Select Page ::

Madonna Tells Fans Appreciate Freedom

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

As she kicked off the U.S. leg of her "MDNA Tour" in Philadelphia, Madonna said she was happy to party in the USA after touring Europe for three months.

The pop icon told the crowd Tuesday night they should "never forget how lucky you are to live where you live and to have the freedom that you have." She made the comments after talking about the arrest of three members of the punk-rock female band Pussy Riot. The women were sentenced to two years in prison after performing a "punk prayer" at Moscow's Christ the Savior cathedral in which they called on the Virgin Mary to deliver Russia from its leader, Vladimir Putin.

"In my travels around the world the one thing I truly witnessed is we in America have freedom of speech, freedom of expression," the singer said.

Madonna, who toured most of Europe from June to August, has called for the Pussy Riot members to be freed. Paul McCartney and Peter Gabriel also have spoken in the women's favor.

"I don't think that it's a coincidence that I'm in the city where the Declaration of Independence was signed," Madonna said at the Wells Fargo Center to nearly 20,000 fans. "We are in the land of democracy."

Russian activists recently sued Madonna for millions of dollars, claiming they were offended by her support for gay rights during her show in St. Petersburg. A law passed in February makes it illegal to promote homosexuality to minors, and the author of that law has pointed to the presence of children as young as 12 at Madonna's concert on Aug. 9. (Minors also attended Madonna's U.S. show.)

When speaking about Pussy Riot, Madonna said that about 80 gay men were jailed in St. Petersburg because of their sexual orientation. She told the crowd that the arrests were unfair, and they booed in her support.

Then the 53-year-old told the U.S. audience: "Don't get fat and lazy and take that freedom for granted."

Madonna kicked off her concert late on Tuesday, apologizing to the crowd, who began to boo before she hit the stage around 10:30 p.m. EST.

"We had many changes to make from Europe to America, and I wanted the show to be perfect for you because my fans deserve it and quite frankly I deserve it," she said.

Continued here:

Madonna Tells Fans Appreciate Freedom

Freedom of Speech ‘More Important’ for Russians than Rallies

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

Freedom of speech is more important for Russians than rallies, a poll conducted by the Levada Center pollster showed.

Eighty-three percent of Russians need freedom of speech, 62 percent freedom of rallies and demonstrations, and 76 percent would like to go abroad unhindered, according to the poll whose results were published on Wednesday.

Seventy percent of those polled said individual freedom and personal interests are above all, and the state should guarantee that these are observed. Thirty percent said the interests of the state are above all other things.

A total of 42 percent of respondents - 5 percent more than 11 years ago - said they believe Russia should be a country closed to others to be successfully developing. Fifty-eight percent said Russia should become integrated in the international community not to lag behind other nations.

Seventy-eight percent said they want to see Russia as a country which is comfortable to live in, and which prioritizes its nationals needs, while 22 percent said they need their country to have military power and be respected worldwide.

The poll was conducted on August 17-21, 2012, among 1,601 urban and rural residents aged 18 and above in 130 localities of 45 Russian regions.

The statistical margin of error does not exceed 3.4 percent.

GOP adopts Internet freedom plank #thecircuit

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

GOP adopts Internet freedom plank: Part of the platform the Republican party adopted Tuesday night included language to protect Internet freedom, something that lawmakers and interest groups on both sides of the aisle have been calling for in recent months.

Several groups that lobbied against the online piracy bills known as the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and the Protect IP (Intellectual Property) Act have petitioned Republicans and Democrats to affirm a commitment to the open Internet as planks in their party platforms, and lawmakers such as Reps. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) and Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) have made similar cases to party leadership.

The Republican plank is focused on removing regulation around technology businesses, as well as language that would protect personal data online from the government. The platform language also says that the party will resist any effort to move Internet governance away from its current multistakeholder model in favor of international or intergovernmental organizations.

The GOP also specifically criticized the Federal Communications Commission, saying that the agencys net neutrality rule and other regulations show the Obama administration is frozen in the past. The platform proposes that the federal government inventory its spectrum to discover how much of it could be auctioned to the public.

Cybersecurity: Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) has asked that President Obama put out an executive order of take other appropriate action to pass measures to enhance the cybersecurity of the countys critical infrastructure, the Hill reported.

On Tuesday, Feinstein sent a letter to the president asking him to take action because she believes that Congress will not be able to pass a strong cybersecurity law by the end of this session.

A broad cybersecurity bill failed in the Senate this month.

LulzSec arrest: The FBI has arrested a second man suspected of being a member of the hacking group LulzSec, which claimed responsibility for cyber attacks against Sony in late spring 2011.

According to Reuters, Raynaldo Rivera of Tempe, Ariz., faces up to 15 years in prison on charges that he aided hackers in posting personal information taken from Sony online.

Challenge to FTC, Google settlement: Consumer Watchdog has won the right to oppose the Federal Trade Commissions $22.5 billion challenge to a settlement with Google on privacy matters, the group said Wednesday.

Here is the original post:

GOP adopts Internet freedom plank #thecircuit

Freedom's Tanner embraces role

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

By JARRETT GUTHRIE | Special correspondent Published: August 29, 2012 Updated: August 29, 2012 - 12:00 AM

Freedom High football player Isaac Tanner talked about the first time he stepped up as a leader. It was halftime in a basketball game, trailing by double-digits and Tanner felt compelled to step up and take control. He scored 15 second-half points and helped his team earn the win.

That was when he was eight years old. Tanner has readily stepped up to the challenge again and again and the now 17-year-old will be called upon again as the captain and starting middle linebacker for the Patriots.

No problem for the 6-foot-1, 220-pound Tanner.

"I've been a captain since my sophomore year and I've never thought you have to be a senior to be a leader," Tanner said. "It's all about the type of presence you bring and what type of leadership you have and I've gladly accepted that role."

However, the task for Tanner and first-year Patriots coach Todd Donohoe is far more than just stepping in and filling a role it's about building a tradition at a school that has yet to find one. Donohoe enters as the seventh head coach in 11 seasons and the third coach Tanner and his fellow seniors have known.

"The Culture at Freedom hasn't been built yet," Tanner said. "We are trying to establish that whole school unity of being behind the team, the whole community to behind us. With so many coaches we just haven't had any of that going for the team."

For Donohoe, the former head coach at Strawberry Crest and an assistant at Armwood, Tanner is the kind of player who makes trying to build a tradition at a school a little bit easier.

"He's a leader in and out," Donohoe said. "He's a program player who never misses a practice, is always on time and doing the right thing on top of being big as a house and one of the top linebackers in the area."

Tanner, who has offers from Elon, Florida Atlantic, Florida International, Middle Tennessee State, North Dakota, North Dakota State, Ohio and Western Kentucky, will anchor what should be the Patriots strength this season with a solid defense.

See more here:

Freedom's Tanner embraces role

Republican Party Adopts Internet Freedom as its Own

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

In a sign of the Internet's growing importance in the political world, the Republican Party's official 2012 platform includes an entire section dedicated to protecting Internet freedom.

Republican Party Adopts Internet Freedom as its Own

Harvard creates cyborg flesh that’s half man, half machine

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

Bioengineers at Harvard University have created the first examples of cyborg tissue: Neurons, heart cells, muscle, and blood vessels that are interwoven by nanowires and transistors.

These cyborg tissues are half living cells, half electronics. As far as the cells are concerned, theyre just normal cells that behave normally but the electronic side actually acts as a sensor network, allowing a computer to interface directly with the cells. In the case of cyborg heart tissue, the researchers have already used the embedded nanowires to measure the contractions (heart rate) of the cells.

To create cyborg flesh, you start with a three-dimensional scaffold that encourages cells to grow around them. These scaffolds are generally made of collagen, which makes up the connective tissue in almost every animal. The Harvard engineers basically took normal collagen, and wove nanowires and transistors into the matrix to create nanoelectric scaffolds (nanoES). The neurons, heart cells, muscle, and blood vessels were then grown as normal, creating cyborg tissue with a built-in sensor network.

Cardiac cells, with a nanoelectroic electrode highlighted

So far the Havard team has mostly grown rat tissues, but they have also succeeded in growing a 1.5-centimeter (0.6in) cyborg human blood vessel. Theyve also only used the nanoelectric scaffolds to read data from the cells but according to lead researcher Charles Lieber, the next step is to find a way of talking to the individual cells, to wire up tissue and communicate with it in the same way a biological system does.

A computer chip, containing a sample of nanoES tissue

Suffice it to say, if you can use a digital computer to read and write data to your bodys cells, there are some awesome applications. If you need a quick jolt of adrenaline, you would simply tap a button on your smartphone, which is directly connected to your sympathetic nervous system. You could augment your existing physiology with patches a patch of nanoelectric heart cells, for example, that integrates with your heart and reports back if you experience any problems. When we eventually put nanobots into our bloodstream, small pulses of electricity emitted by the cells could be used as guidance to damaged areas. In the case of blood vessels and other organs, the nanoelectric sensor network could detect if theres inflammation, blockage, or tumors.

Realistically, though, were a long way away from such applications. In the short term, though, these cyborg tissues could be used to create very accurate organs-on-a-chip lab-grown human organs that are encased within computer chips and then used to test drugs or substance toxicity, without harming a single bunny or bonobo.

Read: Nanotech: will it kill us all?, and Stanfords wireless, implantable Innerspace medical device

Research paper: doi:10.1038/nmat3404 (paywalled)

Harvard creates cyborg flesh that’s half man, half machine

Harvard Creates Cyborg Tissues

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

36893187 story Posted by samzenpus on Wednesday August 29, @08:21PM from the getting-wired dept. MrSeb writes "Bioengineers at Harvard University have created the first examples of cyborg tissue: Neurons, heart cells, muscle, and blood vessels that are interwoven by nanowires and transistors. These cyborg tissues are half living cells, half electronics. As far as the cells are concerned, they're just normal cells that behave normally but the electronic side actually acts as a sensor network, allowing a computer to interface directly with the cells. In the case of cyborg heart tissue, the researchers have already used the embedded nanowires to measure the contractions (heart rate) of the cells. So far, the researchers have only used the nanoelectric scaffolds to read data from the cells but according to lead researcher Charles Lieber, the next step is to find a way of talking to the individual cells, to 'wire up tissue and communicate with it in the same way a biological system does.' Suffice it to say, if you can use a digital computer to read and write data to your body's cells, there are some awesome applications." You may like to read: Post

Nasrudin walked into a teahouse and declaimed, "The moon is more useful than the sun." "Why?", he was asked. "Because at night we need the light more."

Working...

See the original post here:

Harvard Creates Cyborg Tissues

Scientists Develop Cyborg Tissue, Bring The Borg Closer to Reality

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

Old hat cybernetics: Locutus as featured in 'Star Trek: First Contact.' [Credit: Paramount Pictures]Weve just gotten to grafting an anatomically correct robotic arm on to a human, but clearly that wasn't enough: Harvard University researchers have already created a real piece of cyborg tissue. The researchers developed the first truly cybernetic piece of living tissue by combining nanowires with lab-grown flesh into indistinguishable mesh.

The researchers say that this is the first time they have been able to completely integrate electronics into a biological system. According to New Scientist, the Harvard scientists want to improve the technology so that it becomes impossible to determine where the organic tissue ends and the electronics begin.

Are you creeped out yet?

The team of Harvard scientists first developed a biology-sensing network of nanoscale electrodes and nanowires held together by a mesh of organic polymers. Once assembled, the scientists dissolved the organic components, leaving a porous and flexible network of electronics.

From there, the scientists seeded several of their nanoscale meshes with cells from neurons, the heart, muscles, and blood vessels, creating different pieces of cyborg tissue.

The greatest obstacle to developing cyborg tissue involves incorporating electrodes to monitor cell activity without interrupting or damaging them. Harvards new process, however, uses a built-in nano-sized sensor network that monitors the cells without interfering with their normal functions.

With their cybernetic tissues, the researchers were able to measure the changes in heart and nerve cells when using cardio- or neuro-stimulating drugs, along with blood vessels change in PH levels in response to inflammation.

One of the near term uses of this technology could be in pharmaceutical industry, where chemists could more closely monitor the effects of drugs on certain organs. Potentially, though, this research could one day lead to the development of synthetic organs that we can control at will.

Are you ready for cybernetics? Leave a comment.

[Check out GeekTech for more news on hacks, gadgets, and all things geek. And follow along on Twitter and Facebook.]

EPA Grant Helps Restore Lake Michigan Beaches

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

Baileys Harbor -

In the next three years,a $2.6 million grant from the EPA will help make beaches along Lake Michigan cleaner and safer.

As part of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative,a little less than half of that moneywill fund the work of UW-Oshkosh Biology students.

A group of UW-Oshosh biologystudents has spent the summer in Door County studying and grooming beaches that show signs of high bacteria levels.

The beach at Anclam Park in Baileys Harbor is one of eight beaches that students will redesign with the help of the $2.6 million grant.

The students' goal is to improve the state of the beaches and the water quality of Lake Michigan.

"To have people and their kids to come here and have fun and play, it's good to know that I had a part in them being safe," Tony Klebs, UW-Oshkosh biology student.

Right now, students are testing the sand and water at the lake. They say they'll be able to know the lake's E. coli levels in about 24 hoursafter takinga smalljar sample.

Professor Greg Kleinheinz says contamination atthe Door County beach comes from stormwater runoff.

"The mitigation plans that are being developed right now will help solve those stormwater problems, keep beaches open, and make the beaches more aesthetically pleasing and a place that people want to bring their families to the beaches. More people at the beach has been equated to $45 per person per day," said Kleinheinz.

Read the original:

EPA Grant Helps Restore Lake Michigan Beaches

Chatham Beaches Closed After Shark Sightings

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

(Photo Credit: George Breen CapeCodSharkHunter.com)

CHATHAM (AP) Officials in Chatham have closed all eastern, open ocean-facing beaches because of increased reports from fishermen of sharks nearby.

The closings Wednesday affect beaches from the Orleans-Chatham town line south along Nauset Beach to Monomy. They are in effect until further notice.

Other public beaches remain open in the town.

Swimmers are warned to keep aware of their surroundings, and stay at least 300 feet from seals.

Sightings of sharks, including great whites, have increased off Cape Cod in recent years along with an increase in the population of seals, which sharks feed on.

In July, a man was bitten on his legs by a great white shark while swimming off Ballston Beach in Truro, north of Chatham.

Go here to read the rest:

Chatham Beaches Closed After Shark Sightings

Water Quality Issues Force Two State Park Beaches To Close Early

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

By Austin Robertson

CREATED 10:16 PM

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (MoDNR) - Watkins Mill State Park and Lake of the Ozarks State Parks Grand Glaize swimming beaches are closed due to water quality issues according to the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

Results received today showed continued water quality issues at Watkins Mill State Park beach. Staff at Lake of the Ozarks State Park closed Grand Glaize Beach today when results showed that one of the two water samples taken at the beach failed to meet Missouri State Parks standards.

Both beaches are scheduled to close for the recreational season after the Labor Day holiday weekend. Therefore, no additional water samples will be collected from the beaches and they will remain closed for the season. Public Beach #1 at Lake of the Ozarks State Park remains open until Sept. 4.

The water at all designated beaches in the state park system is sampled weekly during the recreational season by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to determine suitability for swimming.

Water quality can be determined to be unsuitable for swimming based on either the single sample taken earlier in the week, or by the geometric mean, which is a mathematical value that takes into consideration results from the current week plus the results taken during the previous weeks.

Both beaches closed this week had single samples in excess of the standard. The beach at Watkins Mill State Park also exceeds the geometric mean, which is a mathematical value that takes into consideration results from the current week plus the results taken during the previous weeks.

Higher bacteria levels are often associated with heavy rains that result in runoff from adjacent lands. However, there are a number of possibilities that can contribute to higher bacteria, and chances are no single source is the cause.

The sample test results indicate a snap shot of the water quality taken at the beaches at a specific time; however, a single sample does not provide an overall sense of the water quality in the lake where the beach is located.

More here:

Water Quality Issues Force Two State Park Beaches To Close Early

Several Cape Cod beaches closed due to shark activity

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

Family discovers Great White shark feeding on seal

The Town of Chatham is closing several east facing ocean beaches from the Orleans/Chatham line south along Nauset Beach to Monomoy until further notice, due to the recent reports of shark activity by local fisherman.

Dan Tobin, the Director of Parks & Recreation, said the Town of Chatham has received numerous reports of increased white shark activity in the vicinity of Chathams eastern, ocean facing beaches.

The reports included a video posted on YouTube of a shark attacking a seal in the area of the South Tip of Monomoy.

Several fishermen reported white sharks in their nets off-shore and the Division of Marine Fisheries while attempting to tag a shark in the vicinity of South Beach, reported white sharks close to shore in the vicinity of swimmers.

The town wants people to avoid swimming within 300 feet of seals. If a shark is sighted, exit the water immediately and contact authorities.

All other public beaches will remain open to swimming, including Hardings Beach, Ridgevale Beach, Cockle Cove Beach, Forest Street Beach and Pleasant Street Beach along Nantucket Sound.

A family on a whale watching expedition captured video of a shark eating a seal off Monomoy Island.

Read the original:

Several Cape Cod beaches closed due to shark activity

Chatham beaches closed for shark sightings

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

CHATHAM, Mass.Officials in Chatham have closed all eastern, open ocean-facing beaches because of increased reports from fishermen of sharks nearby.

The closings Wednesday affect beaches from the Orleans-Chatham town line south along Nauset Beach to Monomy. They are in effect until further notice.

Other public beaches remain open in the town.

Swimmers are warned to keep aware of their surroundings, and stay at least 300 feet from seals.

Sightings of sharks, including great whites, have increased off Cape Cod in recent years along with an increase in the population of seals, which sharks feed on.

In July, a man was bitten on his legs by a great white shark while swimming off Ballston Beach in Truro, north of Chatham.

Link:

Chatham beaches closed for shark sightings

Several Cape Cod beaches closed due to Great White Shark activity

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

Family discovers Great White shark feeding on seal

Dan Tobin, the Director of Parks & Recreation, said the Town of Chatham has received numerous reports of increased white shark activity in the vicinity of Chathams eastern, ocean facing beaches.

The reports included a video posted on YouTube of a shark attacking a seal in the area of the South Tip of Monomoy.

The town wants people to avoid swimming within 300 feet of seals. If a shark is sighted, exit the water immediately and contact authorities.

All other public beaches will remain open to swimming, including Hardings Beach, Ridgevale Beach, Cockle Cove Beach, Forest Street Beach and Pleasant Street Beach along Nantucket Sound.

A family on a whale watching expedition captured video of a shark eating a seal off Monomoy Island.

San Diego beaches remain closed after Tijuana sewage spill

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

San Diego County beaches near the U.S.-Mexico border remained closed Wednesday as Mexican officials scrambled to halt a sewage spill in Tijuana that has dumped more than 1 million gallons of raw sewage into the ocean since Monday.

Strong southern currents are expected to sweep contaminated waters away from San Diego-area beaches, but health officials closed coastal areas as a precautionary measure, said Steve Smullen, area operations manager for the International Water and Boundary Commission.

Signs warning of sewer contamination are posted from the border to the north end of Imperial Beach.

The sewage is spilling from a pipeline break in Tijuana, about a mile south of the border. Mexican officials have closed beaches in the area.

Its unclear what caused the spill. Environmentalists have blamed aging infrastructure in the past.

Beach closures are common after the Tijuana River swells with runoff from Mexico after heavy rains. The last sewage spill took place in January, 2010, Smullen said.

ALSO:

LL Cool J burglary suspect pleads not guilty

Burbank police search for Dr. Phil's stolen Chevy

-- Richard Marosi in San Diego

View post:

San Diego beaches remain closed after Tijuana sewage spill

Jaw-Dropping Space Pics: UK Contest to Pick Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

Judging is underway to choose the most beautiful photos of the night sky from among thousands of entries in the 2012 Astronomy Photographer of the Year contest.

The competition is being held by England's Royal Observatory Greenwich, which will award cash prizes in various categories, including photos of objects in our solar system, in the wider cosmos, and scenic pics of a dazzling sky over landscapes on Earth.

Photos submitted for the awards range from surreal green streaks through the sky caused by the northern lights over Canada, to an eerily red-looking moon captured during a lunar eclipse, and glowing stars, gas and dust in the star cluster IC 1396.

"Shortlisted entries include a breath-taking view of stars over snow-covered Japanese mountains; the full Moon setting behind a historic abbey on Mount Pirchiriano in Italy; a meteor streaking through the sky above a rock formation in Utah, USA; and a group of friends stargazing at a caravan site in the Gower Peninsular, South Wales," Royal Observatory Greenwich officials wrote in a statement."The diversity of locations is not just limited to Earth. Photographers have also captured sights from across our solar system, galaxy and beyond; from detailed mosaics of our moon's surface, to shimmering dust columns in distant nebulae, and out beyond the Milky Way to the swirling Andromeda Galaxy." [Photos: Royal Observatorys 2012 Space Photographer of the Year Finalists]

Now in its fourth year, the contest has gathered judges from diverse backgrounds, including journalists, scientists, historians and artists, to choose the winners. The final selections will be announced Sept. 19, and the awards ceremony will be tweeted live on Twitter using the hashtag #astrophoto12.

The overall winner of the title Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2012 will be awarded 1,500 ($2,374), with 500 ($792) given to the winners of subcategories: Earth and Space, Our Solar System, Deep Space: and Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year. Special prizes will also be given in these categories: People and Space, Best Newcomer, and Robotic Scope Image of the Year.

The Royal Observatory Greenwich is the spot where the Prime Meridian line is drawn, separating the eastern and western hemispheres of Earth. The observatory, which was founded in 1675, is also where Greenwich Mean Time is kept.

Though the submission period for this year's contest has already closed, if you've taken a great photo of space and would like to share it with SPACE.com for a possible gallery or article, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com.

Follow SPACE.com on Twitter@Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook&Google+.

Visit link:

Jaw-Dropping Space Pics: UK Contest to Pick Astronomy Photographer of the Year

Global Aerospace Fasteners Industry

Posted on August 30, 2012 by Danzig

NEW YORK, Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Reportlinker.com announces that a new market research report is available in its catalogue:

http://www.reportlinker.com/p0960377/Global-Aerospace-Fasteners-Industry.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Aerospace_and_Defense

This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Aerospace Fasteners in US$ Million. The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World. Annual estimates and forecasts are provided for the period 2010 through 2018. Also, a six-year historic analysis is provided for these markets. The report profiles 100 companies including many key and niche players such as 3V Fasteners Company Inc., Alcoa Fastening Systems, Allfast, Inc., B&B Specialties, Inc., B/E Aerospace, Emhart Teknologies LLC, LISI Aerospace S.A.S, National Aerospace Fasteners Corporation, Nylok Corporation, Precision Castparts Corp., Cherry Aerospace, TFI Aerospace Corporation, TPS Aviation Inc., TriMas Corporation, Monogram Aerospace Fasteners, and Wesco Aircraft Holdings, Inc. Market data and analytics are derived from primary and secondary research. Company profiles are primarily based upon search engine sources in the public domain.

To order this report:Aerospace_and_Defense Industry: Global Aerospace Fasteners Industry

Nicolas Bombourg

Reportlinker

Email: nicolasbombourg@reportlinker.com

US: (805)652-2626

Intl: +1 805-652-2626

Follow this link:

Global Aerospace Fasteners Industry

ACCC delays Sonic decision Save

Posted on August 30, 2012 by ev1

Aug. 29, 2012, 10:53 a.m.

The competition regulator has again delayed its decision on whether to allow Sonic Healthcare to take over Healthscope's east coast pathology businesses, raising expectations the $100 million deal might be rejected.

The long-awaited decision was expected to be announced tomorrow, but the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says it is still seeking information from relevant parties and a decision will be made "in due course."

Sonic Healthcare, the international medical centre, pathology and radiology company, announced in May its intention to buy private equity-owned Healthscope's pathology businesses in Western Australia, Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory.

The ACCC, in a statement of issues released earlier this month, said it was its "preliminary view" that the proposed acquisition might raise competition concerns in the Qld, NSW/ACT and WA community pathology services market.

Sonic chief executive Colin Goldshmidt told BusinessDay this month that the deal was "one of those things that we're optimistic it will happen, but if it doesn't happen, then Sonic is big enough that it's not really going to make a whole lot of difference".

Its shares reached a two-year high recently of $13.43, after reaching guidance with a 7.3 per cent increase in full-year profit to $316 million and offering cautious guidance for the 2013 fiscal year.

mheffernan@fairfaxmedia.com.au

Go here to read the rest:
ACCC delays Sonic decision Save

ACCC delay feeds doubts on pathology takeover

Posted on August 30, 2012 by ev1

Sonic Healthcare's CEO Colin Goldschmidt.

THE competition regulator has again delayed its decision on whether to allow Sonic Healthcare to take over Healthscope's east coast pathology businesses, raising expectations the $100 million deal might be rejected.

The long-awaited decision was expected to be announced today, but the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission said yesterday it was still seeking information from relevant parties and a decision would be made ''in due course''.

The ACCC, in a statement of issues released this month, said it was its ''preliminary view'' that the proposed acquisition might raise competition concerns in the Queensland, NSW/ACT and WA community pathology services market.

Sonic chief executive Colin Goldschmidt said this month that the deal was ''one of those things that we're optimistic it will happen, but if it doesn't happen, then Sonic is big enough that it's not really going to make a whole lot of difference''.

Its shares reached a two-year high this week of $13.43, after reaching guidance with a 7.3 per cent increase in full-year profit to $316 million.

See the rest here:
ACCC delay feeds doubts on pathology takeover