March 22, 2014 archive

March Madness 2014: Men’s Round of 32 Day 1

Yesterday’s Results

Seed School Record Seed School Record Score Region
3 Duke (26 – 9) 14 * Mercer (27 – 8) (71 – 78) MidWest
6 * Baylor (25 – 11) 11 Nebraska (19 – 13) (74 – 60) West
7 New Mexico (27 – 7) 10 * Stanford (22 – 12) (53 – 58) South
1 * Arizona (31 – 4) 16 Weber State (19 – 12) (68 – 59) West
6 UMass (24 – 9) 11 * Tennessee (23 – 12) (67 – 86) MidWest
3 * Creighton (27 – 7) 14 UL-Lafayette (23 – 12) (76 – 66) West
2 * Kansas (25 – 9) 15 E. Kentucky (24 – 10) (80 – 69) South
8 * Gonzaga (29 – 6) 9 Oklahoma State (21 – 13) (85 – 77) West
8 * Memphis (24 – 9) 9 George Washington (24 – 9) (71 – 66) East
1 * Wichita State (35 – 0) 16 Cal Poly (14 – 20) (64 – 37) MidWest
6 * N. Carolina (24 – 9) 11 Providence (23 – 12) (79 – 77) East
5 Virginia Commonwealth (26 – 9) 12 * Stephen Austin (32 – 2) (75 – 77 OT) South
1 * Virginia (29 – 6) 16 Coastal Carolina (21 – 13) (70 – 59) East
8 * Kentucky (25 – 10) 9 Kansas State (20 – 13) (56 – 49) MidWest
3 * Iowa State (27 – 7) 14 N.C. Central (28 – 6) (93 – 75) East
4 * UCLA (27 – 8) 13 Tulsa (21 – 13) (76 – 59) South

Round of 32: Saturday

Time Network Seed School Record Seed School Record Region
12:15 CBS 1 Florida (33 – 2) 9 Pittsburgh (26 – 9) South
2:45 CBS 4 Louisville (30 – 5) 5 Saint Louis (27 – 6) MidWest
5:15 CBS 2 Michigan (26 – 8) 7 Texas (24 – 10) MidWest
6:10 TNT 4 San Diego St. (30 – 4) 12 N. Dakota State (26 – 6) West
7:10 TBS 3 Syracuse (28 – 5) 11 Dayton (24 – 10) South
7:45 CBS 2 Wisconsin (27 – 7) 7 Oregon (24 – 9) West
8:40 TNT 4 Michigan State (27 – 8) 12 Harvard (27 – 4) East
9:40 TBS 7 Connecticut (27 – 8) 2 Villanova (29 – 4) East

Thursday’s Results Below.

March Madness 2014: Women’s Round of 64 Day 1

Time Network Seed School Record Seed School Record Region
11:00 ESPN 2 Duke (27 – 6) 15 Winthrop (24 – 8) MidWest
11:00 ESPN2 8 Vanderbilt (18 – 12) 9 Arizona State (22 – 9) East
11:00 ESPN2 5 Oklahoma State (23 – 8) 12 Florida Gulf Coast (26 – 7) East
11:00 ESPN2 3 Kentucky (24 – 8) 14 Wright State (26 – 8) East
1:30 ESPN 1 Notre Dame (32 – 0) 16 Robert Morris (21 – 11) East
1:30 ESPN2 7 DePaul (27 – 6) 10 Oklahoma (18 – 14) MidWest
1:30 ESPN2 4 Purdue (21 – 8) 13 Akron (23 – 9) East
1:30 ESPN2 6 Syracuse (22 – 9) 11 Chattanooga (29 – 3) East
4:00 ESPN2 4 Nebraska (25 – 6) 13 Fresno State (22 – 10) MidWest
4:00 ESPN2 7 Iowa State (20 – 10) 10 Florida State (20 – 11) West
4:00 ESPN2 7 California (21 – 9) 10 Fordham (25 – 7) East
4:00 ESPN2 1 Tennessee (27 – 5) 16 Northwestern (16 – 15) South
6:30 ESPN2 5 N.C. State (25 – 7) 12 BYU (26 – 6) MidWest
6:30 ESPN2 2 Stanford (30 – 3) 15 S. Dakota (19 – 13) West
6:30 ESPN2 2 Baylor (29 – 4) 15 W. Kentucky (24 – 8) East
6:30 ESPN2 8 St. John’s (22 – 10) 9 USC (22 – 12) South

On This Day In History March 22

Cross posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette

This is your morning Open Thread. Pour your favorite beverage and review the past and comment on the future.

Find the past “On This Day in History” here.

March 22 is the 81st day of the year (82nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 284 days remaining until the end of the year.

On this day in 1784, the Emerald Buddha is moved with great ceremony to its current place in Wat Phra Kaew, Thailand.

The Emerald Buddha is the palladium of the Kingdom of Thailand, a figurine of the sitting Buddha, made of green jadeite (rather than emerald), clothed in gold, and about 45 cm tall. It is kept in the Temple of the Emerald Buddha (Wat Phra Kaew) on the grounds of the Grand Palace in Bangkok.

According to the legend, the Emerald Buddha was created in India in 43 BC by Nagasena in the city of Pataliputra (today’s Patna). The legends state that after remaining in Pataliputra for three hundred years, it was taken to Sri Lanka to save it from a civil war. In 457, King Anuruth of Burma sent a mission to Ceylon to ask for Buddhist scriptures and the Emerald Buddha, in order to support Buddhism in his country. These requests were granted, but the ship lost its way in a storm during the return voyage and landed in Cambodia. When the Thais captured Angkor Wat in 1432 (following the ravage of the bubonic plague), the Emerald Buddha was taken to Ayutthaya, Kamphaeng Phet, Laos and finally Chiang Rai, where the ruler of the city hid it. Cambodian historians recorded capture of the Buddha statue in their famous Preah Ko Preah Keo legend. However, some art historians describe the Emerald Buddha as belonging to the Chiang Saen Style of the 15th Century AD, which would mean it is actually of Lannathai origin.

Historical sources indicate that the statue surfaced in northern Thailand in the Lannathai kingdom in 1434. One account of its discovery tells that lightning struck a pagoda in a temple in Chiang Rai, after which, something became visible beneath the stucco. The Buddha was dug out, and the people believed the figurine to be made of emerald, hence its name. King Sam Fang Kaen of Lannathai wanted it in his capital, Chiang Mai, but the elephant carrying it insisted, on three separate occasions, on going instead to Lampang. This was taken as a divine sign and the Emerald Buddha stayed in Lampang until 1468, when it was finally moved to Chiang Mai, where it was kept at Wat Chedi Luang.

The Emerald Buddha remained in Chiang Mai until 1552, when it was taken to Luang Prabang, then the capital of the Lao kingdom of Lan Xang. Some years earlier, the crown prince of Lan Xang, Setthathirath, had been invited to occupy the vacant throne of Lannathai. However, Prince Setthathirath also became king of Lan Xang when his father, Photisarath, died. He returned home, taking the revered Buddha figure with him. In 1564, King Setthathirath moved it to his new capital at Vientiane.

In 1779, the Thai General Chao Phraya Chakri put down an insurrection, captured Vientiane and returned the Emerald Buddha to Siam, taking it with him to Thonburi. After he became King Rama I of Thailand, he moved the Emerald Buddha with great ceremony to its current home in Wat Phra Kaew on March 22, 1784. It is now kept in the main building of the temple, the Ubosoth.

Late Night Karaoke

Random Japan

 photo ajiyoshi_zps1f89678c.jpg

 “Hungover today, sorry!” Laidback Tsukuba cafe gives hilarious reasons for frequent closings

  Mike

Tsukuba is a small, planned city nestled in the mountains of Ibaraki, which has a reputation for being a pretty chilled out place to live. The small population size and abundance of surrounding nature give the city a slow-paced, laid back feeling compared to the bustle of major cities like Tokyo, Yokohama and Osaka.

We hear there are also a lot of great places to eat in Tsukuba, provided your restaurant or cafe of choice isn’t closed for the day because they couldn’t decide on the day’s menu items or the manager has a hangover.

Health and Fitness News

Welcome to the Health and Fitness News, a weekly diary which is cross-posted from The Stars Hollow Gazette. It is open for discussion about health related issues including diet, exercise, health and health care issues, as well as, tips on what you can do when there is a medical emergency. Also an opportunity to share and exchange your favorite healthy recipes.

Questions are encouraged and I will answer to the best of my ability. If I can’t, I will try to steer you in the right direction. Naturally, I cannot give individual medical advice for personal health issues. I can give you information about medical conditions and the current treatments available.

You can now find past Health and Fitness News diaries here and on the right hand side of the Front Page.

Ancient Grains for Breakfast

Ancient Grains for Breakfast photo recipehealthpromo-tmagArticle_zps31ba0eac.jpg

I had already decided that this week I would play around with breakfast grains when I noticed that food manufacturers are also coming up with new ideas. I rarely look at the breakfast cereals on the shelves in the supermarket or at Trader Joe’s, as it’s easier and cheaper for me to put together my own combos. But this week, as I reached for a container of steel-cut oats, I noticed several prepared mixes of grains and seeds like oats, quinoa and flax, mostly for hot cereal, that I hadn’t seen before. [..]

When I’m planning on porridge for breakfast on a weekday morning I begin the process the night before. I pour boiling water over the grains and cover the bowl with a plate. The next morning all I need to do is heat the mixture in the microwave for two to four minutes. I might also grate in some apple, but basically, hot cereal made this way requires no more fuss than a bowl of cold cereal with milk.

Sweet Oven-Baked Grits and Millet With Pecans and Maple Syrup

This sweet and grainy polenta makes a delicious brunch dish.

Rolled Oats With Amaranth Seeds, Maple Syrup and Apple

Amaranth and apple contribute texture and sweetness to this morning bowl.

Steel-Cut Oats With Amaranth Seeds, Chia Seeds and Blueberries

Amaranth and chia seeds pump up the nutritional content of this sweet and hearty morning bowl.

Oatmeal and Teff With Cinnamon and Dried Fruit

Cinnamon and dried fruit sweeten this oatmeal/teff mix.

Breakfast Wheat Berries

These fragrant Middle Eastern wheat berries can be stirred into yogurt or eaten on their own.