mylife

(MY112) : Largest turtle-linked salmonella outbreak detailed

2009-10-19T12:48:00.002+08:00

By LINDSEY TANNER, AP Medical Writer Lindsey Tanner, Ap Medical Writer – 7 mins ago

CHICAGO – Two girls who swam with pet turtles in a backyard pool were among 107 people sickened in the largest salmonella outbreak blamed on turtles nationwide, researchers report.

The 2007-08 outbreak involved mostly children in 34 states; one-third of all patients had to be hospitalized. In many cases, parents didn't know that turtles can carry salmonella.

Despite a 1975 ban on selling small turtles as pets, they continue to be sold illegally.

The American Veterinary Medical Association estimates that the number of pet turtles nationwide doubled from 950,000 in 1996 to almost 2 million in 2006.

"It's very easy to think of turtles as being a very gentle and nice pet," but many carry salmonella, without showing any signs, said Julie Harris, a scientist at the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the report's lead author.

Salmonella in turtle feces can end up on their shells and body, and can spread to people who handle them.

An infected turtle can spread the same strain of salmonella to others during shipping, which may be how the outbreak occurred. Turtles involved were bought at pet shops, flea markets, from street vendors and online. The Food and Drug Administration contacted retailers involved and their investigation is ongoing, the report said.

"Continued, collective efforts are needed, both on state and federal levels, to enforce the ban and protect public health," the report said. It appears in October's Pediatrics, released Monday.

Authorities began investigating in September 2007 after a Union County, N.C., teen swam in her backyard pool with two pet turtles and a friend from South Carolina. Both girls developed bloody diarrhea, vomiting, fever and stomach cramps; one developed kidney failure and spent eight days in the hospital.

Salmonella bacteria traced to those turtles matched salmonella later found in three other North Carolina children. Other cases turned up elsewhere, many involving direct contact with turtles, including children kissing turtles or putting them in their mouths, Harris said.

Indirect contact likely also occurred, she said. For example, children playing with turtles at school may have brought the germs home and spread them to family members, Harris said.

Illnesses from the same kind of salmonella turned up coast to coast through January 2008, including 12 people in California, 10 each in Pennsylvania and Texas, and nine in Illinois.

No one died in the outbreak but many required several days of hospital treatment, Harris said.

"Everyone from pediatricians to other public health professionals needs to really stress that reptiles and especially turtles are a source of salmonella infections," she said.

The ban only affects turtles less than about 4 inches in diameter because of reports that young children had gotten sick after putting the small reptiles in their mouths.

David Bergmire-Sweat, a North Carolina epidemiologist who investigated the Union County case, said he's heard of families letting turtles walk on kitchen surfaces where food is prepared, and babies being bathed in sinks where turtle cages are washed.

Because the federal ban was enacted more than 30 years ago, "many people just don't remember," he said.

Recent efforts to overturn the ban, backed by turtle farmers, have failed.

Veterinarian Mark Mitchell, a University of Illinois zoological medicine professor, has been working with Louisiana turtle farmers in research aimed at raising salmonella-free turtles. Initial efforts involved cleansing turtle eggs with antibiotics, but that led to strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria.

Mitchell said now he's focusing on washing eggs in disinfectants similar to chlorine. He says the industry has been unfairly saddled with harsher restrictions than producers of human foods also blamed for recent salmonella outbreaks.

(MY111) : Mirzan says San Miguel stake is just business

2009-09-13T12:22:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 13 – Mirzan Mahathir has defended his investment group’s stake in Philippines conglomerate San Miguel Corp (SMC), saying the company was well on the way to diversifying substantially from its brewery business.

In a letter to The Malaysian Insider yesterday, Mirzan said San Miguel Corp had decided to shift its attention to the infrastructure, public utility and energy requirements of the Philippines, from its core brewery business.

“Since Kirin Holdings of Japan acquired a significant direct ownership stake in the brewery division, this will result in a dramatic change in SMC’s revenue mix, with beverages expected to contribute less than 15% of total sales by next year,” he said in the letter.

The Malaysian Insider had reported this week that Mirzan, the eldest son of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, was recently appointed to the board of San Miguel Corp, the biggest food and beverage conglomerate in the Philippines and the owner of San Miguel Brewery Inc.

San Miguel Corp told the Philippines stock exchange last week about Mirzan’s appointment which is to represent the interests of Q-Tech Alliance Holdings Inc on the board.

Q-Tech, a Manila-based investment company in which Mirzan has a stake in, recently acquired a 19.9 per cent share in San Miguel Corp for 39.61 billion pesos (RM2.9 billion).

It bought the stake from Japan’s Kirin Holdings, which used the funds to help finance the acquisition of a 43 per cent stake in San Miguel Brewery Inc.

With this latest corporate exercise, San Miguel Corp still maintains a 51 per cent stake in San Miguel Brewery Inc.

San Miguel Brewery controls 95 per cent of the Philippine beer market. The company has made San Miguel Beer for more than a century. The beer is brewed in the Philippines, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia, and is sold in 60 markets worldwide, according to the company’s Web site.

Mirzan’s involvement in the deal, while a sound investment decision, has raised some eyebrows among Malaysia’s conservative Muslim community.

Since news of Q-Tech’s acquisition of San Miguel Corp shares began circulating here, a number of news blogs have used it to attack Dr Mahathir’s Muslim credentials.

“Unfortunately, certain parties are keen to turn this exciting positive change in a well?managed Philippines corporation into an assault on the reputation of my father, even though he has nothing whatsoever to do with my business interests.

“I can only provide a rational explanation for my actions and it would be a pity if facts are twisted to gain dubious points from a straightforward business decision,” said Mirzan.

continue reading here themalaysianinsider.com

(MY110) Nogold Trivia : Uji Kecekapan Mata Dan Pengetahuan Anda

2009-09-01T09:29:00.003+08:00

Anda mempunyai mata yang sentiasa peka dengan objek-objek di sekeliling anda? Bagaimana sekiranya anda diberi gambar seperti berikut :

Dapat teka apa gambar itu? Ia adalah objek yang biasa anda lihat. Masih meneka? Kita lihat klu seterusnya;

Ia agak berat

masih tidak dapat meneka...masih keliru dengan gambar yang ada???? kita ke klu yang kedua;

dari hobi menjadi professional

sudah dapat meneka???? betulkah tekaan anda itu?? anda hendak jawapan nya? sila klik disini

Permainan diatas adalah yang diberi nama Nogold Trivia sebahagian dari usaha pihak Nogold.com untuk memberikan anda NG$ yang mana boleh digunakan untuk membuat bidaan seperti yang telah di ceritakan di entry sebelum ini. Untuk melihat apa yang ditawarkan di Nogold Mart boleh lihat disini. Untuk mengetahui apa itu NG$ dan bagaimana untuk membida boleh lihat disini.

(MY109) Nogold Mart : Penghargaan NG kepada Forumer

2009-08-16T09:04:00.004+08:00

Nogold.com bukan sesuatu yang baru. Forum ini telah subur seawal 2005.Disini anda bebas membuat pilihan untuk menjadi silent reader mahupun aktif berforum.Selain itu di nogold.com anda dihargai. Segala catatan mahupun komen-komen anda di nogold.com boleh memberikan anda membawa pulangan berbentuk barangan. Anda tidak percaya? Saya akan membuktikan ini bukan suatu omongan kosong sebaliknya adalah benar.

Di nogold.com setiap komentar dan catatan yang anda luahkan akan berikan NG$. Apa itu NG$? Ia adalah berfungsi seperti RM tetapi hanya boleh digunakan dan diterima di nogold.com. Berbagai cara boleh dilakukan untuk mendapatkan NG$ antaranya dengan membuat blog dan hantarkan ke Nogold.com : Blog Review untuk mendapatkan NG$. Didalam entry ini akan diceritakan bagaimana cara untuk mendapat NG$ dengan mudah.

Dengan memperkenalkan NG$ maka selepas itu nogold.com memperkenalkan pula "Nogold Mart : Daily, Weekly & Monthly bid". Nogold Mart diwujudkan sebagai penghargaan kepada forumer yang setia dan aktif melontarkan komentar mereka di ruang-ruang forum nogold.com. Kepada silent reader, ini satu kerugian. Di Nogold Mart, diadakan ruangan membida barang-barang yang ditawarkan oleh pemilik nogold.com. Barangan yang ditawarkan adalah mengikut kekerapan seperti barangan yang ditawarkan secara harian, mingguan dan bulanan.

Bidaan harian dijalankan dari hari isnin sehingga hari jumaat. Barangan dalam pelbagai bentuk ditawarkan untuk dibida selama 12 jam. Berkemungkinan ditawarkan pada jam 10.00 pagi dan ditutup untuk bidaan 12 jam kemudiannya. Pembida dengan nilai tertinggi dan Kuasa Membida (Bidding Power) yang tinggi di penutup bidaan mempunyai peluang cerah untuk memenangi barangan yang ditawarkan. Antara keputusan pemenang bidaan harian boleh dirujuk di Keputusan Bidaan Harian : Minggu 1 3/8/09-7/8/09

Bidaan mingguan dijalankan dari hari isnin sehingga hari jumaat. Barangan dalam pelbagai bentuk ditawarkan untuk jangka tempoh 5 hari bermula hari isnin sehingga jumaat. Berkemungkinan ditawarkan pada hari isnin dan ditutup untuk bidaan pada hari jumaat pada jam 12.00pm. Sekali lagi, pembida dengan nilai tertinggi dan Kuasa Membida (Bidding Power) yang tinggi di penutup bidaan mempunyai peluang cerah untuk memenangi barangan yang ditawarkan.Antara barangan yang ditawarkan untuk bidaan mingguan ialah Sony Ericsson K770i + 2G Memory , Sony 12.1 Mega Pixel W Series 3x Optical Zoom Cyber-shot

Bidaan bulanan dijalankan dari hari awal bulan sehingga hujung bulan. Barangan dalam pelbagai bentuk ditawarkan untuk jangka tempoh sebulan. Barangan yang ditawarkan untuk bidaan bulanan adalah lebih tinggi nilainya dari barangan bidaan harian dan mingguan. Sekali lagi, pembida dengan nilai tertinggi dan Kuasa Membida (Bidding Power) yang tinggi di penutup bidaan mempunyai peluang cerah untuk memenangi barangan yang ditawarkan. Tawaran untuk bulan ogos yang masih dibuka di bida ialah Laptop Dell Inspiron 13 bidaan bulan ogos akan ditutup pada 31.08.2009

Kita kembali kepada bagaimana cara untuk mendapatkan NG$. Sila lihat di bawah:

a. Kredit Permulaan (100) - mula-mula daftar dan masuk ke group

b. Kredit Referral (100) - masa register, kalau guna nama referral maka dapat bonus

c. Referral Bonus (5)- ini kalau kita refer new member

d. Kredit Activiti (20)- menjadi aktif, tidak idle

e. Kredit Hari Lahir (100)

f. Kredit Memberi Reputasi (0.5)- sekiranya memberikan reputasi kepada orang lain

g. Kredit Menerima Reputasi (2)- sekiranya menerima reputasi dari orang lain

h. Menerima Infraction (-10)

i. Buka Thread Baru (10)

j. Thread di beri 'rate' (1)

k. Membuat post di thread orang lain (5)

l. Membuat post di thread sendiri (3)

m. Kredit setiap perkataan melebih 100 (0.5)

n. Kredit apabila thread di lawat oleh ahli lain (0.05)

o. Thread menerima balasan (2)

p. Profile di lawati (0.05)

q. Membuat poll (5)

r. Poll di undi (1)

s. Ada attachment (3)

t. Hantar PM (-2)

u. Letak event dalam kalendar (3)

v. Ada profail gambar (3)

Cara-cara mendapatkan NG$

Format-format bagaimana untuk membida :

last bid: NG$XXXXX

my bid: NG$XXXXX

-----------------------------------------

Format-format Membida

Selepas menang bidaan pembida harus membayar dengan menggunakan NG$ yang dimiliki. Sekiranya jumlah bidaan yang dibuat melebihi NG$ yang dimiliki maka penalti akan dikenakan iaitu NG$ yang dimiliki akan ditolak 10%. Sekiranya bidaan yang dimenangi tidak dibuat pembayaran dalam tempoh yang diberi, barangan berkenaan akan di buka untuk bidaan

semula dan NG$ pemenang yang tidak membuat pembayaran akan ditolak 10%. Sekiran pembayaran telah dibuat maka lampiran hendaklah di letakkan di tempat yang berkenaan. Format bukti pembayaran.

Barangan yang dimenangi akan di pos atau diserahkan kepada pemenang semasa NG Tour diadakan. Tempat dan tarikh penyerahan akan di nyatakan di forum. Boleh lihat dibawah majlis penyerahan barangan bidaan kepada pemenang.

jadi kenapa anda hanya melihat. sertai kami dengan mendaftar sekarang dan bersama-sama merebut barangan yang diatawarkan.Nogold.com

(MY108) How Can You Participate And Become Nogold Super Star (RM10k can be yours)

2009-08-10T15:46:00.015+08:00

r u hav a gut to record what u r singing then upload ur video to youtube??? if yes then u should try this Nogold Super Star..there's lot of money they are offer to the winner..just take a look at the poster below then u can find how much can u win..rm10k???? (if u win the final) can u believe it??? it just a simple step to participate..

1st step : snap a video while u r singing (even while u r in a toilet but pleaseee with full set of clothes)
2nd step : upload to youtube
3rd step : register ur ID at nogold.com (if u r still did'nt register as NG member)
4th step : submit ur video url.
5th step : join the community to introduce ur self in order for them to know about u (they hav to know u if u want their vote)
6th step : just cross ur finger till end of month to know if u are the top 3..

here are the Month of June Winner...

1st Place

2nd Runner up

3rd Place

here are the Month of July Winner...

1st Place

2nd Runner up

3rd Place

congratulation to the monthly winner..
for the 1st place the prize is RM500
for the 2nd place the prize is RM300
for the 3rd place the prize is RM100

for detail you can check nogold.com
so anyone interested to participated can send your video..to check the weekly top 5 of NG superstar just click here...Carta Top 5 NG Superstar Untuk Minggu Ini

(MY107) Pregnancy, STDs on the Rise Again Among Teens

2009-07-22T12:38:00.001+08:00

THURSDAY, July 16 (HealthDay News) -- Birth rates among U.S. teens increased in 2006 and 2007, following large declines from 1991 to 2005, according to a new U.S. government study.

It found that previously improving trends in teens' and young adults' sexual and reproductive health have flattened or may be worsening in some cases.

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention researchers analyzed national data from 2002-2007. Among their findings:

About one-third of adolescents hadn't received instruction on methods of birth control before age 18.
In 2004, there were about 745,000 pregnancies among females younger than age 20. This included an estimated 16,000 pregnancies among girls aged 10 to 14.
Syphilis cases among young people aged 15 to 24 have increased in both males and females in recent years.
In 2006, about one million young people aged 10 to 24 were reported to have chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis. Nearly one-quarter of females aged 15 to 19, and 45 percent of females aged 20 to 24 had a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection during 2003-2004.
From 1997 to 2006, rates of AIDS cases among males aged 15 to 24 increased.
In 2006, the majority of new diagnoses of HIV infection among young people occurred among males and those aged 20 to 24.
From 2004 to 2006, about 100,000 females aged 10 to 24 visited a hospital emergency department for nonfatal sexual assault, including 30,000 females aged 10 to 14.

"This report identifies a number of concerns regarding the sexual and reproductive health of our nation's young people," Janet Collins, director of CDC's National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, said in a news release.

"It is disheartening that after years of improvement with respect to teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, we now see signs that progress is stalling and many of these trends are going in the wrong direction," she said.

The study also identified a number of racial/ethnic disparities in the sexual and reproductive health of young Americans. For example, Hispanic teens aged 15 to 19 are much more likely to become pregnant (132.8 births per 1,000 females) than non-Hispanic blacks (128 per 1,000) and non-Hispanic whites (45.2 per 1,000). The study also found that non-Hispanic black youth in all age groups have the highest rates of new HIV and AIDS diagnoses.

The study appears in the July 17 issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, published by the CDC

(MY106) World's largest telescope to be built in Hawaii

2009-07-22T12:25:00.000+08:00

HONOLULU – Hawaii was chosen Tuesday as the site for the world's biggest telescope, a device so powerful that it will allow scientists to see some 13 billion light years away and get a glimpse into the early years of the universe.

The telescope's mirror — stretching almost 100 feet in diameter, or nearly the length of a Boeing 737's wingspan — will be so large that it should be able to gather light that will have spent 13 billion years traveling to earth. This means astronomers looking into the telescope will be able to see images of the first stars and galaxies forming — some 400 million years after the Big Bang.

"It will sort of give us the history of the universe," Thirty Meter Telescope Observatory Corp. spokesman Charles Blue said.

The telescope, expected to be completed by 2018, will be located atop a dormant volcano that is popular with astronomers because its summit sits well above the clouds at 13,796 feet, offering a clear view of the sky above for 300 days a year.

(MY105) Solar eclipse shrouds Asia

2009-07-22T12:08:00.002+08:00

TAREGNA, India – The longest solar eclipse of the 21st century pitched a swath of Asia from India to China into near darkness Wednesday as millions gathered to watch the phenomenon.

But millions more, gripped by fear, shuttered themselves in. India abounds in superstitions and fables based on Hindu mythology, one of which says an eclipse is caused when a dragon-demon swallows the sun.

The eclipse is caused when the moon covers the sun completely to cast a shadow on earth. In some parts of Asia it lasted as long as 6 minutes and 39 seconds.

Thick cloud cover over India obscured the sun when the eclipse began at dawn. But the clouds parted in several cities, minutes before the total eclipse took place at 6.24 a.m. (0054 GMT; 8:54 p.m. EDT).

(MY104) Explosions at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the Marriott Hotel in central Jakarta

2009-07-17T10:34:00.000+08:00

JAKARTA, July 17 — Six people were killed in nearly simultaneous explosions at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel and the Marriott Hotel in central Jakarta today, Indonesia”s Metro TV reported.

Jakarta police spokesman Chrysnanda Dwilaksana said he could not confirm if the blasts were caused by bombs. A Jakarta hospital official said 10 people had been brought in for treatment.

There have not been any major bomb blasts in Indonesia for several years, and this month the country’s presidential election passed off peacefully.

“We know there are six victims, six who died and there are several others injured and we have evacuated them to hospital,” Dwilaksana said.

The Indonesian rupiah fell 0.7 per cent after the blasts. The stock market has not opened yet.

Witnesses at the scene told Metro TV that the injured, including Indonesians and foreigners, were seen being taken away in ambulances.

“Some windows of the Ritz-Carlton building have been shattered, mostly on the lower section. I’m looking at it from my office,” said Myra Junor, who works at a nearby building.

Lydia Ruddy, a witness who lives in the area, told Reuters said could see debris everywhere.

She said she heard an explosion and saw smoke coming from the Marriott, followed five minutes later by another explosion at the Ritz-Carlton hotel, which is in the same area.

An Australian man told local Radio 2UE his son had been hurt at the Marriott and was being taken to hospital.

The Marriott Hotel was badly damaged by a car bomb attack in 2003 that killed 12 people.

That coincided with a period when Islamists militants carried out numerous attacks, including bombings in Bali in 2002 that killed 202 people. Many militants have since been arrested. — Reuters

(MY103) Ean Yong’s political secretary dead at MACC HQ

2009-07-16T21:07:00.000+08:00

SHAH ALAM, July 16 – The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission’s (MACC) controversial probe into several DAP assemblymen’s activities was thrown into more turmoil today with the death of political aide Teoh Beng Hock at the anti-graft authority’s Selangor headquarters.

The 30-year-old’s death will put more pressure on the MACC, which has been accused by the opposition of conducting selective investigations.

Teoh, the political secretary of Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, was taken in for questioning by the MACC yesterday at its 14th floor office in Plaza Masalam in Shah Alam.

MACC said he was freed but his body was later found sprawled on the roof of a five-storey building next door.

It is unclear if Teoh, a former journalist with Chinese daily Sin Chew Jit Poh, fell or jumped from the MACC office.

Ean Yong and several other DAP lawmakers are at the scene now, including M. Manoharan, Gan Pei Nee and Teresa Kok.

DAP’s Ronnie Liu said the police has confirmed that the body is that of Teoh. He added that he does not understand how this could have happened.

[Forensic investigators examine the body of Teoh Boon Hock for clues. Teoh was found dead next to the MACC’s office today, after being taken in for questioning yesterday.]

Forensic investigators examine the body of Teoh Boon Hock for clues. Teoh was found dead next to the MACC’s office today, after being taken in for questioning yesterday.
At a press conference, the MACC director of investigations Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdul said Teoh was questioned from 5pm yesterday to 3.45am and was released soon after.

However, Teoh apparently said he was tired and so he rested on a settee in the lobby. He was seen sleeping on the settee at 6am.

At about 1.30pm, Shukri said, they heard that a body had been found on the 5th floor of the adjacent building and when one of the MACC officers went to investigate, he realised it was one of their witnesses.

Shukri said Teoh was not a suspect but was questioned as part of their investigations into the misuse of state allocations.

Police have not allowed anyone to view Teoh’s body, which has still not been removed at 6.30pm, when his brother was at the scene.

In an immediate reaction, DAP supremo Lim Kit Siang expressed shock and asked in his twitter account, “Is there now the first case of death in custody, not police but MACC? If so, heads must roll!”

The DAP leader is in Penang and said he was waiting for a full report about the tragedy.

“What has this country come to?” he asked, adding later he and other Pakatan Rakyat leaders will meet the MACC on Friday for an explanation.

According to Kit Siang, Teoh, an Alor Gajah boy, was to register his marriage tomorrow.

Kit Siang also confirmed he and Anwar will meet reporters at the MACC building in Shah Alam at 10am Friday.

Teoh was taken in for questioning yesterday after MACC officers raided Ean Yong’s office in the State Secretariat as they were investigating complaints about the failure of state allocations to reach the people.

Selangor State Assembly Speaker Teng Chang Khim weighed in by saying the MACC is responsible for the incident.

His lawyer M Manoharan, who accompanied Teo to the MACC office yesterday, said the deceased looked normal and showed no signs of being under stress.

“He was happy and looked composed. I had advised him how to handle the interrogation as I was not allowed in during questioning,” he said.

Manoharan, who is the Kota Alam Shah assemblyperson, last saw Teo at around 7pm yesterday.

Ean Yong said it was highly unlikely Teoh took his own life since he was due to register his marriage tomorrow.

"Furthermore, there was no reason for him to linger (after the interrogation) because his car was here," he added.

Selangor executive councillor Elizabeth Wong expressed shock over Teoh’s death and added to the chorus that MACC was responsible for it.

“This tragic incident is another reminder of the recklessness of supposedly public institutions like the MACC in pursuing the goals of their political masters,” she said in a statement.

Wong said MACC investigations director Datuk Mohd Shukri Abdul’s explanation flew in the face of logic, adding that the authority should operate within acceptable guidelines when conducting interrogations.

“Even the police stops interrogating suspects at 6pm. Did the MACC think it holds powers greater than the PDRM when it interrogated Teoh from 5pm to 4am the next day?” she asked.

She said the incident has prompted her not to allow her staff to be questioned by the MACC unless accompanied by legal counsel, adding the police should also seal the office for investigations.

“ Datuk Mohd Shukri … should save whatever honour he and the MACC have left by resigning,” said the Bukit Lanjan assemblywoman.

In a statement, Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said the MACC must bear full responsibility for this death as Teoh was in their custody at the time.

“MACC should stop its political persecution of PR, especially DAP leaders and members, that does not serve the interest of fighting corruption or justice,” he said. “Such political games have caused the loss of life of a bright young idealistic DAP member.”

“There must be a full investigation on how he died. Unless MACC can clear its name, the public may suspect that Teoh was mistreated and MACC had a hand in his sudden death. There must be full transparency and accountability.

“DAP extends its condolences to Teoh’s family for this tragic loss and assures them that all steps will be taken to ensure that the culprits or those responsible be punished.”

Sekinchan assemblyman Ng Swee Lim, who was weeping openly at the press conference, said he had wanted to take Teoh for seafood yesterday.

Meanwhile, PKR vice president K. Sivarasa calls this a “death in suspicious circumstances.”

PKR assemblyman Xavier Jeyakumar is questioning why a normal young man would want to kill himself over being questioned about state allocations. A vigil is now being organised for Teoh outside the MACC office from 8.30pm tonight.

(MY102) NH man charged 23 quadrillion dollars for smokes

2009-07-16T16:32:00.000+08:00

MANCHESTER, N.H. – A New Hampshire man says he swiped his debit card at a gas station to buy a pack of cigarettes and was charged over 23 quadrillion dollars. Josh Muszynski checked his account online a few hours later and saw the 17-digit number — a stunning $23,148,855,308,184,500 (twenty-three quadrillion, one hundred forty-eight trillion, eight hundred fifty-five billion, three hundred eight million, one hundred eighty-four thousand, five hundred dollars).

Muszynski says he spent two hours on the phone with Bank of America trying to sort out the string of numbers and the $15 overdraft fee.

The bank corrected the error the next day.

Bank of America tells WMUR-TV only the card issuer, Visa, could answer questions. Visa, in turn, referred questions to the bank.

(MY101) Singapore central bank suffers S$9.2b loss

2009-07-16T15:08:00.001+08:00

SINGAPORE, July 16 — Singapore's central bank said today it posted a net loss of S$9.2 billion (RM22 billion) in its last financial year that ended March 2009, badly hurt by a decline in global markets.

The loss compared to a profit of S$7.44 billion in the same period a year earlier, the Monetary Authority of Singapore's managing director Heng Swee Keat said at a press conference.

"The unprecedented global financial crisis has weighed heavily on financial markets worldwide, leading to severe declines in valuation across many asset classes amidst heightened market volatility," he said.

"MAS's investment was negatively affected by this crisis."

The loss in the last financial year equalled about 3.5 per cent of the central bank's average assets, he said.

"With the broad based upturn in financial markets after the close of the financial year, the valuation of MAS' foreign assets has improved and more than half of the losses have been recovered," he said. — Reuters

(MY100) 13,000 fake RM50 notes seized in Thailand

2009-07-16T12:14:00.000+08:00

BANGKOK, July 16 — Thai police confiscated more than 13,000 pieces of fake RM50 notes with a face value of between RM650,000 and RM750,000 in Lopburi on Tuesday.

The money was found during a police raid on a former top soldier's house in the province outside Bangkok where authorities also seized weapons.

Police Col Akradej Pimolsri told the media here that police made the seizure following a tip-off that the former soldier was storing weapons in his house.

He said two suspects, aged 36 and 37, were arrested. They claimed they were caretakers of the house sited in a province where several army camps are located.

A Thai policeman said they believed the ringgit notes were printed in Thailand and it was the biggest seizure in years.

"Earlier there was information that fake ringgit notes were being printed in Cambodia. But now we have some information that they could be printed outside Bangkok," he said.

Yesterday, Thai police arrested a 36-year-old carrying fake US currency with a face value of Bt13 million at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre here.

The man told police that he was a former police informant and was carrying the money for a police sting operation. — Bernama

(MY099) Australia's "worst case scenario" 6,000 H1N1 deaths

2009-07-16T10:32:00.001+08:00

SYDNEY (Reuters) – As many as 6,000 people could die from H1N1 in Australia this season in a "worst case scenario" if no preventive measures or vaccines are found, Australian Health Minister Nicola Roxon said on Thursday.

The H1N1 influenza has killed 21 people in Australia so far and there are 10,387 confirmed cases, according to data compiled by Australia's health department.

"We could expect around 6,000 deaths across the country," Roxon told local radio. "That is the really worst case scenario that is being projected at the moment."

Each year a few thousand Australians die from influenza.

The World Health Organization has confirmed 429 deaths and 94,512 cases of H1N1, declared a pandemic last month. But these numbers represent only a fraction of the real cases.

Swine flu is the dominant flu in Australia this southern hemisphere winter and authorities say they have ordered 21 million doses of swine flu vaccine still under development.

They say that should be enough for half the 21 million population with multiple doses.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says at least a million people have been infected with H1N1 and the virus is spreading out of control.

Disease control experts say the death rate from H1N1 is similar to the death rate from seasonal influenza, which kills anywhere between 250,000 and 500,000 people globally each year.

(MY098) Strong 6.1-magnitude quake hits off Papua New Guinea

2009-07-16T09:05:00.000+08:00

PORT MORESBY (AFP) – A 6.1-magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Papua New Guinea's remote New Ireland area Thursday, seismologists said, but there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage.

The epicentre of the strong quake, which hit at 06:10 am (2010 GMT Wednesday), was located 103 kilometres (64 miles) south-southwest of the town of Kavieng, New Ireland, the US Geological Survey said. It took place at a shallow depth of 19 kilometres.

There was no immediate Tsunami warning issued.

Papua New Guinea sits on the so-called Pacific "Ring of Fire", where continental plates meet. The region is frequently hit by earthquakes

(MY097) Pic : New RM50 Bank Note

2009-07-15T20:24:00.003+08:00

(MY096) 168 reportedly killed in Iran plane crash

2009-07-15T19:31:00.000+08:00

TEHRAN, Iran – An Iranian passenger plane carrying 168 people crashed a quarter-hour after takeoff Wednesday, smashing into a field northwest of the capital and shattering to pieces. State television said all on board were killed.

The impact gouged a deep trench in the dirt field, which was shown littered with smoking wreckage in footage shown on state TV. It showed a large chunk of a wing, but much of the wreckage appeared to be in small pieces, and emergency workers and witnesses picked around the shredded metal for bodies.

The Russian-made Caspian Airlines jet was heading from Tehran to the Armenian capital Yerevan near the village of Jannatabad outside the city of Qazvin, around 75 miles northwest of Tehran, state television said. It crashed at about 11:30 am, 16 minutes after taking off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport, TV reported.

The Qazvin emergency services director Hossein Bahzadpour told the IRNA news agency that the plane was completely destroyed and shattered to pieces, and the wreckage was in flames. "It his highly likely that all the passengers on the flight were killed," Bahzadpour said.

Iranian Civil Aviation Organization spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh told state television that 153 passengers and 15 crewmembers were on board. State TV said all were killed.

A Caspian Airlines representative told AP in Yerevan that most of the passengers were Armenians, and that some Georgian citizens were also on board. The representative spoke on condition of anonymity because she was not authorized to talk to the press.

Also among the passengers were eight members of Iran's national youth judo team, along with two trainers and a delegation chief, who were scheduled to train with the Armenian judo team before attending competitions in Hungary on Aug. 6, state TV said.

(MY095) Robert De Niro victim of New York art scam

2009-07-15T16:22:00.000+08:00

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Several paintings by actor Robert De Niro's late father were sold without the actor's permission as part of an art scam by a New York gallery, the Manhattan District Attorney's office said on Tuesday.

Art dealer Lawrence Salander, 59, was indicted on additional charges for stealing $5 million from several estates on Tuesday after he was arrested in March for orchestrating a sophisticated $88-million art investment scam that also duped former tennis champion John McEnroe and Bank of America.

Salander and other dealers at his New York gallery sold the works by Robert De Niro Sr., an abstract Expressionist painter who died of cancer in 1993 aged 71, and did not pay out the majority of the sales to his estate, according to the charges.

As a result of the scam, De Niro Sr.'s estate lost more than $1 million, the DA's office said.

Other victims relating to the additional charges include the Lachaise Foundation, who consigned the works of French-American sculptor Gaston Lachaise, as well as the estate of Elie Nadelman, an American sculptor who died in 1946.

Robert De Niro has organized exhibitions of his father's works around the world and has said he keeps many of his works at home.

(MY094) Bank Negara issues new RM50 banknote

2009-07-15T13:21:00.001+08:00

KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 — Bank Negara today issued a new RM50 banknote with a design incorporating various modern and innovative security features principally aimed at deterring counterfeiting.

"This new RM50 banknote is the first denomination of the fourth series of currency notes which will replace the existing series in stages," the central bank said in a statement.

It said the existing RM50 banknote series would continue to remain legal tender and would co-circulate with the new RM50 banknotes as the former is gradually phased out.

No time limit had been set on the duration of co-circulation, it added.

The earlier RM50 banknote was issued in December 2007 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the country’s independence. This current series will no longer have the logo of the country's golden jubilee celebrations.

The enhanced security features incorporated in the new RM50 banknote include a colour shifting security thread which replaces the existing security thread.

The thread appears on the reverse side of the note as coloured intermittent lines. When held against light, it is seen as a continuous dark coloured line and the repeated text of BNM RM50 can be read.

When the note is tilted, the colour of the thread changes from red to green and vice versa.

Under ultra-violet light, the repeated text of BNM RM50 will fluoresce yellow and the thread is seen as a continuous fluorescent yellow line when the banknote is viewed from the obverse.

The two-coloured fluorescent elements are an additional invisible printed feature on the reverse of the note. Under ultra-violet light, a complex design two-colour numeral 50 will fluoresce. — Bernama

is this the new bank notes???

(MY093) Tony Leung injured while sparring for ‘Grand Master’

2009-07-15T08:40:00.000+08:00

HONG KONG, July 15 — “The Lust, Caution” and “Red Cliff” actor broke his arm while rehearsing for his role as Ip Man, the martial arts master who trained a teenaged Bruce Lee

It’s official: kung-fu pictures can be bad for your health. The latest casualty is the leading Hong Kong actor Tony Leung, who had his arm broken by a martial arts instructor while rehearsing his latest role. Production on the film – a kung-fu biopic by Wong Kar-Wai – may now be delayed.

“The Grand Master” stars Leung as Ip Man, a venerable teacher best known for training the teenaged Bruce Lee. The film is due to begin shooting in September.

Leung was in training on Monday when the accident occurred. The actor was kicked by his instructor, breaking a bone in his left forearm, a spokesman for the director's production company, Jet Tone Films, told the Associated Press.

Leung has collaborated with Wong Kar-Wai on six previous movies: “Days of Being Wild”, “Chungking Express”, “Ashes of Time”, “Happy Together”, “In the Mood for Love” and “2046”. More recently, he has starred in Ang Lee’s controversial “Lust, Caution” and John Woo’s action epic “Red Cliff”.

“The Grand Master will be Wong’s first feature since his ill-starred American drama “My Blueberry Nights”, which opened to a raspberry of bad reviews at the 2007 Cannes film festival. – Guardian

(MY092) Obesity emerges as risk factor in severe flu

2009-07-14T13:53:00.002+08:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – People who are obese but otherwise healthy may be at special risk of severe complications and death from the new H1N1 swine flu virus, U.S. researchers reported on Friday.

They described the cases of 10 patients at a Michigan hospital who were so ill they had to be put on ventilators. Three died. Nine of the 10 were obese, seven were severely obese, including two of the three who died.

The study, published in advance in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly report on death and disease, also suggests doctors can safely double the usual dose of oseltamivir, Roche AG's antiviral drug sold under the Tamiflu brand name.

"What this suggests is that there can be severe complications associated with this virus infection, especially in severely obese patients," said CDC virus expert Dr. Tim Uyeki.

"And five of these patients had ... evidence of blood clots in the lungs. This has not been previously known to occur in patients with severe influenza virus infections," Uyeki said in a telephone interview.

Dr. Lena Napolitano of the University of Michigan Medical Center and colleagues studied the cases of 10 patients admitted to the university's intensive care unit with severe acute respiratory distress syndrome caused by infection with H1N1.

"Of the 10 patients, nine were obese (body mass index more than 30), including seven who were extremely obese (BMI more than 40)," they wrote in their report.

Their study was not designed to see if obesity or anything else poses a special risk factor for flu. But the researchers were surprised to see that seven of the 10 patients were extremely obese.

MULTIPLE ORGAN FAILURE

Nine had multiple organ failure, which can be seen in influenza, but five had blood clots in the lungs, and six had kidney failure.

None has fully recovered, the researchers said.

The H1N1 swine flu virus first emerged in Mexico in March and was spreading out of control in the United States by the time it was identified at the end of April. The World Health Organization declared a pandemic in June.

While it is causing moderate illness, all influenza viruses can be deadly and this one is no exception. It has killed close to 500 people globally, more than 200 in the United States alone.

However, the new virus has a slightly different pattern from seasonal flu -- it spreads in the summer months, attacks young adults and older children, and may affect the body slightly differently.

As with H5N1 avian influenza, which only rarely attacks people, patients seem to survive better if they get Tamiflu for longer than the usual five-day treatment course, Uyeki said.

"We don't know if it is necessary for a higher dose of the drug to be given to patients who are obese," he said.

"The high prevalence of obesity in this case series is striking," the CDC's commentary accompany the report reads.

"Whether obesity is an independent risk factor for severe complications of novel influenza A (H1N1) virus infection is unknown. Obesity has not been identified previously as a risk factor for severe complications of seasonal influenza."

(MY091) H1N1 is ‘unstoppable’, says WHO as it calls for vaccines

2009-07-14T12:39:00.002+08:00

WASHINGTON, July 14 — Saying the new H1N1 virus is “unstoppable”, the World Health Organisation gave drug makers a full go-ahead to manufacture vaccines against the pandemic influenza strain yesterday and said healthcare workers should be the first to get one.

Every country will need to vaccinate citizens against the swine flu virus and must choose who else would get priority after nurses, doctors and technicians, said Dr. Marie-Paule Kieny, WHO director of the Initiative for Vaccine Research.

Several reports showed the new virus attacks people differently than seasonal flu — affecting younger people, the severely obese and seemingly healthy adults, and causing disease deep in the lungs.

Kieny briefed reporters on the findings of the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunisation, or SAGE. “The committee recognized that the H1N1 pandemic ... is unstoppable and therefore that all countries need access to vaccine,” Kieney said.

“The SAGE recognised first that healthcare workers should be immunised in all countries in order to retain a functional health system as the virus evolves,” she added.

After that, each country should decide who is next in line, based on the virus’s unusual behaviour.

Seasonal influenza is deadly enough — each year it is involved in 250,000 to 500,000 deaths globally. But most are the elderly or those with some kind of chronic disease that makes them more vulnerable to flu, such as asthma.

(MY090) The NG Superstar Month of June Winner : They Just Received Their Money

2009-07-14T08:46:00.007+08:00

The 1st Prize RM500.00

The 2nd Prize RM300.00

The 3rd Prize RM100.00

you still can participate in this contest as it's close on December.
Detail to participate just click here NG SuperStar

(MY089) India gay sex ruling - protection, not acceptance

2009-07-11T11:44:00.000+08:00

NEW DELHI (AFP) – For India's gay community, the joy that greeted this month's court ruling legalising gay sex is tempered by the fact that, although the law now accepts them, society still does not.

For all the celebrations and talk of an historic milestone, many believe it will take more than a court decision to change public attitudes toward homosexuality, which is largely taboo in India and considered by many to be a mental illness.

Although the Delhi High Court's verdict has served as a morale booster for men and women who lived in constant fear of being criminalised, they say it is unlikely to encourage those in the closet to come out.

"I don't think it will make a major impact," says Maya, 32, who runs a counselling centre for lesbians and people with gender identity issues.

"I'm sure some people who were afraid of the legal implications are more comfortable now, but there are still so many social issues.

"The major issues are how you're going to tell your family -- it has nothing to do with the law," she said.

Abhi's parents took him to a psychiatrist when he came out to them two years ago. They eventually came to terms with his sexual orientation, but the 22-year-old call centre employee believes it will take generations for India to tolerate, let alone embrace homosexuality, on a wider scale.

continue reading here

(MY087) NZ porn king vows to push ahead with "Boobs on Bikes"

2009-07-10T21:23:00.001+08:00

A porn entrepreneur has vowed to go ahead with his annual "Boobs on Bikes" parade of topless women in Auckland, despite financial woes and the opposition of the city's mayor.

Fairfax newspapers reported Steve Crow had said the annual parade, held since 2003 down the main street of New Zealand's largest city, would go ahead on September 23 to advertise his erotica show. The group did not quote him directly.

Two of Crow's companies have gone into liquidation at his request after earlier shows in the capital Wellington and the southern city of Christchurch lost money.

Auckland Mayor John Banks says he is vehemently opposed to the parade of topless porn stars, which attracts thousands of spectators, but is powerless to stop them.

A court ruled last year the parades are legal after the Auckland City Council, which Banks heads, tried to have them stopped.

"I am totally opposed to the exploitation of vulnerable woman," Banks told Fairfax.

"Taking... women down Queen Street on the back of Harley Davidsons bare breasted and paying them for such activity is, in my review, not in keeping with the family image with which I want Auckland to be portrayed.

"The council doesn't want to know anything about this."