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By Geena MartinezNewsWest 9

ODESSA - 2013 was a busy year for Odessa Animal Control and it didn't come without controversy.

The city service has been criticized on social media for how they operate. In the day and age of social media, issues can spread like wildfire, but when it comes to theOdessa Animal Control, officials are saying not so fast.

"A lot of the misconceptions that've been coming from Facebook simply aren't true," Cpl. Steve LeSueur, with the Odessa Police Department, said.

Recently, Animal Control has been getting a bad rap online about how the service operates and the number of dogs that are put down.

But Lt. Jerry Harvell says animal control is just that; animal control, meaning they're not only working with domestic cats and dogs.

"That's from snakes, coyotes, feral cats, feral dogs that run in packs, bobcats," Harvell said.

In 2013, animal control officers responded to more than 12,000 calls in the city and county. Nearly 6,000 animals were put down.

"Most of these animals that are brought in are either determined to be aggressive, they're sick, they're injured or they're wild," LeSueursaid.

We're told nearly 400 of the animals euthanized in 2013 were cleared for adoption but there's just not enough space at the shelter.

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Odessa Animal Control Speaking Out After Online Scrutiny

Liberty Media Corp. ( LMCA ) recently expressed its desire to take full control of SIRIUS XM Radio Inc. ( SIRI ), the largest satellite radio entertainment provider in the U.S. At present, Liberty media holds approximately 53% of SIRIUS XM. The new proposal will give Liberty Media a 100% stake and consequently SIRIUS XM will become a wholly owned subsidiary of the former.

Per the deal, in a tax-free transaction, each share of SIRIUS XM will be converted into 0.076 shares of a new issue of Liberty Media Series C common stock. The existing Series A and Series B shareholders of Liberty Media will get 2 shares in the Series C stocks for each share they possess.

After the completion of the whole transaction, the existing minority shareholders (excluding Liberty Media) of SIRIUS XM will control approximately 39% of Liberty Media. The deal is subject to the approval of a special committee of independent directors and public stockholders of SIRIUS XM, other than Liberty Media.

The decision to acquire a 100% ownership in SIRIUS XM is viewed as Liberty Media's attempt to consolidate its position in the U.S. cable TV industry. The company currently controls a 27.3% stake in Charter Communications Inc. ( CHTR ), the fourth largest pay-TV operator in the U.S.

Liberty Media is aggressively pursuing an idea so that Charter Communications can acquire Time Warner Cable Inc. ( TWC ), the second largest cable MSO (multi service operator) in the U.S. However, Charter needs to raise at least $25 billion for this takeover, which will significantly leverage the company's balance sheet. In that case, Liberty Media may need to inject funds for Charter Communications.

A full control of SIRIUS XM will immediately raise Liberty Media's market capitalization to approximately $27 billion from the current level of about $16 billion. Similarly, annual EBITDA (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization) of Liberty Media will jump from $1.4 billion to around $2.6 billion. Liberty Media will also gain approximately $625 million of annual free cash flow of SIRIUS XM.

Currently, both Liberty Media and Charter Communications carry a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) while both SIRIUS XM and Time Warner Cable carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

CHARTER COMM-A (CHTR): Free Stock Analysis Report

LIBERTY MEDIA-A (LMCA): Free Stock Analysis Report

SIRIUS XM HLDGS (SIRI): Free Stock Analysis Report

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Liberty Media to Fully Control SIRIUS XM - Analyst Blog

SANTA ANA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Universal Electronics Inc. (UEI) (Nasdaq:UEIC) today announced the latest release of its industry-leading universal setup and control SDK, UEI QuickSet. UEI QuickSet 2.4 follows up on the success of the original UEI platform that is currently deployed in over 70 million devices around the world including set-top boxes, connected TVs, media devices, game consoles, smartphones, and tablets.

With millions of connected devices already deployed, UEI QuickSet 2.4 delivers the simplest and most intuitive universal remote control setup and control experience available today. This technology enables an AV device remote control to be set up and programmed to control virtually any television or entertainment device in the home, with minimal or no user input.

With millions of new devices entering the digital living room, all vying to deliver entertainment content to consumers worldwide, the need for a universal control interface has become a priority for device manufacturers, content providers, and mobile platforms.

UEI QuickSet 2.4 delivers a universal setup and control experience that is unmatched in the industry. It includes features such as:

UEI QuickSet is currently deployed on a variety of platforms and operating systems including Linux, Windows, Android and iOS; supports embedded applications that have built-in IR blasters; devices that support two-way RF communication with remote IR blasters, such as connected bridges; and remote controls with built-in RF.

UEIs device code database is the industrys leading device database for universal entertainment control, giving users access to literally hundreds of thousands of control functions for virtually all digital entertainment electronics devices in the world. With well over 98 percent of installed TVs in the market supported, users across the globe will benefit from UEI QuickSets ability to deliver the right control code for their specific digital entertainment device.

Licensees of UEI QuickSet include leading cable and satellite service provides such as DIRECTV and Echostar Technologies, as well as leading brands in the gaming industry, such as Nintendo on their WiiU platform, and more recently, Microsoft on their groundbreaking Xbox One gaming system.

Video game consoles are fast becoming key platforms for delivering home entertainment, with features beyond gaming including video playback, over-the-top content, and social media connections. According to Neilson Research, half of the latest models of gaming systems (known as 7th Generation Consoles) are now located in the primary living/family room, making them an essential part of the home theater experience.

With UEI QuickSet, Microsofts Xbox One can deliver a seamless universal control experience using voice commands to control functions like powering on the TV and set-top box, controlling volume during gameplay and TV watching, as well as providing set-top box control of DVR and channel tuning.

Xbox One is a truly unique console concept, and UEI is proud to be an integral part of Microsofts latest platform, says Paul Arling, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer for UEI. As the convergence of gaming and multimedia entertainment continues, UEI remains at the forefront of providing consumers with the underlying technology needed to ensure the best possible control experience. Our extensive device control code library combined with the ease of setup of UEI QuickSet continues to be one of our most important competitive differentiators.

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Universal Electronics Releases UEI QuickSet 2.4 Bringing Next Level of Automation to Universal AV Setup and Control ...

New York, New York (PRWEB) January 07, 2014

Social Assurity, the leader in helping students effectively manage their social media profiles for college and career, announced today the launch of a new set of personalized services enabling students to take control of and enhance their digital identities.

The newly launched Signature Series offers students a choice of services for managing their digital presence. Designed to build an authentic and optimized online identity, these services will increase students chances of gaining acceptance to the most competitive colleges and landing the best jobs.

Beginning with the social media Personal Assessment, an essential first step towards controlling ones social media identity, Social Assurity offers a gradated range of service options including investigative research and analysis, one-on-one consultations, reparation advice, customized optimization services, and on-going social media monitoring and management. The new flagship Elite Service incorporates all of these options into a complete end-to-end concierge management system.

Our new social media personal assessment provides teens, high school and college students an advantageous low cost option to receive immediate feedback on the current state of their social media presence, states Alan Katzman, founding member of Social Assurity. What surprises many students is discovering how far removed their social media holograph is from the person they genuinely are and how they want to appear to others. Our goal is to elevate the voice of our clients beyond all of the adolescent chatter.

Since its inception, Social Assurity has been recognized as a thought leader in the discussion on how social media is impacting college admissions and employment decisions. Social Assurity was the first to raise students' awareness of the implications of using Twitter and other native social media messaging platforms to communicate with colleges and businesses and by advising college and job applicants to bolster and augment their social media persona instead of hiding it.

"Given the large number of applicants to the most competitive colleges and jobs, it is imperative that serious applicants look at their digital presence as an asset and a natural extension of their college applications and professional resumes in order to set themselves apart from other qualified candidates," states Katzman. "Our mission is to help students achieve the optimum results while developing an impressive social media presence for their advantage."

Link:
Harnessing the Power of Social Media for College and Career

Overdoing it during the holidays is easy: Theres food galore, drinks you adore and parties that leave you sore.

But three media power players vowed not to go overboard in one area of their lives: technology. Arianna Huffington, president and editor-in-chief of Huffington Post Media Group, Cindi Leive, editor-in-chief of Glamour and Mika Brzezinski, co-host of MSNBCs Morning Joe, teamed up to unplug from their prized phones and slick laptops from Dec. 23 through Dec. 29 (a whole week!).

That meant no checking their e-mails every nanosecond or forging hourly tweets, and skipping their favorite TV shows, online games and social media sites in favor of more time with family and living in the moment.

As with breaking any addiction, these dynamos found it difficult to stay off devices and they had slip-ups but ultimately they felt richer for their experience. Here are their stories, as told to Kathleen Lucadamo:

Founder of Huffington Post Arianna HuffingtonPhoto: Getty Images

My youngest daughter, Isabella, made me lock my four BlackBerrys in a safe, to stop me from constantly checking my phone. The first day of the detox was the hardest, and I reached for my phone too many times to count, but it got easier each day. Instead of texting and e-mailing, I read two books and print newspapers, and worked on the finishing touches of my book, Thrive, about a new way of defining success I call the Third Metric. I dont remember the last time I read and wrote uninterrupted.

We were in Hawaii, and the office was closed for two days which made it easier to unplug but I allowed myself an hour a day to check in when the office was open. Boy, was it hard not wandering onto various Web sites once the computer was on but I knew one hour would quickly morph into six if I didnt control myself. At one point, Isabella, 22, came to talk to me during my online allowance, so I gave myself a few minutes more to make sure I got in my full time. Since my time was so restricted, I didnt answer every e-mail. That was wonderful. I had my out-of-office response plugged in, so no one was offended.

I had pre-programmed inspirational sayings into my Twitter account, but when followers read the feeds, they were upset because they thought Id broken my device-free pledge so I had them stopped.

It was also tough being in this breathtaking place and seeing incredible waves and sunsets, and not being able to share them on Instagram. But instead, I soaked in the beauty. The waves reminded me of the ones I swam in growing up in Greece.

Staying physically active was key to staying away from my devices. I took long walks with my daughters and did yoga. Normally, Id keep my phone nearby, even in yoga class, and sneak peeks at the screen when we switched poses.

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Media empresses swear off technology for the holidays