Cape Cod greets Earl with plywood and grumbling
Residents and business owners in the beach communities of Cape Cod and nearby islands of Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard hung plywood over their shop windows on Friday and rued the arrival of Hurricane Earl, which appeared set to spoil their holiday weekend.
But the vacation haven for many of America’s rich and famous, from presidents to musicians to hedge fund managers, looked like it would be spared a direct hit from the storm.
President Barack Obama and his family visited Martha’s Vineyard in August, where they endured several days of chilly rain but missed the hurricane threat.
Boat owners scrambled to pull their small craft from the water while authorities recommended that residents and vacationers who planned to stay put for the hurricane, which weakened to a Category 1 storm on Friday, had enough food and water to last three days.
David Miliband is voters’ choice for Labour leader, says poll
YouGov poll commissioned by his campaign suggests David Miliband is seen as the strongest candidate in the Labour leadership contest to serve as prime minister
David Miliband is seen overwhelmingly as the most effective alternative to David Cameron and the strongest candidate in the Labour leadership contest to serve as prime minister, according to an opinion poll among voters commissioned by his campaign.
Amid signs of a tight race between the Miliband brothers, Ed today receives a boost when the Blackadder actor and veteran activist Tony Robinson endorses him as the most “radical” candidate.
Robinson, a highly respected figure in the Labour party who topped the poll for elections to the National Executive Committee on three consecutive occasions, said: “Of all of the candidates, from the beginning of the hustings, Ed has clearly defined himself away from same old same old. He is the one who, from the beginning, was prepared to distance himself from Iraq, from ID cards, student loans. These are big things that matter to people.”
Vizio M260VA-W Review
The Best Vizio LED Backlighting is Vizio M260VA-W 26-Inch LED LCD HDTV with Razor LED Backlighting features full 1080p high-definition resolution with Razor LEDTM backlighting for brilliant clarity in a razor thin design less than 2.3″ thin (max depth 5.86″ with stand).the Vizio M260VA-W features 26-inch screen, the Vizio HDTV has 60Hz refresh rates that help create a bright and vivid display that’s ideal for movies, television shows and video gaming.
Gunfire continues in Mozambique; police say 4 dead
Sporadic gunfire could be heard in Mozambique’s capital Thursday, the morning after at least four people died in clashes between police and rioters angered by high prices.
Pedro Cossa, a spokesman for the police ministry, told The Associated Press Thursday two of his officers were beaten by mobs the day before. He said the death toll was four, including two protesters shot by police, and 26 people were injured.
Mozambique state TV, citing hospital reports, said seven people were killed, including two children caught in the violence as they went home from school.
The protesters, most of them young men, had rioted Wednesday over the rising cost of food, fuel and water. They threw stones and looted shops in Maputo, the capital. Cell phone messages late Wednesday and early Thursday called for more protests Thursday and Friday.
Early Thursday, gunshots could be heard in some Maputo neighborhoods. People were staying home, both out of fear of renewed violence and because, with debris from the rioting making roads impassible, buses and taxi vans were not running.
PlayStation 3 with 160GB/320GB Hard Disk Drive to Hit Thailand Market on September 15, 2010
Charcoal Black and Classic White Both Available for 160GB PS3
BANGKOK, Sep. 2, 2010 (PRNewswire-Asia) — To celebrate the launch of PlayStation Move in Thailand, Sony Computer Entertainment Hong Kong Limited (SCEH) today announced that there will be new models for PlayStation 3 (PS3) with higher storage capacity 160GB and 320GB Hard Disk Drive (HDD). The new PlayStation 3 (PS3) system will become available in stores from September 15, 2010 in Thailand at a very attractive suggested retail price (SRP) of THB14,990 and THB15,590 respectively.
(Photo: http://www.prnasia.com/sa/2010/09/01/20100901569605.html )
The 160GB PS3 system will come with 2 body colours, “Charcoal Black” (CECH-2506A) and “Classic White” (CECH-2506ALW), for users to choose to match with their home style. The 320GB PS3 system will be in the most popular colour Charcoal Black (CECH-2506B). The new PS3 continues to offer all of the features and functions of the current models, with expanded storage hard disk drive to accommodate more games, personal photos and music, as well as entertainment content and services downloadable from PlayStation Store for users to have greater enjoyment.
Apple will try the Iphone 4 again next month
APPLE’S DEAR LEADER Steve Jobs is going to bow to rational common sense and issue another version of the Iphone 4 that is not so broken.
After months of fobbing off demands that Apple needs to fix its latest smartphone, which has a design feature of dropping calls when you use it in the wrong hand, a rumour has tipped up that Steve Jobs is going to release one that actually works.
So far Jobs has denied that it is problem. Certainly not for him, as the phone has been selling very well. But there is some evidence that people have been staying away from the Iphone 4 and are buying Android phones that are more reliable and don’t lock you into a mobile network supplier.
Check Out the New, Improved Xbox 360 Controller
Even almost five years after its release, the Xbox 360 is still going through hardware evolution. While we saw the console itself get an overhaul with the Xbox 360 S console, today we learn about a new controller tweak that should make the d-pad better.
While most Xbox 360 games don’t rely on the digital d-pad that much, those who play fighting games know how imprecise the Xbox 360 controller can be. Microsoft is aiming to fix that this fall with a new, tweaked controller that’ll be showing up on November 9.
The d-pad can be switched between the current, smoothed form to a more discrete plus-sign like the classic Nintendo design through a 90-degree twist. Check out Major Nelson demonstrating it.
Xbox Gets ‘Transforming’ Control Pad
Directional pad turns into raised “plus sign” buttons with the twist of a wrist.
circular directional pad into the more traditional “plus sign” configuration that’s favored by many gamers.
Xbox Live director of programming Larry Hryb unveiled the new wireless device in a video posted on his blog Tuesday.
“You’re probably saying, ‘Yeah, Yeah, we’ve seen wireless controllers before,’” Hryb said.
“But here’s where it gets interesting. We’ve heard from the community that many of you are not big fans of the d-pad, so the engineers went back into the laboratory and came up with this ingenious solution,” said Hryb, who goes by the name “Major Nelson” on Xbox Live.
Apple’s Consumer Product Plans: 10 Things Steve Jobs Will Reveal
News Analysis: Apple CEO Steve Jobs will be discussing Apple’s future in the music industry on Sept. 1. But what exactly does Jobs plan to talk about that day?
Apple CEO Steve Jobs is taking the stage on Sept. 1 to unveil several new products. Based on what the industry has heard so far, Jobs will be discussing music. Exactly what that entails, and how that will impact current products is unknown. And as expected, Apple isn’t willing to talk about it.
But that doesn’t mean that speculation about what Steve Jobs will talk about should stop. In fact, it’s arguably the best time to discuss what he will be unveiling at his event on Sept. 1. No doubt iPods will take center stage. But look for several other new products and solutions from Apple hat just might appeal to consumers more than their predecessors.
Mess with Washington at your own peril, Hurricane Earl
Come on, Hurricane Earl, take your best shot.
Brush up against us; make high clouds over Washington. We don’t much like weather around these parts. And if you so much as send a band of tropical rain our way, we’ll go grocery shopping on you.
We mean business, Earl.
Ever heard of Storm Tracker, Live Super Doppler, MaxTrack and Doppler 2 Radar Loop? That’s how we know it’s weather. And we’ll be ready.
Ever heard of Pepco? Forget everything you heard, then. Especially what Maryland House Majority Leader Kumar P. Barve (D-Montgomery) said at a hearing Monday on the utility’s most recent screw-ups: “I have relatives in Mumbai who cannot believe how often we lose power.”
That is so unfair. Mumbai uses thermal, gas and hydro power to make electricity. Pepco uses what — hamsters on a treadmill?
And don’t pay attention to what Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) said, either: “Some similar issues were raised in 2003 after Hurricane Isabel. There were a number of recommendations then, some of which were enacted and some of which were not.”