Wednesday, January 28, 2015

News Clips For The Day


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/oldest-snake-fossils-show-they-thrived-in-the-age-of-dinosaurs/

Oldest snake fossils show they thrived in the age of dinosaurs
By MICHAEL CASEY CBS NEWS
January 27, 2015

Drawing photograph – A snake fossil of Parviraptor estesi (Upper Jurassic/Lower Cretaceous) swimming in a freshwater lake with snails and algae, from the Purbeck Limestone in Swanage, England.  JULIUS CSOTONYI

Researchers have unearthed the fossil remains of four snakes that are 70 million years older than the oldest snake previously discovered. The finds rewrite what scientists know about the creatures, showing that they were slithering alongside pterodactyls and other dinosaurs as early 167 million years ago.

"We've nearly doubled the geological range for a group," said Michael Caldwell, a professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Alberta, and lead author of a new study in Nature Communications.

Not only do his findings offer clues on how these reptiles may have evolved, they also reveal that the snakes of the dinosaur age probably didn't look all that different than their modern-day relatives.

Though dating from 140 million to 167 million years ago, the fossilized skulls, jaws, ribs and teeth share many features seen in today's snakes, such as the flexible jaws and sharply-angled, backward-pointing teeth which are instrumental in helping them devour their prey. They also have features found in lizards such as its vertebrae.

Caldwell said he was surprised snakes had changed so little over such a long period of time and that they were still so clearly "identifiable ... as snakes."

Normally you would expect to dig up something that shared traits with modern animals, but looked different, perhaps more like some sort of chimera of two familiar beasts, he said. "You know like the bird-dinosaur idea. You wouldn't be looking for a modern duck in the middle of the Cretaceous."

The oldest of the fossils (the diminutive Eophis underwoodi) came from southern England. The largest, Portugalophis lignites, came from coal deposits in Portugal, and was a much bigger individual at nearly a meter or more in length.

Around 150 million years ago, the locations in England and Portugal were swampy coastal areas on large island chains in the Jurassic seaway that covered most of what is now Western and Central Europe. The one North American species identified, Diablophis gilmorei, was found in river deposits in Western Colorado. The locations offer evidence that the snakes came from a marine environment.

"Is it possible, like a lot of other animals today, they moved around the planet by swimming? Yep, it's very possible. Almost all modern snakes are perfectly comfortable in the water," Caldwell said.

Caldwell also believes these snakes probably had four limbs - though there aren't the fossils to prove it.

An earlier discovery from Caldwell and his colleagues turned up 100- to 90-million-year-old marine snakes from the West Bank, Lebanon, and Argentina that still possessed small but well developed rear limbs. They also varied in size: A snake fossil from 60 million years ago called Titanoboa was probably about 10 times bigger than snakes today.

"It could very well be that what you would see in terms of the missing link features is that this animal would have had four legs and a short body," Caldwell said. "Body-wise, it wouldn't have looked like a modern snake but the skull is clearly demonstrating very snaky features."

Caldwell said the latest discoveries probably aren't going to settle a long-running debate about how snakes evolved. Some said they evolved from burrowing animals - based on primitive, blind snakes alive today that live in burrows - while Caldwell and his supporters have argue they evolved from four-legged, lizard-like ancestors that thrived in the oceans and emerged onto land.

"I suspect we will never put that debate to rest," he said. "It's a very fine scale question and an interesting one ... We have an anatomical and a relationship problem and then we have to find that point in time in the fossil record where we would actually recognize one of these animals as a snake ... If I can find you a four-legged animal with a snake head, will you call it a snake or will we call it a snake-like lizard?"

To really shore up the theory, researchers need a snake fossil further back that has four legs which could take snake evolution to 200 million years. They also need to shore up the fossil record from 167 million to 100 million years ago. That means expanding the area they have searched for snake fossils.

Since the latest crop of fossils came from the Northern Hemisphere and what was then the supercontinent Laurasia, researchers will go in search of fossils in the southern Hemisphere in South America, Africa and Australia or what was then Gondwana.

"We are trying to fill in those bits and pieces of the story," Caldwell said.



http://evolutionwiki.org/wiki/Snake_legs_and_pelvis

Snake legs and pelvis

At some point in their embryonic development, many snakes, with the exception of the colubrids and viperids, develop hind limb budsCohn, Martin J. & Tickle, Cheryll. "Developmental basis of limblessness and axial patterning in snakes"Nature 399, 474-479 (3 June 1999). In most species, these are reabsorbed. However, in a few families, such as the boas (Boidae), pythons (Pythonidae) and thread snakes (Leptotyphlopidae), remnants are retained into adulthood. External remnants are known as anal spurs. In species that have them, anal spurs are found on both males and females. The males are larger and serve to stimulate the female during mating. Species with anal spurs also have internal leg bones and a pelvis.

This is inexplicable from a creationist perspective. There is no reason for an intelligent designer to cause snakes to grow legs and then lose them, and there is no reason for them to retain a pelvis and leg remnants. Claiming they are simply degraded or cursed lizards, as is often claimed Batten, Don & Sarfati, Jonathan. "‘Vestigial’ Organs: What do they prove?", doesn't work because they also have highly advanced features not found in lizards (such as a divided jaw). The ability to move quickly and efficiently over a variety of surfaces, even including underwater (especially aquatic elapid snakes) and through the air (gliding snakes of the genus Chrysopelea) is surely not an example of degradation. Also, if a divine curse is the explanation for this vestigial feature, that would open the door up to a similar explanation in all animals with similar features, and the Bible doesn't suggest God randomly went around cursing whales, dolphins, humans, etc. with lost attributes.




“Researchers have unearthed the fossil remains of four snakes that are 70 million years older than the oldest snake previously discovered. The finds rewrite what scientists know about the creatures, showing that they were slithering alongside pterodactyls and other dinosaurs as early 167 million years ago. "We've nearly doubled the geological range for a group," said Michael Caldwell, a professor in the Faculty of Science at the University of Alberta, and lead author of a new study in Nature Communications.... Though dating from 140 million to 167 million years ago, the fossilized skulls, jaws, ribs and teeth share many features seen in today's snakes, such as the flexible jaws and sharply-angled, backward-pointing teeth which are instrumental in helping them devour their prey. They also have features found in lizards such as its vertebrae. Caldwell said he was surprised snakes had changed so little over such a long period of time and that they were still so clearly "identifiable ... as snakes."... The oldest of the fossils (the diminutive Eophis underwoodi) came from southern England. The largest, Portugalophis lignites, came from coal deposits in Portugal, and was a much bigger individual at nearly a meter or more in length. Around 150 million years ago, the locations in England and Portugal were swampy coastal areas on large island chains in the Jurassic seaway that covered most of what is now Western and Central Europe. The one North American species identified, Diablophis gilmorei, was found in river deposits in Western Colorado. The locations offer evidence that the snakes came from a marine environment.... An earlier discovery from Caldwell and his colleagues turned up 100- to 90-million-year-old marine snakes from the West Bank, Lebanon, and Argentina that still possessed small but well developed rear limbs. They also varied in size: A snake fossil from 60 million years ago called Titanoboa was probably about 10 times bigger than snakes today. "It could very well be that what you would see in terms of the missing link features is that this animal would have had four legs and a short body," Caldwell said. "Body-wise, it wouldn't have looked like a modern snake but the skull is clearly demonstrating very snaky features."...

The legs – anal spurs – are one leftover of a snake with a pelvis and (four?) legs which links some modern species with prehistoric specimens found in the Northern Hemisphere, while some primitive modern species hint at a prehistoric burrowing form (“... burrowing animals - based on primitive, blind snakes alive today that live in burrows...”). I looked up the term burrowing snakes and found 6 different articles on differing species from a number of places around the world, so perhaps many early snake forms were ground dwellers. Other 90 million year old remnants of marine snakes are found to have hind legs, which may indicate a marine origin of snakes. I am reminded of the loathsome cockroach. It has survived with very little change from the earliest days of creatures emerging from the water, which is thought to be the origin of all multicellular life forms. Snakes and roaches apparently had little need for evolution in order to survive.





Dangerous Fundamentalist Religious Beliefs

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/strack-case-utah-family-found-dead-last-fall-died-from-drug-toxicity/

Five members of ​Utah family died from "drug toxicity"
By CRIMESIDER STAFF AP 
January 27, 2015

SALT LAKE CITY - Police say five members of a Utah family found dead last fall died from methadone and other drugs, and interviews with people who knew them revealed the parents worried about a "pending apocalypse."

Springville Police Chief J. Scott Finlayson said Tuesday authorities have concluded their investigation into the September deaths of Benjamin and Kristi Strack and three of their children, ages 11, 12 and 14.

He says authorities determined the cause of death was "drug toxicity," and the parents and the 14-year-old committed suicide.

The other two children's deaths were ruled homicides. However, Finlayson says there were no signs of a struggle.

The couple was found in a bed surrounded by their children.

Finlayson says interviews indicated the parents were concerned with evil in the world and wanted to escape from "impending doom."





“The other two children's deaths were ruled homicides. However, Finlayson says there were no signs of a struggle. The couple was found in a bed surrounded by their children. Finlayson says interviews indicated the parents were concerned with evil in the world and wanted to escape from "impending doom."

For at least 20 years there have been occasional news articles about people fearing “the end of days” or simply the apocalypse. Two Russian presidents have been called the Antichrist, along will Bill Clinton, and at least twice televangelists have foretold a given date for doomsday to occur, only to have to back away from the claim and admit their error. One sizeable group staged a mass suicide because they believe the end of the world was upon them, and that a being from a space ship was going to come and take them up with him when they drank the poison. Meanwhile a highly repulsive television show has gained popularity among some US viewers called “The Walking Dead” – a story that supposedly is taking place after the Apocalypse. It is not a surprise that the current religious right has members who are stockpiling guns and food against the long-overdue Doomsday. I wish they would focus on Jesus' commands “Feed my sheep” and “clothe the needy.” That is the best way they can prepare for the Apocalypse, because they are more likely to go to heaven if they do those things. They won't have to be left on earth to experience the days of evil, but will be “taken up” in a flash of light into the heavens instead. Instead, they are gathering their children around them and committing mass suicide. It makes me sad.





http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/01/28/381896551/tiger-skins-and-rhino-horns-can-a-trade-deal-halt-the-trafficking

Tiger Skins And Rhino Horns: Can A Trade Deal Halt The Trafficking?
Jackie Northam
JANUARY 28, 2015

Photograph – Coleen Schaefer (left) and Doni Sprague display a tiger pelt that was confiscated and is being stored at the National Eagle and Wildlife repository on the outskirts of Denver. Some 1.5 million items are being held at the facility. The Asia-Pacific Trade Pact, which is still under negotiation, would punish wildlife trafficking.

If you want a sobering look at the scale of wildlife trafficking, just visit the National Eagle and Wildlife Repository on the outskirts of Denver. In the middle of a national reserve is a cavernous warehouse stuffed with the remains of 1.5 million animals, whole and in parts.

They range from taxidermied polar bears to tiny sea horses turned into key chains. An area devoted to elephants is framed by a pair of enormous tusks.

"You can see right there those are elephant feet," says Coleen Schaefer, who heads the repository. "People either make those into trash cans or foot stools."

In 2013, more than 20,000 elephants were slaughtered, and last year the repository crushed 6 tons of confiscated ivory.

Some poached wildlife is used for fashion or medicine. Schaefer says some of the animals serve as trophies.

"This is probably the saddest item we have," she says. "This is a tiger fetus that was carved out of its mother and then stuffed and placed on a shelf."

Looking around this enormous warehouse, you get a sense of how difficult it is to curb wildlife trafficking. Row after row, shelf after shelf, there are heads and the skins of cheetahs, leopards, jaguars, lions and tigers.

Naimah Aziz, an inspector with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, searches for illegally trafficked wildlife items passing through the cargo area at New York's JFK airport. Here she holds the horns of an argali, an endangered mountain sheep from Central Asia.

The Obama administration is now trying to tackle wildlife trafficking by incorporating rules into the Trans-Pacific Partnership, known as the TPP. This is the massive multilateral trade agreement currently being negotiated among a dozen Asia-Pacific nations, including the United States.

Potential Trade Sanctions

Michael Froman, the U.S. trade representative, says if it passes, countries found to be involved in illegal wildlife trafficking could face trade sanctions.

"What we're doing through the Trans-Pacific Partnership is first of all making sure environmental issues are central to the agreement, including things like wildlife trafficking, and then making them fully enforceable just like any other provision of the trade agreement," he says.

The U.S. is also trying to make this part of a trade deal with the European Union.

But Leigh Henry, senior policy adviser for the World Wildlife Fund, says the Asia-Pacific trade deal is key because much of the demand for the endangered wildlife comes from Asian countries negotiating the TPP.

"Vietnam is huge. They are the primary consumer of rhino horn that's driving this increase in rhino poaching in South Africa," Henry says, adding that Malaysia is a huge transit route for the illegal wildlife trade.

Henry says when it comes to fighting wildlife trafficking, international law has no teeth. She hopes the TPP will change that.

But Henry knows tradition is powerful in many Asian nations, where endangered wildlife is used to make aphrodesiacs, or supposed cures for everything from cancer to stomach ailments.

Henry says Asia's wealth has created a class that wants to display its money and success.

"If you can go out and party all night and turn around the next morning and provide your friends and colleagues with rhino horn to combat your hangover, it shows success," she says. "It shows that you have the money to spend on this incredibly expensive luxury item."

Rhino horns reportedly fetch more than $30,000 a pound — more than their weight in gold. Enforcement is difficult in areas where poverty and corruption are common.

The U.S. is trying to better coordinate with international law enforcement agencies and hopes to beef up customs and borders patrol, and the number of fish and wildlife inspectors, if the TPP agreement is signed.

A Flood Of Packages

Thousands of packages of every shape and size arrive daily in the international mail room at New York's JFK airport. Naimah Aziz, an inspector with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says illegal wildlife is often bought online and is shipped by mail. There's so much coming in on any given day it's easy to skip detection.

"There's a lot of packages and they move through here really fast," Aziz says. "Sometimes mail comes in the morning and it's out in the afternoon. You gotta be fast."

Aziz is one of 11 Fish and Wildlife inspectors monitoring JFK, LaGuardia airport, and Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, where cargo ships dock. She says there are certain things to look for — a package that's leaking could be caviar or a freshly skinned animal.

A package traveling from South Africa to Austin, Texas, attracts her attention. The paperwork says it's a carpet. But when she opens it up, she finds five zebra skins.

"No one really needs five zebra skins," she says.

As she surveys the stacks of packages surrounding her, Aziz says any help in slowing the tide of illegal wildlife would be most welcome. Even if it comes from a most unlikely of places — an Asia-Pacific trade deal.




“If you want a sobering look at the scale of wildlife trafficking, just visit the National Eagle and Wildlife Repository on the outskirts of Denver. In the middle of a national reserve is a cavernous warehouse stuffed with the remains of 1.5 million animals, whole and in parts. They range from taxidermied polar bears to tiny sea horses turned into key chains. An area devoted to elephants is framed by a pair of enormous tusks. "You can see right there those are elephant feet," says Coleen Schaefer, who heads the repository. "People either make those into trash cans or foot stools." In 2013, more than 20,000 elephants were slaughtered, and last year the repository crushed 6 tons of confiscated ivory.... Naimah Aziz, an inspector with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, searches for illegally trafficked wildlife items passing through the cargo area at New York's JFK airport. Here she holds the horns of an argali, an endangered mountain sheep from Central Asia. The Obama administration is now trying to tackle wildlife trafficking by incorporating rules into the Trans-Pacific Partnership, known as the TPP. This is the massive multilateral trade agreement currently being negotiated among a dozen Asia-Pacific nations, including the United States. Potential Trade Sanctions Michael Froman, the U.S. trade representative, says if it passes, countries found to be involved in illegal wildlife trafficking could face trade sanctions.... But Leigh Henry, senior policy adviser for the World Wildlife Fund, says the Asia-Pacific trade deal is key because much of the demand for the endangered wildlife comes from Asian countries negotiating the TPP. "Vietnam is huge. They are the primary consumer of rhino horn that's driving this increase in rhino poaching in South Africa," Henry says, adding that Malaysia is a huge transit route for the illegal wildlife trade. Henry says when it comes to fighting wildlife trafficking, international law has no teeth. She hopes the TPP will change that.... "If you can go out and party all night and turn around the next morning and provide your friends and colleagues with rhino horn to combat your hangover, it shows success," she says. "It shows that you have the money to spend on this incredibly expensive luxury item."... Aziz is one of 11 Fish and Wildlife inspectors monitoring JFK, LaGuardia airport, and Port Elizabeth, New Jersey, where cargo ships dock. She says there are certain things to look for — a package that's leaking could be caviar or a freshly skinned animal.”

This is really sickening. Imagine finding a package with blood leaking out of it. I'm glad to see that Obama has been concerned enough about the black market trade in animal parts to write it into the new trade agreement. I do hope this will work, because we are running out of elephants and rhinos and other species for the simple reason of human greed. I can see why Jesus said humans are “sick with sin.”





http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2015/01/22/378904803/x-rays-open-secrets-of-ancient-scrolls

X-Rays Open Secrets Of Ancient Scrolls
Geoff Brumfiel

Photograph – The ancient scrolls look and feel more like blocks of charcoal. A new technique gives a peek inside.

Researchers in Europe have managed to read from an ancient scroll buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted in 79 A.D. The feat is all the more remarkable because the scroll was never opened.

The Vesuvius eruption famously destroyed Pompeii. But it also devastated the nearby town of Herculaneum. A villa there contained a library stacked with papyrus scrolls, and the hot gas and ash preserved them.

Sort of.

"To be honest, being from Kentucky, they look like pieces of coal," says Brent Seales, a computer scientist at the University of Kentucky who has held some of the scrolls. "You look at the end and you can see the circular markings of how it's been rolled, but it looks more like the growth marks of a tree."

Researchers want to unroll these scrolls, but opening them is more like peeling the flaky skin of an onion.

"When you try to pull one layer off, it just breaks away from the rest, and so you have 10 million fragments after you've peeled it away in that manner," Seales says.

Roughly 1,800 scrolls were unearthed back in the 1750s. Seales says only about 300 have survived efforts to read them.

And that's why this latest finding is such a breakthrough. The researchers used a particle accelerator in France to bombard a rolled-up scroll with X-rays. These X-rays were so sensitive, they detected changes in thickness where ink had been used to write letters. The team could make out the entire Greek alphabet inside the tightly wound scroll.

"Capturing those letters, you know, that's pretty amazing in itself," says Seales, who has worked with the team but was not directly involved in this latest effort. The work is published in the journal Nature Communications.

From just the letters, the researchers believe the scroll is in the handwriting of the philosopher Philodemus. He was of the school of Epicureanism, which stressed enjoyment of the pleasures of life, according to Seales. Several other scrolls in the collection have been identified over the years as works by Philodemus.

The researchers can't read whole words yet. And that's where Seales' computer-scientist chops will come in handy. He thinks he can make a program that can distinguish which letters belong to which layers, so the scrolls can finally be deciphered.

"Yeah, I do believe that with this remarkable breakthrough, we're going to get there," he says.




“The Vesuvius eruption famously destroyed Pompeii. But it also devastated the nearby town of Herculaneum. A villa there contained a library stacked with papyrus scrolls, and the hot gas and ash preserved them.... Roughly 1,800 scrolls were unearthed back in the 1750s. Seales says only about 300 have survived efforts to read them. And that's why this latest finding is such a breakthrough. The researchers used a particle accelerator in France to bombard a rolled-up scroll with X-rays. These X-rays were so sensitive, they detected changes in thickness where ink had been used to write letters. The team could make out the entire Greek alphabet inside the tightly wound scroll.... From just the letters, the researchers believe the scroll is in the handwriting of the philosopher Philodemus. He was of the school of Epicureanism, which stressed enjoyment of the pleasures of life, according to Seales. Several other scrolls in the collection have been identified over the years as works by Philodemus. The researchers can't read whole words yet. And that's where Seales' computer-scientist chops will come in handy. He thinks he can make a program that can distinguish which letters belong to which layers, so the scrolls can finally be deciphered....

Archaeology has always been faced with the problem that the digging, or in this case the unwrapping, will destroy the original material. Scientific disciplines in a number of cases are deriving benefit from the expertise of people from other fields. See the following description of Seales' work.

Who is Brent Seales? See this website -- http://vis.uky.edu/about/people/faculty/brent-seales/ --

“Dr. Brent Seales is a professor and chair of the Department of Computer Science. Dr. Seales’ research focuses on digital imaging in two very different directions: medical imaging and cultural heritage. His EDUCE project (Enhanced Digital Unwrapping for Conservation and Exploration) seeks to create readable images of texts such as papyrus scrolls, without opening them, using minimally invasive scanning and virtual unwrapping. Dr. Seales is developing and evaluating new techniques for digital acquisition, restoration, and visualization using real-world library collections with particular focus on preservation and dissemination. He is also the director of the STITCH project (Surgical Technology Integration with Tools for Cognitive Human Factors), which envisions a networked operating room of the future, where computers and surgical instruments are connected. The result: an enriched and more efficient environment for surgeons.”





http://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-failure-to-protect-children-a-national-disgrace-report-says/

U.S. failure to protect children a "national disgrace," report says
AP January 27, 2015

Photograph – Jennifer Blaz, 34, center, sits with her parents, Tami Windham, 54, left, and Mike Windham, 54, in district court during the sentencing of Matthew Blaz, 33, in Butte, Mont., Nov. 13, 2014;Take Mattisyn Blaz, a 2-month-old, died when her father spiked her "like a football," in the words of a prosecutor. 

The federal government's failure to enforce the nation's child protection laws is a "national disgrace" that leaves abused children vulnerable to future harm, according to a three-year study by two child advocacy groups.

The 110-page report released Tuesday identified some of the same failures reported in December by The Associated Press after an eight-month investigation into hundreds of children who died of abuse or neglect in plain view of child protection authorities.

"Our laws are weak. We don't invest in solutions. Federal laws aren't enforced. And courts are turning their backs. This creates a trifecta of inertia and neglect," said Amy Harfeld, policy director at the Children's Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego School of Law, which wrote the report with the nonprofit group First Star.

AP's investigation, published Dec. 18, also revealed a system in crisis, hobbled by weak federal oversight, budget constraints, worker shortages and a voluntary data collection system so flawed that nobody can say with accuracy how many children die from abuse or neglect each year.

The AP found that at least 786 children died of abuse and neglect over a six-year span - many of them beaten, starved or left alone to drown - while agencies had good reason to know they were in danger. That figure represents the most comprehensive statistics publicly available, but the actual number who died even as authorities were investigating their families or providing some form of protective services is likely much higher because antiquated confidentiality laws allow many states to withhold vital information, shrouding their failures.

The federal government estimates an average of about 1,650 children have died annually from abuse or neglect in recent years, whether or not they were known to the child welfare system, but many experts believe the actual number is twice as high. And many more suffer from near-fatal abuse and neglect every year.

"Almost everything that happens to these children is cloaked in endemic secrecy, and most efforts by the media and advocates to provide the public with much needed transparency - which leads to accountability - are thwarted by the very governmental entities and officials who have turned their backs on their official duties to children," the groups said.

Michael Petit, who was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the Federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities and serves as adviser to the advocacy group Every Child Matters, said he agreed with what he has read thus far in the report, entitled "Shame on U.S."

"The report is saying what a lot of people have been experiencing," Petit said, who wasn't speaking on the commission's behalf. "I share many of those sentiments that the federal government is not providing the kind of oversight needed."

The Children's Advocacy Institute and First Star fault all three branches of federal government for failing to protect children. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for implementing and enforcing federal child welfare laws and programs, but the agency largely takes a hands-off approach, allowing states to self-certify that they are in compliance with federal requirements.

"There is no meaningful oversight and the states know it," the report said.

Agency spokeswoman Laura Goulding did not immediately return a call and an email seeking comment on the report Monday. Congress needs to mandate that HHS impose fines, withhold funds or take other punitive actions when states don't follow federal regulations, the report said.

Because HHS and Congress so rarely hold states accountable for their failings, filing a lawsuit is usually the only way private parties can challenge problems within the child welfare system. But lawsuits are time consuming, expensive and often limited in their reach, covering violations in only one state or county rather than widespread systemic failures, the groups said.

"Federal courts have turned their backs on private attempts to enforce federal child welfare law and Congress has shown little interest in advancing the law itself," the report said.

Emily Douglas, a child welfare expert at Bridgewater State University in Bridgewater, Mass., called the report's findings about the judicial branch's shortcomings particularly revealing.

"When something goes wrong, usually you hear that the state child welfare agency is a wreck or that the governor is stepping in to fire someone," Douglas said. "But increasingly judges are going to be on the radar about the important role that they play in determining these kids' safety. Judges are not trained social workers, so are we sure they always know the risk factors when deciding children should be sent back home?"



https://www.firststar.org/programs/foster-youth-academies.aspx

Foster Youth Academies
First Star Foster Academies Story 
from Peter Samuelson.
May 3, 2013

Now replace imagination with truth: these shocking statistics reflectreality for over 400,000 youth in the American foster care system. These youth face different homes, different schools, few opportunities for personalized guidance and support, interruptions in their educational trajectory, and limited financial resources. This is a group truly at risk of missing the benefits of success in higher education and beyond.
First Star is restoring hope for these youth through Foster Youth Academies programs around the nation. These Academies offer college-focused residential programs strategically located on college campuses with monthly follow-up programs. Our students receive superior academic support, enrichment and encouragement to help them prepare for and enter two- and four-year colleges. Thus, the Academies are laying a foundation to improve the likelihood that these youth will seek and attain higher education, good jobs, personal wellbeing, career advancement, economic independence, and the ability to contribute to society as responsible citizens. This groundbreaking program was first envisioned by First Star Board Member, Dr. Kathleen Reardon, in her book Childhood Denied.




“The federal government's failure to enforce the nation's child protection laws is a "national disgrace" that leaves abused children vulnerable to future harm, according to a three-year study by two child advocacy groups. The 110-page report released Tuesday identified some of the same failures reported in December by The Associated Press after an eight-month investigation into hundreds of children who died of abuse or neglect in plain view of child protection authorities. "Our laws are weak. We don't invest in solutions. Federal laws aren't enforced. And courts are turning their backs. This creates a trifecta of inertia and neglect," said Amy Harfeld, policy director at the Children's Advocacy Institute at the University of San Diego School of Law, which wrote the report with the nonprofit group First Star.... The AP found that at least 786 children died of abuse and neglect over a six-year span - many of them beaten, starved or left alone to drown - while agencies had good reason to know they were in danger. That figure represents the most comprehensive statistics publicly available, but the actual number who died even as authorities were investigating their families or providing some form of protective services is likely much higher because antiquated confidentiality laws allow many states to withhold vital information, shrouding their failures.... "Almost everything that happens to these children is cloaked in endemic secrecy, and most efforts by the media and advocates to provide the public with much needed transparency - which leads to accountability - are thwarted by the very governmental entities and officials who have turned their backs on their official duties to children," the groups said. Michael Petit, who was appointed by President Barack Obama to serve on the Federal Commission to Eliminate Child Abuse and Neglect Fatalities and serves as adviser to the advocacy group Every Child Matters, said he agreed with what he has read thus far in the report, entitled "Shame on U.S."... The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is responsible for implementing and enforcing federal child welfare laws and programs, but the agency largely takes a hands-off approach, allowing states to self-certify that they are in compliance with federal requirements.... Agency spokeswoman Laura Goulding did not immediately return a call and an email seeking comment on the report Monday. Congress needs to mandate that HHS impose fines, withhold funds or take other punitive actions when states don't follow federal regulations, the report said. Because HHS and Congress so rarely hold states accountable for their failings, filing a lawsuit is usually the only way private parties can challenge problems within the child welfare system. But lawsuits are time consuming, expensive and often limited in their reach, covering violations in only one state or county rather than widespread systemic failures, the groups said.... "Federal courts have turned their backs on private attempts to enforce federal child welfare law and Congress has shown little interest in advancing the law itself," the report said.”

It seems to me that this is a particularly severe failure of the federal watch dogs to punish states who likewise aren't doing anything useful. It's a problem when issues like this are left up to the states to implement, essentially without oversight. Or is this a case of HHS being overwhelmed, or worse corrupted? I did just now send an email to President Obama at the White House requesting that he look into this. Hope that does some good.





http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2350891/The-cutest-Haka-New-Zealand-toddlers-adorable-version-All-Blacks-Maori-war-dance.html

The cutest Haka ever: New Zealand toddlers perform adorable version of All Blacks Maori war dance
By DAILY MAIL REPORTER
28 June 2013

The cutest Haka ever: New Zealand toddlers perform adorable version of All Blacks Maori war dance

It is one of the most awesome sights in Rugby - the New Zealand All Blacks 'Haka' war dance,  performed at the start of a match to instill fear into the hearts of their opponents.

But now a tiny troop of adorable toddlers have been filmed performing their own version of the haka with hilarious results.
The iconic ritual, officially entitled 'Ka Mate', is usually seen performed by the All Blacks before Test Matches, a tradition they have kept since 1905.

Half pint haka: The five New Zealand toddlers perform their version of the famous Maori war dance

Fearsome: The All Blacks rugby team perform their version of the dance before a match

The Haka dances were traditionally performed by fearsome Maori warriors before going into battle to intimidate the enemy.

They involve various synchronised actions including stamping feet, crouching, waving arms as well as contorting the face and sticking out the tongue which accompanied by a series of grunts and cries 

The five youngsters stomp around, waving their arms around randomly in what has been dubbed 'The cutest Haka ever'.

Tiny terrors: The youngsters stomp around and wave their arms as they perform the war dance

The Haka dances were traditionally performed by Maori warriors before going into battle to intimidate the enemy

The dance is supposed to involve synchronised stamping of the feet and arm movements accompanied by a series of ferocious grunts and cries

Get out the way: Another toddler wanders in front of the camera half way through the routine




Go to the website given above and run the video of the kids doing their versions (each his/her own) of the dance. The first time I ever saw this dance was on the stroke of midnight 2000 with fireworks going off in the background, and the local Maori men were decked out in their loincloths performing what was genuinely a frightening war dance. I think if I'm ever confronted with a dangerous wild animal or a menacing street mugger I'll perform this dance. Well, maybe not.





http://www.npr.org/blogs/parallels/2015/01/28/381924295/group-urges-swedes-to-evade-subway-fares-and-even-insures-against-fines

Group Urges Swedes To Evade Subway Fares, And Even Insures Against Fines
Ari Shapiro
January 28, 2015

Photograph – Christian Tengblad (right) and his fellow fare dodger are part of the group Planka.nu.

Every city that has public transportation struggles with fare jumpers — people who sneak onto the subway or the bus without buying a ticket. In Sweden, fare-dodging is a brazen movement in which the group's members don't try to hide what they're doing.

On a weekday morning, students in backpacks and winter coats stream out of the university subway station in Stockholm. Some people have set up a booth here with a hot pink logo of a man jumping a turnstile, and a sign that says Planka.nu. In Swedish, that roughly means "dodge the fare now."

"We're distributing some leaflets about free public transportation," says Christian Tengblad, one of the group's founders. They're also offering free coffee and cookies.

In this case, "free transportation" is a loose term. The leaflets describe how to avoid paying a fare for Stockholm's subway system, where full-fare users typically pay about $35 for a one-week pass.

At 33, with his infant son asleep in the baby carriage next to him, Tengblad does not exactly look the part of a rebel. He explains that his group basically has set up an insurance system.

"We have a fund, that's like the membership of Planka," Tengblad says. "People pay 100 krona each month [around $12], then if they receive any fines, the fund finances this."

The fine for fare-dodging is around $120, he says.

This group has enough income from its members to pay everyone's fines with money left over, though Tengblad says nobody makes any real income from the project.

It's not a new idea — groups have been encouraging fare evasion and offering insurance for paying fines in a few French cities for the past several years — but the Stockholm group may be among the most public.

Planka started in 2001 as a protest movement. Now it's evolved into something that sounds almost like a think tank.

"We write serious stuff like reports," Tengblad says. "We made a book about the traffic hierarchy, as we call it."

The members of this group believe that public transportation should be paid for by taxes, with free tickets. The idea may not be so far-fetched. Nearby Tallinn, Estonia, recently went that route, and a handful of other cities in Europe and the U.S. have experimented with the same thing.

These fare jumpers complain that subway tickets in Stockholm cost 75 percent more than they did a decade ago. But after 14 years of campaigning, the activists don't seem to have swayed Stockholm's decision-makers.

"I would consider them thieves," says Kristoffer Tamsons, Stockholm's commissioner for public transportation. He says free riders cost the system about $30 million a year.

"Most people in Stockholm agree that you should pay for yourself, and that you should contribute to society," he says. "And if you're not contributing, then you have no right to use our public services."

Back at the University subway station, many subway riders express sympathy with the movement's ideas. Even some people you wouldn't expect, like a subway driver who wouldn't give his name because he could get fired for speaking to reporters.

"Yes, it's too expensive," says the driver. And he has praise for the fare dodgers, saying, "They are actually doing something, not just talking. I gotta respect that."

A lot of people leaving the station say that while they might respect the movement, they're not about to join. Annika Ylamaki and her friend Fanny Vallen go to school here.

"Of course, because we're students we think it should be free, because we don't have much money," Vallen says. But she would never consider joining.

"I think I'm kind of a nice person, so I couldn't do that," Ylamaki says.

"Yeah, that's illegal to do something like that, and we don't want any troubles," says Vallen, nodding.

Lately, membership in the group has dropped from a high of around 600 people. Tengblad says that's not because people are afraid of joining, but simply because some people don't mind the risk. In his experience, subway attendants rarely issue fines anymore, so the monthly insurance payments no longer make sense to some fare jumpers, who are leaving the group while still dodging the fare.

Finally, it's time for a demonstration. Sometimes Planka members just slip through the gates behind someone entering a station, but Tengblad and his friends are carrying coffee, cookies, a kiosk and a baby carriage.

They walk into the station with their gear, and Tengblad takes off his coat. He waves it on the far side of the gate to trick the system into thinking someone is exiting. The gates swing open, and the group passes through.

No jumping, no shouting. Nobody even seems to notice as the fare dodgers blend into the crowd and disappear.




"Every city that has public transportation struggles with fare jumpers — people who sneak onto the subway or the bus without buying a ticket. In Sweden, fare-dodging is a brazen movement in which the group's members don't try to hide what they're doing. On a weekday morning, students in backpacks and winter coats stream out of the university subway station in Stockholm. Some people have set up a booth here with a hot pink logo of a man jumping a turnstile, and a sign that says Planka.nu. In Swedish, that roughly means "dodge the fare now." "We're distributing some leaflets about free public transportation," says Christian Tengblad, one of the group's founders. They're also offering free coffee and cookies.... Stockholm's subway system, where full-fare users typically pay about $35 for a one-week pass. At 33, with his infant son asleep in the baby carriage next to him, Tengblad does not exactly look the part of a rebel. He explains that his group basically has set up an insurance system. "We have a fund, that's like the membership of Planka," Tengblad says. "People pay 100 krona each month [around $12], then if they receive any fines, the fund finances this." The fine for fare-dodging is around $120, he says.... Planka started in 2001 as a protest movement. Now it's evolved into something that sounds almost like a think tank. "We write serious stuff like reports," Tengblad says. "We made a book about the traffic hierarchy, as we call it." The members of this group believe that public transportation should be paid for by taxes, with free tickets. The idea may not be so far-fetched. Nearby Tallinn, Estonia, recently went that route, and a handful of other cities in Europe and the U.S. have experimented with the same thing.... "I would consider them thieves," says Kristoffer Tamsons, Stockholm's commissioner for public transportation. He says free riders cost the system about $30 million a year. "Most people in Stockholm agree that you should pay for yourself, and that you should contribute to society," he says. "And if you're not contributing, then you have no right to use our public services."... Even some people you wouldn't expect, like a subway driver who wouldn't give his name because he could get fired for speaking to reporters. "Yes, it's too expensive," says the driver. And he has praise for the fare dodgers, saying, "They are actually doing something, not just talking. I gotta respect that."... In his experience, subway attendants rarely issue fines anymore, so the monthly insurance payments no longer make sense to some fare jumpers, who are leaving the group while still dodging the fare.... They walk into the station with their gear, and Tengblad takes off his coat. He waves it on the far side of the gate to trick the system into thinking someone is exiting. The gates swing open, and the group passes through. No jumping, no shouting. Nobody even seems to notice as the fare dodgers blend into the crowd and disappear.”

Sometimes I run across a news headline that makes me ask “What? Why?” This is one of those. Apparently, though, the subway fare has become too expensive for lots of people. Some are paying Planka a monthly fee for “insurance” while others just run the risk of getting caught. That rarely happens, and the guards rarely issue tickets anyway, so Planka is now beginning to lose money. Tengblad's foolproof way of getting the gate to open is amazing. In DC the subway gates won't open if you don't put your card in the slot. I think you could easily slip through behind the person ahead if you moved fast enough, though. I never did. I'm like the young woman who said she is “too nice” for such tricks.




http://www.npr.org/2015/01/28/377473153/homeless-man-encourages-others-on-the-streets-to-get-up

Homeless Man Encourages Others On The Streets To 'Get Up'
Pam Fessler
JANUARY 28, 2015

This story begins an occasional series about individuals who don't have much money or power but do have a big impact on their communities.

Sometimes, the people you'd least expect are those who do the most. People like Tony Simmons, a homeless man in Baltimore who helps others get off the street. Simmons says he does it as much for himself as for anyone else.

Simmons is 53 years old and a former Marine. He's also a former heroin addict and drug runner and was in and out of jail. Eventually, he hit rock bottom — homeless, penniless, alienated from family and friends.

Two years ago, he says, he was afraid he might die if he didn't pull himself up. Even then, he knew what he had to do.

"You must start with yourself. Get up. Get going. No excuses. That's what I tell myself every morning after prayer. 'Cause every time I help one person, I get a little part of me back," Simmons says.

Today, Simmons has gotten much of himself back. He's the unofficial go-to person for many of Baltimore's 3,000 homeless residents, people like the bundled up men and women who come to the Health Care for the Homeless clinic downtown to get medical treatment and other services or to escape the cold. Simmons is stationed at the front door, volunteering at a help desk that he helped set up. He hands out fliers for a free dinner at a local church, provides referrals to food pantries and other services in the city, and gives plenty of advice — and hugs.

"The one thing I try not to do is tell them what to do," Simmons says. "I just give them the avenues: 'These are the resources that's out there. Choose something that's right for you, and I will help you navigate through that system.' "

Professionals at the clinic say Simmons can reach people they sometimes can't, that he knows where to get help and how to cut through the red tape. He's now staying with a friend, but he spent three years living in a shelter. So he has lots of credibility with those who are homeless.

And the need for help seems endless. Several people waiting in the clinic lobby use walkers, or wheelchairs. Some are missing limbs. Many need addiction or mental health services. One woman by the door hops nervously as she brushes her teeth.

Outside, it's cold and raining. About two dozen people sleep on the clinic's front porch each night, or across the street by a highway overpass. That's where Theodore Maddox Jr. first saw Simmons over a year ago, helping people outside.

"He never knew that I was watching him, but every day I saw him, and I used to inquire about him: 'Who's that dude there? Who's that dude there?' And I just said, 'Man, that's the person I would like to emulate,' " Maddox says.

Maddox was in bad shape at the time. He was on drugs and homeless after spending 30 years in prison for murder and other crimes. But when he overheard Simmons say he'd rather be homeless than live inside while others were on the street, it got Maddox thinking.

"Here's a dude that's unselfish," Maddox says. "So it taught me how to be unselfish, you know — don't just think about me. I have to think about other people, too."

So Maddox decided to clean up his act. And now, at age 56, he has his first apartment. He has also joined Simmons in a homeless speaker's bureau to share his story at local colleges.

Simmons seems to be involved in just about everything. He advocates in city hall and at the state capitol, works on a homeless newspaper, mentors homeless youth and co-teaches a class on homelessness at Johns Hopkins University. He recently started a part-time job, helping those who face eviction.

But Simmons says what people need most from him is encouragement.

Back at the clinic, Simmons hugs a big bear of a man named James, who has just told Simmons he's now living with relatives and no longer on the street.

When James leaves, Simmons starts to tear up.

"Every day I hear these stories," he says. "People come to me, like, 'You know, I'm not out here anymore. Thank you.' I'm like, I didn't do much. I just said, 'Get up.' That's all. Just get up."




“Today, Simmons has gotten much of himself back. He's the unofficial go-to person for many of Baltimore's 3,000 homeless residents, people like the bundled up men and women who come to the Health Care for the Homeless clinic downtown to get medical treatment and other services or to escape the cold. Simmons is stationed at the front door, volunteering at a help desk that he helped set up. He hands out fliers for a free dinner at a local church, provides referrals to food pantries and other services in the city, and gives plenty of advice — and hugs. "The one thing I try not to do is tell them what to do," Simmons says. "I just give them the avenues: 'These are the resources that's out there. Choose something that's right for you, and I will help you navigate through that system.' "… But when he overheard Simmons say he'd rather be homeless than live inside while others were on the street, it got Maddox thinking. "Here's a dude that's unselfish," Maddox says. "So it taught me how to be unselfish, you know — don't just think about me. I have to think about other people, too." So Maddox decided to clean up his act. And now, at age 56, he has his first apartment. He has also joined Simmons in a homeless speaker's bureau to share his story at local colleges.... Simmons seems to be involved in just about everything. He advocates in city hall and at the state capitol, works on a homeless newspaper, mentors homeless youth and co-teaches a class on homelessness at Johns Hopkins University. He recently started a part-time job, helping those who face eviction. But Simmons says what people need most from him is encouragement.”

Very poor, addicted, disabled people in this country are so commonplace that it's really discouraging to me. The government tries to help, but it only scratches the surface, and in the case of homeless people some of them, perhaps many of them, live on the street by choice. They like the freedom of it, or are afraid to go to shelters because they know that the police are looking for them. If they are addicts who aren't a member of AA or NA, they don't want to go into a shelter because they can't use their substance of choice there. Many of them have places they have found to shelter from the weather – abandoned buildings, bridges, etc. Some live in permanent tent city encampments on the edge of town with others who are friends. There was a documentary about a few who had a permanent place in the city sewers, with their belongings lined up there. They panhandled during the day and went there for the night. I worry most about the ones who sleep out in the cold, and about those who fall victim to cruel young teenagers or other attackers. In Jacksonville a couple of years ago two teenaged boys (white) beat a homeless man to death and put it on their expensive cell phone. It fell into the hands of the news and was shown on TV. Why are some people so evil?

This story, however, is a turnaround from those things – a man who has rescued himself from that situation and is helping others to do the same. He has no special skills except the inner goodness to offer his hope to others and give them information on how to get help. He gives speeches, works on a homeless newspaper, mentors homeless youth, aids individuals faced with eviction, and co-teaches at Johns Hopkins University on the subject of homelessness. I looked on the Net just now to see if his name pops up, but only for this story I've clipped today. He probably wouldn't want to be famous anyway. It would interfere with his ability to do his chosen aid to others.






http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2015/01/26/368449371/dna-blood-test-gives-women-a-new-option-for-prenatal-screening

DNA Blood Test Gives Women A New Option For Prenatal Screening
Nell Greenfieldboyce
JANUARY 26, 2015

When Amy Seitz got pregnant with her second child last year, she knew that being 35 years old meant there was an increased chance of chromosomal disorders like Down syndrome. She wanted to be screened, and she knew just what kind of screening she wanted — a test that's so new, some women and doctors don't quite realize what they've signed up for.

This kind of test , called cell free fetal DNA testing, uses a simple blood sample from an expectant mother to analyze bits of fetal DNA that have leaked into her bloodstream. It's only been on the market since October of 2011 and is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration - the FDA does not regulate this type of genetic testing service. Several companies now offer the test, including Sequenom and Illumina. Insurance coverage varies and doctors often only offer this testing to women at higher risk because of things like advanced maternal age.

"I think that I initially heard about it through family and friends," says Seitz. "They had had the option of it given to them by their doctors."

To her, it sounded great. She didn't want an invasive procedure like amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling(CVS). Those are considered the gold standard for prenatal genetic testing, but doctors must put a needle into the womb to collect cells that contain fetal DNA, which means a small risk of miscarriage.

During amniocentesis, a needle is inserted through a woman's abdomen into the amniotic sac. A sample of fluid is extracted and screened for genetic disorders such as Down syndrome.

"I wasn't interested in going as far as getting an amniocentesis because of the risk associated with that," she explains, "and so when I heard about this test, that was part of the reason that I was most interested in it."

This new way of testing fetal DNA seemed to have already become fairly common where Seitz used to live, in Washington, D.C. But she had recently moved to Alabama, and the clinic she went to there wasn't as familiar with it — although when she talked to her doctor, she learned they'd just had a visit from a company's sales representative.

"I think it was a fairly new test for them at that point, but she was interested in pursuing it further to see what needed to be done," Seitz says.

Seitz got her blood drawn last July, becoming one of hundreds of thousands of pregnant women who've opted for this new kind of test instead of the more traditional, invasive ones. Doctors say the impact has been huge.

"Those of us in the field who do diagnostic procedures like CVS and amnio have seen a drastic decrease in the number of those procedures that are being performed," says Dr. Mary Norton, an expert on maternal-fetal medicine and genetics at the University of California, San Francisco. "Places are reporting doing fewer than half the number of procedures that were being done previously."

But, she says, things have changed so quickly that it may be hard for doctors and patients to know what they're dealing with.

"It's still new and it's quite different than previous genetic testing that's been available," says Norton. "It's quite a different paradigm, if you will."

An invasive test like amniocentesis or CVS lets doctors get a complete picture of the chromosomes and a solid diagnosis.

Until the new testing technology came along, the only less invasive option was for an expectant mother to get an ultrasound, plus have her blood tested for specific proteins. This can reveal if there's an increased risk of certain disorders, but it's not very accurate and produces a lot of false alarms.

Studies have shown that the new fetal DNA tests do a better job, says Norton. They're less likely to flag a normal pregnancy as high risk.

"They're much more accurate than current screening tests, but they are not diagnostic tests in the sense that amniocentesis is," says Norton, "and so I think that has led to some confusion."

Even though the newer blood tests do look at fetal DNA, they can't give a definitive answer like an amniocentesis can because they're analyzing scraps of fetal DNA in the mother's blood that are all mixed up with her own DNA.

Norton says when women get worrisome results from one of these new tests and are referred to her center, they sometimes don't understand why doctors are offering a follow-up amnio "because they were under the impression that this was as good as an amnio."

She is concerned that some people might end a pregnancy without getting confirmatory testing, and points to one study last year that found a small number of women did that.
"There's at least some evidence that it's happening to a greater degree than I think many of us are comfortable with," she says.

The tests are being used more and more widely. Some worry that the companies' websites and marketing materials don't make the limitations clear enough.

But Dr. Lee Shulman doesn't see it that way. He's an obstetrician and geneticist at Northwestern University in Chicago who has consulted for a couple of the testing firms.

"Patients need to understand that while this is better, it is not a diagnostic test, and I think the companies have done a great job in putting this material out," he says. "Whether or not clinicians use this material and take it to heart and use it for patient counseling is a different story."

He says the technology is so new that a lot of doctors have no experience with it, and consumers need to understand that.

"If the patient, if the couple, are not getting the answers, not getting the information they feel comfortable with, they need to seek out prenatal diagnostic centers, maternal fetal specialists, clinical geneticists, who may have more experience," says Shulman.

For example, here's one thing that might turn out to be a little more complicated than would-be parents might expect. Along with screening for the common chromosomal disorders, companies offer parents the chance to learn their baby's sex—weeks before it's clear on a sonogram.

"Many women are very excited by the idea that as part of their blood testing, they could find out pretty definitively if the baby is a boy or a girl," says Dr. Diana Bianchi, an expert on prenatal diagnostics at Tufts University School of Medicine.

What they may not realize, she says, is that the test will also determine whether there's something abnormal about the sex chromosomes.

"Approximately 1 in 700 pregnancies there's an extra X or extra Y," she says, noting that these are mild conditions that would normally go undetected, unless a woman had an invasive test like an amnio. Some babies with these conditions grow up into adulthood and never know they have them, unless they face a symptom like infertility.

Amy Seitz, in Alabama, thought it was a bonus that getting this new blood test would tell her if she was having a boy or a girl. But it actually didn't do that, because of a paperwork glitch.

"The box for sex got unchecked somewhere along the way so we weren't able to find it out from the test," says Seitz, who learned from an ultrasound that she was having a girl. The results she did get from the fetal DNA test were reassuring.




“She wanted to be screened, and she knew just what kind of screening she wanted — a test that's so new, some women and doctors don't quite realize what they've signed up for. This kind of test , called cell free fetal DNA testing, uses a simple blood sample from an expectant mother to analyze bits of fetal DNA that have leaked into her bloodstream. It's only been on the market since October of 2011 and is not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration - the FDA does not regulate this type of genetic testing service. Several companies now offer the test, including Sequenom and Illumina. Insurance coverage varies and doctors often only offer this testing to women at higher risk because of things like advanced maternal age.... This can reveal if there's an increased risk of certain disorders, but it's not very accurate and produces a lot of false alarms. Studies have shown that the new fetal DNA tests do a better job, says Norton. They're less likely to flag a normal pregnancy as high risk. "They're much more accurate than current screening tests, but they are not diagnostic tests in the sense that amniocentesis is," says Norton, "and so I think that has led to some confusion." Even though the newer blood tests do look at fetal DNA, they can't give a definitive answer like an amniocentesis can because they're analyzing scraps of fetal DNA in the mother's blood that are all mixed up with her own DNA.... She is concerned that some people might end a pregnancy without getting confirmatory testing, and points to one study last year that found a small number of women did that. There's at least some evidence that it's happening to a greater degree than I think many of us are comfortable with," she says. The tests are being used more and more widely. Some worry that the companies' websites and marketing materials don't make the limitations clear enough.... "If the patient, if the couple, are not getting the answers, not getting the information they feel comfortable with, they need to seek out prenatal diagnostic centers, maternal fetal specialists, clinical geneticists, who may have more experience," says Shulman.... What they may not realize, she says, is that the test will also determine whether there's something abnormal about the sex chromosomes. "Approximately 1 in 700 pregnancies there's an extra X or extra Y," she says, noting that these are mild conditions that would normally go undetected, unless a woman had an invasive test like an amnio. Some babies with these conditions grow up into adulthood and never know they have them, unless they face a symptom like infertility.”

This simple blood test that doesn't involve a painful and potentially dangerous amniocentesis procedure seems to me to be a huge improvement, and something that the insurance companies should all pay for. The only problem seems to be that “... they are not diagnostic tests ….” So apparently if the mother get a reading that there MAY be Down Syndrome she should then take amniocentesis in addition before terminating the pregnancy. As a believer in a woman's right to choose whether or not to have an abortion, if it were my pregnancy and the blood test spotted a possible problem I would just go ahead and abort it. I would not want to give birth to a baby with a severe mental or physical disorder. Conservatives are trying to write laws so that this isn't possible, but so far they haven't succeeded.