Hands-on with Divekick's minimalist two-button controller (video)

Just a couple days after we got our hands on Tenya Wanya Teen's crazy 16-button arcade stick, we were treated to its polar opposite; Divekick's two-button controller. Created by Iron Galaxy Studios just to show off the game at PAX East, the controller consists of two buttons slightly larger than the palms of our hands; the yellow one denotes a jump or dive, while the blue corresponds to a kick. As a parody of the fighting genre, Divekick's gameplay avoids complicated combo moves, is incredibly simple and immensely enjoyable, if we do say so ourselves.

Unlike traditional fighting games, the health bars are essentially meaningless, as a single power hit can take down your rival. Therefore you're focused on just the most basic movements -- a common one involves jumping in the air, tapping the other button for the downward kick, and then tapping it again to fly backwards. As for moving your character about, a jump and kick combo will get you charging towards your foe. Some characters let you fly when jumping, while others reward pressing buttons simultaneously. From our few minutes mashing the controller, it seems that timing and position are more important than ever with such fundamental mechanics, and ones that we picked up pretty quickly. We especially enjoyed kicking our adversary in the head to make them dazed and vulnerable in the early seconds of the next round.

Gallery: Divekick's two-button controller

Filed under: Gaming

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/2aK2Yg3bu48/

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Panasonic stays in TV business, chairman resigning

TOKYO (AP) ? Panasonic's president said Thursday the company will persist with trying to fix its money-losing TV business, characterizing an exit from the fiercely competitive industry as a "final resort."

Panasonic also said Fumio Ohtsubo will step down as chairman in June ahead of schedule to take responsibility for the company's string of dismal financial results.

Company president Kazuhiro Tsuga promised to improve profitability over the next two years as he announced a business plan and strategy for the fiscal year that begins next month.

Osaka-based Panasonic Corp. is expecting a 765 billion yen ($8.1 billion) loss for the fiscal year ending this month.

That's close to the record red ink it reported for the previous fiscal year of 772 billion yen, which was among the biggest losses in Japan Inc. history.

Panasonic will target a 50 billion yen ($532 million) net profit for the fiscal year ending March next year, with hopes of reaching 350 billion yen ($3.7 billion) in operating profit two years later after eliminating unprofitable businesses and restructuring.

When asked about his decision to stick with TVs, Tsuga said the company will first try to stop the flow of red ink.

"To get out would be the final resort," he told reporters at the company's Tokyo office. "That possibility is not zero."

Japanese media reported last week that Panasonic may pull the plug on its plasma TV operations as part of a bigger plan to downsize its TV business.

The last few years have been tough for TV manufacturers and particularly those in Japan as the European debt crisis and a slow turnaround in the U.S. economy sapped demand for consumer electronics. The notable exceptions were smartphones and tablet computers. Japanese makers were also squeezed by competition from South Korean and Chinese manufacturers.

Tsuga said Panasonic has ambitions to grow its relatively newer auto and housing businesses and aims for both to be 2 trillion yen ($21.3 billion) businesses by 2018.

Panasonic expects to spend 250 billion yen ($2.7 billion) on restructuring over the next two fiscal years.

Like other Japanese manufacturers, Panasonic has been struggling because of the March 2011 tsunami disaster, weak global demand and until recently, a strengthening yen.

It has been slammed in consumer electronics by flashier, often more cost-effective, rivals such as Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.

Panasonic, Sony Corp.'s longtime archrival in Japan, has been shifting its focus from consumer electronics to operations that cater to other businesses such as batteries and solar panels.

One plus for Japanese exporters such as Panasonic is the yen's decline, a reversal from the trend of recent years. A weak yen boosts the value of overseas earnings.

The maker of Viera TVs and Lumix cameras gained 3 billion yen ($32 million) in operating profit for the October-December period from a favorable exchange rate.

Still, Tsuga said he was not counting on the exchange rate because some parts of Panasonic's sprawling and complex empire will be hurt by a weak yen.

___

Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at www.twitter.com/yurikageyama

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/panasonic-stays-tv-business-chairman-resigning-103557835--finance.html

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Britain sets out plans for nuclear future

By John McGarrity and Oleg Vukmanovic

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain spelled out its aims for nuclear power on Tuesday, committing funds to a sector it expects to create 40,000 jobs while lowering the country's carbon emissions and its reliance on costly energy imports.

This month's late blast of winter cold has exposed Britain's reliance on imported natural gas, triggering wholesale price spikes and concerns that stored supplies could run dry.

In its long-term Nuclear Industrial Strategy the government sets out the opportunities it sees for economic growth and job creation in the industry.

Britain's plans to build up to 16 gigawatts of new nuclear power capacity could create 40,000 new jobs, the report said.

Opportunities span research and development, construction, waste management, decommissioning, operation and maintenance.

The government also committed more than 40 million pounds for research and development.

"We have some of the finest workers, research facilities and academics in the world. But we need to sharpen those competitive advantages to become a top table nuclear nation," said Vince Cable, secretary of state for business, innovation and skills.

While Germany and others have turned away from nuclear in the wake of Japan's Fukushima disaster in 2011, Britain remains intent of building new atomic capacity.

EDF won planning approval last week to build Britain's first new nuclear power station in almost 20 years but warned the project would only move forward if the French company and the British government can agree a guaranteed minimum "strike" price for the power produced.

EDF wants to build two reactors but at an estimated cost of some 14 billion pounds it wants assurances that it can recoup its investment with a government guarantee to support energy prices.

British companies could be awarded between 44 and 64 percent of the construction work, a report by consultancy Oxford Economics said on Tuesday.

STRIKE PRICE

EDF wants a strike price of at least 100 pounds per megawatt-hour (MWh) while the government would prefer a price around 80 pounds, according to industry sources and analysts.

Chancellor George Osborne told a panel of parliamentarians on Tuesday that both sides aimed to reach a deal.

"Obviously we have a hard commercial bargain between EDF and the government about the right strike price and so on. But I think both EDF and the British government want to see the project go ahead on the right terms for both of us," Osborne said.

Japan's Hitachi also has plans to build in Britain, which needs to replace ageing coal-fired and nuclear sites and meet environmental targets in 2020 and beyond.

Two ageing coal-fired power plants were mothballed this month, part of a series of closures that will strip Britain of around 20 percent of its power capacity by 2020.

Energy regulator Ofgem has warned that Britain faces a challenge to keep the lights on as plants close. It has forecast spare generating capacity will shrink to just 4 percent by 2015/16 from 14 percent last year.

Details to be worked out with EDF over the strike price include how long it would last, how to deal with future regulatory changes, and whether a strike price would be indexed to inflation.

"You will have a lower or higher (strike price) based on who takes the construction risk," said Roland Vetter, head of research at CF Partners.

British government ministers have also spoken of the need to avoid using taxpayers to underwrite cost overruns. EDF's Flamanville reactor in France is running four years behind schedule and costs have more than doubled.

EDF could expect revenues of about 88 billion pounds from its two planned 1,600-megawatt reactors in Britain based on a strike price of 100 pounds per MWh over 35 years and other assumptions, CF Partners' Vetter estimated.

The government hopes the two new reactors, to be built at Hinkley Point C in southwest England, will come online in the first half of the 2020s.

(Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein and William Schomberg; editing by Jason Neely)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/british-government-publishes-long-term-nuclear-strategy-131525701--sector.html

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Cyprus businesses hurt as banks stay shut

Cypriot students shout slogans near the presidential palace in capital Nicosia, on Tuesday, March 26, 2013. Banks across Cyprus remain firmly padlocked Tuesday after financial authorities extended the country?s bank closure, fearing worried depositors will rush to drain their accounts. The shut-down is hammering businesses, which have been without access to their funds for more than a week.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Cypriot students shout slogans near the presidential palace in capital Nicosia, on Tuesday, March 26, 2013. Banks across Cyprus remain firmly padlocked Tuesday after financial authorities extended the country?s bank closure, fearing worried depositors will rush to drain their accounts. The shut-down is hammering businesses, which have been without access to their funds for more than a week.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Cypriot students shout slogans as they stand at the entrance of the presidential palace in capital Nicosia, on Tuesday, March 26, 2013. The banner on the left reads in Greek ''people united never divided''. Banks across Cyprus remain firmly padlocked Tuesday after financial authorities extended the country?s bank closure, fearing worried depositors will rush to drain their accounts. The shut-down is hammering businesses, which have been without access to their funds for more than a week.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Cypriot students protest against the bailout package outside the Presidential Palace, in capital Nicosia, on Tuesday, March 26, 2013. Banks across Cyprus remain firmly padlocked Tuesday after financial authorities extended the country?s bank closure, fearing worried depositors will rush to drain their accounts. The shut-down is hammering businesses, which have been without access to their funds for more than a week.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

Cypriot students shout slogans near the presidential palace in capital Nicosia, on Tuesday, March 26, 2013. Banks across Cyprus remain firmly padlocked Tuesday after financial authorities extended the country?s bank closure, fearing worried depositors will rush to drain their accounts. The shut-down is hammering businesses, which have been without access to their funds for more than a week.(AP Photo/Petros Giannakouris)

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) ? Cypriot businesses were under increasing strain to keep running on Tuesday after financial authorities stretched the country's bank closure into a second week in a harried attempt to stop depositors rushing to drain their accounts.

Cyprus's central bank governor, Panicos Demetriades, said "superhuman efforts are being made" to open banks on Thursday.

"Temporary" restrictions will be imposed on financial transactions once the banks do, he said, but would not specify what they would be or how long they would be in place for.

"We have to restore the public's trust in banks," he said.

Finance Minister Michalis Sarris told the Associated Press the restrictions would help stem any mass deposit withdrawal that is "bound to happen" and that they would be removed in a "relatively short period of time."

"I think every day (banks) are not open creates more uncertainty and more difficulties for people, so we would like to do our utmost to make sure that this new goal that we have set will work," he said.

All but two of the country's largest lenders had been due to reopen Tuesday, after being shut since March 16 to stop savers from withdrawing all their money from the banks while politicians figured out how to raise the funds necessary for Cyprus to qualify for an international bailout.

However, the central bank made a surprise reversal just before midnight, announcing all banks would remain closed until Thursday while it and the lenders work on capital controls to limit the amount of money that can be withdrawn.

"We have to all understand that we live in very critical times, officials of the government and the central bank are working day and night," Demetriades said.

Under the deal for a 10 billion euro ($12.9 billion) rescue clinched in Brussels early Monday, Cyprus agreed to slash its oversized banking sector and inflict hefty losses on large depositors in troubled banks. Sarris said authorities hope to limit job losses to a "small number."

"We are looking to a much smaller banking system over time and more concentrated on its core business which is Cyprus and the international business units in Cyprus," he said.

The bulk of the bailout funds will be raised by forcing losses on accounts of more than 100,000 euros ($129,000) in the country's second- largest lender, Laiki, with the remainder coming from tax increases and privatizations.

The bank will be dissolved immediately into a so-called bad bank containing its uninsured deposits and toxic assets, with the guaranteed deposits being transferred to the nation's biggest lender, Bank of Cyprus.

Deposits at Bank of Cyprus above 100,000 euros will be frozen until it becomes clear whether or to what extent they will also be forced to take losses. Those funds will eventually be converted into bank shares.

"It is a painful development, no doubt about that...it doesn't matter how rich you are, how many millions you have, you don't like your deposits, which you assume were safe, to be converted into shares," said Sarris, adding that authorities are confident that those shares will eventually gain in value.

Sarris said Cyprus' economy will shift from one centered on financial services.

"Cypriots have a robust entrepreneurial spirit, they will look for other markets ... We're building on our relationship with China, a stronger relationship with the Middle East, our shipping sector is doing well, our tourism sector is doing well, I think we will find opportunities to compensate for this serious setback," he said.

Nonetheless businesses have already been feeling the brunt of the cash crunch, unable to pay salaries and suppliers. Cypriots have slashed spending during the uncertainty.

The banks' closure has been felt in the country's important shipping industry, which contributes about 5 percent or 800 million euros ($1 billion) to the economy. Cyprus ranks 10th in the world in terms of the number of ocean-going vessels flying its flag, and it is in the top five countries with the largest number of ship management companies.

"This is destructive for us," said an official with Cyprus-based shipping company EDT Offshore, who spoke on condition of anonymity because his company did not authorize him to speak to the media.

"We have to pay our crews' salaries and that's $500,000, while we have to pay as much for our office staff by March 28 and we don't have access to our bank accounts," he said. "These are people who need to pay their bills, have obligations to meet."

Authorities in the Greek port of Piraeus have prevented one of three EDT ships to leave until the company pays it port dues. That means the ship can't fulfill its contract with clients, meaning possible losses for the company, which has a fleet of 18 vessels.

Fitch credit rating agency warned Tuesday that it may downgrade Cyprus further into "junk" status amid concerns that the shock from the banking sector's "systemic failure" heightens the risk to public finances.

Also Tuesday, the chairman of the board of Bank of Cyprus, Andreas Artemis and four other board members tendered their resignation, a statement from the bank said. The board did not accept the resignations, which will only become valid if not withdrawn in a week's time.

Meanwhile, Britain flew in some 13 million euros over the weekend to pay about 3,000 British civilian and military personnel serving at the two military bases that it retained after its former colony Cyprus gained independence.

The Ministry of Defense last week few in 1 million euros in cash in case automatic teller machines on Cyprus shut down.

____

Elena Becatoros in Nicosia and Juergen Baetz in Brussels contributed to this report.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-26-Cyprus-Financial%20Crisis/id-ce0c0f8ea0814dd79c1dc44f847c4587

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PFT: Dallas' Bryant aiming for 2,000 yards, 20 TDs

AP

As the calendar approaches April, the pre-draft spin cycle will soon hit overdrive.

The rules are simple.? Teams that don?t like a player will say good things about him, hoping that someone with a higher pick will take the player, which will push a more viable prospect down the board.? Teams that like a player will say bad things about him, hoping that he?ll still be there when the team makes its pick.

It?s important to keep those rules in mind when considering any off-the-record assessments of players by scouts and coaches who, depending on the teams for which they work, may be hoping to influence what other teams will or won?t do.

Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports spoke to scouts and coaches from multiple unnamed teams who attended the Monday Pro Day workout of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te?o.? And none of those folks regard Te?o as a first-round pick.

?Nice player, but not worth a first-round pick.? Not in my view,? said an unnamed ?AFC personnel man.?

?He?s not a star,? an AFC head coach said.? ?If I?m taking a linebacker in the first round, I want a guy who can change my defense.? Trust me, I?ve been wrong about linebackers before, but this guy doesn?t fit the bill of what I spend a high pick on.?

?[H]e?s not good enough in my view,? an NFC defensive coordinator said.

We don?t doubt for a second that these sources said what Cole says they said.? But without knowing which team they work for, it?s impossible to know whether they really mean it.

It?s a common reality of the pre-draft process.? Scouts and coaches knock certain players, possibly because the scouts and coaches believe what they?re saying ? and possibly because they have an agenda.? When it comes to the draft, everyone has an agenda.? When it comes to the strategy-driven NFL, everyone periodically (or more often) tells untruths to advance their agenda.

We?re not saying it?s right or it?s wrong.? That?s just the way it is.? But that makes it impossible to put much stock in the things being said by unnamed sources who may be secretly hoping that the player they?re knocking slides into their laps.

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/26/dez-bryant-thinks-he-can-gain-2000-yards-and-score-20-touchdowns/related/

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In China's shadow, Gitmo Uighurs languish on Palau

KOROR, Palau (AP) -- Ahmat Abdulahad can't help but laugh at the irony of his predicament.

He and five other Chinese Muslims released from America's Guantanamo military prison in 2009 thought they would be living on this remote island for a few months, maybe a year.

But more than three years later, they are still in Palau, and the patience ? and funding of this poor nation ? is running out. The government has cut Abdulahad's monthly stipend, so he can't pay his bills, not even those from the Palau Power Utility Corp., where he works as a night watchman. So he and his family, inadvertent inhabitants of one of the most beautiful islands in the Pacific, are learning to make do without electricity.

Palau has become a prolonged stopover in what is now a 12-year odyssey for a half dozen men from China's ethnic Uighur minority. They were swept up in Afghanistan as suspected terrorists, held without trial in Guantanamo for more than eight years, then became a cause celebre for Guantanamo opponents in the U.S., who saw them as hapless victims of the anti-terrorism effort and the circumvention of due process in the name of national security.

Now, all but one of them ? who quietly managed to make his way to Turkey to join his wife a few months ago ? remain stuck on Palau because no one else will take them.

"We are like the pieces in a chess game," Abdulahad, who is 42, said at a small, drab apartment building by the sea where three of the men live with their wives and children. He wears a prosthetic limb because he lost part of his left leg in the air raid when he was captured. "They have played us like that all these years."

Both the men and Palau's president say pressure from China, which says they are terrorists despite their release, is making it impossible for them to find refuge anywhere else. And having met a U.S. federal court order to release them from Guantanamo, U.S. government interest in finding them a permanent home appears to have dried up ? though officials say they are doing all they can.

"It's no secret China is very angry with Palau because of the resettlement," President Tommy Remengesau said in a recent interview with The Associated Press, one of his first since taking office in January. "It doesn't take a blind man not to notice that nobody wanted to take these men. The pressure was there from the beginning and the pressure continues to be there. Nobody will be open enough to say that they welcome the Uighurs because of that pressure."

China's Foreign Ministry and national police ministry did not respond to faxed requests for comment about Beijing pressuring other governments not to accept the Uighurs.

The Uighurs come from Xinjiang, an isolated region of western China that borders Afghanistan, Pakistan and six Central Asian nations. They are Turkic-speaking Muslims who say they have long been repressed by the Chinese government. Many want Xinjiang to become independent, and in recent years, some have staged bombings and other attacks, mostly against police, government and military targets.

China considers Uighurs held in Guantanamo to be terrorists and has demanded they be repatriated. But since they would almost certainly face imprisonment or even torture if sent back to China, other countries had to be found. The U.S. refused to grant them asylum. Nearly a dozen now live in Albania, Bermuda, El Salvador and Switzerland. Three remain in custody at the U.S. Navy facility in Cuba.

Palau, a country of 20,000 people that relies heavily on the United States for defense and aid, agreed to take six Uighurs on a temporary basis. The former U.S. trust territory, which became independent in 1994, didn't have much to lose. It is one of the few countries that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, instead of Beijing, and to sweeten the deal, Washington promised $600,000 to help pay for the men's stay.

But Palau says it has done enough.

"The funds have run out. My government is not in a financial situation to deal with them here," Remengesau said. "Culturally it just doesn't fit. Their religion is different from 99 percent of the people of Palau. It hasn't been an entirely stable situation for us. They're not happy. If they had their choice, they would rather be somewhere else."

Even Palau has felt Beijing's wrath, he said, noting that construction of a beachfront resort being developed by Chinese investors abruptly stopped as soon as the Uighur deal was announced. It is a major eyesore, boarded up and vacant, along the main street of Koror, Palau's biggest town, and just a short walk from a bustling hotel built by Taiwanese developers.

Former President Johnson Toribiong, who was voted out of office in November in part because of allegations that he misused the funds intended for the Uighurs, said he never intended for Palau to be a final destination.

"I assumed that I would be able to take care of them and by the end of my term find them a permanent place to go to," he said.

Last month, Palau's government confirmed that one of the men, Adel Noori, had left the island. According to a local newspaper, Noori made his way to Turkey via Japan. Officials in Palau and Washington say they cannot comment because of security concerns.

In Washington, State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell said the United States is working diligently to seek permanent homes for the remaining Uighurs and is "coordinating closely with Palau on matters related to the remaining individuals temporarily resettled there."

But officials on Palau say they are not even sure who to contact in Washington. Special envoy Daniel Fried, who negotiated the Palau deal and was in charge of finding placements for cleared detainees at Guantanamo, was transferred to a new job in January. No replacement has been named, which has been widely seen as more evidence that President Barack Obama's zeal to close Guantanamo ? a major campaign promise before his election in 2008 ? has waned under congressional opposition.

"We need a timetable, and a plan of action. That's where the frustration comes," Remengesau said. "We are looking for a happy ending. These are human beings. They deserve respect."

For now, the five Uighur men eke by, most working as security guards and making about $500 a month, which is about the poverty level even by Palauan standards. Prospective employers are reluctant to hire them, and if they speak English at all, it is mostly what they picked up in prison. The only other Muslims on Palau are a small number of Bangladeshis.

"When we were released we were very happy," said Abdulghappar Abdulrahman, another of the Uighurs. "But now it is like being in Guantanamo again."

___

Associated Press writers Matthew Pennington in Washington, D.C., and Jonathan Kaminsky in Olympia, Washington, contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/chinas-shadow-gitmo-uighurs-languish-130618633.html

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'Walking Dead' Governor David Morrissey Plots His 'Revenge'

'He has a clarity to life now, with just one objective: revenge,' the 'Walking Dead' star tells MTV News about his character's future.
By Josh Wigler

David Morrissey in "The Walking Dead"
Photo: Gene Page/AMC

Source: http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1703827/walking-dead-recap-governors-revenge.jhtml

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Two inmates escape from Quebec jail in helicopter

SAINT-JEROME, Quebec (AP) ? Two Quebec inmates climbed up a rope into a hovering helicopter to make a daring daylight escape Sunday from a jail northwest of Montreal, authorities said.

Quebec provincial police said later that they had arrested three people about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the Saint-Jerome jail from which the inmates escaped. One of those arrested was 36-year-old inmate Benjamin Hudon-Barbeau. Authorities late Sunday located the second inmate and said a security perimeter had been set up around the area where 33-year-old Danny Provencal has been found.

Earlier on Sunday, police received a call from the staff at the Saint-Jerome jail, reporting the escape around 2:20 p.m., said Quebec provincial police Sgt. Benoit Richard.

The jail's warden told police that Hudon-Barbeau and Provencal had grabbed a rope dropped from the helicopter to make their getaway, Richard said.

Quebec provincial police tracked down the helicopter used in the escape on Sunday afternoon to Mont-Tremblant, about 53 miles (85 kilometers) away from the jail but only the chopper's pilot was still at the scene. He was taken to a local hospital, Richard said.

"He's going to be questioned later on by investigators, within the next couple of hours," Richard said, adding that it's too early to say what the pilot's role was in the escape.

A Montreal radio station, 98.5 FM, said it received a call Sunday from a man claiming to be Hudon-Barbeau, who said he was "ready to die" as he tried to evade police.

Yves Galarneau, the correctional services manager who oversees the Saint-Jerome jail said he'd never seen anything like the dramatic escape in more than three decades on the job.

Galarneau said there are no security measures in place at the jail to prevent a helicopter from swooping down from above.

"As far as I know, it's a first in Quebec," he told reporters at the scene. "It's exceptional."

The Saint-Jerome jail, located about 37 miles (60 kilometers) northwest of Montreal, experienced a mini-riot by about a dozen prisoners a little over a month ago.

In that incident, police were called in to secure the outside of the jail, which holds about 480 inmates, and the jail's staff used pepper spray to disperse the mob.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/2-inmates-escape-quebec-jail-helicopter-001905068.html

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Green Day's Armstrong upbeat in lively SXSW show

FILE - This Sept. 21, 2012 file photo shows Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day on stage at the iHeart Radio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. Green Day revs up for a world tour that was postponed by Armstrong entering rehab when the Grammy-winning punk band plays the South by Southwest music festival on Friday night, March 15, 2013. (Photo by Eric Reed/Invision/AP, file)

FILE - This Sept. 21, 2012 file photo shows Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day on stage at the iHeart Radio Music Festival at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas. Green Day revs up for a world tour that was postponed by Armstrong entering rehab when the Grammy-winning punk band plays the South by Southwest music festival on Friday night, March 15, 2013. (Photo by Eric Reed/Invision/AP, file)

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) ? Green Day isn't talking about the recent rocky past, but they're playing like the old days.

An upbeat Billie Joe Armstrong whipped the Grammy-winning punk trio through an ear-splitting two-hour show Friday night at the South by Southwest Music Festival, returning to the stage for only the second time since Armstrong emerged from a rehab stint that caused the band to postpone an arena tour.

The 41-year-old Armstrong made no mention of his problems with substance abuse while playfully bantering with a nearly sold-out crowd Moody Theater and ripping through a 25-song marathon. The energetic set mixed new rockers from the "Uno!" ''Dos!" ''Tre!" trilogy the band rolled out last winter and old favorites like "Longview" and "American Idiot."

"This ain't no (expletive) cafe!" Armstrong told the crowd right out of the gate. "Get crazy!"

Armstrong's good spirits were a sharp contrast to his profane meltdown at the iHeartRadio Music Festival in Las Vegas in September, when he complained the band's time was being cut short and smashed his guitar. Two days later, Green Day announced Armstrong was headed to treatment for substance abuse.

His cheery chatting with the audience at the showcase SXSW gig did include one moment when, while apparently encountering a hiccup with his microphone, Armstrong quipped, "I wasn't even on drugs," while laughing.

Green Day is among the marquee acts at SXSW this year along with Justin Timberlake, Dave Grohl and the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. The weeklong festival turns out the lights Saturday when Prince is scheduled to play an intimate finale for just a few hundred guests at a small Austin club.

Green Day didn't just swing into Texas for a warm-up show before their delayed tour finally begins March 28 in Chicago. The band also walked a red carpet earlier Friday for the premiere of the documentary "Broadway Idiot," which chronicles Green Day turning their 2004 career-reviving album "American Idiot" into a musical.

___

Online:

http://greenday.com

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/4e67281c3f754d0696fbfdee0f3f1469/Article_2013-03-16-Music-SXSW-Green%20Day/id-623d2fe00ce8493dab0d367b5d742567

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Wells leads Maryland to 83-74 upset of No. 2 Duke

Maryland's Pe'Shon Howard gestures in the final seconds of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke at the Atlantic Coast Conference men's tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Friday, March 15, 2013. Maryland won 83-74. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)

Maryland's Pe'Shon Howard gestures in the final seconds of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke at the Atlantic Coast Conference men's tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Friday, March 15, 2013. Maryland won 83-74. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)

Duke's Mason Plumlee (5) shoots over Maryland's Alex Len (25) and Jake Layman (10) during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Atlantic Coast Conference men's tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Friday, March 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)

Maryland's Dez Wells (32) and Nick Faust (5) react after a basket against Duke during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Atlantic Coast Conference men's tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Friday, March 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)

Maryland's Nick Faust, left, and Duke's Quinn Cook wrestle for control of a loose ball during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game at the Atlantic Coast Conference men's tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Friday, March 15, 2013. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)

Maryland's Dez Wells smiles in the final seconds of an NCAA college basketball game against Duke at the Atlantic Coast Conference men's tournament in Greensboro, N.C., Friday, March 15, 2013. Maryland won 83-74. (AP Photo/Bob Leverone)

GREENSBORO, N.C. (AP) ? Dez Wells gave the floor a hard slap, and No. 2 Duke certainly felt it.

It knocked the Blue Devils out of the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament early ? and maybe off the No. 1 seed line for the NCAA tournament, too.

Wells scored a career-high 30 points and Maryland upset Duke 83-74 on Friday night in the ACC tournament quarterfinals.

Wells was 9 of 13 from the field and 10 of 10 from the free throw line to lead the seventh-seeded Terrapins (22-11), who delivered the first big shocker of the week in Greensboro and will play third-seeded North Carolina on Saturday in their first semifinal appearance since 2009.

"You have to be good and be lucky to beat a great team. We're a little bit of both," Maryland coach Mark Turgeon said. "Watching them play tonight I think they fully expected to win that game and that's a good feeling when you have such a young basketball team to play on such a big stage in such a big game and to play with the poise that they played tonight."

They never trailed, held the league's best team from 3-point range to 4-of-25 shooting from beyond the arc, and bolstered their NCAA tournament credentials by beating Duke for the second straight time.

"One of the things during this time of the year ... is that if you lose, it's final," coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Our team did not feel that. And now we have to understand that that's the way it is. I mean, if you don't do it, it's done. I don't care what your record was, or whatever. It's over. It's one and done."

Mason Plumlee had 19 points to lead the second-seeded Blue Devils (27-5), whose quest for a No. 1 seed in the field of 68 took a jolt.

They had the ball trailing by six points with about 2 minutes left after Seth Curry hit a rare 3-pointer and the Blue Devils got an even rarer defensive stop.

But Tyler Thornton missed 3-pointers on consecutive trips downcourt and Wells and Seth Allen followed with two free throws apiece, with Allen's stretching the lead to 77-67 with 1:44 left.

Duke didn't get closer than five the rest of the way.

"They seemed to always have an answer," Plumlee said, "and that's how they kept us from getting back in the game."

Four Maryland players finished with 10 points apiece ? Nick Faust, Jake Layman, Alex Len and Allen. The Terrapins outrebounded Duke by 10 and made 23 of 25 free throws.

They also had the most dominant player on the floor in Wells, who surpassed his previous high of 25 points set in December against George Mason.

In the process, he delivered his team's biggest statement during the run that put the Terps well on their way to the win. Immediately after the 7-foot-1 Len buried an unlikely 15-foot jumper, Wells gave the floor a hard slap ? a jab at the Blue Devils' we-mean-business trademark on defense.

"I was trying to energize my guys, and at that moment I was thinking, 'We have to get a stop,'" Wells said. "Whatever I have to do to get my guys pumped. No shots at Duke or anything like that. I just wanted to get my guys energized."

Whatever the motivation, it worked: Curry missed a 3-pointer a few seconds later.

Rasheed Sulaimon had 16 points and Curry finished with 15 for the Blue Devils, who won the tournament the last three times it was played in Greensboro ? in 2006, 2010 and 2011.

But they've also lost two straight games in a building that had been their home away from Cameron.

The Greensboro Coliseum was also the site of their one-and-done loss to 15th-seeded Lehigh in their NCAA tournament opener last year. They lost for the first time this season with Ryan Kelly in the lineup; they were 9-4, with an 83-81 loss at Maryland last month, while the power forward was out with a right foot injury.

And their quest to become the fourth program with 2,000 victories will have to wait ? this loss leaves them at 1,998.

After missing nine of their first 10 3-pointers, they finally started to warm up in the second half.

Curry ? who was scoreless in the first half ? converted a four-point play to spark a run that brought the Blue Devils within one. Kelly's three-point play with 13:41 left pulled Duke to 45-44 ? the closest it had been since the opening tip.

But Duke had serious trouble stopping the Terps, who scored on 12 of 17 trips downcourt and used an 18-6 run to stretch the lead back out to 13. Pe'Shon Howard's free throw with 5:47 left put Maryland up 65-52.

The teams split the regular-season series, with each winning on its home court. Duke pulled away late to rout the Terrapins by 20 on Jan. 26, before Maryland sprung their previous upset of the then-No. 2 Blue Devils three weeks later in one of Plumlee's worst games of the season.

The third meeting was dominated by the Terrapins, from the tip to the final buzzer.

And Wells was particularly unstoppable. He scored three times over Kelly, dunking on him once and contorting himself for two layups around the fellow Raleigh native, on his way to 16 points in the opening 20 minutes.

"We didn't match their energy from the start," Curry said.

___

Follow Joedy McCreary on Twitter at (at)JoedyAP

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/347875155d53465d95cec892aeb06419/Article_2013-03-15-T25-ACC-Maryland-Duke/id-962145a272244c5eb378e067ccff08b6

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After Years Of Being Separated From Foster Mom, 32-Year-Old Man ...

Maurice Griffin?(pictured right) has waited decades to be adopted, and finally at age 32, his wish is being granted. Even though adoption at Griffin?s age is rather odd, the wheels?will be?in motion anyway since he has finally reunited with the only foster Mother who ever treated him like her own son, reports CNN.

SEE ALSO: Kris Humphries Had To Re-Shoot Marriage Proposal

Griffin was placed in the home of Lisa Godbold (pictured) and her then-husband in the 1980s, after they spotted him at an orphanage not too far from their Sacramento, Calif., home. Griffin was 9 years old and is biracial, while Godbold is White.

Godbold told CNN, ?Interracial relationships weren?t as common or accepted as they are today, and the fact that Maurice was biracial and we were a biracial family, made us a great profile, so to speak.?

The muscular and mohawk-sporting Griffin felt as if he was truly a part of Godbold?s?family.? According to the widowed and now-remarried Godbold, Griffin and her two boys got along great.? Griffin reminisces, ?We were best friends. We?d run around, we did mischievous things, and fun things. It was a good time.?

Griffin was such a perfect fit that Godbold?and her then-husband decided to adopt the boy who was 13 at the time. However, two months before the adoption process was finalized, the foster care agency snatched Griffin out of Godbold?s?home for spanking, which Godbold?believed in at the time.

Godbold told CNN that the agency?s powers-that-be admonished her, ??You can?t spank foster children.? Maurice very much wanted that [to be spanked],? she said. ?We wanted him to feel like the rest of our kids. And there was a difference of opinion with some of the [child welfare] supervisors.?

Godbold contends she battled to keep Griffin but lost in the end because she was told she could lose her own children.

As the years progressed, Griffin and Godbold?lost touch. For Griffin, being removed from the home was devastating, ?It was just an emptiness,? he said. ?I couldn?t talk to anybody about it because nobody was there. I couldn?t call somebody; there was just a void in me.?

Throughout the years, both Griffin and Godbold?continued to search for each other. Griffin was placed in several homes, so his life was constantly in flux. Godbold?s husband passed away in 1998, and she later remarried and changed her last name. Meanwhile, Griffin confessed to CNN that he hit many rough patches in his life and always kept people at arm?s length.? ?I didn?t let anybody get close to me again,? Griffin said. ?I hurt a lot of people.?

Six years ago, Godbold found Griffin on?the social media site MySpace and was able to call him.? He was so overwhelmed by the phone call that he had to hang up to compose himself.

Now the two are reunited and have decided to make their relationship legal. On Friday, both Griffin and Godbold are heading to a San Diego juvenile court and they will finally be Mother and son.

Watch Griffin and Godbold?s story here:

Source: News One

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Source: http://datzhott.com/2013/03/15/after-years-of-being-separated-from-foster-mom-32-year-old-man-will-get-adopted/

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JPMorgan Senate Report Says Bank Misled Investors, Regulators To Hide Massive 'Whale' Losses

A scathing report released by a Senate panel Thursday shows the financial crisis never really abated: The forces that delivered it -- a toxic combination of reckless speculation, balance sheet manipulation and outright disdain for regulators -- remained fully at work inside the biggest bank of them all, JPMorgan Chase, as recently as last spring.

The 300-page report, which unfolds in tones worthy of an indictment, says JPMorgan executives brazenly misled and bullied their regulators, going so far as to call them "stupid."

This, the report concludes, explains how a bet engineered by a trader called the London Whale for his enormous, market-moving positions burgeoned into losses reaching $6.2 billion. Chief executive Jamie Dimon initially dismissed the Whale losses as a ?tempest in a teapot.?

"In contrast to JPMorgan Chase?s reputation for best-in-class risk management, the whale trades exposed a bank culture in which risk limit breaches were routinely disregarded, risk metrics were frequently criticized or downplayed, and risk evaluation models were targeted by bank personnel seeking to produce artificially lower capital requirements," the report concludes.

The top in-house regulator at JPMorgan, from the U.S. Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, told the Senate subcommittee that it was "very common" for the bank to push back on examiner filings and recommendations. The regulator recalled one instance in which bank executives yelled at OCC examiners and derided them as ?stupid.?

"The bank's initial claims that its risk managers and regulators were fully informed and engaged ... were fictions irreconcilable with the bank?s obligation to provide material information to its investors in an accurate manner," says the report from the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations.

The report traces responsibility for JPMorgan?s trading fiasco to its highest offices, all the way to CEO Dimon.

A JPMorgan spokeswoman rejected the report?s findings, maintaining that the bank has
consistently been truthful to regulators and the public about the state of its balance sheet and overall health.

"While we have repeatedly acknowledged mistakes, our senior management acted in good faith and never had any intent to mislead anyone,? Jennifer Zuccarelli, a spokeswoman for the bank, said in a statement. ?We know we have made many mistakes related to the CIO matter, and we have already identified many of the issues cited in the report. We have taken significant steps to remediate these issues and to learn from them."

The report is likely to intensify calls to finalize the so-called Volcker Rule, aimed at limiting trades that banks make for their own benefit.

Inside JPMorgan, the loss-making trade was the handiwork of the Chief Investment Office -- a unit officially described as a source of hedging -- investments that diminished the risks on the institution by balancing its positions. But hedging was merely a euphemism, the report asserts, describing the CIO as a locus of increasingly speculative trading made for no reason other than to amplify the bank?s potential profits. Regulators reviewing the CIO?s trades after the blowup described the portfolio as a ?make believe voodoo magic composite hedge,? the sub-committee report notes.

The Senate report, the most detailed and damning examination of the Whale trading to date, promises to revive the controversy over Dimon's stewardship of the bank, and the ability of regulators to keep tabs on the nation's biggest financial institutions. It comes on the eve of eagerly-awaited Senate testimony by Ina Drew, who resigned as head of JPMorgan's Chief Investment Office after the Whale bet soured.

The trade involved outsized bets by one trader, Bruno Iksil, on financial instruments known as credit default swaps. The trade tarnished Dimon's once-sterling reputation as Wall Street's savviest leader.

The report cites emails, documents, instant message conversations and recorded telephone conversations between high-level JPMorgan employees. The Senate subcommittee collected nearly 90,000 documents, according to the report.

Key JPMorgan executives claimed to be in the dark about the London Whale losses or downplayed them, even after Drew ordered the trades stopped on March 23, 2012, according to the report.

John Hogan, JPMorgan's chief risk officer, told the Senate subcommittee that the first media reports about the losses in April surprised him and that the portfolio was not on his radar in an "alarming way" before then.

The report reveals the thoughts of those most closely involved with the trade, including Iskil and Drew. In February 2012, JPMorgan asked the CIO?s office to document the ongoing losses and provide an explanation. The bank specifically asked the traders in that group to mark their losses in a way that would look good to investors.

Iksil told the Senate subcommittee he wrote to his superiors he was attempting to reduce paper losses ?as much as I can in a bleeding book."

In a phone conversation on March 16, Iksil said to a junior trader: ?I can?t keep this going ... I don?t know where he wants to stop but it?s getting idiotic.?

On March 9, 2012, in a recorded conversation with Iksil, a junior trader said, ?we?re lagging,? predicting ?a big fiasco? and ?big drama when, in fact, everybody should have ... seen it coming a long time ago. Anyway, you see, we cannot win here. ... I believe that it is better today that it?s dead, that we are going to crash. The firm will service the debt. ... It?s going to be very uncomfortable but we must not screw up. ? It?s going to be very political in the end.?

By the time Drew ordered traders to stop trading on March 23, emails and recorded phone conversations show, the traders were describing the portfolio as ?huge? and ?more and more monstrous.?

Publicly, the bank was taking a very different tack. On April 13, Douglas Braunstein, then JPMorgan's chief financial officer, said on an earnings call with analysts and investors that the bank was "very comfortable with our positions."

UPDATE: 9:52 p.m. -- The Office of Comptroller of the Currency released a statement, saying it recognizes "that there were shortcomings in the OCC supervision leading up to and responding to the unfolding events" in the bank's Chief Investment Office."

The statement continues:

As the bank revealed the true nature of the CIO operation and the level of loss exposure, the Comptroller escalated the agency?s response and ordered a two-pronged review into the bank?s actions as well as the OCC?s. As a result of that review, we have taken specific steps to improve our supervisory process across the large complex financial institutions we supervise.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/14/jpmorgan-senate-report-whale-losses_n_2880470.html

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The Easiest Way To Tell Your Seatmate You're Not Interested In Small Talk

Airplane seats are notoriously uncomfortable for sleeping. Whether it's because of the stiff-as-a-board headrest, or a chatty seatmate who didn't take a hint when you put on your headphones. So here's the simple solution to both problems: an inflatable pillow that doubles as an obnoxious wall. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/62H74Nqt564/the-easiest-way-to-tell-your-seatmate-youre-not-interested-in-small-talk

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Canadian Natural Mama ~ Product Reviews: Grace & Lace

I.LOVE. these socks.

Seriousllllllllly, love them.

They could not have arrived on a more perfect day either.

We went down to our mailbox in the U.S. on a beautiful sunshiney but COLD day. We had not really planned on going anywhere else, so I just wore a skirt with leggings... bad move. The wind was BRISK.

We got to the mailbox, and I was overjoyed to find that these beauties had arrived.

Thick, soft, cozy and loooooooooong, I put them on RIGHT away.?

I could not believe how long they were in real life. I mean, in the stock photo they looked amazingly long, but I didn't realize exactly HOW long they really would be.?

I guess reading the actual description would have been a big hint as to the size, but I was too enthralled with the pictures.

SIZING: ONE SIZE FITS ALL. fits women's shoe size 6-11. They Measure ~26in from heel to top of cuff (not folded over). Top cuff can stretch to accommodate up to 24in circumference!

Sometimes I find long socks are too tight for me, I don't have the skinniest of legs, so often I am disappointed with the size.

Not this time.

I could pull these babies up and over my knee and and right up my leg (even right over my leggings)!

SCORE!!?

So.

So.

So.

Cozy.

AND CUTE!!

For all of you skinny legged people, there is a handy, and adorable tie under the cuff so you can make sure that they stay up.

Whether pulled up over the knee, or slouched under the knee, they look gorgeous.

I instantly began raving about them like a love-struck lunatic.

I posted a photo on my instagram (iheartcupcake).?

I posted a photo on my personal facebook.

?I giggled with delight when my friends, too, started liking them!

(I told you I'm nerdy).

We decided to go to the beach, and boy was I glad that I had these socks to keep me warm.

Gorgeous day? Yes.

Absolutely freezing? Heck yes.

Brrrrr.

There is something about a beautiful, brisk day at the beach that just wakes you up inside.

I love living on the West Coast!!

Which colour would you choose?

I think I need some in grey as well...oh and maybe in black, too.

What I love about the tweed is that they have little flecks of colour in amongst the yarn, so pretty.

I know that these socks are going to get a LOT of use.

?

For you...

And your little one.

Even your fave boots can get a bit dreary and old by the end of winter, why not add something pretty to lighten up your step?

I love the delicate lace edge.

Or if lace really isn't your thing:

Buttons!

Cute, right???

Who would have thought a little shop in Texas could do stylish cozy so well!??!

I mean, I could see these socks coming out of chilly CANADA ;)

hahaha

I guess everything is a little bigger and better in Texas.

?

?

?

Melissa created her first pair of boot socks, listed them, and was overwhelmed with the amount of orders she had for MORE, MORE, MORE of the same!!

She and her friends could not leave the house without someone stopping and asking where they could get themselves a pair.

They have now sold over 7000 of these lacey frilly boot socks and legwarmers.?

And have grown so rapidly - that they "have now evolved into an official company with trademarked designs, and friends and family as "staff". Jan 1, 2012 marked the beginning of our official name change to "Grace & Lace". Feb. 1, 2012 is our official expansion of our "Lil Lacies" - boot socks and legwarmers for little girls."

?

GO MELISSA GO!!!!!?

?

I actually first saw them on Pinterest, and knew that I had to have a pair.

Thanks Melissa for making that dream a reality!

?

?

?

Which pair will you choose???

?

Or something different?

Make sure to add Grace & Lace on Facebook to keep up to date with news and specials:

?

?Or check them out directly on Etsy:?

Thanks again Melissa!!!

Perhaps you should send me business cards so I can hand them out when I wear my socks!

- Mel-

?

?

Source: http://canadian-natural-mama.blogspot.com/2013/03/grace-lace.html

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Icahn signs confidentiality agreement with Dell

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who is fighting Dell Inc. founder Michael Dell's plan to take the struggling company private, has entered a confidentiality agreement that would give him access to the computer maker's financial records.

Michael Dell, who is also Dell's CEO, is planning a $24.4 billion buyout that would make the Round Rock, Texas, company a privately owned business. But Icahn and other investors say the price of $13.65 per share is too low.

Icahn's company, Icahn Enterprises, has said it holds a substantial stake in the company.

Icahn wants the company to pay a special dividend of $9 per share, financed with existing cash and new debt, if shareholders reject the buyout offer.

The investor told Dell executives in a recent letter that if they decline to promise this one-time payout, then he wants the company to combine a shareholder vote on the buyout with its annual election of directors,

In that case, Icahn would nominate candidates who would implement the special dividend if they are elected, and Icahn and his company could provide more than $5 billion in loans to ensure prompt payment of the dividend.

Icahn wrote in his letter to Dell last week that the PC maker's future is bright, and all shareholders should benefit from that, not just Michael Dell. Icahn is known for buying out-of-favor stocks and boosting them by pressuring or replacing boards of directors, installing new management and other bare-knuckle tactics.

Analysts say Icahn's entry into the debate over the deal makes it less likely that shareholders will accept Dell's current buyout offer.

Shareholder Forum, a group that fights for shareholder rights, plans to demand copies of the same records that Icahn is getting, according to Gary Lutin, a former investment banker who runs the group. The Shareholder Forum last week sent a letter to Dell's board seeking access to the information that influenced the decision to sell the company at $13.65 per share. The forum wants to bring in independent experts to review whether the proposed buyout is the best choice for the company and its shareholders.

Dell appointed a special committee of directors last August after Michael Dell notified the company that he was exploring a buyout bid in partnership with other investors. Michael Dell has agreed to contribute 273 million shares of the company stock that he controls and $750 million in cash to help finance the buyout, which relies primarily on loans from PC software maker Microsoft Corp. and an assortment of banks.

Dell's special committee has said it already considered a special dividend during a "rigorous" five-month review that culminated with the buyout plan. It said last week that it is conducting a search for better alternatives to the proposed buyout, and Icahn and others are welcome to participate.

Dell shares rose 21 cents to close at $14.37 Monday. Shares of Icahn Enterprises rose 40 cents to $61.20.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/495d344a0d10421e9baa8ee77029cfbd/Article_2013-03-11-Dell-Icahn/id-2e2dd00756bd49d18362d246c5e050e4

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Fierce brawl mars Canada's 10-3 win over Mexico

Canada's Jay Johnson, top left, and Mexico's Eduardo Arredondo fight during the ninth inning of a World Baseball Classic game, Saturday, March 9, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Canada's Jay Johnson, top left, and Mexico's Eduardo Arredondo fight during the ninth inning of a World Baseball Classic game, Saturday, March 9, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Canada's Tyson Gillies, right and Mexico's Alfredo Aceves fight during the ninth inning of a World Baseball Classic game, Saturday, March 9, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Canada's Jay Johnson, right, and Mexico's Eduardo Arredondo fight during the ninth inning of a World Baseball Classic game, Saturday, March 9, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Canada's Jay Johnson, bottom right, and Mexico's Eduardo Arredondo fight during the ninth inning of a World Baseball Classic game as teammates try to break them up, Saturday, March 9, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

Canada manager Ernie Whitt (12) and Mexico manager Rick Renteria greet each other before a World Baseball Classic game on Saturday, March 9, 2013, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Matt York)

PHOENIX (AP) ? A little bunt single turned this WBC matchup into a World Boxing Classic.

Alfredo Aceves and several players threw nasty punches when a fierce, full-scale brawl broke out in the ninth inning Saturday of Canada's 10-3 romp over Mexico in the World Baseball Classic, a melee that also involved fans and set off skirmishes in the seats.

"Whoever says that we're just here as an extra spring training game or we're just here to say we represented our country and then go home obviously didn't see how intense that game was and what it means to everybody that was involved," Canadian slugger Justin Morneau said.

Multiple fights erupted after Canada's Rene Tosoni was hit in the back by a pitch from Arnold Leon with the score 9-3 at Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. It quickly turned into a wild scene, as chaotic as any on a major league field in recent years.

Even when the fisticuffs ended, Canadian pitching coach Denis Boucher was hit in the face by a full water bottle thrown from the crowd. Canada shortstop Cale Iorg angrily threw the bottle back into the crowd.

Several police officers came onto the field trying to restore order, and there were a few skirmishes in the decidedly pro-Mexico crowd of 19,581. Seven players were ejected after umpires huddled, trying to sort out the frenzy.

Canadian first base coach Larry Walker, a former NL MVP, said he held back Mexico star Adrian Gonzalez during the altercation. The solidly built Walker also tried to restrain Aceves.

"I had a hold of him and I thought I saw Satan in his eyes," Walker said.

There had already been several borderline plays on the bases when things got out of hand. A bunt hit by Chris Robinson heightened the tension ? a WBC tiebreaker relies heavily on runs and the Canadians wanted to score again in the ninth. Third baseman Luis Cruz fielded Robinson's bunt and seemed to tell Leon to hit the next batter.

Managers from both teams blamed the tiebreaking rule that uses run differential to determine what team moves on to the next round.

"It was just simply a misunderstanding," Mexico manager Rick Renteria said. "In a normal setting, a normal professional setting I should say, a 9-3 bunt in that particular fashion would be kind of out of the ordinary."

Right as the game resumed, someone in the crowd hurled a baseball that almost hit Walker in the head.

"That's when I went out to the umpire and I said, 'Another thing comes out, we're going to pull our team off the field," Canadian manager Ernie Whitt said.

The collision of WBC rules and the unwritten rules of the game led to the blowup, Renteria said.

"I think in just in the heat of the moment you lose sight of it," he said, "and maybe that's how it occurred."

Whitt said WBC officials need to look at the tiebreaking rule.

"There's got to be another method other than the scoring runs, running up the score on the opposing team," he said. "No one likes that. That's not the way baseball's supposed to be played. There's professionalism that we're all accustomed to here in North America. And unfortunately teams are knocked out of the tournament because other teams run up the score on them. Unfortunately that's what you have to deal with when you have that type of format."

Morneau, Gonzalez and Joey Votto were among the big-name, high-priced stars playing in the game. The fight was exactly the kind of thing that must have made major league managers and general managers cringe at the thought of one of their players getting hurt in such a fracas.

"There's a point you got to stand up for yourself," said Morneau, a former MVP with the Minnesota Twins. "We got hit for playing the game, and that happens, but at the same time you got to stand up for yourself. You can't just get pushed around."

"Obviously everyone wishes it didn't happen, but it happens in the game sometimes," he said. " I think we have all learned from being in the minor leagues that, especially in low-A ball, high-A ball, those things get real crazy. There's not as much security. It starts to get out of control pretty bad, and I think you learn from that, you learn to keep your head on a swivel."

Aceves was among four Mexican players thrown out ? the angry Boston reliever was tossed to the ground by Philadelphia minor league outfielder Tyson Gillies during the height of the fury, then rushed to rejoin the fray.

"I did it see it on video. I saw it afterward. I saw the altercation, yes," Red Sox manager John Farrell said after Saturday night's exhibition game against Baltimore in Fort Myers, Fla. "I think we all hope our players don't get injured when they go off to a tournament , especially in that type of melee."

As for Aceves, "it looks like he came out of it OK, with the exception of a couple of welts on his head," Farrell said. "We had a message from their trainer that he came out of it OK despite taking a couple of left hooks to the head."

Also ejected were Leon, Oliver Perez and Eduardo Arredondo of Mexico and Tosoni, Pete Orr and Jay Johnson of Canada. A statement from organizers said tape of the incident would be reviewed for possible disciplinary action.

All in all, it was far from the worldwide goodwill that is supposed to accompany this competition, where players exchange team hats with opponents before the start of each game as a sign of sportsmanship.

A day earlier on the same field, Mexico posted an emotional 5-2 over the United States in a game without incident. Canada, meanwhile, absorbed an embarrassing 14-4 loss to Italy.

Mexico finished its Pool D play at 1-2. Canada is 1-1 going into a game Sunday against the United States.

Whitt said he hoped any decision on suspensions would take into account that Mexico has finished its pool play, while Canada has a big game remaining.

Canada scored four times in the first inning, and Mexico cut the lead to 4-3 with two runs in the fourth.

Karim Garcia, Edgar Gonzalez and pinch hitter Sebastian Valle started the inning with singles. Garcia tried to score from second on Valle's single and was thrown out from center field by Gillies.

Robinson, the catcher, held on to the ball in a collision with Garcia down the third-base line. Garcia never did touch the plate.

Gil Velazquez followed with an RBI double and Arrendondo's sacrifice fly cut Canada's lead to one.

Robinson's hard slide into second broke up a potential double play and allowed a run to score in a two-run seventh inning that put the Canadians ahead 7-3.

Morneau, who had four hits and drove in three runs, doubled in a run, then Michael Saunders walked and Robinson was hit in the foot by a pitch. With one out, pinch hitter Jimmy Van Ostrand grounded to second.

But Robinson took the legs out from Velazquez at shortstop to prevent the relay throw and a run scored.

"'We want to play the game hard. We want to play it properly. You get an opportunity to help a team, help your teammates, by breaking up a double play or something, that's something we do," Robinson said.

All that led up to the ninth, with Mexico trailing badly and facing possible elimination despite the big win over the United States.

Robinson bunted because Canada wanted to widen the margin.

Two pitches came close to Tosoni and the next one hit him in the back. He dropped the bat and walked toward the mound.

When the players all rushed onto the field. Some just shoved, other threw wild haymakers. And just when it seemed things would calm down, more skirmishes ensued.

When the bottle was thrown from behind the Canadian dugout, one Canada player had to be restrained from going into the stands.

No player seemed to be hurt.

"I know the bodies kept moving everywhere but there was a lot more people holding people back than there was real action going on," Renteria said, "as is always the case."

As for his team, Whitt said, "You can't hurt Canadians."

___

Follow Bob Baum at www.twitter.com/Thebaumerphx

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-03-09-WBC-Canada-Mexico/id-4b2a3afbe5794a62aea1e0f72c2ee8cc

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