PLACEBO RELEASE 'TRIGGER HAPPY HANDS' T-SHIRT & MP3 DOWNLOAD

PLACEBO and ATTICUS Black have exclusively teamed up to release the storming new track 'Trigger Happy Hands' as a digital download along with a limited edition T-shirt, designed by Placebo and Atticus’ Paul Jackson.

When you buy the exclusive new T-shirt, you will receive a 320 KBPS download of the brand new studio recording of the track 'Trigger Happy Hands'

'It’s been great working with such a well respected clothing label as Atticus. We're really pleased to be able to release 'Trigger Happy Hands' in such a unique manner and this is the perfect way to do it’ - PLACEBO

The T-Shirt & MP3 download is available to purchase today, meaning you will have the new track instantly !

CLICK HERE to buy yours!

http://www.atticusblack.com/shop/t-shirts/placebo.html

Come and watch an incredible performance of 'Trigger Happy Hands' live at the 2010 Sonisphere festival in Knebworth, England.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HUXbm0YCneY

PEACE & LOVE

Christchurch big quake photos

Check them out here

http://www.crashbang.co.nz/quake040910/index.html

Oasis: What's Your Story? - Alessandro del Piero

Upload Picasa People Photos to Google Contacts

Picasa 3.8 makes it easier to upload pictures for your Google contacts. After scanning all the photos from your library and adding name tags to your photos, you can go to the Tools menu, select Upload and click on Upload People Thumbnails.


Picasa asks if "you want to upload and replace all the thumbnail photos from your People Albums to your Google Contacts". If you click on "Upload", Picasa saves the photos to Google Contacts and you can see them in Gmail or in any other application that synchronizes with Google Contacts (for example, Android's Contacts app or iPhone's Contacts app, if you use Google Sync).

If you don't want to upload photos for all your contacts, you can click on one of the people from Picasa's sidebar, right on a photo and select "Set as Google Contacts Thumbnail". You can also enable "Upload people album thumbnails to Google Contacts" from Tools/Options/Name Tags (or Picasa/Preferences/Name Tags on a Mac) to upload the new thumbnails you select in Picasa.

It's strange to see that Google didn't add this option to Picasa Web Albums and that the photos tagged in Picasa Web Albums aren't displayed in Google Contacts. Google could at least offer the option to pick one of the photos tagged in Picasa Web Albums when you add a picture to one of your contacts. Right now, you can only select a photo from your public albums.

Half of apartments in Shanghai, Beijing vacant

At least half of the apartments in Shanghai and Beijing are empty, the China Daily reported yesterday, citing an online investigation by volunteers conducted in 100 Chinese cities.

About 51 per cent of Shanghai apartments, 66 per cent of Beijing flats and more than 70 per cent of units in Hainan are vacant, according to the survey, based on counting the number of apartments observed to have no lights on at night. It was conducted on more than 1,000 real-estate projects and was organised by news website Sina.com, according to the report.

The finding comes as Shanghai Securities News reported yesterday that Shanghai property sales by floor area jumped 26 per cent last week from the previous week

“Investors and speculators are the owners of the vacant houses” as they wait to sell their properties at an appropriate time, said Mr Lu Qilin, a Shanghai-based researcher at Uwin. “It’s important for the government to introduce more measures to curb speculation,” he added.

Property prices in 70 major Chinese cities climbed 10.3 per cent last month from a year earlier, according to China Information News.

Source : Today – 18 Aug 2010

Auntie Driver Parking Fail

Singapore's 40 Wealthiest

Singapore's economic turnaround is gathering speed. The island-state, whose GDP shrank by 1.3% in 2009, is looking to surpass China to become Asia's fastest-growing economy. Its GDP, up 16% in the first quarter, is forecast to rise an impressive 13% to 15% this year. Though a slower revival elsewhere (notably in the U.S. and in China's lower than expected growth in the second quarter) have tempered the gains, the Straits Times Index has risen 12% since last year. The fortunes of the country's 40 richest reflect this resurgence: Their total net worth is $45.7 billion, up from last year's $39 billion.

The family of Ng Teng Fong, who was Singapore's richest individual last year and died in February, is at No. 1 with a combined net worth of $7.8 billion. While right now it isn't clear how the fortune is split among the family, it is one of the few that declined. Although Singapore's property sector overall has been performing well, their stake in Hong Kong developer Tsim Sha Tsui dropped on fears of a slowdown in China. Banker Wee Cho Yaw moved up two ranks to No. 3, as shares in his United Overseas Bank outperformed the market, gaining 17%.

Overall 26 on the list saw their wealth increase, including Malaysian citizen Ong Beng Seng and his wife, Christina Ong, who together are worth a billion for the first time thanks to the better performance of their hotel and retailing empire. Banker Lee Seng Wee also entered the billionaire ranks, in part because we've included the assets of all his siblings and children in his net worth. Another big gainer was chocolate king John Chuang, who is worth $295 million, up from last year's $190 million. Shares in his Petra Foods, which he founded with his brothers, surged nearly 50% since last year.

New to the list but probably not to Forbes Asia readers: New Zealand-born social entrepreneur Richard Chandler, who debuts at No. 5 with a $3.4 billion fortune. He established his Orient Global investment funds in Singapore in 2006, which he recently renamed R.F. Chandler. John Lim, who cofounded ARA Asset Management with Li Ka-Shing’s Cheung Kong Holdings, also makes his debut with a net worth of $202 million. Making a comeback after a two-year absence is retailer Ron Sim, whose company, OSIM, which sells massage chairs and health care products, climbed out of the red after writing off its loss-making investment in U.S. retailer Brookstone.

Only seven on the list are poorer than they were in 2009. Concerns about Beijing's interventions in the property market took a toll on real estate tycoon Zhong Sheng Jian, who made his fortune off China's property boom. His net worth of $1.8 billion was off 10% from last year. Vivian Chandran, who cashed out of her late husband's marine fuel company Chemoil earlier this year, took a hit by selling her 51% stake at a 21% discount to the market price.

A minimum net worth of $190 million was needed to make the cut, up from $135 million in 2009. Four of last year's top 40 failed to make the grade, including shipbuilder Brian Chang, who dropped off the list after four years. Wong Ngit Liong, who runs electronics maker Venture Corp., and Goh Lik Tuan also fell just short.

Public fortunes were calculated using share prices and exchange rates as of July 14. For privately held assets, we estimated what they would be worth if public. This ranking, unlike Forbes' list of the world's billionaires, includes numerous family fortunes shared by individuals with their children and grandchildren, or with their siblings. Where family fortunes are held by extended families, such as the Kwek cousins, we split them into separate entries.

Malaysia may close more dive sites hit by coral bleaching

KUALA LUMPUR - Malaysia may close three more popular dive sites in the South China Sea which have been hit by coral bleaching blamed on global warming, an official said Wednesday.

Last week authorities announced the closure of nine dive sites on the tropical islands of Tioman and Redang until the end of October in an attempt to relieve stress on the fragile marine ecosystems.

The two islands are located off the east coast of Malaysia in the South China Sea.

Marine authorities said they were studying a proposal to shut down three more sites on Redang island after resort operators said they detected coral bleaching and wanted the diving spots closed.

"We have received the proposal, we will study it and verify the matter," a marine park official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The dive sites will only be closed if more than 60 percent of the coral has been damaged, she added.

The closure would give the coral a chance to regenerate and would remove stress caused by tourism-related activities such as diving.

Coral bleaching, which can eventually kill corals, occurs when stresses such as rising sea temperatures disrupt the delicate, symbiotic relationship between the corals and their host organisms.

The marine department has said 60 to 90 percent of the coral in some areas of the closed sites has been damaged.

The reefs in Redang and Tioman island attract some 500,000 tourists annually.

- AFP/ir