Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Marry Christmas And Happy New Year!!!

Dear Students,
We wish you Marry Christmas and Happy New Year!!!!!!
Let All your wishes come true!!!
See You all in 2011, with New Energy and New Ideas!!!

Sincerely  Lilit Nurijanyan 
                Lenka Bočincová
                Kelly Araujo Guimaraes
                Carlo Sanna




Christmas in Italy!!!

Christmas And New Year In Armenia!!!

Christmas in Slovakia!!!

Christmas in Brazil!

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Mass Brawl on Ice

Members of Russian Ice Hockey side Vityaz take just six seconds to initiate this mass brawl after facing off against Avangard.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/7963466/Today-on-YouTube-best-sport-video-clips.html

Golden Globe Nominations 2011


For more information click here

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Save the Amazon - Exhibition in Milan- Author Francesco Laera

Daily Art news

FRANKFURT.-The US-American conceptual artist Barbara Kruger has created a new, publicly accessible installation for the Rotunda of the Schirn, which covers floor, ceiling, and surrounding walls with the white- and partly red-on-black captions typical of her oeuvre. “I work with pictures and words because they have the ability to determine who we are and who we aren’t,” says Kruger, whose show is presented in the Schirn from December 15, 2010 until January 30, 2011. 



FRANKFURT.- A man stands in front of a painting of Marilyn Monroe by US artist Andy Warhol during the opening of the exhibition MM - The Icon Marilyn Monroe at the Icon Museum in Frankfurt, Germany, 13 December 2010. The museum shows 300 pieces on the occasion of Monroes 85th birthday. 

Legendary Musician John Lennon's Iconic "White Suit" from Abbey Road to Be Auctioned


Two outfits worn by John Lennon that will be auctioned on New Year's Day at the Braswell Galleries in  
Norwalk, Conn. On the left is the suit Lennon wore in the photo on the cover of the The Beatles' Abbey
Road album. On the right is a blazer he wore during his video for the song "Imagine." AP Photo/The Hour, 
Matthew Vinci. 

NORWALK, CT.- No one could have foreseen the simple white suit Lennon wore to the famous Abbey 
Road recording studio was destined to become one of the most recognized, scrutinized, satirized and parodied garments in rock-n-roll folklore. The iconic two piece suit Lennon wore the morning the cover shot for the 1969 Abbey Road LP was taken has recently come on the market, along with the blazer Lennon wore in the 1971 Documentary for “Imagine”, and a Chrysler station wagon from the NYC Lennon-Ono household. These important items will be selling at Braswell Auction Galleries 26th annual New Years Day sale alongside many rare and one of a kind items from other notable estates.

Michael Jackson Photo by French Photographer Arno Bani Sells for Just Under $35,000


An undated and never-before-published handout contact board of Michael Jackson provided by French Auctionneers Pierre Berge Associes. This session was shot by French photographer Arno Bani in 1999 and was intended for the cover of his tenth and final studio album, 'Invincible', released by Epic Records on October 30, 2001. EPA/Arno Bani.

By: Diane Falconer 
PARIS (REUTERS).-A photograph of Michael Jackson posing as an Egyptian pharaoh sold for 26,000 euros ($34,880) Monday at an auction featuring four never-before-seen portraits of the "King of Pop."

The portrait of the late "Thriller" singer as a pharaoh, dressed in a gold cape and with dark shaded eyes, was bought at the Paris auction by Ora-Ito designer Ito Morabito. With the added commission, the final price ran at 32,240 euros.

The Facebook's world map

The Facebook's world map


This map is a invention of Paul Butler, apprentice in Californian Facebook base. The map represent the Facebook population in the world. The most populate country like China, Russia, almost dont exist, Australia seems a half-moon, India similar to Indonesia, Brazil and Africa almost dont exist. On the contrary Usa and Europe are the most "populate" countries.
Carlo Sanna

Berlusconi shrugs off narrow confidence win

While Rome burned, the prime minister’s supporters cheered his victory to the rafters. There were handshakes and backslapping, but the smiles cannot gloss over the narrowness of the vote. By just 314-311 Silvio Berlusconi survived the latest attempt to turf him out. He remains in power, but he must know his enemies will gather for another attack.
Later, he insisted he was not worried about the future:
‘‘I am very serene about possible elections. So I will lead the government until it becomes impossible, because I really believe we don’t need an electoral campaign. But, if it is impossible to govern, we won’t waste our time.”
His former ally Gianfranco Fini has become the prime minister’s tormentor-in-chief, and is almost certain to step up the attacks. Berlusconi has been defying the odds all his political career and, after this knife-edge victory, lives to fight again another day.

Rome burns after Berlusconi vote

Violent clashes between police and anti- government protesters yesterday brought central Rome to a standstill.
Anger on the streets boiled over after Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi narrowly won a crucial parliamentary vote of confidence .
More than 40 people were arrested in some of the most serious rioting the Italian capital had seen in recent years.
Dozens were injured on all sides as police fought running battles across the historic city centre.
Some of Rome’s smartest shops near the prime minister’s office were forced to close as protesters ran amok.
Students, immigrants and unemployed workers were among those hoping that a defeat for Berlusconi would trigger change but his survival only left them bitter and frustrated.

Dozens feared dead in asylum boat tragedy 



Up to 50 asylum seekers are feared dead after their boat smashed into rocks off Australia’s Christmas Island.

Top 10 movies of 2010

Top class directing and writing turned the creation of Facebook into a gripping movie.

Reminding us of everything David Fincher does well after the lumpen and interminable Benjamin Button, this story of Facebook fallout was the year’s timeliest movie, among its wittiest, and conjured such an indelible aura of melancholy amid the back-stabbings that it looks certain to last. Aaron Sorkin’s fleet script doesn’t skimp on rapier put-downs, but it’s shaped beautifully to make us feel the overwhelming loneliness of Mark Zuckerberg, both the odd basis of his success and the reason it rings so hollow. In Jesse Eisenberg’s hands, he’s the vindictive nerd as tragic archetype, a know-all who doesn’t, finally, know himself. Setting his obsessions brilliantly to Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross’s pulsating score, Fincher’s watertight direction elevates what might have seemed a legal footnote into a story for our times, one of human connections reduced to a pattern of ones and zeros, in a doomy echo chamber of clattering laptops.

Eleven months after its release, Jacques Audiard’s prison-survival masterpiece, with its scorching breakthrough performance from Tahar Rahim as a light-skinned Arab inmate caught between battling cultures, remains richly unforgettable and near-flawless, an epic of Darwinian wiles.




We expected a fond farewell to Andy’s toys, but maybe not this skilful a threequel, which keeps all the necessary plates spinning, hardly ever flags and elicited many a tear from grown adults when it says farewell to Woody and the gang, with the simple words “Thanks, guys”.


Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Daily art news


DOHA.- Sotheby’s presented its landmark calligraphic auction which will take place at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, Doha on the 16 December. The 145-lot auction will showcase works by over 65 artists from 24 countries, with 82 pieces in the sale which are contemporary interpretations of calligraphy. The entire auction carries a pre-sale estimate of in excess of USD$4 million. The auction takes place in the year that Doha is Doha: Arab Capital of Culture 2010.

PHILADELPHIA, PA.- The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts announced a gift of the collection of art by women from Philadelphia art collector and artist Linda Lee Alter. This important collection, formed by an extraordinary person with a clear vision of how collecting can make a difference, includes approximately 400 works of art spanning the 1910s to the present in all media and by a wide range of artists from the well-known to the underappreciated. 

Christina Aguilera and Cher brave cold at Burlesque premiere

Christina Aguilera and Cher braved the cold to meet fans on the red carpet at the premiere Burlesque, their new film, in London's Leicester Square.

Manchester United play host to Chilean miners

Sir Bobby Charlton on Monday night played host to 23 Chilean miners during Manchester United’s clash with Arsenal after inviting the group to Old Trafford in the midst of their two-month ordeal trapped underground in the San José mine.

Monday, December 13, 2010

World of war craft Cataclysm.

Gift Books for Christmas

Philip Womack stuffs himself with Gift Books for Christmas, covering everything from inkblot tests, via glow-in-the dark jelly, to knitted dogs and everyone's favourite (or not) meerkat. 



If you’ve ever wondered about the sanity of your relatives, the perfect Christmas present for any one of them is The Redstone Inkblot Test (Redstone, £11.95). You look through the blots, feel which ones you’re most drawn to, and then read out the results: they are surprisingly accurate. I’ve already tried it on myself and my flatmates – you’ll be glad to know that we’re (mostly) normal. It will while away that long Christmas afternoon (with any luck without causing any major arguments).



So, too, will Best in Show: Knit Your Own Dog (Collins and Brown, £12.99) by Sally Muir and Joanna Osborne. “Stitch that bitch”, as the authors cheerfully announce. This is a quirkily charming book and the results look brilliant (including a Westie with an adorable wispy face).

 

The King's Speech: set report

The relationship between shy and stammering George VI and his Australian speech therapist is the subject of a new film, The King's Speech. David Gritten talks to the director, cast and crew about its making

Until recently it was a scarcely known royal secret: while it was acknowledged that King George VI had a stammer, few people were aware that he employed, and befriended, Lionel Logue, a medically unqualified Australian speech therapist who had set himself up in Harley Street, to manage his condition.

Their relationship forms the story of the film The King’s Speech, which has been widely praised even before its release. Directed by Tom Hooper, it stars Colin Firth as King George, popularly known as Bertie before he acceded to the throne. Helena Bonham Carter plays his wife, Elizabeth (later mother of the Queen), and the Australian actor Geoffrey Rush is the raffish Logue.

Bertie’s affliction had embarrassed him for years, but in 1936 his brother, Edward, abdicated and he was crowned. As war loomed it became crucial for him to address his people clearly via radio broadcasts.

The King’s Speech was originally a stage play by the screenwriter David Seidler, 73. A stammerer in his childhood, Seidler recalls listening eagerly to George VI’s wartime radio speeches. This, the first big scene in The King’s Speech, shows Bertie’s disastrous closing speech at the Empire Exhibition at Wembley Stadium in 1925. His stammer was apparent to all. It was shot at the Leeds United stadium, Elland Road, where Tom Hooper had filmed The Damned United (2009), chronicling Brian Clough’s brief tenure as Leeds manager. ‘Because I’d shot there, I knew it was one of the few remaining period stadiums that look like the old Wembley,’ he says.

Firth’s main memory of the scene was the cold: ‘It was freezing for those of us who had to stand still for days. But a group of extras near me was a platoon of soldiers getting ready to go back to Afghanistan. They told me this was nothing in terms of cold or endurance. That put things in perspective.’

Mona Lisa painting 'contains hidden code'

Art historians are probing a real life Da Vinci Code style mystery after discovering tiny numbers and letters painted into the eyes of the artist's enigmatic Mona Lisa painting. 

Leonardo Da Vinci's 500-year-old Renaissance masterpiece has long been steeped in mystery, and even today the true identity of the woman with the alluring smile still far from certain. Now members of Italy's National Committee for Cultural Heritage have revealed that by magnifying high resolution images of the Mona Lisa's eyes letters and numbers can be seen."To the naked the symbols are not visible but with a magnifying glass they can clearly be seen," said Silvano Vinceti, president of the Committee.

“Volunteer! Make a difference” the slogan to be heard all over Europe in 2011-European Year of Volunteering 2011-

In the presence of Vice-President Viviane Reding, EU Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship, Jean-Marc Delizée, Belgium's federal Secretary of State for Social Affairs, and European Parliament Member Marian Harkin, the European Year of Volunteering 2011 was launched in Brussels.

Under the slogan “Volunteer! Make a difference” hundreds of activities and projects will be highlighted and promoted.

At the EU level, these include: 
  • EYV2011 Tour: Volunteers will tour EU countries over a one-year period, showcasing their work and engaging with policy makers and the public at each step of the tour. 
  • EYV Relay: 27 “Relay” volunteer reporters will follow the work of 54 volunteering organisations and produce audio, video and written reports to be broadcast by the media. At the end of the year, the combined reports will be compiled to form a broadcast-quality documentary about the European Year and its tour. 
  • Four thematic conferences in 2011 to highlight key issues related to volunteering: 8 January in Budapest: Recognition of Volunteering; May/June: Celebrating volunteers and their valuable contribution; October: Empowering volunteering organizations; December: Closing conference on future challenges.

Black Eyed Peas top the singles charts

Song from film Dirty Dancing pips Willow Smith to No1 place 
The Black Eyed Peas' latest single sampling a song from the hit film Dirty Dancing has climbed to the top of the charts.
The Time (Dirty Bit), which features "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" moved up from sixth place to secure the number one spot.
Film star Will Smith's ten-year-old daughter Willow entered the chart at number two with her debut tune Whip My Hair, the Official Charts Company said.
Smith - The 10-year-old daughter of Hollywood Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith - had hoped to become the youngest pop star to top the charts for nearly 40 years.
A duet by the late King of Pop Michael Jackson and Akon called Hold My Hand was the only other new entry, going in at number 11.
Last week's biggest seller, the 2010 X Factor finalists' charity single Heroes, slipped to number seven.
Rihanna occupied four separate spots in the top 40 chart simultaneously.

Daily art news

The self-portrait of German painter Philipp Otto Runge (1777-1810) is on display at Kunsthalle Hamburg, Germany. The exhibiton 'Kosmos Runge Der Morgen der Romantik' (Cosmos Runge The Dawn of Romanticism) is a retrospective of the Romantic painter that runs until 13 March 2011.






LONDON.- Sotheby's Sale of Victorian and Edwardian Art, on Thursday, December 16, 2010, will open with Masterpieces, fourteen lots comprising a carefully selected group of paintings and watercolours from private collections, estimated to bring in the region of £3million. In the wake of the extraordinary price recently achieved for Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema’s The Finding of Moses at Sotheby’s in New York ($35.92m / £22.26m), Sotheby’s auction will afford collectors the opportunity to acquire exemplary pictures by Tissot, Burne-Jones, Millais, Atkinson Grimshaw, Godward and Holman Hunt, among others.

Are you looking to study abroad?


Each year, thousands of international students flock to the UK enticed by the huge variety of courses on offer at universities, colleges of higher education and further education institutions nationwide. Finding the best university or college and deciding on the right course for you can be a bit daunting.
Don’t worry - help is at hand!
The next International Student Fair takes place in Covent Garden, London on Saturday 15 January 2011.
Universities and colleges from all over the UK will be on hand to answer your questions on the British Higher Education system and give you invaluable advice on the many courses on offer.
If you are considering becoming a student in the UK then don’t let this opportunity pass you by!
Plus
Pick up your free goodie bag including the latest edition of Hotcourses magazine.

More details and information:

Friday, December 10, 2010

Daily art news

PRAGUE.- The Municipal House opens a unique exhibition of the works of the world-renowned early 20th-century Italian painter and sculptor Amedeo Modigliani (1884–1920), which will run from December 9 to February 28, 2011 at the elegant venue of the Municipal House in Prague. The organisers chose the artist’s own magically sounding name as the exhibition’s title. The exhibition aims to acquaint the public not just with Modigliani’s work, but also with the man himself and his life. To complement the works of Amedeo Modigliani the exhibition will also show paintings by Modigliani’s friends and peers, such as Pablo Picasso, Max Jacob, and Gino Romiti, and the last curatorial section of the exhibition will be a parallel display of the work of Amedeo Modigliani and the Czech artist František Kupka (1871-1957), whose paintings will be part of the Amedeo Modigliani exhibition.

The curator of the exhibition is Ms Serena Baccaglini, whose name has already been behind numerous important projects. She organised eight exhibitions about Picasso, the special collection Bosè/Dominguin, and an exhibition about Salvador Dalì. The AMEDEO MODIGLIANI exhibition will contain works on loan from public and private collections around the world, for instance, from the Israeli Museum in Jerusalem, the Estorick Collection in London, and from private collections in Germany, France and America. Thanks to cooperation with the Modigliani Institut Archives Légales in Rome original documents will be shown that illustrate the life of Amedeo Modigliani in the early 20th century during the wonderful years of the birth of contemporary art.

Sakineh: Iran denies reports of Astiani's release



Iranian state television has denied reports that Sakineh Mohammadi-Ashtiani has been freed.
It follows the release of a number of new photos of her believed to have been taken at her home, but the English-language channel Press TV announced on its website that “contrary to a vast publicity campaign by Western media,” the photos were taken by their reporters as they filmed a reconstruction of her crime.
Convicted of murder and adultery, Ashtiani was sentenced to death by stoning, a verdict which sparked outrage around the world.
The International Committee against Stoning, based in Germany, had earlier said it had news that she was out of jail.



Exclusive CS Video: The Narnia: Dawn Treader Cast

Sailing into the theaters today in both 2D and 3D (a first for Narnia), The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader returns Georgie Henley and Skandar Keynes to C.S. Lewis' fantastical world and to the roles of Lucy and Edmund Pevensie, who take center stage in the epic, high-seas adventure.

Joining the younger Pevensie children is their cousin, Eustace Scrubb (brought to life by Will Poulter) as well as returning Narnian faces like King Caspian (Ben Barnes), the swashbuckling mouse Reepicheep (voiced by Simon Pegg this time around) and, of course, the lion, Aslan (Liam Neeson).

Sailing from Narnia's Lone Islands to the very edge of Aslan's Country, the Dawn Treader and its crew are tasked with hunting down seven legendary swords and are faced with dangers from without and within, coming up against both dragons and each traveler's own deadly temptations.

ComingSoon.net traveled to the The Voyage of the Dawn Treader's London junket for a chance to speak with the Henley, Keynes, Poulter and Neeson, all at different stages of their potential cinematic journeys through Narnia.

Watch, vote and win with Play of the Day

Watch, vote and win with Play of the Day, presented by UniCredit. Simply watch our clips of the best action each matchweek, sign in and vote for your favourite play. You will then be entered into our draw for the matchweek prizes as well as the relevant draw for one of our overall prizes. If you vote in any of the individual Play of the Day competitions at the semi-final or final stage, you will be automatically entered into the final-stage prize draw. The prize on this occasion is two tickets plus travel and accommodation for the UEFA Super Cup in Monaco in August 2011. More about prizes here. 

Thursday, December 9, 2010

Daily art news

NEW YORK.- NYU photography professor Wafaa Bilal displays the digital camera mount which he has had implanted in the back of his head as part of a year long art project at his apartment in New York, December 7, 2010. The concept of the project, titled The 3rd I, is based on the idea of capturing things subjectively, without the interference of a viewfinder, according to Bilal. For the next year, images from the camera will be streamed over the internet and at a museum in Qatar which commissioned this project. 

The Museum of Modern Art’s Performance Exhibition Series continues with Performance 9: Allora & Calzadilla, which will bring Stop, Repair, Prepare: Variations on Ode to Joy for a Prepared Piano (2008) to the Museum’s Donald B. and Catherine C. Marron Atrium for performances throughout the day, from December 8, 2010, through January 10, 2011. The piece, which was acquired by MoMA in 2009 and is being publicly performed in the Museum for the first time, was created by the artist duo Jennifer Allora (b. 1974) and Guillermo Calzadilla (b. 1971), who have been named the United States representatives for the 2011 Venice Biennale. Blending sculpture and performance, the artists have carved a hole in the center of an early twentieth-century Bechstein piano, creating a void in which the performer stands to play the Fourth Movement of Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, usually referred to as “Ode to Joy.”

CONFIDENTIAL! Looks Like “Google +1″ Was Just Accidentally Revealed (Pic)

While we haven’t 100 percent confirmed it yet (update: we’ve confirmed with a source), what you see above is what we do very much believe to be a picture of Google’s latest social foray. Yes, it’s the artist formerly known as “Google Me”, then known as “Emerald Sea“, and now known as “Google +1“.

As you can see, it’s a toolbar that exists along the top of Google’s properties — in this case, Google
News. There’s a Share button, a place for a Google account icon, and a Google username. Next to it is a numerical count — it’s not clear what this is for just yet. (Maybe a share count?) And next to that is an options menu.
Also note the big red “CONFIDENTIAL!” label. Yes, the person who shared this clearly wasn’t supposed to.

One other important thing to note: the “Loop” area in the left side toolbar links. This is exactly in-line with what we’ve reported so far about Google +1 — namely that a key part of it is based around “loops”, which seems to be Google’s word for “groups”. Loop is also what we’ve heard an iPhone app in testing is being called.
Finally, remember that we reported on a new Google toolbar area being tested out a few weeks ago. It appears that this is very much to make room for Google +1, which should launch early next year.

http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/07/google-plus-one-pic/

Taylor Swift’s First CoverGirl Ad Revealed!

Looks like Taylor Swift has something new to croon about. 

Though the news broke back in April that the singer would be the newest face of CoverGirl, fans have had to wait to see shots from the star’s ad campaign for the brand’s nature-inspired cosmetics line — until now. “I’m really excited for people to discover the new NatureLuxe line from CoverGirl!” Taylor said in a release. 

Not surprisingly, the fresh-faced country star proved herself to be as easy, breezy, beautiful as expected: surrounded by swathes of green fabric in a behind-the-scenes shot, Swift’s airy campaign shot reflects the feeling of the products, which were designed to deliver a polished but lightweight finish. 

“The Silk Foundation and Gloss Balm are really light and fresh, they feel amazing on my skin,” Swift raves of the makeup. Ready to sing its praises too? Fans can snag Taylor’s favorite products when they start rolling out in January. –Katherine Kluznik Rentmeester

Killing Bono trailer unveiled

The story of Telegraph music critic Neil McCormick’s youth has been made into film.


The trailer for the major new British comedy can be seen for the first time at Telegraph.co.uk today.

Killing Bono is set in Ireland and stars Ben Barnes as Telegraph music critic Neil McCormick. It is a film about the writer and critic’s youth and (his own words) “life as a failed rock star”.

The film, which will be released in cinemas in April next year, is based on McCormick’s memoir I Was Bono's Doppleganger. It follows Neil and Ivan, two brothers attempting to become global stars as old school friends U2 become the biggest rock band in the world.

Euro Top 20. The best music for you!


Photos: Icons underwater - COP 16

Greenpeace activists submerged miniatures of world famous monuments and buildings in Cancun, Mexico, on December 8, 2010, during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-16).



Greenpeace activists submerge miniatures of Mexico's Angel of Independence and England's Big Ben clock tower in Cancun, Mexico, on December 8, 2010, during the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP-16).
Photograph by: Juan Barreto, AFP/Getty Images



Literature: Anti-mafia writer Saviano scoops Europe Book Prize



The European Parliament has rarely seen so much excitement underpinned by heavy security.
The occasion was the awarding of the 2010 Europe Book Prize to Italy’s anti-mafia writer Roberto Saviano for his non-fiction work “Beauty and the Inferno”.
Much of Saviano’s mystique revolves around the fact that he has lived under police protection since his 2006 mafia exposé, “Gomorrah”. His latest offering tells of his time in hiding.
euronews reporter Johannes Bahrke said that despite notable writers being on the shortlist, the limelight fell on Roberto Saviano. But the jury of 12 journalists also had a fiction prize to award and that went to Finland’s Sofi Oksanen.
Her book “Purge” is a family drama set in the Soviet occupation of Estonia.
Both works competed with 90 entries for the prize which is awarded to promote European cultural values.

From: Euronews

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

WikiLeaks: hackers 'crash Mastercard site with cyber attack'

Anonymous, understood to be a loose-knit group of internet activists, tweeted: "We are glad to tell you that mastercard.com is down and it's confirmed."

Another message read: "There are some things WikiLeaks can't do. For everything else, there's 
Operation Payback."

Mastercard was not immediately available to comment but repeated attempts to load the site met without success. 

So-called distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks also appeared to have been launched against PayPal, PostFinance, and the Swedish prosecutors office.

"We can confirm that there was an attempted DDoS attack on paypal.com," a spokeswoman said.

John Lennon fans to gather on 30th anniversary of death

Tributes are to be paid to former Beatle John Lennon later to mark the 30th anniversary of his murder.

Fans will gather at a memorial garden in Central Park, New York, opposite the apartment block where he was shot dead.

A vigil will also be held in Liverpool at a monument dedicated to the singer where fans will light candles and sing his songs.

Lennon's widow, Yoko Ono, has urged people to remember him with "deep love and respect".
She said: "On this tragic anniversary, please join me in remembering John.

"In his short-lived life of 40 years, he has given so much to the world. The world was lucky to have known him. We still learn so much from him today."
 
'He made us proud'

Ono was with Lennon when he was killed by crazed fan Mark Chapman outside the Dakota building in Manhattan, where the couple lived.

Coming soon: new film releases

Check out all the new releases in the next four weeks.

Thursday December 9

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (3D) (PG) Watch the Trailer
The third film in the series adapted from CS Lewis's Narnia books where Lucy and Edmund return to Narnia with their cousin Eustace.

Friday December 10th

Enemies of the People  (Documentary)
A documentary following investigative journalist They Sambath who spends a decade of his life trying to explain what happened in the Killing Fields of Cambodia.

For Coloured Girls (15) Watch the Trailer
Based on Ntozake Shange's play, 20 characters represent a poem dealing with issues that particularly impact women of colour.

In Our Name (tbc)
A debut feature film following a British soldier returning from Iraq to her home in Middlesbrough. Directed by Brian Welsh

Outcast (tbc)
Colm McCarthy directs the tale of a Scottish Romany girl and her Irish boyfriend, hounded by a mysterious beast.

The Thorn In the Heart (tbc)
Michel Gondry's most recent film chronicling the life of his family.

Also released: No Problem (tbc); On Tour (tbc); Shop Around the Corner (tbc)

Daily art news

One of the most important international photography events, The AIPAD Photography Show New York, will be presented by the Association of International Photography Art Dealers (AIPAD) from March 17 through 20, 2011. More than 70 of the world’s leading fine art photography galleries will present a wide range of museum-quality work including contemporary, modern and 19th century photographs, as well as photo-based art, video and new media, at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City. The 31st edition of The AIPAD Photography Show New York will open with a Gala Preview on March 16 to benefit the John Szarkowski Fund, an endowment for photography acquisitions at The Museum of Modern Art in New York City. The AIPAD Photography Show New York is the longest running and foremost exhibition of fine art photography. 

LONDON.- As the result of overwhelming popular demand, the exhibition of light installations by leading American artist, James Turrell at Gagosian Gallery, Britannia Street will open until midnight on Thursday 9 December 2010, marking the final week of the exhibition. The immersive work, Bindu Shards, 2010 which has been fully booked since the first day of the exhibition, will be open for visitors to experience on a first come, first served basis. No booking required. The major light installation, Dhatu, 2010 will also be on view all evening as well as prints, models, holograms and the work, Knowing Light 2007. 

Sport news

It has been a while since Liverpool have been linked with a true blockbuster signing, but how does a move for a twice World Player of the Year sit with you Reds fans? Reports in Italy, courtesy of ItaSportPress - and picked up by the Daily Star - are suggesting that Liverpool are interested in bringing Milan'sRonaldinho to the club. The Brazilian legend, still only 30, is out of contract at the end of the season and would be available on a free transfer.

Captain Kvist proud to be writing history. "It was amazing – an amazing crowd, an amazing everything," said William Kvist after helping FC København to become the first Danish club to reach the UEFA Champions League last 16. FC København captain William Kvist said his team are "writing history" after they sealed their status as the first Danish club to reach the UEFA Champions League knockout stage with a 3-1 victory against Panathinaikos FC on Tuesday. 

Get Gossip Girl Style!

 

  Gossip Girl Season One: Get the Look

Gruodžio 16, 17d,ketvirtadienis, penktadienis, 16-18h - Gruodžio 18d., šeštadienis, 12-15h Šiaulių Didždvario gimnazija




Jungtinų Tautų Simuliacija (Model United Nations)- tai JT procedūrų akademinė simuliacija, siekianti pagilinti dalyvių žinias apie pilietiškumą, esamus aktualius įvykius ir problemas pasaulyje, efektyvų bendravimą, globalizaciją bei įvairiapusę diplomatiją.

Šiaulių Didždvario gimnazijos UNESCO klubo rengiama Jungtinių Tautų Simuliacija (DG UNESCO MUN) – tai kelių žmonių, dalyvavusių RCNUWN MUN‘e (Red Cross Nordic United World School Model United Nations), iniciatyva. Šis MUN‘as – pirmasis mūsų bandymas organizuoti tokio tipo renginį. Kai patys esame naujokai, maloniai pasitiksime nepatyrusius, ne viską mokančius ir žinančius, bet motyvuotus dalyvius. Beje, neverta nerimauti ir dėl anglų kalbos, visi puikiai suprantame, kad moksleiviai iš Lietuvos susirinks į šitą renginį.

MUN‘as mums patiko, todėl jį ir parvežame į Šiaulius. Tikimės, kad jis patiks ir jums, o nepabandęs nesužinosi.

Šis renginys susideda iš šių dalių:
Gruodžio 9d., ketvirtadienis, 16h – MUN‘o, komitetų temų* pristatymas ir paaiškinimas. Nieko ruoštis tam nereikia. Dalyvavimas nebūtinas, bet stipriai rekomenduotinas.

Gruodžio 16, 17d., ketvirtadienis, penktadienis, 16-18h – Darbas komitetuose. Prasideda diskusijos, sprendimų ieškojimas praeitą ketvirtadienį pateiktai temai (problemai).

Gruodžio 18d., šeštadienis, 12-15h. – Generalinė Asamblėja (t.y. surastų sprendimų pateikimas susirinkus visiems komitetams).


* Komitetų temos – tai realios naujausios ir aktualiausios problemos/įvykiai pasaulyje

Komitetai:
1) Security Council
2) ECOSOC
3) Peacekeeping Committee
4) Human Rights Council


SUSIDOMĖJAI?KILO NEAIŠKUMŲ?
RAŠYK el. paštu: rugile.zickaite@gmail.com

Laukiame Jūsų laiškų ir iki susitikimo Didždvario gimnazijoje! :)

Caught in the Act!

New beau Jake Gyllenhaal may not have been there but Taylor Swift was in good (and handsome) company at a taping of the CMT Artists of the Year special in Nashville. The singer got chatty with Maroon 5's Adam Levine before his band covered her song "Mine" on the show (which airs Dec. 3 at 8:30 p.m. ET). During Maroon 5's performance, Swift watched with her iPhone out (to snap pictures) and her hand over her mouth, then returned to Levine's table to offer her review. "I told my band, "That's so much cooler than the song I wrote," Swift told him as he poured himself a glass of red wine.

Ashley Greene and boyfriend Joe Jonas were got touchy-feely during a night out at Voyeur in L.A. When they weren't holding hands, Greene would rub her beau's back at the club where they were celebrating Kellan Lutz's new movie, Meskada. Though Greene did mingle with other guests, she and Jonas stole kisses whenever possible.

Beauty Trend: Hair Spring/Summer 2011 - Dip In

NICKI MINAJ looks set to give Lady Gaga a run for her money. Not least because the Trinidadian hip-hop artist has, like Gaga, joined forces with MAC to create a limited edition MAC lipstick called Pink Friday (£12.50; www.maccosmetics.co.uk). Beyond the MAC connection, both Minaj and Lady Gaga share a penchant for statement-making fashion and equally eye-catching hair.
Both have been spotted sporting this year's bold hair colour trend: the dip-dye look, where just the ends of hair are dyed a significantly different colour to the rest.

SEE STYLISH DIP-DYE HAIR LOOKS

While Nicki favours a platinum blonde wig with an ever-evolving array of dip-dyed ends, Gaga teamed her infamous 'meat dress' with lilac roots and pastel blue ends at the MTV Awards. Other, less outlandish, celebrities have been favouring the dip-dye hair trend too - albeit in a more sedate fashion. Alexa Chung and Rachel Bilson have been among those working the subtler take on the trend - ombre colour, where the roots and mid-section of the hair is left dark brown and the ends are given a surfer-girl blonde colouring.

SEE THE DIP-DYE TREND IN ACTION HERE




http://www.vogue.co.uk/beauty/fashion-trends/101203-dip-dye-ombre-hair-colour-trend.aspx

Designers' Sketchbooks

LIKE reading a teenager's diary, opening a fashion designer's sketchbook is sure to give you an uncensored insight in to the designer's mind - and senior Central Saint Martin's lecturer Hywel Davies' new book, Fashion Designers' Sketchbooks, does just that.

SEE INSIDE THE BOOK HERE 

Davies goes inside the private fashion etchings of designers including John Galliano, Karl Lagerfeld for Chanel, Margaret Howell, Deryck Walker, Matthew Williamson, PPQ and Vivienne Westwood, to find out how they each approach the design process.

As well as sketchbooks, Davies collates photographs, mood boards, toiles and fabric swatches, to give an insight in to the design process. He also interviews designers from Alice Temperley and Dries Van Noten, to Richard Nicoll and Yohji Yamamoto.


SEE INSIDE THE DESIGNERS' SKETCHBOOKS

A Single Pirated Software License Was Used 775,000 Times In 200 Countries

Just how big a deal is software piracy? When security company Avast noticed that one of its paid-for licenses was being distributed illicitly online, they decided to track it.

A year and a half later, the downloads approached one million.

The license was first purchased by a 14-user firm in Arizona, according to PC Pro. From there, it landed on enough file sharing sites to top out at 774,651 users, spread over 200 countries. According to

Avast, two of the computers that installed the program were in Vatican City.
The plug's been pulled, though; Avast has started putting pop-up notices on machines with the illegally downloaded application that link to the free and paid versions. There have apparently been "some conversions," but the real value may come from the publicity the story's generating with posts like this one.

I just enjoy that the pirates went after a product called "Avast!" because of course they did. [PC Pro via Geekosystem]

http://gizmodo.com/5707655/a-single-pirated-software-license-was-used-775000-times-in-200-countries

X-Men Arcade Gets a Release Date

Konami has confirmed to IGN it will release X-Men Arcade for Xbox Live Arcade next week on Wednesday, Dec. 15. Pricing details have not been revealed.

The publisher was unable to comment when PlayStation Network will see the game, but we should know more soon.

This re-release of the popular 1992 arcade title includes four-player local, six-player online, and drop-in multiplayer support. X-Men Arcade will also have high-definition menus and online leaderboards. 


French library finds Leonardo da Vinci manuscript

A coded manuscript by Leonardo da Vinci has been discovered in a public library in the French city of Nantes.

The document was found after a journalist came across a reference to it in a Leonardo biography, the library said.
It was among 5,000 manuscripts donated by wealthy collector Pierre-Antoine Labouchere in 1872 and then forgotten.
The text is written from right to left in Leonardo's trademark mirror-writing and has yet to be deciphered.
"He was most probably writing in 15th-century Italian, and possibly in other languages," the head of the Nantes library, Agnes Marcetteau said.
The fragment of paper with brown scrawls is the second rare item uncovered in the Labouchere collection, after a score by composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart was found among the documents in 2008.
Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was one of the most important artists and scientists of the Renaissance.
His masterpieces include the Mona Lisa painting, which is in the Louvre museum in Paris. He also designed the prototype for a flying machine with a rotating wing similar to today's helicopters. 

Gisele Plans to Continue Breeding

Happy news, everyone: Gisele wants more babies! She recently gushed about her son Benjamin and stepson Jack and how well they get along, prompting the public to just fathom the happiness more spawn would bring into her life.
"I want more kids for sure but I don't know when," Bundchen said. "Right now I have my hands full! I'm feeling very lucky. For Benjamin, his big brother is his hero. Jack comes in and Benjamin has a big smile. He wants to follow him around. Anything he does, he's just in awe of him like, 'Oh my God!'"
Yeah, because his parents — who shoot swimwear campaigns two months after giving birth and whose hair thinning is a topic of national intrigue — can just be so embarrassing sometimes.

Supermodel Stepmother [Vogue UK]