Pope Francis continues Holy Thursday tradition

ROME (AP) ? Pope Francis washed and kissed the feet of a dozen inmates at a juvenile detention center in a Holy Thursday ritual that he celebrated for years as archbishop and is continuing now that he is pope. Two of the 12 were young women, a remarkable choice given that the church's current liturgical law says only men should participate.

The Mass was held in the Casal del Marmo facility in Rome, where 46 young men and women currently are detained. Many of them are Gypsies or North African migrants, and the 12 selected for the foot-washing rite included Orthodox and Muslim detainees, news reports said.

Because the inmates were mostly minors ? the facility houses inmates aged 14-to-21 ? the Vatican and Italian Justice Ministry limited media access inside. But Vatican Radio carried the Mass live, and Francis told the detainees that Jesus washed the feet of his disciples on the eve of his crucifixion in a gesture of love and service.

"This is a symbol, it is a sign ? washing your feet means I am at your service," Francis told the youngsters. "Help one another. This is what Jesus teaches us. This is what I do. And I do it with my heart. I do this with my heart because it is my duty, as a priest and bishop I must be at your service."

Later, the Vatican released a limited video of the ritual, showing Francis washing black feet, white feet, male feet, female feet and even a foot with tattoos. Kneeling on the stone floor as the 12 youngsters sat above him, the 76-year-old Francis poured water from a silver chalice over each foot, dried it with a simple cotton towel and then bent over to kiss each one.

As archbishop of Buenos Aires, the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio would celebrate the ritual foot-washing in jails, hospitals or hospices ? part of his ministry to the poorest and most marginalized of society. It's a message that he is continuing now that he is pope, saying he wants a church "for the poor."

Previous popes would carry out the foot-washing ritual on Holy Thursday in Rome's grand St. John Lateran basilica. The 12 people chosen for the ritual would always be priests to represent Christ's 12 apostles.

That Francis would include women in this re-enactment is remarkable given current liturgical rules that restrict the ritual to men.

Canon lawyer Edward Peters, who is an adviser to the Holy See's top court, noted in a blog that the Congregation for Divine Worship in 1988 said in a letter to bishops that "The washing of the feet of chosen men ... represents the service and charity of Christ who came 'not to be served, but to serve.'"

Peters noted that bishops over the years have successfully petitioned Rome for an exemption to allow women to participate, but that the law on the issue is clear.

"By disregarding his own law in this matter, Francis violates, of course, no divine directive," Peters wrote Thursday. "What he does do, I fear, is set a questionable example."

Others welcomed the example he set.

"The pope's washing the feet of women is hugely significant because including women in this part of the Holy Thursday Mass has been frowned on ? and even banned ? in some dioceses," said the Rev. James Martin, a Jesuit priest and author of "The Jesuit Guide."

"It shows the all-embracing love of Christ, who ministered to all he met: man or woman, slave or free, Jew or Gentile," he said.

After the Mass, Francis greeted each of the inmates and gave each one an Easter egg.

"Don't lose hope," he said. "Understand? With hope you can always go on."

One of the inmates then asked him why he had come to visit them. Francis said it was to "help me to be humble, as a bishop should be." He said he wanted to come "from my heart. Things from the heart don't have an explanation," he said.

Italian Justice Minister Paola Severino, who has made easing Italy's woefully overcrowded prisons a priority, attended the Mass.

___

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Source: http://news.yahoo.com/pope-washes-feet-young-detainees-ritual-173757747.html

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Celebrating the Season of Grandparenting | Arizona Golf AZ ...

Trilogy at Redmond Ridge member Jacque Hancock and her dear friend, Patty Dutt, always look forward to catching up over a cup of coffee and filling each other in on the latest news in their lives.? With five children and ten grandchildren between the two of them, they often find that their conversations naturally revolve around their families.

After spending many an afternoon sharing laughter and tears over memories of their ?season of grandparenting,? Jacque and Patty decided to gather their thoughts together and get them down on paper.? They planned to type up stories and print them out to hand to their children, so that the memories would not be forgotten.? As they pursued the project, several of their friends said that they would also like copies, to use as inspiration for activities with their own grandchildren.? So, with the support and encouragement of friends and family, Jacque and Patty decided to write a resource book of ideas and inspiration for grandparents and other people who love being with children.? After many months of gathering and organizing their favorite stories, memories, and bits of advice, Every Child a GRAND Child was born.

What is especially interesting about this book is that it is not only a resource book for grandparents ? but for all people who have ? or would like to have ? a connection with children.?? Through this book, the co-authors hope to communicate that even if a child is not a biological grandchild, every child is a GRAND child who is deserving of love and support from a caring adult.? Jacque and Patty actually met over 30 years ago when they were each helping to sponsor Chinese families coming to the United States from Vietnam.? Jacque shares her experience with sponsoring a family below.

?In addition to our biological children, we have five Asian heart children. We helped settle their family 32 years ago. At that time, the children were 11, 8, 6 and 4, with one not yet born. They came from Viet Nam through a refugee camp in Pulau Bidong, Malaysia. They lived with us for six weeks and then settled in their own home nearby. They spent almost every weekend and vacation with us for the next five years. We love them very much. After five years, they moved to Los Angeles and settled there.? Four of the five children are now married, and we have six GRAND children on that side of our extended family. We get together as often as possible for vacations, and we try to have a reunion every other year. We spent a week in Boulder, Colorado, cruised to Mexico, stayed in Sun River, Oregon, and vacationed in the San Juan Islands together.? This summer, my husband John and I will spend a week with all of our children, heart children, grandchildren, and GRAND children on the Oregon coast to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary.?

The GRAND children in both Jacque and Patty?s lives served as yet another inspiring reason for them to take the extra effort to write and publish a full book.? They realized that if they shared their thoughts with a wider audience, it might prove to encourage others to create and nurture a relationship with a GRAND child.

The process of putting the book together was a collaborative effort.? Each author began by capturing her own special memories of grandparenting.? Each wrote about her own experiences and the things she had tried over the years when connecting with grandchildren or GRAND children.? Jacque and Patty periodically came together to share their stories and advice with each other.? There was no particular structure at first, but over time their stories, experiences, and advice seemed to fall naturally into categories, which later became the chapters of the book.? Patty recalls that each time they came together to share stories, they would be reminded of something else that they wanted to share.? They would hurry home and write up their latest thought, and the book continued to blossom.

As for the process of transforming their stories, advice, and ideas into a full-length, published book, the co-authors said that they ?owe a debt of gratitude? to Jacque?s husband, John Hancock.? ?He typed all of the text, scanned and touched up nearly 200 photos, composed the book again and again as it went through its edits and rewrites, and he designed and built the cover.?? In addition to all of this, John also contributed some of his own memories of priceless time spent with his much-loved grandchildren.

This book is full of heartwarming stories and practical advice that would be helpful and inspirational to anyone who loves to spend time with children.? The brief excerpts below give a sense of the kind of material that Jacque and Patty have gathered for their readers.? In the book, each of these excerpts is accompanied by specific examples of how one can make the most of each moment spent with young children.

• Research your family heritage.? Where did your ancestors come from?? Every family has a history, and it is likely that in a marriage two or more countries are represented.? Spend an evening researching those countries.? Children can draw a map or flag from their origins.? Then they can help you prepare an ethnic dinner.? It is wonderful to make all children feel proud of their heritage.
• Reading is the door to another world.? Are you taking a trip with your grandchild?? How about finding a book relating to the area you are visiting?? Read in the car to make the trip seem shorter, or read a portion of a story every evening as you travel.
• A small area of the yard (or a planter box) can be a great place to plant a garden.? Invite the grandkids to go with you to the store to purchase the seeds, and let each one pick the foods that they like to eat.? Preparing the soil, planting, and watering are all great lessons to learn alongside grandpa or grandma.? So much is learned in the soil; like it is okay to get your hands dirty or to pick up a worm or bug.? There will be nose wrinkling or squealing, which adds to the thrill.
• Do you have a talent or a hobby that you like to do?? Maybe you knit, crochet, do patchwork, or collect something.? Whatever it is, your grandchildren will want to learn how to do it, too.? My obsession is collecting beach glass and, sure enough, one granddaughter does the same thing.? The hunt is the most fun.? Hours have been spent walking and collecting.
• Did you know that Home Depot offers free woodworking classes for an adult and child the first Saturday of each month?? We know two grandpas who take their grandchildren to this workshop to build projects like a birdhouse together.? One grandpa says that afterwards there always has to be a stop for an ice cream cone to finish the trip.

There are so many other wonderful and inspiring ideas in this book ? like inviting your grandchildren for an extended visit to ?Camp Too-Much-Fun? at grandma and grandpa?s house (where they?ll start the day hearing Reveille and reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, and end it with s?mores around a portable fire pit), or making bath time endlessly entertaining with the purchase of bubbles, washable crayons, and a plastic tea party set.

At the end of Every Child a GRAND Child, Jacque and Patty included a section ?for friends and family members who love being with children.?? In this section, they encourage all adults who love children ? including those without biological children and/or grandchildren ? to find a way to connect with children who are in need of some extra nurturing.? ?We can tell you from our own experience,? write Jacque and Patty, ?that one of the most rewarding things in life is being in relationships with younger people.? It keeps us young.?? They then offer several specific examples of ways that adults can make a difference in the lives of young people.

Jacque pointed out that some of her favorite experiences as a grandparent happened right here at Trilogy.? She cheered her grandchildren on as they honed their swimming skills in the Trilogy pool, and went on to become certified SCUBA divers.? They even trained for the Danskin triathlon by swimming laps in the pool. She has had picnics with her grandkids in the public areas of the community, and held great tournaments in bocce ball and croquet.? The kids have enjoyed hikes on the trails and Easter egg hunts in the green belts. They love to have lunch at the club, and Jacque recalls that a few years ago, when the restaurant on the Trilogy golf course was named ?The Nines,? her granddaughter Marnie chose to celebrate her ninth birthday there with the family.? Jacque has also enjoyed seeing so many of her friends and neighbors creating wonderful memories with their own grandchildren (or GRAND children) around the community.

I asked Jacque and Patty to share with us the one thing that they hope their grandchildren will remember most about the time their grandparents have spent with them.

Jacque shared, ?Love begets love.? We want them to remember that theirs was a childhood filled with people who loved them unconditionally, including us, their grandparents.?

Patty shared, ?I hope my grandchildren will remember their times with us as fun, loving, and being accepted for who they are; that our love is unconditional.?

If you would like to learn more about Every Child a GRAND Child, please click here to find the book on Amazon.com, where you can preview several pages of the book and purchase it if you would like a copy of your own.

Thank you, Jacque and Patty!

?

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Source: http://arizona-golf-retirement-communities.com/2013/03/celebrating-the-season-of-grandparenting/

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Sicily revokes permission for U.S. military satellite station

PALERMO, Italy (Reuters) - The Sicilian regional government in Italy has revoked permission for the United States to build a military satellite station on the island, its governor said on Friday, after protests by residents who said it could pose a health risk.

The planned ground station was part of the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS), an ultra high-frequency satellite network aimed at significantly boosting communications capacity for the U.S. military and its allies.

Concerns about the effect the station's electromagnetic waves could have on the health of residents around the town of Niscemi, including fears that the waves could cause cancer, had provoked protests on the island.

The regional government of the semi-autonomous island last month delayed construction and called for an independent study into its health and environmental impact.

The Italian government said this month the demonstrations risked compromising operations at Sigonella, a U.S. naval base in Sicily.

"Through the relevant department, permission for the construction of MUOS has been definitively withdrawn," Sicilian Governor Rosario Crocetta told reporters in the island's capital of Palermo on Friday.

He did not say whether the decision to revoke permission for the site was related to the study or to health concerns.

His remarks came a day before a planned protest expected to draw several thousand in Niscemi, which local groups of the governor's own Democratic Party were due to attend.

In a visit to Italy in January, then-U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he understood the concerns of residents but that U.S. studies had concluded there would be no health risk.

The U.S. military did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Friday.

The satellite network also has stations in the United States and Australia.

(Reporting by Vladimiro Pantaleone and Naomi O'Leary; Editing by Pravin Char)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sicily-revokes-permission-u-military-satellite-station-180433298--finance.html

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Will Alabama Finally Let Its Citizens Brew Their Own Beer?

All around the country, homebrewers can proudly brag about their newest IPAs or chocolate porters. They can openly discuss their malts, their mash, and their wort. They can even pop into a local shop to pickup a bottling bucket or hydrometer. All around the country, that is, except in Alabama. But that may soon change.

Alabama is the last state in the country in which homebrewing is illegal. In fact, it?s illegal just to own the equipment to brew beer there. It?s a law that dates back to the end of prohibition, when states were given the right to issue their own laws governing the consumption and distribution of alcohol. But two bills?one in the state House of Representatives and the other in the state Senate? making it legal for individuals to make as much as 15 gallons of beer, wine, or hard cider every three months could pass as early as next week.

?Alabama is last again,? said Republican Bill Holtzclaw, the sponsor of the senate bill. ?When you try and think about reasons why the state doesn?t allow it, you just can?t come up with good answers.?

The popularity of craft beer and homebrewing has certainly been on the rise around the country. Just this past week, Mississippi became the 49th?state to legalize homebrewing, joining former holdout states like Utah and Oklahoma, which came on board within the last five years. Homebrewing became legal under federal law in 1978, and today The American Homebrewer?s Association estimates that there are now nearly one million people brewing beer or making wine in their homes at least once a year. Even the White House produced a Honey Ale last year.

But just because Bill?Holtzclaw?can?t think of points of opposition, that?doesn?t mean no one else can. Advocates who've been fighting for legalization since 2009 have been met?with sharp resistance from a religious group called the Alabama Citizen Action Program. Currently led by a Baptist pastor named Joe Godfrey, ALCAP has been fighting for temperance since it was founded in 1937.

Godfrey says there are a lot of issues at play here: children getting access to alcohol (?How will parents know if they take a swig from a gallon jug??); the policing of activities (?Nobody?s going to raid houses to make sure they aren?t making too much of it or selling it?); and the slippery slope argument (?Pretty soon you?re going to have a distiller say if you can make beer and wine, why not have a moonshine operation??).

Between ALCAP's opposition and the task of trying to pass alcohol legislation in a state with 26 counties that are at least partially dry, it?s been an uphill slog for homebrewers. In 2011, a House version of the bill failed so miserably it won the award for? ?deadest bill of the year.? There is an actual award for this. It comes in the shape of a coffin.

State Rep. Richard Laird told National Journal that he would not be supporting the bill this year because he is afraid that without enough oversight, underground connections between homebrewers and moonshiners could arise.

?If people start making and stockpiling beer, who?s to say the moonshiners wouldn?t come up and buy their supply and resell it,? he said.

Gary Glass, the Director of the American Homebrewers Association which has helped out on the bill, says it?s been the most difficult attempt at legalization he?s dealt with, including getting a bill through a mostly Mormon legislature in Utah. But this year, he believes the efforts will pay off.

?There used to be a perception that homebrewing and moonshining were the same thing,? Glass said. ?The perception has changed in the past years.?

While Laird, who is an independent in the state legislature, might not agree, it sounds as if Glass is right. Even Godfrey at ALCAP says he expects the bill to pass (?But not without me making them work for it?), and the governor has said he will sign it into law if it gets to his desk.

All this is music to Glass?s ears.

?Homebrewers should be able to operate in the open,? he said. ?And it?s not just about the hobby. This country has a unique beer culture, and many of these craft beers and new beer styles all start with someone making it in their home.?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/alabama-finally-let-citizens-brew-own-beer-152217627--politics.html

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Britain drops pro-coal energy minister after just six months

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain replaced outspoken junior energy minister John Hayes on Thursday after only six months in the job as government efforts to overhaul the electricity sector and cut carbon emissions reach a critical juncture.

During his brief tenure the Conservative Hayes clashed over policy with his boss, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change Ed Davey, a member of the Liberal Democrats.

The two parties form Britain's ruling coalition.

Their difference included topics such as whether Britain should finance new windfarms and stick to carbon-reduction targets.

Hayes vowed earlier this year to put "coal back into the coalition" and guarantee a major role for the highly-polluting fossil fuel in Britain's energy mix.

Yet Britain's energy bill, currently under scrutiny by parliament, effectively rules out new coal-fired stations that lack carbon capture and storage technology.

Conservative Michael Fallon will become Energy Minister, replacing Hayes who will become Minister without Portfolio (Minister of State), DECC said.

Fallon is also a Minister of State at the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

A cold spring has boosted Britain's imported wholesale gas prices, depleting its stores of gas and sparking fears of fatter energy bills for already cash-strapped consumers.

Fallon's previous support for renewable energy is in contrast to many of his Conservative colleagues, particularly those elected in rural areas where wind turbines are opposed by local campaigners.

"Michael Fallon has a real opportunity to clean up our power sector, capitalise on clean, home-grown energy and properly open Britain for green business," Greenpeace said.

(Reporting by John McGarrity and Oleg Vukmanovic; editing by Jason Neely)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/britain-drops-pro-coal-energy-minister-just-six-130315759.html

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General: Myanmar military staying in politics

NAYPYITAW, Myanmar (AP) ? The military that ruled Myanmar for five decades paraded its might Wednesday in front of the opposition leader it once repressed, as its commander in chief said it will remain involved in politics to help the country transform itself into a democracy.

Opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi, attending the annual Armed Forces Day celebration for the first time, sat in the front row, highlighting the support she has previously expressed for the military. Though the military handed over political leadership to an elected government in 2011, it continues to wield control over how far democracy ? and Suu Kyi herself ? could advance.

Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing told more than 6,300 troops gathered at the parade ground in Myanmar's isolated capital, Naypyitaw, that the military must strengthen its capabilities and regional alliances to build a "well-disciplined democratic nation."

"While the country is moving toward modern democracy, our military plays a leading role in national politics," he said. "We will keep on marching to strengthen the democratic administrative path wished by the entire people."

One of the most inscrutable questions today is how Myanmar's powerful military views the country's rapid political and economic change and what role they envision for themselves in the future, after overseeing decades of repression that included years of house arrest for Suu Kyi.

Min Aung Hlaing's answer Wednesday was that the military will continue to play a central role, both in politics and as peacekeepers in a nation that has seen a surge of ethnic and religious violence in the two years since President Thein Sein's administration began opening up the Southeast Asian country.

The Armed Forces Day celebration, which commemorates Myanmar's uprising against Japanese occupation forces in 1945, was a show of vast and precise power. For the first time in more than two decades, it put some of its hardware on public display.

Helicopters buzzed over the hills. Fighter planes let off flares. Dozens of mud-green tanks, armored personnel carriers and small artillery guns rolled by. A commander barked out orders and the clicking of row after row of boot-polished heels came back like thunder.

The military retains considerable influence. Thein Sein is a former general himself, and many top ministers and powerful parliamentarians are former military officers. The military's economic power is murkier, but it controls two sprawling conglomerates with interests that include mining, hotels and beer and rice exporting.

The constitution reserves a quarter of the seats in Parliament for the military, giving them effective veto power over major constitutional changes. The constitution would need to be changed for Suu Kyi to be allowed to run for president in 2015; her late husband was British, and the constitution bars relatives of foreign nationals from seeking the office.

Suu Kyi's party marked Armed Forces Day by calling on the military to work with the opposition to change the 2008 constitution, which it said is "not in accordance with democratic norms."

Suu Kyi, who has faced criticism from supporters for courting the military, did not speak to reporters in Naypyitaw.

The constitution also allows for the dissolution of Parliament and the transfer of power from the president to the commander in chief, in cases of national emergency.

Min Aung Hlaing emphasized the military's importance for maintaining national unity and sovereignty. He said his troops have never committed genocide and have "no hatred of any of the national races." He said his soldiers will abide by international humanitarian law and are trained to act in compliance with the Geneva Conventions.

The military been active in quashing ethnic unrest in the north, where a 17-year truce with Kachin rebels broke down in 2011. Last week, the Army was called in to contain sectarian violence between Buddhists and Muslims in central Myanmar, where at least 40 people have been killed in clashes that are edging closer to the main city, Yangon.

Human Rights Watch warned Tuesday of a brewing humanitarian crisis in western Rakhine state, where a monsoon is expected to soon pound camps filled with displaced Muslims who fled ethnic and religious violence. The rights group estimates that 125,000 Muslims have been displaced by violence since June 2012.

The West has been reaching out to Myanmar's armed forces, despite continuing human rights concerns. The U.S. welcomed Myanmar as an observer at its annual Cobra Gold military exercise in Thailand for the first time this year, and Australia recently said it would deepen its engagement with Myanmar's military. Both countries still ban arms sales to Myanmar.

Min Aung Hlaing called for modern weaponry and training and closer alliances with neighboring countries, particularly within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

While the world talks about change in Myanmar, some at the parade ground preferred to talk of continuity.

"The military has worked for the people in the past," said Htay Oo, vice-chairman of the ruling USDP party, as he made his way to his seat. "And they will continue to work for the people."

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/general-myanmar-military-staying-politics-074750346.html

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Novak Djokovic beats Somdey Devvarman in the fourth round of the Sony Open

| Novak Djokovic made swift progress through to the fourth round of the Sony Open in Miami after dispatching Somdev Devvarman for the loss of six games.

Djokovic, who started the year by retaining his Australian Open crown in Melbourne, was too strong for the Indian, who did not possess the tools to trouble the world number one.

Djokovic broke in the opening game and again for 5-2 before claiming the opening set.

Easy work: Novak Djokovic lost just six games on the way to beating Somdey Devvarman Djokovic HEAT EXTEND THEIR STREAK Just hours after cruising past the Indian Devvarman on Sunday, Djokovic swapped centre court for a basketball court as he watched the Miami Heat in NBA action.

The world No 1 made the short trip from the Crandon Park Tennis Center to the American Airlines Arena and sat courtside to watch Lebron James and Co take on the Charlotte Bobcats.

The Heat despatched the lowly Bobcats 109-77 to extend their amazing winning streak to 26 matches, the second longest in NBA history.

Miami are just seven short of equalling the record 33-game winning streak set by the Los Angeles Lakers during the 1971-72 season.

Sunni Upal Devvarman refused to throw in the towel but he was powerless to prevent Djokovic from claiming a further break in the second on his way to a 6-2 6-4 win in 69 minutes.

The Serbian has lost just one match in 2013, to Juan Martin Del Potro in Indian Wells, and he will look to maintain that impressive statistic against Tommy Haas in the last 16.

Veteran German Haas, seeded 15, today edged out Alexandr Dolgopolov 6-3 6-2.

David Ferrer had few alarms in advancing, beating Italian Fabio Fognini 6-1 7-5, and the third seed will next meet Japanese Kei Nishikori.

Nishikori took advantage of opponent Xavier Malisse struggling with his string tension as he moved through 6-2 7-5.

Seventh seed Janko Tipsarevic progressed after gutsing out a three-set win over big-serving South African Kevin Anderson.

Anderson claimed the opener but the match drifted firmly in Tipsarevic?s direction when he won the second on a tie-break and he ran through the decider to go through 4-6 7-6 (7/5) 6-0.

On top: The World No 1 took just 69 minutes to take care of the Indian Devvarman In the other completed third-round clash, 11th-seeded Frenchman Gilles Simon beat Grega Zemlja 6-4 6-4.

He will play Tipsarevic next.

On the women?s side, third seed Maria Sharapova ousted fellow Russian Elena Vesnina 6-4 6-2 despite facing nine break points.

Sharapova will meet Klara Zakopalova in the fourth round following her 6-2 7-6 (7/4) win over Maria Kirilenko.

Sixth seed Angelique Kerber and 11th seed Nadia Petrova went out, however.

Kerber was thrashed 6-4 6-0 by Sorana Cirstea while Petrova lost 7-6 (9/7) 6-4 to Jelena Jankovic.

No answer: Devvarman couldn?t handle Djokovic

Source: http://www.sportblogs.co.uk/2013/03/novak-djokovic-beats-somdey-devvarman-in-the-fourth-round-of-the-sony-open/

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Senate Passes Democratic Budget

WASHINGTON ? An exhausted Senate gave pre-dawn approval Saturday to a Democratic $3.7 trillion budget for next year that embraces nearly $1 trillion in tax increases over the coming decade but shelters domestic programs targeted for cuts by House Republicans.

While their victory was by a razor-thin 50-49 vote, it allowed Democrats to tout their priorities. Yet it doesn't resolve the deep differences the two parties have over deficits and the size of government.

Joining all Republicans voting no were four Democrats who face re-election next year in potentially difficult races: Sens. Max Baucus of Montana, Mark Begich of Alaska, Kay Hagan of North Carolina and Mark Pryor of Arkansas. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., did not vote.

White House spokesman Jay Carney praised the Senate plan, saying in a statement it "will create jobs and cut the deficit in a balanced way."

While calling on both sides to find common ground, Carney did not hold out much hope for compromise with Republicans. The rival budget passed by the GOP-led House cuts social programs too deeply, he said, and fails "to ask for a single dime of deficit reduction from closing tax loopholes for the wealthy and well-connected."

The Senate vote came after lawmakers labored through the night on scores of symbolic amendments, ranging from voicing support for letting states collect taxes on Internet sales to expressing opposition to requiring photo IDs for voters.

Final approval came at around 5 a.m. EDT, capping an extraordinary 20 hours of votes and debate. As the night wore on, virtually all senators remained in the chamber, a rarity during a normal business day. But at that hour, most had nowhere else to go.

The Senate's budget would shrink annual federal shortfalls over the next decade to nearly $400 billion, raise unspecified taxes by $975 billion and cull modest savings from domestic programs.

In contrast, a rival budget approved by the GOP-run House balances the budget within 10 years without boosting taxes.

That blueprint_ by House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan, R-Wis., his party's vice presidential candidate last year ? claims $4 trillion more in savings over the period than Senate Democrats by digging deeply into Medicaid, food stamps and other safety net programs for the needy. It would also transform the Medicare health care program for seniors into a voucher-like system for future recipients.

"We have presented very different visions for how our country should work and who it should work for," said Senate Budget Committee Chairman Patty Murray, D-Wash.

The long debate got testy at times.

As the clock ticked past 1 a.m., Murray asked senators to show respect for colleagues "who may not be able to stand as long as us, or who are elderly." Sen. David Vitter, R-La., shot back that Republicans were not trying to delay anything, and wondered what flights or other appointments would be missed if senators voted until 7 a.m.

The loudest acclaim came toward the end, when senators rose as one to cheer a handful of Senate pages ? high school students ? for their work in the chamber since the morning's opening gavel. Senators then left town for a two-week spring recess.

Congressional budgets are planning documents that leave actual changes in revenues and spending for later legislation, and this was the first the Democratic-run Senate has approved in four years. That lapse is testament to the political and mathematical contortions needed to write fiscal plans in an era of record-breaking deficits, and to the parties' profoundly conflicting views.

Republicans said the Democratic budget wasn't much of an accomplishment. "The only good news is that the fiscal path the Democrats laid out...won't become law," said Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

"I believe we're in denial about the financial condition of our country," Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama, top Republican on the Budget panel, said of Democratic efforts to boost spending on some programs. "Trust me, we've got to have some spending reductions."

Though budget shortfalls have shown signs of easing slightly and temporarily, there is no easy path for the two parties to find compromise ? which the first months of 2013 have amply illustrated.

Already this year, Congress has raised taxes on the rich after narrowly averting tax boosts on virtually everyone else, tolerated $85 billion in automatic spending cuts, temporarily sidestepped a federal default and prevented a potential government shutdown.

By sometime this summer, the government's borrowing limit will have to be extended again ? or a default will be at risk ? and it is unclear what Republicans may demand for providing needed votes. It is also uncertain how the two parties will resolve the differences between their two budgets, something many believe simply won't happen.

Both sides have expressed a desire to reduce federal deficits. But President Barack Obama is demanding a combination of tax increases and spending cuts to do so, while GOP leaders say they won't consider higher revenues but want serious reductions in Medicare and other benefit programs that have rocketed deficits skyward.

Obama plans to release his own 2014 budget next month, an unveiling that will be studied for whether it signals a willingness to engage Republicans in negotiations or play political hardball.

The amendments senators considered during their long day of debate were all nonbinding, but some delivered potent political messages.

They voted in favor of giving states more powers to collect sales taxes on online purchases their citizens make from out-of-state Internet companies, and to endorse the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that is to pump oil from Canada to Texas refineries.

They also voiced support for eliminating the $2,500 annual cap on flexible spending account contributions imposed by Obama's health care overhaul and for charging regular postal rates for mailings by political parties, which currently qualify for the lower prices paid by nonprofits.

In a rebuke to one of the Senate's most conservative members, they overwhelmingly rejected a proposal by Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., to cut even deeper than the House GOP budget and eliminate deficits in just five years.

The Democratic budget's $975 billion in new taxes would be matched by an equal amount of spending reductions coming chiefly from health programs, defense and reduced interest payments as deficits get smaller than previously anticipated.

This year's projected deficit of nearly $900 billion would fall to around $700 billion next year and bottom out near $400 billion in 2016 before trending upward again.

Shoehorned into the package is $100 billion for public works projects and other programs aimed at creating jobs.

__

Associated Press writer Andrew Taylor contributed to this report.

___

Follow Alan Fram on Twitter: https://twitter.com/asfram

Earlier on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/23/senate-budget-passes_n_2938878.html

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Leaked Windows Blue build 9364 reveals multiple Live Tile sizes, same-width side-by-side apps

Want to get a first-hand look at Microsoft's updated OS? You might be able to download the unreleased Windows Blue operating system on your own machine. Leaked build 9364 hit file sharing sites earlier today -- according to Neowin, the 32-bit edition is available for download as a 2.63GB ISO, and likely hit the web from a Microsoft partner in France. Notable adjustments include larger and smaller Live Tiles, enabling a bit more Start screen customization, along with an updated side-by-side app view, which boosts multitasking efficiency by displaying two applications with matching width. Other additions include a Play option under the Devices panel, a screenshot button on the Share sidebar, and Internet Explorer 11, which comes packaged with the new OS. Windows Blue build 9364 appears to be an unauthorized leak, but even if you have any reservations about installing it on your own machine, you'll surely be able to check out plenty of eye candy from other users over the hours and days to come. In the meantime, hit up the source links for a few more screenshots.

[Thanks, Jim]

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

Comments

Source: Winforum, Neowin

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/24/windows-blue-leak/

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WSJ: Apple takes WiFiSlam indoor-GPS mapping startup under its wing for $20M

Watch out, Google Maps for Android, it looks like Apple's iOS Maps may soon be entering the building -- when it comes to indoor GPS tracking anyway. The Wall Street Journal's Digits blog is reporting that Apple has confirmed it purchased WiFiSlam, a startup that specializes in WiFi-assisted indoor-GPS functionality for phone apps. Interestingly, Digits notes that the company was founded by a few ex-Googlers a couple of years back and that one of its investors has included a Google employee. Further, a quick Google search confirms that any WiFiSlam-related apps that may have been on Google Play are all but dead links now.

The word on the street is that Apple handed over $20 million to claim the company, although it wouldn't confirm any numbers -- or a specific reason for the purchase -- with the blog. While there's no actual telling whether this means we'll see indoor mapping on iOS maps at any point, it's hard not to imagine it now that Apple's made the purchase. We're seeking comment from Apple on our end, and will be sure to let you know what we hear back. For now, check out an old demo of WiFiSlam in action after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Wireless, Mobile, Apple, Google

Comments

Source: Wall Street Journal (Digits blog)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/23/apple-wifislam-indoor-gps-maps/

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Scientists awarded ?3M to study the way Northwest European seas absorb carbon

Public release date: 22-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sarah Stamper
sarah.stamper@liv.acuk
01-517-943-044
University of Liverpool

Scientists at the University of Liverpool are embarking on a series of research cruises to understand the impact of climate warming on the ecosystems of the seas surrounding North West Europe.

The 3.2 million study focuses on the role that shelf-seas the seas surrounding continental land masses - play in the cycling of carbon and nutrients, and how warming of the seas might affect it. The study will be carried out on RRS Discovery, the Natural and Environmental Research Council's (NERC) new research vessel as well as other research and commercial vessels over a one-year period.

The shelf seas around the UK, which include the North Sea, English Channel, Celtic Sea, Irish Sea and seas around Scotland, have a variety of uses including oil and gas extraction, shipping, telecom and power cables, leisure and recreation, defence, fisheries, aquaculture, raw materials and renewable energy.

Liverpool's scientists are leading a cross-UK group of universities and research centres. The team will collect data from across the seas surrounding North West Europe to further understanding of the link between the physical and biogeochemical processes which take place in shelf seas and changes to the global carbon and nutrients cycle. They will measure levels of carbons and nutrients across the NW European shelf seas as well as the transportation of greenhouse gases between the shelf sea and the atmosphere, and the amount of carbon that is transported to the adjacent deep ocean.

Despite accounting for only 5% of the global ocean area, shelf seas are thought to be responsible for about 30% of the annual absorption of atmospheric CO2 by the ocean, therefore playing a critical role in the ocean's ecosystems and the regulation of our climate. Their economic importance is significant, providing 90% of global fish catches and about 15% of the ocean's plant growth.

Professor Jonathan Sharples, from the School of Environmental Sciences, said: "In a gradually warming climate, the capacity of shelf seas to support biological growth and to store carbon is expected to change. If we understand today's carbon and nutrient cycles then we can develop better modelling systems which will contribute to our understanding of the effects of climate warming on the oceans and the role shelf seas could play in altering greenhouse gases in the atmosphere." More follows

Partners in the project, funded by NERC, include University of Southampton; University of East Anglia, Bangor University; University of Aberdeen; National Oceanography Research Centre; Plymouth Marine Laboratory; Scottish Association for Marine Science; and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS).

###

Notes to editors:

1. The University of Liverpool is one of the UK's leading research institutions with an annual turnover of 410 million, including 150 million for research. Liverpool is ranked in the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide and is a member of the Russell Group. Visit http://www.liv.ac.uk.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Public release date: 22-Mar-2013
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Sarah Stamper
sarah.stamper@liv.acuk
01-517-943-044
University of Liverpool

Scientists at the University of Liverpool are embarking on a series of research cruises to understand the impact of climate warming on the ecosystems of the seas surrounding North West Europe.

The 3.2 million study focuses on the role that shelf-seas the seas surrounding continental land masses - play in the cycling of carbon and nutrients, and how warming of the seas might affect it. The study will be carried out on RRS Discovery, the Natural and Environmental Research Council's (NERC) new research vessel as well as other research and commercial vessels over a one-year period.

The shelf seas around the UK, which include the North Sea, English Channel, Celtic Sea, Irish Sea and seas around Scotland, have a variety of uses including oil and gas extraction, shipping, telecom and power cables, leisure and recreation, defence, fisheries, aquaculture, raw materials and renewable energy.

Liverpool's scientists are leading a cross-UK group of universities and research centres. The team will collect data from across the seas surrounding North West Europe to further understanding of the link between the physical and biogeochemical processes which take place in shelf seas and changes to the global carbon and nutrients cycle. They will measure levels of carbons and nutrients across the NW European shelf seas as well as the transportation of greenhouse gases between the shelf sea and the atmosphere, and the amount of carbon that is transported to the adjacent deep ocean.

Despite accounting for only 5% of the global ocean area, shelf seas are thought to be responsible for about 30% of the annual absorption of atmospheric CO2 by the ocean, therefore playing a critical role in the ocean's ecosystems and the regulation of our climate. Their economic importance is significant, providing 90% of global fish catches and about 15% of the ocean's plant growth.

Professor Jonathan Sharples, from the School of Environmental Sciences, said: "In a gradually warming climate, the capacity of shelf seas to support biological growth and to store carbon is expected to change. If we understand today's carbon and nutrient cycles then we can develop better modelling systems which will contribute to our understanding of the effects of climate warming on the oceans and the role shelf seas could play in altering greenhouse gases in the atmosphere." More follows

Partners in the project, funded by NERC, include University of Southampton; University of East Anglia, Bangor University; University of Aberdeen; National Oceanography Research Centre; Plymouth Marine Laboratory; Scottish Association for Marine Science; and the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS).

###

Notes to editors:

1. The University of Liverpool is one of the UK's leading research institutions with an annual turnover of 410 million, including 150 million for research. Liverpool is ranked in the top 1% of higher education institutions worldwide and is a member of the Russell Group. Visit http://www.liv.ac.uk.

---

[ | E-mail | Share ]

?

AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.

Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uol-sa032213.php

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Life Coaching ?Mini Session? | Self Improvement & Personal Growth

L'Envoi to Life's Handicap (Rudyard Kipling)

My new-cut ashlar takes the light
Where crimson-blank the windows flare;
By my own work, before the night,
Great Overseer I make my prayer.

If there be good in that I wrought,
Thy hand compelled it, Master, Thine;
Where I have failed to meet Thy thought
I know, through Thee, the blame is mine.

One instant's toil to Thee denied
Stands all Eternity's offence,
Of that I did with Thee to guide
To Thee, through Thee, be excellence.

Who, lest all thought of Eden fade,
Bring'st Eden to the craftsman's brain,
Godlike to muse o'er his own trade
And Manlike stand with God again.

The depth and dream of my desire,
The bitter paths wherein I stray,
Thou knowest Who hast made the Fire,
Thou knowest Who hast made the Clay!

One stone the more swings to her place
In that dread Temple of Thy Worth --
It is enough that through Thy grace
I saw naught common on Thy earth.

Take not that vision from my ken;
Oh whatsoe'er may spoil or speed,
Help me to need no aid from men
That I may help such men as need!

Powered by Poems and Poetry

Source: http://self-improvement.roxy-publishing.com/blog/news-self-growth/life-coaching-mini-session

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Self Improvement | Stress Junkies: Kicking That Bad Stress Habit ...

By Katherine Dewey -

You?re driven and ambitious. Your work ethic continues to skyrocket. Though while you work long hard hours to achieve your goals, your health may start to decline.

As an entrepreneur, if you?re at the point in your professional life where your head is spinning over decisions such as hiring more employees, finding investors or integrating new postal address software, then you?re probably feeling it. Whether stress scares you or not, it directly affects your health, and can cause ?high blood pressure, heart disease, obesity and diabetes,? according to MayoClinic.com.

Stress Addiction

The first step to improve your health is to recognize stress, admit that you have it and make the decision to reduce it. Often workaholics become addicted to stress and identify that intense feeling as a merit of their road to success. The mentality that ?without stress I?m not working hard enough? ensues. Time.com explains that stress does have its positive sides, though. Moderately, it can ?boost our focus, energy, and even our powers of intuition.? Whether emotional or physical, stress activates the central nervous system and causes a ?natural high,? says Jim Pfaus, a Concordia University neuroscientist and addiction specialist. Stress can have the same effects as drugs, meaning people can easily be dependent upon stress.

Ask yourself:

• Are you an anxious and competitive person who suffers from depression?
• Do you prefer never-ending to-do lists as a way to avoid personal problems or interpersonal conflicts?
• Do you have trouble maintaining positive relationships, staying focused or sleeping at night?
• Does the thought of slowing down your schedule to reduce your stress levels and free your time create anxiety?

If so, you may fall under the label of ?stress junkie,? as Time describes, and be on the pursuit of those high-pressure endorphins. Without your peak mental and physical health, however, work productivity and output are threatened, and that?s ignoring the negative health effects that stress has on your body, appearance and personal life. If 83 percent of adults recognize that stress strongly influences personal health, according to the American Psychological Association, then why continue to ignore it?

Put Your Stress in Check

Once you decide that you want to reduce the addictive stress in your life, follow these steps to better manage the burden:

• Improve your personal relationships: If you don?t share your life with anyone but work, then you may need an interpersonal relationship makeover. Developing meaningful relationships and friendships will help put your energies into receiving more in life than just professional rewards.
• Find exercise that you enjoy: Exercising is healthy, especially when you find workout activities you enjoy. Not only does exercising lessen muscle tension, excrete stress hormones and reduce frustration, it?s essential for living well.
• Put less pressure on yourself: The world won?t fall apart if you lighten up on your micro-management, trust others with more responsibility or lessen expectations of yourself. Take on less projects and start saying no.
• Engage in activities that give you happiness:? Stress junkies share a lot in common with adrenaline junkies. To get yourself away from your desk and off your phone, engage in activities that are a little risky or high energy, such as skydiving, outdoor rock climbing, racquetball or paintball.

Katherine Dewey

A nutritionist, Pilates instructor and Spinning freak, Katherine shares healthy recipes and innovations in exercise and workout equipment. She is the health nut among family and friends.

Source: http://theselfimprovementblog.com/self-improvement/featured/stress-junkies-kicking-that-bad-stress-habit/

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Fitch poised to cut UK's AAA rating soon

By Christina Fincher and Daniel Bases

LONDON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - Britain looked poised to lose its AAA rating from a second ratings agency after Fitch Ratings warned on Friday it was likely to downgrade the country in the coming weeks, citing high government debt levels and weak growth.

A month since Britain was downgraded by Moody's, Fitch put the country on review and said a downgrade was a heightened possibility. A decision is due by the end of April, Fitch said in a statement.

Sterling fell sharply, dropping half a cent against the dollar.

The review announcement comes hard on the heels of the government's annual budget this week, which halved Britain's growth forecast for this year and raised borrowing projections.

The move by Fitch was not unexpected but will be another setback for Chancellor George Osborne. He has staked his reputation on repairing Britain's public finances and had promised to protect its triple-A rating.

Britain's finance ministry, which is three years into an austerity plan, said Fitch's announcement showed "there are no easy answers to problems built up over many years".

"But we are, slowly but surely, fixing our country's economic problems," a Treasury spokesman said, citing a reduction by one third of the budget deficit and the creation of 1.25 million jobs since the government took office in 2010.

'WASTED CHANCE'

The opposition Labour Party, leading in the polls before an election due in 2015, said Osborne's budget had been a "wasted chance" to change economic course. It wants the government to water down its austerity policy and do more to find growth.

"Osborne's plan has catastrophically failed on growth, living standards and the deficit," Labour finance ministry spokesman Chris Leslie said in a statement.

Fitch first warned that Britain's rating was under threat in March 2012 when it noted debt levels were already "significantly above the AAA median" and the government had very limited room for manoeuvre.

Since then, the economic outlook has deteriorated, pushing the government's deficit-reduction strategy further off course.

Osborne's budget statement on Wednesday included a halving of estimated economic growth this year to just 0.6 percent.

With the Moody's downgrade last month, it joined the United States and France in having lost its top-notch rating from at least one major agency.

Standard & Poor's rates Britain as AAA but cut the outlook on that rating to negative last December, implying a one in three chance of a downgrade.

While Fitch's warning is embarrassing for a government that made the economic recovery its number one priority when it came to power in 2010, its wider fallout may be limited, analysts said.

"There are so few countries left now with a AAA rating, that to lose it is not the stigma or major threat to market confidence that it would have been say a couple of years ago," said Howard Archer, chief UK economist at IHS Global Insight.

"Nevertheless, Fitch's move rubs in the bad news for the government."

(Additional reporting by Luciana Lopez and Pam Niimi in New York; writing by William Schomberg and Peter Griffiths in London; editing by Ron Askew)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/fitch-warns-may-cut-uk-sovereign-credit-rating-172320870--business.html

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Upset of the day: Harvard ousts New Mexico

Harvard players celebrate on the bench after beating New Mexico during a second round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City Thursday, March 21, 2013. Harvard beat New Mexico 68-62. (AP Photo/George Frey)

Harvard players celebrate on the bench after beating New Mexico during a second round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City Thursday, March 21, 2013. Harvard beat New Mexico 68-62. (AP Photo/George Frey)

New Mexico players react on the bench as they were losing to Harvard in the second half during a second round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City Thursday, March 21, 2013. Harvard beat New Mexico 68-62. (AP Photo/George Frey)

Harvard head coachTommy Amaker shouts to his team during a second-round game aginst New Mexico in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City Thursday, March 21, 2013. Harvard defeated New Mexico New Mexico 68-62. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

Gonzaga players gather at half court after their 64-58 win over Southern University in a second-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City Thursday, March 21, 2013. (AP Photo/George Frey)

Wichita State fans celebrate during their team's 73-55 win over Pittsburgh in a second-round game in the NCAA college basketball tournament in Salt Lake City Thursday, March 21, 2013. Wichita State 73-55. (AP Photo/George Frey)

SALT LAKE CITY (AP) ? Some people may have heard of the school that's suddenly generating a bit of March Madness buzz.

Harvard.

Yep, Harvard ?the school known for producing U.S. presidents, Supreme Court justices and Nobel Prize winners earned its first NCAA tournament victory Thursday night with a 68-62 upset of No. 3 seed New Mexico.

Wesley Saunders scored 18 points and Laurent Rivard made five 3-pointers to give 14th-seeded Harvard (20-9) its first tournament victory in only three measly trips.

"It's unbelievable," guard Christian Webster said. "We're still in disbelief. This is as good as it gets for us right now."

He had no doubt the scene at Harvard Square was as crazy as the one inside the Crimson locker room, where noise from Harvard's postgame celebration carried down through the concourse.

The Crimson put the clamps on New Mexico's Tony Snell, holding him to nine points on 4-of-12 shooting after he dominated in the Mountain West Conference tournament. They banged inside with Lobos big men Cameron Bairstow and Alex Kirk, whose 22 points provided New Mexico's only consistent offense.

Mostly, they showed none of the jitters that marked their trip to the tournament last year, a 79-70 loss to Vanderbilt in the Crimson's first NCAA appearance since 1946.

Rivard went 6 of 7 from 3-point range in that one ? played on New Mexico's home court in The Pit ? and was clearly pumped for an encore against the Lobos themselves. He was 5 of 9 this time, with three coming in the first half, while Harvard was holding a small lead and, more importantly, answering every surge the Lobos (29-6) could muster. Rivard finished with 17 points.

Next up for Harvard: a meeting with sixth-seeded Arizona.

In the other part of the West Region bracket, top-seeded Gonzaga got a scare from Southern before pulling out a 64-58 victory. The Zags will play No. 9 Wichita State, 73-55 winners over Pitt.

Gonzaga barely escaped to keep No. 1 seeds undefeated against No. 16s since the NCAA tournament field expanded to 64 teams in 1985.

That doesn't mean it was easy for the Zags, who ran into a No. 16 seed that wasn't playing like one.

Kelly Olynyk scored 17 of his 21 points in the second half to help the Zags (32-2) advance. Gonzaga iced the game with a pair of 3-pointers ? one by Gary Bell Jr., the next by Kevin Pangos ? that gave the Bulldogs their small cushion after Southern tied things at 56 with 3:45 left.

Gonzaga coach Mark Few was almost ready to jump on the Southern bandwagon.

"Everyone was so moved by their effort, their resilience, their confidence," Few said. "If I wasn't coaching on the other sideline, they'd be a tough team not to root for."

Derick Beltran made life particularly difficult on the West Coast Conference champions. He scored 21 points and blocked eight shots, while Southern made 10 3-pointers on the night.

Gonzaga's next opponent slowly pulled away from Pitt, ending the Panthers' season at 24-9.

Wichita State's Tekele Cotton did such a good job shutting down Pitt's leading scorer, Tray Woodall, that Woodall was in tears after the game. He managed only two points while the Shockers guard came up with five steals and a key 3-point basket.

At the news conference after the game, Woodall broke down and had to be comforted by teammate Dante Taylor, who wrapped an arm around his teammate's shoulder.

"It's a bitter taste in my mouth to end my career with one of the worst games I've ever played," said Woodall, who came into the game averaging 11.8 points. "I'm sorry. I let my team down."

Cotton, a 6-2 sophomore, hit his 3-pointer to start as 12-4 run and added a fast-break dunk to put the Shockers ahead 45-35 with 10:31 remaining. Woodall finished just 1 of 12 from the field, and 0 of 5 from 3-point range.

The game was a physical one, with players receiving an occasional elbow in the mouth or to the head.

Malcolm Armstead led Wichita State (27-8) with 22 points. Cleanthony Early added 21 and Carl Hall had 11. Freshman Steven Adams led Pitt with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Harvard's next opponent, Arizona, beat 11th-seeded Belmont 81-64.

Arizona (26-7) had been knocked out of the Pac-12 Conference tournament by one Bruins team ? UCLA ? and these Bruins, from Nashville, Tenn., were a trendy pick to upset Sean Miller's sixth-seeded Wildcats in the NCAAs.

Instead, the Wildcats made a believer out of Belmont coach Rick Byrd. Mark Lyons scored 23 points and Arizona used its size to dominate from start to finish.

"I was more impressed with the team I saw tonight than I was scouting them," Byrd acknowledged afterward. "I thought they were more engaged and focused and I think if they play that way, they can beat a lot of people."

The thought was almost enough to wipe the smile from Crimson coach Tommy Amaker after Harvard's big win.

"Off the top of my head, I can't imagine any team being more talented than they are," Amaker said of Arizona. "I'm not sure they have any weaknesses based on size, the bodies they can play up front, the guards, and their quickness, making plays off the dribble."

The Wildcats held a 44-18 edge on the boards, outscored Belmont 36-18 in the paint, blocked five shots and outshot the Bruins from 3-point range. Arizona made nine of 17 3-pointers and shot 57 percent overall.

Solomon Hill ended up making as many 3s as Ian Clark, who entered the game shooting better than 46 percent for Belmont but was 3 of 8 from beyond the arc.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-22-BKC-NCAA-Salt-Lake-City/id-7e2655f7e72d4ebf8150a2d31e411159

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Saving places: Not easy with a scorched Earth budget | Strange ...

The trail to popular Wallace Falls above Gold Bar, beach walks on Whidbey Island?s Keystone Spit, and boat trips to Long Island in Willapa Bay ? with the magic experience of watching elk emerge from mists and an ancient cedar forest ? have been made possible by a below-the-radar federal program.

The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF), which has pumped $462 million into saving places in Washington, will live or die depending on which or two rival budget proposals before Congress is adopted.

A plan offered by the Senate Budget Committee, chaired by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., would fund the LWCF to the tune of $900 million over the next 10 years.? The Fund gets money by taking a chunk of oil and gas revenues flowing into the federal treasury from leasing on public lands owned by American taxpayers.

But a budget offered by Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wisconsin, chairman of the House Budget Committee, decimates conservation spending:? The LWCF has already taken an 80 percent cut that ?left barely any funding at all to do important conservation work,? said Alan Rowsome, director of conservation funding for The Wilderness Society.

Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., who retired in January, defended the federal Land and Water Conservation Fund, and used money for such projects as the Mountains-to-Sound Greenway.

The LWCF helped put together the Mountains-to-Sound Greenway, creating multiple recreation opportunities along the I-90 corridor.? It paid to protect Protection Island, a famed bird rookery near Port Townsend that was targeted for real estate development.? Keystone Spit and Crockett Lake, just south of Coupeville ferry terminal, were similarly preserved.

Over the last three decades, the Fund had a key defender in Congress ? Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash., a power on the House Appropriations Committee almost from the day he hit Congress in 1977.? But Dicks retired from Congress in January.

In 1981, President Reagan?s ultraconservative Interior Secretary James Watt tried to abolish the LWCF.? Dicks and Oregon Rep. Les AuCoin persuaded the Appropriations Committee to save the Fund.? An angry Watt called Dicks and threatened to fly to Tacoma and campaign against him.? Dicks, initially nervous, basked in adulation.

Watt was asked at a hearing, by Oregon Rep. Jim Weaver, whether we should preserve places for future generations.? The deeply evangelical Interior Secretary delivered a famous answer:??? ?I do not know how many future generations we can count on before the Lord returns.?

The newly elected, Republican-run ?Tea Party Congress? in 2011 tried to zero-out the Land and Water Conservation Fund.? Dicks rallied support and the LWCF survived on a 216-213 vote.? One state Republican, Rep. Dave Reichert, voted to preserve the fund.? Three other GOP House members from this state voted to axe it.

The anti-LWCF vote by Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler was surprising, given her Southwest Washington district.? Money from the Fund ransomed (from Weyerhaeuser) 800 acres of ancient cedar forest on Long Island.? The LWCF made possible the Julia Butler Hansen National Wildlife Refuge, which preserved habitat for the endangered white tail deer along the Columbia River in Wahkaikum County.

Rep. Jaime Herrera Beutler, R-Wash., voted against the Land and Water Conservation Fund despite places preserved in her Southwest Washington district.

Dicks was honored Wednesday by Futurewise, the statewide conservation group that has sought to preserve farms, forests and beaches.

?We?ve had at least five or six major projects that the Fund made possible by the Fund,? said Dicks, speaking with particular pride of the Mountains to Sound Greenway.? He has been working with Sen. Mark Udall, D-Colorado, in an effort to get LWCF money to help protect national parks from the impacts of budget sequestration.

?The parks have lost $136 million due to sequestration,? said Dicks.? (Olympic and Mt. Rainier National Parks have each lost more than $600,000 in already-stretched budgets.)

The Land and Water Conservation Fund will get little mention in news stories out of Washington, D.C.? It is, however, a big deal in this Washington.

Source: http://blog.seattlepi.com/seattlepolitics/2013/03/20/saving-places-not-easy-with-a-scorched-earth-budget/

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Facebook's first direct app update heads to Google Play, won't be the last

More than a few of us were surprised when Facebook tried pushing Android app updates outside of Google Play. Was it switching app distribution models? Not quite. We've since learned that Facebook was trialling a program that lets social networkers volunteer for beta tests, and the same update is now available in Google Play for everyone. The update isn't special in itself, mostly adding profile photo changes (also seen on iOS) as well as ways to hide or report posts. However, it also includes the beta version's request for permission to download files without notification when on WiFi, which may let testers receive future pre-release updates even when they haven't explicitly approved non-Google Play installations -- we've reached out to Facebook to verify that this is the case. No matter how much Facebook expands the beta pool, prospective Guinea pigs and cover shot seekers just need to visit the source link.

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Facebook

Comments

Via: TechCrunch

Source: Google Play

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/jUaHl0fSIhc/

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Apple Says Google Now Not Submitted To The App Store. Seems Eric Was ?Talking Schmidt?

Apple reached out to us today to clarify that regardless of comments made by Google Executive Chairman at the Big Tent event in India earlier today, it hasn't yet received an official submission of Google Now for iOS. Their's no such app in the queue, Apple says, so Google Now on iOS is still a pipe dream for the time being.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/DMhhgAS3h1Q/

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