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.

Child laborers toil in Thai seafood factories

CNN Website:- http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/04/24/thailand.child.labor.reut/index.html

Stories like Nampeung's are more common than you think in poverty-stricken countries. Born in Thailand to parents with little skills, Nampeung has took it upon herself to help her parents make ends meet by taking on a job at the local seafood factory peeling prawn shells. Considered one of the high-earners among the other kids at the factory, Nampeung takes home about USD$9 a day in an industry that rakes in about USD$2 billion yearly. Surprisingly, half of the exported shelled prawns go to the United States of America thru retail companies such as Walmart. It is surprising that one of most vocal nations against child labour are the ones financing it.

I suppose industries that exploit child labour are a necessary evil. Where-else would poor families be able to get extra money to feed themselves? Besides, youngsters in poor countries often resort to crimes such as theft, robberies and fraud to "earn" extra buck, at least these children working in a proper factory are acting responsibly.

Of course one might say that it is a short-time and narrow minded solution to poverty. One certainly cannot expect a child like Nampeung to go on shelling prawns for the rest of her life! Certainly not in this day and age where technology is so rampant and precise that it can even perform surgery on delicate body parts! Sooner or later, she would be replaced and rendered unnecessary by machines that shell prawns faster than she can say, "Give me work!". Therefore I think that the best thing for developing countries such as Thailand, would be to educate them in the area of labour intensive industries and heavy industries for the male. That way, students can both be studying and working for a salary almost simutaneously ensuring that he or she gets an education without having to go hungry because there is no money at home. Also, governments instead of banning child labour should actually legalise it as it would not benefit anyone if it went underground. If it is legalised, governments would be able to help these children demand a better salary. It is shameful to learn that Nampeung, a top-earner at her factory, earns only $9 a day from an industry that rakes in $2 billion a year! I believe that the main offense in child labour is not that a child is made to work but because he or she is paid peanuts for it.

Hip-hop's Simmons: Remove offensive words

CNN Website:- http://www.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/Music/04/23/usa.hiphop.reut/index.html

In an unprecedented move to "clean-up" the language in the entertainment industry, an executive of a hip-hop record label has suggested to eliminate various curse words from the recording industry.

The hip-hop industry has all along been notorious for its gun-wielding, drug abuse and cursing culture. Intense gang-rivalry between rap stars resulted in the death of artistes Tupac and Notorious BIG. It is also widely understood that the use of swear words in songs add to a hip-hop artistes street credentials, one of the more noticeable ones would be the world-famous rap artiste Eminem. It is also no secret that songs that often objectify women and promote promiscuity are eagerly lapped up by listeners and constantly make the number one spot on music charts. So it is indeed very surprising that an executive of a top hip-hop recording label company has come out to suggest the idea of pulling the plug on curse words in songs.

I honestly do not think it is going to work out in the hip-hop scene. In a world, where it is cool to be seen as a gangster, it is hard to imagine hip-hop artistes "expressing" themselves using civilised language, after all it is definitely NOT the kind of image they want to portray in front of their fans. If they do so, they would risk losing millions of dollars in record sales and endorsement deals just to sound politically correct! I am afraid to say that the tone has been set already in the hip-hop scene and being "bad" helps you get paid, after all it is a business. Some people might say that this is a bad reason for "justifying" what hip-hop artistes are singing about and that evil prevails when good men fail to act, they forgot that evil simple prevails.

Students hide from Hitler's legacy

CNN Website:- http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/europe/04/19/moscow.hitler.ap/index.html

A Russian university has decided to ban its foreign students from leaving their dormitories in fear that they would be victims of neo-nazi attacks and ethnic violence during and around Hitler's birthday.

It has been reported that around Hitler's birthday, neo-nazi fanatics gather in groups to taunt and attack people of foreign origin. Some have even set fire to buildings occupated by foreigners such as university dormitories. Upon locking their students in, the university has even gone as far as to cancel classes. It is indeed sad and infuriating to see these extremists hindering these students' way of life.

Although some might feel that the university has acted commendably, I feel that they could have gone one better. It is a terrible shame when we have to give in to people who terrorise us by losing our liberties, in this case, the freedom of the students. Would it not make more sense to work with the local police and clamp down on neo-nazi activities during the period surrounding Hitler's birthday? I reckon the authorities should send out a message that terrorism in this form will not be allowed to prevail. I shudder to think what would become of the United States if they banned flights every September 11th in fear that there might be another attack on the anniversary of history's bloodiest terrorist attack.