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Gates vs. GM
For all of us who feel only the deepest love and affection for the way
computers have enhanced our lives, read on.
At a recent computer expo (COMDEX), Bill Gates reportedly compared the
computer industry with the auto industry and stated,
"If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we
would all be driving $25.00 cars that got 1,000 miles to the gallon."In response to Bill's comments, General Motors issued a press release
stating:
If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would all be driving
Cars with the following characteristics (and I just love this part):
1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash........Twice a day.
2. Every time they repainted the lines in the road, you would have to
buy a new car.
3. Occasionally your car would die on the freeway for no reason. You
would have to pull to the side of the road, close all of the windows,
shut off the car, restart it, and reopen the windows before you could
continue. For some reason you would simply accept this.
4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause
your car to shut down and refuse to restart, in which case you would
have to reinstall the engine.
5. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was
reliable, five times as fast and twice as easy to drive - but would
run on only five percent of the roads.
6. The oil, water temperature, and alternator warning lights would all
be replaced by a single "This Car Has Performed An Illegal Operation"
warning light.
7. The airbag system would ask "Are you sure?" before deploying.
8. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out
and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door
handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.
9. Every time a new car was introduced car buyers would have to learn
how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the
same manner as the old car.
10. You'd have to press the "Start" button to turn the engine off.
I.ve been around since the days of MMAC.
VCST provides a transmission service. It does not enable a user to make TV presentations. It takes such a presentation and transmists it or streams it.
When I got up this morning the temp including the wind chill factor was -1. Never has it been that low in Wash DC. Boy I could use a bit of global warming!
Great response. Thanks
Good opinion. Fine analysis on your part
Amen. Gad its COLD. Where's the global warming-I could use a bit of that right now.
Fine by me.
I received a private message about this post. Racist??? NOT AT ALL. Just a joke based upon fact.
Personally I would not try this .................
YOU WILL FIND YOURSELF IN THE SLAMMER
If you are sitting next to someone who irritates you on a plane or train....
1. Quietly and calmly open up your laptop case.
2. Remove your laptop.
3. Turn it on.
4. Make sure the guy who won't leave you alone can see the screen.
5. Open this email.
6. Close your eyes and tilt your head up to the sky.
7. Then hit this link: http://www.thecleverest.com/countdown.swf
New Serious Threat From Omar
This morning, from a cave somewhere in Pakistan , Taliban Minister of Migration, Mohammed Omar, warned the United States that if military action against Iraq continues, Taliban authorities will cut off America 's supply of convenience store managers. And if this action does not yield sufficient results, cab drivers will be next, followed by Dell and AOL customer service representatives, American Express and
Motel 6 managers.
It's getting ugly.
A New And Very Serious Threat From Omar
This morning, from a cave somewhere in Pakistan , Taliban Minister of Migration, Mohammed Omar, warned the United States that if military action against Iraq continues, Taliban authorities will cut off America 's supply of convenience store managers. And if this action does not yield sufficient results, cab drivers will be next, followed by Dell and AOL customer service representatives, American Express and
Motel 6 managers.
It's getting ugly.
The Hormone Hostage
The Hormone Hostage knows that there are days in the month when all
a man has to do is open his mouth and he takes his life in his own
hands! This is a handy guide that should be as common as a driver's
license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, co-worker or
significant other!
DANGEROUS:
SAFER:
SAFEST:
ULTRA SAFE:
What's for dinner?
Can I help you with dinner?
Where would you like to go for dinner?
Here, have some wine.
Are you wearing that?
Wow, you sure look good in brown!
WOW! Look at you!
Here, have some wine
What are you so worked up about?
Could we be overreacting?
Here's my paycheck.
Here, have some wine.
Should you be eating that?
You know, there are a lot of apples left.
Can I get you a piece of chocolate with that?
Here, have some wine.
What did you DO all day?
I hope you didn't over-do it today.
I've always loved you in that robe!
Here, have some more wine.
13 Things PMS Stands For:
1 Pass My Shotgun
2 Psychotic Mood Shift
3 Perpetual Munching Spree
4 Puffy Mid-Section
5 People Make me Sick
6 Provide Me with Sweets
7 Pardon My Sobbing
8 Pimples May Surface
9 Pass My Sweat pants
10. Pissy Mood Syndrome
11. Plainly; Men Suck
12. Pack My Stuff
and my favorite one.
13. Potential Murder Suspect
Pass this on to all of your hormonal friends and those who might
need a good laugh!
...Or men who need a warning.
The Wisdom of the Female Elders
THE BOTTLE OF WINE
For all of us who are married, were married, wish
You were married, or wish you weren't married, this
Is something to smile about the next time you see a
Bottle of wine:
Sally was driving home from one of her business
Trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly
Navajo woman walking on the side of the road.
As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped
The car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like
A ride.
With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into
The car.
Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make
A bit of small talk with the Navajo woman. The old
Woman just sat silently, looking intently at
Everything she saw, studying every little detail,
Until she noticed a brown bag on the seat next to
Sally.
"Wha t's in bag?" asked the old woman.
Sally looked down at the brown bag and said, "It's
A bottle of wine. I got it for my husband."
The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or
two.
Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder,
She said:
"Good trade....."
A man was being tailgated by a stressed out woman on a busy
boulevard.
Suddenly, the light turned yellow, just in front of him.
He did the right thing, stopping at the crosswalk, even though
he could
have beaten the red light by accelerating through the
intersection.
The tailgating woman was furious and honked her horn, screaming
in
frustration as she missed her chance to get through the
intersection,
dropping her cell phone and makeup.
As she was still in mid-rant, she heard a tap on her window and
looked up into the face of a very serious police officer.
The officer ordered her to exit her car with her hands up.
He took her to the police station where she was searched, finger
printed,
photographed, and placed in a holding cell.
After a couple of hours, a policeman approached the cell and
opened the door. She was escorted back to the booking desk where
the arresting officer was waiting with her personal effects.
He said, "I'm very sorry for this mistake.
You see, I pulled up behind your car while you were blowing your
horn,
flipping off the guy in front of you, and cussing a blue streak
at him.
I noticed the 'What Would Jesus Do' bumper sticker, the 'Choose
Life' License plate holder, the 'Follow Me to Sunday-School'
bumper Sticker, and the chrome-plated Christian fish emblem on
the trunk, Naturally... I assumed you had stolen the car."
Priceless!
Join MN1.com and NewMarket Technology, Inc. for a Streaming Video Interview Scheduled At 12 PM EST to Highlight CEO Philip Verges' Strategy to Capture Profit in Public Service
$20 Million Chinese Consumer Market Commerce Center in New Orleans; Wireless VoIP in Latin America; One Vote At a Time Foundation to Advocate Small Business Investing
DALLAS, Feb. 1, 2007 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Philip Verges, CEO of NewMarket Technology, Inc. (OTC BB:NMKT), will be featured live on Market News First (http://www.mn1.com) at 12 PM EST for an exclusive interview to discuss the company's strategy to find profit in public service.
Last year, the company began to explore the potential of marrying social consciousness with a profit motive. After meeting with the City of New Orleans to discuss multiple business opportunities in line with the city's ongoing economic redevelopment, the company decided to hold its Annual Town Hall meeting in the city. At the town hall meeting, NewMarket board member Hugh Robinson, a retired U.S. Army Major General and former Chairman of the Dallas Federal Reserve, introduced Pat Robinson (no relation) from the New Orleans Department of Economic Development. Ms. Robinson presented the city's recovery progress and unique business development initiatives with NewMarket Technology. Earlier this week, NewMarket announced a business partnership with a Chinese investment group that will invest up to $20 million to build a business to business (B2B) consumer market commerce center in New Orleans.
``We are excited about our progress in New Orleans to build NewMarket shareholder value while at the same time contributing to a great cause,'' said Mr. Verges. ``However, this is not our first profitable public service contribution and it won't be our last. Our regional emerging markets strategy generates investment into developing economies, while creating exceptional return on investment opportunities for NewMarket shareholders. NewMarket is creating jobs in developing economies that will create dividends for NewMarket shareholders.''
Additionally, NewMarket is on the verge of launching a project with a U.S. Government Agency and a Non-Government Agency to expand smaller U.S.-based technology company involvement into Latin America. Another objective of this project is to improve information and communication technologies in underserved areas in Latin America, as well as to promote new and innovative uses of these technology applications. As part of the project, NewMarket plans to consider the use of a VoIP wireless solution to improve communications in the underserved areas of Latin America.
Recently, Mr. Verges founded an organization to assist other entrepreneurs and small business investors in realizing the benefits of the small business capital markets. The aptly named ``One Vote at a Time Foundation'' emphasizes the power of a citizen investor to vote their conscience with every investment. NewMarket has grown from $2.3 million in break even revenue in 2003 to reporting $50 million in profitable revenue in 2005. The company expects to report $70 million in revenue for 2006 with record profits once the 2006 audit is complete.
Board Member Robinson Central to Public Service Strategy
Hugh Robinson joined NewMarket's board of directors last year and has been central to NewMarket's profitable public service strategy. Mr. Robinson is a former Chairman and Board Member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas and served as an officer in the United States Army retiring with the rank of Major General. Mr. Robinson is currently also a member of the Board of Directors of CarMax, Inc. (NYSE:KMX), Aleris International, Inc. and a member of the Advisory Board of TXU Corp. (NYSE:TXU).
Tune into MN1 at 12 PM EST to learn more about how public service is creating profits at NewMarket and what other public service projects NewMarket has in the works.
About NewMarket Technology, Inc. (http://www.newmarkettechnology.com)
NewMarket helps clients maintain the delicate balance between maintaining legacy systems and gaining a competitive edge from the latest technology innovations. NewMarket provides certified integration and maintenance services to support the prevailing industry standard solutions to include Microsoft, Cisco Systems, SAP, Siebel and Sun Microsystems. Concurrently, NewMarket continuously seeks to acquire undiscovered emerging technology assets to incorporate into an overall product portfolio carefully packaged to complement the prevailing industry standard solutions. NewMarket delivers its portfolio of products and services through its global network of Solution Integration subsidiaries in North America, Latin America, China and Singapore. NewMarket maximizes shareholder return on investment by independent listing of consolidated regional and emerging technology subsidiaries in order to issue subsidiary stock in shareholder dividends.
About MN1.com
Market News First is an online, market news provider that brings investors current news on the market. Market News First is the only online, live IPTV web site that brings real market news to investors and features live interaction with companies from the Bulletin Board to NYSE.
Through daily, live interviews, we bring you up to date on all the established companies and inform the investors of the newest opportunities within the market. Market News First offers one-on-one interviews with the presidents and CFOs of companies to deliver answers to the questions that investors may ask and provides them insight into the companies' present condition and future plans.
The Market News First logo is available at http://www.primenewswire.com/newsroom/prs/?pkgid=3162
Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are retired. Mrs. Johnson insists that he go with her to Wal-Mart. He gets bored with all the shopping. He prefers to get in and get out, but Mrs. Johnson loves to browse. Here's a letter sent to her from the Wal-Mart store.
Dear Mrs. Johnson,
Over the past six months your husband has been causing quite a commotion in our store. We cannot tolerate this behavior and are banning both of you from our store. We have documented all incidents on our video surveillance equipment. The complaints against Mr. Johnson are listed below. Mrs .Johnson, while you were shopping, he:
1. June 15: Took 24 boxes of condoms and randomly put them in people's
carts when they weren't looking.
2. July 2: Set all alarm clocks in house wares to go off at 5 minute intervals.
3. July 9: Made a trail of tomato juice on the floor leading to the restrooms
4. July 19; Walked up to an employee and told her in an official tone "Code 3 in Housewares" and watched what happened.
5. Aug 4: Went to the Service Desk and asked to put a bag of M&M's on layaway.
6. Sept 16: Set up a tent in the camping department and told other shoppers to join him but to bring a pillow from the bedding department.
7. Sept 23: When a clerk asked if she could help him, he began to cry and asked, "Why can't you people just leave me alone."
8. Sept 29: Moved a 'CAUTION - WET FLOOR' sign to a carpeted area.
9. Oct 4: Looked right into the security camera and diligently picked his nose.
10. Nov 19: While handling guns in the hunting department, asked the clerk if he knew where to find the antidepressants.
11. Nov 22: Darted around the store suspiciously, loudly humming the "Mission Impossible" theme.
12. Dec 3: In the automotive department, he practiced his "Madonna look" using different size funnels.
13. Dec 18: Hid in a clothing rack and when people browsed thru, yelled, "Pick me! Pick me!"
14. Dec 21: When an announcement came over the loud speaker, he assumed
the fetal position and screamed "NO, NO, it's those voices again."
And lastly,
15. Dec 23: Went into a fitting room, shut the door, waited awhile and then yelled loudly, "There is no toilet paper in here!"
Where did naked shorting originate?
Ans: Canada
NewMarket Technology, Inc. to Introduce MOVIII IPTV Service at NAB2007 in Las Vegas Starting With Chinese Language Content with U.S. Indy Movies in Sight
Turner Classic Network of China with 600 Classic Chinese Movies and 6000 TV Series Episodes Delivered over the Internet Through Proprietary Set Top Box
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NewMarket Technology, Inc. (OTCBB:NMKT - News) today announced plans to introduce its Moviii IPTV service April 14-19 at the National Association of Broadcasters conference in Las Vegas (NAB2007). NewMarket has been selected as an exclusive distributor for Moviii.com in the United States. NewMarket plans to develop additional content partnerships to extend the digital IPTV service beyond an initial Chinese language content launch.
Moviii.com has over 600 classic Chinese movies and 6000 television series episodes as well as 4500 music videos, and 300 cartoons. The population of Chinese first language speakers throughout the Americas is 3.5 million, with approximately half of that population living in the United States.
The United States Moviii IPTV launch is the second market Moviii.com and NewMarket have launched. A South East Asia market launch was initiated in June of 2006. A Moviii.com server was set up and is currently delivering Chinese language content throughout South East Asia out of NewMarket's Singapore data center.
The Moviii.com solution is delivered over the Internet to a proprietary set top box that plugs into almost any television. The movie and television content is managed and delivered using proprietary operating software. A Moviii.com server is being set up in NewMarket's Dallas data center to support the market launch.
NewMarket Technology launched the company's innovative plan to continuously introduce new technologies to new markets four and half years ago. NewMarket has grown from $2.3 million in break even revenue in 2003 to being recognized by Deloitte & Touche USA LLP as the 5th fastest growing technology firm in North America after reporting $50 million in profitable revenue in 2005. NewMarket anticipates reporting $70 million in revenue with record profits for 2006 following the completion of the current audit underway.
To be added to NewMarket's corporate e-mail list for shareholders and interested investors, please send an e-mail to ir@newmarkettechnology.com.
About NewMarket Technology, Inc. (www.newmarkettechnology.com)
NewMarket helps clients maintain the delicate balance between maintaining legacy systems and gaining a competitive edge from the latest technology innovations. NewMarket provides certified integration and maintenance services to support the prevailing industry standard solutions to include Microsoft (Nasdaq:MSFT - News), Cisco Systems (Nasdaq:CSCO - News), SAP (NYSE:SAP - News), Siebel (Nasdaq:ORCL - News) and Sun Microsystems (Nasdaq:SUNW - News). Concurrently, NewMarket continuously seeks to acquire undiscovered emerging technology assets to incorporate into an overall product portfolio carefully packaged to complement the prevailing industry standard solutions. NewMarket delivers its portfolio of products and services through its global network of Solution Integration subsidiaries in North America, Latin America, China and Singapore. NewMarket maximizes shareholder return on investment by independent listing of consolidated regional and emerging technology subsidiaries in order to issue subsidiary stock in shareholder dividends.
"
Feb 1, 2007
Urology Times E-News
A course of the investigational drug silodosin, 8 mg once daily for 12 weeks, was superior to placebo for the relief of both obstructive and irritative symptoms in men with BPH, two phase III studies showed. Secondary endpoints included improvement in maximum urine flow. Very rapid and statistically significant improvements were seen in both endpoints, researchers reported.
The agent preferentially binds to the alpha (1A) receptors in the prostate and bladder neck relative to cardiovascular-associated receptors, maximizing target organ activity and minimizing potential effects on blood pressure.
Silodosin was well tolerated in both studies, according to its manfucturer, Watson Pharmaceuticals. Incidences of cardiovascular- and blood pressure-related side effects, including dizziness and orthostasis, were low in both trials. As expected in highly uroselective (1A)-adrenoceptor antagonists, ejaculations with little or no semen were the most commonly reported side effect reported in the trials. The vast majority of these side effects were mild to moderate in intensity, and patient withdrawal from the trial was low.
THE MIRACLE OF TOILET PAPER
Fresh from my shower, I stand in front of the mirror complaining to my husband that my breasts are too small. Instead of characteristically telling me it's not so, he uncharacteristically comes up with a suggestion. "If you want your breasts to grow, then every day take a piece of toilet paper and rub it between them for a few seconds".
Willing to try anything, I fetch a piece of toilet paper and stand in front of the mirror, rubbing it between my breasts. "How long will this take?" I asked. "They will grow larger over a period of years," my husband replies. I stopped. "Do you really think rubbing a piece of toilet paper between my breasts every day will make my breasts larger over the years?"
Without missing a beat he says "Worked for your butt, didn't it?"
He's still alive, and with a great deal of therapy, he may even walk again although he will probably continue to take his meals through a straw. Stupid, stupid man.
WHY MEN AREN'T SECRETARIES...
Husband's note on refrigerator for wife:
Someone from the Gyna Colleges called.
They said the Pabst beer is normal.
I didn't know you liked beer.
A doctor goes out and buys the best car on the market, a brand new
Ferrari GTO. It is also the most expensive car in the world, and it
costs him $500,000. He takes it out for a spin and stops at a red light.
An old man on a Moped, looking about 100 years old, pulls up next to
him. The old
man looks over at the sleek shiny car and asks, "What kind of car ya got
there, sonny?"
The doctor replies, "A Ferrari GTO . It cost half a million dollars!"
"That's a lot of money," says the old man. "Why does it cost so much?"
"Because this car can do up to 320 miles an hour!" states the doctor
proudly.
The Moped driver asks, "Mind if I take a look inside?"
"No problem," replies the doctor.
So the old man pokes his head in the window and looks around. Then,
sitting back on his Moped, the old man says, "That's a pretty nice car,
all right... but I'll stick with my Moped!"
Just then the light changes, so the doctor decides o show the old man
just what his car can do. He floors it, and within 30 seconds the
speedometer reads 160 mph. Suddenly, he notices a
dot in his rear view mirror. It seems to be getting closer! He slows
down to see what it could be and suddenly; WHHHOOOOOOSSSSSHHH! Something
whips by him going much faster!
"What on earth could be going faster than my Ferrari?" the doctor asks
himself. He floors the accelerator and takes the Ferrari up to 250 mph.
Then, up ahead of him, he sees that it's the old
man on the Moped! Amazed that the Moped could pass his Ferrari, he gives
it more gas and passes the Moped at 275 mph.WHOOOOOOOSSSSHHHH He's
feeling pretty good until he looks in his mirror and sees the old man
gaining on him AGAIN! Astounded by the speed of his old guy, he floors
the gas pedal and takes the Ferrari all the way up to 320 mph. Not ten
seconds later, he sees the Moped bearing down on him again. The Ferrari
is flat out, and there's nothing he can do. Suddenly, the Moped plows
into the back of his Ferrari, demolishing the rear end. The doctor stops
and jumps out and unbelievably the old man is still alive. He runs up to
the mangled old man and says, "Oh My Gosh! Is there anything I can do
for you?"
The old man whispers, "Unhook my suspenders from your side view mirror."
Only the Irish have Jokes Like These
Into a Belfast pub comes Paddy Murphy,
looking like he'd just been run over by a train.
His arm is in a sling, his nose is broken,
his face is cut and bruised and he's walking with a limp
"What happened to you?" asks Sean, the bartender.
" Jamie O'Conner and me had a fight," says Paddy.
"That little shit, O'Conner," says Sean,
"He couldn't do that to you,
he must have had something in his hand."
"That he did," says Paddy, "a shovel is what he had,
and a terrible lickin' he gave me with it."
"Well," says Sean, "you should have defended yourself,
didn't you have something in your hand?"
That I did," said Paddy.
"Mrs. O'Conner's breast, and a thing of
beauty it was, but useless in a fight."
*************************************** ***************************************************** **************
An Irishman who had a little too much to drink
is driving home from the city one night and,
of course, his car is weaving violently all over the road.
A cop pulls him over.
"So," says the cop to the driver,
where have ya been?"
"Why, I've been to the pub of course,"
slurs the drunk.
"Well," says the cop, "it looks like you've had quite
a few to drink this evening."
"I did all right," the drunk says with a smile.
"Did you know," says the cop, standing straight and
folding his arms across his chest,
"that a few intersections back, your wife fell out of your car?"
"Oh, thank heavens," sighs the drunk.
"For a minute there, I thought I'd gone deaf."
***********************************************************************************************************
Brenda O'Malley is home making dinner, as usual,
when Tim Finnega n arrives at her door.
"Brenda, may I come in?" he asks.
"I've somethin' to tell ya".
"Of course you can come in, you're always welcome, Tim.
But where's my husband?"
"Th at's what I'm here to be telling ya, Brenda."
There was an accident down at the Guinness brewery..."
"Oh, God no!" cries Brenda. "Please don't tell me." "I must, Brenda. Your husband Shamus
is dead and gone. I'm sorry.
Finally, she looked up at Tim.
"How did it happen, Tim?"
"It was terrible, Brenda. He fell into a vat
of Guinness Stout and drowned."
"Oh my dear Jesus! But you must tell me truth, Tim.
Did he at least go quickly?"
"Well, Brenda... no. In fact,
he got out three times to pee."
************************************************************************************************************
Mary Clancy goes up to Father O' Grady after
his Sunday morning service, and she's in tears.
He says, "So what's bothering you, Mary my dear?"
She says, "Oh, Father, I've got terrible news.
My husband passed away last night."
The priest says, "Oh, Mary, that's terrible.
Tell me, Mary, did he have any last requests?"
She says, "That he did, Father."
The priest says, "What did he ask, Mary? "
She says, He said,
'Please Mary, put down that damn gun...'
*********************************************************************************************************
AND THE BEST FOR LAST
A drunk staggers into a Catholic Church,
enters a confessional booth, sits down, but says nothing.
The Priest coughs a few times to get his
attention but the drunk continues to s it there.
Finally, the Priest pounds three times on the wall.
The drunk mumbles, "ain't no use knockin,
there's no paper on this side either!"
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A man had 50 yard line tickets for the Super Bowl.
As he sits down, a man comes down and asks if anyone is sitting in the seat next to him.
"No," he says, "The seat is empty."
"This is incredible," said the man. "Who in their right mind would have a seat like this for the Super Bowl, the biggest sporting event in the world, and not use it?"
He says, "Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. I was supposed to come with my wife, but she passed away. This is the first Super Bowl we haven't been to together since we got married in 1967."
"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. That's terrible. But couldn't you find someone else -- a friend or relative, or even a neighbor to take the seat?".
The man shakes his head. "No, they're all at the funeral."
Cubist
By Brian Lawler
January 29, 2007
2006 was a nice year for Cubist Pharmaceuticals (Nasdaq: CBST), but you wouldn't know that by looking at the company's stock price, which is sitting near 52-week lows. Cubist received approval from the FDA for a market-expanding new use for its antibiotic treatment Cubicin and grew revenues 61% vs. 2005.
Cubist had already pre-released its sales numbers for the fourth quarter three weeks ago, so its sales numbers came as no surprise. Revenue gained 53% to $56.5 million year over year, and gross margins improved 3% to 75%. Earnings were finally in the black at $5 million ($0.10 per share) versus a year-ago loss of almost $7 million, even with higher research and development spending.
Several other stories in the media mentioned Cubist's "lackluster" outlook for the first quarter this year, where sales are expected to be flat versus the fourth quarter. But ever since Cubicin has been on the market, sales have always been sequentially flat in these quarters, so it should come as no surprise that they are flat again this year. 2007's estimates aren't bad at all, though, with Cubist guiding for U.S. net product revenue in the $255 million-$275 million range and earnings of at least $27 million for the year, by my calculations. The only thing holding back earnings next year is the $16 million jump in R&D spending as Cubist initiates more clinical trials to expand Cubicin's label and patent life.
There are some big unknowns that will likely be resolved next year. Besides a possible product acquisition on which Cubist may use its more than $300 million in cash, there is also the resolution of the search for a Japanese partner for Cubicin, which should bring in $10 million-$20 million in up-front payments.
One risk that's worth watching out for -- and which Cubist mentioned -- is the possibility that a paragraph IV filing by a generic company may occur as early as September. Nonetheless, with the FDA's 30-month stay of action on these filings and numerous patents protecting Cubicin, there are many challenges for a generic competitor to overcome before it could begin selling a generic version of the drug. So for the near term at least, investors have nothing to worry about on this front.
Shares of Cubist aren't exactly expensive, with more than $50 million in cash flow expected for next year, sales growing at a rapid clip, and only a $970 million market capitalization. As long as Cubist doesn't make a bad acquisition with that cash hoard, then shares look cheap at today's prices.
IOn every FDA/Company agrfeement I have seen there is that clause. Many companies that release their "clinical" data are not involved with FDA sanctioned clinical trials. Look at all the "clinical" data the weight loss industry has released. Not a single such claim was ever developed via an FDA approved clinical trial. The play on words is very misleading to the unwary. PS. These weight loss claims have now been stopped by the FDA if you haven't yet noticed. No more referals to "clinical trials" nor "Clinical data".
I agree--most common shareholders never have never been aware of the reulatory process which govern the news release from the compaany whose shares they are interested in.
Sewer Pipes
http://www.forbes.com/free_forbes/2007/0212/064.html?partner=yahoomag
Hedge funds are posting nice returns from deals that may involve ex-cons, stock scammers--even the Mob.
If your entrepreneurial venture were desperate for capital, would you get it from a hedge fund? Sometimes that's not such a good idea. Consider Laurus Master Fund. The Cayman Islands hedge fund opened with $5 million under management in 2001 and has grown to $1.6 billion making investments in so-called PIPEs, or private investments in public equities.
In those deals the fund invests in a cash-starved, thinly traded public company. In exchange it gets securities--notes that charge interest, warrants and options--convertible into common shares of the company. Laurus claims it has achieved an annualized net return of 18.5% since inception. The people running Laurus from New York--brothers Eugene Grin, 49, and David Grin, 37--are making out pretty well, too. In addition to the standard 2% of assets and 20% cut of profits, they also collect a closing fee, an average 3.5% of each deal, which they liken to points on a mortgage. As for the companies they invest in? Not so well. On average they lose 30% of their stock price within a year of signing a Laurus pipe, says PlacementTracker, a San Diego research service.
PIPEs are a big business, drawing $28 billion last year from hedge funds. Some of the companies raising the capital are large, but most are desperate indeed, too small or too weak financially to raise money with a public stock offering. Some of the hedge funds providing the money are not financiers that you would select if you had a choice.
Originally from Ukraine, Eugene Grin became a vacuum cleaner salesman when he landed in the U.S. in 1979. Then he worked as a broker of penny stocks, among other investments, at F.N. Wolf & Co., the boiler room shut down by regulators in 1994. At Wolf one of Grin's clients was Gilbert Bornstein, a 54-year-old unemployed man who invested $32,000 with Grin after being convinced he could safely double his money through penny stocks. (Grin says he never made that claim.) Bornstein was soon stuck with $27,000 in losses. Nine years later a New York State judge determined that Grin owed Bornstein $40,000. Grin has yet to pay that bill, and the judgment remains outstanding. "He was superwealthy," Grin shrugs, by way of an excuse. "There was money in the family."
Today Grin and his younger brother, David, still traffic in penny stocks. But they do so through PIPEs. Hedge funds love these deals because the shares they get are often priced at a discount to the market to compensate for the fact that they can't be traded until they are registered with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can take months. Meantime, though, hedge funds can value those PIPE warrants and options pretty much any way they want and calculate their net asset value accordingly. The larger the gain in a fund's NAV, of course, the more attractive it is to new investors.
And the more attention these deals may draw from regulators. "Improper trading practices in connection with PIPEs is a concern," says David Markowitz, an SEC assistant regional director in New York. "It's an area that SEC enforcement is looking at." The feds have so far focused on the improper shorting of stock. It is mighty tempting for a PIPE buyer to double-cross the company it is investing in by shorting the company's stock and using the conversion privileges with the PIPE investment to cover its short position. That earns the investor a quick spread but wrecks the target's ability to raise more equity capital. Such shorting is forbidden by Section 5 of the Securities Act. In September a U.S. Attorney charged Hilary Shane, a former hedge fund manager, with insider trading, accusing her of shorting Compudyne's stock after learning that Compudyne was contemplating a pipe fundraising. On Jan. 4 Joseph Spiegel, a onetime portfolio manager for a New York hedge fund, settled SEC allegations of his using PIPE shares to cover short trades and paid a $110,000 penalty.
Andrew Worden, 41, runs Barron Partners, a $150 million hedge fund that has invested $85 million in pipes since 2003. The fund flogs its expertise in microcap companies. It doesn't promote the fact that Worden in 1994 pleaded guilty to wire fraud--he stiffed brokers on shares they bought for him that decreased in value--and served two years' probation. "I was 23 years old," Worden says of his indiscretions, which were not prosecuted for five years.
In March 2005 Barron Partners invested $1.5 million in Cordia Corp., a Winter Garden, Fla. Internet-phone outfit 54% owned by Alexander G. Minella, who in 1993 was sentenced to up to six years in prison. Minella, then president of broker Wakefield Financial Corp., pleaded guilty to having "secretly rigged the trading in certain Nasdaq securities" by getting brokers to trade among themselves to manipulate prices.
Corey Ribotsky, 36, heads N.I.R. Group, a handful of Roslyn, N.Y. hedge funds with $630 million under management. His first business partner successfully sued him for stealing away their marketing and consulting firm. The florist at Ribotsky's wedding filed a $7,275 claim against him for failing to pay the bill.
So how does he do as a hedge fund manager? A Ribotsky PIPE, on average, precedes a stock-price drop of 54% a year after the deal, according to PlacementTracker. That still works for Ribotsky because of the way he structures a PIPE: He receives debt securities convertible into discounted stock, in an amount determined by dividing the principal by the price of the shares at the time of conversion, less a steep discount. The further a stock falls, the more shares he gets.
Since Ribotsky invested $1.5 million in 2005, shares in Med Gen are down from $1 on the o-t-c bulletin board to a fraction of a penny. The Boca Raton, Fla. company had less than $1 million in sales from an antisnoring spray, diet pills and supplements. (Its biggest shareholder and chief executive is Paul B. Kravitz, the former president of AppleTree Cos., who paid a $25,000 penalty in 1996 to settle SEC claims that he failed to tell investors in an AppleTree offering that he planned to invest $250,000 in a gambling casino.) Ribotsky converted the debt into 171 million shares of Med Gen, at discounts of 40%, by September 2006. Did he sell his stake, triggering the stock-price plunge? N.I.R. lawyer Jonathan Schechter declines to say. "It is not us that makes a company lose its value--maybe a company hasn't executed its business plan," he says, adding that N.I.R. never shorts a stock.
One of Ribotsky's PIPEs, a $1 million investment in Roanoke Technology, a Rocky Mount, N.C. Web site designer, allowed N.I.R. to purchase newly issued shares at a discount of 50%; Roanoke's shares then traded hands on the o-t-c bulletin board at 12 cents. After Ribotsky sued Roanoke when it didn't meet its loan payments, Roanoke countersued, claiming that N.I.R.'s selloff of shares was destroying the company. Indeed, trading volume of Roanoke stock jumped from 180,000 to 2.4 million shares on the days Ribotsky's funds filed conversion notices, say court documents, and the stock price plunged to less than a penny. Both suits were settled. Roanoke chief David L. Smith Jr. ended up leaving the company and settling SEC charges in August 2006 that he improperly issued stock to consultants who sold them for $7 million and kicked back $4 million to him. Smith has been barred from acting as an officer or director of a public company.
When it comes to dicey partners, though, few are as accomplished as the Grins. They financed Francis O'Donnell, who has gotten to know the feds pretty well. Taking over as chief of Searchhound.com, an o-t-c bulletin board stock in 2003, O'Donnell changed its name to Coach Industries, quickly built up a controlling stake in the Cooper City, Fla. firm and started acquiring limousine companies. Laurus backed him with a $6 million loan. On Jan. 5 O'Donnell pleaded guilty to being an associate of the Genovese crime family. The indictment also claimed that an FBI agent posing as a drug dealer was asked to launder proceeds through Coach in exchange for a fee. In addition O'Donnell is accused of luring a victim to his office, where Clement (Clemmie) Santoro allegedly held a gun to his head and demanded a $1.5 million payment.
The Grins invested $1.5 million in April 2004 with Magic Lantern Group, which marketed Canadian educational videos. Their introduction to the company came through National Financial Communications, owned by Geoffrey Eiten, a Needham, Mass. newsletter writer who flogged companies and claimed to show readers "how to make 5,000%" on their money. Magic Lantern's biggest backer was Lancer Management Group, a New York City hedge fund that blew up amid accusations of fraud.
Magic Lantern, which lost $15.9 million on sales of $2.7 million in 2004, began to disintegrate. Eiten was sued in September 2006 by William Galvin, Massachusetts secretary of state, for engaging in "widespread 'pump and dump' transactions by publicly promoting certain stocks at the same time he was selling them." Galvin released chummy e-mails between Eugene Grin and Eiten's company suggesting they team up to sell Magic Lantern shares. Eiten denies any wrongdoing. Laurus managed to eke out what it calls "a nominal profit" before Magic Lantern's stock collapsed.
In November 2004 Laurus agreed to lend Thomas Equipment, which makes skid loaders and hydraulic equipment in Canada, $22 million to finance acquisitions and operations. At the time the stock traded at 88 cents. Most of Laurus' loans were convertible into stock at prices of $1.50 a share; the Grins also bought 2 million shares for a penny each and received options to purchase 4 million more for a cent apiece. Helped by a steady stream of press releases, Thomas shares touched $8.99 in January 2005 on light volume.
What was driving the stock? James Patty, former interim chief executive at Thomas and a current board member, says that David Grin was constantly focused on Thomas Equipment's share price, even though the lack of liquidity in the stock meant that Laurus could not sell too many shares without driving down the price. Word came down from David Grin, says Patty, "that he couldn't allow that type of hit to his portfolio." Why? "My assumption would be he was looking at a valuation of the company in order to attract additional money into his fund," Patty says.
Ridiculous, says Eugene Grin. The effect of Thomas' high stock price on Laurus' net asset value "was never material." His valuation model, he claims, discounts severely for the lack of trading volume in a stock like Thomas. A good thing for Laurus: Thomas Equipment's two main units have filed for insolvency in Canada; it was yanked off the American Stock Exchange and now trades for 8 cents.
Eugene Grin says he never shorts a stock. He also insists that Laurus provides a valuable service--and is more like a bank than a hedge fund. "We have tens of thousands of people working because of our investments," he says. "It's a beautiful thing."
I believe the ASCO policy reflects a requirement imposed on the industry by the FDA. Their rule requires that all data from an ongoing clinical trial must be held confidential by that agency and the company running that trial, But such data is allowed to be presented at recognized scientific assemblies.
Celsion Reports on ThermoDox(TM) at American Society of Clinical Oncology Gastrointestinal Symposium
Monday January 22, 9:04 am ET
Researchers Report That 22 Patients Have Been Treated in a Phase I Study Using ThermoDox in Combination with Radiofrequency Ablation to Treat Patients with Unresectable Hepatic Malignancies with No Unexpected Toxicity
COLUMBIA, Md.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CELSION CORPORATION (AMEX:CLN - News) today reported that Dr. Bradford J. Wood, Chief, Interventional Radiology Research at the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute presented the progress of a Phase I dose escalation study, using ThermoDox, to treat unresectable liver cancer. ThermoDox, a heat activated liposomal formulation of doxorubicin, in conjunction with Radiofrequency Ablation (RFA) was used with limited and manageable toxicity to treat 22 patients, 8 with primary hepatocellular carcinoma and 14 with metastatic liver cancer, at doses of up to 60 mg/m2. The study is being performed at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) as part of a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA), under the leadership of Dr. Wood and Dr. Steven K. Libutti, Senior Investigator, Head, Tumor Angiogenesis Section, Surgery Branch, CCR, NCI; and at Queen Mary Hospital in Hong Kong under the leadership of Dr. Ronnie T.P. Poon, MD, Professor of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine at Queen Mary Hospital, University of Hong Kong. Dr. Wood presented the abstract and poster at the ASCO-GI meeting in Orlando, Florida.
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In the study, patients with up to 4 lesions ranging from 3 to 7 centimeters are eligible to receive ThermoDox at doses ranging from 20 to 70 mg/m2. The effect of the treatment on the diameter of the lesions is followed using MRI, PET and contrast enhanced CT scans taken pre-treatment and at one and three months post-treatment. Lesion diameters will be compared to those of other patients treated with RFA alone. This study, being carried out by Celsion and the NCI continues to enroll patients into the 60 mg/m2 treatment cohort.
Celsion has licensed the global rights to the temperature-sensitive liposome technology from Duke University where ThermoDox is also being used in this Phase I clinical study of patients with recurrent chest wall breast cancer under the care of Dr. Kim Blackwell, the principal investigator.
Dr. William Hahne, Celsion's Vice President of Research and Development, commented "We are pleased that dose in this study continues to escalate safely as clinical evidence suggests that a higher dose should result in increased efficacy. We are continuing to work with the FDA to finalize endpoints for a Phase III study in primary liver cancer, to be conducted by Celsion, in which we expect to initiate enrollment in 2007. This work will be used to refine tumor targeting and ultimately to improve the efficacy of drugs using our heat activated delivery system."
1. Eighteen holes of match play will teach you more about your foe than 18 years of dealing with him across a desk. Grantland Rice
2. Golf appeals to the idiot in us and the child. Just how childlike golf players become is proven by their frequent inability to count past five. John Updike
3. It is almost impossible to remember how tragic a place the world is when one is playing golf. Robert Lynd
4. If profanity had any influence on the flight of the ball, the game of golf would be played far better than it is. Horace G. Hutchinson
5. Th ey say golf is like life, but don't believe them. Golf is more complicated than that. Gardner Dickinson
6. If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork as poorly as they do a golf club, they'd starve to death. Sam Snead
7. Golf is a day spent in a round of strenuous idleness. William Wordsworth
8. If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt. Dean Martin
9. If you are going to throw a club, it is important to throw it ahead of you, down the fairway, so you don't have to waste energy going back to pick it up. Tommy Bolt
10. Man blames fate for all other accidents, but feels personally responsible when he makes a hole-in-one. Bishop Sheen
11. I don't say my golf game is bad, but if I grew tomatoes they'd come up sliced. Arnold Palmer
12. My handicap? Woods and irons. Chris Codiroli
13. The ardent golfer would play Mount Everest if somebody would put a flagstick on top. Pete Dye
14. I'm hitting the woods just great; but having a terrible time getting out of them! Buddy Hackett
15. The only time my prayers are never answered is playing golf. Billy Graham
16. If you think it's hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball. Jack Lemmon
17. It's good sportsmanship to not pick up lost golf balls while they are still rolling. Mark Twain
18. Don't play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty. Harry Vardon
19. Golf and sex are the only things you can enjoy without being good at either of them. Jimmy DeMaret
20. May thy ball lie in green pastures, and not in still waters. Ben Hogan
21. If I hit it right, it's a slice. If I hit it left, it's a hook. If I hit it straight, it's a miracle. All Us Hackers
22. The difference in golf and government is that in golf you can't improve your lie. George Deukmejian
And, finally...
23. Golf is a game invented by the same people who think music comes out of a bagpipe. Lee Trevino
Nail In The Coffin
"diagnosticimaging.com/rad-practice"
Wisdom
60 Minutes Correspondent Andy Rooney (CBS)
As I grow in age, I value women over 40 most of all. Here are just a few reasons why:
A woman over 40 will never wake you in the middle of the night and ask, "What are you thinking?" She doesn't care what you think. If a woman over 40 doesn't want to watch the game, she doesn't sit around whining about it. She does something she wants to do, and it's usually more interesting. Women over 40 are dignified. They seldom have a screaming match with you at the opera or in the middle of an expensive restaurant. Of course, if you deserve it, they won't hesitate to shoot you if they think they can get away with it. Older women are generous with praise, often undeserved. They know what it's like to be unappreciated. Women get psychic as they age. You never have to confess your sins to a woman over 40. Once you get past a wrinkle or two, a woman over 40 is far sexier than her younger counterpart. Older women are forthright and honest. They'll tell you right off if you are a jerk if you are acting like one. You don't ever have to wonder where you stand with her. Yes, we praise women over 40 for a multitude of reasons. Unfortunately, it's not reciprocal. For every stunning, smart, well-coiffed, hot woman over 40, there is a bald, paunchy relic in yellow pants making a fool of himself with some 22-year old waitress. Ladies, I apologize. For all those men who say, "Why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free?", here's an update for you. Nowadays 80% of women are against marriage. Why? Because women realize it's not worth buying an entire pig just to get a little sausage!
Andy Rooney is a really smart guy!
How do you learn you are OLD?
First you forget names, then you forget faces.
Then you forget to pull up your zipper.
It's worse when you forget to pull it down.
A Somali arrives in Minneapolis as a new immigrant to the United States. He stops the first person he sees walking down the street and says.....Thank you Mr. American for letting me in this country, giving me housing, food stamps, FREE medical care and free education!"
The passer-by says.... "You are mistaken, I am Mexican"
The man goes on and encounters another passer-by. "Thank you for having such a beautiful country here in America!"
The person says.... "I no American, I Vietnamese.
The new arrival walks further, and the next person he sees he stops, shakes his hand and says..... Thank you for the wonderful America!"
That person puts up his hand and says "I am from Middle East, I am Not an American!"
He finally sees a nice lady and asks "Are you an American?"
She says, "No, I am from Russia!"
Puzzled he asks her......"Where are all the Americans?"
The Russian lady checks her watch and says.... "Probably at work!"
This coming week is National Mental Health Care Week. You can do your part by contacting at least one unstable person to show you care.
Well, I've done my part.
A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor's office.
"Is it true," she wanted to know,
"that the medication you prescribed has
to be taken for the rest of my life?"
"Yes, I'm afraid so," the doctor told her.
There was a moment of silence before the senior lady replied,
"I'm wondering, then, just how serious is my condition
because this prescription is marked 'NO REFILLS'."
ZURICH (AFX) - Novartis AG has a promising product pipeline and expects several key product roll-outs to take place over the course of next year, such as asthma drug Xolair, and Exjade which counters high iron content.
Should all launches go ahead as planned, this would represent the highest number of new launches in a single year for any pharma company, Novarits pharma head Thomas Ebeling said.
In total, the Basel-based drug maker's product pipeline comprises 138 drug candidates in phase I, phase II or phase III as well as regulatory approval stages.
Ebeling also said that Novartis expects anti-inflammatory drug Prexige -- following the recent completion of the EU's mutual recognition procedures -- and Cubicin for the treatment of skin and soft-tissue infections to be launched in 2007 and 2008, he said.
Moreover, Novartis expects first-time approvals, additional indication or regional approvals for blood pressure drug Exforge, cancer treatment Tasigna, and hepatitis B drug Sebivo, postmenopausal osteoporosis drug Aclasta and Alzheimer drug Exelon Patch.
Eye care treatment Lucentis, against wet age-related macular degeneration, is expected to be approved in Europe over the next few weeks, following last November's recommendation by the EU's Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP).
Novartis earlier said it remains optimistic it will also receive US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for diabetes treatment Galvus and blood pressure drug Tekturna, after the FDA extended the drugs' review period to assess additional data.
Both treatments are seen as potential blockbusters, with annual sales in excess of 1 bln usd. afx.zurich@afxnews