divert an additional $7.2 billion in military funding for his border wall.
The Washington Post reported Monday night that Trump this year plans to transfer $7.2 billion from Pentagon funds, which is five times the amount Congress has appropriated for border wall construction in the 2020 fiscal budget.
'Remain in Mexico' program for asylum-seekers expands to Arizona port of entry
by Fernie Ortiz / Jan 2, 2020
EL PASO, Texas (Border Report) Asylum-seekers who cross the border through Arizona will no longer be bused to El Paso, Texas, before they are sent to Mexico to await their immigration court proceedings.
The Department of Homeland Security announced Thursday it is expanding the Migrant Protection Protocols (MPP) program in Arizona. That means migrants apprehended in Arizona's Tucson Sector will be returned to Mexico at the Nogales Port of Entry south of Tucson.
Monday Morning Weather Forecast, Jan 14th, 2019


Sony's PlayStation E3 2017 Media Showcase (and the pre-show) was pretty darn solid this year, and it was totally about the games. From a gorgeous Shadow of the Colossus remaster, to the new God of War, to Insomniac's stunning Spider-Man, there's was a lot to be excited about. Sure, many games are hitting in 2018, but at least we were impressed with what we saw. There were no massive surprises, just a lot of high quality looking experiences, mostly.
Other games on display were Uncharted: Lost Legacy, Gran Turismo Sport, Detroit: Becoming Human, Days Gone, Horizon Zero Dawn – The Frozen Wilds DLC, Hidden Agenda, Matterfall and seemingly dozens of others, all for for the PS4. Third parties were on hand to show off Call of Duty: WWII, Destiny, Monster Hunter: World and Ni No Kuni II.
There was actually a really nice selection of PlayStation VR titles as well including Superhot VR, Star Child, Bravo Team, Polyarc,The Inpatient, Skyrim VR, Moss, Sparc, Monster of the Deep for Final Fantasy XV and more.
See the showcase replay, and check back for Sony's official press release.


Tan was born in 1986 and converted by a missionary in our village, and later attended Bible school. Afterward, Tan moved back to his village to preach the gospel and gather the converts into a local church.
My name is Mr. Tan Thang. I was born in a pagan family, and later on, my parents became Buddhists, and we became a Buddhist family. But I did not think seriously about a religious matter. After I finished my high school in April 2003, a Christian evangelist came to our village and conducted an evangelistic crusade. One evening, I was seeking my uncle's son, and I happened to go to that meeting, and I listened to the preacher's preaching. He mentioned that Jesus Christ died for you and you do not have to pay for your sin's penalty. Jesus Christ has paid already, and what you have to do is believe Him and that gospel. A Buddhist believes in sin, and that sermon was very interesting to me. I was thinking seriously. When it came to May, I was sick, and almost died. And I prayed like this: Christian God, Jesus, if what the evangelist preached in April was true, please heal me tonight, and I will believe you. The next morning I was healed completely. Then I found that evangelist, and he explained to me again salvation, and I accepted Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord. And I joined Southeast Asia Bible College in 2006, and I finished B.Th in 2009. I joined again Faith Baptist Bible College and Seminary in 2011, and I completed M.Div in 2012. During my Master studies, I did soul-winning work, and the Lord blessed me to see some souls saved. The Lord burdened me for the lost, and sometimes I cried to God for the unsaved people.
The Lord burdened me about my village, and so after finishing my Master studies, I went back home, and I was used as an assistant pastor by a Baptist Church, which was very nominal. I started teaching and preaching salvation by grace through faith. Some people got saved, but a liberal Baptist Church did not like the gospel that I preached, and they expelled me from the Church. Some believers came out of that church and asked me to lead them, and we formed a newly established Baptist Church on June 18, 2017. I am now the pastor of the Baptist Church which is a small mission church. We worshiped at my house. I prayed, and I was looking for someone who can be my mentor and my leader for the ministry, and finally, I found William, and he gladly invited me to come down for an interview. I thank God that the Lord brought me to meet with William.
We started cutting woods and collecting some other items for a church building. We are only 14 poor families, in total 64 members including children. We did not have enough funds to buy property, and so one of the church members offered a small piece of land, and we started construction for a church building. William arrived and on May 13 [Sunday], William cut the ribbon and opened our village church building. We the G. people do not have literacy, no written language yet, therefore Timothy William and American linguists are helping us to have our literacy. We recently have G. Primer. Hope that we will be able to have the New Testament shortly.


One day before school last week Evan was bopping around the house taking pictures. I did not really pay close attention to what he was doing, as I just like to let him go and be creative. The pictures below are his own doing, and I am amazed at the range of expressions with his self portraits. His mother has not seen these yet, and I know it will give her a good laugh.
The pictures with the little smiley pictures are sitting on my desk. The family pictures you are seeing are the pictures that Evan took of my digital picture frame. I really think he's a budding photographer. I may be biased on this point because I'm his Grandma. But I love his little pictorials.
What a different world Evan is growing up in. The digital age of pictures is just "normal" for him. Taking self portraits is "normal" for him. Being able to view the pictures you have just taken on your computer is "normal" for him. Oh what a different world Evan is growing up in. I love letting him be creative, and just doing his own thing.
These pictures just make you smile. Happy weekend everyone, enjoy the weekend!