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News Modern | Thai capital escapes worst of flooding

2011-10-17T04:33:00.001-07:00

News Modern | Thai capital escapes worst of flooding

October 17, 2011 -- Updated 1009 GMT (1809 HKT)

Thai authorities are confident the capital has escaped the worst of the flooding that has swamped much of the country.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
There were fears further heavy rain combined with high tides would overwhelm Bangkok
297 people have been killed during months of monsoon rains across Thailand
Authorities in the capital confident the capital has been spared as flood defenses hold
Thais across country donating food, water and clothing to help the worst-hit areas
Are you there? Send your iReport stories, videos, photos
(CNN) -- Thai authorities on Monday moved to ease fears that the devastating floods that have engulfed much of the country will swamp the capital.
The country's Flood Relief Operation Command (FROC) reported that flood defense measures in low-lying Bangkok have held and that the bloated Chao Praya River has not risen any further.
There had been fears that further heavy rain over the weekend combined with the spring high tides would overwhelm parts of the city.
"The water situation in Bangkok city is no longer a worry and today is the end of the high tide period," FROC spokesperson Wim Rungwattanachinda told CNN.
However, Irrigation department director general Chalit Damrongsak warned the situation remained critical as water from low-lying areas north of Bangkok still needed to drain.
"It is not over," he said, in quotes carried by Agence France-Presse.
So far, 297 people have been killed during months of monsoon rains across Thailand, with more than 8.5 million in 61 provinces affected by the rising floodwater.
Asia's wet and wild summer explained
Getting aid to Thailand's flood victims Stranded elephants in need of food

More than 500,000 square kilometers -- an area the size of Spain -- have been affected by the floods in Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam and Laos, according to CNN meteorologist Jenny Harrison.
In the ancient city of Ayutthara, one of the worst-hit areas, officials said the floodwater was starting to recede and flow towards the rivers.
The temples and monuments in the UNESCO-listed historical city have been submerged for days, prompting concern that much of the water damage will be permanent.
Meanwhile, a massive effort is underway to protect the Navanakorn Industrial Park to the north of Bangkok. The giant complex -- one of Thailand's largest -- houses a number of companies that produce electronics and components for the automotive industry.
According to the Bangkok Post, 600 workers, civilian volunteers and soldiers were working around the clock Sunday to strengthen defense walls on all sides of the facility as the water continued to rise.
Other manufacturing sites north of Bangkok, such as Rojana Industrial Park, were forced to halt operations as the floodwater hit. Honda last week said the closure of its plant there affected the production of at least 4,500 cars.
The Thai finance ministry says overall damage from the floods could be more than $2 billion, with the worst yet still possibly to come," according to CNN's Paula Hancocks.
Floods are an annual occurrence in the country but it has been particularly acute this year.
Thais across the country are donating food, water and clothing to help the worst-hit areas. Authorities said donations have far surpassed previous years.
The government said that it has received $2.07 million in donations, including help from other countries, by Sunday. The United States said it is sending 26 helicopters to help the relief effort, invaluable as more roads turn to rivers and become impassable.
United Nations agencies also are on standby, while the World Health Organization has offered emergency health kits.
CNN's Kocha Olarn contributed to this report.

News Modern | Steve Jobs and the 7 Rules of Success

2011-10-17T03:40:00.001-07:00

News Modern | Steve Jobs and the 7 Rules of Success

By Carmine Gallo | Entrepreneur – Fri, Oct 14, 2011 2:36 PM

Steve Jobs' impact on your life cannot be underestimated. His innovations have likely touched nearly every aspect -- computers, movies, music and mobile. As a communications coach, I learned from Jobs that a presentation can, indeed, inspire. For entrepreneurs, Jobs' greatest legacy is the set of principles that drove his success.

Over the years, I've become a student of sorts of Jobs' career and life. Here's my take on the rules and values underpinning his success. Any of us can adopt them to unleash our "inner Steve Jobs."

1. Do what you love. Jobs once said, "People with passion can change the world for the better." Asked about the advice he would offer would-be entrepreneurs, he said, "I'd get a job as a busboy or something until I figured out what I was really passionate about." That's how much it meant to him. Passion is everything.

2. Put a dent in the universe. Jobs believed in the power of vision. He once asked then-Pepsi President,
John Sculley, "Do you want to spend your life selling sugar water or do you want to change the world?" Don't lose sight of the big vision.

3. Make connections. Jobs once said creativity is connecting things. He meant that people with a broad set of life experiences can often see things that others miss. He took calligraphy classes that didn't have any practical use in his life -- until he built the Macintosh. Jobs traveled to India and Asia. He studied design and hospitality. Don't live in a bubble. Connect ideas from different fields.

4. Say no to 1,000 things. Jobs was as proud of what Apple chose not to do as he was of what Apple did. When he returned in Apple in 1997, he took a company with 350 products and reduced them to 10 products in a two-year period. Why? So he could put the "A-Team" on each product. What are you saying "no" to?

5. Create insanely different experiences. Jobs also sought innovation in the customer-service experience. When he first came up with the concept for the Apple Stores, he said they would be different because instead of just moving boxes, the stores would enrich lives. Everything about the experience you have when you walk into an Apple store is intended to enrich your life and to create an emotional connection between you and the Apple brand. What are you doing to enrich the lives of your customers?

6. Master the message. You can have the greatest idea in the world, but if you can't communicate your ideas, it doesn't matter. Jobs was the world's greatest corporate storyteller. Instead of simply delivering a presentation like most people do, he informed, he educated, he inspired and he entertained, all in one presentation.

7. Sell dreams, not products. Jobs captured our imagination because he really understood his customer. He knew that tablets would not capture our imaginations if they were too complicated. The result? One button on the front of an iPad. It's so simple, a 2-year-old can use it. Your customers don't care about your product. They care about themselves, their hopes, their ambitions. Jobs taught us that if you help your customers reach their dreams, you'll win them over.

There's one story that I think sums up Jobs' career at Apple. An executive who had the job of reinventing the Disney Store once called up Jobs and asked for advice. His counsel? Dream bigger. I think that's the best advice he could leave us with. See genius in your craziness, believe in yourself, believe in your vision, and be constantly prepared to defend those ideas.

Carmine Gallo is a communications coach, a popular keynote speaker and author of several books including The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs and The Innovation Secrets of Steve Jobs. His latest is The Power of Foursquare (McGraw-Hill, 2011).

News Modern | Bhutan king marries commoner

2011-10-16T06:33:00.001-07:00

News Modern | Bhutan king marries commoner

By Mark Magnier, Los Angeles Times
October 13, 2011, 3:50 p.m.
Reporting from New Delhi— When the big day came, and it came Thursday, the other royal wedding of the year — this one in far-off, remote Bhutan — adopted a distinctly different tone.

In sharp contrast to the nuptials of Britain's Prince William and Catherine Middleton, there were no star-studded celebrities, self-important film stars, fidgeting foreign royals or a long wedding dress train to trip over.

The theme in Bhutan was "of the people," which is a lot easier when your country has a population of 700,000, almost all of whom were in overdrive as the popular fifth "Dragon King" married a 21-year-old student, the daughter of an airline pilot.

It's hard to overstate the excitement that's gripped the mountain kingdom since it was announced that Oxford graduate King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck and commoner Jetsun Pema would wed.

Many had waited impatiently for the 31-year-old constitutional monarch to find a soul mate and get on with it. When he did, and word spread that he'd fallen for a brainy student he'd first met as a child, Bhutan's people fell almost as much in love with her as had their king.

Times have changed, even in insular Bhutan. So it will be only one woman for this royal. King Wangchuck
has pledged to love a single wife, in contrast to his father, who, in 1988, chose to tie the knot with four brides, all sisters. This week's glowing groom is the son of his father's third wife.

In keeping with centuries-old tradition, the rites were performed in a sacred monastery fortress in Punakha and included purification rituals, blessings, prayers and prostrations.

All this for a king who loves Elvis Presley, plays a mean game of basketball, sports long sideburns and slicked back hair and takes evening bike rides in the neighborhood.

Thursday's joyous event has sparked days of celebration, dancing and drinking by a population that had no roads until the 1960s and no television until 1999.

The country is perhaps best known for embracing a "gross national happiness" index — a measure of people's sense of well-being, environmental harmony and community ties — rather than the gross domestic product.

Bhutan's rather halcyon image was tarnished somewhat, however, by a recent survey released by the National Statistics Bureau.

According to the Bhutan Business newspaper, the Bhutan Multiple Indicator Survey covering 15,000 households found that nearly 70% of women believed they deserved a beating if they argued with their partner, refused sex or neglected their children. The survey also reportedly found that more than 1 in 4 women believed HIV/AIDS was transmitted supernaturally and that 1 in 5 children were involved in child labor.

Those woes were largely forgotten this week, as images flashed across the country of the lovely bride with high cheekbones dressed in an elegant kira, the national dress for women, made of handwoven silk.

In keeping with his reputation for humility, the monarch had moved out of the palace years ago into a cottage where he's known to invite members of the public to tea. Recent guests include members of the Thimphu weightlifting club.

It was not immediately clear whether the royal couple will move back to the palace.

mark.magnier@latimes.com

Tanvi Sharma in The Times' New Delhi bureau contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2011, Los Angeles Times

News Modern | Sebastian Vettel wins Korean Grand Prix from Lewis Hamilton

2011-10-16T03:50:00.001-07:00

News Modern | Sebastian Vettel wins Korean Grand Prix from Lewis Hamilton

By Sarah Holt
BBC Sport in Yeongam

Highlights - Korean Grand Prix
Sebastian Vettel won the Korean Grand Prix from McLaren's Lewis Hamilton to help Red Bull wrap up a second consecutive constructors' championship.

Vettel jumped Hamilton on the first lap to take the lead and was unchallenged on his way to a 10th win of the season.

Hamilton defiantly fended off Mark Webber's Red Bull to hold on to second.

McLaren's Jenson Button saw off Fernando Alonso's fast-finishing Ferrari for fourth with Scot Paul di Resta 10th in his Force India.

Hamilton had delivered a brilliant lap on Saturday to knock Red Bull off pole position for the first time this season but then lost his advantage on the first lap of the race.

Vettel nosed his way into the McLaren's slipstream and used the tow to pass Hamilton into Turn Four and take the lead.

Korean Grand Prix - top three drivers
With one Red Bull ahead of him, Hamilton then found himself under pressure from Webber, who was on an opposite strategy to his Red Bull team-mate by choosing the harder 'prime' tyres at the first pit stop.

Hamilton and Webber made their second stop at the same time and when they emerged from the pits they swapped position several times in a thrilling duel through the high-speed middle section of the Yeongam circuit.

"Super-clean, super-aggressive, super-respectful race driving from both of them," said BBC F1 co-commentator David Coulthard.

Hamilton hung on to take his first podium since winning the German Grand Prix in July but Webber never fell more than a second behind over the final 22 laps.

The field had been slowed by the safety car, which emerged after Vitaly Petrov crashed into the back of Michael Schumacher's Mercedes on lap 17.

Continue reading the main story
Vettel will have thoroughly enjoyed that. He may have won the world title last week but that will mean a great deal to him
Martin Brundle
BBC F1 commentator
But Vettel pressed on when the race re-started and the double world champion sailed clear to finish the race 12 seconds clear of his rivals.

"Vettel will have thoroughly enjoyed that," said BBC F1 commentator Martin Brundle. "He may have won the world title last week but that will mean a great deal to him."

The 24-year-old showed just what it meant to him on the pit-to-car radio, shouting: "Yes, yes, yes and yes again -10 wins."

Vettel can still match Schumacher's record 13 wins in a single season if he wins the remaining races in India, Abu Dhabi and Brazil.

"It's good to see that the whole team keeps on pushing," said Vettel. "To come here and after a tough Friday and Saturday to come back in the race was fantastic.

"I was getting quicker and quicker and I didn't need the safety car. Lewis came closer again but the car seemed to stabilise and I was able to maintain the gap.

"At the end it was fantastic I was able to push when I wanted to. It's fantastic [to win] last week the drivers' championship and this week the constructors' championship."

Hamilton, who scored his fifth podium of the season, said: "It was OK, not too bad. Mark drove really well through the race.

Red Bull's too quick in Korea - Hamilton
"It was impossible to catch Sebastian and overtake him and then I struggled with understeer but it's a good weekend for me compared to what I had in the past so I'm happy.

"I never questioned my belief in myself so that's not something that needs doing.

"I have the trust and confidence from the team so I just need to keep my head down and hope for better results."

Webber added: "It was the team's day today. It's been a phenomenal year but I'm disappointed not to get second today.

"I think at the second stop we did the worst thing, we stopped on the same lap and that was disappointing as we had some good pace to pull away from Lewis. I look forward to the next one."

Button finished fourth after he found himself jostling for position on the opening lap, dropping from third to sixth as both Ferraris and Webber's Red Bull squeezed past him.

The 2009 champion got the jump on the Ferraris at his first pit stop but had to fend off Nico Rosberg's Mercedes in the pit lane and then on track.

Alonso closed quickly in on Button over the final stint but a near-miss with a wall with two laps to go made him realise that the chase would be in vain.

"I give up, I give up," Alonso told his team on the penultimate lap.

The Spaniard had spent half of the race behind his team-mate Felipe Massa, who had out-qualified him and then defended his position when Alonso tried to pass him on lap 13.

Brundle commented: "I think that (radio) message means 'if you ever leave me behind Massa again this is the price you pay.'"

Continue reading the main story
I was suddenly 180 degrees in the wrong direction and saw my wing hanging down and a Renault wing pass by
Michael Schumacher
As it was, Massa finished behind Alonso in sixth ahead of Jaime Alguersuari, who equalled his best performance of the season with seventh for Toro Rosso.

Rosberg finished eight for Mercedes with Toro Rosso's Sebastian Buemi and Di Resta's Force India completing the top 10.

Schumacher retired after just 17 laps when Vitaly Petrov crunched his Renault into the back of his Mercedes, crumpling the rear wing.

Petrov had been under pressure from Alonso, who narrowly escaped being caught up in the incident, and the Russian apologised to Schumacher for causing the crash.

"I was suddenly 180 degrees in the wrong direction and saw my wing hanging down and a Renault wing pass by," said Schumacher.

"We have had some great racing together this year, the first two were on my cap and the third on his cap."

The Russian took responsibility and after the race the stewards handed him a five-place grid penalty, which he will serve at the inaugural Indian Grand Prix in two weeks' time.

News Modern | Thousands protest banks, corporate greed in U.S. marches

2011-10-16T01:16:00.000-07:00

News Modern | Thousands protest banks, corporate greed in U.S. marches

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Thousands of anti-Wall Street protesters rallied in New York's Times Square on Saturday, buoyed by a global day of demonstrations in support of their month long campaign against corporate greed.

Inspired by the Occupy Wall Street movement, protests on Saturday started in Asia and rippled through Europe back to the United States and Canada. Protesters fed up with economic inequality took to the streets in cities from Washington, Boston and Chicago to Los Angeles, Miami and Toronto.

After weeks of intense media coverage, the size of the U.S. protests on Saturday have been smaller than G20 meetings or political conventions have yielded in recent years. Such events often draw tens of thousands of demonstrators.

In New York, where the movement began when protesters set up camp in a Lower Manhattan park on September 17, organizers said the protest grew to at least 5,000 people as they marched to Times Square from their makeshift outdoor headquarters.

"These protests are already making a difference," said Jordan Smith, 25, a former substance abuse counselor from San Francisco, who joined the New York protest. "The dialogue is now happening all over the world."

The protesters chanted, "We got sold out, banks got bailed out" and "All day, all week, occupy Wall Street." They arrived in Times Square at a time when the area is already crowded with tourists and Broadway theatergoers.

"This is disgusting" said Anatoly Lapushner, who was shopping with his family at Toys R Us in Times Square. "Why aren't they marching on Washington and the politicians? Instead they go after the economic lifeblood of the city."

PARTY MOOD IN NEW YORK

American protesters are angry that U.S. banks are enjoying booming profits after getting bailouts in 2008, while many people are struggling in a difficult economy with more than 9 percent unemployment and little help from Washington.

Some were disappointed the New York crowd was not larger.

"People don't want to get involved. They'd rather watch on TV," said Troy Simmons, 47, who joined demonstrators as he left work. "The protesters could have done better today ... people from the whole region should be here and it didn't happen."

The Times Square mood was akin to New Year's Eve, when the famed "ball drop" occurs. In a festive mood, protesters were joined by throngs of tourists snapping pictures, together counting back from 10 and shouting, "Happy New Year."

Police said three people were arrested in Times Square after pushing down police barriers and five men were arrested earlier for wearing masks. Police also arrested 24 people at a Citibank branch in Manhattan, mostly for trespassing.

Citibank was not immediately available for comment.

Five thousand people marched through the streets of Los Angeles and gathered peacefully outside City Hall.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has been gathering steam over the past month, culminating with Saturday's action. The protests worldwide were mostly peaceful apart from Rome, where the demonstration sparked riots.

But it was unclear if the movement, which has been driven using social media, would sustain momentum beyond Saturday. Critics have accused the group of not having clear goals.

In Toronto, a couple of thousand people gathered peacefully and started to set up a camp in one of the city's parks. Protesters in Washington marched through the streets.

"I am going to start my life as an adult in debt and that's not fair," student Nathaniel Brown told Reuters Television. "Millions of teenagers across the country are going to start their futures in debt, while all of these corporations are getting money fed all the time and none of us can get any."

(Additional reporting by Cameron French in Toronto, Pascal Fletcher in Miami, Ian Simpson in Washington D.C., Karl Plume in Chicago, Jim Finkle in Boston and R.T. Watson in Los Angeles and Ray Sanchex in New York, writing by Michelle Nichols; Editing by Mark Egan and Peter Cooney)

News Modern | Obama orders U.S. troops to help chase down African 'army' leader

2011-10-14T23:49:00.001-07:00

News Modern | Obama orders U.S. troops to help chase down African 'army' leader
By the CNN Wire StaffOctober 15, 2011 -- Updated 0110 GMT (0910 HKT)

Washington (CNN) --
President Barack Obama is sending about 100 U.S. troops to Africa to help hunt down the leaders of the notoriously violent Lord's Resistance Army in and around Uganda."I have authorized a small number of combat-equipped U.S. forces to deploy to central Africa to provide assistance to regional forces that are working toward the removal of Joseph Kony from the battlefield," Obama said in letter sent Friday to House Speaker John Boehner and Daniel Inouye, the president pro tempore of the Senate. Kony is the head of the Lord's Resistance Army.U.S. military personnel advising regional forces working to target Kony and other senior leaders will not engage Kony's forces "unless necessary for self-defense," Obama said."I believe that deploying these U.S. armed forces furthers U.S. national security interests and foreign policy and will be a significant contribution toward counter-LRA efforts in central Africa."Obama noted that the group "has murdered, raped, and kidnapped tens of thousands of men, women and children in central Africa" and "continues to commit atrocities across the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and South Sudan that have a disproportionate impact on regional security."What is the Lord's Resistance
Army?According to the State Department, "since 2008 alone, the LRA has killed more than 2,400 people and abducted more than 3,400. The United Nations estimates that over 380,000 people are displaced across the region because of LRA activity."Obama said the United States since 2008 has backed regional military efforts to go after the Lord's Resistance Army. State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said that since that time the United States has provided more than $40 million in support.Efforts to combat the LRA, however, have been unsuccessful.In his letter, Obama cited the Lord's Resistance Army Disarmament and Northern Uganda Recovery Act of 2009. In that measure, Congress "expressed support for increased, comprehensive U.S. efforts to help mitigate and eliminate the threat posed by the LRA to civilians and regional stability," he said."I have directed this deployment, which is in the national security and foreign policy interests of the United States, pursuant to my constitutional authority to conduct U.S. foreign relations and as Commander in Chief and Chief Executive. I am making this report as part of my efforts to keep the Congress fully informed, consistent with the War Powers Resolution," he said. "I appreciate the support of the Congress in this action."Obama said the initial team of U.S. military personnel "with appropriate combat equipment" deployed to Uganda on Wednesday. Other forces deploying include "a second combat-equipped team and associated headquarters, communications and logistics personnel.""Our forces will provide information, advice and assistance to select partner nation forces," he said. "Subject to the approval of each respective host nation, elements of these U.S. forces will deploy into Uganda, South Sudan, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The support provided by U.S. forces will enhance regional efforts against the LRA. "The U.S. troops backing the operation "are primarily comprised of Special Operations Forces," according to the Pentagon.It said the United States has been helping Uganda and the other regional countries in their fight against the LRA since 2008. The U.S. has provided logistical support, non-lethal equipment, training and intelligence assistance, as well as $33 million to Uganda's People Defense Forces effort to counter the group.The Pentagon cited multiple examples of its assistance, such as sending equipment to Central African armed forces and training a Democratic Republic of Congo light infantry battalion deployed in that country's northeast.It noted that U.S. Africa Command is "exploring ways to support the military of South Sudan."In early October 2010, the U.S. military had more than 1,700 troops deployed in sub-Saharan Africa, the Pentagon said. The majority of them -- around 1,380 - were deployed in Djibouti. But U.S. troops had at least a small presence in 33 different nations in sub-Saharan Africa. At this time last year they had nine troops in Uganda.One conservative member of Congress, Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Oklahoma, weighed in to support the effort."I applaud our nation's military for making this a priority and taking the steps outlined in our legislation that will eventually protect the children and people from Joseph Kony's reign of terror," Inhofe said."I have witnessed firsthand the devastation caused by the LRA, and this will help end Kony's heinous acts that have created a human rights crisis in Africa. We must work to bring justice to the children and victims in Uganda devastated by Kony and the LRA. I have been fervently involved in trying to prevent further abductions and murders of Ugandan children, and today's action offers hope that the end of the LRA is in sight."Kony claims he is a prophet sent from God to replace the Ugandan government with a democracy based on the Ten Commandments.The group has been "notorious for kidnapping children and forcing them to become rebel fighters or concubines," according to the website GlobalSecurity.org.The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants against Kony and four other group leaders for crimes against humanity and war crimes. Chief Prosecutor Luis Moreno-Campo said that the "LRA is an involuntary army and the majority of the fighters are formerly abducted children. "Obama's plan in dealing with the LRA calls for increasing "protection of civilians," apprehending or removing Kony and senior LRA commanders from the battlefield, promoting the "defection, disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of remaining LRA fighters" and increasing "humanitarian access."Representatives of 34 groups in the LRA-affected areas of northern Congo, Central African Republic, and Southern Sudan wrote Obama in December, applauding his commitment to tackle the problem and urging him to deal with the group, according to Human Rights Watch."Each day that goes by without a solution to the problem of the LRA is another day of terror and pain for those of us living under constant threat of renewed attacks. Already, the LRA has brutally killed more than 2,300 of our family members and abducted over 3,000 others since they began their latest wave of killings in September 2008," the letter said."Many of our children are still in the hands of the LRA. We do not know if they are alive or dead. Those who have managed to escape the LRA bear the physical and mental scars of what they have suffered and will never be the same again. We have few means to help them readjust and integrate back into our communities, but we are trying to do what we can."The letter cites massacres in 2008 and 2009."During these attacks, our family members were killed in unimaginably savage ways: their heads crushed with clubs or machetes; their faces disfigured; and their genitals, mouths, ears, legs and arms cut off, for no reason other than to terrorize."