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If the weather carries on as it has been, the organisers of the French Open might like to consider adapting cricket’s Duckworth/Lewis method. This is a system whereby matches interrupted by rain can be decided over a shortened distance. The great thing about it is that no one really understands it and so is in no position to argue with it.
Tennis has done it before, of course, when it introduced the tie-breaker to stop matches going on interminably. This, in contrast to Duckworth/Lewis, is quite a straightforward system.
Before the rain arrived today - making it four days out of five that the weather has intervened - the first real upsets of the competition took place with the defeats of Amelie Mauresmo, two times a grand-slam winner, and the men’s sixth and seventh seeds, David Nalbandian and James Blake. And what was really surprising was that all three lost to no-hopers.
Even Mauresmo, who has a reputation for being someone who could choke on pureed banana, could not possibly lose to the Spanish qualifier Carla Suarez Navarro. But this is what she did, going out 6-3, 6-4.
In fairness to Mauresmo, who in 2006 won the Australian and Wimbledon titles, this is her first tournament since last month’s Fed Cup tie in Japan. Since then she has been held back by an abdominal injury and today she clearly had trouble with her serve as she lost her second-round match in 72 minutes.
Suarez Navarro, 19, who was playing in her first grand-slam event, was the first to hold serve in the fifth game and broke her opponent again to lead 5-2 before sealing the opening set in 34 minutes. Mauresmo, who has never made it past the quarter-finals in Paris, dropped serve again in the fourth game of the second set and despite managing three games in a row, was broken again in the ninth.

blogs.guardian.co.uk

"It’s still early," said Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY yesterday. "I mean, everybody is so focused on where we are right now — I guess I remember that, in June of 1992, that’s when Bill really wrapped up the nomination — the middle of June, after the California primary."
Then- Gov. Bill Clinton literally did not secure enough delegates through the primary and caucus process until the California primary, June 2, 1992.
But he had sewn up the nomination long before then.
Months before then.
Moreover, the first real contest that year was on February 18, 1992. (No one competed in the Iowa caucuses since Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, was a candidate that year) The first real contest this year, the Iowa caucus, was January 3, 2008. So you’d also expect that race to last later in the calendar — it started more than a month and a half later.
But regardless of that, here are some key dates for that 1992 race that indicate how misleading this argument is.
February 18, 1992 — Sen. Paul Tsongas, D-Mass., wins New Hampshire primary. A scandal-plagued Gov. Bill Clinton comes in second.
February 20, 1992 — San Diego Union-Tribune headline: "Tsongas got most votes, but Clinton says he won".
February 25, 1992 — Sen. Bob Kerrey, D-Neb., wins the South Dakota primary.
March 3, 1992 — Clinton wins Georgia. Tsongas wins Maryland. Harkin wins Minnesota and Idaho. Former California governor Jerry Brown wins Colorado. Still all very much up for grabs.
March 5, 1992 — With no money, Kerrey ends his campaign. "We were ready to go full throttle," Kerrey says, "but unfortunately we ran out of gas."
March 7, 1992 — Clinton wins South Carolina.
Harkin announces he will drop out.
March 10, 1992 — Clinton cleans up on Super Tuesday, winning Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas. Tsongas wins Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

blogs.abcnews.com

Arcade Fire. The show’s up until Wednesday, April 16, so be sure to drop by and check out some awesome photos before then.
M&J do their thing. Said “thing” was a slow-tempo collection of romantic, whimsical tunes that found Mia swaying (perhaps a bit too theatrically) to Jonah’s rich, Damien Rice-esque guitar and vocals. And it wasn’t long before Koch was back onstage to join the pair in their warblings, then again to negotiate a second set list, which included twangy takes on classics from the one and only Tom Petty. Together, the threesome — who admitted to not knowing each other until just a month prior — filled the space with the warm, lush tunes that are beginning to embody what the series is all about: bringing only the best of S.B.’s up-and-coming young talent to an intimate showspace. Next week, check out yet another delightful double bill when The Merc plays host to
American Idol-style quest for a recording contract. The spin? Santa Barbara-bred — and
Go-Go Belinda Carlisle. The endeavor was much like any other on-air talent show of its kind: young, mildly gifted singers jumping in front of the camera to perform crummy covers of contemporary and aged pop songs. Except here, washed-up stars like
Dee Snider are on hand to fill their kids’ heads with empty nods of encouragement post-performance. While S.B.’s own heir to the ’80s soundtrack throne had a fairly solid showing (note: Loggins was the only competitor to strap on a guitar and show off any additional musical talents), it was Dee Snider’s boy, Jesse Blaze Snider, who won the night’s award for creepiest wardrobe choice. The bare-chested, leather-pants sporting Snider hit the stage running (and screaming) with his take on Zeppelin’s “Rock and Roll,” undoubtedly scaring the judges into submission. The train wreck continues this Thursday at 10 p.m. on MTV. And online voting, cast bios, and video clips are available at mtv.com.

independent.com

Habits of Highly Healthy Families: For Tweens and Teens:
* Be a better role model. Just as we teach our children to wash their hands before eating bread and to recite Grace After Meals, we must also teach them to eat healthfully and in moderation.
* Control the speed at which your children eat. The brain needs time to record the satiety message from the stomach, so second portions should not be given unless fifteen to twenty minutes have passed since the first portion was completed.
* Teach children to read and understand food labels and nutrition facts.
* Provide healthy afterschool snacks everyday. Children love to dip, so serve cut fruits and vegetables with dips. It is somewhat hypocritical when parents complain about their children’s unwillingness to eat fruit and vegetables when they themselves do not eat these foods regularly.
* Advocate for healthy school lunch programs. Portion sizes should be monitored. If you prepare your children’s lunches, make sure they are nutritious.
* The shift toward artificial sugar or substitutes is not a healthy compromise. Although most scientists today feel that saccharin (Sweet’N Low), aspartame (Equal) and the recent sucralose (Splenda) are safe, they do not know the long-term effects these sugar substitutes might have.
* Drink water. Fruit juices, soda and power drinks are full of “empty calories.” Beverages containing high fructose corn syrup should be avoided, and offered only on special occasions.
* Limit eating out to once or twice a week, and teach your children food exchanges. For example, if your child will be eating dessert after dinner, he should cut back on French fries or soda that day.
* Limit screen time (TV, DVD, movies and Internet usage) to a maximum of two hours on a school night. Instead, encourage after-school physical activities, and allow children to “buy” extra screen time with additional physical activity. For example, suggest to your child that he walk on the treadmill while watching a movie.

ou.org

DeLAND - Three teenagers who authorities say were plotting to massacre fellow students at DeLand Middle School and then commit suicide will remain in juvenile lockup, a judge ruled Tuesday.
The two boys and a girl, all 13, stood as their names were called and listened as Volusia-based Circuit Judge Hubert Grimes ordered them to remain behind bars. All wore handcuffs and white jail uniforms.
The Orlando Sentinel is not identifying the children because of their ages.
The boy who Volusia County deputy sheriffs say hatched the plot — and lauded the Columbine killers on his MySpace page — appeared slight, less than 5 feet tall and younger than his age. The other two teens looked at their families and fidgeted as they waited.
All three were arrested Friday, each on a charge of conspiracy to commit murder, after the plan came to light through the first boy’s online correspondence with friends through MySpace. Authorities say he was trying to obtain a gun and threatened to lock the cafeteria doors and go on a shooting spree. Investigators searched his bedroom but found no weapons.
“Everyone will pay for what they did to me, they will die along with me,” the boy wrote, complaining that other kids were picking on him and had called him “worthless,” among other names.
The boy’s stepmother asked the judge to release him to home detention, but Grimes declined even though the youth has no previous criminal record.
According to a Volusia County sheriff’s report, the girl involved confirmed the plot to a school counselor and told her, “People like us have been picked on all our lives.” Authorities said she recently had attempted suicide.
Dr. Christopher Lucas, a child and adolescent psychiatrist, said children who feel alienated are more likely to be suicidal and to harbor fantasies of retaliating against people who bully or reject them. He was unfamiliar with the DeLand case.

orlandosentinel.com

(Best Syndication) In spite of the fact that most drivers do obey the rules of the road, accidents happen. No two accidents are alike. But the laws are the same each time, and since Canada has a No Fault system, so are many of the procedures we must go through afterwards.
Each person involved in the car accident can turn to his or her own insurance company for compensation, regardless of who or what caused the accident. Compensation amounts, known as accident benefits, are set by a statute called the Statutory Accident Benefit Schedule. Many other laws regulate auto accident compensation and any legal action taken. Although No Fault systems are supposed to simplify things after an auto accident, the Canadian No Fault system is extremely complex.
If you were in a car accident and were not responsible for it happening, you can bring a suit against the person who was responsible in your view. To do so, your injuries must be both severe and permanent. A car accident attorney can assess the situation and start collecting necessary information to build your case. To best help yourself if this were to happen, there are some things you should not to at the accident scene.
1. Leave the scene. This would be a criminal act and would make the accident a “hit-and-run” incident. It would be investigated and your position would not be positive.
2. Move an injured person. Unless you have medical training and are qualified in some way, such as an EMT worker, do not try to do this, no matter how uncomfortable you might think the person looks. You could injure that person further if you move them. You have no real information about how they are already injured and an untrained or inappropriate move could worsen the injuries.
3. Apologize. Immediately after an auto accident, most people feel shaken up or worse. At this point you really don’t know much about what has happened and anything you think you know is subjective. You may have a guilty feeling as if you caused the accident, but that could be quite wrong. If anyone else involved in the accident has severe and permanent injuries and later hires an auto accident lawyer to sue you, your statements at the scene of the accident will be used against you.
4. Converse with others. Along the same lines as not apologizing, it’s better to refrain from any conversation with others at the scene. You need to ask for contact information from the other people involved, and from any witnesses of the accident, and you need to give your own contact information to them. Beyond that, it’s better to be silent, because again, anything you say could be turned against you later.
5. Disregard police requests. Answer all questions put to you by police officers. Give them all information they ask for. Remain in whatever place they ask you to remain. Do not leave the scene before they give you permission. You can ask an officer about getting a copy of the police report, but do not try to monopolize the attention of any police officer.
Canadian law allows a person to sue for damages if their injuries are both very severe and permanent. You would need to learn more about your legal position and options. Accident law is complex in Canada and your best friend after a bad auto accident is a good auto accident lawyer.
If you have been disabled or disfigured in a car accident, do contact an experienced car accident attorney for help.
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bestsyndication.com