FIFA.com the only legitimate source to buy tickets for the 2014 FIFA World Cup

Ticket sales for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ have already reached record-breaking heights during the first two sales phases. In the light of the enormous demand, FIFA is more than ever committed to ensure that football fans from all four corners of the world are given a fair and equitable opportunity to purchase tickets for this footballing spectacle.
For fans across the world, the only source of official and guaranteed tickets for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™ is via www.FIFA.com. No other websites or parties have any rights to legitimately sell tickets for the 2014 FIFA World Cup.
Other websites offering tickets for the 2014 FIFA World Cup are not legitimate sales channels. Resellers operating or offering tickets are doing so in violation of the terms and conditions of the tickets and in contravention of the applicable laws of Brazil.
What is more, such companies are offering tickets which they do not even have as these will not be printed before April 2014.
Buying from unauthorised sources poses numerous risks
Purchases from unauthorised sources present numerous risks to the consumers. They may end up paying more than the face price on the tickets, or receive tickets that are in different locations to the ones they actually purchased.
As experiences from previous FIFA World Cups also demonstrate, it is likely that consumers who purchase from unauthorised resellers will receive tickets that are counterfeit or invalid, or they may not receive any tickets at all, or may receive them too late to attend the match or confidently travel to attend the match.  
Combatting the scourge
FIFA, through MATCH Services and its enforcement department, is taking strong action. MATCH Services is the entity appointed by FIFA to manage the sale and distribution of all tickets to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and is also responsible for conducting and overseeing FIFA’s Ticketing Enforcement Programme via its dedicated MATCH Enforcement Team.
To combat this global problem, FIFA and MATCH Enforcement use legal, operational and educational strategies and are working very closely with numerous governmental authorities and crime enforcement authorities worldwide, including also consumer protection authorities. The MATCH Enforcement Team has already targeted hundreds of entities worldwide.
All fans wishing to travel to Brazil should be aware of the importance of buying authentic tickets through authorized sources, and buying FIFA-approved hospitality packages, especially given the often conflicting messages communicated by unauthorised operators.
FIFA therefore confirms that:
- www.FIFA.com is the only online source for legitimate tickets.
- Only FIFA’s commercial affiliates are entitled to run ticket promotions – fans can find the list of all sponsors on www.FIFA.com/Marketing
- There are NO tickets packages including travels available as there is no official Tour Operator Programme
- MATCH Hospitality is the only entity which can offer guaranteed match tickets coupled with stadium hospitality benefits. MATCH Hospitality has appointed sales agents. For a list of sales agents, please refer to www.FIFA.com.
- Unofficial ticket offerings are extremely likely to involve tickets which originate from unauthorised sources.
- Tickets which originate from unauthorised sources are not valid and may very well result in the bearer not being permitted entry into 2014 FIFA World Cup matches.

Worst passwords of 2013

Here’s the full list of the top 25 “Worst Passwords” for 2013. Obviously, SplashData is recommending if you are using any of these passwords for your business accounts you change them immediately

If any of your passwords are on this list, then shame on you -- and go change them now.

1. password

2, 123456

3. 12345678

4. abc123

5. qwerty

6. monkey

7. letmein

8. dragon

9. 111111

10. baseball

11. iloveyou

12. trustno1

13. 1234567

14. sunshine

15. master

16. 123123

17. welcome

18. shadow

19. ashley

20. football

21. jesus

22. michael

23. ninja

24. mustang

25. password1

WORLDWIDE SELFIE: Cosmonauts finally get ISS cameras working

source: RegisterDotCOUk
A second spacewalk to install new high and medium definition cameras on the International Space Station appears to have been successful, despite reports that one camera's data link was experiencing problems.
Cosmonauts Oleg Kotov and Sergey Ryazanskiy stepped out to complete a camera installation job that was left unfinished during their last space stroll at the end of December.
The Expedition 38 commander and flight engineer were in the middle of setting up the cameras, which were provided by Canadian firm UrtheCast in a deal with the Russian space agency, but had to temporarily abandon the project when the cameras didn't send any data.
This time round, the high-def camera transmitted no problem, but the medium resolution camera was still having telemetry issues, according to the live online broadcast of the spacewalk. However, UrtheCast said in a statement today that both Earth-imaging cameras were working.
"Contrary to the online broadcast of the installation, the telemetry was received by Mission Control Central near Moscow," the firm said. "During the installation, we were able to complete all of the intended tests during the spacewalk. At this time, all telemetry received and analysed is within our expected results."
The cameras are supposed to be providing Earth views to internet-based subscribers from their perches on the Zvezda service module, in a service billed as "the first Ultra HD video platform of Earth, streamed in near realtime".
UrtheCast expects to take around three months to calibrate the cameras and get the system up and running for customers who might want the feeds, like those in the environmental or agricultural field.

Toddlers love selfies: Parenting in an iPhone age

source: BostonDotCom 

LOS ANGELES (AP) — Every so often, Brandi Koskie finds dozens of photos of her 3-year-old daughter, Paisley, on her iPhone — but they aren’t ones Koskie has taken.

‘‘There'll be 90 pictures, sideways, of the corner of her eye, her eyebrow,’’ said Koskie, who lives in Wichita, Kan. ‘‘She’s just tapping her way right into my phone.’’

The hidden photos, all shot by Paisley, illustrate a phenomenon familiar to many parents in today’s tech-savvy world: Toddlers love selfies. Observant entrepreneurs have caught on to these image-obsessed tots, marketing special apps that make taking photos super-easy for little fingers. You can even buy a pillow with a smartphone pocket so toddlers can take selfies during a diaper change.

But toddlers aren’t the only ones taking photos nonstop. It’s not unusual for doting parents to snap thousands of digital photos by the time their child is 2. Today’s toddlers think nothing of finding their own biopic stored in a device barely bigger than a deck of cards.

While the barrage of images may keep distant grandparents happy, it’s not yet clear how such a steady diet of self-affirming navel-gazing will affect members of the first truly ‘‘smartphone generation.’’ Tot-centric snapshots can help build a healthy self-image and boost childhood memories when handled correctly, but shooting too many photos or videos and playing them back instantly for a demanding toddler could backfire, said Deborah Best, a professor of cognitive developmental psychology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C.

The instant gratification that smartphones provide today’s toddlers is ‘‘going to be hard to overcome,’’ she said. ‘‘They like things immediately, and they like it short and quick. It’s going to have an impact on kids’ ability to wait for gratification. I can’t see that it won't.’’

Julie Young, a Boston-based behavioral analyst, has seen that firsthand. She was recently helping her 3-year-old son record a short birthday video for his cousin on her iPhone when he stopped mid-sentence, lunged for her phone and shouted, ‘‘Mom, can I see it?’’

‘‘It’s caught on the end of the video. He couldn’t even wait to get the last sentence out,’’ said Young, who has two sons. ‘‘The second the phone comes out, they stop, they look and they attack.’’

Now Young and her husband make their sons wait to look at a new video or photo until after dinner or until the other parent comes home, when everyone can watch together. They are careful to sit with their kids when looking at photos and have adopted the phrase ‘‘practice patience’’ as a family mantra.

It’s natural for toddlers to be fascinated with their own image (think mirrors), and that interest plays an important developmental role as they develop a sense of self, child development experts say. Watching a video again and again can also help move events from short- to long-term memory, Best said.

But like any other fun thing kids get obsessed with, too much of it can be bad. Parents should make sure some photos show the child with other family members or friends. Parents can also sit with kids and narrate the photo or video as if it were a bedtime story.

‘‘When we read a book to a child, it’s the same thing we do with these photos,’’ Best said.

Koskie has noticed that cuddling in bed on a lazy Saturday morning and swiping through digital photos is one of Paisley’s favorite activities, and it seems to encourage her to ask about her place in the world. They look at photos and videos together on the iPad going back to Paisley’s birth and ‘‘she'll start to ask questions: ‘When I was a little tiny baby did I do this? Did I do that?'’’

Paisley and the iPad are almost the same age: She was born two weeks after it came out. ‘‘That’s a base-level, foundation technology for her,’’ said Koskie, who handles marketing and content strategy for the email app EvoMail. ‘‘Someday it’s all going to come back to bite me or she’s going to come back and say, ‘Wow, there’s this whole encyclopedia of my whole life.’ We’re very plugged in, for better or for worse.’’

Still, parents who remember the days before iPhones wonder if their children will ever really understand the power of a cherished photograph. Jason Michael, a 32-year-old father of two in Denver, has taken so many photos of his 11-month-old son and 4-year-old stepdaughter (about 4,000) that his iPhone’s memory has filled up three times. His stepdaughter takes plenty of selfies and loves to film herself singing favorite songs, then watches the videos again and again.

selfie youtube

some of selfie youtube videos are here.
just make selfie word of the year again......

'Selfie' leads list of banished words for 2013

 Source: Firstcoastnewsdotcom

DETROIT - "Selfie" was named word of the year by Oxford Dictionary, but isn't getting any love from Michigan's Lake Superior State University.

The word that became popular to describe taking a picture of yourself with a smartphone was the runaway winner in Lake Superior State University's 39th annual list of words people wish would just go away.

The list, released each year on New Year's Eve, is compiled from nominations sent to the university throughout the year. It dates to Dec. 31, 1975, when former university public relations director Bill Rabe and his colleagues cooked up the idea to banish overused words and phrases from the language. They issued the first list on New Year's Day 1976.

Through the years, Lake Superior State has received tens of thousands of nominations for the list, which is closing in on its 1,000th banishment.

This year's list of seven words was culled from more than 2,000 nominations on the university's website, spokesman Thomas Pink said. Several dozen of those were for selfie.

"People have taken pictures of themselves for almost as long as Samuel Eastman's company made film and cameras. Suddenly, with the advent of smartphones, snapping a 'pic' of one's own image has acquired a vastly overused term that seems to pop up on almost every form of social media available to us," wrote two men from Coventry, Conn., and North Andover, Mass., in their nomination, according to a news release from the school.

"A self-snapped picture need not have a name all its own beyond 'photograph.' It may only be a matter of time before photos of one's self and a friend will become 'dualies.' LSSU has an almost self-imposed duty to carry out this banishment now."

Marissa Randall, 53, of Novi, Mich., likes that selfie topped the list.

"Isn't it just a picture?" she said Monday afternoon. "My kids were telling me they had taken some selfies and put them online, and I had no idea what they were talking about. I felt really old then."

Eric Coles, 22, of Ann Arbor, Mich., said he doesn't have a problem with the word.

"That's what it is - a picture of yourself," he said. "I don't like any word being used out of its right context - like when people are talking and say 'hashtag itscoldout' or something. Use it on Twitter, but not talking with me."

This year's nominations were received mostly through the university's website, www.lssu.edu/banished. Editors of the list - officially called Words to be Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness - consider pet peeves from everyday speech, as well as from the news, fields of education, technology, advertising, politics and more. A committee made a final cut in late December.

Other words on this year's list include:

• Twerk/Twerking

• Hashtag

• Twittersphere

• Any word ending in -ageddon

• Obamacare

• Fan base

Last year's list included words/phrases such as fiscal cliff, double down, YOLO (you only live once), bucket list and spoiler alert.

Words of the Year from Around the World. Can You Say Gubbploga?

Nice selfie.

Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images

 Source: SlateDotCom

You've heard about selfie, science, and because. But we aren't the only ones who like to try to capture the spirit of the year in a word. Here are some Words of the Year chosen by 13 other countries.

1. SAKTE-TV, NORWAY

The Language Council in Norway chose sakte-tv (slow-TV), reflecting the popularity of shows like "National Wood Fire Night," a four-hour discussion of firewood followed by an eight-hour broadcast of a crackling fire. Some of the good competitors wererekkeviddeangst (range anxiety)—the fear that the battery of your electric car will run out before you can get to a charging station—and revelyd (fox sound) because, of course, Ylvis.

2. GUBBPLOGA, SWEDEN

The Swedish Language Council takes an egalitarian, Swedish approach to the word of the year, releasing a list of the year's new Swedish words without declaring a winner. I like the sound of gubbploga (old man plowing), which refers to criticism of snow plowing priorities that put male-dominated workplace routes over bus and bike lanes and schools. Another good one was nagelprotest (nail protest) for the practice of painting your nails in the name of a cause—for instance, getting a rainbow manicure as a statement against Russian anti-gay laws.

3. UNDSKYLD, DENMARK

A member of the Danish Language Council, along with the hosts of the "Language Laboratory" radio show, chose undskyld (sorry) as Word of the Year, making specific reference to the apology a politician had to make after his luxury travel expenses were revealed. It won out over some familiar choices like twerk, selfie, and lårhul (thigh gap), but also gastroseksuel (gastrosexual, for food lovers) and kønskrans ("gender wreath"), a proposed substitute for jomfruhinde (hymen, or "virgin barrier").

4. GROKO, GERMANY

GroKo is short for Große Koalition (Grand Coalition), an agreement between the conservative and center-left political parties in the German parliament that was hammered out over a long period of negotiation. It suggests the word Kroko, meaning crocodile, which according to the Word of the Year judges at the Association for the German Language, captures a half-mocking attitude toward the whole negotiation process. It beat out big data,Protz-Bischof (bling bishop, referring to a scandal in which a bishop spent millions on new digs), and freund hört mit (friends are listening), a play on the Nazis' wartime anti-spy slogan "feind hört mit" (enemies are listening), referring to revelations about NSA surveillance.

5. SELFIE, NETHERLANDS

Selfie was the Dutch Word of the Year in the Netherlands, according to dictionary publisherVan Dale. Twerken won the Youth Language category, and scheefwerken (skewed work) won the Lifestyle category. It means work that's below one's training or experience level, something a lot of people have had to settle for in recent years. Winners in other categories included some good Dutch compounds like hooliganheffing (proposed hooligan tax on soccer clubs to pay to offset police workload during games) and participatiesamenleving(participatory society).

6. SELFIE, BELGIUM

Selfie also won for Belgium, even though it isn't a very Flemish word. Nor is swag, the winner in the Youth Language category, or duckface, the winner in Lifestyle.

7. ESCRACHE, SPAIN

In Spain, the newspaper El Mundo named an importation from South America, escrache, the Word of the Year. It refers to a protest against corruption where people gather to denounce a politician or public figure outside their home or workplace. It comes from the Argentinian verbescrachar (publicly expose) and was first used during investigation of the crimes of the dictatorship there. It was used in Spain this year to refer to protests having to do with the mortgage crisis. The economic crisis was reflected in many of the other candidates, such ascopago (copayment for access to public health care), quita ("remove" in the context of debt forgiveness), and austericidio (austericide, or suicide by austerity). It wasn't all doom and gloom. Selfie made the list there too, but in Spanish it's autofoto.

8. BOMBEIRO, PORTUGAL

A poll by publisher Porto Editora selected bombeiro (firefighter) as the Word of the Year. It honors the firefighters who had to battle the raging wildfires that consumed forests in southern Portugal over the summer.

9. PLÉNIOR, FRANCE

Plénior was selected at the XYZ Festival of New Words in Le Havre. It refers to a senior who's living life to the fullest, a blend of pleine (full) and senior. The way it puts an enthusiastic, positive spin on things doesn't seem very French, but good for you, pléniors! Enjoy yourselves!

10. FÁNG 房, CHINA

In China, a group of government organizations choose the Character of the Year. This year's choice was fáng 房, which occurs in words having to do with housing. Appropriate for a year in which a housing crisis and a real estate bubble factored prominently.

11. MÁI 霾, SINGAPORE

In the poll conducted by Lianhe Zaobao, the Chinese language newspaper in Singapore, the word mái 霾, meaning haze, won with 130,000 votes, beating out words like tān 贪 (greed) andwǎng 网 (internet). Some of the highest pollution levels ever recorded occurred there this year. When there's more haze around you than either greed or internet, you know you're in trouble.

12. JIǍ 假, TAIWAN

The winner of a poll by the Taiwanese newspaper United Daily News was jiǎ 假 (fake), inspired by frequent news about fake products and food safety scandals.

13. RIN 輪, JAPAN

The Kanji of the Year contest is sponsored by the Japanese Kanji Proficiency Society. This year's winner was rin (or wa) 輪. The character means "ring" and is used in the word for the Olympic Games, gorin 五輪 (literally, "five rings"). The main reason for this choice was the selection of Tokyo as host of the 2020 Summer Olympics. But a number of other reasons were cited, including the hope that the "'circle of support' for the recovery of areas impacted

Are Selfies Changing Our View on Beauty?

       

Source: Screenshot Dove

Instagram selfies are a way of life now. Sharing pictures of yourself from just the right angle, with a perfectly retro and flattering filter may be a daily occurrence, Dove argues, but these not-completely-honest pictures are also causing women of all ages to develop new, potentially damaging ideas of what is true beauty.

To mark the 10th anniversary of its "Campaign For Real Beauty," Dove has reopened the dialogue of what modern women consider beautiful with a short documentary, Selfie, which premiered at Sundance Film Festival this week. Directed by Academy Award-nominated director Cynthia Wade, the documentary examines how social media has become a powerful influencer on the ideals women put upon their own physical appearances.

In the documentary, which can be seen in two versions below (a three- or eight-minute film), teenage girls are asked to discuss with their mothers what it is that makes each of them beautiful and to "take an honest selfie. No filters, no edits." It's an inspiring look at how women get in the bad habit of talking down about their physical selves. The film also makes us wonder, though, is social media taking the place of mainstream media in how we develop our views of beauty? Watch Dove's film below, and let us know your perspective in the comments.

Battle of the bums! TOWIE's Jasmin Walia and Maria Fowler compete for attention as they copy Kim Kardashian's infamous selfie

Source:DailyMailDotCoUk

The world was stunned when Kim Kardashian posted a selfie in a very revealing white swimsuit back in October. 

And stars are still lining up to attempt to recreate the now infamous shot, with the latest posers being Maria Fowler and Jasmin Walia, both of TOWIE fame. 

Jasmin is seen showing off her pert posterior while posing in a grey leotard, aiming her derriere at the mirror while snapping the sexy selfie. 

Scroll down for video

+5

Battle of the bums: TOWIE's Jasmin Walia attempted to recreate Kim Kardashian's now infamous selfie ina bottom-baring leotard

+5

Trying her best: Maria Fowler attempted to recreate Kim Kardashian's now famous selfie with an Instagram snap on Tuesday night

  

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Thanks to Kim Kardashian there's a whole new trend for selfies but not just any old selfie. It must now be from behind, showing off a slender back and pert bottom!

Ever since Kimmy tweeted her rear view in a skimpy white swimsuit the craze has taken off with Kelly Brook and Rihanna following suit. And now ex-TOWIE star Maria Fowler has got in on the act and we have to say she's giving the others a run for their money.

Check her out in this low back, halter neck bodysuit from American Apparel. She looks hot! A halter neck is a great style for showing off toned shoulders and round the front there's a plunging neckline to make the most of the decolletage. Click the link (right) to buy it now.

This is a look that works as well as a one piece swimsuit as it does as a body so take a look at some of the options we've found below. We've chosen our top swimwear and bodysuit styles on the high street so you're spoilt for choice.

If you opt for a body then wear under skinny jeans or shorts for a sexy winter look.

Louis Smith shows off his six-pack in topless selfie after getting back on track with fitness regime

 Source: DailymailDotCoDotUk

It seems as if Olympic gymnast Louis Smith is feeling pretty pleased with himself right now.

On Friday, the hunky athlete posted a topless Instagram picture of himself showing off his muscles, after getting to grips with his intense fitness regime once again.

Knowing that his fans will no doubt be thrilled with his efforts, the star modesty added the caption: 'Here's a treat' alongside the image. 

Modest, much? Louis Smith posted this topless selfie to Instagram on Friday with the words: 'Here's a treat'

The silver medal-winning gymnast was spot on as well as @abbymeekxx wrote: 'just look at that body' while @abigailbucks added: 'Dem shoulderssss' [sic].

Rihanna Cara Delevingne's Friend: Instagram Selfie Lover Models Mac Viva Glam Lipsticks While Posing with Tiger?

 Source: BeautyWorldNews

Rihanna is taking over Instagram with sexy selfies lately. Her latest ones show the MAC Viva Glam ambassador modeling what appears to be her own lipsticks while posing with a tiger.

The "What Now" singer, who keeps losing her bra in "Bra-Zil" with bestie Melissa Forde, posted eye-catching photos of herself next to a tiger statue.

Having already won more than 460,000 likes for the image, RiRi seductively puts her head and arm on the sculpture. Though her pose oozes sexiness and confidence, the singer rocks a strapless white bra and matching hot pants.

She pairs the skimpy, half-naked outfit with her long curly black locks. But she also has a deep burgundy pout that brings the hotness in true Rihanna fashion.

It looks like the Bajan beauty has on one of her own lipsticks from her RiRi Hearts MAC Holiday Collection. Particularly, the singer appears to have dressed up her pucker with the dark "Bad Gal RiRi" shade. 

Aside from showing off her makeup products, the singer is taking off her top once again.

Posing with her BFF Forde, the two rocked nearly identical red bikinis. But both decided to go topless, showing their bare backs to the camera and teasing fans.

"#Wcw @mdollas11 #Bra #zil," wrote Chris Brown's ex as the racy photo's caption.

The Bajan beauty also took another snapshot with best friend while smoking a cigar like Jay-Z. This image has already picked up more than 462,000 likes.