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Drug makers are bracing for reform by raising their prices – by 9 percent in the last year, perhaps the fastest rate since 1992, The New York Times reports. This happened “even as drug makers promise to support Washington’s health care overhaul by shaving $8 billion a year off the nation’s drug costs after the legislation takes effect.” The increases “will add more than $10 billion to the nation’s drug bill, which is on track to exceed $300 billion this year.”

“Drug makers say they have valid business reasons for the price increases. Critics say the industry is trying to establish a higher price base before Congress passes legislation that tries to curb drug spending in coming years” (Wilson, 11/15).

In a separate story, the Times reports that Genentech, a subsidiary the Swiss drug maker Roche, succeeded in getting “estimates that 42 House members picked up some of its talking points — 22 Republicans and 20 Democrats, an unusual bipartisan coup for lobbyists.” The remarks appeared in the Congressional Record.

“Statements by more than a dozen lawmakers were ghostwritten, in whole or in part, by Washington lobbyists working for Genentech, one of the world’s largest biotechnology companies. … E-mail messages obtained by The New York Times show that the lobbyists drafted one statement for Democrats and another for Republicans.” The statements emphasized that a provision regulating the FDA’s power to approve generic biotechnology drugs that came out favorably for companies like Genentech would help preserve American jobs.

“The statements were not intended to change the bill, which was not open for much amendment during the debate. They were meant to show bipartisan support for certain provisions, even though the vote on passage generally followed party lines” (Pear, 11/14).

The Washington Post reports that the question of how and if some immigrants will have access to care under health care reform remains one of the sticking points between the chambers as the Congressional debate unfolds. “The controversy centers largely on whether illegal immigrants should benefit at all under a revised health-care system. Democratic leaders had vowed that only legal residents would receive subsidies to buy insurance. … That stark debate, however, has largely obscured the distinct challenge raised by immigrant families as reformers try to provide coverage to as many Americans as possible. Because so many of the nation’s 38 million immigrants — legal and illegal — live in households that include both categories, families must often rely on a patchwork of care and funding. And while the legislation could have a significant impact on how millions of immigrants obtain care, it is clear that large gaps in coverage will remain, not only across immigrant communities but also even within individual families” (Montgomery, 11/16).

The BlackBerry Bold 9700 is on sale from the official T-Mobile site, but you can get a bit of a better deal from Walmart. The official price for the 9700 is $199.99 on the new Even More plan, or at $449.99 on the Even More Plus plan. From Walmart, the device is as low as $129.99.

The device is clearly a hot item as there is a back order already.

© Kyle for BlackBerry Cool, 2009

What at one point appeared to be another frustrating BlackBerry weekend turned into a pleasant surprise. After upgrading the BlackBerry WordPress app, I rebooted my Curve, as required. The next time I checked it, it was frozen. I rebooted again, but soon found myself in the same situation as a few weeks ago, when my Curve died. This time I took it to the Verizon store, knowing that even if I fixed it again, I’d get the same problem again eventually. The rep was receptive to my plight, and offered to exchange my Curve for a Tour. I couldn’t say no. Immediately after booting up and activating, I noticed an issue with the font.

(more…)

Here’s some good news for gamers in Europe. Konami Germany has apparently sent out a press release announcing the arrival of Metal Gear Solid on …

All around the world, virgins and baby seals are weeping in joy as dedicated servers have finally been enabled in Modern Warfare 2. It all has to do with that development console hack that surfaced over the weekend. Now, modders and cheaters alike can tune the game to their liking as the video after the jump clearly shows. Awesome! [via Destructoid]

I’ve been terrible about blogging. Lately, I haven’t been feeling well, mostly just feeling like I look like crap and I not enjoying life, that kind of thing! I just feel like I need a new style. Maybe once I get some extra money, I will go out shopping. All I ever wear is jeans (practically the same ones I have had for 5 years), plain solid shirts/tanks, and flip flops. I am 24, but I look like I am 16-17 at times! But I also feel like I have no sense of style, that even when I do try to go out shopping, it is too overwhelming and I just give up and keep purchasing the same crap over and over!

I also saw that I have gained 5lbs! I know it is only a number, and I honestly wonder where this 5 lbs is because I think my stomach is still pretty flat and muscular, so I am going to pretend I gained 5 lbs of muscle, but I doubt it. I think I need to join this whole Back on track month. Not for weight or anything, but just for general eating habits, exercise, and mental health. Honestly though, I am just hard on myself. I eat healthier than anyone I know in real life!

Luckily, I had two good days at work, so I hope it took me out of my funk. Only the next 3 days off will tell…

Last week I established a new primary. I am not sick and will probably not need to see her until another check-up, but I like to know there is a doctor (close-by) that I can go to if I DO get sick. I also had my teeth cleaned and my eyes checked. I am quite regular with my every 6 months teeth cleaning. We never really went to the dentist growing up, so now that I have dental insurance, I take full advantage of it! Also, I never had my eyes checked before and since I pay for it every month, I figured why not? And my eyes are in good condition, so there you go.
Today I am going to a dermatologist for a general exam and a few questions, too.

I have about 2 more weeks on days with my awesome preceptor and then I am being shipped to nights. My preceptor is incredibly amazing at what she does. She’s been a nurse for 18 years and I think 16 or 17 were spent in this same unit. Let’s just say she knows what she is doing and you can honestly see that she cares about her patients. She is continually telling patients (or families, since patients usually are not aware) that they are her boss. And you totally believe her too. And she is not afraid to tell you if you’re missing something or what you need to know, but she also praises. I love her! I know I am getting the best training for ICU with her because she does not miss a beat.

Let’s recap:
Saturday:: Let’s just say, I did NOT want to go to work. It was Saturday! argh! However, the day did turn out well. But, it was insanely busy. On the other side of the unit, there was a new transfer from the floor and I remember Rose* saying, “Room 2 will code today,” and I thought, alrighty then. I was doing well with my two patients, developing a routine, or trying anyway, when Rose comes into the room and says, “Stop what you’re doing,” and I’m thinking to myself, “oh shit, what did I do wrong?” and then she calmly says, “Dr. SoandSo is going to put a central line in room 2 and I want you to assist. I will take over your assignment while you’re gone, don’t panic!” haha. I seriously thought I did something wrong by the way she walked into the room. I went to room 2 and “helped,” and I say it lightly because my preceptor gathered all of the supplies (with me following) and then told me what to do. This man was SICK. Total liver failure. He had no pressure and I think I saw some fluids going in at 1,000ml/hr. I noticed this only because the pump was making so much noise! He put the line in and I helped the primary nurse clean up and then I went on my merry way back to my patients.

About 10 minutes later, “Code Blue, ICU, Code Blue ICU,” and we knew it was room 2. We ran to the other side and sure enough, everyone was already at the bedside setting up and doing compressions. PEA. The other nurses decided I should do the recording, score! I recorded while another nurse pulled meds and calmly explained how to fill out the form. This code was effortless. Everyone worked together as a team, there was not one ounce of panic or even real urgency. The nurses in this unit are pros. After about 3 amps of epi, 40 of vasopresson, some bicarb, and d50 we got a pulse with the doppler! Amazing, we “brought him back.” But truthfully, this was guy was not “back.” He would die, and we knew it.

I left the room and 10 minutes later, again, “Code Blue, ICU!” I went back and started a new sheet to record. However, this effort would obviously be futile. We coded him for about 7 minutes and then his sister wanted to come in and when she saw the horrendous scene (seeing your loved one being worked on so vigorously is not pretty) she immediately cried and told us to stop. We had planned to stop anyway since his heart was not responding, but I thought it was good for the family to see that YES, we were trying everything we could and there were many people helping.
And so, he died. I helped clean him up…had blood coming from his nose and I closed his yellow jaundiced eyes, so he would look somewhat presentable for the family to see him one last time.
Update on my other patients in a bit!

*name changed

I wanted to mention that “my” unit won the Beacon Award!

The NY Times is discussing a patent application by Apple (20090265214) for putting really intrusive advertising into products that would require users to respond to prove that they’re paying attention to the advertising. First, there’s a fair amount of prior art on very similar ideas. Not all of the prior attempts were quite so draconian — but that’s not because they needed some special new invention or “spark of genius.” Instead, the reason why this hasn’t been implemented fully is because most people realize it’s stupid and would only serve to piss off customers. But it’s hardly a new, unique or non-obvious idea. Hell, I remember discussing a nearly identical scheme around 1995 as a joke because it was so ridiculously stupid. Hopefully, the Patent Office realizes that this is an obvious concept and doesn’t grant the patent.

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The United Kingdom will be joined by the Three Kingdoms once again, and with this new info, we know exactly when. The PS3 and Xbox 360 versions of Dyn…

Get experience. Get out of your comfort zone. Get outside. If you need a change and want be a part of a change larger than yourself, then get involved. Mile High Youth Corps is looking for 19-24 year old motivated candidates for The AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation Program.

The AmeriCorps Leadership and Conservation Program at MHYC is a demanding, team-based experience providing diverse service opportunities in education, community outreach, youth development and physical labor to achieve a common goal: environmental conservation. The position is a 10-month commitment, where a Corpsmember must be able to complete a minimum of 1700 hours of service. The term of service runs from February 1st, 2010 – December 10th, 2010 and is divided into three seasons. In the spring and fall, Corpsmembers participate in the Home Energy and Water Conservation Projects installing energy/water saving measures in low-income homes while educating residents about environmental and financial benefits of using less energy. Summer is spent outdoors completing physically demanding land conservation projects in state and local parks, mountain areas, and national forests including trail building, noxious weed removal, community gardening, and fire mitigation. Corpsmembers also take on leadership roles for seasonal crews that employ local youth ages 16-24. They actively participate in and facilitate weekly environmental education and team building activities, plan and lead service projects, and work towards future career goals with job readiness training. Successful candidates will demonstrate a strong personal work ethic, a commitment to service, diversity, self development, and team work.

Work days are Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Fridays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (may vary depending on projects and season.) Work-related overnight trips may be required for trainings, conferences, and projects. Corpsmembers receive one paid week of vacation, August 16 to August 20 and seven paid holidays throughout term of service. Corpsmembers earn a living stipend of $11,400 paid in bi-weekly installments throughout the year (bi-weekly amount will be roughly $500.00 before taxes) and are eligible for a $4,725 AmeriCorps Education Award upon successful completion of 1700 hours of service. Student loan forbearance (on qualifying student loan) is possible though the National Service Trust and health insurance will be provided through Summit America Insurance.

For a complete job description, visit: http://www.milehighyouthcorps.org/youth_jobs/americorps.html

Applicants must be a United States Citizen or Permanent Resident, and have a high school diploma or GED. Applicants must be capable of participating in intense physical labor including, but not limited to: able to lift 50 lbs., spend 8-10 hours a day in all weather conditions (e.g., sun, heat, wind, rain, cold, snow, etc.) and hike 5 miles with a day-pack. Applicants must have a valid driver’s license and a pre-employment background check and drug screening are required. Application deadline in December 11, 2009.

TO APPLY:
Online: https://secure.digital-community.com/english/milehighyouthcorps.org/youth_jobs/youthjobs_app_secure.html
e-mail: youthjobs {at} mhyc(.)net (include the position title in the subject line)
fax: 720-407-7286
mail:

Attn: Outreach Coordinator

6740 E. Colfax Ave.

Denver, CO 80220

QUESTIONS?
call: 303-433-1206, option 1, extension 333
e-mail: youthjobs {at} mhyc(.)net
visit: http://www.milehighyouthcorps.org

Over the weekend Samsung officially unveiled their latest Android powered handset, the i5700 Galaxy Spica.

We first heard about the Spica (or Galaxy Lite) back in August when the device was approved by the FCC.

The Samsung Galaxy Spica is powered by an 800MHz CPU, and features a 3.2-inch HVGA (320 x 480 pixel) TFT display, a 3 mega-pixel camera, and 180Mb of internal memory with microSDHC card support.

Powered by Android 1.5 (Cupcake), the Spica will also be the first Android handset to include support for DivX video playback.

According to Samsung The Galaxy Spica is already available in Europe and Russia, and is expected to launch in Africa and the Middle East shortly.

At present the device doesn’t support North American 3G bands, with support limited to GSM and EDGE.

[via newswire.co.kr]

If you’re looking for more info on the new Verizon Android phones, then be sure to check out Droid Forums & Droid Eris Forums

Samsung Galaxy Spica i5700 Officially Announced

In September last year, Bandai has updated the Tamagotchi with a color version, causing dozens of teenage girls to leave comments on CrunchGear for the first time. And now the company is ready to roll out yet another model: The so-called Tamagotchi ID [JP] is named “ID” because it’s the first model you can customize to some extent. It’s also possible to install content off the mobile web on the device (but probably only in Japan).

The downloadable content can be anything from virtual items, backgrounds to mini games you first get on your (Japanese) cell phone from a special cell phone-only site and then transmit to your Tamagotchi ID via infrared. You can dress up your character, take him out to various places etc. etc. The device itself features a 1.44-inch TFT display with 128×128 resolution.

The Tamagotchi ID goes on sale in Japan on November 23 in six different colors and costs $57. Targeting mainly 7-9 year-old girls, Bandai plans to sell 500,000 units in Japan alone by March 2010.

Sorry, Tamagotchi fans, Bandai hasn’t said yet whether it will ever sell the ID outside Japan as well.

Summary
Northland College, an environmentally-committed college on the shores of Lake Superior, is currently doing a number of academic searches with special attention to diversifying its faculty. Among these, we invite applications for a full-time, tenure track position in Sustainable Community Development at the Assistant Professor level to begin in the fall of 2010.

Qualifications
The Department of Social Responsibility at Northland College seeks an Assistant Professor of Sustainable Community Development beginning Fall Semester, 2010. A Ph.D. in Community Development, Economics, Sociology, Political Science or a related subject, plus teaching experience at the college level, and a record of scholarly activity are required.

Responsibilities
Northland College features an integrated Liberal Arts program and an environmental focus. The Department of Social Responsibility has majors in Business and Sustainability, Sociology and Social Justice, and Sustainable Community Development. Teaching load is 3-3-1 (seven courses in two fifteen-week semesters and one four-week semester). Northland College has 620 students and 40 faculty and is located in Ashland, Wisconsin on Lake Superior’s south shore.

Position Description
To Apply:
A completed application includes 1) a letter of application, 2) a teaching statement on experience in, or work with, diverse communities, and 3) a curriculum vitae which includes contact information for three professional references in PDF format.

Northland College
1411 Ellis Avenue
Ashland, Wisconsin 54806-3999
(715) 682-1699

Summary
The Bro Professor of Sustainable Regional Development is made possible by an endowment that establishes, to quote the Memorandum of Understanding creating the professorship, “an outreach professorship at the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute to assist north country communities to develop sustainably.” The holder will be jointly appointed to an academic department and to the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute. The appointment will be tenure-track.

Qualifications
Ph.D. required. Preference will be given candidates whose training enables them to support the environmental liberal arts mission of the college. Candidates must have outstanding communication and organizational skills and the ability to extend the boundaries of the campus into community relationships that enhance sustainable regional development. A proven track record of establishing experientially-based outreach courses and programs with successful outcomes assessment is strongly preferred. Evidence of success in matching students with opportunities for skills development, managing logistics and risk management of learning contracts, tracking and assessment of student and partnership outcomes, and grant writing is sought.

Responsibilities
The Bro Professor for Sustainable Regional Development will:

• teach four courses or course equivalents per year, to be determined in consultation with the Provost of the College
• extend the outreach of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute in the human dimensions of natural resources and in sustainable community development
• provide new experiential opportunities for students to be determined in consultation with the Director of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute and the Provost of the College
• identify, initiate, and develop opportunities for the support of collaborations that advance combinations of the following priorities: personal research program, Sigurd Olson Environmental outreach goals, expansion of student experiential opportunities, and sustainable regional development
• participate in college and Institute governance as determined in consultation with the Director of the Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute and the Provost of the College

Position Description
To Apply:
A completed application includes 1) a letter of application, 2) a teaching statement on experience in, or work with, diverse communities, and 3) a curriculum vitae which includes contact information for three professional references in PDF format.

Northland College
1411 Ellis Avenue
Ashland, Wisconsin 54806-3999
(715) 682-1699

Time Inc just launched a new technology blog called Techland, headed up by one of our former CrunchGear editors Peter Ha. Time magazine’s senior tech writer Lev Grossman is also a contributor. Techland covers the intersection of gadgets and geek culture, and is aimed at a mainstream audience.

Some of the debut posts cover the movie 2012, Samsung’s new Android phone, and a recap of Apple’s legal victory over clone-maker Psystar. It’s a crowded field, but the appetite for gadget culture is seemingly endless.

…Another of this year’s notable topics, CCSSE also found that 77 percent of community college students have never “participated in a community-based project as apart of a regular course,” despite other CCSSE data that show such programs drastically improve student performance….

Read entire article in Inside Higher Ed

A few months back, the new tab page in Chrome tipped us off to the impending launch of Google’s theme gallery. Tonight, there’s a new change that could very well mean that Google is getting ready to open the doors to a similar gallery – for Chrome extensions.

Up until now, the corner of the page featured a small graphic which linked to the Themes Gallery. Today, that image was replaced with the puzzle pieces you see above which links to https://chrome.google.com/extensions. Don’t get too excited, though. As with the themes gallery thumbnail in July, the link doesn’t go where it’s supposed to yet. You’ll be redirected to Google’s search page.

According to a recent posting on Google Groups by Chrome team member Neil Baum, extensions are set to hit Chrome’s beta channel in early December. The plan may well be to launch both the updated beta and extension gallery at the same time.

With extensions one step closer to landing on the stable version, it will be important to provide a centralized location where willing testers can find and install them.

While you wait for the doors to open, you can always check out our list of Chromeextensions.org’s massive collection.

More information [DownloadSquad]

The 2009 EU R&D Industrial Investment Scoreboard is now available. Worldwide corporate R&D investment has increased by 6.9% in spite of the economic crisis, according to the report. With an 8.1% increase, the R&D investment growth of EU companies, defined as companies having headquarters within the EU, is significantly higher than US ones for the second year, at 5.7%, and Japanese ones, at 4.4%.

Two EU companies feature in the top ten: Volkswagen in the 3rd place with an R&D investment of €5.93 billion and Nokia in the 8th. The world’s biggest investor in R&D was Toyota Motor, with €7.61 billion. The report also shows that companies from emerging countries have the highest R&D investment growth.

The 2009 EU R&D Industrial Investment Scoreboard is now available. Worldwide corporate R&D investment has increased by 6.9% in spite of the economic crisis, according to the report. With an 8.1% increase, the R&D investment growth of EU companies, defined as companies having headquarters within the EU, is significantly higher than US ones for the second year, at 5.7%, and Japanese ones, at 4.4%.

Two EU companies feature in the top ten: Volkswagen in the 3rd place with an R&D investment of €5.93 billion and Nokia in the 8th. The world’s biggest investor in R&D was Toyota Motor, with €7.61 billion. The report also shows that companies from emerging countries have the highest R&D investment growth.

Now shall we go to the recipe for eggless vanilla cake I have used here? I think that I have found 2 perfect eggless chocolate cake recipes. One is the eggless chocolate cake with silken tofu and the other one is the vegan chocolate cake using vinegar. I hadn’t tried my hands on egg free vanilla/white cake. Now I’m in the search of a perfect recipe for that too. (So if anyone has such a recipe please let me know). Since I was short on time, I decided to bake a vanilla cake using cake mix. I bought an organic cake mix because we can definitely identify all the ingredients in the list unlike the other cake mixes which has a lot of unidentifiable chemical names and sometimes animal fat too. I had a lot of sour yogurt in the fridge, so I used it as egg substitute. I used 3/4th cup of yogurt in place of 3 large eggs.