TR EMERITUS

【明報專訊】不少銀行雖然陸續和解贖回雷曼迷債或其他高風險投資產品，但有分毫未取回的事主昨到中環星展銀行分行抗議，將一樽透明液體掟落分行門前，更點起打火機，惹來汽油彈縱火驚魂。銀行報警後，消防到場證實他只是拋擲清水，惟事主最終涉嫌遊蕩被警方拘捕。 不滿銀行不贖雷曼產品 現場為中環皇后大道中99號中環廣場，地庫為星展銀行 (DBS) 分行，出入口在地面。事發昨午1時許，據距離現場約30呎外一個報攤的檔主聲稱，當時目擊該51歲姓黃男子獨自到銀行，欲進入時有保安員拒絕讓黃入內，雙方爆發爭執，其間黃情緒激動，不時大聲高喊，聲稱自己在星展購買了雷曼相關產品，不滿銀行不肯贖回。 檔主又說，黃突然取出一個1.5公升礦泉水樽拋向銀行側門地面，但並未擊中玻璃門，隨即有透明液體從樽內濺出，「他突然拿出打火機點火，拿到自己的腳和鞋，我當時隱約聞到有電油味！」銀行保安員見狀報警。 黃當時並未點着任何物件，他拾起水樽後沿皇后大道中往西走了約100米，然後在永吉街交界停下，將水樽丟棄在一個垃圾桶，再折返現場，警方此時趕至將他截停。 液體僅清水 涉遊蕩被捕 消防其後到場檢驗後，發現該樽內的液體只是清水，並非易燃液體。警方最終以遊蕩罪名將黃拘捕。 雷曼苦主大聯盟召集人陳光譽表示，雷曼迷債一度令不少人傾家蕩產，其後有銀行宣布與事主和解，贖回雷曼迷債及其他高風險投資產品，但有銀行仍未與客戶和解，「至今仍有3000名事主不獲銀行和解，涉款近30億元。」陳說，不少「仍未上岸」的事主目睹其他人紛紛贖回部分血本，自己卻一無所有，難免感到絕望，情緒激動下堅持到銀行抗議。 Source: http://news.sina.com.hk/cgi-bin/nw/show.cgi/2/1/1/1430594/1.html  Read More →

 Top 8 will be a new regular Sports feature (published every Friday), where the editors will choose eight top persons/incidents and rank them in descending order, either by pure opinion, hard data or a mixture of both. Why eight? It is not because the editors are lazy but because top ten is getting boring and eight is a lucky number in Singapore!   __________________________________________________________________________________________ Ranking Methodology: 100% opinion __________________________________________________________________________________________ Some have argued that sports films can hardly ever be considered classics, simply because the endings are usually within expectations. They say that watching a sports film can never be compared to watching a game ‘live’. However, like films of other genres, sports films cut away the boring bits and build up as much action into a limited time frame as possible.  The list below aims to rank the top 8 sports film of our time - purely based on the opinion of the editor. 8 ) Dodgeball To be fair, Dodgeball has a somewhat predictable Hollywood plot – poor boy in a bad situation, stood up against tyranny, eventually turned the tide and leaves with the girl of his dream. However, the onscreen ensemble of comic maestros Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughan and Christine Taylor managed to bring the film to the next level. A one-minute cameo by cycling legend Lance Armstrong was one of the most memorable cameos in cinematic history. This 100% feel-good film deserves a watch. 7) Mean Machine Ex-footballer Vinnie Jones starred in this 2001 adaption of the 1974 American film, The Longest Yard. As Danny Meehan, Jones is an ex-England captain who was sacked because of match-fixing. Behind bars, he is to lead a team of convicts against a team of prison wardens. Not surprisingly, the wardens pressured Meehan into throwing the game. In the final scene, Meehan was caught in a moral dilemma and expectedly, he chose to be on the side of his new-found teammates. Compared to other soccer films like Goal! and Escape to Victory, this is much more bearable. 6) Invictus The film had all ingredients of becoming a classic. Hollywood mega-stars Morgan Freeman and Matt Damon stars as Nelson Mandela and Springboks skipper Francois Pienaar. Set during post-Apartheid South Africa just prior to the 1995 Rugby Union World Cup, this film portrays how a sport had galvanised a country in times of diversity. At time of writing, the film had already garnered two Oscar nominations but to gauge the long-term success, perhaps more time is needed – hence the rather low rating on this particular chart. 5) Field of Dreams “If you build it, he will come”, the famous line from the film is still being quoted every now and then. This 1989 classic stars Kevin Costner as a rural farmer who hears voices asking him to construct a baseball ground on his farmland. He obliges despite his financial problems and spirits of famous baseball legends begin to appear and play on his ground.  A somewhat confusing storyline, but this film is considered a cult classic in the baseball-loving America.  'That Jerry Maguire Kid' 4) Jerry Maguire “Show me the money” and “You had me at hello” are two famous quotes from which will ensure that this film will have a special place in a lot of our hearts. Onscreen chemistry between Tom Cruise and Renee Zellweger was electrifying to say the least and a special performance by a six-year-old Jonathan Lipnicki also touched many hearts. This is an enjoyable feel-good film from start to end, but inevitably predictable storyline for a film starring Cruise. 3) Chariots of Fire This 1981 film tells the true stories of two 1924 Olympic athletes. One is an English Jew, who had to overcome institutional racism to participate in the games. The other is a devout Christian, who refuses to take part in his pet 100m event because it fell on a Sunday, despite political pressure. The film won four Oscars in the Academy Awards that year, including the coveted Best Picture. It also has a fantastic soundtrack to go along with the film. 2) Cinderella Man Boxing is perhaps one sport which had been dramatised more so than others. Cinderella Man tells the true story of heavyweight boxing champion James Braddock. Set during the Great Depression, the film accurately illustrates how Braddock had to struggle to feed his family. He eventually overcame massive odds (and a serious hand injury) to become a world champion. Russell Crowe was nominated in the Golden Globe for his performance and this is a great film for anyone who likes to support the underdog (like myself). Robert De Niro is Jake LaMotta 1) Raging Bull It is not easy to choose the best of the best, but Raging Bull is definitely an eye-catching film. Directed by Martin Scorseese, Robert De Niro won an Oscar for Best Actor for his portrayal of Jake LaMotta. The film’s plot is slow moving, but nonetheless tells a touching story between LaMotta, his brother and his wife. De Niro himself put on considerable weight to play the role and the film also shot actor Joe Pesci to fame. In 1998, this film was named number 24 in the American Film Institute’s (AFI) top 100 films of all them and is also the top-ranked sports-related film. Go grab this DVD if you haven’t seen it before. ________________________________________________________________________________________ The editorial team will like to seek the opinion from all  readers on what you think. Do you agree with the Top 8? Is there anyone that you feel is more worthy to be on the list? Leave a comment! If there is something that you will like us to feature as part of this top 8 series please leave a comment and our team will try to accomodate!  Read More →

Written by Our Correspondent The Government Gazette has published the boundaries of altered polling districts for the 14 group representation constituencies (GRCs) and nine single-member constituencies (SMCs) here. However, with the announcement by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong last year that the number of SMCs will be increased, the boundaries will be subjected to further changes after the amendment of Singapore's Constitution and Parliamentary Elections Act. The registry of voters was updated a day earlier, leading to speculations that election may be held soon. The electoral boundaries were often released only in the last minute before nomination day to throw the preparation of the opposition off guard. The opposition can be doing grassroots work at a particular constituency only to find it suddenly "vanish" into thin air just on the eve of the general election. For example, Singapore People Party's Chairman Sin Kek Tong had been active in the SMC of Braddell Hill for six years after garnering a respectable 47 per cent of the votes in the 1991 general election only to find it being "absorbed" into Marine Parade GRC subsequently. With public anger against the ruling party at an all-time high, the next election may become a watershed in the history of modern Singapore. Singaporeans should expect the usual rampant gerry-mandering again when the time comes and should not be surprised if they find themselves voting in a different constituency compared to the last election, assuming they get the chance to vote at all.  Read More →