By Jamie L.

PETALING JAYA: A Filipina maid was found murdered in her employer's home at Jalan Gasing near here.

The employer found out the victim's body in her bedroom at 11.45pm on Saturday after returning home from dinner.

Petaling Jaya OCPD Asst Comm Arjunaidi Mohamed said Sunday police believe the murderer was known to the 36-year-old victim as there were no signs of break-in.

Initial police forensics unit findings show the victim, who was fully clothed, had bruise marks on her neck, suggesting she was strangled, and blunt force trauma marks to the back of her head.

"Some items were reported missing and we are still investigating as no suspects have been identified so far," he said.

The victim had been working as a maid at home for the past 9 years.

The victim's body was sent to the University Malaya Medical Centre (PPUM) for post mortem.

By Jamie L.

Release Date: 11th August 2011
Language: English
Genre: Action/Comedy
Director: Frank Coraci
Cast: Kevin James, Rosario Dawson, Leslie Bibb, Cher, Adam Sandler, Sylvester Stallone

Synopsis: In Zookeeper, the animals at the Franklin Park Zoo love their kindhearted care taker, Griffin Keyes (Kevin James). Finding himself more comfortable with a lion than a lady, Griffin decides the only way to get a girl in his life is to leave the zoo and find more glamorous job. The animals, in a panic, decide to break their time-honored code of silence and reveal their biggest secret: they can talk! To keep Griffin from leaving, they decide to teach him the rules of courtship-animal style.

To watch the trailer, click here

By Jamie L.

By Jamie L.

IPOH: Two students of Sekolah Menengah Tunku Abdul Rahman (STAR) Ipoh were rushed to the hospital after being stung by hornets when they were returning from a climb to Mount Korbu near Kuala Kangsar, about 60km from here, on Saturday.

Kuala Kangsar Fire and Rescue Department Senior Officer Ismail Darus said the victims, Mohd Adlin Aiman Razali and Mohd Harith Zainuddin, both 14, suffered swells on the body and were being treated at the Kuala Kangsar Hospital.

"They are still being treated at the hospital and are in stable condition," he said.

He said the incident happened at 7pm when the two with 23 other students from the school were coming down from the mountain to return to their school hostel.

The other students were uninjured.

By Jamie L.

Release Date: 28th July 2011
Language: English
Genre: Comedy
Duration: 1 hour 42 minutes
Director: Todd Philips
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Zach Galifianakis, Ed Helms, Liam Neeson

Synopsis: In "The Hangover Part II," Phil (Bradley Cooper), Stu (Ed Helms), Alan (Zach Galifianakis) and Doug (Justin Bartha) travel to exotic Thailand for Stu's wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdues pre-wedding brunch. However, things don't always go as planned. What happens in Vegas may stay in Vegas, but what happens in Bangkok can't even be imagined.

To watch the trailer, click here

By Jamie L.

BUTTERWORTH: A 13-year-old girl from Butterworth is claiming that her mother inserted chili into her private parts.

The girl was spotted wandering around the town with her school bag on Wednesday night.

When approached, the girl refused to go home and remained quiet.

The girl later told the police that she was tormented by her mother who had inserted chili into her private parts.

However, the mother denied this when she was called by police.

The girl refused to go back to her mother and stayed at a neighbor's house overnight.

By Jamie L.

SAN FRANCISCO: The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) released on July 19, reported on consumer satisfaction with the Internet, including social media was found that Facebook was the lowest ranked site of its kind.

This year in the category Internet Social Media the report scored three websites - Wikipedia, Facebook, and You Tube including others but MySpace was not included in this year's report.

Wikipedia scored highest with 78, You Tube came in second place with 74, followed by social media websites under the category of others with a score of 67; social networking Facebook came last with a score of 66.

Whether customer dissatisfaction with Facebook will lead customers to switch to Google's new social network Google+ remains to be seen; but it does appear that customers are moving away from Facebook.

It was shown in a separate report released June 12 by Facebook monitoring site inside Facebook, which found the amount of active users on the social networking site to be declining throughout the North America and parts of Northern Europe.

By Jamie L.

TOKYO: An earthquake measuring 6.5 on the Richter scale jolted Japan's northeastern Miyago Prefecture and its vicinity on Saturday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency.

The focus of the quake, which happened at 13:34 p.m. local time (0434 GMT), was situated some 125km off the coast of Sendai, Miyagi with a depth of 35.7km under seabed, China's Xinhua news agency quoted the agency and the United States Geological Survey as saying.

There were no instant reports of casualties or damage to properties, and no tsunami warning was issued.

By Jamie L.

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc. is in talks to possibly bid for video-streaming service Hulu, according to a person close to the situation.

The person spoke on state of obscurity because they are not authorized to talk about the matter.

An acquisition of Hulu could bolster Apple's iTunes store, which gives videos users can rent or buy, and help it contend with Netflix Inc. Hulu offers a subscription streaming service. It also brings in incomes from ads that accompany content it streams to users free-of-charge.

Hulu, whose owners include The Walt Disney Co., News Corp. and Comcast Corp., started presenting its financial information to interested bidders late last month, after an unwelcome offer prompted its board to look for other offers.

By Jamie L.

SUBANG JAYA: The Lions Club of Subang Jaya and Cameron Highlands Hillview (CHH) sold vegetables and flowers to raise funds for two students of SK Subang Jaya who are stricken with cancer. Twenty boxes of flowers and vegetables were transported from Cameron Highlands, courtesy of CHH.

The event took place at the school canteen on the annual open day. Lions, Lionesses and teachers were the vegetable seller.

It got off to a slow start in the morning because of heavy rain. But, the sales improved when it stopped raining.

All the vegetables and flowers were sold out before noon.

The profits which totaling RM1,349 were handed over to the school.

By Jess T.


The ladies are on the move. Toka, Thika and Iringa, the three female elephants that remain at the Toronto Zoo, will be sent somewhere more comfortable to retire, following a decision by the zoo board Thursday.
The board hopes to send them to a zoo accredited by the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). But Joe Torzsok, chair of the board, said the vote doesn’t close the door to alternatives.
“This doesn’t rule out the option of a sanctuary,” such as those in Tennessee and California, Torzsok said. The zoo approved a motion Torzsok put forward that basically said if an accredited zoo home can’t be found, a sanctuary should be considered.
But after the vote AZA official Martha Fischer said there’s an “extremely high probability” the trio can be placed in one their approved facilities.
In support of sending the elephants to an AZA facility, zoo vice chair and city councillor Paul Ainslie joked that “when I retire, I want to go to a licensed nursing home.”
The zoo’s animal care and research committee will consult with the AZA about finding a suitable home and get back to the zoo board with a decision.
A move by city councillor and zoo board member Glenn De Baeremaeker to include sanctuaries in the initial search for a new home for the trio was voted down.
The sanctuary-versus-zoo issue was a major source of friction at Thursday’s meeting, with animal rights activists supporting sending the elephants to the PAWS (Performing Animal Welfare Society) facility in California, saying the centre is in a warm climate and provides ample space for the animals to roam.
But a Toronto zoo staff recommendation suggested there are numerous questions about the standard of care at that facility and another sanctuary in Tennessee that also isn’t AZA approved.
“There are too many unknowns involved as far as I’m concerned,” Eric Cole, supervisor of the zoo’s elephant enclosure told reporters.
“The sanctuaries don’t have any standards that they publish that are equivalent to AZA standards,” Cole said.
During a break in the meeting Ed Stewart, founder of PAWS, defended his institution in an interview, saying the “philosophy” at PAWS is different from that of AZA zoos.
“We’re not in the exhibition business, or animals-on-display business . . . we’re not interested in AZA accreditation,” Stewart said.
His facility offers about 56 hectares of space for elephants, eight of which call PAWS home. Toronto’s outdoor elephant paddocks are less than a hectare in total.
St. Catharines family Jordan Lukings, his wife Jacqueline and 10-month old daughter Morgan were at the zoo Thursday visiting the elephants.
Jordan said he’s saddened the pachyderms are leaving, adding it’s a shame the zoo will be losing such a major attraction, especially for children.
But both he and Jacqueline said they’ll still visit regardless.
The future of the elephant exhibit became an issue after seven elephants died at the zoo since 1984.
Consultants were hired to explore the best options, and a staff report released last week recommended phasing out the elephant exhibit. It concluded that, given the estimated $16.5 million cost of building more appropriate facilities, and future operating costs of $930,000 a year, keeping them wasn’t the best option.
The consulting report said the elephants need a new holding and exercise barn four times the size of the existing barn, and two new outdoor paddocks that would triple the current open-air space.
The existing herd, though healthy, is aging. Toka is about 41 years old; Thika, 30; Iringa, 42. Pachyderms are highly social animals who need companions to be happy, and in a short time the zoo could be below the AZA’s minimum standard of three.
The staff report also recommended the zoo “reassess its options” after a U.S. study on captive elephant care is completed in 2013. Other zoo animals could use the elephant enclosure in the interim, the report said.
Transferring the elephants will cost $30,000 to $50,000, and the staff report says it could take up to two years to prepare the beasts for a move.

By Sonia S.



PETALING JAYA: While newspapers in Britain were abuzz with reports that the owner of the world's most expensive luxury yacht is a Malaysian, no one can confirm it.
British daily The Sun reported that the 31m History Supreme is owned by a Malaysian businessman who paid 3bil (RM14.5bil) for it.

To put things in perspective, this figure is close to the estimated cost of the country's first mass rapid transit (MRT) system, which has a price tag of RM20bil.

The Sun also reported that the History Supreme is made out of 100 tonnes of gold and platinum, which cover more than half its surface, and the base of the vessel is wrapped in gold.

According to the newspaper, the businessman had approached Liverpool jeweller Stuart Hughes for this unique project. The businessman had even asked Hughes if he could customise an aeroplane.
Hughes, who is famous for creating exclusive, gold-plated and jewel-encrusted luxury items ranging from mobile phones to aquariums, took three years to build the yacht.

The yacht is believed to be based on Italian yacht-maker Baia's latest One Hundred model, which costs at least RM30mil.

By Sonia S.
   Apple has overthrow Nokia to become the world's number one smart phone seller. In its second-quarterly results on Thursday, the Finnish cellphone company reported that shipment of 16.7 million smart phones. But during the same period Apple shipped 20.3 million iPhones, the Cupertino, California-based company had announced in its quarterly results on Tuesday.

According to the analyst firm International Data Corporation (IDC) which tracks information technology markets, Nokia now accounts for just 16 % of smart phone sales globally - down from 37 % last year.
However, Nokia still continues to dominate the basic-feature cellphone market even though Samsung is now breathing down its neck in that market also.

In both smart phone and basic-feature cellphone markets, Nokia's share of the global market has slipped to 25 % from 34 % a year ago. But Nokia beat forecasts to post a net profit of $551 million during the period.
"Nokia is now bleeding on all fronts. On the smartphone segment its portfolio is not attractive in terms of user experience, ecosystem and even price. Since the company started struggling in 2009, a price differentiation strategy was pursued to keep volumes high, but even this does not working anymore. Consumers can already find better Android devices at lower prices than Nokia smart devices.

"This could even get worse in the next quarters as Apple is ruptured to be launching a cheaper iPhone in September. If this is true, Nokia will continue losing market share until the new platform from Microsoft is fully deployed. From the feature phones perspective, the high volume driver for Nokia, the situation won't get any better," according to the analyst firm.

The only hope for Nokia to reverse its decline now lies in the new Microsoft Window Phone 7 platform it is adopting from next year as its main smart phone strategy.

By Sonia S.
 Based on the Marvel Comics character from World War II. A brave, yet mild-mannered young soldier named Steve Rogers, volunteers to undergo a series of experiments for a US army Super Soldier program. The military succeeds in transforming him into a human weapon, but quickly decide that their Super Soldier is far too expensive a creation to risk in combat. So, they decide to put him to use as an army celebrity and parade him across Europe to boost morale by performing in USO shows for American troops. He is even given a costume that bear the colors of Old Glory for the stage. Then, when a Nazi plot reveals itself Rogers must rise up and and become the First Avenger, in order to save his country. Steve Rogers becomes Captain America and he earns his way into the hearts and souls of every American, bringing hope and justice to a war-weary nation. Later, during a mission to Germany to stop his archenemy - The Red Skull, from launching rockets at the allies, Captain America sacrifices himself and winds up frozen in ice for almost six decades! Revived, Steve Rogers now must join forces with new heroes and become an Avenger of the modern age.

By Sonia S.

Facebook was originally named TheFaceBook and it was developed by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg. The first use of the FaceBook was on the Harvard campus and it was limited only to Harvard students. Soon the FaceBook spread like wild fire around the other major U.S. Universities. Mark Zuckerberg drop out of Harvard and pursued his facebook dream to become one of the 4th most-trafficked websites in the world with more than 90 million active users. The FaceBook website is built on PHP-MySQL technology and it is probably the most popular PHP website ever built. Interesting fact is that the facebook.com domain was purchased for $200,000 and FaceBook has more than 24 million photos uploaded daily.

By Sonia S.

2012 is actually expected to be year of great positive change instead of doomsday. Back in 1899 something was discovered called Schumann Cavity Resonance. It is the heart beat or frequency of the Earth. Since its discovery till 1986 this heart beat frequency was constant 7.8 Hertz per second. From 1986 it started to raise dramatically and in 1998 it was reported to be 10 hertz per second. On other hand, magnetic of the earth are dropping dramatically and it is expected they will reach zero point in 2012. Maya calendar and other calendars end in 2012, but it is not the end of the world just beginning of the new one since every 26000 years Earth goes through grand cycle of evolution.

By Sonia S.
 
What is love? David Icke said: "Infinite Love is the Only Truth Everything Else is Illusion." However, scientists tried to explain love using our genes as the base of the medical study. They found that we are attracted to people that are genetically immune to the diseases and weaknesses that we are weak to. However, Alchemy teaches us a completely different approach. Alchemy or old sacred studies believe that our body (Personal Self) is build around four energies (or four egos) that make up our Personal Self (our body) which are The Physical Energy with its Needs, Sensational with its Desires, Emotional with its Feelings and Intellectual Energy with its Ideas. To reach Our Higher Self (our soul) these energies must be balanced. Since this is very difficult to do, in our indistinct world, we usually seek for someone (soul mate) that will help us achieve Higher Existence (same like our genes our soul mate's energies could fill half empty energies and empty our half spilling energies). Alchemy believes that we are not born with the soul, only with the seed of spirituality, and that our purpose in this dimension is to find our souls or to find our Higher Self.

By Jamie L.

MELAKA: The Home Ministry and the Australian government are to sign an agreement soon on the relocation of migrants, Deputy Home Minister Datuk Wira Abu Seman Yusop said.

He said the agreement was intended at preventing and eradicating cross-border crime in human trafficking and smuggling of migrants, which were considered serious.

"In this context, Australia will send 800 people to Malaysia while Malaysia will send to Australia 4,000 refugees known by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees," he said.

He said the Home Ministry would investigate and recognize the status of the 800 people who would be accepted into the country to determine if they were victims of human trafficking or illegal immigrants.

"If they were victims of human trafficking they would be given protection as had been gazetted," he said.

He said that if they were recognized as illegal immigrants they would be confined and deported to their countries of origin or referred to their respective diplomatic representatives.

In the meantime, Abu Seman said a total 510 suspects were confined by enforcement agencies as of June this year under the Anti-Trafficking in Persons and Anti-Smuggling of Migrants Act 2007.

Beckham, who released the first pictures of his daughter, says: "She's a mixture of me and Victoria. She's a mixture of our sons as well. She's absolutely stunning.
"[Victoria's] doing great. She's feeding great. She's healthy. She's looking after our little one so we're going to head home and give her a big kiss when we get in."
In tribute to his daughter, Beckham wore pink-and-white boots which featured the names of his three sons, Brooklyn, 12, Romeo, 8, and 6-year-old Cruz along and Harper when he took to the field with his team Los Angeles Galaxy on Saturday, where he was cheered on by his three eldest kids.
He told website HollyScoop: "They have pink stripes. [They're] obviously a one-off for the birth of my daughter, so yeah, it was a special day!"
Beckham, who wore the number seven on the back of his soccer shirt for many years, has revealed he is still getting used to having a daughter after three boys.
He said: "To have another girl in the family is really incredible. We've got three beautiful, healthy boys already and we're so lucky to have that and now to have a beautiful little girl, it's amazing.
"Having a daughter is a whole new thing. Having pink in the house and lilac in the house. And you have to be a lot more delicate with girls than with boys and I'm not used to that so it's a whole new experience but it's an amazing experience. To have that little bundle of joy and your hands and her making her little noises and opening her eyes - it really is an incredible moment for us."

By Carmeline A.


Final Destination 5

Starring: Miles Fisher, Arlen Escarpeta, Nicholas D'Agosto, Ellen Wroe, Megan Ory
Director: Steven Quale
Genre: Horror
Release Date: 11-Aug-2011
Language: English
Distributor: Warner Bros.

Synopsis:

Death makes a killing in the next installment in the horror series which once again proves that no matter where you run, no matter where you hide...you can't cheat death

By Carmeline A.

Being a parent today is filled with challenges, more so if you have a special child. You will have to deal with “other” issues such as, among others, the child being non-verbal, having

By Carmeline A.

KUALA LUMPUR: The Royal Commission of Inquiry, in an unanimous decision, found that Teoh Beng Hock had been driven to commit suicide by “aggressive, relentless, oppressive and unscrupulous” interrogation by three MACC officers.
The three named were Selangor MACC Deputy Director Hishamuddin Hashim, and his officers Mohamad Anuar Ismail and Ashraf Mohd Yunus.
The commission said that unlawful intimidatory tactics used "would have had grave consequences upon Teoh's mind and would have been a culminating factor that drove him to suicide.”
In the 124-page report released Thursday the commission said that three MACC officers had probably tried to coerce him into making a statement that it was Selangor state executive council member Ean Yong Hian Wah, Teoh's boss, who had “directed him to commit unlawful acts in handling” an allocation.
“This session must have been very taxing on Teoh both physically and mentally.
“He had been deprived of sleep throughout that night and into the morning and had had to endure persistent, aggressive and unscrupulous questioning.
“His physical condition as described by Ashraf when fetching him the glass of water was that Teoh had moved to sit in an upright position very slowly.
“This fourth interrogation session, to our minds, must have been the final straw that broke the camel's back.”
Teoh, 30, the political secretary to Ean, was found dead on July 16, 2009 on the fifth floor corridor of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam, Selangor, after giving a statement at the Selangor MACC office on the 14th floor of the same building.
The setting up of the commission was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak last Jan 26 after the Coroner's Court delivered an open verdict.
The commission also made some recommendations for the change of attitude of MACC officers as there were "serious weaknesses" at the Selangor MACC office.
These include:
a)brutality in interviews
b)poor interview skills
c)poor reporting
d)arrogance
e)poor relationship with the public and other agencies
f)insufficient use and understanding of the capacity of modern technology
g)possible problems with interaction between intelligence-gathering and evidence gathering
h)lack of discipline
Federal Court judge Tan Sri James Foong Cheng Yuen chaired the Commission of Inquiry.
The other CI members were former Federal Court judge Datuk Abdul Kadir Sulaiman, former Appeal Court judge Datuk T. S. Nathan, Penang Hospital's forensic pathology consultant Datuk Dr Bhupinder Singh, Dean of Cyberjaya Medical Science College University and consultant forensic psychiatrist Prof Dr Mohamed Hatta Shaharom and Legal Affairs Division Director-General at the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Saripuddin Kasim.
Saripuddin was appointed the commission's secretary while Amarjeet Singh a/l Serjit Singh (deputy head, Legal Affairs Division I), Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud (deputy public prosecutor) and Kwan Li Sa (deputy public prosecutor) were named conducting officers.
The CI was tasked with investigating Teoh's death as well as whether there were improprieties in the course of the MACC investigations into Teoh, in relation to the standing orders and practices, and to recommend any appropriate action, if necessary.
Throughout the proceedings from Feb 14 to May 18, 70 witnesses were called and 750 pages of written submissions were handed over to the Bar Council, MACC and conducting officers of the commission while 19,200 pages of notes on witnesses' testimonies and 256 exhibits were tabled.
The proceedings uncovered new information such as the content of text messages, telephone conversations and the computer of an MACC officer.
The MACC's investigations also exposed alleged irregularities in the awards of tenders for bumiputera contractors.
The commission, which had appointed its own investigator, former British police officer Michael Leslie Squires, was also assisted by Bar Council representatives and MACC lawyer Datuk Seri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah.
Last month, the commission's findings were submitted to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Tuanku Mizan Zainal Abidin.

NEW YORK (AP): Katy Perry's "Firework" had enough sparks to claim a leading nine MTV Video Music Award nominations, including video of the year.
Perry - who hosted the network's Wednesday night special announcing the nominations - was also nominated for best female video for "Firework," as well as best pop video for "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)."
Adele tied Kanye West with seven nominations. The best-selling British diva will compete with Perry for top video with "Rolling in the Deep." Others in the category include the Beastie Boys for "Make Some Noise"; rapper Tyler, the Creator for "Goblin"; and Bruno Mars for "Grenade."
Mars was nominated for four Moonman trophies. Other multiple nominees include Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Eminem.
The VMAs are scheduled for Aug. 28 in Los Angeles and will air live.

By Jamie L.

Release Date: TODAY! (21st July 2011)
Language: English
Genre: Thriller
Duration: 1 hour 51 minutes
Director: Joe Wright
Cast: Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, Saoirse Ronan

Synopsis: Hanna (Ronan) is a teenage girl. Uniquely, she has the strength, the stamina, and the smarts of a soldier; these come from being raised by her father (Bana), an ex-CIA man, in the wilds of Finland. Living a life unlike any other teenager, her up bringing have been one and the same, all geared to making her the perfect assassin. The turning point in her adolescence is a sharp one; sent into the world by her father on a mission, Hanna journeys stealthily across Europe while eluding agents dispatched after her by a ruthless intelligence operative with secrets of her own (Blanchett). As she nears her ultimate target, Hanna faces startling revelations about her existence and unexpected questions about her humanity.

So, what are you waiting for? Go and watch this new release movie now!

By Jamie L.

KEDAH: Hearing a scraping sound while putting up the curtains in the living room, a housewife was shocked to see that a monitor lizard had roamed into the house.

More horrifyingly, the reptile quickly moved to the adjoining bedroom and crawled up to where her two-month-old baby was sleeping.

"I quickly rushed to the bed to pick up my child and panicked when I saw traced of blood on the little girl's head," said Nor Faizah Aziz, 27, when relating the incident which occured at 11.30am on Tuesday at her house in Pendang, Kedah.

Her family called the local Civil Defence Corps to catch the 5kg reptile while she rushed to a clinic to have little Eryna Insirah Mohd Redzuan, who had scratches and light injuries on her head, treated.

Pendang civil defence operations chief Izzudin Inus Meah said it took them five minutes to trap the scaly intruder which vomited out a kitten before it was caught.

He said the lizard would be handed over to the wildlife department, adding that it was a rare case since the corps had mainly dealt with snakes slithering into home previously.

By Jess T.

SHANGHAI—Yao Ming should make it official on Wednesday, announcing what is widely expected to be his retirement from the NBA and a sport that made him a household name in China.
The seven-foot-six centre for the Houston Rockets played for eight seasons in the NBA, but has missed 250 regular-season games over the past six years. His career, including frequent appearances for the Chinese national team at Olympics and world championships, has been punctuated by leg and foot injuries.
On Wednesday, a large reception hall at a hotel in the Pudong section of Shanghai — Yao’s hometown — has been booked for what will likely be the country’s media event of the year.
Hundreds of media have been accredited to attend the restricted event and are expected to arrive hours early to go through security checks. It is expected to be broadcast live in China and in many countries around the world.
Reports have been circulating for nearly two weeks that the 30-year-old star would retire, but the Rockets have not commented due to the NBA lockout and his management refused to confirm the reports. The NBA said it has not received official retirement paperwork from Yao.
Yao’s contract expired after last season, and the Rockets said they were interested in re-signing him if he came back healthy. Yao said in April in China that his professional future depended on his recovery from a stress fracture in his left ankle.
Named to the NBA all-star team eight times after being the top overall pick in the 2002 draft, Yao averaged 19 points and 9.2 rebounds. More importantly, his impact expanded the NBA’s influence in Asia into lucrative merchandise sales and TV ratings.
Yao had played six years with the Chinese national team before joining the Rockets, and was already a star in his home country.
He carried the Olympic torch through Tiananmen Square and his country’s flag during the opening ceremonies at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.
He also donated US$2 million and set up a foundation to rebuild schools in the wake of the 2008 earthquake in Sichuan.
After his rookie season, Yao helped the Rockets reach the playoffs in the next two seasons.
Yao played in 77 games in the 2008-09 season, when Houston reach the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1997.
But Yao broke his left foot in a post-season game against the Los Angeles Lakers, and underwent complex surgery that sidelined him for the entire 2009-10 season. He lasted only five games at the start of the 2010-11 season, before breaking his left ankle. He underwent surgery in January, and was lost for the season again.
Kevin Durant was on a promotional tour in China earlier this month when he was asked about Yao’s impact on the game.
“Tough, man, tough to see a great player and a great competitor like Yao Ming leave the game after being injured a few years,” Durant said during a stop in the city of Tianjin, east of Beijing.
“He comes in, he works everyday. He sets such a good example for the players coming into the league.”

By Jamie L.

By Jamie L.

KUALA LUMPUR: If you are between the many who just cannot remember when your driving license needs to be renewed, there is now the perfect "reminder" a birthday renewal.

Transport Minister Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha, who revealed this yesterday, said the Road Transport Department (JPJ) was operating on the particulars.

He said many motorists caught driving with expired licenses tended to use the excuse of forgetting to renew it.

"If the holder's next birthday is less than six months after the expiry of the license, the fee for the period will be free during the transition time," he said.

But if the period between the holder's next birthday and the expiry date of the license was more than six months, the holder would be charged 50% of the renewal fee, he added.

Kong said license holders would still be permitted to renew their license for up to five years.

The minister said the RTD was open to feedback and ideas on the proposed renewal system.

By Carmeline A.

SEPANG: A group of 15 Chelsea die-hard fans from Yangon, Myanmar arrived at the KL International Airport (KLIA) today to watch the friendly match between The Blues against the Malaysian Olympic squad at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil on Thursday.
The group leader, Zaw Htun, 38, said they were excited by the prospect of watching the Chelsea team under the tutelage of new coach, Andres Villas-Boas and the team's young bloods, Patrick Van Aanholt, Ryan Bertrand, Daniel Sturridge, Billy Clifford and Slobodan Rajkoviv.
"Since Malaysia is one of venues for the Chelsea Asian Tour, we took this opportunity to come here.
"We also want to watch how the star-studded Chelsea players like Didier Drogba, Nicolas Anelka and Fernando Torres perform against the Malaysian side," he told Bernama at the KLIA today.
Zaw said another group of 32 Blues fans from Myanmar would be arriving here tomorrow, to watch the match.
Thein Tin, 36, said he wanted to see the Chelsea players in action, live, as there was no live telecast in his country for the English Premier League (EPL) Asian Tour.
"I've been following the team for a few years now and hopefully the new manager will guide the Blues to win the EPL Cup next season which starts in August," he said.

By Jess T.

The battle over Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation is splitting American politics along party lines, with senior Democrats calling for investigations into the company while some senior Republicans play down the crisis.
Allegations that News International reporters may illegally have attempted to obtain the phone numbers of 9/11 victims have prompted an FBI probe into the company, which this week launched a preliminary investigation into the allegations. But a backlash has begun, focusing on the source of the claim: a single story in the Daily Mirror.
The former Republican presidential candidate Senator John McCain has criticised the decision to investigate, saying there is little evidence so far that the problem of phone hacking had spread to the US and the probe was unjustified. "It seems to me that this is a British issue that needs to be resolved first," he told Sky News. "I've heard of no evidence or allegation yet of anything being done in the United States of America."
His defence is significant not only because he is a senior Republican but also because he has criticised News Corp in the past. In 2001, he publicly questioned its plans to take over the satellite television service DirecTV, citing concerns over media consolidation.
On Saturday, the Washington Post criticised the Mirror report, saying it "appears to be based on a shaky foundation. The Mirror names no specific sources in its reporting, and it relies on a single anonymous second-hand source for its account."
More predictably, support has also come from News Corp's right-leaning cable channel Fox News, where there has been a reluctance to devote as much time to the story as other outlets, especially the left-leaning MSNBC network. A recent episode of the show Fox and Friends featured a media consultant, Robert Dilenschneider, who said that the scandal was being overplayed and Murdoch had "done all the right things".
Though one Republican congressman, Peter King, has been influential in calling for probes into News Corp, the bulk of the anger has come from Democrats. Four Democratic senators have written letters to the department of justice and the securities and exchange commission asking for investigations. They include powerful figures such as California senator Barbara Boxer and West Virginia senator Jay Rockefeller, who chairs the influential senate commerce committee.
At the same time John Podesta, a former Clinton chief of staff who is close to Obama, has come out swinging against News Corp. In an interview in Canada this week, he attacked Fox News and declared that the company might have broken US laws if it paid bribes to police in Britain. "This is not one rogue editor. This is an empire that was built on a set of journalistic ethics that's beginning to explode and unravel," he said.
Liberal campaigning groups have mobilised against News Corp: a protest was organised this week outside Rupert Murdoch's New York apartment, and there is a petition drive calling for an official investigation into the company. There has also been a focus on the company's political contributions, notably to the Republican Governors Association and the US Chamber of Commerce. That issue may prove less suitable for clear-cut campaigning, however, because News Corp has given money to politicians from both parties in the past.

NEGERI SEMBILAN: A secondary school in Bahau, Negeri Sembilan, chose to remove all the doors in its male toilets to punish vandals. 

By Jess T.

A volatile volcano in central Indonesia has unleashed its most powerful eruption yet, spewing hot ash and smoke thousands of metres into the air and sending panicked villagers racing back to emergency shelters. There were no immediate reports of casualties.
Mount Lokon, located on northern Sulawesi island, has been dormant for years but rumbled back to life late last week.
A series of overnight blasts on Thursday and Friday claimed one life – a woman who suffered a heart attack as she fled.
But Surono, a government volcanologist who uses only one name, said Sunday's eruption at 10.35am has released the greatest amount of energy so far, shooting soot and debris 3,500 metres into the sky.
"We're hoping this helped ease pressure building up behind the magma dome and that we'll now start seeing a reduction in activity," he said. "But it's too early to know."
More than 33,000 people live along the slopes of Mount Lokon, taking advantage of fertile soil to grow cloves and coffee. About 5,000 of them with homes nearest to the crater have been relocated in recent days to schools, mosques and other makeshift shelters near the base.
Despite warnings that the mountain was still not safe, some had returned early on Sunday to tend to their crops and their livestock.
The powerful explosion sent them racing back down the slopes, some jumping into cars and motorcycles, others rounded up by soldiers and police and escorted down in trucks.
"It was huge," said Henny Lalawi, who works as a picker for a coffee plantation. "It sounded like a bomb and then I saw the crater burst, sending ash high into the air. It was pretty awesome, really."
She said she'll have to go back when things settle down. "It's only ash, after all, and I need the work."
Mount Lokon is one of about 129 active volcanoes in Indonesia. Its last major eruption in 1991 killed a Swiss hiker and forced thousands of people to flee their homes.
Indonesia, a vast archipelago of 240 million people, is prone to earthquakes and volcanoes because it sits along the "Ring of Fire", a horseshoe-shaped string of faults that lines the Pacific Ocean.

By Jamie L.

1. Cedar Point, Ohio, US.
Cedar Point has the most number of roller coasters of any theme park in the world. Some of the park's tallest, fastest and most terrifying rides such as Millennium Force and Top Thrill Dragster are legendary.





2. Universal's Islands of Adventure, Orlando, US.
Popular for its cutting edge rides and shows, this theme park brings to life your favorite children's' tales. Harry Potter fans will be charmed by The Wizarding World of Harry Potter and its latest attraction, Harry Potter and The Forbidden Journey that combine a dark, twisty ride with a startling cinematic experience.

3. Pleasure Beach Blackpool, England, UK.
This park is home to some of the biggest, fastest and scariest in the country. The highlight is Valhalla which is the world's most expensive dark ride, constructed at a cost of £15 million, featuring 85ft plunges. The Pepsi Max Big, UK's tallest roller coaster is also here, along with or the Irn Bru Revolution looping coaster that features a whopping 360-degree vertical loop.
4. Europa-Park, Rust, Germany.
The largest theme park in Germany, it highlights 13 European-themed countries within the park. A perfect place to discover Europe; step into Iceland's Blue Fire Megacoaster, one of Europe's best roller coasters, or head over to 'France' for an adrenaline rush on the Silver Star with speeds of up to an astonishing 130km/h!

5. Tokyo DisneySea, Japan.
Inspired by myths and legends of the sea, a trip to Tokyo DisneySea would not be complete without a stopover at the Mermaid Lagoon and the stunning display of King Triton's underwater palace. Take the terrifying 194ft free fall from the Tower of Terror or dive into the 20,000 Leagues under the Sea submarine to explore the breathtaking depths of the ocean in the Mysterious Island.

By Jamie L.

By Jess T.

David and Victoria Beckham may have been overjoyed to welcome their new daughter, Harper Seven, last week but, according to a growing group of campaigners, the birth of their fourth child make the couple bad role models and environmentally irresponsible.
As the world's population is due to hit seven billion at some point in the next few days, there is an increasing call for the UK to open a public debate about how many children people have.
Now the Green MP, Caroline Lucas, has joined other leading environmentalists in calling for the smashing of what TV zoologist Sir David Attenborough has called the "absurd taboo" in discussing family size in the UK.
Lucas said: "We need to have a far greater public debate about population, whether it focuses on improving family planning or reducing global inequality – and looking again at how we address the strain on our natural resources. The absence of an open and honest discussion about this issue means most people don't give much thought to the scale of global population growth in recent years. In 1930, just one or two generations ago, the world's population stood at around two billion. Today it is around seven billion, and by 2050 it is projected to rise by a third to 9 billion.
"We live as if we have three planets instead of just one. It is interesting that public figures, environmental groups and NGOs in general have tended to steer away from population to the extent that it's become a taboo issue. The horrific consequences of China's one-child policy and of other draconian efforts to regulate procreation have, for many, rendered discussion of the subject completely unpalatable. Yet as long as an issue remains a taboo subject where no one talks about it, then there's very little chance of finding the solutions we need."
It is a view that is being pushed by the UK-based Optimum Population Trust, whose chief executive, Simon Ross, is calling for the government to tackle the UK's high rates of accidental pregnancy and to give child benefits and tax credits only for the first two children. "That would send a clear signal that the government will support sustainable families, but after that you are on your own," he said. "There is a big issue there, family planning is cheap, yet many people don't use it properly and accidental pregnancy rates are very high. We need to change the incentives to make the environmental case that one or two children are fine but three or four are just being selfish.
"The Beckhams, and others like London mayor Boris Johnson, are very bad role models with their large families. There's no point in people trying to reduce their carbon emissions and then increasing them 100% by having another child," he said. "England is one of the most densely populated countries in the world and the fastest-growing in population terms in Europe. In 15 years we'll have an extra 10 million people here."
Attenborough has attacked the last two UN climate summits in Cancún and Copenhagen for ducking the population issue. Giving the President's Lecture at the Royal Society of Arts in March, he made a passionate speech about how the world's baby-making was damaging the planet and called for every country to have a population policy. "The sooner we stabilise our numbers the sooner we stop running up the down escalator," he said.
"Fifty years ago there were about 3 billion people on Earth. Now there are almost 7 billion – almost double – and every one of them needing space. There cannot be more people on this Earth than can be fed."
The population debate has often been overshadowed by what is seen as the disastrous and often inhumane experiment by China, with its notorious one-child policy, and with sensitivity about being seen to criticise birthrates in underdeveloped countries. But campaigners point to the fact that it is the populations of the developed world who use the vast majority of the world's resources.
Lucas said the Green party was not afraid to raise the subject because it was "fundamental" to wellbeing. "The lesson to be learned from China is surely that efforts to curb population growth in a way that restricts individual liberty are dangerous and come at huge human cost," she said. "Policies that focus on increasing access to birth control for all who want it, reducing poverty and inequality, improving food security and tackling environmental degradation are where we should be focusing our attention.
"At its heart, this is a debate about poverty and inequality, as well as about sustainability – and we believe that strong policies to reduce the yawning gulf between rich and poor should underpin every effort to address it.
"I don't believe that government incentives or laws to that effect are what we need. As a richer country, we face different challenges when it comes to population than those in the developing world, where high birth rates are linked to dire poverty and inequality. It's an equally important issue for both richer and poorer nations – this is a global debate which affects us all."

By Jamie L.

The Glee episode titled Bad Reputation included a list of pop songs with bad reputations. The cast's version of "Total Eclipse of the Heart" closed the episode.

By Jamie L.

GEORGETOWN: All newborn babies in Penang might be getting a one-off RM100 present from the state government starting this year.

The Penang Government is considering a suggestion to give RM100 money to the newborns as long as one of their parents is a Penang voter and that the total family income does not exceed RM4,000.

Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng said on Sunday that the Program Anak Emas Pulau Pinang (Penang Golden Chil Program) was expected to cost the state between RM5mil and RM10mil a year.

He said that the program would be presented at the state executive committee meeting this week for discussion.

By Jamie L.

TOKYO: On Saturday, Tokyo formally declared its offer to host the 2020 Summer Olympics regardless of the setbacks in earlier tries.

Shintaro Ishihara, Tokyo's governor declared the city's candidacy at a ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Japanese Olympic Committee and the Japan Sports Association.

Tokyo previously hosted the Olympics in 1964, and the 1972 and 1998 Winter Games were also hosted by Japan, in Sapporo and Nagano, respectively.

Lately, Tokyo led an unsuccessful offer to host the 2016 Olympics which will be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Another current failed Japanese offer was for Osaka to host the 2008 Olympics.

Ishihara said that the Olympic Games would help Japan recover from the deadly March 11 earthquake and tsunami and make it a better country.

Widespread preparations will be the key to a winning Japanese bid, Ishihara said.

The International Olympic Committee will select the host of the 2020 Games in September 2013.

By Jamie L.


PETALING JAYA: A teacher was raped by a robber after he failed to remove her gold bracelet at a flat in Petaling Jaya.

It is reported that the victim was 48 years old and also had her handphone stolen in the incident.

She was alone in the house when she suddenly saw the robber, said to be in his 20s, standing in front of her armed with a knife.

Her husband and two children, in their 20s, were away during the 5am incident on Tuesday.

It was suspected that the robber got into the house through the toilet window.

By Jamie L.

Here are the new shopping destinations around the world:

1. Haneda Airport Tokyo, Japan
-Most excellent for Hello Kitty memorabilia




2. Marrakech, Morocco
-Best for Middle Eastern bric-a-brac




3. Dubai, United Arab Emirates
-Greatest for luxury under one roof




4. Hangzhou, China
-Finest for Chinese arts and rare crafts





5. Manila, Philipines
-Most excellent for cultural artifacts and local furniture




6. Hanoi, Vietnam
-Finest for silks





7. Jaipur, India
-Most excellent for precious and semi-precious stone jewellery






For more information, click here

By Jess T.

If you are a parent, over the years you have probably given your kids plenty of advice about all kinds of things, including how to get and keep a job. But your advice may have fallen on deaf ears unless at least 100 of your child’s best Facebook friends “like” your suggestion.

So your offspring may be interested in a recent study conducted by careerbuliding.com confirming what you knew all along. Applicants who do not follow proper job etiquette may be hurting their chances - even if they are a good fit for the position.

First of all, whether a candidate is seeking a new job or a promotion, a professional image can make a difference. Personal attributes some managers said would make them less likely to extend a promotion include:

•    Piercings
•    Bad breath
•    Visible tattoos
•    Often have wrinkled clothes
•    Messy hair
•    Dresses too casually
•    Too much perfume or cologne
•    Too much make up
•    Messy office or cubicle

Of course, much will depend on the nature of the workplace. Discrete piercings and tattoos are pretty main stream these days. But there is never an excuse for poor personal hygiene.

More than one in five hiring managers also said they are less likely to hire a candidate who didn’t send a post-interview thank you note. That’s because they say omitting this step shows a lack of follow through and sends a message that the applicant is not really serious about the opportunity.

A hand written note is still the gold standard, but most managers are perfectly happy to get an email from interested applicants. And if there were multiple interviews, each interviewer should receive a personal note.

While a lot of what is included in a thank you note may seem repetitive, enthusiasm for the job and qualifications for the position should be restated. It also doesn’t hurt to raise any interesting conversation that may have come up during the interview.

This is pretty basic stuff, but sometimes it doesn’t hurt to revisit the obvious. If there is somebody in your life who would be more receptive to this message if it comes from someone else’s mom, feel free to share a link to this blog on Facebook. Or if your Facebook friend requests have been ignored, you can always just slip a hard copy under the door.

By Jamie L.

By Jamie L.


1. Olive oil
You should be using olive oil instead of butter when you cook because it is good for your skin as well as your waistline. By substituting saturated fats found in butter for healthier unsaturated fats, it will help protect your skin from the inside out, banishing dry skin and wrinkles in the process.





2. Beets
Do you see dark circles under your eyes when you look in the mirror? This shows that your diet is lacking in iron and eating a diet that is rich in fruit and vegetables is a good way to reverse the unsightly problem. Beets, or beet juice, is particularly good!

3. Water
We all know how vital water is to us, yet many of us still go through the day dehydrated, leaving skin looking dry and unhealthy. Avoid this by drinking 2.5 litres of water a day. You can also count tea and coffee as part of your water intake, just don't overdo it on the caffeine!





4. Dark, leafy greens
Vegetables such as spinach, cabbage, kale and watercress are simply magnificent for the skin. It is packed with antioxidants and vitamins A, C, E, and iron to keep the body healthy and skin radiant. It also contain vitamin B which are known to boost energy levels and give an extra healthy glow!

5. Citrus fruits
Vitamin C is good for the skin. To avoid early aging, eat as much citrus fruit as you can. It helps to keep collagen levels high and protect you from lines and wrinkles.



6. Green tea
It is frequently used as an ingredient in face creams because it is overflowing with antioxidants which plump up the skin and leave it looking ultra-healthy.





7. Oily fish
Fishes like mackerel, tuna, sardines and salmon deliver a double-whammy of benefits: omega-3 fatty acids to combat aging and proteins to restore and rehabilitate the skin.






8. Squashes
Packed with vitamins A, which fights infections and is therefore good for preventing acne, and C, which we already know boost your collagen supply and gives you a stunning complexion.





9. Nuts and seeds
It is like green tea which contain nutrients that are increasingly being used in expensive face creams, such as vitamin A which fights skin damage. It contain 'good' fats which keep the body nourished and are good for the complexion.





10. Avocados
This scaly fruit is high in fat, however it is the good kind, or monounsaturated fats that are good for the complexion.



11. Yogurt
The millions of good bacteria in probiotic yogurt work wonders in digestion and are fantastic at replenishing parched skin. It is also good for the health of the nails and can be applied directly to the skin as a face-mask.

12. Berries
They contain antioxidants and vitamins C and E that keep the skin looking fresh, smooth and hydrated.