Thursday, January 24, 2013

Netflix lost $105 million on international streaming business in Q4 ...







- ABRAXANE m?s gemcitabine demostr? unos resultados estad?stica y cl?nicamente significativos en los criterios primarios y secundarios y en subgrupos de pacientes

- Los pacientes de ABRAXANE m?s gemcitabine mostraron un 59% m?s de opci?n de supervivencia en el a?o uno; las tasas de supervivencia se duplicaron en dos a?os

- Un nuevo est?ndar de cuidado para pacientes con c?ncer pancre?tico avanzado

- Presentaci?n oral prevista para el viernes, 25 de enero en el Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium Annual Meeting de ASCO

MELBOURNE, Australia, 24 de enero de 2013 /PRNewswire/ ? La compa??a biofarmac?utica australiana Specialised Therapeutics Australia anuncia que un ensayo cl?nico de fase III del f?rmaco l?der para el c?ncer de mama ABRAXANE? (nanoparticle albumin-bound paclitaxel) en combinaci?n con el actual est?ndar de cuidado gemcitabine en pacientes con c?ncer pancre?tico avanzado ha demostrado un tiempo de supervivencia sustancialmente mejorado, con una tasa de supervivencia de dos a?os del doble de pacientes.(1)

La investigaci?n MPACT (Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Clinical Trial) implic? a 861 pacientes que no hab?an recibido tratamiento previo internacionalmente. ?

Los investigadores descubrieron que los pacientes tratados con ABRAXANE m?s gemcitabine tuvieron una mejora estad?sticamente significativa en la supervivencia general en comparaci?n con pacientes que recibieron solo gemcitabine [(media de 8,5 vs. 6,7 meses) (HR 0,72, P=0,000015)].(1)

Adem?s, ABRAXANE m?s gemcitabine demostr? un aumento del 59% en la supervivencia al a?o (35% vs. 22%, p=0,0002) y demostr? duplicar la tasa de supervivencia a los dos a?os (9% vs. 4%, p=0,02) en comparaci?n con solo gemcitabine.(1)

ABRAXANE m?s gemcitabine tambi?n demostr? mejoras estad?sticamente significativas en criterios secundarios clave comparados con solo gemcitabine, incluyendo una reducci?n del 31% en el riesgo de progresi?n o muerte con una supervivencia sin progresi?n (PFS) media de 5,5 vs. 3,7 meses (HR 0,69, P=0,000024) y una tasa de respuesta general (ORR) del 23% en comparaci?n con el 7% (ratio de la tasa de respuesta de 3,19, p=1,1 x 10-10).? Otro criterio evaluado incluy? tiempo para el fallo del tratamiento, que se mejor? significativamente con la combinaci?n de ABRAXANE en comparaci?n con solo gemcitabine [(media de 5,1 vs. 3,6 meses) (HR 0,70, P<0,0001)].(1)

?Las ?ltimas d?cadas nos han tra?do muy pocos avances de tratamiento para pacientes con c?ncer pancre?tico avanzado, que es mortal o incre?blemente dif?cil de tratar con ?xito?, dijo Daniel D. Von Hoff , M.D., F.A.C.P., investigador principal del estudio MPACT y director cient?fico para Scottsdale Healthcare?s Virginia G. Piper Cancer Centre Clinical Trials y m?dico jefe de TGen. ?El hecho de que ABRAXANE m?s gemcitabine demostrase un beneficio de supervivencia general y tambi?n lo hiciera en uno y dos a?os, es un importante paso hacia delante en ofrecer una nueva esperanza para nuestros pacientes?.

El profesor John Zalcberg,?director m?dico y director ejecutivo de medicina para el c?ncer en el Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre en Melbourne, dijo que la evidencia respaldaba fuertemente el uso de ABRAXANE en combinaci?n con gemcitabine como un nuevo est?ndar de cuidado para tratar a los pacientes adecuados, muchos de los cuales no estaban diagnosticados hasta que la enfermedad era metast?sica.

Aunque se reconoce que este avance no se ver?a como una cura para el c?ncer pancre?tico, el profesor Zalcberg dijo que el aumento del 59% en el n?mero de pacientes que viv?an m?s de 12 meses era muy alentador. ?

?Estamos muy animados por los resultados de este estudio sobre ABRAXANE y vemos este resultado como una importante revoluci?n en t?rminos de tratamiento futuro de esta enfermedad?, dijo.

?Adem?s de tratar a mujeres con c?ncer de mama metast?sico con ABRAXANE en el entorno adecuado, esperamos su aprobaci?n en Australia para tratar a pacientes con c?ncer pancre?tico avanzado?.

El consejero delegado de Specialised Therapeutics Australia (STA), Carlo Montagner dijo que los datos positivos abrieron el camino para los pacientes australianos con c?ncer pancre?tico avanzado para acceder a opciones de tratamiento m?s efectivas.

?En Australia, el c?ncer pancre?tico es la cuarta causa m?s com?n de muerte por c?ncer para hombres y mujeres(2) y existen muy pocas opciones de tratamiento para este grupo de pacientes. Estamos extremadamente satisfechos por haber demostrado que ABRAXANE es capaz de prolongar la supervivencia de pacientes con c?ncer pancre?tico avanzado y esperamos que ABRAXANE se apruebe por la Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) en la segunda mitad de 2014?, coment?.

Los efectos secundarios relacionados con el tratamiento de grado ? 3 m?s comunes en el estudio de ABRAXANE m?s gemcitabine vs. gemcitabine solo fueron neutropenia (38% vs. 27%), fatiga (17% vs. 7%) y neuropat?a (17% vs. 1%).? En el brazo de ABRAXANE m?s gemcitabine, el tiempo medio de mejora de la neuropat?a fue de 29 d?as. No hubo diferencia en la toxicidad como amenaza grave para la vida (4% en cada brazo).(1)

Otros detalles del estudio se destacar?n en una presentaci?n oral por el doctor Daniel D. Von Hoff :

  • Abstract: LBA #148: Resultados finales de un estudio de fase III aleatorio de nab-paclitaxel semanal m?s gemcitabine frente a gemcitabine solo en pacientes con adenocarcinoma metast?tico de p?ncreas. El viernes 25 de enero entre las 2:00 y las 3:30 pm PST en el American Society of Clinical Oncology?s (ASCO) 2013 Gastrointestinal Cancers Symposium en San Francisco, CA.

Estos resultados pertenecen a un estudio investigacional. ABRAXANE no est? aprobado para el tratamiento del c?ncer pancre?tico avanzado. Tras la revisi?n y aprobaci?n TGA, STA buscar? tener ABRAXANE incluido en el Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) para el reembolso de ABRAXANE para el c?ncer pancre?tico avanzado. ?

Acerca del estudio MPACT (1)

En el ensayo MPACT (Metastatic Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma Clinical Trial) un ensayo internacional patrocinado por Celgene, abierto, controlado y aleatorio, 861 pacientes con c?ncer de p?ncreas matast?tico fueron tratados de forma aleatoria con ABRAXANE mas gemcitabina (125 mg/m2 y luego 1000 mg/m2 gemcitabina durante 3 semanas seguidas de una semana del resto) o gemcitabina sola (1000 mg/m2 administrada semanalmente durante 7 semanas seguidas de una semana del resto y luego en ciclos de administraci?n semanal durante 3 semanas seguidas de una semana del resto).

El principal criterio de valoraci?n del ensayo es la mejora de la supervivencia general y la tasa de respuesta general determinada por la revisi?n radiol?gica independiente. Los criterios de valoraci?n secundarios incluyeron la evaluaci?n de la supervivencia sin evoluci?n, la tasa de respuesta global determinada por el investigador y la seguridad y la tolerancia de esta combinaci?n en esta poblaci?n de pacientes.

Acerca del c?ncer pancre?tico avanzado

El c?ncer pancre?tico avanzado es un c?ncer dif?cil de tratar con las menores tasas de supervivencia entre todos los tipos de c?ncer.? En todos los pacientes con c?ncer pancre?tico, la supervivencia relativa a los cinco a?os es del 6% y es menor del 2% para los que padecen la enfermedad en estado avanzado. ?Hay dos tipos principales de c?ncer pancre?tico: adenocarcinomas, que es el responsable de aproximadamente el 90% de todos los c?nceres pancre?ticos, y los tumores neuroendocrinos. El c?ncer pancre?tico es relativamente poco com?n con nuevos casos que suponen solo el 2,1% de todos los c?nceres recientemente diagnosticados. Sin embargo, el c?ncer pancre?tico es la cuarta causa m?s com?n de c?ncer para hombres y mujeres en Estados Unidos y Australia, y el noveno c?ncer m?s com?nmente diagnosticado en Australia.(2)?

Acerca de ABRAXANE??

ABRAXANE es una opci?n de tratamiento con quimioterapia de nanopart?culas sin disolvente para el c?ncer de mama metast?sico.(3) En Australia, ABRAXANE se incluye actualmente en PBS para el tratamiento del c?ncer de mama metast?tico y c?ncer de mama HER2 positivo en combinaci?n con ?trastuzumab.

ABRAXANE se aprueba para el c?ncer de mama metast?sico en m?s de 40 pa?ses, como Estados Unidos, Canad?, la Uni?n Europea, Jap?n y China, y m?s de 500.000 pacientes con c?ncer han recibido la terapia ABRAXANE en los ?ltimos cinco a?os. ?

En Australia, ABRAXANE ha recibido la designaci?n de f?rmaco hu?rfano por la Therapeutic Goods Administration para el tratamiento del c?ncer pancre?tico. El estatus de f?rmaco hu?rfano se concede a f?rmacos utilizados para tratar enfermedades relativamente raras como el c?ncer pancre?tico y pueden permitir la evaluaci?n de prioridad por la TGA.

ABRAXANE est? actualmente en varias fases de investigaci?n para el tratamiento de los siguientes c?nceres: melanoma metast?sico, vejiga, ovario,?y aplicaciones expandidas para el c?ncer de mama.

Desarrollado utilizando la plataforma de tecnolog?a patentada nab?, ABRAXANE es un agente de quimioterapia de prote?na de nanopart?cula. ABRAXANE combina paclitaxel con alb?mina, una prote?na humana que se produce naturalmente, para suministrar el f?rmaco y elimina la necesidad de disolventes en el proceso de administraci?n. La tecnolog?a de nanopart?culas permite a ABRAXANE suministrar una dosis un 49% mayor en comparaci?n con paclitaxel regular basado en disolventes sin comprometer la seguridad y la tolerabilidad.(3-4)

En un estudio de fase III aleatorio de pacientes con c?ncer de mama metast?sico, ABRAXANE demostr? casi duplicar la tasa de respuesta del tumor general en comparaci?n con paclitaxel basado en disolventes. (3-4)

Los pacientes tratados previamente con antraciclina en el estudio vivieron significativamente m?s.5 La tolerabilidad con ABRAXANE y el paclitaxel basado en disolventes fue comparable, a pesar de una dosis un 49% mayor de paclitaxel administrado como ABRAXANE.(3-4) La neutropenia era menor con ABRAXANE en comparaci?n con paclitaxel basado en disolventes, aunque hubo un aumento en la incidencia de neuropat?a perif?rica de grado 3 con ?ABRAXANE. Sin embargo, el tiempo medio para la mejora, desde la neuropat?a perif?rica de grado 3 a la de grado 2 o menor, fue de 22 d?as. No se notific? ning?n efecto secundario conocido para paclitaxel.(3-4)

Contraindicaciones y efectos secundarios(3):

Al igual que todos los medicamentos, ABRAXANE podr?a causar efectos secundarios. ?

ABRAXANE no deber?a utilizarse en pacientes que tienen un recuento de neutr?filos de l?nea base de <1,5 x 109 /L.

En pacientes que han demostrado reacciones de hipersensibilidad a paclitaxel o alb?mina, los pacientes no deber?an ser tratados con ABRAXANE.

ABRAXANE est? contraindicado durante el embarazo y lactancia.

Los efectos secundarios m?s comunes (?1/10) causados por ABRAXANE son: neutropenia, anemia, leucopenia, trombocitopenia, linfopenia, anorexia, neuropat?a perif?rica, hipoestesia, paraetesia, n?usea, diarrea, v?mitos, estre?imiento, estomatitis, alopecia, sarpullidos, artralgia, mialgia, fatiga, astenia, pirexia.

Para m?s informaci?n sobre ABRAXANE y los posibles efectos secundarios, los m?dicos deber?an revisar la informaci?n de producto ABRAXANE y los pacientes deber?an consultar con sus onc?logos o con la informaci?n sobre medicamentos de consumo ABRAXANE disponible en www.specialisedtherapeutics.com.au.

ABRAXANE??es una marca comercial registrada de Celgene Corporation.

ABRAXANE??se distribuye por STA bajo la licencia de Celgene Corporation en Australia y Nueva Zelanda.

Acerca de Specialised Therapeutics Australia Pty Ltd

Specialised Therapeutics Australia Pty Ltd (STA) es una compa??a biofarmac?utica dedicada a trabajar con las principales compa??as biofarmac?uticas del mundo para proporcionar terapias con tratamiento agudos para necesidades m?dicas no cumplidas de cara a las personas que viven en Australia y Nueva Zelanda. ?

Actualmente, STA comercializa dos de las principales terapias de c?ncer y de tratamiento de apoyo al c?ncer del mundo, ABRAXANE? (nab-paclitaxel) y ALOXI? (palonosetron HCl) respectivamente, y ha licenciado recientemente dos nuevos agentes a trav?s de Helsinn Group. Primero Anamorelin, un nuevo agonista receptor de ghrelin para el tratamiento de anorexia-cachexia en NSCLC y un producto de combinaci?n de dosis fija (en formas tanto oral como intravenosa) que contiene netupitant, un antagonista receptor de la neuroquinina 1 (NK1), y Aloxi?, un antagonista receptor de la serotonina 3 (5-HT3). STA tiene tambi?n inter?s en las ?reas terap?uticas de los antiinfecciosos con los derechos para comercializar DIFICID? (fidaxomicin) para el tratamiento de las infecciones por Clostridium difficile, respiratorias, dermatol?gicas, endocrinol?gicas y del sistema nervioso central (SNC). Informaci?n adicional disponible por medio de http://www.specialisedtherapeutics.com.au

Referencias:

  1. Von Hoff DD et al. Abstract: LBA #148: Final results of a randomized phase III study of weekly nab-paclitaxel plus gemcitabine versus gemcitabine alone in patients with metastatic adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. ASCO GI 2013
  2. Cancer in Australia. An Overview 2012. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW)
  3. Abraxane Product Information
  4. Gradishar WJ et al. J Clinical Oncology 2005;23:7794-7803
  5. Vukelja SJ et al. ASCO 2008, Abstract 1082

Consultas de medios:

Emma Power
Monsoon Communications
Level 12 15 William Street
Melbourne VIC 3000
Tel: +61-3-9620-3333

SOURCE Specialised Therapeutics Australia Pty Ltd

RELATED LINKS
http://www.specialisedtherapeutics.com.au

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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Sony's Gary Martin Retires After 32 Years

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - Gary Martin, the president of Sony Pictures Studios operations and Columbia Pictures' president of production administration, is retiring after working at the studio for 32 years.

In honor of his service, Sony CEO Michael Lynton and co-chairman Amy Pascal announced on Tuesday that the studio lot's Stage 15 - North America's largest soundstage and second-largest in the world - will be named "The Gary Martin Soundstage."

"Gary is Sony Pictures and our studio operations," Pascal said in a statement. "He's not just our colleague, he is our great friend and we're going to miss seeing him every day. In his honor, we are dedicating our most storied sound stage - Stage 15."

Martin began his 51-year-long career in the entertainment industry at 20th Century Fox in 1961 before joining Columbia Pictures as a production manager in 1981. He was promoted to president of production administration in 1988 and took on Sony Pictures Studios operations' responsibilities in 2003. Since then, he has been in charge of day-to-day operations of the entire studio lot, located in Culver City, as well as its post-production facilities.

Over the course of his long career, Martin has overseen production of more than 600 films, including blockbuster franchises like "Spider-Man," "Men in Black" and "Ghostbusters."

"We are so grateful for Gary's years of service here at the studio. From the day I arrived through every day since, he has been a force of great leadership that is full of compassion, humility and humor," Lynton added. "We are confident that the phenomenal team he has in place will continue to maintain the high standards in our productions and our facilities that Gary set during his remarkable tenure."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sonys-gary-martin-retires-32-years-023716570.html

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The Definitive Compilation of Segway Fails

Helmet? Check. Segway? Got it. Total dweeb status? Done and done. Under normal circumstances, it's hard to look at someone riding the personal transportation system without cracking up. But try watching a series of people falling off of Segways, and it's utterly impossible to keep a straight face. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/dKTkZWqBafQ/the-definitive-compilation-of-segway-fails

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Israelis expected to return Netanyahu to office

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his ballot?at a polling station in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013.?Israelis headed to polling stations Tuesday to cast votes in a parliamentary election expected to return Netanyahu to office despite years of stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians and mounting economic troubles. (AP Photo/Uriel Sinai, Pool)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu casts his ballot?at a polling station in Jerusalem, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013.?Israelis headed to polling stations Tuesday to cast votes in a parliamentary election expected to return Netanyahu to office despite years of stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians and mounting economic troubles. (AP Photo/Uriel Sinai, Pool)

Ultra-Orthodox Jews arrive to vote in legislative elections, at a school in Bnie Brak, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Israelis began trickling into polling stations Tuesday morning to cast their votes in a parliamentary election expected to return Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to office despite years of stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians and mounting economic troubles.(AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

Naftali Bennett, head of Israel's Jewish Home party, left, waves to a crowd as he leaves a polling station after voting in Raanana, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Israelis began trickling into polling stations Tuesday morning to cast their votes in a parliamentary election expected to return Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to office despite years of stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians and mounting economic troubles. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Naftali Bennett, head of Israel's Jewish Home party, left, waves to journalists after voting in parliamentary elections with his wife Gilat, at a polling station in Raanana, Israel, Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Israelis began trickling into polling stations Tuesday morning to cast their votes in a parliamentary election expected to return Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to office despite years of stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians and mounting economic troubles. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)

Ultra-orthodox Jew votes in Bnie Brak, Israel, during legislative elections Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013. Israelis began trickling into polling stations Tuesday morning to cast their votes in a parliamentary election expected to return Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to office despite years of stalled peacemaking with the Palestinians and mounting economic troubles. Polls indicate about a dozen of 32 parties competing in Tuesday's election have a chance of winning seats in the 120-member parliament. Most parties fall either into the right-wing-religious or center-left camp, and surveys indicate hard-line and ultra-Orthodox Jewish parties will command a majority. (AP Photo/Oded Balilty)

(AP) ? Israelis voted Tuesday in an election likely to keep hard-line Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the helm of government for a third term despite a turbulent record: no peace process with Palestinians, growing diplomatic isolation and signs of economic trouble ahead.

The balloting capped a lackluster three-month campaign that was expected to leave Netanyahu at the helm of a coalition dominated by hard-liners opposed to concessions that could bring Palestinians back to the negotiating table.

The outcome, if opinion polls are accurate, was expected to put Israel on the path to continued deadlock in peace efforts with the Palestinians and further run-ins with the international community, including its key ally, the United States.

Voters appeared to be overlooking Netanyahu's record over the past four years, and the conflict with the Palestinians, long the defining issue in Israeli politics, was largely absent from the campaign. That reflected the widespread Israeli belief that a peace deal is impossible and the dovish opposition's failure to unite behind a viable alternative candidate.

Netanyahu is widely seen, even by some opponents, as the man best suited to lead the country at a turbulent time. He has maintained a lead with a message that the country needs a tough-minded and experienced leader to face down dangers including the Iranian nuclear program, potentially loose chemical weapons in Syria and the rise of fundamentalist Islam in Egypt and other Arab countries amid the Arab Spring.

The results were not assured. Election officials reported relatively high turnout compared to previous years, boosted by sunny, spring-like weather. A heavy turnout could favor Netanyahu's opponents, whose voters tend to have a lower participation rate than the highly motivated hard-liners. In addition, opinion polls have often been inaccurate in the past.

Netanyahu, 63, was smiling when he arrived early at a heavily secured polling station in Jerusalem with his wife, Sara, and two sons, both first-time voters. After voting, the prime minister told reporters that a flood of ballots for his list "is good for Israel."

Many opponents have largely yielded the security issue to Netanyahu and instead campaigned on economic issues, such as the country's high cost of living and its much-maligned custom of giving generous handouts and draft exemptions to the ultra-Orthodox Jewish minority. While Israel's economy has remained on solid footing, Netanyahu's government has run up a huge deficit that could result in steep budget cuts in the coming months.

Only one major contender, former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, has campaigned on a platform centered on the need to restart peace talks and reach a deal with the Palestinians. Her new Movement party was expected to emerge as a midsize faction.

Livni implored voters to think about the "big decisions" at hand. "The vote I have cast includes the hopes of all the people who don't want four more years of Netanyahu and this government, for everyone who is worried about justice and Israel's isolation," she said

In the weeks running up to Tuesday's vote, opinion polls have universally forecast Netanyahu's Likud-Yisrael Beitenu emerging as the largest single bloc, controlling roughly one-quarter of parliament's 120 seats and in a strong position to form a new majority coalition. Along with other nationalist and religious parties that traditionally support him, Netanyahu is expected to be able to easily secure a majority of more than 61 seats.

Should the right wing and religious parties somehow fail to muster a majority, there will be a mad scramble on the center-left to try to form a coalition on their own.

Under such a shocking result, the prime minister could end up being Labor Party leader Shelly Yachimovich, a former radio journalist who once backed Israel's Communist party. Yachimovich, campaigning on a promise to narrow the gap between rich and poor, has already said she will not sit in a Netanyahu government. But such an outcome appeared unlikely.

In all, 32 parties were running for representation in parliament. Israel has historically had multiparty governments because no party has ever won an outright majority in the country's 64-year history. Polls close at 10 p.m. local time (3 p.m. EST, 2000 GMT), with exit poll results available immediately and official results trickling in throughout the night.

In a modern-day twist, many Israelis advertised their voting choice by photographing their completed ballot and uploading it to Facebook.

If victorious, Netanyahu is expected to explore reaching across the aisle to bring in at least one of the more centrist parties opposing him, both to reduce his reliance on the hard-liners and to present a more palatable face to the outside world.

But it remains unclear whether he would be able to do so, since it would require concessions on key issues, either economically or diplomatically, that would alienate his core supporters.

One potential centrist partner would be political newcomer Yair Lapid, a former TV talk show host, who has gained popularity by taking aim at the preferential treatment given to the ultra-Orthodox. Lapid has said, however, he will not be a "fig leaf" for an extremist government.

In any case, a shift by Netanyahu away from his tough line toward the Palestinians appears unlikely. Netanyahu himself has only grudgingly voiced conditional support for a Palestinian state, and his own party is now dominated by hard-liners who oppose even this.

A likely coalition partner, Naftali Bennett of the surging Jewish Home Party, has even called for annexing large parts of the West Bank, the core of any future Palestinian state. Bennett's party has siphoned off many Netanyahu supporters who believe the prime minister has grown soft.

Motti Saban, a 25-year-old student in Jerusalem, said he would vote for Jewish Home.

"We are right-wing and we want to see a parliament that is more right wing than now," Saban said. "Social issues affect us all, but I won't give up Jerusalem, that's more important," Saban said.

Up to one-sixth of the incoming legislature is expected to be settlers who advocate holding on to captured land the Palestinians want for a future state.

Netanyahu has won praise at home for drawing the world's attention to Iran's suspect nuclear program and for keeping the economy on solid ground at a time of global turmoil. Tehran denies it is seeking to develop atomic weapons as alleged by Israel, the U.S. and allies.

But internationally, he has repeatedly clashed with his allies over his handling of the peace process. Peace talks with the Palestinians have remained deadlocked throughout his term, in large part because of his continued construction of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem.

The Palestinians claim both areas, captured by Israel in the 1967 Mideast war, as part of their future state and refuse to negotiate while settlement construction takes place.

Netanyahu has said talks should resume without preconditions. The continued construction, along with Netanyahu's insistence that Israel retain all of east Jerusalem and parts of the West Bank, has led the Palestinians to conclude it is futile to even negotiate.

The international community has shown increasing impatience with Netanyahu. In November, the U.N. General Assembly overwhelmingly voted in favor of establishing a Palestinian state in all of the territories captured by Israel in 1967 ? the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem.

The newly re-elected President Barack Obama has had a rocky relationship with Netanyahu and the two men could find themselves on a collision course in their new terms.

In London Tuesday, British Foreign Secretary William Hague said Obama must now make the Middle East peace process his top priority, warning "we are approaching the last chance to bring about such a solution."

Critics warn that Israelis are ignoring the issue at their peril. First, signs are growing that the current lull in violence may be temporary ? both because the Palestinian street is getting frustrated and because Mahmoud Abbas' Palestinian Authority may cease the security cooperation that even Israeli officials have credited with the halt in fighting.

Beyond that, a persistent chorus warns that the status quo is ultimately self-defeating for Israel because the default outcome is a single entity in the Holy Land ? comprising Israel and all the areas it seized in the 1967 war. Based on current birthrates, most experts believe that Arabs would soon be the majority.

Palestinian officials say that Abbas has repeatedly warned Israeli visitors in recent months that Israel could end up like an "apartheid-style" state with a Jewish minority ruling over a disenfranchised Arab majority. At that point, the Arabs would turn their struggle away from independence and instead seek equality in a single state.

The rival Hamas government in Gaza condemned Netanyahu.

"It's clear that the election trends are moving from an extremist government toward more extreme government, which requires us as Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims to draw a strategy to confront the Zionist rising extremism," Hamas' prime minister, Ismail Haniyeh said.

___

Associated Press writers Amy Teibel and Diaa Hadid in Jerusalem and Cassandra Vinograd in London contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-01-22-Israel-Election/id-3a2353d9d67d49ce81b35fe2634003e5

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Monday, January 21, 2013

Stan Musial remembered for hitting prowess and ebullient personality (+video)

Stan Musial, the longtime St. Louis Cardinals baseball Hall of Famer, passed away Saturday at age 92. Stan Musial had a lifetime batting average of .331, including 3,630 hits, 475 home runs and 1,951 runs-batted-in.

By Phil Elderkin,?Contributor / January 20, 2013

Hall of Famer Stan Musial prepares to play "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" on his harmonica during the annual induction ceremonies for the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York in this file photograph.

Ray Stubblebine/REUTERS/File

Enlarge

Minus a temper like Reggie Jackson, a poker face like Joe DiMaggio and a whacky streak like Dizzy Dean, I can?t remember anybody ever saying anything bad about Hall of Famer Stan Musial of the St. Louis Cardinals. His death on Saturday unlocked a lifetime of memories for baseball fans everywhere.

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The way the left-handed Musial crouched at the plate, according to his rivals, made it appear that Stan was hitting at the pitcher from around corners. The mental book he had on opposing pitchers allowed him to wait on a pitch until it was almost in the catcher?s mitt.

Here was a man with such an acute sense of timing that he could either pull the ball to right field or go the other way with almost as much power. Overall he led St. Louis to three World Series championships.

Actually Stan, because of his odd stance at the plate, should have been a sucker for a breaking ball. Instead he compiled a lifetime batting average of .331, including 3,630 hits, 475 home runs and 1,951 runs-batted-in. His 725 career doubles, in two fewer years in the big leagues, was one more than Ty Cobb.

Even in Brooklyn, where Musial?s power often took advantage of the short right field wall at Ebbets Field, fans not only appreciated his talents but applauded them. In fact, it was Brooklyn?s bleacher crowd, because of his consistency at the plate, who gave him the nickname ?Stan the Man.?

In what should have made the Guinness Book of World Records years ago, Musial logged an incredible 1,815 hits at home and 1,815 hits on the road!

Originally a pitcher, who several of his minor league managers often used in the outfield because of his bat, Musial almost never struck out. For example, back in 1943 in 617 at bats with the Cards, he struck out only 18 times. Years later, Musial would admit that he was more comfortable in the outfield (and later first base) than he was on the mound.

Even though he had a strong throwing arm, Musial starting out had trouble throwing strikes, particularly with runners on base. Later, a hard fall on his left shoulder while playing the outfield turned his rifle-like arm into a popgun.

It was only after months of rehabilitation that his throwing arm would regain its strength. In the meantime he was learning to play the outfield, including the big league way to throw to the cutoff man that would keep an opposing base runner from scoring.

Although Musial never received the kind of credit for knowing the mysteries of hitting given to Ted Williams, Hank Aaron and Joe DiMaggio, baseball?s insiders had no trouble making him an equal partner.

In an exclusive interview with Sports Illustrated in 1961, Musial told writer Tex Maule, ?Lots of things make it tougher for a batter today than it was 20 years ago. The shape of the bat has changed because everyone swings for the fences now. The home run hitters draw the big money now.

?Used to be bats had thick handles and a big barrel," Musial continued. "Then they found it?s not the size of the bat that gets home runs ? it?s the speed with which you can swing it. Now everyone uses a bat like this ? a thin handle with a long taper, so that most of the wood?s in the end of the bat. You can whip this one around and get power in your swing.?

One of the things Cardinals general manager Branch Rickey did in 1940 was to promote 19-year-old Stan Musial to his Daytona Beach farm team in the Florida State League. A step up from where Musial had been playing and still a pitcher, Rickey felt that Dickie Kerr was the ideal minor league manager to put the finishing touches on Stan.

With Kerr picking his spots, Musial won 18 games. But even more impressive to Dickie was the way Stan hit when he played him in the outfield. It was the same year that Musial, diving for a fly ball, injured his throwing arm so badly that he would never pitch again.

Kerr not only softened things for Musial by telling him to forget about it ? that he would someday be a big league outfielder ? he also invited Stan and his wife to move in with him and his family. Musial, of course, never forgot Kerr?s kindness and years later, on Dickie?s 65th birthday, Stan and his wife presented him with the deed to a new house in Houston, Texas.

Here are two more things the reader ought to know: Musial won seven National League batting championships, and on his 60th birthday checked in at only three more pounds than he weighed at the height of his career!

Phil Elderkin carries Card No. 5 in the nearly 900 member Baseball Writers? Association of America and is a former Monitor sports editor.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/OOFm-Z6uiwM/Stan-Musial-remembered-for-hitting-prowess-and-ebullient-personality-video

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