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Leverkusen shock Chelsea, qualify for next round Posted: 23 Nov 2011 03:15 PM PST Chelsea players watch as their goalkeeper Petr Cech is beaten during the Champions League match against Leverkusen, November 23, 2011. — Reuters pic LEVERKUSEN, Nov 24 — Manuel Friedrich stunned Chelsea with a powerful, last-gasp header to secure a 2-1 victory to send Bayer Leverkusen into the last 16 of the Champions League yesterday and leave the visiting Londoners still with work to do in their final game. Didier Drogba had fired Chelsea ahead with a low drive three minutes into the second half but substitute Eren Derdiyok levelled with a far-post header in the 73rd minute. That was still looking a good result for Chelsea but they lost their concentration from a stoppage-time corner when Friedrich connected with a solid header. Germany's Leverkusen, who face Genk in their last group match in December, top the group on nine points, one ahead of Chelsea and Valencia and are guaranteed progress because of their record against both Chelsea and the Spaniards, who thrashed Genk 7-yesterday. A win for Chelsea against Valencia at Stamford Bridge or a goalless draw would send them through while a score draw or defeat would see the Spaniards into the last 16. "It is always a bit lucky if you score in the last minute but we believed in it, we have a young team," Leverkusen's Ballack said after victory over his former club. "During the game I didn't feel we believed that we could win the game. Chelsea felt that and got stronger and scored and deserved it , but then we had nothing to lose, we risked a bit more and I think we deserved the victory." After seeing his expensive side fall to a fourth defeat in seven games in all competitions, Chelsea coach Andre Villas-Boas said: "We had a big chance to go 2-0 up but our focus must be on Valencia now. It will be a good head to head battle. "We were compact and disciplined until the last moment. In this competition if you make a mistake you pay a heavy price." After a mediocre first half where Ballack, marking his 100th international appearance with what turned into a command performance, hit the crossbar with a header, Chelsea took a deserved lead early in the second half when Drogba turned well in the box to score with a low shot. However the hosts, beaten finalists 10 seasons ago, forced their way back into the game and levelled with a well-crafted goal for substitute Derdiyok a minute after coming on. They then sent their fans wild when Chelsea fell asleep at a corner and Friedrich rose high to strike at the death. "We've been suffering a lot, conceding a lot of goals, but we haven't conceded from a corner for a long time, I think that was the first time," said Villas-Boas. "We were compact and disciplined in set plays but one detail in the last moment...we need to get the concentration and focus right. No excuses, if we have to go one more step up that's what we have to do." Delighted Leverkusen coach Robin Dutt said his players deserved the win after delivering a passionate performance. "Just like against Valencia we turned around a game," he told reporters. "That shows character and the quality of our team. We will try to hold on to top spot in Genk." — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Van Persie fires Gunners through Posted: 23 Nov 2011 03:10 PM PST Van Persie (left) celebrates with team mate Walcott after scoring against Dortmund at the Emirates stadium in London November 23, 2011. — Reuters pic LONDON, Nov 24 — Arsenal reached the knockout rounds of the Champions League for the 12th successive season when a Robin van Persie double gave them a 2-1 win over Borussia Dortmund in a tense Group F match at the Emirates Stadium yesterday. Van Persie scored for the 16th and 17th time in 18 appearances for Arsenal this season when he headed home after a superb run and cross from Alex Song after 49 minutes. The Dutchman made it 2-0 when he swept in from close range in the closing stages. Shinji Kagawa got a consolation for Dortmund with the last kick of the game. Dortmund had to win to stand any chance of advancing themselves, but apart from a couple of early attempts and one half-chance in the second half, they never looked like ending Arsenal's long unbeaten home run in the group stage of the competition. Dortmund's game plan was disrupted midway through the first half when they lost midfielders Sven Bender and Mario Goetze within minutes of each other, and Arsenal gradually took control of the match and rarely looked in danger. With three points their sole objective, it was not surprising that the German champions took the game to Arsenal almost from the kickoff with Arsenal's Wojciech Szczesny the busier of the two keepers in the early stages. Robert Lewandwoski and Shinji Kagawa had the first attempts while Arsenal were content to soak up Dortmund's early forays, looking to hit the Germans on the break. Theo Walcott forced goalkeeper Roman Weidenfeller to rush from his goal and clear after he had earlier made an easy catch from a Van Persie header. However, as the opening half progressed the game became bogged down in midfield. But Dortmund's game plan was hit midway through the half when, in quick succession, Bender and the highly promising teenager Goetze were both injured and replaced by Moritz Leitner and Ivan Perisic. Arsenal took control at the start of the second half with Van Persie's first goal and, although Weidenfeller got a hand to his powerful downward header, he could not stop the Dutchman's effort. His second came minutes from the end when he swept the ball in after Thomas Vermaelen headed on. — Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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A Minute With: David Fincher on his ‘Dragon Tattoo’ Posted: 23 Nov 2011 05:19 AM PST Actress Rooney Mara and director David Fincher pose during a press meeting in Stockholm, on November 21, 2011. ― Reuters pic LOS ANGELES, Nov 23 ― Last year's holiday movie season seemed to belong to filmmaker David Fincher. His "The Social Network," struck the zeitgeist among movie goers, critics and awards groups. Twenty-five days after Fincher completed "Network," the director found himself in Sweden, shooting "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo." It's the English language adaptation of Swedish author Steig Larsson's first instalment of his popular Millennium thriller series, with tales of avenging sexual violence against women. Fincher's version stars Rooney Mara as a young computer hacker helping a journalist (Daniel Craig) crack a case of a missing woman. The film comes out in theatres December 21, but is already the subject of huge interest among fans. Fincher spoke to Reuters about the film, the Swedish franchise and why he feels he'll be sitting out Hollywood's awards season this year. Q: How is your version different from the Swedish film? A: "I wholly respect what's been done in advance of our beginning. But I also think that we brought it a different sensibility to it, a different telling. We're doing parts of the story that were cut for length or budget in the past. There is a lot of back story and some of that stuff is channelled elsewhere in the Swedish version." Q: Do you feel pressure to live up to fans' expectations? A: "I live to sidestep feeling pressure. Because if you're spending US$250,000 (RM795,000) per day of shooting, you learn to deal with pressure. I feel responsibility to an author who is not going to be able to see the movie. I feel responsibility to a Swedish crew who gave everything, 12 hours a day for 100 days to help put this thing on the screen. I feel responsibility to the actors. We don't want to stink the place up. Hopefully this version will live alongside the other version." Q: There were many actresses vying for the explosive character of Lisbeth Salander. How did you pick Rooney Mara? A: "I didn't see Lisbeth like that. I don't see her as a kick-ass avenger. I see her as damaged goods and very real. I was never looking for her to be Joan Jett. I was looking for, 'How does a girl who's been through all the things that this girl has been through ― how does she survive, where does she find a moment of happiness, at what point in the movie does she smile'?" Q: And Rooney answered those questions for you? A: "These are the things that you turn to somebody, not just because they're a great actor or because they can pretend well, but because they're sort of an emotional hanger and you're putting this character, like a suit of clothes, on it. The wonderful thing about Rooney was it kept exposing itself layer after layer." Q: You have a 17-year-old daughter. Did this story speak to a protective fatherly instinct in you? A: "I'm not gonna deny that there are things about Rooney that are similar to different women that I have in my life. I would like to say that I felt compelled for reasons of feeling injustice. It's shocking to me the kind of depravity that the story was talking about. But it was first and foremost these two characters and the story ― this bizarre team, these bizarre lovers, these bizarre avengers. This story has a lot of the trappings of pulpy thriller fiction but it also has deeper roots and deeper resonance." Q: Last year "The Social Network" cleaned up during awards season. Do you have any hopes for "Dragon Tattoo" doing the same this year? A: "No. I honestly don't think that's in the cards. There's probably too much sodomy in this movie for it to be (a contender). But who knows? Maybe sodomy is big this year. (Laughs)" Q: How about box office. Do you think the subject matter will affect the film's ticket sales? A: "When the book was first given to me in 2006 or something, in galley form, the answer (to the question was), 'I don't know.' It was up my alley, but I didn't know if anyone was going to read the book. That 'I don't know' thing is important to me to keep. It's the secret handshake. The fact that 60 million people have bought the books says to me that there is an audience out there who is okay with adult themes and adult material if it's done well and it has some human characters at the centre of it." Q: Would you like to continue working on the rest of the books and direct the second instalment? A: "At this point, no. But ask me again in two months. I'm so tired right now I can't think straight. You don't ask a woman in labour, 'Do you want another child?'" (laughs) ― Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

British Indie Film Awards honour Fiennes, Branagh Posted: 23 Nov 2011 04:58 AM PST Actor and director Ralph Fiennes arrives at the premiere of ''Coriolanus'' during the AFI FEST Film Festival in the Hollywood area of Los Angeles on November 7, 2011. ― Reuters pic LONDON, Nov 23 ― Actor-directors Ralph Fiennes and Kenneth Branagh will be honoured at the British Independent Film Awards next month for their contribution to movies. Fiennes, who recently directed his first feature "Coriolanus" in which he also stars, will receive the Richard Harris Award for contribution to British film by an actor. He is best known for Oscar-nominated performances in "Schindler's List" and "The English Patient," and most recently as the evil Lord Voldemort in the blockbuster Harry Potter franchise. Previous recipients of the prize have included John Hurt, David Thewlis, Bob Hoskins, Jim Broadbent, Daniel Day-Lewis and Helena Bonham Carter, who won in 2010. Branagh, a renowned Shakespearean actor on stage and the big screen, will pick up the Variety Award for focussing the international spotlight on British cinema. He enjoyed commercial success as director of this year's "Thor" and also appeared in the Potter series. The Variety Award was previously won by Michael Caine, author J.K. Rowling, Helen Mirren, Richard Curtis, Michael Sheen and Keira Knightley among others. The British Independent Film Awards, sponsored by Moet & Chandon champagne, will be held in London on December 4. Three films lead the nominations with seven apiece ― "Shame" about a sex-obsessed bachelor in New York, "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy" based on the Cold War spy classic and "Tyrannosaur," Paddy Considine's directorial debut. ― Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Rats help Colombia sniff out deadly landmines Posted: 23 Nov 2011 05:41 AM PST A landmine victim, stands near his wheelchair in Managua, Nicaragua. In Colombia, rats are being trained to find landmines that kill or injure hundreds of people each year. Thousands of landmines were laid during Colombia's decades-long conflict with left-wing guerrillas. – Reuters pic BOGOTA, Nov 23 – In a laboratory on the grounds of a police-guarded complex, 11 white-furred rats wait their turn to impress trainers and perhaps receive a bit of sugar as reward. The rodents could play an important role in making conflict-wracked Colombia safer. They are in the final stages of a training programme to find landmines that kill or injure hundreds of people each year in Colombia. The government project, which began in 2006, trains specially bred rats to detect the metals used in landmines, thousands of which have been laid during the country's decades-long conflict with left-wing guerrillas. Colombian scientists decided to use rats because, like the dogs more traditionally used in landmine detection, they have a highly developed sense of smell. But the rats are lightweight and unlikely to detonate mines. The rats are first taught to recognize voice commands and the specific smells of metals used in landmines, and then to work in large, outdoor areas. It has taken government scientists five generations of rats to be confident their training programme is thorough enough to begin sending rats out into the countryside. In the laboratory, an element of instinct has been built into the training, with baby rats scurrying after their mothers in plastic mazes during practice sessions. The mothers show their young how finding the dead end containing the same wires and metal pieces used in landmines can earn you a treat. "These rats will be a great help, and will provide great input to those trying to carry out demining," said Erick Guzman, the police official and former canine handler who now is responsible for much of the rats' outdoor training. "We are hoping that this generation will be ready at the beginning of next year to be tested in a real environment," he added as his favorite rat Sophie perched on his shoulder. LANDMINES A CONSTANT MENACE Experts say it is impossible to estimate the number of undetonated mines which remain in Colombia, but their impact is horrifying real. In the first half of 2011, for example, mines killed 40 people and injured another 247, government statistics show. That compared with 535 dead and injured throughout 2010. Experts confirm that most mines are planted by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), other guerrilla groups and criminal gangs to deter security forces. The government says 31 of the country's 32 provinces may contain mines. "Contrary to what you see in other countries that have signed the Mine Ban Treaty, mines continue to be planted in our country ... while other countries continue to get the number of mines down, ours goes up," Luisa Fernanda Mendez, the scientific director of the rat programme said. Landmines are a pressing problem for security forces. More than half, 63 per cent according to government figures, of landmine victims are military and police personnel. Landmine clearance in Colombia is unusually slow-going because mines are sown in very close proximity to each other, making clearance operations treacherous. The Colombian government cleared less than a tenth of a square mile in all of 2010, but uncovered a total of 194 explosive devices. Non-government organizations (NGOs) in Colombia have until recently only been allowed to help landmine victims, not to mount demining operations themselves. "Currently there is no humanitarian demining process except the one undertaken by the armed forces ... we have objections to that demining because, in our judgment, the process is not compatible with international standards for humanitarian demining," said Alvaro Jimenez, the national coordinator of the Colombian Campaign Against Mines. "Demining should be a development carried out in service of the community, and the community should participate in all the steps." The Organisation of American States hopes to help NGOs expand their fledgling demining operations. They have mounted a programme, to be completed by the end of the year, to train and accredit NGO demining teams to work in Colombia. But despite any critiques of the government's current demining effort, rat project director Mendez has high hopes. "If we do not begin to master the demining process, we will never complete the terms of the treaty, and moreover, we'll never have a free countryside," she said, while giving the rat crawling up the sleeve of her lab coat an affectionate pat. – Reuters Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Scientists develop weight-loss chewing gum Posted: 23 Nov 2011 04:39 AM PST Scientists say they're close to developing a hormone-laced weight loss gum that suppresses the appetite. – Media Bakery13/shutterstock.com LOS ANGELES, Nov 23 – Diet and exercise may be the most common prescription for losing weight, but a team of US scientists believes they're close to delivering a gum that can help users fight the battle of the bulge one chew at a time. The key to the gum's formulation is a hormone called human PYY that regulates appetite and energy and is released into the bloodstream when people eat or exercise, say researchers out of Syracuse University in an announcement made November 21. Studies have shown that obese people have lower concentrations of PYY in their bloodstream compared to their non-obese counterparts. When given PYY intravenously, however, the hormone acted as an appetite suppressant in obese and non-obese volunteers as both groups consumed less calories. The hard part? Delivering the hormone so that it can travel through the digestive system unharmed and allow it to be absorbed into the bloodstream. Lead researcher Robert Doyle believes the answer lies in vitamin B12. It would be the second time Doyle developed the vitamin to act as a carrier for a hormone. Several years ago, he created an oral delivery system for insulin that was masked under vitamin B12. Early tests accomplished the same task for PYY. Results of the study were published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry earlier this month. "Phase one of this study was to show that we could deliver a clinically relevant amount of PYY into the bloodstream," Doyle said in a statement. "We did that, and we are very excited by the results." Like nicotine-laced gums which are used to help people stop smoking, PYY-laced gums and oral pills would be a natural way to help people lose weight, Doyle said. About four hours after chewing the gum, the PYY supplement would begin to kick in and decrease appetites as users approach their next meal. Meanwhile, a story published last week on WebMD.com also highlighted the benefits of chewing gum sweetened with xylitol, also known as birch sugar. While some dentists recommend chewing the gum to prevent cavities, scientists have also found that xylitol-sweetened gum could help prevent painful middle ear infections common in children because of its bacteria-fighting properties. – AFP Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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AGM Umno dijangka sentuh isu Seksualiti Merdeka, murtad Posted: 23 Nov 2011 03:46 AM PST [unable to retrieve full-text content]KUALA LUMPUR, 23 Nov ― Isu-isu semasa antaranya seperti isu Seksualiti Merdeka bakal menjadi topik panas yang dijangka dibangkitkan anggota perwakilan pada Perhimpunan Agung Umno 2011 minggu depan. Ketua Penerangan Umno Datuk Ahmad Maslan ketika ditemui Bernama baru-baru ini berkata isu itu tidak terkecuali untuk dibahaskan kerana ia melibatkan ...

Rasuah: Bekas GM Sime Engineering diarah bela diri Posted: 23 Nov 2011 02:35 AM PST Md Zaki Othman - gambar fail KUALA LUMPUR, 23 Nov ― Bekas Pengurus Besar Kanan Sime Darby Engineering Sdn Bhd di Pasir Gudang, Johor, diperintah membela diri oleh Mahkamah Sesyen di sini Rabu terhadap lima tuduhan rasuah melibatkan lebih RM180,000. Hakim Ahmad Zamzani Mohd Zain membuat keputusan itu selepas mendapati pihak pendakwaan berjaya membuktikan kes prima facie terhadap semua pertuduhan yang dihadapi Md Zaki Othman, 49, melalui keterangan 26 saksi serta bukti yang mencukupi menerusi dokumen yang dikemukakan. Mahkamah kemudian menetapkan tiga hari bermula 11 Januari depan untuk tertuduh membela diri, lapor Bernama Online. Bagi pertuduhan pertama, Md Zaki didakwa menerima suapan berjumlah RM33,600 bagi bayaran set perabot daripada seorang kontraktor, Abdul Salam Ahmad, di rumahnya di Jalan Austin Perdana 2/11, Taman Austin Perdana di sini pada 10 pagi 14 Disember 2007 sebagai dorongan membantu Abdul Salam mendapatkan Surat Hasrat bertarikh 11 Januari 2008 bagi projek "EPCIC for MOQ Package 16, BE Process and BG Utility Platforms" bernilai RM23,901,959 kepada Duplex Energy Sdn Bhd. Untuk pertuduhan kedua, dia didakwa menerima jam tangan berjenama Rolex bernilai RM21,700, juga daripada Abdul Salam di alamat yang sama pada 9 malam 10 Mac 2009, sebagai upah membantu melulus dan mempercepatkan tuntutan bayaran kemajuan berhubung kontrak "EPCIC for MOQ Package 16, BE Process and BG Utility Platforms" di Sime Darby Engineering Sdn Bhd, Pasir Gudang dan sub kontrak projek Kumang & Tangga Barat Cluster Development Project (Fasa 1) oleh Duplex Energy Sdn Bhd. Bagi pertuduhan ketiga, Md Zaki didakwa meminta suapan berupa seutas jam tangan berjenama IWC berharga RM32,980 daripada Abdul Salam di Hour Glass Sdn Bhd, pusat beli belah Lot 10 di Jalan Sultan Ismail di sini antara 1.30 tengah hari dan 4.30 petang antara 13 Mac 2009 dan 15 Mac 2009. Suapan itu sebagai dorongan membantu kontraktor berkenaan mendapatkan Surat Hasrat bagi projek kontrak kecil Kumang & Tangga Barat Cluster Development Project (Fasa 1) oleh syarikat milik kontraktor itu yang mengendalikan kejuruteraan minyak dan gas. Bagi pertuduhan keempat, Md Zaki didakwa bersetuju terima suapan berupa jam tangan berjenama Hublot berharga RM60,000 daripada Abdul Salam pada 10 pagi antara 13 Mei 2009 dan 15 Mei 2009, sebagai upah membantu melulus dan mempercepatkan tuntutan bayaran kemajuan berhubung kontrak 'EPCIC for MOQ Package 16, BE Process and BG Utility Platforms' di Sime Darby Engineering Sdn Bhd, Pasir Gudang dan projek kontrak kecil, Kumang & Tangga Barat Cluster Development Project (Fasa 1) oleh syarikat kontraktor itu. Bagi pertuduhan terakhir, Md Zaki didakwa meminta suapan RM33,600 daripada Abdul Salam bagi bayaran set perabot di Europe Asia Furniture Expo Sdn Bhd, Jalan Universiti, Petaling Jaya dekat sini pada 28 November 2007. Pendakwaan dikendalikan oleh Muhammad Saifuddin Hashim Musaimi daripada Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia manakala tertuduh diwakili peguam T. Vijayasandran. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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Berapa bakhsis atas RM250 juta? Posted: 22 Nov 2011 04:19 PM PST NOV 23 — Berapa agaknya bakhsis — komisyen — atas RM250 juta projek gembala lembu yang dianugerah kepada keluarga menteri Shahrizat Jalil? Kalau kroni Datuk Seri Najib Razak beroleh sekitar setengah bilion dari urusan membeli kapal selam dari Perancis dan pesawat pejuang dari Rusia untuk pertahanan Malaysia, maka apakah tiada habuan bagi pihak yang di belakang kroni projek gembala ini? Boleh jadi tidak ada. Oleh kerana golongan umarak yakni pemimpin-pemimpin pemerintah di negara kita sejak merdeka dilihat menjadi hantu menyedut komisyen dari setiap projek mega, maka payah untuk mencari yang mana tidak jadi mangsa hantu. Bagi orang besar dalam sebuah masyarakat rasuah adalah ibarat anjing yang tidak makan tahi, tetapi apabila terjumpa tahu lalu dihidunya. Orang besar yang tidak rasuah dalam masyarakat rasuah ada seperti anjing yang mengidu tahi. Amat payah bagi masyarakat Malaysia di bawah pemerintahan Barisan Nasional tidak dapat apa-apa dari sebarang projek yang dirancang. Betapa teruknya penyakit sosial itu hingga ada pemimpin yang diberi jolok "Mr Clean" seperti yang diterima oleh mantan Perdana Menteri Tun Abdullah Badawi. Sebagaimana tidak ada orang Umno lain selain dari Al-Marhum Tan Sri Syed Jaafar Albar digelar singa Umno, maka belum ada yang lain dari pemimpin kerajaan yang dinamakan "Mr Clean" selain dari Tun Lah Badawi. Mengapa yang lain tidak diberi jolokan itu? Tentulah masing-masing tidak sesuai dengan sifat itu. Tetapi apakah dia benar-benar seperti yang disifatkan itu? Itu pun ada takwil juga. Justeru itu telah ada tanggapan umum, setiap projek baik kecil mahu pun besar, selain dari tujuan membangunkan negara, adalah untuk berlumba-lumba mencari habuan. Bagi projek sekecil balai raya di kampung, ada bakhsis untuk Penghulu atau Pengerusi JKKK, sesuai dengan pimpinannya di desanya. Dan bagi yang sebesar menteri pula, sesuai pula baginya dengan projek mega. Maka setiap projek mega itu selain dari tujuan membangunkan negara, adalah satu kesemepatan masing-masing untuk membuncitkan perut. Itulah anggapan umum kepada pimpinan masyarakat rasuah baik di barat mahu pun di timur. Maka dalam suasana itulah masyarakat melihat usaha membangunkan menggembala lembu feedlot yang pengedaliannya diberi kepada suami dan anak-anak Menteri Shahrizat Jalil. Setiap pemberian projek baik mengikut peraturan mahu pun tidak mengikut peraturan akan tetap ditanya. Itulah sifat manusia yang hidup. Dalam pengurusan yang mahukan pertanggungjawaban atau akauntebiliti, setiap pertanyaan itu adalah audit bagi memestikan semuanya mengikut peraturan. Yang lurus ditanya dan yang bengkok pun ditanya. Apa lagilah sesuatu yang melibatkan isteri menteri dan suami menteri. Lagi cepatlah ia ditanya. Itulah sebabkan urusan gembala lembu melibatkan 250 juta wang negara dan wang rakyat ditanya oleh Ketua Audit Negara. Setiap yang ditegur oleh Laporan Audit Negara adalah penting dan patut. Maka wajarlah orang ramai bertanya tentang yang ditanya oleh Ketua Audit Negara itu. Apa lagilah yang ditanya itu adalah melibat suami dan anak-anak menteri, masing-masing bukan pula ahli di bidang itu. Orang percaya mesti ada rundingan antara suami menteri dengan pihak yang meluluskan pemberian projek termasuklah jumlah duit yang terlibat. Dalam Laporan Audit itu juga ada menyebut adanya teropong dibeli mahal dari harga pasaran dan begitu juga komputer murah dibeli mahal. Maka bukan mustahil belanja beli lembu jadi begitu juga. Anggapan umum kepada kerajaan BN, antara nilai sesebuah projek ada peruntukan menghadapi pilihan raya, untuk pentadbiran parti, urusan orang tengah dan untuk orang itu dan orang ini. Oleh kerana menteri-menteri adalah alim kucing, habuan mereka juga ada. Kadang-kadang habuannya itu dikatakan untuk parti dan untuk pilihan raya. Bukan mustahil duit suku bilion bagi bagi projek gembala itu termasuk untuk PRU 13 dan juga untuk dikongsi dengan semua hantu-hantu tertentu. Kalau bakhsis itu diandaikan 10 peratus, maka senang ia dapat 25 juta. Inilah yang dirunsingkan oleh Bung Mokhtar, MP BN Kinabatangan. Katanya, ia menyusahkan Umno untuk menjawabnya. Padanya, Shahrizat mesti meletak jawatan. Bung Mokhtar bukan malaikat dalam Umno, tetapi kes gembala lembu itu sudah terbongkar dan payah ditutup. Kalau beli kapalselam dan jet pejuang Rusia adalah skendal Najib, maka urusan gembala ini adalah masalah Timbalan Perdana Menteri Muhyiddin Yassin sebelum kemeneriannya diserah kepada Noh Omar. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

Not Chinese enough Posted: 22 Nov 2011 04:11 PM PST NOV 23 — I know a few sad bananas. No, I haven't started talking to my food. I mean "bananas": Chinese who can't speak a Chinese dialect. My half-Chinese, half-Swiss friend is still bitter about the way he was treated, and is still treated, by some Chinese. Growing up, he's endured mocking and outright rejection. Despite his tall frame, his schoolmates didn't want him playing basketball with them. Reason? "Only Chinese play basketball." "Aren't I Chinese?" he asked some of them once. The answer was short and blunt: "No." A Chinese waitress at a coffee shop has even mocked his pronunciation when he asked for "Milo peng" (iced Milo). "Haha, Maiiii-looe pehnng!" she jeered. Though I suppose a non-Malay speaking Malay would have a similar experience, I don't understand the meanness some Chinese display to their supposed "own." Then there was the time he called up a potential landlord asking about a room. He told the landlord he was half-Chinese, half-kweilo. The landlord's response: "What kind of kweilo?" All my "banana" friends have their own stories to tell. One of them parked outside my house, only to have my neighbour reverse into her. When my friend tried to speak in English to my Chinese neighbour, he yelled at her in Malay that he didn't speak English, only Chinese. After a few minutes of struggling (my friend spoke a little Chinese but not fluently), they tried conversing in Malay, and in the end, my neighbour demonstrated he could speak English quite well after all. OCBC Bank even has a nickname — "Orang Cina Bukan Cina" — as the institution supposedly hires a lot of "bananas." You would think it's enough to know Mandarin, then. Not in Kuala Lumpur. My Mandarin-speaking former housemate from Johor was chastised for not being able to speak Cantonese... by a taxi driver. Last I checked, Kuala Lumpur wasn't Guangzhou. I wish native Chinese speakers would understand how tricky the language can be for people who weren't brought up speaking it. Cantonese, with its eight tones, is especially tricky. Take the Cantonese word for crab, for instance. Pronounce it with a high, rising inflection and you'll be talking about female genitalia instead. In a country already plagued by exclusionary practices, it's sad to see a community making such distinctions about whether someone is "Chinese enough." It's part of the reason why our country is such a mess, this obsession with race. It's one thing to love culture enough to respect and preserve it but it's another to use it as an excuse to build walls to keep the "others" out. Integrating different cultures isn't easy. But to be honest, I don't think Malaysians try hard enough. Too many of us are too content to remain within our silos, to speak only with the people who look like us and speak like us. It's pretty easy to find examples of Malaysians not trying very hard. There are Chinese who refuse to try Malay food, Malay Muslims who tell other Malays not to eat at non-Muslim houses for fear of their food being tampered with, and Indians who do not speak anything but Tamil. "Let's just ignore everyone else except when we're not getting our 'rights'." To be honest, I am tired of writing about race all the time. Tired of pointing out how insular we are, how, really, we're all a little bit racist. It's a dream now, isn't it? To wish for another Malaysian to just see me. See past my skin colour, not ask about my racial makeup, not care what God I worship. We lie to ourselves, saying that it's the government that makes all the racial distinctions when really the person you see in the mirror every day just wants to see the same thing reflected, but in other people. This is Malaysia. But deep down, are you Malaysian? To the Malaysian Chinese who feel put upon by other Malaysian Chinese, I feel you. But if others refuse to acknowledge you as "real" Chinese, that's really their problem. I leave you with my "love letter" to Malaysian Chinese, performed at the Penang Performing Arts Centre's opening. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist. Full content generated by Get Full RSS.

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