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Located in Central Texas, Fort Hood is the Largest Active Duty Armored Post in the United States.

(CBS) Located just outside of Killen, Texas – about halfway between Austin and Waco – Fort Hood is the largest activity duty armored post in the United States. It is home to about 52,000 troops and according to Military.com, a military and veteran service organization, the total number of people working in the area for the armed services is about 300,000.

Fort Hood plays a major role in Army training and testing as well as developing new equipment and tactics. After 2001, terrorism became a major focus there as the base transitioned from being open to closed (although visitors are allowed to visit museums and other non-restricted parts of the base). Many Fort Hood units have been sent to Iraq and Afghanistan – the 4th Infantry Division was able to capture Saddam Hussein in 2003. Read the full story

Fort Hood shooter killed; 12 dead, 31 wounded

FORT HOOD, Texas (AP) — The Army says 12 people were killed and 31 wounded in a pair of shootings at the Fort Hood Army base in Texas. The shooter was shot dead. Read the full story

Statewide Constitutional Amendments (via Chron.com):

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Eleven amendments top Tuesday’s ballot

Election Day is Tuesday, Nov. 3, and Texas residents will have an opportunity to vote for or against 11 proposed constitutional amendments. Read the full story

The White House Readies a Stealth Stimulus

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White House senior adviser Valerie Jarrett was adamant on Sunday, when asked if President Obama was considering a so-called second stimulus to deal with the rising unemployment rate. “I think it’s too soon. It’s premature to say, ‘Is a second stimulus needed?’ ” she told David Gregory, the host of NBC’s Meet the Press.

But a moment later she said the White House was already looking at tax credits and other measures to further stimulate the economy. “There are a range of suggestions that are being considered right now by his economic team, and we’ll see what we come forward with,” she added. Read the full story

AP Photo

Bad news for Western Conference foes: The Portland Trail Blazers have inked versatile forward LaMarcus Aldridge to a five-year contract extension, worth approximately $70 million.

Here’s linkage to his extension: http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=aw-aldridgeblazers102109&prov=yhoo&type=lgns

That makes two extensions for the Blazers as they’ve locked two studs of their nucleus for the future: Brandon Roy and Aldridge. Read the full story

Copyright Laredo Morning Times

Every now and then, you get the chance to see up close and personal people who’ve made it big give back to their community.

As a Sports Editor for a newspaper in South Texas, I had the chance to see that first hand this summer. Kaleb Canales, a Portland Trail Blazers assistant coach/video coordinator who grew up in Laredo, Texas, came to host his first year of basketball camps for the youth of the city. Read the full story

Hello, one and all. Allow me to introduce myself: My name is Dennis, a 26-year-old from Houston, Texas. This, in short, is my basketball blog … where I will discuss almost anything and everything in regard to the great game of hoops.

I have been involved in basketball since I was very young, playing in youth leagues before serving as a statistician and public address announcer for my high school basketball team before continuing to play recreationally, be it through leagues or intramurals.

Since 2002, I have written for various Web sites. I interned with the Houston Rockets, as a content writer for the organization’s Web site, and for the past three years, I have covered NCAA Division II college hoops for a newspaper in South Texas.

Anyway, that’s the short of it. This blog is for everything hoops, and we’ll see where it takes us from there. Hope y’all enjoy!

Web: www.buffalowildwings.com.

Specials: 40-cent wings on Tuesdays, 60-cent boneless wings on Mondays and Thursdays, 99-cent children’s meals for dine-in on Wednesdays, monthly beer specials, Buzz Time Trivia and Texas Hold ‘Em games, promotions for major sports events such as March Madness and Monday Night Football. Read the full story

(PhysOrg.com) — Last Wednesday, the Ad Astra Rocket Company tested what is currently the most powerful plasma rocket in the world. As the Webster, Texas, company announced, the VASIMR VX-200 engine ran at 201 kilowatts in a vacuum chamber, passing the 200-kilowatt mark for the first time. The test also marks the first time that a small-scale prototype of the company’s VASIMR (Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket) rocket engine has been demonstrated at full power.

“It’s the most powerful plasma rocket in the world right now,” says Franklin Chang-Diaz, former NASA astronaut and CEO of Ad Astra. The company has signed an agreement with NASA to test a 200-kilowatt VASIMR engine on the International Space Station (ISS) in 2013. The engine could provide periodic boosts to the ISS, which gradually drops in altitude due to atmospheric drag. ISS boosts are currently provided by spacecraft with conventional thrusters, which consume about 7.5 tonnes of propellant per year. By cutting this amount down to 0.3 tonnes, Chang-Diaz estimates that VASIMR could save NASA millions of dollars per year.

But Ad Astra has bigger plans for VASIMR, such as high-speed missions to Mars. A 10- to 20-megawatt VASIMR engine could propel human missions to Mars in just 39 days, whereas conventional rockets would take six months or more. The shorter the trip, the less time astronauts would be exposed to space radiation, which is a significant hurdle for Mars missions. VASIMR could also be adapted to handle the high payloads of robotic missions, though at slower speeds than lighter human missions.

Chang-Diaz has been working on the development of the VASIMR concept since 1979, before founding Ad Astra in 2005 to further develop the project. The technology uses radio waves to heat gases such as hydrogen, argon, and neon, creating hot plasma. Magnetic fields force the charged plasma out the back of the engine, producing thrust in the opposite direction. Due to the high velocity that this method achieves, less fuel is required than in conventional engines. In addition, VASIMR has no physical electrodes in contact with the plasma, prolonging the engine’s lifetime and enabling a higher power density than in other designs.

http://www.physorg.com/

Katy ISD Uses Smart Phones for Education

Updated: Friday, 02 Oct 2009, 9:40 PM CDT
Published : Friday, 02 Oct 2009, 8:30 PM CDT

HOUSTON – When it comes to homework, let’s face it: Some kids are always phoning it in.

But in Katy ISD, that could be a good thing.

Cimarron Elementary’s fifth graders, all 136 of them, are learning to use their new smart phones. Read the full story

McGrady practices with Rockets

By JONATHAN FEIGEN Copyright 2009 Houston Chronicle

Oct. 4, 2009, 8:07PM

McALLEN – The court was dropped down in the middle of the McAllen Convention Center, a make-shift training camp venue far removed in so many ways from the arenas and tests of the NBA to come. It was, however, a start. Read the full story

Katy dominates West Brook to improve to 4-1

All it really took was 30 seconds to sum up what happened when Beaumont West Brook went up against Katy.

West Brook receiver Reggie Bevelton was trying to catch a kick-off return but got blasted by Katy’s Ryan Rose instead on the three-yard line. Then West Brook quarterback Bruce Reyes got sacked for a safety by Katy’s defense.

Those two plays were an example of Katy’s dominance as the two-time defending Class 5A champs thumped West Brook 36-7 on Saturday at Jack Rhodes Stadium in Katy. Katy, which ended North Shore’s nine-year regular-season winning streak, improves to 4-1 with its only loss coming against The Woodlands. Read the full story

Cinco Ranch bank robbery caught on camera

KATY, TX (KTRK) — The FBI and Ft. Bend County Sheriff’s Office hope you can help them find a man they say robbed a Cinco Ranch Bank of America branch on Monday. The man is also suspected in two Houston-area holdups last month. Read the full story

DALLAS — Police arrested a man Thursday after he allegedly placed an inactive car bomb near Fountain Place at 1445 Ross Avenue in downtown Dallas.

Hosam Maher Husein Smadi, a 19-year-old Jordanian citizen, who has been living and working in Italy, Texas, illegally, was charged with “attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction,” authorities said.

Smadi made his first court appearance Friday morning. Smadi mostly looked down as he was led into the courtroom in handcuffs.

Asked whether he understood his rights, Smadi softly answered, “Yes.” Smadi waived his right to an immigration hearing and will remain in jail. He is charged with trying to detonate a weapon of mass destruction and face up to life in prison if convicted.

He was appointed a public attorney and an Arabic translator, and a probable cause hearing was set for Oct. 5.

Smadi allegedly drove a truck down into the parking garage below Fountain Plaza Thursday, believing it was packed with ammonium nitrate fertilizer, which was the same material used to blow up the federal building in Oklahoma City.

He left the site in a vehicle driven by an undercover FBI agent. They then drove several blocks away, which was where Smadi used a cell phone that he thought would remotely activate the bomb, authorities said. However, that call went directly to the FBI.

Authorities said Smadi had been under FBI surveillance for some time, after expressing “his desire to commit violent jihad” numerous times, while talking with a group of extremists online. Authorities said he stood out because he said he wanted to serve Osama bin Laden and al-Qaeda.

After learning of Smadi, undercover FBI agents were introduced to him as “sleeper cells,” read a statement released by James T. Jacks, the U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas. The three agents swapped messages with Smadi.

“By God who created me, there will not be a retreat at all, even if they take me go to Guantanamo for the rest of my life,” a report alleged Smadi wrote under the name “19 Smadi” in March. “I will never forget Iraq, Palestine, Afghanistan, or any land where the call of ‘There is no God but God, Muhammad is God’s Messenger is raised.’”

By May 12, agents said Smadi wanted to take action, writing “I want to destroy targets, everything that helps America on its war on Arabs will be targeted.”

During several months with the 19-year-old, authorities said they learned he had no connection to other terrorist organizations but was intent on a “self jihad,” despite efforts of agents to “reevaluate his interpretation of jihad.”

In June, Smadi allegedly listed a group of potential targets in the Dallas area. He considered a Dallas-area airport, although the warrant didn’t say whether he meant Love Field Airport or Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport. Regardless, Smadi found security too tight and settled on a bank, the report stated.

Agents said in July he began to set his focus on a Wells Fargo Bank located inside Fountain Place.

“Smadi stated the credit card is what drives America and he desired to attack one of the main locations,” the report read.

“God willing, the strike will be certain and strong,” Smadi allegedly wrote on July 16.

Five days later, an undercover agent took Smadi to Fountain Place to look over the area. Believing the agents were terrorists who would give him the truck bomb, Smadi met them to plan the attack that he wanted to take place on September 11th. But, the reports said, Smadi decided to postpone the bombing until after September 24.

Smadi planned on using a vehicle improvised explosive device (VBIED) to bomb Fountain Place at the end of Ramadan. Authorities said agents worked to ensure “the VBIED contained only an inert/inactive explosive device, which contained no explosive materials.” The FBI said the public was never in danger.

“I will plant it in the foundations exactly under the building,” Smadi allegedly wrote on August 26. “When it explodes, it will shake the foundations so that the building, if it is heavy in weight, tons, all that will come down.”

Last Sunday, Smadi wrote he was ready, agents said.

“I’m glad they caught him and I’m glad that I’m still alive,” said Bonnie Braganzn, an employee who works inside Fountain Place.

“Clearly, this is a troubling sign of the world we all live in today and we are extremely grateful for the vigilance of the FBI,” Dallas Mayor Tom Leppert said in a statement issued by his office. “We have a strong working relationship with FBI officials, and they have kept us informed of their investigation. Thanks to their efforts, no one was ever in any danger.”

With 60 floors, Fountain Place is the fifth tallest building in Dallas and the 15th tallest building in Texas. The building was designed by I.M. Pei and Partners and completed in 1986.

The father of Smadi insists his son wasn’t involved in the plot, calling the case against him “completely fabricated.”

“The issue is completely fabricated and in our family we never condoned terrorism,” he told The Associated Press.

The father added that Smadi’s brother Hussein, 18, has also been arrested, in California. He said the arrest was apparently related to Hosam’s case, but could not elaborate.

Both Hosam and Hussein were in the U.S. on student visas they received in 2007, their father said.

Official Jordanian state records show that Hosam Smadi left Jordan for the U.S. in 2007 without giving any reason for his departure, Jordan’s Minister of State Nabil al-Sharif said.

Al-Sharif added that Hosam Smadi was arrested and charged in 2004 with theft and homelessness at the age of 14, but could not provide further details.

However, a judiciary official said Smadi was sentenced to 3 months in jail for a minor misdemeanor. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

WFAA-TV’s Brad Watson, WFAA.com’s Marjorie Owens and Associated Press contributed to this report

http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/

By Cherrye Moore

It is a common-known fact that teaching is a labor of love for most educators. They are overworked and under-appreciated and many of them spend their own money, time and energy to improve their students’ education. With all of the new mobile tools on the market today, teachers can more easily work from satellite locations, share educational resources and access school-related data directly from their cell phones. Here are 100 mobile tools for teachers that make the grade.

Educational Research Tools

1.RefDesk

Teachers can quickly access news and reference materials through this easy-to-use online tool that features a currency converter and calculator and includes quick links to most Internet-based email providers and search engines.

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