Professor Calder hailed the results saying they offered hope to the hundreds of thousands of people who die from arterial disease every year.

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His greatest hope: That the will to do something about the violence does not die along with those who never had to.

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Feral cats live and die anonymously - the best they can hope for is to get shovelled to the side of the road.

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And most do not die in their 20s, as Americans tend to assume, but can hope to live into their mid-50s.

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"But you can die of hope in Hollywood, " said Mr. Byrd, who then turned his attention to theater, boning up by going to the now-defunct Coliseum Books and buying every relevant text on the subject.

WSJ: Stephen Byrd | Developing a Multiracial 'Desire' | Cultural Conversation by Joanne Kaufman