Facebook Phone: Maybe, Possibly for Real This Time (Sort Of)

By Martyn Herman LONDON, March 28 (Reuters) - Whether by design, necessity, self-interest or because of all three, nurturing youngsters has become fashionable for England's elite with no expense spared in the hunt for the new Wayne Rooney or Steven Gerrard. The length and breadth of the country, scouts from top clubs are hoovering up promising footballers barely old enough to tie their bootlaces in a bid to unearth the 30 million pounds ($45.40 million) treasures of the future. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/facebook-phone-maybe-possibly-real-time-sort-133608088--finance.html

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Lenovo C540

The Lenovo C540 ($499 list as configured) is a basic all-in-one desktop geared toward those with modest computing needs who want to save space without breaking the bank. It's a Windows 8-equipped system kitted out with an excellent 23-inch display and an energy-saving processor. If you're on the market for a reasonably-priced system that can tackle daily home productivity tasks, like surfing the web or watching movies, it's a solid choice.

Design and Features
Since all of its components are tucked away into a relatively thin display, the Lenovo C540's plastic chassis bears more of a resemblance to a monitor than an all-in-one desktop. Rather than utilizing an easel-type design like the Acer Veriton VZ2650G-UG645X, its 23-inch display is propped up by a sleek aluminum stand. Taken together, its glossy black chassis and silver aluminum stand create an appealing two-tone finish similar to that of our current Editors' Choice for entry-level all-in-one desktops, the Gateway One ZX4970G-UW308. At 16.8 by 22.2 by 7.7 inches (HWD), it's compact enough to conserve desk space and reduce clutter.

Like the Gateway One ZX4970G-UW308, the Lenovo C540's 23-inch display has a full HD resolution of 1,920 by 1,080, which is a step up from the 1,600-by-900 resolution found in similarly priced all-in-ones like the HP Pavilion 20-b010z. Like the system itself, the Lenovo C540's display is very easy on the eyes thanks to the ease with it dishes out rich colors and crisp text. Moreover, the inclusion of a slot-loading DVD burner allows users to take full advantage of the Lenovo C540's full HD resolution. Given its wonderful display, it's somewhat disappointing that the Lenovo C540 doesn't sport an HDMI-in port like the Gateway One ZX4970G-UW308, as it would have been right at home with Blu-ray players, HD cable boxes, and game consoles. On the other hand, the Lenovo C540's omission of a touch screen is entirely consistent with the price point; the only touch-enabled system that we've seen that's even close to this price range is the HP TouchSmart 320-1030, and it costs $200 extra. As long as you're content with navigating Windows 8 with the bundled mouse and keyboard, the Lenovo C540's display is easily the best in its price range.

Connectivity options are passable on the Lenovo C540. The left side of the chassis sports a pair of USB 2.0 ports, headphone and mic jacks, and a 6-in-1 multicard reader. The rear, meanwhile, houses four more USB 2.0 ports, an HDMI-output, and Ethernet. Like the Lenovo C325, the Lenovo C540 doesn't feature any USB 3.0 ports. Although this isn't necessarily a fatal omission in this price point, it does have the unfortunate effect of rendering the system markedly less future-proof than, say, the Gateway One ZX4970G-UW308 or the Veriton VZ2650G-UG645X. It does, however, feature 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity, so users need not remain tethered to their routers to get online.

The Lenovo C540 comes with a 1TB 7,200rpm HDD. Preloaded software is mercifully kept to a minimum, though its selection is on par with the rest of its class. You'll encounter the usual assortment of trialware (Microsoft Office 365, McAfee Internet Security), as well as programs you'll actually use (Power DVD), and bloatware (desktop links to Evernote and Amazon), and proprietary software (Lenovo Support, 5GB on Lenovo Cloud Storage). Lenovo covers the Lenovo C540 with one-year warranty on parts and labor.

Performance
The C540's 2.90GHz Intel Pentium G2020 CPU does a good job of conserving energy, without entirely forsaking processing power. For instance, its Cinebench R11.5 score of 2.27 points bested the rest of its class, with the Gateway One ZX4970G-UW308 (2.24 points) and Veriton VZ2650G-UG645X (2.18 points) trailing closely behind.

While it's best suited for handling your basic day-to-day workload, the Lenovo C540 proved capable of handling sporadic amateur photo- and video-editing projects in our multimedia benchmark tests. Its performance in both Handbrake (1 minute 33 seconds) and Photoshop CS6 (5:51) outgunned the Gateway One ZX4970G-UW308 (2:16 and 6:08, respectively). On the other hand, don't expect the C540's integrated Intel HD Graphics 2500 GPU to stand a chance in today's visually intensive games; like the rest of its class, it came nowhere near crossing the 30 frames-per-second playability barrier in either Aliens Vs. Predators or Heaven.

The Lenovo C540 is a reasonably priced entry-level all-in-one desktop that average users with basic computing needs will find more than satisfactory. With an excellent 23-inch display and handsomely designed chassis, it's a good value that helps save space and money. That said, it's not well-rounded enough to unseat the Gateway One ZX4970G-UW308, which gives users USB 3.0 connectivity and an HDMI-input for a little under $100 extra. Still, it's a close runner-up that remains worth checking out.

BENCHMARK TEST RESULTS:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ziffdavis/pcmag/~3/mRupEN7cowY/0,2817,2417187,00.asp

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Pistorius bail restrictions eased

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel, prepares for a hearing in the Pretoria, South Africa high court, Thursday, March 28, 2013. The state is opposing the relaxation of bail conditions in the charges against athlete Pistorius who is charged with the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last month. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel, prepares for a hearing in the Pretoria, South Africa high court, Thursday, March 28, 2013. The state is opposing the relaxation of bail conditions in the charges against athlete Pistorius who is charged with the shooting death of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp last month. (AP Photo/Denis Farrell)

PRETORIA, South Africa (AP) ? A judge in South Africa says Oscar Pistorius, who is charged with murdering his girlfriend, can leave South Africa to compete in international competition, with conditions.

Judge Bert Bam says the Olympic and Paralympic athlete must provide authorities with his travel plans at least a week before he leaves the country. He must also return his passport to the court within 24 hours of returning to South Africa

Pistorius' lawyers said in the North Gauteng High Court on Thursday that he had no immediate plans to compete, but might eventually need to run at track meets again to earn money.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-28-Pistorius-Shooting/id-929fd689c5ca4cfc81d6512bfe37faca

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Weight Record for iPhone review

Weight Record for iPhone is an iPhone app that will help you keep track of your weight. It features a gorgeous interface with quick entry, BMI calculator, and the ability to record a voice memo with each entry.

To record a weight entry, you simply tap the giant weight button at the top of the screen, slide to the correct weight, and tap the button again. Below the weight, you can see your BMI and the amount of weight change since the previous day. Unfortunately, the weight change is only calculated for consecutive days and is not displayed if the time since last entry was more than one day.

Weight Record also allows users to record a voice memo with each entry. This is a unique feature for weight tracking apps, but it makes me wonder why there isn't the ability to add a text note as well.

At the bottom of the screen, there is a horizontal calendar that you can scroll through to look at past entries or submit an entry for a past date. In the middle of the screen, you can see your entries displayed as a graph. Unfortunately, this graph can only be viewed 7 days at a time

Rotating to landscape orientation will increase the number of days in the graph from 7 to 13 days, but again, the zoom cannot be altered.

At the top of the screen, there is a progress bar that represents your weight-loss progress. Pulling down on the little arrow will reveal your average weight change by day, week, and month, as well as display your start weight and goal weight.

One of the baffling things about Weight Record is that you cannot delete an entry. It's possible to change an entry, but I cannot figure out how to delete one. The description of Weight Record claims to include this ability, so if it's really there, it's definitely not intuitive. The developers have actually let me know that in order to delete an entry, you must change its value to 0 and it will disappear. It's definitely not elegant, but at least the ability is there!

The good

• Beautiful interface
• Simple setup
• Create audio notes to keep track of diet changes or other events
• Calculate your ideal weight
• View your BMI
• Set weight goals and monitor progress
• Change weight from any day
• Support for US and metric units
• View your average weight loss/gain by day, week and month
• Infinite Graph displays audio notes and overall loss/gain direction

The bad

• Can't delete a weight entry (or I just can't figure out) Deleting an entry is a bit cumbersome
• Can't zoom out graph and view by week, month, year, etc
• Can't add text note with each entry, only voice memo
• Weight change only displayed for consecutive days. It should calculate and display since previous entry. Some people only weigh themselves once a week and want to quickly know weight change since previous weigh-in.
• No sync
• No projections

The bottom line

Even though Weight Record is missing some features that I would love to see, especially when it comes to graphs, I really like this app. I'm a sucker for a pretty interface and that's how Weight Record grabbed my attention. It reminds me a bit of WeightBot and is now my go to weight-tracking app.

• $0.99 - Download now

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/iG8j6uZwA2M/story01.htm

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Sanford Health in talks to take control of Fairview Health Services (Star Tribune)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/294724713?client_source=feed&format=rss

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Prop. 8: the roots of California's challenge to gay marriage

The high court will weigh whether the state can have a constitutional amendment restricting marriage to a man and a woman.

By Warren Richey,?Staff writer / March 24, 2013

In this 2012 file photo, supporters of gay marriage react outside the James R. Browning United States Courthouse after a federal appeals court declared California's ban on same-sex marriage unconstitutional in San Francisco.

Lea Suzuki, San Francisco Chronicle/AP/File

Enlarge

The Proposition 8 case stems from a dispute over how marriage is to be defined in the constitution and laws of California.

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In 2008, faced with efforts to legalize same-sex marriage, a group of voters began collecting signatures for a referendum ? Prop. 8 ? to amend the state constitution to restrict marriage to one man and one woman.

Three weeks after Prop. 8 qualified for the November ballot, the state high court rejected the traditional definition of marriage and ruled that the state constitution required recognition of same-sex marriage. Between June and November 2008, the state issued 18,000 marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

In November, Californians adopted Prop. 8 by a 52 percent to 48 percent margin. After the vote, two same-sex couples filed a lawsuit charging that Prop. 8 violated their right under the US Constitution to marry regardless of sexual orientation.

A federal judge agreed. On appeal, a panel of the Ninth US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled 2 to 1 that Prop. 8 was unconstitutional. But rather than finding a right to same-sex marriage, the appeals court decided that the ballot initiative violated the equal-protection rights of gay and lesbian couples by taking away their right to marry after it had already been granted by the state supreme court.

The court found no justification for the exclusion other than animosity toward homosexuals as a class.

In their appeal to the Supreme Court, Prop. 8 proponents say their intent was to restore the traditional definition of marriage, not to harm gay couples. "By reaffirming the traditional definition of marriage, the people of California have not even discouraged, let alone criminalized, any private behavior or personal relationship," Washington lawyer Charles Cooper writes in his brief supporting Prop. 8.

The lawyer for the same-sex couples, former US Solicitor General Theodore Olson, offers a different perspective in his brief to the court. "This case is not about whether marriage should be abolished or diminished. Quite the contrary," Mr. Olson writes. "Plaintiffs agree with Proponents that marriage is a unique, venerable, and essential institution. They simply want to be a part of it ? to experience all the benefits the Court has described and the societal acceptance and approval that accompanies the status of being 'married.' "

Source: http://rss.csmonitor.com/~r/feeds/csm/~3/uS_yzRhjoVI/Prop.-8-the-roots-of-California-s-challenge-to-gay-marriage

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From CFS to life of crime: Gerrard probes prison link | Manitoba ...

Phoenix Sinclair was abused and murdered at age five by her mother, Samantha Kematch and Kematch's boyfriend, Karl McKay, at their Fisher River First Nation home in June 2005, a few months after she was returned to Kematch's care and her CFS file closed. Her death went undiscovered for nine months. (HANDOUT)

Report an error

A report out of Manitoba?s prisons showing that many violent offenders were raised in Child and Family Services care could be yet another sign of mismanagement at the agency, says Manitoba Liberal leader Jon Gerrard.

?I?ve been concerned for some time about the management of Child and Family Services,? Gerrard says.

Then a report out of the Child Advocate?s office revealed that 88% of aboriginal inmates, and 63% of non-aboriginal inmates, at one Manitoba correctional facility surveyed in 2001 had not lived at home during adolescence, mainly because they were in foster care.

A forum on the issue last week only raised more questions.

?From that forum, and from other input that I?ve had, there really is a significant concern that the mismanagement of CFS is leading to a situation where we?ve got more kids ? who are ending up in criminal activity. And it?s very disturbing.?

So on Sunday, Gerrard is holding another discussion, with Amanda Sansregret, chair of the St. Norbert Behavioural Health Foundation, Glenn Cochrane, president of the Indian and Metis Friendship Centre, Tracy Booth from the Elizabeth Fry Society and Meredith Mitchell, a child protection lawyer for Legal Aid Manitoba.

?We?re asking the question: Is there a link between the poor management of CFS and the high crime rate in Manitoba??

The Phoenix Sinclair inquiry has brought problems with CFS to the forefront, he said. Even for those with no connection to the 10,000 kids in CFS care, Gerrard says this should be a concern.

?It may be very important to all of us if this mismanagement is a factor in increased violent crime in Winnipeg and in Manitoba,? Gerrard said. ?If this in fact is a major problem ? then that can be important in helping us with a look at the direction we have to go, to CFS, so we eliminate this connection, or decrease this problem.?

The public meeting goes from 2-4 p.m. Sunday at the Central Corydon Community Centre, 1370 Grosvenor Avenue.

Gerrard said recommendations from the discussion could go to the Legislature or to another public meeting in the spring.

?

Source: http://www.winnipegsun.com/2013/03/23/from-cfs-to-life-of-crime-gerrard-probes-prison-link

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Sarkozy lawyer calls charges 'scandalous'

PARIS (AP) ? A lawyer for Nicolas Sarkozy slammed an investigation into the campaign finances of former French president, saying he is being treated "scandalously."

Thierry Herzog says Friday that Sarkozy remains "combative" but still considers that he "has been treated scandalously."

Herzog's comments on French radio RTL come a day after a judge filed preliminary charges against Sarkozy, formally placing him under investigation over allegations he illegally took donations from France's richest woman on the way to his 2007 election victory.

Sarkozy is charged with "abuse of someone in an impaired state" in the case involving L'Oreal cosmetics heiress Liliane Bettencourt, who is now 90.

The charges carry a maximum penalty of 3 years imprisonment and a 375,000 euro ($484,000) fine.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-22-France-Sarkozy/id-d9a729aa34bd4e979c7ed170c3e8caa7

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Cyprus Crisis Pulls Down US Stocks

It was a relatively mild drop, but Cyprus managed to put a damper on the U.S. stocks today. The Dow closed down 62 points or 0.4 percent.

Cyprus is a tiny country, accounting for only 0.2 percent of economic output of the 17 countries that use the euro currency.

But countries that use the euro make up the world's second largest economy, behind the U.S.

As it has always been with the European crisis, the risk is contagion.

The "bail-in" plan as it is being called is imposing a tax on bank accounts, yanking money out of accounts before depositors can get their hands on it.

Arguably the most controversial part of the plan is that it does not respect bank deposit insurance. People with balances lower than 100,000 euros - which are supposed to be insured by the government - may also lose some of their money. Like the FDIC in the U.S., European governments are supposed to protect a portion of all bank deposits.

Cypriot banks are expected to reopen Friday. At the time there is a very real risk of a run on those banks. People could pull their money to deposit it in banks that they think are more secure. There have already been lines at ATMs in Cyprus, as people attempted to grab their money before the government could.

The worry is that Cyprus could be the match that ignites a banking crisis in Italy and Spain, which could roil stock and bond markets in the U.S. and the world.

Its this possibility that makes people hold their breath on a day like today.

CLOSE

POINT CHANGE

% CHANGE

Dow

14,452.06

-62.05

-0.43%

S&P

1,552.10

-8.6

-0.55%

Nasdaq

3,237.59

-11.48

-0.35%

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cyprus-crisis-pulls-down-us-stocks-011404168.html

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Kourtney & Kim Take Miami Recap: Whose Vagina Smells Best?!

Source: http://www.thehollywoodgossip.com/2013/03/kourtney-and-kim-take-miami-recap-whose-vagina-smells-best/

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India extends ban on departure of Italian envoy

NEW DELHI (AP) ? India's Supreme Court on Monday indefinitely extended its order barring the Italian ambassador from leaving the country and rejected his explanation of his country's refusal to return two Italian marines charged with killing two Indian fishermen.

Ambassador Daniele Mancini had given the Indian court a written promise the men would return to India by March 22. Last week Italy announced the men would not go back. The court then barred Mancini from leaving India and asked him to explain his position.

Chief Justice Altamas Kabir responded angrily on Monday when Mancini, through his lawyer, said his promise represented his government's position, which had changed. Kabir said Mancini's pledge was a personal one, and he had violated it.

"We never expected the Italian government to act in this manner," Kabir said.

Mancini also cited his own diplomatic immunity in opposing the court's order. The next court hearing is set for April 2.

The dispute has damaged relations between India and Italy. Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has said there will be consequences if Italy does not return the two marines. On Monday, India's Foreign Ministry said "the entire expanse of our relations with Italy" was being reviewed.

Ministry spokesman Syed Akbaruddin said India was bound by the directives of the Supreme Court and would abide by them.

The marines, Massimilian Latorre and Salvatore Girone, were part of a military security team on board a cargo ship when they fired at a fishing boat in February last year, killing the two fishermen. The marines said they mistook the fishing boat for a pirate craft.

The court had allowed the marines to leave India in February to vote in Italian elections and to celebrate Easter.

Italy maintains that the shooting occurred in international waters and that Rome should have jurisdiction. India says the ship was in Indian territorial waters.

The Italian Foreign Ministry said last week that Italy would not return the marines because India's decision to try them violated their rights. It added that Italy would be open to international mediation.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-18-India-Italy-Ship%20Firing/id-0d91c17db5c544fd849741e7c78e5209

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Great Public Speaking: How I Became A Writer

I've always loved books and learning. My dad was a great influence on this. At 10 years old in the early 1900's he would shine shoes to get money to order electrical engineering courses from the American School. He went on to become a highly successful electrician and electrical contractor. Dad taught me at a very early age that if I wanted to learn how to do something, all I had to do was study.

I would buy "how to" books on every topic imaginable. "How to Build Muscle" by Charles Atlas; "The Lazy Man's Way to Riches" by Joe Karbo; "How I Turned $1000.00 into a Million Dollars in Real Estate" by William Nickerson were just some of my early acquisitions. I bought "How to Build a Computer" long before the PC was even thought of.."

Buying "how to" books went on for years. One day I ran across a book by Dan Poynter called the "Self Publishing Manual" I thought, this was the best thing I'd ever seen. "You mean I could actually create my own book?", I thought. This really excited me.

At the time I owned an entertainment firm in Washington, D.C. called Prankmasters. We custom designed practical jokes. One of the acts I did was an Over-the-Hill preacher routine for people turning 40, 50 or 60. The routine was hysterical and I had hundreds of funny lines about getting older. That was when "Do it Yourself Over-The-Hill Birthday Parties" was born http://www.over-the-hill.org/?.

I followed the instructions in the Poynter book and started creating "how to" books on things I knew about. I found that how to books are much easier to both write and sell. I quickly wrote, "How to Make Money in the Novelty Telegram Business" and "How to Start a Practical Joke Company". All of these books are still selling 18 years later.

This lead to one of my flagship books "Wake 'em Up!: How to Use Humor and Other Professional Techniques to Create Alarmingly Good Business Presentations" http://www.Antion.com/wakebook.htm . After the Internet came along, I found that not only could I research my own ideas easier, but that I could research and write books on things I didn't really know about. As long as the information I was compiling was credible and helpful to people, there was no shame in putting together other how to books. That's when "Instant Eulogies" and "101 Nice Things to Do After the Funeral" were born http://www.InstantEulogy.com?and "Wedding Celebration Speeches"http://www.WeddingSpeeches.org?and "Wedding Celebration Toasts" came along http://www.Wedding-Toasts.org?and the "Greatest American Speeches" four volume set. http://www.great-speeches.org/ These E-books have consistently earned over $100,000.00 a year since 2002. I added "How to Save a Fortune on Your Wedding Reception" a few years later.

All along the way I was gaining quite a reputation as a successful Internet Marketer. Besides writing books I was producing and selling tape, CD and DVD programs on the Internet. This lead to the E-book "Click: The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Marketing for Speakers" http://www.antion.com/click.htm . The success of this e-book lead to John Wiley and sons approaching me to write "The Ultimate Guide to Electronic Marketing for Small Business.

Once you get pretty good at writing books and making money with them other deals start to pop up and you have a better chance to use your success to stimulate more success. A super publicity lady names Joan Stewart "The Publicity Hound" approached me about collaborating on another large e-book. She was great with the details of getting free publicity and I had built quite a career using media marketing. Our deal was that she would do all the writing and I would provide lots of publicity stories and information and I would also do the marketing of the book for the first year. That's when "How to Be a KickButt Publicity Hound" was born. http://www.antion.com/publicityhound.htm

After the success I saw with the publicity book, I thought, "hmmmm. I didn't have to write one word of this very substantial book and it's still selling like crazy and everybody is making money . . . I think I like this." I had used some freelancers before on writing the eulogy and wedding books, so I wasn't entirely unfamiliar with the idea of other people providing content and doing the work. I wondered if this would work for products other than books.

I called up a friend of mine Steve Hart who is a professional magician and pitched the idea. He jumped all over it and http://www.Magic4Speakers.com was born . . . a DVD set. Steve came up to my house and I videotaped him demonstrating and explaining magic tricks. I packaged the product and we have a joint copyright.

I owe quite a bit to Dan Poynter for being my initial motivation that I could write and sell books. "How To" books are my thing because they are really easy to sell and also because they're easy to write. They don't have to have intricate plots and character development.

Besides books, I write lots of material and record videos that are sold to my students in the form of a mentor program http://www.GreatInternetMarketingTraining.com?and a public speaking training site http://www.AmazingPublicSpeaking.com

I hope my story helps you get excited about writing and selling your work. Thanks to Joel for coming up with he idea for this site.

Source: http://greatpublicspeaking.blogspot.com/2013/03/how-i-became-writer.html

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Davis-White win 2nd world title in ice dance

Gold medallists Meryl Davis and Charlie White, of the United States, pose with their medals on the podium after winning the ice dancing competition at the World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ontario, Saturday March 16, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)

Gold medallists Meryl Davis and Charlie White, of the United States, pose with their medals on the podium after winning the ice dancing competition at the World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ontario, Saturday March 16, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)

Gold medallists Meryl Davis and Charlie White, of the United States, sing the "The Star-Spangled Banner" on the podium after winning the ice dancing competition at the World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ontario, Saturday March 16, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

Gold medallists Meryl Davis,left, and Charlie White, of the United States, pose with their medals and an American flag during the flower ceremony in the ice dancing competition at the World Figure Skating Championships in London, Ontario, Saturday March 16, 2013. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)

Gold medallists Meryl Davis and Charlie White sign along with their national anthem performed by a choir during the medal ceremony at the World Figure Skating Championships, Saturday, March 16, 2013, in London, Ontario. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Paul Chiasson)

Meryl Davis and Charlie White, of the United States, perform during the free skate program in the ice dancing competition at the World Figure Skating Championships Saturday, March 16, 2013, in London, Ontario. (AP Photo/Darron Cummings)

LONDON, Ontario (AP) ? Oh, is the Olympic year going to be fun.

Meryl Davis and Charlie White won their second world title on Saturday afternoon, adding even more spice to a rivalry with Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir that is already the best thing going in figure skating.

Not only did the five-time U.S. champions complete a perfect season, which included victories over the Canadians at the Grand Prix Final and Four Continents, they beat the Olympic champions in their hometown, where Virtue and Moir are, as the public address announcer said, "local skating icons."

"It's certainly special for us to be a part of, being able to go back and forth like we have since the last Olympics," White said. "Without them, I definitely wouldn't be to the point I'm at. Having such talented rivals as them at the rink every day and seeing how great they are has pushed us, and I'd like to think in return we've pushed them back.

"It's a lot of fun, and a great story line for next year."

And don't think this won't motivate Virtue and Moir, the reigning Olympic champions.

With 189.56 points, Davis and White beat Virtue and Moir by 4? points. That score also was a point higher than the world record the Americans had set at last season's Grand Prix Final.

"This rivalry between the two of us seems to have heated up now," Moir said. "It should be fun going into the Olympics."

It is the second world title in three seasons for Davis and White, whose victory in 2011 was the first by an American dance team.

"We try to celebrate these moments because we know there aren't an infinite amount of them," White said.

European champions Ekaterina Bobrova and Dmitri Soloviev of Russia won the bronze medal.

Madison Chock and Evan Bates were seventh in their worlds debut while Maia and Alex Shibutani were eighth. The United States will be able to send three dance teams to Sochi, the third straight Olympics the Americans have qualified the maximum spots.

The women's free skate is later Saturday.

Davis-White and Virtue-Moir have been trading titles since the Vancouver Olympics, where the Americans were runners-up. Either couple would dominate the sport if the other wasn't around.

But the fact they are has made both better, as anyone watching Saturday's free skate could see.

Unlike many couples, who trick up their programs with stunts and funky music and costumes, Davis and White let their dancing speak for them. Every second of their program was simply magnificent, so breathtaking you didn't dare blink for fear of missing something.

Pairs skaters ought to take note of their first spin, which was far better than anything done in the pairs competition.

It's a wonder Davis was able to stand up after their first lift. White flipped her up and around his back like a baton until she was in his arms, whirling feverishly the entire time.

And anyone who wants to learn how to skate should simply watch their programs. Their edge quality is better than that of any master craftsman, and there wasn't a spot on the rink that they didn't visit at least once during their program.

Most impressive? While most couples can only skate in one direction, Davis and White turn, travel and venture off in all kinds of different directions and patterns. Think walking and texting at the same time, and you get the idea.

When they finished, White knelt on the ice for several minutes, spent. But he had recovered by the time their marks were posted, jumping up to wave to the cheering fans.

"This has to be close to the top," White said. "Obviously, the first time we won worlds, being the first-ever American world championship, that has a special place. But our growth this season and how far we've come to win this gold medal, that's what makes this one really special."

Virtue and Moir grew up just outside of London, and the entire city seems to be on a first-name basis with them. The arena was filled with hundreds of their family and friends ? easily identifiable by their canary-yellow T-shirts ? and Canada's governor general was on hand to watch them.

No pressure there or anything.

"To have those people in the venue with us, it was special," Moir said. "Obviously there was a little bit of added pressure today. ... We wanted to go out and have a moment, like Charlie talked about. We all chase that."

Errors in their short dance left them trailing by 3.25 points, a sizeable gap by ice dance standards. But they weren't going to give up their title without a fight, especially not in front of all their fans.

Their "Carmen" was steamy and colorful, so much so you could practically see the blood pouring from her by the end of the program. They were always in time with the music and, as it grew, so did their movements.

The last 40 seconds of their program was downright frenetic, highlighted by their final lift sequence. Gymnasts would have been impressed with the backflip she did into his arms before he boosted her onto his shoulders and then spun her around.

Without even a second to catch their breaths, they immediately went into another lift, where she appeared to die in his arms.

"These are performances to build off of," Moir said. "We're looking forward to a big year next year and coming out on top."

To be continued.

___

Follow Nancy Armour at http://www.twitter.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-16-FIG-World-Championships/id-4ef12820429c4049a5a9a6c8368dcf5f

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Who's coming, going in NFL free-agent frenzy

/

By RICHARD ROSENBLATT

updated 3:56 p.m. ET March 16, 2013

The first week of NFL free agency isn't over yet, and it's already becoming difficult to keep track of who's coming and going.

Anquan Boldin's a 49er, Reggie Bush a Lion, Steven Jackson a Falcon, Greg Jennings a Viking and Wes Welker a Bronco.

Ryan Fitzpatrick's no longer a Bill, Dwight Freeney's out as a Colt, Mike Wallace as a Steeler and Nnamdi Asomugha as an Eagle.

That's just for starters.

Dozens of players have moved from one team to another in the past few weeks, from the days leading up to free agency and then during a feeding frenzy that began Tuesday ? when the free-agent season opened with a flourish.

Since the Ravens beat the 49ers in the Super Bowl last month (that was only last month?), NFL player moves are being made fast and furiously.

Ray Lewis and Matt Birk retired after helping the Ravens to a second Super Bowl title, high-salaried players were released by teams in a rush to get under the salary cap, and agents met with team executives trying work out new deals for their clients.

Some players have found new homes, others are still looking.

And then there's defensive end Elvis Dumervil, formerly of the Broncos. Because his contract paperwork did not reach team headquarters in time to beat a Friday deadline, he was released. For now, there's no telling where he'll end up.

Here's a team-by-team glance of notable players who have either arrived or departed from NFL teams through noon Saturday, knowing full well there will be many more additions and subtractions in the coming weeks.

___

ARIZONA CARDINALS

Arrived: Drew Stanton, QB; Rashard Mendenhall, RB; Jerraud Powers, CB; Yeremiah Bell, S; Lorenzo Alexander, LB; Jasper Brinkley, LB; Matt Shaughnessy, DE.

Departed: Kevin Kolb, QB; Adrian Wilson, S; Kerry Rhodes, S; Beanie Wells, RB; Early Doucet, RB; Stewart Bradley, LB; Fozzy Whittaker, RB.

ATLANTA FALCONS

Arrived: Steve Jackson, RB.

Departed: Michael Turner, RB; John Abraham, DE; Dunta Robinson, CB; Lawrence Sidbury, DE.

BALTIMORE RAVENS

Arrived: Chris Canty, DT.

Departed: Anquan Boldin, WR; Bobbie Williams, OG; Paul Kruger LB; Dannell Ellerbe LB; Cary Williams CB; Bernard Pollard S.

BUFFALO BILLS

Arrived: Manny Lawson, LB.

Departed: Ryan Fitzpatrick, QB; Andy Levitre, G; Chad Reinhart, OL; Donald Jones, WR.

CAROLINA PANTHERS

Arrived: Drayton Florence, CB.

Departed: Gary Barnidge, TE; Jason Phillips, LB; James Anderson, LB;

CHICAGO BEARS

Arrived: Jermon Bushrod, LT; Martellus Bennett, TE.

Departed: Nick Roach, LB; Geno Hayes, LB; Matt Spaeth, TE; Kellen Davis, TE; Matt Toeaina, DT.

CINCINNATI BENGALS

Arrived: None.

Departed: Pat Sims, DT; Manny Lawson, LB; Dan Skuta, LB; Bruce Gradkowski, QB.

CLEVELAND BROWNS

Arrived: Paul Kruger, LB; Desmond Bryant, DL; Quentin Groves, LB; Gary Barnidge, TE.

Departed: Kaluka Maiava, LB.

DALLAS COWBOYS

Arrived: None.

Departed: Marcus Spears, DT; Kevin Ogletree, WR; John Phillips, TE; Dan Connor, LB.

DENVER BRONCOS

Arrived: Wes Welker, WR; Louis Vasquez, RG; Terrance Knighton, DL; Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB; Stewart Bradley, LB.

Departed: D.J. Williams, LB, Jason Hunter, DE; Justin Bannan, DT; Tracy Porter, CB; Chris Gronkowski, FB; Elvis Dumervil, DL.

DETROIT LIONS

Arrived: Reggie Bush, RB; Jason Jones, DE; Glover Quin, S.

Departed: Cliff Avril, DE; Gosder Cherilus, T; Drayton Florence, CB; Sammie Lee Hill, DT.

GREEN BAY PACKERS

Arrived: None.

Departed: Greg Jennings, WR; Charles Woodson, DB.

HOUSTON TEXANS

Arrived: None.

Departed: Kevin Walter, WR; James Casey, FB/TE; Connor Barwin, LB; Glover Quin, S.

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

Arrived: Gosder Cherilus, OT; Ricky Jean Francois, DL; LaRon Landry, S; Lawrence Sidbury, LB; Donald Thomas, G; Greg Toler, CB; Erik Walden, LB.

Departed: Donnie Avery, WR; Austin Collie, WR; Dwight Freeney, DE/OLB; Jerraud Powers, CB; Drew Stanton, QB; Tom Zbikowski, S.

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS

Arrived: Geno Hayes, LB; Alan Ball, CB; Justin Forsett, RB; Roy Miller, DT.

Departed: Derek Cox, CB; Terrance Knighton, DT; Dawan Landry, S; Rashean Mathis, CB; Laurent Robinson, WR; Aaron Ross, CB; Guy Whimper, OT.

KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

Arrived: Sean Smith, CB; Dunta Robinson, CB; Bryan Mattison, OL; Anthony Fasano, TE; Donnie Avery, WR; Chase Daniel, QB: Husain Abdullah, S; Geoff Schwartz, OL.

Departed: Matt Cassel, QB; Glenn Dorsey, DE; Brady Quinn, QB; Peyton Hillis, RB; Abe Elam, S; Ropati Pitoitua, DE; Travis Daniels, CB; Jake O'Connell, TE.

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Arrived: Mike Wallace, WR, Dustin Keller, TE; Philip Wheeler, LB; Dannell Ellerbe, LB; Brandon Gibson, WR.

Departed: Sean Smith, CB; Anthony Fasano, TE; Reggie Bush, RB.

MINNESOTA VIKINGS

Arrived: Matt Cassel, QB; Greg Jennings, WR.

Departed: Percy Harvin, WR; Antoine Winfield, CB; Jasper Brinkley, LB.

NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

Arrived: Danny Amendola, WR; Leon Washington, RB; Donald Jones, WR.

Departed: Wes Welker, WR; Patrick Chung, S; Donald Thomas, OL.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS

Arrived: Keenan Lewis, CB.

Departed: Jerome Bushrod, LT; Chase Daniel, QB. Jonathan Casillas, LB.

NEW YORK GIANTS

Arrived: Aaron Ross, CB; Ryan Mundy, S; Josh Brown, K; Cullen Jenkins, DT; Dan Connor, LB.

Departed: Ahmad Bradshaw, RB; Michael Boley, LB; Chris Canty, DT; Kenny Phillips, S, Martellus Bennett, TE.

NEW YORK JETS

Arrived: David Garrard, QB; Mike Goodson, RB; Willie Colon, OL; Anthony Garay, NT.

Departed: Yeremiah Bell, S; Mike DeVito, DL; Shonn Greene, RB; Dustin Keller, TE; LaRon Landry, S; Sione Po'uha, NT.

OAKLAND RAIDERS

Arrived: Nick Roach, LB; Kaluka Maiava, LB; Pat Sims, DT; Jason Hunter, DE.

Departed: Michael Huff, DB; Darrius Heyward-Bey, WR; Philip Wheeler, LB; Desmond Bryant, DT; Mike Goodson, RB; Dave Tollefson, DE.

PHILADELPHIA EAGLES

Arrived: Cary Williams, CB; Kenny Phillips, S; Bradley Fletcher, CB; Connor Barwin, LB; Patrick Chung, S; James Phillips, LB; James Casey, TE; Isaac Sopoaga, DL; Arrelious Benn, WR.

Departed: Nnamdi Asomugha, CB; Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, CB, Cullen Jenkins, DT; Mike Patterson, DT.

PITTSBURGH STEELERS

Arrived: Bruce Gradkowski, QB; William Gay, DB.

Departed: James Harrison, LB; Willie Colon, OL; Mike Wallace, WR; Rashard Mendenhall, RB; Keenan Lewis, DB; Ryan Mundy, S.

ST. LOUIS RAMS

Arrived: Jared Cook, TE.

Departed: Steven Jackson, RB; Danny Amendola, WR; Quintin Mikell, S; Brandon Gibson, WR.

SAN DIEGO CHARGERS

Arrived: Danny Woodhead, RB; King Dunlap, OT; Chad Rinehart, G; John Phillips, TE; Derek Cox, CB.

Departed: Takeo Spikes, LB; Atari Bigby, SS; Antonio Garay, DT; Randy McMichael, TE.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ers

Arrived: Anquan Boldin, WR; Glenn Dorsey, DL; Dan Skuta, LB.

Departed: Dashon Goldson, S; Alex Smith, QB; David Akers, K; Delanie Walker, TE; Isaac Sopoaga, NT; Ricky Jean Francois, DL.

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

Arrived: Percy Harvin, WR; Cliff Avril, DE; Michael Bennett, DL.

Departed: Leon Washington, RB/KR.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

Arrived: Dashon Goldson, S; Jonathan Casillas, LB; Kevin Ogletree, WR.

Departed: Jeremy Trueblood, T; Michael Bennett, DE; Quincy Black, LB; Arrelious Benn, WR.

TENNESSEE TITANS

Arrived: Andy Levitre, G; Shonn Greene, RB; Sammie Lee Hill, DT; Delanie Walker, TE; LB Moise Fokou; George Wilson, S.

Departed: Jared Cook, TE; Jordan Babineaux, S; Mitch Petrus, G.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS

Arrived: Tony Pashos, OT; Jeremy Trueblood, OT.

Departed: Lorenzo Alexander, LB.

___

Follow Richard Rosenblatt on Twitter at: http://www.twitter.com/rosenblattap

Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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Source: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/51208562/ns/sports/

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Incendio deja dos muertos al occidente de Sud?frica

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Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eSV-rDHYuU8&feature=youtube_gdata

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Iran to try 18 over killing of nuclear scientists

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) ? An Iranian news agency reports the judiciary has indicted 18 suspects on charges of involvement in the killing of nuclear scientists.

Since 2010, at least five Iranian nuclear scientists, including a manager at the Natanz enrichment facility, have been killed. Tehran has accused Israel's Mossad, the CIA and Britain's MI6 of being behind the assassinations. The U.S. and Britain have denied the allegations, but Israel has not commented.

The Sunday report by the semiofficial Mehr agency quotes Tehran chief prosecutor Abbas Jafari as saying authorities have issued indictments against the 18 suspects, and they will go trial in coming months. He gave no other details.

In 2012, Iran hanged a man who was sentenced to death for the 2010 killing of a nuclear physicist.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/iran-try-18-over-killing-nuclear-scientists-134023486.html

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Phoenix-bound dog ends up on flight to Ireland

PHOENIX (AP) ? An English Springer Spaniel named Hendrix ended up taking a serious detour on his way from New Jersey to Phoenix this week.

He ended up in Ireland after being put on the wrong flight.

United Airlines spokeswoman Megan McCarthy says the 6-year-old dog was traveling in cargo Thursday when the mix-up happened. When the error was realized, she says the airline took immediate steps to get Hendrix back to his owner.

Phoenix television station KNXV reports (http://bit.ly/YyMVte ) that the first word owner Meredith Grant got about the mix-up was in a phone call from the airline before Hendrix's original flight was supposed to land in Phoenix.

Grant says she felt like someone punched her in the stomach after finding out her dog had been sent overseas.

Hendrix was returned, and the airline apologized and offered a full refund.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/phoenix-bound-dog-ends-flight-ireland-191315087.html

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Florida Flusters Bama, 61-51

It took us over 3 minutes to get on the board, but thankfully we played good defense and Florida missed some open shots so we were still tied in the game. ?It was an ugly, low scoring game, just what we wanted. We kept a hand in the face of their 3 point shooters and double teamed in the post throughout the first half to limit the cold shooting Gators and take a 3 point lead into the half.

The start of the second half was one of the key moments in the game. ?While we stretched our lead out to 10 thanks to some turnovers and hot shooting, we were also called for 7 fouls in the first 5 minutes of the second half, including the 4th on Rodney Cooper. ?(I thought the officiating was inconsistent, and Doug Shows in particular had a number of questionable calls.) ?This left us too small at the 4 spot and necessitated a switch from the man to man defense that had been very effective to a zone. ?We had an awful time trying to rebound out of the zone. ?While Nick Jacobs had a good game offensively and kept us in the game, he did absolutely nothing to slow down the Gator's bigs on the other end of the court, which was disappointing after he had a great defensive game Friday against Tennessee. ?Being in the bonus, Florida seemed to find their shooting stroke from the free throw line and that carried over to the field. ?Shots that were not falling in the first half were suddenly finding the bottom of the net.

The Gators are a very talented team, and we seemed to get tight when they started making their run. ?We had a couple of good shots, including a missed layup by Retin, that could have at least temporarily stopped the momentum. ?Instead, this game was almost just like the one in Gainesville, we build a nice lead, go on a long scoring drought, can't get a single call from the officials, and lose by 10.

Another key play came with a little over 2 minutes remaining, we were down 6 and had just came up with a big stop, Levi had the rebound and we could have cut it to 4 or 3 that possession. ?Instead, Levi was tackled from behind, lost the ball, no foul was called, Florida got an easy dunk to go up 8 and that pretty much ended any hopes of a comeback.

On the positive side, Trevor Lacey had a nice game, he went 3 for 6 from 3 point range including a couple of very difficult shots at the end of the shot clock.

This game was not nearly as well attended as the Tennessee game. ?We had slightly more fans there than Florida, but all of the neutral observers were also pulling for the Tide, so we definitely had an advantage there. ?The remaining Kentucky fans were pulling for us because they don't like Florida, and both the Vandy and Ole Miss fans were rooting for the Tide because they didn't want to play the Gators.

Up next, Selection Sunday this afternoon. ?Jerry Palm still has us as his second team out, so technically you can make the argument that we are still on the bubble, but I don't think we have much chance of getting in, and frankly, I don't think we deserve to be in. ?The NIT selection show is at 8pm tonight on ESPNU. ?I expect us to be a 1 or 2 seed.

Source: http://bamahoops.blogspot.com/2013/03/florida-flusters-bama-61-51.html

Fireman Ed Allegiant Air Melissa Rycroft

In Twitter era, new pope not a social media maven

BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) ? Pope Francis has 1.2 billion followers in the Roman Catholic Church, but he's not following a single one of them on Facebook or Twitter.

In a fast-paced, globalized world in which billions send emails, share photos on smartphones and get their instant news online, the newly elected pope still uses a typewriter for work. On his time off, he follows the games of his favorite soccer club on the radio.

Yet, even though he's not busy chatting, poking and commenting online, the pope recognizes the importance of technology in today's world.

As a cardinal, Francis had a Facebook account, although he didn't manage it himself, and he blessed the creation of a virtual parish where many could join in prayer online.

"The cardinal didn't understand any of that but I explained it to him. I showed him the computer screen ... he looked at the site and authorized us to pray to the Holy One, online," said Guillermo Marco, the pope's former spokesman.

"He's a man who likes to listen," Marco said. "As cardinal, many would ask to get an audience with him. They'd talk for 45 minutes straight and he'd stay quiet. Then, he'd say three phrases. In modern terms you could say that he's very Twitter-like."

Francis seems likely to follow the Vatican's social media strategy to help with missionary outreach. In a 2012 interview with veteran Italian Vatican journalist Andrea Tornielli, then Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio said the church in Argentina knew well that digital outreach was necessary to reach the faithful.

"We try to make contact with families that don't come to church. Rather than being a church that welcomes and receives, we try to be a church that goes outside to men and women who don't come to us, who don't know us or are indifferent to us," he said.

Organizing Masses in public squares is part of that, but there's more.

"We also try to reach those farther away by digital means, using the Web and brief (text) messages," he said.

Pope Benedict XVI joined the Twittersphere late last year tweeting from a personal account along with the world's celebrities, leaders and ordinary folk. Many were expecting Francis to take over his Twitter handle, but few knew that he wasn't tech savvy.

Even if he takes the account,?it is unlikely that Francis himself will type his punchy one-liners about reaching out to the poor and ending corruption into 140-character bites.?The 85-year-old Benedict, who didn't carry a cellphone and wrote longhand, left that job to one of his aides.?

__

Associated Press writers Luis Andres Henao in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Nicole Winfield at Vatican City contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/twitter-era-pope-not-social-media-maven-220448291.html

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Colo. sheriff refuses to enforce gun-control bills (Providence Journal)

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Samsung's Dennis Miloseski backstage at Expand (video)

We had a chance to grill the head of Samsung's North American design studio, Dennis Miloseski, during our panel discussion about the growing sophistication of mobile devices here at Expand. As it turns out, he had even more to talk about, so we wired him up and threw him in the hot seat backstage. He gave us a look into the story behind the Galaxy S 4, the changing face of TouchWiz UI and building Samsung's design studio stateside. For the full interview, check out the video after the break.

Follow all of Engadget's Expand coverage live from San Francisco right here!

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung

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US helicopter crashes in Afghanistan, killing 1

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) ? NATO officials say a helicopter has crashed in southern Afghanistan, killing one coalition service member and injuring another.

Capt. Luca Carniel says there was no enemy activity in the area when the helicopter crashed Saturday, and the cause is being investigated.

Kandahar governor spokesman Javeed Faisal says the helicopter crashed in Daman district, a few kilometers (miles) west of Kandahar City.

Officials did not release the type of helicopter or nationalities of the casualties.

It's the second deadly helicopter crash in the south in a week. A Black Hawk crashed outside Kandahar City on Monday, killing five U.S. troops.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/us-helicopter-crashes-afghanistan-killing-1-170248715.html

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Antarctic soil researcher awarded prestigious 2013 Tyler Environmental Prize

Public release date: 17-Mar-2013
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Contact: Nick Seaver
nseaver@burnesscommunications.com
301-280-5727
Burness Communications

Diana H. Wall, Ph.D., recognized for her work on the important role of soil biodiversity in climate change, ecosystems and human life; Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement celebrates its 40th anniversary

Los Angeles, CA (March 17, 2013) The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement today named Diana H. Wall, PhD, of Colorado State University the recipient of the 2013 Tyler Prize for her research documenting and exploring the complex and fragile soil ecosystem. Her research extending from more than 20 years in Antarctica's deserts, to the plains of Kansas and New York City's Central Park has explored the dynamics of species like nematodes, small worm-like organisms, living in the soil and their impact on life above ground. Wall's work in the Antarctic continues to demonstrate the critical links between climate change and soil.

Wall's research has shown that changes in climate can fundamentally alter the ecology of soil life. This, in turn, changes the way that soil is able to transfer and store carbon from sources such as plant roots and decaying organic matter. When soil holds more organic carbon, less carbon dioxide, a driver of climate change is released into the atmosphere. This cycle of plant uptake and breakdown of carbon impacts the rate of climate change.

"I hope winning the Tyler Prize helps bring awareness that soil is more than dirt that feeds our crops, it also plays a major role in storing carbon globally," said Wall, a University Distinguished Professor, Professor of Biology, and Director of the School of Global Environmental Sustainability. "We've learned that there is an astonishing amount of life hidden underground that is critical to sustaining our planet. It is an amazing honor to receive this prestigious award and have the research results generated by my lab, students and collaborators, recognized in this way."

Since its inception 40 years ago as one of the world's first international environmental awards, the Tyler Prize has been the premier award for environmental science, environmental health and energy.

"Just as we came to understand the importance of preserving our oceans and air, Diana Wall has helped move the global community to recognize the incredible importance of the biodiversity of our soil," said Tyler Prize Executive Committee Chair Owen T. Lind, Professor of Biology at Baylor University. "Her work shows us the delicate balance that exists under our feet and the impact climate change will have on soil and our quality of life."

As the winner of the Tyler Prize, Wall will receive a $200,000 cash prize and a gold medal. The Prize, awarded by the international Tyler Prize Executive Committee with the administrative support of the University of Southern California, honors exceptional foresight and dedication in the environmental sciences qualities that mirror the prescience of the Prize's founders, John and Alice Tyler, who established it while the environmental debate was still in its infancy.

Previous laureates include Edward O. Wilson, recognized for his early work on the theory of island biogeography; Jane Goodall, selected for her seminal studies on the behavior and ecology of chimpanzees and her impact on wildlife awareness and environmental conservation; Jared Diamond, a renowned author who gave birth to the discipline of conservation biology; and Thomas Lovejoy, a central figure in alerting the world to the critical problem of dwindling tropical forests. A full list of past winners is available at http://tylerprize.usc.edu/pastlaureates.html.

Governments Turn Their Attention to Soil

Wall's research places her at the center of policy efforts to protect soil and address climate change. Efforts in the European Union and the United States, along with other regions, to protect soil in the face of urbanization have been largely informed by the work of Wall and her colleagues. Governments and international organizations increasingly see soil as a frontline of climate change, in addition to being central to sustainable agriculture. Degradation of soil and land is playing an increasingly large role in discussions at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

"We know that we've got extensive soil problems globally," said Wall. "From the increasing spread of deserts, to decreasing soil fertility, to more frequent and severe droughts, we have things happening to land that affect the species that live in soil and the ability of that soil to help sustain plant life, purify water and store carbon."

"Soil ecology and its essential biodiversity is just now beginning to get the level of attention that the oceans, rivers, lakes and wetlands receive when it comes to protecting our environment," said Wall. "This is the new frontier of climate change and environmental preservation."

Analyzing Soil: From Antarctica to Central Park

Wall's career started in horse country Kentucky where she worked a summer analyzing parasites infecting horses. After an offer to study soil nematodes, Wall moved into the study of plant pathology. From there, her research took her south to the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. It was here that she was first able to study all the animal species living in soil and their relationships in a less complex ecosystem.

"I can see two to three animal species in the soils of Antarctica and 250 in a handful of soil elsewhere," said Wall. "By working in an isolated and extreme environment like Antarctica, without people and plants, we can study what happens when we make very specific changes to moisture or temperature to better understand soil ecology and the importance of individual species."

Lessons learned over more than 20 years in cold deserts like the Dry Valley have been applied to the hot, dry climates of deserts like the Sahara.

Today, Wall's work now spans the globe to include projects in Africa, the grasslands of Kansas, and, most recently, New York City's Central Park.

Working with colleagues around the world, Wall plans for the first time to map the biodiversity in soils and relate it to above-ground diversity to examine what connections exist.

"We assume that if we're in the Amazon and we have great biodiversity above ground, we're going to have great biodiversity below-ground. But that isn't necessarily so," explained Wall. "This will help us to identify the hotspots of biological diversity so we can be savvy about agriculture, development and habitat restoration."

Changing Soil and Changing Climate

Wall's work has shown that slight changes to temperature or moisture of soil can have dramatic impacts on relationships between species in soil even to the point of altering which bacteria or invertebrates dominate soil ecosystems. These shifts, she explains, have far-reaching reverberations in all climates.

"The soil of the prairies of Kansas, for example, will be fundamentally altered by climate change and that will most likely mean that different types of plants will grow there," said Wall. "In turn, these new types of plants will further change life in soil. This process isn't limited to Kansas; it will happen everywhere."

Changes in the community of organisms living in soil also affect how carbon is transferred and stored in the environment. Invertebrates and bacteria are responsible for processing and collecting carbon from the environment from sources like dead leaves and plant roots and making nutrients available for plants. Soil stores more carbon than the air and trees combined, but when the balance of invertebrates and bacteria in soil is altered, the ability to store carbon is disrupted.

"Climate change drives soil change and soil change drives climate change," explained Wall. "These issues are deeply intertwined and research must look at climate and soil biodiversity together."

###

Lecture and Award Ceremony

On Wednesday, April 17, at 1:30pm, Wall will deliver a public lecture on her work at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This lecture will be open to the public.

And in a private ceremony, on Wednesday, April 17, at 7 p.m., the Tyler Prize Executive Committee and the international environmental community will honor Wall at a banquet and ceremony at The Willard InterContinental in Washington, DC.

About the Tyler Prize

The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is one of the first international premier awards for environmental science, environmental health and energy.

It was established by the late John and Alice Tyler in 1973 and has been awarded annually to sixty-one individuals and four organizations associated with world-class environmental accomplishments. Recipients encompass the spectrum of environmental concerns including environmental policy, health, air and water pollution, ecosystem disruption and loss of biodiversity, and energy resources.

For more information on the Tyler Prize and its recipients, go to: http://www.tylerprize.usc.edu/laureates.html

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Public release date: 17-Mar-2013
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Contact: Nick Seaver
nseaver@burnesscommunications.com
301-280-5727
Burness Communications

Diana H. Wall, Ph.D., recognized for her work on the important role of soil biodiversity in climate change, ecosystems and human life; Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement celebrates its 40th anniversary

Los Angeles, CA (March 17, 2013) The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement today named Diana H. Wall, PhD, of Colorado State University the recipient of the 2013 Tyler Prize for her research documenting and exploring the complex and fragile soil ecosystem. Her research extending from more than 20 years in Antarctica's deserts, to the plains of Kansas and New York City's Central Park has explored the dynamics of species like nematodes, small worm-like organisms, living in the soil and their impact on life above ground. Wall's work in the Antarctic continues to demonstrate the critical links between climate change and soil.

Wall's research has shown that changes in climate can fundamentally alter the ecology of soil life. This, in turn, changes the way that soil is able to transfer and store carbon from sources such as plant roots and decaying organic matter. When soil holds more organic carbon, less carbon dioxide, a driver of climate change is released into the atmosphere. This cycle of plant uptake and breakdown of carbon impacts the rate of climate change.

"I hope winning the Tyler Prize helps bring awareness that soil is more than dirt that feeds our crops, it also plays a major role in storing carbon globally," said Wall, a University Distinguished Professor, Professor of Biology, and Director of the School of Global Environmental Sustainability. "We've learned that there is an astonishing amount of life hidden underground that is critical to sustaining our planet. It is an amazing honor to receive this prestigious award and have the research results generated by my lab, students and collaborators, recognized in this way."

Since its inception 40 years ago as one of the world's first international environmental awards, the Tyler Prize has been the premier award for environmental science, environmental health and energy.

"Just as we came to understand the importance of preserving our oceans and air, Diana Wall has helped move the global community to recognize the incredible importance of the biodiversity of our soil," said Tyler Prize Executive Committee Chair Owen T. Lind, Professor of Biology at Baylor University. "Her work shows us the delicate balance that exists under our feet and the impact climate change will have on soil and our quality of life."

As the winner of the Tyler Prize, Wall will receive a $200,000 cash prize and a gold medal. The Prize, awarded by the international Tyler Prize Executive Committee with the administrative support of the University of Southern California, honors exceptional foresight and dedication in the environmental sciences qualities that mirror the prescience of the Prize's founders, John and Alice Tyler, who established it while the environmental debate was still in its infancy.

Previous laureates include Edward O. Wilson, recognized for his early work on the theory of island biogeography; Jane Goodall, selected for her seminal studies on the behavior and ecology of chimpanzees and her impact on wildlife awareness and environmental conservation; Jared Diamond, a renowned author who gave birth to the discipline of conservation biology; and Thomas Lovejoy, a central figure in alerting the world to the critical problem of dwindling tropical forests. A full list of past winners is available at http://tylerprize.usc.edu/pastlaureates.html.

Governments Turn Their Attention to Soil

Wall's research places her at the center of policy efforts to protect soil and address climate change. Efforts in the European Union and the United States, along with other regions, to protect soil in the face of urbanization have been largely informed by the work of Wall and her colleagues. Governments and international organizations increasingly see soil as a frontline of climate change, in addition to being central to sustainable agriculture. Degradation of soil and land is playing an increasingly large role in discussions at the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, and the UN Convention on Biological Diversity.

"We know that we've got extensive soil problems globally," said Wall. "From the increasing spread of deserts, to decreasing soil fertility, to more frequent and severe droughts, we have things happening to land that affect the species that live in soil and the ability of that soil to help sustain plant life, purify water and store carbon."

"Soil ecology and its essential biodiversity is just now beginning to get the level of attention that the oceans, rivers, lakes and wetlands receive when it comes to protecting our environment," said Wall. "This is the new frontier of climate change and environmental preservation."

Analyzing Soil: From Antarctica to Central Park

Wall's career started in horse country Kentucky where she worked a summer analyzing parasites infecting horses. After an offer to study soil nematodes, Wall moved into the study of plant pathology. From there, her research took her south to the Dry Valleys of Antarctica. It was here that she was first able to study all the animal species living in soil and their relationships in a less complex ecosystem.

"I can see two to three animal species in the soils of Antarctica and 250 in a handful of soil elsewhere," said Wall. "By working in an isolated and extreme environment like Antarctica, without people and plants, we can study what happens when we make very specific changes to moisture or temperature to better understand soil ecology and the importance of individual species."

Lessons learned over more than 20 years in cold deserts like the Dry Valley have been applied to the hot, dry climates of deserts like the Sahara.

Today, Wall's work now spans the globe to include projects in Africa, the grasslands of Kansas, and, most recently, New York City's Central Park.

Working with colleagues around the world, Wall plans for the first time to map the biodiversity in soils and relate it to above-ground diversity to examine what connections exist.

"We assume that if we're in the Amazon and we have great biodiversity above ground, we're going to have great biodiversity below-ground. But that isn't necessarily so," explained Wall. "This will help us to identify the hotspots of biological diversity so we can be savvy about agriculture, development and habitat restoration."

Changing Soil and Changing Climate

Wall's work has shown that slight changes to temperature or moisture of soil can have dramatic impacts on relationships between species in soil even to the point of altering which bacteria or invertebrates dominate soil ecosystems. These shifts, she explains, have far-reaching reverberations in all climates.

"The soil of the prairies of Kansas, for example, will be fundamentally altered by climate change and that will most likely mean that different types of plants will grow there," said Wall. "In turn, these new types of plants will further change life in soil. This process isn't limited to Kansas; it will happen everywhere."

Changes in the community of organisms living in soil also affect how carbon is transferred and stored in the environment. Invertebrates and bacteria are responsible for processing and collecting carbon from the environment from sources like dead leaves and plant roots and making nutrients available for plants. Soil stores more carbon than the air and trees combined, but when the balance of invertebrates and bacteria in soil is altered, the ability to store carbon is disrupted.

"Climate change drives soil change and soil change drives climate change," explained Wall. "These issues are deeply intertwined and research must look at climate and soil biodiversity together."

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Lecture and Award Ceremony

On Wednesday, April 17, at 1:30pm, Wall will deliver a public lecture on her work at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. This lecture will be open to the public.

And in a private ceremony, on Wednesday, April 17, at 7 p.m., the Tyler Prize Executive Committee and the international environmental community will honor Wall at a banquet and ceremony at The Willard InterContinental in Washington, DC.

About the Tyler Prize

The Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement is one of the first international premier awards for environmental science, environmental health and energy.

It was established by the late John and Alice Tyler in 1973 and has been awarded annually to sixty-one individuals and four organizations associated with world-class environmental accomplishments. Recipients encompass the spectrum of environmental concerns including environmental policy, health, air and water pollution, ecosystem disruption and loss of biodiversity, and energy resources.

For more information on the Tyler Prize and its recipients, go to: http://www.tylerprize.usc.edu/laureates.html

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Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/bc-asr031113.php

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