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Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Manchester City lead the chase for Joao Miranda as Atletico Madrid get ready to cash in

Manchester United and Chelsea have also been linked with the defender who could be available for £20million 

Will he make City slicker? Joao Miranda could be on the move
Atletico Madrid are willing to sell Brazilian defender Joao Miranda in January - and that has put Manchester City on red alert.

Miranda, 30, has been a target for Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona but City are watching developments after being sounded out.

City have already been heavily linked with Atletico striker Mario Mandzukic and it appears that the Spanish club would sell Miranda for around £20m.

City's big money defensive signing Eliaquim Mangala is taking time to settle in English football while Matija Nastasic could be sold in January.

Atletico had strong interest last summer and United have been heavily linked with a summer move for the Brazilian international.

But City have now been sounded out and Miranda is keen on a move to England if he can get a four-year deal in the Premier League.

 

Alan Pardew has the last laugh on Newcastle's hate mob by quitting for Crystal Palace

The manager's decision to leave St James' Park for a relegation battle says much about the unhappy state of the Toon under Mike Ashley 

 
Smiling again: Alan Pardew is off to a club where he'll feel wanted
Alan Pardew has delivered a spectacular snub to Newcastle by quitting for Crystal Palace.
On Monday morning, Pardew’s peers queued up to insist you simply don’t walk out of St James’ Park (capacity 52,400) for Selhurst Park (26,000).

How could a manager with a firm belief he could one day be England boss, give a two-fingered salute to a club cruising in the top half, with a decent squad and a global profile?
And swap it for a relegation battle at a homely club with a fraction of the potential?
Then Pardew did just that.

He has the last laugh with a double-your-money new job, a fresh challenge he believes is more satisfying, and a lot less friction and vitriol to contend with now he is leaving Tyneside.
He was driven away by an impossible cocktail of factors, both football and fan-related.
  Mike Ashley
Quids in: Newcastle owner Mike Ashley will be happy with a compensation fee from Palace
Like his wish for a new striker to be signed in January, reiterated very publicly on Boxing Day, being unlikely to happen.
Like the possibility of having his latest star man, Moussa Sissoko cashed in, either in January or the summer.

True, he has taken on a smaller club than Newcastle, but he’s wanted and loved at Selhurst Park.
He’s taking a no-lose crack at avoiding the drop, for fans who support and respect him.
For months he has taken the taunts of a Tyneside hate-mob on the chin.

Alan Pardew's Newcastle record

185 Games
71 Won
41 Drawn
73 Lost
 He called it “mass-hysteria” and played it cool, but it hurt, and he admitted it bothered his family.
It went quieter when he conjured a winning streak and won manager of the month for November, but the “Pardew Out” campaign ridiculed him daily, and made his life outside of football on Tyneside less than fun.

He isn’t perfect and had has some bad moments as United boss. Remember the headbutt and bad runs of form lasting 10 months earlier this year?

But he has also coached the team to fifth place, had a decent Europa League run, and kept the team afloat despite the club selling every top player they stumbled upon.

The thirst of some to see the back of Pardew at Newcastle – and there was a moment this season when I thought he was finished – assumes Mike Ashley is capable of making a great appointment to replace him.
Newcastle United fans gesture towards team manager Alan Pardew
Abuse: Newcastle fans wanted Alan Pardew gone
That is one huge assumption to make of an owner Pardew himself said doesn’t ­understand football and gets frustrated by its ways.

“We need a manager who is experienced in delivering trophies”, some supporters cry.
Fans drool about a statesman like Jurgen Klopp, Frank de Boer and Rafa Benitez.
De Boer’s agent says he won’t quit Ajax mid-season. Meanwhile the usual suspects including Steve Bruce and Tony Pulis are keen.

Gallery: Newcastle fans' Pardew Out campaign

Ashley is as likely to appoint from left-field, the inexperienced Tim Sherwood perhaps, alongside Toon legend Les Ferdinand.

Interested bosses will have to swallow their pride and be ­deferentially grateful, learning never to pick a public fight with Ashley.

Appointing a big name would assume ambition, but there is none at boardroom level.
Ashley appears happy with Newcastle finishing between eighth and 10th.

A run in the cups? No thanks, that could ruin league form, so the club policy goes.
Which next-big-thing manager is going to ­salivate at that prospect?
It is a mission for mid-table mediocrity.
 
Say goodbye: Pardew applauds the crowd after Newcastle defeated Everton on Sunday

Alan Pardew at Newcastle

Signed on December 9, 2010 with five-and-a-half year deal.
Agreed an eight-year contract extension in September 2012.
League finishes:
2010-11: 12th
2011-12: 5th
2012-13: 16th
2013-14: 10th
Overall record:
P 185 W 71 D 41 L 73

Crystal Palace block Zeki Fryers exit until new boss Alan Pardew assesses strength of squad

The former Manchester United and Spurs defender has made just one appearance for the Eagles since his £2.5million signing on deadline day

Zeki Fryers signs for Crystal Palace from Tottenham
Not gone well: Zeki Fryers signs for Crystal Palace from Tottenham on deadline day
Crystal Palace have told out-of-favour defender Zeki Fryers he cannot go out on loan.
Fryers, 22, who has made just one substitute appearance in the Premier League for the Eagles, had become surplus to requirements despite only joining in a £2.5million move from Tottenham in September.

Former Palace boss Neil Warnock made it clear the left-back could leave Selhurst Park after tabling bids for four players in his position.

But Warnock’s exit means no deal will now be sanctioned until new Eagles manager Alan Pardew checks out his squad.

The news will disappoint Wolves and Fulham who were keen on signing the former Manchester United academy prospect next month.

 

QPR star Charlie Austin and fiancée Bianca sickened by Twitter troll threats to their daughter

The couple called the police this evening when a user on the social media site made a vile comment after striker Austin posted a photo of himself and his little girl, Ava Bella

Queens Park Rangers star Charlie Austin and his fiancée Bianca have been left sickened by Twitter trolls who threatened their two-year-old daughter.
View image on Twitter

The couple called the police this evening when a user on the social media site posted a vile comment after striker Austin posted a photo of himself and his little girl, Ava Bella.
Another tweeter joined in with another sick tweet
Bianca Parker, 24, tweeted: "I've reported you to the police. I'm doing as much as I can to get you charged.

"Bringing in my two-year-old daughter to your sick games is too far."
View image on Twitter
Distraught Bianca later told her followers: "Disgusting. I'm shaking. You don't talk about a baby that way. Let the police do their job now."

Earlier in the evening Charlie, 26, had put a picture up of himself and little Ava Bella in a toy car at their home. Austin is currently the highest British goal scorer in the Premier league with 10.

He scored a hattrick in QPR's win against West Brom last week. Manager Harry Redknapp has vowed to keep him at Loftus Road when his contract expires at the end of the season.

Jonjo Shelvey denies intentionally elbowing Liverpool's Emre Can and apologises to Kop star



Jonjo Shelvey of Swansea City scores an own goal
Head's gone: It was an eventful game for Shelvey - who also scored an own goal
Swansea midfielder Jonjo Shelvey has apologised for elbowing Liverpool's Emre Can, and denied any intent to hurt the Kop star.


Shelvey caught Can - who started in central defence - with a strong elbow to the face in the first half of the Reds' 4-1 win over Swansea.

But the England international wasted no time in taking to Twitter to apologise for hurting the German utility man and denying any malice:
"Just wanna say didn't intentionally elbow emre can [sic]," Shelvey tweeted.
"Was just trying to get my arm across to get round him and it's come off as I'm trying to hurt another play and I can assure you that , that isn't the case.

"And I had apologised to emre can for catching him."
Shelvey could still face FA action over the incident if Andre Marriner mentions it in his report. The referee didn't even book the midfielder over the clash.
Player ratings: Shelvey scores a 3/10 in Swansea loss

AirAsia flight QZ8501 disappearance caps difficult year for airline industry

Number of fatal incidents involving large passenger jets is at record low but nature of disasters has been a wake-up call
Flight QZ8501 search
Search and rescue teams coordinate the search area for flight QZ8501. Photograph: Oscar Siagian/Getty Images
Despite the fact that flying remains, as the aviation industry likes to stress, statistically the safest form of transport, the likely loss of a third airliner in the space of 10 months appears to have made 2014 the deadliest year for passengers in almost a decade.

The still unexplained disappearance of Malaysian Airlines flight MH370 in March and the shooting down of the same airline’s flight MH17 over war-torn eastern Ukraine four months later cost 239 and 298 lives respectively.

Now it appears probable that another 162 fatalities will be added to the year’s toll. Although it remains unclear exactly what happened to AirAsia flight QZ8501, authorities are relatively certain they will find tragic confirmation at the bottom of the Java Sea.

Until this week’s loss, the safety record of major airlines had been on a fairly constant upward trajectory since 2005 on most counts. According to the Flight Safety Foundation, there has been a steady fall in the number of airline crashes, and the number of fatal incidents involving large passenger jets this year was 19, a record low in modern aviation (their count excludes the shooting down of MH17 as a military action).

But the Bureau of Aircraft Accident Archives, which includes smaller planes and military transport planes, puts the total number of fatalities for 2014 at 1,320, assuming no survivors from QZ8501 – the worst annual toll since 2005.
The fact that three incidents have accounted for the majority of fatalities could, on one level, bolster the industry message of increased safety. The big European short-haul carriers such as Ryanair and easyJet can still boast an accident-free history. But in an era when the trend appeared to point to a zero-casualty future, the nature of this year’s catastrophes has been a nasty wake-up call.
The International Air Transport Association, Iata, which represents most large airlines worldwide, as recently as 2012 boasted of an zero annual crash record – or zero “western-built jet hull losses” – among its members. Safety and security remained an ongoing concern, and no one at Iata betrayed any sense of complacency. In some parts of the world, such as Africa, incident rates were far higher, if falling. There was work to do on limiting “runway excursions”, which accounted for the majority of accidents.

But the message was fairly clear: if you flew on a on a new plane with a major airline that had signed up to the safety standards, you could more or less relax. Now, two Boeing 777 airliners flown by a major scheduled carrier, Malaysia Airlines – British Airways’ partner in OneWorld – from major hubs have met their end. The Airbus A320 lost by AirAsia is a plane that dots the skies from Heathrow to Honolulu.

The industry response to the new categories of disaster thrown up by MH370 and MH17 has been to assemble taskforces to report to the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO), a UN oversight body, with recommendations for possible future action on flight tracking and on sharing information about overflying conflict zones.
The plethora of chilling scenarios conjured up by the disappearance of MH370 should keep driving the search for its wreckage. It seems there are few parallels with QZ8501, but should there be any sizeable duration before the latest lost plane is found, the industry’s ponderous moves on aircraft tracking could look like unpardonable foot-dragging.

While the priority given to safety is a knee-jerk mantra recited by all airline executives, an acceptable level of risk versus cost has to infuse all industry thinking, especially in a business whose profit margins in recent years have been slim. The calculations run from how tired your pilots can be to how little you can pay your crew, to whether you really need that state-of-the-art tracking system. How many airlines really need to invest in the all-frills package touted by Inmarsat? What chance of any plane escaping detection given the various tracking systems in place? But then the unthinkable happened.

The upbeat assessment is that air crashes are ever rarer, and so we simply perceive them more closely. Tracking websites show every plane’s path, the global 24-hour news cycle provides footage of grieving relatives, while transport ministers and celebrity airline executives tweet their movements in real time. Should pilot error in a freakishly bad storm have sent flight QZ8501 to the bottom of the Java Sea, it will be recorded as another unhappy episode in Indonesia’s troubled aviation history. The real nightmare scenario for the industry is that once again the reason remains unknown – with at least one expert warning that the technology in planes or traffic control systems could prove susceptible to a cyber threat.

Virgin Atlantic pilot lands 447 passengers safely in Gatwick drama

Applause for the crew of Virgin flight to Las Vegas follows ‘non-standard landing procedure’ after landing gear fails

Virgin Atlantic Plane Circles Over Gatwick Airport
A detailed view of the undercarriage of the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 as it passed overhead at Gatwick airport, before landing safely. Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images
A Virgin Atlantic plane carrying 447 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing at Gatwick after landing gear problems hit a US-bound flight.
Hundreds of holidaymakers applauded in relief after their pilot returned the Boeing 747 to base safely following an unconventional journey that included dumping fuel at sea and flying low over the Gatwick control tower twice so that air traffic controllers could scrutinise the main undercarriage with binoculars.
A spokesman for Gatwick airport said that all the passengers had disembarked from the plane – originally headed to Las Vegas – and that “some minor injuries” had been reported.
The runway at Britain’s second largest airport was closed for several hours, with incoming flights diverted to alternative airports and departing aircraft delayed as the drama affected the travel plans of thousands of passengers.
Sir Richard Branson, the Virgin Atlantic president, praised the crew of flight VS43. In a Twitter posting, he said: “Well done VirginAtlantic pilots & team for safe & skillful landing of VS43. Thoughts with passengers & crew, thanks for support & patience.”
Emergency services had been on standby as the giant aircraft came into land.
Eyewitnesses reported that the jet was flying at a relatively low altitude, as the pilot appeared to be trying to shake the landing gear down.
Describing the mood on the plane, Dan Crane, 24, from Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, said it was “anxious, a lot were worried, some crying. The mood was quiet and [we were] just waiting for the captain’s next announcement.”
A close up of the landing gear of a Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet landing at Gatwick airport after the plane developed a landing-gear fault.
A close up of the landing gear of a Virgin Atlantic jumbo jet landing at Gatwick airport after the plane developed a landing-gear fault. Photograph: Gareth Fuller/PA
Fellow passenger Holly Jackson said the crew tried to “deliberately bounce” the plane to get the faulty landing gear back into position.
She told Sky News: “They said this was a precautionary procedure, or something like that. But it didn’t work and we were told we would have to get into the brace position for a landing and it was then that everybody did start to get scared.”
The passengers’ ordeal began four hours previously, when Flight VS43 left for Las Vegas at 11.44am with 447 passengers and 15 crew on board. However, it hit problems before it reached the edge of UK airspace. The pilot had identified a problem with the landing gear, a technical issue that meant one of the five wheel sets would not descend. Instead of completing its transatlantic journey, the plane would, the captain announced, be turning back.
The flight crew are helped to disembark the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 at Gatwick airport.
The flight crew are helped to disembark the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 at Gatwick airport. Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images
The vagaries of landing one of the world’s biggest passenger jets meant that fuel had to be dumped en route, to bring it down to the target weight for a safe return. But the pilot was also attempting another part of what Virgin Atlantic termed a “non-standard landing procedure” – hoping the movement of the plane could shake down the landing gear where automation had failed. So began hours of circling around Gatwick and the South Downs, tracing a dense, bright green circle on flight tracking websites and alerting a small army of planespotters.
At the airport there came the relatively routine statement that emergency services were on standby “purely as a precaution”. But passengers reported that the mood on the aircraft had changed when the announcement came that there would, after all, be an emergency landing, and that they would have to adopt the brace position. Crane said some passengers had cried.
Passenger Mike Kaufman, speaking to Sky News from his seat on the plane back at Gatwick, said: “This was one of the greatest emergency landings in history. It was very smooth.”
Emergency vehicles attend to the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 at Gatwick airport.
Emergency vehicles attend to the Virgin Atlantic Boeing 747 at Gatwick airport. Photograph: Jordan Mansfield/Getty Images
He praised the pilots and the cabin crew, saying the landing at just before 4pm had been “textbook”. But, he admitted: “We didn’t realise there would be such a fuss, because it had been such a calm experience. It was probably less dramatic than watching it on the TV.”
He said: “The fact everything went so well shows just how professional the flight crew were. The crew were calm. We had a safety briefing two hours before we landed and when we were told we would have to go into the brace position for landings a sigh went around the plane.”
He added: “We were talking about going on a rollercoaster ride when we got to Las Vegas. That is off the menu now.”
A spokesman for the British pilots’ trade union, Balpa, said: “Pilots train hard for exactly this kind of situation. It goes to show that well-trained pilots are vital.”
Chief Superintendent Martin Walker of Sussex police said: “Our co-ordinated partnership response is part of a well-rehearsed emergency procedure. We are delighted that the plane has landed safely and we will continue to support the operation where we’re needed.”

US money blog Fraudulent returns of stolen 'presents' cost US retailers more than $3.5bn

Return fraud is an increasing trend during the holidays but it’s not individual shoppers. Organized crime groups are taking advantage of stores’ return policies
Most consumers who return gifts want money back, but that’s not what worries retailers. More than 78% of US retailers were targeted by crime rings in 2014, up from 60.3% in 2013.
Most consumers who return gifts want money back, but that’s not what worries retailers. More than 78% of US retailers were targeted by crime rings in 2014, up from 60.3% in 2013. Photograph: Jessica Rinaldi/Reuters
Got a “meh” gift this holiday? Forget re-gifting. Return it.
That seems to be the thinking for an increasing number of Americans. This year, US retailers expect that about $64.67bn in gifts will be returned. More than one fifth of all returns take place over the holidays, according to the National Retail Federation 2014 survey.
Yet it’s not the return of the unwanted gifts that troubles retailers. It’s the return fraud – return of stolen merchandise – that costs them $10.9bn a year. This holiday season alone, US retailers are set to lose $3.58bn on such fraudulent returns.

Gift returns: where cash is king

Few Americans actually admit to returning their gifts. Thirty-two percent of shoppers say they have returned a holiday gift, according to a survey by RetailMeNot. When they do, 40% of them prefer to swap them out for cash. Just 16% want to swap out their unwanted gifts for gift cards, 13% for other items and 11% for store credit.
Returns aren’t all bad for the industry – especially if they take place inside the actual store. As people are in the store, those who are there to return gifts might end up splurging on themselves. Eight in 10 shoppers were planning to take advantage of the year-end-sales and more than half of them were planning to spend about $160 on themselves, RetailMeNot found.

Grinch, the retail edition

Talk about stealing presents. The National Retail Federation estimates that about $3.58bn of holiday returns are fraudulent – items that were either stolen from the store and then returned, or were paid for with fake or stolen credit cards and then returned.
Individual shoppers are usually not the culprit when it comes to such scams. An increasing number of these returns are carried out by organized crime groups, says Bob Moraca, the National Retail Federation vice president of loss prevention.
“Return fraud has become an unfortunate trend in retail thanks to thieves taking advantage of retailers’ return policies to benefit from the cash or store credit they don’t deserve,” Moraca said. “Many of these return fraud instances are a direct result of a larger, more experienced crime rings that continue to pose serious threats to retailers’ operations and their bottom lines.”
More than 78% of US retailers were targeted by these crime rings in 2014, up from 60.3% in 2013, according the federation’s survey.
Despite the fraudulent returns, 70% of the retailers do not plan to change their return policy this year.

Russian recession fears as economy shrinks for first time in five years

Falling oil prices, sanctions and collapsing rouble take toll, with GDP in November 0.5% lower than in same month year ago


A board with currency exchange rates in Moscow
A board with exchange rates on a street in Moscow on Monday. Russia’s rouble slumped against the dollar in early trading. Photograph: Sergei Karpukhin/Reuters
The Russian economy has contracted for the first time in five years after falling oil prices and sanctions imposed by western governments began to take their toll.

The prospects for the country’s economy are expected to remain weak after President Vladimir Putin’s government revealed that GDP in November was 0.5% lower than in the same month a year ago.
It is the first time since October 2009 that the Russian economy has shrunk and comes at a time when the rouble has been collapsing on foreign exchange markets after a near halving of the oil price since June.
Manufacturing, construction, agriculture and service sectors all contracted in November, although energy, mining and the retail trade showed continued growth.

Economists are warning that Russia – one of the world’s biggest energy exporters – could be facing its first recession in five years. The central bank fears the economy could shrink by up to 4.8% next year if oil prices fail to recover from five-year lows.

The repercussions are starting to be felt. A week ago Russia’s central bank threw a £340m lifeline to Trust Bank – a Moscow bank that uses the Hollywood star Bruce Willis to advertise its credit cards – and the government has agreed to a 1tn-rouble recapitalisation of the nation’s banks.
The guarantee on bank account deposits has also been raised to try to quell people’s concerns about the safety of their savings.

The fail in the oil price comes at a time when western sanctions imposed over Russia’s backing for separatists in Ukraine are making it tough for the country’s banks to raise finance in the international money markets, leading to billions of dollars being withdrawn from the country.
The GDP data was said to be the first signal that further contraction in the economy is likely. “This is the beginning of a recession,” Ruslan Grinberg, director of the Institute of Economics at the Russian Academy of Sciences, told the AFP news agency.

Dmitry Polevoy, the chief economist for Russia and the Commonwealth of Independent States at ING Bank in Moscow, told Reuters that things would get worse with oil prices at their current levels.

“There is no cause for optimism,” Polevoy said. “This is linked to sanctions first of all, oil and the panic we saw on the market in December.

“The damage to the banking system and consumer sentiment will take a long time to repair.”
Oil prices have fallen after the oil producing cartel Opec refused to cut production to shore up the price, which has slipped below $60 a barrel from its recent high of $115. Oil and gas account for 70% of Russia’s exports and Moscow needs an oil price in the region of $100 a barrel to balance its budget.
This dependency on oil has led to a rout of the rouble on the foreign exchange markets, prompting an emergency rise in interest rates to 17% from 12.5% earlier this month. As a result, the currency has recouped some of the ground lost against the dollar - where it was trading at historic lows earlier this month – although it slipped back yesterday after the data was released.
Mark Carney, the governor of the Bank of England, has said that the failing oil price should help fuel economic growth – the price of petrol has been falling at pumps and inflation in the UK is running at its lowest level for 12 years. But he has given a warning too about the risks caused by rising geopolitical tensions.
The Bank of England has also said that failing oil prices could have repercussions for shale oil developers in the US making payments on their debts.
“A sustained lower oil price also has the potential to reinforce certain geopolitical risks,” the Bank of England said earlier this month.

Monday, December 29, 2014

20 things all women think while giving a hand job

20 things all women think while giving a hand job
NB This is not a hand job (Picture: Ibrakovic)
Ah the hand job.
In these heady days of pterodactyl porn and avatar girlfriends, ‘manual labour’ can seem pretty tame.
But, whether these are part of your standard sexual smorgasbord or you haven’t given or received one since you were 17 underneath a pile of coats at your best friend’s house party, there’s certain things that cross a lady’s mind when she’s giving one.
And, let’s face it, she must be a lady because this is the good girl’s bj.
1. Well this is retro.

2. Is he disappointed? ‘He’ does look a bit disappointed.
Too bad – if he wanted head we should have gone to bed two episodes of AHS ago.

3. I need longer arms.

4. Wow, my balancing abilities are pretty horrendous.

5. Ok, I’m just going to have to shift on down there.

6. Kind of hard to know where to look now.
Looking at him seems needy/off putting. Staring at it intently seems creepy.
Guess I’ll just glance off nervously to the side.

7. Should have used lube.

8. My wrist is already sore. How does his wrist not get sore?

9. And my other arm’s getting pins and needles.

10. I’m not even going to pretend to be enjoying this. I could essentially be milking a cow.

11. Plus, I’m still worried about grip. How is saying ‘it’s all good’ ever helpful?

12. Seriously, you must have wrists of steel.

13. Oh God, my whole hand is cramping. Can you get RSI from this?

14. Ok, other hand, try to keep up same momentum.

15. Wow, things are happening. That’s always a surprise. Could explain why you think doing exactly the same movement on me for 15 minutes is the pathway to nirvana.

16. Oh God, yet again I haven’t thought this through.

17. Men use socks don’t they? Do we have any clean socks? Possibly not the sexiest option.

18. Let’s face it, this could go anywhere. Yet another argument for condoms.

19. Ha, it’s all on you. Good luck getting that out of your leg hair.

20. My mistake, the bedding’s ruined. Bagsy the dry side.

Tuesday, December 23, 2014

10 Makeup Looks for New Year 2015

New Year’s Eve is all about parties, festivals and trendy makeup looks. Makeup trends for 2015 fall into three camps: natural, classic, and bold. Fortunately, most of the trends are easy to duplicate. Just don’t go overboard. You can look gorgeous with a little effort. Here are 10 looks to try this year.
Makeup Looks for New Year 2015

1. Pastel brows

Pastel brows
Pastel hair extensions in colors chosen to complement clothing were paired with pure pigments in matching hues. The pigments were swiped across eyebrows, giving the models a soft yet edgy look. Although it’s a New Year’s Eve party, try to avoid too bright colors.

2. Bright eyes

Bright eyes
This year, Ralph Lauren is showing a lot of sparkles, and the look doesn’t stop with fabrics and jewelry. Makeup artists used shimmery gold tones just over the lashes and in the corners of the eye. This is one trend that is simple to duplicate.

3. Slept-in eyes

Slept-in eyes
DVF showed a glam look inspired by Brigitte Bardot. First, the models’ eyes were lined in deep, rich black. Next combinations of browns, blacks, and greys smudged together to create a glamorous look. To stay current, avoid sweeping color past the eyelid and into a cat-eye shape.

4. Tiny stenciled tattoos

Tiny stenciled tattoos
This year, Tommy Hilfiger was inspired by 1960s pictures of pretty girls at outdoor music festivals. Make-up artists drew stars, moons, and even tiny constellations on models’ cheeks, arms, and midriffs, adding a British invasion look to the runway. Maybe this idea is not for every woman, but if you want to surprise your partner or friends, then why not give it a try?

5. Glitter

Glitter
Get ready for some glitter. Designers are showing actual glitter, not sparkling shadow, around the eyes. One artist used three dots of glitter on each eye. A small dot rested on the inside crease while larger dots accented the center of the eye both above the upper lashes and below the lower lashes.

6. Deep black eyeliner

Deep black eyeliner
Defined eyes are classically presented this season with deep black, matte eyeliner. The look is perfected with clean, not smudged, lines that extend only slightly beyond the lid and end suddenly. If you’ve never used black eyeliner, be sure to experiment a little now so that you won’t have any problems on New Year’s Eve.

7. Bold lips

Bold lips
Designer Tanya Taylor showed dramatic lips in shocking orange. To complement their lips, the models wore peach on their eyelids and delicate orange along their cheekbones. A little less shocking but equally as bold, Carolina Herrera showed models with deep red lips that dominated the face. For extra boldness, some designers matched bold red lips to the models’ manicures.

8. White eyeliner

White eyeliner
Nanette Lepore highlighted extra-long eyelashes with white eyeliner. This look kept the long lashes from becoming too dramatic. To achieve the look, swipe the liner above the eye, below the eye, and into the inner crease. Finally, slightly wing it outward in two lines that do not meet.

9. Opaque eye shadow

Opaque eye shadow
Leave subtle behind for this look. Designers showed a decidedly cat-eye shape that began with a deep colored liner paired with a bright white liner. To achieve the opaque shadow, begin with loose shadow in a bold color, such a cobalt blue. Apply with a wet brush.

10. The natural look

The natural look
This year Marc Jacobs is showing no makeup at all. There are many celebrities who are not afraid to go out without makeup, so why not? If the thought of going completely natural scares you, try Tory Burch’s approach. Swipe some bronzer on the cheeks and add a natural rosy color to the lips.
 
Whether you are comfortable with the bohemian, beach-swept look of the natural trend or ready to rock glitter and opaque eye shadow, this year is the year to try something new. With such a variety of makeup options, there is surely one that will make you feel pretty and draw glowing comments from friends and admirers. What’s your favorite makeup look for New Year 2015?






Sunday, December 21, 2014

Raheem Sterling to be given post-Christmas break to avoid burnout, confirms Brendan Rodgers

The England attacker has featured in 24 of Liverpool's 25 matches this season, only missing the Capital One Cup fourth round victory over Swansea


Rest: Sterling will be given a lay-off in the new year
Brendan Rodgers has promised to give Raheem Sterling a break in the new year.
On the weekend when the Liverpool forward was officially recognised as one of Europe’s hottest young prospects, the Reds boss has confirmed that he will be handed a rest in 2015, reports Steve Bates in the Sunday People.

Sterling, 20, has landed the title of European Golden Boy – following in the footsteps of superstars like Lionel Messi, Sergio Aguero and Wayne Rooney.

Rodgers will unleash Sterling against Arsenal at Anfield, but he will be taken out of the firing line after Christmas.

Sterling bagged a double in midweek at Bournemouth as Liverpool secured a Capital One Cup semi-final showdown against Chelsea.

In pictures - Bournemouth 1-3 Liverpool:

Bournemouth v Liverpool

But Rodgers – while admitting there are dangers attached – is determined to protect his young star.
He said: “Raheem will have a rest even though he hasn’t been looking tired, either the other night or over the last number of games.

"But he is in a similar mould to Wayne Rooney – who I think is brilliant – in that if you take him out of a rhythm, it takes him a while to get going again.

"If you look at Rooney, he is better in rhythm. Take Rooney out for a couple of games and he is not the same player.

"There is a period already mapped out for Raheem when he will come out and have that breather and recovery after Christmas.”

Raheem Sterling not ready for Bayern move yet, says former Munich man Owen Hargreaves

The former England midfielder spent seven years at the German side, but believes Sterling is too young to make a move to the Bundesliga

Bournemouth v Liverpool

Too soon: Sterling would be better off staying at Anfield, according to Hargreavesm
Former Bayern Munich star Owen Hargreaves has urged Raheem Sterling to reject the overtures of the German giants.

Hargreaves spent seven years at Bayern, winning four league titles and the Champions League before joining Manchester United in 2007.

Sterling’s deal with Liverpool expires in 2017, but he is stalling over a new contract which could see him earn £70,000 a week.

“I think he should stay at Liverpool for another four years,” said Hargreaves. “It will be good for his development.

“He is far too young mentally to make that move.”

Pep Guardiola has expressed an interest in the 20-year-old England star, who is seen as a contingency plan if he fails to sign Marco Reus.

Hargreaves said: “Bayern are one of the best clubs in the world. Pep is a great manager. There is no better place in the world for a player like Sterling to be. He would fit in as good players always do,
“It would benefit him to play in such a team.

“But he should stay at Anfield a bit longer. Brendan Rodgers is also a great manager and will really develop him as a player.”

Manuel Pellegrini reckons Manchester City have surprised everybody by reviving title charge

The Blues were eight points adrift of Chelsea in November and City's boss said: “Two months ago nobody would have believed we would be in this position"

Form: City have won eight games on the bounce

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini warned the rest of football they had better start believing in the sky blue peril now.

City’s 3-0 win against Crystal Palace lifted them to joint top of the Premier League – just three weeks after trailing by nine points.

David Silva’s first home league goals for a year and Yaya Toure’s strike made it 18 points from 18 for the champions.

And victory at West Brom on Boxing Day would be their ninth in a row in all competitions to equal a club record.

Chelsea can regain a clear lead at Stoke tomorrow evening, but Pellegrini insisted he wasn’t thinking about putting pressure on his old adversary Jose Mourinho’s side.

Pellegrini said: “I don’t think of Chelsea and whether we give them pressure or not. It was important to get the three points and show we can be involved in the title.

In pictures - Manchester City 3-0 Crystal Palace:

Manchester City's David Silva celebrates scoring his sides first goal of the game

“Two months ago nobody would have believed we would be in this position in the Premier League and in the Champions League.”

City were in danger of losing contact with Chelsea and upset the odds by beating Bayern Munich and Roma to reach the last 16 of Europe’s elite competition.

Even without their three recognised senior strikers and using James Milner in a centre-forward role, City were too good for a Palace team with one win in 11.

Pellegrini said: “We had to show patience. Milner is a player who creates space for team-mates. We planned this all week.”

Palace boss Neil Warnock admitted his side wasted early chances, but insisted they were denied a valid James McArthur goal at 2-0.

He said: “It was a disgraceful decision. We had a goal chalked off that was two yards onside. In the end they won at a canter, but it shouldn’t have been like that.”

Lee Cattermole vows to play key role as Sunderland aim for third consecutive win at Newcastle

Amir Khan
Good Samaritan: Khan wants to help out in Pakistan after the sickening atrocity

The Black Cats have recorded two 3-0 away victories in a row over their neighbours but Cattermole has been absent for both of them


Charlie Crowhurst Hard-hitter: Cattermole will be looking to stamp his authority on tomorrow's game
Lee Cattermole admits Newcastle will always have a ‘special’ place in his heart – but don’t expect Sunderland’s kingpin to show any kindness in the heat of derby battle.

The tough-tackling midfielder has a liking for St James’ Park after making his league debut there with Middlesbrough as a teenager.

Now, having missed out on the Black Cats’ 3-0 wins on Tyneside in the last two seasons, Cattermole is eager to get in on the act – and play a part in a victory at St James’ for the first time in his career.
If he does, it will be an unprecedented fourth consecutive success for Sunderland over their arch-rivals.

Cattermole, 26, has experienced eventful times at Newcastle. He was in Steve Bruce’s Sunderland side who suffered a 2010 Halloween horror there as they were thrashed 5-1.


Emotion: Two seasons ago Paolo Di Canio provided us with this image as Sunderland won 3-0
And Cattermole was sent off AFTER the final whistle by referee Mike Dean for foul and abusive language in a 1-1 draw three seasons ago when Sunderland also had Stephane Sessegnon red-carded.
Newcastle boss Alan Pardew blamed Cattermole for an ‘ugly’ struggle after he was booked for a first-minute foul on Cheick Tiote.

But Cattermole maintained: “With making my debut there, it’s a special ground for me and I have good memories. Barring the 5-1 defeat, it’s been decent.

“I went there with Boro when I was 17 and obviously that was a buzz when I saw Alan Shearer coming out of the tunnel.

“That was brilliant, it was massive. We nearly won – it was 2-2, Lee Clark scored their equaliser in the last minute.

Last time around - Sunderland win 3-0 at St James' Park last season:

Newcastle United v Sunderland - Premier League

“In my time with Sunderland, when we went back to Newcastle after the 5-1, we had to make sure the first thing we did was turn up.

“I remember Cheick Tiote made a meal of a challenge when Sessegnon was sent off and I got frustrated with that. That’s the point I was making to the referee at the end.
“It was a really harsh sending-off.”

Cattermole welcomes hostility from Toon fans. He added: “There’s a bit of a rough reception and that’s nice. It’s a big game and you have to enjoy it.”

Cattermole faces former Sunderland team-mate Jack Colback, who made a controversial close-season move to Newcastle as a free agent.

The midfielder scored one of Sunderland’s goals in last season’s 3-0 win, and Cattermole confessed: “Jack’s a friend and a good player – we’ve missed him.”

Save Over $60 By Downloading These Paid iOS, Mac Apps Absolutely Free Today

Here’s a list of paid iPhone, iPad and Mac apps that have gone free for a limited period. Read on after the jump and save yourself some dollars!

The weekend is here, and there’s nothing like a free taste of some paid apps to keep the geek in you busy. And if you have decided to go on an app hunting spree to try and check out some new ones for your Mac or iOS device in the run up to Christmas, then this list shall help check off a few items.

iOS Mac main

Mac Apps
iScanner ($14.99 – FREE / Mac)

iScanner

A simple file and junk cleaner for your Mac, iScanner has a beautiful UI to make sure even the most novice user understands how to use it.

iScreenShot ($3.99 – FREE / Mac)

iScreenShot

Meant to be a developer tool, this app lets you add an iOS device frame around your screenshots.

Look and Guess a Word! ($10.99 – FREE / Mac)

Look and guess a word

Up for a mind twister? You have four pictures which denominate to one word, and you have to guess that, keeping you busy and entertained.

DotPass Password Generator ($1.99 – FREE / Mac)
DotPass

This nifty little app allows you to generate passwords translated from pattern based ones.

BrowseShot ($4.99 – FREE / Mac)

BrowseShot

A simple app that lets you take full page screenshots of webpages.

Icon Resize ($0.99 – FREE / Mac)

Icon Resize

Meant to be a developer tool, Icon Resize lets you quickly resize icon art for both iOS and Mac.

BezierCode Lite ($4.99 – FREE / Mac)

BezierCode Lite

Again a developer only tool, it translates your vector drawings into Objective C code.
iOS Apps

MyBrushes Pro ($2.99 – FREE / iPhone)

MyBrushes Pro

A self-explanatory name, this paint like app not only offers an array of fancy painting tools, but once you’re done creating your work of art, you can play back each and every step made towards creating it.

Discovr ($3.99 – FREE / iPhone and iPad)

Discovr

One of the best music discovery app for iOS, users can find and play 30 second previews of the latest music, play full length videos via YouTube, read tweets, biographies and much more.

InstantSave ($2.99 – FREE / iPhone and iPad)

InstantSave

If you wish to easily save pictures and videos from Instagram, Vine, and Snapchat on your iPhone or iPad then this one-of-a-kind app will do the trick for you.

Rune Gems ($2.99 – FREE / iPhone and iPad)

Rune Gems

A tricky colorful puzzler with fantastic animations, the game requires users to quickly match similar gems.

Big Bad Sudoku Book ($2.99 – FREE / iPhone and iPad)

Sudoku

If you’re a Sudoku fan, then this is a must download for you.

Instaflash ($1.99 – FREE / iPhone and iPad)

Instaflash

Another photo editor? Yes, but with some very powerful features, including advanced shadows, lighting adjustment and more.

Do Not Move ($1.99 – FREE / iPhone and iPad)

Do not move

This weekend, you can challenge your friends to a dual with this game, which simply gives you points for holding your iPhone or iPad absolutely still.

All of the above listed apps are available directly to download from the App Store and Mac App Store.

Note: These apps are available for free for a limited time only. Download them as soon as possible since such deals don’t ordinarily last for more than 24 hours after posting.
Be sure to check out our iPhone Apps Gallery and iPad Apps Gallery to explore more apps for your iPhone and iPad.