Tuesday, October 29, 2013

New book addresses consequences of drought in arid regions

New book addresses consequences of drought in arid regions


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28-Oct-2013



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Contact: Iqbal Pittalwala
iqbal@ucr.edu
951-827-6050
University of California - Riverside



Lead editor Kurt Schwabe of UC Riverside says drought must receive the attention a natural disaster deserves




RIVERSIDE, Calif. Mention of natural disasters usually brings to mind vivid images of shattered concrete and piles of rubbish strewn across the landscape the result of violent hurricanes, massive earthquakes, or rampaging tornadoes. From an economic standpoint, however, the most costly natural disaster in U.S. history ravaged the Midwest in the late eighties with considerably less theatrics. The source of this disaster? Water scarcity. Drought during this period affected crop production, ecosystems, environmental policy, and the lives of scores of Americans.


A new book titled "Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions: A Multidisciplinary and Cross-Country Perspective" (Springer, 2013) provides a multidisciplinary and cross country perspective on ecological, economic, hydrological, agronomical, and policy-related issues arising from water scarcity and drought. Lead editor Kurt Schwabe is an associate professor of environmental economics and policy at the University of California, Riverside and the associate director of the Water Science and Policy Center (WSPC).


"There's a significant amount of meteorological and climate research suggesting that the frequency and intensity of drought is going to increase worldwide," Schwabe said. "We can either wait for a drought, and experiment with costly and lengthy ways to mitigate its effects, or we can learn from the collective successes and failures of countries that have tried to manage it."


"Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions" provides an interdisciplinary guide for addressing and adapting to drought in the future. The idea for the book arose in a 2010 UC Riverside Drought Symposium put on by the WSPC, in which researchers from around the world discussed issues related to aridity.


"Many of the countries represented at the symposium were in the middle of a severe drought or were just finishing up having experienced one," Schwabe said. "This, coupled with the expectation that drought will become increasingly persistent, heralded the necessity for a book that would lead the way in integrating information about drought from a multitude of perspectives and experiences."


According to Schwabe, the best water management policy comes from being more informed about consequences.


"You can't address drought well without feedback from different perspectives," he said. "That's why a book like this helps. In it, we have explored issues from the perspectives of agronomists, hydrologists, ecologists, policy makers, economists, and water managers. Future policymakers will have this rich array of information to help them make the best decisions."


The book touches upon important issues in agronomy the study of crop management and discusses how improving the drought tolerance of crop varieties and managing soil systems can alleviate drought-induced rises in food prices and availabilities. A section on ecology investigates the effects of drought on ecosystems and habitat. The section on hydrology highlights trends in water supply changes over time and how drought exacerbates those trends, stresses the linkages between surface and groundwater supplies, and emphasizes the fact that drought affects both the quantity and quality of available water supplies.


From an economic and policy-related perspective, the book illustrates how the costs from drought can be reduced significantly with flexible policy instruments, including water trading and water banking, yet cautions that in most developed countries the water-supply augmentation strategies of the past are unlikely to be feasible; rather, more attention needs to be focused on water conservation, recycling, and water pricing.


Not only will the book benefit scientists and policy makers who want to make effective decisions about water management, it also will appeal, Schwabe believes, to anyone interested in the environment.


"This book will help readers understand the importance of research, and in particular multidisciplinary research, being conducted on drought-related topics," he said. "Further, it will keep readers informed on the serious consequences of this overlooked phenomenon."


Schwabe is concerned that people do not think of drought as a natural disaster like a tornado or hurricane.


"Indeed, the 1988-1989 drought in the Midwest is far less well-known than its dustbowl predecessor made famous in the John Steinbeck novel 'The Grapes of Wrath,'" he said. "Unfortunately, we don't have a Steinbeck today to write about drought."


According to him, as drought becomes increasingly persistent, arid and semi-arid regions in California and around the world will need to take a closer look at how they mitigate and adapt to the consequences of drought. He hopes to further contribute to the understanding of drought effects and water scarcity by way of a new book co-edited by Ariel Dinar, the director of the WSPC. Soon to be published, the book is titled "The Handbook of Water Economics."


At UCR, Schwabe specializes in water economics, wildlife and fisheries management, the economics of pollution control, salinity and drainage management, and nonmarket valuation. Currently, he is working with local water agencies to help better understand the effectiveness of various water conservation measures and water pricing structures on water use.


The other editors of "Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions" are Jose Albiac, Jeffery D. Connor, Rashid M. Hassan, and Liliana Meza Gonzalez.


###

The University of California, Riverside (http://www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment has exceeded 21,000 students. The campus will open a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of more than $1 billion. A broadcast studio with fiber cable to the AT&T Hollywood hub is available for live or taped interviews. UCR also has ISDN for radio interviews. To learn more, call (951) UCR-NEWS.



By Sarah Santiago





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New book addresses consequences of drought in arid regions


[ Back to EurekAlert! ]

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

28-Oct-2013



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Contact: Iqbal Pittalwala
iqbal@ucr.edu
951-827-6050
University of California - Riverside



Lead editor Kurt Schwabe of UC Riverside says drought must receive the attention a natural disaster deserves




RIVERSIDE, Calif. Mention of natural disasters usually brings to mind vivid images of shattered concrete and piles of rubbish strewn across the landscape the result of violent hurricanes, massive earthquakes, or rampaging tornadoes. From an economic standpoint, however, the most costly natural disaster in U.S. history ravaged the Midwest in the late eighties with considerably less theatrics. The source of this disaster? Water scarcity. Drought during this period affected crop production, ecosystems, environmental policy, and the lives of scores of Americans.


A new book titled "Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions: A Multidisciplinary and Cross-Country Perspective" (Springer, 2013) provides a multidisciplinary and cross country perspective on ecological, economic, hydrological, agronomical, and policy-related issues arising from water scarcity and drought. Lead editor Kurt Schwabe is an associate professor of environmental economics and policy at the University of California, Riverside and the associate director of the Water Science and Policy Center (WSPC).


"There's a significant amount of meteorological and climate research suggesting that the frequency and intensity of drought is going to increase worldwide," Schwabe said. "We can either wait for a drought, and experiment with costly and lengthy ways to mitigate its effects, or we can learn from the collective successes and failures of countries that have tried to manage it."


"Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions" provides an interdisciplinary guide for addressing and adapting to drought in the future. The idea for the book arose in a 2010 UC Riverside Drought Symposium put on by the WSPC, in which researchers from around the world discussed issues related to aridity.


"Many of the countries represented at the symposium were in the middle of a severe drought or were just finishing up having experienced one," Schwabe said. "This, coupled with the expectation that drought will become increasingly persistent, heralded the necessity for a book that would lead the way in integrating information about drought from a multitude of perspectives and experiences."


According to Schwabe, the best water management policy comes from being more informed about consequences.


"You can't address drought well without feedback from different perspectives," he said. "That's why a book like this helps. In it, we have explored issues from the perspectives of agronomists, hydrologists, ecologists, policy makers, economists, and water managers. Future policymakers will have this rich array of information to help them make the best decisions."


The book touches upon important issues in agronomy the study of crop management and discusses how improving the drought tolerance of crop varieties and managing soil systems can alleviate drought-induced rises in food prices and availabilities. A section on ecology investigates the effects of drought on ecosystems and habitat. The section on hydrology highlights trends in water supply changes over time and how drought exacerbates those trends, stresses the linkages between surface and groundwater supplies, and emphasizes the fact that drought affects both the quantity and quality of available water supplies.


From an economic and policy-related perspective, the book illustrates how the costs from drought can be reduced significantly with flexible policy instruments, including water trading and water banking, yet cautions that in most developed countries the water-supply augmentation strategies of the past are unlikely to be feasible; rather, more attention needs to be focused on water conservation, recycling, and water pricing.


Not only will the book benefit scientists and policy makers who want to make effective decisions about water management, it also will appeal, Schwabe believes, to anyone interested in the environment.


"This book will help readers understand the importance of research, and in particular multidisciplinary research, being conducted on drought-related topics," he said. "Further, it will keep readers informed on the serious consequences of this overlooked phenomenon."


Schwabe is concerned that people do not think of drought as a natural disaster like a tornado or hurricane.


"Indeed, the 1988-1989 drought in the Midwest is far less well-known than its dustbowl predecessor made famous in the John Steinbeck novel 'The Grapes of Wrath,'" he said. "Unfortunately, we don't have a Steinbeck today to write about drought."


According to him, as drought becomes increasingly persistent, arid and semi-arid regions in California and around the world will need to take a closer look at how they mitigate and adapt to the consequences of drought. He hopes to further contribute to the understanding of drought effects and water scarcity by way of a new book co-edited by Ariel Dinar, the director of the WSPC. Soon to be published, the book is titled "The Handbook of Water Economics."


At UCR, Schwabe specializes in water economics, wildlife and fisheries management, the economics of pollution control, salinity and drainage management, and nonmarket valuation. Currently, he is working with local water agencies to help better understand the effectiveness of various water conservation measures and water pricing structures on water use.


The other editors of "Drought in Arid and Semi-Arid Regions" are Jose Albiac, Jeffery D. Connor, Rashid M. Hassan, and Liliana Meza Gonzalez.


###

The University of California, Riverside (http://www.ucr.edu) is a doctoral research university, a living laboratory for groundbreaking exploration of issues critical to Inland Southern California, the state and communities around the world. Reflecting California's diverse culture, UCR's enrollment has exceeded 21,000 students. The campus will open a medical school in 2013 and has reached the heart of the Coachella Valley by way of the UCR Palm Desert Center. The campus has an annual statewide economic impact of more than $1 billion. A broadcast studio with fiber cable to the AT&T Hollywood hub is available for live or taped interviews. UCR also has ISDN for radio interviews. To learn more, call (951) UCR-NEWS.



By Sarah Santiago





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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.




Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/uoc--nba102813.php
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What You Need To Know About Babies, Toddlers And Screen Time





Eva Hu-Stiles virtually interacts with her grandmother. iPad assist by Elise Hu-Stiles.



John W. Poole/NPR


Eva Hu-Stiles virtually interacts with her grandmother. iPad assist by Elise Hu-Stiles.


John W. Poole/NPR


This week, we're exploring the tech frontier through the eyes of our children. So we're starting with the littlest ones — babies. Can certain kinds of screen time help babies learn?


To find some answers, I employed the help of my 1-year-old daughter, Eva. She's still a wobbly walker and the sum total of her speaking skills sound like gibberish. But she has no problem activating Siri, the virtual assistant on my iPhone. Her 16-month-old friend, Lily, is even savvier with the gadgets.


"She knows how to turn the iPad on, she knows how to slide her finger across," says her mom, Kim Trainor.


That gets to the technology tension in modern parenting: You want your kids to be technologically adept — but without giving them so much screen time that it's not healthy for development.


"If I think about my childhood, a lot of these things didn't exist. And obviously my parents didn't have to think about what the exposure might do to us," Trainor says. The tech frontier for our kids is changing so fast that the guidelines are barely keeping up with it.


Case in point: Just two years ago, when San Francisco-based nonprofit Common Sense Media surveyed families with children 8 and under, just 8 percent owned tablets like iPads. That's now jumped five-fold — to 40 percent. And the percent of children with access to some sort of smartphones and tablets has jumped from half of those surveyed to 75 percent. (Read the full report.)


Pediatricians discourage passive screen time for children 2 and under.


Baby Lily's mom says she follows her pediatrician's guideline to discourage screen time until after her daughter turns 2. But the doctor behind the American Academy of Pediatrics 2011 policy guideline discouraging screen time for kids under 2 says it specifically concerns passive screen viewing. That is, plopping the baby in front of a TV or film, or having media on in the background.


"The concern for risk is that some kids who watch a lot of media actually have poor language skills, so there's a deficit in their language development. We also have concerns about other developmental issues because they're basically missing out on other developmentally appropriate activities," says Dr. Ari Brown, the lead author on the American Academy of Pediatrics policy statement discouraging screen time for babies under 2.


On Monday, the pediatrics group released updated media guidelines for children and adolescents. While still discouraging screen time for children under 2, the policy recommends a balanced approach to media in the homes instead of blanket bans. We've laid out some of the latest thinking on screen time for babies and toddlers, below.


There's a key difference between passive screen time and active screen time.


Research indicates that activities like Skyping or FaceTime — in which the baby communicates with a live human on the screen — can actually help babies learn.



"[Lily] watched her little message from her dad who had bought her a ball and said, 'This is a ball.' " Trainor says that when Lily called her father on Skype a few days later, she associated him with the ball. "She went 'ball, ball, ball,' " Trainor says.


Vanderbilt University developmental psychologist Georgene Troseth conducts some of the country's leading research on children and screens. She says Skyping isn't like watching TV because it's a social interaction.


"We're finding pretty consistently — in fact, two recent studies with actual Skype [calls] — that children do seem to learn better when there is social interaction from a person on video. So it's kind of encouraging with FaceTime or Skype for parents and grandparents to know that [with] that interaction, the children might actually be willing to learn from a person on a screen because of the social interaction showing them what's on the screen is connected to their lives," Troseth says.


The research on touch-screen apps is unclear. Apps and games labeled "educational" may not necessarily help your child learn.


Touch-screens are taking over and babies seem especially great at working with them. Lily, the 16-month-old, showed me how she shuffles through photos on her mom's phone.


Parents, meanwhile, keep hearing about "educational" apps. Troseth says be wary, for now.


"There's nothing wrong with a toy being fun, engaging a child for an amount of time. But to promote it as being educational we really need to do research to find out, is having it be interacting, doing anything to make it easier to learn from?" she asks.


Aim for a balanced approach — for you and your baby.


Since the research on touch-screens isn't clear yet, Brown offers some advice in the meantime.


"We still have questions. If you're planning on using interactive media with your child, use it with your child, sit down with your child and engage with them because that's going to be more valuable than anything," Brown says.


It's valuable time with her 14-month-old daughter that taught another mom — Jennifer Grover — about her own relationship with screens.


"It's just amazing how good they are at mimicking what they see. So I've definitely had to learn to kind of rein in my attention to the laptop, or my attention to my phone in front of her, because whatever I'm doing that's what she wants to be doing," Grover says.


Source: http://www.npr.org/blogs/alltechconsidered/2013/10/28/228125739/what-to-know-about-babies-and-screen-time-kids-screens-electronics?ft=1&f=1019
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Study maps human impacts on top ocean predators along US west coast

Study maps human impacts on top ocean predators along US west coast


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Contact: Tim Stephens
stephens@ucsc.edu
831-459-2495
University of California - Santa Cruz



Animal tracking data combined with mapping of human activities reveals high impact areas where efforts to reduce impacts would be most effective




The California Current System along the U.S. west coast is among the richest ecosystems in the world, driven by nutrient input from coastal upwelling and supporting a great diversity of marine life. Like coastal regions in general, it is also heavily impacted by human activities. A new study led by scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, reveals areas along the west coast where human impacts are highest on marine predators such as whales, seals, seabirds, and turtles.


The study, published October 28 in Nature Communications, found that many of the high impact areas are within the boundaries of National Marine Sanctuaries. This means there are good opportunities for improving management strategies, according to first author Sara Maxwell, who led the study as a graduate student in ocean sciences at UC Santa Cruz and is now a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station.


"The sanctuaries are located close to the coast in areas where there are a lot of human activities and a lot of marine life, so it's not surprising that we see a lot of impacts there," Maxwell said, noting that oil spills were a big concern when the sanctuaries were established, and many do not limit activities such as fishing, although they are actively engaged in managing industries such as shipping.


"With the sanctuaries already in place, we have an opportunity to increase protections. The results of this study allow us to be more specific in where we focus management efforts so that we can minimize the economic impact on people," she said.



There are five National Marine Sanctuaries along the west coast, covering nearly 15,000 square miles. A proposed expansion of the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries would extend protections north to Point Arena, a key area identified in the study.


Marine mammals and other predators are critical to the health of marine ecosystems. The study used tracking data for eight species of marine predators: blue whales, humpback whales, northern elephant seals, California sea lions, black-footed and Laysan albatrosses, sooty shearwaters, and leatherback sea turtles. These are among the 23 species whose movements have been tracked since 2000 as part of the Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) program. The eight species included in the new study are ecologically important but are not commercially exploited, Maxwell said.


The TOPP studies showed that many marine predators travel thousands of miles every year, yet often concentrate within small-scale "hotspots" to breed or feed on fish and other prey. Many such hotspots are found within the California Current System.


Maxwell and her coauthors combined the TOPP tracking data with a database of human impacts in the California Current System that was developed by a group led by coauthor Benjamin Halpern at UC Santa Barbara. The relative impact on each species was determined for each of 24 stressors associated with human activities, such as fishing, shipping, climate change, and pollution. The analysis yielded maps showing where the greatest impacts on each species are likely to be.



"Areas where key habitats and human impacts overlap represent important areas for conservation efforts," Maxwell said. "In other cases, areas of high human activities are not key habitats for predators. As a result, we can maximize both conservation of marine predators and human uses that our coastal communities depend on."


The study suggests that protecting key habitat without considering human uses may result in missed opportunities for sustainable resource use. "Having this detailed spatial information will help us move toward a more sustainable management approach," said coauthor Elliott Hazen, a research biologist at UCSC and the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center.


Providing information to support management and policy decisions was one of the goals of the TOPP program, which was conceived by coauthors Dan Costa at UC Santa Cruz, Steven Bograd at NOAA, and Barbara Block at Stanford. TOPP researchers used sophisticated tags with satellite- or light-based geolocation capabilities to track the movements of top predators throughout the Pacific Ocean.


"A major component of the TOPP program was to identify important conservation areas of the North Pacific Ocean. This paper is a significant step forward in increasing our awareness of the 'blue Serengeti' that lies just off the west coast of the U.S.," Costa said.


###


The new study involved a team of 23 researchers at 19 institutions. Coauthors affiliated with UC Santa Cruz include Elliott Hazen, Barry Nickel, Nicole Teutschel, Michelle Kappes, Jason Hassrick, Robert Henry, Patrick Robinson, and Daniel Costa. Funding for this work was provided by the Sloan Foundation's Census of Marine Life program and Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station and Center for Ocean Solutions. TOPP research was funded by the Sloan, Packard, and Moore Foundations.




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Study maps human impacts on top ocean predators along US west coast


[ Back to EurekAlert! ]

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

28-Oct-2013



[


| E-mail

]


Share Share

Contact: Tim Stephens
stephens@ucsc.edu
831-459-2495
University of California - Santa Cruz



Animal tracking data combined with mapping of human activities reveals high impact areas where efforts to reduce impacts would be most effective




The California Current System along the U.S. west coast is among the richest ecosystems in the world, driven by nutrient input from coastal upwelling and supporting a great diversity of marine life. Like coastal regions in general, it is also heavily impacted by human activities. A new study led by scientists at the University of California, Santa Cruz, reveals areas along the west coast where human impacts are highest on marine predators such as whales, seals, seabirds, and turtles.


The study, published October 28 in Nature Communications, found that many of the high impact areas are within the boundaries of National Marine Sanctuaries. This means there are good opportunities for improving management strategies, according to first author Sara Maxwell, who led the study as a graduate student in ocean sciences at UC Santa Cruz and is now a postdoctoral scholar at Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station.


"The sanctuaries are located close to the coast in areas where there are a lot of human activities and a lot of marine life, so it's not surprising that we see a lot of impacts there," Maxwell said, noting that oil spills were a big concern when the sanctuaries were established, and many do not limit activities such as fishing, although they are actively engaged in managing industries such as shipping.


"With the sanctuaries already in place, we have an opportunity to increase protections. The results of this study allow us to be more specific in where we focus management efforts so that we can minimize the economic impact on people," she said.



There are five National Marine Sanctuaries along the west coast, covering nearly 15,000 square miles. A proposed expansion of the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries would extend protections north to Point Arena, a key area identified in the study.


Marine mammals and other predators are critical to the health of marine ecosystems. The study used tracking data for eight species of marine predators: blue whales, humpback whales, northern elephant seals, California sea lions, black-footed and Laysan albatrosses, sooty shearwaters, and leatherback sea turtles. These are among the 23 species whose movements have been tracked since 2000 as part of the Tagging of Pacific Predators (TOPP) program. The eight species included in the new study are ecologically important but are not commercially exploited, Maxwell said.


The TOPP studies showed that many marine predators travel thousands of miles every year, yet often concentrate within small-scale "hotspots" to breed or feed on fish and other prey. Many such hotspots are found within the California Current System.


Maxwell and her coauthors combined the TOPP tracking data with a database of human impacts in the California Current System that was developed by a group led by coauthor Benjamin Halpern at UC Santa Barbara. The relative impact on each species was determined for each of 24 stressors associated with human activities, such as fishing, shipping, climate change, and pollution. The analysis yielded maps showing where the greatest impacts on each species are likely to be.



"Areas where key habitats and human impacts overlap represent important areas for conservation efforts," Maxwell said. "In other cases, areas of high human activities are not key habitats for predators. As a result, we can maximize both conservation of marine predators and human uses that our coastal communities depend on."


The study suggests that protecting key habitat without considering human uses may result in missed opportunities for sustainable resource use. "Having this detailed spatial information will help us move toward a more sustainable management approach," said coauthor Elliott Hazen, a research biologist at UCSC and the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center.


Providing information to support management and policy decisions was one of the goals of the TOPP program, which was conceived by coauthors Dan Costa at UC Santa Cruz, Steven Bograd at NOAA, and Barbara Block at Stanford. TOPP researchers used sophisticated tags with satellite- or light-based geolocation capabilities to track the movements of top predators throughout the Pacific Ocean.


"A major component of the TOPP program was to identify important conservation areas of the North Pacific Ocean. This paper is a significant step forward in increasing our awareness of the 'blue Serengeti' that lies just off the west coast of the U.S.," Costa said.


###


The new study involved a team of 23 researchers at 19 institutions. Coauthors affiliated with UC Santa Cruz include Elliott Hazen, Barry Nickel, Nicole Teutschel, Michelle Kappes, Jason Hassrick, Robert Henry, Patrick Robinson, and Daniel Costa. Funding for this work was provided by the Sloan Foundation's Census of Marine Life program and Stanford University's Hopkins Marine Station and Center for Ocean Solutions. TOPP research was funded by the Sloan, Packard, and Moore Foundations.




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AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert! system.




Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-10/uoc--smh102513.php
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Good news for Dexter fans looking to relive the show's former glory: Netflix is getting exclusive ri

Good news for Dexter fans looking to relive the show's former glory: Netflix is getting exclusive rights to all eight seasons of the show. The first four will be available starting October 31, and that should keep you plenty busy until the second four hit on January 1.

Read more...


    






Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/As_fLVqLSJM/good-news-for-dexter-fans-looking-to-relive-the-shows-f-1453560412
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Donald Cerrone mulling featherweight move after UFC 167


Donald Cerrone may soon have a new home.


While fielding questions during a Monday live Google chat, the longtime lightweight contender indicated that he's considering a drop down to featherweight following his upcoming UFC 167 bout against Evan Dunham.


"I need to get (Mike) Dolce on my side. I'm going to 145 after this fight," a bearded Cerrone said.


"[Featherweight] is going to be a lifestyle change. No more Bud Light and Budweisers. No more stopping with Chris on the way here to eat random food. No more late nights with (UFC Senior Director of Public Relations) Dave Sholler at Wendy's. Those are all things you're going to have to change."


At six-feet tall, with a reach of 73 inches, Cerrone is already a large lightweight by any measure.


Nonetheless, after dropping three of his past six contests, including his most recent upset loss to Rafael dos Anjos, "Cowboy" suggested that the change of scenery, while perhaps not permanent, could do him some good.


"I just think I could really dominate down there," Cerrone said. "I don't know. Most people lose a lot of fights, and they run down. I'm going to go down to 45 after a win, so we'll see. I'll still be at 55 though, I'll play back and forth. Why not? Go get the belt."


Cerrone went on to explain that while no decision is yet final, he has already spoken to members of the UFC's public relations team and UFC matchmaker Sean Shelby about the potential change.


"They're like, as long as you can healthily make the weight. We don't want to see you in there dying," Cerrone said, before joking, "But Kenny Florian made it. I'll probably look worse than him, so it should be fun."


Source: http://www.mmafighting.com/2013/10/28/5040824/donald-cerrone-mulling-featherweight-move-after-ufc-167
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Grand Theft Auto 5 iFruit app available on select Android devices

Rockstar Games has finally fulfilled its promise of bringing Grand Theft Auto 5's iFruit companion app to Android. Over a month after the game's launch and the app's iOS availability, you can trick out your ride or train Franklin's dog from your handset running Mountain View's OS. Our Nexus 4 phones ...


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ztTrAzHAVaY/
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AP source: US weighs end to spying on leaders

In this Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, file photo, a man is reflected in paneling as he speaks on his phone at the Mobile World Congress, the world's largest mobile phone trade show, in Barcelona, Spain. A Spanish newspaper published a document Monday that it said shows the U.S. National Security Agency spied on more than 60 million phone calls in Spain in one month alone — the latest revelation about alleged massive U.S. spying on allies. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)







In this Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2013, file photo, a man is reflected in paneling as he speaks on his phone at the Mobile World Congress, the world's largest mobile phone trade show, in Barcelona, Spain. A Spanish newspaper published a document Monday that it said shows the U.S. National Security Agency spied on more than 60 million phone calls in Spain in one month alone — the latest revelation about alleged massive U.S. spying on allies. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez, File)







FILE - In this Thursday, Jan. 17, 2013, file photo, a man speaks on a cell phone in the business district of Madrid. A Spanish newspaper published a document Monday, Oct. 28, 2013, that it said shows the U.S. National Security Agency spied on more than 60 million phone calls in Spain in one month alone — the latest revelation about alleged massive U.S. spying on allies. (AP Photo/Paul White, File)







Graphic shows country-by-country look allegations of spying by the U.S. National Security Agency and reaction; 3c x 5 inches; 146 mm x 127 mm;







(AP) — The Obama administration is considering ending spying on allied heads of state, a senior administration official said, as the White House grappled with the fallout from revelations that the U.S. has eavesdropped on German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The official said late Monday that a final decision had not been made and an internal review was still underway.

The revelations about National Security Agency monitoring of Merkel were the latest in a months-long spying scandal that has strained longstanding alliances with some of America's closest partners. Earlier Monday, Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, called for a "total review of all intelligence programs."

Feinstein, D-Calif., said in a statement that the White House had informed her that "collection on our allies will not continue." The administration official said that statement was not accurate, but added that some unspecified changes already had been made and more were being considered, including terminating the collection of communications from friendly heads of state.

The official was not authorized to discuss the review by name and insisted on anonymity.

As a result of the spying allegations, German officials said Monday that the U.S. could lose access to an important law enforcement tool used to track terrorist money flows. As possible leverage, German authorities cited last week's non-binding resolution by the European Parliament to suspend a post-9/11 agreement allowing the Americans access to bank transfer data to track the flow of terrorist money.

A top German official said she believed the Americans were using the information obtained from Merkel to gather economic intelligence apart from terrorism and that the agreement known as SWIFT should be suspended.

Feinstein said while the intelligence community has kept her apprised of other issues, like the court orders on telephone record collection, intelligence officials failed to brief her on how they followed foreign leaders.

Her statement follows reports based on new leaks from former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden indicating that the NSA listened to Merkel and 34 other foreign leaders.

"With respect to NSA collection of intelligence on leaders of U.S. allies — including France, Spain, Mexico and Germany — let me state unequivocally: I am totally opposed," Feinstein said. She added that the U.S. should not be "collecting phone calls or emails of friendly presidents and prime ministers" unless in an emergency with approval of the president.

European Union officials who are in Washington to meet with lawmakers ahead of White House talks said U.S. surveillance of their people could affect negotiations over a U.S.-Europe trade agreement. They said European privacy must be better protected.

Many officials in Germany and other European governments have made clear, however, that they don't favor suspending the U.S.-EU trade talks which began last summer because both sides stand to gain so much through the proposed deal, especially against competition from China and other emerging markets.

As tensions with European allies escalate, the top U.S. intelligence official declassified dozens of pages of top secret documents in an apparent bid to show the NSA was acting legally when it gathered millions of Americans' phone records.

Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper said he was following the president's direction to make public as much information as possible about how U.S. intelligence agencies spy under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. Monday's release of documents focused on Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which allows the bulk collection of U.S. phone records.

The document release is part of an administration-wide effort to preserve the NSA's ability to collect bulk data, which it says is key to tracking key terror suspects, but which privacy activists say is a breach of the Constitution's ban on unreasonable search and seizure of evidence from innocent Americans.

The release of the documents comes ahead of a House Intelligence Committee hearing Tuesday on FISA reform.

The documents support administration testimony that the NSA worked to operate within the law and fix errors when they or their systems overreached. One of the documents shows the NSA admitting to the House Intelligence Committee that one of its automated systems picked up too much telephone metadata. The February 2009 document indicates the problem was fixed.

Another set of documents shows the judges of the FISA court seemed satisfied with the NSA's cooperation. It says that in September 2009, the NSA advised the Senate Intelligence Committee about its continuing collection of Americans' phone records and described a series of demonstrations and briefings it conducted for three judges on the secretive U.S. spy court. The memorandum said the judges were "engaged throughout and asked questions, which were answered by the briefers and other subject matter experts," and said the judges appreciated the amount and quality of information the NSA provided.

It said that two days later, one of the judges, U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton, renewed the court's permission to resume collecting phone records.

The documents also included previously classified testimony from 2009 for the House Intelligence Committee by Michael Leiter, then head of the National Counterterrorism Center. He and other officials said collecting Americans' phone records helped indict Najibullah Zazi, who was accused in a previously disclosed 2009 terror plot to bomb the New York City subways.

The documents also show the NSA considered tracking targets using cellphone location data, and according to an April 2011 memo consulted the Justice Department first, which said such collection was legal. Only later did the NSA inform the FISA court of the testing.

NSA commander Gen. Keith Alexander revealed the testing earlier this month to Congress but said the agency did not use the capability to track Americans' cellphone locations nor deem it necessary right now.

Asked Monday if the NSA intelligence gathering had been used not only to protect national security but American economic interests as well, White House spokesman Jay Carney said: "We do not use our intelligence capabilities for that purpose. We use it for security purposes."

But National Security Council spokeswoman Caitlin Hayden later clarified that: "We do not use our intelligence capabilities to give U.S. companies an advantage, not ruling out that we are interested in economic information."

Carney acknowledged the tensions with allies over the eavesdropping disclosures and said the White House was "working to allay those concerns," though he refused to discuss any specific reports or provide details of internal White House discussions.

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Follow Kimberly Dozier at http://twitter.com/KimberlyDozier and Julie Pace at http://twitter.com/jpaceDC

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Associated Press writers Ted Bridis and Jack Gillum in Washington, Frank Jordan, Geir Moulson and Robert H. Reid in Berlin, Juergen Baetz in Brussels, Ciaran Giles, Jorge Sainz and Alan Clendenning in Madrid and Sarah DiLorenzo in Paris contributed to this report.

Associated PressSource: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/3d281c11a96b4ad082fe88aa0db04305/Article_2013-10-28-NSA%20Surveillance/id-a2bd0af47c7b4c6bac3faffdbe8b401b
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