Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

---

Foodie revolution brings bacon ice cream to Moscow Posted: 03 Sep 2011 06:43 AM PDT MOSCOW, Sept 3 — Whether it's learning to make bacon ice cream, sampling lamb from the Kalmyk steppes, or rustling up paella a la russe, Muscovites have embraced all things foodie in a gastronomic revolution. Hard to find just a few years ago as Russia remained burdened by the Soviet Union's gastronomic legacy, medium-priced restaurants that use locally sourced, seasonal ingredients have now become the hot new trend. People take part in the food festival at Moscow's Gorky Park on August 27, 2011. — AFP pic Magazines aimed at the upwardly mobile publish cooking columns, and the middle-classes are discovering the joys of the dinner party. The monthly Afisha Food magazine has spearheaded the trend, and last weekend it packed crowds into a central Moscow park for a food festival that was the first of its kind in Russia. Around 10,000 people flocked to the historic riverside Gorky Park, not dissuaded by a 600 ruble (RM63) ticket price, as 40 restaurants presented special menus, chefs held master-classes and farmers sold home-grown produce. Young couples with children in pushchairs and groups of friends happily queued for two hours to buy pork cooked sous-vide (sealed in a vacuum) and charcoal smoked, or chicken ragout with cherries and coriander. "There has been an evolution in the way the middle classes see food. After 70 years in a gastronomic ghetto, we all tried out exotic dishes. And now we are looking for a happy medium," said Alexei Zimin, the editor of Afisha Food, a food columnist for Kommersant daily and the co-owner of Ragout restaurant. "Cooking has become a big topic in the media. A huge amount of information has appeared on the subject," he told AFP. On stage, in front of several hundred spectators, he reveals some tricks of the trade: for example, prawns with rosemary need to be sautéed three times to ensure they are cooked through and juicy. Ragout chef Ilya Shalev demonstrates how to make some unusual desserts, turning bacon into ice cream — as in the famed dish by British celebrity molecular chef Heston Blumenthal — and making salty caramel sauce as an accompaniment. New Yorker Isaac Correa came to Moscow in 2003 and owns numerous restaurants serving innovative American-style food. He serves his ice cream in a cocktail with Pepsi and mozzarella with watermelon. "People have become more knowledgeable. People read, people see, people travel," Correa said. "Now they want to go to the restaurant not just to get a meal. They want to share different experiences." The chef of Delicatessen restaurant, Ivan Shishkin, shows how to make a paella, Russian style, with spelt — a kind of ancient wheat increasingly back in vogue and only grown in a few Russian regions — and wild chanterelle mushrooms. He says that he is on a mission to create the savoury flavour of umami, the fifth basic taste identified by the Japanese, using local produce. "I am looking forward to the time for pickling apples so I can use them to season fish instead of miso," a highly salty Japanese seasoning, he says. While Shishkin says he tries to use locally grown produce as much as possible, such as the spelt in the paella, he acknowledges that it would be impossible to rely on them entirely. "That would make the menu too expensive and I want to stay within reasonable limits so that ordinary people like us can come to my restaurant." The farmers' market displays lamb from the southern Kalmykia region, yellow cherry jam from Dagestan in the Caucasus and natural yoghurt from the Moscow region, at high prices that put off some visitors. Yulia Fateyeva, a mother of three, stocks up on cheese, saying that she does not even look at the price and "adores farm produce". But Marina Davydova complains that "everything is unaffordable". "I would be happy to buy farm produce if it was at the price you see at markets in Paris or Nice," she said. The founder of Lavkalavka, an Internet store that sells fresh farm produce, Boris Akimov, argues that such high prices are unavoidable. "I would also like this to cost less, but it's not so simple. "In France, this culture has been around for 500 years. In our country, we only started 20 years ago," he said. "During the Soviet era, farmers were eliminated (in collectivisation) and their land was ravaged with chemicals." — AFP-Relaxnews

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Food To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

---

De Zordo hits it hard for javelin gold Posted: 03 Sep 2011 07:37 AM PDT De Zordo competes in the men's javelin throw final in Daegu on September 3, 2011. — Reuters pic DAEGU (South Korea), Sept 3 — German Matthias de Zordo "hit it hard" on the first attempt to condemn Norway's defending champion Andreas Thorkildsen to javelin silver at the world athletics championships today. "I do not know what was wrong with Andreas Thorkildsen, why he was not able to attack," the burly German happily told reporters. His first throw of 86.27 metres was enough to take the Norwegian's title in Daegu, which was just as well as De Zordo injured his ankle after his fourth attempt and needed treatment. "My coach told me to hit it hard on the first attempt," he added. "I am glad I was able to and I am really happy that it was enough to win." A groin injury hampered Thorkildsen in his first two meetings of the year but since then he has looked as if he has been approaching unbeatable form. The Olympic champion, though, came up short under the Daegu floodlights. "When it comes to statistics, this is my worst result since the world championships in Paris (in 2003)," he said. "Still, this is my eighth medal from big competitions in a row. I know that gold was reachable, but my technique today was just bad." — Reuters

Bolt makes amends with lightning 200 Posted: 03 Sep 2011 07:15 AM PDT DAEGU (South Korea), Sept 3 — The doubters said Usain Bolt was vulnerable and that his star was on the wane. In response, the Jamaican showman silenced his critics today with the fastest feet in the world. Barely a week after his humiliating disqualification from the 100 metres final, the lanky Jamaican blew away his rivals in the 200, his favourite event, to retain his Berlin title and give the Daegu crowd the show they had been waiting for. Bolt leans forward to cross the finish line first to win the men's 200 metres final in Daegu on September 3, 2011. — Reuters pic The 25-year-old, who set the world record of 19.19 in winning the title in Berlin two years ago, has struggled to regain top form after a back injury ended his 2010 season prematurely but he was back to his imperious best on the penultimate day of competition. "I wasn't running angry, I was running hard just to say to fans sorry about the 100 metres," said Bolt. Only he and Michael Johnson have run 19.40 or faster over 200 metres. "I came out here to do my best... 19.40 for me, it is a good time. I am not in my best shape, but it is all about fun and enjoyment. Fans will decide if I made it up to them." During the race buildup, Bolt looked loose and relaxed, playfully fist-bumping with the track assistant looking after his gear and handing him his numbers. After putting his fingers to his lips to hush the crowd as the runners took their marks, the world record holder burst from the blocks in lane three and ate up the ground on American Walter Dix on his outside in a matter of strides. Moving up through the gears around the bend, Bolt emerged at the top of the home straight with the race in the bag, pushing himself towards the line as the crowd rose to the sight of Bolt in full flight. With his country's flag draped around his shoulders like a cape, the Jamaican super-sprinter worked the Korean crowd into a frenzy, delivering his signature victory pose and playing cat-and-mouse with the chasing pack of photographers. Bolt said he was looking forward to the chance of winning another gold in the 4x100 tomorrow and paid tribute to Frenchman Lemaitre, who clocked 19.80 to finish behind Dix. "It is good to run a good 200. It is my favourite event," he added. "I said over the years that Christophe was going to be a good athlete." — Reuters

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Sports To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

---

Soaring Swiss franc puts squeeze on German enclave Posted: 03 Sep 2011 01:53 AM PDT BUESINGEN (Germany), Sept 3 — Since a 19th-century treaty established a German village wholly within Switzerland, the people of Buesingen have become accustomed to navigating between Berne and Berlin. Yet for the residents of this leafy village of 1,400 on the banks of the river Rhine, the record-strong Swiss franc is generating even more heat than the summer sun. File photo of a general view of Buesingen. — Reuters pic Buesingen has both a Swiss and German postal code, and in front of the mayor's office there are both German and Swiss telephone booths. Swiss sales tax applies in the handful of shops, though politically the village belongs to the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg. Rents and groceries are generally quoted in francs. But some residents receive pensions in euros, and income taxes are paid at German rates, well above those standard in Switzerland. Mayor Gunnar Lang said about 10-20 per cent of the village's residents are feeling the pinch due to the runaway Swiss currency, which has shot up 30 per cent against the euro since the collapse of Lehman Brothers in 2008 at the height of the global financial crisis. About 100 people have in recent years chosen to leave Buesingen and move to Switzerland, to take advantage of lower taxes. With the franc not far from parity with the euro, still more may go. "That's leading those who are still here to start thinking about whether they should move to Germany too. That's really bad for Buesingen," Lang said, adding that the most frequent complaints were of rising rents and people being pushed into higher tax brackets with no change to their real income. In Switzerland, the strong currency is beginning to throttle the economy: exports are softening, corporate profits are slipping and politicians are warning of rising unemployment. At Buesingen's post office, Stenka Vonnau, who receives her salary in euros, said she considered moving or looking for a second job. Nearby, the restaurant Kranz has posted a billboard outside saying "euros OK" in a bid to draw in diners. Yet former sailor Ernst Winter, whose arms are covered in tattoos and who repairs horse bridles in a shop down the road, was less dour about the exchange rate despite receiving a pension in euros. "I used to work on boats and we had lots of currencies — China, Australia, who knows what." After quitting the sea for dry land, Winter decided to settle in Buesingen because he thought it was nice and has no plans to leave: "It's great. You're in two countries at once." After the two world wars there were efforts among the village's residents to join Switzerland, but after the Swiss began allowing EU citizens to take up residence without great hurdles, much of the impetus for changing sovereignty has been lost. Lang, who has been mayor for 21 years, said the people of Buesingen would just have to muddle through, as little help could be expected from authorities. Ending Buesingen's status as a geographical oddity is not a realistic goal, he said, because ceding it to Switzerland would require changes to both the German and Swiss constitutions. "They have trouble sorting things out for Buesingen that are far less important," he said. "So I don't expect they'll be able to change the constitutions to clear things up." — Reuters

Apple hunted lost item — clue points to new iPhone Posted: 02 Sep 2011 10:54 PM PDT This is the second time that a prototype iPhone has been reported as having gone missing. — Reuters file pic OAKLAND, Sept 3 — San Francisco police said yesterday they had helped Apple Inc security search for a "lost item," following a week of reports that a prototype of the newest iPhone had gone missing in July. Officers did not say exactly what Apple had lost, but they left a clue — the San Francisco Police Department's Friday press release about the hunt was called "iphone5.doc," an apparent reference to a new version of the mobile phone that tech industry watchers expect to be released soon. Apple declined to comment on the matter. Tech news service CNET this week said an iPhone 5, which has not been released, went missing in a San Francisco bar in July. SF Weekly, a local newspaper, yesterday quoted a San Francisco man as saying police had come to his house in July searching for a lost iPhone. Although a prototype of the iPhone 4 went missing in 2010, police said this time Apple had tracked "the lost item" to a San Francisco house and four police accompanied two Apple employees to the house. "The two Apple (security) employees met with the resident and then went into the house to look for the lost item. The Apple employees did not find the lost item and left the house," the police statement said. It did not say why police accompanied Apple security or the circumstances under which Apple employees "went into the house to look for the lost item". Police did not respond to a request for further comment. SF Weekly quoted a 22-year-old man who described himself as the resident of the searched house as saying the group identified themselves as police and that none had said they were working for Apple. They had traced the phone to the house using satellite-positioning software on the device but did not find anything in the house, he said he was told. The man, identified by SF Weekly as Sergio Calderon, could not be reached for comment by Reuters. Police, meanwhile, gave different versions of events during the day yesterday, while Apple has declined to comment at all. Hours before San Francisco police issued their statement about the search, SFPD spokesman Lieutenant Troy Dangerfield denied that police had been contacted by Apple in connection with any lost phone, or by the person visited by Apple security and the police. "No one has reported anything," Dangerfield told Reuters. In general, Dangerfield said SFPD requires a supervisor's approval for personnel who are not law enforcement officers to accompany police during investigations. "It's not routinely done at all," Dangerfield said. — Reuters

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Features To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

---

A-listers not spared in pandemic film ‘Contagion’ Posted: 03 Sep 2011 06:23 AM PDT VENICE, Sept 3 — Not even the A-listers are spared in "Contagion", a star-studded movie directed by Steven Soderbergh that recreates the outbreak of a global pandemic. Audiences used to seeing the most famous faces last longest will be in for a surprise when they watch the slick, globe-trotting picture which is in competition at the Venice film festival. Law in a scene from 'Contagion' in this publicity photo released to Reuters on August 31, 2011. — Reuters pic The ensemble cast includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Matt Damon, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Laurence Fishburne, Marion Cotillard and Jennifer Ehle, most of whom were in Venice for the world premiere today. Soderbergh, an Oscar winner for "Traffic" and best known for his "Ocean's" crime capers, said the complex nature of the film made Hollywood heavyweights particularly important. "It's very helpful to have movie stars playing as many of these roles as you can, because you're throwing so many characters and so much information at the audience it's very helpful for them to get a sort of reference point," he told reporters in Venice. "There's a reason that movie stars have existed since the beginning of cinema," he added after "Contagion" was warmly applauded at a press screening ahead of the red carpet premiere. "It's good for audiences — they like to have people they can identify with." "Contagion" opens with a couple played by Paltrow and Damon who find themselves at the centre of a global emergency that goes on to claim millions of lives. Cotillard and Fishburne play health officials trying to get to the bottom of the disease in a race against time, while Law portrays a journalist and blogger who challenges the official line. At one point, one scientist irked by his questioning turns to him and says: "Blogging is not writing. It's graffiti with punctuation." Soderbergh weaves the bigger themes of fear, panic and globalisation together with individual tales of sacrifice and selfishness, hopping from Hong Kong to London to the United States as he does. Paltrow was asked when she would allow her pre-teen children to watch "Contagion", which features death, violence and a scene where a dead character's scalp is peeled back during an autopsy. "My kids can't even watch (children's comedy) 'Babe', so I don't know, probably not for a while." She added that she did not see the death of central characters as any kind of judgment on the lives they led in the movie. "I think that if death by virus was a punishment for extra-marital affairs there may be only about three dudes left in this room right now," she joked at a packed press conference. "Maybe less because we're in Italy." Script writer Scott Burns said the story was partly based on the real-life outbreak of SARS in China in 2003. Soderbergh, who said he would shortly be taking a break from film-making, added: "All of the science in the film had to be accurate, all of the scenes in which the virus was discussed or shown visually had to be absolutely realistic or plausible. "Otherwise we felt we weren't advancing our ideas very well or contributing to this genre very well." — Reuters

Scarlett Johansson sings ‘Bonnie & Clyde’ with Lulu Gainsbourg Posted: 03 Sep 2011 05:25 AM PDT LOS ANGELES, Sept 3 – Actress Scarlett Johansson has recorded "Bonnie and Clyde," the popular song by the legendary French star Serge Gainsbourg, with his son Lulu for an upcoming tribute album, From Gainsbourg to Lulu, to be released in November. Johansson (picture) sings and speaks in English the lines sung by Brigitte Bardot on the original 1968 recording, while Gainsbourg sings his late father's part in French. The audio of the new duet hit the internet and was posted by The Hollywood Reporter on September 1. Also featured on the album will be performers including Vanessa Paradis, Iggy Pop, Marianne Faithfull and Rufus Wainwright as well as Lulu and his sister, actress/singer Charlotte Gainsbourg. In 2008, Johansson released the album of Tom Waits songs Anywhere I Lay My Head, and she previously recorded with singer-songwriter Pete Yorn. She also covered Jeff Buckley's "Last Goodbye" for the soundtrack to the film He's Just Not That Into You. "Bonnie & Clyde" audio: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9iB0NkPMnQ – AFP

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

---

Gerakan: Kedah perlukan jawatan timbalan MB Posted: 03 Sep 2011 02:34 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 3 Sept – Pemuda Gerakan mengesyorkan agar perlembagaan negeri Kedah dipinda bagi membolehkan pelantikan seorang timbalan menteri besar ekoran isu di sebalik masalah kesihatan Datuk Seri Azizan Abdul Razak, yang menjadi perhatian banyak pihak semalam. Ketuanya Tan Keng Liang berkata, semua pihak harus memahami hakikat bahawa tiada pihak yang akan dapat meramal masalah kesihatan ataupun apa-apa malapetaka yang mungkin terjadi ke atas mana-mana Menteri Besar, sama ada dari Pakatan Rakyat ataupun Barisan Nasional. "Tetapi, ini tidak bermakna kerajaan negeri tidak perlu mengambil apa-apa langkah untuk mengelak ketidakpastian sedemikian," kata beliau dalam satu kenyataan dikeluarkan. Katanya, dalam situasi di mana Menteri Besar Kedah tidak dapat berfungsi dalam satu tempoh yang panjang, adalah lebih baik jika kerajaan negeri mempunyai seorang timbalan bagi mengambil alih tugas beliau dan memastikan pentadbiran negeri stabil dan tidak terjejas. "Walau bagaimanapun, perlembagaan negeri Kedah tidak mempunyai apa-apa peruntukan bagi pelantikan jawatan timbalan menteri besar sejak dahulu lagi. "Sebuah kerajaan negeri yang stabil harus mempunyai peruntukan untuk apa-apa kejadian yang mungkin menimpa pemimpin tertingginya," katanya lagi. Oleh itu, kata Tan, "saya mencadangkan agar kerajaan Pakatan Rakyat negeri Kedah mengkaji untuk mewujudkan peruntukan dalam perlembagaan negeri Kedah untuk jawatan timbalan menteri besar Kedah, sekiranya diberi perkenan oleh Sultan Kedah." Kata Tan, jika Menteri Besar tidak dapat berfungsi dalam tempoh 30 hari, maka timbalannya boleh mengambil alih fungsi beliau dalam pentadbiran negeri. "Saya berharap Pakatan Rakyat negeri Kedah akan meneliti cadangan ini bagi kestabilan negeri pada masa hadapan dan bagi kebaikan rakyat negeri Kedah," katanya. Semalam, Presiden PAS Datuk Seri Abdul Hadi Awang menafikan beliau ada mendesak atau meminta Azizan agar meletakkan jawatan sebagai Menteri Besar Kedah. Justeru, Hadi menegaskan Azizan akan kekal dalam jawatannya yang disandang sejak Mac 2008. Laporan akhbar menyebut kepimpinan PAS sedang mengambil langkah untuk menggantikan Azizan yang kini kurang sihat selepas diserang sakit jantung bulan lalu. Menurut laporan itu, Hadi akan menghadap Sultan Kedah berhubung peralihan kepimpinan kerajaan negeri. Azizan dipetik berkata beliau tiada rancangan untuk bercuti panjang ekoran masalah kesihatan semasa. Bagaimanapun Azizan yang juga Pesuruhjaya PAS Kedah tidak menafikan ada usaha untuk memintanya bercuti panjang dan jawatan dipangku oleh pihak lain. Azizan juga menegaskan bahawa kesihatan beliau berada dalam keadaan baik dan mampu menjalankan tanggungjawabnya mengurus pentadbiran negeri dengan sempurna. "Nak ada pemangku buat apa? Ni dah keluar (hospital) dan semua sihat dah," katanya. Menteri Besar itu berkata beliau bagaimanapun akur sekiranya kepimpinan PAS membuat keputusan untuk menggantikannya. "Saya tak minta jadi Menteri Besar, depa yang suruh... kalau depa suruh berhenti, esok pun tak pa," katanya.

Bukit Kepong: Pemuda Umno gerak Pentas Patriot ‘lawan’ Mat Sabu Posted: 03 Sep 2011 02:24 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 3 Sept – Pemuda Umno mahu mengadakan program ceramah umum jelajah – yang dikenali sebagai Pentas Patriot – di seluruh negara untuk menghargai wira negara ekoran kontroversi di sebalik kenyataan Timbalan Presiden PAS Mohamad Sabu mengenai tragedi Bukit Kepong dua minggu lalu. Setakat ini Mohamad mempertahankan kandungan ceramahnya pada 21 Ogos lalu, tetapi menegaskan tidak menyebut perkataan komunis. Beliau juga telah menegaskan tidak akan memohon maaf. Sebahagian besar kepimpinan Pakatan Rakyat juga mempertahankan pendirian Mohamad dan menggesa kerajaan mengkaji semula fakta sejarah. "Lanjutan daripada kenyataan Mohammad Sabu yang telah mengguris perasaan rakyat Malaysia terutama sekali barisan bekas perajurit, anggota polis dan waris-waris tragedi Bukit Kepong, Pemuda Umno berpendapat sudah tiba masanya suatu program ceramah umum berbentuk jelajah negara diadakan bagi menghargai dan mengenang kembali sumbangan wira-wira petugas keselamatan yang telah berhempas pulas menggadai nyawa menentang pengganas komunis bagi memastikan keamanan dan kedaulatan pertiwi terjamin," kata Ketua Pemuda Umno Khairy Jamalauddin (gambar) dalam kenyataan dikeluarkan petang ini. Katanya, program tersebut akan diadakan di seluruh negara dengan pengisian yang mencakupi tayangan video atau multimedia, ceramah umum daripada Unit Pidato Pemuda Umno serta jemputan khas daripada bekas-bekas komando, askar, pasukan polis serta pakar-pakar sejarah tanah air. Khairy berkata, pihaknya berharap Pentas Pemuda bukan sahaja dapat mengimbau kembali sejarah perjuangan lampau, bahkan meniup dan menyemarakkan roh perjuangan dan patriotisme dikalangan rakyat, terutama anak-anak muda. "Pentas Patriot juga bakal menghidangkan kepada anak-anak muda Malaysia rentetan peristiwa yang menyoroti perjuangan bagi menggapai kemerdekaan di samping mendedahkan bahawa teori Mohammad Sabu tidak lebih dari satu penipuan yang cuba diabadikan oleh mereka yang tidak mahu menerima hakikat bahawa kebebasan dan kemerdekaan negara dicapai melalui hikmah dan kebijaksanaan tanpa sebarang pertumpahan darah," katanya lagi. Bagi Pemuda Umno kata beliau, terjahan Mohammad yang bukan sahaja menghina dan mengkhianati perjuangan anak bangsa, malahan mengagungkan pengganas komunis semasa tragedi Bukit Kepong menampakkan belang sebenar PAS dan juak-juak pembangkang yang sanggup melakukan apa sahaja demi nafsu serakah politik mereka. "Malahan sikap Mohammad serta kepimpinan pembangkang yang langsung tidak menampakkan kekesalan dengan memberikan alasan dan hujah yang menuding jari kepada Umno dan masyarakat umum yang marah dengan penghinaan tersebut amatlah memualkan," katanya. Pemuda Umno, kata Ketua Pemuda Barisan Nasional ini bersekali dengan seluruh rakyat Malaysia terutama sekali golongan serta ahli keluarga warga perajurit dan pasukan keselamatan negara, mengutuk dan mengecam sekeras-kerasnya kenyataan biadap Mohammad. "Bagi kami, Pentas Patriot adalah langkah terbaik bagi menangani isu ini dan kami menyeru rakyat semua untuk turut hadir menyertai program ceramah umum yang akan dilaksanakan seluruh negara yang akan bermula dalam masa terdekat," kata Ahli Parlimen Rembau ini.

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

---

Your patriotic duty Posted: 02 Sep 2011 05:21 PM PDT SEPT 3 — A few years back when I was a lowly writer contributing to The Star's Citizen Blog, I wrote a piece called "I Am Not a Patriot." It was sarcastic in nature because it listed what our government truly sees as things that make us, the common people, traitors to the cause ie the development of this nation. I was recently pushed to look this article up once again after watching a movie called "American: The Bill Hicks Story." Bill died of cancer but his message rang clear through his comedy. A patriot is not one who, as the rap group Ahli Fiqir would put it, just "angguk-angguk, geleng-geleng, tunduk-tunduk, ikut telunjuk, iya-iya, saya-saya, kiri kanan ikut saja," to put it in contemporary Malay terms. A patriot is one who highlights the mistakes of government thoroughly so that they do a better job for everyone, both the majority and the minority of the people altogether. A patriot is one who acknowledges that the people are of a variety that needs to be catered to fairly as long as they are citizens, regardless of their race, their beliefs, and their economic backgrounds or yes, even their genders and sexual orientations. And that is why we see that the patriots who fight for change are the ones who become martyrs, no matter how minute their actions were. And this is something that we do not acknowledge in our history and, even worse, we do not even encourage people to do. Allow me to then state my opinion on what exactly one should do to be patriotic. It's a simple process that goes very well with our religious upbringing, for us Muslims. In fact, it is the first sentence brought down by Gabriel to Muhammad. It is in the Chapter Al-Alaq of the Holy Koran, verse 1 to 5. It tells us all, summarily, to read in the name of Allah who created us from a clot of blood and who granted us the ability to write which we knew not. The verses and chapter do not specify that we should just read Utusan, or Berita Harian, or Malaysiakini or Harakah. It does not even tell us that we should buy newspapers to read them or to purchase them online or even, again, to even purchase them at all. It does not tell us that we should shun books that raise questions about our faith, because struggling to find such answers and putting them to paper strengthens it and subsequently, when other members of the ummah come across the same struggle, it is lightened if they read what you write. This is exactly how Muslims in the past came up with libraries of books and translations from the Greek and Roman philosophers, once lost in time and then formed their own theories. It does not say you can't question a leader's actions. In fact, it is through explaining and questioning our own Prophet Muhammad (pbuH) that there was even a compendium of his quotations, what we now call the Sahih Bukhari and Muslim. And blessed be the Prophet, he was kind enough to answer any and all questions, unlike our religious scholars and politicians alike nowadays who merely tell those needing answers to not ask so many questions. Now, these all point to the growth of knowledge, I know. But translate it into the basics of what you understand from it. Thus, your patriotic duty is just this. Read about a topic you find of interest; doesn't matter if it's politics, or food, or alcohol consumer rights even, and delve into it with all your heart. Then share that knowledge through your writing. And in this day and age, need I say more about how you are supposed to do this? Start a blog. Or write to any newspaper through their blogs, letters and opinion sections. Or, if you're too lazy to even do that, open Facebook and use their note application. It is through this small but effective culmination of knowledge that one is thoroughly doing one's patriotic duty and, with the proper intent (niat) of contributing to his or her religious beliefs. And please don't make language an excuse. Allah never specified you had to write proper Bahasa Malaysia/Jawi/Arabic. Write how you talk, regardless of the Bahasa Malaysia/Mandarin/Cantonese/Tamil/English mix that you use in conversation. After all, can't you see the best part of you writing in that style? Your usage, in itself, is the simplest, and highest form of getting people to the goal of 1 Malaysia; the creation of a society where lingual, religious, racial barriers are torn down to form the creation of a truly understanding and inter-communicating people. With that, I wish you all, fellow patriots and future patriots alike, good luck and God speed in your endeavours.

Selamat Merdeka Raya Posted: 02 Sep 2011 05:18 PM PDT SEPT 3 — It's Raya time and this year's a wee bit more special as Aidilfitri also coincides with the 54th anniversary of our beloved country's Independence Day. A few years back, we had Deepa Raya when Raya coincided with Deepavali and we also had Kongsi Raya when Raya coincided with the Chinese New Year. So I guess it won't be wrong to call this year's occasion Merdeka Raya. Usually when it's Raya, people will write about forgiveness and lessons learned during the holy month of Ramadan. And of course when it's Merdeka time there's usually no other topic of discussion other than national and racial harmony. So in the spirit of Merdeka Raya let's see if I can write something that can combine both things. When it comes to race relations in Malaysia we've all heard the stereotypes and clichés dished out to describe ourselves, so I don't think there's any need for me to repeat any of them here. No matter how jokingly we think of them though, stereotypes and clichés become stereotypes and clichés simply because they happen too often. And one of the most oft-repeated clichés that I've heard during Ramadan is when the time for breaking fast comes and you see some non-Muslims also lining up for a table at a restaurant that's full of Muslims trying to score a table to break their fast and you hear these whispers: "Can't they just come a bit later or before we're all busy trying to break fast?" I've heard both friends and family utter those exact same words countless times without even batting an eyelid, and being the nice guy I am I've never openly voiced out my feelings about this right after the fact, just so as not to seem disrespectful to my elders (who are usually the ones who inevitably utter those lines). But since this is my column, let me just say that I really don't see what the big fuss is all about. Yes, we're fasting and we're thirsty and hungry but I fail to see how that gives us special privileges when it comes to getting a table at a restaurant. It's not like we're deprived of food and water when the non-Muslims also turn up at restaurants at the same time we're trying to break fast. At worst we'll just have to find another restaurant (and believe you me there are never enough restaurants here in Malaysia) to break fast at, or get some of our food delivered a few minutes later. It's just eating out, so chill lah, right? Before I start getting accused of being pro non-Malays (or non-Muslims, they're pretty interchangeable phrases over here in Malaysia), I also fail to see what the huge fuss was when lots of non-Muslims got worked up over that notorious TV advertisement. Yes, some of the things in it are kind of offensive (in a sort of blackly funny way), but it'll only be truly offensive if you're the uptight type with absolutely no sense of humour whatsoever. The first time I read about this, I practically laughed my head off at the righteous indignation that greeted the TV advertisements. A lot of non-Muslims laugh at the righteous indignation expressed by the Malay-Muslims here over the most inane of things. Remember that Santa Raya TV ad last year? Now that's what I call funny, as Santa Claus isn't even a religious Christian thing and more like a capitalist and commercial icon. If we're oh so religiously Muslim, what's the point of "duit Raya", right? I'd say it's almost the same thing, which is just something to get the kids excited about the festive season. So yes, we Malay-Muslims are quite the hilariously uptight bunch. But isn't it ironic and funny that the non-Muslims can get similarly uptight as well, as this whole brouhaha about the Ramadan TV ad demonstrated? Again, I say, chill lah. It's just a misguided attempt at being funny from a TV station known for its urbane, edgy, hip and cool image. They probably thought they were being ironic when they made the TV ad. But racist or insensitive? I definitely don't think so, as I know for a fact that there are a whole lot of non-Muslims who work in that station, holding important production positions as well. After 54 years living together as free men, isn't it time for us to be a little more light hearted and less suspicious of each other? People always say that we can forgive, but never forget. And with all the things that we've been through together, to me it is definitely important that we don't forget, so that we won't repeat the same mistakes again. But even if we don't forget, we can always chill, right? Selamat Merdeka Raya!

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com