| Consumers lose out on generic-drug savings
Intense competition among generic drug makers has been a boon for pharmacies, but consumers aren't reaping the gains, the federal Competition Bureau said Monday. The marketing of generic drugs needs to be changed, the bureau said in a report, so individuals – along with the governments and insurance companies that pick up the cost of many drugs – can glean the benefits of lower drug prices. "Competition stops at the pharmacy level and does not accrue to the end payer," Competition Bureau commissioner Sheridan Scott said in a speech to the C.D. Howe Institute in Toronto Monday after the study was released. With 15 generic drug makers now selling into the Canadian market, competition is more intense than ever, Ms. Scott said. In 2005, 43 per cent of drugs dispensed in retail pharmacies in Canada were generics – the copycat drugs that can be sold only after patents expire on brand-name products.
Development eating away productive ground
For some reason the Bee decided not to allow me to post. I am trying again to see if they will reconsider. In short, the rumor is not true. The county has NO intent to regulate domestic animals in the county. We want to encourage rural lifestyles and agriculture. We are holding public meetings every other Thursday at 6 pm at the Federal bldg to work through the proposed ordinances. The public is welcome. First meeting this Thursday the 17th. I agree with Marjorie Kinney that ag and forest land is critically important and appreciate her involvment. " .
US elections 2004
For supporters of John Kerry, who have seen allegations about the Democratic candidate's military record sap his campaign, it must have seemed like a case of just deserts.
The president, George Bush, was last week looking vulnerable on the same grounds after CBS's flagship current affairs show, 60 Minutes, broadcast a report claiming he had been suspended from pilot duties for failing to meet the required standards. It was also claimed that a commanding officer had been put under pressure to "sugar coat" Mr Bush's performance reviews.
But while CBS stands by its story, allegations have now surfaced that 60 Minutes based a large part of the report on forged documents.
Although what one man - even a presidential candidate - did more than 30 years ago can seem rather trivial, the US election is being fought between a self-declared "war president" and a man who, in stump speeches, claims he would defend his country as president in the way he had defended it as a young man.
Mine, refinery imperil hallowed hills in India
As he recalled a recent trip to the nation's capital, Drika Kadraka came to a sudden halt on a footpath that winds sharply to his village. He then raised his arms in a gesture of thanks to the vast night sky. "Without our moon, our stars, we Dongria started to feel lost, missing our home," the indigenous leader said, alluding to the dense smog that often blankets New Delhi. "We are lucky here. I know we must never leave these beautiful hills." In November, Drika and a group of Dongria Kond tribal villagers traveled from the forests of the Niyamgiri hills ("Mountains of the Law") in eastern Orissa state to lobby state officials before a crucial ruling by India's Supreme Court on a British company's mining project. The 10,000 tribal members view the plan to mine bauxite, aluminum ore, in their territory as a threat to their way of life.
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