Ahad, 4 November 2012

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Chocolate ‘terroir’ and exotic spices trend at chocolate show

Posted: 04 Nov 2012 01:45 AM PDT

Chocolate trends observed at the largest chocolate show in the world include spice-laced bonbons and the principle of 'terroir.' — shutterstock.com pic

PARIS, Nov 4 — Like wine, cocoa connoisseurs are placing increasing importance on the principle of chocolate 'terroir', while chocolatiers are spicing things up with everything from saffron to Espelette pepper and kaffir lime.

Like restaurant fare, flavour pairings are seasonal and local. And while some chocolate maestros are coming up with inventive, unexpected flavour pairings, others are turning an eye back to the classics.

So say organizers of the largest event dedicated to all things chocolate, the Salon du Chocolat currently taking place in Paris.

The notion of chocolate terroir has become increasingly popular recently, with chocolatiers taking special consideration of the source of their cocoa.

For example, Ecuadorian cocoa is grown under banana and mango trees yielding chocolate with hints of tropical fruit. Because Madagascan cocoa, meanwhile, is more acidic, chocolate sourced from that region pairs well with fruit like red berries.

Meanwhile, there's a no-holds-barred attitude that's taking hold of daring, imaginative chocolatiers who are using the confectionery as a flavour vehicle for bold spices like saffron, Nepalese pepper, pink peppercorn, Espelette pepper, and punchy, pungent Indian spices.

Gourmet chocolate manufacturer Cacobean Chocolatier, for instance, sells soft-filled bonbons flavoured with Indian spices like cumin, cardamom, clove and mace, while Belgium-based Neuhaus sells a dark chocolate praline spiced with nigella, a mild Indian spice also known as black cumin.

Reinventing chocolate with local ingredients and flavours is particularly strong in Japan, where annual sales are rising by 25 per cent.

For example, Japanese chocolatiers are giving the confectionery familiar flavour twists with notes of matcha tea, yuzu and sesame seeds.

Summer and winter collections, meanwhile, may mean pairing chocolate with seasonal flavours like fruit, flowers and herbs for summer, and pralines, dried fruits and caramel for winter.

And while some are constantly trying to push the boundaries, others are mastering old classics like truffles, milles-feuilles and chocolate macarons.

The Salon du Chocolat runs until November 4 in Paris. — AFP-Relaxnews

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

Safarova leads Czechs to Fed Cup glory

Posted: 04 Nov 2012 07:23 AM PST

Czech Republic's Lucie Safarova returns a ball to Serbia's Ana Ivanovic during their final match of the Fed Cup tennis tournament in Prague, November 3, 2012. — Reuters pic

PRAGUE, Nov 4 — The Czech Republic reclaimed the Fed Cup after Lucie Safarova thumped Serbia's Jelena Jankovic to give the home team an unbeatable 3-1 lead.

Left-hander Safarova, the word number 17, broke Jankovic's opening serve before winning 6-1 6-1 in front of a 14,000 capacity crowd at Prague's O2 Arena. She had won only one of their previous six encounters.

"It is impossible to describe how great this feeling is, because it is at home," Safarova said.

"I played unbelievably well. This was one of those days when everything you touch works out well. I really wanted to win and I am very happy."

"Jelena is a great player but I was very focused and solid, it was one of my best matches... one of my best five games."

Safarova's form contrasted with her two losses in last year's final against Russia and compensated for Petra Kvitova, who had stumbled in her return singles earlier today.

Kvitova lost 6-3 7-5 to Ana Ivanovic who kept alive Serbia's hopes of winning their debut Fed Cup.

World number eight Kvitova had been expected to hand the Czechs an unbeatable 3-0 lead but former French Open winner Ivanovic produced an inspired display.

The 24-year old Serb took the first point for Serbia with a forehand winner on her third match point.

"I knew today I would be playing better and I started swinging from the beginning and worked well for me. (Kvitova) started swinging again (in the second set), getting few winners down the lines, but I managed to stay calm," she said.

Kvitova said she had felt healthy after but lacked power.

"I did not have a lot of energy. At the beginning I was being much too hectic, I wanted to take the final point in this tie," she said.

"Ana played very well, aggressively, I only could play a few shots in rallies, that is why I made errors and she took the winners."

The Fed Cup title is the Czechs seventh overall including the former Czechoslovakia The Czechs are hoping to complete a double when the men's team take on Spain in the Davis Cup final later this month. — Reuters

Chinese 14-year-old earns ticket to US Masters

Posted: 04 Nov 2012 07:18 AM PST

Winner Guan Tianlang of China (left) holds a certificate of invitation to the 2013 US Masters Tournament as runner-up Pan Chung-Tseng of Taiwan poses with a certificate of entry to International Final Qualifying for the Open Championship, during the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Amata Spring Country Club in Chonburi, November 4, 2012. — Reuters pic

SEOUL, Nov 4 — Guan Tianlang is poised to become the youngest golfer to play at the US Masters after the Chinese 14-year-old won the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in Thailand today.

Teenage hot-shot Guan earned an invitation to the 2013 Masters at Augusta after firing an even-par 71 to win by one stroke from Taiwan's Pan Chung-Tseng at Amata Spring Country Club.

Pan shot a final-round 65 but Guan hung on to claim a memorable victory with a 15-under total of 269.

Australia's Oliver Goss, who finished third a further shot adrift, told AAP that Guan was "too young to be intimidated".

When Guan tees it up at Augusta in April he will beat the previous record set by Italy's Matteo Manassero, who was 16 when he played at the year's first major in 2010.

Guan is quickly establishing himself as Asia's latest golf sensation, becoming the youngest player to compete at a European Tour event at the China Open earlier this year.

Japan's Ryo Ishikawa and South Korean Noh Seung-yul both burst onto the scene while still at school, blazing a trail for the next generation of Asian golfers.Ishikawa, 21, has nine Japanese Tour wins to his name, his first coming as a 15-year-old, while Noh, also 21, captured a European Tour title at the co-sanctioned Malaysian Open in 2010. — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

George Town Festival: Penangites have their say!

Posted: 04 Nov 2012 02:49 AM PST

he open call by George Town Festival at China House saw a steady stream of local talents sharing their ideas and showcasing their talents. — Pictures by KE Ooi

GEORGE TOWN, Nov 4 – Some sang, others danced and then there were those who just spoke from their hearts.

Joe Sidek: There will be more open calls and audition in the weeks to come.

A steady stream of artistes and ordinary Penangites turned up yesterday afternoon at George Town Festival's (GTF) open call for ideas and suggestions for the festival.

Holding the open call and audition at The Canteen, China House was probably a great way to get local talents to share their creativity in the open as many of them turned up, some with musical accompaniment, some with proper proposals and some empty handed. They sang, danced or presented their ideas off the cuff.

"The response has been encouraging as we are getting a lot of creative ideas from those who turned up," said festival director Joe Sidek.

He said holding it at a public open space encourages more people to come as most of them were too shy or reluctant to go to the GTF office to submit their proposals.

"It is encouraging to see so many people turning up to share their ideas and showcase their talents," says Joe.

"This is really great. We want GTF to be a community event that involves the community and all these people coming to give their input was a great way to get them personally involved in the whole festival," he said.

Among the many acts and ideas at the open call was a percussion ensemble using garbage can lids, a dancing flash mob, photography booths and Teochew theatre performances to promote the dying dialect.

"We are very happy to be getting all sorts of people from all walks of life, from 18-year-old youths to 70-year-old senior citizens, turning up with their ideas and presenting their special talents," Joe said.

One of those who turned up was 73-year-old Gafoor Khan.

"I saw the open call on The Malaysian Insider so I immediately typed up a proposal and came here to present it," he said.

He proposed performances that bring three generations together to promote a better understanding and to close the gap between the different generations.

"When we look at performances, there is this bond between the performer and the audience so my proposal is to create this bond, not only between the performer and the audience, but to have three generations on stage and to bond them together," he said.

His idea is to have performances by families where the grandparents, parents and children all come together.

Yesterday's open call is just the first as GTF plans to have more open calls in the weeks to come.

"We are just going to keep receiving all these proposals and ideas up to the festival," said Joe.

The next festival starts on June 7 and it promises to be another spectacular display of George Town's unique arts, culture and heritage through performances, activities and exhibitions throughouth a one-month period.

Anyone else with ideas and proposals can go to georgetownfestival.com and pitch their proposals there or stay tuned for another open call coming up soon.

Gafoor Khan presenting his idea at the open call at China House.jpg

National sports networks scrum for US ad dollars, viewers

Posted: 04 Nov 2012 01:24 AM PDT

US. tennis sisters Serena (left) and Venus with children they are coaching at a clinic at the Arthur Ashe Tennis Academy in Soweto, South Africa, November 3, 2012. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, Nov 4 — Media companies from NBC and Fox to Al-Jazeera are digging deep into their wallets to build new national sports networks and grab a slice of the lucrative market dominated by Walt Disney Co's sports juggernaut ESPN.

The networks are chasing the big advertising dollars that flow into live sports programming, plus monthly subscription fees paid by cable operators that are far higher than those for other channels.

Just this week, NBC Sports Network outbid Fox for the rights to air England's Premier League football. The reported US$250 million (RM762 million) NBC will pay is more than three times what Fox had been paying.

NBC Sports Network is expected to be joined by Fox, which plans to convert its car-racing channel Speed to the wide-ranging Fox Sports in the third quarter of next year, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.

CBS entered the competition in April 2011 when it launched the CBS Sports Network with programming including qualifying matches of the US Open tennis tournament, college basketball games and a Monday night football show anchored by former NFL quarterbacks who provide colour commentary.

Nickelback singer Chad Kroeger performs during the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix after-race concert at the du Arena on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi, November 3, 2012. — Reuters pic

With more than US$8 billion a year in fees and ad sales, according to SNL Kagan, ESPN remains the giant in the marketplace. The network has cable rights for many major sports events locked up for years.

But consumers' seemingly bottomless appetite for sports programming and advertisers eager for more live events was fuelling the challengers, said Ed Desser, president of sports consulting firm Desser Sports Media.

"It sets up some very meaningful competition for second place" behind ESPN, Desser said.

NBC Sports Network

The England Premier League deal is intended to bring more viewers to the NBC Sports Network, a fledgling cable sports channel that will carry most of the English-language matches.

Formerly known as Versus and the Outdoor Life Network, the network owned by cable giant Comcast Corp drew its biggest audiences this summer by airing Olympic events such as women's football but is grappling with a work stoppage in the National Hockey League that leaves it without a marquee sport.

NBC Sports Network is available in 80 million homes, and receives an average monthly fee of 31 cents per subscriber from cable operators. ESPN commands US$5 a month and another 68 cents a month for its ESPN 2, according to SNL Kagan.

CBS began plotting its entry into the national sports derby when it paid US$325 million in 2005 for the cable channel College Sports Television. Last year, it renamed the channel CBS Sports Network with the intention of creating a national sports cable channel.

The network is now in 50 million homes, up from 13 million subscribers, when CBS first bought the college sports channel.

David Berson, president of CBS Sports Network, says the channel intends to aggressively go after sports rights that become available. Getting more prize sports would allow CBS to charge more for the channel and expand to more homes, he said.

"Sports fans have a greater appetite for sports content and we intend to try to fill it," he says. "If something comes up we intend to aggressively bid on it, within the confines of what makes business sense for CBS."

Even Al-Jazeera, the top news network in the Arab world, is getting into the game stateside. Its 24-hour US sports network "beIN SPORT" launched over the summer and has bought broadcast TV rights for football leagues in France and Spain. On November 2, Time Warner Cable announced it will carry the channel, while Dish Network and DirecTV already have deals with it.

Sports juggernaut

Even before the rush of new 24-hour national sports channels, ESPN executives say they faced strong competition from broadcast and regional cable channels when bidding for rights. The network, seen in 98 million homes, has its major rights secured through multi-year deals with the NFL, Major League Baseball, Wimbledon and the big college football conferences.

"We like our position," said ESPN spokesman Chris LaPlaca.

The entrance of new players suggests more people "recognise what we have long known: the power of live sports, especially in light of technological advances, is substantial and brings tremendous value in today's entertainment landscape", he said.

To preserve their deals, ESPN and others are fending off competition by locking up rights early. ESPN last summer signed a deal to air college football's Rose Bowl until 2026.

The glut of sports channels seeking higher subscriber fees are certain to inflame tensions with cable operators who complain about the already high payments they are required to charge customers who don't watch sports.

Time Warner Cable and Cablevision held out for 10 years before they signed a carriage deal with the NFL Network. Customers of DirecTV and Dish were unable to see the Los Angeles' Lakers early season games because the satellite operators refused to pay the monthly US$3.95 fee charged for two Time Warner Cable sports channels.

Major advertisers such as General Motors, whose brands Buick and Chevrolet sponsor Major League Baseball, the NFL and NCAA basketball, are rooting for the rookie sports channels.

"It gives us more options to get in front of consumers," GM spokesman Tom Henderson said. "That creates a challenge for you because you have to then prioritise and make sure you're in the right place at the right time."

Advertisers see a potential home run if the proliferation of sports networks lower advertising rates as ad inventory starts to outstrip demand, said Sam Sussman, sports activation director at media-buying firm Starcom USA.

Having more games on TV means more viewers tune in to sports overall, but that average ratings per sports telecast could fall as audiences are split among competing events, he said.

"While choice is good from a buyer's perspective," he said, "I do worry about fragmentation and saturation." — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Breaking Views

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The Malaysian Insider :: Breaking Views

China wraps up key meeting with Bo Xilai expulsion

Posted: 04 Nov 2012 07:57 AM PST

File photo of ousted Chinese leadeer Bo Xilai. — Reuters pic

BEIJING, Nov 4 — Chinese leaders ended a key closed-door conclave on Sunday with a decision to formally expel disgraced politician Bo Xilai from the Communist Party, in a meeting which also promoted two senior military men and approved the party constitution's amendment.

The secretive four-day meeting of 365 senior party officials ratified an earlier decision to expel Bo, former Chongqing party boss, as well as Liu Zhijun, one-time railway minister, sacked last year for "serious disciplinary violations", state news agency Xinhua said.

Bo and Liu can now be expected to face criminal charges and a trial.

The party plenum comes just days before the opening of a congress in Beijing on Nov. 8 that will usher in a generational leadership change, which has been overshadowed by a scandal with Bo, who had once been a contender for top office himself.

The government accused Bo in September of corruption and of bending the law to hush up his wife's murder of a British businessman. While she has since been jailed, Bo has yet to be formally charged.

Liu was fired early last year over corruption charges. His reputation was further marred after a train crash in China a few months later killed 40 people. Although the accident happened after Liu's dismissal, the government said he was primarily responsible as safety standards at the rail ministry had slipped under his watch.

Xinhua provided no other details of either case, in a report full of turgid Communist terminology designed to curtain-raise the congress, at which President Hu Jintao will hand over his party duties to anointed successor Xi Jinping.

Top military appointments

Another announcement from the plenum was the appointments of two new chairmen to the party's powerful Central Military Commission that oversees the People's Liberation Army and China's rapid defence modernisation efforts.

Former air force commander Xu Qiliang and Fan Changlong, the head of the important Jinan military region which oversees large parts of eastern China, will join that body, Xinhua said. Sources had told Reuters that Xu had been tipped to do so.

The plenum also approved an amendment to the party charter, Xinhua said.

It did not identify the change, but there has been speculation the party may strip out mention of the ideology of late paramount leader Mao Zedong, known as "M a o Zedong Thought".

The plenum communique did not mention Mao, marking at least the third time the party has subtly dropped references to Mao since October, a move that was seen by some as sending a signal about the party's intent on reform.

In the past five years the party has "withstood the trials of numerous difficulties and risks", but has managed to maintain stable and relatively fast economic growth and rising living standards, the statement said.

The official report on the meeting otherwise shed little light on what of substance was discussed, including possible preparations for the long-expected succession and prospects for economic growth, which slowed a little in the third quarter.

Plenums are annual gatherings of the Central Committee, the largest of the party's top decision-making bodies, to approve broad decisions on the direction of government policy.

In China, power resides in the party elite and meetings of the Central Committee also offer chances for provincial chieftains to make known their policies and press for promotion.

The blueprint from the plenum will be presented to parliament for formal approval in March. — Reuters

Thousands of Russian nationalists rally against Putin

Posted: 04 Nov 2012 07:27 AM PST

A man wearing a wolf's pelt beats a drum during a nationalists' "Russian March" demonstration on National Unity Day in Moscow November 4, 2012. — Reuters pic

MOSCOW, Nov 4 — Thousands of black-clad Russian nationalists marched through central Moscow on Sunday, marking a "National Unity Day" holiday created by Vladimir Putin by calling for an end to his rule and voicing hostility to ethnic minorities.

Putin instituted the holiday in 2005 to replace the annual Soviet-era celebration of the Bolshevik revolution. But civil rights activists say his own flirtation with ethnic nationalism has stoked a rise in far-right violence, and is partly to blame for the hijacking of the holiday by hardline militants.

The marchers, mainly young men with closely cropped hair in black leather jackets, shouted "Russia without Putin" and anti-immigrant slogans, carrying Russian Orthodox icons, waving imperial flags and chanting "Russia for Russians".

Police said 6,000 people turned out under grey skies for Sunday's far-right rally, which was given official permission for the first time to march through the heart of Moscow.

Many expressed hostility to migrants from Russia's own mainly Muslim southern regions and other parts of the former Soviet Union, saying Russia should tighten its visa requirements and bolster domestic restrictions on internal migration.

"All the jobs go to newcomers, that's why I think the aim of this march is to get Russian jobs to Russians," Igor, a protester who refused to give his last name and hid his face behind a medical mask, told Reuters.

The newly-reconstituted holiday commemorates a Moscow uprising against Polish-Lithuanian occupation 400 years ago. Putin marked it at an event flanked by leaders of the Russian Orthodox Christian church and the three other faiths the Kremlin regards as traditional in Russia - Islam, Buddhism and Judaism.

"People united their forces in the name of Russia, in name of the Motherland, rising above class, national, religious and other differences," Putin said after laying a wreath at a Red Square monument. "People freed Moscow and the country from the occupiers and those who sold and betrayed Russia."

Putin has begun a new, six-year presidential term this year after mass rallies against him led by liberals, the biggest signs of discontent since he came to power on millennium eve.

Sunday's march was mostly calm although some protesters made Nazi-style salutes and set off smoke bombs. Police said 25 were detained for wearing swastika arm-bands and trenchcoats.

Others had red, black and yellow pre-revolutionary flags and some marched behind large icons, highlighting the church's role as a marker of national identity.

Many risked fines under a new law banning masks at rallies - covering their noses and mouths with scarves and nationalist flags, although not the black ski masks that characterised demonstrators at previous right wing "Russian Marches".

Russian law restricts the right of provincials to live and work in Moscow, but unemployment pushes many to seek jobs in the capital, including members of ethnic minorities from Russia's poor and violence-prone mostly Muslim regions in the North Caucasus and from other ex-Soviet states.

Lev Gudkov, head of independent pollster the Levada Center, said nearly half of Muscovites oppose immigration.

Compromising blow

Moscow mayor's office approved the march despite an open letter on Friday by an advocacy group for migrants' rights calling for the rally to be banned.

"We have more than once seen cases of mass beatings and even the murder of foreign citizens on this day," the head of the Federation of Russian Migrants, Mohammad Amin Madzhumder, wrote.

"The March may deal a compromising blow to Moscow's image as welcoming, multi-ethnic city."

Outside the capital, police said they detained 90 people who attempted to hold an unsanctioned rally in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg, 50 in the central Russian city of Kazan and 40 in Nizhny Novogorod.

Putin has promoted nationalism to help fill an ideological void left by the collapse of Communist rule in 1991 and feed his vision of a resurgent Russia, emboldened by booming oil revenues, during two terms as president from 2000 until 2008.

But Russia's nationalists now feel he has betrayed them by welcoming migrant labourers and sending billions of dollars in subsidies to the majority Muslim regions of the North Caucasus.

Right-wing activists who once backed the Kremlin have joined liberals and leftists in a nascent, patchwork protest movement fed by popular anger over corruption, failing social services and allegations of vote fraud denied by the authorities.

Five nationalists won seats on an opposition council chosen in an online vote last month, and Putin's most prominent foe, anti-graft blogger Alexei Navalny, regularly attends right-wing marches - though he had come down with the flu on Sunday.

"They hear us only when there are a lot of us, when we take to the streets," said Vladimir Tor, one of the march organisers, a former leader of a banned right wing group, the Movement Against Illegal Immigrants (NAII).

"Our democratic system is ruined," he said. "The Russian people need to unite and create their own civil society." — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

Simian sex: Monkey seen, monkey doesn’t

Posted: 04 Nov 2012 05:36 AM PST

PARIS, Nov 4 — Monkeys are just like the vast majority of human beings when it comes to sex — when they go ape, they want privacy.

Among long-tailed macaques, the urge for hanky-panky was dampened when they were watched by other monkeys. — AFP/Relaxnews

Among long-tailed macaques, the urge for hanky-panky was dampened when they were watched by other monkeys, according to an unusual experiment reported in the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology.

Scientists from the Biomedical Primate Research Centre in the Netherlands monitored 15 female and seven male macaques in a giant enclosure for four months.

They installed everything for perfect love-making — the simian equivalents of Barry White, satin sheets and mirrored ceilings.

The monkeys had tyres and ladders for courting rituals, sawdust bedding, tasty offerings of fruit to replenish lost energy and even a swimming pool for chillout time.

But the animals' main requirement was a quiet spot, to avoid interference from other monkeys, especially dominant alpha males.

"By concealing sexual behaviour, females and subordinate males try to reduce harassment from group members," Anna Overduin-de Vries said in an email to AFP.

"Although harassment is not frequent, it may have serious consequences such as getting injured or not being able to finish a copulation." — AFP/Relaxnews

Is organic food better? The jury is still out

Posted: 04 Nov 2012 05:09 AM PST

WASHINGTON, Nov 4 — The debate over whether organic food is better for our health and worth its higher price keeps raging on as the conclusion of four decades of studies seems far from clear.

The debate over whether organic food is better for our health and worth its higher price keeps raging on in the United States. — AFP/Relaxnews

The controversy was back in the news last month when a large-scale study by researchers from Stanford University in the United States found organic foods no more nutritious than conventional products, although they did have fewer traces of pesticides.

Researchers, who reviewed 237 different studies, did not find organic meats were healthier either.

"When we began this project, we though that there would likely be some findings that would support the superiority of organic over conventional food," said Dr Dena Bravata of Stanford University, lead author of the study.

"We were definitely surprised it's not the case."

Researchers said they found conventional fruits and vegetables had more pesticide residues than their organic equivalents but that the trace pesticide levels were almost always within the range authorities allow.

In 2011, researchers at Britain's Newcastle University reached different conclusions when they did a meta-analysis of combined data from the same 237 studies, which were done over the course of four decades.

Their research, which did not generate much attention, found non-genetically modified and pesticide-free fruits and vegetables had better nutritional value: among the standout findings, that they contain more vitamin C than conventional fruits and vegetables.

And so the lack of decisive conclusions to be drawn led to an interesting development.

The American Academy of Paediatrics on October 22 announced that no scientific study had been proven organic foods to be healthier. It recommended in a report that children eat a wide variety of fruits and vegetables — whether they are organic or not.

"In the long term, there is currently no direct evidence that consuming an organic diet leads to improved health or lower risk of disease," it said.

It was a potentially important idea, as many parents would like their children and especially babies to eat organic fruits and vegetables, but their high cost can be prohibitive for most. The market in organic foods is already worth US$31 billion (RM93 billion) a year — and surging by 10 per cent every year.

"We do not want families to choose to consume smaller amounts of more expensive organic foods and thus reduce their overall intake of healthy foods like produce," Janet Silverstein of the American Academy of Pediatrics said last week.

"What's most important is that children eat a healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat or fat-free dairy products, whether those are conventional or organic foods," she said. "This type of diet has proven health benefits."

The report nonetheless found the studies indicated lower presence of trace pesticides in organic foods, while organic beef had fewer antibiotic resistant bacteria.

David Haytowitz, a nutritionist at the US Department of Agriculture, stressed that comparing organic and conventional products was complicated.

"It is very difficult to make a comparison because there are so many variables affecting the nutrient content of a crop... the growing location, the controlled practices etc.," he stressed.

So "unless you do a peer study where you plant a particular crop organic and conventional side by side and be sure there is no cross contamination," the comparison really is not a simple one.

David Schardt, chief nutritionist at the Centre for Science in the Public Interest, however said that could be beside the point. In his view, Americans choose organic foods for a range of reasons.

"Most people who start eating organic food do so to avoid pesticide or other contaminants in the food," Schardt told AFP.

That makes sense to Christine Bushway, head of the Organic Trade Association.

"Even though the pesticide and contaminants in conventional food remain technically at safe levels it still make sense for those families with kids or with expecting mothers to avoid them and... choose organic," he stressed.

"The (Stanford report) says organic food has 30 per cent less pesticide and that is what the consumers is concerned about," she said. — AFP/Relaxnews

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

Hudud dan masyarakat Cina

Posted: 03 Nov 2012 06:23 PM PDT

4 NOV — Pendedahan tinjauan pendapat yang dijalankan oleh Pusat Kajian Demokrasi dan Pilihan Raya, UMCEDEL mengenai pemahaman masyarakat Cina terhadap hudud baru-baru ini, nyata membuka mata ramai pihak.

Tinjauan tersebut mendapati, terdapat peningkatan sokongan masyarakat Cina terhadap pelaksanaan hukum hudud di Malaysia.

Lebih signifikan, bilangan peratusan mereka yang menerima pelaksanaan hukum hudud di negara ini meningkat dari 12 peratus dalam tinjauan terdahulu kepada 24 peratus dalam tinjauan terbaru.

Ini merupakan peningkatan sebanyak 12 peratus. Manakala peratusan masyarakat Cina yang tidak pasti dengan hudud telah menurun daripada 38 peratus sebelum ini kepada hanya 25 peratus.

Apa yang menarik mengenai tinjauan pendapat tersebut ialah generasi muda Cina telah mempamerkan kecenderungan untuk memahami pelaksanaan hudud berbanding golongan yang lanjut usia.

Kesemua hasil tinjauan pendapat UMCEDEL itu jelas menidakkan tanggapan selama ini bahawa masyarakat Cina mempunyai persepsi serong terhadap hudud.

Pastinya, pendedahan oleh UMCEDEL ini bakal mengundang perasaan gundah-gulana kepada parti MCA yang begitu lantang membantah pelaksanaan hudud. Persoalannya, apakah pucuk pimpinan MCA di bawah kendalian Datuk Seri Dr. Chua Soi Lek akan memberi perhatian kepada kajian ini atau meneruskan agenda untuk menentang hudud dan menolak bulat-bulat kajian itu?

Sekalipun bilangan responden Cina yang ditemuramah oleh UMCEDEL tidak sebanyak mana, namun bilangan kecil responden juga mewakili suara hati akar umbi.

Nyata, beberapa mesej tersirat dapat disimpulkan menerusi tinjauan pendapat itu. Antaranya, masyarakat Cina kini sudah makin celik dan berpengetahuan. Berbekalkan pengetahuan yang dimiliki dan ditambah pula dengan pendedahan terhadap ICT, maka tidak mustahil orang Cina tidak akan menerima sebarang propaganda secara membuta-tuli.

Orang Cina juga menghantar mesej kepada MCA bahawa hudud bukanlah isu utama yang dibimbangi mereka. Sebaliknya, isu-isu yang bersifat seharian seperti jenayah, rasuah, kos sara hidup dan keselamatan yang mendominasi pemikiran mereka.

Dalam keadaan ekonomi global yang masih terumbang-ambing, soal kelangsungan hidup makin kuat kedengaran. Jika kita meneliti kembali isu-isu yang mendominasi pada PRU ke-12 lalu, kebanyakan isu yang menjadi tumpuan masyarakat Cina bukannya hudud.

Malah sebagai seorang pengundi, isu-isu yang bersifat seharian inilah yang akan mempengaruhi pertimbangan parti politik yang akan disokong penulis kelak.

Apabila MCA baru-baru ini beria-ia menghentam pelaksanaan hukum hudud atas dasar ia akan mengheret negara ke kancah kemunduran, ada baiknya isu berkenaan tidak dipanaskan sebegitu rupa.

Walaupun bukan beragama Islam, penulis yakin dan percaya ada manfaatnya jika segala kekeliruan dan kecelaruan pihak berkaitan terhadap hudud diperjelaskan dengan sebaik-baiknya.

Oleh itu, penjelasan yang diberikan oleh tokoh-tokoh agama sedikit sebanyak dapat membantu meleraikan kekeliruan yang berbangkit. Walaupun secara prinsipnya MCA tidak akan berkompromi dalam isu hudud, tetapi sekurang-kurangnya dengarlah penjelasan oleh tokoh-tokoh agama terlebih dahulu.

Usahlah membuat tanggapan atau persepsi melulu bahawa hudud adalah negatif dan memudaratkan. Isu agama bukanlah sesuatu yang boleh dibangkitkan secara sewenang-wenangnya.

Apa faedahnya isu ini terus digembar-gemburkan hingga kecoh jadinya di seluruh negara? Mengapa tidak MCA mengambil pendirian yang lebih pragmatik dalam mendidik masyarakat Cina dalam isu hudud?

Dimanakah kewajaran untuk terus bertegas tetapi pada masa yang sama, kefahaman masyarakat Cina terhadap isu itu semakin meningkat? Tidakkah strategi sedemikian hanya memakan diri? Bukankah ini juga bercanggah dengan realiti semasa?

Hidup dalam sebuah masyarakat berbilang kaum dan agama seperti di Malaysia, menuntut kita semua untuk bertoleransi antara satu sama lain. Apa yang tidak difahami dan tidak jelas, maka diperjelaskan kepada golongan yang terbabit.

Tidak rugi untuk MCA mendengar penjelasan tokoh-tokoh agama mengenai hudud. Tidak rugi juga untuk masyarakat Cina mendengar perkara yang sebenarnya. Soal untuk menerima atau membantah hukum hudud, itu soal kedua tetapi kesediaan mendengar itu adalah langkah permulaan yang baik.

Sama ada masyarakat Cina menerima pelaksanaan hudud atau tidak, masih terlalu awal untuk menentukannya. Tetapi apa yang pasti, masyarakat Cina perlu diberi kebebasan untuk menilai apa yang baik dan apa yang tidak baik.

Sebarang bentuk paksaan atau amaran yang dilakukan parti tertentu mungkin memberi kesan yang sebaliknya. Tidak semestinya semua strategi yang digunapakai akan memberi kesan yang dimahukan.

* Pandangan di atas hanyalah pandangan peribadi penulis.

Pasar Seni — dulu dan sekarang

Posted: 03 Nov 2012 05:15 PM PDT

4 NOV — Antara musim yang terbaik bagi saya sebagai seorang anak muda sedang mencari arah hidup adalah sewaktu melepak saban hari di Pasar Seni (Pasar Budaya) pada pertengahan tahun 80an dahulu sehinggalah ke tahun 2005.

Pasar Seni yang yang dinaiktaraf secara rasminya sebagai pusat yang membudayakan kesenian pada pertengahan tahun 80an dahulunya adalah Pasar Basah yang menjual ikan, daging, sayur-sayuran, barangan runcit dan keperluan harian.

Bangunan tersebut mula dibina pada tahun 1888 oleh pihak British dan disiapkan sepenuhnya pada tahun 1937.

Kedudukannya yang terletak di tengah bandar Kuala Lumpur membuatkan ianya unik kerana Pasar Seni tidaklah sama dengan mana-mana kompleks beli belah komersial popular yang terdapat di Kuala Lumpur waktu itu seperti Petaling Street, Kompleks Campbell, Pertama Kompleks, Sungai Wang Plaza mahupun Sogo.

Unik kerana di dalamnya terkandung segala macam bentuk nilai kesenian yang berteraskan kejiwaan tanpa melibatkan banyak kepentingan dan elemen kebendaan. Kemudahan pengangkutan bas dan teksi juga mudah didapati.

Pertama kali ke sana sewaktu ianya dibuka pada 15h April 1986 jiwa saya terus melekat sehingga Pasar Seni itu sudah saya anggap seperti rumah ke dua saya.

Bagi saya dan rakan-rakan yang sama-sama menghabiskan masa di sana, kami anggap Pasar Seni itu adalah sebuah'Universiti Kehidupan'.

Apa istimewanya sangat Pasar Seni pada waktu itu ? Banyak sebab — antaranya di situlah tempat saya dicekup sewaktu sedang busking dengan dengan rakan seperjuangan di ruang pejalan kaki Hang Kasturi oleh para pegawai polis cawangan IPK, lantas digari, diangkut ke dalam van untuk ujian air kencing di lokap pudu pada tahun 2005.

Sempatlah saya bermalam di lokap tersebut selama empat malam sebelum menunggu hasil keputusan ujian dari hospital.

Saya juga memulakan karier busking saya di situ pada tahun 2000 dahulu. Jadi ianya memang tempat yang menemukan saya dengan segala macam rasa suka duka peristiwa dan pengalaman hidup sepanjang bergelar manusia di muka bumi Tuhan ini.

Di dalamnya juga terkandung segala macam perangai dan sikap manusia yang boleh kita tonton.

Ada orang gila, ada orang sihat, ada 1001 macam sikap dan ragam manusia dan yang paling penting terdapat pula sebuah restoran mamak untuk kita melepak minum teh tarik dari siang sampai ke malam bersembang tentang hal-hal dunia dan falsafah semaksimumnya.

Ada aktiviti busking, juga ada geng-geng tiang lampu yang diketuai oleh seniman Sani Sudin, Nasir Jani, Pyanhabib dan geng-geng seniman rabak melalak bersajak menggamit anak-anak muda untuk enjoy dengan persembahan mereka.

Sepanjang saya melepak di sana, memang ramai orang gila mencari jiwa atau jiwa yang tersangkut yang datang. Saya tidak tahu apa yang mereka cari tapi seakan ada sentuhan magnet yang menarik jiwa mereka untuk ke situ.

Mungkin juga saya tergolong di kalangan mereka yang gila itu, saya pun tidak pasti tapi jika sehari saya tidak ke situ terasa macam tak sempurna hidup saya untuk hari itu.

Seperkara yang pasti di situ juga ramai kawan yang sealiran dan itu yang membuatkan Pasar Seni itu tempat perjumpaan yang membahagiakan jiwa.

Teringat saya dalam satu babak dalam filem Little Buddha (1993) arahan Bernardo Bertolucci lakonan Keanu Reeves, yang mana dalam satu babak seorang guru telah membisikkan sesuatu ke telinga anak muridnya yang katanya 'tali itu jika terlalu tegang akan putus, jika terlalu kendur tidak berfungsi pula. Kita perlukan keseimbangan'.

Apabila kita tidak berkepentingan sangat dalam banyak hal-hal dunia saya percaya kita lebih ikhlas dan lebih jujur terhadap diri kita sendiri, mungkin terlalu telus memungkinkah kita tersalah memilih arah samada terang mahu pun gelap. Pun ianya hanyalah sekadar proses semata.

Setiap detik adalah pelajaran dan Pasar Seni secara tidak langsungnya telah membukakan mata dan pengalaman saya dalam mengenal makna hidup dengan lebih jelas dan nyata. Banyak yang saya pelajari sewaktu di situ.

Pasar Seni telah dinaiktaraf sebanyak dua kali iaitu sewaktu pelancarannya pada 15hb April 1986 oleh Menteri di waktu itu Datin Paduka Rafidah Aziz.

Ianya juga telah dinaiktaraf untuk kali ke dua pada 15hb April 2004 dan untuk kali ini saya boleh katakan Pasar seni sudah kurang nilai seninya lagi melainkan penuh dengan elemen materialistik.

Segala ruang di niaga dan dinaikkan kadar sewa sehingga berkali ganda demi untuk memenuhkan kantung para pemodal yang rakus.

Yang menjadi mangsanya adalah para peniaga terutamanya golongan seniman yang melukis sepenuh masa di situ. Kerjaya seni kreatif dari segi untungnya sangat subjektif dan agak bergantung kepada nasib juga.

Ruang lepak di jalan Kasturi yang sebelumnya milik DBKL sudah menjadi sebahagian nadi Pasar Seni. Saban hari tempat itu penuh dengan pihak penguasa dari RELA mahupun Special Branch (SB) yang mengawasi setiap waktu.

Salah satu sebabnya kerana kehadiran para warga asing dari Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal mahupun Bangladesh yang memenuhi kawasan tersebut, maka apabila itu berlaku timbullah segala macam masalah sosial yang berlaku seperti pergaduhan dan kejadian jenayah.

Maka dari sehari ke sehari semakin hilanglah seri Pasar Seni yang sudah ditukar nama Pasar Budaya. Ruang busking untuk anak-anak muda di jalan Kasturi sudah di ubah suai menjadi ruang dereten Kiosk untuk disewakan kepada para peniaga.

Apabila setiap ruang itu adalah ringgit semata maka dari segi nilai artistiknya bagi saya semakin kuranglah melainkan nilai seni yang plastik. Maka itu bagi saya tidak ada bezanya Pasar Seni hari ini dengan Petaling Street mahupun Sungai Wang Plaza yang terletak di Bukit Bintang sana.

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

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

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Najib berlepas ke Laos hadiri ASEM 9

Posted: 04 Nov 2012 01:14 AM PST

SEPANG, 4 Nov — Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak berlepas ke Vientiane, Laos hari ini untuk menghadiri Sidang Kemuncak Asia-Eropah ke-9 (ASEM 9).

Najib diiringi isterinya, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor berlepas dari Kompleks Bunga Raya, Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA) pada 4.15 petang.

Mereka dijangka pulang ke tanah air pada Selasa.

Perdana Menteri akan menyertai 48 pemimpin lain dari Asia dan Eropah pada sidang dua hari itu dengan tema "Rakan untuk Keamanan, Rakan untuk Kemakmuran", bermula esok.

Keanggotaan kumpulan ASEM akan diperluas kepada 51 dengan kemasukan Bangladesh, Norway dan Switzerland di sidang itu.

Pemimpin-pemimpin ASEM dijangka membincangkan isu-isu serantau dan antarabangsa yang menyentuh kepentingan dan keprihatinan bersama termasuk soal

makanan dan keselamatan tenaga, pembangunan mampan, krisis kewangan dan ekonomi.

Selain soal perubahan iklim, respons terhadap bencana alam, kerjasama sosio-budaya dan hala tuju masa depan ASEM.

Najib akan mengadakan rundingan bilateral berasingan dengan Presiden Perancis Francois Hollande, Perdana Menteri Norway Jens Stoltenberg dan Perdana Menteri Pakistan Raja Pervaiz Ashraf di luar persidangan itu. — Bernama

Undang-undang antilompat parti tunjuk pembangkang tidak percaya wakil sendiri

Posted: 04 Nov 2012 01:30 AM PDT

GEORGE TOWN, 4 Nov — Undang-undang antilompat parti yang diluluskan Dewan Undangan Negeri Pulau Pinang pada Khamis lepas jelas menunjukkan pakatan pembangkang tidak yakin dan hilang kepercayaan terhadap wakil rakyatnya sendiri.

Bekas anggota Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Datuk Seri Zahrain Mohamed Hashim berkata undang-undang antilompat parti tidak relevan kerana ia seperti membelakangkan hak wakil rakyat.

"Ini bukan pasal isu lompat parti, tetapi kalau pembawaan parti itu dah menyeleweng, terpulang kepada wakil rakyat nak tinggalkan parti itu," kata anggota Parlimen Bebas kawasan Bayan Baru itu.

Beliau berkata demikian ketika ditanya mengenai Dewan Undangan Negeri Pulau Pinang pada Khamis lalu meluluskan rang undang-undang 'Enakmen Perlembagaan Negeri Pulau Pinang (Pindaan) 2012, bertujuan membanteras amalan melompat parti untuk mendapatkan habuan.

Rang undang-undang itu yang dibentangkan Ketua Menteri Lim Guan Eng dibahaskan dalam tempoh sehari sebelum diluluskan dengan undian dua pertiga.

Zahrain yang ditemui selepas program TP-1Malaysia di Perumahan Desa Permai Indah, Batu Uban di sini hari ini, berkata langkah mewujudkan undang-undang antilompat parti itu mencerminkan Lim takut dengan bayang-bayang sendiri jikalau ada yang ingin menentangnya.

"Saya hairan kenapa mereka sibuk dengan anti hopping (lompat parti)...di Sabah apabila ada orang lompat (parti) mereka (pakatan pembangkang) terima dengan tangan terbuka. Ini hipokrasi yang besar," katanya.

Katanya politik seharusnya merupakan platform memperjuangkan nasib rakyat tetapi DAP telah menjadi platform yang berkhidmat untuk Lim. Ditanya sama ada beliau akan bertanding untuk mempertahankan kerusi Bayan Baru pada pilihan raya umum ke-13, Zahrain berkata beliau bersedia bertanding namun keputusan itu terserah kepada Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. — Bernama

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Ahad, 4 November 2012