ADVENT Monza T100 15.6" Laptop - Pink

The Advent Monza T100 15.6” Laptop runs all-new technology to bring you a remarkably fluid portable computing experience in a hot pink finish.

Runs Windows 8
The new Microsoft operating system is here - Windows 8! This innovative new OS combines all the important Windows features reliably and securely. It operates around a combination of internet apps and the familiar desktop, dynamically utilising cloud technology for true mobility and flexibility.

The customisable Start screen lets you arrange all your important information and features as required, and Windows8 works just as well on a keyboard and mouse as it does on its intended touchscreen interface, so you still get the same fluid usability.

Easy to operate
With a multi-gesture touchpad, you'll be able to fly around the Advent 15.6” Monza T100 Laptop with the greatest of ease thanks to its more fluid and natural operation

The full-sized chocolate box keyboard makes typing documents and emails a pleasure, and the super-bright screen is easy on the eyes with its sharp definition, vibrant colours and rich detail rendering.

Powerful processor for speed, graphics and sound

The Advent Pink Monza Laptop uses an Intel® Celeron® 847 processor for supreme speed in running programs and apps, going online and starting up quickly.

The integrated Intel® Mobile NM70 Chipset graphics interface provides outstanding high-resolution graphics whether you're browsing online or watching a movie, and the integrated speakers push out some impressive HD audio that will seriously enhance your computing and entertainment.

Well connected

Sporting 3 USB 2.0 ports, the Monza T100 15.6” Laptop enables you to connect a range of peripheral devices and add-ons, from memory sticks, external hard drives or other compatible media to expand your computer, its storage and your interaction with it.

There is also an HDMI and a VGA port for quality video and sound output to a monitor or other compatible external device if you need it.

For photographers and video makers, there's a handy and versatile memory card slot compatible with SD, MMC, MS, MS Pro and xD cards. The DVD/CD drive lets you watch movies easily, or burn off discs of all your best photographs.

The Monza Laptop has also got fast and fluid WiFi connectivity built in, so you can hop online in a flash if you're in a wireless hotspot.

Colourful

The Advent Monza series is available in a range of vibrant colour chassis, and this 15.6” Laptop is no exception with its cheeky cheerful pink finish which will give you a fun and vivacious look wherever you go.

Experience portable, powerful and modern computing with the Advent Monza T100 15.6” Laptop including Windows 8.

http://www.pcworld.co.uk/gbuk/advent-monza-t100-15-6-laptop-pink-17473396-pdt.html

In Golden Globes speech, Jodie Foster comes out

Here's what you need to know about the Golden Globes: Argo and Les Miz won. Tina Fey and Amy Poehler killed. And Jodie Foster... we're not sure. LGBT reaction.

Did Jodie Foster come out at the Golden Globes? She accepted the Cecil B. DeMille award on Sunday night with what was clearly an emotional and revealing speech. It’s just hard to say exactly what she did–or didn’t–reveal.

The 50-year-old actress, who has long refused to discuss her private life, appeared to acknowledge publicly for the first time that she is a lesbian.

“I guess I have a sudden urge to say something that I’ve never been able to air in public. So, a declaration that I’m a little nervous about but maybe not quite as nervous as my publicist.” She continued, “So I’m just going to put it out there, loud and proud. I’m going to need your support on this. I am…single,” she said, sparking laughter in the crowd.

“Seriously, I hope that you’re not disappointed that there won’t be a big coming-out speech tonight because I already did my coming out about a thousand years ago back in the Stone Age….But now apparently I’m told that every celebrity is expected to honor the details of their private life with a press conference…that’s just not me,” said the two-time Oscar winner. She talked about the importance of privacy, especially for someone like herself who has been in the public eye since she was a toddler; at that point it seemed that she had decided not to come out. But towards the end of her speech she thanked her “ex-partner in love” and “co-parent” Cydney Bernard.

The “Silence of the Lambs” star was praised by several gay rights groups and members of gay Hollywood. The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation’s Herndon Graddick said in a statement that “when one of the most critically-praised actresses speaks about her identity and relationships on one of the largest stages in the world, it shows just how much the tide has turned…this is a significant moment for LGBT visibility.”

Openly-gay comedian Rosie O’Donnell tweeted “Jodie Foster–rather amazing speech.” Singer Ricky Martin, who came out in 2010, tweeted [“Jodie] Foster On your terms. Its your time! Not before nor after. Its when it feels right!”

But not everyone was so complimentary, with several criticizing the actress for not coming out sooner, for joking, and not being clear during her speech on a serious topic.

The Wall Street Journal’s Eric Sasson called the speech “confrontational, defensive, disjointed,” in addition to seeming “a bit less than gracious.” In the buildup of her speech, Foster joked that she was “single,” but he said “it wasn’t a laughing matter.”

The Huffington Post’s Deb Baer said the speech was cowardly and that Foster “could have helped millions of people by coming out years ago.”

The actress “blamed publicly remaining in the closet all these years–even with a long-term partner and two children–on that whiny excuse that so many celebrities use: ‘privacy.’ Sorry, but there are a lot of ‘private’ stars who don’t do a lot of press and don’t talk about their personal lives, like Daniel Day-Lewis and Johnny Depp, but we know basic facts about them, such as whom they are married to. The ‘privacy’ excuse is just that: an excuse,” argued Baer.

Author and frequent MSNBC guest Dave Cullen said on Facebook that he was “irked” by Foster’s “caustic speech.” “So over closeted celebrities whining/bitching how hard it is to maintain their lie.” He noted it was ironic that Foster complained about publicity from such a public stage. “She reveled in her standing ovation. Her attempts to rationalize her lies were also cringe-worthy, ludicrous, and a disservice to kids till telling themselves those lies about why it’s healthy to lie.”

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/50461100

Libya to free 110 Islamist militants from jail

Hundreds of Libyan protesters have taken to the streets of the country's second largest city to demand the government's ouster in the first sign that the region's unrest has spread to the North African Arab nation.

A local human rights activist, meanwhile, told Reuters that Libyawill release 110 prisoners jailed for membership of banned militant organisation the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group.

The prisoners are the last members of the group still being held and will be set free from Tripoli's Abu Salim jail, chairman of the Libya Human Rights Association Mohamed Ternish told Reuters.

Hundreds of alleged members of the group have been freed from jail after it renounced violence last year.

Witnesses say protesters in the port city of Benghazi chanted slogans Wednesday demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi. There were no calls, however, for longtime leader Moammar Gaddafi to step down.

As in the Egyptian and Tunisian uprisings, Libyans are using social networking websites like Facebook to call for a day of protests on Thursday.

Libyan state television said separately that rallies were being held across the oil exporting country on Wednesday in support of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.

The online edition of Libya's privately-owned Quryna newspaper, which is based in Benghazi, said the crowd were armed with petrol bombs and threw stones.

It said they protested outside a local government office to demand the release of a human rights activist, and then went to the city's Shajara square where they clashed with police and government supporters.

It said the rioting was now over and that government supporters had taken over the square. Fourteen people were injured including 10 police officers, but none of the injuries were serious, the newspaper said.

A Benghazi resident contacted by Reuters said the people involved in the clashes were relatives of inmates in Tripoli's Abu Salim jail, where militants and government opponents have traditionally been held.

"Last night was a bad night," said the witness, who did not want to be identified.

"There were about 500 or 600 people involved. They went to the revolutionary committee (local government headquarters) in Sabri district, and they tried to go to the central revolutionary committee ... They threw stones," he said.

"It is calm now."

Libyan state television showed footage of a rally in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, of government supporters.(TRIPOLI (Agencies))

Nintendo Wii sales down

All told, Pachter believes that year-over-year hardware sales were down 13 percent in January. He also estimates that software sales were down 11 percent during the month with Nintendo leading the way with $180 million in total sales. However, that figure is down 19 percent, compared to January 2010. Only Microsoft's Xbox 360 saw stronger software sales in Pachter's calculations with a 4 percent gain to $165 million.

The video game industry was hit quite hard by slow sales in January, and Nintendo and Sony might have felt the biggest impact of that, one analyst says.

Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter estimates that Microsoft sold 380,000 Xbox 360 units in January, besting the rest of the market and rising 14 percent over its January 2010 sales. Pachter said he believes Nintendo tallied 320,000 unit sales in January, down 31 percent year over year. Sony once again came in third place in Pachter's January estimate with 240,000 PlayStation 3 units sold on the month. That figure is down 13 percent compared to January 2010.

On the portable side, Pachter believes Nintendo sold 350,000 DS units, representing a steep 17 percent decline year over year. Sony's PSP likely only saw 80,000 unit sales on the month, down 20 percent from January 2010.

Pachter contends that blaming declining sales on any single factor isn't enough to fully illustrate the state of the gaming industry right now.

"We believe that the declines were a result of a poor economy, dramatic growth in 2007 and 2008, lower software attach rates for the Wii, the virtual disintegration of interest in the music category, and stubbornly high price points for the major consoles," Pachter wrote in a note to investors.

But that doesn't mean that Pachter sees another down year in 2011. He noted that the video game industry is poised for "a rebound" this year with sales starting to pick up in late March with the launch of Nintendo's 3DS, a portable that allows gamers to play titles in 3D without glasses.

Pachter also believes that the top three hardware makers--Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony--will be dropping the price of their consoles this year. He said that if the three companies drop their pricing by $50, the industry could see 5 percent growth in software sales, as well as a jump in demand for hardware.

Market research firm NPD is expected to release the official January industry sales on Thursday.Don Reisinger--news.cnet.com

I lost control, says Gattuso after headbutt on Spurs assistant Joe Jordan

Gennaro Gattuso could be facing a lengthy European ban after his headbutt on Joe Jordan took the gloss off Tottenham's fine 1-0 win over AC Milan at the San Siro last night.

Spurs wrote another chapter in what has already been a remarkable debut season in the Champions League when they beat the seven-time European Champions thanks to Peter Crouch's 80th-minute winner

The first leg was over-shadowed, though, by ugly scenes that dogged the match throughout.

Matthieu Flamini was extremely lucky to escape with only a yellow card for a flying two-footed challenge on Vedran Corluka and Gattuso headbutted Jordan after the final whistle.

The former Rangers midfielder also squared up to the Spurs assistant coach and pushed him in the face on the touchline during a frenetic second half.

The 32-year-old combative midfielder picked up a yellow card in the second half, meaning he will miss the second leg of the last-16 tie next month, but he may yet be banned for longer.

"I lost control. There is no excuse for what I did. I take my responsibilities for that," Gattuso said after the match.

"I was nervous. I didn't want to argue with players and I did it with him, but I was wrong to do what I have done."

Harry Redknapp was not impressed by Gattuso's conduct but saved his sternest condemnation for Flamini, whose challenge on Corluka could rule the Croatian out for some time.

Referee Stephane Lannoy ruled the challenge only merited a booking, but Redknapp claimed the former Arsenal man should have seen red, and wants UEFA to take retrospective action.

"The tackle from Flamini was horrendous," Redknapp said.

"He was two feet off the floor. It was a leg-breaking tackle. He's done some damage to him.

"He'll probably have an x-ray tomorrow.

"I don't think there's anything broken but he could have broken his leg, easily.

"I'd like them (UEFA) to have a look at that tackle. How he doesn't give him a red card, I don't know. That's a tackle that breaks people's legs."

Last night's game was nothing like the pulsating 4-3 loss to Inter Milan at the San Siro in November or the Gareth Bale-inspired victory in the reverse fixture, but Redknapp did not care one bit.

He did warn, however, that Spurs must put on just as good a performance at White Hart Lane in three weeks' time to make it through to the last eight.

He said: "It was a fantastic performance from us but it's still all to play for. It's only half-time.

"They've still got dangerous players coming back, as probably we will so it'll be an interesting second leg."

thisislondon

Local Iranian speaks about protests in tehran

Iranian leaders have praised Egypt's revolution, but Monday when protesters in Iran took to the streets the government cracked down hard.

One Kennewick man, Abbas Bigloo, has lived in the US for the last 32 years, says the people there do want to see change.  Bigloo was born in Tehran and his family lives there now.

"A lot of people want democracy and want change. Like we have here, they want to go wherever they want, and say whatever they want, be free to vote, they want to pick their own president," says Bigloo

Last week, the Iranian government rounded up activists after Karrubi and Moussavi called for supporters to gather at Azadi Square -- the site of mass protests by Iran's opposition movement after the disputed 2009 presidential elections.

Despite the security crackdown, tens of thousands of demonstrators marched in Tehran Monday. Patrolling security forces battled protesters with batons and tear gas for much of the day. The massive crowd was largely cleared from the city's streets by nightfall and the main squares near Tehran University remained free of police, security forces or protesters.

Bigloo says, as long as the protestors are peaceful, they should be allowed to demonstrate, and President Obama agreed.

He said he finds it "ironic" that the Iranian government would celebrate the popular uprising in Egypt that ousted President Hosni Mubarak, when its security forces gun down and beat people "trying to express themselves peacefully" in Tehran.

But Bigloo has high hopes for his native country.  "These days humans are very strong and powerful, educated. So it does make a difference if you get out there with thousands of people, they have to listen to you," he says.

KNDO-TV

The Brit Awards

The awards began in 1977 and as annual event in 1982 under the auspices of the British record industry's trade association. The last BPI Awards show took place at the Albert Hall and was the first of the ceremonies to be broadcast on television, by the BBC the awards transferred to ITV in 1993. In 1989 they were renamed the Britannia Music Awards to echo sponsorship by Britannia Music Club and this was shortened to BRIT Awards.

MasterCard has been the long-time sponsor of this annual event.

The Brit Awards were broadcast live until 1989, when Samantha Fox and Mick Fleetwood hosted a poorly organised show in which little went as rehearsed. Subsequently, the event was recorded and broadcast the following night. This was part of a revamp by Jonathan King, who had hosted the show in 1987. He created the "BRITs" moniker and released a megamix of British dance acts, including S'Express and A Guy Called Gerald, called BRITs 1990. He also persuaded Margaret Thatcher to sing "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?" for a pre-recorded segment.

From 2007, the Brit Awards reverted to a live broadcast on British television, on 14 February on ITV. In that year, comedian Russell Brand was presenter and three awards were dropped from the ceremony: Best British Rock Act, Best British Urban Act and Best Pop Act.

On 18 February 2009, the venue for the BRITs was once again the Earls Court Exhibition Centre in London. The 2011 Brit Awards will be held at The O2 Arena in London for the first time in its history, moving from the original venue of Earls Court.
(wikipedia)