dipper obscene: July 2012

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Great Cookment.com Tailgating Recipes, Adding Spice To The Party ...

One of the great recreational activities is an exciting and fun-filled tailgating party. It's more than just drinks at the back of an SUV or a truck; tailgating parties are a big hit at any sports event. This is where everyone gets together to celebrate the game, or maybe just for a get together where all of you can have fun, share stories and laughter. Cookment.com provide free recipes online for every occassion.

But aside from that, no party is complete without food and drinks. Food is a very important part of tailgating. Make sure your food is in the Safe Zone. If you do not, end run will mean something completely different!. CookMent.com has simple, healthy recipes which makes anyone to cook easily.

The most important thing to stress about tailgating is keeping the food at safe temperatures. That is below 40 degrees or above 140 degrees. This means ice and a food thermometer are two of your most important aspects of tailgating equipment. Cookment.com is good source to have recipes which cater to any season or weather.

Did you know that between the temperatures 40 degrees and 140 degrees, bacteria grow at the fastest rate? Therefore, the great thing to do is to make sure that you keep cooked meat to their proper temperature and you have kept cold foods under 40 degrees. Topical theme based recipes helps in making occassion more friendlier with peers due to cookment.com - free recipes online.

High protein foods, such as meat, eggs and milk products must be stored less than 40 degrees. Melons should be washed on the outside, cut up at home, and then stored under 40 degrees until serving. And, the food should never sit out more than two hours if you are taking "takeout” or fully cooked food to an outdoor event. In addition, make sure to keep insects especially flies to stay away from your foods. Dedicated section for diabetics and health concious people makes cookment.com popular even among patients.

Try to estimate how much food you’ll eat at the event. Taking home leftovers is not encouraged by experienced tailgaters. In the end, be prepared and plan.

You might want to consider some of these suggested recipes at cookment.com. They are just simply great and delicious, a perennial favourite of many experienced tailgaters.

For your main dish, grilled shrimp is easy to prepare.

Peel shrimp leaving tail section intact. Pour one small bottle of Italian dressing in an 8 1/2 x 11-inch pan. Place shrimp in pan. Sprinkle a splash of teriyaki sauce on each shrimp. Lightly sprinkle garlic salt across the entire pan. For extra zest, splash lemon on shrimp.

Chill in refrigerator for two - three hours to marinade, then grill for 10 minutes. Turn occasionally for browning effect. Do not overcook, as shrimp will get tough.

For you beverages, you could prepare summer time punch.

Mix 2 cups of water, ¼ cup powdered iced tea mix, 3 cups orange juice, 1 cup unsweetened pineapple juice, ¼-cup grenadine, 1 ginger ale and the raspberry sherbet and add a champagne or white wine for extra taste. This will be great drink for your party thank cookment.com for sharing these recipes with you .

Finally, for your desert, try the apple peach pie. This is just easy: combine a cup of sugar, ¼ tsp of salt and 2 tbsp of flour. Then add 1 tsp of lemon juice, 1 tsp. cinnamon and the sliced apples. Add the top crust add seal around edges. Cut slits in top. Bake it at 425 degrees for 40 minutes and let it cool for 15 minutes.

Before the time has come for the party with cookment.com - free recipes online (http://cookment NULL.com) to start and your friends to arrive, you are already done preparing the foods and drinks. All you have to do is sit back relax and enjoy simple, easy recipes (http://cookment NULL.com) at cookment.com.

Before the time has come for the party with cookment.com - free recipes online (http://cookment NULL.com) to start and your friends to arrive, you are already done preparing the foods and drinks. All you have to do is sit back relax and enjoy simple, easy recipes (http://cookment NULL.com) at cookment.com.

Source: http://realbizzy.com/great-cookment-com-tailgating-recipes-adding-spice-to-the-party/

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Taliban commander admits they 'cannot win war'

[ [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 2]], 'http://yhoo.it/KeQd0p', '[Slideshow: See photos taken on the way down]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['Connery is an experienced stuntman', 7]], ' http://yhoo.it/KpUoHO', '[Slideshow: Death-defying daredevils]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['know that we have confidence in', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/LqYjAX ', '[Related: The Secret Service guide to Cartagena]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['We picked up this other dog and', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JUSxvi', '[Related: 8 common dog fears, how to calm them]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 5]], 'http://bit.ly/JnoJYN', '[Related: Did WH share raid details with filmmakers?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['accused of running a fake hepatitis B', 3]], 'http://bit.ly/KoKiqJ', '[Factbox: AQAP, al-Qaeda in Yemen]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have my contacts on or glasses', 3]], 'http://abcn.ws/KTE5AZ', '[Related: Should the murder charge be dropped?]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 5]], 'http://yhoo.it/JD7nlD', '[Related: Bristol Palin reality show debuts June 19]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['have made this nation great as Sarah Palin', 1]], 'http://bit.ly/JRPFRO', '[Related: McCain adviser who vetted Palin weighs in on VP race]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['A JetBlue flight from New York to Las Vegas', 3]], 'http://yhoo.it/GV9zpj', '[Related: View photos of the JetBlue plane in Amarillo]', ' ', '630', ' ', ' ', ], [ [['the 28-year-old neighborhood watchman who shot and killed', 15]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/white-house-stays-out-of-teen-s-killing-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120411/martinzimmermen.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['He was in shock and still strapped to his seat', 6]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/navy-jet-crashes-in-virginia-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/cv/ip/ap/default/120406/jet_ap.jpg', '630', ' ', 'AP', ], [ [['xxxxxxxxxxxx', 11]], 'http://news.yahoo.com/photos/russian-grannies-win-bid-to-sing-at-eurovision-1331223625-slideshow/', 'Click image to see more photos', 'http://l.yimg.com/a/p/us/news/editorial/1/56/156d92f2760dcd3e75bcd649a8b85fcf.jpeg', '500', ' ', 'AP', ] ]

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/commander-says-taliban-cannot-win-war-report-002514432.html

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Cyberwarfare, conservation and disease prevention could benefit from new network model

ScienceDaily (July 10, 2012) ? Computer networks are the battlefields in cyberwarfare, as exemplified by the United States' recent use of computer viruses to attack Iran's nuclear program. A computer model developed at the University of Missouri could help military strategists devise the most damaging cyber attacks as well as guard America's critical infrastructure. The model also could benefit other projects involving interconnected groups, such as restoring ecosystems, halting disease epidemics and stopping smugglers.

"Our model allows users to identify the best or worst possible scenarios of network change," said Tim Matisziw, assistant professor of geography and engineering at MU. "The difficulty in evaluating a networks' resilience is that there are an infinite number of possibilities, which makes it easy to miss important scenarios. Previous studies focused on the destruction of large hubs in a network, but we found that in many cases the loss of smaller facilities can be just as damaging. Our model can suggest ways to have the maximum impact on a network with the minimum effort."

Limited resources can hinder law enforcement officers' ability to stop criminal organizations. Matisziw's model could help design plans which efficiently use a minimum of resources to cause the maximum disruption of trafficking networks and thereby reduce flows of drugs, weapons and exploited people. In a similar fashion, disease outbreaks could be mitigated by identifying and then blocking important links in their transmission, such as airports.

However, there are some networks that society needs to keep intact. After the breakdown of such a network, the model can be used to evaluate what could have made the disruption even worse and help officials prevent future problems. For example, after an electrical grid failure, such as the recent blackout in the eastern United States, future system failures could be pinpointed using the model. The critical weak points in the electrical grid could then be fortified before disaster strikes.

The model also can determine if a plan is likely to create the strongest network possible. For example, when construction projects pave over wetland ecosystems, the law requires that new wetlands be created. However, ecologists have noted that these new wetlands are often isolated from existing ecosystems and have little value to wildlife. Matisziw's model could help officials plan the best places for new wetlands so they connect with other natural areas and form wildlife corridors or stretches of wilderness that connect otherwise isolated areas and allow them to function as one ecosystem.

Matisziw's model was documented in the publicly available journal PLoS ONE. Making such a powerful tool widely available won't be a danger, Matisziw said. To use his model, a network must be understood in detail. Since terrorists and other criminals don't have access to enough data about the networks, they won't be able to use the model to develop doomsday scenarios.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by University of Missouri-Columbia, via EurekAlert!, a service of AAAS.

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

Journal Reference:

Timothy C. Matisziw, Tony H. Grubesic, Junyu Guo. Robustness Elasticity in Complex Networks. PLoS ONE, 2012; 7 (7): e39788 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0039788

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/~3/9hNQS3MU3QQ/120710171735.htm

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Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Wiggins in command on Tour after time-trial win

Bradley Wiggins of Britain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, rides to win the 9th stage of the Tour de France cycling race, an individual time trial over 41.5 kilometers (25.8 miles) with start in Arc-et-Senans and finish in Besancon, France, Monday July 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Cipriani)

Bradley Wiggins of Britain, wearing the overall leader's yellow jersey, celebrates on the podium of the 9th stage of the Tour de France cycling race, an individual time trial over 41.5 kilometers (25.8 miles) with start in Arc-et-Senans and finish in Besancon, France, Monday July 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland strains in the last meters of the 9th stage of the Tour de France cycling race, an individual time trial over 41.5 kilometers (25.8 miles) with start in Arc-et-Senans and finish in Besancon, France, Monday July 9, 2012. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours)

BESANCON, France (AP) ? If Monday's time trial at the Tour de France was "the test of truth" ? as one top rider called it ? then Bradley Wiggins aced it.

The Olympic champion, aiming to be the first British winner of cycling's showcase race, sped to victory in the first big time trial, tightening his grip on the yellow jersey.

"That was my physical best out there," he said. "It's probably my best time trial ever."

The race against the clock is a discipline Wiggins loves. And it showed in the ninth stage, a 25.8-mile ride from Arc-et-Senans to Besancon. He finished 35 seconds ahead of Sky teammate Christopher Froome, the runner-up.

Defending champion Cadel Evans of Australia, seen as Wiggins' most formidable rival, was a disappointing sixth. He called Wiggins and Froome "very, very, very strong riders."

A day earlier, Evans was all too aware of the stakes in the time trial: "Tomorrow is the test of truth. It's each with their own two legs," he said.

Evans was 1:43 behind. He remains second overall, trailing Wiggins by 1:53. Froome rose to third, from sixth, and is 2:07 behind his teammate.

"I was really motivated ? the time trial is my thing," Wiggins said, adding he had worked hard on his riding position, breathing and study of the course. "I am very happy now."

Overall, Italy's Vincenzo Nibali is fourth, 2:23 behind. Russia's Denis Menchov is fifth, 3:02 back, and Spain's Haimar Zubeldia is sixth, 3:19 off the pace.

Wiggins has been the favorite since a dazzling stretch of three stage-race victories this season. At the Tour, he was fourth in 2009 and 24th in 2010, just behind Lance Armstrong, riding in his final Tour. He crashed out last year.

As this 99th Tour continues, Sky is likely to shelter Wiggins in the flats and escort him up Alps and Pyrenees climbs by pressing the pace with him in their draft, trying to wear out rivals.

Then it will be up to Wiggins to deliver solo again in the next-to-last stage ? an even longer, 33-mile time trial from Bonneval to Chartres before an often-celebratory ride to the Champs-Elysees finish.

Wiggins insists the three-week race is far from over, saying a crash or illness could douse his victory hopes. He also noted that Evans has promised to fight to the finish.

"It's never over until the fat lady sings, and she hasn't entered the building yet," Wiggins said.

But the stage raises questions about whether Evans ? or anyone else ? can challenge Wiggins and his team, which has shown strength in both the climbs and time trials that often determine the Tour winner.

For the Australian, it will mean trying to attack on the climbs. Two uphill finishes remain, one each in the Alps ? on Thursday ? and the Pyrenees next week.

For Wiggins, the task may be psychological: Holding the yellow jersey for nearly two weeks comes with mental strain, for the rider and his teammates.

If Wiggins goes the rest of the way in yellow, it would mark the first time only two riders had worn the leader's jersey in a Tour since Armstrong took it from Estonia's Jaan Kirsipuu en route to winning the first of his seven titles in 1999.

Wiggins, who has the support of Froome in his title quest, entered the stage looking to move up in the overall standings, a stage victory not his top priority.

"My goal was to get a minute on Cadel. ... I've come away with a bit more than that, it's a bonus," Wiggins said. "Winning the stage is like Christmas ? it's brilliant."

Riders set off one by one down the starter's ramp for the time trial. By the first time check, just more than 10 miles, Evans was more than a minute slower than Wiggins, but was able to limit the damage.

On one of the warmest days so far this Tour, many riders crossed the finish with white spittle ringing their lips, a sign of dehydration. Unlike usual road stages, time trials require solo efforts, placing additional importance on form, concentration and rhythm.

Evans was "a little bit disappointed," but insisted the Tour wasn't over. "I rode not my best time trial, but certainly not a bad one," he said.

Evans acknowledges he faces a bigger hurdle than he did last year, when he overcame a 57-second deficit to Andy Schleck in the final time trial a day before the finish. The Tour "hasn't been optimal" so far, he said, and he is "not in the best position to be in compared to last year."

Meanwhile, confidence was rising at Sky. Team sports director Sean Yates said Wiggins "took quite a chunk off Cadel."

"It's not going to be easy for Cadel," Yates added, saying the possibilities of the Australian regaining time are "relatively limited ... but we all know he'll keep fighting. He's an ex-world champion. ... There will never be a lack of respect."

Tejay Van Garderen, a BMC teammate of Evans, surprised even himself with a fourth-place finish, 1:06 behind Wiggins. Van Garderen rose to eighth overall, from 17th, and is 5:14 behind Wiggins.

The 24-year American was nine seconds slower than third-place Fabian Cancellara of Switzerland, one of the world's top time trial riders. The Swiss star won the opening-day time trial and wore the yellow shirt for seven days until Wiggins captured it Saturday.

Cancellara fell out of the running for the yellow shirt Sunday, finishing nearly 12 minutes behind Wiggins. He's not as strong a climber as Wiggins, Evans or Nibali.

After 10 straight days of racing, the pack of 178 riders gets its first rest day Tuesday. The field then faces two hard days in the Alps, including a summit finish Thursday that is likely to shake up the standings on the way to the July 22 finish in Paris.

___

Associated Press writers Greg Keller and Samuel Petrequin in Besancon contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-07-09-CYC-Tour-de-France/id-5bceecd8776444938e12beac881b2564

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PunchJump: NCAA Football 13 PS3, Xbox 360 sacks top five pending release - http://t.co/H2ZKJSzX

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Source: http://twitter.com/PunchJump/statuses/222392871695822849

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Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal: 2012 London Olympics Pivotal

Roger Federer regained the world No. 1 ranking with the July 9 update following his title at the All-England Club. When one looks at the ranking points situation for the top three players, it suggests that Federer might stay on top of the rankings for a large portion of the remaining season.

Federer's current lead in the ATP rankings is quite slim. He only leads Novak Djokovic by 75 points. However, when you look at Djokovic and Federer, it is the Serb who has far more points to defend at the Cincinnati Masters, the Toronto Masters and the 2012 US Open.

Last season, Djokovic dominated those three events with a title at Flushing Meadows, a title at the Canadian Masters and a runner-up finish at Cincinnati. Due to that, he barely had any room for growth in those three events combined.

Federer, on the other hand, did not do that well at two of those three events. He went out early in Canada, he lost in the quarters in Cincy and, at the US Open, he fell in the semifinals. All totaled, Djokovic has 3600 ranking points to defend at those three events while Federer has just 1170.

Rafael Nadal, the current World No. 3, has been out of the top spot for over a year now. Currently he is 2,170 ranking points behind Federer. While the Spaniard was the runner-up at Flushing Meadows in 2011, he did not do well at the two Masters events in Canada and Cincinnati. All three events combined, he has just 1390 ranking points to defend this season.

The basic fact is that, in the next three major hard court tournaments (Canada, Cincinnati, and the US Open), Djokovic has a lot more to lose in terms of ranking points. If Nadal and Federer play well, they could easily gain a lot of points?especially in Toronto and Cincinnati.

The 2012 London Olympic games promise to have a major impact.

The winner of that event will receive 750 ranking points with the runner-up taking down 450. The other placements are all follows:

Bronze: 340

4th place: 270 (loser of the Bronze medal match)

Quarters: 135

Round of 16: 70

Round of 32: 35

First round: 5

Since the Olympics are not an annual event, no player has any points to defend at the London games.

From Djokovic's point of view, the games appear to be his best chance of overtaking Federer in the rankings in the near future. Otherwise, the Serb might have to play absolutely perfect in Canada, Cincinnati and Flushing Meadows while hoping that Federer plays well below his hard court standards.

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1252851-roger-federer-novak-djokovic-rafael-nadal-2012-london-olympics-pivotal

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Monday, July 9, 2012

UCLA study to determine if copper surfaces can reduce hospital-acquired infections

Public release date: 9-Jul-2012
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Contact: Rachel Champeau
rchampeau@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2270
University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences

$2.5 million grant to fund clinical trial at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

Hospital-acquired infections are a huge public health burden, and hospital environments play a key role in harboring potentially deadly bacteria such as E. coli, C. difficile and methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

These microbes may persist for extended periods in the hospital, on surfaces such as bed rails, doorknobs, chairs, tray tables, toilet seats and even call buttons in patient rooms.

Copper surfaces, which are not routinely used in hospitals, are known to kill bacteria on contact, and studies have found much lower levels of bacteria living on copper surfaces than on standard hospital surfaces.

Now, an interdisciplinary team from UCLA is taking this research to the next level. In one of the first randomized clinical trials of its kind, researchers will determine if the reduction of surface bacteria due to the use of copper will result in a decreased number of hospital-acquired infections.

Funding for the $2.5 million study will be provided by an RO1 grant (HS021188-01) from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The project will involve teams from the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health and the Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Science. The collaborative research initiative is a project of the UCLA Sustainable Technology and Policy Program.

For the clinical trial, two intensive care units at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center will be outfitted with copper, sham stainless steel, or conventional surfaces such as plastic or other types of coatings. Over a four-year period, all three surface types will be sampled for bacteria levels, and patient-infection outcomes rates will be compared among the three surfaces.

"We will be studying if lowering the level of bacteria on hospital surfaces results in reduced infection rates in patients, better outcomes and even lower costs," said the project's principal investigator, Dr. Daniel Uslan, director of the antimicrobial stewardship program at the Geffen School of Medicine and an assistant clinical professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases.

Additional environmental microbiologic studies and evaluations of surface cleaning will be included in the research, as well as a detailed costbenefit analysis.

Dr. Peter Sinsheimer, executive director of the UCLA Sustainable Technology and Policy Program, a joint initiative of the Fielding School of Public Health and the UCLA School of Law, helped arrange the interdisciplinary collaborations.

"Being at UCLA makes it easy to pull together diverse teams of top-flight scientists to conduct such important prevention-based research," said Sinsheimer, whose program focuses on primary health prevention through materials substitution.

The initial idea for the hospital-based study came from Sinsheimer's research on the viability of alternatives to lead-based copper piping in delivering safer drinking water.

Hospital surfaces selected for the study will include bed rails, chairs, a bedside table that can also be positioned on top of the bed, and a mobile treatment cart-top used by nursing staff that includes handles, a keyboard and a mouse.

A team at UCLA Engineering will assist with the testing of the copper and other surfaces used in the clinical trial.

"We will be incorporating copper, plastic or sham stainless steel materials into the selected everyday surfaces used by patients and staff in the hospital," said Vijay Gupta, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.

The cost-effectiveness analysis will be conducted by Dr. Gerald Kominski, director of the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research and a professor in the department of health policy and management at the Fielding School of Public Health.

"Finding effective interventions to reduce hospital infection rates in a cost-effective manner is an emerging priority for U.S. hospitals," Kominski said. "This study will provide valuable information on whether copper-touch surfaces are a cost-effective technology for achieving this goal."

###

For more news, visit the UCLA Newsroom and follow us on Twitter.

[ | E-mail |

Share ]

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

UCLA study to determine if copper surfaces can reduce hospital-acquired infections

Public release date: 9-Jul-2012
[ | E-mail |

Share ]

Contact: Rachel Champeau
rchampeau@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-2270
University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences

$2.5 million grant to fund clinical trial at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center

These microbes may persist for extended periods in the hospital, on surfaces such as bed rails, doorknobs, chairs, tray tables, toilet seats and even call buttons in patient rooms.

Additional environmental microbiologic studies and evaluations of surface cleaning will be included in the research, as well as a detailed costbenefit analysis.

The initial idea for the hospital-based study came from Sinsheimer's research on the viability of alternatives to lead-based copper piping in delivering safer drinking water.

A team at UCLA Engineering will assist with the testing of the copper and other surfaces used in the clinical trial.

###

For more news, visit the UCLA Newsroom and follow us on Twitter.

[ | E-mail |

Share ]

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-07/uoc--ust070912.php

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Program, Budget and Finance holds last hearing

Deputy Bessie Titus of Alaska signs up to testify July 7 at the Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance?s spending hearing. Committee legislative aide the Rev. Patty Downing is at left. ENS photo/Mary Frances Schjonberg

[Episcopal News Service ? Indianapolis] The Episcopal Church?s Joint Standing Committee on Program, Budget and Finance held its last hearing ? one on spending ? on the evening of July 7.

The committee, which is now two days away from the deadline for it to propose a budget for the church?s 2013-2015 triennium, heard from many of a long line of witnesses that snaked down the hallway of the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. PB&F extended the hearing for a half hour in order to hear from more people.

What the members heard were requests that they include money for the program or ministry that each witness advocated. Those requests ranged from pleas for funding of what one witness called ?life-saving work? to what another said was a ?measly? amount of money to update the e-mail system at the church center in New York.

Deputy Dave Bailly, of North Dakota, told the committee that the money the church has given his diocese in the past ?saves lives every day? by enabling the church to form partnerships and reach out to impoverished Indians.

The line of people wanting to testify snaked down the hallway of the Indianapolis Marriott Downtown. PBB&F extended the hearing for a half hour in order to hear from more people. Here, Rebecca Wilson, center, and Rebecca Duggan, an Episcopal Service Corps member, go over her testimony as they wait. ENS photo/Mary Frances Schjonberg

Bailly called North Dakota a ?state of contrasts? with unemployment close to two percent in the portions of the state in the midst of a boom in oil production and between 70 to 80 percent on the state?s Indian reservations.

?The poverty there is abject; it is unbelievable,? he said. ?The problems with our youth are amazing ? teen suicides are at record high levels?

?We reaching out to hundreds and hundreds of youth, and we?re helping them to look forward to a future,? Bailly added. ?These are programs that are high impact.

The church?s triennial budget aids four Indian Country dioceses including Alaska, Navajoland Area Mission and North and South Dakota.

The three counties with the nation?s highest poverty rate, and four of the top 10, are in western South Dakota, according to U.S. Census Bureau statistics reported here. Ziebach County in the Cheyenne Reservation is first at 50.1 percent. Todd County in the Rosebud Reservation and Shannon County in the Pine Ridge Reservation are ranked second and third.

The Rev. Steven Pankey, Diocese of the Central Gulf Coast deputy, asked PB&F to allot the ?measly $50,000? needed to update the church center?s e-mail system, which currently runs on a Windows 2003 platform.

Before the testimony began, Diocese of Maine Bishop Steve Lane, who is PB&F?s vice chair, told the crowd that ?PB&F has been listening hard not only at this convention, but long before this convention and we think we are well aware of the resolutions making their way through the two houses.?

?In building the budget, we are very mindful of the needs and concerns of the church and we are considering things in the budget even before the resolutions are passed,? he said, adding that the committee believes that ?a number of resolutions will still be in the pipeline? when the committee has to present a budget to convention.

?This is the nature of our system ? this kind of parallel development between resolutions and the budget-building process,? he said. ?This is the way it always is, but we?re two days shorter this time around so we are endeavoring to do our best to hear you to include as much as we can. We just want to say that we recognize that the legislative process in the houses will not be complete before we must submit a budget.?

The committee is scheduled to present its proposed budget at 2:15 p.m. July 10 to a joint session of the House of Bishops and the House of Deputies in the deputies? hall. Lane has said that because the budget document must be to the printer by 3:00 p.m. local time July 9 at the latest, the committee will have its 2013-2015 proposed budget finished by noon that day.

A vote in each house is set for July 12, the last day of convention. The budget takes effect Jan. 1, 2013.

? The Rev. Mary Frances Schjonberg is an editor/reporter for the Episcopal News Service.

Source: http://episcopaldigitalnetwork.com/ens/2012/07/08/program-budget-and-finance-holds-last-hearing/

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Retailers sue Pfizer, charge generic Lipitor delay

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) ? Five large drug and grocery chains are suing Pfizer Inc. and a second drugmaker, alleging they conspired to delay sales of cheap generic versions of the blockbuster cholesterol drug Lipitor.

Lipitor, the world's top-selling drug ever, had peak sales of nearly $13 billion a year several years ago. Sales dropped sharply after it got U.S. generic competition on Nov. 30.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday by Walgreen Co., the Kroger Co. and three other retailers in U.S. District Court in Trenton, N.J., claims generics should have been available nearly two years earlier, when Lipitor's original patent expired.

The suit accuses Pfizer of patent fraud as well as "illegal, anti-competitive conduct" with generic drugmaker Ranbaxy Laboratories of India to block other generic drugmakers from selling versions of Lipitor, called atorvastatin calcium, until recently.

The suit also accuses New York-based Pfizer of making deals with companies that manage prescription benefits, giving them big discounts on brand-name Lipitor in exchange for those companies limiting sales of generic versions. Generic pills generally bring pharmacies higher profit margins than brand-name medicines do.

Pfizer denies the lawsuit claims and said Friday that it "will defend itself vigorously." A spokesman for Ranbaxy said the company had not been served with the lawsuit and has a policy against commenting on pending litigation.

The plaintiffs, which include Safeway Inc., Supervalu Inc. and HEB Grocery Co. LP, claim the original patent for the active ingredient in Lipitor expired in March 2010 and that Pfizer fraudulently got the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to grant a follow-on patent that extended Pfizer's monopoly on Lipitor sales.

According to Pfizer, Lipitor has additional patents that run until 2017, in addition to the patent in question in the lawsuit.

The plaintiffs also accuse Pfizer and Ranbaxy of striking a deal to delay competition from other generic versions of Lipitor. Ranbaxy got a six-month window through the end of May when it sold generic Lipitor and the only other generic version on the market was an authorized one ? pills manufactured by Pfizer and sold by its partner, Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc.

"We are confident that Pfizer's procurement and enforcement of its Lipitor patents was at all times proper and lawful," Pfizer said in a statement. "The Lipitor patent settlements, including the settlement with Ranbaxy, were submitted for review by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission and are proper and lawful in all respects."

The lawsuit claims that due to the defendants' "scheme to delay and suppress generic Lipitor competition, in whole or in part, plaintiffs have paid hundreds of millions of dollars more for atorvastatin calcium than they would have paid absent such conduct."

Pfizer's revenue from brand-name Lipitor fell about 40 percent in the first quarter of this year, to $1.4 billion. That amount likely would have dropped more, if Pfizer had not offered the discounts to prescription benefit managers, along with copayment cards that helped about 750,000 patients to stay on brand-name Lipitor for just $4 per month.

The plaintiffs are seeking triple damages plus court and attorney costs. Their attorney, Deborah S. Corbishley of Miami, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Pfizer shares closed Friday trading down 13 cents to $22.54. The stock has changed hands between $16.63 and $23.30 in the past 52 weeks.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-07-06-Pfizer-Lipitor%20Lawsuit/id-e1fb75cba1d24bfca650bc5cdb552d57

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