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Chilli hot and with lots of oomph Posted: 14 Oct 2011 05:17 PM PDT Century egg drizzled with chilli oil and topped with garlic, chilli and parsley. — Pictures by Eu Hooi Khaw KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 15 — Lately we have been on the trail of Hunanese food in Kuala Lumpur, after our very delicious experience in Xin Dong Tong, Pudu (reviewed on September 10). Our friend J had promised to take us to yet another one, and this time we landed in Cheras, at a place called Xiang Lin Jian Xia. Here we encountered a very friendly lady owner who recommended what we should eat. The Hunanese/Sichuan menu is all in Chinese, but all you need to do is to point at the pictures of the dishes and order. Frozen Beef Slices looked good, so did the pig's ears. Would we like the Pig's Stomach Stuffed with Chicken Soup? Yes! Then it was the Kah Heong Yook (braised pork), the gizzard and the pei tan or century egg appetizers, and the Sour Vegetable Fish Soup. Slices of lean beef in a hot Hunanese dressing. The menu reads like a well-illustrated book (if you know Chinese), and we hadn't even ordered even one per cent of the dishes available. First, the thin, lean beef slices sit on a chilli-oil dressing tinged with vinegar and sesame oil, and topped with finely chopped parsley, chilli, sesame seeds and fermented black beans. It added lots of zing to the beef which I liked very much. The thinly-sliced pig's ears had a good crunch to them, but I wished the dressing had been different from the first. Perhaps we should have detected this from the picture in the menu. Still it made great bites. The century egg and the gizzard got the same treatment, except for the gizzard there was lots of chopped Chinese celery to give it a little punch. We will get smarter with the ordering the next time. Our palate was still smarting from the hot chilli oil when the black claypot of bubbling soup of pig's stomach stuffed with chicken was served. A pot of good soup in a Chinese meal is always looked forward to. This one was hot and peppery; maybe not as hot as we thought it was because we had eaten a lot of chilli oil and the sting was still with us. I picked out a large white slice of wai san (a mountain herb good for the spleen, kidney and lungs) that was chewy and sticky that had picked up some of the flavours of the soup. It was delicious. There were slices of ginger in the very tasty soup, and dried red dates that seemed to have been added last as they still retained their original sweetness, and texture. Soup of the Pig's Stomach Stuffed with Chicken is simply scrumptious. I tried the soup again when the chilli heat had gone from my mouth, and it was quite sweet and mellow. As we were finishing the pot of soup, we were offered a refill! The Braised Pork with Suet Choy had lots of oomph. There was fat and lean in almost equal proportions. The meat tasted creamy and just lovely, after having been marinated, seared in high heat and braised till tender with the suet choy. It had a robust flavour, and its braising sauce made you reach out for a bowl of rice. The Sour Vegetable Fish Soup was a little disappointing, as we have had an exceptional one at TKS in Jalan Alor. It had all the requisite fish slices, whole garlic, dried chillies and pickled vegetables, yet something was missing. It lacked the balance of sourness with the sweetness of fish and the hotness of chilli. We realised after a while how Hunanese food differs from Sichuan, though both are quite similar. Sue Par or Loh Mei Chee — a glutinous rice ball filled with sesame paste and crystallised with honey syrup. Sichuan peppercorns are liberally used in Sichuan cuisine, but Hunanese food is about heat from fresh and dried chillies. The Sichuan peppercorns have a numbing sensation that stays in your mouth, while the heat from chilli dissipates after a while. I remembered after a meal like this at Xin Dong Tong, LKY and I craved for green tea ice-cream and eventually settled for a pistachio one at home. So do have a dessert to end the meal. Something sweet is perfect after a chilli hot meal. We had the Sue Par or Loh Mei Chee — glutinous rice dumplings filled with black sesame paste. These were fried, and coated with honey syrup that crystallised as the dumplings cooled. There was a sweet crunchy exterior, a sticky middle and a fragrant centre from the sesame paste. I had more than one! Xiang Lin Tian Xia is located at C-1-6 Jalan 3/39A, off Jalan Cheras, 2½ mile Warisan City View, Kuala Lumpur. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Wales and France battle for final place Posted: 14 Oct 2011 04:26 AM PDT France's William Servat, Julien Bonnaire, Jean-Baptiste Poux and captain Thierry Dusautoir take part in their Captain's run in Auckland. — Reuters pic AUCKLAND, Oct 14 — Wales and France fight for a place in the October 23 rugby World Cup final when they meet at Eden Park tomorrow in the first of the weekend's semi-finals. The Welsh have never got further than the semi-finals while the French have twice been losing finalists. They lost to New Zealand at Eden Park in the 1987 final. On Sunday the All Blacks, who have not won the William Webb Ellis trophy since 1987, host their trans-Tasman rivals Australia. The Wallabies, now coached by New Zealander Robbie Deans, won the World Cup in 1991 and 1999. — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Forlan injury adds to Inter’s woes Posted: 14 Oct 2011 04:10 AM PDT ROME, Oct 14 — Brief news ahead of this weekend's Serie A matches (times GMT): Inter Milan's woes continue with the news that striker Diego Forlan could be out for up to two months after pulling a hamstring in Uruguay's World Cup qualifying match against Paraguay on Tuesday. Dutch playmaker Wesley Sneijder, who missed the controversial 3-0 home defeat by Napoli two weeks ago, has recovered from injury for the testy trip to Catania in tomorrow's early game (1600) with the Nerazzurri hovering just above the drop zone. President Massimo Moratti has denied reports of a possible loan return of Anzhi Makhachkala forward Samuel Eto'o during the long Russian winter. "I know absolutely nothing abut this. It's a strange idea and not worth talking about because it's about 90 per cent impossible to work out," he told http://www.inter.it. AS Roma go into Sunday's derby against Lazio (1845) without skipper Francesco Totti who is out with a thigh strain. Roma, who are sixth in Serie A — one place above their city rivals — after recovering from a shaky start to the season under new coach Luis Enrique, are likely to be without Chilean playmaker David Pizarro who also has a thigh injury. Lazio striker Miroslav Klose is likely to be fit. The 33-year old, who is recovering from the knee injury that forced him to pull out of Germany's squad for Tuesday's final Euro 2012 qualifier against Belgium, has scored three goals in his first five Serie A games. Lazio have not beaten Roma since 2009. AC Milan managing director Adriano Galliani has denied the club's players are feeling low after strikers Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Antonio Cassano said they were stressed during international week. "I'm not a psychologist," Galliani told reporters after Cassano was reported as saying he wanted to quit in three years. "I've spoken to the players and everything's going well." The champions, who are 15th after struggling with an early-season injury crisis, have Kevin-Prince Boateng suspended after his late dismissal in the 2-0 defeat at Juventus but welcome back defender Ignazio Abate and Robinho for the visit of in-form Palermo tomorrow (1845). Leaders Juventus expect in-form Claudio Marchisio to be fit for the trip to Chievo Verona on Sunday (1300). The midfielder, whose dramatic late goals downed AC Milan two weeks ago to confirm Juve's title credentials, scored in Italy's Euro 2012 qualifying draw in Serbia but missed Tuesday's home match against Northern Ireland with a sprained ankle. — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Banderas back with Almodovar for ‘Skin I Live In’ Posted: 13 Oct 2011 11:46 PM PDT Cast member Antonio Banderas attends a news conference for the film "La Piel Que Habito", in competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2011. — Reuters pic LOS ANGELES, Oct 14 ─ Handsome leading man Antonio Banderas has starred in major Hollywood films such as "Shrek" and "Zorro," but the Spanish actor's most enduring collaborations have been with fellow countryman Pedro Almodovar. The Oscar-winning writer and director cast Banderas in his first film, 1982's "Labyrinth of Passion," and since then the actor has starred in Almodovar's "Matador," "Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown" and "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" In the director's latest movie, "The Skin I Live In," which opens in Los Angeles and New York today and expands around the US later this month, the 51-year-old Banderas portrays an amoral plastic surgeon who takes terrifying revenge on the young man who rapes his daughter. Banderas recently spoke with Reuters about making the film, working with Almodovar, his upcoming movie "Puss in Boots" and the secret of his long marriage to actress Melanie Griffith. Q: On the surface, "The Skin I Live In" is like a crazy modern opera ─ there's sex, murder, rape, revenge ─ and plastic surgery. But there are also serious themes at work. A: "Yes, it reflects Pedro's interest in the nature of identity. It's about creation, and ultimately about survival. It's a claustrophobic story about this doctor who tries this very disturbing experiment, and the subject of this experiment is a human being. And it takes you on a very, very rocky path of different emotions in a world and universe that belongs to a guy called Pedro Almodovar, who's a genre to himself." Q: You usually play warm, humorous characters, close to your own personality, but you're as cold as ice in this. Was that a challenge? A: "It was one of the main comments that came up in rehearsals with Pedro. He said, 'Forget about all the fun characters you've played for years, even the ones you played for me. In this, we start from zero. I want you to be almost soulless, with a total disaffection for anyone's pain. You're playing a semi-god, a creator.' Which basically makes him a monster. But at the same time he's an artist." Q: You got your start with Pedro and worked with him on many of his best-known films. But you hadn't worked with him since 1990 and "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down." What happened? Didn't he want to use you anymore? A: (Laughs) "No, nothing like that. In fact he called me twice about being in a film with him, but I was under contract in Hollywood to shoot other projects and I couldn't get out of them. But we've always stayed in touch and are great friends." Q: Has Pedro changed much since you first worked with him back in 1982? A: "Yes, of course. We're older and he's matured as a director and as a person. He's become more austere ─ almost Japanese. He's become more profound, more complex." Q: You have some very energetic sex scenes with your co-star, Elena Anaya. How awkward is that for an actor? A: (Laughs) "For me it's no problem at all! And they're actually both very frustrated in the film, as they never actually get to finish making love. It's always just sex interrupted. As I was doing the scenes, I was thinking, 'What would Leonardo da Vinci have thought if he could have gone to bed with the Mona Lisa!'" Q: Your next film, "Puss in Boots," couldn't be more different. It's animated, fun, a spin-off from "Shrek." A: "It's the complete opposite of "Skin." They're further apart than L.A. and Moscow. This is the fourth film I've done as Puss in Boots and I love him. It's got a great cast. Salma Hayek plays Kitty Softpaws and Zach Galifinakis is Humpty Dumpty, and in such a violent world, it's great to be able to make kids and families laugh." Q: Speaking of kids and families. You and Melanie have been married for 15 years now. What's your secret? A: "It's very complex and also very simple ─ we love each other. That's the secret. Michael Caine very funnily once said the secret to a happy marriage is separate bathrooms, but we're still in the same bathroom and the same bedroom." Q: And you have two children, stepdaughter, Dakota, and your biological daughter, Stella. Are they following in their parents' footsteps and trying acting? A: "Dakota, who's 22 now, is doing quite a bit. She was in 'The Social Network' and she's done a couple of independent movies. She's a good actress." ─ Reuters Cast member Antonio Banderas attends a news conference for the film ''La Piel Que Habito'', in competition at the 64th Cannes Film Festival on May 19, 2011. ─ Reuters pic Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

China’s Ai Weiwei tops ArtReview power list Posted: 13 Oct 2011 06:01 PM PDT Ai Weiwei poses for a photograph at the Tate Modern gallery, in London October 11, 2010. — Reuters pic LONDON, Oct 14 — Chinese dissident artist Ai Weiwei, whose 81-day detention earlier this year caused an international outcry, has been named the art world's most powerful figure in a new ranking. Contemporary art magazine ArtReview published its 10th annual "Power 100" list yesterday, coinciding with the opening of the Frieze Art Fair in London which attracts many of the world's top galleries and collectors. Ai, famous for his "Bird's Nest" Olympic Stadium in Beijing and a recent installation at London's Tate Modern gallery comprising millions of replica porcelain sunflower seeds, was 13th in the ranking last year. Unchanged in second place was London's Serpentine Gallery co-director Hans Ulrich Obrist, joined by his colleague Julia Peyton-Jones this time around. They are followed by New York's Museum of Modern Art director Glenn D. Lowry, and, in fourth down from first last year, US gallery owner Larry Gagosian. Mark Rappolt, editor of ArtReview, said the choice of Ai by a panel of experts was not a political one. "Of course it's something about political activism that runs through the list this year," he told Reuters. "But I think it's more about expanding the concept of art that's not really solely contained in the privileged space of museums and galleries. It's about how it engages with the world. "It's expanding the possibilities of what you can do with art and as an artist how you can use your voice." Ai, who spent nearly three months in detention, was released in late June after being taken from Beijing airport and held in two secret locations. His family says he was targeted by authorities for his criticism of censorship and Communist Party controls, and Ai has remained largely silent since his detention because, under the conditions of his release, he is not allowed to be interviewed by journalists or use the Internet. Ai is only the second artist to have topped the ArtReview standings after Britain's Damien Hirst in 2005 and 2008. Hirst continued to slip further down the "who's who" list in 2011, moving to 64th from 53rd last year. Organisers highlighted the emergence of artist-filmmakers like Briton Steve McQueen (59) and Iranian Shirin Neshat (86) and agencies like Artangel (55), seen as key to funding art projects at a time of major spending cuts. German artist Gerhard Richter was in 11th position up from 55th last year while Frieze founders Amanda Sharp and Matthew Slotover rose to 24th from 41st. — Reuters Following are ArtReview's top 10 most powerful individuals in the world of art: 1. Ai Weiwei/China/artist 2. Hans Ulrich Obrist/Switzerland; Julia Peyton-Jones — gallery directors 3. Glenn D. Lowry/United States/museum director 4. Larry Gagosian/United States/gallerist 5. Anton Vidokle/Russian-born; Julieta Aranda/Mexico; Brian Kuan Wood/United States — partners in art network group e-flux 6. Nicholas Serota/Britain/museum director 7. Cindy Sherman/United States/photographer 8. Iwan Wirth/Switzerland/gallerist 9. David Zwirner/Germany/gallerist 10. Beatrix Ruf/Germany/curator. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Belgian company unveils Top Gun flight simulator Posted: 13 Oct 2011 11:14 PM PDT Matthys, in the fully immersive 360-degree flight simulator, explains how it all works. — Reuters pic BRUSSELS, Oct 14 — A Belgian company has unveiled the ultimate fighter jet training tool: a fully immersive 360-degree flight simulator designed to reproduce reality exactly as a pilot sees it. The dome is the first flight simulator to give trainee pilots a full unobstructed 360-degree view of the world as they conduct virtual missions, says Barco, a maker of high-definition projectors and displays. "It's not an improvement, it's a new generation of simulators," Geert Matthys, research and development manager at the company, said. "If a pilot has a cockpit where he can see 360 degrees, he also needs to be trained in a system which supplies 360 degrees; all deviation from real life can be dangerous," said Matthys. The simulator can be used in a series, with several pilots working together to play out complex training missions such as mid-air refuelling. "For the first application there will be eight systems positioned next to each other and they will do mission training with each other," said project manager Kathy Verledens. It can also train up pilots for solo sorties. The development team has taken since 2009 to get the device just right. What the acrylic sphere looks like from the outside. — Reuters pic An array of 13 high-definition projectors shine onto the outside of a 3.4-meter diameter acrylic sphere. The trainee pilot sits on the inside looking at the inner surface. The dome, which can be used to train pilots to use a variety of fast fighter jets, was first sold to Elbit Systems, which is installing it with its customer, the Israeli Air Force. The system should be fully operational in 2012. Barco engineers use lasers to line up the 10-megapixel projectors so that the different projected images are perfectly aligned. One of the main technical challenges was to replicate the exact contrast that a pilot sees, stopping the brightness of the image throwing too much light onto the darker areas. "In general use you have 50 per cent of your dome filled with white, but in a dome all this white reaches other parts of the dome where you have black, so it's acting as ambient light," said Matthys. "We take care of the reflections in such a way that the system contrast is kept to a high level and this, in combination with high resolution and high brightness over 360 degrees, is a breakthrough in the industry." — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Peering into the art market’s parallel universe Posted: 13 Oct 2011 09:15 PM PDT Paul Chaves, a visitor to the Frieze Art Fair, takes a picture of himself in front of Gerhard Richter's "Strip". — Reuters pic LONDON, Oct 14 — Walk into the giant marquee in Regent's Park, London, venue of this year's Frieze Art Fair, and enter a parallel universe. Impeccably dressed men and women, and a healthy smattering of Bohemian types in garish trousers and expensive, thick-rimmed glasses, saunter down the aisles and between the stands of more than 170 exhibiting galleries. There the "new aristocracy" browses the cutting edge of contemporary art, from a grotesque "Madonna and Child" by the Chapman Brothers to a golf bag full of cement and a section of wooden fence hanging on a wall. Elle Macpherson and designer Valentino joined commercial gallery A-listers such as Jay Jopling in assessing what was hot and what was not at a VIP preview this week. The fair opened to the public yesterday and runs until Sunday. Prices range widely, but generally works on show go for between five and seven figures, the sort of money most people spend on their house, often by way of a 25-year mortgage. Not so at Frieze, which has become a magnet for the world's biggest collectors of contemporary art, who think little of writing a cheque for a few hundred thousand dollars or more. The disconnect with the world outside — where markets are jittery and volatile, people fret over their jobs and countries are weighed down by crippling debt — is striking. Whether that disparity can last is the question on every gallery owner's lips. While there will always be ultra-wealthy buyers snapping up the rarest and finest works, supporting the million-plus market, there are concerns that "lesser" art will fail to sell. A giant hermit crab carries its home, a replica of Brancusi's "Sleeping Muse", in Pierre Huyghe's "Recollection", which was commissioned for the Frieze Art Fair. — Reuters pic The contemporary art market contracted sharply in late 2008 and early 2009 in the wake of the Lehman Brothers collapse before recovering strongly in 2010 and 2011. Market surveys suggest confidence in all but the top lots — viewed as an alternative investment at a time when so many markets look risky — is evaporating fast, raising the prospect of another correction. Mixed signals At Frieze, David Zwirner sold a Neo Rauch painting for US$1.35 million (RM4.2 million), and the overall value of art on show is estimated at around US$350 million, down from US$375 million in 2010. At the nearby Pavilion of Art & Design, an offshoot of Frieze featuring mainly older works, the Van de Weghe Fine Art gallery sold an Alexander Calder for US$1.5 million and Sladmore Gallery raised £500,000 (RM2.5 million) for a cast bronze by Rodin. But not all the signs are good. While fairs do not publicise their revenues, and most dealers keep their business to themselves, auction houses also hold a series of sales during Frieze week that give some indication as to the strength of prices. Sotheby's had its main auction yesterday evening followed by Christie's today, but Phillips de Pury held its big sale on Wednesday and the results were described by one specialist art website as "tepid". The auction tally of £8.2 million fell comfortably short of the pre-sale low estimate of £10.1 million (and high estimate of £14.6 million), and a third of the works on offer failed to sell. Jeff Koons' "Seal Walrus Trashcans" fetched £2.1 million, at the bottom end of expectations, and Damien Hirst and Richard Prince were among the familiar names featuring in the top 10. "The sale showed there is still an appetite for good-quality works from blue-chip artists," said Peter Sumner, head of contemporary sales, London Phillips de Pury & Company. Of course, many artists dismiss talk of markets and prices. In most cases they stand to gain little even if their works sell for millions at auction, and money, they argue, is not the point. Some, however, actively engage in the concept of art as a commodity. The artistic partnership called Claire Fontaine has a work at Frieze that reads: "This neon sign was made by Vladimir Ustinov for the remuneration of one hundred and sixty-nine thousand rubles." For those less confident in their economic future, artist Michael Landy may have the answer with his outlandish "Credit Card Destroying Machine". — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Saman fitnah: Mahkamah arah Utusan bayar MP Shah Alam RM60,000 Posted: 14 Oct 2011 02:38 AM PDT Ahli Parlimen PAS Khalid Samad. ─ Foto fail KUALA LUMPUR, 14 Okt ─ Mahkamah Tinggi mengarahkan Utusan Malaysia membayar RM60,000 kepada Ahli Parlimen PAS Khalid Samad berhubung satu artikel berbaur fitnah disiarkan dua tahun lalu. Wakil rakyat Shah Alam itu menang dalam kes saman ke atas akhbar milik Umno pada 30 September lalu. Artikel itu bertajuk Zulkifli bidas Pak Janggut", disiarkan pada September 2009. Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Komersial Dr Prasad Sandosham Abraham mengeluarkan perintah kepada Utusan dan Ketua Pengarang kumpulan itu Datuk Abdul Aziz Ishak agar membayar ganti rugi kerana menyiarkan tulisan tanpa mendapatkan pengesahan berkaitan kandungannya terlebih dahulu. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

PAS persoal ‘sejak bila pekerja asing diberi kursus keusahawanan’ Posted: 14 Oct 2011 01:51 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 14 Okt ─ Pemuda PAS mendakwa penjelasan pihak polis bahawa sekumpulan 240 warga asing, dari Johor yang dikesan di Selangor kononnya untuk beri taraf warganegara asing dan kemungkinan hak mengundi kelak, mereka hadir untuk mengikuti kursus keusahawanan menimbulkan banyak persoalan berbanding jawapan munasabah. Pengerusi Pemulihan Demokrasi dan Mobilisasi Suhaizan Kaiat berkata, beliau tertarik dengan kenyataan Ketua Polis Daerah Sepang Superintendan Imran Abdul Rahman berhubung dengan tuduhan Pemuda PAS yang mengatakan 240 orang warga asing yang berkubu di Istana Dugang Country Resort adalah untuk mendapatkan hak kewarganegaraan mudah. Suhaizan berkata, penjelasan Imran bahawa tujuan warga asing berada di resort tersebut adalah untuk mengikuti kursus keusahawanan menimbulkan beberapa persoalan yang memerlukan tindakan pihak berkuasa. "Rakyat Malaysia tidak menerima langsung alasan yang diberikan oleh pihak polis," kata beliau dalam satu kenyataan hari ini. Suhaizan berkata tidak munasabah warga asing diberi kursus keusahawanan sedangkan mereka tidak dibenarkan berniaga dalam negara ini. "Apakah seorang warganegara asing yang datang ke negara ini atas permit pertanian dibenarkan berniaga dalam negara kita? Sejak bila pula kerajaan Malaysia membenarkan pekerja buruh daripada kalangan warga asing dibenarkan berniaga di negara kita?" kata beliau. Suhaizan menambah, pada peringkat awal pemandu bas diarah menurunkan warga asing tersebut di Jabatan Perdana Menteri tetapi di saat-saat akhir mereka menerima arahan untuk menuju ke Istana Dugang Country Resort. "Tidak munasabah penganjur kursus keusahawanan menukar tempat kursus di saat-saat akhir daripada jabatan kerajaan ke resort di Kajang," kata beliau lagi. Malah katanya, tidak munasabah warga asing ini diberi layanan kelas pertama untuk menghadiri kursus keusahawanan dan "mereka diberi perkhidmatan bas dan resort." "Badan kerajaan mana yang begitu bermurah hati membenarkan mereka berkursus?" tambah beliau. Malah menurut beliau, dalam perjanjian dengan pemandu bas, perkhidmatan mereka diperlukan sehingga pukul 1 tengah hari Rabu lalu sedangkan warga asing tersebut tiba di Putrajaya pada pukul 6 pagi hari yang sama. "Jika benar mereka menghadiri kursus keusahawanan maka rakyat Malaysia ingin bertanya kursus keusahawanan apa yang terlalu istimewa kepada warga asing yang hanya berkursus lima jam sahaja (dari 8 pagi hingga 1 tengah hari)," kata beliau yang turut mempersoalkan "jika benar mereka berkursus keusahawanan lima jam sahaja dengan jarak 800 kilometer, pergi dan balik, mengapa mereka tidak berkursus di Johor Baru sahaja?" "Mengapa begitu istimewa warga asing ini dilayan oleh pihak tertentu dalam negara ini," kata beliau. Suhaizan juga berkata, berdasarkan kepada tidak munasabahnya 240 orang warga asing ini berkursus keusahawanan di Istana Dugang Country Resort, maka "Pemuda PAS mendesak pihak polis jangan cuba bersubahat melindungi penyelewangan yang sedang diperhatikan oleh seluruh rakyat Malaysia." Kelmarin, PAS mendakwa pihaknya telah mengesan satu cubaan mendaftar warga asing menjadi warganegara secara haram dan diberi hak sebagai pengundi - kumpulan dipercayai dibawa dari Johor untuk merampas kembali Selangor. Timbalan Pengerusi Pemulihan Demokrasi dan Mobilisasi Dewan Pemuda Pas Pusat, Mohd Adram Musa berkata, pihaknya menerima maklumat berkenaan sindiket ini lewat malam tadi. "Kira-kira 240 orang dibawa menggunakan enam bas dipercayai dari Johor untuk didaftarkan sebagai warganegara di sini (di Selangor)," katanya yang tidak menolak kemungkinan mereka akan diberi status kerakyatan untuk mengundi. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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It’s the budget, sir! Posted: 13 Oct 2011 08:11 PM PDT OCT 14 — If an "outcome-based budgeting" was the methodology used in the preparation of Prime Minister Datuk Najib Razak's Budget 2012 as alleged, it doesn't take a genius to surmise what the actual "outcome" the premier actually intended for. Coming close to the looming 13th general election (GE), his obsession of securing electoral support far surpassed the dire need of genuine economic reforms. Allocating a whooping RM48.1 billion of the RM232.8 billion national Budget, Najib has indeed committed 20 per cent of the entire budget to a slew of cash handouts, tax breaks and welfare spending to induce the "feel-good" factors he gravely is in need of to secure electoral victory. This writer argues that this budget is doubtless an election budget, much as Najib and his administration might deny otherwise. What would be the economic malaises than should have been addressed by Najib's Budget 2012? What ought to be the "outcome" that would have place Najib in the good books of the World Bank and international rating agencies, all too eager to penalise sovereign states in the wake of the massive sovereign debt crisis bordering bankruptcy? To summarise, the budget should have reflected commitments and programmes aimed at addressing economic malaises, namely, i) fiscal deficit and debt, ii) inflation, iii) income and wealth disparity, iv) over-reliance on unskilled foreign workers, low-value-added enterprises, v) "middle-income" trap, vi) over-reliance on petroleum revenues, vii) crony capitalism, corruption, wastages and leakages in the delivery system. While much lip service has been paid to addressing fiscal deficit and the ballooning federal government debt, it remains unabated year in and out. Admittedly, deficits are not necessarily bad. Keynesian economics advocates that government runs budget deficit, aka counter-cyclical pump-priming, during the economic downturn (bust) and save during the boom time. Very unfortunately, however, this BN government has been "pump-priming" for the last 14 consecutive years. While neighbouring countries like Australia, Singapore, Thailand and even Indonesia have seen surplus budgets during the period between 2003-2008, Malaysia was running deficits even during the good times. Federal government debt has soared from RM200 billion in 2004 to RM456 billion in 2011. Najib tabled Malaysia's biggest budget at RM232.8 billion, up 9.4 percent from the previous year, which again saw the 15th straight deficit budget. In sharp contrast Pakatan's budget caps spending at RM220 billion. Worse still is Najib's attempt at pulling wool over the rakyat's eyes again with his growth numbers and projected fiscal deficit numbers. The projected growth of 5-6 per cent is arguably too optimistic. Pakatan's early scepticism has now been amply vindicated when many investment analysts expressed their anxiety. With growth projection needing downward revision, so would be the projected fiscal deficit of 4.7 per cent of GDP. The BN government's insistence is quite understandable. Najib was almost hysterical in defending his numbers. On record, Maybank Investment Bank Berhad, CIMB Investment Bank Berhad, Affin Investment Bank Berhad and Bank of America Merrill Mynch were all projecting Malaysia's GDP to grow around 4 per cent to 4.5 per cent this year, 2011, and at best between 3.5-4.2 per cent for 2012. With a very challenging external environment ahead and the G3 economies in dire straits, a lower growth rate is expected. Government revenue from personal and corporate taxes will surely be lower. The chance of repeating an unexpected increase in budget revenues seen in 2011 from an increase in the petroleum income tax (RM18 billion in 2010 to RM26 billion in 2011) and in corporate taxes (RM36 billion to RM44 billion) would be remote. Najib's budget also evaded the thorny issue of streamlining tax structure — cutting personal and corporate taxes to boost country's competitiveness in the region. His deafening silence on the GST was loud and clear. A 10 per cent real property gains tax (RPGT) for properties sold within two years of purchase will only net the government a maximum of RM100 million at most. Pakatan's revenue projection stands at RM181 billion compared to RM186.9 billion for the actual budget, and has more reasonable growth projections of 4.2 per cent for 2012. This allows for the deficit in Pakatan's budget to be reduced to 3.66 per cent of GDP (projected at RM918.6 billion using BN's GDP). Pakatan's budget seriously intends to raise revenue by extracting the full value of government concessions and permits. For example, raising the issue price of APs could raise an additional RM1.2 billion in revenue. Pakatan's budget advocates "effective spending" by eliminating the current practices of wastefulness, misdirection and inefficiency which will subsequently generate for the rakyat 20 per cent more in benefits for the same amount spent. Substantively, Najib's budget fails to continue addressing the yawning income divide and wealth disparity, much less on the topic of generating a higher income economy. Wages are low for our workforce in Malaysia. The bottom 40 per cent of households earn RM1,500 per month. Ninety per cent of Malaysians have zero savings and 14 per cent have no wealth — real estate, financial asset, investment and savings. Pakatan's budget is committed to implementing policy initiatives aimed at raising income levels of households and skills of the workforce. A minimum wage of RM1,100 per month will be implemented together with a holistic labour reforms. This involves retraining and up-skilling, job search and relocation assistance and unemployment insurance. A minimum wage is the legally-enforced "floor wage" to ensure that all workers at the lowest level receive a human subsistence wage, while the rest will experience a consequential rise in pay. Pakatan's budget will herald a new era by implementing wide-ranging policy and regulatory reforms to reduce cost of living, encourage SMEs and investment. Specifically, an open-tender policy for government procurement will reward the "know-how" instead of giving it to rent-seekers aka cronies with the "know-who". Affirmative measures for Bumiputeras and other disadvantaged groups will focus on strengthening the capability of such groups to compete through education, training and financial support. An Unfair Public Contracts Act will be enacted to empower a review into the lop-sided concessions and agreements that are deemed to be against the public interest. All monopolies that erode the disposable income of ordinary Malaysians and result in high business cost would be restructured in 2012. The professionalism and glory of the civil service of the earlier decades will be restored to better serve all the rakyat, from the individuals to small traders, big conglomerates and even international investors. If Najib still fails to relate to the real task of a premier who is seeking a mandate for himself in the next GE, then it pays for Najib to take heed. His penchant for flip-flops, both in economic and political reforms, has become both pathological and extremely deplorable. It's the economy (read budget), sir! * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Why fear of sex and sexuality is silly, dangerous and is bad TV Posted: 13 Oct 2011 04:32 PM PDT OCT 14 — I am writing this article sitting cross-legged in a corner of the hotel where the Indonesian National AIDS Conference is being held in Yogyakarta. There is a buzz in the air and I can see activists gathering in small groups and conferring with their colleagues. It is an amazing sight. There are demonstrations being held in the lobby and activists can be seen holding placards and banners with slogans ranging from demanding better and free access to HIV treatment to recognising sex work as a form of legal employment. A protest banner has been draped onto the car of the health minister and a guy with a megaphone can be heard demanding the government to give better accountability on the use of public funds. Later that day, hundreds of sex workers took to the streets of Yogyakarta, demanding the government take serious action to curb the spread of HIV, increase the allocation for prevention and awareness programmes, and end discrimination and criminalisation of sex work. There are so many communities gathered here. Government officials are sitting down in heated discussions with representatives of people who use drugs and men who have sex with men. The governor of Yogyakarta is answering questions from transgender persons or waria. There are sex workers sharing a lumpia snack with representatives of international donors. Exciting times. When the first AIDS case was reported in Indonesia, it was 1987. Today, they have a national prevalence of 0.2 per cent with over 300,000 people estimated to be with HIV. The past five years have also seen the number of newly-confirmed cases doubling to 4,158 in 2010. Sixty-five per cent of infections occurred through unprotected heterosexual intercourse. When viewed in comparison, Malaysia has a prevalence of 0.5 per cent. More than 120,000 persons have been estimated to be infected and in 2010, 3,652 persons were newly reported with HIV. In that year, around 49 per cent of cases were through sex. The year before, it was around 30 per cent. It is becoming increasingly apparent that the HIV challenge for Malaysia for the next five years will be addressing sexual transmission. Are we ready for it? Somehow, I am not very optimistic. While Indonesia endeavoured to take a pragmatic and commonsense approach to dealing with sexual reproductive health, Malaysia is now grappling with the consequences of decades of neglect and denial in dealing with this issue. The results from the Kotex BodyLife IQ Test in 2009 for Malaysia were quite revealing. They may look sophisticated or have contemporary lifestyles but young Malaysian women have shocking gaps in basic knowledge of their own bodies. In the survey of six countries, they were found to be most ignorant about issues regarding pregnancy with 84 per cent failing to answer correctly on related questions. Fifty-seven per cent did not even know where their hymen is located. A quarter of them believe that you could lose your virginity by riding a bike. Indonesian young women face similar problems with 26 per cent believing that heavy petting can result in pregnancy. They too had low levels of knowledge regarding pregnancy. While Indonesia has had nationwide public campaigns promoting the use of condoms and safer sex and creating awareness through sexual reproductive health education to deal with unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections, we have moved in the opposite direction. A few years ago, a legislator suggested registering the use of condoms. For two decades, the curriculum for sex education has been "ping-ponged" from one government department to another with well-meaning but misguided parents lending opposition to its possible implementation in schools. There are things to learn from Indonesia. We know what works and what does not. There is no need to find the unique Malaysian approach or solution to the issues of concern. In our fear and ignorance, the diverse issues related to sex and sexuality also appear to have become bogeymen for some people and threats to others. Recently, many of us were shocked by the blatant and demeaning discrimination, naked hatred and ignorant opinions being expressed on a TV talk show segment titled "Pondan, Ancaman Wanita" (Effeminate Men A Threat To Women). The wild accusations of effeminate men and transgendered people stealing husbands and jobs were exactly that. Wild. Let us be clear. It is OK to discuss these issues. It is in fact commendable of the TV station to provide a platform for the discussion of issues relating to sexuality. We should encourage this as it will increase our understanding and respect for the human rights of all. What is not acceptable is stirring up hate and prejudice towards a group of individuals who, honestly, when you actually speak to them (if the persons on the show had bothered to do so) want nothing more than live their lives normally and in peace like everyone else. Already there are some repercussions after the show. A number of persons working in the private and government sectors who also happen to be transgendered have already begun reporting renewed incidences of discrimination. Co-workers who previously had no problems with having a colleague who is also a transgendered person have become hostile. Some bosses are advising their subordinates to wear "proper clothes" and cut their hair. It might have been indulgent for both the hosts and guests of the show to engage in these issues in such an unintelligent and irresponsible manner but there are real-life consequences for those who live their lives as transgendered persons. The assertions shared on that show were also extremely demeaning for women. It asserts that women are powerless and at the mercy of the so-called threat posed by transgendered persons. One of the alarming aspects of this ill-informed discourse has been the seemingly acceptable position to discriminate, be prejudicial and hate those who do not conform, in this case people who are transgendered. At the end of the day, when such shows are conducted in such a manner where fear, ignorance and lack of compassion rules, it adds nothing to intelligent discourse and understanding. What you get instead is a bigoted, ill-informed and, frankly, a bad and embarrassing show. In Indonesia, I saw transgendered persons in their high heels and beautiful kebayas respectfully asking questions of the government officials and representatives of the Yogyakarta governor. They are recognised, treated as equals and with respect. I am sure that we can do the same here in Malaysia. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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