Subscribe | UPI Odd Newsletter Subscribe HIGH-TECH WARNING SYSTEM An expert panel recommends the creation of a high-technology national warning system that would alert the public to emergencies, including terrorist attacks and other crises. Advertisement The New York Times reports the group says the government's current emergency warning systems are inefficient and outdated and a new integrated system should be the responsibility of the Department of Homeland Security. While the group did not call for the end to the color-coded terrorism alert system created in March by the White House, it did note there was widespread public confusion over the system. The group, which calls itself the Partnership for Public Warning and includes representatives from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, FBI and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, says the current hodgepodge of emergency warning systems "do not reach most of the people at risk." CHURCH HIV TESTING The Rev. Darius G. Pridgen stopped his sermon to allow his blood to be drawn from his arm for an HIV test in True Bethel Baptist Church in Buffalo, N.Y. He then invited his 700-member mostly black assembly to be tested for HIV after the service. His example prompted more than 100 church members to be tested for the virus that causes AIDS, The Buffalo News reports. Advertisement The mass HIV testing in a church setting is believed to be the first in the nation and is considered by many as a breakthrough for the church, The News says. "We see this as the tearing down of the traditional church barriers that exclude dialogue about sex, HIV and AIDS," says Ken Smith, a program coordinator at GROUP Ministries, which organized the event. SOFTWARE TO SPOT DISCREPANCIES The high-tech team of the Detroit office of Deloitte & Touche is launching D&Tect System for client software that highlights anomalies that may indicate the presence of fraudulent transactions or circumvention of internal controls. "It allows boards to more easily analyze information and question management on pertinent issues," team member Michelle Collins says in a statement. "Our system makes it easier for boards (of directors) to spot discrepancies -- pure and simple," she adds. This system, which has been in development for some time, is attractive to company executives who now, because of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act, are faced requirements to certify their internal control systems are working and the data are correct, Collins says. YOU TOO CAN BE ON A BOX OF CEREAL Advertisement It's the dream of many an athlete -- to join the ranks of Babe Ruth, Mary Lou Retton, Michael Jordan, Sarah Hughes and Tiger Woods on front of a Wheaties cereal box. Cereal Adventure offers a one-of-a-kind gift idea that puts your favorite champion front and center on the coveted Wheaties box. New technology enables Cereal Adventure -- at the Mall of America in Minneapolis -- to superimpose an original customer photograph onto a personalized Wheaties box. Consumers can visit the Web site cerealadventure.com for details on a custom Wheaties box that costs just under $25.
