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Kvitova upsets Sharapova for Wimbledon crown Posted: 02 Jul 2011 07:39 AM PDT Kvitova celebrates after defeating Sharapova in the final, July 2, 2011. — Reuters pic LONDON, July 2 — Nerveless 21-year-old Petra Kvitova delivered a remarkable performance of confidence and power to out-gun favourite Maria Sharapova and win the Wimbledon title for the first time with a convincing 6-3 6-4 victory today. Kvitova, who had never won a match on grass before reaching the semi-finals last year, served consistently and maintained a barrage of powerful, attacking ground-strokes to become only the third left hander to win the women's title after Anne Jones and Martina Navratilova. Kvitova, appearing in her first grand slam final, was in control of her emotions and her game throughout and deservedly becomes the first Czech to triumph since Jana Novotna in 1998. Sharapova holds the runners-up trophy after being defeated by Kvitova July 2, 2011. — Reuters pic Sharapova, who won the title as a 17-year-old in 2004, had reached the final without dropping a set but served raggedly and the Russian fifth seed had no answers. "I'm so happy," the tearful champion said in an on-court interview before blowing a kiss to Novotna and Navratilova watching from the Royal Box. "I was nervous but I had to focus on every point." The Czech looked understandably nervous as she was broken in the opening game but hit back immediately to level at 1-1. She continued to make the running throughout the set, out-serving and out-hitting the former world number one, who delivered consecutive double faults to lose her service and slip 4-2 behind. Kvitova, throwing in the occasional sliced backhand that caused Sharapova problems, served out to love. In her semi-final against Victoria Azarenka, Kvitova played a convincing first set but allowed the Belarussian back to take the second so everyone around Centre Court waited with bated breath to see how she dealt with the pressure of leading the final. They did not have to wait long as she broke Sharapova in the opening game after the Russian's fifth double fault gave her a break point that she took with a crashing forehand down the line. A break apiece had Kvitova on the brink when serving at 3-2 but she twice missed simple shots with the court gaping to allow Sharapova back into the match. However, it proved a false dawn for the 2004 champion, who was appearing in her first final since the 2008 Australian Open after missing long periods with shoulder problems. Kvitova, showing remarkable control of her nerves, broke back immediately and finished the match off in style by holding serve to love and signing the whole thing off with her first ace of the final. Sharapova, whose endorsements make her the highest-paid sportswoman in the world, said: "I'm very happy to be back here with the runner's up trophy but I wanted the "big one" and I will be back and I hope to get it again one day." — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Djokovic ready to cement Rafa rivalry Posted: 02 Jul 2011 07:15 AM PDT Djokovic reacts after defeating Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in their semi-final match July 1, 2011. — Reuters pic LONDON, July 2 — Often overshadowed by his classic duels with Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal's rivalry with Novak Djokovic has been brewing slowly and it will come to the boil tomorrow when the world's two best players contest the 125th Wimbledon men's final. The dream showpiece pits Djokovic, the man the ATP computers will show is the new No.1 in the rankings on Monday, against the bullish Spaniard who is showing every sign that he can chase down Federer's record of 16 grand slam titles. While Andy Murray briefly raised hopes that Britain would have its first Wimbledon men's finalist for 73 years by leading Nadal in the semis, there is no doubt that the final is befitting the sport's blue-riband tournament. Djokovic trails their series 16-11 but during a remarkable year for the Serb winning-machine he beat Nadal in consecutive finals in Indian Wells, Miami, Madrid and Rome. While the first two in that burst were on his favoured hardcourts the latter were on Nadal's beloved red dirt. Should he prevail on Centre Court's lawn on Sunday and become the first player to beat Nadal at the All England Club since Federer in the 2007 final, it would rubber-stamp Djokovic's lofty new status more effectively than ranking points. The 24-year-old has never beaten Nadal in a best of five set match, however, and he knows that the Mallorcan will be sweating blood to claim a second consecutive French Open/Wimbledon double. "I'm ready for long rallies, long points," Djokovic, who will fulfil his boyhood dream by playing in his first Wimbledon final, told reporters. "I need to be physically ready, which I am. I feel fit in this moment, and mentally obviously motivated. "The four times I won against him this year can probably help me in some ways mentally prior to this match." While iron-man Djokovic's 41-match winning streak from the start of the year to the French Open semi-finals has propelled him to the top of the rankings, Nadal remains the more feared warrior in head-to-head combat at grand slams. The 25-year-old will be appearing in his 13th grand slam final and so far he has lost just two, both against Federer at Wimbledon while he was still adapting his topspin game to the subtleties of grass. Against Murray yesterday he was out-played for a set but pounced on the first sign of weakness from his opponent before going on to pound the Scot into the baseline dust. Just seven unforced errors in three hours of combat underlines the task facing Djokovic tomorrow. When it matters most, Nadal's ferocious spirit and on-court presence is enough to make opponents crumble. Nadal though attempted to turn the tables when he said Djokovic will walk on court with a slight mental edge. "His mental position over me today is probably a little bit better because he won the last four finals against me," Nadal, who is playing in his fifth Wimbledon final in six years, said. "I will try my best. I have to play aggressive. I have to play with intensity, with rhythm. That's what I'm gonna try." Nadal's demotion to world No.2 would look rather odd if he retained his Wimbledon title tomorrow but the polite Spaniard will turn his thoughts to that in the months ahead. For the three, four or five hours he will be on court tomorrow, only victory over Djokovic will matter. "We will see when I finish my career where I am in the history of tennis," he said. "Right now for me, my history is I am in the final of Wimbledon. The history of tennis, we'll have time to talk about it another time." — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Many workers would scrap vacation to save Posted: 01 Jul 2011 08:06 PM PDT NEW YORK, July 2 — Almost half of US workers would scrap or scale back their summer vacation plans to save money if the economy remains volatile, according to a survey. Younger workers are more apt to bite the bullet, and men are twice as likely as women to be expected to work on vacation, the poll by jobs website Glassdoor.com showed. "People are still pretty nervous about personal spending," Glassdoor chief executive Robert Hohman said, noting the "stark" numbers of people willing to change vacation plans. File photo of a couple relaxing in a hammock while on vacation at the Casa Marina Resort in Key West, Florida. — Reuters pic But 65 per cent of employees are able to relax completely while on holiday. "It's reassuring to see the majority of employees feel their employer support their ability to 'check out' and recharge," he noted. "Employees who feel tethered to their job while away miss the intended vacation benefits, and US companies should try to be more respectful of this time." About 45 per cent of employees and the self-employed would reduce or cancel their summer vacation plans to save money, according to the online survey of 2,203 adults conducted by Harris Interactive. Thirteen per cent of people take vacations knowing they may have to work if necessary. Nearly one in five, 18 per cent, said they must be available should an emergency arise. More men said they are expected to work on vacation than women, the survey showed. Workers in the US South and West are more likely to call off their summer vacation, as well as work during their time off. About 53 per cent of employees in both regions said they would alter their vacation compared with 38 per cent in the Midwest and 34 per cent in the Northeast. Of those who were expected to work during vacation, 18 per cent are in the South, 17 per cent in the West, compared to just 8 per cent in the Midwest and 7 per cent in the Northeast. Young adults are most likely to change their vacation plans because they have less of a financial cushion, Hohman said. Their plans also tend to be simpler than for older vacationers who may go away with their children. More than half of workers aged 18-34 would change their vacation plans, compared to 44 per cent of employees aged 35-44, and 42 per cent in the 55 and older age bracket. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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‘Zarkana’: Cirque du Soleil debuts new gamble in NY Posted: 02 Jul 2011 03:48 AM PDT Part of the out-of-costume performance of Zarkana during a preview May 24, 2011 at Radio City Music Hall in New York. – AFP pic NEW YORK, July 2 – Like a cocktail with a dash of "Alice in Wonderland" and a splash of "Rocky Horror," Cirque du Soleil's highly acrobatic, dream-like spectacular "Zarkana" opened this week with its world premiere in New York. The show is a flashy rock opera that mixes bold acrobatic showmanship, powerful live music, and a balanced use of video effects – a heady mix filling Radio City Music Hall's towering stage that matches Canadian director Francois Girard's surrealist vision. In a show some have compared at times to a dream or a nightmare, a magician named Zark (played by Paul Besson) appears in a shining red suit on an abandoned-theatre set. With music setting the tone, gravity seems to disappear as performers rise and fly, soar and fall. "Zarkana" may have a bit of something for everyone: the show boasts poetry by Erika Chen; there is speed on the "Wheel of Death" segment with brothers Ray and Rudy Navas Velez; art with its "Flags" installation; harmony in its "Rope Duet," featuring Di Wu and Jun Guo; and sky-high jaw-droppers "High Wire" and "Trapeze." These are just some of the things Zark experiences as he sets out on a quest to find his lost love through a changing world inhabited by a bevy of bizarre creatures and dangerous ladies. The high-flying tricks are nicely interwoven with Zark's journey, as he crosses lands ruled by "Mandragora" the flower woman, "Kundalini" the snake woman, and "Tarantula" the spider woman. A third character, "Pickle Lady," is only heard and not seen. "Zarkana was meant to be a grand acrobatic show. I would call it an acrobatic rock opera," said Girard, 48, who is directing his second show for entertainment powerhouse Cirque du Soleil after "Zed," which opened in Tokyo in 2008. "Our biggest challenge was to create a show that would make the most of the (huge) scale of Radio City Music Hall," he said. "Everything is driven and conditioned by the scale of the theatre – from the choice of the acrobatic acts and cast to the way we use video and music," Girard explained. "Whether it's circus, film, theatre or opera, I assume that as soon as the curtain rises, the audience is open, available, ready for anything. And this premise makes perfect sense at Cirque du Soleil." After opening in New York, where it is to run through October, Zarkana is due to play in Madrid and then Moscow. The Cirque du Soleil, founded by small group of performers in Quebec in 1984, has morphed into a massive international entertainment conglomerate that celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2009. The huge troupe of 5,000 includes about 1,500 performers and people who hail from at least 50 countries. More than 100 million people have seen their performances in more than 300 cities around the world. Among their hits in recent years have been the shows "Alegria," "LOVE," "Saltimbanco," "Quidam" and "OVO." Next year, Cirque launches a massive new show titled "Michael Jackson, The Immortal World Tour," based on the King of Pop's well-known musical legacy. – AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Santana, McLaughlin open Montreux jazz on high note Posted: 02 Jul 2011 02:14 AM PDT Mexican guitarist Carlos Santana (L) and British guitarist John McLaughlin perform onstage during the 45th Montreux Jazz Festival in Montreux July 1, 2011. Over 350 artists and groups will perform on the two main stages and at the ten free venues during the sixteen-day long festival. – Reuters pic MONTREUX, July 2 – Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin performed tunes by John Coltrane, Bob Dylan and Led Zeppelin, ushering in the 45th edition of the Montreux jazz festival in Switzerland with a spiritual note from the 1960s and 70s. The two legendary guitarists kicked off yesterday night's concert with "The Life Divine" and closed with "A Love Supreme", both tracks from their 1973 gold album "Love, Devotion and Surrender". Their acoustic version of Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" was a highlight of a nostalgic concert at Montreux, one of Europe's most prestigious summer jazz festivals, which runs until July 16. "Coltrane, Dylan, Zeppelin – we grew up with all of them. The next one is a real favourite of mine from the Mahavishnu Orchestra," said McLaughlin, introducing "The Creator has a Master Plan" from his pioneering fusion band. Santana, dressed head to toe in white, his black curls touching his shoulders, also struck a meditative chord during the gig, which featured mariachis and Latin-influenced percussion. "John and I have a lot in common, we resonate spiritual feelings and resonate with having fun. It is not just Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu who get to have fun. "Our highest purpose is to touch your heart. Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Marvin Gaye, and Dylan, we love all them all and pay tribute and celebrate the supreme spirit of a great drummer, if not the greatest drummer ever, Tony Williams," Santana, 64, told the crowd. Cindy Blackman, Santana's second wife, joined on drums in a powerful rendition of "Vuelta Abajo", a tribute to the late American jazz drummer Williams who played with Miles Davis and McLaughlin. "These tunes go back 150 years. Any more old hippies out there?" quipped the silver-haired McLaughlin, now 69. "It was a very special music that we played at that time. Cindy has taken the tradition of Tony Williams and pushed it further." Santana and McLaughlin sat together front stage without the other nine musicians for two moving duets on acoustic guitars, "Naima", a Coltrane composition also from their "Love, Devotion and Surreder" album, and "Lotus Land". "At this point in our lives, it is all about perception ... So make a conscious choice to make everyday the best day of your life," the Mexican-born American Santana said to cheers. "Downstairs Blues", by Elvin Jones, got the crowd rocking, with Blackman on drums. For an encore they played "Miles Davis (Black Satin)" and a "Love Supreme", the crowd chanting the lyrics, while Montreux festival founder Claude Nobs jumped in on harmonica. B.B. King will join the pair on the famed Montreux stage tomorrow night. "Montreux is known for special meetings of stars," Swiss fan David Pittet said as the lights went on. – Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Summer football or summer of football Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:52 PM PDT JULY 2 — First it was the UEFA Euro Under-21 Championships, then the Fifa Under-17 World Cup, followed by the on-going Fifa Women's World Cup and from this morning, it is the Copa America. Having watched, and still watching, most of the matches, the Women's WC has possibly caught the eye more than most. The Euro U-21 was too sterile apart from the Spanish team. The teams were too mechanical and the players very robotic, making it difficult to really want to jump off the sofa. The lack of flair, apart from the Spanish, certainly does not bode well for the future of European football. The French U-17 squad have also caught the eye and certainly are the team to beat after digging deep to defeat a very impressive Ivory Coast side. Somehow, the African teams just struggle to get to terms with being more professional in closing games down. And while all the boys are showing their inadequacies, the ladies are producing some very sound technique and tactics. There is a grace to their passing and their tactical behaviour is very impressive.  The play has been of a very high tempo with every team playing attacking football. This has certainly been a refreshing change after watching some very dour English Premier League action this past season in England. On the subject of England, their ladies show more imagination in their play and good tactics too. They play a 4-2-3-1 formation and very well too. All credit to their coach Hope Powell who has the girls playing with a freedom of expression without abandoning the principles of the game. While the women are proving their mettle, the world-class professionals in the men's game from South America, the best of whom ply their trade in Europe, will commence their quadrennial championship in Buenos Aires, with hosts Argentina taking on Bolivia this morning (8.45am, live on Astro SuperSport, Channel 811). If Cristiano Ronaldo went to South Africa WC2010 as the player under the most pressure, it is now Leo Messi who wears that tag. Still, it is quite shocking to read everywhere that it is a make-or-break tournament for Messi. His class is apparent and no matter what happens to Argentina, Messi will still be the greatest player in the world today. True, Messi has more responsibility than most to ensure success for the Argentines but it must never be forgotten that football is a team game and while Messi will inspire, the other players too have to do their bit. The time has come for Argentina's star players to show that they are a strong group and will need to sacrifice some flair to build a platform for Messi to take them to new heights. On the home front, our national team did not play particularly well against Taiwan midweek in the first step of their hopeful Road to Brazil 2014. However, the Harimau boys should take inspiration from the result that now puts the Taiwanese under pressure for the return leg in Taipeh tomorrow night (7pm, live on TV2). There were too many partnerships that did not work on Wednesday night and perhaps a counter-attacking 4-2-3-1 formation could be key to Malaysia's progress. The time has perhaps come for Shakir Shaari to start alongside holding midfielder Amar Rohidan to provide composure in front of the back four. The attacking trio of S. Kunalan, skipper Safiq Rahim and Amirulhadi Zainal can and will provide dynamic running from midfield, both with or without the ball. The return of Norsharul Idlan Talaha is important but this is a situation for a fast direct-running striker to get behind the Taiwanese defence with Badrol Bakhtiar coming to mind. Playing on the counter-attack, the need for a targetman to hold up the ball is less. It is going to be difficult but not impossible in Taiwan and we should look forward to the next round and Singapore. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

More than meets the eye Posted: 01 Jul 2011 05:37 PM PDT JULY 2 — One of the great pleasures of being a movie addict is what I call the thrill of the hunt, of catching that latest hot ticket as early as possible. It's Wednesday, June 29, 2011 as I'm writing this, which is opening day for "Transformers 3: Dark Of The Moon", and I've just got home after a thrilling half day of trying to catch the movie in the cinema. There were some midnight preview screenings of the movie last night, but since I'm the type who goes to bed before midnight, I don't think I'll be able to stay up that late to watch a movie, even if it's one of the Transformers movies. So my plan for today was to finish all my work as early as possible, then attend a short meeting at 1.30pm in Petaling Jaya, and afterwards make a dash to 1 Utama to catch the movie. 1 Utama turned out to be a no-go for me as the mall was surprisingly packed with people so I didn't even want to waste time and go line up for tickets there. I then made my way to Tropicana City Mall, as the place is normally not packed at all during weekdays, but to my surprise screenings for "Transformers 3" were sold out there, even for the 2.30pm show, on a normal, non-school holiday weekday. Yikes! I did think of giving up and trying again early the next morning, but my excitement simply could not be contained so I decided to try my luck at a more obscure place, which is MBO Cinemas in Galaxy Ampang, a place I found to be much less busy compared to other cinemas, and getting hot tickets early there has been relatively easy in my past experience. Sure enough, there was a line, but definitely not as long as in other cinemas and I finally managed to get myself a ticket for the movie, with a nice seat right in the centre too. Still, the cinema was really unusually packed for this hour of the day there, so my hunch that this is probably the hottest ticket of the summer movie season is proving to be true after all. After months anxiously waiting to watch the latest instalment of one of my favourite blockbuster franchises ever, when the lights in the cinema finally dimmed, I was truly ready and willing to swallow whatever Mr Michael Bay was going to throw my way this time around. When it comes to the Transformers movies, I've never been ashamed to say that I've enjoyed the first two instalments immensely. As a kid who grew up watching the Transformers cartoon series and animated movie on TV, watching that first Transformers movie evoked a Star Wars-like sense of wonder in me. It was just beautiful watching my childhood hero Optimus Prime brought to almost real life, thanks to the wonders of CGI. And even if the second Transformers movie was a wee bit too loud and the non-stop action began to feel like a chore, the moment when Optimus Prime died pierced my heart in exactly the same way when Optimus Prime died in the Transformers animated movie. So it's pretty safe to say that when it comes to the Transformers movies, I'm like a kid in a candy store. After finishing the latest movie though, unfortunately I have to say that "Transformers 3" is hands down the weakest movie in the whole trilogy, and quite a disappointment. Say whatever you want about the first two, at the very least their stories made some sense within the logic of the films. The formula is always the same — stop the Decepticons from accomplishing whatever their mission is (getting their hands on the Cube in the first one, and draining the Sun in the second one), which at the same time also means saving Earth as well. But at least in the first two movies, the plot and incidents move quite logically, and even if there are some holes, they're of the type that you're willing to overlook as they're not distracting enough. Also, there's always Megan Fox to distract you. This time around though, the movie gets it wrong in all the wrong places. This is probably the "slowest" Transformers movie yet, with probably only a third (or less) of the movie devoted to robots bashing each other. It might be okay to slow things down and concentrate on the "story" if the story is involving. But the initially interesting premise that the whole 1960s space race was a response to an alien craft crash landing on the moon soon degenerates into an almost incomprehensible and never convincing "bring Cybertron to Earth" plot. Without much to root for (oh, how I miss you Megan Fox), the whole film just becomes a mechanical chore of getting from point A to point B without much of the robot-bashing excitement that got us drooling in the first place. Michael Bay has said that this will be the last Transformers movie, so it's a shame that it's going out with a whimper. It's still going to make tons of money at the box office, I'm sure, but the whole saga deserves a much better ending than this. This being Hollywood though, you can never discount a reboot in the future. Till we meet again my robot friends, transform and roll out! * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Zainal: Umno Pulau Pinang tak sertai demo di Komtar Posted: 02 Jul 2011 01:35 AM PDT GEORGE TOWN, 2 Julai – Umno Pulau Pinang menafikan penglibatannya dalam demonstrasi di Kompleks Tun Abdul Razak (Komtar) di sini semalam. Pengerusinya Datuk Zainal Abidin Osman berkata Umno negeri itu tidak pernah mengarahkan demonstrasi berkenaan diadakan. "Saya mendapat banyak panggilan daripada rakan-rakan semalam berhubung perkara ini. Ingin saya maklumkan bahawa Umno negeri langsung tidak terlibat dalam demonstrasi di Komtar atau mana-mana tempat. "Kita sedia maklum anggota Umno di Pulau Pinang berjumlah 150,000 orang. Kalau Umno yang buat demonstrasi, jumlahnya bukan 1,000 orang seperti semalam tetapi jumlahnya akan jadi berpuluh ribu orang," katanya dipetik laporan Bernama Online hari ini. Semalam 1,500 orang termasuk anggota pelbagai pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO) mengadakan tunjuk perasaan anti Ketua Menteri Lim Guan Eng. Mereka berarak hampir sejam dari Masjid Melayu Lebuh Aceh ke Komtar. Bagaimanapun Zainal Abidin berkata terdapat anggota parti itu yang menyertai pelbagai NGO di negeri ini. "Memandangkan parti ini rapat dengan rakyat, banyak anggota kita terlibat dengan NGO. Mereka pergi (demonstrasi) atas nama NGO sendiri," katanya. Beliau berkata sebagai parti yang bertanggungjawab, Umno tidak akan mengadakan demonstrasi seumpama itu. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Mahathir: Bersih bukan mahu pembaharuan pilihan raya tapi tsunami politik Posted: 02 Jul 2011 12:48 AM PDT SEREMBAN, 2 Julai— Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad hari ini menolak tujuan Himpunan Bersih 2.0 yang hendak diadakan, sebaliknya menegaskan gabungan itu bukannya mahukan pembaharuan pilihan raya tetapi hanya inginkan tsunami politik 2008 berulang.  "Objektifnya ialah untuk mencemar nama kerajaan dan polis, dan dengan itu, parti-parti politik akan menang.  "Tujuannya ialah politik... khususnya bagi PR (Pakatan Rakyat). Ia bukan sama ada pilihan raya bersih atau tidak... itu (soal) kedua," kata bekas perdana menteri (gambar) pada Forum Generasi Muda di sini hari ini.  MENYUSUL LAGI Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Canadian chefs prepare meal fit for a prince Posted: 01 Jul 2011 07:25 PM PDT TORONTO, July 2 — It's a menu meant to give the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge a sampling of distinctly Canadian delicacies and regional specialties. With Quebec foie gras, Atlantic smoked salmon, yak from Alberta and raspberry cordial — a version of the beverage, anyway, from Catherine's favourite childhood story and heroine, Anne of Green Gables — the royal couple will be fed dishes that are supposed to represent the Commonwealth country from coast to coast. But aside from the iconic maple syrup and poutine — a greasy heap of fries, cheese curds and gravy from Quebec — what constitutes Canadian cuisine? The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will be sampling Canadian specialties during their nine-day tour of Canada. — AFP pic As a country built on the strength of immigrants with a spotty gastronomical history, which also lies in the shadow of their American neighbours' hamburgers and pizza, what does Canada define as its epicurean heritage? Freshly-caught seafood, local cheeses and locally-raised meats. When the couple arrives in Montreal today, for instance, they will be put to work in the kitchens of the Quebec Tourism and Hotel Institute, where they will don aprons and help cook their own meals. Dishes were chosen to highlight regional specialties, fresh local ingredients and wines. To start the meal: an amuse-bouche of local foie gras on brioche toast and apple cider jelly; goat cheese from the Cantons-de-l'Est; duck confit, and mini bagels with smoked Atlantic salmon. The second course will feature lobster from the Iles-de-la Madeleine prepared two ways: as a soufflé, and served with a red pepper coulis or sauce. The main course will be a herb and cranberry-crusted lamb, with seasonal vegetables. And to cap off the meal, the couple will be presented with a cheesecake made from fromage blanc, a maple syrup caramel sauce, meringue and a light cookie crust. When they hit Prince Edward Island tomorrow for two days, the Duke and Duchess will be fed dishes that showcase that province's local agriculture, heavy on potatoes, and its fresh, local seafood. Chefs from the Culinary Institute of Canada will prepare a menu that includes new potato chowder, steamed island mussels, barbecue pork belly with homemade mustard, barbecue beef rib-eye with onion marmalade, an oyster shucking station and strawberry shortcake. Meanwhile, Catherine reportedly made a special request to visit Summerside, Prince Edward Island to see the setting of her favourite childhood book series "Anne of Green Gables". As a tribute to her favourite heroine, Cows ice-cream company in Charlottetown will serve a bottled raspberry cordial drink. In the series, Anne accidentally gets her best friend drunk when she mistakes red currant wine for raspberry cordial, one of many shenanigans the fiery redhead gets into. On their first day in Canada, the couple were also fed a meal prepared by culinary students that included sea urchin harvested by a scuba diver, spotted prawns from off the Queen Charlotte Islands, yak from Alberta, fruit wines from Saskatchewan and cheese from PEI. — AFP-Relaxnews Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

The Phoenix rises… again! Posted: 01 Jul 2011 06:13 PM PDT The mango kwayteow is one dessert you don't want to miss. — Pictures by Eu Hooi Khaw KUALA LUMPUR, July 2 — My eating history with Golden Phoenix at the Hotel Equatorial goes back a long way, when good, old-fashioned Cantonese dishes were served and when birthdays of senior relatives were regularly celebrated there. Many of those dishes are no longer on the menu. Now the restaurant has undergone a facelift, sporting softer colours in its furnishings, in a more restrained Chinese décor. The menu too has changed, including that for dimsum, and chef Yau Kim Yew has given a new twist to old favourites. The steamed prawn dumplings with pumpkin are absolutely delicious. Take the Eye of Phoenix Steamed Prawn Dumpling with Pumpkin — it's not just any "har kow" but one that highlights the sweetness of the prawn without sugar added. The dumpling tumbles a springy prawn and chopped pumpkin into your mouth. Now my test for a tasty dimsum is whether it needs a chilli sauce dip — this didn't. I liked it that the chef had thought of having a deepfried Japanese egg beancurd topped with prawn and tobiko. There's the lovely crunch of prawn sinking into soft eggy tofu — it is a marvellous combination. The Steamed Pork Dumpling with Mushroom and Crabmeat is a reverse Shanghai dumpling. Half of it is crabmeat, and the other half mushroom. But the crabmeat tasted like the frozen kind that had been thawed out, so it had a sawdust aftertaste. It would have been better with fresh crabmeat. Give me the Shanghai dumpling any time. Luscious-looking steamed beancurd with prawn meat. In between we discovered the chef is a deft hand at anything deepfried. The Harm Sui Kok or Deepfried Glutinous Skin Puff with Chicken Meat Filling was so light in its sticky sweet pastry that contrasted deliciously with the savoury almost liquid meat filling that hinted of five-spice powder. I even liked the Deepfried Beancurd Roll with Cheese, but not so the Deepfried Prawns with Cheese and Thai Sauce. The prawns had an instant noodle covering that didn't work at all. The noodles were just too thick and overwhelmed the more delicate prawn. Perhaps finer wantan noodles would have been better? The Deepfried Sesame Ball Stuffed with Shredded Coconut was simply scrumptious. You could hear the crisp sound of your bite going right through to the moist, rich, shredded coconut filling with a little custard and roasted sesame. The lovely aroma of the coconut fills your senses. It reminds me of those coconut buns I used to eat as a child in Ipoh, sold by the "ting ting" man. It was just nicely sweet. This prosperity salad is available year round... lots of crunch, colour and flavour. The Baked BBQ Pork Buns passed muster: its filling had green peas in it to make it less rich; the pastry is a little resistant to the bite. There's the Double Boiled Wantan Soup that tasted of miso, but is a perfect foil to the flavourful wantan. The lunch went back to the main menu, with the Softshell Crab Prosperity Salad. Apparently prosperity is for all seasons. It was a combination of deepfried softshell crab, dried persimmon strips (unusual!), pear, apple, cuttlefish strips, pine nuts, sesame, peanuts, lettuce and carrot, tossed with an orange honey sauce. There was lots of crunch, amidst a fruity and lightly sweet sauce. It was an interesting collage of textures and flavours. Peking Duck is now available every day at Golden Phoenix. We had a heap of crispy duck skin and prawn crackers, served with pancake, spring onion and pickles. The meat was fried with beansprouts. Dimsum chef Yau is a deft hand at anything deepfriend. The lunch hit the high note in the ending with the Durian Pancake, redolent with creamy D24 durian, and the Mango Kwayteow as the chef calls it. I slurped up the gorgeous, silky smooth, flat translucent noodles from the fragrant mango soup whipped with ice cream and loved the feel of them! How did the chef bring about this exquisite texture of the noodles? Well, it's gelatine melted in fresh full-cream milk, spread out as a super thin sheet and rolled up. Most of the dimsum is priced between RM8 and RM12. The Mango Kwayteow is RM15, Softshell Crab Prosperity Salad RM38, durian roll RM18. Dimsum is served at lunch on weekdays and from 10am to 3pm on weekends and public holidays. The restaurant has also started selling mooncakes! Golden Phoenix is in Hotel Equatorial Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 03-2161-7777). Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Sharapova wary of lefty Kvitova Posted: 01 Jul 2011 08:39 AM PDT Maria Sharapova of Russia trains on a practise court at the Wimbledon tennis championships on July 1, 2011. — Reuters pic LONDON, July 1 — Having brushed aside the rank and file, the stage is set for Maria Sharapova to reclaim her Wimbledon crown tomorrow but one pesky upstart still threatens to ruin her big day. Czech Petra Kvitova does not have the glamorous appeal of the ice-cool Russian, her face will probably never adorn billboards and magazine covers and advertising executives will not be clamouring for her signature but she does boast a slicing left-handed serve which is no respecter of reputations. Not that she has reached eighth in the rankings with only one shot in her armoury but, according to one of the greatest left-handers the game has known, the Kvitova serve spells danger for Sharapova's chances of winning a second Wimbledon title. "I think Petra will return better and it will be easier for her to hold serve. That lefty serve will pay off a little bit more," Czech-born American Martina Navratilova, winner of 20 Wimbledon titles in singles and doubles, told reporters. "It just opens up the court a little bit. It seems that the lefties always have a good slice serve. You could hit it in your sleep. With the serves, I think Kvitova will get on top of the rally a little bit earlier than Maria maybe." Kvitova is the first Czech to reach the women's final since Jana Novotna in 1998 and only the fourth left-hander to do so in the Open Era. After dropping just two sets so far she presents a formidable obstacle for fifth seed Sharapova. However, Sharapova has stormed into the final without dropping a set and despite 13 double-faults in her semi-final win over Sabine Lisicki has looked in her best shape since shoulder surgery threatened her career in 2008. Monotonous regularity Her thundering groundstrokes have been landing inches from the baseline with monotonous regularity and the steely look in her blue eyes suggests she is not about to let her chance of a fourth grand slam title slip from her grasp. Relaxed as she appears, though, the Kvitova serve may disturb the extra long nap she was preparing to take on today. "She's got a lot of confidence coming in here, the sense of feeling of having nothing to lose, as it's her first grand slam final," she told reporters. "Also being a lefty, I think that's quite dangerous on grass, because she's been using a lot of her strengths as a lefty and playing really well throughout. "I think on grass, with the way the spin comes out, it's a big advantage, coming from a lefty. It's a matter of seeing the ball a little bit faster and reacting." Kvitova, one of a bunch of eastern Europeans to climb the rankings over the past year but who could still stroll through most cities unnoticed, was giving precious little away as she prepared for the biggest day of her career. Hard as reporters dug for titbits of detail, Kvitova, who belongs to the same tennis club as last year's men's runner-up Tomas Berdych, was reluctant to play ball. "I didn't speak to him about the final," she said of the Berdych link. "No, nothing special..." was her response to how she will prepare for tomorrow. "It was on TV but I don't think I watched it," she shrugged about Sharapova's stunning win over Serena Williams in 2004. Kvitova is clearly letting her tennis do the talking and so far, apart from a couple of brief lapses, it has looked capable of taking her all the way to the Venus Rosewater Dish. "It's such a toss-up," Navratilova said. "It basically comes down to who serves better. Once the ball is in play, Sharapova has an edge, but not so big." — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Djokovic beats Tsonga to reach final, to top rankings Posted: 01 Jul 2011 08:31 AM PDT Novak Djokovic of Serbia hits a return to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France during their semi-final match at the Wimbledon tennis championships on July 1, 2011. — Reuters pic LONDON, July 1 — Novak Djokovic cut down Jo-Wilfried Tsonga 7-6 6-2 6-7 6-3 today to reach his first Wimbledon final and guarantee becoming world number one next week. The Serbian second seed looked to be cruising to a straight-sets victory but Tsonga suddenly sprung to life in the third set, breaking Djokovic's serve to force a tiebreak which the 12-seeded Frenchman won 11-9. But Djokovic held his nerve to secure an early break in the fourth set and Tsonga, who fought back from two sets down to beat six-times champion Roger Federer in the quarter-finals, could not respond. Djokovic, now certain to knock Rafa Nadal off the top of the rankings, will play top seed Nadal or Briton Andy Murray in the final on Sunday. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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