European governments in race to save EADS-BAE merger

PARIS (Reuters) - Britain, France and Germany resumed talks on Monday to try to prevent a disagreement over state shareholdings wrecking a proposed merger of EADS and BAE Systems.

With just over two days until a 1600 GMT Wednesday deadline set by the UK, the aim is to make sufficient progress over the central issue dogging the talks to allow BAE Chief Executive Ian King and Tom Enders of Franco-German EADS to seek an extension.

BAE's top investor questioned the very rationale of the $45 billion deal.

Plans by Airbus parent EADS and UK arms firm BAE Systems to create the world's largest aerospace and defense company must overcome a knot of political concerns over security and jobs.

"If they can get the central issue of shareholding resolved, then there'll probably be some more time to tie up other issues like headquarters, weights on the board and other matters," said a senior diplomat following the negotiations.

"Otherwise, Enders and King have signaled they will pull the plug on the 10th".

Officials failed to resolve incompatible demands over state involvement in a video conference on Friday. EADS and BAE denied German reports that the talks had collapsed.

There were few signs of progress after private contacts at the weekend. Plans have already been drawn up to request extra negotiating time, but the companies are unwilling to release pressure by deploying them until they have some real political progress to show UK regulators, banking sources said.

People close to the talks said the UK appeared most open to the deal, Germany was the least keen and France wanted more time to think it over. Yet as problems pile up, all sides have moved to deflect the responsibility in case the talks break down.

Despite the negative atmosphere left by Friday's press briefings, industry experts say it is too early to say whether the world's largest defense merger will happen but note the parties are used to negotiating down to the wire or even beyond.

EADS was created from a merger in 2000 only after talks between France and Germany broke down and the plan collapsed, bringing the two sides back together to negotiate a complex shareholder pact limiting the role of the French state.

However, those negotiations were held in secrecy while a blizzard of publicity surrounding the latest talks has brought pressure from investors and unleashed new negotiating demands.

BAE's top shareholder Invesco Perpetual blasted the proposed deal on Monday, citing state interference, poor terms and a lack of strategic rationale. The investment company, which has 13 percent of BAE, is reported to have clashed in private with BAE leaders as soon as the talks surfaced last month.

BAE shares dipped 1 percent. EADS was fractionally lower.

SOVEREIGNTY

In order to improve the chances of winning approval in the U.S., Britain wants France to commit in writing to forego any future increases in its shareholding, which would start out at 9 percent under the proposed 60:40 split between EADS and BAE.

France has told partners it has no intention of upping its stake but is unwilling to surrender sovereignty over future industrial policy. Barring a wider escalation of the problems surrounding the deal, sources briefed on the discussions said a formula would probably be found to get round the impasse.

Government leaders are being kept in the loop on the negotiations but there are so far no plans for direct intervention or a three-way summit, officials said.

Britain left open the door on Sunday to a German state participation in EADS-BAE in a move towards addressing Berlin's demands for equal treatment with France in the new group.

Germany has renewed demands to have the headquarters and is involved in potentially tough negotiations with EADS about job guarantees and company conditions on continued defense orders.

"Whether this can be resolved depends on whether everyone wants this to work", the diplomat said.

The United States is seen likely to want assurances that a system of co-operation in EADS between French and German governments or their industrial allies will not be resurrected.

Any risk of foreign state control is crucial as Washington considers whether to impose new conditions on the way BAE operates in the U.S. - a red line for the company and the UK.

Negotiators are keen to keep respective state shareholdings under 10 percent to avoid stirring U.S. concerns over possible foreign influence on its defense sector, an issue seen certain to be highlighted by Boeing and other U.S. rivals.

U.S. experts said this weekend anything over that figure would undermine the chances of U.S. approval [ID:nL1E8L62EI].

(Additional reporting by Kate Holton, Andrea Shalal-Esa, Paul Taylor, Spohie Sassard; editing by Janet McBride)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/european-governments-race-save-eads-bae-merger-085323899--finance.html

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Brane Space: Is There Sex After Prostate Cancer Treatment? Good ...

Perhaps the more apt question, given we KNOW the sex has to be different,?is: What is the quality of sex after prostate cancer treatment? And to answer this question presumes not only knowing which treatment modality we are talking about, but the manner in which delivered. For example, if radical prostatectomy, then was it delivered via ?robot? as in?the da?Vinci procedure, or via the hands of a skilled surgeon. (Typical books, and medical sites like Hopkins suggest the robotic surgeon ought to have at least 1,000 under his belt for a decent outcome).

If radiation, then what form: external beam or HDR (high dose rate) brachytherapy ? where the source is directed inside the?gland (such as I had done ? see my blog on it ?The Longest Day and Then Some?). If HDR Brachy, then where was it done, at which site?Do they specialize in it (like UCSF's Helen Diller Cancer Center) or is it one of many modalities they offer but for which prostate cancer treatment?is no more focused on than say, breast cancer. All these matter. But given the lack of specifics let?s?employ a more overarching addressing of the question.

Let?s understand first?that testosterone presence is critical for prostate cell growth and function.Thus, these cells and their function are sensitive to the presence or absence of testosterone. Since prostate cancer cells are derived from the prostate gland it ought to come as no surprise that they?re also dependent on testosterone for survival. Cancer cells proliferate when testosterone is present and shrivel up and die in a mass cellular suicide called apoptosis when absent. Removing the whole gland can effect this, and also dosing it with high levels of radiation ?.or having the cancer patient take large amounts of female hormones. (TIP treatment)

Cut the gland out and you also cut out the basis for testosterone production associated with semen production. Dose it with radiation and you ?fry? the prostate cells and cancer cells and reach basically the same result. Ingest enough female hormones and ditto.? The issue for most guys who choose a treatment then, is twofold: 1) get rid of the unwanted cancer cells or growth, and 2) Preserve some semblance of sexual function. Obviously if the whole gland is removed and ancillary erectile tissue ? say in a radical prostatectomy, then?achieving (2) ?will be more difficult. It?s also one reason many guys on radical prostatectomy and de Vinci procedure net forums often complain about not?having been?fully informed of the loss of sexual function and the extreme lengths they must go to in order to recover it. As one guy put it on one forum after reading how another member complained about priapism after taking too large a dose of Viagra to stay hard ?.?Well, there are some guys who can?t even dredge up enough desire to even want sex if we have to go to those lengths.?

The concerns are less for radiation therapy such as the HDR brachytherapy (single treatment) ?I had, since the basic organs, gland and tissues remain in situ. The entire pelvic floor isn?t re-adjusted as it is for radical prostate surgery or da Vinci surgery. Still, treatment modes vary and so does the competence of those who deliver them. As my wife put it, even putting the prostate template in place ? suturing it to the perineum- can vary significantly from one treatment site to the next. One small error in the template placement means the indexers will not deliver the dose to the correct locations. That can be catastrophic. The dose delivered is also critical ? too much and you can preserve function, too little and it?s literally gone, maybe for a long time. Maybe permanently.

As for surgery, another risk which isn?t much mentioned (but ought to be according to the men on the surgery forums, some of whom have threatened ?legal action? against their urologists for not giving them the full lowdown) is penile shrinkage. Dr. John Mulhall, in his book, Sexual Function in the Prostate Cancer Patient, notes an average of ?? shrinkage after radical prostatectomy - no matter how done. Overcoming this often demands an aggressive regimen including: Viagra, vacuum pumps and injected prostaglandins. But as Dr. Mulhall notes, to be effective the therapy needs to be started almost right after the operation. Trouble is most men are in no mood after having to have Foley catheters inserted in their urethras?for days or weeks, not to mention a good deal of post-op pain and possible complications (i.e. need for a pelvic drain in case of abdominal infection after da Vinci robotic surgery)

In terms of HDR monotherapy (brachytherapy) effects, the St. Joseph Prostate Cancer Center notes (in terms of HDR brachytherapy ? such as I had):

?Erectile dysfunction (ED) is often difficult to quantify; however, men who do not have ED prior to HDRB most often maintain sexual function after HDRB. Men with ED prior to HDRB will likely continue to have ED after the treatment as HDRB is not a treatment for ED?

Other than this it?s hard to gain a handle. The UCSF Patient Guide for Sexual Rehabilitation?? in terms of post HDR monotherapy sexual indicators- notes that the initial ejaculations will be either bloody (laced with black blood, or old blood), ?thick? and off color, or non-existent. Up to now I?ve no idea but suspect likely bloody ejaculate if there was anything. Just a guess. Obviously, from my point of view, any remote consideration of even attempting ejaculation is out of the question so long as urinating delivers a burning sensation! (So try to imagine what forcible expulsion of prostate contents would do!)

One site run by an RN who also offers massage therapy and other post-op aids, notes serious difficulties following just about any kind of prostate cancer treatment and observes even healthy males post-op will likely have much difficulty gaining and sustaining erection. She actually recommends males in this predicament just agree to use ?mutual masturbation? with their wives (assuming they're willing)?as a solution though she acknowledges some patients ? out of religious inhibitions or proscriptions- might have problems with that.

The UCSF Guide includes a section on ?solutions? to any sexual dysfunction, which range from using a ?penile implant? (i.e. an inflatable device surgically implanted into the penis) to the use of a suction device or ?penis pump?. Neither of these will likely be very appealing to most guys, so they also include use of Levitra or Cialis but at higher doses than what would ordinarily take - say for ordinary ED. (This may be why the guy cited earlier on the radical prostate surgery forum complained of priapism, which is a painful erection lasting 4 or more hours.)

Another aspect not much discussed is that of ?dry orgasm? or retrograde ejaculation. This is normally associated with a prostatectomy but can also occur after radiation therapy. In the former case tissues associated with the muscle that normally blocks off the entrance to the bladder have been removed. In the normal case prior to the surgery, contracting muscles always?force the semen unidirectionally through the penis outwards.

After the surgery, with the loss of muscle tension and control, this is no longer possible, plus the bladder neck is frequently enlarged after surgery so that it cannot close completely. Hence when the muscles associated with the urethra contract the semen is ejaculated backward through the open internal sphincter and into the bladder. This is later flushed out in the urine.

IN the case of radiation treatment, the dry orgasm is of different physiological origin since the sphincter muscles are not affected. In this case, since the whole volume of the prostate has been irradiated (my wife actually corrected me on that, as I?d earlier believed it to be a more directional treatment) then the cells that produce prostatic fluid (the milky stuff that mixes with sperm to produce semen) are basically killed off. Since the seminal vesicles also receive a dose of radiation (perhaps up to 10 Gray in my case or 1000 cGy)?any sperm cells?produced?are also killed off.

In other words, after the last 'old blood' is ejaculated there?s really nothing left: all or most of the sperm cells are ?cooked away? as well as the cells that generate prostatic fluid (this of course is also why one expects PSA to fall). Given there?s basically nothing left ?in the tank? then there?s nothing to ejaculate. You get the sensation (at least part of it)?of doing so, but nothing is being expelled.

No, I?ve not experienced any of this yet because I haven?t attempted anything! However, it falls within the bounds of what a former Nucletron Corp. radiotherapy consultant told me before I received my own treatment (he also went to UCSF for early HDR brachy), but at that time they were still delivering the dose in two treatments. Only in the last 5-6 months have they adopted the one time HDR treatment based on a study done by Dr. Alvaro Martinez at William Beaumont Hospital-Center which showed that the results for a single treatment were good, with low toxicity. So UCSF changed over to that regime.

Here?s the skinny: While many may insist that men make too big a deal out of post-treatment sex activity and add ?You ought to be glad you?re just alive!? the truth is more complex, and the self-identity of most of us is bound up with our ability to sexually perform. Erase that, and you erase a lot of self-worth, though true ?not all and not necessarily the most crucial aspects. But from reading many of the blogs and forums, and the degree of depression and anger in many men (especially a LOT of younger guys in mid to late 30s and early 40s, whose wives left them because of their difficulties in performing) it is still no small deal. And little wonder 90% of these depressed guys had the radical surgery and were neither informed fully of the side effects in terms of prolonged incontinence or loss of erectile ability and sexual function. This may be one reason most weren?t only depressed but bloody angry to the extent of threatening legal action.

It seems that not only do we have lots of work to do in getting information ? full information ? to men facing prostate cancer and treatment options ? but we also need the urologists, oncologists to deliver the flat out truth instead of wishful thinking fantasies ? as per?their patients' expected post-op sex lives!

Source: http://brane-space.blogspot.com/2012/10/is-there-sex-after-prostate-cancer.html

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94% Looper

Grade: A+ (96%)Movies like "Looper" don't come around as much as they should. Usually we get massive amounts of action where reality goes out of the window for the two hour runtime. Then there are movies where they are intelligent but lack the excitement to keep audiences interested. Writer and director Rian Johnson has found a way to mix these two genres into "Looper" a futuristic action thriller that is both entertaining and intelligent at the same time.In the year 2074 time travel will be invented and used by the mob. When they want to get rid of someone, they send them back to the year 2044 where a Looper, a paid assassin, kills them and disposes of the body that technically doesn't even exist yet. Joe (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is one of these assassins. He is wealthy, a junky, and follows basically the same pattern everyday: wake up, kill, collect money, drugs, sleep, repeat. But when his older self (Bruce Willis) is sent back in time and escapes Joe's attempt of assassination, his life turns for the worst as he tries to kill his older self while trying to figure out what Old Joe is planning to do.What's so impressive about "Looper" is its way of being entertaining without guns blazing. When Joe and Old Joe meet in a diner in one of the scenes, there is a lot of suspense when no gun is present on screen. Joe is trying to do his job and "close the loop" while Old Joe is trying to tell his younger self why he is 30 years in the past. It's the part of the movie where the audience will choose which Joe to root for. It's one of "Loopers" great scenes.When guns do go off, its great entertainment. Blood splatters, windows are blown to pieces, and homes are destroyed. What's great about this type of action that it finds ways to blend sic-fi action with old styled action that we are use to seeing. In one instance, since Bruce Willis is in the film, it kind of became like a "Die Hard" film and Willis just kills hordes of people in seconds. It was great to watch and, most of all, it wasn't too much.The action in this film is just a plus. The story and the characters are the real highlights of the film. Granted that the action sequences are amazing, some are just magnificent to watch, but the story and the characters keep the movie going even after the final gun battle.The acting is superb mainly because of the two leads. Joseph Gordon-Levitt (The Dark Knight Rises, Inception) doesn't look quite the same as many will expect. They put on a lot of make up to make him look like a younger Bruce Willis. While they don't quite get it right and takes time to get use to, it's a good try nevertheless. Still, Gordon-Levitt's performance is exceptional. He does try his hardest to act like Bruce Willis in a lot of ways. Most of the time it works when he is talking to other characters in the film. Bruce Willis is also great as Joe. Even though he acts like John McClain from his "Die Hard" films for most of the movie, it's nice to see him play as a bad*ss in other action films."Looper" may be the best action thriller of the year. It's intelligent, gripping, entertaining, and full of action. People who want to see a unique action movie have to give "Looper" a shot. It's two hours long but you only need five minutes to realize that this is going to be one entertaining thriller.

September 24, 2012

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/looper/

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Georgian president concedes his party lost

FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 1, 2012 file photo, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili meets the media at a polling station in Tbilisi, Georgia. Saakashvili conceded defeat on Tuesday, Oct. 2, in the country's parliamentary election and said an opposition coalition led by billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili now has the right to form a government. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 1, 2012 file photo, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili meets the media at a polling station in Tbilisi, Georgia. Saakashvili conceded defeat on Tuesday, Oct. 2, in the country's parliamentary election and said an opposition coalition led by billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili now has the right to form a government. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky, File)

In this image taken Monday, Oct.1, 2012, Georgian President Mikhail Saakashvili speaks to media during the parliamentary elections at a polling station in Tbilisi, Georgia. Mikhail Saakashvili on Tuesday Oct. 2, 2012 has conceded defeat in the parliamentary election and says the opposition now has the right to form a government. Speaking Tuesday on television, he said: "It's clear from the preliminary results that the opposition has the lead and it should form the government. And I as president should help them with this." Early results show an opposition coalition led by billionaire businessman Bidzina Ivanishvili with what appears to be an insurmountable lead as voters turned away from Saakashvili and the party that has been in power for almost nine years. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Georgia's billionaire and opposition leader Bidzina Ivanishvili reacts with supporters at his office in Tbilisi Georgia, Monday, Oct.1, 2012. Georgia's opposition coalition 'Georgian Dream' is leading the country's just-concluded parliamentary elections, according to the exit polls of a U.S.-based exit poll specialist company Edison Research and a Germany-based market research company GfK on Monday. Voters in Georgia are choosing a new parliament in a heated election Monday that will decide the future of President Mikhail Saakashvili's government. (AP Photo/str)

Opposition supporters rally in the central square in Tbilisi, Georgia, Monday, Oct. 1, 2012. Georgia's opposition coalition "Georgian Dream" is leading the country's just-concluded parliamentary elections, according to the exit polls of a U.S.-based exit poll specialist company Edison Research and a Germany-based market research company GfK on Monday. Voters in Georgia are choosing a new parliament in a heated election Monday that will decide the future of President Mikhail Saakashvili's government. (AP Photo/Shakh Aivazov)

Opposition supporters react on the street in Tbilisi Georgia, Monday, Oct.1, 2012. Georgia's opposition coalition 'Georgian Dream' is leading the country's just-concluded parliamentary elections, according to the exit polls of a U.S.-based exit poll specialist company Edison Research and a Germany-based market research company GfK on Monday. Voters in Georgia are choosing a new parliament in a heated election Monday that will decide the future of President Mikhail Saakashvili's government. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

TBILISI, Georgia (AP) ? President Mikhail Saakashvili on Tuesday conceded that his party lost Georgia's parliamentary election, defying the opposition's expectations that he would cling to power at all costs and preserving his legacy as a pro-Western leader who brought democracy to the former Soviet republic.

Saakashvili said the opposition Georgian Dream coalition led by billionaire businessman and philanthropist Bidzina Ivanishvili ? who made his fortune in Russia and until recently was little known in his homeland ? now has the right to form a government.

The opposition victory puts Ivanishvili in place to become prime minister. His antagonistic relationship with Saakashvili, who will remain president for another year, suggests that Georgian politics will be stormy.

Ivanishvili immediately went on the attack. Speaking at a televised news conference, he said most of the president's widely praised reforms were a joke and his ideology "was all based on lies." He ended by calling for Saakashvili to step down.

Saakashvili's concession of defeat, even before the election results were released, also preserved calm on the emotionally charged streets of the capital, Tbilisi, where support for Georgian Dream is strongest. Opposition supporters had boisterously celebrated throughout the night. If they had felt deprived of victory on Tuesday, the mood very quickly could have turned hostile.

During his nearly nine years in power, Saakashvili has pushed through economic and political reforms and attracted international investment that has led to dramatic economic growth. Poverty and unemployment, however, remain painfully high.

Georgians have turned against Saakashvili in recent years. Many accuse his party ? which has controlled not only the government and Parliament but also the courts and prosecutor's office ? of exercising authoritarian powers.

Saakashvili's campaign was also hit hard by the release two weeks ago of shocking videos showing prisoners in a Tbilisi jail being beaten and sodomized. The government moved quickly to stem the anger, replacing Cabinet ministers blamed for the abuse and arresting prison staff, but many saw the videos as illustrating the excesses of his government.

"It is clear from the preliminary results of the parliamentary election that the Georgian Dream coalition has secured a majority," Saakashvili said in a televised address. "This means that the parliamentary majority should form the next government and I, as president, within the framework of the constitution, will help make it possible for Parliament to begin its work, choose a speaker and also form a new government."

Saakashvili will remain the leader of the country until his second and last term ends next October. Under a constitutional reform that goes into effect after he leaves office, many of the president's powers will be transferred to the prime minister, who is chosen by Parliament.

This is the first time in Georgia's post-Soviet history that a government will be changed by the ballot box rather than through revolution. Saakashvili came to power through the peaceful Rose Revolution after a rigged parliamentary vote in 2003.

He said Tuesday there were deep differences between his United National Movement and the diverse opposition coalition.

"We think their views are completely wrong," he said. "But democracy works through the majority of the Georgian people making a decision, and we respect this very much."

International election monitors expressed concern over the harsh rhetoric during the campaign and isolated cases of violence, but overall praised the election.

"The process has shown a healthy respect for fundamental freedoms at the heart of democratic elections, and we expect the final count will reflect the choice of the voters," said Tonino Picula, who led the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe observer mission.

Ivanishvili said the international observers were responsible for preventing vote rigging, and Saakashvili should be thankful to the opposition that "he was able in the end to save his reputation" as a democratic leader.

Ivanishvili confirmed his commitment to pursue Saakashvili's goals of making Georgia an integral part of Europe and member of NATO, while adding he will seek to restore the trade and diplomatic ties with Russia that were severed when the two countries fought a brief war in 2008. Georgian producers of wine, mineral water, vegetables and fruits had depended on exports to Russia, and the closing of these markets hurt them deeply.

Saakashvili has accused Ivanishvili of planning to put Georgia back under Russian domination. Ivanishvili denies that.

Before Saakashvili conceded, Ivanishvili met with two U.S. senators to assure them of his desire to maintain the close relationship with Washington forged under Saakashvili.

"We talked about the future, how to develop our relationship with our big friend (the United States), and how to develop democracy in Georgia," he said after meeting with Republican Sen. James Risch of Idaho and Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, both members of the Foreign Relations Committee.

At the news conference later in the day, he again sneered at Saakashvili, who he said deceived the United States. "They thought he was building democracy," Ivanishvili said. "We have done a good deed for the United States, we have saved democracy in Georgia."

In Russia, where the election was being watched closely, the government welcomed the defeat of Saakashvili.

"We very much hope and count on the changes that will take place in Georgia and will positively influence the improvement of our ties," said Valentina Matvienko, the Kremlin-loyal speaker of Parliament's upper house.

Alexei Malashenko, a scholar at the Carnegie Moscow Center, was more cautious.

"For a while, ties will soften, there will be a prospect of improvement, but an exchange of embassies is not possible yet," he said.

___

Misha Dzhinzhikhashvili in Tbilisi and Mansur Mirovalev in Moscow contributed reporting.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2012-10-02-Georgia-Parliamentary%20Election/id-4cd0a8f62eaa4f4b8bb55ba53d3cc091

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Sign of the times _ baseball autographs go hi tech

This undated photo provided by Egraphs shows an Egraph signed by Philadelphia Phillies baseball player Jimmy Rollins. Egraphs, launched at the All-Star break, is a technological breakthrough that offers an autographed digital picture with a handwritten note and a personalized audio message for $50.(AP Photo/Egraphs)

This undated photo provided by Egraphs shows an Egraph signed by Philadelphia Phillies baseball player Jimmy Rollins. Egraphs, launched at the All-Star break, is a technological breakthrough that offers an autographed digital picture with a handwritten note and a personalized audio message for $50.(AP Photo/Egraphs)

This undated photo provided by Egraphs shows an Egraph signed by Tampa Bay Rays pitcher David Price. Egraphs, launched at the All-Star break, is a technological breakthrough that offers an autographed digital picture with a handwritten note and a personalized audio message for $50. (AP Photo/Egraphs)

This undated photo provided by Egraphs shows an Egraph signed by Los Angeles Angels pitcher C.J. Wilson. Egraphs, launched at the All-Star break, is a technological breakthrough that offers an autographed digital picture with a handwritten note and a personalized audio message for $50. (AP Photo/Egraphs)

This undated photo provided by Egraphs shows an Egraph signed by former Boston Red Sox's Kevin Millar. Egraphs, launched at the All-Star break, is a technological breakthrough that offers an autographed digital picture with a handwritten note and a personalized audio message for $50. (AP Photo/Egraphs)

This undated photo provided by Egraphs shows an Egraph signed by former New York Yankees baseball player Don Mattingly. Egraphs, launched at the All-Star break, is a technological breakthrough that offers an autographed digital picture with a handwritten note and a personalized audio message for $50. (AP Photo/Egraphs)

Jim Nash is such a big Yankees fan that he named his son George Mattingly Nash, combining two of his favorite players: George Herman Ruth and Don Mattingly.

So when he noticed Mattingly was participating in a startup venture called Egraphs, which offered an autographed digital picture with a handwritten note and a personalized audio message, he didn't think twice about paying $50. Nash never would have walked up to the Los Angeles Dodgers manager and asked for his signature.

"It's much easier, especially for a grown man," the West Virginia native said. "It's much more personal."

Egraphs launched at the All-Star break, a technological breakthrough that extends the autograph business from the age-old methods of writing to stars, leaning across ballpark railings and hanging around hotel lobbies.

Now, power up the computer and get a prize from the likes of R.A. Dickey, Cliff Lee, Andrew McCutchen and Clayton Kershaw. Or even retired stars that include Pedro Martinez.

"It's actually kind of cool. It's like new age for me," Mattingly said.

David Auld, a former Microsoft employee who is the Seattle-based company's chief executive officer, started the venture last October and brought in former major leaguer Gabe Kapler as director of business development. Kapler was contacted by Auld's brother, Brian, the senior vice president of business operations for the Tampa Bay Rays, Kapler's team from 2009-10.

"Taking the cold out of the autograph experience with the celebrity made a lot of sense," Kapler said.

In an era in which players carry iPads and wireless has become more ever-present in clubhouses than smokeless tobacco, the idea seems to have caught on rather quickly. Among the early players to sign up were Tampa Bay's David Price and manager Joe Maddon.

The company's website, www.egraphs.com, lists about 130 players, with several sold out ? including David Ortiz, Josh Hamilton, Prince Fielder and CC Sabathia.

Prices range from $25 to $100, depending on the player.

For the players, the process is relatively easy and speedy.

"We built a custom iPad application," said David Auld, who used engineers he knew from high school. "They record an audio message through the iPad microphone."

Consumers can share their Egraph on social networks and purchase a framed print with a certificate of authenticity. Each signature and recording is biometrically verified.

"It's cool. The best part of that is the audio," said New York Mets 20-game winner R.A. Dickey. "I get to give an audio message to a fan, which is pretty neat."

Each of Dickey's messages is different.

"It all depends on the note that they write and what they share," he said.

Among the audio messages thus far, St. Louis first baseman Matt Carpenter told a fan named Laura "if it wasn't for sugar-free vanilla pudding, I'd have no chance in the big leagues! Thanks for all your support ? and Go Cards!"

And Texas slugger Hamilton recorded this for a fan named Nancy: "Glad to hear you are doing well from the cancer. Cancer has been very prevalent in my family so my prayers go out to you and your family as well. Praying for good health and long life and a long time coming to Rangers' games. Best wishes and God bless."

To make sure that the idea couldn't be copied within the sport, Egraphs obtained exclusive licenses with Major League Baseball and with Major League Baseball Advanced Media, its Internet division.

Howard Smith, MLB's senior vice president of licensing, was impressed when he listened to Auld's pitch.

"Every month I get a really cool idea and say, 'How are you going to do that?'" explained Smith, entering his 15th year with the commissioner's office. "The technology they have in terms of safeguarding for the athlete, in terms of merchandizing, it has extensions well beyond this, well beyond autographs, well beyond licensed products."

Auld won't divulge the volume of the company's sales. Kapler envisions an expansion to musicians and hopes for the day when Mariah Carey can send audio birthday greetings to fans. Auld sees minor leaguers getting involved to become better known to fans of their parent clubs and envisions international sports stars signing up.

For Brandon Steiner, whose Steiner Sports sells autographed photos and memorabilia costing hundreds of dollars and more, Egraphs is something "aimed at the lower end of the market" and a product "that doesn't have legs."

"I don't understand how that's a collectible," said Steiner, whose company began in 1987. "I don't understand why somebody would want that, a facsimile autograph. It's kind of like a replica jersey that people get when they're 6 years old."

Mattingly, for one, likes the high-tech approach.

"Let's say you would sign for a Steiner or a different company like that, you would sign about 200 things. You don't know where they're going or how they're going. But this is kind of cool because you kind of have a little background of who it is and how they're connected with you. You actually get a message from the person, like: 'This is Bill and Angie. We're getting married, and we've been big fans of yours,'" he said. "And then when you leave your little voice mail, it's almost like saying: 'Hey Bill and Angie, congratulations on getting married. Thanks for being a fan.' So it actually feels a bit more personal than it would be if you were to do some of the stuff in bulk.

"You think about people that have baseball rooms that they put all their stuff in. Well, now you keep it on a hard drive. And with TV the way it is, you can be scrolling all your stuff over your TV and it takes up a lot less room."

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2012-10-02-E-Autographs/id-95b5ee04d3db4f0391946180cb4f0bd5

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Korea's NEXON to Buy Japanese Games Giant Gloops for $468.6 ...

Online gaming giant NEXON, the company behind the popular 2D MMO MapleStory, has announced today that it has paid more than $468.6 million US dollars (36.5 billion in Japanese Yen) ?to acquire all the common shares owned by Gloops.

The amount needed for the acquisition, announced today in a press release, might sound like a staggering amount of money but given Gloops? reputation in Japan, there is actually a great sense to a large outlay on a company that?s relatively known outside of Asia.

Gloops is a massive developer of mobile video games based in Tokyo, giving rise to countless stand-out hits such as ?Japan Pro Baseball Card Battle? and ?Three Kingdoms Guild Battle? for DeNA?s Mobage gaming platform.

In fact, Gloops is thought to be the largest third-party provider for the Mobage platform, and it has quickly found success with a huge portfolio of titles. Many of its hits are high-quality card games which, popular in Japan and Korea, have been done better than any of its competitors.

Commenting on the deal Seungwoo Choi, president and CEO of Nexon, said:

?Gloops has established itself as one of the premier mobile game developers in the world and a key player in one of our most important growth areas, with a robust portfolio of hit titles and a strong track record of driving market innovation.

We look forward to leveraging gloops? outstanding capabilities and scale to expand the Nexon game experience to users on mobile platforms worldwide.?

The deal is said to have been approved unanimously by the board of directors from each company.

Japanese mobile gaming company DeNA would have no doubt been interested in buying Gloops, but it was likely put off by the hefty price tag.

The announcement today follows NEXON?s acquisiton of inBlue, another Japanese developer of social video games for smartphones.

NEXON, founded in Korea in 1994, also hit the headlines last year when a data breach exposed more than 13 million subscribers to its MapleStory MMO video game. The company had been tipped to head for IPO but now it seems clear why the company had refuted that speculation earlier this summer.

Image Source: MMOSITE

Source: http://thenextweb.com/insider/2012/10/01/nexon-looks-acquire-gloops-450-million-dollars/

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Anne Hathaway Marries Adam Shulman

'Dark Knight Rises' actress marries her longtime love during a sunset ceremony in California on Saturday.
By Emily Blake

Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman get married at Big Sur, California on Saturday
Photo: Splash News

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1694695/anne-hathaway-adam-shulman-wedding-ceremony.jhtml

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