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Saturday, February 18, 2012
Tips to assist you Learn English Easily | Free Videos Infos
[unable to retrieve full-text content]February 18, 2012 | Author: mrscortes | Posted in Reference & Education. Even if you study English at a language school or via online learning, it doesn't mean you cannot learn outside of the formal learning environment. Practice does indeed ...
Friday, February 17, 2012
Social Media Advertising Startup Compass Labs Raises $6M From NEA And Presidio
Compass Labs, which aims to provide targeted advertising on social networks like Twitter and Facebook, has raised $6 million from NEA, and Presidio Ventures. This brings the startup's total funding to $12 million. Launched at TechCrunch Disrupt two years ago, the startup provides a self-service advertising platform called CLIQ (Compass Labs IQ) that allows brands to serve targeted social media ad campaigns on Twitter and Facebook.Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/CEfV2cLkIjY/
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Rayman Origins for Vita review (Digital Trends)
One of the great things about the PlayStation Vita is its ability to play somewhat faithful ports of existing console games. There is a bit of an asterisk on that ? the Vita won?t be playing massive games like Skyrim anytime soon ? but titles like fighting games that don?t need much power to generate static backgrounds, are relatively easy. So too, apparently, are 2D scrollers, even ones that look amazing.
Rayman Origins is a port of a console game released last November. When it hit, our own Scott Younker reviewed the game and criticized the retro nature of the game, but lauded the look of it. Now, the Vita version is the same game in almost every regard. Perhaps the remarkable and faithful translation of the graphics to the Vita were enough to impress me, or maybe the side scrolling nature of the game is just better suited for the Vita, especially at the hardware?s launch. Whatever the reason, I find myself somewhat addicted to the Vita version of Rayman Origins.
The game is simple to a fault, and yet can be incredibly complex. It harkens back to the old-school platfomers that were king before the shift to the 3D environments ? back when Mario was constantly running to the right and Sonic was still relevant. Rayman Origins has learned from those games, and created a platformer that is exceedingly well thought out. It is a fairly lengthy game, and throughout it all, you can just sense that the developers had a very specific plan for each jump you take, and each new map you play through. There is still no story to go along with the campaign, but that is also something of a staple with these types of games.
The game is designed to look like a cartoon, and it succeeds. The graphics and animations move exceedingly well, and the level design gets progressively more imaginative. The Vita port loses almost nothing from the technical side in the adaptation, and the OLED screen makes the handheld version of?Rayman Origins look almost better at times. Graphically, this is one of the best-looking games on the Vita, and gameplay wise, it is one of the most fun.
The switch to the handheld system isn?t quite perfect, though. Ubisoft did try to work in the Vita?s touchscreen, and you can now use it to collect items or pop enemies that have turned into balloons. It makes collecting items much easier, but it isn?t a huge factor. Still, it adds to the game rather than detracts, so it works. There is also the integration of the Near software, which comes pre-loaded on the Vita. As you play the game and wander around with your Vita in the real world, you can share data with other Vita users playing Rayman. Through this you can unlock additional levels, which you can then use with the other new feature, ghost mode. This is basically a time trial that you can share, and it is available on all levels to add a touch of competition with others gamers.
The biggest disappointment in this port is the loss of the drop-in multiplayer, which has been removed from the game completely. You can still play as the other characters if you like, but the co-op play is gone. It is a shame to see it go, but there is more than enough to keep you occupied for a long, long time in the single-player campaign.
Conclusion
Rayman Origins was a fun game on the consoles, and it has translated perfectly over to the Vita. The loss of the co-op was a shame, but the game itself looks better than most, and the main campaign was an incredible single-player experience to begin with.If you played the console version, then you will be impressed by the transfer. You will also be playing exactly the same game, though; so unless you loved the game so much that you demand to be able to take it with you, then you may want to save your money. For those that have a soft spot in their hearts for old-school platformers,?Rayman Origins is a must-own launch title for the Vita.
?
Score: 8.5 out of 10
?
This article was originally posted on Digital Trends
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Thursday, February 16, 2012
AgriLife research study shows temperatures may change disease resistance in wheat
![[ Back to EurekAlert! ]](http://www.eurekalert.org/images/back2e.gif){kind=small}
Public release date: 16-Feb-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Dr. Charlie Rush
crush@ag.tamu.edu
806-354-5804
Texas A&M AgriLife Communications
AMARILLO Wheat streak mosaic resistance bred into several wheat varieties might be negated by the producer practice in the High Plains of planting wheat early and using it for both winter forage for cattle and grain, according to a Texas AgriLife Research scientist.
Dr. Charlie Rush, AgriLife Research plant pathologist in Amarillo, began a study in December that he "started out of necessity" after working for several years on the wheat streak mosaic virus.
While several varieties of wheat, such as Mace and Ron L, have resistance to the virus bred into them, there has been a problem with that genetic resistance breaking down in temperatures above 75 degrees, Rush said.
"That is terrible for those who plant in the Texas Panhandle for dual purpose," he said. "The wheat is planted early when temperatures are very high and it's too hot for genetic resistance to be effective. In our study, we want to see if the plant is able to grow out of it once temperatures cool down to where the genetic resistance should be effective.
"It's really important to understand how the germplasm responds to the natural temperature fluctuations during the growing season," Rush said. "Since we know most of the farmers in this area plant when it is too hot for the resistance, we need to know what happens once the temperatures cool down."
Jacob Price, a research associate on Rush's team, is running diagnostics for the virus and quantifying the infection of the plants. He is also looking at the virus quantity in the wheat curl mites, which are the vector of the disease, to see if that is altered among the varieties.
Wheat streak mosaic virus is the most prevalent disease in the southwestern wheat producing region of the U.S., Price said. Early diagnostics have shown that wheat curl mites have the potential to build high populations very quickly. When populations explode, wheat streak can spread to epidemic proportions in a short time, causing devastating losses throughout the wheat growing region.
Understanding how the temperatures affect this process is important, Rush said.
"If you have a lower number of mites, and a lower number of those are carrying the wheat streak virus, it will reduce the incidence of disease and reduce the potential for development of an epidemic," he said.
Price said so far it looks like when the wheat plants, regardless of variety, become infected early with high mite and virus populations, it is difficult or even impossible for the plants to recover before they go into winter dormancy.
However, Rush said in the first replication of side-by-side comparisons of Mace, Ron L, TAM 112, TAM 111 and Karl 92, they have seen interesting results.
"We think that TAM 112 is exhibiting some tolerance to the vector," he said. "If this holds up these are preliminary results and must be repeated but the thing that is so exciting about this is if you have the resistance to the mite, then you don't have to worry about the virus building up."
In his greenhouse study, Rush said the plants are exposed to 20 mites per pot at the same time and grown under the same environmental conditions. As they have grown out, TAM 112 exhibits healthy leaves while pots beside it planted to other varieties have twisted leaves and the typical streaking and striping associated with wheat streak mosaic virus.
Mace has a specific gene for resistance to wheat streak, wsm1, and Ron L has a different gene, wsm2. The Karl 92 is planted as a check variety as it has no known resistance, and TAM 111 and TAM 112 were added to the study to see how they performed because they are regionally adapted, he said.
Angela Simmons, a new graduate student in Rush's program, is in the process of washing the mites from three tillers per pot and then counting them under a dissecting scope. The number of mites for Mace and Ron L are in the range of 2,000 to 3,000 and the number of mites for TAM 112 is in the range of 100 to 200, "so there is a tremendous difference in the mite population showing up, he said.
The leaves of TAM 112 have essentially no curling resulting from the mites and look almost normal, he said, but there are some symptoms of wheat streak exhibited indicating it has been infected by the virus.
"If you think about an entire field of this, with a field next door of a susceptible lines where you have massive numbers of mites, it can make a very real difference," Rush said. "If they blow into your TAM 112 field and the mites aren't building up to as high of a population, the virus isn't building up, so as they move across the field, the number of mites gets less and less.
"Overall, you may have some infection, but you will end up having a much healthier wheat field resulting in better yield and quality than if you had a cultivar with a specific resistance gene to wheat streak but it was planted in late August or early September when the temperatures are too high for the resistance to be effective," he said.
That's what this whole study is about, Rush said, trying to look at how the temperature fluctuations that the crop goes through in the Panhandle at this time of the year are going to affect overall disease development.
"We are tremendously optimistic about what we've seen so far, but we know biological systems, by their very nature, are prone to change and that is why it is so important to go back and repeat the study and see if we get similar results in a repeated study," Rush said. "That will give us confidence that what we are seeing is indeed a response of that particular cultivar."
Following the second round of the study, Rush will work with other AgriLife Research scientists to try to determine the genetic reason TAM 112 has tolerance to the vector or mite.
"If we were able to identify the actual gene, or genes, responsible for mite resistance, it would be a huge advance to our overall wheat program because cultivars with these genes would have reduced susceptibility to all mite-vectored virus diseases and not just wheat streak mosaic virus," he said.
"This resistance, combined with the observed drought tolerance of TAM 112, would result in an exceptionally valuable combination for much of the southwestern Great Plains," Rush said.
He said further research might determine that these wheat varieties with the wheat streak mosaic resistance trait may be more effective in northern states where wheat is planted later when it is cooler.
"We've established a collaboration with researchers in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Montana to do a regional study on wheat streak and monitor the differences of certain cultivars in general," Rush said.
Knowing that, he said, they hope to determine why the differences are occurring and develop a disease forecasting risk assessment model for diseases vectored by the mite, including wheat streak mosaic, High Plains disease and triticum mosaic virus.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Public release date: 16-Feb-2012[ | E-mail |
Share ] Contact: Dr. Charlie Rush
crush@ag.tamu.edu
806-354-5804
Texas A&M AgriLife Communications
AMARILLO Wheat streak mosaic resistance bred into several wheat varieties might be negated by the producer practice in the High Plains of planting wheat early and using it for both winter forage for cattle and grain, according to a Texas AgriLife Research scientist.
Dr. Charlie Rush, AgriLife Research plant pathologist in Amarillo, began a study in December that he "started out of necessity" after working for several years on the wheat streak mosaic virus.
While several varieties of wheat, such as Mace and Ron L, have resistance to the virus bred into them, there has been a problem with that genetic resistance breaking down in temperatures above 75 degrees, Rush said.
"That is terrible for those who plant in the Texas Panhandle for dual purpose," he said. "The wheat is planted early when temperatures are very high and it's too hot for genetic resistance to be effective. In our study, we want to see if the plant is able to grow out of it once temperatures cool down to where the genetic resistance should be effective.
"It's really important to understand how the germplasm responds to the natural temperature fluctuations during the growing season," Rush said. "Since we know most of the farmers in this area plant when it is too hot for the resistance, we need to know what happens once the temperatures cool down."
Jacob Price, a research associate on Rush's team, is running diagnostics for the virus and quantifying the infection of the plants. He is also looking at the virus quantity in the wheat curl mites, which are the vector of the disease, to see if that is altered among the varieties.
Wheat streak mosaic virus is the most prevalent disease in the southwestern wheat producing region of the U.S., Price said. Early diagnostics have shown that wheat curl mites have the potential to build high populations very quickly. When populations explode, wheat streak can spread to epidemic proportions in a short time, causing devastating losses throughout the wheat growing region.
Understanding how the temperatures affect this process is important, Rush said.
"If you have a lower number of mites, and a lower number of those are carrying the wheat streak virus, it will reduce the incidence of disease and reduce the potential for development of an epidemic," he said.
Price said so far it looks like when the wheat plants, regardless of variety, become infected early with high mite and virus populations, it is difficult or even impossible for the plants to recover before they go into winter dormancy.
However, Rush said in the first replication of side-by-side comparisons of Mace, Ron L, TAM 112, TAM 111 and Karl 92, they have seen interesting results.
"We think that TAM 112 is exhibiting some tolerance to the vector," he said. "If this holds up these are preliminary results and must be repeated but the thing that is so exciting about this is if you have the resistance to the mite, then you don't have to worry about the virus building up."
In his greenhouse study, Rush said the plants are exposed to 20 mites per pot at the same time and grown under the same environmental conditions. As they have grown out, TAM 112 exhibits healthy leaves while pots beside it planted to other varieties have twisted leaves and the typical streaking and striping associated with wheat streak mosaic virus.
Mace has a specific gene for resistance to wheat streak, wsm1, and Ron L has a different gene, wsm2. The Karl 92 is planted as a check variety as it has no known resistance, and TAM 111 and TAM 112 were added to the study to see how they performed because they are regionally adapted, he said.
Angela Simmons, a new graduate student in Rush's program, is in the process of washing the mites from three tillers per pot and then counting them under a dissecting scope. The number of mites for Mace and Ron L are in the range of 2,000 to 3,000 and the number of mites for TAM 112 is in the range of 100 to 200, "so there is a tremendous difference in the mite population showing up, he said.
The leaves of TAM 112 have essentially no curling resulting from the mites and look almost normal, he said, but there are some symptoms of wheat streak exhibited indicating it has been infected by the virus.
"If you think about an entire field of this, with a field next door of a susceptible lines where you have massive numbers of mites, it can make a very real difference," Rush said. "If they blow into your TAM 112 field and the mites aren't building up to as high of a population, the virus isn't building up, so as they move across the field, the number of mites gets less and less.
"Overall, you may have some infection, but you will end up having a much healthier wheat field resulting in better yield and quality than if you had a cultivar with a specific resistance gene to wheat streak but it was planted in late August or early September when the temperatures are too high for the resistance to be effective," he said.
That's what this whole study is about, Rush said, trying to look at how the temperature fluctuations that the crop goes through in the Panhandle at this time of the year are going to affect overall disease development.
"We are tremendously optimistic about what we've seen so far, but we know biological systems, by their very nature, are prone to change and that is why it is so important to go back and repeat the study and see if we get similar results in a repeated study," Rush said. "That will give us confidence that what we are seeing is indeed a response of that particular cultivar."
Following the second round of the study, Rush will work with other AgriLife Research scientists to try to determine the genetic reason TAM 112 has tolerance to the vector or mite.
"If we were able to identify the actual gene, or genes, responsible for mite resistance, it would be a huge advance to our overall wheat program because cultivars with these genes would have reduced susceptibility to all mite-vectored virus diseases and not just wheat streak mosaic virus," he said.
"This resistance, combined with the observed drought tolerance of TAM 112, would result in an exceptionally valuable combination for much of the southwestern Great Plains," Rush said.
He said further research might determine that these wheat varieties with the wheat streak mosaic resistance trait may be more effective in northern states where wheat is planted later when it is cooler.
"We've established a collaboration with researchers in Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Montana to do a regional study on wheat streak and monitor the differences of certain cultivars in general," Rush said.
Knowing that, he said, they hope to determine why the differences are occurring and develop a disease forecasting risk assessment model for diseases vectored by the mite, including wheat streak mosaic, High Plains disease and triticum mosaic virus.
###
[ | E-mail | Share ] ?
AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-02/taac-ars021612.php
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Wednesday, February 15, 2012
Oldham family flee as candle tribute to Whitney ... - The Party Crasher
[unable to retrieve full-text content]Oldham family flee as candle tribute to Whitney Houston sets fire to their home http://t.co/gvxcWtDT A woman and her son lit the candle in memory of the star, who was found dead in a bath in a hotel in Beverly Hills. But they ...
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WVU settles Big East lawsuit, will join Big 12
FILE - In a Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010 file photo, West Virginia University Athletic Director Oliver Luck speaks addresses the media during a news conference, at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, W.Va. West Virginia University announced Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 that it has settled a lawsuit with the Big East for an unspecified amount, clearing the way for the Mountaineers to join the Big 12 in July. Luck said the terms of the deal were confidential and WVU wouldn't release details. But Luck said no state, taxpayer, tuition or other academic dollars will be used in the settlement. (AP Photo/The Dominion Post, Jason DeProspero, File)
FILE - In a Thursday, Dec. 16, 2010 file photo, West Virginia University Athletic Director Oliver Luck speaks addresses the media during a news conference, at the WVU Coliseum in Morgantown, W.Va. West Virginia University announced Tuesday, Feb. 14, 2012 that it has settled a lawsuit with the Big East for an unspecified amount, clearing the way for the Mountaineers to join the Big 12 in July. Luck said the terms of the deal were confidential and WVU wouldn't release details. But Luck said no state, taxpayer, tuition or other academic dollars will be used in the settlement. (AP Photo/The Dominion Post, Jason DeProspero, File)
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) ? West Virginia University announced Tuesday it has settled a lawsuit with the Big East for an unspecified amount, clearing the way for the conference power Mountaineers to join the Big 12 in July in time for the fall football season.
Athletic Director Oliver Luck said the terms of the deal were confidential and WVU wouldn't release details. But Luck said no state, taxpayer, tuition or other academic dollars will be used in the settlement.
A person familiar with the agreement said the settlement totaled $20 million but did not know how much money would come from the university and how much the Big 12 may contribute. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because financial terms were not being made in the announcement of the agreement.
Luck said the funding will come only from private sources and money that athletics raised independently. WVU has already paid half of the required $5 million exit fee to the Big East.
Luck said the new relationship puts WVU among peers that are also large, public, flagship institutions for their states and have strong academic and research programs. Athletically, it's "challenging and competitive" group, he said, populated by schools with "tremendous legacies, passionate fan bases."
It's also lucrative: Luck said WVU should get about $18 million to $19 million a year in television payouts, about double what it gets from the Big East. Payments are being prorated for the first three years at 50 percent, 67 percent and 87 percent, he said, reaching 100 percent in the fourth year.
"It's a very healthy television payout, and it's important we maintain our self-sufficient status," Luck said. "With this move, we'll be in an excellent position to do so."
A spokesman for the Big 12 didn't immediately comment on the deal, but the conference released its football schedule about an hour after the announcement. West Virginia will make its Big 12 debut on Sept. 29 at home against Baylor.
The Mountaineers and their explosive offense went 10-3 last season and finished ranked in the Top 25. West Virginia capped off the season with a record-setting 70-33 victory over Clemson in the Orange Bowl.
Luck didn't rule out the possibility of a nonconference game against archrival Pitt after the 2012 season but said that both schools have nine nonconference games and a matchup would be "difficult to schedule."
"It's pretty obvious there will be no Backyard Brawl" in 2012, he said.
WVU sued the Big East in Monongalia County Circuit Court in Morgantown in November, challenging its bylaws in a bid to join the Big 12 in time for the 2012 season.
The Big East countersued in Rhode Island four days later, arguing that WVU had breached its contract with the conference and should remain in the Big East for another two years as required in the bylaws. In late December, the judge there denied WVU's motion to dismiss.
Luck said the Big 12 gives WVU "significant advantages" over the Big East.
"The Big 12 is a strong and vibrant conference academically and athletically," he said in a statement. "We look forward to the potential academic and athletic partnerships and financial opportunities that membership in the Big 12 offers."
WVU President James Clements called the partnership with the Big 12 "an investment in WVU's future."
Big East Commissioner John Marinatto had repeatedly said West Virginia would not be allowed to leave until the 2014 football season.
But in a statement Tuesday, Marinatto said the board of directors voted to terminate WVU's membership in the conference as of June 30. Marinatto said the board agreed to the deal because WVU was willing to drop its lawsuit and pay an exit fee "well in excess of that required by the bylaws."
He said WVU has agreed to have the West Virginia court enter a judgment that declares the Big East's bylaws "valid and enforceable."
With its recent additions, Marinatto said, "the future for the Big East Conference has never been brighter."
Boise State, Central Florida, Houston, Memphis, San Diego State University, Southern Methodist University and Navy have all recently joined the conference.
The Big East still has work to do to figure out how next season will play out. Pittsburgh and Syracuse announced in September they are leaving for the Atlantic Coast Conference, but have said they will not challenge the Big East's notification rules.
That leaves the Big East with seven football teams for 2012 and a hole in the schedule that could leave its remaining members scrambling to find a game so late ? unless one of its future members can be convinced to join a year early.
Boise State, which is joining the Big East in football only, has been approached about leaving the Mountain West early.
The urgency of the lawsuits and the eventual settlement was driven by football, but the conference realignment affects other West Virginia sports. The Mountaineers must find a home for their men's soccer team because the Big 12 doesn't sponsor the sport.
Teams in rifle, wrestling and women's gymnastics at West Virginia compete in other conferences besides the Big East.
Big 12 membership requires WVU to add a men's sport, but Luck said he hasn't determined which it will be or when it will happen.
___
Russo contributed to this report from New York. AP Sports Writer John Raby contributed from Charleston, W.Va.
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Monday, February 13, 2012
Whitney Houston found dead in Calif. hotel, age 48 (omg!)
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Whitney Houston, whose soaring voice lifted her to the top of the pop music world but whose personal decline was fueled by years of drug use, died on Saturday afternoon in a Beverly Hills hotel room. She was 48.
The pop superstar died on the eve of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles at the same hotel where her mentor, record mogul Clive Davis, was holding an annual pre-event party featuring scores of music industry celebrities.
A dramatic scene unfolded at the Beverly Hilton hotel as guests arriving for the party expressed shock at her death, while reporters swarmed the hotel, fans gathered outside to light candles in her memory and helicopters hovered overhead.
Beverly Hills police said they were called to the Beverly Hilton at around 3:43 p.m. PST, and fire department personnel who were already at the location responded immediately. Houston was in her fourth-floor room but was unresponsive to CPR, and she was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m.
"She has been positively identified by friends and family (who) were with her at the hotel, and next of kin have already been notified," Lieutenant Mark Rosen told reporters. Police said there were no obvious signs of criminal intent.
Los Angeles County coroners removed Houston's body from the hotel after midnight through a backdoor to avoid the crush of media set up to cover her shocking death.
Typically, coroners conduct an autopsy within a day or two, at which point they might release some preliminary information about the death. If drugs or alcohol are involved, however, an official cause of death would not be released until after toxicology tests, which could take six to eight weeks.
BRILLIANT CAREER
Tributes poured in from around the world for a singer whose remarkable vocal power and range produced some of the most memorable music of her generation, including her signature hit, "I Will Always Love You."
"I don't have to mask my emotion in front of a room full of so many dear friends," Davis told a somber crowd at his gala dinner and party just hours after Houston's death. "I am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years."
Neil Portnow, president of the Recording Academy, which runs the Grammys, told the audience at Davis's party that Jennifer Hudson would sing a tribute to Houston at Sunday night's Grammy Awards.
"We will do something appropriate tomorrow, and nothing could be more appropriate than having Jennifer Hudson sing on stage for Whitney," Portnow said. "In our community, we celebrate things ... let's celebrate Whitney Houston."
Outside the hotel in the wealthy enclave of Beverly Hills, a phalanx of hotel security personnel guarded the perimeter to prevent reporters and fans from entering. Some of Houston's admirers gathered on the sidewalk, lighting candles and singing her songs.
Over the course of a 30-year career in which she established herself as one of the most-admired and influential singers of her time, Houston won six Grammys, 30 Billboard awards and 22 American Music Awards. She released seven studio albums and sold some 170 million CDs, singles and videos. The soundtrack for a hit movie in which she starred, "The Bodyguard," was among the best-selling soundtracks in movie history.
Her 1985 debut, "Whitney Houston," became the best-selling debut album by a female act at that time, and spawned several hits including "How Will I Know." Her second studio CD, 1987's "Whitney," became the first album by a female artist to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart.
She crossed over from music success to TV and movies, appearing in "The Bodyguard" (1992), as well as "Waiting to Exhale" (1995) and "The Preacher's Wife" (1996).
Born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1963, Houston was inspired to perform as a child by soul singers in her family, including mother Cissy Houston and cousins Dionne Warwick and the late Dee Dee Warwick. Her godmother was Aretha Franklin.
"I just can't talk about it now," Franklin said in a statement. "It's so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn't believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen. My heart goes out to Cissy, her daughter Bobbi Kris, her family and Bobby (Brown).".
PERSONAL TURMOIL
By the early 1990s, Houston reigned as the queen of pop, but her critical and commercial success on stage was accompanied by an increasingly troubled personal life. In 1992 she married singer Bobby Brown, who had a bad-boy reputation, and their tumultuous 14 years together were marred by drug abuse and domestic violence.
In 2000, she and Brown were stopped at an airport in Hawaii and security guards discovered marijuana in their luggage. In a 2002 TV interview, she admitted using marijuana, cocaine, alcohol and prescription drugs.
The pair also starred in a reality TV series, "Being Bobby Brown," which painted an often unflattering portrait of the couple.
The last 10 years of Houston's life were dominated by drug use, rumors of relapses and trips to rehab.
She launched a comeback tour in 2009, and in April 2010 she called media reports she was using drugs again "ridiculous." In May 2011, Houston enrolled in a drug and alcohol rehab program.
Despite her personal troubles, Houston commanded great affection among her music industry colleagues, and emotional tributes flooded the media in the hours after news broke of her death.
"I am absolutely heartbroken at the news of Whitney's passing," legendary music producer Quincy Jones said in a statement. "... I always regretted not having had the opportunity to work with her. She was a true original and a talent beyond compare. I will miss her terribly."
Barbra Streisand said in a statement: "She had everything, beauty, a magnificent voice. How sad her gifts could not bring her the same happiness they brought us."
Pop star Rihanna posted on Twitter "No words, just tears.".
(Additional reporting by Mary Slosson, Jill Serjeant, Dan Whitcomb, Piya Sinha-Roy and R.T. Watson; Editing by Jonathan Weber and Eric Beech)
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All About Board Games: Enjoy Classic board games online ...
There are so many different types of games that are available in today's time which have gained immense popularity. Despite their popularity and attraction classic game have not been able to loose its popularity. It still remains one of the most popular forms of games which one can enjoy and still not get bored with it. It is time to bring these back. Since video games and computer games have become so popular among people nowadays that one has forgotten to play classic game.
There are many different types of classic games that you might have played when you were young however as times have changed there have been many different changes in these games. Nowadays with the growing popularity of the internet and computer classic board games have come back into the picture however with some changes. These games are available online. This gives one the chance to revisit their childhood days and enjoy classic board games online. With so many changes and varieties that are available nowadays classic games online has gained popularity and one enjoys playing these game more now.
There have been so many classic games that you might have enjoyed like Risk 2210 AD. However with the new edition and with the help of internet these games have gained their popularity back and are in huge demand among the people nowadays. Board games are available for all age groups and therefore it offers one to enjoy with their family and have a great time. Chess, Monopoly and Risk were few of the famous classic board games that one enjoyed playing previously however in modern time's classic games online offers these games with few twists and turns which makes it even more interesting for one to ply and enjoy their family time.
Classic board games online are often suggested by psychiatrist as they prove to be a great stress buster or act as an anti-depressant. If you are a parent and have enjoyed playing classic board games as a child then you must suggest your child to play these classic board games online. It will be very exciting and your child will love playingh these games online. If he is used to the new technology then it will be very simple for him to adapt to the techniques of playing classic online. You too can enjoy with your children while they play these gaming online and can relish your childhood days.
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Source: http://a-games-games.blogspot.com/2012/02/enjoy-classic-board-games-online.html
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Sunday, February 12, 2012
Health Tips to Cope With a Pet Allergy - Health N Fitness Tips ...
HealthNFitness Tips: Now for the reason of you or your child has a pet allergy.
Tips to better cope with a pet allergy:- Do your best to avoid kissing and hugging pets.
- Keep your bedroom and upholstered furniture off-limits to pets.
- Give your pets a weekly bath, and ask a non-allergic friend or family member to regularly brush them outdoors.
- Ask your veterinarian about a well-balanced diet for pets, which can minimize dander.
- Vacuum with a micro-filter or double bag, and use a HEPA air cleaner at home.
- Minimize carpeting and rugs in your home, as they attract dander.
Related Sites: Pharmacyproductinfo, Pharmacy News.
Source: http://healthnfitness-tips.blogspot.com/2012/02/health-tips-to-cope-with-pet-allergy.html
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Source: http://udduviy.posterous.com/health-tips-to-cope-with-a-pet-allergy-health
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Hungarian government lawmaker sees IMF deal by May: report (Reuters)
BUDAPEST (Reuters) ? Hungary can realistically start formal talks with the European Union and the IMF about a vital funding deal in early March and an agreement can be reached by the middle of the second quarter, a ruling Fidesz party lawmaker said on Saturday.
Hungary, at odds with Brussels over a range of legislation which some critics have called a threat to its democracy, needs the financing backstop to retain access to market funding and avert a full-blown debt crisis.
MP Antal Rogan told the daily Magyar Nemzet that the government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) shared common goals such as achieving a sustainable debt level, fiscal stability and creating conditions for economic growth.
"These goals match the goals of the Hungarian government and we are preparing proposals for the negotiations which, if they are accepted, can result in a fast deal," Rogan was cited as saying in an interview. He did not go into details.
"I'm quite certain that an agreement (with IMF) can be reached by the middle of the second quarter."
The conservative government has drawn fire from the international community for introducing a swathe of measures that threaten the independence of the media, the judiciary and the central bank since sweeping to power in 2010.
In mid-January the European Commission gave Hungary one month to respond to its concerns over legislation which is seen hurting the central bank's independence, and two other laws which force judges into retirement and leave the data protection authority open to political interference.
The EU's deadline will expire at the end of next week, and Hungary will need to meet EU demands to unlock talks about a new financing deal and avert legal action by the Commission.
Rogan said parliament, which will reconvene after a recess on Monday, will not deal with the required law amendments next week yet, as the government would first send those to Brussels.
"I believe it is a more fortunate solution if first the Commission in Brussels forms an opinion on the bills, and they go to parliament only after that," Rogan said.
"I think an agreement with the EU is possible on all three issues: the central bank, the data protection and also the issue if judges, the judiciary," he added.
The conservative Fidesz party government backed down in the dispute with the EU only after Hungary's financial markets and the forint took a hammering in the first week of January.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban's pledges to seek a fast deal with lenders have since boosted the forint and government bonds, but investors now want to see evidence that the government will stick to its pledges and comply with lenders' conditions.
(Reporting by Krisztina Than; editing by Patrick Graham)
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The Hidden Tax on Every Smartphone and Tablet You Buy (ContributorNetwork)
COMMENTARY | You weren't charged it when they rang your smartphone up at the register, and your receipt won't have any mention of it. But if you bought an Android smartphone in the last year or so, odds are you paid Microsoft $5 for the privilege of using Android, according to Citi analyst Walter Pritchard as quoted in Business Insider. Meanwhile, Google stands to collect about a billion dollars a year from Apple on account of people who buy the iPhone, according to John Paczkowski of AllThingsD.
Why? Because of patent deals, whether extortionary like Microsoft's or "Reasonable And Non-Discriminatory" like with the Google ones. That's where they "own" the exclusive right to make something important (like, say, the 3G radio), but have to license it out for a fee because it's an industry standard.
As MG Siegler explains on Pando Daily, Google made a big fuss last year over companies like Apple and Microsoft buying up patents, just to sue people over or charge licensing fees for. But now that it's bought Motorola, which owns a ton of patents and is responsible for several lawsuits, it seems to have forgotten that.
So that's part of why your smartphone or tablet costs so much
Another part of the reason? The money it takes to keep those huge legal departments running. The gadget companies use patents as weapons in their secret war against each other, and if one of them loses, it has consequences for everyone -- like, say, the iPhone and iPad getting banned, and Apple's iCloud service losing email sync. Which is exactly what happened in Germany thanks to Motorola's lawsuits, according to Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents.
Having big legal teams pays. Just ask Microsoft; it spends hundreds of millions on its legal department in the expectation of a return on investment, both for offensive and defensive lawsuits. And Motorola lost millions on smartphones last year, but is set to make it all back and then some just by suing people like Apple, whom the market says makes better smartphones.
Why does it work this way?
Or in other words, why are today's gadget companies suing the pants off of each other and restricting our freedom to buy what we want, instead of actually using that time and money to make new gadgets? Why are they hiring lawyers instead of engineers?
It's because the government grants them monopolies over a piece of hardware, or even ideas expressed in programming code ("Math You Can't Use"). These monopolies are called patents, and were originally designed to get secretive trade guilds to publish their secrets out in the open, in exchange for the right to prosecute people who used them without a license. But in today's world, you can patent such obvious things as "a button you click on to buy stuff," and all of a sudden anyone else who makes that gets in trouble.
The name of the game isn't "making cool gadgets," anymore. It's "making the people who actually make the cool gadgets give you money, just because you were the first to shout 'Dibs!'"
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Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Shopping From USA ? Cosmetics ? Suggestions
1) go to eyeslipsface.com and select the stuff you like. All of it comes under 1, 3 or 5$ and are super good quality and affordable. Would be available in stores like K-Mart or target over there, or you can even buy it from the website ship it to your cousin?s address. I recommend their eye brushes, their studio line stippling brush, the studio blushes, cool bronzer palette, cream eyeshadows, pigment eyeshadows and their mineral lipsticks. awesome stuff.
2) Urban Decay primer potion if you dont have it already; Urban decay eyeshadow palettes
3) physicians?s formula gel eyeliners / blush/ shimmerstrips
4) O.P.I and china glaze nail polishes
5) Burts bees lipbalm and/or EOS lipbalms
6) maybelline ?the falsies? mascara (check this one out online to see if it would suit you though) or benefit bad gal mascara
7) revlon just bitten lipstains
8) Cover girl products
9) NYC face powders/ bronzer in ?Sunny?
whoa that?s a long list i guess? but hope it helps? 
do ur research first online to see what you would personally like though 
Source: http://www.wiseshe.com/2012/02/shopping-from-usa-cosmetics-suggestions.html
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Change Your Low Self-esteem within A few minutes | Dating Advice ...
Everyone knows someone that is afflicted with low self-esteem who would be well placed to achieve so very much more if they could just see themselves in a better light. But not many of us make an effort to look at ourselves and determine whether there are areas in our own esteem that could use some improvement.
Every time we fail or don't measure up to our full potential, we tell ourselves that we will not do it and that we are no adequate or good at anything. This sort of negative internal dialogue drains and creates a low self-esteem until anything positive that occurs in our lives is turned into a negative. If you are unable to stop the draining of your self image, soon you'll become the person who just can't seem to live up to their actual potential.
There are however a variety of life coaching methodologies that can help you to stop this negative effect on your self-esteem. The first thing that you must realize is that you make your very own reality and that if you keep on telling yourself that you can't do something, you will not be able to do it, and your opinion, believe and thought becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy.
Thus it's so important to change your internal dialogue from negative to positive and enabling dialogue. Instead of telling yourself ?I can?t?, you can tell yourself you can take one step in the correct direction and commence the process of change. When you begin to do this, you may change the mental picture that you have about yourself so you can change your outcomes. The longer you suffer with low self-esteem the harder it is going to be to change your internal dialogue and psychological picture.
We all start as kids with wonderful dreams and hopes for our future that are soon swallowed by the difficulties and negative experiences of life. You can rekindle your infancy goals and joy of life just by getting some aid through a spread of life coaching programs.
With NLP Life Coach Trainings, anybody can change their low self-esteem and become assured, positive and definitely unstoppable.
You'll be able to find out more about these life coaching methodologies and how you can forestall low self-esteem. We have tried and tested strategies at the most professional Institute of NLP Life Coach Training Academy where new, irresistible and empowered leaders are certified.
Source: http://datingadvicesingles.com/love/?p=45147
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Sunday, February 5, 2012
Hudson Valley Mobile Marketing by [Edge Business Marketing] Visit ...
http://www.NYMobileMarketing.com - Hudson Valley Mobile Marketing, (914) 522-3511 QR Campaigns, Text Messaging/SMS, Mobile Websites, Mobile Apps for Business.. EdgeBusinessMarketing: Websites, Custom Facebook Pages, Video Marketing, Search Engine Marketing (SEO & PPC) and More
Source: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoNMigTwHlM
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Saturday, February 4, 2012
Why Must Become A Multiple Auto The Earliest Selection Even ...
Lets explain a Hybrid automobile very first a hybrid automobile is the brains behind is gasoline productive and environment-friendly. In Hybrid cars, there is a mixture of two types of energy elements for business. The first is gasoline i.electronic. petrol as well as other is electric power. This mix causes it to become hyperactive very low exhaust, noiseless and also affordable.
The key element of hybrid automobile is it shields the environment, simply because hybrid cars have minimal by-products, so it does not change the surroundings as compared to other non-hybrid cars. The running worth of gasoline is very low, as well as second-hand worth of hybrid cars is superb. Gets into something create the hybrid automobile perfect to acquire.
The hybrid cars come in 2 types of performs payday loan company the first is the Concurrent as well as other Sequence. Inside the concurrent hybrid, the petrol and electric motor with the automobile can electric power the transmitting at the same time. In sequence hybrid, the petrol serp with the automobile doesn?t right electric power the transmitting. An electrical generator is employed for that goal that fees the batteries or electric motor, which do the transmitting.
There are 2 types of hybrid cars, Full hybrid and Help eco friendly. The Complete hybrid cars can run using the serp by yourself and in addition they may also run using the batteries or either. The support eco friendly are the types which may have a smaller gasoline serp who supply the principle electric power.
Some very efficient functions are introduced in a hybrid payday loans automobile that can help this automobile execute superior in addition to rendering it gasoline-productive, since a short time, the gasoline cost is very high so hybrid cars can be very priceless. These hybrid cars may be fairly costly in comparison to the non-hybrid cars, but at some point they justify their supplemental price by saving gasoline and also surroundings.
Hybrid vehicles can provide the gas mileage 3x more than the non-hybrid cars. They?re able to drive up to 60mph miles per gallon, in comparison to the normal auto that devices 30 to 26 miles a gallon. There are conventional driving a car and working with principles for just a hybrid automobile that can really help it can save a lot more on gasoline. Smooth acceleration, by way of example can greatly enhance its sklepy internetowe consumption normal.
Lesser gasoline consumption would be the big element with the hybrid automobile. You will need minimal gasoline to get started and simultaneously once it heats up normally takes cheaper gasoline, the exhaust will be a smaller amount. This cheaper exhaust will save you surroundings from becoming dirty. The greater the volume of hybrid cars out there, the cheaper dirty surroundings we will have. As a result, to save planet earth we have to get hybrid cars.
In the entire year 1999, Kia introduced the 1st Hybrid automobile. Kia released its very first hybrid automobile by using a unique of environment-friendly logo. This promptly grabbed the goal of a lot of people so when they think it is even better on consumption, they switched to hybrid cars from their non-hybrid kinds.
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ARTICLES MANIAC ? The Way To Use Training Schools To Kick off ...
If you would like to have a brand-new career and would like the opportunity to train for one, training schools can easily be the solution. You?ll find several on-site schools in addition to on-line schools. It is best if you?ve got a high school diploma, however in case you do not you might still be able to attend 1. They can provide you with the grounding needed to enter a vocation directly, or they can easily be the basis from which you?ll be able to be eligible for a complete four year degree course.
There are a lot of occupation schools that are teaching job-specific skills in occupation areas which are rising, and where business employers are constantly discovering it difficult to get the numbers of men and women they require. There are standard trade schools that teach things such as plumbing and nursing skills. However there are also contemporary trade schools that offer more modern such things as computer skills. The medical profession also has a consistent have for trained personnel, and there are legal requirements that prevent business employers from giving jobs to people that are improperly qualified. The training provided by these kinds of schools won?t be wasted. You?ll find many businesses out there who need their employees to further improve upon the skills they have.
There are a lot of occupation schools that are teaching job-specific skills in occupation areas which are rising, and where business employers are constantly discovering it difficult to get the numbers of men and women they require. There are standard trade schools that teach things such as plumbing and nursing skills. However there are also contemporary trade schools that offer more modern such things as computer skills. The medical profession also has a consistent have for trained personnel, and there are legal requirements that prevent business employers from giving jobs to people that are improperly qualified. The training provided by these kinds of schools won?t be wasted. You?ll find many businesses out there who need their employees to further improve upon the skills they have.
Not everybody is cut out for conventional college and for individuals who desire a great job however have a problem with book learning a career training school can easily be a blessing! They?re capable of taking the skills and talents they do have and utilize them to achieve success in their chosen field. In some cases, this training can easily even take the place of a few of the time put in high school, towards the end of a school career.
The medical profession offers lots of opportunities within career training schools. Many of the jobs which can be found have existed for hundreds of years, for example medical professionals, nurses and pharmacy technician, and the job descriptions are actually little changed even though they involve a greater use of technology. However there are some areas where the work opportunities have been created because of modern technology and the need for someone to work with it. These jobs clearly need people who can easily come right in and operate the equipment right from the very first day, and vocational school allows them to do that.
It needs to be explained that several of the profit making training schools had a poor reputation for quite a few years, as they have constantly exaggerated both the amount of jobs that were accessible to those who go through the school system, and the earnings the students were likely to command after they had qualified. This is far tougher to complete in the contemporary world, as there?s far tighter regulations. Plus with the Internet students can research much of this for themselves before committing to a specific field.
You?ll find not as many scholarship grants available for these types of vocational training as there is for a 4 year college. In that case, you will already have enough difficulty attempting to raise finances for the long course to follow. There are always student loans available, but they don?t cover every situation. Make sure you understand for sure what you wish in a occupation before borrowing money to pay for your education and learning.
If you could find the right training schools for your needs, you may be able to bypass an educational system which does not work for everyone. Depending on your career aspirations, you might be able to overcome any lack of high school achievements and break into a occupation at that you?ll be able to excel. The right training school place is easier to find now that the Internet allows you to search country-wide without leaving your desk. Using Internet search, you can find little known however highly specialized training schools.
Edward Rivera has extensive training school experience as a long
time grad school advisor with Apex Technical School in NYC. He has extensive knowledge
of training programs and can help you find the right job training. Ed can help you find a career training loan to help you get into the right school.
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Friday, February 3, 2012
NY's Schneiderman sues banks in foreclosure effort (AP)
ALBANY, N.Y. ? New York's attorney general on Friday accused some of the nation's largest banks of deceit and fraud in using an electronic mortgage registry that he said puts homeowners at a disadvantage in foreclosures.
Democrat Eric Schneiderman sued Bank of America, J.P. Morgan Chase and Wells Fargo over their use of the Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems Inc., or MERS, claiming the banks submitted court documents containing false and misleading information that appeared to provide the authority for foreclosures when there was none.
The lawsuit also names the registry operator, MERSCORP Inc. of Virginia.
Schneiderman claims the MERS system has eliminated homeowners' ability to track property transfers through traditional public records. He said the electronic system now stores that data and is plagued by inaccuracies.
There was no immediate comment from the banks.
"The banks created the MERS system as an end-run around the property recording system, to facilitate the rapid securitization and sale of mortgages," Schneiderman said Friday. "Once the mortgages went sour, these same banks brought foreclosure proceedings en masse based on deceptive and fraudulent court submissions, seeking to take homes away from people with little regard for basic legal requirements or the rule of law."
Last month, President Barack Obama announced a new Justice Department fraud-fighting unit to bring together 55 prosecutors and federal and state investigators focusing on one of the contributing causes behind the financial crisis ? the collapse of residential mortgage-backed securities. Obama named Schneiderman as co-chairman to pull together state and federal probes into the bubble that led to the market crash.
Delaware officials have said MERS has sown confusion among consumers, investors and other stakeholders in the mortgage finance system. Officials claim the company has damaged the integrity of Delaware's land records system and lead to unlawful foreclosure practices.
MERS was set up by banks to rapidly package and sell mortgages as securities without recording each transaction in county records offices. Complaints allege among other things that homeowners have trouble responding to foreclosure actions and mortgage inaccuracies because MERS makes it difficult to find out who owns the mortgages.
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Computer Technology Training (IT) Outsourcing Solutions - Alaska ...
Wednesday, February 1st, 2012 at 7:31 pm ?
If you are interested in gaining computer technology training, perhaps a good option for you would be to enroll in a vocational school. Covering diverse curriculums in network security, system engineering and technical support, a trade school that offers computer technology training can teach you the necessary skills to attain a rewarding career in an this ever-changing industry.
Vocational computer schools can provide students with in-depth courses that include computer applications, system analysis, design of information systems, database management, information systems applications, Microsoft applications, network operating systems, open source systems, programming languages, object-oriented programming, and XML and web applications.
Advanced computer technology programs may be comprised of graphic design, networking, CAD and computer game programming, and other specialties.
Job prospects are nearly unlimited as the computer technology industry continues to evolve. Those who have successfully completed computer technology training are awarded with professional certification. Graduates can anticipate gaining entry level employment as a computer technician, graphic designer, computer programmer, or webmaster, to name a few. The option of continuing education is also open to those who wish to transfer educational credits to a college or university in order to attain an Associate, Bachelor or Doctorate degree in computer science.
If you are interested in learning more about Computer Technology Training and accredited Computer Schools and Online Computer Schools, research our website and begin your computer training today!
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Source: http://www.alaskabirdseed.com/computer-technology-training-it-outsourcing-solutions.html
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Thursday, February 2, 2012
UPD officers report radio breakdowns - The GW Hatchet
The handheld radios used by University Police Department officers to communicate cross-campus have been dysfunctional to the point of uselessness for at least a year, six officers told The Hatchet this week ? a claim their top leader denies.
The officers said the devices, used to alert dispatchers and supervisors or call for backup, are so choppy that attempts to communicate with the rest of the unit often fail, potentially raising the level of risk on campus during times when officers have only seconds to notify others of a crime or suspect.
?It has severely affected campus safety, because if a serious incident happens, depending on where you are, you cannot advise other officers or the dispatcher,? one officer said, speaking on the condition of anonymity as UPD officers are not authorized to speak to the media.
The radios? spotty performance showed last week, the officers said, when a freshman tried to escape from a Thurston Hall drug bust, punching a UPD officer in the face along the way. Three officers attempted to use their radios throughout the chase to reach UPD?s dispatcher and request backup, but each effort fell flat, one officer who was at the scene said. Officers later learned that just two to four words from the messages were intelligible by the other end.
?The only reason they knew something was wrong was because of the voice tone they heard. They heard the voice tone and location, nothing else,? the officer said. ?If the suspect would have continued to fight, flee or resist arrest, the two responding officers could have been seriously injured with no way of alerting anyone.?
UPD Chief Kevin Hay maintained Tuesday that the handheld radios are in working condition, and many of the department?s 48 devices have never been reported as malfunctioning.
He declined to say specifically how many have been reported as malfunctioning.
?A few will degrade over time, but are usually repairable,? Hay said, adding that it is impossible for police departments to receive 100-percent radio coverage at all times because service quality is based on an area?s topography, the size of the building where an officer is located and whether or not the individual is underground.
Two officers said they notified supervisors of radio troubles on multiple occasions but saw no improvements. One said ?nothing happens? and, though the department maintains that devices or batteries that are out of order will be replaced or fixed, the malfunctioning radios appear in the supply stack again the next day.
UPD?s contractor for communication devices investigates each report of a malfunctioning radio, Hay said.
The technician who services UPD?s radios, Jonathan Padi, said Tuesday that the University has resisted spending money on its current radio supply in anticipation of purchasing new technology after the department shifts out of its Woodhull House headquarters and into the Academic Center. Administrators have said they expect that move to take place this spring or early summer.
?While they?re trying to go to the new system, the situation has just dragged on and on,? Padi, who works for Communications Express, said.
GW purchased its current radios in 2002 and their batteries have been replaced every few years, he said. The average lifespan of a battery is 18 to 24 months. Each battery can only be recharged for a certain time span before it burns out and its charging capacity shrinks, similar to cell phone batteries.
Padi said UPD has not been replacing its radio batteries as often as necessary.
When radio batteries are heavily depleted in a police unit where individuals are constantly patrolling shift after shift, Padi said officers on later patrols face a ?disaster? because they are left with a barely charged battery.
?As far as public safety is concerned, this is a very serious issue and we have been working with the officers as best as we can,? Padi said.
The University asked Padi to visit campus Wednesday to inspect the radios, he said.
?It?s primarily concerns with the battery that appears to be the weakest link in their system,? he said, adding that all analog radio systems face some level of static. ?The issue is not widespread.?
Padi found one problem area: Ivory Tower. A few buildings have sprung up near Ivory since the radio system was installed, creating interference that hampers coverage inside the residence hall that can be solved either by pouring more money into the current technology or waiting for the overhaul, he said.
He plans to return to campus next week to test every battery and radio.
About 40 percent of the University?s radio batteries are on the older side, while roughly 60 percent are new, he estimated.
?If any radio is broken, we will find out. If any battery is weak, we will know,? Padi said, adding that disgruntled officers may exaggerate the extent of the static out of frustration.
Hay said the bases for new radio technology that will be installed at the Academic Center are a response to new Federal Communications Commission guidelines for law enforcement agencies? radios ? not due to nonworking equipment ? and that it makes ?little sense? to install the system into the Woodhull House only to uproot it later. The FCC?s guidelines are set to go into effect next January.
?I care deeply about all of my officers and about their ability to communicate with the dispatcher and their fellow responders,? Hay said. ?That?s why we maintain a maintenance contract to fix portable radios that have a reported problem. That is why we recently replaced a large number of batteries.?
Forensic criminologist and police practices legal expert Ron Martinelli said adequate communication is critical for public safety operations, and the University would be liable for negligence if an officer responded to a high-risk scene, called for backup and landed a severe injury due to radio failure.
?If you have anything from a disturbance to an active shooter on campus, who are the people that are responding? Your public safety people,? Martinelli said. ?Somebody needs to step forward and say, ?Wait a minute, we?re placing our officers at risk with these 2002 radios.??
Source: http://www.gwhatchet.com/2012/02/02/upd-officers-report-radio-breakdowns/
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Saban stocks up, DGB stays home (AP)
Every coach claims to have a great national signing day. Nick Saban actually does ? every year.
By lunchtime on Wednesday, the Alabama coach had most of his latest highly rated recruiting class locked up.
"He's the best at (recruiting) in the country," said Tom Lemming of CBS Sports Network. "Over the last five years, nobody has been better at it than Nick Saban."
The national signing period for high school football players opened with the usual plethora of pick-a-cap news conferences and a few high-profile flip-flops.
New Ohio State coach Urban Meyer showed that a year away from coaching didn't hurt his ability to recruit. Meanwhile, Meyer's old school, Florida, followed a mediocre season with a promising signing day ? despite having Southern California pluck a couple of blue-chippers from Gator country.
Missouri didn't need to leave the state to make the biggest grab of all on signing day, getting a letter of intent from the nation's most celebrated prospect, receiver Dorial Green-Beckham from Springfield, Mo.
In Tuscaloosa, Ala., there were no surprises for the national champion Crimson Tide. And that was a good thing because Saban and his staff had already lined up a class that most of the analysts had ranked as either the best in the nation or very close to it.
"There was little intrigue or drama to this class," said Allen Wallace of SuperPrep Magazine.
No, just talent.
The Tide swept through the South to reload with 26 signees. Alabama went to Baltimore to get wide receiver Cyrus Jones, down to Lynchburg, Va., for defensive tackle Korren Kirven ? one of the few late additions ? scooped up eight players from Georgia, three from Florida, picked up a quarterback, Alec Morris, from Texas, and even dipped into LSU territory to grab highly touted safety Landon Collins from Geismar, La.
Collins' selection of Alabama over LSU last month on national TV was memorable for his mother's vocal disapproval ("Tigers No. 1," she said, eyes rolling at her son's choice). On Wednesday, with mom by his side, Collins signed his letter of intent at Dutchtown High School.
Here's a look around the nation at more of the top stories from signing day.
___
RETURN OF URBAN
The Buckeyes' recruiting coaches ? as opposed to their coaching coaches ? did a bang-up job with Meyer's first Ohio State class.
You might remember Michigan wasn't pleased with the fact that Meyer and the staff he was assembling was allowed to recruit while the old staff was preparing the Buckeyes for their bowl game. The NCAA signed off on the arrangement. This just after Ohio State was handed a one-year bowl ban for transgressions under former coach Jim Tressel.
Considering Meyer's track record, simply having him on Ohio State's side was probably all the advantage the Buckeyes needed.
Meyer's class was a consensus top-five, loaded with defensive linemen, including Noah Spence from Harrisburg, Pa., and Adolphus Washington from Cincinnati. The Buckeyes got a late boost when offensive tackle Kyle Dodson from Cleveland switched from Wisconsin to Ohio State on Wednesday.
"We had to have him," Meyer said of Dodson.
Dodson was one of at least a half dozen players who switched commitments to play for Meyer.
"He's done an amazing job flipping kids away from schools like it was easy as can be. And it's not," said Mike Farrell, national recruiting analyst for Rivals.com.
Michigan did OK for itself, too. Coach Brady Hoke's recruits received high marks from the experts and stacked up nicely with Ohio State.
So signing day was just like the old days in the Big Ten. There was Ohio State and Michigan, then everybody else.
___
FLORIDA TROJANS
With NCAA sanctions kicking in at USC, Lane Kiffin had 10 fewer scholarships to hand out this year.
While the quantity is down, the quality of the Trojans' class was not, and Kiffin's crew made a couple of big scores in Florida on signing day.
Defensive end Leonard Williams from Daytona Beach, Fla., and receiver Nelson Algholor from Tampa both chose the Trojans.
After announcing his decision on ESPNU, Algholor said he was looking forward to catching passes from Matt Barkley, who decided to return for his senior season.
Looks like Kiffin can thank his quarterback for that victory.
___
SNUBBING THE IRISH
Did Case Keenum get a seventh year of eligibility?
Maybe the most surprising signing day flip-flop came from receiver Deontay Greenberry from Fresno, Calif., who backed off of a long-standing verbal commitment to Notre Dame and signed with Houston.
"Out of left field," Farrell said.
Greenberry made a last visit to Houston, but was still considered a lock to end up in South Bend, Ind., as one of the top prizes of coach Brian Kelly's class. His cousin, cornerback Tee Shepherd, has already enrolled at Notre Dame.
Instead, Greenberry is off to Houston to play for new coach Tony Levine, whose Cougars will still use a pass-heavy offense even with Keenum out of eligibility.
____
LONGHORN'S LATE PITCH
Signing day at Texas tends to be pretty boring. Coach Mack Brown's classes are usually locked up airtight weeks, if not months, before letters of intent start setting off the fax machines.
This year, however, the Longhorns swooped in late to pick up linebacker Torshiro Davis, who is from Shreveport and had committed to LSU.
For the second straight year, Texas signed one of the most highly regarded running backs in the country, landing Johnathan Gray from Aledo, Texas, to go with last year's freshman sensations Joe Bergeron and the other Mack Brown.
___
COMMITTED, BUT NOT SIGNED
Quarterback Jameis Winston from Hueytown, Ala., said in an interview on ESPNU: "I'm a Nole."
But he also said he won't sign a letter of intent with Florida State until at least Friday. Winston seems intent on sticking with the Seminoles, but until it's official Jimbo Fisher will no doubt have to sweat it out.
Stanford has at least caught Winston's attention.
As for Florida State, Fisher signed a second consecutive class rated in the top 10 by the analysts ? which should only make Seminoles fans even more eager for their team's long-awaited return to national championship contention.
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STAYING HOME
Green-Beckham, born in St. Louis and adopted by a family from Springfield, Mo., made the hometown fans happy by signing with the Tigers.
At 6-foot-6 and 220 pounds, the receiver already looks like an NFL prototype, comparable to stars such as Calvin Johnson and Andre Johnson.
He whittled his choices down to Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri in January, and on Wednesday morning at Hillcrest High School he picked the Tigers.
"I felt like they've (Missouri) been there since Day One," Green-Beckham said.
Missouri first offered him a scholarship at the age of 15.
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RU SERIOUS? YES, RUTGERS
When Greg Schiano left for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week, the fear was that Rutgers would loss much of what was being touted as its best recruiting class ever.
In the end, new coach Kyle Flood and the rest of the staff kept it together.
Rutgers lost only one player that had previously committed and came away with a class that included most of the top players in New Jersey, a typically solid state for producing football players, though often those players don't go to Rutgers.
The cream of the crop was Darius Hamilton, a defensive end from Ramsey, N.J., and the son of former NFL player Keith Hamilton.
"This shows you how good a job the assistant coaches did because in the end Schiano didn't matter," Farrell said. "These kids wanted to play for Rutgers."
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QUICK HITS
Florida fans might be worried about some of the recruits that got away from the Gators, but coach Will Muschamp was able to secure a strong class that included Lakewood defensive end Dante Fowler, who switched his Florida State commitment to Florida on Wednesday. ... Stanford landed two of the best offensive tackles in the country, beating out USC for Kyle Murphy from San Clemente, Calif., and Nebraska for Andrus Peat from Tempe, Ariz. Peat's brother, Todd, plays for the Cornhuskers. ... California was headed toward a top-10, maybe top-five, class before defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi left the staff to join Steve Sarkisian at Washington. It helped the Huskies land blue-chip defensive back Shaq Thompson from Sacramento.
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Follow Ralph D. Russo at http://www.Twitter.com/ralphDrusso
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