World Tallest Woman Dead

WASHINGTON: An American believed to be the world's tallest woman has died, nursing home staff told AFP on Thursday. 

Sandy Allen, 53, who grew to be more than seven feet, seven inches tall died on Wednesday at a nursing home in Shelbyville, Indiana. 

A spokeswoman for the Heritage House Convalescent Centre in Shelbyville said Allen "had been in failing health in recent years and died of natural causes". 

She had been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the world's tallest woman. By the time she was 10, Allen already stood six foot three. By 16, she was over seven feet tall, the Indianapolis Star daily said. 

It's believed that a tumour on her pituitary gland caused her abnormal growth. It was removed when Allen was in her 20s, but she continued to be affected by a variety of health issues related to her height, including poor circulation and weak leg muscles that kept her confined to a wheelchair in her later years. 

While her height brought her and the town of Shelbyville fame, it also led to personal despair, especially in her late teens when she spoke about her height being an impediment to relationships. 

The newspaper quoted a letter Allen is said to have written to Guinness in 1974 in which she said: "I would like to get to know someone that is approximately my height. It is needless to say my social life is practically nil and perhaps the publicity from your book may brighten my life." 


- AFP/so 

Cambodian Team at Beijing Olympic

Cambodia has sent a total of 6 athletes and swimmer together with other 9 delegates to join the Beijing Olympic Game 2008. The delegates are including with King Sihamoni and Thong Kon , minister of tourism and Kol Pheng , minister of education. With just only 6 people I guess we don’t expect much from it. The most interesting fact I wana share here is that according to Xinhua news, the Cambodian team candidates were receiving only 30 USD per month form our National Olympic Committee of Cambodia (NOCC) while training for the competition. I wonder how can they survive with such a little stipend if they really invest their heart and soul into the game and I wonder how much will NOCC has been putting to support our Cambodian team.

Funny kid

Japan female born last year will live the longest

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Japanese girls born last year can expect to live until they are 86 years old, which would make them the longest survivors in the world, a report from the country's health ministry showed.

ADVERTISEMENT

Boys born in 2007 can expect to live to the age of 79.2, ranking third after Iceland and Hong Kong, the report said.

Japan's females have topped the world's longevity ranks for 23 years, something researchers have attributed to their healthy diet and tight social ties, among other reasons.

The report is the latest sign thatJapan is ageing quicker than any other country, with government data showing a tenth of the population aged 75 years or older.

The proportion of those 65 years or older is also seen doubling to 40 percent by mid-century.

"People are in different social environments and are influenced by various factors and eating habits, so it's hard to answer the question of why people live long," a ministry spokesman said.

"But we can say that the improvement of medical technologies helps," the spokesman added. Japan has improved treatments for the ageing population's three biggest killers -- cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Japan also has one of the world's lowest birth-rates, leaving the government with the challenge of how to fund its pension requirements, take care of its elderly and maintain productivity.

(Reporting by Yoko Kubota, editing by Miral Fahmy)

Attributes of Leadership

Today I came a cross this interesting 11 attributes of leadership, which I find it very practical. Just want to share with you all. Here you are

1. Build your self confident
2. Control yourself first before you can control others
3. Equip yourself with sense of justice
4. Be decisive
5. Plan the work and work out the plan
6. Equip with the habit of doing more than paid for
7. Be tidy and careful
8. Be sympathy and understanding to your followers
9. Be detail oriented
10. Be ready to take full responsibility when needed
11. Treat followers as partner

Kuwait will help Cambodia to be the agricultural super power

It's good news to hear that Cambodia is claiming it's destiny back through recent economic potentials. In the recent meeting between Kuwait Premier Prince Shaykh Nasser Al-Mohammed Al-Ahmad Al- Jaber Al-Sabah and Priminister Hun Sen, Kuwait has pledged to help Cambodia to modernise it's agricultural industry and especially to supply its agricultural products to Kuwait market. Cambodia is expected to export rice at least 9 million tons per year after undertaking the investment while world largest rice exporter Thailand could export only 8 million tons per year and Vietnam only 5 millon tons. Currently , Cambodia only supplies 1.6 millon tons to international market and most of which to Thailand and Vietnam. I couldn't wait to see this happen very soon.