Facebook adds 360-degree photos to newsfeed

San Francisco - Facebook on Thursday launched a feature that allows users to upload photos with 360-degree views. 

Apart from photos taken from 360-degree cameras, panoramic photos taken on a mobile phone can be converted to a 360-degree view on the newsfeed, the company said on Thursday.

The photos can also be seen in virtual reality compatible devices, Facebook said.

Cheerful, youth-driven romance sageuk Moonlight Drawn By Clouds is dramaland’s latest breakout hit, and it’s a show that delights me every episode so I’m thrilled to see it getting a lot of love. So it surprises me not one bit to hear that KBS, its broadcaster, is eager to capitalize on that and extend the series by 2 episodes, although the production seems a lot more wary about proceeding than the station.

What’s rather amusing is the confused jumble of news that spilled out today regarding the potential extension, with KBS kicking things off by announcing that it had been confirmed. The drama’s producers were swift to deny those reports, and released a statement saying that while the good reception gave rise to some extension talk, there have been no concrete or official talks about it amongst the cast, writer, or producers. The show stated that it was not a decision to be made lightly and promised to do their best on the rest of the series, bolstered by the love being sent their way by viewers and fans.

So that’s where we stand currently: Extension talks in the works, but nothing confirmed.


I half-expected an extension to be part of the plan when I saw that Moonlight Drawn By Clouds was slated to be an 18-episode series; we’ve had dramas at that length before, but it does seem like the perfect way to build in the possibility of an extension without committing to one. And then when the show blew up in its second week, jumping from its 8.3% premiere to 16%, and then jumping to 19.3% in its third week, it seemed likelier than ever.

Despite my blanket wariness of extensions, Moonlight is still fairly early into its run, having only aired six episodes, so this is one of the better-case scenarios: At least there’s plenty of time to work in an extension without (knock on wood) dragging the story down with sudden last-minute filler plots and extra scenes. I admit that at this early, giddy, excitement-filled stage, I’m amenable to the idea of seeing more of these adorable kiddos and their fantastic chemistry and hilarious facial expressions. By the time week 10 rolls around, though, I may just wish they’d bowed out earlier, riding a high. But that’s always the trick, isn’t it? Creating an addicting drama isn’t nearly as hard as knowing when to go out strong, it seems.

Underwater show

Underwater show cheers for Olympians

Park offers equal treatment to North Koreans

President Park Geun-hye issued a message to the people of North Korea on Tuesday, saying they would be guaranteed equal opportunities after unification.

Park made the comment in a joint press conference following a summit with U.S. President Barack Obama in Vientiane, Laos.

The meeting, originally scheduled for today, took place Tuesday after the American leader canceled a meeting with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who had publicly called Obama a “son of a bitch.”

“Improving the lives of the North Korean people is an important stepping stone for unification,” Park said. “Unification will offer the opportunity to the North Korean people of equal treatments.”

Since her Liberation Day address in August, Park has made clear she will treat the North Korean people and the Kim Jong-un regime separately. She urged North Koreans to join her initiative of unification.

“South Korea and the United States will sternly counter the North’s provocations using all possible measures,” Park said.

She said South Korea and the United States agreed to continue communicating with China through various channels because China’s role is crucial to effectively implement sanctions on the North and resolve the nuclear crisis on the peninsula.

Obama said Monday’s missile launches by North Korea were provocative and that the United States would work with allies to bolster sanctions on Pyongyang.

The 50-minute summit took place shortly after the two leaders arrived in the Laotian capital to attend a series of regional summits for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

Earlier in the day, Obama canceled a planned meeting with Duterte following his vulgar remarks.

“President Obama will not be holding a bilateral meeting with President Duterte of the Philippines this afternoon,” National Security Council spokesman Ned Price said. “Instead, he will meet with President Park of the Republic of Korea.”

On the eve of his meeting with the American president, Duterte said he would not be lectured by Obama on human rights. The Philippine president, whose campaign against illegal drugs and drug pushers has resulted in thousands of deaths, called Obama a “son of a bitch” in Tagalog.

Obama then expressed doubts over the constructiveness of the meeting and decided to meet Park instead.

It was Park’s first meeting with Obama after Seoul and Washington decided in July that the U.S. military would deploy a powerful antimissile system in South Korea to counter nuclear and missile threats from North Korea.

The summit came one day after the North’s latest firing of three missiles to demonstrate its improved capabilities.

According to diplomatic observers, the Park-Obama meeting will likely be their last bilateral talks before Obama leaves office.

Park had bilateral summits with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday. Park tried to persuade both leaders of the need to allow U.S. deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (Thaad) system.

While Seoul and Washington have repeatedly stressed that the defense system is meant to deter Pyongyang’s nuclear and missile provocations, Beijing and Moscow have shown concerns that its powerful radar will be used to spy on them.

In their joint press conference, Obama also defended the decision to deploy Thaad in the South, stressing that it is a pure defense measure against the North’s threats. He said the North’s provocation is not only a threat to the South but also to the United States and its allies.

Park will have a meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe today on the sidelines of the Asean conference. Regional security issues, particularly the two countries’ cooperation to counter the North’s provocations, are expected to be addressed.

During her trip to Laos from Tuesday to Friday, Park will attend Asean events and an East Asia summit. In addition to the 10 Asean members, leaders of China, Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, Russia and the United States are gathered in Laos for the conferences.

On Friday, Park will have a bilateral summit with Laos President Bounnhang Vorachith.

BY SER MYO-JA [ser.myoja@joongang.co.kr]

‘The Age of Shadows’ is a beautiful spy adventure; Colonial era thriller keeps viewers on the edge of their seats

“The Age of Shadows” by director Kim Jee-woon is probably the most stylish film ever set in the late 1920s when the country was under Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945). Gong Yoo, second from left, plays the lead role of Kim Woo-jin.[WARNER BROS KOREA]


In almost all Korean films set during the time of Japanese colonial rule (1910-1945), only two groups of people exist: the good and the bad. 

The good guys fight for the independence of the country while the bad guys work closely with the Japanese government. 

But the film “The Age of Shadows” by Kim Jee-woon approaches the era by featuring Lee Jeong-chul (played by Song Kang-ho), a complex character who once worked for the independence of his home country but now pledges loyalty to the Japanese by working as a police officer who brings his former colleagues to court.

The two protagonists of “The Age of Shadows,” Lee and Kim Woo-jin (played by Gong Yoo), are based on Hwang Ok and Kim Si-hyun, both independence fighters at the time. 

Lee one day realizes Korean resistance fighters are making bombs in Shanghai and that they plan to smuggle them to Gyeongseong, a name for Seoul during Japanese colonial rule, to destroy major buildings and attack key figures in the imperial Japanese army. Lee decides to approach Kim, a close aid of Jeong Chae-san (played by Lee Byung-hun), the head of the independence movement. 

Lee attempts to obtain key information from Kim about the bombs but instead he is asked to become miljeong or a secret agent, so that the resistance fighters would be able to successfully land in Gyeongseong with the bombs.

The independent fighters manage to get on a train to Gyeongseong but the confidential information about their route is leaked to the Japanese police. It is then that they realize there is miljeong inside the group. 

“The Age of Shadows” overwhelms the audience from its very opening scene. 

A throng of Japanese police officers run over roofs racing to catch a Korean independent fighter. The stark contrast between the modern uniforms of Japanese police officers and the beauty of old giwa, Korean traditional roof tiles, under the moon light is a sign that this is going to be another stylish film from director Kim, who took the helm of many hit films including “I Saw the Devil” (2010), “The Good, The Bad, The Weird” (2008) and “A Tale of Two Sisters” (2003). 

In terms of cinematography, Kim is second to none and he doesn’t disappoint his long-time fans. There are heaps of films that are set in the late 1920s, but none of them portray the people of the era, when traditional Korean culture and the modern culture of Japan mixed, in the sophisticated and classic way that Kim does. 

Kim’s newest work also reminds viewers that film is a comprehensive art form which includes music and visual art. The film’s sets and score are stunning to the eyes and ears over the course of the film’s 140-minute run time.

In the director’s notes, Kim wrote that he found himself attracted to the spy film genre and wanted to portray the identity crisis of a double agent. 

“The Age of Shadows” is a good espionage film as it keeps the audience sitting at the edge of their seats throughout the whole film waiting to find out who the secret agent is. 

But the visually exciting film lacks depth and plausibility when it explains the changes that lead character Jeong-chul goes through. 

The film also fails to make the best use of some supporting characters such as actress Han Ji-min who plays one of the resistance fighters. Her character, Yeon Gye-sun, seems to have an interesting story, but it never gets explored, leaving much to the imagination. 

Still, the performance of the star-studded cast make up for some of the weaker points. 

Song proves that he is a natural, who can easily switch between comedy and tragedy.

“The Age of Shadows” was invited to the non-competition section at the 73rd Venice International Film Festival and was a special presentation of the Toronto International Film Festival.

The film opens on Wednesday at theaters nationwide. It is rated 15 and over. 

cheerleader 배수현

When I was young standing as a cheerleader at a hearing disability and class had been ill since human.

Steady through his management but cheerleaders even beyond marriage kbo being set an example for the league only married woman, cheerleader.

Frog rescues another frog from snake