Isnin, 21 November 2011

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio


Rich man, poor man

Posted: 22 Nov 2011 01:56 AM PST

It takes all kinds to make a good television-viewing experience.

THE last couple of years have been grim for the United States.

The national unemployment rate dipped to 10% just last month and though the recession seems to be over, the road to economic recovery looks long and painful, particularly for the lower and middle classes.

Joblessness, soaring college debts, rising prices of everything and companies (and local governments) going bankrupt make the headlines practically every day.

Isn't it funny how we don't see any of this gloom on American TV shows? Everyone on "TV America" has a job and the few who are unemployed don't seem to really be struggling with loans or debt, or dealing with the prospect of losing their homes.

Just take a look at some of the new programmes that came on air this year: we have fantastical shows like Terra Nova (about a family transported from the future) and Once Upon A Time (characters from fairy tales trapped in a modern-day town called Storybrook) and we have soap-laced thrillers like Revenge and Ringer where the characters are super rich and are concerned only with their own agendas, the world be damned.

Except for a few shows like David Simon's 2002 classic The Wire (which is bitingly real in it's depiction of Baltimore: the criminal underground, the police force, the education system, etc) and Treme (which debuted in 2010 about life in New Orleans post-Katrina) poor people on TV aren't really poor and rich people are never really hit by the flailing economy.

TV, you see, is a form of escapism. Many of us watch TV to make the gloom go away if only for a few hours. Who wants to turn on the tube and be reminded of the sad realities of life. Right? I for one would rather be watching superheroes, monsters and dashing, charming and absolutely flawless men on TV: yes, all things fantastical!

TV is meant to be watched with a pinch of salt.

Let's take popular dramedy Desperate Housewives as an example. I want to live in Wisteria Lane, too. I want to be Bree Hodge (Marcia Cross) who runs a catering business (apparently, though we don't see much business going on) which she gets off the ground immediately – without any of the problems you would expect a start-off business to have. And, she seemed to have raked in profits immediately. I mean, she bought a Lexus within months of opening her business!

Susan Delfino (Teri Hatcher) and Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman) have financial woes sometimes, but they somehow seem to deal with it glamorously and get out of the slump pretty fast: when she was down, Susan stripped down to her lingerie for money on a voyeuristic website which men subscribe to (pornographic, much?) and as for Lynette, well after (barely) struggling for a while, her husband Tom (Doug Savant) got a fantastic job and they became rich again! Yeah, talk about fantasy.

But the show is meant to be over-the-top and campy and so you don't judge these little impossibilities ... there's your pinch of salt again!

Having said that, no amount of salt could get me through one particular anomaly on the 1990s cult drama Sex And The City (SATC).

One thing always bothered me: how in the name of reason could Carrie Bradshaw afford all the designer clothes and shoes that she wore on the show? Now, I loved the show back in the day, and I loved her fashion too. In fact, I still do. Sure, there were more than a few misfires but Bradshaw had an impact on fashion like no other character on TV. Heck, I bought an oversized fabric flower to pin on my blouse because of her. I folded up the cuff of my boyfriend's jeans because of her.

But, while I admired her wardrobe changes, it annoyed me greatly that she could afford Chanel, Gucci, Prada, Balenciaga and Dolce & Gabbana all the friggin' time. Or, that she had a pair of Manolo Blahnik's to match her outfits. Or, that she took cabs to go everywhere and lived in a brownstone on the Upper East Side of Manhattan (now you know that's high-end real estate if you watch Gossip Girl). Bradshaw is a writer – a columnist who writes for the fictional New York Star once a week. Now seriously, how much do you think she could have earned?

If I sound a tad hysterical it's simply because in this instance, harsh reality encroached on fantasy. I'm a writer – how come I can't buy Louboutins? Why do I have to shop at Forever 21 (and I am far from 21, let me assure you)? Here's why. In real life, whether you're in New York, Malaysia or Uzbekistan, writers don't earn a lot. Obviously, I wasn't the only one in hysterics. A fan of SATC (who is a real-life writer living in NYC) decided to calculate Bradshaw's income versus what she spends in her blog, the-frenemy.com.

After generously endowing her a monthly income of US$4,000 (RM12,000) and calculating what she spends on her apartment, clothes, shoes, taxis, alcohol and condoms (her blog entry is quite funny, go check it out), this cheezed-off blogger came up with the conclusion that Bradshaw ended the show being at least US$3tri (RM9tri) in debt.

I like it when TV fudges reality, but maybe next time I just won't watch shows depicting writers who seem to earn millions. That's just too close to home.

I've recently become addicted to the American TV series Shameless, which my dear cousins sent across the oceans for me to watch.

It is not just about poor people on TV. That would be putting it mildly. It is about people who are wildly poor, mercilessly desolate, and unapologetically shameless about their decrepit state of affairs. It's really been an eye-opening series for me.

While I've always know poverty exists everywhere, on TV and in this fashion, it becomes almost peversely enjoyable to watch. The Germans have a word for it – schadenfreude – which means to derive pleasure from the misfortunes of others (you know like when you stop to have a closer look at a freak accident on the highway).

What makes it all the more bitingly real, is that Shameless creator Paul Abbott, grew up pretty much in the same situation as the kids on the show. Abbott was brought up by his oldest sister in Lancashire, England, after their mother (and then two years later their father) walked out on them and their eight siblings!

Shameless, the TV series which made its debut at the start of this year in the United States, stars William H. Macy as the drunken patriarch of the Gallagher family who doesn't just neglect his family of five, he exploits them as much as he can and wouldn't think twice about selling out (or selling) anyone of them, if it means a few extra bucks for him.

Emmy Rossum is eldest daughter Fiona who holds everything together and takes care of everyone, including her misguided dad. Justin Chatwin is her ever so cute boyfriend. And Joan Cusack (who was nominated for an Emmy) plays the agoraphobic girlfriend of Macy's character. She's outstanding!

These people live in a house that frequently has no electricity, they (the children) all have to chip in to pay the bills, food is stolen on a daily basis from various sources, everyone takes turns looking after the baby, and dad lives off disability benefits (he's fit as a fiddle, unless you count being in a permanent drunken stupor a disability). Eldest son Lip, who is a genius, earns his keep by taking tests for everyone else at school!

It's really a great show, but has many risque scenes and topics so it's definitely one for adults only. But honestly, poor people never looked so seriously attractive. Aarrgh! It's schadenfreude I tell you!

I seem to be drawn to them for some reason. Take the good (but often dumber than a post) folk in My Name Is Earl. Joy (Jaime Pressly) lives in a trailer, but she gets by somehow, and with two kids in tow, too.

Earl and his brother Randy (Jason Lee and Ethan Suplee) are no better. They have no jobs, live in a motel and I'm not quite sure where they get their income from.

Sure, Earl won US$100,000 in the lottery but there's only so long that will last, especially if one lives at a motel all one's life. Karma's been mighty kind to them, I guess, but still, they're so sweet you just have to love them.

There's something so charmingly hillbilly about the entire cast that makes them easy to love. Darnell, Joy's second husband, who's a cook at the local restaurant, Ernie's Crab Shack, is ever so zen about everything (oh yep, that might be on account of him being under the influence of prescription drugs or otherwise, but that's another story). It just seems that when there's no money involved, life is oh-so much simpler, even on TV.

In most shows where people all live together under one roof – there's a happy mix of poor and not so poor all getting along harmoniously.

Take Friends, for instance. Chandler (Matthew Perry) was IT procurement manager and Ross (David Schwimmer) was a paleontologist, but Joey (Matt LeBlanc) was an out-of-work actor whose resume included sperm donor, selling Christmas trees, dressing up as a Christmas elf and working as a Roman warrior at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas.

Now I'm no careers counsellor, but I seriously doubt an IT manager, palaeontologist and Roman warrior at Vegas make the same amount of money. Yet, they all managed to live fairly similar lifestyles.

Same with The Big Bang Theory, the sitcom about a woman (Kaley Cuoco) who moves into an apartment next door to two brilliant but socially awkward physicists (Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons). Wait, I'll say that again. Two roommate geniuses who work at the California Institute of Technology, experimental physicist Leonard Hofstadter and theoretical physicist Sheldon Cooper; live across the hall from Penny, a blonde waitress and aspiring actress.

It just doesn't quite add up when you do the Math ... especially if you watch Property Virgins on Li Channel and you know how much those kinds of apartments cost (with onsite laundry and public transport services nearby). Either Penny is a double agent or Caltech pays its staff a pittance. Since this is television, I'm going with Penny being a secret agent, like Jennifer Garner in Alias. It's easy to throw the enemy off your scent when you have geek neigbours who chat about stuff like Schrodinger's cat, worship Leonard Nimoy and have shower curtains sporting the periodic table.

As for rich people on TV? Apart from a brief fascination with The O.C. some years ago (mainly because of Ben McKenzie and Adam Brody) and well, yes Dallas a gazillion years ago, I haven't been as fascinated with many rich folk on TV.

Kimora Lee auctioning stuff from her home? Nah, not my cup of tea. The Kardashians going out to dinner? Ransacking each other's wardrobes? Griping about each other and everyone else on the block? I'd rather watch Jamie Oliver getting his hands dirty, pulling vegetables out of the ground.

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The Star Online: World Updates

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International space trio lands in Kazakhstan

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 07:43 PM PST

ALMATY (Reuters) - Three astronauts inside a Russian Soyuz capsule parachuted safely back to Earth Tuesday after nearly six months on the International Space Station (ISS), the first landing since NASA retired its space shuttles this summer.

U.S. astronaut Mike Fossum, Japan's Satoshi Furukawa and Russian cosmonaut Sergei Volkov landed at 02:26 a.m. BT, shortly before sunrise on the snowbound steppe of central Kazakhstan, NASA TV showed.

"The landing was great. Everything's good," said Volkov, flashing a thumbs-up signal after he was extracted from a Soyuz TMA-02 capsule blackened by the extreme temperatures on re-entry to the atmosphere.

The closure of NASA's shuttle program means Russian spaceships are the only way to ferry goods and crews to and from the $100-billion (63 billion pounds) ISS, which is shared by 16 nations, until commercial firms develop the ability to transport crews.

Russia hopes the textbook landing will help to restore confidence in its space program after the August crash of an unmanned Russian cargo flight suspended manned space missions.

The returning crew have been replaced in orbit by NASA's Daniel Burbank and Russians Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoly Ivanishin, whose successful launch last week allayed fears that the station would be left empty for the first time in a decade.

But the troubles have left the space station with half the usual handover time. The new crew had only six days with the outgoing astronauts to get up to speed on the quirks of life in space and the station's operations.

NASA said the Soyuz capsule had landed on its side, not unusual in windy conditions, about 90 km (55 miles) north of the town of Arkalyk. Temperatures at the landing site were 15 degrees Celsius below zero.

The three-man crew had spent 167 days in space and their return to Earth took about three-and-a-half hours.

Volkov, huddled in a thermal blanket, is a second-generation cosmonaut and was following in the footsteps of his father, NASA said. It called him: "a rising star in the cosmonaut corps."

Fossum, second to emerge from the capsule, called his loved ones by satellite phone from the landing site. Furukawa, a 47-year-old professional surgeon, was last to emerge. An assistant mopped sweat from his brow.

After initial medical checks in an inflatable tent on site, the returning crew will be taken be helicopter to the city of Kostanai in northern Kazakhstan.

The ISS will regain full, six-person occupancy with the late December launch of U.S. astronauts Don Pettit, cosmonaut Oleg Kononenko and Andre Kuipers of the European Space Agency.

(Additional reporting by Dmitry Solovyov; Editing by Myra MacDonald)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

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U.S. lawmakers abandon deficit-cutting effort

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 06:17 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers abandoned their high-profile effort to rein in the country's ballooning debt on Monday in a sign that Washington likely will not be able to resolve a dispute over taxes and spending until 2013.

Senator Jon Kyl departs a "super committee" meeting in the Capitol in Washington November 18, 2011. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The admission of defeat by Republicans and Democrats on a 12-member congressional "super committee" is likely to cement perceptions among voters and investors that politicians are too divided to tackle trillion-dollar budget deficits and a national debt that now is roughly equal to the U.S. economy.

"Despite our inability to bridge the committee's significant differences, we end this process united in our belief that the nation's fiscal crisis must be addressed and that we cannot leave it for the next generation to solve," Republican Representative Jeb Hensarling and Democratic Senator Patty Murray said in a joint statement.

But lawmakers will be less willing to compromise as they shift their attention to the November 2012 presidential and congressional elections.

The finger-pointing began within minutes of the announcement.

President Barack Obama said at the White House that Republicans had scuttled the talks by refusing to consider tax hikes on the wealthy.

"They simply will not budge from that negotiating position and so far that refusal has been the main stumbling block that has prevented Congress from reaching an agreement to further reduce the deficit," Obama said at the White House.

Republicans blamed Obama for a lack of leadership and said his Democrats had been unwilling to consider a fundamental overhaul of government-run healthcare programs that could swamp the economy in coming decades as the population ages.

The panel waited until after U.S. markets closed at 4 p.m. (9:00 p.m. BT) to formally declare the effort dead, but shares on Wall Street had already hit a one-month low due to fears of out-of-control government debt in Europe and the United States. Japan's Nikkei index opened lower on Tuesday, hitting its lowest level in eight months.

UNCERTAINTY AHEAD

The committee's failure to agree on $1.2 trillion (766.6 billion pounds) in deficit reduction sets up a year of uncertainty on taxes and spending that could further rattle investors already shaken over euro zone debt woes.

Congress is now set to deliver those budget savings through automatic cuts to defence and domestic programs, but some Republicans have vowed to prevent them from hitting the military. Obama said he would veto any effort to do so.

He will have to contend with a concerted lobbying effort by his own defence secretary to preserve the Pentagon's budget.

"If Congress fails to act over the next year, the Department of Defence will face devastating, automatic, across-the-board cuts that will tear a seam in the nation's defence," Defence Secretary Leon Panetta warned.

Credit-rating agencies, already dismayed by Washington's inability to produce a credible plan to tackle the country's debt, could downgrade U.S. debt if the cuts are rolled back.

Standard & Poor's said the news validated its decision to issue a first-ever U.S. credit downgrade in August. Moody's Investors Service said that failure, by itself, would not lead to a rating change.

Fitch said it would finish its assessment of the U.S. rating by the end of the month. It said previously that failure by the super committee to reach agreement would likely result in a negative outlook.

Congress will have to deliver close to $4 trillion in savings to ensure that the national debt, now at $15 trillion, does not swamp the economy, budget experts say.

"The United States is on a perilous debt course, and today's announcement does nothing to alter it," said Maya MacGuineas, head of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget think tank.

In the coming weeks, Democrats will scramble to extend economy-boosting measures, such as a tax cut for workers and enhanced jobless benefits, which are due to expire at the end of the year. Analysts say the economy could suffer if they are not extended, but Republicans are likely to insist on spending cuts to offset their $168 billion cost.

Keeping up the pressure on Republicans, Obama will renew his call for Congress to pass the payroll tax cuts during a trip to New Hampshire on Tuesday.

Obama has kept his distance from the talks, choosing instead to emphasise a job-creation package that has been blocked by Republicans. Aides say the collapse of the super committee will help him paint Republicans as obstructionist as he campaigns for re-election.

Congressional leaders set up the super committee after a fierce budget battle brought the government to the brink of default in August. The panel bypassed the usual Capitol Hill power centers in an effort to find common ground where other efforts had come up short.

During the talks, Republicans showed a new willingness to move from their staunch opposition to tax increases as they pushed for an overhaul that would have closed tax breaks and lowered rates.

Democrats rejected the proposal after they determined it would have led to a lower tax burden for the wealthy.

Outside the negotiating room, interest groups like the conservative anti-tax Americans for Tax Reform and the seniors' lobby AARP pushed hard to protect their turf.

Several groups said they were happy the panel had fallen short. "Simply put, no deal is better for America than a bad deal," said the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a liberal group.

Democratic Senator John Kerry, a member of the super committee, said those outside of Congress were as much to blame for defeat as those who hold elected office.

"There is an enormous ideological divide in politics today, and today's outcome underscores the rigidity and unwillingness of forces outside of Congress to allow for rational consensus," Kerry said in a statement.

(Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Rachelle Younglai, Kim Dixon, Susan Cornwell, Donna Smith, Alister Bull and Dave Clarke; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

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U.S. lawmakers abandon deficit-cutting effort

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 06:01 PM PST

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. lawmakers abandoned their high-profile effort to rein in the country's ballooning debt on Monday in a sign that Washington likely will not be able to resolve a dispute over taxes and spending until 2013.

Senator Jon Kyl departs a "super committee" meeting in the Capitol in Washington November 18, 2011. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque

The admission of defeat by Republicans and Democrats on a 12-member congressional "super committee" is likely to cement perceptions among voters and investors that politicians are too divided to tackle trillion-dollar budget deficits and a national debt that now is roughly equal to the U.S. economy.

"Despite our inability to bridge the committee's significant differences, we end this process united in our belief that the nation's fiscal crisis must be addressed and that we cannot leave it for the next generation to solve," Republican Representative Jeb Hensarling and Democratic Senator Patty Murray said in a joint statement.

But lawmakers will be less willing to compromise as they shift their attention to the November 2012 presidential and congressional elections.

The finger-pointing began within minutes of the announcement.

President Barack Obama said at the White House that Republicans had scuttled the talks by refusing to consider tax hikes on the wealthy.

"They simply will not budge from that negotiating position and so far that refusal has been the main stumbling block that has prevented Congress from reaching an agreement to further reduce the deficit," Obama said at the White House.

Republicans blamed Obama for a lack of leadership and said his Democrats had been unwilling to consider a fundamental overhaul of government-run healthcare programs that could swamp the economy in coming decades as the population ages.

The panel waited until after U.S. markets closed at 4 p.m. (9:00 p.m. BT) to formally declare the effort dead, but shares on Wall Street had already hit a one-month low due to fears of out-of-control government debt in Europe and the United States. Japan's Nikkei index opened lower on Tuesday, hitting its lowest level in eight months.

UNCERTAINTY AHEAD

The committee's failure to agree on $1.2 trillion (766.6 billion pounds) in deficit reduction sets up a year of uncertainty on taxes and spending that could further rattle investors already shaken over euro zone debt woes.

Congress is now set to deliver those budget savings through automatic cuts to defence and domestic programs, but some Republicans have vowed to prevent them from hitting the military. Obama said he would veto any effort to do so.

He will have to contend with a concerted lobbying effort by his own defence secretary to preserve the Pentagon's budget.

"If Congress fails to act over the next year, the Department of Defence will face devastating, automatic, across-the-board cuts that will tear a seam in the nation's defence," Defence Secretary Leon Panetta warned.

Credit-rating agencies, already dismayed by Washington's inability to produce a credible plan to tackle the country's debt, could downgrade U.S. debt if the cuts are rolled back.

Standard & Poor's said the news validated its decision to issue a first-ever U.S. credit downgrade in August. Moody's Investors Service said that failure, by itself, would not lead to a rating change.

Fitch said it would finish its assessment of the U.S. rating by the end of the month. It said previously that failure by the super committee to reach agreement would likely result in a negative outlook.

Congress will have to deliver close to $4 trillion in savings to ensure that the national debt, now at $15 trillion, does not swamp the economy, budget experts say.

"The United States is on a perilous debt course, and today's announcement does nothing to alter it," said Maya MacGuineas, head of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget think tank.

In the coming weeks, Democrats will scramble to extend economy-boosting measures, such as a tax cut for workers and enhanced jobless benefits, which are due to expire at the end of the year. Analysts say the economy could suffer if they are not extended, but Republicans are likely to insist on spending cuts to offset their $168 billion cost.

Keeping up the pressure on Republicans, Obama will renew his call for Congress to pass the payroll tax cuts during a trip to New Hampshire on Tuesday.

Obama has kept his distance from the talks, choosing instead to emphasise a job-creation package that has been blocked by Republicans. Aides say the collapse of the super committee will help him paint Republicans as obstructionist as he campaigns for re-election.

Congressional leaders set up the super committee after a fierce budget battle brought the government to the brink of default in August. The panel bypassed the usual Capitol Hill power centers in an effort to find common ground where other efforts had come up short.

During the talks, Republicans showed a new willingness to move from their staunch opposition to tax increases as they pushed for an overhaul that would have closed tax breaks and lowered rates.

Democrats rejected the proposal after they determined it would have led to a lower tax burden for the wealthy.

Outside the negotiating room, interest groups like the conservative anti-tax Americans for Tax Reform and the seniors' lobby AARP pushed hard to protect their turf.

Several groups said they were happy the panel had fallen short. "Simply put, no deal is better for America than a bad deal," said the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, a liberal group.

Democratic Senator John Kerry, a member of the super committee, said those outside of Congress were as much to blame for defeat as those who hold elected office.

"There is an enormous ideological divide in politics today, and today's outcome underscores the rigidity and unwillingness of forces outside of Congress to allow for rational consensus," Kerry said in a statement.

(Additional reporting by Steve Holland, Rachelle Younglai, Kim Dixon, Susan Cornwell, Donna Smith, Alister Bull and Dave Clarke; Writing by Andy Sullivan; Editing by Peter Cooney)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

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The Star Online: Business

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FBM KLCI marginally up at mid-morning

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 07:07 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: The benchmark FBM KLCI was marginally up by 0.45 points or 0.3% to 1,434.53 at 10.45 a.m. with turnover of RM306.1mil involving the trading of 494.6 million shares.

There were 155 counters up, 321 down and 239 remained unchanged.

The top three gainers were DLADY that climbed 40 sen to RM23.80, KASSETS was up 35 sen to RM4.95 and UTDPLT gained 20 sen to RM18.50.

For the heavyweights, Sime Darby was down 7 sen to RM8.73, MISC was down 7 sen to RM6 and Digi was up 14 sen to RM3.74.

Regionally, Nikkei 225 was down 10.75 points to 8,337.52, the Hang Seng Index down 34.11 to 18,191.74, Shanghai Composite Index was down 6.09 points 2,409.04, Taiwan Taiex Index was up 17.46 points to 7,060.10, Kospi Index was up 9.09 points to 1,829.12 and Straits Times Index gained 11.20 points to 2,709.18.

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What's in a name? Trump says his name worth US$3bil

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 05:05 PM PST

NEW YORK: What's in a name? About $3 billion, if you happen to spell it T-r-u-m-p.

Real estate mogul, reality television star and author Donald Trump estimates his net worth at $7 billion in a forthcoming book.

In his latest tome, Trump, known for promoting everything from his real estate projects to board games, vodka and reality TV shows, spells out his net worth, coming up with a figure billions more than Forbes magazine, which in September put the figure at $2.9 billion.

Much of the $4 billion-plus discrepancy lies with something Trump calls "brand value," in the financial detail contained in "Time to Get Tough," due out December 5.

On page 182, Trump lists holdings including $1.37 billion in New York City commercial properties and $1.22 billion in club facilities and related real estate. Liabilities include some $374 million in loans and mortgages.

At $3 billion his biggest asset -- by far -- is brand value, which according to a note "has been established by Predictiv, the highly respected brand valuation company."

The company, the note continues, "measures the financial impact of intangibles such as brand, strategy execution, innovation and post-merger integration."

In its latest look at his finances Forbes conceded that "yes, Trump remains adamant that Forbes is underestimating his brand value" -- which they put at $200 million. - Reuters

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Video game deals to steal Black Friday spotlight

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 04:52 PM PST

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Retailers are saving some of their deepest discounts on Black Friday for video game products, with large chains Wal-Mart and Best Buy putting some rock-bottom prices tags on hot games to lure shoppers into stores.

The $64 billion global video game industry faces the challenge of selling an array of highly anticipated game titles that are released in a short time, while consumers do not have the cash to shell out for all of them.

"(We have) a cash-strapped consumer that could not afford all the good titles released in the (third) quarter," Paul Raines, chief executive of GameStop, the biggest U.S. video game retailer, said last Thursday.

To accommodate pressured buyers, retailers are heavily discounting top games, from Electronic Arts' "Battlefield 3," to Warner Brothers' "Batman: Arkham City," and Microsoft's "Gears of War 3."

"I would expect retail to be more aggressive this holiday, as the market is seemingly saturated with top releases, and consumer discretionary is still under pressure," said National Alliance Capital Markets analyst Mike Hickey.

Electronic Arts' "Battlefield 3," a shooter game that came out on Oct 25 and sold 5 million units in five days, will retail for $28 at WalMart and $30 at Best Buy. The games cost $60 when they first came out.

Retailers have traditionally avoided selling video games at a loss, but this year may be different.

"With video games being on the top of everyone's holiday list, retailers are beginning to support deeper discounts and use video games as a loss leader to drive foot traffic into their stores this holiday," said Jesse Divnich, an analyst at video game research firm EEDAR.

DOORBUSTERS GALORE

Microsoft's "Gears of War 3," which sold 3 million copies in its first week, will also sell at WalMart for $28.

The game could still attract buyers at a higher price, said Phil Spencer, Microsoft's corporate vice president of game studios.

"I've seen the WalMart circulars and they are being very aggressive to grab more and more share in the category," Spencer told Reuters in an interview.

The fact that retailers are putting games like "Gears of War 3" in front of people means they think it drives traffic to the store, he added.

But one deal that will be hard or impossible to find this holiday season is for the current top game, "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3."

Activision Blizzard sold $775 million worth of copies in the first five days after the game was released on Nov 8. No major retailer has announced a Black Friday special on it yet.

Shoppers looking for home consoles may be in luck.

Wedbush Securities analyst Michael Pachter said he has never before seen such aggressive deals for video game hardware on Black Friday as this year's Best Buy $100 gift card given to shoppers who buy Microsoft's 4 GB Xbox console and motion-sensor add-on called Kinect for $299.

Toys R Us is offering a $10 gift card with the same $299 bundle, according to a recent circular.

"The big retailers recognize that people who buy games could be their customers for life," Pachter said, "and Black Friday's the time to get them into the store."

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The Star Online: Sports

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Ferrer dents Andy’s hopes and Nadal beats Fish despite a tummy upset

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 04:47 PM PST

LONDON: Spain's David Ferrer dented Andy Murray's hopes of winning the ATP World Tour Finals on home turf in London with a 6-4, 7-5 victory over the world number three yesterday.

Ferrer, ranked fifth in the world, had lost his last four meetings with Murray but he overwhelmed the Scot with some impressive baseline play to set the pace in Group A.

Murray had won all five of his previous encounters with Ferrer on hard courts, including a victory in the recent Shanghai final that capped the Scot's triumphant Asian tour.

Since losing to Rafael Nadal in the US Open semi-finals, Murray has won 17 of his 18 matches, a remarkable run that brought him titles in Thailand, Japan and China and lifted him above Roger Federer to third place in the world rankings.

But he appeared hindered by a leg injury from midway through the first set at the O2 Arena and was never at ease as Ferrer's fierce competitive instincts kept him off balance.

Murray didn't help his cause with 44 unforced errors and he will need to improve significantly if he is to qualify for the semi-final from a group that also includes world number one Novak Djokovic and former Wimbledon finalist Tomas Berdych.

"I'm sorry for the people and for Andy as he is a good friend but I'm happy to win the first game here in London," Ferrer said.

Murray landed an early blow as he broke in the third game when Ferrer sent a forehand into the net.

But Ferrer, a finalist in this event back in 2006, hasn't become a mainstay in the top 10 without a ferocious competitive streak of his own and, aided by three Murray errors, he broke straight back in the next game.

Another break point slipped through Murray's grasp at 4-4 and he was made to pay as Ferrer took the set.

The Scot saved one set point at 4-5 but couldn't repel the second as a miscued forehand - one of a host of uncharacteristic mistakes from Murray - drifted wide.

Murray called for a medical time-out to get treatment on his left leg during the break between sets.

If his body was feeling the strain, Murray got the perfect balm with a break in the opening game of the second set after Ferrer carelessly netted on break-point.

Once again, the tenacious Ferrer responded impressively and secured a break of his own to level at 2-2.

Murray's movement still seemed slightly restricted by his injury, but he found enough rhythm to break Ferrer for a 4-3 lead.

That advantage swiftly disappeared as Ferrer, playing with real aggression from the baseline, broke back in the next game.

Murray just didn't have any answer to Ferrer's metronomic consistency and the Spaniard closed out the match with the decisive break at 5-6.

A cool volley brought up match-point and he converted it with an emphatic cross-court winner.

On Sunday a sickly Rafael Nadal was pushed to the limit by Mardy Fish in his opening Group B match.

The Spaniard, playing his first competitive match after a month long lay-off, needed nearly three hours and a rush to the toilet because of a "terrible stomach" to subdue the American tournament debutant, winning a late–night thriller 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 (7-3).

Nadal had to rely on his endless reserves of fighting spirit to scrape past Fish.

"The third set was a bit crazy," the 25-year-old said. "I felt very bad from the stomach since the beginning of the third. I was seriously lucky for the victory."

Asked what the problem was, Nadal said it was a mystery.

"I ate pasta and salmon at the hotel before the match, nothing strange, nothing unusual," said Nadal, who will face Roger Federer in their eagerly-anticipated Group B match today. — Agencies

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Hee-young lifts maiden title in season’s final tournament

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 04:50 PM PST

ORLANDO: South Korean Park Hee–young (pic) won her first LPGA crown on Sunday, holding off Germany's Sandra Gal to win the season-ending US$1.5mil LPGA Titleholders tournament by two strokes.

Hee–young parred the final 10 holes in a two–under 70 to finish 72 holes on nine–under 279 with Gal, who shared the lead with the Korean after 54 holes, firing a 72 to share second position with American Paula Creamer on 281.

"A lot of people would say, 'Why can't you win?' Now I can say I can win any time," Hee–young said. "Dreams do come true."

She took the US$500,000 top prize and a breakthrough victory in her fourth LPGA season. The 24–year–old South Korean jumped from 32nd into the top 12 on the season money list.

"It was difficult on the greens," Hee–young said. "Pin positions were tough. I did the same as in the other rounds, hit for the middle and get it in (for birdie)."

World No. 2 Suzann Pettersen of Norway and South Korean Choi Na–yeon shared fourth position on 282, one stroke ahead of Americans Michelle Wie and Cristie Kerr and World No. 1 Tseng Yani of Taiwan.

Hee–young had cracked the top–10 only twice all season until Sunday, but a third–place effort at the Safeway Classic in August was enough to earn her a spot in the elite field for the season finale at Grand Cypress Resort.

She took a bogey at the par-three fourth but answered with birdies on three of the next four holes, back–to–back birdies on the fifth and par-three sixth and another at the par–three eighth.

Gal took a bogey at eight but responded with a birdie at the ninth to make the turn two strokes off Park's pace.

Gal stumbled back with a bogey at the par–three 12th but answered with back–to–back birdies to close within a stroke.

"With three or four holes left, I was feeling the pressure," Hee–young said.

"I just tried the same routine and hit my targets. I tried hard."

Gal missed a five–footer for par at the 15th and Hee–young followed by sinking a tense four–foot par putt to seize a two–stroke edge, a margin she kept to the 18th tee. – AFP

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Mulroy holds off Murray to win Alfred Dunhill tourney

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:08 PM PST

MALELANE (South Africa): Home favourite Garth Mulroy held off a spirited final–round challenge from Briton George Murray to win his first Tour title by two shots at the Alfred Dunhill Champion-ship in South Africa on Sunday.

The world No 281 posted a final round four–under 68 to finish on 19–under 269, clear of Murray (67) with four players four strokes further back in third.

Mulroy sparkled on the back nine on Saturday when he carded five straight birdies, and his game was again on song for Sunday's final stretch when he notched up four birdies, including a monster putt for a two at the par–three 16th.

"I don't think I've ever raised my hand before a putt went in, but I did it there," the 33–year–old said at the trophy presentation ceremony.

World No 95 George Coetzee of South Africa, the highest–ranked player in the field, hit a 69 to finish tied third (275) with compatriot Jaco van Zyl (67), Chile's Felipe Aguilar (72) and Briton Peter Whiteford (71).

Mulroy began the final round holding a two–shot lead but he gave a shot back almost immediately with a bogey on the par–five second hole.

The dropped shot left him in a three–way tie with fellow South Africans Jbe Kruger and Hennie Otto but Mulroy gradually found his rhythm on the picturesque Gary Player–designed course on the border of the Kruger National Park game reserve.

Mulroy fired four birdies in eight holes to move to 18–under after 13 and take a three–shot lead.

But a fast–finishing Murray provided Mulroy with a few anxious moments.

Murray, who began the day on 12–under, made a solid if unspectacular start to his fourth round as he reeled off seven consecutive pars but he made his charge with three birdies from the eighth to the 11th holes.

The 28–year–old Murray rushed into a share for the lead thanks to a 15–foot eagle putt on the par–five 15th while Mulroy bogeyed the par–four 14th after finding the rough off the tee.

Mulroy, playing with a distinctive yellow golf ball, edged back in to a one–stroke lead with a birdie on the 15th hole before slamming the door on his opponents thanks to a 45–foot birdie putt on the par–three 16th. – Reuters

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Legal action can be taken against employers who flout maid contract

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 06:06 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Legal action can be taken against employers who flout the contact signed between employers and foreign housemaids including issues related to Islam.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the agreement allowed the foreign maids, especially Muslims, to know their right as employees.

"The terms include preventing non-Muslim employers from forcing Muslim maids to do chores that are against Islamic teachings," he said when winding up debate on the ministry's 2012 Supply Bill (committee stage) in parliament on Monday.

He said there is no barrier to employers hiring Muslims as maids but they must comply with the terms of the contract.

"As far as possible, we want Muslim maids to work at Muslim homes but demand from non-Muslim employers are higher than from Muslims."

On another note, Subaramaniam said the ministry is in discussion with the Social Security Organisation (Socso) to create a yearly statement for contributors.

Socso is in the process of upgrading its ICT system to enable employees to access the status of their contributions.

The assembly session continues Tuesday. - Bernama

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Police make biggest drug bust of the year

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 05:48 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Police made the biggest drug bust of the year with eight arrests involving two separate Iranian syndicates and seized processed syabu worth RM27mil in the Klang Valley recently.

Bukit Aman Narcotics Criminal Investigations Department director Datuk Noor Rashid Ibrahim said they crippled the first syndicate in Jalan Ulu Klang on Nov 11, where two Iranian men were detained with 14.2 kg syabu hidden in a container of marble stone pallets.

Speaking at a press conference in Bukit Aman here Monday, Noor Rashid said the second raid was at Taman D'Alpinia, Puchong on Nov 19.

In this raid, six Iranians were detained and 124.9 kg of syabu was found concealed in secret compartments within three boxes containing decorative items, stored outside a corner lot house, he elaborated.

A sum of RM137,400 in cash, believed to be proceeds from the drug trafficking and several luxury cars such as Lexus, Mercedes Benz, BMW and MG Rover were also seized from the house, he added.

He said both groups were believed to have smuggled in the pre-packaged drugs for the local market and possibly for a regional network as well.

"They are separate syndicates but have the same modus operandi of smuggling the drugs in containers via Port Klang," he said.

The eight suspects aged between 29 and 51 have been remanded for seven days to facilitate investigations, said Noor Rashid.

"We are still investigating the origins of the drugs and how and when they were brought in," he added. - Bernama

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Hisham: New law replacing ISA to include detention without trial

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:22 AM PST

PUTRAJAYA: The new law to replace the Internal Security Act 1960, which will be repealed, will still provide for detention without trial, said Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein.

He said detention without trial was also being practised in some countries in the fight against terrorism, such as the Patriot Act in the United States and Anti-Terrorism Act in the United Kingdom and Australia.

"The US, UK and Australia all champion human rights, but they realised that when dealing with militancy and terrorism, they needed to have acts of that nature.

"In fact, there are some Malaysians who are being detained by the US in Guatanamo without trial for many years now. So, please don't have double standards and we don't want hypocrisy in this matter," he said, here, Monday.

Hishammuddin who had earlier attended the Innovaiton Day celebration and the ministry's monthly assembly, also said that Barisan Nasional, as the ruling government, would be responsible and abide by all new laws to be implemented in the interest of public well-being.

"He have learned from the experience of countries which have abolished such acts without thinking long and they paid the price," he added.

On Sept 15, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in his Malaysia Day special address announced that the ISA would be repealed and two new suitable laws formulated to preserve peace, harmony, stability and prosperity in the country.

Asked about new elements to be incorporated in the new acts, Hishammuddin said these would include the period of detention, notice to families of the detainees and making appeals.

He opined that they would not be difficult to be implemented as the process of replacing the ISA had begun two years ago.

On the Peaceful Assembly Bill 2011 to be tabled in Parliament next week, he said it was in the final stage of drafting by the Attorney-General's Chambers. - Bernama

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Ready-to-serve gourmet style food innovation for busy lifestyles

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:16 AM PST

MYCHEF, a brand that is innovating halal and healthy ready-to-serve meals and dishes, recently unveiled a range of gourmet styled foods at its launch event at Tapis Rouge, Kota Damansara. The event was hosted by Flavor Innovation chairman Datuk Seri Effendi Norwawi. The company manufactures myChef range of culinary delights.

MyChef offers 14 different cuisines coined as the Signature Series, inspired by traditional Malay, Nyonya, Western and Asian recipes by Malaysia's top celebrity chefs, Chef Liza, Chef Florence Tan, Datuk Chef Ismail and Chef Zam, all of whom are food icons in the local culinary industry.

With a launch campaign tagline of "the New Gourmet experience", myChef believes in spreading the goodness of the freshest and natural ingredients cooked in a contemporary style that gives discerning diners a wholesome and healthy experience.

Flavor Innovation chief executive officer Mohd Fairuz Abdullah said, "myChef is a new and innovative brand which plans to make exciting inroads to the Malaysian retail market by introducing a new food category, based on consumers lifestyle. We see the growing need for high quality ready-to-serve food and we would also like to get the customers to have a whole new experience towards ready-to-serve meals."

"Now everyone will have the opportunity to savour the recipes by Malaysia's top celebrity chefs in the comfort of their own home," said Mohd Fairuz.

The recipes were crafted with ingredients specially selected to give the diner a totally new gourmet experience.

This was evident with myChef's introduction of an innovative 'traffic lights colour coded' front of the pack (FOP) nutritional panel to help consumers choose a healthier diet. Green indicates low content, which is a healthier choice, amber for medium content, which is acceptable and red representing high content, which is less healthy as defined by the UK's Food Standard Agency.

Its range of recipes and meals go through stringent quality control standards to guarantee the freshness of the food and aromatic tastes was retained. Quality control was strictly observed throughout the preparation and packaging process.

Selecting fresh ingredients from the market and using only lean ingredients, all dishes are cooked in a hygienic environment, meeting world class standards for food handling and safety. The key to retaining its original juicy texture and tantalising taste was to flash freeze the product in less than 20 minutes, unlike the regular freezing method which takes more than two hours.

MyChef's range of new gourmet meals will be available at Jaya Grocer in the week of Nov 21 and Dec 4 in Tesco and Giant outlets in the Klang Valley.

MyChef will also be running a Facebook contest called "myChef, myExpression" contest and is now open for participation. Participants need only to upload their pictures onto the myChef Facebook page with a myChef product in their most creative expressions from Nov 23 to Dec 17. Voting will begin from Dec 18 to Jan 19, 2012 and the winners will be announced on myChef Facebook page on Jan 31, 2012.

The grand prize winner will receive a six-month supply of myChef products and have one of MyChef's celebrity chefs cook in his/her home for 20 guests.

To know more about the contest and ways to participate, log on to myChef's Facebook page at www.facebook.com/mychef.healthy.n.delicious.

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Civil war ended by 2004 tsunami in Aceh

Posted: 21 Nov 2011 03:15 AM PST

APART from following our passion of being on the water, sailing and organising environmental clean-up campaigns, we also love to travel within the country and the region. Over the last few years we have travelled to a number of exotic and interesting places and I would like to share these wonderful experiences with you. The first one I will write about is our most recent journey to Pulau Weh, Sumatra.

Just a few weeks ago we attended the inaugural 'Sabang International Regatta 2011', the first ever international regatta to Sumatra, Indonesia jointly organised by Indonesia's Culture and Tourism Ministry together with the Aceh government, the Sabang local government and the Indonesian Sailing Federation. The goal of this event was to promote Pulau Weh and the Aceh province as a tourist destination to the international world.

The regatta started at the Royal Langkawi Yacht Club and went to Pulau Weh, a little island off the north-western tip of Sumatra and just a 45- minute fast-ferry ride away from Banda Aceh. It was a three-day, two-night non-stop sailing trip crossing the Straits of Malacca, one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world.

Well, I have to admit I prefer blue water cruising rather than racing in a sailing regatta and crossing oceans. The Andaman Sea between Malaysia and Sumatra was quite rough, we had strong head-winds all the way, the most difficult sailing condition and one night we were hit by a 'Sumatra'.

A 'Sumatra' is a storm coming from the direction of Sumatra. Just before the storm hits the weather is very calm, dark clouds build up quickly, then a cool wind can be felt and soon it develops into a storm with strong wind, sometimes up to 40 knots with heavy rain.

We also had to organise 'watch shifts' at night to look out for the huge tankers and container ships coming from all over the world through the Malacca Straits to get to their final destinations. You really don't want to collide with any of them. Every two hours, the 'watch crew' changes, so that everybody had at least a few hours sleep at night.

After quite an exhausting trip we finally arrived in Pulau Weh and found an unspoiled little paradise. Deep turquoise water, beautiful white beaches, pristine nature and almost no tourism, yet.

We enjoyed a number of sailing trips around Pulau Weh, went scuba diving at beautiful coral reefs and explored this remarkably picturesque island with pleasure and fun. We also went to Banda Aceh which was so badly destroyed by the tsunami on Dec 26, 2004. The visit to Banda Aceh was part of the organised Regatta programme.

We boarded the ferry in Sabang, the capital of Pulau Weh and after 45 minutes we arrived in Banda Aceh where we were welcomed by a very talented local dancing performance group. A bus picked us up and a very interesting day began.

Our first destination was the Baiturrahman Mosque, the only building in that area that was not destroyed by the tsunami. The next destination was Lampulo, a fisherman village north of Banda Aceh where we could see one of many tsunami relics. A huge fishing boat, now nicknamed The Noah's Ark of Lampulo was washed away from the nearby fishing port into Lampulo, about one kilometre inland, by the furious waves of the tsunami. The boat now rests on top of a house and can be visited via a pedestrian walkway.

About one-third of Banda Aceh simply disappeared and is now under water. All the former rice paddies have been washed away, roads, houses ... all gone.

Another amazing tsunami relic and tourist attraction we saw is the PLTD Apung 1, a former offshore power station vessel that anchored off shore when the tsunami hit Aceh. This 2,600 tonne vessel was swept three kilometres inland by the massive earthquake and tsunami waves. PLTD Apung 1 has now been converted into an onshore electric power generator at the location where it came to rest after the tsunami subsided.

The people of Banda Aceh have built a tsunami museum which is extremely well done. You enter the museum by walking through a dark tunnel and getting sprinkled by waterfalls running down the walls. As you walk up slowly, dim light appears and gets lighter and lighter. The tunnel symbolises the darkness of being swept up in a tsunami wave, but hope slowly emerges symbolised by the increasing light. You end up in a very high round room where all the names of the tsunami victims are engraved in the wall.

The manager of the museum made a very interesting comment: "The good thing that came out of the tsunami was that the civil war in Aceh stopped and people are now working together to rebuild their city and their future."

Pulau Weh is one of the most loved islands in Sumatra. It is famous for its peacefulness, its beauty and for its very sociable and welcoming people. Weh's rugged terrain, rocky coves, harbour views, hillside lookouts, marvellous small beaches and sleepy traditional villages all attest to Weh's unique attraction. Coming to Sabang, the capital of Pulau Weh, is like travelling back into a different era with its old colonial buildings and unique atmosphere.

Both Pulau Weh and Banda Aceh are very worthwhile destinations to visit which we highly recommend.

*Gudrun's love for Malaysia brought her back from Germany three years ago, after a nine-year absence when she resided in KL holding a senior corporate position. She and her husband are serial entrepreneurs and are passionate about staying fit and healthy, and promoting an environmentally sustainable lifestyle.

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Company to distribute free bins to encourage recycling among residents

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 04:18 PM PST

JOHOR BARU: Solid waste management operator SWM Environment Sdn Bhd will be handing out free wheelie bins to 590 families in Serene Park to encourage recycling practices.

Johor Baru MP Datuk Shahrir Abdul Samad said that the free bins would be distributed to the families soon.

"Each family living within the Johor Baru Municipal Council (MBJB) will also be receive the free wheelie bins and the residents in Serene Park would be the first batch of recipients," he said.

He was speaking during the Environment Care, Our Responsibility programme organised by MBJB here yesterday.

During the event, Shahrir also launched the recycling using effective microorgnism (EM)and officiated the wheelie bin give away program.

Shahrir said that residents should practise recycling using EM as this would help in keeping the environment clean.

Besides that, Shahrir also announced that an allocation of RM100,000 had been approved by the Prime Ministers Department to build a badminton court for the residents in the area.

Meanwhile, resident Gary Soh Keng Hian, 58, who had attended the event said that the programme was informative, as he had learnt about recycling kitchen waste.

"Besides that through such programme we could raise awareness among the residents about the importance of living in a clean environment," said the retired internal audit adding that youngsters should take part in such programmes.

For retired electronic engineer Saw Swee Tong, handing over of the wheelie bins was a good idea, as the rubbish bin that he used would be misplaced.

"After the rubbish had been collected the bin would be left in my neighbours house or else where and now the bins can't be misplaced as every family would receive a wheelie bin," said the 58-year-old.

Sales manager Annie Leong, 37, said that prior to the programme she had not practised recycling.

"Besides that, such programmes provide us the opportunity to mingle around with our neighbours," she said.

"Most of us are working and we will only come back late and we hardly have time to greet each other," she said.

Stulang assemblyman Mok Chek Hou who was also present at the programme said that residents should be aware of keeping the environment clean and green.

"Members of the public should stop littering at public places and start working together to keep the environment clean," he said.

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Good news for shoppers

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 04:20 PM PST

JOHOR BARU: Shopaholics will enjoy more sweeter deals with the opening of the Johor Premium Outlet (JPO) which is expected to spice up the 1Malaysian Year End Sale (1MYES) here this year.

Deputy Tourism Minister Datuk Dr James Dawos Mamit is confident that shopaholics from neighbouring countries such as Singapore and Indonesia are already anticipating to visit the luxury brands outlet once it officially opens its doors on Dec 11.

"Coupled with discounts during the sales period, shoppers can look forward to purchasing luxury goods at even lower prices compared to the boutiques in Singapore.

"Shopping is one of the favourite activities among locals and tourists and I believe with the opening of JPO, Johor will be dubbed a shopping destination for both domestic and foreign tourists," he said in his speech during the launch of the Johor-level 1MYES.

The upscale outlet in Kulaijaya will feature more than 80 designer and branded stores offering factory prices with daily discounts of between 25% and 65%.

Among the designer brands that have confirmed their presence at JPO are Adidas, Armani, Brooks Brothers, Burberry, Canali, Coach, Esprit, Ermenegildo Zegna, Gap, Guess, Michael Kors and Nike.

Dawos added that 1MYES is among the ministry's efforts to promote domestic tourism and attract more tourists to the country.

"I believe the seven-week sale period would hugely benefit both shoppers and businesses in the state as well as holiday makers," he said.

ourism Malaysia also launched its shopping marathon competition with Tesco supermarket in conjunction with the sale.

"I think that shopping malls in Johor Baru should take part in the 1MYES to attract more customers," he said.

The 1MYES kicked off on Nov 15 and would run until Jan 1, next year.

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Malacca state’s monorail operations disrupted 21 times since 2010

Posted: 20 Nov 2011 04:17 PM PST

MALACCA: The Sungai Melaka tourist monorail, which was suspended 10 days ago, experienced disruption of service 21 times from Oct 20, 2010, when it began operations, till Sept 30, 2011.

State Tourism, Culture and Heritage committee chairman Datuk Wira Latiff Tamby Chik said during that time, its operator, Malacca Taming Sari Sdn Bhd (MTSB), had to bear RM74,188.75 in operating losses.

"Operating costs throughout that period was RM205,573.25 compared to collections of RM131,384.50," he said in response to a question from Betty Chew Gek Cheng (DAP-Kota Laksamana) at the state assembly sitting recently.

He said the monorail ferried 16,011 passengers since it was launched until Sept 30 this year.

"The monorail will continue to operate because it is a viable tourism product for Malacca and is a lucrative long-term source of income for the state governement," he added.

The Land Public Transport Com­mission (Spad) has suspended the monorail's services until its operator met safety and facility aspects proposed by the commission.

On Nov 1, two British tourists had to be brought down using a five metre ladder after they were trapped for 20 minutes in a coach which had stalled due to technical issues.

Latiff said repairs on the monorail was still under a two-year warranty until Oct 19, 2012, whereby its costs would be borne by Agibs Engineering & Construction Sdn Bhd as the manufacturing company.

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