| Marine life in peril
There are effects on thyroid and sex hormones from PBDEs. That's more or less what we know about them," said Wilfried Karmaus, a University of South Carolina epidemiology professor who studied the compounds in Michigan. "PBDEs are banned in Europe but not in the United States. The problem is, we do not have any human data about these substances in South Carolina." Studying the contaminants gets very complex very quickly because there's a mix of them in the body, said Pat Fair, Living Marine Resources Branch Chief at the NOAA lab, one of the researchers. "But (research) is more important because there's a mixture. We all have a combination of contaminants that we're exposed to and are carrying around with us. They each have their own toxicity; but in combination, the toxicities may be enhanced.
Up-to-the-minute messaging system put to the test
At 3:20 p.m. Thursday, the words "CAMPUS ALERT" appeared on the Northern Illinois University Web site's home page, followed by a message staff members had prepared in advance, but hoped they would never use:
"There has been a report of a possible gunman on campus. Get to a safe area and take precautions until given the all clear."
The same message flashed out to all campus e-mail accounts, and was relayed automatically to office and dormitory phones.
This carefully orchestrated effort to get the word out was largely a response to last April's shootings at Virginia Tech, where a student went on a rampage that killed 33 people, including himself.
As campuses around the nation grappled with the horror of that massacre, administrators at NIU took their own preparations to a new level, going so far as to prepare the hypothetical template that could be used for near-instantaneous communication in an emergency.
Breakers primed for hostile reception
The Breakers are ready to step into the cauldron of playoff basketball for the first time, adamant the Taipans' fanatic home crowd won't affect them in Cairns on Thursday night. The Breakers' first tilt at a quarter-final in the NBL will take place in front of 5335 orange-clad Taipans fans. Coach Andrej Lemanis says the atmosphere will be electric, but the team's final regular season match in Perth last Saturday was "great preparation" despite the 98-85 loss. "It doesn't get more hostile than Perth," Lemanis said. "We as a team did a good job of focusing on what we had to do in that environment and the crowd didn't affect us at all. "When all you have is each other you get an 'us versus the world' mentality. You can derive strength from that.
Prolonged Wii Sports play can cause injuries
Sweat popped out on the reddened faces of 12-year-old Jakob Njos and 15-year-old Emily Njos, evidence that they had raised their heart rate while holding remote controls and punching the air as they stood in front of a television set.The siblings had just finished a round of virtual boxing, one of several Nintendo Wii Sports games they got for Christmas. Onscreen, customized Mii cartoon figures representing each of them "fought" until there was a knockout. Sweat flew from the faces of the virtual characters, too."They don't take any rests when they play these sports, so it's an endurance thing," said their mother, Siri Njos.She is a physical therapist and knows that making video games physically engaging has its pluses. But she cautions it may have its minuses, too, if players don't use proper form and common sense.From friends and family, she has gotten reports about pain and soreness among both adults and children who play Wii Sports."Adults get hit the hardest, but even kids are complaining of pain," she said.Wii Sports includes bowling, baseball, boxing, tennis and golf.Imagine punching the air as if boxing or sweeping the air as if hitting a tennis ball hundreds and hundreds of times."You may hit a thousand tennis balls in a given period of time, something you'd never do on the tennis court," said Dr.
Hip-Hop Rumors: Fun Flicks From The Grammys!
There is a positive rumor that The Game and Big Fase 100 have ended their feud. Hope so.
Shout out to Genarlow Wilson! I'm glad to see that he's finally out. He was 17 and had sex with a consenting 15 year old. It took them two years in jail for them to decide he should be freed.
Check out this interview with Jim Jones on his clothing line, Nostic.
Oh yeah, the AHH Staff did their weekly music picks again...they dissed me (again) and left me out. My song is coming up later today.
NEVER FEAR – MORE RUMORS LATER!
Don't sleep! I shall return with more mindless drivel for you later in the day. Thanks a lot for reading and you can thank me for writing on a Sunday evening. ☺
EAZY-E "EAZIER SAID THAN DUNN" & "WE WANT EAZY!"
I was in the mood for some old school Eazy-E so here you go!
TOMORROW, WE LOVE YOU!
They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!
-illseed
WHO: illseed
WHAT: Rumors
WHERE: AllHipHop.com, MySpace.com/TheIllseed
HOW: Send your rumors and ill pics to illseed at ahhrumors@gmail.com.
Knox deputy gets one-day suspension after DUI charge reduced
A Knox County deputy sheriff pleaded guilty Wednesday to reckless driving has been suspended for one day without pay. Heather Graves, 37, a training officer, will return to work Friday, Knox County sheriff's spokeswoman Martha Dooley said today. Graves was originally arrested Feb. 3 by the Loudon City Police Department and charged with driving under the influence. She admitted to drinking two beers and declined to take a breath test. District Attorney General Russell Johnson said after he reviewed the police video tape of the arrest and field sobriety tests given to Graves, he concluded it would have been difficult to obtain a conviction. “It's not illegal to drink while driving, but it's not very smart, especially for a law enforcement officer," he said. In a plea agreement, Graves pleaded guilty to reckless driving and was fined $500.
Government Workers Skip Telecommuting Opportunity
Advocates of telework say it can provide government agencies several benefits, including a way to remotely continue operations during a natural disaster or terrorist attack. Telecommuting can also ease the enormous traffic problems in the Washington, D.C., area, advocates say. Government employees need access to a good broadband connection and support such as a help desk in order to telecommute successfully, Brunson said. But it's easier than ever to telework, with broadband, mobile e-mail, easy-to-use video conferencing and other services readily available, he added. "Telework has grown leaps and bounds from five years ago," he said. "With the prevalence of broadband service out there, there are a lot of tools we have that we didn't have five years ago. With today's technology, [video conferencing] is pretty rock solid and almost utility-like." Employees have some responsibility to show they can telework, he added.
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