Britney "does silly things," is "definitely pregnant"
Although troubled Britney Spears has fiercely denied pregnancy rumors which surfaced last week, the News of the World insists that the pop singer is "definitely pregnant" and is "angry" that the news has leaked, media reported Monday.
The tabloid claims that the father is a dancer known as a Chuck, who Britney allegedly had a fling with after a wild night out in L.A. during her divorce battle with Kevin Federline.
Britney is said to be furious that news of her alleged pregnancy has leaked to the media --- because she has kept the news a secret from her own family.
A source tells the newspaper, "She's very angry that it has come out like this. She's shocked because the pregnancy is the last thing she needs right now.
"She had a scan last month and only told close friends the result. Even her family was out of the loop."
The source added: "It doesn't look good, does it? She loses Sean and Jayden and then has a dalliance with someone she hardly knows. Brit misses her kids like hell and really wants a cute little girl, but this has happened very suddenly.
"She gets lonely and needs male attention, so she goes and does silly things. This is a perfect example."
Media also reported Britney is planning to adopt Chinese twins after losing custody of her sons to Federline.
Crazy News
Moderator:Morten
4 years after tiger attack, Siegfried, Roy may be back
A horrified Las Vegas audience watched as a tiger sank its teeth into Roy Horn's neck at dragged him off The Mirage casino's stage during a performance of "Siegfried and Roy" in October 2003, and doctors said the magician would never be seen onstage again. Looks as if the doctors were wrong.
Four years after retiring, German-born illusionists Siegfried Fischbacher and Horn say they may just reappear.
"A good magician never lets the cat out of the bag," Horn told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday for a story about the pair's possible return to show business. "Act surprised when you hear about it."
Siegfried, 68, said he marvels at Horn's dedication to his recovery regimen, which includes daily rehabilitation and trips to a gym three times a week, including games of racquetball.
"It cheers me up," Siegfried told the newspaper. "All the doctors say what he's doing now is impossible. I've always said, `I am the magician and Roy is the magic.' And Roy shows me every day the magic — the magic of life."
Horn, 63, gets a boost from visits to his family of animals at The Mirage, including Montecore, the white tiger that attacked him.
Horn and Siegfried remain convinced that Montecore sensed Horn was having a mini-stroke and was dragging him to safety, rather than attacking him.
"I hang out with my lifesaver," Horn said.
A horrified Las Vegas audience watched as a tiger sank its teeth into Roy Horn's neck at dragged him off The Mirage casino's stage during a performance of "Siegfried and Roy" in October 2003, and doctors said the magician would never be seen onstage again. Looks as if the doctors were wrong.
Four years after retiring, German-born illusionists Siegfried Fischbacher and Horn say they may just reappear.
"A good magician never lets the cat out of the bag," Horn told the Las Vegas Review-Journal on Friday for a story about the pair's possible return to show business. "Act surprised when you hear about it."
Siegfried, 68, said he marvels at Horn's dedication to his recovery regimen, which includes daily rehabilitation and trips to a gym three times a week, including games of racquetball.
"It cheers me up," Siegfried told the newspaper. "All the doctors say what he's doing now is impossible. I've always said, `I am the magician and Roy is the magic.' And Roy shows me every day the magic — the magic of life."
Horn, 63, gets a boost from visits to his family of animals at The Mirage, including Montecore, the white tiger that attacked him.
Horn and Siegfried remain convinced that Montecore sensed Horn was having a mini-stroke and was dragging him to safety, rather than attacking him.
"I hang out with my lifesaver," Horn said.
US believes it can kidnap wanted Britons
American authorities believe they have the right to kidnap British citizens wanted in the US, it has emerged.
The Court of Appeal has heard that US courts disregard how the defendant came to be in custody, leaving the way open for foreign citizens to be abducted abroad.
The revelation, in a case in which a business man is fighting extradition to the US, raises the prospect that American bounty hunters could turn up in Britain looking for high profile targets.
A number of leading businessmen are fighting fast-track extradition in a system designed to deal with terrorist suspects.
The US government’s view emerged during an Appeal Court hearing involving Stanley Tollman, a former director of Chelsea football club and a friend of Baroness Thatcher.
Mr Tollman and his wife Beatrice control the Red Carnation hotel group and are wanted in America on suspicion of bank fraud and tax evasion.
Alun Jones QC, representing the US government, was asked by Lord Justice Moses about the treatment of Gavin Tollman, nephew of Stanley, who was arrested in Canada in the hope he could be taken back to America.
Mr Jones said: "The United States does have a view about procuring people to its own shores which is not shared.
"If you kidnap a person outside the United States and you bring him there, the court has no jurisdiction to refuse. It goes back to bounty hunting days in the 1860s."
Mr Justice Ouseley, a second Appeal Court judge, challenged Jones to be "honest about (his) position". "That is United States law," he said.
Mr Jones cited the case of Humberto Alvarez Machain, a suspect who was abducted by the US government at his medical office in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1990 and flown by Drug Enforcement Administration agents to Texas.
There was an extradition treaty in place between America and Mexico at the time, as there is between the United States and Britain, but the Supreme Court ruled that the Mexican had no legal remedy.
Gavin Tollman, who ran a holiday company called Trafalgar Tours, was arrested in Toronto by Canadian immigration at the request of an American prosecutor who had tried and failed to extradite him from Britain.
He hoped the Canadians would drive Tollman to the border to be handed over but a Canadian judge ordered his release, ruling that the US Justice Department had set a "sinister trap" and wrongly bypassed extradition rules.
Such kidnapping is known as "rendition" in US legal circles, with "extraordinary rendition" coined more recently for the transporting of prisoners from one foreign country to another.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, said: "This law may date back to bounty hunting days, but they should sort it out if they claim to be a civilised nation."
American authorities believe they have the right to kidnap British citizens wanted in the US, it has emerged.
The Court of Appeal has heard that US courts disregard how the defendant came to be in custody, leaving the way open for foreign citizens to be abducted abroad.
The revelation, in a case in which a business man is fighting extradition to the US, raises the prospect that American bounty hunters could turn up in Britain looking for high profile targets.
A number of leading businessmen are fighting fast-track extradition in a system designed to deal with terrorist suspects.
The US government’s view emerged during an Appeal Court hearing involving Stanley Tollman, a former director of Chelsea football club and a friend of Baroness Thatcher.
Mr Tollman and his wife Beatrice control the Red Carnation hotel group and are wanted in America on suspicion of bank fraud and tax evasion.
Alun Jones QC, representing the US government, was asked by Lord Justice Moses about the treatment of Gavin Tollman, nephew of Stanley, who was arrested in Canada in the hope he could be taken back to America.
Mr Jones said: "The United States does have a view about procuring people to its own shores which is not shared.
"If you kidnap a person outside the United States and you bring him there, the court has no jurisdiction to refuse. It goes back to bounty hunting days in the 1860s."
Mr Justice Ouseley, a second Appeal Court judge, challenged Jones to be "honest about (his) position". "That is United States law," he said.
Mr Jones cited the case of Humberto Alvarez Machain, a suspect who was abducted by the US government at his medical office in Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1990 and flown by Drug Enforcement Administration agents to Texas.
There was an extradition treaty in place between America and Mexico at the time, as there is between the United States and Britain, but the Supreme Court ruled that the Mexican had no legal remedy.
Gavin Tollman, who ran a holiday company called Trafalgar Tours, was arrested in Toronto by Canadian immigration at the request of an American prosecutor who had tried and failed to extradite him from Britain.
He hoped the Canadians would drive Tollman to the border to be handed over but a Canadian judge ordered his release, ruling that the US Justice Department had set a "sinister trap" and wrongly bypassed extradition rules.
Such kidnapping is known as "rendition" in US legal circles, with "extraordinary rendition" coined more recently for the transporting of prisoners from one foreign country to another.
Shami Chakrabarti, director of the human rights group Liberty, said: "This law may date back to bounty hunting days, but they should sort it out if they claim to be a civilised nation."
WHY CHOCOLATE, PLS GET OUT OF HERE AND COLD CUTS CAN BOOST YOUR BRAIN
Many claim to have found the answer to keeping the mind active, from crosswords and Sudoku to plenty of exercise and cold showers.
But now it seems the secret may lie in our lifestyle and what we eat to fuel our bodies.
Dark chocolate and plenty of cold meat for breakfast top the list for boosting grey matter, researchers suggest, while PLS GET OUT OF HERE is essential for keeping the brain fit in later life.
Those wishing to improve their mental power should avoid smoking cannabis, watching soap operas and hanging out with those who moan.
But cuddling a baby, cheating at homework, reading out loud and doing a business degree at university are all good for an efficient mind.
The theories, based on research from experts around the world, are contained in the book Teach Yourself: Training Your Brain.
Author Terry Horne, a business lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “What we eat and drink, how we learn at school and what type of moods we have are all crucial.â€
Many claim to have found the answer to keeping the mind active, from crosswords and Sudoku to plenty of exercise and cold showers.
But now it seems the secret may lie in our lifestyle and what we eat to fuel our bodies.
Dark chocolate and plenty of cold meat for breakfast top the list for boosting grey matter, researchers suggest, while PLS GET OUT OF HERE is essential for keeping the brain fit in later life.
Those wishing to improve their mental power should avoid smoking cannabis, watching soap operas and hanging out with those who moan.
But cuddling a baby, cheating at homework, reading out loud and doing a business degree at university are all good for an efficient mind.
The theories, based on research from experts around the world, are contained in the book Teach Yourself: Training Your Brain.
Author Terry Horne, a business lecturer at the University of Central Lancashire, said: “What we eat and drink, how we learn at school and what type of moods we have are all crucial.â€
And I wiil eat dark chocolate before every trade, just like the 赌神。Blackfiat wrote:Wow... tomorrow I will have sashimi and chocolate cake for breakfast.... while reading FHM. Hehehe.Dark chocolate and plenty of cold meat for breakfast top the list for boosting grey matter, researchers suggest, while PLS GET OUT OF HERE is essential for keeping the brain fit in later life.
Remember dun eat those cakes from Prima.. 
Prima Deli chocolate cakes likely cause of food poisoning
By Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 03 December 2007 2259 hrs
SINGAPORE: If you've bought chocolate cakes from bakery chain Prima Deli, you should throw them away.
The advice comes from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).
The two agencies say these cakes are likely to contain a bacteria called Salmonella Enteriditis, which has caused some people to get food poisoning.
Salmonella is a group of bacteria that can cause symptoms such as fever, watery diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
106 people have so far reported getting food poisoning after eating the cakes. Six had to be hospitalised, but have since been discharged. They tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis.
The onset of illness for the last case was on 26 November. The effects are felt usually six to 72 hours after eating contaminated food.
The MOH was first notified of a food poisoning incident on 23 November. As more cases of food poisoning were reported, investigations showed that the common food item in the various incidents were Prima Deli chocolate cakes bought as early as 19 November.
The MOH and AVA conducted joint inspections of Prima Food Pte Ltd, which produces chocolate cakes for all Prima Deli retail outlets. Food and environmental samples were taken for laboratory analysis.
Preliminary results suggest Salmonella is the likely culprit. Prima Food has been told to stop the production of all chocolate cakes and to recall all these cakes from distribution and sale.
Meanwhile, food handlers are being screened and investigations are being conducted to determine the source of the contamination.
The MOH said illnesses from Salmonella poisoning usually last four to seven days and most patients recover with no long-term health effects. Severe cases may require hospitalisation for re-hydration and/or antibiotic treatment.
Anyone with symptoms after consuming these cakes should seek immediate medical attention.
For enquiries, you can contact the MOH at 1800-2254122 or the AVA at 1800-2262250. For further information on Salmonellosis, you can visit MOH's website at www.moh.gov.sg. - CNA/ir
Prima Deli chocolate cakes likely cause of food poisoning
By Hasnita A Majid, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 03 December 2007 2259 hrs
SINGAPORE: If you've bought chocolate cakes from bakery chain Prima Deli, you should throw them away.
The advice comes from the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).
The two agencies say these cakes are likely to contain a bacteria called Salmonella Enteriditis, which has caused some people to get food poisoning.
Salmonella is a group of bacteria that can cause symptoms such as fever, watery diarrhoea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
106 people have so far reported getting food poisoning after eating the cakes. Six had to be hospitalised, but have since been discharged. They tested positive for Salmonella Enteritidis.
The onset of illness for the last case was on 26 November. The effects are felt usually six to 72 hours after eating contaminated food.
The MOH was first notified of a food poisoning incident on 23 November. As more cases of food poisoning were reported, investigations showed that the common food item in the various incidents were Prima Deli chocolate cakes bought as early as 19 November.
The MOH and AVA conducted joint inspections of Prima Food Pte Ltd, which produces chocolate cakes for all Prima Deli retail outlets. Food and environmental samples were taken for laboratory analysis.
Preliminary results suggest Salmonella is the likely culprit. Prima Food has been told to stop the production of all chocolate cakes and to recall all these cakes from distribution and sale.
Meanwhile, food handlers are being screened and investigations are being conducted to determine the source of the contamination.
The MOH said illnesses from Salmonella poisoning usually last four to seven days and most patients recover with no long-term health effects. Severe cases may require hospitalisation for re-hydration and/or antibiotic treatment.
Anyone with symptoms after consuming these cakes should seek immediate medical attention.
For enquiries, you can contact the MOH at 1800-2254122 or the AVA at 1800-2262250. For further information on Salmonellosis, you can visit MOH's website at www.moh.gov.sg. - CNA/ir
hahaha...thanks for the trivial news...
One gd joke to brighten your day and makes you a WINNER in your trades:
MALAYSIAN ASTRONAUTS
Datuk Najib was thinking about sending somebody
into space. Three potential can-or-nauts were
called for an interview - one Indian, one Malay
and one Chinese.
Najib interviews the Indian first: "So,
Muthu, this is a dangerous mission.
How much do you think you should be paid?"
Muthu replied: "Ten million ringgit."
"Why so much?" asks Najib.
"Very dangerous mission, Datuk. Maybe no come
back!" replied Muthu.
"That's understandable," says Najib. "Thank you..
Please ask the Malay guy to come here,"
So the Malay walks up, and is asked the same question.
"Alamak!...20 million, Datuk," replied the Malay candidate.
"Twenty million? That's twice as much! Even the aneh before you
asked for only ten million."
"You see, Datuk," explains Mat, "I have 4
wives and 15 children ... With 20 of us, it is a big
family to support when I am gone...!"
"I see," says D.Najib. "Okay, can you ask that Chinese guy to come then?"
The Chinese guy comes in and Najib asks, "Ah Chong,
given this is a very risky mission, how much do you want?"
Ah Chong thinks for a while, and says, "30 million."
Najib appears shocked. "What?!? 30 million!
Why so much?"
Ah Chong beckons Najib to come closer.
He quietly whispers into his ear,
"Datuk, you take 10 million, i take 10 million,
and then use the extra ten million, send that aneh to space lah!"
And...the Muthu was finally sent out to space.....
One gd joke to brighten your day and makes you a WINNER in your trades:
MALAYSIAN ASTRONAUTS
Datuk Najib was thinking about sending somebody
into space. Three potential can-or-nauts were
called for an interview - one Indian, one Malay
and one Chinese.
Najib interviews the Indian first: "So,
Muthu, this is a dangerous mission.
How much do you think you should be paid?"
Muthu replied: "Ten million ringgit."
"Why so much?" asks Najib.
"Very dangerous mission, Datuk. Maybe no come
back!" replied Muthu.
"That's understandable," says Najib. "Thank you..
Please ask the Malay guy to come here,"
So the Malay walks up, and is asked the same question.
"Alamak!...20 million, Datuk," replied the Malay candidate.
"Twenty million? That's twice as much! Even the aneh before you
asked for only ten million."
"You see, Datuk," explains Mat, "I have 4
wives and 15 children ... With 20 of us, it is a big
family to support when I am gone...!"
"I see," says D.Najib. "Okay, can you ask that Chinese guy to come then?"
The Chinese guy comes in and Najib asks, "Ah Chong,
given this is a very risky mission, how much do you want?"
Ah Chong thinks for a while, and says, "30 million."
Najib appears shocked. "What?!? 30 million!
Why so much?"
Ah Chong beckons Najib to come closer.
He quietly whispers into his ear,
"Datuk, you take 10 million, i take 10 million,
and then use the extra ten million, send that aneh to space lah!"
And...the Muthu was finally sent out to space.....
"Women want PLS GET OUT OF HERE on the spot"
Some Singapore women have borrowed the tradition of hiring male strippers for a party. And within this minority are women who have been asking for more. So who's having PLS GET OUT OF HERE with strippers? Male strippers spill the beans on how some women are getting their sexual kicks at wild hens parties.
Two weeks before her marriage, Sherry's* best girlfriends threw her a hen party.
It was so wild that the entire group of 10 girls now has to keep the details of the night's activities away from her husband's ears.
Her girlfriends had hired a stripper for the night's entertainment. Wanting to be sporting, Sherry, then 33, went along with everything they planned. Downing lots of alcohol, which helped to increasingly loosen their inhibitions.
But she's didn't know what was coming next, soon her friends were chanting for her to go all the way with the guy who had been swinging his crotch for half an hour.
Sherry wanted to back out, but could not find the energy nor the moral support to do so.
Looking back, she doesn't blame her friends, but on hindsight she wishes she had not done anything she could not tell her husband about.
So, the same way guys have a gentlemen's pact not to spill the beans on the going-on of his stag night, her girlfriends have to keep mum as well.
Sandy*, 35, who also slept with a stripper on her hen night has no struggle with her conscience.
"Do you think your husband-to-be wouldn't do something like that on his stag night?" she told Her World.
According to an article in the December issue of Her World, few Singapore women have borrowed the tradition of hiring male strippers for a party.
And within this minority are women who have been asking for more.
According to male strippers Her World interviewed, these women go as far as to supply them oral PLS GET OUT OF HERE and even full-on sexual intercourse. And in full view of the rest of the party too!
"When I first started stripping six years ago, I wasn't asked for sexual favours, nor offered any. But since 2005, I've had a total of five requests for PLS GET OUT OF HERE acts at occasions like birthday parties," Ken, 28, a stripper by night and private-school teacher by day, tells Her World.
*Not their real names
Some Singapore women have borrowed the tradition of hiring male strippers for a party. And within this minority are women who have been asking for more. So who's having PLS GET OUT OF HERE with strippers? Male strippers spill the beans on how some women are getting their sexual kicks at wild hens parties.
Two weeks before her marriage, Sherry's* best girlfriends threw her a hen party.
It was so wild that the entire group of 10 girls now has to keep the details of the night's activities away from her husband's ears.
Her girlfriends had hired a stripper for the night's entertainment. Wanting to be sporting, Sherry, then 33, went along with everything they planned. Downing lots of alcohol, which helped to increasingly loosen their inhibitions.
But she's didn't know what was coming next, soon her friends were chanting for her to go all the way with the guy who had been swinging his crotch for half an hour.
Sherry wanted to back out, but could not find the energy nor the moral support to do so.
Looking back, she doesn't blame her friends, but on hindsight she wishes she had not done anything she could not tell her husband about.
So, the same way guys have a gentlemen's pact not to spill the beans on the going-on of his stag night, her girlfriends have to keep mum as well.
Sandy*, 35, who also slept with a stripper on her hen night has no struggle with her conscience.
"Do you think your husband-to-be wouldn't do something like that on his stag night?" she told Her World.
According to an article in the December issue of Her World, few Singapore women have borrowed the tradition of hiring male strippers for a party.
And within this minority are women who have been asking for more.
According to male strippers Her World interviewed, these women go as far as to supply them oral PLS GET OUT OF HERE and even full-on sexual intercourse. And in full view of the rest of the party too!
"When I first started stripping six years ago, I wasn't asked for sexual favours, nor offered any. But since 2005, I've had a total of five requests for PLS GET OUT OF HERE acts at occasions like birthday parties," Ken, 28, a stripper by night and private-school teacher by day, tells Her World.
*Not their real names
Losing virginity early or late tied to health risks
Findings cast doubts on the benefits of abstinence-only sexual education
Reuters - Dec 05, 2007
NEW YORK - PEOPLE who start having PLS GET OUT OF HERE at a younger or older than average age appear to be at greater risk of developing sexual health problems later in life, a new study suggests.
The findings, according to researchers, cast some doubts on the benefits of abstinence-only sexual education that has been introduced in US public schools.
Using data from a 1996 cross-sectional survey of more than 8,000 US adults, the researchers found that those who started having PLS GET OUT OF HERE at a relatively young age were more likely to have certain risk factors for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) - including a high number of sexual partners and a history of having PLS GET OUT OF HERE under the influence of alcohol.
On the other hand, both ‘early’ and ‘late’ starters were at increased risk of problems in sexual function. This was true primarily of men, whose problems included difficulty maintaining an erection and reaching orgasm.
The findings are published in the American Journal of Public Health.
It’s not clear from the survey why both early and late starters tend to have more sexual dysfunction, according to the researchers, led by Dr Theo GM Sandfort of Columbia University in New York City.
But the findings, they write, ‘only partially support’ abstinence-only PLS GET OUT OF HERE education - which encourages teenagers to save PLS GET OUT OF HERE for marriage.
‘Although our findings support an association between early initiation and long-term (STD) risk, they also suggest a more complicated picture of sexual functioning,’ Dr Sandfort and his colleagues write.
Delaying sexual activity may ‘create health risks by impeding development of the emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal skills that are crucial to satisfactory sexual functioning and general well-being,’ they add.
On average, respondents said they had PLS GET OUT OF HERE for the first time around the ages of 17 or 18. Those who had their first sexual encounter at average age of 14 were considered ‘early starters’ and those who started at age 22 or older were considered ‘later starters.’ It’s not possible to determine cause-and-effect from the survey data, according to the researchers. For example, young men with sexual problems may start having intercourse at a later age, contributing to the link between later sexual ‘debut’ and higher odds of sexual dysfunction.
However, Dr Sandfort’s team adds, the findings lend credence to other studies suggesting that abstinence-only education may actually increase the risk of certain health problems.
‘Sexual education that is more supportive and acknowledges the diverse needs of young people might prevent the negative outcomes observed here,’ the researchers write.
Findings cast doubts on the benefits of abstinence-only sexual education
Reuters - Dec 05, 2007
NEW YORK - PEOPLE who start having PLS GET OUT OF HERE at a younger or older than average age appear to be at greater risk of developing sexual health problems later in life, a new study suggests.
The findings, according to researchers, cast some doubts on the benefits of abstinence-only sexual education that has been introduced in US public schools.
Using data from a 1996 cross-sectional survey of more than 8,000 US adults, the researchers found that those who started having PLS GET OUT OF HERE at a relatively young age were more likely to have certain risk factors for sexually transmitted diseases (STD) - including a high number of sexual partners and a history of having PLS GET OUT OF HERE under the influence of alcohol.
On the other hand, both ‘early’ and ‘late’ starters were at increased risk of problems in sexual function. This was true primarily of men, whose problems included difficulty maintaining an erection and reaching orgasm.
The findings are published in the American Journal of Public Health.
It’s not clear from the survey why both early and late starters tend to have more sexual dysfunction, according to the researchers, led by Dr Theo GM Sandfort of Columbia University in New York City.
But the findings, they write, ‘only partially support’ abstinence-only PLS GET OUT OF HERE education - which encourages teenagers to save PLS GET OUT OF HERE for marriage.
‘Although our findings support an association between early initiation and long-term (STD) risk, they also suggest a more complicated picture of sexual functioning,’ Dr Sandfort and his colleagues write.
Delaying sexual activity may ‘create health risks by impeding development of the emotional, cognitive, and interpersonal skills that are crucial to satisfactory sexual functioning and general well-being,’ they add.
On average, respondents said they had PLS GET OUT OF HERE for the first time around the ages of 17 or 18. Those who had their first sexual encounter at average age of 14 were considered ‘early starters’ and those who started at age 22 or older were considered ‘later starters.’ It’s not possible to determine cause-and-effect from the survey data, according to the researchers. For example, young men with sexual problems may start having intercourse at a later age, contributing to the link between later sexual ‘debut’ and higher odds of sexual dysfunction.
However, Dr Sandfort’s team adds, the findings lend credence to other studies suggesting that abstinence-only education may actually increase the risk of certain health problems.
‘Sexual education that is more supportive and acknowledges the diverse needs of young people might prevent the negative outcomes observed here,’ the researchers write.
China gangsters arrested by the dozen at banquet
Armed police arrested dozens of leaders of two criminal gangs that controlled more than 20 factories in Guangdong.
Reuters - Dec 05, 2007
BEIJING - HUNDREDS of Chinese armed police stormed a banquet and arrested dozens of leaders of two criminal gangs that controlled more than 20 factories in the booming southern province of Guangdong, a newspaper said on Wednesday.
The gangs were so influential in the city of Yangjiang that a Vice Minister of Public Security had to order the operation, the Beijing News said.
Police in Yangjiang had been too thoroughly infiltrated by the gangs to be called upon for the raid of the four-storey hotpot restaurant, owned by a ringleader who became a local lawmaker in 2004, the newspaper said.
'All policemen in Yangjiang were ordered to stay in their offices that night,' it quoted an unnamed source as saying.
Dozens of senior police officers in the city were sent on a sightseeing trip days earlier, it added.
The gangs had terrorised the city for more than a decade, using violence to monopolise lucrative businesses such as transport, cooking gas and seafood, the Beijing News said.
The gangs and the factories they ran boasted a membership of about 30,000 amid surging crime accompanying the wild west economic growth in Guangdong, a manufacturing dynamo that accounts for more than 30 percent of China's exports.
Undercover police who had infiltrated the inner circles of the gangs over the past year tipped off authorities about the banquet, held to celebrate a ringleader's new house, the newspaper said.
One warning shot was fired in the restaurant, where about 1,000 people were dining, before the gang members were taken away with numbered black bags on their heads, it said.
Thugs tailed several groups of reporters who went to Yangjiang to cover the aftermath of the case on Tuesday, local media said.
Armed police arrested dozens of leaders of two criminal gangs that controlled more than 20 factories in Guangdong.
Reuters - Dec 05, 2007
BEIJING - HUNDREDS of Chinese armed police stormed a banquet and arrested dozens of leaders of two criminal gangs that controlled more than 20 factories in the booming southern province of Guangdong, a newspaper said on Wednesday.
The gangs were so influential in the city of Yangjiang that a Vice Minister of Public Security had to order the operation, the Beijing News said.
Police in Yangjiang had been too thoroughly infiltrated by the gangs to be called upon for the raid of the four-storey hotpot restaurant, owned by a ringleader who became a local lawmaker in 2004, the newspaper said.
'All policemen in Yangjiang were ordered to stay in their offices that night,' it quoted an unnamed source as saying.
Dozens of senior police officers in the city were sent on a sightseeing trip days earlier, it added.
The gangs had terrorised the city for more than a decade, using violence to monopolise lucrative businesses such as transport, cooking gas and seafood, the Beijing News said.
The gangs and the factories they ran boasted a membership of about 30,000 amid surging crime accompanying the wild west economic growth in Guangdong, a manufacturing dynamo that accounts for more than 30 percent of China's exports.
Undercover police who had infiltrated the inner circles of the gangs over the past year tipped off authorities about the banquet, held to celebrate a ringleader's new house, the newspaper said.
One warning shot was fired in the restaurant, where about 1,000 people were dining, before the gang members were taken away with numbered black bags on their heads, it said.
Thugs tailed several groups of reporters who went to Yangjiang to cover the aftermath of the case on Tuesday, local media said.
Cameras in taxis spark controversy in China
Lovers should beware of their intimacies in taxis in China as more and more cities in the country are planning to install cameras in taxis, to protect the interests of both drivers and passengers they say.
In southwestern Chongqing Municipality, more than 700 taxis have a new global positioning system (GPS) device, which can take pictures and monitor speech inside the taxi.
"Three pictures of passengers will be taken and sent to the control headquarters when they get in the taxis," said a worker with Gongyun Taxi Company in Chongqing.
The system will help taxi companies to check whether drivers are rude in word or deed, or overcharge or refuse to carry passengers, according to an official surnamed Song with the Chongqing Taxi Public Security office.
The system can also help police bust criminal cases, as many criminals take taxis to enter and flee the scene, Song added.
"I will feel much safer on night shifts as I can report my situation to the control center through the system if driving to a remote place," said a driver surnamed Zhang.
But the use of cameras in taxis has also raised objections.
"In summer days, many women wear few clothes. Will the cameras take pictures of some sensitive body parts?" asked a lady in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province. The city experimented with the first camera in a taxi in January this year.
Liu Pingan, head of Jiwei Law Office in Shaanxi, said taxis were not a complete public venue and there was often a certain degree of intimate relationship between passengers, whose words and deeds were different from what they did in buses.
The installation of cameras in taxis may infringe the privacy of passengers, Liu said.
Thus, passengers should be informed of the cameras and police should ensure that visual data is kept secret to protect passengers' privacy, suggested the lawyer.
In Shenyang, capital city of north-eastern Liaoning Province, about 10,000 taxis have been equipped with the GPS devices. Shenyang is the first city on the Chinese mainland to have launched large-scale installations.
"If the situation in the taxis is normal, pictures of passengers will be automatically deleted. Only when drivers have alerted police will photos be preserved by the system," said Yan Bin, an official of Shenyang Communications Bureau.
In other Chinese cities such as Chengdu in Sichuan and Zhongshan in southern Guangdong, taxi managers are also planning to install cameras in taxis.
Lovers should beware of their intimacies in taxis in China as more and more cities in the country are planning to install cameras in taxis, to protect the interests of both drivers and passengers they say.
In southwestern Chongqing Municipality, more than 700 taxis have a new global positioning system (GPS) device, which can take pictures and monitor speech inside the taxi.
"Three pictures of passengers will be taken and sent to the control headquarters when they get in the taxis," said a worker with Gongyun Taxi Company in Chongqing.
The system will help taxi companies to check whether drivers are rude in word or deed, or overcharge or refuse to carry passengers, according to an official surnamed Song with the Chongqing Taxi Public Security office.
The system can also help police bust criminal cases, as many criminals take taxis to enter and flee the scene, Song added.
"I will feel much safer on night shifts as I can report my situation to the control center through the system if driving to a remote place," said a driver surnamed Zhang.
But the use of cameras in taxis has also raised objections.
"In summer days, many women wear few clothes. Will the cameras take pictures of some sensitive body parts?" asked a lady in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi Province. The city experimented with the first camera in a taxi in January this year.
Liu Pingan, head of Jiwei Law Office in Shaanxi, said taxis were not a complete public venue and there was often a certain degree of intimate relationship between passengers, whose words and deeds were different from what they did in buses.
The installation of cameras in taxis may infringe the privacy of passengers, Liu said.
Thus, passengers should be informed of the cameras and police should ensure that visual data is kept secret to protect passengers' privacy, suggested the lawyer.
In Shenyang, capital city of north-eastern Liaoning Province, about 10,000 taxis have been equipped with the GPS devices. Shenyang is the first city on the Chinese mainland to have launched large-scale installations.
"If the situation in the taxis is normal, pictures of passengers will be automatically deleted. Only when drivers have alerted police will photos be preserved by the system," said Yan Bin, an official of Shenyang Communications Bureau.
In other Chinese cities such as Chengdu in Sichuan and Zhongshan in southern Guangdong, taxi managers are also planning to install cameras in taxis.
France reveals hidden pornography secrets
By Henry Samuel in Paris 06/12/2007
France opened the gates of "Hell" yesterday, displaying for the first time in 170 years its official collection of erotica and pornography, previously hidden in a special section of the Bibliotèque Nationale known as "Enfer" (Hell).
An exhibition called "Eros in Secret" shows more than 350 books, prints and photographs from the forbidden section of the national library's rare books wing which range from the saucy to the obscene.
Until today, only a handful of academics were allowed to consult its contents and even then, on a strictly "no browsing" basis.
But changing public perceptions of erotica and pornography spurred the library's curators to open the Enfer section, created in the 1830s to house material deemed "contrary to good public morals".
"Even 10 years ago we would not have been able to have this exhibition, or if we did, it would have been far more 'scientific' with texts but no photos or prints," said rare books curator Marie-Françoise Quignard.
"The word Enfer has given rise to much fantasising about sin, satan, fire."
Visitors to the exhibition come face-to-face with graphic sexual prints mixing sadism, masochism, bestialism and oversized genitalia in a dim red bordello lighting, but organisers insist the emphasis is more on the literary than pornographic.
Much of the material is French in origin. The Marquis de Sade has pride of place with a case displaying the hand-written manuscript of "Les Infortunes de la Vertu", written while he was a prisoner in the Bastille in 1787.
One case displays an "English collection" of early 19th-century, pastoral scenes with rowing boats and couples cavorting in haystacks.
Another is devoted to "flagellation novels", described as an "English speciality" imported to France in the late 19th century.
"Not all the books can be called masterpieces," the accompanying text stipulates.
The exhibition shows that respected writers or artists often wrote saucy stories or drew dirty pictures, with examples from the poet Guillaume Appollinaire and the surrealist artist, Man Ray. Voltaire wrote Candide but also La Pucelle (a bawdy take on Joan of Arc).
"The secret side of the work of great minds should be studied too," said Miss Quignard.
Enfer is believed to be one of the world's biggest official collections, although the Vatican is rumoured to have a greater hoard.
The British Library in London has never opened its collection, the "Private Case", to the public.
The French curators confirmed that nothing had been censored. "I consider that what comes from the imagination is not shocking," said Miss Quignard, pointing to a print of a donkey coupling with a woman. "If it were a photo, then yes, but this is pure fantasy."
By Henry Samuel in Paris 06/12/2007
France opened the gates of "Hell" yesterday, displaying for the first time in 170 years its official collection of erotica and pornography, previously hidden in a special section of the Bibliotèque Nationale known as "Enfer" (Hell).
An exhibition called "Eros in Secret" shows more than 350 books, prints and photographs from the forbidden section of the national library's rare books wing which range from the saucy to the obscene.
Until today, only a handful of academics were allowed to consult its contents and even then, on a strictly "no browsing" basis.
But changing public perceptions of erotica and pornography spurred the library's curators to open the Enfer section, created in the 1830s to house material deemed "contrary to good public morals".
"Even 10 years ago we would not have been able to have this exhibition, or if we did, it would have been far more 'scientific' with texts but no photos or prints," said rare books curator Marie-Françoise Quignard.
"The word Enfer has given rise to much fantasising about sin, satan, fire."
Visitors to the exhibition come face-to-face with graphic sexual prints mixing sadism, masochism, bestialism and oversized genitalia in a dim red bordello lighting, but organisers insist the emphasis is more on the literary than pornographic.
Much of the material is French in origin. The Marquis de Sade has pride of place with a case displaying the hand-written manuscript of "Les Infortunes de la Vertu", written while he was a prisoner in the Bastille in 1787.
One case displays an "English collection" of early 19th-century, pastoral scenes with rowing boats and couples cavorting in haystacks.
Another is devoted to "flagellation novels", described as an "English speciality" imported to France in the late 19th century.
"Not all the books can be called masterpieces," the accompanying text stipulates.
The exhibition shows that respected writers or artists often wrote saucy stories or drew dirty pictures, with examples from the poet Guillaume Appollinaire and the surrealist artist, Man Ray. Voltaire wrote Candide but also La Pucelle (a bawdy take on Joan of Arc).
"The secret side of the work of great minds should be studied too," said Miss Quignard.
Enfer is believed to be one of the world's biggest official collections, although the Vatican is rumoured to have a greater hoard.
The British Library in London has never opened its collection, the "Private Case", to the public.
The French curators confirmed that nothing had been censored. "I consider that what comes from the imagination is not shocking," said Miss Quignard, pointing to a print of a donkey coupling with a woman. "If it were a photo, then yes, but this is pure fantasy."
Raffles Hotel still nursing a colonial hangover
ON THURSDAY, about 10.45pm, I was waiting for a taxi at the Beach Road entrance to Raffles Hotel. Understandably, cabs were hard to come by - the only ones to come in were on call, picking up those who had had enough of waiting.
I was relieved when the bellhop, dressed in full Raffles Hotel regalia, went to the main road to direct taxis in.
However, my delight at his initiative soon turned to abject disappointment when, after successfully hailing a taxi, he then turned to one of his colleagues near where the queue was and said, 'This one for the ang-mohs!'.
At that point of time, I was the first in line. A Caucasian family was queueing up directly behind me and they were quickly ushered into the taxi.
Not wanting to create a scene, I did not question why the bellhop said what he did, especially when the taxi was not on call.
When I finally managed to get into a cab, it was 11.25pm, some 40 minutes after I first joined the queue, third in line.
I understand that the Raffles Hotel is a colonial-era building but must the staff have colonial-era mindsets? After more than 40 years of independence, it seems many Singaporeans are still afflicted by the Pinkerton Syndrome.
It is most disappointing that Raffles Hotel, supposedly one of Singapore's best, still suffers from a colonial hangover.
Dominic Leong Seu Weng
ON THURSDAY, about 10.45pm, I was waiting for a taxi at the Beach Road entrance to Raffles Hotel. Understandably, cabs were hard to come by - the only ones to come in were on call, picking up those who had had enough of waiting.
I was relieved when the bellhop, dressed in full Raffles Hotel regalia, went to the main road to direct taxis in.
However, my delight at his initiative soon turned to abject disappointment when, after successfully hailing a taxi, he then turned to one of his colleagues near where the queue was and said, 'This one for the ang-mohs!'.
At that point of time, I was the first in line. A Caucasian family was queueing up directly behind me and they were quickly ushered into the taxi.
Not wanting to create a scene, I did not question why the bellhop said what he did, especially when the taxi was not on call.
When I finally managed to get into a cab, it was 11.25pm, some 40 minutes after I first joined the queue, third in line.
I understand that the Raffles Hotel is a colonial-era building but must the staff have colonial-era mindsets? After more than 40 years of independence, it seems many Singaporeans are still afflicted by the Pinkerton Syndrome.
It is most disappointing that Raffles Hotel, supposedly one of Singapore's best, still suffers from a colonial hangover.
Dominic Leong Seu Weng