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Serena bows out on day of champions Posted: 27 Jun 2011 09:03 AM PDT Marion Bartoli of France (R) shakes hands with Serena Williams of the US after defeating her at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London June 27, 2011. – Reuters pic LONDON, June 27 – A fifth Wimbledon singles title proved beyond even the mighty powers of Serena Williams as the American was bundled out in the fourth round by Marion Bartoli on Manic Monday. The 29-year-old, bidding to defy sporting logic by retaining her title after returning just before the tournament from 11 months out, lost 6-3 7-6 to Bartoli but Andy Murray crushed Richard Gasquet to keep alive hopes of a first British men's singles champion for 75 years. Australia's Bernard Tomic became the youngest man to reach the quarter-finals since Boris Becker in 1986 as he followed up his thrashing of fifth seed Robin Soderling with an equally straightforward win over Belgium's Xavier Malisse. With all eight men's and women's last-16 matches slated on the schedule, unique in the grand slams, the All England Club was abuzz from the moments the gates swung open on a sweltering day in leafy south west London. Those without Centre Court tickets dashed straight for a prime spot next to the giant screen on Henman Hill to cheer home favourite Murray to a comprehensive 7-6 6-3 6-2 defeat of unpredictable Frenchman Gasquet. The recently married Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge did have the best seats in the house and would have given their royal seal of approval to the world number four's most impressive display this year. Like the planes stacking up to land at nearby Heathrow Airport, seven grand slam champions were looking for clearance into the quarter-finals on day seven of the tournament. Maria Sharapova was the first of that elite bunch to venture out as the mercury shot into the high 80s Fahrenheit on the cauldron-like Court Two. After early problems against unorthodox Chinese 20th seed Pen Shari she prevailed 6-4 6-2 to reach the quarter-finals of the tournament that launched her career into orbit seven years ago for the first time since 2006. Two players hoping to cash in on Serena's defeat and claim a first grand slam title, Czech Petra Kvitova and Victoria Azarenka, also impressed. Eighth seed Kvitova, a semi-finalist last year, thrashed Yanina Wickmayer of Belgium 6-0 6-2 and fourth seed Azarenka, whose wailing again drowned out the rumble of low flying jets, overwhelmed Russia's Nadia Petrova 6-2 6-2 to seal a clash with Tamira Paszek. Germany's Sabine Lisicki is still on course to become the first wildcard to win the women's singles after a 7-6 6-1 defeat of Petra Cetkovska and will next face Bartoli. With her fidgety dad and coach Walter watching on Court One, after Bartoli banished him during her third-round win, the 2007 runner-up produced a high-energy performance to end Serena's hopes of a third consecutive title. There was enough nervous tension on court to string a racket though 26-year-old Bartoli continually carved out chances but failed to take them. Williams, the 13-times grand slam champion, was moved around relentlessly but still saved five set points before ceding the opener. Bartoli, bouncing around on the baseline and neurotically practising her swings between points, broke serve to lead 6-5 in the second set as the 29-year-old Williams made a clumsy attempt at a backhand smash. An ace brought up two match points in the next game. Scrapping like an alley-cat Williams saved those and then a third after a sensational rally in which she pounded away at her French opponent. With close friend and soul diva Beyonce watching on, it seemed Williams would turn the match around in the tiebreak but Bartoli was having none of it. She earned another match point at 6-5 which Williams saved with and ace but when she had her fifth chance on her own serve she held her nerve to send down an unplayable delivery. "Beating Serena is a dream come true, she is one of the greatest champions of the open era," Bartoli said. "It was not easy mentally but I did it and I am very happy. She is very imposing. If you look at her it is difficult to handle the pressure so I was just trying to focus on my own game." Rafa Nadal will be hoping to avoid a similar fate to Serena later today against Argentina's Juan Martin del Potro while Roger Federer, bidding for a seventh Wimbledon crown, takes on Russian Mikhail Youzhny. – Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Murray in regal form sends Gasquet packing Posted: 27 Jun 2011 07:50 AM PDT Britain's Prince William (4th L) and his wife, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge (2nd L) applaud after Andy Murray of Britain defeated Richard Gasquet of France, on Centre Court at the Wimbledon tennis championships in London June 27, 2011. – Reuters pic LONDON, June 27 – Briton Andy Murray received the royal seal of approval as he overran Richard Gasquet 7-6 6-3 6-2 today to reach the Wimbledon quarter-finals. The fourth seed, watched from the Centre Court royal box by Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge, expertly dealt with the threat of the Frenchman. Murray clinically took his chances in very warm temperatures while 17th seed Gasquet, who took the Scot to five sets at the grasscourt grand slam in 2008, squandered the few opportunities he had and never looked confident in the early tiebreak. One of unseeded duo Lukasz Kubot of Poland or Spaniard Feliciano Lopez await in an easier-looking last eight contest. "I was happy with the way I served. I could have hit the ball from the back of court better at the start of the match but I'm happy how I finished it off," Murray said in a televised interview. "I didn't give up too many break opportunities so that is good. I need to improve as there are the best players ever still out there." Gasquet has one of the most stylish backhands on the tour but Murray matched him with his equally effective, if less aesthetic, double-handed shots. Centre Court was full if a little nervous, given the potentially large banana skin facing the Briton, with Murray Mound outside rammed with fans biting their fingernails in the sunshine. As it was, Murray strolled through to his fourth straight quarter-final at the All England club and even managed an impressive bow in front of the royal couple when heading off court to a standing ovation. "I didn't actually know (they were coming)," he said. "It's nice, I think it's great for tennis when you get royalty to come." – Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Vitamin D lowers heart risks in men, study shows Posted: 26 Jun 2011 11:01 PM PDT NEW YORK, June 27 — Men who take the recommended amount of vitamin D are less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke, according to a US study. The study, which followed nearly 119,000 adults for two decades, found that men who got at least 600 IU of vitamin D a day, were 16 per cent less likely to develop heart problems or stroke than men who took less than 100 IUD. The current recommended intake is at least 600 IU. But there was no such pattern among women, according to the finding published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. "These observations suggest that a higher intake of vitamin D is associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease in men but not in women," wrote lead researcher Qi Sun at the Harvard School of Public Health. But Qi and the other authors said the findings did not yet prove that vitamin D, which is found in fish, eggs, fortified milk and cod liver oil, deserved the credit for the lower risk found in men. "The evidence is not strong enough yet to make solid recommendations," Qi added. The current study was observational, based on data from two long-term projects that followed two large groups of US health professionals since the 1980s: the Nurses' Health Study and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. Out of 45,000 men, there were about 5,000 new cases of cardiovascular disease over the study period, marked by a heart attack, stroke or cardiovascular death. It's not clear why the finding in men wasn't matched by a similar pattern in women, but Qi said one possibility was that women might have less active vitamin D circulating in the blood. Vitamin D is also stored in fat, and women typically have a higher percentage of body fat than men do. But more research was needed, Qi said, adding that more answers were expected from an ongoing randomised trial evaluating whether a high dose of vitamin D (2,000 IU a day) could cut the risk of heart disease, stroke and other chronic diseases. — Reuters Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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‘Cars’ rolls to the top of the weekend box office Posted: 27 Jun 2011 06:46 AM PDT LOS ANGELES, June 27 – "Cars 2," the sequel to the animated Disney film, did well enough – despite tepid reviews – to debut in first among weekend movies, industry estimates showed yesterday. The latest Pixar production, with voices provided by Owen Wilson, Michael Caine and others, earned US$68 million (RM207.97 million) in North America, according to box office tracker Exhibitor Relations. Second place went to another new film, "Bad Teacher" about the classroom antics of a foul-mouthed, pot-smoking middle school teacher and starring A-list actress Cameron Diaz, which earned US$31 million. Third place went to superhero comic book adaptation "Green Lantern" with US$18.4 million in sales. Sci-fi thriller "Super 8" earned US$12.1 million for fourth place, while Jim Carrey's "Mr. Popper's Penguins," brought in US$10.3 million for fifth. In sixth place was "X-Men: First Class" with US$6.6 million, while the summer's biggest earner so far. In seventh place was "The Hangover: Part II," earned an estimated US$5.87 million, for a total US$244 million to date. "The Bridesmaid which was eighth with US$5.37 million in ticket sales, while "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides," earned US$4.7 million for ninth place. The 10th spot went to Woody Allen's "Midnight in Paris," which earned US$4.48 million. – AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Fans mourn Michael Jackson, two years on Posted: 27 Jun 2011 03:44 AM PDT Indian singer Sanu Nigam (R ) and US singer/actor Jermaine Jackson (L) sign a song to pay tribute to late US singer Michael Jackson on June 24, 2011 during IIFA Rocks on the sideline of the 2011 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) awards in Toronto, Ontario. – AFP pic LOS ANGELES, June 27 – Michael Jackson fans paid their respects on Saturday to the late King of Pop on the second anniversary of his shock death, as his famous "Thriller" video jacket went under the hammer in Los Angeles. Fans were allowed to place flowers by the singer's mausoleum at the Forest Lawn Memorial Park just outside Los Angeles, where he died from an overdose of powerful sedative propofol on June 25, 2009, aged 50. "He just wanted to make the world a better place, and now that he's gone, that lives on through the fans who love him," fan Linda Higgins told KABC television. "We're carrying that message and his mission through us," she added outside the mausoleum in Glendale, where Jackson's close friend Elizabeth Taylor was laid to rest nearby in March. The anniversary was more low-key than one year after his death, when the singer's siblings gathered at the picturesque cemetery, and were joined by thousands of fans. This year, Jackson's father Joe was reported to have been seen at his son's memorial early in the day. Two years after Michael Jackson's surprise death, the mystery over exactly how he died continues to fuel legal wrangling, conspiracy theories and family strains. His personal doctor Conrad Murray is still awaiting trial on manslaughter charges for allegedly giving Jackson an overdose of propofol to help him sleep on that fateful morning at his Beverly Hills mansion. Days ahead of the second anniversary of his death, Jackson's sister La Toya published a new book reiterating her claim that he may have been murdered, and had voiced fears to her that someone was out to kill him for financial reasons. "I truly feel Dr Murray was simply the fall guy. I think it's too easy to blame him. I think the investigation needs to go a bit further than just stopping at Dr Murray," she said ahead of the book's publication this week. On Saturday, the famous red and black leather jacket worn by Jackson in the iconic "Thriller" video went under the block. Auctioneer Darren Julien called the jacket "the most recognized and significant piece of pop culture" at a two-day Music Icons sale.  The jacket was sold for US$1.8 million (RM5.4 million) during the  auction  to a Texas gold trader who plans to use it to raise money for children's hospitals worldwide. In downtown Los Angeles, the Grammy Museum – the music industry body's showcase – opened a permanent exhibit devoted to Jackson, including two of his famous sequined gloves. Elsewhere, Jermaine Jackson sang a tribute to his late brother, on the eve of Saturday's anniversary, on the sidelines of the 2011 International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) in Toronto, Canada. In Las Vegas – where a permanent show by the Cirque du Soleil troupe is due to open – a shooting incident reportedly clouded a tribute by fans visiting a home where Jackson lived during a stint in the casino capital. Police rushed to the scene when gunshots were heard from a few houses away – although initial reports said the victim was a dog, shot by a police officer after it attacked him, according to the TMZ celebrity website. Fans also posted their comments on Jackson's official website, where an anniversary message trumpeted the "indescribably unique spirit that still connects Michael today with countless fans in a way that knows no borders." "I can't stop crying because you were so loved by everyone. I have pictures of you all over my house, and every day I talk to you as though you are still here," wrote one, Mama60Jama. – AFP Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Lawatan rasmi: Najib, Muhyiddin belanja RM25 juta sejak 2008 Posted: 27 Jun 2011 02:03 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 27 Jun – Jabatan Perdana Menteri mendedahkan Datuk Seri Najib Razak, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin dan pasangan mereka telah menghabiskan RM25.1 juta bagi tujuan lawatan rasmi ke luar negara sejak 2008 hingga Jun tahun ini. Dalam jawapan bertulis kepada Chua Tian Chang (PKR-Batu), daripada jumlah itu Najib dan isterinya Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor menggunakan RM17,118,650.58 manakala Muhyiddin dan isterinya Puan Sri Norainee Abdul Rahman pula RM8,020,328.07. Chua telah meminta perdana menteri agar menyenaraikan jumlah kos lawatan rasmi beliau dan timbalannya mengikut tarikh, lokasi dan tujuan dari 2008 hingga 2011. Malah, beliau juga bertanya butiran perbelanjaan Rosmah sepanjang tempoh itu. Najib, yang merupakan timbalan perdana menteri pada 2008,  menggantikan Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi pada April 2009. Menurut respons Jabatan Perdana Menteri yang diperoleh hari ini, Najib dan Rosmah telah membelanjakan RM1.7 juta pada 2008, RM4.8 juta (2009), RM5.1 juta (2010) dan RM5.4 juta sehingga Jun tahun ini. Dalam pada itu, Muhyiddin dan Norainee telah membelanjakan RM2.7 juta pada 2008, RM609,185 (2009), RM1.38 juta (2010) dan RM3.27 juta sehingga Jun tahun ini. "Jabatan Perdana Menteri tidak menyediakan sebarang peruntukan khas bagi perbelanjaan isteri perdana menteri. Jabatan hanya membiayai perbelanjaan Jabatan Perdana Menteri," kata respons itu. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Ambiga: Himpunan Bersih 9 Julai diteruskan Posted: 27 Jun 2011 01:50 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 27 Jun – Pengerusi Bersih Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan yang disoal siasat oleh polis hari ini menegaskan Himpunan Bersih 2.0 pada 9 Julai ini untuk menuntut pembaharuan sistem pilihan raya negara ini akan diteruskan sebagaimana telah dirancang. Bekas presiden Majlis Peguam itu (gambar) berkata pihaknya juga tidak akan memohon permit polis untuk mengadakan perhimpunan dan perarakan memandangkan Menteri Dalam Negeri dan polis berpendirian tegas bahawa tidak akan memberi kelulusan bagi tujuan itu. Ambiga juga mengecam pihak berkuasa kerana menahan anggota masyarakat madani yang berkempen menuntut pembaharuan sistem pilihan raya. "Daripada mengugut mereka, libatkan sama kami," kata beliau. Ambiga juga menyifatkan tindakan polis menahan aktivis Parti Sosialis Malaysia (PSM) kelmarin sebagai mengarut sambil mengecam tindakan pelbagai pihak yang cuba mengaitkan kumpulan politik kecil yang menyokong Bersih sebagai komunis. "Saya tidak tahu apa yang berlaku... siapa yang bercakap mengenai komunis pada hari masa sekarang dan zaman ini?" katanya lagi. "Sesiapa yang hendak menyokong Bersih, terserah kepada mereka. Terpulang kepada rakyat," katanya. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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Nudge, nudge, wink, wink… say no more Posted: 26 Jun 2011 04:56 PM PDT JUNE 27 — It is the practice of some labour unions to produce one or several publications annually to inform their members of various activities and developments related to the unions. As with many things in this world, it costs money to produce these publications. These unions finance the publications through a number of ways. Membership fee is one example. Another is selling advertising space to non-members, especially to the business community. This, however, can be an ethically grey area. This kind of funding can be ethically iffy if the union members comprise employees of public regulators or law enforcement agencies, like the police, the Fire Department or Customs. This particular interaction between the unionised employees and the business community through the sale of advertising space creates perverse incentive. It is a potential channel for corruption. It has the ability to affect adversely the traditional relationship between the public and the government. Everybody deals with some of these regulators and enforcers in one way or another. The police maintain public order. The Fire Department apart from firefighting ensures public adherence to certain codes. City Hall and other local councils enforce even more codes. Many other regulators and enforcers exist out there to match the hundreds or thousands of laws that govern too many things. Services provided by the enforcers and the regulators are funded by public money. To put it simply, the public pays for the services and these government arms render the services to the public. This is the traditional relationship. It is simple and clean. This traditional relationship between the two must not be influenced by any other factor, lest the regulators and the enforcers filter their customers for their own benefit. The sale of advertising space by unions especially to business establishments twists the traditional relationship by creating another channel for the public to interact with the regulators and the enforcers. That new channel runs through the unions to form a special relationship between the space purchasers and sellers, who are part of the government or its agencies. There are at least three ways this is detrimental to the traditional relationship. One, the sale and purchase of advertising space can be done by the business community to return a favour previously done or will be done by certain unionised employees. This is downright corruption. Two, the sellers, who are employees of the government bodies and agencies, will feel indebted to the purchasers. It is a profitable relationship and one always keeps profitable relationship intact. By doing so, the purchasers will have special relationship with the seller and, implicitly, to the regulators and enforcers. Those particular employees or any member of the union may systematically handle future requests or transgressions by the sellers leniently. This runs contrary to the ideal that prescribes everybody as equal before the law. Three, even without such favours or the feeling of indebtedness, a mere request by the unions may create consternation among the solicited. A forward-looking person, and especially businesses, upon receiving the advertising request would ask, how would this affect us? For those who conclude that a negative reply would affect the likelihood of approval to future transactions, they might feel compelled to purchase the space from the unions. This can happen even if there is no intention by the union to abuse its influence. In other words, it creates a perception of corruption even though there is no actual corruption. The way the incentives have been perversely structured inadvertently or otherwise may make it necessary for the relevant authority to look into this particular activity of these particular unions. Despite all that, this is not to say that there is actual corruption in the system. This may sound like a cop-out but the whole structure is an opportunity for corruption nevertheless. Individuals are not inherently good or bad, clean or corrupt. Many times, it is the institutions that provide the incentives for corrupt practise to flourish. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

Menulis ‘kebenaran’ di Malaysia Posted: 26 Jun 2011 04:31 PM PDT 27 JUN — Peluang menyertai "Writers Unlimited Tour" di Kuala Lumpur pada 10-12 Jun 2011 memberi saya pelbagai pengalaman, ilmu dan kisah menarik untuk didokumentasikan. Apatah lagi apabila berpeluang bertemu dan bertukar pandangan bersama beberapa pengarang dari luar negara. Walaupun kami hanya bertemu bagi kali pertama pada 10 Jun di Universiti Taylor's bagi sesi bacaan dan perbincangan, saya merasakan seperti sudah mengenali Abeer Soliman, Rodaan Al Galidi, Gunduz Vassaf, Maaza Mengiste dan Dipika Mukherjee sejak sekian lama. Manakala kemesraan, keintiman dan persefahaman bersama-sama tokoh tempatan seperti Dain Said, Kee Thuan Chye, Chuah Guat Eng, Bernice Chauly, Amir Muhammad dan Umapagan Ampikaipakan semakin meningkat. Dipika yang mengajar di Universiti Pengajian Antarabangsa Shanghai pada mulanya bimbang memikirkan reaksi terhadap petikan novel "Thunder Demons" yang dibacakannya pada sesi diskusi panel di The Annexe Gallery, Pasar Seni pada 11 Jun. Novel berkenaan yang ditulis berdasarkan kisah sebuah keluarga kaum India di Malaysia termasuk dalam senarai panjang Man Asian Literary Prize 2009 dan akan diterbitkan di India oleh Gyaana Books pada Julai ini. Bahagian prolog novel itu menarik perhatian dan saya kagum dengan kemampuan Dipika mengadun fiksyen dan fakta berkaitan kisah pembunuhan seorang model Tibet di Shah Alam atas alasan politik. "Saya yakin bahawa semuanya selamat dan tidak ada pihak yang tersilap mengaitkan hasil karya yang lahir daripada imaginasi saya sebagai 100 peratus fakta," katanya mengenai novel itu yang dijadual dipasarkan di India, Pakistan, Bangladesh dan Sri Lanka. Tema Writers Unlimited Tour adalah "Writing the Truth: Fact or Fiction?" Maka pemilihan novel "Thunder Demons" oleh Dipika memang kena pada tempatnya; sebagaimana kisah mengenai seorang tokoh politik yang dituduh mengadakan hubungan seks luar tabii dengan seekor lembu — dan kemudian seks normal dengan manusia — dalam karya Thuan Chye yang turut menghasilkan buku "March 8: Time for Real Change" (2010). Sementara itu, Maaza, novelis kelahiran Ethiopia, mengakui bahawa memang khalayak dan penerbit mengharapkan beliau menghasilkan karya berkaitan dan berlatarkan negara asalnya itu. "Apabila melihat nama saya sebagai seorang pengarang yang berasal dari Ethiopia, orang ramai, khususnya di Amerika Syarikat, menganggap serta mengharapkan saya menulis kisah-kisah yang ada kaitan rapat dengan tanah kelahiran saya serta pergolakan yang berlaku di sana," katanya semasa kami berbual sambil menikmati teh tarik di sebuah restoran berdekatan Pasar Seni pada petang 11 Jun. Pengarang novel "Beneath the Lion's Gaze" (2010) itu mengakui bahawa novel sulungnya memenuhi kriteria berkenaan iaitu berkisar revolusi dan pergolakan di Ethiopia pada awal 1970-an. "Saya menulis 'Beneath the Lion's Gaze' bukan atas desakan, permintaan atau cadangan penerbit. Sebaliknya demi kepuasan diri serta keinginan merakamkan kisah yang berlaku di tanah kelahiran saya pada masa lalu. "Saya mengutip pengalaman semasa kanak-kanak serta menambah dengan kisah yang saya dengar daripada ibu saya dan melakukan kajian mendalam bagi menghasilkan karya fiksyen ini yang banyak mengangkat fakta dan kejadian sebenar," katanya. Pengarang wanita berumur 40 tahun ini pernah tinggal di Nigeria dan Kenya sebelum berhijrah ke Amerika Syarikat. Beliau mengikuti pengajian penulisan kreatif di Universiti New York dan kini menjadi pensyarah di sana. "Bagi saya, tidak adil untuk mengharapkan seorang penulis kreatif menghasilkan karya yang hanya berkaitan negara asal serta etniknya sendiri. Bagi seorang pengarang, tiada sebarang sempadan bagi daya kreativiti dan capaian bidang penulisannya," katanya. Menceritakan mengenai sambutan terhadap novel "Beneath the Lion's Gaze", Maaza berkata, penduduk Ethiopia turut gembira dengan kelahiran sebuah karya yang merakamkan kisah yang berlaku di negara mereka. "Saya sering diundang membaca petikan novel ini di negara asal saya dan saya berpeluang mendengar pelbagai pengalaman yang diceritakan pula oleh mereka. Maka, novel ini membuka ruang untuk mengenang sejarah penting bagi negara Ethiopia. "Malah, saya juga menerima e-mel daripada remaja perempuan dari Ethiopia yang meluahkan rasa gembira dan bangga melihat kejayaan saya dalam kerjaya dan bidang penulisan. Saya bersyukur kerana mampu menjadi contoh kepada mereka," katanya yang berkarya menggunakan Bahasa Inggeris. Abeer, pengarang dari Mesir pula menceritakan kecintaannya terhadap Bahasa Arab yang membantunya meluahkan emosi dan pandangan secara indah dan berkesan. "Saya lahir, membesar dan belajar di pedalaman serta kurang terdedah pada Bahasa Inggeris. Hanya kemudian saya mempelajari bahasa itu dan kini amat gemar membaca karya-karya Bahasa Inggeris," katanya. Mengenai penulisannya pula, penulis "Diary of an Old Spinster" (2010) itu mengaku bahawa beliau menulis demi kepuasan diri kerana hanya selepas memuaskan tuntutan santapan minda sendiri, maka seseorang boleh memikirkan untuk menyajikannya kepada khalayak. Abeer berhasrat membuka mata dan minda orang ramai, khususnya golongan lelaki di Mesir, yang sering memandang rendah terhadap kedudukan dan kemampuan golongan wanita. "Mengikut perangkaan rasmi, pada tahun 2009, sekitar 2,700 wanita Mesir membunuh diri kerana tidak mampu berdepan dengan pelbagai masalah dan cemuhan semata-mata kerana mereka lahir sebagai wanita," kata wanita berumur 34 tahun ini yang juga kolumnis di akhbar Baladna dan agen sastera bagi Noon Organisation. Menurut Abeer, 54 peratus penduduk Mesir berada di bawah paras kemiskinan tegar dan beliau cuba membantu mereka menerusi penglibatannya dalam beberapa pertubuhan bukan kerajaan (NGO). "Antara program yang kami atur adalah berkaitan memberi kesedaran kepada golongan wanita mengenai hak mereka, isu berkaitan penderaan seksual dan keganasan rumah tangga, serta mengajar seni kraf kepada golongan wanita untuk membina keyakinan dan kemampuan berdikari," katanya. Abeer turut menulis lakon layar dan terlibat dalam dunia kewartawanan. Selain itu, beliau kini sedang melakukan kajian dan kerja-kerja mengumpul maklumat bagi novel yang sedang diusahakannya. "Menulis memberi saya peluang untuk memotivasi diri serta memotivasi orang lain, khususnya golongan wanita di Mesir. Sejak perubahan dalam politik dan kepimpinan negara baru-baru ini, golongan wanita — khususnya generasi muda — turut menyedari tanggungjawab dan peranan mereka dalam sama-sama menyumbang ke arah pembinaan negara bangsa yang diimpikan," katanya. Gunduz dari Turki secara penuh satira menyampaikan kritikan terhadap "kerajaan yang yang boleh disewa secara pakej lengkap". Pasti sahaja penulis veteran ini berkongsi banyak ilmu bersama saya dan rakan-rakan penulis lain semasa dan selepas acara. Penyair kelahiran Iraq, Rodaan yang kini tinggal di Belanda mempunyai keistimewaan tersendiri kerana mampu melihat pelbagai perkara dalam kehidupan seharian dari sudut yang berbeza dan cukup mengasyikkan — selain melucukan! Malah, keganasan perang dan pengalamannya menjadi pelarian selama 18 tahun diungkapkan secara penuh seni dan berjenaka sehingga beliau menjadi pengarang yang paling menonjol dan mendapat tempat dalam hati orang ramai sepanjang Writers Unlimited Tour. Pengarang Malaysia juga tidak kurang "taring" mereka. Usaha berani Bernice mengatur acara ini menjadi satu lagi bukti nyata bahawa pengarang tempatan — tanpa mengira kaum dan bahasa — sama hebat dengan pengarang antarabangsa. Masing-masing berjaya mengungkapkan fakta, kritikan, komen dan pandangan yang diadun dalam bentuk fiksyen menjadi faksyen. Terpulang kepada khalayak untuk menghayati dan memahami apa yang dimaksudkan melalui karya "nafas baru" seperti ini. * Uthaya Sankar SB merakamkan terima kasih kepada Institut Terjemahan Negara Malaysia (ITNM) yang menaja penyertaannya dalam Writers Unlimited Tour. Beliau akan menyertai Ubud Writers & Readers Festival di Bali serta World Tamil Writers Conference di Singapura pada Oktober 2011. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full Feed Generated by Get Full RSS, sponsored by USA Best Price.

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