Patients Facing Blindness to Test Therapy with Stem Cells

Ten years ago, a biotech startup called Advanced Cell Technology (ACT) began trying to create retinal cells from human embryonic stem cells. Because this newly discovered type of cell could both replenish itself and differentiate into any cell type in the body, it was seen as an ideal source of replacement tissue. This year, after spending $20 million on its quest, the company will begin its first human tests of the treatment. ACT won approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration this week to start clinical trials of an experimental treatment for age-related macular degeneration, the most common cause of blindness in people older than 60.

It is only the third clinical trial of an embryonic-stem-cell-based therapy to be approved by the FDA. ACT won permission to test the same therapy in patients with a rare genetic disorder related to macular degeneration last fall, and a second company, Geron, began testing a cell therapy for spinal-cord injury last year. However, because macular degeneration is so common?roughly 1.7 million Americans suffer from the disease?ACT's new therapy has the biggest potential impact on patient health. No treatments are now available for the so-called dry form of macular degeneration, which accounts for 90 percent of cases.

"If you can intervene early and preserve vision, that's a major accomplishment," says Raymond Lund, a researcher at the Casey Eye Institute at Oregon Health Sciences University, who directed some of the animal studies of the therapy.

ACT's treatment replaces a type of retinal cell called retinal pigment epithelium, which begins to deteriorate early in the course of the disease. These cells help support the photoreceptors that translate light signals from the environment into electrical signals for the brain to process. Without healthy retinal pigment epithelium, the photoreceptors begin to sicken and die, causing loss of vision.

To create the cells, researchers at ACT grow large vats of embryonic stem cells and then differentiate them into retinal pigment epithelium, a process that takes about four to five months. The cells are then injected into the eye. Tests in rodents with similar retinal degeneration show that the cells can slow deterioration and improve vision. "The cells wind up in the back of the eye, as they should, and are able to sustain vision," says Lund.

The clinical trial of 12 patients will initially assess whether it is safe to inject the cells, but clinicians will also test such things as the patients' visual acuity and their eyes' electrical function, the retinal equivalent of an EKG.

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Source: http://feeds.technologyreview.com/click.phdo?i=f95912f8935ae8ccb990e30e388e2bbf

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Is the iPad the future of computing?

You?ll need to bear with me on this one, and not just because this idea struck me after a sleepless long-haul flight. Suggesting that the iPad might be the future of computing needs a heck of a lot of explanation, both in defining my terms and moving beyond the iPad?s current incarnation as a mobile device. As such, if I may, I?ll ask you to give me a little bit of time before inviting your comments, whether they're flames or petitions to sanctify Steve Jobs? turtle-neck sweater.

Here?s the crux of my thought ? imagine a PC that doesn?t fail, yet is cool, fun and easy to use. That?s the iPad, but not in its current form. Even my mother would feel much more at home if her computer still had a keyboard and mouse, as these input devices enable a person to be more productive than mere fingers. Similarly, the iPad's screen needs to be larger than 9.7in if the iPad's going to be a useful computer, rather than a frivolous distraction.

[enter]Is the iPad the future of computing? *Is the iPad the future of computing?
Your next PC? Probably not, but it might be everyone else's[/center]

A larger device based on the iPad is what I?m talking about. You might call it an iPad Maxi, or Apple could call it an iPC (hopefully people will be able to tell the difference between a computer and the publishing house). A device that?s as neat as an iMac, cheaper than a conventional PC and as easy to use as the iPad should have a big future.

Such a device wouldn?t just be useful at home; it would also be great for work. IT managers all over the world would love to deploy PCs that can?t crash, or have dodgy software installed on them. After all, you just need to password-protect or remove the App Store, and you?ll have a locked down system. What's more, your employees would thank you for the cool new PC on their desk, rather than feeling as if they're being treated like children, as many workers do feel about their locked-down work PCs.

While there will always be a market for high-performance systems for gaming, media creation and so on, most people don?t need that level of power. What's more, with ARM delivering ever faster CPUs, a larger, desk-bound iPad PC wouldn?t have to be slow, and Apple could release speed increases yearly, as ARM delivers faster designs.

I can imagine Apple being bold enough to deliver such a system, but it wouldn't have to be an Apple-only deal. The likes of Sony, HP or even Asus could make a similar device based on a modified Android (or even Windows Phone 7) OS. Either way, such a PC could potentially initiate a massive swing in power away from Intel, AMD and Microsoft towards ARM, Apple and possibly Google.

Bearing in mind that any ?iPC? device wouldn?t be aimed at enthusiast-level bit-tech readers, but rather the other 80 per cent of PC users, do you think a desktop-based iPad-like PC would make sense? If so, just how much influence do you think it might have?

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bit-tech/blog/~3/2pk4sr8heF0/

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Speaker?s Wife Emphasizes ?Normal, Average? Life

Mrs. Boehner, wife of the newly elected speaker of the House, the Ohio Republican John A. Boehner, in an interview Tuesday kept hitting on the theme of how she and her husband are ?just normal, average people.? She talked about how she had no plans to move to Washington, worked part-time as a cashier, helped mow the family lawn and ironed Mr. Boehner?s shirts when she was in town ? ?even though he says he does them all,? she added, laughing.

?I?m just me, I?m just approachable ? I?m not going to change,? she said.

Her husband added, ?She?s about the most down-to-earth person you?ll ever meet.?

Mrs. Boehner, 62, watched Wednesday from the House gallery, flanked by the couple?s two grown daughters, as her husband assumed his new role. He swept into power on an anti-establishment wave of conservative change, and is working to cast himself as an outside-the-Beltway crusader even though he has served in Congress for two decades.

But it is Mrs. Boehner ? sandy-haired, lightly bronzed and plain-spoken ? who is truly not a creature of Washington or immersed in politics. She was a limited presence on the campaign trail, has never lived in the District of Columbia ? she said she came to town ?if there?s a fun event? ? and has no plans to become a Washington figure.

?His job is to do this job, and I?m just going to do whatever I can to stay out of the way,? Mrs. Boehner said, wearing a chunky pearl necklace and cream-colored vest in the interview near her husband?s Capitol office. ?I just live the life at home that he would be living if he was there.?

Most days, she said, that means ?Pilates in the morning, and then I just try to keep up with him.? Mr. Boehner calls every day at 8 a.m. to update her on his schedule, and then they go their own ways, checking in from time to time.

Mrs. Boehner is a real estate agent in suburban Cincinnati ? her current listings include a condominium for under $100,000 and a house for more than $3 million. The job requires some of the same skills her husband?s post does ? making a sales pitch, reassuring the wary, bringing a deal to a close.

She serves on the board of directors for the Community Foundation of West Chester/Liberty, a philanthropic group, and also works at the Delhi Flower and Garden Center, where she handles the cash register and occasionally does some pruning.

?Everybody was like, ?What are you doing working here?? And I go, ?Well, I get a good discount,? ? she said, adding that her daughter Tricia, 30, is getting married in March and that Delhi will be doing the flowers. ?I?m working, just like everybody else.?

By the standards of Congress, the Boehners are neither superrich nor just scraping by. Last year, Mr. Boehner listed his minimum net worth at $1.8 million. Mrs. Boehner said she was ?not a frivolous person? and described buying a $100 beige dress from Dillard?s to meet Queen Elizabeth II at a state dinner in Washington in 2007.

?I was in a room with people who buy $10,000 gowns, and I can?t do that kind of stuff,? Mrs. Boehner said. ?Would I wear it again? Probably not. It worked. It was fine.?

Though she is getting more comfortable in Washington and feels like she is ?part of the team,? she said she had ?a great support group? of friends and fellow golfers back home.

?That?s probably why I stay there,? she said.

On Wednesday, Mrs. Boehner got two very public greetings. First, Nancy Pelosi, the departing speaker, thanked Mrs. Boehner for sharing her husband with Congress. She then passed the gavel to Mr. Boehner, who introduced his family to the chamber.

?Thank you,? Mrs. Boehner mouthed back, amid the applause. ?Thank you.?

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Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=2dc2cc14dd2b2548ba1db7e44a6c34ed

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You Know You've Played Too Many Games When?

You Know You've Played Too Many Games When?

Posted on 23rd Dec 2010 at 11:41 by Joe Martin with 55 comments

You know you?ve played too many games when you deliberately get up early on a Saturday morning, just so you can explore the new Minecraft update in peace for a few hours.

?when you hum the Monkey Island theme tune to yourself when you?re tense, and it actually makes you feel better.

?when you catch yourself thinking, ?Oh, quicksave!? when you cross the road.

?when you have recurring dreams about writing the perfect walkthrough for Baldur?s Gate 2.

?when you?re celebrating your anniversary with your girlfriend at a 1950s party on a vintage steamboat and, rather than dancing, you spend your whole time being reminded of a level in Hitman: Blood Money.

?when you?re approaching one of the aforementioned vintage steamboats and, as you outpace the others on the jetty, you're tempted to yell, ?The rescue boat is here!?

?when the doodles you draw while you're on the phone aren?t little stick men, but old Quake levels redrawn from memory.

?when you bump into things all the time and blame it on the clipping.

?when you don?t read instructions for the new microwave because you?re pretty sure all you need to do is ?Press interact?.

?when you seriously believe the only use for graph paper is to make it easier to design Minecraft levels.

?when you don?t just talk in your sleep, but actually mime killing Kleers from Serious Sam.

?when you look at the clock everyday at thirty-seven minutes paste one and think, ?Yes, I am.?

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Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/bit-tech/blog/~3/-thFyPwUtFs/

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The Caucus: Democrats Plan Attack on Republican Repeal Effort

Democratic leaders in Washington plan to spend the next week doing what they all but refused to do in the 2010 midterm elections: mount a vigorous defense of President Obama?s health care legislation.

The ?all fronts? plan is a response to the decision by the new House speaker, John A. Boehner, to schedule a vote next Wednesday on a complete repeal of the health care law that Mr. Obama signed last March.

Senior Democratic officials said their effort would be managed by a rapid response operation modeled after the ones Mr. Obama used in his presidential campaign. That team will monitor Republican claims, send out fact-checks and deploy a team of surrogates to get their views on television.

Paid television advertisements will be run ?as warrants,? said one senior Democrat, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the program. Organizing for America, the president?s chief political apparatus, will host phone banks and schedule events featuring people who would lose their benefits if the health care law were repealed.

?We will make clear to the American people that as their first order of business, Republicans have decided not to focus on jobs and deficit reduction, but on relitigating partisan battles ? that, if successful, would eliminate help for our job-creating small business and explode the deficit,? said Hari Sevugan, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee.

This week, Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the majority leader, vowed to pass what the Republicans have dubbed ?Repealing the Job Killing Health Care Act.?

?The American people are expecting quick action from the Republican majority,? Mr. Cantor told reporters Tuesday. He played down predictions that the act would be stopped by the Democratic majority in the Senate, saying, ?the important thing right now is to make sure we send a repeal bill across the floor.?

The president and his allies on Capitol Hill were criticized by liberals for failing to defend the health care legislation during the campaign. Democratic candidates rarely mounted a fiery defense of the law on the campaign trail. And some even ran ads against the legislation, fearful that Republicans had succeeded in turning the public against it.

But Democrats have concluded that the current situation is different. On the campaign trail, they say, Democratic candidates had to speculate about what Republicans might do if elected. Now, the repeal vote puts a big target on Mr. Boehner?s back, they said.

?We?re not talking about benefits which you may get down the road,? Mr. Sevugan said. ?We are talking about taking away benefits you enjoy right now ? tangible benefits with value. This puts us on offense.?

The initial volleys of the effort came even before Mr. Boehner was sworn in on Wednesday. In a mass e-mail to the president?s supporters, Mitch Stewart, the director of Organizing for America, urged people to speak out.

?Organizing for America is pulling together a team of organizers and volunteers to defend reform ? and we need you on this team,? Mr. Stewart wrote. ?Together, we?ll show how our progress is already improving lives across the country ? and take on those who are pushing for repeal.?

And three cabinet secretaries? Kathleen Sebelius, of health and human services; Hilda L. Solis, of labor; and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner ? sent a letter to members of Congress on Wednesday, saying that a repeal would ?set the nation back on a path to higher costs and skyrocketing premiums, less competition and fewer consumer protections.?

Mr. Obama?s own role in the effort is unclear. During his briefing with reporters on Wednesday, the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said that Republicans know the repeal will not succeed in the Senate and called it ?a bit of huff and puff? that was mostly symbolic. But he also said that a repeal would take the country back to ?a health care system where insurance companies are in charge and call the shots.? Asked whether Mr. Obama would be making a major speech to that effect, however, Mr. Gibbs said no.

?Obviously the president is focused very much on the economy and on the job situation right now,? Mr. Gibb said. ?He?s remarkably proud of the accomplishment of health care. I don?t think that the American people want to go back to a health care system where those safety nets are in doubt, and that?s what the law is.?

Recent polling suggests that most Americans remain divided over the health care law and what ? if anything ? should be done about it now.

In a national poll conducted last month for the Kaiser Family Foundation, a fifth of the public said the new health reform law should be left as it is; another fifth said the law should be expanded. A quarter of those surveyed said lawmakers should repeal parts of the health reform law, and another quarter said the entire law should be repealed.

About half of the adults surveyed by ABC News and The Washington Post last month said they opposed the changes to the health care system that were enacted by Congress and the administration. Of these people, three in 10 said the health care reform law should be repealed altogether and another three in 10 said part of the law should be repealed. About four in 10 said the best approach was to ?wait and see before deciding.?

In her final remarks as speaker before literally handing over the gavel to Mr. Boehner, Nancy Pelosi of California used the spotlight to highlight the benefits of the health care legislation. Her pointed message: these are the things Republicans want to take away.

And, she said, the legislation was designed by Democrats to reduce federal health care spending. ?Taken together,? she said, ?it will save taxpayers $1.3 trillion.?

Republicans have spent the better part of a year hammering against those arguments, with very little response. Now, Democrats promise at least a week of fighting back.

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Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=94c140a9bd696964d84034b90cfb0246

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Skype coming to more TVs, debuts group video calling

In addition to declaring that it is acquiring Qik, Skype has made two other important announcements. The first is related to the service coming to TVs while the second is regarding the group video calling feature shedding its beta tag.

Skype-enabled TVs were introduced last year, but now it's going to be even easier to get Skype on your TV thanks to more partnerships. Sony and Vizio plan on shipping Skype-enabled Sony BRAVIA and VIZIO VIA TVs later this year, joining the myriad products already available from Panasonic and Samsung. There are also Skype-enabled Panasonic and Sony Blu-ray players and webcams that would bring the service to your living room without having to buy a whole new TV.

Separately, group video calling has officially joined Skype's product line-up in the new version for Windows. The feature is only available as part of a new Premium package, which offers group video calling together with access to live chat customer support, and will set you back $4.99/3.49/2.99 per day or $8.99/5.99/4.99 per month. If you sign up in the first month, you'll receive a 33 percent discount on a three or 12 month subscription, plus a 25 percent discount off an HD webcam.

The new version of Skype for Windows also includes a number of improvements to video stability and quality. You can download it directly from here.

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Source: http://www.techspot.com/news/41872-skype-coming-to-more-tvs-debuts-group-video-calling.html

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Taking Control, G.O.P. Overhauls Rules in House

In the Senate, tensions over the partisan stalemate that dominated the last session spilled into the opening of the 112th Congress as a coalition of Democrats threatened to try to force changes that would reduce filibusters and other procedural snags that have slowed the pace of legislation the past two years.

The convening of the new Congress and the first day of divided government in Washington since President Obama?s inauguration two years ago was largely one of ceremony, posturing and such preliminary procedural skirmishes. But it set the stage for partisan and ideological clashes on the size and role of government and a wide array of other issues as the nation struggles to rebuild economic momentum, confront its rapidly growing debt and manage complex national security threats.

After accepting an oversize gavel from the departing Democratic speaker, Nancy Pelosi, Mr. Boehner promised to run the chamber in a more inclusive and businesslike way. But mindful of demands by new Tea Party Republicans for decisive action to cut spending and rein in what they see as an overactive government, he set the House on a course to take apart the health law, take a deep bite out of this year?s budget and investigate the administration?s handling of at least a half-dozen big issues over the past two years.

?The people voted to end business as usual, and today we begin to carry out their instructions,? Mr. Boehner told his assembled colleagues, referring to the election sweep that carried Republicans back to power in the House four years after Democrats led by Ms. Pelosi ended their domination.

Mr. Boehner said that excessive and wasteful federal spending had caught up with the nation and warned that ?hard work and tough decisions will be required of the 112th Congress.?

?No longer can we fall short,? he said. ?No longer can we kick the can down the road.?

To reverse what they say is a Congressional process tilted toward spending increases, the new Republican majority in the House ? over strong Democratic objections ? approved rules that would require spending increases to be directly offset with cuts elsewhere. But the rules would allow future tax cuts to be enacted without offsetting spending reductions, and would permit repeal of the health care legislation, which was estimated to save the government more than $140 billion over 10 years, without any requirement that those revenue losses be made up elsewhere.

?We are going to cut spending and job-killing government regulations, and grow the economy and private-sector jobs,? said Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the new majority leader and the No. 2 Republican in the House.

Democrats criticized the changes, saying Republicans were returning to the policies that had put the government on a path to deep deficits in the first place and would open the door to ?Enron-style accounting? that covered up the costs of tax cuts and their other legislative efforts.

?House Republicans are like the fellow who bellies up to the bar, asking for just one more round of tax breaks for his buddies, while declaring, ?Put it on my tab,? ? said Representative Lloyd Doggett, Democrat of Texas. ?But it?s really our tab. By focusing on only half the budget equation, and avoiding revenue stewardship, they reject sound fiscal leadership.?

Despite the good feelings and promises of cooperation traditional on the opening day of Congress, the partisan tension broke into the open as Ms. Pelosi, in her final remarks as speaker, praised the legislative record of the Democratic Congress, highlighting the health care legislation that House Republicans intend to try to repeal next week.

Mr. Boehner, who was introduced by Ms. Pelosi as a ?proud son of Ohio,? choked up as she introduced his wife and members of his family ? including 10 of his 11 siblings ? who were watching from the House gallery.

Elated Republicans celebrated on the floor and gave the new speaker repeated standing ovations. Republicans welcomed 87 new members, many infused with the conservative zeal of the Tea Party movement that helped Republicans so decisively end Democratic rule in the November elections. Nine Democratic freshmen joined the House, which now has 242 Republicans and 193 Democrats, a shift of 63 seats from the 111th Congress.

Mr. Boehner?s rise to speaker was a foregone conclusion, but he was formally elected on a vote of a 241 votes for him to 173 for Ms. Pelosi as all lawmakers were called on by name to announce their choice. In a potentially troubling sign for Ms. Pelosi?s ability to hold her party together in her new role as minority leader, 19 Democrats voted for someone else, mostly for Representative Heath Shuler, a conservative North Carolina Democrat who challenged Ms. Pelosi in the internal party leadership fight.

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Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=6645666526005391ebe3cdceeb6132ed

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Microsoft?s Surface 2 commercial is a complete bore, but important

Microsoft?s Surface 2 commercial is a complete bore, but important

TNW Quick Hit

As you no doubt already know, Microsoft?s Surface project has hit the 2.0 mark. Once a pie-in-the-sky research project, Surface is now a sleek and greatly improved product that is sporting a price tag ($7600) low enough to spark real demand.

We scrounged up (found it on YouTube) a very early commercial that demonstrates just what the Surface 2.0 can do. While the actual clip is dull, it is illustrative. For more information be sure to read our previous coverage on Surface 2?s unveiling.

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Source: http://thenextweb.com/microsoft/2011/01/06/microsofts-surface-2-commercial-is-a-complete-bore-but-important/

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CES 2011: The World?s First Wirelessly Powered Tesla Car

CES 2011: The World?s First Wirelessly Powered Tesla Car

Over 100 years since Nikola Tesla first began playing around with wireless power, and I believe if he could see what I saw today he?d be clapping in his grave (although wondering why it took so damn long). Today at CES, Fulton Innovation unveiled the world?s first wirelessly powered Tesla car.

As you can see from the image below, the electric car is parked about 4? over an eCoupled-enabled pad. Once the car is fully charged, it will run for 180 miles. The car?s charging status can be monitored by an iPhone app, of course.

?This is the first time in history that we?ve been able to wirelessly power a high-powered device,? said a rep at Fulton Innovation, the company behind the wireless technology.

We?re getting one step closer to the end of plugging in. Imagine a future of roads, paved with wireless technology. Imagine parking garages equipped to power entire fleets overnight. Imagine it in your own garage.

Watch a video of the car here:

About the Author

Courtney Boyd Myers is the East Coast editor of TNW, based in NYC. She began her career writing about robots @ Forbes and has also written for PCMag, PSFK, IEEE Spectrum, the Huffington Post + Pocket-Lint. She loves magnets + reading on her Kindle. You can follow her on Twitter or e-mail her at Courtney@TheNextWeb.com.

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Source: http://thenextweb.com/shareables/2011/01/06/ces-2011-the-worlds-first-wirelessly-powered-tesla-car/

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The Caucus: Democrats Plan Attack on Republican Repeal Effort

Democratic leaders in Washington plan to spend the next week doing what they all but refused to do in the 2010 midterm elections: mount a vigorous defense of President Obama?s health care legislation.

The ?all fronts? plan is a response to the decision by the new House speaker, John A. Boehner, to schedule a vote next Wednesday on a complete repeal of the health care law that Mr. Obama signed last March.

Senior Democratic officials said their effort would be managed by a rapid response operation modeled after the ones Mr. Obama used in his presidential campaign. That team will monitor Republican claims, send out fact-checks and deploy a team of surrogates to get their views on television.

Paid television advertisements will be run ?as warrants,? said one senior Democrat, who asked not to be named because he was not authorized to speak publicly about the program. Organizing for America, the president?s chief political apparatus, will host phone banks and schedule events featuring people who would lose their benefits if the health care law were repealed.

?We will make clear to the American people that as their first order of business, Republicans have decided not to focus on jobs and deficit reduction, but on relitigating partisan battles ? that, if successful, would eliminate help for our job-creating small business and explode the deficit,? said Hari Sevugan, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee.

This week, Representative Eric Cantor of Virginia, the majority leader, vowed to pass what the Republicans have dubbed ?Repealing the Job Killing Health Care Act.?

?The American people are expecting quick action from the Republican majority,? Mr. Cantor told reporters Tuesday. He played down predictions that the act would be stopped by the Democratic majority in the Senate, saying, ?the important thing right now is to make sure we send a repeal bill across the floor.?

The president and his allies on Capitol Hill were criticized by liberals for failing to defend the health care legislation during the campaign. Democratic candidates rarely mounted a fiery defense of the law on the campaign trail. And some even ran ads against the legislation, fearful that Republicans had succeeded in turning the public against it.

But Democrats have concluded that the current situation is different. On the campaign trail, they say, Democratic candidates had to speculate about what Republicans might do if elected. Now, the repeal vote puts a big target on Mr. Boehner?s back, they said.

?We?re not talking about benefits which you may get down the road,? Mr. Sevugan said. ?We are talking about taking away benefits you enjoy right now ? tangible benefits with value. This puts us on offense.?

The initial volleys of the effort came even before Mr. Boehner was sworn in on Wednesday. In a mass e-mail to the president?s supporters, Mitch Stewart, the director of Organizing for America, urged people to speak out.

?Organizing for America is pulling together a team of organizers and volunteers to defend reform ? and we need you on this team,? Mr. Stewart wrote. ?Together, we?ll show how our progress is already improving lives across the country ? and take on those who are pushing for repeal.?

And three cabinet secretaries? Kathleen Sebelius, of health and human services; Hilda L. Solis, of labor; and Treasury Secretary Timothy F. Geithner ? sent a letter to members of Congress on Wednesday, saying that a repeal would ?set the nation back on a path to higher costs and skyrocketing premiums, less competition and fewer consumer protections.?

Mr. Obama?s own role in the effort is unclear. During his briefing with reporters on Wednesday, the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said that Republicans know the repeal will not succeed in the Senate and called it ?a bit of huff and puff? that was mostly symbolic. But he also said that a repeal would take the country back to ?a health care system where insurance companies are in charge and call the shots.? Asked whether Mr. Obama would be making a major speech to that effect, however, Mr. Gibbs said no.

?Obviously the president is focused very much on the economy and on the job situation right now,? Mr. Gibb said. ?He?s remarkably proud of the accomplishment of health care. I don?t think that the American people want to go back to a health care system where those safety nets are in doubt, and that?s what the law is.?

Recent polling suggests that most Americans remain divided over the health care law and what ? if anything ? should be done about it now.

In a national poll conducted last month for the Kaiser Family Foundation, a fifth of the public said the new health reform law should be left as it is; another fifth said the law should be expanded. A quarter of those surveyed said lawmakers should repeal parts of the health reform law, and another quarter said the entire law should be repealed.

About half of the adults surveyed by ABC News and The Washington Post last month said they opposed the changes to the health care system that were enacted by Congress and the administration. Of these people, three in 10 said the health care reform law should be repealed altogether and another three in 10 said part of the law should be repealed. About four in 10 said the best approach was to ?wait and see before deciding.?

In her final remarks as speaker before literally handing over the gavel to Mr. Boehner, Nancy Pelosi of California used the spotlight to highlight the benefits of the health care legislation. Her pointed message: these are the things Republicans want to take away.

And, she said, the legislation was designed by Democrats to reduce federal health care spending. ?Taken together,? she said, ?it will save taxpayers $1.3 trillion.?

Republicans have spent the better part of a year hammering against those arguments, with very little response. Now, Democrats promise at least a week of fighting back.

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Source: http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=94c140a9bd696964d84034b90cfb0246

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