Isnin, 22 Oktober 2012

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food


Breeder creates ‘game-changing’ hybrid squash

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 09:55 PM PDT

NEW YORK, Oct 23 — He's been called the Harry Potter of squash for his sorcery with gourds. For the last few years, Michael Mazourek's life's work has included the pursuit of the perfect squash, a project which this autumnmay have come to — pardon the pun — fruition.

A Cornell University plant breeder has created the amber delight squash, sweeter and more intense in flavour. — AFP/Relaxnews

After playing with different combinations, the assistant professor at Cornell University's plant breeding program has created what Michelin-starred US chef Dan Barber calls a "game-changing vegetable" in the humble world of gourds: a squash dubbed the amber delight.

It's the first generation offspring of another hybrid developed early on in the programme, the honeynut squash, created with Barber's input.

As chef of Blue Hill Restaurant at Stone Barns, Barber builds his cuisine around sustainable, seasonal and local ingredients. That includes using products from their working farm at Pocantico Hills an hour outside New York City.

When Mazourek came to Barber looking for a chef's perspective on his first-born squash the honeynut, the one request was for a product with a longer shelf life.

The result? The amber delight, which can be stored well into the winter with a shelf life of three to four months and is resistant to the nemesis of gourds, powdery mildew.

Amber delight

Taste-wise, the amber delight is closely related to its parent squash the honeynut, described as rich, creamy and sweet with a dark orange flesh.

"It's sweet and buttery," said Barber in an interview with Relaxnews. "It's squash times two, intensified with a concentration of flavours."

But for Mazourek, there's still room for improvement.

The professor says it was a misguided notion that led to breeding a milder version of the honeynut. He wanted to "dilute" the intense squash flavour, he said, to appeal to mainstream palates.

"That's where Dan educated me. I tasted it the way he prepares it and it educated me on what's possible with the squash flavour."

Barber recommends roasting squash in the oven to optimise their flavours.

That's why the next generation of squash will be bred to have unapologetically 'squashy' flavours with no attempt to dilute its intensity, Mazourek said. — AFP/Relaxnews


Ladurée reopens flagship store on the Champs-Elysées

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 08:32 PM PDT

Ladurée is open for business on the Champs-Elysées a year after a fire gutted the flagship store. — AFP/Relaxnews

PARIS, Oct 23 — A year after the flagship Ladurée boutique along Paris's famed Champs-Elysées went up in smoke, the luxury tea house has reopened for business.

It took a year to restore the café to its original glory after a fire broke out and engulfed the cafe, which has been a landmark since 1997 along what is perhaps the most famous boulevard in the world.

To serve the throngs of tourists and local Parisian fans alike, a pop-up store was erected alongside the gutted boutique in the meantime.

The renovation of the boutique, meanwhile, was an exercise in patience as everything from the carpets to banquettes, chairs, mirrors and banisters were restored to their original state in painstaking, meticulous detail by the same artists who helped build the first store.

The only new addition is an extension of the main boutique at 13 rue Lincoln, which will serve as Bar Ladurée for those who may not have the luxury of time but are still looking for a quick, sweet hit.

The world owes Ladurée for the invention of the macaron, which sandwiches a ganache filling between two airy, meringue-like cookies, usually presented in a rainbow of pastel colours and flavours.

Hours for the newly renovated store vary from a 7.30am opening to up to a 12.30am closing time.

It is not the first time the 150-year-old company has suffered the ravages of a fire. In 1871, the bakery was destroyed by flames — a tragedy that led to its conversion as a cake and pastry shop.

In Paris, macaron fans are divided in loyalties between Ladurée and famous pastry chef Pierre Hermé, who is known for creating inventive, unexpected flavours. — AFP/Relaxnews


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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports


United rest Ferdinand and Evra for Braga clash

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 08:10 AM PDT

Manchester United's manager Alex Ferguson (left) watches Rio Ferdinand during a training session at the club's Carrington training complex in Manchester, northern England, October 22, 2012. — Reuters pic

LONDON, Oct 22 — Rio Ferdinand and Patrice Evra will be rested for Manchester United's Champions League clash against Braga tomorrow ahead of the Premier League match against Chelsea, manager Alex Ferguson said today.

"He and Patrice Evra will not play. There is a big game at Chelsea on Sunday. They will be the two main changes tomorrow," Ferguson told reporters.

Ferguson said he had resolved his dispute with Ferdinand who he accused of embarrassing him on Saturday after the defender failed to wear a t-shirt in support of an anti-racism campaign.

"The issue's simple. I've spoken to Rio. It was a communication issue," Ferguson said. "He felt I should have spoken to him on Friday and I didn't anticipate that he'd have a problem wearing the shirt.

"My advice to him is that I always feel a union is stronger than an individual. It's important he airs his grievances to the right people.

"It's been a communication issue more than anything else. We've resolved the situation, there's no lingering problems and we move on. That's the end of the matter."

United go into Tuesday's match at Old Trafford top of Group H with six points after wins over Galatasaray and CFR Cluj.

They play Premier League leaders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, knowing defeat would see them drop seven points behind their title rivals. — Reuters 

Captains asked to wear anti-racism armbands in Europe

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 04:41 AM PDT

GENEVA, Oct 22 — Team captains playing in Champions and Europa League matches this week will be asked to wear anti-racism armbands as part of a campaign against discrimination, European soccer's governing body UEFA said today.

UEFA said it was backing a campaign by FARE, a Europe-wide group aiming to rid soccer of racism, in asking captains to wear the armbands featuring the words "Unite against racism".

Frequently criticised for not doing enough to stamp out racism, UEFA said 30-second video messages would be played on stadium screens before games, and teams would be accompanied by children wearing "Unite against Racism" t-shirts.

"UEFA is committed to tackling discrimination in football and we encourage football fans to join us in our efforts to value respect for players, officials, opponents and fellow supporters of all nationalities, religious backgrounds, sexual orientation and ethnic origins," said UEFA President Michel Platini in a statement.

"For over 10 years we have worked alongside the FARE network and will continue to strive towards unity in football."

A UEFA statement added: "Forty matches across UEFA's prestigious club competitions will reinstate UEFA's commitment to ensuring that European football is free of racism, intolerance and xenophobia through a series of activities which will be witnessed by thousands of fans in the stadiums and millions more on television."

Critics have said racism will only stop if UEFA deducts points from teams or kicks them out of competitions altogether.

UEFA last week fined Lazio 40,000 euros (RM160,000) for racist behaviour by their fans during a Europa League match at Tottenham Hotspur.

The UEFA initiative comes as England have lodged a complained that their under-21 players were racially abused at a European championship playoff match in Serbia. UEFA has opened proceedings against both teams. — Reuters 

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features


Dubai cafe ‘camel-ccino’ new take on Bedouin staple

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 05:24 AM PDT

Camels are seen walking on Jumeirah's popular tourist beach in front of tower blocks in Dubai in this file photo. A Dubai cafe, Cafe2Go, launched in September has started putting camel products on its menu. – Reuters pic

DUBAI, Oct 22 – A Dubai cafe, trying to give a modern twist to an old Bedouin tradition, has started putting camel products on its menu.

Cafe2Go, launched in September last year by an Emirati entrepreneur as part of a scheme to revive Bedouin traditions, now features camel-lattes, camel-ccinos and camel-meat fajitas.

Earlier this month, he launched Camellos – a brand name for his products derived from the Spanish word for camel.

"Camel milk has been around for centuries and I wanted our younger generation to start drinking it again," Jassim Al Bastaki, the cafe owner, said. "From here came the idea of mixing it with modern drinks."

Camel milk has been a staple for desert Arab nomads for generations. However its boom in modern day food and beverage industries in the UAE adds a new level to its commerciality.

Apart from being a novelty in the glitzy home of the world's tallest building and the man-made palm islands, Bastaki swears by the health benefits of camel milk. Studies show it is almost as nutritious as human breast milk and offers 10 times more iron and three times more vitamin C than cow's milk.

The challenge in marketing the product comes from the taste and smell. Unlike common dairy products, camel milk is slightly saltier and has a heavy taste, and from the smell, one knows immediately where it came from.

Bastaki said he had spent months testing different concoctions on family and friends before coming up with the perfect blend.

"Camel milk is known for being a healthier choice," he said. "We just had to find the right coffee bean mix and degree of steaming the milk to make it taste good." – Reuters

Pesticides put bumblebee colonies at risk of failure

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 03:28 AM PDT

A bumble bee is seen on a sunflower as a ladybug sits on a petal. Pesticides used in farming are also killing worker bumblebees and damaging their ability to gather food. – Reuters pic

OSLO, Oct 21 – Pesticides used in farming are also killing worker bumblebees and damaging their ability to gather food, meaning colonies that are vital for plant pollination are more likely to fail when pesticides are used, a study showed yesterday.

The United Nations has estimated that a third of all plant-based foods eaten by people depend on bee pollination and scientists have been baffled by plummeting numbers of bees, mainly in North America and Europe, in recent years.

British scientists said they exposed colonies of 40 bumblebees, which are bigger than the more common honeybee, to the pesticides neonicotinoid and pyrethroid over four weeks at levels similar to those in fields.

Neonicotinoids are nicotine-like chemicals used to protect various crops from locusts, aphids and other pests.

"Chronic exposure ... impairs natural foraging behaviour and increases worker mortality, leading to significant reductions in brood development and colony success," the scientists wrote in the report in the journal Nature yesterday.

Exposure to a combination of the two pesticides "increases the propensity of colonies to fail", according to the researchers at Royal Holloway, University of London.

A 2011 UN report estimated that bees and other pollinators such as butterflies, beetles or birds do work worth US$200 billion (RM610.48 billion) a year to the human economy and are in decline in many nations.

The findings underscored the importance of wider testing of pesticides to ensure they do not also target bees, it said.

France banned a neonicotinoid pesticide made by Swiss agrochemicals group Syngenta in June, citing evidence of a threat to the country's bees. A report last month, however, said that the original research was flawed.

"My guess is that the decline of bees is like a jigsaw – there are probably a lot of pieces to put into place. This is probably a very important piece of that jigsaw," lead author Richard Gill said of the findings about pesticides.

PARASITES

In a separate commentary in Nature, Juliet Osborne of the University of Exeter in England said the study underscored the need to understand all factors that may contribute to harm bees and to "Colony Collapse Disorder".

"For example, we have as yet no convincing demonstration of the relative effects of pesticides on bee colonies compared to the effects of parasites, pathogens and foraging resources," she wrote.

Gill endorsed recommendations by the European Food Safety Authority for longer testing on adult bees and larvae, new ways of assessing cumulative exposure to toxins and separate assessments for different bee species.

He said previous studies had mostly examined the impact of pesticides on individual bees, rather than colonies. Bumblebees form colonies of a few dozen bees, while honeybees can number up to tens of thousands.

"Effects at the individual level can have a major knock-on effect at the colony level. That's the novelty of the study," he said.

The average number of bees lost in the experiment – both dead in the nesting box and failing to return – was about two-thirds of the total for bees exposed to a combination of the two pesticides against a third for a control, exposed to neither.

Bumblebees exposed to a combination of pesticides were about half as successful at gathering pollen, used as food, compared to a control. They also devoted more workers to collecting food, meaning fewer were raising larvae.

Other experts said more research was needed. "It certainly wouldn't be fair to say that this research spells doom for wild bees," said James Cresswell of the University of Exeter. – Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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Rumour has it Adele gave birth to a baby boy

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 08:19 AM PDT

Top british singer Adele has given birth to a baby boy, British media reported. — AFP pic

LONDON, Oct 22 — British singer Adele has given birth to a baby boy, British media reported. There was no statement on her official website and her spokesman said "no comment" today in reply to a request for confirmation.

The 24-year-old, whose album "21" topped charts around the world and turned her into one of pop music's biggest stars, announced she was expecting a child with her partner Simon Konecki in June.

In August she took to Twitter to quash rumours that the couple were married. "I'm not married...Zzzzzzz" she wrote.

Adele has been in the headlines in recent weeks for singing the theme tune to the latest James Bond movie "Skyfall". She also co-wrote the track with collaborator Paul Epworth. — Reuters

Womack wins Q best album award, Blur, Muse honoured

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 07:40 AM PDT

American soul veteran Bobby Womack was awarded best album award for "The Bravest Man in the Universe" by Q magazine today. — AFP pic

LONDON, Oct 22 — American soul veteran Bobby Womack won Q magazine's best album award today for "The Bravest Man in the Universe", beating out younger competition including London indie band The Maccabees and Paul Weller.

Womack's first album of original material since 1994's "Resurrection" was co-produced by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and Richard Russell of XL Recordings, the label behind chart queen Adele, and featured Lana Del Rey among the guest artists.

The 68-year-old, who was diagnosed with colon cancer earlier this year, was encouraged to return to music by Albarn in 2010, when he contributed to the Gorillaz album "Plastic Beach".

In its four-star review of The Bravest Man in the Universe, the Observer newspaper said: "Womack ... is upfront and centre, spewing contrition, bewilderment, disdain and yearning in a voice whose authority has only increased with age."

Albarn was honoured by monthly music magazine Q when Blur won the best live act award, while Muse, who composed the official song for the London Olympics, were named "best act in the world" ahead of Coldplay, Lady Gaga, Blur and The Stone Roses.

The new act category went to Django Django, Plan B scooped the best track award for "Ill Manors", Keane's "Disconnected" won best video while the best solo artist prize was awarded to Emeli Sande.

Techno duo Underworld, who created the soundtrack to the Olympics opening ceremony, was also honoured for its part in the Games.

"It's been the most incredible year for British music. Our bands and our anthems transformed the Olympics," said Q's editor Andrew Harrison.

"A string of great albums announced fantastic new talent on the scene and amazing comeback shows from Blur and the Stone Roses showed the enduring appeal of our best-loved musicians." — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books


The ultimate Bond book for the ultimate Bond fan

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 12:43 AM PDT

LONDON, Oct 22 — Two years, 100 filing cabinets full of documentation and over 100 million images in the making, The James Bond Archives published by Taschen could well be the definitive guide to the world's most famous, suave, and sophisticated fictional secret agent.

Author Paul Duncan — who has a track record in producing major cinema tomes — was given unlimited access not only to EON Productions' files but also to over 150 cast and crew members who have all played their role in turning Ian Fleming's novels into one of the world's most successful film franchises.

Over 600 pages, Duncan details each of Bond's 23 cinema adventures to date — including the upcoming "Skyfall" — supported by previously unseen photos, storyboards, behind the scenes pics and unused sketches and concepts, all interlaced with stories and anecdotes from the cast and crew of each production.

Each copy of the book's first print run will contain an original strip of film from "Dr No".

For die-hard Bond fans, there are also two limited edition Art Editions (each limited to 250 copies).

In addition to a half-second of original film strip from "Dr No", the Golden edition "A" is signed by Daniel Craig, is bound in leather with a gold finish and gilded edges, and contains a pigment print of a set design drawing for "Goldfinger", signed by legendary Bond set designer Ken Adam.

The Golden edition "B" swaps a signed pigment print of a "Goldfinger" set for one of a set from "You Only Live Twice".

Priced at £135 (RM661) for the standard and £650 for each of the golden editions, The James Bond Archives will go on sale on October 26 in Europe to coincide with the release of "Skyfall", Daniel Craig's third outing as James Bond.

In North America, the book's release is set for November 9, the same date as the film's arrival in theatres there. — AFP-Relaxnews


Who are the muppets now? Goldman exposé falls short of hype

Posted: 21 Oct 2012 08:22 PM PDT

NEW YORK, Oct 22 — The tell-all book that Goldman Sachs Group Inc former equity derivatives salesman Greg Smith has delivered may end up being remembered more for the marketing skills he picked up at the Wall Street bank than for any bombshell revelations.

Smith created a furore earlier this year when he resigned from the blue chip Wall Street firm, alleging in a New York Times Op-Ed column that the firm had engendered a "toxic" culture of treating clients as "muppets" — slang in Britain for idiots — and relieving them of their money.

Smith then promised a book about the bank, building up expectations of an exposé with new insights about the culture at Goldman.

The threat prompted a public relations campaign and internal inquiries at the bank, as it tried to avoid another hit to its image after suffering a barrage of bad publicity in recent years.

Smith reportedly received US$1.5 million (RM4.6 million) as an upfront payment for the book, which is being published by Grand Central Publishing, a unit of Hachette.

He has lined up a series of interviews, including one with Reuters, to talk about the book Why I left Goldman Sachs, which will be released today.

Early reviews of Smith's 288-page book are now in, and they aren't good. Reviewers, who received copies of the full book, have panned it for being a sleepy read with no big revelations — or worse, misleading.

The tawdriest revelations are about a bachelor party in Las Vegas with a topless woman, and Smith having seen Lloyd Blankfein, Goldman's chief executive, in the buff after showering at the gym.

"There were no examples of a toxic culture at work, no actual names of morally bankrupt people and no examples of a client getting ripped off," wrote James Stewart, himself the author of top selling business books such as Den of Thieves, in his column in the  New York Times.

"Smith's book might even bolster Goldman's reputation. After all, if Smith is the ultimate insider, and this is as bad as it gets —Smith in a hot tub at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas with a topless woman — then he hasn't made much of a case," said Stewart.

Stewart also cast doubt on some of the anecdotes Smith tells in his story, interviewing people who were in his internship class, such as Teddy Schwarzman, son of Blackstone Group LP CEO Stephen Schwarzman.

Schwarzman and others say the incidents Smith described, such as an intern running out of a room crying after being humiliated by a more senior Goldman executive, never happened.

Other early reviews have also been critical.

The financial blog Dealbreaker mocked less-than-revelatory anecdotes in Smith's book, including one in which a managing director threw out a "cheddar cheese salad" that an intern had brought him for lunch, instead of the cheese sandwich he had asked for.

That anecdote led to more jokes on Twitter and other financial blogs about what, exactly, a cheddar cheese salad is.

Smith's publicist, Jimmy Franco, did not respond to a request for comment for this article.

Smith's ability to so easily build up buzz about his book over the past few months shows how difficult it has been for Goldman to try to counter perceptions that it is the poster child for all that's wrong on Wall Street.

In 2010, the US Securities and Exchange Commission accused the bank of betting against clients on a mortgage trade, charges that were later settled, but nevertheless led to a firestorm of criticism.

One of its former traders, Fabrice Tourre, is due in court next summer to face civil charges for his involvement in those events.

Smith's allegations had raised the same questions about Goldman's culture and ethics all over again.

For its part, Goldman has characterized Smith as a disgruntled and mediocre employee who stirred up all this attention because he did not get the raise and promotion he wanted. Smith spent 12 years at the investment bank.

By the time of his resignation, he was a vice president, earning about US$500,000 a year, Goldman said.

Goldman has said that it looked into Smith's assertions and did not find any evidence of employees misbehaving or treating clients poorly. Blankfein told CNBC recently that the firm "went over everything like crazy and, frankly, we could find nothing".

The marketing strategy for the book shines a spotlight on tactics used by publishers and authors to drum up sales for upcoming publications — and the problems that it can create when the book in question fails to deliver.

It appears to be "a typical example of overpromising and under-delivering," said George Belch, chair of the marketing department at San Diego State University and an expert on consumer behaviour, who noted that he has not yet read the book.

"What they do is try to drum up publicity and whet the public appetite, and clearly Goldman Sachs, for certain portions of the population, is intriguing.

"But that doesn't mean the book will do anything more than reinforce your disdain for the industry if you already feel that way."

Smith's failure to meet expectations also raises uncomfortable questions for the Times, which first published his allegations in an op-ed column.

On Friday morning, New York Times business columnist Andrew Ross Sorkin said on CNBC he thought the newspaper might have been "duped" by Smith into publishing the op-ed in the first place, given the lack of substantial information in the book.

A Times spokeswoman declined to comment.

Trader mentality

Smith, who vanished from the public spotlight after his Times op-ed appeared in March, will make his first television appearance on Sunday evening, on the CBS show "60 Minutes".

A clip of the show released on Friday has him recounting an incident in which he says a 24- or 25-year-old junior salesman calls a client a "muppet" after charging the client an additional US$1 million for a trade.

"Now you could think to yourself, 'Is this some rogue guy who's just talking callously about clients?'" Smith told CBS.

"But his boss, who's a managing director, was sitting right next to him nodding and chuckling along."

In the interview, Smith wears a dark blue suit, white shirt and red tie, talking for the first time to the public in his native South African accent.

Smith told CBS he does not think he betrayed Goldman and that he has gone on this public campaign to try to affect change at a firm he was once proud of.

Belch, the marketing professor, said that by publicly slamming the firm, Smith might have done more harm than good, since the book appears to have little new information.

"Here's another book about how we got taken to the cleaners by the financial services industry," said Belch.

"Well, yeah, what a shock. Most people don't want to spend money to read about it." — Reuters


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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion


Kisah dari Siru Kambam

Posted: 21 Oct 2012 04:19 PM PDT

22 OKT — Pengalaman menerbitkan novel "Panchayat: Edisi Khas" (2012) memberikan semangat dan keyakinan kepada saya bahawa memang ada ruang dan peluang untuk merancakkan usaha menerbitkan sendiri karya-karya saya.

Bagi menjayakan penerbitan novel itu, saya mendapat bantuan kewangan daripada rakan-rakan dan kenalan dalam bentuk tempahan awal. Dana itulah yang saya jadikan modal untuk mencetak novel edisi khas itu. Maka, saya menamakannya "penerbitan berkebajikan".

Kini, saya sedang dalam proses menerbitkan sebuah kumpulan cerpen yang menggabungkan sejumlah cerpen baru dan lama. Projek ini juga amat unik kerana saya meminta kerjasama sejumlah rakan-rakan dan kenalan untuk menjadi Editor Bersekutu. Sambutan dan sokongan yang diterima amat menggalakkan dan terus melonjakkan semangat saya dalam melaksanakan projek ini.

Siru Kambam terbit pada 1996 dan diulang cetak pada 1997.

Rata-rata cerpen dalam kumpulan ini menggunakan latar tempat Siru Kambam atau mengangkat watak-watak yang berasal dari kampung kecil itu. Allahyarham Dr Othman Puteh yang menjadi pembimbing saya sejak 1991 merumuskan kampung berkenaan sebagai "suatu daerah berhampiran Taiping yang menggambarkan secara dominan kehidupan masyarakat India dan hubungannya dengan masyarakat majmuk" ("Siru Kambam", 1996).

Agak menarik untuk diperhatikan bahawa saya hanya mula menulis kisah-kisah yang berlatarkan "Siru Kambam" selepas saya berpindah dari Taiping ke Klang pada akhir tahun 1991. Pengalaman itu amat menarik dan penuh nostalgia. Begitu banyak kisah yang diangkat; sehingga saya mendedikasikan kumpulan cerpen "Siru Kambam" (1996) dengan catatan "untuk para penduduk Siru Kambam yang tidak pernah putus-putus membekalkan saya dengan pelbagai idea dalam berkarya".

Berbalik kepada kumpulan cerpen yang sedang diusahakan, saya yakin bahawa karya-karya saya masih mendapat tempat dan sokongan daripada rakan-rakan dan kenalan dari jauh dan dekat. Sambutan dan sokongan terhadap "Panchayat: Edisi Khas" membuktikan hal ini; walaupun ada pihak yang berusaha gigih melakukan sabotaj dan mendesak orang ramai memboikot karya-karya saya.

Antara alasan yang digunakan oleh "puak anti-Uthaya" adalah bahawa saya sedang menyebarkan ajaran agama Hindu kepada pembaca pelbagai kaum dan agama menerusi karya-karya saya. Kononnya saya dan Kumpulan Sasterawan Kavyan (Kavyan) bersikap anti-Melayu. Harus saya akui bahawa "kempen" yang dilakukan puak ini juga secara tidak langsung membantu menimbulkan minat orang ramai untuk mengenali karya-karya saya.

Saya mendaftar judul bagi kumpulan cerpen ini di Pusat Kebangsaan ISBN/ISSN, Perpustakaan Negara Malaysia (PNM) pada 27 September 2012. Pegawai yang saya kenali di sana, Ishak Awang, tampil membantu memudahkan urusan saya mendapatkan ISBN dan kod jalur (bar code).

Dua hari kemudian, saya memaparkan maklumat di blog bahawa saya memerlukan kerjasama rakan-rakan dan kenalan yang sudi menawarkan diri secara sukarela untuk menjadi Editor Bersekutu. Sambutan yang diterima memang amat membanggakan dan di luar jangkaan.

Lalu, pada 10 Oktober 2012, saya mengirim manuskrip cerpen kepada para Editor Bersekutu dan memberikan masa kepada mereka sehingga hujung bulan untuk melakukan kerja-kerja pemurnian dan penyuntingan yang wajar.

Buku pertama yang diterbitkan sendiri pada 2001.

Seperti yang sudah saya nyatakan, buku ini mengumpulkan cerpen-cerpen yang menggunakan latar tempat Siru Kambam dan/atau watak-watak yang berasal dari sana. Memandangkan majoriti penduduk di kampung berkenaan adalah kaum India beragama Hindu, maka aspek budaya kaum India dan agama Hindu tidak dapat dielakkan.

Salah tanggap yang sering wujud dalam kalangan penulis adalah bahawa apabila seseorang menulis menggunakan "bahasa Melayu", maka karya itu mestilah mengenai "orang Melayu" dan "budaya Melayu". Seolah-olah pembaca kaum Melayu tidak akan, tidak boleh dan tidak sanggup membaca mana-mana karya yang keluar daripada sempadan itu.

Dalam hal ini, mujurlah saya menulis menggunakan "Bahasa Malaysia" dan karya-karya saya adalah mengenai "orang Malaysia" dan "budaya Malaysia". Saya tidak menulis untuk kaum tertentu atau penganut agama tertentu. Karya saya adalah untuk Bangsa Malaysia.

Pada akhir September 2012, timbul isu sebuah cerpen saya ditolak atas alasan "ada unsur penyebaran agama Hindu". Kononnya saya cuba "menyesatkan" pembaca Melayu-Islam. Alasan "bodoh dan lucu" itu segera mendapat bantahan daripada rakan-rakan dan kenalan saya yang membaca karya-karya saya sejak 1992.

Cerpen penuh kontroversi itu juga dimuatkan dalam buku ini yang menggabungkan karya-karya yang dihasilkan antara 1992 dan 2012. Ada cerpen baru dan ada cerpen lama yang disunting khusus untuk dimuatkan dalam buku ini.

Saya harus mengakui bahawa saya amat bertuah kerana sentiasa ada pelbagai pihak yang tampil menghulurkan bantuan secara langsung dan tidak langsung dalam menjayakan kerja-kerja yang saya lakukan. Bukan kerana saya seorang politikus atau jutawan atau artis atau usahawan.

Jawapan yang biasanya diberikan adalah bahawa rakan-rakan dan kenalan yang tampil membantu itu berbuat demikian kerana mereka menyokong pendirian dan keberanian saya. Tentu sahaja kata-kata seperti itu meningkat semangat dan mengukuhkan integriti saya dalam meneruskan perjuangan demi kebenaran dan hak.

Buku pertama yang saya terbitkan sendiri adalah kumpulan cerpen "Sasterawan Pulau Cinta" (2001) bagi membuktikan "... bahawa istilah Bahasa Malaysia sedia wujud dan sah digunakan" tatkala ada pihak berusaha gigih menafikan hak saya menggunakan istilah "Bahasa Malaysia" apabila merujuk pada bahasa kebangsaan negara ini.

Buku-buku yang saya terbitkan sendiri sejak 2001 tidaklah membawa keuntungan dari segi kewangan. Sebaliknya membawa kepuasan jiwa dan hal ini jauh lebih penting serta lebih bernilai berbanding keuntungan dalam bentuk wang-ringgit. 

Pada masa yang sama, saya tetap dengan pendirian memartabatkan Bahasa Malaysia serta mengekalkan kemurnian bahasa itu. Walaupun buku-buku yang menggunakan bahasa rojak semakin mendapat sambutan dalam kalangan masyarakat, saya tidak mahu terikut-ikut dengan budaya yang tidak sealiran dengan pendirian saya.

Kumpulan cerpen "Kisah dari Siru Kambam" juga meneruskan pendirian, perjuangan dan jati diri saya dalam hal-hal yang dinyatakan di atas. Saya percaya bahawa apabila kita tegas dalam pendirian, tidak ada sesiapa yang boleh menggugat integriti kita.

* Buku ini dijangka terbit pada Januari 2013 dan tempahan awal boleh dilakukan dengan menghubungi penulis menerusi e-mel uthayasb@yahoo.com.my

* The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

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Chia tak pernah didakwa jadi tak salah terima wang, kata MP Kota Belud

Posted: 22 Oct 2012 12:51 AM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR, 22 Okt  — Ahli parlimen Kota Belud, Datuk Abdul Rahman Dahlan mendakwa tidak menjadi kesalahan bagi Umno Sabah menerima wang daripada Michael Chia kerana ahli perniagaan tersebut tidak pernah didakwa atau ditangkap kerana menyeludup wang sebelum ini, kata beliau di Dewan Rakyat hari ini.

"Malah Michael Chia itu sendiri pun tidak pernah ditangkap di lapangan terbang, tidak pernah membawa jutaan wang ringgit ke Sabah.

"Malah individu ini (Michael Chia) juga tidak pernah didakwa oleh Suruhanjaya Bebas Anti Rasuah Hong Kong (ICAC)," kata Abdul Rahman (gambar).

Sebelum ini di Parlimen, Menteri Hal Ehwal Undang-undang, Datuk Seri Nazri Aziz mengakui RM40 juta wang diberi seorang ahli perniagaan adalah untuk Umno Sabah tetapi menafikan ia milik Ketua Menteri, Datuk Musa Aman.

"Semua pegawai Umno di Sabah yang disiasat oleh ICAC tanpa sebarang sekatan.

"Selepas ICAC mendapat maklumat mengenai wang tersebut adalah untuk tujuan derma politik maka siasatan tersebut ditutup," kata ahli parlimen Umno itu lagi.

Abdul Rahman juga menyelar tindakan pembangkang yang menuduh dan membuat dakwaan liar bahawa RM40juta tersebut diseludup sambil menyifatkan ia hanya permainan politik oleh Pakatan Rakyat (PR).

MENYUSUL LAGI

Ronnie Liu, Khir Toyo setuju selesai kes saman

Posted: 21 Oct 2012 11:54 PM PDT

KUALA LUMPUR, 22 Okt — Exco Kerajaan Negeri Selangor Liu Tian Khiew atau Ronnie Liu dan bekas Menteri Besar Selangor Datuk Seri Dr Mohamad Khir Toyo hari ini mencapai persetujuan bersama untuk menyelesaikan kes saman fitnah yang difailkan pada 2008.

Hakim Mahkamah Tinggi Datuk Nik Hasmat Nik Mohamad menetapkan esok untuk merekod terma penyelesaian yang dipersetujui kedua-dua pihak.

Peguam Mohd Haijan Omar yang mewakili Liu (gambar) memberitahu pemberita mengenai perkara itu selepas pihak-pihak berkenaan menemui hakim di dalam kamar.

Pada 6 Oktober 2008, Liu menyaman Dr Mohamad Khir kerana didakwa memfitnah dengan mengaitkan beliau dalam usaha menghalang penghapusan kegiatan pelacuran.

Liu mendakwa Dr Mohamad Khir mengeluarkan perkataan palsu dan berunsur fitnah mengenai perkara itu dalam satu artikel yang dicetak dan disiarkan di sebuah akhbar berbahasa Cina pada 9 Mei 2008. — Bernama

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com
 

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