Mission to Drill Into Buried Antarctic Lake Called Off

After fighting with the Antarctic ice for 20 hours through Christmas Eve, a British Antarctic Survey team has reluctantly called off its mission to retrieve water samples from an ancient subglacial lake.
The decision to halt drilling through the ice down toward Lake Ellsworth came after the team failed to connect the project's main and secondary boreholes, Martin Siegert, the lead investigator for the project, said on the project's blog.
Lake Ellsworth lies under 2 miles (3 kilometers) of ice and has been sealed off from the outside world for up to 1 million years. Scientists with the survey have been engaged in a 16-year attempt to drill down and take water samples from the lake. They say that if microbes and other forms of life are living in the frigid water, away from sunlight, those life forms may help researchers better understand the origins of life on Earth and the possible forms life could take on other planets.
The scientists were trying to connect the boreholes via a cavity located 300 meters (984 feet) below the ice surface. The cavity recirculates water from the main borehole and would have equalized pressure had the drill penetrated Lake Ellsworth.
Running low on supplies
The camp has been on the ice since Nov. 22, and drilling started on Dec. 13, using a specially designed hot water drill. The effort to establish the connection took so much hot water and fuel that the scientists must now return to the United Kingdom and regroup for next year. [Extreme Living: Scientists at the End of the Earth]
"For reasons that are yet to be determined, the team could not establish a link between the two boreholes at 300 meters depth despite trying for over 20 hours," wrote Siegert, a glaciologist at the University of Bristol. "During this process, hot water seeped into the porous surface layers of ice and was lost. The team attempted to replenish this water loss by digging and melting more snow, but their efforts could not compensate. The additional time taken to attempt to establish the cavity link significantly depleted the fuel stocks to such a level as to render the remaining operation unviable. Reluctantly the team had no option but to discontinue the program for this season.
"This is, of course, hugely frustrating for us, but we have learned a lot this year," Siegert said. "By the end the equipment was working well, and much of it has now been fully field tested. A full report on the field season will be compiled when the engineers and program manager return to United Kingdom."
Drilling in extreme conditions
The harshness of the Antarctic environment and the complete darkness of winter there mean that the team can be at the site only during the comparatively mild months of austral spring and summer, from November through January.
This was not the first snag in the project. A circuit used in the main boiler that supplies hot water to the drill burned out twice earlier this month, forcing the team to await resupply.
At the time, Siegert noted that such difficulties are not unusual when working in Antarctica. "It's a very hostile environment; it's very difficult to do things smoothly," he said on the project's blog.
The drill would have crunched through the ice to the fresh lake water, then sent 24 titanium canisters through the borehole to take water samples. When the drill first started up, the team had to shovel snow in shifts for three days and three nights to melt enough for the needed 15,850 gallons (60,000 liters) of water, according to the project's blog.
Race to find life
The British group is one of several teams racing to recover water samples from lakes trapped beneath the Antarctic ice.
A group of Russian scientists is drilling down into the waters of Lake Vostok, the largest of Antarctica's buried lakes. The team reached the lake's waters during the last drilling season, on Feb. 5, but the few microbes it found in the retrieved samples were all contaminants from the drilling apparatus.
However, another group of scientists has found a thriving community of microbes in Lake Vida, another buried Antarctic lake that is thought to have been isolated from the rest of the world for about 2,800 years.
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YEARENDER-Rugby-Sting in the tail for All Blacks after stellar year

After ending their World Cup pain in 2011 New Zealand stamped their authority all over 2012, only for their triumphant run to be cut short spectacularly in the final game of the year.
When the All Blacks ran out at Twickenham on Dec. 1 within three games of matching their record 23-match unbeaten sequence and, with only an 18-18 draw with Australia blotting their copybook, they were being touted as the best team of all time.
But in an afternoon that encapsulated the tantalising unpredictability and eternal appeal of international sport, they fell to their second-worst defeat, 38-21, against England.
A sweep of the International Rugby Board's (IRB) awards - Steve Hansen was named best coach, Dan Carter best player and the All Blacks best team - will have been scant consolation for a team who bucked the trend of recent World Cup winners by kicking on and improving in the year after their success.
Hansen made sure his squad kept developing with the introduction of players who brought an extra dimension to an already superb side. He blooded nine new players as he started the reconstruction of a side that would otherwise be dominated by players in their mid-30s by the time they defended their title in England in 2015. Changes is the first-choice side saw Aaron Smith inject verve at scrumhalf while fearsome winger Julian Savea's tally of 12 tries in nine tests in his debut season tells its own story.
Their brand of rugby was a step up even from that which they displayed in last year's triumph on home soil, mixing all the physicality expected of the All Blacks with a ruthless exploitation of turnover ball and an explosiveness out wide that few teams were able to stop. "This year they have shown they are one of the great sides," said their former captain Sean Fitzpatrick. "They are trying to play the perfect game. They want to take it to a new level."
Hansen was not drawn into the debate about where his side might stand in the all-time rankings.
"It's for other people to judge whether we are the greatest team or not - or if we are a great team," Hansen said after his team's 25th successive win over Wales.
Australia were unable to match their neighbours on a regular basis but they bow to nobody when it comes to resilience.
Ravaged by injuries and humiliated 33-6 by France, the Wallabies climbed off the canvas to end their season with a hat-trick of wins over England, Italy and Wales.
Stopping the New Zealand juggernaut via their June draw was also an impressive display a month after they had been whacked 31-8 by South Africa.
CLEAN SWEEP
Heyneke Meyer's first year in charge of the Springboks produced a home series win over England and a November three-game European clean sweep in which they won every one of their lineout throws.
But they managed only two wins in the Championship and were held to a draw by Argentina amid criticism, hardly original, that their physical approach was one-dimensional.
After crying out for years for more meaningful competition, Argentina got their wish and performed creditably in their first year in the Championship, and they played twice as many matches in 2012 as they had in any previous non-World Cup year.
They grew into the competition, developing expansive rugby and losing only narrowly away to Australia.
Coach Santiago Phelan and his squad, always increasing in depth and quality, will have learned a lot to take into their second year, though they looked exhausted in their final November match in Dublin when they were thrashed 46-24.
New Zealand and Argentina's anti-climatic finales were as nothing, though, compared with Wales's precipitous fall.
Having followed up their run to the World Cup semi-finals with their third Six Nations grand slam in eight years, they lost their next seven games, including yet another to their Cardiff nemeses Samoa.
That defeat and the heartbreaking last-minute loss to Australia, their fourth of the year, had calamitous consequences because Wales dropped into the third tier of seeds for the 2015 World Cup in England, and subsequently into a group with Australia and the hosts.
Even getting out of the pool stage looks a big ask and should Wales get through in second place they would be likely to find South Africa and then potentially New Zealand in their way.
That seeding looked an unlikely scenario when the Welsh became top dogs in Europe in March. Opening the Six Nations with a narrow win in Ireland, they sandwiched home wins over Scotland and Italy around only their second Twickenham success in 22 years.
They finished off with a 16-9 Cardiff victory over France, gaining a modicum of revenge for their one-point World Cup semi-final loss.
England's solid Six Nations, in which they beat France and hammered Ireland to finish second, earned stand-in coach Stuart Lancaster the job on a permanent basis.
Assistant Graham Rowntree said Lancaster had "dragged English rugby out of the gutter" following the off-field antics and dull play that marked their 2011 World Cup campaign.
It was a strange year for Scotland, who finished bottom of the Six Nations after losing every game, beat Australia, Fiji and Samoa on their June tour then lost at home to the All Blacks, Springboks and Tonga.
That last defeat was the final straw for coach Andy Robinson, who resigned.
Coach Declan Kidney was predicted to be close to departing Ireland after five successive defeats, including a 60-0 June mauling by New Zealand. However, the demolition job on Argentina in their final November test secured their World Cup seeding and, in debutant winger Craig Gilroy, they may have uncovered a gem.
Next year's main attraction is the British and Irish Lions' tour of Australia where fans will hope for something similar to 2001 when the series was effectively decided in the Wallabies' favour by Justin Harrison's lineout steal in the last minute of the final test.
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OFFICIAL CORRECTION-Cricket-Australia beat S.Lanka by innings and 201 runs

MELBOURNE, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Australia beat Sri Lanka by an innings and 201 runs in the second test on the third day at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday to seal their three-match series 2-0.
Scores: Sri Lanka 103-9 & 156 (K. Sangakkara 58; M. Johnson 4-63) v Australia 460 (D. Warner 62, S. Watson 83, M. Clarke 106, M. Johnson 92 not out; D. Prasad 3-106, S. Eranga 3-109)
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Cricket-Australia v Sri Lanka - second test scoreboard

MELBOURNE, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Scoreboard on the third day of
the second test after Australia beat Sri Lanka by an innings and
201 runs at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday.
Australia sealed the three-match series 2-0.
Sri Lanka won the toss and chose to bat
Sri Lanka first innings 156
Australia first innings (overnight 440-8)
D. Warner c Prasad b Mathews 62
E. Cowan c M. Jayawardene b Prasad 36
P. Hughes run out 10
S. Watson c Samaraweera b Prasad 83
M. Clarke c M. Jayawardene b Eranga 106
M. Hussey c Herath b Dilshan 34
M. Wade c Eranga b Prasad 1
M. Johnson not out 92
P. Siddle c M. Jayawardene b Eranga 13
N. Lyon c sub b Mathews 1
J. Bird b Eranga 0
Extras (b-9, lb-5 w-6 nb-2) 22
Total (all out, 134.4 overs) 460
Fall of wickets: 1-95 2-117 3-117 4-311 5-313 6-315 7-376
8-434 9-451 10-460
Bowling: C. Welegedara 14.4-6-38-0, S. Eranga 27-2-109-3
(nb-2, w-5), D. Prasad 26-2-106-3 (w-1), A. Mathews 16-3-60-2,
R. Herath 39-7-95-0, T. Dilshan 12-1-38-1
Sri Lanka second innings
T. Dilshan c Cowan b Johnson 0
D. Karunaratne run out 1
K. Sangakkara retired hurt 27
M. Jayawardene b Bird 0
T. Samaraweera lbw b Bird 1
A. Mathews b Johnson 35
D. Prasad c Hughes b Lyon 17
R. Herath not out 11
S. Eranga c Cowan b Siddle 0
P. Jayawardene absent hurt 0
C. Welegedara absent hurt 0
Extras (lb-10, nb-1) 11
Total (for nine wickets; 24.2 overs) 103
Fall of wickets 1-1 2-1 3-3 4-13 5-74 6-102 7-103
Bowling: M. Johnson 8-0-16-2, J. Bird 9-1-29-2 (nb-1),
P. Siddle 5.2-0-32-1, Lyon 2-0-16-1
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UPDATE 3-Cricket-Australia thrash Sri Lanka to seal series

(Updates with result)
* Australia seal series 2-0
* Sangakkara retires hurt
MELBOURNE, Dec 28 (Reuters) - Australia humiliated Sri Lanka by an innings and 201 runs to win the second test before tea on day three at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Friday, and seal their three-match series 2-0.
Needing 305 runs to make Australia bat again, Sri Lanka surrendered after adding only 103 in their second innings, with a top order collapse and a raft of injuries cutting the match short.
After bowling Australia out for 460 in the first hour, Sri Lanka staggered to lunch at 43-4 and lasted less than 12 overs after the interval.
Sri Lanka lost Kumar Sangakkara to injury after lunch when he retired hurt on 27 after being struck on the glove by a searing delivery from man-of-the-match Mitchell Johnson.
With seamer Chanaka Welegedara and wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene absent injured, pacemen Johnson and Peter Siddle, and spinner Nathan Lyon shared the remaining three wickets to wrap up the match early and render next week's third and final test in Sydney a dead rubber.
Angelo Mathews held firm to top-score for Sri Lanka with 35, but lived dangerously and was out bowled by Johnson when attempting a hook that rebounded onto the stumps.
Dhammika Prasad struck two successive sixes off Lyon but was caught at cover by Phillip Hughes for 17 on the next ball.
Siddle clinched the winning wicket by having Shaminda Eranga caught by Ed Cowan for a duck.
After dismissing Australia before lunch, Sri Lanka lost three wickets in the first 12 balls of their innings, and a fourth less than four overs later to leave Sangakkara and all-rounder Mathews fighting a virtually hopeless cause.
Australia lost their last two wickets for the addition of 20 runs in the first hour, leaving Mitchell Johnson stranded on 92, but the mercurial paceman was consoled with a direct hand in the first two Sri Lanka wickets.
A horrible misunderstanding between openers Dimuth Karunaratne and Tillakaratne Dilshan led to the former run out for one on the third ball of the innings.
Karunaratne pushed the ball to the off side for a single but the pair changed their minds about a second run, allowing David Warner to flick the ball to Johnson who dived to throw the stumps down from point-blank range.
Dilshan was gone for a first-ball duck with the next delivery off Johnson when he tried to fend off a short delivery, only to flick an edge onto his thigh pad that rebounded for a simple catch to Cowan at short leg.
Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene was heading back to the dressing room for a duck in the next over, shaping to leave the ball but playing onto his stumps to give debutant Jackson Bird his first wicket of the morning.
The 26-year-old seamer struck again in the sixth over of the day, trapping Thilan Samaraweera lbw.
The batsmen called for a review of the decision but the video system showed the ball clattering into leg stump.
Mathews earlier removed Nathan Lyon for one, while Shaminda Eranga wound up the Australian innings by bowling Bird for a duck, frustrating Johnson's bid for a second test century.
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Doremitickets.com Announces Tour Dates for Luke Bryan 2013 Dirt Road Diaries

The popular Country singer Luke Bryan will be back next year with an exciting tour across the US. After the enormous popularity of his album Tailgates & Tanlines.

Nashville, TN (PRWEB) December 27, 2012
Country music sensation singer Luke Bryan, one of today's most popular country music artists, has just announced the US concert leg of his acclaimed tour Tailgates & Tanlines. The popular star will kick off his upcoming tour on January 17th at Ford Center Evansville, IN. Tickets for the first solo concert tour are already on-sale.
Luke Bryan Tickets:http://doremitickets.com/Concerts-Tickets/Country-Folk/Luke-Bryan-Tickets
Luke Bryan' upcoming tour includes venues all across the country. Tour dates have been already set for Giorgia, Missouri, Florida, Texas, Illinois, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Considering the enormous success of his album Tailgates & Tanlines the tour promise to sold out.
The following are the dates, cities and venues included in this exciting Luke Bryan The Dirt Road Diaries Tour.
17-Jan    Ford Center - IN    Evansville    IN

19-Jan    Landers Center (Formerly Desoto County Civic Center)    Southaven    MS

25-Jan    Germain Arena    Estero    FL

26-Jan    Amway Center    Orlando    FL

7-Feb    Nassau Coliseum    Uniondale    NY

8-Feb    Bryce Jordan Center    University Park    PA

9-Feb    Charleston Civic Center    Charleston    WV

15-Feb    Huntington Center (Formerly Lucas County Arena)    Toledo    OH

16-Feb    Van Andel Arena    Grand Rapids    MI

17-Feb    Us Cellular Coliseum    Bloomington    IL

18-Feb    Us Cellular Coliseum    Bloomington    IL

21-Feb    Allen County War Memorial Coliseum    Fort Wayne    IN

22-Feb    KFC Yum! Center    Louisville    KY

23-Feb    Mizzou Sports Arena    Columbia    MO

28-Feb    Resch Center    Green Bay    WI

1-Mar    Tyson Events Center - Gateway Arena    Sioux City    IA

2-Mar    I Wireless Center (formerly Mark Of The Quad Cities)    Moline    IL

14-Mar    The Wharf Amphitheatre    Orange Beach    AL

21-Mar    Florence Civic Center    Florence    SC

22-Mar    Crown Coliseum - The Crown Center    Fayetteville    NC

23-Mar    John Paul Jones Arena    Charlottesville    VA

18-Jul    Delaware State Fairgrounds    Harrington    DE
Doremitickets.com - #1 Source for Country Music Tour 2013 Information Secure Website, Money Back Guarantee.Doremitickets.com is a retail website founded in 2009. Since launching in 2009, our website has helped connect thousands of live entertainment fans to the vast network of ticket brokers that list tickets on the doremitickets® Online Exchange. These professional ticket brokers offer more than 7.5 Million event tickets on our exchange every day.
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Windham, ME Pest Control Specialist, Ants ETC Presents a Brief Guide to Winter Pest Control

For those who think they do not need exterminator services in the cold winter months, professional pest control provider explains why perceptions may be off.

Windham, ME (PRWEB) December 26, 2012
People tend to rely on a belief that they need to deal with bugs during the warmer and wetter spring and summer months, but that bugs are not an issue during the cold winter months—they simply go away. Unfortunately, Ants ETC—a specialist in pest control in Windham, ME—points out that this misconception simply is a misunderstanding of critters and bugs that homeowners and businesses deal with throughout the year. Numerous pests are not affected by the cold and they could easily be found hiding within the walls and between levels of a house or other building. Short of ripping out the drywall or sheetrock, though, there are a few telltale signs that will help you determine whether you need an exterminator during the winter or not.
Residents and business owners will often see a winged carpenter ant or flying ant during the summer months. If these are seen inside during the winter, however, it would indicate the potential for a more serious issue. During the warmer months, these insects are mobile and travel all around. This is not the case during the winter and seeing an ant in a home or business would most likely mean that their nest were in the same building. The same goes for those who may find termites, earwigs, or cockroaches in their home during the colder season.
It is more likely that homeowners will find rodents inside during the winter months, because mice and rats are trying to escape from the cold and snow to some place warm. They may go into the garage, in cabinets, storage closets, or in between walls. Spiders and bed bugs are two other critters that are likely to migrate into a residence during the cold winter months as well.
Keeping this in mind, it becomes readily apparent as to why Maine pest control is best done all year round. Some question the wisdom of this, because they do not see a problem with bugs during the winter season like they do during the summer. The reality is, those same people cannot see what is going on behind the walls or under the floors. Insects and rodents are making nests to keep them warm. They may be less active due to the cold, but they are certainly still around.
About Ants ETC

Ants ETC. was founded by Matt Stover in an effort to provide the highest quality pest control service in Windham, Maine and the surrounding area. With several years of experience with some of the largest exterminators in the industry, Ants ETC was started as a way to give clients that personal touch that the larger companies sometimes forget.
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First Ranked Online Supplier 123inkcartridges.ca to Expand Product Inventory to Include Easy One Touch Universal Car Mount Holder with iPhone 4/5 Smartphone Accessories

Canadian based online supply store 123inkcartridges.ca announced the latest expansion to their inventory of popular accessories for the iPhone 4 and 5 Smartphone. This is just one of the many new accessories and products geared to meeting the increased needs of their clientele.

Montreal, Quebec (PRWEB) December 27, 2012
After 123inkcartridges.ca began adding Smartphones to their product list, they found out that customers also needed a wide variety of accessories to get the greatest benefit out of their devices. For this reason they continue to add products such as the iOttie Easy One Touch Universal Car Mount Holder for the iPhone 4 and 5 Smartphone. The company continues to expand its product inventory to include such useful items in an attempt to meet customer demands. This addition, like their other products, is reasonably priced and easily ordered by customers.
The iOttie Car Mount Holder is designed of the highest quality materials and mounts easily on the dashboard or windshield of the vehicle. It is designed to hold the Smartphone so that the consumer can keep their hands on the wheel for safety’s sake. It is easy to install and uninstalls with the simple click of a button. 123inkcartridges.ca has recently added this useful car mount to their expanding line of iPhone accessories.
The Canadian based company continues to add useful gadgets to their constantly expanding product list. The entire line of products including Smartphone accessories can be viewed on their site: http://www.123inkcartridges.ca. The site is easily navigated so that consumers can find the products that they need. Their professional customer service representatives are available to help consumers locate and order the products they are looking for or answer any questions that might arise.
About 123inkcartridges.ca

123inkcartridges was founded with the intent of providing high quality products to consumers at prices that were reasonable and affordable. When the Canadian based online supplier was established they specialized in toner and ink for printers. Because of their high quality products they soon became the number one online resource for these types of items. In an attempt to meet the growing needs of their expanding customer base, they added computer related products. Presently they continue these expansions with various accessories for technological devices. The full line of products can be viewed at http://www.123inkcartridges.ca, which is their official site from which products can be ordered.
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Overcoming Procrastination Guide for Businesses Now Published Online by Marketer's Black Book

Overcoming procrastination for businesses guide is now published online by MarketersBlackBook.com. This helpful guide is designed to deliver the steps to eliminate workload distractions and achieve more results to help expand revenues online and offline.

Seattle, Washington (PRWEB) December 27, 2012
Time is money for business owners and revenues can increase when distractions are decreased according to a new guide online. The MarketersBlackBook.com website has published a no cost guide on the topic of overcoming procrastination for businesses. This helpful information is designed to help company owners to eliminate daily distractions and focus on putting ideas into action to grow revenues. This guide can be accessed at http://marketersblackbook.com/offline/7-keys-to-stop-procrastination-and-start-taking-action.
Technological advancements have helped companies worldwide to streamline communication. These advancements have contributed to revenue increases through the ease of sharing digital information according to research. The idea phase of business creation and product launch often benefits from the use of technology.
The guide published online explores the ways that distractions can happen with use of technology and how companies can learn to overcome loss of revenue due to dormant plans.
The prioritizing of tasks is one method that is described in the published guide. Business owners that have few employees or hundreds often benefit from a prioritized list that is scanned and updated daily. The focus of time management during the idea phase and implementation phases are also explored in the new guide. The ways that revenue can be increased through online and offline marketing take a concentration of prioritizing tasks according to the guide.
The published guide for businesses online is one way that the MarketersBlackBook.com company has expanded its services online. The integration of in-person events that explore proven strategies for revenue growth has helped more companies and entrepreneurs to learn the different ways to expand product or service sales online.
Through intensive three-day sessions, the MBB team has been able to instruct event attendees on the ways to boost annual revenues without paying for expensive marketing costs.
To go with the new guides and information now presented online, a brand new YouTube channel has been launched online. This channel includes more in-depth interviews, strategies and other information that is better presented in visual form. Because these videos can be streamed online or with mobile devices, the MBB company has launched this new video channel. Those interested in viewing the videos already published can visit http://www.youtube.com/marketersblackbook.
Future in-person events are now scheduled in 2013 to help bring the live training series to more business owners and entrepreneurs that prefer this learning method over online training. These events are part of the new innovations that have taken place at this company this year.
About Marketer's Black Book
The Marketer's Black Book company added new programs and services in 2012 and future upgrades are expected in the coming year. The company was was launched only 24 months ago and is now visited weekly by thousands of entrepreneurs and business owners that are learning to increase online sales revenue. The in-person event series that was launched this year has resulted in bi-monthly events that are now used to supplement basic training offered online. The Marketer's Black Book owners are business experts that own hundreds of websites and monetize these sites daily to ensure growth in niche industry areas online.
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‘Pain Management Solutions’ shows readers how to rebuild lives

Author Debra S. Cole provides coping strategies, advice and inspiration in new nonfiction

AUSTIN, Texas (PRWEB) December 27, 2012
In her new nonfiction, “Pain Management Solutions: Managing Pain in Stages” (published by iUniverse), author Debra S. Cole presents a holistic, five-stage process to help patients through their journey of pain management.
“According to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IMNC) 116 million Americans suffer from and with chronic pain,” Cole asserts. With this sobering statistic in mind, she was inspired to devise a plan to help patients looking to address pain issues from injury or medical conditions in a comprehensive, holistic manner.
“Pain Management Solutions” addresses current pain treatments and considers the various stages of dealing with pain, all the way from the “crisis stage” to the “resolution stage.” Written in easy-to read language and thoroughly researched, the coping strategies Cole offers can help patients rebuild their lives.
Praise for “Pain Management Solutions”:
“Debra Cole writes a brilliant book and gives her expertise in a step-by-step approach from understanding chronic pain to solutions for coping with this debilitating disease. Debra’s compassion, determination, and dedication to help her patients control their pain shines through on every well-written page.”
—Jeff W. Fluitt, DC, Austin Spine and Sports Rehabilitation
“Pain Management Solutions”

By Debra S. Cole

Hardcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 134 pages | ISBN 9781475946185

Softcover | 5.5 x 8.5 in | 134 pages | ISBN 9781475946178

E-Book | 134 pages | ISBN 9781475946192

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble
About the Author

Debra S. Cole is a psychotherapist and behavioral medical consultant. Cole provides psychological support for patients whose lives have been interrupted by chronic pain at her practice, Southwest Behavioral Healthcare, Austin, Texas.
iUniverse, an Author Solutions, Inc. self-publishing imprint, is the leading book marketing, editorial services, and supported self-publishing provider. iUniverse has a strategic alliance with Indigo Books & Music, Inc. in Canada, and titles accepted into the iUniverse Rising Star program are featured in a special collection on BarnesandNoble.com. iUniverse recognizes excellence in book publishing through the Star, Reader’s Choice, Rising Star and Editor’s Choice designations – self-publishing’s only such awards program. Headquartered in Bloomington, Ind., iUniverse also operates offices in Indianapolis. For more information or to publish a book, please visit iuniverse.com or call 1-800-AUTHORS. For the latest, follow @iuniversebooks on Twitter.
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Basketball-Katsikaris to replace Blatt as Russia coach

Greece's Fotis Katsikaris is set to become coach of the Russian men's basketball team and will share coaching duties with his current job at Spanish club Bilbao Berri.
"It was his decision to do both jobs," president of the Russian basketball federation (RBF) Alexander Krasnenkov told reporters on Sunday.
"He'll coach Russia over the summer, then return to his Spanish club. We didn't insist on him working only in Russia."
Katsikaris, 45, is expected to sign a contract with Russia through to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro when he is approved by the RBF's executive board on Monday.
He replaces American-born Israeli David Blatt, who quit as Russian men's coach in October after guiding them to the Olympic bronze medal in London.
In his first coaching spell in Russia in 2005, Katsikaris guided Dynamo St Petersburg to third place in the domestic league before the club went bankrupt at the start of the new season, forcing the Greek to seek a job in Spain.
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UPDATE 1-NBA-Anthony leads Knicks over Timberwolves

(Adds quotes, details)
* Knicks have 5 1/2-game division lead
* T'Wolves lose without injured Love
Dec 23 (Reuters) - Carmelo Anthony took over in the last two minutes to carry the New York Knicks to a 94-91 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
Anthony, who was ejected during Friday's loss to the Chicago Bulls, finished with 33 points, scoring 19 in the fourth quarter, as the Knicks came from behind to secure the home win.
"We didn't want to look back at this game later in the season and say this was a game we shouldn't have lost," Anthony told reporters. "We picked it up defensively in the second half and we won the game."
New York trailed for virtually the entire game before Anthony went on an 8-0 run in the final two minutes to put the Knicks up by four.
Anthony scored the Knicks' last 12 points to seal the win.
"That was kind of an MVP performance at the end. He stepped up and made the plays," said New York coach Mike Woodson. "When he got that fifth foul called, it's like a light went off and he made the plays big-time."
J.R. Smith scored 19 off the bench for New York (20-7) while Tyson Chandler had 16 and nine rebounds as the Knicks maintained their 5 1/2 game lead in the Atlantic Division.
Nikola Pekovic recorded 21 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves (13-12), who were missing All Star Kevin Love due to an eye ailment.
Minnesota went up by nine at half-time and led by 11 midway through the third before New York made their move.
Chandler scored 10 in the third quarter as the Knicks cut the deficit to two heading into the fourth.
New York are still without forward Amar'e Stoudemire, who has been out the entire season with a knee injury but has recently started practicing with the team.
Despite his absence, the Knicks are off to a strong start and have a 5 1/2-game lead in the Atlantic Division. (Writing by Jahmal Corner in Los Angeles; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
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Anthony leads Knicks over Timberwolves

 Carmelo Anthony took over in the last two minutes to carry the New York Knicks to a 94-91 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
Anthony, who was ejected during Friday's loss to the Chicago Bulls, finished with 33 points, scoring 19 in the fourth quarter, as the Knicks came from behind to secure the home win.
"We didn't want to look back at this game later in the season and say this was a game we shouldn't have lost," Anthony told reporters. "We picked it up defensively in the second half and we won the game."
New York trailed for virtually the entire game before Anthony went on an 8-0 run in the final two minutes to put the Knicks up by four.
Anthony scored the Knicks' last 12 points to seal the win.
"That was kind of an MVP performance at the end. He stepped up and made the plays," said New York coach Mike Woodson. "When he got that fifth foul called, it's like a light went off and he made the plays big-time."
J.R. Smith scored 19 off the bench for New York (20-7) while Tyson Chandler had 16 and nine rebounds as the Knicks maintained their 5 1/2 game lead in the Atlantic Division.
Nikola Pekovic recorded 21 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves (13-12), who were missing All Star Kevin Love due to an eye ailment.
Minnesota went up by nine at half-time and led by 11 midway through the third before New York made their move.
Chandler scored 10 in the third quarter as the Knicks cut the deficit to two heading into the fourth.
New York are still without forward Amar'e Stoudemire, who has been out the entire season with a knee injury but has recently started practicing with the team.
Despite his absence, the Knicks are off to a strong start and have a 5 1/2-game lead in the Atlantic Division.
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Anthony leads Knicks over Timberwolves

 Carmelo Anthony took over in the last two minutes to carry the New York Knicks to a 94-91 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday.
Anthony, who was ejected during Friday's loss to the Chicago Bulls, finished with 33 points, scoring 19 in the fourth quarter, as the Knicks came from behind to secure the home win.
"We didn't want to look back at this game later in the season and say this was a game we shouldn't have lost," Anthony told reporters. "We picked it up defensively in the second half and we won the game."
New York trailed for virtually the entire game before Anthony went on an 8-0 run in the final two minutes to put the Knicks up by four.
Anthony scored the Knicks' last 12 points to seal the win.
"That was kind of an MVP performance at the end. He stepped up and made the plays," said New York coach Mike Woodson. "When he got that fifth foul called, it's like a light went off and he made the plays big-time."
J.R. Smith scored 19 off the bench for New York (20-7) while Tyson Chandler had 16 and nine rebounds as the Knicks maintained their 5 1/2 game lead in the Atlantic Division.
Nikola Pekovic recorded 21 points and 17 rebounds to lead the Timberwolves (13-12), who were missing All Star Kevin Love due to an eye ailment.
Minnesota went up by nine at half-time and led by 11 midway through the third before New York made their move.
Chandler scored 10 in the third quarter as the Knicks cut the deficit to two heading into the fourth.
New York are still without forward Amar'e Stoudemire, who has been out the entire season with a knee injury but has recently started practicing with the team.
Despite his absence, the Knicks are off to a strong start and have a 5 1/2-game lead in the Atlantic Division.
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UPDATE 4-NBA results

Dec 24 (Infostrada Sports) - Results from the NBA games on Sunday (home team in CAPS)
BROOKLYN 95 Philadelphia 92
NY KNICKS 94 Minnesota 91
Utah 97 ORLANDO 93
SAN ANTONIO 129 Dallas 91
LA Clippers 103 PHOENIX 77
SACRAMENTO 108 Portland 96
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Basketball-Greek Katsikaris named Russia coach

 Greek Fotis Katsikaris has been named coach of Russia's men's national team and will continue to manage Spanish club Bilbao Berri, the country's basketball federation (RBF) said on Monday.
The agreement with the RBF, which runs through to the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, allows Katsikaris to coach Russia for a few months during the off-season before returning to his full-time job with Bilbao.
"I won't break any rules," he said, referring to the Spanish league's law prohibiting holding two jobs simultaneously.
"Each year on June 30, I'll break up my contract with Bilbao before start working in Russia, then I can return to Spain and re-sign my club deal again."
Katsikaris, 45, replaced American-born Israeli David Blatt, who quit as Russia coach in October after guiding his team to the Olympic bronze medal in London.
In his first coaching spell in Russia in 2005, Katsikaris guided Dynamo St Petersburg to third place in the domestic league before the club went bankrupt at the start of the new season, forcing him to seek a job in Spain.
Katsikaris, who has also coached Valencia as well as Greek clubs AEK and Aris, led Bilbao to a runners-up finish in the 2011-12 Spanish league behind Barcelona and an automatic place in the Euroleague - Europe's premier club competition.
Lithuanian Alfredas Vainauskas was named coach of the Russian women's team, replacing Boris Sokolovsky, whose team finished fourth in London.
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NKorea says it has detained a US citizen

North Korea said Friday that an American citizen has been detained after confessing to unspecified crimes, confirming news reports about his arrest at a time when Pyongyang is facing criticism from Washington for launching a long-range rocket last week.
The American was identified as Pae Jun Ho in a brief dispatch issued by the state-run Korean Central News Agency in Pyongyang. News reports in the U.S. and South Korea said Pae is known in his home state of Washington as Kenneth Bae, a 44-year-old tour operator of Korean descent.
An expert said he is likely to become a bargaining chip for the North, an attempt to draw the U.S. into talks. Five other Americans known to have been detained in North Korea since 2009 were all eventually released.
North Korean state media said Pae arrived in the far northeastern city of Rajin on Nov. 3 as part of a tour.
Rajin is part of a special economic zone not far from Yanji, China, that has sought to draw foreign investors and tourists over the past year. Yanji, home to many ethnic Korean Chinese, also serves as a base for Christian groups that shelter North Korean defectors.
"In the process of investigation, evidence proving that he committed a crime against (North Korea) was revealed. He admitted his crime," the KCNA dispatch said.
The North said the crimes were "proven through evidence" but did not elaborate.
KCNA said consular officials from the Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang visited Pae on Friday. Sweden represents the United States in diplomatic affairs in North Korea since Washington and Pyongyang do not have diplomatic relations.
Karl-Olof Andersson, Sweden's ambassador to North Korea, told The Associated Press he could not comment on the case and referred the matter to the U.S. State Department.
The State Department was not immediately able to provide any additional information about the report.
The operator of a Korean language website for the Korean community in the Northwest, Chong Tae Kim of JoySeattle.com, said the detainee's father lives in Korea and his mother lives in Lynnwood, Washington.
"She hopes the State Department and Swedish Embassy help with his release," he said Friday. "She's trying not to speak to reporters, fearing that could affect her son's release."
The office of U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene says it has reached out to the mother and is pressing the State Department for information.
"We are very concerned about it and seeing what can be done on our end to help with this," said spokesman Viet Shelton.
State Department spokesman Patrick Ventrell on Friday would only say that they were aware of the detention and that Swedish Embassy in Pyongyang is providing consular services.
"We can, indeed, confirm that a U.S. citizen has been detained in North Korea," Ventrell said, adding that he could not say more because of privacy restrictions.
In Seoul, the Segye Ilbo newspaper reported last week that Bae had been taking tourists on a five-day trip to the North when he was arrested. The newspaper cited unidentified sources.
News of the arrest comes as North Korea is celebrating the launch of a satellite into space on Dec. 12, in defiance of calls by the U.S. and others to cancel a liftoff widely seen as an illicit test of ballistic missile technology.
The announcement of the American's detainment could be a signal from the North that it wants dialogue with the United States, said Cheong Seong-chang, an analyst at the private Sejong Institute in South Korea. He said trips by former U.S. Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter to North Korea to secure the release of other detained Americans created a mood for U.S.-North Korea talks.
"North Korea knows sanctions will follow its rocket launch. But in the long run, it needs an excuse to reopen talks after the political atmosphere moves past sanctions," Cheong said.
Cheong said he expects that the American will be tried and convicted in coming months. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has the power to grant amnesty and will exercise it as a bargaining chip, Cheong said.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said earlier this week that Washington had been trying to reach out to Kim.
"Instead, that was met not only with an abrogation of agreements that had been made by the previous North Korean regime, but by missile activity both in April and in December," she told reporters.
She said Washington had no choice but to put pressure on Pyongyang, and was discussing with its allies how to "further isolate" the regime.
In April 2009, a North Korean rocket launch took place while two American journalists, Laura Ling and Euna Lee, were in North Korean custody after allegedly trying to sneak into the country across the Tumen River dividing the North from China.
They were sentenced to 12 years of hard labor before being released on humanitarian grounds after Clinton flew to Pyongyang to negotiate their release.
Subsequently, three other Americans were arrested and eventually released by North Korea. All three are believed to have been accused of illegally spreading Christianity.
North Korea has several sanctioned churches in Pyongyang but frowns on the distribution of Bibles and other religious materials by foreigners. Interaction between North Koreans and foreigners is strictly regulated.
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Gunmen kill 11 Pakistanis, Afghans in SW Pakistan

An official says gunmen have killed eleven Pakistanis and Afghans in a border town of southwestern Pakistan as they were trying to cross to Iran to travel on to Europe as illegal migrants.
Local government official Zubair Ahmed said Saturday the shooting took place late Friday in the Sunsar town of southwestern Baluchistan province.
He said the dead and wounded were Afghans and Pakistanis.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack, but hundreds of such Pakistanis and Afghans are captured by Iranian border guards every year for illegally trying to travel to Europe to find better jobs.
Iran deports such detainees after questioning.
Quetta is the capital of impoverished Baluchistan province, where nationalist groups have also waged a low-level insurgency.
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People flee Japan nuke disaster to faraway Okinawa

 Okinawa is about as far away as one can get from Fukushima without leaving Japan, and that is why Minaho Kubota is here.
Petrified of the radiation spewing from the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear plant that went into multiple meltdowns last year, Kubota grabbed her children, left her skeptical husband and moved to the small southwestern island. More than 1,000 people from the disaster zone have done the same thing.
"I thought I would lose my mind," Kubota told The Associated Press in a recent interview. "I felt I would have no answer for my children if, after they grew up, they ever asked me, 'Mama, why didn't you leave?'"
Experts and the government say there have been no visible health effects from the radioactive contamination from Fukushima Dai-ichi so far. But they also warn that even low-dose radiation carries some risk of cancer and other diseases, and exposure should be avoided as much as possible, especially the intake of contaminated food and water. Such risks are several times higher for children and even higher for fetuses, and may not appear for years.
Okinawa has welcomed the people from Fukushima and other northeastern prefectures (states) affected by the March 11, 2011, earthquake and tsunami that set off the nuclear disaster. Okinawa is offering 60,000 yen ($750) a month to help relocating families of three or four pay the rent, and lower amounts for smaller families.
"We hope they feel better, maybe refreshed," said Okinawan official Masakazu Gunji.
Other prefectures have offered similar aid, but Okinawa's help is relatively generous and is being extended an extra year to three years for anyone applying by the end of this year.
Most people displaced by the disaster have relocated within or near Fukushima, but Okinawa, the only tropical island in Japan, is the most popular area for those who have chosen prefectures far from the nuclear disaster. An escape to Okinawa underlines a determination to get away from radiation and, for some, distrust toward Tokyo Electric Power Co., the utility that operates Fukushima Dai-ichi.
Kazue Sato lived in fear of radiation because the roof of her home in Iwaki, a major city in Fukushima, was destroyed by the earthquake.
And so she moved with her husband, a chef, back to Okinawa, where she had grown up. She now lives in her grandparents' home and hopes to turn it into a coffee shop with her husband.
But Sato is still struggling with depression, especially because her old friends criticized her for what they thought were her exaggerated fears about radiation. She struggles with a sense of guilt about having abandoned Fukushima.
"Little children have to wear masks. People can't hang their laundry outdoors," she said. "Some people can't get away even if they want to. I feel so sorry for them."
Sato and Kubota are joining a class-action lawsuit being prepared against the government and Tokyo Electric on behalf of Fukushima-area residents affected by the meltdowns. It demands an apology payment of 50,000 yen ($625) a month for each victim until all the radiation from the accident is wiped out, a process that could take decades, if ever, for some areas.
Independent investigations into the nuclear disaster have concluded that the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant was unprepared for the massive tsunami, in part because of the nuclear industry's cozy relationship with government regulators.
"We think people have the right to live in an environment not polluted by radiation that may harm their health, and that right has been violated by this accident," Izutaro Managi, one of the case's lawyers, said in a meeting earlier this month for plaintiffs in Naha, a major Okinawan city.
Japan's statute of limitations requires that the lawsuit be filed no later than March 11, 2014. About 20 of the evacuees in Okinawa have signed on to the lawsuit, which has gathered 100 other people in the three weeks since it began.
Kubota, who now works part time for an Okinawa magazine publisher, said the problem is that no one is taking responsibility for the accident.
"Seeking accountability through a lawsuit may feel like such a roundabout effort. But in the end, it's going to be the best shortcut," she said.
She is getting health checkups for her children, fretting over any discovered problems, including anemia, fevers and nosebleeds.
Her fears are heightened by the fact that she and her children had lived in their car right after the disaster, which had liquefied the land and destroyed their home. They had unknowingly played outdoors while the nuclear plants had been exploding, she recalled.
The disaster ended up separating her family. Her husband refused to leave his dentist practice in Ibaraki Prefecture. They argued over whether to relocate, but she knew she had to leave on her own when he said: "There is nothing we can do."
These days, he visits her and their two boys, ages 8 and 12, in her new apartment in Okinawa on weekends. He sends her money, something he didn't do at first.
"I wake up every day and feel thankful my children are alive. I have been through so much. I have been heartbroken. I have been so afraid," she said.
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Afghan leader: Foreigners to blame for corruption

Afghanistan's president accused on Saturday the countries that fund hisgovernment and military with enabling the widespread corruption that undermines his efforts to establish rule of law in the war-wracked country.
Graft and payoffs are widely recognized as a major problem facing Afghanistan as the government works to establish authority over a volatile country and win the trust of the people over from the Taliban insurgency. The country regularly ranks among the most corrupt in the world in indexes and nearly every Afghan has stories of having to pay a bribe to a police officer or a government official.
International donors have long argued that they are trying to help Karzai's administration clean up the endemic corruption but are stymied by his unwillingness to prosecute political allies. Karzai in turn has repeatedly said that he has not been given the ability to control the billions of dollars flowing in to Afghanistan from foreign countries and so has not been able to police the funding.
"Corruption in Afghanistan is a reality, a bitter reality," Karzai said in a nationally televised speech. "The part of this corruption that is in our offices is a small part: that is bribes. The other part of corruption, the large part, is hundreds of millions dollars that are not ours. We shouldn't blame ourselves for that. That part is from others and imposed on us."
Karzai argued that foreign donors give contracts to high-ranking Afghan officials or to their relatives in an effort to gain influence over the government, thereby sowing the seeds for corruption.
As an example, he brought up his half-brother Ahmed Wali Karzai, who was seen as the main power broker in southern Kandahar province before he was assassinated by insurgents in 2011. Karzai recalled a conversation with former U.S. commander Gen. Stanley McChrystal in which McChrystal told Karzai to rein in his brother because he was corrupt. Karzai said he pointed out that it was the U.S. government, not the Afghan government, that was awarding contracts to Ahmed Wali Karzai.
"I asked him, why have you given contracts to the president's brother? Why give to him and to other high ranking government officials?" Karzai told the crowd assembled for the speech at a high school in the capital.
The question of the roots of corruption in Afghanistan is only going to become more important in the coming years, as donors have made much of their future funding conditional on evidence that the Afghan government is cleaning up the pervasive system off payoffs and patronage. And there has been debate within the Afghan government over who to blame.
Even at Saturday's event, Karzai's top anti-corruption official spoke first and pointed his finger at other Afghan officials, without mentioning the international donors. He said that the courts have not done enough to prosecute corruption cases and administration officials and lawmakers need to be forced to explain things like large property acquisitions.
"The system is the problem," Azizullah Ludin told the crowd.
Karzai has repeatedly taken populist stances against his foreign allies, placing blame on them for many of the country's ills. In the past, he has said that NATO local offices known as Provincial Reconstruction Teams undermine the Afghan government's authority by doling out money directly to the public, and that foreign countries encourage criminality by funding private security companies that operate outside the law. The foreign security companies have since been shut down and the Provincial Reconstruction Teams are being phased out.

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Mob in Pakistan kills man accused of burning Quran

 A mob in southern Pakistan stormed a police station to seize a mentally unstable Muslim man accused of burning a copy of Islam's holy book, beat him to death, and then set his body afire, police said Saturday.
The case is likely to raise further concerns about the country's harsh blasphemy laws, which can result in a death sentence or life in prison to anyone found guilty. Critics say an accusation or investigation alone can lead to deaths, as people take the law into their own hands and kill those accused of violating it. Police stations and even courts have been attacked by mobs.
Local police official Bihar-ud-Din said police arrested the man on Friday after being informed by residents that he had burned a Quran inside a mosque where he had been staying for a night.
An angry mob of more than 200 people then broke into the police station in the southern town of Dadu and took the accused man, who they say was under questioning. Din said police tried their best to save the man's life but were unable to stop the furious crowd.
He said that police had arrested 30 people for suspected involvement in the attack, while the head of the local police station and seven officers had been suspended.
Past attempts by governments in predominantly Muslim Pakistan to review these laws have met with violent opposition from hardline Islamist parties.
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New, emerging talent kicks off Paris Fashion Week

 Fashion week in Paris is always a race against time.
Paris — the last city after New York, London and Milan to host shows — is offering up 95 frenetic catwalk spectacles back-to-back over eight days at opposite ends of the French capital.
So it's perhaps fitting that the spring-summer 2013 season got going behind a giant clock: The iconic timekeeper of Paris' grand Gare de l'Est train station. The setting may have been grand but the shows on the first day in Paris are often low-key, a showcase for emerging talent.
Young knitwear designer and Rick Owens alumnus Alice Lemoine emerged from the shadows of her former mentor to produce an unassuming but highly accomplished show in rich spring colors.
Belgian-born designer Anthony Vaccarello — whose star has been on a rise since Gwyneth Paltrow graced the cover of Harper's Bazaar in one of his dresses — delivered a slick and revealing show Tuesday, channeling black and white in an unusual summer collection.
South Korean designer Moon Young Hee also threw away the color wheel to produce a sophisticated, demure show, while Impasse de la Defense mixed bold colors with retro and street styles.
Wednesday's shows will include London's enfant terrible Gareth Pugh, Guy Laroche and Dries Van Noten.
IMPASSE DE LA DEFENSE
Post-punk design house Impasse de la Defense, tucked away behind the clock of the Gare de l'Est, got extra street cred as loud train announcements punctuated their colorful show.
Their eclectic and contemporary mix included vibrant patchwork dresses, outre tulle bridal skirts and large shawls printed with images of clock architecture. Their soundtrack — a single harmonica played by a man who looked like a busker — added a dash of boho insouciance to the many the casual, loose-fitting, splash-dyed dresses.
Designer Karim Bonnet said he was channeling German street style after a holiday there last summer — but at times, the clock seemed to turn to '70s flower power. The imaginative prints of cameras and the spines of novels on large shawls were a notable success.
At times, though, the sheer size of the shawls — which models had wrapped around them — made them look clumsy.
LE MOINE TRICOTE
No longer just for grannies, knitwear has finally been made cool — a youthful facelift courtesy of Le Moine Tricote.
Armed with two 12mm (half-inch) needles, a ball of wool and no rules, designer Alice Lemoine set about this collection with no idea what clothes she would make.
"I just let the needles lead and I make all sorts of different shapes and panels," Lemoine said backstage, wearing a wooly cardigan. "I then just fuse it together; not exactly patchwork, but the same process."
The result? An architectural — and highly huggable — display of some 14 soft, open knit looks — set off with creative spirals, polygons and geometric shapes.
Lemoine gives freedom to the natural weight of wool — producing some sumptuous effects, like one plunging gray and camel column dress. Lest we forget it's summer, it's all served up with a refreshing palette of sky blue, navy, pearl beige purple and white.
Splashes of delicate, tightly knitted silk alongside breezy organza undergarments and the occasional peplum was a new addition this season.
ANTHONY VACCARELLO
Sticking to black and white is one sure way to stand out in spring collections, which are famed for their use of color. But at the moment, it's not as if Anthony Vaccarello needs the attention. His recent fashion headlines include a design stint at Collette as part of Vogue's Fashion Night Out.
In this uber-sexy, color-free summer offering, the models' legs did the talking: Micro skirts with a tight, sweeped draping.
There was a distinct feeling of previous seasons' Milan shows — plunging necklines, draped tops with eyelets and loose shoulder-strong jackets. At times, the draping invoked a Grecian toga look.
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Individual shows boldly stamp Paris fashion week

 Coco Chanel once said: "The most courageous act is still to think for yourself."
Day five of Paris Fashion Week showed that even today the legendary fashion designer's words ring true.
Saturday presented a gold mine of eclectic and individual shows: Each one with a unique stamp of their designer.
London-based Vivienne Westwood led the crowd, celebrating Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee, but travelling — as she did — via Japan, Russia, Spain and Africa.
Westwood is the only designer on the Paris fashion calendar — or perhaps anywhere — who can cross the globe and several centuries, mixing up Bangkok-style catwomen, Chinese tea prints, tropical cowboys, Velasquez wenches, the Ballets Russes, and still produce a coherent and unified show.
Viktor & Rolf, meanwhile, went back to their signature plays on oversized proportion to produce a glitzy show — as they prepare to celebrate 20 years since they founded the label.
The epitome of femininity, Cacharel, explored spring through the natural colors of mother nature, in a trademark delicate display.
Sunday's shows include Kenzo, Celine and Hermes.
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VIVIENNE WESTWOOD
"Global exotic," is how English designer Vivienne Westwood described her brilliant and wacky spring-summer 2013 show, hosted on terra mater in Paris' British Embassy.
Disparate encyclopedic fashion references gelled together — amazingly — owing to her own, very British, eccentricity.
Westwood cited Sergei Diaghilev's "Ballets Russes" — the early 20th century's most famous ballet company — as a key inspiration.
The influential troupe used exotic styles with billowing trousers and turbans — which was evoked in many of the baggy globe-trotting looks.
One of the nicest looks came in a series of modified Japanese kimonos.
One in light gray silk, with wide bateau collar, had fluttering hoop panels that fluttered by.
Above all else, Westwood — who's 71 — has lost none of her humor.
There was a special guest star — a model portraying Queen Elizabeth II. She clutched a handbag in a crown and demure gray silk dress. In this cameo, unlike in the Olympic Games opening ceremony in which a queen look-a-like parachuted into the main stadium, the model just walked in through the embassy door.
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VIKTOR & ROLF
Viktor & Rolf were feeling reflective, looking back on almost two decades since founding their fashion house, and that was evident Saturday in their oversized spring-summer ode to 70s pleated glamor.
"We were in a reflective mood..." said Viktor Horsting, one half of the famed Dutch design duo which is approaching its 20th anniversary.
Not ones to normally take things quite so literally, the inseparable Viktor and Rolf channeled mirrors in their oversized spring-summer show.
The designers, who founded their Amsterdam-based fashion house in 1993, sent models through a reflective tunnel onto a catwalk wearing mainly black, white and silver ensembles that featured blinding mirror appliques on sumptuous silks.
Oversized proportion — a signature mark — produced some hits.
Giant bows in soft pink and purple were used high or low on the waist to sumptuous effect.
But there were some small misses in proportion, too: One tubular floor-length skirt had rose-shaped mirror appliques whose size competed with the model's head.
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CACHAREL
Cacharel perfectly captured the fresh mood of spring, in a feminine collection — typical of the popular French house — that brought aquatic life to the catwalk.
Free hanging A-line slip dresses and gently flaring peplums and skirts Saturday, floated alongside prints of goldfish skin, anemones and underwater tea flower bloom.
This spring-summer 2013 collection was also a celebration of the natural world in its careful palette the Cerulean blue of sky, orange of sea coral and tea green.
But perhaps nature is in the house DNA: After all, designer Jean Bousquet who founded the house in 1962, named it after a small, beautifully striped dabbling duck with the same name.
Today's designers Ling Liu and Dawei Sun keep these codes, therefore, adding this season a touch of contemporary graphic prints.
The gentle blurring made this collection a visual treat.
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MARTIN GRANT
Australian Martin Grant is not a household name, but he has a solid reputation in the fashion world and a string of celebrity followers like Juliette Binoche, Kate Hudson and Cate Blanchett.
Saturday's clean and on-trend collection proves it's little wonder.
"I wanted to play with volumes," Grant said backstage, referring to the many looks which had elongated peplums and jacket-skirts, twinned with black shorts — as seen in Raf Simons' show for Dior.
Black and navy was used well in A-line with trapeze silhouettes, and accentuated midriffs — one of the big parts of this season's fashion conversation —which nicely nipped the silhouettes.
One of the colors of the season, vermilion, was used perfectly as shards of color, or completely covering dresses.
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Anniversary Surprise for Husband at Airport: Wife Wearing Wedding Dress

Lacy Matthews, 48, of Parker, Colo., is certainly getting more wear out of her wedding dress.
On Oct. 3, she put it to good use again, exactly 14 years to the day after she originally wore it. At 8:15 in the morning, Matthews surprised her husband, Derek Matthews, 38, at the Denver airport dressed in her wedding dress and holding a huge sign that read "Derek, I'll do it all over again. I love you."
Derek Matthews returned from a business trip early in the morning so that he could spend the entire day with his blushing bride.

Courtesy Lacy Matthews
"We agreed not to spend a lot of money, but I wanted to say I love you, and I'm here for the long haul. I wanted to do it in a big way. I've done cards, done scrapbooks, but I wanted to do something big this time. I wanted to do something to make him feel really important and special," Lucy Matthews told ABC News.
Matthews never really tried to preserve her dress, but it was still in good enough condition to wear it again.
"It was kind of just crammed in a box in the basement, wrinkled with stains. I just dabbed those out a little bit. It still served the purpose," she said.
She eagerly waited by the arrival escalators for her husband to come up the steps.
"Every man that came up that escalator, all ages, business people, the guys barefoot coming off the beach, everybody's reaction was very positive," said Matthews.
When the moment finally arrived, when her husband at last came up the escalator, he was distracted and not paying attention, since he had no idea what was in store for him. But when he finally glanced up, he was shocked by what he saw just a few feet away. It was his bride, all over again.
"The sweetest thing he said afterward was that on our wedding day, he got chills when I came around the corner. He said, 'I was expecting you to walk around the corner that day, so there was all this anticipation. But when I was coming up the escalator, I wasn't expecting you at all, especially in a dress. I'm so glad we're together.' He kept telling me, 'I'm going numb, I'm going numb,'" he said.
Courtesy Lacy Matthews
For Lucy Matthews, the moment meant a lot, as she is currently fighting a chronic disease, a type of ulcerative colitis that can turn into colon cancer. The disease, along with a series of other unfortunate happenings in the couple's life, has inspired the two to adopt a "live every day to its fullest" mentality.
"My husband has been hit by lighting and lived to tell about it, and I myself have a chronic illness. It was life threatening. I continue to get a form of chemo every six weeks. I get the highest dose you can get. Our mentality as a family is just try to live your lives where every day is a gift," said Matthews.
"My son was 8 when I first got sick. I always have a party for my birthday. I celebrate it, because it's better than the alternative. Our whole family lives like that. Every year, every birthday, every anniversary is celebrated big."
Although she knew she wanted to do something on a large scale, Matthews admits she almost didn't go through with the wedding dress idea.
"I'm a very outgoing person, but it was not easy to walk into the airport in a wedding dress with a sign. It was very embarrassing. But leaving your comfort zone for someone you love is the best way to spend your day," Matthews said.
There was one thing that day, however, that surprised her the most.
"I was really taken by how many people asked, 'What anniversary is it?' When I told them 14th, they'd say, 'Oh it's not a milestone then?' But why isn't 14 a milestone?" Matthews asked. "The 25th, the 15t h, every year is big, especially in this day and age when people give up so easily. That was one of the things that surprised me the most. That it wasn't' a milestone according to society. I think every day is as milestone."

Courtesy Lacy Matthews
Afraid our society has completely lost the art of celebration, Matthews is attempting to prove every day is a gift.
"We've lost the art of celebration. We should celebrate how much we love each other, celebrate that we have life every day. I just think that every birthday, every anniversary, and indeed, every day is a celebration and a gift and we should treat it as a gift," Matthews said.
She and her husband are still as happy as they were on their wedding day, especially for Lucy Matthews, since she's still able to fit into her dress.
"I was trying to bless him, and I got blessed doing it. Hundreds of people took my picture, and our picture. One guy walked by and told me 'You just made my day. Love is still alive,'" she said.
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NYC exhibition: Katharine Hepburn as fashion icon

A new exhibition is hailing the fashion sense of Katharine Hepburn, whose trademark khakis and open-collar shirts were decidedly unconventional in the 1930s and 40s, when girdles and stockings were the order of the day.
The fiercely independent Hepburn famously once said: "Anytime I hear a man say he prefers a woman in a skirt, I say, 'Try one. Try a skirt.'"
But skirts and dresses abound in "Katharine Hepburn: Dressed for Stage and Screen" at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts, which opens Thursday.
Hepburn, who died in 2003 at age 96, saved almost all the costumes from her long career that included four Oscars and such memorable films as "The Philadelphia Story," ''The African Queen," ''Guess Who's Coming to Dinner" and "On Golden Pond." Forty are on view at the exhibition, which runs through Jan. 12.
One of the first things visitors will notice is how slender Hepburn was — she had a 20-inch waist — and a grouping of seven khaki pants artfully arranged on a pair of mannequin legs.
"The fact that she wore slacks and wanted to be comfortable influenced women's ready-to-wear in the United States," said Jean Druesedow, director of the Kent State University Museum, which was given 700 items from Hepburn's estate. Kent State was selected because it's one of the country's only museums of performance clothes.
"That image said to the American woman 'Look you don't have to be in your girdle and stockings and tight dress. You can be comfortable. That was probably the first aspect of becoming a fashion icon," said Druesedow, a co-curator of the exhibition.
The strong-willed actress known for taking charge of her career worked closely with all her designers to decide her performing wardrobe.
"They understood what would help her characters, what she would feel comfortable wearing ... how it would support the story," Druesedow said.
Margaret Furse, an English designer who created Hepburn's wardrobes for "The Lion in Winter," ''A Delicate Balance" and "Love Among the Ruins," went shopping with the star and talked extensively about what kinds of things would set the scene.
Among the highlights is a stunning satin and lace wedding gown created by Howard Greer for her role as Stella Surrege in "The Lake." The 1933 production was her first major Broadway role and also a huge flop. Writer and wit Dorothy Parker described her performance as running "the gamut of emotion from A to B." The experience taught Hepburn to have a bigger say in what roles she accepted, said Barbara Cohen-Stratyner, curator of exhibitions at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
When she really liked a costume she had copies made for herself, sometimes in a different color or fabric. A silk dress and coat by Norman Hartnell from "Suddenly, Last Summer" and a green raw silk jumpsuit by Valentina from "The Philadelphia Story" were among the pieces she had copied.
Comfort was paramount to Hepburn — being able to throw her leg over a chair or sit on the floor. She always wore her 'uniform' — khakis and a shirt — to rehearsals and pant ensembles to publicity appearances.
A companion book, "Katharine Hepburn: Rebel Chic," describes how RKO executives hid Hepburn's trousers in an effort to persuade her to abandon them.
"Her response was to threaten to walk around the lot naked. Though she only stripped down as far as her silk underwear before stepping out of her dressing room, she made her point — and she got her trousers back," fashion writer Nancy MacDonell wrote in an essay for the book.
But comfort didn't mean sacrificing style — and she certainly knew how to be glamorous especially when a role called for it.
In her private life, she shopped at the major cutting-edge New York couturiers and worked with the best costume shops of the period, including Muriel King and Valentina, said Cohen-Stratyner.
"She really appreciated good fabric and good construction," she said. "Even her trousers are couture."
The exhibition is supplemented by film clips, movie posters, and archival photographs of Hepburn wearing the very costumes worn by the mannequins. Her false eyelashes, makeup trays and sensible shoes are also on display.
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Cancer Strikes 4 Times Before Bride Gets Wedding Dress

Lori Allen, who runs a successful bridal shop featured in the reality show Bridals By Lori, got a 7:05 a.m. telephone call in April that changed her life -- she had breast cancer.
"I was not even going to go get a mammogram this year," said the 53-year-old from Georgia. "I am healthy as a horse and haven't missed a day of work in five years. I had no lump. I was just busy running a business."
Her business is Bridals By Lori, and since the cancer diagnosis, surgery and recovery, she has used it as a platform to inspire and help other women with the disease.
One of those women, DeLese Range, has battled cancer in 23 of her 25-year marriage. She and husband Lonzie, who live in Carollton, Texas, will renew their vows next June in a dress provided by Allen.
"When I first got married, I borrowed my brother's girlfriend's dress and wore it at 2 o'clock -- she wore it that night to the prom," said Range, 43, who's survived ovarian and breast cancer survivor and is now being treated for lung and lymph node cancers.
Allen's journey with breast cancer, "Say Yes to the Cure: Lori's Fight," premieres tonight at 10 p.m. on TLC. The special, which features Range, airs as part of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
An estimated one in eight women will develop breast cancer during her lifetime, according to the American Cancer Society. It is the most common cancer among American women, except for skin cancers. About 39,510 women will die from the breast cancer this year.
"It turned my world upside down," Allen told ABCNews.com. She was so terrified by her breast cancer diagnosis, "I couldn't say the word for five days."
But she approached TLC, which produces her show, and offered to tell her personal story. Three days after the doctor's call, TV crews began filming.
Allen was looking for a woman who had survived breast cancer to help her make wedding dreams come true. She found Range through the Susan G. Komen For the Cure Foundation, and the special follows Range's search for the perfect dress.
In 1989, just two years after her makeshift wedding and pregnant with her second child, Range was diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
She recovered after chemotherapy and radiation, but in 2001, Range found out she had stage-four breast cancer.
"We had a nurse seven days a week and had to put a hospital bed in the bedroom next to my husband," she said.
After aggressive treatment, Range was prepped for a mastectomy. "We were in the hospital and the doctor came in and sat us down. He said, 'I don't think we have to do it now.'"
X-rays revealed that she had gone into a complete remission without treatment. Medical experts were baffled, but Range was overjoyed. "They can't explain it," she said.
But a decade later, in 2011, Range would face yet another cancer diagnosis. This time it was lung cancer, even though she had never smoked. And then, another blow -- doctors found unrelated cancer in her lymph nodes and she is now back on chemotherapy.
Bridals By Lori Gives Dress to Cancer Survivor
Range and Lonzie had hoped to renew their marriage vows this year, marking their 25th anniversary with their children at their side, but cancer stood in the way.
"When the chemo came up, we couldn't do it financially," she said. "It was going to have to wait."
But when Bridal's By Lori sought a breast cancer survivor for its TLC special, Range's husband, 45, who is a minister and also works for the U.S. Postal Service, responded. He wrote a letter to the Komen foundation explaining their story.
Allen had been there herself. "My whole family rallied around me," she said. "They were just as shocked as I was over the diagnosis."
Allen underwent a double mastectomy, but was spared further treatment.
"Doctors don't grab you by the hand and say, 'Do this' -- I had to figure it out my own path," said Allen, whose prognosis is now bright.
Helping others has "given me new meaning in my life," she said. "I have taken something that was really negative and turned it into a positive."
As for Range, she has continued to be active with the Komen foundation and has recently endured three straight weeks of chemotherapy -- so she can take time off from treatment to participate in its upcoming 60-mile, three-day walk for breast cancer awareness.
She hopes to get back to her work as a personal trainer soon.
But as the mother of two adult children and three grandchildren, Range is determined to be there for her family and is hopeful about her future.
"I am good, I am actually doing O.K.," she said. "I have my support system and it helps."
They only have one big worry now -- who will officiate their vows ceremony, scheduled for June 2013?
"My husband is a minister," she said. And so are her brother, father and father-in-law.
"I am going to have a problem picking," said Range. "I was estranged from my dad until 2001 and found him again. It's between my father and my father-in-law. I don't know.
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