Jumaat, 15 Julai 2011

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food


Steamboat, deluxe style!

Posted: 15 Jul 2011 04:48 PM PDT

A perky appetiser of crabmeat, fresh salmon and handmade noodles in a lemon parsley dressing.

KUALA LUMPUR, July 16 — Steamboat does not have much standing in the Malaysian food scene although it always attracts a crowd. This is because everyone expects it to be a cheap meal, and all they get for the stock are commercially-made fishballs and meatballs, pork and chicken meat, some fish and prawns (not necessarily of the best quality), noodles, eggs and a mountain of vegetables.

But steamboat can be a fine-dining experience, where you appreciate the hours that have gone into making the stock, and the best meats, freshly-made fish-, prawn- and meatballs, live seafood, special dumplings, and other cooked items served with it. Basically you get what you pay.

The organic beef short ribs about to go into the steamboat stock.

The best steamboats are to be found in Hong Kong, where there are no halal issues about imported beef and high-quality fresh ingredients, including seafood, are tipped into the bubbling pot of soup.

I had a great steamboat in Hong Kong at a place called Tai Po Wong in Castle Peak Road last year. It was not so much the place (it looked like a coffeeshop) but the experience of eating the types of beef and pork you would only see in expensive restaurants here, the scallops, prawns, fish, and shellfish, and other ingredients.

Now the next best thing is to have this HK-style steamboat at the Elegant Inn in Kuala Lumpur. We had a taste it a few months ago when they were testing it out and we were impressed, not only with the soup but also with the super grade of fresh ingredients that went into it.

It took into account that there would be some waiting for the soup to come to boil, so we were presented a variety of appetizers. One of these was the Special Chilled Crabmeat and Fresh Salmon with handmade noodles in a lemon parsley dressing, a perky starter. We also had Fried Organic Mushrooms and a Deepfried Prawn Roll, among others.

Sliced garoupa is another luxe addition.

In a special set of RM268++ for four people, with each additional person at RM68++, there is a Chilled Twin Fungus Salad appetizer, plus a choice of one other dish — Cheesy Radish Stick, Homemade Tofu, Japanese Pumpkin or Fried Organic Oyster Mushrooms.

In our tasting session, we had the Traditional Pork Bone Soup, and a Parsley and Century Egg Chicken Stock, though now on the menu, it's fish stock, and that's unusual. You could also choose to have a Peppercorn Radish Chicken Soup.

I always can't wait to drink the soup before it has soaked in all the flavours from the meat or seafood cooking in it. Of course it gets tastier as the meal progresses. In our steamboat we had Kurobuta pork, Australian organic beef short rib, sea crystal prawns, garoupa slices, local mud crab, fish maw, marinated chicken thigh meat, cuttlefish pork balls, mussels, scallops, watercress dumplings, and a deluxe plate of eight different vegetables, including tofu.

As we had a live garoupa, the fish slices were presented for the steamboat while the bones were deepfried in a chiu yim (salt, pepper and chilli) style. The prawns and the garoupa slices just needed quick cooking for the finest texture and flavour.

Crunchy nachos... another yummy appetiser.

Although a tray of condiments — chilli oil, shallot oil, fried garlic, raw garlic, spring onion and cili padi — was placed on the table for us to make our own dips, I had no need of this. Just a plain dip of the special soya sauce from Hong Kong was enough to lift up gently the pristine flavours of each fresh ingredient.

Midway the soup already tasted very flavourful, as the meats and seafood have gone in. It is a deeply satisfying meal that has little oil, no artificial flavourings and it could remain high-protein if you wish it.

For a crunchy diversion there were the fu chook nachos, a more delicate version of the delightful fu chook roll I had at Fei Ngau, another steamboat place in Hong Kong.

Of course the organic beef short rib and the mussels, scallops and fish maw are not included in the RM248 set, but you can order them a la carte.

Rice vermicelli and HK E Fu Noodles wraps up the set, together with a house dessert.

You could also opt for the Deluxe Lobster Set at RM488++ for 4 persons, with RM128 per extra person. You get a whole live Boston Lobster for this set, the Chilled Twin Fungus Salad, and a choice of either Sweet and Sour Crunchy Pork Cheek Slices, Crispy Softshell Crab with light and Spicy Sauce, Golden Fried Japanese Oysters or HK Tofu and Silver fish. You also get a house dessert plus Banana Red Bean Pancake at the end of it.

Elegant Inn is located at 2.01, 2nd floor, Podium Block, Menara Hap Seng, Jalan P. Ramlee, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 03-2070-9399), and at 16 Jalan Waras 1, Taman Connaught, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur (Tel: 03-9130-2626) (Fridays to Sundays only).

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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Fabregas plight ‘like a kidnapping,’ says hometown mayor

Posted: 15 Jul 2011 08:55 AM PDT

Fabregas has not formally demanded a transfer away from Arsenal. — Reuters pic

MADRID, July 15 — The situation Cesc Fabregas finds himself in at Arsenal is akin to a "kidnapping" and the English club should allow him to return to Barcelona, the mayor of his home town was quoted as saying today.

Fabregas, 24, has made no secret of his wish to return one day to the club he left as a 16-year-old in 2003 but has stopped short of publicly demanding a transfer.

"We want him to come right away, he is experiencing a kidnapping," Estanislau Fors i Garcia, the mayor of Catalan town Arenys de Mar where Fabregas grew up, was quoted as saying in Barcelona-based daily Sport.

"If the English are so honourable they should behave properly," he added.

"He has to stop clowning around because it's disorienting for all of us." — Reuters

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Blackburn agree terms with Argentine Pavone

Posted: 15 Jul 2011 06:18 AM PDT

Pavone (front) fights for the ball during a match in Buenos Aires, December 8, 2010. — Reuters pic

LONDON, July 15 — Blackburn have agreed terms with Argentine striker Mariano Pavone, who will sign a three-year deal with the Premier League club during the weekend, the player's agent said today.

Pavone, 29, who has played once for Argentina, will join Rovers on a free transfer after buying out the last year of his contract with Spanish side Real Betis.

He spent last season on loan at River Plate, scoring eight goals in 18 appearances for the Argentine club including one in the second leg of their relegation playoff against Belgrano, which ended in a 1-1 draw after Pavone also missed a penalty.

River lost 3-1 on aggregate and went down to the second division for the first time in their 110-year history.

His British representative Barry McIntosh told Sky Sports: "Mariano is delighted to get his chance in English football, he has spoken to several clubs but he was particularly impressed by (Rovers manager) Steve Kean.

"Steve made him feel very welcome and explained his plans, and Mariano was delighted with what he heard." — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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Two appear in court over alleged Joss Stone plot

Posted: 15 Jul 2011 05:32 AM PDT

Stone receives a note from a fan during her show at Luna Park theatre in Buenos Aires, June 11, 2008. — Reuters pic

LONDON, July 15 — Two men appeared in court today in connection with an alleged plot targeting British soul singer Joss Stone.

Junior Bradshaw, 30, and Kevin Liverpool, 33, both from Manchester, appeared for a preliminary hearing at Exeter Crown Court charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and grievous bodily harm, according to the Press Association.

They were arrested in June in the Devon town of Cullompton near the home of 24-year-old Stone, whose 2004 album "Mind Body & Soul" topped the British charts and who is worth an estimated £9 million (RM43 million).

Neither man entered a plea and they were remanded in custody to appear at the same court in Exeter, southwest England, on October 24.

The pair were arrested after being seen acting suspiciously. Items including a samurai sword and notes mentioning Stone's name were found in their car, the court heard.

The singer said she was "absolutely fine" and "getting on with life as normal" following the arrest of the two men. — Reuters

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Son of Floyd guitarist jailed for UK student riot

Posted: 15 Jul 2011 04:44 AM PDT

Demonstrators jump on burning park benches during a protest outside the Houses of Parliament in Westminster, London December 9, 2010. — Reuters pic

LONDON, July 15 — Charlie Gilmour, the son of Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, was jailed for 16 months today for going on a drug-fuelled rampage during a student fees protest in London.

Gilmour, 21, had admitted violent disorder. A court heard he had shouted "We're going to break all the laws" during last December's protest.

He was seen hanging from a Union Jack flag on the Cenotaph war memorial and leaping on to the bonnet of a Jaguar car which was travelling in a convoy carrying Prince Charles and his wife Camilla.

His defence team had disputed an allegation that he also threw a rubbish bin at the car but the Press Association reported that Judge Nicholas Price told Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court in southwest London he was satisfied Gilmour had in fact thrown the bin.

Gilmour was also accused of attacking the front window of Topshop's flagship store in Oxford Street and making off with the leg of a mannequin.

The court had heard the Cambridge University student had turned to drink and drugs after being rejected by his biological father, writer Heathcote Williams, and had taken LSD and valium in the hours leading up to the violence. — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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India advances injectable vasectomy for men

Posted: 14 Jul 2011 04:47 PM PDT

In India, a new conceptive technology for men is undergoing phase three clinical trials. — AFP pic

NEW DELHI, July 15 — An Indian engineer named Sujoy K. Guha is devising what could be the most revolutionary contraceptive technology — some 30 years in the making — since the birth control pill.

Reported on July 12 in news site Globalpost, the new technology is called RISUG, reversible inhibition of sperm under guidance, which is a surgery-free, injectable and reversible vasectomy.

According to the report, stage three clinical trials are already underway in India, and the treatment could be available as early as next year.

San Francisco activist Elaine Lissner is also backing the new contraception and aims to help push RISUG in the US under the trade name Vasalgel.

Other new birth control advancement in the works include a clear contraceptive gel that could replace birth control pills and patches.

Just 3 mg daily, applied to arms, legs, shoulders, or abdomen, was shown to be a suitable alternative to the pill, according to researchers, who tested the gel on 18 women.

Common pill side effects such as nausea and weight gain didn't occur in the test group, and researchers reported that the gel can even be used while breastfeeding.

The gel was developed in conjunction with the drug company Antares Pharma, which hopes to market the product if the clinical trial results continue to be positive.

Also in the pipeline is a contraceptive spray developed by Australia biotech company Acrux. The spray (a so-far unnamed product) showed positive results in early clinical trials, although more work is needed before it becomes available. And like the gel, it can be used while breastfeeding. — afprelaxnews.com

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion


Why did the police do what they did?

Posted: 14 Jul 2011 05:42 PM PDT

JULY 15 — The tough policeman with the huge muscles grabbed me by my shoulders and flung me towards the sidewalk not caring that I had a press tag around my neck.

I struggled to keep my balance and not drop my camera. I barely managed to not trip over the curb.

"Halau cameraman itu! (Get rid of that cameraman!)" screamed the policeman's other colleagues.

My crime? I was shooting a bunch of arrested demonstrators being led out of Tung Shin Hospital and through a police line.

The detainees had their hands "cuffed" and looked pretty much subdued. However, as they were led through the line, they were kicked and punched by the police.

I was on assignment for The Malaysian Insider to gather video footage of the Bersih rally in Kuala Lumpur on July 9.

But I couldn't get enough footage of that incident since I ended up behind police lines along with other members of the media, cordoned off from what was happening.

There were many instances on the day when demonstrators were being arrested and people around would start yelling for the media to come document it.

"Media! Cepat! Polis tengah tahan orang! (Media! Hurry up! The police are arresting people!)" they would scream.

Many of them wanted visual proof that the police were being overly-aggressive when it came to arresting peaceful demonstrators.

Many also realised that if the media was around during the arrests, the police were less likely to use excessive force.

To me, that is just proof that a free and balanced media is a very important component to keep the wheel of democracy spinning smoothly.

But, of course, keeping things going smoothly can be close to impossible while being under such tense situations.

In the morning, before the demonstrators arrived in the city, the situation was very calm even though there were police everywhere.

The media, myself included, were free to roam around, taking pictures and video of the police all ready to face the day.

When the demonstrators started arriving, things got a bit tense. However, as far as my observations went, the tension did not arise from the demonstrators.

They were just marching and chanting for free elections. It was when the crowd got big (around 10,000 of them) that trouble started in front of Menara Maybank.

The trouble definitely did not start with the demonstrators. They didn't approach the police. It was the police who came in firing tear gas and chemically-laced water.

The demonstrators were pushed back towards Jalan Pudu and that's when all the aggressive arrests started happening.

At this point, the media were allowed free movement, even though we were screamed at to move away by the police. But we were not physically man-handled.

It was only after the second wave of tear gas attacks that the police started to control the media by cordoning them off behind police lines.

My friend, film director Liew Seng Tat, came to me and said he saw the police firing tear gas into Tung Shin Hospital. He then disappeared to join the rest.

Twenty minutes later, he was arrested and brought through the same police line that kicked and punched him while his hands were cuffed behind him.

The media must be given freedom to be there, if not to prevent it from happening in the first place, then definitely in order to inform the public of what happened.

I spoke to a journalist from a local 24-hour news channel and told him about how the police shoved me away and didn't allow me to shoot them beating up detainees.

"Footage macam itu memang tak boleh keluar TV pun (Footage like that can't be shown on TV anyway)," he shrugged.

The response that I got from him showed me the defeatist attitude of some segments of the local media and this almost got me down for a while.

But thank God that feeling didn't last long and I still believe in the power of the media when it comes to sticking up for human rights and defending the ordinary folk.

I also believe that the police exist to serve the people and keep them protected and safe. Then why did they attack, arrest and beat peaceful demonstrators?

They must know that they were doing wrong if they felt the need to keep the media away from witnessing what they were doing.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

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The weakest link

Posted: 14 Jul 2011 05:35 PM PDT

JULY 15 — We just can't seem to stop shipping in goals with eight being conceded in the last two matches, four each against Taiwan and Arsenal.

Well, to be fair, we were going to let in goals against Arsenal but the manner in which we keep giving them away spells trouble ahead of the Road to Brazil 2014 clash against Singapore on July 23.

The defence on display in the two matches above and likely to be playing against Singapore — Mahali Jasuli, Aidil Zafuan, Muslim Ahmad, Fadhli Shas and Asrarudin Putra — seem to struggle as individuals.

The edge seems to have gone off their game as individuals and whichever four take the pitch seem to struggle as a unit.

Has the breaking up of the central defensive partnership of Muslim and Fadhli to accommodate Aidil backfired as despite Aidil's goals, he has the extreme tendency to make rash challenges.

The lazy challenge on Jack Wilshere to give Arsenal a penalty early in the game is the latest in a long line of bad decision making.

Are Muslim and Fadhli beginning to suffer from burnout after playing in the Super League, Pre-Olympics and the Pre-World Cup this year?

This central defensive duo provided the solid platform on which our AFF Suzuki Cup success was built but they have not repeated that feat since.

Perhaps the time has come to look at providing more protection for the defence in the way of changing from a primitive 4-4-2 to perhaps a more fluid 4-2-3-1.

Playing with two central midfielders or two defensive midfielders would provide reassurance to the defence and also decrease the workload of the over-worked S. Kunalan.

This young man has been a tireless worker albeit from a wide left midfield position and if he is allowed to expand more energy in attack, this formation will give our offensive players more space to exploit.

In the last three matches, we have seen our most skilful and imaginative striker Norsharul Idlan Talaha struggle to form a partnership of any sort with Abdul Hadi Yahya or Ahmad Fakri Shaarani.

The latter duo have been outstanding in the Super League but unfortunately seem to find the international arena a step too far at the moment.

In lieu of that, perhaps Norsharul as the lone striker, not as a targetman but rather a "false number 9", could give the opposing central defenders a problem.

With Singapore looming on the horizon and our team struggling to find form and fluidity, perhaps the change in formation rather than personnel could be the way.

There is an opportunity tomorrow to try to change things against Liverpool and while we know where we stand in comparison, we should at least make the opponents work harder for their goals.

The weekend also sees the quarterfinals of the Copa America with host Argentina taking on Uruguay in the Quarterfinal of Death, quite literally.

The form of Argentina was turning into a joke but fortunately Sergio Batista, a hatchetman in his day, decided to take note of the obvious bleeding and made positive changes in their final group match against Costa Rica.

A defeat against Uruguay would cull his tenure as national coach and up until the Costa Rica game, Diego Maradona was beginning to look better and better.

The Brazilians, too, left it late in the group and finally looked sharp against Ecuador in their last group game. However, a rematch against Paraguay could still throw up some doubts.

It was a last-gasp goal from Fred that enabled a 2-2 draw in their Group B clash and this quarterfinal could be more dramatic.

The Colombia versus Peru clash is more difficult to predict as both teams seem a little alike in their approach of eking out results. 

And finally, the Chileans look red-hot favourites against Venezuela despite the Venezuelans dramatic 3-3 draw against Paraguay.

The Chileans can defend better than Paraguay and look sharp in attack with Alexis Sanchez the obvious focal point.

However, they could miss Jean Beausejour who has been in good form on the left flank.

A red card against Peru will mean a reshuffle but expect Chile to make a date with Brazil in the semifinals.

A super weekend of football is coming up with the US playing Japan in the Women's World Cup final in Germany on Sunday night. The match will be telecast live on Astro SuperSport 2, Channel 816 at 2.45am, Monday morning Malaysian time.

The Americans played their worst game of the tournament in the semifinals against France but still won 3-1. They will face a Japanese team that outplayed Sweden in the other semi.

The match will pit the physical power of the US against the technique and agility of Japan, thus making this a must-see Women's World Cup final.

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa


67,000 tiket Malaysia temu Liverpool sudah dijual

Posted: 15 Jul 2011 03:00 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR, 15 Julai — Jualan tiket bagi baki dua perlawanan persahabatan membabitkan dua kelab Liga Perdana Inggeris (EPL) dengan Malaysia, amat memberangsangkan, kata penganjur ProEvents International.

"Sambutan daripada peminat amat baik," kata Pengarah Urusan ProEvents San Boon Wah dipetik Bernama.

Laporan media memetik Bernama berkata San mendedahkan bagi perlawanan membabitkan Liverpool esok, kira-kira 67,000 tiket sudah dijual setakat ini.

"Jumlah itu lebih tinggi daripada perlawanan Manchester United (Jelajah Asia) pada 2009.

"Antara sebab utama kenapa perlawanan Liverpool mendapat sambutan hangat ialah kerana pasukan itu beraksi buat pertama kali di Malaysia," katanya.

Bagi perlawanan Chelsea pada 21 Julai di Stadium Nasional di Bukit Jalil, sebanyak 45,000 tiket sudah dijual setakat ini, katanya.

"Tiket bagi kedua-dua perlawanan masih ada," katanya dan menurutnya 83,000 keping tiket dicetak bagi setiap perlawanan.

Perlawanan antara Liverpool FC dan Harimau Malaya akan bermula pada 5.45 petang esok, manakala perlawanan Chelsea-Harimau Muda akan bermula pada 8.45 malam, 21 Julai.

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Khalid Samad gesa Hisham dedah kos operasi himpunan 9 Julai

Posted: 15 Jul 2011 02:06 AM PDT

SHAH ALAM, 15 Julai — PAS Selangor mahu Menteri Dalam Negeri Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein mendedahkan perbelanjaan yang ditanggung kementerian itu dalam operasi membanteras perhimpunan yang diadakan pada 9 Julai lalu.

Timbalan Pesuruhjayanya Khalid Samad (gambar) berkata, beliau mendapat maklumat perbelanjaan itu mencecah jutaan ringgit.

"Hishammuddin perlu dedahkan berapa perbelanjaan yang digunakan Kementerian Dalam Negeri sepanjang operasi itu berjalan. Kita nak tahu sejak dari mula operasi sampai habis.

"Sebab kalau kita lihat berapa banyak anggota keselamatan digunakan sepanjang operasi itu termasuk pada 9 Julai, ia juga termasuk perbelanjaan makan dan minum kerana saya difahamkan perbelanjaan itu mencecah jutaan ringgit," katanya pada sidang media selepas memfailkan saman pemula terhadap empat individu termasuk Hishammuddin berhubung tangkapan yang dilakukan ke atas ahli parti Islam itu di Mahkamah Tinggi Shah Alam di sini.

Sebelum perhimpunan 9 Julai berlangsung - yang melibatkan Gabungan Pilihan Raya Bersih dan Adil (Bersih 2.0) dan Pemuda Umno, polis telah mengerahkan anggotanya untuk mengambil tindakan dan menahan sesiapa sahaja yang mempunyai kaitan dengan perhimpunan itu.

Sabtu lalu, ribuan rakyat Malaysia telah menyertai Himpunan Bersih 2.0 untuk menuntut pembaharuan sistem pilihan raya.

Pada perhimpunan itu lebih 1,600 peserta termasuk pimpinan Bersih 2.0, Pakatan Rakyat  dan Pemuda Umno ditahan.

Khalid yang juga Ahli Parlimen Shah Alam berkata, beliau berharap Kementerian Dalam Negeri menarik balik semua pengisytiharan pengharam terhadap Bersih 2.0 termasuk kemeja-T.

Semalam Ketua Polis Shah Alam ACP Ahmad Zahedi Ayob berkata pihaknya akan mengambil tindakan termasuk merampas barangan dan menangkap individu yang menjual barangan yang mempunyai logo perhimpunan haram pada Sabtu lalu kerana ia menyalahi undang-undang.

Beliau berkata sebarang penjualan barangan termasuk pakaian seperti kemeja-T atau tali leher yang mempunyai logo penganjur perhimpunan haram itu adalah tidak dibenarkan sama sekali.

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