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Boss lauds on-song strikers 22/08/2009 17:40, Report by Steve Bartram Elated enough at a five-goal away victory, Sir Alex Ferguson took extra satisfaction from seeing all three of his senior strikers on the scoresheet in the Reds' romp at Wigan. Wayne Rooney's brace, allied to strikes from Dimitar Berbatov, Michael Owen and Nani sealed a stunning victory over the Latics, and has the Reds' three most experienced forwards off and running for the season. "Our strikers have scored the goals today, that's the important thing," Sir Alex told MUTV. "That can only do us the power of good, because you know what strikers are like - when they're not scoring they're not the same people. "It's important for strikers (to be off the mark). If Dimitar and Michael can weigh in with the goals that we expect of Wayne Rooney, then it will make a difference to our game." Owen and Rooney had particular cause to celebrate their goals; the former registering his first goal in a United shirt, the latter reaching and passing a century - and Sir Alex was delighted for them both. "It's terrific for a young lad like Wayne to reach that total at that age," he said. "With the years in front of him, it's going to be great for him. We've had players over the years who've taken many years to get to the hundred. For a young lad to do it, it's great. "Michael's was a fantastic goal. Great run and excellent movement, and a good pass from Nani. Michael Owen has proved himself over the last 10 years to be the best goalscorer in England in that decade, today he showed that again. "I think it will do him the world of good. Obviously coming to the club and after all the discussion around him joining United after being at Liverpool - it was important to get a goal like that, and the crowd were great with him and that was fantastic." The United boss also reserved praise for a player at the opposite end of the pitch - goalkeeper Ben Foster, who made two crucial saves before the Reds had run up a huge lead. "He made two great saves," said Sir Alex. "In the first half from Jason Koumas he made a marvellous save with his left hand. In the second half he was in a position where he had to be agile (to save Hugo Rodallega's header). He managed to knock it out of the way and get the second ball, which was a terrific save. "Overall I thought they played very well. We had six good chances in the first half, and you'd like to take one or two of them, but the important thing was to be patient, and keep playing the way they were playing." Owen joy at first strike 22/08/2009 17:03, Report by Gemma Thompson Michael Owen was over the moon to break his United duck after firing the Reds' fourth goal in the 5-0 hammering of Wigan Athletic on Saturday. The 29-year-old striker came off the bench on 71 minutes and, after being put through by Nani, produced a vintage finish in front of United's 5000-strong travelling support five minutes from time. Having failed to put away a handful of chances on his previous two appearances against Birmingham and Burnley, Owen was relieved to finally get off the mark. "I probably scored the hardest chance I've had!" he joked during an exclusive interview with MUTV. "I had two chances at Burnley and one against Birmingham, but this was the fourth real opportunity I've had. "I don't think I missed a chance in pre-season, but I've missed a couple since the season started and as ever everyone is quick to write you off. It was as if I hadn't scored for a couple of years! That's something I've had to deal with for ten odd years now and I don't think that will change until I hang up my boots. "It was certainly a great feeling to score. I'd got a few in pre-season but there's nothing quite like doing it in a competitive game." With his first goal now under his belt, Owen is confident more will follow. "I'd be disappointed if people didn't think I could go on from here," he insists. "I obviously believe I can as I have done throughout my career and I certainly expect to score more goals in the red shirt."

Rooney looks forward 22/08/2009 17:02, Report by Steve Bartram Wayne Rooney shrugged off reaching the milestone of 101 United goals, and quickly set his sights on plundering plenty more for the Reds. The England striker attained a century - reached over 242 games - by heading United's opener at Wigan, then scored again to set the ball rolling towards the next hundred. "Of course it's nice to score 100 goals for anyone, especially a team like United, so obviously I'm pleased with that," he said. "But the most important thing is the three points. "It's nice but it's something I'll look back on really when I've finished playing. I've still got a lot of games and a lot of goals left in me, so it's not something I'm really too concerned with at the minute." The Reds' five-goal romp at the DW Stadium marked a welcome return to form after Wednesday's lacklustre defeat at Burnley, and Rooney took heart from the swaggering nature of the display. "We played some great football today," he said. "The first half was a bit frustrating. We had chances to score and never took them. In the second half we came out really fast, took the game to Wigan and they couldn't live with us. "Everyone's delighted that Berba and especially Michael scored. It's a great feeling for the three of us to score today, and Nani at the end, and scoring five goals away from home is difficult in the Premier League, thankfully we've done that." Roo 101 Wayne Rooney becomes the 20th player to have scored 100 or more goals for United. Here's how the 22-year-old reached his century... 2004/05: 43 appearances, 17 goals 2005/06: 48 appearances, 19 goals 2006/07: 55 appearances, 23 goals 2007/08: 43 appearances, 18 goals 2008/09: 49 appearances, 20 goals 2009/10: 4 appearances, 4 goals Total: 242 appearances, 101 goals

PHEW !...Five-star Man U demolition. EPL champs Man U crush Wigan 5-0 Fergie expects 100-goal Rooney to get even better AFP - Sunday, August 23 WIGAN, England (AFP) - - Sir Alex Ferguson believes Wayne Rooney will score "many more" for Manchester United after he joined a select band of players to net 100 goals for the club. Rooney reached the milestone after opening the scoring during his side's 5-0 victory at Wigan on Saturday. The England striker ended the match with two goals as United's season exploded into life after a low key start, which included a surprise 1-0 defeat at newly-promoted Burnley. "It's great for Wayne," said Ferguson after United made it two wins from their first three Premier League games. "He's still a young lad and some players are at a club for many years and don't reach that total. "Because of his age I'm sure he'll go on and score many more goals for us. He's a very important player for us." United paid Everton 20 million pounds for Rooney in 2004 ago but the 23-year-old has easily repaid that fee over the years. He has shone from the moment he opened his United goal account with a hat-trick against Fenerbahce in the Champions League at Old Trafford. Rooney could have left the DW Stadium with four goals but for two fine saves from Wigan keeper Chris Kirkland. Ferguson also singled out Michael Owen for praise after the former Liverpool and Real Madrid striker came off the bench to score his first Premier League goal in a United shirt. Owen, a free signing from Newcastle, produced a fine finish for his side's fourth goal which will have done his chances of earning an England recall no harm at all. "Strikers have to score and when they don't they think it's the end of the world," added Ferguson. "Michael needed a goal. It was a fantastic goal. He has proved over the last decade that he is one of the best strikers in England." United looked set for a frustrating afternoon after failing to score in the first half at Wigan. But they moved up a gear in the second half, with Dimitar Berbatov's well-taken effort and a Nani strike adding to the goals from Rooney and Owen. It was the perfect response after the embarrassment of losing to Burnley four days earlier. "It was a really good result and performance," added Ferguson. "The reality is Wednesday was disappointing. But we're not going to kill ourselves because of it. "We've got to be prepared for setbacks. It shouldn't have happened but it did happen. But we've done something about it." This was Wigan's ninth top-flight game against United and they were still searching for a first win over over their north west neighbours after eight straight defeats. Wigan manager Roberto Martinez admitted his side had been taught a lesson. "The big difference for me was conceding the first goal," said Martinez. "That was a bit too sloppy for my liking. "Mentally we left ourselves a bit too exposed. We've got to make sure we learn our lesson." Martinez believes Mohamed Diame will make a big impact at Wigan. The French midfielder made his debut after joining from Spanish side Rayo Vallecano. "Mohamed's been training with us a few days," added Martinez. "He's going to be a big player for us."

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Fergie keeps cool despite United's shock defeat AFP - Thursday, August 20 BURNLEY, England (AFP) - - Sir Alex Ferguson insists he is not concerned about Manchester United's goal-scoring problems despite managing just one goal in their first two Premier League matches. The champions beat Birmingham 1-0 on Sunday but slipped to an embarrassing 1-0 defeat at Burnley in their second match of the season on Wednesday. Ferguson is still getting to grips with life without Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez as United have failed to convince at the start of the campaign. The United manager felt his side still created plenty of chances against the Clarets and thinks they could run riot at Wigan on Saturday if they come up with a similar number of opportunities. Ferguson, who saw Michael Carrick's penalty saved at Turf Moor, insists his team will quickly bounce back from losing their second match of the season. He said: "I'm sure we'll get a response on Saturday. We're all disappointed it was a bad result. "It was a terrific pitch so that's no excuse. We just should have done better with it. "We usually take our time to get going. Sometimes it's October before we get into our best form. But we shouldn't be losing these games. "You have to give credit to Burnley. It's a great night for them. Their fans were fantastic and the pitch was magnificent. Everyone was here for a great night of football. "It's not a concern at this stage when you see the chances we've had. Two or three players had chances. Michael Owen missed one first half, Ryan Giggs in the second. "Michael Carrick had the best chance, the ball was squared to him and he lost the opportunity. Hopefully we get as many chances on a Saturday." Burnley manager Owen Coyle hopes the victory, which followed Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Stoke, will give his side, who are favourites for an immediate return to the Championship, the belief they belong in the top flight. Robbie Blake scored the only goal before Brian Jensen came up with a fine penalty save from Carrick. The Clarets manager believes his side can continue to pick up points despite their next three matches being against Everton, Chelsea and Liverpool. And he insists that getting off the mark in such style will be just what his team need if they are to avoid relegation. He said: "I've told them to have the belief and confidence and now we've got a massive game against Everton on Sunday. "After we lost on Saturday people felt we would still be bottom of the league with no points after the United game so it was nice to prove them wrong, but we have to continue to do it over the course of the season. "If you look at it financially then Burnley against United is a total mis-match but what we do have is belief and quality and we have an unbelievable work-ethic. "We're going to have to produce that in each and every game in the campaign. It's a terrific boost and a timely boost because in whatever league you operate in, you want points on the board or the pressure builds on the team. "It's great to have that under our belt and we'll have to try to get more to go with it. "My group of players, financially again, will be nowhere near the earnings of some other players in the Premier League but they're an honest group of players prepared to do everything they can to get points." Champions United stunned by promoted Burnley AFP - Thursday, August 20 LONDON (AFP) - - Manchester United's defence of the Premier League title suffered an early blow as the champions slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat at promoted Burnley on Wednesday. Sir Alex Ferguson's team were beaten for the first time this season as Robbie Blake scored the first half winner for Burnley, who were indebted to goalkeeper Brian Jensen for saving Michael Carrick's second half penalty. Burnley were playing their first home match as a top-flight club for 33 years and marked the occasion with a dynamic display that was too much for the champions. "We're disappointed and it wasn't a great performance by us but maybe it was Burnley's night, so many things happened in their box I don't know how we didn't score. With the chances we had, we should have won," Ferguson said. Ferguson made three changes to the team that beat Birmingham on Sunday with Michael Owen handed a first start after his close-season move from Newcastle. But it was Burnley, promoted via the Championship play-offs last season, who seized the initiative in the 19th minute at Turf Moor when Blake pounced on a half-cleared cross and lashed a ferocious volley past Ben Foster. United had a chance to level when Blake hauled down Patrice Evra, but Jensen, the giant Burnley keeper nicknamed "the beast" by fans, kept his side ahead by turning away Carrick's penalty. Ferguson sent on Dimitar Berbatov for Owen, who is still waiting for his first goal since January - a drought stretching over 12 hours of playing time - but United were unable to avoid their first defeat against the Clarets since 1968. "I thought we gave an awful lot to the game in terms of attacking play," said Burnley manager Owen Coyle, whose team lost their first match at Stoke on Saturday. "Our players went toe-to-toe and tried to match up with them. "The goal was terrific and it was fitting to win any game. We're delighted to have points on the board." Liverpool gave the perfect response to Sunday's defeat at Tottenham as Rafael Benitez's team claimed a 4-0 victory over Stoke at Anfield. Fernando Torres opened the scoring early on and Glen Johnson's first goal for Liverpool made it two before Dirk Kuyt and David Ngog struck late on. Torres took just four minutes to put Liverpool ahead as he met Steven Gerrard's cross with a fine finish. Benitez's team took complete control in the 45th minute when James Beattie cleared Kuyt's header off the line and the ball fell for Johnson, who volleyed home from close-range. Kuyt added the third in the 78th minute before Ngog's stoppage time strike sealed the rout. "We have plenty of room for improvement. Some players are still short of full fitness," Benitez said. "We are working hard to see if we can announce good new signings." Tottenham maintained their impressive start to the campaign as England striker Jermain Defoe scored a hat-trick in a 5-1 win at Hull. Harry Redknapp's team caught the eye with victory over Liverpool on Sunday and they showed that was no flash in the pan by moving to the top of the table. Defoe and Wilson Palacios gave them a two-goal lead before Stephen Hunt got one back, but Defoe completed his hat-trick either side of a goal from Robbie Keane. Redknapp's team took the lead in the 10th minute when Defoe, who scored twice in England's friendly against Holland last week, took Tom Huddlestone's pass on the edge of the penalty area and worked space to drive home a fine finish. Honduras midfielder Palacios increased Tottenham's lead four minutes later when he finished Keane's pass for his first goal in English football. Hull winger Hunt reduced the deficit when he curled in a long-range free-kick in the 25th minute. But Defoe restored Tottenham's two-goal advantage on the stroke of half-time. Keane got on the scoresheet in the 78th minute and Defoe's treble arrived in the 90th minute. Birmingham claimed their first win of the season as James McFadden's stoppage time penalty sealed a 1-0 victory over Portsmouth at St Andrews. Alex McLeish's side, promoted as Championship runners-up last season, were awarded the spot-kick when Portsmouth goalkeeper David James collided with Sebastian Larsson.

Michael Jackson's doctor posts video By THOMAS WATKINS, Associated Press Writer AP - Wednesday, August 19 LOS ANGELES - The doctor who was with Michael Jackson when he died and is now the center of a manslaughter probe posted a short video Tuesday thanking his supporters. In the one-minute video, posted on YouTube, a weary-looking Dr. Conrad Murray thanks friends and patients and refers to his two interviews with Los Angeles police detectives. It was the first time Murray had spoken publicly since Jackson died June 25. "I have done all I could do," a solemn-sounding Murray says as he looks into the camera. "I told the truth and I have faith the truth will prevail." The video was recorded last week at a private residence in Houston, said Miranda Sevcik, the spokeswoman for Murray's lawyer. After Jackson died, Murray received death threats, hired a body guard and was forced into seclusion at his Las Vegas home, Sevcik said. He also has received many calls from patients, former patients and strangers offering him support. "Because of all that is going on, I am afraid to return phone calls or use my e-mail," Murray says. "I recorded this video to let all of you know that I have been receiving your messages ... Your messages give me strength and courage and keep me going. They mean the world to me." Since Jackson's death, Murray has not worked and has closed his Las Vegas practice. The doctor was in dire financial shape when he signed on with Jackson earlier this year at $150,000 a month, owing at least $780,000 in judgments and outstanding payments. Sevcik said the only reason Murray made the video was to address supporters, but she added Murray told her he misses being able to work. "He says he wants to get back to work, he really does genuinely care about the people he works with," Sevcik said. "He has to just wait, he's in limbo." Gregory D. Lee, a retired supervisory agent with the Drug Enforcement Agency, said he thought Murray wanted to improve his image. "This doctor has been demonized," Lee said. "This is an attempt to humanize him and possibly sway any potential jury pool out there." Murray told investigators he administered Jackson a powerful anesthetic along with multiple sedatives in the hours before the singer died, a law enforcement official told The Associated Press. Investigators think Murray left the room where Jackson was sleeping for a few minutes to make phone calls and returned to find the pop icon not breathing. The official requested anonymity because the investigation is ongoing. The Los Angeles coroner's office has said it has completed its work determining Jackson's cause of death but won't be releasing results until the police investigation is complete. On the Net: Dr Murray: I've done all I could

Global recovery requires rebalancing act: IMF economist AFP - Wednesday, August 19 WASHINGTON (AFP) - - The global recovery from recession underway requires a delicate rebalancing of economies -- notably between the United States and Asia -- to sustain it, the chief IMF economist said Tuesday. "The recovery has started. Sustaining it will require delicate rebalancing acts, both within and across countries," Olivier Blanchard said in an IMF article, released in advance of publication Wednesday. Blanchard cautioned that predictable models based on past recoveries from recessions would not apply to the worst global slump in seven decades. "The world is not in a run-of-the mill recession. The turnaround will not be simple. The crisis has left deep scars, which will affect both supply and demand for many years to come," he said. The United States, the epicenter of the crisis, "is central to any world recovery," he said in the article, titled "Sustaining a Global Recovery." Blanchard said two rebalancing acts will have to come into play to sustain the global recovery: a switch from public to private spending and the rebalancing of international trade flows. The latter would require "a shift from domestic to foreign demand in the United States and a reverse shift from foreign to domestic demand in the rest of the world, particularly in Asia," he said. Pointing to a decline in American household consumption -- which "represents 70 percent of total US demand" -- and a rise in the personal saving rate that is expected to persist for some time, Blanchard estimated a 3.0 percentage point drop in the ratio of consumption to US gross domestic product, a broad measure of economic output. With the 3.0 percent drop unlikely to be made up by increased investment and the eventual phase-out of the massive fiscal stimulus, "US net exports must increase" for the US recovery to occur, he said. Key to the rebalancing act will be an increase in foreign demand for US goods, particularly in countries with large current account surpluses, notably in China and other Asian countries. "From the point of view of the United States, a decrease in Chinas current account surplus would help increase demand, and sustain the US recovery. That would result in more US imports, which would help sustain world recovery," the top economist at the 186-nation institution said. China may be willing to pursue that "because it may well be in its own interest," said the economist, but other emerging market Asian countries that run large current account surpluses have weaker incentives than China to boost internal demand. Blanchard recalled that in a typical recession model, lower-than-normal growth gives way to higher-than-normal growth for some time, until the economy has returned to its normal growth path. "The current global recession is far from normal," he said, citing the breakdown in parts of the economic system. "In advanced countries, the financial systems are partly dysfunctional, and will take a long time to find their new shape," he said. Emerging market countries may not see dwindled capital inflows return to pre-crisis levels for a few years. The end result of the global crisis: possibly a permanently lower potential output, he said. Blanchard said the IMF's upcoming edition of the twice-yearly World Economic Outlook will cover 88 banking crises over the past four decades in a wide range of countries. "While there is large variation across countries, the conclusion is that, on average, output does not go back to its old trend path, but remains permanently below it."

New CEO 'should be S'porean' Temasek says no CEO deadline, ideally seeks local Reuters - Tuesday, August 18 By Kevin Lim and Nopporn Wong-Anan * Temasek board to have majority of Singaporeans - finmin * Ex CEO-designate Goodyear not compensated * Govt mum on "strategic differences" with Goodyear SINGAPORE, Aug 18 - Singapore state investor Temasek has not set a deadline to replace CEO Ho Ching despite her designated successor's surprise departure last month, the city-state's finance minister said on Tuesday. Tharman Shanmugaratnam said Temasek's next chief should "ideally" be a Singaporean, but added the government would leave the decision to Temasek's board. "There's no push factor for the current CEO to step down," Tharman said in response to questions in Parliament. "The government does not directly manage the process of CEO succession. To do so would make the appointment of the CEO a political decision, which it must never be." Former BHP Billiton CEO Charles "Chip" Goodyear was named as Temasek's CEO-designate earlier this year as part of a regular succession planning system and not because there was an urgent need to find a new chief, Tharman said. Temasek, whose sole shareholder is the finance ministry, said last month that Goodyear would not take over as CEO in October as planned due to differences over strategy. Tharman declined to comment on those differences, but said Goodyear had not received any severance or goodwill payments as a result of his premature departure. Goodyear, who would have been the investment agency's first foreign CEO, was widely expected to trim Temasek's financial holdings and shift focus into commodities and energy, analysts had said. "Temasek's leadership remains strong, at both the CEO and board level. They have enabled Temasek to sustain its generally superior overall investment performance over the years, including over the last cycle in global markets that began in 2003," Tharman said. He said it was important, though, that Temasek's board remain in the control of a Singaporean majority. Ho, the wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, said last month that Temasek lost more than S$40 billion in its financial year to end-March -- indicating its portfolio had shrunk by more than a fifth over the year. She did not give the exact value of Temasek's assets. Temasek is one of the world's biggest sovereign wealth funds although its portfolio is smaller than that managed by the Government of Singapore Investment Corp , which most analysts say has over $200 billion. GIC does not publicly disclose the value of its assets. Temasek is expected to release its annual report next month, giving the audited value of its portfolio and its investment returns.

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In death, as in life, Jackson surrounded by wackiness AFP - Sunday, August 16 LOS ANGELES (AFP) - - Michael Jackson's outlandish life is being overshadowed in his death by events so preposterous they seem to come from a fiction writer's overactive imagination. They include a petition to award him a Nobel peace prize; a growing list of people who claim to be the real parents of Jackson's children; a lawsuit from an alleged ex-wife; and a sect that believes the "King of Pop" lives on, albeit on another planet. Jackson died in Los Angeles on June 25 at age 50 from an apparent cardiac arrest. His son Prince Michael, 12; his daughter Paris, 11, and seven-year-old son Prince Michael II -- known as "Blanket" -- are the immediate heirs to the late singer's music empire. Their legal guardian is Katherine Jackson, the children's paternal grandmother. According to a case filed recently in Los Angeles, a woman named Claire Elisabeth Fields Cruise claims to be the children's sole biological mother. Documents filed by Fields Cruise, and posted on celebrity website TMZ.com, also claim Prince Michael I was fathered by a man who lives in France, while Paris Jackson's father was Fields Cruise's "unofficial college sweetheart." Fields Cruise told a judge she gave birth to the children without being pregnant with them. "There is technology that is in existence," she told reporters after she filed the case,"to remove the conceived children from her body and insert them into the bodies of the surrogates who gave birth to them." Fields Cruise also claimed that Jackson "always knew" he was the biological father of Connor Cruise, the 14 year-old black child that actors Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman adopted in 1995, when they were still married. One day before Fields Cruise filed her case, British ex-child star Mark Lester said that he might be Paris Jackson's father. "I gave Michael my sperm so that he could have kids -- and I believe Paris is my daughter," Lester, who played Oliver Twist in the 1968 film musical "Oliver!," told the British tabloid News of the World. Jackson family spokespeople said the 51-year-old Briton was a friend of Jackson and is godfather to all three of his children, but denied Lester's parenthood claim. Jackson had his first two children, Prince Michael and Paris, when he was married to Debbie Rowe, an assistant to his dermatologist, between 1996 and 1999. Rowe signed over parental rights to the children to Jackson, who later had a third child, Prince Michael II, by a surrogate. Rowe's boss Arnold Klein even weighed in with a cryptic statement on paternity. "To the best of my knowledge, I am not the father of these children," Klein told ABC News in early July. Rowe and Jackson may have divorced, but one Nona Paris Lola Ankhesenamun Jackson claims to be the singer's legitimate wife -- and filed a case in Los Angeles court five days after the singer's death asking "that all my husband's properties, monies and assets must be transferred to me immediately." While there is no evidence linking the woman to Jackson, she also claims Jackson's children are hers and that she did not authorize them to live with their grandmother. Separately, a woman by the name of Billie Jean Jackson -- like Jackson's famous hit song "Bille Jean" -- showed up in court claiming an unspecified link to "Blanket" Jackson. Jean asked the judge to hire a handwriting expert to check Jackson's will for forgeries; asked for the right to visit Blanket every Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 2 pm; and asked to not to be "arrested" by Katherine Jackson or estate executor John Branca. Meanwhile, gossip magazines allege that 25-year-old rapper Omer Bhatti is Jackson's love child, conceived in a one-night stand with a Norwegian fan. Bhatti lived at Neverland ranch for eight years and was with the Jackson family at the singer's funeral. Friends told reporters however that he was merely a Jackson protege, and Bhatti has denied any biological link to the singer. That hasn't stopped the late singer's estranged father Joe Jackson from claiming that Bhatti was Michael's son. "Yes, I knew he had another son, yes I did," Joe Jackson told ABC News in a July 31 interview. Bhatti "looks like a Jackson, he can dance like a Jackson," he added, offering no further proof. Soon after Jackson's death, a website opened nominating the singer for the 2010 Nobel Peace Prize for having "given of himself completely and selflessly in a lifelong effort to help better global conditions for children, and all of humankind." As of Saturday more than 31,000 people had signed the petition -- even though Nobel prizes are not awarded posthumously. Some people say they see Jackson's ghost in a CNN documentary filmed at the late star's Neverland estate soon after his death. Others may be consoled by the Raelian Movement, a group that says Jackson -- named a Raelian Honorary Guide in 1992 -- probably lives on. "Considering all the good things Michael did on Earth for peace and love, I'm sure he is alive today on the Elohim's Eternal-Life Planet," group leader Rael said in a July 7 statement. Raelians believe that all life on Earth was created by human scientists from another planet known as the Elohim, who ancient humans mistook for gods. Jackson "is among the few humans from Earth to be so cloned, and will return to Earth with the Elohim" when humans will welcome them back, the statement read.

WAH !...I heard U bought a rare nice colored ZOAs gem. Any pic ?

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AH BENG...nice red Filament Wrasseys spotted.

Clowny Tangy is the most aggressive lot among its Acanthurus siblings. The Clowny should ideally be the last fish to add to ya tanky after U have completed ya TANG collection.

WHOA !...nice flaring FLAMEY U have.

I usually find that Jap Tanks mainly go for colorful visual treats such as beautifully selected SPS/LPS corals & nice expensive fishes. However, they failed on Fish Selection vs Reef Compatibility.

New condo launches spark property craze Singapore property market booms despite recession AFP - Wednesday, August 12 SINGAPORE (AFP) - - Despite Singapore's worst economic slump since independence, the residential property sector is in the midst of a new boom reminiscent of 2007, when the city-state was known as the world's hottest real estate market. Greed and its twin brother fear are back in play as punters stake out condo launches days before sales open, with some offering blank cheques to pre-book flats, prompting the government to hint it may have to cool things down. "Some of the practices and habits that you saw in the last property boom are beginning to come back, so I think we'll have to be careful," said Minister for National Development Mah Bow Tan, whose portfolio includes housing. "A little bit of speculation is inevitable in every market, but when it becomes excessive, then it is something that we should try to avoid," he said. The minister's words of caution fell on deaf ears. A 297-unit condo called Optima in the extreme east -- well outside prime districts -- sold out in within three days in early August after Mah's warning, fetching as much as two million Singapore dollars (1.38 million US) a unit. The developer had to issue ballots "to address the needs of the genuine buyers" and disperse the huge crowd that turned up for the launch of the project, which will only be ready for occupancy in 2014, a spokesman said. Within days, some units were already being advertised for resale in the secondary market. An AFP reporter who recently walked into the sales office of another high-rise condo being built close to the Orchard Road shopping belt was treated like royalty by agents expecting to close deals within days, if not hours. Bank officers were ready to process loans on the spot. "Buy before prices go up further," an agent whispered in his ear, gesturing to a "sky garden" bisecting the scale model of a glass-clad, 45-storey tower. Singapore's economic output is officially forecast to shrink by four to six percent this year -- less severe than earlier estimates, but still its worst economic performance on record -- and office rents are still soft, reflecting weak business activity. "It is too early to celebrate," Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong warned over the weekend as he spelled out the country's economic prospects. "The outlook remains clouded." The property frenzy began in middle-class condo projects due to pent-up demand from families upgrading from public to private housing but scared off by the 2007 price spiral. Their enthusiasm quickly spilled over to more exclusive developments. Prices of luxury condos -- the segment worst hit by the recession -- are now inching toward peak levels achieved around mid-2007, according to an analysis by business weekly The Edge. Foreign investors, including Asians looking for a secure place to park their money, are also back in the Singapore market. Singaporeans enjoy one of the world's highest savings and home ownership rates, but most live in relatively spartan government-built flats, making owning condos an obsessive goal for families. A pension system forces them to save more than a third of their monthly income, and the accumulated funds can be tapped before retirement to buy property, creating a massive pool of financing ready to be used when market conditions are good for buyers. Chua Chor Hoon, senior director and head of Southeast Asia research at property advisers DTZ Debenham Tie Leung, said various factors combined to spur renewed buying in Singapore properties. Signs of economic recovery, the stock market rally, the imminent completion of massive casino resorts, low interest rates and lack of confidence in complex financial products encouraged property buyers. Asked if the government will have to intervene to stop a bubble from forming, she said: "There's froth but no excessive speculation." "The government is likely to increase the supply of housing units through the sale of government land and monitor the situation first." Chua Yang Liang, head of Southeast Asia research at Jones Lang LaSalle, said demand is largely driven by buyers upgrading from government housing due to strong wealth creation in recent years, and the shrinking gap in cost between public and private housing. "However, unless we begin to record positive growth in the larger global and domestic economies, the recent spike in demand and prices is short-lived and could cause asset driven inflation in the longer term, especially if wage increases do not keep pace," Chua added. "In our opinion, there isn't enough compelling reason for the state to want to interfere into the market phenomenon just as yet, unless it affects the overall affordability for the masses and causes asset-driven inflation in the economy," Chua said.

Simply FABULOUS !!!...time to visit U soon mate.