THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT !!!

[kueytoc]

Men posed as NEA officers in daring S$100,000 robbery

By Ion Danker – September 27th, 2010

Six men who posed as National Environment Agency (NEA) workers, made off with more than S$100,000 in cash from a semi-detached house off Bukit Batok Road last Wednesday.

According to news reports, the home owner was told by the ‘NEA workers’ that they needed to fog her semi-detached house after receiving complaints of mosquitoes in the area.

Once the men, who were wearing protective masks were led in, they took out their knives and tied up the home owner, her nine-year-old daughter and their maid.

Recalling the incident, the girl, a Primary 3 student, told The New Paper that a man approached her mother after they arrived home and said he needed to inspect the house because of complaints of the presence of mosquitoes.

She said her mother let him in, before five other men dressed in different coloured T-shits and carrying fumigation equipment followed him into the house.

The men then tied the trio’s hands and legs with cable ties, taped their mouths with masking tapes and ordered them to keep quiet and close their eyes.

She added that one of the men then told them in Mandarin: “We lost a lot of money on gambling. We have no choice but to get (money) from you.”

While one of the men kept watch on the trio, the rest searched for valuables around the house before uncovering two safes which they opened using electric drills.

It was reported that the whole ordeal lasted more than two hours before her mother managed to free herself and called the police.

NEA, when contacted by the paper, said it did not send any officers or contractors to the area to conduct fogging that day and residents in affected areas are given advance notice of any fogging operation.

NEA added that its officers are required to wear either a white shirt or polo shirt bearing the NEA logo, blue trousers and a name tag when conducting house-to-house inspections and they must identify themselves using official NEA authority cards or letters bearing their photos before informing occupants of the purpose of their visit.

The case has been classified as armed robbery and investigations are ongoing. No arrests have been made.

[kueytoc]

Regulars must shape up or get the boot: SAF

By Angela Lim – September 24th, 2010

The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) wants its 20,000 regular servicemen to be fighting fit and warns that those who are obese and are doing nothing about their shape will get booted out.

Regulars with a body mass index (BMI) exceeding 29 – for instance, someone who is 1.8m tall and weighs 94kg – should pay closer attention to their weight and fitness levels.

According to The Straits Times, since early this year, overweight soldiers, sailors or airmen have received warning letters and are given a year to lose at least ten per cent of their weight.

Those who fail to drop the kilos will be given a second warning and have up to another three years to shape up – or risk being shipped out.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed the new BMI guidelines but did not say when the stricter measures kicked in. The BMI – which is calculated by dividing a person’s weight in kilograms by the square of his or her height in metres – provides an estimate of a person’s body fat.

SAF regulars claim they were aware of the measures only at the start of this year. A circular obtained dated April this year informed them that those who do not shape up after three years would be subjected to “admin action as this is considered a BMI failure”. It is unclear how many are classified as “BMI failures” even as all 20,000 regulars in the SAF undergo compulsory BMI screening.

Defence Ministry spokesman Desmond Tan revealed that regulars with a BMI of 30 and above will be referred for “weight management by medical specialists at a hospital-based weight management clinic”.

Those with a slightly lower BMI of 27 to below 30 will be enrolled in a different weight management programme that “comprises health screening, dietary counselling and an exercise regime”. The ministry first introduced this weight management programme in 2002.

The BMI is used as a health indicator “to reduce weight-related health risks among regular servicemen”, Colonel Tan said.

He added that the SAF also takes into account other factors like the measurement of percentage body fat and the Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT) as health and fitness indicators for SAF regulars.

“The SAF is committed to helping its uniformed regulars maintain a healthy lifestyle to ensure that they are able to perform their required tasks and contribute effectively to the SAF,” Colonel Tan said.

According to the Health Promotion Board (HPB), Asians with BMI scores above 27.5 are at a “high risk” of developing cardiovascular diseases like hearth attacks, hypertension and diabetes. A BMI score between 18.5 and 23 is considered healthy.

Although other military units, like those in the United States and Britain also watch their troops’ waistlines and gauge combat performance, studies have shown that BMI does not accurately reflect whether a person is unfit or carrying excess fat.

Ms Kalpana Bhaskaran, a nutritionist and spokesman for the Singapore Nutrition and Diabetics Association, said that although the BMI is a convenient tool, “it does not take into account different body types or gender differences and also the amount of body fat, and lean body mass”.

She explains, “Because muscle weighs more than fat, it’s possible for a muscular person to have a high BMI, but that doesn’t mean he or she is overweight. Likewise, it’s possible for someone to have a low or ideal BMI but still have too much body fat.”

Chris Chew, a fitness instructor, thinks the BMI benchmark of 30 and above is quite lax.

“To have a BMI of over 30, you are either a really serious bodybuilder or just obese… Anyway, you need fit and healthy people to have a strong military,” he said.

A serviceman who tips the scales at 89kg and is 1.72cm tall revealed he has been told by his superiors to lose weight to avoid being served a warning letter. The technician, who declined to be named, told the paper that he has been doing more workouts and cutting down on fatty foods and carbohydrates in hope of shedding a few kilos within the next six months.

“If my weight is going to affect my career progression and may even make me lose my job, then it’s worth the effort and the pain,” he added.

Latest figures from HPB show that in 2004, 6.9 per cent of adults aged between 18 and 69 were obese, an increase of 0.9 percentage point over the figure in 1998 and up from 5.1 per cent in 1992.

[kueytoc]

Kock-Up again !

RWS casino to gambler: Return your winnings

By Ion Danker – September 27th, 2010

A 67-year-old man was told to forfeit his winnings at Resorts World Sentosa’s (RWS) casino after finding out his exclusion order from the National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) had taken effect.

Retired cabby Mr Teo Thiam Kee told The New Paper (TNP) that he knew his son had applied for an exclusion order but was not told when the order would take effect so he continued going to the casino to gamble.

He said, “I’d won about S$200 but they made me cough up the money before I was allowed to leave. This is unfair. They allowed me to enter but took away my winnings.”

According to the same paper, Mr Teo and his family appeared before the committee of assessors at the Family Link@Lengkok Bahru on Sept 8. The committee hears cases before deciding whether to grant the exclusion order.

He then went to RWS after the session ended and continued to do so over the next few days as he was told that it would take some time for the order to be granted. However, he was stopped on Sept 11 after he scanned his identity card to exit the casino.

Mr Teo returned his S$200 winnings and told TNP, “I didn’t know I had to forfeit my winnings. If I knew, I wouldn’t have gone there.”

RWS spokesman, Ms Lee Sin Yee, said the exclusion order for Mr Teo showed up in the system at the time of his exit and not when he entered.

Mr Teo claimed that the letter from NCPG informing him that the exclusion order had been granted was dated Sept 9 and delivered by hand after he returned home that same day.

It was also reported that the notification of the exclusion order is sent by courier to the respondent and once it is issued, the exclusion order will be deemed effective, regardless of whether the respondent has received it.

According to the Casino Control Act, an excluded person or those below the age of 21 must forfeit their winnings if they are caught in the casinos here. The forfeited money goes into the Government Consolidated Fund.

[kueytoc]

Pole dancing with Ris Low: Does she have talent?

Xin.sg - Friday, October 1

Bad press courted her, fame captivated her, and pole dancing impressed her.

So, can Ris Low pole dance?

Yes, but apparently not good enough to impress the producers of Channel 5's talent reality show One Moment of Glory (OMG!).

The controversial media darling was initially part of the talent show's plan - to have her perform alongside two pole-dancing contestants in one of the upcoming episodes titled Collaborations!, where contenders will be paired with a personality to showcase their talents.

And from the performances, judges would then have to decide if the contestants make it through to the next level [of challenge] or get the boot.

Now, surely such a provocative dance sequence by the ex-beauty queen, gripping onto a 6-7 feet steel pole, would help boost TV ratings?

When contacted, the show's producers commented that "like every audition in a talent show, Ris has to meet a certain standard" and given that the episode is about teamwork, "the contestants have to be comfortable with their collaborator".

So now that we won't get to see her pole dancing on TV, exactly how talented and qualified is she in this sport that is often associated with sleaze?

Xinmsn met with the ex-beauty queen recently where we found her sweating buckets away at Groove Dance School studio, going about her eleventh-hour preparation [to perform a pole dance sequence for our readers], smiling albeit showing signs of strain while trying to complete a Pole Climb with a Pole Sit move under the coaching of Renee, pole dancer and co-owner of Groove.

"It'd be really thick-skin for me to say this but I think I do have talent in pole dancing!" Ris announced in between giggles, seemingly embarrassed of her bold statement.

Defending her stance, Ris said, "I started dancing in 2005 when Groove was just established; I was one of the pioneer batches of students."

"This is the place where I started my exotic dancing - lap dancing and all sorts of sleazy dancing." (Laughs)

Would she consider joining OMG! to show off her talent?

Just when this reporter was expecting the controversial beauty queen to give a resounding yes, she does an about turn.

"I have no talent at all lah," Ris declared matter-of-factly. "It's like watching a clumsy person on the pole. And I'm very bad with remembering dance routines...so cannot lah!"

"Although I'm already at level 4 of pole dancing - equivalent of intermediate - actually I think I'm still a beginner because I just can't seem to engage my ab muscles to do a Pole Invert," Ris reiterated.

"I'm still very bad just that I refuse to admit it."

So why pole-dancing and what attracted her to the sport?

"I think pole dancing is really sexy as it brings out the sexuality of the person," Ris explained. "People may think that it's sleazy but it gives you the self-confidence to dance in a sexy way where I used to think only strip dancers can do."

According to the former beauty queen, to get herself into a sexy mood before she takes to the pole, she would "think of myself as the most beautiful woman".

"I'd imagine myself with the biggest assets, like from an A cup to double C-cup."

When asked how her boyfriend felt about her dancing passion, Ris said: "My boyfriend would say, "I don't like you to pole-dance lah you look so sleazy", yeah right, but you just have to bring them to a club with pole dancers, and they'll be sitting there for hours, watching till their eyes pop out!"

One might think that Ris would almost certainly perform a pole dance sequence for her boyfriend in a bid to change his views on the sleaze factor but no. According to Ris, she "feels weird dancing for him".

"It'd feel like he's just another "dirty old man" who ogles at girls. I don't know how others feel but I'm don't like the idea of performing sexy dances for a man," Ris replied, without missing a beat.

But isn't that the same as being paid as a pole dancer to perform at a club?

"That's different because that'd mean I'm good so that's a compliment for me," she explained.

"It's like going topless. Topless is ok so long as it's done artistically and not portray the wrong message to ah peks...and young men too!"

"But so far nobody has asked and I don't think anyone would ask lor."

Movie directors, are you reading this?

Catch One Moment of Glory (OMG!) every Wednesday, 8.30pm on Channel 5.

[kueytoc]

Michael taking legal action over prison claims

2 hours 14 mins ago

Jailed George Michael is taking legal action against editors of a tabloid over reports alleging the singer has been boozing behind bars and was bullied by fellow inmates.

The Sunday Mirror published an article over the weekend claiming the former Wham! star had been threatened by inmates at London's tough Pentonville jail, where he was sent last month to serve time for drug-related charges.

He has since been moved to Highpoint Prison in Suffolk, where editors at the newspaper alleged Michael had befriended a "violent robber", who was protecting him from reported bullies.

They also claimed he had been drinking "prison hooch" to get drunk, before stripping off and walking around "completely naked".

But Michael has been left fuming by the report, and has instructed his legal team to take the publication's bosses to court.

In a statement released on Sunday, the star says, "Much as I would prefer to rise above the usual rubbish that I'm reading day after day about my time here in prison, I think it's only fair to my fans, family and friends to respond in some way, even though I will be home soon.

"Please believe me when I tell you that in the last three weeks there have been no tears, no anxiety, no bullying, in fact not so much as a sleepless night for me. On the contrary, I have been treated with kindness by fellow in-mates and prison staff alike and as far as I can tell, have received no special treatment of any kind whatsoever.

"Most of my days have been spent reading thousands of letters and postcards of incredible support from people around the world. I promise to repay their kindness with new music as soon as I possibly can, and as far as running around this place "naked" and "drunk" on "Hooch" with an inmate for a bodyguard, let's just say that the Sunday Mirror will be hearing from my lawyers very shortly. With Love always, George Michael."

The 47 year old was sentenced to eight weeks behind bars for possession of cannabis and driving under the influence of drugs following an accident in London in July, when he crashed into a shopfront near his home in the city.

[kueytoc]

Microsoft hopes to bury iPhone, Android

Reuters - Saturday, October 2

By Bill Rigby

SEATTLE - Last month, a few hundred Microsoft Corp employees acted out their fantasy with a mock funeral for Apple Inc's iPhone at its Redmond, Washington campus.

The bizarre gathering, which morphed into a spirited Michael Jackson "Thriller" dance routine, marked the completion of its Windows Phone 7 software, and showed how badly Microsoft wants to resurrect itself in the viciously competitive phone market.

The new software, which will be publicly unveiled on October 11 and expected on handsets in stores by November, is Microsoft's last chance, some analysts say, to catch up with Apple and Google Inc's Android smartphones, after squandering its strong market position in only a few years.

A group of smartphone manufacturers including Samsung and HTC Corp are expected to roll out Microsoft-based phones for the holiday season.

Whether they will be good enough to render the iPhone obsolete is the question.

"The product can't be an also-ran that just does everything that is already out in the marketplace," said Bryan Keane, an analyst for Alpine Mutual Funds, which holds Microsoft shares. "Right now, it isn't apparent that Windows 7 is better than anything that's out there, except that it might have a better tie-in to the actual Windows platform."

By the admission of Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer, the company "missed a generation" with Windows Mobile, its last phone operating system, which floundered while the iPhone and Android roared past with sumptuous touch screens and a host of new applications.

Microsoft is now fourth in the fast-growing U.S. market for smartphone operating systems with a share of less than 12 percent, according to research firm comScore, behind BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion Ltd, Apple and Google.

STOCK OVERHANG

Microsoft's strange disappearance from the phone market, and its delayed response to the emergence of tablet devices like Apple's iPad, has been seen as a drag on Microsoft's shares, which are down 20 percent this year.

"The market is really fearful of their positioning in those two markets ," said Ken Allen, Baltimore-based portfolio manager of T. Rowe Price's Science and Technology Fund, which holds Microsoft shares. "Tablets -- the iPad in particular -- and the smartphone market are major overhangs and discounted heavily in the stock."

Investors were not impressed with Microsoft's last attempt to launch a new phone, the Kin, which was dropped after fewer than three months on the market.

Whether the new phones can make up for that error and lift concerns will depend on how the handsets measure up and how much the network carriers promote the phones.

Prototypes of the new devices, which have been demonstrated by Microsoft employees over the past few months, look to be a huge improvement over the last version of Microsoft's phone software. They have a touch-screen interface resembling the company's Zune music player and movable 'tiles' that access various phone functions.

But at first glance, they don't appear to offer radical new features that rivals lack.

Launch phones are expected from Samsung, LG and HTC Corp, while AT&T Inc is expected to be the initial U.S. network provider, according to a person familiar with the launch plans. Microsoft and AT&T declined comment. None of the handset makers immediately replied to requests for details.

All three of those phone makers already offer Android-based phones, while AT&T is currently the sole carrier for the iPhone, which means none has too much riding on the success of the new software, which could be a problem for Microsoft.

"We'll have to see how much vendor support gets behind it -- that was partially what drove Android success," said Keane at Alpine. "But now, their problem is, 'We already have Android and the iPhone, do we need a third one?'."

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Commonwealth chief 'thanks Diana' !!! Guffaw...Guffaw...Joke of the Year Contender.

Empty seats plague Commonwealth Games in India

By CHRIS LEHOURITES, AP Sports Writer - Wednesday, October 6

NEW DELHI Seas of empty seats in stadiums and arenas. Scales that gave the wrong readings for boxers at their weigh-ins. And then the royal flub: an official who identified Prince Charles as "Prince Diana."

The first few days of competition at the Commonwealth Games are proving nearly as troubled as the squalor and scandal that plagued the run-up to the sporting event.

Following a Bollywood-esque opening spectacle that was supposed to turn the focus onto the field of play, a whole new set of problems has arisen at India's troubled games. Chief among them: how to get a nation of 1.1 billion people interested enough to actually attend some of the events.

On Tuesday's second day of competition, no more than 100 people were in the 19,000-seat MDC Stadium, which some have called the best field hockey stadium in the world.

Fewer than 20 people were in the 5,000-seat tennis stadium for the first match of the tournament, although hundreds arrived later to watch local hopefuls Mahesh Bhupathi and Leander Paes play in doubles.

Only 58 spectators watched the opening match of netball _ a sport similar to basketball but played without a backboard. Swimming attracted a comparatively big crowd, with up to 1,200 people creating some atmosphere.

An official at the 4,000-seat velodrome, where only about 500 people watched cyclists circle the track, blamed a lack of enthusiasm for some events.

"People have no interest in the sport," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the media. "You will probably find more people at wrestling or weightlifting, in which India is good. Cycling is a Western sport."

The Commonwealth Games _ an Olympic-style competition held every four years _ bring together nearly 7,000 athletes and officials from 71 countries and territories. India wanted the games, which ended up costing between $3 billion and $10 billion, to showcase its emergence as a growing economic power and possibly attract a future Olympics.

But construction delays, corruption allegations, concerns about security and heavy monsoons put preparations for the games behind schedule, with complaints about unfinished and filthy accommodations in the athletes' village embarrassing the hosts.

As of Tuesday afternoon _ the eve of the start of track and field events _ officials were still preparing Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, laying turf on the infield and clearing debris from the site, which also was used for the opening ceremony.

The monsoons led to an outbreak in New Delhi of dengue fever, a mosquito-borne disease that put an Indian lawn bowling team manager in the hospital. Also Tuesday, a teenage boy called in an anonymous bomb threat at the village that turned out to be a hoax.

Some blame the poor attendance on sultry weather that saw temperatures in the 90s. Others blamed the fact that India was hosting a five-day cricket match elsewhere in the country against Australia that probably kept many locals watching their national sport on TV.

Ticket costs also could be a factor _ even the cheapest tickets at 50 rupees (about $1) are too high for many of New Delhi's poorest people. More than 800 million Indians survive on less than $2 a day.

Organizers are considering giving away free tickets to children and the underprivileged to fill the stadiums.

Mukul Kesavan, an author and history professor at Jamia Millia Islamia University, suggested that many Indians just aren't interested in the Olympic-style sports.

"I'm surprised that they have as many spectators as they say they do," Kesavan told The Associated Press. "Short of large teams sports or maybe tennis, which might attract a die-hard audience, who's going to watch archery or lawn bowls? None of these things sink particularly deeply into the Indian sporting psyche."

At a contradictory news conference, local organizing committee chairman Suresh Kalmadi said he was confident the attendance problem had been resolved by the installation of box offices at every arena _ allowing spectators to buy their tickets in more places, rather than wait in long lines elsewhere.

"As of today, things are all right," Kalmadi said.

But problems have kept cropping up at the games, which run until Oct. 14.

"There are some issues that we had to deal with, and we have assigned those issues to various people to correct," Commonwealth Games President Michael Fennell said. "And we're expecting that those will be corrected during the course of the day."

Jiji Thomson, an organizing committee official, told the news conference he had not received a report that several Australian athletes had become ill in the village. Kalmadi then said he would check press reports and answer Wednesday, but Fennell broke in and said they had had a report about the sick athletes and were looking into it.

Athletes and coaches complained Monday when scales at the boxing venue were found to be giving incorrect readings, forcing some boxers to take desperate, unnecessary measures to shed weight. But organizing committee secretary-general Lalit Bhanot refused to admit it was a major issue, saying it had been "rectified."

"There's no problem at all," Bhanot said. He is the same official who tried to dismiss complaints last month of excrement in rooms at the athletes' village simply as a difference between Western and Indian standards of cleanliness.

Kalmadi, who was booed loudly at the opening ceremony because many Indians blame him for the games' disorganization, also misspoke at the news conference when he was praising Sunday's extravaganza. In describing the show, attended by Prince Charles and his wife, Camilla, he said "Prince Diana" had been there _ then quickly corrected himself. Diana was Charles' former wife who died in a car crash in 1997.

[kueytoc]

CRAZY !!!

:FIREdevil: HUDC flat in Bishan goes for S$1.1 million

By PropertyGuru – October 6th, 2010

A 1,668 sq ft HUDC unit at Block 315 in Shunfu Road has been sold to a Singaporean buyer for around $1.1 million, in a transaction that was approved in July before the implementation of the property cooling measures.

The unusually high price tag, which translates to around $659 psf is a record for this type of project, which has already been phased-out.

“The buyer was willing to pay a premium for this unit because it’s in very good condition, on a high floor and located just outside the city,” said Mr. Adam Tan, corporate communications manager at PropNex.

Mr. Tan added that if the flat was located on a low floor, or in outlying places like Jurong or Chua Chu Kang, it wouldn’t have broken the $1 million mark.

News of the record breaking sale has come as a shock to many Singaporeans who expected prices of public housing to drop because of the tough new rules.

Interestingly, the property agent who brokered the deal is also advertising an HDB executive apartment in the same area for $1.28 million, or around $778 psf.

However, Mr. Tan urged home buyers not to panic as such sales are not the norm. “The government will definitely step in to make sure public housing remains affordable. Now that HDB has launched a higher supply of flats, demand will lessen which will keep prices stable.”

[kueytoc]

Commonwealth Games - Aussie wrestler loses silver for middle finger salute

Wed, 06 Oct 11:45:00 2010

An Australian wrestler has lost out on a Commonwealth Games silver medal after making an obscene hand gesture at judges.

Hassene Fkiri was furious after being disqualified from the gold medal bout in the Greco-Roman wrestling for repeated dangerous play.

Indian media reported that he received three warnings before being disqualified, but was outraged at the decision in front of a boisterous and partisan crowd. Fkiri refused to shake hands with Indian opponent Anil Kumar and raised his middle finger at the judges as he stormed out of the arena in disgust.

The Tunisian-born wrestler would have been handed silver despite his disqualification, but following his gesture he was thrown out of the event completely and lost the medal.

The 36-year-old, who represented Tunisia at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney before switching nationalities, will make a personal apology to officials and his opponent on Wednesday - but it will be too late for him to claim his medal.

"Fkiri will today visit the wrestling venue to personally apologise for his actions to the opponent, referee, judges and officials involved," said Australia team spokesperson John Gatfield.

Following the disqualification South Africa's Kakoma Hugues Bella-Lufu was upgraded from bronze to silver and Canada's Eric Feunekes from fourth to bronze.

Fkiri will be restricted to the athletes' village for the rest of his time at the 'friendly Games' and on his return to Australia has agreed to undertake community service with young wrestlers once a week for a year.

"The athlete acknowledged that he had been wrong," Gatfield added.

"He is 36 years old and has never shown any unsportsmanlike behaviour ever.

"He represented Tunisia in the Sydney Olympics and was so determined to win gold for his new country Australia that he lost it."

Gatfield said no formal warning had been given to other athletes in the team on how to conduct themselves.

"The Australian athletes know how to behave. We don't expect it to happen again."

Bad-boy cyclist Shane Perkins then became the second Australian to get into trouble for making rude gestures at the Commonwealth Games after reacting angrily to his disqualification from the keirin event.

The pre-race favourite in the absence of Britain's Olympic champion Chris Hoy, Perkins failed to reach the gold medal race-off after being disqualified for dangerous riding as two of his rivals crashed.

At the conclusion of the race for seventh to 12th positions, he gave a two-fingered salute to officials.

Eurosport / Reuters

[kueytoc]

Aiyoh !...how can this silly mistake happen ?

S’pore swimmers miss team registration, disqualified

By Ion Danker – October 7th, 2010

Team Singapore’s 4 x 200m freestyle relay team were disqualified from their final at the Commonwealth Games yesterday after they failed to submit their entry for the event on time.

The team consisting of Teo Zhen Ren, Jeremy Kevin Mathews, Arren Quek and Mattias Ng arrived at the venue 45 minutes late and missed the 3pm deadline to submit their entry for the final due to traffic delays.

They had earlier clocked 7min 47.19sec in their morning heat and qualified for the final as the seventh-fastest team.

According to a statement by Team Singapore, team manager and coach Ang Peng Siong said: “It usually takes us about 20 to 30 minutes to reach the Dr S.P. Mukherjee Swimming Complex. Today, it took us about an hour.”

He added that as the final was scheduled for 6pm, the squad left for the venue at 2.45pm so that ‘the team would not have to wait at the venue for too long before their event.’

“We lodged an appeal with the competitions manager, which was signed by all the head coaches of the other teams in the final, but we were not successful.”

“The swimmers were then informed of the situation and the reason why they could not take part in the final. While they were disappointed, they said they understood the reason behind the disqualification,” said Ang.

However, Jose Raymond, Team Singapore’s head of media and public relations, told Yahoo! Singapore that the competition’s manager for such events would usually allow a 10-15 minute time buffer for teams to submit their entry.

Apart from swimming, Singapore’s shooters have been the surprise performers at the Commonwealth Games. On Tuesday, Gai Bin and Lim Swee Hon shot their way to a gold medal in the Pairs 50m Pistol Men Finals with a total of 1094 points to win Singapore’s first gold medal at the Games.

They also clinched the silver and bronze medals with individual scores of 649.6 and 644.7 respectively at the Singles 50M Pistol Men’s event.

Jasmine Ser and Aqilah Sudhir also struck gold in the Womens 50m rifle 3-position (pairs).

[kueytoc]

Erotic calendar wishes 'Happy Birthday, Mr Putin'

AFP - Thursday, October 7

MOSCOW (AFP) - Lingerie-clad students from Moscow's most renowned university have posed in an erotic calendar proclaiming their love for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who turns 58 on Thursday.

The calendar, called "Vladimir Vladimirovich, We love you. Happy Birthday Mr Putin," features twelve women wearing only underwear and pouting at the camera with saucy slogans.

The women are all named as journalism students at the Moscow State University and a spokeswoman for the faculty confirmed to AFP that the models study there.

Clad in a black lace negligee, Miss March, Lena Gornostayeva, wishes Putin a happy birthday with the message: "You put out the forest fires, but I'm still burning."

Journalism faculty spokeswoman Larisa Bakulina slammed the calendar as a "work of erotic tastelessness."

"We are not happy that they used the brand of the journalism faculty," she said. "It is tactless on the part of the publishers."

One of the creators of the calendar, Maxim Perlin, 22, a producer at a patriotic Internet televison channel, said that he put it together with a publisher, Vladimir Tabak.

The models posed for free, he told AFP, claiming the calendar had an empowering message.

"The idea of the calendar was to show girls who are not simply models who turn up for 100 dollars, but girls who have some political opinion, who have already achieved some success," he said.

Asked why the models were in underwear, he said: "In my opinion it's more beautiful and more interesting."

Fifty thousand copies of the calendar went on sale on Tuesday at Auchan hypermarkets, Perlin told AFP. "We hope it will have some commercial success."

On Wednesday a stack of the calendars, costing 260 rubles each (8.71 US dollars) was on sale at a hypermarket on Leninsky Prospekt in southern Moscow.

Designer Antonina Shapovalova, a leader of Nashi pro-Kremlin youth movement, in 2008 created a line of girls' thong knickers with the slogan "Vova, I'm with you," using a nickname for Vladimir Putin.

Perlin works for a pro-Kremlin channel called Russia.ru. Its creator Konstantin Rykov was behind a website called Zaputina.ru, or For Putin, which pushed for the leader to run for a third presidential term.

Perlin denied to AFP that he was a member of United Russia or any pro-Kremlin youth group and said that the calendar was funded from proceeds of publishing projects.

"We chose girls from our acquaintances and friends. I am a journalist and my friends are journalists. We know the girls who study there very well. They are 90 percent our friends."

[kueytoc]

Erotic calendar wishes 'Happy Birthday, Mr Putin'

AFP - Thursday, October 7

MOSCOW (AFP) - Lingerie-clad students from Moscow's most renowned university have posed in an erotic calendar proclaiming their love for Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who turns 58 on Thursday.

The calendar, called "Vladimir Vladimirovich, We love you. Happy Birthday Mr Putin," features twelve women wearing only underwear and pouting at the camera with saucy slogans.

The women are all named as journalism students at the Moscow State University and a spokeswoman for the faculty confirmed to AFP that the models study there.

Clad in a black lace negligee, Miss March, Lena Gornostayeva, wishes Putin a happy birthday with the message: "You put out the forest fires, but I'm still burning."

Journalism faculty spokeswoman Larisa Bakulina slammed the calendar as a "work of erotic tastelessness."

"We are not happy that they used the brand of the journalism faculty," she said. "It is tactless on the part of the publishers."

One of the creators of the calendar, Maxim Perlin, 22, a producer at a patriotic Internet televison channel, said that he put it together with a publisher, Vladimir Tabak.

The models posed for free, he told AFP, claiming the calendar had an empowering message.

"The idea of the calendar was to show girls who are not simply models who turn up for 100 dollars, but girls who have some political opinion, who have already achieved some success," he said.

Asked why the models were in underwear, he said: "In my opinion it's more beautiful and more interesting."

Fifty thousand copies of the calendar went on sale on Tuesday at Auchan hypermarkets, Perlin told AFP. "We hope it will have some commercial success."

On Wednesday a stack of the calendars, costing 260 rubles each (8.71 US dollars) was on sale at a hypermarket on Leninsky Prospekt in southern Moscow.

Designer Antonina Shapovalova, a leader of Nashi pro-Kremlin youth movement, in 2008 created a line of girls' thong knickers with the slogan "Vova, I'm with you," using a nickname for Vladimir Putin.

Perlin works for a pro-Kremlin channel called Russia.ru. Its creator Konstantin Rykov was behind a website called Zaputina.ru, or For Putin, which pushed for the leader to run for a third presidential term.

Perlin denied to AFP that he was a member of United Russia or any pro-Kremlin youth group and said that the calendar was funded from proceeds of publishing projects.

"We chose girls from our acquaintances and friends. I am a journalist and my friends are journalists. We know the girls who study there very well. They are 90 percent our friends."

[kueytoc]

The world’s 100 most powerful women

By Elena Torrijos – October 7th, 2010

by ForbesWoman

When it comes to power, cultural impact means as much as money and political influence.

Megan Casserly, Forbes.com

Forbes’ power lists are synonymous with moguls and movie stars, heads of state and captains of business. One look at the 2010 World’s 100 Most Powerful Women list and it is clear that we’ve come up with a new ranking of the female power elite that reflects the New Order of now.

When we set out to identify this year’s list, we decided it was time to look up and out into the broader culture. Our assessment is based less on traditional titles and roles and more on creative influence and entrepreneurship. These power women have built distinctive companies and brands and championed weighty causes, sometimes through unconventional means; in other cases they have broken through gender barriers.

We divided our power women candidates into four groups: politics, business, media and lifestyle (that is, entertainment, sports and fashion). We ranked the women in each group, and then group against group. Not easy, but that’s today’s reality: an unpredictable, diverse mash-up of hard power (currencies and constitutions) and dynamic power (audience and audacity).

Why else would Lady Gaga (No. 7) and Ellen DeGeneres (No. 10) share top 10 billing with Michelle Obama (No. 1), Irene Rosenfeld, CEO of Kraft Foods ( KFT – news – people ) (No. 2), Secretary of State Hillary Clinton (No. 5) and Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo ( PEP – news – people ) (No. 6)? If anything, it’s inspiring.

We included many heads of state and hopeful candidates, but we also have queenmakers who don’t hold office, first ladies of various sorts, Surpreme Court justices and cultural icons, bankers and bestselling authors. We rely on these women for, yes, managing our money, creating paychecks and governing at home and on the international stage, but also what we eat, download, talk about around the dinner table and the causes we support. What we think and how we act.

At the top of our list, First Lady Michelle Obama is a true change-maker since taking lodge in the White House in 2008. The first African-American in the post, she’s changed the face of the office (literally), and with consistently high approval ratings, she’s given a new generation of girls and women around the world a role model. A former private attorney and public servant in Chicago, her interest in working with young people and advocating for healthy eating, among other issues, is evidenced by her Let’s Move! campaign, which aims to solve the epidemic of childhood obesity within a generation.

Power women are connected, each one leveraging the power of the next. As a result of Let’s Move!, for example, major food and drink manufacturers (including Rosenfeld’s Kraft Foods and Nooyi’s PepsiCo) have pledged to cut 1.5 trillion calories from their products by 2015 through new products, recipes and reduced portion sizes. At the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) last month, Secretary of State Clinton led a plenary session on empowering women and girls, a new CGI action area, and attended by Katie Couric (No. 22), Queen Rania Al Abdullah of Jordan (No. 76) and Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (No. 86).

Back to how Nooyi and talk show host DeGeneres landed together among the top 10 most powerful women in the world? While Nooyi helms PepsiCo, which has revenues of $43 billion annually and a portfolio of brands that include Tropicana, Frito Lay and Gatorade, DeGeneres directly connects with 3 million viewers daily weekdays through her talk show. And that’s just one hour of her day.

Off-camera, the out-and-proud DeGeneres spreads her message to more than 5 million Twitter followers, notably bringing national attention to a gay teen’s fight for same-sex prom dates last spring. Her high-profile, high-energy personality–as a television host, CoverGirl model and former judge of American Idol–has made LGBT issues more than mainstream. She’s instilled a sense of glee and attractiveness to it all.

Traditionally, women’s lists are heavily salted with the language of “firsts.” First woman CEO. First woman on the Supreme Court. First female president. To be sure, there are firsts on this list: Nancy Pelosi is the first female Speaker of the House, while race car driver Danica Patrick is the first (and only) woman to have won an IndyCar series. With the impending launch of OWN, Oprah Winfrey is the first woman to own her own cable network and Julia Gillard and Johnson Sirleaf are currently the first female prime minister of Australia and Africa’s first female president, respectively.

First females make for good copy, but the real headline is that packs have emerged. Three women sit on the Supreme Court, marking an unprecedented tipping point for change. This year Diane Sawyer joined Couric as a female nightly solo news anchor, with Rachel Maddow and Christiane Amanpour as compats. Gillard is among 10 female heads of state on this year’s rankings. From Singapore to Silicon Valley, 25 women on the list hold CEO titles.

Ripening for political leaders, generally, comes at the 50s and 60s, while business leaders peak in their 40s and 50s. Media and lifestyle power women seem to come of age in their 20s and 30s. But there are notable exceptions and crossover. Madonna and Arianna Huffington have exceptional staying power, while Sarah Palin and Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg are early bloomers.

Redefining the idea of power as influence is a challenging feat, particularly hard in that we looked at the world in all of its complexities to find the women who wield their importance in four distilled spheres to create change. Add the pace of the year 2010–the speed at which we consume and communicate–and the task becomes even greater.

What we’ve found is that power, hard or dynamic, can be fleeting. One million or so Twitter followers today can be kissed goodbye as quickly as a company can go bankrupt or a government overthrown. And so we consider this list a frozen moment in time.

We invite you to visit forbes.com/woman where the list will live, breathe and be shaped and reshaped in months to come.

(Editor’s note: Temasek Holdings CEO Ho Ching dropped 25 places from No. 5 in last year’s poll. This is likely due to how Forbes changed the way it ranked the women, basing this year’s list less on wealth and power and more on creative input and entrepreneurship. Forbes also said on its website that “speculation remained as to whether Ho would remain CEO”, after Temasek Holdings “hired and promoted several high-level executives to support her.”)

The Most Powerful Women In The World

1. Michelle Obama, First Lady, U.S.

2. Irene Rosenfeld, Chief Executive, Kraft Foods

3. Oprah Winfrey, Talk show host and media mogul

4. Angela Merkel, Chancellor, Germany

5. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Secretary of State, U.S.

6. Indra Nooya, Chief Executive, Pepsico

7. Lady Gaga, Singer and performance artist

8. Gail Kelly, Chief Executive, Westpac

9. Beyoncé Knowles, Singer and fashion designer

10. Ellen DeGeneres, Talk show host

11. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, U.S.

12. Angela Braly, Chief Executive, Wellpoint

13. Janet Napolitano, Secretary, Homeland Security, U.S.

14. Cynthia Carroll, Chief Executive, Anglo American

15. Sheila Bair, Chair, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

16. Sarah Palin, Political maverick and commentator

17. Mary Schapiro, Chair, Securities and Exchange Commission

18. Ellen Kullman, Chief Executive, DuPont

19. Sonia Sotomayor, Supreme Court Justice, U.S.

20. Ursula Burns, Chief Executive, Xerox

21. Angelina Jolie, Actor and UN Goodwill Ambassador

22. Katie Couric, News anchor

23. Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary, Health & Human Services

24. Anne Lauvergeon, Chief Executive, Areva

25. Elena Kagan, Supreme Court Justice, U.S.

[kueytoc]

Games backs safe sex despite plumbing problems

AFP - 58 minutes ago

NEW DELHI (AFP) - – Commonwealth Games chief Mike Fennell said he was happy to see competitors engaging in safe sex at the athletes village even if it caused problems with the plumbing.

Reports claimed that thousands of used condoms had been clogging up the toilets at the village , which is home to 7,000 competitors.

"This shows that athletes are being responsible and are promoting safe sex ," said Commonwealth Games Federation president Fennell on Thursday.

The Daily Telegraph reported a condom vending machine had been installed at the village, containing around 4,000 contraceptive packs.

[kueytoc]

Anglo-Chinese Junior College hit by video scandal

By Faris October 8th, 2010

A video of two female Anglo-Chinese Junior College (ACJC) students having a steamie tryst in one of the schools toilets is creating a huge storm of debate.

According to The Straits Times, the illicit encounter in a cubicle of the toilet near the school canteen was said to have taken place in September. The steamie video has since been circulated to several others in the college.

The two first-year students, who reportedly did not know if and at what point they were being filmed, have since left the school.

A second-year male student from the school, who declined to be named, told Yahoo! Singapore that he found out about the video last month.

He said that it was not the first time the two girls involved were seen behaving intimately around the school grounds.

Its not the first time the girls have engaged in such acts. It has happened on other occasions but unfortunately, this time the act was caught on video and it was leaked, he said.

ACJC principal, Kelvyna Chan has declined to comment directly on the facts of the episode but disciplinary action has been taken on all those involved, including, stripping some of their positions in co-curricular activity groups..

She told ST, We would like to assure you that no one has been expelled from the school. From time to time, students are involved in actions which the school does not condone. With all matters pertaining to discipline, we include engagement with the parents and counseling for the students. The objective is always to learn from our mistakes, do better and be wiser.

When asked whether ACJC helped the students secure places in another school, Mrs Chan declined to comment further.

It is said that one of the girls has been admitted into another junior college and will resume her studies next year.

The case comes hot on the heels of a similar episode in the US which led to an 18-year-old university student to commit suicide.

Two weeks ago, Rutgers University student Tyler Clementi was secretly filmed by his room-mate having sex with another man in his dormitory room and when the online footage spread, Clementi jumped off a bridge to his death.

The latest ACJC incident also shows how carefree the young are about the use of Internet.

An ex-ACJC student who called herself Liying told Yahoo! that there is a need to educate the young on using the internet wisely.

I think youths these days should be educated and informed, know where his or her boundaries lie, and the implications of uploading such content onto the Internet, said the 22-year-old.

Psychologist Daniel Koh, of Insights Mind Centre, was also quoted on ST as saying that he found the ACJC case troubling because the encounter between the two girls happened at a public place and that fellow students secretly filmed the act.

[kueytoc]

I don’t regret posing for Playboy: Debbie Gibson

By Ion Danker – October 9th, 2010

American singer-songwriter Debbie Gibson says she has no regrets posing for U.S. men’s magazine Playboy five years ago.

In an exclusive interview with Yahoo! Singapore, the 40-year-old star of 80s hits such as “Only In My Dreams”, ” Shake Your Love” and “Out of the Blue” said she finally relented and accepted the magazine’s offer because it “didn’t seem to be a big deal”.

“They approached me when I was 18, then 21 and 25, and every time my response to them was a quick ‘no’ because it was nothing I was interested in doing at the time,” said the 40-year-old, who is in town to perform at the Retrolicious concert at Fort Canning Park on Saturday.

Gibson, who has been dating a doctor for the past 2 years, added, “But when I was 28, I was starring in shows such as Gypsy Rose Lee and finished doing a Chicago production. These shows were about sexuality and I was very comfortable with it at that point in time and told them I would be interested to do something stylized.”

But this time, it was Playboy who ”didn’t think it was right for their audience and I said forget it because I wanted to do things on my terms.”

WHEN SHE SAID ‘YES’

It was only in 2005 that Gibson agreed to bare all for the March issue of Playboy. She said that her family had no objections to her decision.

“They [Playboy] came back and said they were game with my idea and we made sure it was on my terms. The contract had every single thing outlined what I would and wouldn’t do so I thought why not, it’s a once in a lifetime thing that many women do. I had a great time doing it and never regretted doing it,” she revealed.

Any objections from her family?

“My mum manages me, so she had to be aware, she helped make the deal,” quipped Gibson.

“There’s nothing strange about letting your grown up child do whatever they want so my whole family knew and what are we talking about, its Playboy and its considered tame compared to what’s out there. You’ve got to be more scared if you put your kids in front of the internet than Playboy,” she said.

Gibson shot to fame after earning a place in the 1988 Guinness Book of World Records, for being the youngest female artist at the tender age of 16, to write, produce, and perform a No. 1 single on the Billboard charts with her song ‘Foolish Beat’, a record she holds till today.

Some of Gibson’s other hit songs include “Only In My Dreams”, ” Shake Your Love” and “Out of the Blue”.

Turning to her career since her heyday in the 80s, Gibson is now a theatre veteran after starring in Broadway productions such as Les Misérables, Beauty and the Beast, Chicago and The King and I.

Looking back at her 24 year career in showbiz, Gibson says one of the reasons for her success was her commitment to being the best that she could be.

‘I WAS NEVER A PARTY PERSON’

“I was never a party person. If I was going to an awards show and the after party, I will be going there to work. I will make an appearance, see what I have to see and then I leave. That’s not where I want to hang out and spend my social time. I would rather spend the evening with four great friends, have an amazing dinner, hear myself and friends speak.”

She also added that she was baffled by the cat-and-mouse media addiction celebrities are getting into these days, such as troubled starlet Lindsay Lohan, who has violated probation several times after being caught in 2007 for drunk driving and cocaine possession.

“People at this point forget that Lindsay is an actress, it’s like she is forgotten. It’s a shame because she is really good and the antics start to upstage the talent,” she said, referring to Lohan, who recently checked herself into rehab for the fifth time in three years after failing a court-ordered drug test.

Gibson offers her take on Lohan.

“Step back and get some help and take care of yourself. The shame of it is I think her mum is not helping whereas I was very lucky to have people around me who cared, so it’s really sad. Where are those people in her life?”

“I would say, don’t live in Hollywood, don’t live where there are paparazzi. Back when I started, I always retreated back to Long Island. I would go out, to LA and do the parties and then I would get as far away from those paparazzi and have a normal life. I would go to my local bowling alley, my friends will come visit and I would get occasional paparazzi but they weren’t going to get anything except for me bowling,” she said.

Local fans would be glad to know that Gibson’s retirement from showbiz is nowhere on her radar.

“I hope to carry on performing for as long as I can because I am enjoying every moment of this,” she said.

[kueytoc]

I got sick and tired of performing

By Ewen Boey October 9th, 2010

There are more important things in life than being a performer so says BRIT Award-winning English artiste, Rick Astley.

With the world at his feet, the hit singer-songwriter of the 80s abruptly quit the music industry in 1993 at the tender age of 27 after selling approximately 40 million records worldwide.

Speaking to Yahoo! Singapore ahead of the Retrolicious 80s concert at Fort Canning Park, the likeable singer of all-time karaoke favourites such as Never Gonna Give You Up and Together Forever said he just got tired of living out of a suitcase.

I just got sick of it all to be honest. I got sick of the travelling more than anything, and I just felt that I really wanted to be able to be with my family, the youthful-looking 44-year-old explained.

I have a daughter whos now 18, and she was about a year old when I quit, and I just felt I needed to be at home for her, said Astley, whos married to wife Lene Bausager, a film producer.

However, he admitted he could not stay away from his passion for music forever, which explains why hes back on tour.

With his daughter now grown up and living her own life, Astley feels that now is the right time for him to make a comeback since the spotlight is ironically no longer on him.

I actually enjoy what I do now more than when I was famous. Im more relaxed about it and I enjoy the concerts a lot more because Im generally more confident about myself, he said.

Also, I dont really feel the pressure I did then to have great hair, he added in jest.

Although he is thankful for the megahit Never Gonna Give You Up that catapulted him to fame early in his music career, he now says its given him the reputation of being a one-dimensional synth-pop singer thats hard to shake off.

Im very lucky to have that song but sometimes when I want to do something a little more rock or jazz-influenced, I still get people hanging that hat over me from my synth-pop days.

Being away from the scene for so many years, Astley believe the music and recording landscape of today is very much different from that of the late 80s and early 90s.

The Internet has taken all the old rules and thrown it out of the window. Back in my day when we recorded an album, it went on vinyl, cassette and on CD. The whole thing now, of being able to listen to anything you want to, or watch any video just by clicking, is a totally different set of rules.

He also believes that with the popularity of music reality shows like American Idol, talented amateur singers have an ready-made platform to be fast-tracked to success.

I think shows like American Idol are massive. But I think there are some people who probably wouldnt have made it in the conventional way for whatever reason, he said.

Take for example Leona Lewis who won The X-Factor. It might not have suited her personality the old school way, but it doesnt take away the fact that shes got a great voice. Its just a sign of the times that those shows are popular, the former MTV Europe Music Awards winner adds.

A big fan of current rock bands like The Killers and Kings of Leon, its obvious the singer has a deep passion for drumming.

I play drums in a little band so I like those two bands a lot. Theyre, in the true sense of the word, proper bands. It actually feels like they get in a room and they make that music. You feel the earth a little bit in what they do.

He also confesses to being a huge fan of red-hot US pop star Katy Perry, whose string of hits includes California Gurls, I Kissed A Girl and Hot n Cold.

I like her quite a bit. I think shes pretty cool and has a great sense of humour in what she does, said Astley.

So what about a duet with Katy sometime?

Yeah, baby! he shot back immediately with that cheeky grin and glint in his eyes.

[kueytoc]

Mandela letters show jail heartbreak: report

AFP - 1 hour 21 minutes ago

LONDON (AFP) - – Letters penned in jail by Nelson Mandela, South Africa's first black president, reveal his anguish at being separated from his family, according to a British newspaper serialisation on Sunday.

The anti-apartheid icon wrote that he felt "soaked in gall" by being powerless to help his then-wife Winnie and his children when he was in prison from 1962 to 1990, in the letters printed in The Sunday Times.

The writings gathered in the collection "Conversations with Myself", which is being published in Britain on Tuesday, also tell of the Nobel Peace laureate's heartache at learning of the death of his son.

"I feel I have been soaked in gall, every part of me, my flesh, bloodstream, bone and soul, so bitter am I to be completely powerless to help you in the rough and fierce ordeals you are going through," he wrote to Winnie Mandela in August 1970.

In October 1976 he wrote: "My main problem since I left home is my sleeping withou you next to me and my waking up without you close to me, the passing of the day without my having seen you."

When Winnie was also jailed for a time in 1969, he wrote to his daughters Zeni and Zindi, then aged nine and 10 that "now she and Daddy are away in jail."

"It may be months or even years before you see her again. For long you may live like orphans without your own home and parents, without the natural love, affection and protection Mummy used to give you."

But his relations with Winnie were sometimes stormy.

In a letter to a friend in 1987, he says that after writing to Winnie to say that their daughters had grown up well: "My beloved wife was furious... she reminded me: 'I, not you, brought up these children whom you now prefer to me.' I was simply stunned."

A poignant letter to a friend records his reaction after Thembi, the elder of two sons from his first mariage, died in a car crash at the age of 24 in 1969. He was not allowed to attend the funeral.

"When I was first advised of my son's death I was shaken from top to bottom," he said, adding that he had experienced similar heartache when he lost a nine-month-old baby girl several years earlier.

Mandela, now 92, was jailed by the country's white minority government for resisting apartheid rule.

On his release in 1990, he led negotiations with apartheid rulers, a process that culminated in his election as the country's first black president in 1994.

He stepped down as president in 1999, after serving one term in office.

[kueytoc]

Hong Kong Goldfish Market: Shops for threatened species threatened

Sun Sep 26 22:18pm

By Sharon Wong

Fish, pythons and albino turtles are for sale at Goldfish Market, but government plans may shut it down

The nickname "Goldfish Market" doesn't do the area justice. Spanning the length of Tung Choi Street, from the intersections at Nullah Street to Mongkok Street, this shopping district is like the Florida Everglades boiled down to several hundred meters of pet stores. Everything from albino turtles to tarantulas are on sale at what is one of Hong Kong's oldest and most beloved markets.

"I don't know any of the shop-owners here, but even if I'm not planning on buying anything I still come here after work every day to walk around. You can call it a habit or just something to keep myself going," says Poon, who lives near Goldfish Market. While it costs to visit Ocean Park, it's free to walk around Goldfish Market, and Poon can get the same thrill from seeing exotic creatures. He can also learn the names, biological traits, features and how to take care of the creatures, if you ask nicely.

But not all shop owners are enthusiastic about offering free zoology lessons. “We want customers, not tourists,’’ says Ah Sing, one of the staff working at the Great Barrier Reef Aquarium. Many proprietors feel aggrieved by the government's HK$100 million plan to revitalize a big chunk of the Mongkok district including the Goldfish Market.

"Ever since the government came out with this big proposal to improve the area, landlords here have been raising rents like crazy. Mine was jacked up by 25 percent and he’s already the saner one compared to the others. One of my neighbors who sells seaweed has had his rent doubled. How can you expect us to survive?" says Great Barrier Reef Aquarium owner Tsui. As with any family business, the pet store is more than work for Tsui -- she raised two kids with the store and Goldfish Market has become her life.

"People here just work hard. It’s not uncommon to see them working 13, 14 hours on a normal day," says Tsui. "We survived the financial tsunami when business was down more than 20 percent. It now looks like we may not survive these government policies."

"The government wants to revitalize the area for tourists. But what are the chances of a tourist buying a fish and bringing it home? If you shut down the driveway for cars how can our customers move their goods home? Maybe this government just has too much free time. They've already destroyed the Bird Market. Now they're doing the same to Sneaker Street. It's only a matter of time before they get to us."

While many shop owners can’t stand the high rent and are contemplating moving out, others see it as an opportunity of a lifetime. John has been operating Myth Aquarium for nearly half a year and is confident that things can only get better with the economy recovering.

"Our products come straight from Malaysia and it certainly helps that I happen to be in the importing business myself. There’s no need to worry about competition as long as you’re selling quality products," he says.

Asked to recount his biggest sale so far: "There was this customer who bought about 30 angel fish each priced at a few thousand dollars."

Despite such bullishness, John admits rents account for the biggest share of his operating cost and business would be much easier had it gone back to a more reasonable level.

Great Barrier Reef Aquarium (大堡礁水族)

G/F, 207 Tung Choi Street, Mongkok, Kowloon, tel +852 2787 3568

Myth Aquarium(神話水族)

G/F, 196 Tung Choi Street, Mongkok, Kowloon, tel +852 2380 0065

Urban Jungle (城市森林爬蟲專門店)

The Loft, 148 Tung Choi Street, Mongkok, Kowloon, tel +852 2380 7803

Lake Tung Ting (洞庭湖水族)

Shop 8-9, 3-13 Nullah Road, Mongkok, Kowloon

[kueytoc]

Condo management bans Hady Mirza and family

By Ion Danker – October 12th, 2010

The management council of Mimosa Park condominium in Yio Chu Kang has banned 2006 Singapore Idol Hady Mirza and his family from using its facilities.

His crime: Failing to clear up the mess created after throwing a poolside party.

According to Today, there were used paper plates and uneaten food thrown into the pool, while the toilets were also choked and damaged. The extensive damage took cleaners six hours to clean up the mess to appease residents who wanted to use the facilities.

Chairman of the condominium’s management council, Leonard Lee, told the same paper that it was not the first time Hady and his family of five – who have been living in a rented four-bedroom apartment in the condo for the last three years – have broken the rules.

“The family’s visitors have, on occasion, parked their cars illegally, despite repeated reminders not to do so. As a result, the wheels of their cars have been clamped on a number of occasions,” said Mr Lee.

As a result of the latest mess, the family was given a letter by the chairman, informing them that their S$500 tenant deposit had been forfeited due to the incident, and were banned from using the shared facilities including the pool, gym and squash court, for six months.

In his letter to the family, Mr Lee said the episode “has caused severe inconvenience to our residents and other users” and, as a result, “additional expenses” had to be incurred to restore the premises.

He added: “We are holding you responsible for all costs … we shall be forfeiting your tenant deposit which will be used towards the partial cost of the cleaning operations.”

It was reported that Mr Lee did not mention how much “all costs” amounted to but added the council reserved the right to recover any other costs “that may have incurred as a result of your irresponsible behaviour”.

When contacted by Today, 30-year-old Hady declined to comment on the matter, saying “it’s personal”. However, it said that his mother, Madam Mardiana Ahmad, has sent a letter of apology to the management council.

[kueytoc]

Spore billionaire Peter Lim ups Liverpool bid to £360m

By yahoosingapore October 12th, 2010

Singaporean billionaire Peter Lim has increased his offer to buy over troubled English football giants Liverpool to £360m (S$750m) .

The new proposal, which tops that of rival bidder New England Sports Ventures (NESV) by £60m, is made up entirely of cash. It also includes £40m for purchase of new players.

It will also remove the entire acquisition debt of £200m taken on by the existing owners, Americans George Gillett and Tom Hicks, that has cast uncertainty over the clubs future.

In a short statement released to the media, Lim said, I respect and admire Liverpool Football Club, which is steeped in tradition and history. I am committed to rebuild the Club so that it can soon regain its position at the pinnacle of English and European football, where it truly belongs. This is why I have stepped forward with this offer.

The 57-year-old self-made billionaire, who ironically is known to be a die-hard Manchester United fan, say hes keen to see the struggling Reds succeed again.

The club needs to strengthen its existing squad. As part of this offer, I will be injecting £40m in cash into the Club for Roy Hodgson to bring in new players during the upcoming transfer window. Liverpool needs to start winning again!, he said.

He also left no doubt as to the seriousness of his offer to buy out the Anfield club, whose prized player assets include Steven Gerrard and Fernando Torres.

My offer provides a firm financial platform from which the club can rebuild. Given the manner in which the sale process has been handled, I feel Martin (Broughton) and the Board owe it to me, to the Club, and to the supporters, to consider my offer, he concluded.

He did not make any mention of Manchester United or the rival bid by American consortium NESV, who are funded by American billionaire John Henry.

Football fans in Singapore, however, have reacted in equal doses of surprise and puzzlement.

Lim, whos known to be a huge football fan, is ranked the eighth-richest Singaporean with an estimated wealth of S$2 billion by Forbes.

But what rankles many Reds fans is that hes also known to be a die-hard fan of English arch-rival club, Manchester United.

Lim has exclusive rights to own and operate a chain of Red Devils-themed restaurants and bars in Asia. Singapore-listed fashion retailer FJ Benjamin, in which Lim is the second-largest shareholder, also previously operated the Manchester United Theatre of Dreams store at Orchard Parade Hotel.

Manager Desmond Tan, 34, who has been supporting Liverpool for over 20 years, said,How can someone with ties to Manchester United want Liverpool to do well? Its seriously conflicting. If he even wants to be taken seriously, he needs to give up his Man U ties first.

But what if Lim, who is known to be a shrewd investor, has the resources to turn the debt-saddled Anfield giants around?

Tan replied, Will you let your wife sleep with one rich businessman like in the show Indecent Proposal just so that you can stay afloat? I cannot accept it. If the deal goes through, I will still support the Reds, but I will not be supporting anything he does. Why cant he buy Manchester United instead? Dont they have debts too?

Another Liverpool fan, Amir Syarifuddin, 36, said Lim deserved a chance.

If he is a businessman, then the success of the club will always come first ,so he will do everything to see the club succeed, said the engineer, whos been a Reds fan for over 15 years.

Polytechnic lecturer, Edwin Lim, whos a die-hard Red Devil, offered a different perspective.

It just goes to show Peter Lim is a football fan, first and foremost, and then an English Premier League fan. I hope Liverpool fans can finally stop saying that we Man U fans do not care about Liverpool at all. We know that if Liverpool didnt exist, we wouldnt have gotten to where we are today, he said.

Another football fan, Gabriel Wong, 25, who doesnt support either Liverpool or Man United, said, From a neutral standpoint, Peter Lims bid may seem more attractive because, at least, hes willing to stake his personal fortune in the club. For all you know, accepting the US bid might lead to a similar situation with George Gillett and Tom Hicks later on.

US BILLIONAIRE JOHN HENRY V SINGAPORES PETER LIM

The buyout talks involving Liverpool are rapidly turning into a complex tug-of-war between American billionaire John Henry and Singapores very own Peter Lim.

Lim was reportedly told by text message last week that Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton had rejected his offer in favour of a rival bid from New England Sports Ventures (NESV), which is funded by US billionaire John Henry.

NESV, which also owns US Major League Baseball side, the Boston Red Sox, has now signed a binding agreement but current club co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. are trying to block the sale because they say it undervalues the club.

The Royal Bank of Scotland, which holds the bulk of Liverpools debt, has since obtained an interim injunction preventing the co-owners from firing board members chairman Broughton, commercial director Ian Ayre and managing director Christian Purslow for accepting the sale.

The case goes to court on Tuesday. If the court rules in favour of the Americans, then the sale of Liverpool to NESV will fall through which may provide Lim with an avenue to once again pursue his interest of the Merseyside club.

The BBC has quoted sources close to Lim that said he was in fact the clubs preferred bidder in the closing stages of the talks.

Lim reportedly was so confident he would win the contest he was discussing with Broughton about how to announce his takeover only to be texted at the last minute that Liverpool had gone with NESVs rival bid of £300m.

He never had a chance to negotiate directly with Royal Bank (of Scotland). He was expecting to do so, after agreeing the takeover with the board, said the source close to Mr Lim.

Lim reportedly still does not know why Mr Broughton went with NESV, especially considering that his more attractive bid would be funded entirely from his own cash resources with no borrowing involved.

However, ESPN Soccernet has since reported that NESV would not allow Lim to muscle his way into the deal despite his improved offer.

The son of a fishmonger, Lim made his fortune as a stock broker and became a private investor in 1996. He keeps a relatively low profile and is media-shy but his key stock holdings include stakes in Wilmar International, the worlds largest palm oil firm, and regional education provider Informatics, which he turned around after the firm had fallen on hard times.

Earlier this month, he invested about US$100 million in Global Logistic Properties, a giant provider of warehouse facilities in China and Japan that is majority owned by Singapore sovereign wealth fund GIC.

People who know Lim said his interest in Liverpool stemmed from his love of soccer, and he recently donated S$10 million ($7.65 million) to the Singapore Olympics Foundation for scholarships for promising young athletes from poor families.

[kueytoc]

It was a children’s party and not a wild party: Hady Mirza

By Ion Danker – October 12th, 2010

2006 Singapore Idol Hady Mirza has apologised for the mess created after throwing a poolside party at his Mimosa Park condominium in Yio Chu Kang.

In a statement released to the media, the 30-year-old singer explained that he and his family hosted a birthday celebration for his 4-year old nephew and 1-year niece which was attended by relatives, friends and numerous young children at the poolside of the condominium.

Hady, who is currently filming a travelogue program in Thailand said: “In accordance to the regulations of the management committee, we had to vacate the premises by 11pm. As it was dark, my family and I tried to do what we could to clean up the premises.”

“It was only after a few days later when we received a letter from the condominium management committee that we realised the children had thrown things into the pool and toilet.”

He said that a letter of apology was immediately sent to the condominium committee by his mother, Madam Mardiana Ahmad and added, “It was a children’s party and certainly not a wild party.”

“I sincerely apologise for any inconveniences caused to the management and residents of the condominium and will take full responsibility for what is required to restore the affected facilities.”

His apology came after it was reported that the condominium management council had banned Hady and his family from using its facilities due to the incident.

According to a Today report, there were used paper plates and uneaten food thrown into the pool, while the toilets were also choked and damaged. The extensive damage took cleaners six hours to clean up the mess to appease residents who wanted to use the facilities.

Chairman of the condominium’s management council, Leonard Lee, told the same paper that it was not the first time Hady and his family of five – who have been living in a rented four-bedroom apartment in the condo for the last three years – have broken the rules.

“The family’s visitors have, on occasion, parked their cars illegally, despite repeated reminders not to do so. As a result, the wheels of their cars have been clamped on a number of occasions,” said Mr Lee.

As a result of the latest mess, the family was given a letter by the chairman, informing them that their S$500 tenant deposit had been forfeited due to the incident, and were banned from using the shared facilities including the pool, gym and squash court, for six months.

In his letter to the family, Mr Lee said the episode “has caused severe inconvenience to our residents and other users” and, as a result, “additional expenses” had to be incurred to restore the premises.

He added: “We are holding you responsible for all costs … we shall be forfeiting your tenant deposit which will be used towards the partial cost of the cleaning operations.”

It was reported that Mr Lee did not mention how much “all costs” amounted to but added the council reserved the right to recover any other costs “that may have incurred as a result of your irresponsible behaviour”.

[kueytoc]

Alamak !...can use $$$ to buy super-exotic fishes mah.

S’porean loses S$100 million at casinos

By Angela Lim – October 13th, 2010

A Singaporean businessman has set the gaming world abuzz with news that he recently lost a staggering S$100 million at the two casinos Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) and Marina Bay Sands (MBS).

According to Today newspaper, the tycoon is on the Forbes list of the 40 richest people in Singapore. He is not the only one who’s been losing big — another tycoon from the timber-rich East Malaysian state of Sabah also reportedly lost about S$50 million around the same time.

Together, the duo’s combined losses of S$150 million have set tongues wagging, even among the local high-rollers’ circle.

And lest you think that they are hurting badly from the losses, a high roller who is a regular at both local casinos told the same newspaper, “These guys can well afford the losses.”

Unlike Henry Quek, the local businessman who lost S$26 million at RWS back in June and tried to sue the casino for giving him too much credit, both men have accepted their losses without much fuss.

Quek, who is the managing director of seafood distrbutor, Far Ocean Sea Products, has also reportedly settled his outstanding debts with RWS.

Gaming analysts told The Straits Times that high rollers generally bet at least tens of thousands of dollars a hand.

Also known as “whales”, they usually play baccarat or blackjack at the casinos’ exclusive private rooms. Industry insiders and other players say it is not uncommon to see bets of more than S$300,000 a hand.

Some famous “whales” who lost big time at the tables include Mr Terrance Watanabe, the American owner of a party favours import business, who lost S$165 million during a year-long gambling binge in Las Vegas in 2007.

The late Australian media mogul Kerry Packer, also lost S$26 million in MGM Mirage in Las Vegas during a weekend in July 2000.

A general rule in the industry is that 20 per cent of the players contribute 80 per cent of the revenue. That means that the fortunes of a few high-rollers at the table can literally make or break the casino’s earnings estimates for that quarter, or even the whole year.

For example, in Mr Packer’s case, analysts raised the estimates for MGM Mirage’s third-quarter earnings for that year.

[kueytoc]

Pregnant Singapore Girls to get ex-gratia payment but is it enough?

By Alicia Wong – October 14th, 2010

Two months’ basic pay.

That’s what pregnant Singapore Girls, regardless of nationality, will now get as ex-gratia payment in place of maternity benefits when they resign.

In an announcement made by Singapore Airlines (SIA) yesterday, eligible crew also have the option to appeal for a reimbursement of the government-paid portion of maternity leave.

The voluntary payment of two months’ salary by the airline was decided following staff feedback and discussions with its union, Singapore Airlines Staff Union (Siasu), an SIA spokesperson told Yahoo! Singapore.

She added that the national carrier had been discussing the issue of an ex-gratia payment for “some time” before recent media reports raised the question if SIA’s policy for stewardesses to quit flying once they are pregnant was fair.

The new measure, which took effect last Friday, also applies to cabin crew flying on SilkAir, SIA’s subsidiary, as well, according to media reports.

While some commended the move as a step forward, others felt SIA’s gesture did not go far enough.

A senior stewardess who declined to be named told Yahoo! Singapore the payment “is not much”.

“Allowances make up the bulk of our salary,” she stated, pointing out a junior stewardess takes home a basic monthly pay of some $1,300, while a senior stewardess gets a few hundred more.

With allowances, their monthly pay gets bumped up to about $4,000, if not more, she noted, hoping SIA would consider increasing the payment.

Some 15 to 20 of SIA’s 4,200 female crew are understood to fall pregnant each month.

After giving birth, eligible crew can now also appeal to the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) through its Government-Paid Maternity Leave Scheme, which allows all working mothers to receive eight weeks’ salary for their first and second child (up to $20,000) and the full 16 weeks for their third and subsequent child (up to $40,000).

According to Today newspaper, SIA cabin crew do not automatically qualify for Government-paid maternity leave as they must terminate their contracts after the first trimester of pregnancy.

A MCYS spokesperson told the newspaper that each appeal will be assessed “based on its merit”.

The debate was sparked by an report in The Straits Times last month, which said SIA would be introducing a new scheme for pregnant SIA crew: Singapore citizens would receive four months’ pay, while permanent residents and foreigners would get two months’ pay, as ex-gratia — or gesture of goodwill — payment.

SIA was also in the news recently for its decision to hire Thai stewardesses.

[kueytoc]

Adam Lambert 'morally unfit' to sing in Malaysia

AFP - Wednesday, October 13

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - – US glam rocker Adam Lambert is "morally unfit" to perform in Malaysia and poses a threat to young people, the opposition Islamic party said Wednesday, vowing to protest his performance.

Lambert, who shot to fame in the American Idol contest, is openly gay and has created controversy with his performances, including at the American Music Awards where he simulated a sex act on stage and kissed a male keyboard player.

Malaysian authorities have given the green light to Lambert's show on Thursday in the capital Kuala Lumpur, part of his Glam Nation tour, despite objections from the conservative Pan-Malaysia Islamic Party (PAS).

"Lambert is morally unfit. His gay lifestyle will harm our society. He is of bad, bad character and poses a danger to young Malaysians," said PAS youth chief Nasrudin Hassan.

"We want the government to cancel the permit. The country is battling a serious problem of moral decay. We are experiencing rising social violence and crime," he told AFP.

Nasrudin said party members will protest outside the stadium where Lambert is due to perform, and will distribute leaflets discouraging people from attending the show.

"We will use a soft approach to protest against his performance. He has admitted he is gay. We feel his lifestyle will influence and destroy the young generation. We will not use violence to stop the concert," he said.

Homosexuality is a criminal offence in mostly Muslim-Malaysia, with penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment.

Lambert has agreed to demands from the authorities to tone down his performance here.