NEW YORK : The sudden death of Hollywood heartthrob and rising Australian star Heath Ledger remained a mystery Wednesday as experts began a second round of toxicology tests after an initial autopsy was inconclusive.
The 28-year-old who shot to worldwide renown with his sensitive portrayal of a repressed homosexual cowboy in the Oscar-winning "Brokeback Mountain," was found naked and unresponsive in his Manhattan apartment on Tuesday.
Police said that prescription medications and a rolled-up 20 dollar bill were found in the residence, while the Australian actor's family insisted that his death had been "accidental."
"The autopsy is inconclusive," New York City medical examiner's office spokeswoman Ellen Borakove said. "We have to do additional testing which will include toxicology and tissue testing.
It will take about 10 days." Prescription pills bearing the name of the Australian actor were found in the apartment, police said.
The entertainment news site TMZ said they included anti-anxiety drugs Xanax and Valium as well as the sleep aid Ambien.
New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly told a news conference that a rolled up 20 dollar bill was found near the body and it was currently undergoing tests, though there was no visible drug residue on it and no illegal drugs were found in the apartment.
Ledger had separated in September from his fiancee Michelle Williams, who played the wife of his cowboy character Ennis Del Mar in 2005's "Brokeback Mountain," and who was the real-life mother of his daughter, Matilda Rose, 2.
"We are deeply saddened and shocked by this accident," Ledger's publicist Mara Buxbaum said in a statement.
"This is an extremely difficult time for his loved ones. We're asking the media to please respect the family's privacy and avoid speculation until the facts are known."
The actor's father Kim Ledger read a statement outside the family home in Perth, Australia, indicating the family's belief that Ledger's death was "very tragic, untimely and accidental," and not a suicide.
"He was found peacefully asleep in his New York apartment," his father said. "He was a down-to-earth, generous, kind-hearted, life-loving, unselfish individual who was extremely inspirational to many."
Ledger was found dead at 3:26 pm (2036 GMT) Tuesday in an apartment in the posh district of SoHo, a police spokesman said. Neighbours said Ledger had been renting the loft apartment for the past several months.
New York City deputy police commissioner Paul Browne said a masseuse and a housekeeper discovered the actor's body after the masseuse arrived for an appointment.
They were "waiting for him to come out of the bedroom. When he didn't come out, they checked on him and found the body at the foot of the bed," Browne told reporters.
"There were prescription medications that included sleeping pills that were taken from the apartment. The reports that they were scattered around the body were untrue," said Browne.
At 19, Ledger left Sydney for Hollywood, where his talent was spotted by Mel Gibson when auditioning 500 actors for the role of his son in "The Patriot" -- a break that led to his leading role in "A Knight's Tale."
Numerous Hollywood stars, including fellow Aussies Gibson and Nicole Kidman, expressed shock at the death.
Gibson, who plucked Ledger from relative obscurity, said the death of the versatile actor was a "tragic loss."
"I had such great hope for him," the Oscar-winning actor and director said. Kidman called Ledger's death a "tragedy" and said her heart went out to his family.
Australia's Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said it was "tragic that we have lost one of our nation's finest actors in the prime of his life ... Heath Ledger's diverse and challenging roles will be remembered as some of the great performances by an Australian actor."
Ledger was nominated for a best actor Oscar for his "Brokeback Mountain" role. He had been working this month on "The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus," directed by Terry Gilliam, which is due out next year. He also portrays The Joker in the upcoming Batman movie "Dark Knight." - AFP/ir
Thursday, January 24, 2008
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Heath Ledger is found dead at 28!
The Australian actor Heath Ledger was found dead Jan. 22, 2008 at a downtown Manhattan residence.
Monday, January 21, 2008
210 million Internet users in China
The China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC) released the "21st Report of China Internet Development" on January 17th in Beijing. By December 31, 2007, the total number of Internet users in China reached 210 million (only 5 million less than the United States); ranked second in the world; and the number is expected to become the world's largest in early 2008.
Data show that in 2007, China's Internet users increased by 73 million. The annual growth rate reached 53.3 percent, with an average daily increase of 20 million. However, despite today's Internet access rising to 16 percent; it is still below the world's average of 19.1 percent.
More farmers turn to Internet, nearly 40% of new Internet users in rural areas.
CNNIC data show that the rapid growth of Internet users in rural areas is an important new aspect of Internet use. Among all new users, 29.2 million, or 40 percent, are in rural areas. By the end of December 2007, there were 52.6 million Internet users in China; and the annual growth rate reached 127.7 percent. The rapid growth of Internet users in rural areas makes rural areas a big potential consumer market. As the popularization of village informationization continues and policies such as "every village has access to the Internet" and "every village has a website" are going smoothly, the rural Internet market will certainly be promising.
CNNIC report conducted a detailed analysis of new users for the first time. Among new users in 2007, the proliferation among all levels is clear: Internet users under the age of 18 and over the age of 30 grew rapidly; users with an education level of and below high school had rapid growth; and more low-income people began to access the Internet.
All enter the broadband network era, daily growth of .CN domain names reaches 20,000.
Data show that the number of broadband Internet users in China reached 163 million, accounting for 85.9 percent of total Internet users; and China has entered the era of broadband networks. Additionally, 50.4 million mobile phone users have wireless Internet access.
The development of basic Internet resources is also "doing its part." By the end of December 2007, there were 135 million IP addresses in China; but compared with the basic needs of each IP address for one Internet user, the gap remains large.
The report revealed that China's total number of domain names reached 11.93 million; and the annual growth rate is as high as 190 percent. There are 9 million national domain .CN names, increasing four times over the same period in 2006; and the daily growth of 20,000 is miraculous in the history of the domain name. Websites with a .CN domain exceeded 1 million for the first time: two-thirds of all 1.5 million websites in world. In addition, the numbers of websites, web pages and bytes on a page all have grown by more than 60 percent; and Internet users now have access to increasing diverse information resources.
Entertainment becomes the focus of network applications, 181 million users listen to music online.
The interpretation of various Internet applications models is a major high point of this report. Investigations revealed that the most common application for China's Internet users is transfers; and entertainment has become the country's most important network application. The top seven categories of network application are: online music, instant communication, network television, network news, search engines, online games, and e-mail. Applications pertaining to online entertainment, such as online music and network television, rank significantly ahead; and 94.2 percent of Internet users give a positive evaluation of Internet entertainment.
Data shows that as many as 181 million Internet users listen to online music. Internet users who use instant messaging are as many as 170 million; and that is nearly 40 percent of the Internet users who choose instant messaging online as a first foothold. Internet-based applications such as network news and e-mail fall behind; and email applications ranked at the top before 2007. - By People's Daily Online
Data show that in 2007, China's Internet users increased by 73 million. The annual growth rate reached 53.3 percent, with an average daily increase of 20 million. However, despite today's Internet access rising to 16 percent; it is still below the world's average of 19.1 percent.
More farmers turn to Internet, nearly 40% of new Internet users in rural areas.
CNNIC data show that the rapid growth of Internet users in rural areas is an important new aspect of Internet use. Among all new users, 29.2 million, or 40 percent, are in rural areas. By the end of December 2007, there were 52.6 million Internet users in China; and the annual growth rate reached 127.7 percent. The rapid growth of Internet users in rural areas makes rural areas a big potential consumer market. As the popularization of village informationization continues and policies such as "every village has access to the Internet" and "every village has a website" are going smoothly, the rural Internet market will certainly be promising.
CNNIC report conducted a detailed analysis of new users for the first time. Among new users in 2007, the proliferation among all levels is clear: Internet users under the age of 18 and over the age of 30 grew rapidly; users with an education level of and below high school had rapid growth; and more low-income people began to access the Internet.
All enter the broadband network era, daily growth of .CN domain names reaches 20,000.
Data show that the number of broadband Internet users in China reached 163 million, accounting for 85.9 percent of total Internet users; and China has entered the era of broadband networks. Additionally, 50.4 million mobile phone users have wireless Internet access.
The development of basic Internet resources is also "doing its part." By the end of December 2007, there were 135 million IP addresses in China; but compared with the basic needs of each IP address for one Internet user, the gap remains large.
The report revealed that China's total number of domain names reached 11.93 million; and the annual growth rate is as high as 190 percent. There are 9 million national domain .CN names, increasing four times over the same period in 2006; and the daily growth of 20,000 is miraculous in the history of the domain name. Websites with a .CN domain exceeded 1 million for the first time: two-thirds of all 1.5 million websites in world. In addition, the numbers of websites, web pages and bytes on a page all have grown by more than 60 percent; and Internet users now have access to increasing diverse information resources.
Entertainment becomes the focus of network applications, 181 million users listen to music online.
The interpretation of various Internet applications models is a major high point of this report. Investigations revealed that the most common application for China's Internet users is transfers; and entertainment has become the country's most important network application. The top seven categories of network application are: online music, instant communication, network television, network news, search engines, online games, and e-mail. Applications pertaining to online entertainment, such as online music and network television, rank significantly ahead; and 94.2 percent of Internet users give a positive evaluation of Internet entertainment.
Data shows that as many as 181 million Internet users listen to online music. Internet users who use instant messaging are as many as 170 million; and that is nearly 40 percent of the Internet users who choose instant messaging online as a first foothold. Internet-based applications such as network news and e-mail fall behind; and email applications ranked at the top before 2007. - By People's Daily Online
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