Hot air balloon flights resumed in the city of Luxor on Sunday, nearly two months after a deadly accident killed 19 tourists, Egyptian officials told AFP.
Four flights took off from the ancient temple city, with around 70 tourists on board, said Ahmed Abboud who heads the Balloon Flights union.
?Egyptian authorities have tightened security measures, including a review by an aviation engineer before and after take-off,? Abboud said.
Luxor governor Ezzat Saad was on the first flight to take off ?to reassure people that the situation is back to normal and that balloons are safe.?
He said a technical team from the ministry of civil aviation went to Luxor to monitor security checks by the balloon flight operators.
Authorities had ordered a ban on balloon flights in Luxor after the February 26 crash that killed 19 Asian and European tourists.
The ban ?had a negative effect on us. It was a bad period,? said Yasser al-Zembili, who owns one of the companies. ?We hope the tourists come back.?
The activities of the company whose balloon crashed remain suspended.
Residents and tour industry professionals had feared that the accident would keep more tourists away, as Egypt struggles to revive an industry which raises much of its foreign currency revenues.
? Home | Apple Stock | Tracked Sites | TechNN | | E-Mail | Sherlock Plugin Close Left Panel | Login | Subscribe to MacSurfer's Headline News Poll | Most Popular | Talking Heads | A Year Ago Today |
Saturday, April 6, 2013 Checked 8:20 PM; Last Updated 7:10 PM CDT; 00:10 GMT
?
Subscriptions
Benefits Include:
? Custom Newspages ? Keyword-Built Page ? Timestamp Options ? Choice of RSS Feeds ? Headline Discussions ? MORE ...
This weekend's MacUpdate Promo offers 55% savings on Slidevana Bundle for PowerPoint and Keynote 1.0.0. ?Slidevana Bundle for Keynote and PowerPoint features over 150 customizable slides that emphasize your information and focus your audience. Each slide in this collection is designed based on the techniques of top management consulting firms like McKinsey, Bain, and BCG. Make your next presentation more engaging and effective with Slidevana templates for Keynote and PowerPoint.?
Apple appears to be gaining ground against Android. Do you think this is accurate? Vote for the results in the left column below or go straight to the results here.
Weekend Highlights: Over at AppleInsider, Daniel Eran Dilger interprets Apple's market disruption savvy as bad news for Samsung going forward; Jason O'Grady at ZDNet summarizes recent discussions about iCloud in the developer community and defines it as an ultimatum for Apple to respond to by June; More on supposed cost-overruns at the new Cupertino-based Mothership from Macworld UK; FOSS Patents reports that in the ongoing ITC case between Samsung and Apple, Samsung's text selection appears to violate two Apple patents; Rumors persist that Apple is close to closing a streaming music deal with major labels; Tim Cook's apology to China is now fully translated and available online; Apple continues to gain ground against Android in U.S. smartphone market share; Asymco further analyzes the reasons for iOS outperformance in the U.S; Cult of Mac provides an in-depth review of Ulysses 3, a new text editor with several innovative features.
WEEKEND BLOWOUT: Every NEW or RENEWING paid subscriber receives 2 YEARS FREE....
Welcome to MacSurfer's Headline News! Is this the headline you are looking for?
Sat Apr 6
"Editorial: Apple's market disruption savvy is bad news for Android" AppleInsider
7:18 AM
News
"Microsoft: No more support for you, Office for Mac 2008/Continues to shortchange Mac users with just five years of Office support; Windows customers get support twice as long"?Computerworld?4/5
AppleCare/Troubleshooting
"How To Protect Macs in the Enterprise: Mac OS X has developed a reputation for security ? which means many people ignore measures they should take to secure Macs in the enterprise."?eSecurity Planet?7:28 AM
"Q&A: MacFixIt Answers/Readers ask about options for managing birthdays in the OS X calendar, and other Mac-related questions."?CNET Reviews?4/5
"iMovie '11: Some Video clips may not import into iMovie when using the Camera Import window"?Apple Support?4/5
Reviews/How-To/Tips
"Ulysses 3, A Text Editor From The Future [Review]?Cult of Mac?4/5
"How To copy a file path in OS X: There are several approaches you can take to reveal and copy full file paths as text in OS X."?CNET Reviews?4/5
"Ask the Script Doctor: Deduping Contacts and more"?Macworld?4/5
"How To Manage Your Mac's Disk Space Using DaisyDisk"?Mactuts+?4/5
"Mac Gems: Disk Doctor 2.1 frees up storage space on your Mac"?Macworld?4/5
"What Every Writer Needs: A New And Better Writing Environment For The Mac (hint: Ulysses III)"?Mac 360?4/5
"The App For Mac Users Only: The World's Best Free Text Editor Is Loaded With Features"?Mac 360?4/5
"App of the Week: How This Mac App Adds New Meaning To 'In The Zone"?TeraTalks?4/5
"2 Great Color Management Tools That Every Mac Graphic Designer Or Web Developer Needs"?McSolo?4/5
"Try The Free Menubar App That Hides And Unhides Apps, Quits All Apps With A Single Click"?NoodleMac?4/5
Op/Ed
Press Releases
"Borderlands 2 Mac Gains MultiPlayer, Content Packs, Save Big"?FairerPlatform?4/5
"Graphisoft touts ArchiCAD and Portuguese Architecture"?Architosh?4/5
"Sailfish OS SDK released for Linux, Windows and Mac"?Engadget?4/5
"Jolla releases Sailfish OS SDK for Mac, Windows and Linux"?Electronista?4/5
"US Army threatened by rogue iPhones"?FOXNews?7:20 AM
"How JC Penney is using iPod Touches to revamp customer service in 1,100 stores"?CITEworld?4/5
"Consumerism in China Reflected in Fake Apple Gifts for the Dead"?The Mac Observer?4/5
"Judge denies class action certification in poaching lawsuit involving Apple, Google"?AppleInsider?4/5
"Apple's 'iRadio' Reportedly close to launch, yet labels still have to sign: The streaming service is expected to be ad-supported and offer easy downloads."?Ars Technica?4/5
"Apple tweaks its online store with new touch-friendly scrollable menu bar"?AppleInsider?4/5
"Apple online store updated with iOS friendly navigation bar, other tweaks"?9 to 5 Mac?4/5
"Tim Cook's apology to Chinese customers fully translated, published online"?AppleInsider?4/5
"iTunes accounts with credit cards a 'tremendous asset' for potential Apple e-wallet"?AppleInsider?4/5
Non-Apple News
"Google Invents a New Compass Interface for Google Maps"?Patent Bolt?4/5
"Samsung sacrificing innovation in a bid to out-do Apple?"?Reuters?4/5
"Match this: Audi unleashes $15/month unlimited in-car 3G WiFi"?ExtremeTech?4/5
Publications/Podcasts
"The TouchArcade Show - 98 - In Loving Memory of Jared's Beard"?Touch Arcade?7:52 AM
"Gene Steinberg meets John Rizzo, from MacWindows.com, and Daniel Eran Dilger, from AppleInsider, this week on the Tech Night Owl LIVE!"?The Tech Night Owl LIVE?4/5
"YML Interview -'Thomas Matthews, Executive Editor, Wine Spectator"?Your Mac Life?4/5
"YML Interview - 'Michael Hiltzik, How Apple invites facile analysis'"?Your Mac Life?4/5
"Latest iOS 7 concept shows slick widget integration, enhanced lockscreen & much more"?9 to 5 Mac?4/5
"Is this the iPhone 5S or iPhone 6? Pics of Curvy Apple smartphone emerge"?ITProPortal?4/5
"VirnetX patent loss forcing Apple to change its iOS VPN On Demand in forthcoming update"?9 to 5 Mac?4/5
"Pre-orders for T-Mobile iPhone 5 go live ahead of April 12 launch"?AppleInsider?4/5
"Technologies you could see in future Macs, part 5: Macs with foldable screens"?Apple Daily Report?4/5
Apple Patent Applications
"Apple working on ways to grant indirect authentication for content on an authorizing device"?Apple Daily Report?4/5
AppleCare/Helps
"Troubleshooting Mighty Mouse and determining expected behavior"?Apple Support?4/5
Price Trackers/Deals
"Crow For iPhone and iPad Is Temporarily Available For Free (Normally $4.99)"?Apple Sliced?9:31 AM
"GraalOnline Zone+ For iPhone and iPad Is Free Right Now (Previously $0.99)"?Apple Sliced?9:32 AM
"NOPE For iPhone and iPad Is Free Today (Was $0.99)"?Apple Sliced?9:32 AM
"Best Selling Mac Scanners -From $89 To $432 -Prices, Reviews And Information"?MacReviewZone?9:14 AM
"Mac Compatible Printers... From $79 To $400 -Best Selling -Prices, Reviews And Information"?MacReviewZone?8:38 AM
"Done For Mac Is Temporarily Available For Free (Normally $0.99)"?Apple Sliced?4/5
"Static Quest: The Delivery For iPhone and iPad Is Free Right Now (Previously $0.99)"?Apple Sliced?4/5
"Crack Cards For iPhone Is Free Today (Was $0.99)"?Apple Sliced?4/5
"The Macalope Weekly: Crackpot theories"?Macworld?10:28 AM
"Apple Looking For Help Triaging Maps Bug Reports"?AppleBitch?8:38 AM
"Is Apple Building Its Own Street View?"?Mashable?4/5
"Apple Devices Will Outsell Windows Devices In 2013 For The First Time Ever"?Cult of Mac?4/5
"iPhone vs Android: Why It Doesn't Matter"?Tapscape?4/5
"Apple's iRadio service completes its '2013, innovation on steroids' agenda"?Computerworld?4/5
"Apple Is Sweetening The Deal To Music Labels To Bring iRadio Service Online"?App Advice?4/5
"4 lessons for Apple in the Facebook phone"?Fortune?4/5
"And Privacy Kudos Of The Week Go To... Apple??"?ReadWrite?4/5
"Why and when the iPad is the best e-reader: For the first time in history, when we sit down to read a book, we're faced with more than simply a choice of what to read - we must also decide How To read it"?Macworld UK?4/5
"A $5 app isn't expensive: Customers need to help fix the App Store economy"?Macworld?4/5
"Silence Of The Shopping Lambs: A Few Words About How Apple Is Special, Samsung Is Not"?Mac 360?4/5
"Sorry. I Missed It. How Is It Again That Apple Needs To Be More Like Samsung?"?PixoBebo?4/5
"Facebook and Apple: it's complicated"?GigaOM?4/5
Non-Apple
"Killing Off Vicious Evil Windows Malware Part 1,000,001"?Rixstep?7:09 PM
"Why Home won't move the needle for Facebook"?GigaOM?3:07 PM
"I won't pay AT&T early-termination fees"?BetaNews?3:08 PM
"If Microsoft Were The Inventors Of Facebook Home, They'd Have Invented Facebook Home"?ParisLemon?4/5
"Microsoft's Mobile Comeback Isn't Happening"?SplatF?4/5
"Facebook Home: You Are the Product Being Sold"?BYTE?4/5
"The Serious Downside To Slim Design"?iFixit?4/5
"Why Do We Keep Making Ebooks Like Paper Books?"?Gizmodo?4/5
"Xbox tweets hint at 'always on' future: Don't want a gaming console that requires a persistent Internet connection? 'Deal with it,' says Microsoft Studio's creative director"?CNET News?4/5
"First Ouya reviews hit the Internet: Initial reaction is ... not glowing"?Destructoid?4/5
"LG Optimus G Pro Review: the phone-tablets are here to stay/It's bigger and faster and, in a lot of ways, better."?Ars Technica?4/5
"Seven Features To Make Instagram Instantly Better"?App Advice?4/5
"The tip of the iceberg: Warner Instant Archive launches for fans of classic film"?AppleDailyReport?4/5
"Mark Zuckerberg Talks Home, the Future of Sharing and Life Outside Facebook"?Gizmodo?4/5
"Who's Going To Buy The Facebook Phone?"?SplatF?4/5
"Studios regret sending Google a list of every pirate site on the Internet for publication"?Boing Boing?4/5
Humor/Cartoons
"Caturday: Ruby the programmer cat"?TUAW?11:00 AM
"Googlers turn Sergey Brin's Tesla into a pink Batmobile with wings and eyelashes"?Edible Apple?4/5
Finances
(Click heading for current Apple Stock price.)
Apple News
"AAPL: Cowen Survey Says Upside in iPad"?Barron's?4/5
"Apple: It's Time to Start Believing (And Buying!), Says Jackson"?Breakout?4/5
"Will Steve Ballmer Giggle at Apple TV?"?TheStreet?4/5
Industry News
"Stocks sink after 'cold slap' of jobs reality"?CNNMoney?4/5
"Stocks sink after dismal jobs report"?CNNMoney?4/5
"Dow Drops 100 After Jobs Data, Dragged by Techs; Vix Spikes 10%"?CNBC?4/5
"Jobs report: Hiring slows severely in March"?CNNMoney?4/5
"Stocks Plunge as Jobs Number Fans Fears"?TheStreet?4/5
"HP Options Traders Expect Volatility on Board Moves"?Bloomberg?4/5
"Goldman Sachs Cuts Hewlett-Packard to $16: Time To Jump Ship?"?Investopedia?4/5
"U.S. Stocks See Broad Selloff After Jobs Data"?WSJ.com [Paid Membership Required]?4/5
"Apple, BlackBerry, Nokia fall on latest data/Forecast from IDC sees sharp slowdown in smartphone sales growth"?MarketWatch?4/5
"Asia Markets: Japan stocks jump; Hong Kong hit by bird flu fears"?MarketWatch?4/5
TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) ? An annual Israeli report has logged a 30 percent rise in anti-Semitic incidents worldwide, linking the surge to Europe's economic troubles and a deadly attack on Jewish schoolchildren last year in France.
Tel Aviv University said Sunday that 686 attacks were recorded in 34 countries, ranging from physical violence to vandalism of synagogues and cemeteries, compared to 526 in 2011. The sharp increase followed a two-year decline.
It linked the March 2012 shooting at a Jewish school in Toulouse, where an extremist Muslim gunman killed four, to a series of copycat attacks, particularly in France, where physical assaults on Jews almost doubled.
In Greece, Hungary and Ukraine, economic difficulties favored the rise of extreme right-wing parties whose anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli rhetoric has apparently helped ignite attacks, it said.
Home owners who once lost their homes to foreclosure and short sales -- known as ?boomerang buyers? -- are becoming a growing force of home buyers again. ?Their time out of the market may be shorter than many Americans might expect,? USA Today reports. ?People who go through foreclosure can rebuild credit records and qualify for home loans again in three to seven years if they manage their finances well.? More than 4.7 million home owners are estimated to have lost their home to foreclosures or short sales since 2007. Seventy percent of them will likely return to home ownership within eight years of their short sale or foreclosure, according to estimates by John Burns Real Estate Consulting. And with the housing downturn starting about six years ago, this could be the first big year for boomerang buyers. Boomerang buyers could possibly account for 10 percent of home sales this year, Burns estimates. His firm projects that boomerang buyers who lost homes in 2007 through 2012 will number 500,000 a year in 2013 through 2016. And with home prices still relatively low and mortgage rates hovering at record lows, some boomerang buyers may even qualify for a mortgage that is cheaper than their previous one. For example, one former home owner in Las Vegas, Dave Peterson, says he lost his home in foreclosure and then declared bankruptcy when he hit financial hardship a few years ago. But last year, he was able to buy a $280,000 home with his wife -- bigger than the home they originally owned and lost to foreclosure. Peterson was able to get a 3.74 percent, 30-year fixed-rate mortgage with no money down through the Department of Veterans Affairs, so his monthly mortgage payments are $1,600 -- compared to $3,000 for the smaller home he lost to foreclosure. Source: ?Boomerang buyers bring muscle to rebounding housing market,? USA Today (April 1, 2013)
This Friday, March 29, 2013, photo, shows a help wanted sign in front of a restaurant in Richmond, Va. The U.S. economy has enjoyed a four-month stretch of robust job gains, and on Friday, April 5, 2013, the government will signal whether that trend endured into March (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
This Friday, March 29, 2013, photo, shows a help wanted sign in front of a restaurant in Richmond, Va. The U.S. economy has enjoyed a four-month stretch of robust job gains, and on Friday, April 5, 2013, the government will signal whether that trend endured into March (AP Photo/Steve Helber)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? U.S. employers added just 88,000 jobs in March, the fewest in nine months and a sharp retreat after a period of strong hiring. The slowdown may signal that the economy is heading into a weak spring.
The Labor Department said Friday that the unemployment rate dipped to 7.6 percent, the lowest in four years, from 7.7 percent. But the rate fell only because more people stopped looking for work. People who are out of work are no longer counted as unemployed once they stop looking for a job.
The percentage of working-age adults Americans with a job or looking for one fell to 63.3 percent in March, the lowest such figure in nearly 34 years.
Stocks plummeted after the report but narrowed their losses later in the day. The Dow Jones industrial average was down about 76 points in midafternoon trading. Broader indexes also declined.
March's job gain was less than half the average of 196,000 jobs in the previous six months. The government said hiring was even stronger in January and February than previously estimated. January job growth was revised up from 119,000 to 148,000. February was revised from 236,000 to 268,000.
Several industries cut back sharply on hiring. Retailers cut 24,000 jobs in March after averaging 32,000 in the previous three months. Manufacturers cut 3,000 jobs after adding 19,000 in February. Financial services shed 2,000.
Some economists said retailers might have held back on hiring because March was colder than normal. That likely meant that Americans bought fewer spring clothes and less garden equipment. Clothing stores shed 15,000 jobs, and building material and garden supply stores shed 10,000.
In March, average hourly pay rose a penny, the smallest gain in five months. Average pay is just 1.8 percent higher than a year earlier, trailing the pace of inflation, which rose 2 percent in the past 12 months.
"This is not a good report through and through," Dan Greenhaus, chief economic strategist at brokerage firm BTIG, said in a note to clients.
The Labor Department uses a survey of mostly large businesses and government agencies to determine how many jobs are added or lost each month. That's the survey that produced the gain of 88,000 jobs for March.
The government uses a separate survey of households to calculate the unemployment rate. This survey found that the number of people either working or looking for work fell by nearly 500,000. It was the sharpest such drop since December 2010. And the number of Americans who said they were employed dropped nearly 210,000.
The percentage of working-age adults in the labor force is a figure that economists call the participation rate. At 63.3 percent, it's the lowest since 1979. Normally during an economic recovery, an expanding economy lures job seekers back into the labor market. This time, many have stayed on the sidelines, and more have joined them.
Longer-term trends have helped keep the participation rate down. The vast generation of baby boomers has begun to retire. The share of men 20 and older in the labor force has dropped as manufacturing has shrunk.
Some who have left the job market are getting by on government aid, particularly Social Security's program for the disabled. The share of women working or looking for work has plateaued, and fewer teenagers are working.
Heidi Shierholz, an economist at the liberal Economic Policy Institute, said the labor force participation among those ages 25 to 54 ? "prime age" workers ? has dropped to 81.1 percent. It hasn't been lower since 1984.
Gary Burtless, senior fellow in economic studies at the Brookings Institution, noted that some Americans have likely stopped looking for work because their unemployment benefits have run out. People must be looking for a job to qualify for unemployment benefits.
"If people aren't collecting benefits, they have one less reason to be out pounding the pavement looking for a job," Burtless said.
This could be the fourth straight year that the economy and hiring have shown strength in winter and early spring, only to weaken afterward.
An intensifying European financial crisis depressed hiring in 2010 and 2011. Japan's earthquake and tsunami also disrupted U.S. manufacturing in 2011. Last year, an unusually warm winter caused employers to do more hiring earlier in the year than usual. Job gains averaged 262,000 a month from January through March last year, then fell to a pace of 108,000 in the April-June quarter.
This year, steep government spending cuts that began taking effect March 1 could have the same effect. But some economists say they expect any weakening this spring to be milder. The economy has a stronger foundation now. Housing is recovering, and consumers are spending more.
Rising home prices and near-record-level stock prices are making consumers feel wealthier. Construction firms have also added 169,000 jobs in the past six months as home building has accelerated.
"The recovery is on much better footing this year than in the last few springs, and the recovery in the housing market will do much to support growth," said Sophia Koropeckyj, an economist at Moody's Analytics.
Economists also cautioned against reading too much into a one-month slowdown in hiring. The higher revised job totals for January and February suggest that some hiring might have again occurred earlier in the year than usual. Job gains have averaged 168,000 in the past three months, close to the trend of the past two years.
Sluggish hiring could embolden the Federal Reserve to keep borrowing costs low for the long run. The Fed has said it plans to keep short-term interest rates at record lows at least until unemployment falls to 6.5 percent ? and Chairman Ben Bernanke has said a 6.5 percent rate is a threshold, not a "trigger," for any rate increase. The Fed wants to see sustained improvement in the job market.
Most analysts think the economy strengthened from January through March, helped by the pickup in hiring, a sustained recovery in housing and steady consumer spending. Consumers stepped up purchases in January and February, even after Social Security taxes increased this year.
At the same time, some small businesses say they've grown more cautious about hiring. The government spending cuts could cut into sales at companies with federal contracts and at small retailers located near government facilities. And small business owners worry about increased health insurance costs next year, when the government's health care overhaul is fully implemented.
A survey released Wednesday by the National Federation of Independent Business showed that fewer small businesses plan to hire.
Some smaller employers are also wary about hiring before an expected fight over an increase in the federal minimum wage. President Barack Obama has proposed raising the minimum wage to $9 an hour from $7.25.
As federal agencies and contractors cut back in coming months, Nariman Behravesh, chief economist at IHS Global Insight, expects jobs growth to average 100,000 to 150,000 a month, down from an average 212,000 from December through February.
"The good news is that this is happening at a time when the private economy is gaining momentum," Behravesh said. He expects hiring to pick up after mid-year.
Craig Alexander, chief economist with TD Bank Financial Group, said the economy isn't growing fast enough to generate many jobs. He expects the economy to grow around 2 percent this year, a sluggish pace. He thinks it would be growing faster, perhaps at a 3 percent annual rate, if not for the Social Security tax increase and the federal budget cuts.
"Fiscal austerity is having an impact," Alexander said.
Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware answers questions during an interview Wednesday April 3, 2013, at the KFC Yum! Center practice facility in Louisville, Ky. Ware was released from an Indianapolis hospital Tuesday, two days after millions watched him break his right leg on a horrifying play trying to block a shot during an NCAA college basketball regional championship game against Duke. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware answers questions during an interview Wednesday April 3, 2013, at the KFC Yum! Center practice facility in Louisville, Ky. Ware was released from an Indianapolis hospital Tuesday, two days after millions watched him break his right leg on a horrifying play trying to block a shot during an NCAA college basketball regional championship game against Duke. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware answers questions during an interview Wednesday April 3, 2013, at the KFC Yum! Center practice facility in Louisville, Ky. Ware was released from an Indianapolis hospital Tuesday, two days after millions watched him break his right leg on a horrifying play trying to block a shot during an NCAA college basketball regional championship game against Duke. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Louisville NCAA college basketball forward Kevin Ware answers questions during an interview Wednesday April 3, 2013, at the KFC Yum! Center practice facility in Louisville, Ky. Ware was released from an Indianapolis hospital Tuesday, two days after millions watched him break his right leg on a horrifying play trying to block a shot during an NCAA regional championship game against Duke. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware arrives for an interview Wednesday April 3, 2013, at the KFC Yum! Center practice facility in Louisville, Ky. Ware was released from an Indianapolis hospital Tuesday, two days after millions watched him break his right leg on a horrifying play trying to block a shot during an NCAA college basketball regional championship game against Duke. (AP Photo/Timothy D. Easley)
Louisville basketball player Kevin Ware, center, walks to the back doors of the Yum! Center to be reunited with his teammates, Tuesday, April 2, 2013, in Louisville, Ky. Ware was back on campus Tuesday afternoon after he had been released from an Indianapolis hospital, two days after breaking his right leg during the Cardinals' Final Four-clinching victory. (AP Photo/The Courier-Journal, John Sommers II) NO SALES; MAGS OUT; NO ARCHIVE; MANDATORY CREDIT
ATLANTA (AP) ? Just seeing a picture of Kevin Ware up and moving around again inspired the Louisville Cardinals.
Imagine the boost they're going to get having Ware alongside them.
Ware was greeted with loud cheers when he arrived at Louisville's hotel Wednesday night, hours after doctors cleared the sophomore to accompany the Cardinals to the Final Four. Ware flew with the team on its hour-long flight from Louisville, his broken right leg propped up on a second seat. He was in a wheelchair as he entered the hotel, his mother behind him, and smiled and waved as he disappeared into an elevator.
"It's like he never left," Peyton Siva said, breaking into a smile. "Words can't explain our feelings to have him back with us. It just shows what a strong character he is."
Ware broke his lower right leg in gruesome fashion during Sunday's Midwest Regional final, the bone snapping as he landed after trying to block a shot. The Cardinals were shell-shocked by the injury ? Ware's bone protruded six inches through the skin ? and it was only the encouraging words of Ware himself that helped the team focus on the game.
Louisville defeated Duke 85-63 to earn a second straight trip to the national semifinals.
Ware said he doesn't think Louisville would be in the Final Four if he had lost his composure, and credited Luke Hancock for calming him down. Hancock rubbed Ware's chest while doctors worked on him on the sidelines.
"He got me to that point where I really had to put the pain on hold," Ware said. "Once he said his prayer, I was kind of thinking the whole time, 'You can either be a crybaby about it or you're going to get your team back and get them in the right mindset.'
"Luke said his words, and I just kept repeating, 'Y'all gotta go win this game.' I'm fine. ... It really helped the team."
During a two-hour surgery later that night, doctors repaired the compound fractures that had led Ware's tibia at an odd angle. He awoke the next morning to discover he had become an overnight sensation, and the afterglow hasn't waned.
His condition and progress have been featured every day on the major networks, the Internet and especially social media. Ware said he's heard from several of his idols, including Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant and Charles Barkley. The Louisville guard said he has even heard from first lady Michelle Obama and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
"I had no idea I would get this kind of attention," he said. "I'm one of those guys who just likes to play basketball. But the injury opened up a lot of peoples' eyes and I really appreciate all the support. It really means a lot."
On Wednesday, the Cardinals' practice facility was surrounded by a phalanx of satellite trucks, and the interview requests helped Ware get an early jump on his rehab as he shuttled back and forth between makeshift sets.
"It's going to take a long time to get where I want to be," Ware said.
Not that he's dreading the hard work ahead.
"I think God puts things in your life and you have to go through certain obstacles," he said. "I just feel like these are obstacles that are going to make me grow up for the better. It's going to open my eyes to a lot of things I probably haven't seen before."
In the meantime, however, Ware ? and the Cardinals ? have a title to win. In the city where Ware played high school ball, no less, after moving from New York City.
Ware plans to be a full participant in preparations for Saturday's game against Wichita State, including sitting on the bench. And the Cardinals will wear new warm-up gear to honor the sophomore, with Ware's No. 5 replacing the "S'' in the "Rise to the Occasion" T-shirts they've been wearing.
"He's like a brother to all of us, and we're just happy he's here," said Chane Behanan, Ware's closest friend on the Louisville team. "We're going to try and celebrate and bring the trophy home."
___
AP Sports Writer Gary Graves contributed to this report from Louisville, Ky.
Eight sides reignite their ambitions for European glory as the knockout stages of the 2012/13 Heineken Cup take place this weekend.
Three teams from France, three from England and two from Ireland remain to battle it out for a lucrative place in the semi-finals of European rugby union?s ultimate prize.
All four Heineken Cup last-eight ties will be shown exclusively live on Sky Sports HD, forming part of an unmissable weekend of knockout European rugby.
There will also be full coverage of the Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals, where Aviva Premiership sides Gloucester, Wasps and Bath compete for a place in the last four of the second tier competition.
Details of how to follow the 2012/13 Heineken Cup and Amlin Challenge Cup Quarter Finals below:
?
Your weekend?s Heineken Cup entertainment gets under way on Saturday afternoon with the all-French affair between Clermont Auvergne and Montpellier at Stade Marcel Michelin.
The occasion marks the first time that the clubs have met in European competition and will be an opportunity for the visitors to make an impression on their maiden appearance in the knockout stage.
Clermont are the side to avoid in this season?s Heineken Cup and have been in simply irresistible form, having won five of their past six games domestically.
They negotiated their way through the Heineken Cup pool stages unbeaten and?also boast a sensational record at home, with their 66-21 rout of Agen stretching their unbeaten streak to 57 matches.
Their quarter-final opponents Montpellier and potential last-four rivals Munster or Quins will not fancy a trip to the fortress Stade Marcel Michelin.
Montpellier return to Heineken Cup action as big outsiders to progress into the semi-final, let alone finish as champions.
They claimed their place in the last eight as one of the two best runners-up ? and that means they will have the unenviable prospect of tackling their French compatriots.
?
Saracens host last season?s beaten finalists Ulster in the second of Saturday?s matches, a contest that is also available to watch in 3D.
The English club are now three-time quarter-finalists and can call upon the experience and guidance of Mark McCall.
Now director of rugby at Saracens, McCall captained Ulster en route to their Heineken Cup triumph in 1999.
The Aviva Premiership leaders have been timing their run of form to perfection.
Sarries have won their previous five league encounters ? including impressive wins over Leicester and Harlequins, while Wasps were brushed aside 22-13 last time out.
Their never-say-die attitude makes them a dangerous proposition for any side, as their stunning 37-28 win over Racing Metro in Nantes proved.
That victory helped Saracens claim top spot in the pool and a home quarter-final against Ulster.?
Having got the season off to a flying start with 13 successive wins in all competitions, Ulster?s form has stuttered of late.
Last Saturday?s 22-18 win over Leinster in Dublin was their first in four attempts ? however given they had last won away to their provincial rivals 14 years ago, they can head to Saracens with renewed hope of emulating last season?s heroics.
Ulster had carved their way through Europe before coming unstuck against Leinster in the final at Twickenham.
?
The first instalment of Sunday?s double bill pits Harlequins?- one of the five clubs in the last eight to have won a European title ? against Munster.
Quins came through the pool stage as the top seeds for the first time in their history and will take further confidence from the fact that they got the better of their Irish opponents when they met in the semi-finals of the 2011 Amlin Challenge Cup.
Munster boast an impressive record of their own, though. They?ve won nine of their 13 quarter-final clashes and three of those successes came away from home.
The Premiership champions are the top seeds going into the quarter-finals, however their domestic form of late will be a cause of concern.
They have lost their last three Aviva Premiership games ? going down to Exeter, Saracens and Gloucester ? and although they did win the LV= Cup title in between, that only papers over the cracks that have appeared in their challenge.
There is no doubting the potential at Quins, though, and if they can recapture their early season form they are a match for anyone.
On paper, Munster have a mountain to climb if they are to make it past the quarter-final stage ? however never write off the Thomond Park side.
The former champions gatecrashed the last-eight places courtesy of their bonus-point win over Racing Metro on the final day.
An added bonus for the Munstermen was the fact that they claimed the last ?best runners-up spot? at the expense of their old foes Leinster.
Defeats to Racing and Saracens showed they are vulnerable away from home, though, while their form of late has hardly looked that of potential winners.
?
Toulon take on two-time tournament winner Leicester Tigers in the final fixture of a bumper weekend.
The French heavyweights lost to Perpignan in front of a record crowd of 55,000 on their only previous quarter-final appearance.
Meanwhile the Tigers?have ten last-eight encounters under their belts, six of which they?ve been on the victorious side.
With Jonny Wilkinson, Carl Hayman, Bakkies Botha, Simon Shaw, Matt Giteau, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe and Frederic Michalak, the Toulon squad is like a ?Who?s Who of Rugby?.
However, despite the galaxy of stars, Toulon have not enjoyed the success to justify the amount that has been spent.
?The Top 14 leaders have high hopes of ending their 21-year wait for silverware this time around, though.
They have lost just once at Stade Felix Mayol in their past 18 games, meaning that home advantage against the Tigers will suit them in the last eight.
Leicester will make the trip to Toulon full of confidence after their 36-8 demolition of Northampton at Franklin?s Gardens.
The Tigers are currently on a three-match winning run in the league and remain hot on the heels of table-topping Saracens.
Their form in Europe this season has been equally impressive as they progressed from the hardest of the six pools.
The Tigers are five-time finalists of the competition but the last of their two wins came in 2002.
However if they are to end their 11-year wait to lift the trophy again they will have to do it the hard way, with trips Toulon and then Saracens or Ulster now on the cards.
?
Thu?4 Apr -?GLOUCESTER v BIARRITZ?- k/o?20:00 ? SS2Fri?5 Apr -?WASPS v LEINSTER?- k/o 20:00 ? SS2Fri 5 Apr ? PERPIGNAN v TOULOUSE- k/o 20:00 ? SS2 (Red Button)Sat 6 Apr ? BATH v STADE FRANCAIS- k/o 13:00 ? SS1
In addition to?its coverage of every match from the Heineken Cup?s first knockout stage, Sky Sports will show all four Amlin Challenge Cup quarter-finals live.
It all begins on Thursday, April 7, when Gloucester host defending champions Biarritz at Kingsholm.
Twenty-four hours later, London Wasps tackle last year?s Heineken Cup winners Leinster at Adams Park.
Gloucester flew through the pool stage of the Challenge Cup, winning all six of their games.
Biarritz struggled to make an impact in the Heineken Cup pools for the second successive season, and finished 13 points shy of Harlequins.
Second prize is an opportunity to defend the title they won last season, after beating Toulon in a final that went down to the wire.
With just three points separating the sides, Toulon had the ball deep inside opposition territory with Jonny Wilkinson primed for the drop goal.
It was not be, however, and Biarritz?s defence stood firm to claim their first ever European prize.
Leinster will hope to make amends for a disastrous Heineken Cup showing.
Progression to the quarterfinals of the Heineken Cup had seemed straightforward for the defending champions, but successive defeats to Clermont Auvergne proved fatal.
Lifting the Challenge Cup would go some way to healing those wounds but Wasps showed they are no pushover after scoring 30 tries during the pool phase.
An early score here could unsettle their visitors and set the tone for another big European upset.
As if that wasn?t enough, Sky Sports viewers can also take in the remaining quarter-final between Bath and Stade Francais at the Recreation Ground on Saturday lunchtime, all part?of a busy weekend of enthralling knockout European rugby.
?
Sky Sports is the only place to follow all the action from the 2012/13 Heineken Cup with a plethora of live games from the opening round through to the final at the Aviva Stadium, Dublin, on Saturday, May 18.
Alex Payne and James Gemmell will present Sky Sports? live coverage of both competitions with expert analysis and comment from Will Greenwood, Dewi Morris, Dean Ryan, Paul Wallace, Scott Quinnell and many more.
Commentary on all the big games will be led by Miles Harrison and Stuart Barnes.?
Other members of the commentary team include Johnnie Hammond, Mark Robson,?Martin Gillingham, Simon Ward, Ieuan Evans and Scott Hastings.
Live coverage begins on Thursday evening with a European Rugby Club Special, hosted by Alex Payne, which builds up to a brilliant weekend of knockout rugby with analysis and discussion about the events to come.
If you miss any of the live action, highlights of the whole weekend?s action will be shown in European Rugby Special on Sunday evening.
Selected games will also be shown in stunning 3D on the Sky 3D channel, plus Sky Sports customers can watch the live action wherever they are via mobiles, tablets and laptops on Sky Go.
?
Despite no Welsh representation in the latter stages of both European competitions, Welsh language channelS4C will have free-to-air highlights of the Heineken Cup knockout stages.
The one-hour highlights programme will round-up all the action from the four Heineken Cup ties on Sunday evening at 10pm, presented by Gareth Roberts with?former Wales captain Gwyn Jones alongside.
Sky Sports subscribers can follow every Heineken Cup match via the Sky Sports Events Centre - CLICK HERE
Keep up to date with all the latest Heineken Cup reports, score flashes and results by logging onto the Sky Sports rugby union website, or by following?Sky Sports? dedicated rugby union Twitter feed (@SkySportsRugby).
Online streaming available to UK users only
.
Like this:
LikeLoading...
This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 2nd, 2013 at 20:17 and is filed under Rugby Union. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.