HAVANA (AP) ? Retired leader Fidel Castro broke nearly a week of silence since the death of friend and ally Hugo Chavez, saying Monday that Cuba has lost its "best friend" with the late Venezuelan president's passing.
In an article published on the front page of Communist Party newspaper Granma, Castro said that while it had been clear that Chavez's life was threatened by a recurring cancer affliction that prompted four surgeries, word of his death on March 5 nonetheless came as a bitter shock.
"The best friend the Cuban people have had in the course of their history passed away. ... Although we knew of his critical state of health, the news was a strong blow," Castro wrote.
The 86-year-old Castro, who has been out of power since a near-fatal intestinal ailment forced him from office in 2006, has ceased penning his once-regular opinion pieces, known as "Reflections."
Last October, amid the latest round of rumors about his own health, Castro explained that he decided to do so not because he was ill but because they were taking up valuable space in state media that was needed for other purposes.
In life, Chavez often referred to Castro as a father figure, mentor and close friend, and after he first won election in 1998, Havana and Caracas grew increasingly close.
Chavez supplied Cuba with billions of dollars in subsidized oil to help prop up the island's listing economy, while Havana sent tens of thousands of doctors, teachers, sports trainers and political advisers to work in Venezuela.
Venezuela has become Cuba's No. 1 trading partner.
Following Chavez's latest surgery in Havana in December, Castro said he checked in on the Venezuelan president's health daily.
On Monday, he recalled that Chavez once invited him to go on a riverboat excursion in Venezuela once the two leaders' "revolutionary task" was finished.
Invoking Cuban independence hero Jose Marti and 19th century Venezuelan liberator Simon Bolivar, Castro said it had been an honor to have been Chavez's ally.
"Not even he suspected how great he was," Castro wrote. "Onward to victory always, unforgettable friend!"
Spain's Prince Felipe arrives with other heads-of-state for the funeral of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the Military Academy in Caracas March 8, 2013, in this picture provided by the ... more? Spain's Prince Felipe arrives with other heads-of-state for the funeral of late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez at the Military Academy in Caracas March 8, 2013, in this picture provided by the Miraflores Palace. Chavez will be embalmed and put on display "for eternity" at a military museum after a state funeral and an extended period of lying in state, acting President Nicolas Maduro said on Thursday. REUTERS/Miraflores Palace/Handout (VENEZUELA - Tags: POLITICS OBITUARY ROYALS ENTERTAINMENT) ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NOT FOR SALE FOR MARKETING OR ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS. THIS PICTURE WAS PROCESSED BY REUTERS TO ENHANCE QUALITY. AN UNPROCESSED VERSION WILL BE PROVIDED SEPARATELY less?
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Common MS drugs taken together do not reduce relapse riskPublic release date: 11-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dawn Peters sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley
A recent clinical trial found that interferon?-1a (INF) and glatiramer acetate (GA), two of the most commonly prescribed drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS), provide no additional clinical benefit when taken together. While findings published today in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, suggest that taking both INF and GA together was not superior to GA monotherapy in reducing relapse risk; the combination therapy does appear to reduce new lesion activity and total lesion volume.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) describes MS as a neuroinflammatory disease, which affects the central nervous system by attacking myelin, a substance found in nerve fibers. NINDS estimates that up to 350,000 individuals in the U.S. are diagnosed with MS, which affects twice as many women as men, with most symptoms appearing between the ages of 20 and 40. Experts believe this complex autoimmune disease may be caused by genetic and environmental factors.
"While there are a number of drugs to treat MS, our study is the first to investigate if the concurrent use of two drugs with different modes of action would provide any additional clinical benefit without side effects," explains lead author Dr. Fred Lublin, Director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. "The CombiRx study was designed to assess whether IFN and GA in combination was more effective than either alone in reducing relapse of MS."
The research team enrolled 1,008 participants from 68 sites in this double-blind, randomized, controlled phase III trial. Participants received IFN plus GA (499), IFN alone (250), or GA alone (259), with 30g IFN administered intramuscularly weekly and/or 20 mg of GA injected daily. The groups were followed for three years to assess if the combination therapy reduced MS relapse rates.
Trial results found that the IFN plus GA combination did not lessen disease progression according to the Expanded Disability Status Scale (a measure of disability caused by MS) or show change in the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (measure used during clinical trials to assess leg, arm, and cognitive function in MS patients) better than the individual agents over a three-year period. The combination therapy and GA alone were significantly better than IFN in reducing relapse risk. MRI findings also suggested that the IFN plus GA together were better in reducing new lesions (plaques) and total lesion accumulation than either drug alone.
Dr. Lublin concludes, "Combining two of the most commonly prescribed MS therapies did not produce significant clinical benefit, reducing relapse risk, during the three-year study period. We will continue to monitor this group to determine if the combination therapy displays positive results, particularly in reducing lesion activity, beyond the initial trial timeframe."
In a related editorial, Dr. Stephen L. Hauser, Department of Neurology Chair at University of California, San Francisco and Editor-in-Chief of Annals adds, "In the end, CombiRx was essentially a negative study, with the combination therapy doing no better than monotherapy in reducing MS relapse rate over three years. However, the continued follow-up of this group by Dr. Lublin and colleagues provides an opportunity to develop a comprehensive long-term history of MSassessing response to first-generation therapies, possibly predicting individual disease trajectories, and understanding of treatment response. CombiRx could emerge as a model for long-term assessment, not only in MS, but across clinical neuroscience."
###
This CombiRx study was funded by a grant from the NINDSa part of the National Institutes of Health.
This study is published in Annals of Neurology. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
Full citation: "Randomized Study Combining Interferon and Glatiramer Acetate in Multiple Sclerosis." Fred D. Lublin, Stacey S. Cofield, Gary R. Cutter, Robin Conwit, Ponnada A. Narayana, Flavia Nelson, Amber R. Salter, Tarah Gustafson and Jerry S. Wolinsky for the CombiRx Investigators. Annals of Neurology; Published March, 2013 (DOI:10.1002/ana.23863).
URL: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/ana.23863
Author Contact: To arrange an interview with Dr. Lublin, please contact Christie Corbett with Mount Sinai Medical Center christie.corbett@mountsinai.org.
About the Journal
Annals of Neurology, the official journal of the American Neurological Association and the Child Neurology Society, publishes articles of broad interest with potential for high impact in understanding the mechanisms and treatment of diseases of the human nervous system. All areas of clinical and basic neuroscience, including new technologies, cellular and molecular neurobiology, population sciences, and studies of behavior, addiction, and psychiatric diseases are of interest to the journal. The journal is published by Wiley on behalf of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society. For more information, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/ana.
About Wiley
Wiley is a global provider of content-enabled solutions that improve outcomes in research, education, and professional practice. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners.
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: JWa, JWb), has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's website can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com.
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Common MS drugs taken together do not reduce relapse riskPublic release date: 11-Mar-2013 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Dawn Peters sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 781-388-8408 Wiley
A recent clinical trial found that interferon?-1a (INF) and glatiramer acetate (GA), two of the most commonly prescribed drugs for multiple sclerosis (MS), provide no additional clinical benefit when taken together. While findings published today in Annals of Neurology, a journal of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society, suggest that taking both INF and GA together was not superior to GA monotherapy in reducing relapse risk; the combination therapy does appear to reduce new lesion activity and total lesion volume.
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) describes MS as a neuroinflammatory disease, which affects the central nervous system by attacking myelin, a substance found in nerve fibers. NINDS estimates that up to 350,000 individuals in the U.S. are diagnosed with MS, which affects twice as many women as men, with most symptoms appearing between the ages of 20 and 40. Experts believe this complex autoimmune disease may be caused by genetic and environmental factors.
"While there are a number of drugs to treat MS, our study is the first to investigate if the concurrent use of two drugs with different modes of action would provide any additional clinical benefit without side effects," explains lead author Dr. Fred Lublin, Director of the Corinne Goldsmith Dickinson Center for Multiple Sclerosis at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York. "The CombiRx study was designed to assess whether IFN and GA in combination was more effective than either alone in reducing relapse of MS."
The research team enrolled 1,008 participants from 68 sites in this double-blind, randomized, controlled phase III trial. Participants received IFN plus GA (499), IFN alone (250), or GA alone (259), with 30g IFN administered intramuscularly weekly and/or 20 mg of GA injected daily. The groups were followed for three years to assess if the combination therapy reduced MS relapse rates.
Trial results found that the IFN plus GA combination did not lessen disease progression according to the Expanded Disability Status Scale (a measure of disability caused by MS) or show change in the Multiple Sclerosis Functional Composite (measure used during clinical trials to assess leg, arm, and cognitive function in MS patients) better than the individual agents over a three-year period. The combination therapy and GA alone were significantly better than IFN in reducing relapse risk. MRI findings also suggested that the IFN plus GA together were better in reducing new lesions (plaques) and total lesion accumulation than either drug alone.
Dr. Lublin concludes, "Combining two of the most commonly prescribed MS therapies did not produce significant clinical benefit, reducing relapse risk, during the three-year study period. We will continue to monitor this group to determine if the combination therapy displays positive results, particularly in reducing lesion activity, beyond the initial trial timeframe."
In a related editorial, Dr. Stephen L. Hauser, Department of Neurology Chair at University of California, San Francisco and Editor-in-Chief of Annals adds, "In the end, CombiRx was essentially a negative study, with the combination therapy doing no better than monotherapy in reducing MS relapse rate over three years. However, the continued follow-up of this group by Dr. Lublin and colleagues provides an opportunity to develop a comprehensive long-term history of MSassessing response to first-generation therapies, possibly predicting individual disease trajectories, and understanding of treatment response. CombiRx could emerge as a model for long-term assessment, not only in MS, but across clinical neuroscience."
###
This CombiRx study was funded by a grant from the NINDSa part of the National Institutes of Health.
This study is published in Annals of Neurology. Media wishing to receive a PDF of this article may contact sciencenewsroom@wiley.com
Full citation: "Randomized Study Combining Interferon and Glatiramer Acetate in Multiple Sclerosis." Fred D. Lublin, Stacey S. Cofield, Gary R. Cutter, Robin Conwit, Ponnada A. Narayana, Flavia Nelson, Amber R. Salter, Tarah Gustafson and Jerry S. Wolinsky for the CombiRx Investigators. Annals of Neurology; Published March, 2013 (DOI:10.1002/ana.23863).
URL: http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/ana.23863
Author Contact: To arrange an interview with Dr. Lublin, please contact Christie Corbett with Mount Sinai Medical Center christie.corbett@mountsinai.org.
About the Journal
Annals of Neurology, the official journal of the American Neurological Association and the Child Neurology Society, publishes articles of broad interest with potential for high impact in understanding the mechanisms and treatment of diseases of the human nervous system. All areas of clinical and basic neuroscience, including new technologies, cellular and molecular neurobiology, population sciences, and studies of behavior, addiction, and psychiatric diseases are of interest to the journal. The journal is published by Wiley on behalf of the American Neurological Association and Child Neurology Society. For more information, please visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/ana.
About Wiley
Wiley is a global provider of content-enabled solutions that improve outcomes in research, education, and professional practice. Our core businesses produce scientific, technical, medical, and scholarly journals, reference works, books, database services, and advertising; professional books, subscription products, certification and training services and online applications; and education content and services including integrated online teaching and learning resources for undergraduate and graduate students and lifelong learners.
Founded in 1807, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. (NYSE: JWa, JWb), has been a valued source of information and understanding for more than 200 years, helping people around the world meet their needs and fulfill their aspirations. Wiley and its acquired companies have published the works of more than 450 Nobel laureates in all categories: Literature, Economics, Physiology or Medicine, Physics, Chemistry, and Peace. Wiley's global headquarters are located in Hoboken, New Jersey, with operations in the U.S., Europe, Asia, Canada, and Australia. The Company's website can be accessed at http://www.wiley.com.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
KABUL, Afghanistan ? Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday accused the Taliban and the U.S. of working in concert to convince Afghans that violence will worsen if most foreign troops leave ? an allegation the top American commander in Afghanistan rejected as "categorically false."
Karzai said two suicide bombings that killed 19 people on Saturday ? one outside the Afghan Defense Ministry and the other near a police checkpoint in eastern Khost province ? show the insurgent group is conducting attacks to demonstrate that international forces will still be needed to keep the peace after their current combat mission ends in 2014.
"The explosions in Kabul and Khost yesterday showed that they are at the service of America and at the service of this phrase: 2014. They are trying to frighten us into thinking that if the foreigners are not in Afghanistan, we would be facing these sorts of incidents," he said during a nationally televised speech about the state of Afghan women.
Karzai is known for making incendiary comments in his public speeches, a tactic that is often attributed to him trying to appeal to Taliban sympathizers or to gain leverage when he feels his international allies are ignoring his country's sovereignty. In previous speeches, he has threatened to join the Taliban and called his NATO allies occupiers who want to plunder Afghanistan's resources.
U.S. and NATO forces commander Gen. Joseph Dunford said Karzai had never expressed such views to him, but said it was understandable that tensions would arise as the coalition balances the need to complete its mission and the Afghans' move to exercise more sovereignty.
"We have fought too hard over the past 12 years, we have shed too much blood over the last 12 years, to ever think that violence or instability would be to our advantage," Dunford said.
Karzai also denounced the arrest of a university student Saturday by Afghan forces his aide said were working for the CIA. It was unclear why the student was detained.
Presidential spokesman Aimal Faizi said in an interview with The Associated Press that the CIA freed the student after Karzai's staff intervened, but that Karzai wants the alleged Afghan raiders arrested. The president issued a decree on Sunday banning all international forces and the Afghans working with them from entering universities and schools without Afghan government permission.
The Karzai government's latest comments and actions come as it negotiates a pact with the U.S. for the long-term presence of American forces in Afghanistan and just days after an agreement to transfer a U.S. prison outside of Kabul to Afghan authority fell through. They also came during U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's first visit to Afghanistan since becoming the Pentagon chief, a trip made in part to meet with Karzai. Hours after Karzai's speech, their joint news conference was canceled by officials citing security concerns, though officials said the two men still planned to meet privately.
Karzai said in his speech that any foreign powers that want to keep troops in Afghanistan need to do so under conditions set forward by Afghanistan.
"We will tell them where we need them, and under which conditions. They must respect our laws. They must respect the national sovereignty of our country and must respect all our customs," Karzai said.
Karzai offered no proof of coordination, but said the Taliban and the United States were in "daily negotiations" in various foreign countries and noted that the United States has said that it no longer considers the insurgent group its enemy. The U.S. continues to fight against the Taliban and other militant groups, but has expressed its backing for formal peace talks with the Taliban to find a political resolution to the war.
Karzai said he did not believe the Taliban's claim that they launched Saturday's attacks to show they are still a potent force fighting the United States. "Yesterday's explosions, which the Taliban claimed, show that in reality they are saying they want the presence of foreigners in Afghanistan," Karzai said.
In the incident at the Kandahar university Saturday, presidential spokesman Faizi said the raiders fired shots as they grabbed student Abdul Qayoum, and blindfolded him before taking him for interrogation at a CIA post that Taliban leader Mullah Omar once used as a home.
The CIA could not be reached for comment.
The CIA has trained an Afghan counterterrorist force several thousand strong, known as the Counterterrorism Pursuit Team, which works mostly in insurgent strongholds in southern and eastern Afghanistan. U.S. officials say they work in concert with the Afghan intelligence service, but Karzai frequently complains he lacks oversight over their operations.
____
Associated Press writers Lolita C. Baldor and Heidi Vogt contributed to this report from Kabul.
LOS ANGELES (AP) ? Kelly Osbourne was hospitalized Thursday after fainting on the set of the E! network's "Fashion Police."
A spokeswoman for Osbourne told the cable network that the 28-year-old TV personality was awake, alert and in stable condition. She will be staying at the hospital overnight for observation as a precautionary measure. No additional details were provided.
Osbourne is the daughter of rocker Ozzy Osbourne and "The Talk" co-host Sharon Osbourne. She was profiled with her family on the MTV reality series "The Osbournes" and has appeared as a contestant on "Dancing with the Stars." She's currently a panelist on "Fashion Police" with Joan Rivers, Giuliana Rancic and George Kotsiopoulos.
"She's fine," Rivers said in a video posted Thursday afternoon on the celebrity news site TMZ.com. "We just saw her."
Spokeswomen for Sharon Osbourne and Melissa Rivers, Joan's daughter and executive producer of "Fashion Police," declined to comment.
Kelly Osbourne's brother, Jack, revealed he was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis last year.
As the public's patience with partisan politics wears thin, signs in Washington indicate possible movement toward bipartisan budget decision-making. The House passed a bill which would fund government programs through this fiscal year on Wednesday. The Senate is expected to pass a similar measure soon. Also on Wednesday, President Barack Obama invited Republican Senators to dinner.?
By David Lawder,?Reuters, Richard Cowan,?Reuters / March 6, 2013
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., leaves the Jefferson Hotel after a dinner meeting hosted by President Barack Obama for a few Republican Senators in Washington, Wednesday.
AP Photo/Cliff Owen
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Legislation easily passed the?U.S. House of Representatives?on Wednesday to avert another partisan budget battle and a possible government shutdown, as President?Barack Obama?also opened new lines of communication with Republicans.
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By a vote of 267-151, the House passed a measure to fund government programs until the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30. The Democratic-controlled?Senate?is expected to pass a similar bill next week.
Without such legislation, federal agencies would run out of money on March 27.
The bill to continue funding the government without last-minute drama came as Obama?took the unusual step of inviting Republican senators to a dinner on Wednesday night at a Washington hotel a few blocks from the?White House?that lasted about an hour and a half.
An administration official told Reuters Obama?was hoping to take advantage of a lull in a series of budget crises to launch a dialogue with Republican lawmakers, which he hopes will lead to a broad deficit-reduction deal.
While the dinner was not intended to be a negotiation, it was an opportunity for Obama?to correct the record on a perception among some Republicans that he is unwilling to consider some difficult spending cuts that are unpopular with his fellow Democrats in?Congress.
Those could include cuts to programs that include the Social Security pension system and?Medicare?for the elderly.
Discussion at the dinner was expected to concentrate on budget issues, the official said. Obama?will discuss his other legislative priorities, including immigration reform, gun control and tackling climate change, at meetings on Capitol Hill next week.
In another bipartisan gesture, Republican?Senate?Minority Leader?Mitch McConnell?said that at his suggestion, Obama?will join Republicans for a lunch on Capitol Hill on March 14.
Obama is also due to meet with congressional Democrats next week, the?White House?said.
The administration and lawmakers offered few details about the dinner, which the?White House?paid for.
"The president greatly enjoyed the dinner and had a good exchange of ideas with the senators," a senior administration official told reporters.
Asked how the soiree had gone, Senator?John McCain?told journalists outside the hotel, "Just great. Fantastic."
Attendees included Senators?Lindsey Graham,?Bob Corker, and?Kelly Ayotte. Graham drew up the guest list, the?White House?said.
The meetings between the president and lawmakers, whether or not they produce results, depart from what has been an at best a stand-offish relationship between Obama?and Republicans in?Congress.
They suggest that Obama?and Republicans are getting the message that public patience with Washington is wearing thin. This has become apparent as Americans read of inconveniences they may soon confront at airports and elsewhere as a result of across-the-board cuts to the federal budget that kicked in on Friday after lawmakers and the?White House?failed to agree on an alternative.
North Korea, in advance of a unanimous United Nations Security Council vote to sanction the country for last month's underground nuclear weapons test, today threatened to pre-emptively nuke Washington. Pyongyang has long been known for its provocations, but this one is scary enough to warrant asking: Could they pull it off?
The Stalinist state doesn't have that capability?yet. North Korea has built a long-range ballistic missile, the Taepeodong 2 (TD-2), which could hit the West Coast of the United States. That is, if it worked. The last TD-2 test was in 2006; it failed in 42 seconds. North Korea's longest-range ballistic missile that works, the Musudan, has a range of only 2,500 miles?not nearly far enough to hit the continental United States, some 5,600 miles away, or even Hawaii, 4,800 miles away.
The same month that the vaunted TD-2 disintegrated over the Sea of Japan, the United Nations passed a resolution prohibiting North Korea from flight-testing ballistic missiles, giving the hermit kingdom a way to avoid further embarrassment. So North Korea began testing a non-military rocket capability based on TD-2 technology?the Unha rockets. These tests haven't always gone well, but in December an Unha-3 successfully placed a satellite into orbit. In theory, a ballistic missile based on the Unha rocket could hit the western United States, but not Washington.
The ability to launch a satellite into orbit puts North Korea close to an intercontinental ballistic missile, but significant technological barriers remain. After all, an ICBM must do more than get into space?it has to return to earth and strike a target. That requires a miniaturized nuclear warhead, a reentry vehicle capable of surviving a fiery return to the Earth's atmosphere, and a guidance system capable of targeting specific cities thousands of miles away. North Korea hasn't yet demonstrated any of these capabilities.
It is difficult to predict when North Korea might have the capability to nuke the U.S. Not only are North Korea's existing capabilities unclear, but so is their ability to improve them. Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates suggested that North Korea might be able to strike the continental United States by 2015 or 2016. More recently, General Burwell Bell, former commander of U.S. forces in South Korea, estimated that North Korea was five to seven years from ICBM capability. At that point, they might only be able to reach the West Coast, sparing the capital from fire and brimstone.
But San Francisco and Seattle needn't panic, as there would be further hurdles to a successful strike. North Korea's Unha-3 is a liquid-fuel rocket. Since liquid fuel is corrosive and can't be stored for long periods inside the rocket, it needs to be fueled prior to launch?potentially giving U.S. warning of an attack and the opportunity to destroy the rocket before launch. Heavy liquid-fuel rockets can't be moved either, preventing North Korea from relocating a missile to evade a preemptive strike.
Teddy Roosevelt once said that the United States should "speak softly and carry a big stick." North Korea apparently has resolved on a different approach: Speak loudly and carry a small stick, or perhaps no stick at all. So breathe easy, Washington. North Korea's just talking crazy.
Anne D'Innocenzio, The Associated Press? ? ?5 hrs.
Home diva Martha Stewart testified in court on Tuesday that she did nothing wrong when she signed an agreement to open up shops within most of J.C. Penney's stores across the country.
Stewart testified in New York State Supreme Court as part of a legal battle over whether the company that she founded breached its contract to sell cookware, bedding and other items exclusively at Macy's when she inked the deal with Penney in 2011.
Stewart, who founded Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Inc., during three hours of testimony, denied Macy's allegations that she did anything unethical in brokering the deal with Penney. She said that she was only looking to expand and offer new opportunities for shoppers.
In fact, Stewart said it's Macy's that didn't uphold its end of the agreement to try to maximize the potential of her business. She her brand, which is about a $300 million business at Macy's, has grown "static" at the department store chain. She said she was hoping the business would exceed well over $400 million.
"We were disappointed," Stewart, 71, testified. "We did have hopes that the business would be much bigger ... We got to a certain dollar amount and struggled and never got any further."
The trial, which began Feb. 20, focuses on whether Macy's has the exclusive right to sell some Martha Stewart branded products such as cookware, bedding and bath items.
Penney signed a pact in December 2011 with Martha Stewart Living to open shops at most of its 1,100 stores by this spring. But one month later, Macy's renewed its long-standing exclusive deal until 2018 and sued Martha Stewart Living and Penney.
Martha Stewart and Penney are using what they believe is a loophole in the agreement between Macy's and Martha Stewart to move forward with the deal. It's a provision that allows Martha Stewart to sell goods in categories like bedding in Martha Stewart stores.
According to Martha Stewart lawyers, because the Macy's agreement doesn't specify that these Martha Stewart stores have to be "stand alone" stores, the mini shops within Penney stores do not fall under the exclusive agreement. Moreover, Stewart said in court Tuesday that even Amazon.com could be considered a store, given that shoppers are shifting more to online buying.
"I don't think you need walls to be a store," she said.
The trial has unveiled some of the drama that has taken place behind-the-scenes between Stewart and the CEOs of Macy's Inc. and J.C. Penney Co.
During his testimony on Friday, Penney CEO Ron Johnson rejected claims by Macy's lawyers that he plotted to push Martha Stewart to breach her deal with Macy's with the goal of eventually becoming the sole carrier of some of Stewart's products.
Johnson, dressed in a dark suit and striped navy tie during his testimony, said that he just wanted to get a piece of the action while helping the struggling Martha Stewart business grow. She also said that the expanded partnership could be good for everyone, including Macy's.
Macy's attorneys, meanwhile, have portrayed Stewart as someone who turned her back on a good friend, Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren, to broker a deal with a rival company. During testimony earlier in the trial, Lundgren, who wore a suit, said that he hung up on Stewart after she told him about the deal she'd reached with Penney, and hasn't spoken to her since.
"I was quite taken back by his response and when he hung up on me I was quite flabbergasted," Stewart said on Tuesday.
Stewart's testimony comes as the company she founded continues to struggle. Martha Stewart Living just finished its fifth straight year of losses. The company has also had steep sales declines.
Martha Stewart Living has been trying to bolster its merchandising business, which represents 30 percent of the company's annual revenue, to offset declines in its broadcast and publishing divisions as people continue to shift toward the Web and mobile apps to get their recipes and food tips.
The biggest opportunities for Martha Stewart Living are in the home category. That's because as the housing recovery gains momentum in the economic recovery, consumers will likely put more money into their homes.
During her testimony on Tuesday, Stewart said she always wanted to open big shops at Macy's, but the retailer never embraced that concept. Instead, she noted the merchandise is just "here and there."
That's why she said that a proposal from Penney's CEO Ron Johnson to create shops filled with all sorts of home merchandise was appealing.
"We hoped this business would be growing," Stewart said. "It just boggles my mind that we're here sitting in front of you, judge."
? 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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