Baig: iPad Mini a lighter, different take

EVOLUTION OF THE IPADTracing the evolution of Apple's iPad, including the latest addition, the iPad mini and the fourth-generation iPad.

The big reveal is here, and the result is something littler: Apple has introduced an iPad Mini. The new pencil-thin (7.2mm) iPad Mini comes a mere half-year after the third-generation iPad was introduced. Apple says it's as light as a pad of paper.

It will be priced at $329.

Is it different? The Mini has a 7.9-inch screen, measured diagonally (vs. 9.7-inches for the larger iPad, a new one of which Apple also introduced). That's wider than the 7-inch screens on the Kindle or Nexus 7, just big enough that I couldn't stash it in my inside coat pocket when I got a chance to briefly hold it at Apple's launch event. For what it's worth, I can fit the Google tablet in that same pocket.

The new screen has resolution of 1024 by 768, so all the software created for previous iPads will work. But it doesn't sport the sterling retina display that's on the latest generations of its larger sibling. Still, there's nothing you can do with the new iPad that you won't be able to do on the larger iPad, and vice versa.

The smaller screen sizes will change certain behaviors; I suspect, for example, folks might be more inclined to read books on the mini.

The iPad mini is made of aluminum, as opposed to the plastic that Google's Nexus 7 is made of.
The new iPad has a dual-core A5 chip. It has FaceTime HD and 5MP iSight cameras. On certain models, it has LTE wireless as fast as the bigger iPads. Wi-Fi is more robust, too. And it has the inevitable Lightning connector (bad news for those of you with lots of iPad accessories based on the prior dock connector).

I think this is going to be a humongous seller — and I suspect the executives at Google, Amazon and Microsoft may be quaking in their boots, especially at the $329 starting price for a Wi-Fi-only model with 16 gigabytes of storage, or $459 starting prices for 16 GB with Wi-Fi plus cellular. Apple also sells versions with 32 and 64 GB, respectively. The Wi-Fi version ships first on Nov. 2.

I obviously want to get my hands, or should I say, one hand on it for an extended period, since that's what Apple is promising you'll be able to do. But I imagine folks are already strategizing about lining up to get one.

Apple says the new smaller iPad has 10-hour battery life, and it retains what is arguably the biggest advantage that Apple claims — the 275,000 apps in the App Store.

OK, I admit it. I'm lusting after an iPad Mini — and wondering if I get one how often I'd schlep it, and how often I'd bring along the larger third-generation iPad that I own. The answer to that will come as I use the Mini, and assess its strengths and weaknesses against the larger model. But one person I talked to said he's ready to sell the bigger device and just use the Mini. He's probably not alone.

P.S.: I'm also eyeing the new iMac and maybe the new MacBook Pro. At its big event Tuesday, Apple first gave love to the Mac.

Among the results are a brand new 0.75-inch thin MacBook Pro that is one-fifth thinner than its predecessor and at just 3.57 pounds, nearly a pound lighter. The machine has a pair of Thunderbolt ports, a MagSafe 2 connector, two USB 3 ports, HDMI and an SD card reader. The retina display measures 13.3 inches. Apple says the screen has a 75% reduced reflection. It's got a FaceTime high-definition camera.

Apple marketing executive Phil Schiller bragged about the screen, the graphics, a 7-hour battery and more. It runs OS X Mountain Lion.

Among its features: Power Nap. It can update your calendar, e-mail, backups and more while the machine sleeps.

It starts at $1,699 for 128 GB of storage, so it's not cheap — and starts shipping immediately.

Schiller also announced a new version of the Mac mini computer, starting at $599. One new configuration is a $999 Mac mini server.

While mobile is the dominant form of computing today, Apple is also unveiling an 8th generation iMac. It is super-thin (5mm, 80% thinner than previous generation), has edge-to-edge glass and a beautiful screen, and is so svelte that Schiller quips, "There's an entire computer in there. " It does indeed make the previous generation look ancient. The new computer laminates the display directly to the glass.

It's worth noting that to get that thin, the DVD/CD drive has been removed. I rely on physical discs less and less these days, but some people will certainly miss the integrated drive. (You can still get an optional SuperDrive).

Apple is adding what it calls a Fusion Drive, a new spin on storage. It's 128 GB of flash storage, that you can add to a 1-terabyte or 3-TB hard drive, all fused into a single volume. This sounds great in theory. You get the large storage you may need but can take advantage of all the software that is pre-loaded on the machine in the faster flash section. And the drive can intelligently figure out the programs you move most often — and those that you don't.

The price is impressive, too, $1,299 to start for a 2.7-GHz Quad-core version. Machines start shipping next month.

Source : usatoday.com

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Minecraft Delays Game Update Until Thursday

The ultra expansive video game of Minecraft has announced that they will delay the release of their 1.4 "Pretty Scary," update after Mojang the developers discovered and fixed a bug involving suffocating animals.

They have however made a second pre release version of the update available now for download. The release date for the upcoming 1.4 version of MineCraft is set to be ready on Thursday, Oct. 25 instead of the day in front Wednesday.

Developer Nathan "Dinnerbone" Adams took to Twitter to air what the problem was about. He said that the bug was causing mobs to suffocate and fall through wooden floors.

The 1.4.1 MineCraft update that was released early Oct. 23 has smoothed over some cracks until the newer version comes along in a matter of days.

According to examiner.com some of the solved issues include; The fixing of mobs glitching through floors and players glitching through Beacons, the update also fixed the problem of Redstones Repeaters getting stuck in 'on' state.

Other changes made are; bats spawning less frequently, font issues resolved and tweaking enchantment points reward for smelting just to name a few.

For those new to the game Minecraft is an independent video game that was created by Mojang and is available currently on PC, Android, iOS and Xbox 360 and is playable in both single and multi-player mode.

The concept of the game is generally based on creating and trying to survive in a 3D world.

The artists of the game are Kristoffer Zetterstrand and Markus "Junkboy" Toivonen and the designers are Markus "Notch" Persson and Jens "Jeb" Bergensten.  

Source : classicalite.com

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Presidential debate? Who "are" the winner?

In a presidential debate largely lacking the combativeness of last week's town hall, President Obama and Mitt Romney both seemed achieve their goals in Monday's foreign policy faceoff.

President Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney each used Monday night’s third and final presidential debate to try to close the deal with a divided American electorate.

In a presidential debate without any glaring gaffes and largely held in a more congenial tone than the combative encounter of last week, both men seemed to accomplish what they may have set out to do: Mr. Romney to come across as an acceptable commander-in-chief, Mr. Obama to portray a successful presidency while planting seeds of doubt about a challenger who recently has had the momentum.

While the debate’s theme was ostensibly foreign policy, both candidates time and again brought their answers back to the domestic economy, jobs, and who would do the better job of building an America for the 21st century.

“After a decade of war, I think we all recognize we have to do some nation-building at home,” Obama said more than once.

“I certainly don’t want to go back to the policies of the last four years,” Romney retorted. “It hasn’t worked.

Within that common goal of steering the discussion to the economy, each candidate seemed to have a particular agenda for the evening. The president seemed intent on portraying his challenger as someone “all over the map,” who lacks the kind of resolve required of the commander-in-chief. “You keep trying to airbrush history,” Obama told Romney at one point. “Your strategy [on Libya] has been all over the map,” he said at another point.

Romney, on the other hand, seemed to have stepped onto the debate stage at Lynn University in Boca Raton, Fla., determined to debunk the image of him – drawn from his own words, in some cases, as well as portrayals from the Obama camp – as a militarist itching to strike adversaries like Iran with a big stick.

“We can’t kill ourselves out of this mess,” Romney said, in explaining to moderator Bob Schieffer what he means when he says US foreign policy in the Middle East is “unraveling.”

Using the word “peace” so many times it became clear he was making a point, Romney even spoke positively of the United Nations and the need to work in cooperation with it.

Romney also appeared to take a lesson from the Karl Rove playbook – where rule No. 1 is, attack your opponents' strengths – when he acted to preempt what he figured would be Obama’s touting of the death of Osama bin Laden.

“We’re going to have to do more than killing bad guys,” Romney said in describing what he described as the Middle East’s backward slide under Obama’s foreign policy.

In one of Obama’s best moments, he explained why it was important to take out Mr. bin Laden. Noting that at one point in the past Romney said he would “not move heaven and earth” to get the Al Qaeda chief, Obama said, “It was worth moving heaven and earth to get bin Laden” because it sent a message to the world, including terrorists who would target America, and it provided the families of 9/11 victims with closure.

He then told the story, comforter-in-chief style, of a young woman, her father having perished in the World Trade Center attack, who told him what it meant to her that the perpetrator of the crime had been served justice.

Surprisingly, the debate did not continue the who-did-what-when on the Benghazi consulate attack that figured so prominently in the last presidential debate. Indeed, on many issues – the Afghanistan war, getting tough on China and its trade policies, stopping Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon, strengthening bonds with Israel – the two candidates seemed to agree more than to disagree.

On Syria, Romney tried to make the case that he would address the “tragedy” there without “having our military involved.” But after Romney described what he would do – like work closely with allies in the region and help develop a coherent armed opposition – Obama retorted: “He doesn’t have different ideas because we’re doing what we should be doing.”

Both men spoke of the importance of American leadership, and the role that soft-power goals like empowering women play in ultimately delivering the safer and more prosperous world that is in America’s interests.

Polls show that both nationally and in key battleground states, Americans place foreign policy well down on their list of priorities for this presidential election. As a result, it is likely that many voters watched the debate more to judge each candidate on broad qualities like leadership and vision than to score them on policy specifics of Syria or Pakistan.

Source : CSMonitor.com

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Friends remember Autumn Pasquale fondly

In the evenings after school, Autumn Pasquale tore around the driveway of a friend’s Clayton home, jumping ramps on her white BMX bike with a tight-knit trio of friends.

On Tuesday evening, the 12-year-old’s longtime friend and Clayton Middle School classmate RJ and two other friends made their usual runs across the driveway without the familiar presence of Autumn — her bike now a piece of evidence in the ongoing investigation into her death.

“It makes me mad sometimes,” RJ said of the smacking pain of Autumn’s death. “It feels like she is still here and I could go to her house and we could bike but we can’t do that.”

Just days before turning 13, Autumn Pasquale was by all accounts a typical tween.

A seventh-grade student at Clayton Middle School the blonde-haired 12-year-old snapped portraits of herself with her cell phone, followed pop music, loved BMX biking and kept up with friends via different Facebook accounts.

She was on her white bike on Saturday when she left her High Street home to go cycling at Scotland Run Park. But this time she didn’t return home, her body instead discovered in a recycling bin on Monday night — ending some 60 hours of widespread searches that involved hundreds.

The bike was recovered Tuesday afternoon in a home close to where her body was found.

“She didn’t deserve any of it,” RJ’s mother Michelle Doughty said Tuesday.

Doughty said Autumn Pasquale came to her home nearly every day after school. Some days she would drive RJ, Doughty and two other friends to local parks to ride and on others they would set up ramps and ride routes around the driveway.

By 8:30 p.m., Doughty would ferry the kids back to their parents. According to reports, Autumn lived with her father, her two siblings, her father's girlfriend, and the girlfriend's children.

While she was fully assimilated into life with the family, Doughty said Autumn Pasquale was always conscience to keep in check with her father, calling to ask if she could stay for dinner.

Two weekends ago Autumn went camping with the Doughty’s, jumping hills on her bike with RJ.

While quiet, Doughty said Autumn was quick to fit into others and smiled easily.

On a Facebook page Autumn Pasquale wrote “I like to hang out with my friends and ummmmmm listen to music and ummmmmmmmmmmmmm i play soccer yeppp thts about it.”

On the page Autumn indicated she liked Snookie, Justin Beiber and Sponge Bob Square Pants.

But the petite girl also had a love for adventure, describing herself as a fan of BMX, kickboxing and skateboarding.

It was around 11:30 last Saturday night that Autumn’s father stopped over to say Autumn was missing, Doughty recounted.

The following morning Doughty and her children joined in the search.

“My kids have been there through everything,” she said Tuesday. “It’s rough for RJ. He just stares out.”

“I think they are more in shock right now.”

Doughty herself is wishing the finality of the tragedy could somehow be reversed.

“You just want to wake up from a dream,” she said.

On Autumn’s Facebook page on Tuesday friends and others who had learned of the tragedy left comments mourning her death.

“Rest easy, babygirl,” one girl wrote. “You'll never know the effect you had on me and the rest of our town. We will always remember you and forever keep you in our hearts.”

source : courierpostonline.com

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Chicago Bears, Free Head Exam

After the Chicago Bears' 13-7 victory over the Detroit Lions, here are three issues that merit further examination:

1. I thought it was interesting to see defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli beef up his blitz packages against the Lions, who for the most part had been stymied this season by four-man pass rushes and maximum coverage. Marinelli blitzed regularly early in the game and finished with blitzes on 28.8 percent of quarterback Matthew Stafford's dropbacks. The Chicago Bears entered the game blitzing on about 20 percent of opposing dropbacks, and Stafford had been facing the blitz on about 12 percent of the time. In the end, the Chicago Bears did most of their damage when they sent four pass-rushers. That's how they got two of their three sacks as well as their fourth-quarter interception. But anecdotally, I thought Marinelli's early blitzing prevented Stafford from getting into a rhythm and forced him to leave the pocket far more often than he likes to. Coach Jim Schwartz agreed. "They threw our timing off," he said.

2. The Chicago Bears did as good of a job on receiver Calvin Johnson as any team in recent memory. Monday night was only the third time Johnson has been held under three receptions in his past 24 games dating back to 2010, and it wasn't for lack of trying. Stafford targeted him on 11 passes, but cornerback Charles Tillman made the connections difficult. Tillman finished with two tipped passes, in some ways proving that the best way to defend big receivers is with big cornerbacks. "It's hard for Detroit to win games without him being productive," Bears coach Lovie Smith said. "That’s why you need a guy like Charles Tillman that can match up on him and it made them go and look at other ways to get the ball down the field. That's going to lead us to a win most of the time if we can get that effort out of Charles."

3. After watching the Lions struggle to get the ball to Johnson, Bears fans should have an appreciation for the way offensive coordinator Mike Tice, quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates and quarterback Jay Cutler have found ways to get the ball to Marshall consistently. He caught six of the team's 16 completions Monday, including three when the Chicago Bears got him matched up about new Lions nickel back Alphonso Smith. On the season, Marshall has caught 38.7 percent of the Bears' completions, the highest rate in the NFL, according to ESPN Stats & Information. He is also the only receiver this season who has accounted for at least 40 percent of his team's receiving yards. Opponents aren't dumb. They are gameplanning to stop Marshall as their top priority in the Bears' passing game. But with the exception of the Week 2 loss to the Green Bay Packers, the Bears have been one step ahead.

And here is one issue we still don't get:

Is Marshall speaking for a silent majority in the Bears locker room, or only as fiercely loyal friend, in repeated suggestions that Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh crossed a line with his second-quarter sack of Cutler, which bruised the quarterback's ribs? We've already noted Marshall's late-night tweets on the topic. Tuesday morning, he told ESPN's First Take that the play was "dirty" and "not clean." Publicly, anyway, no one else from the Bears has backed him up. Smith and Cutler both referred to it as an acceptable, if painful, football play. If more players and coaches secretly feel the way Marshall does, we could have a pretty interesting rematch in the season finale at Ford Field.

Source : espn.go.com

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Lance Armstrong stripped of Tour titles, ban confirmed

2000 file photo shows Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong riding down the Champs Elysees with an American flag after the 21st and final stage of the cycling race in Paris, France, Armstrong was stripped of his seven Tour de France titles and banned for life by cycling's governing body Monday, Oct 22, 2012, following a report from the US Anti-Doping Agency that accused him of leading a massive doping programme on his teams

Lance Armstrong was on Monday stripped of his record seven Tour de France titles and given a life ban as cycling's world governing body said the US rider should be permanently erased from the sport's history for doping.

"Lance Armstrong has no place in cycling... He deserves to be forgotten in cycling," Pat McQuaid, president of the International Cycling Union (UCI), said, calling the scandal "the biggest crisis" the sport had faced.

In a highly anticipated announcement, seen by some as a key marker of the UCI's determination to battle doping in the sport, McQuaid said the UCI backed the US Anti-Doping Agency's decision to erase Armstrong's entire career since Aug 1, 1998. Cycling federations, race organisers and former riders broadly welcomed the decision as an inevitable step. USADA chief Travis Tygart said cycling must seize this moment to end a code of silence that allowed doping to flourish.

"There are many more details of doping that are hidden, many more doping doctors, and corrupt team directors and the omerta has not yet been fully broken," said Mr Tygart, whose agency painstakingly built a damning case against Armstrong based on testimony of witnesses that included some former team-mates who themselves admitted cheating.

source : straitstimes.com

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Iron Man 3: The new trailer shows a serious side

This isn’t Iron Man reclining in a donut sign in the morning, quippy and cocky, or zinging one-liners at Thor or Loki. This is “LiveStrong” Iron Man, losing it all, rising from the snow-whipped bottom precipice of life.

“Lesson Number One: Heroes...there is no such thing.” Intoned with menace by Ben Kingsley’s new villain the Mandarin — with so much basso gravitas, he could be quoting the governing bodies of cycling this week on Lance Armstrong -- those words resonate in the new “Iron Man 3” trailer that dropped with the blinding speed of Felix Baumgartner on Tuesday morning.

And those words echo all the more because the trailer is surprisingly short on levity — no time for those usual quotable Tony Stark smirks of a laugh line. The tease for Shane Black’s turn at the “Iron Man” helm is all quick cuts with the gradual crescendo of cascading doom — Robert Downey Jr.’s billionaire industrialist watching his threatened world implode as his suits and seaside mansion explode. And the Mandarin looms over it all, with the teach-the-sheeple vocal swagger of Bane and the wild-card quality of the Joker.

This isn’t Iron Man reclining in a donut sign in the morning, quippy and cocky, or zinging one-liners at Thor or Loki. This is “LiveStrong” Iron Man, losing it all, rising from the snow-whipped bottom precipice of life.



The hotly anticipated “Iron Man 3” is due out May 2013 — about one year after Iron Man helped “The Avengers” become one of the biggest films ever, grossing more than $1.5 billion. Let the marketing push begin. Apparently, it’s deadly serious.

Source : WashingtonPost.com

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NASCAR odds to win the Chase

NASCAR odds to win the Chase: Johnson the favorite despite seven-point deficit

With four races remaining in the Chase, this week at Martinsville will likely be when we pinpoint where the eventual 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Champion made his move. While we expect Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin to run well because of their historical greatness on the flat half-mile track, the real questions this week surround current points leader Brad Keselowski.

Keselowski has been leading the Chase since winning at Chicago six weeks ago to kick off NASCAR’s version of the playoffs. He’s got a seven-point lead with four races to go, but he’s going against the best-of-the-best at Martinsville, a track where he’s averaged an okay 13.4 finish in five career races. That doesn’t come close to stacking up against what the two drivers chasing him have done there.

Hamlin has four wins over his career at the track that is about three hours away from his Chesterfield, Va. hometown. Johnson is a six-time Martinsville winner, who has taken the checkers there in four of his five Championship seasons. Keselowski? Well, he had a career-best ninth-place finish at Martinsville in the spring race.

Even if Johnson has his typically strong showing at the track, Keselowski, should he at least match his career best at Martinsville, could be neck-and-neck with Johnson with three races to go.

It may sound like we’re just assuming Johnson will run in the top 5, but that’s been about as solid a bet as there has been in NASCAR over the past decade. He has 14 top 5 finishes over his last 18 Martinsville races, and his worst finish over that stretch was 12th this spring.

Hamlin has a lot of ground to make up and almost has to finish third or better this Sunday, while leading some laps, to start erasing his 20-point deficit. We expect him to run well at Texas, Phoenix and Homestead, tracks he’s won on over his career, but his 13th-place performance at Kansas last week has to be a little concerning.

Granted, the new surface at Kansas had several teams scrambling to find the right mix. The Fords of Matt Kenseth, the eventual race winner, and Greg Biffle obviously had an edge throughout testing and practices prior to the race. But that race did indicate that Hamlin might not be as ahead of the game on the final two races on 1.5-mile tracks we once thought. And if the Ford's midseason aero-package problems have truly been fixed, it minimizes chances to get maximum points on those two tracks, making 20-points seem like a much larger gulf.

For that very reason, Hamlin’s odds to win the Championship have been raised from the 3-to-2 favorite last week to 5-to-2 this week at the LVH. Johnson is the favorite at 7-to-5, and Keselowski is right behind at 3-to-2.

LVH SUPER BOOK ODDS TO WIN: 2012 SPRINT CUP CHAMPIONSHIP

JIMMIE JOHNSON 7-5

BRAD KESELOWSKI 3-2

DENNY HAMLIN 5-2

CLINT BOWYER 20-1

KASEY KAHNE 25-1

JEFF GORDON 100-1

TONY STEWART 100-1

KEVIN HARVICK 200-1

MARTIN TRUEX JR 100-1

MATT KENSETH 200-1

GREG BIFFLE 200-1

DALE EARNHARDT JR xxxx


Micah Roberts has been setting NASCAR odds in Las Vegas since 1995.

Source : linemakers.sportingnews.com

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Harry Potter's Single! Who Should Daniel Radcliffe Date Next?

Now that Daniel's back on the market, we picked five girls who'd be perfect for this low-key lover.

Daniel Radcliffe has reportedly called it quits with girlfriend of two years, Rosie Coker. The couple met on set of Harry Potter (what else) where she worked as a production assistant. So, because I think Daniel is not into the flashy and the fame, I put together a list of five gorgeous and talented ladies who would be just perfect for him.

1. Elizabeth Olsen
The 23-year-old actress may be sister to the famous Olsen twins, but she's a total indie queen. Not only is Elizabeth stunning, but she's single and on the verge of absolute superstardom. This is the perfect time for Daniel to swoop in and make his move!


2. Lily Collins
Despite being formerly attached to buff bods like Taylor Lautner and Zac Efron, I think it's time Lily date a more low-key guy. Daniel isn't a paparazzi hound, so he could teach her a thing or two about lasting love in Hollywood.

3. Brie Larson
The adorable and witty 21 Jump Street star could definitely keep Daniel laughing. Not to mention, Brie's a singer and Daniel's a big music fan, so they could bond over their love for rocking out.

4. Mia Wasikowska
Mia's appeared in big-budget films like Alice in Wonderland and Jane Eyre, but she's still such a normal girl. She once said, "I still take the rubbish out and empty the dishwasher." See? Plus, they both have really, really hot accents.

5. Emma Watson
Chalk this up to wishful thinking. We all know Emma is happy with her beau Will Adamowicz, but come on. How awesome would it be if Harry actually got together with Hermione? Potterheads would die!

Tell Us: Who do you think is Daniel's perfect girl?

source : yourtango.com

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Beyonce and Jay-Z have date night in NYC

Beyonce & Jay Z Date Night: The Couple Prove They're The Hippest Parents Ever

Even though Beyonce and Jay-Z welcomed little Blue Ivy Carter into the world back in January, that doesn't mean that they've stopped taking time for themselves. Despite their hectic parenting work schedules, they've both managed to spend plenty of time together and keep up in the style department.

Beyonce, for one, has continued to rock her signature curve-hugging outfits, stunning fellow attendees at this year's Met Gala in a sheer gown and making her own husband's jaw drop in black leather hot pants during his Barclays Center concert. And even though Jay-Z spends plenty of time making sure that his daughter is the most "spoiled little kid ever," he's also kept on turning it out in dapper suits and effortless street-to-stage gear.

So when the world's highest-earning couple decided to step out for a sunset dinner in Battery Park, we couldn't help but notice how cool they looked. Beyonce's leather pants, wedge sneakers, round glasses and top knot were completely on-trend yet so trend-setting at the same time -- it's like the singer can make anything look fresh. As for Jay-Z, he also rocked shades, but the rapper added a pop of color with a bright blue sweatshirt and khakis.

Our parents certainly didn't look this hip during their date nights. But, then again, our parents didn't get child-rearing advice from the president of the United States, so we may be talking apples and oranges here.

Source : huffingtonpost.com

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Yash Chopra (King of romance ) cremated

Mumbai: Legendary filmmaker, Yash Chopra, also known as the ‘king of romance’, who succumbed to dengue and multiple organ failure on Sunday evening, has been cremated.

The thespian had turned 80 on September 27 this year and was busy preparing for the release of his last directorial venture ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ starring Shah Rukh Khan, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma.

The filmmaker's body, covered with white flowers had been kept on stage number 3 of the Yash Raj Films studio since morning for people to come and pay homage. A huge black and white photo of the director was also there with several candles lit around it.

Son Aditya, Uday and actress Rani Mukerji were seen standing in front of the stage with moist eyes, while the family members and those from film fraternity were seen sitting behind.

A string of celebrities were seen entering the studio from both the front and back gates, guarded by policemen and security personnel owing to the large number of fans that had gathered outside.

Among biggies who turned up at the studio included Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Shahrukh Khan, Vidya Balan, Shahid with father Pankaj Kapoor and mother Supriya Pathak, Parineeti Chopra, Sridevi with husband Boney Kapoor, Manoj Kumar, Kajol with mother Tanuja and sister Tannisha, Tabu, Kabir Khan with wife Mini, Prem Chopra, Ashutosh Gowarikar, Vipul Shah, Abbas Mastan, Ramesh Sippy, Gulzar, Subhash Ghai, Shyam Benegal, Saroj Khan, David Dhawan, Resul Pukkotty, Imran Khan and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.

Veteran actor Rishi Kapoor, son Ranbir, Randhir Kapoor, Archana Puran Singh and husband Parmeet Sethi, Punit Malhotra and Varun Dhawan were also seen offering tributes to the 'King of Romance'.

Chopra's body was brought yesterday from Lilavati hospital to his residence in Juhu and then taken to the YRF studio of which he is the founder.

His last public appearance was at Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday bash on October 11 with wife Pamela.

Last night, a host of celebrities including Salman Khan, John Abraham, Manish Malhotra, Priyanka Chopra, Sonu Nigam, Amitabh Bachchan with son Abhishek and daughter-in-law Aishwarya Rai visited the studio.

Chopra, who gave several memorable films to Indian cinema like 'Waqt', 'Deewar', 'Silsila','Dil Toh Pagal Hai', 'Veer Zaara', announced that he was retiring from direction in a conversation with Shah Rukh on 27 September, his 80th birthday.

The director had said that 'Jab Tak Hai Jaan', starring SRK, Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma, was his last film as a director. The film is slated to release on November 13.

A song from the film was to be shot in Switzerland on a grand level but after Chopra was hospitalised, the trip to Switzerland with the lead actors had to be cancelled.

Chopra also talked about his journey in cinema at the Yash Raj Studios on his birthday.

Born on September 27, 1932 in Lahore, he was the youngest of eight children, one of whom was elder brother B R Chopra who became a director and producer. He came to Mumbai with Rs 200 in his pocket and his mother's blessings to make a mark in films.

Chopra started his journey in the film industry as an assistant to I S Johar and then with his brother. With his brother's production house he made his directorial debut in 1959 with 'Dhool Ka Phool' and directed iconic films like 'Dharamputra', 'Waqt' and 'Ittefaq'.

In 1973, he set up his own production company Yash Raj Films under which he made 'Daag'. Then he went on to make intense and action packed films like 'Deewar', 'Trishul', 'Kaala Patthar', 'Mashaal', 'Vijay'.

The filmmaker was among the first to have an ensemble cast in his films. Known for making larger than life multi-starrer films, Yash Chopra had been instrumental in shaping the careers of Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan.

‘Waqt’, ‘Daag’, ‘Kabhi Kabhie’, ‘Trishul’, ‘Silsila’, ‘Chandni’, ‘Lamhe’, ‘Darr’, ‘Veer Zaara’ are some of his works that created ripples in the industry.

With the demise of Chopra, an era has come to an end- those times that glorified the beauty of Kashmir, the peaks of Switzerland and the rustic landscape of Punjab.

Source : zeenews.india.com

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Vivian Lee, Young ones see no harm in erotic postings

A blog showcasing the sexploits of Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee (above) have sparked a furore in both Malaysia and Singapore.

If fame was what Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee were after, they have spades of it and coming with it, an abundance of debate as to whether their actions were morally and culturally acceptable.

Among their peers, most are unperturbed and do not consider the couple's posting of erotic pictures and sex videos of themselves on a blog to be immoral.

Production manager Joshua James Peterson, 26, said while he was shocked when he read the news, he did not think the couple had crossed the line.

"I do not mind because they are not spamming others to view their explicit pictures and videos. It is one's free will to view them.

"They can do anything they want as long as they do not force their ideas upon others," he said.

Student Kan Wai Min, 18, said although he felt the two should keep their sexual activities private, he did not think it was immoral for them to display them publicly.

"But I do think it is culturally inappropriate," he said.

Others showed their support on social media. @AnnoyingBobby said "I just cannot brain (understand) Vivian Lee and Alvin Tan. But it seems those two are happy with what they're doing. So, let them."

Twitter user @warbaby also defended the pair, saying "Maybe all who are upset over Vivian Lee and Alvin Tan's pics wanna do the same but don't dare to? It's their own thing, why judge?"

@SyeikhSL tweeted "Alvin Tan and Vivian Lee, hats off!"

A former classmate of Lee thought she was "brave".

David Woon, who attended university with Lee, described her as "a very sweet and kind" person, adding that the incident was "out of the imaginable".

"Of course I was shocked initially, but I think it's only right to be truly concerned and give her the proper support she needs. To those who are sharing the news and wagging their tongues about it, I can only say there's more to life than to get over-excited about one's sexual lifestyle," he said.

Singapore Straits Times spoke to Tan's former classmates, one of whom said the law student was "reliable and dependable".

Online fashion entrepreneur May Tan Mei Wan, 24, said she found out about the blog two months ago from mutual friends.

"We discussed it and felt it was disgusting to post such contents online.

"I think that they must have insecurities and doing this gives them self assurance or makes them feel more superior," she said.

Peterson pointed out that although the duo were getting a lot of attention, they might suffer negative consequences in future.

"It may seem great now but what if they break up? Their actions may act as a barrier to finding future partners or even hinder any potential business ventures," he said.

Source : asiaone.com

More about → Vivian Lee, Young ones see no harm in erotic postings

Herman Melville books a Google doodle slot in celebration of Moby Dick

One of the great classics of American literature Herman Melville's Moby-Dick has been celebrated in the latest Google doodle.

The search engine's tribute to Herman Melville's best known work coincides with the 161st anniversary of the novel's first publication in Britain in 1851. The doodle depicts a scene from the book in which Captain Ahab commandeers a boat to strike at the huge white whale.

The tribute also coincides with an ambitious project to record all 135 chapters of the novel over 135 days, with readings by famous fans including David Cameron, Tilda Swinton, Stephen Fry and Simon Callow broadcast daily online.

Herman Melville's masterpiece is narrated by the sailor Ishmael, telling of his voyage on the whaling ship the Pequod, under Captain Ahab. Ishmael soon discovers that Ahab has one purpose on his voyage, to seek revenge on the ferocious sperm whale, Moby-Dick, who bit off his leg.

Through the journey of the main characters, the concepts of class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God are all examined as the main characters speculate upon their personal beliefs and their places in the universe.

Unappreciated in Herman Melville's lifetime, Moby-Dick is now, according to the American academic and author Jay Parini, a book which "permeates a culture, reinforcing and shaping ideas: ambition, for example, and the drive to conquer nature, the imperial drive, the wish to pursue an ideal to the last degree".

Source : guardian.co.uk

More about → Herman Melville books a Google doodle slot in celebration of Moby Dick