In a story entitled “Pfizer urges trade fight versus protected generics”, Pfizer CFO David Shedlarz pointed out that “Canada and many European governments set the same price for all versions of a medicine, regardless of whether it is a branded product or a generic copy.” He went on to explain that this “ensures a two-fold higher price for most generics and far lower prices for branded products than those seen in the United States.”

True, and it got me thinking about the situation in Germany - something I am intimately familiar with. From my own personal experience, OTC drugs there are much more expensive than in the US, even with the advent of internet pharmacies. In addition, many drugs commonly accessible in the U.S. aren’t even available in Germany - OTC or brand products. Case in point: Sudafed - nope, not even with a prescription available! This point interfaces with the entire discussion on what free markets deliver: access to more drugs, and more choices.

While surfing around, I came across this tape from a local TV news show in Oregon, which sent a reporter out to cover the removal of a 45-foot, eight-ton dead whale that washed up on the beach. The responsibility for getting rid of the carcass was placed upon the Oregon State Highway Division, apparently on the theory that highways and whales are very similar in the sense of being large objects.

So anyway, the highway engineers hit upon the plan of blowing up the whale with dynamite. The thinking here was that the whale would be blown into small pieces, which would be eaten by sea gulls, and that would be that. A textbook whale removal …

For the last six years, Wired Magazine has released their annual list of 40 leading companies that have demonstrated an uncommon mastery of technology, innovation, globalism, networked communication, and strategic vision - skills essential to thriving in the information age. Interestingly, Genentech at spot #4. Read for yourself …

No one knows when the Internet will fail. It could happen at any time, leaving you bereft of your e-mail, your sports scores, and your Blogs. Therefore, it’s important that you have a contingency plan for just such an emergency. If your connection to Cyberspace were to ever get severed, you should at least be prepared. We have included a few key points that should assist you if that were to happen. Read on …

What could be better than a refreshing beer during this hot and summary season? After refreshing my memory on my recent trip to Germany, I was inspired to write about the “German Beer Culture”. Beer - or as the monks prefer to call it, liquid food - is one of the quintessential German food groups. Along with bread and potatoes, it forms the holy carbohydrate trinity. Anyway, check out tidbits on the history of beer, the German beer purity laws, and much more, all on skinnychef.com …

We were inspired to write this article after visiting a truly authentic beer garden in Astoria, Bohemian Hall. Sharing pitchers of beer under an open sky and having conversations with total strangers on communal benches while catching a whiff of delectable sausages is what a real beer garten is all about. Bohemian Hall is located on 29-19 24th Avenue, between 29th and 31st street, Astoria, Queens.