Drones over America: How unmanned fliers are already helping cops

Nidhi Subbaraman , NBC News ? ? ? 5 hrs.

It was getting dark, and the sheriff of Nelson County, N.D., was in a standoff with a family of suspected cattle rustlers. They were armed, and the last thing anybody wanted was a shoot out.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which monitors police radio chatter, offered to help. Their Predator was flying back to its roost at the Grand Forks Air Force base and could provide aerial support. Did the sheriff want the assist?

Yep.

"We were able to detect that one of the sons was sitting at the end of the driveway with a gun. We also knew that there were small children involved," Sheriff Kelly Janke told NBC News, remembering that tricky encounter in the early summer of 2011. "Someone would have gotten seriously injured if we had gone in on the farm that night." He decided to wait.

The next day, the drone gave them an edge again by helping them choose the safest moment to make a move. "We were able to surprise them ? took them into custody," Janke said. They also collected six stolen cows.

Rodney Brossart, the arrested farmer, sued the state, in part because of the cop's use of a drone. But a district judge ruled that the Predator's service was not untoward.

When advocates express concern about government drones threatening people's privacy, the Brossart case is one they bring up. It's one of the first instances of a flying robot doing a cop's dirty work, and this kind of intervention is likely to be more and more commonplace, as the FAA fulfills a congressional mandate to increase its granting of drone permits ? certificates of authorization, or COAs.

Cops and flying robots
At the moment, there are only 327 active COAs, all held by these organizations, and all for unarmed crafts, of course. A tiny sliver of these permits are in the hands of law enforcement agencies, and from them, we're seeing the first glimpses of drone use in policing and emergency response.

"The FAA has approved us to cover a 16-county area," Sheriff Bob Rost of Grand Forks County, N.D., said of their COA. "To look for missing children, to look for escaped criminals and in the case of emergencies." In the spring, they will use two mini-copter drones ? a trusty DraganFlyer X6 and an AeroVironment Qube ? to check on flooded farms.

The police department in Arlington, Texas, also recently got FAA clearance to fly their drones after two years of testing. The two battery-powered Leptron Avenger helicopter drones won't be used for high-speed chases or routine patrol, the department explains. In fact, the crafts will be driven in a truck to where they're needed, and when they're launched to scope out incidents, local air traffic control will be informed.

In Mesa County, Colo., the police department has used drones to find missing people, do an aerial landfill survey and help out firefighters at a burning church. For them, it's seen as a cost-cutting technology.

"It's the Wal-Mart version of what we'd normally get at Saks Fifth Avenue," said Benjamin Miller, who leads the drones program in Mesa County, comparing drones to manned helicopters that would otherwise give police officers help from the sky.

In Seattle, the police department received an FAA permit ? but had to give back its drones when the mayor banned their use, following protests in October 2012.

Protests and red tape
"Hasn't anyone heard of George Orwell's '1984'?" the Seattle Times quoted a protester as saying. "This is the militarization of our streets and now the air above us."

Protesters, not just in Seattle, seek more legal definition of what a drone can or can't do, and debate whether or not current laws sufficiently protect citizens from unauthorized surveillance and other abuses.

New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg thinks of police drones as an inevitability ? "We're going to have them," he recently said in a radio interview ? while those on the police (and drone) side say the fears are unfounded.

"This hysteria of [a drone] hovering outside your backyard taking a video of you smoking a joint, it's just that ? hysteria," said Al Frazier, an ex-cop from Los Angeles who is now an assistant professor of aeronautics at the University of North Dakota, and a deputy at the Grand Forks sheriff's office.

The reason the sky isn't lousy with drones already mostly has to do with red tape. The FAA's highly restricted drone application for government agencies is supposed to take about 60 days, though unofficially, we're told it's much longer. COAs are also very strict about where, when and by whom a drone is flown.

"I think there are many agencies who would like to use [drones] for public good, but they're stymied by the process," Frazier said.

That's likely to change ? and soon. Last February, Obama signed a mandate that encourages the FAA to let civil and commercial drones join the airspace by 2015. This will take new regulations from the FAA for safe commercial drone flight, and it may take some convincing of local anti-drone activists (who sometimes don't differentiate between drones great and small). It may even require the passing of a few new privacy laws.

Folks like Frazier and Miller don't see the permit process getting easier any time soon but eventually ? inevitably ? and for better or worse, your local police department will get its drone.

Nidhi Subbaraman writes about technology and science. Follow her on Twitter and Google+.

Related:

The drones are coming ... but our laws aren't ready

Anticipating domestic boom, colleges rev up drone piloting programs

Source: http://feeds.nbcnews.com/c/35002/f/653377/s/2a26cd27/l/0L0Snbcnews0N0Ctechnology0Ctechnolog0Cdrones0Eover0Eamerica0Ehow0Eunmanned0Efliers0Eare0Ealready0Ehelping0Ecops0E1C9135554/story01.htm

andrew luck trent richardson robert griffin iii dontari poe space shuttle nyc monkeypox nick perry

BlackBerry wins dismissal of U.S. shareholder lawsuit

By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A U.S. shareholder lawsuit accusing smartphone manufacturer BlackBerry of seeking to fraudulently obscure its falling market position was dismissed on Friday.

U.S. District Judge Richard Sullivan in Manhattan granted the company's motion to dismiss the proposed class-action lawsuit, finding the plaintiffs failed to adequately allege that the company or various executives had made deliberate and material misstatements.

Sullivan said BlackBerry clearly had failed to keep pace with rivals in developing smartphones and information technology, and the defendants "have paid a price for their mistakes by way of demotions, terminations and sizable financial setbacks."

"Nevertheless, corporate failings alone do not give rise to a securities fraud claim," Sullivan said.

David Brower, a lawyer for the plaintiffs at Brower Piven, declined comment. A spokeswoman for BlackBerry did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

BlackBerry, known as Research In Motion Ltd until recently, has sought to achieve a turnaround its new Z10 smartphones after years of losing market share as consumers moved to Apple Inc's iPhone as well as smartphones using Google Inc's Android software.

The lawsuit, filed in 2011 by investor Robert Shemian, sought to recover losses on behalf of U.S. shareholders who bought the company's stock from December 2010 through June 2011.

The lawsuit followed a series of setbacks the company suffered in 2011. The complaint cites slowing sales of its aging BlackBerry phone product line, delays in releasing a new operating system and a botched launch of its first tablet.

The lawsuit contended all those setbacks were known by the company and its executives, who nonetheless allegedly began misleading investors, who bought its stock at inflated prices.

From February 11, 2011 to June 17, 2011, when the company announced disappointing earnings and announced layoffs, the company's stock slid from $69.86 to $27.25.

The case is Shemian v. Research In Motion Limited, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 11-04068.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blackberry-wins-dismissal-u-shareholder-lawsuit-140238919--sector.html

Lupe Ontiveros London 2012 China muhammad ali Opening ceremony London 2012 Google Fiber Olympics Schedule 2012 Olympic Medal Count 2012

New EPA gas rules to cost one to nine cents a gallon

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Reducing sulfur in gasoline and tightening emissions standards on cars beginning in 2017, as the Obama administration is proposing, would come with costs as well as rewards. The cost at the pump for cleaner air across the country could be less than a penny or as high as 9 cents a gallon, depending on who is providing the estimate.

An oil industry study says the proposed rule being unveiled Friday by the administration could increase gasoline prices by 6 cents to 9 cents a gallon. The Environmental Protection Agency estimates an increase of less than a penny and an additional $130 to the cost of a vehicle in 2025.

The EPA is quick to add that the change aimed at cleaning up gasoline and automobile emissions would yield billions of dollars in health benefits by 2030 by slashing smog- and soot-forming pollution. Still, the oil industry, Republicans and some Democrats have pressed the EPA to delay the rule, citing higher costs.

Environmentalists hailed the proposal as potentially the most significant in President Barack Obama's second term.

The so-called Tier 3 standards would reduce sulfur in gasoline by more than 60 percent and reduce nitrogen oxides by 80 percent, by expanding across the country a standard already in place in California. For states, the regulation would make it easier to comply with health-based standards for the main ingredient in smog and soot. For automakers, the regulation allows them to sell the same autos in all 50 states.

The Obama administration already has moved to clean up motor vehicles by adopting rules that will double fuel efficiency and putting in place the first standards to reduce the pollution from cars and trucks blamed for global warming.

"We know of no other air pollution control strategy that can achieve such substantial, cost-effective and immediate emission reductions," said Bill Becker, executive director of the National Association of Clean Air Agencies. Becker said the rule would reduce pollution equal to taking 33 million cars off the road.

But the head of American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers, Charles Drevna, said in an interview Thursday that the refiners' group was still unclear on the motives behind the agency's regulation, since refining companies already have spent $10 billion to reduce sulfur by 90 percent. The additional cuts, while smaller, will cost just as much, Drevna said, and the energy needed for the additional refining actually could increase carbon pollution by 1 percent to 2 percent.

"I haven't seen an EPA rule on fuels that has come out since 1995 that hasn't said it would cost only a penny or two more," Drevna said.

A study commissioned by the American Petroleum Institute estimated that lowering the sulfur in gasoline would add 6 cents to 9 cents a gallon to refiners' manufacturing costs, an increase that likely would be passed on to consumers at the pump. The EPA estimate of less than 1 cent is also an additional manufacturing cost and likely to be passed on.

A senior administration official said Thursday that only 16 of 111 refineries would need to invest in major equipment to meet the new standards, which could be final by the end of this year. Of the remaining refineries, 29 already are meeting the standards because they are selling cleaner fuel in California or other countries, and 66 would have to make modifications.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the rule was still undergoing White House budget office review.

___

Follow Dina Cappiello on Twitter: https://twitter.com/dinacappiello

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/epa-taking-aim-auto-emissions-sulfur-gas-071021486--finance.html

dear john derrick rose torn acl pacers undrafted free agents braveheart roy orbison the third man

To Hold Senate Majority, Democrats Turning to Moderates

When Ashley Judd announced she wasn?t running for the Senate, Republicans greeted the news with glee, sending out a list of 10 other Democratic recruits uninterested in running against Minority Leader Mitch McConnell.?But privately, leading Democratic officials were also cheering. Most viewed the liberal actress?s decision as good news for their chances in Kentucky, allowing a more-moderate candidate, such as Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes, to run instead.

The efforts to woo a moderate Democrat to defeat McConnell are part of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee?s plans to compete in the most inhospitable territory for Democrats -- for open seats in Georgia, South Dakota, West Virginia, and?possibly, even?in Kentucky against the powerful and well-funded Senate minority leader. Facing a challenging political landscape in 2014, the party is close to landing credible candidates in all of those states.

The DSCC doesn?t divulge details about its recruitment strategy, arguing that many of the media reports about its preferred candidates are hogwash. But it?s clear that, in the spirit of former Chairman Chuck Schumer, it is playing an active role behind-the-scenes to ensure that electable Democrats emerge as nominees.

Already the committee is boasting that Georgia is their best pickup opportunity; the field of Republican candidates there for the seat of retiring Sen. Saxby Chambliss currently looks underwhelming. Moderate Rep. John Barrow, one of the few Democrats who could put the seat in play, now sounds as open as ever to running.

In West Virginia, party officials are excited about the looming candidacy of lawyer Nick Preservati, a first-time candidate who is planning to distance himself from national Democratic positions on energy and run in the mold of popular Sen. Joe Manchin. Preservati has family ties to the coal industry, which could defang attacks from Republicans eager to tie the nominee to the White House?s environmental regulations.

And in South Dakota, party officials are working to avoid a potential primary between two well-known Democrats: U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson, the son of Sen. Tim Johnson, and former Rep. Stephanie Herseth Sandlin, who proved her bipartisan appeal, winning statewide elections to the House from 2004 to 2010. The committee won?t talk about what it?s doing, but South Dakota Democratic Party Chairman Ben Nesselhuf saidhe expects the party to coalesce behind one Democrat and avoid a messy primary.

?It?s [finding] a candidate who?s in line with their state and will do what?s best for the people of their state,? said Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee spokesman Justin Barasky. ?The main point is that Democrats know how to win in red states.?

To be sure, Democrats start out as underdogs in all four of these red-state races and may end up struggling to compete in any of them. But given that Republicans need to net six Senate seats to take the majority, even one upset victory behind enemy lines would be crucial.

That?s what made the prospect of the party rallying behind Judd so at odds with the committee?s strategy.?The DSCC was publicly noncommittal about her potential candidacy, even after meeting with her and without any other candidates actively looking to run.?In the run-up to the 2012 election, the committee never hesitated to telegraph its support for favored candidates, even if they faced the prospect of a primary. And only after Judd announced she wasn't running before the committee released a radio ad blasting McConnell -- a signal they expect to aggressively contest the race, but with Grimes or a moderate candidate better suited to the Kentucky electorate.

The Democratic activity in deeply conservative states stands in contrast, at least for now, to the lack of GOP movement against three Democratic senators in battleground states. Sens. Al Franken of Minnesota, Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire, and Mark Udall of Colorado have no announced Republican opponents ? even though all represent states where Obama won less than 53 percent of the vote in 2012.

"The DSCC is getting used to having tough cycles in terms of the map," Barasky said, "but if you look at the math, the path to six for [Republicans] is daunting."?

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/hold-senate-majority-democrats-turning-moderates-101122083--politics.html

49ers Vs Falcons Mama Movie flyers epo suits PlayStation Network chip kelly

tartan cavalryman: Self Improvement-Wealth -Attraction-Success ...

Sorry, Readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://tartan-cavalryman.blogspot.com/2013/03/self-improvement-wealth-attraction.html

Shirley Bassey adele Oscars 2013 barcelona vs real madrid renee zellweger catherine zeta jones charlize theron

Deal: Dragon Naturally Speaking 3 for $100 (50% off) | 9to5Mac

The deal of the day at 9to5Toys.com today is Dragon Dictate 3 for Mac for $100. That?s half off and the lowest price we?ve seen (and $21 off Amazon?s price). Dragon uses the same Nuance recognition that Apple uses in Mountain Lion but adds all kinds of extras as you can see in the video above.?

Let Your Voice Do The Work.

Want to tell your Mac what to do?

Wish granted.

Now you can with the?#1 voice recognition?software out on the market. Tell your computer to open your email and write an email to Big Foot and that?s what it will do.

Need to draft up an email for work? Or write a paper for school?

Don?t bother typing it because Dragon Dictate will help you get it done in?lightning speed. Just read your text aloud and watch the magic appear before your eyes right on your computer screen.

With Dragon Dictate you can use your voice to?create?and edit text or interact with your favorite Mac applications. You can even use a digital voice recorder and Dragon will transcribe your dictation when you are back at your Mac.

With the digital version you?ll be able to use your Mac?s built-in mic or an external mic to help you deliver demands to your Mac.

Please note:?the digital version doesn?t include an external?USB?headset but the Boxed version (shipping costs $9.95) does.?Click?HERE?to buy the boxed version.

Benefits of the Best-Selling Speech Recognition Software for the Mac.

Customers all over the world share the same excitement with friends and family when describing their experience using Dragon software. Below are some of the top benefits:

• Work Fast & More Accurately: Create documents, reports, make Facebook and Twitter posts, e-mail, and surf the internet 3x faster than typing ? with up to 99.9% accuracy. Accomplish more on your computer than ever before.
• Feel Better at the End of the Day: Using Dragon software will dramatically reduce strain on your eyes, wrists, hands, neck, back, and entire body. Work in a relaxed hands free mode without being hunched over at your computer typing and developing repetitive strain injuries such as carpal tunnel from repetitive mouse clicks and typing.
• Be More Creative & a Better Note Taker: Dragon keeps up with your thoughts at the speed of your voice. How many times have you had a great idea and you couldn?t write it down or type it fast enough into a document to remember everything in detail as it entered your mind? Just speak and Dragon does all the typing for you.
• Be More Productive than Ever: Capture your thoughts on the go using a Nuance approved Digital Voice Recorder and Dragon Dictate 3 will transcribe the recorded audio files when you connect to your Mac. Or use the Dragon Remote Mic App that turns your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch into a wireless microphone for use with Dragon on your Mac. The Dragon Remote Mic App is available?FREE?of charge from the iTunes App store.

User Reviews

?I?m using Word 2011. It certainly performs flawlessly with this version. It stayed synchronized no matter what I tried on it. I used some formats that might be employed with templates. Perfect match, it stayed synchronized the entire time.? ??Philip Blair

?Rave: wow, is this fast. Very impressive. I just came over from 2.0 .3. Now, it appears to be quite stable and incredibly fast. Re: Microsoft Word, flawless! I?ve been unable to make it crash or lose it synchrony. It seems to know right word is at all times. An extremely fast and navigation as well.? ?Philip Blair

?It?s so accurate, it?s almost spooky. I think there is a little court reporter with a StenoGraph machine in there. I love the fact that I can mix voice commands and mouse clicks without my special tricks. Often, when I?m writing, I start typing then get on a roll where I can?t keep up, even with my 100+?WPM?Dvorak typing skills. I just flip on my mic, and start talking. Amazing. Just when I think it can?t get more accurate, a new version surprises me. If you dried voice dictation in the Old Days (even 3 years ago) and found it lacking, you just have to give this a try.? ??George Silverman

Amazing Features

Ignite Productivity With Fast, Accurate Dictation
Say words and watch them appear on your computer screen ??three times faster than typing?? with up to 99% recognition accuracy right out of the box. Correcting or revising your dictated text is?SIMPLE?with a new, more powerful correction interface that lets you quickly edit words or phrases.

Ignite Convenience Using Your Favorite Mac Applications
Dragon Dictate for Mac 3 goes beyond simple speech-to-text, and gives you control in more applications so that you can simply speak to do more than ever before.

• Use with virtually any Mac application
• Create and edit documents in Microsoft Word, TextEdit, Notepad and Pages
• Work with spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel and Numbers
• Create presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint and Keynote
• Manage email in Mail
• Search the Web or your Mac desktop
• Post to Facebook or Twitter, and more ??all by voice

Ignite Proficiency & Ease of Use Right Out of The Box
Thanks to the new interactive tutorial?s simulations, you can learn and practice good dictation, correction and editing habits so that you can create text efficiently within just a few minutes.

Ignite Freedom & Comfort at Your Mac
Say goodbye to?repetitive?stress injuries. Use your Mac in a comfortable, ergonomic way?withoutbeing tied to your keyboard and mouse. Open applications or folders, select menu items, click or move the mouse, press keys, switch from one application to another or create custom voice commands to execute multiple steps by voice. Use your Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (4th gen) or your compatible Android device as a wireless microphone over Wi-Fi for optimal convenience. Wideband Bluetooth support delivers outstanding wireless performance with no training required.

Ignite Mobility For Productivity On The Go
Dictate into a Nuance-approved digital voice recorder or use the free Dragon Recorder app to capture high-quality audio files using your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch (4th gen). Dragon Dictate will transcribe the recorded audio files when you connect to your Mac. These mobile recording capabilities enable you to capture thoughts from anywhere, at any time while they?re still fresh in your mind to produce detailed, high-quality reports, papers, proposals, meeting minutes, and more.

System Requirements

• CPU: Intel-based Mac computer (2.2 Ghz Intel Core2 Duo processor or greater recommended)
• Free hard disk space: 4GB
• Supported Operating Systems: OS X Lion (10.7) or OS X Mountain Lion (10.8)
• RAM: 2GB recommended
• A?DVD-ROM?drive for installation
• A Nuance-approved noise-canceling headset microphone for Mac (included in purchase)
• Note: An Internet connection is required for automatic product activation (a quick anonymous process)

Languages

• English, French, German, and Italian.

40.714513 -74.005122

Source: http://9to5mac.com/2013/03/29/deal-dragon-naturally-speaking-3-for-100-50-off/

Robert Morris spring lululemon jon hamm southern university biggest loser TJ Lane

Obese airline passengers should pay extra, economist says

(Reuters) - Airlines should charge obese passengers more, a Norwegian economist has suggested, arguing that "pay as you weigh" pricing would bring health, financial and environmental dividends.

Bharat Bhatta, an associate professor at Sogn og Fjordane University College, said that airlines should follow other transport sectors and charge by space and weight.

"To the degree that passengers lose weight and therefore reduce fares, the savings that result are net benefits to the passengers," Bhatta wrote this week in the Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management.

"As a plane of a given make and model can accommodate more lightweight passengers, it may also reward airlines" and reduce the use of environmentally costly fuel.

Bhatta put together three models for what he called "pay as you weigh airline pricing."

The first would charge passengers according to how much they and their baggage weighed. It would set a rate for pounds (kg) per passenger so that someone weighing 130 pounds (59 kg) would pay half the fare of 260-pound (118-kg) person.

A second model would use a fixed base rate, with an extra charge for heavier passengers to cover the extra costs. Under this option, every passenger would have a different fare.

Bhatta's preferred option was the third, where the same fare would be charged if a passenger was of average weight. A discount or extra charge would be used if the passenger was above or below a certain limit.

That would lead to three kinds of fares - high, average and low, Bhatta said.

Airlines have grappled for years with how to deal with larger passengers as waistlines have steadily expanded. Such carriers as Air France and Southwest Airlines allow overweight passengers to buy extra seats and get a refund on them.

Asked about charging heavier passengers extra, Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz said: "We have our own policies in place and don't anticipate changing those."

United Air Lines Inc requires passengers who cannot fit comfortably into a single seat to buy another one. A spokeswoman said the carrier would not discuss "future pricing."

About two-thirds of U.S. adults are obese or overweight.

In a 2010 online survey for the travel website Skyscanner (www.skyscanner.net), 76 percent of travelers said airlines should charge overweight passengers more if they needed an extra seat.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson; editing by Andrew Hay)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/obese-airline-passengers-pay-extra-economist-says-221406056--finance.html

Loans No Credit Check Unsecured ? $100$1000 Fast Cash Online ...

Loans No Credit Check Unsecured

Loans No Credit Check Unsecured

Cash Advance personal Loans were created to assist those in the unexpected financial crisis. Loans No Credit Check Unsecured. The Money Advance Payday Loan processis strhtforward if appliers meet all loan requirements.You have to be 18 a lot of age or over. You must possess a valid ing account which will accept direct debits luding basic accounts that do not come with the overdraft or debit card. You have to have your salary paid directly in your account. Lastly, you need to possess a minimum collect pay of ?750 per month. Instances are in places you end up in financial difficulty due to an unexpected emergency are infrequent. Loans No Credit Check Unsecured.

Source: http://minorscratches.com/loans-no-credit-check-unsecured-1001000-fast-cash-online-in-fast-time-receive-up-to-1000-100-approval-in-1-hour-quick-money-now/