This week’s deal review shows no signs of a holiday showdown.  In Canada, BioMS’ deal with Spectral Diagnostics was interesting as a possible indicator of more to come and internationally, 5 new pharma deals were announced this morning including a $430 million deal that OncoGenex landed from Teva joining new links between Athersys and Pfizer, Lilly and Incyte, sanofi-aventis and Chattem and Seattle Genetics and GSK.  Check out the past week’s Canadian deal-making (and breaking)

Thallion Pharmaceuticals Inc. (TSX: TLN) signed a binding LOI with French company LFB Biotechnologies for the development of Shigamabs, Thallion’s product candidate for the treatment of Shiga toxin-producing bacterial infection. The partnership is subject to executing definitive agreements anticipated in first quarter of 2010, but the LOI provides for immediate funding by LFB of costs associated with the Shigamabs program. Under the agreement, LFB will receive commercial rights in Europe and South America, while Thallion retains rights to North America and the rest of the world.  Thallion can receive payments of up to approximately $150 million, including an up-front licensing fee of up to approximately $2.3 million, plus royalties. Thallion will continue to be responsible for the development of Shigamabs, while LFB will be responsible for manufacturing and supply.  

Thallion also sold a subordinated promissory note it was holding back to the issuer — Caprion Proteomics Ltd. – for an immediate cash payment of $1,850,000. The note was originally issued by Caprion to Thallion as part of the proceeds pursuant to the sale of Thallion’s proteomics business. Thallion will continue to retain its approximate 16% equity stake in Caprion.  

Other Licensing and Commercial Agreements 

TSO3 Inc. (TSX: TOS) announced a supply and distribution agreement with 3M Company (NYSE: MMM) for TSO3’s sterilizer systems. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but do include some up-front license fee and milestone payments for regulatory clearance achievements as well as minimum annual purchases. TS03 Inc. also announced Health Canada approval of the sterilizer system for sale in Canada. The device will be made available through 3M Canada’s distribution in 2010. 

YM Biosciences (TSX: YM) and Therapure Biopharma announced that Therapure will provide fill and finish services for nimotuzumab, YM’s oncology monoclonal. 

Victhom Human Bionics Inc. (TSX: VHB) restructured its agreements with partner Ossur and sold certain Biotronix assets to Ossur for US$500,000.  Ossur will now take over the final stage of development and preparation for the commercial launch of the second generation Power Knee.

Securities

Resverlogix Corp. (TSX: RVX) signed a non-binding term sheet for a standby equity distribution agreement with a Yorkville Advisors fund. Resverlogix will have the option, at its discretion, to issue and sell up to $25 million of its common shares to to the fund, which would be obligated to buy up to $500,000 of any such shares in any ten-day period at a discount to market price. Full details as to the terms of the agreement will be disclosed on closing.

Medicago Inc. (TSXV: MDG) announced that it has converted its 16,100,000 subscription receipts (TSXV: MDG.R) into an equal number of units (one common share plus 1/2 of a $1.00 warrant exercisable through November 26, 2010). Following the conversion, Philip Morris will hold 39.35% of the outstanding common shares of Medicago and 50.3% of the common share purchase warrants.

M&A

SemBioSys Genetics Inc. (TSX: SBS) won approval from its securityholders for its plan of arrangement involving a reorganization with Cathedral Energy Services Income Trust and closed the deal later in the week.

Board Changes at LAB Research as Solidarity Fund QFL Nominees Come In

LAB Research Inc. (TSX: LRI), a Canadian-based non-clinical contract research organization, announced the nomination of Mr. Yvan Landry as a new Board member, and the resignation of Mr. Richard Lacombe. Mr. Landry is a certified management accountant and employee of the Solidarity Fund QFL, which has the right to nominate two individuals to the Board of LAB, including one employee of the Fund.  

Bad News Last

Ambrilia Biopharma (TSX: AMB) shut its facility and let a bunch of its remaining people go this week.  

ALERT B&C Corporation (TSXV: ACB) announced that it’s closing its Montreal facilities and eliminating the employee positions to conserve cash.

Transition Therapeutics (NASDAQ: TTHI, TSX: TTH) and Elan are pulling the two higher dose arms of the Phase II trial of ELND005 following adverse events.  The entire trial ends in April and the companies will reassess at that point.

Æterna Zentaris Inc. (NASDAQ:  AEZS) (TSX: AEZ) and sanofi-aventis U.S. (NYSE: SNY) are terminating their development and commercialization license for cetrorelix, following the results for its European Phase 3 study for cetrorelix in BPH.

Thanks again to Jacob Cawker for help with this week’s deal review!

Reading between the lines of life for success

Be like water with your situations and challenges

Adjusting and adapting to any shape and bends you encounter

Be like an air in your personal relationships and with people

That carries the fragrance of good thoughts and deeds to others

Be like a fire with your crippling thoughts and habits

Burn them down and up severely and sincerely for your enlightenment

Be like a baby with your persistence and endeavors

Never stopping at your failure but trying and trying ruggedly

Be like a dove with the people who insults and criticizes

Thinking most of the time for a peace and forgiveness for you are generous

Be like a straight-running torpedo in your goals and dreams

Looking neither to left nor to right but hitting the target spot on

Be like a magnifying glass in your sincere compliments

Making a giant of other’s confidence and élan for their self fulfillment and yours

Be like an elephant in all your gratitude to others

Remembering ever the good acts and lifts that the good-hearted souls gave you

Be like a robot when it comes to self-discipline

Doing the necessary things, like it or not, over and over regularly and routinely

Be like a sun with the people who need you

Shining in their valley and making their lives brighter than yours.

Be like a whale for your negative emotions and lower instincts

So big for them to hunt you down or you ever noticing them

Be like a spoon with the poor and old people

That feeds others with the necessary contents in time of need

Be like a Spartan when it comes to health and courage

So strong, so healthy and not afraid of pioneering ventures

And be like the Sirius star with the legacy you leave

One that shines the brightest and forever and ever!!

Wish you all the riches to come with God’s blessings

Peter Anand

Hey everyone! Check out my new posts at elan this week.

Maybe Not World Peace, But Egypt-Algeria Soccer Fallout May Have a Silver Lining

World’s Most Dangerous Job: Iraqi Mailman?

Highlights from the Cairo International Film Festival

Burqa Shades: Preserving tradition or profiting off of it?

Happy Friday! Enjoy your weekend!

“Stimul” Gənclər Şəbəkəsinin “Qadınların aktivliyinin artırılmasına necə kömək edə bilərik?” mövzusunda  dəyirmi masa təşkil edir. Dəyirmi masa Açıq Cəmiyyət İnstitutu Yardım Fondunun maliyyə dəstəyi ilə həyata keçirilən “Qaçqın qadınların sosial və ictimai aktivliyini artırmağa dəstək” layihəsi çərçivəsində keçirilir. Dəyirmi masada qaçqın qadınlar arasında aparılan sorğunun nəticələri açıqlanacaq, onların və qadın təşkilatlarının, vətəndaş cəmiyyəti nümayəndələrinin iştirakı ilə müzakirələr aparılacaq.

Dəyirmi masa 2 dekabr, saat 14.00-da Norveç İnsan Hüquqları Evində keçiriləcək.

Ünvan: Cəfər Cabbarlı 30

Əlaqə üçün:  055 613 43 06

I didn’t feel that much pressure to get out and run yesterday. At the same time, I wasn’t sure how many opportunities I’d get today and tomorrow, so I decided to take the time and go out. It was a slightly slow 6.7 but felt good to be active for an hour(because I firmly planned on being lazy the other 23). When I got home, I challenged myself to make a lunch not with the microwave. It’s simple enough but there’s so many flavors and textures it just can’t achieve. After planning out a menu, I got to work with my fancy pan I won from some Hood milk promotion last month.

Brussels And Sausage In A Pan

First I scrambled 2 eggs and cooked those in the pan to the perfect doneness–so much easier than in a microwave! Then I steamed raw brussels for 3 minutes in the microwave and then pan-browned them for another 2 minutes. I also heated up a pre-cooked chicken sausage in the microwave(btw, all these uses of it don’t count ) and finished that in the pan.

Scrambled Eggs, Spicy Chicken Sausage, Brussels Sprouts

This deserves a Holy Yum award. Brussels sprouts are seriously my favorite green vegetable and by far the best thing here, even though they were a bit dry, with a touch of salt. The browning gave a good crispness to the outside. The sausage was also quite good. Note: It was real meat and not faux meat. I think I can love them equally. The fennel in it was really impressive. For dessert I had something that took neither pan nor microwave.

Oikos With Banana Pineapple Rum Jam

So perfect. Well, OK, it could have used more jam, but then again my ideal would be eating the jam from the jar with a spoon, which is a no-no when it costs as much as this one does. I had a lovely evening on the couch planned, but then my mom asked if I wanted to accompany her to Market Basket while she picked up some last minute food. My knee-jerk reaction was a big yes, and next thing I knew it I was in the car. Oops. At least I brought a little work with me. For those who don’t have a Market Basket, it’s a place full of interesting finds…

Christmas Decor

Oh, Canada. What are you doing up there? Jk, but Market Basket does have good finds. It’s right across the way from Whole Foods, and while it might only carry about 30% the same stuff, what it does have is very often cheaper. The only thing I could find on my list this trip was a 4-pack of deep chocolate vitatops for 3.69. they had faux meat, but unfortunately nothing all-natural and breakfasty It was pretty late when everyone was done, so I was happy to grab a snack in the car.

Banana Walnut Gnu Bar

Wow. Wow wow wow wow wow. All you have to do is read my review to know I loved this. I don’t like bananas that much, but I swear anything that tastes like bananas I’m game with. And this was just like banana bread. There wasn’t a large presence of walnuts, but that was fine by me since I don’t care for the. And all the fiber filled me up and kept me calm when I realized I still had to make the pie! Yikes. By the time we got home it was dark and I was getting anxious about that, until I remembered this is the simplest recipe and I didn’t even need to check my computer to remember how to make it.

Unbaked Crustless Pumpkin Pie

There was a mini-issue with the pesky water bath, but otherwise crisis averted and sanity restored. I felt a little something was in order along with a pat on the back.

Chocolate Elan Frozen Yogurt

This snack ended up being a little littler than I expected; who knew we were almost out and there was hardly a serving left in the container! Too bad nobody realized this over the past 4 weeks we’ve been having freezer-space issues. Normally I’m happy to finish an ice cream but I love elan and this flavor so much I feel like I need to get an exact replacement for it. I watched 1 of the 2 SNL’s I slept through and then the pie was done.

Crustless Pumpkin Pie

It had a couple bubbles but no cracks and definitely nice and firm so that it will stand on its own at the table. Amen And then there was dinner.

Haddock With Soyaki, Beets, Parsnips With Peach Salsa

Not quite my pan-licious lunch, but this was pretty good, too There was a little more beets taken after the photo and we finished it all! We didn’t want any leftovers going in to Thanksgiving. I swear this house empties of all vegetables when I’m not here so I made sure we got good ones at Market Basket. Parsnips are so good for a soft and white vegetable; I don’t like white potatoes because they always taste dry and starchy but I think I’ve found a new friend in parsnips.

I almost forgot about The Biggest Loser last night! I was so thankful my tivo reminded me of it. I brewed some coffee and had a naked dessert.

Deep Chocolate Vitatop

I kept racking my brain to try and figure out what to do with this vitatop. It finally occurred to me: If it wasn’t coming naturally, it wasn’t meant to be. And this vitatop tasted just delicious on its own. It was great to see where former contestants are and to know they’ve really changed their lives. I think finding and staying with that balance must be the toughest thing. There was another snack.

Oikos With Turbinado Sugar And Chocolate Chips

Turbinado sugar is good for you because it has the minerals crystalized in, right? And it’s from Trader Joe’s so it cures cancer, right? We’re just going to go with all of that because this hit my sweet tooth. It was so depressing seeing the winner who gained back so much weight. Clearly, though, he felt bad about it, too, so it’s hard to be upset with him.

Pumpkin Oatmeal With Mighty Maple And Chocolate Sunflower Seed Butter

Let’s just say, this bowl took a lot of work to figure out what to do with it, but I’m happy where I settled. I forgot how good and chocolatey(not to mention thick) the chocolate sunflower butter is. And probably a better choice at 10:30 than chocolate chips with my sugar tolerance(or lack thereof).

I set my alarm for 7 this morning. On a holiday–why’d I do that? To run, of course. I wasn’t sure it was going to happen but it was actually reasonably warm and I felt refreshed with only 8 hours of sleep. I grabbed a bar for the run.

Amazing Grass Chocolate Whole Food Energy Bar

What a delicious way to start Thanksgiving I ate 3/5ths of it on the run and then never needing the last bit. I ended up doing 10.55 miles–my longest run outside! The course was completely new to me; they demolished a bridge near my house which pretty much eliminated as options all my longer runs but I figured out a new course that worked perfectly. I came home to a house already smelling of food–love that. I got a touch creative with breakfast:

Pumpkin Yogurt With Smart Balance Peanut Butter And Nog Cream Cheese Frosting, Peanut Oikos

Ok, I’ll admit it, I used the microwave for the oats and I don’t regret it because this bowl was perfect. The frosting, which I dreamed up on the run, really made it; the recipe is 1oz greek yogurt, 1 tablespoon low fat cream cheese, and 1 tablespoon Silk Nog with 3 drops vanilla liquid stevia. I wouldn’t give such precise measurements if I weren’t convinced those are the measurements of the Greek Gods. It’s sweet but not so much that you lose the cream cheese, and it’s entirely seasonal.

Happy Thanksgiving, all! Now I’m kicking back, watching The Parade with Pikachu just having floated by. My relatives are coming in just 2 hours! I’m so excited, even though I realize the 2 little cousins will probably have me tearing my hair out of my head by the end of the day, haha.

NuNaturals giveaway! I think they’re stevia taste the purest(and this is coming from someone who, from time to time, nibbles on his plant).

“flowing is the pipeline to our inner truth, the impulse to follow the flow of one’s own energy, to be true to oneself … listening and attending to our needs, receptive to our inner and outer worlds … when we open up to the flow of our physical being, all other pathways open”

Gabrielle Roth

Today, elan posted my take on Beyonce’s condemnation by a member of the Muslim Brotherhood prior to her concert in Egypt and a reader sent me this cute comic strip:

(Source: Al Khan)

What do you think? The artist is Tarek Shahin and you can check out more of his work here.

And speaking of artists, Muslimah Media Watch recently profiled Hana Hajjar, one of the few female cartoonists in Saudi Arabia. Her cartoons are really funny and she covers a lot of interesting topics. I encourage you to read the post (and basically every post at MMW). You can also read more about her on CNN.

Helen Richardson is one of the most famous names in Indian film industry. She is a Hindi actress and a dancer very popular during the 70’s and 80’s. Helen was born on 21^st November 1939 in Burma. After her father’s death her family migrated to Mumbai with her mother, brother and sister during the Second World War.  She got a break with the help of her family friend and actress “Cukoo”. She started her career as a chorus dancer in several movies like Awaara, Alif Laila, Hoor-e-Arab etc. The turning point in her career happened in her performance in the song “Mera Naam Chin Chin Chu” from the movie Hawrah Bridge. She got nominated four times for Best Supporting actress in the movie Gumnaam, Shikar, Elan and Khamoshi: The musical.  She won Best Supporting Filmfare Award in Mahesh Bhatt’s Lahu ke Do Rang. She is now retired from acting though she has done some cameo in some movies likes Mohabbatein, Hum Dil DeChuke Sanam, Marigold and so on.

Helen is honored by several Awards throughout her career including Pdma Shri and Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award.

Addressing the Muslim World from Cairo is the New Black – The Chinese Prime Minister takes a few notes from Obama.

Meet MMW’s Fatemeh Fakhraie – An interview with the woman behind Muslimah Media Watch.

WTFatwa: How Creepy is the Ibn Sina Shopping Buddy? – Umm. I’ll tell you. Really creepy!

Ca doit faire six ou sept fois que je fais cette tarte depuis le début de l’automne, parce que Chouchou aime vraiment beaucoup. Et moi aussi mais moi je suis raisonnable, je ne me ressers pas deux fois, tout le monde le sait. J’en connais un qui répondrait que calomnier c’est côme (ne cherchez pas, on aime bien inventer des mots chez nous, et de toute façon vous n’y comprendriez rien), mais je prends les devants.

Et puis je m’y suis mal prise, je recommence :
Il était une fois une tarte au potimarron qui parlait italien, mais qui n’aimait vraiment pas qu’on la prenne en photo. C’est pourquoi dès qu’un petit souriceau s’approchait, brandissant l’appareil tant redouté, elle s’enfuyait à toutes jambes en hurlant, jusque dans l’estomac d’un petit Chouchou résigné, bien impuissant face à la situation. Vous comprendrez aisément pourquoi jusqu’à maintenant, bien embêtés, le petit Chouchou et son souriceau furent incapables de vous en montrer ne serait-ce qu’un petit morceau.

(Je devrais peut-être me lancer dans les aventures pour petits gourmands, au lieu de me terrer dans un coin pendant une dizaine de jours pour écrire des histoires ou les pigeons voyageurs feraient mieux de regarder droit devant eux.)

Toujours est-il que ce soir là, un petit élan récemment baptisé Jomar comme dans le film, qui sait tirer la langue si on l’aide un peu, a réussi à capturer la tarte (du moins une d’entre elle puisque cette fois on l’avait déclinée en petites tartelettes) avant qu’elle disparaisse définitivement.
Il en manque juste un tout petit bout mais ne vous plaignez pas trop quand même, Jomar a fait ce qu’il a pu. Ca se voit que vous n’avez jamais vu comme ça peut courir vite, une tartelette au potimarron.

Pour un Souriceau, un Chouchou, un petit élan, et encore un peu plus, il vous faut :
Une pâte brisée à laquelle vous ajouterez une bonne cuillère à soupe de parmesan rapé : 250g de farine, 125g de beurre mou, 1 jaune d’œuf, 1 pincée de sel, 5 cl d’eau, ET 1 c.s. bombée de parmesan rapé.

Et la garniture : 350g de chair de potimarron (environ un demi potimarron pas trop petit, épluché et épépiné), 2 c.s. bombée de parmesan rapé, 1 c.s. bombée de mascarpone, 2 jaunes d’œufs, 2 c.c. de sirop d’agave, 1 c.c bombée de maïzena, sel, poivre.

Epépinez et épluchez le potimarron, faites le cuire à la vapeur et écrasez le à la fourchette, laissez refroidir une dizaine de minutes. Ajoutez-y le reste des ingrédients et mélangez bien afin d’obtenir une préparation lisse.
Après c’est pas très compliqué, on met la pâte dans les moules, on remplit avec la garniture, et on enfourne environ 25 minutes à 200°C (adaptez le temps de cuisson et la température à la taille et la profondeur de vos moules).
Avant de sortir les tartes du four assurez vous d’avoir bien fermé toutes les fenêtres et éloignez votre Chouchou le plus possible, si vous voulez avoir la chance d’y goûter, et n’oubliez pas l’inoubliable cuillère de mascarpone par dessus, quand la tarte est encore tiède.

It’s rare that competing drug companies team together to work on a common problem. But that’s just what Biogen, Elan, and Roche are doing right now. The problem is a condition called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) and two different drugs have been found to increase the risk of the rare neurological condition. So these three drugmakers are coming together and sharing data to find out why their drugs might be causing PML in some patients.

The drug Tysabri, which is used to treat multiple sclerosis, is sold by under a joint venture between Biogen and Elan but was taken off the market this year because of its link to PML. Also pulled this year due to ties to PML was Roche’s psoriasis drug Raptiva. The drugmakers involved will create a global database of PML cases that will be used to predict, prevent, and treat infections. While their motivation for this collaboration might be driven in part by a desire to get their drugs back on the market, it’s still nice to see drug companies put patients ahead of secrecy and competition. More of these collaborations would be welcome in the future, whenever multiple drugs are linked to a common debilitating side effect.

Read more about this in the Wall St Journal.

Out of Bounds: Border Politics Heat Up Online

Muslim countries are full of tropical diseases? Oil money to the rescue!

Gaddafi Eyes TV Stardom

And make sure you become a fan of elan on Facebook!

*Sidenote* A good friend noted that my vegan pumpkin pumpkin butter brownies were not actually vegan as TJ pumpkin butter has honey in it. Thankfully, I wasn’t baking for any vegans, but take note of that if you plan on trying them. Otherwise, enjoy.

Today really is crisp! I don’t think we’ll hit 60 degrees But I’m talking about yesterday for now. Yesterday, it didn’t really look like running weather when I woke up. It looked like baking weather. I “prefueled” with a couple cups of decaf and made an awesome breakfast: Vegan Apple Crisp. I found a recipe I used to make great and simple apple crisp 2 years ago; I just swapped out the butter *shudder* for organic smart balance vegan butter spread *slightly-less-of-a-but-still-a-shudder*. I’m still not down with the butter thang. And it’s definitely not a health thing because even the “healthy alternative” gives me the willys. I think I should see a psychiatrist on this butter thing(that was sarcasm. I have better ways to spend 100 dollars in an hour). It came out beautifully.

Vegan Apple Crisp

It has whole grains and fruit, so it was good enough for breakfast.

Vegan Apple Crisp, Peanut Butter Oikos With Milk Chocolate PB Cup

I needed candy to cure my Halloween hangover–you know how that goes. I loved having time to catch up with tivo and do some homework. I think the people on Top Chef were reacting a bit too strongly to having to cook for Natalie Portman, a vegetarian. Anyone remember on Top Chef Masters when they cooked vegan and gluten free? That was a challenge. I might have had some more of this,

Vegan Apple Crisp

so that by 11 o’clock the pan looked like this

Vegan Apple Crisp Pan

To my knowledge, I was the only one who had eaten this yet. Thank god I’m a runner, and don’t bake this every day More specifically, I’m a runner who ran 10.05 miles in 1:20:53. It felt so nice and crisp out, but my stomach was a little full. Still that was a great pace for my neighborhood and I’m surprised I kept it up the whole way. I showered for lunch when we got back, and we had a very squashy meal.

Brussel Sprouts, Sweet Potato, Baked Pumpkin

My mom baked a whole pumpkin along with the rest of the meal. It was fun to scoop but I was not a fan of the hard seeds and we all agreed it was very tart. Oh, Libby, teach us your ways of pumpkin! Even though there were 4 potatoes roasted, I opted for one cooked in the microwave. I love the chewier texture, it makes it feel not like baby food(which I already eat for every other meal of the day). Before leaving home for one epicly long trip back to Campus, I served myself a couple scoops of one of my favorite frozen yogurts.

Elan Vanilla Frozen Yogurt

Holy cow’s milk frozen yogurt is this stuff good. When you let it sit just to the point where it’s starting to melt and lick it, it tastes just like a frothy milkshake. I also like that it’s a bit richer because of a touch of cream but still has decent nutrition, and all natural pronounceable ingredients.

First on our stops was Target to look for Vanilla Cranberry peanut butter: no luck I didn’t even go in because I didn’t want to get distracted so I just had my dad check for me. After that we did the Whole Foods thang for a couple yogurts and some steak sauce. Across the way was Market Basket for some more yogurt and waffles. I really wanted chocolate vitatops but all they had were bluebran and banana nut. I was tempted to buy the banana nut just out of compulsion but resisted because I knew it wasn’t what I really wanted. There was a quickie snack in the car to ward of crankiness.

Chocolate Brownie Z-Bar

This definitely helped get past the chocolate disappointment. But then I remembered that the Stop And Shop near campus had a very large selection of vitatops and actually sold them at a decent price. No place is better than Market Basket, but Stop And Shop certainly beats the other options near me. We swung by there and I found them That Stop And Shop would be a great option for me to get food at cheaper more often; unfortunately it’d be about a 2 mile walk and through some rough parts of Providence I’d rather be safe and poor than save a few bucks only to get mugged. When we got back, I had plenty to put away, including all the new stuff we’d boughten.

Groceries

Did I mention there’s a 2 dollars off 2 Oikos coupon on Facebook and Oikos at Market Basket is a dollar each? Aka, free Oikos. Score. Nothing else was free, or really on sale… At least I’ll be eating well What was not well was finding mold in my apple butter!

Moldy Apple Butter

Serves me right for eating this about once a month. How ironic, too, that I just picked up one yesterday to bake with and left it at home. I’ll grab it next weekend or something. I was going to spread it on this english muffin, but peanut butter just had to do.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin English Muffin With Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter

Who am I kidding? There was always going to be peanut butter; now there was just more of it. This held me over for catching up on The Office(I know, I know, I’m really behind). Thankfully, it also held me over through “dinner”. I met with my friend at The Ratty, which was good because we’d lost touch since Wednesday or so. What wasn’t good was any of the options on the lines. Rather than try to make a meal that wouldn’t have satisfied me, we just sat and talked while he ate. ‘Twas fun, but I was a bit more than ready to make something I’d eat when I got back to my dorm.

Flamegrilled Gardenburger, 2 Scrambled Eggs With Mushrooms And Light Cheese, Broccoli, TJ Ketchup

This was soooooooo worth waiting for. I’ve never understood why people put eggs and mushrooms together until I tried it; this was deliciously meaty yet savory, and the cheese made it feel rich. I love Trader Joe’s ketchup with just about anything savory. It’s not quite as sweet as it is vinegary so the flavor works a bit better I think. And as if I didn’t eat my fair share of veggies yesterday, a veggie burger surely helped. Meals like this make me think I really don’t need the dining hall and could probably eat just fine off a meal plan and for less money. Because there wasn’t enough funky flavor in my life, I made this for The Amazing Race.

So Delicious Plain Yogurt With Vanilla Stevia, Vanilla Sugar, And A Milk Chocolate Neman's PB Cup

Sorry, I’ll stop doing this combo when it stops being so good. That’s not happening anytime soon? Shucks. The list of ingredients in “plain” soy milk is kind of funnily long but it still has that beloved soy flavor, which goes really well with the sweetness of the peanut butter. I was slightly disappointed with last night; my plan for the weekend was to have all my homework done Saturday so I could work on the 3(yes, 3) essays for Greek History, but Greek the language was a time whore that required far too much of my attention. Maybe we should all be thankful to speak and understand the one language we learn as a baby? Yeah, good plan.

Oatmeal With Semisweet Baking Chips And Butter Toffee Peanut Butter

I realized I hadn’t had oatmeal all day. What was wrong with me? Clearly, this bowl needed to be made in a jiffy. Butter I may not do, but Naturally Nutty’s Butter Toffee Peanut Butter is a clear exception. I have not seen this enough around the blogosphere and can’t help but wonder porque? If you’re nervous about making the step from a super market PB stalker to an online PB predator, it’s understandable, but take my word and just go for it! You won’t be disappointed. Don’t even make the mistake of ordering sampler jars on flavors that sound incredible like I did my first time because you’re only going to have to reorder that much sooner.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Raisin Roll With Vanilla Cream Cheese Oikos "Frosting"

One of the things grocery shopping has taught me is to know what to budget on and what can be your special splurge. Do I need that box of granola bars because it’s a different flavor than the one I have? No. And they’ll taste the same now as the day I have a coupon and they’re on sale. Somethings, on the other hand, make sense to treat yourself with, like these. They’re obviously wholesome and healthy(and vegan, too!), and they work out to be decently priced(1.10 a roll), so I don’t mind “splurging” on these from time to time. Brothers & Sisters was, as always, great last nice. I liked Balthazar Getty’s appearance but it looks like he’s going as quick as he came back.

I had set my alarm for 7, then brought it back to 6:40 because of the extra hour. I actually woke up before that and didn’t need it. It was light out, too, so I wasn’t fumbling to make coffee in the dark–oh joy! I had a ghoulish snack.

Trader Joe's Ghoulie Gummies

I completely forgot about these for Halloween! They still tasted as good. Just a warning to anyone thinking of picking them up: They are all-natural but they aren’t vegetarian because they use animal gelatin. First I was thinking 8 for this morning, but then that turned to 10, and then 12. I can’t say I know quite how that happened because they were definitely not an easy 12, but I felt determined and wasn’t about. I think that run had me wanting sugar when I got back, because for breakfast I used a good amount of it in my favorite form.

Pumpkin Oatmeal With Maple Almond Butter And Maple Syrup, Oikos With Maple Syrup And Crunchy Maple Sunrise Cereal

Maple! I’m thinking I should ask my grandparents for some high-quality maple syrup for Christmas or Thanksgiving. They’re from middle-of-no-where, NH so they probably have a neighbor who makes his own or something. My grandpa was once on PBS for being a lumberjack for over 40 years Right now the one I’m using is from the Dedham Whole Foods but it won’t be around for long! I love the new Nature’s Path Organic maple cereal, which I still need to review. I think it comes out this month so keep an eye out for it!

Speaking of Nature’s Path… Nature’s Path Giveaway!

Chobani Giveaway! Over at Abby Has Issues

Who doesn’t want some hot chocolate in their life for the cold season? Check out this giveaway.

Dakle priča počinje odlukom o kupovini broda, te ugovaranjem rokova isporuke i specifikacijama, sve to traje nekih pola godine, nakon tog vremena zahuktava se: ugovori, plačanje, izbor dodatne opreme u tvornici i od ostalih dobavljača, česti posjeti proizvodnji (izmjene promjene……), osiguranje veza, marketing, police osiguranja, nakon probijanja rokova kojih par mjeseci slijedi isporuka, trčanje na carinu kopnom i morem (moleć Posjedona da ne ostanes za vikend na carinskom gatu), obavljanje granične policije,carine,lučke kapetanije. Nakon sto je posjedon bio blagonaklon ( odnosno vrhunska spediterka) slijedi dva dana opremanja broda( 18 sati dnevno u paklenoj vrucini), provjere ispravnosti i popravci koji se mogu obaviti. Slijedi upis u registar brodova (za jahte iznad 15m duzine, a sve to nakon 30 dana sredjivanja razno raznih dozvola od razno raznih institucija). Na kraju ostaje jos par mjeseci do godine dana za popravak raznih stvari na plovilu koje uvjek dolazi nesavrseno iz tvornice….
U kratkim crtama nabava plovila izgleda zahtjevno, al vjerujte jos je zahtjevnije
Zahvaljujemo svima koji su sudjelovali na realizaciji ovih par koraka: Biserki, Valentini, Suzani, Peteru, Andreju, Alešu, Vladi, Luki, Andreju, najboljem šefu proizvodnje Elan Yachtinga (majstoreee), Branki, Maticu, Vereni, te ostalima koje nismo nabrojali ali mislimo na njih

Team Crosail

Sssööözzzz AXTARIRIQQQQQQQQ

O MƏQSƏDİMİZ VARIN İLK QONAĞI OLDU, O VERDİYİ XEYİR DUA HƏLƏ DƏ BİZİMLƏDİ BƏS BİZ NECƏ ONUNLAYIQMI?

MƏQSƏDİMİZ VAR BU HƏFTƏ ONUN RUHUNA İTTHAV OLUNACAQ…

SUALA CAVAB YAZIN GÖZLƏYİRİK meqsedimizvar@box.az ünvanında

Versicherungsvertreter werden mich massenweise hassen.
Versicherungsvertretern wird das gar nicht gefallen, was hier geschrieben steht.

Mir doch egal,
denn Sie liebe Leserinnen und Leser sollten das einfach wissen.

Warum ein Versicherungsvertreter nur Geld kostet, dem Verbraucher aber nicht den vollen Vorteil bringt, will ich mal hier erläutern.

Ein Versicherungs”vertreter”, ja, wie der Name schon sagt, der “vertritt” seine Versicherung. Nichts anderes ist sein Bestreben, als die Versicherungen seiner Gesellschaft zu verkaufen. Egal ob diese gut oder schlecht sind, egal ob diese völlig überteuert sind und schlechte Leistungen haben. Das ist einem Versicherungsvertreter gänzlich egal – aber sich gewandt formulieren, das können die alle.

Daß sie auf einen Versicherungsvertreter, der nur Ihr Geld und die Provision will, hereingefallen sind, merken Sie sofort daran, wenn Sie mehr als zwei Versicherung von einer Versicherungsgesellschaft haben. Ich könnte wetten, daß eine davon zu teuer ist, wetten?

Das ist auch logisch, denn jeder ist in einem bestimmten Bereich Spezialist. Die anderen Bereiche werden dann teuer verkauft. Meistens verwenden die Versicherungsvertreter die Einzige günstige Versicherung die sie haben als “Lockmittel”, und dann geht es los, dann wird auf Sie, liebe Leserinnen und Leser, eingeschwatz was das Zeug hält, bis einem die Ohren glühen.

Ein “Nein” akzeptieren diese Versicherungsvertreter nicht, ganz im Gegenteil, dann legen die erst recht los, au weia, mein Gehörgang. Am Besten man hört denen gar nicht mehr zu und schmeißt sie raus. Wer aber dies nicht hin bekommt, der macht es genau so, wie der Versicherungsvertreter auch, erzählen Sie doch lange und ausführlich von Ihrem letzten Urlaub. Und immer wieder wird der Versicherungsvertreter versuchen, die Kurve zu bekommen um über seine Versicherungen zu sprechen. Jedesmal, wenn dies passiert, stehen Sie am Besten auf und holen einen Kaffee, gehen auf die Toilette oder waschen die Wäsche. Und wenn Sie zurück kommen, fangen Sie am Besten nochmal von vorne an mit Ihrer Urlaubsgeschichte.

Wenn Sie einen Kaffee anbieten und der Vertreter diesen annimmt, verschütten Sie am Besten den Kaffee (oder was auch immer Sie haben) über seine Krawatte und Hose. Dann entschuldigen Sie sich tausendmal und wollen natürlich die Hose “sofort” säubern, dazu soll er doch die Hose ausziehen. Tja, und jetzt haben Sie dem Versicherungsvertreter im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes, die Hosen runtergelassen.

Glauben Sie, daß er jetzt mit gleichem Elan seine Versicherungen anpreisen wird?
Glauben Sie, daß er jetzt das gleiche Selbstbewußtsein an den Tag legt?

Mitnichten, denn der Anzug, die Krawatte und der Koffer sind der “Schutzmantel” der Versicherungsvertreter.

Übrigens, Versicherungsvertreter dürfen Sie niemals verwechseln mit Versicherungs-Maklern.

Denn Versicherungsmakler sind an keine Gesellschaft gebunden, sondern entscheiden frei, was sie empfehlen wollen. Versicherungs-Makler erhalten überall die gleiche Provision, egal, von welcher Gesellschaft sie verkaufen, daher ist es dem Versicherungs-Makler völlig egal, welche Versicherung er verkauft, also sucht er die beste für den Kunden heraus.

Ein Versicherungsvertreter hat zudem den Nachteil, wenn Sie einmal einen Schadensfall haben, glauben Sie doch nicht im Ernst, daß er IHRE Interessen vertreten wird, oder? Nein, ganz im Gegenteil, er wird natürlich die Interessen seines Arbeitgebers versuchen zu schützen und sein Bestreben ist es, die Schadensfälle möglichst gering zu halten.

Ein Versicherungs-Makler hingegen vertritt den Kunden und “pustet” die Versicherung, die haften soll, mal kräftig an, und wenn die nicht ordentlich den Schaden regulieren, nun, dann wird der Makler diese einfach nicht mehr empfehlen, so einfach ist das.

Tja, liebe Versicherungsvertreter, hättet ihr was Gescheites gelernt
und wärt Ihr  Intelligent, lernfähiger und aufnahmefähiger
… so wärt Ihr vielleicht sogar echte Versicherungs-Makler geworden…

I have always wonderered whats the big fuss about pearls. I mean they are small white balls after all. And am a messy girl who can barely walk straight for a few mins with heels on, how am I supposed to carry of pearls elegantly? And what about the maintenance. Aaarrgh. I’d rather just not wear them at all. Wait a min, that’s what I thought until I watched a movie yesterday. It was a Saturday night, and we went to Inox Cinemas at Nariman Point to catch the latest flick Julie & Julia. Lovely movie but more lovely? Meryl Streep. She as so elegant and charming and beautiful and timeless and what also contributed to all this? The pearls she wore. She carried them off with immense elan. Now pearls can really make you look radiant if you know how to wear them and ofcourse look after them! Teaming them up with a formal office shirt or a dress for a quiet dinner is ideal. While I figure out the place of pearls in my closet and mull over when and how I should wear them, you too can share some ideas on how you accessorise with pearls! Gorgeous girlie would love to hear your pearls of wisdom!

Hello world! It’s been a while. I’ve been away doing research for a paper and working on finding a real job. You know, one that pays me enough money to live. Anyway, absolutely loved all the e-mails I received and will be posting some of the stuff I was sent over the past two weeks, especially a really awesome short film about Palestine that was sent by a reader in Australia (!). In the meantime, check out my new post at elan on the opening of the Iraq National Theater and what that is supposed to mean to us.

The curtains have finally opened at Iraq’s National Theater, after 6 years of turmoil through the war. Though the theater was looted in 2003, recent efforts from the Cultural Ministry to rebuild the city’s art scene have lead to the opening of “To enjoy the sweetness you must taste the bitterness,” a comedy that was written, produced, directed and acted in by Iraqis.

You can read the rest of the post here and feel free to comment.

Also, Farrah Hamid, our awesome editor, had her article picked up by The Huffington Post today! Check it out: The 10 Best Twitter Accounts Muslims Should Follow.

He does not come originally from the mountains, never did ski-races in his childhood and also was born far away from the mountains, close to Düsseldorf, exactly in Oberhausen. The man is named Christian Flühr and he did during the last century 12 amazing records on skis. His history is for a man, which roots are definitely have nothing to do with skiing, very unusual. The 1st real success he had in 1999 at the Austrian village Obertauern. He skied there 68:23 h continuously nonstop. This record is already at this moment in Christian’s hand, but the actual record is about 264 hours. This record he did in January 2008 at Tyrolean ski-resort Obergurgl.

What Christian Flühr did in 1999 is still actually in his life. “Of course the record at Obertauern was something like a priming to search for a border on skis, but until today I never found this. I can remember exactly everything of both records at Obertauern 1999 and 2001!” he says. Beside the 1st record the 2nd attempt also took place at Obertauern. 2001 he was the 1st human being which crossed the border of 100 hours on skis. At the end this record was fixed on level of 103:21 h.

In the next years he set 2 times in the “SkiWelt Wilder Kaiser” (Tyrol) this world record on a new level (130:06 h in 2002 and 168 h in 2003), at the German ski-resort Oberaudorf with 200:08 h in December 2004 and 222:22 in 2005. The he changed to Zell am See, where he skied 242:42 nonstop in 2007. The most impressing challenge he made one year later at Tyrolean Obergurgl. There he reached the actual world record with 264 h, that means 11 days and nights complete on skis. Beside this records he also owns the endurance record indoor with 111:11 h, the greatest altitude done in 24 h with lifts and the most different ski-lifts used in 24 hours.

Especially the endurance records are unbelievable. Christian faced during his challenge the full range of winter weather: Very low temperatures up to -24°C, storms and heavy snowfall, in Obergurgl he fought with 1,50 m fresh snow during his attempt. Some other guys from all over the world tried in the last years to get Christian’s records but they all do not succeed, Christian explains why: “This attempts no one can do without a long training before. I started already in August the preparation for the winter and because of this skiing is my job and that makes the difference to the guys who tried to achieve these records!”

One thing which is very important on, is the fact that I did all this record without any doping. “There is nothing like this. I hate doping and the usage of such stuffs makes every output at sports senseless.” Christian means.

This winter, ten years after his 1st successful attempt, will be the last winter in Christian’s long career on skis. He decides to retire after this season: “Yes, I have so many experiences in my mind I will never forget, but sometimes is time to say good-bye. I will be in 2010 37 years old, good aged to start to think about another job and may be family. This will be after the winter a new challenge which will be in no way less interesting than professional skiing. And for sure how often I can, I will be on snow, also after my sport retiring.”

The time for the final curtain is not planned exactly until now by the world record holder. He just thinks at the moment on the upcoming winter season: “If I say good-bye in April or May, won’t be important. Before, I hope to set some new records. Especially the aim will be to raise the endurance record to 299 hours plus X. And may be there is a chance to do this in conjunction with the Olympic winter games at Vancouver. I am ready to face this ultimate challenge! I just wait on a final Yes of the responsible persons and then it will happen.” Christian has a big smile in his face, when he talks about this topic. More information by clicking www.cf-1.net