BBC NEWS UK
Thursday, 29 October 2009. Councillors in a rural town have staged a mass walkout after becoming fed up with criticism from a blogger. Anthony Canvin began the walkout
Ex-vice chairman Anthony Canvin said 11 of Somerton Town Council's 15 members resigned at a meeting on Tuesday.
On his Muck&Brass blog Niall Connolly called members "jackasses" and said a leaflet was "like a Nazi call to arms".
However, Mr Connolly rejected the idea that the councillors had resigned as a result of his blog, having attended the meeting himself on Tuesday.
He added that he had been trying to "bring attention to the local problems in Somerton concerning Somerton Town Council."
The council will have to hold new elections as there are now too few councillors to make official decisions.
'Ethnic cleansing'
Mr Connolly began his blog in 2006.
In one entry, he writes that a council pamphlet entitled 'Good Citizens' and regarding voting rights "reads more like a Nazi call to arms or an invitation to ethnic cleansing."
In another, he complains "clown" councillors have ignored democracy and behave as though they had "only just discovered the word".
He goes on: "And now, as Somerton starts to find a voice, you bunch of jackasses start to whisper the 'D' word."
South Somerset District Council will have to arrange new elections.
In response to the resignations, businessman Mr Canvin, 61, said: "I'm not going to tolerate it when I'm working for the town.
"I started it. I said 'I've had enough' and handed in my resignation."
A motion was then proposed that members leave due to "impossible working conditions", leading to 11 resignations with another walking out in sympathy, and one more on holiday.
That left just two councillors remaining, not enough for the one third quorum required.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Russian road roulette?
Reuters
Thu Oct 29, 2009 SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgarian prosecutors are investigating a new gambling game in which drivers defy death by speeding through red lights for bets of up to 5,000 euros ($7,400), the chief prosecutor's office said Thursday.
Known as 'Russian road roulette', the driver must jump red lights at busy intersections at high speed and not crash into any other cars or pedestrians, according to local media reports. Onlookers also gamble on the result.
Prosecutors launched their investigation after media reported the new game had been held at night at busy crossroads in Sofia since the summer.
In June, two people died after a motorcyclist crashed into an onlooker at a similar rally on Sofia's ring road.
"Every time we receive a signal for such an unregulated race, we send patrols," Commissioner Vanio Stoevski, head of the Sofia Road Police, told Reuters. Since the deaths in June, police have monitored roads where such races are typically held.
Local media report that participants in the 'Russian road roulette' are informed via text messages of the venue for that particular night -- depending on the presence of police.
(Reporting by Irina Ivanova; editing by Erik Kirschbaum)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Thu Oct 29, 2009 SOFIA (Reuters) - Bulgarian prosecutors are investigating a new gambling game in which drivers defy death by speeding through red lights for bets of up to 5,000 euros ($7,400), the chief prosecutor's office said Thursday.
Known as 'Russian road roulette', the driver must jump red lights at busy intersections at high speed and not crash into any other cars or pedestrians, according to local media reports. Onlookers also gamble on the result.
Prosecutors launched their investigation after media reported the new game had been held at night at busy crossroads in Sofia since the summer.
In June, two people died after a motorcyclist crashed into an onlooker at a similar rally on Sofia's ring road.
"Every time we receive a signal for such an unregulated race, we send patrols," Commissioner Vanio Stoevski, head of the Sofia Road Police, told Reuters. Since the deaths in June, police have monitored roads where such races are typically held.
Local media report that participants in the 'Russian road roulette' are informed via text messages of the venue for that particular night -- depending on the presence of police.
(Reporting by Irina Ivanova; editing by Erik Kirschbaum)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Jews who survived wartime Europe have more cancer | Health | Reuters
Health Reuters
Mon Oct 26, 2009 Stephen Hursting and Michele Forman, U.S. researchers at the University of Texas who wrote a commentary to accompany the Israeli findings, said European Jews exposed to the Holocaust would have faced a host of debilitating factors besides starvation.
"These multifaceted stressful conditions were very different than the experimental conditions characteristic of the majority of the published caloric restriction studies in animal models," Hursting and Forman wrote.
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Mon Oct 26, 2009 Stephen Hursting and Michele Forman, U.S. researchers at the University of Texas who wrote a commentary to accompany the Israeli findings, said European Jews exposed to the Holocaust would have faced a host of debilitating factors besides starvation.
"These multifaceted stressful conditions were very different than the experimental conditions characteristic of the majority of the published caloric restriction studies in animal models," Hursting and Forman wrote.
(Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Well here's your problem right here, sir.. | Oddly Enough | Reuters
Reuters
Tue Oct 27, 2009 OSLO (Reuters) - A man was caught by Norwegian customs carrying a tarantula in his bag, and a further 14 royal pythons and 10 albino leopard geckos taped to his body, media reported Monday.
The 22-year-old Norwegian was stopped in a routine check by Kristiansand customs after arriving on a ferry from Denmark, newspaper Faedrelandsvennen reported.
Customs found the tarantula, before deciding to give him a full body search that revealed 14 stockings -- one for each snake -- taped around his torso, top selling tabloid VG said.
Reptile smuggling is not uncommon in Norway, which prohibits people holding many reptile species as pets, but office manager Helge Breilid at Kristiansand customs was quoted by VG as saying customs officers had been "horrified" by Sunday's catch.
"Customs officers quickly realized the man was smuggling animals, because his whole body was in constant motion," Breilid told VG.
When the man dropped his pants, the officers found 10 cans taped to his legs, each containing a lizard, he said.
The man was still being held by police Monday, Kristiansand police attorney Johann Martin Kile told VG, adding he would be released upon agreeing to pay a 12,500 Norwegian crowns ($2,256) fine.
The reptiles were handed over to a security firm until Norwegian authorities decide what to do with them, Breilid said.
(Reporting by Richard Solem)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Tue Oct 27, 2009 OSLO (Reuters) - A man was caught by Norwegian customs carrying a tarantula in his bag, and a further 14 royal pythons and 10 albino leopard geckos taped to his body, media reported Monday.
The 22-year-old Norwegian was stopped in a routine check by Kristiansand customs after arriving on a ferry from Denmark, newspaper Faedrelandsvennen reported.
Customs found the tarantula, before deciding to give him a full body search that revealed 14 stockings -- one for each snake -- taped around his torso, top selling tabloid VG said.
Reptile smuggling is not uncommon in Norway, which prohibits people holding many reptile species as pets, but office manager Helge Breilid at Kristiansand customs was quoted by VG as saying customs officers had been "horrified" by Sunday's catch.
"Customs officers quickly realized the man was smuggling animals, because his whole body was in constant motion," Breilid told VG.
When the man dropped his pants, the officers found 10 cans taped to his legs, each containing a lizard, he said.
The man was still being held by police Monday, Kristiansand police attorney Johann Martin Kile told VG, adding he would be released upon agreeing to pay a 12,500 Norwegian crowns ($2,256) fine.
The reptiles were handed over to a security firm until Norwegian authorities decide what to do with them, Breilid said.
(Reporting by Richard Solem)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Friday, October 23, 2009
Microsoft launches Windows 7 | Technology | Reuters
Technology Reuters
<---Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and the Microsoft television commercial star Kylie, the young girl who makes an instant slideshow, take the stage at Windows 7's Launch Party in New York, October 22, 2009. By Shannon Stapleton
Thu Oct 22, 2009. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp launched Windows 7 on Thursday in its most important release for more than a decade, aiming to win back customers after the disappointing Vista and strengthen its grip on the PC market.
The world's largest software company, which powers more than 90 percent of personal computers, has received good reviews for the new operating system, which it hopes will grab back the impetus in new technology from rivals Apple Inc and Google Inc.
"It's the first really significant release of Windows in a decade," analyst Brendan Barnicle of Pacific Crest Securities told Reuters Television. "Given the missteps around Vista, people really questioned Microsoft's relevancy in the technology space. So this is a critical first step for Microsoft regaining that credibility."
The new system -- which is faster, less cluttered and has new touch-screen features -- comes almost three years after the launch of Vista, whose complexity frustrated many home users and turned off business customers.
The success of Windows -- which accounts for more than half of Microsoft's profit -- is crucial for Chief Executive Steve Ballmer to revive the company's image as the world's most important software firm.
"I have to say I'm chomping at the bit," Ballmer told an audience of Microsoft customers and partners in Toronto on Wednesday, adding that he is ready to make sales calls himself on Windows 7.
Sales won't immediately impact the bottom line of Microsoft, which is expected to post a lower quarterly profit on Friday.
CHEAPER THAN VISTA
Microsoft is charging $199.99 for the Home Premium version of Windows 7, or $119.99 for users seeking to upgrade from older versions of the operating system -- well below comparable prices for Vista.
It also has a range of offers in conjunction with retailer Best Buy and PC makers such as Dell Inc and Acer Inc.
For the first time, shoppers will be able to buy PCs loaded with the software direct from a branded Microsoft store, with the first of a planned chain set to open on Thursday in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The U.S. holiday season will soon reveal whether consumer PC sales get a kick from Windows 7, but success with corporations -- the key to Microsoft's financial power -- won't be clear until next year, analysts say.
"Come June of next year, we are going to get the real indication of the business-to-business marketplace," said Mark Simons, chief executive of the U.S. arm of Toshiba Corp, the world's No. 5 PC maker, on Wednesday.
Early indications are that companies are getting ready to switch to Windows 7.
"People like it," said Michael Capone, chief information officer for payroll services firm ADP, pointing out its quick start-up time and good user interface.
"There is a line outside my door from people wanting to get into the pilot program," said Capone, at a technology conference in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday.
His company typically waits at least 18 months to begin broad deployment of a new version of Windows, said Capone, but this time he could be more aggressive.
"In the surveys that we've done about half the CIOs (chief information officers) indicated that they would just use Windows 7 on existing PCs as opposed to replace the entire hardware," said Barnicle. "That would be very positive for Microsoft but maybe not so positive for the PC manufacturers."
SHARES UP
Good reviews, and a surge in technology stocks across the board, have lifted Microsoft shares about 80 percent since March. They hit their highest level in just over a year on Wednesday, closing at $26.58 on Nasdaq.
"This is a better operating system -- it does the job," said Lance Ulanoff, editor-in-chief of PCMag.com. "They've certainly got it a lot more right than they did with Vista."
A range of new PCs incorporating the software in all shapes and sizes from Hewlett-Packard Co, Dell and others are set to be unveiled on Thursday, in the hope of reigniting consumer spending before the holiday shopping season.
Global PC sales rose 2.3 percent in the third quarter compared to a year ago, according to research firm IDC, after two quarters of declines.
Market-watchers are betting on further recovery of computer sales next year, as the economy improves and businesses replace old machines, but opinion is divided on how strong the impact of Windows 7 will be.
"What's going to be really interesting is whether this spurs a hardware replacement cycle or it's just a Windows replacement cycle," said Barnicle, who estimates that more than 820 million PCs across the world run Windows.
(Reporting by Bill Rigby; Additional reporting by Jim Finkle, Wojtek Dabrowski, Bobbi Rebell and Gabriel Madway; Editing by Tiffany Wu and Richard Chang)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved.
<---Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and the Microsoft television commercial star Kylie, the young girl who makes an instant slideshow, take the stage at Windows 7's Launch Party in New York, October 22, 2009. By Shannon StapletonThu Oct 22, 2009. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp launched Windows 7 on Thursday in its most important release for more than a decade, aiming to win back customers after the disappointing Vista and strengthen its grip on the PC market.
The world's largest software company, which powers more than 90 percent of personal computers, has received good reviews for the new operating system, which it hopes will grab back the impetus in new technology from rivals Apple Inc and Google Inc.
"It's the first really significant release of Windows in a decade," analyst Brendan Barnicle of Pacific Crest Securities told Reuters Television. "Given the missteps around Vista, people really questioned Microsoft's relevancy in the technology space. So this is a critical first step for Microsoft regaining that credibility."
The new system -- which is faster, less cluttered and has new touch-screen features -- comes almost three years after the launch of Vista, whose complexity frustrated many home users and turned off business customers.
The success of Windows -- which accounts for more than half of Microsoft's profit -- is crucial for Chief Executive Steve Ballmer to revive the company's image as the world's most important software firm.
"I have to say I'm chomping at the bit," Ballmer told an audience of Microsoft customers and partners in Toronto on Wednesday, adding that he is ready to make sales calls himself on Windows 7.
Sales won't immediately impact the bottom line of Microsoft, which is expected to post a lower quarterly profit on Friday.
CHEAPER THAN VISTA
Microsoft is charging $199.99 for the Home Premium version of Windows 7, or $119.99 for users seeking to upgrade from older versions of the operating system -- well below comparable prices for Vista.
It also has a range of offers in conjunction with retailer Best Buy and PC makers such as Dell Inc and Acer Inc.
For the first time, shoppers will be able to buy PCs loaded with the software direct from a branded Microsoft store, with the first of a planned chain set to open on Thursday in Scottsdale, Arizona.
The U.S. holiday season will soon reveal whether consumer PC sales get a kick from Windows 7, but success with corporations -- the key to Microsoft's financial power -- won't be clear until next year, analysts say.
"Come June of next year, we are going to get the real indication of the business-to-business marketplace," said Mark Simons, chief executive of the U.S. arm of Toshiba Corp, the world's No. 5 PC maker, on Wednesday.
Early indications are that companies are getting ready to switch to Windows 7.
"People like it," said Michael Capone, chief information officer for payroll services firm ADP, pointing out its quick start-up time and good user interface.
"There is a line outside my door from people wanting to get into the pilot program," said Capone, at a technology conference in Orlando, Florida, on Wednesday.
His company typically waits at least 18 months to begin broad deployment of a new version of Windows, said Capone, but this time he could be more aggressive.
"In the surveys that we've done about half the CIOs (chief information officers) indicated that they would just use Windows 7 on existing PCs as opposed to replace the entire hardware," said Barnicle. "That would be very positive for Microsoft but maybe not so positive for the PC manufacturers."
SHARES UP
Good reviews, and a surge in technology stocks across the board, have lifted Microsoft shares about 80 percent since March. They hit their highest level in just over a year on Wednesday, closing at $26.58 on Nasdaq.
"This is a better operating system -- it does the job," said Lance Ulanoff, editor-in-chief of PCMag.com. "They've certainly got it a lot more right than they did with Vista."
A range of new PCs incorporating the software in all shapes and sizes from Hewlett-Packard Co, Dell and others are set to be unveiled on Thursday, in the hope of reigniting consumer spending before the holiday shopping season.
Global PC sales rose 2.3 percent in the third quarter compared to a year ago, according to research firm IDC, after two quarters of declines.
Market-watchers are betting on further recovery of computer sales next year, as the economy improves and businesses replace old machines, but opinion is divided on how strong the impact of Windows 7 will be.
"What's going to be really interesting is whether this spurs a hardware replacement cycle or it's just a Windows replacement cycle," said Barnicle, who estimates that more than 820 million PCs across the world run Windows.
(Reporting by Bill Rigby; Additional reporting by Jim Finkle, Wojtek Dabrowski, Bobbi Rebell and Gabriel Madway; Editing by Tiffany Wu and Richard Chang)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Man staged nearly 100 car crashes in cash scam...
Wed Oct 21, 2009 ; LONDON (Reuters) - A Briton who cost the insurance industry some 1.6 million pounds by staging almost 100 car crashes as part of a scam to win fraudulent payouts, was jailed for 4-1/2 years on Wednesday.
Mohammed Patel, 24, charged 500 pounds a time to stage accidents which enabled fraudsters to claim an average of 17,000 pounds from their insurers.
Police said he staged at least 92 crashes between 2005 and 2008, each time persuading the other driver to believe they were at fault.
The plot was uncovered after workers in an office block by the main A34 road in Cheadle, near Manchester, became suspicious about a regular number of crashes taking place at a nearby roundabout.
AXA insurance, one of the firms caught up in the scam, investigated and contacted police. Detectives found that Patel deliberately caused crashes for his clients by braking suddenly so the vehicle behind could not avoid a collision.
The claimants then demanded compensation from the victim's insurance firm for personal injury, legal fees, courtesy cars, and often with the damage to the cars fabricated.
Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard that fraudsters were able to claim
on average 17,000 pounds from insurance firms for each of the crashes Patel caused, the Press Association reported.
Patel himself raked in around 46,000 pounds for his role, and from his earnings he treated his girlfriend to gifts, two luxury cars and foreign holidays, police said.
"Patel was prepared to put lives in danger to make money," said Sergeant Mark Beales.
"This abuse of the insurance claims system has implications for all law-abiding road users."
Patel, from Bolton, admitted 17 charges including conspiracy to defraud, dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.
Another 24 co-conspirators are also due to be sentenced for their role in the scam.
"The cost of insurance fraud adds on average 44 pounds to every policyholder's insurance premium annually," said John Beadle, chairman of the Insurance Fraud Bureau.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Steve Addison)
Mohammed Patel, 24, charged 500 pounds a time to stage accidents which enabled fraudsters to claim an average of 17,000 pounds from their insurers.
Police said he staged at least 92 crashes between 2005 and 2008, each time persuading the other driver to believe they were at fault.
The plot was uncovered after workers in an office block by the main A34 road in Cheadle, near Manchester, became suspicious about a regular number of crashes taking place at a nearby roundabout.
AXA insurance, one of the firms caught up in the scam, investigated and contacted police. Detectives found that Patel deliberately caused crashes for his clients by braking suddenly so the vehicle behind could not avoid a collision.
The claimants then demanded compensation from the victim's insurance firm for personal injury, legal fees, courtesy cars, and often with the damage to the cars fabricated.
Manchester's Minshull Street Crown Court heard that fraudsters were able to claim
on average 17,000 pounds from insurance firms for each of the crashes Patel caused, the Press Association reported.
Patel himself raked in around 46,000 pounds for his role, and from his earnings he treated his girlfriend to gifts, two luxury cars and foreign holidays, police said.
"Patel was prepared to put lives in danger to make money," said Sergeant Mark Beales.
"This abuse of the insurance claims system has implications for all law-abiding road users."
Patel, from Bolton, admitted 17 charges including conspiracy to defraud, dangerous driving and driving while disqualified.
Another 24 co-conspirators are also due to be sentenced for their role in the scam.
"The cost of insurance fraud adds on average 44 pounds to every policyholder's insurance premium annually," said John Beadle, chairman of the Insurance Fraud Bureau.
(Reporting by Michael Holden; Editing by Steve Addison)
Cheating husbands should be whipped?
Reuters
Wed Oct 21, 2009. BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Reuters) - Most Bruneians want husbands who cheat on their wives to be whipped, according to a recent survey in the Muslim-majority country.
The survey, conducted by website brudirect (www.brudirect.com), found 76 percent of 272 respondents said men should be whipped for having affairs while only 55 percent said unfaithful wives should receive the same punishment.
"The result of the survey is an indication of the pent-up feelings that women harbor against irresponsible men," an unnamed social worker from Brunei was quoted as saying on the website.
The oil-rich state of Brunei, located on Borneo Island, has a population of almost 400,000 of which 66 percent are Muslim.
(Reporting by David Chance, editing by Sugita Katyal)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserve
Wed Oct 21, 2009. BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN (Reuters) - Most Bruneians want husbands who cheat on their wives to be whipped, according to a recent survey in the Muslim-majority country.
The survey, conducted by website brudirect (www.brudirect.com), found 76 percent of 272 respondents said men should be whipped for having affairs while only 55 percent said unfaithful wives should receive the same punishment.
"The result of the survey is an indication of the pent-up feelings that women harbor against irresponsible men," an unnamed social worker from Brunei was quoted as saying on the website.
The oil-rich state of Brunei, located on Borneo Island, has a population of almost 400,000 of which 66 percent are Muslim.
(Reporting by David Chance, editing by Sugita Katyal)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserve
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Bank of America shopping Lehman claim...
Reuters
Thu Oct 8, 2009. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) is selling a claim with a face value of about $800 million that it holds against bankrupt Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc (LEHMQ.PK), Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter.
Hedge funds are the likely buyers, Bloomberg said on Thursday, citing people who asked not to be identified because the transaction is private.
Creditors from sovereign wealth funds to sports teams submitted more than 16,000 claims against Lehman before a September 22 deadline. Bank of America filed a $2.86 billion claim, and its Merrill Lynch International unit filed one for $1.54 billion it said was tied to swap agreements, Bloomberg said.
Lehman claims with similar terms are currently selling for about 37 cents on the dollar, the people told Bloomberg.
The largest claim Lehman faces, for at least $48.8 billion, was filed by Wilmington Trust Co as indenture trustee for various Lehman senior notes, Bloomberg said.
A Bank of America spokesman could not be reached for immediate comment late Thursday.
(Reporting by Ilaina Jonas; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Thu Oct 8, 2009. NEW YORK (Reuters) - Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) is selling a claim with a face value of about $800 million that it holds against bankrupt Lehman Brothers Holdings Inc (LEHMQ.PK), Bloomberg reported citing people familiar with the matter.
Hedge funds are the likely buyers, Bloomberg said on Thursday, citing people who asked not to be identified because the transaction is private.
Creditors from sovereign wealth funds to sports teams submitted more than 16,000 claims against Lehman before a September 22 deadline. Bank of America filed a $2.86 billion claim, and its Merrill Lynch International unit filed one for $1.54 billion it said was tied to swap agreements, Bloomberg said.
Lehman claims with similar terms are currently selling for about 37 cents on the dollar, the people told Bloomberg.
The largest claim Lehman faces, for at least $48.8 billion, was filed by Wilmington Trust Co as indenture trustee for various Lehman senior notes, Bloomberg said.
A Bank of America spokesman could not be reached for immediate comment late Thursday.
(Reporting by Ilaina Jonas; Editing by Lincoln Feast)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Monday, October 19, 2009
And the most tastless idea of the week is...
Wed Oct 14, 2009 "MELBOURNE (Reuters) - Australian horse racing officials have been slammed for holding a dwarf racing competition called the 'Midget Cup' at a meeting in Melbourne to promote Victoria state's annual carnival. The race at the Cranbourne Cup Sunday...";
The race at the Cranbourne Cup Sunday involved three men charging down a 50-metres course with dwarfs dressed in jockey silks riding piggyback, and has been denounced by government officials and advocacy groups.
"Well look, there's often a fine line between a bit of fun and a silly stunt and I think this falls into the latter category," Victorian racing minister Rob Hulls told state radio.
"I mean the Midget's Cup for goodness sake. It's certainly no way of promoting this great Spring Carnival right around the world, right around Australia and right throughout Victoria."
The controversy comes days after an Australian talent show came under fire for airing a comedy troupe skit involving dancers wearing afro wigs and black-painted faces to impersonate late pop star Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5.
Stuart Laing, a marketing manager at Racing Victoria, said the dwarf race was intended to be "harmless fun," but apologized and said it would not be repeated.
"We understand that you can't please everyone and if anyone's offended by the events of Sunday then we apologize to them," he said.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
The race at the Cranbourne Cup Sunday involved three men charging down a 50-metres course with dwarfs dressed in jockey silks riding piggyback, and has been denounced by government officials and advocacy groups.
"Well look, there's often a fine line between a bit of fun and a silly stunt and I think this falls into the latter category," Victorian racing minister Rob Hulls told state radio.
"I mean the Midget's Cup for goodness sake. It's certainly no way of promoting this great Spring Carnival right around the world, right around Australia and right throughout Victoria."
The controversy comes days after an Australian talent show came under fire for airing a comedy troupe skit involving dancers wearing afro wigs and black-painted faces to impersonate late pop star Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5.
Stuart Laing, a marketing manager at Racing Victoria, said the dwarf race was intended to be "harmless fun," but apologized and said it would not be repeated.
"We understand that you can't please everyone and if anyone's offended by the events of Sunday then we apologize to them," he said.
(Reporting by Ian Ransom; Editing by Peter Rutherford)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
Elsevier.nl - Economie - Dirk Scheringa heeft miljoenenschuld bij DSB Bank
Elsevier.nl
Dinsdag 13 Oktober 2009. DSB-bestuursvoorzitter Dirk Scheringa heeft 128 miljoen euro aan schulden bij de DSB-Bank. Dat geld gebruikte hij vermoedelijk voor zijn liefhebberijen: voetbalclub AZ, zijn museum voor moderne kunst, een landhuis in Friesland en een privévliegtuig.
Scheringa leende geld voor zijn persoonlijke hobby's Scheringa leende geld voor zijn persoonlijke hobby's
Alles over DSB
* De Nederlandsche Bank neemt bewind over van DSB Bank
* 'Voortbestaan DSB Bank zeer onzeker'
* 'Nederlandsche Bank ook schuldig aan DSB-affaire'
* Dirk Scheringa biedt DSB-klanten excuses aan
* Boete voor DSB Bank vanwege hoge hypotheken
* Klanten DSB kunnen niet bij hun spaargeld
* Ondertekening akkoord: Ultimatum voor DSB
Dat schrijft dagblad de Volkskrant dinsdag.
285 miljoen euro
Uit de jaarverslagen van 2006, tot en met 2008 blijkt dat DSB Bank elk jaar tientallen miljoenen euro’s overmaakte aan moedermaatschappij DSB Beheer. Scheringa is volledig eigenaar van DSB Beheer, dus in feite ging het om leningen en betalingen aan zichzelf.
Scheringa stond vorig jaar in de Quote 500 met een geschat vermogen van 285 miljoen euro. De bankier uit Wognum werd in 2005 volledig eigenaar van voetbalclub AZ en van het AZ-stadion. In ruil investeerde hij 108 miljoen euro in de club.
Stadion AZ
Scheringa staat via DSB Beheer tot eind dit jaar garant voor alle verliezen bij zijn sport- en kunstactiviteiten. Eind 2007 waren die al opgelopen tot ruim 66,4 miljoen euro. Het stadion van AZ heeft Scheringa zeker 7,7 miljoen euro verlies opgeleverd.
Voor zijn landhuis in Friesland betaalde Scheringa in 2002 1,8 miljoen euro. In 2007 werd voor het huis een verliespost van 1,4 miljoen euro opgenomen in het jaarverslag.
Kunst
Datzelfde jaar kocht Scheringa een vliegtuig voor 6,9 miljoen euro. Ook zette hij 23,4 miljoen euro opzij voor de bouw van een nieuw museum.
Door Arne Hankel
Dinsdag 13 Oktober 2009. DSB-bestuursvoorzitter Dirk Scheringa heeft 128 miljoen euro aan schulden bij de DSB-Bank. Dat geld gebruikte hij vermoedelijk voor zijn liefhebberijen: voetbalclub AZ, zijn museum voor moderne kunst, een landhuis in Friesland en een privévliegtuig.
Scheringa leende geld voor zijn persoonlijke hobby's Scheringa leende geld voor zijn persoonlijke hobby's
Alles over DSB
* De Nederlandsche Bank neemt bewind over van DSB Bank
* 'Voortbestaan DSB Bank zeer onzeker'
* 'Nederlandsche Bank ook schuldig aan DSB-affaire'
* Dirk Scheringa biedt DSB-klanten excuses aan
* Boete voor DSB Bank vanwege hoge hypotheken
* Klanten DSB kunnen niet bij hun spaargeld
* Ondertekening akkoord: Ultimatum voor DSB
Dat schrijft dagblad de Volkskrant dinsdag.
285 miljoen euro
Uit de jaarverslagen van 2006, tot en met 2008 blijkt dat DSB Bank elk jaar tientallen miljoenen euro’s overmaakte aan moedermaatschappij DSB Beheer. Scheringa is volledig eigenaar van DSB Beheer, dus in feite ging het om leningen en betalingen aan zichzelf.
Scheringa stond vorig jaar in de Quote 500 met een geschat vermogen van 285 miljoen euro. De bankier uit Wognum werd in 2005 volledig eigenaar van voetbalclub AZ en van het AZ-stadion. In ruil investeerde hij 108 miljoen euro in de club.
Stadion AZ
Scheringa staat via DSB Beheer tot eind dit jaar garant voor alle verliezen bij zijn sport- en kunstactiviteiten. Eind 2007 waren die al opgelopen tot ruim 66,4 miljoen euro. Het stadion van AZ heeft Scheringa zeker 7,7 miljoen euro verlies opgeleverd.
Voor zijn landhuis in Friesland betaalde Scheringa in 2002 1,8 miljoen euro. In 2007 werd voor het huis een verliespost van 1,4 miljoen euro opgenomen in het jaarverslag.
Kunst
Datzelfde jaar kocht Scheringa een vliegtuig voor 6,9 miljoen euro. Ook zette hij 23,4 miljoen euro opzij voor de bouw van een nieuw museum.
Door Arne Hankel
Skin cancer can be inherited: studies...
Health | Reuters
Sat Oct 10, 2009 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Want to reduce your risk of skin cancer? Wear sun screen, of course. But two new studies suggest that choosing your relatives carefully could also be helpful.
One found that having an identical twin with melanoma increased a person's own risk of developing the disease much more than having a fraternal twin with this type of skin cancer. The other found that having a sibling or parent with one of several different types of non-melanoma skin cancer increased risk as well.
Several studies have suggested melanoma and other skin cancers run in families, but it can be difficult to tease out the difference between the influence of genes and environment. In the Australian study, Dr. Sri N. Shekar of the University of Queensland in Brisbane and his colleagues attempted to do so by looking at twin pairs in which at least one sibling had been diagnosed with melanoma.
They searched through thousands of cases of melanoma reported in Queensland and New South Wales and found 125 twin pairs. In four of the 27 identical twin pairs, both had melanoma, while three of the 98 fraternal twin pairs had both been diagnosed with the deadly skin cancer.
Based on these numbers, having an identical twin with melanoma increased a person's own risk of the disease nearly 10-fold, while melanoma associated with having a non-identical twin with the disease was roughly doubled.
This suggests, the researchers say, that some of the increased melanoma risk can be attributed to genes, in particular interactions between genes. They estimate that genes account for about half of the differences in risk between two people.
In the second study, Dr. Shehnaz K. Hussain of the University of California Los Angeles and colleagues looked at the Swedish Family-Cancer Database to gauge the risk for several types of skin cancer among siblings and children of people diagnosed with these diseases.
They found that people with a sibling or parent diagnosed with some types of skin cancer were more likely to develop skin cancers of various types, not just the ones their relatives had. When tumors occurred at parts of the body more likely to have been exposed to the sun (such as the face, compared to the torso), the familial risk was stronger.
Based on the findings, Hussain and colleagues conclude, a person's family history can be used to gauge their own skin cancer risk, and genetic studies could be a useful way to identify potential targets for treating or preventing the disease.
SOURCE: Journal of Investigative Dermatology, September 2009.
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Sat Oct 10, 2009 NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Want to reduce your risk of skin cancer? Wear sun screen, of course. But two new studies suggest that choosing your relatives carefully could also be helpful.One found that having an identical twin with melanoma increased a person's own risk of developing the disease much more than having a fraternal twin with this type of skin cancer. The other found that having a sibling or parent with one of several different types of non-melanoma skin cancer increased risk as well.
Several studies have suggested melanoma and other skin cancers run in families, but it can be difficult to tease out the difference between the influence of genes and environment. In the Australian study, Dr. Sri N. Shekar of the University of Queensland in Brisbane and his colleagues attempted to do so by looking at twin pairs in which at least one sibling had been diagnosed with melanoma.
They searched through thousands of cases of melanoma reported in Queensland and New South Wales and found 125 twin pairs. In four of the 27 identical twin pairs, both had melanoma, while three of the 98 fraternal twin pairs had both been diagnosed with the deadly skin cancer.
Based on these numbers, having an identical twin with melanoma increased a person's own risk of the disease nearly 10-fold, while melanoma associated with having a non-identical twin with the disease was roughly doubled.
This suggests, the researchers say, that some of the increased melanoma risk can be attributed to genes, in particular interactions between genes. They estimate that genes account for about half of the differences in risk between two people.
In the second study, Dr. Shehnaz K. Hussain of the University of California Los Angeles and colleagues looked at the Swedish Family-Cancer Database to gauge the risk for several types of skin cancer among siblings and children of people diagnosed with these diseases.
They found that people with a sibling or parent diagnosed with some types of skin cancer were more likely to develop skin cancers of various types, not just the ones their relatives had. When tumors occurred at parts of the body more likely to have been exposed to the sun (such as the face, compared to the torso), the familial risk was stronger.
Based on the findings, Hussain and colleagues conclude, a person's family history can be used to gauge their own skin cancer risk, and genetic studies could be a useful way to identify potential targets for treating or preventing the disease.
SOURCE: Journal of Investigative Dermatology, September 2009.
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Marge Simpson makes cover of Playboy ...
Reuters
Sat Oct 10, 2009 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "D'oh!" doesn't even start to cover it. Marge Simpson -- the blue beehived matriarch of America's most loved dysfunctional family - is Playboy magazine's November cover, the magazine said on Friday.
Simpson, tastefully concealing her assets behind a signature Playboy Bunny chair, is the first cartoon character ever to front the glossy adult magazine, joining the ranks of sex symbols like Marilyn Monroe and Cindy Crawford.
Playboy said the cover and a three-page picture spread inside was a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the "The Simpsons" and part of a plan to appeal to a younger generation of readers.
Scott Flanders, the recently-hired chief executive of Playboy Enterprises, told the Chicago Sun-Times in an interview that the Marge Simpson cover and centerfold was "somewhat tongue-in-cheek."
"It had never been done, and we thought it would be kind of hip, cool and unusual," Flanders told the newspaper. He said the magazine hoped to attract readers in their 20s compared to the average Playboy reader's age of 35.
Playboy also promises a story inside called "The Devil in Marge Simpson". The issue arrives on newsstands on October 16.
Playboy magazine's circulation has slipped in recent years in the face of competition from the Internet, which offers free and plentiful pictures of naked women online.
The magazine's circulation fell 9 percent as of the end of June 2009, according to figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
But Flanders told Reuters earlier this week that there were no plans to close the print edition. "Over my dead body will we quit producing the magazine in print," he said.
Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie have already been honored this year with a set of U.S. postal stamps marking the 20th anniversary of the longest-running comedy series on U.S. television.
Animated series "The Simpsons" debuted in December 1989 with a Christmas-themed episode called "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." It has won 24 primetime Emmys and was renewed by Fox television earlier this year for two more seasons.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant: Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Sat Oct 10, 2009 LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - "D'oh!" doesn't even start to cover it. Marge Simpson -- the blue beehived matriarch of America's most loved dysfunctional family - is Playboy magazine's November cover, the magazine said on Friday.Simpson, tastefully concealing her assets behind a signature Playboy Bunny chair, is the first cartoon character ever to front the glossy adult magazine, joining the ranks of sex symbols like Marilyn Monroe and Cindy Crawford.
Playboy said the cover and a three-page picture spread inside was a celebration of the 20th anniversary of the "The Simpsons" and part of a plan to appeal to a younger generation of readers.
Scott Flanders, the recently-hired chief executive of Playboy Enterprises, told the Chicago Sun-Times in an interview that the Marge Simpson cover and centerfold was "somewhat tongue-in-cheek."
"It had never been done, and we thought it would be kind of hip, cool and unusual," Flanders told the newspaper. He said the magazine hoped to attract readers in their 20s compared to the average Playboy reader's age of 35.
Playboy also promises a story inside called "The Devil in Marge Simpson". The issue arrives on newsstands on October 16.
Playboy magazine's circulation has slipped in recent years in the face of competition from the Internet, which offers free and plentiful pictures of naked women online.
The magazine's circulation fell 9 percent as of the end of June 2009, according to figures from the Audit Bureau of Circulations.
But Flanders told Reuters earlier this week that there were no plans to close the print edition. "Over my dead body will we quit producing the magazine in print," he said.
Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie have already been honored this year with a set of U.S. postal stamps marking the 20th anniversary of the longest-running comedy series on U.S. television.
Animated series "The Simpsons" debuted in December 1989 with a Christmas-themed episode called "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire." It has won 24 primetime Emmys and was renewed by Fox television earlier this year for two more seasons.
(Reporting by Jill Serjeant: Editing by Alex Dobuzinskis)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Friday, October 09, 2009
A "Windows"-to-help-you-forget...
Yahoo Finance by Walter S. Mossberg
Thursday, October 8, 2009. Microsoft's New Operating System Is Good Enough to Erase Bad Memory of Vista
In just two weeks, on Oct. 22, Microsoft's long operating-system nightmare will be over. The company will release Windows 7, a faster and much better operating system than the little-loved Windows Vista, which did a lot to harm both the company's reputation, and the productivity and blood pressure of its users. PC makers will rush to flood physical and online stores with new computers pre-loaded with Windows 7, and to offer the software to Vista owners who wish to upgrade.
More from WSJ.com:
• Can You Really Get Free Credit Scores?
• What's Inflating the Price of Your Car's Tires?
• Sirius XM: Back From the Brink, Not Yet a Buy
With Windows 7, PC users will at last have a strong, modern successor to the sturdy and familiar, but aged, Windows XP, which is still the most popular version of Windows, despite having come out in 2001. In the high-tech world, an eight-year-old operating system is the equivalent of a 20-year-old car. While XP works well for many people, it is relatively weak in areas such as security, networking and other features more important today than when XP was designed around 1999.
After using pre-release versions of Windows 7 for nine months, and intensively testing the final version for the past month on many different machines, I believe it is the best version of Windows Microsoft has produced. It's a boost to productivity and a pleasure to use. Despite a few drawbacks, I can heartily recommend Windows 7 to mainstream consumers.
Like the new Snow Leopard operating system released in August by Microsoft's archrival, Apple, Windows 7 is much more of an evolutionary than a revolutionary product. Its main goal was to fix the flaws in Vista and to finally give Microsoft customers a reason to move up from XP. But Windows 7 is packed with features and tweaks that make using your computer an easier and more satisfying experience.
More from Yahoo! Finance:
• Best and Worst Commutes in the U.S.
• 10 Best Places to Launch a Career
• Highest and Lowest Paying States
Visit the Career & Work Center
Windows 7 introduces real advances in organizing your programs and files, arranging your taskbar and desktop, and quickly viewing and launching the page or document you want, when you want it. It also has cool built-in touch-screen features.
It removes a lot of clutter. And it mostly banishes Vista's main flaws -- sluggishness; incompatibility with third-party software and hardware; heavy hardware requirements; and constant, annoying security warnings.
I tested Windows 7 on 11 different computers, ranging from tiny netbooks to standard laptops to a couple of big desktops. These included machines from Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer, Asus, Toshiba and Sony. I even successfully ran it on an Apple Macintosh laptop. On some of these machines, Windows 7 was pre-loaded. On others, I had to upgrade from an earlier version of Windows.
In most cases, the installation took 45 minutes or less, and the new operating system worked snappily and well. But, I did encounter some drawbacks and problems. On a couple of these machines, glacial start-up and reboot times reminded me of Vista. And, on a couple of others, after upgrading, key features like the display or touchpad didn't work properly. Also, Windows 7 still requires add-on security software that has to be frequently updated. It's tedious and painful to upgrade an existing computer from XP to 7, and the variety of editions in which Windows 7 is offered is confusing.
Finally, Microsoft has stripped Windows 7 of familiar built-in applications, such as email, photo organizing, address book, calendar and video-editing programs. These can be downloaded free of charge, but they no longer come with the operating system, though some PC makers may choose to pre-load them.
In recent years, I, like many other reviewers, have argued that Apple's Mac OS X operating system is much better than Windows. That's no longer true. I still give the Mac OS a slight edge because it has a much easier and cheaper upgrade path; more built-in software programs; and far less vulnerability to viruses and other malicious software, which are overwhelmingly built to run on Windows.
Now, however, it's much more of a toss-up between the two rivals. Windows 7 beats the Mac OS in some areas, such as better previews and navigation right from the taskbar, easier organization of open windows on the desktop and touch-screen capabilities. So Apple will have to scramble now that the gift of a flawed Vista has been replaced with a reliable, elegant version of Windows.
Here are some of the key features of Windows 7.
New Taskbar: In Windows 7, the familiar taskbar has been reinvented and made taller. Instead of mainly being a place where icons of open windows temporarily appear, it now is a place where you can permanently "pin" the icons of frequently used programs anywhere along its length, and in any arrangement you choose. This is a concept borrowed from Apple's similar feature, the Dock. But Windows 7 takes the concept further.
For each running program, hovering over its taskbar icon pops up a small preview screen showing a mini-view of that program. This preview idea was in Vista. But, in Windows 7, it has been expanded in several ways. Now, every open window in that program is included separately in the preview. If you mouse over a window in the preview screen, it appears at full size on your desktop and all other windows on the desktop become transparent -- part of a feature called Aero Peek. Click on the window and it comes up, ready for use. You can even close windows from these previews, or play media in them.
I found this feature more natural and versatile than a similar feature in Snow Leopard called Dock Expose.
You can also use Aero Peek at any time to see your empty desktop, with open windows reduced to virtual panes of glass. To do this, you just hover over a small rectangle at the right edge of the taskbar.
Taskbar icons also provide Jump Lists -- pop-up menus listing frequent actions or recent files used.
Desktop Organization: A feature called Snap allows you to expand windows to full-screen size by just dragging them to the top of the screen, or to half-screen size by dragging them to the left or right edges of the screen. Another called Shake allows you to make all other windows but the one you're working on disappear by simply grabbing its title bar with the mouse and shaking it several times.
File Organization: In Windows Explorer, the left-hand column now includes a feature called Libraries. Each library -- Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos -- consolidates all files of those types regardless of which folder, or even which hard disk, they live in.
Networking: Windows 7 still isn't quite as natural at networking as I find the Mac to be, but it's better than Vista. For instance, now you can see all available wireless networks by just clicking on an icon in the taskbar. A new feature called HomeGroups is supposed to let you share files more easily among Windows 7 PCs on your home network. In my tests, it worked, but not consistently, and it required typing in long, arcane passwords.
Touch: Some of the same kinds of multitouch gestures made popular on the iPhone are now built into Windows 7. But these features won't likely become popular for a while because to get the most out of them, a computer needs a special type of touch screen that goes beyond most of the ones existing now. I tested this on one such laptop, a Lenovo, and was able to move windows around, to resize and flip through photos, and more.
Speed: In my tests, on every machine, Windows 7 ran swiftly and with far fewer of the delays typical in running Vista. All the laptops I tested resumed from sleep quickly and properly, unlike in Vista. Start-up and restart times were also improved. I chose six Windows 7 laptops from different makers to compare with a new MacBook Pro laptop. The Mac still started and restarted faster than most of the Windows 7 PCs. But the speed gap has narrowed considerably, and one of the Lenovos beat the Mac in restart time.
Nagging: In the name of security, Vista put up nagging warnings about a wide variety of tasks, driving people crazy. In Windows 7, you can now set this system so it nags you only when things are happening that you consider really worth the nag. Also, Microsoft has consolidated most of the alerts from the lower-right system tray into one icon, and they seemed less frequent.
Compatibility: I tried a wide variety of third-party software and all worked fine on every Windows 7 machine. These included Mozilla Firefox; Adobe Reader; Google's Picasa and Chrome; and Apple's iTunes and Safari.
I also tested several hardware devices, and, unlike Vista, Windows 7 handled all but one smoothly. These included a networked H-P printer, a Canon camera, an iPod nano, and at least five external flash drives and hard disks. The one failure was a Verizon USB cellular modem. Microsoft says you don't need external software to run these, but I found it was necessary, and even then had to use a trick I found on the Web to get it to work.
System Requirements: Nearly all Vista PCs, and newer or beefier XP machines, should be able to run Windows 7 fine. Even the netbooks I tested ran it speedily, especially with the Starter Edition, which lacks some of the powerful graphics effects in the operating system. (Other netbooks will be able to run other editions.)
If you have a standard PC, called a 32-bit PC, you'll need at least one gigabyte of memory, 16 gigabytes of free hard-disk space and a graphics system that can support Microsoft technologies called "DirectX 9 with WDDM 1.0." You'll also need a processor with a speed of at least one gigahertz. If you have a newer-style 64-bit PC, which can use more memory, you'll need at least two gigabytes of memory and 20 gigabytes of free hard disk space. In either case, you should double the minimum memory specification.
Installation, Editions and Price: There are four editions of Windows 7 of interest to consumers. One, a limited version called Starter, comes pre-loaded on netbooks. A second, called Business, is mainly for people who need to tap remotely into company networks (check with your company to see if you need this). A third, called Ultimate, is mainly for techies who want every feature of all other editions. Most average consumers will want Home Premium, which costs $120 for upgrades.
The system for upgrading is complicated, but Vista owners can upgrade to the exactly comparable edition of Windows 7 while keeping all files, settings and programs in place.
Unfortunately, XP owners, the biggest body of Windows users, won't be able to do that. They'll have to wipe out their hard disks after backing up their files elsewhere, then install Windows 7, then restore their personal files, then re-install all their programs from the original CDs or downloaded installer files. Then, they have to install all the patches and upgrades to those programs from over the years.
Microsoft includes an Easy Transfer wizard to help with this, but it moves only personal files, not programs. This painful XP upgrade process is one of the worst things about Windows 7 and will likely drive many XP owners to either stick with what they've got or wait and buy a new one.
In my tests, both types of installations went OK, though the latter could take a long time.
Bottom line: Windows 7 is a very good, versatile operating system that should help Microsoft bury the memory of Vista and make PC users happy.
Thursday, October 8, 2009. Microsoft's New Operating System Is Good Enough to Erase Bad Memory of Vista
In just two weeks, on Oct. 22, Microsoft's long operating-system nightmare will be over. The company will release Windows 7, a faster and much better operating system than the little-loved Windows Vista, which did a lot to harm both the company's reputation, and the productivity and blood pressure of its users. PC makers will rush to flood physical and online stores with new computers pre-loaded with Windows 7, and to offer the software to Vista owners who wish to upgrade.
More from WSJ.com:
• Can You Really Get Free Credit Scores?
• What's Inflating the Price of Your Car's Tires?
• Sirius XM: Back From the Brink, Not Yet a Buy
With Windows 7, PC users will at last have a strong, modern successor to the sturdy and familiar, but aged, Windows XP, which is still the most popular version of Windows, despite having come out in 2001. In the high-tech world, an eight-year-old operating system is the equivalent of a 20-year-old car. While XP works well for many people, it is relatively weak in areas such as security, networking and other features more important today than when XP was designed around 1999.
After using pre-release versions of Windows 7 for nine months, and intensively testing the final version for the past month on many different machines, I believe it is the best version of Windows Microsoft has produced. It's a boost to productivity and a pleasure to use. Despite a few drawbacks, I can heartily recommend Windows 7 to mainstream consumers.
Like the new Snow Leopard operating system released in August by Microsoft's archrival, Apple, Windows 7 is much more of an evolutionary than a revolutionary product. Its main goal was to fix the flaws in Vista and to finally give Microsoft customers a reason to move up from XP. But Windows 7 is packed with features and tweaks that make using your computer an easier and more satisfying experience.
More from Yahoo! Finance:
• Best and Worst Commutes in the U.S.
• 10 Best Places to Launch a Career
• Highest and Lowest Paying States
Visit the Career & Work Center
Windows 7 introduces real advances in organizing your programs and files, arranging your taskbar and desktop, and quickly viewing and launching the page or document you want, when you want it. It also has cool built-in touch-screen features.
It removes a lot of clutter. And it mostly banishes Vista's main flaws -- sluggishness; incompatibility with third-party software and hardware; heavy hardware requirements; and constant, annoying security warnings.
I tested Windows 7 on 11 different computers, ranging from tiny netbooks to standard laptops to a couple of big desktops. These included machines from Lenovo, Hewlett-Packard, Dell, Acer, Asus, Toshiba and Sony. I even successfully ran it on an Apple Macintosh laptop. On some of these machines, Windows 7 was pre-loaded. On others, I had to upgrade from an earlier version of Windows.
In most cases, the installation took 45 minutes or less, and the new operating system worked snappily and well. But, I did encounter some drawbacks and problems. On a couple of these machines, glacial start-up and reboot times reminded me of Vista. And, on a couple of others, after upgrading, key features like the display or touchpad didn't work properly. Also, Windows 7 still requires add-on security software that has to be frequently updated. It's tedious and painful to upgrade an existing computer from XP to 7, and the variety of editions in which Windows 7 is offered is confusing.
Finally, Microsoft has stripped Windows 7 of familiar built-in applications, such as email, photo organizing, address book, calendar and video-editing programs. These can be downloaded free of charge, but they no longer come with the operating system, though some PC makers may choose to pre-load them.
In recent years, I, like many other reviewers, have argued that Apple's Mac OS X operating system is much better than Windows. That's no longer true. I still give the Mac OS a slight edge because it has a much easier and cheaper upgrade path; more built-in software programs; and far less vulnerability to viruses and other malicious software, which are overwhelmingly built to run on Windows.
Now, however, it's much more of a toss-up between the two rivals. Windows 7 beats the Mac OS in some areas, such as better previews and navigation right from the taskbar, easier organization of open windows on the desktop and touch-screen capabilities. So Apple will have to scramble now that the gift of a flawed Vista has been replaced with a reliable, elegant version of Windows.
Here are some of the key features of Windows 7.
New Taskbar: In Windows 7, the familiar taskbar has been reinvented and made taller. Instead of mainly being a place where icons of open windows temporarily appear, it now is a place where you can permanently "pin" the icons of frequently used programs anywhere along its length, and in any arrangement you choose. This is a concept borrowed from Apple's similar feature, the Dock. But Windows 7 takes the concept further.
For each running program, hovering over its taskbar icon pops up a small preview screen showing a mini-view of that program. This preview idea was in Vista. But, in Windows 7, it has been expanded in several ways. Now, every open window in that program is included separately in the preview. If you mouse over a window in the preview screen, it appears at full size on your desktop and all other windows on the desktop become transparent -- part of a feature called Aero Peek. Click on the window and it comes up, ready for use. You can even close windows from these previews, or play media in them.
I found this feature more natural and versatile than a similar feature in Snow Leopard called Dock Expose.
You can also use Aero Peek at any time to see your empty desktop, with open windows reduced to virtual panes of glass. To do this, you just hover over a small rectangle at the right edge of the taskbar.
Taskbar icons also provide Jump Lists -- pop-up menus listing frequent actions or recent files used.
Desktop Organization: A feature called Snap allows you to expand windows to full-screen size by just dragging them to the top of the screen, or to half-screen size by dragging them to the left or right edges of the screen. Another called Shake allows you to make all other windows but the one you're working on disappear by simply grabbing its title bar with the mouse and shaking it several times.
File Organization: In Windows Explorer, the left-hand column now includes a feature called Libraries. Each library -- Documents, Music, Pictures and Videos -- consolidates all files of those types regardless of which folder, or even which hard disk, they live in.
Networking: Windows 7 still isn't quite as natural at networking as I find the Mac to be, but it's better than Vista. For instance, now you can see all available wireless networks by just clicking on an icon in the taskbar. A new feature called HomeGroups is supposed to let you share files more easily among Windows 7 PCs on your home network. In my tests, it worked, but not consistently, and it required typing in long, arcane passwords.
Touch: Some of the same kinds of multitouch gestures made popular on the iPhone are now built into Windows 7. But these features won't likely become popular for a while because to get the most out of them, a computer needs a special type of touch screen that goes beyond most of the ones existing now. I tested this on one such laptop, a Lenovo, and was able to move windows around, to resize and flip through photos, and more.
Speed: In my tests, on every machine, Windows 7 ran swiftly and with far fewer of the delays typical in running Vista. All the laptops I tested resumed from sleep quickly and properly, unlike in Vista. Start-up and restart times were also improved. I chose six Windows 7 laptops from different makers to compare with a new MacBook Pro laptop. The Mac still started and restarted faster than most of the Windows 7 PCs. But the speed gap has narrowed considerably, and one of the Lenovos beat the Mac in restart time.
Nagging: In the name of security, Vista put up nagging warnings about a wide variety of tasks, driving people crazy. In Windows 7, you can now set this system so it nags you only when things are happening that you consider really worth the nag. Also, Microsoft has consolidated most of the alerts from the lower-right system tray into one icon, and they seemed less frequent.
Compatibility: I tried a wide variety of third-party software and all worked fine on every Windows 7 machine. These included Mozilla Firefox; Adobe Reader; Google's Picasa and Chrome; and Apple's iTunes and Safari.
I also tested several hardware devices, and, unlike Vista, Windows 7 handled all but one smoothly. These included a networked H-P printer, a Canon camera, an iPod nano, and at least five external flash drives and hard disks. The one failure was a Verizon USB cellular modem. Microsoft says you don't need external software to run these, but I found it was necessary, and even then had to use a trick I found on the Web to get it to work.
System Requirements: Nearly all Vista PCs, and newer or beefier XP machines, should be able to run Windows 7 fine. Even the netbooks I tested ran it speedily, especially with the Starter Edition, which lacks some of the powerful graphics effects in the operating system. (Other netbooks will be able to run other editions.)
If you have a standard PC, called a 32-bit PC, you'll need at least one gigabyte of memory, 16 gigabytes of free hard-disk space and a graphics system that can support Microsoft technologies called "DirectX 9 with WDDM 1.0." You'll also need a processor with a speed of at least one gigahertz. If you have a newer-style 64-bit PC, which can use more memory, you'll need at least two gigabytes of memory and 20 gigabytes of free hard disk space. In either case, you should double the minimum memory specification.
Installation, Editions and Price: There are four editions of Windows 7 of interest to consumers. One, a limited version called Starter, comes pre-loaded on netbooks. A second, called Business, is mainly for people who need to tap remotely into company networks (check with your company to see if you need this). A third, called Ultimate, is mainly for techies who want every feature of all other editions. Most average consumers will want Home Premium, which costs $120 for upgrades.
The system for upgrading is complicated, but Vista owners can upgrade to the exactly comparable edition of Windows 7 while keeping all files, settings and programs in place.
Unfortunately, XP owners, the biggest body of Windows users, won't be able to do that. They'll have to wipe out their hard disks after backing up their files elsewhere, then install Windows 7, then restore their personal files, then re-install all their programs from the original CDs or downloaded installer files. Then, they have to install all the patches and upgrades to those programs from over the years.
Microsoft includes an Easy Transfer wizard to help with this, but it moves only personal files, not programs. This painful XP upgrade process is one of the worst things about Windows 7 and will likely drive many XP owners to either stick with what they've got or wait and buy a new one.
In my tests, both types of installations went OK, though the latter could take a long time.
Bottom line: Windows 7 is a very good, versatile operating system that should help Microsoft bury the memory of Vista and make PC users happy.
Birth control pill could put women off macho men?...
Reuters By Georgina Cooper
Thu Oct 8, 2009. LONDON (Reuters) - Why do some women's hearts race over the feminine features of Orlando Bloom while others are more attracted to macho men like Daniel Craig?
Being on the contraceptive pill could be the reason, according to British scientists.
Researchers said that women whose hormones are chemically controlled are less likely to seek out muscular, rugged men.
Whereas, they say, ovulating women not on the pill "exhibit a preference for more masculine features, are particularly attracted to men showing dominance and male-male competitiveness and prefer partners who are genetically dissimilar to themselves."
Women on the pill tend to pick more effeminate men who look like themselves. This could lead to problems conceiving, according to the study conducted at the University of Sheffield.
"There is evidence that genetic similarity between couples might be linked with infertility," said the study, published in the Trends in Ecology and Evolution medical journal.
The birth control pill could also throw a spanner in the works of the laws of natural attraction as it prevents women giving off monthly fertility signals believed to be subtly alluring to men.
"Ovulation is associated with a profound shift in some female physical characteristics, behaviors and perceptions related to male attraction," the report said.
(Editing by Steve Addison)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Thu Oct 8, 2009. LONDON (Reuters) - Why do some women's hearts race over the feminine features of Orlando Bloom while others are more attracted to macho men like Daniel Craig?
Being on the contraceptive pill could be the reason, according to British scientists.
Researchers said that women whose hormones are chemically controlled are less likely to seek out muscular, rugged men.
Whereas, they say, ovulating women not on the pill "exhibit a preference for more masculine features, are particularly attracted to men showing dominance and male-male competitiveness and prefer partners who are genetically dissimilar to themselves."
Women on the pill tend to pick more effeminate men who look like themselves. This could lead to problems conceiving, according to the study conducted at the University of Sheffield.
"There is evidence that genetic similarity between couples might be linked with infertility," said the study, published in the Trends in Ecology and Evolution medical journal.
The birth control pill could also throw a spanner in the works of the laws of natural attraction as it prevents women giving off monthly fertility signals believed to be subtly alluring to men.
"Ovulation is associated with a profound shift in some female physical characteristics, behaviors and perceptions related to male attraction," the report said.
(Editing by Steve Addison)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Thursday, October 08, 2009
Bonnie, bonnie Scott finds romance
Golfer Pacific By Bernie McGuire
Australia, August 2009 Aug 2009. QUEENSLAND star Adam Scott received a boost on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond when Serbian tennis beauty Ana Ivanovic turned up to watch him contest the Barclays Scottish Open.
Scott was spotted at Wimbledon watching Ivanovic compete and their relationship was confirmed when she travelled north to Scotland to support her Queensland-born boyfriend. Scott has had a hectic time off the golf course since splitting up with his long-term girlfriend and that has been reflected in his golf.
He had plunged from a height of third and heir apparent in the majors to a lowly 43rd in the world on arrival in Scotland. But on a day when Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich both scored tons for Australia on the second day of the First Ashes Test, Scott tapped into the support of Ivanovic to shoot an opening 65. The effort along the shores of the famed Scottish loch helped to erase a miserable run of missing the halfway cut in six of 13 US PGA Tour events, including six weekends off in succession from the end of March to the end of May.
Scott’s best finish in the States this season was in his second event when he finished runner-up in the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Scott hasn’t won in the States since capturing the Bryon Nelson Classic mid last year while his last victory in Europe was capturing the 2008 Qatar Masters when he produced a sizzling course record final round of 61.
“I’ve had my moments when I’ve felt down,” Scott admitted.
“I haven’t played well since finishing sixth in Qatar in January but I’ve tried to stay positive and really believed I was working on the right stuff.
“Finally, just before the US Open last month, I got the swing in the right position. It’s been frustrating but I am convinced I’m going to come out of this a better player.”
However, during his slump, attention focused on the Gold Coaster’s private life. If the hurt of jamming his little finger in a car door, then injuring his leg in the surf last December wasn’t painful enough, a five-year relationship with Swede Marie Kpjzar came to an end.
Scott had been snapped in the surf with actress Kate Hudson and his name has long been linked with Russian tennis great Maria Sharapova. It was at Wimbledon earlier this year where Scott’s romance with Ivanovic seemed official. He sat in the stands smiling and applauding the Serbian-born and former World No.1.
However Scott played down the relationship after his Scottish Open first round, saying: “We are both private people.
“Everyone knows what has gone on in my life in the past year but I’m not saying that had a direct impact on me playing poorly at the start of the year.
“I went to one tournament just not wanting to be there, and as much as I tried, it was like fighting my own mind. My game was terrible. I hadn’t practised. I was sorting things out (his relationship). I just felt crap.
“But it is nice to be in a good frame of mind in all areas of my life. She is a top sports star, too, and so knows what I am going through. I am a tennis fan so I probably enjoy watching her more than she enjoys being here watching me play golf.”
Ivanovic did, however, express her pleasure in walking the bonnie bonnie banks and seeing her ‘friend’ record five birdies. Earlier this year, the 21-year-old split with Spanish tennis star Fernando Verdasco before dating arguably Australia’s most eligible golfing bachelor. She said: “I am really enjoying my time here in Scotland, and, of course, I am here supporting Adam.”
Ironically a year earlier, Greg Norman brought former world No.1 and new wife Chris Evert to the British Open at Royal Birkdale where he went within a whisker of collecting a third claret jug.
Australia, August 2009 Aug 2009. QUEENSLAND star Adam Scott received a boost on the bonnie, bonnie banks of Loch Lomond when Serbian tennis beauty Ana Ivanovic turned up to watch him contest the Barclays Scottish Open.
Scott was spotted at Wimbledon watching Ivanovic compete and their relationship was confirmed when she travelled north to Scotland to support her Queensland-born boyfriend. Scott has had a hectic time off the golf course since splitting up with his long-term girlfriend and that has been reflected in his golf.
He had plunged from a height of third and heir apparent in the majors to a lowly 43rd in the world on arrival in Scotland. But on a day when Ricky Ponting and Simon Katich both scored tons for Australia on the second day of the First Ashes Test, Scott tapped into the support of Ivanovic to shoot an opening 65. The effort along the shores of the famed Scottish loch helped to erase a miserable run of missing the halfway cut in six of 13 US PGA Tour events, including six weekends off in succession from the end of March to the end of May.
Scott’s best finish in the States this season was in his second event when he finished runner-up in the Sony Open in Hawaii.
Scott hasn’t won in the States since capturing the Bryon Nelson Classic mid last year while his last victory in Europe was capturing the 2008 Qatar Masters when he produced a sizzling course record final round of 61.
“I’ve had my moments when I’ve felt down,” Scott admitted.
“I haven’t played well since finishing sixth in Qatar in January but I’ve tried to stay positive and really believed I was working on the right stuff.
“Finally, just before the US Open last month, I got the swing in the right position. It’s been frustrating but I am convinced I’m going to come out of this a better player.”
However, during his slump, attention focused on the Gold Coaster’s private life. If the hurt of jamming his little finger in a car door, then injuring his leg in the surf last December wasn’t painful enough, a five-year relationship with Swede Marie Kpjzar came to an end.
Scott had been snapped in the surf with actress Kate Hudson and his name has long been linked with Russian tennis great Maria Sharapova. It was at Wimbledon earlier this year where Scott’s romance with Ivanovic seemed official. He sat in the stands smiling and applauding the Serbian-born and former World No.1.
However Scott played down the relationship after his Scottish Open first round, saying: “We are both private people.
“Everyone knows what has gone on in my life in the past year but I’m not saying that had a direct impact on me playing poorly at the start of the year.
“I went to one tournament just not wanting to be there, and as much as I tried, it was like fighting my own mind. My game was terrible. I hadn’t practised. I was sorting things out (his relationship). I just felt crap.
“But it is nice to be in a good frame of mind in all areas of my life. She is a top sports star, too, and so knows what I am going through. I am a tennis fan so I probably enjoy watching her more than she enjoys being here watching me play golf.”
Ivanovic did, however, express her pleasure in walking the bonnie bonnie banks and seeing her ‘friend’ record five birdies. Earlier this year, the 21-year-old split with Spanish tennis star Fernando Verdasco before dating arguably Australia’s most eligible golfing bachelor. She said: “I am really enjoying my time here in Scotland, and, of course, I am here supporting Adam.”
Ironically a year earlier, Greg Norman brought former world No.1 and new wife Chris Evert to the British Open at Royal Birkdale where he went within a whisker of collecting a third claret jug.
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
More kids have autism than thought: U.S. study | Health
Health | Reuters: By Megan Brooks
Mon Oct 5, 2009NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - You may have heard the oft-quoted statistic that autism affects 1 in 150 US children. Turns out it's more like 1 in 91 -- and about 1 in 58 boys, according to new figures released Sunday.
That's an estimated 673,000 US children -- or approximately 1 percent of all U.S. kids, the researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and Harvard Medical School, Boston report in the journal Pediatrics.
Bob Wright, co-founder of the autism advocacy group Autism Speaks, told Reuters Health he's not at all surprised by the new figures. 'We've been screaming about the numbers going up; now there is a relatively complete recognition of it.'
'The statistical aspect of autism is just staggering,' he said, and not enough is being done about it. 'If we had 1 in 58 boys getting swine flu, the country would be crazy,' Wright said.
Autism is a brain disorder characterized by problems with social interaction, repetitive behavior and other symptoms. People with a mild version called Asperger's syndrome usually function relatively well in society, although they have problems relating to others. People with the most extreme symptoms may be unable to speak and may also suffer severe mental illness and retardation.
No one knows what causes autism -- it's generally thought to have genetic and environmental triggers -- and there is currently no good treatment.
Autism is 'an urgent public health concern,' Dr. Ileana Arias, deputy director of CDC, told reporters on a conference call Friday ahead of public release of the data.
The new data, she said, 'confirm that a concerted effort and a substantial national response is warranted in addressing the issue.'
On September 30, U.S. President Barack Obama promised a large infusion of funds into research on autism, as part of plans to spend $5 billion on medical and scientific research, medical supplies and upgrading laboratory capacity.
The new figures on autism cases stem from a 2007 telephone survey conducted jointly by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and CDC.
More than 78,000 parents of children between the ages of 3 and 17 were asked whether they had ever been told by a health care provider that their child had autism, Asperger's syndrome, or another 'autism spectrum disorder' (ASD).
Based on these parent reports, the prevalence of ASD in 2007 was 110 per 10,000 children aged 3 to 17 (or 1 in 91). The new estimates are far higher than previous estimates of 66 autism cases per 10,000 children (or 1 in 150).
'We are extremely concerned about the apparent increase,' Dr. Arias said, but she urged caution in interpreting it. 'Unfortunately, the information that we currently have doesn't allow us to give a true account of whether the apparent increase is an actual increase or the result of changes in the way we describe or diagnose ASD,' she explained.
More inclusive survey questions, increased public awareness, and improved screening and diagnosis of autism are all possible reasons for the higher numbers, Dr. Michael D. Kogan of HRSA and colleagues report in Pediatrics.
They also report that boys were much more likely than girls to have autism, which has been shown previously, and white children were more likely than black children or multiracial children to have the disorder.
Parents of half the children with autism described the condition as 'mild.' Another third of parents described their child's condition as moderate, and the remaining parents described it as severe.
Approximately 38 percent of children seemed to have 'lost' their autism -- their parents said they had once been told that their child had an autistic disorder but their child did not currently have the condition.
It's possible, the researchers say, that autism was initially suspected but subsequently ruled out and never truly diagnosed. The high rate of 'lost' cases of autism among very young children (age 3 to 5) supports this line of thinking.
It's also possible that some children with 'developmental' issues and learning disabilities may have been initially diagnosed with autism to qualify for special education and other services.
Children who had 'lost' their autism were more likely to be diagnosed with other developmental or mental health conditions, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety problems, or behavioral problems.
'We are hopeful,' Arias said, 'that the new data will raise awareness about (autism), will help improve early identification and intervention, will provide information for policy and service planning, and most importantly help us meet the growing needs of individual families and communities who are affected by autism and other developmental disorders.'
SOURCE: Pediatrics, October 2009.
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved"
Mon Oct 5, 2009NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - You may have heard the oft-quoted statistic that autism affects 1 in 150 US children. Turns out it's more like 1 in 91 -- and about 1 in 58 boys, according to new figures released Sunday.
That's an estimated 673,000 US children -- or approximately 1 percent of all U.S. kids, the researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, and Harvard Medical School, Boston report in the journal Pediatrics.
Bob Wright, co-founder of the autism advocacy group Autism Speaks, told Reuters Health he's not at all surprised by the new figures. 'We've been screaming about the numbers going up; now there is a relatively complete recognition of it.'
'The statistical aspect of autism is just staggering,' he said, and not enough is being done about it. 'If we had 1 in 58 boys getting swine flu, the country would be crazy,' Wright said.
Autism is a brain disorder characterized by problems with social interaction, repetitive behavior and other symptoms. People with a mild version called Asperger's syndrome usually function relatively well in society, although they have problems relating to others. People with the most extreme symptoms may be unable to speak and may also suffer severe mental illness and retardation.
No one knows what causes autism -- it's generally thought to have genetic and environmental triggers -- and there is currently no good treatment.
Autism is 'an urgent public health concern,' Dr. Ileana Arias, deputy director of CDC, told reporters on a conference call Friday ahead of public release of the data.
The new data, she said, 'confirm that a concerted effort and a substantial national response is warranted in addressing the issue.'
On September 30, U.S. President Barack Obama promised a large infusion of funds into research on autism, as part of plans to spend $5 billion on medical and scientific research, medical supplies and upgrading laboratory capacity.
The new figures on autism cases stem from a 2007 telephone survey conducted jointly by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) and CDC.
More than 78,000 parents of children between the ages of 3 and 17 were asked whether they had ever been told by a health care provider that their child had autism, Asperger's syndrome, or another 'autism spectrum disorder' (ASD).
Based on these parent reports, the prevalence of ASD in 2007 was 110 per 10,000 children aged 3 to 17 (or 1 in 91). The new estimates are far higher than previous estimates of 66 autism cases per 10,000 children (or 1 in 150).
'We are extremely concerned about the apparent increase,' Dr. Arias said, but she urged caution in interpreting it. 'Unfortunately, the information that we currently have doesn't allow us to give a true account of whether the apparent increase is an actual increase or the result of changes in the way we describe or diagnose ASD,' she explained.
More inclusive survey questions, increased public awareness, and improved screening and diagnosis of autism are all possible reasons for the higher numbers, Dr. Michael D. Kogan of HRSA and colleagues report in Pediatrics.
They also report that boys were much more likely than girls to have autism, which has been shown previously, and white children were more likely than black children or multiracial children to have the disorder.
Parents of half the children with autism described the condition as 'mild.' Another third of parents described their child's condition as moderate, and the remaining parents described it as severe.
Approximately 38 percent of children seemed to have 'lost' their autism -- their parents said they had once been told that their child had an autistic disorder but their child did not currently have the condition.
It's possible, the researchers say, that autism was initially suspected but subsequently ruled out and never truly diagnosed. The high rate of 'lost' cases of autism among very young children (age 3 to 5) supports this line of thinking.
It's also possible that some children with 'developmental' issues and learning disabilities may have been initially diagnosed with autism to qualify for special education and other services.
Children who had 'lost' their autism were more likely to be diagnosed with other developmental or mental health conditions, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, anxiety problems, or behavioral problems.
'We are hopeful,' Arias said, 'that the new data will raise awareness about (autism), will help improve early identification and intervention, will provide information for policy and service planning, and most importantly help us meet the growing needs of individual families and communities who are affected by autism and other developmental disorders.'
SOURCE: Pediatrics, October 2009.
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved"
Friday, October 02, 2009
Miss Singapore World resigns after lingerie fraud
Reuters
Wed Sep 30, 2009. SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Beauty queen Miss Singapore World has given up her crown after it emerged that she had stolen credit cards to go on a shopping spree for lingerie.
Ris Low had come under public pressure to be stripped of her 2009 title, after local media reported she stole seven credit cards last year while working at a medical clinic, buying goods worth about S$8,000 ($5,662) including gold anklets and phones.
Organizers of the pageant ERM World Marketing said she had resigned Tuesday of her own accord. She will no longer represent Singapore at the Miss World finals to be held in South Africa in December, but her replacement has not yet been decided.
Low had also been criticized for her poor English, mispronouncing "bikini" in a recent video, leading others in multicultural Singapore to spring to her defense and soul-searching on websites about the national character.
"If there was a beauty contest for countries, how do you think Singapore would fare on the world stage? We seem to have the aesthetic qualifications. But with a very ugly personality," said blogger Solofigure09 on the Straits Times newspaper's website.
(Reporting by Neil Chatterjee; Editing by Alex Richardson)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
Wed Sep 30, 2009. SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Beauty queen Miss Singapore World has given up her crown after it emerged that she had stolen credit cards to go on a shopping spree for lingerie.
Ris Low had come under public pressure to be stripped of her 2009 title, after local media reported she stole seven credit cards last year while working at a medical clinic, buying goods worth about S$8,000 ($5,662) including gold anklets and phones.
Organizers of the pageant ERM World Marketing said she had resigned Tuesday of her own accord. She will no longer represent Singapore at the Miss World finals to be held in South Africa in December, but her replacement has not yet been decided.
Low had also been criticized for her poor English, mispronouncing "bikini" in a recent video, leading others in multicultural Singapore to spring to her defense and soul-searching on websites about the national character.
"If there was a beauty contest for countries, how do you think Singapore would fare on the world stage? We seem to have the aesthetic qualifications. But with a very ugly personality," said blogger Solofigure09 on the Straits Times newspaper's website.
(Reporting by Neil Chatterjee; Editing by Alex Richardson)
© Thomson Reuters 2009 All rights reserved
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