| Gates back in Iraq, focusing on military meetings
BASRA, Iraq Defense Secretary Robert Gates is in Iraq, for the second time in less than a month. He arrived with no advance public announcement in the southern city of Basra this morning to talk to allied military commanders, including the British. Britain has some seven-thousand soldiers in the Basra area but plans to send a lot of them home this year. Gates also is meeting with commanders from Poland, Australia, Denmark and Romania. And he'll have lunch with coalition troops who are training Iraqi soldiers to take over their own country's security. The defense chief's weeklong overseas trip also has included a visit to Afghanistan. Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Project Linus provides blankets to children in need
"Providing security through blankets" -- That's the motto of Project Linus, a group of volunteers nationwide that provides blankets to comfort children who are going through traumatic circumstances. One East Texas chapter is doing their part to help.From their home on Crestwood Lane in Kilgore, Pat Vanderwater and her husband Larry are deeply involved with their local chapter of Project Linus, sewing and distributing blankets for children who are sick, abused or otherwise in need.Vanderwater said, "We specialize in donating to children that are seriously ill or traumatized. Another part of our mission is to provide a fun service opportunity for individuals, for the benefit of children." The self-named "blanketeers" have donated almost 2 million blankets nationwide. Back home in East Texas, the local chapter of Project Linus has given out more than 5,000 of the handmade blankets since April 2003.Pat is quick to point out that even if you can't sew, there's always a need for extra help.
Alarm.Com Surpasses 10,000 GSM Module Mark
MCLEAN, Va., Jan. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- Alarm.com, a provider of digital wireless and Web-enabled home security technology, announced today it has shipped over 10,000 GSM-based wireless modules since launching the offering for the GE Simon in July 2006, and the GE Concord in November 2006. The vast and ever-increasing reach of the digital GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) network worldwide makes it the most viable and sustainable option for wireless home security technology. As the imminent decommissioning of analog wireless networks threatens the future of older, analog-based security technology, the security industry is quickly turning to GSM and other digital wireless solutions. (Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060405/DCW013LOGO ) In accordance with a sunset clause established by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), cellular carriers will be allowed to discontinue the Analog Mobile Phone Service (AMPS) networks on February 18, 2008.
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