London’s plague pit’s reveal toll of Black Death

Archaeologists work to uncover skeletons from what is understood to be a mass grave for victims of the Black Death. Photo: AFP London is a city built on bones. From Primrose Hill to the heart of the Square Mile, one need only dig a few yards below the surface to reveal what lies beneath: tens of thousands of bodies, nestled against the foundations of the modern metropolis soaring above them. Yet this city of skeletons still has the capacity to surprise. During the past two weeks, engineers working on the £15 billion ($22 billion) Crossrail project have unearthed 14 bodies in Charterhouse Square in Farringdon, revealing a previously unknown Black Death plague pit. The skeletons lie unmarked in neat little rows. It was the fate of many of the city’s poorest inhabitants when plague ravaged Britain from 1348, killing more than a third of its population. Advertisement As the bodies piled up and churchyards overflowed, victims were laid to rest in the emergency pits. The significant find corresponds with historical documents, including John Stow’s 1598 Survey of London, that suggest the surrounding area could contain as many as 50,000 bodies, with 100,000 buried elsewhere in the city. No trace of the burial ground has previously been identified. Archaeologists at the Museum of London are now applying the latest laboratory techniques to the skeletons, including radio carbon dating to establish the burial dates, and attempting to map the plague bacteria. It is hoped the research will answer many of the questions about the cause of the plague epidemics that cast the shadow of death over London from the 14th century to the mid-17th century. A disease that, as noted by Daniel Defoe in his history of the Great Plague in 1655, reduced the city to “all in tears”. “It is a fascinating discovery,” says Royal Holloway’s Professor Justin Champion, a specialist in the history of epidemics. “Nowadays when the skeletons have been dug up we can do so much more. It could be a huge advancement to know more about the Great Plague. We still don’t know enough about how it is passed between human beings. “In some of the poorest areas outside the city walls, such as Southwark and Clerkenwell, people would just drop dead in the street. With a lot of London churches you can see the churchyard is above street level – that is because of the number of bodies underneath. “During the epidemics, they would have been overwhelmed. They would go from dealing with a handful of deaths to hundreds a week. My guess is a lot of the graves are still there. If you looked, particularly under some of the older buildings, you would find an awful lot more.” About 1.5 million Britons are thought to have died in the Black Death, while about 25 million perished in Europe and an estimated 75 million across the world. Symptoms included nausea, vomiting, fever and horrendously swollen lymph nodes. During the later epidemics in London, weekly bills of mortality were published detailing the deaths in each parish. Destitute women were employed as “searchers” to enter plague homes and diagnose victims. When the numbers were high, people would pile into wooden carts and attempt to flee the city. Often they were turned back. The disease was found in bacteria in the digestive tract of fleas, which fed on the rats that infested London’s overcrowded streets. High temperatures and humidity also helped to create a fertile breeding ground. But could a plague ever strike again? A new study analysing the Great Plague of Marseille, which caused 100,000 deaths between 1720 and 1723, highlights factors that demonstrate we are still at risk. Vastly increased international trade provides the perfect vehicle for infection to be transported around the world, our cities teem with more rodents and residents than ever before, while genetic changes are increasing the resistance of certain bacteria. It is estimated that a handful of British people become infected with plague every year, contracted while abroad. There have been several recent cases in America, including a seven-year-old girl in Colorado last September. But archaeologists have been at pains to stress the newly unearthed bodies in London pose no threat to public health – the bacteria would have perished centuries ago, within weeks of burial. “It is a great myth that we will disturb some evil grave in London and this disease will come out and kill us all,” says Professor Champion. “That is just not going to happen.” Nonetheless, this weekend Londoners may decide to give the plague pits of Farringdon a wide berth. Telegraph, London

Source: http://www.smh.com.au

Three people charged over police brawl in Brisbane, Australia.

Three people, the youngest just 14 years old, have been charged over a brawl which saw two police officers hospitalised after allegedly being pelted with bottles and bricks.

One of the officers suffered a fractured eye socket and will undergo plastic surgery after the pair were attacked when they were called to an Acacia Ridge party on Saturday night.

Police have arrested two boys aged 14 and 15 and a 24-year-old man.

Police breaking up an out-of-control party in Acacia Ridge overnight Saturday were forced to drag two injured colleagues into a Brisbane council bus after they were attacked with bricks. Photo: Courtesy Channel 7

The 14-year-old Inala boy has been charged with two counts of obstructing a police officer and one count each of grievous bodily harm, serous assault police, threatening violence, going armed as to cause fear, affray and wilful damage.

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The 15-year-old Bowen Hills boy has been charged with wilful damage, affray and obstruct police.

The 24-year-old Runcorn man has been charged with going armed so as to cause fear and threatening violence.

Several of the youths at the party boarded a bus when it arrived and one started kicking out its windows from the inside while others were damaging it from the outside. Photo: Courtesy Channel 7

Up to 250 people showed up to the Marnham Street party on Saturday night which had been advertised on Facebook.

Police had been called to the party a couple of time by the time two officers tried to break it up at 11pm.

The crowd turned on them and threw bricks and bottles which hit both officer in the face.

One of the male constables will need plastic surgery for a fractured eye socket sustained in the attack. Photo: Courtesy Channel 7

They were rescued by colleagues who dragged them onto a council bus and urged the driver to take off.

Senior officers have described the attack as “cowardly” and on Sunday released an image of a blonde haired male who they wanted to talk to.

One officer received eight stitches while the other fractured an eye socket, needed four stitches and will undergo plastic surgery for his injuries.

Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Schools can soon serve alcohol without a permit

New laws mean schools can serve alcohol at fetes without a permit. Photo: Stephen McKenzie

School and community groups will no longer require a liquor permit to sell alcohol at school fetes and fundraisers under changes being introduced in state parliament this week.

Currently, schools and community groups throughout Queensland must apply for a community liquor permit to sell alcohol on the day.

Queensland’s Parents and Citizens Association is understood to support the move.

The proposal means schools or community groups wanting to hold a fundraising event that runs eight hours or less will not have to apply for a community liquor licence.

The community liquor licence now costs $57 per day. In some cases an event management plan is also required.

Attorney General Jarrod Bleijie, who is expected to introduce the legislation, said the move was part of the state government’s plan to reduce red tape and make life easier for community groups and industry.

“Social events are often held to raise money and schools and community groups shouldn’t have to incur the cost of applying for the licences and go through all the paperwork,” he said.

“Many of these regulations and requirements are unnecessary and cause headaches for groups planning an event.’’

Mr Bleije said applying for a liquor licence was an unnecessary complication, as it was rarely refused.

“Trivia nights and fetes are currently required to apply for a community liquor permit, have a person with a Responsible Service of Alcohol certificate and, in some instances, employ security guards.

“This creates additional costs and paperwork when these low-risk events are essentially a group of mums and dads getting together trying to raise money for their school’s P&C.’’

Last year, the government handed out about 4000 community liquor licences and raised between $300,000 and $400,000 in fees.

In the past 12 months there have been 106 community liquor licences applications from schools and 281 from football clubs for fundraising events.

There are a range of range of community liquor licences, depending on the number of hours they event may run.

The change would also mean that nursing homes and hospitals would be able to hold fundraising events and social gatherings and serve two standard drinks per guest.

Time-poor volunteers in school communities will welcome the decision for them to no longer need to apply for a community liquor licence, the president of Queensland’s parents and citizens associations said.

Peter Levett, president of P&C Queensland said he had not heard of any issues where alcohol sale had become a problem at a school fundraising event.

“I don’t think it is an issue,” Mr Levett said.

He said school principals and the local P&C associations always prepared risk management plans in place when alcohol was sold at schools.

“I just think communities are aware that you need to be sensible about the use of alcohol, especially around children,” he said.

“P&C workers are volunteers and are often time-poor,” Mr Levett said.

“So for them not to have to go through the process of having to apply for the licence and all the paperwork is a positive thing.”

Source: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au

Penny & Hooper confession offer ‘a good deal’

Penny and Hooper used company structures and family trusts to artificially lower their salaries to avoid a higher income tax rate. Photo / David White

People who have paid themselves artificially low salaries to avoid paying the top personal tax rate should take advantage of an offer to confess while it is still on the table, says a tax expert.

The Inland Revenue Department’s concession to make a voluntary disclosure – granted after the outcome of the Penny and Hooper case in 2011 – runs out at the end of this month.

Ian Penny and Gary Hooper were two Christchurch surgeons who used company structures and family trusts to artificially lower their salaries to avoid a higher personal income tax rate introduced in 2001.

The Supreme Court sided with the IRD when it ruled that “income derived from personal exertion should belong in its appropriate taxation band and should not be inappropriately diverted away”.

PricewaterhouseCoopers tax partner Geof Nightingale said the IRD’s concession, and subsequent decision to extend the deadline to March 31, had been a “pragmatic” approach.

 

“This is a good deal and if you are affected you could consider it,” he said.

“Those who come forward with two years’ disclosure will be able to pay it back and move forward. But once it’s gone they (IRD) will go back and reassess for four years.”

If someone makes a voluntary disclosure before March 31, they will only have to open up their books on the last two years filed before November 24, 2011, which was when the concession was made.

Those who do not come forward may not only face penalties but Inland Revenue may also reassess their tax position over four years.

With only two weeks remaining on the offer, accountants should be talking to any potentially affected clients, Nightingale said.

“There’s a significant level of accountability on accountants to talk to their clients,” he said.

Since the Supreme Court decision, the New Zealand Institute of Chartered Accountants has been running a number of courses to educate members.

“I think there’s been a pretty widespread campaign to alert people to this,” Nightingale said.

Most people who had made a Penny and Hooper-type arrangement would probably be aware of it anyway, Nightingale said.

“The structure of a trust is not something you could have run for you without you knowing something was happening.

“The hard thing will be for people who are not quite sure.”

Anyone concerned they might be implicated should seek advice from a good accountant, Nightingale said.

As of February 28, a total of 271 taxpayers in tax positions broadly equivalent to Penny and Hooper have made voluntary disclosures.

This has resulted in nearly $7 million being collected.

The Revenue Alert regarding tax avoidance arrangements can be read here.

China now world’s fifth largest arms exporter

FIREPOWER: Armaments onboard a Chinese warship visiting New Zealand in 2010.

China has bypassed Britain as the world’s fifth largest arms exporter according to a Swedish think-tank.

The volume of Chinese weapons exports rose by 162 per cent in the five years 2008-2012, compared to the previous five-year period, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute said in its report. That means China’s share of all international arms exports increased to 5 per cent from 2 per cent, and the country climbed to fifth from eighth in the rankings.

The largest buyer of Chinese weapons was Pakistan, which accounted for 55 per cent of the country’s exports, followed by Myanmar with 8 per cent and Bangladesh with 7 per cent, SIPRI said.

“China’s rise has been driven primarily by large-scale arms acquisitions by Pakistan,” said Paul Holtom, director of the SIPRI Arms Transfers Programme.

“However, a number of recent deals indicate that China is establishing itself as a significant arms supplier to a growing number of important recipient states.”

Such deals include the sale of three frigates to Algeria, eight transport aircraft to Venezuela and 54 tanks to Morocco, SIPRI said.

The US remains the world’s top arms exporter during the 2008-2012 period, with 30 per cent of the global volume. Russia is second with 26 per cent, Germany third with 7 per cent, and France fourth with 6 per cent, SIPRI said.

China’s move into the top-five means Britain (now in sixth place) dropped off the list of the top five for the first time since at least 1950, the earliest year covered by SIPRI data.

The institute said Asia dominated the global imports of weapons, with the top five importers all located in that region.

Here’s SIPRI’s list of the top 5 arms exporters in 2008-2012 (share of international exports in parenthesis):

1. United States (30 per cent).

2. Russia (26).

3. Germany (7).

4. France (6).

5. China (5).

The top 5 arms importers in 2008-2012 (share of international imports in parenthesis):

1. India (12 per cent).

2. China (6).

3. Pakistan (5).

4. South Korea (5).

5. Singapore (4).

Source: stuff.co.nz

Lots of tech but few breakout hits at SXSW

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HATE SURPRISES? Tardar Sauce aka ‘Grumpy Cat’ and owner Tabatha Bundesen make a personal appearance at the Mashable House during the 2013 SXSW Music, Film + Interactive Festival.

 

For all the talk of space travel, the wearable gadgets, marketing stunts and lavish parties, something was missing at this year’s South By Southwest Interactive Festival: the next “hot app”.

The brainy tech jamboree held each year in Texas’ capital city is known as the place where Twitter soared from obscurity to the world stage in 2007.

It’s where the location-sharing app Foursquare came out in 2009.

This year, though, chatter focused on hardware rather than software, and on big ideas rather than coming out parties.

The most-used mobile app was the festival’s own application, which helped attendees keep track of South By Southwest’s barrage of panels, talks, meet-ups and parties. The star of the show wasn’t the next Twitter but an ever-reluctant Grumpy Cat, whose frowny face has become an internet sensation. Hundreds of people lined up outside the tent of tech blog Mashable to get a photo with the cat, whose actual name is Tardar Sauce.

South By Southwest appears to be experiencing a bit of Yogi Berra syndrome: “Nobody goes there any more. It’s too crowded.”

“I don’t think it’s indicating that there is less innovation,” said David-Michel Davies, executive director of the Webby Awards. Rather, he believes there may have been fewer companies breaking out because there’s just so much noise that entrepreneurs are choosing not to launch products here.

To be fair, attendance at the interactive portion of this tech, music and film festival has grown each year since it got its name in 1999. Attendance at the interactive gathering hit 30,621 this year. Big brands from Yahoo to Amazon have an increasingly large presence, which can drown out small start-ups. Chevrolet, for instance, provided a fleet of cars to shuttle attendees between event venues.

Google made a splash when it showed off new apps for its Google Glass interactive, internet-connected glasses on Monday evening. Timothy Jordan, senior developer advocate at Google, demonstrated a handful of apps for Google Glass, including a news headline app from The New York Times and ones from Gmail, Evernote and social networking start-up Path.

“We are the pioneers who get to decide how this fits into our lives,” he told a packed auditorium of programmers, bloggers, Google fans and tech luminaries. Glass, he said, is about technology that’s “there when you want it and out of the way when you don’t.”

Jordan stopped short of letting attendees try out Glass for themselves. Even so, Google – hardly a scrappy start-up – was among the most-talked about companies at the event, not just for Glass but for demonstrating a talking, interactive pair of Adidas sneakers that, as it turns out, are not actually going to be sold anywhere.

So is the SXSW breakout a thing of the past for hot startups? Andy Kahl, product strategist at a Web privacy startup, said his company Ghostery got a sudden, unexplained spike of downloads of its privacy tool in March of 2010. The company didn’t attend South By Southwest that year, but someone mentioned them during a talk on internet privacy. After that, the company resolved to go every year. While Kahl believes the festival is still worth attending, he said “it is fairly difficult to not get lost in the noise.”

The festival’s “noise” includes hundreds of panels, discussions and lectures on topics as wide-ranging as space travel, toddlers & technology and the future of grocery stores. PayPal co-founder and venture capitalist Peter Thiel spoke about the future, startups and the concept of luck.

Former Vice President Al Gore talked about the future too, as did Cindy Gallop, the founder of “MakeLoveNotPorn” who’s on a mission to rethink pornography. Gallop, who champions “real-world” sex in all its funny, awkward glory, asks regular people to submit videos of their sex lives to her website. She charges $5 to view a video and shares half the revenue with those who share videos.

“Gen Y in porn is like Gen Y everywhere else,” she told a giggling crowd. “Entrepreneurial, challenging the status quo.”

Foursquare founder and CEO Dennis Crowley, meanwhile, displayed an impressive number of data-tracking bracelets during his talk and laughed about the scale that tweets his weight every week. Elon Musk of Tesla Motors, SpaceX and PayPal fame talked not just of life on Mars but said that he checks his email while spending time with his five kids.

To attendees like Chris Hwang of the New York-based stock-media startup Pond5, South By Southwest is as much about serendipity and chance meetings as it is about the scheduled events. He’d signed up to a mentoring session with venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers that ended up being cancelled – but instead of moving on, the startups began talking with each other.

“Honestly, it’s an excuse to come to party, to catch up, make relationships on a happen-stance basis,” he said while waiting in a long line to hear Thiel speak. “You come to get inspired, recharged.”

– AP

Beyonce Wants The World To BOW DOWN. Humility Out The Window, New Song: “Bow Down/I Been On”

Okay, Beyonce has had enough. Baddiebey, on instagram, decided to pull out her big guns and straight flex on instagram. She dropped a new track “Bow Down/I Been On” that’s drippin with Houston swag. The song basically comes for any and everybody, rappers included. I can see Jay Z bumping this so hard, cheesing at his fake gangsta boo in the studio. Press play below and let’s see where Bey takes it from here:

Tony Parker Wants His Money. Club Says Lawsuit Should Be Against Drake And Chris Brown

The owners of the nightclub where Chris Brown and Drake brawled last year are doing whatever they can to get out of paying Tony Parker for his injuries saying the two rappers should cut him a check if he wins his lawsuit  and not them.

Parker, an NBA star with the San Antonio Spurs, was one of several people who claim they were injured in the June 2012 incident that went down at W.i.P. when Drake and Chris Brown decided to get into a bottle throwing match. Tony Parker was injured and he filed a $20 million lawsuit against the club shortly thereafter.

But the owners of W.i.P. (who are facing several lawsuits) filed docs last week in New York saying Parker’s beef should be with Brown and Drake … claiming they were the ones who “contributed to, instigated, participated and/or engaged” in the fight.

The club wants any and all damages awarded to Parker to come from Brown and Drake.

The case is still pending
.

Source: TMZ

Club damages after fight

Nicki Minaj: The Latest To Check On Mentor Lil Wayne; Wayne Still In The Hospital But Status Not Disclosed

A few days later, but better late than never right. The empress of YMCMB, Nicki Minaj, visited the recovering Lil Wayne. Drake and Birdman were few of the firsts while Mack Maine stayed by his side the entire time. TMZ capture a few moments as the star exited the hospital:

http://www.tmz.com/2013/03/17/nicki-minaj-lil-wayne-hospital-seizures-video/

Souce: TMZ

How Many People Does It Take To Pamper A Pregnant Kim Kardashian? Lets Count Shall We…

I guess when you’re pregnant, your baby father is Kanye West and your net worth is about $50 million, you can do whatever you want to. Kim Kardashian has been trying to escape the word “vain” for years now but she makes it so difficult when she purposely does things like this. Yesterday the preggo (fake) reality star went for a day treatment at the local salon where she had a total of four workers ‘working’ on her. Now if you have the money and everyone’s getting paid, in all actuality there’s nothing wrong with this. It’s the fact that Kim, like other celebrities, could have chose another private setting to enjoy her day of relaxation. Instead it was broadcasted with a smile for the paparazzi and she wonders why people think they way they do of her.

P.S we can definitely tell you got those lips plummed up. Couldn’t wait  5 more months?

 

Girls Day Off: Christina Milian Shows Off Her Cakes (Again) On The Beach

 

This weekend, Christina Milian, age 31, took her a$$ets to Cabo with fellow professional friends, Nikki Cole Irving and Lizzie Morris. There they sun bathed and snapped a few cheeky photos for the Twitter world to bash in. Christina’s body is in tip top shape, having given birth to baby girl Violet a few years back. Her friends were definitely camera ready too:

Between her new bathing suit line, working for The Voice and recording a new album under new management, YMCMB, Milian has kept her hands full and away from The Dream. Good for her.

Tyga Gets His Lamborghini Impounded By Cops And Its All Caught On Tape

Young Money’s Tyga was stripped of his white Lamborghini after it was impounded by cops. Law enforcement says Tyga was pulled over around 11:00 PM for an unknown traffic violation in Hollywood. But when cops asked him for license and registration, Tyga had neither no current registration and the rapper was unlicensed to drive.

Tyga was not arrested for the violations  but the police issued him a citation and had his ride impounded ASAP. He was also given a field sobriety test, as seen in the footage, but was not busted for DUI.

View the video below.

http://www.tmz.com/2013/03/16/tyga-lamborghini-impounded-cops-lapd/?adid=hero3

Group gives nod to southern cruise plans

The Bilinga cruise ship terminal plans are back on track.

THE $2.1 billion Gold Coast Ocean Terminal proposed for Bilinga has not been sunk, with a federal environmental department giving it the green light.

Billionaire Bob Ell along with fellow backers, Dennis and Lester Hughes, in November last year scrapped the proposal when the Gold Coast City Council steered the Newman Government towards seeking tenders for a Broadwater cruise ship terminal.

In a stunning turnaround, Gold Coast Ocean Terminal executive director Dennis Hughes has told the Bulletin the consortium was now ready to proceed at Bilinga, despite an earlier “kick in the pants” from the Government.

“We got the tick off (from the Federal Government) and we’re ready to roll. All we need is the state (approval) and we’re ready to build,” he said.

“The state sent us a letter saying we can’t have two (cruise ship terminals) — that was a few months ago.

“We are pretty focused people. We will sit back and wait.”

The game-changer for the southern Coast consortium was a positive assessment from the officers at the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities.

The department has given approval for the project, subject to it avoiding significant impacts on any threatened species, not dredging more than 100m from the development footprint and not undertaking any sea-dumping activities.

Plans for the Ocean Terminal show a beach harbour which includes three ship berths, 28 superyacht berths, three resorts and an option for a casino on a 93ha site.

“It’s a really good report from the Federal Government,” Mr Hughes said. “We’re a bit disappointed with the state. We thought they would favour us with the feds.

“It’s a kick in the pants.”

Deputy Premier Jeff Seeney (see breakout opposite) has defended the Government’s position, admitting “the current process is (not) a project approval” for the Broadwater bid.

“The current Broadwater process was significantly informed by the Gold Coast City Council, which believed the Broadwater to be a vital location for the next wave of tourism investment on the Coast,” a spokesman for Mr Seeney said.

Mr Hughes, whose family company helped build the walls for the Seaway, suggested any Broadwater proposal would fail to meet environmental and engineering requirements. “We believe it is not going to go ahead,” he said.

“I can’t imagine anyone coming in here, moving all those walls and wrecking the sea life. They can’t get the really big ships in,” he said.

The response by the Ocean Terminal consortium to key questions raised by the department, for the first time, shows the challenges ahead for the Broadwater proposal.

But the scope of the department’s concerns has not included any impact on the surfing break.

Source: goldcoast.com.au

Couple charged over alleged stabbing in Surfers Paradise, Australia

A man and woman have been charged after a 40-year-old man was allegedly stabbed in the chest at Surfers Paradise last night.

Police were called to Ferny Avenue just before 9pm after “an altercation took place between the injured man and the couple near a Ferny Avenue hotel”.

An ambulance spokeswoman said the man was taken to the Gold Coast Hospital in a stable condition.

“The man was stable and had a single stab wound to his upper left quadrant,” she said.

His injuries are not considered to be life threatening.
 
The couple, both 26 and from East Hills in NSW, were charged with unlawful wounding. The man was also charged with assault.

Both will appear in Southport Court today.

The alleged attack was the second in Surfers Paradise last night after a man was believed to have been stabbed in the shoulder shortly before 7.30pm.

Police and paramedics were called to Rapallo Ave after reports a woman had beaten a man and stabbed him in the arm.

It was believed the man suffered a deep laceration to his right shoulder but he had left the scene before the arrival of emergency crews.

Source: goldcoast.com.au

Mr. Hudson “Fred Astaire”

G.O.O.D. Music’s Mr. Hudson thinks he’s “Fred Astaire” in his latest single release. His third album is dropping soon.

Jay-Z & Kendrick Lamar to Headline Yahoo Tour

Yahoo announced their first international music festival titled Yahoo! On The Road. Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar will be headlining the tour as it will make 21-stops. The tour kicks off in New York on May 3rd and will also have J.Cole, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis as well as Justin Timberlake performing. During the London-leg of the tour, Frank Ocean and Trey Songz will be joining in the action.

Find all the dates after the jump.

 

Daz Dillinger Accuses Lil Wayne’s Camp Of Lying About His Health Status?

Daz Dillinger feels like there is a cover up going on. He tweeted this shortly after TMZ claimed Lil Wayne was in a coma. It wouldn’t be anything out the normal for Weezy’s people to try to keep this health scare under control. Hopefully Tunechi is doing just fine…

Since then there’s been news of Drake, Nicki Minaj and Wayne’s mother all visiting him at the hospital. Obviously he did have some sort of complications.

Go after the jump check out tweets from Mack Maine, Birdman and Wayne himself all letting it be down Weezy is just fine. Cash Money CEO Slim also phoned in to a radio station and confirmed he’s doing alright too…

According to Birdman’s brother Slim… Tunechi is just chillin…

Visa to outlaw hefty credit card fees

Hefty credit card surcharges could be on the way out after Visa became the first company to ban Australian retailers from slapping on the fees.

New rules come into force on Monday, which Visa says it will use to restrict surcharges to as little as one per cent.

Among the biggest culprits accused of using surcharges as a revenue source are taxi companies, who place a 10 per cent surcharge on customers who pay with their credit card.

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Airlines and large retailers with market power have also been accused by consumer group Choice of over-the-top fees.

However independent eftpos provider Tyro Payments says the major banks were also to blame, imposing unnecessary fees on struggling small retailers, who then pass the costs onto customers.

“The truth is many small businesses are being forced to fund the lucrative loyalty programs of the major banks, by absorbing these costs,” Tyro spokesman Mr Jost Stollmann said in a statement.

If MasterCard, AMEX and Diners Club follow Visa’s suit it would save Australian consumers an estimated $350 million a year based on spending on card transactions last year, Mr Stollmann said.

‘Overdue’

Consumer advocacy group Choice welcomed the changes, which it had been campaigning for.

”This is something that we’ve spent years calling for. … The proof now will be on whether some of the highest surcharges – particularly the airlines and the taxi industry – actually start to reduce their fees as a result of these changes,” Choice’s head of campaigns, Matt Levey, said.

”We are optimistic, but it remains to be seen how soon [others act] and whether some merchants try and get around this by applying surcharges under another name.”

Cards act

American Express spokesman Fritz Quinn said the firm had updated its terms and conditions to take in the new RBA regulations.

“We have updated our merchants’ terms and conditions to say that any merchants who want to surcharge, that the surcharge should be reasonably related to the cost of accepting American Express,” Mr Quinn said, adding that the majority of Australian businesses did not use surcharges.

“Surcharging is such an anti-consumer practice that people tend to vote with their feet. So if they feel like they are being taken advantage of, they’re going to go some place where they don’t have to pay that surcharge.”

MasterCard has been contacted for comment.

Review

The new rules follow a Reserve Bank of Australia review and give credit card companies the power to force retailers to limit what they charge consumers to use credit and charge cards.

Tyro Payments said more than 36 per cent of Australian businesses, or 100,000 companies, impose some type of surcharge on a customer’s bill, leaving 64 per cent or 200,000 – the majority – doing the right thing.

AMEX and Diners Club card transactions attract surcharges of 3-4 per cent and Visa and Mastercard about 2 per cent, according to the RBA, compared to the banks’ service fees of only 0.85 per cent.

Businesses who refuse to comply with the lower charges face warnings, fines and possible termination under the legislation.

It is understood Cabcharge’s 10 per cent surcharge added $90 million in revenue during the 2012 financial year.
Cabcharge’s founder Reg Kermode said a few weeks ago that he did not believe the Reserve Bank could force it to comply with the new rules.

Discount airline Jetstar told Fairfax Media last week it no longer had a credit card surcharge, and only charged a booking and service fee.

Jetstar added that it would be looking into the new policies to see if further changes would be needed.
Qantas said last week that claims it was profiting from its surcharges was wrong.

“The income we get from surcharges does not exceed our costs and never has done,” a Qantas spokesman said.

Source: http://www.smh.com.au

Girl, 3, injured after being hit by truck

A young child has suffered serious injuries after being struck by a truck in Sydney’s north-west.

Paramedics and the Careflight helicopter are heading to Scheyville Road in Oakville after reports that a three-year-old girl was run over just before 10am.

A police spokesman confirmed emergency services were heading to the crash scene after a child was struck by a truck.

CareFlight spokesman Ian Badham said the accident occurred on private property.

Paramedics and the CareFlight trauma doctor were treating her at the property, he said.

The girl is expected to be flown to The Children’s Hospital at Westmead.

More to come

Source: http://www.smh.com.au

Jesse James has invited Sandra Bullock to his wedding.

Although the pair split in 2010 after it was revealed the ‘Monster Garage’ host had cheated on the 48-year-old actress, he wants her to be among the guests at his forthcoming nuptials to race car driver Alexis DeJoria – but his invitation is unlikely to be accepted.

A source told In Touch magazine: “It seems Jesse has colossal gall to match his colossal ego. After all of the hurt and humiliation he’s caused her, Sandra is the last person on earth who would attend his wedding.

“Since their split he’s always trying to reach out but Sandra wants nothing to do with him.”

Jesse and Alexis are reportedly planning to marry at the end of this month in Malibu, it was claimed recently.

The wedding will be Jesse’s fourth marriage and insiders are surprised his fiancee’s father, billionaire John Paul DeJoria – who is co-founder of the Paul Mitchell line of hair-care products, the Patron Spirits Company and the House of Blues nightclub chain, as well as being involved in dealerships for speedboats and Harley Davidson motorcycles – has given the union his blessing.

A source said: “Jesse’s always had a man crush on John Paul. And what better way to get close to him than to get hitched to his daughter?

“But this marriage will be his fourth. If I were John Paul – after what Jesse put Sandra through – I’d be warning him up front that when it comes to Alexis, he’d better watch his butt!”

BANG Showbiz

 

 

Gwyneth Paltrow almost died during her third pregnancy.

The 40-year-old actress was expecting a third child with husband Chris Martin, after having children Apple, eight and Moses, six, but revealed she lost the baby and her own life was in danger as a result of complications.

She told The Mail On Sunday’s You Magazine: “My children ask me to have a baby all the time. And you never know, I could squeeze one more in. I am missing my third. I’m thinking about it.

“I had a really bad experience when I was pregnant with my third. It didn’t work out and I nearly died. So I am like, ‘Are we good here or should we go back and try again?'”

Gwyneth also praised her Coldplay frontman husband’s parenting skills and revealed they rely on each other for support.

She explained: “To know that you had kids with such a good man is a real weight off you. We are committed co-parents, we make all the decisions together and lean on each other for support.”

BANG Showbiz

Hip-Hop’s Most Dangerous Drug? Sizzurp

A detailed news report about the popularity and dangers of codeine aka sizzurp aka drank aka syrup aka dirty sprite. The drug is popularize by many rappers including Lil’ Wayne, Future, Soulja Boy, Juicy J and more! Is it going to kill the next generation of rappers? It has been blamed in the deaths of many rappers including DJ Screw, Pimp C and Big Moe.

What does it do to your body? Watch the video to find out.

Chris Brown & Drake face lawsuit

Chris Brown and Drake are being sued over their New York City nightclub brawl.

The duo escaped charges following a fight at W.i.P. Nightclub in June 2012, which left a number of people injured including Eva Longoria’s former husband Tony Parker and after he filed a civil suit against the club seeking damages after suffering a corneal laceration, W.i.P’s owners filed documents insisting all damages should come from Drake and Chris.

According to TMZ, the club insisted the duo “contributed to, instigated, participated and/or engaged” in the fight and should be held responsible for compensation.

In the paperwork Tony previously filed he alleges that the club’s security was negligent for allowing the fight to ever happen.

Drake is alleged to have started the fight after claims his entourage sent a note to Chris about his girlfriend Rihanna – who split from Brown in February 2009 after he assaulted her before reconciling last year.

However, criminal charges were not filed as investigators found insufficient evidence to prosecute the pair.

Surveillance footage of the incident was said to be too blurry to identify anyone and interviews with those involved were inconclusive.

BANG Showbiz

S4 blitz may prompt Apple rethink

INTERNET EXPLORER: Man holds up the Samsung Galaxy S IV at its launch at Radio City Music Hall in New York.

Samsung’s newest, feature-packed Galaxy S4 may put pressure on Apple to accelerate its pace of smartphone design and venture into cheaper devices – both departures from usual practice.

The latest Galaxy, unwrapped with much fanfare in New York on Thursday, out-does the iPhone in most technical aspects. But the challenges it encapsulates run deeper than just a simple specifications comparison.

“It would be overstatement to say Apple is far behind,” Charles Golvin, analyst with Forrester, said, but it does need to note the quickening pace of competitive devices being released.

“If anything, what Apple needs to respond to is the cadence of their own releases, probably a completely new design every two years and a sort of speed bump every year is not an adequate cadence for Apple to remain at the forefront of smartphone innovation today.”

Samsung’s apparent ability to go toe-to-toe with Apple on cutting-edge smartphones may prompt the US titan to finally make its own assault on the lower-end of the market that it has famously stayed away from – not least to get into untapped markets like China and India.

Many analysts now say Apple has to respond in force to Samsung and other rivals that are grabbing attention. Much of Wall Street is now looking ahead to the next iPhone, but expectations are muted.

Once the darling of Wall Street, Apple has in six months seen its shares fall 30 per cent from a high of US$705. Its Maps software was panned for inaccuracies; its once-reliable financial results, that rarely failed to surpass Wall Street estimates, missed analysts’ expectations.

IN A RUT

Apple appears stuck in an iPhone product cycle, with a new phone typically launched in the second half. In past years, the iPhone has gotten a complete redesign only every two years.

Brian White, analyst with Topeka Capital Markets, who views the Samsung Galaxy S4 as a refresh and “not a game changer,” said smartphone technology is now improving so fast that timetables put Apple at a disadvantage.

More importantly, White said, Apple needs to broaden its portfolio and play in more smartphone categories as the high-end market could soon be saturated, and get into new categories such as the oft-rumored television or a smart watch.

“They have all the components of the magic potion, which is the hardware-software ecosystem,” he said. “All they need to do is take that potion and put it in a different segment of the iPhone market.”

While many on Wall Street believe the quickest way to penetrate fast-growing markets like India and China is a cheaper iPhone, the risk is that a cheap iPhone would cannibalise demand for the premium version and eat into Apple’s peerless margins.

Apple’s vice-like grip on its ecosystem – with the closely managed app store and its seamless integration with the hardware – is still seen as its biggest strength, one that Samsung is trying to emulate with a larger investment in software and connectivity. The Korean giant is also emphasising its own mobile “Samsung Hub” rather than the Google Play store that most other Android adopters point to.

The iPhone has seen its sales increase to 125 million in fiscal 2012 from 40 million in fiscal 2010. But in 2012, Samsung became the No.1 in the global smartphone market with 30.3 percent share followed by Apple with 19 percent share.

Samsung’s rapid rise is partly helped by the fact that it bombards the market with close to 40 versions tweaked for regional and consumer tastes, from high-end to cheaper models.

Samsung’s momentum is a major issue for Apple, Ben Reitzes, analyst with Barclays, who is expecting Apple to launch a lower-end iPhone globally this summer.

Apple declined to comment on Friday. But a day before Samsung’s launch, marketing chief Phil Schiller attacked Google’s Android operating system, saying that the majority of its users were stuck on older versions. He also said Apple’s internal research showed four times as many consumers were switching to iOS from Android than vice versa.

– Reuters

Inmates escape Quebec prison in helicopter

Quebec provincial police are searching for two inmates who made a daring escape by helicopter from a prison in Saint-Jerome.

Police received a call from prison staff regarding the dramatic escape around 2.20pm Sunday (7.20am today, NZ time), said Quebec police Sergeant Benoit Richard. He didn’t say if the helicopter had landed on prison grounds and wouldn’t provide further details about the escape.

Police found the helicopter about 85 kilometres away in Mont-Tremblant, and its pilot was taken to a local hospital, Richard said.

“He’s going to be questioned later on by investigators, within the next couple of hours,” Richard said, adding that it’s too early to say what the pilot’s role was in the escape.

Richard said the two prisoners remain at large, but wouldn’t confirm their identities.

A Montreal radio station, 98.5 FM, received a call Sunday from a man claiming to be one of the escapees who said he was “ready to die.”

The Saint-Jerome prison, located about 60 km northwest of Montreal, experienced a mini-riot by about a dozen prisoners a little over a month ago.

In that incident, police were called in to secure the outside of the prison, which holds about 480 inmates, and prison staff used pepper spray to disperse the mob.

Heel hooks Kate Middleton

Britain’s Prince William supports his wife Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge as she pulls her heel from a grate during a visit on St Patrick’s Day to Mons Barracks in Aldershot, southern England.

Prince William’s pregnant wife the Duchess of Cambridge laughs off stumble during St Patrick’s day celebration, after getting the heel stuck in metal grate.

Kate Middleton, The Duchess of Cambridge, didn’t come unstuck on the baby question this time, but she was left red-faced by her shoes.

Middleton suffered a minor wardrobe malfunction when her shoe became stuck in a drainage grille during a St Patrick’s Day ceremony honouring Irish guards yesterday.

She was able to lean on her husband, Prince William, as she wrenched it loose.

The Duchess, who is five months pregnant, later told Guardsman Lee Wheeler that she didn’t know the sex of her first child, but she hoped it was a boy. She told the soldier that Prince William would prefer a girl.

This comes only two weeks after Middleton appeared to tell onlookers, during another appearance, that she was having a daughter.

“I asked her ‘do you know if it’s a girl or boy?’ and she said ‘not yet’,” Wheeler said.

“She said ‘I’d like to have a boy and William would like a girl’.”

Wheeler said the duchess told him the couple had not settled on names for the baby, who will be third in line to the British throne.

The duchess wore a green dress coat and a shamrock lapel pin as she presented sprigs of shamrock to soldiers in the annual ceremony at a barracks in Aldershot, southern England. She also pinned a spring on the collar of the regiment’s mascot, an Irish wolfhound named Domhnall.

The royal St Patrick’s Day tradition was started by Queen Alexandra, the wife of King Edward VII, in 1901.

Source: stuff.co.nz

Baby falls from window

A 14-month-old baby had a miraculous escape when it survived a five-metre fall from a second-storey bedroom window.

Police were called to Meadowbank Crescent house in Rotorua this morning when the baby girl was reported to have fallen from the window on to the ground below.

It is understood the baby climbed up to the window ledge, lost her balance and fell five metres.

She suffered minor injuries and was admitted to Rotorua Hospital, where she was in a stable condition, a police spokeswoman said.

Neighbours said they were woken by a lot of crying and screaming around 7am this morning.

An ambulance arrived soon after, a neighbour said.

“Everybody is shaken up by it,” he said.

“I just glad the baby is safe and alive.

“What the heck was a baby doing on a window two storeys up in the first place, is what I would want to know?”

Police were interviewing the house’s residents, which included four adults and two children.

– © Fairfax NZ News