Child maid trafficking spreads to US

An undated passport photograph of Shyima Hall when she was 9-years-old .

Shyima Hall, 19, is shown on Friday, Sept. 19, 2008 in Beaumont, California.

Shyima was 10 when a wealthy Egyptian couple brought her from a poor village in northern Egypt to work in their California posh home. She awoke before dawn and often worked past midnight to iron their clothes, mop the marble floors and dust the family's crystal. She earned $45 a month working up to 20 hours a day. She had no breaks during the day and no days off.
Abdelnasser Ibrahim in custody in Irvine, Calif. Ibrahim pled guilty to charges including forced labor and slavery in a case involving Shyima Hall, who worked as a servant for him and his wife in California, where she worked 20 hour days inside their posh home

On April 3, 2002, an anonymous caller phoned the California Department of Social Services to report that a young girl was living inside the garage of 28 Pacific Grove. A few days later, Nasser Ibrahim opened the door to a detective from the Irvine Police Department. Asked if any children lived there beside his own, he first said no, then yes — "a distant relative." He said he had "not yet" enrolled her in school. She did "chores — just like the other kids," according to the police transcript. The police put Shyima in a squad car. They noted her hands were red and caked with dead, hard-looking skin.

The windowless garage where Shyima Hall, 19, lived while forced to work as an unpaid maid is shown on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2008, in Irvine, California.
A common practice in Africa where families in remote villages send their daughters to work in cities for extra money and the opportunity to escape a dead-end life. Some girls work for free on the understanding that they will at least be better fed in the home of their employer.
Salwa Mahmoud, 53, holds a photo of her daughter Shyima on Sept. 24, 2008. Shyima was 9 when she started working as a servant.
Shyima's mother, Salwa Mahmoud, said her father believed she would have better opportunities in America. She didn't want her to travel but their family's condition dictated that she had to go.

Around one-third of the estimated 10,000 forced laborers in the United States are servants trapped behind the curtains of suburban homes, according to a study by the National Human Rights Center at the University of California at Berkeley and Free the Slaves, a nonprofit group. No one can say how many are children, especially since their work can so easily be masked as chores. Once behind the walls of gated communities like this one, these children never go to school.

Tens of thousands of children in Africa, some as young as 3, are recruited every year to work as domestic servants. They are on call 24 hours a day and are often beaten if they make a mistake. Children are in demand because they earn less than adults and are less likely to complain. In just one city — Casablanca — a 2001 survey by the Moroccan government found more than 15,000 girls under 15 working as maids.

EPILOGUE: On a recent afternoon in Cairo, Madame Amal walked into the lobby of her apartment complex wearing designer sunglasses and a chic scarf. After nearly two years in a U.S. prison cell, she's living once more in the spacious apartment where Shyima first worked as her maid. The apartment is adorned in the style of a Louis XIV palace, with ornately carved settees, gold-leaf vases and life-sized portraits of her and her husband. She did not agree to be interviewed for this story. Before the door closed behind her, a little girl slipped in carrying grocery bags. She wore a shabby T-shirt. Her small feet slapped the floor in loose flip-flops. Her eyes were trained on the ground. She looked to be around 9 years old.

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China builds "world's largest" ice Santa

China's freezing northern city of Harbin is buiding a giant Father Christmas, 160 meters (525 ft) long and 24 meters high, centers on an enormous face of Father Christmas, complete with flowing beard and hat. Harbin, the capital of Heilongjiang province on the edge of Siberia, is one of China's coldest places. Winter temperatures can drop to below minus 35 degrees Celsius (- 31 F). The ice festival traditionally runs from mid-December to early February. The effects of global warming are taking a toll weather with swings between warm and cold, making it becomes very wet and slippery on the ice which is dangerous for sculptors..





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Family Finds $10,000 in Box of Crackers

Allie Rogoff (Sandra Rogoff's sister) of Irvine poses with $10,000 in crisp $100 bills discovered in a box of crackers from Whole Foods.
IRVINE, Calif. -Sandra Rogoff
Mom Debra Rogoff was more curious than ecstatic about her daughter's (Sandra Rogoff) finding $10,000 in $100 bills in the green box of Annie's Sour Cream and Onion Cheddar Bunny crackers on Oct. 10 2008.

The family called police and was initially told the money could be part of a drug drop. Police later heard from store managers at Whole Foods in Tustin that an elderly woman had come in a few days earlier, hysterical because she had mistakenly returned a box of crackers with her life savings inside. In a mix-up the store restocked the box rather than composting it. The Rogoffs never heard from the woman thereafter nor received any reward. VIA

Drunk Lennon recording grabs $30K at auction

A six minutes, 16 seconds, with John singing very drunk ad-libbing his own lyrics into the the Lloyd Price song fetched $30,000 at Bonhams and Butterfields auction Sunday December 21, 2008 in Los Angeles. Bonhams and Butterfields auction house spokeswoman Margaret Barrett said the never-before-heard-in-public cassette was given to the former owner(was not identified) personally by Lennon.

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Mosquito DNA catch the thief

In Finland it was the first time Finnish police had used an insect to catch a thief. A mosquito inside an abandoned vehicle in Seinaejoki, north of Helsinki, 25km from the place it was stolen, was sent for analysis which DNA sample was taken. The DNA found from laboratory tests matched a man on the police register. The car was stolen in June 2008 in the town of Lapua, some 380km (235 miles) north of the Finnish capital. The suspect denies stealing the car and says he was just hitch-hiking a lift with a man. VIA

Boy Survives Decapitation

A dump truck ran a stop sign, plowing into Stacey Perez mum car nearly decapitated him in a car crash three months ago. Doctors said Jordan had a one -to-two percent chance of surviving his horrific injury arter reattaching his head to his neck.He has now made virtually a full recovery. Jordan was buckled up in the back seat, but the impact basically made his head lift up off of his neck, and then move forward. Jordan's spinal cord remained intact, but his skull separated from his neck. It's called orthopedic decapitation. Doctors were able to reattach his skull with a metal plate and titanium rods, enabling Jordan to start defying overwhelming odds. Stacey Perez mum suffered some significant injuries of her own, but has also recovered.

He started in the wheelchair, then the walker, then he was walking. At first, he wasn't talking at all, and they thought he would have brain damage, and he surprised everyone by regaining all this speech. Jordan is scheduled to go back to school soon on Jan. 7 or 8.


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Arabs lavish jewels on Secretary of State Rice

Picture:George W. Bush(left) Condoleezza Rice(right)

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice raked in at least $316,000 in gem-encrusted baubles from the kings of Jordan and Saudi Arabia alone despite President George W. Bush’s unpopular foreign policies in the Middle East. ALL recipients of gifts from foreign heads of state and government and their aides have to turn over to the General Services Administration and government archives in accordance with federal law, which bars officials from accepting personal presents in almost all circumstances. VIA

Duggars welcome 18th child

USA-Michelle Duggar has given birth to her 18th child.

The Arkansas supermom delivered the baby girl by Caesarean section Thursday 18 Dec 2008 at Mercy Medical Center in Rogers. The baby, named Jordyn-Grace Makiya Duggar, weighed 7 pounds, 3 ounces and was 20 inches long.


All the family
Arkansas couple Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar are the proud parents of 18 children - including a newborn baby girl.
Michelle Duggar, left, is surrounded by her children and husband Jim Bob, third from right, while she holds her daughter, Jennifer Danielle, Aug. 2, 2007, in Rogers, Ark. Michelle just gave birth to number 18, another girl: Jordyn-Grace Makiya Duggar
The Duggars now have 10 sons and eight daughters. Jim Bob Duggar is 43, a year older than his wife. Their oldest child, Joshua, is 20. With two sets of twins, Michelle, has gone through 15 pregnancies that ended in 13 natural deliveries and two Caesarean sections.

Both Michelle and Jim Bob — a former state legislator who served in the Arkansas House of Representatives — are real estate agents. They claim their family is debt-free, with the entire bunch helping to build their 7,000-square-foot home in Tontitown. And they are enriched by a devout faith in their religion. The Duggars are followers of the evangelical Christian movement called Quiverful, which teaches that children are God’s blessing and that husbands and wives should happily welcome every child they are given.

























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Three near-invisible sketches behind The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne

The discovery of sketches behind The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne may give ammunition to those who believe that Leonardo da Vinci planted codes and religious symbols in many of his paintings. The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne has been accompanied by mystery before, however. Leonardo brought it to France with the Mona Lisa, when he joined the court of Francis I in about 1516.

Lovers of Dan Brown novels will be salivating at the discovery of three previously unknown drawings on the back of one of Leonardo’s major works. A curator spotted the sketches(An equine head and a skull, complete with orbital and nasal cavities with an invisible third ) on the back of The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne when it was taken down in September for restoration. An infra-red camera detected a third drawing, a 15cm-high infant Jesus with a lamb, which was invisible to the naked eye.

The skull resembles those in Leonardo’s other sketches, and the horse’s head is reminiscent of those in The Battle of Anghiari — a lost masterpiece known only because it was copied. The baby Jesus appears to be a draft for the figure in The Virgin and Child with Saint Anne.

All art experts have agrred that there is no material here for a Dan Brown sequel. The Da Vinci Code is based on a theory that the figure on Christ’s right in The Last Supper is not the Apostle John but Mary Magdalene. It claims that Jesus and Mary married and have descendants alive today . See video on expert analysis via

Malaysia Politics

Saturday December 6, 2008 The politics of business BEFORE Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s fall from grace in 1998, several enterprising (some more than others) and ambitious individuals managed to win his trust and entered his innner circle. The careers and wealth of these people, some of whom were young associates, soared as a result of such access. In 1993, four individuals known to be close to Anwar staged one of the country’s largest management buyouts. The MBO saw Malaysia Resources Corp Bhd (MRCB) taking over newspaper group New Straits Times Press (M) Bhd (NSTP). When Anwar was deposed, the promising careers of the four came to a sudden halt, which again illustrates the inextricable link between politics and business. Such ties were largely forged when Anwar was Finance Minister from 1991 to 1998. The portfolio, sometimes deemed more powerful that the position of Deputy Prime Minister, is currently held by Datuk Seri Najib Razak. Similarly, when Tun Daim Zainuddin was Finance Minister between 1984 and 1991, many of the individuals he had hand-picked in the late 80s to run his brainchild, Peremba group, shot to fame. The personalities included Tan Sri Halim Saad, Tan Sri Wan Azmi Wan Hamzah and Tan Sri Samsuddin Hassan. Such patronage led to the creation of conglomerates, the largest being Renong Bhd. The meteoric rise of the “Daim boys” continued well after the early 90s. But the Asian financial crisis in 1997/98 dealt a major blow, saddling their companies with massive debts. Many of Daim’s boys have faded into oblivion, but are still basking in luxury. Subsequently, a makeover of Malaysia Inc was undertaken with unmatched vigour. There was a fundamental shift away from owner-run, politically-linked enterprises. Fresh professional talents were appointed to run many government-linked companies such as Malaysia Airlines, UEM Group and MRCB. It remains very much the same today. The old clique Still, nowhere is the business-politics connect clearer than when Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was Prime Minister for 22 years from 1981. Dr Mahathir initiated an aggressive privatisation policy and involved the private sector in key strategic sectors. This saw many individuals said to have close ties with Dr Mahathir growing their business empires. The ex-PM held in high esteem people who had the ability to hatch brilliant ideas and execute them. They included K. Ananda Krishnan of Usaha Tegas Group, Tan Sri Francis Yeoh of YTL Group, the late Tan Sri Lim Goh Tong of Genting, Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar al-Bukhary, the late Tan Sri Yahya Ahmad of Proton, Tan Sri Quek Leng Chan of Hong Leong Group, and Tan Sri Vincent Tan of Berjaya Group. (Incidentally, Lim was granted the casino licence for Genting Highlands by Malaysia’s first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman, with whom he shared a close rapport.) “It couldn’t have been easy for some of them after Dr Mahathir stepped down. Since then, they have had to hedge their bets carefully,” says an analyst. He adds that after Dr Mahathir’s exit, “it has become more difficult to read the political tea leaves.” ...and the not-so-old clique In 2004, when Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi took over, there emerged a new group of elite businessmen. The most visible of them were Equine Capital Bhd’s Datuk Patrick Lim, ECM Libra Group’s Datuk seri Kalimullah Hassan and Scomi Group’s Datuk Kamaluddin Abdullah (also the PM’s son). The rise and fall of Equine is perhaps the most glaring example of the pitfalls of riding on political connections in the business arena. Once dubbed a darling stock due to its political links, Equine has taken a massive fall since the March 8 general election and after the multi-billion ringgit Penang Global City Centre project in Penang was scrapped. In October, Lim relinquished his positions in the property development company. The same month also saw Kalimullah vacating his position as deputy chairman of NSTP. He remains the executive chairman and CEO of ECM Libra financial group. Kamaluddin, while keeping a low profile, still a has controlling stake in Scomi. In 2005, Abdullah’s son-in-law Khairy Jamaludin, a stake holder in ECM Libra, was involved in arranging the merger of ECM with MoF-controlled Avenue Capital Resources Bhd. Khairy has since sold his entire stake of 1.23% in the merged company, ECM Libra Avenue. And then, of course, there are those corporate status has outlasted the prime ministers. “Some have hedged their bets well and have shown that their business is worth more than an allegiance to a single leader. More often, it’s not personal,” says an observer. Reproduced from thestar

Saturday December 6, 2008 Who’s the new who’s who?Stories by ANITA GABRIEL Come March, Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak will take over from Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi as Malaysia’s sixth Prime Minister. And that change will bring along with it some questions. How will the leadership change affect business? Who will rise to prominence and who will fade away? A senior corporate player, who has witnessed two changes in the premiership, notes: “As in most leadership changes, some will see their political worth soar. Others will see business opportunities open up.” Yet others, “may raid the larder and pack the bags,’’ he adds. But business associates of Najib, if any, are not so visible. “If you look around, there really isn’t anyone who stands out as being ultra-close to Najib in the corporate sector beyond those who have social contacts with him or his family. There is no Daim’s Peremba boys or Anwar’s MRCB boys,’’ says a source close to the PM-in-waiting. (See accompanying story) “He’s not quite as plugged into the corporate sector that way.” The source sees this as a plus point for Najib in that “it means it can be a fresh start for everyone.” “Everybody has a fair shot,” he says. Since the general election in March, which saw the Barisan Nasional lose five states to the opposition, there has been a clamour for change. This makes it all the more compelling for Najib to adopt a fair-policy position. Transparency and good governance trumping all else. “His mandate has to be fair and progressive. The stakes are very high for Najib,” an observer says. “If he doesn’t perform, four years from now, there is no telling how brutal the (next) election could turn out to be for the ruling party. The political compulsion now is stronger than ever,” the observer adds. Circle of trust Soon after Najib was appointed Finance Minister in mid-September, a corporate roundtable session was organised. Six individuals, each with a deep knowledge of his field, were personally chosen by Najib. They were tapped for ideas on how to address issues ranging from the economy, capital markets and business in general. The six were: ● Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar, the managing director of Khanazah Nasional Bhd; ● Tan Sri Md Nor Yusof. An ex-banker, he was the former managing director of Malaysia Airlines and past chairman of the Securities Commission. He is currently director and chairman of Khazanah’s executive committee; ● Datuk Mohd Nadzmi Mohd Salleh, chairman and MD of express bus operator, Konsortium Transnational Bhd. The former Proton boss was called upon by the Government in 1996 to revive the ailing public transport company; ● Datuk Shahril Shamsuddin of Sapura Group, which has interests in communications, information technology, and oil and gas; ● Datuk Mohamed Azman Yahya, director of Khazanah, and founder and group chief executive of outsourcing firm Symphony House Bhd. He is also the ex-CEO of Pengurusan Danaharta Bhd; and ● Dr Gan Wee Beng, the executive director of CIMB Group. All six have at one point or other played a significant advisory role in government agencies and strategic sectors. Some are still at it. Azman Mokhtar continues to play a prominent role in the reforms of government-linked companies after instituting wide-ranging boardroom and management revamps. Md Nor has a wealth of experience in banking and a keen insight on capital markets. Nadzmi’s expertise is in transportation, a sector that requires much reform. From left: Azman Yahya, Mohd Nadzami Mohd Salleh, Lodin Wok Kamaruddin Md Nor Yusof, Gan Wee Beng, Mohd Bakke Salleh and Azman Mokthar. Shahril is the technology and multimedia man. Azman, an ex-banker, helped set up and headed Danaharta during the Asian financial crisis in 1997/98. He sits on several advisory panels for the development of the capital market, venture capital and public service delivery system. And Gan was a consultant to Bank Negara, the Economic Planning Unit, finance ministry and the World Bank. The influence these six people wield in the new administration would be worth watching. Whither GLC heads? From left: Baby brother and prominent Banker Nazir Razak, trusted aide Rohana Mahmood, family friend Shahril Shamsuddin, DRB-Pekan link with Syed Mokthar Albukhary, Ex-special assistant Omar Mustapha Ong, Golf buddy Tan Kay Hock. Abdullah was a main force behind the transformation of the government-linked companies (GLCs). The PM’s political will and Azman’s stewardship injected new life into the companies. The once lumbering giants were spruced up and restructured. What will become of the Khazanah-linked GLCs – and their captains – when Najib takes over? Will he maintain the status quo, is a question in the minds of many. Second Finance Minister Tan Sri Mohamed Nor Yakcop, another key figure in the GLC transformation, hand-picked Azman to head Khazanah. Mohamed Nor is also believed to have brought in Datuk Seri Wahid Omar (currently Maybank CEO), Datuk Seri Che Khalib (Tenaga president and CEO), Datuk Shahril Ridzuan (MRCB managing director) and Datuk Abdul Rahman Ahmad (Prima Media managing director) to help push through the GLC reforms. Whether Mohamed Nor will stay on as Second Finance Minister is anybody’s guess. It’s Najib’s call. But if Mohamed Nor leaves, it might be taken as a hint that Khazanah-linked companies are in for changes at the helm. As one observer puts it: “Najib may have his own trusted lieutenants who he deems are more suited for the job, moving forward.” No filters Without a doubt, the spotlight next year will be on the other Razak brothers: CIMB’s Datuk Seri Nazir Razak, corporate figure Datuk Nizam Razak, Shearn Delamore & Co partner Datuk Johari Razak and architect Nazim Razak. For Nazir, in particular, given his high profile the potentially closer scrutiny could be discomforting. (See story on the Razak brothers on Page 26.) Out of the family, a name that frequently pops up when asked who is in Najib’s milieu is Rohana Mahmood, chairman and partner of Ethos Capital, a RM200mil private equity firm. Rohana and Omar Mutapha Ong, a former special assistant to Najib, are co-founders of the boutique advisory firm Ethos & Co. Rohana sits on the boards of Paramount Corp Bhd, TH Group Bhd and Dijaya Corp Bhd. She and another close aide of Najib, Abdul Razak Baginda, are co-founders of the independent think-tank, Malaysian Strategic Research Centre. Najib was chairman of the think-tank, now disbanded. Omar was seen not too long ago in the finance minister’s office “just assisting a friend with some perspective,’’ as one source puts it. But speculation about Najib building a “wall of advisers” around him resulted in Omar being asked to return to Ethos. The political rationale for Najib to distance himself from the “fourth-floor boys” syndrome is understandable. That was one of the most criticised aspects of the Abdullah administration. Sources say Najib is not keen to have “filters” between him and the civil service. And he will likely have more direct his dealings with the business sector. The new who’s who Inevitably, various names will be linked with Najib. But who counts more than others will be difficult to say; some may be social acquintances, others confidantes. Johan Holdings Bhd chairman and chief executive Tan Sri Tan Kay Hock is among the people said to be close to Najib. They have known each other for a long time and are also golfing buddies. Najib’s father and Malaysia’s second Prime Minister, Tun Abdul Razak, and Tun Hussein Onn, uncle and third Prime Minister, were good friends of Tan Sri Robert Kuok, their friendship going back to their school days. But there’s nothing else to infer from that, a family friend says. “When the family is in Singapore, yes, they visit the Kuoks and spend some time with ‘Uncle Kuok’.” Sapura’s Shahril and his family are also said to be close friends of Najib. “The Shamsuddin family has persevered through many prime ministers,” a source says. And there is also a business link. Many years ago, a unit of the Sapura Group had produced portable radios for Mindef. Najib was previously Defence Minister. And then there is Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Albukhary. One of former Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s closest allies, Syed Mokhtar controls DRB-HICOM. The company has a huge vehicle assembly plant – and is one of the largest employers – in Pekan, Pahang, Najib’s mainstay political base. Here too there’s a defence link. Defence Technologies Sdn Bhd or Deftech is a DRB unit and it is the country’s leading supplier of land-based defence vehicles. “Yes, there are common links. But it would really benefit Syed Mokhtar if Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin becomes the PM,” an observer says. (Muhyiddin was Johor Chief Minister when Syed Mokhtar was building his empire in the state. The two have very close ties.) But it is understood that none are as tight with Najib as those who had journeyed with him through his early days in Umno Youth. His clique includes Datuk Seri Jamaludin Jarjis (Rompin MP and Pekan-born), Datuk Seri Shafie Apdal (National Unity, Culture, Arts and Heritage Minister), and Datuk Seri Ahmad Hamidi and Datuk Seri Mohamed Nazri Abdul Aziz (both Ministers in the Prime Minister’s Department). “These are the chaps in his inner circle as they go back a long way,’’ a source says. Two professional managers who have performed well in the institutions on Najib’s watch may also be poised for bigger things. They are Felda Holdings Bhd CEO Datuk Bakke Salleh and Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera chief Tan Sri Lodin Wok Kamarudin. “They have performed very well and are admirable managers. There may be bigger things in store for them,” an observer says. Inside Najib’s brain The most important question is how Najib intends to govern. Not many have a clue. “The DPM’s image is always managed by the PM. Historically, the PM always has some influence over the media and, hence, media management,’’ says a long-time corporate observer. “His public persona is quite different from his real persona. I’ve been with him in big crowds and after they’ve had a chance to chat with him, they usually tell me he’s not at all how they imagined him to be. “He’s a pretty straight forward guy ... a better technocrat than he is a politician, to tell you the truth. He is punctual and very meticulous and very disciplined,’’ says a source close to him. The economic stabilisation package unveiled recently could serve as an indication of his administration’s likely tone. Two key elements in the package could be thematic touchstones of his leadership: the open tender for contracts that will ensure transparency and the setting up of an oversight committee to take care of execution. Some may see this as pure rhetoric, but if implemented, it will be a fresh chapter in Malaysia’s administration. Last year, French President Nicolas Sarkozy’s social milieu comprising the country’s wealthiest businessmen came under heavy criticism. In his defence he said: “I do not intend to hide, I do not intend to lie, I do not intend to apologise, I don’t see the controversy.” A prominent local corporate personality sums up the matter of politics-business: “The question to ask is: Are they close because they are big or are they big because they are close?” Reproduced from thestar

Muslim woman jailed for wearing headscarf to court

Lisa Valentine was arrested after a Georgia judge charged her with contempt of court after refusing to take off her headscarf. Judge Keith Rollins of Douglasville, Georgia, Wednesday 16 December 2008 ordered Lisa Valentine, 41, to 10 days in jail after she refused to remove her scarf before entering the courtroom, citing rules governing appropriate dress. Last week, Sabreen Abdulrahmaan was forced to leave Rollins's court before her son's probation hearing because she would not remove her scarf.

Valentine said felt naked, without her hijab. Her husband phoned an Islamic civil rights organisation and sought an attorney, and she was released without explanation after about seven hours.

Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations said the matter affects a Jewish man wearing a skull cap, a Catholic nun wearing a habit too. All would be denied access to this judge's courtroom. There is a need to know what's going here and why this has apparently been going on for so long. Eric Treene, special council for religious discrimination at the justice department's civil rights division, was examining the case.

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Four-Year-Old Breaks Into Store

An unidentified 4-year-old boy, above, broke into a Family Dollar store at 3 a.m. triggered the silent alarm and was found playing with the toys.
Detective Randy Stevens said the child apparently unlocked a door at his nearby home, got out, then crossed a multilane street to reach the store. Surveillance video showed the unidentified boy trying to open one of the front doors to a Family Dollar store about 3 a.m. Monday 15th December 2008, only to find it locked. But the second door was unlocked and the child went inside. VIA Watch Video here.

Michael Jackson wearing a "Zorro" mask

Known for his face-covering tactics, Michael Jackson stepped out in Los Angeles during his visit to an antique shop on Dec. 11 wearing a "Zorro" mask to keep himself hidden.

The suggested reasons for this have ranged from hiding his botched plastic surgery, through to his reluctance to breathe normal oxygen. Jackson has made headlines all year mosty focused on his dwindling financial status, which led to the sale of his famous Neverland ranch, and his conversion to Islam which came shortly after his legal stoush with Bahraini prince Sheikh Abdulla bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who sued Jackson for $US7 million over a dispute with cash advances, which Jackson thought were gifts. (See Michael Jackson sued by Arab sheikh) Jackson, however, is looking to make a comeback to his dwindling career with a new album since 2001’s Invincible, which is yet to be titled. Rapper Ne-Yo his workmate, said that Jackson is determined to get people talking about what he does best – his music.

Related Post:
Michael Jackson Dies from massive heart attack due to drug overdose

Nearly frozen sea turtle heading to rehab

New England Aquarium biologist Adam Kennedy lifts Herb, a rescued 75-pound loggerhead sea turtle, onto a treatment table at the New England Aquarium in Boston, Saturday, Dec. 13, 2008. Herb is the largest hypothermic sea turtle rescued from Cape Cod this fall. He is being transported to the Riverhead Foundation on New York's Long Island, which rehabilitates and releases seals, whales, dolphins, and sea turtles. Herb's body temperature was in the 40s when he was found on the beach in Truro on Dec. 3. Veterinarians and rescue biologists slowly warmed him about five degrees each day, and his body temperature is now in the low 70's. Herb is likely between 4 and 7 years old. As an adult, he will weigh 200 to 250 pounds.

Tony LaCasse, a spokesman for the New England Aquarium said Herb's plight wasn't unusual. About 10 to 20 percent of the sea turtles washed ashore on Cape Cod beaches in the fall die because of the cold. But partly because of an early cold snap in November, for about a weeklong period the mortality rate was 60 percent, LaCasse said. VIA

Man throws a shoe at President George W. Bush

A man throws a shoe at President George W. Bush during a news conference with Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki in Baghdad. The man threw two shoes at Bush, one after another. Bush ducked both throws, and neither man was hit.



December 17, 2008-Iraqi shoe-thrower Zaidi throwing his shoe at Bush who nimbly ducked to avoid the flying shoes while his bodyguards stand off to the side. The president thought was that he was fine. And he said immediately—you saw his reaction was, don't worry about it; it was OK. So, we hold no hard feelings about it." VIA

Sydney health insurers billed for brothel sex

HEALTH funds have been paying rebates to members who get sexual services which cost $60 were billed as a massage or as acupuncture and attracted a health fund rebate of $40 in Sydney brothels a fraud investigation has found. Health funds uncovered the practice after chasing up Chinese community newspaper advertisements offering to provide "young attractive masseuse with a health fund rebate". Others were identified because all their clients were males aged 36-72 who were charged for acupuncture treatments over consecutive days.

The health fund rebates provided to brothels are just a small part of the fraudulent claims made on private health insurers. Unscrupulous optometrists has a fair share too. Almost half of the optical stores targeted by health fund investigators offered to pretend the sunglasses they sold were prescription items so the customer could claim a health fund rebate. It's estimated fraudulent health fund claims could be adding about 2 per cent to the cost of the health insurance business every year.
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