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« You Can't Win If You Don't Play |
| A Shot Across the Bow »
Posted by Derek
So Merck's now gone 3 and 3 in Vioxx litigation. That's a preliminary count, of course, because they're appealing all the cases they've lost. For the same reason, a total of the damages against them doesn't mean very much, either. Does that leave any way to tell how things are going?
Well, you can be sure that with ten thousand or so suits that have been filed against the company so far, that the eventual record is not going to be five thousand up and five thousand down. These things don't take place independently, and there's eventually going to be a run to one side or the other. If Merck starts knocking down some more cases, that'll gradually increase the pressure for settlements in many of the remaining cases (and many others will just evaporate). But if they hit a big losing streak, not only will the existing plaintiffs and their lawyers be more motivated to hang in there, but even more cases will condense out of the vapor phase.
This last loss wasn't a good one to take, since the late defendant was overweight, smoked, had had bypass surgery and took Vioxx (at least as far as his medical records show) for all of seven days. Merck says that this verdict was an aberration which will be reversed. They'd better hope so.
So far, unless I'm quite mistaken, they haven't settled with anyone yet, and they're vowing to take on everyone in court. For that to work, I think that they're going to have to do better than 0.500. If they don't the problem will be keeping the tide from coming in while the appeals process goes on, a process which will start to resemble the Red Queen's race from Lewis Carroll. Even people who think that Merck will come out of this (and I'm one, most days) see the cost to them being around ten billion.
Which is certainly a fine use of the money, isn't it? You could probably discover a drug or two with ten billion dollars, wouldn't you think? But why do that, when you can give it to the lawyers?
Update: a similar analysis from John Simons at Fortune, who says that Merck's only choice is to fight every case.
Comments (23)
+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Cardiovascular Disease
1. MolecularGeek on April 24, 2006 9:25 PM writes...
"If you pay the danegeld, you will never be free of the Dane" (my apologies to my glottal-stopping friends)
Never let it be said that I am particulary fond of lawyers, but I see exactly why Merck is taking this approach. As a poster said in the feedback to "You Can't Win If You Don't Play", the world is full of people who feel that they are entitled to perfect results and that someone must be responsible and pay damages if something doesn't work quite as well as they would hope.
I will concede that Merck made some decisions during the application process that were not in the best interests of the company, and that even if they were not criminally fraud, they LOOK really bad to a jury. But if they start trying to settle the Vioxx cases, it becomes open season for everyone who ever thought about asking for a scrip for it to put in for damages. And I don't even want to think about the collateral damage that could cause for the prescribers.
Having said all that, I think Merck needs to take a look at their legal team. These cases turn on technical evidence and statistical concepts, and I am sure that the plaintiff's counsel is being careful to screen out as many people as possible from the jury that might understand false correlation, If Merck's lawyers aren't getting the technical facts of the case across to the jury, or they are not effectively challenging the claims that the statistics were willfully cooked, maybe a new firm is in order.
My personal belief is that Merck has to fight this. We live in a society where people are in-numerate enough that they think that buying $50 in lottery tickets gives one a real edge in winning the jackpot that they see as their retirement goal. The chance of a nice settlement check from a big faceless corporation is almost as good to many. If people can't deal with that level of statistics (either for the lottery or the risks of any medication when one is in such bad shape), the only feasable option is a ferocious defence. If they roll over and offer settlements, it just becomes harder for the next company trying to survive bringing the next compound to market with the $10**9 "saved" in the settlements.
2. secret milkshake on April 24, 2006 10:12 PM writes...
Well, few years back there were clinical results suggesting that there seems to be a serious dose-related increase in cardiovascular events with Vioxx - and Merck was not quite upfront about it. In fact, they tried to doctor the published data and hoped for "more evidence". What they got was more plaintifs....
We have a couple of colleagues here from Merck and some of them were saying that even before the Vioxx fiasco, Meck was a different (= less wonderful) place than it used to be in the glory days.
3. Tot. Syn. on April 25, 2006 3:33 AM writes...
It certainly was for those that worked at Harlow in the UK...
4. tom bartlett on April 25, 2006 7:52 AM writes...
"I think Merck needs to take a look at their legal team." I hope they can ultimately get the cases "kicked up" to a higher court-- maybe the Supreme Court where they can get bench trials instead of facing uneducated juries. There are a few losers on the SCOTUS these days, but anybody with a little schooling can see how utterly frivolous these cases are.
5. Palo on April 25, 2006 9:23 AM writes...
From what I read, the 50% winning for Merck is not really good news: the wins were cases in which the plaintiffs couldn't prove they took Vioxx for more than a couple weeks...
6. George Laszlo on April 25, 2006 9:47 AM writes...
When I was in High School, my friends and I used to sneak out in the middle of the night and take off to that hedonistic place called New York City.
On one of these occasions, I came home at about 7 a.m. with my mother waiting for me at the front door. She asked me where I had been. After answering with some lame story, I was at the receiving end of a really stinging slap in the face.
Later, she told me that the slap was not for sneaking out at night but for lying about it. This is a lesson I have never forgotten.
And so it will go with Merck. If it is determined that they lied, there will be no mercy in court. It will matter not whether Vioxx was or was not the cause of any medical problems.
The real question should be whether the punishment fits the crime.
7. Insider on April 25, 2006 9:55 AM writes...
The Merck staff who have to give evidence at these trials again and again and again must feel like they are in some kind of "Groundhog Day Hell".
What a way to end a career!
Some might say "how appropriate".....but that's just being unkind, isn't it?
8. Jim Hu on April 25, 2006 10:14 AM writes...
As far as I can tell, the main predictor of outcome is whether the jury is sympathetic to the victim. The split decision in NJ was bizarre, and in this case it sure looks like locals found an opportunity for wealth redistribution across state lines.
9. MolecularGeek on April 25, 2006 11:21 AM writes...
I agree that a bench trial would probably get to something approximating the facts of the case and something resembling justice a lot faster. Sadly, all parties in civil litigation must agree to waive a jury trial, and no plaintiff's attorney is going to put the outcome of the trial (and his 35% cut) in the hands of someone who has been trained to attempt to be objective and focus on facts, especially one who they would never allow near the jury box of a case they were arguing.
The other problem is that (if I remember correctly) in most states, appeals require a basis and "we didn't like the results" doesn't cut it. Usually this takes the form of the judge or one of the lawyers involved did something against the rules of the court or there was a clear violation of law in the proceedings. Also, most appeals courts don't involve themselves in matters of fact arising from the evidence. they limit themselves to the conduct of the trial and the appropriateness of the trial court's actions. If there is a question about the appropriateness of the evidence or legitimate new facts have arisen, the usual action is to remand the case to the trial court for rehearing. In short, Merck is stuck with juries. I think they need to find better external expert witnesses, myself.
10. tgibbs on April 25, 2006 4:15 PM writes...
I haven't seen any indication that Merck tried to "doctor the data." They reported a significantly higher incidence of cardiovascular complications in the Vioxx group. Despite some quibbling about the termination date of the study, nobody has been able to identify any unreported data that would have made a statistical difference in the reported results. And it is still unclear whether people taking Vioxx for arthritis were really at overall greater risk than people taking alternative medications.
If there is criticism to be laid at Merck's feet, it is probably that they were overoptimistic in thinking that the worse cardiovascular outcomes in the Vioxx group reflected a protective effect of naproxen. It's not an unreasonable hypothesis, but the protective effect would have had to be at the upper range of what the literature supports.
Aside from possible bad judgement, Merck's only real problem seems to be the aggressive marketing of Vioxx. While I think that it is clearly false that Merck knew of and concealed dangers of Vioxx, and it is hard to find any genuine fault with what they reported in the scientific literature (and even less so with what they reported to the FDA), there has been evidence that Merck's reps were pooh-poohing concerns about cardiovascular effects.
11. srp on April 25, 2006 4:16 PM writes...
The key is to get an appellate ruling that there is no scientific basis (i.e. cases are inadmissable) for blaming Vioxx in any patient who took it for less than six months (or whatever the studies have shown). Then a large fraction of cases can be dismissed and the problem reduced to the smaller population of long-time users who died of heart attacks.
12. S Silverstein on April 25, 2006 5:58 PM writes...
My opinion on this is here.
13. Jim Hu on April 25, 2006 7:34 PM writes...
Via Volokh: Ted Frank at Point of Law makes some pretty astonishing claims about the latest Vioxx case. Commenters at Volokh are saying "consider the source", but whether or not Frank is part of the pharma-apologist choir is independent of the question of whether the picture he paints of the trial is accurate. I don't know (I'm not going to read the trial transcript). There are links in Frank's post to local news coverage, but they don't quite go so far as to argue that the deceased might not have had a prescription for Vioxx at all...but they do suggest that the usage was murky at best.
14. secret milkshake on April 25, 2006 8:02 PM writes...
How about the missing "cardiovascular events" table that was cut out from the manuscript just before the submission to Science?
To be upfront means backward-bending honesty in presenting all available data (even if it may hurt the sales). This was not the case here.
15. Chris on April 25, 2006 11:58 PM writes...
You mean the 3 cardiovasular events that were removed from the table of that name in the submission to NJEM, because they occured after the (predetermined) cutoff date of the CV events portion of the study?
Or was there a second and very similar instance that I am unaware of?
If the first, one could ask why Merck set an early cutoff date for that portion of the study . . .
16. tgibbs on April 26, 2006 11:40 AM writes...
The so-called "missing" cardiovascular events (and the missing gastrointestinal event that nobody seems to mention) occurred after the pre-specified cut-off date. For statistical validity, is necessary to prespecify a cutoff date before the results are available, and for this to be an absolute deadline, because if there is any possibility for the results themselves to influence the decision of when the data collection is finished, it introduces a bias into the conclusions.
Of course, in a well-designed study, the exact timing of the cut-off should not have a big statistical impact on the conclusions, and that was true here--inclusion of the events that missed the deadline does not alter the statistical significance of the conclusions.
17. Matt on April 27, 2006 9:02 AM writes...
"The split decision in NJ was bizarre, and in this case it sure looks like locals found an opportunity for wealth redistribution across state lines."
Actually, the NJ split decision made perfect sense if you look closely at the ruling. They found Merck failed to adequately disclose the dangers of Vioxx in both cases, yet found it was only responsible for one man's injuries - the one who took it the longest.
That appears to be a very well considered opinion.
18. Matt on April 27, 2006 2:29 PM writes...
"Even people who think that Merck will come out of this (and I'm one, most days) see the cost to them being around ten billion."
Considering Merck's net profit was $1.5 billion last quarter alone, they'll probably easily be able to absorb $10 billion over the next decade or so.
"Which is certainly a fine use of the money, isn't it? You could probably discover a drug or two with ten billion dollars, wouldn't you think? But why do that, when you can give it to the lawyers?"
Or more accurately, you can give it to the victims, who then turn around and give it to their medical providers and health insurers, which enables them to purchase more Merck products. But don't let logic get in the way of a lawyer attack.
19. Derek Lowe on April 27, 2006 3:08 PM writes...
Matt, if Merck does end up paying out 10 billion, how much of it do you figure that the victims will see, compared to their lawyers?
And if they're spending this money, over the next decade, on legal fees rather than on their business, what are the chances that they're still going to be pulling in the same amount of profit at the end of it all?
20. Matt on April 27, 2006 4:20 PM writes...
60-70% will go to the victims. Of which much of the compensatory part of that award will be paid back to medical providers and health insurers. Why, do you not think the lawyers should be paid? Or would you charge less to take on a multibillion dollar company, spend literally thousands of hours of your time, and hundreds of thousands of your dollars, on a case with no guarantee of winning? And that's just one case.
Merck will probably be pulling in less profit, which means less paid out in dividends to shareholders. It doesn't mean less for R&D. Their profit margin last quarter was AFTER operating expense, which presumably includes R&D, doesn't it? So if they continue at the same profit margin, let's say of $6 billion a year, for the 5 years these cases take to try, that means R&D remains funded at exactly the same levels and they still net $20 billion. Still a fine day for the shareholders.
Of course, that assumes Merck doesn't have insurance coverage picking up some of the tab. That I don't know.
21. weirdo on April 29, 2006 1:06 PM writes...
"It doesn't mean less for R&D".
Oh, yes it does. Ask all those scientists in Terlings Park and San Diego how they're doing -- either unemployed or working somewhere else. Or the hundreds of other (now former) Merck scientists from other sites.
There is no evidence -- none, mind you -- that taking Vioxx for a few days or even a few weeks can cause any cardiovascular harm. And yet those lawsuits are going forward and must be defended against. Clearly you can agree that those lawsuits, in the grand scheme of things, are wasteful of resources?
22. CJD on April 29, 2006 4:43 PM writes...
"Oh, yes it does. Ask all those scientists in Terlings Park and San Diego how they're doing -- either unemployed or working somewhere else. Or the hundreds of other (now former) Merck scientists from other sites."
Merck still would have $20 billion to spend on R&D that it instead chooses to dicharge to the shareholders using our hypothetical $10 billion cost over 5 years (it would likely be a longer period). So no, the payouts to the victims don't mean less for R&D. And, considering the company itself said it planned to close those plants regardless of lawsuits as part of a global restructuring plan, I doubt that claim holds much water.
"There is no evidence -- none, mind you -- that taking Vioxx for a few days or even a few weeks can cause any cardiovascular harm."
I'm not qualified to debate the science. I have not reviewed the original reports, nor have I reviewed any of the testimony. So really, I can't agree or disagree with you. Presuming you are correct for the sake of argument, then yes, they would be a waste of resources.
23. email@example.com on August 10, 2007 10:14 PM writes...
it seems that most of you are quite bias to any type of shame merck may have commited. you talk of equal but there is not much here. more like pandering to the company.this is why they are where they are now.people are affraid to be free and are happier being drones in a nice safe line.
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Serena's back to being bad. And the guilty pleasure just got guiltier. And more pleasurable. Not quite up to the all time best of the BTVS ep where Angel turns bad after sleeping with the Buffster, but still, not too shabby GG, not too shabby.
Just sayin'
Til next time... XOXO
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Grandmother Owl''s Really Good Booties
This file was downloaded from http://www.knitting-and.com/knitting/patterns/baby/grandmother-owl-booties.htm
Straight needles plus at least one double-point needle in similar size;
baby (or other) yarn (see gauge note below)
Pattern Ridge 2: P 1 row; K 1 row; P 1 row; K 1 row
Cast on 36 stitches then do Pattern Ridge 1 and Pattern Ridge 2 twice
so there are 4 ridges - two on each side.
P 1 row
P 1 row
K 12, slip onto waste yarn. K 12, keep on needle. Put last 12 stitches onto waste yarn. [or holders, safety pins, whatever.]
K 26 rows stockinette stitch on middle 12 stitches [or what looks like
the right length - I usually use only 22-24 rows] [It is very helpful
in the picking-up-stitches process later if you slip the first stitch
of each row, and I always gild the lily by purling the last stitch in
every row, just so that the "end stitches" look uniformly nice ... but
the useful part is having one large stitch for
End with a purl row. Break yarn. Now, with right side facing, attach yarn at the right-hand side by the waste yarn, ready to pick up those 12 stitches [think upside-down "T" and join yarn at upper right hand corner of the rightmost sidebar]
K 12, pick up 16, K12 across, [USE DOUBLEPOINT], pick up 16, K 12 [The
picking up of 16 along each side used to bug me since one for every two
rows (one "end stitch") wasn''t enough but one for every row (knit into
front and back of each "end stitch") was too many. Now I
Go back to pattern (now starting on opposite side as before, so that there is a ridge of purl stitches meeting the stockinette of the instep) and make a total of 4 ridges, two on each side.
P1, P2 tog, P 27, P 2 tog TWICE, P 27, P 2 tog, P 1 turn [what you''re doing really, is setting up decreases on each end for the heel as well as paired decreases in the center front for toe shaping, while maintaining the pattern ridges]
K 1, K 2 tog, K 25, K 2 tog TWICE, K 25, K 2 tog, K 1
P1, P 2 tog, P 23, P 2 tog TWICE, P 23, P 2 tog, P1
P 1 row (first row of Pattern Ridge 2)
Bind off knitwise. Sew up along center back of ankle/heel/sole.
Cord Option One (the one that came with the original pattern): Crochet a chain of 80 stitches using two strands yarn held together and a hook appropriate for needles.
Cord Option Two (for knitting purists; it''s quite a bit slower) Knit "I-cord" for drawstring.
Pattern Copyright Samantha K Davenport. E-mail: email@example.com
Image Copyright Sarah Bradberry 2003


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Some Examples:
Auto Metal Direct
Virtual Therapy Connect
Atlanta Computer Group


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ASU Mission: To establish ASU as the model for a New American University, measured not by who they exclude, but rather by who they include; pursuing research and discovery that benefits the public good; assuming major responsibility for the economic, social, and cultural vitality and health and well-being of the community. ASU Goals 2002-2012: Access and Quality for All: Expand university access to match Arizona diversification and growth, Enhance university graduation rate, Enhance linkages with community colleges; National Comprehensive University by 2012: Become a leading center for interdisciplinary science and technology discovery and development, Enhance research and discovery competitiveness; Establish National Standing in Academic Quality and Impact of Colleges and Schools in Every Field Enhance our Local Impact and Social Embeddedness: Enhance linkage to local and regional social and community development groups, Establish/develop/enhance linkages and partnerships with local, regional and national NGO's, governments and public agencies, and private sector firms
The hands-on training you will receive at Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College will provide you with the skills and knowledge to succeed in this very exciting and fast-growing field.
The Computer Information Technology curriculum is designed to prepare graduates for employment with organizations that use computers to process, manage, and communicate information. This is a flexible curriculum that can be customized to meet community information system needs.
Course work will develop a student's ability to communicate complex technical issues related to computer hardware, software, and networks in a manner that computer users can understand. Classes cover computer operations and terminology, operating systems, database, networking, security, and technical support.
ACM unites computing educators, researchers and professionals to inspire dialogue, share resources and address the field's challenges. Through its Special Interest Groups, ACM publishes the proceedings of more than 150 conferences and symposia each year. The ACM Digital Library provides an expanding bibliographic database of all relevant articles in computing, with over 1 million citations to date. ACM's mission includes assessing and influencing the impact of information technologies on all aspects of society. ACM also helps shape U.S. public policy, improve gender equity and diversity, and influence the teaching of computing and information technology.
The Association for Information Systems (AIS) serves society through the advancement of knowledge and the promotion of excellence in the practice and study of information systems. AIS is the premier professional association for individuals and organizations who lead the research, teaching, practice, and study of information systems worldwide. (Revised 12/2010)
AT&T's 133-year history of innovation is a story about people from all walks of life and all kinds of backgrounds coming together to improve the human condition. It is their diversity, coupled with an inclusive culture that welcomes all points of view - which makes them who they are: a great place to work, a desired business partner and a committed member of the communities they serve. "A diverse workforce and inclusive culture are essential to AT&T. They allow us to attract and retain the best and the brightest to develop the most innovative products and solutions to meet our customers' needs." -Randall Stephenson, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer. AT&T sponsors the NCWIT Undergraduate Research Mentoring Award and the Aspirations in Computing Educator Award.
Aten Design group is a web strategy, design, and development company based in Denver, CO. Aten is passionate about meaningful user experience, beautiful design, and elegant technical solutions. Since 2000, Aten has worked with journalists, educators, human rights activists, health-care providers, climate change adaptation experts, international aid workers - a broad range of organizations committed to making positive changes in the world - to build interactive platforms that help impact lives.
Auburn University was established in 1856 as the East Alabama Male College, 20 years after the city of Auburn's founding. In 1960 the name of the school was changed to Auburn University, a title more in keeping with its location, and expressing the varied academic programs and larger curriculum of a major university. Today, Auburn is one of the few universities to carry the torch as a land, sea and space grant university. Their Fall 2010 semester enrollment was 25,078. Their students can choose from more than 140 degree options in 13 schools and colleges at the undergraduate, graduate and professional levels. Auburn University has developed into one of the largest universities in the South, remaining in the educational forefront with its traditional blend of arts and applied science, and changing with the needs of today while living with a respect for the traditions and spirit that are Auburn.
Austin Pathways is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes the education and general welfare of low-income Austinites in subsidized housing programs, specifically those who live in the 18 public housing communities owned and operated by the Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) and those who participate in its Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) program. STEM and computer literacy education can be key elements of family self-sufficiency-- Austin Pathways' "Unlocking the Connection" initiative aims to provide free basic broadband, digital literacy training, and earned computer devices to residents of the Housing Authority of the City of Austin.


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Days after finishing Alex Shakar's "Luminarium," I'm still stumbling around the house in a mixture of wonder and awe. His new novel considers how our perceptions of the world are manipulated and controlled. I can't claim to have understood all of it, but I did find it completely absorbing, and anyone hungry for a deeply philosophical novel that, nonetheless, maintains its humility will find here a story worth wrestling with.
You know who you are: You left "The Matrix" and "Inception" dazzled but wishing for a little less computer-generated wizardry and a lot more articulation of the movies' ideas (which also indicates that you should never become a Hollywood producer). In "Luminarium" those ideas — about the nature of reality and the interplay of technology and perception — are explored with great care and maturity.


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According to a recent study, hearing voices in one's head is extremely common, which makes it normal. Scientists at the Manchester University who conducted the study said that 1 in 25 individuals is prone to hearing voices, therefore it is a rather common symptom among people. Researchers also added that a person who hears voices is not a crazy person, despite the common misconception.
Some of the individuals who hear voices do not seek medical help, because they feel this is natural and a positive thing to happen. Sometimes they even engage in conversation with the voices inside their heads and state they benefit from the open conversation. On the other hand, there are individuals who run to see a doctor the very first time they hear an abnormal voice calling them or speaking to them from inside their thoughts or heads. They want to be treated and given medication to cure the imaginary craziness they think they suffer from.
"We know that many members of the general population hear voices but have never felt the need to access mental health services. Some experts even claim that more people hear voices and don't seek psychiatric help than those who do," noted researcher Aylish Campbell who was involved in the study. She also added: "It doesn't seem to be hearing voices in itself that causes the problem. What seems to be more important is how people go on to interpret the voices."
The team explained that most people who hear voices speaking to them or simply talking to each other in their heads have suffered from childhood traumas. It is all closely connected to the cultural background one has been brought up into, his life experiences and his general beliefs.
"If a person is struggling to overcome a trauma or views themselves as worthless or vulnerable, or other people as aggressive, they may be more likely to interpret their voices as harmful, hostile or powerful. Conversely, a person who has had more positive life experiences and formed more healthy beliefs about themselves and other people might develop a more positive view of their voices," Aylish Campbell concluded.


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by Robert Doar
American Enterprise Institute
June 18, 2014
The War on Poverty alleviated poverty among some populations, but failed in others. The economic status and outlook for low-income Americans is not as strong as it could be or as it should be. New York City's experience over the last decade suggests that work-first and pro-work public assistance programs, combined with pro-growth economic policies, are most effective at helping poor Americans. To expand opportunity for economically vulnerable working-age Americans, policymakers should require work as a condition of means-tested public assistance, reward work with robust supports for those working at low wages, and foster two-parent married families. In practice, this means mitigating marriage penalties embedded in means-tested welfare programs and informing the public about the challenges of raising children in single-parent families. It means implementing targeted programs for young men in low-income communities and offering relocation assistance for the unemployed, helping the most badly-suffering Americans discover opportunities to work.


text: (Photo by Chung Sung-Jun/Getty Images) [ Reducing Debt Is Like Getting a Raise By Tom Egelhoff June 5, 2013 Are you underwater? Spending more than you make? Then every dollar of debt you can retire is the same as getting a raise. Read More|Comment Category: Advice, AM 1450 Exclusive, Business, Commentary, Consumer Advice, Economy, Government, Health, Investment, Lifestyle, Money, Opinion, Taxes, Tom's Opinion Tags: consoladate, credit cards, debt, gas, investment, payments, ratio, saving, tom egelhoff Send to a friend! Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Pin it! Reddit This! Share on Tumblr!


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Orange-Glazed Roast Pork
Pork tenderloin is the leanest cut: For 3 ounces of cooked, it has only 4.1 g fat (1.4 g saturated), compared with, for example, pork shoulder, which has 11 g fat (3.7 g saturated). Pork tenderloins are often packed 2 to a vacuum-sealed plastic package. Use the one you need, wrap the other and freeze it for a later date. You can serve the pork on its own (see below for a menu suggestion), slice it for sandwiches, add it to a salad, or toss in a pasta sauce.
1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon frozen orange juice concentrate
1-1/4 teaspoons dark brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons mustard
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 pound pork tenderloin
1 Preheat the oven to 425°F. In a small bowl, stir together the soy sauce, orange juice concentrate, brown sugar, mustard, and pepper.
2 Place the tenderloin on a rack in a roasting pan and brush with the soy sauce mixture. Roast for 25 minutes, or until the pork is cooked through and a meat thermometer reads 160°F.
3 Transfer the pork to a plate and let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Slice the pork slightly on the diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick slices, reserving any juices that collect on the plate. Serve the pork with the pan juices. Makes 4 servings
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: 119 calories, 3.1g total fat (1g saturated), 55mg cholesterol, 0g dietary fiber, 4g carbohydrate, 18g protein, 224mg sodium.


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More than 68,000 students in the North East independent School District returned to school this week. Here are a few scenes from the first day of school taped at various campuses.
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Ten Things You Didn't Know About Beady Eye (page 2)
June 22, 2011 12:00 PM
9. Before Oasis, Andy Bell co-founded one of the biggest shoegaze bands in the early '90s called [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Ride[/lastfm]. But you already knew that, right? Shortly after the British group disbanded, he fronted his own group called [lastfm link_type="artist_info"]Hurricane #1[/lastfm].


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Incorporating energy efficiency and renewable energy can help businesses across all sectors in New York become more profitable.
Working together in various communities, New Yorkers can create a better energy future and help the economy grow.
New Yorkers can make their homes more comfortable and cut energy costs.
Talent, innovation, and unique resources available in New York make it a premier place for clean energy businesses to grow.
New York welcomes the new, innovative ideas that will inform policy, protect the environment, and power the future.
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Description: The New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) invites proposals from qualified developers (Applicant) to design, construct, finance, lease and maintain an amenities retail center or mixed use building and related improvements at the Saratoga Technology + Energy Park® (STEP®) in the Town of Malta, Saratoga County, New York. It is envisioned that the building will contain a variety of business amenity services, such as a deli/coffee shop, fitness center, daycare, copy center, dry cleaner, and other such businesses that will support companies located in the immediate vicinity.
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Fax: 518-862-1091
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NEWS: You can now get live bus info using QR codes and NFC tags
Metro manages bus stations and bus points in West Yorkshire
Check the following bus station pages for live departure screens and the facilities you'll find in each station. You can also get live bus times by text and on your phone.
Stations and bus points are listed alphabetically.


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It's hot hot hot, with record temperatures expected in the Portland-area this weekend. (And, from what I can tell, around much of the rest of the United States — even Alaska!) We live in a hundred-year-old house with no air conditioner and inadequate insulation. Faced with the sweltering heat, I've been thinking about my favorite ways to keep cool.
- Drink ice water. Water regulates your body temperature. It also keeps the body hydrated, allowing it to sweat efficiently. (Sweat is a good thing: it's your body's cooling system.) Avoid alcohol and caffeine when it's hot.
- Get wet. A hose and a sprinkler were all we needed to keep cool as kids. Those games aren't as fun for me anymore, but I'm a fan of the children's wading pool. I bought one cheap last summer, and spent hot afternoons lounging in it with a book. A cool bath is a good alternative.
- Spray yourself. When it's hot, my wife carries around a spray bottle filled with water. She sprays the back of her neck, her shirt, and — at night — the bed sheets. This is especially effective when combined with a fan.
- Ice off. Some people keep cool with ice packs. I find the cold from these to be too concentrated, but I'll bet they work like a charm.
- Turn off the lights. Light bulbs emit heat. So do most other electrical appliances. Turn off the ones you don't need. (Even the computer!)
- Stay low. Heat rises. If you live in a two-story house, keep on the lower floor. In any room, you'll probably be cooler lounging on the floor than sitting in a chair.
- Use the windows. Each house is different, and you'll need to learn the airflow in yours, but generally if you open the windows and blinds early in the morning, and then close them midday, you can keep your house cooler.
- Turn on a fan. Air conditioners are expensive to run. While ceiling fans aren't nearly as effective, they do cool a room cheaply. A box fan in a window also helps to cool things down.
- Popsicles! Popsicles are my favorite inexpensive cold food. You can even make your own. Focus on cool food. Here are some cool treats that won't chill your budget.
- Go out on the town. You won't catch me giving this advice very often, but a hot day is the perfect time to head to a movie theater, or to eat out at your favorite cheap (air-conditioned) restaurant.
If you do use an air conditioner, make sure its effects don't go to waste. Keep doors and windows closed. Better yet, cool just one room. When we had A/C at our old house, we mostly just cooled the bedroom, which became a haven from the heat.
Some of you might want to try to make your own air conditioner. Me? I'll be cooling off in the shade of the walnut tree, a frosty gin fizz in my hand.
GRS is committed to helping our readers save and achieve their financial goals. Savings interest rates may be low, but that is all the more reason to shop for the best rate. Find the highest savings interest rates and CD rates from Synchrony Bank, Ally Bank, GE Capital Bank, and more.
This article is about Being Frugal, Being Frugal


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Learn why many grocery retailers are selling 100-200 of our pizzas per week.
Noble Roman's Pizza Program for Groceries:
We Supply this Comprehensive Merchandising Kit – FREE
Anchored with our life size 'Chef Pizza Monster' promotional figure, customers will be sure to notice your new program!
Please submit the following and Troy Branson, Executive Vice President, will contact you promptly.


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This week was the launch of our new orphanage Project in Paarl which is about an hours drive from Gordon´s Bay. It is a beautiful journey through the wine lands and you can sit back and admire the landscape and rock formations changing as you travel, its breath taking!
On Tuesday we met the children who will be taking part in the holiday program we will be running during the school break. We were privileged enough to be invited to join the group on an exciting trip to a crocodile farm nearby. As we wondered through the farm with the children our guide gave us information about Nile crocodiles and the centre in general.
There are over a thousand crocodiles at the farm including two disabled crocs that were born without tails. Because a crocodile uses its tail for balance, movement and defense it is essential for these reptiles to have their tails in order to survive in the wild. We also got to see a five year old albino crocodile which is a very rare sight, as they have only had one in the past 35 years!
At the end of the tour we got to hold a baby croc, which had all the children beside themselves with excitement. We expected the scales to feel very rough but instead they felt smooth and soft! After soaking up all this new knowledge and excitement we still managed to get the whole group together for our very first group photo just before settling down to some delicious lunch!
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On the left is Nintendo Power's final cover, and on the right? Its first.
The comparison, posted on Reddit, emphasizes the long history of the magazine. Nintendo Power has been on the stands since 1988, first as an official Nintendo publication, and then later as an independent entity. For players of a certain age who grew up with the NES and SNES, this is something of the end of an era.
The cancellation news was fairly sudden, and was the first of several game magazines to be closed.
So to see this tribute to the magazine's history is for some a sad moment. We here at GameTrailers would like to take a moment to congratulate our colleagues at Nintendo Power for more than two decades of fine work, and wish them luck wherever they may land.
Reddit: Nintendo Power's Final Issue


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|Longer Lasting Color
|Approx. 25 years*
|Print Speed (up to)
|Black:14 ppm (approx. 4.3 seconds per page)Color:9 ppm (approx. 6.7 seconds per page)4x6 Color Photo:Approx. 47 secondsApprox. 90 seconds
|Number of Nozzles
|Black - 320, Color - 256 each
|Print Resolution (Up to)
|Black:600 x 600 dpiColor:2400 x 1200 dpi
|OS Compatibility
|Windows®7, Windows® 95/98/2000/Me/XP, Windows NT® 4.0, Mac® OS(8.6 to 9.X) and Mac OS X v10.1 to 10.2.x via Web site drivers
|Standard Interfaces
|Built-in USB, IEEE 1284 parallel ports
|Ink Compatibility
|BCI-3eBk Black Ink Tank, BCI-3eC Cyan Ink Tank, BCI-3eM Magenta Ink Tank, BCI-3eY Yellow Ink Tank
|Standard Emulation
|Canon Extended Mode
|Buffer Ram
|Paper Sizes
|Letter, legal, A4, 4"x 6", banner paper, U.S. #10 envelopes, European DL envelopes
|Automatic Sheet Feeder
|Max. 100 Sheets
|Paper Compatibility
|Plain paper, envelopes, Canon Specialty Papers - Banner Paper, Glossy Photo Cards, Glossy Photo Paper, High Gloss Photo Film, High Resolution Paper, Photo Paper Pro, Photo Paper Pro for Borderless Printing, Transparencies, T-Shirt Transfers
|Paper Handling
|Plain Paper - 100 sheetsBanner Paper - YesEnvelopes - 10Glossy Photo Cards - 20 sheetsGlossy Photo Paper - 10 sheetsHigh Gloss Photo Film - 1 sheetHigh Resolution Paper - 80 sheetsPhoto Paper Pro 4"x6" - 20 sheetsPhoto Paper Pro 8½"x11" - 1 sheetPhoto Paper Pro for Borderless Printing 4"x6" - 20 sheetsTransparencies - 30 sheetsT-Shirt Transfers - 1 sheet
|Noise Level Approx
|42 dB(A) in Best Quality Mode
|Physical Dimensions
|16.9" W x 11.6" D x 7" H
|Approximately 11 lb.
|Power Source
|120V AC, 60 Hz
|1-year limited warranty with InstantExchange warranty program (conditions and restrictions apply, see warranty materials for details)
|Software Included
|Setup Software/User's Guide CD-ROM** including: Printer drivers, PhotoRecord (Windows), ZoomBrowser EX(Windows), ImageBrowser (Mac), PhotoStitch (Windows/Mac), User's Guide and e-Registration
| Prices and specifications subject to change without notice. Actual prices are determined by individual dealers and may vary.
* Based on Canon Inc. studies conducted using Canon Photo Paper Pro, under glass, utilizing industry-standard lighting conditions and controlled temperature and humidity. Results may vary based on individual environmental factors.
Accelerated test conditions on Photo Paper Pro
Canon Inc. Evaluation
Temperature: 24°C Humidity: 60%
Light source: White fluorescent light 70,000 lux
Layer of air and 2mm-thick glass on the sample
Presumed conditions: Assuming one day's illumination as 500 lux x 10 hours
In-House Evaluation Criteria (Based on ISO)
Single color/Composite color: A color change has occurred if the density is under 70% (OD from 1.0 to <0.7) Process Bk: The fading ratio between each color is within 15%, and a color change has occurred if the density is under 70% (OD from 1.0 to <0.7)
The 25 years of light-fastness may not be achieved depending on storing conditions. The expressed number of years is the result of simulated testing conducted by Canon Inc. and is not guaranteed. This number of years does not apply for paper fading or durability.
** System requirements vary by application.
© 2015 Canon U.S.A., Inc. All Rights Reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited.


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Indeed, let's forget about pesky concerns like ISIS or Ebola and focus out time and energy on a hoax. This election might determine whether the "climate crisis" is solved, former Vice President Al Gore claims. The former politician makes the … Continued
Al Gore
Al Jazeera Sues Al Gore
Who to side with? Can we hope for mutual destruction? Al Jazeera America is suing former Vice President Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, the former owners of the TV network that became Al Jazeera America. The parties are fighting over … Continued
Global Warming Cult Leader: There's an 'Enforced Orthodoxy' Among Those GOP Climate Deniers or Something
This scam artist doth project too much. With the stained glass of the chapel windows in view, at times Gore's voice took on the tone of a preacher, warning against the perils of global warming, but more so about the … Continued
What a Deal: Used Al Gore Book Now Selling for $0.01 on Amazon
Seems a tad overpriced if you ask me. Granted, to get over the freezing weather you could spend a few bucks and have something to burn to stay warm. Unfortunately shipping costs 399 times the cost of the book. Via … Continued
Deranged Al Gore Accuses GOP of 'Political Terrorism'
We're not sure how much more of this civility we can take. Former vice president Al Gore today had harsh words for lawmakers who are on the verge of allowing the government to shutdown over a bid to defund President … Continued
The Science Used To Be Settled; Now It's 'Extremely Likely' Mankind to Blame for Non-Existent Global Warming
The frauds from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have checked in today with the first in a three-part "exhaustive study" where thousands of so-called experts have concluded that's it's "extremely likely" mankind is to blame for something that isn't … Continued
The Science is Settled: New Study Says Threat of Man-Made Global Warming Greatly Exaggerated
In a just world the climate hoaxers like that fraud Al Gore would be sued penniless for perpetrating this scam on the public and all those slimy lefties who call people "deniers" would be rightly sued for libel and slander. … Continued
Loony Biden Praises Gore: "This man was elected president of the United States of America"
Sad to see the sitting Vice President suffering from dementia. Clearly Obama keeps him there as impeachment insurance. Vice President Joe Biden praised former Vice President Al Gore, who was present during a fundraiser for Massachusetts Senate Candidate Ed Markey, … Continued
Sleazy Con Man Al Gore Sued Over Sale of Current TV to Al Jazeera
Current TV's $500 million sale to Al Jazeera has prompted a lawsuit that claims co-founder Al Gore originally was opposed to the deal but had a "change of heart" on selling his cable network to oil-rich Qataris. The lawsuit was … Continued
'Of course Al didn't show up. He has no credibility'
Obviously Al Gore has no credibility, but the greedy far-left icon got his money and that's all that matters to him. Yesterday morning, the still shell shocked staff at Current TV was called to an all hands staff meeting at … Continued
The Rich Get Richer: Dianne Feinstein's Husband Also Cashes in on Current Sale to Al Jazeera
Most of the attention today has been devoted to the obscene amount of money Al Gore walked off with selling his low-rated cable outfit to Al Jazeera. And who knows how much Gore even invested in the initial venture considering … Continued
Al Jazeera Buys Al Gore's Current TV 'To Provide Independent and Diverse Points of View'
Allahpundit at Hot Air jokes that Al Jazeera will be "the one to rid us of an extremist propaganda outlet that seeks the destruction of America." Al Gore himself provides this howler: The former vice president confirmed the sale Wednesday, … Continued
Al Gore: Florida Voting Issues Reminiscent of Jim Crow or Something
From what we can gather blacks were allowed to vote in Florida and although it has not yet been called a black man could well win the state again. So what the hell is this babbling idiot talking about? Al … Continued
Want to Buy a Network Nobody Watches?
Have a couple hundred million bucks to throw away? Act now and you can have a network few have heard of, but you can get hot talent like Joy Behar and Eliot Spitzer. What are you waiting for? Current TV, … Continued
Hapless Al Gore: Where is Global Warming in This Debate?
The sad, pathetic creature who foisted this scam upon a gullible public wonders why nobody pays him any attention. Where is global warming in this #debate? Climate change is an urgent foreign policy issue. bit.ly/PpLrD1 #Current2012 #lynndebate — Al Gore … Continued
Great News: Al Gore Firm Now Managing Hundreds of Millions in NYC Pension Funds
This probably won't end well. You've got the NYC Comptroller, currently under investigation for shady campaign donations, handing over millions to a group run in part by environmental wacko Al Gore. Of course the part about Gore was kept hush … Continued
Pitifully Low Ratings Could Kill Al Gore's Current TV
Gee, you mean there's not enough room in the cable universe for a cheap ripoff of MSNBC and the actual thing? Whodathunkit? Al Gore's Current TV has bigger problems to deal with than a potential lawsuit from fired news anchor … Continued
Prima Donna Gasbag Olbermann Wouldn't Even Talk to His Boss
Who could imagine an irritable, delusional "performer" like Keith Olbermann couldn't get along with anyone? Really, there's nobody to feel sorry for here. If these stooges at Current TV were so stupid as to ignore the erratic, unstable behavior of … Continued
Great News: Cable Host With No Viewers Will Anchor Political Coverage on Network Nobody Watches
The great cable TV crisis of 2012 has been resolved, according to The Goracle. On Friday, Gore and Current TV president David Bohrman said that all was right between Olbermann and Current. Bohrman said Olbermann was offered the chance to … Continued
Bob Woodward: Sitting Next to Algore is "Taxing, Unpleasant"
Apparently the hot, smelly, gaseous materials aren't just emanating from Al's piehole. Describing an event where he was paired up next to the monotone-talking ex-vice president, Woodward said, "Now, sitting next to Gore is taxing." After some laughs from the … Continued


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Warne: Power hitting numbers rising throughout Twins organization
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MINNEAPOLIS -- If there's a common thread that has come to roost across the Minnesota Twins system, it's one that spans across all aspects of the game.
And it's something that had been missing from this organization for quite some time. Sure, the Twins developed Justin Morneau, and signed Josh Willingham. But in a game predicated largely on home run power and bringing the heat from the mound, the Twins have lagged behind for a while.
That is, until now.
A neat feature over at Fangraphs allows browsers to create comparative lists of players across all levels of the minors. And while those comparisons would typically be rendered worthless based on the sheer difference of the calibers of competition from low Single-A to Triple-A, but for getting brief glances at players across one organization, it's absolute gold.
Taking a peek at such a leaderboard gives a pretty good glimpse of the state of power in the Twins organization. And it's a glorious thing.
If one omits the Mexican Leaguers -- who quite frankly play in a ridiculous run environment -- the Twins have five hitters in the top-100 of all minor leaguers in home runs. In fact, three -- Miguel Sano (13), Chris Colabello (12), and Kennys Vargas (11) -- are in the top-25 in home runs across all of minor league baseball. Another two slot comfortably within the top-100 -- Adam Walker (10) and Travis Harrison (9) -- with Josmil Pinto and Byron Buxton barely on the outside looking in.
In other words, the T&R Power Company is wielding some serious electricity down on the farm.
But if the home run production has been appreciated by the Twins brass, it was also in a lot of ways expected.
"All those guys should be hitting those types of home run numbers; they have legitimate power," general manager Terry Ryan said. "Not a guy there surprises me. (In fact) there are some guys who I think should be up there and they aren't."
So what's gone into this power eruption across the organization? Ryan suggests geography may play a small part.
"Some of it's ballpark oriented," Ryan said. "It's tough to hit home runs in Rochester, and Colabello's got 'em. It's hard to hit 'em at New Britain, but Pinto's got 'em. I haven't been to Cedar Rapids, but I don't think it's all that difficult to hit home runs there. Certainly in Fort Myers it's difficult, so Vargas and Sano -- and whatever the club is getting out of Eddie Rosario and Angel Morales -- isn't entirely surprising. That team (Fort Myers Miracle) has power."
Ryan also noted that almost none of the players involved in the home run barrage were original draft choices of the Twins, but free agent signings.
"Most of those guys we didn't draft," Ryan said. "Colabello, Sano, Vargas, the list goes on. Sometimes it just happens. We've been lucky. I hate to attribute it to scouting and development, but we might have gotten lucky. Other than Sano. We spent a lot of money on Sano."
But Ryan made it clear that he didn't feel this sudden power shift was any sort of change in organizational philosophy.
"The same people are in that room that have been there for 25 years," Ryan noted. "The only thing that has changed really is that Mike Radcliff has switched titles. Deron Johnson is the scouting director. Even if that's Deron's philosophy, we all still get our input up there if we want."
But the search for power isn't unique to the Twins organization, of course. Every team is on the lookout for someone who can put the ball into the seats, or leave an imprint of the seams in the catcher's palm with his fastball.
"If we see a guy with power -- or a guy who can throw it 96 miles-per-hour -- I think we're like 29 other teams," Ryan said. "Basically, we're thinking 'That'd be interesting to get in the system. This guy can hit it over the fence a long way.' We will have interest in him as almost every club in the game will, as long as he's not a bad human being and all that makeup business. We like all the same things that every other club likes, frankly. It's just who gets to you. Power hitters and pitchers come off the board quickly (in the draft). So do catchers and left-handed pitchers."
And whether it's been through diligent scouting, or in Ryan's words maybe a little luck mixed with player development, it's clear that the Twins have more power in the system than any time in recent memory.


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BOSTON, Massachusetts --The Boston Celtics announced today that they have assigned guard Rajon Rondo to the Maine Red Claws of the NBA Development League.
"Rajon is progressing terrifically in his rehab and this is the next step," said Danny Ainge, Celtics President of Basketball Operations. "This is a brief assignment so that Rajon can participate in a workout this afternoon with the Red Claws and he will be called back up to the Celtics upon the conclusion of the workout."
Rondo, a 6'1" guard, has not played in a game for the Celtics this season and is currently recovering from a torn ACL in his right knee. He appeared in 38 games for the Celtics last season and averaged 13.7 points, 5.6 rebounds, 11.1 assists and 1.8 steals in 37.4 minutes per game.
UPDATE: NEWS CENTER has learned that the Red Claws are practicing in Boston. Rondo is with the team for the day. He is expected to make his Celtics debut on Friday if all goes well.


text:
Following the tragic deaths of the four miners at the Gleision Colliery in Pontardawe, all JD Wetherspoon pubs in South Wales have been raising money for the families.
The pubs will continue to raise money throughout October, with some special fundraising evenings.
The Potters Wheel in Swansea will be staging a fundraising event, on Sunday October 2, with members from the Swansea and Carmarthenshire Campaign for Real Ale branches in attendance.
The evening, which includes a buffet, will run at the pub in The Kingsway from 7pm onwards and will see local breweries, including Swansea-based Tomos Watkin, showcasing ales and offering samples.
The Red Lion in Sway Road, Morriston is hosting a concert by the Morriston Orpheus Choir, as well as local band Misty, on Sunday October 9, from 7pm onwards.
The Lord Caradoc in Port Talbot will be staging a 'back to school' themed charity musical evening, on Sunday October 2 from 8pm until 12midnight.
Staff will be dressed in school uniform fancy dress and local radio DJ and singer Helen Ensa Morgan will be providing the music.
Paul Williams, area manager for Wetherspoon, said: "We hope that all the events will be well supported and help the pubs to make a substantial donation to the official fund at the end of the month."


text:
Legal Rights of Teachers and Students, Third Edition | 9780132619431
ISBN-13: 9780132619431 See more
Author(s): NELDA H. CAMBRON-McCABE; MARTHA M. McCARTHY; SUZANNE E. ECKES
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With the goals of providing an awareness of rights and responsibilities, motivating educators to translate basic concepts into actual practice, and generating an interest in further study of the law, this resource gives pre- and in-service educators a concise, informative, comprehensive look at the legal issues affecting their daily activities. Included is practical help for ensuring the legality of the complex decisions educators must make every day in such areas as religion, instruction, student expression, disabilities, discipline, teacher employment, Teachers' Substantive Rights, termination, and tort liability; plus such as English Language Learners, bullying, sexual harassment, vouchers, digital copyright, and more.
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Who's Online:
*Speechles* Finally, Shadow Maiden breathes . . ."Wow."
Author's Response: Aww... Thank you. I'm very flattered.
Wow! I really admire you for being able to write poetry in elvish! I don't think I could ever do that! Very beautiful and enchanting!
Author's Response: Thank you for reviewing. I'm very flattered. But I think that you're under-estimating your own abilities. I'm certain that you could write in Elvish if you had the tools that I used.
Wow. Beautiful poetry. You have my admiration for translating it!
Author's Response: Thanks. It took a while, but I think it was worth it.
It's good. You should add it to Ithildin's challenge, "The Fair Words of Elves".
Author's Response: Thanks. :) I will, now that you mention it.


text:
Philosophy di Alberta Ferretti's boned strapless crimson satin dress is a timelessly sophisticated evening style. Team the rich jewel tone with slick black heels for a sultry cocktail concoction. Shown here with an Yves Saint Laurent ring, Kara Ross clutch and Christian Louboutin shoes.
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Product code: 61919 - Need help? Contact us


text:
SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) -- Microsoft Corp. and Yahoo Inc. finally put the ink to a deal to team against mutual rival Google Inc. in the search business Wednesday, but details of the pact appeared to disappoint Yahoo shareholders expecting more of a financial benefit.
Shares of Yahoo YHOO, +0.46% fell more than 12% to close at $15.14. The stock had run up 20% in recent weeks on renewed speculation of a deal with Microsoft, which was thought to possibly include benefits including a large, up-front payment.
Under terms of the planned deal announced Wednesday, Microsoft will pay no up-front fees to Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo, and will be able to provide the engine behind Yahoo's Internet-search service. Yahoo will handle all sales relationships with advertisers, though each company plans to retain its own sales force for online display advertising.
The deal includes a revenue-sharing agreement that Yahoo predicts will generate $500 million in operating income and $275 million in operating cash flow on an annual basis. But Yahoo doesn't expect the full financial benefits to show up for at least two years after the deal is cleared by regulators, which is not anticipated until next year.
Analysts issued lukewarm reactions. "The surprise is that there is no up-front payment for Yahoo, which is going to be seen as disappointing," said Aaron Kessler, an analyst who covers Yahoo for Kaufman Bros.
'The offers that have been out there over the past year seemed like more attractive deals than this.'
Yahoo said the deal will save it at least $200 million in capital expenditures, and will make it easier for search advertisers to reach potential customers.
At the same time, Yahoo and Microsoft hope to better compete together against Google GOOG, +0.70% which controls as much as 65% of the U.S. search market and up to 90% internationally.
"The deal will create a significant, real alternative in search," said Yahoo Chief Executive Carol Bartz during a conference call.
News of the search pact comes more than a year after Microsoft called off a full merger offer worth $47 billion -- a price that Yahoo found unacceptable at the time. Shares of Microsoft MSFT, -0.72% traded up more than 1% to close at $23.80.
Yahoo shareholders hoped for 'boatload'
Bartz, who was appointed in January, renewed talks with Microsoft after shareholders -- and some current board members including high-profile investor Carl Icahn -- had expressed anger that some sort of a full or partial merger with the deep-pocketed software giant hadn't been consummated.
Bartz's predecessor, Jerry Yang, had come under intense fire after Yahoo rebuffed Microsoft's hefty takeover bid last year.
Yahoo at one point even sought out a search partnership with Google as a means to avoid a Microsoft entanglement, though the move was blocked by antitrust regulators. Microsoft, meanwhile, maintained its interest in Yahoo's search business, offering to buy it outright for more than $1 billion in cash.


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Remember Me
The Dalai Lama getting a Congressional medal from Mr. Danger
The Dalai Lama, Slick Denials and the CIAby Loren ColemanWhile a great deal of information has surfaced over the years about the Central Intelligence Agency's worldwide covert operations activities, little is known about how deeply the CIA was involved in Tibet in the 1950s and 1960s....
"It is impossible at this writing," John Prados noted in his 1986 book,
Presidents' Secret Wars, "to give a detailed analysis of the Washington
decision making for Tibet. The appropriate records remain security
classified. If not for the courts, in fact, the entire discussion of Tibet in
the Marchetti and Marks book, The CIA and the Cult of Intelligence,
would have been deleted by Agency censors." We are forced to read accounts of the conflict in Tibet closely to get
some insights into how involved some of the yeti searchers may have
been. Let's start with one critical incident, the escape of the Dalai Lama
from Tibet. There are denials, for example, of the rumors circulating that
Tom Slick and Peter Byrne were responsible, in some fashion, for the
safe passage of the Dalai Lama from Lhasa. Since the time of Tom Slick's
first official yeti reconnaissance of eastern Nepal in 1957, in which he
was actually a member of the trek, the rumors of his expeditions'
involvement in spying have been rampant. The New York Times
even saw fit to publish an article reporting on the Russians' promotion
of this story in an item entitled: "Soviet Sees Espionage in U. S.
Snowman Hunt." The April 27,1957 piece claimed Slick was behind an
effort to subvert the Chinese, and free Tibet. What can we find in the record about the Dalai Lama's rescue? Who was
behind the exit or with the Dalai Lama? Fletcher Prouty, an Air Force
colonel who supervised secret air missions for the Office of Special
Operations, has written: "This fantastic escape and its major
significance have been buried in the lore of the CIA as one of those
successes that are not talked about. The Dalai Lama would have
never been saved without the CIA" (Prouty, 1973). On March 17, 1959,
all three groups, the Dalai Lama, his immediate family and senior
advisors escaped from Lhasa. Tenzin Gyatso the Dalai Lama] was
disguised as a common soldier of the guard.... The best information
[about the fleeing Dalai Lama] came from the CIA.... The CIA was
so well informed because it had furnished an American radio operator,
who traveled with the Dalai Lama's party...There may have been
other CIA agents with the party as well" (Prados, 1986). Who were
these individuals? George Patterson might know. Remember, he is the guy who had
the mysterious meeting with an American tourist" during 1955 in which
parts of the CIA's war in Tibet were mapped out. Patterson, who used
the cover of being a missionary (but drank, smoked and chased women
with the best of the guys) was part of a unique foray into Tibet in 1964
. Setting out secretly with Adrian Cowell, a British filmmaker, Patterson
took off from Nepal to coordinate and film an attack on a
Chinese convoy by Tibetan Khamba commandos. Patterson and Cowell
were successful, but upon their return they were briefly jailed in India
, and their film was suppressed and not shown for two years. Now here's the interesting part: Who helped them get into Tibet?
None other than Peter Byrne, Tom Slick's man in Nepal. And who has written the most concerning the Patterson incident without
saying too much in depth about it? None other than Michel Peissel. In
his book, The Secret War in Tibet (1973), Peissel mysteriously kept his
references to the CIA to only four small mentions in this 258-page
book. Peissel discussed a good deal about the secret war in Tibet but
strangely never mentioned some amazing points now well-known (due
to recent CIA limited releases of information), such as the fact that
the small kingdom of Mustang was the CIA-run base of Tibetan guerrilla
operations. Peissel revealed that he first went to the area in the
spring of 1959 with aa letter of recommendation from Thubtan Norbu,
the brother of the Dalai Lama, to the Prime Minister of Bhutan.... I
was off to meet Jigme Dorji, the Prime Minister of Bhutan,
in the small border town of Kalimpong" (Peissel, 1966). We, of course,
understand a little bit more about the importance of Kalimpong
in the espionage game, as was mentioned above. Also, we now have some facts about Thubtan Norbu. The eldest brother
of the Dalai Lama was connected to the "American Society for a Free
Asia," a CIA-funded organization that sponsored a series of visits to
and lectures in the United States by Norbu, beginning in 1956 (Prados,
1986). Secretly, the Dalai Lama's family was very involved with the
CIA in fighting the Chinese. Gyalo Thondup, the Dalai Lama's second-
eldest brother, based in Darjeeling, established an intelligence
gathering operation with the CIA in 1951. Six years later, he
upgraded it to an advanced CIA-trained guerrilla unit whose
members were introduced to commando techniques on Guam for
example, and then parachuted back into Tibet (Avedon 1984). What was
Peissel's connection to the CIA? It's difficult to say. Peissel was apparently able to obtain much "Tibet file" (as he called
it) information from American and British intelligence contacts. He
even reveals names that sound familiar- such as "Nyma Tsering,"
said to be one of the most trusted officers among the Tibetan
guerrillas. Tibetan names in English are merely rough transliterations,
often in different spellings. So we are not surprised to find the Sherpa
"Nima Tenzing" on Slick's 1957 and 1958 expeditions, and the
same individual "Nima Tshering" on Hillary's 1960 expedition. Was this
person also the aforementioned "Nyma Tsering?" Were Peissel's
connections woven into the espionage network? This is the same Michel Peissel who wrote a yeti-debunking article for
Argosy magazine in 1960 entitled "The Abominable Snow Job." Peissel
mentioned that the subject of his 1966 book, Boris Lissanevitch, had
been given a tranquilizer gun by the Tom Slick expedition. Peissel
half-jokingly wrote that the "Indians thought Boris a Russian agent
, the Russians thought him an American agent, and the Americans, a
Russian agent" (Peissel, 1966). It is interesting that Peissel would
show up in the Tibetan area to investigate the abominable snowman,
during the critical time of the Dalai Lama's escape. Slowly, over the
years, he revealed his deeper covert operations links. Adrian Cowell, for his part, turned up in Burma in the mid-1960s
filming guerrilla opium armies (McCoy, 1972) and recently has been
involved in Brazilian projects. But Cowell's official biography in
Contemporary Authors neglected to mention his Tibetan adventures with
Patterson. Something strange is going on here. Copies of Loren Coleman's book, Tom Slick and the Search for the
Yeti, are available from Steamshovel Press. [link to www.timboucher.com] The Dalai Lama is one of those people Ive always just sort of
uncritically accepted. I never gave him much more thought than being
this sort of vaguely pleasant dude with a robe and a smile and a
massively successful franchise in contemporary spiritual markets.
Recently, I came across some rather public information about him
and his past which puts that all in quite a different perspective. Hes a
CIA man!Communist China asserted its claim on Tibet in 1950, and for the first
few years allowed the Lamas to maintain local control. According to
Wikipedia, Prior to Chinese rule, over 700,000 of Tibets population
of 1.2 million were in serfdom - working on lands owned by the lamas,
under a feudal society of warlords and even slavery. This system
continued for a few years after the Chinese takeover, ruled comfortably
by the lamas - that is, until the Chinese instituted a policy of land
reform and redistribution in accord with communist principles. Then
things started to get hairy:In 1956 the Dalai Lama, fearing that the Chinese government would
soon move on Lhasa, issued an appeal for gold and jewels to construct
another throne for himself. This, he argued, would help rid Tibet of
bad omens'. One hundred and twenty tons were collected. When the
Dalai Lama fled to India in 1959, he was preceded by more than 60 tons
of treasure.Makes the esteemed Dalai Lama, Tenzin Gyatso, sound slightly less
spiritual, doesnt it? (Heres a fun photo of the young Dalai Lama
feasting beside Mao Zedong) Anyway, the dam broke in 1959 with an unsuccessful popular uprising
against the Chinese occupation. This came after several years of
CIA-backed training and funding of Tibetan revolutionary forces. Starting in 1955 the CIA began to build a counter-revolutionary army
in Tibet, much like the contras in Nicaragua and, more recently, the
financing and training of the KLA in Kosovo.In the Aug. 16 Newsweek magazine, an article entitled A secret war
on the roof of the worldspooks, monks and the CIAs covert gamble
in Tibet describes details of the CIA operation from 1957 to 1965.Similarly, a major article in the Jan. 25, 1997, Chicago Tribune
described the special training of Tibetan mercenaries at Camp Hale in
the Rocky Mountains in Colorado throughout the 1950s.These mercenaries were then parachuted into Tibet. According to the
famous Pentagon Papers, there were at least 700 of these flights in
the 1950s. Air Force C-130s were used, as later in Vietnam, to drop
ammunition and submachine guns. There were also special bases in
Guam and Okinawa for training Tibetan soldiers.A Vancouver paper continues:But apparently the guerrilla army never did more than engage in border
skirmishing. As early as 1964, in fact, its effectiveness and efficiency
were called into question by the CIA, which nevertheless stuck with
the plan. Funds to pay this army were funnelled through the Dalai
Lama and his organization, which received US$1.7 million a year, later
reduced to $1.2 million. (Of this, the Dalai Lama himself was paid
$186,000 a year. But no one has ever suggested that he pocketed it.
The money was used to operate his exiled governments offices in
Geneva and New York.) The last year in which the stipend was paid
out was 1974. By then, of course, U.S. policy had changed to one of
embracing China, not antagonizing it.From Rediff:Lodi Gyari, the Dalai Lamas personal representative in Washington,
said last week in response to queries from the Times that he had no
knowledge of the CIAs $ 180,000-a-year subsidy or how the money was
spent.I have no clue whatsoever, Gyari said. Speaking more generally of
the CIAs past support for the Tibetans, Gyari acknowledged: It is an
open secret. We do not deny it.The money for the Tibetans and the Dalai Lama was part of the CIAs
worldwide effort during the height of the Cold War to undermine
Communist governments, particularly in the Soviet Union and
China. In fact, the US government committee that approved the
Tibetan operations also authorised the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion
of Cuba, the Times said. One of the best points in this whole thing though is this:Puerto Rico has about the same size population as Tibet. Puerto Rico
has been a U.S. colony for over 100 years. It has had many great and
dynamic leaders. Why arent there similar movies, posters and
concerts bankrolled for Puerto Ricos leaders, just to take one example?You could change Puerto Rico to any other country of your choice. The
fact remains that we only support freedom and self-determination when
it serves our national interest. [link to www.straight.com] Dalai Lama's Links to CIA Still Stir DebateBy George FetherlingTwo sorts of people were offended by Oliver Stone's film JFK.
American patriots were outraged at the suggestion by Stone's main
character that Lyndon Johnson was complicit in John F. Kennedy's
murder. The others, deeply involved in North America's fast-growing
spirituality industry, gasped with disbelief when the unnamed U.S.
intelligence veteran played by Donald Sutherland, reminiscing about the
old days of the CIA, said, "Tibet '59, we got the Dalai Lama out--we
were good, very good."Followers of the 14th Dalai Lama, including such Buddhist theologians
as Richard Gere and Harrison Ford, have often tried to ignore the long
-time links between their exiled leader and the CIA. Doing so credibly
, however, becomes harder each year.When the People's Republic of China invaded Tibet in 1950, it found
Tibet much as it always had been: an unforgiving and feudal society
where there were still warlords and even slaves. The Dalai Lama,
who visits Vancouver April 18 to 20 (details at www.dalailamavancouver.
org/), lived as the monarch in his 1,000-room palace in Lhasa
without interference from the new occupiers of his country, which had
often been invaded in earlier times and just as often had invaded others.But some of his subjects did rise up, unsuccessfully and with CIA help.
Rebelliousness grew until 1959, when the Dalai Lama himself joined
in a more general revolt. It failed. He fled across the border into India.Probably the first public revelation about supposed CIA help in the
flight itself came in 1961 with the publication of Tibet Is My
Country: The Autobiography of Thubten Jigme Norbu, Brother of the
Dalai Lama. But the phrasing in this as-told-to book, translated from
Tibetan to English via German, was ambiguous. Many were left to
argue whether the springing of the Dalai Lama was actually a CIA
covert op or if, as the CIA claimed, its people became aware of the
escape only when it was already under way--though by then they long
had American operatives at work inside Tibet.In his 1995 The Very Best Men, Evan Thomas, Newsweek's expert
on the intelligence community, described the Dalai Lama and a CIA
operative "racing down the runway of a remote mountain strip, a step
ahead of the blazing guns" of the Chinese army. But in Orphans of the
Cold War (1999), John Kenneth Knaus, one of the CIA's point men in
Tibet, said CIA help was limited to radio contact (as shown in Martin
Scorsese's 1997 film Kundun). That version was echoed in The Dragon
in the Land of Snows by Tsering Shakya (also 1999). Many
arguments still turn on this point. What's become a lot less debatable
is what the Dalai Lama and the CIA did next--together.In the early 1960s, the CIA moved from dropping its own agents into
Tibet to training a brigade of 2,000 Tibetan exiles, using secret
bases in the Colorado Rockies and elsewhere. The band was
supposed to invade occupied Tibet from Nepal. The Dalai Lama
admitted as much in his 1990 autobiography Freedom in Exile, which
sold one million copies and was the first of his many lucrative
bestsellers (two in the past two years alone).But apparently the guerrilla army never did more than engage in border
were called into question by the CIA, which nevertheless stuck with
the plan. Funds to pay this army were funnelled through the Dalai
The money was used to operate his exiled government's offices in
embracing China, not antagonizing it.Much of this information became public in 1997 in the far-right Chicago
Tribune, of all places, confirming what Maoists had been charging
for decades. In 1998 both the Los Angeles Times and the New York
Times added further details, using newly declassified agency documents.Now the debate may be shifting. One former CIA agent named Ralph
McGehee, admittedly a professional thorn in the side of his former
employer, alleges that the CIA has been a prime funder of the Dalai
Lama's media profile as a symbol of meditative peace and Buddhist
mindfulness. But the North American image of a spiritually pure
Tibet--the Shangri-la idea that's been building ever since Lost Horizon,
the 1933 novel by James Hilton, who got the idea from photos in
National Geographic--can also be viewed in other terms.