Hasta La Gadget!

A Pixel 2 XXL with a Snapdragon 835 chipset and pure Android could take on the Samsung Galaxy S8+ later this year, if tidbits turned up in the code are to be believed. The smartphone is believed to be the third in a three-strong range of Pixel 2 handsets for 2017, and internally codenamed “taimen” in keeping with Google’s fondness … Continue reading

Well, we can’t say it breaks our achy heart, but Billy Ray Cyrus is no longer Billy Ray Cyrus.

It’s Cyrus.

The father of Destiny Hope Cyrus, a.k.a. Miley Cyrus, told Rolling Stone Country that he’s only going by his last name because it’s what he’s most comfortable with:

 “After August 25th, I will be the artist formerly known as Billy Ray. I’m just going by my last name Cyrus. I always went by Cyrus, and I begged Mercury Records to call me Cyrus in the beginning because that’s what I was comfortable with. I’m going to the hospital where I was born in Bellefonte, Kentucky, and legally changing my name.”

Totally cool, Cyrus. 

Like Cher, Prince, Madonna and Beyonce before you, we embrace your single name-dom. Though, we will forever miss Billy Ray and his accompanying mullet.

Cyrus also announced that in celebration of the 25th anniversary of his hit, “Achy Breaky Heart,” he’ll be re-recording the track with members of Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section, the Swampers. He’ll also release “a Spanglish interpretation” of the song and “an EDM version with Bootsy Collins.”

Wow. We … cannot wait.

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Teenage angst has nothing on “oh, crap, I’m almost 30 and I need to get my life together” angst. 

In her comics, Los Angeles-based illustrator Mo Welch depicts the struggle to “adult” and balance your work life with your personal life (or lack thereof): 

In an interview with HuffPost, Welch said she likes to explore how challenging it can be to follow your dreams while also knocking out traditional “adult” things, like buying a house or having kids.

“For instance, millennials are getting married later or not at all, having kids later or not at all, so we have the luxury of spending our time with ourselves ― but maybe luxury isn’t the right word considering I had cereal for dinner three nights in a row,” she joked. 

Check out more of Welch’s hilarious illustrations below and follow her on Instagram for new comics.

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Female clerics on Thursday issued an unprecedented fatwa against child marriage in Indonesia in a bid to stop young girls becoming brides in the world’s most populous Muslim country.

The fatwa – which is influential among Muslims but not legally binding – came at the end of an extraordinary three-day conference of female Islamic clerics: a rare example of women assuming a lead role in religious affairs in this mostly-Muslim country.

“Maternal mortality is very high in Indonesia. We – as female clerics – can play a role on the issue of child marriage,” conference organiser Ninik Rahayu told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

“Female clerics know the issues and obstacles women face, we can take action and not just wait for the government to protect these children,” she said by phone from Cirebon in the West Java province, where the congress was held.

Indonesia has one of the worst records for under-age marriage – its high number of child brides puts it among the top 10 countries worldwide – and it is common for girls to marry before they turn 18.

Thursday’s fatwa, or religious edict, called underage marriage “harmful” and said its prevention was mandatory.

FALLOUT OF EARLY WEDLOCK

One in six Indonesian girls marry before they turn 18, equal to 340,000 girls a year, according to the United Nations children’s agency UNICEF. About 50,000 wed before they turn 15.

A government report last year showed almost a quarter of married women aged 20-24 had entered wedlock when they were under 18.

The Southeast Asian nation has a population of 250 million.

Under Indonesian laws, the minimum age of marriage for girls is 16, and 19 for boys.

In issuing the fatwa, the women clerics cited studies saying many Indonesian child brides could not continue their studies once wed and half their marriages ended in divorce.

They urged the government to raise the minimum marriage age for girls to 18, a demand activists have sought for years.

Early marriage not only makes it more likely that girls will quit school, campaigners say it also increases the risks of exploitation, sexual violence, domestic abuse and death in childbirth.

About 300 participants took part in the congress, which included Indonesian women clerics and women leaders from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Malaysia. Organisers billed the three-day conference as the first meeting of its kind in the world.

The congress also issued two other fatwa against environmental destruction and sexual violence, which the clerics said are against Islamic teaching and fundamental human rights.

(Writing by Beh Lih Yi @behlihyi, Editing by Lyndsay Griffiths; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women’s rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org)

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As host of Spike TV’s “Lip Sync Battle,” LL Cool J has seen his fair share of celebrities duke it out on the show. Among his favorites have been Mike Tyson, Shaquille O’Neal and Channing Tatum. 

But there are still a couple of big names he’d love to see on the hit series ― and these ones may surprise you.

“For some reason, for me, my dream battle is all the politicians. Like John McCain versus George W. Bush or Bill Clinton versus George W. Bush,” LL Cool J told HuffPost on Build Series.

He also noted how he’d love to see former President Barack Obama and his wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, battle it out. 

“Obama versus Michelle would be amazing,” he said, before making a plea to the couple to join. After all, they have been spotted recently enjoying life outside the White House.

“Guys, you’re in private life now. Yachts. You’re having fun. Life is great. You’re watching this, you’re laughing. Come on and do the show! Can you imagine Obama doing Busta Rhymes?” LL Cool J said before breaking into Busta’s hit “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See.”  

He admits he’d feel too self-conscious if the Obamas took on one of his own hits. But when an audience member suggested the Obamas take on his 1996 hit “Doin’ It,” LL Cool J laughed just thinking about it, saying, “’Doin’ It’ would be crazy.” 

If the Obamas did end up ever gracing the “Lip Sync Battle” stage, they’d get the chance to pick their own songs to perform. 

“Most people assume they have to rehearse for weeks and weeks. But they don’t. We have a great choreographer. The celebrity would call up and say, ‘Hey, these are the songs I like.’ It’s up to them,” he said. “They choose their own songs. We can make suggestions to them if they want us to. But it’s up to them. Like, ‘I’d like to float on a chariot’ or ‘I’d like to ride a white horse.’ Whatever your idea is, we say, ‘OK.’ Then we tell the choreographer and she whips up a version of their idea. And they come and watch it. And they can jump in and learn the dance if they want, be a part of the dancing, or they can play the front and let the dancers do the back. So we make it easy … so they can have fun.”

Not only that, but LL Cool J says they have a great studio where the celebrities can hang out. Across three stages is an open bar, along with ice cream machines and expresso machines, and other fun treats. 

“It’s crazy,” he said. “It’s like a whole world out there.”

Not too shabby. Obamas, we hope you’re listening. 

“Lip Sync Battle,” now in its third season, airs Thursdays at 10 p.m. ET on Spike. 

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