校園驗毒促取消通報警方
議員建議學生自決 當局拒讓步
爭議不絕
拒簽同意書 家長會被質問 在校園自願驗毒計劃下，被抽中驗毒的學生若拒絕參與，會被校方跟進「了解」，原來家長不同意讓子女參與，也會被質問，形同施壓。背後原因是當局不相信學生，仍然認為拒絕驗毒即「身有屎」，家長不同意可能是學生冒簽名。
「做乜搵我哋較飛」 有兩名子女的張先生昨致電港台烽煙節目，當面質問禁毒專員黃碧兒和教育局副局長陳維安為何家長不同意，也會被學校跟進，「（你哋）只係應長官要求，做乜要搵我哋家長、小朋友較飛？」他強調子女毋須參與驗毒，「我哋啲小朋友真係良家婦女，冇做傷天害理嘅事！」
黃碧兒稱學校只是跟進家長是否不清楚驗毒計劃，或者學生沒有給同意書予家長簽署，暗示有人會冒簽。陳維安稱吸毒學生有頑劣的，也有表面乖的，「乖嘅學生唔能夠永遠假設佢一路都係乖。」他不認同毋須跟進拒驗毒學生，「唔多唔少係有啲嘢。」
家長協進會會長黎曾慶認為，要學校質問家長的決定是過火，當局若擔心家長不了解計劃，可增加電視宣傳。 滙豐聘 100人 300人應徵
多為應屆大學畢業生 對金融前景表信心
100個位,得300個人爭;其實係咪即係畢業生已經唔吼呢?
未與員工共度時艱
職工盟副主席張麗霞表示，滙豐銀行在經濟差時選擇裁員，當中不少都屬高薪一族，但相隔數月卻聘請人工較低的前線員工，質疑對方「根本冇社會責任」，沒有在經濟逆境時與員工無共度時艱，「炒人同請人之間只係差幾個月」。
勞工及福利局局長張建宗表示，本港首季經濟雖然好轉，但隨着大批畢業生投入勞動市場，以及外圍因素未明朗，對於本港勞工市場的情況不能掉以輕心。 地產 保險 零售業 復見增聘人手 【報訊】本港經濟從谷底反彈，除了銀行業恢復請人外，有人事顧問指，地產、保險及零售行業近月亦開始增聘人手，但招聘規模遠較金融海嘯前細。工會指，雖然私人市場多了職位空缺，但薪金較去年同期起碼少 10%。
新增職位工資下跌 10% 合眾人事顧問有限公司總經理蘇偉忠表示，銀行及地產等去年曾出大規模裁員的行業，近月恢復聘請員工，原因可能與投資市場轉趨活躍有關。不過，企業請人態度依然十分謹慎，招聘會規模亦較金融海嘯前細。環球管理諮詢顧問董事總經理李漢祥則指出，不少企業看好下半年本港經濟情況，招聘活動明顯較年初頻繁，其中以保險及零售業最活躍，而地產代理公司經過去年一段淡靜期後，最近亦開始增聘人手。
不過，職工盟副主席張麗霞卻指出，雖然貿易、金融及地產等多個行業近日不斷補充新血，但職位空缺「好睇唔好食」，粗略估計，近期新增職位的工資，較去年同期下跌最少 10%。 美食博覽明日落幕 參展商昨起大劈價
「一件不留 唔攞貨走」
逼走社工事件 余若薇六問曾德成
公民黨黨魁余若薇極度關注民政事務局局長曾德成，涉嫌打壓社工謝世傑一事，昨日去信向曾德成提出「六大疑問」，要求曾交代有否干預社工專業自主及濫用權力，並解釋他口中「社工須配合特區政府推動和諧社會的政策」是甚麼意思。余又認為，曾德成處理謝世傑事件時的手法，已引起社工界憂慮。
事件引起社工界憂慮 民政事務局局長曾德成為討好大澳鄉事派，涉向基督教女青年會高層施壓，逼走社工謝世傑一事，除激發日前 500名社工怒吼曾德成下台，民主派亦決定明日開會跟進事件。公民黨黨魁余若薇對事件表示高度關注，決定去信曾德成提出「六大疑問」，認為今次事件關乎社工專業自主，及民政事務局是否濫用權力等問題，曾德成應盡快交代。
余若薇提出的「六大疑問」，包括曾德成要求謝世傑任職的女青年會，配合政府推動和諧社區的政策時，是否暗指謝先生過去處理社區問題的做法，削弱政府推動和諧社區的政策？曾德成向女青年會高層人員提及謝世傑事件時，背後又有何目的和具體內容？曾德成口中要求社工須「配合特區政府推動和諧社會的政策」，具體又是甚麼意思？
余認為，社工協助居民表達對政府施政的不滿是社工的責任，但曾德成處理謝世傑事件時的手法，已引起社工界憂慮，擔心日後協助居民爭取權益時，會被政府秋後算賬，影響他們的職位及生計，認為曾德成必須盡快交代。 劉慧卿譴責公安阻採訪
致函中聯辦 要求徹查 2009年08月16日 (日) 日報
香港 now新聞台記者早前到成都採訪維權人士譚作人被審訊案件，遭內地公安以懷疑記者藏毒為名，阻攔採訪，引起香港傳媒及市民強烈不滿。民主黨副主席、立法會議員劉慧卿昨日去信中聯辦主任彭清華，強烈譴責內地公安做法，要求內地當局徹查事件，還香港記者公道。
上周三 now新聞台駐京記者黃嘉瑜與攝影師，到成都準備採訪譚作人案時，被自稱公安人員以懷疑房間藏有毒品為由，禁錮房內 7小時，阻止黃嘉瑜及攝影師採訪譚作人審訊。事件曝光後，引起輿論嘩然，泛民多名議員已表明要求特區政府追查事件。立法會議員劉慧卿昨日致函中聯辦主任彭清華，表達對事件強烈不滿。
要求嚴懲違法者 劉慧卿在信中強烈譴責今次事件，認為公安懷疑記者藏毒的指控十分嚴重，內地執法當局，以藏毒罪名指控記者，阻止他們採訪，那是嚴重侵犯新聞採訪自由、踐踏法治。劉慧卿要求內地政府徹查今次事件，並且公開交代調查結果，以及嚴懲違法者，還香港記者一個公道之外，並落實保障新聞自由。 癱瘓阿斌遇上死亡醫生
數年前曾經向特首要求安樂死的阿斌（鄧紹斌），昨天遇上澳洲「死亡醫生」 Philip Nitschke。阿斌沒有向這位致力協助病人選擇安樂死的醫生討教結束生命的方法，但四肢癱瘓的他，內心仍有揮不去的恐懼：「我想我不可能舒服的死去，我害怕死前時一刻會很痛苦。」
十多年前曾在澳洲合法地為四名病人結束生命的 Philip Nitschke，昨天到本港外國記者會出席探討安樂死問題的電視節目《安樂善別》發佈會，阿斌明顯有備而來，現場設施不能讓他坐輪椅到二樓，於是他在大門等候這位醫生。
曾著寫《我要安樂死》的阿斌，與「死亡醫生」同場出現，又再被問及生死意向，「我依然堅持我們有權選擇是否安樂死。但在它合法化以前，我不會作出決定，以免影響身邊的人。」
「安樂死是人權」 多年前因為意外導致四肢癱瘓的阿斌，只能移動頭部，能說話，其餘一切事情要靠人協助。近年他寫書、出席公開活動，生活態度明顯傾向積極，記者問他對生命是否仍然充滿希望，「我有腦袋，仍然可以做一些事情。此時此刻，生命仍然有意義。」
安樂死問題充滿爭議，「死亡醫生」經常被公開挑戰，但在阿斌心目中，他很勇敢。他以英語向 Philip Nitschke提出三個問題；為何死亡醫生要協助病人安樂死？澳洲處理安樂死問題的情況？病人神志不清時怎樣處理安樂死的意願？
安樂死曾一度在澳洲合法化，但 96年被推翻， Philip Nitschke認為協助有需要病人選擇安樂死能造福文明社會。他說，在合法化地區，病人若想貫徹安樂死的意願，最好預先訂立遺囑。阿斌認為：「選擇安樂死不是造福與否的問題，這是我們的基本人權。」
記者 冼麗婷 中區昨晨兩部電車出軌
中環立法會對開電車更換路軌工程路段，昨清晨個多小時內，發生兩宗電車出軌意外，幸無人受傷，附近一段東行電車服務須暫停兩小時。電車公司正調查兩宗意外，會否由於司機高速掟彎、抑或更換路軌工程出現問題所致。
立法會對開一段德輔道中與昃臣道交界東、西行電車路軌，由本月 12日起進行大規模更換及維修路軌工程，工人 24小時工作掘開路面更換路軌，其間電車仍可繼續行駛。
意外都在換軌路段 首宗電車出軌意外發生於昨清晨約 5時 30分，一輛從西環開往跑馬地電車，駛至立法會對開更換電車路軌路段右彎位時，前轆突然出軌，幸意外中無人受傷。在場工人即時利用吊臂車，將出軌電車吊回路軌上，檢查路軌安全後，電車繼續行駛。
至清晨約 6時 40分，另一輛從上環駛往筲箕灣電車，駛至上址路軌更換路段右彎位時，同樣發生前轆出軌意外，幸亦無人受傷。在場工人亦即時利用吊臂車，將出軌電車吊回路軌上讓車駛走。
工人詳細檢查後，發現出軌路軌有損毀情況，須即時進行緊急維修，以確保行車安全。工人隨即再次進行更換路軌工程，其間畢打街至金鐘美利道東行列車服務一度暫停，電車公司在多個受影響車站貼出告示、或派出職員在場通知乘客暫停服務。
至早上近 9時更換路軌工程完成，東行列車服務全線恢復。電車公司表示，正調查連環出軌意外，是由於司機高速掟彎失事、抑或更換路軌工程出問題引致。 大廠拆細 生產成本慳 20%
引入豐田模式港商大翻身
九龍南線通車政黨贈興 2009年8月16日 日報
西鐵將由今天起伸延至紅磡，屯門居民只需 36分鐘就直達尖東，有鐵路迷通宵迎接新鐵路支線啟用。而港鐵今日起會取消 K16南昌至尖沙嘴的免費接駁巴士服務，有多批區議員今天會到紅磡站抗議。
西鐵九龍南線通車，今天起總站由南昌伸延至紅磡，並新增柯士甸站，屯門出尖沙嘴比現時轉乘巴士快 20分鐘。但東鐵及西鐵服務需重組，東鐵改為以紅磡為終點站，往尖東的乘客要在紅磡轉車，車程最多增加 5分鐘。而尖東站將改歸西鐵線，紅磡來往尖東的服務時間亦會縮短，尖東往紅磡的頭班車將由以往早上 5時 23分延至 6時 4分開出，紅磡往尖東尾班車會由凌晨 1時 10分提早至午夜 12時 8分開出。
抗議取消接駁巴士 15歲的鐵路迷紀俊安表示，他和幾個朋友一起通宵迎接新鐵路支線啟用，昨晚午夜會先乘搭最後一班上水至尖東的東鐵列車，然後會乘通宵巴士入屯門，等候乘搭今天首班屯門直通紅磡的西鐵列車。
民主黨、民建聯及元朗區議會交通及運輸委員會多批區議員今天會到紅磡及柯士甸站請願，抗議港鐵取消 K16南昌至尖沙嘴的免費接駁巴士服務。 房協長者津貼被批凉薄 2009年8月16日 (日) 日報
房協去年推出長者自住物業津貼計劃，原意是協助有經濟困難的長者業主改善居住環境，有申請人因審批時間太長，等不到津貼已去世，但房協竟沒半點憐憫之心，即時取消申請。有政黨批評房協做法不近人情，而該計劃申請程序繁複也令不少長者卻步，要求縮短審批時間。
居於土瓜灣、 96歲的馬惠貞去年 10月申請長者自住物業津貼計劃，希望得到房協 4萬元津貼改善居住環境。裝修項目在今年 3月完成，之後馬婆婆將開支收據交給房協以拿取津貼，但她不幸在 7月去世，房協就立即以申請人去世及其配偶未合申請資格為由，拒絕批出款項及取消馬婆婆的申請。
婆婆離世即終止申請 馬婆婆的孫新抱黃惠儀昨在記者會表示，婆婆在工程完工後 4個月去世，但房協即時終止申請，「如果知道婆婆不久人世，一定唔會去申請津貼維修間屋。」她指，計劃審批時間太長是一個陷阱，「申請咗嘅長者就好似要鬥長命咁。」 協助馬婆婆後人追討的民協發言人楊震宇表示，房協應立即檢討審批程序，即使申請人在審批期間去世，也不要終止申請。
房協發言人表示，房協有獨立審批委員會，協助被拒申請人覆核申請。房協會調查馬婆婆個案，並指過往曾有恩恤考慮，批出津貼予不合資格人士。 屯門巴士總站廢氣超標
夏日炎炎，在巴士站候車倍感悶熱，屯門居民唐先生批評，屯門市中心的巴士總站通風不足，要求當局關注及改善車站空氣質素。
運輸署定期量度 運輸署回覆，上述巴士總站設有通風及監察系統，若系統發現空氣質素超出預設值，抽風設施便會自動感應啟動；此外，當局定期派員量度有蓋公共運輸交滙處的空氣質素，確保空氣質素符合水平。
該署透露，根據最近量度紀錄，該站的一氧化碳、二氧化硫也符合環保署指引，惟二氧化氮偶爾未能符合水平；針對此情況，已調高抽風系統速度，該署會繼續密切監察情況。檔案編號： 0708031 災前／災後
任由脫水餓壞 2日 滿身屎尿
美逆子拒救倒地不起母親
2009年8月16日 日報
惻隱之心，人皆有之，在街上發現陌生人昏倒，一般人都會伸出援手，但美國紐約長島一名不肖子，竟對跌倒家中而動彈不得的母親視若無睹，不聞不問，甚至跨過她身體，離家上班去，等到兩日後母親脫水兼營養不良，不肖子才報警求助。
45歲不肖子里德（ Lacy Reid）在護老院當看更，卻對相依為命的 65歲母親瑪麗（ Mary Reid）超級冷漠。上周二晚，瑪麗在家中廚房跌倒，人在二樓的里德雖聽到巨響，但懶得下樓察看。
跨過她身體出門上班 里德翌晨起床，見母親伏地不動，問了幾句話，母親沒反應，他仍然懶理，任由她伏在地上，有時更跨過她身體，之後更若無其事，出門上班。當晚他回家和翌晨起床後，見母親仍倒在地上，但依然沒有理會。到上周四晚上，里德下班回家，發現母親已由廚房爬到前門，相信是想外出求救，里德才報警。
救護人員到場，發現老婦嚴重脫水兼餓壞，部份衣物因掙扎着爬到大門而褪下，衣服和身體都沾滿屎尿。她在送院途中一度心臟和呼吸停跳，目前情況危殆，需要靠機器維持生命。
警員表示，由里德的供詞看出，母子倆關係緊張，因此里德對母沒半點關懷同情，而是冷漠。警方發言人史密斯說：「不知何故，里德蓄意漠視母親的健康，沒有求助，沒有對她伸出援手，只是自己顧自己。」
鄰居都對事件表示震驚，但大家異口同聲說里德是個難纏的怪人。「他經常自言自語，會向鄰居發火，愛吵架。」另一名鄰居則指里德「會朝窗外大叫、罵人」。
被控罔顧後果危害他人 警方已落案控告里德罔顧後果危害他人罪，最高刑罰是監禁七年。
警方明顯認為里德所作所為有問題，但有報道指，檢控官前天指里德的行為未必構成罔顧後果危害他人罪，現正研究有沒有法例規定里德有責任救助母親。暫時未知里德母親因何跌倒，但據報事發前一天她仍駕車外出，看來健康良好。美聯社/哥倫比亞廣播公司 集團網站擺烏龍 蝕百萬滿足訂房客
1毫子嘆四星酒店
手快有，手慢無，一個終極「抵到爛」套餐，讓遊客在意大利水都威尼斯享受浪漫周末，入住四星級酒店一晚只要 1毫子！可惜，超特惠價格原來是酒店搞錯……好消息是，酒店決定不讓顧客失望，成功訂房的人可繼續以 1毫房租入住。
四星級 Crowne Plaza酒店（圖），原擬推出入住兩晚半價優惠，但酒店的美國母公司、洲際酒店集團辦事處擺烏龍，周日在網站推出 1歐仙（約 0.11港元）房租，結果網民蜂擁訂房，一夜之間有 5,000人預訂至明年的房間。該酒店房租原價要 90至 150歐元（ 990至 1,650港元）。
酒店經理最初以為是黑客搞鬼，但在發現是母公司出錯後，前天（周五）表示會承擔責任，讓成功訂房的 228名顧客以 0.1港元一晚的租金，入住合共 1,400晚，預計酒店因此損失 9萬歐元（約 99萬港元）。美聯社 尋日明明重有綠色杯,今日冇晒 (尋日明明都係話買綠色杯,點知來咗個青檸色)
尋日冇食到雞翼餐,今日就買咗4隻雞翼 ~ 以前12蚊,原來已經加咗價到13蚊 (唔知兩隻係咪重係賣6蚊?)
啲M記經理話今晚12點有杯,係咪真嘅呢?! 重話係啥色都有,除咗綠色 (而家就係差紅色同綠色,不過其實都好想要個黑炭色;阿妹已經有一隻喇)
食咗兩隻雞翼之後 (夜晚屋企都係食雞餐 ~ 豉油雞翼) 阿妹出咗門口 阿爸阿媽就開始清個騎樓,準備聽日師傅上來整嘢 (但究竟係整乜嘢呢,其實都唔係好知 ......)
只係知道阿妹真係好多對鞋同好多一樽二樽 ......
幫手掃完塵之後 就落樓襟機
不過就唔記得襟錢畀阿媽 ~ 如果真係要拆咗個鋁窗就要再安過喇 ......
順便買咗本《選擇》同買咗3隻大腳板,一包薯片 ...... 終於可以換多個小丸子文具 ~ 今次係花輪同學嘅膠紙座 ~ 唔知黐住佢把口之後,佢會唔會叫少啲「Baby」呢?
只知道啲大腳板返到屋企都溶晒 .......
去襟機之前 見到定天有本李志清嘅新作 ~ 竟然係《項羽劉邦》 ~ 唔計橫山光輝 (佢都出咗套《項羽與劉邦》,全60卷;畫功真係嚇人 ......),黃玉郎都畫過
今次清兒 (《三國志》面世後廿年重應唔應該叫佢做「清兒」呢.....)再拍寺島優畫劉邦稱帝話頁頁跟足歷史 唔知係咪真?! 橫山光輝跟足歷史多啲定係寺島優跟得足啲呢就真係唔知
只知道如果又出二、三十期就真係冇位擺 如果又畫成廿年 或者好似《孫子兵法》恁話足十幾年先畫得十期重連名都改埋就只怕自己未必等到
如果今朝早啲起身就可以去睇《G.I. Joe》喇 ~ 更可以買番張新嘅西鐵全月通喇 (可以搭足個半月 重可以畀屋企人拎來用)
不過就真係唔多妥佢要cut K16,重唔知要cut幾多條巴士線 (包括63X),亦唔妥佢要因為西鐵東鐵駁通後要改部份巴士班次(包括260X) ...... 08月16日 Sun 22:00:36 / 22:22:36
10 pricey cities that pay off
By Matthew Bandyk of U.S. News & World Report
Seven Summertime Auto Myths Debunked Summer is in full swing and you know the heat can be hard on your car. But which of those cooling tips you've heard about really work and which are just urban myths?
Ouch! Accident-Prone TV
From "American Gladiators" to "Unbeatable Banzuke," where to find the best falls, flubs and face-plants on TV ~ By Ben Silverman ~ Special to MSN Entertainment 08月16日 Sun 23:05:57
10 Best-Kept-Secret Careers Job seekers in today's economy are all familiar with the difficulty in finding a job. Adding to that difficulty is the fact that many job seekers are competing for the same positions and job titles.
Perhaps the secret to finding a job in this competitive market is looking for work in a field that not many people know about. Do such industries exist? Absolutely -- you just need a little help in finding them.
U.S. News and World Report compiled its annual "Best Careers" report and this year added something new. It profiled 10 jobs that scored just below best-career level but that -- because they're little-known -- may offer greater opportunities for job seekers.
Here are 10 of the best-kept-secret careers, in alphabetical order, according to U.S. News and World Report:
1. Accent-reduction specialist What you do: Trying to understand and communicate with people who have heavy regional or foreign accents can be difficult and frustrating. Whether your accent is from Brooklyn, India or the Southern United States, accent-reduction specialists will work with you to help you communicate more clearly and effectively.
What you need: A master's degree or Ph.D. in speech-language pathology, a state-issued license in speech-language pathology, a specialty credential in accent reduction or English as a second language training.
Salary*: N/A
2. Casting director What you do: You cast all of the actors in commercials, movies, plays, etc., from the leading role to the hundreds of extras. You'll schedule auditions, read scripts, talk to agents and help actors relax in their auditions. Casting directors typically work alongside directors and producers to find the right person for a role.
What you need: No formal training is required, but experience is vital. Many start out as interns or in an entry-level position as an assistant in a talent agency or as a casting assistant. A background in arts, English, film or theater is helpful.
Salary: $42,333
3. Child-life specialist What you do: In this rewarding field, you'll work with sick children and their families in hospitals, hospices or programs for children with serious diseases. You'll determine the medical and emotional needs of children and support them, whether it's creating games and activities, helping to get them comfortable in their surroundings, or role-playing scary medical procedures. You'll also help support the patient's family.
What you need: A bachelor's degree in a related field and one year of experience working with hospitalized children.
Salary: $43,997
4. Creative perfumer What you do: Without getting too technical, you'll mix several scented chemicals to concoct the perfect fragrance. It can take hundreds of trials and consumer testing to get it just right.
What you need: A good nose, lots of patience, experience and an education at perfumery school. It takes about seven years to train as a perfumer, and about 10 years before you are considered a qualified perfumer.
Salary: $21,791
5. Orthoptist What you do: Orthoptists provide vision training for patients with correctable vision defects like a cross or lazy eye. They measures visual acuity, focusing ability and eye-motor movement, then work with ophthalmologists (eye doctors) to create treatment plans for the patient.
What you need: A combination of more than one year of directly related training and/or experience; two years of post-bachelor's training is typically required.
Salary: $40,280
6. Orthotist/prosthetist What you do: Help patients with partial or total absence of limbs by either creating a custom-designed orthopedic brace (orthotist), or designing and making custom-fit artificial limbs (prosthetist).
What you need: A combination of more than four years of directly related training and/or experience.
Salary: $58,134
7. Program analyst What you do: Also called a management analyst, you'd work in federal and local governments, providing information on the most effective way to carry out a project or procedure. The job involves gathering and analyzing lots of data, in addition to writing reports outlining the information you found.
What you need: A master's degree in public policy is preferred, but a bachelor's degree and experience is standard.
Salary: $63,610
8. Program evaluator What you do: You'll evaluate several different programs, making suggestions about changes to make them better, or whether they should even continue. You'll switch programs every few weeks (or whenever you are done evaluating), so you'll get to work with a variety of clients, whether it's a nonprofit, a company or a government initiative.
What you need: A bachelor's degree is sufficient, although some evaluators have a Ph.D. from specialized training programs.
Salary: $56,647
9. Prospect researcher What you do: True to their job title, prospect researchers identify prospective donors who are likely to contribute to a cause. Typically employed by nonprofit organizations, they find people who have donated to similar causes in the past and dig up detailed information about them to help solicitors maximize the donation.
What you need: N/A
Salary: N/A
10. Surgical technologist What you do: Essentially, you will scrub into surgeries and assist surgeons, nurses and other operating room personnel by arranging equipment and supplies, placing patients on the table and handing the surgeon his tools. "Scalpel!"
What you need: Training programs last nine to 24 months and lead to a certificate, diploma or associate degree.
Salary: $33,777
*Annual salaries according to CBSalary.com, powered by Salary Expert
Rachel Zupek is a writer and blogger for CareerBuilder.com and its job blog, The Work Buzz. She researches and writes about job search strategy, career management, hiring trends and workplace issues. Follow her on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CBwriterRZ.
Copyright 2009 CareerBuilder.com All rights reserved. The information contained in this article may not be published, broadcast or otherwise distributed without prior written authority. ～ Story Filed Wednesday, August 12, 2009 - 11:37 AM
Coming soon: Battery-powered homes? If you can create your own electricity, this new battery will be able to store enough to last about a day.Posted by Mai Ling at MSN Real Estate on Wednesday, August 5, 2009 11:55 AM 08月16日 Sun 23:20:16
>>August 20, 2009 at 1:32:24 PM GMT+8
2009 年 8 月 16 日 星期日 【晴】
Page last updated at 14:56 GMT, Tuesday, 11 August 2009 15:56 UK 22:56 HK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/gallery/ Chris Campbell was in Valencia, Spain when he captured this dramatic picture of cloud-to-cloud lightning overhead on the evening of 9th August.
The last rays of the setting sun pushed their way through a layer of stratocumulus clouds, creating this breathtaking effect. Chris Sharp captured this image from Limpsfield in Surrey, looking towards Gatwick Airport.
Residents in Burrelton, Scotland were treated to this sight of a rosy-cheeked towering cumulus cloud as the sun set on 10th August. Picture taken by Stewart Malecki.
Kevin Grierson was watching the sunset on 7th August when he captured this image of the delicate-looking stratocumulus clouds above partly reflecting the light. He was standing on the beach in Troon looking towards the Isle of Arran.
Carol Palin photographed ominous-looking stratocumulus clouds overhead from her narrowboat on the Grand Union Canal at Stoke Hammond, Buckinghamshire on 6th August.
The light of the setting sun reflected dramatically against the cloud cover of a clearing cold front over Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire on 6th August. Photographed by Peter Smith.
The double rainbow that appeared over Botany Bay in Sydney, Australia looked striking against the dark sky. Mick Handcock took this picture on 7th August.
Is Television Over?
An intriguing new book about the ad recession's next victim. By Seth Stevenson ~ Posted Monday, Aug. 10, 2009, at 12:07 PM ET
If you love to hate ads, you might enjoy two new books that train their sights on modern marketing. The first makes the case that advertising as we know it is about to be obliterated. The second suggests that we should all dance a gleeful polka on its grave.
In The Chaos Scenario, Bob Garfield—ad critic for Advertising Age and co-host of the NPR show On the Media—argues that the long-standing, two-way partnership between advertising and content is due for a violent rejiggering. This notion is a familiar one by now, but Garfield asserts that the big ad agencies and media companies haven't yet managed to fully internalize it. (Particularly television networks, which have so far weathered the storm in a way that newspapers haven't.) Garfield also claims that the painful consequences of this upheaval will extend to you, the content consumer. You've probably already noticed the punishing body blow delivered to your local newspaper after once-lucrative advertising niches such as classifieds and real estate got eaten by the Internet. Garfield's feeling is that your beloved television shows will soon meet a similar fate.
There are now hundreds of cable channels and any number of captivating items to look at on the Web. As a result, the television audience is scattering. In 2008, Garfield notes, a top-rated TV drama like The Mentalist might have been watched by 3.2 percent of the U.S. population in a given week. Fifty years ago, a top drama like Gunsmoke would have been routinely watched by three times as many Americans percentagewise. It's much harder these days for a major advertiser to find the concentrated mass of eyeballs it needs to reach in order to boost its sales numbers. Garfield argues that those most affected by this sea change haven't yet faced up to the new reality.
Television networks, for example—which, though not as widely watched as they used to be, are still the only place to go to find eyeballs in any concentration at all—have so far been able to keep revenues relatively intact by charging higher rates per viewer while reaching fewer viewers. The rug is due to be pulled out from under them. The upshot, in Garfield's view: a vicious cycle in which television audiences fragment, so advertisers stop paying big bucks to run commercials on TV shows, so the funding for the shows dries up, so the quality of the shows declines, so the audience begins to flee even faster.
I'm not sure I buy the part about quality playing a role in audience behavior. Not when a show like The Bachelorette is a ratings winner. (Garfield might argue that even tripe like this offers network-level production values and thus requires a production budget that soon won't be sustainable.) But it seems reasonable to assume that advertisers will at some point refuse to pay hefty fees to capture ever-shrinking slices of the population. Eventually—and in fact, it's already happening—they'll find other uses for their marketing dollars.
This means there will be no one to foot the bill for your favorite high-quality show, unless 1) it's on a premium channel like HBO, where the revenue comes from subscriptions instead of ads, or 2) it's a bunch of webisodes, made on a shoestring, that air on YouTube and don't require a deep-pocketed sponsor. For now, 1 is much more likely than 2. While there's no doubt some terrific low-budget stuff that's being made for the Web—and this stuff will certainly get better and better—at this point, not a lot of it compares to The Wire. Or, for that matter, The Mentalist. (To paraphrase a joke I recently heard somewhere: What do you call a homemade video that holds your attention for 20 minutes? A celebrity sex tape.)
It all portends chaos for the television industry. But Garfield foresees equal tumult in store for the big-time ad agencies. He predicts the gradual demise of the classic, 30-second TV spot, which has been the lifeblood of major agencies for half a century. His prescription: Advertising will need to be less about displaying hip imagery and implanting mood associations and more about interacting with consumers online, analyzing their complaints and desires (as revealed in their blog posts and Web site comments), and providing utilitarian information to those who seek it out.
This approach, which Garfield dubs "listen-omics," may well turn out to be a more effective method of marketing. But there's also far less money in it. To illustrate this point, Garfield relates an anecdote about the Six Flags theme park deciding to give away 45,000 tickets as a promotion for its 45th anniversary. They told their big ad agency to figure out the logistics. Once upon a time, the agency might have spent lots of time and resources creating radio spots or billboard ads, and then securing placements for them, to make the public aware of the free tickets. Instead, recognizing the new reality, the agency just typed up a little blurb on Craigslist. The tickets were gone in five hours. Worked great, but as one of the agency executives subsequently wondered: How do you bill the client for that?
The thought of a scared and confused ad exec would no doubt delight Carrie McLaren and Jason Torchinsky, editors of Ad Nauseam: A Survivor's Guide to American Consumer Culture. Many of the essays in this compilation originally appeared in Stay Free!—a zine, and later a Web site, that McLaren launched in 1993. The unifying theme: a deeply held suspicion, verging on primal fear, of marketing's quest to creep into every corner of our lives.
I can get weary of earnest, anti-consumerist droning. (I'm looking at you, Adbusters.) But Ad Nauseam manages to serve up its paranoia with a light and funny touch. It begins by tracing the evolutionary arc of persuasive advertising, from the stuffy pedantry of the 1800s to the "science"-laden claims of the 1920s through the 1940s to the eventual disappearance of text and arguments in favor of striking, emotional images. Another essay ridicules moments of sudden, radical brand repositioning, noting, for instance, that Marlboro cigarettes were first targeted at women before the company settled on a rugged, manly image. The book also recounts some dark chapters in marketing history, including Coca-Cola's successful effort to get Olive Garden to stop serving free tap water and instead push soft drinks on its patrons.
At all times, the goal is awareness. The underlying assumption is that consumerism has so pervaded our surroundings that it's vital to step back and assess just what it is we're up against. As McLaren posits in her introduction, decades of sophisticated, ubiquitous marketing have turned us all into "fish who can't see the water."
Both The Chaos Scenario and Ad Nauseam provide entertaining material for armchair marketing scholars and ammunition for sworn advertising haters. Ultimately, though, they come from opposite tacks. Consider the recent revelation, on the official Google blog, that a cute home video of a choreographed entrance dance at a Minnesota wedding managed to double typical YouTube advertising click-through rates and also dramatically boost sales of a year-old R&B single. The Ad Nauseam folks might see this as the latest outrage—now even our wedding videos are fuel for the marketing juggernaut. Bob Garfield, on the other hand, might view this as a step in the right direction.
Related in Slate Farhad Manjoo considered the options and ethics behind popular ad-removal software. James Surowiecki discussed the advertising trend that depicts consumers as befuddled, bumbling idiots. Seth Stevenson compiled readers' recommendations for examples of terrible advertising, and rated catchy credit report ads.
Page last updated at 13:26 GMT, Friday, 7 August 2009 14:26 UK 23:41 HK
http://news.bbc.co.uk/weather/hi/gallery/ Michael Reilly was standing on a beach on the Isle of Arran, watching as cumulus clouds gathered over the Isle of Cumbrae in the distance, when he took this picture on 5th August.
Pentylands Country Park in Highworth, Swindon was bathed in the ethereal light of crepuscular rays on 5th August. Picture taken by Tony Strover
These delicate-looking feather shaped cirrus clouds were shaped by the wind above Mansfield in Nottinghamshire. Trevor A. Heath captured this image on the evening of 6th August.
The sky above South Shields seemed to catch fire as the light of the setting sun reflected against the underside of a layer of altocumulus cloud. Neil Reay took this picture on 3rd August.
As Pippa Swannell drove from a rainy Liverpool towards a sunnier Scotland on 28th July, she noticed this spectacle whilst on the M6. The cloud is an altocumulus lenticularis, which is formed by winds moving over hills and mountain ranges.
These altocumulus clouds would have been shaped by the wind to gain their unusual appearance. Nigel Corby spotted them as he was looking south towards Chelmsford from Grantham on 5th August.
08月16日 Sun 19:29:39
2009年8月16日 (日) 
2009年8月16日 
By Matthew Bandyk of U.S. News & World Report
2009年08月12日 【蘋果報訊】
月前送貨失事昨又翻車 需切除胰臟
2009年08月09日 
08月09日 Sun 12:22:29
哨牙大粒墨癦袁佩婷