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Starbucks to open first store in India next month Posted: 28 Sep 2012 10:11 PM PDT Customers wait in line to place their orders at a Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf outlet in Mumbai on July 18, 2012. — AFP/Relaxnews MUMBAI, Sept 29 — Starbucks, the world's biggest coffee chain, said yesterday it will open its first outlet in India next month as it seeks to tap the beverage's growing popularity in a country famed for its love of tea. Seattle-based Starbucks, which has eyed the Indian market for years, has chosen to launch operations in financial and entertainment hub Mumbai. "The store will open October-end," Starbucks' Asia-Pacific and China president John Culver said in a statement, without disclosing a specific date. The firm is entering India in a joint venture with the nation's beverage-to-steel Tata conglomerate, making an initial US$78 million (RM24 million) investment. India is primarily a tea-drinking nation, but in recent years lifestyle changes and rising incomes have spawned a booming market for cafes. Still, India's annual per capita coffee consumption is just 82 grams — far below that of 6.79 kilograms in Germany and 5.87 kg in Brazil, according to data from the International Coffee Organisation. Starbucks said the espresso coffee served in India will be sourced and roasted locally from Tata Coffee, one of the largest coffee plantation firms in the world. "This is an important part of delivering a locally relevant experience to our customers," Culver said. Baked goods will be tailored to suit local tastes while lattes, cappuccinos and other drinks will also be on the menu, the statement said. The Tata-Starbucks venture's chief executive will be Avani Saglani Davda, who has held other senior posts with the Tata group. Appetite for coffee is growing as the nations sees an explosion of trendy Western-style cafes catering to an increasing number of young professionals. The new outlet will appear in south Mumbai's Horniman Circle — a park-like commercial area near banks, residential neighborhoods and luxury hotels. The US giant will be competing against Indian-owned Cafe Coffee Day, which dominates the market, and foreign chains such as Britain's Costa Coffee and US rivals Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf that are well established in big Indian cities. — AFP/Relaxnews

Steamboat at Chef Choi: Haute stuff Posted: 28 Sep 2012 06:53 PM PDT Spanish milk-fed lamb... a quick swirl in the soup and it's done. KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 — Each of the dinners we have had at Chef Choi has been a surprise and the latest one earlier this month was no different. We had been invited to a steamboat dinner but of course, this was no ordinary steamboat dinner. This was a luxe version of the humble favourite or as one of my dining companions quipped, "This is no steamboat... it's a steam yacht!" The evening kicked off with some chicken liver pate and crackers which chef/owner Chan Thye Seng will soon feature on the regular menu. We were fortunate to get a preview of this smooth, creamy pate which had hints of spices — coriander and cumin — that evening.  Steamed Hokkaido scallop on the shell... super delicious. Then we went on to sushi, an unlikely menu item in a Chinese restaurant... but then again, this restaurant turns out fabulous Thai, Spanish and English dishes — not forgetting the pate earlier — regularly. Chef Chan is planning to set up a sushi counter in Chef Choi soon and if what we had that evening was anything to go by, this is going to be a fabulous addition to the local dining scene. We began with sushi made with Kinki fish, a small red Japanese fish that's defined by its sweetness and smooth texture. This rockfish is not easily found in Kuala Lumpur so don't give this a miss when the sushi counter opens at Chef Choi. Next up was Hokkaido scallops. We had this in a sushi as well as steamed whole in its shell.  Both were incredibly good.  The latter with a classic spring onion sauced was flavourful. The scallop is soft and soft with a little bite that gives into the lovely translucent centre.  The Matsuzaka beef... it was like velvet in the mouth. The fringe or muscle of the scallop was then lightly fried to give us springy, delightful bites. Cold smoked salmon from Scotland got the sushi treatment too, and its smokiness lingered in the mouth. Then came the main course. Nothing but the best ingredients for this luxurious version: the Matsuzaka beef grade 5, Iberico pork, Spanish milk-fed lamb, fresh crabs, sea garoupa, crystal prawns, deepfried beancurd skin, prawn balls, fish balls, fish noodles and  fine Hong Kong wantan noodles. We savoured the different meats, slice by slice, swirling them quickly in the soup with our chopsticks. We wanted it just right, with the heat of the soup merely touching it, not overcooking anything. The Spanish milk-fed lamb wowed with its super tender, juicy and naturally sweet meat. Some of it went back to the kitchen for quick sautéing and this intensified its flavour. Matsuzaka beef, its creaminess enhanced by its level of marbling, was velvet in the mouth after a light cooking in the superior stock bubbling in the steamboat. The Iberico pork was smooth and flavourful too done the same way.  The luxurious ingredients for our steamboat dinner. In the meantime, we couldn't get enough of the crispy deepfried beancurd skin. As quickly as they appeared, a dozen hands reached out and they quickly disappeared. Dipped into the stock, it tasted even better. They were so addictive. I liked the prawn balls which were made in-house. You could get the taste and flavour of fresh prawns with every bite. Then the crabs, prawns and the lovely sliced sea garoupa went into the soup, each delivering its own intrinsic sweetness, to the already flavourful stock. And it was time to savour the soup. While it had a certain subtleness before, now there were layers of flavours from the various ingredients that had cooked in it. The vegetables went in next, but not before we had ladled the soup over fine, springy Hong Kong wantan noodles and the bouncy fish noodles. I enjoyed these immensely. Kinki fish sushi... a rare treat in Kuala Lumpur. As a special request, we ended our meal with something that is no longer on Chef Choi's large menu — Loh Mai Kai or glutinous rice with chicken. Instead of the dark brown and oily version you find at most other restaurants, the one here is white with a whole salted egg yolk, minced meat and dried scallop. The whole thing is wrapped in a lotus leaf and is absolutely delightful. The steamboat needs to be ordered in advance, together with whatever ingredients you fancy. And if you ask nicely, they might do the Loh Mai Kai for you too. Chef Choi is located at 159 Jalan Ampang, Kuala Lumpur, Tel: 03-2163 5866, website www.chefchoi.com.

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Blatter perplexed at fate of matchfixing whistleblower Posted: 28 Sep 2012 09:02 AM PDT ZURICH, Sept 28 — FIFA president Sepp Blatter struggled to find words as he attempted to describe the fate of Simone Farina, an Italian player widely praised last season after turning his back on a match-fixing scam. Farina, who was playing for second-tier Gubbio when he refused a €200,000 (RM800,000) offer to fix an Italian Cup match, has been made a FIFA ambassador but has been unable to find a new club after being released at the end of last season. "This is something absolutely incredible, it is something that could only happen in a game and...it should not," said Blatter (picture), struggling to choose his words after being asked to comment on the situation by an Italian journalist. Blatter initially mentioned Farina's case without referring to him by name. "We have to protect the players who disclose match-fixing," he said. "We have had some feedback where players disclosing some activities...have not been accepted again as players. "We have to protect the players and the players also have to be protected in their clubs, their leagues, their federation. We at FIFA cannot make an umbrella over all the players, it is not possible." Blatter admitted that players were often vulnerable, especially if they were at financially troubled clubs and were not being paid on time. They are not happy where they are...there are some players still waiting for their wages and so on, therefore it is not an easy issue but we have to protect the players, it is essential and this is what we have to do," he said. Farina told police he had refused the offer to fix an Italian Cup match between Cesena and Gubbio on November 30 last year. He was later invited by Italy coach Cesare Prandelli to join his squad. — Reuters

Torres treated unfairly, says Arteta Posted: 28 Sep 2012 08:47 AM PDT LONDON, Sept 28 — Chelsea's misfiring striker Fernando Torres has been unfairly treated since joining the west London club, Arsenal's Mikel Arteta said on the eve of tomorrow's Premier League clash. Torres has scored only nine league goals in 51 games since a £50 million (RM250 million) move from Liverpool in January 2011, struggling to live up to the British record transfer fee. Fellow Spaniard Arteta, hoever, believes Torres (picture) has come in for some unwarranted criticism. "I don't like the way he has been treated because I have known him since we were 16, 17 and I really appreciate him," Arteta told Arsenal's website (http://www.arsenal.com). "He is a friend of mine. Obviously, football is like that — it doesn't matter what you have done in the past, it is only what you have done in the last few weeks. "He has been criticised. Mentally he is a really strong guy even if someone doubts him." "When you play as a striker and they pay £50 million for you, you are under huge pressure," added Arteta, who also made the move from Merseyside to London when he joined Arsenal from Everton as a replacement for Cesc Fabregas. "When the ball isn't going in the net, it is even more difficult because people always look at that. "For a striker, sometimes it is not fair. For a midfielder or a defender it is a bit easier to adapt." Torres did score in Chelsea's League Cup romp against Wolverhampton Wanderers on Tuesday, taking his total for the season to four, but the criticsm he received last season has surfaced again since the start of the new campaign. Despite wishing him a return to form, Arteta said their friendship would be put to one side tomorrow when Arsenal try and inflict a first league defeat of the season on the leaders. "Hopefully, he is going to get over that and it is going to become a better situation because it is not nice," he said. "I talk to him a lot. When we were in Liverpool, we used to live next to each other and he is a really nice guy. Everyone would tell you the same. "Even if he plays for Chelsea, I don't want something bad to happen to him. Obviously when it comes to the game tomorrow though, we are not friends." — Reuters

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Why more Sherlocks? That’s elementary, my dear Watson Posted: 28 Sep 2012 08:56 AM PDT LOS ANGELES, Sept 28 — How many times can Sherlock Holmes be reinvented? At least once more, judging by the latest TV incarnation of the British detective created by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle more than 120 years ago. "Elementary," which debuts on CBS yesterday, puts a modern twist on the classic tale by casting British actor Jonny Lee Miller as a recovering drug addict living in New York, and Lucy Liu as his rare — but far from first— female sidekick, Dr. Joan Watson. The part-crime, part character-driven US show follows hundreds of movies, TV series and books about, or inspired by, the eccentric amateur London detective with superb logical skills and his long-suffering friend. In just the last few years, Holmes has spawned two hit movies with Robert Downey Jr. as a cheeky 19th-century action hero, and the BBC's award-winning modern day miniseries "Sherlock," starring Benedict Cumberbatch. Holmes also inspired the character of brilliant but cantankerous diagnostician Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) in the TV medical series "House." According to Guinness World Records, Sherlock Holmes is the most portrayed character in movie history, with his first screen appearance dating back to 1900. "This guy has got about as identifiable a brand as you could ever ask for. Everyone knows immediately what he means, and what he stands for. It's like Superman, you could keep on remaking this for every new age," said Robert Thompson, professor of popular culture at Syracuse University. "Many of the Sherlocks we have seen are far separated from the one Conan Doyle created. But you can still use that general skeletal framework, and then every five years or so you dress him up in a new set of clothes," Thompson told Reuters. Addicted to drugs and puzzles Rob Doherty, the creator of "Elementary" and a long-time fan of Conan Doyle, says he sees the fingerprints of Sherlock Holmes on almost every modern TV crime show. Doherty's version focuses on Holmes as an addict — not just to the cocaine mentioned in the original books, but also to puzzle solving in general. "I think in many senses, he has an addictive personality ... . The original Sherlock dabbled with cocaine, dabbled with opiates," Doherty told television journalists last month. "Our Sherlock had those same problems but I think one of the big differences is that our Sherlock hit a serious wall," he said. "He has emerged with just a tiny kernel of self-doubt where one previously never existed." Liu, who previously starred in the two movie versions of "Charlie's Angels," is hired to be the "sober companion" of Holmes and plays Watson as a disgraced former surgeon with her own flaws and mystery. "She's just as unstable (as Holmes) but just not as obvious because she is trying to distract her own problems with his problems," Liu told reporters in August. The actress is not the first woman to inhabit Watson. Margaret Colin, Debrah Farentino and Jenny O'Hara have played the Watson role in three separate TV movies since the 1970s. "Elementary" is getting strong early reviews and popping up on lists of the best shows debuting on US television in the next few weeks. Tim Goodman with The Hollywood Reporter called it "one of the most promising dramas this fall season," while Washington Post TV critic Hank Stuever said it "exhibits enough stylish wit in its mood and look to quickly distinguish itself from the latest British 'Sherlock' series." While strong brand identity can be an advantage, it can also work the other way. "You already have more than a century of promotion of this name. Everyone knows you are talking about a great detective," said Thompson. "But, as a 50-something male, when I hear Sherlock Holmes, I think of black-and-white movies and a guy in this British, crazy outfit, and it doesn't immediately make me want to go and see the new movie or the new TV show. It seems kind of fusty." — Reuters

Actor Johnny Lewis found dead in LA, linked to killing Posted: 28 Sep 2012 08:50 AM PDT LOS ANGELES, Sept 28 — Actor Johnny Lewis , who had a supporting role in the TV show "Sons of Anarchy," was found dead on Wednesday in a Los Angeles neighborhood where he was suspected of killing an 81-year-old woman from whom he may have been renting a room, police said yesterday. Actor Johnny Lewis arrives at the screening of the film "Lovely Molly" at the 36th Toronto International Film Festival in this September 14, 2011 file photo. — Reuters pic Police responded to a call on Wednesday morning about a screaming woman in the affluent Los Feliz section and found Catherine Davis dead in her home, Los Angeles Police Department spokesman Officer Cleon Joseph said. Joseph said that Lewis, 28, who had been released from jail five days earlier, was also dead in the home's driveway after either falling or jumping from the roof. The officer said the circumstances around the deaths were still being investigated. "Detectives believe that he may have committed the murder," Joseph said of Lewis, adding that the motive was unknown. Lewis pleaded guilty in a Los Angeles-area court last month to assault with a deadly weapon, District Attorney's Office spokeswoman Jane Robison said. In a different case, he also pleaded no contest to attempted burglary, Robison said. Lewis was sentenced to jail in both cases. He was released from jail last Friday, county records showed. It was unclear yesterday why he was released on that date and how much of his sentence had been served. Lewis had a supporting role in the first two seasons of "Sons of Anarchy," a television drama featuring an outlaw motorcycle club. He played Kip "Half Sack" Epps, an Iraq War veteran who hung out with the biker club featured in the show. The Los Angeles-born Lewis previously had recurring roles in the TV shows "Boston Public" and "The O.C." Kurt Sutter, creator of "Sons of Anarchy", said in a statement that Lewis' death was a "tragic end for an extremely talented guy, who unfortunately had lost his way." "I wish I could say that I was shocked by the events last night, but I was not," Sutter said. "I am deeply sorry that an innocent life had to be thrown into his destructive path." — Reuters

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Tablets, Turtles make ‘most wanted’ holiday toy list Posted: 28 Sep 2012 08:27 AM PDT NEW YORK, Sept 28 — Tablet computers, turtles and a new take on a furry old-timer are the hot toys retailers and manufacturers hope will spark a rebound from a dismal 2011 holiday season, according to a closely watched "Most Wanted" list released today. The industry is not just counting on best-selling toys to generate joy at the cash register. Major retailers are pushing more attractive layaway plans to lure shoppers into stores before they go elsewhere this holiday season. Competition will be stiff over layaway: who's the earliest, with no fee or just a small fee. "This year (there) is going to be more action early, and it's the battle of the layaway programmes," said Jim Silver, editor in chief of TimetoPlay.com, which released its "Most Wanted List" of toys today. "Everybody is being super aggressive, announcing the hot items, saying 'come get it on layaway.'" Walmart US, Wal-Mart's largest unit, brought layaway back a month early this year — giving shoppers who live paycheck-to-paycheck more time to pay for holiday gifts. Toys R Us Inc offered layaway with no upfront fee, and soon after, Walmart cut its upfront fee to US$5 (RM15) from US$15. The US$5 fee will be returned in the form of a Walmart gift card if all payments are completed on time — as the $15 fee would have been. Last year, Wal-Mart Stores Inc used the layaway strategy successfully to boost sales, taking customers away from the likes of Toys R Us. Among this year's hot toys is LeapFrog Enterprises Inc's US$99.99 LeapPad 2 Explorer tablet (picture), an update on last year's massive holiday hit. The tablet made Time to Play's Holiday 2012 Most Wanted List, which is a hot read for toy industry executives. It was also featured on The Toy Insider, a holiday gift guide from a publisher that serves the toy and licensing industries, as well as gift lists from Walmart, Toys R Us and Sears Holdings Corp's Kmart. Time to Play's list includes returning old classics like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles figures; a princess wedding castle playset for Hasbro Inc's My Little Pony; Lego Friends; and an update of Hasbro's furry 1990s toy, Furby. Newer characters like Just Play's Doc McStuffins could be a hit. The doll based on the Disney Junior show has landed on lists from Time to Play, Toys R Us and Toy Insider. "The consumer looks for value," Time to Play's Silver said. "Parents look for things that a child will play with over and over." Other items on the list include Thomas & Friends's Steam and Speed remote control by Mattel unit Fisher-Price, and Winx Club Everyday Concert Collections by Jakks Pacific Inc. The list can be found on the website Hasbro is looking for a better holiday season this year than the one last year, when demand weakened after Thanksgiving. Larger rival Mattel saw international sales at holiday time hurt by a stronger dollar. At stores, shoppers will have options other than layaway. Toys R Us has introduced a programme this year that lets shoppers reserve any 50 toys on a list it will draw up by making a 20 per cent down payment in person at its stores by October. 31. Dollar General Corp said yesterday it is offering a 10 per cent discount on purchases of at least US$75 from its toy selection, which includes items by Mattel, Hasbro and Walt Disney Co. — Reuters

UN: Many nations lag in plan to slow extinctions by 2020 Posted: 28 Sep 2012 06:58 AM PDT A whale shark is seen in the Galapagos Islands in this September 5, 2012 picture released to Reuters September 26, 2012. OSLO, Sept 28 — Many nations need to do more to slow extinctions of animals and plants under UN targets for 2020 that would also save the world economy billions of dollars a year, UN experts say. Only a few countries — including France, Guatemala and Britain — have so far adopted new national plans to tackle threats such as pollution or climate change in line with a sweeping pact agreed in Japan in 2010. "There is a lot more to do," David Cooper, head of the scientific, technical and technological unit at the Secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Montreal, told Reuters by phone. Almost 200 nations will meet in Hyderabad, India, from October 8-19 to review progress towards goals to protect life on earth that UN reports say is suffering the biggest wave of extinctions since the dinosaurs vanished 65 million years ago. Governments agreed in 2010 to 20 targets including phasing out damaging subsidies and expanding protected areas, for instance to save valuable coral reefs that are nurseries for fish or to slow deforestation from the Congo to the Amazon. "There is substantial progress. Is it fast enough to achieve the targets by 2020 for most of them? Probably not overall," Cooper said. Biodiversity is threatened by a projected rise in the human population to 9 billion by 2050 from 7 billion now. "We need a step up in the activities," he said as part of a series of interviews on the outlook for Hyderabad. Biodiversity underpins everything from food to timber production. Many other countries, such as Australia, Brazil or China, were making progress. China, for instance, has made big strides in reforestation, Cooper said. The United States is not a member of the CBD. Nations have also been sluggish in ratifying a protocol laying out rules for access to genetic resources, such as rare tropical plants used in medicines, and ways to share benefits among companies, indigenous peoples or governments. So far, 92 nations have signed the Nagoya Protocol but just six have ratified, well short of the 50 needed for it to gain legal force. The target is for the protocol to be up and running by 2015. Over-optimistic "We were a bit too optimistic," said Valerie Normand, senior programme officer for access and benefit sharing at the CBD, who said the Secretariat had hoped for it to come into force this year. The Secretariat now expected entry into force in 2014. Cooper said many of the targets set for 2020 would save billions of dollars a year, by ensuring that farming, logging or fishing can be managed sustainably. Some fisheries, for instance, have been exploited to the point of collapse. In Nagoya, experts estimated that annual funding to safeguard biodiversity totalled about US$3 billion (RM9 billion) a year but some developing countries wanted it raised to about US$300 billion. "These are big numbers but they are trivial compared to the benefits we are getting from biodiversity. If we don't act the costs will be very much greater," Cooper said. Among concerns, 32 per cent of livestock breeds are under threat of extinction within the next 20 years, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says. And 75 per cent of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops has been lost since 1900. "Because we don't really know the full impacts of climate change down the line, we don't really know what's going to happen in terms of growing conditions around the world. It's just safer for us to have a lot of these other varieties in our pocket," said David Ainsworth, spokesman of the CBD Secretariat. Cooper said the pace of extinctions among the planet's estimated 9 million species — plants, animals from insects to whales but excluding legions of tiny bacteria — was perhaps 100 times the background rate estimated in fossil records. "If you project the rates into the future, the rest of the century, they are likely to be 100 times larger still," he said. The rising human population threatens ever more habitats with expanding cities, farms and roads. Among goals set in 2010 were to increase protected areas for wildlife to 17 per cent of the world's land area by 2020 and to raise marine areas to 10 per cent of those under national control. In 2010, respective sizes were 12.7 and 4 per cent. "I am optimistic" that the goal can be reached, said Sarat Babu Gidda, the CBD official who oversees protected areas. — Reuters

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Marc Jacobs opens European bookstores Posted: 28 Sep 2012 01:28 AM PDT PARIS, Sept 28 — Marc Jacobs has opened two new Book Marc locations in London and Paris. Marc Jacobs is opening a pair of his Book Marc bookstores in London and Paris, joining the brand's previous offerings in New York City and Los Angeles. Marc Jacobs president Robert Duffy described the stores as a natural extension of the brand, telling WWD.com that buying books is "emotional, like fashion". The new brand grew out of book sections in Marc by Marc Jacobs stores which proved a hit with customers. The London store, which will see an official opening after the current runway season, takes the form of a 600 square ft space underneath the main Marc by Marc Jacobs retail store at 56 South Audley Street in the city's famous West End. The 500 square ft Paris location takes over a slot next to the current Marc by Marc Jacobs store on the Place du Marché Saint-Honoré in the first arrondisement of the French capital. It was in September 2010 that the company opened its first Book Marc store on the corner of Bleecker and West 11th Street in New York City, following up with an LA store in that November on Melrose. The stores will stock a range of accessories, notepads and books, as well as rarer art and fashion tomes like Karlheinz Weinberger's "Photos 1954-1995," the Swiss photographer's work retailing at over a thousand dollars. Marc Jacobs is not the only designer to get in on the bookstore game. Karl Lagerfeld is created his own bookstore in Paris, the librairie 7L back in December 1999. — AFP/Relaxnews

‘Fifty Shade of Grey’ sparks marketing mania Posted: 27 Sep 2012 08:25 PM PDT Fans wait for E L James, author of "Fifty Shades of Grey", during a book signing in London, September 6, 2012. — Reuters pic NEW YORK, Sept 28 — Wildly popular erotica trilogy Fifty Shades of Grey has inspired publishers, record labels, sex shops, and even crafty parents to submit — to the desire to cash in, that is. The trio of novels by British writer E L James that has so far sold 32 million copies in the United States has spawned a legion of fans clamouring for anything and everything Grey-related. And businesses are aiming to meet that demand. Manhattan sex shop Babeland co-founder Claire Cavanah said after the final book in the trilogy was released in the United States in January, customers "were asking for specific toys that they had read about," but when the trilogy was re-released in April, "the product sales started to really spike." Since then Cavanah noticed a sevenfold increase in demand for a particular sex toy featured in a sex scene between the book's two main characters, the dominant Christian Grey and ingénue Anastasia Steele. Riding crops, restraints, blindfolds, and spanking powder have also been popular. The store also sells special Fifty Shades kits and hosts Fifty Shades-themed workshops that teach the mostly female attendees how to use the sex toys, but Cavanah said that wasn't the only curiosity — "They also just want to get together and see each other." Fans have also been offered Fifty Shades-themed fashions, accommodations, and more recently, an official music album. "Fifty Shades of Grey: The Classical Album", featuring Bach and Chopin, is the only spin-off item James has so far endorsed. Released by EMI with tracks James personally selected, it debuted at No. 1 on the US classical charts in September. The album resulted after another Fifty Shades compilation series hit No. 1 in July on iTunes, said EMI Classics Vice President Wendy Ong, "and she (James) noticed, and we started talking." Asked about the other spin-off products at the New York album launch, James told reporters, "All of this has been a huge shock to my system. If people want this stuff, why not? If we can get it out there to people, then ... that's a good thing." "Wuthering Heights" bondage Yet some eyebrows have been raised at other efforts by entrepreneurs, including one British hotel that replaced its nightstand Bibles with copies of Fifty Shades, with the Damson Dene Hotel owner Jonathan Denby telling Reuters that the hotel wanted to provide "something that people actually want to read." Even baby clothes have been subjected to the marketing blitz. One Toronto couple emblazoned baby onesies with sayings like "9 months ago my mommy read 50 Shades of Grey" and "All Mommy wanted was a night with Mr Grey." The feedback has been mixed, but seller Kyle Lawley said that he and his wife had been surprised by strong sales. "Some people say 'it's taboo, I'd never put my kid in that,' and others say it's clever, it's funny, it's humorous," he said. Publishers are also looking to cash in on the trend. Penguin's Diary of a Submissive: A Modern True Tale of Sexual Awakening, has been marketed by directly comparing it to Fifty Shades, which was initially self-published on the Internet. Other publishers, such as those of racier versions of literary classics such as Jane Eyre, and Sherlock Holmes, say the link is less transparent. A new version of Wuthering Heights will be released in October featuring Catherine and Heathcliff engaging in bondage. The books publisher, Total-E-Bound founder Claire Siemaszkiewicz, said James' series made it easier for sexed-up books to gain a market foothold, but dismissed criticism that the classics have been sullied, saying they have been brought "to a new generation of reader." A Fifty Shades movie is also in the works, but James has vowed she will not write any more books for the series. Still, her next book should whet fiction fans' appetites. "It's an erotic tale, yeah. That's all I'm going to say about it," she said coyly. — Reuters

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Najib beri BR1M pusingan kedua, ‘gula-gula’ untuk penjawat awam, anak muda Posted: 28 Sep 2012 01:58 AM PDT Datuk Seri Najib Razak membentangkan Belanjawan 2013 di Parlimen hari ini. — Gambar Reuters KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Sept — Datuk Seri Najib Razak menawarkan "gula-gula" dalam Bajet 2013 hari ini, menggunakan RM3 bilion wang pembayar cukai untuk pemberian wang tunai kepada keluarga berpendapatan kurang daripada RM3, 000 dan bonus 1.5 bulan untuk 1.4 juta penjawat awam dalam apa yang dilihat sebagai bajet pilihan raya sebelum pilihan raya akan datang, perlu diadakan menjelang pertengahan 2013. Perdana menteri yang juga menteri kewangan juga memberikan RM250 bagi yang belum berkahwin dan berumur 21 tahun ke atas dan berpendapatan kurang daripada RM2,000, yang membentuk seramai 3 juta pengundi baru dalam pilihan raya umum (PRU) akan datang. Pelajar-pelajar sekolah juga akan mendapat RM100 setiap seorang dari Putrajaya tahun depan manakala RM1.2 bilion telah diperuntukkan untuk golongan tua, kanak-kanak, pekerja kurang upaya dan mereka yang mempunyai penyakit kronik di bawah Program Kebajikan 1Malaysia. Najib juga mengurangkan satu peratus cukai pendapatan bagi yang berpendapatan RM50,000 pendapatan bercukai setahun, menyediakan bantuan kecil kepada 1.2 juta pembayar cukai  dalam negara yang mempunyai rakyat seramai 28 juta. Tetapi Barisan Nasional (BN) memotong subsidi gula sebanyak 20 sen/kg, meninggalkan subsidi sekarang pada 34 sen/kg, menurunkan bil subsidi gula kepada RM278 juta pada harga semasa. Kerajaan juga akan membelanjakan RM1.9 bilion untuk membina 123,000 unit perumahan untuk mereka yang berpendapatan antara RM3,000 dan RM5,000. MENYUSUL LAGI

Najib bentang Belanjawan 2013 Posted: 28 Sep 2012 01:46 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 28 Sept — Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak (gambar) hari ini membentangkan Belanjawan 2013 di Dewan Rakyat, yang keempat bagi beliau sebagai Menteri Kewangan. Berpakaian baju Melayu berwarna hijau lengkap bersamping, Najib mula membentangkan Belanjawan, bertema "Memakmur  Negara, Mensejahtera Rakyat: Sebuah Janji Ditepati" pada 4 petang, dan ia disiarkan secara langsung oleh stesen-stesen radio dan televisyen utama. Dengan pilihan raya umum ke-13 bakal diadakan pada bila-bila masa sahaja, rakyat Malaysia teruja untuk  mengetahui apakah berita baik untuk mereka dalam Belanjawan kali ini berikutan kebimbangan mereka terhadap punca pendapatan yang boleh menjejaskan kualiti kehidupan mereka. Rakyat mengharapkan kerajaan akan menangani isu-isu berkenaan dan pada masa yang sama memastikan keadaan ekonomi negara kekal kukuh berikutan ketidaktentuan ekonomi global. Menjelang pembentangan Belanjawan hari ini, pakar ekonomi, ahli politik serta rakyat biasa dan setiap lapisan  masyarakat telah menyuarakan pendapat mereka mengenai apa yang Najib patut masukkan di dalam Belanjawan. Najib telah menulis dalam blog beliau bahawa Belanjawan ini disediakan selepas mengambil kira pelbagai pandangan daripada rakyat. "Terima kasih atas input anda , ini benar-benar mewakili sesuatu yang disuarakan oleh rakyat, untuk rakyat — dan saya berharap semua lapisan rakyat Malaysia dapat melihatnya daripada isu-isu yang ditangani," tulis beliau. Belanjawan ini akan dibahaskan dan diluluskan pada persidangan Dewan Rakyat yang bermula 24 September dan akan berakhir pada 27 November. Belanjawan ini juga adalah yang terakhir sebelum pilihan raya umum ke-13 diadakan berikutan mandat kerajaan akan tamat pada 28 April, 2013. Najib boleh memohon membubarkan Parlimen pada bila-bila masa antara  sekarang dan akhir April. — Bernama

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The opposite reaction Posted: 27 Sep 2012 04:55 PM PDT SEPT 28 — I will always stand up for what I believe in. I've even walked away from lucrative projects because I didn't think they were right. Most of the times, I believe so much in certain things that I make a lot of noise and ruckus that it gets annoying. Oh yes, I guess you could say I have a holier-than-thou attitude when it comes to certain things! But there are times when you believe in something so much that you have to remain quiet because that would be the most logical strategy. That's why I think that the many Muslims who showed outrage towards the film "Innocence of Muslims" are making a big mistake, and I did not show my outrage. Egypt, Libya, Pakistan, and even Malaysia, where thousands of Muslims protested against the anti-Islam film, were basically playing right into the hands of the film-makers. They walked the streets, vandalised as they went along. Damn it, they even killed innocent people because of the bloody film. And was it all worth it? Was it to protest a film that insulted the Prophet Muhammad and ridiculed believers of the second largest religion in the world, thus offending over a billion people? Or was it really to bring international attention to a lousily-made, 15-minute, tasteless, online film that would have just gotten lost in Internet oblivion? A film made by a conman? Maybe I should put this into better perspective. A perspective that I think most of my readers would actually understand and be able to relate to. Let's say a hypothetical country is being run by a hypothetical government that many of the people feel needs to be changed. So they take to the streets to demonstrate and protest. When these people demonstrate and protest, they are trying to bring attention to something they hope will be changed as an effect. What happens when that hypothetical government actually helps to bring more attention to the demonstrations by unleashing violence and havoc on the protestors? I would go out on a limb here and say that this hypothetical government would actually be implementing a strategy detrimental to their hypothetical self. It would probably have been a good idea if that hypothetical government actually just allowed the people to demonstrate, and probably even go out and say "I hear you." Then, the hypothetical government would have actually stolen the thunder away from the demonstrators and the attention would have been drastically reduced. But hey, now the entire world is looking and paying attention to a lousily-made, 15-minute, tasteless, online film that would have just gotten lost in Internet oblivion. And what is worst? That violence and chaos happened around the world, and, most tragically, innocent people have been killed. What a way to get attention, and for the wrong reasons. And so I have to make a stand for what I believe in. I believed that I had to laugh off and ignore the issue of a stupid film called "Innocence of Muslims". I also believe strongly that my fellow Muslims around the world should have just voiced out their anger at the film moderately, then just forget about it. Oh well. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

It’s not about the T-shirt Posted: 27 Sep 2012 04:38 PM PDT SEPT 28 — I found it interesting that the Education Ministry took a parent-teacher association's guideline on how to spot a gay or lesbian and endorsed it. The ministry subsequently denied it did any such thing. It was funnier before when Islamic authorities said women who wore men's clothes were butch and could be "charged." It is clear neither of these groups have a "gaydar" so I'd like to educate them on the subject. Yes, we gay men do wear V-neck T-shirts, whether the RM10 ones on promotion at Uniqlo, or RM40 types from Giordano, or sometimes the RM150 numbers from Armani Exchange. If not, we just buy from the bundle shops at Danau Kota. We also wear turtlenecks, sarongs, flip-flops, khakis, slim-fitted shirts, jeans and even sneakers. Just like our heterosexual counterparts, we enjoy the gym as well. We roll our eyes when references are made to hot chicks by our straight gym partners who misconstrue our reaction as us being "religious conservatives." Yes, this actually happened to me until I told the guy my sexual orientation over lunch five months later. Some of us prefer hanging out at clubs, others prefer quiet time being couch potatoes at home while there's the Adonis bunch who think waking up in the morning for a 10km cycling tour is perfectly normal. We are technologically adept... think Alan Turing, the famously gay mathematician and codebreaker who gave birth to artificial intelligence. We join protests and causes linked to religion, environmental issues, politics, welfare, and even sports. Some of us find politics fascinating, others prefer discussing how hot Prince Harry looks naked. Personally I prefer sitting at a mamak restaurant in Shah Alam arguing over moral consequentialism while enjoying an iced Nescafe. Some of us drive fancy cars, while others depend on public transport, and still others prefer walking. One thing I've noticed is that we seem to be able to form quick bonds with women in what can only be described as camaraderie. We have never been accused of statutory rape or getting a woman pregnant, unless we were forced into marriage and then continually badgered to have kids. We have, however, been found guilty of being bitchy, sarcastic, cynical and sometimes downright mean. We do carry large bags similar to women's tote bags, containing a bottle of cologne, a change of shirt, a mobile phone plus charger, wet wipes or bottles of hand sanitisers, an iPad or a notebook, and a pair of earphones or headphones. And some gays may or may not have a pair of real or fake Louboutin heels hidden somewhere at home or in their cars. You see, just like women, we tend to be practical. So if you've read through this and think you may or may not be gay... you don't have to worry. Gays don't care. We really don't care if you're straight, bisexual, questioning, asexual and such because we don't see it as a problem. It does not make us more or less immoral to be ourselves, contrary to what some people think. Being discriminated against for being lesbian, gay, bisexual or even transgender is the leitmotif of our community but we will endure. As the old Malay Muslim saying goes, the prayers of the downtrodden are the ones to be answered. So let us do that then, and pray for a more acceptable future. Amen. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

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