Monday, 27 May 2013

Get Your Personal Freeadboard ! Review | reviewdaily.info

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Sunday, 26 May 2013

Microsoft reportedly plans to take a cut of used game sales

Ultimately, many of the photos and cellphone records of Trayvon Martin released online Thursday by George Zimmerman?s defense attorneys ? indicating that the slain teenager smoked marijuana, got into fights at school, and had an interest in, and perhaps access to, guns ? may be ruled inadmissible in court. But they are already making the rounds in the court of public opinion, which can influence everything from fundraising efforts to the mind-set of potential jurors in Mr. Zimmerman's murder trial.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/microsoft-reportedly-plans-cut-used-game-sales-030010245.html

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Saturday, 25 May 2013

Oklahoma gets far more than its share of disasters

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Many states get hit frequently with tornadoes and other natural catastrophes, but Oklahoma is Disaster Central.

The twister that devastated Moore, Okla., was the 74th presidential disaster declared in the Sooner state in the past 60 years. Only much-larger and more-populous California and Texas have had more.

The state is No. 1 in tornado disasters and No. 3 for flooding, according to a database of presidential disaster declarations handled by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. And those figures don't include drought, which is handled by a different agency.

The explanation is partly atmospheric conditions that trigger twisters and flooding, partly where people live and how they build their homes, and partly politics and bureaucratic skill, according to disaster experts. Even one of the state's U.S. senators said recently that because of the way federal guidelines are written, Oklahoma is getting disaster aid more often than it needs.

Of the 25 U.S. counties that have been declared disasters the most times since 1953, nine are in Oklahoma, the highest total of any state.

Oklahoma County has been on the disaster list 38 times, more than the entire state of New Jersey. Caddo County, just west of the Oklahoma City metro area, has been named a federal disaster area nine times since 2007, with a litany of woe that includes twisters, floods, ice storms, a blizzard and violent winds.

"Things happen around here," Tulsa, Okla.-based disaster consultant Ann Patton said. "Of course, sometimes it can make you stronger."

When disaster declarations are measured on a per-person basis, Oklahoma gets nearly three times the national average. When they are computed based on how much land is in a state, it gets twice the national average, according to an analysis of FEMA records.

The atmospheric explanation is pretty basic: "Oklahoma really is the bull's-eye for awful tornadoes," said Mike Lindell, director of the Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center at Texas A&M University.

Oklahoma is in a particularly busy and dangerous section of Tornado Alley, the cluster of states in the nation's midsection that are especially twister-prone.

If you map all the nation's tornadoes in May ? the busiest tornado month ? they form a circular blob 100 miles across over central Oklahoma. That's because low-pressure systems rush south down the Rocky Mountains and collide with warm, moist air, forming nasty thunderstorms that often spawn tornadoes, said Harold Brooks, a research meteorologist at the Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman, Okla.

"Welcome to the sweet spot of severe thunderstorms," Brooks said.

Texas, Kansas and Florida get more tornadoes than Oklahoma does, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. But Oklahoma gets more of the biggest ones ? the EF5s, like the one that smashed Moore. That's why the storm lab and the National Weather Service storm prediction center are in Oklahoma, Lindell said.

With severe thunderstorms, you can get both tornadoes and flooding. Oklahoma has been declared a disaster 35 times because of tornadoes and 44 times because of flooding. In some instances, a combination tornado-and-flood disaster was declared.

The FEMA database looks only at how often catastrophes are declared and aid is shipped, not how much total money is given out.

Tornadoes generally occur more frequently than hurricanes and earthquakes but usually don't cause as much damage. Oklahoma City officials estimate the Moore tornado caused up to $2 billion in damage, while state officials say it may exceed the figures for the 2011 Joplin, Mo., tornado. At $2.8 billion, Joplin has been the nation's costliest tornado since 1950, according to NOAA's Storm Prediction Center.

Yet NOAA's National Hurricane Center lists more than 30 hurricanes that caused more than $2.8 billion damage when adjusted for inflation. Hurricanes tend to hit broader areas, last longer and strike the more densely populated coast, where property values are higher.

Another explanation for Oklahoma's role as Disaster Central is urban sprawl, which puts more people in the path of disasters. Moore, with 56,000 people, boomed by more than one-third between 2000 and 2010. As more such suburbs pop up and grow, the chances of homes being hit increases.

Between 1970 and 1985, Tulsa County was declared a flood disaster about nine times, said Patton, the disaster consultant. Then the city moved more than 1,000 buildings out of harm's way and diverted water. There hasn't been major flooding since, she said.

Oklahoma is the leading state when it comes to safe rooms, which probably saved lives in Moore, according to FEMA. Yet some areas haven't developed wisely to avoid disasters and "don't respect the power of nature," Patton said.

Several disaster experts also say Oklahoma is particularly adept at working the bureaucracy to obtain federal aid.

Having the president declare your community a federal disaster area is a complicated process that needs to be followed precisely. A governor must request a presidential declaration in writing through FEMA, which rates the disaster based on a number of factors. It is up to the president to make the decision, and then it's up to FEMA to get the aid flowing.

The presidential decision involves many factors, including the political clout of the region's congressional delegation and how good a case the governor makes, said University of Delaware political science professor Richard Sylves, who studies disaster declarations. Oklahoma is so experienced at this process that its governors and emergency managers know how to make it run smoothly, he said.

"Some people get disaster declarations simply because they've got an influential political delegation," Lindell said of the process in general.

The irony, said Kathleen Tierney, who heads the Natural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado, is that Oklahoma's current two senators have often opposed special disaster relief funding bills for other parts of the country, such as one earlier this year for the Northeast after Superstorm Sandy.

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., has criticized the FEMA formula for declaring disasters, saying it rewards smaller states and punishes bigger ones for catastrophes of the same size.

During a hearing last month, Coburn told Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano: "Oklahoma had 22 FEMA grants last year. I'm thankful that the federal government is helping Oklahoma out, but in a lot of those, we weren't overwhelmed and we could have taken and dealt with it. And some states that may be in much worse budget shape than we are had twice as much but got no help from the federal government on like-minded events. "

Joseph Nimmich, FEMA associate administrator for disaster response, said Thursday that politics has absolutely nothing to do with Oklahoma's many disaster declarations: "It's purely a natural occurrence."

___

Online:

FEMA list of presidential disasters since 1953 by state: http://1.usa.gov/11eQHyU

FEMA explains the process how a community gets declared a federal disaster:

http://1.usa.gov/13LS6ZL

NOAA's billion-dollar disasters: http://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/summary-stats

Seth Borenstein can be followed at http://twitter.com/borenbears

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/oklahoma-gets-far-more-share-disasters-175015041.html

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Friday, 24 May 2013

Fantasy Baseball Roundtable Show 2013 - May 30,2013

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    What?s a groom to do tux-wise? ?I always tell clients, I can tell you everything about what?s fashionable, but you have to be comfortable,? says Joann Ambriz.

  • On BTR University, we have host Cyrus Web of Conversations Live (1.1 million listeners) discussing how to host a successful author podcast.

  • Rob Anthony Dire welcomes Leon Acord, star & creator of the hit web series, "Old Dogs New Tricks" to discuss plans for season 3.

  • Next big thing in horror, Twisted Twins, Jen and Sylvia Soska, are back with American Mary, stunning follow-up to hit Dead Hooker In A Trunk!

  • Patty Duke reflects on her legendary career in Hollywood, her past loves and relationships, her many awards and lets us in on new exciting events.

  • Food Network's own, Justin Willman, host of Cupcake Wars, chats with Behind the Mic Radio about his magical career.

  • Talking super-haunt, Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum, with guides Zach McCormick and Adam "Glider" Bonnett.

  • Miami Heat's Dwyane Wade sports capri pants. Calyann Barnett, his stylist breaks it down for us. Fans can't wait to hear more on the daring look.

  • Canadian rock band Afterglow had huge success with their EPs produced by Juno nominated, Rick Salt. They are currently working on a new EP and upcoming tour.

  • Here?s some exciting news?on this episode Dr. Prepper interviews author Glen Tate, whose book, 299 Days, is a ten-novel series published by Prepper Press.

  • Real Estate discussion with "Super Mike" of Remax. How to buy or sell a house in this market environment.

  • So many bass; so little time. Get the latest on San Diego's big bass lakes, hot catfishing and learn from the pros how you can catch more.

  • Tune in to The Conversation with Grammy Award winning Skip Martin of the DAZZ band & Kool in the Gang fame talks about why he's really a Jazz head!

  • In one of our most powerful conversations on Conversations LIVE host Cyrus Webb talks with author Kenneth Osborne about his book, When Mama Is Daddy.

  • Detox guru to Gwyneth Paltrow and the stars, bestselling author of CLEAN, Dr. Alejandro Junger talks about his new book Clean Gut.

  • Charlotte Chipperfield is the Founder & Wine Educator of The Wine Key and has worked as a Cellar Rat, Tasting Room Manager, Sommelier and Wine Writer.

  • Dogfinger started his own band in the 80's, traveled all over the UK and Europe, and is known for playing dirty swamp blues on his self made cigar box guitars.

  • Gospel Artist and Celebrity Publicist, Tonya Lewis Taylor will be Dishing Tea with Big Meach about her new project, "Delayed but Not Denied."

  • Simran Singh joins The Best People We Know Show, to discuss her new #1 Best Selling Book, Conversations With The Universe ? How the World Speaks to Us.

  • TJ BOYCE has just released an exclusive new single, Burn Down the Bedroom, which has hit #1 on the iHeartRadio?s Top 20 on demand.

  • Actor Max Ehrich talks on his role as Fenmore Baldwin on The Young and The Restless, and Emmy nomination as Outstanding Younger Actor in a Daytime Drama.

  • VividLife Radio?s Kristen White welcomes Agapi Stassinopoulos, to discuss her best-selling book: Unbinding The Heart- lessons and wisdoms of her life

  • Author M.J. Rose talks about Reincarnationist, basis for the TV show Past Lives and her new book Seduction, also touching on reincarnation and the supernatural.

  • Source: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/fantasy-baseball-roundtable/2013/05/30/fantasy-baseball-roundtable-show-2013

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    Thursday, 23 May 2013

    Social Media?s Immigration March on Washington

    May 22, 2013 7:58pm

    The current march on?Washington won?t fill the National Mall, or see an influx of buses down Constitution Avenue. But what it will do is clog your inbox.

    You can only see it on your computer, or mobile device, but it?s out there: a two- day virtual march on Washington with the goal of demanding immigration reform.

    ?We don?t see this as exclusive of a regular march,? Jeremy Robbins, director of the Partnership for a New American Economy, told ABC News. ?It?s 2013 and the way we communicate is broader and different than it was a generation ago, and we want to be able to maximize all the ways we can to push Congress.?

    The event, which started today and goes until Thursday night, is organized by Mayor Bloomberg?s immigration forces in partnership with President Obama?s OFA (Organizing for Action) and asks viewers to send their senators emails, tweets and Facebook messages demanding immigration reform.

    ?We tried to leverage all the different social media tools for all the different purposes,? Robbins said in order to garner attention for the event.

    President Obama even retweeted former Florida governor Republican Jeb Bush: ?Delaying solutions will only make the problem grow. NOW is the time for immigration reform. Join the #iMarch??

    Twitter chats with Bloomberg kicked things off this morning. Google hangouts, Mashable and Tumblr are all resources used for the iMarch.? The event will live stream music and documentaries with the goal to push people to their website, where they make it easy for users to quickly locate their senator and, with just a click of the mouse, send a message.

    One of the things that make this march different, Robbins says, is the flexibility it allows.

    ?If you are relying just on typical ways of lobbying, physical marches, etc., those are very powerful tools and we use all of them,? he said. ?One of the benefits of a virtual match is there are no hotel rooms to book, no permits to obtain?. So you can time the virtual march to when it?s going to be most effective in the debate.?

    Just yesterday the Senate Judiciary committee voted to send the immigration bill to the full Senate for debate.

    The launch of #iMarch saw the biggest?political?thunderclap of all time, reaching over 45 million users. A Thunderclap is a way for many users to coordinate their social media messages to post simultaneously.

    ?We don?t want to pretend that we are starting from scratch, but this is a new area and this is just a start,? Robbins said. ?We are going to keep pushing, keep marching and see this through the entire Senate and then see it through the House.?

    Source: http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/politics/2013/05/social-medias-immigration-march-on-washington/

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    Officials not alarmed by turnout | Local Hockey | Sports | The London ...

    SASKATOON?-?

    It?s become a topic being discussed almost as much as the prospects playing.

    The 2013 Memorial Cup attendance has generated substantial debate.

    Is it to the satisfaction of the organizers? Is it disappointing? Does it look worse than it is because of the size of the Credit Union Centre? Should the 15,100 seats all be filled, at least when the Saskatoon Blades are playing?

    It?s been a circuitous discussion, with people coming down on both sides of the issue.

    Before Tuesday?s game between the London Knights and Halifax Mooseheads, the four-game average attendance was 8,870. The London Knights-Blades? crowd of 10,203 was the biggest number.

    Those numbers are tickets sold, including ticket packages. Some games have had fewer people actually sitting in the seat, which doesn?t do much to soften the perception that attendance hasn?t been as good as it should be.

    The record for average attendance for a nine-game Memorial Cup was 13,496 in 2007 in Vancouver. The record for single-game attendance was established in Hamilton in 1990 when 17,383 attended a game. Vancouver set a record attendance of 14,091 for a round-robin game.

    Saskatoon has faced some criticism for not coming closer to selling out their home team?s games.

    Hometown attendance has been hurt because the Blades were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs. The team didn?t play a competitive game for 51 days ? that hurt momentum.

    But with the Blades defeating the Mooseheads, the No. 1 team in the country 5-2 Monday, a good indication of whether the fans have forgiven the Blades for their playoff ouster will come when Saskatoon plays Portland Wednesday in its final round-robin game.

    ?We understand how they feel,? Blades? forward Lukas Sutter said. ?It was on us to prove that we are for real and to get the city behind us. Now I think we have and the city will get behind us.?

    Jack Brodsky is the co-chair of the host organizing committee and co-owner and governor of the Blades.

    ?We?re happy with were we are. I can?t be disappointed,? he said of the attendance numbers.

    ?But we?re far from done here. We have a ways to go in the tournament yet .?.?. ?

    With all four teams still in the running all the games take on significant importance. There is still the tiebreaker, the semifinal and the final to come.

    ?Anytime you have 15,000 seats you?d like to have them all filled,? Brodsky said. ?But I?m pretty comfortable with where we are at with the attendance.?

    - - -?

    Highest average attendance--series

    13,496 Vancouver - 2007 (9 games)

    Highest attendance-one game

    17,383 - Hamilton - May 13, 1990 (final)

    16,281 - Vancouver - May 27, 2007 (final)

    14,091 - Vancouver - May 23, 2007 (round robin)

    Highest attendance-round robin

    14,091 - Vancouver - May 23, 2007

    Highest attendance-semifinal

    13,372 - Vancouver - May 25, 2007

    Highest attendance - final

    17,383 - Hamilton - May 13, 1990

    16,281 - Vancouver - May 27, 2007

    13,460 - Vancouver - May 14, 1977

    ?

    ?

    Source: http://www.lfpress.com/2013/05/21/the-london-knights-blades-attendance-of-10203-has-drawn-the-biggest-numbers

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    HP raises 2013 outlook as Whitman's plan takes hold

    By Poornima Gupta

    SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Hewlett-Packard Co raised its 2013 earnings outlook after quarterly results beat low expectations, as CEO Meg Whitman's turnaround plan helped offset shrinking personal computer sales with enterprise computing services.

    While fiscal second-quarter profit plummeted 32 percent, Wall Street had braced for worse. HP shares gained 14 percent after the company projected full-year earnings per share of $3.50 to $3.60, raising the lower end by 10 cents, and fiscal third-quarter profit that topped analyst estimates.

    Whitman, who took the helm at the world's largest PC maker more than a year ago, is orchestrating a turnaround, trying to recapture some of the Silicon Valley icon's former strong growth. She has said the process could take years.

    HP received a warmer welcome from investors for its results than smaller rival Dell Inc, which last week reported a 79 percent slide in profit and is now mired in a takeover battle between founder Michael Dell and activist investor Carl Icahn.

    "This is another good deposit on the road to our turnaround here," HP Chief Financial Officer Cathie Lesjak said in an interview. "We are roughly where we want to be in total on the company."

    Enterprise services and printing units are "probably a little bit ahead," she said, adding the two businesses helped drive the company's gross margin improvement during the quarter.

    HP's net income fell to $1.08 billion, or 55 cents a share, from $1.59 billion, or 80 cents a share, a year earlier.

    The company earned 87 cents per share on an operating basis during the second quarter on revenue of $27.6 billion.

    HP had been expected to post earnings of 81 cents a share on revenue of just over $28 billion, according to the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.

    For its fiscal third quarter, it estimated non-GAAP earnings per share of 84 to 87 cents, higher than 83 cents expected by Wall Street analysts.

    Its shares, which have climbed 51 percent in 2013 as investors gradually gained confidence in its prospects, rose 13 percent to $24.08 in extended trading after closing at $21.23 on the New York Stock Exchange.

    STEEP DECLINE IN PC SALES

    HP, whose name is synonymous with the birth of Silicon Valley, has suffered years of turbulence. Whitman became HP's third CEO in as many years after Leo Apotheker's abrupt dismissal.

    She is now pushing layoffs, cost cutting, and expansion into markets and areas with longer-term potential such as enterprise computing services. The move, intended to bolster margins, pits HP against the likes of IBM.

    HP is laying off 29,000 employees over the next two years and has written off $10.8 billion mostly related to the writedown of its EDS services business.

    Lesjak said so far the company had reduced 18,800 jobs and intends to cut a total of 26,000 by the end of the year.

    On Wednesday, the company reported that revenue fell across HP's main business divisions, with the steepest decline in the personal systems group. Sales from HP's largest, PC-focused unit dived 20 percent to $7.58 billion.

    But that same division recorded a 3.2 percent operating margin, up from about 2.7 percent in the previous quarter, as the company focused on improving profitability.

    The printing division had the smallest revenue decline, of 1 percent, year over year, but the company said it had a "strong operating margin" of 15.8 percent.

    HP generated $3.6 billion in cash flow during the quarter and used some of the funds to reduce net debt by $1.8 billion to $2.9 billion. The company had $13.6 billion in gross cash at the end of the quarter.

    (Reporting by Poornima Gupta; Editing by Richard Chang and David Gregorio)

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hp-second-quarter-quarter-profit-down-32-percent-201220977.html

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    Wednesday, 22 May 2013

    Oklahoma tornado: Energy dodges a bullet

    A devastating Oklahoma tornado left a trail of destruction Monday. How and why did the state's vast oil and gas infrastructure emerge seemingly unscathed from the Oklahoma tornado?

    By David J. Unger,?Correspondent / May 21, 2013

    Residents pass a destroyed car as they walk through a tornado-ravaged neighborhood Tuesday in Moore, Okla. Little damage to the state's expansive oil and gas network from Monday's Oklahoma tornado has been reported.

    Charlie Riedel/AP

    Enlarge

    Monday's deadly Oklahoma tornado has left relatively intact one of the state's biggest and fastest-growing industries: energy.

    Skip to next paragraph

    Why It Matters

    Energy: Oklahoma is home to a major pipeline hub and ranks 11th in US energy production.

    Environment: Above-ground energy infrastructure is vulnerable to extreme weather, making surrounding land vulnerable to spills.?

    Recent posts

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    A boom in US oil and gas production is underway with drilling?rigs, storage tanks, and pipelines increasingly dotting the country's landscape. Some of the development is taking place in and around so-called "tornado alley," an unofficial swath of much of Oklahoma that spills over into surrounding states most prone to tornadoes.?

    This may sound more worrying than it is. While hurricanes routinely disrupt offshore oil and gas production in the Gulf and elsewhere, inland, rigs, pipelines, and tanks are comparably unaffected by extreme weather ? most of the time.?

    "I don't see a tornado disrupting our mass oil and gas delivery methods," Otto Lynch, a?civil engineer who serves on the?American Society of Civil Engineers' committee on America?s infrastructure, said in a telephone interview.?"[Pipelines] are typically underground. The substations around the routes are very small, low profile, and very rigid. Unless a tornado hit directly, I don?t see an issue from the mass delivery standpoint."

    EA shows first Xbox One games: FIFA, NBA Live, Madden and UFC

    EA shows first Xbox One games FIFA, NBA Live, Madden and UFC

    EA teased hours ago that FIFA 14 would be one of the first Xbox One games, but it just used Microsoft's event to unveil a considerably wider slate. FIFA 14, NBA Live 14, Madden 25 and EA Sports UFC are all coming to the new console within the next 12 months. All of them are using a new engine, EA Sports Ignite, that has 10 times the animation detail, smarter artificial intelligence, 3D crowds, "living" sidelines and a daily dose of new content through Xbox Live. EA and Microsoft are getting cozier with the deal, too -- FIFA 14 Ultimate Team will be an Xbox exclusive. We'll have to wait for more detail about that game later this year, but it's safe to say that Microsoft won't be lacking for major sports titles during the Xbox One's vital first year.

    Filed under: , ,

    Comments

    Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/nJ5sUIkRYZU/

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    Tuesday, 21 May 2013

    Benghazi-disciplined diplomat a prolific poet (cbsnews)

    Share With Friends: Share on FacebookTweet ThisPost to Google-BuzzSend on GmailPost to Linked-InSubscribe to This Feed | Rss To Twitter | Politics - Top Stories Stories, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

    Source: http://news.feedzilla.com/en_us/stories/politics/top-stories/306978428?client_source=feed&format=rss

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    The Most Excellent Techniques for Using Essential Oils for ...

    Putting essential oils to use for aromatherapy is more than a new age craze, because they have been put to use in this styled for centuries in countries around the globe. People found, a very long time ago, that they could modify their moods and lessen physical symptoms with the right scents. Today we have many ways to use essential oils, from dabbing a drop on your handkerchief to using one of the various types of diffusers to change the atmosphere of a whole room. The following are some trendy methods to utilize essential oils so you can revere the advantages of aromatherapy.

    We all take a liking to particular scents and a disliking to others, and some scents also can adjust the way we feel or at times, call to mind old memories. That?s why perfumes and colognes are so popular. These are in reality, types of aromatherapy, because they?re smells crafted to have a particular effect on the wearer, or people who have contact with the wearer. The rationale for essential oils being effective is due to our sense of smell being associated with the limbic system of the brain, which frees an array of hormones in our bodies. That?s the reason that distinct smells can make us feel calm, elated or even sexually aroused. Obviously, fragrances can also have destructive effects too however these aren?t the ones we purposely develop with essential oils.

    Chamomile is well known for being calming and soothing, making it a sought after plant for teas and essential oils. It?s often combined with other oils to create a soothing and refreshing blend that?s great for relaxing and calming the nerves.

    Since it?s aroma helps to relax and calm children and infants, parents often use it. You can find two different types of chamomile, namely Roman and German, but they practically identical so it doesn?t matter which you use. You won?t have any nasty side-effects from this gentle oil, unless you are allergic to it.

    Rose essential oil is very well-liked, and its use goes back all the way to ancient Egypt. The rose has continuously been one of the most cherished flowers throughout the world, and time and again has been allied with romance. From this intention, rose oil has many times been deemed as an aphrodisiac and as something you?d use to draw in love. It also has therapeutic uses, such as for skin care and treating or preventing infections or viruses. The one constraint of rose oil is its worth, which is on account of the fact that it necessitates 60,000 rose petals to distill a single ounce of pure rose oil. For this rationale, rose oil is habitually diluted or joined with other oils.

    Essential oils are a natural form of therapy that anyone can benefit from. Even if people?s preferences in terms of aromas vary, there will surely be at least one essential oil you find pleasing. You will find, with some research, that there are plenty of symptoms that can be treated with aromatherapy. Since we have only been able to cover a limited number of advantages, if you want to make aromatherapy part of your life and enjoy all its benefits, then you will have to explore further.

    View this snoring mouthpiece review video to discover how this mouthpiece can be combined with aromatherapy to treat your snoring issues.

    Source: http://hotarticledepot.com/the-most-excellent-techniques-for-using-essential-oils-for-aromatherapy-3/

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    Monday, 20 May 2013

    For combat veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, 'fear circuitry' in the brain never rests

    May 18, 2013 ? Chronic trauma can inflict lasting damage to brain regions associated with fear and anxiety. Previous imaging studies of people with post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD, have shown that these brain regions can over-or under-react in response to stressful tasks, such as recalling a traumatic event or reacting to a photo of a threatening face. Now, researchers at NYU School of Medicine have explored for the first time what happens in the brains of combat veterans with PTSD in the absence of external triggers.

    Their results, published in Neuroscience Letters, and presented today at the annual meeting of the American Psychiatry Association in San Francisco, show that the effects of trauma persist in certain brain regions even when combat veterans are not engaged in cognitive or emotional tasks, and face no immediate external threats. The findings shed light on which areas of the brain provoke traumatic symptoms and represent a critical step toward better diagnostics and treatments for PTSD.

    A chronic condition that develops after trauma, PTSD can plague victims with disturbing memories, flashbacks, nightmares and emotional instability. Among the 1.7 million men and women who have served in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an estimated 20% have PTSD. Research shows that suicide risk is higher in veterans with PTSD. Tragically, more soldiers committed suicide in 2012 than the number of soldiers who were killed in combat in Afghanistan that year.

    "It is critical to have an objective test to confirm PTSD diagnosis as self reports can be unreliable," says co-author Charles Marmar, MD, the Lucius N. Littauer Professor of Psychiatry and chair of NYU Langone's Department of Psychiatry. Dr. Marmar, a nationally recognized expert on trauma and stress among veterans, heads The Steven and Alexandra Cohen Veterans Center for the Study of Post-Traumatic Stress and Traumatic Brain Injury at NYU Langone Medical Center.

    The study, led by Xiaodan Yan, a research fellow at NYU School of Medicine, examined "spontaneous" or "resting" brain activity in 104 veterans of combat from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars using functional MRI, which measures blood-oxygen levels in the brain. The researchers found that spontaneous brain activity in the amygdala, a key structure in the brain's "fear circuitry" that processes fearful and anxious emotions, was significantly higher in the 52 combat veterans with PTSD than in the 52 combat veterans without PTSD. The PTSD group also showed elevated brain activity in the anterior insula, a brain region that regulates sensitivity to pain and negative emotions.

    Moreover, the PTSD group had lower activity in the precuneus, a structure tucked between the brain's two hemispheres that helps integrate information from the past and future, especially when the mind is wandering or disengaged from active thought. Decreased activity in the precuneus correlates with more severe "re-experiencing" symptoms -- that is, when victims re-experience trauma over and over again through flashbacks, nightmares and frightening thoughts.

    Key scientific contributors include researchers at NYU School of Medicine, the University of California at San Francisco, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, and the Center for Imaging of Neurodegenerative Diseases at the VA Medical Center in San Francisco.

    Source: http://feeds.sciencedaily.com/~r/sciencedaily/most_popular/~3/fADMLxhJrxg/130518153257.htm

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    Tornadoes slam Kansas, Oklahoma

    EDMOND, Okla. (AP) ? A powerful storm system rumbled through the Plains and upper Midwest on Sunday, spawning tornadoes that damaged roofs and structures near Oklahoma City and kicked up debris in Wichita, Kan.

    There were no immediate reports of injuries caused by the funnel cloud that touched down in the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond before moving off to the northeast, or the one that touched down near Wichita's Mid-Continent Airport late Sunday afternoon.

    Forecasters had been warning for days that a big storm may barrel through the region over the weekend, and emergency responders were keeping a close eye on the system in several other states, including Missouri, Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Illinois and Texas.

    "I knew it was coming," said Randy Grau, who huddled with his wife and two young boys in their Edmond's home's safe room when the tornado hit. He said he peered out his window as the weather worsened and believed he saw a flock of birds heading down the street.

    "Then I realized it was swirling debris," Grau said. "That's when we shut the door of the safe room.

    "I probably had them in there for 10 minutes."

    In Wichita, there were few reports of damage after a storm hit near the airport shortly before 4 p.m. Sedgwick County (Kan.) Emergency Management Director Randy Duncan said officials were "very grateful" that the storm wasn't more severe.

    The Storm Prediction Center had been warning about severe weather in the region since last Wednesday and for the past two days had warned there was a moderate risk of severe weather on Sunday.

    "They've been calling for this all day," Edmond resident Anita Wright said after riding out the twister in an underground shelter. She and her husband Ed emerged from their hiding place to find uprooted trees, downed limbs and damaged gutters in their home.

    In Katie Leathers' backyard, the family's trampoline was tossed through a section of fence and a giant tree uprooted.

    "I saw all the trees waving, and that's when I grabbed everyone and got into two closets," Leathers said. "All these trees just snapped."

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/tornadoes-hit-kan-okla-no-injuries-reported-215334959.html

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    Obama agenda marches on despite controversies

    WASHINGTON (AP) -- Despite Democratic fears, predictions of the demise of President Barack Obama's agenda appear exaggerated after a week of cascading controversies, political triage by the administration and party leaders in Congress and lack of evidence to date of wrongdoing close to the Oval Office.

    "Absolutely not," Steven Miller, the recently resigned acting head of the Internal Revenue Service, responded Friday when asked if he had any contact with the White House about targeting conservative groups seeking tax-exempt status for special treatment.

    "The president's re-election campaign?" persisted Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif.

    "No," said Miller.

    The hearing took place at the end of a week in which Republicans repeatedly assailed Obama and were attacked by Democrats in turn ? yet sweeping immigration legislation advanced methodically toward bipartisan approval in the Senate Judiciary Committee. The measure "has strong support of its own in the Senate," said Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., a member of the panel.

    Across the Capitol, a bipartisan House group reported agreement in principle toward a compromise on the issue, which looms as Obama's best chance for a signature second-term domestic achievement. "I continue to believe that the House needs to deal with this," said House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, who is not directly involved in the talks.

    The president's nominee to become energy secretary, Ernest Moniz, won Senate confirmation, 97-0. And there were signs that Republicans might allow confirmation of Sri Srinivasan to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, sometimes a stepping stone to the Supreme Court.

    Separately, a House committee approved legislation to prevent a spike in interest rates on student loans on July 1. It moves in the direction of a White House-backed proposal for future rate changes to be based on private markets.

    Even so, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee, said, "It's been a bad week for the administration."

    Several Democratic lawmakers and aides agreed and expressed concern about the impact on Obama's agenda ? even though much of it has been stymied by Republicans for months already.

    At the same time, Rep. Dave Camp, R-Mich., voiced optimism that the IRS controversy would boost the push for an overhaul of the tax code, rather than derail it. "It may make a case for a simpler tax code, where the IRS has less discretion," he said.

    Long-term budget issues, the main flash point of divided government since 2011, have receded as projected deficits fall in the wake of an improving economy and recently enacted spending cuts and tax increases.

    Even before Obama began grappling with the IRS, the fallout from last year's deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya, and from the Justice Department's secret seizure of Associated Press phone records, the two parties were at odds over steps to replace $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts. In particular, Obama's call for higher taxes is a nonstarter with Republicans.

    Other high-profile legislation and presidential appointees face difficulties that predate the current controversies.

    Months ago, Obama scaled back requested gun safety legislation to center on expanded background checks for firearms purchasers. That was derailed in the Senate, has even less chance in the House and is unlikely to reach the president's desk.

    Republicans oppose other recommendations from the president's State of the Union address, including automatic increases in the minimum wage, a pre-kindergarten program funded by higher cigarette taxes and more federal money for highways and bridge repair.

    In a clash that long predates the IRS controversy, Senate Republicans seem intent on blocking Obama's nomination of Tom Perez as labor secretary. Gina McCarthy's nomination to head the Environmental Protection Agency is also on hold, at least temporarily, and Democrats expect Republican opposition awaits Penny Pritzker, Obama's choice for commerce secretary.

    Rhetorically, the two parties fell into two camps when it came to the White House troubles. Democrats tended to describe them as controversies, Republicans often used less flattering terms.

    Speaking on the Senate floor, Sen. Roger Wicker, R-Miss., accused the administration of fostering a "culture of intimidation." He referred to the IRS, the handling of the Benghazi attack and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius' "fundraising among the industry people she regulates on behalf of the president's health care law."

    Two days later, Camp, a 23-year veteran lawmaker, opened the IRS hearing by calling the agency's actions part of a "culture of cover-ups and intimidation in this administration." He offered no other examples.

    Rep. Trey Radel, a first-term Florida Republican, said in an interview, "What we're looking at now is a breach of trust" from the White House.

    House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California offered a scathing response when asked if the controversies would hamper Obama's ability to win legislation from the Republican-controlled House. "Well, the last two years there was nothing that went through this Congress, and it was no AP, IRS or any other (thing) that we were dealing with."

    "They just want to do nothing. And their timetable is never," she said of GOP lawmakers.

    Similarly, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid gave no ground on Benghazi, a dispute that increasingly centered on talking points written for administration officials to use on television after the attack last September in which U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens and three other Americans were killed.

    "It's obvious it's an attempt to embarrass President Obama and embarrass Hillary Clinton," he said of Republican criticism that first flared during last year's election campaign.

    On a third front, Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., resurrected legislation that would requiring a judge to approve subpoenas for news media communications records when investigating news leaks said to threaten the national security. It was a response to the FBI's secret, successful pursuit of Associated Press phone records in a current probe.

    While Democrats counterattacked on Benghazi and parried on leaks, they bashed the IRS' treatment of conservative groups as improper if not illegal ? and warned Republicans not to overplay their hand.

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obama-agenda-marches-despite-controversies-194736751.html

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    Sunday, 19 May 2013

    Rays mount late rally, disappoint Orioles

    Associated Press Sports

    updated 8:06 p.m. ET May 18, 2013

    BALTIMORE (AP) - The Tampa Bay Rays don't seem to mind being behind late in the game.

    In fact, they're becoming quite adept at staging stirring rallies.

    Matt Joyce hit a go-ahead two-run double in a six-run ninth inning that lifted the Rays to a 10-6 victory over the Orioles on Saturday, ending Baltimore's franchise-record streak of 109 straight wins when leading after seven innings.

    "That's kind of been our identity from the beginning of the year," Rays third baseman Evan Longoria said. "We've really done a good job throughout the game of continuing to tack on runs, and even when we've been down early in games, finding a way to put together good at-bats and score runs."

    Joyce also homered and finished 3 for 5 with five RBIs for the Rays, who posted a season-best third straight road victory, all of them come-from-behind wins.

    "We believe in each other, and then you're able to do those things," Rays manager Joe Maddon said. "If you stop believing, if you don't think it can't happen, then it never will. If you think it can happen, then it shall. And that's pretty much what this group's been about."

    But this one came against a closer that had been virtually unbeatable until this week and a team that's been hard to overcome when taking a lead to the eighth.

    "Their track record after seven innings has spoken for itself," Longoria said. "They've been really good late in the game. And Jim Johnson has been as good as they come. To be able to get to him and then tack a couple more on and be able to win a game like that, especially here in this hostile environment, is really big."

    Trailing 6-4, Kelly Johnson hit a one-out homer off the Orioles' Jim Johnson (1-4), whose club-record streak of 35 straight saves ended Tuesday.

    Johnson then loaded the bases on two walks and a hit before Joyce hit a two-run double to the right-center gap for a 7-6 lead. Ben Zobrist followed with a two-run double off Darren O'Day, who later issued a bases-loaded walk to Luke Scott.

    After two straight blown saves, Johnson wasn't questioning himself or talking about a slump. In fact, he knew exactly what went wrong and vowed to fix it.

    "Not getting strike one is a good place to start," Johnson said. "Pitching behind, just not throwing quality pitches. It kind of snowballed back and didn't obviously make the pitch I needed to. It's just one of those days where it just didn't work."

    Adam Jones and Chris Davis homered for the Orioles, who have lost a season-high four straight.

    "We're not clicking great right now, but unfortunately you go through little spells in a season like we play," Baltimore left fielder Nate McLouth said. "Like I said, there's no sense of sitting here and beating yourselves up about it. Wipe it clean and try to get it done tomorrow."

    Alex Torres (1-0) worked four hitless innings for the victory.

    The Orioles sent 10 men to the plate in the first inning and took a 4-0 lead against Roberto Hernandez.

    McLouth led off with a single, moved to second on a groundout and scored when Nick Markakis doubled over the head of Joyce. Jones then ripped a line drive homer to left off an 0-2 pitch and Davis followed with a shot to left-center.

    Jair Jurrjens, whose contract was purchased before the game from Triple-A Norfolk, retired the first seven hitters he faced before allowing successive doubles to Jose Molina and Yunel Escobar. Molina's ball bounced off the top of the wall in center, prompting Maddon to seek a video review, which upheld the original call.

    Later in the third, Joyce hit a two-run homer onto the flag court in right field, his seventh of the season, cutting the deficit to 4-3.

    Hernandez departed after hitting Davis with a pitch to lead off the bottom of the third. The right-hander allowed five runs and eight hits in two-plus innings, with nine of the 14 batters he faced reaching base.

    Reliever Cesar Ramos struck out Matt Wieters swinging, but gave up a run-scoring double to J.J. Hardy for a 5-3 Orioles lead.

    In the fourth, McLouth led off with a single, stole second, moved to third on Markakis' single to center and scored on Jones' broken-bat fielder's choice grounder.

    The Rays got within 6-4 in the fifth, but lost Molina in the process. Molina pulled up with a tight left hamstring after a leadoff double and was replaced by Jose Lobaton, who scored on Joyce's two-out double.

    Jurrjens gave up four runs and six hits - all for extra bases - over five innings.

    NOTES: After the game, the Orioles optioned 2B Ryan Flaherty to Norfolk. A corresponding move will be announced Sunday. ... Hardy has hit in 13 straight games. ... Longoria doubled in the ninth, extending his hitting streak to 12 games, matching his career high. ... When Jurrjens made his major league debut on Aug. 15, 2007, at Cleveland, he was opposed by Hernandez, then known as Fausto Carmona. ... Hernandez failed to go 5 1-3 innings for the first time in eight 2013 starts. He walked none and struck out one. ... The Orioles also recalled RHP Jake Arrieta from Norfolk, optioned RHP Alex Burnett to Triple-A, placed OF Nolan Reimold (right hamstring strain) on the 15-day DL and moved 2B Brian Roberts to the 60-day DL. ... Hall of Fame third baseman Brooks Robinson turned 76 on Saturday. ... Maddon said RHP Jake Odorizzi will start Monday, taking the turn of injured LHP David Price. The Rays will make a roster move to add Odorizzi to the 25-man roster Sunday.

    ? 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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    HBT: Robinson Cano homered twice while David Phelps had the longest outing of his career as the Yankees topped the Blue Jays 7-2 this afternoon at Yankee Stadium.

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    Assad: Syria transition talks are internal matter

    FILE - This Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009 file photo shows Syrian President Bashar Assad, seen, during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, unseen, at the presidency in Tehran, Iran. Syrian President Bashar Assad says he won't step down before elections are held in his war-ravaged country. The Syrian leader's comments, published Saturday in the Argentine newspaper Clarin, highlight the difficulties the U.S. and Russia face in getting the Assad regime and Syria's political opposition to the table at an international conference envisioned for next month. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

    FILE - This Wednesday, Aug. 19, 2009 file photo shows Syrian President Bashar Assad, seen, during a meeting with his Iranian counterpart Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, unseen, at the presidency in Tehran, Iran. Syrian President Bashar Assad says he won't step down before elections are held in his war-ravaged country. The Syrian leader's comments, published Saturday in the Argentine newspaper Clarin, highlight the difficulties the U.S. and Russia face in getting the Assad regime and Syria's political opposition to the table at an international conference envisioned for next month. (AP Photo/Vahid Salemi, File)

    This citizen journalism image provided by Edlib News Network, ENN, which has been authenticated based on its contents and other AP reporting, shows black smoke rising from what rebels say is a helicopter that was shot down at Abu Dhour military airbase which is besieged by the rebels, in the northern province city of Idlib, Syria, Friday May 17, 2013. Rights activists have found torture devices and other evidence of abuse in government prisons in the first Syrian city to fall to the rebels, Human Rights Watch said in a report Friday. (AP Photo/Edlib News Network ENN)

    BEIRUT (AP) ? Syrian President Bashar Assad said in a newspaper interview Saturday he won't step down before elections and that the United States has no right to interfere in his country's politics, raising new doubts about a U.S-Russian effort to get Assad and his opponents to negotiate an end to the country's civil war.

    In the capital Damascus, a car bomb killed at least three people and wounded five, according to Syrian state TV. It said bomb experts dismantled other explosives in the area.

    The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an activist group, said eight people were killed, including four members of the security forces. Discrepancies in death tolls are common in the chaotic aftermath of bombings in Syria.

    Assad's comments to the Argentine newspaper Clarin were the first about his political future since Washington and Moscow agreed earlier this month to try to bring the Syrian regime and the opposition to an international conference for talks about a peaceful resolution to the conflict. The U.S. and Russia have backed opposite sides in the conflict, but appear to have found common ground in the diplomatic push.

    The White House and the Kremlin envision holding the meeting next month, but no date has been set. Neither Assad nor the Syrian National Coalition, the main Western-backed coalition group, has made a firm commitment to attend.

    In the interview, Assad seemed to play down the importance of such a conference, saying a decision on Syria's future is up to the Syrian people and that the U.S. has no right to interfere. He also said a decision on his political future must be made in elections, and not during such a conference.

    "We said from the beginning that any decisions having to do with reform in Syria or any political doing is a local Syrian decision," he said. "Neither the U.S nor any other state is allowed to intervene in it. This issue is dealt with in Syria."

    "That's why this possibility is determined by the Syrian people themselves; you go to the elections, you nominate yourself, there's a possibility you win and a possibility you don't," Assad added, hinting he might seek another term.

    "This is the possibility. The possibility is not to enter the conference predetermined on something that the people did not determine themselves," he said.

    Clarin posted a video of the interview, dubbed into Spanish, on the newspaper's website. The president's Facebook page later posted Arabic subtitles.

    The Syrian president's remarks highlight the difficulties the U.S. and Russia face in getting the two sides to agree on the terms of negotiations themselves, let alone brokering a resolution to the civil war itself. The Western-backed Syrian National Coalition has said any transition talks should lead to Assad's ouster.

    More than 70,000 people have been killed and several million displaced since the uprising against Assad erupted in March 2011 and escalated into a civil war.

    Assad has dismissed those trying to topple him as foreign-backed terrorists. Many in the political opposition say the Syrian president and his inner circle cannot be expected to negotiate in good faith after they brutally suppressed peaceful protests.

    In the interview, Assad compared himself to the skipper of a ship riding Syria's turbulent seas, saying "the country is in a crisis and when a ship faces a storm, the captain does not flee."

    "The first thing he does is face the storm and guide the ship back to safety," Assad said. "I am not someone who flees from my responsibilities."

    Meanwhile, divisions among rebel groups were on display in the country's largest city, Aleppo, where two Islamic militant groups engaged in tit-for--tat kidnappings of each other's fighters.

    From the start, Syria's political opposition has been dogged by infighting, while the armed rebel groups have been unable to unite under a unified command.

    The tensions in Aleppo involve a coalition of rebel groups known as the Judicial Council and another faction, Ghurabaa al-Sham. The confrontation began earlier this week when the Judicial Council accused the second group of looting factories in an industrial neighborhood of Aleppo.

    The city of 3 million is split between rebel and government control.

    Members of the two groups clashed in the area earlier this week, leaving four members of the Judicial Council dead, said Rami Abdul-Rahman, the head of the Observatory.

    The Judicial Council then seized dozens of members of the rival group and is still holding them, he said. Ghurabaa al-Sham also took hostages from the Judicial Council, but has since released them, according to Aleppo-based activist Mohammed Saeed.

    "The situation is very tense in Aleppo," said Abdul-Rahman, who relies on a network of activists around the country. He said Ghurabaa al-Sham has warned it will bring in some of its fighters from outside the city to take on the Judicial Council if its members are not freed.

    Islamic militants fighting in the rebel ranks have become increasingly dominant, often taking up frontline positions. They share the objective of setting up an Islamic state, though some are more nationalistic, while others more religious. One of the most powerful of the Islamic groups, Jabhat al-Nusra, is linked to al-Qaida.

    Bilal Saab, a political analyst, said infighting among rival Islamic militant factions is inevitable.

    "The scene is so polarized and chaotic, it's ripe for competition and positioning now and after the regime falls," said Saab, director of the Institute for Near East and Gulf Military Analysis, North America.

    "The Islamist groups have always been the dominant and most capable, but they have never really been operating under one single umbrella," he added.

    In another sign of the chaos bred by the civil war, gunmen abducted the elderly father of Syria's deputy foreign minister, Faisal Mekdad, his office said. Mekdad's father, who is in his 80s, was seized Saturday in the village of Ghossom in the southern Daraa province, Mekdad's office said.

    The Observatory said regime forces arrested relatives of an alleged suspect in the kidnapping.

    Mekdad has become one of the main faces of the regime to the outside world.

    ___

    Associated Press writer Bassem Mroue in Beirut contributed to this report.

    Associated Press

    Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-05-18-Syria/id-f078bd7672e34091a34fb129be1a1a29

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    With Drones Circling, How Should Lawmakers Respond?

    The MQ-8 Fire Scout is an unmanned autonomous helicopter developed by Northrop Grumman for U.S. military. Image courtesy of Dammit, via WikiMedia Commons

    Drones come in a variety of shapes, sizes and capabilities that could greatly improve surveillance for law enforcement and public-safety purposes, whether it?s monitoring forest fires or providing reconnaissance for search-and-rescue operations. This technological diversity has served the U.S. military well, but it has a dark side in threats to personal privacy?and makes drones difficult to regulate.

    In a subcommittee hearing that could play a crucial role in shaping drone policy?especially given that the technology is so new that current case law provides little guidance?legislators and legal experts gathered on Friday in Washington, D.C., to hash through the matter. They found a lot to disagree about, including whether existing U.S. laws?including the Fourth Amendment?are sufficient to protect privacy, or, assuming more laws are needed, whether the right frameworks should center on types of technologies or types of drone missions.

    Congress has given the Federal Aviation Administration until 2015 to come up with rules governing domestic drone use. Fresh thinking is needed because, as Scientific American recently noted in a recent editorial.

    The overriding question is the impact of drone use on privacy. Although the U.S. Supreme Court has yet to hear a case specifically involving drone use, plenty of laws already on the books as well as legal precedents can guide drone use, John Villasenor, a nonresident senior fellow at Brookings Institution, said during Friday?s House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, Homeland Security, and Investigations hearing. The Fourth Amendment, for example, protects U.S. residents against unreasonable searches and seizures and requires probable cause for a court to issue a search warrant specific to a given location. Any new laws must consider the legality of a particular drone?s mission rather than the specific technology in use, he added.

    Given the speed of technological change, it?s tempting for lawmakers to create frameworks that regulate the use of certain equipment, such as infrared cameras or systems that can keep drones in the air for days at a time without needing to refuel. But doing so would miss the point, said, Gregory McNeal, associate professor at Pepperdine University School of Law. It might be more effective for Congress to craft simple surveillance legislation, not specific to drones, that addresses the duration of a surveillance operation, as opposed to the platform used to do the surveillance. As an aid toward tracking correct usage, Congress could mandate that agencies employing drones catalog and publicly reveal their operations?where, when, drone type and purpose of surveillance, for example.

    Aeryon Scout UAV in flight. Image courtesy of Dkroetsch, via WikiMedia Commons.

    The American Civil Liberties Union disagreed that existing laws can manage drone use, explaining that potential privacy incursions can?t be compared with other methods of surveillance, particularly when as insect-sized unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) could someday act, literally, as a fly on the wall. Although drone use has been limited by cost and capability, this is changing, Christopher Calabrese, legislative counsel at the ACLU?s Washington legislative office, testified. He suggested that any new laws be based on four guiding principles:

    1. Following the principle that the accused are innocent until proved guilty, the government should not use drones for widespread surveillance of large areas in the hope of catching some wrongdoing. Instead, drone use should be subject to a warrant targeting a particular person and/or location.
    2. Information collected via drones for one purpose should not be used for other purposes and should be destroyed after it is no longer needed.
    3. Drones should not carry weapons; a drone does not have to defend itself or to apprehend someone, nor do drone operators necessarily have the training to determine when to use force.
    4. Ongoing oversight is crucial and should include feedback from the communities in which that drone is used.

    Also discussed was the intersection of drones near private property. A 1989 Supreme Court decision ruled that police may use helicopters to peer into semiprivate areas?say, the backyard of a home?without first obtaining a warrant. Does this give local law enforcement the green light to deploy a fleet of drone helicopters equipped with high-definition and infrared cameras over a particular neighborhood?

    Some legislators asserted that citizens have the right to privacy against drones while on their own property. ?If you have private land, you have a reasonable expectation of privacy even from the air,? Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R?Utah) said.

    Following this line of thinking, Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Texas) asked whether any laws prohibit landowners from shooting down drones lingering over their property. Villasenor noted that the landowner would be liable for any injuries resulting from the takedown, but Rep. Frank Sensenbrenner (R?Wisc.) quickly noted that the hearing had run out of time and adjourned before any additional responses could be made to Gohmert?s question.

    The debate?s hasty conclusion punctuated the message that the legalities surrounding drone use here are still very much up in the air.

    Source: http://rss.sciam.com/click.phdo?i=b800c9529619357a99e6bdd08acc96ad

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