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Source: www.mobiletor.com --- Saturday, December 31, 2011
A new accessory for iOS devices has made its debut in the form of the Skullcandy Kidrobot Mix Master headphones. Claiming to deliver cutting edge sound quality, the aural peripheral can be used with the iPhone and iPad. Audiophiles may be familiar with the name of renowned DJ Mix Master Mike who is the main [...] ...
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LONDON (Reuters) ? The British arm of News Corp has increased the legal fund it will use to settle civil litigation cases brought by victims of phone hacking to 100 million pounds ($155 million) from 20 million, the Independent newspaper reported Thursday.
Rupert Murdoch's News International has earmarked the money to settle several high-profile cases, with some settlements expected to be well over 1 million pounds apiece, said the newspaper, citing sources close to the situation.
A News International spokeswoman called the 100 million pound figure "purely speculative."
News International has settled legal claims by a number of high profile public figures but is still negotiating a host of further claims after it admitted hacking the phones of celebrities, politicians and victims of crime.
($1=0.6465 British pounds)
(Reporting by Rosalba O'Brien, Georgina Prodhan; Editing by David Holmes and Mike Nesbit)
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Tim O'Briant / The Standard via AP
Aiken, S.C., police investigated Dec. 20 after two officers were shot during a traffic stop. Master Officer Scotty Richardson, 33, died later.
By M. Alex Johnson, msnbc.com
For the second straight year, the number of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty rose sharply in 2011, according to statistics released Wednesday.
Preliminary data compiled by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund showed that 173 federal, state and local officers have been killed on the job so far this year, 13 percent more than the 153 who died in 2010 ? and 42 percent more than the 122 officers who were killed in 2009.
The memorial fund, a nonprofit group that runs the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, attributed the steep rise to "drastic budget cuts" that "have put our officers at grave risk."
Police "are facing a more cold-blooded criminal element and fighting a war on terror," but "we are cutting vital resources necessary to ensure their safety," said Craig Floyd, the fund's chairman.
The leading cause of death was gunfire, which has killed 68 officers this year, just one short of the decade-long high of 69 in 2007.
One of them was Scotty Richardson, 33, a master officer with the Aiken, S.C., police, who was buried Tuesday in a flag-draped coffin. Richardson died after he was shot in the head Dec. 20 during a nighttime traffic stop. His partner was also shot and survived, NBC station WAGT of Augusta, Ga., reported.
WAGT-TV: Life of Officer Scotty Richardson celebrated
Aiken Department of Public Safety
Aiken, S.C., Master Public Safety Officer Scotty Richardson
Police charged Stephon Carter, 19, with murder and attempted murder.
Aiken Public Safety Director Pete Frommer said Richardson held the title "master officer" because of his diligence and sheer hard work.
"He had an additional 1,460 hours of advanced training," Frommer said. "Everybody can't do that."
Aiken Mayor Fred Cavanaugh said the ceremony was first time in a long while that a tragedy of such magnitude had hit his community.
"We're going to move forward, and it's sad that this happened, and we never want it to happen again," Cavanaugh said.
This is the first time in 13 years that shootings outpaced traffic incidents as the leading cause of officers' deaths, the police fund reported, which Linda Moon Gregory, president of Concerns of Police Survivors, a nonprofit interest group, blamed on inadequate training and equipment.
"At a time when criminals have the latest technology and weapons, we must ensure that our peace officers are adequately equipped and protected," Gregory said in a statement.
The most officers were killed in large states,?such as?Texas and California, and states in the South, seven of which were in the top 13:
Read the full report
NBC station WAGT of Augusta, Ga., contributed to this report.
Follow M. Alex Johnson on Twitter and Facebook
More content from msnbc.com and NBC News:
Source: http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2011/12/28/9775223-police-deaths-rise-sharply-again
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Dear Lifehacker,
It seems like every time I go and buy something these days, the salesman asks me three times whether I'd like to buy an extended warranty. I always thought they were a ripoff, but I've had a few friends that say they were a godsend when their particular gadget broke down. Which is it? Should I be buying these warranties?
Sincerely,
Worrying About Warranties
Dear Worrying,
This is a pretty hotly contested topic, and while you'll hear different things from different people, most of us here at Lifehacker aren't big on extended warranties. There are, however, a few exceptions, so it's worth doing a bit of research beforehand to know what you're up against.
An "extended warranty" can mean a few different things. Generally, the things you buy come with their own warranty from the manufacturer. For most devices, this is usually around a year, though it can vary from device to device and from manufacturer to manufacturer (some TVs, for example, have a 90 day warranty while others have a year-long warranty). This usually only covers malfunctions and defects within that short period of time, to protect you from being stuck with a device that might have just been defective. It won't cover accidental damage, and it won't cover anything past that time.
Often, the extended warranties you're offered at places like Best Buy are not only longer, but offer other services, like home repair. They can also cover accidental damage which, if you're a klutz, could be worth it for things like mobile phones that are prone to being dropped, hurled, drowned, or otherwise damaged in other horrifying ways. For stationary devices, like TVs, it starts becoming less useful (unless you're prone to playing football in the living room). It's unlikely that your TV bulb isn't going to go out prematurely. If it lasts through that first year of the manufacturer's warranty, it'll probably last you until the natural end of its life (when the extended warranty would have expired anyways). Keep in mind, too, that you should never pay more than 20% of an item's price for the warranty?if it's more expensive than that and you want the extra protection, shop somewhere else.
Remember also that you can usually extend the base manufacturer warranty of a product by buying it with a major credit card. All American Express cards have an extended warranty benefit, while Visa Signature cards are privy to a Warranty Manager program and MasterCard offers extended warranties to holders of Platinum, World, and some other cards. This won't get you accidental damage coverage and it won't get you as good of service as someone like Best Buy could theoretically offer, but it can be great for piece of mind.
The real question here is whether your device is likely to break after the initial warranty expires. Keep in mind that these friends of yours that got saved by warranties are likely in the minority. Most of us with gadgets that work "just fine" don't go shouting from the rooftops about how nothing has ever gone wrong with every gadget we've ever owned, while your friend is likely to tell you the story of his 3-time dead Wi-Fi card. However, things do happen, and some products fail more than others. Consumer Reports goes through products every year and lists the types of products most likely to fail within the first three years (when that extended warranty would come in handy). Some of their recent data, courtesy of WSFA in Alabama, shows the following products are at the top of the list:
That said, an even better idea is to avoid the brands known to fail more often. When you're buying a new gadget, do a bit of research not just on its products, but on its reliability and service reputation. PC World, for example, does a great reliability survey every year that covers all sorts of technology, from phones to TVs to cameras, and they'll tell you which brands are more likely to fail or give you bad service.
Lastly, remember that newer technology is a bit more on the "iffy" side. Many tech companies like Apple have a reputation for buggy first generation products. Similarly, if the TV you want contains revolutionary new technology (like 3D), you might be better off getting an extended warranty since there isn't yet enough data about failure rates. Or, of course, you could just wait until the next generation or two. With more reliable products, it's less likely you'd ever need a warranty (or the hassle of taking it in for repairs) in the first place.
We've talked about this a few times on Lifehacker, but it bears repeating: statistics are in your favor. For all the tech you buy, chances are most of it is going to live out its life just fine, and if you were to buy an extended warranty on every item, you'd waste a lot of money. Instead, set up your own extended warranty fund. Whenever you're asked to purchase an extended warranty, ask how much it is and save that money away in your own personal warranty fund. If and when something does break, you'll have money from all the extended warranties you didn't buy that you can use to repair or replace it. And if it doesn't break, then you're just a bit richer than you were before.
In the end, the fact of the matter is that when you crunch the numbers, extended warranties are more for piece of mind and profits for those retailers than anything else. If you have a ton of disposable income and you want to feel more at ease, then go for it?but if you shop smart, there's no reason you should ever need to spend that kind of money on something you might not use.
Sincerely,
Lifehacker
P.S. Of course, this is just our general opinion, and we've had good and bad experiences alike with extended warranties. Feel free to share your thoughts and experiences with us in the comments below.
Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/lifehacker/full/~3/EPLbUOcqdMI/are-extended-warranties-worth-it
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nytimes.com:
Mr. Obama, in general, does not go out of his way to play the glad-handing, ego-stroking presidential role. While he does sometimes offer a ride on Air Force One to a senator or member of Congress, more often than not, he keeps Congress and official Washington at arm's length, spending his down time with a small -- and shrinking -- inner circle of aides and old friends.
Read the whole story: nytimes.com
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FOX 2 News
Source: http://twitter.com/FOX2News/statuses/152229984717635584
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U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., announces his retirement from the U.S. Senate, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011 outside of his home in Omaha, Neb. Nelson said he will retire rather than seek a third term next year, dealing a significant setback to Democratic efforts to maintain control of the chamber. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., announces his retirement from the U.S. Senate, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011 outside of his home in Omaha, Neb. Nelson said he will retire rather than seek a third term next year, dealing a significant setback to Democratic efforts to maintain control of the chamber. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
U.S. Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb., announces his retirement from the U.S. Senate, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2011, outside of his home in Omaha, Neb. Nelson said he will retire rather than seek a third term next year, dealing a significant setback to Democratic efforts to maintain control of the chamber. (AP Photo/Dave Weaver)
FILE - In this file Feb. 11, 2009 file photo, Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb. talks to reporters on Capitol Hill in Washington. Sources say Nelson will retire. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File)
FILE - In this April 26, 2010 file photo, Sen. Ben Nelson, D-Neb. leaves the Senate floor on Capitol Hill in Washington. Sources say Nelson will retire. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, File)
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) ? Democratic Sen. Ben Nelson survived nearly two decades representing heavily Republican Nebraska by carving a path down the political center. But faced with navigating that road in an increasingly polarizing climate, Nelson is stepping away ? and swinging the door wide open for the GOP.
Nelson, the lone Democrat in Nebraska's five-member congressional delegation, announced Tuesday that he wouldn't seek a third term. He was facing a tough campaign against several Republicans who've spent the past several months attacking his support for President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and federal stimulus legislation.
"Who can blame him given the current political mood of the country?" said former state Democratic Party Chairman Steve Achelpohl.
Other Democrats lamented Nelson's decision to retire, fearing it sets up the GOP for an easy victory next year. Republicans need to net just four seats to reclaim control of the Senate, and Nebraska looks to be an easy pickup.
There are no Democrats in line to take Nelson's place in the increasingly conservative state. He joins several other Democrats to retire from the Senate, including Virginia's Jim Webb and North Dakota's Kent Conrad.
After months of speculation that he would leave office, the 70-year-old conservative Democrat told supporters in an emailed statement that he felt it was time he "step away from elective office, spend more time with my family, and look for new ways to serve our state and nation."
"Therefore, I am announcing today that I will not seek re-election," he said. "Simply put: It is time to move on."
The former two-term governor thrived in Nebraska politics partly because he was willing to support Republican ideas when he believed they were in the state's best interests, Achelpohl said.
"Nebraskans are generally independent thinkers, and he was certainly an independent thinker," Achelpohl said. "He just had his finger right on the pulse of the predominant political thinking right in our state and nationally."
Democrats banking on Nelson's ability to leverage those centrist stances and capture statewide races were left scrambling, and many state activists acknowledged being taken by surprise.
While some floated the names of state Sen. Steve Lathrop of Omaha and Nelson's former lieutenant governor, Kim Robak, as possible contenders, many said it was too early to know who might run. Messages seeking comment were left for Lathrop and Robak.
A dream candidate for Democrats: former Nebraska Sen. Bob Kerrey. Traveling in India on Tuesday, Kerrey told The Washington Post, "Ben's retirement is a huge loss for Nebraska. I am very sad he's leaving. That is as far as I am going (right now)."
Democrats acknowledged the party will face a steep uphill fight to hold on to Nelson's seat, but pointed to a crowded GOP primary field with no obvious front-runner. The ticket includes Nebraska Attorney General Jon Bruning, state Treasurer Don Stenberg, state Sen. Deb Fischer, and investment adviser Pat Flynn.
"This virtually guarantees a Republican victory in 2012," said University of Nebraska Lincoln political scientist Mike Wagner. "There's almost no scenario in which a Democrat can win ? especially at this late stage."
National Republican party leaders also have encouraged Gov. Dave Heineman to join the race, but Heineman has said it would take a lot to persuade him.
The Senate's Democratic campaign chairman, Sen. Patty Murray of Washington, said she expected that Republicans would "have their hands full with a very divisive primary in the state, which will provide an opportunity for Democrats to remain competitive."
State Sen. Heath Mello, an Omaha Democrat who worked as an aide to Nelson, said he feared Nelson's retirement would inject more partisan politics into an already heated race.
"That is not the way Nebraskans have chosen their senators in the past," Mello said. "We've always elected independent-minded people to represent Nebraska's interests, ahead of the political parties."
Nelson has recently expressed dismay about a divided Congress' inability to pass meaningful legislation, frustration that echoed in his statement Tuesday.
"I encourage those who will follow in my footsteps to look for common ground and to work together in bipartisan ways to do what's best for the country, not just one political party," he said.
Even as Nelson wavered about a re-election bid, he piled up campaign cash, hired a campaign manager and watched his party spend more than $1 million on ads supporting him. The preparation left him with more than $3 million campaign cash on hand last month, about twice his nearest competitor.
The Democrats' Majority PAC alone spent more than $406,000 on media buys and production costs for Nelson's expected re-election campaign in seven separate expenditures between Sept. 9 and Dec. 9.
"I'm absolutely stunned," Kathleen Fahey, a Democratic super-delegate in 2008, said of Nelson's announcement. "Ben has been such a great senator for everybody. I'm not liking this."
Nelson first was elected to the Senate in 2000, defeating Stenberg, a Republican and currently the state treasurer, to replace the retired Kerrey. Nelson positioned himself as a centrist supporting both Democratic and Republican legislation.
He was among only two Senate Democrats to support a failed GOP bid to block new federal controls on power plant pollution that blows downwind into other states earlier this year, and he took great pride in his membership in the 2005 "Gang of 14," made up of Republicans and Democrats who brokered a deal to avoid a filibuster showdown over President George W. Bush's judicial nominees.
However, Nelson's vote in favor of Obama's signature health reform legislation left the GOP confident that they could beat him next year. The health reforms are strongly opposed by many Nebraska conservatives, and after the vote Nebraska Republicans immediately kicked off a "Give Ben the Boot" campaign.
Nelson also was one of five Democratic senators targeted by a national conservative group with ties to GOP strategist Karl Rove. The group, Crossroads GPS, spent $1.6 million on ads attacking Nelson as well as Sens. Bill Nelson of Florida, Clair McCaskill of Missouri, Jon Tester of Montana and Sherrod Brown of Ohio ? all considered top targets by national Republicans in 2012.
"For once Senator Nelson has listened to Nebraskans," Nebraska Republican Party Chairman Mark Fahleson said Tuesday. "The Nebraska Republican Party is more focused than ever on electing another conservative Republican to join Sen. Mike Johanns and recapturing the U.S. Senate so that we can reverse the damage done by Ben Nelson, Washington Democrats and the Obama Administration."
Nelson upset incumbent Nebraska Gov. Kay Orr in 1990 to earn his first statewide office and was re-elected governor in 1994 by a landslide. In 1996, he reneged on a campaign pledge that he wouldn't seek higher office while governor and announced his candidacy for the Senate seat vacated by the retiring Sen. Jim Exon.
Omaha millionaire businessman Chuck Hagel soundly defeated Nelson in that Senate race, but the two later served as colleagues when Nelson was elected in 2000.
Bruning on Tuesday wished Nelson well and praised him as "a dedicated public servant of the state of Nebraska for over two decades," while Fischer expressed confidence the GOP would now claim the seat.
"I think we have a strong group of Republicans, and I happen to believe the seat will go to a Republican," she said.
Stenberg thanked Nelson for his service, but said Nebraskans need "a genuine, lifelong conservative."
___
Associated Press writer Larry Margasak in Washington and Grant Schulte in Lincoln, Neb., contributed to this report.
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By the CNN Wire Staff
December 27, 2011 -- Updated 0039 GMT (0839 HKT)
Seven found dead in Texas apartment
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Dallas (CNN) -- Autopsies were being conducted Monday on seven family members who were fatally shot by a man dressed as Santa Claus at a Christmas gathering, police said.
"The information we have is that this is a family, some of them related by marriage but mostly by blood," Grapevine, Texas, police Sgt. Robert Eberling said Monday. "They have lived in other areas in the (Dallas) metroplex and they came yesterday for a Christmas gathering."
Authorities said the shooter "was one of the individuals inside the apartment that was also deceased," Eberling said. "We know he is a family member ... we are working to find out why exactly this took place. We contacted other family members to piece this together."
The shooter is believed to have been related to the family by marriage, he said. Officers were investigating whether divorce was an aspect of the shooting, he said.
The identities of the victims were expected to be released Tuesday, along with autopsy results, Eberling said.
Police said the group apparently had just finished opening their gifts when the shootings occurred in the living room of the apartment in Grapevine, about 25 miles northwest of Dallas.
Authorities responded to the address Sunday after receiving a 911 call from the apartment, but hearing only an open line, police said in a statement.
The seven bodies -- four female adults and three adult males -- were found when officers entered the apartment. "All victims appear to have gunshot wounds," said the statement.
The victims range in age from 15 to 58 or 59 years old, Eberling said Monday.
"The biggest thing we want to stress is we don't believe this person had barged his way in," Eberling said. "It appears they had all gathered in the living room for your garden-variety Christmas celebration."
CNN's Carma Hassan, Chuck Johnston, and Nick Valencia contributed to this report.
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/rss/edition_us/~3/6qSePKihW88/index.html
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DES MOINES, Iowa ? An Iowa caucus campaign that has cycled through several Republican presidential front-runners entered its final week Monday, as unpredictable as the day conservatives began competing to emerge as Mitt Romney's chief rival.
Romney, the former Massachusetts governor, released a new television commercial for the state in which he cited a "moral imperative for America to stop spending more money than we take in. It's killing jobs," he said.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry countered with an advertisement that said four of his rivals combined ? none of them Romney ? have served 63 years in Congress, "leaving us with debt, earmarks and bailouts."
Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who has invested more time in Iowa than any other contender, countered that "most Americans now believe that a little bit of experience going into a job like president is probably a good thing."
Santorum was the only presidential candidate in the state during the day.
That changes Tuesday, with bus tours planned by Perry, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich and Minnesota Rep. Michele Bachmann, all eager to energize their existing supporters and attract new ones.
Texas Rep. Ron Paul arrives Wednesday. Recent polls suggest he is peaking as caucus day approaches, a rise that has him tied with Romney or even ahead, and drawing more scrutiny for his views.
The result figures to be a short but intense stretch of campaigning through small towns and even smaller towns, the sort of one-on-one politicking that has largely vanished in the electronic age.
Failing that, it will pay tribute to the types of cuisine that prosper in early 21st century America.
The Perry bus will belly up to Doughy Joey's in Waterloo and to the Fainting Goat in Waverly, an establishment whose website says "After 10 p.m., we are the type of place your mothers warned you about." Perry also will visit a vineyard and winery in Carroll.
Bachmann will make an early-winter stop at a Dairy Queen, as well as Pizza Ranch establishments in Harlan, Red Oak and Atlantic, three localities with a combined population of 17,282.
It's not all about the food, though.
Perry has a stop arranged at the Glenn Miller Museum in Clarinda, population 5,301, where the great bandleader was born.
The Texas governor also has a distinction that none of his rivals can boast, a town that shares his name. Thus, Perry will visit Perry.
There were signs of strategic shifts as candidates struggled to stand out in advance of the straw poll next week that inaugurates the round of primaries and caucuses that will pick a nominee to oppose President Barack Obama next fall.
Perry's new ad shows images of Gingrich, Paul, Santorum and Bachmann as it criticizes Congress and renews the governor's call for halving lawmakers' pay and time spent in Washington.
Despite the commercial's implication, Gingrich and Santorum were out of Congress when the multibillion-dollar financial bailouts of 2008 occurred. Paul and Bachmann voted against the legislation.
Still, the approach taken suggests the Texas governor is more concerned with outpacing Paul, Bachmann, Santorum and Gingrich on caucus night that he is in defeating Romney.
The former Massachusetts governor, making his second try for the White House, has a well-funded and well-organized campaign nationally and in Iowa, as well as allies who are spending heavily on television advertisements through an independent organization known as a super PAC.
While others have periodically risen to challenge him, Romney has kept his support from seriously eroding in the polls, consistently remaining near the top.
A victory in Iowa does not necessarily translate into the Republican presidential nomination. Yet history suggests that contenders who finish farthest behind next week will quickly drop out, underscoring the significance of the struggle to emerge as Romney's chief rival.
The most recent presidential hopeful to surge and then falter is Gingrich. The former House speaker's campaign imploded last summer and still shows the after-effects: a shortage of funds to counter attack ads in Iowa, and failure to qualify for the primary in Virginia in March.
After insisting he would run a purely positive campaign, Gingrich let it be known he was about to attack Romney on one of his presumed areas of strength, his economic proposals.
R.C. Hammond, a spokesman for Gingrich, said the candidate would make the case that Romney has advanced "very timid ideas that will do little to get people back to work."
Gingrich favors an end to taxes on investment income and dividends, while Romney wants to end them only for individuals with incomes of $200,000 or less.
Gingrich also has proposed an optional 15 percent flat tax on income. Under the plan, taxpayers could stay in the current system, which has a top tax rate of 35 percent on taxable income above $379,150, or switch to the new flat rate, which would apply to income at all levels.
Romney favors retaining the current graduated income tax system, with lower rates than currently exist.
Gingrich is at least the fourth front-runner to falter since the campaign began in earnest in Iowa earlier this year.
Bachmann, who won a straw poll at the Iowa State Fair last summer, was briefly atop polls in the state. So, too Herman Cain, who subsequently suspended his campaign after a woman claimed she and Cain had a long-term extramarital affair.
Perry also soared to the top of the surveys when he entered the race last summer, then fell after a string of subpar debate performances.
Santorum has yet to experience the type of sudden surge that others in the race enjoyed but has doggedly campaigned in all 99 of the state's counties in hopes of rallying social conservatives to his side.
___
Associated Press writer Philip Elliott contributed to this report.
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Did we uncover your gifts this Christmas/Hanukkah/Kwanzaa/Festivus to find that you?re a unapproachable new owners of an Android? If so, acquire to a universe of Google-powered smartphones.
Millions of others around a creation possess phones using Google?s Android handling system, opposite dozens of inclination with varying shade sizes and specs. These phones competence be from one of some-more than a dozen hardware makers, using on only about each wireless network out there.
Given
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Matthew McConaughey brought some serious holiday cheer via his WhoSay account yesterday, announcing his engagement with longtime girlfriend, Camila Alves.
MORE: Matthew McConaughey Strips Down for Esquire
"Just asked Camila to marry me," wrote Matthew as a caption to a snapshot of the couple kissing near a Christmas tree. "Merry Christmas."
Matthew, 42, and Camila, 28, first met in 2006, they didn't confirm their relationship until the following year.
The couple already has a head start on beginning a family as they have two children together -- Levi, 3, and Vida, 1.
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PESHAWAR, Pakistan ? A Pakistani Taliban suicide bomber rammed a car filled with explosives into a paramilitary camp in northwestern Pakistan on Saturday, killing six soldiers in the second attack in as many days meant to avenge the killing of senior commander in a U.S. drone strike.
The blast caused a part of a building to collapse inside the Frontier Corps camp, which was located in Bannu town in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, said local police officer Tahir Khan. At least 19 soldiers were wounded in the attack, and rescue workers were searching for additional casualties, he said.
A Pakistani Taliban spokesman, Ehsanullah Ehsan, claimed responsibility for the attack in a phone call to The Associated Press. He said it was meant to avenge the death of commander Taj Gul in a U.S. drone strike in October in the South Waziristan tribal area, a key sanctuary for the militants.
Gul was the Pakistani Taliban's operational commander in South Waziristan and was responsible for many attacks against security forces.
Around three dozen Pakistani Taliban fighters armed with assault rifles attacked a paramilitary camp in Tank district near South Waziristan before dawn Friday, killing one soldier and kidnapping 15 others.
Ehsan, the Taliban spokesman, said Friday that attack was also meant to avenge Gul's death. The militants targeted the soldiers because of Pakistan's alliance with the United States, he said.
Ehsan pledged they would kill the kidnapped troops, saying "we are going to cut these soldiers into pieces one by one, and we will send these pieces to their commanders."
The Pakistani Taliban has waged a fierce insurgency in Pakistan over the past four years, killing tens of thousands of security personnel and civilians. Their aim is to topple the civilian government, partly because of its alliance with the U.S., and impose Islamic law throughout the country.
Pakistan has launched a series of military offensives against the Pakistani Taliban in the northwest along the Afghan border, including in South Waziristan.
Analysts say the operations, combined with hundreds of U.S. drone attacks, have contributed to a significant decline in violence in Pakistan this year.
The number of people killed in suicide attacks in Pakistan in the first 11 months of 2011 dropped almost 40 percent compared to the same period last year, according to data compiled by the Pak Institute for Peace Studies. Deaths from all attacks by Islamist militants fell nearly 20 percent.
But violence still takes a large human toll in the country in near daily attacks. More than 2,300 people were killed in militant attacks in Pakistan through November, according to the institute.
____
Mahsud reported from Dera Ismail Khan, Pakistan.
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For Immediate Release
Chicago, IL ? December 20, 2011 ? Zacks.com announces the list of stocks featured in the Analyst Blog. Every day the Zacks Equity Research analysts discuss the latest news and events impacting stocks and the financial markets. Stocks recently featured in the blog include Verizon Communications ( VZ), Apple Inc. (AAPL), Comcast (CMCSA), Sprint Nextel Corp. ( S) and AT&T Inc. ( T).
Get the most recent insight from Zacks Equity Research with the free Profit from the Pros newsletter: http://at.zacks.com/?id=5513
Here are highlights from Monday?s Analyst Blog:
Verizon, Cox in Spectrum Deal
The largest U.S. mobile services provider Verizon Communications ( VZ) plans to buy radio-spectrum licenses from the privately held cable operator Cox Communications Inc. The deal is awaiting approval from the Federal Communications Commission.
Verizon is progressing fast to acquire more spectrum licenses in order to support its video content and other data services in the rapidly growing smartphone market. The demand for Apple Inc.?s (AAPL) iPhone 4 and 4S is also gaining traction.
We believe the purchase of new spectrum will boost Verizon?s capacity to offer services at a much higher speed, thereby driving data revenues. Verizon would acquire the 20 MHz Advanced Wireless Service (AWS) licenses covering 28 million Americans in cities including Boston, New Orleans, Jacksonville, Florida, Phoenix, San Diego and Las Vegas for $315 million.
Verizon and Cox would be able to market and sell each other?s residential and commercial products and services, thereby solidifying their respective competitive positions in the telecom sector.
The transaction is similar to the agreement Verizon announced earlier in the month. The company agreed to purchase wireless spectrum from a group of cable companies, including Comcast (CMCSA) and Bright House Networks. The deal would entail Verizon to acquire 122 radio (or AWS) spectrum licenses covering 259 million Americans for $3.6 billion.
This shows Verizon?s keenness to acquire new spectrums to strengthen its competitive position against Sprint Nextel Corp. ( S), which is a turnaround story, and AT&T Inc. ( T), which is already battling its proposed T-Mobile merger. The purchase of excess airwaves might force AT&T to seal its ambitious takeover of T-Mobile.
We believe the spectrum deals would be accretive to Verizon in the long term. But it might pressure the balance sheet in the short term by reducing cash balances and increasing capital expenditures.
Last month, Cox announced it would not sell its wireless service effective April 2012. Hence, the transaction will benefit its customers and enhance its mobility, particularly in accessing Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network and wireless devices. Cox could use its own brand name to sell Verizon?s products.
We are maintaining our long-term Neutral recommendation on Verizon. The stock retains a Zacks #3 (Hold) Rank for the short term (1?3 months).
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MANILA, Philippines ? Pounding rain from a tropical storm swelled rivers and sent walls of water rushing through the southern Philippines while people were asleep, killing more than 200 with scores missing, officials said Saturday.
Some of the dead were swept out to sea from the worst-hit coastal cities of Cagayan de Oro and Iligan in the Mindanao region, which is unaccustomed to the typhoons that are common elsewhere in the archipelago nation.
Cagayan de Oro city councilor Alvin Bacal said 107 people had died in the flooding in his city alone, citing military figures.
In Iligan, 79 bodies were recovered in the city after more than 12 hours of continuous rain from Tropical Storm Washi overflowed a river and sent muddy floodwaters cascading from nearby mountains, Mayor Lawrence Cruz said. About 250 people are unaccounted for in Iligan, said military spokesman Lt. Col. Randolph Cabangbang.
A man in Cagayan de Oro said he heard a cry for help around 10 p.m. while the floodwaters were still low.
"Suddenly, there was a very strong rush of water," the man, who was not identified, told a local TV station.
Ayi Hernandez, a former congressman, said he and his family were resting in their home late Friday when they heard a loud "swooshing sound" and water quickly rose ankle deep inside his home. He decided to evacuate to a neighbor's two-story house.
"It was a good thing because in less than an hour the water rose to about 11 feet (3.3 meters)," the height of the ceiling of his house, he said.
Civil defense administrator Benito Ramos said 18 drowned in floodwaters in central Negros Oriental province, whose southern tip was nipped by the eye of the storm later Saturday.
The floodwaters were waist-high in some neighborhoods that do not usually experience flooding. Scores of residents escaped the floods by climbing onto the roofs of their homes, Cruz said.
Those missing included prominent radio broadcaster Enie Alsonado, who was swept away while trying to save his neighbors, Cruz said.
Rep. Rufus Rodriguez of Cagayan de Oro said that about 20,000 residents of the city had been affected and that evacuees were packed in temporary shelters.
Television footage showed muddy water rushing in the streets, sweeping away all sorts of debris. Thick layers of mud coated streets where the waters had subsided. One car was shown to have been carried over a concrete fence.
Authorities recovered bodies from the mud after the water subsided. Parts of concrete walls and roofs, toppled vehicles and other debris littered the muddy streets.
Rescuers in boats rushed offshore to save people swept out to sea by the raging floodwaters. In Misamis Oriental province, 60 people were plucked from the ocean off El Salvador city, about 6 miles (10 kilometers) northwest of Cagayan de Oro, said disaster official Teddy Sabuga-a.
About 120 more were rescued off Opol township, closer to the city, he added.
He said an island in the middle of the Cagayan de Oro river was inundated, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or people missing.
Cruz said the coast guard and other rescuers were scouring the waters off his coastal city for survivors or bodies that may have been swept to the sea.
An 80-year-old woman drowned after being trapped in the first floor of her flooded home in Zamboanga del Norte province. A 30-year-old man and a 10-year-old boy also drowned, said provincial disaster officer Dennis Tenorio.
Washi, the 19th storm to hit the Philippines this year, came ashore in eastern Mindanao and blanketed the region with thick rain clouds 250 miles (400 kilometers) in diameter.
It quickly cut across the region overnight and was over the Sulu Sea by midmorning Saturday. It was then headed for Palawan province southwest of Manila and was expected to cross the narrow province before dawn Sunday, said forecaster Leny Ruiz.
Ruiz said the weather bureau's records show that storms that follow Washi's track come only once in about 12 years.
Lucilo Bayron, vice mayor of Puerto Princesa in Palawan, told ABS-CBN television he has already mobilized emergency crews but local officials have not ordered an evacuation "because it's not raining and the weather is still fine here."
Ramos, a former army general, said by law two army divisions ? about 20,000 men ? in Mindanao and part of the central Philippines are supposed to help with rescue and relief work, backed up by hundreds of local police, reservists, coast guard officers and civilian volunteers. However, he could not give an estimate of how many are actually involved.
Col. Leopoldo Galon, military spokesman for the eastern section of Mindanao, said 420 soldiers have been assigned for disaster duties. There was no immediate comment from the western Mindanao military spokesman.
Ramos said the high casualties in Mindanao could be attributed "partly to the complacency of people because they are not in the usual path of storms" despite four days of warnings by officials of an approaching storm.
He also said heavy rains fell on nearby Bukidnon province's vast pineapple plantations, which sit on a plateau that drains rainfall through a river system that runs through Cagayan de Oro. Mountains near Iligan were denuded, also causing the flash floods and mud flows that swamped the city, he said.
Storms and typhoons that normally pass through the northern and central Philippines are pushed farther south of the country by cold winds during the northern hemisphere's winter season late in the year.
Back-to-back typhoons in September left more than 100 people dead in the northern Philippines.
____
Associated Press writer Hrvoje Hranjski contributed to this report.
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GREENSBORO, N.C. ? As the last U.S. troops withdrew from Iraq on Sunday, friends and family of the first and last American fighters killed in combat were cherishing their memories rather than dwelling on whether the war and their sacrifice was worth it.
Nearly 4,500 American fighters died before the last U.S. troops crossed the border into Kuwait. David Hickman, 23, of Greensboro was the last of those war casualties, killed in November by the kind of improvised bomb that was a signature weapon of this war.
"David Emanuel Hickman. Doesn't that name just bring out a smile to your face?" said Logan Trainum, one of Hickman's closest friends, at the funeral where the soldier was laid to rest after a ceremony in a Greensboro church packed with friends and family.
Trainum says he's not spending time asking why Hickman died: "There aren't enough facts available for me to have a defined opinion about things. I'm just sad, and pray that my best friend didn't lay down his life for nothing."
He'd rather remember who Hickman was: A cutup who liked to joke around with friends. A physical fitness fanatic who half-kiddingly called himself "Zeus" because he had a body that would make the gods jealous. A ferocious outside linebacker at Northeast Guilford High School who was the linchpin of a defense so complicated they had to scrap it after he graduated because no other teenager could figure it out.
Hickman was these things and more, a whole life scarcely glimpsed in the terse language of a Defense Department news release last month. Three paragraphs said Hickman died in Baghdad on Nov. 14, "of injuries suffered after encountering an improvised explosive device."
He was more, too, than the man who bears the symbolic freight of being the last member of the U.S. military to die in a war launched in the political shadow of 9/11, which brought thousands of his fellow citizens out into the streets to oppose and support it. Eventually, the war largely faded from the public's thoughts.
"There's a lot of people, in my family included, they don't know what's going on in this world," said Wes Needham, who coached linebackers at Northeast when David was a student. "They're oblivious to it. I just sit and think about it, the courage that it takes to do what they do, especially when they're all David's age."
And they were mostly young. According to an Associated Press analysis of casualty data, the average age of Americans who died in Iraq was 26. Nearly 1,300 were 22 or younger, but middle-aged people fought and died as well: some 511 were older than 35.
"I've trained a lot of kids. They go to college and you kind of lose track of them and forget them," said Mike King of Greensboro Black Belt Academy, where Hickman trained in taekwondo for about eight years. "He was never like that. That smile and that laugh immediately come to mind."
The pain is fresh for people who knew Hickman. But the years have not eased the anguish of those who lost loved ones in the war's earliest days, when funerals were broadcast live on local television, before the country became numb to the casualty count.
Vicky Langley's son, Marine Pvt. Jonathan Lee Gifford, was killed just two days into the war. More than eight years later she sits in her Decatur, Ill. home, surrounded by photographs of him and even a couple of paintings of him in his dress uniform that total strangers created and sent her.
She said she doesn't concern herself with thoughts about the cost of the war and whether it was worth the life of her son and all the others who died.
"Only the Iraqi people can answer that," she said.
She thinks of her son constantly. She recalls the first day of kindergarten and how she came home and "turned on every appliance I could (because) it was just so quiet without him." She remembers how as a young man he would call her, without fail, when the first snow of the year started to fall. She still hears the knock at her door at 11 at night, and the chaplain telling her that her 30-year-old son had been killed in Iraq.
And she sees him in the 4-year-old daughter he left behind, who is now 12. Lexie Gifford's thin frame and face are miniature versions of her father's, her smile a replica of his. She has the same slow, I'll-get-there-when-I-get-there walk. For a reason nobody understands, a while back started popping frozen French fries in her mouth just like her dad used to do.
As the last troops prepared to leave Iraq, Langley was getting ready.
"I'll probably sit and cry," said Langley, 58. "I'll be happy for the ones you can be happy for and sad for the ones you are sad for."
Langley's life has been one catastrophe after another since her son died. The next year her husband died. Then months later, doctors told her the reason she was feeling poorly was that her kidneys had shut down. That was followed by a fall and a broken back. Today, as she waits for her name to come up on a list for a kidney transplant, she gets around the house she shares with her mother in a motorized scooter.
The one thing she doesn't have, she said, is guilt. Though she talked her son out of enlisting in the military a couple times over the years, the reasons began and ended with concerns about the safety for her only child.
But after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, she knew there would be no talking him out of enlisting. Besides, she said, "If I was young enough I would have gone in, too."
Even though the country's mood was much different in 2009 when Hickman joined the Army, he had no doubts about his decision, Trainum said.
"When I talked with him on the phone a week before, he wasn't unhappy about where he was or regretting being there at all," Trainum said. "It was just going to work for him, and he was looking forward to getting his work done and getting home."
Hickman, Gifford and the others left behind parents and spouses and children like Lexie, whose memories of her Marine father are what one might expect of a girl who was four when she last saw him.
"He popped out of a Christmas box," she said, of the Christmas just before Gifford was deployed, when he hid inside a large box to surprise his daughter. "He was tall. He had brown hair. He was nice."
The losses linger for people who saw the flag-draped coffins come home.
"I used to watch all the war stories on TV, you know," said Needham, Hickman's old coach. "But since this happened to David, I can't watch that stuff anymore. I just think: That's how he died."
______
Associated Press news researcher Monika Mathur contributed to this report. Babwin reported from Decatur, Ill.
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PSA: Verizon's Galaxy Nexus getting Android 4.0.2 update today originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Dec 2011 12:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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[brightcove video="1328123455001" /]
After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Columbia University architecture students Anna Stork and Andrea Sreshta got an assignment to create something that might be helpful in aiding the stricken country. They tore up inflatable toys, melted plastic and experimented with solar power. What they came up with was not an emergency structure, but a solar-powered inflatable light. The LED light, which charges in the day for use at night, folds to the size of a wallet and weighs less than an iPhone.
[More from Mashable: 13 Tech Companies and Products That Went Under in 2011]
When inflated, the bag diffuses the tiny lightbulb to create an orb that glows brightly. It also makes the contraption both waterproof and able to float.
"It was the smallest and quickest thing that we developed throughout our semester," Sreshta says.
[More from Mashable: The Story Behind the Wireless Music System 10 Years in the Making]
"It was just that nobody had thought of putting LED with inflatable before," adds Stork. "But it makes so much sense."
The emergency lightsources shipped to Haiti after the earthquake were mostly heavy solar powered flashlights. Because the lightweight LuminAID alternative keeps shipping and customs expenses low, it would have been a more practical solution.
Stork and Sreshta are hoping that their product will be used in future disaster relief situations.
In a recent IndieGoGo campaign, they raised more than $50,000 to help push production of the gadget forward. For every $25 contributor, they're sending one light to the investor and another to be distributed through the Root Alliance to rural schools, homes and small-business owners in India. More than 1,000 people contributed $25 or more.
It also happens that LuminAID -- lightweight, waterproof and likely to be sold for less than $10 -- makes for excellent camping equipment. So even if you're not involved in disaster relief, you'll be able to order one from the LuminAID website sometime between January and February.
Sreshta demonstrates how the light works in the video above. What do you think of their invention? Let us know in the comments.
This story originally published on Mashable here.
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New Zealand concert creates devastation unseen since The Scorpions rocked them like a hurricane
Don't be alarmed if you feel the ground shaking ? that may just be a rock?concert in progress. Two different seismic stations in Auckland, New Zealand measured ground tremors consistent with?volcanic activity that actually originated from a?Foo Fighters concert a mile away.
It is believed the vibrations were caused not by the Foo Fighters' music, but by the continued force of the estimated 50,000 attendees dancing and jumping. The vibrations were first picked up when the Foo Fighters' opening act,?Tenacious D, hit the stage, but didn't peak until the headliners played.?There were brief lulls in geologic activity in between?songs and sets.?The geological-level shaking ceased sometime around 11PM, when the concert ended.
Certainly, ground tremors are no laughing matter for New Zealand???the country was devastated earlier this year when an?earthquake hit Christchurch. And Japan suffered an earthquake so severe this year that it?shifted the Earth's gravitational field. Thankfully, in terms of real destruction, the only ones who suffered from this concert were the ones in attendance who actually had to sit through an entire Foo Fighters concert (kidding, of course!).
[Image credit:?NRK P3]
Geonet via?Geekosystem
This article was written by Fox Van Allen and originally appeared on Tecca
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The Daily App Deals post is a round-up of the best app discounts of the day, as well as some notable mentions for ones that are on sale.
FlightTrack (Android Market) Previously $4.99, now 10?. FlightTrack for Android gives you the ability to track your flight information worldwide. Get real-time departure information, cancellation updates, delay notices, and gate information along with zoomable maps. Get it for 10?.
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I don't plan to grow old gracefully. I plan to have face-lifts until my ears meet. Rita Rudner
We could certainly slow the aging process down if it had to work its way through Congress. Will Rogers
The only reason I would take up jogging is so that I could hear heavy breathing again. Erma Bombeck
Regular naps prevent old age, especially if you take them while driving. Author Unknown
An archaeologist is the best husband a woman can have. The older she gets the more interested he is in her. Agatha Christie
Old age is when you resent the swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated because there are fewer articles to read. George Burns
I don't want to achieve immortality through my work...I want to achieve it through not dying. Woody Allen
I've learned that life is like a roll of toilet paper. The closer it gets to the end, the faster it goes. Andy Rooney
When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of algebra. Will Rogers
I'm at an age when my back goes out more than I do. Phyllis Diller
There is only one cure for gray hair. It was invented by a Frenchman. It is called the guillotine. P.G. Wodehouse
My grandmother was a very tough woman. She buried three husbands and two of them were just napping. Rita Rudner
At my age, flowers scare me. George Burns
I'm at the age where food has taken the place of sex in my life. In fact, I've just had a mirror put over my kitchen table. Rodney Dangerfield
A stockbroker urged me to buy a stock that would triple its value every year. I told him, '"At my age, I don't even buy green bananas." Claude Pepper
You know you're getting old when the candles cost more than the cake.
Bob Hope
He's so old that when he orders a three-minute egg, they ask for the money up front. George Burns
Whatever you may look like, marry a man your own age -- as your beauty fades, so will his eyesight. Phyllis Diller
So far, this is the oldest I've been. George Carlin
By the time a man is wise enough to watch his step, he's too old to go anywhere. Billy Crystal
How young can you die of old age? Steven Wright
As a graduate of the Zsa Zsa Gabor School of Creative mathematics, I honestly do not know how old I am. Erma Bombeck
Looking 50 is great if you're 60. Joan Rivers
True terror is to wake up one morning and discover that your high school class is running the country. Kurt Vonnegut
When I was a boy the Dead Sea was only sick. George Burns
There is no pleasure worth forgoing just for an extra three years in the geriatric ward. John Mortimer
You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred. Woody Allen
Middle age is when you still believe you'll feel better in the morning. Bob Hope
People shop for a bathing suit with more care than they do a husband or wife. The rules are the same. Look for something you'll feel comfortable wearing. Allow for room to grow. Erma Bombeck
I'm so old they've canceled my blood type. Bob Hope
You know you're getting old when you get that one candle on the cake. It's like, "See if you can blow this out." Jerry Seinfeld
The first sign of maturity is the discovery that the volume knob also turns to the left. Jerry M. Wright
People ask me what I'd most appreciate getting for my 87th birthday. I tell them, a paternity suit. George Burns
Talk about getting old. I was getting dressed and a peeping tom looked in the window, took a look and pulled down the shade. Joan Rivers
It's not that I'm afraid to die, I just don't want to be there when it happens. Woody Allen
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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/john-blumenthal/aging-comedy_b_1128087.html
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This handout provided by Fairfax County, Va. Sheriff's Office shows FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. Babbitt was placed on a leave of absence Monday and U.S. officials said his employment is under review following his arrest for drunken driving in suburban Northern Virginia. (AP Photo/Fairfax County, Va. Sheriff's Office)
This handout provided by Fairfax County, Va. Sheriff's Office shows FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt. Babbitt was placed on a leave of absence Monday and U.S. officials said his employment is under review following his arrest for drunken driving in suburban Northern Virginia. (AP Photo/Fairfax County, Va. Sheriff's Office)
WASHINGTON (AP) ? FAA Administrator Randy Babbitt was placed on a leave of absence Monday as Department of Transportation officials decide how to handle Babbitt's weekend arrest on charges of drunken driving in suburban northern Virginia.
DOT officials are in "discussions with legal counsel about Administrator Babbitt's employment status," said a statement released by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood's office Monday afternoon.
The Federal Aviation Administration is part of the Transportation Department. Babbitt is about halfway through a five-year term.
Babbitt, 65, was charged with driving while intoxicated after a patrol officer spotted him driving on the wrong side of the street and pulled him over about 10:30 p.m. EST Saturday in Fairfax City, Va., police in the Washington, D.C., suburb said.
Babbitt, who lives in nearby Reston, Va., was the only occupant in the vehicle, the statement said. Police said he cooperated and was released on his own recognizance.
Babbitt apparently delayed telling administration officials about the arrest. White House spokesman Jay Carney said President Barack Obama and Transportation Department officials learned of the arrest Monday afternoon, about an hour before a 1:30 p.m. EST statement was released saying Babbitt had been placed on leave at his request.
Separately, Fairfax City police issued a statement on the arrest to the media at about noon Monday. They refused to disclose the results of Babbitt's blood alcohol test. The legal limit is .08.
LaHood has aggressively campaigned against drunken driving, and is working with police agencies and safety advocates on an annual holiday crack down on drinking and driving later this month. Safety advocates credit LaHood with doing more to raise the visibility of human factors in highway safety ? including drunken driving, drivers distracted by cell phone use, and parents who fail to buckle in their children ? than any previous transportation secretary.
Deputy FAA Administrator Michael Huerta will serve as acting administrator, the DOT statement said. In recent months Huerta has been leading the FAA's troubled NextGen effort to transition from an air traffic control system based on World War II-era radar technology to one based on satellite technology.
Babbitt was a former airline captain and internationally recognized expert in aviation and labor relations when Obama tapped him in 2009 to head the FAA, which has nearly 40,000 employees. He was a pilot for the now-defunct Eastern Airlines for 25 years, and had served as president of the Air Line Pilots Association. As head of ALPA in 1990s, he championed the "one level of safety" initiative implemented in 1995 to improve safety standards across the airline industry.
Babbitt's nomination in 2009 was warmly received by both industry officials and airline unions. His easy manner and insider's knowledge of the airline industry generated respect in Congress, where he regularly testified on safety issues and in support of NextGen.
Babbitt took over at the FAA when the agency was still reeling from the exposure of widespread safety gaps in the regional airline industry. The problems were revealed by a National Transportation Safety Board investigation of the February 2009 crash of a regional airliner near Buffalo, N.Y., that killed 50 people.
Babbitt and LaHood promised to immediately implement a series of safety initiatives. At Babbitt's urging airlines adopted a series of voluntary safety measures. But safety advocates say voluntary measures aren't enough. The FAA under Babbitt has also initiated several efforts to craft major new safety regulations, ranging from preventing pilot fatigue to boosting experience levels and training of airline pilots.
But several of those efforts have stalled as industry opponents lobbied White House officials against the proposed regulations, saying they would cost too much or be too burdensome.
The biggest crisis of Babbitt's FAA tenure occurred last spring when nine air traffic controllers were allegedly caught sleeping on the job or where unresponsive to radio calls while on duty over a period of several weeks. The head of FAA's Air Traffic Organization was forced to resign during the ensuing uproar.
As FAA's top official, Babbitt has the final say in disciplinary proceedings involving controllers who violate the agency's drug and alcohol regulations.
___
Barakat reported from Fairfax, Va.
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