Queen Elizabeth Thinks Selfies Are Strange

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Even after waiting several hours near Buckingham Palace, you'd be lucky to catch a glimpse of the queen of the United Kingdom. But now it's even cooler if you can get a selfie with her. And she's not too happy about it if you do. In the modern age of self-absorbed cellphone photography and social media postings (and very awkward moments), the British monarch is having a hard time adjusting to this mainstream medium.

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In a conversation last year with U.S. Ambassador Matthew Barzun at Buckingham Palace following his appointment, Queen Elizabeth remarked that she finds it all "strange" and "disconcerting." Barzun recently told British publication Tatler, "She was essentially saying: 'I miss eye contact.' " The queen also regards the act of taking a selfie as bad manners due to the lack of human contact with the person being photographed.

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The 88-year-old head of state is no stranger to technological evolutions, as she often tours tech facilities and other industrial factories around the world. But she's conveyed that she dislikes the sea of mobile phones that capture every move she makes when in public.

The queen has had a cellphone since 2001, a gift from the Duke of York. While she never uses it in public, she's known to be on it when outdoors at her private residences at Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House. The Duke of Cambridge and Prince Harry have showed her how to text.

The sweet irony in all of this is that Queen Elizabeth has been known to photobomb others taking selfies, of course unbeknownst to her. Probably the most notable example of this occurred in July when she was seen smirking in a shot of two Australian hockey players grabbing a selfie at the Commonwealth Games.

orignally found at: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/trending-now/queen-elizabeth-thinks-selfies-are-strange-205150130.html

2014 US Open Final preview – Marin Cilic Vs Kei Nishikori

Marin Cilic Vs Kei Nishikori

The wait is finally over. Here we are – on the last day of the US Open, the final Grand Slam of the year. The men’s final will begin in a few hours from now as Marin Cilic and Kei Nishikori set to battle it out for their first major win. 

Who would’ve guessed of a final featuring these two players when the draw was announced? Everyone had bet on a Roger Federer V Novak Djokovic final, but Cilic and Nishikori quelled a repeat of this year’s Wimbledon final with some superb tennis. Check this stat – Nishikori lost in the first round at the US Open last year, while Cilic did not participate. 

The last time the Big 4 were not part of a major final was at the 2005 Australian Open where Marat Safin had beaten Lleyton Hewitt.

There’s nothing to take away from Cilic and Nishikori’s game though. They have been knocking on the top 10 door for far too long and it is time for them to reap the benefits. Nishikori is the first Asian man to reach a Grand Slam final, while Cilic’s best showing at a slam was the 2010 Australian Open semifinal. The Croat relies on his big serve and his two-handed backhand to bail him out of crucial moments, while Japan No. 1 is very good dictating points from the baseline with powerful forehands. 

Both men have had their share of injuries in the past, but are looking good going into the most important match of their young careers thus far. Nishikori fought his way through two tough five-set matches against Milos Raonic and Stanislas Wawrinka and followed it up with a win over World No. 1 Novak Djokovic in four sets. Cilic’s serve has been his biggest weapon this fortnight in New York with the Croat hitting 19 aces in his win over Tomas Berdych in the quarters and 13 against Federer in the semis.

The 6”6’ Cilic would tie Juam Martin Del Potro as the tallest man to win the Open if he does get the better of Nishikori in today’s final. The coaches of the finalists were rivals on the court as well! Goran Ivanisevic (Cilic’s coach) and Michael Chang (Nishikori’s coach) had met 11 times during their career with Chang winning on six occasions. Both won a single Grand Slam in their career. ( Chang – 1989 French Open and Ivanisevic – 2001 Wimbledon).

The two have met seven times before, with Nishikori leading 5-2. Nishikori has also won thier last three meetings. They’ve played twice at Flushing Meadows and have split those matches with Cilic winning the last one in 2012.

Nishikori will have slight advantage if it comes to backhand rallies, while Cilic will look to get points off his serve. If the No. 14 seed can replicate his serving in the last two rounds, Nishikori cannot stop him. However, if there is a dip in his first serve percentage, the No. 10 seed will surge ahead with a solid serve and better groundstrokes.

The winner will not only raise their first Grand Slam, but get richer by $3 million. The match starts at 2:30 am India time.

Prediction: Marin Cilic in four sets.

Originally published on Sportskeeda.com here http://www.sportskeeda.com/tennis/2014-us-open-final-preview

India lose Edgbsaton thriller

ONLY T20 -- England win by three runs, thanks to Morgan. Kohli finally passes fifty.

England 180 for 7 (Morgan 71, Shami 3-38) beat India 177 for 5 (Kohli 66, Dhoni 27*) by three runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Performance of the day: Morgan, 71 off 31.The final match of the tour came down to the final over, 17 to win from six balls with MS Dhoni on strike - just the sort of equation the Edgbaston crowd, filled with India fans, might have asked for if they had been handed a questionnaire at the gates. Dhoni clubbed a six off the first ball and brought it down to five off two, before refusing a single off the penultimate ball.

Taking the single would have meant Ambati Rayudu could have won it with a last-ball four. But Dhoni is the sort of batsman who backs himself to hit the last ball for six. The pressure was on Chris Woakes, and he produced a slower ball that wasn't full enough to hit down the ground. Having to manufacture all the power himself, Dhoni heaved, didn't connect cleanly, and it rolled down to Moeen Ali, sweeping up on the leg-side boundary.

It was only appropriate that the slower ball won England the match, since it had been an essential ingredient in their death-overs fightback, which began just as India seemed to be cruising. Virat Kohli, having failed to cross 40 across 14 innings in the Tests and ODIs, finally made a half-century - his fourth in a row in T20 chases - and it looked while he was in like being a fourth successive match-winning fifty. Eoin Morgan's 31-ball 71 had powered England to 180, and it was beginning to look inadequate.

When Kohli holed out looking to hook Steven Finn, the equation still seemed to be in India's favour: 50 to get from 34 balls. But James Tredwell bowled a tight 16th over, and Harry Gurney produced a peach of a yorker to bowl Suresh Raina, who had put on 42 with Kohli, and Ravindra Jadeja ran himself out going for a non-existent second run. India were panicking, Dhoni and Rayudu struggled to time the ball, and England won the game by winning the death-overs mini-contest.

Dhoni took it upon himself to win the game, and failed.England had smashed 81 in their last five overs, with Morgan clearing his front leg and launching the ball over the ropes seven times. Karn Sharma, who had bowled three tight overs on debut, bowled too short in his last over and went for 17. Mohammed Shami, whose yorkers had been inch-perfect in the final ODI, failed to land them and went for 29 in two overs. Mohit Sharma, serving a series of full-tosses, bowled the most expensive over of the innings, conceding 21 in the 19th.

Till that late onslaught, it looked as if England might not take full toll of friendly batting conditions and shortened boundaries. They began with a 17-run over - and Jason Roy got off the mark in international cricket with a reverse-swept four off R Ashwin - but they lost wickets at just the wrong moments. Roy and Moeen Ali went early, popping soft catches to cover, andAlex Hales and Joe Root holed out just when they were looking dangerous.

At the end of the 15th over, England's run-rate had come down to 6.60, with Root, Morgan and Jos Buttler having failed to find the boundary even once in the previous 25 balls. And then Morgan got into gear. He smacked the first ball of the 16th over back past the bowler, Ravindra Jadeja, for four, and swatted the next ball over wide long-on for six. The start of the last five overs seemed to have flicked a switch in Morgan's mind.
ESPN Sports Media Ltd.

orignal post found at:https://cricket.yahoo.com/news/england-bat-karn-makes-india-000000626.html