Anti-Cancer Compound in Green Tea Identified
LONDON (Reuters) - Spanish and British scientists have discovered how green tea helps to prevent certain types of cancer.
Researchers at the University of Murcia in Spain (UMU) and the John Innes Center (JIC) in Norwich, England have shown that a compound called EGCG in green tea prevents cancer cells from growing by binding to a specific enzyme.
"We have shown for the first time that EGCG, which is present in green tea at relatively high concentrations, inhibits the enzyme dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR), which is a recognized, established target for anti-cancer drugs, " Professor Roger Thorneley, of JIC, told Reuters.
"This is the first time, to our knowledge, a known target for an anti-cancer drug has been identified as being inhibited by EGCG," he added.
Green tea has about five times as much EGCG as regular tea, studies have shown. It decreased rates of certain cancers but scientists were not sure what compounds were involved or how they worked. Nor had they determined how much green tea a person would have to drink to have a beneficial effect, he said.
Thorneley said EGCG is probably just one of a number of anti-cancer mechanisms in green tea.
"We have identified this enzyme in tumor cells that EGCG targets and understand how it stops this enzyme from making DNA. This means we may be able to develop new anti-cancer drugs based on the structure of the EGCG molecule," Thorneley explained.
The scientists decided to look at ECGC after they realized its structure was similar to a cancer drug called methotrexate.
"We discovered that EGCG can kill cancer cells in the same way as methotrexate," Dr Jose Neptuno Rodriguez-Lopez, of UMU, a joint author of the research published in the journal Cancer Research.
EGCG binds strongly to DHFR, which is essential in both healthy and cancerous cells. But it does not bind as tightly as methotrexate, so its side effects on healthy cells could be less severe than those of the drug.
Thorneley said EGCG could be a lead compound for new anti-cancer drugs.
The findings could also explain why women who drink large amounts of green tea around the time they conceive and early in their pregnancy may have an increased risk of having a child with spina bifida or other neural tube disorders.
Women are advised to take supplements of folic acid because it protects against spina bifida. But large amounts of green tea could decrease the effectiveness of folic acid.
"This enzyme, (DHFR), is the one folic acid supplements are given for. Folic acid deficiency leads to neural tube development defects," Thorneley added.
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Python Comes to Broadway with Musical 'Spamalot'
NEW YORK (Reuters) - After years of lavish spectacles reigning on Broadway, a musical based on a film made up of comedy sketches about medieval Europe might seem like a hard sell. But "Spamalot" is proving naysayers wrong.
Turning the 1974 classic comedy "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" into "Spamalot" took Python member Eric Idle three years of work. And it looks like that hard work is paying off, with the show proving a critical darling in its pre-Broadway run and a box-office smash before it even opens.
The current Broadway season has seen several new musicals disappoint, including "Good Vibrations" and "Brooklyn." Both are hovering near 60 percent capacity at their theaters.
But "Spamalot," which is scheduled to open on the Great White Way on Thursday, could be the savior. The show has been filling more than 90 percent of the seats at the Shubert Theater in previews and taking a weekly gross of more than $750,000, rivaling such smash hits as "The Lion King," "Wicked" and "Mamma Mia!" And advance ticket sales have been spectacular, approaching $18 million.
Along with the Python draw, the musical features a top-notch cast of stellar comedians led by Tim Curry, best known for his cult role in garters and black leather in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," as King Arthur.
Emmy winners Hank Azaria ("The Simpsons") and David Hyde-Pierce, coming off his 11-year run as Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom "Frasier," take on multiple roles in the show. Sara Ramirez plays The Lady of the Lake.
BROADWAY PARODY
"Spamalot" follows the travails of King Arthur as he gathers knights to join him on his quest for the Holy Grail. Suddenly the men realize that where they belong is on Broadway. Hilarity reigns as spoofs of past stage triumphs such as "The Phantom of the Opera," "Les Miserables," "The Boy From Oz" and "Fiddler on the Roof" are thrown at the audience.
"Spamalot" opened in Chicago in January and the critics were enthusiastic. The Daily Herald called it "very, very silly and entertaining," while The Chicago Sun-Times lauded its "very funny" script, "delicious lyrics" and "impeccably cast actors" under the direction of Oscar winner Mike Nichols, who has won six Tonys for his stage work.
Python work "is very 'sketchy' writing" which leads into songs quite naturally, Idle told Reuters.
"It was a perfect property. At any point in the movie you could put in a song," he said. The script lends itself to song, according to Idle, with lines like, "Run away," or, "I'm not dead yet," screaming out to be musical cues.
Before Idle could embark on making a musical of the tale of King Arthur and his knights, he had to get permission from the other four surviving members of the comedy troupe. Graham Chapman died in 1989.
"I did an adaptation of the book," Idle said. "When John Du Prez (who co-wrote the music and lyrics) and I recorded about 10 or 12 songs, we sent them a CD. That's what got them. They laughed very much. ... They saw that it was possible. It gave them enough to see that it could work. They said, 'Off you go. You can do this with our blessing.'"
FROM SILVER SCREEN TO STAGE
"Spamalot" is the latest in a rash of films being adapted for the Broadway stage. One of the biggest hits in the genre has been Mel Brooks' adaptation of his comedy masterpiece "The Producers." The success of this venture made it easier for "Spamalot" to get financing, Idle said.
"Actually I went to Brooks in the late 1980s and asked him if we could do 'The Producers.' He could play Bialystock and I could play Bloom -- I was young enough in those days," he chuckled. "It was something I thought would make a good musical."
According to Idle, "There are potentials in some things to become musicals. It's spotting them and getting it right that's half the battle. And finding things that people want to see."
When Idle sat down to work on "Spamalot," he decided to base the show on the portion of the film dealing with the rounding up of the knights.
He said the film "is not very cinematic. There are moments in it. But all the comedy is very simple writing, so it easily transfers."
Many of the gags from "Holy Grail" pop up in "Spamalot" -- the banging of the coconuts for horses' hooves, the strolling minstrels and the French taunter, to name a few. But fans will also see onstage some bits that might have seemed impossible to recreate. The creators of "Spamalot" have come up with inventive ways to include such classic bits as the Black Knight and the Killer Rabbit too.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - After years of lavish spectacles reigning on Broadway, a musical based on a film made up of comedy sketches about medieval Europe might seem like a hard sell. But "Spamalot" is proving naysayers wrong.
Turning the 1974 classic comedy "Monty Python and the Holy Grail" into "Spamalot" took Python member Eric Idle three years of work. And it looks like that hard work is paying off, with the show proving a critical darling in its pre-Broadway run and a box-office smash before it even opens.
The current Broadway season has seen several new musicals disappoint, including "Good Vibrations" and "Brooklyn." Both are hovering near 60 percent capacity at their theaters.
But "Spamalot," which is scheduled to open on the Great White Way on Thursday, could be the savior. The show has been filling more than 90 percent of the seats at the Shubert Theater in previews and taking a weekly gross of more than $750,000, rivaling such smash hits as "The Lion King," "Wicked" and "Mamma Mia!" And advance ticket sales have been spectacular, approaching $18 million.
Along with the Python draw, the musical features a top-notch cast of stellar comedians led by Tim Curry, best known for his cult role in garters and black leather in "The Rocky Horror Picture Show," as King Arthur.
Emmy winners Hank Azaria ("The Simpsons") and David Hyde-Pierce, coming off his 11-year run as Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom "Frasier," take on multiple roles in the show. Sara Ramirez plays The Lady of the Lake.
BROADWAY PARODY
"Spamalot" follows the travails of King Arthur as he gathers knights to join him on his quest for the Holy Grail. Suddenly the men realize that where they belong is on Broadway. Hilarity reigns as spoofs of past stage triumphs such as "The Phantom of the Opera," "Les Miserables," "The Boy From Oz" and "Fiddler on the Roof" are thrown at the audience.
"Spamalot" opened in Chicago in January and the critics were enthusiastic. The Daily Herald called it "very, very silly and entertaining," while The Chicago Sun-Times lauded its "very funny" script, "delicious lyrics" and "impeccably cast actors" under the direction of Oscar winner Mike Nichols, who has won six Tonys for his stage work.
Python work "is very 'sketchy' writing" which leads into songs quite naturally, Idle told Reuters.
"It was a perfect property. At any point in the movie you could put in a song," he said. The script lends itself to song, according to Idle, with lines like, "Run away," or, "I'm not dead yet," screaming out to be musical cues.
Before Idle could embark on making a musical of the tale of King Arthur and his knights, he had to get permission from the other four surviving members of the comedy troupe. Graham Chapman died in 1989.
"I did an adaptation of the book," Idle said. "When John Du Prez (who co-wrote the music and lyrics) and I recorded about 10 or 12 songs, we sent them a CD. That's what got them. They laughed very much. ... They saw that it was possible. It gave them enough to see that it could work. They said, 'Off you go. You can do this with our blessing.'"
FROM SILVER SCREEN TO STAGE
"Spamalot" is the latest in a rash of films being adapted for the Broadway stage. One of the biggest hits in the genre has been Mel Brooks' adaptation of his comedy masterpiece "The Producers." The success of this venture made it easier for "Spamalot" to get financing, Idle said.
"Actually I went to Brooks in the late 1980s and asked him if we could do 'The Producers.' He could play Bialystock and I could play Bloom -- I was young enough in those days," he chuckled. "It was something I thought would make a good musical."
According to Idle, "There are potentials in some things to become musicals. It's spotting them and getting it right that's half the battle. And finding things that people want to see."
When Idle sat down to work on "Spamalot," he decided to base the show on the portion of the film dealing with the rounding up of the knights.
He said the film "is not very cinematic. There are moments in it. But all the comedy is very simple writing, so it easily transfers."
Many of the gags from "Holy Grail" pop up in "Spamalot" -- the banging of the coconuts for horses' hooves, the strolling minstrels and the French taunter, to name a few. But fans will also see onstage some bits that might have seemed impossible to recreate. The creators of "Spamalot" have come up with inventive ways to include such classic bits as the Black Knight and the Killer Rabbit too.
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AussieMark
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Older Siblings Smarter, Norwegian Study Shows
OSLO (Reuters) - First born children in Norway get better education and as adults are more successful in the job market than younger siblings, a Norwegian-U.S. study showed.
"It is the birth order and not necessarily the size of the family that is important," said economics professor Kjell Salvanes of the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration. "It is better if you are the first born." Salvanes and two colleagues from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) based their study on census data of Norwegians born between 1912 and 1975.
The findings will be published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, a Harvard publication, in May.
They found that younger siblings tend to get less schooling than their elders and then end up with lower pay on average and were more likely to be in part-time work, Salvanes said. The findings were likely to hold true in other countries, he said.
"In terms of educational attainment, if you are the fourth born instead of the first, you get almost one year less education, and that is quite a lot," Salvanes told Reuters.
And first-born children tend to weigh more at birth than their younger brothers and sisters, which is a good predictor for educational success, Salvanes said.
Children alone with two adults also tend to get more intellectual stimulation than children in large families who get less parental attention, he said.
First-born children seem to learn from teaching their younger siblings, contrary to the common notion that younger children benefit by learning from their elders, Salvanes said.
So does that mean big sisters really are smarter?
"Yes. It's hard to admit because I have older sisters," Salvanes said.
OSLO (Reuters) - First born children in Norway get better education and as adults are more successful in the job market than younger siblings, a Norwegian-U.S. study showed.
"It is the birth order and not necessarily the size of the family that is important," said economics professor Kjell Salvanes of the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration. "It is better if you are the first born." Salvanes and two colleagues from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) based their study on census data of Norwegians born between 1912 and 1975.
The findings will be published in the Quarterly Journal of Economics, a Harvard publication, in May.
They found that younger siblings tend to get less schooling than their elders and then end up with lower pay on average and were more likely to be in part-time work, Salvanes said. The findings were likely to hold true in other countries, he said.
"In terms of educational attainment, if you are the fourth born instead of the first, you get almost one year less education, and that is quite a lot," Salvanes told Reuters.
And first-born children tend to weigh more at birth than their younger brothers and sisters, which is a good predictor for educational success, Salvanes said.
Children alone with two adults also tend to get more intellectual stimulation than children in large families who get less parental attention, he said.
First-born children seem to learn from teaching their younger siblings, contrary to the common notion that younger children benefit by learning from their elders, Salvanes said.
So does that mean big sisters really are smarter?
"Yes. It's hard to admit because I have older sisters," Salvanes said.
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AussieMark
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Imax Brings 3-D Tech Into 21st Century
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A 3-D revival is under way.
On Monday (March 14), as the international film community gathers at ShoWest 2005 in Las Vegas, Imax Corp. plans to announce its new 3-D live-action technology at the convention. Considered a killer app for the company, the technology makes it possible to convert any 2-D 35mm film for Imax's large-screen 3-D environment.
During the conference -- the top gathering for U.S. theater owners -- 3-D-related discussions and announcements also are expected from George Lucas, James Cameron and Mann Theatres.
"Going into ShoWest this year we all thought the major theme would be movie piracy," said Ted Costas, Inter-Society president and director of production services at Dolby Laboratories. "Now it looks like there will be a big focus on exhibiting in digital 3-D."
Filmmakers, studios and the exhibition community will be taking a closer look at the enhanced 3-D entertainment experience for a number of reasons: Such action-adventure directors as Lucas, Cameron and Robert Rodriguez are looking for ways to make films with a new visual palette; the major studios are eager to capitalize on any additional boxoffice revenue generated by corollary 3-D releases; and exhibitors hope to get audiences into local theaters and out of increasingly enhanced home-viewing situations with exclusive movie content that can't be duplicated at home.
ANTI-PIRACY ANGLE
3-D also could serve as a deterrent against film piracy because 3-D content is difficult, if not impossible, to watch outside the proper viewing environment.
"We are inarguably bullish on Imax 3D," Imax Films president Greg Foster said. "We have earned our role. We are the pre-eminent 3-D presentation and our 3-D film record speaks for itself."
While Rodriguez led the way with 35mm 3-D with 2003's "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over," which took in $112 million domestically, last year Imax demonstrated the appeal of Imax 3D with its special 3-D edition of Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Polar Express." Robert Zemeckis' film earned $46 million -- out of a worldwide gross of $281 million -- on Imax screens.
Imax, using its proprietary DMR technology, already has been successfully screening live-action studio features in the standard Imax format. Having succeeded in converting an animated film into Imax 3D, the company wants to apply its conversation technology to live-action event films. While no studio has yet signed on, Imax is in talks with Warners to use the process on either Wolfgang Petersen's "The Poseidon Adventure" or Bryan Singer's Superman film, both scheduled for release next year.
Late last week, Imax began displaying 3-D test footage of Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man 2." ("Spider-Man 2" was used for testing purposes only, and there are no plans to release the film in 3-D.) Imax also tested 3-D footage for Lucas' upcoming release "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith."
But the two companies will not be working together for the film's May release. Imax co-CEO Brad Wechsler said Lucas was more interested in applying the 3-D technology to his library titles, whereas Imax is concentrating its efforts on new releases, so that a film's 3-D version would open the same day as the 2-D original.
Imax estimates that converting a 2-D 35mm film to Imax 3D will cost $5 million-$8 million and that the process would take six to 10 weeks.
REAL DEAL FOR MANN
Mann Theatres plans to announce Monday (March 14) that it is installing a 3-D digital cinema screen at the Mann Chinese VIP Theater in Hollywood in a deal with the Beverly Hills-based firm REAL D.
Mann Theatres CEO Peter Dobson said, "With REAL D, (our theaters) will be poised to address consumers' demands for more sophisticated theatrical experiences from their local multiplex and help in the fight against piracy because of the extreme difficulty of pirates replicating 3-D movies."
REAL D is installing equipment in Mann Theatres at its own expense in return for a percentage of each 3-D screen's boxoffice.
REAL D chairman Michael Lewis said, "Instead of say, $10, the chain will charge $12-$15. They make more on their return, the studio makes more, and we take a percentage that only kicks in on 3-D content played." Execs declined to name any upcoming films slated to play on the REAL D system.
Thursday (March 17) at ShoWest, Lucas is expected to discuss 3-D as part of a digital cinema panel. He is expected to project a digitally remastered 3-D excerpt from one of the "Star Wars" movies, though not "Revenge of the Sith."
According to sources familiar with developments in the field, Lucas has contacted the Agoura Hills, Calif.-based firm In-Three about the possibility of remastering all his "Star Wars" movies for 3-D. As part of its technology, In-Three also provides theaters with 3-D glasses and cleaning devices.
Cameron, who also is expected to be in attendance Thursday, has used In-Three to remaster portions of his documentary "Aliens of the Deep." Although Cameron shot the footage with a high-definition video stereoscopic rig, portions were massaged by In-Three during postproduction to enhance certain 3-D effects.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A 3-D revival is under way.
On Monday (March 14), as the international film community gathers at ShoWest 2005 in Las Vegas, Imax Corp. plans to announce its new 3-D live-action technology at the convention. Considered a killer app for the company, the technology makes it possible to convert any 2-D 35mm film for Imax's large-screen 3-D environment.
During the conference -- the top gathering for U.S. theater owners -- 3-D-related discussions and announcements also are expected from George Lucas, James Cameron and Mann Theatres.
"Going into ShoWest this year we all thought the major theme would be movie piracy," said Ted Costas, Inter-Society president and director of production services at Dolby Laboratories. "Now it looks like there will be a big focus on exhibiting in digital 3-D."
Filmmakers, studios and the exhibition community will be taking a closer look at the enhanced 3-D entertainment experience for a number of reasons: Such action-adventure directors as Lucas, Cameron and Robert Rodriguez are looking for ways to make films with a new visual palette; the major studios are eager to capitalize on any additional boxoffice revenue generated by corollary 3-D releases; and exhibitors hope to get audiences into local theaters and out of increasingly enhanced home-viewing situations with exclusive movie content that can't be duplicated at home.
ANTI-PIRACY ANGLE
3-D also could serve as a deterrent against film piracy because 3-D content is difficult, if not impossible, to watch outside the proper viewing environment.
"We are inarguably bullish on Imax 3D," Imax Films president Greg Foster said. "We have earned our role. We are the pre-eminent 3-D presentation and our 3-D film record speaks for itself."
While Rodriguez led the way with 35mm 3-D with 2003's "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over," which took in $112 million domestically, last year Imax demonstrated the appeal of Imax 3D with its special 3-D edition of Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Polar Express." Robert Zemeckis' film earned $46 million -- out of a worldwide gross of $281 million -- on Imax screens.
Imax, using its proprietary DMR technology, already has been successfully screening live-action studio features in the standard Imax format. Having succeeded in converting an animated film into Imax 3D, the company wants to apply its conversation technology to live-action event films. While no studio has yet signed on, Imax is in talks with Warners to use the process on either Wolfgang Petersen's "The Poseidon Adventure" or Bryan Singer's Superman film, both scheduled for release next year.
Late last week, Imax began displaying 3-D test footage of Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man 2." ("Spider-Man 2" was used for testing purposes only, and there are no plans to release the film in 3-D.) Imax also tested 3-D footage for Lucas' upcoming release "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith."
But the two companies will not be working together for the film's May release. Imax co-CEO Brad Wechsler said Lucas was more interested in applying the 3-D technology to his library titles, whereas Imax is concentrating its efforts on new releases, so that a film's 3-D version would open the same day as the 2-D original.
Imax estimates that converting a 2-D 35mm film to Imax 3D will cost $5 million-$8 million and that the process would take six to 10 weeks.
REAL DEAL FOR MANN
Mann Theatres plans to announce Monday (March 14) that it is installing a 3-D digital cinema screen at the Mann Chinese VIP Theater in Hollywood in a deal with the Beverly Hills-based firm REAL D.
Mann Theatres CEO Peter Dobson said, "With REAL D, (our theaters) will be poised to address consumers' demands for more sophisticated theatrical experiences from their local multiplex and help in the fight against piracy because of the extreme difficulty of pirates replicating 3-D movies."
REAL D is installing equipment in Mann Theatres at its own expense in return for a percentage of each 3-D screen's boxoffice.
REAL D chairman Michael Lewis said, "Instead of say, $10, the chain will charge $12-$15. They make more on their return, the studio makes more, and we take a percentage that only kicks in on 3-D content played." Execs declined to name any upcoming films slated to play on the REAL D system.
Thursday (March 17) at ShoWest, Lucas is expected to discuss 3-D as part of a digital cinema panel. He is expected to project a digitally remastered 3-D excerpt from one of the "Star Wars" movies, though not "Revenge of the Sith."
According to sources familiar with developments in the field, Lucas has contacted the Agoura Hills, Calif.-based firm In-Three about the possibility of remastering all his "Star Wars" movies for 3-D. As part of its technology, In-Three also provides theaters with 3-D glasses and cleaning devices.
Cameron, who also is expected to be in attendance Thursday, has used In-Three to remaster portions of his documentary "Aliens of the Deep." Although Cameron shot the footage with a high-definition video stereoscopic rig, portions were massaged by In-Three during postproduction to enhance certain 3-D effects.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
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TexasStooge
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tropicalweatherwatcher wrote:Imax Brings 3-D Tech Into 21st Century
LOS ANGELES (Hollywood Reporter) - A 3-D revival is under way.
On Monday (March 14), as the international film community gathers at ShoWest 2005 in Las Vegas, Imax Corp. plans to announce its new 3-D live-action technology at the convention. Considered a killer app for the company, the technology makes it possible to convert any 2-D 35mm film for Imax's large-screen 3-D environment.
During the conference -- the top gathering for U.S. theater owners -- 3-D-related discussions and announcements also are expected from George Lucas, James Cameron and Mann Theatres.
"Going into ShoWest this year we all thought the major theme would be movie piracy," said Ted Costas, Inter-Society president and director of production services at Dolby Laboratories. "Now it looks like there will be a big focus on exhibiting in digital 3-D."
Filmmakers, studios and the exhibition community will be taking a closer look at the enhanced 3-D entertainment experience for a number of reasons: Such action-adventure directors as Lucas, Cameron and Robert Rodriguez are looking for ways to make films with a new visual palette; the major studios are eager to capitalize on any additional boxoffice revenue generated by corollary 3-D releases; and exhibitors hope to get audiences into local theaters and out of increasingly enhanced home-viewing situations with exclusive movie content that can't be duplicated at home.
ANTI-PIRACY ANGLE
3-D also could serve as a deterrent against film piracy because 3-D content is difficult, if not impossible, to watch outside the proper viewing environment.
"We are inarguably bullish on Imax 3D," Imax Films president Greg Foster said. "We have earned our role. We are the pre-eminent 3-D presentation and our 3-D film record speaks for itself."
While Rodriguez led the way with 35mm 3-D with 2003's "Spy Kids 3-D: Game Over," which took in $112 million domestically, last year Imax demonstrated the appeal of Imax 3D with its special 3-D edition of Warner Bros. Pictures' "The Polar Express." Robert Zemeckis' film earned $46 million -- out of a worldwide gross of $281 million -- on Imax screens.
Imax, using its proprietary DMR technology, already has been successfully screening live-action studio features in the standard Imax format. Having succeeded in converting an animated film into Imax 3D, the company wants to apply its conversation technology to live-action event films. While no studio has yet signed on, Imax is in talks with Warners to use the process on either Wolfgang Petersen's "The Poseidon Adventure" or Bryan Singer's Superman film, both scheduled for release next year.
Late last week, Imax began displaying 3-D test footage of Sony Pictures' "Spider-Man 2." ("Spider-Man 2" was used for testing purposes only, and there are no plans to release the film in 3-D.) Imax also tested 3-D footage for Lucas' upcoming release "Star Wars: Episode III -- Revenge of the Sith."
But the two companies will not be working together for the film's May release. Imax co-CEO Brad Wechsler said Lucas was more interested in applying the 3-D technology to his library titles, whereas Imax is concentrating its efforts on new releases, so that a film's 3-D version would open the same day as the 2-D original.
Imax estimates that converting a 2-D 35mm film to Imax 3D will cost $5 million-$8 million and that the process would take six to 10 weeks.
REAL DEAL FOR MANN
Mann Theatres plans to announce Monday (March 14) that it is installing a 3-D digital cinema screen at the Mann Chinese VIP Theater in Hollywood in a deal with the Beverly Hills-based firm REAL D.
Mann Theatres CEO Peter Dobson said, "With REAL D, (our theaters) will be poised to address consumers' demands for more sophisticated theatrical experiences from their local multiplex and help in the fight against piracy because of the extreme difficulty of pirates replicating 3-D movies."
REAL D is installing equipment in Mann Theatres at its own expense in return for a percentage of each 3-D screen's boxoffice.
REAL D chairman Michael Lewis said, "Instead of say, $10, the chain will charge $12-$15. They make more on their return, the studio makes more, and we take a percentage that only kicks in on 3-D content played." Execs declined to name any upcoming films slated to play on the REAL D system.
Thursday (March 17) at ShoWest, Lucas is expected to discuss 3-D as part of a digital cinema panel. He is expected to project a digitally remastered 3-D excerpt from one of the "Star Wars" movies, though not "Revenge of the Sith."
According to sources familiar with developments in the field, Lucas has contacted the Agoura Hills, Calif.-based firm In-Three about the possibility of remastering all his "Star Wars" movies for 3-D. As part of its technology, In-Three also provides theaters with 3-D glasses and cleaning devices.
Cameron, who also is expected to be in attendance Thursday, has used In-Three to remaster portions of his documentary "Aliens of the Deep." Although Cameron shot the footage with a high-definition video stereoscopic rig, portions were massaged by In-Three during postproduction to enhance certain 3-D effects.
Reuters/Hollywood Reporter
Can't wait!
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AussieMark
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Seeking a Kinder, Gentler New Jersey
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lighten up New Jersey.
That is the message from two politicians who have introduced a resolution aimed at promoting kindness and civility in the often edgy Garden State.
New Jersey Assemblymen Jon Bramnick and Gordon Johnson are encouraging residents to think twice about cutting off motorists in traffic, bumping patrons in the mall or grumbling loudly in long check-out lines.
"This state is densely populated. The roads are crowded, the supermarkets are crowded. It's easy to get frustrated," said Bramnick, a Republican. "If we can get a discussion about being nice out into the public, I think it could effect the way people interact with one another."
Bramnick and Johnson's resolution, which is waiting for a hearing by an Assembly committee says "increased courtesy and respect among residents will reduce stress and make daily tasks more enjoyable," but does not aim to legislate behavior.
"We need to have people sit down and talk to their friends about their beliefs, beyond giving a guy the middle finger on the highway," said Johnson, a Democrat.
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Lighten up New Jersey.
That is the message from two politicians who have introduced a resolution aimed at promoting kindness and civility in the often edgy Garden State.
New Jersey Assemblymen Jon Bramnick and Gordon Johnson are encouraging residents to think twice about cutting off motorists in traffic, bumping patrons in the mall or grumbling loudly in long check-out lines.
"This state is densely populated. The roads are crowded, the supermarkets are crowded. It's easy to get frustrated," said Bramnick, a Republican. "If we can get a discussion about being nice out into the public, I think it could effect the way people interact with one another."
Bramnick and Johnson's resolution, which is waiting for a hearing by an Assembly committee says "increased courtesy and respect among residents will reduce stress and make daily tasks more enjoyable," but does not aim to legislate behavior.
"We need to have people sit down and talk to their friends about their beliefs, beyond giving a guy the middle finger on the highway," said Johnson, a Democrat.
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AussieMark
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New Julius Caesar Always Alert on Ides of March
BERLIN (Reuters) - Sharing a name with the most famous leader of ancient Rome is not always easy when you're a modern politician -- especially on the Ides of March, when the first Julius Caesar was assassinated.
"Let's put it this way, I'm always particularly alert on March 15 and have always come through it fine so far," said Cajus Julius Caesar, a parliamentarian with Germany's opposition Christian Democrats (CDU). "It's not a real worry."
Allowing for the alternative spelling of his forename, his name exactly matches that of his Roman predecessor Gaius Julius Caesar, who was stabbed to death by senators in Rome in 44 BC, on March 15 -- the Ides of March.
Caesar, 54, said on Tuesday that while his name has made it easy for him to stand out in politics, it does have its drawbacks -- especially when people refuse to believe it's genuine.
One member of his party could only respond with sarcasm when the politician first tried to introduce himself.
"I introduced myself as Cajus Julius Caesar, and he replied 'and I'm Napoleon Bonaparte' because he didn't believe me," said Caesar, who hails from western Germany.
Another CDU lawmaker demanded to see his identification.
Caesar, a trained forester, inherited his name from his father and has passed it on to one of his sons. He can only trace his surname back to around 1700, but does not rule out a link with the conqueror of Gaul and invader of Britain.
"I can't prove that I'm related to the Roman general and dictator, but I don't want to rule it out either," he said.
He is also used to meeting incredulity when trying to make reservations or sign contracts -- though he has found ways to turn this to his advantage.
"I've won a few bets with people about my name," he said. "But only for the odd round of drinks or a meal of course."
Despite his namesake's grisly death -- murdered by nobles claiming they were saving the Roman Republic from his dictatorial ambitions -- Caesar says he has no designs upon the highest office and does not expect to die with a dagger in his back.
But this doesn't stop him from wondering.
"If we assume Caesar was 56 when he died, that means I'm only two years away ... perhaps the danger's not over yet!" he said with a laugh. "I'll need to stay alert."
BERLIN (Reuters) - Sharing a name with the most famous leader of ancient Rome is not always easy when you're a modern politician -- especially on the Ides of March, when the first Julius Caesar was assassinated.
"Let's put it this way, I'm always particularly alert on March 15 and have always come through it fine so far," said Cajus Julius Caesar, a parliamentarian with Germany's opposition Christian Democrats (CDU). "It's not a real worry."
Allowing for the alternative spelling of his forename, his name exactly matches that of his Roman predecessor Gaius Julius Caesar, who was stabbed to death by senators in Rome in 44 BC, on March 15 -- the Ides of March.
Caesar, 54, said on Tuesday that while his name has made it easy for him to stand out in politics, it does have its drawbacks -- especially when people refuse to believe it's genuine.
One member of his party could only respond with sarcasm when the politician first tried to introduce himself.
"I introduced myself as Cajus Julius Caesar, and he replied 'and I'm Napoleon Bonaparte' because he didn't believe me," said Caesar, who hails from western Germany.
Another CDU lawmaker demanded to see his identification.
Caesar, a trained forester, inherited his name from his father and has passed it on to one of his sons. He can only trace his surname back to around 1700, but does not rule out a link with the conqueror of Gaul and invader of Britain.
"I can't prove that I'm related to the Roman general and dictator, but I don't want to rule it out either," he said.
He is also used to meeting incredulity when trying to make reservations or sign contracts -- though he has found ways to turn this to his advantage.
"I've won a few bets with people about my name," he said. "But only for the odd round of drinks or a meal of course."
Despite his namesake's grisly death -- murdered by nobles claiming they were saving the Roman Republic from his dictatorial ambitions -- Caesar says he has no designs upon the highest office and does not expect to die with a dagger in his back.
But this doesn't stop him from wondering.
"If we assume Caesar was 56 when he died, that means I'm only two years away ... perhaps the danger's not over yet!" he said with a laugh. "I'll need to stay alert."
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AussieMark
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Is Gender-Based Pricing Fair?
TORONTO (Reuters) - Most women, accustomed to paying more than men for goods and services like clothes and hair cuts, simply shrug it off as part of life, but an Ontario legislator hopes to end all that.
Lorenzo Berardinetti wants to brand so-called gender-based pricing a human rights violation and he has introduced a bill in the Ontario legislature to make the practice illegal.
Berardinetti said on Tuesday he was shocked when he and his wife took clothes to a dry cleaners and she ended up paying more for similar items.
"I get charged one price and she gets charged another price for virtually the same material," he said.
Berardinetti said that opened his eyes to an experience women have long learned to deal with, namely higher prices for clothes, shoes, hair cuts and other services.
"The bill would ... amend the human rights code in Ontario to make gender pricing discriminatory and it would also allow for penalties to be levied from C$2,000 to C$5,000," he said.
The bill -- "An Act to Prohibit Price Discrimination on the Basis of Gender" -- will be debated in the legislature in April in the second phase of a four-stage process toward a bill making its way into law. If it passes a final third reading, royal assent then sees it written into law.
TORONTO (Reuters) - Most women, accustomed to paying more than men for goods and services like clothes and hair cuts, simply shrug it off as part of life, but an Ontario legislator hopes to end all that.
Lorenzo Berardinetti wants to brand so-called gender-based pricing a human rights violation and he has introduced a bill in the Ontario legislature to make the practice illegal.
Berardinetti said on Tuesday he was shocked when he and his wife took clothes to a dry cleaners and she ended up paying more for similar items.
"I get charged one price and she gets charged another price for virtually the same material," he said.
Berardinetti said that opened his eyes to an experience women have long learned to deal with, namely higher prices for clothes, shoes, hair cuts and other services.
"The bill would ... amend the human rights code in Ontario to make gender pricing discriminatory and it would also allow for penalties to be levied from C$2,000 to C$5,000," he said.
The bill -- "An Act to Prohibit Price Discrimination on the Basis of Gender" -- will be debated in the legislature in April in the second phase of a four-stage process toward a bill making its way into law. If it passes a final third reading, royal assent then sees it written into law.
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AussieMark
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This Isn't What You Expect at a Zoo...
BEIJING (Reuters) - Safari parks in China have agreed to stop feeding their lions and tigers large live animals such as horses -- at least in public.
The gory eating habits could lead visitors to believe that animals, both hunter and prey, were only human playthings, Xinhua news agency on Wednesday quoted Xie Youxin, the deputy general manager of the Wild Animal World in Chengdu, as saying.
"The bloody scene could also have implanted violent tendencies in youngsters," he said. Chengdu is the capital of southwestern Sichuan province.
Managers of 22 of 30 safari parks nationwide who signed an agreement last week said they acknowledged that wild animals had the same sense of "agony, terror and annoyance" as human beings.
Animal rights activists have criticized the state of China's zoos and the mistreatment of wild animals captured for their fur, or in the case of bears, for the healing power of their bile.
But the safari park agreement only restricts the release of large domestic animals, such as oxen and horses, during the presence of visitors, the agency said.
"Feeding when the park is not open is permitted. Parks are allowed to continue to sell small birds for visitors to feed the wild beasts."
BEIJING (Reuters) - Safari parks in China have agreed to stop feeding their lions and tigers large live animals such as horses -- at least in public.
The gory eating habits could lead visitors to believe that animals, both hunter and prey, were only human playthings, Xinhua news agency on Wednesday quoted Xie Youxin, the deputy general manager of the Wild Animal World in Chengdu, as saying.
"The bloody scene could also have implanted violent tendencies in youngsters," he said. Chengdu is the capital of southwestern Sichuan province.
Managers of 22 of 30 safari parks nationwide who signed an agreement last week said they acknowledged that wild animals had the same sense of "agony, terror and annoyance" as human beings.
Animal rights activists have criticized the state of China's zoos and the mistreatment of wild animals captured for their fur, or in the case of bears, for the healing power of their bile.
But the safari park agreement only restricts the release of large domestic animals, such as oxen and horses, during the presence of visitors, the agency said.
"Feeding when the park is not open is permitted. Parks are allowed to continue to sell small birds for visitors to feed the wild beasts."
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AussieMark
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Commercial Leaves Kids Too Scared to Watch TV
LONDON (Reuters) - A Marmite commercial that parodied 1950's science fiction film "The Blob" has been banned from all children's' programs in Britain after leaving kids too scared to watch television, the advertising watchdog said.
Two Marmite adverts featured a giant brown blob rolling along a crowded street, terrifying some people who tried to flee while others ran toward it with delight.
The ad ended with Marmite's slogan: "You either love it or hate it."
Six people complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that their toddlers had been terrified by the adverts, with four refusing to watch television after seeing them and two suffering nightmares.
Unilever Bestfoods, makers of the dark brown savory spread, argued against imposing a tougher "ex-kids restriction" as broadcasters were likely not to show it during general programs such as "Pop Idol," which attracted younger viewers.
But the ASA said the complaints were strong enough to ban the advert from all children's programming.
"We accepted that the advertisements' effect on young children would have been hard to anticipate," it added. "However, it was clear from the complaints we received that they had caused distress to very young children."
LONDON (Reuters) - A Marmite commercial that parodied 1950's science fiction film "The Blob" has been banned from all children's' programs in Britain after leaving kids too scared to watch television, the advertising watchdog said.
Two Marmite adverts featured a giant brown blob rolling along a crowded street, terrifying some people who tried to flee while others ran toward it with delight.
The ad ended with Marmite's slogan: "You either love it or hate it."
Six people complained to the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) that their toddlers had been terrified by the adverts, with four refusing to watch television after seeing them and two suffering nightmares.
Unilever Bestfoods, makers of the dark brown savory spread, argued against imposing a tougher "ex-kids restriction" as broadcasters were likely not to show it during general programs such as "Pop Idol," which attracted younger viewers.
But the ASA said the complaints were strong enough to ban the advert from all children's programming.
"We accepted that the advertisements' effect on young children would have been hard to anticipate," it added. "However, it was clear from the complaints we received that they had caused distress to very young children."
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AussieMark
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Sex Doll Sparks Bomb Alert at Postoffice
BERLIN (Reuters) - A blow-up sex doll sparked a bomb alert in a German post office after it started to vibrate inside a package awaiting delivery, police said Wednesday.
"Workers were unsettled when it began vibrating and made strange noises," a spokesman for police in the eastern city of Chemnitz said. "They were worried the package might be a bomb."
Officers brought the sender to the scene and discovered the source of alarm was an electrical device inside a life-size female sex doll. The man told police he had wanted to return the doll because it kept turning itself on at the wrong moment.
Order was restored after the sender removed the doll's batteries so the defective product could be returned.
BERLIN (Reuters) - A blow-up sex doll sparked a bomb alert in a German post office after it started to vibrate inside a package awaiting delivery, police said Wednesday.
"Workers were unsettled when it began vibrating and made strange noises," a spokesman for police in the eastern city of Chemnitz said. "They were worried the package might be a bomb."
Officers brought the sender to the scene and discovered the source of alarm was an electrical device inside a life-size female sex doll. The man told police he had wanted to return the doll because it kept turning itself on at the wrong moment.
Order was restored after the sender removed the doll's batteries so the defective product could be returned.
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Italian Priest Accused of Kidnapping Prostitutes
ROME (Reuters) - His defenders in the Catholic Church call it tough love. His critics call it kidnapping.
Priest Cesare Lodeserto, the former head of an Italian foundation that looks after illegal immigrants, has been making front-page news in Italy since he was arrested last weekend over accusations he had mistreated Romanian prostitutes.
The women allege that the well-known crusader against sex slavery kidnapped them by taking away their identity papers and refusing to let them leave the immigration center in southern Lecce province.
Lodeserto's lawyer told Reuters that the priest sheltered them for their own good after they were found drunk in town.
"A few times I behaved like a strict father, but what could I do? These are young girls, easy prey for men looking to fool them," Lodeserto told the magistrate following his case, according to Il Messagero newspaper Wednesday.
The scandal has hit a raw nerve in Roman Catholic Italy, where community leaders have in the past been denounced for using tough tactics while helping the less fortunate. That includes Vincenzo Muccioli, who put drug addicts in chains and condoned beatings to help them kick the habit.
The accusations against Lodeserto are less severe.
"(Lodeserto) never refrained from using offensive phrases and expressions," one of his accusers said, according to transcripts leaked to the newspaper Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno.
"In some cases, he even slapped them, ripping up their state permits and threatening to send them back to their countries."
SEX SLAVES
Lodeserto's Foundation on the Adriatic coast was created in 1997 after a wave of Albanian immigrants poured into eastern Italy, and it has a satellite operation in Moldova. It has a special focus on helping victims of the sex trade.
Thousands of women are forced to work as prostitutes in Italy, but victims of sexual slavery can obtain temporary papers under legislation that aims to help them start a new life.
Lodeserto has in the past faced death threats from angry pimps, and an unidentified immigrant suggested in an article published this week that the scandal was a setup, saying she had been offered cash to file a complaint against the priest.
"Lodeserto stopped them from leaving at times when it was inopportune for them to leave. This sparked the talk about kidnapping," Lodeserto's lawyer Pasquale Corleto told Reuters.
Church officials have also been at pains to defend him, and Italy's Episcopal Conference has expressed its "solidarity and faith" in Lodeserto.
The Archbishop of Lecce, Cosmo Francesco Ruppi, also backed the priest. "The arrest of Cesare Lodeserto appears, to say the least, groundless and incomprehensible, if not absurd," he said.
European Affairs Minister Rocco Buttiglione, a friend of Pope John Paul, said Lodeserto "has given his life to help the poor, the immigrants and the prostitutes."
"Now he's being hit by defamatory accusations," he said.
ROME (Reuters) - His defenders in the Catholic Church call it tough love. His critics call it kidnapping.
Priest Cesare Lodeserto, the former head of an Italian foundation that looks after illegal immigrants, has been making front-page news in Italy since he was arrested last weekend over accusations he had mistreated Romanian prostitutes.
The women allege that the well-known crusader against sex slavery kidnapped them by taking away their identity papers and refusing to let them leave the immigration center in southern Lecce province.
Lodeserto's lawyer told Reuters that the priest sheltered them for their own good after they were found drunk in town.
"A few times I behaved like a strict father, but what could I do? These are young girls, easy prey for men looking to fool them," Lodeserto told the magistrate following his case, according to Il Messagero newspaper Wednesday.
The scandal has hit a raw nerve in Roman Catholic Italy, where community leaders have in the past been denounced for using tough tactics while helping the less fortunate. That includes Vincenzo Muccioli, who put drug addicts in chains and condoned beatings to help them kick the habit.
The accusations against Lodeserto are less severe.
"(Lodeserto) never refrained from using offensive phrases and expressions," one of his accusers said, according to transcripts leaked to the newspaper Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno.
"In some cases, he even slapped them, ripping up their state permits and threatening to send them back to their countries."
SEX SLAVES
Lodeserto's Foundation on the Adriatic coast was created in 1997 after a wave of Albanian immigrants poured into eastern Italy, and it has a satellite operation in Moldova. It has a special focus on helping victims of the sex trade.
Thousands of women are forced to work as prostitutes in Italy, but victims of sexual slavery can obtain temporary papers under legislation that aims to help them start a new life.
Lodeserto has in the past faced death threats from angry pimps, and an unidentified immigrant suggested in an article published this week that the scandal was a setup, saying she had been offered cash to file a complaint against the priest.
"Lodeserto stopped them from leaving at times when it was inopportune for them to leave. This sparked the talk about kidnapping," Lodeserto's lawyer Pasquale Corleto told Reuters.
Church officials have also been at pains to defend him, and Italy's Episcopal Conference has expressed its "solidarity and faith" in Lodeserto.
The Archbishop of Lecce, Cosmo Francesco Ruppi, also backed the priest. "The arrest of Cesare Lodeserto appears, to say the least, groundless and incomprehensible, if not absurd," he said.
European Affairs Minister Rocco Buttiglione, a friend of Pope John Paul, said Lodeserto "has given his life to help the poor, the immigrants and the prostitutes."
"Now he's being hit by defamatory accusations," he said.
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AussieMark
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Buyer Pays $195,000 for Bucket in Ireland
DUBLIN (Reuters) - It may have been made during the reign of Britain's George III, but even that famously mad king might have thought twice about spending the amount of money one bidder forked out for a wooden bucket in Ireland this week.
The unnamed buyer spent 145,000 euros ($194,800) on the 18th century mahogany piece, originally used to carry peat fuel between rooms for fires.
"We had an estimate of 15,000-20,000 euros on it," said James O'Halloran of James Adam auctioneers in Dublin. "Even at that price there were people saying it's an awful lot of money."
But six or seven bidders fought it out to get their hands on the spiral-carved bucket, which O'Halloran said was unusually large for its type.
"You might get a pair of tables, or an Irish Georgian table for that price. Certainly not a peat bucket -- whatever the size," he added.
DUBLIN (Reuters) - It may have been made during the reign of Britain's George III, but even that famously mad king might have thought twice about spending the amount of money one bidder forked out for a wooden bucket in Ireland this week.
The unnamed buyer spent 145,000 euros ($194,800) on the 18th century mahogany piece, originally used to carry peat fuel between rooms for fires.
"We had an estimate of 15,000-20,000 euros on it," said James O'Halloran of James Adam auctioneers in Dublin. "Even at that price there were people saying it's an awful lot of money."
But six or seven bidders fought it out to get their hands on the spiral-carved bucket, which O'Halloran said was unusually large for its type.
"You might get a pair of tables, or an Irish Georgian table for that price. Certainly not a peat bucket -- whatever the size," he added.
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rainstorm
tropicalweatherwatcher wrote:Is Gender-Based Pricing Fair?
TORONTO (Reuters) - Most women, accustomed to paying more than men for goods and services like clothes and hair cuts, simply shrug it off as part of life, but an Ontario legislator hopes to end all that.
Lorenzo Berardinetti wants to brand so-called gender-based pricing a human rights violation and he has introduced a bill in the Ontario legislature to make the practice illegal.
Berardinetti said on Tuesday he was shocked when he and his wife took clothes to a dry cleaners and she ended up paying more for similar items.
"I get charged one price and she gets charged another price for virtually the same material," he said.
Berardinetti said that opened his eyes to an experience women have long learned to deal with, namely higher prices for clothes, shoes, hair cuts and other services.
"The bill would ... amend the human rights code in Ontario to make gender pricing discriminatory and it would also allow for penalties to be levied from C$2,000 to C$5,000," he said.
The bill -- "An Act to Prohibit Price Discrimination on the Basis of Gender" -- will be debated in the legislature in April in the second phase of a four-stage process toward a bill making its way into law. If it passes a final third reading, royal assent then sees it written into law.
idiotic
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AussieMark
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Prison Guards on Strike Over Antique Guns
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek prison guards will go on strike next week demanding a change of their American-made weapons that date back to the U.S. wars in central America almost a century ago.
While antique shops would be eager to get their hands on them, prison guards just want to get rid of their obsolete 1911 U.S. Cavalry revolvers. The guns do not scare inmates any more as safety experts have advised guards not to fire them.
"We have more and more escape attempts and prisoners just say 'I'll try it because they won't shoot me with these guns anyway'," Exterior Prison Guards union president Giorgos Kostikas told Reuters Thursday.
The guards will go on strike and demand new weapons and more staff to secure the country's growing prison population.
"We need 2,800 guards but we currently have only 1,200 armed with completely inappropriate weapons to secure the perimeter of the prisons," Kostikas said.
ATHENS (Reuters) - Greek prison guards will go on strike next week demanding a change of their American-made weapons that date back to the U.S. wars in central America almost a century ago.
While antique shops would be eager to get their hands on them, prison guards just want to get rid of their obsolete 1911 U.S. Cavalry revolvers. The guns do not scare inmates any more as safety experts have advised guards not to fire them.
"We have more and more escape attempts and prisoners just say 'I'll try it because they won't shoot me with these guns anyway'," Exterior Prison Guards union president Giorgos Kostikas told Reuters Thursday.
The guards will go on strike and demand new weapons and more staff to secure the country's growing prison population.
"We need 2,800 guards but we currently have only 1,200 armed with completely inappropriate weapons to secure the perimeter of the prisons," Kostikas said.
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AussieMark
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Man Turns in Pacemaker Cut from Mother's Chest
HOUSTON (Reuters) - A Texan has returned to authorities the pacemaker he carved from his dead mother's chest, causing an evidence tampering charge against him to be dropped, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
"No one wants to prosecute someone whose mother just died," Harris County Assistant District Attorney Leslie LeGrand III said.
James Allan Donalson, 59, acknowledged removing his mother's pacemaker after she died in January, saying he wanted to keep it as part of long-running a dispute with a medical supplier.
Prosecutors told Donalson the charge would be dropped if he returned the pacemaker so the medical examiner's office could study it. He resisted, but LeGrand said Donalson's brothers eventually convinced him to relent about two weeks ago.
HOUSTON (Reuters) - A Texan has returned to authorities the pacemaker he carved from his dead mother's chest, causing an evidence tampering charge against him to be dropped, prosecutors said on Wednesday.
"No one wants to prosecute someone whose mother just died," Harris County Assistant District Attorney Leslie LeGrand III said.
James Allan Donalson, 59, acknowledged removing his mother's pacemaker after she died in January, saying he wanted to keep it as part of long-running a dispute with a medical supplier.
Prosecutors told Donalson the charge would be dropped if he returned the pacemaker so the medical examiner's office could study it. He resisted, but LeGrand said Donalson's brothers eventually convinced him to relent about two weeks ago.
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AussieMark
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Unlike Some Men, Marmoset Fathers Stay Cool
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Marmosets who are fathers have a muted reaction to sexually available females -- an unusual response among primates, scientists said on Wednesday.
"It is a common notion that males are always interested in sex, regardless of their social status. But this study counters what has been seen in all other primates," said Charles Snowdon, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who oversaw the research on the squirrel-like monkey.
Study author Toni Ziegler exposed 30 male marmosets to the scent of ovulating females and found the 15 animals that were fathers had diminished hormonal responses and erections compared to the monkeys who were not fathers.
"Marmosets like sex, so we expected all males to be responsive to the scent of a sexually receptive female. Instead, we were surprised to find a muted physiological response in fathers," Ziegler said of the research published in the journal Hormones and Behavior.
Marmosets live in groups of between three and a dozen individuals that share parenting responsibilities. Couples are monogamous, producing two sets of twins each year.
"I'm tired of all men getting a bad rap for being supposedly promiscuous and irresponsible," Snowdon said. "I'm happy that we've finally found a species where, as parents, both females and males do the heavy lifting."
CHICAGO (Reuters) - Marmosets who are fathers have a muted reaction to sexually available females -- an unusual response among primates, scientists said on Wednesday.
"It is a common notion that males are always interested in sex, regardless of their social status. But this study counters what has been seen in all other primates," said Charles Snowdon, a psychologist at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, who oversaw the research on the squirrel-like monkey.
Study author Toni Ziegler exposed 30 male marmosets to the scent of ovulating females and found the 15 animals that were fathers had diminished hormonal responses and erections compared to the monkeys who were not fathers.
"Marmosets like sex, so we expected all males to be responsive to the scent of a sexually receptive female. Instead, we were surprised to find a muted physiological response in fathers," Ziegler said of the research published in the journal Hormones and Behavior.
Marmosets live in groups of between three and a dozen individuals that share parenting responsibilities. Couples are monogamous, producing two sets of twins each year.
"I'm tired of all men getting a bad rap for being supposedly promiscuous and irresponsible," Snowdon said. "I'm happy that we've finally found a species where, as parents, both females and males do the heavy lifting."
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Scientists Discover Rare Carnivore Shrimp
SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - A military biologist has documented a new species of fairy shrimp in Idaho, one of only four species among hundreds that are longer than an inch (2.54 cm) and eat their relatives, officials said on Wednesday.
Dana Quinney, a biologist with the Idaho National Guard, said the new species most closely resembled "a feathery preying mantis with an attitude."
Unlike the vast majority of fairy shrimp, the new species is armed with spines and ready to rumble with its smaller counterparts, said Quinney, adding, "This guy is a carnivore, grabbing onto little guys and eating them."
The 3-inch (7.6-cm), flesh-colored crustacean can lie dormant for years, even decades, in egg form, emerging only when infrequent rains and runoff fill the desert lakes of southwestern Idaho. Then it goes amok, eating, mating and laying eggs before another dry spell descends.
In lean times, the mega-sized fairy shrimp -- which sports hooked arms, a forked tail and turquoise-colored reproductive organs -- clamps its fairy shrimp cousins to its abdomen to store for future dining.
"It's a very cool critter," said Quinney.
SALMON, Idaho (Reuters) - A military biologist has documented a new species of fairy shrimp in Idaho, one of only four species among hundreds that are longer than an inch (2.54 cm) and eat their relatives, officials said on Wednesday.
Dana Quinney, a biologist with the Idaho National Guard, said the new species most closely resembled "a feathery preying mantis with an attitude."
Unlike the vast majority of fairy shrimp, the new species is armed with spines and ready to rumble with its smaller counterparts, said Quinney, adding, "This guy is a carnivore, grabbing onto little guys and eating them."
The 3-inch (7.6-cm), flesh-colored crustacean can lie dormant for years, even decades, in egg form, emerging only when infrequent rains and runoff fill the desert lakes of southwestern Idaho. Then it goes amok, eating, mating and laying eggs before another dry spell descends.
In lean times, the mega-sized fairy shrimp -- which sports hooked arms, a forked tail and turquoise-colored reproductive organs -- clamps its fairy shrimp cousins to its abdomen to store for future dining.
"It's a very cool critter," said Quinney.
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AussieMark
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Pay to Replace Patrons for Aging Geisha
TOKYO (Reuters) - Aging geisha in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto may soon have a new reason to sing and dance.
Worried about the increasing hardship faced by the kimono-clad professional entertainers, a geisha support group is planning a system of financial aid as the traditional method of support -- paying patrons -- dwindles.
"Many geisha are getting on a bit but they still have to study and buy kimonos," said Osamu Ito, deputy head of the Kyoto Traditional Musical Art Promotion Foundation.
"The older they get, the less work they have. We want to offer them support so they can carry on."
Practitioners of Japan's centuries-old art, which is soon to be the subject of a Hollywood movie, Geisha traditionally make their living by securing a patron who pays for their lessons, clothing and other expenses.
But a long economic slump in Japan and changes in lifestyles has seen the number of people willing to be patrons decline rapidly.
At the same time, the years of tough training to learn traditional dances, musical instruments and etiquette and the rigid hierarchy of the geisha system puts off young people, resulting in a decline in new recruits.
Of the 190 geisha still active in Kyoto, 39 are over the age of 65.
They will be the recipients of the planned aid, the money for which will come from subscriptions paid by Foundation members and revenue from Foundation events, Ito said.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Aging geisha in Japan's ancient capital of Kyoto may soon have a new reason to sing and dance.
Worried about the increasing hardship faced by the kimono-clad professional entertainers, a geisha support group is planning a system of financial aid as the traditional method of support -- paying patrons -- dwindles.
"Many geisha are getting on a bit but they still have to study and buy kimonos," said Osamu Ito, deputy head of the Kyoto Traditional Musical Art Promotion Foundation.
"The older they get, the less work they have. We want to offer them support so they can carry on."
Practitioners of Japan's centuries-old art, which is soon to be the subject of a Hollywood movie, Geisha traditionally make their living by securing a patron who pays for their lessons, clothing and other expenses.
But a long economic slump in Japan and changes in lifestyles has seen the number of people willing to be patrons decline rapidly.
At the same time, the years of tough training to learn traditional dances, musical instruments and etiquette and the rigid hierarchy of the geisha system puts off young people, resulting in a decline in new recruits.
Of the 190 geisha still active in Kyoto, 39 are over the age of 65.
They will be the recipients of the planned aid, the money for which will come from subscriptions paid by Foundation members and revenue from Foundation events, Ito said.
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AussieMark
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Fighting Crime the 11th Century Way....
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Tighter gun ownership laws are pushing South Africans to buy crossbows, spears, swords, knives and pepper sprays to protect themselves from violent crime.
"We've had to build an entirely new shop because the demand from people is so great," Justin Willmers, owner of Durban Guns and Ammo, told Reuters. "It can be anything from a Zulu fighting spear, battle axes, swords, crossbows."
New gun controls came into force last year under South Africa's Firearms Control Act, but some weapons shop owners say high crime rates are pushing law abiding citizens to look for alternative means of defending themselves.
Despite official figures showing the murder rate falling 10 percent in the year to March 2004, South Africa's Arms and Ammunition Dealers Association says individuals face a one in 60 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in any given year.
Many houses are surrounded by razor wire and electric fences, but with police turning down 80 percent of firearms license requests after an 18-month application process, Association spokesman Alex Holmes said people were forced to look at other options.
"It's not really a matter of choice," Holmes said. "Licensed firearms are not used in crime at any great rate."
Estimates of the number of illegal firearms in South Africa vary between 1 and 4 million, he said, but the real problem is from some 30-40,000 hardcore criminals using a small number of illegal guns.
SILENT CROSSBOW
South Africa began a firearms amnesty on Jan. 1 that to date has netted some 13,000 weapons, officials told Reuters, but critics say most of the weapons handed in are old and would never have been used for crime.
"It's mostly been grannies and grandpas that are handing in weapons that are probably unusable anyhow," Willmers said. In the meantime, people from all walks of life are acquiring weapons not restricted by law.
"The guys have just had enough," Willmers said.
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - Tighter gun ownership laws are pushing South Africans to buy crossbows, spears, swords, knives and pepper sprays to protect themselves from violent crime.
"We've had to build an entirely new shop because the demand from people is so great," Justin Willmers, owner of Durban Guns and Ammo, told Reuters. "It can be anything from a Zulu fighting spear, battle axes, swords, crossbows."
New gun controls came into force last year under South Africa's Firearms Control Act, but some weapons shop owners say high crime rates are pushing law abiding citizens to look for alternative means of defending themselves.
Despite official figures showing the murder rate falling 10 percent in the year to March 2004, South Africa's Arms and Ammunition Dealers Association says individuals face a one in 60 chance of being the victim of a violent crime in any given year.
Many houses are surrounded by razor wire and electric fences, but with police turning down 80 percent of firearms license requests after an 18-month application process, Association spokesman Alex Holmes said people were forced to look at other options.
"It's not really a matter of choice," Holmes said. "Licensed firearms are not used in crime at any great rate."
Estimates of the number of illegal firearms in South Africa vary between 1 and 4 million, he said, but the real problem is from some 30-40,000 hardcore criminals using a small number of illegal guns.
SILENT CROSSBOW
South Africa began a firearms amnesty on Jan. 1 that to date has netted some 13,000 weapons, officials told Reuters, but critics say most of the weapons handed in are old and would never have been used for crime.
"It's mostly been grannies and grandpas that are handing in weapons that are probably unusable anyhow," Willmers said. In the meantime, people from all walks of life are acquiring weapons not restricted by law.
"The guys have just had enough," Willmers said.
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