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A Delicious new menu to savour Posted: 07 Sep 2013 05:59 PM PDT BY EU HOOI KHAW September 08, 2013 Latest Update: September 08, 2013 09:17 am Delicious at St Mary's Residences.Passionfruit Yoghurt Crush - so good.THE Passionfruit Yoghurt Crush was fine, smooth, a little tart and so refreshing. Made with passionfruit juice, dried yoghurt powder, lime peel and lots of ice, it's one of the new drinks at Delicious. The Delicious Iced Tea which had strawberry, mint and English Breakast tea in it, was also a very nice thirst quencher. It was a good start to tasting the new dishes at the Delicious café in St Mary Residences in Kuala Lumpur. I found the soft, fluffy Lebanese Bread with Caramelised Onion Humus addictive. The creamy humus had a dense, deliciously sweet flavour from the onions. Banana Caramel Cake.The Long Beans, Snow Peas and Sundried Tomato Salad is definitely for the ladies who lunch, yet want some healthy food, then proceed to a Salted Caramel Cake or Banana Caramel Cake for dessert! I can strongly recommend the Banana Caramel Cake, which burst with the natural essence of the lovely fruit, touched with the salted caramel. Back to the salad: it's full of nice crunchy vegetables and crushed pistachios all brought together with a light, creamy dressing. There are punches of flavour from the sundried tomatoes. There are Thai nuances in Crispy Softshell Crab with Somtam Salad. The papaya salad has a sweet, hot and sour dressing with lime juice, chilli and fish sauce. I would go back for this. The Delicious Club Sandwich is made with three pieces of toasted brioche layered with grilled chicken, pesto, turkey bacon, egg and tomatoes. It's a meal in itself, and a salad with lovely honey mustard dressing is served on the side. The Chicken Avocado Wrap was a little bland after this Club Sandwich. It has poached chicken breast, basil pesto mayo and butterhead lettuce wrapped in Lebanese bread. Chicken Kapitan.I warmed to the Chicken Curry Kapitan, a very fragrant and rich curry served with white rice, acar and prawn crackers. I also liked the soft potatoes which soaked up the curry spices, and of course the chicken. Seafood Marinara Spaghettini - scores in taste and texture.You can't go wrong with Seafood Marinara Spaghettini in this café.  The pasta was al dente, the tomato garlic sauce with squid, prawns and anchovies coated each strand. It was really good. The Dry Tossed Sambal Linguine would have done better without the sesame oil and oyster sauce in it. I wanted to taste hot, zesty sambal, and it was missing. The Beef Short Ribs Herbal Soup uses bak kut teh herbs, but I would love to see a stronger infusion of these herbs in the soup. It is served with soba.  There is a wide variety of cakes at Delicious, from the wonderful Banana Caramel Cake to the Salted Caramel Chocolate Cake (yums!), Macadamia Cheesecake topped with Crunchy Macadamia Nut Brittle and Caramel, Banoffee Pie, Coconut Cake with Fresh Coconut Filling and the Red Velvet with Cream Cheese Frosting, among others. The last three are the chef's recommendations. Crispy Softshell Crab Salad.The salads range from RM23.90 to RM27.90 (for the Softshell Crab Salad), Seafood Marinara Spaghettini is RM25.90, Passionfruit Yoghurt Crush RM11.90, Club Sandwich RM26.90, Chicken Kapitan RM24.90. the cakes are between RM12.90 and RM14.90. All these are in the new menu the Delicious Kitchen has just put out, under its new CEO Steve Allen together with three local executive chefs. Steve used to work for Gordon Ramsay at the Claridges Hotel in London and was group creative chef for the Delicious group before moving up. It was nice being handed a brand new menu with the pictures of the food in it, instead of the dog-eared ones we have had to select our dishes from before. The interiors of two of the Delicious Cafes have been given a makeover too – at 1-Utama, Petaling Jaya and Dua Annexe in Jalan Tun Razak, Kuala Lumpur. Mention must be made of the coffee too, now made from UTZand USDA certified organic coffee beans, Juan Valdez. Delicious at St Mary's is located at Jalan Tengah, Kuala Lumpur, tel: 03-20221983. - September 8, 2013.

Cooking with balls, Serbia honours animal testicles Posted: 07 Sep 2013 03:14 AM PDT September 07, 2013 Latest Update: September 08, 2013 02:14 am A cook prepares a dish with animal testicles at the 10th annual World Testicle Cooking Championship in the Serbian village of Lunjevica, 110km south of capital Belgrade, on August 31, 2013. - AFP pic, September 7, 2013.A delicacy for medieval monarchs, a plate for the poorest and a treat for Tito, animal testicles, with a pinch of humour, are back on the menu, at least at one Serbian food festival. A visitor needs no road signs to reach the tiny central village of Lunjevica, population 500. They can follow the smoke and smells from the barbecues and kettles at the 10th unofficial testicle-cooking "world championship". "In our region, we have cooked testicles for ages: our fathers prepared them, our grandfathers before them," local farmer Dragan Todorovic said, slicing a set or horse testicles. The challenge for this year's 20-some competitors was to make the best "balls-goulash", a twist on the ubiquitous regional stew but replacing classic meat cuts with testicles from rams, calves, bulls, donkeys, horses or other animals. Some say the testicles should be diced into tiny pieces and soaked in wine for at least 30 minutes for the right consistency before simmered with the onions, garlic, peppers, tomatoes and herbs. "Beware. They should be cut diagonally, otherwise they lose their aphrodisiac effect," warned Zdravko Djuric, a competitor from northern Serbia. Local lore considers testicles an aphrodisiac, given their naturally high testosterone level, and organisers tap into this reputation. "Better for the libido than any Viagra," reads one of the slogans for the festival, which draws up to a thousand people, many from abroad. "It's so totally crazy, I had to be here," said German cook Andre Niediek, a chef in a Cologne restaurant, stirring a pot of bull testicles spiced with "fine Serbian paprika". His own secret is timing. "Two and a half hours at least. This is not a quick lunch or fast food meal. " Some come "out of curiosity", like Zoran Jeftic from the capital Belgrade who found the stewed glands "tasted similar to chicken." The festival's founder Ljubomir Erovic says the event is not only a culinary competition but a bid to sweep away prejudice against Serbia that dates back to the 1990s wars in the Balkans. So he injects lots of humour, starting with the official poster -- a drawing of a pot-bellied, mustachioed chef with his own testicles drooping right into his boiling cauldron of stew. "The French boast with the Tour de France, and we boast with balls," joked farmer Todorovic. Erovic, who has authored a book entitled "Cooking with Balls", said the delicacy was a favourite with many past notables, including Serbia's 19th-century ruler prince Milos and communist Yugoslavia's strongman Josip Broz Tito. The four-member jury includes an American, Boston filmmaker Anna Wexler, its sole woman and non-Serb who discovered the festival "googling weird things late at night". When she contacted Erovic, he invited her to the event where she has been a regular since 2009. "Every year I come all the way out here just to judge the balls," she said laughing. A ram's testicles stew was this year's winner, but all entries were sampled at gala dinner where cocktail nibbles were grilled lamb testicles rustled up by a Danish competitor. An annual tongue-in-cheek prize is also awarded to the "person with the biggest balls", which this year pits German Chancellor Angela Merkel against US intelligence leaker Edward Snowden. Voting goes through the end of the year on the festival's website. Among previous winners were US President Barack Obama in 2010 and Wikileaks founder Julian Assange in 2011. - AFP-Relaxnews, September 7, 2013.

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Milito on the verge of Inter Milan return Posted: 07 Sep 2013 08:08 AM PDT September 07, 2013 Latest Update: September 08, 2013 07:08 am Inter Milan striker Diego Milito says he is close to completing his comeback from injury after scoring in a friendly today. The Argentine, out of action since suffering a cruciate knee ligament injury during Inter's Europa League win over CFR Cluj in February, netted in a 2-2 draw with Swiss side Lugano. "I hope soon to be back at my best, be well and able to help the manager when he needs it. The worst has passed, there's not much time left til I return," the 34-year-old told the Serie A club's television station. "It was brilliant scoring again, it's the greatest joy for any attacker. But more than that, it was good just to get some minutes out on the pitch." Milito has scored 73 goals for Inter and is a fans' favourite because of his exploits during their treble success in 2010, when under the guidance of Jose Mourinho they won the Serie A title, the Italian Cup and the Champions League. He scored six goals during their successful Champions League campaign, including two against Bayern Munich in the final. - Reuters, September 7, 2013.

Vettel takes pole at Italian Grand Prix Posted: 07 Sep 2013 07:10 AM PDT September 07, 2013 Latest Update: September 08, 2013 06:10 am Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel (pic) seized pole position for the Italian Grand Prix and left his title rivals trailing with Red Bull locking out the front row in qualifying today. Australian Mark Webber will line up alongside on the front row for his last race in Europe while Germany's Nico Hulkenberg sprung a huge surprise by grabbing third place on the grid for Ferrari-powered Sauber. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, Vettel's closest title rival with a 46-point gap to make up, qualified fifth and behind Brazilian team-mate Felipe Massa with Ferrari president Luca di Montezemolo watching. Lewis Hamilton, last year's winner for McLaren who had entered the weekend chasing a fifth successive pole, failed to make the top 10 and starts 12th for Mercedes. The pole was the 40th of Vettel's F1 career and came at a track that Red Bull principal Christian Horner said only last month was something of an Achilles heel for the team along with Belgium. However, Vettel won in Belgium and the 26-year-old German took his first Formula One victory at Monza in 2008 for Toro Rosso while also winning for Red Bull in 2011. "This weekend, the car was fantastic. We had a really strong pace yesterday and we were able to take that into qualifying today," he told reporters. "In the end, it's a bit of a surprise to have both cars on front row at a place where historically we've had bad years. This year it seems to work well and hopefully we'll have a good race tomorrow." - Reuters, September 7, 2013.

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Kids can meditate too, improves focus - study Posted: 06 Sep 2013 08:57 PM PDT September 07, 2013 Latest Update: September 07, 2013 10:00 am There has been a heap of buzz lately about mindfulness meditation, with new research revealing its power to heal, curb addictions, and even make you a more empathetic person. Now a study from the University of Cambridge shows that teaching children a few tricks of the zen trade can help them focus better. Research presented yesterday at the British Psychological Society's Cognitive Developmental Psychology Annual Conference in Reading, England, finds that a short training course can help kids ignore distractions and concentrate better. "Mindfulness involves paying attention in a particular way – on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally," said researcher Dominic Crehan. "It has been shown to reduce levels of stress and depression, and to improve feelings of well-being, but to date researchers have not established a link between mindfulness and attention skills in children." The researchers recruited 30 children (girls and boys aged 10 to 11 years old) to take part in a mindfulness course as part of their school curriculum. Researchers measured the effects of the course via questionnaires and measured attention skills using a computer game designed specifically for this purpose. They tracked changes in attention over a nine-month interval. "The ability to pay attention in class is crucial for success at school," Crehan said. "Mindfulness appears to have an effect after only a short training course, which the children thoroughly enjoyed." While the researchers add that more research is needed, the findings could be particularly important for helping children with attention difficulties such as ADHD, Crehan said. - AFP Relaxnews, September 7, 2013.

Plus-size women in focus, in New York fashion week first Posted: 06 Sep 2013 04:42 PM PDT September 07, 2013 Latest Update: September 06, 2013 11:46 pm Full-figured women will have their day on the catwalks of New York when hometown designer Eden Miller unveils her plus-size collection – a fashion week first. In the ultra-skinny fashion world, where angular models typically strut the runways, Miller will send out voluptuous models sporting looks from a colourful mini-collection in which prints reign supreme. Miller, who has been a designer for 25 years, launched her line Cabiria in April to "good but unexpected" reviews. In July she was approached by the Fashion Law Institute – a non-profit organisation which advises and supports talented designers who do not have the resources to put on shows themselves – to stage a show. "It's an incredible honour, it is absolutely fantastic," Miller said ahead of her show. "It is also a wonderful opportunity for showing the legitimacy of plus-size fashion. It is real fashion. It can be measured in the same way that other kinds of fashion can be." Miller, herself proudly curvaceous, explains passionately how she uses cut, angles and silhouettes to flatter fuller figures. She says her pieces are "simply cut with a consideration for a plus-sized figure. They put it on, and they feel beautiful and that's such a gift to me – that fuels me to go further." While still a rarity on international catwalks, plus-size models have been seen in Paris and Milan, and London has a fashion week dedicated to clothing for the more generously endowed. New York got its first plus-size show almost by accident. "When I first met Eden, she was wearing one of her dresses," said Susan Scafidi of the Fashion Law Institute. "My first thought was not, 'nice plus line', but 'nice collection – I wish she made it in my size.' "I actually didn't realise until later that Cabiria would be the first plus line in the tents. In other words, making accidental history was simply a plus." Scafidi said that in the fashion world, the distinction between skinny models and larger models was made in the same way as one would distinguish between being gay or straight. "The straight-size models and the straight-size designers are out there, the plus have stayed in the closet. So I am so thrilled that the plus world are coming out of the closet," she said. Miller, whose collection is aimed at women who wear American sizes 12 to 24, loves bold prints and doesn't shy away from them. "If you have a bigger body, you shouldn't pretend you are a tiny person – there is no point," she said. "If you scale up the pattern, it fits the body the way a smaller pattern would on a smaller figure." The same applies to her own body, which she has adorned with some 50 tattoos, including a bat, a rat, two ladybirds and a beetle on her arms and snakes on her calves. "I love animals," she says, laughing. By offering a small place to bigger women at New York fashion week, Miller says she hopes to make a larger impact in a country where the average woman is a size 14. "I really wish that the lines that would qualify to be part of the tent show, but have been excluded because they are plus, can now be invited on the same grounds," she said. - AFP, September 6, 2013.

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Keperluan belajar dari politik Islam Tunisia Posted: 06 Sep 2013 06:11 PM PDT September 07, 2013 Latest Update: September 07, 2013 05:11 pm Mujahid Yusof Rawa is MP for Parit Buntar and PAS National Unity Committee chairman. Arab Spring adalah antara peristiwa yang menguasai media antarabangsa sejak revolusi di Tunisia menggulingkan Zainal Abiden Ben Ali tercetus pada 17 Disember, 2010. Tunisia telah mencetuskan kebangkitan yang selama ini terpendam di seluruh dunia Arab. Mubarak dan Gaddafi menanti dengan penuh debar kerana mereka merasakan sisa-sisa pemerintahan mereka semakin hampir. Kebimbangan mereka terbukti apabila pada 25 Januari 2011 kebangkitan revolusi rakyat menghumbankan Mubarak dan kemudian pada 15 Februari 2011 Gaddafi pula dikejar seperti tikus yang ketakutan. Artikel kali ini cuba melihat pendakian arus Islam ke pesada kuasa dengan mengambil model An Nahdah di Tunisia sebagai rujukan. Kekosongan dari kejatuhan diktator negara-negara ini membuka ruang kepada jalan demokrasi yang menjadi tema tuntutan rakyat. Proses demokrasi dengan permulaan pilihanraya telus dan adil memberi ruang kepada Islamis untuk berkuasa melalui parti politik yang terbentuk pasca-Arab Spring. Perbahasan sama ada penguasaan Islamis mewakili hasrat rakyat melalui dasar-dasar yang diperkenalkan atau tidak menjadi polemik antara pesaing politik dari kelompok liberal dan golongan kiri, Kelompok Liberal masih terdorong dengan persepsi skeptikal terhadap komitmen golongan Islam yang berkuasa terhadap lunas dan proses demokrasi. Isu negara Islam, perlaksanaan hudud dan hak asasi manusia serta hak wanita menjadi tema yang cuba menimbulkan keraguan terhadap komitmen politik Islam. Apa yang menarik ialah parti-parti Islam yang mengisi kekosongan ini di sebalik skeptisme, mendapat sokongan akar umbi yang kuat dan mereka meyakini kemampuan kelompok Islamis memimpin mereka sehinggakan adakalanya parti-parti Islam seperti An Nahdah (Tunisia) dan FJP (Freedom and Justice Party di Mesir) mendapati diri mereka berada dalam tekanan antara memenuhi kehendak pengundi yang mahukan penegasan Islam dalam dasar negara dan tuntutan golongan liberal yang mahukan kebebasan dari negara teokratik. Perbahasannya sememangnya menarik kerana ia akan membawa persoalan yang lebih prinsip iaitu peranan agama dalam kerangka negara dan sejauh manakah kebebasan yang dituntut serta persoalan betulkah negara Islam adalah sebuah negara teokratik. Rashid Ghanoushi adalah tokoh yang mula dikenali sejak tahun 80an lagi. Suasana sekular totok negara Tunisia yang mengongkong apa sahaja yang bernama Islam menjadikan pemikiran Rashid Ghanoshi terhadap demokrasi dan negara digarap dalam bentuk berhati-hati dan adaptif tanpa hilang prinsip Islam yang menjadi idealisme Rashid Ghanoshi. Pemikirannya tentang Islam dan demokrasi, sekularisma, negara sivil dan kemodenan Barat cuba mencari keseimbangan bahawa Islam mempunyai falsafahnya dalam menangani permaslahan ini. Ghanoushi juga seorang yang praktikal dalam membentuk kerangka negara di mana resolusi penting yang dibuat pada tahun 1981 sebelumnya mewakili suara Islamis menegaskan bahawa, "Adopting democracy without discrimination or elimination of any party or trend including the communist party". Ghanousih melalui parti An Nahdah cuba membawa aspirasi kebebasan bersuara melalui demokrasi dan beliau yakin ianya tidak bercanggah dengan Islam. An Nahdah sebagai parti yang berkuasa berhati-hati dalam menegaskan konsep campur tangan negara dalam soal agama dengan berkata: "No one has the right to claim he represent the religion, neither An Nahdah or anyone else. Society through its dynamic is the one to formulate and translate religion into policies, laws and culture… the dynamic continues untill there is concensus about the opinion of religion on the issue… " Pengalaman Tunisia menarik kerana sikap berhati-hatinya terhadap nilai-nilai demokrasi di sebalik skeptisme yang menyelubungi kewujudannya di pesada kuasa. Walaupun Ghanoshi memimpin pemikiran politik Islam dalam kerangka demokrasi dan kenegaraan, dia tidak mudah meyakini golongan Salafi yang lebih literal penafsiran teksnya dan lebih tertutup konsep kenegaraannya. Beliau juga berhadapan dengan ahli An Nahdah sendiri yang menganggap beliau terlalu "lembut" dengan dasar Islamnya. Namun salah seorang jawatankuasa eksekutif An Nahdah, Riadh Chaibi dalam mewajarkan sikap An Nahdah menyatakan bahawa ada tiga peringkat ideologi Islam yang dirujuk oleh An Nahdah sebagai keutamaannya. Pertama; peringkat dogma dan perundangan (fiqh) sebagai idealisme An Nahdah. Kedua; peringkat penafsiran atau ta'wil kepada teks-teks muamalat yang tidak diputuskan dan peringkat ketiga ialah ruang luas dari pilihan-pilihan yang ada terhasil dari ijtihad yang dibuat dengan mengambil kira maslahah sebagai premisnya. Bagi beliau inilah caranya bagaimana proses siyasah syari'yyah terbentuk tanpa An Nahdah menggadaikan prinsipnya. Kejelasan ini penting bagi An Nahdah guna untuk meyakinkan orang ramai komitmen mereka terhadap demokrasi dalam kerangka kenegaraan tanpa mereka perlu hilang prinisp Islam yang menjadi sumber ideologi politiknya. An Nahdah tidak mungkin sampai kepada tahapnya hari ini tanpa ia melalui fasa-fasa yang mematangkan kewujudannya dalam arena politik dan seterusnya menjadi parti pemerintah hari ini. Bermula dari ideologi Islam yang diangkat sebagai idea kepada pembumian perjuangannya dalam masyarakat Tunisia yang menuntut An Nahdah mendapat persetujuan kolektif realiti masyarakat pelbagai dan rencam adalah perjalanan jauh An Nahdah yang membawanya kepada tahapnya hari ini. Ia tidak berlaku dengan mudah kerana An Nahdah terpaksa mencabar fahamannya selama ini dan kesanggupan ahlinya menerima penyegaran ini. Seorang lagi ahli jawatankuasa lujnah politik An Nahdah iaitu Ajmi Laourimi menegaskan sekarang bukan lagi 'Mengislamisasikan Masyarakat' tetapi ialah projek "Tunisification of the Islamist current" atau Mengakarumbikan arus Islamis kepada keperluan realiti Tunisia (MenTunisiakan Islamis). Semua ini bukanlah untuk menghilangkan prinsip perjuangan Islamis tetapi adalah untuk membumikan prinsip Islam dengan keperluan nasional dengan konsensus yang disepakati oleh semua pihak. Saya telah menamakan keperluan ini dalam dua buah buku saya iaitu Menuju PAS Baru dan Rejuvenasi PAS sebagai keperluan 'MENASIONALKAN PAS" guna untuk menyahut keperluan politik-Islam berada dalam konsensus yang diterima oleh semua pihak. Rujukannya ialah Perlembagaan Persekutuan dengan merujuk kepada asas yang membentuk konsensus tersebut. Pengajaran seterusnya buat PAS ialah keseimbangan yang diperlukan antara prinsip dan fikrah dengan realiti dan kerangka masyarakat sivil yang asasnya ialah pendemokrasian ruang awam di mana keterangkuman semua pihak lebih utama dari kepentingan apa yang dikehendaki oleh parti, bahkan semua parti. Semua pihak tidak kira apa asas fahamannya berhak mendapat ruang untuk suaranya didengari asalkan tidak bercanggah dengan undang-undang negara. Begitu juga rekonsiliasi atau rapprochement mesti bersifat kondusif kepada dialog kepentingan nasional dan bukan melalui ancaman atau ugutan yang berupaya membawa polirisasi kepartian yang kronik. Kemenangan melalui proses demokrasi bukanlah segala-segalanya, mengasaskan prinsip demokrasi dalam membentuk keperluan dasar negara setelah menang adalah cabaran utama bagi PAS. Bersediakah kita melibatkan semua pihak dan aliran dalam mengasaskan konsensus politik baru dan membina ruang demokrasi untuk semua? Uniknya pengalaman An Nahdah ialah ia cuba menemukan konsensus nasional dengan idealisme Islam yang diperjuangkan melalui dasar keterbukaan yang diamalkan. Latar belakang perlembagaan Tunisia dalam artikel 1 yang mengatakan bahawa "Tunisia adalah negara yang bebas dan berdaulat. Bahasanya ialah Arab dan agamanya ialah Islam dan kerajaannya adalah Republik". Artikel 1 ini kekal hingga hari ini dan secara tidak langsung melahirkan perdebatan antara Syariah sebagai sumber undang-undang ataupun prinsip demokrasi dalam menggubal undang-undang sebagai sumber. Polemik sumber rujukan ini kekal menjadi perdebatan apabila arus politik-Islam mula membentuk pengaruhnya dengan kejatuhan para diktator yang selama ini menyekat kebangkitannya. Mahukah para Islamis khususnya PAS di Malaysia mengambil pengajaran dari Tunisia dalam konteks parti Islam dan komitmen demokrasi? - 7 September, 2013. * Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider.

Ruginya peniaga bendera tahun ini Posted: 06 Sep 2013 06:03 PM PDT September 07, 2013 Latest Update: September 07, 2013 09:04 am Haji Subky Abdul Latif seorang penulis bebas dan tinggal di Kuala Lumpur. Seorang pendiam, dia gemar meneliti perangai manusia dan berita politik di Malaysia. Saya tidak beli bendera Jalur Gemilang yang baru. Yang saya gantung di tiang di rumah saya sejak setahun lalu terus berkibar lagi. Pagi 29 Ogos saya bermotokar berensot-ensot dari Gombak ke HUKM di Bandar Tun Razak. Berbelas ribu motokar bergerak perlahan dari arah bertentangan. Man yang memandu motokar bersungut tidak nampak sebuah motokar pun memasang bendera! Ketika itu, ulang tahun ke-56 bakal berlangsung dua hari lagi. Tidak nampak orang memasang bendera di motokar. Tidak seperti di tahun-tahun Al-Marhum Tan Sri Mohamad Rahmat menjadi pengerusi sambuntan hari kemerdekaan dulu. Banyak motokar yang memasang Jalur Gemilang di setiap sudut bumbung motokar. Amat susah menemui motokar yang tidak berbendera. Paling tidak tetap ada satu bendera. Ada penarik beca memenuhkan becanya dengan bendera. Kerana kenderaan dipenuhi bendera hingga nampak tak elok pula. Yang eloknya ialah sederhana. Masa Tan Sri Kadir Sheikh Fadzir jadi pengerusi sambutan merdeka setengah lori bendera dihantarnya ke Markaz Tarbiyah PAS. Maka kaki tangan pejabat PAS terpaksa mengedarkan bendera itu kepada seramai-ramai penyokong. Saya pun ambil beberapa helai. Saya pasang satu bendera sejak itu. Bila reput saya ganti baru. Yang terpasang sekarang yang terakhir. Sepanjang jalan ke HUKM saya tidak nampak ada motokar yang berbendera. Hanya di bangunan-bangunan saja berbendera. Itu pun tidak semua berbendera. Mungkin masing-masing menunggu petang 30 Ogos baru hendak menaikkannya. Selepas ambil darah saya pulang. Hanya dua tiga buah lori yang ada bendera. Bas pun tidak pasang bendera. Petang kami ke HUKM lagi untuk mengetahui keputusan darah tadi. Saya terus memerhatikan motokat di kiri kanan dari arah bertentangan. Tak nampak yang berbendera. Man terus bercakap, "Tak ada langsung yang pasang bendera". Petang 30 Ogos itu saya ke Alor Setar. Bermalam di Penanti, Bukit Mertajam. Sebelum malam saya asyik memandang motokar di kiri kanan Lebuhraya Utara-Selatan. Hanya dua buah tanker minyak dari syarikat yang sama saja berbendera. Pagi 31 Ogos saya ke Alor dari Bukit Mertajam. Tidak nampak lagi budaya memasang bendera di motokar bagi menyambut hari kemerdekaan seperti yang berlangsung di zaman Dr Mahathir dan Tun Abdullah dulu. Pada 31 Ogos itu saya banyak dalam kereta dan tiada sempat menonton TV, maka tidak dapat menyaksikan siaran perbarisan hari kemerdekaan dan tidak juga menonton berita. Maka saya tidak tahu adakah orang yang ramai menyaksikan sambutan itu mengibarkan bendera kecil? Saya harap sekaliannya membawa bendera. Ada yang bertanya, "Mengapa orang tak mahu naikkan bendera kali ini?" Tiada jawapan dari saya. Majoriti yang menyambut Merdeka tahun ini adalah berusia 59 tahun ke bawah. Yang hidup zaman memperjuangkan kemerdekaan dan hidup pada hari kemerdekaan itu – 31 Ogos 1957 – kebanyakannya sudah mati. Sikit sangat yang masih hidup. Adakah yang lahir selepas tarikh merdeka tak tahu sejarah dan tidak patriotik? Kebanyakan orang Umno sangka begitu. Saya belum mahu komen. Mungkin yang tidak rasa penting berbendera itu sedang dalam melaksanakan transformasi yang Perdana Menteri Najib bawa. Mungkin patriotik tidak perlu berbendera. Memadai dirasa dalam jiwa. Apa yang terjadi tidak mengembirakan pengusaha dan peniaga bendera. Mereka tidak dapat mengaut untung besar kali ini. - 7 September, 2013. * Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis dan tidak semestinya mewakili pandangan The Malaysian Insider.

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Raja Nong Chik gesa BN terima saranan Anwar Posted: 07 Sep 2013 02:23 AM PDT OLEH HASBULLAH AWANG CHIK September 07, 2013 Latest Update: September 08, 2013 01:23 am Raja Nong Chik mahu BN terima tawaran Anwar. Gambar The Malaysian Insider oleh Afif Abd Halim, 7 September, 2013. Datuk Raja Nong Chik Raja Zainal Abidin hari ini menggesa kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN) agar menerima cadangan Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim untuk berunding bersama Pakatan Rakyat (PR) agar perbagai permasalahan dapat diselesaikan secara permuafakatan. Timbalan Pengerusi Badan Perhubungan Umno Wilayah Persekutuan itu menegaskan sekiranya parti Melayu lain seperti PAS ingin menyertai rundingan tersebut, maka cadangan itu perlu diambil kira oleh BN. "Jika semua parti Melayu sedia duduk bersama untuk berbincang maka BN harus menyahut seruan perpaduan itu demi rakyat. Demi pihak majoriti yang ingin melihat kerjasama tersebut, BN harus menyahut seruan ini. "Sekiranya orang Melayu mampu untuk bersatu maka kaum lain akan menghormati pemuafakatan ini dan menjadikan negara lebih stabil dalam jangka masa panjang," katanya semasa ditemui pemberita di Kuala Lumpur hari ini. Dalam persetujuannya itu, Raja Nong Chik sempat mengecam Anwar dengan melabelkannya sebagai pencetus perpecahan kaum Melayu sambil meragui keikhlasannnya mencadangkan untuk berunding dengan BN. "Saya melihat cadangan Anwar itu sebagai 'ada udang di sebalik batu'," katanya. The Malaysian Insider melaporkan pemimpin veteran Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah menyatakan tawaran Anwar itu perlu dipertimbangkan. Beliau yang lebih dikenali sebagai Ku Li berkata, sekiranya ia mendatangkan manfaat tidak salah untuk Perdana Menteri, Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Razak merebut peluang tersebut. Katanya, sebarang tawaran yang melibatkan kepentingan rakyat perlu dipertimbangkan secara serius bagi memastikan nasib rakyat terbela dan tidak diabaikan. Anwar semasa perutusan sehari sebelum hari kemerdekaan negara ke-56 menyatakan kesediaan untuk bertemu dengan kerajaan bagi menyelesaikan masalah negara. Ketua Umum PKR itu berkata, meskipun PR mendapat undi majoriti rakyat, namun mereka bersedia melupakan ketegangan dan penyelewengan yang dilakukan Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya (SPR) semasa pilihan raya 5 Mei lalu. Bagaimanapun, pemimpin Umno secara jelas menolak rundingan damai antara Barisan Nasional (BN) dan Pakatan Rakyat (PR). Beberapa pemimpin Umno melahirkan kecurigaan terhadap Anwar yang mengajak dua parti terbesar negara itu untuk berunding. Ketua Pemuda Umno, Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar dan Menteri Besar Kedah, Datuk Mukhriz Mahathir melihat cadangan pemimpin pembangkang itu sebagai usul terdesak. - 7 September, 2013.

Raja Nong Chik sahkan bertanding jawatan MT Posted: 07 Sep 2013 01:23 AM PDT OLEH HASBULLAH AWANG CHIK September 07, 2013 Latest Update: September 07, 2013 05:14 pm Orang ramai yang menghadiri sambutan Hari Raya di Lembah Pantai hari ini. Gambar The Malaysian Insider oleh Afif Abd Halim, September 7, 2013. Datuk Raja Nong Chik Zainal Raja Zainal Abidin (gambar) hari ini mengesahkan untuk bertanding merebut jawatan ahli Majlis Tertinggi (MT) pada pemilihan Umno akan datang. Beliau menjelaskan Badan Perhubungan Umno Wilayah Persekutuan telah menyenarai pendek dua nama iaitu dirinya bersama Datuk Seri Zulhasnan Rafique bagi merebut jawatan MT Umno mewakili‎ Wilayah Persekutuan. "Saya ucapkan terima kasih kepada pewakilan yang telah memilih kami berdua bagi merebut jawatan MT Umno dalam pemilihan kali ini," katanya semasa menghadiri Majlis Sambutan Aidilfitri Lembah Pantai hari ini. Beliau menggesa agar semua ahli Umno membuat persiapan awal bagi menghadapi pilihan raya umum ke-14 (PRU14) kerana kerjasama yang erat perlu dijalinkan bersama parti komponen Barisan Nasional (BN) yang lain. Katanya, tumpuan bagi merebut undi golongan muda penting bagi memastikan BN memenangi pilihan raya umum akan datang terutamanya di kawasan Lembah Pantai. "Berdasarkan keputusan PRU13 lalu, sokongan golongan muda yang mengundi BN begitu baik," katanya. Timbalan Pengerusi BN Wilayah Persekutuan itu turut melihat hasrat Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah atau dikenali sebagai Ku Li bagi merebut jawatan tertinggi dalam pemilihan Umno akan datang tidak sesuai. Beliau berkata tumpuan seharusnya diberikan kepada meningkatkan sokongan ahli Umno kerana pencapaian Pengerusi Umno Datuk Seri Najib Razak dalam memimpin Umno sangat baik kerana dua negeri telah berjaya dirampas semula oleh pihak pembangkang iaitu Kedah dan Perak. Mengulas mengenai cadangan Ku Li bagi mengehadkan jawatan tertinggi Umno hanya boleh dipegang selama tiga penggal, beliau menjelaskan cadangan itu boleh dibincangkan. "Saya tidak katakan itu cadangan yang tidak baik malah perkara itu boleh dibincang di peringkat MT dan persidangan Umno nanti. Perkara ini ada baik dan buruknya," katanya. The Malaysian Insider melaporkan semalam Ku Li masih berahsia sama ada akan bertanding dalam pemilihan Umno Oktober ini, namun beliau tidak menafikan pertemuan dengan beberapa Ahli Parlimen BN dan Pakatan Rakyat (PR) untuk mendapatkan sokongan. Beliau berkata beberapa perkara perlu dipertimbangkan sebelum membuat keputusan, serta mengambil pendirian untuk tunggu dan lihat dahulu. Menyentuh mengenai cara pemilihan baru yang bakal dilaksanakan pada kali ini, Ku Li menyifatkan ia masih demokratik tetapi perlu dijalankan secara telus. Katanya, jawatan presiden dan timbalan presiden yang tidak dipertandingkan atas alasan bagi mengelak perpecahan perlu berlandaskan perlembagaan. - 7 September, 2013.

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Kuih Salad/ Nyonya Kuih/ Seri Muka Posted: 06 Sep 2013 09:29 AM PDT BY ELAINE HO September 07, 2013 Latest Update: September 07, 2013 12:38 am The ever popular Seri Muka or Kuih Salad as it is known in East Malaysia.It is common for food to have different names in Malaysia, depending on which region you are in, and this is a perfect example. Kuih Salad in East Malaysia and Seri Muka in peninsular Malaysia, these little green and white delights are one and the same, and they are loved regardless of their variation in names. This two-layered dessert consists of a layer of glutinous rice flavoured with rich coconut milk, topped with a creamy green custard layer. The slight saltiness of the bottom layer is balanced perfectly by the sweetness of the custard, making it an excellent choice for breakfast or tea. If you are concerned about the green colouring, you would probably breathe easier knowing that this is a contribution from the pandan or screwpine leaves, making it perfectly natural. As for the coconut milk, well...what's a little indulgence every now and then, right? Like quite a few other delicacies from the Nyonya cuisine, which is a unique blend of Malay and Chinese culture, this "kuih" calls for the use of glutinous rice, which is known for its sticky texture. This rice is distinguishable from other varieties by having negligible amounts of amylose, and high amounts of amylopectin, two components of starch. Amylopectin is the component responsible for the sticky quality of glutinous rice, and since it has a higher solubility in water among the two starches, it breaks apart when introduced to steam. It is only when the right conditions are available that the rice starch molecules breaks apart, resulting in the softening of the structure of the grain. This gives us soft, mushy and sticky rice, just the way we like it! Preparation time: 10 minutes + 4 hours to soak glutinous rice Cooking time: approximately 1 hour Serves: 8-10 For the rice base: 1 1/4 cup glutinous rice, soaked for 4 hours or overnight if you have some time 2 cups coconut milk 1/2 teaspoon salt For the custard layer: 3/4 cup castor sugar 1/2 cup water 4 whole chicken eggs 1/4 cup plain all purpose flour 2 teaspoon corn flour 1 cup thick coconut cream 1 tablespoon pandan essence (If you cannot find pandan essence, you can extract pandan juice by placing pandan leaves in a food processor and then squeeze out the juice using a fine muslin cloth. You will need about 100ml of pandan juice for this recipe.) How to cook: For the rice base, drain glutinous rice and add salt and coconut milk to the rice. Cover 8 inch round loose bottom tin with baking paper. Spread rice mixture evenly over tin and steam for 30 minutes. Once rice is steamed turn off heat and leave to rest. For the custard layer, combine water and castor sugar in a small saucepan, place over low heat and stir until mixture is dissolved. Leave to cool. Crack eggs into bowl and then add all purpose flour, corn flour, coconut cream and pandan essence. Using an electric mixer, mix ingredients until you achieve a smooth custard mixture. Pour sugar mixture into bowl together with the other ingredients and beat further to combine ingredients. Using a double boiler, fill bottom bowl with water and add custard to the top bowl. Alternatively you can boil a pot of hot water and add custard onto glass bowl which sits above the boiling water (making sure the glass bowl does not touch the boiling water). Stir custard with a wooden spoon for about 20 minutes until it thickens. Turn off heat and leave custard on the bench top. Pour custard through a sieve onto cooked rice layer. Even out the layers by tapping the tin softly on the bench top. Place steamer over low heat until you see some steam. Then place tin in the steamer, cover tin with a clean tea cloth and cover steamer. Steam cake for 20 minutes or until custard sets. Remove cake from steamer and leave to cook. To eat, slice steamed cake with oiled knife. Serve with a cup of green tea or coffee. - Chopstick Diner, September 7, 2013.

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Vettel on top in Monza practice Posted: 06 Sep 2013 08:51 AM PDT September 06, 2013 Latest Update: September 07, 2013 07:51 am Red Bull F1 driver Sebastian Vettel is all smiles after coming out tops during the practice session at the Monza circuit. - Reuters, September 6, 2013.Red Bull's Formula One championship leader Sebastian Vettel did his best to demoralise the ranks of Ferrari fans at their home circuit with a stunning show of speed in Italian Grand Prix practice on Friday. The triple champion was a commanding 0.623 seconds quicker than his own team mate Mark Webber, next on the timesheets, in the afternoon sunshine at Monza with a fastest lap of one minute 24.453 seconds. Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the German's closest championship rival with a cavernous 46-point gap to make up and eight races remaining, was fifth and 0.877 off the pace on the fastest circuit on the calendar. Last year's winner Lewis Hamilton had put Mercedes on top in the morning session with Alonso putting in the second-best lap only 0.035 seconds slower and Vettel fourth fastest. Hamilton, who will be chasing his fifth pole position in a row on Saturday, roared around Monza's classic "Pista Magica" in 1:25.565 on a sunny morning in the former royal park. He was sixth after lunch. The Briton, who was booed by some of the passionate Ferrari "tifosi" when he won for McLaren last year, had said on Thursday that he hoped they would be booing him again if it meant a return to the top step of the podium on Sunday. The 2008 world champion certainly has a good chance, as one of only three current drivers to have won the final round of the European season and with Mercedes looking increasingly competitive. Vettel and Alonso, the top two in the championship with Hamilton third, are the other two past winners. Alonso might have gone quicker than Hamilton in the morning had he not run wide, kicking up a cloud of dust, at the exit to the Parabolica corner on a fast lap with half an hour to go. Hamilton's team mate Nico Rosberg was third and seventh in the two sessions while former Ferrari driver Kimi Raikkonen, the 2007 champion now with Lotus, was fifth and third equal with the same afternoon time as his own team mate Romain Grosjean. Raikkonen suffered his first retirement of the season, ending a 27-race scoring run, at the previous race in Belgium and has fallen back to fourth in the championship behind Hamilton. A banner in the start/finish grandstand, written in large red letters and positioned next to a Ferrari flag, declared "Kimi in pole" in what looked like a throwback to 2007 when the Finn finished third at Monza for the Italian team. Raikkonen has a longer wheelbase car for the race, the fastest on the calendar with speeds of up to 340kph, but has played down his chances. "It will be very difficult," he told reporters. "The low downforce circuits are probably not the strongest for us. Last year was difficult, and last year at Spa was quite tricky, and it wasn't easy this year either." McLaren, with Mexican Sergio Perez and Britain's Jenson Button, were in the top 10 in both sessions. Ferrari's Felipe Massa, whose race seat is once again in the spotlight with endless speculation about who might replace the Brazilian next year, ended the afternoon eighth fastest. Britain's James Calado made his debut at a grand prix weekend, the newly-appointed Force India third driver taking over Adrian Sutil's car for the morning session before the German returned after lunch. Caterham and Marussia also ran their reserve drivers, Finland's Heikki Kovalainen and Venezuelan Rodolfo Gonzalez. - Reuters, September 6, 2013.

Heat on US in Costa Rica Posted: 05 Sep 2013 07:24 PM PDT September 06, 2013 Latest Update: September 06, 2013 01:08 pm CONCACAF has ramped up security for today's 2014 World Cup qualifier between Costa Rica and The United States, with Ticos fans still irked by the "Snow Bowl" won by the US in Denver in March. Guatemalan Mario Monterrosa, the CONCACAF designated official for the contest, said the history between the teams had prompted the football's regional governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean to label the match "high risk". More than 800 police will be on security duty at Estadio Nacional, with a command post set up at the venue and other precautions taken such as ensuring a maximum number of entrances and exits. There's plenty at stake in the match due to kick off at 8:00pm local time (10:00am, Malaysian time, tomorrow), with The United States holding a two-point lead over Costa Rica atop the six-nation CONCACAF qualifying table. The top three countries advance directly to the World Cup finals in Brazil, while the fourth-place team will battle New Zealand for a berth. The United States have never won a qualifier in Costa Rica, and the locals especially want to keep it that way after the Americans' 1-0 triumph in Denver, a match played in a blizzard that Costa Rica argued bitterly should be stopped. US coach Jurgen Klinsmann said he realized many in Costa Rica remained angry about that match, but said it was unfair to take it out on his team. "That was not our fault," the German said this week as the extent of Costa Rican feeling on the subject became clear. "I didn't call God to give us some snow." Nevertheless, the Americans have endured a rough welcome in San Jose. Rather than being fast-tracked through immigration and customs they received no special treatment upon arriving at the airport, where jeering fans pelted their bus with a few eggs. Further efforts to unsettle the vistors are being orchestrated via social media, with one Facebook group urging supporters to "serenade" the US players at their hotel in the time-honored method to prevent them from sleeping or to clog the streets of San Jose to delay their arrival at the match. Whether the usual police escort to the stadium materialises remains to be seen. US media travelling with the team reported that the three potential training sites suggested by the Costa Rican football federation declined to host them, and that game balls requested for training sessions were never delivered. At least the Americans won't have to go into the lion's den of Estadio Ricardo Saprissa, Costa Rica having abandoned its bid to hold the match at the antiquated venue - where the steep stands offer visiting players an intimidating vista of hostile fans. While some irate supporters were suggesting demonstrations at the match itself, Klinsmann insisted that come Friday, it would be all about football. "It would be a tough game no matter what," he said. "I don't think the players down on the field will think about the snow game in March. It's going to be a totally different situation and environment and we expect a really difficult challenge." - AFP, September 6, 2013.

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