Official Vatican text of pope's speech

VATICAN CITY (AP) ? Following is the official English language translation provided by the Vatican of Pope Francis' Easter Sunday message, delivered in Italian from the central balcony of St. Peter's Basilica.

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Dear brothers and sisters in Rome and throughout the world, Happy Easter! Happy Easter!

What a joy it is for me to announce this message: Christ is risen! I would like it to go out to every house and every family, especially where the suffering is greatest, in hospitals, in prisons.

Most of all, I would like it to enter every heart, for it is there that God wants to sow this Good News: Jesus is risen, there is hope for you, you are no longer in the power of sin, of evil! Love has triumphed, mercy has been victorious! The mercy of God always triumphs!

We too, like the women who were Jesus' disciples, who went to the tomb and found it empty, may wonder what this event means (cf. Lk 24:4). What does it mean that Jesus is risen? It means that the love of God is stronger than evil and death itself; it means that the love of God can transform our lives and let those desert places in our hearts bloom. The love God can do this!

This same love for which the Son of God became man and followed the way of humility and self-giving to the very end, down to hell - to the abyss of separation from God - this same merciful love has flooded with light the dead body of Jesus, has transfigured it, has made it pass into eternal life. Jesus did not return to his former life, to earthly life, but entered into the glorious life of God and he entered there with our humanity, opening us to a future of hope.

This is what Easter is: it is the exodus, the passage of human beings from slavery to sin and evil to the freedom of love and goodness. Because God is life, life alone, and we are his glory: the living man (cf. Irenaeus, Adversus Haereses, 4,20,5-7).

Dear brothers and sisters, Christ died and rose once for all, and for everyone, but the power of the Resurrection, this passover from slavery to evil to the freedom of goodness, must be accomplished in every age, in our concrete existence, in our everyday lives. How many deserts, even today, do human beings need to cross! Above all, the desert within, when we have no love for God or neighbour, when we fail to realize that we are guardians of all that the Creator has given us and continues to give us. God's mercy can make even the driest land become a garden, can restore life to dry bones (cf. Ez 37:1-14).

So this is the invitation which I address to everyone: Let us accept the grace of Christ's Resurrection! Let us be renewed by God's mercy, let us be loved by Jesus, let us enable the power of his love to transform our lives too; and let us become agents of this mercy, channels through which God can water the earth, protect all creation and make justice and peace flourish.

And so we ask the risen Jesus, who turns death into life, to change hatred into love, vengeance into forgiveness, war into peace. Yes, Christ is our peace, and through him we implore peace for all the world.

Peace for the Middle East, and particularly between Israelis and Palestinians, who struggle to find the road of agreement, that they may willingly and courageously resume negotiations to end a conflict that has lasted all too long. Peace in Iraq, that every act of violence may end, and above all for dear Syria, for its people torn by conflict and for the many refugees who await help and comfort. How much blood has been shed! And how much suffering must there still be before a political solution to the crisis will be found?

Peace for Africa, still the scene of violent conflicts. In Mali, may unity and stability be restored; in Nigeria, where attacks sadly continue, gravely threatening the lives of many innocent people, and where great numbers of persons, including children, are held hostage by terrorist groups. Peace in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and in the Central African Republic, where many have been forced to leave their homes and continue to live in fear.

Peace in Asia, above all on the Korean peninsula: may disagreements be overcome and a renewed spirit of reconciliation grow.

Peace in the whole world, still divided by greed looking for easy gain, wounded by the selfishness which threatens human life and the family, selfishness that continues in human trafficking, the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century; human trafficking is the most extensive form of slavery in this twenty-first century! Peace to the whole world, torn apart by violence linked to drug trafficking and by the iniquitous exploitation of natural resources! Peace to this our Earth! Made the risen Jesus bring comfort to the victims of natural disasters and make us responsible guardians of creation.

Dear brothers and sisters, to all of you who are listening to me, from Rome and from all over of the world, I address the invitation of the Psalm: "Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; for his steadfast love endures for ever. Let Israel say: 'His steadfast love endures for ever'" (Ps 117:1-2).

Greeting

Dear Brothers and Sisters, to you who have come from all over the world to this Square at the heart of Christianity, and to you linked by modern technology, I repeat my greeting: Happy Easter!

Bear in your families and in your countries the message of joy, hope and peace which every year, on this day, is powerfully renewed.

May the risen Lord, the conqueror of sin and death, be a support to you all, especially to the weakest and neediest. Thank you for your presence and for the witness of your faith. A thought and a special thank-you for the beautiful flowers, which come from the Netherlands. To all of you I affectionately say again: may the risen Christ guide all of you and the whole of humanity on the paths of justice, love and peace.

__

Copyright Vatican Publishing House

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-31-Vatican-Easter-Text/id-b731751ba9d34091ad034e741a04ad82

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Miscellaneous Mentionables : Mom Knows It All. ? PR Friendly New ...

You are here: Home ? Announcements ? Miscellaneous Mentionables

I frequently receive email from companies asking me to share news or discounts with my readers. Each week I?ll gather the best requests and share them with you here.

Voots ?Get Kids Growing? Garden Grants

Voots? Veggie Fruit-Tarts along with Kidsgardening.org, a resource of the National Gardening Association, recently hosted the Voots ?Get Kids Growing,? interactive gardening workshop at The Americana at Brand in Glendale, Calif. with celebrity mom Christina Milian to help empower children and their families to lead healthier lives and build stronger communities through gardening!

While kids and their families had fun learning about gardening and healthy eating at the event, the main announcement was the unveiling of the Voots ?Get Kids Growing? Garden Grants, a partnership program that will award 20 grant recipients with $700* in gardening supplies including a raised bed, tools, and a curriculum guide from the Gardening with Kids Shop, and a check for $50 to be used to purchase soil amendments and fruit and vegetable plantings. The total award package is valued at over $750. Additionally, one recipient will be awarded a grand prize based on their submission, receiving an additional $1,250 in gardening supplies.

There?s still have time to participate in the grant program for a chance to win ? the deadline is April 1, 2013! More information can be found here: http://grants.kidsgardening.org/voots%C2%AE-get-kids-growing-garden-grants.

Tags: Voots

Category: Announcements

Source: http://www.valmg.com/index.php/2013/miscellaneous-mentionables-158/

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Egg hunts, air conditioning and the energy usage of renters [Friday ...

The Atlantic Cities wonders if air conditioning-dependent cities like Miami are, in fact, more sustainable than their "older, bitterly colder brethren in the north" like Minneapolis. University of Michigan research professor Michael Silvak believes this to be case ? Minneapolis is actually three-and-a-half more energy demanding than AC-loving Miami???when it comes to heating and cooling. Silvak explains: "The main story is counter-intuitive to me as well because we hear all the time about how unsustainable it is to live in the desert. This doesn?t actually argue that that's not the case. It just says look, there's another side of the coin as well, and we should pay attention to the other extreme."?

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Co.Design marvels at a clever waterproof toilet paper caddy for campers called When Nature Calls. The main components? Half of a recycled plastic 2-liter bottle, a freezer bag, reflective tape, and plenty of twine.

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Architizer singles out?nine "eggcellent" spots to partake in an Easter egg hunt including The High Line in Manhattan and Guatemala's Tikal National Park. I think most of us will have to settle with our own backyards but intriguing picks nevertheless.

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EcoBuilding Pulse is curious as to why renters use nearly a third more energy per square foot than homeowners (as evidenced by data recently released by the U.S. Energy Information Administration). The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies has some solid?theories.

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TreeHugger checks out the "pure salvage" building methods of Luling, Texas-based Tiny Texas Houses. Owner Brad Kittel who, most conveniently also operates an architectural salvage business, explains: "Tons of vintage materials are at our fingertips waiting to be re-harvested ? awaiting our awakening to the responsibilities we have to live with, not destroy the planet that we share. With some imagination, these salvaged quality materials and simple Human energy, anyone can have energy efficient tiny houses to live in for the rest of their lives. Sub-Zero carbon footprint houses are not only possible they are here ? our tiny houses are proof that this concept works."

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Jezebel welcomes?advice-giving clean person and author of "My Boyfriend Barfed in My Handbag" Jolie Kerr as a new weekly columnist. In her kick-off "Squalor" post, Kerr tackles removing nasty makeup stains from a twill couch and ridding a "beautiful vintage full-length crinoline/bustle/underskirt tulle-y foofy thing" of pot smoke stench.

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Curbed maps the most famous works of birthday boy Mies van der Rohe (the famed modernist architect would have turned 127 on Wednesday). Also, love this bit from the Mies Society: "In our time, where there is no limit to excess, Mies' reductionist approach is as pertinent as ever. As we reduce the distractions and focus on the essential elements of our environment and ourselves, we find they are great, intricate, and beautiful. Less?is?more."

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Source: http://www.mnn.com/your-home/at-home/blogs/egg-hunts-air-conditioning-and-the-energy-usage-of-renters-friday-news-clump

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Navy SEAL dies in training accident

TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) ? Authorities say one of two Navy SEALs injured during parachute training in southern Arizona has died while the other man remains hospitalized.

A U.S. Special Operations Command official said Friday that the SEAL died in a Tucson hospital Thursday but didn't have a condition update on the other man.

The names of the two SEALs were being withheld and the accident is under investigation.

Command spokesman Kenneth McGraw says the SEALs were practicing "routine military free-fall training" when the accident occurred about 12:30 p.m. Thursday.

Pinal County Sheriff's officials say the injured men collided in mid-air and landed in separate areas. The incident was turned over to military investigators Thursday afternoon.

McGraw says the command has a parachute testing and training facility at the Pinal Airpark northeast of Tucson.

___

Information from: Arizona Daily Star, http://www.azstarnet.com

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/1-navy-seal-dead-ariz-parachuting-accident-202709095.html

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Hands-on with the Android-based Ouya Gaming Console - Bonnie ...

Nine months ago, Julie Uhrman had an idea for a gaming console. The goal behind it was twofold: To give consumers an affordable video game system, and to give developers an open platform for building games for the television.

Without any notion of whether people actually wanted such a device, she took her idea to the crowdfunding site Kickstarter and within a month she had more than 63,000 backers and $8.5 million in pledges.

Today, the first set of consoles started shipping.

Uhrman is the founder and CEO of Ouya, a $100 game system built on the Android operating system. It consists of a pint-size console that connects to your TV via HDMI. Unlike traditional consoles like the Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation, there is no optical drive. Instead, all games and apps are made available through Ouya?s built-in store. A wireless Bluetooth game controller is also included in the package, while additional controllers are available for $50.

Though today?s shipment is limited to the backers of the Kickstarter campaign, Ouya will be available to consumers in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. starting June 4. It will be sold through various retailers, including Amazon, Target and Best Buy.

I got a chance to check out Ouya this week during the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, and the hardware is impressive.

Designed by Yves Behar, who was also the mastermind behind the Jawbone Jambox, the console is about the size of a Rubik?s cube and is wrapped in flushed aluminum. The controller features matching aluminum accents, and has two standard analog sticks, eight action buttons, a d-pad and a built-in touchpad.

Uhrman, who has worked in the video game industry for more than 10 years, said the company wanted to build something beautiful that people wouldn?t necessarily want to hide away in a media cabinet, and I?d say they were successful in that.

I was relieved to see that the cheap price didn?t equate to a cheap design. It?s a solid device, and the controllers were comfortable to hold and use. Ouya is also attractive in its simplicity.

Inside the Ouya is a Tegra3 quad-core processor, one gigabyte of RAM and 8GB of flash storage. The back of the device houses all the various ports, including the HDMI connector, USB 2.0 port and Ethernet jack. Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are also onboard.

Like the console itself, the Ouya user interface and storefront is pretty simple. From the main menu, you have four options: Play, Discover, Make and Manage. Play is where you can find all the games that you?ve downloaded, while the Discover section takes you to the games store. Manage is basically the settings menu.

The Make channel is where things get interesting, and is also what sets it apart from the competition. Ouya was built to be a console for developers just as as much it was built for gamers.

?We want to be seen as the most developer-friendly platform there is,? Uhrman said in an interview with AllThingsD.

As such, publishers can go to the Make channel and use the built-in software development kit to build and test games for Ouya. Eventually, the company wants to evolve the section so that developers can have a direct relationship with gamers, where they can, for example, post different demos of games they are working on and have people vote on which is best.

Anyone can create a game, and there?s no cost to do so. Ouya?s only requirement is that there be some free element to the game, such as a free demo. Other than that, the developers can monetize their apps in any way they want, whether it?s through in-app purchases, donations or upgrades.

The open nature of Ouya?s platform should make it an attractive option for independent developers looking to bring their games into people?s living rooms. In turn, it?s a great gateway for discovering indie games.

But the big challenge for Ouya will be attracting customers outside of the indie gamer community. Sure, the $99 price tag is appealing, but is it going to have the titles that people want?

There are about 500 games already confirmed for Ouya, but Uhrman said it?s hard to say how many they?ll actually launch with. She said on Monday there were about 40 titles in the store, and then by Wednesday, it had jumped up to 67.

During my brief time with the system and storefront, I found that most games were of the retro-style arcade type or those you?d find on smartphones or tablets. Uhrman said they are working to bring AAA title games from big studios to Ouya, but she also believes that its unique content will be a major draw.

?There?s going to be innovative, creative, exclusive content on Ouya that you won?t be able to find anywhere else, and that alone is going to be the reason to buy Ouya,? she said.

I?m not fully convinced of that just yet, but we?ll see in a couple of months if I?m wrong.

Source: http://allthingsd.com/20130328/hands-on-with-ouya-the-tiny-gaming-console-with-big-aspirations/

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Could The 'Tomb Raider' Reboot Be 'Hunger Games'-Inspired?

Rumors about a "Tomb Raider" reboot have been swirling, particularly since the video game franchise was resurrected by publishers Square Enix Ltd. to rave reviews, selling more than 3 million units worldwide since its release. Now, MGM has acquired film rights to the video game series, and a new "Tomb Raider" is on the horizon. [...]

Source: http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2013/03/28/tomb-raider-reboot/

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93% Zero Dark Thirty

All Critics (242) | Top Critics (45) | Fresh (227) | Rotten (17) | DVD (2)

What's striking is the absence of triumphalism -- Bigelow doesn't shy away from showing the victims shot down in cold blood in the compound -- and we come away with the overwhelming sense that this has been a grim, dark episode in our history.

This is an instant classic.

Chastain makes Maya as vivid as a bloodshot eye. Her porcelain skin, delicate features and feminine attire belie the steel within.

No doubt Zero Dark Thirty serves a function by airing America's dirty laundry about detainee and torture programs, but in its wake, there's a crying need for a compassionate Coming Home to counter its brutal Deer Hunter.

While "Zero Dark Thirty" may offer political and moral arguing points aplenty, as well as vicarious thrills,as a film it's simply too much of a passable thing.

From the very first scenes of Zero Dark Thirty, director Kathryn Bigelow demonstrates why she is such a formidable filmmaker, as adept with human emotion as with visceral, pulse-quickening action.

Slathered in controversy, Kathryn Bigelow's Zero Dark Thirty confidently and forcefully storms onto DVD with an admirable A/V transfer, only hindered by a paltry gathering of extras from Sony.

The direction by Kathryn Bigelow, who won Oscars for Best Film and Best Director in her previous film "The Hurt Locker," is fierce and focused...

Despite what those silly Oscars would have you believe, it was this movie, not Argo, that was the finest of 2012.

Indulges Cheneyian fantasies complete with the bad-movie scene of the prisoner's defiance: "You're just a garbage man in the corporation," shouts the Arab who needs a lesson in manners from the Ph.D. (in torture?) who is racking him.

Bigelow tells the story very well, very efficiently, but doesn't really say much about it, which is ironic given the response to the film in some quarters.

Kathryn Bigelow takes the procedural model and brushes away every unnecessary detail, leaving behind a heavy, blunt object of a film that is also hugely watchable, engrossing and, best of all... highly suspenseful.

Rotten Tomatoes notes that I agree with Tomatometer critics 80 percent of the time, but this is one of those times I have to part ways with them.

Bigelow has directed excellent movies before, but this deserves to be remembered as the film that established her as a master.

You can't deny that what Zero Dark Thirty sets out to do, it does excellently.

An exhilarating and compelling historical document worthy of praise.

Bigelow's latest proves a rewarding piece of filmmaking, one that, in its best moments at least, is as gripping and as troubling as anything the director's ever made.

Bigelow and screenwriter Mark Boal shape history -- those breaks, big and small, that led to the killing of Osama bin Laden -- into one of the finest fact-based thrillers since "All the President's Men."

Purely as cinematic exercise, Zero Dark Thirty is an exhilarating piece of work. But, beyond its for-the-times subject matter, the work does not linger whatsoever.

Zero Dark Thirty is interesting as opposed to enjoyable, intriguing as opposed to entertaining, and certainly less memorable than The Hurt Locker.

It's quite remarkable how Bigelow and Boal managed to take 12 years of information (including a conclusion that everyone knows) and packaged it into a coherent, intimate and intense movie.

We know the ending, yet remain mesmerized by familiar details, filmed with a harrowing sense of urgency. It's as close to being in the White House situation room that night, watching a closed-circuit broadcast, as anyone could expect.

The second half of the film IS the film.

Whereas Locker was less about war than what it is to have a death wish, ZDT is less about the suspenseful true-life search for Osama bin Laden than the red tape one woman must wade through to prove that a mean old bastard is living in suburban Pakistan.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/zero_dark_thirty/

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Digital evolution: DNA may bring computers to life

By Tanya Lewis
LiveScience

The transistor revolutionized electronics and computing. Now, researchers have made a biological transistor from DNA that could be used to create living computers.

A transistor is a device that controls the flow of electrons in an electrical circuit, which acts as an on-off switch. Similarly, the biological transistor? termed a transcriptor ? controls the flow of an enzyme as it moves along a strand of DNA?(deoxyribonucleic acid). These cellular building blocks could be used to do anything from monitoring their environment to turning processes on and off in the cells. The findings were reported Thursday?in the journal Science.

"Transcriptors are the key component behind amplifying genetic logic," lead author Jerome Bonnet, a bioengineer at Stanford University, said in a statement. On their own, these devices do not represent a computer, but they allow for logical operations, such as "if this-then that" commands, one of three basic functions of computers (the other two being storing and transmitting information).

To make the transcriptors, the researchers took a group of natural proteins, the workhorses of cells, and used them to control how the enzyme known as RNA polymerase zipped along a DNA molecule. The team used these transcriptors to create the mathematical operators that perform computations using Boolean logic.

1s and 0s
Boolean logic, named for the 19th-century mathematician George Boole, refers to a branch of math in which variables can have a true or false value (a 1 or a 0). In a Boolean circuit, the logic gates are like traffic conductors, deciding which of these values gets transmitted. [Album: The World's Most Beautiful Equations]

For example, the "AND" gate takes in two values as input, and only outputs 1 (a true value) if both inputs are 1. An "OR" gate, by contrast, outputs a 1 if either of its inputs is 1. Combining these simple gates in different ways gives rise to even the most complex forms of computing.

The scientists created biological versions of these logic gates, by carefully calibrating the flow of enzymes along the DNA (just like electrons inside a wire). They chose enzymes that would be able to function in bacteria, fungi, plants and animals, so that biological computers might be made with a wide variety of organisms, Bonnet said.

Living Computers
Like the transistor, one main function of the transcriptor is to amplify signals. Just as transistor radios amplify weak radio waves into audible sound, transcriptors can amplify a very small change in the production of an enzyme to produce large changes in the production of other proteins. Amplification allows signals to be carried over large distances, such as between a group of cells.

The new technology offers some electric possibilities: sensing when a cell has been exposed to sugar or caffeine, for example, and storing that information like a value in computer memory. Or telling cells to start or stop dividing depending on stimuli in their environment.

The researchers have made their biological logic gates available to the public to encourage people to use and improve them.

Follow Tanya Lewis on Twitter?and Google+.?Follow us @livescience, Facebook?and Google+. Original article on?LiveScience.com.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a23293c/l/0Lscience0Bnbcnews0N0C0Inews0C20A130C0A30C290C175177270Edigital0Eevolution0Edna0Emay0Ebring0Ecomputers0Eto0Elife0Dlite/story01.htm

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Sarah Palin Video Spotlights Ted Cruz and a Mama Grizzly

sarah palin

If anyone was wondering if Sarah Palin is going to weigh in on the 2014 midterm elections, that question was answered today with a resounding yes.

In a video released Wednesday by Sarah Palin's political action committee, SarahPAC, she revved up conservatives and tea party Republicans for 2014 with snippets of her Conservative Political Action Conference speech from earlier this month as well as media coverage praising the speech and her string of successful past endorsements.

Titled "Loaded for Bear," the video begins with the praise from the mainstream media she is always quick to criticize as the "lamestream media."

"Sarah Palin stole the show at this weekend's CPAC convention," the video begins. "She is a superstar and she's used that to get people elected."

"She still knows how to fire up the conservative faithful," another television anchor says.

The video's string of media praising her tenacity and endorsement record is a key part of the video and despite some of the coverage being a bit dated, it still helps push her view that she doesn't need a Fox News contract to get her point of view out there or to have the press talking about her.

RELATED: Sarah Palin Compares Obama to Bernie Madoff, Sips From a Big Gulp

The other star of the video is new conservative superstar Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, who introduced Palin at CPAC.

"She is fearless, she is principled, she can pick winners," Cruz says in a clip from that introduction. "Sarah Palin jumped in early and supported Rand Paul. She supported Marco Rubio, Tim Scott, Pat Toomey, Nikki Haley, Deb Fischer, Jeff Flake and myself."

Over images of Palin at the Iowa State Fair in 2011-when speculation ran high she would enter the GOP primary-as well as footage from tea party rallies in Nevada, Palin's CPAC speech is interspersed.

"Don't let the big consultants, the big money men and the big bad media scare you off," Palin says. "They talk about re-branding the GOP instead of restoring the trust of the American people. How about re-building the middle class?"

RELATED: What's Next for Sarah Palin

The video then excerpts the part of the former Alaska governor's speech when she goes after Washington, D.C., establishment Republicans and gives a not-so-veiled dig at Karl Rove and others:

"Now is the time to furlough the consultants and tune out the pollsters. Send the focus groups home and toss the political scripts. Don't let them invalidate you," Palin says. "It's time for We the People to break up the cronyism, and that goes for finding candidates. Look into our communities, our PTAs, our service clubs, small businesses, tea party rallies and city halls for people willing to lead."

The video - made by a production company she often uses named Passcode Creative - doesn't just go after members of her own party, but the president as well.

As we hear Palin say, "We deserve better than the people who call themselves our leaders," we see an image of the president playing golf and headlines about the unemployment rate.

Interspersed with video of Palin's greeting supporters and conservative women like New Mexico's Susanna Martinez or Nebraska's Deb Fischer, she warns those watching:

"But we won't get it unless we fight and this is one fight that's worth it," Palin says. "The next election is 20 months away. The last thing we need is Washington, D.C., vetting our candidates."

The video ends with another cameo from Cruz, "I would not be in the U.S. Senate today if it were not for Governor Sarah Palin," and her signature mama grizzly roaring with a popular Palin saying, "We haven't yet begun to fight!"

Also Read

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/sarah-palin-video-spotlights-ted-cruz-mama-grizzly-002607729--abc-news-politics.html

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AP PHOTOS: Images from the Hindu festival of Holi

Two St. Louis Police officers face disciplinary actions stemming from an incident in which one officer allegedly took pot from the scene of a traffic stop. Not only did the squad car's dashboard camera record what happened, but two state lawmakers were along for the ride as observers. The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reveals Missouri state Sens. Jamilah Nasheed, D-St. Louis, and Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, were with officers when the incident occurred. Both lawmakers told a reporter they felt the officers did nothing wrong during the stop.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-photos-images-hindu-festival-holi-032820936.html

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Arctic Sea Ice Hits Yearly Max, But Still Dwindling

It may be time to retire the groundhog and start tracking Arctic sea ice for a better prediction of late-winter weather.

On March 15, the Arctic sea ice reached its maximum extent ? the most ice the frigid North would see this year, according to the National Snow & Ice Data Center (NSIDC) in Boulder, Colo. Changes in Arctic ice, and its total extent, may be affecting weather further south, scientists think.

The ice covered 5.84 million square miles (15.13 million square kilometers), the sixth-lowest area on record since 1979. Most of the ice was young, first-year ice, freshly frozen. The Arctic also has multiyear ice, frozen year-round, which is stiffer and thicker, and contains much less brine than first-year ice does. However, its slice of the total ice pie has been shrinking in recent years.

During the 2012 to 2013 winter season, the sea ice grew a record 4.53 million square miles (11.72 million square km). This massive growth was primarily due to last year's missing ice: A record-low ice minimum in September 2012 meant more ocean was exposed, leaving a greater area uncovered to refreeze this winter, the NSIDC said in a statement.

The big swings between summer and winter ice indicate a shift toward a more pronounced seasonal cycle in the Arctic, according to the NSIDC.

The shift is changing the ratio of thin, first-year ice to thick, multiyear ice, which is more resistant to summer melting and winter storms. First-year ice increasingly dominates the Arctic ice pack, the NSIDC said.

This year, the relatively fragile first-year ice was buffeted by a powerful Arctic storm in February, extensively fracturing the ice. Cracking from storms happens every year. This year, however, the rifts extended from Canada to Alaska ? although they quickly refroze.

Less Arctic ice also means more of the ocean and atmosphere can warm from the sun. Scientists think this warming shifts the jet stream, steering cold storm systems further south. March brought freezing temperatures and strong winter storms to the United States, Europe and Russia.

Email Becky Oskin or follow her @beckyoskin. Follow us?@OAPlanet, Facebook?or Google+. Original article on LiveScience's OurAmazingPlanet.

Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/arctic-sea-ice-hits-yearly-max-still-dwindling-140237419.html

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Obama, moms to mark 100 days since Newton shooting with White House event (Washington Bureau)

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In jailhouse interview, Sandusky says witness misinterpreted shower

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) ? Jerry Sandusky said in interview excerpts broadcast Monday that a key witness against him misinterpreted him showering with a young boy in Penn State football team facilities more than a decade ago.

Sandusky told documentary filmmaker John Ziegler, in recordings played on NBC's "Today" show, that he does not understand how Mike McQueary concluded "that sex was going on" when he witnessed Sandusky showering with a boy in 2001.

"That would have been the last thing I would have thought about," Sandusky said during what Ziegler described as 3? hours of interviews. "I would have thought maybe fooling around or something like that."

McQueary, a graduate assistant in 2001, testified at trial that he heard "skin-on-skin smacking sound" and had no doubt he was witnessing anal sex.

The boy, identified as Victim 2 in court records, was not a witness at trial. A team of civil lawyers has said they are representing Victim 2 and posted online audio recordings of voicemails purportedly from Sandusky and left for the boy.

Sandusky also told Ziegler he was not sure whether head coach Joe Paterno, who was fired after Sandusky's November 2011 arrest, would have let him keep coaching if he suspected Sandusky was a pedophile. Sandusky was investigated by university police for a separate shower incident in 1998, but remained one of Paterno's top assistants through 1999.

"If he absolutely thought I was, I'd say no," Sandusky said. "If he had a suspicion, I don't know the answer to that."

Ziegler is working on a defense of Paterno. Wick Sollers, a Paterno family lawyer, said in a statement released Sunday that Sandusky had an opportunity to testify at trial but "chose not to do so."

Sandusky, 69, is serving a 30- to 60-year prison sentence after being convicted last year of 45 counts of child sexual abuse. He maintains his innocence and is pursuing appeals.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/interview-sandusky-speaks-paterno-witness-120242280--spt.html

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Anthony Johnson wins at heavyweight and Josh Burkman scores a KO at World Series of Fighting 2

Breaking sports news video. MLB, NFL, NBA, NHL highlights and more.

At the World Series of Fighting's second show on Saturday, one-time UFC welterweight won over one-time UFC heavyweight champ Andrei Arlovski. As seen in the highlights above, Johnson had Arlovski hobbled at the end of the first round, but Arlovski was saved by the bell. Arlovski's jaw was reportedly broken in the bout that was Johnson's first fight at heavyweight.

As a welterweight who was bigger than other 170 lbers in the UFC, he struggled with his weight cut and missed weight three times. He moved to light heavyweight last August, and now won his heavyweight debut.

In other WSOF action, Marlon Moraes won his fourth straight by knocking out Tyson Nam with a headkick. Paulo Filho, the troubled one-time WEC champ, dropped a decision to Dave Branch.

Josh Burkman knocked out Aaron Simpson in the first round. After the fight, he said the win earned him a title shot, but questioned if one-time UFC title contender Jon Fitch had earned the WSOF title shot against him.

Source: http://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/mma-cagewriter/anthony-johnson-wins-heavyweight-josh-burkman-scores-ko-142146575--mma.html

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Virginia governor approves photo ID requirement for voters

Mar 26 (Reuters) - Leading money winners on the 2013 PGATour on Monday (U.S. unless stated): 1. Tiger Woods $3,787,600 2. Brandt Snedeker $2,859,920 3. Matt Kuchar $2,154,500 4. Steve Stricker $1,820,000 5. Phil Mickelson $1,650,260 6. Hunter Mahan $1,553,965 7. John Merrick $1,343,514 8. Dustin Johnson $1,330,507 9. Russell Henley $1,313,280 10. Kevin Streelman $1,310,343 11. Keegan Bradley $1,274,593 12. Charles Howell III $1,256,373 13. Michael Thompson $1,254,669 14. Brian Gay $1,171,721 15. Justin Rose $1,155,550 16. Jason Day $1,115,565 17. Chris Kirk $1,097,053 18. ...

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/virginia-governor-approves-photo-id-requirement-voters-144306006.html

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Avoid These 10 Immune System Snags

Staying healthy isn't just about using hand sanitizer and avoiding coughing co-workers. It turns out some pretty surprising daily habits?like how you fight with your husband or whether you stay up late for Letterman?can impact how well your body fends off colds, flu and other pesky bugs. Here's a list of science-backed tips to add to your stay-healthy arsenal today.

Find Out If Your Immune System Needs a Boost

Don't Avoid the Water Cooler

Friendship may be Miracle-Gro for your immune system.

Research shows that the fewer human connections we have at home, at work, and in the community, the likelier we are to get sick, flood our brains with anxiety-causing chemicals, and live shorter lives than our more sociable peers. In one study, researchers who monitored 276 people between the ages of 18 and 55 found that those who had 6 or more connections were 4 times better at fighting off the viruses that cause colds than those with fewer friends.

Don't let a jam-packed workday or hectic schedule get in the way of your friendships. Stop by a co-worker's office for a quick Monday morning catch-up, or e-mail/text your friends at night to stay in touch when you're too busy for phone calls.

Don't Lose Sleep

Scrimping on sleep has a powerfully detrimental effect on immunity.

The perfect example: college students who get sick after pulling all-nighters cramming for exams. Poor sleep is associated with lower immune system function and reduced numbers of killer cells that fight germs. In fact, University of Chicago researchers found that men who had slept only 4 hours a night for 1 week produced half the amount of flu-fighting antibodies in their blood (jump-started by a flu shot) compared with those who slept 7 1/2 to 8 1/2 hours.

Most adults need between 7 and 9 hours of uninterrupted rest every night, but how you feel in the morning and throughout the day may be a better gauge. If you're tired when you wake up in the morning, you're not getting enough?sleep, or maybe not enough quality sleep.

Is It Exhaustion or Something More?

***

More from Prevention:

19 Bizarre Home Remedies That Work

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Free: Your Ultimate Grocery Store Guide

Source: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/avoid-10-immune-system-snags/story?id=18792502

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C. African Republic president flees to Cameroon

Foto del 2 de enero del 2013 de un soldado de Chad que apoya al presidente de la Rep?blica Centroafricana Francois Bozize, cerca de Damara, a unos 70 kil?metros (44 millas) al norte de la capital, Bangui, (Foto AP/Ben Curtis)

Foto del 2 de enero del 2013 de un soldado de Chad que apoya al presidente de la Rep?blica Centroafricana Francois Bozize, cerca de Damara, a unos 70 kil?metros (44 millas) al norte de la capital, Bangui, (Foto AP/Ben Curtis)

In this photo taken on Friday March 22, 2013 and provided on Monday March 25, 2013 by the French Army Communications Audio visual office, French soldiers arrive at Bangui airport, Central Africa Republic. Rebels overthrew Central African Republic's president of a decade on Sunday, seizing the presidential palace and declaring that the desperately poor country has "opened a new page in its history." The country's president fled the capital, while extra French troops moved to secure the airport, officials said. (AP Photo/Elise Foucaud, ECPAD)

In this photo taken on Friday March 22, 2013 and provided on Monday March 25, 2013 by the French Army Communications Audio visual office, French soldiers arrive at Bangui airport, Central Africa Republic. Rebels overthrew Central African Republic's president of a decade on Sunday, seizing the presidential palace and declaring that the desperately poor country has "opened a new page in its history." The country's president fled the capital, while extra French troops moved to secure the airport, officials said. (AP Photo/Elises Foucaud, ECPAD)

YAOUNDE, Cameroon (AP) ? The president of Central African Republic fled to neighboring Cameroon on Monday, as the rebels who overthrew him began squabbling who would now lead the impoverished nation long wracked by rebellions.

South Africa said 13 of its soldiers were killed in a fight against the Seleka rebels over the weekend as up to 3,000 fighters attacked its troops while advancing through the capital, Bangui. It was one of South Africa's heaviest losses in combat in nearly two decades and prompted criticism about why the country's forces had intervened in such a volatile conflict.

One of the Seleka rebel leaders, Michel Djotodia, said Monday he considers himself to be the new head of state.

But another rebel leader told reporters his group does not recognize Djotodia as president, and says they will challenge his attempt to install himself at the helm. The move raises the specter of continuing unrest, amid reports of chaotic and violent looting in the capital, Bangui.

The United States is "deeply concerned about a serious deterioration in the security situation" in Central African Republic, said U.S. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said in a statement Sunday.

"We urgently call on the Seleka leadership which has taken control of Bangui to establish law and order in the city and to restore basic services of electricity and water," the statement said.

The government of Cameroon confirmed Monday that Bozize is seeking "temporary" refuge there before leaving for another unspecified country.

The ousted president managed to get out of Central African Republic amid fierce fighting over the weekend.

South African forces who were there to aid Bozize's troops suffered casualties when they "fought a high-tempo battle for nine hours defending the South African military base, until the bandits raised a white flag and asked for a cease-fire," South African President Jacob Zuma said. "Our soldiers inflicted heavy casualties among the attacking bandit forces."

Gen. Solly Shoke, South Africa's military chief, said 3,000 rebels took part in fighting. He said the assailants were armed with mortars and heavy machine guns.

Following Bozize's ouster, divisions are already emerging over will lead the country.

In Paris, Nelson N'Jaadder, the president of the Revolution for Democracy, one of the rebel groups belonging to the Seleka rebel coalition which invaded the capital, said that his fighters do not recognize Michel Djotodia, who earlier claimed he was head of state of Central African Republic.

N'Jaadder said there was never a consensus around appointing Djotodia as their overall leader.

"We do not recognize him as president," N'Jaadder told The Associated Press by telephone from Paris. "We had agreed that we would push to Bangui in order to arrest Bozize and that we would then announce an 18-month transition, a transition that would be as fast as possible ? and not one that would last three years," he said.

"For your information, I have enough soldiers loyal to me to attack Djotodia. I am planning to take the Wednesday flight to Bangui."

N'Jaadder said that rebels had been pillaging people's homes in Bangui, including the homes of French expatriates. He said that on Monday, he had received a phone call from France's ambassador to Bangui and had presented his apology, explaining that those doing the pillaging were mostly Djotodia's men. "We came to liberate the people, not to steal from them. This is shameful. Unacceptable," he said.

The Seleka rebel coalition is made up of several rebel groups, which last December began their rapid sweep into the Central African Republic, a nation of 4.5 million located at the heart of the continent.

The rebels pushed all the way to a town just outside Damara, 75 kilometers (47 miles) from the capital, before entering into talks with the government. In January, they signed a peace deal in Libreville, the capital of the neighboring nation of Gabon, agreeing to allow Bozize to carry out the last three years of his term, in return for a number of concessions.

Last week, they declared the peace deal void, saying Bozize had failed to free their prisoners and had refused to send back the South African troops that were guarding him, two of the points of the accord.

In just three days, they swept past Damara, marking the "red line" set up by a regional force to divide rebel-held territory from the area under government control, and advanced all the way to a checkpoint, PK12, just outside the capital.

The speed of the rebel advance, and the fact that they succeeded in pushing past the South African troops stationed in Bangui suggests they are well-armed, and likely benefiting from the support of neighboring nations. There has been speculation that either Chad or Sudan or Gabon had provided the rebels with arms and logistical support. Djotodia rejected that claim.

"If we picked up arms, it's not because we were pushed by this or that person," he told RFI. "It's poverty, simply put, that pushed us to pick up arms ? that's all."

The coup is expected to affect the hunt for Joseph Kony, said the commander of African troops tracking the the fugitive warlord. Bozize was a strong supporter of African efforts to dismantle Kony's Lord's Resistance Army and allowed the creation of two anti-Kony military bases in his country.

Ugandan Brig. Dick Olum, speaking from his South Sudanese military base in Nzara, said Monday he is concerned by past rebel statements that all foreign troops must leave the country. Some 3,350 African troops are currently deployed against the LRA in South Sudan and Central African Republic.

The U.S. also has anti-Kony military advisers in CAR. The U.S. Africa Command did not have any immediate comment Monday.

___

Callimachi contributed to this report from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Krista Larson in Dakar, Christopher Torchia in Johannesburg and Rodney Muhumuza in Kampala, Uganda also contributed to this report.

___

Rukmini Callimachi can be reached at www.twitter.com/rcallimachi

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/cae69a7523db45408eeb2b3a98c0c9c5/Article_2013-03-25-Central%20African%20Republic-Rebels/id-b159378d172342ddaa33beed833c9c75

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PFT: New Seahawk Bennett has torn rotator cuff

Reuters

The NFL wisely dumped the bad news on the first Friday of the NCAA basketball tournament:? The Ravens won?t host the midweek regular-season opener at home.

It?ll be the first time the Super Bowl champion hasn?t opened the season on a Thursday (or Wednesday) at home since 2004, when the Patriots welcomed the Colts following New England?s second NFL title.

The Orioles, who face the White Sox in Baltimore on the same night the Ravens would have christened the 2013 season, opted not to bend.? The NFL opted not to play on Wednesday night, in deference to Rosh Hashanah.? (Here?s hoping the NFL makes that same decision the next time Christmas Eve or Christmas Day fall on a weekend.)? And, as Peter King of SI.com points out in his Monday Morning Quarterback column, an Orioles conflict would have arisen if the Ravens had opened on Sunday night or Monday night of Week One.

So the Ravens will open on the road ? guaranteeing low attendance and even lower TV viewership of the Orioles game that night.? (That?s OK; they?re used to it.)? The Ravens, we?re told, are bracing for a Thursday night opener at Denver, Pittsburgh, or Chicago.

While the Ravens will have to play at each of those places eventually during the coming football campaign, the NFL is about tradition and one of the newest traditions has given the Super Bowl champs a chance to play the first game of the season at home, where all of them (except the 2012 Giants) started 1-0.

But part of the benefit, as King explains it, comes from the mini-bye that follows starting the season on a Thursday, roughly two weeks removed from the preseason dress rehearsal.? The Ravens coaches, per King, ?clearly wanted? a Thursday road game instead of a home game on Sunday or Monday.

King suggests another possibility:? Put the Ravens on the road for the first Thursday of the season, and then give them a Thursday night opener in Week Two.

The only problem with that potential approach is that the NFL wisely adopted in 2012 a scheduling formula that requires every team to play one ? and only one ? short-week game during the season.? Having the Ravens play on the first Thursday night and then on the first short-week Thursday of the season would throw that system out of whack.

Regardless, the ultimate reality show has now given us something else to discuss, debate, and anticipate.? When the 2013 schedule is released, we?ll find out where the Ravens will open the season.

Baltimore at Denver would be the most intriguing.? Unless, of course, the NFL plans the latest installment of the Manning Bowl for the first Sunday night of the season.

And while sending the Ravens to Pittsburgh for the first week of the season seems particularly unfair to the defending champs, we?re told that the Ravens are expecting to play at Heinz Field in prime time at some point this year.? Why not get it out of the way early?

Source: http://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2013/03/24/report-michael-bennett-has-a-torn-rotator-cuff/related/

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Cards' closer Motte likely to start season on DL

JUPITER, Fla. (AP) ? St. Louis Cardinals closer Jason Motte probably will start the season on the disabled because of a mild muscle flexor strain in his pitching arm.

The Cardinals said Saturday that the right-hander had stopped throwing following the results of an MRI a day earlier.

Motte pitched an inning against the New York Mets on Thursday in Port St. Lucie, then told the team his forearm tightened up on the bus ride back to the Cardinals' spring training complex.

"We're certainly going to be as aggressive as we can with the rehab, but in terms of DL, I would say that's likely going to happen," general manager John Mozeliak said.

Motte was 0-0 with one save and a 5.00 ERA in nine innings during spring training.

Setup man Mitchell Boggs will move into the closer's role/

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/cards-closer-motte-likely-start-season-dl-170603479--mlb.html

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Trade union rules out strikes at Lufthansa over Easter

BERLIN (Reuters) - German trade union Verdi said Deutsche Lufthansa's air traffic over Easter would not be disrupted by strikes in the ongoing wage dispute at Germany's largest airline.

The union said in a statement late on Friday that no agreement was reached in the latest round of talks and that another walkout was possible before the next round, which is due to start on April 17, but not over Easter.

The union's demands and Lufthansa's offers so far have been "far apart", Verdi said.

Lufthansa on Thursday had to cancel close to 40 percent of its flights as staff went on strike on the eve of wage talks with the German airline, which is trying to cut costs to compete with Middle East and low-cost carriers.

The strike had left exasperated passengers stranded as they waited in long lines snaking through Frankfurt airport's Terminal 1, the home of Lufthansa.

Efforts by big European airlines such as Lufthansa and Air France-KLM to shrink costs in the face of soaring jet fuel prices and fierce competition from Middle Eastern airlines and low-cost carriers have fanned tensions with workers.

Verdi is demanding a 5.2 percent pay rise for 33,000 cabin crew and ground staff at Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Systems, catering unit LSG Sky Chefs and ground crews. It also wants a commitment by Lufthansa to safeguard jobs.

Lufthansa, Europe's biggest airline by revenue, wants to freeze pay and get staff to work an hour more each week to help it to remain competitive.

($1 = 0.7722 euros)

(Reporting by Ralf Bode; writing by Ludwig Burger; editing by James Jukwey)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/trade-union-rules-strikes-lufthansa-over-easter-135255372--finance.html

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Visit The Marvel Of Asia: Singapore Malaysia Tour

Singapore Malaysia Tour , Singapore Malaysia Thailand Tour , Tour Operator India

Singapore Malaysia Tour is the dream vacation spot where you spend your time in absolute luxury. Singapore is another unique country in Southeast Asia which attracts large number of tourists. It is a stunning and flashy location with state of the art technology and innovation coupled with well-known hospitality. While in Singapore, take a tour to Sentosa Island, view the giant Merlion in Sentosa to know about the rich history of Singapore. Singapore and the Malaysia is a progressive nation blessed with rich natural possessions, immense rainforest tracts.

Singapore Malaysia Tour out the many Singapore Malaysia Tour Packages available in the market which features your needs the most. Offering the warmth and friendliness of Asia, it provides a great opportunity to witness the east meets west culture. If you are looking for a family vacation, holiday and honeymoon package then Malaysia is the right location for you. It holds an irresistible attraction for adventurers, explorers and traders and now holiday makers.

Singapore Malaysia Tour is a land of many cultures, wonders and attractions. Bangkok, the capital of Thailand is the most popular of all the cities of the country; it has countless tourist attractions such as historical sites, old markets and indigenous lifestyles along the canals. Nakhon Pathom is the town that boasts the tallest Buddhist pagoda both in Thailand and in the world. Thailand tour packages take you the most prominent tourist attraction in the South East Asia.

Singapore Malaysia Tour with tourists because there are interesting attractions both on land and in the sea. Its tranquility and unpolluted environment will refresh and recharge you. The fine weather, the mountainous scenery, the exquisite handicrafts and the rich northern Thai culture are its highlights. Also a tour to Singapore also showcases an interesting blend of traditional Chinese, Malay and Hindu cultures that has blended so wonderfully in this country. A multi-cultural destination Singapore Malaysia Tour Packages.

Singapore Malaysia Tour is great when combined with any of its neighboring countries- Thailand and Malaysia. The Singapore Thailand tour gives you a chance to visit such exotic destinations in Bangkok like The Grand Palace, the National Museum and National Gallery Museum, The world's largest golden teak building, the Vimanmek Mansion Museum and so on. For the water lovers, Phuket, Pattaya and Phang Nga Bay where you could explore James Bond Island and Koh Panyee are all courtesy this trip.

Source: http://www.articlesnatch.com/Article/Visit-The-Marvel-Of-Asia--Singapore-Malaysia-Tour/4499911

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Researchers use metamaterials to observe giant photonic spin hall effect

Friday, March 22, 2013

Researchers with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) have once again demonstrated the incredible capabilities of metamaterials ? artificial nanoconstructs whose optical properties arise from their physical structure rather than their chemical composition. Engineering a unique two-dimensional sheet of gold nanoantennas, the researchers were able to obtain the strongest signal yet of the photonic spin Hall effect, an optical phenomenon of quantum mechanics that could play a prominent role in the future of computing.

"With metamaterial, we were able to greatly enhance a naturally weak effect to the point where it was directly observable with simple detection techniques," said Xiang Zhang, a faculty scientist with Berkeley Lab's Materials Sciences Division who led this research. "We also demonstrated that metamaterials not only allow us to control the propagation of light but also allos control of circular polarization. This could have profound consequences for information encoding and processing."

Zhang is the corresponding author of a paper describing this work in the journal Science. The paper is titled "Photonic Spin Hall Effect at Metasurfaces." Co-authors are Xiaobo Yin, Ziliang Ye, Jun Sun Rho and Yuan Wang.

The spin Hall effect, named in honor of physicist Edwin Hall, describes the curved path that spinning electrons follow as they move through a semiconductor. The curved movement arises from the interaction between the physical motion of the electron and its spin ? a quantized angular momentum that gives rise to magnetic moment. Think of a baseball pitcher putting spin on a ball to make it curve to the left or right.

"Light moving through a metal also displays the spin Hall effect but the photonic spin Hall effect is very weak because the spin angular momentum of photons and spin-orbit interactions are very small," says Xiaobo Yin, a member of Zhang's research group and the lead author of the Science paper. "In the past, people have managed to observe the photonic spin Hall effect by generating the process over and over again to obtain an accumulative signal, or by using highly sophisticated quantum measurements. Our metamaterial makes the photonic spin Hall effect observable even with a simple camera."

Metamaterials have garnered a lot of attention in recent years because their unique structure affords electromagnetic properties unattainable in nature. For example, a metamaterial can have a negative index of refraction, the ability to bend light backwards, unlike all materials found in nature, which bend light forward. Zhang, who holds the Ernest S. Kuh Endowed Chair Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of California (UC) Berkeley, where he also directs the National Science Foundation's Nano-scale Science and Engineering Center, has been at the forefront of metamaterials research. For this study, he and his group fashioned metamaterial surfaces about 30 nanometers thick (a human hair by comparison is between 50,000 and 100,000 nanometers thick). These metasurfaces were constructed from V-shaped gold nanoantennas whose geometry could be configured by adjusting the length and orientation of the arms of the Vs.

"We chose eight different antenna configurations with optimized geometry parameters to generate a linear phase gradient along the x direction," says Yin. "This enabled us to control the the propagation of the light and introduce strong photon spin-orbit interactions through rapid changes in direction. The photonic spin Hall effect depends on the curvature of the light's trajectory, so the sharper the change in propagation direction, the stronger the effect."

Since the entire metasurface sample measured only 0.3 millimeters, a 50-millimeter lens was used to project the transmission of the light through the metamaterial onto a charge-coupled device (CCD) camera for imaging. From the CCD images, the researchers determined that both the control of light propagation and the giant photonic spin Hall effect were the direct results of the designed meta-material. This finding opens up a wealth of possibilities for new technologies.

"The controllable spin-orbit interaction and momentum transfer between spin and orbital angular momentum allows us to manipulate the information encoded on the polarization of light, much like the 0 and 1 of today's electronic devices," Yin says. "But photonic devices could encode more information and provide greater information security than conventional electronic devices."

Yin says the ability to control left and right circular polarization of light in metamaterial surfaces should allow for the formation of optical elements, like highly coveted "flat lenses," or the management of light polarization without using wave plates.

"Metamaterials provide us with tremendous design freedom that will allow us to modulate the strength of the photonic spin Hall effect at different spatial locations," Yin says. "We knew the photonic spin Hall effect existed in nature but it was so hard to detect. Now, with the right metamaterials we can not only enhance this effect we can harness it for our own purposes."

###

DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory: http://www.lbl.gov

Thanks to DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for this article.

This press release was posted to serve as a topic for discussion. Please comment below. We try our best to only post press releases that are associated with peer reviewed scientific literature. Critical discussions of the research are appreciated. If you need help finding a link to the original article, please contact us on twitter or via e-mail.

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Source: http://www.labspaces.net/127407/Researchers_use_metamaterials_to_observe_giant_photonic_spin_hall_effect

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