The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| Enter the dragon ― on very small legs Posted: 08 Nov 2011 03:32 AM PST  A miniature figurine of a dragon made of resin and gold foil, which measures about 1.2cm long and 0.9cm high, is displayed in Taipei on November 5, 2011. Taiwanese artist Chen Forng-shean created the dragon figurine to welcome the Lunar Year of the Dragon in 2012. ― Reuters pic His latest creation, a dragon made out of gold foil and black resin, is a mere 1.2cm long, not quite half an inch, and stands only 0.9cm high. Complete with legs and claws, it is barely visible to the naked eye. "The hardest part about making this dragon is the sculpting for the limbs and the claws. These are the most delicate parts, also its open jaw and its whiskers," said Chen of the dragon, which he maintains is the world's smallest. "After the dragon was completed I had to pay attention to its body so it looks like the dragon is above the clouds, that's the dragon's spirit." A recently retired plate designer for Taiwan's Central Engraving and Printing Plant, the 56-year-old Chen began creating miniature sculptures as a hobby three decades ago. The dragon took Chen three months to complete, and he failed several times. It went on display at the weekend, part of a continuing tradition of sculpting animals from the twelve-animal Chinese zodiac. Next year is the Lunar Year of the Dragon. Visitors to the exhibit said they were astonished by the piece, one example of a high-end Chinese art thousands of years old. "I admire the work very much. It's amazing," said 72-year-old Hsia Chun-chun. ― Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
| US judge blocks graphic cigarette warnings Posted: 08 Nov 2011 01:12 AM PST  Combination picture of graphic cigarette packages, released by the US FDA on June 21, 2011, shows a varied collection of a man on a ventilator, diseased lungs and dead bodies were among the images for revamped US tobacco labels. ― Reuters pic US District Judge Richard Leon sided yesterday with tobacco companies and granted a temporary injunction, saying they would likely prevail in their lawsuit challenging the requirement as unconstitutional because it compels speech in violation of the First Amendment. The Food and Drug Administration in June released nine new warnings to go into effect in September of 2012, the first change in US cigarette warning labels in 25 years. Cigarette packs already carry text warnings from the US Surgeon General. The new warnings must cover the top half of the front and back of cigarette packs and 20 percent of printed advertisements and must contain color graphics depicting the health consequences of smoking, including diseased lungs, dead bodies and rotting teeth. Congress instructed FDA to impose the new labels as part of 2009 legislation making the agency responsible for regulating tobacco products. "The sheer size and display requirements for the graphic images are anything but narrowly tailored," Leon wrote in a 29-page opinion. Just because Congress ordered the size and placement of the new warnings before charging the FDA with carrying out the mandate, "doing so does not enable this requirement to somehow automatically pass constitutional muster," he said. The content of the images would also not likely survive constitutional muster because the FDA did not attempt to narrowly tailor those either, the judge said. The tobacco lawsuit is the latest effort by corporations to assert a right to free speech, a high-profile legal battle that could end up before the US Supreme Court. Reynolds American Inc's R.J. Reynolds unit, Lorillard Inc, Liggett Group LLC and Commonwealth Brands Inc, owned by Britain's Imperial Tobacco Group Plc, sued the FDA in August. They argued the new graphic warnings force them to "engage in anti-smoking advocacy" on the government's behalf, breaching their right to free speech. The Obama administration's options include appealing Leon's ruling or the FDA could try to rewrite the rules. FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Yao said the agency did not comment on proposed, pending or ongoing litigation. Justice Department spokesman Charles Miller said the department was aware of the decision and was reviewing it. The White House expressed disappointment in the ruling. "Tobacco companies shouldn't be standing in the way of common sense measures that will help prevent children from smoking. We are confident big tobacco's attempt to stop these warnings from going forward will ultimately fail," White House spokesman Nick Papas said. Emotional images Tobacco is the leading cause of preventable deaths in the United States, accounting for one in every five deaths every year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About 21 per cent of US adults smoke cigarettes, a number little changed since 2004. Worldwide, tobacco kills nearly 6 million people every year, including more than 600,000 nonsmokers, according to the World Health Organisation, which has repeatedly called for graphic images to appear on tobacco packs, saying the pictorial warnings actually work. The tobacco industry had asked Leon to block the FDA's new requirements, pending a final decision on their constitutionality. They argued they needed a quick ruling because they would have to start in November or December and spend millions of dollars to comply with the requirements. Justice Department attorneys had argued that the money was a small fraction of the companies' net sales, so they would not suffer irreparable harm without the temporary injunction. Government attorneys said the labels conveyed the dangers of smoking more effectively than words alone, and were needed to stop more people from smoking, especially teenagers. Judge Leon said the images provoked an emotional response rather than just providing factual and noncontroversial information, crossing the line into using company advertising for government advocacy. Floyd Abrams, a prominent First Amendment lawyer representing Lorillard, called Leon's ruling a "vindication for the well-established First Amendment principle that the government may not compel speech in the commercial area." He said the case was in its early stages and there was a "good chance" it will eventually reach the US Supreme Court. The Dow Jones tobacco index, whose components include Altria, Lorillard and Reynolds American, was just 0.05 per cent higher in afternoon trading amid mixed trading for broader US stock indexes as investors kept a worried eye on European debt problems. Altria Group is not part of the lawsuit. The case is R.J Reynolds Tobacco Co et al v. US Food and Drug Administration et al, US District Court for the District of Columbia, No. 11-cv-1482. ― Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS. |
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