The Sunday Papers

Sundays are for downloading Indie Strategy Games, sipping tea and compiling an enormous list of the fun and fascinating reading from across the week, while trying my jolly hardest to not link to some fine 80s indie miserablism which I found myself listening to this morning…

• RPS and assorted friends-of-RPS have been nominated for the GMAs. That is, the Games Media Awards 2009. I’ll hand you over to the justly nominated for specialist online writer, Simon Parkin to talk about it. While still clearly enormously silly, it’s… well, I was going to say “getting more credible”, but it’s still very silly. Just not as silly as before. We’re in the blog category, as opposed to last year, when we were in the website category. VG247 is in both, somehow. And Nowgamer -as much a website as Eurogamer or C&VG is – is in blogs. It’s gloriously mental. At least it’s a good excuse for a piss up, eh?
• Actually, while on the subject of Si-Si The Parkster, here’s his interview with Ex-Goldeneyer Martin Hollis about what he’s up to now and how he got there. Hollis is one of my favourite developers, because – er – he’s lovely. Sometimes it really is that easy. Great stuff.
• Over at Edge Chris Dahlen wonders whether we’ll ever play videogames on an interplanetary scale. He talks to NASA about it. Conclusion: Urban Dead’s more likely than Left 4 Dead 2. And not because Martians are big for the L4D2 boycott.
• Robin Clarkes’ had a busy few weeks, y’know. Retrospective on the ever-awesome Deluxe Paint. Arguing why APB MUST succeed. And most relevantly to RPS, a hefty over-view of the history of the Shareware game.
• Valve are studying sign-language for a deaf-Half-life character. Interesting.
• Talking about Devs I Like, I liked to Randy Smith’s new Iphone game earlier this week.Now he writes about the experience over at Edge. Er… making the game. Not me blogging about him.
• I haven’t gone through all of it yet, but the New York Time’s enormous piece on Rock Band Beatles and the whole rhythm-action-toy-game-thing is seriously hefty. Double-multiplier points for its title: While My Guitar Gently Bleeps.
• The web’s finest home of AARs, The Blue Casket, starts another one. It’s Peggle Noir. Yes.
• Popmatters’ Jack Patrick Rodgers on Final Fantasy VIII. Heartfelt and clever, but more than a little disingenuous when it claims that FFVIII was reviewed badly. FFVIII almost drowning in in reviewer semen was actually the moment my dislike of Final Fantasy hardened into an actual grudge. Those unskippable guardian forces are literally unforgivable.
• Lou Castle, now of Instant Action, thinks the industry is on a “Bad Spiral”. Specifically, spending all the effort to please whining sods like us lot.
• We haven’t done an interview DoubleBear on ZRPG because we thought it was probably too early. RETICULE THINKS US COWARDLY KNAVES!
• Very Cute. Bobsy obsesses over the Cricket and Spelunky simultaneously.
• Couple of pieces from Resolution. Firstly, Fraser McMillian on loneliness in Indie Games. Not in, “you have to be lonely to play them”. And the final part of that games-and-militarism series I’ve talked about before.
• Paul Wedgwood starts a dev-diary on the forthcoming Brink over at the Bethblog.
• Videogame advertising used to be amazing. You seen the Club Centipede advert for the Atari?
• Actually, before I go onto the less-game-related stories, just something I’ve been thinking about. The Sunday Papers seems to have been ballooning in recent times. Which is great, but I can’t but help feel by having so much stuff here, a lot of it’s going to be overlooked. I’m thinking of actually spinning more stuff into actual RPS posts, leaving a body of work for here, but moving stuff which perhaps needs more concentrated debate to their own story. I mean, to choose one from the last few weeks, the Abandonware Interview was probably a post in of itself. I mention this to feel people out. Of course, it wouldn’t even be an issue if we were the 20-posts-a-day style blog like Kotaku or whatever. It’s just that with our relatively low turn-over, it may appear a little odd. Or maybe not.
• I liked this fake NYT story about Peter Parker writing about his mutant room-mate.
• Lady Gaga: Puppet Of The Illuminati. One for the Deus Ex 3 writers to consider integrating, methinks.
• Jim loved this hefty conversation between Francois Roche, Geoff Manaugh and Warren Ellis over at Tomorrow’s Thoughts Today.
• You’ll have seen the Billion Dollar Gram. But in case you haven’t…
• The Smiths – What Difference Does It Make?

Cloud computing

Two weeks ago, I suggested examining customer relationships for their key components. Byrefining service, customer by customer, you can build a better, stronger business. Become something special for a specific group.

As a result I was asked what computer tools are needed for a small business. When I suggested CRM (Customer Relationship Management), I heard groans. Just selecting the right software can be exasperating. Downloading, installing and configuring the software, then training staff to use it consumes time and patience. Evidently that's why CRM often ends up as an expensive software investment whose real value lies idle.

Unless you're an IT fanatic, most likely you've never heard of ``cloud computing.'' Cloud computing offers small business an escape from software problems and offers a clear opportunity for growth.

Let's simplify: Cloud computing replaces software stored on your computer with an online service created within a ``cloud'' of computers. Your people work with the service using an Internet browser. They need no knowledge of, expertise in or control over the technology infrastructure in the cloud that supports their work. Cloud service is likely to be more efficient; you get better information at lower costs.

Worldwide more than seven out of 10 people use Google's search engine. The rate at which Google's cloud has grown is as amazing as its size. In March 2001, when the company served about 70 million Web pages daily, it had 8,000 servers. A new Google cloud of 45,000 servers is located at The Dalles, Oregon. Today, the best guess is that Google now has more than 500,000 servers spread over at least 25 locations around the world.

Google Docs is one of Google's cloud services. From your browser, you can access a word processor, spreadsheet, presentation tools, notes and attachments. Work with your head in the clouds: Prepare, share and collaborate. With your feet on the ground, everything is safely stored. There's nothing to install or crash. Best bit: Google Docs is free (and loaded with extras). Take a few minutes: Visit YouTube; search for ``Google Docs'' or do a Google search with the same words.

Aerospace Composite Products is a family-run composite materials distribution and manufacturing company based in Livermore, Calif. The company focuses primarily on military and medical applications and supplies materials to a variety of industries including automotive and sports equipment. It solved its CRM problem and built a better business with Salesforce.com -- a pioneer in cloud computing.

Justin Sparr, vice president at ACP, explained how the business evolved. ``My parents started this business in 1984 out of our garage,'' he said. ``My father left his full-time job in 1996 to run the business full-time with my mother, and it has grown to a staff of 10 people.

``When I came on board in 2006, they had no network in the office, just a series of workstations with different operating systems. We had no central database of our customers or vendors, so the first thing I did was to implement Salesforce CRM and start collecting all of our business contacts, sales opportunities and manufacturing processes. I implemented it myself in about seven days of tinkering.''

Summing up the experience, Sparr said, ``Salesforce CRM helped us grow from a $600,000 company to a $3 million company in just a few years. I'm seeing 40 percent growth year over year, and we're holding steady at that rate.''

2011 Bentley Mulsanne

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Bentley

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• 2011 Bentley Mulsanne - Official Photos and Info

Top Competitors

• Audi S8
• Maserati Quattroporte
• Maybach 57
• Mercedes-Benz S65 AMG
• Rolls-Royce Phantom

Bucking industry convention, Bentley chose not to unveil its glitzy new Mulsanne at an auto show, but rather take it directly to the people who can afford to buy one. The new flagship, which brings back the Mulsanne name and effectively replaces the heavy and huge Arnage, was rolled onto the verdant lawns of the 2009 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, where the tarps came off at high noon.

My, What Big Eyes You Have!

Six inches longer than the Arnage but similar in height and width, the Mulsanne is indeed flagship-sized. Certainly, the most dominant aspect of the big Arnage’s design is the pair of gargantuan Gatling-gun headlamps flanked by smaller ancillary lights, an arrangement that recalls some of Bentley’s grand saloons of the past. The grille is huge and cliff-like, while the lower air intake spans the width of the car and features a matching mesh. It is, as intended, unmistakably Bentley, with a nod to the present in the form of an octet of Audi-like LED driving lights.

Moving down the body and around the back, one encounters plenty of pretty surface detailing but no surprises. It's easy to pick out cues from the Arnage (the chrome latticework around the windows), the Brooklands (C-pillar, taillamps), and the Continental Flying Spur. The body side rises over the rear fender, keeping the rear from looking droopy in spite of its long overhang, which elegantly slopes down to the rear bumper and its pancake-flat twin exhaust tips. The wheels are no less than 21 inches in diameter, and come wrapped in 265/40 series Pirelli P Zeros.

“The Driver’s Choice.” Really . . .

Visually, the new Mulsanne is not as gauche as the Rolls Royce Phantom with which it will go head-to-head in the marketplace. Nor, however, is it as dull as the Maybach 57. “We wanted it to be the driver’s choice” in its segment, said Dirk Van Braeckel, who spoke to us during a private unveiling the night before the Concours. He cites the slim windows and “almost coupe-like roofline” as elements that say “I’m a driver’s car.” His words, not ours.

Whether or not the Mulsanne truly is the “driver’s choice”—in a segment where many owners don’t drive—remains to be seen. Certainly, the engine will be key to this, but other than saying it's a completely redesigned version of its famous 6.75-liter engine, and one which will deliver “the effortless wave of torque for which Bentley is renowned,” Bentley is mum on details.

We imagine this means it will outperform the 500 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque produced by the Arnage final series, and as the Mulsanne is said to have been inspired by the palatial 8-Litre Bentleys of 1930 and 1931, we wouldn’t be surprised if it displaces eight “litres.” We also expect that it will be able to run on E85, since Bentley has pledged to tread more lightly on the environment with its future products, although we shudder to think of what sort of fuel economy it will get on the stuff.

Coming to a Country Club Near You in Mid-2010

The Mulsanne will go on sale within a year and will be shown next month at the Frankfurt Motor Show, where Bentley will give us more information on the car, which at this point will only be displayed in standard-wheelbase form. Long-wheelbase and “Speed” versions will probably end up being part of the portfolio, with a Brooklands-esque coupe and Azure-like convertible likely to follow sometime down the road. As for price? Bentley made a point to prepare us for a price increase by saying the Mulsanne "is not a replacement for Arnage" and that it will be "at the pinnacle of the ultra-luxury segment." Given that, we don’t expect Mulsanne customers to get much change back from a $350K bill.

Pemburuan Botak Chin

ADA sekurang- kurangnya 35 foto hitam putih tergantung di beberapa sudut sebuah restoran baru dinamakan Kedai Kopi Blues di Jalan Reko Sentral, Kajang.

ADA sekurang-kurangnya 35 foto hitam putih tergantung di beberapa sudut sebuah restoran baru dinamakan Kedai Kopi Blues di Jalan Reko Sentral, Kajang.

Uniknya foto itu, ia memberi gambaran perjuangan, kesungguhan dan kesetiaan seorang bekas pegawai polis yang pernah berkhidmat dari 1951 hingga 1986.

Jika diamati satu persatu, tidak keterlaluan dikatakan akan ada tertanya-tanya siapakah gerangan pemilik potret itu.

Malah, jika ditunjukkan wajah pemiliknya dalam foto itu dan diberitahu namanya sekalipun, persoalan sama pasti terngiang-ngiang di fikiran.

Apapun, dikenali atau tidak, realitinya empunya foto itu, Datuk Syed Meer Wahid Al-Hubshee Syed Ibrahim, 78, bukan sembarangan, walaupun beliau seperti ‘wira yang tak didendang’. Jasanya cukup besar,

Kesempatan bertemunya baru-baru ini membongkar banyak kisah menarik sepanjang beliau bertugas sebagai pegawai polis.

Paling menarik membabitkan kisah penjenayah terkenal yang mengakui dirinya sebagai ‘Robin Hood’, Botak Chin atau nama sebenarnya Wong Swee Chin.

Sejarah tertulis, penjenayah itu berjaya ditahan selepas satu serbuan di sebuah kilang papan di Jalan Ipoh pada 16 Februari 1976, namun di sebalik serbuan itu, Syed Meer atau lebih sinonim dengan panggilan Syed Meor adalah pencetusnya.

Menurut Syed Meor, sebagai Ketua Polis Daerah Campbell (kini Dang Wangi) ketika itu, beliau turut serta dalam usaha menangkap penjenayah paling dikehendaki itu.

Malah, selepas Timbalan Ketua Jabatan Siasatan Jenayah Kuala Lumpur, mendiang Deputi Superintendan (DSP) S Kulasingam cedera ditembak konco Botak Chin dan dirawat di hospital, beliau memangku jawatan berkenaan.

“Peristiwa penangkapan Botak Chin bermula pada satu malam apabila seorang pemberi maklumat memberitahu ada kegiatan penjualan heroin di sebuah kilang papan. Saya suruh dia menyelusup ke kilang itu tetapi ada halangan.

“Kesudahannya, saya sendiri turun padang memantau lokasi itu. Ketika itu saya melakukan penyamaran dengan memakai serban supaya tidak dikenali,” katanya.

Ketika tiba di lokasi berkenaan, beliau melihat kelibat orang kanan Botak Chin, Pangkor Chai (Beh Kok Chin) dan yakin Botak Chin ada di kilang itu.

Syed Meor berkata beliau terus memaklumkan kepada Ketua Polis Kuala Lumpur ketika itu, Mohamed Amin Osman (kini Tan Sri) dan beberapa pasukan dihantar memantau kilang berkenaan.

Katanya seingat beliau, ada tiga pasukan dihantar.

“Kami melakukan persediaan dengan memintas panggilan telefon dari kilang itu untuk memastikan Botak Chin ada di situ,” katanya.

Selepas menunggu empat hari, tiada sebarang panggilan telefon dibuat menyebabkan serbuan tidak dapat dilakukan.

“Malam keempat adalah malam terakhir kami menunggu dan tiba-tiba ada panggilan telefon dibuat. Sah, suara panggilan telefon itu dibuat Botak Chin.

“Botak Chin menghubungi konconya di Ipoh dan mereka merancang untuk menyerang Genting (Highlands),” katanya.

Syed Meor berkata, sebaik mengetahui Botak Chin ada di kilang berkenaan, polis terus melakukan serbuan dan berlaku tembak menembak.

“Selepas tembakan dihentikan dan keadaan reda, dua orang kanan Botak Chin ditemui mati, namun Botak Chin tidak kelihatan.

“Ketika itu, Ketua Polis Daerah Sentul yang saya tidak ingat namanya masuk ke dalam dan menemui Botak Chin terbaring di bawah meja.

“Botak Chin memanggil... ‘sir please help me’ (Tuan, tolong saya) dan ketika itu penjenayah terbabit ditarik keluar. Dia ditemui dalam keadaan cedera di tangan dan badan kesan dua hingga tiga das tembak bersama beg yang mengandungi lebih daripada satu senjata api,” katanya yang memegang jawatan Ketua Polis Daerah Campbell dari 1971 hingga 1979.

Selepas ditangkap, Botak Chin ditahan selama setahun sebelum mengaku bersalah apabila dihadapkan ke mahkamah terhadap dakwaan mengikut Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri (ISA) yang membawa kepada hukuman mati mandatori.

Disebabkan peguamnya membuat rayuan terhadap hukuman itu hingga peringkat Privy Council, Botak Chin dibicara semula pada 1 April 1980 tetapi dia tetap didapati bersalah pada 16 Mei 1980 dan rayuannya kepada Mahkamah Persekutuan dan Lembaga Pengampunan ditolak. Pada 11 Jun 1981, Botak Chin menjalani hukuman gantung.

Selain kes Botak Chin, Syed Meor turut terbabit secara langsung dalam tragedi bangunan 12 tingkat, AIA di Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur.

Kejadian dicetuskan lima pengganas Tentera Merah Jepun (Japanese Red Army) pada 4 Ogos 1975, lantaran tuntutan untuk pembebasan rakan mereka yang ditawan di penjara di Tokyo, Jepun.

Seramai 52 orang rakyat negara ini dan beberapa pekerja kedutaan Jepun, Amerika Syarikat dan Sweden, termasuk wanita serta kanak-kanak menjadi tawanan pengganas terbabit.

Ketika kejadian terbabit, Syed Meor berkata, beliau berkesempatan bersemuka dengan pengganas terbabit.

“Untuk masuk ke dalam kawasan yang ditawan pengganas itu tidak boleh kerana sudah dikelilingi wayar bom. Begitupun saya sempat bersemuka dengan pengganas terbabit yang memberitahu supaya tidak masuk campur dan menyuruh saya menjaga ‘orang’ saya saja.

“Mereka beritahu tidak akan menimbulkan masalah, melainkan kami yang mencetuskan masalah,” katanya.

Selain memberi amaran berkenaan, pengganas terbabit turut meminta dibelikan makanan yang bukan daripada kedai makan biasa tetapi hotel berdekatan iaitu Hotel Merlin.

Permintaan mereka itu terpaksa dipenuhi polis.

Dalam kejadian itu, Syed Meor berkata, beliau sendiri membantu membawa turun beberapa orang yang tidak dijadikan tebusan, tetapi terperangkap dalam bangunan berkenaan.

“Situasi ketika tragedi itu memang bahaya. Seorang anggota polis cedera ditembak di kaki apabila cuba naik ke lokasi pengganas terbabit bersembunyi,” katanya yang tidak pulang ke rumah selama tiga hari akibat tragedi berkenaan.

Tragedi itu berakhir tanpa pertumpahan darah. Semua 52 tebusan dibebaskan dan hasil rundingan yang dibuat pengganas terbabit, 5 pengganas terbabit dan lima tawanan penjara Jepun yang dibawa bersama dari Jepun dihantar ke Libya.

Melihat dua kisah itu, penulis tertanya-tanya mengapa namanya tidak dikenali ramai.

Sambil tersenyum, Syed Meor menceritakannya, biarlah penulis saja yang tahu.

Tiada kesilapan yang dibuat kerana beliau seorang yang sangat mementingkan disiplin dan membenci rasuah.

Jika hendak mengetahui prestasinya, lihat saja bagaimana keadaan daerah Campbell yang dikawalnya.

Menurutnya, jika turun padang, senyap sunyilah lokasi panas seperti Chow kit hingga beliau digelar 'town tamer' (penjinak kota). Habis semua kongsi gelap, judi, pelacuran dan dadah dibanteras habis-habisan.

Seperti yang diceritakannya, beliau pantang dicabar sehingga ada sebuah kelab malam milik kakak seorang pelakon veteran ketika ini habis diserbunya sehingga terpaksa ditutup!

“Kakak pelakon itu cabar suruh datang serbu. Saya serbu sampai kelab malam itu bankrap,” kata Syed Meor.

Begitupun, lumrah sebagai pegawai polis, beliau turut tidak terlepas daripada berdepan ancaman daripada penjenayah.

Paling diingatinya adalah kejadian keretanya ditembak bertalu-talu oleh penjenayah di Taman Overseas Union Garden (OUG), Jalan Klang Lama pada 1979.

“Ketika itu saya hendak melakukan serbuan terhadap sekumpulan penjenayah daripada kumpulan 'pang'. Setibanya di rumah teres dua tingkat yang dijadikan tempat persembunyian mereka, mereka menembak saya bertalu-talu.

“Habis kereta saya berlubang, namun saya selamat. Apabila penjenayah itu cuba melarikan diri, habis semuanya mati ditembak,” katanya.

Hakikatnya pengalaman Syed Meor bukan setakat berhadapan dengan penjenayah, tetapi beliau mempunyai banyak pengalaman bertempur dengan komunis ketika menyertai Police Special Squad Group dan Police Field Force sekitar 1960 hingga 1968.

Syed Meor kini masih gigih bekerja sebagai peguam dan memiliki firma guaman sendiri. Menariknya pejabat firma guamannya itu terletak di Kompleks Campbell.

“Membangkitkan nostalgia”, kata Syed Meor

Info

Syed Meor menyertai polis pada Mei 1951. Selain memegang jawatan Ketua Polis Daerah Campbell, antara jawatan lain yang dipegang adalah Ketua Polis Daerah Kulai, Simpang Renggam dan Alor Setar, Ketua Trafik Utara dan Ketua Siasatan Jenayah Narkotik Utara. Kali terakhir beliau bertugas di unit inteligen di Johor dari 1980 hingga 1986. Pernah memegang jawatan sebagai Pengarah Keselamatan Bank Negara selama tiga tahun. Ketika bertugas di Sarawak mendiang Temenggung Jugah Anak Barieng pernah menghadiahkan Syed Meer seguni kepala tengkorak manusia sebagai satu penghargaan kepadanya. Selain kisah dengan penjenayah, Syed Meor turut mempunyai pengalaman membunuh seekor harimau bersaiz 2.4 meter seorang diri di Tumpat, Kelantan. Orang kampung hanya menghantar beliau ke lokasi harimau itu membaham seorang anggota polis Inggeris. Beliau berjaya menembak harimau itu pada jam 2 pagi dalam keadaan muka beliau disapu tahi gajah bagi mengelak harimau berkenaan mengesan kehadirannya.

Eh...Akhil Hayy lah...!!!

KUALA KUBU BHARU: “Ana harap semua kemelut dan gosip dinoktahkan dengan ijab kabul. Ini (pernikahan) juga doa daripada kalian semua (wartawan),” kata penyanyi, pengacara dan penceramah bebas, Akhil Abdul Hai atau lebih dikenali sebagai Akhil Hayy selepas selamat diijab kabulkan dengan penyanyi Waheeda, semalam.

Akhil, 40, menganggap pernikahan mereka sebagai ketentuan Allah selepas berdepan dengan pelbagai tohmahan sebelum ini.

“Sebelum ini ana ada menyatakan senang dengan sikap dia (Waheeda) dan tuan punya dunia membuka pintu hati ana untuk kembali berumah tangga selepas berstatus duda.

“Ana tidak boleh kata tiada perasaan cinta (kepada Waheeda) kerana Allah mencampakkan ke hati setiap manusia rasa kasih sayang dan ini satu amanah berat kepada ana, bukan saja untuk membimbing Waheeda malah keluarga,” katanya ketika ditemui selepas majlis akad nikah mereka di Majlis Jamek Ar-Rahimah di sini, semalam.

Pasangan itu dinikahkan Pendaftar Nikah dan Cerai Pejabat Agama Islam Hulu Selangor, Zulkhairi Jaid dan dengan sekali lafaz, Akhil dan Waheeda atau nama sebenar, Norwahidah Abdul Wahab, 31, sah sebagai suami isteri tepat jam 12 tengah hari.

Turut menyaksikan majlis ijab kabul itu ialah bapa Waheeda, Abdul Wahab Yusuf, 58, ibunya, Asri Othman, 58, ibu Akhil, Azizah Daud, 72, dan dua anak Akhil, Siti Nur Maisarah, 12, dan Mohd Syarif Idayatullah, 11.

Pada majlis pernikahan yang dihadiri saudara terdekat itu, tiada wang hantaran diberikan, sebaliknya pihak lelaki menyediakan senaskhah al-Quran. Rombongan lelaki juga memberi tujuh dulang hantaran dan dibalas 11 dulang oleh pihak perempuan.

Majlis itu menjadi hiba apabila Waheeda menitiskan air mata ketika bersalaman dengan ibu bapanya selepas selamat diijab kabulkan.

Akhil berkata, dia bersyukur kerana majlis itu berjalan lancar selepas banyak perkara ditempuhi, malah tidak menyangka ia dihadiri ramai saudara terdekat kerana cadangan asal mahu melaksanakannya secara kecil-kecilan.

“Mulanya kami mahu melangsungkan majlis ini pada 21 Ogos bagi mendapat keberkatan Ramadan, tapi keluarga mahu ia diawalkan.

“(Selepas ini) saya berharap semua peminat Waheeda dapat mendoakan kebahagiaan kami. Kami mahu menutup buku lama dan membuka buku baru,” katanya.

Akhil bagaimanapun enggan memberi sebarang komen mengenai bekas isterinya, Maizawati Zainal, 33, dan terpulang kepadanya untuk berkata apa saja.

Sementara itu, Waheeda pula menegaskan dia tetap meneruskan hasrat bersara dari dunia seni dan hanya akan menumpukan perhatian kepada anak serta keluarga.

“Sebelum ini (pakar motivasi) Datuk Dr Mohd Fadzillah Kamsah ada menasihatkan saya bahawa dugaan yang lebih berat akan membuahkan ganjaran lebih besar daripada Allah.

“Biarlah selepas ini orang nak cakap apa pun kerana banyak lagi perkara lebih penting dalam hidup ini. Saya hanya mahu menghabiskan masa dengan keluarga,” katanya.

Mengenai hantaran senaskhah al-Quran, Waheeda berkata ia permintaan bapanya kerana itu pemberian paling lengkap.

Mengulas penyakit yang menimpanya, Waheeda berkata, keadaannya teruk sejak tiga bulan lalu, namun ia kini beransur pulih.

Pasangan itu akan mengadakan majlis persandingan pada 31 Oktober ini di Dewan Orang Ramai Bukit Jelutong, Shah Alam dan di tempat asal Akhil di Gopeng, Perak, seminggu kemudian.

Kontroversi mengenai keretakan rumah tangga Akhil mendapat liputan meluas media massa akhir Mei lalu berikutan Maizawati membuat pendedahan terbuka menerusi program televisyen.

Pasangan itu akhirnya bercerai pada 15 Julai lalu selepas Akhil melafazkan talak satu di Mahkamah Rendah Syariah Ipoh, Perak.

Vitali-Arreola Tix Info!

TICKETS GO ON SALE SATURDAY AT 10 A.M. PT

FOR WBC HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPION VITALI KLITSCHKO

AND UNDEFEATED CRISTOBAL ARREOLA

MEGA MATCHUP AT STAPLES CENTER ON SEPT. 26

LOS ANGELES (Aug. 14, 2009) –- Ticket prices for the World Boxing Council (WBC) heavyweight world title fight between champion Vitali “Dr. Ironfist” Klitschko and No. 1-ranked Cristobal “The Nightmare’’ Arreola will start as low $25 when they go on sale beginning Saturday, Aug. 15, at 10 a.m. PT

The historic 12-round fight will take place at STAPLES Center, site of Thursday’s packed-house press conference that included Klitschko and Arreola talking to the media about how they plan to win the Saturday, Sept. 26 battle.

It was mentioned on several occasions on Thursday that the tickets are priced right for the sports fan and that 70 percent of the seats are priced at $100 or less.

“We feel the tickets are priced right for the fans for a fight of this magnitude,” said Dan Beckerman, Chief Operating Officer, AEG. “We want to be sure all the boxing fans in Los Angeles have the opportunity to see this fight.”

Tickets can be purchased at all TicketMaster outlets, by phone at 800-745-3000 and online at www.ticketmaster.com. Tickets will be available at the STAPLES Center Box Office Monday, Aug. 17 at 10 a.m. Tickets are priced at $500, $300, $200, $100, $75, $50 and $25.

Klitschko, of Los Angeles and Hamburg, Germany, brings a record of 37-2 with 36 knockouts into what will be an exciting, hotly contested 12-round showdown. The dangerous-punching Arreola, of Riverside, California, via East Los Angeles, is 27-0 with 24 KOs.

Klitschko has been involved in the only two heavyweight world title fights to emanate from the internationally-known home of the NBA Champion Lakers, STAPLES Center. He is 1-1, but both matches were unforgettable. The first – against then- champion Lennox Lewis on June 21, 2003 – was a bloody, exhilarating slugfest that resulted in a hotly disputed victory for Lewis.

The world title fight, which will be promoted by K2 Promotions in association with Goossen Tutor Promotions, will air Live on HBO at 10 p.m. ET/7 p.m. PT. Doors will open at STAPLES Center on Sept. 26 at 4 p.m.

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Early Flu Shot Info

Flu Shots in Sept, Then H1N1 Shots

Published : Friday, 14 Aug 2009, 6:20 PM CDT

Minneapolis - With the threat of the H1N1 virus, people are already preparing for the regular flu season. People usually start to get flu shots in October or November. But because of the H1N1 virus, health experts want you to roll up your sleeve sooner than you might think. At the Minnesota Visiting Nurses Agency, the first batch of seasonal flu vaccines just arrived about a month earlier than normal. Health officials want people to get their regular flu shots in September of this year. And then get an H1N1 shot when that vaccine becomes available in late October or early November, followed by a booster a few weeks later.
Health experts say people under 65 should get the H1N1 shots, especially pregnant women and children and people with chronic lung disease. The Visiting Nurse Agency has hired an extra 100 nurses. And has ordered 30,000 extra regular flu shots.

Minnesota Visiting Nurse Agency