kueytoc

Tsk...Tsk...moi-moi is referring to the 'lost' livelihood & perhaps 'lost lives' of the fish farmers.

Calif. pageant contestant denies murder AP - Wednesday, September 30 PASADENA, Calif. – A self-proclaimed preacher who was a contestant in the TV beauty pageant "The Sexiest Bachelor in America" pleaded not guilty Tuesday to murdering his girlfriend, a former adult-movie actress. Brian Randone, 45, was arraigned in Superior Court and remained in custody on $2 million bail. He could face 25 years to life in prison if convicted of beating and choking Felicia Lee on Sept. 11 in their suburban Monrovia apartment. Detectives allege Randone tortured the 31-year-old Lee, noting they found dozens of recent injuries on her body after Randone called 911 to report she was unconscious. Deputy District Attorney Philip Wojdak said investigators believe Lee was suffocated against a hard surface without a weapon being used. Judge Terry Smerling called the injuries gruesome and sealed photos of Lee's body. Randone's lawyer, Mark Overland, said he had no comment because he had just taken the case and had not reviewed the police reports. A preliminary hearing was scheduled for Oct. 9. Lee appeared in several adult movies under the name Felicia Tang. The Singapore-born woman also had bit parts in the movies "Rush Hour 2" and "The Fast and the Furious" and had modeled for the Playboy television channel. She had moved in with Randone a few months before her death. Randone, a Nebraska native, appeared on the Fox special "The Sexiest Bachelor in America" in 2000 but did not win. Randone has a bachelor's degree from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and a master's of divinity degree from Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He was involved in ministry as a mime and had once worked as a mime on the campus of Baylor University. Baylor spokeswoman Jill Scoggins said he was not hired by the school and only performed on campus once in 1996. Police: TV contestant killed actress girlfriend AP - Saturday, September 26 LOS ANGELES – A self-proclaimed preacher who was on the TV beauty pageant "The Sexiest Bachelor in America" will be arraigned next week for allegedly torturing and murdering his girlfriend, an ex-adult movie actress. Brian Lee Randone, 45, was charged last week with one count of murder and one count of torture. He was scheduled for arraignment on Sept. 29 and faces 25 years to life in prison if convicted, said Jane Robison, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. Randone remained jailed Friday on $2 million bail. Robison did not know whether he had an attorney. Randone was arrested on Sept. 11. Prosecutors said he beat and choked Felicia Lee during a domestic dispute at their apartment in the foothill community of Monrovia, northeast of Los Angeles. He then dialed 911 to report she was unconscious, investigators said. "It appeared to be torture prior to the murder," Sgt. Brian Schoonmaker, a homicide detective working the case, said Friday. Lee apparently suffered dozens of injuries in the 24 hours before she died, Schoonmaker said, but he did not provide details. The two had lived together for only a few months, Schoonmaker said. Investigators were still trying to determine the motive for the killing. In 2000, Randone appeared on the Fox special "The Sexiest Bachelor in America." He vied with contestants from other states but did not win. A Fox spokeswoman said Friday that she was not immediately familiar with the show. Lee, who was born in Singapore, had parts in the movies "Rush Hour 2" and "The Fast and the Furious" and had done some modeling for the Playboy television channel, according to her Web site, which she shut down last year. She also appeared in several adult movies under the name Felicia Tang. Candace Kita, a model who had worked with her, said Lee was nud# in the movies but did not portray any sex acts. Randone was involved in ministry as a mime and did "some evangelistic types of entertainment," Schoonmaker said. He did not know when or where Randone performed. According to the CBS blog "48 Hours Crimesider," Randone had a Web site in the early 2000s advertising a ministry that offered "critically-acclaimed performances." According to "Crimesider," Randone said on the Web site that he had no plans to "try to be sexy" in the pageant, where he represented his home state of Nebraska. "I hope to talk about qualities that are really important, what's inside, such as faithfulness, love, commitment and self-control, the masculine characteristics of a Christian," he said. He also wrote that "we are all sinners" and that sin "is as small as thinking a bad thought and/or as big as murder." "Because of sin, we deserve hell. I know that if there is one thing I deserve in life its (sic) hell," he said. Randone has a bachelor's degree from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago and a master's of divinity degree from Southwestern Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas, the San Gabriel Valley Tribune reported. He worked as a mime on the campus of Baylor University in Texas in 1996, the newspaper said. Lee's murder is reminiscent of another case last month, in which Ryan Jenkins, a former contestant on the reality TV show "Megan Wants a Millionaire," allegedly killed his wife, ex-model Jasmine Fiore, in Los Angeles, then fled to Canada and killed himself.

Sigh !!!...looks like there will be no FIJI/VANUATU & PADANG shipments for the next few months liao.

All to Bro MARC for his 'eagle eyes' & 'Kin-Chew Kin-Kar' manoeuvers !

Last weekend MOI still saw plentiful no of small colonies at LCK. So tis time round U gotta buy more as 'safe deposits'. Tis particular African Blue Hornets luvs strong current & proliferates more when there's current flowing across the colonies. No problem placing top, mid & bottom level.

Orianthi: Michael Jackson's Guitar Thriller By Lyndsey Parker Mon Sep 28, 2009 4:48pm Ticket presales of Michael Jackson's upcoming concert documentary This Is It sold out in two hours over the weekend, allowing fans to soon catch a glimpse of what might have been, had the late Michael's London O2 Arena dates actually taken place. But the film will also offer a glimpse of a young new talent whose career is just starting to explode: Jackson band member and guitar prodigy, Orianthi. This 24-year-old Australian guitar goddess first captured American audiences' attention at this year's Grammy Awards, when she blazingly accompanied (some might even say upstaged) Grammy performer Carrie Underwood, and she has also been quite vocally championed by six-string legends Steve Vai and Carlos Santana. ("If I was going to pass the baton to somebody, she would be my first choice," Carlos once said of Orianthi.) It was in fact Orianthi's buzzy Grammy performance that made the King Of Pop himself take notice, and he quickly hired her to be his guitarist for the This Is It concerts. In fact, she was actually supposed to be Michael Jackson's official spokesperson during his much-hyped London residency. Obviously, that sadly never came to pass, and Orianthi--who was actually with Michael the night before his death--ended up performing at Michael Jackson's Staples Center memorial instead. But still she raves: "Working with Michael was a life-changing experience, one I will never forget." And now as Orianthi--recently named one of the "12 Greatest Female Electric Guitarists" in Elle magazine--readies her debut solo album Believe and lead single "According To You," she is all over This Is It, electrifying the screen. Below is the exclusive unveiling of the Believe album's cover art, out October 27. As far as real rock-chick role models go, this is it, people.

Electricity tarriff to go up !!! Tue, Sep 29, 2009 The Straits Times ELECTRICITY tariff for households will increase by 12.5 per cent in the coming quarter because of higher fuel oil prices, SP Services announced on Tuesday. The rate will go up by 2.41 cents per kWh to 21.69 cents for the October to December period. It will raise the electricity bill of the average Housing Board three-room household by about $7 - from $57 to $64.

Ris Low resigns as Miss Singapore World: official statement Tue, Sep 29, 2009 Diva Ris Low has stepped down as Miss Singapore World and will not be representing Singapore at the international Miss World 2009 paegeant in South Africa this December. The organisers of Miss Singapore World pagaent, ERM World, made the announcement today and said in a press statment that her resignation takes place with immediate effect. This is the official statement: ERM World Marketing (ERM) would like to announce that Ris Low has resigned as Miss Singapore World 2009 with immediate effect. She will no longer represent Singapore at Miss World 2009 in South Africa. We have met her parents Mr. and Mrs. Low and Ris to discuss the matter and they have agreed to allow their daughter to resign from the crown as we feel is in the best interest for the Miss Singapore World Pageant and Singapore at large. We are accepting her resignation. There was no way of checking if a contestant has a criminal record or suffering from depression. Ris Low was determined, well behaved and performed well throughout the 2 month competition and even went on to win 8 special awards. This is not easy task to accomplish from a group of 22 contestants. With her good performance and beauty, she excelled in the competition. On her English language, we felt that person who made fun of her on YouTube was malicious and did not do her justice. The video clip was presented in a way to ridicule her. The incident was a onetime interview which misled the Singapore public to believe she spoke English poorly. During the Grand Finals competition held at the Shangri La hotel on the 31st July 2009, she spoke perfectly good English, had a good answer (short, sharp and sweet) and performed very well to impress the 11 judges that she was good enough to win. So perhaps her spoken English could also be an effect from her Bipolar disorder. As a teenage offender, we feel sorry for her circumstances but we cannot compromise on our contest rules, regulations and the image of the Miss Singapore World Pageant. ERM did not give any comments earlier to the media and press because we were taken aback by this incident and we did not have any documentary evidence to justify the allegations and could be faced with legal implications later. Ris Low committed this offence as a young offender, and we had to be sensitive to handle any comments delicately where a young offender is concerned. The treatment would be different if she was over 21 years of age. We like to add that this is the first time in Singapore beauty pageant history that such an incident has occurred. We had to be careful with the approach. We will be interviewing a new representative to represent Singapore at Miss World 2009 in the coming days and will announce a new representative shortly. Ris Low's lies exposed Tue, Sep 29, 2009 Diva Lianhe Wanbao reported in this evening's paper that three of Ris Low's lies have been exposed: Lie #1 - ERM World Marketing had known about her conviction In an interview with the press last week, Low said that ERM knew about the credit card fraud prior to the contest because one of the requirements for entering the pageant included a criminal check. Yesterday, Low confessed that she only told ERM when the news broke last Friday. Lie #2 - ERM will continue to allow her to participate in the contest Low told Lianhe Wanbao last Friday that ERM told her as long as the press did not get wind of her criminal record, she will be allowed to continue competing in Miss Singapore World. She even mentioned that she was worried about ERM's decision. However, in an interview with The Straits Times yesterday, Ris said that ERM only knew of her past on Friday. Lie #3 - She was fully aware of the clauses Last Friday, Low told Lianhe Zaobao that she was fully aware of the terms and conditions when she signed up for the contest in June. She also reckoned that a supervised probation does not equate to a criminal charge or conviction, therefore she did not make any declarations. However, she said in an interview yesterday that she did not read the terms and conditions in detail. "I didn't read the clause in detail because all these were not required in other pageants," said Ris Low. Ris' ex-supervisor: We trusted her, gave her chances Mon, Sep 28, 2009 The New Paper SHE got along fairly well with her former colleagues at a clinic and was generous with gifts. There was only one snag. Said beauty queen Ris Low's former supervisor: 'She used one of the credit cards (she obtained fraudulently) to buy me a birthday present. 'But the police ordered her to get it back, so she asked me to return the present to her.' The ex-supervisor, a clinic coordinator who did not want to be named, declined to reveal details of the present. 'We never thought she would do something like that,' she said. Discouraged The ex-supervisor said she was disheartened by Ris' dishonesty. 'We all trusted her, and we tried to teach her so many things. We gave her so many chances. 'It was very disappointing - she could have done so much better,' said the 29-year-old woman. At first, the ex-supervisor could not make the connection between her former colleague and the beauty queen from the photo on the front page of The New Paper on Sunday last month. The face looked only vaguely familiar. But the penny dropped after she watched a video of the recently-crowned Miss Singapore World 2009 being interviewed. It was just over a year ago that Ris had been her subordinate. Said the former supervisor: 'I didn't recognise her at first because she was wearing a lot of make-up - she never used to wear that much make-up, except fake lashes sometimes.' She added, however, that she was not surprised Ris would participate in a beauty pageant because she 'loved the attention'. 'Whenever we were out together, she would get approached by talent scouts asking her to model,' she said. At the time, Ris was working as a patient service assistant at a clinic belonging to a well-known medical group here. She was convicted of five charges of cheating and misappropriation involving credit cards. Another 60 charges were taken into consideration for purposes of sentencing, a Subordinate Courts' spokesman told The New Paper. Said her former supervisor: 'I don't think somebody who did what she did should be allowed to represent Singapore in an international pageant.' She said Ris' offences were brought to light after patients complained they never got their credit cards back after paying their medical bills. 'It turned out that she had been using the credit cards to buy things for herself.' This article was first published in The New Paper. Ris Low: I was young, I didn't think Mon, Sep 28, 2009 The New Paper by Liew Hanqing SHE knows she's one of the most unloved Singaporean beauty queens. Especially now that her dirty little secret has tumbled out - the one she had hoped no one would learn about. Miss Singapore World 2009 Ris Low Yi Min was sentenced in May to 24 months of supervised probation after being convicted of credit card fraud. Sounding almost resigned, Ris said yesterday that she was waiting for the pageant organisers to inform her whether she will still be allowed to represent Singapore in the Miss World pageant in South Africa in December. 'I'm sad and disappointed,' she told The New Paper over the phone. 'I don't know who leaked this information about me. Now I may have to give up my dream (of participating in an international pageant).' Lawyer Adrian Wee told The New Paper that it was up to Ris' probation officer to decide whether to allow her to travel to South Africa. 'Such decisions are usually determined on a case-by-case basis,' he said. But even if Ris is allowed to leave Singapore, she may still be barred from taking part in the Miss World pageant. The Miss World website states that pageant contestants must not have been charged or convicted in any court of law in any country. Ris said she had used the credit cards fraudulently in 'a moment of folly'. She said: 'When you are young and do something, you don't really think of the consequences. 'At the time, I didn't even think I would be joining a beauty pageant or that I would become a beauty queen.' Ris said the pageant organisers were initially unaware of her offences. 'I told them about it only after I had won. I didn't know it was part of the contract,' she said. She added that the organisers were 'shocked and angry' when they heard about it. The New Paper's repeated phone calls and e-mails to the pageant organisers, ERM World Marketing Pte Ltd, went unanswered yesterday. Ris said: 'I regret what I did. I disappointed my parents, because I did it (credit card fraud) even though I wasn't in any need of money.' At 19 and with a future still ahead of her, she is optimistic of putting this setback behind her. 'My friends have been very supportive through this period. I could really see their care and concern for me. My parents have also stood by me,' she said. The first-time offender had faced five charges of misappropriation, cheating using illegally obtained credit cards and impersonating their users' identities. Another 60 charges were taken into consideration for sentencing. She had obtained the credit cards while she was working at a well-known medical group here. According to court documents, Ris spent more than $2,400 on at least three credit cards on at least four separate occasions in April and May last year. Among the items she bought were a $698 Samsung handphone and two gold anklets worth $980 in all. She also visited Equinox, an upscale restaurant at Swissotel the Stamford, twice within the same week - spending almost $400 on food and drinks each time. The New Paper understands that her former employer filed a police report in April last year after she was caught using credit cards belonging to patients who visited the clinic where she worked. A spokesman for the medical group confirmed that she joined the group in December 2007 and left in May last year. She also confirmed there was a civil case involving Ris, but declined to comment on it. When The New Paper learnt of Ris' legal troubles about a month ago and confronted her, she denied it. Then My Paper broke the story yesterday. Now, it looks like few are prepared to forgive and forget. This article was first published in The New Paper

Here come the brides: Polygamy club woos Malaysia By SEAN YOONG,Associated Press Writer - Monday, September 28 RAWANG, Malaysia – When she was practicing law, Kartini Maarof once went beyond the call of duty for her divorce client. She arranged for Rohaya Mohamad, a mother of seven, to be married again _ to Kartini's own husband. The spouse they have shared for a decade is 43-year-old Ikramullah Ashaari, who has four wives and 17 children. His 72-year-old father has 38 offspring from five marriages, without ever having flouted Islam's prescribed limit of four wives at a time. Polygamy is legal for Muslims in Malaysia, though not widespread. The Ashaari clan believes it should be. Last month it launched a "Polygamy Club" that claims the noble aim of helping single mothers, reformed prostitutes and women who feel they are past the marrying age. "We want to change the way people perceive polygamy, so that it will be seen as something beautiful instead of something disgusting," said Hatijah Aam, the founder of the club. She is the fourth wife of Ikramullah's father, Ashaari Muhammad. Polygamy may seem out of place in an Asian democracy proud of its skyscrapers, high-tech skills and go-getter economy. But it retains a foothold in this Muslim-majority country of 27 million where piety is deeply embedded and Muslims can be arrested for drinking alcohol or consorting with the opposite sex unless a couple is married. The government also polices religious practice. Ashaari, the family patriarch, used to head an Islamic sect that was banned in 1994 as heretical because it projected Ashaari as an absolver of sinners. Most of the Polygamy Club members belonged to the sect, and there's nothing illegal about how they live now, so long as they're Muslims. For the one-third of the population that isn't Muslim, polygamy is unlawful. The practice used to be more common but has dwindled to an estimated 2 percent of all Muslim marriages as women have become freer and careers have opened up for them. The polygamists point out that the Prophet Muhammad is thought to have married about a dozen women in his lifetime, including widows in need of protection. "Some people treat polygamy as a laughing matter because they do not fully comprehend it," says Ikramullah, a jovial businessman and son of his father's first wife. "But a community that practices it would know that it is not bizarre. In fact, you would be teased if you were a man with only one wife." The club claims to number 300 husbands and 700 wives. It hopes to cultivate examples of happy households to counter women's rights activists who say some spouses and children suffer in polygamous marriages. Club members say polygamy deters adultery and would improve the marriage prospects of ex-prostitutes if more men were available to marry them. But Shahrizat Abdul Jalil, the Muslim female minister in charge of family policy, says polygamy "is not a culture that is encouraged in our society." Sisters in Islam, an advocacy group campaigning against polygamy, says it isn't good for women. "If people choose to be monogamous, there are enough men for every woman," it said in a statement to The Associated Press. One opponent of polygamy is a 42-year-old business executive who asked to be identified only as Sharifah. She said she threatened to divorce her husband of nearly 15 years after he told her last year that he had fallen in love with a divorced mother of three, felt she needed help, and wanted to marry her. "I felt like my fairy tale had ended," Sharifah said. "He was my soul mate. ... I couldn't believe it was happening. Then I started to scream at him." She said some people told her that agreeing to a second wife would secure her place in heaven. But Sharifah, the breadwinner for her two children and jobless husband, refused to give in. The couple underwent marriage counseling and Sharifah's husband has promised not to marry the other woman. "Women have to make a stand. We are getting more progressive. We know our rights," she said. "I will not enter into a polygamous marriage. I know I deserve better." Kartini, 41, says polygamy has served her well; while she was busy arguing court cases, her husband's first wife would cook, clean and look after the children. "The wives can complement each other," she said. "Of course, you miss your husband and there are natural feelings of competition and jealousy at first. But after a while, you try to become friends and you learn that you can share your problems with each other." The club says most of its husbands keep each spouse in a home of her own unless the women agree to live under one roof. Many husbands rotate their days among households. The tight-knit family is concentrated in Rawang, a town outside Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's largest city. They gather for religious holidays and other festivities, such as a recent "Family Day" where they performed songs for each other and picnicked. They mingle easily in public, chatting and joking like any ordinary family. The club is funded by the family's grocery stores, restaurants and other businesses. It plans to offer matchmaking, wedding planning and marriage counseling. Hatijah, who became the patriarch's fourth wife in 1982, used to be skeptical of polygamy, and agreed to the marriage because she worried that at 27, she was getting too old to find a husband. Now 54 and a mother of eight, she says: "What is wrong with sharing a husband? I've been doing so for nearly 30 years."

Miss Singapore quits after criminal record revealed By Teo Xuanwei / Claire Huang, TODAY, 938LIVE | Posted: 29 September 2009 1718 hrs SINGAPORE - Singapore's representative to the Miss World beauty contest has stepped down after being exposed as a credit card cheat, the local contest organisers said on Tuesday. Ris Low, a 19-year-old student, had first resisted calls to give up her crown after Singapore media revealed she received a suspended sentence for stealing and misusing customers' credit cards when she worked as a receptionist. She was convicted of credit card fraud in May and sentenced to two years' probation. When asked if she was finally bowing down to public pressure, the 19-year-old beauty queen said: "I feel that it would be better for everyone, including Singaporeans who are not very supportive of me going to this pageant. "This is actually the best for everybody, including the company, the public and for myself. So yes, I have given it up because I think it's the best choice now." While she did not reveal when she had came to the decision, Ms Low admitted that she's had thoughts of quitting for some time. Miss Low said that ERM World, organiser of Miss Singapore World pageant, has been informed and supports her decision. "She has resigned. Story closed," a staff member of ERM World Marketing, holder of the Singapore franchise for the Miss World 2009 contest taking place in Johannesburg in December, told AFP. ERM said it will be interviewing a new representative to represent Singapore at Miss World 2009 in the coming days and will announce who she is shortly. Low's admission that she committed the crime as a result of bipolar disorder further stoked calls for her to resign because she was seen as unsuitable to represent Singapore overseas. Before the revelations of her conviction and psychiatric problems, Low became an object of ridicule after a video interview posted on the Internet showed her speaking fractured English. AFP/938LIVE/CNA/vm Miss Singapore World convicted of credit card fraud in May Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, September 26 SINGAPORE: Miss Singapore World Ris Low has found herself in the spotlight again. This time, due to a criminal conviction. When a video of Ms Low made its round online recently, her poor command of spoken English was a hot topic in cyberspace. But now, netizens are debating on whether she could or should represent Singapore for the Miss World 2009 beauty pageant in Johannesburg later this year, after it came to light that Ms Low was convicted of credit card fraud in May. She was sentenced to two years’ probation for using illegally obtained credit cards. Some beauty pageant organisers, whom Channel NewsAsia spoke to, said on Friday contestants must be free of criminal record. But the organiser of Miss Singapore World pageant did not respond to queries on whether the beauty queen will be stripped of her crown or even represent Singapore in the finals. Some Singaporeans have mixed reactions to the news. One said: "I think they deserve a second chance. They say ex—convicts also deserve a second chance." "If it reflects badly on her personality or character, then I don’t think it will be good for her to represent Singapore," another added. — CNA/so

Mad, mad rush for MJ's final movie...Jackson reigns at box office, in advance of film Reuters - Tuesday, September 29 By Alex Dobuzinskis LOS ANGELES - Michael Jackson's fans are ready to rock with him one last time, as next month's "This Is It" movie about the late pop star breaks records for advance ticket sales, the studio behind the film said on Monday. Based on rehearsal footage of Jackson taken in the weeks before the "Thriller" singer's death, the film does not open until October 28. But early sales began on Sunday, resulting in hundreds of sold-out shows in North America alone. Cities with particularly strong sales include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Houston and New York, said Sony Pictures Entertainment, the division of Sony Co that produced the film from "High School Musical" director Kenny Ortega. Outside the United States, more than $1 million in tickets were sold in Japan on the first day they were available, which was a record, Sony Pictures said. In London, "This Is It" fans bought more than 30,000 tickets on the first day, which eclipsed advance interest in the "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings" films, which were popular in Britain. Record ticket sales were also reported in Holland, Sweden, Belgium and New Zealand, Sony Pictures said. While online sales were high, fans also lined sidewalks waiting for tickets in Paris, Bangkok and Munich, Sony Pictures said. U.S. authorities are investigating what lead to Jackson's death from an overdose of prescription drugs on June 25, focusing on doctors who treated him. The rehearsal footage for "This Is It" was produced as Jackson prepared for a series of 50 sold-out comeback shows in London that were supposed to begin on July 13. Sony paid $60 million for the footage to make the movie. Jackson fans rush for tickets to 'This Is It' film AFP - Tuesday, September 29 LOS ANGELES (AFP) - – Michael Jackson fans scrambled to snap up tickets for the upcoming film about the entertainer's final concert rehearsals, studio chiefs said Monday, cranking up hype for the eagerly-anticipated movie. A statement from Sony Pictures Entertainment said fans around the globe had rushed to buy tickets ahead of the release of "This Is It," which will include unseen footage of Jackson preparing for his series of London comeback shows. Advance screenings of the film will begin on October 27 before a worldwide release a day later. The movie will screen for two weeks only. Sony said an "unprecedented number" of shows across the United States had sold out and other cities including London, Sydney, Bangkok and Tokyo had experienced similar levels of demand. London distributor Vue Entertainment said the film sold 30,000 tickets within 24 hours, director Stuart Boreman enthused, outstripping demand for films such as "Harry Potter" and "The Lord of the Rings." "I've never seen anything like it in the 25 years I have been film buying," Boreman said. "It's a true phenomenon and sales show no sign of slowing down." In the United States, more than 500,000 fans performed searches for showtimes on the film's official website, Sony reported. Japanese fans snapped up more than one million dollars worth of tickets within 24 hours of their release, an advanced-sales record unmatched by any movie in history, Sony said. Tickets for first showings also sold out in Thailand, the studio reported.

'Too much sex' in Bruno film for Malaysia: official AFP - Tuesday, September 29 KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - – Muslim-majority Malaysia has banned British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen's raunchy comedy "Bruno" because it contains "a lot of sex", a senior official said Tuesday. The film, which stars Cohen as a gay Austrian fashionista, has been a box office hit in some countries while being banned elsewhere for over-the-top scenes including sex acts and full-frontal nudity. "The movie has been banned in Malaysia because of the sexual content. It was decided by a three-man committee. (There is) a lot of sex in it," an official with the National Film Censorship Board told AFP. He said the panel judges movies based on whether they feature violence, horror, sex or counter-cultural themes. "In the case of Bruno, the ban is based on its sex and counter-culture content," he said on condition of anonymity. Following the same format as his 2006 movie "Borat," Cohen's character travels to the United States where bizarre scenarios unfold including one where he mimes sexual activity while visiting a medium. Other controversial scenes include Bruno and his boyfriend engaged in sexual acts and couples having sex at a swingers' party. "Borat" was also banned in Malaysia, a conservative country with a multicultural population including 60 percent Muslim Malays. Since last year alone, Malaysia has banned five movies, the most recent being US horror film Halloween II, written and directed by Rob Zombie.

Oh I see...ya solid tanky ROCKS mate !

WOW !...Niceeez ! Ya new corals acquired from recent GO shipment ?

Dun fret mate...still got plenty for U to 'ta-pao' at LCK. BTW, where do U place the ZOAs ??? Under shade at tank bottom ?

Former Aware president Josie Lau leaves DBS Channel NewsAsia - Saturday, September 26 SINGAPORE: The former president of the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), Ms Josie Lau, has left DBS Bank and joined hospitality group Overseas Union Enterprise (OUE). She is now vice—president for centre management at Mandarin Gallery, where she oversees operations and marketing for the new premier shopping mall, Weekend TODAY has learnt. The 48—year—old was thrust into the limelight in March, when she became embroiled in a leadership tussle at Aware. Her decision to take on the role of president of the women’s advocacy group earned her a public rebuke from DBS for ignoring its code of conduct. At the time, she was DBS’ head of marketing, cards and unsecured loans, becoming its vice—president for network planning and deployment in May prior to her resignation. Ms Lau, who started her new job on Thursday, said she took it because it "allows me to leverage on all my past work experience and my love for fashion retail and marketing". OUE chief executive Thio Gim Hock said Ms Lau had "expressed her desire to look for new pastures", and he felt she might be suitable for the post. "I asked her to send in her CV and forwarded (it) to the senior vice—president (of) leasing, who interviewed her." Mr Thio is married to lawyer Thio Su Mien, who had encouraged Ms Lau to get involved in Aware. They attend the same church, but Ms Lau stressed her hiring was "based on my merit". Likewise Mr Thio — who has known Ms Lau, "though not very well", for over 10 years — said: "It’s easier and more desirable to employ people you already know ... Her getting the job was entirely due to her experience, qualification and personality." Mr Thio also noted Ms Lau’s "traumatic experience" during the Aware saga which included "having her employer threatening to sack her". When contacted, a DBS spokesman said: "Ms Lau decided to leave DBS to pursue other opportunities. It was a personal decision, and we wish her the best in her new endeavours." TODAY/ir

Bro, wat happen ???

Divorce in America: Ind., Fla. counties are tops By Tamara Lush And Deanna Martin, Associated Press Writers – Thu Sep 24, 9:45 am ET ISLAMORADA, Fla. – It's easy to see why bookkeeper Linda Mortimer moved to the Florida Keys 20 years ago: the impossibly blue water, the year-round sunshine, a lifestyle so laid-back that every day is like a Jimmy Buffett lyric. What Mortimer didn't anticipate was falling in love — and then getting divorced less than two years after taking her wedding vows. "I discovered after we got married that my husband had been divorced four times," said Mortimer, as she finished a noontime burger while sitting at the bar at the Ocean View, a local party spot and Mortimer's place of employment. "I was his No. 5. He didn't understand why I got so upset." Divorce is as common in the Florida Keys as fresh grouper and cold beer. Census statistics released this week show that Monroe County — which includes the cluster of 1,700 islands floating off South Florida — has the second-highest proportion of divorced residents. A little more than 18 percent of the people living in Monroe County are divorced, second only to Indiana's Wayne County, which had 19 percent. Nationwide, 10.7 percent of people over 15 are divorced. Three of the top 10 counties the divorced call home are in Florida — rural Putnam County in Northeast Florida and urban Pinellas County on the Gulf Coast are the other two. Indiana had a total of three counties in the top 10 as well. Along with Wayne County, Floyd and Madison counties made the list. Newly released census figures show that while the number of unmarried people continued its 10-year climb, the ranks of married people in the United States rose by nearly 6 million last year, bucking a decade-long decline. The number of divorced people rose, but only slightly. Among the other marriage- and divorce-related findings from the census data: • The number of unmarried people climbed to about one-third of all Americans over 15. • Oklahoma has the highest rate of people who have been married three times or more. • Utah and Idaho tied for the youngest median bride age, at 23.5 years old. Residents of Wayne County, Ind., don't see why their home should be the divorce capital of America. The water tower in Richmond, Ind., the county's largest city, welcomes visitors to "A Great All-American City." "It just doesn't make all that much sense," said Michael Jackson, an associate professor of psychology at Earlham College, a private university in Richmond. "We find it really questionable. It just sounds funny." Indiana is one of a handful of states that don't track divorce statistics. So it's hard to tell if the percentage is caused by a large number of divorces or a large number of young single people moving out of the county to attend college, or if it's just a statistical anomaly. Divorce counselors say the economy could be partly to blame for adding more stress to marriages. Indiana has been hit hard by the collapse of the auto and manufacturing industries. Wayne County had an average annual unemployment rate of 6.8 percent in 2008 — when the census data was collected — a rate above the state average at the time but still below many other areas of the state and country. Tom Amyx, who owns a deli along Richmond's main street, said bad financial times shouldn't be a reason for married couples to split. He just celebrated his 40th wedding anniversary with his wife, Sherry, and says couples should tough out hard times. He said attitudes have changed about marriage, with some younger people considering it a less-than-permanent relationship that they can escape if they aren't happy. "It's not ever about the other person anymore; it's about me, me, me," he said. "People need to make a commitment and stick to the commitment. It's not just a promise — it's a covenant. That's a very serious thing." Amyx, who has lived in several other states, sees no reason Wayne County would top the list. "We don't have that many people in the county," he said, "but evidently they get around." Some folks in the Florida Keys are quick to say that it's not that people are actually divorcing in droves there — it's that divorced people come to the area to start new lives. "The Keys are a great place to hide," said Mortimer, who is 60. When asked from what, she said: "Child support. Alimony." A guy sitting next to Mortimer at the Ocean View bar finished his martini in a plastic cup. His chuckle nearly drowned out the Creedence Clearwater Revival song playing on the radio. "The IRS. The CIA. Family," he said. Others say that the party lifestyle — and a high cost of living — stresses families to the breaking point. "This is a place of escape. A place of hedonistic abandon," said Dr. Fred Covan, a Key West therapist. "We have a condition here, we say people get Key Wasted. People come down here and do really, really stupid stuff." Alcohol was named as a frequent culprit. People in Nevada, which at 14 percent had the highest divorce rate of any state, gave similar reasons. Frank Lin, a divorce attorney whose firm, Lin & Associates, uses the phone number 702-DIVORCE, said Nevada laws, a 24/7 Sin City environment rich in temptation and other marriage hurdles probably combine to lead to more divorces. "One of our clients was a bartender at the Palms and he started seeing a cocktail waitress at the Playboy Club. When I go to work, I don't have cocktail waitresses in high heels showing cleavage," Lin said. "He does — that's part of sort of his daily environment." The most popular ad campaign in recent years promoting Las Vegas to tourists is "What happens here, stays here," and several party planners sell special divorce parties, offering the recently unmarried a guys' or girls' night out on the town. But casino and nightclub employees aren't the only ones feeling marriage pressures, Lin said, because the rest of Las Vegas works a 24-hour cycle, too. Affairs aren't the only reason people get divorced here, he said. "If both parties work 9-to-5 jobs, you see each other. But if one party works 9-to-5 and the other party works swing or graveyard, it's not an environment conducive to a marriage," Lin said. Nevada's laws make it easier to get divorced compared with other states. Couples need only live in the Silver State six weeks before their marriage can be dissolved, while other states require longer residency and a cooling-off period. Key West divorce lawyer Jiulio Margalli has noticed another trend among couples who are divorcing on the island paradise. "What we have now is people getting divorced and fighting over who is going to take over the debt. Who's going to be saddled with the $800K mortgage that neither one could pay?" he said. "It used to be that we saw people get divorced and fight over the home. Now it's, 'Oh, my God, not only are we getting divorced, our credit is going down the tubes and we're going into foreclosure.'" Regardless of the cause, having nearly 20 percent of the population divorced is cause for concern, said Brad Wilcox, director of the National Marriage Project at the University of Virginia. "It's basically a social and environmental toxin," Wilcox said of divorce. Associated Press writers Scott Sonner in Reno, Nev., Oskar Garcia in Las Vegas and Frank Bass in East Dover, Vt., contributed to this report.

Spandau Ballet to release single 2 hours 36 mins ago Reunited chart stars Spandau Ballet have signed a new deal and are set to release their first new single for 20 years, it was announced. The band, whose last release was in 1989, had initially reformed for a series of live shows but then headed into the studio. The True and Gold hitmakers are now set to release a new single, Once More, and an album in November after signing with Mercury Records. Guitarist and songwriter Gary Kemp said: "The band gelled immediately and we immediately played better than we did even back in the old days. "The new song was a way for us to show that Spandau Ballet are back, not just to play the hits on tour but also to take on our contemporaries in the pop charts." Singer Tony Hadley said: "When we got back together and the tour dates went on sale, none of us could believe the fantastic reaction we got from fans and the press alike. "When the opportunity came to get into a studio and play music together, we couldn't pass it up." The band begins its Reformation Tour next month.

Strategy split behind Temasek exit-Goodyear Reuters - Friday, September 25 By Michael Flaherty and Joseph Chaney * Goodyear confirms strategic vision led to Temasek exit * First public appearance since shock exit from wealth fund HONG KONG, Sept 24 - Former BHP Billiton CEO Charles "Chip" Goodyear confirmed that a divergence in strategy was behind his shock departure from Singapore sovereign wealth fund Temasek Holdings two months ago. "Differences of strategic vision is the best way to put it," Goodyear answered calmly, in response to a question in front of an audience of 300 investors at a conference in Hong Kong. The comments came in Goodyear's first public appearance since July when he walked out of the job to become the chief executive of Temasek less than six months after accepting the post. He answered three or four questions from the audience. Goodyear, appearing relaxed and comfortable on stage at the CLSA-organised conference, said the Temasek news release at the time summed up his exit. Temasek, which manages $122 billion in assets including Standard Chartered and DBS Group, said in July that Goodyear would not take over as CEO in October as planned due to differences over strategy. Goodyear, who was tapped in February for the Temasek job, was widely expected to trim its financial holdings and shift focus into commodities and energy, analysts had said. The impeccably groomed and amiable American was to have been the first foreign chief executive of the high profile Singapore fund. Ho Ching, the wife of Singapore's prime minister, decided to stay on as Temasek's CEO since Goodyear's departure. Temasek lost an estimated $4 billion from selling stakes in Bank of America and Barclays earlier this year ahead of a global market rally. Goodyear descends from a U.S. lumber baron and hails from the halls of Ivy League universities and Wall Street, but is best known for his reign at the Australian mining giant BHP. Goodyear joined then debt-ridden BHP in 1999 as chief financial officer, and was instrumental in growing the company into the world's top miner, as a result of a merger with South Africa's Billiton, with a market value bigger than the GDP of some countries it operated in. Additional reporting by Saeed Azhar in SINGAPORE; Editing by Lincoln Feast

Gadhafi's colorful UN speech rouses and confuses Wed Sep 23, 3:02 pm ET Controversial Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi addressed the United Nations General Assembly and his speech made waves online. In his long and at times dramatic address to the UN today, Gadhafi aired varied and eyebrow-raising complaints. Among his targets: -- The international body's Security Council, which he termed the "Terror Council," for failing to prevent or aggressively intervene in conflicts around the world since its inception in 1945. -- The UN's location in New York, which he described as inconvenient for him and other traveling world leaders, causing them all to suffer from jetlag. -- The Iraq war, which he described as "the mother of all evils." He added that the perpetrators of the war should be tried in international court, and he also compared the Taliban favorably to the Vatican. -- A range of conspiracies involving Israel, swine flu and the JFK assassination. At one point near the conclusion of his speech, during which multiple translators were employed, Gadhafi tossed the UN Charter away dismissively. Needless to say, Gadhafi's speech hasn't gone unnoticed. As of this writing, six different variations of his name are spiking in web searches, while four different versions of his name appear in Twitter's list of top "trending topics." Blame for this confusion could be pointed directly at the big three cable news networks, CNN, MSNBC and Fox, which all featured different spellings of the Libyan leader's name (Gadhafi, Qaddafi and Khaddafy) on screen at various points during his speech. However, in fairness to the aformentioned media giants, transliterating written and regionally pronounced Arabic is done in many different ways, often leading to confusion. Perhaps Gadhafi's odd address is related to a lack of proper rest? He may have planned to stay on Donald Trump's sprawling property in Bedford, NY, home to Martha Stewart and Ralph Lauren, where a tent was erected earlier in the week complete with electricity, a satellite dish and camel-themed lining on the walls. It's unclear whether or not the dictator planned to lodge inside the tent or inside of the seven-bedroom, nine-bathroom Trump mansion that sits on the property. Some have speculated that Gadhafi may have been merely planning to entertain guests in the tent. Regardless, local residents and elected officials reacted with indignation when they learned of the tent on Trump's property, which was shut down by building inspectors for not having the proper permits. How Gadhafi, who's already had plans to stay in Englewood, NJ and Central Park while in the area squashed by public outrage, came to even be on Trump's property appears to be a bit of a mystery. A state department official told the AP that the Libyan government had rented the property for the week, but a Trump spokesperson told the New York Post that her boss and his company had no contact with Gadhafi or the Libyan government and that "the property was leased on a short-term basis to Middle Eastern" business partners who "may or may not have a relationship to Mr. Gadhafi." The Post also reported that Gadhafi may have spent last night at the Libyan Mission in midtown Manhattan after being expelled from Trump's property, where he was visited by Louis Farrakhan. No official word yet on where Gadhafi plans to stay tonight. Brett Michael Dykes is a contributor to the Yahoo! News Blog.

Female escorts hope Singapore race will boost business Reuters - Wednesday, September 23 By Nopporn Wong-Anan SINGAPORE, Sept 23 - Singapore's Formula One race may be beset by last year's match-fixing and lower ticket sales, but many female escorts have flown into the city-state especially for the event, eyeing wealthy customers. As bars and clubs prepare for this weekend's race, sex workers from neighbours such as Thailand and Vietnam, as well as from further afield including Russia and Colombia, say they are looking forward to well-heeled race fans. "I timed my visit to Singapore a few days ahead of the F1 since I think it should bring me good business," said Jenny, a Chinese Russian in her mid-20s who said she is a university student and works as a part-time escort girl in Hong Kong. Jenny was among dozens of scantily-clad women looking for customers in a bar underneath a five-star global hotel chain on Singapore's shopping strip Orchard Road. "As a business student, coming to Singapore is like killing two birds with one stone -- making money and finding business opportunities," said Jenny, who asks for S$250 for an hour of her services and who declined to give her full name. In the same bar, Anna, a 26-year-old Vietnamese woman from Ho Chi Minh City, said business had been very slow in the past few weeks, adding that she hoped the F1 would speed up revenues. "Money in Vietnam is not good so I come here. But money here is not so good yet," Anna said. Tickets for F1 practice runs and the race have yet to sell out, with the buzz from the sport's first ever night street race in Singapore in 2008 not evident this time, though the event is attracting attention from a scandal over last year's result that may put some fans off. The bars for Western expatriates remain bustling, but the traditional red-light district of Geylang, which mainly sees locals and foreign male labourers, has been cleaned up in the past few weeks by the police, witnesses say. "No girls mean no business for us," a beer seller at a bar told her customers, when asked if their business has been affected by the police raids on Geylang streets. Prostitution is legal in Singapore, but the law bans soliciting of sex and penalises those who live on the earnings of prostitutes.

Japan pop star Sakai freed on bail ahead of trial AFP - Friday, September 18 TOKYO (AFP) - – Japanese pop star Noriko Sakai was freed on bail Thursday ahead of her drugs trial next month in a scandal that has drawn massive media attention and destroyed the clean-cut image of the singer-actor. Sakai, 38, who has spent more than a month in detention for allegedly possessing and using illegal stimulants, was released on bail of five million yen (about 55,000 dollars) ahead of her trial from October 26, media reported. "To all who have supported Noriko Sakai, I am very sorry," the actress, dressed in black, said in a shaky voice after walking out of a Tokyo police station, bowing deeply to a crowd of tabloid reporters and TV crews. Several television station helicopters buzzed overhead then followed the car that took her away across Tokyo, airing live footage. Shedding tears at a press conference later, she said she had been too weak to beat her drug habit, vowing: "I will do my best to change, to be reborn." One of Sakai's aides said the devastated star would head to hospital immediately from the press conference to receive psychological help. Police arrested Sakai on August 8, a week after her husband, professional surfer Yuichi Takaso, 41, was taken into custody when police caught him with a bag of methamphetamines in Tokyo's Shibuya entertainment district. Takaso also faces trial next month. Media reports quoting police have said he had allegedly admitted to encouraging Sakai to use illegal drugs several years ago. A court accepted Sakai's request for bail on Monday, but she only emerged Thursday, apparently due to the intense media coverage. Sakai made her music debut in 1986 and has also appeared in high-rating TV dramas. She is popular in China, Taiwan and South Korea. Her fame and girl-next-door image have won her advertising contracts with carmaker Toyota, in government public awareness campaigns and as part of a 1993 celebrity-studded commercial against youth drug abuse. Noriko Sakai repents and expresses her deepest regrets Xin.sg - Thursday, September 10 Japanese actress Noriko Sakai has released an apology statement a few days ago via her management company, according to various news reports. She addressed the contents of her letter to the public, fans and previous manager and that she is "Really very sorry, sorry." She also expressed her deepest regrets on implicating the president of her management company as he was demoted to the position of a vice-president after news of her drug abuse was leaked. It was originally speculated that Sakai's drug abuse were due to the adverse influence from her surfer husband, Yuichi Takaso, who was arrested before she later turned herself in. But she recently divulged in the apology letter that the both of them had once promised each other to stop taking drugs. However, during a vacation with their family, Sakai broke her promise and started using MDMA (Ecstasy). Her husband followed suit and soon both were back to their drug habits. Apart from the shocking revelation, Sakai also shared the reasons behind her sudden disappearance when her husband was arrested. She had taken drugs four days before Takaso's arrest and was at a loss at what to do. Under the circumstances, a helpless Sakai decided to run away instead. The actress bore no grudges at her eventual arrest and is relieved at her indictment. She confessed that both of them were unable to control their urge for drugs and would have continued leading such wayward lives if not for getting arrested. Investigations are still being carried out on Sakai's DNA for a more thorough understanding on her drug-taking levels. Her trial is slated to begin next month and the jury is expected to come to a decision for her case in December.

Michael Owen wipes Carlos Tevez's name from the Manchester United history books Carlos Tevez will break into a cold sweat when he contrasts his first-half miss with the clinical finish of the man brought in to replace him Posted by Daniel Taylor at Old Trafford Sunday 20 September 2009 16.18 BST guardian.co.uk The target, undoubtedly, was Carlos Tévez. As the Manchester City players left the pitch at half-time the most reviled player in the stadium was staring sullenly at the fans in the Stretford End. It was a sea of hand signals and angry, contorted faces and Tévez began to applaud sarcastically. Something was thrown. It struck Javier Garrido, the wrong player. In that moment Tévez must have realised the true depth of feeling here when it comes to his defection to the other side of a divided city. There are many different ways to make someone feel unwelcome. Sir Alex Ferguson's own technique was to freeze Tévez into the gulag of indifference, with not a single reference to his former player in his programme notes, no mention of Tévez's part in helping to restore the European Cup to Old Trafford, no message welcoming him back to Old Trafford. Ferguson talks about Tévez these days only when he is asked. It is as though he would rather airbrush him from the club's history. As for the crowd, they opted for outright hostility, attacking Tévez for his perceived treachery; so voluble was their contempt it was difficult to remember the last time a visiting player to Old Trafford had been received so badly. City had their fun with their Tévez-inspired Welcome to Manchester billboard earlier this summer. United's fans made their point with a banner bearing the same message – complete with a list of the club's major trophies. Nothing will have hurt Tévez more, however, than that moment in the 96th minute, long after City thought the game should have ended, when Ryan Giggs picked out Michael Owen inside the penalty area and everything seemed to go into slow motion. Here was the man who had been brought in to replace Tévez and, with his first chance, his finish was unerring. Some of the City players sunk to the ground in despair. Tévez simply stood and stared. It was a moment of classic United. It will not need to be pointed out to the Old Trafford crowd that this was the same end at which Tévez had squandered his one big chance of the afternoon. Tévez, one imagines, could find himself breaking into a cold sweat when he recalls that moment, in the last attack of the first half, when the ball was at his feet inside the penalty area and, unchallenged, his shot flicked off the outside of the post. It was the kind of miss that could be used as evidence to back Ferguson's claims that the striker was simply not worth the unspecified, but undoubtedly huge, fee that City had paid for him. Football can be brutal like that because if it had not been for Owen's late contribution that miss would have been largely glossed over in appreciation of the way Tévez had played and the manner in which, for City's opening goal, he had turned down the volume on the hate mob. Tévez displayed all the qualities that had made him such a favourite at Old Trafford – indefatigable, hard-running, always looking for danger and quick, strong and brave enough to unnerve even the most accomplished opponents. Perhaps he had inside information too. Maybe he knew from his time at Old Trafford that Ben Foster can dither sometimes when he comes off his goal-line. The game was barely a minute old when Tévez got in behind Nemanja Vidic to charge down one clearance and when he sensed the goalkeeper's vulnerability again his determination paid off. This was classic Tévez, scampering after Gareth Barry's pass when most players would have accepted that it was too far to reach. Foster, again, was uncertain and Tévez was there in a flash. This was all about his tenacity and desire but there was also something understated about the way that, having dispossessed the goalkeeper, his desperation to prove a point did not blur his thoughts and he still had the presence of mind to see that Barry was in a better position than himself. Barry may have slotted the ball into the exposed net but it was a goal that owed everything to Tévez. It could have been one of the defining moments of a momentous match. Instead, this was probably the day that Owen's Manchester United career started in earnest and Tévez's contribution was consigned to the small print.

Michael Owen's goal was his most dramatic since the 1998 World Cup No one can doubt the 29-year-old striker's continued ability to hold his nerve to score at vital times Posted by Richard Williams Monday 21 September 2009 00.10 BST The Guardian When Manchester City scored their third equaliser with 10 seconds of the 90 minutes left on the clock, thousands of home fans rose from their seats and headed for home. Franco Baldini had already left. All of them missed perhaps the most dramatic goal Michael Owen has scored since the summer night in 1998 when he scampered through the Argentina defence and wrote his name in the Saint-Etienne sky. Baldini will no doubt watch it on television, as will his boss, Fabio Capello. In itself, the clinical finish in the sixth minute of added time might not be enough to persuade the England management team to find a place for Owen in their squad before next month's qualifying matches against Ukraine and Belarus. But the goal ensured that however long the striker's time at Old Trafford lasts, it will not go unremembered. This was Owen's second Premier League goal in a United shirt, to follow the one he scored to complete a 5-0 win after coming on as a substitute at Wigan a month ago, and again it evoked memories of his great years. After City, under incessant assault, had failed to clear their lines properly, a superbly alert Ryan Giggs provided Owen with what will be seen, should United go on win the title by a single point, as the decisive pass of the season. Just as he had done against Wigan, Owen created the opportunity by drifting left and opening up a space between defenders. Hit with enough pace to take the defenders out of the game, Giggs's pass invited Owen to control the ball with a single touch and, with the fate of an overheated derby at stake, calmly guided his shot past Shay Given's left hand. At a stroke, he had put those of us who questioned the 29-year-old's continuing ability to hold his nerve in such situations firmly in our place. There were plenty of sceptics ready to question Sir Alex Ferguson's decision to take Owen on a free transfer from Newcastle. It seemed too easy an option for the Manchester United manager, one perhaps intended to provide a little camouflage for his apparent inability, for whatever reason, to use the cash accrued from the sale of Cristiano Ronaldo and saved by the decision not to retain Carlos Tévez. While Tévez and Ronaldo packed their bags and said their goodbyes, Karim Benzema went from Lyon to Real Madrid and Sergio Agüero stayed at Atlético Madrid. The arrival of Owen, whose year at Real Madrid and four injury-disrupted seasons at Newcastle United seemed to have cast a remarkable career into premature decline, hardly matched the impact of other star strikers imported to Old Trafford amid loud fanfares over the last half-century, from Albert Quixall to Dimitar Berbatov. It was Berbatov whom Owen replaced with 13 minutes of yesterday's match remaining. In Ferguson's view, the Bulgarian could have had five goals during his time on the pitch. Neutrals would probably have settled for two, from the pair of powerful headers that drew tremendous saves from Given in the 65th and 68th minutes. Ferguson called it "a fantastic performance by Berbatov", but too often the £30m striker behaved as though he had been paying too much attention to the words attributed to Marlon Brando in response to a question about his acting technique: "Just because they shout 'action', it doesn't mean you have to do anything." This was an all-action match, even when nothing much was happening for long stretches of the first half, and Berbatov gave the impression of allowing it to pass him by. Those headers were the exception and they should have been lethal, crowning a second half surely as one-sided as any in living memory at this level, in which virtually all City did was score their two goals. After Craig Bellamy had scored their second equaliser seven minutes after half-time, it was another 25 minutes before they put two passes together. Bellamy's second goal seemed to have condemned United to an afternoon of disappointment and to questions about the possible disappearance of the aura of superiority so assiduously cultivated by Ferguson. But then came the vivid flicker of instinct and skill with which Owen settled a derby that had all the chaotic momentum of a great cup tie. "In the last two weeks he's been doing very well in training," Ferguson said. "He's become sharper and his focus has been very good. His positional sense and his finishing are exceptional." Owen said he felt more nervous coming on as a substitute than he did when starting a match. "You watch the game from the bench," he observed, "and you find yourself kicking every ball." By kicking the one that counted, under colossal pressure, he added yet another line to Ferguson's long list of managerial coups.