A 13-year-old boy had to be taken home in the back of an ambulance this week after he spent a morning drinking rum in the back of a Horowhenua College classroom.

A teacher at the Levin school found him with a 750ml water bottle, used to conceal the liquor, on Monday morning.

He was taken to an administration office where he began vomiting and was disoriented, so an ambulance was called.

"He got worse. He was obviously ill, very lethargic, vomiting, not aware of his surroundings, very much in need of medical attention," principal Brenda Burns told The Dominion Post.

Ambulance officers checked the boy's vital signs, put him on a stretcher and took him home.

Another Year 9 pupil had supplied the boy with the liquor, believed to be from his home, Mrs Burns said.

She described it as a one-off incident.

"The child could have been asking for help. They tend to hide binge-drinking on the weekend but, during the week, they are not hiding it so there may be some other issue."

Capital and Coast District Health Board chief medical officer Geoff Robinson said the boy could have easily died.

Real-life read: Cursed by my husband

As her motorbike skidded along the road and slid under a truck, Christine Gregory Subamia thought she and her son were going to die. She also realised her husband's black magic curse had struck again.

Christine, 48, has lost her home, livelihood and health since walking away from her unhappy second marriage, and people close to her have endured horrific illnesses - and even disappeared.

An evil spell

Bizarrely, the Australian-born businesswoman, who's based in Bali, blames evil spells cast by her ex-husband Ida Bagus, a high-ranking politician.

‘It sounds stupid,' admits Christine, who's too broke to pay for treatment for an inoperable tumour. ‘There's no proof it's black magic, but when you've lived in Bali you know it exists.

‘My husband cursed me when I told him I was going to divorce him. I thought I was strong and good would defeat evil, but now I'm not so sure.'

Ida Bagus was best man when Christine married her first husband Anak Agung, who died in an unusual motorbike accident while she was pregnant. Soon after, Ida began courting Christine.

On their wedding day in 2001, the groom was injured. Perhaps that was an omen.

‘Eventually I discovered Ida wasn't divorced,' she says. ‘He had three children and a Balinese wife, who placed bad luck charms around our house.'

Angry and desperate to escape, Christine told Ida she intended to divorce him. That's when he cursed her too - and all hell broke loose.

Staff at Christine's factory began to fall ill with such frequency that local women wouldn't work there. The business went bust and Christine lost her home. Her daughter Jade, 21, needed an emergency operation, and her son Kyle, 14, has been involved in several accidents.

Christine's new boss, with whom she was falsely rumoured to be having an affair, had a stroke. Her boyfriend began having blinding headaches, then suddenly disappeared without explanation. Finally Christine was diagnosed with an inoperable uterine tumour.

‘I can only take so much,' she says. ‘I've been to Hindu priests all over Bali to lift the curse, but the black magic's too strong. I just want to get on with my life and get well and happy again.'

By Jenny Brown

Judge orders retrial in Travolta case

A judge in the Bahamas has ordered a retrial in the John Travolta extortion case because of possible juror misconduct.

Judge Anita Allen issued the order on Wednesday after a local politician said in a speech on television and radio that one of the defendants had been acquitted after the month-long court case.

Allen did not set a date for a new trial.

An ambulance driver and his lawyer were charged with trying to extort $US25 million ($A26.9 million) from John Travolta following the death of the actor's son, Jett, in the Bahamas.

Travolta's lawyer Michael Ossi said he would cooperate in any way possible and testify again if necessary.

Wider competition for ACC to be considered

The Government is open to wider competition in ACC than just the work account if that is recommended by an expert group considering the issue.

ACT and National this afternoon announced they had reached a deal where the minor party will support a government bill making changes to ACC and in return work would start on opening ACC to competition.

The ACC Stocktake Group, expected to deliver an interim report in February, would be asked to look at the competition issue. Two new members Bryce Wilkinson, a former Treasury policy analyst and Michael Mills, director of consulting firm Martin Jenkins and Associates who has previously done a report on ACC, had been appointed.

ACC Minister Nick Smith said the group would look at introducing competition to the work account, which covers personal injuries in the workplace and is the only profitable account for ACC, but also other areas in which the private and non-government sectors (including iwi) could be involved.

Prime Minister John Key said: "The primary focus they will have will be on competition in the work account."

However, he admitted the group had a wider brief.

"Of course they will look at other aspects of the scheme and how it operates."

Labour leader Phil Goff said any change towards competition in the work account or other areas would not be durable. The work account was opened to competition between 1998 and 2000 until a Labour government re-nationalised it.

"Labour is opposed to privatisation we will fight that tooth and nail and we will reverse it."

He said insurance companies would take the profitable work account and the taxpayer would be lumped with the bills for other accounts.

"It's clear the big winners on this will be the large Australian insurance companies, the losers will be ordinary hard working New Zealanders who will be paying more for their ACC and getting less," Mr Goff said.

"That will be the experience, they are doing this for reasons of blind ideology and to look after their mates."

Mr Key said competition would not go ahead if the group did not recommend it but "I am confident we will get that (positive) response".

Dr Smith said implementing the "anticipated decision" following the group's final report next June to open up the work account to competition would be done as "soon as reasonably practicable" with legislation introduced as soon as possible.

Mr Key expected competition to bring benefits to the financially strapped ACC.

"As a general rule we like competition in the economy, we think it delivers better outcomes and cheaper premiums for New Zealanders."

He said the group would need to consider whether competition would leave the taxpayer with a bigger burden.

"I am confident we can get around that issue and tackle that issue, obviously if we couldn't that would be a real stumbling block."

ACT leader Rodney Hide said there was no intention to allow insurance companies to cherry pick.

"We're not blindly going down that path, we actually want to see the analysis, see that it has merit and if it doesn't have merit we won't be supporting it."

Mr Goff said work by PriceWaterhouseCoopers and Treasury showed little benefit and increased risks in opening the worker's account.

National last week announced changes to ACC, including cutting some entitlements and increasing levies, and needed the support of either ACT or the Maori Party. While the Maori Party agreed to support the first reading, ACT has now committed to pass the bill which gives the Government the numbers it needed.

Maori Party MP Rahui Katene said the party wanted to hear views at the select committee stage. Previously co-leader Tariana Turia has raised concerns about privatising the work account but recently said there could be opportunities for iwi.

Mr Key said today's deal did not cut out the Maori Party.

"We always work in a constructive way with our partners where we can. I think it's far too early to say that they can't get policy gains as we look to rework ACC."

It's been a while but the caption comp is back

Well folks, it's been a couple of weeks since our last competition so first of all I apologise, I've managed to get away from the office for a quick little trip.

Now that we have the formalities out of the way let's get in to the fun stuff.

In light of the new squad announcements and the coaching shuffle in the All Blacks I thought it would be a great idea to pop a picture of Head Honcho Henry and his recruits in to the mix first.



And the best I can come up with is:

"You might be smiling now but you wait til we get to training tomorrow!"

And here's number two for you.

As you know I love to take the mickey out of rugby and so when I came across this pic of Mark Gasnier in a pink strip I couldn't resist.



And here's my caption:

"Proving white men can't fly, Aussie import Mark Gasnier does his best impression of a pink flamingo."

I'm sure you've got some crackers out there so let's get in to it.

Good luck and check back next week when we'll crown the winners and get set for another competition.

"The war is won" - Louise Nicholas

Rape victim advocate Louise Nicholas says she feels a war has been won with the release of a sexual violence report.

Justice Minister Simon Power released the Taskforce for Action on Sexual Violence (TASV) report today, saying it confirmed sexual violence was one of the most costly crimes for the health, social and justice sectors.

Mr Power said there were a number of recommendations to consider, but the process would not be rushed and the Government was unlikely to respond before the end of the year.

The report recommended legislative amendments, work on alternative pathways to the criminal justice system and monitoring the recommendations to ensure action was properly targeted.

Te Ohaakii a Hine -- National Network Ending Sexual Violence Together (TOAH-NNEST), which was represented on the taskforce, thanked those who had contributed to the report, in particular sexual violence survivors who gave their time and knowledge.

TOAH-NNEST said the taskforce was created in response to the public outpouring of concern for rape survivors going through the criminal justice system, following Mrs Nicholas' high profile case in 2006.

Mrs Nicholas was the complainant in the historic rape case against former police officers Brad Shipton, Bob Schollum and Clint Rickards, who were all acquitted.

It was revealed later that Shipton and Schollum had been convicted in 2005 of the pack rape of another woman in Mt Maunganui in 1989.

Today, Mrs Nicholas said the report's release was a cause for celebration for survivors.

"As a survivor of childhood and adult rape my journey alone has been one filled with too many injustices, too many questions and not enough answers," she said.

"I have been through the judicial system seven times in the past 15 years seeking those answers but have always come up against barriers...

"From the age of 13 I found I had lost many battles, but today I feel a war has finally been won."

Mrs Nicholas said the report was a huge step towards ensuring that what she and many others had had to endure would now help future victims.

"Thank you to all members of the TASV, who have shown amazing commitment and dedication to this report and for finally bringing hope and allowing our voices which have been silenced for too long to finally be heard."

Along with taskforce recommendations TOAH-NNEST made others, including:

* a whole-of-government group to work with TOAH-NNEST on ongoing prevention;

* funding for specialised sexual violence prevention services and programmes;

* a focus on six key areas -- including protecting children and Maori-led solutions;

* legislative changes to ACC to support the best practice of rehabilitation and treatment;

* government funding for a Maori offender pilot programme.

Dangerous murderer escapes from prison

Police are hunting a convicted murderer who escaped from a central North Island prison early this afternoon.

Staff at Tongariro Rangipo Prison south unit noticed Christopher Thomas Watkins was missing about 1pm, acting senior sergeant Neale Saunders of Turangi police said.

Watkins, who was serving a life sentence for a 1988 murder, had last been seen at midday.

Police considered Watkins dangerous and he should not be approached, Mr Saunders said.

Police had not idea where he was heading at this stage and asked anyone travelling through the central North Island to be wary of hitchhikers.

Any residents in the area should be vigilant with securing property and vehicles, Mr Saunders said.

Police want to hear about anything suspicious.

Watkins was described as an average build Caucasian male, about 165cm tall.

He was last seen wearing a green polar fleece and a denim jacket.

Three men in boating tragedy named

Two of the men involved in a boating accident on Lake Tekapo in south Canterbury were father and son.

A family member reported three men missing last night after they failed to return from a fishing day trip on the lake, about 100km northwest of Timaru.

A rescue helicopter found the body of Alexander Haywood, a 72-year-old from Pleasant Point, near Motuariki Island in the middle of the lake at 7.30am.

The search continues today for his son Anthony Haywood, 46, and Murray Green, 54, both from Timaru.

Searchers believed their boat may have capsized after the wind picked up and conditions became choppy, Constable Brent Swanson of Tekapo police said.

About 3.30am an Iroquois helicopter found the men's submerged boat about 50m from the Cass River outlet, about halfway up the lake on the western side.

Rescuers were attempting to recover the boat today.

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter from Christchurch was sent at first light and discovered Alexander Haywood's body, Mr Swanson said.

Twenty land search and rescue members and three local boats were searching for the other two men.

Life's a bitch for Paris Hilton's pets

Paris Hilton's decision to add a miniature pig to her ever-growing bunch of pets has PETA and a few others seeing red.

Self-proclaimed animal lover Paris Hilton recently bought a mini-pig to add to the veritable menagerie of animals she keeps at her Los Angeles home.

The tiny pigs, which grow to a full weight of around 29 pounds, are super cute and the hottest trend in pets at the moment in the US. Prices start at US$3,500 for the kind Paris purchased and go as high as $4,500.

Paris purchased her pig from this site. Check for pictures. The pigs really are adorable, although the site refers to her as ‘Paris Hilton animal lover extraordanair.'

"So excited for my new piglette to come home to me," Hilton Tweeted, revealing she plans to call her little porker Princess Piglette.

PETA, never a fan of the Hilton for her unrepentant fur-wearing ways, was certainly not impressed by Paris' piggy purchase.

The organisation claims the heiress sets a ‘wretched example' of pet ownership by treating her pets as though they're ‘as disposable as her friends and fiancés.'

"The Chihuahuas, ferrets and kinkajous she's paraded through her home in the past were not accessories, and pot-bellied pigs aren't either," PETA sniped in a recent press release.

How does someone who claims to be the ‘single busiest person on the planet' (I suppose Barack Obama's just sitting around on his arse then?) have time to spend with all these animals? The short answer is, she doesn't.

She ‘loves' animals, but not in the nice, normal way that you and I do. Can you imagine her cleaning up cat vomit, giving sick dogs medicine, or sponging a turd off the carpet? Not likely.

Unlike celebrity dog lovers like Charlize Theron, Drew Barrymore and Oprah Winfrey, the only time Paris is photographed with her dogs is when she's pimping out their cute factor for her own ends.

Of course, every follower of celebrity knows of her original Chihuahua, Tinkerbell. The heiress has since added another 16 dogs to her brood, admitting to Ellen DeGeneres on her show last year that she owned 17 dogs, and that she had to keep giving puppies away because her dogs weren't neutered and kept giving birth.

When chastised by Ellen, a long-time animal lover, Paris said she had since had her pets neutered. Then admitted two of the dogs weren't.

You are aware it only takes two dogs to make puppies, right, love?

As well as Tinkerbell she boasts Dolce, Marilyn Monroe, Harajuku Bitch, Prince, Bambi, and a Rottweiler called Tyson amongst her brood. There is a ferret in there somewhere, and a goat and a monkey are also rumoured to call Paris' place home.

Anyway, this disclosure got Paris into a bit of hot water with the California Department of Animal Services, since it's illegal in the state to have more than three dogs living on one property unless you're a breeder. Of course, Ms Hilton assumes the rules don't apply to her, or never bothered checking. Probably a bit of both.

An animal services rep dropped in on a surprise visit to the Hilton household to examine her dog situation soon afterwards - but because the house was undergoing major renovations at the time there were no dogs around.

Not neutering your pets is irresponsible enough, but Paris has also purchased puppies from a Beverly Hills pet store which was closed down weeks later by the state of California for buying its dogs from puppy mills.

Later the same year Hilton stopped into an LA pet shop on the way to a photo shoot. Presumably her outfit was lacking something, and Paris wanted a Yorkie puppy to ‘make it look cuter.'

Staff turned her down as they deemed her request an impulse buy, not a well thought out pet purchase, and Hilton reportedly hit the roof, screeching "I love my puppies! I want my baby!"

It makes sense that she treats animals as fashion accessories. It's totally in line with her vacuous approach to life.

In May 2007 Hilton adopted a kitten, called Prada, from a rescue organization - under the proviso that she have the cat neutered within the next six months.

By January, Hilton still hadn't bothered to take the kitten in for the procedure and the Kris Kelly Foundation got in touch to get it in motion. The kitten was dropped at a local vet by a housekeeper - and neither Hilton or any of her staff ever came back to get him.

Perhaps she was over cats that week?

The founder of the Kris Kelly Foundation, quite rightly, was furious.

"We gave Ms. Hilton every opportunity to do the right thing for Prada but she failed to comply and then abandoned him. After seven days no-one from her household has even contacted us or the vet's office to check on the wellbeing and whereabouts of poor Prada. We now have Prada in a foster home and have no intention of giving him back to Ms Hilton. She has proved to be a negligent pet owner."

Added the foundation's President, Linzi Glass: "Being a pet owner requires a level of responsibility and maturity. It is clear that Ms Hilton lacks the maturity to take care of anyone or anything but herself. It is our belief that rescue animals need extra love and attention. Prada is a scared and frightened cat who has rarely been held or socialised."

Reports then emerged that Paris believed Prada would be delivered back to her from the vet's ‘like a pizza.'

Kinkajou Baby Luv, which Hilton had to give up as they were also illegal to keep as pets in California - had the right idea and bit her owner on the arm during their short-lived association.

While filming the D-grade horror flick House of Wax in Queensland a few years ago, Paris apparently thought it would be cute to ship a baby kangaroo home to add to her menagerie.

The idea of a baby ‘roo to impress her American friends lost its sheen somewhat when Hilton found out the animals actually grew up. Said her sister Nicky at the time: "She wanted to buy one, but then they told us that kangaroos get as tall as humans and start punching you in the gut."

Mind you, Australians have never been great fans of the Hilton. When she pranced around Bondi Beach during an Aussie visit last summer, Sydney beachgoers threw sand at her. Hee.

I know she's notorious for not being the sharpest knife in the drawer, but that's no excuse for not taking proper care of your pets. Don't believe for a minute the hype about oh-she's-really-very-smart-but-the-whole-dumb-blonde-thing-is-an-act. Girlfriend is dumb as a post. AND she earned $24m in 2007. Yes, you read that right. We can all be depressed together.

How would her job allow her to properly look after animals? Jetting around the world pimping quality products like sparkling wine in a can, her own brand sunglasses, and Paris Hilton fragrance (I always imagine it to smell like lip gloss, fake tan and cheese on the turn) is hardly conducive to caring for a small zoo's worth of pets.

Which, apparently, she doesn't. It's long been rumoured that Paris leaves her animals alone in her LA mansion for months at a time when she jaunts off overseas with a visiting housekeeper to provide food and water. In one unsubstantiated but rather resilient rumour, a housekeeper arrived at the Hilton residence to feed the dogs and found one had been locked in a wardrobe at the place - and subsequently starved to death.

I have no evidence that this is true. But it wouldn't surprise me. And if it's true, horrendous! I despise her even more than I did already.

Is she irresponsible, living too hectic a lifestyle, or just a neglectful idiot? Or an irresponsible, neglectful idiot? God forbid that this woman should actually reproduce. What would she do with a baby human?

Leave it in the changing room at Tommy Hilfiger? In the bathroom on Diddy's yacht? Leave it to fend for itself in a pile of used hair extensions?

The mind boggles.

It can't be easy being Paris Hilton's neighbour at the best of times - The noise! The pink! The cooties! - but even these people have noticed Paris' laissez-faire approach to looking after her animals.

One, Shelby Segall, told The Post a couple of years ago: "She treats her animals horribly. They are always getting out and running around the neighbourhood. She had a little orange kitty about a year ago that kept getting out and we kept telling her it was outside. She didn't seem like she cared, and then one day the cat got run over in the middle of the street and died."

Another neighbour told the paper: "I found two little Chihuahuas of hers running up and down the street with cars and people going up and down. I put them in my bathroom and called Paris. Her assistant answered and said ‘You can't drop them off! Miss Hilton isn't home!' She took three hours to come and get them. Meanwhile she lives five hours away."

Yet other celebrities don't get away with as much as Ms Hilton when it comes to the case of their pets. Ellen DeGeneres found herself in hot water in late 2007 when she and partner Portia de Rossi gave away a dog they adopted from an LA agency to a friend of Ellen's and her family because the dog, Iggy, didn't get along with Ellen's two dogs and three cats.

Police were called and the animal forcibly removed from its new family home by the agency, which then rehoused the pet. They were responsible pet owners that violated a clause in a contract that said they wouldn't pass the dog on to a third party.

Ellen cried on TV, the agency received hate mail, and all over a little dog finding a happy home.

But Paris can abandon kittens and leave puppies to fend for themselves and no-one says boo to a goose?

She may own 17 dogs, but when it comes to animal welfare it's Paris that's the biggest bitch in that household. And as all of us who have an animal in our lives know, owning one does not necessarily make you an animal lover.

Boxer David Tua is believed to have done a secret deal to settle a long-running, multi-million dollar fight with his former management.

Tua has spent the past two days in the High Court in Auckland in a hearing with former trainer Kevin Barry and manager Martin Pugh.

The hearing was held in chambers and unable to be publicly reported.

But a source close to the two-day judicial settlement conference said the parties had reached an agreement that was acceptable to both sides, The New Zealand Herald reported today.

The newspaper said it was believed the settlement resolved all matters and meant the trial scheduled for next year was no longer needed.

Tua has been battling Barry and Pugh since 2003, over court-held money he says is owed to him by management firm Tuaman.

NZPA © Enlarge photo

Parliament last night passed a bill that cracks down on boy racers by giving councils and the police stronger powers to deal with them.

Transport Minister Steven Joyce said people were being disturbed and intimidated by illegal street racers and he was sure the new measures would be welcomed.

The Land Transport (Enforcement Powers) Amendment Bill gives councils the authority to make bylaws to prohibit cruising -- defined in the bill as repeated circling of the same section of road in a manner that draws attention to the power or noise of a vehicle.

Another provision says the police must impound a vehicle breaking the law by taking part in an illegal race. At present impounding a vehicle is an option.

The bill also increases penalties for failing to stop when ordered to and gives police the power to force a car to undergo a metered noise test.

Police can also order a car to be inspected if they suspect it has been illegally modified or is unsafe.

Mr Joyce used the bill to widen the scope of the new drugged driving legislation to include benzodiazepines, a prescription sedative that can lead to impairment.

The drugged driving law has been passed but benzodiazepines were excluded from its provisions.

Labour supported the bill and it passed its third reading under urgency on a unanimous vote.

When Parliament adjourned last night it had started debating a second boy racer bill which will allow courts to order cars of repeat offenders to be crushed.

Robert Pattinson's Stewart hotel suite

Robert Pattinson and Kristen Stewart are living together.

The 'Twilight' co-stars - who play lovers in the vampire thriller and are rumoured to be dating in real life - are reportedly sharing a penthouse hotel suite while they film the third instalment of the film franchise in Vancouver, Canada.

The pair are believed to have rented out the entire 34th floor of the Sheraton Wall Centre Hotel at a cost of $850 a suite each night.

A source told Britain's More magazine: "They have two rooms joined by a door. They use a third suite on the floor to listen to music or watch Blu-ray movies on a large, flat screen, when they stay in after a day's shooting or on weekends."

Each lavish suite boasts two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a kitchen, a dining room and a large living room.

The source added: "They're great. Every room has floor-to-ceiling windows and large, flat screen TVs and chandeliers. The baths double as Jacuzzis. And, best of all, that floor has its own butler and security. Robert and Kristen are transported to and from the set by accessing a private elevator system in the hotel that leads to a gated and guarded garage."

While the two stars enjoy luxury surroundings in the secure building, the rest of the cast are reportedly staying in rented apartments nearby.

(C) BANG Media International

Robber pleads guilty after leech provides DNA

R

SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian man faces jail for armed robbery after police used blood from a leech to make a DNA match from a 2001 crime scene, a court spokeswoman said on Monday.

Peter Alec Cannon, 54, pleaded guilty to aggravated armed robbery in the Supreme Court in Launceston on the island state of Tasmania on Monday.

Crown prosecutor John Ransom told the court that a policeman had picked up a leech from near a safe at the scene of the crime from which forensic scientists extracted blood and a DNA sample, according to a report in local newspaper The Mercury.

Seven years later, when Cannon was arrested and charged with a drugs crime, police took a DNA sample from him and it matched the sample from the robbery.

The court heard that Cannon and another man had robbed and assaulted a 71-year-old woman at her bushland home, stealing $500 from her.

The court spokeswoman said Cannon was remanded in custody for sentencing on Friday this week.

(Editing by Sugita Katyal)

Kiwibank raises fixed mortgage rates again

Kiwibank is increasing its fixed mortgage rates for the second time this month.

The move comes after BNZ announced hikes in its fixed mortgage rates yesterday, according to the Good Returns website. Last week ASB and ANZ National moved fixed mortgage rates higher.

Kiwibank is leaving its variable rate unchanged at 5.79 percent but is increasing a range of rates for fixed term mortgages. It also announced a range of rises to fixed rates on October 9.

The latest move is a 36 basis point increase in the one-year rate to 5.95 percent, while the five-year rate moves to 8.69 percent.

The two-year rate moves to 6.95 percent, the three-year rate rises to 7.79 percent and the four-year rate rises to 8.49 percent.

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ) is expected to hold the official cash rate unchanged at a review next Thursday but wholesale money markets are reflecting an expectation that rates will increase earlier than previously thought.

AMP Capital Investors said yesterday that it expected the official cash rate to rise next March.

The Reserve Bank of Australia has already hiked its official rate once and is expected to keep raising to more normal levels.

Official interest rates were slashed to historic lows around the world to stimulate economies when the global economic crisis was unfolding.

"The market has moved to price in earlier and more aggressive rate hikes from the RBNZ, with close to a 40 percent chance of a 25 basis point hike in December," ANZ said in a commentary yesterday.

Rates in the wholesale money market indicate that interest rates could rise a full 2 percent, or 200 basis points, in the next 12 months, ANZ said.

"Current swap yields have implicitly priced in an early and aggressive tightening cycle from the RBNZ," ANZ said.

---

Stamos spills beans on drunken breakfast TV romp

John Stamos has admitted he went on Australian TV drunk.

The 46-year-old 'ER' actor made an infamous appearance on talk show 'Mornings with Kerri-Anne' in 2007, and stunned viewers by reading presenter Kerri-Anne Kennerley's lines and making rude gestures.

He was told to blame the incident on jet lag.

John revealed to The Advocate magazine: "When I went on that morning show, I was drunk. Yes, I was on sleeping pills and I was jet-lagged, but I was also just plastered. And I never said I wasn't, but that whole publicity machine got involved and said, 'Just say he was jet-lagged.' I said, 'No, tell them the truth! I was f***ing drunk in Australia. Big deal.' "

John also spoke about reality TV, claiming he will not appear on shows such as talent contest 'Dancing with the Stars' in the foreseeable future.

John, who is currently appearing in a New York production of musical 'Bye Bye Birdie', said: "Not to be disrespectful, but isn't that the place you go when you don't have a career? Why would I dance on that show when I get to dance on Broadway?"

John also poured scorn on actors who resort to plastic surgery to retain their looks, insisting he finds it odd when stars grow old but their faces don't change.

He explained: "It's funny, because I haven't had one ounce of Botox or any of that. I finally got grey hairs in the past couple years, and I wore it on 'ER', but they made me cover it up in this show. I don't want to be one of those weird-looking guys who gets old but stays looking young."

Doctor warned moments before driver swerved into him

The North Shore doctor who died in a hit-and-run last week was warned seconds before a white ute swerved into him, say police.

Studies of the straight stretch of road where Graham Robinson, 62, was flung over the handlebars of his cycle seven days ago, showed the driver passed Dr Robinson's companion before swerving into Dr Robinson and then veering away sharply without stopping, Orewa police Detective Mark Palma said.

He said the second cyclist, riding about 25 metres behind Dr Robinson, yelled a warning that a vehicle was coming, prompting Dr Robinson to move further to the left to give the vehicle more room to pass.

Dr Robinson suffered fatal head injuries in the incident on Peak Rd near Helensville northwest of Auckland.

His fellow cyclist, also a doctor, worked frantically to keep him alive and stayed with him in the ambulance. Dr Robinson died the next day.

Mr Palma said it was "very likely" the driver knew he had hit Dr Robinson because their studies showed the white Toyota ute immediately veered to the right after the impact.

"He has cut right in on the deceased cyclist and immediately on cutting in on him, he has veered away," he said.

He said police did not know if it was a deliberate or non-deliberate move.

The vehicle was a white or off-white Toyota ute, possibly from the 1980s or 1990s.

Dr Robinson and his friend were training for a New Zealand Heart Foundation charity ride from North Cape to the Bluff in February to raise funds for heart research.

Before he died Dr Robinson set himself a target of raising $10,000 in the charity ride. Since his death friends, colleagues and patients had rallied to support the charity and by late afternoon today, donations were close to the target.

Mr Palma said police had been knocking on doors in the area today and had been getting an "excellent" public response in their search for the driver .

He said police had searched motor vehicle ownership records for white Toyota utes and had a lot of people to interview.

Jobs to go in health shake-up

Up to 500 jobs will be lost as a result of the creation of a National Health Board (NHB), Health Minister Tony Ryall said today.

Cabinet agreed the NHB would be established within the Ministry of Health and would oversee areas such as IT, payroll, procurement and logistics where there had been duplication from the country's 21 District Health Boards (DHBs).

"The public health service needs to stop reinventing the wheel 21 times," Mr Ryall said.

Up to $700 million over five years should be saved by the NHB handling the bulk purchasing and national cooperation, he said.

The NHB would incur one-off set-up cost of $5m-$10m, Mr Ryall said.

The Government chose to have the NHB within the ministry because it was cheaper and provided "faster improvements".

The ministry has around 1475 staff. About 180 people will lose their jobs and 400 will move to the NHB.

The ministry has a historical rate of about 15 percent attrition and volunteer redundancies.

The remaining 320 job cuts will come from DHBs over time as more cooperation takes place, Mr Ryall said.

The NHB was a recommendation from the Ministerial Review Group which made more than 170 other recommendations.

Many of the group's proposals were already under way and others were still being considered, Mr Ryall said.

The NHB was expected to be in place by Christmas.

The money saved from bulk purchasing and the nationalisation of services would be redirected to the frontline, Mr Ryall said.

He said all of the money would remain within the health budget.

Some programmes and funding controlled by the ministry would move out to the local level and greater regional cooperation between neighbouring DHBs was expected.

DHBs would not be merged, Mr Ryall said.

"We shouldn't have 21 DHBs with 21 IT systems that can't talk to each other," he told reporters.

However, it was not about having one national computer system, he said, but rather having rules in place to ensure the different systems were compatible.

The changes would need to be "clinically led" and clinicians supported the idea of national co-operation in specialised areas.

"This is about making the current system, work better by filling in the missing links," Mr Ryall said.

Conditions suspected in dolphin swimming death

A 27-year-old American tourist who died swimming with dolphins in Marlborough's Tory Channel yesterday does not appear to have drowned, a coroner says.

Coroner Sue Johnson said early findings showed the woman "likely died of natural of causes", though the results of further tests were expected in coming weeks.

Provisional findings indicated she did not appear to have drowned.

The woman, on a Dolphin Watch EcoTours trip with her husband and mother-in-law, died after jumping into the sea with others.

A doctor on the trip and coastguard rescue workers were unable to revive her.

Her family did not want to release her name.

Picton Senior Constable Brett Parkinson told NZPA today the woman " may have had a medical condition we don't know about, or even she didn't know about".

"We do know she was very excited about the idea of being with the dolphins. A witness told us she had no qualms about going out."

Man admits assaulting partner's children

A Masterton man yesterday admitted assaulting his partner's two young daughters after one of the girls gave evidence against him.

The man had denied two representative charges of assault and one of threatening to cause grievous bodily harm to the girls between February 13, 2004, and December 24, 2006.

But at the end of the elder sister's evidence at his trial in Wellington District Court yesterday he admitted the assault charges.

He was discharged on the third count of threatening to cause grievous bodily harm.

He will be sentenced in Wellington District Court on November 24.

Crown prosecutor Dale La Hood had told the jury the man would become angry and aggressive "and take that anger and aggression out on the children".

"He would hit them with a wooden spoon, he would kick and punch them and on one occasion he threw (the younger girl) about her room."

In a 2007 Child, Youth and Family interview played to the court yesterday, the elder girl said she was kicked, hit, smacked and threatened with an axe.

She also saw her younger sister being thrown "from one wall to the other, to the door, to her bed and to the carpet".

But questioned via closed circuit television yesterday, the girl, now 10, said she did not remember the interview but she had told the truth.

Defence lawyer Louise Elder asked the girl if she was confused about some of the details, to which she replied "yeah".

The girl also said that she was never threatened with an axe but she did see the man holding one when he was angry.

In the gossip mags

Jude Law is far from playing happy families with the mother of his newest child, rumours of Suri Cruise heading to the Catholics turn out to be just rumours, and Katy and Russell bond over a love of flatulence.

Scandal in the house of the love children!

Unsurprisingly, Jude Law hasn't high tailed it down to Florida to see babymama Samantha Burke and newborn daughter Sophia with an ‘It's a girl!' balloon in tow. Quite the opposite, in fact.

The Woman's Day runs a story this week with the headline 'Jude Snubs His Kiwi Baby,' detailing his less than enthusiastic response to his daughter's birth. I do find it curious, the way they keep pimping this ‘Kiwi' angle. Are we supposed to be proud?

While happy to pay maintenance for the baby, born September 22, the actor has supposedly "made it clear to friends that he doesn't want anything to do with his half-Kiwi child."

The 36-year-old actor, currently appearing as Hamlet on Broadway, is said to be "very concerned about the impact this scandal has had on his public image, a scandal that has done nothing to dispel his playboy reputation."

I thought his reputation was as a once-hot actor with fading looks and a receding hairline. At least this proves women are still keen to sleep with him, no?

He told ex-wife Sadie Frost, who's furious because of the stress the news has put their three children under, that he only slept with Burke once. Once is all it takes, my friend!

But she insists they dated for about six weeks.

Who do you believe?

"He has told Sadie that Samantha is putting pressure on him to be involved with their daughter's life and be an active father, but he's trying to keep the peace with her and get her to understand that he doesn't wish to get to know his daughter. But he desperately wants Samantha to take the monthly payouts and leave him alone."

Obviously, little Sophia's start to life isn't ideal. But Jude is ponying up to his financial responsibilities for a mistake both he and Burke made. Women can take care of the contraception too, and she didn't as much as he didn't. If he doesn't want a relationship with an unplanned child he only found out was coming two months before her birth, surely that's his choice? A wanky choice, perhaps, but his to make.

Yes, it's all a bit Eddie Murphy and hardly makes him a candidate for father of the year.
But I suspect his babymama hopes an interest in their new baby on Jude's part will develop into a renewed interest in her.

Thoughts?

The mag also reports Law had a rather cosy reunion with former fiancée Sienna Miller at a party thrown to "celebrate the recovery from a kidney infection of the actress' dog Bess." How Hollywood!

Bess must have recovered rather nicely, as Sienna's pet pooch is snapped in the NW walking in New York City with her mistress - and Sienna's co-star in her current Broadway play After Miss Julie, Jonny Lee Miller.

He's just Sienna's type. First, he's married with kids. Second, he's an old pal of Jude's, and she's got form, once having a fling with Law's best mate Daniel Craig after Jude slept with his children's nanny - getting some tat for his bit of tit, if you will.

Third, they share the same surname! Coincidence or conspiracy? Okay, it's a coincidence. But uncanny nonetheless.

"The Brits were clearly engrossed in each other," reports the mag hopefully. To be honest, they don't really look it from the pictures.

New Idea, the Day and the Weekly are all running the story of Katie Holmes standing up to the Scientology monster and enrolling her daughter Suri in Catholic preschool in Boston, where the Cruise family has set up shop for the rest of the year.

I touched on this last week, and the story's already been proven to be complete phooey.

While the mags claim Suri's enrolled to begin classes at Boston's Catholic Charities Yawkey Centre for Early Education and Care, a spokesperson for the school has stated that Katie and Suri were simply visiting a museum within the school grounds.

You think Xenu would let her go that easily? Sounds great, but it's not true.

Where's Isabella? Woman's Day also asks, pondering the case of the missing Kidman Cruise child. Supposedly Tom Cruise's eldest daughter is asserting her independence and hasn't been seen with the family since July. And let's face it - the chances of her being with mum Nicole Kidman are rather slim.

"Isabella's become her own person, while Connor is like a mini-me of Tom," a source tells the mag. "He's athletic, interested in acting and immersed in Scientology - he's just Tom's perfect kid. Next to Connor, Isabella is the odd one out. She's a lovely girl, but just seems awkward."

The Weekly reports that Nicole Kidman is still denying she's ever had Botox, even while a veritable army of professional plastic surgeons say bullpucky.

Time to start playing another tune, love.

One expert told an industry conference in Canada the actress was "so ‘over-Botoxed' she was giving the industry a bad name."

I saw Australia a few weeks ago. Slow off the blocks, yes, I know, but it wasn't high on my to-do list. Every time Nicole Kidman was on screen I found myself ignoring the plot and dialogue and transfixed by her tight forehead and strange shaped lips.

Nicole's waxy visage has long been the subject of surgery rumours, but the new kid on the Botox block is rumoured to be none other than ladies' man George Clooney. Apparently he admitted to Oprah two years ago that he'd had an eyelift, and he's rumoured to have had a second one as well as a few jabs from the Botox needle.

The Weekly runs this week with a face to shift thousands of units, that of Camilla Parker Bowles, and the story inside is on her husband's determined campaign to make her his queen when he ascends to the throne.

The couple face stiff public opposition to the idea of Queen Camilla in Britain, but "they are counting on time being a great healer."

In other royal matters, the Weekly reports Prince Harry and Chelsy ‘On The Rocks' Davy are back on in the romance department! The pair was snapped out on the town in London, although the Zimbabwean born Davy doesn't look too chuffed in the pics the Weekly is running.

The pair spent their evening sharing "martini cocktails with a drag queen friend at a nearby bar."

Ah, the romance!

New Idea seconds this motion. Running the same pics, but with more detail. There's talk of ‘clandestine meetings' and ‘overnight rendezvous.' How cloak and dagger! Sounds like they should be wearing trench coats.

Oprah's ‘losing the battle of the bulge' reports the Weekly, amid reports that the talk show queen's weight is up around the 136kg mark.

Her dietary discipline was once legendary, but word is "nothing gives her a quick boost like a plate of potatoes mashed with butter and covered with onion gravy."

Interestingly, the Big O is getting currently getting sued after Oprah's goddaughter, Kirby Bumpus (sounds like an amusement park ride!) got a flight attendant on Oprah's private jet fired after alleging she had sex with the pilot during a stopover on the aircraft. The pair passed lie detector tests, but neither were rehired.

"This lawsuit could lead to all kinds of scurrilous stories" a source tells the mag. I love that word, scurrilous! "Lawyers will try to slur the nature of her friendship with Gayle in the hope of forcing a settlement. Oprah has denied publicly that she and Gayle are lovers, but it could still get unpleasant."

The Day reports Pamela Anderson has reportedly traded in her pet fashion designer for a pet child, raising eyebrows amongst advocacy groups. The withered star arrived at a Hollywood awards night with a nine-year-old girl carrying the train of her frock.

"Pamela was telling people it was her daughter. And after she presented an award on stage, she shouted ‘Daughter,' and slapped her leg like she was calling a puppy."

In the same mag Paris Hilton is getting it in the neck from PETA, who say she's a "wretched example" of a responsible pet owner, treating her animals "as disposable as her friends and fiancées."

You'd need more than an insult or two to pierce this girl's rock-solid sense of self-esteem. It's thick as a rhino's hide!

The heirhead's pictured in the mag kissing a chimpanzee at some do in LA. The chimp could do better.

The NW leads this week with the diet tips of the stars, which basically follow these rules: no carbs, no booze, no sugar, no fun. The curvy Kardashian sisters look fab in their bikinis, but their full on gym regimes and bland diets leave me rather cold.

I just can't imagine myself ever wanting to eat steamed meat.

David Hasselhoff, who keeps insisting he's not back on the sauce, reportedly got so tanked at Simon Cowell's recent 50th birthday bash that the Day says he "wet the hotel bed, abused staff and tried to thump his assistant, but punched the doctor instead."

The Day reckons it has the scoop on Angelina and Brad's French madhouse, where the four eldest kids Maddox, Pax, Zahara and Shiloh rule the roost because their superstar mama "wants their souls to evolve." They dine on a dinner of cheese, chips, grapes and chocolate at 11pm, they wear whatever they please, and delight in ambushing one of their nannies on a constant basis.

"They all wait at the top of the stairs and launch plastic arrows at her, then laugh hysterically and run."

Hmm, who'd have thought four kids under the age of eight would enjoy acting up?

Katy Perry and Russell Brand are getting it on! And NW has the rather adorable pics of the couple - from his London home to Paris Fashion Week. They look good together. She's not stupid, I'm sure she's protecting herself from all his cooties past and present.

Even his ex approves!

"Of everyone I've seen him with, Katy is the most compatible partner he's had for a long time," says Suzanne Coppin.

"She's really sharp and has a sense of humour like a guy. They both love to make fart jokes! It's a match made in heaven."

I'm with Katy and Russell. I may be 30 but a fart will never, ever not be funny.

And that's all from the mags this week!

Man successfully sues farmer after calf writes off car

Animal control officers are applauding a dispute tribunal decision in which a Gisborne man successfully sued a farmer for more than $5000 after his car was written off when it hit a calf.

The case set a precedent, said Wairoa District Council animal control officer Des Jane.

The young man's car hit a black Angus calf on State Highway 2 between Wairoa and Nuhaka about 8pm on April 10, while he was travelling to Gisborne.

He did not swerve to attempt to avoid the animal because it would have resulted in rolling the car, further endangering his life and those of his four passengers.

"I had no choice but to brake heavily and collide with the cattle beast. It was just fortunate no one was seriously injured or killed in the crash," he told the tribunal.

The Nuhaka farmer who owned the calf was ordered to pay $5386 to cover the damage to the car.

The police report on the accident said it was not the first time there had been cattle on the road in this area and "it was only a matter of time before an accident like this was going to happen and somebody was going to be killed".

The calf had been recently weaned and the disputes tribunal found the Nuhaka farmer negligent because he did not take all reasonable steps to ensure adequate fencing.

Although it was common practice in the area to fence cows and calves with seven-wire fences, recently-weaned calves needed extra steps to be taken to stop them from escaping.

"Recently-weaned calves can be very unsettled and although they would not generally stray from their mothers (who were in the next paddock) they can be unpredictable and skittish," the tribunal judgement said.

Mr Jane said wandering stock in the district was a problem.

Council animal control and the police spent a lot of time and effort getting farmers to improve their road fences and ongoing roadside fencing surveys had resulted in farmers being issued with notices to improve the standard of fences.

This case would be a wake-up call for farmers, he said.

Tourist dies swimming with dolphins

An American tourist died while swimming with dolphins in the Marlborough Sounds this morning.

The 27-year-old woman was on a Dolphin Watch EcoTours trip with her husband and mother-in-law, Senior Constable Brett Parkinson of Picton police told the Marlborough Express newspaper.

She was found face down in the water after jumping in the Tory Channel with a group of swimmers.

Emergency services were called at 11.20am and a coast guard vessel with a paramedic on board met the tourist boat at Waikawa Marina, near Picton.

Attempts to revive the woman were unsuccessful, police said.

Police and Maritime New Zealand were investigating.

Maori Affairs Minister Pita Sharples confirmed today he met Finance Minister Bill English in June to tell him about the plan to back a Maori Television Service bid for Rugby World Cup broadcasting rights.

Dr Sharples said he mentioned Te Puni Kokiri, the Ministry of Maori Development, wanted to put $3 million into the bid for exclusive rights to World Cup matches.

"We talked loosely around that figure, there was nothing in writing," Dr Sharples said at a press conference where he and Prime Minister John Key announced the Government was supporting a joint bid by three television networks.

Dr Sharples said he wanted to find out what the ethics were around TPK supporting the MTS bid.

"Mr English said he would give it a lot of thought," he said.

The MTS bid stayed on the table and at the last minute TVNZ came in with a rival bid, backed by the Government.

The bizarre situation saw two state-funded broadcasters bidding against each other, and Mr Key had to intervene to broker the joint bid with Dr Sharples.

Although Mr English clearly knew about the MTS bid in June, he apparently failed to tell his colleagues and Broadcasting Minister Jonathan Coleman didn't know anything about it until last month.

During the debacle ministers blundered around in the dark with conflicting ideas about what was happening.

Mr Key has admitted they could have done a better job.

achieve of amazon.com

• In April 1998, Amazon bought the Internet Movie Database (IMDb).
• In August 1998, Amazon bought Cambridge, Massachusetts-based PlanetAll for 800,000 shares of Amazon stock. PlanetAll operated a web-based address book, calendar, and reminder service. In the same deal, Amazon acquired Sunnyvale-based Junglee.com, an XML-based data mining startup for 1.6 million shares of Amazon stock. The two deals together were valued at about $280 million at the time.
• In June 1999, Amazon bought Alexa Internet, Accept.com, and Exchange.com in a set of stock deals worth approximately $645 million.
• In 2003, Amazon purchased the rival online music retailer CD Now.
• In 2004, Amazon purchased Joyo.com, a Chinese e-commerce website. It also debuted A9.com, a company focused on researching and building innovative technology.
• In March 2005, Amazon acquired BookSurge, a print on demand company, and Mobipocket.com, an eBook software company.
• In July 2005, Amazon purchased CreateSpace.com (formerly CustomFlix), a Scotts Valley, California-based distributor of on-demand DVDs.^[38] Since the acquisition, CreateSpace has expanded its on-line services to include on-demand books and CDs, as well as video downloads. On July 30, 2007, the National Archives announced that it would make thousands of historic films available for purchase through CreateSpace.^[39]
• In February 2006, Amazon acquired Shopbop, a Madison, Wisconsin-based retailer of designer clothing and accessories for women.^[40]
• In May 2007, Amazon acquired dpreview.com, a London-based digital photography review website created by Phil Askey as his personal hobby website and Brilliance Audio, the largest independent publisher of audiobooks in the United States.^[41]
• In January 2007 created Endless.com, a separate e-commerce brand focusing on shoes^[42].
• In January 2008, Amazon announced that it would acquire audiobook provider Audible.com for $300 million in cash.
• In June 2008, Amazon announced that it had acquired Fabric.com, an online fabric store.^[43]
• In July 2008, Amazon's IMDb subsidiary purchased Box Office Mojo, a site that tracks movie sales in theatres.^[44]
• In August 2008, Amazon announced it had an agreement to purchase Victoria, B.C. based AbeBooks, seller of new, used, out of print and rare books.^[45] Later that month Amazon announced that it would acquire Seattle-based Shelfari, a book-based social network site, for an undisclosed sum.^[46] As part of its acquisition of Abebooks Amazon also got an additional stake in Shelfari's competitor LibraryThing, which AbeBooks had previously purchased a 40 percent stake in, and whole ownership of Bookfinder.com, Gojaba.com, and listing-management service FillZ, all owned by AbeBooks at the time of acquisition.
• In October 2008 acquired Reflexive Entertainment^[47], a casual video game development company.
• In July 2009 Amazon agreed to acquire Zappos^[48], an online shoe and apparel retailer. The deal will close this fall.

amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN) is an American-based multinational electronic commerce company. Headquartered in Seattle, Washington, it is America's largest online retailer, with nearly three times the Internet sales revenue of the runner up, Staples, Inc.^[3]

Jeff Bezos founded Amazon.com, Inc. in 1994 and launched it online in 1995. It started as an on-line bookstore but soon diversified to product lines of VHS, DVD, music CDs and MP3s, computer software, video games, electronics, apparel, furniture, food, toys, etc. Amazon has established separate websites in Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Japan, and China. It also provides international shipping to certain countries for some of its products.

On January 15, 2009, a survey published by Verdict Research found that Amazon was the UK's favorite music and video retailer, and came third in overall retail rankings.[4]

History and business model

Amazon(at that time it was called cadabra.com) was founded in 1994, spurred by what Bezos called "regret minimization framework", his effort to fend off regret for not staking a claim in the Internet gold rush.^[5] While company lore says Bezos wrote the business plan while he and his wife drove from New York to Seattle,^[6] that account appears to be apocryphal.^[7]

The company began as an online bookstore;^[7] while the largest brick-and-mortar bookstores and mail-order catalogs for books might offer 200,000 titles, an on-line bookstore could offer more. Bezos named the company "Amazon" after the world's biggest river. Since 2000, Amazon's logotype is an arrow leading from A to Z, representing customer satisfaction (as it forms a smile) and the goal to have every product in the alphabet.^[8]

In 1994, the company incorporated in the state of Washington, beginning service in July 1995, and was reincorporated in 1996 in Delaware. The first book Amazon.com sold was Douglas Hofstadter's Fluid Concepts and Creative Analogies: Computer Models of the Fundamental Mechanisms of Thought.^[9] Amazon.com issued its initial public offering of stock on May 15, 1997, trading under the NASDAQ stock exchange symbol AMZN, at an IPO price of US$18.00 per share ($1.50 after three stock splits in the late 1990s).

Amazon's initial business plan was unusual: the company did not expect a profit for four to five years; the strategy was effective. Amazon grew steadily in the late 1990s while other Internet companies grew blindingly fast. Amazon's "slow" growth provoked stockholder complaints: that the company was not reaching profitability fast enough. When the dot-com bubble burst, and many e-companies went out of business, Amazon persevered, and, finally, turned its first profit in the fourth quarter of 2001: $5 million, just 1¢ per share, on revenues of more than $1 billion, but the profit was symbolically important.

The company remains profitable: net income was $35.3 million in 2003, $588.50 million in 2004, $359 million in 2005, and $190 million in 2006 (including a $662 million charge for R&D in 2006), nevertheless, the firm's cumulative profits remain negative. As of September 2007, the accumulated deficit stood at $1.58 billion. Revenues increased thanks to product diversification and an international presence: $3.9 billion in 2002, $5.3 billion in 2003, $6.9 billion in 2004, $8.5 billion in 2005, and $10.7 billion in 2006.

On November 21, 2005, Amazon entered the S&P 500 index, replacing AT&T after it merged with SBC Communications. On December 31, 2008, Amazon entered the S&P 100 index, replacing Merrill Lynch after it was taken over by Bank of America.

In 1999, Time magazine named Bezos Person of the Year, recognizing the company's success in popularizing on-line shopping.

[edit] Merchant partnerships

The Web site CDNOW (cdnow.com) is powered and hosted by Amazon. Until June 30, 2006, typing ToysRUs.com into a browser would similarly bring up Amazon.com's Toys & Games tab; however, this relationship was terminated as the result of a lawsuit.^[10]

Amazon.com powers and operates retail web sites for Target, Sears Canada, Benefit Cosmetics, bebe Stores, Timex Corporation, Marks & Spencer, Mothercare, and Lacoste. For a growing number of enterprise clients, currently including the UK merchants Marks & Spencer, Benefit Cosmetics' UK entity and Mothercare, Amazon provides a unified multichannel platform whereby a customer can interchangeably interact with the retail website, standalone in-store terminals, and phone-based customer service agents. Amazon Web Services also powers AOL's Shop@AOL.

Product lines

Amazon has steadily branched into retail sales of music CDs, videotapes and DVDs, software, consumer electronics, kitchen items, tools, lawn and garden items, toys & games, baby products, apparel, sporting goods, gourmet food, jewelry, watches, health and personal-care items, beauty products, musical instruments, clothing, industrial & scientific supplies, groceries, and more.

The company launched Amazon.com Auctions, its own Web auctions service, in March 1999. However, it failed to chip away at industry pioneer eBay's juggernaut growth. Amazon Auctions was followed by the launch of a fixed-price marketplace business called zShops in September 1999, and a failed Sotheby's/Amazon partnership called sothebys.amazon.com in November.

Amazon no longer mentions either Auctions or zShops on its main pages and the help page for sellers now only mentions the Marketplace.^[17] Old links to zShops now simply redirect to the Amazon home page,^[18] while old links to Auctions take users to a transactions history page.^[19] New product listings are no longer possible for either service.

Although zShops failed to live up to its expectations, it laid the groundwork for the hugely successful Amazon Marketplace service launched in 2001 that let customers sell used books, CDs, DVDs, and other products alongside new items. Today, Amazon Marketplace's main rival is eBay's Half.com service.

Beginning August 2005,^[20] Amazon began selling products under its own private label, "Pinzon"; the initial trademark applications suggested the company intended to focus on textiles, kitchen utensils, and other household goods.^[20] In March 2007, the company applied to expand the trademark to cover a larger and more diverse list of goods, and to register a new design consisting of the "word PINZON in stylized letters with a notched letter O whose space appears at the "one o'clock" position.".^[21] The list of products registered for coverage by the trademark grew to include items such as paints, carpets, wallpaper, hair accessories, clothing, footwear, headgear, cleaning products, and jewelry.^[21] On September 2008, Amazon filed to have the name registered. While the USPTO has finished its review of the application, Amazon has yet to receive an official registration for the name.

On May 16, 2007 Amazon announced its intention to launch Amazon MP3, its own online music store.^[22] The store launched in the US in public beta September 25, 2007, selling downloads exclusively in MP3 format without digital rights management.^[23] This is especially notable as it was the first online offering of DRM-free music from all four major record companies.^{[24][25][26][27]}

In August 2007, Amazon announced AmazonFresh,^[28] a grocery service offering perishable and nonperishable foods. Customers can have orders delivered to their homes at dawn or during a specified daytime window. Delivery was initially restricted to residents of Mercer Island, Washington, and was later expanded to several ZIP codes in Seattle proper.^[29] AmazonFresh also operated pick-up locations in the suburbs of Bellevue and Kirkland from summer 2007 through early 2008.

In 2008 Amazon expanded into film production and is currently funding the film The Stolen Child with 20th Century Fox.^[30]

[edit] Review and recommendation feature

See also: Recommender system

Amazon.com's customer reviews are monitored for all negative or indecent comments that are directed at anything, or anyone, but the product itself. In regards to the reviews lacking relative restrictions, Robert Spector, who is the author of the book Amazon.com, describes how "when publishers and authors asked Bezos why Amazon.com would publish negative reviews, he defended the practice by claiming that Amazon.com was ‘taking a different approach...we want to make every book available – the good, the bad, and the ugly...to let truth loose’" (Spector 132).

Reviews for different media of the same product are grouped together (e.g., the review page for a particular film, whether on VHS, Blu-Ray, or DVD, will feature reviews from all three products). Currently, there is no way to only look at reviews for one version of a product.

[edit] Website

The domain amazon.com attracted at least 615 million visitors annually by 2008 according to a Compete.com survey. This was twice the numbers of walmart.com.^[31]

Amazon allows users to submit reviews to the web page of each product. As part of their review, users must rate the product on a rating scale from one to five stars. In 2004 a software error accidentally showed the names behind reviews that were submitted anonymously, and some authors were shown to have written glowing reviews of their own books. Amazon created a feature in recent years that allowed users to comment on reviews. Amazon provides an optional badging option for reviewers, e.g., to indicate the real name of the reviewer (based on confirmation of a credit card account) or to indicate that the reviewer is one of the top reviewers by popularity. The U.S. site generally has the most reviews. A review posted on one site is not necessarily visible on another site.

"Search Inside the Book" is a feature which allows customers to search for keywords in the full text of many books in the catalog.^[32][33] The feature started with 120,000 titles (or 33 million pages of text) on October 23, 2003.^[34] There are currently about 250,000 books in the program. Amazon has cooperated with around 130 publishers to allow users to perform these searches.

To avoid copyright violations, Amazon.com does not return the computer-readable text of the book but rather a picture of the matching page, disables printing, and puts limits on the number of pages in a book a single user can access. One author observed that his entire book could be read online by searching a few words.^[35] Additionally, customers can purchase online access to the some books via the "Amazon Upgrade" program, although the selection is currently quite limited.

According to information in Amazon.com discussion forums,^{[citation needed]} Amazon derives about 40 percent of its sales from affiliates whom they call Associates, and third party sellers who list and sell products on the Amazon websites. Associates receive a commission for referring customers to Amazon by placing links on their websites to the Amazon homepage or to specific products. If a referral results in a sale, the Associate receives a commission from Amazon. Worldwide, Amazon has "over 900,000 members" in its affiliate programs.^[36] Associates can access the Amazon catalog directly on their websites by using the Amazon Web Services (AWS) XML service. A new affiliate product, aStore, allows Associates to embed a subset of Amazon products within, or linked to from, another website.

Amazon reported over 1.3 million sellers sold products through Amazon's World Wide Web sites in 2007. Selling on Amazon has become more popular as Amazon expanded into a variety of categories beyond media and built a variety of features to support volume selling. Unlike eBay, Amazon sellers do not have to maintain separate payment accounts; all payments and payment security are handled by Amazon itself.

According to the Internet audience measurement website Compete.com, Amazon attracts approximately 50 million U.S. consumers to its website on a monthly basis.^[