শুক্রবার, ২৮ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Blog outs staff of newspaper that published gun-owner addresses

Yesterday we told you about the interactive map of local gun owners published by the?Journal-News,?a newspaper serving the Westchester and Rockland counties of New York, and the outcry it immediately drew. Turns out the stunt was so unpopular ? with gun owners and privacy advocates alike ? that a blogger named Christopher Fountain took it upon himself to dig up and organize the names, addresses, and phone numbers of the?Journal-News staff, starting with editor Cyndee Royle. The post is called "Keep up the heat" and encourages readers to pester the paper and prevent them from continuing to report gun-owner addresses.

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As long as they were keeping it to letters to the editor(s), the staff list was, at first, small potatoes as far as payback goes: the allure of the paper's original map of gun owners was the ability to see who, and how many people, owned a gun near a specific address ? the paper's stunt was a map, not just a (sparsely populated) list of names. But overnight a different retaliatory blogger decided to map the newspaper staff addresses culled thus far (from Google and elsewhere). Here's what Robert Cox, of?Talk of the Sound, came up with:

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It's a disparate (and perhaps desperate) effort ? there are only eleven addresses, one of which is located in Manhattan ? and lacks the visual impact of the original map, which indicated just how many gun owners (and guns) there are in just two counties in blue-state New York. So it's not particularly interesting, but it may be dangerous, and it's certainly depressing ? as its author notes: "Be advised that the Journal News has been in downsizing mode for the past several years. I have to wonder if all these names are current employees but we will treat them as such until we learn otherwise."

RELATED: Times-Picayune Reporter is Mad as Hell and She's Not Going to Take This Anymore

It's an open question whether the retribution is misplaced. In a morning interview with CNN, Fountain said he was angered by calls from victims of domestic abuse with gun permits who were worried their whereabouts had been inadvertently revealed. And, more philosophically: "In the aftermath of Newtown, it was obviously one tragedy, but somehow they were conflating legal gun owners with some crazed tormented devil up in Newtown and putting the two together."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/newspaper-published-gun-owner-addresses-gets-staffs-outed-144657471.html

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বুধবার, ১৯ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Google Maps for iPhone Returns Better Than Ever

Walt Mossberg says the new Google Maps app for iPhone is his favorite mobile mapping app available. He shows us three important features of the new version of the app. (Photo: Google)

Google's rich, reliable Maps app is back on the iPhone, and that means iPhone users can stop relying on the flawed, fledgling Apple maps app that replaced it as a built-in feature in September.

Apple's version is still bolted into the phone, and the new, free Google app must be downloaded from Apple's app store. Google says the app was downloaded 10 million times in just its first two days of availability last week.

[image]Google

More Info: After entering a place in Google Maps, tapping a bar on the screen brings up various data such as opening hours and photographic views.

The reappearance of Google Maps on the iPhone closes a big advantage Google's own Android phones had gained when Apple's replacement turned out to lack some key features, such as labeling of buildings and businesses, street-view photos and public-transit routing. It also offered too much inaccurate location data.

However, the biggest news here is that the new iPhone version of Google Maps isn't just better than Apple Maps. For now, at least, Google Maps is better in most respects on the iPhone than it is on Android phones. It has been redesigned with a cleaner, simpler user interface that makes it easier to use. Google officials say they took the sudden need to build a new iPhone version as an opportunity to rethink the popular app from the ground up.

I've been testing the new Google Maps on iPhone for a week or so in the San Francisco and Washington metro areas, and I really like it. It isn't perfect, but I prefer it to any other iPhone Maps app I've used, and to Google Maps on Android. The latter will likely also gain the new design in time, but for now, it looks inelegant by comparison.

Why would Google bail out iPhone users and give its rival's phone a better version of its Maps app than its own Android customers enjoy, even temporarily? Because, while Apple makes its money from hardware, Google is a services and advertising company, and wants its products to be heavily used on a popular platform like Apple's.

[image]Google

Saved Places: Tapping an onscreen button displays a list of places you've recently saved and shared.

The Android version still has a few features the new iPhone version lacks: maps of the interiors of stores, malls and airports; bicycling directions; the ability to view map segments offline; and special offers that show up for some businesses. Google says it left these out for now because they aren't heavily used and the company wanted a new Apple version pronto. It says these may be added over time.

More important are the Android app's traits Google abandoned in the new iPhone version: too many menus and steps to get things done, confusing icons, and a concept called Layers that was techie talk for things like switching from map view to satellite view.

Instead, the new iPhone version of Google Maps emphasizes two things: uncluttering the map itself, and swiping vertically and horizontally to move quickly among places, map views and information. In my tests, I found this design refreshingly easy to use. It even enhances the voice-prompted, automatic turn-by-turn navigation whose absence on the original iPhone version of Google Maps was the key thing that prompted Apple to get into the maps business.

[image]Google

Navigation Aid: While traveling to a destination, a large green bar at the top of the screen shows the current step in the directions.

When you first open the new Google Maps, all you see is a map with a search bar across the top and two small icons at the bottom. In the lower left is a button that brings up your current location, and in the lower right is a tiny icon that lets you switch to satellite view, to see public transit and traffic information, or to launch the separate Google Earth app. You can also get to these latter choices by swiping left with two fingers.

The top search bar includes two buttons on the right?one to start a navigation, and one to bring up a list of places you've recently saved and shared. These are automatically synced with places you've saved and shared via Google Maps on other devices, such as PCs and Macs, or Android phones.

In addition to this clear, clean, main view, Google Maps for iPhone simplifies other functions. If you enter the name or address of a place, a small bar appears at the bottom of the map with summary information, like the estimated travel time or, with restaurants, a summary of reviews.

If you tap on this bar, you get an "info sheet" with a wealth of information and functions, including the photographic street view of the location, interior photos, reviews, hours, menus, and the ability to phone the place or share its location. If your search is for a category, like "cigars," swiping horizontally will bring up alternate info sheets for other locations.

You can start the navigation process by tapping on a colored icon showing travel time, either in the initial small bar at the bottom of the map, or on the info sheet.

Once you choose to get directions, a list of routes pops up, with estimated time and traffic. You can switch routes by simply swiping on the bar.

Once a navigation is under way, the map is topped by a large green bar showing the current step in the directions. You can peek ahead by just swiping this bar to the left. You also can quickly call up a text list of the route.

In my tests, location and navigation were generally accurate. A couple of flubs: A location pin was a few hundred yards off, and Google put me on a freeway when local streets would have been faster. But overall it worked well. It guided me on two routes between Silicon Valley and a bowling alley in San Francisco's Presidio area, where I had once been lost. It provided accurate directions for Washington's subway.

Apple is already improving its competing app, but for now, iPhone users, my recommendation is to go with Google Maps.

?Find all of Walt Mossberg's columns and videos online, free, at the All Things Digital website, walt.allthingsd.com. Email mossberg@wsj.com.

Source: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324907204578187360502871352.html?mod=rss_Technology

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Nasdaq up 1 pct on "cliff" talks hope

In the aftermath of Friday's Newtown school shooting, we've heard tales mostly horrifying and occasionally heroic, from surviving witnesses and mourning citizens alike, but this one lies somewhere in between, all the more unshakeable. One six-year-old Sandy Hook student played dead in her first-grade classroom, her family pastor said late Sunday, with the kind of quick thinking that ended up saving her life but now leaves her with the unshakeable memories of watching all her classmates being shot and killed. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/wall-st-advances-open-cliff-hope-143526572--finance.html

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শনিবার, ১৫ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Kan. Lottery executive director named

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) -- Gov. Sam Brownback has picked Secretary of Administration Dennis Taylor to be the new executive director of the Kansas Lottery.

The Republican governor announced the appointment Friday. Taylor will replace Dennis Wilson, who resigned Dec. 3 from the lottery for health reasons.

Taylor has served as administration secretary for two years, overseeing state purchasing, upkeep of state office buildings and computer and phone services for state agencies. Brownback also put him in charge of a new office of state repealer, which sought to remove outdated and burdensome laws and regulations.

Brownback is expected to name an acting secretary of administration in the coming days.

Taylor's appointment takes effect on Jan. 13. He has 35 years of public service experience and served as a cabinet member for former Gov. Mike Hayden.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/kan-lottery-executive-director-named-205309419.html

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Tom Watson returns as US Ryder Cup captain

Tom Watson poses for photographers on the observation deck of the Empire State Building in New York, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012. The Americans are bringing back Watson as their Ryder Cup captain with hopes of ending two decades of defeats in Europe. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Tom Watson poses for photographers on the observation deck of the Empire State Building in New York, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012. The Americans are bringing back Watson as their Ryder Cup captain with hopes of ending two decades of defeats in Europe. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Tom Watson attends a news conference in New York, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012. The Americans are bringing back Watson as their Ryder Cup golf captain with hopes of ending two decades of losing in Europe. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Tom Watson, left, poses for a picture with PGA of America president Ted Bishop during a news conference in New York, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012. The Americans are bringing back Watson as their Ryder Cup golf captain with hopes of ending two decades of losing in Europe. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Tom Watson speaks during a news conference in New York, Thursday, Dec. 13, 2012. The Americans are bringing back Watson as their Ryder Cup captain with hopes of ending two decades of losing in Europe. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

FILE - This July 11, 2012 file photo shows Tom Watson talking to the media at a press conference after completing a practice round at the U.S. Senior Open golf tournament at the Indianwood Golf and Country Club in Lake Orion, Mich. Golf Digest reported on its website Tuesday night, Dec. 12, 2012, that the PGA of America plans to pick Watson as the 2014 Ryder Cup captain. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)

(AP) ? Tom Watson feels right at home in Scotland.

The PGA of America is counting on that comfort level to break its road losing streak in the Ryder Cup.

The last time the U.S. team won in Europe was in 1993, which just happens to be when Watson served as captain for the first time. That drought gave the PGA of America good reason to break from recent precedent in selecting its leader for the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles.

"It's about time to start winning again for our team," Watson said Thursday at a news conference at the Empire State Building. "That's the attitude that I hope that my players have."

Watson will be by far the oldest man to fill the role and the first repeat captain for the U.S. since 1987. But he knows how to win in the blustery conditions of Scotland.

The Americans have lost seven of the last nine Ryder Cups and have not won away from home since Watson was the captain at The Belfry in England. They are coming off a staggering loss this year at Medinah, where Europe strung together a remarkable rally from a 10-6 deficit going into the final day to win by one point.

Watson is the first repeat U.S. captain since Jack Nicklaus in 1987, when the Ryder Cup was played on his home course of Muirfield Village in Ohio. Watson becomes the seventh American to get more than one shot.

His selection received an immediate endorsement from Tiger Woods. The Stanford alums have never been particularly close, and Watson has criticized Woods for not showing respect for the game with his demeanor on the course.

"I think he's a really good choice," Woods said in a statement. "Tom knows what it takes to win, and that's our ultimate goal. I hope I have the privilege of joining him on the 2014 United States team."

Watson went out of his way Thursday to praise Woods as "the best player maybe in the history of the game."

"My relationship with Tiger is fine," he said. "Whatever has been said before is water under the bridge. No issues."

Watson breaks the PGA of America's prototype in a big way. The eight-time major champion will be 65 when the Ryder Cup is played in Scotland. Sam Snead was 57 when he was captain in 1969, and the oldest European captain was John Jacobs (56) in 1981.

Watson predicted that some would say: "Why is Watson, being the old guy, being the captain?

"I deflect that very simply by saying: 'We play the same game,'" he said. "I play against these kids at the Masters. I play against them at the British Open."

He does hope to play more PGA Tour events in the next two years to spend more time around his future team.

Watson has not been back to the Ryder Cup since that '93 victory. But since then, he had been pining for another chance to serve as captain.

With that familiar gap-tooth grin, Watson recalled his reaction when the PGA of America first contacted him more than a year ago: "Boy, I've been waiting for this call for a long time."

As much as Watson is beloved around the world for his timeless game, epic duels with Nicklaus and graciousness in any outcome, the Scots consider him one of their own. Watson won his first major at Carnoustie in 1975 when he quickly understood how to play links golf. He won five British Open titles, the most of any American, with four of those in Scotland.

"I think we will agree that he is recognized as one of the top players under challenging conditions, and we certainly hope that that's going to translate to our team," PGA of America President Ted Bishop said.

Watson nearly made it six claret jugs three years ago. At age 59, he came within an 8-foot par putt on the last hole from winning at Turnberry. Watson missed the putt, and then lost to Stewart Cink in a playoff.

The ovation he heard that week in Turnberry might be different at Gleneagles. His job will be to help the players handle the pressure of the hostile crowd and the enormity of the moment.

The PGA of America broke from its model of taking former major champions in their late 40s who still play on the PGA Tour and are in touch with the players. Watson last played a full schedule in 1998, though the PGA of America had to wonder if perhaps the young captains were too close to the players.

Bishop first thought of Watson while flying back from Bermuda after the 2011 PGA Grand Slam of Golf, when he read a book about that near-miss at the British. When he first called, Watson was in a field in South Dakota pheasant hunting.

A few blocks from Broadway on Thursday, Watson compared himself to a stage manager with the job of putting his actors in best position to succeed. He mentioned the importance of luck in winning the Ryder Cup.

But he acknowledged that the good karma of his victories overseas ? and especially in Scotland ? might be that little nudge that returns the Americans to victory.

"It may give them a sense: 'This guy has been there before and he's been successful before and we're going to be a success because he's there leading us,'" Watson said.

He expects he'll help out in the most mundane of areas, such as advice on how to adjust to the time change. At the 1981 Ryder Cup at Walton Heath, Watson recalled, he cautioned Tom Kite not to tweak his swing just because he felt lousy the first few days there. Kite was glad he listened.

Watson dismissed talk that the Europeans were more motivated than the Americans in recent years. What he heard from Davis Love III, the captain at Medinah, was a team devastated by defeat.

__

AP Golf Writer Doug Ferguson contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2012-12-14-Ryder%20Cup/id-3c29670c043948bbbd886e832168fddc

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শুক্রবার, ১৪ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

U.N. agency expects deal soon on Iran nuclear probe

VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear agency expects to reach a deal with Iran next month enabling it to resume a stalled probe into suspected nuclear weapon research in the Islamic state, the chief U.N. inspector said after returning from Tehran on Friday.

Even though the International Atomic Energy Agency failed to gain access to the Parchin military complex during Thursday's visit to the Iranian capital as requested, IAEA delegation head Herman Nackaerts said progress had been made.

"We had good meetings," Nackaerts, deputy director general of the U.N. watchdog, told reporters at Vienna airport.

World powers seeking to resolve a decade-old dispute over Iran's atomic activity and avert the threat of a new Middle East war closely watched the IAEA-Iran talks for any indication of Iranian readiness to finally start addressing their concerns.

U.S. ally Israel - believed to have the Middle East's only nuclear arsenal - has threatened military action if diplomacy and economic sanctions intended to halt Iran's uranium enrichment work do not resolve the standoff.

The IAEA and Iran, which denies Western allegations it is seeking to develop a capability to assemble nuclear weapons, will meet again on January 16, Nackaerts said.

"We expect to finalize the structured approach and start implementing it then shortly after that," he said, referring to a framework agreement on how to address the IAEA's suspicions about possible military dimensions to Iran's nuclear program.

Nackaerts did not give details on what had been achieved, but one stumbling block in previous, mostly fruitless meetings was Iran's request for access to intelligence documents at the basis of the U.N. agency's mounting concerns.

The IAEA said also after talks in May that it expected an agreement soon, but that failed to materialize.

"We have now had so many false starts that there are grounds to be skeptical," said Shashank Joshi, a senior fellow and Middle East specialist at the Royal United Services Institute.

Western diplomats, who often accused Iran of stonewalling and playing for time in its dealings with the IAEA, are likely to react cautiously and tell Tehran it must engage in substance on the agency's inquiry and immediately give it the access to sites, officials and documents it needs for its inquiry.

PARCHIN VISIT STILL "USEFUL"

"There will likely be many in Washington and Israel skeptical that this ... is anything but a delaying tactic on Iran's part," Miles Pomper, senior research associate at the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies, said.

Iran says its nuclear program is a peaceful bid to generate electricity. But its refusal to curb activity which can have both civilian and military purposes and lack of openness with the IAEA have drawn increasingly tough Western sanctions.

The IAEA - which said before the trip it hoped to visit the Parchin site - was unable to go there this time but it would be part of the "structured approach" accord, Nackaerts said.

The Vienna-based U.N. agency believes Iran has conducted explosives tests with possible nuclear applications at Parchin, southeast of Tehran, and has repeatedly asked for access. ? Iran says Parchin is a conventional military site and has dismissed allegations that it has tried to clean up the site before any visit. [ID:nL5E8NC8Q1] It says it must first agree a framework deal with the IAEA before allowing access to sites.

Western diplomats say Iran has carried out extensive work at Parchin in the past year, including demolition of buildings and removal of soil, to cleanse it of any traces of illicit activity. The IAEA says a visit would still be useful.

The IAEA-Iran talks are separate from but closely linked to broader efforts by six world powers to resolve the nuclear row.

Analysts and diplomats say there is now a window of opportunity to make a renewed diplomatic push after last month's re-election of U.S. President Barack Obama.

The six powers - the United States, Britain, France, Germany, Russia and China - want Iran to curb its uranium enrichment program and cooperate fully with the IAEA. Iran wants the West to lift sanctions hurting its economy.

A member of Iran's negotiation team said talks between Iran and the powers were unlikely to yield results.

"Personally speaking, I am not optimistic," Mostafa Dolatyar told reporters at the Iranian embassy in New Delhi on Friday.

Daryl Kimball, of the Washington-based Arms Control Association advocacy group, said some sanctions relief for Iran would be more likely if it "would immediately cooperate with the IAEA on inspections of key sites and personnel to ensure that past weapons-related experiments have been discontinued."

(Additional reporting by Nidhi Verma and Frank Jack Daniel in New Delhi; Editing by Angus MacSwan)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/progress-seen-iran-iaea-talks-news-talks-january-063324183.html

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HBT: Tigers still in play to get Anibal Sanchez

UPDATE: Nightengale reports that there will be no decision from Sanchez tonight, as talks with the Cubs and Tigers are expected to continue in the morning.

7:50 PM: Per Nightengale, Sanchez?s agent says, ?He has not decided. Negotiations are ongoing..?

7:14 PM: Nightengale reports that the Tigers have bumped their offer to Sanchez. The specifics of the new offer aren?t yet clear, but it?s beginning to look like the Cubs got used for leverage here. This baseball is a tough business.

6:59 PM: Bob Nightengale of USA Today reports that the Cubs thought they had a deal with Sanchez, but the Tigers are being given the last chance to match. They previously offered him a four-year deal.

6:12 PM: Not so fast. Sanchez?s agent Gene Mato told CBS Sports? Jon Heyman that he?s still talking to other teams. Meanwhile, Heyman hears that the Tigers remain ?very much? in the mix to sign him.

Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports also hears that it isn?t a done deal, so stay tuned.

5:50 PM: Another unexpected signing. After a pretty general assumption that the Tigers were the favorites to bring back Anibal Sanchez, Bob Nightengale just reported that the Chicago Cubs have signed him. ?No official word on the money, but Ken Rosenthal had just previously tweeted that the Cubs were ?close? and were offering five years and $75 million.

Sanchez is a 48-51 career pitcher with a 3.75 ERA. Last year he?he had a 3.74 ERA for the Tigers and a 3.94 ERA for the Marlins and was 9-13 overall. He has thrown between 195 and 197 innings in each of the past three years.

He?ll immediately be the Cubs number one or, depending on how you feel about Matt Garza?s health, number two starter. And, considering where this market has gone so far this winter, that?s not a terrible price for the guy. ?I think most people figured he?d go north of $80 million.

Source: http://hardballtalk.nbcsports.com/2012/12/13/the-cubs-sign-anibal-sanchez/related/

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No strong evidence to back use of cannabis extract in multiple sclerosis

Dec. 12, 2012 ? There is no strong evidence to back the use of cannabis extract in the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), concludes a review of the available evidence on the first licensed preparation, published in the December issue of Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB).

Sativex, in the form of a mouth spray, contains the principal extracts -- dronabinol and cannabidiol -- found in the leaf and flower of the cannabis plant. It is the first cannabinoid preparation to be licensed for use in the treatment of muscle spasms in MS.

MS is estimated to affect around 60,000 people in England and Wales, and around one in every 1000 people will develop the condition in the UK.

An increase in muscle tone, or spasticity is a common symptom of the condition, causing involuntary spasms, immobility, disturbed sleep, and pain.

Complex combinations of drugs are sometimes needed to manage spasticity, but they don't work that well and have a range of unpleasant side effects.

Sativex is intended for use as a second line treatment in patients in whom these other options have failed. But the DTB review found that the trial data on which the success of Sativex is based, are limited.

Overall, the trials, on which the drug's approval was based, did show a small difference in the numbers of patients who in whom symptoms abated compared with those taking a dummy (placebo) preparation.

But in many of these studies, Sativex was used for relatively short periods -- from six weeks to four months. And none included an active ingredient with which the effects of Sativex could be compared.

Two of the trials included doses that exceeded the 12 daily sprays for which the preparation is licensed. One trial did not have sufficient numbers of participants to validate the results.

A third trial, which was properly designed, and did have sufficient numbers of participants, did not find any significant difference in symptom relief between those who took Sativex and those who didn't.

The preparation is also expensive, notes DTB, and costs around 10 times as much as other drugs used for the secondary treatment of MS muscle spasms.

As yet, the body that advised the NHS on its use of treatments, the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) has not offered any advice on the use of cannabis extract either, although it is set to do so.

But the DTB review says that the strength of the evidence is insufficient to warrant its routine use. "We believe that such limitations make it difficult to identify the place of this product in clinical practice," it concludes. Commenting on the review, GP and DTB editor, James Cave, said the findings of the review were "disappointing."

"MS is a serious and disabling condition, and it would be great to say that this drug could make a big difference, but the benefit is only modest," he said.

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Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/top_news/top_health/~3/XROSfGPZ43k/121212205729.htm

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Mussel goo inspires blood vessel glue

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

A University of British Columbia researcher has helped create a gel ? based on the mussel's knack for clinging to rocks, piers and boat hulls ? that can be painted onto the walls of blood vessels and stay put, forming a protective barrier with potentially life-saving implications.

Co-invented by Assistant Professor Christian Kastrup while a postdoctoral student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, the gel is similar to the amino acid that enables mussels to resist the power of churning water. The variant that Kastrup and his collaborators created, described in the current issue of the online journal PNAS Early Edition, can withstand the flow of blood through arteries and veins.

The gel's "sheer strength" could shore up weakened vessel walls at risk of rupturing ? much like the way putty can fill in dents in a wall, says Kastrup, a member of the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and the Michael Smith Laboratories.

By forming a stable barrier between blood and the vessel walls, the gel could also prevent the inflammation that typically occurs when a stent is inserted to widen a narrowed artery or vein; that inflammation often counteracts the opening of the vessel that the stent was intended to achieve.

The widest potential application would be preventing the rupture of blood vessel plaque. When a plaque ruptures, the resulting clot can block blood flow to the heart (triggering a heart attack) or the brain (triggering a stroke). Mice treated with a combination of the gel and an anti-inflammatory steroid had more stable plaque than a control group of untreated mice.

"By mimicking the mussel's ability to cling to objects, we created a substance that stays in place in a very dynamic environment with high flow velocities," says Kastrup, a member of UBC's Centre for Blood Research.

###

University of British Columbia: http://www.ubc.ca

Thanks to University of British Columbia for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/125878/Mussel_goo_inspires_blood_vessel_glue

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ১৩ ডিসেম্বর, ২০১২

Inquest: Nurse in British royal hoax found hanging

LONDON (AP) ? A nurse was found hanging in her room three days after she had been duped by a hoax call from Australian DJs about the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge, a U.K. inquest was told Thursday. The case is being treated as an apparent suicide.

Coroner's officer Lynda Martindill said nurse Jacintha Saldanha was discovered hanging by a scarf from a wardrobe in her nurses' quarters Friday by a colleague and a member of security staff at London's King Edward VII Hospital.

Martindill said an attempt to revive Saldanha failed.

Police detective chief inspector James Harman said Saldanha, 46, also had injuries to her wrists.

He told the inquest at Westminster Coroner's Court that two notes were found at the scene and another was found among Saldanha's belongings. He said there were no suspicious circumstances, meaning nobody else was involved in Saldanha's death.

Harman said police were examining the notes, interviewing the nurse's friends, family and colleagues and looking at emails and phone calls to establish what led to her death.

He also said detectives would be contacting police in the Australian state of New South Wales to collect "relevant evidence."

Saldanha answered the phone last week when two Australian disc jockeys called seeking information about the former Kate Middleton, who was being treated for severe morning sickness. The DJs impersonated Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Charles, and Saldanha was tricked into transferring the call to another nurse, who revealed private details about the duchess' condition.

The DJs, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, apologized for the prank in emotional interviews on Australian television, saying they never expected their call would be put through. The show was taken off the air and the DJs have been suspended.

Australia's media watchdog, the Australian Communications and Media Authority, said Thursday it was launching an official investigation into whether radio station 2DayFM breached its broadcasting license conditions and the industry code of practice.

In London, coroner Fiona Wilcox opened and adjourned Saldanha's inquest until March 26.

Wilcox expressed "my sympathies to her family and everybody who has been touched by this tragic death."

In Britain, inquests are held to determine the facts whenever someone dies unexpectedly, violently or in disputed circumstances. Inquests do not determine criminal liability or apportion blame.

The local authority, Westminster Council, said Saldanha's body was released to her family after Thursday's hearing.

Saldanha, who was born in India, lived in Bristol in southwestern England with her husband and two teenage children. Her husband, Benedict Barboza, has said she will be laid to rest in Shirva, India.

The family was not in court. Lawmaker Keith Vaz, who has spoken on their behalf, said the nurse's loved ones "need time to grieve."

Vaz said a memorial Mass would be held Saturday at London's Roman Catholic Westminster Cathedral.

___

Jill Lawless can be reached at http://Twitter.com/JillLawless

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/inquest-nurse-british-royal-hoax-found-hanging-105249097.html

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How Non-Profits Relied on Social Media in 2012 [INFOGRAPHIC]

Sam Laird

Fundraising for non-profits is no easy task. No matter how noble the cause, getting folks to part with their hard-earned cash presents a tricky challenge.

But, more than ever, non-profits are relying on social media to reach their target audiences and help make the world a better place. Why social media? Because Facebook, Twitter and other networks are where the eyeballs are. In fact, socially shared content makes up 10% of all web content, at least according to analysis by the social platform ShareThis.

2012 saw more social effort and engagement than ever by non-profits, and the following infographic from MDG Advertising provides a handy overview. Based on statistics from a number of non-profit advocacy groups, it reflects a world of newfound potential for rallying people online for social good.

Check it out below for the fuller picture, then share with us in the comments: How can social media best be used to promote social good?

Thumbnail image courtesy Flickr, Clyde Robinson

Topics: Business, infographics, Marketing, non-profits, Social Good, Social Media

Source: http://mashable.com/2012/12/12/non-profits-social-media-infographic/

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Green Blog: Reshaping the Future of Cocoa in Africa

Seventy percent of the world?s cocoa now comes from West Africa, where family-run farms have proliferated across the landscape in recent decades. Yet in a paradox, the spread of these nonnative cocoa trees often contributes to deforestation. Rather than planting cacao trees under a forest canopy that shades them, which is the traditional method in Latin America, farmers in Ivory Coast, Cameroon and Ghana often clear forest so they can plant more trees and achieve higher yields.

The practice has a down side for the both the cocoa trees and the environment. Preserving the natural shade would have allowed the cocoa trees to absorb more nutrients and would shelter them from the stresses of the full sun; the loss of natural forestland eliminates a carbon sink, contributing to concentrations of heat-trapping carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

Yet efforts are under way to both bolster cocoa production so that less land is needed for plantations and to reintroduce older farming practices that encourage healthier growth of the trees under forest shade. Those were among the goals of a recent World Cocoa Conference held in Abidjan, the Ivorian capital.

The forum, the first of its kind, was organized by corporations in concert with nongovernmental organizations on the premise that improvements in farming practices can benefit both the farmers, who receive little economic return for the toil they put in, and global producers like Hershey?s and Nestl?. ?West Africa is the core of the industry, and at the base of that pyramid are the farmers,? said Andrew Pederson, global sustainability manager for the candy bar manufacturer Mars Chocolate.

For over a decade, recognition has been growing that farmers, governments, nongovernmental organizations and the businesses that make up the cocoa supply chain need to unite to improve production instead of operating as separate entities. The resulting spate of partnerships between public and private investors are not framed as philanthropy, but as efforts that will benefit both groups.

Asked about the benefits of collaborating with nongovernmental organizations that want to aid the farmers and protect the environment, Mr. Pederson said the motivation was pragmatic. ?Business,? he said. ?We don?t want to be reliant on a supply chain that?s rife with poverty and no training.?

Aside from scant agricultural training, weak infrastructure and diseases like black pod that threaten the trees, the West African cocoa farmers are hobbled by the size of their plots. Most are small-scale and family-run, spread across just a few acres. The farms, often passed down from father to son, may be craggy forests with not many pods, Mr. Pederson said.

(Inside the pods are the coveted cocoa beans, packed tightly into a white, pulpy mesh. It is this sweet encasement that gives the kernels their dense flavor, reacting chemically with the beans when the pods are laid out on wooden racks to ferment. Then comes the drying process, and shipment across the globe.)

?Seventy percent of the world?s supply comes from West Africa, and it?s also a part of the world that has some of the largest problems,? said Bill Guyton, president of the World Cocoa Foundation, which represents cocoa companies seeking to foster sustainability in the industry.

Among the recent innovations is a plan by Mars Incorporated in partnership and the World Agroforestry Center, a group that works toward agricultural productivity in rural settings, to establish a laboratory in Ivory Coast that will operate as a genetic seed bank for growing new, strong cocoa trees.

One strategy is tree grafting to broaden the gene pool. That may mean splicing a genetically distinct new shoot of a young cocoa tree onto a veteran trunk to impart some of the younger plant?s qualities. The result is something like a Frankenstein tree, with older, fruitless limbs intermingled with branches that may be laden with pods.

?It raises their productivity and health dramatically in a pretty short amount of time,? Mr. Pederson said. Once pod production is enhanced, farmers will need only about a third of the land they were using before to attain the same result, making the small size of farms less problematic.

The art of grafting is already widely practiced on cocoa plantations in Asia. But in Africa, ?it?s a technology that?s not used,? Mr. Guyton said. Broader plans call for training grafters and, ultimately, channeling some of the proceeds from greater productivity into local development initiatives that will aid farming communities in general.

As Mr. Pederson put it, ?the world is hungry for chocolate.? Meeting that demand will probably require further innovations in coming decades as climate change, population growth and a greater scarcity of resources change the equation for the growers, distributors and manufacturers of a perennially popular product.

Yet it?s the contrast between the chocolate appetite of the affluent West and the struggles of small-scale African farmers that ?brings out the passion? for those seeking change, Mr. Guyton said, helping to reshape the future of cocoa.

Source: http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/12/11/reshaping-the-future-of-cocoa-in-africa/?partner=rss&emc=rss

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Fiscal cliff talks still hung up on taxes (CNN)

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Syria state media: Blast near Damascus kills 16

BEIRUT (AP) ? Syria's state news agency says a bomb blast near the capital, Damascus, has killed 16 people. It says at least half of those killed are women and children.

The SANA news agency says a car packed with explosives blew up on Thursday near a school in a residential part of the southwestern suburb of Qatana.

The report quotes medics from a nearby hospital as saying 16 people were killed, including seven children and "a number" of women. It says nearly two dozen people were wounded.

Anti-regime activists say more than 40,000 people have been killed since the start of the uprising against President Bashar Assad's regime in March 2011.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/syria-state-media-blast-near-damascus-kills-16-093833789.html

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Consumer Debt is Up ? But is it All Bad? The Theory of ?Good? Debt

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?Debt? is a dirty word. It makes people cringe, but it doesn?t have to?there is such a thing as good debt. Typically, when people talk about this brand of debt, they list three in particular: student loans, auto loans, and mortgages. More generally, you can understand so-called ?good? debt as a loan that is either a necessity?your car?or one that promises a bigger and brighter future?with higher education. That?s one reason why some people are still optimistic about the American consumer debt profile: student loans may be up, but at least credit card debt is down.

The thing is, people define that ?better future? differently. For some, it?s simply financial solvency, and for others it?s the guarantee of a Beamer with a subwoofer in the back. For others still, some traditionally ?good? are no longer so, thanks to the recession. As you?ll see below, however, the decline of ?good? debt is a bit overhyped. Simply put, good debt remains good debt until you?re unable to pay it off.

Your education

An education is an investment, and one you expect will yield dividends in the future. Even entry-level jobs typically require a 4-year degree, and, as you move up the ladder, that list of requirements can grow. And there?s reason: a higher salary demands higher education.

To get there, many students have to take out a student loan. And for many of them, that student loan is ?good? debt, if begrudgingly so, because their degree is an investment.

There is, of course, a caveat to my endorsement of student loans. Especially since 2007, some critics have bashed appraisals like mine as, well, smacking of privilege. And to some extent, they?re absolutely correct. For some, student loans are a boon, and, for others, a burden, one they?ll be shrugging off for years. Some simply can?t escape loans, at which point this good debt becomes absolutely terrible debt: if you default on your student loans, they don?t go away, even if you declare bankruptcy. You may also end up ineligible for future loans.

You do not want that future. But if you?re financially less fortunate, it?s a future you?ll have to consider prudently.? If you know you?ll have to finance quite a bit of your higher education with student loans, then you should also have a very clear budget and even a career path.

Jane E. Babel, who counsels high school students about post-secondary education, lays out clear steps for her clients. ?If they aren?t sure about their future career plans, I tell them to start with this figure: $45,000. That is the median salary of a college graduate in this country, according to the U.S. Department of Education,? she said. Once a student arrives at a projected salary, he or she should take out in loans no more than their anticipated annual income.

There are quite a few ways to cut corners, too. Attend community college for a couple years and then transfer to a four-year university, apply to public, in-state schools, and, if possible, live at home.

Whatever the plan, the college-bound need to ensure that their student loans don?t slide from good debt?a reasonable income and good credit?to bad debt?a low-paying career and years of loans.

Your Car

In her song ?Handshakes,? Emily Haines, of the band Metric, sings over wailing guitars: ?Buy this car to drive to work / Drive to work to pay for this car / Buy this car to drive to work / Drive to work to pay for this car.? It goes on like that.

Haines expresses with style what we all know about your auto loan: it?s a loan you just can?t do without?unless you have the cash to pay for your car up front, or, for the select few, you live just down the block from the office. Your auto loan is ?good? debt simply because you need wheels.

The degree of its ?goodness? depends on the borrower?s tastes. If you?re a car enthusiast, your car?s sheen, make, model, and year are of utmost importance. Because it finances the hobby you love, your loan may even be a great debt.

But for others, this debt?s ?goodness? is a much more precarious attribute. Unlike your home, your car almost surely will not appreciate in value. While your home, with fix-ups, renovations, and additions, may indeed increase in value, it?s extremely rare that your car will do the same. Its value begins depreciating as soon as you get behind the wheel.

If your auto is simply a means to get to and from work and nothing more, then you should take a look at used cars. Otherwise that ?good? debt could become awfully burdensome.

Your home

Your mortgage is a unique investment, unlike stocks and bonds.

?Real estate is one of the actual investments that you can take on that is tangible,? said Michael Shenfeld, a real estate consultant in Chicago. ?It?s a place where you can live.?

Your mortgage is versatile, too: y. You can also use it as capital?if you borrow against it with a home equity loan?or as income?if you sell once you?re ready to leave.

For the aforementioned reasons, economists have traditionally called mortgages ?good? debt. That term, however, has been especially contentious since 2007, when the lending bubble burst and, in many areas, home prices plummeted.

The big picture, however, is much more nuanced. ?Negative publicity sells and people have been down about the market ever since it started to slip right around 2007 or 2008,? Shenfeld said. Home prices are on the rise, though, and Shenfeld expects they will continue to do so.

Moreover, the bubble that burst wasn?t necessarily a national one: it was a collection of smaller bubbles, specific to each given community. For example, on the north side of Chicago, where Shenfeld works, the real estate market wasn?t hit quite as hard as some its Midwestern neighbors, including Detroit.

?We never really had the bubble that other areas had,? he said. Lending practices were tighter than, say, those in California real estate, a market that Shenfeld?s studied in depth. Out West, some sellers expected their homes to appreciate as much as 100% or even 300% percent, Shenfeld said. In inflated markets like that one, sellers and lenders have suffered a much more extreme correction: the bubble grew quite large, and, once it burst, it got quite a few wet.

Chicago was much luckier. ?Our standard appreciation was 5.9%, so it didn?t need much correcting,? Shenfeld said. The reason: ?Conservative people, conservative investors, conservative buyers.?

Your mortgage?s ?goodness,? then, really is a matter of where you live and, of course, your own personal finances. In fact, if you can afford to move, and you?d like a larger home, you can often find one at much lower price and with much lower interest rates.? Even if you do sell low, you can buy even lower if you play your cards right.

Source: http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/2012/consumer-debt-bad-theory-good-debt/

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The 10 Commandments of Retirement Investing: Part II | InvestorPlace

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After spending some time yesterday to discuss the first part of an abbreviated form of Richard C. Young?s ?10 Commandments of Investing,? let?s take a look at the final five commandments and how they can help prepare investors for retirement.

#6: Automatic Withdrawal Programs

Young is very specific in this commandment, suggesting that retirees take out 1% of net portfolio assets every quarter. The vast majority of retirement ?letters? and advisory services I?ve read suggest a 4% figure, so clearly we are looking at a more conservative number in this commandment.

It?s tough to make a cut-and-dried number for withdrawals, considering there are as many variables as there are options. Diversified retirement portfolios may contain assets such as real estate and equity partnerships that are difficult to liquidate, especially on a quarterly basis.

Traditional and Roth IRAs have their own sets of withdrawal rules ? regular IRAs even have required minimum distributions ? so understanding those in the scheme of your other investments is important.

While 1% quarterly is a good guide, as with any aspect of retirement planning, withdrawals should be made based on your monetary needs and your investment time horizon.

#7: Avoid Investment Predictions

Don?t assume that the broader markets will go up in a straight line forever, and certainly don?t plan your retirement on that assumption. Or, more shortly, don?t ?set it and forget it.?

Instead, make (and keep up with) a plan using some analytical tools ? which can be as simple as an Excel spreadsheet ? that provides you with the actual inflows from dividends, interest and any other investments, and keep that spreadsheet up to date on your portfolio mix.

That same spreadsheet can be a valuable tool to help you decide when to sell down asset classes (for balance sake, not necessarily for cash flow) that may be out of balance.

#8: Full Faith and Credit Investing

I?m taking my own swing at this one, as the guidebook is unavailable, but investing at least a portion of your hard-earned monies in Treasury notes ? even at rates below inflation ? is sensible. After all, despite what sometimes appears to be fiscal gridlock, the U.S. still is the most stable economy in the world, and ? for now, at least ? it has the safest debt, too.

Companies like Vanguard offer the full range of U.S. government bond funds, ranging from? Short Term Treasury (MUTF:VFISX) to Long Term Treasury (MUTF:VUSTX) average maturities, both invested at least 80% in government-backed securities. Or you could invest in exchange-traded funds like the iShares Barclays 20+ Year Treasury Bond (NYSE:TLT), which holds Treasury notes with remaining maturities of 20 or more years. Or you can eschew funds altogether and buy government debt directly through the U.S. Treasury.

Full faith and credit can include a fund or investment vehicle packed with solid-rated corporate credits, too. For instance, there?s the iBoxx $ Investment Grade Corporate Bond Fund (NYSE:LQD) ETF, which carries debt from companies like AT&T (NYSE:T) and Walmart (NYSE:WMT).

#9: Avoid In-and-Out Trading

?Day-trading? was all the rage back in the 1990?s when, as my brother used to say, ?You could stuff stocks into a mule and it would appreciate.?

My friends, those days are over.

The market?s sophistication isn?t just based on intellectual capacity; it is now computers, and programs and algorithms. You probably have the smarts, but the game is rigged against you. Building a retirement from your den or beach house is tricky, risky business.

Be active, of course. Your portfolio should be a living, breathing thing, so it?s OK to occasionally take a quick flier on a stock to get a nice bump in your portfolio. But don?t do it often, and only allocate a small amount of your portfolio to such moves so you don?t jeopardize your nest egg. Leave the daily hunt for quick winners to the professionals.

#10: Have a Plan and Patience

So many factors emerge on a day-to-day basis that it?s sometimes difficult to see the forest for the trees. But if you make your own road map ahead of time, you can use it when life throws off your GPS.

Of course, a plan isn?t worth anything if you don?t have the patience to see it through.

And patience is important no matter what stage of life you?re in. Obviously, you have plenty of time if you?re starting out small right out of college, but it?s also difficult to condition yourself to think 40, 50 years down the road. Of course, if you?re starting out later in life, big or small, you don?t have as much time to work with ? but if you treat 10 or 15 years like 10 or 15 minutes, you?ll find yourself making some rash mistakes.

Start from the beginning: Write it down, hash it out, keep it handy, follow your instincts, and listen to the advice of those you trust. And don?t stop until you?ve reached your goals.

Marc Bastow is an Assistant Editor at InvestorPlace.com. As of this writing, he did not hold a position in any of the aforementioned securities. What do you think? Let us know by leaving questions or other comments below.

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Source: http://investorplace.com/2012/11/the-10-commandments-of-retirement-investing-part-ii/

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DotComSecrets IlluminatiClick Image To Visit Site*DISCLAIMER* The information contained in this presentation and product is for education purposes only. This is information designed to help you understand the specific information covered. It is not an attempt to render tax, legal, or business advice. This is not a business opportunity. How you use the information is entirely up to you. While every effort has been made to accurately represent the information along with my opinions and insights, any claims made or examples given, although believed to be accurate, should not be relied on in any way in making a decision whether or not to purchase. This information is an account of what I have experienced. Any testimonials and/or examples used are exceptional results, in no way apply to the average purchaser and are not intended to represent or guarantee that anyone will achieve the same or similar results. The income or financial examples given are in no way meant as a representation of actual or possible earnings, nor are they meant as an inducement, promise, guarantee or prediction of income of any kind. No income claims, promises, predictions or guarantees are made of any kind. Any reference to specific income or dollar amounts that I or others may have earned are NOT done so to imply that you should expect to have, or will experience, similar success. I have no way of knowing how much money can or will make with this information (if you make any money at all). As a result, I?m not promising, predicting, implying or even hinting that you?ll make a single penny. Any reference to, or income examples from, my businesses and/or the examples of others are exceptional results, which do not apply to the average person and are not intended to represent or guarantee that anyone will achieve the same or similar results. The situation surrounding each example given is unique. Merely purchasing this information does not guarantee, imply, ensure, or otherwise suggest you will make money, nor does implementation of said information. Results generated in the examples come from 1) entering a good niche, 2) entering at the right time, 3) intimate and unique knowledge of niche, 4) a compelling call to action 5) a truly unique selling proposition, 6) implementation of applicable parts of the information provided, and 7) repeated trial and effort. If you are unwilling or unable to perform all of the above, do not purchase this product. Even if you perform all of the above, it is no guarantee of results of any kind. Every business or marketing venture involves some degree of risk and your success and/or failure will depend entirely upon your background, dedication, desire and motivation, as well as other factors both known and unknown, as well as factors beyond your control. As with any business endeavor, there is an inherent risk of loss of capital and there is no guarantee that you will earn any money. It?s up to you to decide what level of risk is appropriate? Read more?

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/verizon-says-sandy-effects-could-significant-132005704--finance.html

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বৃহস্পতিবার, ১ নভেম্বর, ২০১২

'Star Wars: Episode 7' to hit theaters in 2015

'Star Wars: Episode 7' will come to theaters after Disney finalized a deal to buy Lucasfilm, and at least two more movies after 'Star Wars: Episode 7' are planned.

By Molly Driscoll,?Staff writer / October 31, 2012

'Star Wars: Episode IV ? A New Hope,' the first film released in the series, came out in 1977.

20th Century-Fox Film Corporation/AP

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A new "Star Wars" film, so far titled only "Star Wars: Episode 7," is coming to theaters in 2015 now that Disney has bought Lucasfilm Ltd., the production company of "Star Wars" creator George Lucas, for $4.05 billion, according to reports.

Skip to next paragraph Molly Driscoll

Staff writer

Molly Driscoll is a Books and the Culture staff writer.

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And that's not all ? at least two films will follow episode 7, according to chairman and CEO of The Walt Disney Company Robert E. Iger.

"Our long term plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years," Iger said in a statement.

"For the past 35 years, one of my greatest pleasures has been to see Star Wars passed from one generation to the next," George Lucas said in a statement. "It's now time for me to pass Star Wars on to a new generation of filmmakers. I've always believed that Star Wars could live beyond me, and I thought it was important to set up the transition during my lifetime.

"I'm confident that with Lucasfilm under the leadership of Kathleen Kennedy, and having a new home within the Disney organization, Star Wars will certainly live on and flourish for many generations to come," Lucas continued. "Disney's reach and experience give Lucasfilm the opportunity to blaze new trails in film, television, interactive media, theme parks, live entertainment and consumer products."

There's no word yet on the plot of the films.

The last new "Star Wars" film was "Star Wars: Episode III ? Revenge of the Sith" in 2005, which concluded the prequel trilogy that began in 1999 with "Star Wars: Episode I ? The Phantom Menace." It was a 16-year wait for "Star Wars" fans in between the original trilogy's conclusion, 1983's "Star Wars: Episode VI ? Return of the Jedi."

"Star Wars" will be seen outside theaters in the future as well, according to CFO and senior executive vice president of The Walt Disney Company Jay Rasulo.

"We also expect to utilize Star Wars in other businesses including Parks & Resorts, in games and in our television business," Rasulo said.

The Walt Disney theme parks already boast one Star Wars ride, "Star Tours," which was recently revamped to include more of the franchise's beloved characters like Darth Vader and more elements from the prequel films.

There had also been rumors of a "Star Wars" TV show, which, if it existed, would presumably now air on Disney-owned network ABC. In the past, Lucasfilm had stated that writers had begun work on scripts, and Lucas said that the show would be "soap opera" with a "film noir" atmosphere.

Reaction to the news by fans has been mixed.

"I'm quietly confident that the Disney buy out will be the best thing to happen to Star Wars in decades," Telegraph film critic Robbie Collins tweeted.

"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, who parodied the first three "Star Wars" films in three separate specials on "Family," brought up the animated film and box office disappointment released by Disney last year.

"Looking forward to seeing what exciting new Star Wars adventures will be cooked up by the dream factory that brought us Mars Needs Moms!" he said on Twitter.

A user named Olan Rogers focused on the monetary aspect.

"I'm sad to see George Lucas, who had such great ideals about filmmaking when he started Star Wars, abandon them for money many years later," he tweeted.

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/WTxEq5qD1sQ/Star-Wars-Episode-7-to-hit-theaters-in-2015

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