Football: Turns out Man U aren't welcome now

Channel News Asia Website:- http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sportsnews/view/275084/1/.html

Newly crowned English Premier League Champions Manchester United have been told that one leg of their Asian Pre-season tour has to be cancelled as it is happening too close to the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup and hence would draw attention and prestige away from it. Disappointed Malaysian fans of Manchester United have expressed outrage and sadness over the Malaysian footballing body and the AFC for their decision.

Personally as a football fan I am disgusted that the relevant authorities have decided to intervene and "decide" on which match the football fans of Malaysia should and should not watch. They have decided for every fan in that football crazy nation that they should be watching the less entertaining and not so prestigious Asian Cup final instead of a sterling, professional, star-studded side such as Manchester United. It really surprised me to read that the heads of the relevant authorities view Manchester United a competition for viewership and attention when CLEARLY there is no competition at all to begin with! Honestly how many football fans here in Asia would choose to watch a second-rate tournament with unknown players of which some are only part-time footballers than watch a world-renowned team from Europe? Wouldn't it be better for those Malaysia fans to just go down to a local football field and watch a sunday football game among old men a la kampong style?

Needle-free device measures blood sugar

CNN Website:- http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/conditions/05/07/diabetes.sugar.reut/index.html

It never ceases to amaze me just what technology can do these days. Hong Kong scientists have managed to develop a device that measures one's blood sugar level without having to prick a finger to obtain blood. Diabetic patients now can easily measure their blood sugar level without having to subject themselves to any pain or difficulty.

What difficulty you might ask? Many people have the opinion that only downside of the current technic of measuring blood sugar level, that is using a magnetic strip to absorb a blood specimen from a pricked finger, is that it hurts. Many do not realise that there is a large number of senior citizens out there who have difficulty taking their blood sugar level because they are too slow to take the blood specimen using the magnetic strip. Some even take the blood specimen on the wrong side of the strip and stick it into the device, obtaining a false reading. But now thanks to this new innovation, senior diabetic patients can now easily obtain their blood sugar levels with up to 85% efficiency and accuracy.

The scientists responsible for this latest innovation went on to add that they are looking forward to the day medical treatments and tests can be administered without pain and that is looking to be a very possible thing. Just recently, the Singapore Dental Association introduced a new form of anaesthesia that does not require the injection of anaesthetics into one's gums, saving the patient from the painful sensation of having a needle in one's gums. Maybe someday in the distant future, one might be able to extract blood for tests or simply blood donation without having to feel any pain inserting a needle would bring. That would greatly boost the blood bank's efforts to obtain blood from more donors who stay away from such donation drives due to the fear of needles.

Paris Hilton sentenced to 45 days in jail

CNN Website:- http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/TV/05/04/paris.hilton.ap/index.html

"Ludicrous", "Uncalled for" and "Inappropriate" were just some of the adjectives used to describe Paris Hilton's jail sentence for driving on a suspended drivers' license.

Already having been suspended for drink-driving charges, Paris Hilton thought she could get away driving using her suspended drivers' license and has hence been sentenced by a California court to 45 days of imprisonment. Looks like the "Simple Life" she so yearned for has finally caught up on her.

Judging from what Ms. Hilton did, it is clear that she has completely no regard whatsoever for the law and this sentence will once again remind all celebrities, no matter how popular they are, that they are not above the law. Ms. Hilton's attorney reckons that she was given that sentence not so much because of the severity of the offence but because of who she was and I think that he has got it spot on. Being such a high-profile celebrity, Ms. Hilton clearly knows better than anyone that her life is under intense scrutiny. What kind of message would the judicial system in California be sending out the public if she managed to get away with disregarding the law? If the judge were to hand out a fine and a suspended jail sentence, it would not affect Ms. Hilton at all, after all money is what she has got.

Battle for a chimp to get 'person' status

CNN Website:- http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/05/04/austria.chimp.ap/index.html

I must say I had to double-check the dates upon reading this article to make sure it was not an April Fools' joke played by the CNN website team.

An Austrian chimp is caught in the middle of a legal battle whether or not he gets to be declared "legally" a 'person'!

Apparently, this chimp enjoys television, likes to paint and has a sweet-tooth and hence should be treated just like another person who shares the same interest.

I find it humorous that, get this, Animal Rights Activists are fighting for this chimp's rights to be regarded a person! The fact that they are called animal rights activists already shows that this chimp is nothing more than a beast and should never be elevated to the status of human! I just cannot see what this fuss is all about!

Having made sterling contributions to the arts scene in the form of famous composers such as Mozart, Johann Strauss, Beethoven and in more recent times, the world-renowned Vienna Boys' Choir, it is my hope that Austria would not go about making a mockery of itself by giving in to these over-zealous activists who are fighting for "human" rights for this animal just so that after a shelter that houses these chimps are closed, they have the right to own a property and have a place to stay. If that were to happen, the judicial and legal system in Austria would be made a terrible mockery of.

Battle for a chimp to get 'person' status

CNN Website:- http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/05/04/austria.chimp.ap/index.html

I must say I had to double-check the dates upon reading this article to make sure it was not an April Fools' joke played by the CNN website team.

An Austrian chimp is caught in the middle of a legal battle whether or not he gets to be declared "legally" a 'person'!

Apparently, this chimp enjoys television, likes to paint and has a sweet-tooth and hence should be treated just like another person who shares the same interest.

I find it humorous that, get this, Animal Rights Activists are fighting for this chimp's rights to be regarded a person! The fact that they are called animal rights activists already shows that this chimp is nothing more than a beast and should never be elevated to the status of human! I just cannot see what this fuss is all about!

Having made sterling contributions to the arts scene in the form of famous composers such as Mozart, Johann Strauss, Beethoven and in more recent times, the world-renowned Vienna Boys' Choir, it is my hope that Austria would not go about making a mockery of itself by giving in to these over-zealous activists who are fighting for "human" rights for this animal just so that after a shelter that houses these chimps are closed, they have the right to own a property and have a place to stay. If that were to happen, the judicial and legal system in Austria would be made a terrible mockery of.