The iPad's on-screen keyboard is great

Apple's cheapest laptops, the white MacBook and the 11-inch MacBook Air, both sell for "under $1000" -- meaning $999. But as it turns out, they now have a new budget machine that compares favorably price-wise to PC notebooks. It's called the iPad 2.

Can it do everything a PC can? Arguably. As Apple likes to say, "there's an app for that." Most of Apple's iLife and iWork apps are already on the iPad, while third-party developers have found ways to turn the iPad into everything from a business tool to a guitar tuner. There are some extras you'll need, though, if you're planning on making an iPad 2 your main machine come March 11.

External screen and adapter

The old iPad supported AirPlay, which let you stream movies and pictures to your TV and music to your speakers. The problem was, that was all it could do. Worse, it required AirPlay-compatible speakers and/or a second-generation Apple TV, and it only worked with Apple's official apps.

The iOS 4.3 update, a new version of the operating system that powers the iPad, is opening up AirPlay to third-party developers, letting them write AirPlay support into their apps. More than that, though, the iPad 2 (not the original iPad) will also support Video Mirroring, which will let you plug the iPad 2 into an HDTV or PC monitor (depending on which adapter you buy). Good for presentations ... better for people whose primary machine is their iPad 2.

Bluetooth wireless keyboard

This one is obvious. The iPad's on-screen keyboard is great, if a bit awkward to use with your thumbs even in portrait mode. If you actually want to get writing done on it, though, you'll need an external keyboard. Google Docs, iWork and the official WordPress app all support it, as does anything else that allows for text entry. There are even some keyboard shortcuts available, although you'll still be tapping the screen a lot (no, it won't work with a mouse).

Lady Gaga can always fall back on modeling

The pop-shock sensation proved she's got the stuff to make it in the cruel world of fashion with her high-impact catwalk debut Wednesday at Mugler's fall-winter 2011-12 ready-to-wear show.
Dressed in a sheer black top and painted-on pencil skirt, Gaga drew on her wealth of experience with extreme footwear and managed to negotiate the towering platform shoes better than some of the models.

Legions of fans mobbed the show's venue, a gym in a working-class neighborhood in eastern Paris, hoping for a glimpse of the singer. It was clear that many of the industry insiders also made the trip into the fashion backwater exclusively for Gaga — who'd announced she'd be walking in the show on her Twitter account the day before.

And she didn't disappoint. Bursting in halfway through the show with a formidable contingent of bodyguards, Gaga hopped onto the stage — ahem, the catwalk — and struck no-holds-barred poses in front of the even more formidable pack of photographers. She puffed on a cigarette, blowing clouds of smoke toward them and then was off: bumping, grinding and strutting her way backstage, only to emerge in an all white ensemble topped off by a lampshade hat.

It was a blockbuster performance, er, show. Indeed Gaga looked more comfortable than many of the models, who had trouble embracing the nasty girl role they'd been told to play. Their tiger growls at the cameras flopped, their gyrations were forced — and Gaga stood out as the A-grade performer she is.

a growing gay presence in more recent years

Fashion house Christian Dior has sacked British designer John Galliano after allegations he made anti-Semitic remarks.

Footage of the designer emerged after his arrest in Paris on suspicion of assault and anti-Semitism.

The fashion house's chairman Sidney Toledano said: "I unequivocally condemn the statements made by John Galliano which are in total contradiction to the long-standing core values of Christian Dior."

A spokesman for the designer refused to comment.

Galliano was suspended last week after he allegedly launched an attack on a couple sitting on a cafe terrace following a late-night drinking session in the upmarket Marais district.

But further footage, which appeared to show him abusing drinkers in a bar and telling them "I love Hitler", has since emerged.

A statement released by Dior today said it had "commenced termination proceedings" in the light of the "deeply offensive statements and conduct by John Galliano in a video made public yesterday".

Police said Galliano, who has been Dior's creative director for 14 years, had drunk the equivalent of up to two bottles of wine when he was arrested.

He was later released to return to his home in the same district.

In France, making anti-Semitic remarks is punishable by up to six months in prison or with a fine of up to 22,500 euro (£19,200).

The Marais has historic associations with the Parisian Jewish community and has experienced a growing gay presence in more recent years.

The quarter boasts an array of luxury boutiques, art galleries and high-end restaurants which line its cobbled streets.

It is also home to a host of fashion houses and continues to draw tourists in droves.

Oscar-winning actress Natalie Portman, who promotes a Dior perfume range, criticised the designer earlier this week.

She released a statement saying that "as an individual who is proud to be Jewish, I will not be associated with Mr Galliano in any way".