Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Divergent - book, movie, pics, trailer





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Divergent

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In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless(the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.
During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles to determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes infuriating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers a growing conflict that threatens to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her. [1]

Insurgent

Insurgent
One choice can transform you—or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves—and herself—while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.
Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable—and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.
New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian Divergent series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature

About the Author

Veronica
Veronica Roth is the 23-year-old author of Divergent(Katherine Tegen Books, May 2011). Raised in a Chicago suburb, Roth studied creative writing at Northwestern University and penned Divergent while completing her studies. Insurgent, the second book in The DivergentTrilogy, came out on May 1st. Roth has been, since then, spending her time at book signings, traveling, browsing Wikipedia in her pajamas, wearing shoes as little as possible, and eating bland cereal.
Roth's advice to young writers: "Want something else more than success. Success is a lovely thing, but your desire to say something, your worth, and your identity shouldn’t rely on it, because it’s not guaranteed and it’s not permanent and it’s not sufficient. So work hard, fall in love with the writing—the characters, the story, the words, the themes—and make sure that you are who you are regardless of your life circumstances. That way, when the good things come, they don’t warp you, and when the bad things hit you, you don’t fall apart.


Sochi 2014: Skater Yuna Kim takes lead after short programme


Yuna Kim of South Korea
19 February 2014Last updated at 20:01 GMT

Sochi 2014: Skater Yuna Kim takes lead after short programme

Korea's Yuna Kim is on course to retain her Olympic women's figure skating title after a superb short programme in Sochi.
Kim, 23, was awarded a score of 74.92 going into Thursday's medal-deciding free programme, with Russia's Adelina Sotnikova in second with 74.64.
Italy's Carolina Kostner, who won world gold in 2012, lies in third with 74.12.
Yulia Lipnitskaya, 15, who helped Russia win team gold, fell during her routine and is in fifth.
Japan's Mao Asada, who won silver four years ago, is down in 16th after also falling to the ice.
British skater Jenna McCorkell, 27, produced a clean routine but finished 25th, with only the top 24 going through to the free programme.
Yulia Lipnitskaya of Russia falls while competing in the women's short programme
Lipnitskaya of Russia falls while competing in the women's short programme

Kim leads after short program in Sochi; miscues put Mao in 16th


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Kim leads after short program in Sochi; miscues put Mao in 16th

BY JACK GALLAGHER
STAFF WRITER
Defending Olympic and world champion Yuna Kim took a narrow lead after the short program at the Sochi Games on Wednesday night with an exquisite performance.
Kim skated to “Send in the Clowns” and was truly poetry in motion on the way to a total of 74.92 points. She began with a triple lutz/triple toe loop combination jump, then landed a triple flip. She then did a beautiful spread eagle before hitting a double axel.
The crowd was absolutely spellbound as Kim glided across the ice in a beautiful yellow outfit on her step sequence before ending with a sublime combination spin.
“Well, I’ve been practicing very well in Sochi, and Korea, a clean short every day,” Kim said. “And I had confidence in my short program here.”
Kim confessed that she had butterflies during the six-minute warmup.
“In the warmup, I was very nervous, I couldn’t jump at all,” she noted. “But I tried to believe in myself and believed in what I’ve done before.”
Kim said she had a special feeling while skating.
“I felt like I was dreaming,” she commented. “I had a lot of thoughts when I was giving my performance.”
What had been anticipated as a showdown between the gold and silver medalists from four years ago at the Vancouver Games didn’t materialize.
Mao Asada performed to “Nocturne” and had what can only be termed a disastrous outing considering the stakes. She fell on her opening triple axel, underrotated a triple flip, then botched her combo jump by doubling the front end of a planned triple loop/double loop.
Mao looked to have cleanly landed the triple axel, but as she was coming out of the jump she tripped herself and went down.
She earned a score of just 55.51 and stands in 16th place. Any hopes for a medal have disappeared.
“I didn’t skate anywhere near as well as I could,” said Mao. “I don’t know what to make of this now. All I can do is give it everything I have tomorrow. I can’t comprehend any of this.”
Mao acknowledged she was completely out of sorts.
“I couldn’t do any of the things I’ve been working on in training,” she stated. “Once I started the program, I couldn’t control my emotions and my body. My only option is to skate the free to the best of my ability.”
Russia’s Adelina Sotnikova was the surprise of the evening, tallying 74.64 to stand in second place behind Kim heading into Thursday’s free skate.
Sotnikova competed to “Habanera” and gave the home crowd a big lift after compatriot Julia Lipnitskaia struggled earlier. Sotnikova started with a triple toe loop/triple toe loop combo, then executed a triple flip and double axel with good flow throughout.
Sotnikova was very content with her marks on this night.
“I’m very happy the first (technical element score) mark was so high,” she said. “I skated really well and I got good levels on everything so I think they reflected my skate.”
Italy’s Carolina Kostner, the 2012 world champion, is in third at 74.12.
Kostner used the music of “Ave Maria” and was sharp from beginning to end. Looking elegant in a white dress, she hit a triple flip/triple toe loop combo, followed by a triple loop, and then a double axel.
She said it wasn’t easy taking the ice after Kim and Lipnitskaia had already skated.
“I have to admit, I was quite afraid of what I was going to do with myself, skating after Yuna and after Julia,” she said.
Gracie Gold, the U.S. champion, is fourth on 68.63
Lipnitskaia who helped lead the host nation to the team title, is fifth with 65.23.
Lipnitskaia skated to “You Don’t Give Up on Love” and started out well. She began with a triple lutz/triple toe loop combo, then landed a double axel. But following her step sequence she fell hard on a triple flip.
“I don’t know what happened,” said the 15-year-old. “My preparation was all fine. I wasn’t nervous. I didn’t feel too much pressure. The crowd helped me.”
Lipnitskaia said her scores were better than she thought they would be.
“The marks weren’t as low as I expected,” she said. “I can still fight for a medal tomorrow.”
Akiko Suzuki is eighth at 60.97.
Suzuki competed to “Hymne a l’amour” and badly two-footed the landing on her opening triple lutz on what was supposed to be a combo jump. She came back to land a triple lutz/double toe loop combo and a double axel.
The Japan national champion said she did the best she could after the miscue at the start.
“I did what I could on the ice today,” Suzuki said. “Considering I messed up my opening jump, I thought I made the most of it. I feel so bad about my performance.”
Suzuki, who struggled in the free skate during the team event, said she has been having difficulty with her jumps.
“I was having trouble with my jumps in practice and it spilled over into the competition,” she noted. “I was trying too hard.”
Kanako Murakami is 15th with 55.60.
Murakami performed to “Violin Muse” and looked like she was on her way to a good score after starting with a nice triple toe loop/triple toe loop combo. But after a flying sit spin, she singled a trip flip. She recovered to land her double axel, but the damage was done.
“I made one mistake which is just gnawing at me,” Murakami admitted. “I’ve been skating clean in the short program but now this. It really annoys me.”
Despite the disappointment, the 19-year-old struck an optimistic tone.
“Compared to the crowd at Saitama (at the Japan nationals), the crowd here isn’t as tense so I didn’t feel that nervous,” Murakami said. “I’m going to have a great free program tomorrow no matter what.”
Kim was the 17th of the 30 skaters in the short program.
Mao skated last, while Murakami went 20th and Suzuki 24th.
The top 24 skaters will advance to the free skate.

Monday, February 17, 2014

Violin virtuoso Vanessa-Mae will make her Sochi Olympic debut in the women's giant slalom event - pics


Vanessa Mae of Thailand attends the Alpine Skiing Women's Super Combined Downhill on day 3 of the Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics at Rosa Khutor Alpine Center on February
17 February 2014Last updated at 14:33 GMT

Sochi 2014: Vanessa-Mae ready for Olympic debut

Violin virtuoso Vanessa-Mae will make her Olympic debut in the women's giant slalom event from 05:30 GMT on Tuesday.
She will compete for Thailand under her father's name Vanakorn after qualifying for the Games last month.
Recording artist Vanessa-Mae performs
  • Date of birth: 27 October 1978
  • Age: 35
  • A skier since the age of four, she has wanted to compete in the Olympics for the past 21 years.
  • Made her international professional musical debut at the age of 10 in 1988 and the same year made her concerto debut.
  • Released her first album, Violin, when she was 13 years old.
  • She has amassed worldwide record sales in excess of 10 million.
The British citizen, 35, who has sold more than 10 million records worldwide, has been skiing since she was four.
"Finishing within 20 seconds of the leaders would be a good effort," said former GB Olympic skier Emma Carrick-Anderson.
Vanessa-Mae, who was born in Singapore to a Chinese mother and Thai father, was brought up in England but will be only the third person to represent Thailand at the Winter Olympics.
She is comfortably the lowest-ranked racer in the field, at 2,253rd in the world, but some of skiing's biggest names are looking forward to competing alongside her.
"I find it thrilling that people like that [are here]," said Germany's Maria Hofl-Riesch, a three-time Olympic champion who won the super-combined event and was second in the super-G in Sochi.
"When you see Vanessa-Mae, she's so small and fragile, you can't imagine how she can finish a run like that or even hit a gate. Babsie [team-mate Barbara Wirth] told us that she didn't do so badly and we'll be watching closely."
Carrick-Anderson, who competed in four Olympics, said the musician's biggest problem would be coping with the slick slopes that are water-injected overnight to make them extra icy.
"If she had to race last week it would have been an absolute nightmare," said Carrick-Anderson.
Skier Vanessa-Mae of Thailand waves to the crowd during the opening ceremony
Vanessa-Mae is only the third person to represent Thailand at the Winter Olympics
"Even on my skis, which are really sharp, skiing on the downhill piste was gruelling. The top part was sheet ice, proper shiny 'ice rink on its side' type ice.
"No recreational skier would be able to do anything on that. It would be terrifying - they would be going sideways. You couldn't even try to grip."
The Rosa Khutor giant slalom course will begin lower down the mountain, and the recent warm weather is likely to have softened the snow. Racers have two runs, with the fastest combined time winning.
"Now it has warmed up, it is going to be that little bit more forgiving," added Carrick-Anderson.
"By the time she goes there will probably be a little track, which will also make it easier for her."
Britain's Chemmy Alcott had a look at the giant slalom course on Monday and believes Vanessa-Mae, who is now based in the Alpine resort of Zermatt in Switzerland, will cope with the conditions.
"I skied next to the piste and the injection looks great and is smooth so I think she will be fine," said Alcott, who came 19th in the downhill and 23rd in the super-G in her fourth and final Olympics.
Vanessa-Mae says she is well aware of the enormous challenge she faces against a field of vastly-experienced competitors.
"If I end up last I have no problem with that," she said.
"I know that I spent six months training. Other athletes have been training since they were six years old so that's something you can't compare.
"I just want to have a good time. I want to have two fun runs that I can say I'll remember for the rest of my life.
"To be here at the Olympics is a once in a lifetime opportunity and I feel so blessed to have this chance to go from artist to athlete, to just experience this is surreal almost."