Lumens.com Introduces Exclusive Pull Wall Sconce by Tech Lighting

Lumens.com exclusively introduces the Pull Wall Sconce by Tech Lighting, a nod to mid-century modern design with 21st century technology.

Sacramento, CA (PRWEB) January 08, 2013
Lumens.com has introduced the new Pull Wall Sconce by Tech Lighting, a nod to mid-century modern design with 21st century technology. This new product comes from one of the industry’s leaders in modern, innovating decorative lighting and is available exclusively at Lumens.com.
The Pull Wall Sconce is the latest contemporary lighting introduction from Tech Lighting, with a design that pays tribute to the simplicity of a mid-century modern aesthetic while utilizing 21st-century technology with LED lamping. The name “Pull” references the fixtures main features, a fabric-covered cord that provides a unique contrast of color and serves as the main functional element of the sconce. A simple tug switches the lamp on or off.
The clean lines of the Pull Wall Sconce comes from a seamless metal shade, available in either Black or White rubberized paint, paired with a Black, Gray or Orange cord. The sconce is available in a Small and Large size. The Pull Wall Sconce’s dimmable LED lamping inside is rated to last an average of 25,000 hours.
This latest introduction from Tech Lighting fits right in with a trend seen among modern lighting manufacturers: the colored cord. While many light fixtures minimize, disguise or aim to hide the cord, designers are embracing this necessary element and working it into the piece itself. Other lighting manufacturers like LBL Lighting, Pablo Designs, Sweden’s NUD and more have created fixtures that embrace the cord and use it for visual impact.
Tech Lighting has built a reputation in the lighting industry for timeless design, precision engineering and trust. The company is recognized as the industry leader in low-voltage lighting systems and its expansive collection of premium light fixtures, all of which are available at Lumens.com.
Lumens.com is the first to offer the Pull Wall Sconce by Tech Lighting. In addition to this new and exclusive item from Tech, Lumens.com also offers:
-Low-price guarantee
-Expert service via our customer service center
-Easy, no-hassle returns
-Volume order discounts
-More than 300 manufacturers, from contemporary lighting to transitional fixtures and modern furnishings, gifts and home accessories.
For additional information on these products or Lumens.com, contact Marketing Director Carrie King or visit lumens.com.
About Lumens Light + Living:
Lumens Light + Living is dedicated to offering the very best of design-oriented contemporary lighting, fans and home accessories, from the most contemporary international designs to modern interpretations of classic design. Visit us on Facebook and Twitter.

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2013 NFL Playoffs: AFC & NFC Division Game Tickets On Sale Now at Ticket Process

TicketProcess.com is making a bevy of NFL tickets to the second round of the 2012 playoffs available, including tickets to the 49ers versus Packers game at Candlestick Park this Saturday and the Patriots versus Texans game this upcoming Sunday at Gillette Stadium.

(PRWEB) January 08, 2013
The announcement will likely drive a large volume of traffic to the online ticket exchange in the upcoming days, meaning fans who are hoping to get their hands on AFC and NFC Division Game tickets need to act fast. Ticket Process also has Conference Championship tickets available, as well as Super Bowl tickets, and the upcoming divisional weekend will go a long way toward determining the final configurations.
The Houston Texans will head into Foxboro to take on a New England Patriots team that has been a fixture in the postseason since the turn of the century. The Texans are simply trying to establish themselves as a competitive franchise, and a victory over the Patriots in a hostile environment would go a long way toward doing just that. There are sure to be a number of people in attendance who heard the announcement recently made by TicketProcess.com and pounced on the opportunity to secure affordable NFC and AFC Playoff tickets.
A highly anticipated NFC Divisional round game will unfold next Saturday evening as the Packers take their talents to San Francisco to take on a 49er team that bested them in Week 1 of the 2012 regular season. Much has changed since then, including the departure of Alex Smith at quarterback and the insertion of second-year shot caller Colin Kaepernick. Fans of both the 49ers and Packers were made very excited by the recent announcements from TicketProcess.com. The 49ers naturally have a huge and very passionate fan base in Northern California, and the region also features a surprisingly large amount of Cheeseheads.
*TicketProcess is not associated with any of the teams, artists or venues listed. Names used in this release are for descriptive purposes only and do not imply endorsement or partnership.
About Ticket Process

Since 2010, TicketProcess secondary ticket exchange has been offering a large selection of live event inventory to some of the most exclusive sports, concert and theater events nationwide. With 7-day customer service, all backed by a 100% Guarantee, its simple design and ease of use allow anyone to purchase event tickets with confidence.

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The Manhattan Declaration Joins KnockTV’s National Partners Program for Groundbreaking New TV Series SURRENDER THE SECRET

The Manhattan Declaration publicly declares its support of KnockTV’s SURRENDER THE SECRET television series, identifying it as a highly effective way to promote the sanctity of life.

Tampa, FL (PRWEB) January 08, 2013
KnockTV, LLC and the Manhattan Declaration today announced a national partnership agreement to jointly promote and support KnockTV’s new groundbreaking Christian reality TV series SURRENDER THE SECRET.
Manhattan Declaration has become the latest member of KnockTV’s National Partner Program for SURRENDER THE SECRET. The Manhattan Declaration is a document whose signers proclaim a public witness against growing efforts in society to marginalize the Christian voice in the public square, to redefine marriage, and to move away from the biblical view of the sanctity of life. Each of these signers has committed to speak and act in defense of biblical truths with respect to the three issues the declaration addresses. By joining the National Partner Program for SURRENDER THE SECRET, Manhattan Declaration is agreeing to stand publicly with KnockTV and declare that the innovative TV series helps promote a biblical view of the sanctity of life.
KnockTV’s branded Partner Program is developed for organizations who wish to engage in the growing grassroots effort to spread the word about the new groundbreaking SURRENDER THE SECRET series. The Partner Program is gaining momentum, with several organizations across North America already joined, with many more to soon follow. As part of the program, Manhattan Declaration will utilize its engagement with hundreds of thousands of signers and supporters, and help promote the show’s message that healing is available to those who have chosen abortion and that every life is precious.
SURRENDER THE SECRET is a 10-episode, Christian reality TV series following five women who tell their stories about having abortions in their past, and take a healing journey together. Their journey is through a bible study written specifically for post-abortion healing called Surrendering the Secret (by Pat Layton, LifeWay Press, 2008). The women surrender their deepest, darkest secrets, and admit to aborting a past pregnancy. They form tight bond and embrace each other as they go on this journey together, sharing their abortion stories, learning about God’s love and forgiveness and getting set free from the bondages of their past decisions. Information and a preview of the show can be found at http://www.KnockTV.com/SurrenderTheSecret.
“As one of the three tenets of the Manhattan Declaration, the sanctity of life is critical to what we stand for. We are proud to join with KnockTV today as a National Partner for SURRENDER THE SECRET. The show is powerful in its ability to underscore how precious every life is, and that Christ is the answer to forgiveness of all sins, including abortion. This series has the ability to impact the lives of an untold number of people who have been affected by abortion,” said Eric Teetsel, Executive Director of Manhattan Declaration.
Geoffrey Rogers, President & CEO of KnockTV said “By signing the Manhattan Declaration, people can give a voice to the fundamental beliefs that are such a core part of their lives. In a similar way, SURRENDER THE SECRET gives a voice to the millions of women who are suffering in silence as a result of their choice to abort a child. It is such a pleasure to have Manhattan Declaration join the National Partners Program for SURRENDER THE SECRET today.”
About KnockTV:

KnockTV is established to redefine what Christian television means in America. This is being done through the distribution of an entirely new breed of Christian television programming. KnockTV is breaking the mold in the industry by distributing high quality, mass appeal programming for Christians throughout the country. Programming on KnockTV is currently distributed via the Internet to computers, mobile and handheld devices across the globe. KnockTV is targeting alternative distribution technologies and cablecasting in the near future. Visit KnockTV online at http://www.KnockTV.com. You can also follow KnockTV on Facebook at Facebook.com/KnockTV, Twitter at Twitter.com/KnockTV and YouTube at YouTube.com/KnockTelevision.

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African Union chair to meet Harper as Canada mulls support for Mali

OTTAWA - The head of the African Union is set to visit Ottawa this week.
Thomas Boni Yayi's meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper could bring a request for Canadian troops to be involved in an international mission in Mali.
The United Nations Security Council backed a proposal in December to send an African-led force of 3,300 soldiers into the country.
But the resolution also called for broader international assistance.
A military coup last year created a power vacuum in Mali that's led to the rise of armed groups linked to al-Qaida in the country's northern region.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay said last week that Canada could be willing to send troops to help train African forces.
As the president of the African Union, Boni Yayi was instrumental in convincing the United Nations that international intervention was needed.
And the African Union, along with a coalition of West African states, is now responsible for putting the resolution into action.
Mali, a landlocked country bordering on Algeria and Niger, has been one of the biggest recipients of Canada's foreign aid.
Canadian special forces were active in the west African country for several training missions prior to the coup and before Islamic Maghreb — known as AQIM — overran much of the northern portion of the impoverished nation.
In addition to being the chairperson of the AU, Boni Yayi is also the president of Benin.
"Benin is a democratic African partner that continues to make impressive progress in the areas of economic and institutional reform while promoting regional stability," said Harper in a statement Sunday.

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Egypt appoints 10 new ministers, including finance chief, ahead of fresh talks with IMF

CAIRO - Egypt swore in 10 new ministers on Sunday in a Cabinet shake-up aimed at improving the government's handling of the country's ailing economy ahead of talks this week with the International Monetary Fund over a badly needed $4.8 billion loan.
The reshuffle, which President Mohammed Morsi had promised in response to public anger over Egypt's economic malaise, affected two key ministries, the interior and finance. It also solidified Islamist control of the government, putting three portfolios in the hands of members of the president's Muslim Brotherhood.
The dire state of Egypt's economy was punctuated Sunday by new central bank figures that put December's foreign currency reserves at $15.01 billion, down $26 million from a month earlier. The reserves have dropped by more than half since the uprising that ousted longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak in February 2011.
The central bank said last month that current reserve levels represent a "critical minimum."
Morsi met with the new ministers after their swearing-in ceremony at the presidential palace in Cairo where they discussed ways to revive tourism and attract foreign investors, a presidential official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
Prime Minister Hesham Kandil, meanwhile, said he stressed in his first meeting with the new ministers the need for immediate action to stabilize the economy.
At the heart of those efforts lies the $4.8 billion loan that Egypt has requested from the IMF. Cairo says the funds are needed to bolster confidence in the country's economy and attract foreign investors.
Egypt asked the IMF for a delay in the talks on the loan after a wave of political turmoil erupted in December over a contentious new constitution. Mass protests and street violence tied to the constitution dealt yet another blow to major foreign currency earners, including tourism and foreign investment.
The unrest also sparked a rush on U.S. dollars by worried residents and led to a drop in the Egyptian pound, which shed nearly four per cent of its value against the dollar over the past two weeks.
The opposition, a coalition of liberal, secular-leaning, and leftist groups, was not offered any seats in the new Cabinet and has said that any government shake-up that doesn't replace Kandil falls short of what is needed.
The two most important changes affect the finance and interior ministries.
El-Morsi Hegazy, a professor of public finance at Alexandria University, takes over the Finance Ministry, replacing Mumtaz el-Said, who was appointed by the country's transitional military rulers and widely viewed as being at odds with the Brotherhood.
Mohammed Ibrahim, meanwhile, will lead the Interior Ministry, which is responsible for the police force. He previously was in charge of prisons and prior to that was director of security in the province of Assiut, which has a large Coptic Christian population and has also been home to a number of Islamic militant groups.
Ibrahim said his priorities will be to fight a rising wave of crime and restore stability to Egypt.
"We will strike with an iron fist against anyone that threatens the security of the nation and Egyptians," Ibrahim told the state news agency, pledging to clamp down on cross-border weapons smuggling. Egypt has been flush with weapons smuggled from Libya and Sudan.
Three of the new ministers are from the Brotherhood, according to the spokesman for the group's Freedom and Justice Party, Ahmed Subaie. They take over the ministries of transportation, local development and supply and interior trade, giving the Brotherhood a total of eight Cabinet posts.
Also included in the reshuffle were the ministries of civil aviation, environment, electricity, communication and parliamentary affairs.
Karim Ennarah, a researcher on police and security reforms at the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights, said the previous interior minister, Ahmed Gamal Eddin, was likely replaced because Brotherhood leaders were upset with the police's handling of attacks against the group's offices and supporters during clashes with the opposition last month over the constitution.
"It seems like it is a clash of egos. It's obviously not a reform of any kind," Ennarah said.
With the new Cabinet set, Kandil told reporters he will meet with IMF officials Monday "to reassure them about Egypt's situation and economic recovery in the coming period."
An IMF statement said the purpose of the visit is "to discuss with the authorities the most recent economic developments, their policy plans for addressing Egypt's economic and financial challenges, and possible IMF support for Egypt in facing these challenges."
Egyptian officials have said that the country's budget deficit is likely to reach 200 billion Egyptian pounds ($31.5 billion) by mid-2013.
The implementation of austerity measures, many of which are believed to be linked to conditions attached to the IMF loan, was also delayed last month due to the political situation.
Kandil's government is expected to announce tax hikes and cuts in subsidies soon. Talk of restructuring the current system is sensitive in a nation where nearly half of its 85 million people live just at or below the poverty line of $2 per person a day.

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Fighting Irish vs Crimson Tide: 2 storied programs try to live up to hype in BCS title game

MIAMI - Sometimes, the buildup to a game can overwhelm what actually happens on the field.
Certainly, No. 1 Notre Dame and No. 2 Alabama would have to play nothing less than a classic to live up to all the hype for Monday night's BCS championship.
Before either team stepped on the field in balmy South Florida, this was shaping up as one of the most anticipated games in years, a throwback to the era when Keith Jackson & Co. called one game a week, when it was a big deal for teams from different parts of the country to meet in a bowl game, when everyone took sides based on where they happened to live.
North vs. South. Rockne vs. Bear. Rudy vs. Forrest Gump.
The Fighting Irish vs. the Crimson Tide.
College football's two most storied programs, glorified in movie and song, facing off for the biggest prize.
"It's definitely not any other game," said Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley.
For the Crimson Tide (12-1), this is a chance to be remembered as a full-fledged dynasty. Alabama will be trying to claim its third national championship in four years and become the first school to win back-to-back BCS titles, a remarkable achievement given the ever-increasing parity of the college game and having to replace five players from last year's title team who were picked in the first two rounds of the NFL draft.
"To be honest, I think this team has kind of exceeded expectations," coach Nick Saban said Sunday. "If you look at all the players we lost last year, the leadership that we lost ... I'm really proud of what this team was able to accomplish."
That said, it's not a huge surprise to find Alabama playing for another title. That's not the case when it comes to Notre Dame.
Despite their impressive legacy, the Fighting Irish (12-0) weren't even ranked at the start of the season. But overtime wins against Stanford and Pittsburgh, combined with three other victories by a touchdown or less, gave Notre Dame a shot at its first national title since 1988.
After so many lost years, the golden dome has reclaimed its lustre in coach Brian Kelly's third season.
"It starts with setting a clear goal for the program," Kelly said. "Really, what is it? Are we here to get to a bowl game, or are we here to win national championships? So the charge immediately was to play for championships and win a national championship."
Both Notre Dame and Alabama have won eight Associated Press national titles, more than any other school. They are the bluest of the blue bloods, the programs that have long set the bar for everyone else even while enduring some droughts along the way.
ESPN executives were hopeful of getting the highest ratings of the BCS era. Tickets were certainly at a premium, with a seat in one of the executive suites going for a staggering $60,000 on StubHub the day before the game, and even a less-than-prime spot in the corner of the upper deck requiring a payout of more than $900.
"This is, to me, the ultimate match-up in college football," said Brent Musberger, the lead announcer for ESPN.
Kelly moulded Notre Dame using largely the same formula that has worked so well for Saban in Tuscaloosa: a bruising running game and a stout defence, led by Heisman Trophy finalist Manti Te'o.
"It's a little bit old fashioned in the sense that this is about the big fellows up front," Kelly said. "It's not about the crazy receiving numbers or passing yards or rushing yards. This is about the big fellas, and this game will unquestionably be decided up front."
While points figure to be at a premium given the quality of both defences, Alabama appears to have a clear edge on offence. The Tide has the nation's highest-rated passer (AJ McCarron), two 1,000-yard rushers (Eddie Lacy and T.J. Yeldon), a dynamic freshman receiver (Amari Cooper), and three linemen who made the AP All-America team (first-teamers Barrett Jones and Chance Warmack, plus second-teamer D.J. Fluker).
"That's football at its finest," said Te'o, who heads a defence that has given up just two rushing touchdowns. "It's going to be a great challenge, and a challenge that we look forward to."
The Crimson Tide had gone 15 years without a national title when Saban arrived in 2007, the school's fifth coach in less than a decade (including one, Mike Price, who didn't even made it to his first game in Tuscaloosa). Finally, Alabama got it right.
In 2008, Saban landed one of the greatest recruiting classes in school history, a group that has already produced eight NFL draft picks and likely will send at least three more players to the pros (including Jones). The following year, the coach guided Alabama to a perfect season, beating Texas in the title game at Pasadena.
Last season, the Tide fortuitously got a shot at another BCS crown despite losing to LSU during the regular season and failing to even win its division in the Southeastern Conference. In a rematch against the Tigers, Alabama romped to a 21-0 victory at the Superdome.
The all-SEC matchup gave the league an unprecedented six straight national champions, hastening the end of the BCS. It will last one more season before giving way to a four-team playoff in 2014, an arrangement that was undoubtedly pushed along by one conference hoarding all the titles under the current system.
"Let's be honest, people are probably getting tired of us," Jones said. "We don't really mind. We enjoy being the top dog and enjoy kind of having that target on our back, and we love our conference. Obviously, we'd rather not be a part of any other conference."
This title game certainly has a different feel than last year's.
"That was really kind of a weird national championship because it was a team we already played," Jones remembered. "It was kind of another SEC game. It was in the South, and it just had a very SEC feel to it obviously. This year is much more like the 2009 game (against Texas) for me. We're playing an opponent that not only we have not played them, but no one we have played has played them. So you don't really have an exact measuring stick."
In fact, these schools have played only six times, and not since 1987, but the first of their meetings is still remembered as one of the landmark games in college football history. Bear Bryant had one of his best teams at the 1973 Sugar Bowl, but Ara Parseghian and the Fighting Irish claimed the national title by knocking off top-ranked Alabama 24-23.
If you're a long-time Notre Dame fan, you still remember Parseghian's gutty call to throw the ball out of the end zone for a game-clinching first down. If you were rooting for the Tide, you haven't forgotten a missed extra point that turned out to be the losing margin.
Of course, these Alabama players aren't concerned about what happened nearly four decades ago.
For the most part, all they know is winning.
"There's a lot of tradition that goes into Alabama football," Mosley said, "and our plan is to keep that tradition alive.

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Fowler flies blind on yardage at windy Kapalua

Yardage numbers were often meaningless for Rickie Fowler on a brutal Friday at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii where the first round was eventually abandoned because of severe gusting winds.
With golf umbrellas bending sharply in intermittent driving rain and balls being blown off line on the more exposed greens, Fowler realized he simply had to choose his shot and then try to pull it off.
"For the most part, I told my caddie I almost didn't even need any (yardage) numbers today," American Fowler told reporters after the opening round was scrapped because of winds gusting up to 45 mph.
"It's more looking at the shot and seeing what the weather is, just grab a club and pick the flight and hit it. Numbers were kind of irrelevant at times.
"I had a ball that rolled up the hill on (hole) six with a gust; and that was a few holes back from when we finished. We didn't say anything. We were just kind of toughing it out ... guinea pigs up front."
Fowler and fellow American Jason Dufner had teed off as the first pairing of the day in the PGA Tour's season-opening event at the Kapalua Resort.
They had completed only eight holes, with Fowler slipping to three over par and Dufner sitting at one over, when play was suspended.
Organizers later decided to wipe out the first round and send the players out on Saturday in a bid to complete 36 holes.
"After the strong winds that came through and the weather, I felt like it was a smart decision," said Fowler, who booked his place in the elite, winners-only field of 30 with his maiden PGA Tour victory at last year's Wells Fargo Championship.
"Obviously Webb (Simpson) is probably the only one that may be a little bummed," he added, referring to U.S. Open champion who was three under for the round after seven holes. "He was out there playing well and had control of his golf ball."
The killer blow for Fowler came when he double-bogeyed the eighth after dumping his tee shot into a hazard, and he was delighted when play was abandoned soon after.
"I'm really glad that didn't count because after hitting that and hearing the horn blow a minute later as I'm walking off the tee made me a little upset," he said.
"I felt like I was playing pretty well up until we had to hit in some crazy weather on eight and I ended up making double. Other than that, one over par, I felt like it was pretty good over seven holes.
"It was brutal out there. You definitely had to be hitting solid golf shots and picking the right times to hit."
Friday's decision by organizers to wipe out a round due to poor weather was the first on the PGA Tour since the second round of the 2005 Players Championship was declared "null and void".

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PGA Tour's season opener at Kapalua gets mulligan

KAPALUA, Hawaii (AP) — A bum deal for Webb Simpson. A big break for Scott Stallings.
And a mulligan for the PGA Tour.
The new golf season was not even two hours old when the wind squalls roaring down the mountains above Maui made conditions too severe to continue Friday in the Tournament of Champions. Because the first group off had only completed eight holes — six players had not even started — and the forecast offered no relief from the wind, the first round was wiped out.
Season opener, take two.
Rickie Fowler will return to the first tee Saturday morning, and for the second straight day, officially launch the PGA Tour season. But even that's in doubt. The plan was to play 36 holes, though the forecast was for wind just as strong.
"I can honestly say the forecast isn't real good, but maybe we'll get lucky," said Slugger White, the tour's vice president of rules and competition. "That's the hope."
Fowler already was 3 over for the day after a 40-mph gust knocked his ball out of the sky on the par-3 eighth and sent it into a gorge, leading to double bogey. Conditions were so tough that only two of the 20 players who had a score on their cards were under par.
One of them was Simpson, who turned in a remarkable performance by keeping it simple and making a few putts. He was 3 under through seven holes, and now starts from scratch when he comes back to the Plantation Course at Kapalua.
"It stinks for me," Simpson said.
Stallings already was 7 over through four holes. That no longer counts, either.
"Obviously, I was thrilled," Stallings said. "It was just really bad. I hit bad shots and got bad breaks. I'd like to know how Webb Simpson was 3 under."
The wind was raging along the west coast of Maui from sunrise, mixed in with clouds and bursts of rain. When the rain stopped, white caps could be seen dancing along the gray ocean below the mountainous course.
The only way players could have claimed to get the short end of the draw would be if the wind had died after play was suspended. Everyone faced the same conditions, except for those who didn't have to play.
"I got off to a great start, but that's the way it goes. I'm sure they made the decision that's best for all the guys," Simpson said. "But the good news is, I had a good start and I'm playing well. We're just trying to keep the ball in play and in front of us and I was able to make a couple of putts. And that's what you have to do on a day like today."
So much for starting the year in paradise. Kapalua in this kind of weather felt more like work than a working vacation.
The 40-mph gusts became too much when Carl Pettersson lagged a 40-foot putt that was slowing around the hole until a gust came up and blew it another 30 feet and just off the green. Hunter Mahan went to address a putt and the ball blew a few feet forward. Ian Poulter said he used his umbrella to shield the wind so he could mark his ball on the green, but when the umbrella moved, so did his golf ball.
"You couldn't identify the best players out here," Pettersson said.
The last time a round was washed out on the PGA Tour was at The Players Championship in 2005, when 30 players were on a soggy Sawgrass course. That tournament finished on Monday, and this one is also scheduled for a Monday finish. With only a 30-man field, it should be no problem getting it finished by then.
But 36 holes figures to be brutal on the caddies who walk a Plantation Course built on a mountain.
"I'm not sure how I'm going to feel," Pettersson said.
Bubba Watson, who had yet to tee off, said it looked like "goofy golf" from what he saw on television. FedEx Cup champion Brandt Snedeker was on the practice range and told of an 8-iron that only went about 50 yards.
"I could have caught it if I ran fast enough," he said.
Those were the kind of shots that counted on the golf course.
Players were averaging about 350 yards off the tee on the first hole, with the trade wind at their backs. On the third hole, dead into the wind, no one hit a drive longer than 248 yards except for Stallings — his went 265 yards, only because it hit a cart path and disappeared into the native grass and was never found.
Fowler hit a driver and a 5-iron on the third hole. It's usually a wedge.
"Numbers were kind of irrelevant at times," Fowler said, referring to yardages.
That happens all the time in golf, especially on links courses. The problem, however, was on the putting greens. And the back nine is the most exposed to the wind.
Why even start?
"We aren't really looking for these gusts up to 40 mph," White said. "We had gusts up to 42 mph. I don't think you can just not try to play."
Kuchar was on the eighth tee when play was stopped. He stood over his 4-iron, then back off. He got back into position to play, and then backed off again.
"It just felt too funny to pull the trigger," he said.
Players originally were told to stay on the course to see if conditions would improve, and before long, they were brought back to the clubhouse. About an hour later, White met with them in the dining room to tell them the day was over.

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Golf-Play abandoned for second straight day at Kapalua

Jan 5 (Reuters) - The official start of the 2013 PGA Tour was postponed for a second consecutive day because of strong gusting winds at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions in Hawaii on Saturday.
First-round play in the PGA Tour's season-opening event had been entirely scrapped on Friday because of similar conditions and hopes of playing 36 holes on Saturday had to be abandoned.
Winds gusted up to 40mph (64.4 kph) across the Kapalua Resort's Plantation Course, making the layout unplayable. On some of the more exposed holes on the back nine, golf balls rolled uphill when dropped on the greens as a test by officials.
With the weather expected to improve over the next two days, organisers said they planned to complete 36 holes on Sunday and 18 on Monday in a tournament cut to 54 holes.
While 24 players in the elite, winners-only field of 30 were able to tee off on Friday before the first-round scores were wiped out, not a single shot was struck on Saturday.

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Insight: Security fears dogged Canada debate on China energy bid

OTTAWA (Reuters) - In September, two months after China's state-owned CNOOC Ltd made an unexpected $15.1 billion bid for Canadian energy company Nexen Inc, Canada's spy agency told ministers that takeovers by Chinese companies may threaten national security.
The rare warning from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which was disclosed to Reuters by intelligence sources, did not stop the takeover. That was approved by Canadian authorities earlier this month.
But the intervention and an influential U.S. lawmaker's warning in October that Canadian companies should be careful about doing business with Chinese telecom equipment companies Huawei Technologies Co and ZTE Corp made the approval process for the deal more difficult than initially expected.
"CSIS did not like the Nexen bid and thought it was a bad idea for Chinese firms to be investing in the oil sands. It all played into their greater fears about firms like Huawei," said one person familiar with the agency's concerns. "They do not want to wake up one day and realize a crucial sector of the economy is under the control of foreign interests."
And after listening to the spy service, which usually keeps a low profile, Canada drew up surprisingly tough foreign investment rules that were unveiled when approving the Nexen deal, China's biggest-ever successful foreign takeover. In a clampdown on companies it deems influenced by foreign governments, Canada will block similar purchases in the future.
CSIS has been silent about what it said to Ottawa on the Nexen transaction, and it declined to comment for this story. It didn't specifically recommend the CNOOC deal be blocked, but rather warned more generally about such deals with Chinese entities, the person said.
In reality, the government was unlikely to want to block the CNOOC bid, given a high-profile push by Prime Minister Stephen Harper earlier in the year to boost ties with China, and given that a lot of Nexen's assets are outside Canada, and it has underperformed other energy companies.
SPECIFIC WORRIES
By pushing back aggressively, CSIS ensured that it got foreign investment policy tightened significantly to deter similar such takeovers by companies under the sway of foreign governments.
"I think people at CSIS and elsewhere are going 'Good. That was a very good response by the government'," said Ray Boisvert, a former CSIS assistant director of intelligence, who retired this year after almost three decades at the agency.
"It did reflect some of those deep strategic concerns that practitioners have had about this kind of investment."
Specific worries include theft of Canadian intellectual property, espionage, computer hacking and foreign companies gaining too much influence over crucial sectors of the economy, said the person familiar with the agency's views.
The government could, in theory, nationalize assets if it thought foreign control was problematic. But the pro-business Conservatives would likely find it politically unpalatable to take such a step.
"To be blunt, Canadians have not spent years reducing the ownership of sectors of the economy by our own governments, only to see them bought and controlled by foreign governments instead," Harper said as he announced the new investment rules.
In October, the U.S. House of Representatives' Intelligence Committee urged U.S. firms to stop doing business with Huawei and another Chinese telecom equipment company ZTE on the grounds that Beijing could use products made by the two companies to spy.
The House Intelligence Committee's chairman, Rep. Mike Rogers, a Michigan Republican, urged Canada to take a similar stance, and two days later, the Canadian government indicated it would not let Huawei help build a secure government communications network because of possible security risks.
"The Huawei business caused a lot of political complications for the CNOOC bid," another person familiar with the CNOOC deal said of the U.S. committee's report.
Both Huawei and ZTE have repeatedly denied the allegations in the report, and China's foreign ministry dismissed as "baseless" the idea that security concerns could impede commercial ties.
"We hope that the relevant party can objectively and justly treat Chinese companies' overseas investment and cooperation plans, and stop actions which harm Chinese companies' image and do more to benefit the promotion of bilateral trade and business cooperation," said ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.
CLANDESTINE SUPPORT
In its annual report, released in September, CSIS noted risks that included espionage and illegal technology transfers, and said some foreign state-owned enterprises had "pursued opaque agendas or received clandestine intelligence support for their pursuits" in Canada.
The agency did not give details, but added: "When foreign companies with ties to foreign intelligence agencies or hostile governments seek to acquire control over strategic sectors of the Canadian economy, it can represent a threat to Canadian security interests."
CSIS, hit by controversy in 2010 after its head suggested China had too much influence over some Canadian provincial politicians, did not mention any country or firm in its report.
It is unclear how much, if any, influence the United States had on the Canadian authorities' foreign investment policy.
Fen Hampson, head of the global security program at the Centre for International Governance Innovation in Waterloo, Ontario, said he had learned that a U.S. official visited Ottawa in the last few months to discuss mutual concerns about foreign state-owned enterprises.
U.S. Ambassador David Jacobson told Reuters he was not aware of such a meeting, but he noted that officials from the two countries met constantly. "I would be surprised if almost any issue you could think of has not come up in one or more of those conversations," he said. "The United States has not sought to influence Canada's decision with respect to that (CNOOC's bid)... We respect that decision."
The Canadian government did not respond to a request for a comment.
Chinese companies have bought up smaller Canadian energy firms before, but the July 23 bid for Nexen was their first attempt to buy one of the larger players.
Nexen has assets in Canada, the North Sea, Nigeria and the Gulf of Mexico. Technology that Nexen and its partners use for deep sea drilling could interest CNOOC. [ID:nL4N09N3R5]
Asked about the CSIS concerns, a spokeswoman for Industry Minister Christian Paradis replied: "The government has the authority to take any measures it considers necessary to protect national security."
Yet two people close to the deal noted that the Canadian government did not exercise its option to do a separate review of the potential security risks of the CNOOC-Nexen bid, again signaling its concerns were tied to overall Chinese investment rather than to this particular deal.
Under the new rules, which Paradis is responsible for enforcing, foreign state-owned enterprises can no longer buy controlling stakes in assets in the oil sands, the biggest reserve of crude oil outside Saudi Arabia and Venezuela.
Such enterprises can buy minority stakes in the oil sands, or majority stakes in companies outside the oil sands. Companies deemed to have strong government links will be treated with particular caution wherever they propose to invest.
"When it comes to our security and intelligence services, they would rather pull up the drawbridge than let it down," said Hampson, co-author of a report on trade ties between Canada and emerging nations that he discussed with Harper in June.

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