Free Republic

Rubius Therapeutics, a Cambridge biotech, plans to build a 135,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Smithfield, R.I., after the State of Rhode Island on Thursday approved about $6.4 million in tax credits. The plant is expected to create 160 highly skilled jobs in manufacturing and biotech operations, according to Governor Gina M. Raimondo. Rubius is developing technology intended to turn our own red blood cells into potent new medicines. Rubius plans to invest up to $155 million over about five years to renovate a manufacturing facility in an existing building in Smithfield....

What is wrong with Nancy Pelosi? As the noose seems to be tightening on her prospects to return to party power after the November elections, the House Minority Leader stumbled over words, suffered brain freezes and stared at reporters during a Thursday press conference. “Last week, soy bean futures hit a nine-year low,” Pelosi told reporters. “Soy boyn— soy bean futures hit a nine-year low,” she repeated, attempting to pronounce the words clearly, accentuating each one with a pointed finger. “Pork producers, corn growers and wheat grawers, growers are reeling, too,” she said before suffering a brain freeze, staring at...

A national leader in health insurance plans to create 125 Central Florida jobs immediately and more than 260 over the next 12 months As Florida’s senior population continues to grow, Connecticut-based Medicare sales and marketing firm HealthPlan One, known as HPOne, will open a new call center in Lake Mary this summer, its third location in Florida. The other two are in Tampa and St. Petersburg, where the company has more than 350 workers combined. The firm also has two Arizona locations. Over the next three months, the company plans to hire 125 positions as it ramps up the new...

Hi All. Here's the situation. Hubs and I live in NY. I am not working, and he was part of a mass lay off 3 weeks ago. We need health insurance. COBRA will cost $1100+ per month and that is not doable. We looked into the much-fabled Medishare. To be a member you must profess faith and give them the name of your church. We have faith but no church. Some off-shoot, Aliera (?), isn't as strict, but kinda shady. Any other insurance company points to the Marketplace, where we will not go because, without income we'll be shoved onto...

A study of psychopathy throughout the United States found that the nation's highest concentration of these types of people was in Washington DC. California, New Jersey, and New York finished in second, third, and fourth place for percentage of the population qualifying as psychopaths. The study was conducted by Southern Methodist University Assistant Professor Ryan Murphy. "The District of Columbia is measured to be far more psychopathic than any individual state in the country," Murphy observed. He speculated that "psychopaths may be drawn to Washington since government offers a robust array of opportunities for individuals to exercise power over others....

Anybody out there with a basic knowledge of this kind of thing? I got home tonight and opened the trunk my car. I immediately noticed a mouse in the trunk. It looked just like the Hartz Man mice for cars to play with. I reached down and touched it. It was warm. I immediately squeezed it "to death" and threw it outside the garage, It was still squirming on the pavement. I came in and washed my hands with soap and isopropyl but I wonder if I'm supposed to go in to get a shot or worry. I called the...

Diabetes is reversible. That’s the exciting conclusion of a study I’m leading at Indiana University Health. Two hundred and sixty-two patients with type-2 diabetes recently completed one year of a clinical trial examining the impact of a low-carbohydrate diet, which limits foods such as grains and pasta while boosting consumption of healthy fats such as avocados and butter. The diet didn’t restrict calories. Using smartphone technology, health coaches worked with participants while physicians monitored and adjusted medications. A control group of 87 patients with diabetes received the American Diabetes Association standard nutritional treatment. A full 94 percent of patients on...

In the 1990s, a devastating famine struck North Korea. According to international observers, a combination of drought, flooding and government mismanagement decimated food production. The death toll is uncertain, but estimates range from 240,000 to 2 million. By all accounts, the situation is better today. Domestic agriculture has improved significantly. Today, grain production hovers around 5 million tons per year, roughly double what it was in the famine-stricken '90s. But agricultural scientists and aid representatives familiar with the situation believe that the country is still unable to feed all of its population. And some question whether it even wants to....

Hat Tip: karinsue 1 A woman went to the emergency room where she was seen by a young, new doctor. After about 3 minutes in the examination room the doctor told her she was pregnant. She burst out of the room and ran down the corridor screaming. An older doctor stopped her and asked what the problem was. After listening to her story he calmed her down and sat her in another room. Then the doctor marched down the hallway to the first doctor's room. "What the hell's wrong with you?" he demanded. "This woman is 68 years old, she...

BIG WELLS, Texas (KABB/WOAI) - Authorities said five undocumented immigrants are dead following a chase involving Border Patrol agents Sunday afternoon. Dimmit County Sheriff Marion Boyd said the crash happened off Highway 85 in Big Wells at about noon. Boyd said agents were chasing the SUV when it lost control and overturned. The vehicle was traveling at more than 100 miles per hour when it crashed.

LinkedIn: The mission of LinkedIn is simple: connect the world’s professionals to make them more productive and successful. Several years ago I joined LinkedIn more to try to connect with former Army buddies, not trying to get a job. Got an email from them today that "You appeared in 3 searches this week" The searchers were: Alabama Department of Mental Health and Veterans Evaluation Services Stuff like this causes conspiracy theories and paranoia. Why are the VA and Alabama Mental Health searching LinkedIn? Possible gun control comes to mind. As far as I know I have not initiated any recent...

When a mass shooting occurs, some people act as if the guns themselves are responsible rather than the people who use them, Other people respond with the statement: "Guns don't kill people. People do." The statement is true because guns cannot independently affect the operation of the human brain. The brain is a complex system controlled by the interaction of various chemicals. People use marijuana because it is one of the chemicals .that can affect the operation of the brain. Unfortunately, there is a dark side to marijuana. In addition to creating the sensation of feeling "high", marijuana can cause...

(Reuters) - Kentucky’s attorney general on Thursday sued Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc (WBA.O), accusing the company of playing a dual role in propagating an opioid epidemic in the state as both a pharmacy chain and wholesale drug distributor. The lawsuit by Kentucky Attorney General Andy Beshear was his sixth to date seeking to hold corporations like drug manufacturers and distributors responsible for their roles in the drug abuse crisis.

Terry Miller and Andraya Yearwood dominated the competition at Connecticut’s girls track and field state championships earlier this week. Miller took 1st place in both the 100 and 200 meter dash, while Yearwood finished second in the 100. According to News 8 in Hartford, CT, both Miller and Yearwood are transgender which has some people saying that the pair had an unfair advantage. According to News 8, petitions have been started by some parents and student-athletes to try and change the policy that allows athletes in high schools to compete for the gender specific sport they identify with. But, the...

Here’s a shocking and telling statistic on the direction of American society today: suicide rates have risen sharply in every U.S. state (except Nevada, which was already alarmingly high) from 1999 to 2016, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Suicide rates are up more than 30 percent in half of the states over the last couple decades. There were 45,000 suicides in 2016, up from 44,193 in 2015. Suicides on average across the nation have increased by 25%. Depression, isolation, opioids, technology, and substance abuse are to blame. But more important than the causes is the fact...

President Donald Trump revealed new details Friday morning about the first lady Melania Trump's medical procedure last month, calling it an "operation," a word that previously had not been associated with on-the-record comments about Trump's 5-night stay at Walter Reed Military Medical Center. "First lady's great, right there," said Trump, who was answering questions from the South Lawn of the White House, en route to the G7 Summit. He pointed to the upper windows of the White House. "She wanted to go," said Trump of his wife, who has been fiercely private about her health and is not going on...

No, this is not a boo-hoo thread. This is a thread to provide a little advice that may save your life. My brother died suddenly of a massive heart attack yesterday at age 65. He had no known heart issues and was under doctor's care at the time. He thought he had taken care of himself. He obviously hadn't. Two things that anyone should try to obtain: An EKG, and most importantly, a heart image scan. The heart scan is also known as a Calcium Heart Score and costs about $99. The heart scan takes about 5 minutes and produces...

Melania Trump hasn’t made a public appearance in 20 days, leaving many Americans wondering where the First Lady has been these past three weeks. According to one insider, Melania has taken a break from the public eye to take care of her mother, who is reportedly battling a “serious illness.” “She’s taking care of her mother,” a source told Showbiz 411 of Melania’s nearly three-week long disappearance. The 72-year-old Amalija Knavs is reportedly battling a “pretty serious illness,” and is resting at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ. “They’re all at Bedminster,” the insider told the site. “Melania,...

Clinical trials are tentatively scheduled for 2020 at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center's new Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine, where researchers are making miniature livers and pancreases, called organoids. Associate Director Takanori Takebe, MD, calls organoids a "complex recipe" of proteins, small molecules, amino acids and nutrients that enable him and his staff in the U.S. and Japan to make the organs using pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), or so-called "master cells." Takebe sees two roles for the manmade organs: drug testing and transplantation. "It's pretty much like science fiction, but we are trying to create the miniature version...

The city of Cedar Rapids is still hoping to land a medical marijuana production center. That’s after state regulators passed over Iowa's second-largest city for a dispensary earlier this year. Iowa officials are currently reviewing four applications for the state’s second and last medical marijuana manufacturing license. One in-state company and three out-of-state companies are competing for the rights. It’s still not clear where in Iowa the center will go. But Cedar Rapids Mayor Brad Hart is hopeful it’ll be in his city, which he said is strategically located near major highway routes and supports a diverse economy and workforce....