(Reuters) - Having played Merion Golf Club a few times during his career, Webb Simpson knows his wedge game will have to be extra sharp this week when he defends his U.S. Open title on the iconic layout in Ardmore, Pennsylvania.

Merion is hosting its first U.S. Open in 32 years after long being viewed as too short to stage a major and Simpson knows from competing there at the 2005 U.S. Amateur that wedges are a prized commodity, especially over the first 13 holes.

"I really look at Merion as being two different golf courses," American Simpson told Reuters in an interview. "You have a lot of wedge opportunities in the first 13 holes, potentially nine of them as long as you drive it well.

"Then you have the last five holes, which will be some of the hardest we've ever seen in a U.S. Open. Merion is going to be so unique. I don't think a long player or a short player will have an advantage."

Simpson, who clinched his first major title with a one-shot victory in last year's U.S. Open at the brutally challenging Olympic Club, knows full well that the season's second major prides itself on a high level of difficulty.

"In any U.S. Open, every hole is a hard hole so you've just got to take the approach that they're not going to give you any easy chances out there," he said with a smile.

"Having said that, anyone with a good wedge game and a strong mind will have an advantage, but what I remember most about Merion is the second that you think you have an easy hole is the second that you will probably make a mistake."

PLAYOFF LOSS

A three-times champion on the PGA Tour, Simpson has produced reasonably good form on the U.S. circuit this season with three top-10s in 14 starts, his best finish a playoff loss to Graeme McDowell at the RBC Heritage in April.

"I'm 13th in the FedExCup (points standings) and I haven't won a tournament this year so that's a good sign," Simpson said of a 2013 campaign which also features missed cuts at the Masters and at the Memorial Tournament in his most recent start.

"I've just got to keep improving. I didn't play well at the Memorial Tournament but I feel like I have got a lot to build on for the U.S. Open."

The biggest thing Simpson will have is the massive jolt of confidence he gained from his major breakthrough 12 months ago at Olympic where he moved past overnight leaders Jim Furyk and McDowell in the final round.

"I am a player who feeds off confidence so knowing that I was able to win at Olympic and beat the best players in the game just gave me a massive confidence boost," Simpson said.

"I experienced what it's like to contend in a major in the most pressure-packed situation on the back nine. The U.S. Open is the hardest test of golf on every level, and for me to play well that Sunday was a huge relief.

"Now I know, 'Hey, I've been here before, I know what to do, I know what to expect and I was able to perform when I needed to under the pressure'. My confidence has skyrocketed."

Asked how much he had enjoyed the past 12 months as reigning U.S. Open champion, both on and off the course, Simpson replied: "It's been great, super enjoyable. I'm being recognized more.

"I always tell people that when I used to sign autographs, kids would often ask their mom who I was and the reply would be, I don't know.' But now a lot more people know who I am.

"I haven't had much change off the course, and certainly I don't want to change based on successes or failures. But golf-wise, a lot has changed for me and I'm really looking forward to getting back and trying to defend my U.S. Open title."

(Reporting by Mark Lamport-Stokes; Editing by Gene Cherry)

Mandela, who is 94 years old, was treated in a hospital several times in recent months, with the last discharge coming on April 6 after doctors diagnosed him with pneumonia and drained fluid from his lung area. He has been particularly vulnerable to respiratory problems since contracting tuberculosis during his 27-year imprisonment under apartheid.

A small girl and her father stood outside Mandela's Johannesburg home with a stone on which was written a get-well message for Mandela, who helped end white racist rule and became the country's first black president in all-race elections in 1994. A young boy brought a bouquet of flowers that he handed over to guards at the house.

Elsewhere in the city, some worshippers prayed for Mandela during an outdoor gathering.

"If the time comes, we wish for him a good way to go," said Noel Ngwenya, a security officer who was in the congregation.

"During the past few days, former President Nelson Mandela has had a recurrence of lung infection," said a statement from the office of President Jacob Zuma. "This morning at about 1:30 a.m., his condition deteriorated and he was transferred to a Pretoria hospital."

It said Mandela was receiving expert medical care and "doctors are doing everything possible to make him better and comfortable."

Zuma wished Mandela a quick recovery on behalf of the government and the nation and requested that the media and the public respect the privacy of the former leader and his family, the statement said.

Mandela's wife, humanitarian activist Graca Machel, canceled an appearance at an international forum on hunger and nutrition in London on Saturday, citing "personal reasons," said Colleen Harris, a spokeswoman for the meeting.

Presidential spokesman Mac Maharaj said Machel had canceled her attendance at the London meeting on Thursday, and had accompanied Mandela to the hospital on Saturday morning, the South African Press Association reported.

"We need to hold our thoughts and keep him in our minds," Maharaj said. "He is a fighter, he has recovered many times from very serious conditions and he will be with us. Let's pray for him and help him to get better."

The African National Congress, the ruling party that has dominated politics in South Africa since the end of apartheid, said it hoped Mandela, known affectionately by his clan name Madiba, would get better soon.

"We will keep President Mandela and his family in our thoughts and prayers at this time and call upon South Africans and the peoples of the globe to do the same for our beloved statesman and icon, Madiba," the party said in a statement.

On April 29, state television broadcast footage of a visit by Zuma and other ANC leaders to Mandela at his Johannesburg home. Zuma said at the time that Mandela was in good shape, but the footage - the first public images of Mandela in nearly a year - showed him silent and unresponsive, even when Zuma tried to hold his hand.

"Nelson Mandela is a father to South Africa and South Africans; every time he is admitted to hospital we feel saddened along with the rest of our country," the Democratic Alliance, the main political opposition party, said in a statement.

South Africans expressed hope that Mandela would recover from his latest setback.

"He is going to survive," said Willie Mokoena, a gardener in Johannesburg. "He's a strong man."

Another city resident, Martha Mawela, said she thought the former president would recover because: "Everybody loves Mandela."

Mandela was robust during his decades as a public figure, endowed with charisma, a powerful memory and an extraordinary talent for articulating the aspirations of his people and winning over many of those who opposed him.

In recent years, however, he has become more frail and last made a public appearance at the 2010 World Cup soccer tournament, where he didn't deliver an address and was bundled against the cold.

In another recent hospitalization, Mandela was treated for a lung infection and had a procedure to remove gallstones in December. In March, he spent a night in a hospital for what authorities said was a scheduled medical test.

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(Reuters) - Un nuevo estudio demuestra que el dolor de rodilla disminuye hasta un ao despus de una "proloterapia", una serie de aplicaciones de agua azucarada en el sitio afectado.

Estudios previos haban sugerido que la terapia tena muchas fallas, pero el nuevo estudio seria ms confiable, segn dijo el doctor John D. Loeser, especialista en dolor y profesor emrito de University of Washington, Seattle.

"Es un ensayo clnico bien realizado sobre muchas de las cuestiones que haba opacado informes previos sobre la proloterapia", indic Loeser, que no particip del estudio, pero antes haba criticado el tratamiento.

La osteoartritis de rodilla es comn, en especial en los mayores de 65, y ninguna terapia haba mostrado beneficios. Cada sesin de proloterapia cuesta entre 200 y 1.000 dlares, y Medicare no la cubre. Se realizan varias sesiones, en las que se aplican pequeas dosis de una solucin azucarada en mltiples puntos (ligamentos y tendones) de la rodilla donde hay dolor. El objetivo es que una irritacin menor estimule al organismo para reparar los daos.

"La idea es estimular una reaccin curativa localizada", dijo el autor principal, doctor David Rabago, profesor asistente de University of Wisconsin, Madison.

Con su equipo organiz a 90 personas, de entre 40 y 76 aos, con osteoartritis de rodilla en tres grupos: uno recibi proloterapia, otro recibi inyecciones de solucin salina (placebo) y el tercero realiz ejercicios en el hogar.

Los dos primeros grupos recibieron las inyecciones tres veces por semana o ms, si as lo pedan, durante 17 semanas. El seguimiento dur un ao.

La funcionalidad de la rodilla mejor 16 puntos en una escala de gravedad de la osteoartritis con el agua azucarada, versus cinco puntos con el placebo y siete puntos con el ejercicio.

El grupo tratado con proloterapia percibi al ao una disminucin de la frecuencia y la gravedad del dolor, lo que se tradujo en una mejora de 14 puntos en la misma escala de evaluacin, comparado con una mejora de siete y nueve puntos, respectivamente, en el grupo tratado con placebo y ejercicio. El equipo dijo que el estudio es pequeo, pero no demasiado y que incluy el tipo de pacientes adecuado: las vctimas promedio de osteoartritis de rodilla.

"Lo mejor que podemos hacer para 'controlar' los efectos (detectados en estudios previos) es evaluar un producto versus una terapia similar y variar un solo elemento, como hicimos en este estudio", recomend Rabago.

Pero dado que los grupos tratados con placebo y ejercicio obtuvieron resultados similares, Loeser aclar que el beneficio no podra atribuirse a un efecto placebo.

"Este estudio proporciona resultados ms favorables que otros estudios controlados sobre la proloterapia en otras regiones", coment, pero advirti que an quedan muchas respuestas pendientes antes de generalizar el uso de esta terapia.

FUENTE: Annals of Family Medicine, online 1 de mayo del 2013.

Shortly after our divorce, he married a woman he had been carrying on an affair with while married to me. Since their wedding she has not allowed him to enter my home beyond the front door, be alone with me for any reason regardless of what we need to discuss, and he rarely calls to talk with our son anymore -- all at her "request."

He has also informed me that she's "not comfortable" with the idea of us communicating unless she is part of the conversation. I think she is being silly and immature, and he claims to agree, but he wants to keep the peace.

I explained to him that even though he may allow her to dictate his life, she will not be dictating mine. If I feel I need to speak with him about something, I do not have to include her. Am I wrong? I am in no way trying to cause a problem in their marriage. I have decided that whatever answer you give I will abide by as I respect your opinion greatly. -- NEEDS AN ANSWER IN TEXAS

DEAR NEEDS AN ANSWER: The current "Mrs." is acting more like a jailer than a wife, but then, she knows what your ex is capable of if he gets past the front door or has private conversations with another woman.

This is happening because she perceives you as still a threat. That your former husband allows her to exert this amount of control is unfortunate. The distancing from his son is happening because he is permitting it, and the loser here is the little boy.

You're not wrong, but if the only way your son can have a relationship with his dad is for this woman to be ever-present, then bite your tongue and go along with it for as long as this marriage lasts or your ex summons up enough backbone to set his No. 2 straight.

DEAR ABBY: My sisters and I look out for our "Aunt Lil," who is in her late 70s and never had children. Physically and mentally she's fine right now. She quit driving a few years ago, but that had more to do with the price of gas than her driving ability. We run errands for her, take her to appointments, etc.

Our question: For most of her life, Aunt Lil has kept up a steady correspondence with many people all over the world. When I say she has pen pals everywhere, I'm not exaggerating. When the time comes and she is gone, how should we notify her friends?

I think a simple form letter would be fine, but my sisters think each person should be notified individually, either with a phone call or a personal letter. Abby, there are 100 people she writes to and those are just the ones we're aware of! Your thoughts would be appreciated. -- AUNT LIL'S GIRLS

DEAR GIRLS: Considering that people live longer these days, I wouldn't write off Aunt Lil too quickly. Because she still has all her faculties, ask her how she wants it handled. She may prefer to write her own farewell note to be mailed after her death. ("By the time this reaches you, I will have gone to that great stationery store in the sky ...")

Dear Abby is written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and was founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Write Dear Abby ator P.O. Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.

Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets: "Abby's Favorite Recipes" and "More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby." Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $14 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby, Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. (Shipping and handling are included in the price.)

The Vatican asked Catholics to join him between 5-6 p.m. Rome time (11.00 a.m.-12.00 p.m. ET) in what is known as a Eucharistic adoration - praying before a consecrated communion host.

They were asked to gather in cathedrals, neighborhood parishes and monasteries to pray for two general intentions penned by the pope, who prayed in St. Peter's Basilica.

One was for those "who still suffer slavery and who are victims of war, human trafficking, drug running and slave labor" as well as for the "unemployed, the elderly, migrants, the homeless, prisoners and those who experience marginalization".

The other was for the 1.2 billion member Church itself and that it be "without stain or blemish", an apparent allusion to scandals that have undermined its credibility, such as the sexual abuse of children by clergy.

A Vatican official said it was "the first time in the history of the Church" that such an event was taking place. The Vatican said it was impossible to estimate immediately how many people took part.

(Reporting by Philip Pullella; editing by David Stamp)

The same client recording digital currency transactions as "ATM skimming work" and "for the cocaine"? Still no problem.

In fact, federal prosecutors in Manhattan say anonymity and criminality were what Liberty Reserve was all about.

"The only liberty that Liberty Reserve gave many of its users was the freedom to commit crimes, as it became a popular hub for fraudsters, hackers, and traffickers," U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said Tuesday in announcing charges against seven people in a $6 billion scheme that he billed as possibly the largest money-laundering scheme even seen in the United States.

"The coin of the realm ... was anonymity multiple layers of anonymity," he added. "As alleged, Liberty Reserve was deliberately structured and operated in a way to help other criminals remain anonymous, untraceable and untouchable."

U.S. officials said the enterprise was staggering in scope: Over roughly seven years, Liberty Reserve processed 55 million illicit transactions worldwide for 1 million users, including 200,000 in the U.S. The network charged a 1 percent fee on transactions through "exchangers" middlemen who converted actual currency into virtual funds and then back into cash.

In the indictment, prosecutors called Liberty Reserve "one of the principal means by which cyber criminals around the world distribute, store and launder proceeds of their illegal activity ... including credit card fraud, identity theft, investment fraud, computer hacking, child pornography and narcotics trafficking."

Alleged founder Arthur Budovsky an American who renounced his U.S. citizenship after deciding to set up in Costa Rica and another defendant, identified as Azzeddine el Amine, were arrested Friday at a Madrid airport while trying to return to Costa Rica, according to a Spanish court official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because court policy forbids him from speaking on the record. They were ordered jailed while they await a hearing on extradition to the U.S.

Two other men were arrested last week in New York City, including Liberty Reserve co-founder Vladimir Kats. There was no public record of their arraignment on Friday night, and there was no immediate response to phone messages left Tuesday with their attorneys.

Of the remaining defendants, one was in custody in Costa Rica and two were at large there.

Budovsky, 39, and Kats, 41, have previous convictions on state charges related to an unlicensed money-transmitting business, according to court papers. After that case, the pair decided to move their operation to Costa Rica, the papers said.

In an online chat captured by law enforcement, Kats admitted Liberty Reserve was illegal and noted that authorities in the United States knew it was "a money-laundering operation that hackers use."

Liberty Reserve appears to have played an important role in laundering proceeds from the recent theft of some $45 million from two Middle Eastern banks, according to documents made public by U.S. authorities earlier this month. In that scheme, thieves stole debit card information and then used it to drain cash from thousands of ATMs around the world in a matter of hours.

As part of the Liberty Reserve investigation, authorities raided 14 locations in Panama, Switzerland, the U.S., Sweden and Costa Rica. In Costa Rica, investigators recovered five luxury cars, including three Rolls-Royces. Bharara said authorities also seized Liberty's computer servers in Costa Rica and Switzerland.

The businesses that were raided in Costa Rica on Friday as part of the investigation into Liberty Reserve are dedicated to Web hosting services, website development and Internet business consulting.

In Costa Rica, all online businesses are legal and there aren't any laws regulating them, so the country has been attracting entrepreneurs setting up Internet-based companies that do everything from e-commerce to gambling banned in other countries.

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Associated Press writers Raphael Satter in London, Alan Clendenning and Jorge Sainz in Madrid, and Javier Cordoba in San Jose, Costa Rica, also contributed to this report.

Authorities said Friday they released the prisoners in Adamawa and Borno states, two of the three states now under emergency rule since an order by President Goodluck Jonathan on May 14.

Some of the released boys appeared at a news conference Friday in Maiduguri, the capital of Borno state. Gov. Kashim Shettima promised cash for those released. The youth told journalists they planted bombs, carried weapons and spied for the Islamic extremist network Boko Haram.

While soldiers fight a new offensive in the northeast against extremists, Nigeria's government promised the prisoner release in hopes of negotiating a peace with militant fighters.

Orange County sheriff's spokesman Jim Amormino said Tuesday the teens were students in the Irvine Unified School District.

The names of the three girls and two boys were released a day after they were killed in the single-car accident in Newport Beach.

The driver was identified as 17-year-old Abdulrahman Alyahyan, a senior at University High School.

The passengers included 17-year-old Robin Cabrera, a senior at Irvine High School, and her 16-year-old sister Aurora, a sophomore at the same school. Also killed were Cecilia Zamora and Nozad Al Hamawendi, both 17-year-old juniors at Irvine High School.

Police say speed was a factor.

LOS ANGELES (TheWrap.com) - If the reports are true that Fred Armisen is following in the footsteps of his friend and fellow cast member Bill Hader and leaving "SNL," then we may have just seen the comedian's last performance on the NBC comedy sketch show's May 18th season finale.

In the final minutes of Saturday night's season-ender, Armisen reprised his role as punk-rock star Ian Rubbish, the British pink rock character he introduced just over a month ago in the "History of Punk." Joined by guest stars including Aimee Mann, Steve Jones, Kim Gordon, and fellow departing cast-mates Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis (who The New York Post says is probably also leaving), Armisen sang a song with the repeated chorus "It's been all right/It's been a lovely night with you" while on the fictional British music show "Top of the Pops."

Armisen, whose "SNL" characters are often boisterous, lively, jittery, loudmouthed individuals, was unusually subdued during the performance of the upbeat song (titled "It's A lovely Day"), and the performance seemed more like a sentimental farewell to fans than it did an attempt to get laughs.

Following the performance, Hader and Armisen joined the rest of the cast onstage for the traditional end-of-the-night goodbyes, wrapped their arms around one another and shared a warm embrace as Ben Affleck wrapped up the episode.

And while Armisen has yet to officially announce he's leaving SNL, New York Post reported that a source at NBC has confirmed that he will in fact be moving on after 11 years with the show.

If Armisen did bid adieu to Rockefeller Center's Studio 8H on Saturday night, at least he went out rocking.

Many legalized farmworkers left the fields, moving to better-paid jobs in packing houses, warehouses and factories, attending college and working as professionals. Others became crew leaders or labor contractors.

With Congress considering new immigration overhaul that includes a speedier process for farmworkers, experts say it could again lift many of those employed in agriculture out of poverty.

Changes would also include a guest worker program so that a poor, illegal class of farmworker isn't created again.