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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Enterprise Acquires Chicago Nonprofit Car-Sharing Service I-GO ...

ST. LOUIS (AP) ? Enterprise Holdings says it?s acquiring I-GO CarSharing, a Chicago-based nonprofit car-sharing program.

The acquisition?s the latest example of traditional car-rental companies expanding into the car-sharing business.

The move comes after Avis Budget Group acquired car-sharing service Zipcar for $491.2 million. Fellow rental car company Hertz Global Holdings also operates a car-sharing service.

Financial terms of the deal, set to close today, weren?t disclosed.

IGO has more than 15,000 members and 200 locations across the city.

St. Louis-based Enterprise Holdings says IGO?s services will continue to operate under their current name. All of IGO?s current employees have been offered jobs.

Source: http://stlouis.cbslocal.com/2013/05/28/enterprise-to-acquire-igo-carsharing-business/

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Is 'Arrested Development' a dud? In Netflix's new world, it's unclear.

The reviews for the revival of 'Arrested Development' have been mixed, and Netflix stock prices are down. But that doesn't tell the whole story of Netflix's new media experiment.

By Daniel B. Wood,?Staff writer / May 29, 2013

This publicity photo shows Will Arnett (l.) and Jason Bateman in a scene from 'Arrested Development,' which premiered Sunday on Netflix.

Michael Yarish/Netflix/AP

Enlarge

At first blush, Netflix's latest foray into producing an original television series might not appear to be a raging success. On Sunday, it released 15 new episodes of "Arrested Development" ? the sitcom last seen on Fox in 2003 that maintained a cult following to the end.

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The New York Times, catching the tenor of many reviews, said Netflix had "killed" the series, and Netflix stock shares had their largest one-day drop in nearly six months Tuesday, closing at $214.19, down $14.55 in two days.?

But Netflix is on the leading edge of something new in television entertainment ? something so new that media-watchers don't really even know how to measure success.

Was the revived "Arrested Development" a bomb? Does it suggest the entire Netflix model of producing original programming is doomed? Media experts, frankly, don't know. But they point to the "Arrested Development" experiment as another example of how the media landscape is shifting, and how an industry that has obsessed with Nielsen ratings and ad buys for decades is now confronted with in an entirely new animal.

After all, "Arrested Development" had no ads. And Netflix subscribers could access the show for free. Ultimately, it would seem, the success of a show on an online service like Netflix would depend on how many subscribers the show draws and how long they stay. But that's hardly a gratifying metric for an industry built on measuring precisely who watched what and when.

With AOL and Amazon both poised to debut their own original shows ? AOL has 15 scheduled for fall ? the question is likely to become even more pressing.

?We?re really in the very early stages of this new business model, so critics and audiences alike should be cautioned not to make too much of these quick successes or failures,? says Robert Thompson, founder of the Bleier Center for Television and Popular Culture at Syracuse University in New York.

Netflix's first original show, ?House of Cards,? was deemed a critical success. The Washington-based political thriller starring Kevin Spacey cost $100 million but put Netflix on the map as a destination for high-quality original content ? much as HBO has done with "The Sopranos" and "Game of Thrones." Netflix has credited "House of Cards" with helping its service add about 3 million more subscribers worldwide this year than last in the first fiscal quarter.

Yet even with those numbers, it's not entirely clear how Netflix can effectively monetize "House of Cards."

?Without a real system in place to measure success (like viewers between 18-49) there is no real sense that we know what a particular number of downloads monetarily means,? says Alfred L. Martin Jr., co-managing editor of FlowTV.org, an online journal of television and media studies, in an e-mail.

?The real test will come when Netflix (and AOL) figure out how to monetize this programming," he says. "If Netflix doesn't get more subscribers (following a HBO-like model) as a result of what has to be an expensive show to produce, then that's where the real trouble will lie, because without commercials, there is no stream of income outside of a subscriber base.?

"Arrested Development" attracted buzz because of its built-in fan base, its pedigree as an Emmy-award winner, and its well-loved cast, which includes Jason Bateman, Michael Cera, and Portia de Rossi. And not everyone thought it was a dud. The San Francisco Chronicle?s David Wiegand said the new season of the show "proves that there is still hope for sitcom genius from the TV industry.?

Regardless of critical reaction, the Netflix model is here to stay, say some analysts.?

"The failure of one series does not negate the whole new way of presenting television,? says Paul Levinson, a professor of communication at Fordham University in New York and author of ?New New Media,? in an e-mail. ?The fact that 'House of Cards' succeeded shows that this approach can and will succeed again."

Indeed, the Netflix experiment is likely only the beginning as the media marketplace prepares to explode.

?Whatever audience 'Arrested Development' did or didn?t get, it was a result of competition that is going to expand exponentially,? says Len Shyles, a media theorist at Villanova University in Philadelphia. ?Fiber-optic cable will begin to replace copper wiring, and that will give us the option of thousands of channels, making it harder than ever for a show to succeed. The marketplace will decide.?

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/ImO6qA23htE/Is-Arrested-Development-a-dud-In-Netflix-s-new-world-it-s-unclear

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RailHawks set to host Galaxy, Rogers

Published: 2013-05-28 12:45:00
Updated: 2013-05-28 15:57:14

Updated at 3:57 p.m.

The Carolina RailHawks will host the two-time defending MLS Champion, LA Galaxy, in the third round of the 2013 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night at 7:00 pm at WakeMed Soccer Park.

This will be the second consecutive year that the two teams have met in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup. In 2012, the RailHawks beat the Galaxy, 2-1, in front of a sold-out crowd in Cary, NC.

?We will have another great turnout for another high level soccer match in the Triangle," the team said in a statement. "Tickets have been purchased from over 107 different cities and 15 different states. VIP and Club sections have sold out, but good seats are still available in Premium and Spectator seating categories.?

Robbie Rogers, the first openly gay soccer player, will play in Wednesday?s game, which will broadcasted on wralsportsfan.com and WRAL-2.

Individual tickets are still available for Wednesday night's match.
?

Source: http://www.wralsportsfan.com/railhawks-set-to-host-galaxy-rogers-/12490887/

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Video: Can Congress force Redskins to change name?

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/21134540/vp/52034776#52034776

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Google Street View Now Lets You Explore Central Park, 9/11 Memorial

Without Google Maps and Street View, I'd be utterly lost in New York, or anywhere in the world for that matter. And for all its usefulness, we've always had a few good laughs, too. Today's update to three distinct areas of New York might make you laugh, cry or sit back in astonishment. Street View has now overtaken Central Park, allows those who can't visit the 9/11 memorial to read the victim's names from anywhere in the world and see how the neighborhoods impacted by Hurricane Sandy are doing months later.

Corey Feldman performs live as Michael Jackson

Celebs

Randee Dawn TODAY contributor

4 hours ago

Fans who follow the metal band Limp Bizkit might not think that the music of Michael Jackson would be a natural fit during one of their live shows. Nor might they expect that former child actor Corey Feldman, dressed up as the late King of Pop, would have a place either.

They would be wrong.

On Friday, Feldman (a longtime friend of Jackson's who went on to appear in such films as "Stand By Me," "The Goonies" and "The Lost Boys") popped up at Bizkit's House of Blues show on Friday wearing a fedora and sparkling white glove reminiscent of Jackson, and launched into "Billie Jean."

"Ladies and gentlemen, Corey Feldman f------ you up tonight," singer Fred Durst announced after the song, reported Radio.com. The band and Feldman later duetted on George Michael's "Faith," a song the band has been known to perform live frequently.

Durst and Co. were clearly happy to have Feldman on hand; afterward they Instragrammed a picture of him in full regalia; Durst wrote: "My old school soldier @corey_feldman busted out tribute to @michaeljackson at our LA concert/party! Classic"

Feldman himself was fully into his act; he tweeted video of the songs, writing "Here as promised is that video of my surprise performance on Fri :)" and later sent out another Tweet from Saturday featuring him at a performance at an outdoor screening of "Stand By Me" in Los Angeles. In the tweet, he noted that Jackson's former guitar tech now works for him.

Feldman's hobby as a Jackson tribute artist would be unusual on its own; based on his history with the singer it borders on bizarre. The pair were friends while Feldman was a young actor, and in 2005 Feldman said that Jackson did inappropriate things when they were friends, such as looking at a book of nudes with the then-teenaged Feldman.

But he denied being abused by Jackson. In 2008, Feldman told People that Jackson had hurt him by abruptly dropping him as a friend as he got older.

"He did real damage in my overall life," Feldman said then. "The biggest thing that Michael's done to children is befriending the ones that are in need and then abandoning them."

But at some point he began appearing as Jackson, showing up at his memorial in costume. He also dedicated a Los Angeles hospital concert with his band Truth Movement to Jackson, telling People at the time, "I don't think I have fully, completely come to terms with (his death) yet. I have waves and flashes. One moment, I feel fine and I'm myself. Then all of a sudden, it hits me, and I go, 'Wow, he's really gone. It's very troubling.' "

Source: http://www.today.com/entertainment/corey-feldman-does-michael-jackson-impression-limp-bizkit-show-6C10109864

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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Gene therapies for regenerative surgery are getting closer

May 29, 2013 ? Experimental genetic techniques may one day provide plastic and reconstructive surgeons with an invaluable tool -- the ability to promote growth of the patient's own tissues for reconstructive surgery. A review of recent progress toward developing effective gene therapies for use in "regenerative surgery" appears in the June issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery?, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

Over the past ten years, researchers have developed several promising gene therapy techniques to grow skin, bone, and other tissues for reconstructive surgery. But they still face many challenges in developing gene-based approaches that can make the leap from the research lab to the operating room, according to the review by Dr. Giorgio Giatsidis and colleagues of Padua University Hospital, Italy.

Gene Therapy Approaches Studied for 'Almost Every Tissue'?

Dr. Giatsidis and coauthors reviewed the state of the art in research on gene therapy techniques for treatment of local disorders and injuries -- the first such review in more than a decade. They found studies using gene therapy to promote the growth of "almost every different tissue" for use in regenerative surgery. "Gene therapy may represent a leading strategy to develop more efficient regenerative surgical treatments for numerous clinical needs," they write.

Gene therapy has the potential to provide reconstructive surgeons with a new approach to solving one of their most difficult problems: the lack of adequate tissues to correct deformities of a specific area or structure. For example, in patients with relatively small burns, plastic and reconstructive surgeons have designed a wide range of skin flaps for use in transferring healthy tissue to the burned area.

But for patients with burns involving larger areas, the lack of suitable tissues for coverage may severely limit the reconstructive options. Using gene techniques to promote growth of specific types of tissues would be a major step forward in the ability to perform truly regenerative surgery.

?But Translation from Lab to OR Poses Many Challenges

Several research groups are pursuing gene therapy approaches to regenerate skin, such as using genes to control expression of growth factors involved in skin healing. One small study reported promising results with tissue-engineered products to promote healing of diabetic skin ulcers.

Researchers are also targeting growth factors involved in new bone formation, with promising results in techniques using transplantation of genetically modified donor bone. One study reported clinical benefits using gene therapy to regenerate joint cartilage in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Techniques to promote healing of tendons, regeneration of injured nerves, and growth of skin flaps for reconstructive surgery are all being explored.

But despite progress in all of these areas, translating experimental gene therapy methods into regenerative surgery techniques for use in the operating room will remain a difficult challenge. Even after the technical problems are addressed, more work will be needed to develop regenerative surgery techniques that are productive and cost-effective.

"After two decades, regenerative surgery is an adolescent looking forward to growing up," Dr. Giatsidis and coauthors write. "Despite extensive preclinical approaches, translation of gene therapy strategies into clinical trials is still a difficult and expensive process."

So far, the studies of diabetic ulcers and rheumatoid arthritis mentioned above are the only methods to show evidence of clinical effectiveness in human patients. "Even so," the authors add, "cutting-edge gene therapy-based strategies in reconstructive procedures [are close] to setting valuable milestones for development of efficient treatments in a growing number of local diseases and injuries."

Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/MNuoKehMfa8/130529111229.htm

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