MONDAY, January 30 (HealthDay News) -- Erivedge (vismodegib) has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to treat the most common form of skin cancer, basal cell carcinoma, the agency said Monday.
The drug was approved for people for whom surgery or radiation aren't options, and for people with basal cell that has spread to other parts of the body, according to an FDA news release.
Basal cell usually is a slow-growing, painless type of cancer that begins in the top layer of skin, often on areas most exposed to the sun.
Erivedge was evaluated in clinical studies involving 96 people with basal cell carcinoma. The most common side effects included muscle spasms, hair loss, weight loss, nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, distorted taste, loss of appetite and constipation.
The drug was approved with an FDA's label warning that pregnant women who take Erivedge could have babies at greater risk of severe birth defects or death. "Pregnancy status must be verified prior to the start of Erivedge treatment," the agency release advised.
Erivedge is marketed by Genentech, based in San Francisco, Calif.
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum exits the airport, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, after speaking with members of the news media upon arriving at the Chester County Airport in Downingtown, Pa. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum exits the airport, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, after speaking with members of the news media upon arriving at the Chester County Airport in Downingtown, Pa. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)
Republican presidential candidate, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum speaks to members of the news media, Friday, Jan. 27, 2012, after arriving at the Chester County Airport in Downingtown, Pa. (AP Photo/ Joseph Kaczmarek)
WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) ? Republican Rick Santorum is staying home in Philadelphia to be with this hospitalized daughter and is canceling campaign stops in Florida.
Santorum's campaign says the former senator will stay in Pennsylvania with 3-year-old Bella, who has a genetic condition known as Trisomy 18. The condition typically proves fatal and Santorum often says his daughter wasn't expected to live past 12 months.
Spokesman Hogan Gidley says Santorum hopes to return to a campaign schedule soon.
Santorum canceled his appearance on NBC's "Meet the Press" and a stop at a Miami church.
Santorum is sending his 20-year-old daughter Elizabeth to Sarasota and Punta Gorda for campaign appearances on later Sunday.
COMMENTARY | President Barack Obama is proposing sweeping changes in the way in which Congress works, according to the Associated Press. His reforms would include policies against insider trading in Congress, bundled campaign contributions, restrictions on stocks and securities government officials could own and changes to appointment approvals. As a political scientist, I see this as a political plot against Congress.
The president is making suggestions that people would automatically agree with. Personally, I think many of his suggestions would clear up corruption in Congress and would clear up many of the campaign donations that can cause corruption. The fact is, his proposals would never pass as is and he knows it. He is making a suggestion to change how politics work behind the scenes, and Congress will not allow the "Big Boys Club" to lose their toys.
Few in Congress would support President Obama's proposed changes for the right reason. I could see the "supporters" of the sweeping changes as doing it for show as they know the changes would never pass. The Republicans are automatically going to oppose the bill for the public reason of it "being too restrictive and an attack on Congress." The bill would die and the "corruption of the Republican Party" would be blamed.
Congress has very low approval ratings and President Obama has been bumping heads with the body at every turn. Why not try to get some political points off of the group nobody likes or trusts these days? At the same time, the president can appear to be someone who is looking out for the best interests of the common person and of the government as a whole.
Over the next few weeks, we are sure to see this fight play out in the media. President Obama will press how Congress is wrong for not passing the changes immediately. The Democrats will accuse the Republicans of being corrupt, while the "Blues" try to hide the corruption which they are guilty of. Of course, the Republicans will be working on covering up their corruption while pushing the idea of the president "grandstanding" and being a "populist." All the president has to hope is that Congress does not push back by revealing the skeletons in his closet.
AMMAN (Reuters) ? Security forces killed 37 people in Syria on Friday, activists and residents said, as people in Homs mourned 14 members of a family they said were slain by militiamen in one of the worst sectarian attacks in a revolt against President Bashar al-Assad.
The U.N. Security Council was to meet later in the day to discuss Syria before a possible vote next week on a new Western-Arab draft resolution aimed at halting 10 months of bloodshed.
Russia, which joined China in vetoing a previous Western draft resolution in October and which has since promoted its own draft, said the Western-Arab version was unacceptable and vowed to block any text calling for Assad's resignation.
There was no let-up in violence on Friday, when anti-Assad protests again erupted after weekly Muslim prayers.
Tank and mortar fire killed 15 people in Hama, a resident said, on the fourth day of an army assault on rebellious districts of the city, where Assad's father crushed an armed Islamist uprising in 1982, killing many thousands.
The opposition Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 22 people killed elsewhere in Syria, including 12 when security forces fired on a funeral march in the southern town of Nowa, five in the normally peaceful city of Aleppo, and four in Homs.
Machinegun fire wounded five people in the Qusour district of Homs, one activist there said, adding that the city was calmer than it was at the height of Thursday's violence, when 16 people were also killed by mortar fire from security forces.
The state news agency SANA said "terrorists" killed a security man in Homs on Friday and a bomb killed a child and wounded several civilians and security personnel in the Damascus district of Midan.
SANA also said a bomb wounded three civilians and three security men in the northeastern town of Albukamal and that a suicide bomber had wounded two security men at a checkpoint in the northwestern province of Idlib.
Arab League observers headed for the Damascus suburb of Douma, where government troops battled rebel fighters the previous day as the struggle to topple Assad rumbled close to the Syrian capital.
TRANSITION PLAN
The Arab League has demanded that the Syrian leader step down as part of a transition to democracy, a call rejected by Damascus. The government says it is fighting foreign-backed armed "terrorists" who have killed 2,000 soldiers and police.
"Any decision about a future political settlement in Syria must be made during the political process without ... preliminary conditions," Interfax news agency quoted Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Gennady Gatilov as saying.
He stopped short of saying Moscow would veto a Western-Arab draft if the call for Assad to hand over power was not removed.
The text calls for a "political transition," but not for United Nations sanctions against Assad's government, which Moscow, an old ally and arms supplier of Syria, opposes.
Russia and Iran are among Syria's few remaining allies.
In another sign of Assad's isolation, Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal has effectively abandoned his headquarters in Damascus, diplomatic and intelligence sources said.
"He's not going back to Syria," a regional intelligence source said of Meshaal, who has long been based in the Syrian capital. He heads the Palestinian Islamist group which rules Gaza and is an armed offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Analysts say Meshaal was embarrassed by Assad's crackdown, in which more than 5,000 people have been killed, many of them Sunni Muslim sympathisers of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Homs, a mostly Sunni city with minority Alawite enclaves, has become a battleground since protests against Assad began in March, inspired by pro-democracy revolts elsewhere in the Arab world. Armed rebels have joined the fray in recent months.
GRISLY FOOTAGE
Residents and activists said militiamen from Assad's Alawite sect had shot or hacked to death 14 members of the Sunni Bahader family in Homs's Karm al-Zaitoun district on Thursday, including eight children, aged eight months to nine years old.
YouTube video footage taken by activists, which could not be verified, showed the bodies of five children with wounds to the head and neck, three women and a man in a house.
There was no comment from Syrian authorities, which enforce tight restrictions on independent media.
At least 384 children have been killed since the uprising began in March and a similar number have been jailed, the U.N. Children's Fund (UNICEF) said on Friday.
The British-based Observatory said 43 civilians were killed on Thursday, including 33 in Homs, of whom nine were children.
Hamza, an activist in Homs, said the militiamen who attacked the Sunni family were avenging deaths inflicted on their ranks by army defectors loosely grouped in the rebel Free Syrian Army.
Tit-for-tat sectarian killings began in Homs four months ago. Assad's Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, has dominated the political and security apparatus in Syria, a mostly Sunni nation of 23 million, for five decades.
"The Assads are the dirtiest of families," shouted crowds in Deir Balba, on the edge of Homs, according to a YouTube clip that showed people waving pre-Baath party Syrian flags.
In the city's Bab Amro district, demonstrators carried the body of a youth who had been shot in the head. "Bashar, your mother will bury you," they chanted, YouTube footage showed.
It was not possible to verify the footage, which anti-Assad campaigners had posted on the Internet.
The opposition Local Coordination Committees said security forces had fired on an anti-Assad protest by refugees from the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights who live in Thiabieh near Damascus. It said several protesters were wounded.
Activists in the Damascus suburb of Irbin said 15,000 people had turned out to demonstrate against Assad.
Several thousand also gathered in the rain in the ancient, eastern desert town of Palmyra, clapping to anti-Assad anthems. "Bashar, God is greater (than you)!" they sang.
(Additional reporting by Erika Solomon and Dominic Evans in Beirut, Steve Gutterman in Moscow, Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza and Louis Charbonneau at the United Nations; Writing by Alistair Lyon; Editing by Mark Heinrich)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? The U.S. economy grew at a 2.8 percent annual rate in the final three months of last year, the fastest growth in 2011.
Americans spent more on cars and trucks, and companies built up their stockpiles. But growth in the October-December quarter ? and all of last year ? was held back by the biggest annual government spending cuts in four decades.
The Commerce Department said Friday that the economy grew just 1.7 percent last year, roughly half of the growth in 2010 and the worst since the recession.
Most economists expect businesses to ease up on restocking in the first three months of the year. That should slow first-quarter growth. And consumers may cut back on spending if their wages continue to lag inflation.
In the final three months of last year, consumer spending grew at a 2 percent annual rate. That's up modestly from the third quarter.
Much of the growth was powered by a 14.8 percent surge in sales of autos and other long-lasting manufactured goods.
Incomes, which have been weak all year because of high unemployment, grew at a modest 0.8 percent rate. That followed two straight quarters of declining incomes.
Consumer spending is important because it makes up 70 percent of economic activity.
Spending by government at all levels fell at an annual rate of 4.6 percent in the fourth quarter and 2.1 percent for the year ? the biggest decline since 1971.
Sweeping federal defense cuts at the beginning and end of 2011 were a major factor.
Richard DeKaiser, a senior economist at Parthenon Group, expects just 2 percent annual growth in the January-March quarter. But Kaiser says that should be the weakest quarter. He expects the economy to gain strength in each quarter and grow 2.6 percent for the entire year.
Other data show the economy ended 2011 on a strong note. Companies invested more in equipment and machinery in December. The unemployment rate fell to 8.5 percent last month ? the lowest level in nearly three years ? after the sixth straight month of solid hiring.
People are buying more cars, and consumer confidence is rising. Even the depressed housing market has shown enough improvement to make some economists predict a turnaround has begun.
Still, many economists worry that a recession in Europe could dampen demand for U.S. manufactured goods, which would slow growth. And without more jobs and better pay, consumer spending is likely to stagnate.
The Federal Reserve signaled this week that a full recovery could take at least three more years. In response, it said it would probably not increase its benchmark interest rate until late 2014 at the earliest ? a year and a half later than it had previously said.
The central bank also slightly reduced its outlook for growth this year, from as much as 2.9 percent forecast in November down to 2.7 percent. The Fed sees unemployment falling as low as 8.2 percent this year.
KANSAS CITY, Mo. ? A federal judge has sentenced a Taiwan official in Missouri to time-served and deportation for underpaying and overworking two housekeepers.
Liu Hsien Hsien, also known as Jacqueline Liu, had pleaded guilty to fraud in foreign labor contracting. The former director general of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Kansas City has been in custody since her arrest Nov. 10.
U.S. District Judge David Gregory Kays also ordered the 64-year-old woman to repay her incarceration costs and fund her own travel back to Taiwan.
Liu paid the housekeepers about $80,000 in restitution. She said at the sentencing hearing that she was deeply sorry for how she treated them.
The Taipei Economic and Cultural Office is similar to a foreign consulate. The U.S. doesn't recognize Taiwan as a sovereign state.
Prevalence of oral HPV infection higher among men than womenPublic release date: 26-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Darrell Ward Darrell.Ward@osumc.edu 614-293-3737 JAMA and Archives Journals
CHICAGO The overall prevalence of oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is approximately 7 percent among men and women ages 14 to 69 years in the United States, while the prevalence among men is higher than among women, according to a study appearing in JAMA. The study is being released early online to coincide with its presentation at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium.
"Oral HPV infection is the cause of a subset of oropharyngeal [relating to the mouth and pharynx] squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). Human papillomaviruspositive OSCC are associated with sexual behavior in contrast to HPV-negative OSCC that are associated with chronic tobacco and alcohol use. At least 90 percent of HPV-positive OSCC are caused by high-risk (or oncogenic) HPV type 16 (HPV-16), and oral infection confers an approximate 50-fold increase in risk for HPV-positive OSCC. The incidence of OSCC has significantly increased over the last 3 decades in several countries, and HPV has been directly implicated as the underlying cause," according to background information in the article. "Although oral HPV infection is the cause of a cancer that is increasing in incidence in the United States, little is known regarding the epidemiology of infection."
Maura L. Gillison, M.D., Ph.D., of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, and colleagues examined the prevalence of oral HPV infection in the United States. The researchers used data from a cross-sectional study as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2010, a statistically representative sample of the U.S. population. Men and women ages 14 to 69 years examined at mobile examination centers were eligible. Participants (n = 5,579) provided a 30-second oral rinse and gargle with mouthwash. For detection of HPV types, DNA purified from oral exfoliated cells was evaluated via testing methods.
The researchers found that the overall prevalence of oral HPV infection was 6.9 percent, and the most prevalent HPV type detected was HPV-16 (1.0 percent). The prevalence of oral HPV infection had peaks in different age ranges, with a first peak in prevalence observed among those 30 to 34 years of age (7.3 percent) and a second, higher peak among those ages 60 to 64 years (11.4 percent). Men had a significantly higher prevalence than women for overall oral HPV infection (10.1 percent vs. 3.6 percent). Prevalence of HPV was higher among current smokers and heavy alcohol drinkers and among former and current marijuana users.
The authors also found that oral HPV prevalence was associated with several measures of sexual behavior, including higher prevalence among individuals who reported ever having had sex vs. not (7.5 percent vs. 0.9 percent). Prevalence of HPV increased with lifetime or recent number of partners for any kind of sex, vaginal sex, or oral sex.
In analysis inclusive of individuals 14 to 69 years of age, factors independently associated with prevalent oral HPV included age, sex, lifetime number of sexual partners, and current number of cigarettes smoked per day.
The researchers write that their data provide evidence that oral HPV infection is predominantly sexually transmitted. "Taken together, these data indicate that transmission by casual, nonsexual contact is likely to be unusual."
"Our results have important research as well as public health implications. Natural history studies of cervical HPV infection were essential for the development of public health interventions, such as HPV vaccination to prevent and HPV detection to screen for cervical cancer," they write. "Natural history studies of oral HPV infection are therefore necessary to understand the effects of age, sex, and modifiable risk factors (e.g., smoking and sexual behavior) on the incidence and duration of oral HPV infection."
"vaccine efficacy against oral HPV infection is unknown, and therefore vaccination cannot currently be recommended for the primary prevention of oropharyngeal cancer. Given an analysis of U.S. cancer registry data recently projected that the number of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers diagnosed each year will surpass that of invasive cervical cancers by the year 2020, perhaps such vaccine trials are warranted. Such trials could inform ongoing discussions regarding the benefits of HPV vaccination for males, given the higher prevalence of oral HPV infection demonstrated here as well as higher incidence of HPV-positive OSCC among men," the authors conclude.
(JAMA. 2012;307[7]doi:10.1001/JAMA.2012.101. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: This study was supported by the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Merck, John and Nina Cassils, and the Intramural Research Program of the National Cancer Institute. All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Dr. Gillison is the principal investigator of the unrestricted grant from Merck in support of this study and has been a consultant to Merck and GlaxoSmithKline. No other disclosures were reported. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, etc.
Editorial: Oral Human Papillomavirus Infection - Hazard of Intimacy
In an accompanying editorial, Hans P. Schlecht, M.D., M.M.Sc., of the Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, comments on what action needs to be taken regarding oral HPV.
"Future research will need to identify the natural history of HPV-related oropharyngeal dysplastic lesions and evaluate potential screening methods to detect oropharyngeal dysplasia prior to invasion. Successful screening measures such as a Papanicolaou test, HPV polymerase chain reaction testing, or both may be daunting to achieve, but there is meaningful hope that prevention efforts will ameliorate the effects of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer."
(doi:10.1001/JAMA.2012.117. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: The author has completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.
###
To contact Maura L. Gillison, M.D., Ph.D., call Darrell Ward at 614-293-3737 or email Darrell.Ward@osumc.edu. To contact editorial author Hans P. Schlecht, M.D., M.M.Sc., call Rachel Sparrow at 215-255-7328 or email Rachel.Sparrow@drexelmed.edu.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
Prevalence of oral HPV infection higher among men than womenPublic release date: 26-Jan-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Darrell Ward Darrell.Ward@osumc.edu 614-293-3737 JAMA and Archives Journals
CHICAGO The overall prevalence of oral human papillomavirus (HPV) infection is approximately 7 percent among men and women ages 14 to 69 years in the United States, while the prevalence among men is higher than among women, according to a study appearing in JAMA. The study is being released early online to coincide with its presentation at the Multidisciplinary Head and Neck Cancer Symposium.
"Oral HPV infection is the cause of a subset of oropharyngeal [relating to the mouth and pharynx] squamous cell carcinomas (OSCC). Human papillomaviruspositive OSCC are associated with sexual behavior in contrast to HPV-negative OSCC that are associated with chronic tobacco and alcohol use. At least 90 percent of HPV-positive OSCC are caused by high-risk (or oncogenic) HPV type 16 (HPV-16), and oral infection confers an approximate 50-fold increase in risk for HPV-positive OSCC. The incidence of OSCC has significantly increased over the last 3 decades in several countries, and HPV has been directly implicated as the underlying cause," according to background information in the article. "Although oral HPV infection is the cause of a cancer that is increasing in incidence in the United States, little is known regarding the epidemiology of infection."
Maura L. Gillison, M.D., Ph.D., of the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, and colleagues examined the prevalence of oral HPV infection in the United States. The researchers used data from a cross-sectional study as part of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2009-2010, a statistically representative sample of the U.S. population. Men and women ages 14 to 69 years examined at mobile examination centers were eligible. Participants (n = 5,579) provided a 30-second oral rinse and gargle with mouthwash. For detection of HPV types, DNA purified from oral exfoliated cells was evaluated via testing methods.
The researchers found that the overall prevalence of oral HPV infection was 6.9 percent, and the most prevalent HPV type detected was HPV-16 (1.0 percent). The prevalence of oral HPV infection had peaks in different age ranges, with a first peak in prevalence observed among those 30 to 34 years of age (7.3 percent) and a second, higher peak among those ages 60 to 64 years (11.4 percent). Men had a significantly higher prevalence than women for overall oral HPV infection (10.1 percent vs. 3.6 percent). Prevalence of HPV was higher among current smokers and heavy alcohol drinkers and among former and current marijuana users.
The authors also found that oral HPV prevalence was associated with several measures of sexual behavior, including higher prevalence among individuals who reported ever having had sex vs. not (7.5 percent vs. 0.9 percent). Prevalence of HPV increased with lifetime or recent number of partners for any kind of sex, vaginal sex, or oral sex.
In analysis inclusive of individuals 14 to 69 years of age, factors independently associated with prevalent oral HPV included age, sex, lifetime number of sexual partners, and current number of cigarettes smoked per day.
The researchers write that their data provide evidence that oral HPV infection is predominantly sexually transmitted. "Taken together, these data indicate that transmission by casual, nonsexual contact is likely to be unusual."
"Our results have important research as well as public health implications. Natural history studies of cervical HPV infection were essential for the development of public health interventions, such as HPV vaccination to prevent and HPV detection to screen for cervical cancer," they write. "Natural history studies of oral HPV infection are therefore necessary to understand the effects of age, sex, and modifiable risk factors (e.g., smoking and sexual behavior) on the incidence and duration of oral HPV infection."
"vaccine efficacy against oral HPV infection is unknown, and therefore vaccination cannot currently be recommended for the primary prevention of oropharyngeal cancer. Given an analysis of U.S. cancer registry data recently projected that the number of HPV-positive oropharyngeal cancers diagnosed each year will surpass that of invasive cervical cancers by the year 2020, perhaps such vaccine trials are warranted. Such trials could inform ongoing discussions regarding the benefits of HPV vaccination for males, given the higher prevalence of oral HPV infection demonstrated here as well as higher incidence of HPV-positive OSCC among men," the authors conclude.
(JAMA. 2012;307[7]doi:10.1001/JAMA.2012.101. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: This study was supported by the Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Merck, John and Nina Cassils, and the Intramural Research Program of the National Cancer Institute. All authors have completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest. Dr. Gillison is the principal investigator of the unrestricted grant from Merck in support of this study and has been a consultant to Merck and GlaxoSmithKline. No other disclosures were reported. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, etc.
Editorial: Oral Human Papillomavirus Infection - Hazard of Intimacy
In an accompanying editorial, Hans P. Schlecht, M.D., M.M.Sc., of the Drexel University College of Medicine, Philadelphia, comments on what action needs to be taken regarding oral HPV.
"Future research will need to identify the natural history of HPV-related oropharyngeal dysplastic lesions and evaluate potential screening methods to detect oropharyngeal dysplasia prior to invasion. Successful screening measures such as a Papanicolaou test, HPV polymerase chain reaction testing, or both may be daunting to achieve, but there is meaningful hope that prevention efforts will ameliorate the effects of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancer."
(doi:10.1001/JAMA.2012.117. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor's Note: The author has completed and submitted the ICMJE Form for Disclosure of Potential Conflicts of Interest and none were reported.
###
To contact Maura L. Gillison, M.D., Ph.D., call Darrell Ward at 614-293-3737 or email Darrell.Ward@osumc.edu. To contact editorial author Hans P. Schlecht, M.D., M.M.Sc., call Rachel Sparrow at 215-255-7328 or email Rachel.Sparrow@drexelmed.edu.
[ | E-mail | Share ]
?
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.
THE HAGUE, Netherlands?? Dutch appeals judges ruled Tuesday that Samsung's Galaxy Tab is not a copy of Apple's popular iPad, handing the Korean consumer electronics maker its latest legal victory over its American rival.
The Hague Appeals court ruling upheld a lower court's refusal to grant Apple Inc. an injunction banning the sale of Galaxy Tabs in the Netherlands.
Apple argued that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 and earlier 10.1v model copied the iPad that dominated the tablet market from its 2010 launch.
An Apple spokesman didn't immediately return a telephone call seeking the company's comment. A call to Samsung was not immediately answered.
Last year, Apple sued Samsung Electronics Co. in the United States, alleging its Galaxy devices "slavishly copy" the iPhone and iPad.
Samsung fought back with lawsuits of its own, accusing Apple of patent infringement of its wireless telecommunications technology.
A Dutch court refused last year to grant Samsung an injunction banning Apple from selling iPhones and iPad tablets in the Netherlands.
The civil court in The Hague rejected Samsung's argument that Apple should not be allowed to sell devices such as tablets and smartphones that use 3G mobile technology patented by Samsung because the Cupertino-based company does not have licenses to use the technology.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
??NYT: In a bitter skirmish over the definition of depression, a new report contends that a proposed change to the diagnosis would characterize grieving as a disorder and greatly increase the number of people treated for it.
It'll probably take the rest of winter for Niners and Ravens fans to get over what happened yesterday that knocked their respective teams out of Super Bowl XLVI (that would be 46 for all of you who don't read Roman numerals). But for Patriots and Giants fans, the fun is just beginning. Through a newly installed social media command center, visitors to the big game in Indianapolis will be able to ask questions and receive answers leading up to the Feb. 5 showdown.
For the next two weeks until?the NFL's most important game, an Indianapolis-based?team (no, not the Colts) is operating out of a 2,800-square-foot space to read and respond to fans who are one of 100,000 to 150,000 lucky souls who will be in Indianapolis for the game, posting about the Super Bowl and their beloved teams. (This includes those who are traveling to the city for pre/during/post-game festivities, or watching from places other than the about 70,000-capacity stadium, but still in and around the city.)
This social media super team will provide directions, to-do around town suggestions and other important information (such as what to do in case of an emergency at the stadium).
Indianapolis digital marketing firm Raidious is in charge of the operation, with CEO Taulbee Jackson at the helm. Jackson sits on the Super Bowl host committee and was asked to help with social media strategy. I reached to Jackson by phone this morning and he shared more details on this Superbowl first.
"It's the first time any facility like this has been built to manage social media for such a large event," Jackson said. "We were outgrowing our second office in 18 months at the same time the Host Committee asked for our help, so we designed and built the space with the express intention of using it as the Super Bowl Social Media Command Center, then taking over the space afterwards."?
The team ??which includes about 50 people, led by?Raidious' staff of 16 and students and journalism/telecommunications students from Ball State University, Butler University and Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis?? will work in the command center 15 hours a day. (Not all at once!)
One team will focus on social media management and moderation, while the other (most likely the students) will work?on content development for posts on all the events and activities that surround the game, as well as things to do in Indianapolis since a big part of the team's mandate will be promoting the city to newcomers. "It's?Hoosier hopsitality for the 21st century," Jackson said.
Given that the two league championship teams are from New York and New England, it's a good bet there will be first-timers in the zone. While most visitors are expected to arrive in the city next Wednesday or Thursday (Feb. 1 and Feb. 2), the social media command center will swing into high gear starting this week.
As we've already seen, sports fans are some of the most rabid in social media posts, with record-setting tweets about Tim Tebow?(9,420 tweets per second), as well as the 7,196 tweets per second during the Women's World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan last summer. And have you ever looked at your Facebook on football Sundays, much less the playoffs? It's one sure way to see who's a fan, and how intense they are about it. (On my Facebook, the Bears, Ravens, Raiders and Niners fans are definitely the most vocal.)
In fact, every time the Super Bowl comes around, it's a proven magnet for the millions who are active on Facebook, Twitter and now, Google+. In 2011, the only Facebook status update topic in the world, amongst 800 million users?that bested the Packers winning Super Bowl 45 was the death of Osama bin Laden.?
For those who will be in Indy, there will be plenty to write home about, but they'll also be in company with the millions glued to their sets that Sunday watching with them. ?
The Super Bowl social media command center will concentrate on key word-based monitoring, but because they're geo-targeting the Indianapolis/Indiana area and those coming to town for the game, they won't be as overwhelmed as they would be if they tried to deal with all the online traffic the event generates.
"One of the reasons we've staffed it the way we have, and put in all this technology, is to deal with the high levels of volume, even limiting that to the Indianapolis, Indiana area," Jackson said.
Safety is another priority, using Twitter to get any emergency instructions and information out quickly if necessary.?
From the main Super Bowl XLVI site, fans can access the social media command center's activity through its management of the Super Bowl Facebook page, Flickr and Twitter accounts and the site's blog.
More stories:
Check out Technolog on?Facebook, and on Twitter, follow?Athima Chansanchai, who is also trying to keep her head above water in the?Google+?stream.
The role of Albert Nobbs is one that's been near to Glenn Close's heart for a while. She first played it 30 years ago off-Broadway and reprises it now in a project she's been working for some time to bring to the screen.
Her dedication is obvious in watching "Albert Nobbs," based on a short story about a woman living as a man and working as a posh hotel waiter in order to survive in 19th century Ireland. Close's Albert is all quiet repression: the low monotone of her voice, the horizontal line of her mouth, the dark, conservative suit topped frequently by a prim bowler hat. The slightest gesture or facial expression is so subtle as to be practically imperceptible.
Every moment of the performance is a marvel of precision ? and yet, because she immerses herself so completely in the emotional restraint of this odd little man she's created, it's difficult to feel a connection with the character, despite the difficult life she's lived. There's no sense of the woman within ? to the extent that Albert can't even remember her real name anymore ? which would have provided crucial context for us to appreciate fully the sacrifice and sadness she's suffered for decades.
Rather, director Rodrigo Garcia ("Mother and Child"), working from a script Close herself co-wrote with John Banville and Gabriella Prekop, follows in melancholy tones as Albert goes about the duties of her day. She remembers the particular tastes of the hotel's regular guests and waits on new visitors with an impenetrable courtliness. She stashes her tips away each night in her modest bedroom with dreams of opening a little tobacco shop someday, and maybe even taking a bride. The saucy young maid Helen, played with much-needed liveliness by the ever-versatile Mia Wasikowska, catches her eye.
But Albert keeps these ideas to herself until the arrival of a brash painter named Hubert shakes up her world. You see, Hubert is also a woman disguising herself as a man, and Janet McTeer plays her with an irresistible, bawdy confidence. McTeer is electrifying in every scene she's in, to the point that "Albert Nobbs" drags noticeably in her absence.
Hubert also must hide her true identity in order to make a living ? and, like Albert, she's the victim of a physical abuse that drove her to reinvent herself. But she's found a way to reconcile the complexities of her identity and achieve real happiness. Albert inexplicably has pinned her hopes on a young woman who could never truly love her back ? as a man or a woman ? as evidenced by the volatile relationship Helen is in with the handsome but illiterate boiler repair man played by Aaron Johnson (a long way from the nerdy superhero he played in "Kick-Ass").
Other supporting players bring the film to life from time to time, including Brendan Gleeson as the hotel's resident doctor and perpetual drunk; Pauline Collins as its gossipy, social-climbing owner; and Bronagh Gallagher as Hubert's delightful, understanding wife.
But "Albert Nobbs" is clearly Close's show ? for better and for worse.
"Albert Nobbs," a Roadside Attractions release, is rated R for some sexuality, brief nudity and language. Running time: 113 minutes. Two stars out of four.
___
Motion Picture Association of America rating definitions:
G ? General audiences. All ages admitted.
PG ? Parental guidance suggested. Some material may not be suitable for children.
PG-13 ? Special parental guidance strongly suggested for children under 13. Some material may be inappropriate for young children.
R ? Restricted. Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian.
In this Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 photo, plainclothes Pakistani security men stand outside the family house of al-Qaida militant Aslam Awan, who was killed in an American drone attack at a house along the Afghan border. On Jan. 14 at 8:12 pm, Khushal Khan's wife got a call on her cell phone. "Your son has been martyred," the voice said at the other end of the line. The man then rang off. Four days earlier, an American drone fired a missile at a house along the Afghan border just before midnight, killing Khan's youngest son, Aslam Awan, and three other suspected militants. American officials have since described Awan as an "external operations planner" for al-Qaida. British prosecutors in 2007 said he a member of a militant cell who had fought in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Aqeel Ahmed)
In this Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012 photo, plainclothes Pakistani security men stand outside the family house of al-Qaida militant Aslam Awan, who was killed in an American drone attack at a house along the Afghan border. On Jan. 14 at 8:12 pm, Khushal Khan's wife got a call on her cell phone. "Your son has been martyred," the voice said at the other end of the line. The man then rang off. Four days earlier, an American drone fired a missile at a house along the Afghan border just before midnight, killing Khan's youngest son, Aslam Awan, and three other suspected militants. American officials have since described Awan as an "external operations planner" for al-Qaida. British prosecutors in 2007 said he a member of a militant cell who had fought in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Aqeel Ahmed)
ABBOTTABAD, Pakistan (AP) ? On Jan. 14 at 8:12 p.m., Khushal Khan's wife got a call on her cell phone.
"Your son has been martyred," the voice said at the other end of the line. The man then hung up.
The end for Khan's youngest son, Aslam Awan, came when a drone piloted remotely from the United States fired a missile at a house along Pakistan's border with Afghanistan. Awan was among four people killed, U.S. officials said this week, describing Awan as an "external operations planner" for al-Qaida. British authorities say he was a member of a militant cell in northern England who had fought in Afghanistan.
The Jan. 10 strike in the militant stronghold of North Waziristan that killed Awan was a victory for the CIA-led drone program at time when relations between Washington and Islamabad are very strained, in part by the missile strikes. It was one of the first drone attacks after a hiatus of some six weeks following a friendly fire incident in which U.S. forces killed 24 Pakistani border troops, nearly leading to a severing of ties with Islamabad.
The drone attacks generate anti-American sentiment inside Pakistan, but have been credited with significantly weakening al-Qaida in one of its global hubs.
For his family, the call came as a final curt word about the fate of a son they had heard little from in over a year.
Awan grew up in the northwestern Pakistani town of Abbottabad, a few kilometers away from the house where Osama bin Laden was slain. His father worked in a bank in Britain in the 70s and then in Abbottabad until he retired a few years ago. His four other sons remain in Britain, where they have prospered ? one is a surgeon, another is a doctor, the third an engineer and the fourth is a banker.
It seems doubtful Awan had any contact with bin Laden in the town. But Awan's background here reinforces a striking association between this well-ordered, wealthy Pakistani army town and al-Qaida militants, which began before bin Laden was killed here in May last year when a team of American commandos flew in from Afghanistan.
Now 75 and recovering from a heart operation, Khushal Khan answered questions Saturday from an Associated Press reporter in the garden of his house, making the most of some winter sun. He defended his son's memory against charges of militancy.
"I don't believe this is true, my son was not indulging in these things," he said. "It can't be correct."
Khan said Awan followed his brothers' footsteps and went to Britain in 2002 on a student visa.
Awan lived in Manchester for four years, during which time he joined a militant cell that aimed to bring Muslims to Pakistan for militant training, according to prosecutors at the time and a British media report. He told his father he was studying at Manchester University, but it's unclear whether he ever graduated.
The cell was headed by a British al-Qaida commander called Rangzieb Ahmed who was captured in Pakistan in 2006 and sent for trial in Britain, where he was sentenced to life in prison for directing terrorism, according to Britain's Daily Telegraph.
A letter he wrote a to a longtime friend and fellow Pakistani, Abdul Rahman, rhapsodized over the "fragrance of blood" from the battlefield of jihad and his commitment to militancy, according to prosecutors in the trial of Rahman, who was sentenced to six years in jail in 2007 for spreading terrorist propaganda in Manchester. It apparently referred to a stint fighting jihad in Afghanistan, but when that occurred is not known.
The judge said then Awan was believed to have left England for Afghanistan.
"Awan was very well connected to known extremists in the UK. It highlights that the threat is still there," said Valentina Soria, a terrorism researcher at the London-based Royal United Services Institute. "This group were not just wannabes, they were active and with links to al-Qaida central."
There are thought to be about 900,000 Pakistani Muslims in England ? many of them living in London and in northern cities. British authorities have said nearly all the plots and attacks on British soil have some connection to Pakistan.
Awan returned to Abbottabad in 2007, around the time that bin Laden was settling in to his large house, though that doesn't mean Awan was in touch with him or any of his couriers. U.S. officials have previously said the al-Qaida leader was cut off from the rest of his network and wasn't meeting other militants for security reasons.
Awan began to associate with Sipah-e-Sahaba, an extremist group that has a political wing as well links to al-Qaida, according to a police officer in the town who knows the family. The officer didn't give his name because he didn't want to be seen as adding to Khan's pain.
Khan said he last saw his son or heard his voice in 2010, when Awan asked for funds to build a house and they fought over the fact he wasn't working.
"That was the point when I had to forcefully ask him to go out earn some money," he said. "But my words hurt him, and he left home with only the clothes he was wearing."
Khan said he initially feared his son had been kidnapped when he didn't return or contact him. But after a few months, Awan called his wife and told her he was in Miran Shah, the largest town in North Waziristan. He said he was running a general store and dealing in second-hand clothes.
Local intelligence officials said Awan was known by the nom de guerre Abdullah Khurasani, and was highly prized in al-Qaida circles because of his education, computer skills and foreign contacts.
Al-Qaida, Taliban and other militants from around the world congregate for training and networking in North Waziristan, and Miran Shah is a key logistical base. The town is too dangerous for reporters to visit, but locals who have traveled there say hundreds of Pakistan and foreign militants live there openly, unmolested other than by the U.S. missile attacks on its outskirts. The Pakistani army says it doesn't have enough resources to launch an operation in the region.
The missile strike program began in earnest in 2009 and has been stepped up by the Obama administration.
Abbottabad is home to the Pakistan army's top military academy and hundreds of officers and soldiers live in what is one of the country's more secure towns. The fact that bin Laden hid there for so long in plain sight triggered intense international suspicions that the military was sheltering him.
Al-Qaida's No. 3, Abu Faraj al-Libi, lived in Abbottabad before his arrest in 2005 elsewhere in northwest Pakistan, American and Pakistani officials have said. Five months prior to the bin Laden raid, Indonesian al-Qaida operative Umar Patek was arrested in the town following the arrest of an al-Qaida courier who worked at the post office.
U.S. officials have said Patek's arrest in Abbottabad was a coincidence.
_____
Brummitt reported from Islamabad. Associated Press reporters Riaz Khan in Peshawar, Ishtiaq Mehsud in Dera Ismail Khan, Zarar Khan in Islamabad and Raphael Satter in London contributed to this story.
JERUSALEM (Reuters) ? Israel condemned the Palestinians' top cleric on Sunday for reciting, at a meeting of the dominant U.S.-backed Fatah faction, a passage from Muslim scripture that called for the killing of Jews.
Preaching on January 9 at a rally marking the 47th anniversary of Fatah's founding, Mufti of Jerusalem Mohammed Hussein read out a Hadith, or traditional text attributed to the Prophet Mohammad.
"The hour of judgment will not come until you fight the Jews," he said. "The Jew will hide behind the stone and behind the tree. The stone and the tree will cry, 'Oh Muslim, Oh Servant of God, this is a Jew behind me, come and kill him'."
The Palestinian Authority denied the sermon constituted a call to arms.
It remained unclear if comments from such a senior cleric would derail efforts to resume exploratory peace talks with Israel, which began this month after more than a year of deadlock over the expansion of Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has argued peacemaking has been blighted by incitement against the Jewish state from some Palestinian officials, said of the mufti's sermon: "This is a very serious offence that all the countries of the world must condemn."
He said he had asked Israel's attorney-general to open a criminal investigation. The Justice Ministry had no immediate comment.
Interviewed by Reuters Television, Hussein described the Hadith as an end-of-times prophesy, not a political precept.
"There is nothing in my speech that calls for killing," he said. "I was speaking about my people, its steadfastness and its existence in this land until the hour (of resurrection)."
Video of the rally circulated by Palestinian Media Watch (PMW), an Israeli watchdog group, showed a man introducing the mufti by saying: "Our war with the descendants of the apes and pigs is a war of religion and faith. Long live Fatah!"
The Koran retells the Exodus story of some Jews rebelling against Moses after their deliverance from bondage, and says God punished them by turning them into pigs and apes.
Palestinian religious affairs minister Mahmoud al-Habash confirmed the details of the rally as they appeared in the PMW video but said: "Our political position remains unchanged. We believe in peace. He (Hussein) was simply quoting a Hadith that talks about destiny, about what could happen in the future."
Israel captured East Jerusalem, including two major mosques that are under the mufti's authority, in the 1967 Middle East war. Israel deems the entire city its capital, a status not recognized abroad, where there is widespread support for the Palestinians' demand to found a state with a capital in East Jerusalem.
On Netanyahu's orders, Israeli police last year detained for questioning two West Bank settler rabbis on suspicion they had encouraged the killing of Arabs. A Justice Ministry spokesman said a decision on prosecuting them was still pending.
(Writing by Dan Williams; Additional reporting by Jihan Abdalla, Roleen Tafakji and Nidal al-Mughrabi; Editing by Douglas Hamilton and Janet Lawrence)
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On January 20, a U.S. District Court struck down several campaign finance restrictions enacted in 1973 by the city of San Diego. Here is the 32-page opinion in Thalheimer v City of San Diego, 09-cv-2862. Probably the most important part of the decision is the deference that the court paid to political parties.
The decision upholds a contribution limit of $500 from individuals to candidates for city office. It also upholds a ban on direct corporate contributions to candidates. But it strikes down a contribution limit of $1,000 from political parties to candidates. The decision explains that parties are intended to represent their members, by aggregating contributions and broadcasting messages more wisely than individual contributors generally could afford to do.? Because parties are large groups of like-minded citizens, they are entitled to a larger contribution limit.
There are other issues in the case. The decision strikes down a law that prevents candidates from contributing to their own campaign more than a year before the election (the city didn?t even try to defend that law), but upholds a law making it illegal for anyone else to make a contribution more than a year before the election. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link.
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip ? Hamas officials say senior members of their exiled leadership will evacuate their families from the group's headquarters in Syria.
Hamas, a militant Islamist Palestinian group, rules the Gaza Strip.
The officials, speaking from Damascus, said Tuesday that the evacuations are in response to the deteriorating security situation in Syria, where President Bashar Assad has been resisting a 10-month uprising.
The officials say the families of three top officials ? Moussa Abu Marzouk, Mohammed Naser and Izzat Risheq ? are set to leave at the end of the month, while the three men will remain in Damascus.
In recent months, Hamas has pulled lower level officials and their families out of Syria.
The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were discussing the inner workings of the secretive group.
PARIS ? France and Spain on Thursday sailed through their first bond market tests since Standard & Poor's downgraded their credit ratings last week, a sign that politicians and central bankers have at least temporarily stemmed the spread of Europe's debt crisis.
Worries about the 17-nation eurozone have receded since the start of the year, with stocks rallying consistently and bond yields ? the rate countries pay to borrow ? sliding.
Analysts warn, however, that those gains may simply be riding an absence of bad news ? a looming recession could hinder efforts to slash deficits while Greece depends on a deal with banks to avoid a disastrous default this spring.
Spain and France held successful short-term debt auctions earlier in the week. Spain's success is at least partially thanks to the European Central Bank's massive injection of cheap money into the financial sector in December and its regular purchases of Spanish and Italian debt.
But the latest auctions on Thursday were for longer-term bonds and were considered the first real tests of confidence in those countries.
Both easily hit their targets thanks to strong demand, while the borrowing rates fell, an indication investors are still happy to invest in them and have largely shrugged off S&P's decision to downgrade nine eurozone countries because of concerns over Europe's ability to get a grip on the crisis.
The auction results also boosted confidence in the region's banks, particularly those that are heavily exposed to bonds in countries like Greece and Italy.
Shares in France's Societe Generale soared 12 percent, Italy's UniCredit 11 percent and Deutsche Bank 8 percent. Germany's Commerzbank jumped 12 percent after it said it would be able to increase its capital cushions without government help.
Despite the raft of good news, Howard Wheeldon, an analyst with BGC Partners, warned that "time is running out" to find a true solution to Europe's problems, which he said lies only with increased support in bond markets from the European Central Bank. The bank has intervened only in limited ways, saying its mandate does not allow it to go on the kind of bond-buying spree that the U.S. Federal Reserve has, for instance.
"The solution to Europe's crisis must come through partner agreement that enables the European Central Bank to be given a proper mandate to act," he said. "Meanwhile all that Europe has essentially agreed so far is what in air traffic parlance would be regarded as achieving a holding pattern."
Greece's ability to avoid default is one of the main unresolved issues.
The Greek government this week restarted debt negotiations with its private creditors to persuade them to take at least 50 percent losses on their Greek bonds.
The talks had faltered recently but will need to produce a deal if Greece is to avoid default this spring ? the European countries ponying up the money for bailout loans have said they won't make up the difference.
Greece is in a unique situation because it's clear it can never pay back all the money it owes, and so is asking banks to forgive some of its debt.
A rise in government borrowing rates has been at the heart of Europe's debt crisis, and three countries ? Greece, Ireland and Portugal ? have been forced to seek bailout loans to avoid bankruptcy when they could no longer afford to raise money in markets.
There had been concerns last summer that Spain and Italy would be the next to be squeezed out of markets and that the crisis would then knock at France's door. Pressure has eased considerably since then, but Spain is still struggling with a swollen deficit and eurozone-high 21.5 percent unemployment rate.
The yield on Spain's 10-year bonds hit nearly 7 percent late last year, while Italy's traded well above that level, before an ECB bond-buying program helped to drive them down. Changes of government in both Madrid and Rome have also helped restore confidence in the countries' ability to pass reforms and reactivate their ailing economies.
On Thursday, Spain's Treasury raised euro6.6 billion ($8.5 billion) from markets, much more than its initial aim of between euro3.5 billion and euro4.5 billion, in debt maturing in 2016, 2019 and 2022.
The interest rate on the 10-year bonds was 5.40 percent, down from 5.54 percent in the last such auction in December, while demand was 2.2 times the amount on offer.
France's situation is far less serious than Spain's but as the eurozone's second-largest economy any hint that it is struggling to fund itself would be disastrous for market confidence in the euro. Last year, the benchmark yield on its 10-year bonds rose to near 4 percent, almost twice Germany's.
But the new year has brought that rate down closer to 3 percent and on Thursday, France easily sold euro9.5 billion ($12.2 billion) in bonds.
The interest rates on the two-year, three-year, four-year and 10-year bonds the Treasury sold all fell significantly. The rate on 30-year inflation-linked bonds held steady.
Though S&P's downgrade hasn't had a big impact in the markets, the loss of the AAA rating was a severe blow to France's self-image and is shaping up to be a major factor in presidential elections this spring.
President Nicolas Sarkozy's government has brushed it off as only a minor setback and noted that the other two major agencies have maintained France's AAA.
"In these circumstances, the only solution is calm, distance, courage, the courage to make decisions," Sarkozy told business leaders Thursday. "It's not the agencies that make state policy."
But the opposition Socialists, whose candidate Francois Hollande is leading polls, have been using it as a rallying cry, saying it reflects the failure of Sarkozy's policies.
___
Sylvie Corbet in Lyon, France, Daniel Woolls in Madrid and Derek Gatapoulos in Athens contributed to this report.
Normally, when I visit Paseo, a Caribbean lunch joint in Seattle, I order their Cuban Press: a hot pressed sandwich of smoked ham, swiss cheese, tender roasted pork, pickled jalapenos, and caramelized onions. So blissfully good I drool just thinking about it. The caramelized onions alone are reason enough to visit Paseo. In fact, they even have a sandwich called the Onion Obsession: a generous serving of those caramelized onions on a toasted baguette with aioli and pickled jalapenos. I?d never tried the onions alone and decided, on my last visit to Seattle over the holidays, to give it a shot. I?d been thinking about Paseo?s onions for a while, actually, and when I placed my order, I did my best to pry the secret from the guy working the register.
?So, what kind of onions do you use on your sandwiches anyway?? I asked casually.
He replied that they use Walla Walla Sweets. This came as no great surprise because Walla Walla, Washington is just a few hours from Seattle. What I didn?t understand, though, was how they managed to cook the onions so perfectly.
?And how is it possible that the onions are so tender, and plump, and juicy too? They?re the best caramelized onions I?ve ever had,? I said.
?Well, first we blanch them.?
"Really? I?d never thought to blanch onions before caramelizing them.?
?Yes. Then we start them really early in the morning and spend all day??
Perhaps I looked overly eager. In any case, the man broke off, becoming suspicious. He told me that Paseo guards the secret of their caramelized onions very closely, and no matter how I pleaded with him after that, I could get no more information.
I enjoyed my sandwich nonetheless, meditating all the while on the perfect preparation of the onions; I decided that when I returned to Missouri, I would spend all day in the kitchen if I had to until I was able to get the onions right. And I did (spend nearly all day, that is).
I tried blanching them whole and then slicing them (too slimy). I tried slicing and then blanching (easier). I tried baking them at low temperatures for hours (too watery) and cooking them at low temperatures on the stovetop (better). In the end, I was pleased with my re-creation of the sandwich. It wasn?t a perfect match, but it was extremely good. I didn?t get fancy enough to pickle any jalapenos, and I went with a yogurt sauce rather than aioli, because Gordy has an aversion to mayonnaise.
MY KNOCK-OFF CARAMELIZED ONION SANDWICH (serves 4)
For sandwich: 4 very large Walla Walla or other sweet onions 2 tablespoons butter 3 tablespoons olive oil 1 baguette Sliced Swiss cheese Spinach, green leaf lettuce, or other green of your choice One bunch fresh cilantro
For sauce: ? cup plain yogurt ? very ripe, large avocado 2 teaspoons lime juice ? teaspoon ground cumin 1 jalapeno pepper, partially seeded (seed completely if you don?t like spice) and coarsely chopped 1-2 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped salt and pepper to taste
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a rapid boil. While you wait for the water to boil, peel the onions, chop off the roots, and cut a small portion from the side of each onion to give it a flat surface (to prevent rolling while you slice). Lay each onion on the flat side and cut it crosswise into ?-inch slices. (Each slice should reveal concentric rings). Place the sliced onion in the boiling water and blanch for about 3 minutes. Drain.
Heat a very large skillet (or two medium skillets) over medium-low heat. Add butter and olive oil. Add onions and a pinch of salt and stir to evenly distribute oil and butter. Cover the pan. The onions should cook for about an hour. For the first half hour or so, it?s fine to only stir the onions occasionally. Further along in the cooking process however, the onions will begin to brown, and you?ll have to stir them more frequently to prevent burning. Once onions are an even, golden brown (see photo), they?re ready.
Meanwhile, you can make the sauce: place all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend for about a minute, until sauce is completely smooth.
Cut baguette into four equal lengths. Slice each in half, butter the inside, and lay 1-2 slices of cheese on the open face. Broil the sandwiches for five minutes, or until cheese is completely melted and edges of sandwich begin to brown. Remove sandwiches from broiler, top with lettuce. Divide sauce evenly among the four sandwiches. Top each with a generous portion of the caramelized onions. Sprinkle cilantro over top. Enjoy!
The City of Warner Robins will entertain a pitch to buy a second golf course.
Mayor Chuck Shaheen said city leaders will meet Wednesday with the owners of the Landings Golf Club to talk about the possibility of buying it.
The course is located off Highway 247 in the Statham's Landing neighborhood. It is an up-scale, golfing community in Houston County. It is owned by the Landings Investment Group, LLC.
According to a public notice, it was supposed to go up for public auction Jan. 3rd at the Houston County Courthouse, but the Atlanta attorney for the bank holding the club's loan, Andrew Matteson, said the Landings Investment Group filed bankruptcy before the auction date.
The public notice valued the property at $2.5 million.
Matteson says the LLC filed for bankruptcy before the foreclosure process could take place.
According to Houston County tax records, the group owes more than $104,838.12 in personal property taxes, which would include taxes on golf carts and other equipment used at the course. They also owe $3,739.09 in property taxes.
Shaheen said he agreed to meet with the owners to hear their sales pitch Wednesday, but doesn't think the city needs two golf courses.
He said it's a possibility that the city could sell the International City Golf Course. Then, buy The Landings course in hopes of turning a profit.
Shaheen said the loan on the International City Golf is paid-off.
The Landings CEO Ed Wolfe has not returned 13WMAZ's call for comment.
City council members said they planned to attend Wednesday's meeting to hear the pitch, but could not comment further, because they did not know the details.
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Public release date: 26-Jan-2012
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