Latitude Global, Inc. Announces Merger Agreement With Public Company, Blink Couture (BLKU)

Orlando, FL 11/30/11 (StreetBeat) --Latitude Global, Inc., a privately-held entertainment company in Jacksonville, FL signed a definitive agreement on November 10, 2011 to merge with a publicly traded company, Blink Couture, Inc. (Pinksheets: BLKU.PK). LGI is a full service entertainment corporation founded in 2009.

LGI offers the latest in cutting-edge entertainment venues that include state-of-the-art video games, luxury bowling lanes, movie screening rooms with food service, a Vegas-style showroom, a high-tech sports bar and a variety of Nuevo-American casual dining areas. On the heels of public offerings of companies offering similar, one or two dimensional venues, LGI continues to develop superior, next-generation family entertainment centers, where studies show that many markets are under-served for revolutionary establishments of this type. Recent research suggests that there are as many as 60 cities in the United States alone that could support a family entertainment "Latitude-type" facility. Latitude Global plans to open ten additional venues within five years and is well positioned to take advantage of the distressed commercial real estate market. LGI has had the ability to acquire its first three locations at prices that are significantly below replacement cost (land + site development + shell) while existing competitors have higher legacy real estate costs (whether leased or owned) that reflect much higher market valuations. LGI believes it is poised to capitalize on a 'once-in-a-generation' real estate opportunity and deliver multi-dimensional entertainment destinations in desirable "A" locations that provide an upscale menu, multiple entertainment options including live shows in ultra-modern facilities.

President of Latitude Global Gregory Garson said, "We are extremely pleased with the proposed merger with Blink Couture as it affords us the significant opportunity to move forward with our plans for national expansion beyond our second and third locations in Indianapolis, IN and Pittsburgh, PA. Our goal is to expand to 10 locations over the next 3-4 years and this merger with Blink Couture and partnering with Regent is designed specifically to help us achieve these goals."

The agreement with Blink Couture was reached through negotiations with the company and Regent Private Capital, the majority shareholder of Blink Couture. The Managing Director of Regent Private Capital is Lawrence D. Field. Mr. Field commented, "We are excited to be associated with the next generation of family entertainment centers and look forward to our future relationship."

Brent Brown, Latitude Global CEO, concluded, "Our anticipated merger with Blink Couture is consistent with our growth plan. It falls in line with our plan to expand nationally and we believe will assist our company in its access to capital, national visibility and provide liquidity to our investors."

Upon closing of the anticipated merger, the current stockholders of the Blink Couture will retain ownership of 5% of the issued and outstanding shares of the company's common stock and the LGI stockholders, collectively, will acquire 95% of the issued and outstanding shares of the company's common stock, on a fully-diluted basis. Additionally, in connection with the merger, the majority of the outstanding convertible notes of Latitude Global will be converted at closing into shares of Blink Couture common stock at conversion prices dependent on certain factors as established in the merger agreement.

The closing of the merger is subject to certain deliverables by LGI as well as other customary conditions. Following the merger, LGI will seek to change the company's name and will announce the new ticker symbol as soon as practicable. In addition, LGI has agreed to use its best efforts after the closing of the merger, subject to the approval of the Board of Directors and its stockholders, to affect a forward split of the issued and outstanding shares of the company's common stock, in the range of a 4:1 to 6:1 forward split. Should a forward spilt be effected, certain convertible notes held by Regent will be exchanged for common stock in the range of $1.20 to approximately $9.00 per share. No assurances can be given, however, that a forward split will be affected in that range or at all.

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Omeros Has Unlocked Over 20% of Class A Orphan GPCRs, Trading + 14%

Orlando, FL 11/30/11 (StreetBeat) --Omeros Corporation (NASDAQ: OMER) today reported that with its identification of compounds that interact selectively with each of four additional orphan G protein-coupled receptors – GPR19, GPR20, GPR31 and GPR141 – it has now unlocked over 20 percent of the 77 Class A orphans. GPCRs represent the premier family of drug targets, with more than 30 percent of currently marketed drugs targeting only 46 GPCRs. There are approximately 120 orphan GPCRs, and Omeros, which expects to unlock a large percentage of these for drug development, is initially targeting Class A orphan GPCRs.

The four additional orphan receptors unlocked by Omeros are linked to important potential indications. GPR19 has been tied to metastatic melanoma, the most advanced stage of melanoma. GPR20 and GPR141 are expressed in areas of the body associated with gastrointestinal disorders and respiratory/immunologic disorders, respectively. GPR31 has been implicated in anxiety disorders, which affect approximately 40 million adults in the United States in a given year. By identifying compounds that interact selectively with each of these four orphan receptors – as for the other 14 orphan GPCRs that it has previously unlocked – Omeros is uniquely able to provide templates to the pharmaceutical industry for the design of proprietary compounds that interact with these receptors.

"We continue to march through the Class A orphan GPCRs and have initiated compound optimization," said Gregory A. Demopulos , M.D., chairman and chief executive officer of Omeros. "In parallel, we are executing on our intellectual property strategy to protect each unlocked target through a multipronged approach directed to compound structures, uniquely identified signaling pathways and associated therapeutic indications. Collectively, this approach provides us the opportunity to establish broad and enforceable protection for each receptor that we unlock."

Omeros is currently trading up $0.47, or 14%, at $3.76.

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Skyworks tweaks deal to buy AnalogicTech

Orlando, FL 11/30/11 (StreetBeat) --Skyworks Solutions, Inc. (NASDAQ: SWKS) and Advanced Analogic Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AATI) today announced that the two companies have amended their previously announced merger agreement. Under the terms of the revised merger agreement, Skyworks will acquire all of the outstanding shares of AnalogicTech for $5.80 per share in cash through a tender offer that Skyworks intends to commence within seven business days. The companies expect the transaction to be completed in January 2012.

Skyworks intends to finance the tender offer with cash on hand. The tender offer will not be subject to financing and, among other things, will be conditioned upon a majority of the shares of AnalogicTech common stock outstanding being tendered and no injunctions being issued prohibiting the offer or the merger. AATI has addressed and satisfactorily clarified all issues previously raised by Skyworks. As part of the settlement, the companies have agreed to voluntarily dismiss the claims asserted against each other in the Delaware Chancery Court. Skyworks and AnalogicTech have mutually determined that their respective claims were insignificant in light of the overall value of the transaction.

“Skyworks is pleased to have reached this agreement with AnalogicTech and to be moving forward together,” said David J. Aldrich, president and chief executive officer of Skyworks. “We believe this transaction will enable Skyworks to further capitalize on our strong smart phone, tablet, set-top box and infrastructure positions with an expanded and differentiated product portfolio while accelerating our entry into new vertical markets. Analog power management semiconductors represent a strategic growth market for Skyworks as our customers increasingly demand both ubiquitous wireless connectivity and power optimization across seemingly every kind of electronic platform. With AnalogicTech, Skyworks will be well positioned to address these twin market opportunities by leveraging our broad customer relationships and innovative product portfolios, and increasing operational scale.”

“We believe the revised agreement with Skyworks provides AnalogicTech stockholders with immediate value and certainty for their investment in the Company, while providing important benefits to AnalogicTech’s employees and customers,” said Richard K. Williams, president, chief executive officer and chief technical officer of Advanced Analogic Technologies. “We share Skyworks’ vision of the enormity and growth potential of the analog semiconductor market and continue to believe that together, we can better address customers’ demand for highly integrated power management solutions across a broader range of markets and applications. We look forward to closing this transaction quickly and are committed to ensuring a smooth transition.”

Skyworks noted that the Registration Statement on Form S-4 that had been previously filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on June 17, 2011, and withdrawn on November 3, 2011 will not be resubmitted for filing.

Skyworks expects the transaction to be earnings accretive in FY12 post synergies and will provide more information during its first fiscal quarter 2012 earnings conference call to be held in January 2012.

In light of the revised merger agreement, AnalogicTech’s Annual Meeting of Stockholders, that was previously scheduled to be held on December 16, 2011, has been postponed until further such notice.

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Idera Pharmaceuticals Regains Global Rights to IMO-2055 in Oncology from Merck KGaA

Orlando, FL 11/30/11 (StreetBeat) --Idera Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:IDRA) today announced that it has regained global rights to IMO-2055, an agonist of Toll-like Receptor (TLR) 9, as part of an agreed-upon termination of its oncology collaboration with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany. During the collaboration, Merck KGaA conducted Phase 1 trials of IMO-2055 in several cancer indications and has an ongoing randomized Phase 2 trial of IMO-2055 in combination with Erbitux® in patients with squamous cell cancer of the head and neck (SCCHN). As previously announced in July 2011, Merck had informed Idera that it would not continue clinical development of IMO-2055 beyond completing the ongoing Phase 2 trial in SCCHN.

“We believe the potential of IMO-2055 immunotherapy is in combination with targeted anti-cancer agents. Under our termination agreement with Merck KGaA, Merck KGaA will continue to conduct the ongoing Phase 2 trial in patients with SCCHN and Idera will have rights to the data, as well as to the data from Phase 1 trials conducted in other cancer indications. We believe that regaining our rights to IMO-2055, as well as the rights to the clinical data, will provide us greater flexibility and control in the clinical development of IMO-2055 and the opportunity to pursue new business collaborations,” commented Sudhir Agrawal, D Phil, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Idera. “We appreciate the efforts made by the Merck KGaA team members in significantly advancing this program.”

Idera Pharmaceuticals entered into its worldwide licensing and collaboration agreement with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany in December 2007 for the research, development and commercialization of Idera's Toll-like Receptor 9 (TLR9) agonists, including IMO-2055, for the potential treatment of certain cancers, excluding cancer vaccines. As part of the agreement between Idera and Merck KGaA as to the termination of the collaboration, Idera has regained all rights for developing TLR9 agonists for the treatment of cancer, including all rights to IMO-2055 and any follow-on TLR9 agonists, and rights to data created under and during the collaboration.

Merck KGaA has decided to complete the ongoing Phase 2 trial of IMO-2055 in SCCHN. Idera has agreed to reimburse approximately €1.8 million of Merck KGaA’s expenses during the course of the ongoing Phase 2 trial, which the Company expects to pay over the course of approximately twelve months starting in March 2012. Idera has also agreed to pay to Merck KGaA milestone payments of €1 million each upon entering into any future partnership for IMO-2055, upon initiating the next clinical trial of IMO-2055 that is a Phase 2 or Phase 3 clinical trial, and upon the regulatory submission of IMO-2055 in any country.

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Uranerz Signs Processing Agreement with Cameco

Tallahassee, FL 11/30/11 (StreetBeat) --Uranerz Energy Corporation (AMEX: URZ.TO) is pleased to announce that it has signed a processing agreement with Cameco Resources, a wholly-owned Wyoming subsidiary of Cameco Corporation, the world's largest publicly-traded uranium company.

Under the agreement, Uranerz will deliver uranium-loaded resin produced from the Company's Nichols Ranch in-situ recovery mining operations to Cameco's Smith Ranch Highland uranium mine for final processing into dried uranium concentrate packaged for shipping to a converter. The processing of Uranerz' loaded resin at Cameco's facility will not change the Company's production plans. "Uranerz will retain the regulatory and physical flexibility to install a full processing plant at the Nichols Ranch ISR mine at a later date if it chooses to do so," explains Uranerz Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, George Hartman.

In August 2011, Uranerz commenced construction of its Nichols Ranch ISR Uranium Project located in the central Powder River Basin of Wyoming, U.S.A. Construction is well underway and is currently on schedule. As a result of this agreement, Uranerz will only install the ion-exchange circuit and the well-field makeup circuit at this time at the Nichols Ranch central processing plant, thus reducing capital costs. The Nichols Ranch ISR Uranium Project is licensed for a production level of up to two million pounds of uranium (as U3O8) per year with initial production targeted for 600,000 to 800,000 pounds per year after ramp-up.

Uranerz is well financed for its current capital needs, with over $37 million in its treasury.

Cameco's Smith Ranch Highland mine is located in the Powder River Basin approximately 45 air miles south of Uranerz' Nichols Ranch ISR uranium mining project.

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Global Ship Lease Obtains Loan-to-Value Waiver, Trading +12%

Tallahassee, FL 11/30/11 (StreetBeat) --Global Ship Lease, Inc. (NYSE:GSL), a containership charter owner, announced that it had today entered into an agreement with its lenders to waive until November 30, 2012 the requirement under its credit facility to conduct loan-to-value tests.

The credit facility requires that loan-to-value, which is the ratio of outstanding borrowings under the credit facility to the aggregate charter-free market value of the secured vessels, cannot exceed 75%. Due to the current downturn in the containership market and consequent impact on vessel values, the Company previously anticipated that loan-to-value would exceed 75% at the scheduled test date of November 30, 2011. Accordingly, the Company engaged its lenders to waive the loan-to-value requirement.

Under the terms of the agreement, the loan-to-value test has been waived until the test due on November 30, 2012. The credit facility agreement provides that during the period of such a waiver:

* Amounts borrowed under the credit facility will bear interest at LIBOR plus a fixed interest margin of 3.50%.
* The Company will be unable to pay dividends to common shareholders.
* Cash flow will be used to prepay borrowings under the credit facility; the amount of cash in excess of $20 million as at November 30, 2011 (and quarterly thereafter) will be the amount of the prepayment due December 31, 2011(and quarterly thereafter).

If loan-to-value as of November 30, 2012 is not greater than 75%, as provided in the credit facility agreement, the fixed interest margin will become 3.00% (or 2.50% if loan-to-value is no more than 65%), dividends on common shares can be paid and the prepayment of borrowings will become fixed at $10 million per quarter.

Ian Webber, Chief Executive Officer of Global Ship Lease, stated, "Global Ship Lease's long-term time charter contracts generate stable revenues and predictable cash flows, which are largely unaffected by the loan-to-value ratio. The strength of our business model has allowed us to suspend the testing of loan-to-value at a time when containership values continue to experience declines. The waiver insulates the Company, until November 30, 2012, from the volatility of asset values. Further, we are aggressively paying down debt, thus strengthening our balance sheet for the long-term benefit of shareholders. Since August 2009, we have reduced our debt by $100.1 million."

Mr. Webber concluded, "In a challenging global economic environment, our time charters continue to perform as expected. Our fleet of 17 vessels has an average remaining time charter duration of over eight years on a weighted basis, representing total contracted revenue of $1.2 billion. Only two of our 17 charters are due for renewal in the next five years. We maintain a positive long-term outlook on our future business prospects and intend to continue to focus on preserving the Company's financial strength for the long-term benefit of Global Ship Lease and its shareholders."

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OTI Signs $7 Million Core Technology License Agreement

Tallahassee, FL 11/30/11 (StreetBeat) --On Track Innovations Ltd. (Nasdaq:OTIV) today announced its first non-exclusive license for core technologies within its proprietary portfolio of IP and patents amounting $7 million USD with a multibillion dollar corporation. OTI anticipates that the revenues from this agreement will be recorded in Q4 2011.

Oded Bashan, OTI's Chairman and CEO, commented, "This agreement reflects the benefits of our expanded efforts to further leverage our proprietary technology and other intellectual property through licensing and partnership opportunities, and underscores the high value of our technology and solutions to third parties as demonstrated in this agreement, which covers a portion of our technology footprint and is focused on one particular vertical market."

OTI's technology, patent and IP portfolio includes, among others, product applications, software platforms, system and product architecture and product concepts in the fields of contactless payments and Near Field Communications (NFC); ID; Petroleum; Parking solutions; and much more.

About On Track Innovations Ltd.

On Track Innovations Ltd. ("OTI") designs, develops and markets secure identification, payment and transaction processing technologies and solutions for use in secure ID, payment and loyalty applications based on its extensive patent and IP portfolio. OTI combines state-of-the-art, contactless microprocessor-based technologies and enabling hardware with proprietary software applications to deliver high performance, end-to-end solutions that are secure, robust and scalable. OTI solutions have been deployed around the world to address homeland security, national ID, medical ID, contactless payment and loyalty applications, petroleum payment, parking and mass transit ticketing. OTI markets and supports its solutions through a global network of regional offices and alliances.

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United Natural Foods 1Q Profit Drops, Revenue Up

Tallahassee, FL 11/30/11 (StreetBeat) --Food distributor United Natural Foods Inc. (Nasdaq: UNFI) said Wednesday that its fiscal first quarter net income fell 13 percent due to costs of selling off some businesses and beginning distribution to a new customer.

Net income fell to $15.2 million, or 31 cents per share, in the quarter ended Oct. 29. That compares with $17.4 million, or 39 cents per share, in the same period last year. Analysts expected earnings of 40 cents per share, according to a poll by FactSet.

But revenue rose 16 percent to $1.22 billion from $1.05 billion last year. Analysts expected $1.19 billion.

The company's gross margin — the percentage of each dollar in revenue the company keeps — declined due partly to higher freight and services costs related to distributing to a new, undisclosed, national customer.

Operating expenses rose 17 percent because of costs related to selling its non-food businesses and launching service to the new customer.

The Providence, R.I., company agreed to sell its non-food divisions, including health and beauty products businesses, to privately held L&R Distributors Inc. in June. It said then that it wanted to focus on selling natural, organic and specialty foods to supermarkets and other retailers.

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Ahead of the Bell: Analyst likes UnitedHealth

Palm Beach, FL 11/30/11 (StreetBeat) --Health insurer UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE: UNH) left a positive impression for long-term growth after its annual investor meeting on Tuesday highlighted opportunities to expand its business, according to a Jefferies analyst.

Analyst David Windley said in a Wednesday research note he was raising his price target on the stock to $60 from $58 to reflect "increased confidence" in the Minnetonka, Minn., company's earnings potential.

UnitedHealth is the largest health insurer based on total revenue and the second-largest based on enrollment, trailing WellPoint Inc (NYSE: WLP). It expects 2012 earnings of between $4.55 and $4.75 per share on $107 billion to $108 billion in revenue, a forecast analysts have deemed conservative.

That outlook doesn't count gains from its recently announced acquisition of Medicare Advantage plan provider XL Health Corp. and doesn't factor upside from cash deployment, Windley said.

The analyst also said UnitedHealth's Optum business will become an increasingly important part of the company's growth. That segment provides services like health management and wellness programs, technology outsourcing and pharmacy benefits.

UnitedHealth will spend $115 million on its OptumRx business next year, as it prepares to handle pharmacy benefits business it used to give to Medco Health Solutions Inc (NYSE: MHS).

Windley said Optum's service businesses make up more than 20 percent of the company's revenue and are growing faster than the company's UnitedHealthcare segment, which focuses on health insurance. He noted that UnitedHealth projects double-digit, long-term earnings and revenue growth for Optum.

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Affymetrix to Acquire eBioscience

Palm Beach, FL 11/30/11 (StreetBeat) --Affymetrix, Inc., (NASDAQ:AFFX) today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire eBioscience, Inc., a privately-held San Diego, CA-based company with an industry-leading position in flow cytometry and immunoassay reagents for immunology and oncology research and diagnostics. Under the terms of the agreement, Affymetrix will acquire eBioscience for $330 million in cash subject to certain customary adjustments. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions and is expected to close late in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Affymetrix expects the acquisition of eBioscience to:
* Create significant new commercial opportunities in the key post-genomic applications of immunology, oncology, cell biology, stem cell biology, and diagnostics
* Diversify the Company’s revenues to complement its genomics franchise
* Augment the Company’s growing business in molecular diagnostics
* Expand the Company’s product portfolio to include multicolor flow cytometry reagents and a broad spectrum of reagents for the analysis of cytokines, growth factors and other soluble proteins
* Enhance the operational and new product opportunities for Panomics RNA and protein analysis products
* Leverage the commercial capabilities of both companies to generate new opportunities for growth

“The acquisition of eBioscience is transformational for our business, and we are enthusiastic about the opportunities it creates,” said Dr. Frank Witney, president and chief executive officer of Affymetrix. “With eBioscience, Affymetrix will significantly expand its addressable markets by adding an industry-leading portfolio of cell-based and immunoassays. These new products are a critical part of our customers’ workflow in our key target markets of translational medicine, oncology, and immunology. We believe that these markets represent a nearly three-billion dollar annual opportunity, which will put Affymetrix on a solid path to sustained growth and profitability. We look forward to welcoming the eBioscience team to the Affymetrix family.”

“This transaction places Affymetrix at the forefront of immunology and oncology, two of the fastest growing segments of molecular and translational medicine,” said Dr. Stephen P.A. Fodor, founder and chairman of Affymetrix. “eBioscience complements our traditional businesses of genomics and cytogenetics, and dramatically strengthens our foundation in molecular diagnostics.”

“The combination of Affymetrix and eBioscience has significant benefits,” said Tim Barabe, executive vice president and chief financial officer of Affymetrix. “With 2011 sales expected to exceed $70 million, gross margins in excess of 70% and EBITDA margin of approximately 30%, eBioscience makes Affymetrix a much stronger company, both operationally and financially. The purchase price represents approximately 4.5 times 2011 revenue and 14 times 2011 EBITDA.”

The transaction will be funded using a combination of roughly 50% cash-on-hand and 50% committed debt to avoid dilution and maximize value to shareholders.

Affymetrix has obtained a fully underwritten senior secured financing commitment in the amount of $190 million (including a $20 million revolving credit facility) led by administrative agent GE Capital, Healthcare Financial Services and including, as lenders, Silicon Valley Bank, CIT Healthcare LLC and CIT Bank. Affymetrix will be required to retain cash-on-hand of approximately $95 million to cover its outstanding convertible debt that can be put to the Company in January of 2013. GE Capital Markets, Silicon Valley Bank and CIT Capital Securities LLC will serve as joint lead arrangers and bookrunners for the transaction.

Affymetrix, which is headquartered in Santa Clara, expects to maintain eBioscience’s management team and operations in San Diego.

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1-800 Europe

Palm Beach, FL 11/30/11 (StreetBeat) --Henry Kissinger, the US Secretary of State in the mid-1970s, famously said something to the effect, “When I call Europe, who will answer the phone?” Well, he didn’t say back then; I guess that would have taken some of the pithiness out of the pointed quip. But I wonder who would take the call today; let’s give it a shot.

Hello, this is Europe, how may I direct your call?

I’d like to talk to the person in charge, please.

Sorry sir, you’ll have to be more specific if you could. Do you want to speak to a representative of the European Parliament, or someone from the Council of Ministers? Maybe Mr. Von Rompuy, head of the European Council, will be able to answer you inquiry, or it could be the President of the European Commission, Mr. Barroso, who will best serve your interests.

Hmmm, I’m not sure; I’d like to talk to the person responsible for solving the European debt crisis, please.

Oh, but of course; I’ll connect your call straight away.

Oui…Guten Tag.

To whom am I speaking?

I’m Sarkozy, she’s Merkel, and together we are Merkozy. (tee hee, I love doing that.) Who’s this?

Never mind, I have my answer.



“France and Germany are urgently preparing contingency plans to jump-start tighter eurozone economic governance should treaty change prove too difficult…” says the Financial Times. This sort of bi-lateral negotiation has become a tradition when Europe feels the pressure of a ticking clock as yet another deadline approaches; this time it’s the December 9 gathering of EU heads of state that has them feeling the pinch. The previous all important summit meeting was in late October and that one too was preceded by a furious round of shuttle diplomacy between Paris and Berlin. But the further the can gets kicked, the closer it comes to the fork in the road; either the euro zone countries become more intertwined or they splinter apart in some fashion. It appears that time is running short and fundamental decisions, not just bailout plans, must be made. However it is possible that the process is just as crucial to the outcome as are the options that come to the table; that’s because the currency union has seventeen members, not two.
France and Germany are the biggest countries in the euro zone. France feels the weight of history as the beating heart of the union and the originator of the entire project to unite the continent. Germany, however, holds all of the aces in this hand and France knows it. So in an attempt to prevent a complete reshuffle of the euro zone deck France wants to influence, as much as it can, how Germany plays its cards. So Sarkozy and Merkel go one on one while fifteen others wait on the sideline. Someone has to make the decisions, but idea of the Lisbon Treaty was for a majority to be a number greater than two. “The problem is that this new-found euro governance by France and Germany may be necessary by want of any other governance structures, but democratic it is not,” said a euro zone diplomat to the Financial Times a couple of weeks ago. There would seem to be a difference between a country and its people agreeing to an austere future for the greater good and being told what it has to do by the paymaster. The outcome might be the same, but the manner in which it is enacted might be a factor in deciding to take action inside or outside of the union.

The “principle of subsidiarity” is enshrined in Article 3b of the Treaty of Lisbon. This concept means that the Union shall act only if an objective cannot be sufficiently achieved by the member states. It is in essence a principle that protects the sovereignty of the currency members from intrusion of the Union. It can be said that the boundary provided by this principle has been crossed in relation Greece, but this was at the insistence of the group. It might be a more difficult pill to swallow if the agenda is seen to be set by just one country or even a handful. If the “principle of subsidiarity” proves too flexible to depend upon then so too is it unknown what amount of sovereignty will be sacrificed in the future, which may be an issue for the populace before it is for the leaders of a particular country.

Germany says it wants to embrace the euro and the euro zone, but there is a concern that what they mean is more akin to a bear hug than it is a cuddle. Germany does not want the single currency to become a singular disaster. Chancellor Merkel says it is time to move together, but she insists it be done on her terms. It would be difficult for an outside observer to refute her argument. The Stability and Growth Pact was supposed to ensure that member countries followed the fiscal and budgetary guidelines, but it didn’t. The euro was sold to the German people as a shield, but instead they have been asked to pay for a ring fence to surround some of the overly indebted members. The ECB was supposed to be like the Bundesbank, but now there is an effort to get the central bank to fire up the printing press. “German officials insist their top priority is securing treaty change by the end of 2012, which gives clout to more stringent budget rules,” says the Financial Times, “But there is a growing realization in Berlin that a deal endorsed by all 27 member states may take too long. This helps French officials pressing for a rapid intergovernmental pact, between willing eurozone countries and implemented through new institutions.” But therein lays the rub. I think the German drive for tougher and enforceable budget rules should be viewed as long term goal, but although it is not unrelated to the next rescue plan it should be viewed as distinct from the short term need to keep the Greece, Italy, et al, from falling off the cliff. But if they decide to pursue the French strategy, then these agreements would likely be made one at a time, and with, I guess, no guarantee of uniformity. So, even a solution to the near term may not make clear the path forward into the longer term. Therefore, says the FT, “The prospect of a breakaway coalition of willing fiscal hawks has stoked concern in Brussels and among some weaker eurozone states, who fear it is a distraction from fighting the crisis. Some European officials are also doubtful that Paris and Berlin have overcome big differences over details of fiscal integration, given France’s opposition to strict automatic penalties for breaking budget rules.”

So, as it turns out, rescuing today does not necessarily explain the future or even if this Merkozy thing is a relationship or just a fling.


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Watson's Generic Yaz(R) Receives FDA Approval

Orlando, FL 11/29/11 (StreetBeat) --Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NYSE: WPI) today announced that its subsidiary, Watson Laboratories, Inc., has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration for its Abbreviated New Drug Application for Vestura(TM) (3 mg drospirenone and 0.02 mg ethinyl estradiol), a generic version of Bayer's Yaz(R) oral contraceptive product. Watson is currently involved in patent litigation with Bayer concerning this product.

Yaz(R) had total U.S. sales of $173 million for the twelve months ending September 30, 2011, according to IMS Health. Watson's Vestura(TM) is indicated for the prevention of pregnancy and for the treatment of moderate acne in women at least 14 years old only if the patient desires an oral contraceptive for birth control.

About Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Watson Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is an integrated global specialty pharmaceutical company. The Company is engaged in the development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of generic pharmaceuticals and specialized branded pharmaceutical products focused on Urology and Women's Health. Watson has operations in many of the world's established and growing international markets.

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Sonic Foundry's Webcasting Best Practice Webinars Surpass 100,000 Views

Orlando, FL 11/29/11 (StreetBeat) --Sonic Foundry, Inc. (NASDAQ: SOFO), the trusted market leader for enterprise webcasting and lecture capture, today announced that its free educational webinar series has garnered more than 100,000 views.

As part of the company's webcasting best practices series, Mediasite by Sonic Foundry has hosted 159 live webinars since 2007. Those webinars, featuring leaders in webcasting from higher education, corporate, government and nonprofit organizations, have had 17,207 live views and 99,264 on-demand views, for a grand total of 116,471. In 2011 alone, the company's live webcasts have been seen by 5,885 live viewers and 21,426 participants on-demand.

Sonic Foundry's next live webinar, "Improving Student Outcomes with Lecture Capture Technology," will take place on December 13 from 10 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Central. Dr. Bob van den Brand from the Tilburg School of Economics and Management will discuss how he used Mediasite to launch the iSTAR Learning Project, an award-winning curriculum proven to improve the performance of both students and professors.

"This is a tremendous milestone for Sonic Foundry, and one we are very proud of. That our webinars continue to attract such a robust following is a testament to the fact that we, along with our featured customers, are creating a knowledge archive of best practices that stands the test of time, and also allows us to explore ways webcasting can enhance learning, communication and training," said Rob Lipps , executive vice president of Sonic Foundry. "With the release of Mediasite 6 next week, these best practices will be live streaming to mobile devices, further expanding the reach and impact of the valuable knowledge within the Mediasite user community."

Sonic Foundry's five most-viewed webinars are:
"Enhancing the Learning Environment with Rich Media: Best Practices," featuring Pamela Havice , Nancy Meehan , Yuanyuan Zhang , and William Havice , of Clemson University

"Online Course Design: Proven Techniques For Enhancing Student Learning Using Rich Media Webcasting," featuring Diane Zorn of York University

"Green Streaming: How Rich Media Can Help Your Organization Achieve Its Sustainability Goals," featuring Scott Walker of Waveguide Consulting

"Rich Media Instruction: The Top Six Reasons Faculty Choose to Teach Online," featuring Diane Zorn of York University

"Evaluating Lecture Capture Solutions – Understanding Your Total Cost of Ownership," featuring Deirdre Jones of University of Toledo

About Sonic Foundry®, Inc.
Sonic Foundry (NASDAQ: SOFO, www.sonicfoundry.com) is the trusted market leader for enterprise webcasting and lecture capture, providing video communication solutions for education, business and government. Powered by the patented Mediasite webcasting platform and Mediasite Events group, the company empowers people to transform the way they communicate online, using video webcasts to bridge time and distance, accelerate research and improve performance. Product and service names mentioned herein are the trademarks of Sonic Foundry, Inc. or their respective owners.

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Eternal Image Signs Licensing Agreement With The United States Marine Corps

Tallahassee, FL 11/29/11 (StreetBeat) --Eternal Image, Inc. (OTC PINK:ETNL), a public company engaged in the design, manufacturing and marketing of officially licensed, Brand-name memorial products, today announced that it has signed a licensing agreement with the United States Marine Corps(TM) to develop a line of memorial products bearing the logos and trademarks of the USMC(TM).

"We're honored to add this license to our portfolio," said Clint Mytych, President of the Company. "In addition to providing USMC(TM) memorial products to proud families nationwide, our Board of Directors has voted to donate a portion from the sale of every USMC(TM) product to a Marines-related charity."

The Company has commenced development of USMC(TM) caskets, urns, memorial stationery (prayer cards, registry books, acknowledgements), and a headstone engraving program.

About Eternal Image
Eternal Image, incorporated in 2006, is headquartered in Farmington Hills, MI. The Company is the first and primary manufacturer of licensed, Brand-name memorial products such as urns, caskets, vaults, headstones, various memorial gift items, and stationery. Currently, the Company offers products for sale under licenses from Major League Baseball(TM), STAR TREK(R), Precious Moments(TM), Sandra Kuck, the Vatican Observatory Foundation(TM), KISS(TM), the Collegiate Licensing Company(TM), the American Kennel Club, and the Cat Fanciers' Association(TM). Eternal Image also has a division called New World Gift Company. New World manages the design, manufacturing, and marketing of memorial gift items and stationery.

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Primo Water Corporation and SDS-IC Announce International Strategic Alliance

Tallahassee, FL 11/29/11 (StreetBeat) -- Primo Water Corporation (Nasdaq: PRMW), a leading producer of innovative beverage solutions in North America, and Sparkling Drink System Innovation Center LTD, an international marketing and manufacturing company specializing in home beverage carbonation products, today announced a strategic alliance. The strategic alliance will include mutual R&D, marketing, manufacturing and distribution of the parties' respective home beverage carbonation products and related accessories. Those products include 40 appliances utilizing five different beverage technologies. Through cross-distribution and licensing agreements, the parties' respective products will be made available throughout North America and mutually-agreed territories outside of North America.

Primo Water is a leading provider of purified water and ENERGY STAR(R)-rated home water dispensers and home beverage carbonating appliances with combined distribution in more than 20,000 leading retail locations in North America. Primo's newest innovation, Primo Flavor Station 500(TM), is a home beverage system providing patented, single serve, 100 percent naturally flavored beverages.

SDS-IC, based in Tel Aviv, Israel, offers complementary technologies, appliances and consumables including a new syrup dispenser called "squeeZZe," focused on home beverage carbonation systems. The SDS-IC appliances utilize the innovative FSS and FSS Turbo technology that provide an adjustable and more efficient way to carbonate beverages. SDS-IC distributes its products internationally in several countries including Australia, Belgium, France, Italy, the Netherlands and North Africa. SDS-IC also has its own manufacturing facilities in China and multiple international technology patents.

"Our alliance with SDS-IC is a significant step forward in our development of the highest quality and full line of home beverage carbonation products. We believe SDS-IC is one of the most experienced companies in this product market with its principals having managed home beverage carbonation systems in Europe since 1999," said Billy Prim, Primo Water's President and CEO. "This strategic alliance will help bring multiple premium beverage products and appliances, many under the Primo brand, to consumers worldwide and allow both Primo and SDS-IC to create new consumers in new markets, which we believe will lead to long-term growth."

The strategic alliance includes cross-distribution and licensing agreements pursuant to which Primo Water will distribute its products outside of North America in certain mutually agreed territories exclusively through SDS-IC and certain SDS-IC products will be distributed in North America exclusively by Primo Water. The alliance will allow each party to market and sell a complete line of home beverage products and will capitalize on each party's expertise in the appliance, flavor and carbonation categories. The cross-distribution and licensing agreements provide for total minimum purchases of $20 million annually. These minimum purchases consist of a commitment by SDS-IC to purchase products from or pay license fees to Primo Water in the amount of $10 million annually and a commitment by Primo Water to purchase products from or pay license fees to SDS-IC in the amount of $10 million annually.

"SDS-IC is committed to offering consumers worldwide a complete range of products to enable the creation of the beverages they desire at an economical price and we believe our alliance with Primo Water is the perfect addition to our existing line of innovative home beverage carbonation solutions," stated Serge Bueno, SDS-IC's Chairman and CEO. "We expect Primo's Flavor Station 500(TM) to resonate extremely well with our international consumer base and look forward to expanding the distribution of the complete line of SDS and Primo beverage appliances deeper into new and existing markets."

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Florida Micro Awarded $400K Contract by U.S. Department of State

Tallahassee, FL 11/29/11 (StreetBeat) --Florida Micro, Inc. (OTCQB: FLMC.PK) a leading provider of technology services and equipment to corporations, educational institutions and the government is pleased to announce the award of a $400,000 contract with the Department of State for 2011, solidifying their position as a top sales agent of technology solutions to government agencies.

Daniel S. Jacobs, President and CEO of Florida Micro, Inc. said, "It is a huge stamp of approval for Florida Micro by the United States Government to give us this contract, and we look forward to more deals from NASA, Homeland Security, and the Department of the Army." This expansion by Florida Micro into the lucrative Government technology solutions arena shows an example of the Company’s commitment to consistent growth of revenue.

Florida Micro, Inc. 2010 generated sales of $36 million ranked the Company #382 on the esteemed VAR500 list which bases rankings on earnings from hardware sales, software sales and managed IT Services. The Company is a leading direct marketer of over 600,000 different brand-name technology products and solutions to government agencies, school systems, and major corporations. Florida Micro was also recognized by “Everything Channel” as a part of CRN’s 2011 VAR500 list, which ranks the top technology integrators in North America. Florida Micro's direct model offers customers one-on-one relationships with knowledgeable account managers, engineers and advanced technology specialists who customize solutions for customers' complex technology needs. Florida Micro also provides same-day product shipping and post-sale technical support. Florida Micro prides itself on its "customer-first" account management philosophy, which is the driving force behind Florida Micro and is what separates the Company from all others in the industry.

About Florida Micro, Inc.
Florida Micro has business operations in the greater New York City area and its corporate headquarters are based out of Boca Raton, Florida. Florida Micro was established in 2002 and holds over 25 Contracts with Federal, State, Local Government, and School Systems. The Company is ranked in the top 500 on the list of fastest growing IT companies, and is a leading provider of technology solutions for business, government and education. Florida Micro is also a principal source of technology products and services for top name brands such as Acer, Adobe, APC, Apple, EMC, Fujitsu, HP, IBM, Lenovo, Microsoft, Panasonic, Quantum, Samsung, Sony, Symantec, ViewSonic and Xerox. Additionally, the Company is proud of its many government and educational contracts ranging from NSA to NASA and all levels of educational institutions.

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Itonis, Inc. Acquires Unique Scientific Research Company, Paramount Discoveries

Tallahassee, FL 11/29/11 (StreetBeat) --Itonis, Inc. (Pinksheets: ITNS.PK) today announced that the Company has acquired Paramount Discoveries, Inc., a Southern California scientific research company which holds unprecedented processes and proprietary technologies for magnetizing several common metals and natural elements previously believed not to have magnetic properties.

Founded in 1995 by Stuart Robbins, Paramount Discoveries has unlocked the secrets and discovered how to magnetize carbon, silver, and salt through its Electro-Magnetic Frequency Technology (EMFT). Through years of research and development, Paramount successfully discovered a revolutionary scientific formula tied to 70 input variables which determine specific frequency numbers used to create and sustain an indefinite magnetic moment in these natural elements. As a result, Paramount's discovery is unprecedented.

Previously, the scientific community had not been successful in producing magnetic moments in these natural elements and minerals. Paramount has successfully overcome astronomical odds, where others have failed, by recognizing unique input variables tied to a mathematical equation in order to generate these magnetizing frequencies. The company's unique technologies have far-reaching implications and are expected to enhance countless industrial, agricultural, and manufacturing processes with far more efficient and environmental friendly applications.

Possibilities now exist for Paramount's Carbon EMFT to create stronger plastics and better carbon-based components, such as can be used in computers to reduce the heat generated in today's components. Silver's very basic properties render it nearly impossible to activate its magnetic moment. In fact, silver is not magnetic because it contains diamagnetic atoms, also found in gold, lead, and copper. Industrial uses for silver are extensive, and magnetizing this element will enhance its use across numerous industrial applications. With EMFT, possibilities now exist for salt to be extracted from salty water, making the water suitable for irrigating crops. Additionally, areas that are unable to grow crops due to a high salt concentration within the soil will be more suitable for agricultural use.

"The applications to these discoveries are numerous and we're excited to think about the endless possibilities and contributions Paramount Discoveries and Itonis can make to global industries, and to various communities that can benefit from this discovery," said Mark Cheung, CEO of Itonis Holdings.

Paramount Discoveries is making its Electro-Magnetic Frequency Technology available for licensing in 2012.

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Tegal Makes Strategic Investment in NanoVibronix

Tallahassee, FL 11/29/11 (StreetBeat) --Tegal Corporation (NASDAQ:TGAL) today announced that it has made a $300,000 strategic investment in NanoVibronix Inc., a private company that develops medical devices and products that implement its proprietary therapeutic ultrasound technology.

NanoVibronix is a medical device company focused on creating products utilizing its proprietary low-intensity surface acoustic wave (SAW) technology. The company's unique, patented approach enables the transmission of low-frequency, low-intensity ultrasound waves through a variety of soft, flexible materials, including skin and tissue, enabling low-cost, breakthrough devices targeted at large, high-growth markets.

NanoVibronix is developing a series of products directed at the treatment of chronic, non-healing wounds. The global wound care market is estimated to reach $22.8 billion by 2017, of which approximately one-third is addressed by advanced wound care products, according to a report recently published by Global Industry Analysts, Inc., a research group. The growth of the market is being fueled by an aging population and the rapidly increasing incidence of diabetes world-wide.

The company's first product, PainShieldTM MD has gained FDA clearance and CE Mark certification in Europe, and is marketed for the treatment of tendonitis, muscle pain and trigeminal neuralgia. Additionally, the company has developed a family of disposable ultrasound devices to treat catheter-associated infection and injury, accomplished by preventing biofilm formation and decreasing the friction between the catheter and body tissues. The UroShieldTM product is currently CE mark certified, and is the subject of several independent clinical trials being conducted by leading researchers in Europe and the Middle East.

“Our investment in NanoVibronix expands the Tegal portfolio to new markets and new commercial horizons,” said Mr. Mika. “NanoVibronix is a technology leader in the application of surface acoustic waves in the treatment of wounds and the prevention of infection in indwelling catheters. Under the leadership of Dr. Harold Jacob, NanoVibronix Chief Executive Officer, the company has demonstrated the scientific merit, safety and efficacy of devices using this technology to address the therapeutic needs of patients and clinicians.”

“Tegal’s investment and management expertise are critical to accelerating the growth of NanoVibronix,” said Dr. Jacob. “We are extremely pleased to partner with Tegal as we take the next step in our corporate growth plan.”

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Inhibitex Reports Clinical Developments, Trading +17%

Palm Beach, FL 11/29/11 (StreetBeat) --Inhibitex, Inc. (NASDAQ:INHX) today announced several recent clinical and corporate developments, including top-line safety and antiviral data from its ongoing clinical trial designed to evaluate additional doses of INX-189, an oral nucleotide polymerase inhibitor being developed to treat chronic infections caused by hepatitis C virus (HCV), administered as monotherapy or in combination with ribavirin (RBV) for seven days.

“We believe the significant increase in antiviral activity demonstrated with 100 mg INX-189 in combination with RBV, as compared to 100 mg INX-189 dosed as monotherapy, further confirms the antiviral synergy between INX-189 and RBV that we have consistently observed in preclinical and clinical results to-date,” stated Dr. Joseph Patti, Senior Vice President and CSO of Inhibitex, Inc. “We look forward to further exploring this antiviral synergy with 200 mg of INX-189 and expanding the scope of our ongoing and planned Phase 2 clinical trials to include interferon-free combinations of INX-189 with other antiviral agents in HCV genotype 1, 2, and 3 patients in 2012.”

Recent Corporate Developments
INX-189 for Chronic Hepatitis C – The Company today reported top-line safety and antiviral data from an ongoing Phase 1b extension trial of INX-189, which is designed to further evaluate the safety, tolerability, pharmacokinetics and antiviral activity of various doses of INX-189, administered as monotherapy or in combination with RBV, for seven days in treatment-naïve patients infected with chronic HCV genotype 1. In the ongoing trial, 100 mg INX-189, dosed once-daily for seven days in combination with RBV, continued to demonstrate potent and dose-dependent synergistic antiviral activity with a median HCV RNA reduction from baseline of -3.79 log10 IU/mL.

Further, 100 mg INX-189 in combination with RBV was well tolerated and there were no serious adverse events. For comparison purposes, in a clinical trial completed earlier this year, 100 mg INX-189 dosed as monotherapy once-daily for seven days resulted in a median -2.53 log10 IU/mL reduction in HCV RNA levels. In this same clinical trial, the Company also reported antiviral data indicating that INX-189, when dosed once-daily at 9 and 25 mg in combination with RBV for seven days, demonstrated dose-dependent, synergistic antiviral activity.

The Company also reported today that, subject to regulatory review, it plans to further expand its ongoing Phase 1b extension trial to evaluate once-daily doses of 200 mg INX-189 in combination with RBV; 300 mg INX-189 as monotherapy; and 200 mg INX-005 (a single isomer of INX-189) as monotherapy, respectively, for seven days. The Company anticipates that the Phase 1b extension trial will be completed in the first quarter of 2012.

Additionally, the Company reported that it plans to submit a protocol amendment this quarter to its ongoing Phase 2 study in genotype 2 and 3 HCV-infected patients to include the evaluation of 100 mg and 200 mg of INX-189 dosed once-daily in combination with RBV for 12 weeks.

Financing Activity – The Company reported today that it had recently sold a total of 1,949,015 shares of common stock at an average price per share of $10.25 for total gross proceeds of $19,983,396 through its at-the-market (ATM) financing vehicle. The Company entered into a $20 million ATM financing arrangement with McNicoll, Lewis & Vlak LLC (MLV) in November 2010, which provides it the opportunity to sell registered shares into the open market through MLV from time-to-time under its effective shelf registration. After commissions, the Company received $19,383,274 in net proceeds. The intended use of the net proceeds is to support the expansion of the Company’s planned Phase 2 program for INX-189 in 2012 and for general corporate purposes.

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Cereplast Signs Distribution Agreement With GAMA Plastik to Supply Bioplastic Resin in Turkey

Palm Beach, FL 11/29/11 (StreetBeat) --Cereplast, Inc. (Nasdaq:CERP), a leading manufacturer of proprietary biobased, compostable and sustainable plastics, today announced a three year distribution agreement with GAMA Plastik AS to supply bioplastic resin in Turkey. GAMA Plastik is projecting to purchase 200 metric tons per month in 2012 leading to significant increases in purchased resin in 2013. Cereplast anticipates generating revenue from the agreement approximately within the next 90 days.

GAMA Plastik is a leading plastic trader located in Istanbul, Turkey. They are one of the fastest growing plastics markets in the world and third in terms of market share in Europe behind Germany and Italy. GAMA Plastik has been in the plastic industry for 15 years and recently began producing compounds and specialty plastics for appliances and the automotive industry. Today, GAMA Plastik has capacity to produce 30,000 metric tons per year.

"Over the last 15 years we have developed industry expertise and a knowledgeable customer base regarding sustainable plastic raw materials. We are very excited to start this partnership with Cereplast and all our customers are ready to use our products containing Cereplast's raw material. Turkey has a young and dynamic population and market strength in Europe. Cereplast's name and quality in compostable and sustainable bioplastics will help both companies increase their market share," stated Aydemir Esencan, CEO of Gama Plastics Group.

"We are pleased to reach another agreement in Turkey with an established and well respected corporation such as GAMA Plastik," stated Frederic Scheer, Chairman and CEO of Cereplast, Inc. "Turkey represents a large and growing market opportunity for our biobased, sustainable plastics with 9% GDP growth and one of the fastest growing plastics markets in the world. Our agreement with GAMA Plastik is for three years with an initial target of 200 metric tons per month in 2012, with significant plans for tonnage growth in 2013 and beyond. We foresee this growth trend to continue over the next five years as demand for the product continues to increase and we look forward to working alongside with our new business partner GAMA Plastik over that period."

About Cereplast, Inc.
Cereplast, Inc. designs and manufactures proprietary biobased, sustainable plastics which are used as substitutes for traditional plastics in all major converting processes - such as injection molding, thermoforming, blow molding and extrusions - at a pricing structure that is competitive with traditional plastics. On the cutting-edge of bioplastic material development, Cereplast now offers resins to meet a variety of customer demands. Cereplast Compostable(R)resins are ideally suited for single-use applications where high biobased content and compostability are advantageous, especially in the food service industry. Cereplast Sustainable(R)resins combine high biobased content with the durability and endurance of traditional plastic, making them ideal for applications in industries such as automotive, consumer electronics and packaging.

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3D Systems Delivers Affordable New Desktop Printer

Palm Beach, FL 11/29/11 (StreetBeat) --3D Systems Corporation (NYSE:DDD) today announced the immediate availability of its new ProJetTM 1000 personal 3D printer. Priced at $10,900, this printer makes high-resolution, durable plastic parts accessible and affordable to educators, students and professionals alike. The new ProJetTM 1000 printer will be on display at Euromold, November 29th -- December 2nd, 2011 at the Frankfurt Messe Center, Hall 11, Booth F110, and can be purchased through 3D Systems' global network of authorized resellers.

The new ProJetTM 1000 prints high-resolution durable plastic parts right in the office or classroom. This affordable printer delivers beautiful ivory colored, snap-fit, plastic parts with excellent fine feature detail and smooth surface finish at print speeds over three times faster than other 3D printers in its class.

"We are excited to offer a new, economical personal 3D printer that prints precision, high-performance parts," said Buddy Byrum, Senior Director, 3D Printing for 3D Systems. "The ProJetTM 1000 is a game changing 3D printer designed specifically for cost-conscious designers that need true-to-design functional test products."

About 3D Systems Corporation
3D Systems is a leading provider of 3D content-to-print solutions including 3D printers, print materials and on-demand custom parts services for professionals and consumers alike. The company also provides creative content development, design productivity tools and curation services and downloads. Its expertly integrated solutions replace, displace and complement traditional methods and reduce the time and cost of designing new products by printing real parts directly from digital input. These solutions are used to rapidly design, communicate, prototype and produce functional parts, empowering its customers to create with confidence.

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PNI Digital (OTC:PNDMF) and Costco Canada Sign Agreement

Swan Lake, MS 11/29/2011 (StreetBeat) – PNI Digital Media (OTC:PNDMF), an innovator in online and in-store digital media solutions for retailers, announced yesterday, in a press release, that it has signed a multi-year agreement with Costco Wholesale Canada Ltd. to provide and operate the Costco Canada Business Printing service which is connected to 81 Costco warehouse locations across Canada.

The Costco Business Printing service enables Costco Members to easily upload and place orders for colour copies, flyers, business cards, rack cards, note pads, appointment cards, door hangers, bound and finished documents and publications, with the ability to pick up their business printing orders at the selected Costco warehouse location.

PNI Digital Media also provides online photo services for Costco in Canada, the United States and Australia.

About PNI Digital Media- Founded in 1995, PNI Digital Media operates the PNI Digital Media Platform, which provides transaction processing and order routing services for major retailers. The PNI Digital Media Platform connects consumer-ordered digital content, whether from online, in-store kiosks, desktop software or mobile phones, with retailers that have on-demand manufacturing capabilities for the production of personalized products such as photos, photo books and photo calendars, business cards and stationery. PNI Digital Media successfully generates millions of transactions each year for retailers and their thousands of locations worldwide.

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LargeCap Stocks to Watch Today

Swan Lake, MS 11/29/2011 (StreetBeat) – Thomas H. Lee Partners is interested in buying the U.S. operations of Yahoo! , sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.

THL is hoping to do a leveraged buyout of Yahoo!'s U.S. business, which could be worth $5 billion to $6 billion, and draw on its experience running other media assets such as Nielsen, Clear Channel and Univision to turn around the ailing company, the sources said.

THL's approach is different than other private-equity firms such as Silver Lake, KKR and TPG, which are expected to put in bids for a stake of up to 20% in the company, Reuters noted.

Tiffany , the jewelry retailer, is expected by analysts Tuesday to report earnings of 61 cents a share on revenue of $802.1 million.

Tiffany has twice increased 2011 guidance. It last said it expects 2011 earnings of $3.65 to $3.75 a share on a sales gain somewhere in the high teens.

Sterne Agee anticipates a 19.7% increase in fiscal year 2011 sales to $3.7 billion.

Sterne Agee, in a report, said it expects Tiffany to further update annual guidance when it reports earnings Tuesday.

Netflix's credit rating was lowered by Standard & Poor's on expectations the company will report a loss in 2012.

S&P cut its assessment of Netflix's credit to 'BB-' from 'BB' and kept its outlook at stable.

"Our expectation is that escalating content commitments will lower profitability over the intermediate term, international expansion will have a greater impact on overall profitability, and a return of domestic subscriber growth could occur slightly later than we initially expected," S&P credit analyst Andy Liu said in a statement.

A federal judge rejected a proposed $285 million settlement between Citigroup and the Securities and Exchange Commission over a $1 billion mortgage-bond deal and ordered a fresh trial.

In his order, Judge Jed Rakoff said the pact was "neither reasonable, nor fair, nor adequate, nor in the public interest."

He set a trial date for July 16, 2012.

Citigroup shares closed Monday at $25.05, up 6%.

Ralcorp , the maker of Raisin Bran cereal and other packaged foods, is expected to post fourth-quarter earnings. The report was originally scheduled for Nov. 8, but was delayed pending the completion of a goodwill impairment analysis of the company's Post cereals business.

Analysts expect Ralcorp to earn $1.39 a share in the fourth quarter on revenue of $1.22 billion.

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Oil Prices Fall Below $98 a Barrel on Europe Debt Concerns

Swan Lake, MS 11/29/2011 (StreetBeat) – Oil prices fell below $98 a barrel Tuesday in Asia as European leaders raced to contain the continent's debt crisis and keep the euro currency block intact.

Benchmark crude for January delivery was down 47 cents to $97.74 a barrel at late afternoon Singapore time in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. The contract rose $1.44 to settle at $98.21 on Monday.

In London, Brent crude was down 32 cents at $108.68 on the ICE futures exchange.

Crude has zigzagged near $100 for the last two weeks as traders speculate whether Europe's debt crisis will break apart the 17-nation euro currency zone. European leaders are scrambling to keep contagion from spreading, and the more creditworthy nations such as Germany are considering large bond buys from the most indebted countries, such as Greece and Italy.

"The on-again, off-again resolutions to the debt situation in the U.S. and Europe, in relation to oil prices, are dizzying," energy consultant and trader The Schork Group said in a report. "For the time being in the oil market, fundamentally driven headlines matter less and faux promises from American and European technocrats matter more."

Crude jumped above $100 before settling lower Monday on news U.S. shoppers spent nearly $1 billion more on Black Friday — the day after Thanksgiving and the traditional start of the Christmas shopping season — than they did a year ago.

In other Nymex trading, natural gas added 2.7 cents to $3.55 per 1,000 cubic feet. Heating oil rose 0.8 cent to $2.99 a gallon and gasoline slid 0.4 cent to $2.51 a gallon.

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Amarantus Biosciences (AMBS) Stock Chart Analysis

The Amarantus stock chart is making a smooth upward trend over the last two months and hitting the radar for another potential climb. Channeling between 8 and 12 cents, the chart shows that this thinly-traded stock can move very quickly.

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Facebook gearing up for 2012 IPO

Palm Beach, FL 11/29/11 (StreetBeat) --Facebook, the world's largest Internet social network, is preparing for a initial public stock offering next year, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Facebook is exploring raising $10 billion, the Wall Street Journal said on Monday. It hopes the offering will value the company at more than $100 billion, according to WSJ, which first reported the story. Facebook's Chief Financial Officer, David Ebersman, had discussed a public float with Silicon Valley bankers but founder and Chief Executive Officer Mark Zuckerberg had not decided on any terms and his plans could change, the Journal said.

The social network, which now claims more than 800 million members after seven years of explosive growth, has not selected bankers to manage what would be a very closely watched IPO. But it had drafted an internal prospectus and was ready at any moment to pull the IPO trigger, the Journal cited people familiar with the matter as saying.

At $100 billion valuation, the company started by Zuckerberg in a Harvard dorm room would have double the valuation of Hewlett-Packard, the Journal said. A formal S-1 filing could come before the end of the year, though nothing was decided, the newspaper added. A Facebook representative declined to comment.

Silicon Valley start-ups have this year begun to test investor appetite for a new wave of dotcoms. If it does debut in 2012, Facebook's IPO would dwarf that of any other dotcom waiting to go public.

"Farmville" creator Zynga has filed for an IPO of up to $1 billion. In November, daily deals service Groupon debuted with much fanfare, only to plunge below its IPO price within weeks. LinkedIn and Pandora are now also trading significantly below the levels their stocks reached during their public debuts earlier this year.

Facebook has become one of the world's most popular Web destinations, challenging established companies such as Google Inc and Yahoo Inc for consumers' online time and for advertising dollars. Facebook does not disclose its financial results, but a source familiar with the situation told Reuters earlier this year that the company's revenue in the first six months of 2011 doubled year-on-year to $1.6 billion.

Eric Feng, a former partner at venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers who now runs social-networking site Erly.com, said that the cash Facebook will get in an IPO would allow them to make more acquisitions and refine or work on new projects, such as a rumored-Facebook phone or a netbook.

Having tradeable stock will also allow Facebook to attract more engineering talent who might have been more attracted to the company in earlier days when it was growing faster but now perhaps might be attracted to other companies. "It'll be a powerful bullet for them," said Feng.

Investors have been increasingly eager to buy shares of Facebook and other fast-growing but privately-held Internet social networking companies on special, secondary-market exchanges. Facebook said in January that it will exceed 500 shareholders this year, and that in accordance with SEC regulations, it will file public financial reports no later than April 30, 2012.

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The Best Cyber Monday Deals

Tallahassee, FL 11/28/11 (StreetBeat) --Reports of Black Friday violence and pepper-spraying may have made some holiday shoppers wary of hitting the mall this year. Luckily, there are some great Cyber Monday deals that don't require you to leave the house.

Like many of the brick-and-mortar retailers offering Black Friday sales this year, many Cyber Monday retailers are allowing customers to shop the deals early before the actual online shopping holiday. Others, however, are staying tight-lipped about their deals until the day before, so MainStreet rounded up some of the best Cyber Monday sales that retailers are pushing in 2011.

Wal-Mart

The world's largest retailer tried to lure consumers to its doors first by kicking off Black Friday sales on Thursday. Its Cyber Monday sales are also beginning a day early. Wal-Mart will begin its "Cyber Week" sales with deals on gadgets, toys and home goods. Shoppers will be able to scoop up 32-inch Toshiba LCD HDTVs for $249 and Xbox holiday gamer bundles for $319. Tramontina Dutch ovens will be offered for $35 and Hot Wheels Mega Garage Playsets will be $25. The site will offer free shipping on orders of more than $45, on qualifying products.

Toys "R" Us

The toy superstore plans to roll out discounts on thousands of items on its website, starting at 6 p.m. Sunday. Shoppers will be able to get 60% off the cost of certain video game titles with the purchase of another game. Calico Critters' products will be 50% off, while certain Nerf products will be up to 40%. Perennial favorites such as Little Tikes Bouncers and Razor Scooters will be discounted by 30%. Prices on Easy-Bake Ovens and Power Rangers action figures will be cut by 20%. Barbie dolls will sell for $15 less, while Hot Wheels cars will be offered for $10 off. Consumers will get free shipping on orders of at least $49.

Macy's

The department store plans to offer discounts on hundreds of items on its website. For the home, shoppers will find Dyson DC-17 Total Clean vacuums for $349.99 and 24-piece bedding sets for $99.99. The store will offer buy-one-get-one-free deals on certain women's sweaters and 50% off of select women's coats. In accessories, handbag prices will be cut by 25% to 40%, while Charter Club leather gloves and cashmere scarves will be 50% off. Macy's will also lower its minimum order for free shipping to $75, using the promotional code "CYBER."

Sam's Club

Sam's Club, not to be outdone by sister store Wal-Mart, has some Cyber Monday deals to rival Wal-Mart. The shopping club has an Asus i5 Notebook for $479 with free shipping. The TV deals have been great this year at every retailer, and Sam's Club has a Magnavox 32-inch LCD HDTV for $248.88 with free shipping.

You have to be a member of the shopping club to get the deals, but you can score an annual membership for as little as $40 The deals start at 10 p.m. Sunday and last until Dec. 2.

Costco

Bulk retailer Costco plans to offer deals on everything from jewelry to coffee during its Cyber Monday sale. Shoppers will be able to buy computers for up to $500 off, Brother and Hewlett-Packard printers for up to $120 off and iPad accessories for as much as $30 off. Costco will cut the price of the Dyson DC25 Animal Ball vacuum by $100 and the Maytag washer/dryer set by $500. Certain sheets, robes and gift baskets will be discounted by $10 to $25. Non-members must pay a surcharge to make purchases on the site.

Barnes & Noble

Barnes & Noble has really amped up the deals it's offering to members this year, and its Cyber Monday deals reflect that. The book retailer is giving 25% off of one item purchased online to members. This means that members could use that one-time 25% discount to pre-order the new Nook Color e-reader, normally $249, for less than $200. Barnes & Noble will also offer select DVD and Blu-ray movies for up to 80% off.

Microsoft

The software maker is offering discounts on computers, accessories and video games through Monday on its website. The company is offering a Samsung RC512 Core i5 laptop for $499, down from $799. They're cutting the price of their Xbox gaming bundles by $200 and selling their Kinect Sensors for $99.99. Certain Xbox games are on sale for $20 off and prices on many computer accessories have been cut by 25%.

Amazon.com

Starting at midnight on Sunday, the online powerhouse will begin sales on gadgets, toys, home goods and jewelry. Along with its $79 Kindle and $199 Kindle Fire, Amazon is offering a Sony Cybershot 10.2-megapixel camera for $199 (a savings of $150), a Microsoft Xbox 360 holiday bundle that includes Fable III and Halo Reach for $199 ($100 off), and TechnoMarine watches for 40% off. Sweaters and fleece clothing will be discounted by up to 60%. The site is also cutting the price of Hasbro games and VTech electronic toys by 50%. "Twilight" DVDs will be on sale for $6.99.

Target

Wal-Mart's biggest rival will be rolling out its own week of sales during its "Cyber Week." The discount chain is cutting prices of clothing and home goods by more than 50%, and toys by 30% to 50%. In particular, Target is offering $100 in free accessories when you buy a Sony Tablet S for $499.99, and discounts of more than 30% on other gadgets. Shoppers can also pick up stocking stuffers such as buy-one-get-one-free Pillow Pets and $3.99 DVDs.

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Prana Secures Key Patent for Parkinson's Drug PBT434 in the United States

Tallahassee, FL 11/28/11 (StreetBeat) --Prana Biotechnology (NASDAQ: PRAN) today announced that the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has issued a Notice of Allowance for a composition of matter patent for selected 8-hydroxy quinazolinone compounds, including its lead Parkinson's Disease (PD) drug candidate, PBT434, in the United States. The patent entitled 'Neurologically Active Compounds' also covers pharmaceutical compositions containing PBT434 and selected 8-hydroxy quinazolinone compounds.

Once granted, the United States patent has a twenty year term expiring June 7, 2026. This expiry date may in the future be further extended by the application of pharmaceutical extension of term provisions of up to five years in the United States.

Geoffrey Kempler, Prana's CEO, said, "Securing granted rights to our lead PD drug candidate furthers our commercialization plans for PBT434 for which Prana was recently awarded a grant from The Michael J. Fox Foundation to undertake preclinical development studies to enable human clinical trials."

PBT434 has been designed to prevent or slow the loss of the neurons of the substantia nigra that produce the chemical dopamine, the neurotransmitter that controls motor function in the brain. As a neuroprotective agent, PBT434 preserves critical interneuronal connections between the substantia nigra and the striatum (neurons which have dopamine receptors and transmit the signals to coordinate movement pathways and a variety of cognitive processes involving executive function). Experiments in two animal models of PD have shown that; in animals treated with PBT434, motor coordination and performance were significantly improved compared to untreated control animals, the characteristic accumulation of the disease associated protein alpha synuclein in the brains of PD animal models was reduced and that expression of a key genetic susceptibility factor, the antioxidant protein, DJ-1, was elevated in substantia nigra neurons.

About Prana Biotechnology Limited
Prana Biotechnology was established to commercialise research into Alzheimer's Disease and other major age-related neurodegenerative disorders. The Company was incorporated in 1997 and listed on the Australian Securities Exchange in March 2000 and listed on NASDAQ in September 2002. Researchers at prominent international institutions including The University of Melbourne, The Mental Health Research Institute (Melbourne) and Massachusetts General Hospital, a teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School, contributed to the discovery of Prana's technology.

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VelaTel Begins Generating Revenue From 4G Subscribers in Peru

Tallahassee, FL 11/28/11 (StreetBeat) --U.S.-based VelaTel Global Communications, Inc. (OTCQB: VELA.PK), a leader in deploying and operating wireless broadband and telecommunications networks worldwide, announced today that its 95% owned subsidiary, Perusat, operator of Peru's first 4G broadband network under the trade name "GO MOVIL," has begun generating revenue from prepaid subscribers of its Internet service plans.

"When we first opened our stores and saw the level of consumer interest, we knew we would have an impact on the market. Now that more selection from our product line is available for sale, GO MOVIL has begun generating initial revenues. We expect to realize significant revenue over the long-term as we continue to sign up more subscribers," said George Alvarez, CEO of VelaTel.

"Residents have continually thanked us for bringing 4G broadband to their region, many of whom never thought this day would come," said Ryan Alvarez, VelaTel Vice President of Marketing. "Our goal is to provide exceptional high-speed, broadband coverage for use on today's most popular and advanced mobile devices, which can create lifetime customer relationships."

The GO MOVIL Infinity G family of products includes: a plug-and-play USB dongle for laptops and other mobile devices and a Mi-Fi device for portable, wireless Internet access using an existing smart phone or tablet device. GO MOVIL's Infinity G Series 7" and 10" touch screen tablets are expected to be in stores soon. GO MOVIL also sells indoor and outdoor wireless CPEs (similar to a combination cable modem and wireless router) manufactured by ZTE Corporation. GO MOVIL offers its subscribers a variety of low-cost prepaid service plans and devices for accessing the Internet in both fixed and mobile ways. Prepaid service plans are sold separately or bundled with select GO MOVIL product offerings. Customers will soon be able to recharge their service plans through a network of distributors in grocery and convenience stores, gas stations, and other convenient locations.

Perusat operates stores in the cities of Chiclayo, Chimbote, Ica, Piura and Trujillo, and plans to open two additional GO MOVIL stores, in Cusco and Arequipa, by year-end 2011.

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Bebida Beverage Company Receives Purchase Order, Rallies 30%

Tallahassee, FL 11/28/11 (StreetBeat) --Bebida Beverage Company (OTCmarkets: BBDA.PK) a developer, manufacturer and marketer of relaxation and energy drinks announced today that the Company has received a purchase order from Monster Distribution Limited of London England. In this new distribution deal, BeBevCo will deliver 1900 cases of KOMA UNWIND relaxation drinks to Monster Distribution for placement in stores throughout the countries of England and Ireland respectfully. The company says "English" packaging is underway with applicable labeling and a formulation to meet the needs of those governmental agencies.

"This is a pretty big order to kick off the distribution deal with Monster Distribution Limited. It is an indicator on how our European expansion is going," said Brian Weber , CEO of BeBevCo. "This is really just the beginning in the U.K. and the rest of Europe though; we will have much more to announce in the month of December and into next year," Weber said.

About BeBevCo USA
BeBevCo USA (Bebida Beverage Company) develops, manufactures and markets beverages including relaxation drinks Koma Unwind "Chillaxation" Drink™, Koma Unwind Sugar-free "Chillaxation" Drink™ and Koma Unwind "Chillaxation" Shot™ as well as Potencia Energy Drink, Potencia "BLAST" energy shot and Piranha Water.

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Merge to launch cloud-based product in Q1, shares up 22%

Tallahassee,FL 11/28/11 (StreetBeat) --Merge Healthcare (Nasdaq: MRGE) said it would launch its new cloud-based platform in the first quarter of 2012, sending the medical device maker's shares up 22 percent.

The company unveiled its image-sharing product -- Merge Honeycomb -- at the Radiological Society of North America conference in Chicago.

The company also announced its first application in the cloud that would allow free sharing of medical images from any web-enabled device.

Shares of Merge, which rose as high as $5.40, later pared some of the gains to trade up 12 percent at $4.99 on Monday on Nasdaq.

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Patent Granted for O2Micro's Flexible Bus Architecture

Orlando, FL 11/28/11 (StreetBeat) --O2Micro(R) International Limited (Nasdaq:OIIM) was issued 19 claims under United States patent number 8,015,452 for its Flexible Bus architecture.

O2Micro's flexible, multi-bus architecture is used to monitor and control high voltage battery packs in Electric Vehicles and Utility Grid systems. This invention allows the bus to reconfigure, as needed, to route around fault conditions while maintaining communications.

"This architecture enables identification and mitigation of fault conditions in a battery pack with many stacked cells, maximizing safety and reliability," said Bill Densham, strategic marketing director, O2Micro.

About O2Micro
Founded in April 1995, O2Micro develops and markets innovative power management and e-commerce components for the Computer, Consumer, Industrial, and Communications markets. Products include Intelligent Lighting, Battery Management, and Power Management.

O2Micro International maintains an extensive portfolio of intellectual property with 17,633 patent claims granted, and over 18,000 more pending. The company maintains offices worldwide.

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