Selasa, 11 Disember 2012

The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates


Chavez's cancer surgery successful, Venezuela VP says

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 08:09 PM PST

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's cancer operation in Cuba on Tuesday was a success, his vice president said, adding that the complex surgery had lasted more than six hours and he would be recuperating for several days.

Venezuela's vice President Nicolas Maduro (C) flanked by cabinet members statement about President Hugo Chavez's cancer surgery in Caracas December 11, 2012. REUTERS/Handout/Miraflores Palace

Venezuela's vice President Nicolas Maduro (C) flanked by cabinet members statement about President Hugo Chavez's cancer surgery in Caracas December 11, 2012. REUTERS/Handout/Miraflores Palace

The 58-year-old socialist leader's third bout with cancer in the past 18 months has thrown his presidency into jeopardy and upended politics in the South American OPEC nation.

"Once again, our comandante has shown his strength," Vice President Nicolas Maduro said in a broadcast on state television as members of the government alongside him applauded.

"We want to thank the Venezuelan people for all the love they dedicated so this operation was completed correctly and successfully," said Maduro, whom Chavez has named as his successor if he is unable to stay in power.

Maduro said the post-operative phase would last several days. "We can say the president has beaten the first obstacle and now, with his medical team, he will go on recuperating."

Chavez's surgery in Cuba, a close ally, was his fourth since mid-2011. Doctors found malignant cells again in his pelvic area soon after he comfortably won re-election in October.

Chavez had twice declared himself cured, only for the cancer to return. He has said he still hopes to recover from this operation in time for the January 10 start of a new six-year term in office.

He named Maduro on Saturday as a potential heir to lead his self-styled revolution in a nation of 29 million people with the world's largest oil reserves.

The move irked some in Venezuela's opposition, who say voters - not Chavez - would decide who follows him if he were forced to step down and an election was held within 30 days, as required under the constitution.

'RIGHT TO KNOW'

Should an election be held, opposition flag-bearer Henrique Capriles, who lost to Chavez in the October presidential ballot but scored a record 6.5 million votes for the opposition, could have a second crack at power.

In a newspaper interview on Tuesday, Capriles declined to speculate on a possible new presidential bid and repeated his best wishes to Chavez for a quick recovery. But he criticized the secrecy surrounding the president's treatment.

"Venezuelans have the right to know," he said.

Maduro said Chavez was surrounded by family and top government officials in Havana, where he is a guest of his friend and political ally, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

The vice president criticized attempts to manipulate news of the president's health for political gain, saying: "Stop spreading hatred and poison every day. Respect the president and respect the sadness of the people, who this man has freed."

The stakes are high for Cuba and other socialist-run nations across Latin America and the Caribbean that depend on the Chavez government for subsidized oil and other economic aid.

Messages of support have poured in from allies.

"He changed the history of Venezuela and much of Latin America," said Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, a member of the Chavez-led bloc of leftist nations in the region.

"He's in good spirits. You know what Hugo's like, always ready for tough battles with optimism and faith," Correa said of Chavez before the operation. "I'm not going to lie, we are very worried."

U.S. actor Sean Penn, one of Chavez's most prominent international supporters, joined a vigil in Bolivia. "He's one of the most impressive forces on the planet and we need to show him our love," Penn was quoted as saying by local media.

Cancer experts warned that the recurrence of Chavez's disease was bad news.

"The chances for long-term recovery are highest the first time around, when you attack a cancer with surgery and chemotherapy. Whenever a cancer recurs, your chances for a long-term positive outcome decrease," said Dr. Axel Grothey, an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Grothey has not been involved in the president's treatment, but said he had seen many patients in a similar situation.

INVESTORS WATCH

Maduro, 50, a former bus driver and union activist, lacks his boss' charisma and political flair but would represent policy continuity should he take over. He has already taken control of day-to-day government business.

Chavez's health woes had sparked a rally in Venezuela bonds, given many investors' preference for a more business-friendly government in Caracas. Gains were trimmed slightly on Tuesday.

Western investors have increasingly shunned Venezuela under Chavez - especially given his nationalizations of large swaths of the economy - giving companies from China, Russia, Iran, Belarus and other allies a chance to grab footholds.

In London, emerging market investor Mark Mobius said any change to a more market-friendly government in Venezuela would encourage him to invest there once more.

In a research report, Nomura said the market should temper its enthusiasm in the medium term, saying the impact of Chavez's blessing of Maduro should not be underestimated if a new election were held.

"Second, the situation inside the opposition is not a bed of roses, as there are ongoing contradictions and a certain lack of morale," it said, adding that Capriles was beaten heavily on October 7.

The health saga has once again eclipsed major national issues such as state elections on Sunday, a widely expected devaluation of the bolivar currency and a proposed amnesty for Chavez's jailed and exiled political foes.

Venezuelans were expecting a currency devaluation around the New Year, although Chavez's illness has put that in doubt.

(Additional reporting by Caracas bureau, Eduardo Garcia in Quito, and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Kieran Murray and Peter Cooney)

Copyright © 2012 Reuters

Gunman kills two at Oregon mall before taking own life

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 08:07 PM PST

HAPPY VALLEY, Oregon (Reuters) - A gunman opened fire inside an Oregon shopping mall on Tuesday in the middle of the busy Christmas season, killing at least two people and terrorizing holiday shoppers before shooting himself to death, police said.

A still image taken from video courtesy of KATU-TV shows first responders at a shooting scene at Clackamas Town Center in Portland, Oregon, December 11, 2012. REUTERS/KATU-TV/Handout

A still image taken from video courtesy of KATU-TV shows first responders at a shooting scene at Clackamas Town Center in Portland, Oregon, December 11, 2012. REUTERS/KATU-TV/Handout

The afternoon shooting rampage at the crowded Clackamas Town Center in the Portland suburb of Happy Valley touched off panic inside the mall, with shoppers streaming out as police and fire crews arrived on the scene.

"I can confirm that we believe at this point that there was one and only one shooter involved and that that shooter is deceased," Clackamas County Sheriff's spokesman Lieutenant James Rhodes told a press briefing.

"In addition to that, we have at least one patient who was taken from the mall with a traumatic injury and at least two that were deceased in addition to the shooter," he added.

Rhodes said later that the suspect died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound and that police had not fired a single shot inside the mall. The wounded victim was taken by helicopter to a hospital where a spokeswoman said she was in serious condition.

The incident marked the latest in a string of shooting rampages this year that included the killing of 12 people and wounding of 58 others at a midnight screening of "The Dark Knight Rises" in Colorado.

In Oregon, police evacuated terrified shoppers, who were reported by local media and via Twitter to have hidden in the back rooms of shops as gunshots rang out in the mall.

"Shooting in the middle of clackamas town center. I'm stuck in the back room of build a bear!" one person tweeted.

High school student Hannah Baggs, 14, told the Oregonian newspaper that she got a close look at the gunman before he entered the mall and opened fire.

"He was, like, 10 feet away from us, wearing a white mask and carrying something heavy with both hands," Baggs said in remarks carried on the newspaper's website. "He went running into the store."

MAN IN SANTA SUIT 'HIT THE FLOOR'

The Oregonian also said on its website that the gunman had used a semi-automatic rifle and may have also been wearing body armour, but police did not immediately confirm that. The paper said the shooting occurred near the mall's food court.

"All of a sudden I heard something similar to a .22 popping, probably eight times, and people dropping everywhere, people screaming," witness Christina Fisher said in an interview aired on CNN. "It was chaos."

A man dressed in a red Santa suit and beard who said he greets children at the mall told local KGW-TV that he heard some 15 gunshots and realized that there was a gunman on the loose.

"So I hit the floor," the man told KGW-TV in an interview outside the mall. "My crew that was working with me must have left and everybody that was in the (Christmas) set must have left, because when I got up there was nobody in the set but myself."

Police and SWAT teams established a perimeter around the scene and worked to evacuate the mall as they searched for the gunman. Video footage from inside the mall, aired on CNN, showed shoppers heading toward exits with their arms raised above their heads.

The identities of the dead and wounded were not immediately released. A mall spokeswoman directed calls to law enforcement authorities.

"My thoughts and prayers are with the victims and their families," Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber said in a statement released by his office. "I appreciate the work of the first responders and their quick reaction to this tragic shooting."

Copyright © 2012 Reuters

Chavez's cancer surgery successful, Venezuela VP says

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 07:52 PM PST

CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's cancer operation in Cuba on Tuesday was a success, his vice president said, adding that the complex surgery had lasted more than six hours and he would be recuperating for several days.

Venezuela's Communication Minister Ernesto Villegas reads a statement about the health condition of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez during a news conference in Caracas December 11, 2012. REUTERS/Miraflores Palace/Handout

Venezuela's Communication Minister Ernesto Villegas reads a statement about the health condition of Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez during a news conference in Caracas December 11, 2012. REUTERS/Miraflores Palace/Handout

The 58-year-old socialist leader's third bout with cancer in the past 18 months has thrown his presidency into jeopardy and upended politics in the South American OPEC nation.

"Once again, our comandante has shown his strength," Vice President Nicolas Maduro said in a broadcast on state television as members of the government alongside him applauded.

"We want to thank the Venezuelan people for all the love they dedicated so this operation was completed correctly and successfully," said Maduro, whom Chavez has named as his successor if he is unable to stay in power.

Maduro said the post-operative phase would last several days. "We can say the president has beaten the first obstacle and now, with his medical team, he will go on recuperating."

Chavez's surgery in Cuba, a close ally, was his fourth since mid-2011. Doctors found malignant cells again in his pelvic area soon after he comfortably won re-election in October.

Chavez had twice declared himself cured, only for the cancer to return. He has said he still hopes to recover from this operation in time for the January 10 start of a new six-year term in office.

He named Maduro on Saturday as a potential heir to lead his self-styled revolution in a nation of 29 million people with the world's largest oil reserves.

The move irked some in Venezuela's opposition, who say voters - not Chavez - would decide who follows him if he were forced to step down and an election was held within 30 days, as required under the constitution.

'RIGHT TO KNOW'

Should an election be held, opposition flag-bearer Henrique Capriles, who lost to Chavez in the October presidential ballot but scored a record 6.5 million votes for the opposition, could have a second crack at power.

In a newspaper interview on Tuesday, Capriles declined to speculate on a possible new presidential bid and repeated his best wishes to Chavez for a quick recovery. But he criticized the secrecy surrounding the president's treatment.

"Venezuelans have the right to know," he said.

Maduro said Chavez was surrounded by family and top government officials in Havana, where he is a guest of his friend and political ally, former Cuban leader Fidel Castro.

The vice president criticized attempts to manipulate news of the president's health for political gain, saying: "Stop spreading hatred and poison every day. Respect the president and respect the sadness of the people, who this man has freed."

The stakes are high for Cuba and other socialist-run nations across Latin America and the Caribbean that depend on the Chavez government for subsidized oil and other economic aid.

Messages of support have poured in from allies.

"He changed the history of Venezuela and much of Latin America," said Ecuador's president, Rafael Correa, a member of the Chavez-led bloc of leftist nations in the region.

"He's in good spirits. You know what Hugo's like, always ready for tough battles with optimism and faith," Correa said of Chavez before the operation. "I'm not going to lie, we are very worried."

U.S. actor Sean Penn, one of Chavez's most prominent international supporters, joined a vigil in Bolivia. "He's one of the most impressive forces on the planet and we need to show him our love," Penn was quoted as saying by local media.

Cancer experts warned that the recurrence of Chavez's disease was bad news.

"The chances for long-term recovery are highest the first time around, when you attack a cancer with surgery and chemotherapy. Whenever a cancer recurs, your chances for a long-term positive outcome decrease," said Dr. Axel Grothey, an oncologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

Grothey has not been involved in the president's treatment, but said he had seen many patients in a similar situation.

INVESTORS WATCH

Maduro, 50, a former bus driver and union activist, lacks his boss' charisma and political flair but would represent policy continuity should he take over. He has already taken control of day-to-day government business.

Chavez's health woes had sparked a rally in Venezuela bonds, given many investors' preference for a more business-friendly government in Caracas. Gains were trimmed slightly on Tuesday.

Western investors have increasingly shunned Venezuela under Chavez - especially given his nationalizations of large swaths of the economy - giving companies from China, Russia, Iran, Belarus and other allies a chance to grab footholds.

In London, emerging market investor Mark Mobius said any change to a more market-friendly government in Venezuela would encourage him to invest there once more.

In a research report, Nomura said the market should temper its enthusiasm in the medium term, saying the impact of Chavez's blessing of Maduro should not be underestimated if a new election were held.

"Second, the situation inside the opposition is not a bed of roses, as there are ongoing contradictions and a certain lack of morale," it said, adding that Capriles was beaten heavily on October 7.

The health saga has once again eclipsed major national issues such as state elections on Sunday, a widely expected devaluation of the bolivar currency and a proposed amnesty for Chavez's jailed and exiled political foes.

Venezuelans were expecting a currency devaluation around the New Year, although Chavez's illness has put that in doubt.

(Additional reporting by Caracas bureau, Eduardo Garcia in Quito, and Julie Steenhuysen in Chicago; Editing by Kieran Murray and Peter Cooney)

Copyright © 2012 Reuters

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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'Storage Wars' rigged, charges ex-contestant

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 08:44 PM PST

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The popular TV show Storage Wars - in which treasure hunters bid to buy unseen items in abandoned units - is rigged, with producers sometimes planting valuable items among the junk, a former contestant said in a lawsuit on Tuesday.

David Hester, one of the reality TV show's longest-serving cast members, said producers buried a BMW Mini under trash in one unit featured in the A&E cable series, and a pile of newspapers announcing the death of Elvis Presley in another.

"A&E regularly plants valuable items or memorabilia," Hester charged in his lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday against the cable channel and the show's producers.

When he complained, Hester was fired from the show. He is claiming fraud, wrongful dismissal, breach of contract and unfair business practices, and asking for at least US$750,000 in damages.

A&E declined to comment on the lawsuit on Tuesday, saying it did not comment on pending litigation.

Storage Wars, which made its debut in 2010, is the highest-rated non-fiction program on U.S. cable television, and draws about 5 million viewers per episode. It is also broadcast in Canada, Australia, Britain and other countries.

The show follows a group of modern treasure-hunters who compete at public auctions of abandoned storage lockers in the hope of finding valuable items which they can re-sell for a profit.

Hester said that "nearly every aspect of the show is faked." He said producers regularly place in the lockers "valuable or unusual effects to add dramatic effect" and sometimes stage entire units, according to the lawsuit.

Hester, who lives in Orange County, California, has been featured on the show since 2010. He was fired in October 2012 shortly after a meeting in which he complained about rigging in a meeting with producers, the lawsuit says.

A&E Television Networks is a joint venture of the Hearst Corporation and Disney-ABC Television - a unit of Walt Disney Co.

Ready or knot

Posted: 12 Dec 2012 01:45 AM PST

Destination Weddings ties it all up for wedding traditions in different cultures.

WHO doesn't like weddings – be they simple or lavish? In Asian circles, you can add age-old tradition, the family factor and superstition to the wedding equation.

With that in mind, comes the new programme entitled Destination Weddings which airs on Travel Channel (Hypptv Ch 145) on Thursdays at 7.30pm. The show features weddings centred on traditional as well as contemporary ceremonies.

In Destination Weddings, former beauty queen Deborah Henry is the traveller who "accompanies" these soon-to-wed couples on their joyous adventures. "I have never known how much there was to learn about weddings and so much to do in preparation until I did this programme," said Henry about this new series.

Destination Weddings is a juxtaposition of the old with the new that aims to showcase, contrast and compare two kinds of nuptials: the ones that are held on home ground and the ones that defy the norm by being held in a location away from the home country.

For the uninitiated, each episode will feature two weddings. The first is a destination wedding which features a foreign couple who have come to an Asian country for an exotic wedding.

The second wedding highlights a local affair. "Covering a dozen wedding ceremonies in six countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand – has been an educational experience on the different values and practices. In the Philippines, they even have a monkey ring-bearer, and in Bali, there was a teeth-filing ceremony to even the teeth to ward off evil spirits during a traditional Balinese Hindu wedding," she added.

With a laugh, Henry added that after six months spent on the road with Destination Weddings, there were two important things she picked up while doing this series.

"First, remember to hire a wedding planner as it will make your life easier, and the second is to get married only once, if you can manage it!"

This is also the first time that Travel Channel commissioned a programme in Asia. Red Communications director Lina Tan, who is also the producer of Destination Weddings, said they looked across Asia to find a host for the series and Henry's intelligence struck them.

"We did the usual casting/ audition process but she struck us as being the perfect traveller for the programme. And a pretty face is a bonus," she added.

Tan also explained that not all the couples and families were keen to be part of the show, and there were several instances where the shoot had to be cancelled because the parties involved backed out.

However, things worked out well in the end, with big dramatic moments such as runaway brides ... or grooms.

Destination Weddings airs on Travel Channel (HyppTV channel 145), Thursdays at 7.30pm.

Revolution blues

Posted: 12 Dec 2012 01:41 AM PST

The new animated series Tron: Uprising struggles to live up to the legacy of the cult movie.

If you strip away the much talked-about special effects from the 1982 film Tron and the more recent Tron: Legacy, then what remains is the good ol' fashioned plot of good versus evil (with both the good-you and the evil-you looking the same).

In the new animated series within the Tron saga entitled Tron: Uprising, the story is taken a step further. The animated series takes place after the 1982 film in which the inhabitants (programmes in the form of humans) of The Grid find themselves fighting against a dictator with an unstoppable army.

The programme Clu (having defeated the hero Tron, and triumphing against his programmer Kevin Flynn) has started an invasion on The Grid. One of the affected places is the previously idyllic City of Argon, where mechanics make and maintain those cool motorbikes with lights and amazing speed.

One such young mechanic is a programme called Beck (voice of Elijah Wood), who finds himself surpassing his programme when Clu's main man – General Tesler (voiced by Lance Henriksen) – arrives to terrorise the citizens of his city. Refusing to stand by, Beck advances from his job description and makes Tesler's men work a little harder by creating a symbol of freedom. In the process, the renegade programme also catches the attention of Tron (Bruce Boxleitner) who many thought was dead.

Tron, in turn, recruits Beck and trains him to become the next defender of The Grid, in other words Tron 2.0.

At this point, Tron: Uprising is supposed to pick up with Beck discovering what it means to be a hero every week.

He learns that there is more to becoming a symbol than just zipping around on the bike and taking down the bad guys. Against the odds, he has to persevere and make correct judgment calls even when the outcome may lead to terrible personal loss.

Beck does struggle and he is often filled with so many doubts. In fact, he does sound like he is whining. Thankfully, he does make the right call in the end, but the journey that takes him there is quite unbearable. If the challenges are supposed to add weight to the character, they are not working at all.

It doesn't help that Tron has been relegated to a one-dimensional mentor role – the babbling sounds an awful lot like lectures. It would be totally understandable if Beck decides to sever his ties with this former hero. But of course a hero's path has to be a difficult road with many setbacks.

Tron: Uprising points out the fact that no matter what one is destined to do, he or she can step out to do something more meaningful.

Beck might be programmed to tune up engines, but he exceeded his programme all on his own to right a wrong.

Add themes like oppression and rebellion to colour up the stories. However, most of the plot gets a little lost – no thanks to the annoying hero and his equally annoying friends.

It doesn't help that his nemesis is a caricature – a girl who fell in with the wrong crowd. Similar themes like these have been dealt with more depth in other animated series, including Avatar: The Last Airbender. There are some innovative ideas within this Tron: Uprising series (loss of identity and the value of friendship), but nothing that keeps you interested in the long run.

As far as the animation is concerned, the Tron world has never looked this good. Yes, the horizontal and vertical lines, the clever use of light, the buildings, trains, landscape ... all these elements add to the cosmetic value. The action sequences are also simply amazing, especially when the infamous Game is held. If anything, Tron: Uprising is visually amazing. Too bad about the storyline, though.

Tron: Uprising is aired every Sunday on Disney XD (Astro Ch677) and Disney HD (Astro CH637) at 2pm.

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Sports

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The Star Online: Sports


Former long-time US golfer Walker dies

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 07:49 PM PST

DAYTONA BEACH, Florida: American Colleen Walker, who played 23 years on the LPGA Tour, died Tuesday after a bout with cancer. She was 56.

The LPGA Tour said Walker, who won nine times on the tour, died at her home in Florida.

Walker was diagnosed with breast cancer in early 2003 and rejoined the tour nine months later. But last year, the cancer returned to her hips and pelvis.

Walker played the LPGA Tour from 1982 to 2004, winning three titles in 1992.

In 1998, she won the Vare Trophy for the lowest scoring average and finished fifth on the money list.

Walker is survived by husband Ron Bakich and 16-year-old son Tyler.-AFP

Hatton homes in on Asia

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 07:48 PM PST

HONG KONG: Former world champion Ricky Hatton says that he hopes to find his successor in Asia, with the popular Briton homing in on the region in the hope of unearthing the next big thing in boxing.

A former world light-welterweight and welterweight champion, the 34-year-old Hatton was knocked out on his return to the ring last month, and insists that he will not be coming out of retirement again.

It was time to move on, he told AFP in Hong Kong, where he staged a night of boxing on Tuesday under the Asia-Pacific arm of Hatton Promotions, which has set up an office in the southern Chinese city.

"This is such a successful, big part of the world and nobody here does boxing so that's the whole purpose of us coming here," the likeable Hatton said.

"The law of averages says there must be some talent out here somewhere and I'd like to raise the profile of boxing out here.

"Boxing is a massive passion for me and there's nothing I'd like better than to be the first promoter to bring a world champion through to this part of the world, to give people someone to be proud of, like the fans were of me."

Hatton insisted that he had laid his demons to rest despite defeat to Vyacheslav Senchenko in November, and hopes to get some measure of the satisfaction he got in the ring from finding new talent.

"I'll try to live my dreams through other boxers," he said.

"There is such a fantastic sporting heritage here," he added on what he said was his third visit to Hong Kong, where he saw local boxer Rex Tso win the vacant WBC Asia Continental flyweight title.

"There is such a fantastic sporting heritage here. They have mixed martial arts here, which is very popular, so I am a little bit flabbergasted to think why boxing isn't so popular.

"So that's something I am hoping to change and hopefully this is the start of something and more shows."

Hatton, one of the biggest names in British boxing over the past decade, said he was yet to begin his search in mainland China - which is beginning to emerge as a force in amateur boxing after the sport was long banned under former leader Mao Zedong.

"Whatever you do, you need to be able to walk before you can run and hopefully this is the start of something," Hatton said of the prospect of going into mainland China one day.

"It's such a massive, massive population and a massively successful area, and nobody boxes, which is incredible.

"I am sure that there is some wonderful talent out there. Nobody has probably looked for the talent from a boxing point of view until myself.

"I'd feel very very proud if I can say that Ricky Hatton came to Hong Kong and brought a fighter through to a world title level and made the country proud, just like I like to think I did with my fans.

"Boxing has given me and my family such a wonderful life and I'd like to pass that on to some other youngster and hopefully it will be someone from Asia. That'd be another box ticked in the Ricky Hatton story."- AFP

Olympic gold and silver medallists await Koo-Tan in Shenzhen

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:42 PM PST

KOO Kien Keat-Tan Boon Heong have been handed the toughest start to a tournament any player can expect after being drawn with London Olympics gold and silver medallists – Fu Haifeng-Cai Yun and Mathias Boe-Carsten Mogensen respectively – in the group stage of the World Super Series Finals starting here today.

However, the Malaysians have shrugged off the tough draw and are prepared to fight their way into the semi-finals.

The draw made yesterday pitted the Malaysians against Olympic champions Haifeng-Cai Yun of China and runners-up Boe-Mogensen of Denmark as well as dangerous South Korean pair Kim Ki-jung-Kim Sa-rang in Group A.

The other Malaysian pair, Hoon Thien How-Tan Wee Kiong, are in Group B with Hiroyuki Endo-Kenichi Hayakawa of Japan, Hong Wei-Shen Ye of China and Bodin Isara-Maneepong Jongjit of Thailand.

The top two pairs from each group will play in the crossover semi-finals.

Kien Keat-Boon Heong must beat either the Danish or the Chinese pair, whom they've been struggling against this year, to survive the group stage.

Boon Heong was philosophical about the draw, saying it was something that could not be avoided.

"But it's good to play the big names early on ... and we're ready for them. It's only for the top eight pairs and either way we still have to win matches to get to the semi-finals," he said.

"We've been playing in the China League the past week and are in tournament condition.

"It's good preparation as we have to play against tough opponents like Haifeng-Cai Yun and Boe-Mogensen early on. Even the Korean pair cannot be under-estimated, although they look the easiest opponents on paper."

Kien Keat-Boon Heong have showed consistent form since the London Olympics, where they lost in the bronze medal play-off. They've reached three of the last four finals of the Super Series events but lost all of them.

Will Shenzhen see a change of luck for the beleaguered Malaysian pair then?

Kredit: www.thestar.com.my

The Star Online: Business

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FBM KLCI maintains positive note in morning trade

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 06:32 PM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: Wednesday's trading at 10am on the FBM KLCI remained positive from the start of the day, at 1646.61, 5.04 points or 0.31% higher. A total of 188.88 million shares were traded with a turnover of RM250.5mil. Gainers led losers 215 to 118 while 182 counters were unchanged.

BIMB Securities said in its market preview that clearer skies were ahead as improved consumer confidence from Germany coupled with expectations that more stimulus are to be announced for the US boosted sentiments as the Dow Jones Industrial Average jumped by almost 79 points to 13,248.

"Likewise European stocks were broadly higher spurred by Germany and Spain's successful sale of its treasuries. However Asian equities were rather mixed as China declined following its below expectations new yuan loans," it said.

It added: "Nonetheless, the FBMKLCI continued with its impressive uptrend with another 9.42 points gain to 1,641.57 as buying interests from foreign funds continued with another net inflow of RM268m yesterday."

On the local bourse, the research house expected a buying trend to continue over the short term as the FBM KLCI has underperformed the region year-to-date. The index should test the 1,650 mark today.

At 10am, gainers on the local bourse were plantation stocks with United Plantations Bhd which gained 62 sen to RM25.48; Kuala Lumpur Kepong which rose 48 sen to RM21.58 and Telekom Malaysia Bhd which went up 11 sen to RM5.79.

Losers were Petronas Dagangan Bhd which lost 40 sen to RM23.12; Petronas Gas Bhd which dropped 28 sen to RM18.14 and Carlsberg Brewery (M) Bhd which shed 14 sen to RM12.78.

Malaysian tycoon to take Guoco Group private for US$1.1bil(update)

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 06:08 PM PST

HONG KONG: A major shareholder in Guoco Group, a Hong Kong investment company controlled by Malaysian tycoon Quek Leng Chan, has made an offer to take the company private for HK$8.25 billion ($1.1 billion), further underscoring the dealmaking prowess of Southeast Asians this year.

Tycoons from Thailand to Indonesia have emerged as Asia's top dealmakers this year as domestic companies eye expansion outside their home markets using cheap loans and rising stock markets..

Guoco Group said on Wednesday that the offer of HK$88.00 per share was made by GouLine Overseas Ltd, a unit of Hong Leong Co (Malaysia), a 24.8 percent premium over Guoco's last traded price. Guoco shares have been suspended since Dec. 4 pending an announcement. The shares resumed trading on Wednesday, opening up 26.4 percent.

Guoco owns a near 15 percent stake in Hong Kong's biggest family-run lender, Bank of East Asia Ltd, making it the second-biggest shareholder in the bank behind Spain's No.4 lender, CaixaBank SA. BEA has a market value of $8.1 billion.

Guoco has previous experience running a bank and in 2001 it sold Hong Kong-based Dao Heng Bank to Singapore's DBS Group Holdings Ltd for about $5.7 billion.

Apart from financial services, the group has investments in property, hospitality and leisure businesses. The privatisation will help the company support future business development of Guoco has its subsidiaries, the statement said.

Guoco shares are down 2.4 percent this year, underperforming a 21 percent rise in the broader Hong Kong benchmark index . Guoco's controlling shareholders already own 71.5 percent of the company.

Southeast Asia's most powerful tycoons - Thai billionaire Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi and companies controlled by Indonesian businessman Stephen Riady - are currently engaged in a bidding war to control to control Singapore conglomerate Fraser and Neave Ltd.

Just last week, a conglomerate controlled by Thailand's richest man, Dhanin Chearavanont's Charoen Pokphand Group, agreed to buy HSBC's $9.4 billion stake in Ping An Insurance. - Reuters

P&O in win-win deal

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 06:03 PM PST

PACIFIC & ORIENT BHD

By Kenanga Research

Outperform (maintain)

Target Price: RM1.60

ON Nov 26, the Finance Minister via a letter from Bank Negara approved Pacific and Orient Bhd's (P&O) proposal to dispose 49% equity interest in Pacific & Orient Insurance Co Bhd (POI), a 100%-owned subsidiary, to Sanlam Emerging Markets Propriety Ltd.

With this announcement on Monday, with both parties agreeing to the 49% stake valuation of RM270mil (2.46 times book value) and to the signing of a sales and purchase agreement, the last hurdle has been cleared.

P&O will see cash proceeds of about RM270mil, with RM174mil in gains. The final valuation is better than our base case assumption of 2.3 times book value.

This will translate into an additional book value/cash per share of RM1.38, which can be redistributed to shareholders. At the current price of RM1.27, the stock is now trading at a discount to its adjusted book value of RM2.30 by 81%.

Sanlam is strategically an ideal fit for P&O. Its rationale for this deal is to acquire P&O's leading general insurance franchise to gain an immediate access into the Malaysian market. In addition, P&O can tap into Sanlam's strength in portfolio investment and this should help boost P&O's investment income.

In general, the two financial companies complement each other and hence Sanlam represents an excellent strategic partner for P&O.

At the current price of RM1.27, the stock will trade at a discount to its adjusted book value of RM2.30 by 45%. We believe the current discount above is not justifiable as the existing P&O's market capitalisation of RM312mil will only be 15.6% (RM45mil) more than the RM270mil cash it is expected to receive from the proposed 49% equity stake sale of POI.

Post-disposal, if the sale goes through, P&O will still have a 51% controlling stake in POI as well as its IT business. With the total cash proceeds from the potential disposal of RM1.10 per share, the fair valuation of P&O should be pegged at RM1.90 (by adding in the fair value from the 51% stake left in POI), implying a strong 50% upside potential from here.

Our valuation is based on a sum-of-part valuation methodology. This means that at the current price, investors will be getting the cash of RM1.10 per share and the remaining 51% stake of POI at a substantial discount of 79% to its book value per share.

These assets could be worth as much as RM0.79 per share or even more as this valuation only implies a 6.0 times financial year 2013 times price-earnings ration.

We believe the potential partial disposal of the general insurance business is timely and attractively valued.

Currently, the share price has not fully reflected the above disposal. Should there be any capital repayment exercises going forward, the stock could be re-rated in our view. Already, the group offers one of the best dividend yields of around 4.9% (net) year-to-date with a total of 6.22 sen net dividends declared for the year-to-date. The higher-than-expected dividend payout clearly indicates that the group is likely to have a better earnings outlook in 2013.

TOBACCO SECTOR

By Hong Leong Investment Bank

Neutral (upgraded)

COMPANIES under the sector recorded decent third-quarter results, with both British American Tobacco (M) Bhd (BAT) and JT International Bhd (JTI) results coming in line with Hong Leong Investment Bank's (HLIB) estimates this time around.

Traditionally, BAT and JTI sales usually perform well in their third quarter from stocking up ahead of excise duty hike during the yearly budget announcement in fourth quarter.

However, financial year 2012 turned out to be a unique case whereby both companies did not experience the traditional quarter-on-quarter jump of more than 10%. BAT and JTI's third-quarter sales (in sticks) were almost flat, with only 1.6% and 0.8% growth respectively.

Overall, total industry volume (TIV) grew only 1.9% quarter-on-quarter.

Looking into individual companies, the reasons behind the fair results were different. The increase in revenue and earnings for BAT was mainly from higher volume under their contract manufacturing decision as domestic sales volume declined 4.7% year-on-year.

On the other hand, the slump in JTI's revenue and earnings were largely expected, given poor Winston (old range) sales, partially offset by Mild Seven and Winston Excel.

Given that there was no excise duty hike for two years in a row now, we do not rule out any chances of a hike in the near term (within six-12 months).

Separately, the media highlighted that having contraband cigarettes will soon be punishable offence once the Health Ministry adopts new amendments to the Control of Tobacco Products Regulations. The ministry plans to implement this by the first quarter of next year after engaging the public and getting their feedback.

We opined that this is a positive initiative taken by the Government and would benefit the tobacco players.

However, we are uncertain about the effectiveness of this new law as contrabands are harder to be identified, unless they are being inspected thoroughly.

Risks include exceptionally high excise duty hike, increase in illicit trade volume, weaker-than-expected TIV and regulation tightening.

The positives include high dividend yield stocks, counter-cyclical share price pattern, oligopoly industry and resilient earnings and low capital expenditure requirements.

On the downside, the negatives include highly regulated industry, potential excise duty hike, high level of illicit cigarettes in the market and prices already reflect fundamentals.

Given the sharp plunge in BAT's share price, we had taken the opportunity to upgrade our call to a "hold", with unchanged target price of RM52.42.

As for JTI, we are maintaining out "hold" rating with target price: RM7.18, given the total potential return is largely within our house rule.

Thus, factoring the upgrade in BAT's rating, we now rate the sector as "neutral", or upgrade from "underweight".

SP SETIA BHD

By Maybank Investment Bank Research

Buy (unchanged)

Target price: RM3.81

SP Setia's upcoming financial year ending Oct 31, 2012 (FY12) results are likely to come in within our and consensus estimates. The fourth quarter (Q4) is likely to be stronger quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year supported by record sales of RM3.3bil achieved in FY11 and RM3.64bil in the first 11 months of FY12.

We continue to like SP Setia for its market leadership, strong track record and strategic landbank, which underpins long-term growth potential.

SP Setia will announce its FY12 results today. We expect Q4 net profit of RM101mil to RM108mil (+1-8% quarter-on-quarter, +23% to 31% year-on-year), taking FY12 core earnings to RM368mil to RM375mil (+25% to 27% year-on-year).

Earnings will likely be driven by strong unbilled sales mainly from its township projects in Johor and Setia Alam. We expect SP Setia to declare a final gross dividend per share (DPS) of 8.6 sen, lifting full-year DPS to 13.6 sen.

SP Setia had locked in RM3.64bil in sales in the 11 months of FY12, on track to meet its FY12 sales target of RM4bil. Key sales contributors include KL Eco City, Setia Alam and Fulton Lane.

Quarter four sales should be boosted by strong take-ups at newly-launched Setia Sky 88 in Johor and Eco Glades in Cyberjaya.

Unbilled sales of RM3.8bil at end-July 2012 were healthy, at 1.2 times our FY13 revenue forecast.

Management has not revealed its sales target for FY13 but it could reach another record with the official launches of Battersea Power Station phase 1 (BPSP1) in April 2013, Eco Sanctuary in Singapore and Setia Eco Hills in Semenyih/Kajang in FY13.

Response for the 800 apartments to be built in BPSP1 has been strong with more than 5,000 registrants, we understand. Meanwhile, Setia Eco Hill recently launched bungalow land plots at RM100 per sq ft.

SP Setia has recently entered into a settlement agreement with Ban Guan Hin Realty to proceed with the sale and purchase agreement for the acquisition of a 1,011-acre plot of freehold land in Semenyih. The final purchase price of RM396.2mil cash (or RM9 per sq ft) is 20% higher than the initial pricing of RM330mil or RM7.50 per sq ft.

To recap, SP Setia had proposed to acquire the land in August 2011. The deal hit a snag in December 2011 when the vendor did not agree to an extension of time for the fulfillment of the conditions precedent, including approvals for land transfer from Estate Land Board.

PLANTATIONS

By CIMB Bank Research

Neutral (maintain)

MALAYSIA'S palm oil stocks rose 2.3% in November to a new record high of 2.56 million tonnes, marginally below consensus numbers but above ours because of a 6% month-on-month surge in Sabah output to a new high for the year. We believe the higher stockpile has been captured in the current price.

We expect crude palm oil (CPO) price to regain some strength in the coming months as palm oil stocks ease. However, the near-term upside will be capped somewhat until stocks fall to around two million tonnes. We maintain our CPO price forecasts and our "neutral" call on the regional plantation sector. We continue to prefer Singapore planters such as Wilmar, Golden Agri and Indofood Agri.

Palm oil stocks in Malaysia climbed 2.3% month-on-month to a new record high of 2.56 million tonnes at end-November. The stockpile is a shade below consensus estimates of 2.58 million tonnes but is 9% above our estimate as we were too bullish on exports and were also surprised by the strong production from estates in Sabah.

The record stockpile in November means that stocks remain bountiful in Malaysia. This may cap near-term upside for CPO price until stocks fall back to the two million tonne mark. The good news is that palm oil stocks in Malaysia did not go as high as the three million tonnes predicted by some and feared by the market. This is because demand has picked up ahead of festive events and tighter regulations in China. We project end-December stock to fall by 1% to 2.54 million tonnes as we expect exports to outweigh output. We also continue to believe that CPO price will perk up in first quarter 2013 as palm oil output falls during the lean months in the first quarter and demand picks up due to CPO's attractive pricing against soybean oil and crude oil. We maintain our average CPO price forecasts of RM2,820 for 2012, RM2,840 for 2013 and RM3,000 for 2014.

We continue to advocate buying Wilmar and liquid Singapore planters to ride on our projected recovery in CPO prices in the coming months.

Exports fell 6% month-on-month and were flat year-on-year at 1.66 million tonnes as the sharp pick-up in demand from China, Pakistan and the United States was not sufficient to offset weaker demand from India, the European Union and other export markets.

Malaysian refiners notched up a weaker utilisation rate of 71.84% in Nov 12 (79% in Nov 11) due to lower domestic CPO supply. The year-on-year drop in utilisation rate could also be due to higher exports of CPO (+18% year-on-year) as the Government raised the tax-free quota for CPO from three million tonnes in 2011 to around 5.6 million tonnes this year. This is evident from the 34% year-on-year jump in 11-month 2012 CPO exports to 4.1 million tonnes or 73% of this year's tax-free quota. As a result, CPO's share of Malaysian palm oil exports for 11-month 2012 rose to 26% of the total.

We expect output to fall 10% month-on-month and export volume to decline at a lower rate of 2% month-on-month as the attractive price and China's new regulations on quality prompt consumers to restock, CPO exports accelerate before the tax-free quota expires at year-end and favourable margins encourage refiners and biodiesel operators to crank up their operations.

We recently downgraded our regional call for the plantation sector from "trading buy" to "neutral" as we are less bullish on CPO price prospects following the unexpected retreat of El Nino weather risks.

Also, the palm oil stockpile has turned out higher than our expectations due to weaker demand and stronger seasonal supply. This is expected to keep CPO price lower for a longer period.

Following our recent CPO price review and taking into account the potential impact of the minimum wage increase in Indonesia, we are switching our preference towards the Singapore-listed players as they offer higher share liquidity and will be less affected by the CPO price decline than the pure planters due to their exposure to the branded cooking oil business. We have also turned positive on Wilmar as we expect it to benefit from the higher sales volumes for palm oil and better refining margins. Singapore planters remain an "overweight". We maintain our "neutral" stance on Malaysian and Indonesian planters.

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Pahang-S’gor raw water transfer project 66% ready, state assembly told

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 07:24 AM PST

KUANTAN: The raw water transfer project from Pahang to Selangor is now 66 percent ready, the Pahang State Assembly was told on Tuesday.

State Housing, Public Utility and Transport Committee Chairman Datuk Mohd Soffi Abdul Razak said the progress of the project was closely monitored by the Pahang Mentri Besar's Office and believed it could be ready on schedule.

He said the project involved construction of a tunnel to transfer the raw water, but that it could not function without the Langat 2 water treatment plant.

The project in Pahang is financed by the federal government and a Japanese financial institution, while construction of the Langat 2 plant is fully funded by the federal government, he added.

He said this in response to a question from Chang Hong Seong (BN-Teruntum) who wanted to know the status of the project.

Responding to a question from Choong Siew Onn (DAP-Tras) on Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB), Mohd Soffi said KTMB had built a huge drain on both sides of the railway tracks to prevent accidents.

KTMB also erects fence to prevent trespassers from encroaching into its railway tracks, he added.

Mohd Soffi said safety awareness programmes were also carried out by KTMB in villages and schools located near railway tracks. - Bernama

Cops bust African scam, nab 19 in several raids around KL

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 06:24 AM PST

KUALA LUMPUR: An internet fraud syndicate, dubbed 'African Scam' was busted following the arrest of 19 suspects, including 17 African men in several raids around the city early this month.

City Commercial Crime Investigation Department chief ACP Izany Abdul Ghany said the suspects, including a Thai woman and a local woman aged between 22 and 44, were nabbed around the city centre, Kepong, Pandan Perdana and Taman Maluri.

"The African men were detained for using student passes of a private college. Their activities were exposed after they cheated a hotel employee of RM6,800," he told a press conference at Cheras police headquarters here, on Tuesday.

He said a member of the syndicate was believed to have posed as a woman on a social networking site with the aim of fostering a love relation with the hotel staff before deceiving him.

The syndicate's modus operandi was to convince the victim that an item sent to him from overseas was seized by the immigration authority and the victim had to pay RM6,800 to retrieve it. "The victim, however, did not receive the item after the payment was made, but instead was asked to make another payment of RM10,000 of which he declined. Realising that he was cheated, he lodge a police report," he said.

During the raids, police also seized several items believed to be used in the scam, including 14 laptop computers, 27 mobile phones, seven company stamps, four savings account books, two cheque books and two disc drivers.

Izany said that since early this year, 68 investigation papers had been opened on the 'African Scam' syndicate, and 110 people had been arrested so far, including 93 African nationals, 44 of whom were charged in court. - Bernama

Thai-Malaysia border pass now valid for one year

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 05:36 AM PST

BANGKOK: The Thai government has agreed to extend the validity of the Thai-Malaysia border pass from six months to one year.

Deputy government spokesman Pakdiharn Himathongkam said the Cabinet meeting on Tuesday also agreed to extend the period of stay for up to 30 days from seven days previously.

The border pass covers five provinces in Thailand - Songkhla, Satul, Yala, Narathiwat and Pattani, and four states of Malaysia, namely Kedah, Kelantan, Perlis and Perak (Hulu Perak only).

Previously, the radius of travel was limited to 25 km from each other's border.

The border pass is normally issued to residents living near the border areas of both countries and they are allowed to cross each other's border without a passport.

However, Pakdiharn could not say when the new ruling on the border pass would take effect as the agreement on Thai-Malaysia border crossing would be signed by both countries later. - Bernama

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Elijah Wood, Aaron Paul Rally Fans to Save North Hollywood Taco Joint

Posted: 10 Dec 2012 04:09 PM PST

LOS ANGELES: Elijah Wood and Aaron Paul are on a mission to save a North Hollywood taco stand.

The actors are rallying fans around Henry's Tacos, which has been on the corner of Tujunga and Moorpark for 51 years and is closing Dec. 31 due to a conflict with the building's landlord.

In an announcement posted on Facebook, the stand's owner, Janis Hood, said that running the restaurant is too much of a burden for her - but the landlord, Mehran Ebrahimpour, isn't allowing "prospective buyers committed to continuing the tradition" to take over the lease.

The reason, Hood believes, is because she "unwittingly" angered him by nominating Henry's to become for a Historic Cultural Monument a year ago.

Ultimately, the city council never voted on her request, but the damage was done. Once loyal customer Wood heard the news, he immediately took to Twitter: "Los Angeles institution, Henry's Tacos to shut," Wood tweeted. "Please retweet.

Very sad situation." Over 250 followers and counting have heard his cry, including a few famous friends like Aaron Paul, Colin Hanks and "Bridesmaids" director Paul Feig.

"This can't happen. Save LA history," Feig added, after retweeting Wood's words. But instead of just wishing for a Christmas miracle, Paul has a plan - not to mention a cool opportunity for his fans. The "Breaking Bad" star is asking "the masses" to join him for lunch this coming Sunday.

"We must save @HenrysTacos from closing," he tweeted. "Come join me for lunch this Sunday at 2pm!! Join the masses and eat some tacos!! Tell your friends." While he may bring Henry's some extra business before serving its last burrito, owner Hood makes it seem like the chances of changing Henry's fate are slim.

"The current prospective buyers have agreed to all the landlord's terms, but he has ceased communicating with them," she wrote.

"Therefore, I have given my notice and it has been accepted by the landlord." Neither Hood nor Ebrahimpour immediately responded to TheWrap's request for comment. -Reuters

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Second wind

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:16 AM PST

After turning his back on writing, Michael Sullivan took another bite at publishing and succeeded beyond his wildest dreams.

BY all accounts, Michael Sullivan is a very successful self-published author. His six-book fantasy series The Riyria Revelations, mostly self-published, sold tens of thousands of copies in e-book and print format. Then, they were picked up by the publisher Orbit, which offered him a six-figure advance (for a condensed three-book version). He has even won bagfuls of awards for them.

Yet, the series about two thieves framed for the murder of a king almost didn't exist at all.

"Twenty-two years," says Sullivan via e-mail (even in written form, you could hear the emphasis of that three-word sentence!). That's how long it took for The Riyria Revelations to land on bookshelves the world over.

"That's 14 years 'thinking', four years writing, two and a half years editing, nine months working with the editors at Orbit and six months waiting until all the books made it through their releases," the Virginia-based American writer says.

The Riyria Revelations' success is especially gratifying to Sullivan after his painfully discouraging start as a writer. So disappointing was his foray into the field that he gave up writing creatively for a decade.

The former graphic designer had always been a storyteller and found the act of writing fascinating.

"It's the only job I know where you get to play God," he says.

So he taught himself to write by taking apart books – classics and popular novels – to study how tension was built, how characters were created and how dialogue was made believable. (He didn't actually read books about writing or attend a single seminar, he says.)

When the first of his three children was born, Sullivan and his wife Robin decided that one of them should stay at home to raise the children.

"My wife made more money than I, so the logical (albeit unconventional, perhaps) choice was for me to be the caregiver. It gave me time to write when the kids were down for their naps," he explains.

He gave his writing career an earnest go and over 10 years, wrote 13 novels. But there was not a single spark of interest from literary agents or publishing houses.

"I would write query letters for agents, send them out, get rejected, rinse and repeat. I'm not sure who first coined the term 'query-go-round' but that describes the process well," he says.

After a decade, his children were in school and most of his friends had successful careers. Not wanting to be left behind, Sullivan embarked on a "conventional career" and eventually started an advertising company, Spectrum Design.

"I had the fancy high-rise office, an all-glass conference room, a bunch of employees ... the whole nine yards. It made me feel for the first time like I had 'accomplished something'," he says.

He had "no itch to write" at this time because he was so busy building the company – nevertheless, his mind was busy filing away ideas, it seems, because when he started getting bored with the money-making routine, he found himself itchy to write again. And he thought: Why not just write something for fun, without the intention to publish?

"Because I didn't care about pleasing anyone but myself, the joy of writing returned," he says.

Rather than the literary novels that he'd written in his previous stint as a struggling novelist, he decided to write fantasy, something he'd loved writing when he was a child.

The years of mentally filing away ideas in "the attic of my mind" paid off. He wrote the first book in just a month, and spent the same amount of time with the second book.

"I had so much of it already thought out, and it had been so long since I had written, that it was like a dam breaking. The story just poured out," he says.

By writing the series, Sullivan also hoped to ignite a passion for reading in his then 13-year-old daughter, who suffers from dyslexia.

However, when he showed her the stack of papers that was his manuscript, his daughter said that it was "too weird" to read it that way.

"If you want me to read it, you have to get it published," she told him, according to Sullivan's blog at tinyurl.com/a7yn767.

Since he thought that his first attempt at publishing was a "tremendous waste of time", Sullivan wasn't very eager to get back on the "query-go-round".

But climb back on he did for his daughter's sake – and his first book, The Crown Conspiracy, was picked up by small press publisher Aspirations Media. It was released in late 2008.

Unfortunately, Aspirations Media didn't have enough cash for the second book's (Avempartha) print run, so the printing rights reverted to Sullivan.

In the end, Sullivan and Robin set up their own publishing company, Ridan Publishing, in 2007 just to publish the books. (Ridan went on to add new authors, and is now a legitimate small press in its own right.)

At first, Sullivan's books sold moderately well – about 1,000 books across four titles a month. However, something strange happened in November last year. Suddenly, he was selling more than 10,000 copies a month! Between November 2011 and February 2012, Sullivan sold 40,000 books.

He was doing so well that when Orbit came knocking, he and Robin did some math and realised that they could lose about US$200,000 to US$300,000 (RM 610,540 to RM 915,810) if the books became a moderate, traditionally-published success.

"Obviously, if they became a breakout hit, we would make much more, but the chances of lightning striking like that again was highly unlikely," Sullivan says.

But money wasn't Sullivan's motivation for signing up with a New York publisher. "I didn't care if I'd lose some money because the books had already made more than enough so that both my wife and I no longer needed 'day jobs'," he says.

What he really wanted to do was to extend his "brand" and to go through doors that had previously been closed to him: bookstores, libraries, movie and television opportunities, and having his book translated into different languages.

Sullivan thinks that there's never been a better time to be a writer than now, what with e-books growing in prominence and popularity.

"In the old days, the only choice to make any 'real money' was with a big-six publisher. The problem, of course, is they have a limited number of slots each publishing calendar so the bandwidth was extremely limited," he points out.

As a result, many books were turned down simply because there just wasn't any room for them. But these days, with e-books making self-publishing so easy, there's an infinite number of spaces.

"Because of the high percentage of money that remains with authors, in many ways it is easier to make a financial success in self-publishing than through a traditional publisher," Sullivan says.

Ultimately, he wants to get as many of his books as possible into people's hands.

"Still, I imagine one day that I'll be in some public area, like a commuter train or plane, and I'll see someone reading my book. Now, that would be something!"

For young and old

Posted: 11 Dec 2012 03:03 AM PST

For this author, it's all about the story and the storyteller, and tales told with passion and skill.

IS it good news or bad news that E.L. James of Fifty Shades Of Grey fame is not the only author in her family? While each book in the Fifty Shades trilogy has sold in record-breaking numbers, critical reaction to them has been decidedly ... lukewarm, to put it kindly. So how will a book by her husband, Niall Leonard, fare?

Both James and Leonard actually share a background in TV; James' website says she was a "TV executive" while Leonard actually made (and still makes) a living as a writer for TV series.

In fact, you may have heard his words without realising it if you are a fan of excellent British TV crime dramas like Wire In The Blood and Silent Witness; he also wrote episodes for the drama Monarch Of The Glen and the screenplay for the TV movie Horatio Hornblower 3.

Leonard recently followed his wife into the realms of printed fiction with Crusher, a gritty young adult fiction novel about a young man who wants to avenge the murder of his stepfather.

And, again like the wife (who famously began writing fan fiction rather than for print), his book was an unintended consequence of a personal project: it was his entry for the 2011 National Novel Writing Month (Nanowrimo) event.

While Crusher's narrative centres on a teenager, it seems that writing for the young adult market was not Leonard's intention. "I actually wrote Crusher for myself, and tried to make it the sort of story I would enjoy reading. I never thought the book would get published, so I didn't worry about whether it would appeal to anyone else," he shares in a recent e-mail interview.

Indeed, he doesn't seem to find writing for adults or teenagers any different, as he believes that Crusher can be enjoyed by all age groups (except perhaps very young readers for whom he deems the book unsuitable).

"As a teenager I used to read 'adult' books and as an adult, I enjoy reading 'teenage' books along with everything else. It's all about the story and the storyteller and whether the tale is told with passion and skill."

So why did he decide to move into print fiction, we ask.

"Writing for television is exciting and varied but it can feel limiting. The writer's choices are restricted by the format of the show and the established characters, and he or she must mould his or her ideas to conform to those of the producers.

Writing a book gives you much more freedom to tell a story your own way. That freedom itself can be scary, but once I'd decided to explore the tale of Crusher through (protagonist) Finn Maguire's eyes, everything seemed to fall into place."

According to Leonard, the idea for the story stemmed from a conversation he had with a friend. "A friend of mine complained there were no books for her 17-year-old son to enjoy because he did not like sci-fi, paranormal tales, or romances, and lots of books for teens these days seem to use those conventions.

"I immediately thought someone should write a gritty, realistic story set in present day London, featuring a 17-year-old boy setting out to find a killer. That was the seed for Crusher."

Next came the bare-bones structure for the story: "When I started Crusher, I knew who the villain was and what had been going on behind the scenes. But I did not know how Finn was going to find out, so what he did sometimes surprised me. Sometimes, I knew beforehand how he would get in trouble but had no idea how he would get out of it and had to find a way – that made the storytelling exciting for me, and I hope that excitement comes across in the writing."

Leonard feels that readers will identify with Finn because he wants to know the truth and do what's right.

"He's tough, he's funny, and he's smart, but he's human and he can get hurt, and he sometimes trusts the wrong people. I think that's why he's likeable – he's human, like us.

"I think we also identify with him because he makes things happen, in a way we would like to do ourselves if we were smart and brave enough. I hope that readers will take to heart that if you believe in yourself and stand up for what's right, you can surprise yourself and the people around you."

In the novel, Leonard makes it a point to mention that Finn's scriptwriter father writes a minimum of 10 pages a day. A case of art imitating life, perhaps?

According to Leonard, the best, most successful writers are very disciplined. They set themselves a target to write every day, and achieve it, an action that forces them to confront problems and solve them rather than put them off for another day.

That being said, he finds it very hard to write large amounts unless he has spent a lot of time beforehand working out who the characters are and where their story ultimately goes. He credits this process to his experience in writing for TV, where there isn't much time to experiment, as one needs to ensure at the very beginning that the story is the right length and includes the correct elements. That discipline comes in handy when it comes to writing books, Leonard points out.

As for young adult books or authors he admires, The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins and the King Alfred series by Bernard Cornwell are two he mentions.

"Cornwell's books are not for adults or young adults – they're just great, stirring stories with fabulous characters that all ages can enjoy. Suzanne Collins's books, too, are being enjoyed by all ages."

With his wife's experience and now his own behind him, what advice would Leonard give aspiring writers?

He stresses upon not making excuses or procrastinating. "If you have a good idea, sit down and work out where it goes and how you will tell it, and start writing. Keep moving forward until the story is finished – don't keep going back to revise Chapter One.

"Never show off, just write for yourself, and try to enjoy it, so that your reader will, too. The more you write, the more you will learn about writing and the better you will get."

Leonard is currently working on the sequel to Crusher, and after that, he hopes to write about an amazing historical character he came across recently (who it is, he refuses to reveal) whose real-life adventures were, according to Leonard, completely amazing.

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