Month: December 2005

Leakage of information from officials

The NCAA has strict rules regarding leakage of inside information by basketball officials. But the lure of easy money is too high. This can be seen from a university of Michigan study done in 2000. The study which quizzed basketball and football sports officials found:
* More than 84 percent admitted they had gambled since becoming an official.
* Forty percent of those responding said they had bet on sports.
* Almost 23 percent said they had wagered on the NCAA Tournament
* Twelve of the 640 admitted knowing an official who had called a game

Clearly, online betting has become a dangerous phenomenon. It has started affecting student behavior. Even offices are not immune to betting on basketball games. Almost every office has a basketball pool. Many office goers go on the net during office hours to place bets.

Buying refurbished laptops

Compaq used laptops give people the opportunity to purchase a new laptop computer at a great price – generally a price that will beat the price charged for comparable laptops computers of other brands.

Buying used and refurbished items is not a new thing so there is no need to be concerned.  There are indeed all kinds of different items that people can purchase that have been refurbished by the manufacturer or by a qualified company after being owned by one owner. This happens with stereos, VCR’s, DVD players, computers and many other electronic items.

Some people shy away from Compaq used laptops because they are concerned that the laptop will not perform up to the standards they expect a fully functioning laptop computer to meet. Many times this concern is not necessary because the computers that are refurbished undergo a strict process to make sure they are in good shape. All of the components are tested to make sure the computer will last for a long time.