Celebration, departures and a new era on the Tour

The Tour de France ended in celebration, with winner Alberto Contador sipping champagne as he rode into the French capital and Mark Cavendish raising his hands in triumph as he once again claimed a stage victory on the Champs-Elysees.

Lance Armstrong finished with a final chance to ride at the front of the field before he begins his wished-for quiet life.

It's a wish the seven-time Tour champion may not get.

The 2010 Tour de France has been one to savor. It featured an exciting rivalry between Contador and the man he beat for a second straight year, Andy Schleck of Luxembourg. There were classic mountain battles, a time-trial that almost caused an …

Electric Pulses Induce Cylindrical Deformations on Giant Vesicles in Salt Solutions

ABSTRACT

In this article, we report for the first time unusual shape changes of vesicles subjected to strong electric pulses in salt solutions of low concentration. The electric field is created by two parallel electrodes between which the vesicle solution is located. Surprisingly, the vesicles assume cylindrical shapes during the pulse. These deformations are short-lived (their lifetime is ~1 ms) and occur only in the presence of salt outside the vesicles, irrespective of their content. When the solution conductivities inside and outside are the same, vesicles with square cross section are observed. Using a fast digital camera, we were able to record these deformations and study …

Bain Capital to pay big premium of $1.3 billion for Bright Horizons child care

Bright Horizons Family Solutions Inc. on Monday said Bain Capital Partners LLC, will pay a hefty premium of $1.3 billion (euro870 million) for the child care services company.

The private equity deal sent shares of Bright Horizons up by more than a third in morning trading, to its highest level in three months.

Boston-based Bain will pay $48.25 per share in cash for Bright Horizons, a 47 percent premium over its closing price of $32.79 on Friday. The companies expect the deal to close in the second quarter.

…

MITIE sells subsidiary

Wrington's MITIE Group has sold its MITIE Powered Accesssubsidiary to its management.

The powered access platform company is based in Maidenhead and hasfive depots across the country.

It has been bought for GBP1.9 million by a team led by managingdirector Grant Woodward. …

DVD REVIEW

WANTED

In lieu of not being able to play with dolls since I'm (A) mate, and (B) a grownup, I sometimes like to pretend that older movies are the parents of newer movies coming out. Hence, this IWe demonstration: non-gendered parent No. 1: The Matrix. Non-gendered parent No. 2: The Bourne Identity. They mate, or whatever. And their progeny? Wanted.

Wesley Gibson (James McAvoy, Atonement) spends his boring life in an office cubicle. But picking up his panic attack medication one day, he finds himself in the middle of an assassin's shootout and is recruited to Join a group of righteous kilters. Reluctant to sign on, Wesley's mission becomes finding the man who murdered the …

Bush Stumps in Red States to Save House

WASHINGTON - House control at stake, President Bush campaigned Sunday in endangered Republican districts across GOP-friendly middle America. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, hoping to become the first female speaker, stumped for Democratic challengers in the left-leaning Northeast.

"Here's the way I see it," Bush told a crowd inside an auditorium in Grand Island, Neb. "If the Democrats are so good about being the party of the opposition, let's just keep them in the opposition." Republicans are hoping their party's acclaimed get-out-the-vote operation can prevent a Democratic rout in a campaign marked by voter fury over the Iraq war.

Pelosi, D-Calif., was cautiously optimistic about her …

PepsiCo is cornerstone partner for new stadium

PepsiCo signed an agreement to become the fourth cornerstone partner for the new stadium for the Jets and Giants.

The New Meadowlands Stadium Corporation announced the multiyear deal on Thursday. No contract deals immediately available.

MetLife, Verizon and Budweiser had previously signed contracts to be cornerstone partners for the $1.6 billion stadium that is scheduled to open next spring with a concert by Bon Jovi. The first NFL game will be played in the summer.

The teams are still looking to sell the naming rights to the new stadium, which is being constructed next to Giants Stadium.

PepsiCo offers the world's largest portfolio of …