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Adam Lambert makes a splash, but risks losing fans Reuters - 2 hours 7 minutes ago LOS ANGELES - Adam Lambert's racy public outing as a solo artist at Sunday's American Music Awards has grabbed headlines and helped send downloads of his debut album soaring worldwide. But while the "American Idol" runner-up won crucial publicity with his sexually-charged performance for his first CD "For Your Entertainment," he risked hurting his career by alienating fans and did little to show newcomers his biggest selling point -- his voice -- music industry watchers said. "On a night when some of the biggest names in music performed -- Lady GaGa, Jennifer Lopez, Jay-Z -- the only person anyone is talking about is Adam Lambert," said Entertainment Weekly music reporter Michael Slezak. "But for me, the real risk is that in his first appearance to the world, Adam runs the risk of being dismissed as a one note, shock-tactic artist, as opposed to being known for the music," Slezak told Reuters. More than 14 million people watched the gay, glam rocker close the live AMA telecast on Sunday with a performance that included dancers in bondage, Lambert kissing a male keyboard player, and pushing the head of a male dancer into his crotch. The telecast drew more than 1,500 complaints to ABC and caused the network to cancel Lambert's appearance on its news and chat show "Good Morning America," planned for Wednesday. But the furor seems to have boosted early prospects for Lambert's album as he seeks to establish himself in an industry grappling with a 40 percent drop in album sales over the past 10 years. Released Monday through Sony Music Entertainment, "For Your Entertainment" was No.4 on iTunes' U.S. album download chart by Tuesday night, No.1 in Finland and No.3 in New Zealand. WIN-WIN? "It seems like a win-win to me" said Steve Knopper, author of "Appetite for Self-Destruction: The Spectacular Crash of the Record Industry in the Digital Age." But Knopper added that Lambert still has much to prove "and in order to make money in today's music business, you have got to be a strong concert performer." Lambert, 27, took a flair for showmanship, a penchant for eyeliner, powerful vocals and sexual ambivalence all the way to the finals of top-rated U.S. TV show "American Idol" in May. But many of "Glambert's" fans were turned off by the sexually-aggressive singer they saw on Sunday at the AMAs. "Adam can do whatever he wants with his private life, but please don't show it to me and the young children watching. I'm so disappointed I'm going to send his CD back as soon as I receive it," wrote Joyce, a self-described grandmother and "Idol" fan, in a post on Reuters entertainment blog Fan Fare. Slezak noted that while Madonna has thrived on stunts, she had several hits before bringing shock tactics to the stage. Entertainment Weekly gave "For Your Entertainment" a solid B-plus review. But if AMA viewers had been listening to Lambert's music on Sunday, they may not have been impressed. Lambert even admitted he was uncharacteristically off-key. Whether to put vocals before spectacle in a competitive market "is a larger question that the record-buying public, record company executives and artists themselves are really grappling with right now," said Slezak. Knopper said it was too early to tell whether Lambert's AMA tactics would bring success in the long term. "If in a year from now we are not talking about him, it won't be because of his performance at the AMAs or his vocal performance, but because he can't hack it in the business."

Thailand tightens SEX change laws AFP - Wednesday, November 25 BANGKOK (AFP) - – Punlop Tongchai is awake for the entire two hours it takes to be turned into a woman on the operating table of a Bangkok sex change clinic, realising a childhood dream. The 27-year-old Thai cabaret dancer chats to nurses throughout the ordeal under the surgeon's knife, numbed only by local anaesthetic. Growing up in Thailand, a country with one of the largest transgender populations in the world and surgeons who have pioneered ever cheaper and quicker sex change techniques, Punlop's ambition was always within reach. For as little as 2,000 dollars, he became a woman. But the government is making it tougher for patients like Punlop to undergo the procedure, forcing them to prove they are psychologically fit to change sex. From Wednesday, anyone wanting to swap gender in Thailand must live as a woman for at least a year, take a course of female hormones, and obtain the approval of two psychiatrists. Punlop says it is too much to ask. "It is not necessary. I really didn't want to go through that process, so I decided to have the operation... before the law is enforced," he told AFP before undergoing surgery earlier this month. Sex changes are outlawed completely in Thailand before the age of 18, and for men aged 18-20 parental consent must be obtained. Thai gay rights campaigner Nathee Teerarojanapong said the greater legal protections are necessary to guard against gender swaps that too often backfire on those who make an irreversible choice. "I got so many calls where they said they are so sorry that they did a sex change," says Nathee. "They make a big mistake and they want to come back and be the same. But they cannot!" As well as the psychological effects of a sex-change and the recovery from surgery, there are also side effects from the hormones that must be taken to hasten the transformation from male to female that can include hot flushes, tiredness, weight gain and loss of muscle and libido. Days before the operation, Punlop said that as a child he always found dresses and housework preferable to traditional boyish pursuits and by the age of 19 was regularly taking female hormones in a bid to change body shape. "I don't like this part of me because I don't use it," said Punlop, pointing between his legs. "I don't know why I have it. If I had a vagina, I would use it." Punlop went to see Thep Vedusit, a Bangkok surgeon who prides himself on his ability to conduct speedy sex change operations without the use of general anaesthetic, and who believes the new rules are creating unnecessary hurdles. Thep said he had carried out more than 500 sex change operations and was seeing two or three cases every week -- half of them foreigners who came to take advantage of Thai laws. "I think a surgeon can make the decision who is a transsexual.... Each one (transsexual) has a very long determination to have a surgery and I don't think a psychiatrist gives them any benefits," said Thep. On the day of the operation, Punlop strolls into the surgeon's glass-fronted clinic, set along a busy Bangkok street in the heart of the city's shopping district, after friends recommended Thep's "fully conscious" procedure. Dressed in a sundress, tracksuit top and sandals with a face free of make-up, Punlop is escorted up three flights of steps to a small, dingy operating theatre, the walls plastered with newspaper cuttings of transsexual cabaret stars. Thep takes an hour and three quarters to fashion a vagina using the skin of Punlop's male genitals. She is free to leave the same day and within four weeks had completed all the necessary check-ups. "It doesn't hurt too much; I can handle it. How happy am I? Yes, I'm happy," said Punlop. "For all of my life I've wanted to change. It's been my dream since I was little."

HIV kills 25 million, infects 60 million: UNAIDS AFP - Wednesday, November 25 GENEVA (AFP) - – Almost 60 million people have been infected by HIV and 25 million people killed by causes related to the virus since the epidemic started, according to new data published by UNAIDS on Tuesday. While prevention programmes have helped to cut infection rates by 17 percent over the past eight years, the total number of people living with HIV continued to rise in 2008. By the end of 2008, a total of 33.4 million people or 20 percent more people were living with the epidemic compared to in 2000. The UN figures "The continuing rise in the population of people living with HIV reflects the combined effects of continued high rates of new HIV infections and the beneficial impact of antiretroviral therapy," said UNAIDS in its annual report. Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most affected region, as it is home to 67 percent -- 22.4 million -- of those currently living with the human immunodeficiency virus. In South and South-east Asia, 3.8 million people are now living with the infection, added UNAIDS. The comparative figure for Eastern Europe and Central Asia is 1.5 million. UNAIDS observed that in these regions, the epidemic was "experiencing significant transitions." While Asia's epidemic was once concentrated among risk groups such as sex worker, drug users and homosexuals, it is now "steadily expanding into low-risk populations to the sexual partners of those most at risk." In Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the epidemic was once characterized mainly by transmission through drug users, but it is now increasingly moving into "significant sexual transmission."

Temasek announces major bond offer plan AFP - Tuesday, November 24 SINGAPORE (AFP) - – State-linked Singapore investment firm Temasek Holdings on Tuesday said it plans to raise 600 million Singapore dollars (433 million US) from new bond offerings. The latest news follows an announcement in October that the firm would raise 1.5 billion US dollars through a 10-year bond offer under a capital raising programme worth 5.0 billion US dollars. Temasek said in a statement the bond offerings, to be made in two tranches of 300 million dollars each, would be issued by its wholly owned subsidiary Temasek Financial. "The issuer intends to provide the net proceeds from the offering to Temasek and its investment holding companies to fund their ordinary course of business," the investment vehicle said in a statement. "The notes will be fully and unconditionally guaranteed by Temasek," it said. Temasek said one tranche of the offering would mature in 2029 while the other was due in 2039. The firm is one of the world's largest sovereign wealth funds and had a global portfolio worth 130 billion Singapore dollars as of March, including stakes in companies such as Singapore Airlines and Standard Chartered bank.

Measures to cool property market appear to have worked: Mah Channel NewsAsia - 2 hours 7 minutes ago SINGAPORE: The government said on Monday the measures taken to cool the property market appear to have had the desired effect. Speaking in Parliament, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan noted that since the measures were introduced, the sale of private homes fell 37 per cent on—month in September, and another 29 per cent in October. In September, the government removed the Interest Absorption Scheme and Interest—Only Loans to temper the exuberance in the property market and to prevent a bubble from forming. The government has also announced it will resume land sales under the confirmed list of its land sales programme in the first half of 2010. Mr Mah said the government will continue to monitor the property market closely to assess the market’s response to the measures introduced before deciding whether further measures are needed. "Our key interest is to ensure that property prices and rentals remain competitive and move in line with economic fundamentals. We want to curb erratic spikes in prices due to excessive speculation, inaccurate information or market manipulation," the national development minister said. "But we must let market forces determine prices, based on genuine demand from home—buyers and investors." Mr Mah added that the measures introduced in September have also helped to control speculative activity. Government records so far indicate that the number of sub—sales today is not as high as it was during the height of the property market boom. Sub—sales are closely watched as a gauge of speculative activity in the property market. "The two schemes that we have removed or disallowed are rather targeted, targeted at the speculators, for example, who would make use of these schemes to flip or turn over properties quite rapidly. We have taken a calibrated approach to the property market. The idea ... is to cool the market, not crash it," Mr Mah said. The minister said the government may remove the cooling measures in future if the property market stabilises or weakens, but it is too early to say when that might happen. Analysts MediaCorp spoke to said they expect the property market to remain subdued in coming months. Nicholas Mak, adjunct lecturer for Business & Environment at Ngee Ann Polytechnic, said: "(The cooling measures) have a psychological effect on speculators, removing many of them from the market. Another factor is that a large part of sale volume we experienced in the first half and later part of this year is mainly due to the sale of 99—year mass market condominiums. Developers are running down on inventory on such stock. As a result, home sales will start to slow down." In addition, fewer launches are expected in the year—end period. Ang Choon Beng, director and head of research services at Cushman & Wakefield, said: "I think the November and December months will be quiet because it’s the holiday season. Most developers will only start launching new projects after the holiday season is over. "The current situation is that developers are under no pressure to sell because they have substantially sold down their inventory. They have already sold down about 45% of total upcoming supply. So developers are not under any sort of pressure." But analysts do not expect prices to trend down yet. "There’s excess liquidity in the market as a result of global low interest rates. Because Singapore is a transparent and open market, some of this money may come in. That may be an underlying factor that will support the property market in Singapore," said Mr Ang. Analysts expect prices to rise moderately, at about 5 to 10 per cent in the year ahead. The bulk of the increase is expected to take place in the mid to higher end of the market, as prices of mass market homes have already reached a high. CNA/so/ir HDB projects 10,000—12,000 new flats needed annually over next 5 years Channel NewsAsia - Tuesday, November 24 SINGAPORE: The Housing & Development Board (HDB) has projected it will need to offer between 10,000 and 12,000 new flats per annum over the next five years to meet the housing demand in Singapore. Speaking in Parliament on Monday, National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan re—assured that there will be enough affordable flats for first time buyers. This year, at least 13,500 flats will be offered in total — enough to fill at least half of Bukit Panjang or Pasir Ris, said Mr Mah. In fact, the ministry was able to ramp up supply quickly at mid—year when demand rebounded. The minister noted that despite the high demand for housing, expectations of first—time buyers have changed over the years, with many demanding for flats in prime estates or on higher floors. "I cannot build flats only in the mature estates, only in the city area. I cannot build flats that are only on high floors." "We were living in a three—room flat in Kim Keat Avenue — eight of us (shared) three bedrooms, one toilet and bathroom," Mr Mah said of his past experience. "It was basic but it was like a palace to use because I had just come from a one—room in Chinatown. Mr Mah explained that the five—year projection serves as a guide for the Build—To—Order system — which is more flexible and can then respond to changes in demand. With more foreigners coming to live and work in Singapore, Members of Parliament (MPs) also asked whether this new group was adding further to the demand pressure for flats. "PRs are not eligible for buying new flats, even in the resale market, quite a lot of them actually rent. They are under—represented as far as purchases are concerned," explained the minister. Mr Mah also gave an idea of how flats are priced, saying that they are not based on cost plus profit, but the flat’s market price minus the subsidy. Hence, the cost of a flat could vary from S$230,000 for a room flat in Punggol to a S$530,000 for a five—room flat in Tiong Bahru. CNA/yb

MICA looks at feasibility of universal set—top box Channel NewsAsia - Monday, November 23 SINGAPORE: While the rules will not change overnight, cable television subscribers grousing about the hassle of having two set—top boxes to get their football fix may be assured to know the Government is looking at the feasibility of a universal set—top box. Discontent has been simmering since SingTel wrested English Premier League broadcast rights from StarHub last month. Football fans will have to get SingTel’s mio TV set—top box in order to tune in to the EPL next season, after the telco rejected StarHub chief executive Terry Clontz’s idea of carrying SingTel’s EPL content for free. Acting Minister for Information, Communication and the Arts Lui Tuck Yew offered a glimmer of hope yesterday when he said: "By the third quarter of next year, we should be far, far clearer as to what the possibility is of (a common set—top box that is also under the Next Generation Interactive Multimedia, Applications and Services programme). "But even before that, the suggestion by Terry Clontz to carry the EPL that is won by SingTel on StarHub is something that is worth looking into." Adding that "you can be sure we are looking at it on a more broad—based level", Mr Lui was of the view that cross—streaming — if it happens at all — should not apply only to specific content, or to a single telco. "We ought to do so for all programmes because there really shouldn’t be anything that is so special about soccer," said Mr Lui, who was addressing a question from the audience at his Aljunied—Hougang division ministerial visit yesterday. Dimming hopes of a quick fix, however, he added that the Government recognises the "sanctity of commercial transactions", and would give enough notice before the rules change. When contacted, StarHub’s head of corporate communications and investor relations Jeannie Ong said: "As we have stated, we do believe the best direction for Singapore is a universal set—top device connected to the new national broadband network ... "If the Government chooses that path, we would be pleased to work with the Government to address any short term measures needed to make the transition as smooth as possible." Meanwhile, SingTel’s reply did not differ from its original stance. "We note the comments raised by the Minister. SingTel has always been focused on customer convenience and choice. In fact, when we decided to enter the pay TV market in 2007 and offer Singaporeans a real choice, we had to invest in and develop our own pay TV network. Given the investment in SingTel’s mio TV and the features and functionality that it provides, we will use our own network to deliver our pay TV content and services to our customers," a spokesperson said. TODAY/sc

Singapore first in Asia to have 2 new procedures for myopia correction Channel NewsAsia - 1 hour 33 minutes ago SINGAPORE: Singapore has become the first city in Asia to introduce two new techniques of myopia correction, with one technique promising to help those with myopia of over 1,000 degrees. With the new procedures, people with myopia can now say goodbye to glasses. One such example is 23—year—old eye patient Lum Kheng Loon, who had 400 degrees of myopia in both eyes. He underwent a new lasik surgery introduced in Singapore two months ago, and can now go without glasses. Lum said: "Before the surgery, I was a bit nervous, but during the surgery, everything was painless." This new surgery — the "No Touch All Laser EpiLASIK" — is minimally invasive, using laser to remove the cornea’s skin (epithelium). Laser is again used on the cornea to correct the eyesight. The procedure costs S$3,000 and so far, 14 people have undergone the procedure, with 12 attaining perfect vision. Doctors say the procedure is suitable for those with thin corneas, those with small, deep set eyes, or those leading active lifestyles. Another procedure called the "Phakic Intro—Ocular Lenses" — also a first in Asia — is for those with myopia of above 600 degrees. "I would strongly recommend it, this kind of implants for people with degrees of a range of 1,000 degrees and above," said Dr Julian Theng, a medical doctor with Eagle Eye Centre. "(It’s quite comfortable, and) it offers excellent visual quality even better than lasik procedure. And it’s very easily done — the procedure is short and simple — and easily reversible." The procedure costs S$3,200 per eye. The centre has also introduced new chromogen lenses which helps colour blind patients better distinguish colours. CNA/yb

Ticket prices for Universal Studios theme park start from S$32 Channel NewsAsia - Thursday, November 19 SINGAPORE: Visitors are one step closer to visiting Southeast Asia’s first and only Universal Studios theme park opening at Sentosa’s Resorts World, now that ticket prices have been revealed. Sale of tickets should not be too far on the horizon, with Resorts World Sentosa announcing on Wednesday its one—day, two—day and express pass ticket prices that range from S$32 to S$118 to access all attractions. "We have pegged ticket prices for Universal Studios Singapore at an incredible value compared to major theme parks worldwide," said Shirly Chen, Vice President (Sales Development), Resorts World Sentosa. The Universal Studios’ one—day pass on a weekday will cost S$66 for an adult and S$48 for a child, with seniors enjoying a special rate of S$32. The pass will cost S$72, S$52 and S$36 respectively for visits on weekends and public holidays. And if you want to avoid the long queues, you can buy an express pass costing between S$30 and S$68 — on top of an admission pass. The price is also attractive for tickets to visit the theme park over two consecutive days, with the highest tag being S$118 for an adult two—day pass. "As Singapore’s IR, a place for every Singaporean, it is also our aim to reach out to everyone, not forgetting grandmas and grandpas," said Chen. Resorts World Sentosa will open early next year, with four hotels, a casino and a host of shopping, dining and entertainment offerings, along with the Universal Studios Singapore theme park. Ticket sales and room reservations will be launched at a later date, in conjunction with exclusive packages for a charity auction. Universal Studios Singapore will feature 24 attractions, including the world’s biggest single collection of DreamWorks Animation attractions such as the world’s first Far Far Away Castle from the world of Shrek, Madagascar theme park ride and the world’s tallest dueling roller coaster. CNA/sf

Letting go a seldom used FR (Small Footprint, Height 42cm, Diameter 32cm) for $100 nett cash & carry only. Please PM moi to confirm collection. Note: Aeroplane wannabe pl stay clear & no undesirable comments in this thread.

Tycoon AH LEE...heard tat U have 'harvested' super-swee ZOAs gems along Great Ocean Road last week.

OPEC head: $75 to $80 a barrel a 'good price' AFP - Tuesday, November 17 ABU DHABI (AFP) - – Seventy-five to 80 dollars a barrel is a satisfactory price for oil, the president of OPEC said Monday, adding that the cartel may leave production unchanged at its meeting next month. "Seventy-five to 80 dollars a barrel is a good price... for the recovery of the world economy," Jose Maria Botelho de Vasconcelos, who is also Angola's oil minister, told reporters on the sidelines of a conference on Gulf energy security in Abu Dhabi. Oil prices were trading within that range on international markets on Monday. De Vasconcelos said the cartel may leave production unchanged at its next scheduled discussion in Luanda on December 22, "but there is a provision for an increase" in production. "This situation will be discussed" at the December meeting, he added. He also told reporters on the sidelines of the conference that "the market is oversupplied." De Vasconcelos said the rate of compliance by OPEC members with their production quotas "is around 65 percent." This rate is satisfactory, he added. OPEC expects oil demand to rise by 20 million barrels a day (bpd) to 106 million by 2030, he said, but warned of uncertainty in the market. "There is too much uncertainty in the market over such matters as future world economic growth levels, consuming country policies and technology," the OPEC chief said in a speech to the conference. "This makes it almost impossible to devise effective investment strategies for future production capacity, to meet forecast rising levels of demand." "The latest projections in OPEC's reference case see world oil demand rising by 20 million bpd to 106 million between 2008 and 2030. But these are only projections -- the reality may turn out to be very different in an uncertain world." "So every effort must be made to avoid adding to this uncertainty in an unnecessary way," he added. He said that one way to minimise the uncertainty is through consumer governments devising measures to ensure transparency and consistency in their policy making, which OPEC had already urged governments to do. "This is one key area where efforts can be made to reduce uncertainty," he said. In Asian trade on Monday, New York's main contract, light sweet crude for December delivery put on 71 cents to 77.06 dollars a barrel. Brent North Sea crude for January delivery gained 55 cents to 76.86 dollars.

Britons among the "ugliest people", dating site says Reuters - Thursday, November 12 LONDON - Britons are among the ugliest people in the world, according to a dating website that says it only allows "beautiful people" to join. Fewer than one in eight British men and just three in 20 women who have applied to BeautifulPeople.com have been accepted, an emailed statement from the website showed. Existing members of the "elite dating site" rate how attractive potential members are over a 48 hour period, after applicants upload a recent photo and personal profile. Swedish men have proved the most successful, with 65 percent being accepted, while Norwegian women are considered the most beautiful with 76 percent accepted, the website said. The way that BeautifulPeople.com accepts new members is simple. A potential member applies with a photo and a brief profile. Over 48 hours, existing members of the opposite sex vote whether or not to admit them, the site said. Options are: "Yes definitely," "Hmm yes, O.K," "Hmm no, not really" and "No definitely not." The site was founded in 2002 in Denmark and went live across the globe last month. Since then, the site has rejected nearly 1.8 million people from 190 countries, admitting just 360,000 new members. "I would say Britain is stumbling because they don't spend as much time polishing up their appearance and they are letting themselves down on physical fitness," Beautiful People managing director Greg Hodge said. "Next to Brazilian and Scandinavian beauties, British people just aren't as toned or glamorous." Only the male Russian and Polish applicants fared worse than British men, although Russian women had a 44 percent acceptance rate. Polish women did not appear in the table. German applicants were slated for offering up unflattering photographs, which may have hindered their acceptance rates at 15 percent for men and 13 percent for women, the lowest rate in their category. "German men and women aren't faring well, but they are submitting stern images, they need to soften up," Hodge said.

WOW !!!...Simply Irresistable. Time to visit U soonzzz !

Yo Bro, PMed U. Cheers.../ED

Yeah tis luscious SEXY BABE is indeed a real beauty especially coming from VANUATU. Its unique yet exquisite 'face patterns' are truly spell-binding !

Thanks Bro, replied U.