Ted 2's First trailer

Ted 2’s trailer brings back memories of the first film Photograph

 Ted 2's first trailer – can you bear it without Mila Kunis?

Our first look at the return of the foul-mouthed talking teddy bear suggests Seth MacFarlane has cut out the middle (wo)man and gone straight for the bromance

Just over two years ago, we voted Ted the second best film of 2012 (just below The Master, just about Amour). So we’re excited by this first look at the sequel, in particular the fact it looks like more of the same: Ted and Mark Wahlberg, talking trash, on a sofa.

There’s some small differences: the shock value has gone, the token woman has changed. Out is Mila Kunis, in is Amanda Seyfried as a lawyer named Sam L Jackson who represents our furry friend in his case to be recognised as human.

This discrimination means Ted is unable to be named as the father to the child he’s proposing to have with new wife Tami-Lynn (a surprise survivor from the first film). For the actual sperm, though, he’ll need the help of his thunder buddy.

Ted 2's first trailer – can you bear it without Mila Kunis?

So, the action here is yet more focused: it’s a bromance, whose end goal is a baby. The women is literally a carrier, an enabler, another version of the necessary stumbling block that Mila Kunis represented in the first film. To some extent, drilling down on Ted’s key sell is good – in a trailer. Over a full-length movie, it might be more of a stretch.

What else has us anxious? Well, part of the fun of the first Ted was its genuine irreverence. But there’s something slightly too on-the-button about a lot of choices here: music cues, meta-stereotyping, bad taste laughs which don’t seem quite uproarious enough. Plus, of course, there’s A Million Ways to Die in the West.

Will Ted 2 land that coveted No 2 spot in the Guardian’s best films of 2015 poll? Probably not. At least if Haneke really pulls it out of the bag.

Cr.The Guardian

Who Is Andressa Urach?

Brazilian Model Warns Against Plastic Surgery

Who Is Andressa Urach? Brazilian Model Warns Against Plastic Surgery After Failed Operation

A Brazilian model known for her countless cosmetic enhancements warned against the dangers of plastic surgery this week after a botched operation put her on life support. “I hope that these wounds at least serve as a warning to other women,” Andressa Urach told Rede TV, a Brazilian television network.

Urach, 27, has gone under the knife for numerous procedures, including a nose job “to have the face of a rich girl” and silicone implants. She also has admitted to using anabolic steroids and receiving gel and Botox injections, according to the Associated Press. “There are plenty of ugly women,” Urach reportedly said last year. “If you have the money, you can be beautiful. This pretty face you see here, my dear, it costs some.”

Brazilian model  with her upper body painted as their jersey  during the FIFA World Cup

But Urach’s most recent operation has the Brazilian bombshell singing a different tune. Urach went into septic shock and was placed on life support two months ago after getting an infection during an operation to increase the size of her thighs. The Miss BumBum contest runner-up expressed regret to Rede TV “that I put that poison in my body, mostly because of having too much vanity,” the AP reported Wednesday.

Urach was given a dose of silicone gel 200 times the legal amount and used a hydrogel not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Brazil’s Plastic Surgery Society told the AP. The jellylike material is allowed in Brazil in small doses, often used to increase the size of a woman's thighs and buttocks. The single teenage mom turned reality TV star blamed “society, which unfortunately holds a standard of beauty in which you have to be perfect."

Her recent comments have shocked many in Brazil, which hosted 1.5 million plastic surgery procedures in 2013, a number that surpassed the United States, according to the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

Brazilian model Andressa Urach

Urach made headlines over the summer when she was kicked out of Portugal’s World Cup practice in June. She claimed to have slept with Cristiano Ronaldo hours before a Champions League match, but the soccer star angrily denied the claims, the New York Post reported.

Cr. International Business Time

The Fantastic Four teaser traile

The Fantastic Four : Marvel unveils superhero-free superhero movie

The Fantastic Four teaser trailer: Marvel unveils superhero-free superhero movie

The most surprising thing about the first glimpse of the latest Marvel adventure is in what it doesn't show.

The first look at the latest superhero movie off the Marvel production line (though this one is from Fox, not the Disney-owned Marvel Studios) is remarkable in at least one respect: it doesn't have any superheroes in it.

To be sure, it's a teaser trailer, the latest fad out of Hollywood, a trailer for the trailer yet to come. But if it's any indication of the movie itself, it suggests Marvel may be treating this part of its own history seriously.

The Fantastic Four holds a special place in the Marvel firmament.

The Fantastic Four was the first comic strip of the "new" Marvel comics era, created by Jack Kirby and Stan Lee (the latter of whom will no doubt have a fleeting cameo in this film, as he has had in most of the Marvel releases since 1989), and launched in November 1961.

It was a tale of a scientist and his three assistants who were trying to beat the Russians into space but instead were turned into "freaks" after their craft was bombarded with cosmic rays. Reed Richards became the stretchy Mr Fantastic, Susan Storm became The Invisible Woman, her brother Johnny The Human Torch ("flame on!") and pilot Ben Grimm turned into the stone-chested The Thing ("it's clobbering time").

There is only the briefest glimpse in the teaser of these alter-egos – the back of The Thing, a ball of flame. Mostly, it is the four's "normal" selves (played by Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan and Jamie Bell, respectively) we see. It's all back story.

"How did we get this far?," a voiceover asks. "Human beings have an immeasurable desire to discover, to invent, to build … But with every new discovery, there is risk. There is sacrifice. And there are consequences."

F4 fans know all about those consequences, though the uninitiated may be left to scratch their heads. But after four animated TV series and two big-screen incarnations before this – the last of those in 2007 – maybe there aren't too many in that category anyway.

Some observers are suggesting the sombre tone of the teaser might point to a respectful sci-fi-leaning treatment, but that hardly seems likely given the incessant search for the yet-more-spectacular that defines the modern superhero film. More likely it's simply a case of keeping your powder dry until a little closer to the August release date.

It's clobbering time, all right. Just not quite yet.

Cr. Sydney Morning Herald

Google Fiber in Southeastern USA

Google Fiber coming to southeastern USA

Google Fiber in Southeastern USA Now.

SAN FRANCISCO — Google is bringing speedy Internet to 18 cities in four metro areas in the southeastern United States, the latest expansion of its Fiber project.
The Internet giant is promising speeds up to one gigabit per second, about 100 times the average U.S. Internet connection, in Atlanta, Charlotte, Nashville and Raleigh-Durham, N.C.
Having fast broadband speeds "is just a necessity, not a luxury anymore," Kevin Lo, general manager of Google Fiber, said in an interview. "The next chapter of the Internet will be written at gigabit speeds."

Google fiber optic  more speed  100 times faster in USA soon !

The move comes nearly five years after Google offered to build a state-of-the-art fiber-optic Internet service in one U.S. metro area as an experiment.
It launched in 2012 in the Kansas City area, charging $80 a month for the gigabit service and $120 a month for Internet plus cable TV. A slower version of the service is free but requires a one-time fee.
Google Fiber is now up and running in Provo, Utah, and Austin and is exploring the possibility of expanding into Phoenix, Portland, Ore., Salt Lake City, San Antonio and San Jose. Google announced nearly a year ago that it was considering building Fiber in the nine new metro areas.
Lo would not say when Google would announce additional cities. "We are really focused on doing a great job in these cities," he said.

Google fiber against normal cable

Brokerage firm Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Carlos Kirjner said in November that he expects Google to announce it will extend Fiber to "all or nearly all" of the 34 cities with which it's in discussions. Kirjner estimates the cost for those cities alone could reach $3 billion.
"We believe the expansion is a consequence of Google Fiber's success in Kansas City and Provo, and in the early days in Austin, and reflects Google's view that it may be able to scale Fiber to build a profitable business," Kirjner wrote in a research report Tuesday.
Many consumers and businesses are eager for faster Internet speeds. The average connection speed is about 10 megabits per second, ranking the U.S. 14th in the world.
But investors are becoming increasingly concerned about Google's growing capital expenditures. Wall Street views Google Fiber as an enormously expensive experiment aimed at getting broadband providers to goose their speeds and lower prices.
"We think building an at scale, profitable broadband business is very hard, but Google's phase approach minimizes risk. We think the expansion is a positive for Google but believe the Street will disagree," Kirjner said.

Speed of Internet as a Block

Lo says Google Fiber is a real business for the Internet giant.
The spread of faster Internet helps Google by making it easier for consumers to use its services and view its ads, whether they are searching the Web or watching YouTube videos.

Google fiber Map in USA, soon!

"These are long-term businesses for Google and for Google Fiber," Lo said.
Google Fiber has been working with city leaders to get their communities ready. Now begins the hard work, Lo said, creating a map of where to put thousands of miles of fiber and then beginning construction.
It takes about a year for Google to build out a fiber-optic network that reaches homes and businesses.
​UBS analyst Eric Sheridan called the latest expansion "a continuation of a measured approach."
"We believe Google Fiber serves dual aims: a) to push current infrastructure providers to upgrade their networks; and b) to raise consumer standards for Internet speeds broadly," Sheridan wrote in a research report Tuesday.
One criticism of Google Fiber: It may be widening, not closing, the digital divide.
Google says it reaches out to lower-income communities to encourage residents to sign up for Google Fiber, sending employees door to door and creating partnerships with community groups.
But a survey of six low-income Kansas City, Mo., neighborhoods conducted for The Wall Street Journal found just 10% of residents subscribe to Google's Fiber service. Another 5% use a slower version that is free for seven years after a $300 installation fee.
Another survey conducted by Sanford C. Bernstein found that 42% of the residents surveyed in five more affluent nearby neighborhoods signed up for Google Fiber and another 11% signed up for the slower version.

USA Today Post

Miley Cyrus Goes TOPLESS With Boyfriend Patrick Schwarzenegger

Miley Cyrus Goes TOPLESS During Hawaii Getaway With Boyfriend Patrick Schwarzenegger

Miley Cyrus hasn't been shy about showing off her body for a while now and she recently once again reminded everyone just how comfortable she is going bare.

The 22-year-old singer was spotted frolicking in a beach in Hawaii with boyfriend Patrick Schwarzenegger, 21, the pair looking sweet and cozy.

Miley Cyrus With Boyfriend Patrick Schwarzenegger

Cozy enough, in fact, the Cyrus went completely topless as she played with her 21-year-old beau in the sea, Daily Mail noted.

Dressed only in skimpy black bikini bottoms, the "Wrecking Ball" hitmaker showed off her tattooed torso and arms.

She and Schwarzenegger spent the day having fun and splashing around in the water, in between sharing kisses and hugs, of course.

The attractive couple's Hawaii getaway comes just days after Cyrus was announced as the new face of MAC cosmetic's Viva Glam campaign.

Cyrus, who joins Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj in the campaign, recently opened up about her new gig with MAC and designing a new lipstick.

“It's fun for young people to get to buy a lipstick and know that it's going to actually go to changing the way that their future is going to be,” she told "Good Morning America's" Cameron Mathison.

All the proceeds from the sales of the pop star's custom lipstick will go to the MAC AIDS Fund, which assists people affected by HIV and AIDS.

The singer, who has made it her goal to empower people afflicted with AIDS and end stereotype, also talked about using her celebrity status to help other people.

“I realized that if there's going to be all this attention on me all the time, no matter what I say, no matter what I do, I should be saying something and speaking on behalf of those that kind of feel like they have no voice,” she said.


And while she's not exactly holding out for a Grammy, she added that being nominated has her looking forward to the Grammy Awards on Feb. 8. She was nominated for an award in the Best Pop Vocal Album category for “Bangerz.”

“I'll probably never get it, but I'm stoked about the nomination,” she said.

Cr.Fashion & Style News

Demis Roussos dead

Demis Roussos ... the singer has died in Athens at the age of 68

Greek singer Demis Roussos dead at 68

GREEK singer Demis Roussos, whose often high-pitched pop serenades won him household recognition in the 1970s and 1980s across Europe and beyond and who sold more than 60 million records, has died in Athens at the age of 68, a hospital confirmed.

The hospital said the singer died following a lengthy hospitalisation, but did not give an exact cause of death.

famous for wearing caftans, Demis Roussos had long battles with his weight, 145 kilograms

For many an iconic presence with a colourful dress sense — Roussos was once dubbed the Kaftan King — and rotund, bearded appearance, he enjoyed the respect of his colleagues and a steady global following.

“He had a superb voice, he travelled in the world ... he loved what he was doing,” singer Nana Mouskouri told French radio RTL in a tribute.

“He was an artist, a friend. I hope he is in a better world.”


Artemis (shortened to Demis) Roussos was born in June 1946 in Alexandria, Egypt, which had a large Greek community.

His formative years in the ancient port city’s cosmopolitan atmosphere were influenced by jazz, but also traditional Arab and Greek Orthodox music.

The family moved in the early 1960s to Greece, where Roussos took music lessons and played in amateur groups.

He first came to prominence in the late 1960s with the band Aphrodite’s Child, formed together with Vangelis Papathanassiou — the Greek composer best known by his first name whose score for the film Chariots of Fire won him an Oscar in 1982.

His career launched, Roussos moved out of Greece to continue as a solo artist, recording hits such as Forever and Ever, My Friend The Wind, Velvet Mornings, Someday Somewhere, and Lovely Lady Of Arcadia.

He listed Mozart and Sting among his favourite composers.

In 1985, Roussos was among 153 people taken hostage when two Shiite Muslim militiamen hijacked a TWA Boeing 727 on a flight from Athens to Rome, and he spent his 39th birthday on the plane. He was released unharmed five days later, and at a press conference thanked his captors for giving him a birthday cake.

Roussos enjoyed good food, which created problems with his weight that at one point reached 145 kilograms. He managed to reduce that by a third in nine months and went on to co-write a book about losing weight.

He lived in Los Angeles, Paris, Monte Carlo, London and Athens.

Cr.The News Corp.

MISS Colombia Miss Universe 2015

MISS Colombia Paulina Vega, Miss Universe 2015

Colombia beauty Paulina Vega crowned Miss Universe 2015
MISS Colombia Paulina Vega has been crowned Miss Universe, beating contestants from the United States and the Ukraine to take the coveted title.
Miss Vega, a 22-year-old business administration student from Barranquilla, Colombia, said she'd wear the crown with "pride and excitement" as fans in her native Colombia took to the streets to celebrate.

"It felt like home. I felt like I was in Colombia with my people. I felt that support in every moment of the pageant," Miss Vega said.

Miss USA Nia Sanchez and Miss Ukraine Diana Harkusha were the runners-up during Sunday's competition. Miss Jamaica Kaci Fennell and Miss Netherlands Yasmin Verheijen were also among the top five.

MISS Colombia Paulina Vega, Miss Universe 2015,Relaxation

MISS Colombia Paulina Vega, Miss Universe 2015,her swimming

MISS Colombia Paulina Vega, Miss Universe 2015,Her Night Dress

Miss Great Britain – also known as Grace Levy – missed out on a spot among the top spots.

Miss Vega said the contests leading to Miss Universe were the first she'd participaed in and will be her last, as she's eager to return to her studies.

Billionaire businessman Donald Trump, who owns the pageant, said many had predicted Vega would take the crown since contestants first arrived in Miami for the festivities.

"From the minute she walked in the building, people said, 'She's a star,'" he said.


The 22-year-old is the granddaughter of legendary tenor, Gastón Vega .

She has said: "It will be a dream come true to represent the woman of today. A woman that not only cares about being beautiful and being glamorous, but also cares about being a professional, intelligent, hard-working person."

She has a fourth-degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and has traveled the country teaching others. She spoke previously about equipping women to defend themselves against crime.

"It's just something that's so prevalent in our society, and why not empower women to take control of a dangerous situation into their own hand," she said.

Miss Colombia was crowned by the outgoing Miss Universe, Gabriela Isler of Venezuela. The competition broadcast included performances by singers Nick Jonas and Prince Royce.

Contestants from 88 countries took part in the competition, which saw them participating in events around Miami, including everything from a a golf contest to a Zumba class, over the last fortnight.

MISS Colombia Paulina Vega, Miss Universe 2015, 63rd

On Wednesday, the contestants were narrowed down to a final 15 – but audiences had to wait until 1pm GMT this morning to find out the winner.

Miss Great Britain, who donned a beefeater uniform while participating, admitted during the build-up that many Britons were not supportive of beauty pageants.

She said: "They're not very supportive of beauty pageants, and I think it will take a Great Britain win for them to be a lot more supportive."

Crowd favorite Miss Venezuela Migbelis Lynette Castellanos was cut after the top 10.

The Miami suburb of Doral, which played host to the women during their stay, is also known as "Doralzuela" for its many Venezuelan residents.

Three of the last six Miss Universe titles have gone to Venezuela, where beauty pageants are big business.

Cr. Express News

Top 15, Miss Universe 2015

 

The Top 15 beauty queens have been revealed ! Miss Universe

Miss Universe Top 15 2015: 6 Latinas Make The Cut, Mexico Shut Out Of The Competition

The competition is on as the Top 15 girls at the Miss Universe pageant have been revealed. From the get go the group was trimmed down to 15 and it included various Latinas representing our Spanish-speaking countries. Colombia (Paulina Vega), Italy (Valentina Bonariva), India (Noyonita Lodh), France (Camille Cerf), USA (Nia Sanchez), Indonesia (Elvira Devinamira), Venezuela (Migbelis Castellanos), Spain (Desirée Cordero), Philippines (Mary Jean Lastimosa), Argentina (Valentina Ferrer), Jamaica (Kaci Fennell), Ukraine (Diana Harkusha), Brazil (Melissa Gurgel), Netherlands (Yasmin Verheijen) and Australia (Tegan Martin). Shut out of the competition was the representative from México, who was initially one of the favorites to win the competition. One of these girls will take home the crown and the honor for her country. Who is your favorite to win? UPDATE: Top 10 Revealed!

The countdown to find out who Miss Universe 2014 is on and we can't wait to watch. Gabriela Isler will hand over her crown to a new beauty queen on Sunday night during the live competition in Miami. The pageant will take place at the Florida International University in Doral-Miami where the world is going to prensence the crowning of a new queen. The event will be broadcasted on NBC in English and Telemundo in Spanish. For the English-language telecast "Today's" Natalie Morales will host along Thomas Roberts and Jeannie Mai. For Telemundo, Rashel Diaz and Raúl González will be adding their Latin flavor to the cast. Confirmed to perform are Prince Royce and Nick Jonas, who will sing some of their hits as the ladies model on stage.

The winner of the beauty pageant are being selected by a panel of judges from different backgrounds like actors, musicians, sports stars and fashion gurus. One of the judges will be one of the sexiest Latin men alive, William Levy. The hunky telenovela actor knows what beauty is and has always attracted beautiful woman, which we are sure will help him in casting his vote. Other judges rounding out the panel are music producer Emilio Estefan, footballer Desean Jackson, baseball player Giancarlos Cruz-Michael Stanton and boxer superstar Manny Pacquiao. The Colombian fashion-journalist Nina Garcia, will also be in the panel and will be joined by "The Hills" star Kristin Cavallari, fashion guru Louise Roe and "Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills" star Lisa Vanderpump.

Cr.Latintimes

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah dies

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah, the careful reformer, dies at 90


King Abdullah, the monarch who lead Saudi Arabia through a period of wrenching change in the Middle East – keeping the oil-rich country stable as the region convulsed around it and critics demanded urgent reform – died late Thursday, a statement from the royal palace in Riyadh said.

The death, while immediately mourned in the Arab world, was hardly unexpected. The 90-year-old Abdullah had been seriously ill for several weeks, suffering from pneumonia and breathing only with the help of a tube.

Abdullah became king after the 2006 death of his half-brother, Fahd, but with Fahd in ill health, he had been de facto regent for a decade before that. He led the country through the worst years of the Iraq war, kept the kingdom intact through the upheaval of the Arab Spring, and in recent years built an informal Sunni Arab coalition that confronted what he saw as Iran’s rising influence across the region, particularly in Syria.

Saudi Arabia’s role in Syria will remain a controversial part of Abdullah’s legacy. Saudi Arabia gave money and weapons to jihadi groups opposed to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, helping give birth to the force now known as Islamic State.

U.S. President Barack Obama said Thursday that he had a “genuine and warm” friendship with Abdullah, whom he described as a “candid” ruler who “had the courage of his convictions.”

The early signs from Riyadh were that there would be a smooth succession to Abdullah’s half brother, Crown Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud. The palace statement said that the 79-year-old Salman was now King, and his own 69-year-old half-brother Muqrin – whom Abdullah elevated last year to the newly created post of Deputy Crown Prince – was now Crown Prince and next in line to the throne.

Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Dies

But insiders say King Salman is also not well, and his reign may feature a power struggle between conservative members of the royal family – a camp the new king is said to belong to – and younger princes who want to see the country make political reforms.

“I don’t know to what extent Salman is competent mentally and physically. There are many stories about him having early signs of dementia. Many people who have seen him in the past few years say that he starts the first minute of a conversation in a good way, and then he keeps repeating himself and forgets part of the conversation,” said a veteran Arab diplomat who regularly advised Abdullah.

The diplomat, who spoke to The Globe and Mail on the condition of anonymity, described King Salman as an “arch-conservative,” and said he was worried conservatives would move to oust the more reform-minded Muqrin from the post of Crown Prince.

Others predicted that reforms that were introduced by Abdullah would stall under King Salman.

“Domestically, Prince Salman would be an extreme zealot [as King]. He is a big supporter of the religious establishment in Saudi Arabia,” said Ali Alyami, founder of the U.S.-based Center for Democracy and Human Rights in Saudi Arabia. Mr. Alyami predicted that the limited democratic and women’s rights reforms introduced by Abdullah would come to a halt. “He thinks in the past, like 250 years ago. … He’s totally opposed to any political reform. He has never even used the word reform in public.”

Abdullah’s reign was routinely criticized by human-rights groups, but he oversaw breakthroughs in the field of women’s rights. While women in Saudi Arabia still lack the right to drive – or to sit in the same side of a coffee shop as single men – Abdullah made history in 2011 by naming 30 women to the country’s powerful Shura Council that advises the country’s government.

Less was done in the field of political reform, with the kingdom retaining its top-down political system even as the Arab Spring was toppling dictators in other parts of the Mideast. Abdullah’s token reform was to introduce elections for town councils that hold little real power.

Jane Kinninmont, deputy head of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House, said King Abdullah’s death, and the transition to Salman, was taking place at the most sensitive possible time for the kingdom. Saudi Arabia is already grappling with falling oil prices, rising extremism both inside the kingdom and neighbouring states, and a signs of a Western rapprochement with the country’s historical rival, Iran.

The Arab diplomat forecast that – under such circumstances – the royal family would rally together and maintain a united front, at least as far as the outside world could see. Previous succession battles, he said, had been avoided by “buying off” princes whose ambitions might have threatened the kingdom’s stability.

“I think it is paramount in whatever they do, they have to keep the house together, they need to keep the family together. Or else, everything will be lost.”

Cr.The Globe and Mail

IPhone & Snowden

Edward Snowden : iPhone has spy

iPhone has secret software that can be remotely activated to spy on people, says Snowden

The iPhone has secret spyware that lets governments watch users without their knowledge, according to Edward Snowden.

The NSA whistleblower doesn’t use a phone because of the secret software, which Snowden’s lawyer says can be remotely activated to watch the user.

"Edward never uses an iPhone, he’s got a simple phone," Anatoly Kucherena told Russian news agency RIA Novosti. "The iPhone has special software that can activate itself without the owner having to press a button and gather information about him, that’s why on security grounds he refused to have this phone."

The Snowden leaks revealed that Britain’s spy centre GCHQ had been using advanced technology to access encrypted files (Getty)

Apple has been active in making the iPhone harder for security services to spy on, and the company said that iOS 8 made it impossible for law enforcement to extract users’ personal data, even if they have a warrant. The company has also been active in campaigning for privacy reform after the Snowden revelations, joining with Facebook and Google to call for changes to the law.

But recently published files from the NSA showed that British agency GCHQ used the phones UDIDs — the unique identifier that each iPhone has — to track users. While there doesn’t seem to be any mention of such spying software in any of the revelations so far, a range of documents are thought to be still unpublished.

Snowden opts not to use the phone for professional reasons, but Kucherena said that whether or not to use one was a personal choice,

Cr.Sputnik News

Windows 10

 

Windows Holographic will build 3D imaging into Windows 10.

 

Windows 10's new features: Cortana, a 'Spartan' browser, Xbox streaming, and more

It’s official, folks: Windows 10 is coming to the people. After kicking off Windows 10 with a bevy of business-friendly features, Microsoft drew back the curtain on the operating system’s new consumer-focused features at an event on Wednesday, while simultaneously driving home a vision of an operating system designed to deliver a singular, cohesive experience across a myriad of device types.

And it'll be a free upgrade for Windows 7 and 8 users, who can snag the operating system for nada in the first year after Windows 10 hits the streets.


After Microsoft operating system chief Terry Myerson announced that crucial tidbit, Microsoft’s Joe Belfiore took the stage to run through some features coming to Windows 10 Preview that are designed to make using the operating system a smoother experience.

First, Belfiore showed off some helpful tweaks to Windows 10 features that have already been announced: The Start menu will be able to expand to fill the full screen if you desire, for one thing. The Action Center (read: Windows 10’s notification center) is receiving improved functionality, such as Windows Phone 8.1-esque quick action buttons that let you activate features (such as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi) with a single click. Notifications in the Action Center will be able to be expanded.

More helpfully for everyday workflow, Windows 10 will condense the Control Panel and the modern UI PC Settings into a single interface, eliminating Windows 8’s maddening insistence on dumping crucial system tools into two separate locations.

Microsoft also announced that its Continuum feature, which dynamically shifts the Windows 10 interface from the Modern UI to the desktop depending on whether you’re using a traditional PC or a touchscreen device, will soon appear in Windows 10 Preview builds.

Cortana comes to PCs

As anticipated, Microsoft’s Cortana digital assistant will make the jump from Windows Phone to Windows 10, assuming control of many of the operating system’s search features. Cortana, which will get her own place next to the Start button in the desktop taskbar, can perform many of the same basic tricks she does in Windows Phone. Cortana can be interacted with via text or natural voice queries, just like on mobile devices.

Still based off Microsoft’s cloud-based Bing brains, Cortana can answer basic queries like “Will I need a coat tomorrow?” or how much it costs to attend the University of Washington, as Belfiore showed in live demonstrations. But Cortana’s also been tweaked for more useful PC-like interactions. She can scour your local machine, OneDrive account, and even your business network to find files based on natural language queries. Belfiore showed off the capabilities by asking Cortana to “Find PowerPoint slides about the charity auction” and “Show me photos from December.” The digital assistant surfaced the desired information nearly instantly.

That sounds pretty darn handy, and there are more playful commands, too: Telling Cortana to “Play my music” launches the music app, while asking her to “Please be quiet” silences the music. Nice!

Windows 10 for phones and universal apps

Belfiore then veered off to show Windows 10 on phones and tablets, including a brief demo of mobile, touch-friendly Office apps. Windows 10 for phones will basically act like an extension of your PC, featuring universal Windows apps that share the same central heart and design as their PC counterparts, as well as newly universal notifications that synchronize across Windows 10 devices.

Windows 10 phones and small-screen tablets will include a free copy of Office. For a quick look at the universal Office apps, be sure to check out our article on Windows 10 for phones and tablets.

After the mobile talk, Belfiore showcased a rebuilt version of Outlook designed for PCs, tablets, and phones alike as a universal Windows app. Strongly resembling the Mail app in Windows 8—at least aesthetically—the universal Outlook map will sport a unified look across device types, packing touch-friendly commands such as swiping left on a message to remove it, or swiping right to flag it for later follow up.

Since many of Microsoft’s apps—including Outlook—have their heads in the cloud, changes you make to a universal app on one device will be immediately reflected on other devices, as Belfiore demoed by actively editing Calendar app entries simultaneously on a PC and a phone.

Microsoft’s bringing the same cloud-centric, universal app experiences to its core Windows apps as well, all powered by OneDrive on the backend. The Photos app will create albums from all your devices, intelligently removing duplicates and burst photos. A revamped universal People app will collate your contacts, while the Music app is also receiving a universal overhaul. As rumored, Microsoft will add support for you to put your music collection in OneDrive within the next month or two, so you can listen to your tunes anywhere. Maps will also be receiving Cortana integration, and she'll be able to remember where you parked your car.

The Spartan browser's annotation capabilities.

This is Spartan

Also new to Windows 10 is Spartan: A new, clean-looking, lightweight browser built around a new rendering engine. It won’t be available in the first Windows Insider builds, and it will only come to phones eventually, Belfiore said.

The Spartan browser includes a note-taking mode that lets you annotate a webpage, then share your marked-up, commented-on version with others using Windows 10’s native Share feature. There’s also a clipping tool so you can save portions of websites directly to OneNote.

Spartan also doubles down on the mere act of reading on the Internet. The browser integrates an updated version of the stellar Reading Mode found in Windows 8’s Metro Internet Explorer app. Reading Mode strips all the ads and sidebar crud out of webpages, formatting articles so that they appear similar to a book. It’s a wonderful thing. Spartan also taps into the Windows Reading List app, so you can save articles to read later, synchronizing the list across multiple devices. Unlike the Reading List app in Windows 8, the one in Windows 10 will let you save content to read offline.

Windows 10's new features: Cortana, a 'Spartan' browser, Xbox streaming, and more

Cortana is also being integrated directly into Spartan. "Because she knows you, she can help in more nuanced ways,” Belfiore said, showing an example where searching for “Delta” in his address bar popped up information for the Delta flight Belfiore was scheduled to take later. Cortana will also pop up when you visit a restaurant’s website, surfacing directions as well as information about the restaurant’s menu, hours of operating, and Yelp reviews.

The Windows 10 Xbox app.

Improving PC games with Xbox

Microsoft’s also bolstering Windows 10’s gaming chops by deeply integrating Xbox capabilities into the operating system. A new Xbox app essentially looks like a more fully fleshed-out version of SmartGlass, letting you chat with your Xbox Live pals, view your achievement information, or access game DVR clips. The app also lets you like, share, and comment on game clips.

But Windows 10’s new gaming chops is about more than merely expanding Xbox’s footprint. While you’re playing traditional PC games, be it in Steam or otherwise, a new Windows key + G keyboard shortcut brings up an interface for saving snapshots and 30 second video clips of your adventures, which then brings you into the Xbox app to share it. Games don’t directly have to support the functionality as it’s being overlaid directly by Microsoft in Windows 10.

As previously announced, the performance-enhancing DirectX 12 gaming API is also coming to Windows 10. Xbox head Phil Spencer claims that the API can deliver up to a 50 percent performance improvement in games.

Microsoft also wants to enable more gaming experiences regardless of the device you’re using. Fable Legends players on Windows 10 and Xbox One will be able to play with each other, and you’ll be able to stream your Xbox One games directly to any Windows 10 device, though it sounds like it will be limited to local networks only, similarly to Steam in-home streaming.

The Surface Hub.

Surface hub and Windows Holographic

This has nothing to do with Windows, but it's a major—and unexpected—hardware announcement from Microsoft: The company's rolling out the Surface Hub, an 84-inch, 4K, touch-enabled display for office collaboration.
And the Surface Hub isn't even the craziest hardware announced by Microsoft today. That honor goes to Windows Holographic, a set of technologies—a headset, new Windows 10 technology, and a HoloStudio dev app—that brings some insanely intense augmented reality capabilities to Windows.

When can you get it?

Myerson also revealed some stats from the Windows 10 Technical Preview. Thus far, more than 1.7 million people have registered for the Windows Insider program, and they’ve installed Windows 10 on more than 3 million different PCs.

A fresh Windows 10 Preview build containing the newly announced features will hit PCs next week, with a Windows 10 build for phones becoming available after the Super Bowl.

Cr.PC World

WhatsApp Bans Users

WhatsApp Bans Users for Using Third-Party Android App

WhatsApp Bans Users for Using Third-Party Android App

Some users are reporting WhatsApp banned them for 24 hours because they violated the app's 'terms of service' by using a third-party client.

Users are reporting about the ban via different social networks (Facebook, Google+ and Twitter) revealing that the ban is only for those Android users who are using the popular third-party client WhatsApp+ or WhatsApp Plus.

WhatsApp has also pointed out the same reason in their FAQ section, stating, "WhatsApp Plus is an application that was not developed by WhatsApp, nor is it authorised by WhatsApp. The developers of WhatsApp Plus have no relationship to WhatsApp, and we do not support WhatsApp Plus. Please be aware that WhatsApp Plus contains source code which WhatsApp cannot guarantee as safe and that your private information is potentially being passed to 3rd parties without your knowledge or authorization."

The company is now asking users to uninstall WhatsApp+ and install an authorised version of WhatsApp from official website or Google Play to reuse the service, although the 24-hour ban period will reportedly remain in effect for the full duration despite replacing or uninstalling the app.

Web client : WhatsApp

Meanwhile, some purported screenshots of WhatsApp's anticipated official Web client have surfaced online. According to GSMArena, the screenshot images were shared by a Google+ user and were shortly removed.

Though the images don't show a Web client, it is seen that WhatsApp for Android in its settings screen is prompting users to pair the device with a Web browser and a trusted computer for a secure connection.

Cr.ND TV

'Fifty Shades of Grey'

Dakota Johnson of 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

Though she studied art in high school, Dakota Johnson figured she'd follow her famous parents into the family business.

"I just assumed that what I would be doing is making films," the 25-year-old actress told Vogue's February issue, "because I grew up around people making films, making art, making music. And being on a film set is the most comforting thing in the world to me. Seeing a catering truck feels like home."

'Fifty Shades of Grey' Star Dakota Johnson Has No Shame in her Game

Dakota Johnson of 'Fifty Shades of Grey': 5 Things to Know

Dakota Johnson

That's because home was mostly wherever her parents, Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson, happened to be filming, and after they split for the second and final time in 1995, it was shuttling between the pair. Dakota Johnson also counted Antonio Banderas as her stepfather, until he split with Griffith last year. And she is a third-generation actress; her grandmother, Tippi Hedren, starred in Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds" and "Marnie."

Now about to star in one of the year's most anticipated films, "Fifty Shades of Grey," Johnson admitted to Vogue that she's not quite ready for stardom.



Cr. ABC News

Liverpool vs Chelsea

Liverpool VS Chelsea Match : Capital One Cup

 
Capital One Cup: Liverpool held to 1-1 draw in semi-final first leg by Chelsea despite dominating at Anfield

Raheem Sterling’s superb second-half goal means Liverpool go into their Capital One Cup semi-final second leg with Chelsea with the scores level at 1-1, despite dominating at Anfield.

Chelsea took the lead on 18 minutes after Emre Can brought down Eden Hazard in the area, before the Belgian dusted himself off to slot the penalty past compatriot Simon Mignolet.

Sterling equalised on the hour with a superb run and finish, firing past Thibaut Courtois from just inside the area after shrugging off Nemanja Matic.

Steven Gerrard hit the post and Adam Lallana forced a fine save from Courtois as Liverpool desperately searched for a winner to take a lead to Stamford Bridge for the second leg, but the hosts had to settle for a draw.

Liverpool had all the possession in the opening exchanges, but only tested Courtois in the Chelsea goal once, the Belgian forced into an acrobatic save from Gerrard’s long-range effort.

Eden Hazard admitted Chelsea weren't at their best

Raheem Sterling celebrates his superb second-half goal

A minute later, the visitors went up the other end through Cesc Fabregas, who cleverly found Hazard before the Chelsea man was clumsily clipped by Can.

Hazard stepped up to send Mignolet the wrong way for his 12th goal of the season.

There were strong appeals for a Liverpool penalty just before half-time, but referee Martin Atkinson waved play on as the ball struck Diego Costa’s hand as he lay on the ground inside the box.

Sterling’s superb equaliser added to an already electric atmosphere inside Anfield. The England international picked the ball up midway inside Chelsea’s half, before running past Matic and finishing low to Courtois’ left with Gary Cahill closing in.

Brendan Rodgers: We deserved a win

Gerrard nearly gave Liverpool the lead eight minutes later, but his left-footed effort from inside the area hit the post and went wide.

Sterling then held the ball up superbly for substitute Lallana, who forced Courtois into a fine save to his right with a 25-yard volley as Liverpool continued to dominate.

The Reds pressed hard for a winner, but were cut out time and again by a resolute Chelsea, who registered only two attempts on goal in the 90 minutes.

The two sides meet for the return leg at Stamford Bridge on January 27.

Player ratings

Liverpool: Mignolet (6); Can (5), Skrtel (7), Sakho (6); Lucas (7), Henderson (7), Gerrard (7), Moreno (7); Markovic (6), Coutinho (7), Sterling (8)

Subs: Lallana (7)

Chelsea: Courtois (8); Ivanovic (6), Cahill (7), Terry (7), Filipe Luis (6); Matic (7), Mikel (6); Willian (6), Fabregas (7), Hazard (7); Costa (6)

Subs: Azpilicueta (6)

Man of the match: Thibaut Courtois

Cr.Sky Sports

a Martin Luther King Jr. day

MLK Day : Jan 20

 Tributes to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. were held nationwide on Monday as protests over the treatment of minorities by law enforcement rolled on across the country.

Observers of Martin Luther King Jr. Day have this year linked the federal holiday to a rallying cry in recent months during demonstrations over police brutality:
                                        "Black lives matter."

King's 1960s dream of racial equality was being viewed through a lens focused on the recent deaths of unarmed black men after confrontations with police, including Eric Garner, who died in July after being put in a chokehold in New York City, and Michael Brown, shot in Ferguson, Missouri, in August.

Dream Alive : Martin Luther King Jr.

One demonstration against police brutality in California on Monday ended with more than 60 people arrested after blocking westbound rush hour traffic on the San Mateo-Hayward Bridge, a major thoroughfare in the San Francisco Bay Area, said California Highway Patrol Officer Damian Cistaro.

More than 1,800 people pressed into a King commemoration service at the Ebenezer Baptist Church in Atlanta, where King once preached, some holding signs with his famous quote "I am a man," others with placards reading "I can't breathe" in Garner's memory and "Hands up! Don't shoot!" to honor Brown.

"We look at the yellow crime scene tape that's wrapped around America now and we know that we have a lot of work still to do," Gwendoyln Boyd, president of Alabama State University, told the crowd that responded with an earsplitting   "Amen!"

'RECLAIMING MARTIN LUTHER KING'

About 400 protesters blocked traffic in New York City as they walked about 60 blocks from Harlem to near the United Nations, chanting "Black lives matter!" as King's speeches blared from loudspeakers.

"This march is about reclaiming Martin Luther King. He was a radical organizer - he's been arrested, he believed in non-violence, but he was also disruptive," said Linda Sarsour, spokeswoman for the Justice League NYC, which organized the #Dream4Justice March.

Hours before an evening vigil on the Staten Island street where Garner died, his family placed wreaths on the Brooklyn street where two uniformed officers were ambushed in December by a gunman claiming to avenge the deaths of Garner and Brown.

"This holiday should also represent that we are unequivocally against the shedding of innocent blood," said the Rev. Al Sharpton, who accompanied Garner's widow, mother and children as they laid down the arrangements of blue hyacinths and white roses.

Demonstrations in other U.S. cities included 1,500 protesters against police brutality in Oakland, California, said Oakland Police Officer Johnna Watson. There were no arrests.

President Barack Obama, the nation's first African-American president, took a more traditional approach to honoring King on Monday, spending the day working with his family and other children on a literacy project at a Washington charity.

Obama has shied away from race-related activism, but after a grand jury failed to indict a white officer in Brown's death, he spoke out against what he called the "deep distrust" between law enforcement and black Americans, vowing to use his last two years in office to improve community policing and trust between the groups.

Let Freedom Ring : Martin Luther King Jr.

(Additional reporting by Natasja Sheriff in New York, Rich McKay in Atlanta, Peter Henderson and Noah Berger in Oakland; Emmett Berg in San Francisco; Steve Holland in Washington; editing by Barbara Goldberg, Mary Wisniewski, G Crosse an

Cr.Reuters News

Anne Kirkbride dies

 William Roache (Ken Barlow) with Anne Kirkbride(Deirdre Barlow)

Anne Kirkbride dies: Coronation Street's William Roache leads tributes
Fellow Coronation Street stars and famous figures from the world of showbusiness have been remembering the actress, 60, who died on Monday evening

 The actor William Roache, who played Anne Kirkbride’s husband Ken Barlow, has led tributes to his co-star, describing her as “a loving and vibrant person”.

Kirkbride died at a Manchester hospital on Monday night after a short illness. Castmates and other showbusiness figures have added their tributes to the 60-year-old, who had acted in the soap since 1972.

Camilla, Anne Kirkbride,and Ryan Thomas

Mr Roache said: “I feel Anne’s loss so personally having worked closely with her for over 40 years. You always knew she was there because her laugh was never far away.

"She was an impeccable performer with superb comedy timing and an immense gift for really heightened drama. We had some rows over the years as Ken and Deirdre and it was wonderful to play those scenes opposite her.

"Coronation Street has lost one of its iconic characters and Anne will be greatly missed.”

iewers of the soap had been entranced by the long-running saga of Ken and Deirdre Barlow for decades, since they were first married in 1981.

Last year Kirkbride defended Roache at his sex assault trial by taking to the witness box at Preston Crown Court to praise her co-star.

She told the jury that Roache was "always a perfect gentleman" around her, and when asked what one word she would use to describe him, she replied: "Lovely."
Other famous figures added their tributes to the actress after news of her death broke on Monday evening.

Paddy McGuinness, the comedian, tweeted a picture of Deirdre’s oversize glasses. He added that Kirkbride was “part of our lives, whether you knew her or not”.

 Other Coronation Street stars paying tribute to Kirkbride included fellow soap veteran Beverley Callard.



Known for playing Rovers Return barmaid Liz McDonald, Callard tweeted: "My beautiful darling friend, Anne Kirkbride, passed away in a room filled with love. God Bless, my Darling Girl! Peace and rest!"

Les Dennis, who plays Michael Rodwell, tweeted: "So very sad to hear our lovely Anne Kirkbride has died. One of the true icons of @itvcorrie. We will all miss you. The nations favourite."

Michelle Keegan, whose character Tina McIntyre made a dramatic exit last year, said: "The nation is now in mourning..."

Anne Kirkbride as she unveiled the new wax figure

Kate Ford, who plays Deirdre's daughter Tracy Barlow, tweeted: "Heartbroken at the loss of my friend and beautiful on screen mummy. The most crazy funny 100 per cent human. My life was enriched by her."

And Samia Ghadie, who plays Maria in the soap, tweeted: "RIP to a wonderful unforgettable lady.. Anne Kirkbride. We will miss you so very

Cr.Telegraph Post