Social media renders rapid judgment on debate

FILE - This Aug. 30, 2009 file photo shows Big Bird, of the children's television show Sesame Street, in Los Angeles. Big Bird is endangered. Jim Lehrer lost control. And Mitt Romney crushed President Barack Obama. Those were the judgments rendered across Twitter and Facebook Wednesday during the first debate of the 2012 presidential contest. While millions turned on their televisions to watch the 90-minute showdown, a smaller but highly engaged subset took to social networks to discuss and score the debate as it unspooled in real time. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)

FILE - This Aug. 30, 2009 file photo shows Big Bird, of the children's television show Sesame Street, in Los Angeles. Big Bird is endangered. Jim Lehrer lost control. And Mitt Romney crushed President Barack Obama. Those were the judgments rendered across Twitter and Facebook Wednesday during the first debate of the 2012 presidential contest. While millions turned on their televisions to watch the 90-minute showdown, a smaller but highly engaged subset took to social networks to discuss and score the debate as it unspooled in real time. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)

President Barack Obama and Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney listen to a question from moderator Jim Lehrer during the first presidential debate at the University of Denver, Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2012, in Denver. (AP Photo/Pool-Michael Reynolds)

WASHINGTON (AP) ? Big Bird is endangered. Jim Lehrer lost control. And Mitt Romney crushed President Barack Obama.

Those were the judgments rendered across Twitter and Facebook Wednesday during the first debate of the 2012 presidential contest. While millions turned on their televisions to watch the 90-minute showdown, a smaller but highly engaged subset took to social networks to discuss and score the debate as it unspooled in real time.

Until recently, debate watchers would have waited through the entire broadcast to hear analysis and reaction from a small cadre of television pundits. Social media has democratized the commentary, giving voice to a far wider range of participants who can shape the narrative long before the candidates reach their closing statements.

"People still use old media to watch the debates, but they use social networks and other new media to have influence, voice opinions and be involved," said Scott Talan, an assistant professor of communication at American University who studies social media and politics. "Old media is not dead; it's growing. But now we have more people involved and engaged because of digital means."

The political conversation plays out across a range of social platforms, especially on the industry giant Facebook and on Twitter, the social networking hub where opinions are shared through 140-character comments known as tweets. Reflecting the changing times, many television analysts now monitor Twitter and Facebook feeds and use information gleaned from those platforms to inform their punditry.

Twitter announced shortly after Wednesday's debate that it had been the most tweeted event in U.S. political history, topping this year's Republican and Democratic National Conventions.

With 11.1 million comments, Wednesday's debate was the fourth most-tweeted telecast of any kind, coming in just behind the most recent Grammy awards, MTV's Video Music Awards and the Super Bowl, according to William Powers, director of The Crowdwire, an election project of Bluefin Labs, a social analytics firm. It was far higher than the previous political record holder: the third night of the Democratic National Convention in September, which drew 2.5 million comments.

A significant spike in social media commentary came from women, The Crowdwire found. Some 55 percent of comments about the debate were made by women, compared to just 39 percent during the Republican primary debates.

Unlike the wider viewing audience, debate watchers who comment on social media "are politically engaged in the strongest possible way," Powers said. But, he added, "it's a bit of a hothouse population. It does skew younger, and I'm not sure how much middle America is represented."

Twitter scored Romney the debate's clear winner according to Peoplebrowsr, a Web analytics firm. The group found 47,141 tweets mentioning Romney and "win or winner" compared to just 29,677 mentioning Obama and "win or winner."

Romney was also the top tweet in battleground states including Florida, Ohio, Nevada and Colorado, Peoplebrowsr found.

Search engine Google announced the debate's four most searched terms: Simpson-Bowles (the bipartisan fiscal commission Obama appointed); Dodd-Frank (a Democratic-backed financial reform law); Who is Winning the Debate; and Big Bird.

The debate, focused on domestic issues, was a numbers-heavy discussion of the economy, debt and entitlement reform. It produced strong reactions on Twitter from its earliest moments, from the candidates' attire and appearance ? "Obama: solid blue tie with dimple. Romney: red tie with stripes, no dimple," tweeted publisher Arianna Huffington ? to Jenga, a stacking game Romney and his wife, Ann, were said to have played with their grandchildren before the debate.

From there, the social chatter settled into a few major themes.

? Big Bird. Early in the debate, Romney said he would defund public broadcasting to help bring down the deficit but added that he liked Big Bird, a popular character on PBS' "Sesame Street." Social networks immediately responded, with participants posting spoof photos of Big Bird and other "Sesame Street" characters on Facebook and setting up parody Big Bird Twitter accounts.

During a lull in the debate, an ABC news executive tweeted, "avian life is outstripping human life in this debate." Another viewer with the Twitter handle A CookieMonster wrote, "Obama killed bin Laden. Romney put a hit on Big Bird."

? Jim Lehrer. The veteran PBS newsman was widely panned as the debate moderator, with viewers complaining he asked weak questions and did a poor job of keeping command of the debate's time and tempo. Lehrer's name became a trending topic on Twitter, and his performance drew jeers from countless participants. "Jim Lehrer is like the grandpa at dinner table who falls asleep and wakes up randomly shouting," tweeted a woman with the Twitter handle of Bookgirl96.

? Romney's big win. Social media participants marveled at Romney's strong outing and pronounced Obama's debate performance flat, non-energetic and meandering ? a dud. While Obama has been leading Romney in battleground state polls in recent days, the consensus on social networks was that Romney's debate performance had breathed new life into his campaign.

Obama supporters were some of his toughest critics. Andrew Sullivan, a pro-Obama writer for The Daily Beast whose Twitter feed, Sullydish, has a loyal following, declared: "This was a disaster for the president." Joe Mercurio, a New York media buyer, wrote on Facebook: "It could have been worse."

___

Follow Beth Fouhy on Twitter at www.twitter.com/bfouhy

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2012-10-04-Debate-Social%20Media/id-9ae28326a0c64532b1a02c75bc653e09

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First big snow of season due in Upper Midwest

The first major snowfall of the year and a cold snap set to sweep into the northern Midwest could harm some late-maturing corn and soybeans crops and delay the harvest, an agricultural meteorologist and the National Weather Service said on Thursday.

The storm is centered in a small area across northeastern North Dakota and northwestern Minnesota, including the fertile Red River Valley, where farmers are still harvesting their corn and soybean crops after the worst drought in half a century devastated U.S. grain this year.

Minnesota is the third largest soybean producing state in the United States and the fourth largest corn state, based on its harvest last year. North Dakota ranks number 10 in soybean production.

"There is rain changing to snow in the upper Red River Valley of eastern North Dakota and northwest Minnesota," said John Dee, meteorologist for Global Weather Monitoring.

"It's a small geographical area that grows mainly spring wheat and soybeans," Dee said.

He said from 5 to 8 inches of snow was expected by late Thursday with locally heavier amounts. "It's an isolated storm and unique for this time of year. The snow should begin melting beginning Friday through the weekend," he said.

As of Monday, 36 percent of North Dakota's corn crop had been harvested and 80 percent of the soybean crop had been harvested, according to the state crop progress report.

In Minnesota, 53 percent of the corn crop had been harvested and 76 percent of the soybean crop.

The National Weather Service on Thursday said that a rapidly intensifying storm is expected to bring snow along with strong gusty winds in northwestern Minnesota today.

Following the storm, cold air will plunge farther to the south and east during the next few days dropping temperatures well below normal especially in the northern high plains and the nearby mountains where light snow is expected to linger, according to the NWS.

Cold weather was moving into the Midwest as well and the first major freeze of the season is expected by the weekend.

"I can't say for sure there won't be any damage at all, there may be some late fields that are damaged, but the majority is mature and this isn't really an early frost anyway," Dee said.

Dee said the cold air mass was moving into the Midwest and roughly the northern two-thirds of the crop region will experience freezing to below-freezing temperatures early Sunday and Monday mornings.

"Temperatures should be in the 28- to 32- degree range (Fahrenheit) in the central Midwest and colder north of there," he said.

Source: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/49288260/ns/weather/

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Can lunchroom 'trash-cams' cut wasted food?

Barry Gutierrez / AP

Officials from the Lake County, Fla., school district say $75,000 worth fresh fruits and vegetables like these provided to students during lunch ended up in the trash.

By Andrew Mach, NBC News

Cafeteria trash cans in some Florida schools may soon be getting a high-tech makeover.?

After finding out that most of the fruits and vegetables on the school lunch menu ended up in the trash, school board members in the Lake County school district in central Florida?are considering attaching cameras to school cafeteria trash cans to study what students are tossing out.?

"I said, how about we put cameras in the trash cans so we can document the concrete data of what students are throwing out," School Board member Tod Howard told NBC News. "That way we can not only show what the students are not eating, but we can also look at how presentation affects consumption and present that data to the federal government if we need to."


Howard said he made the suggestion as a 2010 federal law on child nutrition, vigorously promoted by first lady Michelle Obama, went into effect in schools across the nation.

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Among other things, the law requires schools across the county to serve an increased number of vegetables, including weekly servings of leafy greens, red or orange vegetables, and legumes. Students must take at least one serving, but according to officials from the Lake County Food Services Department, Howard said, that led students last year to toss about $75,000 worth of produce in the garbage.

"The ultimate goal is to work within the mandate and actually provide food they want to eat," Howard said. "An elementary student might eat sliced apples but not a whole apple, for example. They might not eat hummus but might eat a falafel. If most of the squash is being thrown out, and we can?t find a way for kids to eat squash, we probably?shouldn't?serve it. What we need to do is find out what?s not being eaten and why.?

?They have to take it, and then it ends up in the trash can. And that?s a waste of taxpayer money, and it?s also not giving students the nutrition that they need. "

Howard said the idea is still in its early stages, and he and other school board members are still working out logistics. While he says the actual cost of the initiative for the 40,000-student district has not yet been quantified, he suspected it would be low because he proposed?re-purposing?old security cameras that the school already owns for the trash can monitoring.?

Watch the most-viewed videos on NBCNews.com?

"It?s really just using equipment we already have," Howard said. "The technology would provide a cost savings to do those sort of things."

No decisions have been made on the cameras. School officials say the cameras?wouldn't?capture the student?s faces, just what they?re throwing away.

?This is probably in my mind the best option we have that will provide us with the best information at the least cost, but we do need to look at other options to make sure this mandate will be effective for us.?

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Source: http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/10/03/14199709-florida-school-district-considers-trash-cams-in-lunchrooms-to-study-wasted-food?lite

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Reference and Education: 7 Ways to Ensure Success With an ...

The ability to obtain an online education degree has opened the educational doors for many students who cannot afford to attend school on campus as a full-time student. Distance learning courses definitely provide some advantages over the traditional college education. But, because of the methods of delivering and receiving the material, students must consider the 7 things necessary in approaching an online education successfully.
1. Choosing the best education online institution - Make sure the institute for higher education chosen has adequate resources and accreditation recognized by the proper authorities. Unless authenticity can be verified, find another school. Sadly, unscrupulous degree mills offer degrees with short-term or no real education. Thus, the diplomas are bogus and absolutely worthless. Find a school that provides solid education, ample student support, and the facilities necessary to succeed in your distance learning.
2. Check the cost vs. benefit - Many students don't check the cost-benefit factor before enrolling into an online education degree college. We are all aware that acquiring an education requires huge amounts of money. But a smart move is to first compare with what the future earning potential of your profession will be once you earn the degree. Once you figure this out, only then would you determine if it makes sense to acquire an online education degree.
3. Degree validation by employers - No wonder many employers are wary of online degrees. With bogus institutions literally selling degrees, employers have good reason to be doubtful and cautious. Therefore, immediately alleviate any potential misgivings by your prospective employer by offering verification of accreditation through an agency sanctioned by the U.S. Department of Education and CHEA.
4. Discipline, determination, and time - First time distance learning students are often surprised by the amount of discipline necessary to stay on task and complete the online assignment. It takes unfaltering determination to achieve an online education. In addition, without regularly scheduled classes, it is essential to exercise good time management skills. To keep focused, without the physical presence of educator and peers, it is important to establish communication with other students to have another push toward success in your education degree online
5. Utilize all the facilities provided by your college - Many education degree online courses provide online lectures and email access to facilitate communication among students, lecturers and administration staff. It's important to take full advantage of these services as they keep you "connected" with your accredited online college. It helps further your motivation in your studies when you make use of these facilities to stay in touch.
6. Make use of credit transfers - Many online education degree colleges allow students to transfer their credits from courses they took in previous colleges, whether online or traditional. By doing this, it means students don't have to repeat courses they learnt before. For this to be effected, it's important for a student who intends to pursue an education online to make sure they get transcripts and results from their previous universities or colleges and make them available to their accredited online college so they can be passed as transfer credits.
7. Take advantage of technology to complete your class work - Another factor for online education degree success is the opportunity to take advantage of all the conveniences that technology provides. Many accredited online colleges provide students with online digital libraries, databases and resources that a student can use to complete their course work and assignments. In most instances the cost of these facilities is already included in the tuition fees. Thus it makes good sense to make full use of these resources to your advantage.

Source: http://comicsran.blogspot.com/2012/10/7-ways-to-ensure-success-with-online.html

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HTC One X headed to UK from Oct 22, priced ?474, says retailer

Android Central

Hot on the heels of yesterday's HTC One X+ announcement, British retailer Clove Technology brings the first news of pricing and availability in the UK. Clove says it expects to begin stocking the refreshed version of the One X from Oct. 22, and is currently taking pre-orders for £474 inc. VAT (that's £395, or $630, ext. VAT). That's a lot of money, to be sure, but at least prices aren't advancing north of £500, as has been the case for devices like the Galaxy S3 earlier in the year.

As ever, pre-order prices are subject to change, but with the One X+ UK launch just a couple of weeks away, we feel fairly confident these numbers will be accurate.

Tempted by a One X+ at this price, or are you holding you holding out for a cut-price original One X? Shout out in the comments.

Source: Clove, More: Hands-on with the HTC One X+

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/Ro2AMyxt_GQ/story01.htm

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How to quickly update your Twitter and Facebook status from Notification Center

How to quickly update your Twitter and Facebook status from Notification Center on iPhone and iPad

With iOS 6 you can send a tweet to Twitter or post to Facebook right from Notification Center. Whether you're using the new iPhone 5, or a newly updated iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, the Share Widget makes Twitter and Facebook buttons only a swipe away.

How to enable the Share Widget

If the Facebook and Twitter buttons aren't already in your Notification Center, you'll need to enable the Share Widget.

  1. Launch Settings from your iPhone or iPad Home screen.
  2. Tap Notifications.
iphone settings panel
  • Scroll down and tap on the Share Widget.
  • share widget
  • Make sure that the option for it to appear in Notification Center is On.
  • Now the Share Widget should appear in Notification Center. And if it's not exactly where you want it, you can also change where it appears.

    How to quickly update Twitter from Notification Center

    1. Swipe down from the status bar at the top of your screen to pull down Notification Center.
    2. Tap on the Twitter button to open the Twitter Share Sheet.
    nc share widget
  • Tap the From: field to switch between multiple accounts.
  • Type in the tweet you want to send.
  • twitter facebook ios integration
  • Tap Add Location to include your current location.
  • Tap Send
  • How to quickly update Facebook from Notification Center

    1. Swipe down from the status bar at the top of your screen to pull down Notification Center.
    2. Tap on the Facebook button to open the Facebook Share Sheet.
    nc share widget
  • Type in the status you want to post.
  • Tap friends to restrict the post to certain audiences (i.e. friends, only me, friends of friends, your local area, groups you belong to, etc.).
  • Tap Send
  • Rene Ritchie contributed to this guide.

    Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/wkD94_7Ocf8/story01.htm

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    Slideshow: Touch down at one of these homes for sale near NFL stadiums

    Editor's Note:
    This image contains graphic content that some viewers may find disturbing.

    Click to view the image,
    or use the buttons above to navigate away.

    Source: http://slideshow.nbcnews.com/slideshow/today/touch-down-at-one-of-these-homes-for-sale-near-nfl-stadiums-49182027/

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    Ohio workers: How will auto industry affect your vote?

    Ohio, normally a slightly Republican-leaning state, is trending toward Barack Obama. A Real Clear Politics aggregation of polls shows the president up by 5.5 percentage points, and with the state's unemployment rate below the national average at 7.2 percent, Mitt Romney hasn't been able to use the struggling economy as effectively as a campaign issue.

    Much of the president's success could be tied to a resurgent automotive industry. The Buckeye State has about 850,000 jobs -- about 12 percent of the state's workforce -- linked to the industry.

    To gauge how Ohio autoworkers, their families, and residents who are reliant on the industry are feeling, Yahoo News is asking them to share their perspectives on the 2012 campaign.

    If you or your family depends on the auto industry in Ohio and you're interested in sharing your thoughts, please let us know. There are a couple ways you can participate:

    ? E-mail us your thoughts at contributor-news [at] yahoo-inc [dot] com. Please include your first and last name, where you live, how you're tied to the auto industry and how the industry is affecting your presidential vote.

    ? Sign up with Yahoo! Contributor Network to tell your story.

    Here are some of the questions we're asking:

    ? Where and how do you work in the auto industry? How is your job tied to the automotive bailouts, if at all?

    ? Are you more or less likely to support Obama or Romney because of the bailouts? Do the bailouts even factor into your vote? How does the automotive industry, in general, factor into your vote?

    ? What do you make of Obama's lead in Ohio, vis-?-vis the automotive industry and the recent success of domestic automakers?

    ? How has your family benefited -- or not -- because of the automotive industry? In general, are you more likely to back candidates who stick up (financially or otherwise) for your industry?

    Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ohio-auto-workers-does-industry-affect-vote-165000051.html

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    Rep: Christina Aguilera "Fat Girl" Quotes Are False

    Over the weekend, the new Billboard cover story picked up steam after it was widely reported that Christina Aguilera referred to herself as a "fat girl" in the interview. But the singer has come forward saying she was misquoted, and she wants to set the record straight.

    Source: http://www.ivillage.com/christina-aguilera-fat-girl-quotes-are-false/1-a-491226?dst=iv%3AiVillage%3Achristina-aguilera-fat-girl-quotes-are-false-491226

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    Uranium Plant Using Laser Technology Wins U.S. Approval

    [unable to retrieve full-text content]A joint venture of General Electric and Hitachi received the approval for a plant to enrich uranium using classified technology, which worries some scientists.

    Source: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/28/business/energy-environment/uranium-plant-using-laser-technology-wins-us-approval.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

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