Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

---

How top restaurants are ringing in the New Year Posted: 15 Dec 2012 07:16 AM PST Bubbly will be on the menu at gourmet New Year's celebrations around the world. – shutterstock.com LOS ANGELES, Dec 15 – From a sideshow troupe of ladies to a Spanish masquerade party, a boozy 10-course cocktail menu, and more post-Christmas feasting, here's a look at some of the top dining and party destinations for ringing in the New Year. At The Aviary, Grant Achatz's avant-garde bar in Chicago, an exclusive group of 75 guests will be privy to what sounds like a burlesque-like circus show complete with a male belly dancer – billed as the best in Chicago – a magician, 'musical storytellers', and a female troupe of entertainers called 'Cirque de la Femme.' Guests will wash down their entertainment with a 10-course specialty cocktail menu paired with bites for US$325. At The Roof Gardens in London, a private members-only club owned by splashy Virgin tycoon Richard Branson, revellers will be greeted with a mini bottle of champagne on arrival and a fireworks display from the rooftop venue located a hundred feet above Kensington High Street in central London. At double Michelin-starred restaurant Amber in Hong Kong, chef Richard Ekkebus is hosting an eight-course meal that includes a live jazz band, caviar, foie gras, line-caught sea bass and Kagoshima Wagyu beef, and ends with Tasmanian cherries, yuzu soufflé and petits fours for HK$4,088 (RM1,611). Meanwhile, in New York, David Chang's Momofuku restaurants and Daniel Boulud's DBGB will also be throwing end-of-the-year festivities. At Chang's Má Pêche and noodle bar, for instance, guests will dine on whole and fried chickens and rice, while ssäm bar will serve whole rotisserie duck for between US$100 (RM305.50) and US$150. Boulud's French-style brasserie DBGB will also be open New Year's Eve for revellers looking for a casual, low-key evening that includes its house-made sausages, shellfish platters, and selection of 22 draft beers. And over at José Andrés' restaurant The Bazaar in Los Angeles, revellers are invited to partake in a Spanish Masquerade Ball, where guests will dine incognito in masks, sipping on cava, Liquid Nitrogen Caipirinhas and tapas. Tickets for the New Year's event are US$250. – AFP/Relaxnews

Moon phases and stag’s bladders: winemaking does wacky Posted: 15 Dec 2012 04:11 AM PST POMMARD, France, Dec 15 — The sun is setting and the slopes of the Cote d'Or are soaking up the last few rays of the day. A waning moon has just appeared to the east. A winemaker sprays a biodynamic preparation on his vineyards in Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu on November 12, 2012. — AFP-Relaxnews pic It is the ideal time for some of Burgundy's celebrated vines to be given a feed of a dung-based compound that has spent most of the last year fermenting in buried cow horns. On another day on another estate, it could be a herbal tea made with lavender, sage or lemongrass that is applied in the hope of getting a little extra concentration in the grapes the vines will yield a little less than a year from now. Or maybe some vegetable compost macerated in a stag's bladder might do the trick. Welcome to the wacky world of biodynamic wine-making, a system that, for all its association with esoteric New Ageism, has been around for the best part of a century and has already been adopted by some of the world's leading producers. Alone in a valley bedecked in autumnal splendour, Didier Montchovet carefully soaks his cherished 12 hectares with a fine spray of "500" - the dung/horn cocktail that is one of the emblematic recipes of the biodynamic movement. Whatever the choice of fertiliser, it's an absolute no-no to splash it on without first having checked the alignment of the stars and consulted a Zodiac chart to establish the most auspicious moment for application. The roots of this unorthodox approach to agricultural production lie in the theoretical work of Rudolf Steiner, an Austrian philosopher now best known for inspiring the educational system that bears his name. Steiner did not personally come up with the stag's bladder recipe, but he did advise a group of farmers that they might have success by adopting a holistic approach to their land that involved eliminating the use of pesticides and timing sowing, weeding, and harvesting with reference to perceived lunar and planetary influences on plant growth. "There are some very esoteric elements to his writing," admits Montchovet. "For example, he suggests considering the influence of Mars on a plant, which I must admit is beyond me." For winemakers like Montchovet however, what goes in the bottle is more important than what went on to the page in 1920s Austria. "It is exactly like homeopathy or osteopathy, you either believe or you don't," acknowledges Pierre Vincent, the head winemaker at Domaine de la Vougeraie, a boutique Burgundian estate that shares its enthusiasm for biodynamics with the world famous Domaine de la Romanee-Conti. Estates like these are focused on export sales, command top prices and are on good terms with their bank managers. Everything about their operations is planned, objective, rational. Except when it comes to looking after the vines. "There is no doubt Steiner had an inexplicable gift," adds Vincent. "It is a good thing when people from an outside milieu bring a different vision. When you think about it, it makes sense, particularly when you see how modern agriculture has become dependent on the chemical industry." Albert Bichot, one of Burgundy's bigger merchant houses, is considering the leap of faith involved in switching its production, to biodynamics. "We've all had a scientific training, a Cartesian education," says Christophe Chauvel, one of Bichot's winemakers. "Biodynamics don't correspond to anything we learnt in school." And that is exactly the point, according to Luc Charlier, a doctor turned 'vigneron' in the southern French region of Roussillon. Like many sceptics, Charlier believes the success of biodynamic estates can be explained by the care and time their owners dedicate to tending their vines. "As far as wine is concerned, Steiner's theories amount to a collection of platitudes," he said. Supporters are unlikely to be convinced, but it is perhaps a sign of lingering doubts that few estates actively promote themselves as biodynamic producers. "In the end, they all want to be judged by the results rather than the method," explains Joelle Brouard, a marketing lecturer at Dijon's business school. "Fundamentally it is not based on commercial considerations. It is a philosophy: a vision of what wine should be and man's relationship with nature." — AFP-Relaxnews

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Food To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

---

Aguero leads Manchester City to 3-1 win at Newcastle Posted: 15 Dec 2012 06:51 AM PST Manchester City's Sergio Aguero (C) reacts after Yaya Toure (unseen) scored against Newcastle United during their English Premier League soccer match in Newcastle, northern England December 15, 2012. — Reuters pic LONDON, Dec 15 —  A clinical early strike by Argentine Sergio Aguero helped champions Manchester City beat Newcastle United 3-1 on Saturday and cut Manchester United's Premier League lead to three points. United, who can restore their advantage to six points when they host struggling Sunderland in a later kickoff, have 39 points to City's 36. Third-placed Chelsea, on 29, will have a game in hand due to the European champions playing the Club World Cup final in Japan on Sunday. City, determined to come back strongly after the bitter disappointment of losing 3-2 to local rivals United in stoppage time last weekend, were a goal up after 10 minutes at St James' Park. Ivorian midfielder Yaya Toure split the defence with a superb pass to find Samir Nasri, adjudged to be just onside, who rolled the ball back for striker Aguero to stroke home. Nasri, mockingly described by City manager Roberto Mancini as only half a man in the defensive wall that failed to keep out Robin van Persie's winner last Sunday, did his best to make amends with a spirited but short-lived performance. The French playmaker smacked the ball against the post in the 20th, with Tim Krul off his line and well beaten, but then limped off after 37 minutes following a heavy challenge by Davide Santon. Javi Garcia headed City's second two minutes later, the Spaniard climbing high to meet a corner that Santon might have cleared off the line had the Italian defender not been completely wrong-footed. City, with no room for Mario Balotelli even on the bench after Mancini said the mercurial Italian needed to train more, looked in control until Demba Ba got Newcastle back into the match with a powerful header six minutes after the break. The goal, after Newcastle defender Fabricio Coloccini hooked the ball high into the box when a corner was cleared, was the Senegal striker's 11th in the league this season. It spurred a Newcastle revival that could easily have seen the scores levelled. However, a 78th minute strike from Toure to calm City's nerves with the Ivorian poking the ball through the home defence off an angled cross from Pablo Zabaleta. Defeat for Newcastle left them in danger of tipping into the relegation places, with the club two points above the drop zone with a haul of 17 points from 17 matches, and increased the pressure on manager Alan Pardew. — Reuters

Kosovo wants FIFA membership in bid to play friendlies Posted: 15 Dec 2012 06:11 AM PST BERNE (Kosovo), Dec 15 — Kosovo's football federation (FFK), disappointed at failing to get FIFA approval to play friendly internationals at senior level, said it would now push for membership of soccer's world governing body. FIFA's executive committee agreed on Friday to allow teams from its member associations to play Kosovo sides at "youth, amateur, women's and club football" level. However, it made no mention of Kosovo's request to play at senior international level. "The FIFA executive committee decision is an important decision because it recognises Kosovo's role and participation in international football," said FFK president Fadil Vokkri in a statement sent to Reuters. "We will make the best out of it for the good of our players, teams and clubs. "But that decision is disappointing and not fully satisfactory because it seems to exclude the top national team for unexplained reasons." Kosovo had not previously requested FIFA membership, but Vokkri said that had now changed. "The FFK will present its request for affiliation to FIFA which is the logical step since the majority of the United Nations member states, 97, have recognised Kosovo," it said. "One hundred and eighteen of FIFA's 209 member associations represent countries and territories having recognised Kosovo, meeting the criteria defined in... the FIFA statutes for the affiliation." FIFA agreed in principle to allow Kosovo to play friendlies last May but, following opposition from Serbia and UEFA president Michel Platini, has dallied over how to implement the ruling. In September, Albania captain Lorik Cana and Swiss internationals Xherdan Shaqiri, Granit Xhaka and Velon Behrami were among several Kosovo-born players who sent a declaration to FIFA backing the FFK's campaign. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 but has not yet won recognition from the United Nations. On membership, FIFA statutes state: "Any association which is responsible for organising and supervising football in its country may become a member of FIFA. In this context, the expression "country" shall refer to an independent state recognised by the international community." However, countries can only join FIFA if they are first members of a regional confederation and UEFA only accepts applications from countries which are recognized by the United Nations. — Reuters

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Sports To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

---

‘Hobbit’ director despairs of iPad movie-watchers Posted: 15 Dec 2012 01:48 AM PST LONDON, Dec 15 – "The Hobbit" director Peter Jackson said recently that the future of cinema lay in 3D spectaculars on supersize screens, and that he hated the idea of people watching his latest movie on an iPad. Speaking alongside stars of the epic fantasy including Martin Freeman and Ian McKellen at a press conference in London, Jackson (picture) said filmmakers should embrace new technology to draw in "dwindling" cinema audiences. "I think we should look at the technology that we have available and say, 'How can we make the experience more immersive, more magical, more spectacular'?" said Jackson, whose new film is a prequel to his "Lord of the Rings" trilogy. "There is a degree of jeopardy at the moment with the film industry with all the alternative ways that people have to see movies now, right from their home entertainment systems down to an iPhone and an iPad," he added. "I really hate the idea that I'm a director making a film for an iPad. That's kind of depressing. I think I would go and lie on a beach in Fiji and retire if I thought I was really doing that." Jackson used plenty of technological wizardry to recreate J.R.R. Tolkien's classic fantasy for the screen, shooting it in 3D and using 48 frames per second – double the normal amount – to produce a less jerky picture. But the superfast frame rate has divided critics, with some complaining that it makes the sumptuous landscapes of "Middle Earth" – filmed in Jackson's native New Zealand – look more like a computer game. Jackson has defended the innovation, but he acknowledged on Tuesday that some new film technologies, such as 3D, needed to improve. Producers have "vaguely talked about" re-releasing the hugely successful "Lord of the Rings" trilogy in 3D, he added. But veteran British actor McKellen, reprising his role as the good wizard Gandalf for the first instalment of the new "Hobbit" trilogy, is less of a fan of certain special effects techniques. The movie follows Gandalf, along with unlikely hero Freeman as the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, joining a band of dwarves in their quest to reclaim their lost kingdom from an evil dragon. "The trouble with the dwarves is that despite what they are in real life they have to look smaller than me on the screen," McKellen told journalists. He was often filmed in a completely different place from the dwarves in scenes that show them together – which he complained was not at all "congenial to acting, which is about spontaneity". But Jackson added that some of the techniques used to make the dwarves seem shorter than McKellen were more rudimentary. "A lot of what you see is Ian standing on a box," he revealed. – AFP/Relaxnews

Mick Jagger love letters sold at London auction Posted: 15 Dec 2012 01:06 AM PST LONDON, Dec 15 – A collection of letters sent by Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger to his secret lover in the summer of 1969 sold for around US$300,000 at a London auction on Wednesday, trumping their pre-sale estimate. Purchased by a private collector over the telephone, the letters sold for about US$301,000 at a Sotheby's auction. The letters were written to black American singer Marsha Hunt, aged 23 at the time, while Jagger (picture) was filming the movie "Ned Kelly" in Australia, and were presented as a window into a different side of the rock-and-roll legend. "We are delighted with the result of today's sale which reflects the great significance of these letters, written at such a vivid moment in social and musical history," said Sotheby's books specialist Gabriel Heaton. "There has been enormous international interest in the letters, which depict Mick Jagger, not as the global superstar he is today, but reveal him as a poetic and self-aware 25-year-old with wide-ranging intellectual and artistic interests." Hunt, who starred in the original London cast of hit musical "Hair" and was the poster girl of the "Black is Beautiful" movement, had an initially clandestine affair with the rocker when interracial relationships were taboo. "1969 saw the ebbing of a crucial, revolutionary era, highly influenced by such artists as The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, James Brown and Bob Dylan," Hunt said after the sale. "Their inner thoughts should not be the property of only their families, but the public at large, to reveal who these influential artists were – not as commercial images, but their private selves." Written after the Stones' historic Hyde Park gig, the letters illustrate Jagger's musings on topics like the moon landing, his future relationship with Hunt, his impressions of the Outback and John Lennon and Yoko Ono. Hunt said: "Despite his high profile and my own... our delicate love affair remains as much part of his secret history as his concerns over the death of Brian Jones and the suicide attempt of his girlfriend, Marianne Faithfull." Hunt is the inspiration behind the Stones' 1971 hit "Brown Sugar" and became the mother of Jagger's first child, Karis. – AFP/Relaxnews

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Features

---

Fire, flood or giant calabash ... pick your apocalypse Posted: 15 Dec 2012 07:03 AM PST Fire, flood or giant calabash ... pick your apocalypse Apocalyptic myths, involving floods, asteroids or other cataclysmic events, are found in many ancient cultures. — AFP-Relaxnews pic PARIS, Dec 15 — Devoured by a giant squash, engulfed by flood or flames, frozen in a nuclear winter or new ice age, mankind has looked to The End with fear and fascination since the dawn of civilisation. Nature's cycles - day succeeding night, the four seasons - long fed fears of being plunged into eternal darkness, or an endless winter. "Before the great monotheistic religions, most ancient civilisations lived in fear that these cycles would one day stop," explained the historian Bernard Sergent, author of a recent book exploring 13 apocalyptic myths. The Aztecs believed there was a chance that - once every 52 years - the sun would no longer rise, so they ordered copious human sacrifices to ensure it did. But rather than The End of all things, throughout history a good old apocalypse has often been viewed as a way to reset the clock, divide good from evil and start anew. Derived from ancient Greek, the word means "revelation". Chosen to figure in the Bible, the Apocalypse of John is just one of the many world's end scenarios that were in circulation in early Christian times. The Book of Revelation, the last in the New Testament, describes a string of cataclysmic events that annihilate part of life on Earth, culminating with the announcement of the Second Coming of Christ. Islam also offers a repertoire of tales of mass destruction - by sandstorm, invasion or fire. Plague, famine and brutal wars made Europe in the Middle Ages, to many, seem ripe for extermination -- leading to a flourishing of prophecies the world would end in 1,000 AD, just as doomsayers would foretell The End a millennium later. At the start of the Renaissance, the Anabaptists were convinced the end of the world was nigh, and that it was vital to "rebaptise" adults before it came. It's part of the human make-up "What is most often at stake is being called to account by the gods, or by nature, it's about being punished for defying some higher order," said Jean-Noel Lafargue, author of a study of world's end myths through history. "Today we no longer need Gods to make us tremble. Man-made disasters suffice. That's what changed in the 20th century." For thousands of years water was the apocalyptic weapon of choice. For Judeo-Christians, the flood evokes the biblical story of Noah's Ark, but the motif of a deluge sent upon man by an angry divinity stretches back deep in time. In Mesopotamia all-engulfing flood myths date from Sumerian times, between the fourth and second millennium BC, as told in the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest surviving works of literature. Ancient Greece and Rome had their share of floods, too: from the Greek deluge of Ogyges - named after a mythical ruler - to Atlantis, the legendary island swallowed up by the sea, as recounted by the philosopher Plato. At the dawn of our era, a deluge myth told by a small people from the Near East, the Hebrews, went on to become the most famous of all. According to the Book of Genesis, God decided to rid Earth of men and animals, instructing a single, "righteous" man, Noah, to build an ark to save himself and a remnant of life. Fire usually comes just before, or after a flood. Greece, Scandinavia, India and native American cultures all spoke of the annihilation of early mankind by flames. Africa and ancient Egypt had no flood myths, but West African folk tales do speak of a "devouring gourd", or calabash, that swallows up entire settlements, homes, livestock, even the whole of mankind. "I think it's part of the human make-up, part of the human psyche somewhere, to have a fascination with the end of the world," Jocelyn Bell Burnell, visiting professor of astrophysics at Oxford, told AFP. In the globalised 21st century, the apocalypse - on the silver screen - most often comes as a pandemic or climate cataclysm, but the most enthusiastic doomsayers will doubtless be stockpiling supplies as December 21 supposedly marked by the Mayan calendar as a world's end moment, draws near. — AFP-Relaxnews

Great balls of China to defend against ‘apocalypse’ Posted: 15 Dec 2012 02:55 AM PST Farmer Liu Qiyuan poses among survival pods that he built and has also dubbed 'Noah's Arc', in the village of Qiantun, Hebei province, south of Beijing on December 11, 2012. — AFP pic QIANTUN (China), Dec 15 — As people across the globe tremble in anticipation of next week's supposed Mayan-predicted apocalypse, one Chinese villager says he may have just what humanity needs: tsunami-proof survival pods. Camouflage-clad former farmer and furniture maker Liu Qiyuan, 45, inspected his latest creation, a sphere several metres tall he calls "Noah's Ark", designed to withstand towering tsunamis and devastating earthquakes. "The pod won't have any problems even if there are 1,000-metre-high waves... it's like a ping pong ball, its skin may be thin, but it can withstand a lot of pressure," he told AFP at his workshop in Qiantun, an hour from Beijing. Liu's seven completed or under-construction pods, made using a fibreglass casing over a steel frame, have cost him 300,000 yuan ($48,000) each, he says, and are equipped with oxygen tanks, food and water supplies. They also come with seat belts, essential for staying safe in storms, Liu said, strapping himself into position before his assistants shook the sphere vigorously from outside. "The pods are designed to carry 14 people at a time, but it's possible for 30 people to survive inside for at least two months," he said. Their insulation was such that "a person could live for four months in the pod at the North or South Pole without freezing, or even feeling slightly cold," he said. One of the spheres even boasts the domestic comforts of a table, bed and flowery wallpaper. Liu claims he came up with the design after watching the 2009 Hollywood disaster film "2012", which is inspired by the expiry on December 21 of the Mayan Long Count, a more than 5,000 year calendar used by the ancient Central American civilisation. "If there really is some kind of apocalypse, then you could say I've made a contribution to the survival of humanity," Liu said. Apocalyptic predictions have provoked widespread fears among believers, including in China, where two rural counties sold out of candles this month after a panic that three days of darkness would begin on Dec 21, the Xinhua news agency reported. A businessman in China's eastern Zhejiang province has received 21 orders for bright yellow doomsday survival pods also sold as "Noah's Ark," for five million yuan each, the state run China Daily reported. A man from China's northwestern province of Xinjiang told AFP that he has invested all his savings, approximately US$160,000 (RM489,040), to build a survival ark, fearing that his home will be engulfed in a doomsday flood. Chinese authorities have sought to reassure citizens, with Beijing's police force publishing an online notice on Wednesday stating that "the so-called end of the world is a rumour", and advising citizens to use "scientific concepts". Liu first conceived of spherical houses to withstand earthquakes, which occur frequently in China, but switched his focus to survival technology after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, which claimed nearly a quarter of a million lives. Liu, who is married with a daughter, said many were sceptical when he first outlined his plans. But despite building them he has not sold any, and is worried about repaying loans he took from neighbours and friends to fund his workshop. "I worked for many years without saving much money... I invested most of my money in the pods, because it's worth it, it's about saving lives" he said. Keen to demonstrate the design's strength to AFP, he used a step-ladder to clamber inside one pod before an assistant reversed a pick-up truck into it, inflicting only a minor scratch on its surface. Peeking out of the hatch, he grinned triumphantly. "No problem," he said. "I didn't feel a thing." — AFP-Relaxnews

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Features To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Breaking Views

---

Police find solid evidence for motive in Connecticut shooting Posted: 15 Dec 2012 07:57 AM PST NEWTOWN, Dec 15 – Connecticut police have uncovered "very good" evidence that should help determine why a gunman forced his way into an elementary school and slaughtered 20 children in one of the worst shooting rampages in US history, an official said today. Law enforcement authorities have turn up "some very good evidence in this investigation that our investigators will be able to use in, hopefully, painting the complete picture as to how, and more importantly why, this occurred," Connecticut State Police Lieutenant Paul Vance said at a news conference. Police also confirmed in a statement that the woman found killed at a second crime scene in Connecticut was a relative of the shooter. – Reuters

Patriot missiles in Turkey threaten ‘world war’: Iran army chief Posted: 15 Dec 2012 07:41 AM PST DUBAI, Dec 15 – The planned deployment of NATO Patriot missiles on the Turkey-Syria border could lead to a "world war" that would engulf Europe, Iran's military chief of staff was quoted as saying today. Turkey asked NATO for the Patriot system, designed to intercept aircraft or missiles, in November after talks about how to bolster border security after repeated episodes of gunfire spilling into Turkish territory from Syria's civil war. "Each one of these Patriots is a black mark on the world map, and is meant to cause a world war," Iranian armed forces chief General Hassan Firouzabadi said, according to the Iranian Students' News Agency today. "They are making plans for a world war, and this is very dangerous for the future of humanity and for the future of Europe itself." – Reuters

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: ALL To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Books

---

Hans Christian Andersen’s first fairy tale found Posted: 15 Dec 2012 05:09 AM PST Sculpture of Hans Christian Andersen in Malaga, Spain. — AFP pic COPENHAGEN, Dec 15 — A Danish researcher has stumbled across the first fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen in Denmark's national archives. Entitled "The Tallow Candle", the tale tells the story of a candle that has difficulty finding its place in the world until a tinder box discovers its worth and lights its wick. National Archive director Mads Peter Christensen told the Politiken newspaper late Wednesday staff had been contacted by the researcher who disclosed the discovery. Lacking the polished standards of Andersen's later fairy tales, it is believed to have been written when he was a schoolboy. "This is a sensational discovery," Ejnar Stig Askgaard of the Odense City Museum and one of Denmark's leading Hans Christian Andersen experts told Politiken. "Partly because it must be seen as Andersen's first fairy tale, and partly because it shows that he was interested in the fairy tale as a young man, before his authorship began," he said. Askgaard's conclusions were confirmed by two other leading Andersen experts: research librarian Bruno Svindborg of the Royal Library and professor Johan de Mylius of the Andersen Centre and the University of Southern Denmark. Askgaard said it was a thrill to be "able to work with his first attempt at a fairy tale. It was a great experience to read it for the first time." The manuscript found was written in ink on yellowing pages. The copy was made by the family of a "Madam Bunkeflod", to whom the piece was dedicated. The original manuscript has not been found. A vicar's widow, Madam Bunkeflod was a confidante of the budding author in his childhood. The copied manuscript was sent by the Bunkeflod family to another family close to Andersen, the Plum family, in whose archives the story was found. "To Madam Bunkeflod from her devoted H.C. Andersen," the primary dedication reads, with a secondary one reading: "To P Plum from his friend Bunkeflod." Hans Christian Andersen lived from 1805 until 1875. His poetry, travel articles and fairy tales have been translated into 125 languages. Some of his most famous works include "The Ugly Duckling", "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina", and "The Steadfast Tin Soldier." In Asia, Andersen's stories are particularly popular in China and Japan. — AFP-Relaxnews

‘Fifty Shades Freed’  most popular book on Amazon in 2012 Posted: 15 Dec 2012 01:50 AM PST NEW YORK, Dec 15 — E.L. James' erotic romance novel "Fifty Shades Freed: Book Three of the Fifty Shades Trilogy" was the best-selling book on Amazon this year, followed by the thriller "Gone Girl," the online retailer said on Friday. "This was truly the year of the billionaire bad boy in romance," said Sara Nelson, editorial director of books and Kindle at Amazon.com. "While E.L. James published the first two books in her Fifty Shades trilogy in 2011, so they aren't eligible for our 2012 list, the series really took off this year and propelled the third installment and the omnibus edition onto our Top 10 list," she added in a statement. Sylvia Day's "Bared to You: A Crossfire Novel" came in at No.4 and "No Easy Day: The Firsthand Account of the Mission That Killed Osama Bin Laden" by Mark Owen was fifth. Day had two novels in Amazon's Top 10: "Reflected in You: A Crossfire Novel" captured the seventh spot, just ahead of John Grisham's "The Racketeer" and William Landay's "Defending Jacob: A Novel." "The Marriage Bargain (Marriage to a Billionaire)" by Jennifer Probst was No. 6 and David Baldacci's "The Innocent" rounded out the Top 10. — Reuters

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Books To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

---

Gerakan: Ibrahim Ali malukan diri sendiri dakwa masyarakat Cina ancaman Posted: 15 Dec 2012 01:30 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, 15 Dis – Presiden Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) Datuk Ibrahim Ali memalukan diri sendiri apabila mengeluarkan kenyataan komuniti Cina di negara ini sebagai ancaman sekiranya mereka menguasai politik dan ekonomi. Naib Presiden Gerakan, Datuk Mah Siew Keong turut menyelar Ibrahim kerana mengeluarkan kenyataan sedemikian yang menurutnya akan menyemai "benih kebencian di hati rakyat dan menimbulkan ketegangan kaum" di Malaysia. "Orang seperti Ibrahim Ali (gambar) adalah pihak yang bertanggungjawab menggagalkan usaha 1 Malaysia ... Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak berusaha keras untuk menyatukan semua bangsa di Malaysia dan kita patut komited membantu usaha perdana menteri," kata Mah. Beliau menjelaskan ahli politik tidak seharusnya memainkan sentimen perkauman untuk mendapatkan sokongan politik yang mana akan menghancurkan negara. "Masa depan negara lebih penting daripada mengejar undi," kata Mah dalam satu kenyataan hari ini. Ibrahim yang merupakan ahli Parlimen Mas semalam mengeluarkan kenyataan berkata komuniti Cina akan menjadi ancaman kepada keselamatan negara sekiranya mereka berkuasa dalam politik dan ekonomi, yang mana menurutnya akan mengulangi sejarah peristiwa berdarah 13 Mei 1969. Beliau turut menafikan dirinya dan Perkasa sebagai rasis kerana mendakwa mereka hanya mempertahankan apa yang dijamin oleh Perlembagaan Persekutuan. "Saya perjuangkan agenda Melayu dan agenda Bumiputera, mengikut Perlembagaan, saya mempertahankan asas Perlembagaan dan Perkara 153 hak keistimewaan orang Melayu. "Ada pihak menuntut pada sesuatu perkara yang pada pandangan saya secara tidak langsung bertentangan dengan Perlembagaan, atau tuntutan yang bertentangan dengan dasar-dasar nasional," kata beliau dalam wawancara eksklusifnya dipetik Sinar Harian Online. Tambah Ibrahim, jika benar beliau adalah seorang rasis, mengapa sepanjang beliau menjadi pemimpin semenjak 1986 sehingga menjawat jawatan timbalan menteri, beliau tidak pernah dituduh rasis. Ibrahim turut mempersoalkan mengapa orang tidak mengatakan apa-apa kepada pertubuhan Dong Zong dan Hindraf sedangkan menurutnya pertubuhan-pertubuhan tersebut lebih rasis kerana membuat tuntutan bertentangan dengan perlembagaan. "Tidak pernah dalam sejarah sejak saya tubuhkan Perkasa, pernahkah saya mengeluarkan kenyataan yang menyuruh jangan bantu orang India, jangan bantu orang Cina?," tambah beliau. Menurut Ibrahim, dalam mempertahankan Perlembagaan negara, mereka bukan sahaja mempertahankan Islam sebagai agama persekutuan, Bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa Kebangsaan, kedaulatan Raja Melayu, hak Melayu termasuk juga hak kerakyatan semua warganegara. Ibrahim memenangi kerusi parlimen Pasir Mas dibawah tiket PAS pada pilihan raya umum 2008. Beliau bagaimanapun mengisytiharkan dirinya sebagai ahli parlimen bebas dan menubuhkan NGO yang digelar Perkasa. Perkasa aktif dalam memperjuangkan kepentingan bangsa Melayu dan seringkali mengkritik Pakatan Rakyat (PR) – gabungan PKR, PAS dan DAP yang dikatakan menggugat kepentingan Melayu dan bumiputera sepertimana yang dijamin oleh perlembagaan persekutuan. Kehadiran Perkasa tidak disenangi oleh sesetengah pihak terutamanya dari PR yang menggangap pertubuhan tersebut sebagai perkauman dan tidak menghormati Malaysia sebagai sebuah negara berbilang kaum.

DAP buat laporan polis ke atas Deepak Posted: 15 Dec 2012 12:51 AM PST GEORGE TOWN, 15 Dis – DAP hari ini membuat laporan polis ke atas ahli perniagaan karpet Deepak Jaikishan. Karpal Singh bersama dengan pemimpin DAP lain membuat laporan tersebut di balai polis Bayan Baru jam 3.20 petang tadi. Pagi tadi, Karpal (gambar) dalam ucapan pembukaannya menyatakan pendedahan Deepak Jaikishan terhadap penarikan balik pengakuan berkanun (SD) oleh penyiasat persendirian P. Balasubramaniam wajar dipandang serius. Menyedari perkara tersebut, Karpal berkata DAP akan membuat satu laporan polis ke atas ahli perniagaan Deepak dan mahu pihak berkuasa menyiasat dakwaan tersebut bersama-sama kes pembunuhan Altantunya. "Hari ini, DAP akan membuat satu laporan polis ke atas pendedahan oleh Deepak," kata beliau. "Pendedahan Deepak ini suatu lagi yang mengejutkan. Malahan kes ini melibatkan pembunuhan Altantunya. "Satu siasatan semula perlu dibuat dalam kes ini," tegas beliau semasa berucap di Kongres Kebangsaan DAP ke-16. Menurut beliau lagi, Deepak perlu bertanggungjawab terhadap segala penglibatannya dalam kes penarikan SD tersebut. "Beliau (Deepak) perlu bertanggungjawab ke atas penglibatannya!" Karpal juga mendakwa Deepak turut bersalah kerana bersubahat menyembunyikan maklumat berkaitan pembunuhan kontroversi itu. Dengan pendedahan ini, pihak polis mempunyai asas untuk membuka satu siasatan baru dalam kes pembunuhan Altantunya. "Pendedahan yang dibuatnya ini membolehkan polis melakukan siasatan," katanya lagi. Ahli parlimen Bukit Gelugor tersebut merupakan antara pemerhati dalam kes pembunuhan Altantuya yang berlangsung di Mahkamah Tinggi Shah Alam sebelum ini.

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Klik GAMBAR Dibawah Untuk Lebih Info

Sumber Asal Berita :-

The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion

---

Two-team leagues Posted: 14 Dec 2012 04:16 PM PST DEC 15 — At the end of last season, Manchester City won the Premier League ahead of Manchester United by the narrowest of margins — goal difference. Third-placed Arsenal were 19 points behind. In Spain, Real Madrid were champions with a record-breaking tally of 100 points, nine more than second-placed Barcelona and no less than 39 ahead of third-placed Valencia. German champions Borussia Dortmund held off the challenge of Bayern Munich and ended up 18 points clear of the next best team, Schalke. And in Italy, Juventus won their first title since their later-revoked triumph of 2005 by edging out AC Milan, who were 16 points ahead of third-placed Udinese. Spot the recurring theme? In each of Europe's "big four" leagues, the championship race was the exclusive domain of just two genuine contenders, with everybody else left scrapping for the remaining Champions League qualifying spots. It would be nice to think that this season's title challenges will be spread around a bit more generously, but I doubt it. In England, United and City have already streaked well clear of the pack despite a bright start from Chelsea, while Real Madrid are slowly making ground on their cross-city rivals Atletico following a slow start to the season. Things are looking more interesting in Italy, where Juventus hold a narrow lead over Inter, Napoli, Lazio, Roma and Fiorentina — however, I wouldn't put much money on that still being the case at the end of February. The German Bundesliga is even more predictable than ever, with runaway leaders Bayern Munich already 11 points clear of the rest following a slow start by champions Dortmund. Never mind a two-horse race — the Bundesliga's already looking like a solo canter for Bayern. I'll be attending this weekend's big game in Europe: Spanish league leaders Barcelona against second-placed Atletico Madrid at the Nou Camp. I have to admit that, although I'm a huge admirer of Barca's style of play and they're my new "local" team, I'm hoping that Atletico can upset the odds and claim an unexpected away victory — for the simple reason that it would make the league more interesting. A Barca win would move them nine points clear of Atletico, who would in turn see their lead over Real cut to just two points following Jose Mourinho's team's inevitable home victory over strugglers Espanyol. There's no way that Atletico would be able to recover such a large deficit, so it would more or less be a case of "league over; Barca champions." And it's only mid-December. Although it's extremely unlikely that Atletico will be able to maintain their form all the way until the end of the season, an away win for Diego Simeone's hard-working team tomorrow would at least keep them alive in the race for a little while longer. They would be just three points behind Barca — still very much in contention — and we'd have a three-team league... even if only for a few more weeks. The more likely outcome, though, is that Lionel Messi will inspire Barca to victory, Atletico's financial problems will force them to sell Radamel Falcao in January and they'll fall into a downward spiral which will see them end up at least 20 points behind Barca. This is the age of the two-team league. It used to only happen in Scotland, where Rangers and Celtic would embark upon their annual bun-fight for the title while the rest of the world looked on and scoffed: "It would never happen here." But it has happened, and the main reason is the Champions League. Much as I love Europe's leading club competition — which I believe provides a higher quality of football than any other competition in the world, including the World Cup — its success and growth in the last few years has inevitably led to it becoming akin to a "closed shop": once you're in, you stay in; if you're out, there's no way in. The riches on offer allow clubs to enter a virtuous circle once they've qualified for the group stages — especially if they can do so for two or three consecutive seasons. Prize money awarded by UEFA to clubs competing in the group stage is at least RM40 million, with successful teams earning at least double that amount if they progress into the knockout rounds. Champions League teams, therefore, automatically earn large chunks of revenue which allow them to strengthen their squads — thus increasing their chances of ensuring their qualification for the following season's competition... and so on. The other side of the coin, of course, is that clubs outside the magic circle are effectively excluded, unless they enjoy an exceptional season or receive external funding in the style of Manchester City and Paris St Germain. The end result is that — with a few exceptions — the same clubs end up reaching the latter stages season after season, claiming the prize money that allows them to continue to dominate their domestic leagues, putting more and more distance between themselves and their domestic rivals... creating the current situation of two-team leagues that proliferates throughout Europe's major leagues. What's the solution? There probably isn't one, unless clubs agree that Champions League prize money should be more equally split amongst a wider spread of clubs — including those who don't even qualify. But that, quite clearly, is not going to happen. Perhaps the eventual answer will be for the monster clubs — Manchester United, Barcelona, AC Milan and so on — to split away from their domestic leagues altogether and form a new competition reserved exclusively for themselves, leaving a more level playing field for everybody else. Watch this space. * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

My five favourite albums of 2012 Posted: 14 Dec 2012 04:00 PM PST DEC 15 — I didn't even realise the year was coming to an end, and that we're now at that time of the year again where every music geek will be busy whittling down the countless number of albums he or she has listened to throughout the year to make either a best-of list, or as in my case, a favourite of the year list. Since I've been spending the year recording my band's new album, you can bet that I've been spending way more time listening to new music compared to when I'm not doing a new album, just to pick up on any interesting production or musical ideas that I might not have been aware of before.  Again, the best I can do this year is list only five new albums released in 2012 that really had me hooked or excited. I'm sure there are more albums out there that I've missed out on, but of the many that I've listened to, here are the ones I've been loving dearly. Redd Kross — Researching The Blues Quite a low-key release on Merge Records (the cool indie label owned by the Superchunk guys and home to Arcade Fire, Spoon and lots more), as I didn't really see that much ink spilled on this album. But this is far and away my favourite album of 2012, and I actually found it quite shocking that 15 years have passed since the release of the last Redd Kross album, Show World, and even more shocking that this new one displays the kind of infectious energy and melody that only new/young power pop bands manage to muster on their debuts, not a band who released their debut album 30 years ago! If you're familiar with them, this one is like a glorious combination of everything that made their albums Third Eye, Phaseshifter and Show World so fantastic. One to be played with the volume up and the car window down. fun. — Some Nights Many will dismiss them as overnight sensations after the first single from this album, We Are Young went supernova and is basically THE song of the year, but for someone who's been following frontman Nate Ruess' career ever since he fronted The Format, right through the band's awesome debut Aim & Ignite (produced by Steve McDonald, of Redd Kross above!), their mega-success now with this second album is completely deserved. By working with uber-producer Jeff Bhasker, they have brilliantly fused their baroque indie pop with the modern chart sounds of hip hop and pop, without sacrificing the essence of their sound. A rare case of a great band finding huge chart success, I couldn't be happier for them. There is still hope! Cloud Nothings — Attack On Memory What started as a lo-fi one man band suddenly became a full band because of their unexpected cult success and a solid couple years of touring together really shows as this new album rocks hard, without sacrificing their trademark hooky melodies. Produced by underground legend Steve Albini, they've significantly toughened up their sound, now sounding a bit like a much tighter Cap N'Jazz, with far more confident pop songwriting skills. Even the supposedly noisy and emo songs here like No Future/No Past and Wasted Days will stick in your brain like glue, let alone the all-out pop ones like my personal favourite Stay Useless, which I think has the most fist pumping chorus of the year, in which the singer sing-shouts the words "I need time to stop moving, I need time to stay useless" endlessly. Joyce Manor — Of All Things I Will Soon Grow Tired Of all the new punk pop or emo bands of the last few years, this fres- faced bunch of kids is undoubtedly my favourite. If their self titled debut from last year reminded you of The Get Up Kids' classic second album Something To Write Home About, this one sees them confidently spread their wings as they slow things down, speed things up, and generally just did whatever they feel like doing, but all in service of songs so brilliant that you just surrender to their melodic genius. Bride Of Usher, Violent Inside and album opener These Kinds Of Ice Skates are songs so melodic, so enchanting that it's a wonder that no major label has snapped them up yet. Hujan — Sang Enemy This may sound strange, because like most Hujan fans out there, my favourite Hujan songs are Bila Aku Sudah Tiada and Pagi Yang Gelap, but this fourth album, in which they went all metalcore and emocore on us, is hands down my favourite Hujan album. Forget the accusations of bandwagon jumping some people are throwing at them, like it or not this is a brilliant fusion of their trademark The Strokes-meets-Sheila On 7 sound and the current craze that is metalcore, and a successful and natural fusion like this can only happen when the artist truly and honestly loves the genre. Just have a listen to Janji Kita and Mana Mungkin, and tell me if there's anything remotely fake about their blend of heaviness, screaming and melody. And just for old times' sake, they've included the incredible DBS for those of us who want pure melody. Great stuff! * The views expressed here are the personal opinion of the columnist.

You are subscribed to email updates from The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com