Where Will All the Female <em>Star Wars</em> Characters Go?

Yes, Princess Leia was a smart, resourceful woman who had action hero chops of her own. She wasn’t just a princess waiting around in a castle for men to save her — despite the infamous scene where she ended up in a metal bikini as a sexy slave to a giant space slug.But the fact remains: If you count up all the significant female characters who appear in the original Star Wars trilogy, the...

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Well: Ask Well: Swimming to Ease Back Pain

Many people find that recreational swimming helps ease back pain, and there is research to back that up. But some strokes may be better than others.An advantage to exercising in a pool is that the buoyancy of the water takes stress off the joints. At the same time, swimming and other aquatic exercises can strengthen back and core muscles.That said, it does not mean that everyone with a case of back...

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DealBook: Blackstone Keeps Most of Its Money With SAC

9:06 p.m. | Updated The Blackstone Group, the largest outside investor in the hedge fund SAC Capital Advisors, said it would keep most of its $550 million with the hedge fund for three more months while it monitors developments in the government’s insider trading investigation.Blackstone acted as SAC’s clients faced a regularly scheduled quarterly deadline on Thursday to decide whether to continue...

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Vintage piano given Valentine's Day deadline

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. — The piano was delivered to its bluff-top perch under cover of fog nearly two weeks ago. It is scheduled...

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<cite>The Monitor</cite> Heads to a Galaxy Far, Far Away

Not sure if you noticed, but it’s Star Wars Week on Wired. We’ve already dealt with the old movies and what the new movies will need, but it’s time to leave the big screen and get a handle on the best of the ancillary Star Wars products out there. To that end, we’ve got a new comic book that takes place between installments of the Original Trilogy, and two analog (or...

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Well: Life, Interrupted: Crazy, Unsexy Cancer Tips

Life, InterruptedSuleika Jaouad writes about her experiences as a young adult with cancer.Every few weeks I host a “girls’ night” at my apartment in Lower Manhattan with a group of friends who are at various stages in their cancer treatments. Everyone brings something to eat and drink, and we sit around my living room talking to one another about subjects both heavy and light, ranging from post-chemo...

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Charred human remains found in burned cabin

Charred human remains have been found in the burned cabin where police believe fugitive ex-cop Christopher Dorner was holed up after trading gunfire with law enforcement, authorities said. If the body is identified to be Dorner’s, the standoff would end a weeklong manhunt for the ex-LAPD officer and Navy Reserve lieutenant who is believed to be responsible for a string of revenge-fueled...

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Giveaway: Win a <em>Robot & Frank</em> DVD and Programmable Rover 'Bot

The unlikely futuristic heist flick Robot & Frank has a quirky premise: The son of a former cat burglar gets his aging father a robot companion, which the dad decides to train in the art of thieving.It’ a dry comedy with a crime-thriller twist and a bit of romance, with star power from players like Frost/Nixon’s Frank Langella (the Frank of the movie’s title), 30...

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Well: Getting the Right Dose of Exercise

Phys EdGretchen Reynolds on the science of fitness.A common concern about exercise is that if you don’t do it almost every day, you won’t achieve much health benefit. But a commendable new study suggests otherwise, showing that a fairly leisurely approach to scheduling workouts may actually be more beneficial than working out almost daily.For the new study, published this month in Exercise & Science...

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DealBook: Big Investors Stiffen Their Resistance to Dell's Offer

12:29 p.m. | Updated Michael S. Dell’s plan to take the computer maker private for $24.4 billion is the biggest leveraged buyout since the financial crisis.It is also quickly becoming one of the biggest deals in years to face a shareholder uprising.The opposition to Mr. Dell’s buyout effort now includes the mutual fund giant T. Rowe Price, which on Tuesday said that it opposed the offer at its current...

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