BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) -- Warmer, drier weather conditions have helped farmers in North Dakota start fieldwork.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture says in its weekly crop report that producers were able to start preparing fields by the middle of last week.

Spring wheat seeding was rated 7 percent complete. This is well behind last year at 80 percent and the average and the 40 percent average.

Calving was 90 percent complete, while lambing was 94 percent complete.

Cattle and calf conditions were rated 1 percent very poor, 4 percent poor, 21 percent fair, 66 percent good and 8 percent excellent.

Sheep and lamb conditions rated 4 percent poor, 21 percent fair, 67 percent good and 8 percent excellent.

The leak in a cooling system was discovered Thursday when "snowflakes" of ammonia were seen flying away from the station. Engineers on Earth were up overnight plotting an impromptu spacewalk.

Spacewalks are rarely done on such short notice, but the space agency wanted to check out the leak before all the ammonia escaped and also to take advantage of a spacewalking crew member who is about to return home.

Officials emphasized that the six-member crew is not in danger and the outpost has plenty of power, even though the leak forced NASA to shut off the power channel from one of eight solar panels that supply electricity to the station.

It can operate fine with only seven electrical channels, space station program manager Michael Suffredini said Friday. Power from the affected panel was re-routed to the other seven systems.

Suffredini said the chief suspect for the leak is space junk hitting a cooling tube, but he said the area had a slow small leak for many years that suddenly accelerated on Thursday.

"You're talking a very, very, very small hole," Suffredini said at a NASA news conference.

NASA hopes the leak is in a small pump box. During the six-hour spacewalk on Saturday morning, U.S. astronauts Chris Cassidy and Tom Marshburn will replace the 260-pound box with a nearby spare.

While NASA has had to do impromptu spacewalks before, they haven't been done on the space station since it was completely built and operating as a finished lab, said chief flight director Norm Knight, who called the move "precedent-setting."

Station Commander Chris Hadfield of Canada told NASA flight controllers Friday that the crew is completely ready for the spacewalk.

"It's the right thing to do," he radioed down to Earth.

Hadfield tweeted that the crew was working "like clockwork" and said the two spacewalkers were already getting their spacesuits ready.

While he also described it as a "serious situation," Suffredini characterized it more as annoyance.

If the cooling system can't be fixed in Saturday's spacewalk, it can be fixed in later spacewalks, he said. And if it isn't fixed, NASA can and has operated the station fully on seven power channels, he said.

But that would leave the station little margin for error. If there are more problems, some experiments on board may have to be shut down to conserve power.

But, he said, "it's not critical from a safety standpoint."

NASA also just wants to figure out what happened. If it was space junk, that leaves a tell-tale signature, Suffredini said.

"What's causing the leak is unknown because there's a lot of plumbing underneath the box itself," NASA spokesman Rob Navias said. "We've had lots of experience in installing and replacing coolant loop hardware."

He said the repair is what NASA calls one of the "Big 12" types of emergency repair work that all spacewalking astronauts train for in advance, Navias said.

In 2009, Cassidy and Marshburn flew to the space station on the shuttle Endeavour and walked in space together to swap out a battery in the same location, so "they know this worksite inside and out," Navias said.

Marshburn, Hadfield and Russia's Roman Romanenko are set to return to Earth on Monday. NASA Administrator Charles Bolden told reporters in Virginia on Friday that their return will go ahead as planned, leaving three astronauts on board.

Another reason to do the repair quickly: There may be some ammonia left which will help the spacewalkers find the leak because of the white flakes, Suffredini said.

Last fall, station instruments revealed a leak that was so small that it wasn't visible. In November, two other spacewalking astronauts tried to reroute coolant lines to bypass the tiny leak but it wasn't successful.

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AP writer Brock Vergakis contributed to this report from Hampton, Va.

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Online:

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html

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Seth Borenstein can be followed at http://twitter.com/borenbears

NEW YORK (Reuters) - With their black leather, studded jackets, ripped jeans, bondage trousers and messages of rebellion and anarchy, punks from the 1970s probably never envisioned that a major museum would be celebrating their influence on fashion 40 years later.

But the Costume Institute of The Metropolitan Museum of Art is doing just that with a new exhibition, "Punk: Chaos to Couture," that opens on May 9 and runs through August 14.

It includes 100 punk styles and ranges from the mid-70s at Vivienne Westwood's and Malcolm McLaren's London boutique and images of The Sex Pistols to examples of punk's impact on haute couture and designers such as Alexander McQueen, Helmut Lang, Miuccia Prada and John Galliano.

Films and music from the era and a re-creation of the graffiti-covered toilet at New York's CBGB punk rock club, where Blondie, the Ramones and Talking Heads played, add to the gritty authenticity of the exhibit.

"Punk was all about celebrating the individual, celebrating creativity and not being afraid - to be brave in your self-presentation and to be brave in your fashion statement," Andrew Bolton, the curator of the exhibit, said in an interview.

"Punk was all about challenging the status quo," he added. "I think all those elements very much impacted fashion."

ORIGINALITY AND INDIVIDUALITY

Thomas P. Campbell, the director and chief executive of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, described punk as "a tale of two cities, New York and London."

The exhibit, arranged over seven themed galleries, focuses on punk's concept of do-it-yourself and its impact on high fashion and ready-to-wear.

No other cultural movement has had a similar impact on fashion, according to Bolton, who added that designers engage with punk on different level.

Shirts emblazoned with "God Save the Queen," "Anarchy in the UK" and "Anarchist Punk Gang - The 1% ers" from Westwood's 1970s Seditionaries boutique are testament to punk's political message and desire to shock and provoke.

Torn clothing and garments incorporating chicken bones, tin studs, metal chains, bottle tops, horsehair, safety pins and other types of hardware show punk's do-it-yourself ethos and its themes of deconstruction and destruction.

"I think it is rather stunning. There are a lot of collector's items," British fashion designer Zandra Rhodes, who was nicknamed the "princess of punk," said about the show.

"The most amazing thing that you spot from this exhibition is, in fact, that you have the street-edge stuff. You have it edited into couture ... But then you have the amazing Japanese seeing it with another eye ... turning it into a totally new art form," she added.

Punk's influence on Italian designer Gianni Versace is shown in his gowns with silver and gold safety pins and a black knit and leather dress embroidered with gold metal studs.

Other examples include Alexander McQueen's coatdress made of black synthetic material, imitating trash bags, and a coat of bubble wrap, Helmut Lang's jacket of silver and blue patent leather with aluminum foil and metal bottle caps and Rei Kawakubo's blouse and skirt of black polyester and silk satin and taffeta.

"Although punk's democracy stands in opposition to fashion's autocracy, designers continue to appropriate punk's aesthetic vocabulary to capture its youthful rebelliousness and aggressive forcefulness," Bolton said.

(Editing by Jim Loney)

Delaware state Senatorcame out as lesbian during the floor speeches of a debate about legalizing gay marriage, multiple outlets have reported.

Sen. Peterson said, "If my happiness somehow demeans or diminishes your marriage, you need to work on your marriage," according to .

Via Think Progress:

No one chose to be gay. We are what God made us. We dont need to be fixed. We arent broken. [...] My partner Vicki and I have been together for 24 years. Last year, we entered into a civil union. [...] If my happiness somehow demeans or diminishes your marriage, you need to work on your marriage.

The Delaware Senatemarriage equality legislation, making Delaware the 11th state that recognizes the marriages of same-sex couples. Governor Jack Markell has said he will sign the bill into law.

Victory Fund broke the news about Sen. Peterson via Twitter:

BREAKING: Delaware Sen. Karen Peterson comes out as gay during marriage debate

Victory Fund (@VictoryFund)

Reactions were positive as others learned of the news via the social network.

Incredible!Courageous!Welcome!!@: BREAKING: Delaware Sen. Karen Peterson comes out as gay during marriage debate

Erica Rubinsky (@eriruby)

So happy for Senator Karen Peterson for coming out publicly during her testimony.

Jordan Budd (@jordan_budd)

A similar incident occurred earlier this year, when, during a debate on gay marriage, Nevada state Senatorannounced that he was gay.

Last week,became the 10th state to legalize gay marriage.

Breezeroad is 50 percent owned by Kingdom, the investment vehicle of billionaire Prince Alwaleed bin Talal.

The financing was agreed with Credit Agricole Corporate and Investment Bank and DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale.

(Reporting By Angus McDowall; Editing by Robert Birsel)

The 35-year-old, who won last week's Ballantine's Championship in South Korea in a playoff, had a much smoother ride at the Tianjin Binhai Lake Golf Club as he surged ahead of the chasing pack with six birdies over his first 14 holes.

A pair of bogeys on the closing holes made little difference as Rumford carded a four-under-par 68 for a 16-under 272 total, four clear of Finland's Mikko Ilonen.

The Perth golfer's fifth European Tour title took him to the top of the money list, a huge leap from his 138th position a fortnight back.

"As with last week I'm kind of speechless at the moment," he told reporters at the co-sanctioned event.

"It's quite surreal - it's the first time I've actually played the week after a win so I'm more than pleased. It's hard to get my head around it at the moment."

Ilonen, who won the last of his two European Tour titles in 2007, has to wait longer to end his drought after mixing four birdies with three bogeys for a final round one-under 71.

Ilonen, who finished ninth in Qatar and second in Morocco this season, cut Rumford's lead to one after birdies on the 10th and 11th, but two bogeys on 13th and 14th dropped him back as the Australian went on a birdie spree.

"Mikko certainly put the pressure on me through the turn there, and obviously he was driving well... but it's amazing this game, how quickly it can turn," Rumford added.

"Last week on 17 it turned for the worst and here, in the space of just three or four holes, all I had to do was finish it off."

France's Victor Dubuisson finished third on 11-under while first-round leader Robert-Jan Derksen was fourth, a shot further back.

(Reporting by Sudipto Ganguly in Mumbai; Editing by John O'Brien)

The Women in Film organization, which promotes gender parity in the historically male-dominated film business, will honor winners in six award categories at a fundraiser in Beverly Hills in June.

Linney, 49, best known for her Oscar-nominated performance in the 2007 film "The Savages," will receive the award for Excellence in Film.

Five "Mad Men" actresses, Christina Hendricks, January Jones, Elisabeth Moss, Jessica Par and Kiernan Shipka, will be honored with the Excellence in Television award.

Each actress plays a character that defines the changing gender roles in the 1960s United States portrayed in the series.

Oscar-winner Coppola, 41, who was also nominated for the Best Director Academy Award for 2003's "Lost in Translation," will receive the Directors Award, and "Star Wars" director George Lucas will take home the Humanitarian Award.

Teenage actress Hailee Steinfeld, known for her Oscar-nominated role in the 2010 film "True Grit," will be honored with the Face of the Future Award and Rachel Morrison will receive the Vision Award for cinematography.

Women in Film began hosting the awards in 1977.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; editing by Patricia Reaney and Cynthia Osterman)

The federal government says the judge who issued the ruling had exceeded his authority and that his decision should be suspended while the appeal is underway.

U.S. District Judge Edward Korman of New York had given the Food and Drug Administration until Monday to lift all age limits on Plan B and cheaper generic. The judge mandated that emergency contraception be sold just like aspirin.

On Tuesday, the FDA said anyone 15 or older could begin buying one brand, Plan B One-Step, without a prescription two years younger than the current age limit of 17.

The box will plug into TVs and give viewers access to Amazon's digital video content, which the company has been expanding, BloombergBusinessweek said, citing three unidentified people familiar with the project.

An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment.

Amazon's video content is already available on other devices, including Roku, Microsoft Corp's Xbox and Sony Corp's PlayStation 3. However, it is not available on Apple TV.

Having its own gadget will help Amazon put its content more directly in front of consumers and give developers another reason to create apps for Amazon's digital platform, BloombergBusinessweek said.

"Amazon has a good content distribution strategy but not a great one," said Ron Josey, an analyst at JMP Securities. "Doing their own box maybe them admitting that it's a little bit harder to get embedded in all these different devices and platforms."

Amazon has been investing heavily in licensing, distributing and even creating its own digital content such as video, music, apps and games. The company has focused on getting that content on as many devices as possible, rather than building a lot of its own hardware.

However, the company has designed its own gadgets in situations where it believes it can bring a different approach to a market. When it launched its Kindle Fire tablet computer in 2011, for instance, the device's screen was 7 inches which at that time was not a popular size.

JMP's Josey, who said he was not privy to any Amazon plans in this area, speculated on Wednesday that any Amazon set-box device could include the ability to stream music, play games, access other apps and even shop through TVs, rather than just watch videos.

The set-top box is being developed by Amazon's Lab126 division, based in Cupertino, California, near Apple's headquarters. It's being run by Malachy Moynihan, a former vice president of emerging video products at Cisco Systems Inc, BloombergBusinessweek added.

BloombergBusinessweek also said that while Netflix Inc's video streaming service will likely be available on Amazon's TV box, Amazon's own video and music services will be more prominently integrated.

A Netflix spokesman declined to comment.

(Reporting by Alistair Barr; Editing by Carol Bishopric)

Judge Hank Goldberg approved the divorce settlement for the couple, who broke up after just 72 days following their made-for-TV wedding in August 2011.

Celebrities usually settle their divorces through negotiation rather than at a trial that can fuel publicity.

Humphries, 28, had been demanding an annulment, alleging that Kardashian, who cited irreconcilable difference when filing for divorce, had no intention of keeping to the marriage, which was filmed as part of her reality show.

Terms of the divorce were not made public. Kardashian, 32, attended the hearing, but Humphries, who plays for the Brooklyn Nets, did not.

Kardashian's publicist declined to comment on the settlement. Humphries' spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The socialite started dating rapper Kanye West in April last year and is now about six months pregnant with her first child.

The divorce will be Kardashian's second. She was married to music producer Damon Thomas for four years, separating in 2004.

Kardashian, who stars with her sisters in reality show "Keeping Up with the Kardashians," also has a clothing line and several product endorsements, and was the most-searched person on the Yahoo! website in 2012.

(Reporting by Eric Kelsey; Editing by Jill Serjeant and Mohammad Zargham)