Three years ago, Carol Steckel, Alabama’s Medicaid director, sent a national alert to all of her counterparts around the country. She asked them to join her in uncovering fraudulent prices published by major drug makers — prices that she said inflated the amount all states were paying to pharmacies.
At the time, Alabama had won three lawsuits against drug manufacturers on the grounds that published prices were artificially high. Steckel was working on an entirely new way to set drug prices for Medicaid beneficiaries, one that aimed to lower Alabama’s overall costs, but also remain sensitive to the needs of local pharmacies to make a profit.
Last September, Alabama won federal approval for the change Steckel sought. Since then, the state has launched its new pricing method, and expects to shave 6 percent off its prescription drug bill this year.
Alabama Cuts Medicaid Costs by $30 Million by Examining Drug Receipts
Teen Inventor Conquers Invasive Kudzu Vine
Jacob Schindler is not your typical American teenager.
He spends his days battling — and defeating — kudzu, an invasive plant native to Asia that has overrun millions of acres of land throughout the Southern United States.
His school science project led to the discovery that injecting helium at the root of the menacing vine effectively kills it.
(WATCH the video below, or read the story at CNN)
Teen Inventor Conquers Invasive Kudzu Vine
Jacob Schindler is not your typical American teenager.
He spends his days battling — and defeating — kudzu, an invasive plant native to Asia that has overrun millions of acres of land throughout the Southern United States.
His school science project led to the discovery that injecting helium at the root of the menacing vine effectively kills it.
First World Cup for Asian Team is Sweet Win for Disaster-ridden Japan
A come-from-behind victory for the Japanese women in the World Cup finals Sunday was particularly sweet, not only because they were the underdogs in the match against the USA or because they’d never beaten the Americans.
Even though the historic match was the first time any Asian nation won the FIFA tournament in either men’s or women’s competition, for Japan, the victory was especially meaningful because their country is still suffering from one of the worst natural disasters of recent times – the March 11 earthquake and tsunami that killed 23,000 and started an ongoing nuclear crisis.
‘Harry Potter’ Shatters Box Office Records as Boy Wizard Says Farewell
Harry Potter cast his final spell on fans worldwide, shattering box office records over the weekend, earning $168.5 million and setting a new all-time record for the highest-grossing opening weekend in North America, one previously held by “The Dark Knight.”
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, the eighth and final film of the J.K. Rowling fantasy, earned more than $475 million worldwide and also set new highs for biggest midnight screening, $43.5 million, and biggest IMAX film, $15.5 million.
This installment marks a fitting farewell to a series about a teen wizard and his friends battling evil that has become the highest-grossing franchise of all time.
The eight films in the series have sold about $7 billion in tickets at the worldwide box office.{
The most inspiring result of the Potter magic is how it got kids reading. They lined up at midnight to buy a book with 700 pages and went home to read it – again and again. The 7-book series not only made J.K. Rowling the first billionaire publisher, it gave kids a reason to love reading again.
Tibetan Antelope, China Railway, Co-exist in Harmony
The sight this spring of herds of Tibetan antelopes galloping unhindered to breeding grounds at the other side of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, alleviated concerns that the railway would disrupt their migratory-breeding route.
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway’s success in balancing the threatened antelopes’ welfare with the construction of a massive railway has inspired designers of other ambitious projects.
How Facebook Saved My Son’s Life
Strep? Scarlet fever? The mother of a 4-year-old was commenting via social networks about the doctors’ changing diagnoses of her sick son. Within 24 hours, dozens of comments helped lead to the diagnose a rare disease that doctors had missed.
The next day she received a call a former neighbor. “I hope you’ll excuse me for butting in,” she said, “But you have to get to the hospital. Now.” Her son Max had had the exact same symptoms, and was hospitalized for Kawasaki disease, a rare and sometimes fatal auto-immune disorder that attacks the coronary arteries surrounding the heart.
How Facebook Saved My Son’s Life
Strep? Scarlet fever? The mother of a 4-year-old was commenting via social networks about the doctors’ changing diagnoses of her sick son. Within 24 hours, dozens of comments helped lead to the diagnosis of a rare disease that doctors had missed.
The next day she received a call a former neighbor. “I hope you’ll excuse me for butting in,” she said, “But you have to get to the hospital. Now.” Her son Max had had the exact same symptoms, and was hospitalized for Kawasaki disease, a rare and sometimes fatal auto-immune disorder that attacks the coronary arteries surrounding the heart.
New All-organic Carpets Could Have Multiple Lives
In our increasingly recycling-aware society, a carpet is one of those things that usually does not get re-used – it is simply thrown away, and later, burned.
That could soon change, says an international team of scientists who have come up with a method to make wool carpets with all-natural backing that can be re-processed after a life cycle.
They replaced all synthetic substances and chemicals with organic materials.
Abbey Road Studio Installs Live Webcam on Famous Beatles Crosswalk
The historic crosswalk in front of Abbey Road Studios now has a 24-hour live streaming web camera focused on the iconic crossing to show tourists trying to recreate the famous Beatles lineup photographed for the Abbey Road album cover.
The camera is installed atop a white wall in front of the Abbey Road recording studios — a wall that is painted and repainted whenever it fills up with love notes left in pen to John, Paul, George and Ringo.
To properly recreate the actual shot from 1969, the photographer needs to be directly in the middle of the street, but most shoot their photos from the sidewalk. (When I was there with my husband, son and his friend, we asked a stranger to take our picture, the one you see above.)
During the 1960’s, the Beatles made 90 percent of their recordings inside the studios. They came together in April, 1969 to record their final album and best-selling work as a group, ‘Abbey Road’.
January 3rd, 1970 marked the final Beatles song, I Me Mine, to be recorded inside Abbey Road. But the band continued to use the facility as solo artists, beginning with Paul McCartney and a new group called Wings. George Harrison went into Studio 3 to record his chart topping single My Sweet Lord and his triple album set All Things Must Pass.
In June of 1972, Pink Floyd began worked on the ground-breaking Dark Side Of The Moon there.
Abbey Road Studios today still offers recording, mixing, mastering and remastering, but also provides DVD authoring, and video services. Film projects to come out of the studio include the award winning Lord Of The Rings trilogy and a two of the Harry Potter movies.
See the Abbey Road live feed here (scroll down the page to see the feed).
You can grab screenshots and upload them to the website, like the one posted above.
Abbey Road Studio Installs Live Webcam on Famous Beatles Crosswalk
The historic crosswalk in front of Abbey Road Studios now has a 24-hour live streaming web camera focused on the iconic crossing to show tourists trying to recreate the famous Beatles lineup photographed for the Abbey Road album cover.
The camera is installed atop a white wall in front of the Abbey Road recording studios — a wall that is painted and repainted whenever it fills up with love notes left in pen to John, Paul, George and Ringo.
Every day tourists flock to the famous crosswalk next to the studio, which is quite busy during rush hour, hoping to snap a photo of themselves in the crosswalk. Fans can be seen darting back across the street to check the photos and try for a better frame.
Ad Hoc Efforts Help Cut U.S. Healthcare Costs
There is a glimmer of hope in the U.S. health care system for cutting sky-rocketing costs. Innovative programs have helped reduce costs by millions of dollars for those heath care networks willing to try something new.
One Utah group of 23 hospitals noticed that by eliminating early induction of labor for pregnant women, and the many risks and complications involved, it could save over $40 million per year and have healthier outcomes.
Solar Power for 2,000 Oahu Military Homes
More than 2,000 military family homes on Oahu are going to be powered with solar energy and will be one of the largest solar-powered communities in the country.
Construction is under way at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam to provide more than 5.6 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually from installations on 600 rooftops.
BP to Adopt Voluntary Safety Standards in the Gulf of Mexico
Seeking to assure federal regulators that it has learned the lessons of the Deepwater Horizon blowout and spill last year, BP said Friday that it would adopt stricter new voluntary standards for any future drilling projects in the Gulf of Mexico.
The company, which has already pledged some $40 billion in compensation for the accident, said it was prepared to go beyond new federal safety and environmental standards that apply to all companies operating in the gulf.
Healthy Snow Leopard Population Found in Afghanistan by Hidden Cameras
Hidden cameras have revealed the existence of a surprisingly healthy population of rare snow leopards living in the mountainous reaches of northeastern Afghanistan, according to a new study.
The discovery gives hope to the world’s most elusive big cat, which calls home to some of the world’s tallest mountains.
The Wildlife Conservation Society used camera traps to document the presence of snow leopards at 16 different locations across a wide landscape. The images represent the first such records of snow leopards in Afghanistan.
“This is a wonderful discovery – it shows that there is real hope for snow leopards in Afghanistan,” said Peter Zahler, WCS Deputy Director for Asia Programs.
Healthy Snow Leopard Population Found in Afghanistan by Hidden Cameras
Hidden cameras have revealed the existence of a surprisingly healthy population of rare snow leopards living in the mountainous reaches of northeastern Afghanistan, according to a new study.
The discovery gives hope to the world’s most elusive big cat, which calls home to some of the world’s tallest mountains.
The Wildlife Conservation Society used camera traps to document the presence of snow leopards at 16 different locations across a wide landscape. The images represent the first such records of snow leopards in Afghanistan.
“This is a wonderful discovery – it shows that there is real hope for snow leopards in Afghanistan,” said Peter Zahler, WCS Deputy Director for Asia Programs.
Coke Vending Machines Collect Donations in Japan for Red Cross
If only charitable giving was as easy as buying a Coke at a vending machine. Well, now it is—at least in Japan.
A Coca-Cola bottling company in Japan and the country’s Red Cross have joined together to enable people to make donations by putting money into a vending machine.
With the proceeds going toward tsunami relief, the bottling company plans to establish 100 vending machines throughout Japan.
Last year, vending machines were installed on subway platforms in Brazil to help raise money for people who live on the streets.
(READ the story in the Philanthropy Journal)
Thanks to Mariya Hurwitz for submitting the story idea!
Rainbow Toad: Found After 87 Years, First Photo Ever
The Bornean rainbow toad, has not been seen since 1924. It was one of the world’s top 10 most wanted lost amphibians.
For the first time ever, this amphibian species has been photographed, after not being spotted for 87 years.
In fact, scientists had only seen drawings of the small, mysterious and long-legged toad, sketched on long ago expeditions.
19 Chain Restaurants Join to Offer Healthier Kids Food
With nearly one in three American children obese or overweight, 19 U.S. restaurant chains, including Burger King and IHOP, are backing an industry effort to serve and promote healthier meals for children.
As part of the effort, Burger King this month will make sliced apples and fat-free milk or juice the default choices for its kids’ meals. French fries and soda will remain on the menu but customers will have to request them.
Yankees Fan’s Generosity Is Returned, With $50,000 to Ease His Debt
A week ago, Christian Lopez had a job, but significant student loan debt. Then fate (he retrieved Derek Jeter’s 3,000th hit) and choice (he simply returned the ball to the Yankees shortstop) changed all that.
Lopez, 23, was lauded for his honor and ridiculed for his refusal to consider selling the ball. On Wednesday afternoon, the story took a new turn at a crowded Times Square sports store, where two of Mr. Lopez’s admirers pledged him at least $50,000 in financial support — donations that came amid revelations of Mr. Lopez’s financial challenges.