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ANYWAY, ANYWHERE... RONNIE JAMES DIO HAS STOMACH CANCER Wendy Dio, the wife and manager of legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio, 67, has released the following statement to Blabbermouth.net, Nov 25: "Ronnie has been diagnosed with the early stages of stomach cancer. We are starting treatment immediately at the Mayo Clinic. After he kills this dragon, Ronnie will be back on stage, where he belongs, doing what he loves best, performing for his fans. Long live rock and roll, long live Ronnie James Dio."
Is it my imagination, or does Mitch Bainwol bear an uncanny resemblance to John Lovett, who's "the Liar" SNL skit might be the basis for everything ever uttered by the RIAA? Coming soon... Live! Music Review makes an irreverent return through the pages of the BigO website with archival text, updates and legal downloads approved by artists - not the RIAA. Click on the banner to read Bill Glahn, founder and publisher of Live! Music Review.
Philip Cohen might be a name familiar especially to serious music fans. A longtime music fan himself, Cohen was an information contributor to the now-defunct ICE Magazine and compiled the boxsets for The Yardbirds, The Small Faces, Humble Pie and Nice. He has recently offered to share some of the rarities in his collection with BigO readers and the first is the two-CD The Yardbirds' Little Games Session Tapes (visit www.bigozine2.com). These are unreleased rough mixes and studio sessions, from excellent soundboards; and we are sharing them as high quality mp3s (320 kbps). Look out for Manfred Mann, Boston and John Entwistle rarities from the Philip Cohen Collection to be featured on the BigO site in the coming weeks. And for that we are all grateful and thankful to Philip Cohen for his generosity. DOLLY PARTON (?) FOR GLASTONBURY 2010... AND U2 If you're undecided whether to take a trip in June to Glastonbury,
then Dolly Parton's first appearance at the biggest European Festival might
change your mind. Of course, you'll be rubbing shoulders with U2's fans as well
among the 180,000 festival goers. Anyway, Parton like Pavement, Vampire
Weekend, the Rolling Stones, Robert Plant and Dizzee Rascal are just rumoured
to appear. What's confirmed are headliners U2. But then you've seen them already. Gibson Guitars is being investigated by US police for allegedly
using illegal wood to make its instruments. Federal agents Nov 21 seized wood,
computers, files and guitars from the company's Massman Road manufacturing
facility in Nashville, Tennessee. They were seeking evidence that Gibson
shipped illegal rosewood from Madagascar via Germany.
Under America's Lacey Act firms are barred from bringing
Madagascan rosewood into the US due to corruption and environmental issues,
reports The Guardian. But it's OK to bomb Iraq into the primordial age.
THE CHEAP SEATS
Have you noticed how entertaining music award shows are getting?
For a start, they're mostly free-to-air broadcasts or found on a cable channel.
The format is HDTV friendly and with excellent video and surround audio. The
big stars all come out together. So you can practically save $$$ from concert
tickets.
Next year's BRITs Awards have already snagged New York superstar
rapper Jay-Z and possibly his wife Beyonce. Others are expected to follow. From
MTV to CMT to AMA and the Grammys, these award shows are now a must-watch for
those who can't afford concert tickets. The BRITs takes place at London's Earls
Court Exhibition Centre on Feb 16. Stay at home, save $$$.
NEW BUSINESS IDEA: POLANSKI
BAIL
The $wiss have decided to grant bail to film director Roman Polanski
who is a fugitive running from a US charge of having sex with a 13-year-old
girl in 1977, 32 years ago. Why did the $wiss arrest Polanski, who previously
had no problems entering and leaving Switzerland? On Nov 25, $wiss authorities
announced they would grant bail to Polanski. The amount was US$4.5 million.
Should Polanski jump bail, the money will be forfeited. Heh.
The $wiss Justice Minister said she saw no reason to appeal the
surprise decision by the $wiss Criminal Court. $wiss legal experts had said
earlier that Polanski's chances of bail were slim, and even U.S. authorities
expressed confidence that a $wiss court wouldn't grant his release. "Cash
is king," said Peter Cosandey, a former Zurich prosecutor. Still, he said
he could "hardly remember a case where bail is granted to someone who
isn't even a full-time $wiss resident."
SPIELBERG'S TINTIN NEEDS
TWO YEARS COMPUTER ANIMATION WORK TO COMPLETE
Steven Spielberg's 3D film Tintin is completed but according to
producer Peter Jackson, it will take another two years to finish the computer
animation for this stop-motion, 3D-MOTION PICTURE. But Jackson gave a cautious
welcome to 3D, saying it "only adds to the experience" of watching a
movie.
"The only thing I get annoyed about is the image being a
little dull. It does feel like you're looking at the movie with sunglasses on.
But literally, that could just be about getting brighter bulbs in the
projectors." The future of 3D is not so bright. $ingapore's PAP government
has invested $$$ into 3D hoping it will be the next big thing. Take a number
and wait your turn.
DYLAN'S X'MAS DINNER
REVEALED
Since Bob Dylan is channelling all revenue from his first
Christmas album, Christmas In The Heart, to the Feeding America charity, Street
Newspaper's Bill Flannigan asked him what was his ideal Christmas dinner?
"Mashed potatoes and gravy, roast turkey and collard greens,
turnip greens, biscuit dressing, corn bread and cranberry sauce." Feel
like Bob Dylan already? Dylan also said Feeding America "gets food straight
to the people. No military organization, no bureaucracy, no governments to deal
with."
LIGHT MY FIRE, IT'S
BRIGHTER
Energy-efficient light bulbs lose on average 22 per cent of their
brightness over their lifetime, a study has found. In some cases they emit just
60 per cent as much light as traditional models which are being phased out of
shops, it says. The study in Engineering and Technology magazine concluded that
consumers were being misled by the bulbs' packaging. Of the 18 energy-saving
bulbs tested over 10,000 hours by the Institution of Engineering and
Technology, three stopped altogether. The magazine's editor, Dickon Ross, told
the BBC that packaging claims about the power of the bulbs did not live up to
what they delivered in terms of people's perceptions of light. Traditional
bulbs lose no more than 7 per cent of their brightness by the time they burn
out, equivalent to about 2,000 hours from first use. But the new energy-saving
models, known as compact fluorescent bulbs, use up to 80 per cent less
electricity than traditional bulbs. Critics, however, claim they can trigger
migraines, make skin conditions worse and lead to other health problems. - BBC,
sometimes they do pass on useful news.
NEW BLU-RAY/DVDs ACROSS THE
CAUSEWAY
Here are some new Blu-ray and DVD releases from across the
Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following titles were released
November 21, 2009. It should be pointed out that these Blu-ray DVDs sold in
Malaysia are NOT true Blu-rays as they have gig sizes that fit a dual-layer
DVD9. Buy at your own risk:
"What's the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile... So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE..." - $ingapore's National Anthem. DYLAN, VOICE OF NEXT GENERATION GPS? Horrors! Bob Dylan is "talking to a couple of car companies" about becoming the voice of their GPS system. Renowned for his raspy, nasally tones, the 68-year-old American gave BBC listeners on Sunday a taster of what his directions might sound like. "Left at the next street. No, right. You know what? Just go straight." He continued: "I probably shouldn't do it because whichever way I go, I always end up at one place - on Lonely Avenue. Luckily I'm not totally alone. Ray Charles beat me there." GPS satellite-navigation devices are becoming automatic accessories in new cars but not sleighs...
"Bob Dylan will release a brand new album of holiday songs, Christmas In The Heart, on Tuesday, October 13, it was announced today by Columbia Records. All of the artist's U.S. royalties from sales of these recordings will be donated to Feeding America, guaranteeing that more than four million meals will be provided to more than 1.4 million people in need in this country during this year's holiday season. This will be the 47th album from Bob Dylan. Songs performed by Dylan on this new album include, "Here Comes Santa Claus," "Winter Wonderland," "Little Drummer Boy" and "Must Be Santa." Royalties? Well, it's not as much as if Dylan had written these songs. Is that a "Hallmark" postcard for a cover? BEATLES MONO BOX SOLD-OUT AT MOST RETAILERS With only two weeks to go now before the Beatles Remastered hits store shelves, fans report that the Beatles Remastered Mono Box Set, which will be available in limited quantities, is no longer available for pre-order on the web sites of Best Buy, Costco, Barnes And Noble and Wal-Mart. Best Buy is now listing the Mono Box as being available as an "Import", however, it is listed with a retail price of US$703.98 and a sale price of US$563.18. (The final Amazon price for the Mono Box set was US$229.49.) The same with Borders who list the Japanese import Mono Box at US$700. In addition, Best Buy is listing delivery date for this import as 9/15, about a week after the Remasters' delivery date of Sept 9. It is unknown whether or not
these retailers have separate allotments of the Mono Box for their "brick
and mortar" stores, and if they will have copies in their stores of the
box sets even though they are no longer selling them on their web sites.
August 25, 2009: A $ingapore man with a history of chronic lung disease, heart disease and congestive cardiac failure became Singapore's 13th swine flu victim. The 80-year-old died at National University Hospital (NUH) on Monday. $ingapore now has three times more deaths than a similar sized city-state like Hong Kong, which has reported only four deaths to date. $ingapore's health ministry said the number of flu patients had dropped from some 20,435 for the week starting August 2, to 15,486 for the week starting August 9. $ingapore does not distinguish between common flu and swine flu but have said more than 50% of the cases are probably swine flu victims. $ingapore no longer reveals the number of swine flu infections. Its final update was on
July 7. There is no way of telling how widespread swine flu has dispersed in
$ingapore. Hong Kong, by comparison, has continued to reveal all figures including the total number of swine flu victims which at August 25 stands at 9,756 with 4 deaths. $ingapore's health minister Khaw announced more than one and a half-month's ago on July 12 that the swine flu infection rate would decline in "two weeks". He is paid a multi-million dollar salary including an undisclosed "performance bonus". MUMBAI CALL CENTRE GETS BOMB THREAT CALL FOR $INGAPORE AIRLINES ($Q 227) MELBOURNE FLIGHT It's now been reported that last week's bomb threat was received by a Mumbai call centre for the Melbourne-bound $ingapore Airlines flight $Q 227. The $IA spokesperson said the tape of the call has been handed over to police for investigation. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/news/city/mumbai/Mumbai-call-centre-gets-bomb-threat-call-for-Singapore-flight/articleshow/4913484.cms ARE YOU AWARE OF THIS UPCOMING LESBIAN SCENE? Natalie Portman and Mila
Kunis will reportedly share a steamy lesbian sex scene in Darren Aronofsky's
new upcoming thriller 'Black Swan'. The girls, who play ballerinas in the film,
share an X-rated lesbian scene that ScriptShadow.com describes as "ecstasy-induced, hungry aggressive,
angry sex." With or without their tutus? TED NUGENT GETS THE BOOT From Ted Nugent: "Just been fired from Waco Trib (an American newspaper). Now they will have to rely on their other New York Times Best Sellers, and array of clever and diverse journalists to convey their diverse & tolerant point(s) of view. Here's my Teditorial after being told to not criticize in my Sunday features that they chose to not run." I'll Take Freedom of Speech and Freedom of the Press for $100,
Alex When the Nazis had the Americans surrounded in the town of Bastogne, they demanded American General McAuliffe surrender or they would level the city. General McAuliffe's reply: Nuts! The new editor of the Waco Trib recently told me that I could only write nice things about people, that I could not be critical. Basically, that I need to tone it down. I can not, nor will not, comply with this Romper Room request. My reply: Nuts! The editor is wrong to try and muzzle my opinions. As a columnist, I express my opinions. That's what columnists do. That's also the charge of an independent and free press. The job of the press is to be the "fourth" arm of government. To intentionally muzzle itself is to fail at its most basic watchdog responsibility. As readers, voters and citizens we should demand a watchdog press, not a lapdog press... This newspaper and others should encourage spirited and lively debate and criticism, especially when so many newspapers are losing subscribers. I don't support milquetoast journalism. It bores me. You are free to disagree with my opinions. In fact, I encourage those of you who do to fill the letters to the editor page of this newspaper. I revel in open debate. That's the America I know and love. Express yourself, Texas. Lay it on the line. Give it your best shot. Be bold in your disagreement... ...Failing to criticize emboldens politicians to stay on course regardless how many icebergs are dead ahead. Political correctness is the cancer of journalism, not its cure... Read the rest here. Ted, you've never lived in $heep City, $ingapore yet. FLOSS? IT'S NOT WHAT, IT'S THE WHO According to a blog post on The Who's official site, Pete Townshend is currently putting together a musical called Floss that's apparently "in the style of Tommy and Quadrophenia" and "intended for outdoor performance, or arenas." He writes Floss will premiere in 2011 (possibly in New York City) and some of the musical's songs will end up on the next Who album, due in 2010. Floss's plot revolves around a rock musician husband who "returns to music after a 15-year hiatus, and finds that what he composes evokes the ecologically rooted, apocalyptic mindset of his generation." A WHAT-THE-****-IS-THE-WORLD-COMING-TO? MOMENT A 32-year-old woman has been found guilty of the rape of another woman by the Gothenburg District Court in Sweden reports Swedish English-language paper The Local in August. The 32-year-old attacked the young woman in April at the Redbergsplatsen square, located in the city's Olskroken district. Having pulled her victim to the ground by her hair, the 32-year-old straddled the other woman and inserted several fingers into her vagina. Elisabet Kwarnmark, a psychologist and psychotherapist who has worked with sex criminals for three decades, said cases of this kind were practically unheard of. It was the first time she had ever come across the rape of a woman by another woman in Sweden. http://www.thelocal.se/21172/20090807/ MICHAEL JACKSON'S DEATH, A HOMICIDE The LA Times has reported that Michael Jackson died of "lethal levels" of the anesthetic propofol, allegedly administered by Jackson's doctor, Conrad Murray. Apparently Dr "Death" may have given Jackson valium, lorazepam, midazolam, and propofol on the night he died. And the coroner's report also says Dr Murray waited 82 minutes to call paramedics after finding Jackson not breathing in his bed. When the autopsy report is made public, there'll surely be more revelations. The LA Times report says Jackson's death has been ruled a "homicide". ELLIE GREENWICH R.I.P. 1940-2009 Songwriter Ellie Greenwich, who helped shape pop music in the 1960s with such memorable tunes as "Chapel of Love" and "Da Doo Ron Ron," died of a heart attack at a New York hospital on Aug 26, her manager said. She was 68. The Brooklyn-born writer joined forces with producer Phil Spector and her then-husband Jeff Barry to compose elaborately crafted "Wall of Sound" tunes for the likes of the Crystals and the Ronettes, just as the Beatles were about to lead a shift away from outside songwriters. Working out of New York's famed Brill Building, a haven for singer/songwriters, she also shepherded a young performer named Neil Diamond, producing his early hits "Cherry, Cherry" and "Kentucky Woman." LARRY KNECHTEL R.I.P. 1940-2009 Bread's keyboardist and multi-talented session man, Larry Knechtel, has died age 69. Knechtel passed away August 20 at Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital of an apparent heart attack. He earned a Grammy award for his arrangement of Simon and Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water," played keyboard on the Dixie Chicks' Grammy award-winning album "Taking the Long Way". The in-demand session man has performed live and in studio recordings with a wide range of artists, including Neil Diamond, Randy Newman, Ray Charles, The Beach Boys, The Doors, Elvis Presley, Hank Williams Jr. and Elvis Costello. Knechtel's career spanned from being a member of Duane Eddy's band to a stint with Phil Spector. In 1971, he joined Bread and played the memorable solo on The Guitar Man. He is also the bass player on The Byrds' Mr Tambourine Man. SONY'S NEW SLIM PS3 VERY QUIET According to early tests, the PS3 Slim generates significantly less noise than the original console when it's operating; not only with games, but also when playing Blu-ray movies. Engadget measured the sound pressure levels of a Slim console and an original one, running the same disc, and got levels of 60 dB for the Slim and 70 dB for the original. Having 10 dBs less is usually perceived to be "half as loud". - Blu-ray.com Like no other, $ony $ingapore has yet to announce the price of the new PS3 slim or whether the old PS3 will see a price drop. NEW BLU-RAY/DVDs ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY Here are some new Blu-ray and
DVD releases from across the Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following
titles were released August 22, 2009. It should be pointed out that these
Blu-ray DVDs sold in Malaysia are NOT true Blu-rays as they have gig sizes that
fit a dual-layer DVD9. Buy at your own risk:
EXTRA!
Malaysia's 52nd national day falls on August 31 and netizen TakingBackMyCountry1 has put up a video on YouTube asking Malaysians to protest by wearing black to "mourn the death of democracy in our country." The three-minute video clip features shots of the Speaker in the Perak state assembly being manhandled; opposition MP Tian Chua being led away; the Malaysian police firing tear gas into the people and raises questions about those who die while still in police custody. The video also spoofs new Prime Minister Najib Razak's 1Malaysia plan (to get close to the people) and makes the point that the prime minister does not care about the people. It says: "Patriotism is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime... We love this country not because it is great, but because it is our own." The video can be viewed at Malaysia Today. Malaysians continued their march towards democracy when the opposition won yet another by-election on August 25 when they retained the Permatang Pasir (Penang) seat. The opposition People's Alliance has won seven of the eight by-elections over the past year. THE BIG, GAPING WOUND
In the above, the Swiss government was reported to have successfully DUMPED all of their shares in UBS and probably did not lose any public funds. The Swiss government had paid billions in public funds to buy shares in UBS when the Swiss bank was in trouble. But when news broke that the bank had made a deal with US tax authorities to reveal the names of American depositors, the Swiss government quickly sold off their stake. According to the BBC, UBS had been caught between two legal regimes, essentially violating US tax laws if it had not disclosed the names and violating Swiss secrecy laws if it did. Going forward, UBS may no longer be an attractive bank for "wealth management".
The $ingapore government, using public funds, pumped 11 billion Swiss francs in UBS in December 2007 when the bank's shares were being publicly traded at around 50 Swiss francs apiece. In January 2008, Government of $ingapore Investment Corporation's chief investment officer Ng Kok Seng thought it was a good buy and was gleeful in his interview with the nation-builder press. But by September 24, 2008 he said: "We were surprised by the onset and magnitude of the market turmoil starting in July last year. What seemed like a contained problem of delinquencies in US sub-prime mortgages quickly spread to other segments of the credit markets." Doesn't he read widely? At today's share price, $ingapore's 9 per cent stake in UBS is probably worth between 3 and 4 BILLION Swiss francs. U Been
Shafted $ingapore. IF YOU WANT YOUR CPF MONEY,
"What's the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile... So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE..." - $ingapore's National Anthem. RUSH RELEASE: NEIL YOUNG'S SOUTHERN MAN 12-INCH This has been listed as due August 10 - Neil Young - Southern Man (12" Vinyl Single) to tie in with the release of Young's first four albums all properly remastered to his taste? The label is "Slow To Speak". We can't help but have a nagging suspicion the man who rushed the Ohio 7-inch is making a comment about Professor Henry Luis Gates, Jr. "The flipside ('Feedback') features a weird spoken word intro, in which a good ol' boy describes his experiences with the Sears Roebuck catalog." Comes in great packaging and featuring a short piece on racism by Christopher Deloach. Surefire collector's item classic. Get yours now. JACK WHITE TO RELEASE 7-INCH Jack White is putting out a solo single on August 11 via his own Third Man Records. "Fly Farm Blues" will be available as a one-sided 7" and as a digital download. According to a press release, the song was "written on the spot at the request of film director Davis Guggenheim while filming the new guitar documentary It Might Get Loud." How bad can it be? 20,000 MALAYSIANS PROTEST FOR A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY BASED ON
JUSTICE AND EQUALITY It's ironical, tragic and sad that the Malaysians who wanted an end to the Draconian Internal Security Act (ISA) found themselves at the receiving end of brutal police attacks in Kuala Lumpur on August 1, 2009. It's been 49 years since the ISA came into force and more than 20,000 people had gathered in the afternoon to petition the Agung (Malaysian king) to end the ISA. But when the police could not break up the gathering, which was organised by the Abolish the ISA Movement, they repeatedly fired tear gas and water cannons into the protestors who had gathered along the busy throngs of Kuala Lumpur. Some protestors who took refuge in the department stores were hauled up; opposition lawmaker Hatta Ramli was beaten up, and by 11.45 pm, 586 people, including MP and opposition party vice-president R Sivarasa, had been arrested. These included 40 women and 44 underaged persons. Opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim, who joined the protests, said the arrests were unwarranted because the police were "rough, tough and intolerant." In a Star report, Anwar Ibrahim said: "It is very clear that unnecessary force was used in what was supposed to be a peaceful gathering to call for the abolition of the ISA." Instead of ushering a new era of peace and cooperation, new Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak resorted to tear gas, water cannons and arrests. Visit Malaysia Today (http://mt.m2day.org/2008/)
for more updates. Please do not try to protest in $ingapore as it is against
the law. $ingapore has the same Draconian Internal Security Act. Detainees are
imprisoned without trial. None have been charged in court for any crime. No one
has ever asked to hear their side of the story.
On August 8, 1969, the Beatles crossed Abbey Road. Come Saturday, 40 years to the day, we can take that walk together. A special Beatles walking tour will cross the Abbey Road Crossing exactly 40 years to the minute since the Beatles did it in 1969. The tour will be lead by Richard Porter, a professional Beatles tour guide and owner of the Beatles Coffee Shop. The special tour starts at Marylebone Station at 9.20 am. There is no need to book for the tour, just turn up at the meeting point. RIAA WINS SUIT BUT WILL IT GET PAID? Over the weekend supporters had begun to donate money to Boston University student Joel Tenenbaum who was found guilty of sharing 30 songs only to read that he doesn't want any money to help settle the US$675,000 fine. In a blog post Mr Tenenbaum said: "I ask no one to help me. And I ask for no one to cover what I signed up for." He said any money raised so far would be used to pay expenses to his legal team, many of whom worked for free. "I shared music. I was the one who wanted a say in court. This lawsuit was against me. This is my verdict," wrote Mr Tenenbaum. "We don't want the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) to be paid when I can't afford to do it, and this money could be more valuable elsewhere," the blog post said. Mr Tenenbaum's defiance is infectious. RADIOHEAD'S HARRY PATCH Radiohead's Thom Yorke has blogged about his reasons for recording new track 'Harry Patch (In Memory Of)', available at Download.waste.uk.com, with all proceeds going to the Royal British Legion. Patch died July 25, age 111. He was the last surviving veteran of the First World War. "I had heard a very emotional interview with him a few years ago on the Today program on BBC Radio 4," Yorke wrote. "The way he talked about war had a profound effect on me. It became the inspiration for a song that we happened to record a few weeks before his death." The recording was done in an abbey with Jonny Greenwood adding the strings. "It would be very easy for our generation to forget the true horror of war, without the likes of Harry to remind us. I hope we do not forget." The lyrics to 'Harry Patch (In Memory Of)' are available to read on Radiohead.com/deadairspace. $ingapore is an arms manufacturer and has refused to join the ban on producing landmines. SODA POP TAKES YOU "HIGHER" There's a new drink being sold in Arizona called Drank, and it's a soda drink that tastes sort of like grape soda. It's the opposite of an energy drink. Drank calls itself an extreme relaxation product, so much so, that some have dubbed it "weed in a can." It contains melatonin, valerian root and rose hips, a remedy that supposedly slows you down. A spokesperson for the drink company says it's an alternative, not a substitute, for marijuana. The can includes the warning: "This product may cause drowsiness. Not recommended more than 2 servings within a 24-hour period..." For insomniacs, Drank helps you sleep. - www.myfoxphoenix.com
Most movie goers will probably remember the late Heath Ledger as evil incarnate The Joker in The Dark Knight and anyone watching the new Modest Mouse video, King Rat, will probably say that Ledger had brought along some of the Joker's sensibilities to the clip. While back in Australia in January 2007, Ledger, who had several music videos under his belt, presented Isaac Brock of Modest Mouse with an idea for their yet-to-be-released song, King Rat. Heath's vision would marry his love of bold and original music with his impassioned stance against the illegal commercial whale hunts taking place off the coast of Australia each year. The song is a jaunty ditty set in a Twilight Zone-ish kind of world where it is the whales who are out hunting humans. Unflinching and gory even, the video will make one think of Soylent Green and even put viewers off eating fish. The video was left unfinished when Heath passed away in January 2008, but his company, The Masses, finished it in his honor. The video was released on August 4 and is available on iTunes. The first month of iTunes downloads proceeds will go toward Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a nonprofit marine wildlife conservation organization. You can also watch the video here.
Hayley Westenra, 22, comes from New Zealand but the classically trained soprano has her best market in Japan. A new album is due for the holiday season, "Splendor of Winter - Pure Voice for Lovers", due Sept 30 and pressed onto SHM-CDs. That collection of holiday tunes will include a cover of Joni Mitchell's River. The bonus track on the Japanese version is Toki no Tsubasa ni notte (On the Wings of Time). She has translated two albums of Japanese tunes into English which were successful in Japan. Hayley's first CD, 2000's "Walking In The Air" was originally recorded for family and friends and only 70 copies were pressed (another 1,000 copies were later released for retail). Earlier this year, a copy of the original run of 70 sold on eBay for US$3,100. NEW BLU-RAY/DVDs ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY Here are some new Blu-ray and
DVD releases from across the Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following
titles were released August 1, 2009. It should be pointed out that these
Blu-ray DVDs sold in Malaysia are NOT true Blu-rays as they have gig sizes that
fit a dual-layer DVD9. Buy at your own risk:
AUGUST 7, 2009: Since the above July 12 report, eight $ingaporeans have died of Swine Flu (aka H1N1). As of August 1, there are only three deaths from Swine Flu in Hong Kong. (click here) Khaw is Minister of Health in $heep City. The total number of $ingaporeans who have caught Swine Flu is unknown. The government on July 9 stopped updating the total number of Swine Flu victims. Unlike $ingapore, Hong Kong continues to update its numbers. Hong Kong's total number as at August 3 is 4,272. $ingapore's last update was on July 7 and the number of Swine Flu victims then was 1,217. http://www.straitstimes.com/Breaking%2BNews/Singapore/Story/STIStory_400818.html $ingapore's buses and newspapers continue to run advertisments warning about Dengue Fever. Whether Dengue Fever is rampant here is also unknown. Minister Khaw is paid a multi-million-dollar salary. What "world class" health system would keep its numbers unrevealed?
"Tan Choo Leng is the wife of Goh Chok Tong, who was the second Prime Minister of the Republic of $ingapore from November 26, 1990 to August 12, 2004 and Senior Minister... She has also given her support to many charities, notably being a former patron of NKF of $ingapore (National Kidney Foundation). She became infamous for commenting that the S$600,000 paid out to the then CEO of NKF, T.T Durai yearly was considered "peanuts," compared to the hundreds of millions that the NKF manages.* This remark was subsequently met with extreme negative reactions from $ingaporeans." - From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tan_Choo_Leng * Her comment was that "for a person who runs a big million-dollar charitable organisation, with a few hundred million in reserves, S$600,000 a year is peanuts." Since her comment in 2005,
Mrs Goh has been proven correct. The value of $ingapore government investments
gone sour is in the BILLIONS. No explanation has been given.
It's a dog's life for $ingaporeans. Unemployment is up, salaries are down, costs are spiraling and the electricity bill just won't go down. So here's some news. Brazil has launched the world's first sex doll for dogs July 22, 2009. The majority of non-neutered dogs spend a good chunk of time looking for something to hump. They try pillows, furry creatures, people's legs and even other animals. To put an end to this nonsense and improve the little ones' lives, the enterprise PetSmiling is bringing to the market the DoggieLoverDoll: a female canine manufactured in soft rubber with a silicone vagina and an easy to clean reservoir. The product also comes with a tube of water-based intimate lubricant, to increase the useful life of the doll. This doll comes in three sizes: small, medium and large, to satisfy all existing races. Retirees who can't afford the real deal might want one of these.
$INGAPORE'S TALENT IS WORLD CLASS When it was first revealed May 29, 2009 that $ingapore government company Temasek Holdings had racked up losses of up to S$58 BILLION (US$39.91 BILLION) in less than a year, it was clear it was a sum not to be bested by anyone in Asia or the world. But by July 30, the $ingapore government had backed down on that figure. A new amount was given to the nation-builder press to spread. The new figure was "around S$40 BILLION." (NOTE: It remains unclear whether Madam Ho was using US$ when she mentioned Temasek's losses at $40 BILLION) In 1999, Time magazine alleged in a cover story, The Family Firm, that Indonesia's dictator General Suharto had embezzled between US$15 billion and US$35 billion. Suharto's alleged ill-gotten gains remains a fraction more than $ingapore's investment losses if you take the latter and smaller figure. IN A LEAGUE OF OUR OWN "We don't intend to raid the larder nor sell the family jewels for short-term gains. We will jealously guard our interest and will invest, rationalise, consolidate or divest where it makes sense, where we can achieve clear, sustainable value." - Temasek Holding's CEO Ho Ching ($ingapore 2004-current) July 30 2009, after losing either S$40 BILLION or US$39.91 BILLION in one year. LIST OF EMBEZZLING LEADERS The best way to get a perspective of Temasek's losses is this list compiled in 2004 by Transparency International, with the dates of rule. All sums are estimates of alleged embezzlement (US$). SUPER LEAGUE BIG GUYS SMALL FRY PEANUTS "No country in the world has lost so profoundly and so swiftly its reserves as $ingapore has. And this is despite paying our ministers and top civil servants multi-million dollar salaries, the HIGHEST in the world. If you are waiting to hear an explanation or a simple apology, FORGET IT. Just wait for the increases in indirect taxes to come after the next general election. Pay And Pay." - The young, restless and cynical Mirror Of Opinion, August 7,
2009. ONE BIG REASON WHY $INGAPOREANS LEAVE TEMASEK HOLDINGS HAS LOST $58 BILLION AS OF 2009 See latest "Temasek
portfolio lost US$39.91 billion" IF YOU WANT YOUR CPF MONEY,
"What's the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile... So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE..." - $ingapore's National Anthem.
A movie idea is taking shape around the works of Superman co-creator Joe Shuster. Shuster supplemented his income drawing kinky and violent artwork for underground comics in the '50s. The artworks have been compiled into a book by Craig Yoe, Secret Identity: The Fetish Art Of Superman's Co-Creator Joe Shuster. The book claims Shuster was the secret artist of a 16-volume series of a shady underground comic, The Nights Of Horror. The comic depicted S&M and brutal torture. Variety magazine reported, "The comics were sold covertly under the counters of Times Square bookshops - until they sparked a dragnet and crackdown on comics, several sensational trials and a Supreme Court censorship case in 1954." The comics were said to have inspired a crime spree that involved flogging women with whips, humiliating vagrants, the beating death of one man and the drowning of another. "Some people felt that when
I discovered these books, I should have buried them in the back yard," Yoe
told Variety. "To me, it's part of his legacy, the idea that in addition
to the great character of Superman, he had this whole different side to him,
and did brilliant work, in secret."
Forty years after the legendary festival in Bethel, N.Y., a photo of two lovebirds taken at Woodstock has become an iconic symbol of love. Having only met three months prior, the picture captures a young couple, Nick and Bobbi Ercoline, both now 60, embracing underneath a dirty blanket, surrounded by exhausted concertgoers. To the Ercolines' surprise, the image became the cover of the 'Woodstock' album in 1970 and was featured on posters for the subsequent documentary film. What resonates most about the photo is that it speaks to what many Woodstock veterans consider to be the true meaning of the festival, not just music but a movement of peace, love and unity. In a recent interview with Spinner, Woodstock performer Richie Havens cited a Martin Luther King Jr. speech, saying "It's not him or him or him, it's all of us or nothing. That was our thing, that's what we went against the war with." The couple themselves acknowledge the social significance of the now legendary picture. "It's an honest representation of a generation. When we look at that photo... I see our generation," Nick told the NY Daily News. The couple has been together ever since. - www.spinner.com THIS IS IT! ALMOST A DONE DEAL Sony Pictures have likely outbid their rivals to fork over £30 million to promoters AEG Entertainment, for the rights to the Michael Jackson rehearsal footage, reports Variety. There's apparently 80 hours of rehearsal footage to make a documentary from. As well as rehearsal footage the film will reportedly feature at least three videos which had been set to broadcast during the late singer's shows in the UK capital, and will be released before the end of the year. But like all things linked to Jackson, don't bet on the outcome just yet. None have actually seen all the footage and whether or not an entertaining documentary can be made out of it. Where's Phil Spector when you need him? BEASTIES ADAM DIAGNOSED WITH CANCER On the Beastie Boys website, July 20, was an announcement that Adam Yauch (aka MCA) has been diagnosed with a tumor in a parotid (salivary) gland. Though the tumor is cancerous, a press release says, "luckily it was caught early and is localized in one area, and as such is considered very treatable." But treatment will mean their upcoming tour will see cancellations and postponements. Take care Adam. ONE LESS HILTON TO CLIMB Writing in his upcoming memoir Bicycle Diaries, ex-Talking Head David Byrne said: "She was holding her little doggie, crossing the street against the light and looking around as if to say, 'I'm Paris Hilton, don't you recognise me?" Byrne was riding his bike in Manhattan and almost crashed into Hilton. Almost. MOONWANKER Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour reminisced about July 20, 40 years ago when American astronauts allegedly "walk upon the moon" in a race with the Russians to see who would reach the moon first. Gilmour wrote in The Guardian UK that Pink Floyd were invited by the BBC to jam a soundtrack as the astronauts were doing their "walk". The resulting jam was called "Moonhead," a song that has frequently popped up on Floyd bootlegs throughout the years but never officially released. "[Pink Floyd] were in a BBC TV studio jamming to the landing. It was a live broadcast, and there was a panel of scientists on one side of the studio, with us on the other. I was 23," Gilmour writes in the Guardian. Now that he's older, Gilmour should take a hard look at controversial opinions about the alleged moon landing. 1969 was during the Cold War years. The US were determined to beat Russia to the moon. It is no longer possible to get the evidence - the actual footage of the moon landing. NASA claims the tapes are "lost". The original broadcast was of such low quality because all networks had to film the moon landing from a TV set in Houston and broadcast that to the world. A STAR TREK DVD LIKE NO OTHER Paramount has revealed that buyers of the new Star Trek film, due in November, will get a special interactive tour of the USS Enterprise. Variety magazine reports that buyers will be able to hold their disk packaging in front of any standard computer webcam to unlock an interactive hologram on the computer screen. "They will be able to tour five cabins on board the ship, and even shoot enemies from the Enterprise's deck. The hologram requires the viewer to login to the film's official website to work, but once in, they will reportedly be able to control it by holding the disc packaging." With the movie grossing more than US$377 million worldwide, there will be many using this feature. TOSHIBA'S BLU-RAY OF HOPE According to Japanese newspaper Yomiuri, Toshiba, inventors of HD DVD, will release their first Blu-ray Disc Player - rumored to be named the BD-18 - by the end of this year. The Japanese electronics firm admitted defeat in the hi-definition war with Blu-Ray. When they stopped production of their HD players, early adopters of their technology were cast adrift. There no longer produce HD discs either. NEW BLU-RAY/DVDs ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY Here are some new Blu-ray and
DVD releases from across the Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following
titles were released July 18, 2009. It should be pointed out that these Blu-ray
DVDs sold in Malaysia are NOT true Blu-rays as they have gig sizes that fit a
dual-layer DVD9. Buy at your own risk:
THE LAST WORD ON MELODRAMA
"'We hired the best,' Singapore founder Lee Kuan Yew said last month, referring to the incoming head of state-owned investment firm Temasek, Chip Goodyear. Yesterday, Temasek released a statement saying Mr. Goodyear wouldn't be taking the job after all. Given that Temasek manages about $84 billion in taxpayer monies, Singaporeans deserve to know what happened." - The online Wall Street Journal
opinion, July 21, 2009. While all eyes were glued on a melodrama, a new law was
passed that gave the $ingapore government further access to $ingaporeans
savings. HONG KONG MINIBOND INVESTORS GET BACK US$813 MILLION (70%)
July 22 (Reuters) - Hong Kong's securities watchdog said on Wednesday that 16 banks had agreed to pay about HK$6.3 billion (US$813 million) to compensate eligible investors who lost money on structured products or minibonds offered by collapsed U.S. bank Lehman Brothers. "The agreement that we have reached today will enable the vast majority of investors who hold minibonds to receive a substantial return of their capital," said Securities and Futures Commission Chairman Martin Wheatley. "The total amount that they'll receive will be equal to or greater than what they could otherwise recover at current market values," he told reporters following an SFC meeting with the banks. More than 30,000 Hong Kong residents ploughed nearly $2.5 billion into the derivative products which failed as Lehman Brothers collapsed last September. If the agreement is accepted by investors, "the vast majority of them will be able to get back 70 percent or more of their original investments," Financial Secretary John Tsang said in a statement following the SFC announcement. Many of the investors blamed the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) for allowing local banks to sell the products without making investors aware they were risky products. They took to the streets, staging a number of protests in the past year and prompting a government inquiry. http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUST585520090722 Street protests are BANNED in Da $ingapura. You get what you deserve. CPF LIFE: A NEW GOLDEN FLEECE Money meant for your golden years will now be kept by the government and handed back to you in bits. On July 20, the $ingapore government passed a new law that makes it mandatory for every citizen$heep to buy an annuity with their pension (CPF money). The fund, to be administered by the CPF Board, will hold $ingaporeans' money for use in the annuity scheme. The government through its Manpower Minister gave this assurance: 'CPFLife members can rest assured they will receive payouts for as long as they live.' However, the million-dollar salaried minister could not guarantee the amount to be paid back. The new scheme starts in September. It was not reported how big a chunk the CPF will retain for the annuity scheme. For a counterpoint: "The problem of insufficient retirement funds stems from the glaring fact that HDB flats (public housing) are vacuuming up CPF savings (pension funds). For the overwhelming majority of the people who cannot afford private property, the HDB is the only means of housing. With the prices of the flats at current levels, Singaporeans have had no choice but to use their retirement savings to pay for the monthly leases. Worse, like most other public matters in this country, the cost of building the flats are kept secret. Then when the PAP wants to upgrade the flats and use them as threats during elections, they make the people dip more into their CPF to pay for the refurbishment. Is it a surprise then that Singaporeans have little to live on when they retire? This is a recurring nightmare for Singaporeans. The people are forced to bear the brunt of 'solutions' to problems created by the PAP Government..." Read it here http://www.singaporedemocrat.org/mediarelease_cpf_annuity.html ONE BIG REASON WHY $INGAPOREANS LEAVE TEMASEK HOLDINGS HAS LOST $58 BILLION AS OF 2009 See latest "Temasek
portfolio lost US$39.91 billion" MAS BLOWS $9.2 BILLION
IF YOU WANT YOUR CPF MONEY,
"What's the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile... So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE..." - $ingapore's National Anthem. MJ BIOGRAPHER "LUCKY" WITH HIS PREDICTION Michael Jackson biographer Ian Halperin was "lucky" with his claim that the singer would die in 2009. Last December, Halperin told the British press that Jackson would be dead in six months if he didn't receive a lung transplant because he was suffering from a disease called Alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency (A1AD.) As MTV News notes, six months and a day after Halperin went public with his speculation, Jackson died after suffering a sudden cardiac arrest in Los Angeles on June 25. Such a prediction and other claims such as Jackson was 95 per cent blind in his left eye and that he suffered some from emphysema were the subject of Halperin's new book, Unmasked: The Final Years Of Michael Jackson. According to a Rolling Stone report, Halperin also wrote that Jackson was nervous about the daunting task of performing all 50 sold-out shows at London's O2 Arena. Halperin also alleged that Jackson had premonitions he was going to die soon and told his daughter Paris that he would not make it to Father's Day. Now all Jackson needs is a rock critic like Dave Marsh or Peter Guralnick who can restore his reputation the way that they did for Elvis. IN THE SERVICE OF THE BRITISH EMPIRE Last week, Robert Plant was awarded the Commander Of The British Empire by Prince Charles at a ceremony at Buckingham Palace. The former Led Zeppelin singer now ranks higher than the band's guitarist, Jimmy Page. Page received his OBE (Order Of The British Empire) four years ago. As far as we know, neither Plant nor Page were asked to sing their national anthems. All they did was play their music and influenced generations of youngsters to music. Both won their awards for "services to popular music" and not to nation-building. MONEY BACK GUARANTEE An onstage remark from Noel Gallagher at a recent Manchester gig has cost Oasis £1 million. Noel told the 70,000 strong crowd after suffering technical problems and delays, "thank you very, very much, this is a free gig. Anybody who has kept their ticket will get a refund". So far 20,000 of the 70,000 have taken up Noel's offer which works out to £1 million. To stave off a rush to refund, the band gave out a novelty souvenir cheque which they hope fans won't cash. The refund cheques have been issued by 'Oasis Bank of Burnage', after the area of Manchester they grew up in, but are underwritten by NatWest Bank and are legal tender. Oasis hope that the signed novelty cheque may be worth more than the £45 ticket stub and that most fans will keep it as a souvenir. So far Noel has kept his word
and fans who asked have been given refunds. Where the RIAA is mostly interested in pursuing individual file-sharers in court, the MPAA has taken on several of the largest torrent sites on the Internet. After being awarded US$110 million in their case against TorrentSpy last year, they are now focusing on the next target - isoHunt. isoHunt founder Gary Fung is not intimidated by the movie industry scare tactics that started back in 2006, and he is willing to fight until the end. "I'm doing this for the future," Fung said recently, while explaining that isoHunt is not much different than search engines like Google. "When we talk about copyright we should be more forward thinking. It is a huge issue for the culture. The current state of copyright might not be the future state. And there's increasing adoption of BitTorrent, even by large media. That is a glimpse of the future," Fung commented. The MPAA has a totally different view on the matter, and sees torrent sites as commercial operations with the sole intention of cashing in on copyright infringement. Steven Fabrizio, the MPAA lawyer who also represented the RIAA in their case against Napster, is very clear about MPAA's battle plan. It is not so much about taking the site offline, the ultimate goal is to scare those who operate BitTorrent sites by pursuing exorbitant damages. In their case against TorrentSpy they continued to push for damages in court even though the site had been taken down, and now they are coming for a piece of the next torrent site. Fabrizio is well aware that Fung won't be able to pay millions if isoHunt ends up losing, but the MPAA is patient. "The judgment doesn't go away. If Gary Fung creates a legitimate website, we'll be there. If he sells that company for $100 million, we'll be there. For the rest of his life we'll be able to pursue that judgment," the MPAA lawyer told the Financial Post. The comments made by the MPAA lawyer and their dealing with the cases against TorrentSpy and isoHunt almost suggest that this is a personal vendetta of the entertainment industry lobby. In the case of TorrentSpy the MPAA is indeed keeping its word for now. TorrentSpy owner Justin Bunnell was ordered to pay a $110 million fine last year after the court terminated the case against the movie industry. This decision is currently under appeal but the MPAA has already started pursuing the awarded damages. In isoHunt's case a ruling has yet to be made so all the talk about damages is purely hypothetical. We hope that isoHunt scores a victory, but it is not an easy battle in a country where lobbyists and Hollywood-funded politicians are in power. - Ernesto at torrentfreak.com Readers may have noticed a stiffening of resolve by the industry to destroy their perceived enemies. As Ernesto comments, big business is now cosy with both politicians and the mainstream media. CASE FOR iTUNES ORIGINALS iTunes has not been sleeping. It now has exclusives on the site. Stuff you can't buy on CD. Last week, Michael Jackson's The Stripped Mixes was new to iTunes. This week, Neko Case has a live album on iTunes. "Her entry into the iTunes Originals series offers six newly recorded live tracks from across her career, along with a cover of Harry Nilsson's Don't Forget Me, interspersed with album tracks. She also offers some stories behind the songs, talking about tracks like Deep Red Bells and Furnace Room Lullaby." GOLF ENTREPRENEUR, JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE Justin Timberlake is set to open his 'green' golf course in Tennessee this month, having bought the property almost two years ago reports Associated Press. The Mirimichi golf course was made environmentally friendly by the singer who bought the course to prevent the land being used for commercial development. The eco-revamp cost US$16 million. Mirimichi is the first eco-friendly course to be certified by the Audubon Classic Sanctuary Program. As befits a young entrepreneur, Timberlake is trying to get a publisher for his book on how he picked up the game as a teen. Whofivesaguck? TOM WILKES R.I.P.1939-2009 Tom Wilkes has died of a heart attack in his home in Pioneertown, CA, on June 28. He was 69. You may not recall the name but the Grammy Award-winning art director was designer for two famous album covers - the Rolling Stones' Beggars Banquet and Neil Young's Harvest. Wilkes was also the creative force behind album covers like George Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Concert for Bangladesh, the Flying Burrito Brothers' Gilded Palace of Sin, Eric Clapton's 1970 self-titled debut and Janis Joplin's Pearl, which featured Wilkes' photographs of the singer on the night before she overdosed. Wilkes won a Grammy in 1973 for Best Recording Package for his stunning pinball image for the London Symphony Orchestra's version of the Who's Tommy. NEW BLU-RAY/DVDs ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY Here are some new Blu-ray and
DVD releases from across the Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following
titles were released July 11, 2009. It should be pointed out that these Blu-ray
DVDs sold in Malaysia are NOT true Blu-rays as they have gig sizes that fit a
dual-layer DVD9. Buy at your own risk:
THE LAST WORD ON CROWD CONTROL
"If I have to shoot 200,000 students to save China from another 100 years of disorder, so be it." - Minister Lee Kuan Yew endorsing the Tiananmen massacre, State's Crimes, August 17, 2004. Minister Lee used to be Prime Minister of $heep City. To protect the innocent, public demonstrations are NOT ALLOWED in $ingapore. EXTRA! LEX LUTHOR FOR PRESIDENT? $ingapore chooses its politicians and leaders in a selection process. On July 7, it was announced who among potential candidates can sit in parliament. One man, Siew Kum Hong, was "disappointed" that he was not "selected". He also says he has no plans to stand for "elections". One very senior position, that of President of $ingapore, is decided through an "election". So if Mr Siew qualifies, he can try for that position. But before anyone thinks it is a simple matter to contest for President, take a look at this: To be qualified to be elected President, a person must satisfy the following requirements: He must have for a period of not less than three years held office - as Minister, Chief Justice, Speaker, Attorney-General, Chairman of the Public Service Commission Auditor-General, Accountant-General or Permanent Secretary; - as chairman or chief executive officer of the Central Provident Fund Board, the Housing and Development Board, the Jurong Town Corporation or the Monetary Authority of Singapore; - as chairman of the board of directors or chief executive officer of a company incorporated or registered under the Companies Act with a paid-up capital of at least $100 million or its equivalent in foreign currency; or - in any other similar or comparable position of seniority and responsibility in any other organization or department of equivalent size or complexity in the public or private sector which, in the opinion of the Presidential Elections Committee, has given him such experience and ability in administering and managing financial affairs as to enable him to carry out effectively the functions and duties of the office of President. There's a full list of requirements here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/President_of_Singapore It's probable that even the current U.S. president is UNQUALIFIED
to be president of $ingapore. When he attempted to be U.S. president these were his
qualifications: BRING IT ON THE MIRROR OF OPINION "Who wants to be elected when he can be selected?" - The young, restless and cynical Mirror of Opinion, July 7, 2009. Here's how $ingapore's "qualified" look after the nation's WEALTH... The president has uttered NOTHING. ONE BIG REASON WHY $INGAPOREANS LEAVE TEMASEK HOLDINGS HAS LOST $58 BILLION AS OF 2009 See latest "Temasek
portfolio lost US$39.91 billion" IF YOU WANT YOUR CPF MONEY,
"What's the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile... So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE..." - $ingapore's National Anthem. Fans who paid top dollar for Michael Jackson's London shows may want to sell them fast at eBay. Michael Jackson has just hit out at the shows promoters, saying he believed he only signed up to play 10 shows - not the 50 he is scheduled for - at the venue. "I went to bed knowing I sold 10 dates, and woke up to the news I was booked to do 50," he claimed. Randy Phillips, head of promoters AEG, who organised the gigs, refuted Jackson's claim that he was not originally fully aware of the length of the residency. "This is not true," he said in a statement. "The size and scale of this show would not be possible without an extended run which Michael has been fully on board with from the very beginning." SWINE FLU VICTIMS RISE TO 11 IN $INGAPORE Despite paying $ingapore's ministers multi-million dollar salaries, the island was the first to slip into a deep recession, waste tens of billions on soured investments and is now impotent in stopping the spread of swine flu. On June 4, the government announced another three in $ingapore had contracted the deadly flu virus, bringing the total number to 11. Last week, there was only one. June is the holiday month in $heep City. With more people outdoors, the chances of catching the airborne disease rises. There's nothing unique about $ingapore, except that its ministers demand and are paid multi-million dollar salaries. They are the highest paid civil servants in the world. AUSTRALIA ABLE TO AVOID RECESSION The stimulus payments have helped lift consumer spending. The Australian economy has unexpectedly avoided falling into recession after its economy grew by 0.4 per cent in the first three months of 2009. Increased exports and consumer spending helped the economy to rebound from the 0.5 per cent contraction recorded between October and December last year. - BBC Australian ministers are paid far less than their $ingapore counterparts. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/8080446.stm ROGER WATERS PREPARED TO TRADE HIS WALL FOR WEST BANK WALL Ex-Pink Floyd man Roger Waters has offered to play his Wall concert in Israel if the West Bank part-wall, part-fence in the country is taken down. On a visit to the Ayda Refugee Camp in the West Bank on June 2, Waters spoke out against the controversial barrier, which was erected in 2002. "This is a bad thing. This is wrong. This is not helping anybody, this thing," Waters said of the wall, which stretches for roughly 670km (420 miles), and is eight metres high in some places. "If they take this thing down," he continued, "I would be delighted to come and do a concert here. In fact, I would insist on it." RINGO, PAUL AND WHO'S BOB? Here's a nice rumour making the rounds. Ringo Starr is set to join Sir Paul McCartney and Bob Dylan to record new tracks over the summer. The ex-Beatles drummer is keen to join his former Fab Four bandmate and the music legend after hearing of their plans to collaborate. The expected collaboration came about after Paul expressed an interest in working with Dylan, who admitted it would be something he would be very "excited" to do. Ringo, 68, has been described as the "perfect middleman" for the two stars due to his long-time friendship and musical relationship with 66-year-old Paul, while he has also previously performed live with Bob, 68. A source told Britain's Daily Express newspaper: "The word is Ringo is likely to play drums on a couple of tracks once Paul and Bob have put some songs together." PEARL JAM ALBUM TO GO TO TARGET AND INDIE STORES The major labels have lost another big name act. Pearl Jam have recorded a commercial for retail giant Target, and revealed that their new album will be released with a consortium of partners as opposed to a US label. Target will release the album in the US but independent record stores will also be distributing the next Pearl Jam album. Pearl Jam manager Kelly Curtis said that Target agreed to allow other partners on board and are "cool enough to realise that little independent record stores are not their competition". The first single is due in July. EMI, PLEASE RELEASE ME, LET ME GO - JOSS STONE Joss Stone is reportedly desperate to leave her record label EMI - and is willing to pay back £2 million to the company to free herself of her deal. Given a £7.5 million advance in 2006 for a four-album deal, reports have emerged that Joss was willing to hand back £1.2 million of the advance as well as £800,000 earnings from her forthcoming album 'Colour Me Free' in order to leave the label. However, EMI are taking legal action against the Devon-born singer, reports the Daily Mail. The Rolling Stones, Radiohead and Supergrass have all left EMI since it was bought out by Terra Firma in 2007. KOKO TAYLOR 1928-2009 R.I.P. Chicago blues icon Koko Taylor died June 3 afternoon at age 80, after surgery May 19 to correct a gastrointestinal bleed. "She was recovering slowly but surely, and then she had a real bad night," said Marc Lipkin, a spokesman for Taylor's longtime Chicago-based label, Alligator Records. Taylor was recovering from her surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital when she died. She had performed only weeks earlier at the Blues Music Awards ceremony in Memphis, Tenn., where she received her record 29th Blues Music Award. She is best remembered for her hit Wang Dang Doodle. UNREAL Hip-speak suggests we should chill. Here's what Hayley Williams of Paramore [the Twilight band] had to say late in April about her band Paramore's next album: "So about these songs. What can i say? I'm stoked! I can't wait for people to hear what we've done. Like it or not, I'm prouder than ever. Mostly because I don't believe it happened. We made a record that is exactly what we set out to make. There's fast, there's slow, and in-between... happy, angry, desperate and over it. And i can't believe it's real." Paramore's Riot rode to success on the coattails of Twilight, the movie. How about a bit more "BITE"? EXENE CERVENKA HAS MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS X frontwoman Exene Cervenka has revealed that she has been diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She has a solo album due later this year. Multiple Sclerosis is an autoimmune condition in which the immune system attacks the central nervous system. Ronnie Lane was a longtime sufferer. JOHN ZORN AT EQUINOX FESTIVAL, LONDON American composer and improviser John Zorn will perform a rare solo concert commissioned especially for this year's Equinox Festival. Zorn's prolific output has made him one of jazz and improvised music's most important pioneers. His previous engagements at the London Barbican have been astoundingly well received, don't miss your chance to experience John Zorn in a more intimate and personal setting. This is one show this summer not to be missed! Limited tickets available. This will be John's ONLY UK performance this year! The Equinox Festival will be held from June 12-14, London. More info at equinoxfestival.org. Tickets at equinoxfestival.org/tickets.html RECORD LABEL PISSES OFF CHER, SHE SUES After years of waiting for royalty payment that never came, Cher has filed a lawsuit June 2 against Universal Music Group for allegedly failing to pay her royalties from two compilation albums from 2000 to 2003. The singer says that the label failed to pay her and former husband Sonny Bono's children royalties and "engaged in wrongful tactics" to avoid making the payments. "The claims are meritless, and we are confident that we will prevail in court," Universal Music Group spokesperson Peter Lofrumento told the Hollywood Reporter. DOG STOPS PIRATED DVDS FOR $INGAPORE'S $HEEP A DVD-sniffing anti-piracy dog named Paddy has uncovered a huge cache of 35,000 discs in Malaysian warehouses, many destined for export to $ingapore, industry officials said on June 3 reports AFP. The black Labrador helped enforcement officials who carried out raids last week in southern Johor state which neighbours $ingapore, the Motion Picture Association (MPA) said in a statement. Paddy was given to Malaysia by the MPA to help close down piracy syndicates who churn out vast quantities of illegal DVDs. The dog is specially trained to detect chemicals in the discs. "Post-raid investigations revealed that two of the targets were actively involved in exporting pirated DVDs to $ingapore," it added. The MPA said just-released titles such as "Terminator Salvation", "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian", "Angels and Demons" and "Star Trek" were among the movies seized. NEW BLU-RAY/DVDs ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY Here are some new Blu-ray and
DVD releases from across the Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following
titles were released May 29, 2009. It should be pointed out that these Blu-ray
DVDs sold in Malaysia are NOT true Blu-rays as they have gig sizes that fit a
dual-layer DVD9. Buy at your own risk:
EXTRA! FORCED SAVINGS HAVE TO GO UP, UP AND AWAAAAAAY!
If times are hard, times will get even harder come July 1, 2009. Changes to $ingapore's pension scheme, the CPF (Central Provident Fund), mean more money must be kept with the $ingapore government and cannot be withdrawn at retirement. From July 1, a further $13,500 cannot be withdrawn, despite the current recession when every dollar is needed. On July 1, the CPF Minimum Sum will be raised from $106,000 to $117,000 [a rise of $11,000]. Also on July 1, 2009, the Medisave Minimum Sum and Medisave Contribution Ceiling will be raised from $29,500 to $32,000 [a rise of $2,500]. So if you turn 55 from July 1 onwards, you will withdraw $13,500 less, regardless of whether you need the money or not. The money will be kept in what is called a Minimum Sum Fund which will pay $ingaporeans a monthly stipend over 20 years. Too bad if you die before 20 years. You won't see your money. In 2003, the $ingapore government changed the rules and will stop the practice of allowing $ingaporeans to withdraw 50 per cent of their pension by 2009. A new Minimum Sum Fund was started and this sum will be raised to reach $120,000 (2003 dollars) in 2013. As announced in 2003, by then PM Goh Chok Tong, from 1 January 2009, the percentage for withdrawal will decrease from 50% to 40%, and thereafter be further reduced every year by 10 percent to zero. Therefore, from 1 January 2013, CPF members must meet the CPF and Medisave Minimum Sums first before they can withdraw any money at age 55. But for $ingaporeans who don't even have enough in their minimum sum fund, the government will allow them to withdraw $5,000 from their Ordinary Account and Special Account balances. Consider this an "ang pow" [red packet money]. As of March 31, 2009, there were 1.62 million active CPF members. By withdrawing $13,500 less, the PAP government makes an instant saving of about $21.8 billion. That's a lot of money the government wants to keep on your behalf. This new CPF rule makes the saying "hope you die before you get old" meaningful. What
Goh Chok Tong said on August 28, 2003 in particular para 87 to 95. For
more:
See
latest "Temasek portfolio lost US$39.91 billion"
Temasek sold its near 2 per cent stake in Britain's second biggest bank in December and January, one of the sources said. The sources declined to be named due to the confidential nature of the investment. Temasek and Barclays declined to comment, and details of the price it sold at were not known. - Reuters http://www.reuters.com/article/rbssFinancialServicesAndRealEstateNews/idUSWLA574220090603
The newspapers here run ads saying "the truth is out there". How true. If not for foreign press reports, the local media would remain ignorant that a powerful $ingapore government company has lost hundreds of millions of $ingaporeans' money again. What role does the $ingapore press play? They are "nation-builders".
"Good long-term investments
with risks thoroughly assessed?, if you say so Mighty Thar-Man. If you say
so." IF YOU WANT YOUR CPF MONEY, AND MIGRATE
"What's the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile... So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE..." - $ingapore's National Anthem.
OBAMA CALLS FOR SUU KYI RELEASE US President Barack Obama has called for the "immediate and unconditional" release of Burmese opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi. In a written statement, Mr Obama said he strongly condemned Ms Suu Kyi's house arrest, which has lasted for most of the last 19 years. She is now being tried for violating the terms of her detention in a case which has drawn widespread condemnation. The Nobel laureate faces up to five years in jail, if convicted. "Aung San Suu Kyi's continued detention, isolation, and show trial based on spurious charges cast serious doubt on the Burmese regime's willingness to be a responsible member of the international community," Mr Obama said in a statement. "It is time for the Burmese government to drop all charges against Aung San Suu Kyi and unconditionally release her and her fellow political prisoners," he added. Ms Suu Kyi, 63, had been due for release on Wednesday after her latest six-year detention, but was re-arrested this month after a visit to her house by a US man who had not been invited. She took the stand for the first time on Tuesday to tell the court that she was not immediately aware of the late-night visit but was informed later by her assistant. Ms Suu Kyi is
widely expected to be convicted at the trial. $HEEP CITY, $INGAPORE HAS FIRST SWINE FLU VICTIM On May 27, $ingapore confirmed its first case of Influenza A (H1N1), aka swine flu. The 22-year-old woman is currently being treated at the Communicable Disease Centre at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. She flew in to $ingapore on an SIA flight, SQ25 on May 26 and was seated at Row 55 according to a $ingapore media report. The report said she developed a cough while onboard the SIA flight. Changi Airport's thermal scanners missed her as she apparently did not have a fever then. Health authorities are now searching for fellow passengers. Passengers who had travelled in the same flight and were seated in rows 52 to 58 are urged to call the hotline at 1800-333 9999. A TRUE FAN, CHARLOTTE GAINSBOURG Her parents Serge Gainsbourg and Jane Birkin recorded Je T'aime Moi Non Plus and the song was promptly banned by $heep City's board of censors. Last week, daughter Charlotte Gainsbourg won glory at Cannes. She was awarded the best-actress trophy at the French film festival for her role in Lars von Trier's controversial film Antichrist. You don't have to bet that Antichrist will face $ingapore's wrath to get a ban, just like mom and dad's song from decades ago. The film brought howls of outrage and a near riot at the post-screening press conference after it was shown earlier in the festival. Quite apart from the various ways she tortures her husband, played by the American actor Willem Dafoe, Gainsbourg's character attacks her clitoris with a pair of scissors. Consider that an allegory of how a country mutilates itself by chasing its citizens to take up citizenship elsewhere. For her next album, Charlotte is reportedly working with Beck. DiCAPRIO AS FRANK? Leonardo DiCaprio is reportedly set to play Frank Sinatra in a forthcoming Martin Scorsese film about the late Rat Pack crooner. The UK Sun reports the film will show Sinatra's reported involvement with the Mafia. Wait till Nancy hears about it. THE CLOSEST TO A BOWIE NEWS ITEM David Bowie's son Duncan Jones [born Zowie Bowie] has directed a new science fiction movie 'Moon', set to be released in summer. The actors include 'Skins' actress Kaya Scodelario and actor Sam Rockwell. Kevin Spacey appears as the voice of a computer. The space thriller was produced by Stuart Fenegan and Trudie Styler, wife of Sting. Jones said of the movie in a statement: "People who appreciate science fiction want the best for the world, but they understand that there is an education to be had by investigating the worst of what might happen. "That's why 'Blade Runner' was so brilliant; it used the future to make us look at basic human qualities from a fresh perspective. Empathy. Humanity. How do you define these things? I wanted to address those questions." VISUAL HISTORY OF DEEP PURPLE MK1 to MK4 The Eagle Rock label is set to release Deep Purple - History, Hits & Highlights '68-'76 double DVD on June 1. Each disc is over two hours long and contains black and white and colour footage of the band at its prime. DVD1 covers the bulk of the MK 2 band with clips from Beat Club, Top Of The Pops, German TV and Australian TV. DVD2 evenly covers Deep Purple MK 2 to MK 4 with TV shows in Belgium, France, at Leeds in the UK and on New Zealand TV. Of special interest is the New Zealand footage of a 1975 documentary and of the MK4 band playing Smoke On The Water. There's also a 15 min rehearsal for Beat Club of No No No. Full listings here http://www.deep-purple.net/review-files/deep-purple-dvd/deep-purple-dvd.html NEW BLU-RAY/DVDs ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY Here are some new Blu-ray and
DVD releases from across the Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following
titles were released May 22, 2009. It should be pointed out that these Blu-ray
DVDs sold in Malaysia are NOT true Blu-rays as they have gig sizes that fit a
dual-layer DVD9. Buy at your own risk:
EXTRA! DUBAI, $HEEP CITY SUFFER BIGGEST HOME PRICE SLUMP Dubai, once home to the world's biggest construction boom, is now the scene of the world's biggest property slump, according to figures published May 26 by estate agent Knight Frank. House prices in the desert sheikhdom dropped by an extraordinary 40% in the first three months of 2009, outpacing falls anywhere else in the world after an investment bubble burst. $ingapore, the nation worst hit by the collapse in world trade, saw the second biggest fall, with property prices down 16.2% in the quarter. Still not world class, only managed a No. 2. http://www.guardian.co.uk/money/2009/may/26/dubai-property-crash $INGAPORE'S CHANCE TO OWN PLAYBOY Adult magazine mogul Hugh Hefner is reportedly lining up British billionaire Sir Richard Branson to take over his Playboy empire reports ContactMusic. Hefner's company - founded 56 years ago - is battling the recession and the rise in internet porn, with the firm recently posting losses of US$13 million for the first three months of 2009. Sources suggest the asking price is set at US$300 million. A Playboy spokesperson denies any offers have been made, but admits Hefner would "listen to proposals that could create value for all of our shareholders". Every $ingaporeans dream is
to own Playboy. The magazine remains BANNED IN DA $INGAPURA. Don't wait, bring cheque book along $ingapore.
On April 13, 2009, citizens of $heep City, $ingapore found their freedom of assembly suddenly removed by a new law passed in $ingapore's parliament. Only state-sponsored "protests" are allowed in $heep
City, $ingapore.
"What's the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile... So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE..." - $ingapore's National Anthem.
The Kills' frontwoman Alison Mosshart has issued a statement regarding tabloid rumours that she and Jack White recently engaged in a fight while drinking in a New York bar. According to Mosshart, she and The White Stripes man, with whom she's collaborating in the new band The Dead Weather, did no such thing. "I don't usually bother responding to ridiculous fabricated tabloid rumours, but this one is particularly grotesque," she said. "The stories circulating from a UK tabloid of a 'fist fight', or Jack punching me, or the two of us 'being at each others throats' are untrue." Of course since The Dead Weather album and tour are due, all these "rumours" could also be positive publicity. HE'S A PRINCE Back in 1986, Prince convinced up and coming actress Kristin Scott Thomas to act in his movie Under The Cherry Moon. He even got her to bare her breasts. The movie flopped. Now 23 years later, Prince has written her a song on his new album MPLSound. Better With Time has the lyric: "This might seem strange/Since so much time has passed/And since only one of us/Still looks the same/Your words not mine, baby/You're still fine yes you are/ Like wine, you get better with time." Kristin Scott Thomas starred in Four Weddings and a Funeral. LILY ALLEN'S TWITTER Fresh from her Twitter page: "There is a difference between a modern day celeb and someone who writes and sings songs. I don't wanna be a celeb. My point was, I'm pretty sure that my music is what got people talking, I'm confident I could sustain a singing career without the paparazzi. "And finally, who wants celebs. There are talented people, watch their movies, appreciate their songs, f*** the rest. It's ass." Dun waste yer time at the A$$planade.
Readers have occasionally written in asking for the videos in the BigO Video Archive to be shared. While we do not have the bandwidth, we are trying this alternative. As a start, we are sharing the rare Linda Ronstadt Rockpalast show at the Stadthalle Offenbach in Germany on November 16, 1976. The full-screen, NTSC show is currently available at Dimeadozen.org (250184), a bittorrent site, with currently more than 350 people downloading it. Readers need to register at the site before they can download. While the video quality is very good (but nothing compared to today's high-def broadcast), fans will undoubtedly enjoy Ronstadt's sterling performance and easy rapport with the audience, apart from hearing classics such as That'll Be The Day, Silver Threads And Golden Needles, Crazy, You're No Good and Desperado. JACKSON SHOWS DELAYED The first night of the Michael Jackson Comeback has been pushed from July 8 to July 13 because the "King of Pop" needs more time to rehearse. The following four nights have been rescheduled to next year in March 2010. Fans, who were told of the rescheduled dates in an e-mail, have reacted with a mixture of anger and support, the BBC reports. "What difference is a week going to make in the grand scheme of things?" wrote Pam A on a Michael Jackson messageboard. "I had plane tickets booked from Canada," wrote a fan calling themselves janmic. "I'm supposed to be returning home on July 9th. I am really not impressed." The seismic shift has been blamed on the expensive stage show. As promoter AEG suggested in its statement: "This show has grown in size and scope, thereby necessitating more lead time for manufacture of the set, programming the content for the massive video elements, and, most importantly, more time for full production and dress rehearsals." Mr Jackson's behavior are more suited to that of a child. AEG are offering full refunds to fans who cannot make the new dates but not refunds for plane tickets or hotel accommodations. Looking at the eight month-long reschedule, we suggest you take up the offer. Too bad if you paid black market prices for your tix. NEIL YOUNG'S ARCHIVES DELAYED The 'Neil Young Archives Volume 1 (1963 -1972) has been delayed. The new release date is June 8. Promise? FRANK BLACK ON THE NEW MUSIC BUSINESS MODEL Pixies frontman, Frank Black, says nowadays touring is more important than ever for bands because fewer people are buying albums. "The rendezvous point between the patron and the artist has been moved from a record shop or online... to live shows," he said. "People are excited about live personal appearances. They'll buy tickets for that. That's a great thing for live music. But now everyone's touring, which is great for roadies and nightclubs and theatres. But now everyone and their mother is on the road. So that means there's a lot of competition for your dollars." "I think what has to happen is everyone has to get used to making less money and have to charge less money," Francis declared. "Everything's got to get cut down to more of a five-dollar world. People will say, "Oh yeah, I'll pay five bucks to see that or for a T-shirt or a record. I think it's gonna become more of a five-dollar world than a $25 world, $50, or a $150 world. "I realise to some people I may sound like a hypocrite because the Pixies are getting ready to release a box set. I think the limited edition version retails for $450. But that art already exists - the demand for that particular product has been researched by the people putting it out. If people don't buy it, we'll all be fools. "I think everyone should sell whatever product they want to sell for whatever price they want to sell it for, but ultimately the market will dictate what it is and people will have to charge less money for everything. Record companies have been overcharging people for way too long and now this is the trouble that they're in. They created this situation because they were just a little too greedy," he said. Tell Michael Jackson about that. WHOSE 'BUDDY' IS IT ANYWAY? "A poem thought to have been written by Bob Dylan when he was only 16 was actually written by Canadian country singer Hank Snow, it has been discovered. Christie's auction house, which is auctioning off the hand-written poem, Little Buddy, next month, made the announcement yesterday (May 19) after Reuters alerted that the lyrics matched those in a song written by the late country singer. "Additional information has come to our attention about the handwritten poem submitted by Bob Dylan to his camp newspaper, written when he was 16, entitled 'Little Buddy'. The words are in fact a revised version of lyrics of a Hank Snow song," Christie's said in a statement." So it's really second-hand verse after all. Bob Dylan is no Dylan Thomas. JUDEE SILL'S BELATED TRIBUTE Judee Sill was "a California singer-songwriter who released two albums packed with religious overtones, hungover reveries, and Graham Nash collaborations before dying of a drug overdose in 1979." The Pitchfork writeup also says in 2005, Asylum reissued both of her albums. And on September 22, American Dust will release Crayon Angel: A Tribute to the Music of Judee Sill. Not exactly a who's who of superstars, this indie release does have Ron Sexsmith and Beth Orton. The tracklist: 01 Ron Sexsmith: "Crayon Angel" P.S. Latest archaeological findings may one day prove that Jesus was not a cross maker or carpenter but a stone-cutter. Apparently wood was not in much supply in his village. LUCIFER RISING, FOR REAL? The soundtrack for Kenneth Anger's Lucifer Rising is getting a 4LP vinyl release on indie label Ajna [anyone heard of this label?] on June 21. The album will be credited to Bobby Beausoleil. Jimmy Page has long been associated with this soundtrack. From the press release: "Now, for the first time, all of the music composed for the soundtrack project has been compiled into a single public release. The Lucifer Rising Suite begins with the 1967 version of the soundtrack and continues through a logical sequence of the recordings made in the years spanning 1976-79. With respect to the latter, the original master tapes were mined for music that had not been heard by anyone in nearly three decades. The newly unearthed recordings were then restored, cleaned up and combined with those previously released to make the anthology as complete as possible." NATALIE COLE'S KIDNEY TRANSPLANT If Natalie Cole is a $ingaporean, she can go shopping to buy a brand new kidney. But on May 19, Cole who has been receiving kidney dialysis three times a week since September, underwent kidney transplant surgery in Los Angeles. The kidney came from a deceased organ donor through a regional organ procurement agency, and the surgery took place at Cedars Sinai Medical Center. According to a statement, Cole is now "resting comfortably" and recovering from the surgery. She has postponed her summer tour dates for the next three to four months as advised by her physicians. $ingapore has legalised the sale of kidneys. It's a new business. HIGHER-END MEDIA PLAYERS FOR HIGH-DEF VIEWING Pt 2 With more movie fans watching high def shows in the MKV format on
their large-screen TVs, it is inevitable they will look for media players that
can support the format. Before the launch of the Western Digital HD Media
Player (featured last week), movie fans who downloaded such files were already
using Syabas Technology's Popcorn Hour. This player is widely available and is
distributed in the US, Europe and Asia. Syabas is the Malay word for
"congratulations". The US-based company has a manufacturing plant in
Penang, Malaysia. The Popcorn Hour (www.popcornhour.com), whose model A-110 (S$398) was released towards the end of 2008, is generally seen as a workhorse because of the vast number of video and audio formats it supports. Video containers: MPEG1/2/4 Elementary (M1V, M2V, M4V); MPEG1/2 PS (M2P, MPG); MPEG2 Transport Stream (TS, TP, TRP, M2T, M2TS, MTS); VOB; AVI, ASF, WMV; Matroska (MKV); MOV (H.264), MP4, RMP4. Apart from playing WAV, WMA, FLAC and OGG audio files, the Popcorn Hour also offers audio pass through for the following: DTS, Dolby Digital, DTS-HD MA, DTS-HD HR, Dolby True HD, Dolby Digital Plus. The Popcorn Hour comes with HDMI 1.3 connection. But getting a Popcorn Hour and hooking it up to your TV is one thing. There is the assumption that those who pick up the Popcorn Hour are techies. This is not a simple plug-and-play machine and it might be best to go through the start-up manual first as there might be a need to amend some settings (changes are made using the remote control). As the Popcorn Hour has internet access, users have another area to look into. Those who connect the Popcorn Hour direct to the router using landline or the internet cable are "fine" as the player automatically detects the internet. For those who want to go wireless, you need to get a wireless adaptor (S$88). Again the user needs to set up the wireless connection the way one does with a laptop or notebook. For those who do not want the hassle of connecting an external harddisk to the Popcorn Hour, they can install a harddisk inside the player. In $heep City, $ingapore, the Popcorn Hour is only available either online (www.popcornhour.com.sg, S$418) or directly from the distributor (ServTouch-Wywy) and they do not sell harddisks. So buyers will need to bring along their own harddisks or install it themselves! And for those would like the functionality of the Popcorn Hour but lack the wherewithal to set it up themselves, tough luck guys. The Popcorn Hour sellers in $heep City don't do house calls. And if you are getting the Popcorn Hour in $heep City, it's recommended that you ask the distributor to update the player with the latest firmware. One of the advantages of Popcorn Hour's open source code is that it allows for users' contribution, changes and updates. It also means the Popcorn Hour forum should be added to your list of internet bookmarks. Then again, as the reviewer in afterdawn.com says: "Popcorn Hour continues to sell well and is in high demand due to its low price and its ability to support more formats than, say, the rival Apple TV device. Popcorn Hour is one of the few media hubs with the ability to natively play Matroska [MKV] and XviD and also offers direct access to YouTube and Vuze." This is the device Creative Technology should have invented. Meanwhile, still in $heep City, a slightly pricier alternative is the Snazio Cinema NMT (S$499; S$659 if it includes 1TB harddisk) whose features are similar to the Popcorn Hour: - HDMI-1.3 and Optical Audio with HD Audio pass-through for DTS HD-HR, DTS HD-MA, Dolby Digital Plus and Dolby TrueHD; - Internet Streaming: YouTube, Podcast Flicker CNET-TV DL.TV Internet Radio and more - Professional Full HD Video Output - 1080i (50/59.94/60), 1080p (24/25/29.97/30/50/59.94/60) While the specs for the Popcorn Hour and Snazio are generally impressive, anime fans might want to note that these media players do not support ASS subtitles (needless to say are common in anime movies). Those who are technology-challenged might want to wait for the day when there are simpler plug-and-play higher-end machines but when the issue of "home care" is raised, one electronics shopkeeper in $heep City is willing to charge S$100 to come to your home to help you set up your system. It's likely the media players scene will get more competitive, especially when the higher-end Chinese and Taiwanese machines are launched. Already a popular low-end player is the made-in-China MyGica, which sells for S$88. This handles mainly AVIs but not MKVs. NEW BLU-RAY/DVDs ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY Here are some new Blu-ray and DVD releases from across the
Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following titles were released May 15,
2009. It should be pointed out that these Blu-ray DVDs sold in Malaysia are NOT
true Blu-rays as they have gig sizes that fit a dual-layer DVD9. Buy at your
own risk:
EXTRA!
THE INVINCIBLE IRON "RICE BOWL" MAN & HIS SUPER FRIEND "For people in government like me, having to deal with these sums of money which we have accumulated through the sweat of our brow over the last 40 years, you have to pay the market rate. And then you've got an incompetent man and you've lost money, by the billions. So get a sense of proportion." [MM Lee in 2007] "You know, the cure for all this talk is really a good dose of incompetent government. You get that alternative and you'll never put $ingapore together again: Humpty Dumpty cannot be put together again... and your asset values will disappear, your apartment will be worth a fraction of what it is, your jobs will be in peril, your security will be at risk and our women will become maids in other people's countries, foreign workers." [MM Lee April 5, 2007] $INGAPORE'S INVESTMENTS 'RATIONAL AND WITHIN RISK LIMITS' - JANUARY 2008
"Govt doesn't comment on each deal, but it is assured that investments in subprime-hit banks are rational and within risk limits." - $ingapore's Minister of Finance Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Jan 22, 2008. A super friend indeed. TEMASEK TAKES US$4.6 BILLION LOSS ON MERRILL INVESTMENT - MAY 2009
Read a scathing commentary on Temasek's head Ho Ching, also the wife of General Lee Hsien Loong, $heep City's prime minister: $ingapore's Lesson: Buy High, Sell Low "If nothing else, the record of Temasek gives the lie to notion spread by $ingapore's ruling clique that they are the best guardians of the people's savings. Paternalism morphed into an arrogance whose full cost to $ingaporeans is for now hidden by the opaque nature of the government's accounts, and the very partial revelations provided by Temasek. $ingaporeans, gather your purse-strings and, together, pull." http://asiasentinel.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1880&Itemid=233 THE MIRROR OF OPINION "This was not an investment. It was a GAMBLE. The government wasted $ingaporeans savings." - The young, restless and cynical Mirror Of Opinion, May 22, 2009.
On April 13, 2009, citizens of $heep City, $ingapore found their freedom of assembly suddenly removed by a new law passed in $ingapore's parliament. Only state-sponsored "protests" are allowed in $heep
City, $ingapore.
"What's the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile... So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE..." - $ingapore's National Anthem.
May 12: To go out in a small boat along $ingapore's coast now is to feel like a mouse tiptoeing through an endless herd of slumbering elephants. One of the largest fleets of ships ever gathered idles here just outside one of the world's busiest ports, marooned by the receding tide of global trade. There may be tentative signs of economic recovery in spots around the globe, but few here. Hundreds of cargo ships - some up to 300,000 tons, with many weighing more than the entire 130-ship Spanish Armada - seem to perch on top of the water rather than in it, their red rudders and bulbous noses, submerged when the vessels are loaded, sticking a dozen feet out of the water. So many ships have congregated here - 735, according to AIS Live ship tracking service of Lloyd's Register-Fairplay in Redhill, Britain - that shipping lines are becoming concerned about near misses and collisions in one of the world's most congested waterways, the straits that separate Malaysia and $ingapore from Indonesia. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/13/business/global/13ship.html?_r=1 CARGOSHIP COLLISION MAY REIGNITE $INGAPORE CONGESTION CLAIMS May 4: An Iranian general cargoship was close to sinking after an early morning collision with an Indonesian-flagged cargoship in the $ingapore Strait last week [April 24]. The Maritime & Port Authority of $ingapore maintains that the port's anchorages are not overcrowded and concerns over navigational safety are unwarranted. http://www.business24-7.ae/articles/2009/4/pages/07042009/04082009_4d9b3adcaea54a3f80479a3af6c54888.aspx The matter remains unreported by $ingapore's government-controlled media. SRI LANKA'S M.I.A. GETS ACCUSED AGAIN OF BEING TERRORIST SYMPATHIZER Pitchfork reports: Give M.I.A. credit: As her fame has grown exponentially over the past few years, so has her political involvement. Lately, she has put a lot of effort into drawing attention to the ongoing civil war in her home country of Sri Lanka and to the widespread human rights abuses happening there. She has thrown support behind a controversial aid mission, talked about the issue on Tavis Smiley's PBS talk show, and hollered at Oprah to throw some light on the subject. But because of these efforts, M.I.A. has risked being demonized as a terrorist sympathizer. In a new MySpace blog post, she has responded to those accusations once again. $ingapore, which boasts hundreds of BILLIONS in reserves, recently donated the GENEROUS amount of US$30,000 to Sri Lanka. On May 1, the $ingapore Government said it will contribute US$30,000 to UNICEF, which is one of the aid agencies involved in the humanitarian relief efforts in Sri Lanka. http://app.mfa.gov.sg/2006/press/view_press.asp?post_id=5080 Sorry Sri Lanka, $ingapore's 2009 Kindness Week was in April and lasts all of seven days. JEFF AMENT ROBBED IN ATLANTA Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament was the victim of a violent robbery outside Southern Tracks Recording studios in Atlanta, where the band is recording their ninth studio album. According to a police report, Ament and a band employee pulled up to the rear of the studio on the afternoon of April 27 when three assailants brandishing knives emerged from the woods wearing black masks and gloves. The robbers smashed the windows of a rented Jeep and grabbed a BlackBerry before demanding more money. In total, Ament was robbed of $3,000 in cash and $4,320 worth of goods. The bassist was chased and knocked to the ground, sustaining a
head laceration which was treated by EMS. The attackers - who also stole
Ament's passport - escaped into a waiting black Nissan Maxima. The incident was
captured on a surveillance camera, but no arrests have been made. - Rolling Stone JACK WHITE OPENS RECORD STORE Jack White, who now resides near Nashville, has opened Third Man Records - White's new (cash only) record store and label - in March. He has also formed a Nashville band, The Dead Weather, with Kills singer Alison Mosshart. The new album will be out soon. White is one half of The White Stripes. SINATRA FILM TO BE DIRECTED BY SCORSESE Martin Scorsese is set to direct a biopic based on the life of Frank Sinatra, it was announced May 13. This will be the first feature-length film about the legendary crooner, who starred in several films himself during his lifetime. STEWART COPELAND'S BEN HUR Police drummer Stewart Copeland has a new soundtrack to sell, Ben Hur Live, a multi-media show to be staged in London come September. And at a BBC news program, he refused to rule out further shows by his former group, The Police. Which soon resulted in press headlines that the Police would not rule out further tours. He said: "I'd recommend that every artist should do it every 20 years. So call me in 20 years." So back to the news. Copeland has also just completed composing the soundtrack for the forthcoming show 'Ben Hur Live', a project which he described as a "no brainer." He describes the show as "music mixed with media, some thrashing drums with an ethnic element, a Middle Eastern feel". The climax of the performance reportedly features a live chariot race involving 20 horses. No other policemen are involved. HIGH DEF FOR YOUR TV The next format war will be between physical media like CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray versus all-in-one media players that stream digital downloads whether audio or video from your hard drive to your TV sets or hi-fi systems. With more shows being shown in the high def format, readers might
like to check out these media players for high-def viewing. The growing
popularity of high-def shows has resulted in many of these shows being saved in
the MKV format. In terms of picture clarity, the MKV format can be said to be a
step below high def but a step above the usual DVD. Launched in the US and the UK towards the end of 2008, Western Digital's HD Media Player is easy to use and relatively easy on the pocket (S$199). Store your MKV movies in your external harddisk. [The media player is not a harddisk.] Using a USB port, connect your external harddisk to the media player. HDMI and composite video connections are available for you to connect the media player to your high def TV but according to one reviewer, users will need to get their own HDMI cable. For the more technically inclined, Western Digital's media player supports the following high def video formats: 1920x1080p 24fps, 1920x1080i 30fps, 1280x720p 60fps resolution. Apart from MKV files, it also supports MPEG1/2/4, WMV9, AVI (MPEG4, Xvid, AVC), H.264, and MOV (MPEG4, H.264). In terms of music, WD's media player supports the following formats: MP3, WMA, OGG, WAV/PCM/LPCM, AAC, FLAC, Dolby Digital, AIF/AIFF, MKA. An audio receiver is required for surround sound output. AAC/Dolby Digital decodes in 2 channel output only. According to a reviewer in techreport.com, "Video performance
was very impressive, and the WD TV handled everything I threw at it with ease.
The real tests involved HD content. Starting with a 720p rip of The Dark Knight
(encoded with x264 into MKV at around 8Mbps), the WD TV was able to play the
file without issue and even recognized my included subtitles. Picture quality
was superb, as well... I started with a 1080p trailer for Star Trek encoded in
AVC with an average bit rate of about 12Mbps, with stream peaks of almost
20Mbps. The WD TV didn't even break a sweat. I think it's safe to say that this
thing has plenty of horsepower for any HD content." Meanwhile, Seagate's Freeagent Theater (S$179) might be touted as HD friendly but it only goes so far as 720p/1080i. It supports MPEG-4, Xvid up to 1280 x 720 60 fps; MPEG-2 and photos up to 1920 x 1080i 30 fps. In terms of audio, the Theater supports MP3, AC3 (5.1 audio - Dolby Digital) WMA, WAV and OGG formats. The major drawback (which will put a lot of fans off) is that the Theater does not support MKV files and there is no HDMI connection. As a sort of poor cousin to WD's media player, all its promo can muster is to say "enjoy and share your photos, movies and music on your TV in the comfort of your lounge." BLU-RAY, DVDs OR DIGITAL DOWNLOADS? For the time being, the physical disc is still the way for US consumers. According to a study by the NPD Group in the US, 88 per cent of consumer home entertainment dollars go toward DVD and Blu-ray Disc purchases and rentals. Each US consumer spent an average of $25 per month on all types of home entertainment. Most of that money, 63 per cent, was spent on DVD purchases; 7 per cent was spent on BD purchases; and 18 per cent went to DVD and BD rentals. Most consumers don't use digital options to watch a full-length movie, although the numbers have grown over the last year. Just 9 per cent was spent on Video on-demand (VOD), and 3 per cent went to digital downloads and online streaming. The NPD study "Entertainment Trends in America" was conducted online and is based on more than 11,000 completed responses from U.S. consumers. Both Western Digital and Seagate have delivered a cheaper alternative, a unit that streams digital video files from PC to TV, priced under US$200. TAIWAN LEADS THE WAY FOR BLU-RAY PLAYERS Kenmec Mechanical Engineering, an electronics manufacturing services (EMS) provider based in Taiwan that recently started making Blu-ray players [BD], has stated that it expects to sell 60,000 players under the company's own brand in Taiwan, as well as ship another 150,000 units to ODM clients mainly in Europe and the US during this year. Kenmec also plans to expand its product line-up to include mini BD players, BD players with BD burning functionality, IPTVs and portable BD players. Meanwhile, Admiral Ronnie of $ingapore is banking on 3D cinema as the next generation. NEW BLU-RAY/DVDs ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY Here are some new Blu-ray and DVD releases from across the
Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following titles were released May 8,
2009. It should be pointed out that these Blu-ray DVDs sold in Malaysia are NOT
true Blu-rays as they have gig sizes that fit a dual-layer DVD9. Buy at your
own risk:
EXTRA! THE ELECTRONIC POLICE STATE 2008 As the 2009 rankings may soon be out, it's timely to recap the current rankings of the 52 states studied by cryptohippie.com. Here are the Top 12 police states in the WORLD. 1. China Rankings are determined by the following criteria: According to the site they "are not measuring government censorship of Internet traffic or police abuses, as legitimate as these issues may be. And, we are not including evidence gathering by traditional, honest police work in any of the categories below. (That is, searches pursuant to honestly obtained warrants - issued by an independent judge, and only after the careful examination of evidence.) "The seventeen factors we included in these rankings are: Daily Documents Border Issues Financial Tracking Gag Orders Anti-Crypto Laws Constitutional Protection Data Storage Ability Data Search Ability ISP Data Retention Telephone Data Retention Cell Phone Records Medical records Enforcement Ability Habeus Corpus Police-Intel Barrier Covert Hacking Loose Warrants Read the full report for 2008 here https://secure.cryptohippie.com/pubs/EPS-2008.pdf BOYS IN THE JUNTA
On April 13, 2009, citizens of $heep City, $ingapore found their freedom of assembly suddenly removed by a new law passed in $ingapore's parliament. Only state-sponsored "protests" are allowed in $heep
City, $ingapore.
"What's the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile... So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE..." - $ingapore's National Anthem. Kelly McGillis, the actress who won millions of male fans across the world when she played the love interest in the iconic 1980s film Top Gun, has come out as a lesbian. The girl who lit Navy pilot Tom Cruise's afterburners says that at the age of 51, and after two failed marriages, "I'm done with the man thing. You need to move on in life." She's currently single and looking for a partner. In an interview with the lesbian website Shewired.com she said that coming out was "an ongoing process from the time I was probably 12". She added: "I had a lot of things happen that convinced me that God was punishing me because I was gay." These incidents included her being attacked and raped as a young actress in her New York apartment in 1982. - The First Post, May 1, 2009 JAY BENNETT SUES JEFF TWEEDY It has come to this. Ex-Wilco guitarist/keyboardist Jay Bennett is suing Wilco singer/songwriter Jeff Tweddy for US$50,000 in damages for unpaid royalties as well as no pay for his part in the 2002 Wilco documentary I Am Trying To Break Your Heart, The Chicago Tribune reported. Seeing as how this suit is coming just as the new Wilco album is due, there's no love lost since Bennett left Wilco in 2001. The internal friction in Wilco has been there since the band formed. Wilco itself was the result of the fracturing of Uncle Tupelo when Jay Farrar departed. Tweedy than renamed the band Wilco. HOT DATE The only good news to come out of the Motor City: The Detroit News reports that White Stripes drummer Meg White will marry Jackson Smith, son of punk legend Patti Smith and the late MC5 guitarist Fred "Sonic" Smith. The date has not yet been decided. WHEN THE INTERNET STARTS TO STOP Internet users face regular "brownouts" that will freeze their computers as capacity runs out in cyberspace, according to research to be published later this year. Experts predict that consumer demand, already growing at 60 per cent a year, will start to exceed supply as early as 2010 because of more people working online and the soaring popularity of bandwidth-hungry Web sites such as YouTube and services such as the BBC's iPlayer. It will initially lead to computers being disrupted and going offline for several minutes at a time. Beginning in 2012, however, PCs and laptops are likely to operate at a much reduced speed, rendering the Internet an "unreliable toy." When Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the British scientist, wrote the code
that transformed a private computer network into the World Wide Web in 1991,
the Internet appeared to be a limitless resource. However, a report being
compiled by Nemertes Research, a respected American think-tank, will warn that
the Web has reached a critical point and that even the recession has failed to
stave off impending problems. - www.foxnews.com THE CAT'S OUT OF THE BAG It is now the turn of singer-songwriter Yusuf Islam [aka Cat Stevens] to claim that Coldplay have nicked bits from one of his songs. He claims his 1970s track Foreigner Suite is the basis of Coldplay's mega hit Viva La Vida. He'll have to join the queue as American guitarist, Joe Satriani, has already launched legal proceedings alleging his 2004 song If I Could Fly forms the band's global smash. In 2005, Chris Martin of Coldplay told Rolling Stone: "We're good, but I don't think we're that original. I regard us as being incredibly good plagiarists." Make of that what you will. Go here and fast forward to the 5.15 mark to hear the similarity of Foreigner Suite to Viva La Vida. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmOXNlID2Xs&feature=related SAY 'UNCLE' TWICE Bob Dylan has beaten The Enemy to the top of the UK album charts. Dylan is simultaneously No. 1 on Billboard's Hot 200 list as well. His new LP 'Together Through Life' went straight in to the top of the charts, while The Enemy's 'Music For The People' reached Number Two. 'Together Through Life' is Dylan's first UK Number One album in nearly four decades, since 'New Morning' was released in 1970. He becomes the oldest man to top the UK album charts. Congratulations, grandad. PAUL RODGERS: NOT AFRAID OF SWINE FLU Only a pig would be afraid. Paul Rodgers says the reason the new Bad Company tour next month is so short - about a dozen shows in the USA, is that he wants to concentrate on making music. "Well, you know, I've travelled and I'm not worried about stuff like that [swine flu]. I usually find, to be honest with you, that most of those things are exaggerated way out of proportion. You know, I'm not afraid to travel, it's just I want to be able to focus more on waking up in one place and working on music, I think really, and that's really the reason. I think next year I'll probably be touring my brains out." Fans can see Paul and the rest of Bad Company when the group kicks off their reunion tour on June 20 in Charlotte, North Carolina. For all the dates, head to BadCompany.com.
MULTI-SYSTEM, MULTI CODED BLU RAY PLAYERS ON THE WAY While one shop in $heep City, $ingapore has advertised a multi-coded Blu-ray player [it's either the Samsung BD1500 or the Panasonic BD30*], a US company is preparing to launch a Blu-ray player that will play practically everything including the popular MKV format which netizens have used to share Blu-ray ripped discs. The OPPO BDP-83 Blu-ray Disc Player is a universal player. It plays Blu-ray, DVDs [official and DVD-Rs], audiophile DVD-As and SACDs and also formats like Kodak Picture CD, AVCHD, MKV, and other audio/video/picture files on recorded discs or USB drives. The player also has HDMI output and can handle Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD. For audiophiles, this player also has stereo analog connects and digital optical and Coaxial outputs. This player also supports both PAL and NTSC DVD discs. It also comes ready to be used anywhere in the world as it has a universal power supply where you can adjust the voltage depending on which country you're at. Best of all it takes all of 10 seconds to load a Blu-ray disc. Other Blu-ray players are famous for taking a long, long time to get to "ready". The pre-production model already has excellent reviews from audiophiles and the price point is around US$500. Oppo have now sent out invites to interested parties to buy a player. It will be sold late in May. The pre-order price is US$499. Unlike the Early Adopter Program, which was limited to US residents, this sale is open to people in Canada (and also in Argentina, Australia, Bermuda, Brazil, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, South Korea, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates). Note only hip cities are invited, not $heep City, $ingapore. The player's only let down is that it is region coded. It follows
the rules set by Hollywood studios to divide the world into regions. So it will
only play Region 1 DVDs and Region A Blu-ray discs. Audiophiles have even set
up an FAQ page for the Oppo http://watershade.net/wmcclain/BDP-83-faq.html#media-files HKflix says, "The Momitsu BDP-899 is the only Blu-ray player available that will play any region Blu-ray disc, as well as play any region standard DVD, on an NTSC TV. If you're looking for an all-in-one device that will play nearly any disc available, this is your device. It also comes with a plethora of additional features not commonly found on Blu-ray players, such as USB input and auxiliary A/V inputs." This player's Achilles Heel is it cannot playback mkv formatted discs. Read a rave review here: http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/hardwarereviews/momitsu_bdp-899.htm *NOTE: The "multi-code" refers to DVDs only. The two players sold in $ingapore can ONLY play region "A" Blu-ray discs. Apparently there are no $heep in $ingapore who know how to modify a Blu-ray player. Creative? You wish. BLU-RAY ENLIGHTENMENT To help avid Blu-ray fans who are well-travelled and continue to do so, here is a site that lists Blu-ray discs that are region free [no code]: http://regionfreemovies.com/ HIP CITY TAIWAN GETS GREEN LIGHT TO MANUFACTURE BLU-RAY DISCS U-Tech Media of Taiwan, announced May 5 that it has obtained certification from the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA) for the production of 50GB (double-layer) BD-ROM discs. This makes U-Tech the first replicator in Asia outside of Japan to receive that certification. The company expects to begin shipments in the third quarter of 2009. The company expects that the new 50GB BD-ROM certification will help U-Tech compete for Blu-ray disc orders and boost its shipment volumes. TRADE IN YOUR OLD DVDs FOR BLU-RAYS HMV stores across Canada began a promotion which runs for the entire month of May, where customers who bring in used DVDs will receive a C$7 credit towards the purchase of special marked Fox and MGM Blu-ray discs. Originally conceived to promote the responsible recycling of used DVDs, the program has since morphed to provide used DVDs to children's hospitals and libraries and out of landfills. Additionally, HMV Canada will be offering special one-day deals where by turning in 10 DVDs and buying 10 Blu-rays will also yield a $10 gift card in addition to the $7 credit per DVD title (essentially a $8 rebate per DVD turned-in). Another great idea that didn't come out of $heep City. NEW BLU-RAY/DVDs ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY Here are some new Blu-ray and DVD releases from across the
Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following titles were released May 1,
2009. It should be pointed out that these Blu-ray DVDs sold in Malaysia are NOT
true Blu-rays as they have gig sizes that fit a dual-layer DVD9. Buy at your
own risk:
EXTRA!
NO IRON RICE BOWL: BUFFETT TOLD, NAME YOUR SUCCESSOR Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor, yesterday [May 1] faced shareholder demands to name his successor following five consecutive quarters of declining profit at Berkshire Hathaway. More than 35,000 investors turned out to question the investor known as the "Sage of Omaha" at Berkshire's annual meeting in the Nebraska town yesterday. After more than 40 years at the helm, Mr Buffett's job will be split between his son Howard, who will become chairman, and an as yet unidentified chief executive and chief investment officer. Mr Buffett, 78, said all the candidates for the position of chief executive already work for Berkshire Hathaway. Mr Buffett continued to paint a pessimistic picture about the prospects for the US economy. PANIC ATTACK "Health scares are like terrorist ones. Someone somewhere has an interest in it. We depend on others with specialist knowledge to advise and warn us and assume they offer advice on a dispassionate basis, using their expertise to assess danger and communicating it in measured English. Words such as possibly, potentially, could or might should be avoided. They are unspecific qualifiers and open to exaggeration... "...Meanwhile a real pestilence, MRSA and C difficile, was taking hold in hospitals. It was suppressed by the medical profession because it appeared that they themselves might be to blame. These diseases have played a role in thousands of deaths in British hospitals - the former a reported 1,652 and the latter 8,324 in 2007 alone. Like deaths from alcoholism, we have come to regard hospital-induced infection as an accident of life, a hazard to which we have subconsciously adjusted. "MRSA and C difficile are not like swine flu, an opportunity for public figures to scare and posture and spend money. They are diseases for which the government is to blame. They claim no headlines and no Cobra priority. Their sufferers must crawl away and die in silence." - Simon Jenkins, A Panic Stoked In Order To Posture And Spend, in The UK Guardian, April 29, 2009 http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/apr/29/swine-flu-mexico-uk-media1 WHAT KILLED DBS' CEO
The $T headline seems misleading. "But his weakened immune system made him susceptible to infection... His condition rapidly deteriorated over the last 48 hours and he succumbed to the infection." MRSA Rates [in $ingapore] Higher Than You Think Think about it. 48 die every year from MRSA in $heep City. And it's NOT front page news. Please don't try to organise a protest. See below. BOYS IN THE JUNTA
On April 13, 2009, citizens of $heep City, $ingapore found their freedom of assembly suddenly removed by a new law passed in $ingapore's parliament. Only state-sponsored "protests" are allowed in $heep
City, $ingapore.
"What's the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile... So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE..." - $ingapore's National Anthem. According to the NME, Bob Dylan's new album 'Together Through Life' is provisionally sat on top of the UK album chart, with the mid-week sales revealing a comfortable lead over The Enemy's second record 'Music For The People'. NME.COM says mid-week sales for the album stand at around 17,000 as of April 28, while The Enemy's 'Music For The People' are near the 13,000 mark. If 'Together Through Life' stays on top throughout the week it will be Dylan's seventh UK Number One album. MICHAEL JACKSON INTERVIEW COMING Manchester United defender Rio Ferdinand says Michael Jackson has
agreed to be interviewed by Ferdinand. The ManU football player has just
started a digital lifestyle magazine, No. 5, and Ferdinand says Jackson called
to wish him luck. "I was shaking when I got off the phone. It was a real
surprise," Ferdinand said. "I'm hoping to interview him for a later
edition and he's invited me to one of his concerts to come backstage and speak
to him about it." So what can we expect to read? CITIGROUP AND BANK OF AMERICA 'MUST RAISE BILLIONS IN EXTRA CAPITAL' The Guardian on April 28, reported that "leaked preliminary results" of US government stress tests on banks suggest the financial crisis is far from over. Citigroup and Bank of America have both been told that they must raise billions of dollars of extra capital, according to a report that suggests the financial crisis is far from over. The Wall Street Journal reported April 28 that the stress tests conducted by the US government on 19 banks found that both Citi and Bank of America need more funds to cover future losses caused by the economic downturn. Read here http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2009/apr/28/citigroup-bank-of-america-stress-tests When Citigroup raises more capital, it will dilute $ingapore's stake in the bank. Is this a good investment by GIC or a bad gamble? Whatever, $ingaporean money have been wasted. Citigroup's share price as at April 29 was US$2.89. IF YOU'VE NOTHING BETTER TO DO, IT'S MASTURBATE-A-THON DAY This year's Masturbate-a-Thon Day falls on May 2. The Center for Sex & Culture will hold its 9th annual fundraising and consciousness-raising event at its 1519 Mission Street suites and the building's adjacent theatre in San Francisco. Doors will open at 11 am for competitors seeking to best the current world time record (currently 9 hours and 33 minutes for males and 7 hours and 6 minutes for females). The event can be watched live at their website. Maybe the guy who thinks we can wait 30 years for our bank
investments to bear fruit might like to give it a try. Failure is an option.
After all, it's an iron rice bowl. Last year's winner was from Japan. FLAMING LIPS ON THE BORDERLINE On Record Store Day last week, The Flaming Lips released a special single with a cover version of Madonna's Borderline. When asked to explain the meaning of the disco hit, frontman Wayne Coyne says, "I think she's singing about orgasms." "You know, she's talking about reaching the borderline and whoever this man is, he's trying to make her orgasm and gets her right close but then isn't able to do it. Everyone I talk to didn't know that! And then I realized how ridiculous it is for a 40-year-old man to be singing about orgasms." Come as you are. JAMIE CULLUM HEADS TO HONG KONG Platinum-selling artist Jamie Cullum will showcase at Music Matters in Hong Kong in June and use the event to announce his new album. Cullum was recently heard on Clint Eastwood's Gran Torino singing the film's theme song as the credits rolled. "It is so exciting to be back in Hong Kong and I am honoured to be given the opportunity to perform at Music Matters" said Jamie in a statement. "Asia is always a highlight for me on tour; amazing food and a huge wealth of musical talent. The fans in Asia rock, they never fail to provide a warm reception". CANCELLED The spate of cancellations continue. This week Tori Amos and The Doves cancelled gigs in the UK. In the US, indie band Japandroids cancelled. The most famous no-show was Talib Kweli's at University of Minnesota. The singer was stuck in transit at O'hare airport. Five hundred students decided to riot as a result. Riot police were called to the campus. Talib's looks like the odd-man out. Otherwise is it poor ticket sales or serious illness? AMERICAN WOMAN INVENTED FROM BOOTLEG TAPE Burton Cummings: "American Woman (by The Guess Who) just 'happened' one night on stage. If memory serves me correctly it was at a curling rink in Mississauga called the Broom and Stone. Randy started playing the now-famous guitar riff and I just started singing whatever came into my head. "All those lines about 'war machines' and 'ghetto scenes' and 'colored lights can hypnotize, sparkle someone else's eyes' were just there in one of those 'stream of consciousness; moments. This was the late '60s and cassette machines were a relatively new invention. "There was a young guy there bootlegging the show on a portable cassette machine. We confiscated the tape and literally 'learned' American Woman from listening to it." Taken from the liner notes of Bachman Cummings Songbook released in 2006.
Japan has again shown off one of its greatest innovations - square watermelons. For years consumers struggled to fit the large round fruit in their refrigerators. And then there was the problem of trying to cut the fruit when it kept rolling around. But 20 years ago a forward-thinking farmer on Japan's south-western island of Shikoku solved the problem. The farmer, from Zentsuji in Kagawa prefecture, came up with the idea of making a cube-shaped watermelon which could easily be packed and stored. To make it happen, farmers grew the melons in glass boxes and the fruit then naturally assumed the same shape. Today the cuboid watermelons are hand-picked and shipped all over Japan. But the fruit, on sale in a selection of department stores and upmarket supermarkets, appeals mainly to the wealthy and fashion-conscious of Tokyo and Osaka, Japan's two major cities. Each melon sells for 10,000 yen, equivalent to about US$83. It is almost double, or even triple, that of a normal watermelon. You'll need to earn the salary of a multi-million-dollar $ingapore minister to keep a steady supply of cuboid watermelons in your fridge. Even with that salary, it's unlikely you can "innovate" and invent a cuboid watermelon in $heep City. NEW YORK DOLLS TO TOUR The New York Dolls have announced a tour of the US in support of their forthcoming album 'Cause I Sez So', due May 5 and produced by Todd Rungren. The band will also perform a special private show on the day of the album's release at the John Varvatos store on Bowery, formerly the home of legendary punk venue CBGB. Detailed tour dates here http://www.nme.com/news/nme/44255 LIVE PEACE IN TORONTO DVD DUE IN JUNE John Lennon and The Plastic Ono Band Live in Toronto '69 will be made available as a DVD by Shout! Factory on June 23. The historic concert was filmed on Sept 13, 1969, at the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival festival, which also happened to be the eve of the release of Abbey Road - the Beatles' last recorded work. In Lennon's band were Yoko, Eric Clapton, bassist Klaus Voormann and drummer Alan White. DA Pennebaker captured the show on film. The DVD also features an interview with Yoko Ono from 1988. [with thanks to Ernie Clark for submitting this item] NEW BLU-RAY/DVDs ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY Here are some new Blu-ray and DVD releases from across the
Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following titles were released April
24, 2009. It should be pointed out that these Blu-ray DVDs sold in Malaysia are
NOT true Blu-rays as they have gig sizes that fit a dual-layer DVD9. Buy at
your own risk:
EXTRA! CHICKEN DELIGHT April 23, 2009: A man from Chambeshi in Kasama, Zambia, is reported to have had sex with a chicken which later died. Both police and hospital sources confirmed the Sunday morning incident. An eyewitness saw a chicken convulsing outside and called the owner of the house to come and see. She said when the owner came she saw some strange fluid coming out of the chickens' mouth. She brought the chicken for a medical examination. The examinations revealed that the fluid was human semen and they were advised not to eat the chicken. The chicken was later sent to a veterinarian but died on the way. In an exclusive interview with ZANIS, the owner of the chicken declined to disclose the suspect but confirmed that this was the second time it has happened. She said the suspect was in her house. Last year, a similar incident happened in Mbala, Zambia where a man, with two wives, had sex with a cow and was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment by the High Court. - ZANIS/ENDS/MC/EB. Only a man with a small penis can do this. Hello! MEN WITH BALLS STAND UP IN $HEEP CITY, $INGAPORE Police were surprised in $ingapore on April 27 when more than 100 construction workers from China gathered outside $ingapore's manpower ministry to complain about unpaid wages and cancellation of their work permits, witnesses said. The workers sat for about two hours at the steps of the ministry, at a busy intersection near the Chinatown district, and even shouted at ministry officials and police officers to air their grievances. At one point, police warned the workers to disperse within five minutes or face arrest. They left but daringly regrouped across a road from the ministry, and voluntarily dispersed about an hour later. The police, all $ingaporeans, did not arrest a single Chinese worker. The workers told AFP, a foreign news agency, they had not been paid their wages after their Chinese 'boss' absconded with the money. They also complained that their work permits had been cancelled without warning. Some of the workers told $ingapore government officials that they had not committed any crime and could not be arrested, but police told them they were illegally trespassing on government property. It is NOW a crime to assemble in public without a permit. Even an "assembly of one person" is NOT PERMITTED in $heep city. "The government should punish the company, not punish us by cancelling our permits. We just want our compensation so we can go back to China," construction worker Zhou Qing Ren, 40, told AFP. "We have got no money to eat now and no proper place to
stay," another worker shouted.
On April 13, 2009, citizens of $heep City, $ingapore found their
freedom of assembly suddenly removed by a new law passed in $ingapore's
parliament.
"What's the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile... So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE..." - $ingapore's National Anthem. Sometime last year, it was revealed that China OEMs have now got the licence to produce Blu-ray players. Some models were also introduced at tech shows in the US. Now there are rumbles that the Chinese are planning to hit the market this Christmas with players selling for the first time below the US$100 price. During last year's holiday season, Blu-ray players could be found for as low as US$128, though quantities were limited due to the availability of product and the high demand for the high definition players. With sales this year predicted to be at least twice of what they were last year, it is expected that the US$99 price point will become the norm for entry-level players, rather than as part of a special sales promotion. A website for Blu-ray fans thinks it is highly unlikely that Sony, Panasonic and Samsung "will participate in entry-level game of slim-margins, and will likely leave that to the new Chinese manufactures and new products from Magnavox or Sylvania". According to a new quarterly report by Futursource Consulting, the research company expects global shipments of Blu-ray Disc players to reach nearly 12 million units this year. CRAWDADDY'S PAUL WILLIAMS NEEDS FUNDS Called by many the "father of rock criticism" after founding Crawdaddy Magazine at the age of 17, crucial early champion of Philip K Dick, author of the underground classic Das Energi, confidant of John Lennon, biographer of Bob Dylan and traveling companion to the Grateful Dead, Paul Williams has lived a half dozen remarkable lifetimes, and his work as rock critic, holistic philosopher and avant-garde underground gadfly forms a unique and indespensible link through the past 40 years of pop and rock culture. In 1995, Williams suffered a traumatic brain injury in a bicycle accident, leading to early onset of dementia, and a steady decline to the point where he now requires full-time care. The burden on his immediate family has been immense. A website has been created to ask for your help, in the form of
contributions of any size, to assist in Paul's continued care and medical
attention. U.S. BANK PROFITS APPEAR OUT OF THIN AIR This is starting to feel like amateur hour for aspiring magicians. Another day, another attempt by a Wall Street bank to pull a bunny out of the hat, showing off an earnings report that it hopes will elicit oohs and aahs from the market. Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup and, on Monday, Bank of America all tried to wow their audiences with what appeared to be - presto! - better-than-expected numbers. But in each case, investors spotted the attempts at sleight of hand, and didn't buy it for a second. With Goldman Sachs, the disappearing month of December didn't quite disappear (it changed its reporting calendar, effectively erasing the impact of a $1.5 billion loss that month); JPMorgan Chase reported a dazzling profit partly because the price of its bonds dropped (theoretically, they could retire them and buy them back at a cheaper price; that's sort of like saying you're richer because the value of your home has dropped); Citigroup pulled the same trick. By Andrew Ross Sorkin, April 20, 2009. Read the rest here http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/21/business/21sorkin.html?_r=2 As the $ingapore government has foolishly invested multi-BILLIONS of $ingaporeans savings into failed bankrupt banks in the U.S. and Europe, every time there is a report of the slightest hint of recovery and the local nation-builder media will be trumpeting loudly. Informed readers should bear one thing in mind. These banks are
insolvent. No tiny amount of "profit" can fill that hole.
The world's most famous, and strangest puppeteers are heading to New Zealand in May with their international smash hit show. The world-wide popularity of the performance has seen them sell well over a million tickets to audiences of all ages and continues to be wildly popular with Australian audiences. Puppetry of the Penis was initially conceived by Simon Morley as the title of a highbrow art calendar, showcasing 12 of his favourite penis installations (known as "Dick Tricks" to the uninformed layperson). It was on New Year's Eve in 1997, with a garage full of calendars to sell and burgeoning requests for live demonstrations, when Simon finally decided to unleash his talent on the world. His natural choice of performance partner was David "Friendy" Friend, whose reputation as the life of any party was quickly growing. Their debut at the 1998 Melbourne International Comedy Festival was a huge hit, kicking off an eight-month tour of Australia. $ingaporeans who can't wait for them to come to $heep City, click here for their tour dates in New Zealand http://www.puppetryofthepenis.com/tours.php PIRATE BAY SHOULD WALK THE PLANK SAYS SIR PAUL Sir Paul McCartney told BBC Newsbeat, Apr 20, he believed that music should be paid for and that the punishment of jail and fine meted out to the Pirate Bay 4 was "fair". Four men were sentenced to a year in jail and fined £2.4 million for their involvement with the file-sharing website, being convicted of sharing music and videos in Stockholm last week (April 16). Sir Paul's famous quote: "If you get on a bus you've got to pay. And I think it's fair, you should pay your ticket." Music by Sir Paul's former band, The Beatles, have yet to be officially allowed to be sold via downloads. PINK FLOYD SUE EMI FOR THEIR MONEY Here's another bunch of alleged "crooks". Pink Floyd are suing their record label, EMI, over royalty payments. They have filed a lawsuit April 20 claiming that EMI have "miscalculated" royalties owed to them through sales of their back catalogue. Wouldn't Pink Floyd like to quote Sir Paul, "If you get on a bus you've got to pay. And I think it's fair, you should pay your ticket." DRUNKEN MASTER CHAN'S KOWTOW First kung fu actor Jackie Chan told a business forum in China that Chinese "need to be controlled". He said April 18, 2009, "I'm not sure if it's good to have freedom or not. I'm gradually beginning to feel that we Chinese need to be controlled." He also said freedoms enjoyed in Hong Kong and Taiwan made those societies "chaotic". "If we [the Chinese] are not controlled, we'll just do what we want." China is a totalitarian one-party communist state. By April 21, Chinese people insulted by Chan's speech were firing away. Pro-democracy legislator Leung Kwok-hung told AP that Chan had "insulted the Chinese people". Now Chan through his spokesman, Solon So, says Jackie Chan was misquoted. Apparently Chan was talking about freedom in the entertainment industry, not Chinese society at large. Drunken Master was the title of Chan's hit film in 1978. Jackie Chan should come and stay in $heep City, $ingapore as $ingapore is a TOTALITARIAN STATE where freedom of assembly has just been outlawed. What's allowed in $ingapore is the freedom to "shop, shop, shop." SECRET TO MARITAL BLISS? DON'T HAVE KIDS An eight-year long study has found that married couples satisfaction declines after the birth of the first child. The study of 218 couples found 90 per cent experienced a decrease in marital satisfaction once the first child was born. "Couples who do not have children also show diminished marital quality over time," says Scott Stanley, research professor of psychology at University of Denver. "However, having a baby accelerates the deterioration, especially seen during periods of adjustment right after the birth of a child." An unrelated study in 2006 of 13,000 people found parents are more depressed than non-parents. The new research, funded by a grant to the University of Denver from the National Institutes of Health, is detailed in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/30138330/ 3D FORMAT WAR At the NABShow this year in Las Vegas, one thing is very clear - 3D Blu-ray is no closer to being a reality than it was last year reports www.blu-ray.com. Too many companies wanting to use their own standard for 3D home presentation are fighting it out. The 3D DVD format has just been finalised although there hasn't been much interest in it. The Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) is expected to hold talks on a standardized 3D format this summer, but that will likely have to wait to be published until mid-2010. The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) is also working on their own, separate standard which would make the choice of 3D technology irrelevant. Meanwhile, consumer electronics manufacturers are moving forward with their own technology. Panasonic made the biggest splash at this year's CES by showing off their working 3D Blu-ray technology, but it is unlikely that other manufacturers would willingly adapt the specs (and pay Panasonic royalty fees). JVC and Mitsubishi have 3D HDTVs on the market, but neither have plans for providing a player (of any format) to generate the content. Sony is not commenting at all. With a year lead-time required to put 3D products in the market place, it is now unlikely we will see a 3D Blu-ray standard approved before next year, and therefore, no products before 2011. And by then, who would care? Some fans who have seen 3D DVDs have also been unimpressed. This is the general view expressed bluntly, "Every 3D movie I've watched on DVD has looked like crap." In July last year, $heep City, $ingapore hosted a 3D film and technology festival. A member of $ingapore's junta made this comment. Admiral Ronnie Tay, CEO, Infocomm Development Authority of $ingapore said: "This is part of our efforts to grow the Digital Media and Entertainment sector, including developing $ingapore into a global Digital Marketplace, as part of $ingapore's iN2015 infocomm masterplan." It's going to be war, Admiral Ronnie. Don't back the wrong side. Here are some new Blu-Ray and DVD releases from across the
Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following titles were released April
17, 2009. It should be pointed out that these Blu-Ray DVDs sold in Malaysia are
NOT true Blu-Rays as they have gig sizes that fit a dual-layer DVD9. Buy at
your own risk:
PIRATES' PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT
Viewers across the Causeway who pay more for movies sourced from
Blu-ray discs (around RM15) expect better picture and sound as compared to the
"ordinary" DVDs (RM5). Buyers might want to check their discs before
making their purchase as a recent copy of [Blu-ray] Die Hard looks as though it
was sourced from a laserdisc. Compared to the Blu-ray ad that appears before
the movie, Die Hard's image is not sharp and the colours are muted and flat.
Buyers beware. EXTRA! NOTHING FOR FREE IN $INGAPORE There's no such thing as welfare or free medical help. Because the PAP-led government has built this city on tough love, it is not a "welfare state". But wait... what's this? "$ingapore Airlines knows that you love their service and beautiful stewardesses. But what about their city? The 'Fabulous $ingapore Stopover Holiday' package beckons passengers to make a stopover in $ingapore with the first night starting at $1 for hotels such as the Allson Hotel, Hotel Royal and Peninsula Excelsior. Hotel upgrades are available starting at only an additional $20. But wait, there's still more... Deal: When you book an Stopover Holiday you get an assortment of extra deals beyond the super-cheap hotel night, including: free admission at $ingapore attractions such as the Jurong Bird Park, National Orchid Garden (pictured), $ingapore River Bumboat Tour and Singapore Zoo, plus 50% off meals at select hotels and outlets, a Free $ingTel Prepaid Mobile hi!Card, local public transportation, airport transfers and more. When: Book by May 15, 2009, for travel to be completed by end of September 2009." Oh, it's NOT FREE, tourists still have to pay $1. Who is footing the bill for tourist welfare? HIT AND RAPE, A NEW CRIME "A sick paedophile who ran over a 13-year-old girl on her bike then raped her as she lay unconscious claimed he 'just wanted to help.' Björn P. (30) from Lübbecke was driving through the small town of Hille, North Rhine-Westphalia, when he spotted Kathleen (name changed), who was riding her bike home from her friend's house at 8 pm on Easter Monday [April 13, 2009]. He intentionally hit her with his car, and then picked up her unconscious, bleeding body and drove to an empty parking lot, where he raped her. Kathleen was thrown five metres through the air and suffered a broken jawbone and serious brain injuries when she landed in a field. Police commissar Werner Wojahn said: "The perpetrator dragged the bleeding girl into his car and drove to an empty parking lot." It was there that he raped her. After he had sexually assaulted her, Björn P. let his young victim go and she stumbled home barefoot and badly injured while police were out searching for her." Kathleen has no recollection of what happened, but a witness put police on the right track. They traced the Renault and found the teenager's bra in the boot. The dad-of-five admitted to the horror sex crime after police tracked the incident back to his house and discovered that his car had a smashed windscreen from the impact, and that the young girl's bra was in the boot. He came clean in court and said: 'I had lusted after a young girl for a long time.' Now the paedophile has told his lawyer Andreas Chlosta: "I had drunk seven bottles of beer and wanted to go home. The girl rode out in front of me on a narrow path between fields and then the accident happened. I just wanted to take care of her and drive her home. Then something overcame me. I can't believe what I did. I am scared that I won't be able to see my five sons again and that my girlfriend will leave me." - Bild.de (Germany) BOYS IN THE JUNTA
On April 13, 2009, citizens of $heep City, $ingapore found their
freedom of assembly suddenly removed by a new law passed in $ingapore's
parliament.
"What's the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile... So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE..." - $ingapore's National Anthem. $INGAPORE PASSES LAW, CONFIRMS TOTALITARIAN STATUS $ingapore passed a law effectively putting a stop to freedom of assembly on Monday, April 13, 2009. Like Myanmar and North Korea, all outdoor activities that are cause-related will need a police permit, no matter how many people are involved ie not even one lone protester is allowed. The law allows police to order a person to leave an area if they determine he is about to break the law. That is a change from the current law requiring a permit for gatherings of five or more people. The bill also allows police to stop people from filming law enforcement. The police never give permits to opposition parties. Who fivesaguck? GUILTY Phil Spector was found guilty of second degree murder in a verdict handed down in Los Angeles April 13. Spector, 69, was convicted of shooting and killing actress Lana Clarkson at his Los Angeles mansion on February 3, 2003. The jury deliberated for approximately 30 hours. They had the option of convicting him of involuntary manslaughter instead of second-degree murder, but chose not to do so. His attorney argued that he should remain free on bail until the May 29 sentencing, but Judge Larry Paul Fidler sent him directly to jail. The famed music producer was also found guilty of using a firearm to commit a crime, according to the verdict read by Los Angeles Superior Court jurors. Spector, 69, could face 15 years to life in prison as a result of the second-degree murder conviction. Spector was the pioneer behind the 1960s Wall Of Sound technique for The Ronettes and The Righteous Brothers and producer of choice to the stars including The Beatles. BLESSED ARE THE PISS-MAKERS A former police officer Joseph Houston pleaded guilty in a plea bargain after being charged with assault and battery and of "open and gross lewdness" at a Metallica concert Jan 18, 2009, Cape Cod Online reports. After downing roughly six beers before the Metallica concert even started, Houston made his way to his seat where he then "physically and verbally harassed a family that had traveled to Boston from out of state and were seated in the row in front of Houston and his brothers," Cape Cod Online reports. Then: "Houston pulled down his pants, exposed his penis and urinated on a man's shirt, seat and the floor beside him, according to what the family told police. With his penis still exposed, Houston lunged at the man's sister, according to the Brewster police investigation." After the incident, Houston was fired. GOD MUST BE A BOOGIE MAN Softcore porn franchise Girls Gone Wild is claiming record sales after one of its cable ads accidentally aired during a live telecast of the Good Friday service at the Vatican. According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, a Girls Gone Wild commercial was broadcast throughout the Philadelphia market at 2 a.m. by Comcast. A spokesman for the cable company said the ad was aired inadvertently due to a test of the Emergency Alert System, during which the channel airs regular programming, which in this case included an advertisement for "Girls Gone Wild's Search for the Wildest Bar in America" DVD. Now GGW CEO Joe Francis says he received a record spike in sales. "We may have tapped into a whole new market. It seems that many of the same people interested in the Pope's message are also interested in ours." According to the Inquirer, the commercial reached the network's entire local area, but only one person called to complain. Francis said he was "happy to have shared an audience with the Pope." - www.thrfeed.com REDISCOVERING JAPAN "Reunited early-Seventies Japanese monsters, Flower Travellin' Band, were the biggest thrill at SXSW 2009, playing at vintage strength on the final date of their first-ever U.S. tour. The set included flaming chunks of the band's 1971 apex, the album-length suite Satori (originally on Atlantic Japan), with guitarist Hideki Ishima re-creating his searing-raga sustain on a sitarla (a custom guitar with a sitarlike neck) and singer Akira "Joe" Yamanaka still hitting the extreme highs in his operatic-samurai range. The group also played songs from a new prog-leaning studio album, We Are Here (Pony Canyon), but beginners should start with reissues: the brutalized Savoy Brown and King Crimson covers on 1970's Anywhere and the guaranteed enlightenment of Satori." - Rolling Stone THE COMIC LIFE OF BERTRAND RUSSELL AS TOLD BY GREEKS You read that right. Greeks not geeks. A graphic novel of the life and philosophy of England's Bertrand Russell is coming in October to be published by Bloomsbury. It will take the comic format to new vistas. Logicomix: An Epic Search For Truth by Apostolos Doxiadis and Christos H. Papadimitriou with the art team of Alecos Papdatos and Annie Di Donna, will be published simultaneously in the U.S. and Britain. This graphic novel was first published in Greece in 2008 and became not only the first Greek graphic novel but a financial success as well. Logicomix is a full-color 336 page book (US$22.95) that also features a glossary of technical terms and prose annotations on all of the historical figures in the book. There's a 10-city book tour that will focus on universities in Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Seattle and other towns and there's a website, logicomix.com, that features media and background information on the writers; the remarkable artist team of Papadatos and Di Donna as well as behind-the-scenes video on the making of the book. While the life of Bertrand Russell is the core narrative of Logicomix, the book's focus is really on Russell's life work - a passionate and ultimately futile attempt to establish a foundation for modern mathematics on clear and concretely stated logic. Beginning in the early part of the 20th century Russell and other prominent mathematicians sought to establish a set of rigorously conceived logical proofs that would eliminate the paradox and circular logic typical of mathematics of the era. Logicomix is the story of that passionate search for philosophical truth and along the way documents both the efforts of Russell (in particular the writing of his seminal book Principia Mathematica coauthored with Alfred North Whitehead) and a long list of prominent turn-of-the century intellectuals who struggled with these questions in the pursuit of an unattainable intellectual deadend. The original Greek edition was self-published and financed by co-author Apostolos Doxiadis. The original edition was also a full-color work. - PW Comics Week SWEDISH COMICS Porn yes, but who ever heard of Swedish comics? When a Swedish student and cartoonist named Niklas Asker first wrote to USA's Top Shelf Productions publisher Chris Staros asking him to be his thesis adviser, it seemed like a long shot. But after seeing the student's artwork, Staros not only accepted his request, he later decided to publish the thesis at Top Shelf as a book titled Second Thoughts, hitting shelves later this month reports PW Comics Week. Last year, Staros accepted an invitation to attend the Swedish Small Press Expo as a guest of honor, an experience that opened his eyes to a young, flourishing comics scene, and convinced him to bring some of its brightest lights to North American shores for the very first time. "When I was over there, you could tell that the Swedish small press community was coalescing in a really serious way," says Staros, who saw his trip as a chance to be an ambassador from the world of American alternative comics. "I made it a point to talk to everybody; I bought mini-comics from every person who was exhibiting. I wanted to get a sense of what everyone was doing." Staros was particularly impressed by the work of Mats Jonsson, a Galagos editor whose graphic novel Hey Princess sold over 10,000 copies in Sweden, and Simon Gardensfors, who chronicled 120 wild, itinerant days on the road in a book called 120 Days of Simon. After meeting with the two creators and reading English translations of their work, Staros decided to publish them as well; both books are now slated for Top Shelf 2010 releases. Galagos is a Swedish comics magazine. According to Klenell, a combination of government funding and scholarships for artists and publishers in Sweden "has made it possible for us to build a strong [comics] scene... despite the fact that we are a very small nation." With a population of only nine million, compared to 300 million in the United States, Sweden already boasts two schools devoted to comics, and sales of top books comparable to American small press graphic novel sales. NEW BLU-RAY/DVDs ACROSS THE CAUSEWAY Here are some new Blu-Ray and DVD releases from across the
Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following titles were released April
10, 2009. It should be pointed out that these Blu-Ray DVDs sold in Malaysia are
NOT true Blu-Rays as they have gig sizes that fit a dual-layer DVD9. Buy at
your own risk:
========== THE LAST WORD ON RATS IN $INGAPORE "Rats were writhing on pieces of cardboard laid out between stalls at the Geylang Serai Temporary Market [in $ingapore] when pest controllers got there on Thursday morning. "Rows of them were stuck in the green glue, part of traps laid out the night before, in an effort to spring clean the temporary structure, now infamous for the Indian rojak stall which is the focal point of $ingapore's worst outbreak of food poisoning. "By noon, pest controllers had cleared away 61 rats, said Mr Kwok Kim Poh, who oversees the day-to-day running of the market for its management committee." - from FarmingUK.com. The report refers to mass food poisoning in $ingapore in early April which killed two and hospitalised 48. A total of 154 people were made ill. A second case of food poisoning, this time from eating a steam-boat meal, was reported last week with 19 people made ill. $ingapore continues to be plagued by a dengue fever and Hand Foot & Mouth Disease outbreak carried over from the previous year.
EXTRA! THE RESULTS OF $INGAPORE'S CLEANLINESS CAMPAIGN 40 YEARS LATER...
"An unfortunate few die of what they caught in the hospital, rather than the disease they had been warded for." Interestingly, $T reported last month that 48 die each year or 1 every week due to hospital infections. The report said that "infectious diseases experts here claim that each of Singapore's three largest hospitals sees 'almost one death, six to nine new clinical infections and up to 60 new individuals colonised per week.' Those are not small numbers." MRSA Rates Higher Than You Think REST IN PEACE
The $T headline seems misleading. "But his weakened immune system made him susceptible to
infection... His condition rapidly deteriorated over the last 48 hours and he
succumbed to the infection." "What's the use of worrying, it never was worthwhile... So pack up your troubles in your old kit bag and SMILE, SMILE, SMILE..." - $ingapore's National Anthem. The mayor of an Italian town pounded by this week's earthquake has asked pop superstar Madonna for material help. Madonna, who is of Italian heritage, has apparently donated a substantial amount. Her grandparents lived in Pacentro till 1919. Pacentro's mayor appealed to Madonna personally for help after more than 200 people died in the devastating quake in the Abruzzo region of Italy. TAIWAN FAN RECORDS NEW OASIS SONG An apparently new Oasis song has appeared online reports NME. The
unidentified track was recorded by a fan during the soundcheck for a recent
show in Taipei City, Taiwan, reports fan site live4ever.us. The song, which
features just Noel Gallagher, can be heard below. SIMON & GARFUNKEL TO TOUR AUSTRALIA Simon and Garfunkel have announced seven shows in Australia and one in Auckland, New Zealand. They last reunited for a tour in 2003 - the first time they had played together in 20 years. The pair will kick the tour off with a gig in Auckland on June 13. As previously reported the duo confirmed they would be reuniting again earlier this year when Paul Simon played a solo show in New York and Art Garfunkel joined him on stage. SRI LANKA AT WAR WITH M.I.A. A clash of words has erupted between the Sri Lankan navy and Sri Lanka's most famous pop star, Mia Arular. The navy wants to blow to kingdom come any unauthorised vessels sailing into Tamil-held territory. But activists and charities say the ship will be transporting food and medical supplies to the Wanni. M.I.A. supports this mercy relief which is said to leave England in April. An official from the Sri Lankan Navy told the UK Daily Mirror that the Navy had been alerted that the ship will be carrying more than 2000 metric tonnes of food for the Liberated Tamil Tigers of Elam in the guise of aid for civilians. M.I.A has issued a statement saying that while her baby will grow up with healthcare, food, free education, freedom of speech and religion and liberties that people in democracies take for granted, babies born in the Tamil-speaking war zone of Wanni are being deprived of all these things. She added, "The Mercy Mission will carry dry food and medicines for Tamil civilians in the Wanni within the Sri Lankan Government's 'safe zone'. Many have already perished from starvation and preventable disease. We cannot ignore these genocidal conditions, and if the aim of the SL government is to protect the lives of the civilians, then this ship will reach its destination and lives will be saved." FOX NEWS FIRES REPORTER FOR WOLVERINE REVIEW It's safer to report that Iraq has "weapons of mass destruction" apparently. Fox News confirmed this week it had fired Roger Friedman. The statement read: "Fox News representatives and Roger Friedman met today and mutually agreed to part ways immediately. Fox News appreciates Mr. Friedman's 10 years of contributions to building FoxNews.com and wishes him success in his future endeavors. Mr. Friedman is grateful to his colleagues for their friendship and support over the past decade." Huh? Friedman wrote a review of the film X-Men Origins: Wolverine
the previous Thursday and posted it on the FoxNews site. Apparently it upset
the film's makers as the copy was an illegally leaked workprint. We're not sure
of the legality of dismissing someone over what is at best a "small thing". MEET THE REMASTERED BEATLES Finally on April 7, just in time for the second Great Depression, Apple and EMI announced a major release of The Beatles catalog in both stereo and mono and newly remastered. In fact, Apple says the music has been worked on for the past four years. "The albums have been re-mastered at EMI's Abbey Road Studios in London over a four-year period, utilizing state of the art recording technology alongside vintage studio equipment, 'carefully maintaining the authenticity and integrity of the original analog recordings,' according to the statement." What's on offer are the 12 Beatles albums plus Magical Mystery Tour soundtrack and both Past Masters collections combined into 1CD. Each of the CDs includes expanded booklets containing original and newly written liner notes and rare photos, and for a limited period each CD will also be embedded with a brief documentary film about the album. Two new Beatles boxed CD collections will also be released, one in stereo and another in mono. Both boxes will contain a DVD compiling all the documentaries that are found on the CDs. The Beatles In Mono boxset will contain the 10 albums originally released in mono "plus two further discs of mono masters, featuring a similar track listing to the "Past Masters" compilation" found in the stereo box. The mono discs will only be sold as a boxset. Stereo albums (available individually and as a box set): 'Please Please Me' 'The Beatles In Mono' (box set only): 'Please Please Me' We'll soon learn of the remastering is up to scratch as the worldwide CD release will be on Sept 9, 2009. Call the police. Start saving your welfare dollars. VISIONS OF SEBASTIAN Belle & Sebastian mainman Stuart Murdoch has assembled a bevy of ladies to sing his songs on a new solo album, God Help The Girl, which we take has a double meaning. The album features Murdoch-penned songs sung mostly by girls he found through a competition on social networking site iMeem. 'God Help The Girl' is released on June 22, with the single 'Come Monday Night' released on May 11. Fans can download 'Come Monday Night' for free by signing up at Godhelpthegirl.com BRITISH MUSICIANS EARN £139 MILLION FROM ROYALTIES British musicians are earning £20 million more from their royalties than last year. Homegrown talent earned £139.6 million overseas in 2008 - compared to £121.2 million in 2007. According to BBC News four of last year's globally biggest selling albums were British artists. Coldplay stood as the best-selling, Duffy was fourth while Leona Lewis and Amy Winehouse (whose album 'Back To Black' was actually released in 2006) came sixth and seventh. In $heep City, $ingapore musicians and artists have their palms faced upwards. But don't blame them. For decades pop culture was viewed by the ruling PAP government as "yellow" and decadent. But it sells... LONDON GIG FOR THE DOLLS The New York Dolls are to play a rare gig at London's 100 Club this May. The band, who release their new studio album 'Cause I Sez So' on May 4, will play the gig on May 14. Tickets for the 100 Club show go on sale on April 7 at 9 am (GMT). BLOCKBUSTER SET TO CLOSE A onetime giant in the movie rental business, Blockbuster Inc,
said this week that it may not have the money to continue as a "going
concern". In a filing to the US stock exchange, the company revealed that
it may not be able to meet the terms of a recent US$250 million loan, and that
there was "substantial doubt" about its ability to continue as a
business in the near future. In the 1980s and 1990s, the company was at its
peak, putting scores of mom-and-pop video rental shops out of business. For the
past several years, however, the company has struggled to stay relevant amid heavy
competition from the likes of Netflix, the iTunes Store, Hulu, Amazon's Video
on Demand and others. Here are some new Blu-Ray and DVD releases from across the
Causeway at your favorite DVD shops. The following titles were released April 3, 2009. It should be pointed out that these Blu-Ray DVDs sold in Malaysia are
NOT true Blu-Rays as they have gig sizes that fit a dual-layer DVD9. Buy at
your own risk:
========== THE LAST WORD ON HOW TO OVERCOME A BANK CRISIS "Three things had to happen. Firstly, the banks must have confidence that the valuation of the troubled assets in question is accurate; then the management of the institutions receiving subsidies from the government must be replaced; and thirdly, the equity investors are always wiped out." - Elizabeth Warren, chief watchdog of America's US$700bn (£472bn) bank bailout plan, will this week call for the removal of top executives from Citigroup, AIG and other institutions that have received government funds in a damning report that will question the administration's approach to saving the financial system from collapse. Read the April 5 report here |
THE PHILIP COHEN COLLECTION
AWWW BOB...
NEW ZEALAND STAR BIG IN JAPAN
OH SUPERMAN!
SHARING VIDEOS
TOP GUN GIRL IS GAY
DICK TRICKS
THIS DIE HARD A LETDOWN
LADY MADONNA DONATES TO ITALY
