By Jamie L.

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 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 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 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.

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.

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 Jess T.

Will and Kate closed their North American tour by lending their unstoppable cachet to jobless war veterans.
“This is the last event on our tour of North America, and in my mind it was one of the seriously most important. This is because it is about men and women who, of their own free will, choose to put their life on the line for their country,” William said in front of a gigantic U.S. flag and Union Jack as hundred of phones were raised in the air to record his speech. “They are the front line of a remarkable relationship between the U.K., U.S., and Canada, which has safeguarded our freedoms for a century.”
Prince William, of course is an air force pilot with the world’s steadiest fallback job: future king.
But for the hundreds of thousands of U.S. servicemen and women returning from Afghanistan and Iraq, the U.S. unemployment statistics are especially bleak, in an already depressing national outlook.
Post 911 vets have an unemployment rate of 12 per cent, and 27 per cent of veterans aged 18-24 are unemployed. The national unemployment rate hovers at 9 per cent.
On Sunday, Mission Serve, an NGO that hopes to connect vets with the workforce, hosted a job fair in a Sony pictures stage where the Wizard of Oz was filmed.
The Duke said he and Catherine know many at home who could benefit from this kind of event.
The Prince also referenced his brother’s work in their charitable foundation, calling him “my low flying apache, very average brother,” to laughter.
He closed off by thanking “The garden state and the City of Angels” for its hospitality.
At the Mission Service job fair in Sony Studios in Culver City, hundreds of employers, like Habitat for Humanity, the California Shakespeare Theatre Company and Target, set out booths.
The event felt like a pep rally with the sort of rock and roll that talks about small towns and big dreams, and officials quoting Eleanover Roosevelt.
“Navy, marines, coast guard, can I hear you!” someone shouted at the podium.
“YAH!”
It was a different, more sonorous tone of yelling that has so far followed Will and Kate around Los Angeles. But on Sunday, the royal couple lent their celebrity to two of their favourite causes: inner city youth and military families.
The Mission serve event also focused on jobs for military spouses.
Summer Angels, 32, was looking at employment options. Her husband has served in Iraq and Afghanistan since 2003 and is currently overseas now.
“The transition is hard,” she said. She hopes he will only be deployed for another year, but he “might continue doing what’s he doing because of the economic situation,” she said.
He looks online when he can for a federal job, she says. Many of his friends who have returned home have not found work.
Angels said she had a lot of respect for Will and Kate for lending their celebrity to U.S. military families.
The royal couple will fly home this afternoon.

By Jess T.

A quick-thinking 21-year-old man is being praised for saving the lives of more than 100 residents after a blaze tore through a Sutton townhouse complex early Monday morning.
James Slatcher, who was visiting from Fenelon Falls, was tossing around a basketball with his friend shortly after 2 a.m. when he smelled something burning.
“I noticed a bunch of smoke and I was just thinking ‘Oh, that’s not right,’ ” Slatcher said outside the Sutton Youth Shelter, where displaced residents stayed for most of the day.
Slatcher darted into the burning complex and grabbed his sister, nephew and niece from a first-floor apartment.
He then ran back, pulled the fire alarm and began knocking on all 36 units.
“I wasn’t really thinking. I was just getting as many people out as I could,” said Slatcher, who helped families and their pets escape the fire as authorities raced to the scene.
More than 11 people were living in one of the units, with seven children under the age of 5 sharing a room, police said.
No injuries were reported but some families lost animals to the fire.
Wayne Newton was sleeping in his second-floor apartment when he heard the alarm go off. The 57-year-old man thought it was a false alarm at first, until he heard Slatcher’s frantic knocking.
“I immediately got dressed, grabbed my cat and ran out the door,” said Newton, who has lived in the complex 12 years. False alarms are a common occurrence, he said, adding there was a grease fire in the building just last year.
Newton said he was worried about his lost possessions but was relieved his homeowner’s insurance will likely cover most of the cost.
Other residents are not so lucky. Ed Avis and his common-law partner moved into the building two months ago and were planning to purchase insurance later this month.
Avis mourned the loss of his jewellery, but it’s the photos of his mother, who died last March, that he misses the most.
“We lost everything. I also lost a brother-in-law just before that,” said Avis. “We’re going through hell.”
Authorities said 16 units were destroyed while the rest suffered smoke and water damage. York Region police escorted some residents back into the building on Monday afternoon to retrieve personal belongings.
However, the extent of the damage may leave residents homeless for weeks.
“The building is pretty much totally destroyed. What’s left is not even safe to return to,” said Sgt. David Riches. “It could have been a catastrophe.”
Residents said the building was a low-rent co-op with a history of problems, including exposed electrical wires and false fire alarms.
Police said the fire alarm system was functional, but was old and not equipped with a sprinkler system.
“If it was a modern building, I’m sure the damage would have been less severe,” said Riches.
Police don’t suspect foul play, but the cause is under investigation.
The OSPCA, Red Cross, Salvation Army and community members arrived at the Sutton Youth Shelter throughout the day with animal supplies, clothes and food for residents.
Shelter chaplain Grant Verdoold said community leaders, including Georgina Mayor Rob Grossi, will meet at the shelter on Tuesday to assess residents’ needs. They will be temporarily housed in local motels, Verdoold said.
A person hanging by the parking lot Monday afternoon yelled out “Hero!” when Slatcher returned to the shelter. But the bashful student shrugged off the compliment.
“It’s been pretty crazy. I have no words to say. I’m probably just going to relax and hang out with my family,” he said. “It’s just hitting me now.”

> AirAsia offers flights from as low as RM3

By Jamie L.

AirAsia will be offering special fares from as low as RM3 to selected domestic and regional destinations due to part of its 'Big Thank You Sale' promotion.

The sale will begin today at 12am and will be on until 17th July for the travel period between 6th Feb and 20th June, 2012.

The destinations include Hat Yai, Phuket, Singapore, Phnom Penh, Langkawi, Medan, Hong Kong, Surabaya and Bangkok.

Quickly book the flight tickets before it is too late!

For more information, log on to AirAsia

KUALA LUMPUR: The Bersih 2.0 rally here saw tens of thousands of Malaysians being tear-gassed, sprayed with chemical-laced water and detained by police, but a global Bersih movement saw peaceful gatherings in at least 24 cities across the globe.
Malaysians living in at least 24 cities in New Zealand, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Sweden, France, England, Scotland, Ireland, Canada and the US took part in the rally.
Several hundred people gathered in front of the Malaysian Consulate-General in New York City to demonstrate solidarity with the Malaysian movement.
The supporters signed a petition demanding clean and fair elections in their homeland before breaking into a rendition of Negaraku.
They wound up the rally by marching to the United Nations building just a few blocks away and continuing the rally there.
‘No tear gas, no ISA’
In Melbourne, some 750 marchers with banners and placards calling for fair and clean elections gathered at Federation Square to call for electoral reform in Malaysia.
In Sydney as well, supporters gathered at Sydney Square and sang the national anthem. After about two hours, the participants dispersed peacefully. The gatherings were approved by the police after the organisers applied for a permit. The London march started noon there (late yesterday evening Malaysian time).
The supporters marched from the Malaysian High Commission to the Parliament building, and then Hyde Park before finally ending at Trafalgar Square.
The group was dressed in Bersih 2.0’s trademark yellow and carrying yellow balloons and placards. The official headcount from the organisers pegged the numbers at 500.
“The police turned up at Bersih London. No tear gas, though. No police state. No ISA. Just friendly words,” said London-based journalist Jeremiah Mahadevan.
“It is deplorable that we can stand here freely to voice our protest despite being foreigners, while in Malaysia our own citizens were beaten, dragged on the streets and fired upon by the police.” Jeremiah said.
In South Korea, some 30 Malaysians gathered at Gwanghwamun street, the downtown area of Seoul, at 3pm yesterday (2pm in Malaysia).

‘Police were aggressive’
The group had a day earlier sent in their memorandum to the Malaysian Embassy.
“We gathered again yesterday to join our Malaysian brothers and sisters,” said organiser Alfian Tahir, adding that they were pleasantly surprised when some 15 Malaysian tourists walking past joined in their rally.
The group sang the national anthem, chanting “Hidup Bersih”, read out A Samad Said’s poetry “Unggun Bersih” as well as singing the popular song for demonstrations “We shall overcome”.
“From here, we saw the videos of the protesters back home and I could see how orderly and disciplined the protesters were. It is not true what the authorities say about them causing trouble, they were only walking. The ones who caused trouble and were aggressive are the Malaysian police… beating up the protesters,” said Alfian.
Bersih 2.0 said the rally in Kuala Lumpur was a “great success”, with about 50,000 people taking to the streets to protest the “dirty” electoral system.
Inspector-General of Police Ismail Omar, however, claimed that only 6,000 people showed up.
By Teoh El Sen and Tashny Sukumaran - July 11, 2011

Edited by Sonia S.

Americas’ Independence Day Celebration At Segi Penang College.

On the 4^th July 2011, Monday-the ADPians (American Degree Program) students from Segi College Penang celebrated Americas’ Independence Day. A hotdog competition was held outside the main building of the college from 12pm to 2pm. More than 20 students, lecturers and staff participated in this competition. Some of the names of the participants that participated were Mark Royston, Jim Johnson Chua, Alwin Aanand, Ms Khoo, Cheah Wen Wen and Dawen Lim. Three rounds were carried out in this competition. Finally, the winners for the male rounds were Mr Anwar and Paul Denyel. The female rounds on the other hand were avenged by Elizabeth Yeoh and Gayathri Pasupathy. The winners were given 2 pairs of tickets to GSC 3D movies for two and Mars chocolates as consolation prizes.

MILWAUKEE (AP) - Katy Perry has postponed concerts in Chicago and St. Paul, Minnesota, because she's suffering from food poisoning.
A statement released by her publicist says the Friday show at Chicago's Allstate Center has been rescheduled to Aug. 21 and her Saturday show at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center is now set for Aug. 23.
The statement says the food poisoning led to severe dehydration. She performed ill at Summerfest in Milwaukee Thursday night.
John Boler, vice president of sales and marketing at Summerfest, says Perry wasn't feeling well when she arrived. He says a doctor was provided to her during the day and the performance.
He says she performed beautifully despite being sick.
Perry apologized but said she plans to give fans the best show ever when she returns.

Edited by Carmeline A.

WASHINGTON-AFP: The US government has ditched its two-decade old "pyramid" model for healthy eating and introduced a new plate symbol half-filled with fruits and vegetables to urge better eating habits. The colorful design, called MyPlate was unveiled by First Lady Michelle Obama and the secretary of the US
Department of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack.

The plate icon is sectioned into four parts, with fruits and vegetables making up one half and grains and proteins filing the other half. A dairy drink is included alongside.

"MyPlate is an uncomplicated symbol to help remind people to think about their food choices in order to lead healthier lifestyles," said Vilsack. "This effort is about more than just giving information, it is a matter of making people understand there are options and practical ways to apply them to their daily lives."

Obama said the MyPlate icon will be useful in the fight against childhood obesity, but would not be limited to that age group. "It's an image that can be reinforced and practiced at breakfast, lunch, and at dinner, no matter how old we are," said the first lady, who is also an advocate for childhood exercise with her "Let's Move" program.

LEE Chong Wei doesn't want to get tangled up in a bid to chase history as the first Malaysian to win the World Championships as the approach had only brought about his downfall on previous occasions.