Whitney Houston's voice will never be forgotten (AP)

NEW YORK ? Whitney Houston's downfall was so long and sad that, in an impatient public's mind, it overshadowed her many accomplishments.

Those achievements can be checked off easily in numbers ? Grammy Awards, records sold, the string of seven consecutive No. 1 singles. Yet if there's any solace to her passing, it is that people will revisit recordings, videos and films to rediscover the majesty of her work.

Look up the video for one of those hits, "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)." The arrangement and instrumentation ? cheesy synthesizers, booming drums ? date the recording immediately in the late 1980s.

It's a pop confection that could have been sung by any singer who might have been forgotten in a couple of years. Houston lifted it above the average with a voice that could just as easily be found on a gospel record or opera stage. She danced through it with a bearing that made you think of Michael Jordan stopping off at a schoolyard basketball game, knowing that she had far more talent than anyone around her.

The daughter of Cissy Houston and cousin of Dionne Warwick, Houston had talent that surpassed each of them. Her godmother was Aretha Franklin ? how's that for pressure? ? but in her prime, Houston's voice could match the Queen of Soul's.

"Didn't We Almost Have It All" and "How Will I Know" were other standouts, evidence that Houston could master balladry and up-tempo songs. She was one of longtime music executive Clive Davis' greatest signings, and although Davis may not have challenged Houston enough, he at least put her in position to shine.

Anyone who saw Houston perform "The Star Spangled Banner" before the 1991 Super Bowl will always remember it.

The 1992 film "The Bodyguard" and its soundtrack will remain her signature achievement. She portrayed a superstar singer, alternatively tough and vulnerable, guarded by a former Secret Service agent played by Kevin Costner. For the soundtrack, she took a little-known Dolly Parton song, "I Will Always Love You," and made it her own. And then some.

Again, there are the kudos ? it won the Grammy Award for record of the year. The performance itself was remarkable. Houston's voice soared with the power of a jet engine and kept perfect tone for the quieter, tender moments. Every artist has a defining song; if they're lucky, it also shows the peak of their powers.

The hits didn't dry up immediately, but they became less frequent. Her marriage to singer Bobby Brown was ill-fated and she descended into drug abuse.

In September 1997, I had an interview scheduled with Houston as she was promoting a concert being televised on HBO. It was by phone, but the appointed hour of her call came and went. No Houston.

The next day a huge floral arrangement was delivered to The Associated Press office addressed to me with a note of apology attributed to Houston. When the interview was rescheduled, I thanked her for the arrangement and said it wasn't necessary. She had no idea what I was talking about.

One suspects there were many years and many other examples of instances like that, of covering Houston's tracks as she became increasingly unreliable. The years of abuse took a terrible toll on her talent. She made a comeback in 2009 with a "Good Morning America" concert that was sad to watch. She went through the motions and played hard to the crowd, but her voice could no longer hit the notes that once seemed effortless.

During that 1997 interview, Houston deflected talk about a life and marriage that was already clearly troubled.

"I didn't get in the business to talk about my personal life," she said then. "I got in the business to sing, to try to make music and to try to make people happy ... if I can.

"My life doesn't go on record. My voice does."

It is the only thing to be thankful for with this sad story.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/music/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120212/ap_en_mu/us_whitney_houston_appreciation

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Importance of List Building on Internet and Online Business

[unable to retrieve full-text content]If you have an Internet and Online Business, how do you contact your previous and target consumers? Of course through communicating with them, it could be through e-mail, mobile numbers, telephone, letter, or combination ...

Source: http://www.1directory.net/internet-and-businesses-online/importance-of-list-building-on-internet-and-online-business-2844.html

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LA police capture escapee who stalked Madonna (AP)

LOS ANGELES ? Police say they have captured a man who was convicted of threatening to kill Madonna and walked away from a Los Angeles-area mental hospital last week.

Los Angeles police spokesman Richard French says Robert Dewey Hoskins was apprehended Friday near the Metropolitan State Hospital in Norwalk where he escaped last Friday. He had been committed there last year and was returned to the facility after his arrest.

Hoskins served a 10-year prison sentence for stalking and threatening Madonna after being convicted by a jury in 1996. The singer reluctantly testified against the man, who was shot by her personal security after he jumped the fence of her Hollywood Hills home.

Source: http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/entertainment/*http%3A//news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20120210/ap_en_ot/us_madonna_stalker

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Amazing Home Improvement Tips For Every Home Owner | Home ...

Don?t start a project without covering things you need to protect, regardless of the nature of your project. If you protect them from paint or scratches, you are saving yourself work in the long run. You should also cover your walls to keep splatter and other debris from ruining their paint job.

Before starting any home improvement project, take some time to figure out your goals. Give a personalized touch to each of your projects that reflect your personality.

To get solid input on which home improvements can increase the value of your home the most, ask your real estate agent. Such experts will understand the types of features home buyers want most.

Buildings cannot be easily stolen, however, the supplies to build them can and will be if the opportunity is given. When work is not going on, all building supplies need to be secured. If the doors and windows of the structure can be locked then supplies should be safe when stored inside. If the house is not secure, however, rent or lease a storage container to use, instead.

Lampshades of simple structure and design are quite a bore. Go to your local arts and crafts store, and pick up some stencils and acrylic paint. With the acrylic paint, create some interesting designs on your lamp shade. You could literally create any design you can think of and give more personality to your home.

Ready to take on some home decor tasks? Before you spend any money, look around your house. Use the artwork that you have displayed to give you inspiration for new projects. Buy interesting frames that match your decor.

You can mount a rack to the wall to put your jewelry on. Be sure to hang costume jewelry only and nothing of high value. Using creative displays to hang your jewelry can become a nice, decorative element and also protect your jewelry from tangles or breakage. Keep the few pieces of jewelry that you wear more often in front and close at hand.

Safety precautions are the first consideration when planning a home renovation. Failing to do so might mean that you or a loved one are harmed, or severe damage is done to your home. Make sure consult a project guide and learn how to use all power tools involved in the project before you start.

Pooling your resources with fellow homeowners is one way to save money when you are getting into home improvement. That way, community members don?t each need to have a rarely-used tool. Just one will serve the entire neighborhood. You two can also share your expertise with each other.

By taking the advice in this article, you will make your house into a home that you love. We feel confident that you received some great home improvement ideas from this article.

What do you think of this article? Leave a comment in the form below.

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Source: http://homesremodelingtips.com/home-remodeling/amazing-home-improvement-tips-for-every-home-owner.html

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Browse Jobs in HR - Human Resource Business Partner

Sydney - CBD,?New South Wales,?Australia Posted: 2012-02-07

?

• National Professional Membership Association
• Great company culture
• CBD location

?

About ACS
The Australian Computer Society (ACS) is the recognised association for Information and Communications Technology (ICT) professionals, attracting a large and active membership from all levels of the ICT industry. The ACS is on the largest computer societies in the world. It plays an active role in international affairs and also serves a commitment to our local Australian community, focusing on the areas of study, science and application of Information Technology.

Based within the hear of the Sydney CBD, ACS is currently seeking an experienced HR Business Partner to join the team.

Job Description

• Partner with line managers to provide an end to end administrative HR service, including advice,
  contract preparation and records management.
• Project manage the implementation of HR?initiatives including remuneration review,
  revised induction processes, talent?management, workforce planning, culture?reinvigoration
• Oversee the recruitment and selection?processes to ensure the best candidates are?placed in vacant positions
• Manage ACS? employment relations compliance and risk management
• Manage ACS? OHS and return to work?functions

The Successful Applicant
This fantastic opportunity is ideally suited to an individual who :

• Has minimum 5 years experience as a stand?alone, HR Business Partner
• Has experience managing HR projects
• Is competent in the Microsoft Office suite
• Has operational HR experience
• Has tertiary qualifications in Human Resources?or equivalent (desirable)
• Has facilitation and presenting experience (desirable)
• Has Return to Work Certification (desirable)

What's on Offer

• CBD location;
• Permanent role; and
• Scope for career development.

Apply for this Job
Please call Suzanne Biollo on 0414 322 006 for a confidential discussion and a copy of the Position Description. Apply by sending a copy of your CV and a cover letter providing examples of your experience against each of the selection criteria to suzanne.biollo@acs.org.au by Wednesday 22 February 2012.

Email this advertiser

Source: http://www.jobsinhr.com.au/browse-hr-jobs/human-resource-business-partner-20120207859/

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Nanorod-assembled order affects diffusion rate and direction

Public release date: 6-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jason Maderer
maderer@gatech.edu
404-385-2966
Georgia Institute of Technology

3-D computer simulations reveal diffusional behavior

Some of the recent advancements in nanotechnology depend critically on how nanoparticles move and diffuse on a surface or in a fluid under non-ideal to extreme conditions. Georgia Tech has a team of researchers dedicated to advancing this frontier.

Rigoberto Hernandez, a professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, investigates these relationships by studying three-dimensional particle dynamics simulations on high-performance computers. His new findings, which focus on the movements of a spherical probe amongst static needles, have landed on the cover of February's The Journal of Physical Chemistry B.

Hernandez and his former Ph.D. student, Ashley Tucker, assembled the rodlike scatterers in one of two states during his simulations: disordered (isotropic) and ordered (nematic). When the nanorods were disordered, pointing in various directions, Hernandez found that a particle typically diffused uniformly in all directions. When every rod pointed in the same direction, the particle, on average, diffused more in the same direction as the rods than against the grain of the rods. In this nematic state, the probe's movement mimicked the elongated shape of the scatterers. The surprise was that the particles sometimes diffused faster in the nematic environment than in the disordered environment. That is, the channels left open between the ordered nanorods don't just steer nanoparticles along a direction, they also enable them to speed right through.

As the density of the scatterers is increased, the channels become more and more crowded. The particle diffusing through these increasingly crowded assemblies slows down dramatically in the simulation. Nevertheless, the researchers found that the nematic scatterers continued to accommodate faster diffusion than disordered scatterers.

"These simulations bring us a step closer to creating a nanorod device that allows scientists to control the flow of nanoparticles," said Hernandez. "Blue-sky applications of such devices include the creation of new light patterns, information flow and other microscopic triggers."

For example, if scientists need a probe to diffuse in a specific direction at a particular speed, they could trigger the nanorods to move into a specified direction. When they need to change the particle's direction, scatterers could then be triggered to rearrange into a different direction. Indeed, the trigger could be the absence of sufficient nanoparticles in a given part of the device. The ensuing reordering of the nanorods would then drive a repopulation of nanoparticles that would then be available to perform a desired action, such as to stimulate light flow.

"While this NSF-funded work to better understand the motion of particles within complex arrays at the nanoscale is very fundamental," Hernandez says, "it has significant long-term implications on device fabrication and performance at such scales. It's fun to think about and provides great training for my students."

###

This project is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (Award Numbers CHE-0749580 and CHE-0946869). The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigators and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF.

---

[ | 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: 6-Feb-2012
[ | E-mail | Share ]

Contact: Jason Maderer
maderer@gatech.edu
404-385-2966
Georgia Institute of Technology

3-D computer simulations reveal diffusional behavior

Some of the recent advancements in nanotechnology depend critically on how nanoparticles move and diffuse on a surface or in a fluid under non-ideal to extreme conditions. Georgia Tech has a team of researchers dedicated to advancing this frontier.

Rigoberto Hernandez, a professor in the School of Chemistry and Biochemistry, investigates these relationships by studying three-dimensional particle dynamics simulations on high-performance computers. His new findings, which focus on the movements of a spherical probe amongst static needles, have landed on the cover of February's The Journal of Physical Chemistry B.

Hernandez and his former Ph.D. student, Ashley Tucker, assembled the rodlike scatterers in one of two states during his simulations: disordered (isotropic) and ordered (nematic). When the nanorods were disordered, pointing in various directions, Hernandez found that a particle typically diffused uniformly in all directions. When every rod pointed in the same direction, the particle, on average, diffused more in the same direction as the rods than against the grain of the rods. In this nematic state, the probe's movement mimicked the elongated shape of the scatterers. The surprise was that the particles sometimes diffused faster in the nematic environment than in the disordered environment. That is, the channels left open between the ordered nanorods don't just steer nanoparticles along a direction, they also enable them to speed right through.

As the density of the scatterers is increased, the channels become more and more crowded. The particle diffusing through these increasingly crowded assemblies slows down dramatically in the simulation. Nevertheless, the researchers found that the nematic scatterers continued to accommodate faster diffusion than disordered scatterers.

"These simulations bring us a step closer to creating a nanorod device that allows scientists to control the flow of nanoparticles," said Hernandez. "Blue-sky applications of such devices include the creation of new light patterns, information flow and other microscopic triggers."

For example, if scientists need a probe to diffuse in a specific direction at a particular speed, they could trigger the nanorods to move into a specified direction. When they need to change the particle's direction, scatterers could then be triggered to rearrange into a different direction. Indeed, the trigger could be the absence of sufficient nanoparticles in a given part of the device. The ensuing reordering of the nanorods would then drive a repopulation of nanoparticles that would then be available to perform a desired action, such as to stimulate light flow.

"While this NSF-funded work to better understand the motion of particles within complex arrays at the nanoscale is very fundamental," Hernandez says, "it has significant long-term implications on device fabrication and performance at such scales. It's fun to think about and provides great training for my students."

###

This project is supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) (Award Numbers CHE-0749580 and CHE-0946869). The content is solely the responsibility of the principal investigators and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NSF.

---

[ | 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/giot-noa020612.php

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Afghanistan War: U.S. To Rely More On Special Forces As Combat Winds Down

The New York Times:

WASHINGTON ? The United States? plan to wind down its combat role in Afghanistan a year earlier than expected relies on shifting responsibility to Special Operations forces that hunt insurgent leaders and train local troops, according to senior Pentagon officials and military officers. These forces could remain in the country well after the NATO mission ends in late 2014.

Read the whole story: The New York Times

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/02/04/us-to-rely-on-special-forces-afghanistan_n_1255078.html

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