"I am confident that when I ask the relatively prosperous to bear a small burden for one year, just one year, they will do so cheerfully, " he said.

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But what's big to a small biotechnology company is not so big for a drug giant, even one that has notable gaps in its drug pipeline.

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But there it is, one more case of government agencies, like so many small and large corporations, inventing monetary values for life forms (or depreciating them to near worthlessness).

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In 1998 it went for services offering games, fantasy sports, and a calendar, plus one that took small businesses to the Web, so users could shop.

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