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Birmingham's Bowyer stuns slumping Chelsea AFP - Sunday, November 21 BIRMINGHAM, United Kingdom (AFP) – Lee Bowyer's first goal of the season gave Birmingham a shock 1-0 victory over Chelsea here on Saturday to cast more doubts over the ability of Carlo Ancelotti's side to retain the Premier League title. Less than a week after Ancelotti was left fuming at his team's lame capitulation against Sunderland, Chelsea's season reached a new low as they chalked up more unwanted records by recording their first run of three defeats in four league games since Russian owner Roman Abramovich rescued the club from former owner Ken Bates. Chelsea last tasted defeat in two Premier League games on the spin when they lost the final two matches of the 2005-06 season having already claimed the title under Jose Mourinho. Rather than stemming the nosebleed handed to them by Steve Bruce's side last Sunday, they spilt more blood in the title race at St Andrew's as Ben Foster underlined why Birmingham manager Alex McLeish believes he can be England's goalkeeper for a decade to come. Foster was criticised for his performance in the 2-1 defeat against France on Wednesday at Wembley, but he redeemed himself with the kind of outstanding performance that will leave Didier Drogba having sleepless nights trying to work out how he failed to score. Not too many weeks ago few people were willing to offer an argument against Chelsea cruising to the defence of their title as Ancelotti's side averaged four goals per game. Now they are fighting to stabilise their season. The 3-0 defeat against Sunderland and the worst performance Ancelotti had witnessed since his arrival came at the end of a turbulent week and the controversial sacking of first team coach Ray Wilkins. Wilkins' announcement that he intends to fight the decision will have only added to the sense of unrest off the field, while the catalogue of injuries to influential players like John Terry, Frank Lampard and Michael Essien means questions are now being asked of Chelseas stability and strength in depth. Ancelotti is too professional to publicly reveal what can only be interpreted as his sense of betrayal at the decision to sack Wilkins and appoint Michel Emenalo as his number two. He had to keep his anger in check at the shocking way his team allowed Bowyer to open the scoring after they had wasted two excellent chances of their own. No one tracked Bowyer's run from deep and he was all alone to sweep the ball past Peter Cech after Cameron Jerome headed Sebastian Larsson's cross into his path. By that time Chelsea had already swept 80 yards in five passes, involving four players, only to see Drogba denied from the edge of the area by Foster, while Kalou had lacked the bravery to convert at the near post inside the opening minute. Foster's save from Drogba was the start of a personal duel which reduced the Ivorian to disbelief in the opening 45 minutes, mostly from the wonderful one-handed save which kept out Drogba's header from six yards. Kalou was denied by a fine sprawling save, when he thought he had rounded the goalkeeper in the area and somehow managed to head wide from eight yards, after Florent Malouda's cross. Branislav Ivanovic's header appeared to be heading for the top corner until Foster intervened again with another smart reaction save as Birmingham threatened to drown under a blue tidal wave of attacks. It has been 165 games and over four years since Chelsea last tossed away six points in succession, but the odds on them putting together another such run seems a long way off right now and their title is seriously under threat.

AIDS campaigners welcome pope condom U-Turn AFP - Monday, November 22 VATICAN CITY (AFP) - – Campaigners against the spread of AIDS welcomed a u-turn by Pope Benedict XVI on the use of condoms Sunday, saying it marked a historic break with the past which would save lives. In a series of interviews to appear in a book published this week, Benedict said that while the use of condoms should not be seen as a "moral solution", he stepped back from the Vatican's blanket ban on all forms of contraception. "In certain cases, where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, it can nevertheless be a first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality," said the head of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics. Benedict sparked an international outcry in March 2009 on a visit to AIDS-ravaged Africa when he told reporters that the distribution of condoms could even aggravate the pandemic. To illustrate his apparent shift in position, Benedict offered the example of a male prostitute using a condom. "There may be justified individual cases, for example when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be ... a first bit of responsibility, to re-develop the understanding that not everything is permitted and that one may not do everything one wishes," Benedict was quoted as saying in the new book. "But it is not the proper way to deal with the horror of HIV infection." Benedict reiterated that condom use alone would not solve the problem of HIV/AIDS. "More must happen," he said. "Becoming simply fixated on the issue of condoms makes sexuality more banal and exactly this is the reason why so many people no longer find sexuality to be an expression of their love, but a type of self-administered drug." While some campaigners said that the pope's comments did not go anywhere near far enough, there was a general consensus that they would help in the fight against AIDS. The head of the UN agency leading the international campaign against AIDS said Benedict's comments were a "significant and positive step forward". "This move recognizes that responsible sexual behaviour and the use of condoms have important roles in HIV prevention," UNAIDS executive director Michel Sidibe said in a statement. Sidibe said he had held far reaching discussions with Vatican on HIV prevention issues in 2009. "Together we can build a world with zero new HIV infections, zero discrimination and zero AIDS-related deaths," he added. Franco Grillini, president of Italian gay rights group Arcigay, said the Vatican appeared to now acknowledge the harm caused by its previous stance. "Finally! If the pope recognises, even if it's only in certain circumstances, the importance of using condoms, it means that he recognises having made mistakes in the past," said Grillini. Daniele Capezzone, a spokesman for Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's People of Freedom party, hailed what he called "a wise and sensible pronouncement". "This seems to me to be both historic and positive," he added. In France, one of the leaders of the Christians and AIDS association, also said it was a highly significant break with the past. "The breach is now open and I totally accept what he has said," Gerard Guerin told AFP. "Condoms must be allowed to halt the virus. They are not simply useful, they must be used." In South Africa, where an estimated 5.7 million of the 48 million population are HIV positive, there was also a cautious welcome from the main anti-AIDS lobby but a warning that the pope needed to be much more unequivocal. While calling his comments "a step in the right direction", Vuyiseka Dubula, general secretary of the Treatment Action Campaign, said they "still fall below what we expect" from the Church. "We still don't agree with condom use only in certain circumstances. We think that the pope needs to do much better than that because his message can be misunderstood by his followers," said Dubula. Veteran British gay rights campaigner Peter Tatchell welcomed the move but said it did not go far enough. "The pope's comments offer a scintilla of hope that the Church's dogma are open to change," he told Sky News. "It has opened the possibility of male prostitutes using condoms as an act of responsibility but why cannot a husband and wife use a condom to protect themselves against the risk of infection?"

Pope says condoms acceptable 'in certain cases' AFP - Sunday, November 21 BERLIN (AFP) - – Pope Benedict XVI says that condom use is acceptable "in certain cases", notably to reduce the risk of HIV infection, in a book due out Tuesday, apparently softening his once hardline stance. In a series of interviews published in his native German, the 83-year-old Benedict is asked whether "the Catholic Church is not fundamentally against the use of condoms." "It of course does not see it as a real and moral solution," the pope replies. "In certain cases, where the intention is to reduce the risk of infection, it can nevertheless be a first step on the way to another, more humane sexuality," said the head of the world's 1.1 billion Catholics. The new volume, entitled "Light of the World: The Pope, the Church and the Signs of the Times", is based on 20 hours of interviews conducted by German journalist Peter Seewald. Until now, the Vatican had prohibited the use of any form of contraception -- other than abstinence -- even as a guard against sexually transmitted disease. The United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS, welcomed Benedict's remarks as "a significant and positive step forward taken by the Vatican." UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibe said in a statement: "The move recognizes that responsible sexual behaviour and the use of condoms have important roles in HIV prevention." Benedict sparked international outcry in March 2009 on a visit to AIDS-ravaged Africa when he told reporters the disease was a tragedy "that cannot be overcome through the distribution of condoms, which even aggravates the problems." To illustrate his apparent shift in position, Benedict offered the example of a male prostitute using a condom. "There may be justified individual cases, for example when a male prostitute uses a condom, where this can be ... a first bit of responsibility, to re-develop the understanding that not everything is permitted and that one may not do everything one wishes," Benedict was quoted as saying. "But it is not the proper way to deal with the horror of HIV infection." Benedict reiterated that condom use alone would not solve the problem of HIV/AIDS. "More must happen," he said. "Becoming simply fixated on the issue of condoms makes sexuality more banal and exactly this is the reason why so many people no longer find sexuality to be an expression of their love, but a type of self-administered drug." Other than condoms, the book, set to be translated into 18 languages, addresses many other sensitive issues, including the paedophile priest scandals, celibacy and female ordination. Concerning the paedophile scandal that has rocked Benedict's native Germany as well as other countries around the world, the pope said he was "deeply shocked" by it. Benedict raised the possibility of a "sincere" dialogue with Islam, adding that a controversial speech he gave on the subject was an attempt at an academic discourse rather than a political lecture. In a September 2006 speech in Regensburg in his native Bavaria, the pope provoked outrage among sections of the Muslim community for appearing to question the rational basis of Islam and associating it with violence. Benedict also criticised a French law banning Muslim women from wearing full-face veils such as the burqa and the niqab in public. "Some women do not wear the burqa entirely voluntarily and it is correct to talk of a violation against that woman. Of course one cannot agree with that," he said. "But if they want to wear it voluntarily, I don't know why one must ban them. The new book is the first collection of interviews with the pontiff since the then cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became pope in April 2005. Seewald asked more than 90 questions on three major themes during conversations conducted July 26-31 at the pope's summer residence in the Italian town of Castel Gandolfo. The pontiff also discusses the case of the Holocaust-denying bishop Roger Williamson, the danger of a schism in the Church and the possibility of a Vatican III Council on Church reforms, which has for now been put off. A former communist, Seewald became Catholic after meeting Cardinal Ratzinger, with whom he produced two earlier volumes of interviews.

Singaporean Student-Jonathan Wong Arrested For Child Pornography by Nadira Begum Child pornography videos, some featuring girls as young as six and some lasting longer than an hour, were found in the possession of a Ministry of Education (MOE) scholar studying in Britain. Singaporean Jonathan Wong (picture), a third-year history major at the University of York, pleaded guilty on Monday to 17 charges of owning child pornography videos since July 2008. Jonathan Wong, 23, could be facing more than a year in jail after the magistrate’s court in York decided that its maximum sentencing power of 12 months in prison was insufficient and committed him instead to the York Crown Court where he will be sentenced on Dec 13, the city’s The Press newspaper reported. In reply to media queries, the ministry said that it was looking into the matter and added that it “will take the necessary disciplinary action against those (scholars) who have behaved inappropriately”. The Press said Jonathan Wong’s offenses came to light after fellow students alerted the campus authorities about suspicious audio files being uploaded onto the university’s intranet. After tracing the files to Jonathan Wong, the police confiscated his computer hard disk drive and found 50 videos – 25 of which were rated as “four” on the Copine scale. (The Copine Scale is a rating system used in the United Kingdom to categorise the severity of child pornography. Level 4 is where “penetrative sexual activity between child(ren) and adult(s) is involved”) On this scale used to rate the severity of child pornography, levels “four” and “five” constitute hardcore pornography. The North Yorkshire police told MediaCorp yesterday that Wong was arrested on March 19, adding that he did not produce the videos but downloaded some of them from the Internet. According to The Press, UK prosecutor Martin Butterworth told the court: “We are talking about girls as young as six. Of the movies, some of them are graphic, some of them have audio, some of them last more than an hour.” Since the case surfaced in the local Chinese media and online, Singaporeans and those acquainted with Wong have berated him and expressed shock over his actions. A Singaporean student at University of York, however, painted a different picture of him. Describing Wong as a “big brother”, he told MediaCorp: “Jonathan is a nice, generous and helpful person … He gave me medicine when I was sick and he cooked us meals.” The 22-year-old, who said he has known Wong for over a year, added: “He does not like loud parties but prefers a quiet peaceful dinner with friends … I am disgusted by what he has done but I feel sorry for him too as a friend.” A spokesman for the University of York declined comment, saying it would respond to MediaCorp’s queries only after court proceedings have been concluded. With additional reporting by Saifulbahri Ismail Source:TodayOnline

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Warning: This iPhone glitch allows others to bypass your passcode Posted on 15 Nov 2010 STOMPer iPhonelover is concerned about a glitch with both the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 models, which allows others to bypass your passcode, make any call from your phone and even view your photo album. Initially, the STOMPer thought the glitch only affects the iPhone 4, but a test conducted by STOMP revealed that it affects the iPhone 3GS model as well. Said the STOMPer in an email to STOMP: "I was very upset when a friend was able to view my contacts due a problem with the iPhone 4. "These are the steps to bypass your iPhone 4 passcode: "Select the emergency call. Dial any number, and while it's dialling, quickly press the power button, and it will take you to the contact list. STOMP found the same glitch when we made a test on the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS models. The glitch allows anyone to gain access to your contact list and make any call they want using your iPhone. The STOMPer went on further to say that by editing the photos of his contacts, his friend was also able to have access to his photos. STOMP verified this with our own test. Using the iPhone 4 or iPhone 3GS, users can gain access to the photo album on a locked iPhone simply by finding a contact with a photo and clicking on the 'edit' option to edit the photo. The iPhone will then prompt the user to 'choose photo'. By clicking on that, the user can open up the photo album. The STOMPer added: "By editing, one is able to view my photos, even with my passcode turned on. "I'm very sad that such a great phone has such a simple error. "Apple has nothing on this. It took my friend 10 seconds to crack my phone data. "Apple should warn people and fix this problem." STOMP has found an online video demonstrating how you can bypass the passcode in your iPhone.

Tourists flock to Harry Potter grave Wed 17 Nov 11:04 AM A graveyard in Israel has become besieged by Harry Potter fans, after it was revealed a tombstone bears the same name as the teen wizard. Private Harry Potter was a British soldier killed in 1939 after a battle with an armed band. He was 18, but is mistakenly marked down as 19 on the tombstone after lying about his age in a bid to enlist in the army. A tour guide at the small Israeli town of Ramle said, "There is no connection with the Harry Potter we know from literature, but the name sells, the name is marketable." The morbid interest began about five years ago, and its popularly has grown and grown after it was listed on a tourism website. "It's a type of pilgrimage for some man whose name stands out. If you didn't say that Harry Potter was buried here, no one would come here," said Josef Peretz from Tel Aviv. 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1' is released this Friday.

Time to cut-back moi frugal Investments in Marines... Singapore sees 2011 GDP growth slowing to 4-6 pct Singapore expects GDP growth to slow to 4-6 percent next year from 15 percent this year Alex Kennedy, Associated Press, On Thursday 18 November 2010, 9:02 SGT SINGAPORE (AP) -- Singapore said Thursday that its economic growth will likely slow next year as demand for the island's exports weakens in the U.S. and Europe. Gross domestic product will likely expand between 4 percent and 6 percent in 2011, down from around 15 percent this year, the Trade and Industry Ministry said in a statement. The ministry warned that the U.S. economy could slip back into recession next year, while debt problems may continue to dog some European countries. "The global economy remains vulnerable to several downside risks, notably a reversion to recessionary conditions in the U.S., and concerns of sovereign debt sustainability in the peripheral EU economies," the ministry said. Singapore relies on manufacturing, financial services and tourism to help boost one of the world's highest standards of living. The city-state of 5 million people has benefited this year from a recovery in global demand for its exports and a surge in visitor arrivals. The ministry said GDP rose 10.6 percent in the July-to-September period from a year ago, compared with a surge of 19.5 percent in the second quarter, which was the biggest jump since the government began publishing quarterly figures in 1975. The ministry last month had initially reported that the economy grew 10.3 percent in the third quarter. The economy contracted an annualized, seasonally adjusted 18.7 percent in the third quarter after surging 27.3 percent in the second, the ministry said. Singapore expects non-oil exports to grow between 6 percent and 8 percent next year, down from a jump of about 24 percent this year, the ministry said. Loose monetary policy will likely offset high jobless rates to keep developed countries growing slowly next year, the ministry said. "The advanced economies will grow at a steady but relatively slow pace," the ministry said. "The strength of recovery could be restrained by high unemployment and weak household balance sheets."

Liverpool furious at Gerrard's injury for England Reuters - Thursday, November 18 By Mike Collett LONDON - England manager Fabio Capello came under heavy fire from Liverpool's fitness coach Darren Burgess Wednesday after Steven Gerrard was injured late in the friendly international against France at Wembley Stadium. Burgess used the Twitter social networking site to call Capello's decision "amateurish," adding, "unbelievable from all associated with England and English FA with regard to SGs injury. "Completely ignored agreement and past history. Completely amateurish and now we pay for their incompetence. Absolutely disgraceful." His comments were on the site for 55 minutes before being deleted. Capello, however defended his decision to keep Gerrard on the pitch until the 85th minute of England's 2-1 defeat by France. Gerrard limped off with a hamstring injury that could keep him out for several weeks. Liverpool's website said he would have a scan on the injury when he returned to their Melwood training ground Thursday. Capello explained: "I told Liverpool he would play for an hour if possible. With Garry Barry and Rio Ferdinand's also injured we needed a senior player on the pitch. I'm upset about Gerrard." "Liverpool asked if he could play one hour if it's possible. They can't decide how long a player plays with the national team. If it's possible, he'd have played an hour. "I understand why they're upset and I'm also upset. The problem is that, when you play this game on a Wednesday after a lot of Premier League, Europa League or Champions League games, it's possible there might be an injury for a player." EARLY EXIT England were outplayed by France until the last few minutes of the match, and injuries to Gerrard, Barry and Ferdinand did not help lift the gloom at Wembley where thousands of fans deserted the stadium long before Gerrard's replacement Peter Crouch scored a late goal for Capello's side. Ferdinand meanwhile admitted it was not a good performance by England, adding he came off as a precautionary measure because of a tight hamstring. Although upset by the loss, Capello said it was important for him to see how debutants Andy Carroll and Jordan Henderson fared along with left-back Kieran Gibbs, who won his second cap. "It was important that some of the young players played at Wembley against a really good team, important for the future," said Capello. "I'm optimistic for the future of the England national team -- when all the players are fit we have a really good team, but it's important the young players get experience. "Every time in the past I read 'You have to put young players in' and now I have put young players in the team and we are talking about the result. They need experience." Capello said he was delighted with Carroll's first senior appearance for England. "I'm really happy for Carroll and his performance, he's a really good player for the future of England," added Capello. "We have found a good player and that's important."

Taiwanese competitor disqualified at taekwondo By MIN LEE,Associated Press - Wednesday, November 17 GUANGZHOU, China – In the first major judging controversy of the Asian Games, Yang Shu-chun of Taiwan was disqualified from the taekwondo competition Wednesday for using an illegal sensor on the heel of her shoes. Yang Jin-suk, secretary general of the World Taekwondo Federation, told a media conference that officials noticed in a pre-match inspection that the 2008 Beijing Olympic competitor appeared to have one extra sensor on the heel of each shoe. The judges told her not to use them in the under-49 kilogram division match, then disqualified her with 12 seconds left in the first round because they noticed she still had them on her shoes. Philippine referee Stephen Fernandez then stopped the fight. The 25-year-old Taiwanese competitor was leading Thi Hau Vu of Vietnam 9-0, but Vu advanced to the quarterfinals. The decision, which the secretary-general said was confirmed by a five-member games technical committee, left Yang Shu-chun and her coach in tears, and unwilling to leave the competition area. "She was very well-known in the circuit. Why even bother to do anything like that?" the WTF secretary-general told The Associated Press. "The fact of the matter is while she was out there competing, the sensors were discovered. That relates to the question of did she get that many points because of the sensors?" Tai Hsia-ling, the minister of Taiwan's Cabinet-level Sports Affairs Council who was in Guangzhou, disagreed with the situation. "This is a very, very unfair statement," Tai said. "We will protest strongly again. We are very upset that he (the WTF) made a statement like that before the results of the investigation are out. It is very unfair to our athletes." Taiwanese taekwondo competitor Huang Hsien-yung later went on to win gold in the under-46 class, and said she used her teammate's disqualification to motivate her. "When I first found out, I thought 'how could that be?'" Huang said. "But I turned my grief into motivation." Yang Jin-suk's announcement at Guangdong Stadium, venue of the taekwondo competition, was met with boos and chants from some of the Taiwanese media attending the event. Yang Shu-chun, who was not immediately for comment, also competed at the 2006 Doha Asian Games.

SMRT vandal arrested in Switzerland By Alicia Wong – November 16th, 2010 Swiss national Oliver Fricker, who flew home to Switzerland after he was released from Changi Prison, was arrested by Swiss police after he landed at Zurich Airport. According to a Straits Times report, a Swiss police spokesman said Fricker is suspected of having vandalised several trains in Switzerland between 2002 and this year, causing damage of about 200,000 Swiss francs ($260,000). He added that the vandalism on the Swiss trains had some similarities to that on the SMRT train which Fricker and an accomplice spray-painted in May. The report added that the SMRT train was scrawled with the words ‘McKoy Banos’ – the signature tag of two ‘graffiti artists’ believed to have spray-painted trains around the world. “We have registered this ‘McKoy’ tag several times on Swiss trains. We assume he was spray-painting with others. But we do not know those suspects,” said the spokesman. The Swiss police had been in contact with the Singapore authorities, he added. The Swiss police found that Fricker might be the man responsible for the spate of train vandalism cases only after he was arrested here in May. Fricker is now being held in a prison in Zug and a judge is expected to decide if he should be released pending trial. Under Swiss law, the former software consultant faces between one and five years in jail for vandalism. The 32-year-old was released from prison on Monday morning after he completed less than five months of his seven months jail. He received one-third remission for good behaviour. He had also been sentenced to three strokes of the cane for trespassing and vandalising an SMRT train in May. Fricker and an alleged accomplice, Briton Dane Alexander Lloyd, 29, had cut a hole in the Changi depot fence, and entered to spray-paint the words “McKoy Banos” on a train. Lloyd is believed to have fled to Hong Kong. According to ST, Fricker left the Changi Prison Complex at 8 am on Monday and was taken to the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority building for repatriation procedures. Fricker had been living in Singapore for the past 18 months, before his arrest. He was caught two days before he was to return to Switzerland. The Swiss embassy told ST that a representative had visited Fricker occasionally while he was imprisoned and gave him consular assistance. A spokesman for Switzerland-based company Comit, where Fricker worked, said the IT consultant remains contracted, without further elaboration. The breach sparked concerns over the security of public transportation, and led to a Government-led review that is expected to be due before February, reported ST. The paper reported a fortnight ago that SMRT was calling for tenders for stronger fences, electronic surveillance and ‘smart’ fence systems that can detect intruders at its train depots.

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Why Job Hunters Should 'Settle' for a Less-Than-Dream Job Karen Burns, On Wednesday 10 November 2010, 23:04 SGT Job hunters are often told they should never settle for less than what they want. We hear the mantra again and again: Go after your dreams! If you don't absolutely love a job, it's not worth your time. No compromises! The problem is that in today's economy, any job, even one that's less than ideal, is a scarce commodity. And the dream-job imperative puts a lot of pressure on people who don't yet know what their dream job is. That's why some job seekers are now rejecting that wisdom and singing a different tune: Get a job as soon as possible, and look for the dream job later. If you find yourself in this predicament, trying to decide whether to accept a less-than-perfect opportunity, here are several reasons why (temporarily) settling can be a good move for your career: Settling can build confidence. Working at a job you don't particularly love is difficult. But here's the good news: Discovering, in a hands-on, five-days-a-week way, that you are capable of doing difficult tasks--and maybe even doing them well--is a tremendous confidence booster. Settling keeps your options open. It's important to maintain the distinction between giving up on your dreams and taking a job to pay your bills. Paying bills is important. Debt is one of the biggest dream-killers around. Debt boxes you in, and may even make you less employable. So look at taking a job to pay your bills as another way to work toward your goals. Settling makes you better at whatever you do. Even a position that seems light years away from your dream job is an opportunity to learn important transferable skills. Look for those opportunities, because those skills will come in handy later. If you're new to the work world, chances are your "how to work" skills like functioning in a team, meeting deadlines, and following through could use polishing. Settling allows you to be flexible. The problem with the no-compromise approach to careers is that it doesn't take into account shifting priorities, setbacks, time outs, acts of God, and the economy--in other words, the fluid nature of life. When faced with the unexpected, the last thing you need is to struggle with the "thou must not swerve" mantra. Settling puts you in a position of strength. It's cliche, but true: Finding a job is easier when you have a job. Accepting a "lesser" opportunity while continuing to search for "the one" may be challenge, but it can be smart, too. Settling is only bad when you allow it to kill your dream. If you look at each job as a stepping stone, as a strategic move designed to enhance your employability, expand your network, fine-tune your skills, and pay your bills, it may just turn out to be the smartest career move you've ever made. Let's face it: every life path involves a detour or two. Or three. While it's useful to have a road map, we can't predict at the beginning of our journey exactly how we're going to get to where we want to go. All we know for sure is that there will be wrong turns, flat tires, bumpy roads, happy accidents, lucky breaks, and triumphs. Use flexibility and resilience to your advantage. And who knows? Someday, looking back, you may realize that "getting there" was the best part. Besides, is there really such a thing as a dream job, one that makes you jump out of bed every morning singing tra-la-la? Most of us find that every job is a crazy mixture of what we love, what we like, and a few undesirable tasks that remind us what's really important for our next job hunt. Karen Burns is the author of the illustrated career advice book The Amazing Adventures of Working Girl: Real-Life Career Advice You Can Actually Use, recently released by Running Press. She blogs at www.karenburnsworkinggirl.com.

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Top 10 most expensive houses in Singapore By PropertyGuru – November 15th, 2010 With the opening of the two casinos and luxury home prices hitting new highs, there’s been a lot of talk about Singapore becoming the Monaco of the East, or a playground for the super rich. I thought it would be fun to look at the priciest homes on the market, to see whether any had the price tag and cache to be ranked as one of the world’s most exclusive. I used PropertyGuru to filter out the most expensive homes on the market (the prices below are the asking prices). My findings? Amongst the top ten, all are landed properties and all but one are Good Class Bungalows. And unless you’re a multi-millionaire, you can’t afford one. Here are the top 10 most expensive homes in Singapore in ascending order (from the least expensive to the priciest): 10. The “cheapest” property on our list is a S$48 million Good Class Bungalow situated along Victoria Park Road. Sitting on 32,088 square feet of freehold land (or S$1,496 per square foot), it has an aged two storey colonial style house with 8 bedrooms, a newly renovated two and a half storey house also with 8 bedrooms, and an outhouse for your staff with 2 maids rooms and a driver’s room. This is better than a buy one get one free deal! 9. For “just” S$48.5 million, you get a stately looking Good Class Bungalow in the Queen Astrid Park area sitting on a massive 40,500 square feet of land (or S$1,198 per square foot). You get 10 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms in this two storey house (enough to house all your visiting friends and relatives from abroad), two swimming pools and a garden. Entrepreneurial types can subdivide the plot of land into two GCBs. 8. In eighth place we have a buy one get one free deal. For S$50.5 million, you get a 32,088 square foot piece of freehold land (or S$1,573 per square foot) located in Victoria Park and zoned as a Good Class Bungalow. Sitting on this land are two bungalows, each 8,000 square feet in size. One has 5+1 bedrooms and the other 4+1 bedrooms. 7. Going for S$52 million, in seventh place we have a tropical style 22,000 square foot Good Class Bungalow located in Bishopsgate, which has 5+1+1 bedrooms, a lovely “matured” garden and swimming pool. 6. Located in the Holland area, this Good Class Bungalow in sixth place is going for S$53 million. It sits on 32,000 square feet of land (or S$1,656 per square foot) and has 5 bedrooms and 16,000 square feet of built up area. The listing doesn’t say much more – if you have to ask, you probably can’t afford it. 5. In fifth place we have a S$55 million dollar colonial style Good Class Bungalow along Leedon Road sitting on 43,927 square feet (or S$1,252 per square foot) of freehold land. You get a relatively small house for your money, with 6 bedrooms and 5 bathrooms being squeezed into “only” 6,000 square feet of built up area. But this is compensated by having a huge garden and your own swimming pool. 4. In fourth place is a S$58 million dollar Good Class Bungalow located in the exclusive enclave of Leedon Park. Situated on 42,000 square feet of land (or S$1,381 per square foot), this 6 bedroom house (17,000 square feet of built up area) has its own lap pool and baby pool. It’s being sold with vacant possession, so if you can cough up the money, you can move in right away. 3. In third place at S$60 million we have a brand new detached house with full sea view in Sentosa. Advertised as the largest landed property you can own on the resort island, this 6 bedroom house sits on 20,000 square feet of 99-year leasehold land (or S$3,158 per square foot) and has a built up area of 19,000 square feet. 2. Coming in second is a S$73 million dollar Good Class Bungalow in Leedon Park. Sitting on 41,852 square feet of freehold land (or S$1,744 per square foot), the house has 16,500 square feet of built up area, which contains 6+1 bedrooms, a wide frontage with two automatic gates, a garage and a swimming pool. 1. And in first place (drumroll please)…For a cool S$90 million, you can pick up a 20,000 square foot Good Class Bungalow sitting on 45,000 square feet of freehold land (or S$2,000 per square foot). Situated along Nassim Road, it is within walking distance to the bustling Orchard Road shopping district. This massive house has 10 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms, and is advertised as being “priced to sell” – to billionaires, that is. Mr. Propwise is the founder of Singapore property blog www.propwise.sg, which aims to help people make better real estate buying, selling, renting and investing decisions.

Oil will run out 100 years before new fuels developed: Study AFP - Tuesday, November 16 WASHINGTON (AFP) - – The world will run out of oil around 100 years before replacement energy sources are available, if oil use and development of new fuels continue at the current pace, a US study warns. Researchers at the University of California, Davis (UC-Davis) used the current share prices of oil companies and alternative energy companies to predict when replacement fuels will be ready to fill the gap left when oil runs dry. And the study's findings weren't very good for the oil-hungry world. If the world's oil reserves were the 1.332 trillion barrels estimated in 2008 and oil consumption stood at 85.22 million barrels a day and growing yearly at 1.3 percent, oil would be depleted by 2041, says the study published online last week by Environmental Science and Technology. But by plugging current stock market prices into a complex equation, UC-Davis engineering professor Debbie Niemeier and postdoctoral researcher Nataliya Malyshkina calculated that a viable alternative fuel to oil will not be available before the middle of next century. The researchers analyzed the share prices of 25 oil companies quoted on US, European and Australian stock exchanges, and of 44 alternative energy companies that produce fuels such as ethanol or bio-diesel, or are developing fuel cells, batteries and propulsion systems aimed at replacing gasoline and diesel in vehicles of the future. What they found is that the market capitalization, or total value of all stock shares, of traditional oil companies far outstripped that of the alternative energy companies. That indicated to them that investors believe oil is going to do well in the near future and occupy a larger share of the energy market than alternative energy, said Malyshkina. "To assess the time until a considerable fraction of oil is likely to be replaced by alternatives, we used advanced pricing equations to make sense of the large discrepancy between the market capitalization of traditional oil companies and the market capitalization of alternative-energy companies," she told AFP. Their calculations show that there would not be a widely available replacement for oil-based fuels before 2140, which, even if the more optimistic date of 2054 for oil depletion is retained, would mean there could be a gap of around 90 years when it might be difficult to run a motor vehicle. Nearly two-thirds of crude oil is used to produce gasoline and diesel to run vehicles, said Malyshkina. The researchers' calculations were based on the theory that long-term investors are good predictors of when new technologies will become commonplace. "Sophisticated investors tend to put considerable effort into collecting, processing and understanding information relevant to the future cash flows paid by securities," said Malyshkina. "As a result, market forecasts of future events, representing consensus predictions of a large number of investors, tend to be relatively accurate." Similar calculations have been used to accurately predict the outcome of elections and the results of sports events, Malyshkina said. But all is not doom and gloom, says the study. On the oil supply side, consumption could well decrease in future as more energy-saving measures are introduced and used by consumers, and new oil reserves could become available as extraction techniques improve. On the alternative fuel side of the equation, the study did not look at nonprofits, government agencies and universities which are developing new fuels, because they are not quoted on the stock market. And if governments announced new policy initiatives to promote alternative fuel development, share prices of alternative energy companies would rise, and the gap between the end of oil and the kick-in of alternative fuels would shrink.

Premier League - Sunderland thrash Chelsea Sun, 14 Nov 18:03:00 2010 Sunderland produced one of the shocks of the Premier League season, thrashing Chelsea 3-0 at Stamford Bridge. Goals from Nedum Onuoha, Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck gave Steve Bruce's side a thoroughly deserved victory that was as comprehensive as it was unexpected. It was Sunderland's first away win of the season, and Chelsea's first home defeat since Manchester City won 4-2 in February - their only reverse at Stamford Bridge last season. A turbulent week ended in the worst possible fashion for Chelsea, who sacked assistant manager Ray Wilkins on Thursday, but to blame Wilkins's departure for the result would be disrespectful to a Sunderland team who performed magnificently. Gyan and Welbeck were a constant, menacing presence up front, where they terrorised maskeshift central defensive duo Paulo Ferreira and Branislav Ivanovic. John Terry unexpectedly missed out with a gluteal muscle injury which has also ruled him out of England's friendly against France, while Alex was also absent. Welbeck brought a superb save from Cech with a powerful downward header from Onuoha's cross. The resultant corner initially missed everyone, but when it was played back in, the ball passed between the legs of Gyan yards from goal. Welbeck beat Ferreira to meet a Gyan through ball, but saw Cech save his left-foot shot on 38 minutes. Then the on-loan Manchester United man sprinted beyond Ivanovic to chase a Boudewijn Zenden through ball, only to be cynically hauled down. You could not wish for a clearer example of a player denying a clear goalscoring opportunity, yet referee Chris Foy lamentably chose only to show Ivanovic a yellow card. Sunderland's sense of injustice provoked more attacks, as Cech produced a remarkable double save to deny Gyan, then Kieran Richardson, amazingly, with his feet. But the visitors would not be denied, regaining possession and finding Onuoha, who embarked on a Messi-esque slalom past three opponents before placing a left-foot shot inside the right corner on 45 minutes. A stunning goal from the full-back. The second period brought more of the same, and Sunderland were two up after another fine move. Welbeck found Jordan Henderson, whose through ball allowed Gyan to place the ball past Cech into the Chelsea net. Sunderland scored twice at Stamford Bridge last season. Unfortunately for them, they also conceded seven. But the expected Chelsea onslaught never came. Ramires and Didier Drogba had gone close in the first half, and the Ivorian striker again looked the likeliest to hit back, without ever testing Craig Gordon. The Blues seemed devoid of fight and imagination, as the absences of the injured Frank Lampard and suspended Michael Essien were felt in the middle of the park. Henderson and Lee Cattermole exerted constant pressure in midfield for Sunderland while Titus Bramble and Michael Turner performed admirably at the back. Welbeck's lively showing was rewarded three minutes from time when he scored the third goal after a staggering blunder by Ashley Cole. Cole attempted a pass back from the left corner flag, but inadvertently set up Welbeck to sweep the ball past Cech. Carlo Ancelotti's side saw their lead at the top of the Premier League trimmed to two points ahead of Arsenal, but the damage could have been worse as both Manchester clubs were held to draws on Saturday. Alex Chick / Eurosport

Ancelotti expects Terry back for Birmingham clash November 15, 2010 02:12 AM Carlo Ancelotti expects John Terry to be back for next weekend's trip to face Birmingham after the Chelsea captain missed the champions' shock 3-0 home defeat to Sunderland. Terry was forced to withdraw the day before the game when he suffered a recurrence of a hamstring injury that also meant he would miss England's midweek friendly with France. The defender has suffered with this problem on a number of occasions already this season, but Chelsea manager Ancelotti insists this is not a matter for concern. "John had control of this problem," Ancelotti said. "He never missed a training (session), but yesterday (Saturday) the pain was more, so he was not able to play. But I think he can play the next game. "It is an injury, but he can control it. He has controlled it for 12 games. Hes doing good prevention, good treatment. Everything will be okay for him." Ancelotti was forced to defend the quality of his squad in the wake of a defeat he conceded was the worst he has suffered since taking charge at Stamford Bridge. The late withdrawal of Terry forced Ancelotti into a defensive reshuffle while the absence of Frank Lampard and Michael Essien left the Chelsea manager short of options in midfield. Both departments looked weak against Steve Bruce's side, who secured a deserved victory thanks to a first half goal from Nedum Onuoha and second half efforts from Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck. And with the Blues substitutes' bench made up largely of untried inexperienced youngsters, Ancelotti was unable to change the course of the game when Chelsea attempted to force their way back into contention. The Italian admitted the performance was the worst since he took charge at Stamford Bridge but remains confident he has the strength in depth to sustain a challenge in all competitions. "Sometimes we've had some players out in the past, some important players, and the team has played well," he said. "Today was different. We were not able to play our football. This happens. I think the squad is strong enough, strong enough. "But we maintain our position at the top of the table. We're not happy today because, above all, at home we have to play with a different mentality. I hope we come back early and in the right way." The absence of Terry and fellow centre back Alex - who has a knee problem - meant Branislav Ivanovic and Paulo Ferreira were selected as a makeshift centre back pairing. The duo were exposed, however, by Sunderland forwards Asamoah Gyan and Danny Welbeck, forcing Ancelotti to defend his decision to opt for Ferreira ahead of Dutch youngster Jeffrey Bruma. Ancelotti will now convene a meeting with his squad in a bid to get to the root cause of the poor performance. "It was a surprise, a strange result," he said. "But the result is normal because we didn't play well. We didn't play a good game. Sunderland played a fantastic game with more fighting spirit and attitude, mentality. "It's normal to lose the game if you don't show this kind of mentality. When things were okay four months ago, I said the difficulty would arrive. They have now, and we have to come back in our training sessions to stay more focused and play better than today." Sunderland manager Steve Bruce is already thinking ahead to the end of the season and the prospects of securing Welbeck and Onuoha on permanent deals. Welbeck is on loan from Manchester United while defender Onuoha switched to the Stadium of Light on a season-long arrangements from Manchester City. "Wed love them (to stay)," he said. "We've got them for a year, and we'll speak to the respective clubs nearer the time. "They're exactly what we're looking for: young, energetic, desperate to play."

Feeling HUNGRY ??? How to make perfect scrambled eggs Scrambled eggs are the king of the breakfast table. What's your method for attaining eggy perfection? The Guardian - Thursday, 11 November 2010 07:03 GMT How would you like your eggs? What a question. The eternal struggle between what I want a creamy pile of golden deliciousness and what I suspect I'll get a pallid, quivering mess ­ sucks me in every single time I treat myself to breakfast out. Wimpishly, I generally end up ordering fried instead or, if I'm feeling particularly brave, poached, because nothing brings on a hangover quicker than bad scrambled eggs. Equally, not much beats the lazy, luxurious pleasure of well-cooked ones and, unless you breakfast regularly in smart hotels, they're something best left to slow weekend mornings at home. Classic eggs Delia, the queen of eggs, having taught the nation once and for all how to boil them, seems a good place to start. In her Complete Cookery Course, she admits to being a "disciple of Escoffier" on the subject of scrambling, which sounds an uncharacteristically Francophile admission from our homely domestic goddess, but I'm willing to give the good monsieur's method a try on her recommendation. I heat a "walnut of butter" in a "small solid saucepan over a gentle heat" and whisk two large eggs together with a pinch of salt and pepper. Once the butter is foaming ("whatever you do, don't let it brown" cautions Delia) I pour in the eggs and "stir like mad" with a wooden spoon. When the eggs are almost, but not completely set I take the pan off the heat and add another knob of butter, "which will melt into it as it finishes cooking in the heat of the pan". The results are pleasing: a deep yellow colour, with a rich, buttery flavour, although I like my eggs slightly creamier in texture. Textbook eggs, but not quite velvety enough for my tastes. Gordon If anyone knows about poshing up scrambled eggs, it's a Michelin-starred chef, so I turn to Gordon Ramsay for advice. His method is quite different from Delia's I break the eggs into a cold pan over a very low heat, and add the butter, stirring the eggs frequently until they begin to set; a good six or seven minutes. In goes another knob of butter, there's more stirring (Gordon likens the process to making a risotto), and then, just before they're completely set, I take the pan off the heat and stir in a teaspoon of crème fraîche and season. The whole process has taken over 10 minutes, but the eggs are wonderfully rich and creamy; in fact, they're a little too smooth. Egg sauce doesn't have quite the right texture, however wonderful the flavour. Bill The best scrambled eggs in the world are popularly supposed to be served by sunny-faced Australian chef Bill Granger, dubbed by no lesser authority than the New York Times, "the egg master of Sydney". They are, apparently, "divinely creamy" but also "as light as the breath of an angel". This, I have to try. I heat the "merest sliver" of butter in a non-stick pan over a high heat, and whisk together two eggs, a pinch of salt, and 6 tbsp single cream. After about a minute, I pour in the eggs, and leave them for 20 seconds, my hands twitching on the wooden spoon, then stir them very slowly, gently pushing the sides in to the centre of the pan: Bill tells me to think of them as "folded rather than scrambled eggs". They're allowed to cook unmolested for another 10 seconds, before I then dive in again with the spoon, and so on, until they're just set, with big, soft curds. Thanks to all that cream, the eggs are pale, and I regret to admit I'm disappointed by them; they're heinously rich, without tasting of much but cream, and I find their famous lightness of texture more akin to an egg mousse than anything I'd trust myself with when I was feeling a bit delicate. Maybe things just taste better in the sunshine. Slow food I forget where, but I once read that the scrambled eggs should be cooked so slowly and gently that, for optimum results, a candle would be the ideal heat source. I haven't got the strength of will or arm to stir a pan over a tealight for an hour, but the idea intrigues me, and I decide to try scrambling my eggs in a bowl over a pan of simmering water (as apparently favoured by "the French" according to one online sage). This takes bloody ages don't bother putting the toast on for at least quarter of an hour and the results resemble something you might step over outside Wetherspoons after a heavy Friday night. The taste is good, but no better than Gordon Ramsay's, and soured slightly for me by the extra washing up. Poached San Francisco chef Daniel Patterson popped up in the New York Times a few years ago excitedly proclaiming he'd discovered a new way of scrambling eggs, after his environmental-lawyer fiancée banished Teflon-coated pans from the kitchen, and he got sick of scraping egg from the new cast-iron set. He decided to whisk them together, and then poach them as one would a whole egg: "I expected that they would act much as the intact eggs did and bind quickly, but I did not expect them to set into the lightest, most delicate scrambled eggs imaginable," he exclaims breathlessly in the article. I'm suspicious ­ how can eggs cooked without fat of any kind redeem themselves into a decent breakfast? but I give it a try nevertheless, sieving my eggs, as recommended by Daniel's friend Harold McGee, in order to get rid of the wateriest bit of the whites, given they're not fresh from the farm, beating them together, and then pouring them into a whirlpool in a pan of simmering water. I then cover the pan, count to 20, take a deep breath, and drain them into a sieve. The stuff is distressing to the eye; a weird, scrunched up mass of egg which, even when patted dry with kitchen paper and seasoned with copious amounts of melted butter and sea salt, is barely recognisable as the same foodstuff as I've been cooking all week. One for health fiends only. Fine tuning I find a video of Gordon scrambling eggs online, in which he claims that whisking them beforehand is bad (something I'm happy to take on trust, given stirring them together in the pan saves on washing up), and adding salt before cooking "breaks down the eggs, turning them into something very watery". As I don't find retrospective seasoning entirely satisfactory (the salt doesn't seem to blend as well somehow, and I end up adding far more to compensate), I test this, and can detect no difference between the eggs salted during cooking, and those salted afterwards, except the first ones taste slightly better. Perhaps I'm imagining it, but I decide to ignore Mr Ramsay on this one. I also experiment with different fats: just butter, a la Delia, isn't creamy enough, but both milk and cream leave the eggs slightly loose and watery. Reluctantly, I concede that Gordon's fancy crème fraîche gives the best results; thick, rich, and ever-so-slightly tangy. In a rare concession to health, I deem the second lot of butter unnecessary. I'm still not happy with the final texture of Ramsay's recipe though, so, taking a leaf from Bill Granger's book, I turn up the heat and, after mixing the eggs together in the pan, leave them for a few seconds, then begin to stir, then leave them, and so on. This gives larger curds, which work perfectly with the creamy richness of the eggs. Great scrambled eggs require a generous hand with the fat, and single-minded devotion to stirring and watching leave them alone for a second, and they'll overcook. Get someone else to make the toast. Perfect scrambled eggs Serves 1 2 large free-range eggs Knob of butter Pinch of salt 1 tsp crème fraîche 1. Break the eggs into a small, heavy-based frying pan or saucepan and add the butter and salt. Place over a medium-high heat, and stir the eggs together with a wooden spoon. 2. Once well-combined, leave the eggs for 10 seconds, and then stir again. If they're setting too quickly, take them off the heat to stir and then replace. Repeat until they begin to set, and then stir continuously until they're nearly as cooked as you like them; always take them off the heat before they're done. 3. Whip the pan off the heat, stir in the crème fraîche, and serve immediately. Are scrambled eggs the king of the breakfast table, and if so, is this the best way to cook them? When bacon and black pudding just doesn't appeal, Huevos a la Mexicana, with tomatoes, chillies and coriander is my favourite variation ­ what's yours? guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2010

Mancini under fire as City held by Birmingham AFP - Sunday, November 14 MANCHESTER, United Kingdom (AFP) - – Manchester City reached four hours and 45 minutes without a home league goal in a dour 0-0 draw against Birmingham on Saturday which is certain to fuel further speculation about the future of manager Roberto Mancini. City supporters are certainly growing increasingly disenchanted with Mancini and booed furiously at his decision to replace the popular Carlos Tevez late in the game, an indication of a growing groundswell in the wake of recent results. The Italian had been widely criticised for what was perceived as a safety-first approach to the goalless, midweek Manchester derby and opted for a rare start for his exciting England winger Adam Johnson against a Birmingham team yet to win away from St Andrew's this season. Yet, as City stuttered to the interval and a 0-0 half-time scoreline, they had reached four hours of league football at Eastlands without a goal, a depressing sequence dating back to Johnson's winning goal against Newcastle at the start of last month. City supporters vented their frustration at the half-time whistle, pockets of them booing off their team and manager, although some of that ire was probably also aimed at referee Mike Jones. Tevez had actually turned the ball into the Birmingham goal after 39 minutes but clearly used his hand in steering David Silva's intelligent header past Ben Foster. To add insult to injury, the Argentinian was cautioned for the deliberate handball. The early exchanges saw the game bogged down in midfield and it was not until the 17th minute that Tevez came up with the game's first shot, a low skidding effort, which he drilled wide left of the Birmingham net. Eight minutes later James Milner intelligently found Aleksandar Kolarov and the full-back tested Ben Foster with a low shot which skidded over the wet surface but presented the former Manchester United keeper with few problems as he smothered comfortably. Birmingham responded with a shot of their own, an ambitious and wayward Keith Fahey shot that passed harmlessly wide, before manager Alex McLeish finally had something to shout about, leaping from his bench to join his players' appeals for a penalty after Liam Ridgewell went down under an apparent trip from Adam Johnson, although replays suggested referee Jones had made the correct call. City took just 14 seconds of the second half to come closest yet to ending their futile scoring streak, Milner winning a tussle in the area with Foster and shooting goalwards only for defender Stephen Carr to appear and make a magnificently-timed goal-line clearance. Johnson was becoming more influential and showed great footwork as he surged into the area just after the hour but his promising strike hit team mate Milner and deflected wide. As they came under increasing pressure, Birmingham's Barry Ferguson misjudged a back pass which fell straight to Tevez and allowed him to sprint into their area before shooting inches wide of the diving Foster. The pressure was lifted, momentarily, by a Fahey snap-shot which Joe Hart was required to save with a swift dive low to his right. Sebastian Larsson, with a low shot, and Scott Dann, from a set-piece header, also saw glimpses of the City goal without truly testing Hart while the home side's final flurry came from Nigel de Jong's 84th minute chip which Foster leaped to catch and an even later Gareth Barry shot which the goalkeeper kept out at full stretch.