MIAMI (AFP) – Bob Saget, the United States (US) comedian who delighted millions as the star of television’s Full House in the 1980s and 1990s, has died, his family said yesterday. He was 65.
“We are devastated to confirm that our beloved Bob passed away today,” Saget’s family said in a statement published by People magazine.
“He was everything to us and we want you to know how much he loved his fans, performing live and bringing people from all walks of life together with laughter.”
Saget, often heralded as “America’s dad” and one of the most ubiquitous faces on US television in the 1990s, was found dead in a Florida hotel room on Sunday, the Orange County Sheriff’s office said.
It was unclear how he died.
File photo of Bob Saget, Dave Coulier and John Stamos, the cast of ‘Fuller House,’ in Los Angeles. PHOTO: AP
Detectives saw no sign of foul play or drugs when they were called to the Ritz-Carlton Orlando, Grande Lakes, where Saget had been found “unresponsive”, according to police.
He had been touring the country and had done a show in Jacksonville the night before his body was found. He tweeted after the performance that he had “loved” it, telling fans to check his website for 2022 tour dates.
Tributes poured in, including from his Full House co-stars.
Saget starred in the show as Danny Tanner, the widowed father of three girls, and his efforts to raise them – assisted by his brother-in-law Jesse and friend Joey – formed the heart of the popular sitcom.
“I am broken. I am gutted. I am in complete and utter shock. I will never ever have another friend like him. I love you so much Bobby,” tweeted actor John Stamos, who played Jesse.
Candace Cameron Bure, who played Saget’s eldest daughter on the show, tweeted: “I have no words. Bob was one of the best human beings I’ve ever known in my life. I loved him so much.”
Fellow co-stars the Olsen twins also expressed their condolences.
“We are deeply saddened that he is no longer with us but know that he will continue to be by our side to guide us as gracefully as he always has,” Mary-Kate and Ashley said in a statement carried by US media.
Full House ran for eight seasons, from 1987 to 1995, on ABC, which said it was “deeply saddened” by Saget’s passing.
ANN/THE KOREA HERALD – The winters in Korea can be notoriously tough with temperatures sometimes falling to below minus 10 degrees Celsius.
Seoul saw the coldest day in 35 years in January last year, with a low of minus 18.6 degrees Celsius. Some parts of the city such as Nowon-gu and Eunpyeong-gu registered lows of minus 21.7 and 22.6 degrees Celsius, according to the Korea Meteorological Administration.
Records also show that winter used to be longer on the Korean Peninsula. The average yearly temperature of the last three decades between 1991 and 2020 rose by 1.6 degrees, compared to between 1912 and 1940, according to data from the weather agency.
So how did previous generations, without central heating and electric heaters, survive these long cold winters?
“When Korea was a traditionally agricultural society in the past, people did not move around all day long like we do now. During the winter, people relied on the food and work they had done during the other seasons, and spent a lot of time at home and in the village,” National Folk Museum of Korea curator Lee Gwan-ho said.
A furnace for room heating and cooking at the house of the late Shin Jae-hyo in Gochang. PHOTOS: ANN/THE KOREAN HERALDABOVE & BELOW: Traditional Korean quilter Kim Hae-ja; and Joseon-era painter Lee Hyung-rok’s ‘Seoljunghyangsi’
Born in Hongseong County, South Chungcheong Province, in the 1960s, he recalls living through many long cold winters.
“Hanok (traditional Korean houses) were cold and especially vulnerable to cold breezes coming from the outside. What people did to offset the cold was to burn wood in the agungi (Korean furnaces) to keep the ondol (underfloor heating) warm.”
As trees were hard to come by, people sometimes had to resort to boiling water in a gamasot, a big pot used in Korean cooking.
“Through its modern history following the Korean War when the country was economically struggling, the heating system in many homes was not as modern as it is now. It resembled the traditional system much more, especially in the countryside,” he said.
ONDOL: KOREA’S TRADITIONAL FLOOR HEATING SYSTEM
Ondol may not be a Korean invention, but it has been an integral part of the Korean lifestyle since the Joseon Dynasty, which began in 1392. As early 20th-Century historian Son Jin-tae famously said, “Koreans were those who were born, raised and died on ondol.”
A 19th-Century British writer who extensively travelled through Korea, Isabella Bird Bishop once said it was too hot to sleep during her stay at an inn.
In her book Korea and her Neighbours published in 1898, she wrote, “The room was always overheated from the ponies‘ fire. From 80° to 85° was the usual temperature, but it was frequently over 92°.”
“I spent one terrible night sitting at my door because it was 105° within. In this furnace, which heats the floor and the spine comfortably, the Korean wayfarer revels.”
The modern floor heating system installed in almost all Korean homes now has its roots in this old-fashioned ondol using a wood-burning furnace, president of the International Society of Ondol professor Kim June-bong said.
“(Today’s) water-based underfloor heating system which works with warm water that circulates through pipes connected to a boiler is an improvement from the same mechanism where an agungi used to warm up the floor in traditional Korean houses,” he said.
“The heating system used in apartment buildings is essentially ondol.”
Unlike radiators which come from the West and are intended to keep the air warm, ondol warms the floor, Kim said. It is more pleasant, thrifty, and keeps your feet warm.
NUBI: QUILTING WITH A SPIRITUAL INFLUENCE
Nubi, a quilting technique in Korea, was also used to keep people warm. The traditional quilting involves sewing materials such as cotton wool into clothes and fabric.
“With no such thing as ‘insulated clothes’ at that time, nubi was used to help protect from cold weather,” said Kim Hae-ja, who earned the title of Master Artisan of Quilt from the Cultural Heritage Administration.
She noted that nubi became more common after cotton was introduced in the country thanks to Mun Ik-jeom, a politician of the Goryeo Kingdom. However, the technique had already existed before then.
“Among the upper class, seamstresses did the job, while commoners did not have time to quilt their clothes. They were too busy,” Kim Jae-ha said.
Records show that clothes padded with cotton were made and sometimes paid to the government as a form of tax, she explained.
Though quilting itself is not unique to Korea, the level of dedication and the extent to which nubi covered a piece of clothing were, in order to give the clothes a religious meaning.
“As if a subject of religious belief, people used to believe that putting effort into clothes would bring luck and avoid difficulties. Nubi, in my view, is a product of dedication,”
she said.
It is worth noting, however, that nubi was not common, she added. It was often reserved for people of high class, including bureaucrats and public servants as well as army soldiers during the Joseon Dynasty.
The new Range Rover Sport special edition HST model is now available in Brunei for fans of the dynamic luxury SUV. The HST model accentuates the dynamic character and sporting style of the original Range Rover Sport through a range of exterior and interior upgrades.
The special edition HST model also introduces an all-new 400PS in-line six-cylinder 3.0-litre petrol engine which enhances performance, refinement and responses along with improved fuel economy.
The new Range Rover Sport special edition HST model. PHOTO: INDERA MOTORS SDN BHD
LOS ANGELES (AP) – The Memphis Grizzlies set a franchise record with their ninth straight win, getting 16 points and a breathtaking block from Ja Morant in a 127-119 victory over the Los Angeles Lakers yesterday.
Desmond Bane had 23 points, Jaren Jackson Jr added 21 and six blocks, and Memphis won for the 12th time in 13 road games.
Morant’s swat came in the first quarter, when he soared from behind Avery Bradley as he tried for a layup, caught the ball with both hands and smacked it off the glass about halfway up the backboard.
Bradley had stolen the ball away from Morant and tried to break for the other end.
“I just got back and made an incredible play,” Morant said. “I was just trying to gather the ball. Most of the time on a break like that, if you block it, they might have a player trailing to get the ball and lay it up. It worked out perfect for me. Now I’m probably all over the Internet for it.”
Memphis Grizzlies forward Jaren Jackson Jr vies for the ball with Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James. PHOTO: AP
His teammates were understandably impressed. “That’s probably the best block I’ve ever seen live. Probably the best block I’ve ever seen, period,” Jackson said.
“That was crazy. I knew he was going to do it, too, because he always loads up right before.
Morant also threw down an alley-oop dunk off a lob from Bane in the third quarter, nearly hitting his head on the rim a night after sitting out against the Clippers with left thigh soreness.
LeBron James scored 23 of his 35 points in the first half. He made 14 of 19 shots and added seven assists. He passed Oscar Robertson (9,887 assists) for seventh most assists in NBA history.
The Grizzlies snapped the Lakers’ four-game winning streak and a stretch in which the Lakers had won five of six.
“Memphis played great. They’re one of the hottest teams in the league,” Lakers coach Frank Vogel said. “We had trouble getting back in transition. We let a lot of misses at the basket affect our defensive focus. When we weren’t scoring, we lost focus of what we were supposed to be doing on the defensive side. That can’t happen. That was a big reason they built a big league.”
ANN/THE DAILY STAR – We are often warned about the health implications of getting too little sleep or staying up late.
While these habits are legitimate concerns and might even lead to insomnia and irregular sleeping habits, the other side of the spectrum, oversleeping or getting too much sleep, is just as harmful.
Oversleeping could be the result of multiple causes; stress, unbalanced diet, overworking, etc.
In extreme cases, a doctor should be consulted as some people might develop sleeping disorders. However, it might be worth a try to adapt some habits into one’s lifestyle to overcome oversleeping.
GETTING INTO A ROUTINE
Easier said than done, having and sticking to a routine would assist the quality of sleep one gets.
Setting specific times to wake up, preparing healthy and balanced meals, regularly exercising and heading to bed on time would help the body to develop its own schedule and function accordingly, thus avoiding oversleeping or under sleeping.
The body and brain can be prepped for slumber by establishing a sleep-friendly environment, which will make falling asleep much easier. A dark silent room is necessary for a good night’s sleep.
CREATING THE PERFECT SLEEP ENVIRONMENT
Filtering out background noise with earplugs might be worth a try. The room’s temperature is also an important consideration. With a room too hot or too cold, sound sleep is unlikely.
Adjusting the fan’s speed or regulating the air conditioner’s temperature to find the desired temperature, could help in falling asleep quicker.
CHANGING ALARM HABITS
A love-hate relationship with alarms is common. Hitting snooze and getting those last few minutes of sleep is tempting.
However, using a light alarm or a sunrise alarm instead of a loud jingle helps in waking up more gently and naturally, thereby preventing the annoyance we feel because of loud and invasive alarms, and also decreasing the temptation of hitting snooze. This will help waking up on time instead of oversleeping.
AVOIDING CAFFEINE
Caffeine is a necessity for some people to function. However, as caffeine helps us stay awake, it is no surprise that it also pushes back bedtime. Avoiding caffeine a few hours before bedtime would help the body and mind relax, slowly preparing for slumber.
PUTTING THE TECH AWAY
Blue light from phones and computers affects our sleep. Harvard Health Publishing by Harvard Medical School shared an article about the adverse effects of blue light on sleep. They explain how light of any kind has a negative impact on melatonin production (the hormone regulating the sleep-wake cycle), however blue light has a far worse impact. So, putting electronics away before bed is one step toward learning how to sleep better and for longer periods of time.
AVOIDING NAPS AND EXTRA SLEEP ON THE WEEKENDS
Many use weekends to catch up on their sleeping. However, sleeping longer than usual on weekends can be harmful to one’s sleep schedule and health. According to an American Heart Association study, individuals spending their weekend to get more sleep are more likely to have poor cardiovascular health than those who do not.
Additionally, frequently napping throughout the day can make one feel even more fatigued or sluggish than if they had not rested at all. Staying hydrated can help to stay alert during the day.
Other activities like reading a book before bed, meditating and stretching, keeping a sleep journal to monitor one’s sleep habits, and listening to soothing music could also help improve quality of sleep and prevent oversleeping.
Enforcement personnel detected eight violations during Operasi Peralihan from 10pm to 4am on Sunday.
“Eight violations of the nationwide directive were issued compound fines, of which all eight were violations of the stay-at-home directive,” Minister of Health Dato Seri Setia Dr Haji Mohd Isham bin Haji Jaafar said at a press conference yesterday.
The offenders were locals Md Firdaws bin Haji Ahmad, Md Shukri bin Haji Simpul, Md Abu Hurairah bin Sakawi, Pengiran Sahpuddinn bin Pengiran Ahmad, Morris Bobak, Md Ali Syafiee bin M Yahya and Micheal Bob Elan and foreign national Shipinny Roy anak Mambang.
The Royal Brunei Police Force said three violations were reported in Brunei-Muara District, four in Tutong Distirct and one in Temburong District.
ABOVE & BELOW: Md Firdaws bin Haji Ahmad; and Md Shukri bin Haji Simpul. PHOTOS: RBPF
ABOVE & BELOW: Md Abu Hurairah bin Sakawi; and Pengiran Sahpuddinn bin Pengiran Ahmad
ABOVE & BELOW: Morris Bobak; Md Ali Syafiee bin M Yahya; Micheal Bob Elan; and Shipinny Roy anak Mambang
YANGON (AFP) – A Myanmar junta court yesterday convicted Aung San Suu Kyi of three criminal charges, sentencing her to four years in prison in the latest in a slew of cases against the ousted civilian leader.
The Nobel laureate has been detained since February 1, 2021 when her government was forced out in an early morning coup, ending Myanmar’s short-lived experiment with democracy.
The generals’ power grab triggered widespread dissent, which security forces sought to quell with mass detentions and bloody crackdowns in which over 1,400 civilians have been killed, according to a local monitoring group.
A source with knowledge of the case told AFP the 76-year-old was found guilty of two charges related to illegally importing and owning walkie-talkies and one of breaking coronavirus rules.
Junta spokesman Major General Zaw Min Tun confirmed the verdicts and sentences and told AFP Suu Kyi would remain under house arrest while other cases against her proceed.
The walkie-talkie charges stem from when soldiers raided her house on the day of the coup, allegedly discovering the contraband equipment.
Yesterday’s sentence adds to the penalties the court handed down in December when she was jailed for four years for incitement and breaching Covid-19 rules while campaigning.
Junta Chief Min Aung Hlaing cut the sentence to two years and said she could serve her term under house arrest in the capital Naypyidaw.
The total six-year jail term would mean Suu Kyi would not be able to participate in fresh elections that the military authorities have pledged to hold by August 2023.
A protester holds a poster featuring Aung San Suu Kyi during a demonstration against the military coup in Yangon. PHOTO: AFP
LONDON (AP) – The United Kingdom (UK) will celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne with a military parade, neighbourhood parties and a competition to create a new dessert for the Platinum Jubilee, Buckingham Palace said yesterday.
Elizabeth will become on February 6 the first British monarch to reign for seven decades, and festivities marking the anniversary will culminate in a four-day weekend of events June 2-5. It wasn’t immediately clear which events the Queen, 95, would take part in after doctors recently advised her to get more rest.
The weekend, which includes an extra public holiday in honour of the Queen, will begin on June 2, with Trooping the Colour -the annual military parade that marks the queen’s official birthday.
That will be followed on June 3 by a service of thanksgiving honouring the queen’s service to the UK, her other realms and the Commonwealth.
In a nod to coronation chicken – the concoction of cold chicken, curry powder, mayonnaise and other ingredients served at garden parties marking the queen’s formal ascent to the throne – the palace will sponsor the Platinum Pudding competition to create a new dessert dedicated to the monarch.
The competition will be open to UK residents as young as eight and will be judged by television cooking personalities Mary Berry and Monica Galetti, together with Buckingham Palace head chef Mark Flanagan. The winning recipe will be published ahead of Jubilee weekend so it can be part of the celebrations.
File photo of Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II in Windsor Castle, Windsor, England. PHOTO: AP
EARITH, UNITED KINGDOM (AFP) – Nature is reclaiming her territory at a quarry in the east of England that is being transformed into a vast reserve offering vital sanctuary to endangered birds.
With its reedbed wetlands, the marshy plain of the Fens outside Cambridge has become an attractive habitat for the secretive bittern, which was until 2015 on the United Kingdom’s (UK) Red list of most-threatened species.
Today the thickset heron, with its perfectly camouflaged streaked brown plumage and a booming springtime call that sounds like someone blowing over the top of a bottle, is on the less critical but still threatened Amber list.
“It’s really a demonstration of how working with partners – big decisive action at large scale – we can bring species off that Red list,” said Senior Site Manager at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ (RSPB) Ouse Fen Nature Reserve Chris Hudson.
Although the elusive bird did not put in an appearance when AFP visited on a brisk and rainy January winter morning, five per cent of the UK’s bitterns now nest at Ouse Fen.
The reserve’s bittern population is today larger than the nationwide total in the mid-1990s, when the RSPB’s list of threatened species was first published, said Hudson, binoculars always at the ready.
Greylag Geese in flight over the RSPB Ouse Fen Reserve in Willingham, Cambridgeshire, England. PHOTOS: AFPSenior Site Manager at the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ Ouse Fen Nature Reserve Chris Hudson and Head of Monitoring for Conservation Science Richard Gregory look through binoculars at the reserve
The latest edition of Birds of Conservation Concern was published in December 2021 and now includes 70 species on the Red list – more than double the figure when the first report was published in 1996.
Around 30 per cent of the British Isles’ 245 bird species are now in danger.
Among the new species on the list are the house martin and the swift, migratory birds that fly thousands of kilometres from central and southern Africa each spring to breed in Europe.
Head of monitoring at the RSPB Centre for Conservation Science Richard Gregory blames population decrease mainly on changing land use in the UK, Europe and beyond, which deprives birds of food and habitat.
“The decline of these birds might tell us something about a huge decline in the biomass of insects, which has been a real concern for conservationists across Europe recently, and it’s probably a much wider phenomenon,” he said.
“So we need more research, but that’s a real warning sign about how the environment is changing around us.
“But we also know that when you manage the habitats, when you protect the habitats, and you protect the birds, they can bounce right back,” said Gregory, pointing to the example of the “magnificent” white-tailed eagle, which was extinct in the British Isles in the early 20th Century.
Thanks to a programme of protection and reintroduction, this imposing bird of prey is no longer on the Red list and today there are at least 123 pairs of these large sea eagles in the UK.
At the Ouse Fen reserve in early January were once-rare great white egrets of the heron family and marsh harriers, a threatened bird of prey whose numbers have bounced back thanks to decades of conservation efforts.
The mix of reedbeds, open water and grassland, opened in 2010 and visited by 20,000 people a year, is being restored from land that has served as Europe’s largest sand and gravel quarry.
Over the lifetime of the ongoing project, around 28 million tonnes of aggregate are being dug from the ground, leaving holes that are now filled with water and reeds, to the birds’ delight.
“Our job here was to recreate the right habitat conditions that would bring the bittern back,” said Hudson. These include “lots of feeding opportunities to get their prey sources like fish, and particularly eels”.
“Once we’ve put those conditions in place, that effectively brings the birds back. ‘If you build it they will come’ is the phrase that we quite often use.”
SHENZHEN, CHINA (CNA) – Cash-strapped property firm China Evergrande Group has left what has been its headquarters in the city of Shenzhen and relocated to nearby Guangzhou, Chinese media outlet The Paper reported yesterday, citing people familiar with the matter.
Yesterday afternoon, the company’s logo had been partially removed on one side of the building. Security personnel, accompanied by security vehicles, kept watch, and several of them said that the company had left the building last month.
Evergrande did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Last September, the Shenzhen building was the scene of chaotic protests when investors crowded its lobby to demand repayment of loans and financial products.
Last year, the Guangzhou government sent a working team to Evergrande, sources told the media. Sources have also said that lawsuits against the company from around China are being handled by a court in the city, which is the capital of Guangdong province, where Shenzhen is also located.
Evergrande was founded in Guangzhou, moving to Shenzhen only in 2017.
The world’s most indebted developer, it has more than USD300 billion in liabilities including nearly USD20 billion in offshore bonds deemed in cross-default by ratings agencies last month after it missed payments.
Last Tuesday, protests also began at the Guangzhou offices, with around 100 investors in financial products issued by the company gathering to express their worries about getting their money back.
Small crowds of protesters have continued to gather near the site since, 10 protesters told
the media.
Evergrande has more than USD300 billion in liabilities including nearly USD20 billion in offshore bonds deemed in cross-default by ratings agencies last month after it missed payments. PHOTO: BLOOMBERG
