How to adjust your privacy settings in Facebook Facebook Privacy Tutorial by Jamison Bell Facebook Privacy Settings Tutorial.WMV Paul_Verhaegen says: RT @ dannydevriendt : HUGE! Facebook Moves Privacy Settings To Individual Posts, Photos And Profiles http://t.co/4AQcRd6 #pnid
Continue reading …Z by Malouf GELLED MICROFIBER with Memory Foam Layer Gel Fiber Filled Pillow, QUEEN
August 24, 2011 No Comment
Type: Home Title: Z by Malouf GELLED MICROFIBER with Memory Foam Layer Gel Fiber Filled Pillow, QUEEN See all customer reviews Product Description: Gelled Microfiberª offers the benefits and feel of down, however skipping out on the smell, pokiness of feathers, and allergenic tendencies. There is a half-inch memory foam layer on one side which offers a firmer feel when sleeping on that side. Dual-Comfort Technology provides a more versatile sleep solution by offering varied levels of support. The siliconized tiny microfibers combine to create a consistent, resilient, and traditional filled pillow feel. Unlike down, the filling will not clump and doesn’t flatten and go limp over time. The contents are naturally antimicrobial and resistent to dust mites and allergens. The breathable construction will maintain a comfortable sleeping temperature. The traditional size and shape fits pillowcases and unlike some speciality pillows, ties in well with bedding decor. This pillow features a super soft microfiber cover and boasts a 3-year warranty. King size pillow includes: one 35″ x 16″ pillow; Queen size pillow includes: one 29″ x 16″ Pillow Features: Filled with gel-coated microfibers; down alternative filling offers a traditional feel. The luxurious feel of a down-filled pillow without the allergens and smell of real feathers; antimicrobial and resistant to dust mites. Gel fibers combine to maximize softness and comfort. Consistent filling does not shift or clump and has quick loft recovery. Traditional shape fits pillowcases and compliments bedroom decor. See the details
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One thing’s for sure: we’re utterly thrilled with the direction that ruggedized cameras are heading. Canon’s PowerShot D10, while impressive, was more like a small stone than a bona fide P&S, but it wouldn’t take much convincing to make someone believe that Fujifilm’s FinePix XP30 was just another run-of-the-mill compact. Our pals over at Photography Blog already ran this thing through the wringer earlier in the year, but we couldn’t resist the opportunity to take it to a few other places for testing. Namely, the Big Island of Hawaii. We spent a solid week with the XP30 and Samsung’s W200 , and while neither ended up impressing us from a visual standpoint, they both shared one common lining of the silver variety: price. At just $184, the XP30 is quite the bargain given its neatly trimmed exterior, but was the performance enough to warrant a recommendation? Head on past the break for out thoughts, as well as a heaping of sample shots and even an underwater video taken… after dark . Gallery: Fujifilm FinePix XP30 hands-on Continue reading Fujifilm FinePix XP30 hands-on: a week of underwater testing (video) Fujifilm FinePix XP30 hands-on: a week of underwater testing (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Aug 2011 13:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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North Carolina could be hit on Saturday as first hurricane this year to threaten US intensifies into a category 3 tropical cyclone Hurricane Irene strengthened to a category 3 tropical cyclone – with winds of 115mph – over the Bahamas on Wednesday as it moved north towards the US, where is expected to sweep past the Carolinas and upwards at the weekend. Irene is the first hurricane to threaten the US this year and is expected to intensify further over the coming days. The US National Hurricane Centre (NHC) warned of an “extremely dangerous” storm surge. Forecasters predict that Irene will hit North Carolina’s Outer Banks region on Saturday afternoon and then track up the eastern coastline to New England. Even if the centre of the storm stays offshore, the hurricane could hit cities including Washington and New York with winds and rain, and cause coastal flooding and power cuts. “Irene will be a large storm, impacting areas far from the storm centre track,” Jeff Masters, a hurricane expert at forecasters Weather Underground, wrote in his blog. But as forecasts of more than four days can have a margin of error of up to 200 miles, US emergency officials have warned the US east coast to be on the alert for what they describe as a large and potentially dangerous storm. Residents along the coast were already jittery after a 5.8 magnitude earthquake was felt in Washington and cities from the Carolinas to Canada on Tuesday. At 8am local time, Irene was carrying winds of 115 and was about 55 miles south-east of Acklins Island in the Bahamas, the Miami-based NHC said. The wind speed made it a category 3 hurricane on the five-step Saffir-Simpson intensity scale, posing a high risk of injury and death from flying and falling debris. Forecasters see Irene swinging north from Thursday, sparing Florida and Georgia from any direct impact and heading towards to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, where the Outer Banks barrier islands are often battered by storms. If Irene makes a direct landfall, it will be the first hurricane to hit the US since Ike pounded the Texas coast in 2008. But forecasts showed it posing no threat to US oil and gas installations in the Gulf of Mexico. AccuWeather said Irene would strike the Outer Banks on Saturday afternoon or evening, but the hurricane would affect the eastern Carolinas much sooner. North Carolina’s governor, Bev Perdue, urged residents to ensure they had three days worth of food, water and supplies. Voluntary evacuations were to begin on Wednesday for parts of the Outer Banks, whose beaches are popular summer holiday spots. Irene drenched the north-eastern Caribbean islands earlier in the week. The first death from the storm was reported on Tuesday in Puerto Rico, where a woman was swept away. Heavy rains have continued there, causing flooding and mudslides. Nearly 300,000 residents were without electricity and 58,000 were without water. Natural disasters and extreme weather Bahamas Caribbean North and Central America North Carolina United States guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Japan has joined the US on the list of countries to have its credit rating downgraded because of debt worries. But for the Japanese, the downgrade is just the latest in a long series of bad news. Moody’s has cut Japan’s rating by a notch to the fourth highest on…
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Ebacc courses should be made compulsory, Tory politician argues on eve of GCSE results day Pupils should be required to sit GCSEs in five traditional academic subjects so that Britain can remain a competitive nation, a Conservative MP says. On the eve of the publication of GCSE results for 600,000 pupils in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, Elizabeth Truss has said all 16-year-olds – regardless of their ability – should take English, maths, at least two sciences, a foreign language and either history or geography. Michael Gove, the education secretary, has called this combination of subjects the English Baccalaureate , or Ebacc. For the first time this year, league tables measured schools by the proportion of their pupils achieving at least a C grade in Ebacc subjects. Truss, MP for south-west Norfolk, has warned that leading competitors such as Germany, France, Canada and Japan, have already made Ebacc subjects compulsory at 16 and that Britain is “quickly falling behind”. In the US, all these subjects are mandatory, apart from a foreign language. In England, Wales and Northern Ireland, at present just English, maths and science are compulsory to GCSE. Truss, who is known for engaging in education debates in the Commons, says pupils get more out of each academic discipline by studying a combination of them. She says Ebacc subjects should become compulsory when ministers introduce a new national curriculum into schools in September 2013. There is already proof that the UK is losing its reputation for educational excellence, Truss says. Last year, the UK slipped down international league tables for reading, science and maths. Every four years, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development analyses the numeracy and literacy standards and scientific knowledge of 470,000 15-year-olds across the world. The latest study, published in December, showed the UK tumbled from 17th to 25th place in reading; from 24th to 28th position in maths and from 14th to 16th place in science. Figures published earlier this week following a parliamentary question by Charlotte Leslie, Conservative MP for Bristol north-west , show fewer than a quarter of pupils – 22% – sat GCSEs in Ebacc subjects last summer, compared to half in 1997. Anecdotal evidence indicates that, since the introduction of the Ebacc, more schools are encouraging pupils to take traditional, academic subjects. Pupils receiving their GCSE results on Thursday will have chosen their subjects two years ago, before the Ebacc was invented. However, some schools may have suggested pupils switch to traditional subjects half-way through their courses. The GCSE pass rate is expected to reach a record high of 70%, a leading education expert has predicted. Last summer, some 69.1% of entries achieved a C grade or higher. Professor Alan Smithers , of the Centre for Education and Employment Research at Buckingham University, anticipates that nearly one in four – 23% – of GCSE entries will be an A or A* and that one in 12 will be an A*. In 2010, 22.6% of exams got an A or A*, while 7.5% were awarded an A*. Ministers have said schools will be considered under-performing if fewer than 35% of pupils achieve at least five C grades, including in English and maths. The government intends to change GCSEs from next year so that pupils do not take exams throughout the year, but only at the end of their courses. GCSEs English baccalaureate Schools Secondary schools Education policy Conservatives Jessica Shepherd guardian.co.uk
Continue reading …Facebook and Twitter to oppose calls for social media blocks during riots
August 24, 2011 No Comment
Ministers expected to row back from David Cameron’s demand that suspected rioters be barred from websites Blog: the questions social media giants need to answer Facebook and Twitter are preparing to stand firm against government ministers’ calls to ban people from social networks or shut their websites down in times of civil unrest. The major social networks are expected to offer no concessions when they meet the home secretary, Theresa May, at a Home Office summit on Thursday lunchtime. Ministers are expected to row back on David Cameron’s call for suspected rioters to be banned from social networks, such as Twitter and Facebook, following the riots and looting across England a fortnight ago. The home secretary will explore what measures the major social networks could take to help contain disorder – including how law enforcement can more effectively use the sites – rather than discuss powers to shut them down. The acting Metropolitan police commissioner, Tim Godwin, and the Tory MP Louise Mensch have separately explored the idea of shutting down websites during emergencies. The technology companies will strongly warn the government against introducing emergency measures that could usher in a new form of online censorship. Attacks on London landmarks, including the Olympics site and Westfield shopping centres, were thwarted earlier this month after police managed to intercept private BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) posts – suggesting that leaving networks running can provide a valuable source of intelligence and information. The summit is not expected to signal a dramatic shift in government policy, with only one hour slated for a discussion between more than a dozen social media executives, police officers and ministers. Executives from Facebook, Twitter and RIM will be joined by Lynn Owens, the assistant commissioner of central operations at the Met police, members of the association of chief police officers, and civil servants from both the foreign office and the department for culture, media and sport. The home secretary will lead the meeting, alongside James Brokenshire, the minister for security and a member of the National Security Council. May will urge the social networks, all of which are based in either the US or Canada, to take more responsibility for the messages posted on their websites. In response, Twitter and Facebook are expected to outline the steps that both social networks already take to remove messages that potentially incite violence. Facebook, which has 30 million users in the UK, said it had actively removed ” several credible threats of violence ” to stem the riots across England this month. Research in Motion, the Canada-based BlackBerry maker, will explain to the government which parts of its popular BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service are private or encrypted. Unlike Facebook and Twitter, BBM is a pin-protected instant messaging system, and was claimed to be the most popular network among rioters. Each of the social networks are preparing to explain how current powers are proportionate for tackling provocative material. Current measures allow internet companies to identify users who may be worth further investigation without examining the content of their messages. RIM and other companies can be forced to disclose users’ private messages if served with a warrant by police. Godwin told MPs on the home affairs committee last week that police had explored the unprecedented step of switching off social networks , but discovered that they did not have the legal powers to do so. Under the current system, most websites take down material if served with “notice and takedown procedures” by authorities. Facebook also operates a self-policing method whereby its own users can flag inappropriate material. Two leading police forces told the Guardian earlier this month that it would be a mistake to introduce overzealous powers over the websites. Greater Manchester police and the Devon and Cornwall force both said social networks had an “overwhelmingly positive” role in dispelling rumours and reassuring residents during the riots. A spokeswoman for Facebook said: “We look forward to meeting with the home secretary to explain the measures we have been taking to ensure that Facebook is a safe and positive platform for people in the UK at this challenging time. “In recent days we have ensured any credible threats of violence are removed from Facebook and we have been pleased to see the very positive uses millions of people have been making of our service to let friends and family know they are safe and to strengthen their communities.” Twitter and RIM declined to comment. Four men from Lancashire appeared in court on Wednesday accused of using Facebook to encourage the looting. None of the four entered pleas to the charges, and all four were granted bail in the hearing at Preston crown court. •
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Al Pacino, Steven Bauer and F. Murray Abraham discuss the enduring appeal of violent drama ‘Scarface’ and how misunderstood it was when it was first released, at the film’s Los Angeles Blu Ray launch. (Aug.24)
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