Category Archives: Anatomy

Anatomy of a murder: the brutal killing of Jason Corbett – Independent.ie

Molly Martens-Corbett and her father, Thomas Michael Martens, are now 72 hours into 20-year jail terms for the second-degree murder of Irish businessman Jason Corbett (39).

Their convictions were as much underpinned by what wasn't said in a North Carolina courthouse over the past four weeks as for what was revealed in evidence.

The father and daughter, if they contemplate the dramatic and emotion-charged events of last Wednesday morning in Courtroom C of the Davidson County courts complex in Lexington, will probably wonder precisely where the murder trial hinged?

When did the jury of nine women and three men swing towards a second-degree murder conviction rather than believing the story of self-defence? Was it the dramatic forensic evidence of blood spatter expert Dr Stuart James?

The Florida-based expert, one of the world's leading authorities on blood spatter analysis, effectively recreated the last moments of the Limerick father-of-two's life in the early hours of August 2, 2015 in the bedroom of his luxury home.

He determined that Mr Corbett may very well have suffered the first of at least 12 horrific blows to his head while in or by his bed.

He also determined that Mr Corbett's head was repeatedly struck in a descending motion - in other words as he fell to the ground.

Dr James also found, from blood impact spatters, that Mr Corbett was struck while on the ground - and with his wife and father-in-law standing over him.

"There were little bits of Jason all over her," Assistant District Attorney Alan Martin would tell the trial. "That puts her in the thick of it. It is rock solid evidence. That puts her there."

Pathology evidence indicated Mr Corbett then sustained between one and four blows to the skull when he was already dead.

Or perhaps the 33-year-old former Knoxville model and swim coach, and her father, a retired FBI agent and counter-intelligence operative, will consider the remarkable forensic work at the Panther Creek Court scene of Lt Frank Young. He preserved the clothing worn by the duo at the scene - and he compiled a video and photographic record of the property hailed as "truly excellent" by Dr James.

Thanks to his photographic record of the blood-soaked bedroom, hallway and bathroom, Dr James was able to do his work.

But in truth, the father and daughter are probably much more likely to focus on what wasn't said in Courtroom C over the three weeks of harrowing evidence in the case.

Jury foreman Tom Aamland revealed that the jury were intrigued by a number of obvious issues that weren't clarified - particularly by the Martens version of precisely what happened in the master bedroom that night.

Just like Irish jurors, an instinctive sense of curiosity, allied to a healthy common sense perception of something out of the ordinary, flooded through the North Carolina jury.

What was the young Tennessee woman doing with a heavy and unsightly concrete garden paving brick on her nightstand table that night?

"We all wondered what it was doing there," Mr Aamland said after the trial finished. No explanation was ever offered to the trial.

But there were other unanswered questions.

How on Earth could a 39-year-old, six-foot and 16-stone man grab his wife by the throat and then get engaged in a life-and-death tussle with a 67-year-old retiree and not leave a single mark on either of them?

Martens-Corbett's clothing wasn't torn, there were no marks on her neck and a delicate filigree bracelet on her wrist wasn't bent, damaged or scratched despite the ordeal she just claimed she had just gone through.

In that death struggle which ended with Mr Corbett sustaining head injuries so savage they were compared to those in a severe car crash or a fall from a great height, how could Martens recall almost every single blow struck with a metal Louisville Slugger baseball bat and yet not have a single recollection of his son-in-law being struck by a brick?

That was despite the fact the brick was not only soaked in the Limerick man's blood but was also embedded with his hair fragments and tissue.

When it was lifted by forensic experts from the bedroom floor, it left its outline in blood on the carpet. Martens similarly hadn't a single mark on him - and his clothing was likewise intact and not torn. The questions for the jury just kept mounting.

How did the powerful sedative Trazedone end up in Mr Corbett's system when the medication was prescribed for his wife just two days earlier?

But perhaps most intriguing of all for the jurors was the single most glaring omission from the accounts of both the father and daughter - where was Sharon Martens, their wife and mother, during the violent and prolonged confrontation?

Read More: Killer sought to take place of children's mother, at the ultimate cost

Martens said he was awoken from sleep in the basement bedroom by the sounds of a scream coming from upstairs.

Before the counter-intelligence operative and lawyer had even testified to that fact in court, he had given a pre-trial interview outlining precisely the same sequence of events to ABC's '20/20' programme, one of the top shows in the US.

It was almost as if, in anticipating a negative outcome to the North Carolina trial, the father and daughter were attempting to lay the groundwork for public sympathy for a subsequent appeal.

Back on August 2, at 3am, Mrs Martens apparently never awoke and stayed firmly in the basement bedroom.

This was despite the "life or death fight" that the former FBI agent said he got engaged in upstairs with his son-in-law.

This included shouting and blows to the head which left Mr Corbett's blood spattered all over three separate rooms.

Throughout it all, Mrs Martens apparently never budged from the basement bedroom.

After Mr Corbett was left in a bloody pulp on his own bedroom floor, the father and daughter never called out to Mrs Martens for help or support.

She never ventured upstairs to see what had happened and neither Martens nor Martens-Corbett called on the mother-of-four to immediately call 911.

When Davidson County police officers arrived at the scene and brought the two children, Jack and Sarah, down from their bedrooms, Mrs Martens was still in the bedroom and in total ignorance of the horror that had unfolded upstairs just metres away from her.

"It just makes no sense," Mr Martin said.

"It is like she vanished from the face of the Earth in Tom Martens's testimony."

Mr Aamland revealed that jurors were clearly taken by aspects of the prosecution case.

This ranged from the forensic evidence to the powerful closing arguments of Mr Martin and Assistant District Attorney Greg Brown.

In concise reference to evidence from paramedics and the 911 dispatcher, Mr Brown told the jury they contended the father and daughter beat Mr Corbett into a bloodied pulp on the bedroom floor and then cruelly left him to die.

They delayed calling 911 to ensure he was dead - and then engaged in a charade of "fake" cardiac pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) efforts while a 911 dispatcher listened on the line.

Despite having allegedly performed 600 chest pumps between them on Mr Corbett's blood-soaked chest, there was no blood found on the palms of either the father or daughter.

Mr Martin went even further.

He said the jury could infer whether there had been an attempt to drug Mr Corbett with a fresh mint Mojito on the evening of August 1? There had also been multiple calls - more than half a dozen - made by Martens-Corbett to her parents as they made the four-hour drive from Knoxville for the unexpected visit to the Corbett home.

In evidence, Martens said he could not recall the phone calls from his daughter.

Mr Aamland revealed that, having been asked to consider a verdict by Judge David Lee at 3.22pm on Tuesday, the jurors were already unanimously agreed that first night that Martens was guilty of second-degree murder.

The jurors had indicated, in a preliminary vote, they were split 10-2 on whether Martens-Corbett was guilty of second-degree murder.

However by 11am the following day, the two dissenting jurors had reviewed the evidence and changed their minds.

At 11.25am, Mr Aamland confirmed to Judge Lee and a shocked courtroom that unanimous verdicts had been reached.

Martens-Corbett began sobbing before either she or her father were taken into custody for 15 minutes before Judge Lee dealt with sentencing.

"I'm really sorry, Mom - I wish he'd just killed me," she wept.

Her father, after 40 years in law enforcement, remained calm and impassive, assisting bailiffs and sheriffs by holding his hands directly out behind him so he could be handcuffed.

Read More: Jason asleep as Molly attacked, jurors believed

In the public gallery there were tears of two different kinds.

On the right side of the court, the Corbett family, their friends and supporters wept in relief.

Throughout, the family's dignified and courageous approach to the case impressed all who witnessed it.

Across the aisle, members of the Martens family sobbed uncontrollably. Some were visibly devastated by the verdicts.

Mrs Martens wept and had to be comforted by her brother, Federal employee and Afghanistan Reconstruction Executive official Michael Earnest.

Her son sobbed so much he had to hold his head in his hands in a bid to regain his composure.

Mr Aamland admitted it was difficult for the jury, too.

Five jurors wept openly as the verdict was handed down and, minutes later, once again as the father and daughter received minimum 20-year prison sentences.

When they were brought back into the court, the father and daughter were a study in contrasts.

Martens was impassive but clearly worried as to the upset of his daughter and wife.

Martens-Corbett was physically shaking with emotion.

When her father declined the opportunity to address the court, she spoke briefly in an address that was almost incoherent due to sobs and wails.

"I did not murder my husband," she cried. "My father did not murder my husband.

"The incidents of August 2 happened as they happened on a somewhat regular basis.

"The only difference is my father was there," she sobbed.

Minutes later, the duo were led out of Courtroom C in a phalanx of armed Davidson County bailiffs and sheriffs.

Just over two hours later, they had changed from their clothing - a simple blue dress and a smart dark suit - into prison issue clothing.

Both wore handcuffs tied to waist chains as they walked to the waiting prison truck for transfer to high security prisons in Raleigh.

In Martens's case it was to Central Prison, where he was placed in special protective custody given his law enforcement background.

In Martens-Corbett's case, it was to the North Carolina Correctional Institute for Women.

She arrived with a recommendation from Judge Lee that she receive whatever psychological and psychiatric supports she might require.

Before their prison van left Lexington, their legal teams confirmed they intended to lodge challenges to the convictions with the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

Mr Earnest, visibly shocked by the verdict, briefly spoke to reporters outside the courthouse.

"I just want to say, in my opinion, in my personal life this is the most atrocious miscarriage of justice I have ever been a part of," he said.

Outside the Davidson Courts complex, on Salem Street, just metres from Lexington Post Office, the Corbett family issued a public statement of thanks to the jury, the District Attorney's Office and the Davidson County Sheriff's Department.

Jason's sister, Tracey Lynch, spoke as she was greeted by a bank of TV crews and photographers.

Before they had even left the court building, the family were planning flights back home to the greater Limerick area.

After four weeks in the searing heat of a North Carolina summer, the rain of Ireland was something everyone was looking forward to.

Mrs Lynch, flanked by her sister Marilyn, said their family's priority now was providing a safe, happy and positive future for two children who lost both parents to tragedies before they were 10 years old.

"We want to create a good future for Jason's two children who he loved so much," she said.

Minutes earlier, Assistant District Attorney Alan Martin had summed up the mood of all who attended the gruelling trial which came to dominate headlines on both sides of the Atlantic.

"There is no joy, there is no triumph, there is no pride. There is just grief, grief and more grief," he said.

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Anatomy of a murder: the brutal killing of Jason Corbett - Independent.ie

Anatomy of a Crisis: The North Korea threat – Politico

Where North Korea can strike

For years, North Korea has had the ability to launch short-range missiles at targets up to 800 miles away. But this year, North Korea successfully tested intermediate-range and intercontinental ballistic missiles. Experts now think the country is capable of hitting targets more than 7,000 miles away, which includes cities in the continental United States.

Active U.S.

military

personnel

Missile type

KN-08

7,200 miles

Active U.S.

military

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Active U.S.

military

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North Koreas nuclear program has grown under Kim Jong Un, while missile ranges have considerably expanded. Kim conducted 24 missile tests in 2016 and 14 tests already in 2017.

Missile ranges

Apr. 9, 1984: North Korea first begins testing variants of Soviet Scud missiles.

Dec. 12, 2012: Kim Jong Un becomes ruler in the wake of his father's death.

July 28, 2017: North Korea fires its second intercontinental ballistic missile.

Failed missile tests

Only 2,100 miles southeast of North Korea, Guam is a strategic target because of its two American military bases Andersen Air Force Base and Naval Base Guam. There are 3,831 U.S. military personnel stationed there in addition to several B-1 bombers and fighter jets.

Andersen

US Air Force Base

Andersen

US Air Force Base

Andersen

US Air Force Base

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Anatomy of a Crisis: The North Korea threat - Politico

Review: Anatomy of Ferguson, From a Shooting to Activism – New York Times

Photo Brittany Ferrells activism in Ferguson, Mo., is a focal point of the documentary Whose Streets? Credit Autumn Lin/Magnolia Pictures

Whose Streets?, a documentary about the unrest and activism in Ferguson, Mo., in the wake of the 2014 police shooting of Michael Brown, an unarmed black teenager, is choppy, sometimes unfocused, and in every respect the opposite of slick. Its directors, Sabaah Folayan and Damon Davis, are novice filmmakers, true; but I also suspect this movies form is deliberate, part of its message. This is direct and frequently powerful filmmaking that doesnt much care about meeting my aesthetic standards.

A preview of the film.

Whose Streets? takes off from the night Mr. Brown was shot. One of the movies subjects is David Whitt, a resident of the apartment complex on the street where the shooting took place, who is moved to take his video camera onto the streets to record police action as rioting started. Another thread follows Brittany Ferrell and Alexis Templeton, a couple navigating parenthood and school, and putting themselves at considerable risk as they lead and participate in demonstrations like one in which they formed a human chain to block traffic on a highway.

The movie is punctuated with quotes by black historical figures Martin Luther King Jr.s observation that a riot is the language of the unheard is particularly resonant. Much of the footage is from low-resolution video cameras and cellphones; the most professional-looking material here is from a television interview with Officer Darren Wilson, who shot Mr. Brown, in which he says, You cant perform the duties of a police officer and have racism in you. This is shown in the same section that features on-the-fly shots of off-duty St. Louis police officers puffing their chests at activists at a town hall meeting. Another wrenching scene shows a protester trying to address a black female officer, the only person of color in a defensive line of cops; she holds her position even as tears fill her eyes.

Whose Streets?

Directors Sabaah Folayan, Damon Davis

Stars Brittany Ferrell, Tef Poe, Kayla Reed, Tory Russell, Alexis Templeton

Rating R

Running Time 1h 30m

Genre Documentary

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Review: Anatomy of Ferguson, From a Shooting to Activism - New York Times

The Anatomy of a Slogan – HuffPost

Steve Bannon: So we need to come up with a response to the latest threats from the putz with the bad haircut and small hands.

Donald Trump: (Begins tweeting) Thats FAKE NEWS! And my hands are not small! SAD!

Steve Bannon: Donald, were talking about Kim Jong. Wait a minute! This just in! The latest polls show that you have the highest ratings of any president in the history of the world!

Donald Trump: Ok. Thats more like it! Can I tee off now?

Stephen Miller: Anyway, I think it should be something catchy, something that would show the devastation that could be catastrophic if they dont stop focusing on this Russian investigation---err, uhI mean, that very bad man, Kim Jong.

Steve Bannon: Yeah, something that sends a strong message to the short-fingered vulgarian with the nasty do who doesnt seem to understand diplomatic language.

Donald Trump: Fake News Alert! My fingers are not small! They are tremendous fingers! And yuge!

Kelly Anne Conway: Oh look! Theyre talking about Donald on Fox News!

Donald Trump: Where? What channel?

Chris Christie: Would anyone care for a beverage? A hot towel?

Ivanka Trump: Can we wrap this up? Its almost the Sabbath. Ill say a special barucha that we find the right name to scare the bejeezus out of that little toad with the weird haircut and spindly fingers.

Donald Trump: Ivanka, my heart! Not you too! SAD!

Donald Jr: Im thinking this may a good time to expand the brand, add a few more prime properties to our portfolio.

Eric Trump: Hey! How about Guam? I heard that prices are way down on properties there!

Chris Christie: Anyone care for a cocktail? Ive got some pigs in a blanket warming in the oven

Ivanka Trump: My people have suffered enough. We do not eat treif!

Melania Trump: How about Shock and Awe?

Steve Bannon: Lets run some scary images of post-nuclear mushroom clouds, make some comparisons to the Bay of Pigs and

Ivanka Trump: Uh treif? Sheesh!

Donald Trump: I got it! Kim Jong, youre fired!

Chris Christie: Oh lookie here! Ive got a nice hot fudge sundae for the president with two scoops!

Donald Trump: With a cherry?

Chris Christie: Of course! Now its time for your nap.

Donald Trump: Oooh Vanilla! My favorite!

Voices begin to overlap, all chiming in, as the voices begin to fade Fire and brimstone, fierce and fiery, burn baby burn, blazing dystopia dreams, Make America Nuke Again, Wag the Korean Dog, Snova sdelat' Ameriku

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The Anatomy of a Slogan - HuffPost

Anatomy of a play: The drop heard around the world – The Phinsider

September 13, 2016

It was the first game of the 2016 NFL season and excitement for the New Miami was at an all-time high. The Dolphins had just signed new head coach Adam Gase and even though we got a sneak peek throughout the preseason, EVERYONE was excited to see his high-octane offense in action. Miamis Week 1 opponent was no slouch as the team traveled cross-country to take on NFC West powerhouse, Seattle Seahawks.

Thirty seconds into the second quarter, something big happened. Down 3-0, Ryan Tannehill heaved a beautiful ball 71-yards downfield. One of the leagues most dynamic wide receivers was wide open...

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Most fans remember this as if it were yesterday. It may or may not have been the difference in the end, as Miami went on to lose 12-10. What was most impressive is just how wide open Stills was.

Below is what the play looked like pre-snap.

Stills designed route on the play, was a seam down the middle of the field. However, what truly opened things up was Fosters out-and-up route on the sideline. His route occupied three members of the Legion of Boom. This forces the safety on Stills, who is wide open in the middle of the secondary.

As you can see at the bottom of the screen, Fosters route allows Stills to break free down the middle of Seattles defense. Earl Thomas reacts seconds too late and the rest is pitch and catch for the Dolphins offense. At least thats what we had assumed. Whether Stills was eager to reach the end zone, had a glare in his eyes, just finished eating a greasy hamburger or whatever may had happened, this is a catch he should have made.

In the picture below, we see ho many yards Stills has on the safety. When the ball falls mercifully from Stills hands, he has a good 5-10 yards on Thomas.

Im a big fan of Kenny Stills and have to believe this play haunts him on a regular basis. With the type of roller coaster ride weve had thus far in preseason, I felt like this was a better time than ever to revisit the infamous drop from Week 1. Lets just hope with a new contract and a second year in Gases offense, Kenny Stills will have a career year. The Dolphins could certainly use it.

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Anatomy of a play: The drop heard around the world - The Phinsider

Anatomy of a world championship: How ‘tiny’ Tom Walsh shot down the giants – Stuff.co.nz

MARC HINTON

Last updated05:00, August 13 2017

REUTERS

Tom Walsh wasn't the strongest in the world champs shot put field, but he did throw the furthest legally.

It was Jake the Muss in the iconic Kiwi movie Once Were Warriors who brutally encapsulated the delicate balance between "too much weights and not enough speed work". Tom Walsh may just have taken that theory to another level with his world championships shot put triumph in London.

Walsh tipped the shot put form book on its head when he knocked over the heavily favoured American duo of Ryan Crouser and Joe Kovacs to claim his first IAAF World Championships title, and continue his groundbreaking ways.

These are good times to be Tom Walsh, a part-time builder from Christchurch (by way of Timaru) who is laying some impressive foundations as an athlete. Last year he became the first Kiwi male to win a world indoors title; then followed that up by claiming New Zealand's first men's field event Olympic medal (a bronze) in Rio; and also becoming the first bloke from these parts to claim an overall Diamond league crown.

KAI PFAFFENBACH/REUTERS

Tom Walsh throws in the men's shot put final in London.

Now with his world championship triumph early Monday (NZT) at London's Olympic stadium, Walsh has struck a further blow for blokedom, becoming the first Kiwi male to make the podium at the global event. The US$60,000 (NZ$82,000) bonus he achieved for doing so was just a delicious icing on the cake.

READ MORE*Walsh fires up over protests*Groin tear won't hold Walsh back*Walsh banks $82,000bonus

It wasn't easy for Walsh in London as he had to suck up an agonising groin tear on the eve of the event and compete through gritted teeth, and then survive multiple protests from both Crouser and Kovacs in the aftermath that left the final outcome in doubt right up until just minutes before the medal ceremony the next evening.

But the protests were all eventually thrown out and Walsh was able to limp on to the podium to receive a richly deserved gold medal that was a blow not just for the underdog, with Crouser and Kovacs owning the year's 10 biggest throws between them, but also for the comparative "little guy".

Yes, Walsh, at 1.85 metres and around 124kg is pretty damn big to be anyone's idea of small. But these things are comparative.

Crouser, a giant of a man, stands 2.03m and tips the scales around 141kg. The more compact Kovacs is still a full 10kg heavier than Walsh. They are both power men. They muscle the shot put, rather than finesse it.

Brazilian monster Darlan Romani, who was fifth in Rio last year but failed to make the final in London, nudges the scales at 140kg and is reputed to be bench-pressing 300kg in his workouts.

"There are two major ways to throw," says Walsh. "You can be strong or you can be fast. I'm not overly strong and I'm not overly big either. I'm definitely the speed and rhythm kind of guy. Most of the guys are strength kind of guys get very strong in the gym and you'll throw far.

"Yes, I am stronger than probably 99 percent of Kiwis. But in terms of world shot put I'm not overly strong.

"Put it this way, if it was a strongman contest, I'd be way out the arse-end."

But it's not. The pre-throw whirly-gig routine in the circle is as important as the actual release of the 7.2kg silver sphere. And the 25-year-old Walsh is so very good at generating the low-to-the-ground speed that then transfers into power on the throw.

For a big man, he is remarkably light on his feet, and it's an attribute he has honed into a game-changing point of difference.

Not that Crouser, whose only quality throw in London was red-flagged (thus his protest, and then re-protest), can be surprised by what played out. Back in February, when he beat Walsh twice in meets in Christchurch and Auckland by throwing over 22 metres in both, he remarked about the difference in style.

"I'm bigger and stronger than I was last year, so I'm kind of muscling it out there," he said after throwing 22.15m to win the Auckland Track Challenge. "You see Tom is lot quicker and has a lot more finesse than I do, and he's definitely in cleaner form.

"He's an unbelievable competitor, and he's one of those guys you can have a big lead on and he can throw a monster when the pressure is on. You never really beat Tom till that last throw is done."

What Walsh has also become is the most consistent performer on the shot put scene. He had five of the top six throws in London with a series of remarkable quality: 21.38m, 21.64m, 21.75m, 21.70, 21.63m and, then, saving his best for last, 22.03m.

On a day when his rivals struggled to find their best stuff at least legally the smiling Kiwi was quite simply a man apart.

Walsh puts that down to his accent on technique, timing and speed, and a strong mindset that has been a big part of the work undertaken with coach Dale Stevenson and sports psychologist John Quinn.

"Mentally I was in a really good place. I knew exactly what I needed to do and I stuck with that. Dale and John and I always talk about sticking to what's been working in training, and what has been working in training is getting out and around at the back of the circle.

"That means flowing through the back of the circle in terms of acceleration, and then a strong left side. If I've got a strong left side, all my power goes into my left side and it pops up, and that keeps me in the circle."

Remember, the best throws of both Crouser and Kovacs in London (both would have won the gold medal if legal) were red-flagged. The sport is not just about chucking tin a long way. But doing it within the rules of the game.

Walsh does a lot of mental work now. It's something he's, well, got his head around.

"When you're young, you don't think it's important. You think physical attributes are important. I bombed out at the world juniors the year Jacko (Kiwi rival Jacko Gill) won. I went from throwing 20 metres in the warmup area to throwing 18 metres in the competition arena.

"I thought, 'well, what's the reason?'. From there, it's been a long and gradual process over the last seven years to get to where I am now. My routines are very structured and I know exactly what works for me."

The burly Kiwi is also a competitor. "It was great to come in when everyone was talking about those two (Crouser and Kovacs) and do the deed. No one was talking about me, and that was good. Kiwis compete well with a chip on their shoulder.

"It's a great feeling to know we've achieved what we set out to after Rio. We said we'll probably need to throw mid-22s to win in London. I got myself into that shape, but on the day no one managed to throw that far, and I took the cake."

Yes, the sweet taste of success went to not the biggest, meanest or strongest. But the man who figured out that if you don't get the balance between speed-work and weights, there is most definitely a price to pay.

-Sunday Star Times

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Anatomy of a world championship: How 'tiny' Tom Walsh shot down the giants - Stuff.co.nz

Grey’s Anatomy introduces a ‘controversial’ new doc – EW.com

To celebrate Fall TV and our huge Fall TV Preview issue hitting stands on Sept. 15 EW is bringing you 50 scoops in 50 days, a daily dish on some of your favorite shows. Follow the hashtag #50Scoops50Days on Twitter and Instagram to keep up with the latest, and check EW.com/50-Scoops for all the news and surprises.

Grey Sloan will be rocked by even more family drama when Greys Anatomy returns this fall.

EW has learned exclusively that Italian actress Stefania Spampinato has booked a multi-episode arc as the sister of Giacomo Gianniottis Andrew DeLuca.

Carina DeLuca will actually take up residence as a new doc at Grey Sloan, which becomes a bit of a nightmare situation of Andrew. This year, were going to definitely have DeLucas character a little more fleshed out with the arrival of his sister from Italy, Gianniotti tells EW. Were going to see a new dynamic in the hospital as his sister arrives, and its not exactly good news; hes frustrated by it.

She has a very interesting and controversial some would say profession within the medical field, which makes him uncomfortable, Gianniotti continues. Its a thorn in his side, her being there, but everybody else is quite fond of her. She will be working [at the hospital], and shes going to help tell the story of DeLuca and how he comes from Italy. Theyre going to speak a little bit of Italian, which will be nice for the Italian fans, because [the shows] so big in Italy.

The news comes on the heels of Abigail Spencer joining the cast for a multi-episode arc, replacing Bridget Regan as Owens sister Megan Hunt, who has been presumed dead for the last decade.

Greys Anatomy will return with a two-hour premiere on Thursday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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Grey's Anatomy introduces a 'controversial' new doc - EW.com

Study Aims to Develop Hybrid Gross Anatomy Curriculum – UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences News

Stuart D. Inglis, PhD, left, and Scott T. Doyle, PhD, are developing a model for a hybrid gross anatomy curriculum that integrates digital scans with cadaveric dissection.

Published August 10, 2017

Department ofPathology and Anatomical Sciences researchers are studying waysto develop a hybrid gross anatomy curriculum that fuses digitizedCT scans with actual cadaveric dissection.

Hybrid Program Offers Best of Both Worlds

Gross anatomy programs are expensive and extremelyresource-intensive, requiring a lot of infrastructure to set up andoperate.

The Jacobs School of Medicineand Biomedical Sciences is fortunate to have a productive andgenerous AnatomicalGift Program, but many institutions do not have the necessaryresources and are looking at replacing their cadaver programs withan entire digital way of learning using standard CT datasets or downloads from the Internet as a way of learning humangross anatomy.

Students benefit from a tactile and kinesthetic mode oflearning, says ScottT. Doyle, PhD, assistant professor of pathology and anatomicalsciences. Dissection, the process of learning through doing,is really important and we think its critical for studentsto learn that while they are going through theirtraining.

The amount of raw data that digital scans provide can be used tobuild upon the inherent value that exists in cadaveric dissection,he says.

Scans Help Students Learn About Human Variation

Doyle and StuartD. Inglis, PhD, instructor of pathology and anatomicalsciences, are co-principal investigators on a 2017 SeedGrant for Promoting Pedagogical Innovation through the Center for EducationInnovation, that will study the best ways to integrate the datafrom CT scans into a gross anatomy curriculum.

The medical school receives about 600 donations a year throughits anatomical donation gifts program, and initiated a CT scanproject in 2014 in order to create a database.

RaymondP. Dannenhoffer, PhD, director of the anatomical gift program,felt that high-resolution scans of some of the cadavers comingthrough the gross anatomy program would be useful for teachingstudents not only about the human form, but also about humanvariation.

That often doesnt come through if you are using aclassic textbook example because in that instance you get oneexample of what the human form is like and you dont reallyget an appreciation for all the things you might see in clinicalpractice or the real world, Doyle says.

Digital Images Provide Useful Roadmaps

As part of their gross anatomy lab, medical students are givenCT scans on USB drives to refer back to throughout the course.

Inglis notes there are several advantages to using CT scans in agross anatomy setting.

Being able to look at scans prior to dissection, studentscan identify some interesting pathologies, he says.They can see kidney stones, pacemaker units or jointreplacements. When they are about to dissect, it gives them abetter perspective on what they are about to find.

Inglis says it also allows students to start to make directcomparisons between the dissected body and the radiologicalimages.

Its one experience to dissect, but as they move onin their careers they will be looking at digital representations ofproblems they see in MRIs and CT scans, he adds.

Visualizing Data in 3-D Space Extremely Useful

In its gross anatomy labs, the medical school utilizes a devicecalled a visualization table that is manufactured by Sectra, aSwedish company.

It has a giant touchscreen, a computer inside it and USBports on the side. Students can plug in a USB drive and uploadtheir scan, Doyle says. It allows you to visualizethe CT scans in 3-D. It takes a certain range of CT values andmakes them look solid, and then renders them, so you can spin itaround and zoom in and look at the data that way.

Inglis says the best analogy is thinking of the CT scans asslices of bread and the visualization table putting them togetherto present the whole picture.

When you look at the literature on replacing cadavericdissection with digital models, you see the students find thedigital models more convenient because they dont have tocome to a physical lab and deal with all of the technicalities ofperforming a dissection, but they value the education they get fromactual dissection, Doyle says.

There is inherent value in both of these modes ofteaching and that is why we are thinking about this as a hybridprogram that uses traditional cadaveric dissection as well asdigital modeling of the CT scans.

For this project I am interested in looking at thevariation structure from a quantitative standpoint, Doyleadds. From an engineering standpoint, all the data for these3-D models is contained in these grayscale images and the questionis how best to represent them in 3-D space.

User Feedback Key Component of Study

As part of the study, the researchers plan to seek studentfeedback, Doyle says.

We definitely want to know how they are using it.Students are very good at prioritizing what they are going to spendtheir time on, he says. They want to excel in thecourse so they are going to find the most efficient way of usingthe data.

One of the big concerns we have is to make sure we aredoing this in a way that is not going to inconvenience them or notgoing to hamper their ability to learn.

Diverse Data Set Most Desirable

Inglis notes that many institutions that are thinking aboutadopting the digital-only model intend to use a single, unifiedbody for teaching purposes.

In recent years, there have been scans of two bodies thathave been used from school to school, but it has been documented inthe literature that in those cases, there have been a number ofanatomical variations identified in these bodies that are now beingpresented as the norm, which is problematic.

In some cases, there are advantages to all medicalstudents from around the country learning from the same sort ofcontent map, but at the same time there are also some very seriousissues with that, he says.

Whereas, if a more diverse data set were available, studentscould gain a better sense of appreciation for variation, Inglissays.

3-D Models Aid in Finding Anatomical Landmarks

Looking at the human body in 3-D form is extremely helpful forstudents trying to find different anatomical landmarks oranatomical structures they need to know, Doyle says.

A good example that is a problem for students are cranialnerves, which tend to have loops and insert into the skull indifferent ways so they are often difficult to see, both on a flatCT scan and during dissection, he adds.

Having a 3-D model where they can identify those nervesand where they enter the skull and how they move is going to bevery useful.

Potential Applications in Surgical Planning Procedures

While the grant is focused on the educational side of theequation, Doyle notes other researchers working in areas such as3-D printing and surgical planning are interested in the study.

In the course of figuring out how to work with this data,we anticipate there are different directions this could go from aresearch standpoint, he says.

One example is a project they are undertaking with a hepaticsurgeon who is interested in the biliary tree that lies between thegallbladder and the liver.

The way in which the ducts connect the gallbladder to the maintrunk of the biliary tree can have implications for how a surgeongoes in to remove a tumor.

In about two-thirds of individuals, the artery to thegallbladder lies behind the duct that needs to be cut, which meansthat in one-third it lies in front, Inglis says.

If you go in and are not precise as to where it is and ifthe artery is severed first, that becomes a medical emergencybecause that creates a massive internal hemorrhage.

Being able to take a scan of a patient and reconstructing a 3-Dstructure before printing it out to provide to a surgeon is goingto be very useful in terms of planning, Doyle says.

At the end of the day, what we are trying to do isimprove patient care by making better doctors on the education sideor by using the data in a way to help practicing physicians treattheir patients better, he says.

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Study Aims to Develop Hybrid Gross Anatomy Curriculum - UB School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences News

Spoiler Room: Scoop on Blindspot, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Grey’s Anatomy, and more – EW.com (blog)

Welcome to the Spoiler Room, a safe place for spoiler addicts to come on a weekly basis to learn whats coming next on their favorite shows and, hopefully, get a few of their own questions answered. If you want scoop on a specific show, send your questions to spoilerroom@ew.com.

Anything new to tease for season 3 of Blindspot? TonyIf youre wondering what has happened to the team over the last 18 months thats the exact amount of time that has passed when we pick back up with Jane and Weller answers will come very quickly this season. Youll see flashbacks, EP Martin Gero promises. We hope to fill in a lot of it right away in the first two or three minutes of the show. No fan of the show will want to miss the opening of the season that will endeavor to fill in a lot of what the hell is going on. Why did she run away? Are Jane and Weller married? All those questions will be answered in the first few minutes.

How long will Jake and Rosa be in jail on Brooklyn Nine-Nine? JessicaIf Boyle has his way, not long! Hes determined to make sure that his friends innocence is known to the rest of the world, Joe Lo Truglio tells me. So hes doing everything he can, hes tailing Hawkins and hes trying to take advantage of her making a mistake. But expect to find a very different Boyle in Jakes absence when the show returns. Theyve got a wonderful cold open to show his depression, which rivals and dare I say surpasses him breaking up with Vivian in the Matrix leather coat cold open.

Where is the new season of Greys Anatomy picking up? KarolineRight where we left off, so everyone is still reeling in the wake of the finale explosion. But it wont be long before theres a shakeup at Grey Sloan. Theres obviously some damage to the hospital, Kelly McCreary says. But it is, in true Greys Anatomy style, a completely surmountable obstacle, because we are superhuman doctors. It serves more as a metaphor of the transformation that the show is going to go through tonally. Its lighter this season. The hospital definitely is undergoing some changes in the form of a new crop of students coming in. Itll look a bit different in certain areas, and some relationships have come to an end or are blossoming, so repairing the damage is more of a metaphor.

Any Chicago P.D. news would be great. MarAntonio is back in Intelligence, as a case in the premiere reconnects him with his former family. The suspect that theyre going after, they hit a bump in the road and they need someone to come in that this guy has never seen and can do a great job undercover, and thats where Antonio comes in, Jon Seda tells me, teasing that Antonio will bump heads with Voight over certain new policies within Intelligence this year.

Will Kuasa crossing paths with Ray on Vixen be addressed on Legends of Tomorrow? ColemanYes, and his knowledge of Kuasa just may help the Legends version of Vixen. If you go back and look at Vixen season 2, I wouldnt exactly call her fighting alongside Ray, shes always been morally questionable, EP Marc Guggenheim says. But I think thats what makes it interesting as far as Amaya is concerned is that Ray, at the appropriate moment, will accurately tell her that there were moments where Kuasa was capable of selfless good, so I think that gives Amaya a little bit of hope.

Do you know anything more about Reginas alter-ego on Once Upon a Time? BradenBar owner Roni is very, very different from Regina, so prepare yourselves. Shes given up a little bit on life, Lana Parrilla tells me. She seems a little hopeless when we first meet her, and then Henry comes to town and things start to shift a little bit. But dont expect his arrival to immediately spark Reginas memories. No, theres nothing there, and I like that. Shes just asleep. Shes not quite in touch with all that stuff yet. A few more things need to happen before she starts getting that feeling. Although, she is inspired by a character, and it shifts her a bit, at the end of the first episode.

Anything on the Hawaii Five-0 team in season 8? ElizabethI hear theres going to be another new member of the team but its definitely not who (or what!) youre expecting. There is a story thats coming up, it actually was Alex OLoughlins idea, EP Peter Lenkov says. I wanted to do a story where the victim left in the wake of a tragedy was a dog who lost its owner. Its a very emotional, really great story. Its a dog thats a drug sniffing service dog that McGarrett ends up adopting. Its a really emotional journey, but it was his idea to keep the dog, and I thought that was a great one.

Hand over some Scandal scoop! DangerWaveWith Cyrus sliding into the White House as VP to Mellies POTUS, Jake will somewhat be sidelined but his continued role in the White House will put some pressure on the dynamic between Jake and Olivia. The interesting thing for Jake is that hes still the head of the NSA, but Olivia being Chief of Staff is sort of his boss, which is a position theyve never really find themselves in and a dynamic we have yet to explore, Scott Foley says. Its going to cause some waves in the water of love.

How will Gretchen be handling Jimmys disappearing act on Youre the Worst this season? MalloyNot well. Not well at all. Believe me, Gretchen does something so shocking in the premiere and enlists Lindsay to do it, too that you will have to remind yourself of the title of the show before you fall down a rabbit hole. And it only gets worse from there. Theres some weird sh that goes down, Aya Cash says. There are so many different kinds of bad, let me put it that way. Even so, Cash has hopes that Gretchen and Jimmy will eventually reconcile. I do because this show is about them and theyre going to have to figure it out, she says. I feel like were heading toward something positive. They start to work out how to be around each other and how to engage in a healthier way. But will she get payback on Jimmy for abandoning her? Yes, Cash says with a smirk.

Any scoop on the season finale of Shadowhunters? TaylorA. lot. happens. Youll find out whether weve seen the last of Jonathan within the finales first minute, but regardless of what happens there, theres still the matter of stopping Valentine. And lets just say that battle is filled with big decisions for Clary, none of which shell be able to take back, and the consequences of which will play heavily into next season. That cryptic enough?

This week in TV: TCA is finally over! You can read all the coverage from our incredibly hard-working TV team here.

Thats a wrap on this weeks Spoiler Room. Be sure to email your questions to spoilerroom@ew.com or tweet them to @NatalieAbrams.

Additional reporting by Samantha Highfill.

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Spoiler Room: Scoop on Blindspot, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Grey's Anatomy, and more - EW.com (blog)

Anatomy of a suddenly sick Obamacare insurer – CBS News

Headlines have been screaming for months about big insurers such as Aetna (AET), United Healthcare (UNH) and Humana (HUM) pulling out of the Obamacare marketplaces because they couldn't make the exchange business profitable. As a result, dozens of counties throughout the country have been left with only one or no insurance choice on their exchange.

Against that backdrop, two smaller insurers that focus primarily on the Medicaid market -- Molina Healthcare (MOH) and Centene (CNC) -- were frequently noted as companies that can successfully navigate the uncertain and complicated exchange business. Many states looked to them and small regional or local insurers to help fill the increasing gaps the big names were leaving behind.

So it came as a bit of shock when Molina announced on Aug. 2 it would exit the exchanges in Wisconsin and Utah, scale back its exchange business in Washington state and leave the door open to pull out of other exchanges in the near future.

What's more, in marketplaces where it will continue to operate, Molina has submitted an average 55 percent premium increase to state regulators, partly due to the uncertainty over the future of federal cost sharing payments.

The news came amid Molina's report of a steep second-quarter earnings loss of $4.10 a share, compared to a 58 cent per share gain during the same period a year earlier. It also followed the ouster in May of Chief Executive Mario Molina and Chief Financial Officer John Molina, brothers who are sons of company founder David Molina. In the earnings report, Molina also announced a major restructuring, which includes about 1,500 layoffs, approximately 7 percent of its workforce.

Until all this bad news broke, Molina was one of the prime examples of an insurer that could actually make the exchanges work. (Centene still does and is expanding its exchange business.) Major insurers like Aetna and United Health, accustomed to the more stable employer-sponsored health insurance market, racked up losses in the exchange business in part because they were surprised by the large number of high-cost patients who signed up.

Molina's business focuseson administering Medicaid health plans for low-income and disabled patients. As a result, the company has experience with managing narrow networks of lower-cost health care providers. "The idea is to arbitrage low-reimbursement providers into exchanges where the competition is paying a lot more," explained Robert Laszewski, president of consulting firm Health Policy and Strategy Associates. "There's an opportunity for profit there."

Molina found it could compete for the no-frills end of the exchange market and enjoy a robust volumne of patient sign-ups. According to Laszewski's estimates, Molina had a track record of enrolling as much as 70 percent of eligible participants in the various markets it participated in. A pool that big offers enough healthy individuals to help stabilize risk, he added.

What went wrong?

According to Joseph White, interim CEO of Molina, the company became overwhelmed with its ACA business, including unexpected increases in medical costs and claims. "We did not adjust for growth in the ACA marketplace," White told analysts in a conference call last week. He explained that the company focused resources on existing processes and technologies instead of a full redesign that would have helped it better deal with ACA growth.

"That was a mistake," said White. "The marketplace shares fundamentals of the Medicaid market, but it's also very different," he added.

In addition, speculated Laszewski, as Molina expanded into new markets and became a more dominant player in others, it may have strayed from its core base of low-income customers, adding costs and risks it couldn't deal with.

"Every company has to analyze every market to make sure they're making money in every market," said Dan Mendelson, chief executive of Avalere Health. Say a plan with bad risk drops out of the market, he added. "You may get saddled with that risk as you pick up those customers."

Molina's bad news leaves exchange consumers with even less choice and more uncertainty than they were already facing in light of failed GOP efforts to repeal and replace Obamacare and the Trump administration's threats to discontinue support for the system.

As commitment deadlines for insurers approach, state insurance commissioners are working hard to convince them to stay in the exchanges and keep at least a bare minimum of coverage. In addition, small, local, often nonprofit players such as L.A. Care Health Plan are trying to fill gaps where they can, while heeding the lessons from Molina's recent mess.

Will these efforts be enough? Consumers may have to wait until open enrollment begins on Nov. 1 to find out.

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Anatomy of a suddenly sick Obamacare insurer - CBS News