Apple's request to block Samsung Galaxy tablet, phone sales in the US is denied

As the legal drama between Apple and Samsung drags on around the world, US District Court Judge has rejected Apple's request to block the sales of Galaxy devices. Reuters reports the ruling came out late Friday, with the judge deciding "It is not clear that an injunction on Samsung's accused devices would prevent Apple from being irreparably harmed,". This isn't the first rejection for the folks from Cupertino either, after a request to speed up the trial was also denied back in July. The case itself will of course go on, but this means you'll still be able to get your hands on those Galaxy Tabs, Galaxy S IIs, and the like in the meantime.

Update: While Apple has yet to comment on the ruling, Samsung has issued an official statement which you can check out after the break.

Update 2: Feel like thumbing through the entire 65 page ruling? FOSS Patents has posted the entire document on Scribd, you'll find it embedded after the break.

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85-year-old says she was strip searched at JFK (Providence Journal)

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South African debuts AIDS film on World AIDS Day (AP)

JOHANNESBURG ? A film opening on World AIDS Day Thursday that mixes live action and animation is taking viewers inside a soccer player's body, showing how he becomes infected with HIV and spreads the virus.

The cast and characters are Kenyan, Nigerian and South African ? which producers hope will help the movie travel across the continent hardest hit by the disease. The pull of soccer, which has a unique power to unite Africans, also should help.

Harriet Gavshon, a producer who worked on "Inside Story: The Science of HIV/AIDS," said the "toxic combination" of death and sex still makes it difficult for people to discuss AIDS.

"You have to constantly find new ways of trying to talk about it," she said.

The 90-minute film, aimed at viewers from their mid-teens and up, is a co-production of Johannesburg's Curious Pictures and an international development program sponsored by the U.S. reality and educational TV company Discovery.

Thursday's premiere at a Johannesburg multiplex will be followed by a U.S. debut in January in Washington and one in Nigeria later next year.

Aric Noboa, president of Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership, said they hope to broadcast the film and distribute DVDS, along with booklets to help guide community leaders in conducting post-film discussions.

Films, TV and radio shows, newspaper ads and billboards can get conversations started. But experts at loveLife, a group that has pioneered a range of programs to teach young South Africans about AIDS, say changing behavior requires keeping the dialogue going long enough for lifesaving messages to sink in.

It appears, though, that messages are getting across in South Africa, at least to young people targeted by projects like "Inside Story." Results released this week from a South African health ministry survey found that infections among 15- to 24-year-olds had dropped from 23.1 percent in 2001 to 21.8 percent in 2010.

But across all age groups, infections are creeping up, and this country of 50 million that has more people ? at least 5.5 million ? living with HIV than in any other country.

The focus on prevention may be becoming even more important. The cost of treatment is increasing as more people test and go on drugs, and efforts to find a cure or vaccine are advancing slowly and fitfully.

According to a U.N. report released on the eve of World AIDS Day, funding for HIV programs dropped from $15.9 billion in 2009 to $15 billion in 2010, well below the estimated $22 billion to $24 billion the U.N. says is needed in 2015 for a comprehensive global response. The report cited the global economic crisis and concerns about the sustainability of the AIDS response, given the increasing costs of treatment and prevention.

Last week, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria declared it had run out of money to pay for new health programs in the next two years. The fund currently pays for AIDS drugs for about half of the world's HIV patients in developing countries.

It took five years and $2 million ? raised from the U.S. and South African governments, the U.N. AIDS agency and other donors ? to put together "Inside Story."

Since 1997, Discovery Channel Global Education Partnership has been getting educational TV to impoverished communities. Noboa said "Inside Story" grew out of requests from teachers in Africa and elsewhere for more information about AIDS.

The problem is confounded in South Africa by years of misinformation from a president, Thabo Mbeki, who questioned the link between HIV and AIDS, and a health minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, who promoted a "treatment" of beets and garlic.

"I think the issues that were part and parcel of the Mbeki era are still there, they still linger on," said Dr. Dave Spencer, a program director at Right to Care, which provides treatment for thousands of HIV-positive South Africans.

A doctor can prescribe AIDS medication and see a patient grow stronger and healthier. Campaigners trying to change the behavior that leads to infection can never be sure their message is getting across.

"It's so hard to know where exactly we are in the fight," said the director of "Inside Story," Rolie Nikiwe. "It's a frustrating fight, but it's one that needs to be fought."

___

AP Medical Writer Maria Cheng contributed to this report from London.

____

Donna Bryson can be reached on http://twitter.com/dbrysonAP

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/movies/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20111201/ap_on_en_mo/af_south_africa_aids_movie

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DNC Discrimination Against Non-Union Business Challenged By ...

Several weeks ago, I told you the story of John Monteith, a Charlotte, NC business executive that had been told his company could not bid on work related to the Democratic National Convention because the printing firm he worked for was not unionized.

The person that John spoke to is an executive on the?Charlotte in 2012 Host Committee?who are central to the planning of the convention and how things will operate in Charlotte. ?There are only a handful of executive members of this committee, but John refrained from naming anyone specific. ?Ultimately, which one it is may not matter. ?What does matter is how the conversation went. ?According to John, he approached this person to see why he couldn?t get any traction with the committee.

They responded by asking him, ?John, are you a union shop?? ?When John told him he was not, the Committee member told him, ?We were just told that we cannot accept bids unless they are from companies that are unionized.?

In fact, the union pressures surrounding the DNC are so great that there have been doubts that non-union employees will even have a job during the week the Democrats descend on the Queen City.

The mayor ?of Charlotte, Anthony Foxx, denied that any discrimination existed against non-union shops. ?The Convention?s host committee denied it as well.

?The notion that the Host Committee will only allow unionized firms to bid is categorically untrue,? said Committee for Charlotte 2012 Executive Director Dan Murrey in an emailed statement. ?The Committee for Charlotte 2012 encourages all firms to submit proposals for goods and services. The Committee works to have an inclusive procurement process in which all firms are welcome to bid.?

The Convention Host Committee promptly followed up this denial by awarding the print contract?to a D.C. company that boasts ?3,000 union employee workers? and will only work with companies that are governed by collective bargaining according to their own website.

It?s pretty clear that whoever told John he was wasting his time was telling the truth. ?A quick glance at the Convention?s master contract proves that.

15.2.?Printed material. To the extent permitted by law, any printed material supplied by
the Host Committee?shall be provided by a firm or firms covered by union collective bargaining
agreements.?[emphasis mine]

The problem is, unions only make up about 3.2% of the work force in North Carolina and almost certainly don?t cover every type of work needed for the convention. ?Evidently printing was not unionized locally so they had to run to D.C. rather than hire a local shop.

But the continuing evidence that discrimination against non-unionized companies is in black and white throughout their contract. ?For instance:

17.1. Use of union labor. To the extent permitted by law, to the extent, if any, such labor is available in the region, and except as otherwise expressly agreed by the DNCC, all services, goods, equipment, supplies and materials to be provided or procured by the Host Committee hereunder shall be performed or supplied by firms covered by current union collective bargaining agreements with the unions which have jurisdiction for the work or services to be performed. [emphasis mine]

You may notice that their only reference to ensuring the business is awarded locally is in the instance that there is a union with jurisdiction in the area.

You see, while the DNC has been kowtowing to the needs of non-local companies that have collective bargaining contracts in place negotiated by Democrat donors, North Carolina has a 10.5% unemployment rate and Charlotte alone has an 11.2% unemployment rate.

Luckily, as one local newspaper put it, ?Conservative blogs and the N.C. Republican Party are fueling concerns.? ?Those concerns have led to a resolution proposed by NC lawmakers [text below] asking that the DNC respects North Carolina?s right-to-work laws and puts the focus on local business, not collective bargaining.

It?s a non-binding resolution, which as far as resolutions go, is my least favorite kind. ?However, there are rumors circulating that there is more to come as, much to Mayor Foxx?s chagrin, this story refuses to go away quietly in spite of his recent electoral victory

The Democrats decided to come to Charlotte, NC to capitalize on their victory in the ?08 elections which caused the previously red state to go blue. ?What they don?t get and probably never will, is that you don?t win over the voters in a red state by pretending to be on their side. ?You win them over by actually being on their side. ?This is something that is impossible for their party as long as less than 3% of the dwindling workforce in the state take priority over everyone else simply because lobbyists are shoveling money at them.

Charlotte businesses aren?t looking for a handout. ?They?re happy to win the work honestly through competition. ?To borrow a phrase: ?We don?t want it all; we just want to feel like we?re getting our share.?

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2011

HOUSE RESOLUTION 151
PROPOSED COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE H151-PCS11270-LB-108

A HOUSE RESOLUTION ASKING THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY TO RELY ON NORTH CAROLINA COMPANIES AND WORKERS FOR THE DEMOCRATIC NATIONAL CONVENTION IN 2012.

Whereas, the Democratic National Convention for 2012 is being held in Charlotte; and

Whereas, North Carolina?s largest city expects more than 40,000 delegates, media representatives, and visitors for this event; and

Whereas, this event will provide a considerable economic boost to the city, particularly as the unemployment rate in Charlotte is 11.2%, two points higher than the national average; and

Whereas, the unemployment rate in the State of North Carolina is 10.5%, nearly two points higher than the national average; and

Whereas, it is estimated that the presence of the Democratic National Convention will generate over $160 million in revenue; and

Whereas, the City is already starting to undertake significant fund-raising and infrastructure activity in preparation for this event

Whereas, the City of Charlotte has already raised nearly $60 million in funding to help bring the event to North Carolina; and

Whereas, despite the high unemployment rates in Charlotte, in Mecklenburg County, and throughout the State of North Carolina, the Democratic National Convention Committee is outsourcing contracts to vendors outside of the State because it prefers to do business with unionized companies only; and

Whereas, there have been reports in the media of Charlotte-based companies being refused contracts and the Democratic National Convention awarding a printing services contract to a unionized company based in Washington, D.C.; and

Whereas, North Carolina is a right-to-work state; and

Whereas, the City of Charlotte should not bear the financial and infrastructure burden of the convention if a significant portion of the revenue goes to out-of-state firms because they are unionized; Now, therefore

Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:

SECTION 1. The North Carolina House of Representatives urges the Democratic Party to rely on North Carolina companies and workers for its contracts leading up to and during the 2012 Democratic National Convention, particularly those based in the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County metropolitan area, and urges the Democratic National Convention Committee to change its rules to respect North Carolina?s right-to-work laws and refrain from hiring workers and companies from outside the State of North Carolina when qualified business and workers are available within the State.

SECTION 2. The Principal Clerk of the House of Representatives shall send a certified copy of this resolution to each member of the North Carolina congressional delegation and to the North Carolina members of the Democratic National Committee.

SECTION 3. This resolution is effective upon adoption.

?

Source: http://www.redstate.com/aglanon/2011/11/29/dnc-discrimination-against-non-union-business-challenged-by-nc-lawmakers/

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Southern California Close-Ups: Pasadena and environs

It's 1922 and nothing much is up in Pasadena. Not among the orange groves, not along the leafy streets. Just as the little old ladies like it.

But wait. Down in the Arroyo Seco, a crew has just started putting up some kind of stadium. On Pepper Street, Mallie Robinson's 3-year-old son may already be showing signs of amazing athleticism. Over at Polytechnic School, a tall 10-year-old named Julia McWilliams is developing the taste and aplomb that will make her America's best-known chef.

That's right, the Rose Bowl, Jackie Robinson and Julia Child all came up in supposedly sleepy Pasadena around the same time, and 90 years later, this remains a useful reminder: This western edge of the San Gabriel Valley and the area near it can fool you. Beyond the stillness at the Huntington Library, Art Collections and Botanical Gardens, behind all those handsome old Craftsman facades, there's no telling what the restless minds and bodies of this valley will come up with next. Earthquake measures. Exploding dumplings.

Begin your own explorations with these 10 micro-itineraries for Pasadena and its environs. This is the 11th installment in our yearlong series of Southern California Close-ups (the others are at latimes.com/socalcloseups). We will wind up the year on Christmas with a look at Hollywood.

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1. Greene, Greene and greenery

Colorado Street Bridge (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

To see why the Arroyo Seco is so central to the Pasadena state of mind, join the early-morning dog-walkers for some vigorous striding along South Arroyo Boulevard near Arbor Street, where grand old trees tower above grand old houses. On your way in and out, look up at the stylish old U.S. courthouse (125 S. Grand Ave.) and imagine when it was the Vista del Arroyo Hotel or, before that, Emma Bangs' boardinghouse. You won't be able to miss the 1912-13 Colorado Street Bridge, better known among locals as "Suicide Bridge" for reasons you can imagine. Now, for a closer look at Craftsman style ? woodsy buildings, art glass, plenty of tile and bricks but no Victorian fussiness ? step into the iconic Gamble House (4 Westmoreland Place), designed by Charles and Henry Greene in 1908. It opens for tours four days a week and has a great bookshop in the garage. From nearby sidewalks, you can also see the 1901 Charles Sumner Greene House (368 Arroyo Terrace); the 1906 Cole House (2 Westmoreland Place); the 1909 Hindry House (781 Prospect Blvd.) and Frank Lloyd Wright's 1923 La Miniatura, which looks like a Mayan jungle temple (645 Prospect Crescent).

---

2. Rodin, Rembrandt, Simon & Co

Norton Simon Museum (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

For a lot of top-notch art in a small place, you can't beat the Norton Simon Museum (411 W. Colorado Blvd.). It begins out front with "The Burghers of Calais," Rodin's 1884 bronze celebration of heroic yet human politicians (yes, you read that right). It continues inside with a murderers' row of European and Asian artists, including Rembrandt, Van Gogh and Hiroshige. Then there's the handsome garden and pond in back. For a salad, sandwich or dessert, zip west across the Colorado Street Bridge to Little Flower Candy Co. (1424 W. Colorado Blvd.). Feeling renewed? Head about a mile east to the Pacific Asia Museum (46 N. Los Robles Ave.) or the Pasadena Museum of California Art (490 E. Union St.), which stand around the corner from each other.

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3. Old bricks, national chains, nightly jazz

Colorado Boulevard (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)

In Old Pasadena, scads of national chains occupy the historic facades along Colorado Boulevard, and sidewalks are filled with pedestrians day and night. To find homegrown merchants and eateries, check the old brick alleys and side streets or sign onto a Melting Pot Food Tour (www.meltingpottours.com). Don't miss the kid-friendly public art in alleys and the courtyard of the One Colorado complex. For more art, see the Armory Center for the Arts (145 N. Raymond Ave.). For dinner and conversation, try Green Street Tavern (69 W. Green St.). For live jazz, Red White + Bluezz Jazz Club (70 S. Raymond Ave.). For a lively meal in a wonderfully transformed train station, duck into La Grande Orange (a.k.a. the LGO Station Caf?, 260 S. Raymond Ave.), which neighbors a working Metro train stop. Distant Lands (20 S. Raymond Ave.) will sell you travel books, and farther east on Colorado Boulevard, Vroman's (695 E. Colorado Blvd.), which dates to the 1890s, will sell you "Hometown Pasadena" (an excellent guidebook) or just about any other book. The nearby Pasadena Playhouse (revived by bankruptcy reorganization in 2010) stands in an atmospheric 1920s building at 39 S. El Molino Ave. For caffeine and Mexico-boho atmosphere, there's its neighbor, the Zona Rosa Caffe (15 S. El Molino Ave.).

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4. The bowl, the market, the path

Rose Bowl (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Now nearing 90, the Rose Bowl is in the middle of a renovation, but the sports continue. Besides hosting the Rose Bowl football game every January, the stadium is home field for UCLA football. And on the second Sunday of each month, the Rose Bowl Flea Market materializes with its antler lamps, dial telephones, amateur art and vintage fishing poles. It'll cost you at least $8 to get in (they said flea, not free), but it is epic. Meanwhile, the surrounding Brookside Park draws legions of runners, walkers and cyclists, who circle a path of three-plus miles. Nearby you'll find Kidspace (480 N. Arroyo Blvd.), a participatory museum for children.

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5. Shopping, splurging and the synchrotron

Langham Hotel (Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times)

Shopping South Lake Avenue is like surfing: Someone is going to tell you how much better it was before you came. And life was certainly good in the '90s, when retailers thrived and the Huntington hotel and Ritz-Carlton were linked. But now is not bad. The former Ritz, now the Langham Huntington Pasadena (1401 S. Oak Knoll Ave.), stands on 23 genteel acres and specializes in spa indulgences and twinkling holiday decorations. Its fancy restaurant, reborn as Royce in late 2010, has gotten strong reviews, and overnight rates sometimes drop below $200. Your shopping starts with the old Bullock's building (401 S. Lake Ave.), a 1947 Streamline Moderne landmark that now holds Macy's. The neighbors include Orvis (345 S. Lake Ave., No. 102) for fly-fishers, Anthropologie (340 S. Lake Ave.) for teens and Ten Thousand Villages (567 S. Lake Ave.) for buyers of fair-trade art and crafts. Leave time for zucchini bread at Green Street Restaurant (146 S. Shopper's Lane) or the nouveau cafeteria cuisine of Lemonade (146 S. Lake Ave.). Then walk off the calories amid the fountains and arches of the Caltech campus (1200 E. California Blvd.; Olive Walk tour searchable at http://www.caltech.edu), where the Richter scale was born. To fit in, tell people you still miss the synchrotron, a machine for accelerating electrons. It was dismantled in 1970.)

Source: http://www.latimes.com/travel/la-tr-socalcloseups-20111127,0,739259.story?track=rss

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Winners and Losers of the Deficit Supercommittee Deadlock (Time.com)

Jim Lo Scalzo / EPA

Democratic Senate Majority Leader from Nevada Harry Reid talks to reporters about Supercommittee negotiations after the Democrat's weekly leadership lunch in Washington, Nov. 8, 2011.

With the deficit supercommittee charged with finding $1.2 trillion in savings teetering on the brink of failure, Washington is embroiled in a high stakes round of recriminations. Depending on whom you listen to, everyone?s to blame and everyone?s blameless. Three months closer to an election year, Congress is proving every bit as dysfunctional as it was during the debt ceiling deal that created the supercommittee in August, and looming primaries ? both presidential and congressional ? have put bipartisan compromise even farther out of reach. Really, there should be no shock that the committee has failed ? there were too many people who stood to benefit from its demise.

(MORE: In a Tea Party Universe, Visions of Supercommittee Success)

Congressional incumbents: If you?re, say, Senator Jon Tester, a Montana Democrat who has a tough reelection test ahead of him next November, what incentive would you have to vote for entitlement cuts, which would risk the support Native American tribes, seniors, lower income voters ? the trifecta of constituents that are pivotal to winning statewide in Montana. On the flip side, if you?re, say, Rep. Paul Gosar, an Arizona Republican freshman of the Tea Party persuasion, voting for increased revenue could leave you open not just to a primary challenge, but also vulnerable to a conservative Democrat in the general election. Ultimately, the political calculus was against any deal, and any member of Congress facing a close race can breathe a sigh of relief now that the supercommittee has deadlocked.

Congressional challengers: That said, new candidates for office have also been given a gift. Congress?s approval rating is near record lows and the supercommittee?s failure only serves to underline the hamstrung legislative process and the fact that those in office right now probably aren?t the ones who are going to fix it.

Democrats: As I noted?the day after the debt ceiling agreement, that deal wasn?t terrible for Democrats. Not only did they settle the 2012 budget with just $7 billion in non-defense discretionary cuts, but the likelihood of a supercommittee deadlock all but assured that Congress would pass tax reform in late 2012 or at the beginning of 2013. Democrats have long sought to raise revenue through tax reform without having to cut entitlement benefits, and now they will likely get their wish. The consequence of the supercommittee?s failure is that $1.2 trillion in cuts will automatically happen in January 2013, not coincidentally at the same time George W. Bush?s tax cuts expire. Those two events will create powerful incentives for tax reform.

(MORE: Amid Supercommittee Wranlging, Tax Reform Gains Momentum)

President Obama: On his tour of Asia, Obama wisely stayed about as far away as he could get from the supercommittee train wreck. After getting burned by being too close to the debt ceiling negotiations, Obama learned his lesson and let Congress embarrass itself. The supercommittee?s failure to reach an agreement only helps his strategy of running against Congress, as Harry Truman did in 1948. Now, he can spend the next year blaming congressional dysfunction for the country?s woes.

Americans for Tax Reform?s Grover Norquist: The deadlock proves his power to hold GOP politicians to his anti-tax pledge is as potent as ever. For all the stories about how Norquist was done and how lawmakers were finding ways around it, Republicans? fear of raising new revenue and crossing Norquist was one of the biggest contributing factors to the committee?s failure.

(MORE: When Grover Norquist Says ?Jump??)

Still, the supercommittee?s impending failure will not be without its casualties.

House freshmen: Whether this debacle was their fault or not, the new, largely Republicans class elected in 2010 has come to represent the congressional logjam and they are suffering for it. They are already running into fundraising trouble?and House Democrats outraised their GOP counterparts nearly two-to-one last month. Passing a bipartisan deal that satisfied the markets and reduced the deficit could?ve done wonders to reform their obstructionist image. Alas, it was not to be. So, while running for reelection having raised taxes would?ve been hard, this group is doubly screwed as they also bear the blunt of the blame for the sorry state of affairs.

The American people: Deficits remain a great threat to national security, as Mike Mullen, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, once put it. The committee?s failure risks a stock market dive amid a widening European crisis and another potential downgrade of America?s bond rating status. Small business lending could get tougher?because of this debacle, the recession could drag out and unemployment could continue to stagnate. There are probably a dozen more winners and losers that I could name on the political spectrum. But the fact of the matter is, whatever short-term political gains anyone gets out of this, in the long run the American people lose.

(MORE: The Generational Divide That Will Define 2012)

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