Isnin, 29 Julai 2013

The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro

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The Star Online: Metro: Sunday Metro


Thai navy deployed to fight oil spill

Posted:

BANGKOK: Thai naval vessels joined efforts to stop hundreds of barrels of oil from a pipeline leak in the Gulf of Thailand reaching the kingdom's beaches.

Roughly 50,000 litres of crude oil spilled into the sea on Saturday about 20km off the coast of the eastern province of Rayong, operator PTT Global Chemical said yesterday.

The company, part of state-owned giant PTT, said 10 ships were involved in an urgent clean-up and it was confident of containing the leak.

"The aerial photos taken early morning (yesterday) show that the area of the spill was reduced," the company said in a statement, estimating that up to about 20,000 litres had been cleaned up.

At the same time there were fears about the effect of the chemicals used to disperse the crude oil.

"We still have some concern about the chemical being used, even though it is clear that the oil leak will not reach the beaches or coral," said Marine and Coastal Resource Con­servation Center director Phuchong Saritsadeechaikol in Rayong.

Another PTT subsidiary was involved in a huge oil spill off northwestern Australia in 2009 that was the country's worst ever offshore drilling accident.

An Australian government inquiry blamed widespread and systematic shortcomings at the oil company for the spill. — AFP

Surprise twist in Cambodian polls

Posted:

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's Opposi-tion claimed a surprise victory but later retracted it in polls through which strongman premier Hun Sen was expected to extend his 28-year rule.

The former Khmer Rouge fighter turned prime minister appeared so confident of victory that he did not even bother personally to campaign.

"Today is a historic day as the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) has won the country's fifth parliamentary election," Opposition leader Sam Rainsy had said in a statement as counting was going on yesterday.

However in a new statement later, headed "Correction", the CNRP thanked voters for their support but gave no indication of whether it believed it was leading the race.

Earllier the Opposition decried what it described as the kingdom's worst ever poll irregularities, including missing voter names and thousands of people who turned up to vote yesterday and found someone else had used their ballot.

"The situation is more serious than at any previous election," CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said.

Rights groups also expressed concern that the ink used to mark voters could be easily washed off.

Protests broke out at one polling station here where a crowd destroyed two police cars, military police spokesman Kheng Tito said, as anger erupted over names missing from the voter list.

"It is very difficult to proclaim this a free and fair election," said Kol Preap, executive director of Transparency International Cambo-dia.

"I think the level playing field in the process didn't really exist. There has not been equal access to the media and the Opposition leader was not allowed to run as a candidate."

The National Election Committee denied irregularities.

Even before polls opened, the Opposition had said a Hun Sen win would be "worthless" without the participation of its leader Sam Rainsy.

The French-educated former banker returned to Cambodia on July 19 from self-imposed exile after receiving a surprise royal pardon for criminal convictions which he contends were politically motivated.

But he was barred from running as a candidate since the authorities said it was too late to add his name to the electoral register.

Rainsy toured polling stations in Phnom Penh yesterday to "collect more evidence" of vote irregularities.

He said that if indications pointed to a "plot to rig the election" then "definitely we will protest".

Local poll monitor the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia alleged that up to 1.25 million people who were eligible to cast ballots were not on voter lists.

About 9.6 million people registered to vote – more than a third of whom are aged under 30.

A spokesman for Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) said the party was confident of another landslide.

"We expect to keep an absolute majority," Khieu Kanharith said. — AFP

Beware of elitism, minister warns

Posted:

Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong has warned of the threat of elitism, saying it could divide the inclusive society that Singapore is striving to build.

The way to guard against it is to adapt and strengthen the practice of meritocracy that has served Singapore well.

"What we need is to get the successful to understand that they have a responsibility to help the less fortunate and less able with compassion, to give back to society through financial donations, sharing of their skills and knowledge and spending time to help others do better, and to serve the country," he said.

He made the point at Raffles Institution's (RI) 190th anniversary dinner, where he received the school's Gryphon Award, which honours the most distinguished alumni. The award's first recipient was former prime minister Lee Kuan Yew.

Goh called on top schools, including RI, to play a role in ensuring elitism and the sense of entitlement do not creep into the minds of their students. The government, on its part, will continue to have policies and programmes that give a leg up to those who have fallen behind.

He said: "Those of us who have benefited disproportionately from society's investment in us owe the most to society, particularly to those who may not have had access to the same opportunities. We owe a debt to make lives better for all, and not just for ourselves." — The Straits Times / Asia News Network

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio

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The Star Online: Entertainment: TV & Radio


Posted:

[unable to retrieve full-text content]
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The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz

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The Star eCentral: Movie Buzz


His journey thus far

Posted:

Ryan Gosling on what it was like going to The Place Beyond The Pines.

It got a little out of control," Ryan Gosling says about the abundant tattooage he's sporting in The Place Beyond The Pines. A top hat, a Bible, an owl, twin boxers, a snake, a three-masted schooner, letters on his knuckles: H-A-N-D on one hand, S-O-M-E on the other.

And on his face, just beneath his left eye, a dagger with a drop of blood.

"The idea was to create this portrait of someone that was basically like a melting pot of masculine cliches," says the actor, whose character, Luke, is a stunt motorcyclist in a travelling carnival.

He rolls into Schenectady, New York, and discovers that he's fathered a child with a diner waitress (Eva Mendes) he'd met the previous year, and then decides he's going to be a real dad, settle down, raise the kid.

Which requires money.

Which requires robbing banks.

"Tattoos, motorcycles, muscles, knives, guns – he's this surface idea of what a man is," Gosling explains. "And then, when he's presented with his child, it's like a mirror is held up to him, and he realises that he's not a man at all."

The Place Beyond The Pines, an epic undertaking in three parts – Bradley Cooper takes the baton from Gosling for the middle section – is directed by Derek Cianfrance, who guided Gosling and Michelle Williams through the romantic crash-up Blue Valentine. In Pines, Gosling, his hair peroxide blonde, rides a motorcycle like a demon. He trained with Rick Miller, the Hollywood stunt cyclist.

"He's the best motorcycle man in the business," the actor says. "You know, when Batman rides a motorcycle, it's Rick Miller in the suit."

But when Luke rides a motorcycle in Pines, it's Gosling in the torn T-shirt and jeans. One drive-up/stick-up/getaway sequence was filmed 22 times, with Gosling revving his custom machine down main streets and back alleys, weaving between trucks and cars.

"Derek has very unrealistic expectations of what is humanly possible," Gosling, on the phone from New York, says with a laugh. "He thought, 'Oh, we'll shoot these bank robberies in one take.' Which I guess sounds easy, but then you realise that that means that someone is going to have to ride a motorcycle for four blocks, pull up in front of the bank, get off, run inside, rob the bank, come out and then have an effective getaway with all these elaborately choreographed near-misses with oncoming traffic – all in one seven-minute take.

"It's amazing, because when you watch the film, it just feels like you're watching Cops. ... And yet, the work that Derek had to put in in order to make it feel that effortless was just so extreme ...

"To me, this film is like the directorial equivalent of robbing a bank."

Gosling, 32, has been performing for the better part of his life – Disney's Mickey Mouse Club when he was 12, Goosebumps and Young Hercules when he was a teen, and then, in his early 20s, a complete 180° – a jolting turn as an Orthodox Jew turned neo-Nazi in True Believer.

The megahit, mega-mush romance The Notebook followed – Gosling and fellow Canadian Rachel McAdams tapping the sap like maple trees. And then Half Nelson, in which he played a blazing-smart and blazingly messed-up junior high history teacher and crackhead. That one got him a Best Actor Oscar nomination.

In Lars And The Real Girl, he's got the title role – a guy who falls in love with a life-size sex doll.

Since making The Place Beyond The Pines, Gosling has re-teamed with his Driver director, Nicolas Winding Refn, for a Thai boxing crime pic, Only God Forgives.

There's also an untitled Terrence Malick project that Gosling shot with the suddenly prolific Texas auteur. Christian Bale, Natalie Portman, Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara also star. – The Philadelphia Inquirer/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

Movies worth waiting for

Posted:

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Seven bright spots to end a crowded, messy summer at the movies.

'Gravity' set to thrill

Posted:

[unable to retrieve full-text content]'Gravity' gets lift at the San Diego Comic Con as director Alfonso Cuaron leaps into space.
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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews

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The Star eCentral: Movie Reviews


Posted:

[unable to retrieve full-text content]
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The Star Online: World Updates

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The Star Online: World Updates


Israeli-Palestinian talks begin amid deep divisions

Posted:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Israeli and Palestinian negotiators held their first peace talks in nearly three years on Monday in a U.S.-brokered effort that Secretary of State John Kerry hopes will end their conflict despite deep divisions.

Top aides to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas began the talks over an iftar dinner - the evening meal with which Muslims break their daily fast during Ramadan - hosted by Kerry at the State Department.

Kerry, who has prodded, coaxed and cajoled the two sides to resume negotiations in a flurry of visits to the Middle East during his less than six months in office, urged Israelis and Palestinians to strike "reasonable compromises."

It was clear, however, from some public statements over the agenda for the talks - which are expected to run for nine months - and comments by Abbas, that there are major disagreements over issues such as borders and security.

"It is no secret this is a difficult process. If it were easy, it would have happened a long time ago," Kerry said with his newly named envoy for Israeli-Palestinian peace, former U.S. Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk, at his side.

"Many difficult choices lie ahead for the negotiators and for the leaders as we seek reasonable compromises on tough, complicated, emotional, and symbolic issues," Kerry added.

The talks started over dinner with Israel represented by Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Yitzhak Molcho, a close aide to Netanyahu, and the Palestinians by chief negotiator Saeb Erekat and Mohammed Ishtyeh.

As the sides came together in Washington on Monday Kerry met separately with each, starting with the Israelis, before all came together around the dinner table. Kerry and his delegation of four, including new envoy Indyk, were seated on one side of the table and their guests on the other side, with the two main negotiators Livni and Erekat seated side by side.

"It's very, very special to be here," Kerry told his guests. "There isn't very much to talk about at all," he joked.

The parties have publicly sparred over how the negotiations will unfold, with an Israeli official saying all issues would be discussed simultaneously and a Palestinian official saying they would start with borders and security.

Speaking in Cairo on Monday, Abbas struck a hard line, saying that ultimately he did not want a single Israeli citizen or soldier on Palestinian land. His comments were made despite Kerry's wish that both sides refrain from talking publicly about issues.

Israel has previously said it wants to maintain a military presence in the occupied West Bank at the border with Jordan to prevent any influx of weapons that could be used against it.

"In a final resolution, we would not see the presence of a single Israeli - civilian or soldier - on our lands," Abbas said in a briefing to mostly Egyptian journalists in Cairo.

BREAKING BREAD

In an interview with Reuters Television in Washington, Livni voiced some hope about the talks. "It is not a favour to the United States or to the Palestinians, this is something that we need to do," she said.

Middle East analysts praised Kerry for persuading the two sides to resume talks but emphasized the difficulties ahead.

"Right now, there's almost no chance of achieving a conflict-ending agreement; yet by pressing the Israelis and Palestinians back toward the table, the United States has assumed responsibility for producing one," Aaron David Miller, a former U.S. peace negotiator, wrote in a New York Times opinion piece.

"Nobody appears to have a stake in the talks except the United States, and Mr. Kerry," added Miller, who is now at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars think tank.

The United States is seeking to broker an agreement on a "two-state solution" in which Israel would exist peacefully alongside a new Palestinian state created in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, lands occupied by the Israelis since a 1967 war.

The major issues to be resolved in the talks include borders, the future of Jewish settlements on the West Bank, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the status of Jerusalem.

'MISSION IMPOSSIBLE'

Even Indyk, Kerry's new envoy, who has previously served as the top U.S. diplomat for the Middle East, noted that when Kerry began his efforts this year almost no one thought he would succeed in reviving the negotiations.

"You took up the challenge when most people thought you were on a mission impossible," Indyk said.

Abbas and Netanyahu may have enormous difficulty convincing their own people to accept the compromises needed for peace, Middle East expert Rob Danin of the Council on Foreign Relations think tank wrote on Monday.

Resuming talks is unpopular among some of Abbas's supporters in his Fatah movement, which governs the West Bank, let alone with the Islamist Hamas group that rules the Gaza Strip and has condemned the effort.

Netanyahu's domestic politics are also difficult, with some of his coalition partners against the creation of a Palestinian state, Danin said, adding he may have to leave the Likud Party, as some of his predecessors did, in order to make concessions.

"Both sides will be negotiating, not only with each other across a table, but also with their own people back home."

Indyk is a veteran of U.S. efforts to resolve the conflict. He was a senior official during former President Bill Clinton's failed Camp David summit in 2000 after which violence erupted in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The last direct negotiations collapsed in late 2010 over Israel's construction of Jewish settlements on occupied land it seized in the 1967 Middle East war.

Previous attempts to resolve the conflict have sought to tackle easier disputes first and defer the most emotional ones like the fate of Jerusalem and of Palestinian refugees.

The Palestinians, with international backing, want their future state to have borders approximating the boundaries of the West Bank, adjacent East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip before Israel captured them in the 1967 war.

In what it called a goodwill gesture to restart diplomacy, the Israeli Cabinet on Sunday approved the release of 104 long-serving Palestinian prisoners in stages. Thousands more Palestinians remain in Israeli jails.

China rules out Sino-Japanese summit - state media

Posted:

SHANGHAI (Reuters) - China has ruled out the possibility of a proposed summit meeting with Japan, the official China Daily reported on Tuesday, after Tokyo proposed the meeting in a bid to defuse a territorial row.

The report, quoting a statement by an unidentified Chinese official made on Monday, comes during a visit by Japanese Vice Foreign Minister Akitaka Saiki.

Saiki's visit is the latest in a series of efforts by Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to improve relations soured by the bitter row over uninhabited islands claimed by both countries.

The hawkish Abe, who cemented his grip on power in an election last week, has been signalling a desire for dialogue with China - even though Japan has raised its assessment of the risk of China's military buildup and maritime assertiveness.

The unidentified Chinese official urged the Japanese government to take concrete measures to improve strained ties rather than "empty slogans", the China Daily report said.

It also said statements by Abe adviser Isao Iijima that a summit between Abe and President Xi Jinping could occur in the "not-too-distant future", based on conversations with Chinese officials in Beijing in mid-July, were misleading.

A Japanese foreign ministry source in Tokyo said he had not seen the China Daily report and could not comment on it directly, but said it was still possible a summit could be held "at an appropriate time".

"It is true no concrete date is set for a leaders' summit or foreign ministers' summit," the Japanese source said. "But this does not mean there will never be one in the future."

China's foreign ministry also said in a statement on its website on Monday that Iijima had not met any Chinese government officials recently, contrary to reports on Sunday.

The China Daily quoted the unidentified Chinese official as saying: "What Iijima told reporters on Sunday is not true and is fabricated, based on the needs of Japan's domestic politics."

Friction between China and Japan over the disputed islands has intensified in recent years. The election of Abe, perceived as reorienting Japan towards a confrontational posture in regard to Beijing, was not welcomed by the Chinese government.

Abe is also perceived in China as being insufficiently or insincerely apologetic for Japan's past militarism.

Foreign critics have also accused the Chinese Communist Party of manipulating domestic opinion through anti-Japanese propaganda and film to buttress its own legitimacy.

The China Daily is an English language publication put out by the Chinese government for foreign consumption.

(Reporting by Pete Sweeney in SHANGHAI and Linda Sieg in TOKYO; Editing by Paul Tait)

Hackers attack NZ government party websites to protest spy law

Posted:

WELLINGTON (Reuters) - Hackers disabled several websites of New Zealand's ruling party on Tuesday, protesting a planned law to widen the surveillance powers of the country's spy agency but the action was criticised by Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom as counter-productive.

The government has proposed a controversial bill that would allow the General Communications Security Bureau (GCSB) to engage in domestic operations. Currently, it spies on foreign targets via electronic listening posts but is barred from spying on New Zealand citizens or residents.

The bill was prompted by disclosures that the Bureau had illegally spied on Kim Dotcom, the founder of online storage company Megaupload. Dotcom is fighting attempts by the U.S. government to extradite him on charges of Internet piracy, copyright infringement, and money laundering.

The self-styled Anonymous New Zealand said it had taken down 14 websites run by the centre-right National Party, including those for Prime Minister John Key and Finance Minister Bill English.

In a posting on YouTube, the group called the bill, which will allow the GCSB to provide technical support to police and the Security Intelligence Service on operations against terrorism and organised crime, "a despicable piece of legislation".

The law has been strongly opposed by lawyers, Internet and civil society groups, and prompted street protests.

Dotcom, a vocal critic of the law change, came out against the hacking attack.

"Dear Anonymous NZ, hacking National Party websites is just giving John Key a new excuse to pass the #GCSB bill...Please stop it.," he said in a posting on Twitter.

To secure the support of an independent lawmaker to be able to pass the law, Key's minority government has made some concessions, increasing supervision of the GCSB and making provision for reviews of its operations.

(Reporting by Gyles Beckford; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

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The Star Online: Business

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The Star Online: Business


Stocks waver dollar pushes higher ahead of Fed meeting

Posted:

[unable to retrieve full-text content]TOKYO(Reuters): Stocks wobbled and the dollar index edged up from a five-week low on Tuesday as investors positioned for the Federal Reserve's monetary policy meeting at which it might offer clues to the timing of its stimulus reduction.

RHB Research maintains Buy on Ahmad Zaki Resources

Posted:

KUALA LUMPUR: RHB Research is maintaining its Buy call on Ahmad Zaki Resources Bhd (AZRB) with a fair value of RM1.47 after it won a suit over a contract dispute in Saudi Arabia and was awarded RM79.6mil.

The research house said on Tuesday that due to improved sentiment post the 13th General Election, it saw sustained interest in small-cap construction stocks.

"We also like Ahmad Zaki's defensive non-construction businesses such as bunkering and plantations," it said.

To recap, Paris-based International arbitrator, International Chamber of Commerce, ordered Alfaisal University/King Faisal Foundation to pay AZRB RM79.6mil over the latter's claims in an arbitration case involving a construction contract for Phases 1 & 2 of Alfaisal University Campus in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

RHB Research described the award as good news for AZRB as the company could now write back the entire amount as an exceptional gain, which will translate into 29 sen per share.

"When the contract ended in dispute in FY10, AZRB bit the bullet by making full provisions for additional costs incurred by the project amounting to RM93.6mil in its FY10 accounts. This resulted in a record net loss of RM61.6mil for that year.

"We maintain our estimates as we exclude one-off items in our forecasts and await full settlement of the award. Assuming the award is paid, the RM79.6mil cash inflow will significantly reduce AZRB's net debt and gearing of RM109.5mil and 0.52 times respectively as at March 31, 2013 to RM29.9mil and 0.1 times," said RHB Research.

The research house said it liked AZRB's strong earnings visibility, backed by its RM2.2bil-strong outstanding construction orderbook as well as two lucrative concessions with a minimum project IRR of 8% in the RM413mil International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) campus in Kuantan now under construction, and the RM1.55bil East Klang Valley Expressway (EKVE), which is pending financial close.

"Upon financial close, the EKVE will generate about RM1.5bil worth of internal construction works for AZRB, as well as substantially boost its outstanding construction orderbook to RM3.7bil," it said.

Malaysia’s KLCI down in early trade, banks dip

Posted:

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Malaysia's blue chips traded lower early Tuesday, with profit taking seen in key bank stocks like CIMB and Maybank amid a mixed market.
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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies

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The Star Online: Entertainment: Movies


His journey thus far

Posted:

Ryan Gosling on what it was like going to The Place Beyond The Pines.

It got a little out of control," Ryan Gosling says about the abundant tattooage he's sporting in The Place Beyond The Pines. A top hat, a Bible, an owl, twin boxers, a snake, a three-masted schooner, letters on his knuckles: H-A-N-D on one hand, S-O-M-E on the other.

And on his face, just beneath his left eye, a dagger with a drop of blood.

"The idea was to create this portrait of someone that was basically like a melting pot of masculine cliches," says the actor, whose character, Luke, is a stunt motorcyclist in a travelling carnival.

He rolls into Schenectady, New York, and discovers that he's fathered a child with a diner waitress (Eva Mendes) he'd met the previous year, and then decides he's going to be a real dad, settle down, raise the kid.

Which requires money.

Which requires robbing banks.

"Tattoos, motorcycles, muscles, knives, guns – he's this surface idea of what a man is," Gosling explains. "And then, when he's presented with his child, it's like a mirror is held up to him, and he realises that he's not a man at all."

The Place Beyond The Pines, an epic undertaking in three parts – Bradley Cooper takes the baton from Gosling for the middle section – is directed by Derek Cianfrance, who guided Gosling and Michelle Williams through the romantic crash-up Blue Valentine. In Pines, Gosling, his hair peroxide blonde, rides a motorcycle like a demon. He trained with Rick Miller, the Hollywood stunt cyclist.

"He's the best motorcycle man in the business," the actor says. "You know, when Batman rides a motorcycle, it's Rick Miller in the suit."

But when Luke rides a motorcycle in Pines, it's Gosling in the torn T-shirt and jeans. One drive-up/stick-up/getaway sequence was filmed 22 times, with Gosling revving his custom machine down main streets and back alleys, weaving between trucks and cars.

"Derek has very unrealistic expectations of what is humanly possible," Gosling, on the phone from New York, says with a laugh. "He thought, 'Oh, we'll shoot these bank robberies in one take.' Which I guess sounds easy, but then you realise that that means that someone is going to have to ride a motorcycle for four blocks, pull up in front of the bank, get off, run inside, rob the bank, come out and then have an effective getaway with all these elaborately choreographed near-misses with oncoming traffic – all in one seven-minute take.

"It's amazing, because when you watch the film, it just feels like you're watching Cops. ... And yet, the work that Derek had to put in in order to make it feel that effortless was just so extreme ...

"To me, this film is like the directorial equivalent of robbing a bank."

Gosling, 32, has been performing for the better part of his life – Disney's Mickey Mouse Club when he was 12, Goosebumps and Young Hercules when he was a teen, and then, in his early 20s, a complete 180° – a jolting turn as an Orthodox Jew turned neo-Nazi in True Believer.

The megahit, mega-mush romance The Notebook followed – Gosling and fellow Canadian Rachel McAdams tapping the sap like maple trees. And then Half Nelson, in which he played a blazing-smart and blazingly messed-up junior high history teacher and crackhead. That one got him a Best Actor Oscar nomination.

In Lars And The Real Girl, he's got the title role – a guy who falls in love with a life-size sex doll.

Since making The Place Beyond The Pines, Gosling has re-teamed with his Driver director, Nicolas Winding Refn, for a Thai boxing crime pic, Only God Forgives.

There's also an untitled Terrence Malick project that Gosling shot with the suddenly prolific Texas auteur. Christian Bale, Natalie Portman, Michael Fassbender, Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara also star. – The Philadelphia Inquirer/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

'Gravity' set to thrill

Posted:

Gravity gets lift at Comic Con as director Alfonso Cuaron leaps into space.

Among the monster movies and fantasy films showcased at last week's San Diego Comic Con, the space thriller Gravity stood out from the field with its different setting and two-person cast, as Mexican director Alfonso Cuaron took a leap into space with Sandra Bullock and George Clooney.

Cuaron, 51, teamed up with son Jonas Cuaron, 30, to construct a nail-biter set in space, as two astronauts played by Bullock and Clooney become trapped in a space station after debris rips through their vessel.

"The whole film becomes a metaphor for something very grounded on Earth, so you don't need to be an astronaut to identify with that. The big villain in the film is space debris, and that space debris becomes a metaphor for adversities," Cuaron told Reuters.

In a Gravity clip shown exclusively to the Comic Con audience, Clooney and Bullock are seen on a space walk with Earth in the background. Suddenly, they lose contact with ground control and are forced to try to take cover from high-velocity space debris.

The Warner Bros film opens in US theatres on Oct 4. Cuaron said he and his son were inspired by the Kessler syndrome, which predicts that a chain reaction of space junk hitting each other would produce so much orbiting debris that space flight would become too risky.

Jonas co-wrote the script with his father, who built a career outside Mexico with films like Children Of Men and Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban.

"I think if anybody sees my other films and then sees Gravity, it's a big leap," said Alfonso Cuaron, who said Jonas convinced him to rely less on dialogue and more on emotion and action. "That was very refreshing for me, it's connecting with a younger, fresher sensibility," the director added.

Bullock goes for androgyny

The biggest challenge, Jonas said, was creating the illusion of dealing with zero gravity and they were eager to stay true to real-life scenarios.

"Space was a great setting, because in space, we as humans are definitely not meant to be there," Jonas said. "There's no oxygen, there's no air pressure, temperatures fluctuate, so it's a situation where at any moment, anything could go wrong."

At a Warner Bros panel at the convention, Bullock gave the audience of 6,000 a glimpse of how she prepared to play astronaut Dr Ryan Stone. "I wanted her to look almost androgynous in a way, because she had experienced such loss in life ... I wanted her to have a body of someone who didn't want to remind herself of what she lost, almost like a robot," the actress said.

Cuaron said this is one of Bullock's most "raw and emotionally honest" performances, and that audiences more familiar with her comedy roles in films such as Miss Congeniality and last month's The Heat would be surprised. "Sandra knew she was going to be so exposed being alone for such long periods of time in the film, that she would be emotionally so exposed. I found that she was very courageous about it," the director said. — Reuters

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Dr Subra: No racism, just poor communication

Posted:

[unable to retrieve full-text content]GEORGE TOWN: There appears to be no element of racism in the issue involving claims that three Chinese doctors had refused to treat Malay patients in two public hospitals in the state.

Take part in our English-medium school online poll

Posted:

Published: Monday July 29, 2013 MYT 11:30:00 PM
Updated: Sunday July 28, 2013 MYT 7:20:58 PM

Malaysians have the option of sending their children to national and vernacular schools. Should there be an additional choice - English-medium schools?

Would this be your preferred option? Please take this poll and give us your views.

Tags / Keywords: Education, Language, English medium

Ahmad Shabery pledges to champion salary of postmen

Posted:

SHAH ALAM: Communications and Multimedia Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek has pledged to champion the salary of Pos Malaysia staff especially postmen to keep up with the economic situation.

 "This is important so that the postal industry which faces various new technological advancement remains relevant forever.

 "I will champion their salary and plan to create a special award for postal staff to mark World Post Day to recognise their services," he said at 'buka puasa' with Pos Malaysia Berhad management and orphans at the National Mail Centre (NMC) here, Monday.

Ahmad Shabery who was making his first visit to NMC said Pos Malaysia is synonymous with the people and capable of handling about four million mail daily.

He said Pos Malaysia's main challenge was to ensure that all letters mailed to customers were delivered according to the standards promised.

 "Pos Malaysia also needs to ensure that data delivered by customers such as banks and courier companies has high confidentiality."

Meanwhile, Pos Malaysia Berhad group chief executive officer Datuk Iskandar Mizal Mahmood said declining business forced Pos Malaysia to implement new services including e-commerce.

Worldwide mail and postal of goods declined between two and three percent annually.

Pos Malaysia handled about 1.3 million Aidilfitri greeting cards during the first two weeks of Ramadan and the number increases as Aidilfitri nears.

Last year, Pos Malaysia processed about three million Aidilfitri greeting cards throughout Ramadan. - Bernama

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The Star Online: Metro: Central

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The Star Online: Metro: Central


Thai navy deployed to fight oil spill

Posted:

BANGKOK: Thai naval vessels joined efforts to stop hundreds of barrels of oil from a pipeline leak in the Gulf of Thailand reaching the kingdom's beaches.

Roughly 50,000 litres of crude oil spilled into the sea on Saturday about 20km off the coast of the eastern province of Rayong, operator PTT Global Chemical said yesterday.

The company, part of state-owned giant PTT, said 10 ships were involved in an urgent clean-up and it was confident of containing the leak.

"The aerial photos taken early morning (yesterday) show that the area of the spill was reduced," the company said in a statement, estimating that up to about 20,000 litres had been cleaned up.

At the same time there were fears about the effect of the chemicals used to disperse the crude oil.

"We still have some concern about the chemical being used, even though it is clear that the oil leak will not reach the beaches or coral," said Marine and Coastal Resource Con­servation Center director Phuchong Saritsadeechaikol in Rayong.

Another PTT subsidiary was involved in a huge oil spill off northwestern Australia in 2009 that was the country's worst ever offshore drilling accident.

An Australian government inquiry blamed widespread and systematic shortcomings at the oil company for the spill. — AFP

Surprise twist in Cambodian polls

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PHNOM PENH: Cambodia's Opposi-tion claimed a surprise victory but later retracted it in polls through which strongman premier Hun Sen was expected to extend his 28-year rule.

The former Khmer Rouge fighter turned prime minister appeared so confident of victory that he did not even bother personally to campaign.

"Today is a historic day as the Cambodia National Rescue Party (CNRP) has won the country's fifth parliamentary election," Opposition leader Sam Rainsy had said in a statement as counting was going on yesterday.

However in a new statement later, headed "Correction", the CNRP thanked voters for their support but gave no indication of whether it believed it was leading the race.

Earllier the Opposition decried what it described as the kingdom's worst ever poll irregularities, including missing voter names and thousands of people who turned up to vote yesterday and found someone else had used their ballot.

"The situation is more serious than at any previous election," CNRP spokesman Yim Sovann said.

Rights groups also expressed concern that the ink used to mark voters could be easily washed off.

Protests broke out at one polling station here where a crowd destroyed two police cars, military police spokesman Kheng Tito said, as anger erupted over names missing from the voter list.

"It is very difficult to proclaim this a free and fair election," said Kol Preap, executive director of Transparency International Cambo-dia.

"I think the level playing field in the process didn't really exist. There has not been equal access to the media and the Opposition leader was not allowed to run as a candidate."

The National Election Committee denied irregularities.

Even before polls opened, the Opposition had said a Hun Sen win would be "worthless" without the participation of its leader Sam Rainsy.

The French-educated former banker returned to Cambodia on July 19 from self-imposed exile after receiving a surprise royal pardon for criminal convictions which he contends were politically motivated.

But he was barred from running as a candidate since the authorities said it was too late to add his name to the electoral register.

Rainsy toured polling stations in Phnom Penh yesterday to "collect more evidence" of vote irregularities.

He said that if indications pointed to a "plot to rig the election" then "definitely we will protest".

Local poll monitor the Committee for Free and Fair Elections in Cambodia alleged that up to 1.25 million people who were eligible to cast ballots were not on voter lists.

About 9.6 million people registered to vote – more than a third of whom are aged under 30.

A spokesman for Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party (CPP) said the party was confident of another landslide.

"We expect to keep an absolute majority," Khieu Kanharith said. — AFP

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The Star Online: Lifestyle: Health

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Chickenpox in adults

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[unable to retrieve full-text content]Having chickenpox in adulthood can cause severe reactions and complications that, although rare, may be potentially fatal.

Just before menopause

Posted:

Perimenopause is the time during which the ovaries start to fail, and ends 12 months after the last menstrual period, when menopause commences.

THERE are numerous stories and even myths about midlife.

For many, it is the prime of life. For others, there may be some dismay that the best life has to offer is over.

Nothing is further from the truth. What is true is that midlife is usually a busy time.

The children are older and some may be living on their own, giving a woman more time than she has ever had for years. Some women may have embarked on new activities.

The body also changes during midlife.

There are hormonal changes in the perimenopause, which is the period of time when the ovaries start to fail until the end of menstruation, and it ends 12 months after the last menstrual period, hailing the onset of menopause.

As these hormone changes usually occur gradually, it may not be obvious at first to the woman.

The perimenopause and menopause are natural events. Although the basic changes occur in all women, each woman feels and copes differently. No two women experience these changes in exactly the same way.

Menstrual changes

During the reproductive years, every woman usually has a distinctive menstrual pattern.

At the perimenopause, some women may just have one last period. However, most women experience changes or irregular periods over a period of time during the perimenopause.

This is due to the reduced frequency of the release of eggs (ovulation), leading to consequent irregular secretion of the ovarian hormones.

The initial changes may not be noticeable.

The menstrual cycle usually shortens, with periods occurring more frequently.

The duration of bleeding may vary, and the amount of blood flow may be light, heavy, or just spotting.

As the menopause approaches, it is not uncommon for there to be missed periods.

Some women may have no periods for several months, and then menstruate regularly again.

Sometimes, the bleeding may occur unexpectedly, even to the extent that it may lead to embarrassment.

Any pattern is possible, but the menstrual changes are recognisable.

Although irregular periods are normal and common during the perimenopause, it cannot be assumed that all changes are due to the body's hormonal changes.

Other conditions may cause abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB).

A doctor should be consulted if the periods last more than seven days, or two or more days than usual; the interval between the start of one period to the start of the next period is less than 21 days; there are heavy periods, clots or the flow is similar to that from an open water tap; there is bleeding, whether it is spotting or heavier flow, between periods; or there is bleeding after sexual intercourse.

The causes of AUB include hormone imbalance; miscarriage; contraceptive pills, depot contraceptives or intra-uterine contraceptive devices; fibroids; non-cancerous (benign) uterine polyps; cancers of the cervix, uterus or vagina; and conditions that affect blood clotting.

The doctor may perform one or more of the following procedures to establish the cause of any abnormal uterine bleeding:

> Ultrasound, which uses sound waves to create a picture of the pelvic organs.

> Endometrial biopsy, in which a small tissue sample of the uterine cavity is removed.

> Dilatation and curettage, in which the cervix is dilated and the uterine lining gently scraped to remove a small tissue sample of the uterine cavity.

> Hysteroscopy, in which a thin telescope-like instrument is inserted into the uterine cavity to look inside and remove a tissue sample.

Ultrasound and endometrial biopsy can be done in the clinic, whilst dilatation and curettage and hysteroscopy is done under sedation, whether local or general anaesthetic, as a day case. The tissue samples removed are sent to a pathologist who will carry out a microscopic examination.

The treatment of AUB depends on the cause. It includes operative hysteroscopy to remove polyps or fibroids in the uterine cavity; endometrial ablation, in which the lining of the uterine cavity is destroyed by heat or freezing (it cannot be used to treat fibroids unless the fibroids are also removed at the same time); laparoscopy, where growths like ovarian cysts and fibroids may be removed; myomectomy, in which fibroids are removed through an abdominal incision (laparotomy) several centimetres long or laparoscopically; or hysterectomy, in which the uterus is removed through a laparotomy or laparoscopically.

The ovaries may or may not be removed at the same time.

Post-menopausal bleeding

It is advisable to consult a doctor immediately should any bleeding occur 12 months after the last menstrual period.

Some women who are taking hormone therapy (HT) may have bleeding. Unless the bleeding is the typical pattern caused by hormone treatment, all post-menopausal bleeding requires investigation to rule out cancer of the genital tract.

The management of postmenopausal bleeding is similar to that of AUB.

Vasomotor changes

Some women experience hot flushes (also known as hot flashes). This is the most common symptom of the perimenopausal years. It is more common in Caucasians than Asians, and is believed to be due to sudden changes in the body's temperature regulation.

The brain, which mistakenly senses that one is too warm, initiates events to cool down. The blood vessels near the skin surface increase their diameter and blood flow, which produces the sudden feeling of heat.

It may or may not be accompanied by a red blushed appearance of the face and upper body. The woman may also start to sweat.

A hot flush occurs suddenly and may last a few seconds to several minutes or more. A few women may experience a cold chill after the flush.

Hot flushes usually have a consistent pattern. However, there is individual variation of the pattern. The flushes can occur several times a day, or a few times a month.

Some women will get hot flushes for a few months. Others have it for a few years. Some may escape it altogether. There is no way of knowing when they will stop.

Hot flushes can occur at any time. It may occur with increased sweating during sleep. The night sweats and hot flushes may interfere with sleep, although it may not wake the affected woman up.

Some hot flushes are tolerable while others are a nuisance, embarrassing or even debilitating to the extent that it interferes with daily life.

However, it must be remembered that hot flushes are not harmful.

Most women can identify certain factors that initiate their hot flushes – hot or spicy food, caffeine, alcohol, stress, cigarette smoke, tight clothes or external heat. Certain medicines, like tamoxifen for cancer chemotherapy and raloxifene for prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, can also trigger hot flushes.

Several measures can be taken to deal with the hot flushes and improve one's comfort, which can sometimes even eliminate them altogether. They include:

> Identifying the factor(s) that trigger the hot flush and avoid it if possible.

> Wearing thin layers of clothing made from natural fibres like cotton, and removing some pieces at the first sign of a hot flush to feel cooler.

> Keeping the office and/or home cool by using a fan or air conditioner.

> Sleeping in a cool room.

> Exercising regularly to reduce stress and promote better sleep. Some research indicates that women who exercise have fewer and less intense hot flushes.

> Reducing stress by a leisurely bath, meditation, massage or yoga.

> Taking slow and deep, abdominal breaths of about six to eight breaths a minute at the start of a hot flush may be helpful.

> Consulting a doctor and discussing the benefits and risks of prescription medicines like HT, oral contraceptives, progestogens, antihypertensives like methyldopa and clonidine, and antidepressants. Non-prescription treatments include vitamins B and E.

Reduced fertility

A woman's fertility declines from the late 30s due to ageing of the eggs in the ovaries. The risk of spontaneous miscarriage is also increased, so much so that by the age of 45, the rate is about 50%.

At the same time, the risk of congenital abnormality in the foetus increases with increasing maternal age.

Some perimenopausal women may still want to get pregnant. Although assisted reproduction technologies (ART) are available, they are expensive, and have some risks and low success rates. There is also an increased risk of pregnancy complications like maternal hypertension and diabetes, Caesarean section and stillbirth.

Despite reduced fertility, a woman is not free from an unplanned pregnancy until a year after the last menstrual period (when it can then be definite that menopause has been reached).

Even if there are other signs of the perimenopause like hot flushes, it does not mean that one cannot get pregnant. About 75% of pregnancies in women over the age of 40 are not planned.

If pregnancy is not desired, it is important that an appropriate, effective and safe contraceptive method be used. A pregnancy in the 40s will impact not only on the individual's health, but also on family and social life.

Dr Milton Lum is a member of the board of Medical Defence Malaysia. This article is not intended to replace, dictate or define evaluation by a qualified doctor. The views expressed do not represent that of any organisation the writer is associated with. For further information, e-mail starhealth@thestar.com.my. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and it should not be construed as personal medical advice. Information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader's own medical care. The Star does not give any warranty on accuracy, completeness, functionality, usefulness or other assurances as to the content appearing in this column. The Star disclaims all responsibility for any losses, damage to property or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly from reliance on such information.

Medical info in the 'cloud'

Posted:

[unable to retrieve full-text content]Doctor saves his own life by putting his medical information online.
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The Star Online: Entertainment: Music

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September sizzle

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Robin Thicke and The Killers coming our way.

Robin Thicke and Far East Movement are coming to town! The international acts are set to make a scene at MTV World Stage Live In Malaysia 2013 alongside local hip hop superstar Joe Flizzow at Sunway Resort City in Selangor on Sept 8.

The hotly-tipped Thicke makes his debut Malaysian performance at the upcoming fifth edition of the outdoor MTV event. The 36-year-old Los Angeles-born singer has been heating up the charts worldwide with his recent hit single Blurred Lines, which was produced by Pharrell Williams.

Far East Movement, which is renowned for its hit Like A G6 in 2010, has already played in Kuala Lumpur twice before. The American hip hop/electro pop group – J-Splif, Kev Nish, Prohgress and DJ Virman – returned to the headlines last year with its fourth album Dirty Bass, and has two new songs – Lovetron and The Illest to get the party going at MTV World Stage.

Introduced in 2009 with acts like Hoobastank, Kasabian and The All-American Rejects, the concert series has been a popular draw on the Malaysian events calendar.

As always, fans can win their MTV World Stage passes by playing a real-time and interactive multiplayer game on worldstage.mtvasia.com.

The only difference is that fans can now access the game on both the computer and mobile device.

Log on to worldstage.mtvasia.com or follow @mtvasia on Twitter for updates. The official hashtag is #worldstagemy.

Elsewhere, American indie rock band The Killers will rock a headlining concert at the Helipad, Sepang International Circuit in Selangor on Sept 22.

Led by frontman Brandon Flowers, the band is touring behind its fourth album, Battle Born, which was released last year.

The concert here is presented by Future Sound Asia. Tickets cost RM238 and RM358. They are available at selected Rock Corner Outlets in the Klang Valley or online at www.boxtix.asia.

For more information, visit www. facebook.com/officialfuturesoundasia. Denielle Leong

Going Gaga at the VMAs

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Lady Gaga will be performing at the MTV Video Music Awards next month. 

 
MTV has announced that singer-songwriter Lady Gaga will perform the new single from her upcoming album during the 2013 MTV Video Music Awards, scheduled to take place on Aug 25 in New York.

From her powerful and bloody rendition of Paparazzi to the gender-bending, adrenaline-fuelled version of You And I, Lady Gaga is the mastermind behind some of the most memorable VMA performances in recent years. This year, she'll continue that legacy with a song taken from her highly-anticipated fourth album, Artpop, which will be released on Aug 19.

As one of the most talked about and innovative artistes of this generation, Lady Gaga has left a mark on the MTV Video Music Awards by winning an astounding 13 Moonmen since 2009, including Best New Artiste, Video of the Year for Bad Romance and Best Video with a Message for Born This Way.

Justin Timberlake and Macklemore & Ryan Lewis lead this year's VMAs with six overall nominations each. Timberlake's nominations include Video of the Year, Best Male Video, Best Pop Video and Best Editing for Mirrors, while his Suit & Tie featuring Jay-Z scored nods for Best Collaboration and Best Direction.

Previously, Timberlake has taken home seven VMAs, including Best Pop Video for Cry Me A River.

Meanwhile, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis score their first-ever VMA nominations with six nods including Video of the Year for their smash hit Thrift Shop, Best Hip-Hop Video, Best Cinematography, Best Direction and Best Editing for Can't Hold Us featuring Ray Dalton, while Same Love received a nod for Best Video with a Social Message.

Bruno Mars continues his hugely successful year by garnering four nominations including Video of the Year, Best Pop Video and Best Male Video for Locked Out Of Heaven and Best Choreography for the smooth summer groove, Treasure.

Beyond stardom

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Beyonce as marketer, social force, wife and mum.

The astounding reach of Beyonce's cultural impact is illustrated by a Saturday Night Live bit where first lady wanna-be Ann Romney (played by Kate McKinnon), blurts that she'd kill her equestrian-competition horse to meet Beyonce.

"I wouldn't have pictured you as a Beyonce fan," says Weekend Update host Seth Myers. "Everyone is a Beyonce fan, Seth," retorts an adamant Romney.

Like Elvis Presley, the Beatles, and Madonna before her, Beyonce is more than the sum of her songs (or her 17 Grammys). A true global icon, she represents many different things to a broad swath of people, particularly women.

"She comes across as a woman who's living her life on her own terms and realising her full potential," says Cathy McClelland, who's in charge of her own entrepreneurial training and business development service in Southfield, Michigan.

At age 31, Beyonce has become a prism for society's defining discussions. When she's not rocking the Super Bowl or shopping at Target (she was spotted at a Houston location last week), she remains a figure in commercialism, politics, privacy issues and female empowerment. Here's a closer look.

Beyonce the marketer

Beyond being one the most successful recording artistes of the new millennium, Beyonce has demonstrated enormous clout as a pitchwoman for American Express, L'Oreal and Pepsi, among others.

Celebrities with such wide appeal are rare and sought after by all sorts of corporations. "You become the go-to person for everything from aspirins to zebras," according to Michael Bernacchi, a University of Detroit Mercy marketing professor.

When she drew criticism recently from health advocates for supporting Michelle Obama's fitness campaign while signing a US$50mil (RM158mil) deal with soft drink maker Pepsi, she didn't flinch.

"Pepsi is a brand I've grown up seeing my heroes collaborate with," she said. "The company respects musicians and artistry. I wouldn't encourage any person, especially a child, to live life without balance."

Besides pushing products for others, Beyonce has launched her own perfume lines and fashion label. She is the perfect entrepreneurial role model, says McClelland, who has launched the Propel Project, an initiative to help women entrepreneurs that's a spin-off of the 2012 Urban Rebound Detroit Pitch Competition.

"We tell all entrepreneurs, look for every single opportunity, and she does that."

Beyonce the social force

When she made Time's 100 Most Influential People list, The Great Gatsby director Baz Luhrmann wrote: "Right now, she is the heir-apparent diva of the USA – the reigning national voice."

The singer-songwriter, a friend and supporter of President Barack Obama and his wife, Michelle, has played a public role at both of Obama's inaugurations. And when Beyonce and her husband, Jay Z, traveled to Cuba this year, there was a brouhaha among some congressional figures about their trip to a country that's under embargo for ordinary visits by Americans.

But the entertainer doesn't let academics or politicians define her. She speaks loudest through her philanthropy, which includes helping survivors of disasters like Hurricane Katrina and the Haiti earthquake and being an ambassador for 2012's World Humanitarian Day.

And when she does raise her voice, it's newsworthy. Recently, she called for a moment of silence for Trayvon Martin at her Nashville concert, which started not long after word spread of George Zimmerman's acquittal in the death of the teen.

Beyonce the image controller

 

As someone who lives under the microscope of celebrity, Beyonce is adamant about being in control of her image.

Earlier this year, she debuted the HBO documentary about her life, Beyonce: Life Is But A Dream, a candid portrait of herself on and off the stage, but one that she codirected and was able to scrutinise before it aired.

A recent GQ story described in detail the archive that Beyonce has created, "a temperature-controlled digital-storage facility that contains virtually every existing photograph of her, starting with the very first frames taken of Destiny's Child, the '90s girl group she once fronted; every interview she has ever done; every video of every show she has ever performed; every diary entry she has ever recorded while looking into the unblinking eye of her laptop."

It's a remarkable effort from someone determined to be the architect of her professional roles and handle the necessary promotion and public appearances on her own terms.

"I always have gotten the impression that she determines the outcome. It's different from somebody who's told what do to and follows the template. She's made the mold of her template," says Bernacchi.

Beyonce the female empowerment figure

In an interview with UK Vogue, Beyonce said she considers herself "a modern-day feminist," a description other female pop idols have declined.

"Beyonce is part of the 'I'll do it my way' innovators generation. They are so different. They're not afraid of the word 'feminist,'" says Anne Doyle, leadership strategist and author of Powering Up! How America's Women Achievers Become Leaders.

Doyle sees Beyonce as epitomising the comfort level and confidence of the generation of young women just hitting 30 and younger. "She's really on the leading edge."

Beyonce created her Sasha Fierce character as an alter ego of assertiveness and put together her all-female band, the Sugar Mamas, who are another symbol of the girl power of her lyrics.

In June, Beyonce performed in London at a concert for Chime For Change, a campaign set up to help empower girls and women around the world.

"To me, she is all about an empowered woman, and not just about her. She's very willing to use her power to lift girls and women," says Doyle. – Detroit Free Press/McClatchy-Tribune Information Services

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