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To reduce risk of heart attack, opt for low-mercury fish Posted: 27 Sep 2012 06:04 PM PDT A new study suggests that the health benefits of fish outweigh the negative impacts of mercury - provided you choose wisely. — AFP-Relaxnews pic NEW YORK, Sept 28 — In light of ongoing concerns over mercury levels in fish, a team of researchers has conducted a study which found that the health benefits of fish outweigh the negative impacts when consumers choose wisely. The joint study out of Sweden and Finland aimed to create a risk-benefit model that would shed light on the risk of mercury consumption, versus the value of omega-3 fatty acids, which have been linked to everything from heart health to cognitive function and improved eyesight. Published in the October issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study examined mercury levels and omega-3 concentrations in the hair and blood samples of 361 Swedish men and 211 men from Finland, all of whom had suffered from a heart attack. While methyl mercury in fish may, indeed, pose a health risk, even a small change in fish consumption was found to prevent 7 per cent of heart attacks in men, as long as mercury levels remained low. The conclusion? Eat fish, but avoid large predatory species like pike and perch which contain a lot more mercury than smaller ones. The US Food and Drug Administration also offers a consumer's guide to different types of fish, advising against the consumption of shark, swordfish, King mackerel and tilefish for their high mercury content. Other tips: -Five of the most commonly eaten types of seafood low in mercury are shrimp, canned light tuna, salmon, pollock and catfish. -Eat up to 12 ounces (the equivalent of two average meals) a week of fish and shellfish that are low in mercury. -Opt for canned light tuna over albacore tuna, which contains more mercury. — AFP-Relaxnews

Welcome to Cake Central Posted: 27 Sep 2012 05:26 PM PDT The Red Velvet Cake at Daily Grind is one of the most popular cakes in the restaurant. – Picture by Choo Choy May KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 28 — Craving for a good chocolate cake? Or perhaps you have a hankering for wasabi macarons? You're in luck if you happen to be in Bangsar Baru for the place has become something of a cake haven. Within a minute's walk of each other are some pretty stand-out bakeries and cafes.  The upper middle-class neighbourhood has become the go-to place for those tired of the whole mall scene; independent boutiques, beauty parlours, restaurants and cafes are everywhere. Be it in Bangsar Village or the streets of Telawi, you'll be able to satisfy your cake cravings quite easily here. Let's take a look at some delectable cafe cakes: Delicious is the place to go to for a tea-time rendezvous. – Picture by Saw Siow Feng There's the never-fail Classic Chocolate with Vanilla Ice-Cream as well as Sticky Date Pudding with Butterscotch Sauce & Vanilla Ice-Cream at Delicious in Bangsar Village II. The restaurant is also known for its Afternoon Tea for Two served in a triple-tiered tray. Back then, it was common to find tai tais having their tea here but now the customer base has grown to include families, college students and working adults.  Gourmet burgers may be The Daily Grind's specialty but the cakes here are pretty amazing too! – Picture by Saw Siow Feng Then there is Daily Grind in Bangsar Village which is famous for its gourmet burgers. But here, you will find some amazing cakes like their famous Red Velvet cake. The portions are huge ... most people share. Also try the delish Salty Chocolate Caramel or the refreshing Lemon Drizzle which is great for those who are already stuffed after their burger dinners but still hanker for dessert. Plan B is the place to go for some very tasty cakes and pastries. – Picture by Saw Siow Feng Head upstairs and you will end up at Plan B, one of the many restaurants opened by The BIG Group. Surprise, surprise! Plan B serves a mean Red Velvet cake as well as several other delicious cakes and pastries. No wonder it is always full! Personally I enjoy the rich, decadent Red Velvet at Plan B and the cream cheese frosting adds a bit of savoury to the sweet dessert. Come to think of it, Bangsar Baru is more like Red Velvet cake haven!  Customise a cake or pick from one of the many offerings at Bisou. – Picture by Saw Siow Feng There is a little pop-up cafe in Bangsar Village which is gaining quite a name for its cakes – Bisou. You'll find ready-made cakes, scones, cookies, and cupcakes here. The Red Velvet cupcake is said to be a favourite (no surprise there) but the trending cake right now is the Rainbow Cake, a buttery multi-coloured cake with cream cheese frosting. The orange poppyseed cake here is also yums. The Cappucino cupcake that we had uses real coffee icing, so you know they use authentic ingredients.  One of the oldest restaurants in Jalan Telawi Tiga, Alexis is still a favorite. – Picture by Saw Siow Feng Last but not least is long-established Alexis Bangsar on Jalan Telawi Tiga. It was THE preferred hangout for yuppies back when it first opened more than 12 years ago. It still draws a crowd with its laidback contemporary feel and good food. The Tiramisu cake from Alexis is a classic, and a must-try. – Picture by Saw Siow Feng The one thing everybody remembers about Alexis – apart from the Sarawak laksa – is the Tiramisu cake. The light cake contrasts perfectly with the crunchy nutty topping – a real classic. You will never tire of this no matter how many times you've had it. Alexis also serves one of the best Pavlovas in town. But wait, there is more ... now there is an atas cake shop in the neighbourhood.  Les Deux Garcons is like a piece of Paris in the heart of Bangsar Baru. – Picture by Saw Siow Feng Right across from Bangsar Village, opposite where Cziplee used to be, is a chic little cake shop called Les Deux Garcons. This Parisian-inspired bakery is one of the best places in KL for macarons and artisanal cakes. Gorgeous and equally pleasing to the taste buds, Les Deux Garcons' desserts are works of art. The Le Favori is a must-try for pistachio and raspberry lovers. If you're adventurous, do try Les Deux Garcon's wasabi or capsicum & black pepper macarons. So the next time you feel like going on a cake safari, come to Bangsar Baru. You won't be disappointed. The cakes at Les Deux Garcons are like works of art. – Picture by Saw Siow Feng

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Newcastle manager Pardew given eight-year contract Posted: 27 Sep 2012 08:40 AM PDT Pardew (centre) reacts as the final whistle is blown during their English Premier League soccer match against Norwich City in Newcastle, northern England September 23, 2012. — Reuters pic LONDON, Sept 27 — Newcastle United manager Alan Pardew and three senior coaches have been given eight-year contracts that will tie them to the Premier League side until the end of the 2019/2020 season, the club said today. Pardew, who counts West Ham United and Charlton Athletic among his former clubs, joined Newcastle in 2010 and has led them to 12th and fifth place Premier League finishes. The club have also handed long-term deals to assistant manager John Carver, coach Steve Stone and goalkeeping coach Andy Woodman. The effort to impose stability at the club is in contrast to their recent history where they have had nine permanent or caretaker managers in the last eight years. "If you look at clubs like Manchester United and Arsenal, Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger have shown that stability gives you the best platform to achieve success, and that is the model we wish to emulate here," managing director Derek Llambias said on the club website (www.nufc.co.uk). "Alan has done a fantastic job over the last couple of years and has proved what a great Premier League manager he is. I have total respect for him in all football matters and have an excellent relationship with him which I think benefits the club enormously." Pardew's appointment was initially unpopular with fans who were disappointed former boss Chris Hughton was sacked after he led the club back to the Premier League. He has since won them over with some fine performances on the pitch as well as some astute signings that helped him win both the Premier League manager of the season award and the League Managers' Association manager of the year award. — Reuters

FA bans John Terry for four matches Posted: 27 Sep 2012 07:26 AM PDT Terry salutes the fans after their English League Cup soccer match against Wolverhampton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge in London September 25, 2012. — Reuters pic LONDON, Sept 27 — Chelsea captain John Terry was banned for four matches for racially abusing Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand, the English FA said today. Terry appeared before a Football Association disciplinary committee over charges that he racially abused Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand in a Premier League match last October. He was acquitted over the incident in the law courts in July. "(John) is disappointed that the FA commission has reached a different conclusion to the clear not guilty verdict of a court of law," Terry's solicitors were quoted as saying in British media. "He has asked for the detailed written reasons and will consider carefully before deciding whether to lodge an appeal." Terry has also been fined £220,000 pounds (RM677,000) and the penalty is suspended until after the outcome of any appeal which must be received within 14 days. "The Independent Regulatory Commission will provide written reasons for its decision in due course," the FA said in a statement. Chelsea play title rivals Arsenal in the Premier League on Saturday and are due to face Manchester United in the league and League Cup during the last week of October. "Chelsea Football Club notes and respects today's decision by the Football Association regarding John Terry," Chelsea said in a statement after the four-day hearing. The 31-year-old Terry retired from England duty on Sunday ahead of the FA disciplinary procedure, saying his position in the national team was "untenable". Terry had previously been England captain but on two occasions had the armband taken away by coach Fabio Capello, in 2010 after revelations about his private life and in February over the Ferdinand allegations, a decision that led the Italian to quit. Liverpool striker Luis Suarez was handed an eight-game ban and £40,000 fine last December for racist abuse of Manchester United defender Patrice Evra. Suarez used "insulting words" towards Evra during the game on Oct 15, with the Frenchman saying he had been insulted "at least 10 times". — Reuters

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Italy cruise ship disaster crew win seafaring award Posted: 27 Sep 2012 07:49 AM PDT The Costa Concordia is pictured surrounded by cranes, near the harbour of Giglio Porto, August 28, 2012. — Reuters pic ROME, Sept 27 — The crew of the Costa Concordia, the huge liner which capsized off the coast of Italy in January killing as many as 32 people, won the Lloyd's List "Seafarer of the Year" award for this year, the ship's operator Costa Cruises said today. The citation for the award said the crew provided "true examples of courage and professionalism" during the dangerous night evacuation of the ship after it was fatally holed by a rock off the Tuscan island of Giglio. The ship's captain Francesco Schettino has been blamed for the disaster and faces charges of multiple manslaughter, causing the accident and abandoning his ship before the evacuation was complete. "The 'Seafarer of the Year' award recognises the competence, heroism and professionalism displayed by the sailors every day," Costa said in a statement. In the immediate aftermath of the disaster, some passengers reported acts of bravery and heroism by crew members during the evacuation, while others complained that staff appeared ill-prepared, with many unable to speak Italian. Experts appointed by Italian judges to help an investigation into the accident also criticised a lack of preparation among crew members. The 114,500 tonne Costa Concordia sank off the island of Giglio on Jan 13 after it came within metres of the shoreline and struck a rock which cut open its hull and caused it to capsize. — Reuters

WHO issues guidance on new virus, gears up for haj Posted: 27 Sep 2012 05:37 AM PDT A Kashmiris Haj pilgrim hugs a relative as other pilgrims rest inside Haj House before departing for the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, in Srinagar September 17, 2012. — Reuters pic GENEVA, Sept 27 — The World Health Organisation yesterday urged health workers everywhere to report patients with acute respiratory infection who may have been in Saudi Arabia or Qatar, following the discovery of a new virus from the same family as SARS. Saudi Arabia said it had taken precautions to prevent disease spreading next month, when it expects over 2 million Muslims to flock to the annual haj pilgrimage, than return home. WHO put out a global alert on Sunday saying a new virus had infected a 49-year-old Qatari who had recently travelled to Saudi Arabia, where another man with an almost identical virus had died. The Qatari remained critically ill in hospital in Britain as of Tuesday, but the WHO said yesterday no new case of the new virus had been reported. "We've got things in place should things change, should the behaviour of the virus change," spokesman Gregory Hartl said. Tests showed that six people with respiratory infections in two hospitals in Denmark did not have the new coronavirus, and at least five of them had flu, Danish health officials said. The new virus shares some of the symptoms of SARS, another coronavirus, which emerged in China in 2002 and killed around a tenth of 8,000 people it infected worldwide. So far, scientists do not know how contagious the new virus is, or whether or not it spreads by contact between people. WHO's clinical guidance to its 194 member states said health workers should be alert to anyone with acute respiratory syndrome and requiring hospitalisation who had been in the area where the virus was found or in contact with a suspected or confirmed case within the previous 10 days. WHO has not recommended any travel restrictions in connection with the new virus, but said it was working closely with Saudi authorities on health measures for the haj. WHO said it was identifying a network of laboratories that could provide countries with expertise on coronaviruses. "Though it is a very different virus from SARS, given the severity of the two confirmed cases so far, WHO is engaged in further characterising the novel coronavirus," it said. The European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control in Stockholm said that, based on the available information, "ECDC assesses the current risk as low". —  Reuters

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Chinese film has world premier at Spain festival Posted: 27 Sep 2012 08:53 AM PDT Chinese film director Emily Tang after the screening of her film 'All Apologies' during the 60th San Sebastian International Film Festival on September 26, 2012. – AFP pic SAN SEBASTIAN, Sept 27 – Chinese director Emily Tang's latest film "All Apologies", about two couples linked by the death of a child, had its world premiere yesterday at Spain's San Sebastian film festival. The movie is the only film from Asia among the 14 in competition for the festival's top prize, the Golden Shell. It offers a critical look at the great lengths some couples go to have a male child in contemporary China as well as of women's often submissive role in Chinese society. "In China it is very important to have a male child," Tang, 42, told reporters at the festival, one of Europe's top international film gatherings. "The most important thing for the main character is to have a boy. This leads him to try to have a son at any prices and way possible." The movie is Tang's third after "Conjugation" released in 2001 and "Perfect Life" which came out in 2009. Among the other movies in competition for the Golden Shell prize is "Capital" by Greece's Costantinos Gavras, a French movie on the slaves of modern capitalism, and "The Attack" by Lebanon's Ziad Doueiri who is told his wife carried out a suicide attack. The winner of the Gold Shell prize will be announced on the last day of the festival on September 29. Last year the prize went to Spanish director's "The Double Steps". – AFP/Relaxnews

‘Pink Panther’ star Herbert Lom dies aged 95 Posted: 27 Sep 2012 08:07 AM PDT Herbert Lom was most famous for his role as the irritable police chief Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movies, starring opposite Peter Sellers. – All Rights Reserved LONDON, Sept 27 – Veteran Czech-born actor Herbert Lom, known best for his roles in the "Pink Panther" films, died today aged 95, his family said. Lom, who appeared in more than 100 films, often played villains and was most famous for his role as the irritable police chief Charles Dreyfus in the Pink Panther movies, starring opposite Peter Sellers as Inspector Clouseau. In a career spanning six decades, Lom also played in classics including "Spartacus", "El Cid" and "The Ladykillers". Relatives said the London-based actor, who was born in Prague in 1917, died peacefully in his sleep. "Like many actors, he never wanted to be pigeon-holed in a particular role," his son Alec Lom said. "After having played the role of East European gangster in many films, it was a delight to him later in his career to be cast by Pink Panther producer and director Blake Edwards." Lom moved to Britain before World War II and worked as a newscaster for the BBC's overseas service before his acting career took off. He was hugely successful as the King of Siam in the original London stage production of the musical "The King and I" in the 1950s, and also played the title role in the film version of "The Phantom of the Opera" in 1962. – AFP/Relaxnews

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Top chefs to write book on history of modern gastronomy Posted: 27 Sep 2012 02:35 AM PDT A coalition of chefs who call themselves the G9 have announced plans to publish a book on the history of modern gastronomy. — AFP pic TOKYO, Sept 27 — An alliance of some of the top chefs in the world helmed by Spanish chef Ferran Adrià has announced plans to write a book on the history of modern gastronomy, beginning with Nouvelle Cuisine. At a culinary summit in Tokyo over the weekend, a group of nine chefs who call themselves the G9 committed to publishing a book that will explore the evolution of modern cooking, reported US-based food blog Eater.com. It's a proposal that was first bandied about by chef Joan Roca of El Cellar de Can Roca in Spain at the beginning of the weekend. Towards the end of the summit chefs put flesh to the idea, giving their project a deadline: the publishing date has been set for 2015. El Cellar de Can Roca is ranked the second best restaurant in the world by Restaurant magazine. The focus of this year's summit, organised by the Basque Culinary Centre, which offers degrees in gastronomy and culinary arts, explored the best ways to train the next generation of chefs. Next year, the conference moves to New York, and in 2014 it will travel to Brazil. Chefs from host cities will also be able to invite three additional figures to participate, reports Eater. Plans to pen a textbook on modern gastronomy recall another encyclopedic series which has been called one of the most important cookbooks of all time, Modernist Cuisine, written by former Microsoft chief technology officer Nathan Myhrvold. Members of the international advisory board who attended this year's conference in Japan included Alex Atala (Brazil), Dan Barber (US), Ferran Adrià (Spain), Massimo Bottura (Italy), Yukio Hattori (Japan), Gastón Acurio (Peru), Joan Roca (Spain), Sven Elverfeld (Germany) and Harold McGee (US). — AFP-Relaxnews

Rowling leaves door ajar to return to ‘Potter world’ Posted: 26 Sep 2012 04:25 PM PDT NEW YORK, Sept 27 — Harry is still finished, but do not rule out any return to the Potter world. Although JK Rowling's first novel tailored for adults is being released this week, she says her next book will likely be a children's book, and in the future she may pen a story related to the Harry Potter universe. "I think it very likely that the next thing I publish will be for kids. I have a children's book that I really like, it's for slightly younger children than the Potter books," Rowling told the BBC in a television interview broadcast yesterday. In one of a handful of appearances to promote "The Casual Vacancy," which hits bookstores worldwide today, Rowling told the BBC: "Truly, where Harry's story is concerned, I'm done. Yet the 47-year-old best-selling British author did not rule out a Potter spin-off, while she was adamant it would never be for commercial reasons. The seven "Harry Potter" books have sold more than 450 million books worldwide. "I have always left the door ajar because I'm not that cruel. If I had a fabulous idea that came out of that world, because I loved writing it, I would do it," she told the BBC. "But I've got to have a great idea, I don't want to go mechanically into that world and pick up odds and ends and glue them together and say 'Here we go, we can sell this'. It would make a mockery of what those books were to me." Were that great idea to come, she said: "I probably would do it. I'm very averse to the prequel/sequel idea. I've never seen it work well in either literature or film. That's a personal preference." Rowling, who started her writing career as a financially struggling, single mother, said while there was clearly "an appetite for eight, nine, ten," Potter novels, she knew she only had enough plot for seven books about Harry's magical adventures. "To go further would have been money for old rope. Couldn't do it. And that's largely why I slapped on that epilogue (in the final 'Harry Potter' novel). (It) says he's leading a quiet life, and he's earned it. He's done," she said of the boy wizard. Rowling said she would have liked more time to work on some of the books. "I had to write on the run and there were times when it was really tough. And I read them, and I think 'Oh God, maybe I'll go back and do a director's cut". I don't know," she said in BBC interview. "But you know what?" she added. "I'm proud I was writing under the conditions under which I was writing. No one will ever know how tough it was at times." In a separate interview with ABC's "Nightline", Rowling revealed that she had signs of obsessive-compulsive behaviour when she was a teenager, and that one of the characters in "The Casual Vacancy" was drawn from her own experiences. "These are things I know from the inside," she said in the interview, some of which was aired on "Good Morning America" yesterday. "When I was in my teens, I had issues with OCD ... checking things, it's very common, double checking, triple checking, it's an anxiety disorder." Rowling has spoken openly in the past about dealing with depression, which she estimated she had not had to deal with for more than a decade. She credited Harry Potter with helping. "Forget the money," she said; it gave her self-respect. "Harry gave me a job that I loved to do more than anything else," she told ABC. — Reuters

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Why I’m not excited about the Budget Posted: 26 Sep 2012 04:47 PM PDT SEPT 27 — I grew up not knowing long-term financial planning. My dad would drive the night cab, and my mum would wait for the 3am cash status update from him.  The next day would be formed around available funds. The kids always got their school day allowance in the morning and life went on. I'd pride myself in being able to walk up and down the aisles looking for the cheapest soap, shampoo or anything my mum asked me to run down to the stores to get. Therefore, a month's finances planned in advance would appear grander than a trip to a theme park — we went once to Mimaland — but an annual one, that would be like the Marshall Plan.  So you see, the national Budget for 2013 due out tomorrow is really long term to people from my side of the train tracks.   And today, 70 per cent of households in Malaysia — since they earn RM3,000 or less a month, which also makes them an even larger representation of total population in percentage since poorer families have larger families — are just trying to get by, so they may be forgiven to think that Malaysia's financial planning is more secure in the hands of the privileged class. For they know money better, the elites of Malaysia. No? No, actually. I've always known the value of money. Most of us who spend most of our days wondering if we are going to have any do. Sure of that now, as I was when my late step-grandfather showed me a RM5 note and told me that men have to toil hard so that they are be able to earn it. Similarly, millions of Malaysians, rich or poor know what money is. But I have great disdain for a system that does not want to draw people into the larger discussion of how money is gathered and then spent. That is what a Budget shows, the careful, deliberate and detailed accounting of what is to be done with money. It is the duty of an equitable and egalitarian society to include all. The Budget and the family Information generally is convoluted in Malaysia — financial information a more unwieldy beast akin to dead languages. Therefore to simplify, I'll compare the national Budget to the single family unit's financial planning. I'll respect the limitations of the analogy as a means to understand the broader and wider impact of the Budget. But the principles, the unadulterated elements do stand. As ex-US President Bill Clinton put it, the real genius behind his administration's budgetary surplus in the '90s was arithmetic. You spend only what you have, adding and subtracting will do the trick. The Barisan Nasional government continues to prevaricate over the financial management of the country, and the deficit grows. It may want to learn arithmetic from families. They live within their means. They spend what they have. Families cannot afford budget deficits. They don't issue bonds, they visit the local pawnshop and thereafter remember daily the family heirloom or wedding jewellery.  When they fail to pay the debt, the penalty is exacting. So how do governments avoid budgetary errors? Can't buy two schoolbags and no school books A family pools its money. If three persons in a family of six work, then the combined incomes of the three can give more to the six, than three incomes separately acting to improve the welfare of the six. This is about scale. Similarly, the country with its pooled resources can do exponentially more than if each citizen held on to his or her individual contribution and proceeded to effect the same outcome. Citizens expect their government to exhibit their ability to exploit scale and stretch the ringgit. The government only tells where it spends, and most Malaysians are convinced these are sinkholes. There are various parts to the jigsaw. All the pieces must fit in order to have an appropriate return. For example, the Klang Valley MRT project is under way, but trains don't pass through all our homes and neither do all of us live within walking distance to designated stations. So, without buses, tricycles and other public transportation, plans to get city dwellers from home to station A and then station B to office regularly, systematically and reliably, then the train stations will be hit and miss. The RM50 billion the train system is expected to cost will only be recouped if millions of city folk use it, and that number will be determined by access. Right now, the MRT appears to be a standalone and based on the support the present rail systems get — LRT and Komuter — the former will also fail to shine as much as it should.     See no evil, and everything else The above seems like an abstract critique, and maybe misplaced accusing BN of not exploiting scale and stretching the ringgit. For there are millions of permutations involving millions of people, the best way forward is to include as many of those millions in the mapping out of the expenditures, like for train systems. Where does BN fail, then? The opaque manner in which the largest infrastructure project in the history of the country is being carried out along with every other major project does not only encourage leakages, it results in poor fits.  Since the execution, the paying for it happens without examination, the mismatches emerge. This is where they fail. That is why diligent MPs, conscientious ministers and integrity-driven civil servants playing out their various roles in spending or perusing spending under the glare of a vigilant mainstream media, and all of them cross-examining each other results in a more rigorous Budget. The lack of oversight hurts the integrity of any BN Budget. The modern family democracy Though someone is in charge of family finances — with several members probably contributing to the pool — every member pays when family unit's financial decisions go awry. Since everyone can potentially be affected, all members should have a say. They must have a valid say constantly. Members don't want to contribute all year round and only hope that their contributions will benefit them. They want to see the plan, not just what is being spent. Otherwise their commitment to the family unit ebbs. And that is the stalemate in the shaping of Malaysia's Budget and its execution. The government does not want its financial planning to be processed, they just want it to be accepted. Which is why our country telecasts the Budget announcement "live", because there will be very little changed by the 10 days mandated for a parliamentary debate over the proposed Budget by MPs. The attitudes have not changed. But inclusivity is not perfection. For I'll concede, even if all Malaysians feel that their input is considered directly or through their representatives or through the establishment of a gladiatorial structure of checks and balances, any Budget may still adversely affect Malaysians. But the leakages will be lower, and the mismatches largely absent. I can live with that. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

Royalti pelakon dari sudut yang realistik Posted: 26 Sep 2012 04:37 PM PDT 27 SEPT — Baru-baru ini Persatuan Seniman Malaysia (Seniman) yang diketuai oleh presidennya Zed Zaidi telah mengusulkan berkenaan hal royalti untuk para pelakon. Ianya mendapat respon yang positif dari pihak kementerian. Melalui Seniman, satu badan pengurusan artis yang dikenali sebagai Malaysia Screen Actors Guild Berhad( MSAGB) akan ditubuhkan sebelum hujung tahun ini 2012 ini mengikut perancangannya. Hasil pertemuan dengan Menteri Perdagangan Dalam Negeri, Koperasi dan Kepenggunaan, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, perkara tersebut akan diberi perhatian yang serius dan perlukan penyelidikan yang menyeluruh . Manakala sumber dari royalti itu akan dikutip dari badan-badan penyiaran tempatan seperti Astro, RTM, Media Prime serta penyiar IPTV jika filem-filem atau drama yang dilakonkan oleh mereka yang terlibat disiarkan. Ianya isu yang menarik untuk dibincangkan kerana Hollywood yang merupakan industri filem yang terbesar pun tidak ada agihan ataupun peruntukan royalti untuk para pelakon. Yang ada mungkin hak kebajikan para pelakon yang diuruskan oleh satu-satu badan yang ditubuhkan namun ianya bukanlah dalam bentuk royalti. Ianya juga agak rumit untuk dilaksanakan kerana antara lagu dan filem adalah dua genre yang berbeza. Penyanyi atau komposer mendapat royalti mengikut kontrak yang mereka persetujui. Maknanya penyanyi tidak dibayar gaji kecuali advance atau wang pendahuluan. Gaji mereka adalah hasil dari penjualan album/ringtone mengikut perjanjian antara mereka dan syarikat rakaman. Berbeza dengan situasi pelakon yang gaji mereka dibayar oleh produser dalam bentuk "lump sum". Maknanya bakat mereka adalah produk yang diniagakan. Adakah penerbit atau badan penyiaran akan bersetuju dengan idea tersebut? Apabila penerbit menjual produk mereka pada badan penyiaran dengan harga yang telah ditetapkan, ianya adalah urusan perniagaan. Pelakon atau krew yang terlibat dengan kontrak lakonan telah dibayar gaji oleh penerbit, jadi di sini isunya agak rumit juga untuk diselesaikan. Maknanya juga seluruh krew yang terlibat juga sepatutnya mendapat royalti kerana mereka juga terlibat juga untuk sesuatu projek filem atau drama itu. Saya suka jika pelakon mendapat royalti. Pelakon pun mungkin suka tapi itu bagi saya atas ehsan penerbit/produser kerana mereka berniaga yang mahukan keuntungan juga. Dalam dunia muzik juga khususnya, para penyanyi/kumpulan dari syarikat rakaman juga akan menandatangani kontrak untuk tuntutan royalti dalam bentuk perjanjian mengikut syarat-syarat yang telah ditetapkan. Di era awal tahun 90an, banyak penyanyi solo mahupun berkumpulan yang mencipta nama di Indonesia seperti kumpulan Iklim, Search dan Sheila Majid antaranya. Jualan album Search dan Iklim di sana sangat laris sehingga mencecah rabutan ribu unit. Adakah mereka mendapat royalti dari hasil jualan album tersebut? Mereka adalah produk yang diniagakan antara syarikat rakaman Malaysia dan Indonesia. Jika di dalam perjanjian hanya melibatkan kontrak mereka di Malaysia sahaja, maknanya mereka tidak berhak mendapat apa-apa royalti pun dari syarikat rakaman malah industri muzik Indonesia juga tidak mengamalkan sistem agihan royalti untuk para artis yang bernaung di syarikat rakaman mereka kecuali wang, rumah dan kereta dalam bentuk "lump sum". Saya pernah bekerja sebagai pemeriksa menara telekomunikasi di Perak beberapa tahun lalu. Apabila pihak telco (Maxis, DiGi, Celcom atau Telekom) dari Maxis contohnya menyewa tapak tanah dari tuan tanah untuk dibina menara pencawang telekomunikasi dengan nilai RM1,500 setiap bulan contohnya, itu perjanjian di antara pihak Maxis dan tuan tanah yang telah bersetuju dengan syarat dan perjanjian. Kemudian Maxis pula menyewakan pencawang mereka kepada Celcom mahupun DiGi untuk ditumpangkan microwave dish untuk dipasang di pencawang mereka atau ada tolak ansur atau kerjasama antara mereka. Maka apabila itu berlaku maka ada pihak tuan tanah yang tidak berpuas hati kerana itu tidak adil pula bagi mereka tapi sebagai penyewa pihak Maxis berhak untuk berbuat begitu kerana perjanjian yang dipersetujui adalah antara mereka dan tuan tanah sahaja, bukan dengan Celcom mahupun DiGi. Hasil temu bual santai saya dengan seorang kawan yang juga seorang penerbit, beliau berpendapat ianya agak mustahil kerana gaji para pelakon dibayar mengikut standard mereka. Penerbit pula perlu mencari budget untuk segala keperluan termasuklah peralatan filem dan keperluan lain yang melibatkan kos yang besar. Kita tidak boleh membandingkan industri filem di negara kita dengan Hollywood kerana budget dan pasaran mereka besar dan mereka telah jauh maju ke hadapan berbanding kita di sini. Di sini para penerbit terpaksa menyewa segala peralatan yang termasuk dalam kos produksi sebanyak RM200,000 sekurang-kurangnya untuk satu tempoh projek itu. Itu hanya kos peralatan sahaja, belum lagi melibatkan kos-kos lainnya. Isunya di sini adalah kebajikan untuk pelakon di hari tua mereka nanti tapi dari sudut yang lebih realistiknya? Berlakon adalah ibarat berniaga sendiri. Tidak ada jalan lain untuk jaminan masa depan kecuali sistem pengurusan kewangan yang teratur. Mereka dibayar agak lumayan selagi bakat mereka diterima sehingga ada yang mampu beroleh pendapatan puluhan ribu ringgit sebulan. Jika di Hollywood semakin tua pelakon itu semakin tinggi bayaran mereka tetapi situasi itu tidak berlaku dalam industri filem kita di sini. Di sini semakin tua jika semasa laku mereka tidak beringat, maknanya karamlah hari tua mereka. Jadi seperti seorang peniaga, mereka perlu menabung semasa masih diterima untuk mengelakkan hidup melarat di hari tua nanti. Kalau masa tengah laku kita enjoy nak hidup macam orang kaya dan hidup nak bermewah-mewah, memang masaalahlah bila tiba hari tua nanti. Apabila seniman besar kita Tan Sri P. Ramlee meninggal dunia pada tahun 1973 dulu, tiada harta yang ditinggalkannya melainkan sebuah rumah dan sebuah kereta Datsun 120Y. Itulah kenyataannya. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

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George Kent layak dianugerahi kontrak LRT, kata Najib Posted: 27 Sep 2012 12:28 AM PDT Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak menegaskan bahawa syarikat George Kent layak diberi kontrak penyambungan LRT. — Gambar fail KUALA LUMPUR, 27 Sept — Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak hari ini berkata syarikat George Kent-Lion Pacific JV (GKLP JV) – pembida harga kedua terendah – layak diberikan kontrak penyambungan laluan Sistem Transit Aliran Ringan (LRT) aliran Ampang atas faktor memenuhi syarat teknikal, kewangan, perundangan, termasuk syarat kontrak. Najib juga dalam jawapan bertulis ketika Sidang Dewan Rakyat di Parlimen hari ini menjelaskan pembida dengan harga paling rendah daripada lapan pembida lain tidak dipertimbangkann kerana tidak mematuhi syarat-syarat kontrak yang ditetapkan. "GKLP JV merupakan gabungan syarikat tempatan yang berkeupayaan daripada segi kewangan dan telah tersenarai di Bursa Malaysia. "Pembida yang ditawarkan harga terendah berbanding GKLP JV tidak dipertimbangkan kerana didapati tidak mematuhi syarat - syarat kontrak yang ditetapkan," kata Najib menjawab soalan yang dibangkitkan ahli Parlimen Batu, Tony Pua yang menuntut Putrajaya mengemukakan sebab kontrak berkenaan diserahkan kepada George Kent. Malah, Najib juga menolak dakwaan pembangkang yang mengatakan George Kent tidak berpengalaman dalam bidang rel, sebaliknya ahli Parlimen Pekan itu menjelaskan Geroge Kent mempunyai pengalaman luas dalam bidang sub-sistem rel termasuk kerja sistem SCADA, pemasangan landasan termasuk landasan konduktor kuasa, sistem komunikasi, dan pelindung kilat. "Manakala sistem seperti semboyan akan diuruskan oleh syarikat Thales, yang merupakan rakan pelaksana teknikal yang berkredibiliti tinggi. "Di samping itu, unsur-unsur yang boleh membawa kepada pengoptimaan kos operasi melalui kesinambungan sistem sedia ada juga diambil kira," kata Najib, dan menambah aspek pembangunan vektor turut diambil kira serta peluang syarikat tempatan untuk menguasai bidang pengetahuan berteknologi tinggi melalui penglibatan dalam projek sedemikian. Mengulas berkenaan spekulasi ketika proses penilaian dijalankan, Najib menjelaskan pembida yang tidak berjaya, termasuk pembida antarabangsa turut akur dengan keputusan tersebut. "Sehingga kini tiada pembida yang tidak berpuas hati terhadap penganugerahan tender tersebut yang bernilai RM1.084 bilion," kata Najib lagi. PKR sebelum ini melalui Pengarah Strategiknya Rafizi Ramli telah mendedahkan satu dokumen yang didakwanya membuktikan bahawa jawatankuasa peringkat tinggi yang dipengerusikan oleh Najib telah menganugerahkan projek sambungan LRT Ampang bernilai RM1.18 bilion kepada konsortium yang diketuai oleh George Kent Bhd. Dokumen itu adalah minit mesyuarat kelima Jawatankuasa Perolehan Menteri Kewangan (JPMK) pada 21 Jun, yang dipengerusikan Najib. Rafizi juga mempersoalkan pemilihan George Kent kerana syarikat itu jelasnya hanya mempunyai kepakaran dalam mengilang meter air. Malah beliau juga turut merasa "pelik" kerana George Kent dianggap sebagai "pembida lebih tinggi tidak berpengalaman" dalam tender tersebut. Rafizi juga sebelum ini berkata syarikat itu sebelum ini ditolak kerana ia tidak memenuhi keperluan minimum teknikal bagi kerja tersebut.

Malaysia bakal catat lebih banyak terbitan instrumen Renminbi dalam pasaran bon dan sukuk Posted: 27 Sep 2012 12:25 AM PDT Malaysia bakal catat lebih banyak terbitan instrumen Renminbi dalam pasaran bon dan sukuk Tan Sri Zeti Akhtar Aziz berkata bahawa Malaysia akan mencatatkan lebih banyak terbitan instrumen dalam pasaran bon dan sukuk. — Gambar fail KUALA LUMPUR, 27 Sept — Lebih banyak terbitan instrumen dalam pasaran bon dan sukuk di Malaysia dijangkakan pada masa akan datang, memandangkan kesedaran yang semakin meningkat dalam kalangan syarikat tentang potensinya, kata Gabenor Bank Negara Malaysia, Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, di sini hari ini. "Ya, memang ada banyak lagi dalam perancangan. Sekarang sudah ada kesedaran yang lebih tinggi tentang potensi mengumpul dana dalam nilai renminbi, terutamanya bagi pelaburan di China, kerana kegiatan pelaburan rentas sempadan dua hala berlaku di antara China dan Malaysia," katanya kepada pemberita selepas menyampaikan ucaptama pada seminar bertajuk "Pelunasan Perdagangan dan Pelaburan Renminbi di Malaysia serta Prospek Masa Depan", di sini hari ini.  Ditanya sama ada terbitan-terbitan itu akan dilaksanakan tahun ini, beliau berkata ia bergantung kepada kelulusan oleh Bank Negara Malaysia dan Suruhanjaya Sekuriti.  "Tetapi, bagi syarikat-syarikat yang ingin mengumpul dana, mereka akan mengkaji perkembangan pasaran dari segi kesesuaian masa," katanya.  Setakat ini, sudah ada dua terbitan sukuk luar pesisir dalam renminbi di luar Malaysia dan satu terbitan bon dalam renminbi oleh syarikat Malaysia.  Mengenai penggunaan yuan sebagai pelunasan perdagangan, Zeti berkata pengimport dan pengeksport Malaysia perlu mempunyai kesedaran yang lebih tinggi tentang kemudahan yang ada untuk menjalankan transaksi perdagangan dan pelaburan mereka dalam renminbi. "Ini adalah sesuatu yang telah diperkenal dalam sistem kewangan kita sejak 2009 dan dilaksanakan beransur-ansur dari semasa ke semasa. Bagaimanapun, kita menyaksikan pertumbuhan ketara," katanya.  Zeti berkata pada masa ini, jumlah RMB180 bilion di bawah perjanjian Persetujuan Swap Mata Wang (CSA), mencukupi untuk memenuhi permintaan pasaran kewangan domestik dan bank pusat itu akan mengkajinya dari semasa ke semasa.  Pada awal 2009, Bank Negara Malaysia menandatangani perjanjian CSA dengan Bank Rakyat China, yang diperbaharu dalam tahun ini, dan jumlahnya dipinda daripada RMB80 bilion pada mulanya. Mengenai satu perkara lain, Zeti berkata bank pusat itu berkemampuan untuk memantau semua aliran keluar masuk kewangan negara ini.  "Seperti yang kita sedia maklum, selepas krisis kewangan, kita meningkatkan keupayaan pengawasan kita," katanya. Zeti berkata demikian bagi menjawab soalan tentang sama ada Bank Negara mempunyai kemampuan untuk memantau pengaliran masuk dana, termasuk dana asing ke dalam organisasi tempatan. — Bernama

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