Sabtu, 27 Oktober 2012

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Brazil favelas maid fights food waste with ‘viagra’ in Italy

Posted: 27 Oct 2012 10:04 PM PDT

TURIN, Oct 28 — Brazilian maid Regina Tchelly is about to take the world's biggest food fair by storm: the food waste champion will rustle up her trademark dish, risotto with watermelon rind — a natural viagra.

Exhibitors prepare bunches of small tomatoes on a stand at the Slow Food's Salone del Gusto and Terra Madre on October 25, 2012 in Turin. — AFP pic

"I'll tell you a secret," the 31-year-old said with a mischievous grin.

"This dish is not only a great example of how to use leftovers which would usually end up in the bin, it's also a natural viagra. Everyone says it works! Who knows what the visitors will get up to once they return home..." she said.

Tchelly has travelled to Italy to speak at the Slow Food fair in Turin about how it is possible to eat well on even the lowest budget, using waste food.

According to the Slow Food movement, which was founded in Italy in 1986 to tackle the rise of fast food, 1.3 billion tons of food are thrown away globally each year — enough to fill 8,600 cruise ships.

During the five-day fair in the north Italian city, Tchelly shares tips garnered from the cooking project she runs in the favelas in Rio de Janiero.

"I grew up in the north-east of Brazil in a poor area, but we ate well because we made the most of what we had, putting everything from banana skins to pumpkin husks in the pot," said Tchelly, sweeping back her purple hair.

"I moved to Rio when I was twenty to work as a maid and couldn't believe the amount of food which was being wasted. I thought, if I can get people into the kitchen with me, I can show them how to eat money and save money," she said.

Tchelly tried in early 2011 to get funding through an agency which sponsors young entrepreneurs in the favelas, but was told her project was too ambitious.

Refusing to give up, she got friends to donate what they could until they had raised €65 (RM252) which she then spent on utensils, and the "Favela Organica" project was born, with Tchelly holding cooking classes from home.

News of the project in Morro da Babilonia spread through word of mouth and she soon built up a loyal group of women who would attend her class every Thursday, before Tchelly opened the three-month courses to men as well.

Favourites on the menu are banana peel brigadeiro and rice with taro stems.

Babilonia, just uphill from the Copacabana District, has a better quality of life since being "cleaned up" in a programme set up by Rio Mayor Edwardo Paes to tackle gun violence, but Tchelly plans to start courses in poorer favelas soon.

Favela residents pay 5 reales (RM7.30) and non-residents 10, but those who can't afford to are asked to make a small donation, or do the course for free.

This year, the local residents' association has arranged for the lessons to be held in the kitchen of a nearby school to allow more people to attend and the programme now employs 20 people alongside the dozens of volunteers.

"It's been a great success. Next I'll do a course for children," she said.

Tchelly's employers, she says, have been fantastic, allowing her to reduce her working hours to hold more classes — and from the end of November she will quit being a maid for good and dedicate herself full time to the programme.

A couple of days before arriving in Turin, she won a "social entrepreneur" prize in San Paolo and is thrilled that her hard work is being recognised.

"My dream, which will definitely come true if I have anything to do with it, is to get all the women in the favelas involved and set up catering for big events, so we can spread the word about making big savings and avoiding waste."

"I want to make it possible for everyone to be a Regina Tchelly," she said. — AFP/Relaxnews

Gastronomical online encylopedia to archive last 50 years of food

Posted: 27 Oct 2012 09:47 PM PDT

MADRID, Oct 28 — Spanish gastronomical wizard Ferran Adrià released more details on his latest project BulliPedia this week, an online encyclopedia which will act as the culinary equivalent of Wikipedia by archiving everything there is to know about food.

It could be described as a great many things: a virtual research and development center for chefs; an online food encyclopedia; a web-based think thank; and a crowd-sourced database of culinary ideas from some of the greatest chef-minds around the world.

Or, in their own words, "La BulliPedia will be an online database which will hold every bit of gastronomic knowledge ever uncovered."

The mastermind behind the ambitious idea, Adrià — widely considered the father of molecular and experimental gastronomy — presented the project BulliPedia at a Wired UK conference in London this week.

Adrià helmed the now-shuttered El Bulli restaurant in Cala Montjoi, Spain, which was named the world's best restaurant by Restaurant magazine in the UK.

An exclusive video preview of the site shared with Eater.com, meanwhile, reveals that the platform will be divided into two sections: Creativity Today and Creativity Archive.

The first will be a crowd-sourced site that will be updated daily, with insight from 30 of some of the top chefs around the world including names like Grant Achatz, Heston Blumenthal, Joan Roca, René Redzepi, and Michel Bras.

Visitors can look up products, techniques, and recipe ideas and follow new concepts and culinary trends around the world.

The Creativity Archive, meanwhile, will attempt to document the history of haute gastronomy in the Western world over the last 50 years and serve as a reference guide.

The domain is live and will is expected to launch by the end of 2014. — AFP/Relaxnews

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

Dortmund beat Freiburg, Schalke edge past Nuremberg

Posted: 27 Oct 2012 08:42 AM PDT

BERLIN, Oct 27 – Goals from Borussia Dortmund's Neven Subotic and Mario Goetze gave the Bundesliga champions a 2-0 win at Freiburg during a heavy snowfall today to close the gap to the top spots.

Ruhr valley rivals Schalke 04 leapfrogged into second place with a 1-0 win over Nuremberg courtesy of a Jefferson Farfan goal to complete a memorable seven days for them during which they also beat Dortmund as well as Arsenal in the Champions League.

Dortmund, who defeated nine-times European champions Real Madrid in the competition on Wednesday, were bullied by the hosts for much of the first half before bouncing back.

After missing a string of early chances following the break, including Mario Goetze's point-blank effort, Subotic, with his back to the goal, headed in a curled Marco Reus free-kick for the lead.

Goetze made amends in the 84th minute, picking up a Robert Lewandowski pass to slot the visitors' second goal and lift them to 15 points in fourth place with Schalke on 20.

VfL Wolfsburg, who sacked coach Felix Magath on Thursday, got their first win after eight games to move off the bottom under interim coach Lorenz Guenther Koestner with a 4-1 demolition of Fortuna Dusseldorf.

A hat-trick by Hungary international Adam Szalai – his first in the Bundesliga – steered Mainz 05 to a 3-0 victory over troubled Hoffenheim to move into fifth place, a point behind Dortmund.

Leaders Bayern Munich, on a maximum 21 points after winning all eight games so far, host Bayer Leverkusen tomorrow. Eintracht Frankfurt, on 19, can reclaim second spot with victory at VfB Stuttgart. – Reuters

Alpine skiing: Maze wins on glacier, Vonn suffers

Posted: 27 Oct 2012 07:57 AM PDT

Tina Maze of Slovenia reacts after winning the World Cup Soelden Women's Giant Slalom race on the Rettenbach glacier in the Tyrolean ski resort of Soelden October 27, 2012. – Reuters pic

SOELDEN, Oct 27 – Lindsey Vonn's start to the alpine skiing season proved an anti-climax when the American was forced out of the opening giant slalom in Soelden won by world champion Tina Maze.

Winner on the Austrian glacier a year ago on her way to her fourth overall World Cup title, Vonn struck a pole halfway down the second leg held in foggy conditions and abruptly stopped.

The American, who had stolen the headlines in the pre-season by announcing her desire to enter a men's race, remained on the side of the piste for a while holding her left hand, leaving Maze to take the day's laurels.

"She hooked her left arm. It's sore but she will be fine," said US team spokesman Doug Haney.

While Vonn made it her goal this season to compete with the men, Slovenian Maze's own ambition is simpler – beat Vonn and take the title at the end of the season after finishing second last winter.

"I set myself high goals this winter and aim to fight for the overall title," Maze, who won in a combined time of two minutes 31.41 seconds to become the first woman skier to achieve three wins on the Soelden glacier after victories there in Soelden in 2002 and 2005, said.

It was a relief for the 29-year-old Slovenian, who did not win a race last season despite several podium placings.

"This is a super day and a super win for me. It's exciting to start the season with that great win as I trained very hard in the summer with my group," she said.

"This takes much weight away from my shoulders," she added.

Maze, who progressed steadily in the overall World Cup standings from fourth in 2009, third in 2010 and runner-up last year, last won a race in Lenzerheide in March 2011.

Kathrin Zettel and Stefanie Koehle, both sporting black armbands to mourn the loss of young Austrian team mate Bjorn Sieber in a car crash earlier this week, pleased the home fans by taking the other podium places.

The experienced Zettel was second, 0.42 adrift for her first top three placing since the 2010-2011 season.

Koehle finished a huge 1.71 seconds behind Maze but it was fast enough to snatch the first top-three of her career.

Fog delayed the second leg by an hour and caused several favourites to crash.

Apart from Vonn, Germany's Viktoria Rebensburg, the giant slalom Olympic and World Cup champion, was forced out while France's Tessa Worley straddled a gate.

Vonn was mortified by her crash but said her bid to compete in a men's downhill in Lake Louise either this season or more probably next, was making progress.

"It was definitely not in the game plan what happened today," the American said. "I was trying hard but my arm got caught in the gate and the visibility was very bad." – Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

German composer Hans Werner Henze dead at 86, says publisher

Posted: 27 Oct 2012 07:38 AM PDT

German composer Hans Werner Henze in Tokyo in 2010. — AFP pic

DRESDEN, Oct 27 — Hans Werner Henze, one of Germany's foremost composers, has died at the age of 86, his publisher Schott Music announced on Saturday.

"With the death of Hans Werner Henze we have lost one of the most versatile, important and influential composers of our time," Schott said in a statement on its website, saying the composer died in Dresden on Saturday.

Born in Guetersloh on July 1, 1926, Henze's prolific output covered a wide range of works, including more than 40 operas and pieces for the stage, 10 symphonies, concertos, chamber music, oratorios and song.

"What is unique about his work is the union of timeless beauty with contemporary commitment," Schott said.

Henze was openly gay and made his home in Italy, in the Albani hills outside Rome with his partner of more than five decades, Fausto Moroni, whom he met in 1964, but who died in 2007.

It was in the classical landscape of Italy "that he found his own harmonious balance of art and life —throwing himself into his many practical projects, entertaining generously with his companion Fausto Moroni, then retreating into his study and his scores," the statement said.

Henze, perhaps best known for his symphonies and music theatre, enjoyed a unique collaboration with the Austrian poet Ingeborg Bachmann, who wrote the libretti for his operas "The Prince of Homburg" (1958-59), "The Young Lord" (1964), "Elegy for Young Lovers" (1959-61)and "The Bassarids" (1964-65), which Schott described as "milestones in his compositional output."

He was a prisoner of war in Fascist Germany and his experiences left their mark on his artistic output, notably in another stage work, "We come to the River" (1974-76) and in his ninth symphony written in 1995-97, which was based on Anna Seghers' novel "The Seventh Cross".

"With the unshakable courage of his convictions, but also with his joie de vivre, his love of beautiful things and of nature, Henze's restless spirit reveals to us a man who never lost sight of his artistic aspirations, despite many personal sufferings, and historical dangers," Schott wrote.

"To him, composing was both an ethical commitment and personal expression. He had to write, with relentless self-discipline, and when times were hard it threw him the anchor he needed and saved him from his darkest moments."— Reuters

Confidante put drugs in Britney’s food, singer’s mom testifies

Posted: 26 Oct 2012 10:44 PM PDT

LOS ANGELES, Oct 27 — The one-time confidante of Britney Spears said he crushed up drugs in the pop singer's food to help her sleep and disabled her phone lines during the height of her meltdown five years ago, Spears' mother testified yesterday.

Lynne Spears told the Los Angeles jury in a civil trial that Sam Lutfi, Britney's self-styled manager at the time, described his actions to her in a January 2008 exchange at her daughter's Los Angeles home.

Singer Britney Spears speaks on stage during the taping of "We Will Always Love You: A Grammy Salute To Whitney Houston" at the Nokia theatre in Los Angeles, California October 11, 2012. — Reuters pic

"Those were his exact words," Lynne Spears said on her first day on the witness stand. "I was very worried and I didn't know what to do so I tried to get her away from there."

Lutfi is suing Lynne Spears for defaming him in her 2008 book "Through the Storm," in which she related some of Lutfi's actions in 2007 when he became the singer's closest friend, and moved into her house.

Lynne Spears admitted under cross examination that she did not call police despite her concerns about her daughter.

She also acknowledged she had been estranged from her daughter for months in 2007, and that Lutfi told her he wanted to help reunite them.

Lynne Spears' book also claims Lutfi tried to cut the singer off from her family, and portrays him as a figure who controlled her every move.

Lutfi, who met Spears in a nightclub in 2007 and has said he tried to wean her off drugs, testified tearfully earlier this week he received death threats after the book was published.

The week-long trial has lifted the lid on the much-publicized meltdown by Spears in 2007 and early 2008, in which she went through a divorce, lost custody of her two kids, shaved her head and wielded an umbrella at paparazzi.

Lutfi is also suing Spears for a portion of her earnings at that time, claiming the "Toxic" singer hired him as her manager.

Lutfi further alleges Britney's father, Jamie Spears, punched him in the chest in 2008, during a period when the singer was twice held in a psychiatric ward in a Los Angeles hospital.

Jamie Spears was later named conservator of his daughter's personal and business affairs, and the family took out restraining orders against Lutfi.

Spears, now 30, has since made a comeback with world tours hit albums and a new job as a judge on TV talent show "The X-Factor". She is not expected to attend the trial. — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

New Orleans sees revival of historic streetcars

Posted: 27 Oct 2012 06:58 AM PDT

A man rides his bike through the French Quarter in New Orleans, Louisiana, in this file photo of September 1, 2008. New Orleans is restoring old streetcar lines and seeking to build new ones. – Reuters pic

NEW ORLEANS, Oct 27 – New Orleans, once crisscrossed by sprawling streetcar lines, is embracing anew the rumbling reminder of the city's storied and elegant past by restoring old lines and seeking to build new ones.

In January, a mile-long (1.6 km) streetcar line connecting the tourist area of the French Quarter to the city's Amtrak terminal is scheduled to open, becoming the fourth streetcar corridor in the city. Two more are proposed, the first of those anticipated to break ground in early 2014.

For a city where daily life was changed by the destruction caused by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago, the new streetcars are a way to connect to history.

The more than 150-year-old line that sails down St. Charles Avenue is the oldest continuously operating streetcar line in the world, according to the city. Revitalising the New Orleans streetcar system has been a slow, arduous process. The city's two other existing lines were built in 1988 and 2004.

"New Orleans has not had an incredibly extensive network of streetcars for decades," said Rachel Heiligman, executive director of Ride New Orleans, an advocacy organisation that has been pushing for more streetcars in the city.

"This is the first time in almost a decade we've seen an investment in public transit, so it's a very exciting time for New Orleans," she said.

As cities across the country explore ways to break gridlock or rejuvenate deadened commercial corridors, streetcars have become an attractive alternative to buses or subways for their affordability to build and maintain.

In 2013, inaugural streetcar lines are scheduled to launch in Atlanta; Dallas; Salt Lake City; Tucson, Arizona; and Washington, D.C. Cities considering or planning streetcar lines include Cincinnati; El Paso, Texas; Honolulu; Kansas City, Missouri; Milwaukee; Minneapolis; and Sacramento, California, according to the American Public Transit Association (APTA).

Streetcars already operate in cities including: Boston; Denver; Little Rock, Arkansas; Memphis, Tennessee; Portland, Oregon; Tampa, Florida; San Francisco; and Savannah, Georgia.

Besides their charm, streetcars are being embraced because of the availability since 2009 of grants from the US Department of Transportation meant for long-term projects.

The funds helped make streetcars "a growing movement," said Mantill Williams, a spokesman for APTA, a research group in Washington.

"For cities that had plans for streetcars on the books for years, this helped lead it to fruition," Williams said.

New Orleans received a US$45 million (RM136.71 million) grant for its new line and is seeking a second grant to build another line, which would cost US$98 million. The city sold US$75 million in sales tax revenue bonds to pay for a third new line.

The majority of these lines will run along historic streetcar routes that were uprooted in the 1960s, leaving only the St. Charles Avenue line in place by 1973, the year it was awarded a listing on the National Register of Historic Landmarks.

Williams said cities with streetcars are finding that they help strengthen property values and spur economic development.

"What it shows to your potential business customers is there is a sense of permanency there," he said.

For the line set to open next year, that is already happening: A US$90 million apartment and retail complex that received city approval in late August and is expected to be built along the streetcar line in the next two years. – Reuters

Romania rescues two brown bears from decrepit zoo

Posted: 27 Oct 2012 04:25 AM PDT

File photo shows a brown bear and her cub playing on the road on the outskirts of Sinaia, 140 km north of Bucharest, Romania. Two brown bears were removed from the decrepit Onesti zoo in eastern Romania and driven to Zarnesti, 150 kilometres away, which houses the country's first bear sanctuary in a forest. – Reuters pic

ZARNESTI, Oct 27 – Two brown bears in Romania have been rescued from a zoo where conditions did not meet European Union animal safety standards and have been transferred to a sanctuary where they were released today, wildlife experts said.

The two male bears were removed from the decrepit Onesti zoo in eastern Romania and driven to Zarnesti, 150 kilometres (93 miles) away, which houses the country's first bear sanctuary in a forest.

"These bears used to live in small concrete enclosures ... They will be released soon in this beautiful forest area (after quarantine). That's a huge difference," said Victor Watkins, a wildlife advisor at the World Society for the Protection of Animals.

Sixty seven bears are now housed in the sanctuary. Many of them were rescued from ramshackle zoos or from cages at roadside inns and restaurants where they were used to entertain guests.

Up to 7,000 bears live in Romania's largely unspoilt mountains. Several people, including foreign tourists, have been killed or injured by bears in recent years and experts have warned that their habitat is under threat from construction.

A poacher was killed as recently as last month after a bear attacked him after escaping from his trap.

The law limits the number of bears that can be killed by hunters to under 350 a year. Officials say some hunting is necessary to control their numbers. – Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

Alicia Keys gets into children’s fiction with iTunes app

Posted: 27 Oct 2012 08:08 AM PDT

LOS ANGELES, Oct 27 – Grammy award winner Alicia Keys is entering the world of children's fiction with storytelling app The Journals of Mama Mae and LeeLee, a download for iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, and soon other devices.

The app has its roots in Keys's musical ability as well as her own family ties, explained the musician.

"Mama Mae is a character that is partially born from the spirit of my Nana, who instilled in me all of the values that still guide my path to this day," she said of the app that includes music, games, and journaling opportunities supported by a central story.

It's certainly a far cry from Nick Cave's enhanced ebook app, The Death of Bunny Munro.

"The Journals of Mama Mae & LeeLee Trailer": youtu.be/IbNfdFhNZrY

App Store link: itunes.apple.com/app/id569755982 – AFP/Relaxnews

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

Twenty-five years later, camaraderie in adversity

Posted: 27 Oct 2012 12:55 AM PDT

OCT 27 — The collective adversity suffered by the DAP, PAS and civil society leaders in 1987 ironically built the steely resolve for change and the deep camaraderie to see it through.

This day 25 years ago, October 27, 1987, was one of the darkest days in Malaysian history when 106 politicians and social activists were arrested under the Internal Security Act (ISA) in Operation Lalang. Printing permits for three newspapers, namely The Star, Sinchew and Watan, were withdrawn.

The security crackdown that shocked the nation and marked the end of the boisterous, often mistaken as democratic, first phase of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad's leadership that began in 1981. Dr Mahathir succeeded Tun Hussein Oon with a weak base in Umno and virtually no one to trust.

By pitting Musa Hitam against Tengku Razaleigh Hamzah in Umno's deputy presidential elections of 1981 and 1984, Dr Mahathir bought himself time and space. But the chickens came home to roost by 1987 when Tengku Razaleigh teamed up with Musa to challenge the Dr Mahathir-Ghafar Baba ticket.

The election on April 24 saw Tengku Razaleigh losing to Dr Mahathir by a mere 43 votes, allegedly after a suspicious blackout at the vote-counting centre.

Umno continued to flounder after the party polls with Dr Mahathir's legitimacy seriously dented. The purging of Team B supporters such as Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, Rais Yatim, Shahrir Samad and Radzi Sheikh Ahmad from the Cabinet and government further de-stabilised the situation.

While Dr Mahathir's base was weak his style was anything but consultative. Further, the various ideas that he bulldozed were more often than not half-baked, resulting in multiple and major financial scandals in just a few years of his rule. Civil society activism emerged from the more discerning and critical urban populace.

The Islamic revival movement was birthed as the rallying point for those who frowned upon Umno-style get-rich-quick materialism.

Further, Dr Mahathir not only pitted Umno leaders against each other, he was manipulating ethnic sentiments against each other. In October 1987, the Chinese educationist cause mobilised against a policy of placing teachers who had no proficiency in Mandarin to head Chinese schools. Umno Youth was counter-mobilised to whip up Malay sentiment.

Between the April Umno election and October, the Mahathir government drifted purposelessly while his party opponents started a permanent campaign to remove Dr Mahathir in the next party election due in three years' time.

The rift was felt. Mercury rose.

On October 18, one Private Adam ran amok in Chow Kit with an M16 rifle as Umno Youth was mobilising for a November 1 show of force.

Dr Mahathir seized the timely excuse. On October 27, Ops Lalang was launched to arrest his fiercest external critics including the then Leader of the Opposition Lim Kit Siang and 16 DAP elected reps. Not only Dr Mahathir did paralyse the opposition, he terrified the nation and, more importantly, his Umno opponents.

(In the same way on a smaller scale, the arrest of the Reformasi activists in April 2001 was meant to revive Dr Mahathir's authority after his administration was shaken for half a year, if not longer, after the shocking defeat at the multiethnic Lunas by-election on November 29, 2000.)

A quarter of a century later, as we look back at Dr Mahathir's mass detention camp of 1987 while on the cusp a possible change of government, there is a sense of poetic justice that Operation Lalang "united" Barisan Nasional's opponents and gave them a steely resolve to oppose like never before.

Lim Guan Eng, Mat Sabu and many others were young activists at a time when opposition parties and movements were against Barisan Nasional for very different reasons, and often contradictory causes.

But in Kamunting, whatever their causes, they were all behind bars as human beings and as Malaysians for an extended period. They came to realise that Barisan Nasional benefited from mobilising racial and religious tensions to strike a blow against its political foes.

The ruling coalition controls media resources to set an agenda favouring the establishment. With BN's ample financial resources and armada of draconian laws, the opposition was divided and conquered.

The only way to break through was to find common ground and fight for political democratisation.

This is one of the noteworthy reasons to remember October 1987. That, and the sufferings of those arrested and their families, who have not suffered in vain.

The camaraderie forged in adversity continues to solidify the movement to bring forth a new and better Malaysia for all.

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

Reading’s big day

Posted: 26 Oct 2012 05:10 PM PDT

OCT 27 — This weekend's big game in the English Premier League is the visit of Manchester United to unbeaten leaders Chelsea, and I'll look back on that encounter next week.

At the other end of the table, there's an even more important game for my old club Reading as they welcome Fulham to Madejski Stadium in search of their first win of the season.

Even more important? Well, a draw would be a more than acceptable outcome for both teams at Stamford Bridge — Chelsea would be happy to prolong their unbeaten run while United would be pleased to prevent the Blues from extending their advantage.

But for Reading, things are starting to get desperate and a draw would be no good cause for celebration; it might be very early in the season to say this, but victory is the only acceptable result for the Royals today.

Under the calm and intelligent management of former chief scout Brian McDermott, Reading were the Championship's surprise package last season, recovering from a mediocre start to run away with the title and secure a return to the top flight following a four-year absence.

With a batch of new signings arriving in the summer, hopes were high that the Royals (so nicknamed as they are the only professional club in the royal county of Berkshire) would carry their momentum into the new season. It hasn't happened.

A last-minute penalty rescued an opening day draw with Stoke, but defeats against Chelsea, West Brom and Tottenham, draws with Newcastle and Swansea, and last weekend's 1-0 loss at Liverpool have left McDermott's team with no wins and just three points from their opening seven games.

With relegation six-pointers (yes, these days there is such a thing in November) against fellow strugglers Norwich and QPR to follow, Reading will be desperate to soothe their nerves in advance of those meetings by picking up their first win of the season today.

Their preparation for the game, in the public perception at least, has been overshadowed by veteran striker Jason Roberts. Last weekend Roberts sparked the latest racism row to hit the English game by refusing to wear a promotional T-shirt for the "Kick It Out" campaign, arguing that the movement hasn't done enough to tackle the problems of racism in football.

Although his stance later received more high-profile backing from Rio Ferdinand and other black players, Roberts was the public instigator of the protest and most of the Reading-related headlines this week have been about the racism debate.

I suspect McDermott is quite happy with that. All the talk of Roberts and racism has deflected attention away from the fact that this is a must-win game for his team, which should somewhat ease the pressure on the players. In their current plight, tension is the last thing that Reading need so the interesting diversion of the discussion around racism has come at a good time.

Reading's task won't be easy today because Fulham are looking a strong outfit. Visiting manager Martin Jol will be pleased with his team's start to the season, and last weekend's 1-0 victory over Aston Villa lifted the Cottagers into the top half of the table with four wins from their opening eight games.

After finishing ninth last season, Fulham should be able to once more easily avoid a relegation struggle in the months ahead, with Jol's dangerous front three of Dimitar Berbatov, Hugo Rodallega and Martin Petric capable of scoring plenty of goals.

Jol will be hoping for a better outcome from this weekend's game than his last trip to Madejski Stadium, which came during his reign as Tottenham manager in 2006; Reading won 3-1 on that occasion, and Jol contributed to his own team's downfall with an ill-advised pre-match comment.

I was working in Reading's media department at the time, and when Jol's pre-match press conference contained a disparaging statement that Tottenham "should beat teams like Reading", our coaching staff responded by printing off copies of the comment and plastering them on the dressing room walls.

Jol should have known that nothing motivates professional footballers more than the feeling that they have been "disrespected" by the opposition and Reading's players, determined to make Jol eat his words, responded with a fine performance and a deserved 3-1 victory.

Of course, it wasn't as simple as Reading winning simply because of Jol's comment in the media (although it helped) because the Royals possessed an excellent team at the time.

One of the key players, and the scorer of the second goal back in 2006, was Steve Sidwell, who has since joined Fulham — the flame-haired midfielder's return to his former club provides another of this afternoon's subplots.

So too does the appearance of Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak. The Russian international first appeared in English football with a move to Fulham on a short-term contract at the end of last season, becoming an instant hit with six goals in 12 outings.

Fulham wanted to secure his signature on a permanent basis in the summer but — perhaps influenced by the fact that Reading's new owner Anton Zingarevich is a fellow Russian expat — Pogrebnyak opted to join the Royals instead.

That decision irked Jol at the time, but the loss of Pogrebnyak allowed him to step up his ultimately successful pursuit of Berbatov so perhaps, as Jol acknowledged this week, being spurned by the Russian striker worked out to Fulham's advantage in the long run.

So with the side-stories of Roberts, Pogrebnyak, Jol and Sidwell to look out for there's plenty of interest in this game. But nothing matters more than the points, and my fingers are crossed for a home win.

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

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

Menteri arah siasat punca bekalan elektrik terputus di lapangan terbang KK

Posted: 26 Oct 2012 11:21 PM PDT

PUTRAJAYA, 27 Okt — Menteri Pengangkutan Datuk Seri Kong Cho Ha hari ini mahu siasatan dijalankan berhubung punca bekalan elektrik terputus di landasan Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kota Kinabalu (KKIA), Khamis lepas yang menyebabkan penerbangan dibatalkan dan ramai penumpang terkandas.

Beliau berkata kementerian tidak akan melindungi sesiapapun dalam siasatan ini dan memberi amaran tindakan tegas terhadap "pihak yang cuai" tanpa mengira sama ada ia merupakan individu, pihak berkuasa tempatan atau pengendali lapangan terbang.

"Jika hasil siasatan menunjukkan ada unsur sabotaj, maka laporan polis akan dibuat untuk tindakan undang-undang selanjutnya," katanya dalam satu kenyataan yang dikeluarkan di sini, hari ini.

Kong (gambar) berkata beliau merasa amat dukacita atas kejadian itu yang menimbulkan keresahan dan kemarahan di kalangan orang ramai yang bakal meraikan Hari Raya Aidiladha di kampung halaman masing-masing.

Beliau juga berharap pengendali lapangan terbang dapat memastikan wujudnya Pelan Tindakan Kecemasan (ERP) jika perkara sebegini berlaku pada masa akan datang.

KKIA ditutup pada malam Khamis selepas lampu landasan tidak berfungsi sehingga memaksa beberapa penerbangan masuk dan keluar dibatalkan atau dijadual semula menyebabkan ramai penumpang terkandas. — Bernama

Perkasa bebas untuk boikot penyanyi Jaclyn Victor, kata menteri

Posted: 26 Oct 2012 10:22 PM PDT

Perkasa adalah bebas untuk boikot artis terkenal Jaclyn Victor, menurut Dr Koh Tsu Koon.

KUALA LUMPUR, 27 Okt — Badan bukan kerajaan Perkasa bebas untuk memboikot artis terkenal negara Jaclyn Victor yang menyanyikan lagu "Harapan Bangsa", kata Menteri Di Jabatan Perdana Menteri Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon yang bertanggungjawab menjaga portfolio perpaduan dan permuafakatan negara pada hari ini.

Khamis lalu, Perkasa menggesa umat Islam untuk memboikot artis tersebut atas dakwaan lirik lagu tersebut yang terselit dengan unsur Kristian telah menghina Islam dan menunjukkan "tidak sensitif dan menghormati" kepada mereka yang bukan penganut agama Kristian.

"Saya tidak mahu mengulas tentang itu. Mereka boleh memboikot kerana mereka suka. Ini sebuah negara yang bebas ...," kata Koh, yang juga menyelia kabinet khas panel antara agama kepada The Malaysian Insider hari ini ketika diminta mengulas mengenai gesaan Perkasa itu.

Berikutan serangan terhadap Jaclyn oleh umat Islam ke atas lagu berusia lima tahun tersebut, agensi kerajaan Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia (JAKIM) dan Kementerian Penerangan, Komunikasi dan Kebudayaan mengeluarkan kenyataan bahawa mereka akan menyiasat lirik lagu terbabit.

Timbalan Menteri Pelajaran, Dr Puad Zarkashi pada minggu lepas dilaporkan berkata bahawa kementerian maklumat dan kementerian dalam negeri perlu merujuk lagu tersebut dengan JAKIM bagi memutuskan jika ia "benar-benar menyentuh isu iman (akidah) ".

Serangan Perkasa menyusul serta menambah lebih tekanan dalam isu melibatkan agama menjelang Pilihan Raya Umum Ke-13 yang semakin dekat terutamanya selepas dua ahli Parlimen mendakwa terdapat satu plot untuk menukar Malaysia kepada sebuah negara Kristian.

Jaclyn pada minggu lepas berkata lagu "Harapan Bangsa" bukan untuk tujuan komersial dengan mendakwa ia telahpun direkodkan bertahun-tahun lalu.

"Saya mencatat lagu yang sekitar 2007 khas bagi orang-orang Kristian di Sabah dan Sarawak dan untuk gereja-gereja.

"Lagu itu saya rakam sekitar 2007 khusus untuk penganut agama Kristian di Sabah dan Sarawak serta pihak gereja. Ia dicipta oleh seorang paderi dengan mesej keamanan Malaysia. Sebagai seorang penganut Kristian, rasanya tidak salah jika saya yang beragama Kristian menyanyikan lagu itu.

"Lagipun, ia bukan untuk tujuan komersial. Jadi mengapa perlu mempertikaikan lagu yang sudah lama dirakamkan itu?"

"Saya sedar, mungkin disebabkan lagu itu dinyanyikan dalam bahasa Melayu membuatkan ramai yang melihat perkara ini sebagai tidak sensitif dan menganggap saya cuba menyebarkan fahaman Kristian. Saya menyanyi dalam bahasa Melayu kerana kebanyakan penganut Kristian di Sabah dan Sarawak bertutur dalam Bahasa Melayu.

MENYUSUL LAGI.

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Sabtu, 27 Oktober 2012