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Sagan takes his second stage in Swiss tour Posted: 18 Jun 2011 08:42 AM PDT Sagan celebrates after winning the eighth stage of Tour de Suisse today. — Reuters pic SCHAFFHOUSE, June 18 — Slovakia's Peter Sagan took his second stage win of the 2011 Tour of Switzerland today, while Italy's Damiano Cunego remained in the overall lead. Second behind Sagan in the sprint of around 30 riders that decided the 167-km eighth stage from Tubach was Australia's Matt Goss, with Britain's Ben Swift third. The leading group of some 30 riders, including race leader Cunego, sheered off the front of the pack on a third-category climb with around 25 kms to go. The race finishes tomorrow with a 32.5-km individual time trial in Schaffhouse. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Donald and Karlsson cut it fine at Congressional US Open Posted: 18 Jun 2011 08:05 AM PDT BETHESDA, June 18 — British world number one Luke Donald and a mightily relieved Robert Karlsson of Sweden made the US Open cut with no margin to spare today as five former champions failed to advance. Twenty-one players were still on the course when play was halted in fading light Friday and by the time they finished on an overcast Saturday morning at Congressional, the cut fell at four-over-par 146 with 72 players qualifying for weekend play. Englishman Donald (picture) made it right on the number after shooting scores of 74 and 72, as did Karlsson who rebounded from an opening 79 with a six-birdie 67. However, former winners Ernie Els (1994 and 1997), Jim Furyk (2003), Michael Campbell (2005), Geoff Ogilvy (2006) and Angel Cabrera (2007) all missed out. "I struggled on the back nine both days and that comes down to not hitting enough fairways and not hitting enough greens," Donald told reporters. "I hit 50 per cent of fairways this week and you are always going to struggle on a course like this. "I've got to find something on the weekend and shoot a couple of good rounds and see what happens. Rory (McIlroy) is well ahead but you keep fighting and see what you can do." Donald trailed fellow Briton McIlroy by a distant 15 shots, the 22-year-old Northern Irishman having brought Congressional to its knees with scintillating scores of 65 and 66 for a US Open record total of 11-under 131. Karlsson, who was beaten by American Harrison Frazar in a playoff for last week's St. Jude Classic, progressed to the third round after recording three birdies in his last seven holes. "I just really wanted to go out and take it like a practice round because you can't ever practise playing these kinds of golf courses," the 1.95 m Swede said. "When I holed a good par putt on 11, I was six-over then and going to seven-over with seven holes to play would not have been much help. That was a good par save." United States Ryder Cup players Hunter Mahan and Rickie Fowler, 2009 British Open champion Stewart Cink and Britons Ian Poulter and Justin Rose were also among those who failed to advance. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Katy Perry tops Facebook chart thanks to ‘Last Friday Night’ Posted: 18 Jun 2011 07:50 AM PDT A video screenshot of Katy Perry – Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.). Katy Perry's latest single 'Last Friday Night' has propelled the artist up the Facebook charts. – Photo ©2011 YouTube, LLC LOS ANGELES, June 18 – Pop star Katy Perry has amassed over a million new Facebook fans over the past week, more than any other Facebook page, according to Famecount. This massive increase in fans is most likely due to the release of her new single "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)," the video of which has attracted over 15 million views since June 12. The video for Katy Perry's "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)" is available to watch via Perry's Facebook page, but fans must first "like" the page before playing the video – something which undoubtedly contributed to the artist's 1,233,503 new Facebook fans over the seven days prior to June 17. According to data from social network monitoring site Famecount the increase of fans of Katy Perry's Facebook page was more than any other Facebook page over the past seven days. In total, Californian born Katy Perry now has 29,319,125 Facebook fans and is currently the eighth most popular musician on Facebook. However, in terms of total fans, Katy Perry still has a long way to go before catching up with the three biggest Facebook musical stars – Rihanna, Lady Gaga and Eminem. Rihanna and Lady Gaga currently both have over 38 million fans with Gaga slightly ahead, while Eminem has over 40 million fans and is currently the most "liked" person, living or dead, on the social networking site. – AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Prague to host world premiere of Vivaldi’s lost opera Posted: 18 Jun 2011 02:22 AM PDT As the festival venue, organisers have chosen the Ledebour Garden at the foot of the Prague Castle. – shutterstock.com PRAGUE, June 18 – A Prague festival will host the world premiere of Antonio Vivaldi's opera L'Unione della Pace, e di Marte, following its reconstruction by a Czech expert 284 years after its only performance. "It's a specific genre of Baroque opera, shorter, which is called 'la serenata' and which was composed for a specific occasion at that time," conductor, composer and harpsichord player Ondrej Macek said. Vivaldi (1678-1741) composed the serenata L'Union della Pace, e di Marte (Union of Peace with Mars) for the birth of French King Louis XV's first children, twin sisters Louise Elisabeth and Anne Henriette. "Ordered by the French ambassador to Venice, the work was performed only once, in mid-September 1727, in the open air, in a garden adjacent to the church of Madonna dell'Orto in Venice," said Macek. The complete libretto, containing notes on the birth of the twins in August 1727, and on the political situation of that time, has been preserved in the National Braidense Library in Milan. But the score disappeared altogether, and had to be reconstructed on the basis of tunes from Vivaldi's other operas. "When I was reading the libretto for the first time, I could already see that many songs look familiar to me," said Macek, who in 2008 discovered and then reconstructed a major part of Vivaldi's lost opera Argippo which had premiered in Prague in 1730. "As the composer did not have too much time to create this serenata for that sole performance, he logically used themes from his other operas," he added. "At that time, it was a usual and legitimate method of composition, especially in Italy," said the 39-year-old expert on Baroque music. The international ensemble Hof-Musici, led by Macek himself, will perform L'Unione della Pace, e di Marte several times within the Prague Baroque Festival starting on June 17. The premiere is scheduled for July 4. As the festival venue, organisers have chosen the Ledebour Garden at the foot of the Prague Castle – a picturesque example of gardening architecture of the early 18th century. – AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Smithsonian to display remnants of Sept 11 attacks Posted: 18 Jun 2011 07:07 AM PDT Objects collected after the attacks will be displayed at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. — Reuters file pic NEW YORK, June 18 — When a hijacked aircraft smashed into the north tower of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001, Lisa Lefler left behind her briefcase as she fled to safety from her office on the 103rd floor. Fifty-six minutes later, 175 of Lefler's colleagues, as well as that briefcase, were entombed in the wreckage. Lefler's briefcase, along with more than 50 objects collected after the attacks that claimed 3,000 lives, will be displayed September 3 to 11 at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History, museum officials announced on Thursday. "Ten years later, we will share some of those objects in a personal setting, providing an opportunity for visitors to speak with museum staff and to have a place to remember and reflect on what it means to be an American today," Brent D. Glass, the director of the museum, said in a statement. Visitors to the collection, amassed by the museum in 2002 after Congress designated it the official repository, will see airplane fragments, a wall map from the Pentagon, a mangled fire truck door, as well as photographs and documents. The objects were collected from the three attack crash sites — the Pentagon, the World Trade Center and a field in western Pennsylvania. They will be preserved permanently at the museum so future generations can "comprehend the horrific events, their roots and their long-term consequences," according to information from the museum. The collection, "September 11: Remembrance and Reflection," will also feature video footage and presentations by the directors of various September 11 memorials. The museum's September 11 collection may be viewed here. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Some Saudi women challenge drive ban Posted: 18 Jun 2011 02:18 AM PDT Some Saudi women have posted accounts and pictures of themselves behind the wheel. — Reuters pic JEDDAH, June 18 — Some Saudi women appeared to have answered a call over social media to challenge a ban on driving, posting accounts and pictures of themselves behind the wheel in the conservative Arab kingdom. Groups, such as "Women2Drive" and "Women's Right to Drive in KSA," had called for a day of defiance, drawing more than 15,000 supporters on various Facebook groups. "I drove with my husband, and a policeman stopped me and gave me a ticket, which stated that I was driving without a license," Maha al-Gahtani, a resident of Riyadh, posted on Twitter along with a picture of a traffic ticket with her name. "I was disappointed that I didn't see any other women drivers," she said. "I did it to get my rights." Besides a ban on driving, women in Saudi Arabia must have written approval from a male guardian — a father, husband, brother or son — to leave the country, work or even undergo certain medical operations. Saudi Arabia is ruled by an absolute monarchy which applies an austere version of Sunni Islam. Religious police patrol the streets to ensure public segregation between men and women. Saudi women are banned from driving. — Reuters pic Two women, Shaima Osama and Manal Alsharif, were recently arrested for defying the driving ban, inspired by challenges to authority across the Arab world. "I drove around my neighbourhood with dad for 20 minutes," Dima Ikhwan posted on her Twitter page yesterday. One woman in Riyadh posted a video on YouTube showing herself driving soon after midnight, face veiled as she drove to a local supermarket undetected by police. Reuters could not verify the women's accounts and it was not possible to verify how many women had defied the ban. Alsharif's arrest last month after she posted a video on YouTube of herself driving appeared to have deterred other women. Released after 10 days in detention, Alsharif distanced herself from the campaign, saying the issue of women driving was best left to the authorities to handle. "When Alsharif's arrest happened many of the women were intimidated because they do not want to be arrested," said Mariam Alawi, a Jeddah resident with a driving license from the United States who chose not participate in the campaign. "I think the campaign to defy the driving ban will hinder the process of legalising women driving in Saudi Arabia because it will just provoke the authorities," Alawi said. Activist Wajiha al-Huweider argued, however, that the movement would gain steam as more women defy the ban. "It is not a one-day thing or a demonstration, it is the first day of a movement that will continue until we see a new law to allow women to drive," Huweider said. "Maybe we will see more women in the coming days." — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Bersih: Komen Rais kaitkan serangan siber tak masuk akal, kata Ambiga Posted: 18 Jun 2011 01:53 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 18 Jun – Pengerusi Bersih 2.0 Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan menyangkal dakwaan Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim sambil menafikan sebarang kaitan penganjuran Himpunan Bersih 2.0 dengan siri serangan siber ke atas laman web kerajaan dan swasta sejak Selasa lalu. "Ia sangat tidak berasas, tidak munasabah dan tidak masuk akal bagi seorang anggota Kabinet membuat dakwaan ini, yang seharusnya lebih menyedari daripada membuat dakwaan liar seperti itu," kata Ambiga (gambar) kepada The Malaysian Insider. Justeru kata beliau, komen Menteri Penerangan, Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan itu bukan sahaja tidak adil kepada Bersih 2.0 tetapi juga ke atas rakyat Malaysia yang mempunyai hak berperlembagaan untuk berhimpun secara aman.  "Saya sangat terkejut dengan (kenyataan) meracau beberapa anggota pentadbiran terhadap Bersih 2.0 dan usaha-usaha mereka memperlekehkan Bersih dan saya melihat komen Rais Yatim ini salah satu daripadanya. "Saya melihat yang ini satu serangan ke atas orang ramai dan adalah sesuatu yang memalukan bagi mereka memilih (cara) ini daripada mendengar (suara) rakyat," kata bekas presiden Majlis Peguam ini. Semalam, Menteri Penerangan, Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim percaya serangan penggodam ke atas laman-laman web sejak Selasa lalu ada kaitan dengan Himpunan Bersih 2.0 di Kuala Lumpur, Sabah dan Sarawak 9 Julai ini, serta dilihat sebagai satu perbuatan tidak patriotik kepada negara. Kata Rais, beliau juga percaya tindakan itu bermotifkan politik dan bertujuan cuba melakukan sabotaj ke atas kerajaan. Sebanyak 198 laman web rasmi kerajaan telah digodam dengan 90 peratus penggodamnya dari dalam negara, kata Rais. Dalam satu kenyataan awal hari ini, Dewan Pemuda PAS pusat mencabar pentadbiran Najib membuktikan "fitnah" anggota Kabinetnya, yang semalam mendakwa serangan siber ke atas laman web kerajaan dan agensinya baru-baru ini, ada kaitan dengan Himpunan Bersih 2.0. Menegaskan pendirian mereka, Ketua Penerangan Pemuda PAS pusat Riduan Mohd Nor berkata, pihaknya kesal dengan sikap tidak bertanggungjawab Rais, didakwa menyalahgunakan kuasa beliau sebagai anggota jemaah menteri dengan menyebarkan fitnah berasaskan andaian semata-mata. Dalam pendiriannya hari ini, Ambiga juga mengecam reaksi melampau pihak-pihak tertentu terhadap Himpunan Bersih 2.0 dan menasihatkan Putrajaya agar memikirkan semula pendekatan mereka terhadap masyarakat madani. Tambah beliau, pentadbiran Najib seharusnya belajar daripada kerajaan Singapura yang melahirkan pendirian sanggup mendengar suara rakyat selepas pilihan raya umum baru-baru ini. "Apa yang Bersih mahukan ialah standard tinggi pilihan raya. Kami mahukan pilihan raya bersih. Sekarang, adakah sesuatu sangat melampau untuk meminta perkara itu?" kata Ambiga. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Putrajaya tak gentar ancaman penggodam Posted: 18 Jun 2011 01:21 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 18 Jun – Pentadbiran Najib tidak gentar dengan ancaman kumpulan penggodam yang menyerang 198 laman web tempatan termasuk portal rasmi kerajaan sejak lima hari lalu, kata Menteri Penerangan, Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim berkata Malaysia sebagai negara berdemokrasi mempunyai undang-undang untuk menghukum mereka yang melakukan perbuatan itu. Dipetik Bernama Online, Rais memberi jaminan siasatan serangan oleh kumpulan penggodam yang bergelar 'Anonymous' itu akan diketahui dalam masa terdekat selepas pihak yang berkaitan mengenal pasti mereka yang terbabit dalam kejadian itu. "Dalam perkiraan kita, mereka tidak menang dan kita tidak perlu takut kepada gertak dari dalaman mahupun luar tanah air," katanya di Rawang dekat sini hari ini. Menurutnya, serangan penggodam itu tidak merebak dengan meluas kerana hanya sebahagian laman web rasmi kerajaan mahupun swasta mengalami kerosakan dan tidak mengakibatkan kelumpuhan terhadap keseluruhan sistem laman web yang digodam. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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McLeish’s murky managerial manoeuvrings Posted: 17 Jun 2011 04:25 PM PDT JUNE 18 — The story dominating English football's off-season this week has been Alex McLeish's unexpected managerial move from Birmingham City to cross-city rivals Aston Villa, and it's a saga that none of the protagonists come out of particularly well. Despite being the victims, Birmingham have managed to portray themselves in a less than flattering light by reacting in a rather petulant manner. Openly disclosing the terms of McLeish's contract and directly accusing Villa of "tapping up" the Scotsman was unnecessary, and probably served to diminish the weight of public sympathy that initially went in their direction. Even so, there has to be a likelihood that Villa have acted improperly. Clubs are not allowed to make contact with players or managers under contract elsewhere, and there's something more than suspicious about the fact that McLeish was correctly linked with the Villa vacancy immediately after his sudden and unexpected resignation from Birmingham. Villa are widely regarded as one of the most professional, scrupulous clubs in the country — they earned lavish praise from Wigan chairman Dave Whelan for their conduct during their unsuccessful courting of Latics manager Roberto Martinez — but on this occasion it's difficult to escape the conclusion that Villa discretely approached McLeish (i.e. "tapped him up") while he was still under employment at St Andrews. So neither club has covered themselves in glory, and McLeish's decision to defect from Birmingham for their most bitter local rivals, less than a month after he was given a vote of confidence despite leading his team to relegation, is symptomatic of the lack of loyalty that currently characterises professional sport. That doesn't mean we should judge him too harshly — virtually every manager or player would have done exactly the same thing in the same situation — but the haste with which McLeish jumped ship illustrates the self-serving, greedy, unsentimental nature of contemporary sport. Not just sport, in fact — the same can be said of contemporary society in general. Any employee in any profession would have little hesitation in accepting a better paid job with a more prestigious and successful rival organisation; such career promiscuity is in fact expected, to the extent that clauses prohibiting key staff from joining rivals are now commonplace. It would be nice to think that, having taken Birmingham down, McLeish's desire to return immediately to the English Premier League would be outweighed by a moral obligation to put things right at Birmingham. But that would be an unrealistic expectation in an age where self-promotion, avarice and naked ambition are constantly promoted as healthy personal virtues. (At least, that's the dominant mentality in the western world; perhaps things are different in Asia?). In the current ethical environment, McLeish's decision to accept Villa's advances is a straightforward one: he has been given an opportunity to further his career by returning to the Premier League, taking charge of a prestigious club, and no doubt enjoying the additional benefit of a sizeable pay rise, and all without any upheaval to his personal life (joining another club in the same city obviously means he won't have to move house, for example). Never mind the fact that, as manager, he has to bear a large amount of responsibility for Birmingham's relegation at the end of last season, and that he was perhaps fortunate to avoid the sack at the culmination of that unsuccessful campaign. He has been offered a good job, so he was always going to take it without looking back — that's just the modern way. From Villa's perspective, it is a strange appointment. Owner Randy Lerner and his trusted CEO Paul Faulkner must have been impressed with what they saw when they observed McLeish at close quarters during his three-and-a-half year stint across the city, but going to such lengths to recruit a manager who has just been relegated is an unusual move. It's not as though there were no other suitable candidates: Mark Hughes, Steve McClaren, Dave Jones, Alan Curbishley, Chris Hughton and Sam Allardyce are among the managers who were unattached at the end of the season and fitted Villa's criteria of managerial experience in the Premier League. They would also have been far easier to hire, in logistical terms, than poaching McLeish from their neighbours. But these are hard times at Villa Park. Lerner is reluctant to pump more money into an organisation that is already costing him a fortune every year, and the new manager will probably be forced to sell players and show an increasing reliance on the club's impressive youth development system. Lerner and Faulkner may well have concluded that the job needs a tough, thick-skinned personality with low budgetary expectations, who is happy to work with young players and is already battle hardened in the lower reaches of the Premier League. If that's the case, McLeish could well be the right man for the job, but he'll have to start well to win over Villa's disenchanted supporters. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

The special position of Sabah and Sarawak Posted: 17 Jun 2011 04:21 PM PDT JUNE 18 — I must admit I used to be a typical "orang Semenanjung." I questioned why the people of Sabah and Sarawak insisted on doing things differently, and for having far more extensive powers than the states in Peninsular Malaysia. This was before I ever set foot in those two states. Like many Peninsular Malaysians who have travelled across the world, those parts of my country remained a mystery to me. I first visited Sarawak for a party programme in October 2009 and Sabah in June 2010. Since then I have had the privilege of revisiting both states quite a number of times. The "special powers" of Sabah and Sarawak are derived from the Malaysia Agreement that was signed in July 1963 by the British, Malayan, Sabah, Sarawak and Singapore governments that paved the way for the birth of the Federation of Malaysia. The Federal Parliament then duly made amendments to the Malayan Constitution to incorporate provisions from this treaty. There were many clauses to the Agreement, but they included: –  The control of entry and residence for non-Sabahans and non-Sarawakians –  The protection of the legal profession in the state, whereby only lawyers who were residents of Sabah and Sarawak or fulfilled the residential requirements of the two states could practise law in Sabah and Sarawak –  The continuance of the native courts system alongside the syariah courts in Sabah and Sarawak –  Sabah and Sarawak would have other sources of revenue from the federal government, and they could charge their own sales tax –  The chief ministers of Sabah and Sarawak were to be consulted on the appointment of the chief judge of the High Court of Sabah and Sarawak Shad Saleem Faruqi describes the position of Sabah and Sarawak as similar to that of Quebec in Canada, Kashmir in India and Northern Ireland in the United Kingdom, in that they are accorded certain privileges not available to other states or regions in those country. Thus, when Peninsular Malaysians wonder about why Sabah and Sarawak are different, we need to remember that these powers are just as important as the special position given to the Bumiputeras, Islam, Bahasa Malaysia and the Rulers. These "idiosyncrasies" are enshrined in the Constitution because of the historical consensus that gave birth to it. Thus, as I pointed out in the Kaamatan events I attended in Penampang and Tuaran recently, as a Malaysian I have a duty to defend the special position of Sabah and Sarawak. It should not be the responsibility of East Malaysians alone, but that of all citizens who want to uphold the spirit of our Constitution. It is the lack of respect (or even utter ignorance) for this principle that is a source of dissatisfaction for many Sabahans and Sarawakians. This is combined with the sad fact that the two states are far behind in developmental terms with enormous pockets of poverty despite their wealth of natural resources. Basic amenities that the rakyat in the peninsula take for granted such as water or electricity, are luxuries for many East Malaysians. People in the Klang Valley complain about jammed highways and slow Internet connections. Some in Sabah and Sarawak, however, – even in the suburbs of the main cities and towns – have to make do with rainwater and generators, and their areas often lack decent roads and sanitation. One feels that it would be wise for Peninsular Malaysians to discard the attitude that Putrajaya or peninsula knows best. There are many things that we can learn from our fellow citizens across the South China Sea — the fact that they are a far more diverse, multi-ethnic and multi-religious society living largely at peace with themselves is surely something that we can emulate back in the peninsula. The biggest tragedy is that Sabah and Sarawak, which Barisan Nasional deems its "fixed deposits", continues to languish under its control. Indeed, if it was not because of the stranglehold that the ruling oligarchy exercises over the two Borneo states, BN would have lost the 2008 general election. But things are changing in East Malaysia. The presence established by Pakatan Rakyat since the 2006 Sarawak state elections has grown into the further inroads at the 2008 and 2011 editions. Sabahans and Sarawakians have in those elections shown a desire for change. Peninsular Malaysians who are eager for reform need to make Sabah and Sarawak our partners, not merely to get to Putrajaya but most importantly to make sure that this country lives up to the promises and ideals of its founding. * 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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Bak kut teh, reinvented Posted: 17 Jun 2011 04:51 PM PDT James Tean — taking bak kut teh to a new and different level PETALING JAYA, June 18 — It was the first time I had stepped into the newly-opened SStwo Mall, but you can be sure I will be back to the J Tean Kitchen. I had sampled a wide range of their dishes, most of which drew their flavours from bak kut teh spices, with some nifty tinkering in the kitchen. Leading us through the tasting was James Tean, he of Tean's Gourmet fame, whose curry pastes and claypot bak kut teh spice mixes have been the life-saver of many homesick Malaysians living abroad. Back home, these have been on the shelves of every supermarket and even markets, so popular they are. Curry rib spaghetti... slurpy good The affable Tean describes himself as a food manufacturer who had a humble start as a maintenance mechanic for Nestle's Maggi brand in 1971. He kept a close watch on food production, learnt about the processes and experimented with a chilli sauce. It grew so popular he sold the Life brand chilli sauce to KFC. Then he turned his energy to perfecting his brand — Claypot Bak Kut Teh — and Tean's curry pastes. "I'm an R & D man," said Tean, which explained why once each business was up and running, he would turn it over to a management team. Bak kut teh has been the passion of this Klang-based entrepreneur for the last 29 years. He even opened a small bak kut teh shop there, after paying a Klang bak kut teh cook RM8,000 to learn the trade! The younger set is sure to fall in love with the J-Rib "First the Claypot spice mix. When we sell it to housewives, they have the problem of which soya sauce to use. So I incorporate this into my mix. They just have to buy the meat, add two cloves of garlic and they can start cooking." Now he wants to take his bak kut teh to another level, hence J Tean Kitchen. While the classic Klang Bak Kut Teh is still on the menu, now there are J-Ribs and the J-Knuckle, BKT Pork Burger, Braised Pork with Buns, J-Soup, J-Porky Pie, Curry Rib Spaghetti, and Lionhead, among several others. New dishes not on the menu kept turning up for us to taste, such as the Braised Pork Knuckle (Yuen Tai), the Mantou Pork Burger, Stewed Chicken Feet with tofu and hard-boiled eggs and Wine Chicken. Outstanding among these was the J-Knuckle (right pic), a crispy, deepfried one with the tender meat falling off the bone, and served with a Thai garlicky dip that had the sweet, sour and hot flavours well balanced. The J-Ribs (left pic) tasted ordinary compared to the knuckle, but it will probably be a draw among younger diners because of the leaner meat on the ribs, and the light sweet sauce. The J-Knuckle served with a Thai sauce is full of contrasting flavours We all plumped for the BKT Burger, and we predict a bestseller with this. The meat patty had been fried, then lightly stewed with bak kut teh spices. There's just a hint of the spices; the pork patty is moist, with an onion relish giving it a tangy lift. Have this meat patty within a fluffy mantou and it takes on a different dimension in texture and taste — it's simply scrumptious. Dip a spoon through the puff pastry of the J-Porky Pie, and there's the punch of chilli and spices in the half-dry meat, and the delicious aroma and distinctive flavour of cuttlefish strips. The Lionhead meatballs doused in a sweet sauce with chilli and served with mantou make light and fun bites. The Curry Rib Spaghetti was mildly hot, and is another "young" dish. I would have enjoyed the Bak Kut Teh more with some crispy yu tiao, but the restaurant is still sourcing for these. The Braised Pork Knuckle was simply scrumptious, with the tender meat soaking in all essence of the gravy. This is a must try: J-Porky pie The Braised Pork Buns has light Chinese buns filled with half-fat meat braised in a bak kut teh gravy and garnished with vegetables. The filling was a little salty and overwhelmed the spiced meat within the delicate buns. We tasted two desserts — the Golden Beach, a smooth, yummy blend of pumpkin and yam, with sago and small bits of waterchestnut in it , and the Malacca Rainbow with konyaku jelly and water chestnut in coconut milk and gula Melaka. It's a restaurant that should appeal to a younger crowd, while piquing the interest of older people. Drum tables and stools, even "opium" bed seats for alfresco dining  give a distinctive old-new touch to the décor. The food is reasonably priced: the light bites like the Braised Pork Bun is RM7.90, Porky Pie RM19.90, J-Knuckle RM38.90, J-Ribs RM34.90, Curry Rib Spaghetti RM19.90. The BKT burger is totally yum! J-Tean Kitchen is located at Lot G-58, Ground Floor SStwo Mall, No 40 Jalan SS2/72, Petaling Jaya. Tel: 03-7954 0819. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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McIlroy stretches lead to six shots in record fashion Posted: 17 Jun 2011 08:56 AM PDT A walk in the park for Rory McIlroy on the second day of the US Open. — Reuters pic BETHESDA, Maryland, June 17 — Rory McIlroy stretched his US Open lead to six strokes today after a record-setting start to his second round at Congressional Country Club. The 22-year-old Northern Irishman holed out his approach shot on the par-four eighth hole for eagle to reach 10 under par at the 111th US Open, the fastest any player had ever reached double digits below par in the championship. McIlroy also birdied the fourth and sixth holes before his spectacular eagle, where he landed his second shot about 18 feet past the hole and watched it trickle down a slope and curl into the cup. Even playing partner Phil Mickelson clapped in admiration at the shot by the Briton, who had led the Masters two months ago by four strokes heading into the final round before blowing his chances with a last-day 80. The sensational play by McIlroy, who had yet to make a bogey and held a three-shot lead overnight, was threatening to turn the year's second major into a rout. Closest to the young Briton was former Masters champion Zach Johnson, who eagled the sixth hole and had two birdies to cover the front nine in four-under 32, matching the score registered by McIlroy on a humid, overcast day. Johnson, who posted an opening 71, stood at four-under, one clear of his fellow American Robert Garrigus, who was two-under for the day through 11 holes. Also at three under par and yet to tee off was Yang Yong-eon of South Korea. The 2009 PGA champion was due to tee off for the second round at 1335 (1735 GMT). Out on the course and tied for fifth place on two under par were Masters winner Charl Schwartzel of South Africa, who was one over through eight holes, and Spain's Sergio Garcia, who was even par as he made the turn. Later starters who returned two-under-par 69s in the first round included British Open champion Louis Oosthuizen and American Ryan Palmer. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Manchester United kick off title defence at West Brom Posted: 17 Jun 2011 07:21 AM PDT Manchester United brave the adulation of fans in a winners parade in Manchester, May 30, 2011. — Reuters pic LONDON, June 17 — Manchester United will kick off their title defence at West Bromwich Albion on August 13, the Premier League said on Friday when they issued the fixture list for the new season. Runners-up Chelsea, who are still to name their new manager following the departure of Carlo Ancelotti at the end of last season, are also away on the opening day when they head to FA Cup finalists Stoke City. Newly promoted Swansea City, back in the top flight for the first time since 1983, will get an immediate taste of the high life with a trip to big-spending Manchester City, who won the FA Cup last season, finished third in the league and will be appearing in the Champions League for the first time. The two other promoted teams, Queens Park Rangers and Norwich City, play at home against Bolton Wanderers and away at Wigan Athletic respectively. Arsenal, hoping to win their first trophy in seven seasons, have a tricky start, travelling to Newcastle United where they drew 4-4 last season after leading 4-0 at halftime, before matches at home to revitalised Liverpool and away to champions United. Arsene Wenger, who faced some criticism last season for the first time in nearly 15 years at Arsenal, is not helped by his side having to play in the Champions League playoff round in August, having missed out on qualifying directly for the group stage after finishing fourth. Last season's top two do not have long to wait before their first match against each other, with Chelsea heading to Old Trafford on the weekend of September 17/18. United won a record 19th English championship, and a 12th Premier League title under manager Alex Ferguson, last season and will start the new one as favourites with bookmakers Ladbrokes who give odds of 7-4 for United to retain the title, ahead of Chelsea at 5-2 and Manchester City at 7-2. Liverpool, who improved under Kenny Dalglish in the second half of last season and are targeting a top four finish after two seasons adrift, begin at home against Sunderland. However, Dalglish is unhappy about the timing of the new season, coming after midweek internationals. "I would ask why the season is starting on a Saturday when there are friendlies the midweek before," he said. "Clubs are doing their best to bring in good players and that usually means they are international players. "There is a free week after the first weekend so I don't understand why we can't start the season on a Sunday to prevent players having to travel back on a Wednesday night in time for a Saturday start." United, beginning to rebuild after losing the Champions League final to Barcelona, have brought in defender Phil Jones from Blackburn Rovers, and as ever, have been linked to many others including Luka Modric of Tottenham Hotspur. Spurs, who finished fifth last season, are attempting to fight off all attempts to lure the Croatian away from White Hart Lane with manager Harry Redknapp saying his key midfielder was not for sale at any price. Tottenham travel to United on the second weekend, which features several high calibre games, including Liverpool's trip to Arsenal and a north-east derby between Newcastle United and Sunderland. Aston Villa, who named Alex McLeish as their new manager on Friday, despite the protests of fans angry at the arrival of the former Birmingham City manager at Villa Park, travel to Fulham who start a new era after the departure of Mark Hughes, with former Spurs boss Martin Jol in charge. Opening fixtures: Blackburn Rovers v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Fulham v Aston Villa, Liverpool v Sunderland, Manchester City v Swansea City, Newcastle United v Arsenal, Queens Park Rangers v Bolton Wanderers, Stoke City v Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur v Everton, West Bromwich Albion v Manchester United, Wigan Athletic v Norwich City — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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