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FILE- In this Friday, Jan. 18 2013 file photo, activists hold signs during a rally at New York's City Hall to call for immediate action on paid sick days legislation. Two months after a severe flu season forced millions of workers to stay home, paid sick time is becoming an issue for many small business owners. (AP Photo/Mary Altaffer)

Two months after a severe flu season forced millions of workers to stay home, paid sick time is becoming an issue for many small business owners.

City councils in Portland, Ore., and Philadelphia earlier this month approved laws requiring employers to give their workers paid sick leave. And two Democratic lawmakers introduced a bill in Congress that would make paid sick leave a federal requirement.

There?s a great divide among business owners over the issue. On one side are opponents who say paid sick time creates financial and administrative burdens for businesses that are struggling with a still recovering economy and uncertainty about health care costs and federal budget cuts. Others argue that it makes for a happier workplace and encourages employees to stay home instead of coming to work and infecting everyone around them.

"It increases morale, it increases loyalty, it provides a much safer work environment," says Andy Shallal, owner of Busboys and Poets, a chain of four restaurants in the Washington D.C., area. He was already giving his workers paid sick time before the Washington City Council passed a sick leave law in 2008. It?s particularly important in the restaurant business that sick employees don?t come to work.

"It?s gross. Nobody wants to have anyone preparing their food when they?re sick," Shallal says.

A lot of Americans get paid sick leave, including many who work at small businesses. A study issued in July by the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that 66 percent of small businesses, those with up to 499 workers, provided paid sick leave. Among companies with fewer than 50 workers, half provided leave. Eighty-two percent of workers at companies with 500 or more employees have paid sick leave.

Lawmakers have been stepping in to get paid sick leave extended to more workers. San Francisco is widely believed to be the first major city to enact a paid sick leave law. The law, which requires that sick time be given to all workers, took effect in 2007. Since then, Washington, Seattle and Connecticut have enacted laws and Portland?s City Council passed its bill on March 13. The laws aren?t identical, but all generally provide for workers to accrue sick time and to also use it for family illnesses and some types of emergencies.

Paid sick leave has run into roadblocks in other cities. Philadelphia?s City Council passed its bill March 14, but Mayor Michael Nutter vetoed a similar bill in 2011. He hasn?t decided yet whether he?ll sign the latest bill, spokesman Mark McDonald says.

Among the consequences cited by opponents of paid sick time: Companies will have to pay overtime to replacement workers, financially strapping businesses that are already struggling in an uncertain economy. The added expense will prevent them from expanding, or hiring other workers. Keeping track of accrued sick time will force an owner or another employee to take time away from other critical tasks.

Those issues are likely to be raised in Congress, where Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-Conn., and Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, have reintroduced the Healthy Families Act, which would require that workers be allowed to earn up to seven days of paid sick time a year. DeLauro has introduced such a bill in every Congress since 2004. In the last Congress, the bill didn?t make it to the House floor.

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DeLauro expects opposition from small businesses, but she notes that companies with fewer than 50 employees will be exempt.

"This is not only helpful for workers, but smart for employers," she said in an interview with The Associated Press. "It reduces turnover, increases productivity and prevents the spread of illness."

A study by the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics issued last month showed that workers generally take few sick days. Those in industries including financial services, information, transportation and professional services took an average of about four sick days a year. Those in the leisure, hospitality and construction industries took about two days.

Many small company owners say paid sick time is good business.

"We like many bookstores in the country do not pay exceptionally well," says Bradley Graham, owner of Politics & Prose in Washington. "We?re very happy to be able to offer additional compensation to the staff in the form of paid sick leave."

Fears that businesses won?t be able to grow if they have to pay for sick time are groundless, says Andy Shallal, the Washington restaurant owner.

"With sick leave, we?ve expanded, we?ve hired more people," Shallal says. "Business associations tend to go through this apoplectic fit almost to scare people into believing this is going to be a horrible thing for business, when in reality, it?s not."

Another reason why many business owners support the laws is they don?t want people coming into work and infecting co-workers and customers.

"There?s much more awareness among employers about public health concerns," says Ophelia Galindo, a human resources consultant with Buck Consultants in Orange County, Calif. "It?s much better for that sick employee to be at home ? even employers that are struggling realize that?s important."

Joyce Rosenberg covers small business for The Associated Press.

Source: http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/money/56073552-79/sick-paid-workers-leave.html.csp

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JERUSALEM (AP) ? Catholics and Protestants flocked to churches to celebrate Easter on Sunday in the Holy Land and across the broader Middle East, praying, singing and rejoicing as a new pope pleaded for peace in the region.

Some Mideast Christian communities are in flux, while others feel isolated from their Muslim-majority societies. In places like Iraq, they have sometimes been the victims of bloody sectarian attacks.

At St. Joseph Chaldean Church in Baghdad, some 200 worshippers attended an Easter mass that the Rev. Saad Sirop led behind concrete blast walls and a tight security cordon. Churches have been under tighter security since a 2010 attack killed dozens.

"We pray for love and peace to spread through the world," said worshipper Fatin Yousef, 49, who arrived immaculately dressed for the holiday. She wore a black skirt, low-heeled pumps and a striped shirt and her hair tumbled in salon-created curls.

It was the first Easter since the election of Pope Francis and she and others expressed hope in their new spiritual leader. "We hope Pope Francis will help make it better for Christians in Iraq," she said.

The pope spoke of the Middle East in his first Easter message, pleading for Israelis and Palestinians to resume negotiations to "end a conflict that has lasted all too long."

He also called for peace in Iraq and in Syria. "How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution to the crisis will be found?" Francis asked.

In Jerusalem, Catholics worshipped in the church of the Holy Sepulcher, built on a hill where tradition holds that Jesus was crucified, briefly entombed and then resurrected. The cavernous, maze-like structure is home to different churches belonging to rival sects that are crammed into different nooks and even the roof.

Clergy in white and gold robes led the service held around the Edicule, the small chamber at the core of the church marking the site of Jesus' tomb. Many foreign visitors were among the worshippers.

"It's very special," said Arthur Stanton, a visitor from Australia. "It represents the reason why we were put on this planet, and the salvation that has come to us through Jesus."

Israel's Tourism Ministry said it expects some 150,000 visitors during holy week and the Jewish festival of Passover, which coincide this year. It is one of the busiest times of the year for the local tourism industry.

Protestants held Easter ceremonies outside Jerusalem's walled Old City at the Garden Tomb, a small, enclosed green area that some identify as the site of Jesus' burial. Another service was held at the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, Jesus' traditional birthplace.

Catholics and Protestants, who follow the new, Gregorian calendar, celebrate Easter on Sunday. Orthodox Christians, who follow the old, Julian calendar, will mark it in May.

There are no precise numbers on how many Christians there are in the Middle East. Census figures showing the size of religious and ethnic groups are hard to obtain.

Christian populations are thought to be shrinking or at least growing more slowly than their Muslim compatriots in much of the Middle East, largely due to emigration as they leave for better opportunities and to join families abroad. Some feel more uncomfortable amid growing Muslim majorities that they see as becoming more outwardly pious and politically Islamist over the decades.

The situation for some Mideast Christians is in flux.

In Syria, Christians, who make up some 10 percent of the country's 23 million people, have mostly stayed on the sidelines of the two-year civil war. While outraged by the regime of Bashar Assad's brutal efforts to quash the opposition, they are equally frightened by the Islamist rhetoric of many rebels and their heavy reliance on extremist fighters.

Christians make up some 10 percent of Egypt's 85 million people. Human rights groups say the police under former authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak rarely took the needed steps to prevent flare-ups of violence against Christians, a situation that persisted since he was overthrown in 2011. The rise of Islamists in Egypt has emboldened extremists to target churches and Coptic property, leading to a spike in attacks and sometimes unprecedented steps like the evacuation of entire Christian populations from villages.

In Libya, most Christians are Egyptian laborers who are working in the oil-rich country. Tensions rose last month after assailants torched a church in the eastern city of Benghazi and militias arrested some 100 Christians, mostly Egyptian, accusing them of proselytizing.

In Iraq, Christians have suffered repeated attacks by Islamic militants since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion, and hundreds of thousands have left the country. Church officials estimate that the Christian communities have shrunk by at least half. The worst attack was at Baghdad's soaring Our Lady of Salvation church in October 2010 that killed more than 50 worshippers and wounded scores of others.

There currently are an estimated 400,000 to 600,000 Christians in Iraq, with most belonging to ancient eastern churches. Some two-thirds of Iraq's Christians are Catholics of the Chaldean church and the smaller Assyrian Catholic church. Members of both churches chant in dialects of ancient Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke.

Yousef, the worshipper in Baghdad, said lingering fear pushed her to send her son to live with relatives in Arizona last year. Yousef said she was arranging for her other daughter and son to immigrate.

"There's still fear here, and there's no stability in this country," she said.

Iraqi officials have made efforts to secure churches since the violence of 2010.

High blast walls topped with wire netting and barbed wire surrounded the St. Joseph Church in Baghdad's middle-class district of Karradeh. Four Iraqi Christian volunteers stood at the church entrance, double-checking the people entering. And blue-khaki clad Iraqi police guarded roads surrounding the church and checked papers of passers-by as worshippers filed inside.

White-robed church volunteers marched down the church aisle behind Father Sirop, who waved incense and chanted in the white-painted church adorned with three ornate chandeliers and a series of simple paintings illustrating the life of Christ.

Worshippers stood for lengthy passages of Sirop's mass, at one point bursting into applause when he told them, "Celebrate! You are Christians!"

___

Hadid reported from Baghdad. Follow Hadid on twitter.com/diaahadid and Goldenberg on twitter.com/tgoldenberg

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/christians-holy-land-mideast-celebrate-easter-143435186.html

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When the building walls whether residential or commercial, get dirty due to oil, dust and due to seasonal damages, then we all require someone who can clean the walls, terrace and the muddy surface . Today, there are professionals services that are equipped with modern technologies and tools to clean the oily and muddy surface of the places. Awning cleaning is one of the best solution provided by the advanced pro clean services in the country.

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There are companies that have complete more than two decades in the industry. Restoring the clean surfaces and eliminating the dirt from the describe places have been the achievements claimed by the company in the industry. The services that includes residential services, exterior home cleaning, deck cleaning, deck sealing, brick cleaning, concrete/stone patio, garage floor, & driveway cleaning, window washing, parking lot striping, graffiti removal, parking garage cleaning, power sweeping and scrubbing, post construction clean-up, sidewalk cleaning, gum removal, awning cleaning, gas station cleaning, etc.

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SEATTLE (Reuters) - Two Washington state fifth-grade boys, accused in a foiled plot to rape and kill a girl and kill or harm six other classmates, will stand trial as juveniles, a prosecutor said on Friday.

Stevens County Prosecutor Tim Rasmussen said the boys, 11 and 10, pleaded not guilty during an arraignment on Friday over the alleged murder-rape plot that also targeted other children in Colville, Washington, about 215 miles east of Seattle.

One of the boys wanted the girl dead because "she's rude and always made fun of me and my friends," according to court documents.

"There are very few prosecutions of a crime of this magnitude with boys of this age," Rasmussen told Reuters.

Stevens County Superior Court Judge Allen Nielson determined during the hearing that the boys had the capacity to understand right and wrong, Rasmussen said.

Under Washington state law, children ages 8 to 12 are presumed not to have the mental capacity to form an intention to commit a crime. Juvenile court is typically reserved for defendants between ages 12 and 18.

The 10-year-old suspect was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, juvenile firearm possession and witness tampering, Rasmussen said.

The younger boy had taken a gun that originally belonged to his grandfather from his older brother's room, according to a declaration of probable cause.

The 11-year-old was charged with conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, possession of a dangerous weapon, a knife, at school and tampering with a witness, Rasmussen said.

The boys planned to lure the girl away from school in Colville, a town of 4,600 people in eastern Washington, according to court documents.

A teacher found a list of six more targeted classmates, prosecutors said.

The fifth-graders had boarded a school bus on February 7 with a knife, a semi-automatic pistol and ammunition in a backpack on their way to Fort Colville Elementary School, prosecutors said.

A fourth-grader on the bus saw the knife and reported it to a teacher's aide, prosecutors said. One of the suspects later said he would kill the student who told school officials about the weapons, they said.

If convicted of all charges, the boys could each be sentenced to 103 to 127 weeks unless a judge finds "manifest injustice" and orders a longer sentence, Rasmussen said.

The boys have been expelled from the school district indefinitely. A status hearing is set for April 8.

(Reporting by Laura Myers; Editing by Ian Simpson and Eric Beech)

(c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2013. Check for restrictions at: http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/2a25f309/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Cid0C513780A90A/story01.htm

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WASHINGTON (AP) ? President Barack Obama is wishing a joyful Easter to those who celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

In his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama says the Easter and Passover holidays give millions of Christians, Jews and people of other faiths a chance to slow down and recommit themselves to loving their neighbors and seeing everyone as a child of God.

Jews celebrated Passover at sundown on Monday. Easter is Sunday.

In the Republican address, Rep. Terry Lee of Nebraska called for approval of the proposed Keystone XL pipeline to bring oil from Canada's tar sands to Texas Gulf Coast refineries. Lee says the project would help create tens of thousands of jobs.

The Obama administration is considering whether to approve the project, which would run through Lee's home state.

___

Online:

Obama's address: http://www.whitehouse.gov

Republican address: http://www.youtube.com/HouseConference

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-easter-passover-time-pray-reflect-100047714--politics.html

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FILE - In this Saturday Dec. 8, 2012 file photo, Egyptian TV host Bassem Youssef addresses attendants at a gala dinner party in Cairo, Egypt. Egypt?s state news agency said Saturday, March 30, 2013 that the public prosecution office has issued an arrest warrant against a popular TV satirist for allegedly insulting Islam and the country?s president. The warrant issued Saturday is the latest in a series of legal action against Youssef, known as Egypt?s Jon Stewart. The warrant comes amid a widening crackdown against opposition figures, driving fears over freedoms of expression and assembly. (AP Photo/Ahmed Omar, File)

CAIRO (AP) ? Egypt's state prosecutors ordered the arrest Saturday of a popular television satirist for allegedly insulting Islam and the country's leader, in a move that government opponents say is aimed at silencing critics of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi.

The arrest warrant for against Bassem Youssef, who has come to be known as Egypt's Jon Stewart, followed an order earlier this week by the country's top prosecutor to arrest five prominent pro-democracy activists in what the opposition has characterized as a widening campaign against dissent.

The acceleration in legal action targeting protesters, activists and critics comes against a backdrop of continued unrest in the country. Political compromise between the well-organized Islamists in power and their vocal liberal and largely secular critics remains elusive, while the country's economy is in near free fall, which has increasingly fueled popular frustration.

The opposition charges that Morsi, in office for nine months, and the Brotherhood have failed to tackle any of the nation's most pressing problems and are trying to monopolize power, breaking their promises of inclusiveness. Morsi blames the country's woes on nearly three decades of corruption under his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, and accuses the opposition of stoking unrest for political gain.

The warrant against Youssef is the latest in a series of legal actions against the comedian, whose widely-watched weekly show, "ElBernameg" or "The Program," has become a platform for lampooning the government, opposition, media and clerics. He has also used his program to fact-check politicians.

The fast-paced show has attracted a wide viewership, while at the same time earning itself its fair share of detractors. Youssef has been a frequent target of lawsuits, most of them brought by Islamist lawyers who have accused him of "corrupting morals" or violating "religious principles."

Prosecutor Mohammed el-Sayed Khalifa told Al-Ahram online that he has heard 28 plaintiffs accusing Youssef of insulting Islam, mocking prayers, and "belittling" Morsi in the eyes of the world and his own people.

In one episode of the show, Youssef mocks former militants who are now part of the mainstream political scene in Egypt. At a recent rally, some former radicals who were imprisoned for taking part in the assassination of late President Anwar Sadat in 1981, accused the opposition of using violence at anti-Morsi protests.

In the program, Youssef ridicules an Islamist who said the militants had repented by fasting for three months for mistakenly killing others with Sadat.

"What a message," Youssef says. "Anyone can form a group in the name of religion, assassinate in the name of religion, and then oops! Repent and fast for three months, and it will too pass in the name of religion."

The comedian has faced several court cases in the past accusing him of insulting Morsi. One of Youssef's attorneys, Gamal Eid, said however that this is the first time an arrest warrant has been issued for the comedian.

In a post on his official Twitter account, Youssef said he will hand himself in to the prosecutor's office Sunday. He then added, with his typical sarcasm: "Unless they kindly send a police van today and save me the transportation hassle."

Eid said the warrant fits into a widening campaign against government critics, media personalities, and activists, saying "the prosecution has become a tool to go after the regime's opposition and intimidate it."

A call to a top aide to the country's chief prosecutor, Hassan Yassin, for comment went unanswered.

The other recent arrest warrants for five high-profile activists were issued over allegations that they instigated violence last week near the Brotherhood's headquarters in Cairo, where nearly 200 people were injured in clashes between anti-government protesters and supporters of the Brotherhood, from which Morsi hails.

Morsi responded by harshly criticizing his opponents, calling them hired thugs out to derail Egypt's democracy. The Brotherhood also blamed privately-owned media for fanning the violence.

The criticism was followed by a two-day protest by dozens of Islamists outside the studios of TV networks critical of Morsi. The protesters pelted police and prevented some talk show hosts and guests from entering or leaving the complex.

The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called the escalation of anti-press "rhetoric" by Morsi and his supporters and the sit-in outside the media city were "deeply troubling."

The series of prosecutions and arrest warrants come amid a legal challenge to the chief prosecutor, Talaat Abdullah, whose appointment by Morsi last year was declared void by a court ruling earlier this week.

On Saturday, Abdullah said he will appeal the court ruling, saying it is "in violation of the constitution and the law," Egypt's state news agency reported. The decision signals a protracted legal battle is likely to ensue, further confusing the legal scene in Egypt.

In the Mediterranean port city of Alexandria, an Egyptian rights group said Saturday that police detained 13 people, including five lawyers, and accused them of assaulting police. The arrests inside the police station mark a rare instance in which lawyers face potential criminal charges.

The Haqanya Center for Rights said the 13 are accused of insulting security officials, attempting to free other detainees at the police station and illegal assembly.

The arrests prompted an angry response from lawyers at Cairo's Bar Association, who demanded an apology from the police.

Those detained include prominent lawyer and pro-democracy activist Mahienour el-Masry. Several dozen Cairo protesters held a rally outside the chief prosecutor's office, dismissing his orders as void, locking up the gates to his office with chains and demanding the release of the lawyers and activists.

Mohammed Abdel-Aziz, an attorney, said the lawyers and activists were beaten and assaulted at the station, where they had been since Friday to represent three opposition members reportedly detained and taken to the police by members of a political party affiliated with the Brotherhood.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-30-Egypt/id-f27c3adb09624ad6892b128d6654ec0c

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syfvuali · Mar. 28, 2013

Mar. 28, 2013 ? Hybrid offspring of different house mice populations show a preference for mating with individuals from their father's original population.

Mate choice is a key factor in the evolution of new animal species. The choice of a specific mate can decisively influence the evolutionary development of a species. In mice, the attractiveness of a potential mate is conveyed by scent cues and ultrasonic vocalizations. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Pl?n investigated whether house mice (Mus musculus) would mate with each other even if they were from two populations which had been separated from each other for a long time period. To do this, the researchers brought together mice from a German population and mice from a French population. Although to begin with all the mice mated with one another randomly, the hybrid offspring of French and German parents were distinctly more choosy: they showed a definite preference for mating with individuals from their father's original population. According to the researchers, this paternal imprinting accelerates the divergence of two house mouse populations and thus promotes speciation.

In allopatric speciation, individuals of a species become geographically isolated from each other by external factors such as mountains or estuaries. Over time, this geographic separation leads to the sub-populations undergoing various mutations, and thus diverging genetically. Animals from the two different sub-populations can no longer successfully reproduce, so two new species evolve.

To find out what role partner selection plays in such speciation processes, Diethard Tautz from the Max Planck Institutefor Evolutionary Biology and his colleagues conducted a comprehensive study on house mice -- the classic model organisms of biology. "To investigate whether there are differences in the mating behaviour of the mice in the early stages of speciation, we caught wild house mice in southern France and western Germany. The two populations have been geographically separate for around 3,000 years, which equates to some 18,000 generations," says Diethard Tautz. Due to this geographical separation, the French and German mice were genetically different.

The Pl?n-based researchers created a semi-natural environment for their investigations -- a sort of "Playboy Mansion" for mice. The research enclosure was several square meters in size and was divided up using wooden walls, "nests" made out of plastic cylinders, and plastic tubes. It also featured an escape tube with several entrances, which led into a cage system nearby. "We constructed the enclosure in such a way that all animals had unimpeded access to all areas, but thanks to the structural divisions were also able to create their own territories or retreat into nests," explains Tautz. "The escape tube was a control element. If the mice retreated to it only very seldom -- as was the case in our experiment -- then we could be sure there was no overpopulation in the central enclosure."

In this central enclosure, the French and German mice had both time and space to mate with each other and reproduce. "At first, all the mice mated with each other quite randomly. But with the first-generation offspring, a surprising pattern emerged," says Tautz. When the first-generation hybrid offspring of mixed French and German parentage mated, they showed a specific preference for pure-bred mates whose "nationality" was that of their father only. "There must be some kind of paternal influence that prompts the hybrid mice to choose a mate from a specific population, namely that of their father," concludes the biologist, based on the results of his study. "This imprinting must be learned, however, meaning that the animals must grow up in the presence of their fathers. This was not the case for the original mice, which were kept in cages for a time after being caught."

"We know that mice use ultrasonic vocalizations to communicate with each other and that particularly in the case of male mice these vocalizations can reveal signals of individuality and kinship. We believe that, like birdsong, the vocalizations of the males have a learned component and a genetic component," says Tautz. Therefore, French and German mice really could "speak" different languages, partly learned from their fathers, partly inherited from them. Individual mice thus have a mating preference for mice that speak the same language as they do.

The French and German mouse populations had evidently been geographically separated long enough for preliminary signs of species differentiation to be apparent as regards mating preferences. In addition, another aspect of mating behavior also sped up the speciation process. Although mice have multiple mates, the researchers found evidence of partner fidelity and inbreeding. The tendency to mate with relatives fosters the creation of genetically uniform groups. When both occur together, this accelerates the speciation process.

In a next step, Diethard Tautz wants to find out whether the vocalizations of the mice play the decisive role in paternal imprinting, or if scent cues are also involved. Furthermore, the biologist wants to identify the genes that are involved in mate selection.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

Inka Montero, Meike Tesche and Diethard Tautz. Paternal imprinting of mating preferences between natural populations of house mice (Mus musculus domesticus). Molecular Ecology, 2013 DOI: 10.111/mec.122271

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: Views expressed in this article do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/oUt1DL9X6YE/130328125331.htm

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Many people do not take advantage of having the opportunity to travel because there are so many details to consider. Learning the best methods to traveling is going to help you in opening the many doors that are presented to you, from traveling to so many great places around the world.

One decision you need to make when taking a trip is whether to buy travel insurance at all. If you are flying to New York and the ticket only costs $150, it's not really worth paying another $50 to cover that trip in case of cancellation. However, if you are taking the trip of your dreams to a faraway place, it might be well worth the incremental expense on a $4,000 vacation to know that your money won't be lost in the event of a cancellation.

If you are traveling with a companion but you do not normally share funds, consider having a joint wallet, for expenses like meals, travel and lodging. You and your companion can add the same amount of money to the joint wallet each day. This way, you aren't constantly splitting bills or exchanging money.

When you are packing, try to develop a system that facilitates where each of your items will be stored. This will help you to pack in an efficient manner so that you can reduce the stress of getting ready and save valuable time. Stay organized to maximize your packing experience.

When traveling to a foreign country, avoid dressing in a way that marks you as a wealthy tourist. Wear normal, casual clothing and don't wear expensive watches, jewelry, cameras, and other things that can call attention to you. Try not to bring a lot of things with you during the day, in order to avoid having your things lost or stolen.

Children are not always the best travelers. If you will keep them busy, they will be much happier while traveling by car or plane. Pack a bag of activities for your child to do while traveling. Pick things that they like to do, things that they do not commonly get. Get them a new coloring book or a new book to read.

When traveling internationally with disabilities it is best to check which countries best accommodate disabled citizens. Many countries are well equipped to offer travelers with wheel chair ramps, scooter ramps and have hotels that are equipped to deal with disabilities. Unfortunately, every country is not so well equipped to support travelers with disabilities.

If you are going to be traveling on an airplane, purchase some antibiotic ointment and cotton swabs. Before you leave to catch your flight, put a generous amount of the ointment on the inside of your nose. It keeps out the germs and helps prevent you from getting sick. It also keeps your nose from drying out.

If you are traveling with any battery operated devices in your suitcase, turn the batteries around. This will prevent the batteries from being wasted, if your item is accidentally turned on. Just be sure to turn the batteries back around when you unpack, or you might think the item is broken!

Drive through windows at fast food places almost inevitably give you too much or too little sugar or other sweetener when you order coffee or tea. When traveling, don't throw the extra away! Tuck into a baggie or maybe a little tin and keep it for the next time you are shorted. It sure beats having to turn around and go back through the drive through!

If you are traveling to a known destination with a responsible party on the other end, consider shipping your luggage ahead of time. With new luggage fees from virtually all major airlines, the cost will often be the same or less than checking it on the flight with you. In addition, you will have the luxury of traveling with comfort and ease, without the stress of standing in luggage lines, tipping porters, and the worry of lost luggage.

You need to keep your passport secure when you travel. There are people who will steal a passport if they see it so that they can sell it to someone illegally. The only way to avoid this type of theft is to keep up with your passport at all times when you are traveling.

When traveling to a foreign country, try using public transportation. Many countries have exceptional railway and subway systems, better than anything in the U.S.A. Public transportation is usually inexpensive and you will never have to worry about getting lost on a lonely road. Just be cautious of pick pockets when you board the bus or train.

If you are traveling to a country that may have people hostel to American citizens try to blend in. Do not draw attention to yourself by wearing clothing that may give away the fact that you are an American. It is much safer for people to think you are a Canadian or European.

Try to avoid jet lag during your trips by following these simple things. Start by resetting your watch before boarding your plane. Make sure that you stay incredibly hydrated before, during and after the flight. Try exercising and sleeping well days before your trip. Fly on morning flights if you cannot sleep on a plane. Seek and avoid light as you need it until your body adjust to the time differences.

Create an impromptu humidifier, using a bottle of water and a handkerchief or small towel. Airplane cabins are notorious for their dry air, which can irritate your lungs and sinuses. If the dryness starts to bother you, moisten a small towel with a bit of water and lay it across your nose and mouth. Lean back and as you breathe, the water in the towel will hydrate the air you inhale.

If you need to travel across the country but are on a limited budget, consider traveling by bus. In the past, bus travel was viewed somewhat unfavorably, but today major players like Greyhound, have made major improvements to attract the growing number of travelers who can't afford plane tickets. Today bus lines are a more civil experience. Cleaner, newer buses are the norm and most stations offer free wireless internet access and sundries.

Cruise ships offer plenty to do on-board, with the option of exploring off the ship when you dock. Apply the tips from this article to make the most of your next cruise.

Source: http://travel-leisure-blogs.blogspot.com/2013/03/amazing-travel-tips-just-for-you.html

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By Ree Hines, TODAY contributor

Bravo bigwig Andy Cohen launched the network's ever-growing, always-popular franchise, "The Real Housewives," in 2006. What started with a few privileged, entertaining and often-argumentative women from the O.C., eventually expanded to include the dozens of frequent feuders from coast to coast.

On Friday morning, Cohen visited TODAY and fielded a couple of questions about the leading ladies on the shows -- questions that he wasn't exactly eager to answer.

For instance, which Housewife is his personal favorite?

"That is horrible! That is a terrible question," he said with a smile as he mulled it over. "I would get in terrible trouble. ... I love when any of them really succeed."

And that means he's really loving one woman right now.

"You know, NeNe Leakes is going through a major period of success -- from, of course, 'The Real Housewives of Atlanta,'" he shared. "She's got a starring role in 'The New Normal' on NBC. I'm especially proud of her right now."

There's even more for Cohen to be proud of where Leakes is concerned.

After several years of fussing and fighting, Leakes and her former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" co-star Kim Zolciak have finally buried the hatchet and gone back to being BFFs, a fact Leakes recently celebrated on Twitter.

As for Cohen, if he was a little reluctant to name his favorite Housewife, that's nothing compared to his reaction when asked to name his least favorite.

"Oh, yes! Let me tell everybody about it," he joked. "Yes! Let me rank my top five least favorite Housewives for you right now. No! Love them all for different reasons."

See more from Cohen on part two of "The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" reunion special Monday night, or see him on his own show, "Watch What Happens Live," which airs Sunday through Thursday nights -- both on Bravo.

Who's your favorite or least favorite Housewife? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

Related content:

More in the Clicker:

Source: http://theclicker.today.com/_news/2013/03/29/17517004-andy-cohens-favorite-real-housewives-star-nene-leakes-at-least-for-now?lite

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Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/khloe-kardashian-pregnant-tabloid-claims-slash-asks-who-is-the-f/

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By Toni Clarke

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. regulators on Wednesday approved a new multiple sclerosis drug made by Biogen Idec Inc that is widely expected to become the No. 1 oral treatment for the disease, with annual sales topping $3 billion.

The drug, Tecfidera, activates a chemical pathway in the body known as Nrf2 that helps protect nerve cells from damage and inflammation. Following Wednesday's approval by the Food and Drug Administration, Biogen said it will launch the drug within the coming days.

Multiple sclerosis is a chronic condition that attacks the central nervous system and can lead to numbness, weakness, paralysis and blindness. It affects more than 2.1 million people worldwide, according to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

"We expect a solid launch of Tecfidera, and our sense is that there is a bolus of patients in the queue ready to transition to therapy," Geoff Meacham, an analyst at J.P. Morgan, said in a research note. "However, we believe that Street expectations likely already account for this and then some."

Shares of Weston, Massachusetts-based Biogen rose 3.2 percent to close at $182.68 on Wednesday. The shares have more than tripled over the past three years, mainly driven by high hopes for Tecfidera, known chemically as dimethyl fumarate.

Biogen already sells the MS drugs Avonex and Tysabri, which together account for about 30 percent of the market. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd's drug Copaxone is the current market leader, with a roughly 29 percent share and annual sales last year of more than $4 billion.

Unlike Copaxone, Avonex and Tysabri, which are injected or infused, Tecfidera comes in the more convenient form of a pill. As such, it will compete with Novartis AG's MS pill Gilenya, which, though first to market, has been dogged by heart safety concerns. Gilenya holds an 8.5 percent share of the market and generated worldwide sales of $1.2 billion last year.

Tecfidera will also compete with Sanofi's recently approved MS pill Aubagio. Aubagio's label carries a boxed warning -- the most serious kind of warning -- alerting physicians to a potentially heightened risk of liver problems.

Novartis said in a statement that it welcomed additional treatment options for people with MS, but warned that Tecfidera may not perform as well in the market as in clinical trials.

"As with any new medication, real-world experience is critical to gain an accurate understanding of a therapy's full clinical profile," the company said. "It will be important to see the clinical profile of dimethyl fumarate -- including efficacy, safety, tolerability and adherence with its twice-a-day dosing -- as it gains real-world experience."

Michael Yee, an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, said the overall profile of Tecfidera looks "significantly better than Gilenya."

Tecfidera's side effects appear relatively benign, consisting mainly of flushing, diarrhea and nausea. And its label contains no boxed warnings. The FDA recommended only that physicians monitor patients' infection-fighting white blood cell count once a year.

"That's an excellent label," said Yee. "I expect the drug to meet consensus of $300 million this year, and over five years it can achieve greater than $3 billion in sales based on its convenience and efficacy profile."

Tecfidera will be used to treat patients with relapsing-remitting MS, a form of the disease in which flare-ups are followed by periods of remission. About 85 percent of people with MS are initially diagnosed with this form of the disease.

Combined clinical trial data showed Tecfidera cut the average relapse rate by 49 percent after two years compared to patients taking a placebo. The drug is expected to generate sales of about $3 billion in 2017, according to data compiled by Thomson Reuters Cortellis.

Last week European regulators recommended approval for Tecfidera and Aubagio, but they declined to give Aubagio a "new active substance" designation because it is similar to an older drug. Without this designation, generic copies of the drug could be launched in Europe in as little as three years. That could hurt sales of most other MS drugs on the market.

Sanofi said it was disappointed by the decision and plans to request a re-examination of the case.

(Reporting By Toni Clarke in Washington; additional reporting by Bill Berkrot in New York; Editing by Tim Dobbyn, Bernard Orr and Leslie Adler)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fda-approves-biogens-oral-ms-drug-tecfidera-211006120--finance.html

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If you think ?copywriting? (writing words that persuade people to do or buy something) is only about creating ads, you?re missing the point. Copywriting is a skill has created more six-figure incomes than you might imagine. In some cases, seven-figure incomes.

Type writer

For instance, one of my best friends generates a healthy $150,000 per month from his home-based business, and at its core, that business is fueled by my friend?s copywriting skill.

If you truly want to start your own business, or create a second income stream, one of the first things I would recommend you learn is the basic skill of powerful copywriting.

Now, this is not some ?get rich quick? scheme?

This is a serious business skill than can provide you with a comfortable six-figure annual income for the rest of your life.

You can run your business from anywhere. You can dream up promotions and campaigns, write the copy, and put the plan into profit? all in the same day.

And yes, you could ?retire? from your present job, and use your copywriting skills to build your own marketing empire?- working wherever and whenever you want.

I have run my business from all over the USA, Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and the UK:

Working form home in the Northwest US (sometimes at my house, sometimes from my office 5 minutes away, and sometimes from Starbucks!)?
On the road in my motorhome (summer-before-last we put 8,000 miles on the coach, the last winter we spent in California)?
Traveling to Chicago, San Diego, Los Angeles, Seattle, Toronto and New York?
On vacation with family in Michigan, the Carolinas, Utah, and Montana?
And from England and Scotland?

My results are not typical?- you?ll have your own results. Want to join me in the ?not typical? club? Want to know how I managed to get these unusual results?

It comes down to one skill: copywriting. Now, ask yourself? if you learned how to master the art of ?persuasion in print?, how could that change your life?

Will you finally get your online business started?
Will you write copy freelance, and live a life free from offices, meetings, and memos?
Will you take your existing online business and multiply your profits using the power of copy?

Or will you keep struggling along like most ?Internet Marketers?? That road leads nowhere. You don?t need to learn the new ?shiny object of the week? system. You don?t need the latest greatest website.? You just need a skill that is valued, and that has the power to give you leverage. The skill I recommend starting with is the ability to write persuasive copy.

If you have decided that I am right about this, give life to that decision and do something about it. Pick up a book, take a copywriting course, or just sit down and write a piece of copy. Today. Maybe even right now.

A good place to start would be with my book on copywriting. An even better place to start would be with the live webinar training about copywriting I?m doing next Tuesday.

Question: How can you profitably apply the power of persuasive copy in your business?

?

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These amazing one-page guides are like the "World's Shortest Copywriting Course, and you'll discover...

How to write "grabby" headlines.
The "5 Guarantees" that make sales.
A formula for powerful USP's.

And so much more! PLUS you'll get frequent email updates from Ray.

Connect to the Webinar through Facebook!

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Today’s Jenna Wolfe Comes Out & Announces Pregnancy (VIDEO)

NBC anchor Jenna Wolfe photos NBC news anchor Jenna Wolfe made headlines today when she came out publicly with partner Stephanie Gosk, announcing they are expecting a baby together. Wolfe made the announcement on the “Today” show, revealing that she and Gosk have been together three years and are having a girl. Jenna Wolfe and Stephanie Gosk, a foreign correspondent ...

Today’s Jenna Wolfe Comes Out & Announces Pregnancy (VIDEO) Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/03/todays-jenna-wolfe-comes-out-announces-pregnancy-video/

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Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/frances-bruni-makes-emotional-defense-husband-sarkozy-115732062.html

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Simpler, a new startup that wants to disrupt employee onboarding, is launching today and announcing $1.25 million in funding from Andreessen Horowitz, Kleiner Perkins, Khosla Ventures, SV Angel, Data Collective, and Formation8.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/5JT7IQ-AaZ8/

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Location: Greater Accra Region
Description:

Job Title: Executive Educational Manager

Job Location: Accra, Greater Accra Region

_{.
Responsibilities
Developing course curricula for Executive Education Programmes
Aggressively and effectively marketing Executive Education programmes
Organising and spearheading the delivery of Executive Education Programmes
Developing and maintaining an effective Customer Relationship Management system with client organization
Other relevant roles

Qualification and Requirements
Experience & Ability
At least 8 years professional experience, five of which must have been played in a similar role. A minimum of five (5) years is required for the Academic Service Manager role
Proven experience in developing, marketing or managing executive education programmes in a superior academic context
Exposure and ability to utilize Africa-wide links and networks for fulfilling the respective roles
Ability to build and maintain effective partnership with strategic individuals and organisations
Ability to related to individuals from diverse cultural backgrounds

Academic Qualifications
A good first degree, plus additional relevant professional qualifications from world-class tertiary institution

Effectiveness Skills
Excellent communication skills, both orally and in writing
Proven leadership and management ability
Strong IT proficiency
Other relevant skills and ability, including language diversity}

If you are qualified for this position, Send your CV to 1528@jbgh.me or click http://www.jobberman.com.gh/job/6415/executive-educational-manager-at-china-europe-international-business-school-ceibs/ to apply

Source: http://www.ghanamma.com/2013/03/executive-educational-manager-at-china-europe-international-business-school-ceibs/

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This post was written by Karina Pena of the Americas Society / Council of the Americas (AS/COA).? Read the original post on their website.

On March 6, AS/COA held an expert panel on impact investing and social entrepreneurship in Latin America. Discussion focused on the differences between impact investing and philanthropy, the role of risk in these investments, and how to build the impact investing ecosystem.

Impact Investing vs. Philanthropy

The first question panelists discussed was the definition of impact investing. The Global Impact Investing Network describes these as ?investments made into companies, organizations, and funds with the intention to generate measurable social and environmental impact alongside a financial return.??Ben Wirz of the Knight Foundation offered a definition of his own, saying it?s ?when you?re making an investment and you?re taking an extra degree of risk because you want a social return.? Risk, Wirz said, is greater when prioritizing social impact over profit. Catherine Clark of Duke University argued impact investors would not unanimously agree that impact is characterized by taking on additional risk and concessionary financial returns. Jocelyn Cortez-Young of Minerva Capital added that impact investing is more sustainable than philanthropy due to earned profit. Nacho Gonz?lez of SociaLab.com sought to reconcile these views by suggesting that impact investing is an evolved, more sustainable form of philanthropy due to its foundation in business practices.

Cortez-Young stressed that the key to a successful impact investment is in finding a feasible solution to a real problem that may be overlooked. Gonz?lez added that innovation in Latin America is different than in the United States?the areas with the most untapped potential can be found in emerging markets where because of the internet, previously unreachable populations are now accessible. The key to the next big idea is finding a solution that provides social benefits to a broader population, Gonz?lez said.

Risk: The Unknown for Impact Investors

Speakers noted that because of increased risk, it can prove a challenge to sell impact investments to traditional, profit-driven investors. Given that impact investing is in a relatively early stage, the space lacks risk metrics sought by traditional investors. By virtue of its socially oriented nature, it is difficult to predict quantifiable returns on investment, and few IPOs have been completed as a reference point. Still, there are ways to pitch these ventures successfully, and Clark noted an increase in angel investors and investment groups looking at the space. Cortez-Young referred to derivatives as an example of investment with a reduced percentage of risk, involving a fixed-income note plus a call option. The call option is an opportunity to invest in something unknown based on the known performance of the note?providing the investor less risk. Cortez-Young argued that the impact investing sphere can learn from derivatives, in that more investors could be attracted to this space if at least a certain percentage of risk can be ascertained.

Speakers also discussed the importance of creating a thorough business proposal. Before presenting a pitch to a traditional investor, one should look into the investor?s areas of interest?such as housing, education, agriculture, and access to technology?and see if these issues can addressed. As Wirz noted, one should also speak in the investor?s own terms, which can be difficult but crucial in securing funding. Cortez-Young explained that a pitch must stress which investments open up sources beyond philanthropy dollars, and move toward endowments and pension funds that seek financial returns.

Building the Impact Investing Ecosystem

Panelists noted the importance of fostering an impact investing ecosystem in Latin America. Currently, private foundations, private banks, development agencies, and private impact investing funds are participating in impact investing. But only a small portion of the $7.9 billion in private equity and venture capital investments in Latin America last year was allocated to impact investing. Co-investing among sectors presents another strategic opportunity for the young impact investing scene, Clark said. She noted that by ?stacking? capital, one can make several deals with different investors at varying levels of capital, thereby securing funding at different stages of an enterprise. Cortez-Young added that a cyclical trend in impact investing has emerged: many recipients of successful Minerva Capital investments tend to go on and invest their own money in other ventures.

View the panel video and full post on AS/COA?s website.

Source: http://blogs.fuqua.duke.edu/casenotes/2013/03/25/building-the-impact-investing-space-in-latin-america/

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Julio Cortez / AP

Wind blows through a tarp hanging from a fence surrounding an industrial site in Garfield, N.J. where toxic chromium was spilled in 1983.

By Noreen O'Donnell, Reuters

Scientists plan to check toenail clippings in Garfield, New Jersey, to determine if residents were exposed to a toxic metal made infamous in California by environmental activist Erin Brockovich.

Chromium, linked to lung cancer, leaked from the now-demolished EC Electroplating Inc. factory and polluted groundwater in a 1983 incident.

Located 12 miles west of New York City, the area is on the federal Superfund list of hazardous waste sites. Some 30,000 people live in Garfield.

"Concentrations in the groundwater, et cetera, are very high," Judith Zelikoff, a professor of environmental medicine at the New York University School of Medicine, told Reuters on Monday.

In the 1983 incident, more than 3,600 gallons of a chemical solution containing chromium were discharged from a tank at the factory, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

The solution got into the groundwater, which flows toward the Passaic River, about 2,500 feet west of the site.

The city's drinking water comes from a different source and is not contaminated.

The plume is about three quarters of a mile long and slightly more than an eighth of a mile wide, said Rich Puvogel, a project manager with the EPA.

Detecting chromium in groundwater, soil and homes does not necessarily mean that people were exposed, Zelikoff said.

"We hope to be able to relieve their anxiety," said Zelikoff, noting that scientists will begin recruiting volunteers for the toenail clippings within the next three weeks.

Toenails grow slowly and may help to detect chronic exposure, she said.

Very high levels of chromium were found at the factory - approximately 80,000 parts per billion, Puvogel said. Downstream from the site, the levels drop off by several orders of magnitude, he said. New Jersey sets a limit of 70 parts per billion.

The residents' exposure would have come from inhaling or touching chromium that had seeped into their basements, especially during flooding.

"When the water dries, it also leaves a chromium dust residue," Zelikoff said.

Environmental activist Erin Brockovich and her team of lawyers are working to help Louisiana residents displaced by massive sinkhole. WVLA's Kris Cusanza reports.

Inhaled chromium is a carcinogen that increases the risk of lung cancer, according to the EPA.

Scientists, who became aware of the contamination last year, want to test up to 250 residents, including some who live directly above the plume and a control group living at least three miles away, Zelikoff said.

Residents who agree to submit toenail clippings will receive kits containing stainless-steel clippers and instructions. They must be between 18 and 65 and cannot have taken chromium supplements or be smokers.

Last year the EPA removed more than 753 containers and drums of industrial waste from the factory and 6,100 gallons of chromium-contaminated water. The building was demolished in October.

Next week the agency will start sampling the soil at the site to determine what sources of contamination remain.?

Erin Brockovich, a law firm assistant turned campaigner, rallied residents in a California desert town to sue Pacific Gas & Electric over a pollution incident - a battle that formed the basis for a?2000 movie in her name starring Julia Roberts.

?

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653381/s/29ffabb6/l/0Lusnews0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C260C174693590Enj0Etoenail0Eclippings0Eto0Ebe0Etested0Efor0Etoxic0Emetal0Espotlighted0Eby0Eerin0Ebrockovich0Dlite/story01.htm

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FILE - In this Aug. 12, 2011 file photo, Jeremy Lazarus, president-elect of the American Medical Association (AMA) speaks in Portland, Oregon. The Supreme Court will struggle this week with whether it?s legal for patent-holding pharmaceutical companies to pay rivals, who make generic drugs, to temporarily keep those cheaper versions of their brand-name drugs off the market. Now AMA President, Lazarus said in a statement,"The AMA believes that pay-for-delay agreements undermine the balance between spurring innovation through the patent system and fostering competition through the development of generic drugs. Pay for delay must stop to ensure the most cost-effective treatment options are available to patients." (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)

FILE - In a Jan. 7, 2008, file photo then-Attorney Donald Verrilli talks to media outside the Supreme Court. Now President Barack Obama's top Supreme Court lawyer, Solicitor General Verilli will argue before the Supreme Court this week whether it is legal for patent-holding pharmaceutical companies to pay rivals, who make generic drugs, to temporarily keep those cheaper versions of their brand-name drugs off the market. The Obama administration is taking the position that the agreements are illegal if they?re based solely on keeping the generic drug out of consumer's hands. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

This March 2011 photo provided Actavis Inc. shows Actavis CEO Paul Bisario at the pharmaceutical company's corporate headquarters in Parsippany, N.J. On Monday, March 25, 2013, the U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments of pharmaceutical company interests in recouping billions of dollars spent developing new drugs pitted against the government's desire to get cheaper generic drugs on the market earlier to save American consumers money. "By doing what the FTC wants, you're going to hurt consumers rather than help them," said Bisaro. Fighting between generic and brand-name drugmakers in court is risky and time consuming, he said, while settlements bring certainty, allow generic drug sales years before patents expire and reduce legal costs. (AP Photo/Actavis, Maryanne Russell)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Federal regulators are pressing the Supreme Court to stop big pharmaceutical corporations from paying generic drug competitors to delay releasing their cheaper versions of brand-name drugs. They argue these deals deny American consumers, usually for years, steep price declines that can top 90 percent.

The Obama administration, backed by consumer groups and the American Medical Association, says these so-called "pay for delay" deals profit the drug companies but harm consumers by adding 3.5 billion annually to their drug bills.

But the pharmaceutical companies counter that they need to preserve longer the billions of dollars in revenue from their patented products in order to recover the billions they spend developing new drugs. And both the large companies and the generic makers say the marketing of generics often is hastened by these deals.

The justices will hear the argument Monday.

Such pay-for-delay deals arise when generic companies file a challenge at the Food and Drug Administration to the patents that give brand-name drugs a 20-year monopoly. The generic drugmakers aim to prove the patent is flawed or otherwise invalid, so they can launch a generic version well before the patent ends.

Brand-name drugmakers then usually sue the generic companies, which sets up what could be years of expensive litigation. When the two sides aren't certain who will win, they often reach a compromise deal that allows the generic company to sell its cheaper copycat drug in a few years ? but years before the drug's patent would expire. Often, that settlement comes with a sizable payment from the brand-name company to the generic drugmaker.

Numerous brand-name and generic drugmakers and their respective trade groups say the settlements protect their interests but also benefit consumers by bringing inexpensive copycat medicines to market years earlier than they would arrive in any case generic drugmakers took to trial and lost. But federal officials counter that such deals add billions to the drug bills of American patients and taxpayers, compared with what would happen if the generic companies won the lawsuits and could begin marketing right away.

A study by RBC Capital Markets Corp. of 371 cases during 2000-09 found brand-name companies won 89 at trial compared to 82 won by generic drugmakers. Another 175 ended in settlement deals, and 25 were dropped.

Generic drugs account for about 80 percent of all American prescriptions for medicines and vaccines, but a far smaller percentage of the $325 billion spent by U.S. consumers on drugs each year. Generics saved American patients, taxpayers and the healthcare system an estimated $193 billion in 2011 alone, according to health data firm IMS Health.

But government officials believe the number of potentially anticompetitive patent settlements is increasing. Pay-for-delay deals increased from 28 to 40 in just the last two fiscal years and the deals in fiscal 2012 covered 31 brand-name pharmaceuticals, Federal Trade Commission officials said. Those had combined annual U.S. sales of more than $8.3 billion.

The Obama administration argues the agreements are illegal if they're based solely on keeping the generic drug off the market. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, speaking at Georgetown Law School recently, noted that once a generic drug gets on the market and competes with a brand-name drug, "the price drops 85 percent." That quickly decimates sales of the brand-name medicine.

"These agreements should actually be considered presumptively unlawful because of the potential effects on consumers," Verrilli said.

In the case before the court, Brussels, Belgium-based Solvay ? now part of a new company called AbbVie Inc. ? reached a deal with generic drugmaker Watson Pharmaceuticals allowing it to launch a cheaper version of Solvay's male hormone drug AndroGel in August 2015. Solvay agreed to pay Watson, now called Actavis Inc., an estimated $19 million-$30 million annually, government officials said. The patent runs until August 2020. Watson agreed to also help sell the brand-name version, AndroGel.

Actavis spokesman David Belian disputed the government's characterization of the agreement with Solvay. Belian said that in addition to licensing agreement over Solvay's Androgel patents, Watson was being compensated for using its sales force to promote AndroGel to doctors.

AndroGel, which brought in $1.2 billion last year for AbbVie, is a gel applied to the skin daily to treat low testosterone in men. Low testosterone can affect sex drive, energy level, mood, muscle mass and bone strength.

The FTC called the deal anticompetitive and sued Actavis.

The 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta rejected the government's objections, and the FTC appealed to the Supreme Court.

The federal district and appellate courts both ruled against the government, AbbVie, which is based in North Chicago, Ill., said. "We are confident that these decisions will be upheld by the Supreme Court."

The Generic Pharmaceutical Association's head, Ralph Neas, said the settlements are "pro-consumer, pro-competition and transparent." He said every patent settlement to date has brought a generic drug to market before the relevant patent ended, with two-thirds of the new generic drugs launched in 2010 and 2011 hitting the market early due to a settlement.

"By doing what the FTC wants, you're going to hurt consumers rather than help them," said Paul Bisaro, CEO of Actavis of Parsippany, N.J.

Bisaro said consumers will save an estimated $50 billion just from patent settlements involving Lipitor, the cholesterol-lowering drug made by Pfizer Inc. of New York that reigned for nearly a decade as the world's top-selling drug.

Lipitor's patent ran until 2017, but multiple generic companies challenged it. Pfizer reached a settlement that enabled Actavis and a second company to sell slightly cheaper generic versions starting Nov. 30, 2011, and several other generic drugmakers to begin selling generic Lipitor six months later. The price then plummeted from Pfizer's $375 to $530 for a three-month supply, depending on dosage, to $20 to $40 for generic versions.

Because generic companies tend to challenge patents of every successful drug, the FTC's position would impose onerous legal costs on brand-name drugmakers and limit their ability to fund expensive research to create new drugs, said the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, which represents brand-name drugmakers.

According to the 2010 RBC Capital Markets study, when trial victories, settlements between drugmakers and dropped cases are combined, generic companies were able to bring their product to market before the brand-name drug's patent expired in 76 percent of the 371 drug patent suits decided from 2000 through 2009.

Consumer, doctor and drugstore groups have lined up to support the Obama administration in this case.

"AARP believes it is in the interest of those fifty and older, and indeed the public at large, to hasten the entry of generic prescription drugs to the marketplace," said Ken Zeller, senior attorney with the AARP Foundation Litigation. "Pay-for-delay agreements such as those at issue in this case frustrate that public interest."

The American Medical Association, the giant doctors' group, believes pay-for-delay agreements undermine the balance between spurring innovation through patents and fostering competition through generics, AMA President Dr. Jeremy A. Lazarus said. "Pay for delay must stop to ensure the most cost-effective treatment options are available to patients."

Drugstores also believe pay-for-delay deals "pose considerable harm to patients because they postpone the availability of generic drugs which limits patient access to generic medications," said Chrissy Kopple of the National Association of Chain Drug Stores.

Eight justices will decide this case later this year. Justice Samuel Alito did not take part in considering whether to take this case and is not expected to take part in arguments.

___

The case is Federal Trade Commission vs. Actavis, Inc., 12-416.

AP Business Writer Linda A. Johnson in Trenton, N.J., contributed to this report.

___

Follow Jesse J. Holland on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/jessejholland

Follow Linda A. Johnson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/LindaJ_onPharma

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2013-03-25-Supreme%20Court-Pay%20For%20Delaying%20Generics/id-079b4d357adc4631a453c2034ba2b963

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