Says Gerry Khermouch, editor of business rights, “Beneath this surface of harmony, it’s a dogfight out there.  Retailers want to wield more power in determining pricing with product makers, who they depend on to stock their customers’ favorite brands. ”

Says Costco on its website, “Costco is committed to carrying name brand merchandise like coke at the best possible prices. So far, Coca-Cola has not provided Costco with competitive pricing so that we may pass along the value our members deserve.”

Costco has not removed any of the coke products from the shelves but is has no plans of restocking them until the matter is resolved. This dispute is not insignificant, because both Coca Cola and Costco are mega billion dollar corporations.

Coca-Cola representative said in a statement on Monday that they do not have much to say to the media about ongoing discussions but did emphasize that Costco is an vital business customer and that it is committed to working with it “in a spirit of fairness.”

For Costco whose business motto has always been to offer lower prices for its customers, there is always the option to go with other soft drinks. this may end up to be a likely option because so far not many companies have ever bullied coke into changing its pricing strategy

Another feature of the futuristic applet device will be the web-cam that will allow business people to use it for video conferencing while on the go. So far, Webcams on laptops have not been shown to have great resolution and how Apple will get around that is a mystery.

While no price has been set, it is expected that this time Apple will make the device available at a low prices, maybe less than a $800-$1000, but no one really knows.

While some claim that the Applet will be a mega hit, there are others who claim that previous experience with multi function devices has not been great. For example, smart phones which have multi functions capabilities usually produce mediocre performance with all functions and there is similar expectation with the apple tablet. Most experts claim that the apple tablet may be a universal device with many functions but whether it can deliver quality with each of the tasks remains to be seen. All these arguments are hypothetical because no one really knows if Apple does in fact have such a device coming out.

The long standing battle between the IRA and US tax payers who hid money in offshore banks is coming to a close. Says an IRS official, more than 14,700 tax payers have come forward voluntarily from more than 70 countries to disclose their offshore back accounts. The majority of people came forward just before the deadline expired on October 15, 2009.

Prior to the US crackdown on international tax evasion, less than a 100 people came forward each year to voluntarily reveal their finances. Now the broad US crackdown on international tax evasion at Swiss back UBS AG and other foreign banks had led to thousands of people coming forward.

Says commissioner of IRS, Doug Shulman, “To put it simply, this is a historic milestone for the nation’s hardworking taxpayers. The total sum in taxes and penalties resulting from this voluntary disclosure program will be in the “billions of dollars,”

Shulman said the arrangement of the UBS revelations and the amnesty program has essentially changed the offshore tax scene, predominantly in Switzerland where bank privacy was the custom for decades.

“It shows we are serious about piercing the veil of bank secrecy,” he said. “The whole game has changed.

The Swiss bank, UBS AG, has until the end of August to hand over more names of US tax payers. More names are expected to be released this week. The tax payers whose names are identified can appeal to the top Swiss administrative courts, but judging from how the Roman Polanski affair is being handled,  these people do not stand much of a chance. The US government is in no mood to let tax payer’s getaway this time.

The results of preliminary studies conducted in premenopausal women revealed a great potential for this pill. Says Canadian gynecologist, Elaine jolly, “By modulating the neurotransmitter system, fibanserin may help to restore a balance between inhibitory and excitatory factors leading to a healthy sexual response,”

The company has started to fulfill US requirements for drug release but it is anticipated that fibanserin won’t be on the market for at least 2-3 years.

Viagra, Levitra and Cialis which have been useful in men have not had that much success in women. Judging from surveys, there is a big market of women who would like something to boost their libido.

In the preliminary studies, fibanserin was shown to heighten sexual desire and prolonged the longevity of each orgasm. The very mild side effects included insomnia, dizziness and nausea.

There are a number of testosterone patches available for female to boost libido, but long term use of these male hormonal patches is not known. Moreover, these male hormone patches also enhance hair growth and acne- two side effects no women wants while trying to satisfy their sexual needs.

Boehringer, the manufacturer of Fibanserin, indicates that the market in USA alone is big with one in ten women complaining of low sexual desire. Rest assured, judging from the cost of Viagra and Cialis, fibanserin won’t come cheap.

“Its bad.It’s real bad. I am worried about it. I can’t really talk about it right now, but Lesnar is in rough shape,” said UFC president and CEO Dana White.

White added that at the request of Lesnar he is unable to reveal the type of medical disorder which has plagued the UFC champ, “He’s in a hospital up in North Dakota somewhere right now. He went to Canada and some bad stuff happened to him, so we’ve got to figure it out … He doesn’t want to talk about it publicly, but he’s in bad shape. He’s not well and he’s not going to be getting well anytime soon.”

There is speculation that Brock Lesnar may need surgery to overcome the present problem.

Lesnar joined the UFC in 2008 and was an instant success. He beat Mir for the UFC heavyweight championship at UFC 100 on July 11, 2009. Brock Lesnar has been a great champion and is a solid wrestler and we hope he recovers from his illness.

White house press secretary Robert Gibbs told reporters that president Obama called on Myanmar to release Suu Kyi and other political prisoners. For decades, military leaders of Myanmar have avoided contact with western governments because of the regimes poor human right records and oppression of democracy.

Aung San Suu Kyi has spent the least 14 years in detention at her home and is not allowed to travel anywhere. The military rulers have been stubborn and despite numerous sanctions have continued dictatorial rule with an iron fist. However, the direct appeal from president Obama may carry more weight considering he is the most powerful Western leader to have relayed the message directly to a top Myanmar official.
The Myanmar government has set up elections next year but has not mentioned if Aung san Suu Kyi will be allowed to participate in the so called democratic vote. The military junta has so far refused to validate results of the last elections held nearly 20 years ago when Suu Kyi’s party won by a majority.

In the last few years, US policy towards Myanmar has become friendlier and the aim is to initiate talks with the generals. One thing is clear; the economic sanctions will not be lifted until Suu Kyi is released.  On Sunday, U.S. President Barack Obama presented Myanmar the vision of improved ties with Washington if it frees all political prisoners and changes to a path of democratic reform.

So should the consumer stop Zetia and consume niacin?

Niacin is a vitamin B component and has been known to lower bad cholesterol. Niacin is sold as Niaspan, niacor or slo-niacin. It is widely available in dairy products, lean meat, fish, poultry, nut and eggs.

Niacin has been shown to raise good cholesterol by at least 30% when taken on a regular basis but unlike many other drugs it also lowers the bad cholesterol.

Overall niacin is safe but can cause annoying side effects like flushing of the face, a warm sensation and these side effects worsen if you take alcohol. To reduce these side effects, one can take an aspirin beforehand. Other minor side effects include stomach upset, headaches and dizziness. Long term side effects of niacin are unknown and it is wise not to take mega doses of this vitamin.

Why niacin has not received much attention compared to other drugs to lower cholesterol is a mystery but health professional believe it has more to do with money and the pharmaceutical companies.

Physicians recommend that lowering of blood cholesterol should first start off with changes in life style, exercise and not smoking. With controversy surrounding most drug products, it is better to discuss any changes with medications with your physician.

However the situation is drastically different for bone marrow. Unlike blood, bone marrow donations are only done when a family member is in need. Moreover, bone marrow donation is a more extensive procedure and depending on how it is done, anesthesia may be required. Up until now, bone marrow donors could not be compensated but it is expected that a pending lawsuit is going to bring about change and make bone marrow donation more profitable

There is word from the Institute of Justice that a suit has been filed against Attorney General Eric Holder Jr., requesting that he be enjoined from implementing the federal criminal prohibition on compensating bone marrow donors. The prohibition made in 1984, is contained in the National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA). Other plaintiffs in the case include patients with blood disorders like leukemia, multiple myeloma and thalassemia. The plaintiff have put forward an argument that lack of a bone marrow means that they cannot be cured and go through untold suffering; so why not make bone marrow transplant possible by offering donations?

Each year close to 35,000 Americans are diagnosed with blood disorder like leukemia, multiple myeloma, lymphoma and bone marrow failure and the only successful treatment is a bone marrow transplant.

“Of these thousands of terribly sick people, fewer than 1,000 are likely to have a family member whose tissue-type matches closely enough — so then, a match must be found in an unrelated person,” said Barbara Hile, stem cell department director for Michigan Blood, formerly the Michigan Community Blood Center. “That’s where the NMDP’s international donor registry comes in.”

However, while the proponents do make the donation argument good, there is a concern that monetary compensation for bone marrow donors may be a magnet for high risk donors. This may lead to many other complications, including the transmission of deadly virus infections.

“This trial showed the clear superiority of niacin over ezetimibe. I would say that the combination of LDL-lowering and HDL-increasing with niacin was associated with a greater regression of atherosclerosis,” added Dr. John J.P. Kastelein, from Department of Vascular Medicine, Academic Medical Center, Meibergdreef, the Netherlands.

However, despite the lack of efficacy, Dr Robert Eckel from the AHA recommends waiting for safety results from a larger ongoing trial involving Zetia, and emphasized that at least the drug is safe and there is no clear indication to cease taking it.

“I would caution the public and prescribing community about reaching conclusions too early,” he said. “At this point, there is no evidence that the drug does harm. I see no reason at this point to be concerned about using ezetimibe as an LDL-lowering therapy as an option for patients who need a further decision made about their treatment.”

In the meantime, the public is urged not to rush and buy the over the counter niacin to reduce blood cholesterol because long term safety remains unknown.

Born in New York, Amy Fischer developed a sexual relationship with a married man, Joe Buttafuoco. The intensity of her infatuation with Joe, eventually led Amy Fischer to shoot Joe’s wife Mary in head. Fortunately, Mary survived and Amy went to prison.

After her release from prison, Amy worked as columnist for the long island press and even wrote a book about her sexual experiences. She married Louis Bellera with whom she has three children.

Her relationship with both Joe and Mary Buttafuoco has continued to be a source of puzzle. She and Joe have been shown to fight both on and off TV and neither wants to forget the past.

In Oct 2007, nude pictures of Amy surfaced and soon there was word about a sex tape. Soon Amy released word that she was now into porn.

In Jan of 2009, Fisher released a pay per view entitled “Amy Fischer, totally nude and exposed.” She has also started her own porn site which is limited to lesbian scenes. Recently Fischer signed a deal with Lee Entertainment to become a stripper. Amy says she plans to strip until fans tell her to put the clothes back on. To ensure that she remains a sex symbol, there is word that Amy has undergone numerous plastic surgery procedures.