Good Deeds Do Not Go Unrewarded

Often times it seems as though humanity has lost it's essence. We live in a world where not everyone will get along, and most of the time many of us can see past the differences in eachother. There will never be a moment when EVERYONE agrees on something. Our past, culture, religious preference, morals and values do not allow this to occur. I've heard a lot lately how people have lost their faith in humanity, but I absolutely refuse to lose my faith in this regard.

In the past 2 days at work, there have been incidences where someone needed help. Typically, because we are all "strangers in a strange world" we would just walk on by when someone needs help. I call this group of people "the walkers". Except there are a small few who never fail to offer a helping hand. I call this group of people "the helpers". I fall into "the helpers" category as I am always up for offering any assistance I could possibly lend. I think of it like this: Sometimes we fall, sometimes we need help. I've been in situations in the past where help was such a simple thing to ask for, but noone would actually help. I assume we all go through this.

Yesterday at work, as my coworker "J" and I were walking out to take a cigarette break, there was a man who was on fore-arm crutches who was attempting to get his wheelchair from the trunk of his car. Now, this seemed impossible just as someone watching him to do, but I walked over and assisted him, getting the wheelchair out of the trunk, setting it up, locking wheels in place and putting the cushion on the seat. But, to no avail someone else came to assist. We'll call this person "BG". BG is the VP of where I work. He noticed my efforts, helped out as well, asked my name and told me I was quite noble. How sweet.

Second incident was today right before lunch. Again heading outside to take a break, I opened the door to my department which leads into a hallway with elevators (Main hallway for the building I am). There I find a drug rep, bringing lunch and samples to an office upstairs. She had a dolley and apparently had dropped tons of these little drug samples all over the place. I stopped, bent down to help her pick them up. All the while about 6-7 people walked right past us. I helped her, which took all of 5 minutes to do, and in return for the help she handed me a king size Hersheys Special Dark bark. I told her I didn't need anything in return for the help but she insisted. I walked away feeling quite happy that I am at least a tiny spec in the world who offers to help people.

Sometimes it really does make a difference.

COPAXONE® Significantly Reduced Disease Severity in Long-Term Treated Multiple Sclerosis Patients

Data from Longest, Continuous Study of MS Treatment Presented at EuropeanCommittee for Treatment and Research in MSJERUSALEM--(Business Wire)--Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ: TEVA) today presented data thatdemonstrated patients treated for 10 and 15 years with COPAXONE® (glatirameracetate injection) had significant reduction in disease severity. These data,generated from the longest continuous prospective study of any disease modifyingtherapy in relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS), were presented todayat the 25th Congress of the European Committee for Treatment and Research inMultiple Sclerosis (ECTRIMS) in Düsseldorf, Germany. The long-term analysis utilized the universal MS Severity Score (MSSS) to evaluate the accumulation of disease severity in long-term COPAXONE® patientsactively on therapy and those who withdrew early from the 15 year ongoingCOPAXONE® clinical trial1. Results demonstrated that 51 percent of long-termCOPAXONE® treated patients shifted to lower severity grades (p<0.0001). Incontrast, 41 percent of patients who withdrew from COPAXONE® showed adeterioration in MSSS grades, when compared to their baseline severity grades.Patients remaining on long-term treatment (treatment exposures of 10.12±1.32years and 13.6±1.3 years), had improved median MSSS scores of 1.84 and 1.69 at10 and 15 years, compared to MSSS scores at start, 3.62 and 3.50, respectively.Median MSSS score for withdrawn patients worsened to 6.01 at long-term follow-upversus 4.30 at treatment initiation. "This study, along with other MSSS studies, is paving the way to enableneurologists to predict the progression of disease severity in MS patients,"said Joseph Herbert, M.D., associate professor, NYU Department of Neurology andprincipal investigator of the study. "The demonstrated positive impact oflong-term COPAXONE® treatment on slowing disease progression provides hope to MSpatients and further emphasizes the importance of early treatment initiation." About the AnalysisThe modified intention-to-treat cohort (mITT, N=232) included all study patientsreceiving ≥1 COPAXONE® dose. Of mITT, 108 and 100 patients were ongoing in thetrial at 10 and 15 years, respectively. Of the 124 patients who withdrew by the10th year of the study, 50 patients returned for a long-term follow-up. MSSSscores were generated at the onset of COPAXONE® treatment, at last patientobservation for all those who were on COPAXONE® and withdrew, at 10 and 15 yearvisits for ongoing patients and at 10 year long-term follow-up for withdrawnpatients who returned. At the 10 year long-term follow-up, mean disease duration for withdrawn patientswas 18.54 ± 5.91 years and mean time since leaving study for the withdrawnpatients was 5.44±2.89 years. Median MSSS scores for ongoing patients were 1.84and 1.69 at 10 and 15 years, compared to MSSS scores at COPAXONE® (glatirameracetate injection) therapy start, 3.62 and 3.50, respectively. For 50 withdrawnpatients, median MSSS score was 6.01 at LTFU vs. 4.30 at COPAXONE® treatmentinitiation. During the study, there was a significant difference between ongoing patients at10 and 15 years and those who eventually withdrew, in the shift toward lowerdisease severity categories from COPAXONE® start to last patient observation onCOPAXONE® (p<0.0001). There was a significant difference in disease severitybetween ongoing patients at 10 years and withdrawn patients at 10 year long-termfollow up. Only 11 percent of ongoing, compared with 41 percent of withdrawnpatients, had shifted to higher severity scores; while 51 percent of ongoing,compared to only 24 percent of withdrawn, had shifted to lower severity scores(p<0.0001). The study was supported by Teva Neuroscience. About COPAXONE®COPAXONE® is indicated for the reduction of the frequency of relapses in RRMS,including patients who have experienced a first clinical episode and have MRIfeatures consistent with multiple sclerosis. The most common side effects ofCOPAXONE® are redness, pain, swelling, itching, a lump or an indentation at thesite of injection, weakness, infection, pain, nausea, joint pain, anxiety, andmuscle stiffness. COPAXONE® is now approved in 51 countries worldwide, including the UnitedStates, Canada, Mexico, Australia, Israel, and all European countries. In NorthAmerica, COPAXONE® is marketed by Teva Neuroscience, Inc., which is a subsidiaryof Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. (NASDAQ:TEVA). In Europe, COPAXONE® ismarketed by Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. and sanofi-aventis. COPAXONE® isa registered trademark of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. See additional important information at http://www.copaxone.com/pi/index.htmlorcall 1-800-887-8100 for electronic releases. For hardcopy releases, please seeenclosed full prescribing information. About TevaTeva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., headquartered in Israel, is among the top20 pharmaceutical companies in the world and is the world's leading genericpharmaceutical company. The Company develops, manufactures and markets genericand innovative human pharmaceuticals and active pharmaceutical ingredients, aswell as animal health pharmaceutical products. Over 80 percent of Teva's salesare in North America and Europe. About Teva NeuroscienceTeva Neuroscience is dedicated to investigating, developing and marketingground-breaking products and technologies, with emphasis on cutting-edgetreatments for patients who are living with neurological conditions, includingmultiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson`s disease (PD). Therapies marketed by TevaNeuroscience include COPAXONE® (glatiramer acetate injection) forrelapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and AZILECT® (rasagiline tablets)for the treatment of PD. Teva Neuroscience`s suite of innovative products continues to demonstrate thecompany`s commitment to fulfilling unmet medical needs and has helped thecompany evolve into a global leader in RRMS. Teva Neuroscience is a NorthAmerican division of Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd., the world`s largestgeneric drug company. Teva Neuroscience is proud of the role it plays inproviding effective treatment options to patients worldwide. For moreinformation, please visit www.tevaneuro.com or www.tevaclinicaltrials.com. Teva's Safe Harbor Statement under the U.S. Private Securities Litigation ReformAct of 1995:This release contains forward-looking statements, which express the currentbeliefs and expectations of management. Such statements are based onmanagement's current beliefs and expectations and involve a number of known andunknown risks and uncertainties that could cause our future results, performanceor achievements to differ significantly from the results, performance orachievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Importantfactors that could cause or contribute to such differences include risksrelating to: our ability to successfully develop and commercialize additionalpharmaceutical products, the introduction of competing generic equivalents, theextent to which we may obtain U.S. market exclusivity for certain of our newgeneric products and regulatory changes that may prevent us from utilizingexclusivity periods, potential liability for sales of generic products prior toa final resolution of outstanding patent litigation, including that relating tothe generic versions of Neurontin, Lotrel and Protonix,the current economicconditions, competition from brand-name companies that are under increasedpressure to counter generic products, or competitors that seek to delay theintroduction of generic products, the effects of competition on our innovativeproducts, especially Copaxone sales, dependence on the effectiveness of ourpatents and other protections for innovative products, the impact ofconsolidation of our distributors and customers, the impact of pharmaceuticalindustry regulation and pending legislation that could affect the pharmaceuticalindustry, our ability to achieve expected results though our innovative R&Defforts, the difficulty of predicting U.S. Food and Drug Administration,European Medicines Agency and other regulatory authority approvals, theuncertainty surrounding the legislative and regulatory pathway for theregistration and approval of biotechnology-based products, the regulatoryenvironment and changes in the health policies and structures of variouscountries, supply interruptions or delays that could result from the complexmanufacturing of our products and our global supply chain, our ability tosuccessfully identify, consummate and integrate acquisitions, the potentialexposure to product liability claims to the extent not covered by insurance, ourexposure to fluctuations in currency, exchange and interest rates, significantoperations worldwide that may be adversely affected by terrorism, political oreconomical instability or major hostilities, our ability to enter into patentlitigation settlements and the intensified scrutiny by the U.S. government, thetermination or expiration of governmental programs and tax benefits, impairmentof intangible assets and goodwill, environmental risks,and other factors thatare discussed in this report and in our other filings with the U.S. Securitiesand Exchange Commission ("SEC").1. Continuous Long-Term Immunomodulatory Therapy in Relapsing MultipleSclerosis: Results from the 15-Year Analysis of the U.S. Prospective Open-labelStudy of Glatiramer Acetate, C. Ford et al. Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd.Elana Holzman, +972-(3)-926-7554orTeva North AmericaKevin Mannix, 215-591-8912 Copyright Business Wire 2009

Friendship Bread

Tonight at Kayla's open house for second grade I was handed a Ziploc bag full of "starter". April (one of the mom's, friend and neighbor) handed it to me saying that she had been meaning to give me this and if I hadn't been at the open house tonight she was going to hunt me down (Walk down the block 2 houses lol) and give it to me that way. I had no clue what on earth she was handing me until just now when I read the directions and researched it. Here is a link on a variation of the recipe and the story... http://www.squidoo.com/amish-friendship-bread-starter . Here is my story and the directions I was given.

FRIENDSHIP BREAD DO NOT USE ANY TYPE OF METAL SPOON FOR MIXING. DO NOT REFRIGERATE. IF AIR GETS INTO THE BAG, LET IT OUT (THIS IS CALLED "BURPING" THE BAG) IT IS NORMAL FOR THE BATTER TO RISE, BUBBLE, AND FERMENT.

Day 1: Do Nothing. This is the day you receive the batter. Make sure the bag is dated.

Day 2 - Day 5: Mush the bag.

Day 6: Add to the bag: 1 Cup Flour, 1 Cup Sugar, 1 Cup Milk. Mush the bag.

Day 7 - Day 9: Mush the bag.

Day 10: Pour the contents of the bag into a non-metal bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1 1/2 cups milk. Mix together.

In 4 one-gallon sized ZIPLOC bags labeled "Day 1" (with date), measure out 1 cup of mix and put into each bag. Give them to 4 friends with the recipe.

To the remaining batter add:

3 Eggs, 1 Cup oil, 1/2 cup milk, 1 cup sugar, 1 1/2 tsp. salt, 2 cups flour, 1 large box instant vanilla pudding

Grease 2 loaf pans.

For topping, mix 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon in a bowl. Dust the greased pans with half the mixture.

Pour batter evenly into the two pans and spring top with remaining sugar mixture. Bake at 325 degrees for 1 hour. Check with toothpick to see if it is done. Cool until it loosens from pans. Store in refrigerator.

Should the recipe not be passed on the 10th day, be sure to date the bag for the recipient. They can use the date lines to keep track of the day they are on. If you keep a starter for yourself, you will be baking every 10 days the bread is very good and a good gift. Only the Amish know how to create a starter, so if you give them all away you will have to wait until someone gives a starter back. Enjoy!!

I plan to continue this bread and try to keep track through update on the blog.
And here is the bag I was handed. Dated for September 1, 2009 :

I Can't Believe I Have A Second Grader!

Kayla had her second grade open house this evening at 5:30pm. I left work early (thanks to be oh so wonderful supervisor Judy), ran home to change clothes, made arrangements with the sitter to keep Tristan - since I know he would be an absolute terror and embarass the heck out of Kayla in her school...- and then made my way to the school. I waited for Lydia (ex mother in law) to arrive with Kayla. I mingled outside of the school, saying hello to the on time passerby and was more than thrilled to see Lydia and Kayla pull up. I met them in the middle of the road (of course because there's nothing to start off your second graders open house like being hit by a car) and we went inside. Melanie (another parent) greeted us, handed us a couple papers on the schools budget and we made our way to the cafeteria/gym/auditorium to listen in on introductions. After that was said and done Kayla undoubtedly led the way to her class room (passing up the offer to take dance class because of heart disease) and then showed Lydia and I her locker. She said her lockermate was "Claire". We went into her classroom where Kayla scurried off to her desk. I said "Hello" to her teacher and we waited ever so patiently for everyone to arrive. The teacher ran over the basics of the class, explaining that second grade really wasn't a joke and absolutely nothing like first grade. Kayla's spelling, grammar, vocabulary work will be done and reviewed on a computer. She can access her spelling words, games and practice tests on a website http://www.spellingcity.com/ and I can stay in check with how she does. There is also another website the school mentioned which for the life of me I can not remember the name of, but will post it again as soon as I get the information, which was said to be around the first week of October. I'll detail it then as well. Kayla's teacher also mentioned a behavior chart she uses which I think is called a "tacker". (I'll double check this as well) On this is a magnet of each childs photo and at the top is a "10" Every kid at the beginning of the day starts out with a 10. As the day goes on, if a problem arises, the number drops. It really is a nice feature considering those who keep a 10 all week get to pick something from a prize box on Friday!

After we were shown the tacker, a friend and fellow parent of Kayla's classmate (and neighbor) handed me a bag of batter and a recipe for "Friendship Bread". I'm so excited to try this and she said it was really good! (Another post, another time in steps!)

Kayla then took Lydia and I to the computer lab where she showed us where she sat. The teacher in this class explained the children would be learning to type and use Microsoft Office programs (basically Word). I thought this was a bit strange considering my daughter is 7 but it's really never too early to start. Technology is taking over! (And I feel a bit behind considering I am in college now taking a Microsoft Office class and nearly failing!!!)

After computer was the library. Kayla walked us in, we stood there, her librarian said hello, Kayla explained that I was Mommy and Lydia was Mawmaw and then we left. Short and sweet!

No fear though, Kayla has music class too! Her teacher told us she was learning to read music notes and next month they will be doing this via a keyboard. Perfect really...we have a piano! (Player piano courtesy of my great aunt)

After open house and on the way out we stopped at the PTA table and bought Kayla a KCE (School) t-shirt for $10. It was grey and the one Kayla has already is white with stains. She is supposed to wear this shirt on Friday's to show school colors. Done!

Open house was over! *phew*

Here's a few pics from the evening....

Kayla with her teacher.
Being silly and creative (This was her idea for the angle)

My oh so perfect second grader!