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GENEVA (AFP) – Auctioneers Sotheby’s said Monday that a rare pink diamond valued at up to 38 million dollars (28 million euros) would go on sale in Geneva next month, dubbing it one of the “world’s most desirable stones.”

The 24.78 carat Fancy Intense Pink Diamond mounted on a ring comes from a private collection, the auction house said.

The gemstone, rated among a type that accounts for just two percent of diamonds, was last seen on the market about 60 years ago when it was sold by legendary US jeweller Harry Winston.

“During my 35-year career at Sotheby?s I have had the opportunity to examine many magnificent and rare gemstones and, put simply, this stone is one of the most desirable diamonds I have ever seen,” said David Bennett, chairman for Europe and the Middle East at Sotheby’s international jewellery department.

“What makes it so immensely rare is the combination of its exceptional colour and purity with the classic emerald-cut — a style of cutting normally associated with white diamonds,” he added.

Sotheby’s gave a pre-sale estimate of 27 to 38 million dollars for the fancy pink diamond, which will go under the hammer on November 16.

Blue, pink and green coloured diamonds are currently the most sought-after gemstones in auctions, according to the auction house.

Several elite auctioneers including rivals Christie’s hold glittering jewellery sales every year in the western Swiss city’s luxury hotels during one week in spring and autumn.

Photo: polyvore.com

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MOJAVE, Calif. (AP) – Virgin Galactic’s space tourism rocket SpaceShipTwo achieved its first solo glide flight Sunday, marking another step in the company’s eventual plans to fly paying passengers.

SpaceShipTwo was carried aloft by its mothership to an altitude of 45,000 feet and released over the Mojave Desert. After the separation, SpaceShipTwo, manned by two pilots, flew freely for 11 minutes before landing at an airport runway followed by the mothership.

The entire test flight lasted about 25 minutes.

“It flew beautifully,” said Virgin Galactic chief executive George Whitesides.

The six-passenger SpaceShipTwo is undergoing rigorous testing before it can carry tourists to space. In the latest test, SpaceShipTwo did not fire its rocket engine to climb to space.

Until now, SpaceShipTwo has flown attached to the wing of its special jet-powered mothership dubbed WhiteKnightTwo. Sunday was the first time the spaceship flew on its own.

“It’s a very big deal,” Virgin president Sir Richard Branson told The Associated Press. “There are a number of big deals on the way to getting commercial space travel becoming a reality. This was a very big step. We now know that the spaceship glides. We know it can be dropped safely from the mothership and we know it can land safely. That’s three big ticks.”

SpaceShipTwo will make a series of additional glide flights before rocketing to space.

“The next big step will be the rocket tests actually on the spacecraft itself,” Branson said. “We’ve obviously have done thousands of rocket tests on the ground, the next big test is in the air. We’ll be doing gentle rocket tests in the air, ultimately culminating into taking the spaceship into space.”

SpaceShipTwo, built by famed aircraft designer Burt Rutan, is based on a prototype that won a $10 million prize in 2004 for being the first manned private rocket to reach space.

Tickets to ride aboard SpaceShipTwo cost $200,000. Some 370 customers have plunked down deposits totaling $50 million, according to Virgin Galactic.

Commercial flights will fly out of New Mexico where a spaceport is under construction. Officials from Virgin Galactic and other dignitaries will gather at the spaceport Oct. 22 for an event commemorating the finished runway. The event will also feature a flyover by SpaceShipTwo and WhiteKnightTwo.

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One of the most contentious issues in the vast literature about alcohol consumption has been the consistent finding that those who don’t drink actually tend to die sooner than those who do. The standard Alcoholics Anonymous explanation for this finding is that many of those who show up as abstainers in such research are actually former hard-core drunks who had already incurred health problems associated with drinking.

But a new paper in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research suggests that – for reasons that aren’t entirely clear – abstaining from alcohol does actually tend to increase one’s risk of dying even when you exclude former drinkers. The most shocking part? Abstainers’ mortality rates are higher than those of heavy drinkers.

Moderate drinking, which is defined as one to three drinks per day, is associated with the lowest mortality rates in alcohol studies. Moderate alcohol use (especially when the beverage of choice is red wine) is thought to improve heart health, circulation and sociability, which can be important because people who are isolated don’t have as many family members and friends who can notice and help treat health problems.

But why would abstaining from alcohol lead to a shorter life? It’s true that those who abstain from alcohol tend to be from lower socioeconomic classes, since drinking can be expensive. And people of lower socioeconomic status have more life stressors – job and child-care worries that might not only keep them from the bottle but also cause stress-related illnesses over long periods. (They also don’t get the stress-reducing benefits of a drink or two after work.)

But even after controlling for nearly all imaginable variables – socioeconomic status, level of physical activity, number of close friends, quality of social support and so on – the researchers (a six-member team led by psychologist Charles Holahan of the University of Texas at Austin) found that over a 20-year period, mortality rates were highest for those who had never been drinkers, second-highest for heavy drinkers and lowest for moderate drinkers.

The sample of those who were studied included individuals between ages 55 and 65 who had had any kind of outpatient care in the previous three years. The 1,824 participants were followed for 20 years. One drawback of the sample: a disproportionate number, 63%, were men. Just over 69% of the never-drinkers died during the 20 years, 60% of the heavy drinkers died and only 41% of moderate drinkers died.

These are remarkable statistics. Even though heavy drinking is associated with higher risk for cirrhosis and several types of cancer (particularly cancers in the mouth and esophagus), heavy drinkers are less likely to die than people who have never drunk. One important reason is that alcohol lubricates so many social interactions, and social interactions are vital for maintaining mental and physical health. As I pointed out last year, nondrinkers show greater signs of depression than those who allow themselves to join the party.

The authors of the new paper are careful to note that even if drinking is associated with longer life, it can be dangerous: it can impair your memory severely and it can lead to nonlethal falls and other mishaps (like, say, cheating on your spouse in a drunken haze) that can screw up your life. There’s also the dependency issue: if you become addicted to alcohol, you may spend a long time trying to get off the bottle.

That said, the new study provides the strongest evidence yet that moderate drinking is not only fun but good for you. So make mine a double.

By JOHN CLOUD, Time

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(HealthDay News) — For kids, a few extra pounds may invite trouble from the schoolyard bully.

New research suggests that just being overweight increases the risk of being bullied. And factors that usually play a role in the risk of being bullied, such as gender, race and family income levels, don’t seem to matter if you’re overweight — being overweight or obese trumps all those other factors when it comes to aggressive behavior from other children.

The study found that being overweight increased the risk of being the target of bullying by 63 percent.

“One of the reasons we started this study is that obesity is so much more common today. Now that about half of kids are overweight or obese, it doesn’t make you such an outlier anymore, so we thought maybe kids wouldn’t be bullied for being overweight anymore,” said study author Dr. Julie Lumeng, an assistant research scientist at the Center for Human Growth and Development at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.

She added that the researchers also hoped they might be able to find some protective factors against being bullied, such as doing well in school.

“What we found, much to our dismay, was that nothing seemed to matter. If you were obese, you were more likely to be bullied, no matter what,” she said.

Results of the study will be published in the June issue of Pediatrics, but were released online May 3.

The study included 821 boys and girls from a nationally representative sample of children selected from 10 sites around the United States. Bullying behaviors were assessed in third, fifth and sixth grades. The youngsters were mostly white, half of them were male and 15 percent were overweight in the third grade.

By sixth grade, teachers reported that 34 percent of the study children had been bullied, and mothers reported that 45 percent of the children had been bullied, while 25 percent of the children themselves said they had been bullied.

Previous research has shown that boys, minorities and children from low-income groups are more likely to be bullied, so the researchers took these factors into account to see if they made a difference. The study authors also considered a child’s social skills and academic achievement in their analysis.

“No matter how much we retested, the findings were very robust. Obese kids are more likely to be bullied,” said Lumeng.

She said that one of the reasons she believes the findings were so consistent is that prejudice against overweight or obese people is “so pervasive that it’s acceptable.” But, she added, “Obesity is really complex. It’s not all about willpower. It’s a brain-based disorder, and I hope that message becomes clearer.”

Dana Rofey, an assistant professor with the Weight Management and Wellness Center at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, said she wasn’t surprised by the findings. “Bullying is the most common psychosocial complaint that our patients present with,” she said.

“For parents and pediatricians, one of the issues our study raises is that if you’re caring for a child who’s overweight, you need to be alert to this and you might want to gently bring it up with the child. Ask, ‘How are things at school going?’ or ‘Does anyone ever say something that makes you feel bad?’ because this may be an issue that’s difficult for kids to bring up,” said Lumeng.

If your child lets you know that he or she is being bullied, Lumeng said your first response should be to validate your child’s feelings and let them know that it’s not OK for someone to treat them like that.

What to do next can be tricky, agreed both experts.

“Be supportive, and let your child know that you’ll help them. Consult with your child and ask how he or she would like you to get involved,” advised Rofey. Many youngsters may ask their parents to take a hands-off approach, she said. But she recommends setting some guidelines. “Say something like, ‘It seems you have this under control right now, but let’s keep talking and checking in about it.’”

Rofey also recommends teaching your child how to avoid situations that might lead to teasing or bullying, and talking with your child about how to reach out to adults if they need to. Depending on the situation, she said that parents may need to step in and advocate for their children at the school. But, she advised always letting your children know what steps you’ll be taking.

By Serena Gordon, HealthDay Reporter – Mon May 3, 2:03 PM PDT

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WASHINGTON – Allergan Inc., the maker of wrinkle-smoothing Botox, has agreed to pay $600 million to settle a yearslong federal investigation into its marketing of the top-selling, botulin-based drug.

The Justice Department and the company said Wednesday in a statement it will plead guilty to one misdemeanor charge of “misbranding,” in which the company’s marketing led physicians to use Botox for unapproved uses. Those included the treatment of headache, pain, spasticity and cerebral palsy in children.

Companies are prohibited from promoting drugs for unapproved, or “off-label,” uses.

Allergan said it will pay $375 million in connection with the plea, which includes the forfeiture of $25 million in assets. Additionally, the company will pay $225 million in civil fines – $210 million to the federal governments and the rest to several states – related to the investigation, although the company denies liability for the civil claims.

Allergan, based in Irvine, Calif., also struck an agreement with the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General that requires the company to submit compliance reports, and to post on its website any payments to doctors, such as honoraria, travel or lodging.

Allergan “paid kickbacks to induce physicals to inject Botox for off-label uses and Allergan also taught doctors how to bill for off-label uses, including coaching doctors how to miscode Botox claims leading to millions of dollars of false claims being to submitted to federal and state programs,” Assistant Attorney General Tony West said.

Allergan officials will make their first appearance in federal court on Thursday. The settlement is not official until approved by a federal judge.

“The FDA had approved therapeutic uses of Botox for only four rare conditions, yet Allergan made it a top corporate priority to maximize sales of far more lucrative off-label uses that were not approved by the FDA,” said Sally Yates, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Georgia. “Allergan further demanded tremendous growth in these off-label sales year after year, even when there was little clinical evidence that these uses were effective.”

The investigation was sparked by a whistleblower complaint, officials said, and five whistleblowers will split $37.8 million of the government’s share of the settlement.

Allergan’s product sales topped $4.4 billion in 2009, with Botox accounting for more than $1.3 billion of that total.

The Justice Department’s investigation covered Allergan’s marketing of Botox from 2001 through at least 2008.

Wells Fargo analyst Larry Biegelsen said the settlement is a positive for the company’s stock because it removes uncertainty.

“We view the settlement as a positive for Allergan as it provides cost certainty … and eliminates additional related litigation cost,” Biegelsen wrote in a note to investors.

In recent years, federal investigators have reached multibillion dollar settlements with Pfizer, Eli Lilly and other drug companies over their marketing practices.

Botox is most famous for its ability to smooth frown lines on aging foreheads, but the drug – introduced in 1989 – is also approved to treat neck spasms, eye muscle disorders and excessive underarm sweating.

Last year the drug won approval to treat spasms in the elbows, wrists and fingers. The drug is also widely used off-label to treat cerebral palsy in children as well as in adults, and Allergan says it is in discussions with U.S. health regulators to approve the use of Botox for children with the neuromuscular disorder.

In guidelines published earlier this year, the American Academy of Neurology endorsed Botox as an “effective and generally safe treatment” for children with cerebral palsy.  While the use is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, the guidelines stated that there are more studies supporting Botox than other movement-disorder drugs.

Botox works by blocking the connections between nerves and muscle, temporarily paralyzing muscles that cause wrinkles as well as certain types of spasms. The drug is a purified form of botulinum, one of the most toxic substances in the world.

As part of the settlement, Allergan agreed to drop a lawsuit against the FDA in which the company pressed for greater leeway to discuss off-label uses with doctors.

The company argued it had a First Amendment right to educate doctors about how to safely use Botox, even for uses that are not currently approved. FDA’s rules are designed to stop companies from promoting drugs for uses that haven’t been federally confirmed as safe and effective.

Some legal experts speculated that Allergan’s lawsuit against FDA was primarily aimed at gaining leverage in its negotiations with the Justice Department, which was a separate matter.

Shares of Allergan rose $1.86, or 3 percent, to $63.28.

By MATTHEW PERRONE, AP Health Writer, Associated Press Writer Jesse J. Holland contributed to this report.

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LONDON – A rare copy of John James Audubon’s “Birds of America,” billed as the world’s most expensive book, is up for sale alongside a first edition of Shakespeare’s plays at an auction to set book lovers’ pulses racing, Sotheby’s said Thursday.

One of only 100 or so remaining copies of “Birds of America” is valued at between 4 million pounds and 6 million pounds ($6.2 million and $9.2 million), while a Shakespeare First Folio from 1623 is expected to fetch at least 1 million pounds ($1.54 million).

Sotheby’s books expert David Goldthorpe said the two tomes are “the twin peaks of book collecting.” The books come from the estate of the 2nd Baron Hesketh, an aristocratic book collector who died in 1955. The auction house is selling them in London on Dec. 7.

Another complete copy of “Birds of America” was sold by Christie’s for $8.8 million in 2000, a record for a printed book at auction.

It is one of the most significant – and beautiful – published works of natural history, and rarely comes up for sale. Only 119 copies remain, and all but a handful are in museums, libraries and universities.

The collection of 435 hand-colored prints, made from engravings of Audubon’s illustrations, measures more than 3 feet by 2 feet (90 centimeters by 60 centimeters) because Audubon wanted to paint the birds life size.

“That’s all very well with weed warblers, but when you come to bald eagles you’re going to need a big book,” Goldthorpe said. “Audubon himself described the size as a ‘double elephant’ folio.”

A pioneering French-American ornithologist and entrepreneur whose business ventures took him across the expanding United States, Audubon came to Britain in 1826 after failing to raise money to print his book in America. His outdoorsman image and vivid illustrations made a strong impression.

“He caused a sensation,” said Goldthorpe. “It was as if someone in a (James) Fenimore Cooper novel had ended up in a Jane Austen novel.”

Audubon sold the book on a subscription basis to wealthy collectors. The copy for sale was No. 11, bought by paleontologist Henry Witham.

The December sale also includes medieval illustrated manuscripts, work by William Caxton, England’s first printer, and letters written by Queen Elizabeth I and her ministers about the imprisonment of Mary, Queen of Scots.

By JILL LAWLESS, Associated Press Writer – Thu Sep 9, 1:44 pm ET

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LOS ANGELES – Paris Hilton was sued Wednesday for allegedly wearing someone else’s hair.

A company that manufactures hair extensions claimed the 29-year-old socialite breached her contract to wear and promote their product when she sported the fake locks of a competitor in 2008.

Hairtech International Inc. is seeking $35 million in damages – 10 times what she was apparently paid under the contract. The fraud and breach-of-contract suit cites the heiress’ partying as contrary to Hairtech’s marketing campaign.

The filing also claims Hilton missed a launch party for the hair extension line because she was serving a stint in jail in 2007. Hilton served 23 days in 2007 after she was caught driving twice on a suspended license while on probation for reckless driving.

The filing states the company’s lost $6.6 million on the launch party alone, although a jury or judge will have to decide whether Hilton owes any money if the case goes to trial.

Phone and e-mail messages to Hilton’s publicist Dawn Miller were not immediately returned Wednesday.

The case isn’t the first time Hilton’s role as a pitchwoman has gotten her sued.

The producers of the film “Pledge This!” sued Hilton in 2008 in federal court in Miami, claiming she didn’t properly promote the film. A judge ruled last year that she didn’t owe the roughly $8.3 million it cost to the make the film, which played in fewer than two dozen theaters.

The court is still deciding how much, if any, of Hilton’s $1 million fee for “Pledge This!” she may have to return to filmmakers.

By ANTHONY McCARTNEY, AP Entertainment Writer

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Theoretically the 2010 Ferrari 599XX could be regarded as the greatest four-wheel folly of all time. After all, this is a car that will never be raced and must never be driven on the road. And since just 29 examples will be built over the next two years, you will almost certainly never see one. And did we mention that it costs $1.8 million?

But this folly might be the most important Ferrari in 10 years. In fact, it could be the most important Ferrari for the next 10 years, because this car is a test bed for the new automotive technologies under development at Ferrari right now.

So think of the 2010 Ferrari 599XX as the Maranello company’s prime research and development project, a kind of NASA space shuttle, only painted red. The 599XX will determine the course of Ferrari’s evolution in the next decade, and do so in public, where we can all bear witness to the successes and failures.

Breaking the Sound Barrier

Among all the dynamic barriers broken by the 2010 Ferrari 599XX, one particular achievement stands out. And this is that the 599XX is a full 10 seconds quicker around the Ferrari test track than the exotic Ferrari Enzo, quite an accomplishment by a conventional front-engine, rear-wheel-drive automobile.

OK, so the 599XX runs on full racing slicks, 305/30R19 front and 325/35R19 rear Michelins. This probably accounts for 4 of the 10 seconds, but the remaining 6 seconds of speed come from more power, less weight, improved aerodynamics, an advanced braking system and an array of new electronic driving aids. In fact, the 599XX incorporates more racing technology than any car that has ever turned a wheel outside of a Formula 1 paddock.

It starts with the 599XX’s 5,999cc V12, which has had its internals “super polished” to reduce friction, a measure that helps increase its output to 720 horsepower at 9,000 rpm and 505 pound-feet of torque at 6,500 rpm. The software for the automated manual transmission has been rewritten to produce slightly faster upshifts and much quicker downshifts, and it will shift down to whatever gear it thinks you need with just one pull on the paddle, just like a Formula 1 car. The lightweight carbon-ceramic brakes carry ferrous-iron brake pads for better modulation. Meanwhile, the car weighs just 3,153 pounds, so it has physics on its side.

The 599X also has aerodynamics on its side. We’re not just talking about a few extra wings and skirts here and there. In the 599XX’s trunk there is a pair of fans that actively suck air up and away from the rear aero diffuser between 30 mph and 155 mph, creating more downforce without adding more aerodynamic drag. The 599XX has 12 percent more downforce than a Ferrari 599 GTB Fiorano, yet it has 15 percent less drag, making it 30 percent more efficient overall aerodynamically.

The driving aids are controlled by two small manettino dials that sit on the center stack of instruments, not on the steering wheel. One offers three different settings for the American-designed magnetorheological dampers, while the other lets you select from no fewer than nine different programs for the stability control, compared to five on the 599 GTB Fiorano. In this car, the driving aids are not safety measures but instead performance parts, meant to enable the driver to go as fast as possible.

You might just be able to match the stability control system for a couple of corners, but over an entire lap the electronics will win every time. And that’s why the XX is half a second quicker around Fiorano with the system engaged, even in the hands of Ferrari’s most skillful test driver.

More Drama, but Less Intimidation

Just like the 2005 Ferrari FXX, the modified Ferrari Enzo that tested much of the technology that later found its way to the Ferrari 458 Italia, the 599XX is meant to be used at Ferrari-sponsored track events where a phalanx of Ferrari mechanics will take care of the car, so you get pretty much the same deal that Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa get on a Formula 1 race weekend.

It’s a little nerve-racking to be strapped into the 599XX while a crowd of mechanics in scarlet overalls looks on, but this is very much how Ferrari wants you to feel. After all, the 599XX has as much downforce as a GT2-specification Ferrari F430 racing car for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the same selection of driving aids as a 2007 Formula 1 car, so the experience should be hugely dramatic, very loud and mind-numbingly fast.

And yet the experience is not remotely intimidating. Quite the opposite, in fact. Inside the cabin, the 599XX feels like half road car, half racer, with a viselike bucket seat to hold you in position but also cargo pockets in the doors. On the dashboard you find a new feature called “Virtual Race Engineer.” This is a big digital screen where the instruments would normally sit, and there are five different menus to scroll through, all meant to help you get the most out of the car.

Track Day

When you’re accelerating in a straight line, the 2010 Ferrari 599XX feels almost impossibly fast (and sounds like it, too, thanks to the car’s lightweight, titanium exhaust system). You don’t bother with 1st or 2nd once you’re up and running, and they’re gone in a blur. Once in 3rd gear the V12 still picks up so cleanly and so quickly that you need to concentrate hard in order to keep from hitting the rev limiter. It gets to 100 km/h (62 mph) in 2.9 seconds and the overall gearing limits top speed to 196 mph.

But it’s the 599XX’s chassis and its various aero and electronic aids that make this Ferrari feel so otherworldly to drive. It’s astonishing to find that you can throw the thing at a corner and then let the electronics guide you through, and yet you never feel as if the intervention of the electronics is very intrusive. Basically, you just aim it and the XX goes. Maybe there’s a hint of understeer in tight corners, but otherwise the car feels neutral for the rest of the time.

Once you reach the middle of a corner you can open up the throttle 100 percent and simply wait for the system to decide when there’s enough traction to actually deliver full throttle. As it monitors the slip angle of the car as well as other dynamic parameters, the car then gradually gives you more power, but only when it knows it is capable of getting that power to the road. And then, presto, you exit the corner perfectly, with precisely the right amount of adhesion.

Get used to the way it works and you can dial down the level of electronic assistance and perform perfect drifts – not the big, dramatic ones that photographers like, but instead the small, efficient ones that stopwatches prefer. And there’s none of the terror normally associated with throwing a 720-hp car sideways.

The XX Experience

Driving the 2010 Ferrari 599XX really is an otherworldly experience, one that a few lucky people are going to enjoy on a level that’s never been available before outside of a Formula 1 car.

And if you think the $1.8-million price still sounds a bit steep, bear in mind that Ferrari will throw in two free track test sessions per year with the asking price, complete with full technical backup, plus a ticket to its end-of-year Ferrari bash at Mugello. And you get to become a Ferrari development driver as well.

To be honest, though, the 2010 Ferrari 599XX itself is priceless, as is the driving experience it offers. The other stuff is just a bonus.

By Steve Sutcliffe, Contributor