While all states have implemented a series of traffic laws to keep drivers, pedestrians, automobiles and property safe, the fact is, some laws are simply outdated. It?s important to remember that, during the dawn of mass automobile production, the world was a very different place. As a result, many states enacted laws which corresponded to the circumstances of the day, and over time, these laws have simply been forgotten; except that many are still on the books. Here?s a look at some strange, and sometimes funny, traffic laws from around the United States.

California ? California drivers are not allowed to sleep on or plant rutabagas on a highway, nor can they spill a Margarita on the street.

Kansas ? In some areas of Kansas it is illegal to squeal your tires while driving. In Topeka, drivers cannot transport dead birds on Kansas Avenue.

Maryland ? In Rockville, drivers who swear in their vehicle can be cited with a misdemeanor.

Nevada ? Nevada drivers are not legally able to place a bench or chair in the center of a roadway.

North Carolina ? In Dunn, NC, drivers cannot enter or drive through a cemetery unless they are there to dig a grave or attend a funeral.

Oregon ? In some areas of Oregon, drivers can be ticketed for leaving a vehicle?s door open for too long.

Rhode Island ? Scituate, RI residents are prohibited from transporting beer in their vehicles, even if the beer is unopened.

South Carolina ? In South Carolina?s Hilton Head Island community, a law is on the books which makes it illegal to store trash in one?s car.

West Virginia ? It is, in fact, legal in some areas of the state to collect roadkill for the expressed purpose of consumption.

As you can see, the United States still has some very strange traffic laws on the books. While most law enforcement officers won?t enforce these bizarre laws, even if they are aware of them, it?s important for all drivers to know and understand each law that applies to them or their specific area. There have been instances in which some law enforcement officers have used these outdated and strange laws to force people into paying fines for activities which the driver was unaware were illegal. For more on the traffic laws of your area, please visit your local Department of Motor Vehicles, Department of Transportation or local law enforcement office.

Source: http://www.quickcashauto.com/Automotive-Blog/garage-talk/2012/03/19/strange-traffic-laws

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Business communications is very important to a company?s success. This is the reason why a company should invest in making sure its business communications runs smoothly. As the businesses cull more employees and clients, there is a need for a method that can simplify communications and transactions.

The simple solution to this is unified desktop.

You can understand what this is by simply checking out its name. Unified means it allows uniform transactions or centralized transactions. Every desktop is hooked to one network or one cloud computing infrastructure. It allows easier communication with other personnel or agents hooked up to the system. You can facilitate video conferencing without having to set up individual computers. All computers can simply log in to the network and access it.

It makes quick work of nearly every transaction. For instance in job performance, it lessens the bulk of work of many employees. Your IT representatives no longer have to install computer software or add data to each and every computer you have in the office. What they can do is install that to the main server or network and those employees who have a need to access the software can access it from the server and use it in their own computer terminals.

This means that training new employees has also become less complicated. Training modules are available in the computers hooked up to the network. You can say that business communications have become easier because superiors no longer have to explain the contents of the handouts to the trainees. Video conferencing is also included in the package, so even if the trainer is not physically present, he or she can facilitate the training through conferencing.

In the past, training usually has to go on for weeks. It is also too much work for the organisers since they have to come up with modules or set up screens and learning materials for their trainees. It is costly and will surely require a load of work.

It saves time and trouble. No need to waste time with the organisation of employees and delegates for every meeting. Everyone can join the meeting with the help of conferencing.

Business communications have also become comparatively cheaper if you use these unified solutions. If you have lots of contacts abroad or in different parts of your local area, you probably have too large a phone bill. Contacting them through the internet can also be tedious and expensive at times. This type of unified solution not only simplifies things but makes everything cheaper as well.

No need to spend so much money on phone expenses because video conferencing tools make quick work of contacting anyone local or abroad without spending a penny. All you need is your network, the internet and your computer and the world is practically in your hands. Also, this system has a unified address book that gets updated all the time. You have the option of opening this address book to your employees so they can help you out when you need help in contacting clients.

Unified desktop usually costs a lot initially but the amount of money you can save on training and phone bills can actually surpass that. This is why incorporating this in business is a wise step to progress.

Anyone can use this kind of solution. It suits businesses of all sizes. The thing about unified solutions sellers or distributors is that they cater to the personal and unique needs of their clients. You have to first assess the requirements of your company. Find out what your company?s current standing is and how fast it is going to grow in the future. The seller can create a unified solution suitable to smaller business but can make it flexible enough to still be useful when the business gets larger. There is no one-size-fits-all in this scheme so you have to find a good seller and discuss what your company needs. It should be flexible enough that you can make changes with the system as your company grows larger.

business communications can be startlingly easy and cost-effective if you make use of Unified Desktop solutions. There are lots of features incorporated including Video conferencing.

Tags: transactions, Unified desktop, employees, business communications, computer software, video conferencing, conferencing
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Source: http://www.goforus.com/2012/03/what-you-can-do-to-simplify-and-improve-business-communications/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=what-you-can-do-to-simplify-and-improve-business-communications

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When acting as your own personal real estate agent, it is imperative that you cover all bases adequately. You have to have a for sale by owner home that is in excellent condition and able to be shown to possible buyers. It is not difficult to prepare your for sale by owner home for show but it does require proper planning along with a little bit of work on your account to ensure success.

The outside of your respective for sale by owner home is the first thing potential buyers will see so it?s very important to make sure it can be clean and attractive. ?Curb appeal,? or even the way your home looks on the surface, is what attracts potential buyers so if you spruce it up a bit, they will want to view the inside of the for sale by owner home.

A neatly manicured and well-kept lawn implicitly signifies a well maintained for sale by owner home. You should make a weekly habit of cutting your lawn while your home is on display for sale. Make sure to rake leaves also to sweep the sidewalks for fun on saturday when your house is to be presented. If you have shrubs and even trees, remove debris and dead limbs to be more presentable. It is a nice touch to plant extra flowers for color or add potted flowers to reduce the landscaping.

If fences come in ill repair or need work, repair them and touch them track of stain or with paint. Store lawn equipment, children?s? toys, and then any other outdoor items. Keep large pets with neighbors so that they do not interfere with the showing of your respective for sale by owner home.

Within your for sale by owner property is next on the list to generate presentable for showing. It has been established that people buy homes that appear spacious, clean, and solid. Dark colors and clutter shut off most buyers, this means you must get rid of exactly what you can possibly live without. A fantastic rule of thumb is this, if you cannot see your baseboard, the room is probably very cluttered.

To reduce unnecessary things you may have, you may donate them to a charity or have a garage sale. The larger items that you must keep can be put in storage. If you will be painting your interior, use white or an off-white paint. You should also replace your light bulbs with brighter, higher wattage bulbs. Again, the style you are going for is bright and spacious. Be sure you clean everything thoroughly including carpets and mirrored surfaces.

Clean the oven and appliances and be sure to polish any chrome fixtures. Be especially particular about ridding your property of any odors for example from smoke or from pets. Fix any loose doorknobs, repair any broken windowpanes or leaky windowsills. Make certain any light fixtures are secure and in good repair. Also, be sure to repair any leaky pipes and also to reapply caulk as needed.

These general tips you can get started on preparing your fsbo home to be shown to potential buyers. This is a good practice to view the fsbo home as though you are the buyer and to be particularly hard on yourself so any buyer won?t have to be. In case you are worried that you may overlook something, it won?t hurt to get a friend or neighbor to do a walk thru of your home and to critique your time and effort. This will ensure a complete and thorough preparation and definately will boost the appeal of your home.

When you?re ready to buy your dream home, you must check out Castle Rock Lake. Located in south central WI Castle Rock Lake has everything you?d ask for in a waterfront home. You can also learn why you should update your home every 5 years.

Source: http://articles-maniac.tk/fsbo-showing-your-home/finance/real-estate/

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When Alaitz was still a fetus in her mother’s womb, Spanish doctors successfully operated on her lungs to fix a blocked bronchial tube in what they said Tuesday was a world first.

The fetus was suffering from a bronchial atresia, an anomaly where the bronchi, the air tube leading from the trachea to the lungs, do not connect properly with the central airways.

Staff from two Barcelona hospitals — Clinic and Joan de Deu — introduced an endoscopy through the fetus’ mouth to connect the right bronchi with the central airways in a procedure done in late 2010 that was unveiled Tuesday.

“It is the first time in the world that this has been achieved. It is the first time that it has been tried and it turned out well,” said the head of the maternal-fetal medicine department at Hospital Clinic, Eduard Gratacos.

“It is an extremely delicate operation since it is carried out near the heart on tissues as thin as cigarette paper. But without this fetal therapy, the baby would not have survived,”" he told a news conference.

Eleven weeks after the pioneering surgery Alaitz — which means “joy” in the Basque language — was born weighing 2.5 kilograms (5.5 pounds).

Wearing a red bow in her curly hair, Alaitz, who is now 16 months old, appeared in public for the first time at the news conference on Tuesday at the Hospital Clinic along with her parents.

“She is completely normal. She wakes up happy, she laughs if she is pleased, she cries if she is hungry,” said Alaitz’s mother, 33-year-old Monica Corominas.

“It was the only option. We either tried it or put an end to the pregnancy.”

Bronchial atresia, affects one fetus in 10,000, said Gratacos. It usually leads to the death of the fetus in about 90 percent of all cases.

“Thanks to an ultrasound we detected the problem early. If we had not intervened, she would be dead,” said Julio Moreno, a neonatologist at the Hospital Joan de Deu who took part in the operation.

The operation lasted just 30 minutes but was very delicate as it was carried out on a 26-week-old fetus weighing just 800 grams (28 ounces).

“In such cases, you have to operate quickly, like a bank robbery,” said Gratacos.

“The parents reacted very well. The truth is that the mother showed great strength, as she saw no other option, she accepted the need for the surgery.”

Thirteen days after Alaitz was born, she underwent an operation to remove two of the three pulmonary lobes of her right lung which were damaged by the malformation of her bronchi.

Doctors said the removal of the pulmonary lobes will not affect Alaitz’s health and quality of life.

The Hospital Clinica is one of the five largest centres in the world for fetal surgery. It deals with 200 cases of fetal pathology per year.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/spanish-doctors-announce-world-first-fetal-surgery-164823713.html

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ScienceDaily (Mar. 13, 2012) ? A team of neuroscientists led by a Wayne State University School of Medicine professor has discovered stark developmental differences in brain network function in children of parents with schizophrenia when compared to those with no family history of mental illness.

The study, led by Vaibhav Diwadkar, Ph.D., assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral neurosciences and co-director of the Division of Brain Research and Imaging Neuroscience, was published in the March 2012 issue of the American Medical Association journal Archives of General Psychiatry and is titled, “Disordered Corticolimbic Interactions During Affective Processing in Children and Adolescents at Risk for Schizophrenia Revealed by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Dynamic Causal Modeling.”

The results provide significant insight into plausible origins of schizophrenia in terms of dysfunctional brain networks in adolescence, demonstrate sophisticated analyses of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data and clarify the understanding of developmental mechanisms in normal versus vulnerable brains. The resulting information can provide unique information to psychiatrists.

The study took place over three years, using MRI equipment at Harper University Hospital in Detroit. Using fMRI the researchers studied brain function in young individuals (8 to 20 years of age) as they observed pictures of human faces depicting positive, negative and neutral emotional expressions. Participants were recruited from the metropolitan Detroit area. Because children of patients are at highly increased risk for psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia, the team was interested in studying brain network function associated with emotional processing and the relevance of impaired network function as a potential predictor for schizophrenia.

To investigate brain networks, the researchers applied advanced analyses techniques to the fMRI data to investigate how brain regions dynamically communicate with each other. The study demonstrated that children at risk for the illness are characterized by reduced network communication and disordered network responses to emotional faces. This suggests that brain developmental processes are going awry in children whose parents have schizophrenia, suggesting this is a subgroup of interest to watch in future longitudinal studies.

“Brain network dysfunction associated with emotional processing is a potential predictor for the onset of emotional problems that may occur later in life and that are in turn associated with illnesses like schizophrenia,” Diwadkar said. “If you clearly demonstrate there is something amiss in how the brain functions in children, there is something you can do about it. And that’s what we’re interested in.”

The results don’t show whether schizophrenia will eventually develop in the subjects. “It doesn’t mean that they have it, or that they will have it,” he said.

“The kids we studied were perfectly normal if you looked at them,” he said. “By using functional brain imaging we are trying to get underneath behavior.”

“We are able to do this because we can investigate dynamic changes in brain network function by assessing changes in the fMRI signal. This allowed us to capture dramatic differences in how regions in the brain network are interacting with each other,” he said.

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, schizophrenia affects men and women with equal frequency, but generally manifests in men in their late teens or early 20s, and in women in their late 20s or early 30s.

Diwadkar worked with Wayne State medical student Sunali Wadehra, M.A., and colleagues at Harvard Medical School and the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Global collaborator Simon Eickhoff, Dr.Med., of Research Center J?lich and the Institute of Clinical Neuroscience and Medical Psychology at Heinrich-Heine University D?sseldorf, in Germany, also provided significant insight.

This study was supported by the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health along with the Children’s Research Center of Michigan; the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia and Depression (Diwadkar); the Joe Young Sr.; the Office of the Vice President, Wayne State University; and the German Research Foundation.

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The above story is reprinted from materials provided by Wayne State University – Office of the Vice President for Research.

Note: Materials may be edited for content and length. For further information, please contact the source cited above.

Journal Reference:

1. V. A. Diwadkar, S. Wadehra, P. Pruitt, M. S. Keshavan, U. Rajan, C. Zajac-Benitez, S. B. Eickhoff. Disordered Corticolimbic Interactions During Affective Processing in Children and Adolescents at Risk for Schizophrenia Revealed by Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Dynamic Causal Modeling. Archives of General Psychiatry, 2012; 69 (3): 231 DOI: 10.1001/archgenpsychiatry.2011.1349

Note: If no author is given, the source is cited instead.

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Views expressed here do not necessarily reflect those of ScienceDaily or its staff.

Source: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120313145015.htm

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BEIJING (Reuters) – Vendors at the local market in Beijing could be forgiven for thinking that Nan Weidong and Nan Weiping run a restaurant. But the bags stuffed full of vegetables the brothers lug back home are used for a very different purpose — musical instruments.

The two grew up surrounded by vegetables in China’s central Anhui province, but their music teacher father encouraged them to learn conventional instruments from a young age. As teenagers, they joined a local theatrical troupe.

But it wasn’t until two years ago that they thought of making instruments out of vegetables, an idea that has fascinated them ever since.

They now live and work in a narrow Beijing apartment, drilling holes in carrots, marrows, lotus roots and Chinese yams and testing the pitch against an old electronic tuner — nibbling silently on the shavings all the while.

A sweet potato becomes a perky ocarina, a bamboo shoot a mellow, reedy flute. A row of carrots tied upright to leeks is transformed into a set of Chinese panpipes.

“The deeper the hole, the lower the pitch. The shallower the hole, the higher the pitch,” said pony-tailed Nan Weiping, at age 41 the younger by two years.

“The size of the holes also matters to guarantee the quality of the sound. The leeks only serve as decoration.”

But controlling the pitch is extremely difficult, he added, with changes in the air temperature and humidity potentially warping the shape of the holes, putting the notes out of tune.

Their repertoire is as varied as their instruments, ranging from traditional Chinese flute music to Western songs such as Auld Lang Syne.

The two have appeared on numerous talent shows in China and often receive payments of 30,000 to 50,000 yuan ($4,800 to $7,900) for a performance — their sole income. Each show requires making a whole new set of instruments.

Though the size and shape of the vegetables is important, the utmost importance is placed on freshness, said Nan Weidong.

“If the water content in vegetables evaporates, the tune will become higher than the basic tune, or even out of tune. Therefore we choose vegetables with as much water content as possible,” he said.

“The vegetables have to be solid and hard. We can’t use vegetables left over for days. They are too soft to be played.”

(Additional reporting by Haze Fan and Jimmy Guan; Editing by Elaine Lies and Paul Tait)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/thats-not-salad-symphony-034809328.html

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The increase in use of Internet has encouraged businesses to create and run their e-commerce online shopping portal. Although it is an attractive option to earn revenue, but requires a suitable open source web-based CMS solution for proper functioning.

Many development companies rely on open source technologies as they do not have to spend on licensing fee. The developers need to download and install the specific technology into their web server to carry out necessary development process for robust solutions.

There is a great scope of open source CMS solutions to use for e-commerce shopping portals. Some of the majorly used content management systems are Magento, Zen Cart and OS commerce, which are based on PHP and MySQL. Each of the technology is best in itself to provide greater functionality to run and manage the e-store.

The CMS solution is customized as per the specific business requirements to make it functional for the customers to access and shop across the world.

Although it is not difficult to manage an open source CMS solution, but it is important to customize the site by taking professional help to eliminate flaws from the solution.

Thanks to open source CMS customization experts! They are efficient in selecting the right technology to carry out development process for unique and intuitive e-solutions. In this growing e-business scenario, it is important to develop a unique solution that can grab the attention of maximum visitors available online with an intention to place an order.

With CMS web development solution, it will be easy for a business owner to monitor site’s performance, store and publish content as per business requirements. The content can be in terms of e-documents, web content, files, images and audio files.?

If you are looking for a reliable CMS development company, you may begin your search through Internet. The reason is simple and clear; every business has an online presence where they display their area of operation effectively. By using Internet as a search medium, it will be easy for you to evaluate capabilities of CMS developers who will be working on your project. If the previous records portray good impression of the company, it will not be difficult for them to bring out the best in your solution too. Start your search from today so that you can make a selection from the shortlisted options having experience and expertise in CMS customization and development solutions!

Source: http://computersight.com/software/open-source-web-based-cms-solutions-for-e-business/

Source: http://business.ezinemark.com/open-source-web-based-cms-solutions-for-e-business-7d34a5099166.html

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Source: http://phildillon.typepad.com/blog/2012/03/open-source-web-based-cms-solutions-for-e-business.html

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The actual launch strategy of virtually any new product is critical. Cadbury provides two targets for its products ,Nike Shox Store,C industry customers who inventory the product and shoppers who buy it. In recent times, product launching is now an art which can make or break a product. A successful launch makes prospective customers aware of the new merchandise and keen to test it.

Before buyers could try the product,Supra shoes online, however, it was important with regard to Cadbury to gain the assistance of its trade consumers. Retailers had to notice as helpful in motivating customers to visit their particular shops. If the product had failed to interest retailers and marketers, the costs of expense would not have been achieved and they would not have stocked the product.
Cadbury conducted one-to-one briefings craigs list 70 key industry customers. This aided Cadbury build awareness and commitment to the kick off and obtain significant purchases for in-store displays as well as merchandising ahead of the launch date. The business commitment was mirrored in high numbers of display support waiting for you during the launch.
Customarily,nike sneakers cheap online, new confectionery products are in the beginning launched in one region of the country, in order to evaluate the product,,s good results, before moving on to additional regions over a period of occasion. Time Out and Wispa Gold,Adida Basketball shoes, for example, were unveiled in this way. The resolve for the success of Fuse was great,nike sneakers, however, that it was Cadbury,,s initial completely national release for 20 years.
There have been certain key specifications to the co-ordination of the launch:
Secrecy had to be paramount!
Internet marketers who had discovered the gap in the market were required to work closely with individuals through research and improvement as well as other external companies.
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Using a catchy ,Nike Basketball shoes,,hook,Shoes Sale Online Shopping,, to get a new launch allows you make consumers spot the product. Cadbury and its industry customers managed the initial availability of Fuse,,more?

Source: http://www.concertrecap.com/aiengd8367/blog/supra-shoes-online-0967/

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In this Sunday, March 11, 2012 photo, Afghan Army soldiers stand guard as a crowd gathers outside a military base in Panjwai, Kandahar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan. An Afghan youth recounted on Monday the terrifying scene in his home as a lone U.S. soldier moved stealthily through it during a killing spree, then crouched down and shot his father in the thigh as he stepped out of the bedroom. The soldier, now in U.S. custody, is accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in their homes in the middle of the night between Saturday and Sunday and then burning some of their corpses. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said nine of those killed were children and three were women.(AP Photo/Allauddin Khan)

In this Sunday, March 11, 2012 photo, Afghan Army soldiers stand guard as a crowd gathers outside a military base in Panjwai, Kandahar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan. An Afghan youth recounted on Monday the terrifying scene in his home as a lone U.S. soldier moved stealthily through it during a killing spree, then crouched down and shot his father in the thigh as he stepped out of the bedroom. The soldier, now in U.S. custody, is accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in their homes in the middle of the night between Saturday and Sunday and then burning some of their corpses. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said nine of those killed were children and three were women.(AP Photo/Allauddin Khan)

In this Sunday, March 11, 2012 photo, Afghan security forces stand guard outside a home where witnesses say Afghans were killed by a U.S. soldier in Panjwai, Kandahar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan. An Afghan youth recounted on Monday the terrifying scene in his home as a lone U.S. soldier moved stealthily through it during a killing spree, then crouched down and shot his father in the thigh as he stepped out of the bedroom. The soldier, now in U.S. custody, is accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in their homes in the middle of the night between Saturday and Sunday and then burning some of their corpses. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said nine of those killed were children and three were women.(AP Photo/Allauddin Khan)

In this Sunday, March 11, 2012 photo, Afghan and U.S. soldiers are seen as a crowd gathers outside a military base in Panjwai, Kandahar province south of Kabul, Afghanistan. An Afghan youth recounted on Monday the terrifying scene in his home as a lone U.S. soldier moved stealthily through it during a killing spree, then crouched down and shot his father in the thigh as he stepped out of the bedroom. The soldier, now in U.S. custody, is accused of killing 16 Afghan civilians in their homes in the middle of the night between Saturday and Sunday and then burning some of their corpses. Afghan President Hamid Karzai said nine of those killed were children and three were women.(AP Photo/Allauddin Khan)

SEATTLE (AP) ? A U.S. soldier suspected of killing at least 16 Afghan civilians in a nighttime assault is from a brigade that was the first in the Army to use the Stryker, a nimble eight-wheeled, light infantry vehicle built for a post-Cold War era.

Now, the brigade and the Washington state base where it is located are grappling with one of its own being accused of one of the worst atrocities of the roughly decade-old war in Afghanistan.

The name of the 38-year-old soldier was not released because it would be “inappropriate” to do so before charges are filed, Pentagon spokesman George Little said. The soldier is in custody at a base in Kandahar.

The staff sergeant was deployed Dec. 3 with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Infantry Regiment of the 3rd Stryker Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division, based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord located south of Seattle, a congressional source told The Associated Press.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter.

The soldier, who has been in the military for 11 years, served three tours in Iraq and is married with two children, was being held in pretrial confinement in Kandahar while Army officials review his complete deployment and medical history, Pentagon officials said.

A U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is under investigation said that during a recent tour of duty in Iraq, the suspect was involved in a vehicle accident and suffered a head injury, although information about the extent of the injury wasn’t available. The accident was not combat-related, and there was no available indication that his injury could be linked to abnormal behavior afterward, the official said. Two U.S. officials speaking on condition of anonymity said the suspect had been trained as a sniper.

The news about the killing spree was the latest difficult episode for Lewis-McChord over the past few years.

Home to about 100,000 military and civilian personnel, it’s had a spate of suicides among soldiers back from war. And most famously, four service members were convicted in the deliberate killing of three Afghan civilians during patrols in 2010.

The soldier accused in Sunday’s shooting is not from the same brigade. Those soldiers were from the 5th Stryker Brigade Combat Team, which has since been renamed the 2nd Stryker brigade.

The 3rd Stryker Brigade, the brigade to which the accused soldier belongs, was the Army’s first brigade to use the Stryker. The brigade deployed three times to Iraq before sending 2,500 soldiers to Afghanistan for the first time last December.

For this most recent deployment, it left its 300 Stryker vehicles at home and, instead, has been using vehicles that were already in Afghanistan and are more resistant to roadside bombs.

The source said the soldier was assigned on Feb. 1 to a village stability program in Belambai, half a mile from one of the villages where the attack took place Sunday. Villagers described an armed soldier moving through homes, shooting residents.

The village stability operations are part of NATO’s efforts to transition out of Afghanistan. They pair special operations troops with local villagers chosen by village elders to become essentially a sanctioned, armed neighborhood watch.

Army officials are reviewing the soldier’s complete deployment and medical history.

In Washington state, Spc. Jared Richardson, an engineer at Lewis-McChord who served in Afghanistan, said the Army is working with soldiers to deal with their problems. But he said a decade of war has taken a toll on enlisted men and women.

“We’re on uncharted territory now, and it’s taking a toll on soldiers,” Richardson said.

Jorge Gonzalez, executive director of Coffee Strong, a coffee shop near Lewis-McChord that doubles as a resource center for soldiers looking to leave the Army, said frequent Stryker deployments are taking their toll.

“There is definitely fatigue, many are on their third, fourth deployments. Many can’t wait to get out,” he said.

___

Associated Press writer Manuel Valdes contributed from near Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

Johnson can be reached at https://twitter.com/GeneAPseattle

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2012-03-12-US-Afghanistan-Unit/id-9a60f49947254736bc7274d70ae60ef4

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