FB Launches Facebook Camera ? An Instagram-Style Photo Filtering, Sharing, Viewing iOS App

Facebook Camera AppInsta-who? Today Facebook begins rolling out Facebook Camera for iOS to English-speaking countries, a standalone photos app where you can shoot, filter, and share single or sets of photos and scroll through a feed of photos uploaded to Facebook by your friends. Developed by Facebook's photos team without the help of Instagram because the acquisition deal hasn't closed yet, Facebook Camera looks a lot like the app TechCrunch leaked images of a year ago, and is designed for quicker publishing than Facebook's multi-featured primary mobile app. Facebook Camera lets you rapidly pick one or more photos, apply filters, tag friends and locations, add a description, and post.?While its 14 filters, batch uploads, and streamlined interface are a big step up from Facebook for iOS, the design isn't as beautiful as Instagram and neither are the photos you'll see in it. When asked if Facebook Camera would become a direct competitor to the photosharing network it bought last month, a spokesman told me "As Mark asserted, we're committed to building and growing Instagram independently, so I anticipate some healthy competition."

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Ion launches Air Pro WiFi, helps you document your morning commute (video)

Image

Ion's officially releasing its Air Pro camera that we put through its paces back in March. The sports shooter is designed to be strapped to a helmet or extreme-sports gear to document your extreme adventures in high definition. It'll also come with 8GB of free storage from MiMedia to share your death-risking achievements over the internet. Budget models are available starting at $230, but for the full package (with the WiFi module) it'll set you back $350 from today. Oh, and if you'd like to see what you're expected to do with the gear, you can head past the jump for test footage.

Continue reading Ion launches Air Pro WiFi, helps you document your morning commute (video)

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House Finance Committee holds hearing on Property Tax ...

House Finance Committee holds hearing on Property Tax Independence Act

Posted by Jackie on Tuesday, May 22, 2012 ? Leave a Comment?

The House Finance Committee today held a hearing to gather testimony about the Property Tax Independence Act (House Bill 1776) sponsored by state Representative Jim Cox (R-Berks). While an advocate for property taxpayers enthusiastically endorsed the bill, some representatives of special interest groups who testified were less supportive.

?I think the testimony largely reflected the current situation,? Cox said. ?While homeowners stand to gain the most from this legislation and have enthusiastically supported the bill, there are business owners who see this as a way to expand their business. Of course, not every group who testified was in favor of this change because the current system is working well for them.?

David Baldinger, who serves as president of the Pennsylvania Coalition of Taxpayer Associations (PCTA), an alliance of 72 grassroots Pennsylvania taxpayer advocacy groups that represent tens of thousands of taxpayers across the Commonwealth, enthusiastically supports House Bill 1776 and its companion legislation in the state Senate (Senate Bill 1400).

The Property Tax Independence Act would replace school property tax funding for schools across the Commonwealth with new state revenues.

?No tax should have the power to leave you homeless,? Cox said. ?We have to end the practice of kicking senior citizens and widows out of their homes because they cannot afford to pay their property taxes.?

The Property Tax Independence Act would provide the same level of funding for schools across the Commonwealth as they currently receive through school property taxes. However, the plan would eliminate school property taxes and replace the funds with additional state revenues. Specifically, the bill would enhance collections through the state?s Personal Income Tax by raising it from 3.07 percent to 4 percent. It would also generate additional funds by closing loopholes in the state sales tax and raising the rate from 6 percent to 7 percent.

The plan would apply the 7 percent sales tax to clothing and footwear that cost $50 or more, non-prescription drugs and food items that are not part of the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program.

In addition, it would close loopholes that currently exempt dry cleaning, funeral expenses, amusement parks and other services from the state sales tax. It would close similar loopholes that also exempt newspapers, magazines, flags, gum, candy and other goods from the sales tax.

Various special interest groups representing specific corporate sectors of the economy and levels of government also testified before the committee. The Pennsylvania Association of Realtors offered no support today for the Property Tax Independence Act or any other legislation that would reform or replace school district property taxes. A testifier representing school boards, which would lose their ability to levy property taxes under the proposal, was not supportive of the plan. Another testifier representing newspapers, which would be subject to the state sales tax under the plan, also failed to wholeheartedly endorse the proposal.

?No plan to completely replace school property taxes is going to please every special interest group,? Cox said. ?My goal with this legislation is to do what is right for homeowners and property taxpayers. I think the fact that property taxpayers overwhelmingly support the plan is a testament to how important it is to them.?

?

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Skepticism over EU breakthrough hits markets

LONDON (AP) ? Skepticism over the ability of European Union leaders to cobble together a plan to kick-start the region's faltering economy and deal with its crippling debt crisis hit stock markets hard Wednesday and sent the euro skidding down to near 21-month lows against the dollar.

Leaders of the 27 EU countries are to meet in Brussels later for a summit that will focus on Europe's economic woes and Greece's political crisis. An election in Greece on June 17 is widely considered to be a referendum on the country's membership of the euro and that's caused big jitters in the markets over the past couple of weeks.

"The market remains focused on the uncertain European situation, with today's European leaders meeting doing little to ease market worries," said Nick Bennenbroek, an analyst at Wells Fargo Bank.

In the early part of the week, there had been some hope that the summit might make progress towards shoring up Europe's defenses against financial turmoil. Any enthusiasm appears to have vanished with Germany's continued refusal to back the idea of jointly-issued eurobonds. Proponents of eurobonds say they could help mitigate the crisis by spreading debt risk across the single currency zone.

"Hopes for today's EU summit have been well and truly chucked out of the window, as the Germans once again state their firm opposition to eurozone bonds as a means of solving the crisis," said Chris Beauchamp, market analyst at IG Index.

In Europe, Britain's FTSE 100 was 1.9 percent lower at 5,304, while Germany's DAX lost 1.7 percent to 6,326. The CAC-40 in France was 2.1 percent lower at 3,019.

The euro was also under pressure, trading 0.5 percent lower at $1.2588 ? its lowest level since August 2010.

Wall Street opened lower too, with the Dow Jones industrial average down 0.7 percent at 12,416 and the broader S&P 500 index 0.6 percent lower at 1,308.

Europe's battle to contain its debt crisis, now well into its third year, is likely to remain the focus of attention all the way up to and beyond the Greek election.

The main concern is that political parties that are against the terms of the country's bailout package winning will win the election. If Europe then cuts off its funding to Greece, the country may face a messy exit from the euro, raising concerns among investors that other countries might follow. Some analysts say a Greek exit would herald the beginning of the end of the euro and could slam the global economy.

Another big worry for investors is a slowdown in Chinese growth, compounded by a reluctance of Chinese companies to borrow because of uncertainty about the economy.

Those concerns dented sentiment earlier in Asia. Japan's Nikkei 225 index tumbled 2 percent to close at 8,556.60, while Hong Kong's Hang Seng fell 1.3 percent to 18,786.19 and South Korea's Kospi lost 1.1 percent at 1,808.62.

Oil prices were near seven-month lows as they tracked equities and amid hopes that the standoff between Iran and western powers over the country's nuclear program may be ending. Iran has agreed to allow the U.N. nuclear agency to restart an investigation into its nuclear program. Benchmark oil for July delivery down 50 cents at $91.35 a barrel in electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

____

Pamela Sampson in Bangkok contributed to this report.

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Diets ? the new miracle cures of the modern age? - Personal Trainer

Workout at home are one of the leading providers of mobile personal training services in your area. Our male and female personal trainers bring all the necessary equipment to the home, so let the gym come to you! Here we will be providing general information on health and fitness and other news related to Workout at home

Posted on: Tuesday, May 22nd, 2012

Categories: Diet

Perceptions and knowledge of health, fitness and medicine have fluctuated over the centuries.? During the medieval era, hemlock (a poisonous plant) was routinely used during surgical procedures as a suitable and ?reliable? anaesthetic, which would undoubtedly send the patient to sleep, but also run the risk of putting them in a sleeping state forever.

In turn, the Tudors would turn to ?wise? women to consult the stars regarding their ailments, while Victorians believed that laudanum (also known as ?tincture of opium?, was a mixture of 90%? alcohol and 10% opium) cured everything from meningitis to depression.

And nor are we free from misconceptions in our own generation.? There is still a prevalent (false) rumour in sub-Saharan Africa that having intercourse with a virgin will cure HIV and AIDS.

There is a recent trend for turning to food as a cure for diseases, and it increasingly seems that diet, and the varieties and quantities of foods consumed are being hailed as the Holy Grail, the long overlooked key to perfect health.? Some people are heralding diets (some, notably the Atkins diet, having previously been strongly criticised by healthcare professionals) as the 21st century?s unappreciated health saviour, and are advocating diets, such as the Atkins diet, as medicines against diseases such as diabetes.

Comedian Gina Yashere has claimed that she has managed to evade all symptoms of the disease lupus, which has a wide variety of symptoms, ranging from extreme fatigue, joint pain and muscle aches to anaemia, skin rashes, hair loss and organ failure. ??Gina initially controlled her symptoms through steroid injections, but following a relapse in 2005 the drug hydroxychloroquine was added to supplement the steroids.? Although there are benefits to the drugs, with it easing inflammation, there are some severe side effects, such as nausea and extreme fatigue.? Gina also put on weight, and found she sometimes forgot to take the tablets, which led to a fluctuation in the symptoms.? But the weight gain was especially traumatic, as she went from 10st to 15st, seriously impeding her movement.? She went to a clinic in Thailand where she embarked on an extreme regime of fasting and colonics, losing an astounding stone in a week.? Once she returned home she embarked on the strict raw food diet, and due to a lessening in her symptoms, was able to cut back on her medication.? She says,

?Two years ago I stopped taking pills altogether. I am now 9st 7lb and my symptoms have virtually gone.?

However, Professor David Isenberg, director of Rheumatology at University College Hospital, London warns against investing too much faith in testament?s such as Gina?s, saying ?It is possible for patients to go for years without symptoms. Lupus is always active and there is no proof that diet is an effective treatment. What works for one sufferer might not for another. If a patient has found relief, we can only hope it lasts.?

Another individual who claims that their (self ? imposed and regulated, it must be added) diet has staved off ill health, in this case diabetes, is Diane Platt.? She gave an interview with the Daily Mail in August, and told how after she was warned she was in danger of becoming diabetic, she switched to a low-carbohydrate diet.? The Daily Mail promptly gave the article the title ?Could the Atkins diet keep your diabetes at bay?? which highlights the danger of testimonies such as these.? Sensationalised success stories, coupled with celebrities ?swearing by? certain diet fads which are unsubstantiated by science or medicine, could seriously jeopardise health.

Initially, this may not seem either too strange, or too problematic.? After all, recently certain dietary habits have been highlighted in the medical world and the media as having a direct effect on health.? Everybody is aware that monitoring salt levels is important, as too high an intake can contribute to high blood pressure, which in turn can cause heart attacks and strokes, while a deficiency can make the sufferer very ill indeed.

However, the worrying thing about these diets being hailed as ?miracle cures? for an assortment of ailments is that they are often derivatives of celebrity fads, with little scientific research to back them up.? Similarly, although [names] may have noticed that their symptoms disappeared on adapting their diets, this may have been because they were overweight to begin with.? Seeing as they went to an extreme, and didn?t follow the average balanced diet, there is no way of telling whether or not that would have reaped the same results.

In short, there are far too many variables in individual cases like this, to draw any definite conclusion.

Therefore, if you are suffering from an ailment, and believe that a change in diet may have a beneficial effect, please visit your doctor or ask a personal fitness trainer and get certified medical advice.? Don?t go the way of the Tudors, by taking rumour and speculation as the gospel truth.

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qos-voip | TravelBuddies.us ? Travel Tips

qos voip

The VoIP and the Need for QoS

The telephone is one of the most useful inventions man has ever made. It is something that made the world smaller and it is also something that modern society is continuing to use in businesses and also in homes. Since the telephone was invented, services have since improved and additional phone features are also available, such as three-way calling, or call waiting.

The telephone line is now also being used to connect to the internet. High speed internet connection through DSL is now available in most telephone companies. Today, the telecommunications industry is now taking it one step forward and developed a new kind of telephone system that is starting to gain popularity in today?s society. Imagine, with this kind of communication system, you will be able to talk to your loved ones abroad for a fraction of the cost that you will usually get in conventional landline phones. Also, features, such as call waiting, call forwarding, return call, video conferencing capabilities, caller ID and others are integrated with this particular communication system as a standard package, which means that it?s entirely free.

Free calls are also integrated with this new kind of phone system. If you are calling someone from halfway around the world, who is also subscribed to the service provider you are subscribed in, the calls will be free. It would be great if you have this kind of phone system. Today, it is now possible because of the advancement in the communications technology and this communication system is called VoIP or Voice over Internet Protocol or sometimes referred to as Internet Voice.

The reason why calls are so cheap with VoIP is that it is connected to the internet. As most people know, the internet provides a free and open communication system. Another great thing about VoIP is because the data is transmitted in a digital format in the internet, transmission and reception of voice data is faster and clearer than ever before.

The fact that VoIP has so many benefits, many people are now considering getting rid of their conventional landline phones and getting hooked up with VoIP. As you can see, VoIP is one of the latest solutions in communications technology that will allow people to make much cheaper long distance calls than conventional landline phones.

However, you have to consider that there will sometimes be hiccups in your internet connection. Because of this, it can significantly affect your VoIP phone. It will result in garbled communication or it can result in delays. This is why QoS or Quality of Service is now being integrated into VoIP to provide a solution for garbled communication.

The two main benefits of QoS for VoIP are:

? It protects VoIP on shared media
? It can prioritize VoIP

Bursty data applications will result in lower quality VoIP as well as losing 2 VoIP packets.

You also have to consider that VoIP is sensitive to delays and jitters because of the occasional internet hiccups. With QoS prioritization, it will able to minimize its effects.

QoS can maximize the quality of VoIP by controlling bursts of excess bandwidth and traffic. QoS can avoid congestion of bandwidth thus, making quality better when you use VoIP.

The quality of service should be integrated in VoIP, especially for business VoIP to avoid miscommunication or delay in communication. Today, VoIP is still considered to be in its infancy. So, with all the bugs fixed, you can expect that VoIP will be integrated with QoS.

You have to consider the fact that VoIP is still not really perfect. For this reason, you have to have QoS with your VoIP. This will definitely improve the quality of communication and also decrease the effects of delays and garbled voice signals.

VoIP has so many benefits to offer people. You just have to consider that VoIP is still a relatively new technology. So, you should expect some bugs or some hiccups when making calls. However, if you want VoIP in your business, you should consider getting QoS to improve the quality of communication.

With QoS, you can certainly make sure that your VoIP will generate higher quality calls. So, if you are frequently experiencing garbled communication when you are using VoIP, you should consider getting QoS. This particular tool can definitely improve data transmission and reception.

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Pets And Divorce | FOX2now.com ? St. Louis News & Weather from ...

Posted on: 8:03 am, May 22, 2012, by Staff Writer

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI) ? In the dog-eat-dog world of break-ups a pet?s bark can cause a serious financial bite.? When couples split, battles over pets is so common , there?s even a reality tv show called, ?Pet Divorce Court?. ?

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Robin Gibb And Bee Gees Gave The World Disco 'Fever'

The late Robin and his brothers helped define a genre and topped the charts in the process.
By Gil Kaufman


The Bee Gees in the 1970s
Photo: Bee Gees Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/ Getty Im

Just days after the world lost Queen of Disco Donna Summer, another one of the genre's royal family, Bee Gees member Robin Gibb, died after a long battle with cancer.

Robin, 62, and his brothers Barry and Maurice began their musical career in 1963 and scored a number of hits with sentimental ballads such as "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart" and "I Started a Joke" and their first top 20 single, "New York Mining Disaster 1941." But it was their work in the late 1970s that would forever cement their memory in music history.

After a string of successful albums and singles in the late 1960s and early 1970s, the brotherly trio hit the hard time early in the decade, including a brief period where Robin left the band to go solo because he felt Barry was being pushed to the forefront at his expense.

It wasn't until they revamped their sound on 1975's Main Course that they hit upon a formula that would make them international superstars and help sell more than 200 million albums over the course of their career. That record turned away from earnest folk and pop to a sound laced with a more soulful, dance-oriented groove, epitomized by the #1 hit "Jive Talkin'."

They followed up with the soundtrack to the hit movie "Saturday Night Fever," which held the record for the best-selling album of all time until the release of Michael Jackson's Thriller. With such smashes as "Night Fever," "How Deep Is Your Love," "You Should Be Dancing," "Stayin' Alive" and "More Than a Woman," the soundtrack won the Grammy for Album of the Year and sold more than 15 million copies in the United States alone.

Though they weren't even tapped to work on the soundtrack until after the movie had already wrapped, producer Robert Stigwood asked them to try and whip up a few tunes for the film that would soon define the disco era. They dashed most of the additional songs off in just over one weekend, and the rest, as they say, is history. In the years since, the album, whose cover prominently features the trio in their signature white disco suits just above a dancing John Travolta, has sold more than 40 million copies and stands as one of the top five best-selling albums of all time.

Robin often sung the lead on the early songs, even though it was Barry who was the ostensible leader of the group later in their career. The siblings' allegedly testy dynamic was turned into a bizarre recurring skit on "Saturday Night Live" from 2003 to 2011 by Jimmy Fallon and Justin Timberlake called "The Barry Gibb Talk Show." Though Fallon once told Howard Stern that he really didn't know how the idea came to him to play Barry as an out-of-control rage-aholic hosting a public affairs show about the day's news, the comedic combination of the monosyllabic Timberlake as Robin and the pair singing the trio's falsetto harmonies made for some of the show's funniest moments.

Born in 1949 on the Isle of Man off the British Coast, Robin and his brothers grew up in Manchester, England, but moved to Australia as children. They got their start there performing on television shows as the B.G.'s. It was after the family returned to England in the 1960s that the trio began to score international attention with their melodic three-part harmonies and emotional songwriting.

Robin released a trio of solo albums in the 1980s, but neither he nor the group would ever reach the "Fever" heights again. They were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Earlier this year, Robin released a classical piece called The Titanic Requiem, recorded with his son, Robin-John, but was too ill to attend an April 10 performance with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Robin's death is the latest heartache for the family, which has suffered a string of misfortunes, including the 1988 death of youngest brother Andy, 30, and the 2003 passing of Robin's twin, Maurice, 53.

More than 30 years after their global breakthrough, the music created by Robin and his brothers remains a cultural touchstone for each successive generation. Everyone from Eric Clapton to Destiny's Child, the Cure's Robert Smith, the Flaming Lips, Elton John, Al Green, Cher, Diana Ross, Tina Turner and Celine Dion have recorded their songs over the years.

Please share your condolences for Gibb's family, friends and fans in the comments.

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Sri Lanka's ex-army chief freed from jail

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