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Article posted Jun 08 2012, 11:40 AM
Big Brother/Orwellian
US Government Still Insisting It Can't Be Sued Over Warrantless Wiretapping
BY TREVOR TIMM, Electronic Frontier Foundation
Once again, the federal government is trying its hardest to prevent the courts from determining whether it has broken (or is still breaking) the law through the NSA's wiretapping program.
For nearly four years, the Obama Administration has followed in the Bush administration's footsteps, invoking national security and a variety of procedural hurdles to shield itself from accountability in courts. In three separate lawsuits that have been churning in the federal courts, the government has used a menu of dodges to block the courts from considering the key underlying question -- have they been breaking the law and violating the constitution by warrantlessly surveilling American citizens -- over and over again.Ā
And now the Obama Administration wants Congress to extend the broader surveillance powers passed by Congress in 2008.
Al-Haramain v. Obama
The latest example
occurred last Friday
, in a hearing before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in Pasadena, CA during a government appeal of the long running case
al-Haramain v. Obama
. In 2009, a federal court awarded the two plaintiffs--American lawyers who represented the now defunct Islamic charity, al-Haramain--$20,000 each and $2.5 million in legal fees, in what remains the only warrantless wiretapping case decided on the merits.
The plaintiffs in
originally filed suit when the government accidentally provided them with a classified document that showed they had been subject to warrantless surveillance. Despite the government convincing the court to declare the document a "state secret" and exclude it from evidence, Judge Walker granted judgment in favor of al-Haramain based solely on publicly available evidence.
Yet on appeal, as Wired's
David Kravets reported
, DOJ claims the court
should dismiss the case outright
because the government is immune from being sued for breaching the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act under a concept known as "sovereign immunity." Sovereign immunity generally prevents the federal government from being sued unless an act of Congress authorizes it. Through it's a complex, technical argument, the government is essentially asserting the only way to hold anyone accountable for future illegal national security wiretapping is to sue them in their individual capacities (and apparently requiring them to pay any damages out of their own pocket). ĀGiven that the FISA was written in the midst of the uproar over rampant
government surveillance, this outcome would be outrageous.Ā
And even assuming the government wins on its argument, would it then let the case go forward against FBI Director Robert Mueller, the one federal official named in his individual capacity? No way. After a question from one judge, the government admitted to the Court that it would then invoke the "state secrets" privilege to stop even that case and also raised the specter of other immunities that would then apply to protect the individual defendants. The Justice Department essentially told the Court, "heads we win, tails they lose."
The fact remains that the district court sided with plaintiffs -- holding that FISA waives sovereign immunity, has national security protective procedures that overwrite the Āstate secret privilege here, and that plaintiffs had established a case, based purely on publicly available evidence, to satisfy their burden. We hope the 9th Circuit agrees.
Jewel v. NSA
Hepting v. AT&T
The state secrets privilege is also the first legal maneuver the government will likely try to use to prevent EFF's own lawsuit against the government over warrantless wiretapping,
Jewel v. NSA
. In
, based on evidence given to EFF by AT&T whistleblower Mark Klein, Congressional admissions, and countless media investigations, EFF has argued the NSA violated federal surveillance laws and the Constitution by acquiring untold numbers of Americans' emails, phone calls, and communications records.
a recent procedural victory at the 9th Circuit revived the case
is back before a federal district judge in San Francisco. However, in proceedings over the next few months, the government will likely try to again wall itself off from accountability by asserting that the state secrets privilege requires the case to be dismissed without a determination of whether the government's actions are legal. Yet, in passing FISA, Congress expressly created a secure process by which the legality of surveillance must be determined by a court. We expect the next round of the fight will be, as previous ones were, a set of arguments by the government about why, despite that carefully considered (and never amended) process, the case should still be dismissed immediately regardless of whether the government is actually illegally surveiling millions of Americans.
Separately, in March, EFF
filed a petition asking the Supreme Court (pdf)
to hear
Hepting v. AT&T
-- EFF's lawsuit against AT&T for their role in the government's warrantless surveillance program, where the companies and the Executive branch strong-armed Congress into granting the President the right to dismiss cases against the telecom companies. The government has asked for several extensions to reply to EFF's petition, but the Supreme Court will likely decide whether or not it will hear the case by this Fall.Ā
Amnesty International v. Clapper
The ACLU is also challenging the legality of the FISA Amendments Act -- the 2008 law which broadly expanded the government's spying powers -- in a separate suit,
Amnesty International v. Clapper
. Two weeks ago, the Supreme Court agreed to hear that case after the government appealled an appeals court decision ruling in the ACLU's favor.
The government has argued that the case should be dismissed completely on yet another procedural argument. It claims that because plaintiffs--a group of lawyers, journalists and human rights activists who reasonably expect their emails are being unconstitutionally monitored--don't have "standing." Like the government's sovereign immunity argument in
, the government is using a catch-22 argument in
: they say that plaintiffs have to prove they're being monitored under the program for the suit even to begin, but, simultaneously, the only way they can prove this is if the government intentionally admits that it is surveilling them. ĀSince the government refusing to admit or deny the surveillance, plaintiffs cannot have standing to decide whether the surveillance is legal or, more importantly, to stop it.Ā
Despite the government's arguments, the Second Circuit held that plaintiffs had established standing to sue based on their reasonable belief that they are being surveilled and the chilling affect that this illegal surveillance has on their communications. We hope the Supreme Court agrees. Ā
President Obama and FISA Amendments Act Renewal
What makes the administration's stances in these cases particularly heartbreaking is that Senator and then candidate Obama was a vocal critic of warrantless wiretapping, yet once in office has chosen to reverse himself on all counts. Even before he was elected, he reneged on his promise to filibuster telecom immunity in the FISA Amendments Act in the midst of a presidential race. As a candidate, he also
promised to curtail
the use of the "state secret" privilege, only to turn around and claim it in
ofĀ the wiretapping cases --along with
alleging constitutional violations.
All this serves as a backdrop to the current debate about whether portions of the FISA Amendments Act should be renewed by Congress when it expires at the end of the year. As we reported, a House Judiciary Committee recently
held a hearing on the subject
, where witnesses and members of Congress alike pointed to the fact that the law appears to allow for dragnet surveillance of Americans' phone calls and emails without a warrant, something that has never been held to be constitutional by any court.
Unfortunately, Obama, who once
insisted he would reform
the law in the name of civil liberties as president--even after voting for it--has gone back on that promise as well. Renewing the Act with no changes is now his administration's "
top priority
," even as he continues his aggressive resistance to any judicial review.
It will be EFF's top priority to oppose it.
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Big Brother/Orwellian
The US War on Your Passport
Chilling Effects: UK Police Admit To Investigating Journalists For Covering Snowden Leaks
MTV Ramps Up Race-Baiting With New Video Targeting White
Seattle's Nanny State is "Deputizing Trashmen as Secret Police" to Snoop Through Wastebins
VIDEO: Liberals Sign Petition to Support "White Privilege Tax"
The Spy in Your Pocket
Man Faces 6 Months in Jail For Disagreeing With Feminists on Twitter
Canadians Outraged & 'Scared' After Man Wears Confederate Flag Shorts to Music Festival
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text:
During the course of a lifetime almost everyone will encounter challenges like stress, anxiety, substance abuse or some other form of life adjustment problems.
At Family & Community Services, Inc. our counseling department can help. We offer individual, family and group counseling by licensed therapists.
Click on the link located to the left for a list of our specialized treatment programs and services.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Welcome to year two of our weekly series of 'link-up' Posts which reflect on life's journey, old memories and family stories (see below for more info).
Can you remember the day you left school to venture into the outside world? It's a bit of a blur for me, but I do remember egg-throwing featuring heavily.
There was a general air of excitement and a whiff of near-womanhood in the air in those last few days of term. We were all convinced that we were already adults and that school was for children. After all, we were all driving our cars to school by the time we took our 'A' levels, most of us were fully au fait with the anatomy of the opposite sex, and to a man, we all believed that NOTHING, no NOTHING could be worse than exam stress.
If only we'd realised that these were the best days of our lives!
We signed each others' shirts with felt tip pens, with the best intention of remembering who the hell each name belonged to. Years later, and even the ones we wanted to keep in touch with are faded memories for the most part.
I don't have a photo of my last days at school, but this was me at about that time.
Thankfully, as a mother, I have been more savvy with capturing my kids' milestones. The move from Primary to Secondary school was an equally 'big deal' for my eldest (although I'm hoping at 11 that his knowledge of driving and of the opposite sex was rather more limited than my own described above!)
What are your memories of this time in your life? Did you move from one school to another? Maybe you went on to Uni or got that first job? Can you still remember the your feelings on that last day of term? Join in with a comment, or write your own Blog post and share in on our Linky. A new theme every week, always nostalgia based.
Do justice to your memories – they are my bread and butter.
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Click here to enter your link and view this Linky Tools list…
If you enjoyed this post, please share it using the buttons below!
More about the Life's a Journey weekly memories series.
A selection of other posts from this series:-
Week 2 – Old School Portrait
Week 4 – Bestest Friends
Week 5 – Teenage Crushes
Week 6 – First Movie Memories
Week 9 – Favourite Childhood Books
Week 19 – Becoming a Parent
Week 25 – Old Boyfriends
Week 39 – My home town


text:
Property is now SOLD.
Near new, quality 2 bedroom Park Home, close to Albany, adjoining Princess Royal Harbour and Tordirrup National Park.
Land for sale in Boddington, close to all amenities and already subdivided. Sewerage, water and power to front of block. Fully Fenced. Ideal to build dream home or even rental investment properties. (Australias newest gold mine (Newmont Boddingt
SOLD No Longer Available.Enjoy beautiful rural outlook with low maintenance home. Dale Alcock built. Double brick. 4 Bedroom 2 Bathroom. Walking distance to town, primary school, post office, shops, yet secluded.
Lovely older style character 3 bedroom home within 5 minutes walk from Bridgetown centre. Close to schools, medical and all amenities. Lovely home in a beautiful town. 15kms from Tin Mine, lots of employment. Ideal for retiree, small family o
4 x 2 brick and tile home 9 year old home in Eaton WA.
Great Investment opportunity tenated at $300.00 a week!!!!
Brand new. Executive style. Triple-story apartment. Harbourside and Indian Ocean views. Quiet, prestigious location on Bunbury's magical Marlston Hill. 3 Bedro
BUNBURY - PRIVATE SALE - 3 bedroom 1 bathroom fully renovated unit. Non Strata. Current rental return of $310.00 per week. Major shopping centre around the corner and the inlet just a short walk away.
This property is just 12 months old, immaculately presented, air conditioned, dbl brick and tile, 2 storey, low maintenance, modern home. It is situated in a tranquil corner of a 12 lot strata development and is very low maintenace.


text:
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text: [rc@ list CCed as this threads on their territory, the start of thread is here: http://lists.freebsd.org/pipermail/freebsd-x11/2005-January/001474.html] On Monday 10 of January 2005 19:35, Eric Anholt wrote: > On Mon, 2005-01-10 at 09:40 +0100, Jose M Rodriguez wrote: > > Jose M Rodriguez escribi?: > > > Eric Anholt escribi?: > > >> Attached are my proposed patches to deal with the X11 ICE issue. To > > >> review, it's required because having .ICE not owned by root is a > > >> security issue, one that's been papered over with a printed warning > > >> and sleep(5) in libICE for years, and has recently been changed into > > >> an actual error by the X.Org folks. > > > > ... > > > > As a latter think about this, consider take also periodic related fixes > > (We clear this directories by default) and try to get a OS_VERSION bump > > closest to this. > > I'm sorry, I'm not sure what exactly you're talking about here. Are you > saying that /etc/periodic contains something that will wipe out X's > files in /tmp? That would be rather broken. /etc/periodic/daily/110.clean-tmps cleans out empty directories that have not been modified in $daily_clean_tmps_days days. This ones should therefore be added to $daily_clean_tmps_ignore in /etc/defaults/periodic.conf, just to be on the safe side. Other than that, I don't really know what would be the best way to handle creation of this directories and haven't commented so far, but since I'm already writing (mostly because I thought rc@ list should be CCed), here's my opinion FWIW: the simplest seems to be a patch from Pawel Worach at http://lists.freebsd.org/mailman/htdig/freebsd-current/2004-November/042445.html The benefit of using this simple approach is that it is simple (of course :) and furthermore it only adds two more directories to /tmp at startup as oposed to adding a file in /etc/rc.d. The difference being one inode. But then again, perhaps I don't see all the implications and this is too simple. Is there a real benefit in creating another rc.d script for doing this and adding a knob to turn creation of these directories off? Yes of course that would only solve things on -current and -stable, however there is already an UPDATING entry for this and we can always add a script to be installed from a port that would take care of transition period (probably as soon in dependency tree as possible, ie -libraries). Dejan


text:
and lo-and-behold the wii settings menu now works
I also enabled some Priiloader hacks to stop it from updating the settings
However now that I connect via wi-fi to try and see the forcast channel or news I have to connect to the wii24connect
is this safe to do? (fear of getting another console on a different platform banned)
if YES...
the agreement states "we may update your system without your knowledge so you may blablablablablalaba"
does the PriiLoader stop those updates from happening as I aptly applied?
Another thing, my machine states that I am on 4.1U I thought I installed 4.3??
What gives?


text:
The understanding of the complex social lives of African elephants has been built up thanks to long-term studies over 20 or 30 years by dedicated field researchers, notably Cynthia Moss and colleagues in East Africa. By learning to recognise individual animals, much has been learned about social organization and the factors influencing the status and success of families and individuals.
Elephant society has a structure that has been termed matriarchal. The core element is the family unit, a group of 3-25 individuals, comprising related adult females and their young. Females within the family unit are closely bonded for life. By contrast, adult males tent to be solitary, or may form temporary associations of two or three unrelated bulls. They leave the family of their birth at 12-15 years of age and, after that time, although they may frequently associate with female groups for feeding or mating, they have no long term bonds with them, or with each other.
Elephants are highly intelligent animals with a complex repertoire of social interactions. Within the family group, individuals of all ages greet, and maintain bonding, by touching their trunk tips to each other's bodies, rubbing together, and with sound communication and scent. In calves, play is a dominant behaviour. They mock charge, chase each other or wrestle with their trunks. Males, from an early age, engage in mock sparring matches. They are also more independent of their mothers than females, a trend that increases as they get older.
Within the female groups, a few older individuals, and in particular the lead individual, termed the matriarch, are instrumental in deciding the group's pattern of movement, in defending the group against danger, and in monitoring and responding to other approaching elephants. Calves, especially when very young, stay close to their mother, but all females in the group will aid with in their upbringing. At the approach of a predator, adult females wheel round to face the source of danger, protecting the calves that stay close behind. The members of the family unit may separate for short intervals during the day, but will soon regroup. Family units also form looser associations or "bond groups", with more distantly related families. Occasionally, very large herds if 500 or even 1,000 elephants can be seen, primarily during migration. Even then, within the mass of animals, individual family groups maintain their integrity.
There is a dominance hierarchy among bulls, generally related to their age, size, and power. If two bulls of roughly equal size meet, they assess each other through intertwining trunks, pushing and pulling, or lightly engaging their tusks. Rarely, sparring may lead to a full-scale fight, sometimes (but not always) for access to an oestrus female. The combatants will charge each other with ears outstretched, or cross tusks and attempt to twist each other off-balance, all accompanied by loud vocalisations. Each tries ultimately to gore the other with his tusks, sometimes resulting in fatal wounds by deep penetration of the head or chest. Broken tusks may result from twisting with the full body weight. The fight will end either by withdrawal of the weaker animal, or with death.
Male elephants enter a periodic state called 'musth'. The temporal gland, located on the side of the head between the ear and the eye, produces a dark fluid (temporin) with a strong musky odour. Musth males also intermittently dribble urine. A male elephant generally enters musth once a year, for a period of anything up to a month, the time of year varying with the animal. Musth bulls have heightened levels of testosterone and are very aggressive, especially toward other bulls. Musth is associated with heightened sexual activity, although non-musth bulls also mate. Females also have a temporal gland, which can occasionally be seen to ooze secretion, and elephants have been observed rubbing their cheeks against trees, so temporin may have broader communication functions. Recent research has indicated that subordinate bulls produce a different chemical signal, with a sweet aroma, which may be used to signal submissiveness to the dominant bulls and so avoid attack.
Elephants have relatively poor vision, but highly developed senses of taste and smell. They obtain chemical cues by using their trunks to touch each other's genitals, mouths, temporal glands, and urine. They also often lift their trunks and rotate the open tips, testing the air for the scent of other animals in the vicinity. It is very likely that they can identify different individual elephants from these cues.
Elephants also have acute hearing and communicate through a wide variety of vocalisations. At least 25 different calls, audible to the human ear, have been identified in African elephants, 15 of them in a low-frequency group termed rumbles. Some of them are known to be associated with different events such as musth in a bull and oestrus or copulation in a female. In addition, a range of infrasound vocalisations extends down to 5 Hz, well below the frequency of human hearing. Low-frequency sound is less subject to environmental attenuation, and elephant rumbles and infrasound are audible to other elephants over a range of up to 5 km. It has also been suggested that elephants may communicate over even longer distances as they stamp their feet on the ground, but this theory remains to be tested.
An elephant can live to around 60 years; many die before this age, from disease, injury, starvation, drought, or predation (though the latter is rare for healthy adult animals). A remarkable aspect of elephant behaviour is their response to injured, sick and dead members of their species. Many accounts have been recorded: adult females circling around a wounded animal to prevent further attack; lifting a wounded animal to its feet and shouldering it to safety; jumping into water where a wounded animal has fallen, and heaving it out again; pulling and pushing a calf out of mud where it had become stuck; standing guard over a stricken but living animal lying on the ground; covering the body of a relative with grass and leaves as soon as it had died; returning to the carcass or even skeleton of a dead relative; and tasting, picking up, and moving the remains with their trunks.
The idea of an elephant graveyard, a place where elephants go to die, is a myth. Sick and dying elephants often go to a lakeside or river, where there is a ready supply of food and water within easy reach, and several might die in one area for that reason. In times of drought, animals congregate around water holes and many may die there.
Elephants are not territorial. Although individuals or family units have home ranges, those of different animals overlap and are not defended as such. There are daily and seasonal activity patterns within the home range. They sleep lying down, usually for two to four hours in the early morning. They may also, in the hottest part of the day, stand motionless in the shade, but even when the eyes are closed, they are most likely dozing rather than sleeping.
Seasonal movements, particularly in open country, may see large aggregations of hundreds of animals. In other situations, particularly in forest environments, matriarchs lead their families along the same paths that have been used for generations; these elephant trails, trampled, barren ground 1-2 m wide, can extend for tens of kilometers.
Elephants walk or amble, but cannot canter or gallop. A charging animal can attain 5m per second (20 kph), while walking speed ranges from 0.5 – 2.5 m per second (2 – 10 kph). Elephants walk cautiously, appearing to place each foot with care to avoid ground that is too soft or cobbled, for example. Even so, they can manoeuvre very dense terrain and can climb up and down remarkably steep, slippery slopes. They are also adept swimmers, paddling with all four feet and using the trunk as a snorkel.


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Well stated LaNative.
Well stated LaNative.
The Saints have worn gold jerseys at least once before. I recall a game against the Vikings in the Dome in 2001 or 2002. Daunte Culpepper scored on a two point conversion to win the game on the last play. Does anyone else remember this game or others in which they wore gold?


text:
Folks Who Work in Fashion Can't Necessarily Afford to Shop Fashionably
Employers Can Help Significantly Narrow the Gender Gap With One Simple…
I was so excited when I got my first full-time job after college — imagine, someone actually thought I was worth employing in a recession! — that I literally and emphatically said "YES" before my new boss could get out the "K" that came after the two-digit number he proposed for my salary. I never would've dreamed of… »
Men Just Want The Money Now; Women Focus On The Long Haul
You know, I never tire of a male vs. female comparison piece that starts off with some slight variation on the Mars/Venus schtick. This article checked that box. »
What's Behind The Lesbian Pay Gap?
Gay women make 6% more than their straight counterparts, even if you control for other factors. So what's the cause of this sexual orientation pay gap? »
Study: Male Chauvinists Make More Money
A disturbing study finds that men who hold "old-fashioned" views on women's roles actually make more money. »
Wait, What? Do That Many Men Really Prefer Women Pretty & Poor?
A recent poll of 66,000 men in the UK has found that the ideal female is 133 pounds, has blue eyes, long blond hair and doesn't earn too much. (That rules ScarJo out, notes Telegraph.) In fact, UKDating.com says that 54% of males would not date anyone who earns more than £25,000 a year. Interesting, since an Elle… »


text:
Kay awarded State Department scholarship
Richard Kay of Cary has been awarded a scholarship from the State Department's National Security Language Initiative for Youth program to study the Russian language in Russia for a year.
The program was launched in 2006 to provide opportunities to youth to study less commonly taught languages in an overseas immersion program.
Kay joins approximately 625 others who have been awarded scholarships for 2013-2014 to study languages such as Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Russian and Turkish.
He will be living with a family in Kazan and will take classes at the Kazan Federated Union.
The scholarship covers all program costs, including domestic and international travel, tuition and related costs, language testing, educational and cultural activities focused on language learning, orientations, meals and accommodations.
He is the son of Jim and Laura Kay and the grandson of John and Cappye Headman, the late Dick Johnson, Dan and Jeni Kay and Connie Sabella.


text:
The first day of summer is June 20th, which means it's time to think about how to cool off on the steamy hot days soon to follow in arguably Newburyport's best season. All kids love water, and we are on a mission this summer to find a multitude of fun, accessible, interesting, and reasonably priced water bodies to submerge ourselves in.
For the last two summers, we've been pool members at the Haverhill Country Club. The kids absolutely love the pool facilities there, which include a large L-shaped pool, diving board, kiddie pool, basket ball and tennis courts, a small playground, and a great pool-side grill. Many local families are members there, making a few hours even more fun when the kids can play together and the moms can schmooze.
The major downside of the Haverhill Country Club is the time it takes to get there from Newburyport, a solid 25 minutes on Rt. 495, which more often than not killed my motivation to go. We probably only went to the pool 10 times each summer, and for the cost ($800 this summer), it's just not worth it, especially with all of pricey camps the kids are enrolled in. Also, many of my friends did not renew their memberships this year.
So I've decided this summer we will seek out alternative swimming arrangements. Even if a longer drive is involved, we'll end up spending less and no guilt will be involved. I'd be fine going to the beach every day, but the undertow is concerning and the kids can only tolerate sand covering their active bodies for so long before they want to leave. So in the interest of compromise and the desire for as little whining as possible, we will aim to visit several fun, non-sandy water bodies this summer along with select trips to the beach. And I think we'll end up spending less, too. I highly recommend calling to confirm hours and prices before heading out.
New places we are planning to try this summer
I received a Groupon about One Stop Fun in Westford and it looks awesome. The daily rate is a bit steep, starting at $15 per child, but adults are free. Five water slides, spray stations and an outdoor pool with depths ranging from 1.5 to 6 feet makes One Stop Fun a must for us this summer. We'll plan to spend the better part of the day there to make the trip and cost worth it.
Friends of ours have hit the Pierce Island Pool in Portsmouth and recommend it, although I've heard the bathrooms could use a little help. The price is certainly right, at $4 for adults and $2 for children who are not residents of Portsmouth.
The Works, a health club owned by Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, in Somersworth, seems to be an aquatic gem about 40 minutes from Newburyport. According to the website, the center boosts a 70-foot water slide, fountains and dump buckets. It's expensive, but looks really great: adults are $18; children 6-15 are $13; and newborn-5 are $10.
An easy, local option to cool off is a one-month membership at the Newburyport YWCA on Market Street. For $85, you have 30 days of swimming, exercise classes, and access to the children's playroom. Even though it's not outside, my kids love splashing around during open swim and playing in the playroom while I catch an exercise class.
Several families I know are buying season passes to Water Country in Portsmouth this summer. There are rides, slides and wave pools for all ages of children, and you can bring your own food. We'll hit the park at least once this summer and consider the season pass if it's manageable and fun for us.
I've heard Spring Brook Park is worth the trip to Bedford. The man-made swimming area has filtered water with a sandy beach, picnic area, wooded areas, and a sprinkler.
One place we considered joining is Hood's Pond in Topsfield. It's a lake with a sandy beach, a dock to swim out to, a playground and a daily visit from the ice cream truck. The non-resident price is about $200 for the season and there's no daily entrance fee. Friends are members there, so I think this summer we'll visit with them and see if it's a good fit for our family next year.
Places we've visited before and loved
You can't go wrong at Bradley Palmer State Park, especially if you have a Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation Parks Pass, which for $35 gets you into all state parks for free. Plan to arrive early (or late in the day) to Bradley Palmer, where cars queue up about 20 minutes before the 10 a.m. opening time. The zero entry pool is particularly great for little ones, and there's a small playground there that's fun although slippery when wet. The life-guarded wading pool has a tendency to get crowded and if there's thunder the pool must be cleared.
The Exeter Parks and Recreation Pool is a great place to cool off on a hot day. The pool and spray pad are open in the afternoon and evening only at a very reasonable non-resident rate of $4 for adults and $2.50 for those under 17. There's a small snack bar with ice cream and a playground. When we last visited a few years ago, there was a very fun water slide that my daughter loved!
We usually visit Davis Farm Land once a summer. The kids have a blast visiting with all of the animals, and the spray park is lots of fun. There's even a bubble bath area, where the kids basically submerge themselves in bubbles and then rinse off in the spray area.
Last summer, we discovered the spray pool at Boston Common. Paired with a trip to the Public Garden, the kids were happy to cool off in the very shallow pool. A snack bar and bathrooms make the pool easy and fun, and it's free.
We may at some point join another pool club – there are certainly many around to choose from: Bradford Swim Club, Cedardale Health and Fitness, Swan Pond at the Black Swan Country Club, and the Ipswich Country Club, among others. But this summer we'll be adventurous and explore our other options.
Jill Oestreicher Gross is mentally preparing for a summer with two active kids who love to be busy.


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The present invention relates to a method for locating a wireless terminal device in a cellular network in response to a location request, wherein a quality information is added to the location request in order to define a requested quality of service. Based on the quality of service, a suitable place or network element for determining the location is selected. Thereby, a load sharing model can be provided such that the calculation capacity can be distributed and the signaling load reduced.
1. A method for locating a wireless terminal device in a cellular network in response to a location request, said method comprising the steps of:
adding a quality information to said location request, said quality information defining a requested quality of service;
checking said quality information on the transmission path of said location request in said cellular network;
selecting based on said quality information a network element at which the location of said wireless terminal device is calculated, said network element being selected from network elements of a core network and a radio access network of said cellular network.
2. A method according to
3. A method according to
4. A method according to
5. A method according to
6. A method according to
7. A network element, comprising:
routing means for routing a location request to a determination network element where the location request where the location of a wireless terminal is calculated in response to the location request;
checking means for checking a quality information added to said location request, said quality information defining a requested quality of service; and
selecting means for selecting said determination network element based on said quality information, said determination network element being selected from network elements of a core network and a radio access network of said cellular network.
8. A network element according to
9. A network element according to
10. A network element according to
11. A network element according to
12. A network element according to
13. A system for locating a wireless terminal device in cellular network in response to a location request, said system comprising:
a service function for adding a quality information to said location request;
a network element for selecting based on said quality information a network element where the location of said wireless terminal device is to be calculated and for routing said location request to said selected network element, said selected network element being selected from network elements of a core network and a radio access network of said cellular network; and
wherein said selected network element is configured to receive said location request and to calculate said location in response to said location request.
14. A system according to
15. A network element, comprising:
a router configured to route a location request to a determination network element where the location request of a wireless terminal is calculated;
a checking unit configured to check a quality information added to said location request, said quality information defining a requested quality of service; and
a selecting unit configured to select said determination network element based on said quality information, said determination network element being selected from network elements of a core network and a radio access network of said cellular network.
16. A network element according to
17. A network element according to
18. A network element according to
19. A network element according to
20. A network element according to
The present invention relates to a location method and system for locating a wireless terminal device in a cellular network.
Location systems utilize one or more positioning mechanisms in order to determine the location of a terminal device, such as a mobile station, a user equipment or any other kind of radio terminal. Positioning a target terminal device involves signal measurements and a location estimate computation based on the measured signals. In general, a location or position estimate provides the geographic location of a mobile station and/or a valid mobile equipment, expressed in latitude and longitude data. The location estimate can be represented in a predetermined universal format.
Positioning mechanisms for location systems (LCS) in a GSM (Global System for Mobile communication) cellular system may be based on an uplink time of arrival (TOA) mechanism, Observed Time Difference (OTD) mechanisms (e.g. OTDOA or Enhanced OTD (E-OTD)), a Global Positioning System (GPS) assisted mechanism, cell identity (CI) based mechanisms, HLR (Home Location Register) or VLR (Visitor Location Register) queries, or any combination thereof. As a fall-back procedure, a Timing Advance (TA) parameter can be used to assist all above positioning mechanisms, except HLR/VLR based positioning. The TA value is usually known for the serving base transceiver station (BTS) to obtain TA values in case the concerned mobile station is in an idle mode. A special call not noticed by the user or subscriber of the mobile station is set up by using a paging procedure, e.g. not actually a call, and the cell identity (CI) of the serving cell and the TA is returned in response to this call.
In GSM, according to the uplink TOA positioning method, the time of arrival (TOA) of a known signal sent from the mobile station and received at three or more measuring units is measured. The known signal is an access burst generated by having the mobile station perform an asynchronous handover. The method requires an additional measurement unit hardware, i.e. a location measurement unit (LMU), in the network at the geographical vicinity of the mobile station to be positioned to accurately measure the TOA of the bursts. Since the geographical coordinates of the measurement units are known, the position of the mobile station can be calculated at a central location center via hyperbolic triangulation.
Furthermore, the E-OTD method is based on measurements in the mobile station of the enhanced observed time difference of arrival of bursts of nearby pairs of BTSs. To obtain an accurate triangulation, E-OTD measurements are needed for at least three distinct pairs of geographically dispersed BTSs. Based on the measured E-OTD values, the location of the mobile station can be calculated either in the network or in the mobile station itself, if all the needed information is available in the mobile station.
The GPS method refers to any of several variants that make use of GPS signals or additional signals derived from the GPS signals in order to calculate the position of the mobile station.
The location system is logically implemented in a cellular network through the addition of a network node, the Mobile Location Center (MLC). In particular, a Gate-way Mobile Location Center (GMLC) is provided, which is the first node which an external client accesses in the cellular network. The GMLC requests routing information from the Home Location Register (HLR), performs registration authorization and sends positioning request to and receives final location estimates from the network. Furthermore, a Serving Mobile Location Center (SMLC) is provided which manages the overall coordination and scheduling of resources required to perform positioning or location of a mobile or wireless terminal device. It also calculates the final location estimate and accuracy. In one cellular network, there may be more than one SMLC and GMLC.
A so-called NSS based SMLC supports positioning of a target mobile station via signaling to the visited Mobile Switching Center (MSC), while a so-called BSS based SMLC supports positioning via signaling to the Base Station Controller (BSC) serving the target mobile station. Both types of SMLC may support an interface to enable access to information owned by another SMLC.
The SMLC controls a number of LMUs for the purpose of obtaining radio interface measurements to locate or help locate mobile station subscribers in the area that it serves. The signaling between an NSS based SMLC and an LMU is transferred via the MSC serving the LMU, while the signaling between a BSS based SMLC and an LMU is transferred via the BSC that serves or controls the LMU.
The SMLC and GMLC functionality may be combined in the same physical node, combined in existing physical nodes, or reside in different nodes of the cellular network.
A more detailed description of the known location systems is disclosed in the GSM specification 03.71.
Document EP 0 905 992 A1 discloses a position location procedure where location requests are delivered to mobile terminals. A decision unit at the mobile terminals is arranged to measure the quality level of received radio signals and to switch to a special position location function when the measured quality level falls below a set level. Thereby, the position location procedure depends on the receiving quality of the radio signals and a high probability of success can be achieved
In the above conventional location systems, each location request generates a considerable amount of load to signaling, location calculation and measurement functions of the network. Therefore, enough signaling capacity and centralized calculation and/or measurement capacity has to be provided in the network for LCS purposes. However, current LCS architectures are no longer able to cope with the desired amount of location requests per second as defined by operator requirements.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a location method and a system by means of which the network capacity for location requests can be increased.
This object is achieved by a method for locating a wireless terminal device in a cellular network in response to a location request, the method comprising the steps of:
Although quality requirements are already considered in current location procedures, they are used only in local method selections. In practice, this means that QoS is used only in BSS or NSS architectures to select the used method. In contrast thereto, according to the present invention, the method selection logic may be distributed all over the network i.e. GMLC (HLR and VLR area based positioning, MSC (BSC based positioning), BSC (CI based positioning, additionally in some cases E-OTD & GPS) and MS (MS based E-OTD and GPS). In this way, the calculation can be done in the optimal device regarding requested accuracy and used network resources.
Furthermore, the above object is achieved by a network element for routing a location request to a determination network element where the requested location of a wireless terminal is determined, the network element comprising:
Additionally, the above object is achieved by a system for locating a wireless terminal device in a cellular network in response to a location request, the system comprising:
Accordingly, the current centralized location architecture is improved by distributing the calculation capacity of the location system. Furthermore, location requests can be terminated as early as possible according to the quality of service (QoS) required by the location service. The location can be calculated in several places or network elements and does not have to be necessarily always routed to the radio access network. Thereby, the signaling load is reduced, since some of the location requests can be served at an earlier place in the network and do not have to be routed all the way to the radio access network. The distribution of the calculation leads to a reduced calculation load per concerned network element.
Preferably, the requested quality of service is used in the selection to derive a location method based on an accuracy and/or response time. indicated by the quality of service. Thus, location requests relating to a low accuracy and/or a fast response time do not have to be routed all the way to the radio access network, but can be dealt with already at the core network.
The location of the wireless terminal device may be determined in a network element of a core network if the quality information indicates a fast response time and a low accuracy. In particular, the network element may be a GMLC or an MSC, wherein the location may be determined by a positioning method based on a cell identity. In this case, the location may be determined by using a CAMEL function or a location information obtained from a HLR or VLR query
Advantageous modifications or further developments of the invention are defined in the depended claims.
In the following the present invention will be described in greater detail on the basis of a preferred embodiment with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
The preferred embodiment will now be described based on an LCS architecture in which location requests are routed from an LCS client 40 to a GMLC 30 of the concerned core network.
However, it is very likely that most of the location services received from the external LCS client 40 can be fulfilled with limited accuracy (e.g. by a CI based determination), whereas only few services require more accurate methods needing actions at the concerned mobile terminal 1 or the RAN 10. Therefore according to the preferred embodiment, the load required for the location determination can be distributed according to the quality of service required by the locating service. To achieve this, a quality information is attached to the message requesting the location of a mobile terminal. The quality information may be added or attached to the location request message at the LCS client 40. The quality information may define or indicate the required QoS and can be used to select a suitable or the most suitable location method and thus the place where the location is to be determined or calculated.
Thus, it is possible to decide on the handling of the location requests at the GMLC 30 or another suitable switching element of the core network, so as to route only those location requests to the RAN 10 which require a corresponding QoS, i.e. a high accuracy and/or a longer response time. It is therefore possible, to handle and calculate some of the location requests already in the GMLC 30 or the MSC or SGSN of the core network 20.
According to the preferred embodiment, the following load sharing model can be defined depending on the required QoS:
Type A QoS Requirement "Fast Response Time, Low Accuracy":
If the quality information added to the location request indicates this requirement, the CI-based or VLR/HLR area methods are most suitable. Therefore, the calculation can be done or initiated at the GMLC 30 or in an NSS based architecture (i.e. in an MSC or SGSN of the core network 20). The required location information may be requested by a camel (Customized Applications for Mobile network Enhanced Logic) function (e.g. ATI) or any other suitable method.
Type B QoS Requirement "High Accuracy, Long Response Time Accepted":
If this quality information is comprised in the location request, more advanced positioning methods are required. Therefore, the location request is routed to the RAN 10 where the required measurements and calculations are initiated.
It is very likely that most of the location requests are Type A QoS, which means that most of the location calculations can be done or initiated at the GMLC 30. Therefore, the calculation and signaling load in the RAN 10 can be reduced.
It is noted that the checking or determination functionality and the selecting functionality may be implemented by corresponding routines of a control program controlling a processor provided at the GMLC 30, or may be implemented by corresponding discrete hardware functions of the GMLC 30.
Since most of the LSC requests are terminated as early as possible, the load generated to other network parts is minimized. Furthermore, the calculation load is distributed in the network, such that the calculation load per concerned network element is also reduced.
In case of dual mode terminals, restrictions regarding the simultaneous use of GSM and WCDMA/GPRS or other activities are provided. In practice, this means that WCDMA/GPRS connections are suspended if a mobile terminal is located or called via GSM. Therefore, the proposed quality based checking and selection may be performed to decide between the "native" locating or positioning method, e.g. CI based locating in WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access), and an enhanced other system terminal locating method.
In particular, the GMLC 30 may receive a location request from the LCS client 40. This request includes for example the subscriber number of the user which is to be located and the QoS required. The QoS is stored in the GMLC 30 for further use. Then, the GMLC 30 makes a query to the home subscriber database 50, e.g. HLR, to find the correct network and core network element where the subscriber is served. The GMLC 30 may get a response from the home subscriber database 50 which indicates that the subscriber has an active connection to some non-GSM network (for example a WCDMA network). Additionally, the terminal is attached to the GSM network. First, "native" positioning methods are used, e.g. a location request is sent to the core network where the terminal is active. E.g., the GMLC 30 may forward the location request to the third generation (3G) core network. The core network uses the active signaling channel to forward the location request to the radio network, e.g. to an RNC (Radio Network Controller). The concerned radio network element performs the possible LCS related actions it is capable of. It should be noted that these actions may or may not fulfill the QoS requirements stated in the location request. The location estimate is returned to the core network with LCS parameters which may include terminal position coordinates, CI etc. Additionally, the response includes the achieved position estimate accuracy.
The core network forwards the estimate to the GMLC 30 which checks whether the requested QoS is met. If the QoS is not fulfilled, the GMLC 30 forwards the LCS request to an MSC (Mobile Switching Center) of the GSM network, which creates a signaling channel to the terminal and forwards the request to a serving BSC/SMLC. Now the BSC/SMLC has open a signaling channel to the terminal so that it can initiate LCS measurements. The SMLC calculates the terminal position based on E-OTD, A-GPS (Assisted GPS) or the like. The position estimate is returned to the MSC which forwards the new estimate to the GMLC 30. The GMLC 30 sends the most suitable position estimate to the LCS client 40.
Thereby, enhanced GSM positioning or location methods can be provided where appropriate. It should be noted that in case QoS is met the LCS procedure can be terminated when the first position estimate is received from the "native" positioning system. However, if QoS is not met the GMLC 30 may use the GSM network to enhance accuracy.
It is noted, that the present invention can be applied to any LSC architecture where a location request is routed via centralized network elements to specific location determination functions. Furthermore, it should be noted as well that the quality information (QoS) is not necessarily included in the original location request received by a GMLC from an LCS application. In this case, the concerned GMLC may add the quality information according to a determined dynamic network load and/or other predefined parameters. Moreover, the above fallback procedure to enhanced positioning or location methods may be performed to any other network system and is thus not intended to be restricted to a fallback to GSM. The present invention is therefore not restricted to the preferred embodiment described above, but may vary within the scope of the attached claims.
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Trove Decor
Pair of beautiful chenille pillows. Covers are removable.
Bucks County, PA, neighbors and Trove Decor founders Meg Newell, Christine Edmonds, and Rebecca Bancroft share a passion for rescuing and revitalizing vintage furniture. Together the MBA, the photo stylist, and the theater maven curate an eclectic home-decor collection, breathe new life into timeless but tired pieces with fresh, unexpected upholstery, and rewire every alabaster lamp and crystal chandelier that comes their way. A portion of this sale's proceeds will benefit Habitat for Humanity.


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How many times in recent months have you heard prominent Republican politicians dodge the issue of climate change with the claim "I'm not a scientist"?Lots of times, right?
My staff and I are passionate about protecting Delawareans and offer the following tips for safeguarding your personal information this holiday shopping season. These strategies are not entirely breach-proof, but they can help you...
National Homeless Persons' Memorial Day is Dec. 21. Since 1990, on or near the first day of winter and the longest night of the year, the National Coalition for the Homeless has brought attention to and sought compassion for the...
This is the world we live in now...
Easter Seals Delaware & Maryland's Eastern Shore offers services that last a lifetime, meeting the needs of Delawareans, including many residents of Kent County.
Delaware's Wildlife Action Plan brings to light the importance of our state's wildlife heritage in the broader, natural environment and Delaware's conservation economy.
Next time you're standing next to two other people, the odds are, one of you has prediabetes.
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Official Apple retail store application for iOS set to launch?
MacRumors says they are recieving several reports from their sources claiming that Apple is ready to debut their official retail store application for all iOS devices.
"Apple is planning to launch a new iOS application tomorrow that will offer customers access to the company's online store and iPhone pre-ordering, as well as the ability to book Genius Bar appointments at brick-and-mortar retail stores."
MacRumors also claims to have gotten word from a customer who emailed Steve Jobs last month regarding the possibility of an iPhone-friendly online Apple Store and received a reply of "Coming soon" from Jobs. This is one of those applications that we figured to have seen in the App Store long ago but with iPhone 4 pre-orders taking place tomorrow, the timing seems perfect.
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Reader comments
Official Apple retail store application for iOS set to launch?
would be nice.
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