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Thursday, March 27, 2008
Monday, March 24, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Lead and Lead-Free
Lead
with the symbol Pb (Latin: plumbum) and atomic number 82. A soft, heavy, toxic and malleable poor metal, lead is bluish white when freshly cut, but tarnishes to dull gray when exposed to air. Lead is used in building construction, lead-acid batteries, bullets and shot, weights, and is part of solder, pewter, and fusible alloys. Lead has the highest atomic number of all stable elements, although the next element, bismuth, has a half-life so long (longer than the estimated age of the universe) it can be considered stable. Like mercury, another heavy metal, lead is a potent neurotoxin that accumulates in soft tissues and bone over time.
Lead is a poisonous metal that can damage nervous connections (especially in young children) and cause blood and brain disorders. Long term exposure to lead or its salts (especially soluble salts or the strong oxidant PbO2) can cause nephropathy, and colic-like abdominal pains. The concern about lead's role in cognitive deficits in children has brought about widespread reduction in its use (lead exposure has been linked to schizophrenia). Most cases of adult elevated blood lead levels are workplace-related.[13] High blood levels are associated with delayed puberty in girls.[14]
Older houses may still contain substantial amounts of lead paint. White lead paint has been withdrawn from sale in industrialized countries, but the yellow lead chromate is still in use; for example, Holland Colours Holcolan Yellow. Old paint should not be stripped by sanding, as this produces inhalable dust.
Lead salts used in pottery glazes have on occasion caused poisoning, when acid drinks, such as fruit juices, have leached lead ions out of the glaze.[citation needed] It has been suggested that what was known as "Devon colic" arose from the use of lead-lined presses to extract apple juice in the manufacture of cider. Lead is considered to be particularly harmful for women's ability to reproduce. For that reason, many universities do not hand out lead-containing samples to women for instructional laboratory analyses.[citation needed] Lead acetate (also known as sugar of lead) was used by the Roman Empire as a sweetener for wine, and some consider this to be the cause of the dementia that affected many of the Roman Emperors.[15]
Lead as a soil contaminant is a widespread issue, since lead is present in natural deposits and may also enter soil through (leaded) gasoline leaks from underground storage tanks or through a wastestream of lead paint or lead grindings from certain industrial operations.
Biochemistry of lead poisoning
In medicine, lead inhibits α-aminolevulinate (ALA) dehydratase and ferrochelatase, preventing both porphobilinogen formation and the incorporation of iron into protoporphyrin IX, the final step in heme synthesis. This causes ineffective heme synthesis and subsequent microcytic anemia.Friday, March 21, 2008
Gold Price Tumble
Main Reasons:
1) Commodity drops after the Federal Reserve lowered benchmark interest rates by three-quarters of a percentage point
2) Demand is less, correction coming
3) Money has been used for more wisely investment. Example: Property
SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Gold dropped more than 2 percent to its lowest level in a month on Thursday amid a broad-based sell off in commodities and as funds cashed in after pushing the metal to a record above $1,000 an ounce this week.
Platinum, palladium and silver also fell. New York's COMEX gold futures fell over 3 percent to hit their lowest in more than four weeks, while Shanghai futures sank by their 5 percent limit.
Gold tumbled to as low as $920.30 an ounce, down from $944.20/945.00 late in New York on Wednesday and off Monday's record high of $1,030.80 an ounce.
"We have to see whether the funds will continue selling. If they do, of course there is a possibility that it will go down and test $900," said Ronald Leung, director of Lee Cheong Gold Dealers in Hong Kong.
A smaller-than-expected U.S. interest rate cut was an excuse for the funds to exit gold and the absence of Japanese speculators also exaggerated movements, said Leung.
Gold tumbled 6 percent on Wednesday, its biggest one-day percentage drop in nearly two years as funds exited commodities, leading to declines in oil, base metals and agricultural products. Trading was thin on Thursday as the Tokyo Commodity Exchange was closed for a national holiday.
"The upshot is we hold our current view that gold prices will fall over the next six months as the U.S. dollar firms and oil prices fall," ANZ senior commodities analyst Mark Pervan said.
"We forecast spot gold to fall to $850 an ounce by the end of September before firming back towards $900 an ounce by end of the year as oil prices bottom."
Gold futures for April delivery on the COMEX division of the New York Mercantile Exchange fell $8.2 an ounce to $937.1 an ounce, after hitting a low of $915. The contract struck a record of $1,033.90 on Monday.
"It is most probably liquidation on margin calls. It looks like players are exiting the market after gold hit the $1,030 level and there's no reason for physical buyers to buy at high levels," said a dealer in Singapore.
"Retailers are also starting to cash in. That's why I think the market will still fall for another day. It's hard to say where the support level is, but I think it's going to fall below $900 today," he said.
The dollar firmed against the euro and came near 1-month highs versus the Australian dollar on Thursday, underpinned by sliding gold and oil prices, falling stocks and in spite of investor anxiety over troubled credit markets.
Spot platinum fell to $1,885/1,890 an ounce from $1,900/1,910 -- off a record high of $2,290 hit on March 4.
Silver dropped to $18.12/18.17 an ounce from $18.38/18.43 an ounce. Spot palladium fell to $447/454 an ounce from $455/460 an ounce.
The most active June contract on the Shanghai Futures Exchange fell by 5 percent to 214.55 yuan a kilogram, tracking declines in cash gold.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The World's Most Innovative Companies
#1 GOOGLE
The faces and voices of the world's most innovative company.
#2 APPLE
Careful readers of this magazine may be scratching their heads right now, in light of our recent cover story laying out the many challenges facing Apple. But the company has had, indisputably, one hell of a run. In the past year alone, three major new products -- iPhone, iPod Touch, and Leopard OS -- fueled triple-digit revenue growth. So while analysts forecast a more earthbound Apple in 2008, it deserves praise. And extra points for style.
#3 FACEBOOK
In 2007, the social-networking juggernaut had variously impressed with its ability to reinvent the wheel (opening its platform to outside developers) and drawn cyberpickets with its boneheaded missteps (trying to sell advertising by telegraphing its users' every move). But after a year lived dangerously, Facebook is officially A-list, with a $15 billion valuation to boot, thanks to Microsoft's $240 million investment. That's nothing to throw a sheep at.
#4 GE
GE makes our list not on reputation but on the strength of its breakthrough products. Among them: an HD CT scanner that reduces radiation exposure by half, a reengineering of the best-selling CF34 jet engine for the booming Chinese aviation market, and a hybrid locomotive that cuts emissions by 50% -- evidence that Ecomagination is more than just marketing babble. Coming up, commercially viable OLED lighting by 2010.
#5 IDEO
Nobody can accuse the Palo Alto -- based design firm of taking on easy clients in 2007. The CDC asked Ideo to help tackle childhood obesity; the Acumen Fund enlisted the shop to collaborate on delivering clean water in the developing world; and the Red Cross hired it to help encourage blood donations. "As social issues increasingly become business issues," says Ideo CEO Tim Brown, "this will be a critical new direction for design." Of course, there were awards too. The company's designs for the Eclipse 500 Very Light Jet cabin and cockpit instrument panel won IDEA Gold medals, as did its LCD monitor for Samsung. But it was Ideo's "Keep the Change" campaign for Bank of America that had perhaps the most impact. Based on research showing that boomer women with kids tend to round up their financial transactions, Ideo developed a service that rounds up debit card purchases to the nearest dollar, then transfers the monetary difference from the customer's checking account to her savings. In its first year, 2.5 million customers signed up.
#6 NIKE
You expect fancy footwear from Nike. But its latest masterstroke is social networking, online and off. From events to the Web to unique retail hubs, Nike is blurring the line between brand and experience.Mark Borden
#7 NOKIA
Once a maker of wood products and tires, the Finnish firm has thrived in the wireless world. Today, Nokia has a 37% (and growing) share of the global cell-phone market, more than twice that of its closest competitor, Motorola. How? A two-tiered design process that identifies the "remarkable similarities in what global consumers want and need in their mobile devices," says senior design manager Rhys Newman, then adds local insight. Bright colors are key to success in India, China, and the Middle East, "where a phone can show status," he says. Markets with low literacy rates get phones without written menus. The company's next challenge is to gain momentum in the U.S., where it has less than 10% of the market. It's betting big on the feature-rich N95 smartphone -- and a strategy of welcoming third-party apps.
#8 ALIBABA
When Alibaba went public last November and raised a stunning $1.5 billion -- the biggest Internet IPO since Google's -- it also raised eyebrows around the world. But probably not those of founder Jack Ma, who back in 1999 recognized that China's 42 million small and medium-size companies (the vast majority of businesses in the country) just might create some opportunities for e-commerce. Alibaba provides a point-and-click system for suppliers to get online and connect with distributors and consumers all over the world. The Chinese site today boasts 16 million users, and the English iteration has 9 million. Watch out, eBay.
#9 AMAZON
Without much fanfare, Amazon has more than tripled its revenues since 2002, to $13 billion. The key: giving customers choices, not just among products, but also between buying from Amazon directly or from outside vendors on the site. Amazon's new digital offerings -- in e-books, videos, and music -- present a fresh menu of options. The company's digital music store, launched in May, already comprises 3 million songs, all compatible with any device and any music software. Similarly, Unbox allows Amazon customers to rent or buy films and TV shows, and watch them on a variety of players. In an era of fighting formats and fears of piracy, that's uncommonly ecumenical.
#10 NINTENDO
By now you know the story: After Sony and Microsoft kicked the Mario out of Nintendo's GameCube in the Video Game War of 2001, the cutest and smallest of the three platform makers needed a new plan. "Nintendo took a step back from the technology arms race and chose to focus on the fun of playing, rather than cold tech specs," says Reggie Fils-Aime, president of Nintendo of America. The resulting Wii system, with its intuitive motion-sensitive controller and interactive games, appealed not only to teen boys but also to their sisters, moms, and dads. In 2007, Wii outsold both the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. But get this: Unlike its competitors--which lose money on each console and earn it back on software -- Nintendo turns a profit on its consoles, makes more selling games, then takes in still more in licensing fees. "Not to sound too obvious," Fils-Aime says, "but it makes good business sense to make a profit on the products you sell." Wall Street thinks so too. The company's stock has more than doubled over the past year. Nintendo's upset is doing more than attracting new gamers and bruising Sony and Microsoft. Says Sega of America president Simon Jeffery: "It has opened doors of creativity throughout the video-game business."
#11 PROCTER & GAMBLE
When Procter & Gamble's stock tanked by more than half in 2000, CEO A.G. Lafley knew he was facing the dilemma of giant companies everywhere: Despite pouring money into R&D, P&G couldn't create new products fast enough to keep growing. The only way out, Lafley realized, was to innovate innovation. So he launched the Connect + Develop program, which allows outside developers to get their concepts and designs into P&G's product pipeline. An applicator developed by Cardinal Health (now Catalent), for example, helped P&G launch Olay Regenerist Eye Derma-Pods, now its top-selling skin-care item. Today, 42% of P&G products have an externally sourced component. And this giant is growing: Revenues rose 8%, to $78 billion, last fiscal year, while profits climbed 14%, to $11 billion.
#12 NEWS CORP.
As if buying MySpace didn't cement News Corp. as a maverick, Murdoch & Co. last year pledged to go carbon neutral by 2010, launched the Fox Business Network, and, oh yeah, snapped up Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal.
#13 AFFYMETRIX
Imagine going for a half-hour doctor's visit and coming out with a treatment plan tailored to your unique genetic blueprint. That's the vision at Santa Clara, California-based Affymetrix, which makes lab tests that scan tissue samples for variations in thousands of genes. The company banked an estimated $405 million in revenue last year, a payday spurred by the Amplichip test -- developed in partnership with Roche Diagnostics -- which identifies people who metabolize drugs slowly and therefore are especially vulnerable to side effects. Now the race is on to develop advanced tests for genetic predisposition to heart disease and the most common types of cancer.
Photograph: Chris Greenberg/The New York Times/Redux
#14 DISNEY
Two years into the job, CEO Bob Iger continues to mold Disney into the digital-media innovator to watch. ABC was the first network to sell TV episodes on iTunes and to stream them for free on its Web site. Pirates of the Caribbean and High School Musical showed multiplatform agility. And Pixar's latest hit, Ratatouille, was a masterful blend of technical brilliance, artistry, and narrative that evoked Walt's original magic. Pixar cofounder Ed Catmull, now president of Pixar and Disney Animation Studios, is encouraging the Big Mouse to rediscover and build on its rich tradition.
FC: How are you reviving hand-drawn animation?Ed Catmull: People focus on the art of the old Disney films, not the interplay between art and technology. Disney did the first blue-screen matting, the first multiplane camera. We brought back that interplay. The art and technology inspire each other. One of our experiments is going paperless. Changes are easier on a digital tablet.
What worked at Pixar that is now helping Disney?Catmull: We've made two short films at Disney like we do at Pixar. A small team does everything--the story, the technology--and it allows them to stretch. "Glago's Guest" is more somber and realistic than the usual Disney look.
How do you encourage innovation?Catmull: In a hierarchy, everyone is working for the person making the film, but we push control far down into the organization. Does everyone own the project? Are we taking an honest-to-goodness risk? If we're not scared, really scared, we're not doing a good project.
#15 SAMSUNG
The first bendable OLED screen. An ultrathin double-sided LCD. A solid-state drive to replace the hard disk in your laptop. And soon, in a collaboration with game company Reactrix: a TV that lets viewers move what's on the screen with the wave of a hand. Just a taste of the impact of the world's fastest-growing consumer-electronics company.
#39 TOYOTA
The year 2007 will go down as a historic one for Toyota, its 50th in the United States. The company won 16% of the American market -- more than double its share 10 years ago -- and passed Ford to take the number-two spot in U.S. car sales, despite an uncharacteristic slip in quality ratings. The company unveiled its next-gen Prius (due in 2010), a plug-in with a carbon-fiber body, but ironically, its most successful rollout was the redesigned Tundra pickup. Toyota sold 3,800 of the jumbo 18-mpg trucks per week this year -- 300 more than Prius.
#40 REAL D
When Beowulf hit theaters in November, it marked the dawn of the next -- some say ultimate -- wave of 3-D movies. Making the display possible was a California outfit called Real D, whose technology uses circularly polarized light from digital projectors, avoiding the eye fatigue of the old 3-D. Theaters are banking that the technology will stop the box-office slide, and Hollywood's biggest players have projects in the pipeline. That's not enough for Real D: "Our view is that 3-D images change the business on all visual displays," says CEO Michael Lewis, who envisions Real D at home and even on mobile screens. The company is already experimenting with alternative content, from multiplayer in-theater video games to an NBA game converted into 3-D in real-time. A U2 3-D concert film (above) is out now.
#41 MICROSOFT
Critics like to crow about Redmond's stumbles. The struggling Zune. The Xbox 360's "red ring of death." And as for Vista, well, cue the clearing of throats. Then again, ever hear of a little game called Halo 3? And maybe you missed the biggest surpise to emerge out of the PR squall this year, the tabletop computer Surface, a foray into multitouch technology that rivals the iPhone in coolness. Windows and Office continue their dominance, of course, and Microsoft's stock was up about 20% in 2007.
#42 PAYLESS
Last September, when actresses Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill) and Brittany Snow (Hairspray) landed backstage in Lela Rose's showroom at New York Fashion Week, they swooned over the designer's new shoe collection that was about to debut on the runway. Rose, best known for $1,500 frocks, happily handed pairs of navy peep-toe pumps and polka-dot round-toe pumps over to the young celebs, who would soon be flaunting them on the sidelines of the catwalk. "Did they know they were Payless shoes?" says Rose, who's now designing her fifth exclusive line for the discounter. "Absolutely. They didn't care. They looked cute to them and that's all that mattered."
Payless? Since when did the dusty dungeon of cheap footwear have anything to do with the front lines of fashion? Since 2005, when Matt Rubel, who previously turned around Cole Haan, took the helm of the now $3.5 billion company and decided it needed a design intervention. While the 4,500-store chain had thrived for years on the low-price, self-service model it pioneered in the 1950s, the last decade saw the company losing the discount wars to beasts such as Wal-Mart. If thrift was no longer its competitive edge, reasoned Rubel, then Payless would have to design shoes that Sex and the City's Carrie Bradshaw would drool over at prices Roseanne could afford.
To do that, Rubel has injected a fashion sensibility into every arm of the Topeka, Kansas-based company. Last year, he built its first design studio in Manhattan and recruited Robert Mingione, Kenneth Cole's head of footwear, and Bernard Figueroa, top footwear designer for Michael Kors, to run it. Taking a cue from fashion democratizers like Target and H&M, he has lured up-and-comers such as Rose, Laura Poretzky, and Alice + Olivia's Stacey Bendet -- even Sex and the City's very own Patricia Field -- to design exclusive shoe and handbag lines that sell at higher prices and employ sophisticated materials such as silk crepe, snake skin, and perforated kidskin. At the retail level, Rubel has given a 21st-century facelift to the chain's 1970s-hued stores with two new formats. He has opened 22 "fashion labs" -- more-upscale hubs, with modern decor bathed in pristine white, that offer the pricier fashion-forward lines -- and retooled nearly 400 existing locations with an airier design that puts trendy collections in the spotlight. "More and more women who never would have shopped at Payless are becoming Payless customers," says Lori Holliday Banks, a senior analyst at fashion consultancy the Tobe Report. "Rubel's reinventing the whole self-service business."
Rubel, crowned Footwear News's Person of the Year for 2007, isn't stopping the extreme makeover there. In 2006, Payless nearly doubled its earnings. Then last spring, the CEO shook up the industry with two major acquisitions: $91 million for Collective Licensing International, a brand-management company that owns names such as Airwalk and American Eagle, and $800 million for Stride Rite Corp., whose brands include Keds and Saucony. Collective Brands Inc. (the parent company's new name) is now the largest non-athletic-shoe company in the western hemisphere, giving Rubel a triple threat of retail, wholesale, and licensing leverage. Says Rubel, who has become a regular at Fashion Week: "Initially it was pretty difficult getting designers on board to sell cheap shoes. Now we're getting phone calls from designers who want to work with us." -- Danielle Sacks
#43 AIRASIA
Seven years ago, former music exec Tony Fernandes paid 25 cents for an ailing carrier with two creaky planes and $12 million in debt. Today, AirAsia's bottom-of-the-pyramid strategy has created one of the world's fastest-growing, most-profitable carriers, with the lowest operating costs in the industry and fares as cheap as $3. "It's like our bus," says Yap Choo Ying, who runs a market stall in eastern Malaysia and now regularly jets to Kuala Lumpur to see her grandkids. In November, the Malaysian company made a risky bet by going long-haul, adding flights to Australia; this year, it will add flights to China and India, where billions of people have yet to take to the skies.
#44 CURRENT TV
"We wanted to democratize television," Al Gore told us last summer, of his quest to create a cable network that piped content pitched to -- and created by -- young people. But if the initial idea was Gore's, credit for Current TV's subsequent traction goes to CEO Joel Hyatt. Launched in August 2005, Current became profitable in 18 months. "I knew nothing, and I mean nothing, about the cable industry," Hyatt says. But that ignorance freed his team to dream big, and by the end of 2007, more than a third of Current programming was being created by viewers and delivered to Current via the Web. Hyatt reinvented the ad model as well, inviting the likes of Sony and Toyota to tap his audience's creativity; to date, 39 viewer-generated ads have aired.
#45 SUN MICROSYSTEMS
Data centers account for some 3% of world energy use, and Sun has taken that as a dare. Last year, its mad-scientist approach to energy efficiency -- and $2 billion R&D budget--caused ripples across the industry as the company released the UltraSPARC T2, the world's most efficient processor; Project Blackbox, the first modular data center; and a new Silicon Valley data center that increases computer power by 456% while cutting energy costs by more than 60%. With four straight profitable quarters for the first time since 2001 and 6% revenue growth, the forecast is sunny.
#46 BMW
The opening of the new $275 million BMW Welt (BMW World) in Munich was a high-water mark for the automaker's marketing department. Some 1 million pilgrims a year are expected to push their noses to the glass; 45,000 customers will pick up their cars here. But there's a better reason BMW remains the world's number-one premium marque. After overhauling its much-criticized onboard computer, the company has refocused on what's important: the badass automobile. Look for the $30,000 rear-wheel-drive 1-Series coupe (debuting in the United States this year), the 2008 Mini Clubman (a supersize version of the Cooper), and, most impressive, the prototype Hydrogen 7. Yes, Honda has a hydrogen car too -- but if you're going to be stranded by the roadside for lack of H, wouldn't you rather it be in a BMW?
#47 TATA GROUP
Within the first 10 days of 2008, Ratan Tata, the magnate behind India's $72.8 billion Tata Group, made a reported $2 billion bid for Ford's Jaguar and Land Rover brands and unveiled its long anticipated $2,500 "People's Car" (called Nano) at a New Delhi auto show. Think about it: In the same week, India's largest conglomerate shook up both the high-end and the rock-bottom car markets, and made a clear statement that Indian business is not just a tech and outsourcing ghetto.
In truth, it wasn't the first time that Tata himself, the fifth generation in his family to run the company, had demonstrated his global savvy. In the 1990s, when he first took the helm of Tata, its trucking unit was posting the biggest losses in India's history. Since then, through a series of international acquisitions (Tetley Teas, steelmaker Corus), the 70-year-old has transformed the company into a mosaic of 100 diverse businesses. Clearly, Tata knows what India's 300-million-strong emerging middle class is hungry for. Apparently he knows the rest of us, too: This year, more than half of the company's revenue is expected to come from non-Indian operations.
#48 AKQA
Most interactive-ad shops master either the creative or the technical; AKQA is expert at both. Whether building a Pixar-quality interactive online universe for Coke's breathtaking "Happiness Factory" campaign (below), or masterminding a multimedia "alternate reality game" for Microsoft's Halo 3, the digital powerhouse doesn't just dream up mind-bending ideas, it actually writes the code that brings them to life. Which is why, after five consecutive years of profitability, AKQA is one of the most dangerous global forces in the ad industry. While ad holding companies and tech firms spent billions in 2007 to snap up digital shops, AKQA fended them off, opting instead for a $250 million investment from private-equity firm General Atlantic. In the meantime, the 700-person agency boosted revenues 39% to $100 million and added new clients such as Unilever, DoubleClick, and Cadbury Schweppes -- on top of existing accounts with Nike and McDonald's.
#49 PROSPER
"What we're really trying to do is to create an eBay for money and credit," says Chris Larsen, CEO of two-year-old Prosper (and founder of E-Loan, which he sold in 2005). The company melds the debt market with online social networking, allowing people to borrow money from one another without any banks in the middle. So far, Prosper has facilitated the transfer of more than $100 million, and delinquency rates have been low. Borrowers include stretched homeowners, college-goers, credit-card junkies, and entrepreneurs; lenders are average folks, including Larsen himself (who has funded more than 450 loans).
#50 BAIDU
We started this list with Google; we end it with a startup that has dared to go up against Google -- and has won the first round. Baidu, the king of Chinese search (60% market share in 2007), performs better in Mandarin and has more features customized for locals. Cofounder Robin Li is convinced that Baidu will "become bigger than Google," and he is in a hurry to get there: He recently launched a Japanese search engine, introduced search for ad-supported streaming music, and was first to offer mobile search in China.
Corrections: In the original version of this article the name of Sega of America president Simon Jeffery was misspelled. Also, the original version neglected to cite Roche Diagnostics as a partner with Affymetrix in developing the Amplichip test.
Monday, March 17, 2008
Health Hazard
Wondering do anyone of us notice how to pickup your mobile phone and put on the correct side of your ear.
The answer is to your LEFT ear from Scientists discovery.
Microwave from your mobile phone will trigger changes to protein structure in endothelial cells that allow toxins to enter your brain.
This is the right way of answering calls.
The answer is to your LEFT ear from Scientists discovery.
Microwave from your mobile phone will trigger changes to protein structure in endothelial cells that allow toxins to enter your brain.
This is the right way of answering calls.
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Childhood Greatest Love Song by 許茹芸
Still remember before Jolin Tsai, SHE was popular, the earlier popular single from Taiwan, Valen Hse. Not sure anyone know or remember her? She was popular in the 90's with her favourite Love songs. Some even gave her the nickname of "The Queen of Love Songs" with her sad ballads in Mandarin Chinese and some in Cantonese.
Today just coincidentally hear the song from FM and only until 2 minutes the song play, i only manage to identify is her, Valen Hsu!
Let's see..From the 1st album, 討好 release in Y1995 until today for the album 北緯六十六度, this single already recorded a record of 13 yrs in music career. From the latest album duel with
阿穆隆, her vocal was just exactly as 10 yrs before.
許茹芸 & 阿穆隆 - 男人女人 MTV
Friday, March 14, 2008
PG CM 1st Battle against PM
coutesy of MalaysiaKini
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has vehemently refuted Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi’s claim that he was stoking racial tension over the issue of dismantling the New Economy Policy (NEP) in the island state.
In a sign that could signal the start of a rocky relationship between the federal and the state governments, Lim has instead slammed Abdullah for seeking to provoke racial tensions with his allegations. “I said we will have an open-tender system (in Penang). What’s the problem with that? Unless Abdullah doesn’t like open tenders but corruption, cronyism and inefficiency.
“I don’t understand what has it (abolishing the NEP) got to do with marginalising the Malay or the Indian community. I think he is not right, (he’s) going on the wrong facts and trying to provoke (racial) sentiment,” Lim told a press conference after witnessing the swearing-in of 10 of his state excos at the Dewan Sri Pinang today.
Yesterday, Abdullah expressed his dismay over the plan by the DAP-led state government not to practise the NEP, an affirmative action policy which favours the bumiputeras.
“Do not marginalise the Malays. I want to ask Lim Guan Eng what are his plans for the Malays in Penang. What are his plans for the Indians in Penang. What are his plans for other minority groups in Penang?” said Abdullah.
Who hold the shares?
At the press conference, the Penang CM argued that the NEP was a source of corruption, citing the example of the unequal distribution of wealth, including shares which were ‘swallowed up’ by a few selected individuals.
“If they want to help Malaysians, I asked these people to ‘vomit out’ some of the (bumiputera) shares... Who hold these shares? Perhaps (Umno Wanita chief) Rafidah Aziz,” he claimed.
“We have not enacted any policy which marginalises a certain group. The only decision that we have made is to waive the (traffic and hawkers) summonses - tell me, which group loses out with that?
”In a sarcastic tone, Lim said the premier’s criticism could have been linked to his revelation yesterday that the RM25 billion project of the Penang Global City Centre (PGCC) had yet been approved by the local authorities.
“I understand why he may not be happy with my decision on the PGCC, but the PGCC is not even related to a Malay developer,” argued the Penang CM.The PGCC is undertaken by developer Abad Naluri, an associate company of Equine Capital Berhad which is controlled by the premier’s ally, businessman Patrick Lim.
Abdullah ‘not informed’
Lim also suggested that the prime minister might have made his criticism without checking out the facts beforehand.“The PM maybe provoked by Utusan Malaysia - that I wouldn’t know. (But) I understand, because when he launched the PGCC, he was not informed that the project was not even approved, still he went ahead and launched it - this could be just the same case,” a combative Lim said.
Asked on his assurance to the Malay community in the state that they would not be marginalised, Lim reiterated that his government is for all races.Meanwhile, PKR - DAP’s ally in the state government - gave the party’s backing to the Penang state government on the decision to do away with NEP.
“The NEP is no longer new - it has been there for 30 years and it has failed to a certain extent,” said Bayan Baru member of parliament Zahrain Mohamed Hashim, who is also PKR state chief.
“It’s time to explain to Malaysians about the Malaysian Economic Agenda which is fairer,” said Zahrain, referring to the need-based policy advocated by PKR de facto leader Anwar Ibrahim.
“The Malays would not be sidelined in the new state government, this is an assurance that Lim has given to me and it’s the duty of the state government to ensure all communities are taken care of,” said Zahrain.
Lim Guan Eng being attacked on populist policies
courtesy of MalaysiaKini
Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has said his two major announcements after taking office and which won accolades from the people were not meant to be populist policies.
This include his move to waive all summonses involving hawker licences and parking fees before the general election, as well as to appoint a Malay and an Indian as his deputies.
"If I want to make populist moves, I will cancel many more things, not just traffic summonses," he said in Penang today when asked to comment on whether he is running the state government as a populist government.
Elaborating on the decision, he said there have been a lot of complaints on how the summonses were issued and policies which were not carried out in a transparent manner.
"We want a fresh start since this is a new government that is a complete departure from the previous government. So let’s have a fresh start from March 11," he added, referring to the day that he was sworn in as the fourth chief minister of Penang.
While the move to waive the summonses was well-received by Penangites, critics had said this may not be an appropriate as it is done at the expense of the government’s coffer. Lim was uncertain about the exact figure when asked earlier.
Asked on the same subject today, the CM replied: "We have an estimate of the cost, we will work it out (but remember) all these collections you don’t get in full. We are trying to get a final amount."
Lim has also named its ally PKR’s Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin and DAP’s P Ramasamy as the DCM (I) and (II) respectively to show his government represents all communities.
The move was hailed by many parties as it was the first time an Indian has been appointed to such a high post, in the wake of grouses that the Indian community has long been marginalised.
The appointment of Mohammad Fairus as DCM (1) in the state is also seen as a move to pacify anxiety among the Malays in Penang, a minority group, that they will be sidelined by the predominantly Chinese DAP.
State exco line-up unveiled
Lim was met by reporters after witnessing 10 state executive councillors, including his two deputies, sworn in this morning at the Dewan Sri Pinang on the island. (See chart below)
The state exco line-up comprises seven representatives from the DAP and three from PKR.
They are DAP’s Chow Kon Yeow (Padang Kota), Wong Hon Wai (Air Itam), Lim Hock Seng (Bagan Jermal), Ong Kok Fooi (Berapit), Phee Boon Poh (Sungai Puyu), Law Heng Kiang (Batu Lanchang), PKR’s Law Choo Kiang (Bukit Tambun) and Abdul Malik Abul Kassim (Batu Maung).
On the line-up, the CM disagreed that the prominent portfolios - such as economic planning, local government and international trade - were all allocated to DAP representatives.
"I don’t think so, I think the portfolios are well distributed. It didn’t go to any particular party and (it was finalised) after discussion with PKR. I will reject that sort of analysis," he said.
"This is a government for all and I will have regular discussion with my two deputies," he added.
Penang PKR chief Zahrain Mohamed Hashim when asked on the same issue said he was of the view that the portfolios given to the party’s state representatives were "proportionate".
"I think the portfolios are very relevant to us and I have got the assurance from Guan Eng that I am free to discuss with him at anytime (on state’s matters)," he told reporters when met at the sidelines of the ceremony.
Other PKR representatives felt that the PKR and DAP will work together for the betterment of Penangites regardless of the posts given.
"Nobody is not important. Whatever the arrangement is, we shall cooperate with each other," said PKR’s Kebun Bunga state assemblyperson Jason Ong.
Bukit Tambun’s Law conceded he was surprised at first when he was told of the portfolio given to him as he was more familiar in the areas of education and business.
"But every portfolio is equally important," he stressed.
Thursday, March 13, 2008
The 1st good new from new PG Chief Minister
PENANG: New Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng has introduced a series of populist decisions from giving a one-time waiver of summonses issued by local councils to the abandoning of New Economic Policy measures by the state administration.
He said the state government also wanted to foster harmonious relations with the Federal Government in all respects and he would seek an appointment with Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi to discuss moves to address the needs of the people of Penang.
He said this during a press conference after being sworn in as Chief Minister at his new office in Komtar here yesterday.
Lim said the key areas of the new agenda for Penang included the economy, governance and social needs of the people.
He said the agenda for change would “re-establish rule by the rakyat.”
He also said that the Chief Minister, state exco members, speaker and deputy speaker, as well as the heads of the Penang and Seberang Prai municipal councils would be required to publicly declare their personal assets.
On the move to waive summonses issued by the Penang and Seberang Prai Municipal Councils before March 11, Lim said the move was to help reduce the burden faced by the people, especially the poor.
However, further offences of such nature would not be excused, he said.
Lim said he hoped to discuss with Abdullah the possibility of using Petronas’ proceeds to fully fund the construction cost of the Federal Government’s second Penang Bridge project.
He also hoped federal funding to Penang would not be affected by the change of government, adding that the funding was provided for under the Federal Constitution.
“I don't think Abdullah wants to see Penangites suffer just because they exercised their right to vote in the March 8 elections,” he said.
On how he felt being the Chief Minister, Lim replied: “Being a former prisoner, I did not expect to sit on the chief minister's chair. It is really a transformation and quite an experience for me.”
Singapore Apologizes for Terror Escape
Already 2 weeks from now since the prisoner escaped form jail on Feb 27.
SINGAPORE (AP) — The Singapore government apologized Thursday for the security lapse that allowed a suspected Islamic terrorist leader to escape from jail, triggering a manhunt across this usually well-policed island nation.
Authorities said Mas Selamat Kastari, who once allegedly plotted to hijack a plane and crash it into Singapore's international airport, slipped away Wednesday. He is said to be commander of the Singapore arm of Jemaah Islamiyah, a Southeast Asian extremist group allied with al-Qaida.
Minister of Home Affairs Wong Kan Seng said Mas Selamat escaped after being taken from his cell to go to a room for a scheduled visit by his family at the Whitley Road Detention Center, which is in a wooded residential area in central Singapore.
Mas Selamat, 47, was allowed to first go to the restroom and escaped from the heavily guarded facility, Wong said in Parliament, without offering any specifics.
"This should never have happened," said Wong, who is also deputy prime minister. "I am sorry that it had. An independent investigation is under way and we should not speculate on what and how it happened."
Security breaches are virtually unheard of in Singapore, a small and densely populated island whose sophisticated intelligence system has been liberally used to ensure order and safety in what is one of Asia's most prosperous financial and business centers.
Among the security service's biggest successes was pre-empting alleged plots to bomb the U.S. Embassy, the American Club and government buildings in 2001 — schemes in which Mas Selamat allegedly had a hand.
Singapore, a close ally of the United States, was named an al-Qaida target by Khalid Sheikh Mohamed, the suspected mastermind of the Sept. 11 terror attack, according to a transcript of his Combatant Status Review Tribunal last year at the U.S. prison in Guantanamo Bay.
The Home Affairs Ministry said in a statement that "extensive police resources have been deployed to track" down Mas Selamat, who walks with a limp.
Nepalese Gurkhas who guard the jail fanned out across a nearby snake-infested forest, checking vacant bungalows and peering down drains and back alleys of private housing areas.
Thousands of police officers and soldiers set up roadblocks to check passing cars. Dozens of riot police and military trucks parked along main roads.
Students arriving for class at a nearby girls' school were ushered through the gates by teachers and parents to an assembly hall where a school official told them "not to roam around."
Security was tightened at all of Singapore's land, air and sea entry ports, Wong said. It takes less than an hour to drive the length of the island and Indonesia and Malaysia are just short boat rides away.
Malaysia's police chief said his officers and border guards had been alerted to watch for Mas Selamat, who was being held under Singapore's Internal Security Act that allows indefinite detention without trial.
Indonesian security officials said they were prepared for the likelihood that Mas Selamat might attempt to come over.
Mas Selamat "would think Indonesia is the safest place" to hide out, said Nasir Abbas, a former Jemaah Islamiyah operative who now works closely with Indonesian police.
Similar News:Reuters: Escaped JI leader may head to Indonesia: experts
CNN International: Singapore: Terror suspect fled toilet
2 Deputy Chief Ministers to serve Lim Guan Eng
The new ethnic Chinese chief minister of Penang today picked a Malay and an Indian as his deputies, underlining the opposition's multiracial image.
Lim Guan Eng, head of DAP, was appointed chief minister yesterday after a stunning performance in weekend polls which handed Penang and three other states to a three-party opposition alliance.
Lim, who will govern one of the nation's richest states and the only one dominated by ethnic Chinese, appointed Penanti assemblyman Mohammad Fairus Khairuddin of PKR and Prai assemblyman Dr P. Ramasamy of DAP.
Ramasamy, a former political science lecturer at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, described his appointment as "an historic moment".
"There has never been an ethnic Indian deputy chief minister before and the appointment shows the DAP is living up to its electoral promise to represent all races," he said.
On the RM25bil Penang Global City Centre (PGCC), Lim said he had just been informed by the Penang Municipal Council and the state Town and Country Planning Department that the project had yet to be approved.
"We were all given the impression when Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi launched the project that it was already approved. Apparently this is not so," he said.
Lim said since the project was not approved yet, the question of reviewing or cancelling it did not arise.
He said the state government would process the developer's application according to the normal procedure, and a decision would be made accordingly on whether to approve or reject it.
As to unhappiness from law-abiding citizens on the one-time waiver of summonses for offences involving hawker licences and parking issued by the Penang and Seberang Prai Municipal Councils before March 11, Lim said those who paid the summonses felt they deserved to do so.
"We received many complaints from hawkers and motorists that the summoness issued to them were unjustified as they felt they had not done anything wrong," he said.
DAP seeks to recast its image
Analysts said Lim's efforts will cement the opposition's unprecedented polls performance against the Barisan Nasional - a coalition of 14 race-based parties - and recast the image of the DAP as a predominantly Chinese party.
"I think this reflects the extra sensitivities given by the DAP to reflect its brand of multiracial policies," said James Chin, a political science professor at Monash University's campus in Kuala Lumpur.
"Now they can tell the whole world that they are truly a multiethnic party."
The weekend elections, which deprived the government of its two-thirds parliamentary majority for the first time in its half-century history, has shattered the nation's race-based political scene.
Opposition figurehead Anwar Ibrahim's PKR has also emerged as a truly multiracial party, with lawmakers and supporters from all three races - posing a direct threat to BN.
Previously, it had touted itself as the only institution that could claim to represent Malaysia's racial spectrum.
Gerakan, a component party of BN which had ruled Penang since 1969, was wiped out in the March 8 polls. It only fielded ethnic Chinese candidates.
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Rakyat Rules, Rakyat Powers!
This will be unbelievable. Too good to be truth!The top story in the newspaper today is "Political Tsunami".
DAP wins all contested in PG for state and parliamentary seats!
A stunning results that no one, rakyat, BN,not even those in the Opposition, had expected!
DAP score a clean sheet in Penang although many members are new faces in politician.
Penangite voted for changes
Penangite shows democratic
Penangite are people power (makkal sathi!)
Chinese had translated their political disenchantment into votes
Malay votes had swung into PKR (strongly believe affected by cost-of-living)
The people of penang had spoken! penangite’s power! we had voted BN out!
YES, penangite voted for change! and voted for change - yes! that’s the power of the people! we need a change! Our new CM will be DAP’s secretary-general, Lim Guan Eng.
This should open the eyes of BN - now they should know the people had been unhappy with them
The next will be on how opposition able to promote and make the reality for Penang as
"Malaysia for Malaysians"
Results from Bernama:
My 1st time in Election
This is my 1st time voting for Malaysia as an Malaysian who live in Penang for the past 25yrs!
Woke up late in the morning since i know morning will be a very jammed and long time for the early birds to reach to their respective polling station.
The weather is very good, hot and shine sun in the morning. My polling station is very near to my house, SM Sungai Nibong. Taught of walking to the station but the weather start changing to black loud and rainy day seems to start as what predicted in the weather report. Without any delay, change my cloths and direct go to the polling station. You may easily get the direction to the polling school/station since some huts have been setting up to assists voters. When directed to SPR counter, the officer will help check your IC to issue you a polling counter (saliran). Mine is on counter #5.
The counter is at 2nd floor. Surprisingly, i no need to queue at the designated polling counter/station. Inside the classroom, I’d see a table with 3 SPR staffs, handling the voters; a table with 2 observers, checking on the voters ID; another table for the polling officer, right opposite the SPR staffs table; a table for the ballot boxes and 2 tables for voters to cast their votes. The SPR staffs will signalled you to come inside, one person will check your IC again and reads out your serial number, your IC number and your full name, loudly. Seriously, it’s kinda weird having a stranger calling out your full name and full IC number in front of a group another strangers. Another SPR staff will hand-out 2 ballot papers to you (one is for DUN candidate and the other one is for Parliament candidate).
Once i got the ballot paper, it seem weird that you will notice serial number on it. There are 2 voting booth for you to cast you votes for the state and parliamentary seats assembly man. What a surprise to know you actually cast your vote with a "pencil". Dam.. Once cast my votes, i quickly folded them into half and drop it to the transparent boxes according to the colour.
I'm done my duty. I think less than 10mins to complete all the process. How about you?
Woke up late in the morning since i know morning will be a very jammed and long time for the early birds to reach to their respective polling station.
The weather is very good, hot and shine sun in the morning. My polling station is very near to my house, SM Sungai Nibong. Taught of walking to the station but the weather start changing to black loud and rainy day seems to start as what predicted in the weather report. Without any delay, change my cloths and direct go to the polling station. You may easily get the direction to the polling school/station since some huts have been setting up to assists voters. When directed to SPR counter, the officer will help check your IC to issue you a polling counter (saliran). Mine is on counter #5.
The counter is at 2nd floor. Surprisingly, i no need to queue at the designated polling counter/station. Inside the classroom, I’d see a table with 3 SPR staffs, handling the voters; a table with 2 observers, checking on the voters ID; another table for the polling officer, right opposite the SPR staffs table; a table for the ballot boxes and 2 tables for voters to cast their votes. The SPR staffs will signalled you to come inside, one person will check your IC again and reads out your serial number, your IC number and your full name, loudly. Seriously, it’s kinda weird having a stranger calling out your full name and full IC number in front of a group another strangers. Another SPR staff will hand-out 2 ballot papers to you (one is for DUN candidate and the other one is for Parliament candidate).
Once i got the ballot paper, it seem weird that you will notice serial number on it. There are 2 voting booth for you to cast you votes for the state and parliamentary seats assembly man. What a surprise to know you actually cast your vote with a "pencil". Dam.. Once cast my votes, i quickly folded them into half and drop it to the transparent boxes according to the colour.
I'm done my duty. I think less than 10mins to complete all the process. How about you?
Friday, March 07, 2008
The biggest crowd in PG
This was sent by my friend during DAP ceramah in Han Chiang. 60,000 crowd. Beleive it or not. It was like Bukit Jalil concert stadium!!
More information here.
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Watch out for those work in Motorola PG!!
Koh defends Motorola deal
Beh Lih Yi Mar 4, 08 3:56pm
He resorted to this as Motorola was mulling possible relocation from Malaysia.
According to the letter, the government would offer a RM1 billion project to Motorola involving the upgrading of the police force radio network, in exchange for the multinational staying put in Penang and pumping in an additional investment of RM350 million over the next five years.
Not to ‘save face’
'Disappointed with Malaysiakini'
“I am very disappointed with the report which spins (this) so negatively. If you have read the letter, you would have got the whole context (but you chose) to (spin it) in a negative way with the title ‘Penang bribes Motorola’. It is most regrettable, most regrettable,” he said.
The stunning revelation had come as the opposition intensified its attacks on the Gerakan state government over its inability to revive the island’s economy,
Critics have alleged that the island has lost its shine, on the back of relocation of many multinational companies to other countries.
But the Motorola announcement threw Koh a lifeline. He told reporters that it proved that Penang is still competitive and that the opposition is trying to “run down everything”.
The state’s sluggish economy has topped voters’ concerns and is likely to be an influential factor when votes are cast on Saturday.
Beh Lih Yi Mar 4, 08 3:56pm
Acting Gerakan head and outgoing Penang chief minister Dr Koh Tsu Koon stands by a letter in which he struck a controversial deal to get American telecommunications giant Motorola to retain its manufacturing presence in the state.
“I am surprised that a confidential letter written to the prime minister (Abdullah Ahmad Badawi) has been leaked. I have asked for a thorough investigation,” he told a press conference at the Gerakan office in Penang this morning.
Koh confirmed the contents of the letter, which had been highlighted in a Malaysiakini exclusive report on Sunday.
“I believe I did the right thing to protect the interest of the people of Penang,” he stressed.
The three-page letter, dated Dec 3 last year and signed by Koh, was addressed to Abdullah seeking the federal government’s ‘help’ to retain Motorola in Penang, which has a manufacturing facility in the Bayan Lepas Industrial Zone.
He also denied that this was a move to save face for the state government in the wake of an ongoing opposition attack on the falling economic competitiveness of the state.
“It is not because of the erosion of competitiveness,” Koh said, insisting that other countries would have taken similar action in wooing foreign investors.
Koh vehemently rejected any notion of ‘bribery’ being involved in the deal.
“There’s no bribery. Bribery means that the money goes into the company or pocket, not in payment for anything (when the deal involves) actual equipment, system, network and the whole infrastructure to be built,” he argued.
Koh also said the decision to retain Motorola was not politically motivated, rather than based on a business strategy, pointing out that he had only mentioned the political factor in one sentence in the three-page letter.
He had warned Abdullah about the “catastrophic impact”, saying it would be “politically very detrimental” especially in the run-up to the general election.
He resorted to this as Motorola was mulling possible relocation from Malaysia.
According to the letter, the government would offer a RM1 billion project to Motorola involving the upgrading of the police force radio network, in exchange for the multinational staying put in Penang and pumping in an additional investment of RM350 million over the next five years.
Motorola announced a RM350 million investment in the state last Tuesday.
Not to ‘save face’
Elaborating on the letter, Koh said it was vital to retain Motorola in Penang as it provides about 10,000 jobs for Malaysians. Furthermore, if it pulled out, there would be an impact on local companies.
He also said Motorola has invested RM5 billion over the last 40 years in Malaysia and that its system is well-established.
“The RM350 million investment that was announced was only one of the investments, there are more to come,” he said, rebutting criticism that his intervention amounts to a ‘lopsided’ deal.
Koh vehemently rejected any notion of ‘bribery’ being involved in the deal.“There’s no bribery. Bribery means that the money goes into the company or pocket, not in payment for anything (when the deal involves) actual equipment, system, network and the whole infrastructure to be built,” he argued.Koh also said the decision to retain Motorola was not politically motivated, rather than based on a business strategy, pointing out that he had only mentioned the political factor in one sentence in the three-page letter. He had warned Abdullah about the “catastrophic impact”, saying it would be “politically very detrimental” especially in the run-up to the general election.
'Disappointed with Malaysiakini'
Koh then criticised Malaysiakini for its “negative spin” in reporting the issue.
“I am very disappointed with the report which spins (this) so negatively. If you have read the letter, you would have got the whole context (but you chose) to (spin it) in a negative way with the title ‘Penang bribes Motorola’. It is most regrettable, most regrettable,” he said.The stunning revelation had come as the opposition intensified its attacks on the Gerakan state government over its inability to revive the island’s economy,
Critics have alleged that the island has lost its shine, on the back of relocation of many multinational companies to other countries.
But the Motorola announcement threw Koh a lifeline. He told reporters that it proved that Penang is still competitive and that the opposition is trying to “run down everything”.
The state’s sluggish economy has topped voters’ concerns and is likely to be an influential factor when votes are cast on Saturday.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
為健康著想，就別喝這類飲料了
基本上汽水主要由下列五種化學原料所組成：
-----------------------------------------------------------------
色素 ： 賦予飲料美麗的顏色
可樂香精 ： 添加香味以增加口感
檸檬酸 ： 抗氧化劑， 糖果的酸味劑，也可用作清洗劑
三偏磷酸鈉 ：硼砂的代替品，用來增加食品的口感
小蘇打粉 ： 用來產生汽水的氣泡
糖： 廠商為了降低成本，都會用比較便宜的 糖精（也是化學原料）來代替
-----------------------------------------------------------------
色素 ： 賦予飲料美麗的顏色
可樂香精 ： 添加香味以增加口感
檸檬酸 ： 抗氧化劑， 糖果的酸味劑，也可用作清洗劑
三偏磷酸鈉 ：硼砂的代替品，用來增加食品的口感
小蘇打粉 ： 用來產生汽水的氣泡
糖： 廠商為了降低成本，都會用比較便宜的 糖精（也是化學原料）來代替
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Guess what is the price for most expensive home in the world?
£80m home is most expensive in the world
By Ben Farmer
A home with more than 10 bedrooms and an underground swimming pool has become the world's most expensive single residential dwelling after being sold for £80 million.
The detached Victorian villa in west London broke the previous record of £67 million for the London home of Lakshmi Mittal, an Indian steel tycoon.
World's most expensive flat which costs £100million in central London
£100million penthouse.
Hyde Park, London.
£6,000 per square foot.
Private wine-tasting facility.
Russian oligarchs, oil barons, Saudia princes and A-list stars are among those said to be buying the Candy brothers apartments.
Managed by brothers Christian and Nick's development company Candy & Candy, the project features 80 flats designed by architect Richard Rogers with communal spas, squash courts and a private wine-tasting facility.
The most expensive penthouse apartments will feature bullet proof windows, purified air systems and "panic rooms" and everyone on site will have access to an underground passage leading to the nearby Mandarin Oriental hotel.
Half of the units have already been sold at an average of more than £20 million each with average per square-foot prices hitting £6,000 this year.
The figure dwarfs London's earlier record struck last June when a newly converted flat stretching across the first and second stories of two Regency houses in the nearby Lowndes Square, Belgravia, sold for more than £4,250 per square foot.
By Ben Farmer
A home with more than 10 bedrooms and an underground swimming pool has become the world's most expensive single residential dwelling after being sold for £80 million.
The detached Victorian villa in west London broke the previous record of £67 million for the London home of Lakshmi Mittal, an Indian steel tycoon.However, estate agents yesterday predicted the record would soon be broken again, with other properties already on the market for similar sums.
The five-storey house in Upper Phillimore Gardens, Kensington, has been undergoing extensive development for the past 18 months and will not be complete until April.
The property is believed to have at least 10 bedrooms, an underground swimming pool, a gym, a sauna, a cinema and a secure panic room in case of intruders or an attack.
Knight Frank, the estate agents who handled the sale, would not comment on the buyer, but it was reported to be Elena Franchuk, a Ukrainian businesswoman and philanthropist who is a friend of Sir Elton John.
Until 1997, the property was a girls' preparatory school. It was bought in June 2006 by a firm of developers specialising in exclusive properties.
Read it here
World's most expensive flat which costs £100million in central London
£100million penthouse.
Hyde Park, London.
£6,000 per square foot.
Private wine-tasting facility.
Russian oligarchs, oil barons, Saudia princes and A-list stars are among those said to be buying the Candy brothers apartments. Managed by brothers Christian and Nick's development company Candy & Candy, the project features 80 flats designed by architect Richard Rogers with communal spas, squash courts and a private wine-tasting facility.
The most expensive penthouse apartments will feature bullet proof windows, purified air systems and "panic rooms" and everyone on site will have access to an underground passage leading to the nearby Mandarin Oriental hotel.
Half of the units have already been sold at an average of more than £20 million each with average per square-foot prices hitting £6,000 this year.
The figure dwarfs London's earlier record struck last June when a newly converted flat stretching across the first and second stories of two Regency houses in the nearby Lowndes Square, Belgravia, sold for more than £4,250 per square foot.
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