O M G !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Actress Brittany Murphy dies in LA at age 32.

A Los Angeles hospital spokeswoman says actress Brittany Murphy has died. She was 32. Brittany Murphy, the actress who got her start in the sleeper hit "Clueless" and rose to stardom in "8 Mile" before her movie roles declined in recent years, died Sunday in Los Angeles of what appeared to be natural causes, a Los Angeles County coroner's official said. She was 32.

Murphy was pronounced dead at 10:04 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, hospital spokeswoman Sally Stewart said.

Murphy was transported to the hospital after the Los Angeles Fire Department responded to a call at 8 a.m. at the home she shared with her husband, British screenwriter Simon Monjack, in the Hollywood Hills.

Assistant Chief Coroner Ed Winter said Murphy apparently collapsed in the bathroom, and authorities were looking into her medical history.

An official cause of death may not be determined for some time, since toxicology tests will be required, but "it appears to be natural," Winter said. He said an autopsy was planned for Monday or Tuesday.

Winter said Murphy's family was cooperating with the coroner's investigation. Funeral arrangements have not been announced, he said.

Los Angeles police have opened an investigation into Murphy's death, Officer Norma Eisenman said. Detectives and coroner's officials were at Murphy and Monjack's home Sunday afternoon but did not talk to reporters. Paparazzi were camped outside the multistory home, located above the Sunset Strip.

Messages left for Murphy's manager and agent by The Associated Press were not immediately returned.

Neighbor Clare Staples said she saw firefighters working to resuscitate the actress Sunday morning. She said Murphy was on a stretcher and "looked as though she was dead at the scene."

Murphy's husband, wearing pajama bottoms and no shoes, appeared "dazed" as firefighters tried to save her, Staples said. "It's just tragic," she added.

TMZ.com first reported Murphy's death Sunday morning.

Murphy's father, Angelo Bertolotti, said he learned of her death from his son, the actress's brother, and was stunned.

"She was just an absolute doll since she was born," Bertolotti said from his Branford, Fla., home. "Her personality was always outward. Everybody loved her — people that made movies with her, people on a cruise — they all loved her. She was just a regular gal."

He said he hadn't heard much about the circumstances of Murphy's death. Bertolotti divorced her mother when Murphy was young and hadn't seen Murphy in the past few years. He said he used to be in the mob and served prison time on federal drug charges.

"She was just talented," Bertolotti said. "And I loved her very much."

Meanwhile, Murphy's publicist, Nicole Perna, said in a statement: "In this time of sadness, the family thanks you for your love and support. It is their wish that you respect their privacy."

Born Nov. 10, 1977, in Atlanta, Murphy grew up in New Jersey and later moved with her mother to Los Angeles to pursue acting.

Her career started in the early 1990s with small roles in television series, commercials and movies. She is best known for parts in "Girl, Interrupted," "Clueless" and "8 Mile."

Her on-screen work had lessened of late, but Murphy's voice gave life to numerous animated characters, including Luanne Platter on more than 200 episodes of Fox's "King of the Hill" and Gloria the penguin in the 2006 feature "Happy Feet."

She is due to appear in Sylvester Stallone's upcoming film, "The Expendables," set for release next year.

Her role in "8 Mile" led to more recognition, Murphy told AP in 2003. "That changed a lot," she said. "That was the difference between people knowing my first and last name as opposed to not."

Murphy credited her mother, Sharon, with being a key to her success.

"When I asked my mom to move to California, she sold everything and moved out here for me," Murphy said. "I was really grateful to have grown up in an environment that was conducive to creating and didn't stifle any of that. She always believed in me."

She dated Ashton Kutcher, who costarred with Murphy in 2003's romantic comedy "Just Married."

Kutcher sent a message on Twitter Sunday morning about Murphy's death: "2day the world lost a little piece of sunshine," Kutcher wrote. "My deepest condolences go out 2 Brittany's family, her husband, & her amazing mother Sharon."

DELL MALAYSIA

Dell to lay off 700 workers in Malaysia: reports


US computer giant Dell will cut 700 jobs in Malaysia as it looks to slash costs, newspaper reports said Wednesday.

US computer giant Dell will cut 700 jobs in Malaysia as it looks to slash costs, newspaper reports said Wednesday.

The company said the affected workers from its plant in northern Penang state would leave Dell between January and June next year, through a voluntary separation scheme (VSS), the Star and New Straits Times reported.

The move will see Dell's workforce in Malaysia reduced to 3,800. The company has another support centre in Cyberjaya, a high-tech hub south of Kuala Lumpur.

Spokeswoman Jasmine Begum said the layoffs were a result of the Penang plant stopping production of notebooks for Latin America, Canada and US markets, the reports said.

The company will continue making products for South Asian and Australian markets.

Affected workers "will be given competitive VSS packages. We will also provide them with career counselling and outplacement services," the Dell official told the Star.

Company officials could not be reached for comment.

Dell began operating in Malaysia in 1995 with a manufacturing and direct-sales business but now produces desktops, workstations, notebooks, servers and storage products in Penang.

In 2007, it launched its first global IT support centre outside of the US in Cyberjaya.

TIGER WOODS

'Family first' says Woods in pre-scandal interview


Tiger Woods said his family is the best thing to ever happen to him in an interview touted as his last before he was engulfed in a sex scandal over his infidelity.



New Zealand sports commentator Murray Deaker conducted an eight-minute interview with Woods during last month's Australian Masters in which Woods talked about his family.

Speaking about having two children with his Swedish wife Elin, Woods said: "It's been great actually, it's been the best thing that ever happened."

In the interview screened in New Zealand for the first time on Tuesday, Deaker asked Woods about balancing golf and his family life.

"In every interview I've seen with you its family first and golf second -- always be like that?" Deaker asked.

"Always, always," Woods replied.

He was also asked how he was able to maintain the focus needed to be the best golfer in the world while also being a good dad.

"Certainly I don't practise as much as I used to, I don't spend the amount of hours on the golf course like I used to.

"But my focus is so much more intense than it ever used to be because I don't have the time.

"I know I have to get done whatever I want to get done in a shorter amount of time."

At least 12 women have reportedly claimed to have been lovers of Woods, who turns 34 on December 30. The New York Post reported on Monday that a 13th woman, Julie Postle, was named by an ex-boyfriend as having had a fling with the billionaire golfer.

Deaker interviewed Woods in the middle of last month. On November 25 a tabloid newspaper revealed a relationship between Woods and New York show club hostess Rachel Uchitel.

Two days later the golfer crashed a vehicle into a tree and a hydrant outside his home, touching off a firestorm of bad publicity over his affairs.

Woods has since admitted infidelity and said he is taking an indefinite break from golf to work on being a better husband, father and person.

Dubai

Dubai gets $10B from Abu Dhabi to cover debt

Dubai got a $10 billion lifeline from oil-rich Abu Dhabi to save one of its prized companies from imminent default Monday, calming fears for now about the city-state's shaky finances. Dubai's main stock market spiked more than 10 percent on the news.


AP - FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2009 file photo, a train is seen during a trial session two ...
Dubai World -- a sprawling conglomerate with assets ranging from the oceanliner Queen Elizabeth 2 to luxury retailer Barney's New York -- had been up against a Monday deadline to repay a pile of loans from its Nakheel property division. Some $4.1 billion of the emergency funds will be used to pay off those bills. The rest will go to shore up Dubai World itself.

Dubai officials' reluctance to fully stand behind Dubai World's $60 billion in debts had raised serious concerns about the emirate's creditworthiness, and the move by Abu Dhabi appeared aimed at quashing those worries before they undercut confidence in the United Arab Emirates as a whole. The two emirates share control of the UAE, a federation of seven semiautonomous city-states.

Authorities also softened their stance Monday, vowing that the city-state was committed to "transparency, good governance and market principles." Officials outlined a legal framework that promised to increase openness and protect creditors in future dealings with the conglomerate, offering lenders further reassurance in a country where formal bankruptcy proceedings are largely untested.

"We are here today to reassure investors, financial and trade creditors, employees and our citizens that our government will act at all times in accordance with market principles and internationally accepted business practices," Sheik Ahmed bin Saeed Al Maktoum, chairman of the Dubai supreme fiscal committee, said in a statement.

The bailout is the latest by Abu Dhabi. The emirate which controls the UAE's presidency has directly and indirectly provided Dubai with $25 billion over the past year, mostly by buying Dubai bonds. In all, Dubai owes more than $80 billion -- roughly equal to its total economic output last year. The full extent of its liabilities is unknown, however, with some analysts putting the total at $100 billion or more.

The aid package is key for Dubai, the second-richest of the UAE's city-states but which has little of the oil wealth held by Abu Dhabi. Dubai's ruler is the UAE's vice president and prime minister.

Dubai created Dubai World -- which has interests in seaports, real estate, tourism and retail -- to diversify its economy and boost its international clout. Much of the growth was fueled by easy credit. As the bills came due, Dubai struggled to repay as its economy was battered by the global economic downturn.

Dubai said the rest of the funds provided by Abu Dhabi will be used to cover the conglomerate's interest expenses and general business needs through the end of April, and to pay bills owed to "existing trade creditors and contractors."

Bankers said the last-minute cash injection signaled a national approach to tackling Dubai's problems rather than leaving the struggling emirate to fend for itself.

"This is a very significant development," said Marios Maratheftis, head of regional research at Standard Chartered Bank. "It shows once again there is a one-country approach in dealing with the crisis, which is positive."

Investors cheered the news, which provided some clarity in a crisis that erupted late last month when the conglomerate unexpectedly said it was seeking new terms on repaying roughly $26 billion of its debts.

The Dubai Financial Market's main index shot up 10.4 percent at the close. Abu Dhabi's stock market jumped 7.9 percent. Stocks in Asia rebounded from earlier losses after Dubai's announcement.

Fahd Iqbal, a Dubai-based analyst at Middle East investment bank EFG-Hermes, said the rally was to be expected but urged caution.

"This announcement constitutes a specific bailout of Nakheel, suggesting that as an entity (it) was deemed to be 'too big to fail,'" he said. "It does not, however, constitute a bailout of Dubai Inc. or Dubai World as a whole and this is important to highlight."

Nakheel is a property developer and hotel operator best known for building manmade islands in the shape of palm trees and a map of the world off Dubai's coast.

Standard & Poor's, which along with other credit rating agencies has aggressively cut its outlook on Dubai state-run companies, called Monday's move "a step towards rebuilding confidence," but warned that the government's ability to bail out other firms remains uncertain.

Dubai World said in a separate statement it welcomed the financial support, which will provide "funding and a stable basis" for a restructuring the company announced last month.

The conglomerate said it is pushing ahead with talks to convince lenders to agree to a "standstill" -- effectively a delay -- on repaying some of its debt.

"As long as a standstill is successfully negotiated, Dubai World has assurances that the government of Dubai ... will provide financial support to cover working capital and interest expenses to ensure the continuity of key projects," the company said.

To further reassure the market, the UAE's central bank, based Abu Dhabi, said it remains committed to standing behind the country's banks, including those with exposure to Dubai World and Nakheel.

Dubai was also looking to salvage the sheikdom's reputation.

Officials said the emirate plans to introduce a reorganization law that could be used in case Dubai World is "unable to achieve an acceptable restructuring of its remaining obligations."

A person close to the Dubai government said the new law provided a legal framework for addressing corporate debt, though it did not mean a bankruptcy filing by state-owned companies was certain.

"The current bankruptcy law is untested," the person said. "Dubai World needed a legal process to go through. The government was very focused on creating something that would be fair and transparent to everybody."

He insisted on anonymity as a condition for briefing reporters on a conference call.

It was not immediately clear what, if anything, Abu Dhabi would expect in exchange for Monday's funding. Analysts had said an Abu Dhabi bailout could result in it exerting greater influence on high profile neighbor going forward.

But the individual close to the Dubai government said the money came with no strings attached.

"Let me be clear: Dubai has not given anything up. There have been no conditions on the funding," he said.

The individual said it was premature to discuss what assets Dubai World might be willing to sell to pay additional bills, though he added that "all options will be discussed."

MISS WORLD 2009

Miss Mexico Perla Beltran Acosta looks on after coming second in the Miss World pageant in Johannesburg. Gibraltar's Kaiane Aldorino claimed the title of Miss World 2009 on Saturday, defeating 111 other hopefuls at a glittering ceremony in South Africa.Mexico's Perla Beltran came second, with South African entry Tatum Keshwar taking third place.

SNOW

Fierce snowstorm gains strength after hitting West


Mountain states with snow and fierce winds as it headed toward the country's midsection on Tuesday.

The far-reaching storm system stretched from California to Indiana, gathering strength as it raced eastward.

Parts of Kansas, Nebraska, Iowa and Wisconsin were bracing for blizzard conditions and up to 10 inches of snow, according to the National Weather Service.

"The storm system is really strengthening as it goes, and that's usually a recipe for some heavy snowfall and a lot of wind, and that's what we're watching for," said Mike Welvaert of the National Weather Service in La Crosse, Wis.

The storm hit nearly all of the western mountain states on Monday, leaving places like Flagstaff and Reno, Nev., under a thick blanket of snow. Heavy rain raised fears of mudslides in wildfire-devastated Southern California, but no damage was reported. The weather system also snarled traffic and closed schools in Indiana, and crashes caused one death.

In the Phoenix area, fierce wind brought down power lines, left four hospitals temporarily without power and created wide outages. At one point, some 250,000 customers were without power; by early Tuesday, that number was down to about 58,000, a spokesman for Arizona Public Service Co. said.

The storm system lingered over the West on Tuesday.

On Monday, virtually the entire Western region was hit by wintry weather — from subzero wind chills in Washington state to heavy snow that closed schools and government offices in Reno, Nev. Big rigs were left jackknifed across highways in several states.

In New Mexico, two people were killed in traffic accidents blamed on slick conditions, and officials there told snow-clearing crews to prepare for 12-hour shifts as the storm swept south and east.

The National Weather Service said the upper elevations of the Sierra mountains could get up to 3 feet of snow, with up to 4 feet forecast for the mountains of southern Utah.

Reno schools closed, and many state government workers were told to stay home. Chains or snow tires were required across the region. Several flights into and out of Reno-Tahoe International Airport were delayed or canceled.

"Motorists are going to have to chain up," Trooper Chuck Allen with the Nevada Highway Patrol said. "Otherwise, we end up with a parking lot."

In northern Arizona, state officials closed parts of Interstate-17 and I-40, saying early Tuesday that some stretches of the highways were snow-packed and visibility levels were near zero.

The city school district let students out early Monday and canceled classes Tuesday. Northern Arizona University also released students and staff early Monday, in the midst of final exams.

Arizona Department of Transportation spokesman Rod Wigman vowed to keep northern Arizona roads plowed despite a $100 million budget deficit, but advised people to stay home if possible as the brunt of the storm sweeps through.

"When the sun goes down, people need to go home," Wigman said.

NEW IMAGE

'Sun-Maid girl' makeover sparks controversy

In the annals of advertising imagery, few brand symbols are more iconic and recognizable than the Sun-Maid raisin girl.

Sun-Maid
Nevertheless, Sun-Maid recently decided to join Betty Crocker, Aunt Jemima and Mrs. Butterworth's in giving the female face of their product a substantial makeover from a young, early 20th-century girl into a buxom, modern young woman, leading some to say that the newly made-over raisin girl looks like a Barbie Doll in Amish attire

Since 1915, the face of Sun-Maid has been Lorraine Collett Petersen, who, according to the company's website , "was discovered drying her black hair curls in the sunny backyard of her parents' home in Fresno, California." Petersen was then asked to pose for a watercolor painting holding a basket of grapes while wearing a sunbonnet.

In the years since, the company has tweaked its trademark design occasionally to keep up with the times, but every variation has always been based on the original pose by Petersen. The new computer-animated version of the Sun-Maid girl currently featured in television advertisements is a departure from the classic design that harkened back to a time when "life was much simpler, more rural, a lot less hectic."

Sun-Maid
Naturally, the revamped look hasn't gone unnoticed, rankling both ends of the political spectrum. The blog for conservative magazine The Weekly Standard noted that the new Sun-Maid girl looks "as if Julia Roberts decided to don a red bonnet and start picking grapes," while the feminist website Jezebel.com remarked that it looks as if she's had “some implants.

”Though the new look for the raisin girl has been garnering attention of late, the changes to the 90-year-old icon were actually introduced three years ago. At the time, Sun-Maid president Barry Kriebel said that the decision to make changes was inspired by the desire to educate consumers about healthy living choices.

"This is as good a time as any to get on the wave of health and nutrition,'' he said. Kriebel also noted that he felt the new look was a reasonable modernization, saying "You're not going to see her dancing or kicking up her heels out in the vineyard, but have her do what is appropriate for her to do, based on her history but also being a contemporary person living in the 21st century.''

Additionally, there's been talk that the new Sun-Maid girl might be given a name and featured in future advertisements doing some of the things modern women typically do, like going to the gym, shopping at the market, and speaking multiple languages, particularly languages native to countries where Sun-Maid, the world's largest producer and processor of raisins and other dried fruits, sells raisins. However, the image on all Sun-Maid product packaging will remain the same, as the new version will only be featured in product advertisements

COUPLE SEEKING CHRISTMAS TREE FOUND

Oregon tree cutters safe after 2 nights in snow

A couple whose vehicle got stuck in the snow on a Christmas tree hunt high in the mountains near the Oregon-California border have returned after going missing for two days.

Jennifer and Keith Lee of Medford were able to free their all-wheel drive Subaru by placing rocks under the wheels. They called deputies after they reached a small town near home.

Sheriff's Lt. Pat Rowland says the couple called as soon as they got a cell phone signal after hearing a massive search for them had begun.

Rowland says the couple had actually traveled across the border into California, away from the initial search area.

Deputies were interviewing the couple, who had been missing since Tuesday

Female live longer than male

Sperm genes could explain why women live longer

Genes in sperm may determine why female mammals live longer than males, according to a Japanese study published on Wednesday in Human Reproduction, a European journal.
Sperm genes could explain why women live longer

Genes in sperm may determine why female mammals live longer than males, according to a Japanese study published on Wednesday in Human Reproduction, a European journal.

Tokyo University professor Tomohiro Kono and Manabu Kawahara of Saga University found that female mice produced from genetic material from two mothers, but not from a father, lived significantly longer than mice with the normal mix of maternal and paternal genes.

The "bi-maternal" mice were created by manipulating DNA in mouse eggs, so that the genes behaved like those in sperm.

Once modified, this material was implanted into unfertilised adult female mice eggs to create embryos.

These mice lived 841.5 days on average -- 186 days longer than in control mice born with a normal genetic mix, whose lifespan was 655.5 days.

The longest-lived "bi-maternal" mouse lived for 1,045 days, while the oldest control mouse expired after 996 days.

Another intriguing finding was that the "bi-maternal" mice were lighter and smaller than control mice and seemed to have a stronger immune system.

The big difference could lie in a gene called Rasgrf1, the researchers believe.
The gene, located on Chromosome 9, is associated with post-natal growth. It normally expresses from the paternally inherited chromosome.

"The study may give an answer to the fundamental questions: that is, whether longevity in mammals is controlled by the genome of only one or both parents and, just maybe, why women are an advantage over men with regard to the lifespan," Kono said.

One theory about longevity is that males have bigger bodies in order to win out in the race for breeding opportunities and thus scatter their genes.
The price for this, though, is a shorter lifespan.

Females, though, do not have to engage in this genetically costly beauty show, and instead optimise their reproductive output by conserving energy for delivering their offspring, nurturing it, foraging for food and avoiding predators

Photo

Canadian woman loses benefits over Facebook photo


A Canadian woman on sick leave for depression says she lost her benefits after her insurance agent found photos of her apparently having fun on Facebook.

Nathalie Blanchard said Monday she was diagnosed with major depression and was receiving monthly sick-leave benefits until payments dried up this fall.

When Blanchard called her insurance provider, Manulife, to find out why she says she was told
the Facebook photos showed she was able to work.

"If you have insurance, be careful. This is a major battle and it's not going to be easy," Blanchard, 29, said in a telephone interview from her home in Bromont Quebec.

She said her insurance agent described several pictures Blanchard posted on Facebook, including ones showing her having a good time at a Chippendales bar show, at her birthday party and on a sun holiday.

Blanchard said Manulife told her it was evidence she is no longer depressed.
Her lawyer, Tom Lavin, said Blanchard was wrongfully dismissed from her benefits, and she had the right to go on holiday.

"The issue for me is that they stopped her disability benefits without the proper medical recommendations. Her doctor recommended she go on vacation," he said.
Blanchard said she took three four-day trips when she was feeling especially low, on her psychiatrist's advice.

Manulife declined to comment on the case specifically but has said in a statement that "we would not deny or terminate a valid claim solely based on information published on Web sites such as Facebook."

Blanchard's case will be before Quebec Superior Court Dec. 8

FOOD

'Comfort food' relieves stress: Australian study

A box of doughnuts at the Snapple Theatre Rehearsal Studio in New York City. A high-fat, high-sugar diet could have the same effect on brain chemistry as mood-altering drugs, giving scientific support to the craving for "comfort food", Australian researchers say.

A high-fat, high-sugar diet could have the same effect on brain chemistry as mood-altering drugs, giving scientific support to the craving for "comfort food", Australian researchers said on Tuesday.

A controlled study of rats that were traumatised in early life and went on to exhibit depressed or anxious behaviours found those that were fed lard-laced foods such as cake or pie reversed their stress levels.

"We asked the question, if you're stressed early in life and then you're given yummy food to eat does that reduce your behavioural deficit, and basically that's what we found," lead researcher Margaret Morris told AFP.

"The animals who'd been exposed to stress who were then given palatable food, junk food if you will, no longer looked anxious."

Morris and her University of New South Wales team simulated trauma by forcing two control groups of rats to endure lengthy periods of separation from their mothers.

One of the groups was fed an all-you-can-eat "cafeteria diet" of junk food, and the other more healthy foods, and then run through a stress-testing maze.

Morris said they noticed an effect similar to anti-depressant drugs on the stressed rats after they ate junk food.

"The deficit in stress hormone receptors in part of the brain that we saw in the stressed animals was reversed by the diet," she said.

But Morris warned against hasty conclusions, saying more work needed to be done on the benefit of other factors such as exercise or the social interaction around food.

"We wouldn't want to say 'go and eat comfort food' because that's not very healthy, but if we can find out whatever it was that started that process in train and find some other way of doing that, that would be really useful."

"There might be a critical time in the brain of those animals that their mood pathways or their behaviour is being modulated, and (if we) just tickled it for a few weeks maybe we would get the same benefit without having to make them all obese," she added.

Twitter

"What's happening?" Twitter wants to know

The frontpage of Twitter, a leading Internet microblogging site. Twitter used to ask "What are you doing?" No longer. The micro-blogging service now wants to know "What's happening?"

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone announced the change in Twitter's tag line in a blog post on Thursday.

"Twitter was originally conceived as a mobile status update service -- an easy way to keep in touch with people in your life by sending and receiving short, frequent answers to one question,

'What are you doing?'" Stone said.

But Twitter "has long outgrown the concept of personal status updates.

"People, organizations, and businesses quickly began leveraging the open nature of the network to share anything they wanted, completely ignoring the original question," he said.

"'What are you doing?' isn't the right question anymore," Stone said. "Starting today, we've shortened it by two characters. Twitter now asks, "What's happening?"

Stone said he did not expect the new question to change the way people use the service.
"We don't expect this to change how anyone uses Twitter, but maybe it'll make it easier to explain to your dad," he said.

Twitter, which allows users to pepper one another with 140-character-or-less messages known as "tweets," has grown rapidly in popularity since it was launched in August 2006 and has tens of millions of users.

WINDOWS 7

Microsoft says Windows 7 sales strong

A customer holds a version of the new Windows 7 during the grand opening of Microsoft's first retail store in Scottsdale, Arizona October 22, 2009.

Microsoft Corp Chief Executive Steve Ballmer said on Thursday sales of Windows 7 were running at twice the level of any previous version of its operating system.

Windows 7, launched a month ago, has "already sold twice as many units" than any previous version in a comparable time, said Ballmer at the software company's annual meeting in Bellevue, Washington, which was broadcast on the Internet.

Microsoft did not give any details or actual sales figures. Consumers and PC manufacturers have generally welcomed Windows 7 after the disappointing Vista.

HERO

Aussie pilot who landed in shark waters hailed a hero

An Australian pin-up pilot forced to bring an emergency medical flight down in shark-infested waters was Friday hailed a hero for the daring landing from which all aboard escaped unharmed.
Captain Dominic James ditched the Pel-Air Aviation air ambulance off Norfolk Island, north of Sydney, on Wednesday night after four aborted landings as poor weather closed in.

As the aircraft ran dangerously low on fuel, James decided to make the water landing rather than miss another run at the runway or have the Westwind jet splutter to a stop mid-air.
"This is right at the gold medal level for aviation; if he's not a hero already he is well on his way to being one," Pel-Air Aviation chairman John Sharp said.

Rescuers said thirty-something James, who this year featured in women's magazine Cleo's 'Bachelor of the Year' competition, ensured his passengers and crew stuck together in the cold water as they awaited a rescue in the dark.

"I've got to give him full credit, actually," Norfolk Island airport manager Glenn Robinson told The Australian newspaper.

"He was the last out of the water, he got on board the boat, he did a (head) count and then he started to relax. He was professional to a tee."

Robinson said the landing invited comparisons to January's "Miracle on the Hudson" in which a
US pilot landed an Airbus A320 on the river in New York and all passengers and crew survived.
"I mean, it's not the same scale but there wasn't a metre and a half swell to contend with (on the Hudson) and it was the same in that all six people walked away from it," he said.

The flight, which was carrying a woman recovering from surgery, her husband, two medical crew and a co-pilot, was travelling from Samoa to Melbourne when it hit poor weather as it tried to land to refuel at Norfolk Island.

Those onboard managed to climb over the wings of the plane to exit, grabbing three life jackets on their way out, and remained in the water for some 90 minutes before they were rescued.
Norfolk Island resident Darren Bates, who owns the fishing boat used in the rescue, said he did not expect anyone to have survived.

"When I saw them in the water my heart just sank -- that's the (most) shark-infested part of the island. It's amazing they survived," he told the paper.

Beauty Queen,UGLY behaviour!!!

Miss Universe 's3x' scandal: Miss Trinidad/Tobago sex video 'stolen' from laptop, claims boyfriend


Yes, it's Miss Trinidad/Tobago 2008, Anya Ayoung-Chee (l.), in the sex tape and Miss Japan 2008, Hiroko Mima, is in it, too, says Ayoung-Chee's photographer boyfriend.

It's the latest beauty pageant sex tape scandal .This time it involves Miss Trinidad and Tobago 2008, Anya Ayoung-Chee, who was reportedly recorded having sex with her boyfriend, Wyatt Gallery, and another woman in a menage a trois.

Initial reports suggested the other woman was Miss Japan 2008, Hiroko Mima. According to TMZ, Gallery confirmed Ayoung-Chee was in the tape with him and another woman

Gallery went on to claim the video was swiped from his laptop while at a repair shop in Trinidad. The video itself, he reportedly told TMZ, was shot back in 2007.

"I feel horrible and embarrassed for Anya, her family and myself," he told TMZ, and suggested the leaking of the tape was done intentionally to damage her career.

The Miss Universe organization appeared to be distancing itself from this scandal. However, in a quote to TMZ, its statement that the video was shot "eight months after the pageant" would seem to conflict with Gallery's claim it was filmed in 2007.

MEET

Obama says he met with half brother while in China

President Barack Obama said Wednesday that he met briefly with a half brother who lives in China and who recently wrote a semi-autobiographical novel about the abusive Kenyan father they share.
Obama, who spent three days in China during his first official tour of Asia, acknowledged the meeting in an interview with CNN. He offered no details. An aide said later that the meeting took place Monday night after Obama arrived in Beijing, the Chinese capital.

The White House had declined to say whether the president and Mark Ndesandjo would meet. And no White House official mentioned the visit until Obama did when asked about it.
"I don't know him well. I met him for the first time a couple of years ago," Obama told CNN. "He stopped by with his wife for about five minutes during the trip."

Describing the meeting as "overwhelming" and "intense," Ndesandjo told The Associated Press in an interview Wednesday that he had long anticipated the chance to welcome his famous brother to China.
"I think he came directly off the plane, changed some clothes and then came down and saw us," Ndesandjo said. "And he just gave me a big hug. And it was so intense. I'm still over the moon on it. I am over the moon. And my wife. She is his biggest fan and I think she is still recovering."

In the CNN interview, Obama said he hadn't read his brother's book, "Nairobi to Shenzhen," which features a protagonist who is the son of a Jewish mother and an abusive father from Kenya.
Ndesandjo has revealed in previous interviews that his father, Barack Obama Sr., beat him and his mother. The president also wrote about his father, who abandoned him as a child, in his best-selling memoir.

"It's no secret that my father was a troubled person," Obama said. "Anybody who has read my first book, 'Dreams from My Father,' knows that, you know, he had an alcoholism problem, that he didn't treat his families very well. Obviously it's a sad part of my history and my background but it's not something I spend a lot of time brooding over."

Ndesandjo said he bought tickets months ago to fly from the southern boomtown of Shenzhen, where he has lived since 2002, to Beijing, in hopes of reconnecting with his brother. The two last met in January when Ndesandjo attended Obama's inauguration as a family guest.
The three chatted on Monday, with Obama being introduced to Ndesandjo's wife, a native of Henan, China, whom he married a year ago, he said. He gave few details of what they discussed.

"All I can say is, we talked about family, and it was very powerful because when he came in through that door, and I saw him and I hugged him, and he hugged me and hugged my wife. It was like we were continuing a conversation that had started many years ago," he said.

The two men did not grow up together. Ndesandjo's mother, Ruth Nidesand, was Barack Obama Sr.'s third wife. Before arriving in Beijing on Monday, Obama had been in a townhall-style meeting with students in Shanghai, and joked that a family gathering at his house "looks like the United Nations."
President Obama's father had been a Kenyan exchange student who met his mother, Kansas native Stanley Ann Dunham, when they were in school in Hawaii. The two separated two years after he was born.

The senior Obama married Ndesandjo's mother after divorcing the president's mother. They returned to Kenya to live, where Mark and his brother, David, were born and raised.

Obama Sr. died in an automobile accident in 1982 at age 46.
Ndesandjo lives near Hong Kong and earns a living as a marketing consultant. For most of that time, he has maintained a low profile, with few people knowing of his connection to the U.S. president.

BLACK FRIDAY

Black Friday comes early at big chain stores

Stores like Walmart, Sears, and Best Buy are luring buyers with huge deals.

With analysts predicting aggressive holiday sales this season, many retailers have gotten a head start on Black Friday by dangling generous discounts well in advance of Nov. 27.

Walmart, Kmart, Sears, Toys "R" Us, Best Buy, CVS, Target, Staples, HH Gregg, Kohl's, Lowe's, and Ace Hardware are some of the big names hoping to cash in by enticing early birds with bargains prior to the day after Thanksgiving, traditionally one of the busiest and bargain-laden shopping days of the year.

You can scope out many of the deals — and rumors of deals — ahead of time at a variety of Web sites such as Black Friday Ads, The Black Friday, TGI Black Friday, Black Friday Info, Deal News, Deal Taker, and Black Friday FM.

The most efficient way to discover what's on sale at your favorite stores or online is to sign up for e-mail alerts. By doing so, you'll also be privy to special offers like free shipping, announcements of upcoming promotions, exclusive savings for store credit-card holders, deals of the day, and periodic markdowns like special 3-hour sales. One note of caution, however. Many of the doorbuster ads on retailer Web sites often lack model numbers for big-ticket items like computers and TV sets. That can hinder comparison shopping.

This year, Walmart ushered in Christmas on Halloween with Black Friday pricing on a variety of "secret" in-store specials. They've also cut prices weekly on thousands of items from bananas to board games throughout the holidays. More recently, the company announced additional price rollbacks of an additional 20 to 30 percent on 100 popular toys, which comes of the heels of the chain's season-long holiday promo of 100 toys at $10. Perhaps of even more note, the chain said on Wednesday that it will keep all of its stores open round-the-clock on Thanksgiving weekend and implement new crowd-control measures in the aftermath of last's years fatal trampling of an employee during a frenetic Black Friday sale. The chain has also devised another strategy to deter mayhem. Instead of lining up outside the doors for the 5 a.m. sales to commence, people will be dispersed in gathering areas throughout each store.

Over at Sears, the chain began offering "Black Friday Now" deals on Oct. 31, and they're slated to continue every Saturday from 7 a.m. until noon through Thanksgiving. Some of the early bargains included a Craftsman 302-piece mechanic's tool set at half off; a ProForma XP elliptical exerciser for $400 (regularly $700), and a 42-in. Zenith Plasma TV for $499, a $250 savings.
Kmart kicked off its "Better than Black Friday" campaign last week, which features 15 new doorbusters on Fridays. Some of the recent deals have included Protégé basketball shoes at $15 a pair, General Electric artificial Christmas trees at 25 to 33 percent off, Basic Editions jeans at
$7, and a Little Letters Learning Laptop at half price.

Earlier this week, Target took aim at Walmart by taking pre-orders of some highly anticipated DVDs at $10, the same price point they sell for at the nation's largest retailer. The $10 price applies to pre-orders on Target.com of 10 select DVDs: "Star Trek XI," "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian," "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," "Angels & Demons," "Four Christmases," "G-Force," "My Sister's Keeper," "Santa Buddies," "Terminator Salvation," and "Julie & Julia." At the same time, Target implemented price cuts on hundreds of hot new toys from Fisher Price, Ni Hao Kai Lan, Barbie, LIV, Furreal, Star Wars, Ben 10, and Air Hogs. For guests hoping to get a head start on the gifting season, November deals include over 400 price cuts, which began rolling out November 1. Many toys will be on sale for 50 percent off through Nov. 25.

Best Buy is making a pitch to draw in value-conscious consumers by offering a $250 computer, the cheapest laptop the chain's ever sold. The Acer laptop, with a Intel Celeron 900 processor, 2 GB memory, and a 160 GB hard drive, went on sale in stores and online earlier this week.

Facts

Soldier mom refuses deployment to care for baby





An Army cook and single mom may face criminal charges after she skipped her deployment flight to Afghanistan because, she said, no one was available to care for her infant son while she was overseas.

Spc. Alexis Hutchinson, 21, claims she had no choice but to refuse deployment orders because the only family she had to care for her 10-month-old son — her mother — was overwhelmed by the task, already caring for three other relatives with health problems.

Her civilian attorney, Rai Sue Sussman, said Monday that one of Hutchinson's superiors told her she would have to deploy anyway and place the child in foster care.
"For her it was like, 'I couldn't abandon my child,'" Sussman said. "She was really afraid of what would happen, that if she showed up they would send her to Afghanistan anyway and put her son with child protective services."

Hutchinson, who is from Oakland, Calif., remained confined Monday to the boundaries of Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah, 10 days after military police arrested her for skipping her unit's flight. No charges have been filed, but a spokesman for the Army post said commanders were investigating.

Kevin Larson, a spokesman for Hunter Army Airfield, said he didn't know what Hutchinson was told by her commanders, but he said the Army would not deploy a single parent who had nobody to care for his or her child.

"I don't know what transpired and the investigation will get to the bottom of it," Larson said. "If she would have come to the deployment terminal with her child, there's no question she would not have been deployed."

Hutchinson's son, Kamani, was placed into custody overnight with a daycare provider on the Army post after she was arrested and jailed briefly, Larson said. Hutchinson's mother picked up the child a week ago and took him back to her home in California.

Hutchinson, who's assigned to the 3rd Combat Aviation Brigade of the Army's 3rd Infantry Division, joined the Army in 2007 and had no previous deployments, Sussman said. She said Hutchinson is no longer in a relationship with the father.

The Army requires all single-parent soldiers to submit a care plan for dependent children before they can deploy to a combat zone.

Hutchinson had such a plan — her mother, Angelique Hughes, had agreed to care for the boy. Hughes said Monday she kept the boy for about two weeks in October before deciding she couldn't keep him for a full year.

Hughes said she's already having to care for her ailing mother and sister, as well as a daughter with special needs. She also runs a daycare center at her home, keeping about 14 children during the day.

"This is an infant, and they require 24-hour care," Hughes said. "It was very, very stressful, just too much for me to deal with."

Hughes said she returned Kamani to his mother in Georgia a few days before her scheduled deployment Nov. 5.

She said they told her daughter's commanders they needed more time to find another family member or close friend to help Hughes care for the boy, but Hutchinson was ordered to deploy on schedule.

Larson, the Army post spokesman, said officials planned to keep Hutchinson in Georgia as investigators gathered facts about the case.

"Spc. Hutchinson's deployment is halted," Larson said. "There will be no deployment while this situation is ongoing."

___


Russ Bynum has covered the military based in Georgia since 2001

METEOR

AMAZING METEOR SHOWER COMING


Strong Leonid Meteor Shower Peaks Early Tuesday Morning












One of the best annual meteor showers will peak in the pre-dawn hours Tuesday, and for some skywatchers the show could be quite impressive.

The best seats are in Asia, but North American observers should be treated to an above average performance of the Leonid meteor shower, weather permitting. The trick for all observers is to head outside in the wee hours of the morning – between 1 a.m. and dawn – regardless where you live.

The Leonids put on a solid show every year, if skies are clear and moonlight does not interfere.

This year the moon is near its new phase, and not a factor. For anyone in the Northern Hemisphere with dark skies, away from urban and suburban lighting, the show should be worth getting up early to see.
"
We're predicting 20 to 30 meteors per hour over the Americas, and as many as 200 to 300 per hour over Asia," said Bill Cooke of NASA's Meteoroid Environment Office. Other astronomers who work in the nascent field of meteor shower prediction have put out similar forecasts.
Urban dwellers and suburbanites will see far fewer, as the fainter meteors will be drowned out by local lights.

Behind the Leonids


The Leonids are created by the comet Swift-Tuttle, which passes through the inner solar system every 33 years on its orbit around the sun. Each time by, it leaves a new river of debris, mostly bits of ice and rock no bigger than a sand grain but a few the size of a pea or marble.
Over time, these cosmic streams spread out, so predicting exactly what will happen is difficult.
"We can predict when Earth will cross a debris stream with pretty good accuracy," Cooke said. "The intensity of the display is less certain, though, because we don't know how much debris is in each stream."

When Earth plows into the debris, the bits hit the atmosphere and vaporize, creating sometimes dramatic streaks of light and the occasional fireball with a smoky-looking trail that can remain visible for several minutes.

The Leonid stream is moving in the opposite direction of Earth, producing impact speeds of 160,000 mph (72 kilometers per second) – higher than many other meteors.
"Such speeds tend to produce meteors with hues of white, blue, aquamarine and even green," says Joe Rao, SPACE.com's skywatching columnist.

How to watch


The best viewing will be in rural areas. Get out of town if you can. If you have local lights, scout a location in advance where the lights are blocked by a building, tree or hill.
Dress warmly, and take a blanket or lounge chair so you can lie back and scan as much of the sky as possible. "At this time of year, meteor watching can be a long, cold business," Rao reminds people.

Leonids can appear anywhere, but if you trace them back, they all point to a hub, or radiant, in the constellation Leo – hence the name.
Give your eyes 15 minutes to adjust to the darkness. Then give the show at least a half-hour. The hourly rates stated above typically come in bursts, with lulls that may test your patience. No special equipment is needed. Telescopes and binoculars are of no use because meteors move too quickly.

When to watch


Earth will pass through one of the denser debris streams at around 4 a.m. EST (1 a.m. PST) Tuesday. If you have only an hour or less to watch, center it around this time. Leo will be high in the sky for East Coast skywatchers, putting more meteors into view. In the West, Leo will be low in the eastern sky at this time, so fewer shooting stars will be above the horizon, and therefore Western skywatchers should also try to stick it out until daybreak.

Across Europe, the best bet is to watch anytime between 1 a.m. and daybreak local time.
The planet will pass through an even denser stream later, just before dawn Wednesday in Indonesia and China, but that show won't be visible from North America because it will be daytime here.

One truth about the Leonids: They always produce, and they sometimes produce spectacular, unforgettable fireballs.

Celebritty

What Were They Thinking?!

Kristen Stewart delivers a fashion faux pas in England, and the JoBros embarrass themselves in Italy.

When will Kristen Stewart buy a mirror and learn to pose? At the "Twilight Saga: New Moon" fan event in London, the woman best known as Bella Swan once again slouched her way down the arrivals line in an atrocious ensemble. Hopefully, she'll get her act together before the LA premiere next week!

BLACKBERRY

Phone phreaks await new BlackBerry

Singapore News:=


A new version of the touchscreen Storm smartphone by BlackBerry maker Research In Motion is due. According to the maker, the Storm2 device will retain the original smartphone capabilities of the original Storm, which had a clickable touchscreen interface.


New improvements will include faster typing and multitouch capabilities, which will allow users to type on more than just one part of the screen at a time.


The phone will also have Wi-Fi capability and 3G capability. The Ontario-based RIM is sure to find itself in competition with the iPhone by Apple. Apple is also expanding its smartphone's availability by offering it to a bigger number of wireless carriers

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4 things you should never do with your credit cards



4 Things You Should Never Do with Your Credit CardsSusan McCarthy, a financial adviser in Oklahoma City and author of The Value of Money, lists her top four credit card don'ts:

1. Don't make only the minimum payments. This stretches out your payment and, thanks to the interest, significantly increases your overall cost.

2. Don't carry too many cards. Multiple cards make it easier to rack up debt because it's harder to keep track of your spending. Having lots of cards isn't necessarily bad for your credit, but misusing them is. So limit your plastic to two national cards (store cards often carry higher interest rates) that you manage carefully.

3. Don't miss payment due dates. Not only will you be hit with a late fee-as high as $39 on some cards-but your interest rate could also jump. Sign up for online banking or pay over the phone if you're up against the deadline. (You may pay a processing fee, but it will probably be less than the late fee and the possible interest-rate hike.)

4. Don't take cash advances. These advances generally come with sky-high interest rates and service fees, making them a far too expensive way to get cash. Avoid at all costs.

:)

NBA great Abdul-Jabbar has rare form of leukemia


NEW YORK (AP)—Kareem Abdul-Jabbar is being treated for a rare form of leukemia, and the basketball great said his prognosis is encouraging.
The NBA’s all-time leading scorer was diagnosed last December with chronic myeloid leukemia, he told The Associated Press on Monday.
The 62-year-old Abdul-Jabbar said his doctor didn’t give any guarantees, but informed him: “You have a very good chance to live your life out and not have to make any drastic changes to your lifestyle.”
Abdul-Jabbar is taking an oral medication for the disease. He is a paid spokesman for the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis, which makes a drug that treats the illness.


Citing the way Los Angeles Lakers teammate Magic Johnson brought awareness to HIV, Abdul-Jabbar said he wants to do the same for his form of blood cancer, which can be fatal if left untreated.

“I’ve never been a person to share my private life. But I can help save lives,” he said at a midtown Manhattan conference room. “It’s incumbent on someone like me to talk about this.”
Abdul-Jabbar became concerned last year after feeling odd sensations. He went for tests at UCLA, where he dominated college basketball in the late 1960s, winning three straight NCAA championships from 1967-69.

“I was getting hot flashes and sweats on a regular basis,” he said. “That’s not normal, even for my age.”
An exam showed his white blood cell count was “sky high” and a doctor quickly diagnosed his condition. At first, all Abdul-Jabbar heard was the word “leukemia.”

“I was scared,” he said. “I thought it was all the same. I thought it could mean I have a month to live.”

“That was my first question,” he said. “Was I going to make it?”
A longtime student in martial arts, Abdul-Jabbar said he took the approach of a samurai, to face death without fear.

“I had my face on,” he said.

Instead, doctors told him CML was treatable with proper medication and monitoring.
Abdul-Jabbar is a special assistant with the Lakers and said he hasn’t had to cut back his level of activity of coaching, change his regimen or adjust his diet. “I’m able to sneak out for Thai food,” he said.

“There is hope. This condition can be treated. You can still live a productive, full life,” he said.

“I’m living proof I can make it.”

Abdul-Jabbar recently returned from an academic conference in Abu Dhabi and has several speaking engagements planned. Among the people he regularly talks to about his condition is his son, a third-year medical student at the University of California, San Francisco.

The six-time NBA MVP intends to post updates to his Facebook and Twitter accounts and stay connected through www.CMLearth.com, a Web site for those afflicted by the disease.

About 5,000 cases of CML are expected to be diagnosed in the United States this year, the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society said. More than 22,000 people are living in the US with the disease.

The disease tends to initially be diagnosed by people in their mid-to-late 60s, and usually affects men more than women.

“I want to spread the word,” Abdul-Jabbar said.