Olympics to boost rental demand outside London

14 February, 2012

The 2012 Olympics could create strong demand for rental vehicles outside the London area as attendees attempt to avoid crowds at the capital?s main airports.

That?s the view of senior management at rental firm Enterprise, who have been teeing-up their plans for the event.

Director of business development, Rob Ingram, told BusinessCar: We?ve had experience of Olympics in other cities in America ? Atlanta etc. ? so we?ve learned from that.

"We?ve gone to B2B customers and asked them what they need ? some of them want less vehicles. There?s a lot of things going on today at the front end and the back end of the Olympics and potentially more demand up and down the country.?

A lack of vehicle parking at the East London Olympic site along with expectations of heavy congestion and chaotic road networking could be problematic for the rental industry.

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Don Moore, vice president of sales at Enterprise, said: ?We?re being very cautious. You?ll lose some customers regarding the typical tourist because some people won?t want to come on holiday here while the Olympics are on.

"Airports in other parts of the country will be busy at the same time as well, as it?s going to be a lot easier to fly into other [non-London] airports.?

The company intends to gauge demand in the run-up to the games and adjust the size of its fleet as it deems necessary.

Moore continued: ?Because we own the majority of our vehicles, we have the flexibility to be nimble ? if we don?t need them we can sell them. If we want more cars we can just stop selling them for a bit.?

Moore also addressed the issue of rising insurance costs within the rental sector and claimed that one of the biggest factors was the time it takes for some companies to report claims: ?Fleets can drive down the costs by taking less trips, car sharing etc.

"It?s amazing how long it takes for some companies to report a claim, which really drives up costs. Speed of notification makes it cheaper.?

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Source: http://rss.feedsportal.com/c/32296/f/439305/s/1ca95b0a/l/0L0Sbusinesscar0O0Cstory0Basp0Dsectioncode0F10Gstorycode0F84480Gc0F1/story01.htm

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Whitney Houston Death: Singer Was Supposed to Be Closely ...

Gabriel Olsen, FilmMagic

As the host of her own talk show in the '80s and a close friend of Clive Davis, Nikki Haskell got to know Whitney Houston when the singer was just beginning her career. While reeling from last weekend's shocking events, Haskell was gracious enough to speak with Spinner about the singer's early years, her struggles with addiction, why Bobby Brown was her "downfall" and the fact that someone supposed to be with Houston at all times, including in the bathroom, to prevent a tragedy like this.

How did you first meet Whitney?

I was just going over the funeral arrangement story with Clive. He is going to speak at the funeral and it's in the afternoon on Saturday. I was with [Whitney] a lot because of my friendship with Clive. I know nothing about her as a child, outside of the fact that I met her when she first started singing.

I met her originally through Dionne [Warwick, Houston's cousin]. She wasn't even Whitney Houston then, she was just a little girl. My friendship with her was really only because of my friendship with Clive. We saw her at music events -- every year she was at Clive's [Grammy] event and of course we always sat in close proximity and talked. I didn't speak to her on a daily basis. She was not one of my closest friends. She was just a woman that I knew, who I respected. Her singing ability was amazing. My time that I spent with her was all related to her career. It wasn't like we were two girls socializing.

What was she like when you met her?

She was very shy. She was always very shy. This is just my opinion: Her shyness might have even been partially related to her drug problem. I think she had a fear of performing. She was a shy girl and she was very charming. She was adorable. She always had a big smile on her face and she was always very friendly to me and friendly to everyone.

I never found her to have any kind of an attitude. She wasn't really a diva like the other divas, you know what I mean? She didn't have diva scabs on her forehead. She was really nice, caring. I think that her dysfunctional relationship with Bobby Brown was her downfall. Her illustrious career became challenged during that period of time. One of her biggest problems was that she was a horrendously horrible smoker. She smoked cigarettes all day long. That's what really was part in parcel to her ruining her voice.

How, if at all, did you see her change over the years?

Not really, she was pretty much the same. You'd see these pictures of her in the magazines falling down -- I never saw that side of her. Whenever I saw her, she was always in rare form. She always looked great. She had great sense of style and taste, she was beautiful, she was in command of certain situations. I can't imagine how she could have died. She must have slipped under the water or something. She wasn't depressed, she wasn't on drugs. I was told there was supposed to be somebody with her at all times when she was in the bathroom, in the bathtub and everything.

How long was that kind of supervision in place?

I would think a while. She had pretty loyal family members and people around her at all times. She was very well protected. She should've been better protected.

I think it was due to the fact that when you're a performer, you have to have people around to protect you. Anyway, it's a sad day. The worst part about it is that I've just been playing her music over and over again and I've just been crying and crying. Her last album, 'I Look to You,' took five years to make. Even though I was not part in parcel to putting it together, I heard it. I heard all the songs and all the choices that Clive made. It was such a personal matter with him. The man is a total perfectionist. Clive is an amazing man -- he has big shoulders and you can lean on him. I think she went to him a lot during her trying times.

Jemal Countess, Getty Images

What were her interactions like with the other musical friends or members of her family?

Well, I was with her in England when she was with her daughter, Bobbi Kristina, when she performed on 'The X Factor.' I was with her when she was with her mother in Vegas when we went to the World Music Awards. I knew her mother quite well. She had a really great family, a very close-knit family. They tried to protect her as much as they could. You can only do so much. Clive is beside himself.

Somebody said something today that is not 100 percent wrong. They said, "It was just a matter of time." It's like Janis Joplin, or Michael Jackson, or Amy Winehouse. There is a predisposition for these things. People were always worried about Whitney. There were things in the paper every day about her. Everybody was always aware that she was walking on thin ice.

Was she like that when you met her?

No. It's interesting because every time I would see one of these stories, I would ask Clive, "Is this true? Is this true?" and he'd say, "No, this isn't true. I spoke to her and she's great." So I think a lot of stories just sort of became stories on their own. But the Bobby Brown thing, that was the kiss of death. The Bobby Brown relationship did her in. It set her up for this situation. Things like this don't just happen in one second. It's sad because no one in the world has ever had a voice like Whitney Houston and they never will. There will never be another Whitney Houston.

Remembering Whitney Through Photos

The Life of Whitney Houston'

Source: http://www.spinner.com/2012/02/15/whitney-houston-death-bathroom/

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45 faculty start testing iPads, apps for classrooms | UMSL Daily

UMSL graduate students, Jacob Perkins (left) and David McGraw (far right), work with Beth Eckelkamp, associate teaching professor of anthropology, sociology and languages, on her new iPad. Eckelkamp is one of 45 faculty members who were awarded iPads to use in their classrooms. (Photo by August Jennewein)

It was one of those Aha! moments.

?People were talking at this conference about disruptive technology and I immediately thought mobile devices,? said Lawrence Frederick, chief information officer at the University of Missouri?St. Louis. ?No, they were discussing apps. Applications, as in the app store.?

So, when it came time for faculty innovation grants from Information Technology Services to be awarded this year, Frederick decided to test how those apps for mobile devices could be used at UMSL. He said many applications have already been developed for higher education taking the iPad far beyond a personal entertainment device.

Working with UMSL?s Center for Teaching and Learning, ITS awarded 45 iPads earlier this month to faculty for use in their classrooms. Announcements about the grants appeared in the ITS newsletter, Iterations, and on its website in December. Full-time faculty were asked to submit a one-page application spelling out how they would use an iPad in their classrooms.

?Clearly, mobile computing is the future of us all,? Frederick said. ?What better way to test it in higher education than to give the machines to those who could best use them. And we need help identifying the most useful applications for our campus.?

According to Frederick, the apps trend could mean the end of learning management systems such as Blackboard, which runs My Gateway at UMSL. The system is designed to enhance teaching and learning both inside and outside of the classroom. Course content, discussion boards, assignments, grades and much more are all handled through the one system. With the plethora of apps out there, says Frederick, those functions are being broken down into little pieces that are designed to be used on small, accessible devices and sold at affordable prices.

April Regester, assistant professor of teaching and learning teaches courses in special education, a field where assistive technology has played a large role. But the cost and complexity of some of the devices put them beyond the reach of many children and their school districts. At a cost of $500 and up, iPads and its apps are dramatically cheaper than earlier devices.

?The iPad has opened doors to many individuals with special needs in ways that they have not experienced in the past,? Regester wrote. ?The growing use of iPads in schools, typically for communication, has required the need to train future educators on their use.?

Up until last week, Regester had to use video clips to illustrate how to use the iPad. She now can use an actual iPad.

Diane Saleska, associate teaching professor in the College of Nursing, knew there were very specific iPad apps for nursing ? ?SkyScape, Epocrates and Davis?s Drug Guide for Nurses ? that provide access to complex medical information.

?Students participating in a hospital or clinical setting often need to bring 3-4 reference books with them,? said Saleska.? ?When patient care situations, medications and doctors orders change rapidly, the student (with an iPad)would be able to access the information on site and in the moment.?

Michael Cosmopoulos, the Hellenic Government Karakas Family Endowed Professor of Greek Studies, will use his iPad to collect and organize massive amounts of data for research at his archaeological field school at Iklaina, Greece. The dig also serves as a classroom for his students each summer.

?With the iPad, I could take entire libraries, photo albums and 3D reconstructions with me right to the site to aid in the instruction of my students,? Cosmopoulos said.

The ideas and the apps to bringing them to life seemed endless. Mary Fowler, director of ITS User Services, said this year?s Innovation Grant applicants were a more diverse group than in the past. Faculty from all colleges were represented.

?In the past, younger faculty have been more interested,? said Fowler. ?But this year we had full professors applying in addition to assistant professors.?

Recipients of the iPad must attend regular meetings of the iPad Teaching Circle to share and learn innovative uses of the device and discuss which applications are appropriate to recommend to the UMSL community. Those faculty will also present their experiences in a public forum such as the Focus on Teaching and Technology Conference Nov. 1-2 or an informal faculty colloquium offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning during the 2012-2013 academic year.

CTL sponsors professional development programs for faculty, graduate students and academic leaders. Along with UMSL Online and the Faculty Resource Center, CTL is offering a Teaching with Technology Workshop series in February, March and April.

Short URL: http://blogs.umsl.edu/news/?p=19680

Source: http://blogs.umsl.edu/news/2012/02/13/45ipads/

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Efforts to Reduce Stroke in Kids With Sickle Cell Working: Study (HealthDay)

THURSDAY, Feb. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Greater use of certain types of treatments for kids with sickle cell anemia may explain why black children's risk of ischemic stroke dropped significantly between 1999 and 2007, new research finds.

The disparity in stroke-related deaths between black and white children also fell during that period.

Prior to 1998, black children were 74 percent more likely to die of ischemic stroke than white children.

The racial difference is attributed in part to higher rates of sickle cell anemia, a blood disorder that raises the risk of stroke, among black children, according to the study scheduled to be presented Thursday at the American Stroke Association meeting in New Orleans.

Then, in 1998, a major clinical trial found that treatments such as chronic (regularly scheduled) blood transfusions could dramatically lower the risk of stroke among kids with sickle cell anemia who were at high risk of stroke.

In the study, researchers reviewed death certificates for U.S. children and young adults under age 20 who died between 1998 and 2007.

Between 1999 and 2007, they found risk of ischemic stroke among black children fell significantly, although black children were still 27 percent more likely to have an ischemic stroke than white children.

Death records didn't specify if children had sickle cell anemia, so researchers can't say for sure that changes in sickle cell anemia treatment reduced the racial disparity.

"However, this was the only major change in pediatric stroke care in the past two decades, so we believe it was the most plausible explanation for our findings," lead researcher Dr. Laura Lehman, a clinical fellow in the Cerebrovascular Disorders and Stroke Program in the neurology department at Children's Hospital Boston, said in a stroke association news release.

She and her colleagues found that ischemic stroke (from blocked blood flow to the brain) accounted for 20 percent of 4,425 stroke deaths among U.S. children under age 20 between 1988 and 2007. Hemorrhagic stroke (caused by a burst blood vessel) accounted for 67 percent of those deaths.

Children with sickle cell anemia who have strokes tend to have ischemic strokes, while adults with sickle cell anemia tend to have hemorrhagic strokes, Lehman said.

In sickle cell anemia, normally round red blood cells become crescent-shaped, making it harder for blood to flow. The result is severe joint pain, tissue damage and complications such as stroke.

Ultrasound can be used to determine which kids with sickle cell are at high risk of stroke and should be treated with blood transfusions.

Because this study was presented at a medical meeting, the data and conclusions should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

More information

The March of Dimes has more about sickle cell disease.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/health/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/hsn/20120203/hl_hsn/effortstoreducestrokeinkidswithsicklecellworkingstudy

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Fund Raising Programs Increase Business Sense and ...

Have you ever attended a run or bike for breast cancer awareness, MS, AIDs or any other cause? Have you ever watched a fundraising special on TV for the victims of an earthquake, flood or any other natural disaster? Have you ever been invited to a silent auction with all funds raised going to a certain cause? If you have done any of the above, you have experienced the work of graduates of fundraising programs. These undertakings assist those interested in working within a Volunteer and ?Fundraising? environment with the business aspect of such sectors.

As you very well may be aware of, fundraising continues to be the hope of any non-profit organization and its societal welfare causes. Many of these organizations recognize the importance of having a professional at the head of its efforts and, therefore, look for people with an educational background in the field. These professional fundraisers are compensated either by a fixed amount or on percentage basis in accordance to the funds they help in raising. There is sometimes confusion between the terms ?professional fundraisers? and ?fundraising professionals?. The former is a third party person who helps in raising funds and who gets paid for the job. The latter is the person who works at non-profit organizations.

At Centennial College?s School of Continuing Education/ Part-time Studies part-time, evening, weekend, online and alternative format courses are designed to help students improve their skills, further their education, pursue a variety of interests and enable them to embrace new possibilities. One of these offerings is the Fundraising program, which not only provides a vast amount of information on fundraising, but also guides students in developing and increasing their business skills and capabilities. The Fundraising program ensures that students become comfortable in a variety of volunteer and fundraising atmospheres. Staff members within the program guide students and share their personal experiences to help students see a variety of real-life scenarios. The Fundraising program also helps them plan their projects and future fundraising needs, develop goals and strategies and promote their work through developing media and press relations.

Mandatory courses within the Fundraising Courses include: Introduction to Fundraising (provides students with an introductory understanding of the Fundraising sector, principles, ethics and practices of professional Fundraising, and more), Methods of Fundraising (presents the issues and processes involved in planning and organizing special events), Entrepreneurship (covers a wide range of topics that a student should be aware of if he/she were to start and operate a small business), Strategic Management of Campaigns (examines the elements of a successful fundraising campaign), Donor Relationships in Fundraising (students learn the needs and motivations of donors and what sustains long-term partnerships with the non-profit sector), and more.

For more information (including tuitions costs), one can visit the fundraising programs Web page.

Source: http://articlegoes.com/fund-raising-programs-increase-business-sense-and-professionalism.html

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Men Remember Bad—and Arousing—Times Better Than Women [Science]

Do you remember your first break-up in great detail? Maybe sex from the other month? Or, most vividly, the really bad sex from last year? Turns out, men remember unpleasant and sexual experiences far more accurately than women. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/AcIuLh7Be_A/men-remember-bad-and-arousing-times-more-clearly-than-women

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UK Islamists admit London Stock Exchange bomb plot (Reuters)

LONDON (Reuters) ? Four radical Islamists admitted in court Wednesday plotting to bomb the London Stock Exchange as part of a campaign of al Qaeda-inspired attacks across the British capital in the run-up to Christmas 2010.

The conspiracy included plans to post bombs to the United States Embassy and the home of London Mayor Boris Johnson.

Police foiled the plot at an early stage before firm dates were agreed or explosive devices assembled.

The plan was to cause "terror, economic harm and disruption" rather than injury, prosecutor Andrew Edis told London's Woolwich Crown Court.

However, "their chosen method meant there was a risk people would be maimed or killed," he said.

The four, with five other men, admitted a range of terrorism offences after changing their pleas shortly before their trial had been due to begin, the Press Association reported.

The defendants, all British nationals with Bangladeshi or Pakistani backgrounds, had been inspired by al Qaeda and the late radical Muslim cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, Edis said.

Al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen linked to al Qaeda's Yemeni branch, was killed last year in a CIA drone strike.

Undercover officers had followed two of the conspirators in November 2010 as they made observations of London landmarks including the Big Ben clocktower, parliament, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye ferris wheel.

The two men, Mohammed Chowdhury, 21, and Shah Rahman, 28, both from east London, admitted preparing for acts of terrorism by planning to plant an improvised bomb in the toilets of the London Stock Exchange.

Brothers Gurukanth Desai, 30, and Abdul Miah, 25, both from Cardiff in Wales also pleaded guilty to the same charge.

Some of the defendants had also discussed leaving home-made bombs in the toilets of pubs in Stoke, in the English midlands.

The judge told Chowdhury he could expect to receive 18-1/2 years and Rahman 17 years, although the actual time spent in jail would be shorter, around six years, taking account of time already served and parole.

The five other men, one from Cardiff and four from Stoke, admitted lesser terrorism offences including attending operational meetings and fundraising.

All will be sentenced next week.

(Writing by Tim Castle; Editing by Janet Lawrence)

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/britain/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20120201/ts_nm/us_security_britain_stockexchange

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Totally blow out the big game! Super Bowl XLVI

With Super Bowl XLVI finally upon us all the pretenders have been shaken loose, leaving only the New England Patriots and New York Giants to compete for the NFL championship this weekend. While we're sure Indianapolis is lovely in February, we prefer to enjoy the game from the comfort of home where there's conveniences like affordable refreshments, central heating and of course our full loadout of equipment including HDTVs, computers, tablets and phones. Whether you're already set with equipment or are scouring the shelves looking for a new television in time for game day, we're back again in time for the 2012 game with a few suggestions to make sure you're getting the most out of what you've got -- feel free to drop in your own tips, chili recipes and the like in the comments below.

Continue reading Totally blow out the big game! Super Bowl XLVI

Totally blow out the big game! Super Bowl XLVI originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Jan 2012 17:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/30/totally-blow-out-the-big-game-super-bowl-xlvi/

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