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TENNIS

French Open, Paris

PARIS - Rafa Nadal takes on fellow Spaniard David Ferrer in the French Open men's singles final seeking to become the first man to win the same grand slam title eight times. Ferrer has not dropped a set here so far as he attempts to win his first major title. (TENNIS-OPEN/ (PIX) play starts at 1300 GMT/9 AM ET, by Martyn Herman, Julien Pretot and Pritha Sarkar, 600 words)

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MOTOR RACING

Formula One: Canadian Grand Prix, Montreal

Vettel to start Canadian Grand Prix from pole position

MONTREAL - Triple world champion Sebastian Vettel starts the Canadian Grand Prix from pole position for the third year in a row but hoping for better luck in order to win his first Formula One race in North America. (MOTOR RACING-PRIX/ (PIX), expect by 2000 GMT/4 PM ET, by Julian Linden, 600 words)

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NHL

Blackhawks reach Stanley Cup Final

The Chicago Blackhawks beat the Los Angeles Kings 4-3 on Saturday to win the Western Conference and reach the Stanley Cup Final. (NHL-PLAYOFFS/ (PIX), moved 400 words)

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NBA

Game Two a 'must-win' for Heat, says Wade

MIAMI - The Miami Heat head into Sunday's Game Two of the NBA Finals knowing another loss could leave them with a real uphill battle in the best-of-seven series and for Dwyane Wade the clash is already in the "must-win" category. (NBA-FINALS/, moved, by Simon Evans, 400 words)

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BASEBALL

Blue Jays, Marlins win marathon games

Major League Baseball produced a couple of marathon games on Saturday as the Miami Marlins needed 20 innings to best the New York Mets 2-1 and the Toronto Blue Jays prevailed 4-3 in 18. (BASEBALL-ROUNDUP/, moved, 300 words)

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GOLF

PGA Tour: St Jude Classic, Memphis

Rookie Stefani egdes clear of English

PGA Tour rookie Shawn Stefani rebounded superbly from a quadruple-bogey seven at the 11th to edge one stroke clear of playing partner Harris English after Saturday's third round of the St Jude Classic in Memphis, Tennessee. (GOLF-PGA/, moved, 350 words)

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LPGA Tour: LPGA Championship, Pittsford, New York

Pressel leads going into marathon finish at LPGA major

Morgan Pressel shot a two-under-par 70 on Saturday to seize a two-stroke lead going into a 36-hole Sunday finish at the weather-delayed LPGA Championship at Locust Hill outside Rochester, New York. (GOLF-LPGA/, moved, 400 words)

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SOCCER

World Cup qualifiers

AFRICA

Zimbabwe v Egypt (1300)

Benin v Algeria (1500)

Niger v Burkina Faso (1500)

Togo v Cameroon (1530)

Guinea v Mozambique (1700)

Mali v Rwanda (1800)

Egypt seek Zimbabwe win to reach final qualifying round

JOHANNESBURG - Egypt could reach the last round of African World Cup qualifiers with a win away to Zimbabwe. (SOCCER-WORLD/AFRICA, expect by 2000 GMT/4 PM ET, by Mark Gleeson, 500 words)

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ASIA

Australia wary of Jordan surprise

MELBOURNE - Australia's players face the media ahead of their penultimate World Cup qualifier against Jordan at Docklands Stadium on Tuesday, with both teams locked on seven points and desperate for a win to remain in the hunt for an automatic berth in Brazil. (SOCCER-WORLD/AUSTRALIA, expect by 0630 GMT/4:30 AM ET, by Ian Ransom, 450 words)

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Spain beat Haiti in Confederations Cup warm-up

MIAMI - World champions Spain held on for a 2-1 win over Haiti in a friendly as they warmed up for this month's Confederations Cup. (SOCCER-FRIENDLY/SPAIN, moved, by Simon Evans, 400 words)

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European Under-21 championship finals, Israel (to 19)

Netherlands v Russia (1600)

Germany v Spain (1830)

End of day wrap

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Argentine 'Final' championship

Title-chasing River Plate host Independiente

BUENOS AIRES - River Plate could virtually seal Independiente's relegation if they win their 'clasico' at the Monumental. (SOCCER-ARGENTINA/CHAMPIONSHIP, expect by 2000 GMT/4 PM ET, by Rex Gowar, 350 words)

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RUGBY

British and Irish Lions tour

Hogg to start at flyhalf, hope for Bowe

BRISBANE - Scotland fullback Stuart Hogg will start at flyhalf for the British and Irish Lions against the Combined Country side on Tuesday to give Owen Farrell and Jonny Sexton a rest. (RUGBY-LIONS/ moved, by Nick Mulvenney, 350 words)

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Lions tour continues in Newcastle

BRISBANE - Hard on the heels of their toughest match of the tour so far, the British and Irish Lions face what will be their weakest opposition when they take on the Combined Country XV in Newcastle on Tuesday. (RUGBY-LIONS/ (PREIVEW) moving at 0630, by Nick Mulvenney, 350 words)

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All Blacks need to work on securing ball at breakdown

AUCKLAND - New Zealand will concentrate on ball security, particularly at the breakdown, as they prepare for the second test against France in Christchurch next week, All Blacks coach Steve Hansen said on Sunday. (RUGBY-ZEALAND/, moved, by Greg Stutchbury, 450 words)

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France coach encourgaed by Eden Park performance

AUCKLAND - France coach Philippe Saint-Andre saw enough from his young side in their 23-13 loss to New Zealand in the first test at Eden Park on Saturday to give him plenty of optimism for the rest of the series and the World Cup in 2015. (RUGBY-ZEALAND/FRANCE, moved, by Greg Stutchbury, 450 words)

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Super Rugby, round 17

Western Force v New South Wales Waratahs (0605 GMT)

Force seek to restore pride after Lions drubbing

Western Force will try to salvage some pride when they host the New South Wales Waratahs in the second and final match of an abridged round just four days after their under-strength side was hammered by the British and Irish Lions in a tour match. (RUGBY-SUPER/FORCE, expect by 0800 GMT/4 AM ET, 250 words)

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CRICKET

Champions Trophy (to 23)

New Zealand v Sri Lanka, Cardiff

In-form New Zealand seek to build on England win

New Zealand look to continue their excellent one-day form following their 2-1 series win over England when they take on the Sri Lankans in their first Group A match. (CRICKET-CHAMPIONS/ (PIX), by John Mehaffey, 400 words)

We will also file innings bulletins and a scoreboard at the close of play

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HORSE RACING

Palace Malice wins Belmont Stakes

NEW YORK - Palace Malice won the 145th running of the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, the final race of the Triple Crown series for three-year-old thoroughbreds. (HORSERACING-BELMONT/ moved, 300 words)

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CYCLING

Dauphine-Libere, France

Froome poised to win Dauphine with Tour in sight

RISOUL, France - Britain's Chris Froome is set to win the Criterium du Dauphine stage race three weeks ahead of the start of the Tour de France. (CYCLING-DAUPHINE/, expect by 1400 GMT/10 AM ET, by Alasdair Fotheringham, 400 words)

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Tour of Switzerland (to 16)

Copy on merit

- - - - (Duty editor: Peter Rutherford)

Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg's death Monday presents the state's popular Republican governor with a series of decisions that carry consequences beyond who will serve as New Jersey's next U.S. senator. While Republicans and Democrats alike will be watching Christie's next moves closely, there's no telling what the governor who has staked out a reputation for going his own way will do.

"I give him praise on a life well-lived," Christie said of the Democratic senator with whom he frequently tangled. The governor made the comment during an appearance at a women's conference and then canceled the rest of his public schedule Monday, clearly mindful of the high stakes involved in choosing Lautenberg's successor.

Christie has wide latitude to choose Lautenberg's successor but it would be unusual for him to select a Democrat. Four states require the governor to choose a member of the outgoing senator's political party but New Jersey is not among them. With Lautenberg's death, the Senate now has 52 Democrats, 45 Republicans and two independents who often side with the Democrats.

For Christie, who has enjoyed strong approval ratings, picking the wrong successor might reflect poorly on him as he looks to win by a large margin against Democratic state Sen. Barbara Buono, who is considered an underdog against the well-known governor. Choosing a conservative might help him with national Republicans but could undercut his moderate bona fides, which have helped him connect with independents and Democrats in his state.

In the longer term, the wrong person could irk Republican leaders in Washington and activists in early voting states like Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. If Christie selects a Republican with views that are out of step with the GOP base someone who supports abortion rights or gun control, for instance it might hurt Christie with party stalwarts. The appointee's vote could tip the balance on issues like immigration reform, which the Senate is expected to begin debating in the weeks ahead.

Christie's appointee also could offer a window into the governor's own thinking on issues and thrust Christie into an ongoing fight between establishment Republicans and the GOP's tea party wing.

The governor, who has brought a blunt-speaking independent streak to the Republican Party, took flak from fellow Republicans when he appeared alongside President Barack Obama on the Jersey Shore in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which struck the state about a week before the 2012 election. He appeared again with Obama last week to promote the Jersey Shore's recovery and repeatedly has spoken of the need for politics to be set aside for the good of his state.

Brad Dayspring, a spokesman for the U.S. Senate Republicans' campaign committee, said the governor has "demonstrated time and again that he will do what he believes is best" for his home state.

Picking a Democrat to carry the torch from Lautenberg however unlikely might win him bipartisan love in liberal-leaning New Jersey but would enrage Republicans already suspicious of Christie's chummy relations with Obama after Sandy. Christie has maintained good relations with Newark's Democratic mayor, Cory Booker, who decided to run for Senate instead of challenging Christie, but appointing the media-savvy Booker might be viewed as treasonous to Republicans.

"I don't envy the governor on his decision," said Julie Roginsky, a New Jersey-based Democratic strategist.

If Christie is looking for a well-regarded placeholder, he could turn to former Republican Gov. Tom Kean, who served two terms as governor from 1982 to 1990 and served as chairman of the 9/11 Commission.

Other Republican possibilities include Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, likely viewed as Christie's heir apparent if the governor runs for president; Kean's son, state Sen. Tom Kean Jr., who was defeated by Democratic Sen. Bob Menendez in 2006; state Sen. Joe Kyrillos, a Christie ally who was defeated by Menendez last year; former Gov. Christie Whitman; state Sen. Kevin O'Toole; or Bill Baroni, the deputy executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Rep. Chris Smith, R-N.J., has also been mentioned.

Roginsky said appointing a caretaker Republican like Kean, the moderate former governor, would not be viewed favorably by Republican leaders or party activists in early presidential voting states. But appointing a hard-core conservative "would definitely hurt him at home" as he runs for re-election.

While Christie appoints a senator to fill Lautenberg's seat, it's unclear when that new senator would face an election. Even that process carries risks for Christie.

He could decide to hold a special election in November, but the presence on the ballot of Booker, the likely Democratic Senate nominee, might drive more Democratic turnout and affect Christie's ability to win big against Buono. If Christie says the next Senate election should wait until 2014, the governor runs the risk of a hand-picked Republican getting trounced by Booker only months before launching a presidential bid.

Dayspring said a 2013 contest could mean a "potentially ugly and quick" primary between Booker, who already had announced a Senate bid, and potential challengers like Reps. Frank Pallone and Rob Andrews. A 2014 race, he said, would allow a Republican appointee to "build trust and name identification with voters."

The state's laws on choosing a successor appear to be contradictory. One provision says that if a vacancy occurs more than 70 days before a regularly scheduled statewide general election, the vacancy would be filled on the next statewide general election Nov. 5, 2013 when Christie will be on the ballot. But another law says the election would be held during the next general election only if the vacancy occurs 70 days before the state's primary, which was being held Tuesday. In that case, the Senate election would be held in November 2014, when Lautenberg's seat was scheduled to be considered by voters. The late senator had said he would not run for re-election.

National Republicans say they want the Senate election to be held in 2014 and hope Christie appoints a GOP official who will run for the seat outright. The thinking: It would give the appointee more than a year to serve in the Senate and build a record that might help the person in the Democratic-tilting state.

New Jersey has not elected a Republican to the Senate since 1972. The last Republican to serve in the Senate was Nicholas Brady, who was appointed by Kean in 1982 to finish the term of Democrat Harrison Williams, who resigned amid scandal in the last year of his term. Lautenberg won the seat later that year and remained in the Senate until his death, except for a brief retirement in 2001 and 2002.

Many governors have taken the placeholder route in recent years: Ted Kaufman, a longtime aide to Joe Biden, was appointed to the Senate when Biden became Obama's vice president; Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick chose his former chief of staff, William "Mo" Cowan, to fill Secretary of State John Kerry's Senate seat on an interim basis until after a special election.

Other appointments have turned into political liabilities. Former Colorado Gov. Bill Ritter, a Democrat, withstood criticism from Latinos for appointing then-Denver Public Schools Superintendent Michael Bennet to a Senate seat in January 2009 to replace Ken Salazar, who became Obama's interior secretary.

___

Follow Ken Thomas on Twitter: http://twitter.com/AP_Ken_Thomas

Follow Geoff Mulvihill on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/geoffmulvihill

___

Mulvihill reported from Haddonfield. Angela Delli Santi contributed from Trenton.

TORONTO (Reuters) - Canada's main stock index fell for a fifth straight session on Thursday, dragged by weaker financials to a one-month low, as investors digested comments from the European Central Bank and remained nervous about an upcoming U.S. jobs report.

With the day's drop, the index has turned negative on the year.

The European Central Bank kept interest rates unchanged and President Mario Draghi said the bank's policy would remain accommodative for as long as needed, signaling a readiness to keep rates low for months to come, to aid an economic recovery.

U.S. job growth probably picked up only slightly in May, an influential report is expected to show on Friday, suggesting the economy is still in a rut and not ready for the Federal Reserve to dial back its monetary support.

"We're getting fixated on the jobs number because we may or may not be at an inflection point with interest rates backed up," said Paul Hand, managing director at RBC Capital Markets.

"So there's a heightened sense of sensitivity around this week's number."

The Toronto Stock Exchange's S&P/TSX composite indexwas down 36.85 points, or 0.30 percent, at 12,406.80. It earlier slipped to its lowest since May 3.

The resource-heavy market has underperformed its U.S. peers because sluggish commodity prices have weighed on sentiment.

"We're trapped between the resource stocks and the other sectors," Hand said. "To get things going, the resource sector has to gain, and it will depend more on the global economy, not just the North American economy, being robust."

Financials, the index's most heavily weighted sector, gave back 0.4 percent.

Toronto Dominion Bank

Shares of energy producers gained 0.4 percent after a rise in the price of oil.

Husky Energyrose 1 percent to C$29.41.

The materials sector, which includes mining stocks, was little changed.

In company news, Bombardier Inc'strain unit said it received an order worth about $771 million for a new generation metro fleet from the Stockholm Public Transport Authority. The stock climbed 1.2 percent to C$4.92 and was one of the most influential gainers on the market.

(Editing by Bernadette Baum)

Big changes are impending worldwide in this very important educational service. Starting in 2014, the cost may go up. Up until two years ago, the classes in our community were free. The testing cost $7.50, which paid for a printed diploma. Since then, the cost has gone up -- first to $25 and then to $35.

Now the GED program has been bought by a for-profit organization and the costs will go higher than ever. Furthermore, it will no longer be possible to take the test using pencil and paper. It will all be done on computer.

Please encourage the thousands of adults who do not have their high school degrees to make a life-changing decision for themselves and their families now! -- JOY IN A CLASSROOM DOWN SOUTH

DEAR JOY: I am sure many readers will thank you for this important heads-up. Readers, the changes Joy has described will go into effect on Jan. 2, 2014. According to the media representative for the GED Testing Service in Washington, D.C., the costs of the tests will be determined by the state in which it is administered. It is currently between $0 and $250, and in 2014 will "marginally increase or decrease" according to which state you live in. (Decrease? Forgive me for being doubtful ...) Criteria for passing or failing the test will remain the same.

Readers, any of you who are not computer literate should start now. Do not delay. If you are uncomfortable with technology and have a friend or relative who is knowledgeable, more information can be obtained by visiting www.gedtestingservice.com.

DEAR ABBY: I have been in the workplace for 20 years. During that time I have witnessed lying, cheating, lechery, betrayal, vicious gossip, arrogance, entitlement, stealing and bullying, etc.

Last week, a co-worker whom I liked and respected confided to me that she hopes a 102-year-old relative will die soon because she needs to inherit some money. I was floored and had a hard time keeping the shock off my face.

Does work bring out the worst in people? Is it because we all must be here every day? Is it too many people competing for too few resources? Is my hide too thin? Am I in the wrong job? -- THE DAILY GRIND

DEAR DAILY GRIND: When you spend eight hours a day with people, they usually reveal their core values at some point. In your case, you appear to work with someone who "over-shares." I don't think your hide is too thin, and I'm not in a position to tell you if you're in the wrong job. You may, however, be overdue for a vacation.

P.S. Let's cross our fingers and hope that relative makes it to 110.

DEAR ABBY: Please settle a family disagreement. A scratch ticket is given to a friend or relative as a gift. If that ticket is a winner, is there an expectation that the winnings should be shared with the person who gave the ticket? -- JEFF IN MASSACHUSETTS

DEAR JEFF: A gift is a gift. There is no obligation to share. Alexander Pope wrote, "Hope springs eternal in the human breast," but if you are hoping you'll get a cut of the money, don't hold your breath.

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.

To receive a collection of Abby's most memorable -- and most frequently requested -- poems and essays, send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $7 (U.S. funds) to: Dear Abby -- Keepers Booklet, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447. Shipping and handling are included in the price.

PARIS (Reuters) - A Muslim convert arrested on suspicion of stabbing a French soldier in a Paris suburb was motivated by religion and had shown some signs of radicalization, French authorities said on Wednesday.

The attack took place on May 25, three days after attackers chanting Islamist slogans killed a British soldier in London.

France has been on a security alert since January, when its troops began fighting al Qaeda-linked Islamists in Mali.

Prosecutor Francois Molins said authorities were treating the Paris attack as a terrorist act.

The suspect had been seen on a surveillance camera saying a Muslim prayer minutes before the assault on a soldier on patrol in the La Defense business district of Paris, he said.

"The nature of the incident, the fact it took place three days after London, and the prayer just before the act lead us to believe he acted on the basis of religious ideology and that his desire was to attack a representative of the state," Molins told a news conference.

"It seems clear the intent was to kill."

The soldier, who was attacked from behind with a knife, was released from hospital on Monday.

The suspect, identified by police as Alexandre Dhaussy, was arrested in a Paris suburb on Wednesday after being identified through fingerprints.

His age was originally given as 22 but authorities later clarified that he would reach that age on May 30.

RADICAL SIGNS

Molins said the suspect was known to police for crimes such as theft and possession of firearms and that he converted to Islam as an adult. No details of his ethnicity were given.

Police later said Dhaussy had been identified by intelligence services for showing some signs of radicalization, but had not been considered dangerous and was not monitored any further.

He had, for instance, refused a job in 2011 that would mean he had to work alongside women and been checked by police in 2012 for acting suspiciously and not wanting to wait for a bus with women, police said.

France's Muslim population is estimated at 5 million-6 million and is the biggest in Europe, the legacy of the French colonization of North and West Africa and subsequent waves of immigration into the suburbs of cities such as Paris, Marseille and Lyon.

In March 2012, the country was shocked by the killing of four Jews and three soldiers in and around the southern city of Toulouse by a radicalized French Muslim called Mohamed Merah, who was later shot dead by police.

That attack was the worst on French soil since bombings in 1995 on the underground train network by Algeria's Armed Islamic Group that killed eight and wounded scores.

"This incident comes at a time of concern, threats, terrorist threats that this country has been receiving for the past few months. So we have to remain alert," Interior Minister Manuel Valls said on i>Tele television of the Paris stabbing.

In Britain, the killing of the soldier in what the government said appeared to be a terrorist attack has led to protests against radical Islam and fears of a possible anti-Muslim backlash.

(Additional reporting by Brian Love and Ingrid Melander; Editing by Mark John and Alison Williams)

It was the worst clash on Lebanese territory between the two sides since the outbreak of the Syria conflict more than two years ago. The violence highlighted the growing risk the fighting in Syria poses to fragile Lebanon, whose volatile sectarian makeup mirrors that of its neighbor.

Hezbollah and Syria's rebels fight on opposite sides inside Syria, and tensions between them have risen sharply since the Lebanese militia stepped up its armed support for President Bashar Assad's regime last month.

Rebel fighters have threatened to attack Hezbollah bases in Lebanon, and on Saturday 18 rockets and mortar rounds hit Lebanon's eastern Baalbek region, a Hezbollah stronghold.

In the night from Saturday to Sunday, Hezbollah apparently encircled and ambushed a group of Syrian rebels and allied Lebanese fighters whom they suspected of rocketing Baalbek a day earlier, the Lebanese security official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations and because details were not yet clear.

He said a Hezbollah fighter and several rebels were killed in the clashes in a remote area between Baalbek and the Syrian border.

The Lebanese TV station Al-Mayadeen, seen as sympathetic to the Syrian regime, quoted Lebanese security officials as saying 17 fighters from Jabhat al-Nusra, a rebel group linked to the global al-Qaida terror network, were killed in the fighting.

The growing tensions between Hezbollah and rebels trying to oust Assad are linked to a regime offensive against the rebel-held town of Qusair in western Syria.

Hezbollah's involvement in the battle for control of the strategic town has exposed its growing role in the Syrian conflict, prompting rebel threats to target Hezbollah's bases in Lebanon.

On Saturday, the International Committee of the Red Cross and U.N. humanitarian agencies expressed alarm over the fate of thousands of civilians believed to be trapped there, including many wounded.

They called on both sides to allow aid to reach civilians, including the wounded. The Red Cross said that "many of the wounded are not receiving the medical care they need desperately" and that food, water and medical supplies are scarce. The U.N. agencies called for an immediate cease-fire to allow civilians to leave the town.

On Sunday, U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon called Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moallem to express concern over the situation in Qusair, according to Syria's state-run news agency SANA.

However, al-Moallem told the U.N. chief that the Red Cross and other aid agencies will only be able to enter Qusair "after the end of military operations there," SANA said.

Fighting has already dragged on for three weeks and so far neither side has been able to deliver a decisive blow. Syrian regime troops and Hezbollah fighters launched the offensive against Qusair in mid-May and gained ground, but rebels were able to defend some positions.

Meanwhile, low-flying Israeli warplanes violated Lebanese airspace, overflying the capital Beirut, the eastern Bekaa Valley and the city of Baalbek.

Lebanese President Michel Suleiman said Lebanon would lodge a complaint with the U.N. to protest Israel's "extensive" violations of Lebanese airspace. Israeli warplanes regularly enter Lebanese airspace.

There was no immediate comment from Israel.

The flights come amid heightened regional tensions because of the civil war in Syria.

Israel is believed to have carried out three airstrikes inside Syria this year said to be aimed at weapons meant for Hezbollah.

Also Sunday, a car bomb killed at least three people in Jobar, a suburb of the Syrian capital of Damascus, said a Syrian government official who insisted on anonymity because he is not allowed to brief reporters.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a pro-opposition group, said the blast targeted a police station and killed nine Syrian soldiers. It said the al-Qaida-linked group Jabhat al-Nusra carried out the attack.

Syria's state agency SANA blamed the blast on a suicide bomber, saying he blew up his explosive-packed car which was parked in the residential area. The Observatory and SANA said the explosion took place amid heavy fighting. Jobar is a scene of frequent clashes, with rebels trying to push from there toward the capital.

The army has been conducting massive sweeps through opposition strongholds around Damascus, including Jobar.

___

Associated Press writers Albert Aji in Damscus and Jamal Halaby in Amman, Jordan contributed reporting.

The supportive housing assistance vouchers are provided through the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) Program. Under the program, HUD and the VA work as a team to make the vouchers available. HUD provides the rental assistance and the VA provides case management and clinical services to homeless vets. In Philadelphia, PHA and the VA Medical Center will join forces to provide the assistance.

Congressman Chaka Fattah said, "We must do more for our service members who voluntarily put their lives on the line for our freedoms. When our veterans return home, we must make sure they have a home to come to. The HUD-VASH program will help to make that a certainty."

On Monday, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, Congressman Fattah and Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter will visit the residence of a former homeless veteran. That visit will be followed by a stop at Pathways to Housing PA a veteran's homeless organization - to meet with veterans who are currently receiving the vouchers.

Under the HUD-VASH program, up to 30 percent of a veteran's income will be directed toward their lease. The $349,362 grant to the Philadelphia Housing Authority will provide 50 vouchers for local homeless vets.

The Obama Administration has committed millions of dollars to end veteran homelessness by 2015. The U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness (USICH) drafted the nation's first comprehensive strategy to prevent and end homelessness. The plan, which has the support of the Administration and the Congress, puts the country on a path to end veteran's homelessness by 2015. The proposal also plots a course for ending homelessness among children, family, and youth by 2020.

Congressman Fattah holds a seat on the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction, Veterans Affairs and Related Agencies. The Subcommittee provides funding and oversight to ensure that all veterans receive the services they have earned as a result of their sacrifices and service to the nation.

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah

The surprising result suggests that scientists will have to work a little harder than they had perhaps anticipated to figure out whatis made of, researchers said.

"Future studies of the moon's composition will have to show that exposed surface rocks really come from the moon and were not delivered by impacts, especially for unusual or exotic minerals," said co-author Jay Melosh of Purdue University. []

Melosh and his colleagues, led by Zhong Yue of Purdue and the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Remote Sensing Applications in Beijing, used computer models to simulate the formation of lunar craters byimpacts.

They determined that one-quarter of space rock strikes on the moon likely occur at a velocity of 26,800 mph (43,130 km/h) or less blazingly fast, to be sure, but not fast enough to obliterate the asteroid.

Other simulations performed by the team show that, at such impact speeds, little asteroid material is vaporized and lots of it is hurled against the walls of the newly formed crater. If the crater is at least 12 miles (20 kilometers) or so wide, impactor remnants tend to accumulate in a central peak as the crater collapses under the moon's gravity.

The findings of the new study, which was published online today (May 26) in the journal Nature Geoscience, could explain the occurrence of minerals called spinels and olivines in the central peaks of large lunar craters such as the 58-mile-wide (93 km) Copernicus.

Spinels and olivines are common in many asteroids, so it's possible that these and other minerals that scientists had assumed were indigenous to the moon were actually delivered via space rock strikes, researchers said.

"We cannot infer the deepfrom rocks in the centers of large craters without more care than has been used to date," Melosh told SPACE.com via email.

The findings have other intriguing ramifications as well. Some material blasted off Earth by colossal impacts long ago, after all, is thought to have hit the moon at relatively slow velocities.

"This raises the possibility of finding early Earth material, ejected by collisions billions of years ago, in massive deposits on the moon, and suggests yet another explanation for the spinels: that they are deposits derived from the Earths upper mantle, emplaced long ago on to the moon and reworked," Erik Asphaug of Arizona State University writes in an accompanying commentary in the same issue of Nature Geoscience.

"Even more provocative is the suggestion that we might someday find Earths protobiological materials, no longer available on our geologically active and repeatedly recycled planet, in dry storage up in the lunar 'attic,'" Asphaug adds.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitterand.Follow us , or . Originally published on

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The big reason I find this mentality borderline repulsive is because most of us are old enough to remember the last time an operating system definitively won the market place and effectively set up a monopoly for itself that its taken several years to chip away at. Yes Im referring to the late 1990s whenreigned supreme over the computing world andand Linux were both afterthoughts for most users. The result of all this was a company that grew arrogant and complacent and produced such wonders as Clippy and Vista, all the while thinking that it didnt matter how many mistakes it made because users had nowhere else to go.

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The mobile device market, much to my pleasant surprise, has been much more diverse and competitive. Android hasnt gone the way of other free-to-use platforms in the past . iOS has been a trailblazing platform that has singlehandedly created mass markets for tablets and smartphones. Windows Phone is looking to make a name for itself asand BlackBerry remains the top option for users who value security and messaging capabilities above all else.

Whats even better about this diversity of operating systems is that its pushing all competitors in the market to up their games. It used to be that the iPhone was the obvious choice for the worlds best smartphone but now Samsung and HTC have both worked their way into the discussion by raising the bar for display quality with theGalaxy S4 and build quality with the HTC One.

It would please me if it turned out that the mobile-platform wars continued on indefinitely, with both iOS and Android and Windows Phone, and BlackBerry 10, and operating systems yet to be invented remaining viable, evolving and exciting, . When there are multiple attractive options, and nobody feels forced into using a product unwillingly, consumers win. Thats the state of affairs right now. And isnt it the only victory that really matters?

When looked at from this perspective, the whole obsession with rooting for one side to win in the mobile race is a little like Beatles and Stones fans arguing over which band would sell more records in a given year: In the end, who really cares as long as their fierce is pushing them to release albums as good as Revolver or Beggars Banquet?

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