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The latte prince Posted: 15 Jan 2013 05:49 PM PST Coffee Stain by Joseph's Slow Bar with different choices of brewing methods and single origin coffees. — Pictures by CK Lim KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 16 — The story begins, as they sometimes do, with a little prince. (Well, most fairy tales begin with a princess in distress but with Snow Whites leading armies of dwarves or intricate Bollywood dance sequences these days, it's high time for some gender equality.) This little prince, however, is a young man who has just completed his school examinations. While contemplating further studies in Taiwan, he decides to work time in a café and save some money. (A true Penangite at heart, industrious and prudent he is.) Tamping the coffee grounds ensure even extraction of the espresso. Instead of kitchen work, his boss asks him to work at the bar mixing drinks and making coffee. Soon he is creating cups of beautiful latte art that have customers returning for more. More business for the café and his boss promotes him. The little prince is now a bona fide latte prince. Everyone's happy, right? "And then I quit," he tells me. "You're kidding. Why? You were doing so well," I ask. I'm seated at the bar, perched on a high stool and nursing an El Salvador. I'm chatting with Yee Siang, the barista at Coffee Stain by Joseph's new café in Parkamaya Fahrenheit 88. There is J-Pop streaming over the airwaves. Young girls in homemade Harujuku gear cluster like schools of variegated fish. I had just had ramen for lunch earlier and strolling in this pseudo-Shibuya when I smelled it. The final drops of crema (left); the hiss of the steam wand as milk is frothed (right). Coffee. The hiss of a steam wand, the dark golden gleam of the last drops of crema falling into an espresso cup. We've found ourselves a coffee bar, boys and girls. Several cups later, I'm now on a first name basis with the barista (the wonders this miracle bean can do for bringing complete strangers together) and investigating his résumé (the former headhunter in me simply cannot resist). A cup of freshly ground coffee, before brewing. "There was only so much I could learn," Yee Siang confides, "as the café wasn't focusing on specialty coffee. There were other more focused cafés in Penang but I decided I would learn more in a new environment like KL." "And how are you managing?" "It's okay. Hard at first; everything's faster here. I can understand when some of my customers speak to me in Cantonese but I'm not sure if they can understand my replies," he laughs. With his boyish charm and ready smile, I won't be surprised if history repeats itself and Coffee Stain's customers are converted into regulars.  As I return for more coffee in subsequent visits, I learn more about the café's philosophy from head barista Sam Tan, who acknowledges it's very challenging finding the right people. "In our industry — which is F&B basically — it's hard to retain staff as employee turnover is very high. Most will leave for even just a small increment in pay. We were lucky to discover Yee Siang as he did the reverse: he left a handsome salary in Penang to come down to KL to learn more about coffee. He's very serious about improving himself, which is a rare thing." Brewing single origin coffee using the pour-over method. Tan knows what it's like to move to unfamiliar ground and to start from scratch. She shares, "My siblings and I did not come from a rich family. When we left Kluang to work in KL, we had to begin from scratch, washing dishes in the kitchen and learning how to cook." I'm curious about the café's name though — is one of the siblings Joseph? The "latte prince" presents a cappuccino. Tan grins and explains, "When my sister Sylvia was a beginner, she had a regular customer named Joseph who taught her recipes and new ways of cooking. Later when she opened our first outlet, which focused more on food rather than coffee, she named it Joseph's Kitchen out of gratitude to her mentor." This Joseph chap must be delighted to have a place named after him. Tan shakes her head: "He never left his contact information, so this is our way of reaching out to him and saying thanks. We always keep his advice — 'Never give up on your dreams' —  at heart, and it keeps us going." Not only have the Tan siblings not given up, they have attracted others who are pursuing their passions. People like Yee Siang. From a mysterious kitchen mentor to an earnest latte prince at the start of his career, these are all ordinary people working hard to make their dreams come true. I take another sip of my coffee. What I taste is a good and honest brew. Coffee Stain by Joseph @ Parkamaya Level 3, Fahrenheit 88, Jalan Bukit Bintang, 55100 Kuala Lumpur Open daily 10:00am-10:00pm Website: www.facebook.com/coffeestainbyjoseph * Kenny drinks too much coffee. Find out why at http://lifeforbeginners.com/cafestories

Grant Achatz releases preview of new menu ‘The Hunt’ Posted: 15 Jan 2013 05:35 PM PST CHICAGO, Jan 16 — Vegetarians may want to avert their eyes. In a video preview of Grant Achatz's latest menu for Chicago's Next restaurant, meat and fish are in the spotlight, whether served in the bone, drained of blood or ground into a purée. A scene from chef Grant Achatz's "The Hunt".©2013 YouTube, LLC Calling it their most "ambitious" menu yet, the next instalment for the pop-up style restaurant is themed around "The Hunt", an homage to wild-game meats and foraged foods that goes one step further than farm-to-table dining. It's a fast-moving teaser video that features savage knife work tearing into a hunk of dry-aged beef spliced with images of quiveringly-raw game meats with the bone in place served atop skinned tree bark or plated meticulously on fine dining ware, all threaded with images of a lone hunter trudging through snow, rifle in hand. Vegetarian gourmands need not fret. In addition to the meat-based menu, Next also has plans for a vegan-themed dinner this spring, a strategy meant to attract another segment of the dining population. Closing out the 2013 season will be a menu themed around the Bocuse d'Or, prestigious culinary competition known among chefs as the Olympics of the food world, or, as the restaurant notes, the real Top Chef. Like a sporting event or theatre show, diners must buy tickets in advance, a model copied by Albert and Ferran Adrià at the Barcelona restaurant 41° Experience. See below for Next's teaser video. — AFP/Relaxnews

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Villa misses Barca’s Cup clash with Malaga Posted: 15 Jan 2013 07:56 AM PST MADRID, Jan 15 – Striker David Villa will miss Barcelona's King's Cup quarter-final first-leg at home to Malaga as he is still struggling with a thigh muscle problem, the holders said today. The Spanish international is Barca's top scorer in the Cup with five goals, and while his opportunities have been restricted in La Liga and in Europe he has started all four Cup games so far. The 31-year-old, who broke his leg in December 2011 and missed Euro 2012 as a result, was left out of Sunday's trip to Malaga and remains a doubt for Saturday's La Liga match at Real Sociedad, the leaders said. "David is coming back after a serious injury and there was a moment when he appeared to be fully recovered and we were giving him more minutes," Barca coach Tito Vilanova told a news conference. "After the Spartak Moscow game (November) he had a problem that disrupted his progress, and the same has happened again, but they are problems that have nothing to do with his leg break." Barca were 3-1 winners at Malaga in the league on Sunday, but with both teams qualified for the last 16 of the Champions League, Vilanova warned Manuel Pellegrini's side were not to be under-estimated. "If you take into account who we played against, we played a very good game in the league," Vilanova said. "But this is now like a Champions League tie, and Malaga have already demonstrated what they are capable of. Over two legs, you only need one thing not to work well and things could get much more difficult." Malaga travel without winger Joaquin and France midfielder Jeremy Toulalan. The return leg is next week. – Reuters

Man City captain Kompany wins red card appeal Posted: 15 Jan 2013 07:47 AM PST Referee Mike Dean asks Manchester City's Vincent Kompany to leave the pitch after showing him the red card during their English Premier League soccer match against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in London January 13, 2013. – Reuters pic LONDON, Jan 15 – Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany has won his appeal for wrongful dismissal in Sunday's league win at Arsenal, the Premier League champions said today. The Belgian was shown a straight red card by referee Mike Dean in the 75th minute for what was deemed a two-footed lunge on Jack Wilshire. "We can officially confirm that Vincent Kompany's red card against Arsenal has been overturned," City said on their Twitter feed. Second-placed City, who won 2-0 at the Emirates, trail leaders Manchester United by seven points. – Reuters

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Younger Americans have more credit-card debt problems Posted: 15 Jan 2013 07:29 AM PST A study finds that younger Americans have more credit-card debt problems compared to their parents. — AFP pic NEW YORK, Jan 15 — American credit card holders in their late 20s and early 30s have more debt than older consumers, repay it more slowly and risk dying in debt if they don't curb their spending habits, a new study showed yesterday. Researchers that people born between 1980 and 1984 have on average US$5,689 (RM17,129) more debt than their parents had at the same stage of their lives, and US$8,156 more than their grandparents. "If what we found continues to hold true, we may have more elderly people with substantial financial problems in the future," said Lucia Dunn, a co-author of the study and a professor of economics at Ohio State University. "Our projections are that the typical credit card holder among younger Americans who keep a balance will die still owning money on their cards," she added in a statement. Dunn, and Sarah Jiany, of Capital One Financial in McLean, Virginia and a co-author of the study, analyzed two large monthly surveys which included data on borrowing and repayment, enabling them to estimate when Americans will be able to repay their credit cards. The findings were published in the journal Economic Inquiry. "We have data on how they pay off credit cards as well, which gives us a more complete picture of their debt situation," Dunn said. "This allows us to estimate more precisely when Americans will be able to pay off their credit card debts." Working with data from 1997 to 2009, the researchers studied how 32,542 people aged 18 to 85 accumulated and repaid their credit card bills. They compared 15 five-year-period birth groups, such as people born from 1915 to 1919, the oldest group. People born between 1985 to 1989 were the youngest studied. The researchers also compared people in different age groups but with similar educations, incomes and marital status, and estimated that the payoff rate of younger credit card holders was 24 per centage points lower than their parents, and 77 points lower than their grandparents' rates. "Credit is more readily available now, and there have been changes in interest rates and less stigma attached to having credit card debt, which may all make younger people today more willing to go into debt," Dunn explained. The study also showed that credit card holders react to higher minimum payments by paying more than they have to. But Dunn said the results were a cautionary tale. "If our findings persist, we may be faced with a financial crisis among elderly people who can't pay off their credit cards." — Reuters

Generic HIV drugs would cut costs, but may raise risks Posted: 15 Jan 2013 07:20 AM PST The first generic versions of some key HIV drugs may be less effective than more expensive brand-name options, say a study. — AFP pic NEW YORK, Jan 15 — The first generic versions of some key HIV drugs will soon reach the US market, and according to a new study, their use could save nearly US$1 billion (RM3.01 billion) a year, although they may be less effective than more expensive brand-name options. The report, published in the latest edition of the Annals of Internal Medicine, found that in 2011, US spending on antiretroviral drugs totalled around US$9 billion, mostly paid for by government sources. "The programs that pay for these drugs are looking to save costs," said Bruce Schackman, chief of the division of health policy at Weill Cornell Medical College and an author of the study. A currently recommended treatment for newly diagnosed HIV patients is Atripla, a single daily pill sold by Gilead Inc that combines three brand-name antiretrovirals: Viread, known generically as tenofovir; Emtriva, or emtricitabine; and Sustiva, or efavirenz. A generic version of lamivudine, which has a similar mechanism of action to emtricitabine, became available this month, while a generic version of efavirenz is expected in the relatively near future. Gilead, which recently started selling a four-drug HIV pill, has dominated the market with its combination pills, which make it easier for patients to adhere to treatment regimens. "For some patients, switching from taking one pill once a day to two or three pills once a day won't make a difference. For others it will be the straw that breaks the camel's back," Schackman said. The paper also noted that laboratory studies have found that lamivudine may be slightly less effective and more vulnerable to the development of drug-resistant viral strains than emtricitabine. The study showed that switching all HIV-infected patients in the United States to the three-drug generic strategy would produce lifetime savings of US$42,500 per patient. In the first year alone, the nationwide savings would reach nearly US$1 billion. However, the quality-adjusted loss of life expectancy could be as much as 4.5 months. "The switch from branded to generic antiretroviral would place us in the uncomfortable position of trading some losses of both quality and quantity of life for a large potential dollar savings," said Dr. Rochelle Walensky of Massachusetts General Hospital medical practice evaluation centre, the study's lead author. She suggested that clinicians and patients might be more amenable to generic drug regimens if they were assured that the savings would be redirected back to AIDS programs, reduced co-payment fees or coverage of treatment for other viral diseases such as hepatitis C infection. — Reuters

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‘Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence’ director dies: son Posted: 15 Jan 2013 05:55 AM PST Nagisa Oshima in 2000. — AFP pic TOKYO, Jan 15 — The Japanese director of the acclaimed World War II prison camp drama "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence", Nagisa Oshima died Tuesday, his son said. He was 82. Oshima, who had a critical hit with the controversial erotic work "In the Realm of the Senses", which famously contained unsimulated sex scenes, had been ill for some time. "My father died calmly," Oshima's younger son, Arata told AFP. "He was with members of his family, wife Akiko and elder son Takeshi. I wasn't there. My father had been in hospital since late last year and died of pneumonia." The younger Oshima was speaking from his late father's home in Fujisawa, near Kamakura, outside Tokyo. Oshima's cinematic career began in earnest in the 1960s with a series of films that had political themes, which established his reputation as a serious director. Many of his works tackle issues surrounding discrimination or exploring the boundaries of social acceptability. It was into this latter category that "In the Realm of the Senses" came in 1976, the sexually explicit story of an affair between a prostitute-turned-hotel worker and her boss, which was based on a true story. The couple's relationship evolves to include elements of sadism and masochism, and ends with the protagonist dead and his genitals severed. Further worldwide acclaim came with the 1983 film "Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence", starring David Bowie, "Beat" Takeshi Kitano and Tom Conti. The movie, based on the writing of Laurens van der Post about his WWII experience, depicts the shifting relationships of men in a Japanese prisoner of war camp. — Reuters

Eighth season of ‘Dexter’ will air this summer Posted: 14 Jan 2013 11:36 PM PST LOS ANGELES, Jan 15 — Showtime has announced that the next chapter in the life of "Dexter" will be unveiled in June rather than September as expected. The serial killer will no longer act as a lead-in for "Homeland," which will begin, as planned, in September. 'Dexter' will be back sooner than expected in the US. — AFP-Relaxnews pic The eighth and possibly final season of "Dexter" will start June 30 in the United States. Showtime has chosen to break up the duo that the series formed with "Homeland" for two years: the adventures of the blood spatter analyst will now serve as a lead-in for new series "Ray Donovan." This new show will star Liev Schreiber as Ray Donovan, a man responsible for solving the problems of his rich and famous California clients. Jon Voight will star as his father, an ex-con trying to build bridges with his son. Elliott Gould ("Ocean's Eleven") and Peter Jacobson, who formerly played Dr. Taub in "House," will also be part of the cast. "Homeland," the big 2013 Golden Globes winner, will start its third season on September 29 and will act as a lead-in for another new Showtime offering, "Masters of Sex." British actor Michael Sheen will play American sexologist William Masters, who actively took part in the 1960s sexual revolution. The human sexology pioneer has spent years studying the sexual activity of individuals and couples, with the help of Virginia Johnson, who will be played by Lizzy Caplan ("True Blood"). By broadcasting "Ray Donovan" and "Masters of Sex" after two of its most successful shows, Showtime will be hoping to launch its next generation of original creations in the best possible conditions, as was the case of "Homeland," when it was scheduled after "Dexter." "Nurse Jackie" (season 5) and "The Borgias" (season 3) will also be back on the network on April 14. The fourth and final season of the "The Big C" will hit the screens from April 29. — AFP-Relaxnews

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Dakwaan Kerajaan Jepun bayar RM207 bilion sebagai pampasan pada buruh paksa adalah palsu Posted: 15 Jan 2013 08:02 AM PST Dakwaan Kerajaan Jepun bayar RM207 bilion sebagai pampasan pada buruh paksa adalah palsu KUALA LUMPUR, 15 Jan — Kementerian Kewangan hari ini berkata dakwaan kononnya kerajaan menerima pampasan RM207 bilion dari kerajaan Jepun sebagai pampasan kepada rakyat Malaysia yang menderita selepas terlibat sebagai buruh paksa dalam pembinaan kereta api Siam ke Burma semasa Perang Dunia Kedua, adalah palsu. Kementerian Kewangan dalam satu kenyataan hari ini menjelaskan, dakwaan itu yang dikatakan berpunca daripada memo yang dikeluarkan kementerian bertarikh 29 Mac 2011 adalah palsu. "Memo tersebut telah dipalsukan dan satu laporan polis telah dibuat pada 26 Sept tahun lepas. kes ini sedang disiasat polis," kata kenyataan itu. Penjelasan Kementerian Kewangan terpaksa dibuat selepas laman-laman blog pembangkang mendakwa wujudnya pembayaran RM207 bilion dari Jepun tetapi wang tersebut kononnya telah dilesapkan. Akibat fitnah tersebut, Kedutaan Jepun telah menulis surat kepada Kementerian Kewangan pada 9 Jan lepas untuk mendapatkan penjelasan disebabkan kerajaan Jepun tidak pernah membayar pampasan RM207 bilion itu. Ini menunjukkan ada pihak yang tidak bertanggungjawab yang ingin memburuk-burukkan dan menjatuhkan imej dan kepercayaan rakyat terhadap kerajaan dan Kementerian Kewangan. — Bernama

Kerajaan perlu warta tempat untuk perhimpunan awam, kata Majlis Peguam Posted: 15 Jan 2013 07:59 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, 15 Jan — Presiden Majlis Peguam Lim Chee Wee menyarankan agar kerajaan mewartakan satu tempat untuk mengadakan perhimpunan awam dalam usaha memastikan ia berjalan secara aman. Lim berkata perkara itu juga bakal mencerminkan tindakan kerajaan dalam mematuhi hak kebebasan bercakap, berhimpun dan berpersatuan seperti yang termaktub dalam Perkara 10 Perlembagaan Persekutuan. Beliau juga berkata Akta Perhimpunan Aman perlu dikaji semula bagi memasukkan pindaan yang dicadang oleh Majlis Peguam. Bercakap kepada Bernama hari ini, Lim berkata pindaan itu akan menjadikan undang-undang tersebut lebih progresif. Bagaimanapun, katanya, kerajaan masih perlu mewarta mana-mana tempat sebagai venue untuk mengadakan perhimpunan awam.  "Tempat itu ialah di mana perhimpunan boleh diadakan tanpa sebarang keperluan untuk pemberitahuan awal, atau mendapat keizinan pemilik atau penghuninya," katanya. Sementara itu, dalam pembentangan bertajuk 'National Harmony: To Be Nurtured By Leadership and Not Compelled By Legislation' pada Persidangan Transformasi Perundangan Berhubung Dengan Keselamatan dan Hak Asasi hari ini, Lim berkata dalam kepelbagaian budaya dan agama di Malaysia, kerajaan telah mengiktiraf keperluan memperkukuh perpaduan nasional. "Bagi mencapai objektif ini, kerajaan telah mengumumkan pemansuhan undang-undang tidak popular seperti Akta Hasutan, yang pada mulanya diganti dengan Akta Perhubungan Kaum dan kini oleh Akta Keharmonian Nasional. "Hari ini dan esok menyediakan peluang lebih baik untuk menggambarkan cara melindungi serta menggalakkan perhubungan antara kaum yang seimbang berbanding kebebasan bersuara," katanya. Beliau juga berkata hubungan antara kaum bukanlah suatu perkara yang mudah dan boleh ditangani dengan sekadar menggubal undang-undang. — Bernama

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Brad Meltzer’s new thriller gets Oval Office insight Posted: 15 Jan 2013 03:30 AM PST Author Brad Meltzer is shown in this publicity photo on January 14, 2013. When researching his forthcoming novel about a serial killer plotting to assassinate the US president, Meltzer went straight to the top: 41st President George H.W. Bush. – Reuters/Handout NEW YORK, Jan 15 – When researching his forthcoming novel about a serial killer plotting to assassinate the US president, New York Times best-selling author Brad Meltzer went straight to the top: 41st President George H.W. Bush, a fan of the author's work. "Bush was extremely helpful," Meltzer, 42, said ahead of the release of "The Fifth Assassin" by Grand Central Publishing today. Meltzer explained that the former president was a fan after reading previous political thrillers he had written. "Bush wrote me the best fan letter I ever got in my life. Then he invited me to Houston to spend some time with him as I was researching one of the books. We became friends over the course of many years," Meltzer said in a telephone interview. "I'll always ask him about little details about White House life that only he and a few others could possibly know," the author added. "But asking a president about the hidden staircase in the White House residence is different than asking him about what it's like to know that someone's out there planning your death." Asked how he broached such a sensitive subject with Bush, Meltzer, who holds a Columbia law degree, was frank: "Maybe I should be smarter, but I just ask. They've dealt with far worse than me." "The Fifth Assassin," Meltzer's 12 novel, features the return of hero Beecher White and President Andrew Wallace, characters from Meltzer's previous novel, "The Inner Circle." White works as an archivist at the US National Archives and belongs to the Culper Ring, a covert network of spies founded by George Washington during the American Revolution. After White joins the Culper Ring, he learns Wallace is hiding a few sins behind his presidency. "(White is) part me, part dream," Meltzer said. "Twice as smart as me, but twice as broken. The truth is, I just love that our hero isn't some silly, macho cliche. He's an archivist. His best weapon is his brain." In the book, White and the Culper Ring are on the trail of a remorseless killer who sets his sights on Wallace. LINCOLN'S SKULL, ASSASSIN'S BONES The killer – who may well be someone White knows from his youth – is recreating the crimes of John Wilkes Booth, Charles J. Guiteau, Leon Czolgosz and Lee Harvey Oswald – the assassins of Presidents Abraham Lincoln, James A. Garfield, William McKinley and John F. Kennedy, respectively. Even more disturbing, White discovers these four presidential assassins may not have been acting alone, contrary to what is written in history books. Meltzer explained that the idea for the book came during a visit to the little-known US Army-run National Museum of Health and Medicine near Washington. "It began with a government employee who told me that I needed to come to a museum that almost no one knew about," he said. "Naturally, I was suspicious ... Then he told me, 'We have pieces of Abraham Lincoln's skull, the bullet that killed him and even the bones of John Wilkes Booth, if you want to see them.' "But as I started looking at the items, I could feel my brain working out the plot of the thriller. What if, over the course of 100 years, the four assassins – from John Wilkes Booth to Lee Harvey Oswald – were secretly working together?" It is familiar territory for Meltzer, who also hosts "Brad Meltzer's Decoded," a television series on the History Channel where he and a team of experts examine history's mysteries. Meltzer has also written comic books, including "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" for Dark Horse Comics as well as "Green Arrow" and "Identity Crisis," which featured Superman and Batman, for DC Comics. His projects after "The Fifth Assassin" include a "Decoded" book, then a children's book and another Beecher White novel. Grand Central Publishing is an imprint of Hachette Book Group, which is owned by French publisher Hachette Livre, a subsidiary of Lagardere Group. – Reuters

US Justice Sotomayor writes of life’s struggles Posted: 14 Jan 2013 04:30 PM PST WASHINGTON, Jan 15 — In a memoir to be published today, Sonia Sotomayor writes of the chronic disease, troubled family relationships and failed marriage that accompanied her rise from a housing project in the Bronx to a seat on America's highest court. The 58-year-old justice, the first Hispanic and the third woman to serve on the US Supreme Court, appointed by President Barack Obama in 2009, describes the insecurities she has felt as a minority who benefited from racial remedies. She signed on to write the sweeping, 315-page book, "My Beloved World", early in her tenure. She received a US$1.175 million (RM3.454 million) book advance in 2010 from publisher Alfred A. Knopf, according to financial disclosure records. Sitting down for a rare interview in her Supreme Court chambers, Sotomayor said that after being thrust into the public limelight with her nomination to the court, she felt the need for introspection to hold on to her identity. The court's nine justices, appointed for life, typically decline to sit for interviews or offer any personal observations related to cases. Book tours offer rare opportunities to draw them out on issues, even if only a little. "I began to realise that if I didn't stop and take a breath and figure out who this Sonia was, I could be in danger of losing the best in me," she said. She didn't want the memoir to be a retelling of her public persona, but rather to reveal who she was as a person, she said. The interview was part of an orchestrated media blitz to promote the book, which included appearances on Sunday night's popular CBS News programme "60 Minutes" and in People Magazine. In the coming-of-age story, Sotomayor paints a picture of her young self as a boisterous child, once rescued by a fireman neighbour when she got her head stuck in a bucket, trying to hear what her voice sounded like. Troubled family relationships She exudes the same energy when speaking on the phone or talking through the door to her assistant, often calling people "sweetie". Her chambers are spacious, bright and elegant, decorated with modern art on the walls. Her environs have not always been so pristine. She describes the difficulty of growing up with a father who was an alcoholic and a mother who was frequently absent. Diagnosed with diabetes at a young age, she wet the bed, fainted in church and learned to inject daily doses of insulin to regulate her blood sugar. Her father died when Sotomayor was nine, leaving a room full of drained liquor bottles hidden under his mattress, in jacket pockets and closets. While his death sent Sotomayor's mother into a state of grief, it was also a relief. Until then, her mother had worked long hours as a nurse to stay out of the house and avoid conflict. At her Supreme Court nomination, Sotomayor ascribed her success to her mother. In the book, Sotomayor portrays a more complicated relationship, describing the pain caused by her mother's absence and lack of affection. Sotomayor told Reuters that the part in the book about her relationship with her mother, who is still alive, was the most difficult to write. The justice is open about her insecurities. At Princeton, which admitted her in 1972 under an affirmative action programme, Sotomayor questioned her right to be there at times. Other students could be hostile to minorities, and the college newspaper routinely published letters bemoaning the presence of students on campus through racial remedies known as affirmative action. It gave her the sense that vultures were "circling, ready to dive when we stumbled", she writes. Vestiges of discrimination The book comes out as the Supreme Court is weighing a landmark case about the role of race in college admissions. Sotomayor was careful in the Reuters interview not to discuss current cases, but said there was value to affirmative action programmes. "It's impossible to not recognise that the vestiges of discrimination take a long time to erase," she said. "It just doesn't happen overnight." But she also called affirmative action a "double-edged sword". She said some people still attributed her position on the court to affirmative action, based on her identity as a Latina justice. "That's hurtful. To have your accomplishments naysaid is not something you welcome, and not something that makes you feel good," she said. Sotomayor's book is not the first literary window into a justice's personal life. Justice Clarence Thomas described his experience with poverty, racism and affirmative action in "My Grandfather's Son", and retired Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote about her early life growing up on an Arizona cattle ranch in "Lazy B." Sotomayor's self-portrait is the most revealing, down to the references to the old-lady underwear a friend persuaded her to abandon. She describes the blow of being denied a job offer at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison after working there as a summer associate while she was at Yale Law School. That disappointment hung over her like a cloud until she became a judge, she writes. The firm declined to comment. She also opens up about her marriage to her high school sweetheart, Kevin Noonan, which ended with an amicable divorce. On their wedding night, she insisted that he flush down the toilet Quaaludes that were given as a gift by his friends, showing her respect for the law. She says the marriage failed, in part, because of her self-reliance, but that she is still open to finding a happy relationship. — Reuters

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Lessons in the art of fandom Posted: 14 Jan 2013 04:10 PM PST JAN 15 — On Friday night I enjoyed a thought-provoking trip to watch Barcelona's basketball team take on Olympiacos from Greece in the highly popular continent-wide Euroleague competition. The experience was thought-provoking not so much for the game itself — an entertaining affair edged by Barca over the reigning European champions — but because it was the first time I'd taken my seven-year-old daughter to a major sporting event... and her reaction was most revealing. As you'd expect from an important game between two powerful teams, there was a pretty raucous atmosphere inside the close-to-capacity Palau Blaugrana — especially after a couple of early refereeing decisions went against the home team. Poor old Ilija Belosevic, the Serbian referee, was getting all sorts of abuse from the stands — Barca fans around us were up on their feet, banging their seats, whistling and shouting themselves hoarse as they questioned the merit of old Mr Belosevic's decision-making. It was nothing out of the ordinary — the same kind of thing that hundreds of referees in dozens of different sports are forced to endure on a weekly basis all around the globe. But for Lucy, my seven-year-old, it was a most unexpected — and unwelcome — state of affairs. You can imagine her state of confusion. After all, she's spent the majority of her life being told by her parents, her teachers and the wider expectations of polite society how she should behave around other people. Don't shout; don't make too much noise; learn how to share; learn how to deal with setbacks in a reasonable fashion; don't be rude to other people; respect other people even if you think they're wrong; respect other people's property and get your feet off the furniture... all the usual child-rearing, toddler-taming pearls of wisdom that are routinely drilled into practically every young child on earth. But now here she was, excitedly attending her first major sporting event for a contest that was being beamed on "live" television across the continent and beyond... and all those standards of behaviour were being thrown out of the window. "But Daddy!" she exclaimed, after frantically covering her ears from the deafening din of the whistles and jeers. "These people shouldn't tell the referee that he's not doing a very good job! That's not very kind!" Later on, when a Barca player was (rightly) penalised for charging into an opponent when the crowd (wrongly but inevitably) claimed the decision should have gone the other way, more perplexity followed. "But the Barca player did run into that man, I saw it! Why does everyone think the referee made a mistake when he didn't?" And her bewilderment reached its peak in the third quarter, when Olympiacos were awarded another hotly-contested penalty and their point guard Acie Law stepped up to the free throw line... and the Barca fans responded by raising the roof with their whistles, jeers, foot-stamping and seat-banging in an attempt to put him off. "That's not fair!" stammered the outraged Lucy, who was stoically resisting my attempts to get her to join in with the baying mob. "He's only trying to play the game, they should let him concentrate!" Doesn't she have so much to learn? One day, before too long, she will realise that for some strange reason, all the normal rules of society no longer apply when attending a major sporting event. In the role of "fan", it suddenly becomes perfectly acceptable to take defeat badly, to shout, scream, whistle and stamp. Tantrums? No problem. Feeble excuses for failure? Feel free. Lack of respect for authority? Go for it! Ahh, if only it were so simple. Think about it more closely — as Lucy forced me to put up with her post-match questioning on the walk home — actually it's more subtle and nuanced than that. Being a fan has rules as well — they're just very different — and some forms of behaviour cannot be tolerated, even in the anti-social hot-house of the sporting arena. It appears to be perfectly acceptable, for example, to scream at the referee that he's a bare-faced cheat and that his mother is a whore. Happens all the time. But if you react to a great piece of play by jumping out of your seat and running up to your favourite player to give him a warm congratulatory hug... woah! Get outta here, that's out of order! And if you happen to be watching cricket, rather than basketball or football, forget everything you've just un-learned and revert to the normal standards of decency. It might be fine to boo your opponents' every move at a football stadium, but whilst reclining in genteel fashion at the cricket ground, we should recognise their ability and reward it with a polite yet restrained round of applause. If, on the other hand, you find yourself in Serbia or Russia and one of the opposing team is black, you may wish to indulge in a spot of brainless racist abuse. Throw bananas, make monkey noises, whatever — everyone around you will probably be doing it, so why not join in. Try that in the UK, though, and you'll soon find yourself spending the evening in a police cell. For anyone not getting the point, I'm not condoning racism, and I'm not suggesting that every Serb or Russian is racist. I'm highlighting different standards of behaviour and social norms — and that, in fact, is the whole point. We have throughout society an enormous number of conventions that everybody is implicitly expected to understand and conform to — and for the most part, they do.  But sport, for a series of complex socio-cultural-political factors that are far too complex to examine here, has become a great, anomalous exception — a significant area of public life that has rules of its own. Some of the conventions of fandom are perfectly reasonable and need no further questioning. But perhaps we would do well to re-examine some aspects of our "fan mode" behaviour; after all, if a seven-year-old thinks that lapsing into blind rage a complete loss of partiality is the wrong way to behave, why shouldn't an adult? * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

Breaking away from partisan politics Posted: 14 Jan 2013 03:38 PM PST JAN 15 — I must applaud every party that was involved with Himpunan Kebangkitan Rakyat recently for its success. It was indeed a peaceful assembly and perfect display of the people exercising their freedom to voice out their opinions in a legal and acceptable manner. Frankly, I would not refer to the assembly as Himpunan Shamsidar, simply because the name does not make any sense to me. I bet it does not to you either. In hindsight, the successful and peaceful rally highlights the fruits of political transformation backed by the Prime Minister Najib Razak. It is testament to the government's commitment in upholding civil liberty, which should be welcomed with open arms. Indeed, this is what it means when we say that the era of the government knows best is over. The issues that were highlighted, such as oil royalty, free elections and others are among many pressing issues concerning Malaysians as we head into the most anticipated general election soon. While I agree that these issues must be addressed seriously by the government, I would like to disagree on another aspect of the assembly. Once again, we have seen how civil society organisations are being intercepted by political parties. It is hard to say that the civil society groups involved were neutral when in fact the whole thing turned out to be just another political assembly. I say this because even if the issues are being politicised, most of them are fundamentally non-partisan issues. Fair enough, our lives deal with a great amount of politics which we can hardly avoid. However, the crux of the problem is that when we cannot tell the difference between politics and partisanship. Without realising it, we let ourselves be partisan by turning those issues into a partisan debate. Accordingly, as the issues are being viewed along a partisan divide, we then urge more people to choose sides and separate themselves based on how political parties perceive these issues. This process would not stop; one problem will continue to create another layer of problems and so on. Ultimately, we will end up in a vicious cycle of partisanship, which is hard to break. We are talking about two separate entities with two different objectives here. Political parties have vested interests, but their sole ambition remains the same, which is power. On the other hand, civil society groups must play their role in providing the much needed check and balance against politicians. They must not get dragged along the course of political struggle. The principle should not be the political parties, and civil society should not become their agencies. This whole principle-agent relationship must not even exist between the two. For a country like Malaysia particularly, with strong and influential political parties embedded in the system, the need of this sort of check and balance mechanism is even more crucial. Truth be told, judging from the situation today, it is hard to see us coming together as a nation. We are currently living in a Malaysia which is split and politicised. This worrying trend must be reversed, which is precisely why I believe one step that can be taken to break away from this trend is by having strong and free civil society groups. They must be the agenda setter and bring people together to sketch our political landscape, without being interfered with by any political parties. Essentially, this is what participatory democracy is all about. Civil society must shape the agenda to be followed by political parties, instead of the other way around. Democracy can be strengthened when civil society organisations provide a platform for interests that cut across culture religion and other identity ties. When people are coming together on the basis of their common interests, civic life will become richer, more complex and more tolerant. It is important that they do so without being attached to any political party. Only then we can have issue-based discussions again, free from any elements of partisanship. This will pave the way forward towards a mature democracy that has been long envisioned and advocated. And hey, since the Peaceful Assembly Act has been proven to be effective, why don't the opposition parties conduct another assembly? Well, another one on their own without having to rally for support under the banner of civil society again. Who knows, you might just hit your one million attendance target this time. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

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Bank Islam mengatakan gantung staf adalah polisi jika terlibat dalam aktiviti politik Posted: 15 Jan 2013 02:17 AM PST Bank Islam mengatakan gantung staf adalah polisi jika terlibat dalam aktiviti politik KUALA LUMPUR, 15 Jan — Bank Islam hari ini berkata menjadi amalan bank tersebut untuk menggantung pekerja yang terlibat dengan aktiviti politik atau membuat kenyataan politik. "Berdasarkan polisi Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad, sebarang staf tidak kira apa jawatannya, termasuk bahagian pengurusan, yang pihak Bank merasakan melanggar polisi dalaman Bank, akan digantung dengan dibayar gaji penuh, untuk meneruskan siasatan," kata bank dalam kenyataan satu perenggan bertarikh hari ini. Kenyataan Bank Islam ini dikeluarkan sebagai respon kepada pertanyaan The Malaysian Insider berkenaan dengan penggantungan ketua penganalisis ekonomi Azrul Azwar Ahmad Tajudin (gambar) mengenai ramalan keputusan Pilihan Raya 2013. Apabila dihubungi hari ini, pegawai Bank Islam berkata "polisi dalaman" bank tidak membenarkan pekerjanya menyertai aktiviti politik. "Kami adalah entiti komersil, kita tidak dibenarkan [untuk menyertai] dalam kegiatan politik." Pegawai tersebut berkata staf bank tidak boleh bercakap tentang hal politik apabila bercakap di khalayak ramai. "Kami tidak memberi komen tentang isu politik atau yang berkaitan dengan perkara tersebut," kata pegawai tersebut. Apabila dihubungi The Malaysian Insider hari ini, Azrul Azwar mengesahkan spekulasi bahawa Bank Islam telah menggantung perkhidmatannya sebagai ketua penganalisis ekonomi selepas ramalannya tentang keputusan Pilihan Raya 2013. Apabila ditanya berapa lama penggantungan tersebut, beliau menjawab "Saya tidak pasti, mungkin selepas notis yang berikutnya." Azrul Azwar minggu lalu dilaporkan akhbar Singapura The Straits Times menjangkakan kemenangan tipis kepada Pakatan Rakyat (PR) pada pilihan raya 2013 dan memberitahu tiga senario yang mungkin berlaku. Selepas laporan berita tersebut disiarkan The Straits Times dan The Malaysian Insider, Bank Islam menjauhkan dirinya dari pandangan Azrul Azwar. Kenyataan pengarah urusan Bank Islam Datuk Seri Zukri Samat pada 11 Januari kesal dengan laporan berita mengenai sebuah forum di Singapura yang mengaitkan bank dengan pandangan Azrul Azwar dan ramalannya. "Untuk pengetahuan, Bank Islam tidak terlibat dan tidak berkaitan dengan forum tersebut. "Pandangan yang dikeluarkan Azrul dalam forum tersebut adalah pandangan peribadinya dan tidak harus dikaitkan dengan Bank Islam," kata Zukri dalam kenyataan empat perenggan. Dalam laporan The Straits Times, Azrul Azwar menjangka senario yang akan berlaku apabila Barisan Nasional hanya mampu memenangi 97 hingga 107 dari 222 kerusi parlimen, yang tidak cukup untuk sebuah kerajaan. Tetapi keputusan tersebut juga bermakna PR hanya mempunyai sebuah kerajaan yang goyah, jauh dari majoriti yang sering diterima oleh musuh politik mereka. Dua lagi senario yang dibentangkan Azrul Azwar ialah kemenangan tipis BN dan kemenangan lebih besar pada PR. Azrul Azwar mengambil faktor seperti kaum dan demografik. Beliau juga menjangkakan kemenangan tipis bagi PR, dimana pasaran saham akan jatuh kerana "kejutan" dan ketidakstabilan. Beliau juga mengatakan akan berlakunya "sabotaj ekonomi" oleh peniaga dan pekerja awam yang bersama BN.

Di Facebook, NGO wanita ‘dengar, dengar, dengar’ menggelar Bawani ‘Ambiga kecil’ Posted: 15 Jan 2013 01:17 AM PST Di Facebook, NGO wanita 'dengar, dengar, dengar' menggelar Bawani 'Ambiga kecil' KUALA LUMPUR, 15 Jan — Di ruangan siber, kerana kritikan pedas terhadap presidennya, Suara Wanita 1Malaysia (SW1M) menyerang kembali dengan meletakkan pautan video di Facebook yang kini semakin popular di Internet, menunjukkan Sharifah Zohra Jabeen menyerang seorang pelajar universiti. Kumpulan tersebut yang mendakwa sebuah badan bukan kerajaan, dengan bangganya meletakkan video perdebatan antara presidennya dengan seorang pelajar Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) dikenali sebagai Bawani K.S. yang digelar "Ambiga Kecil" dalam 'status' terbaru Facebook hari ini, menyamakan dengan pengerusi bersama Bersih dan peguam terkemuka Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan. "full vid Sharifah hentam little ambiga...............tgk mcmana bavani lari......kikikiki [sic]," kata seorang "admin" di dalam Facebook yang menggunakan nama samaran "Ratu Naga". Sharifah (gambar), dilihat memakai butang berlogo 1Malaysia yang dikaitkan dengan kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN), menyerang Bawani dalam klip video selama 25 minit dalam sebuah forum bulan lalu yang dimuatnaik dalam Youtube dan sebuah lagi laman sosial media minggu lalu. Sementara Sharifah mendiamkan diri sejak klip video itu tersebar, SW1M berterusan menyerang secara agresif berkaitan episod video tersebut. Dalam "post" yang berlainan, seorang lagi "admin" SW1M yang dikenali sebagai "Langsi" berkata tidak perlu memohon maaf kepada Bawani kerana dia mengganggu ucapan dalam forum tersebut. "THERE IS NO NEED FOR HER TO APOLOGIZE TO BAVANI -- AS BAVANI NEED TO LEARN HOW TO RESPECT OTHER'S-- NGEH3 (Tidak perlu memohon maaf kepada Bavani, Bavani perlu belajar menghormati orang lain)," kata Langsi dalam "post" Facebooknya. Seorang lagi "admin" yang menggunakan nama samaran "Mis Natrah" juga menyebelahi presiden SW1M itu dan menconteng gambar Bawani, dengan menuduh pelajar tersebut bercakap mengenai "cerita dongeng" dan tidak menghormati Sharifah, "have gut's [sic]" to teach her a lesson (berani dia nak mengajar orang). Kumpulan yang mempertahankan presiden itu bagaimanapun dikritik pengikut Facebook yang mengkritik penggunaan Bahasa Inggeris para "admin" yang dikatakan lemah. "Oh my!!! poor thing...you seriously need some intensive english lessons!!!(Oh, anda perlu belajar Bahasa Inggeris dengan lebih intensif)" kata seorang pengguna Facebook, Ashwin Johl. "Whoahh..SW1M's powderful England,(Whoahh.. SW1M berterabur England)" kata seorang lagi yang dikenali sebagai Han Yang Toh. Video itu bermula dengan pelajar universiti mengangkat sumpah dalam bahasa Inggeris sebelum pelajar tersebut, Bawani berdiri di mikrofon di auditorium yang penuh dengan orang ramai sebelum bercakap tentang keputusan mahkamah mengenai Bersih tahun lalu dan bertanya mengapa Malaysia gagal memberi pendidikan percuma seperti di beberapa negara lain. Sharifah yang menjadi pengerusi majlis dalam forum tersebut, mencelah dan memberitahu kepada Bawani "Listen!(dengar!)" sebanyak 11 kali sebelum merampas mikrofon daripada Bawani bagi menghalang beliau dari bercakap lebih lama. "Number one, when this is our programme, we allow you to speak,(nombor satu, ini program kami, kami yang benarkan kamu untuk bercakap," kata Sharifah Zohra Jabeen, dan kemudian menambah, "Number two, when I speak, you listen.(nombor dua, bila saya bercakap, awak dengar.) Sharifah turut bertengkar dengan seorang lagi pelajar yang cuba untuk bersuara, dan bercakap berkali-kali "Let me speak"(biar saya bercakap) sebelum bertanya kepada orang ramai "Pelajar di dalam dewan, ada 2,300 pelajar. Did I give her respect? Did I give her respect? I came up to her, shook hands with her and gave her respect as another woman. Do you think I need to answer her question with this attitude?"(Adakah saya berikan dia penghormatan? Adakah saya berikan dia penghormatan? Saya datang kepadanya, bersalam dengannya dan menghormati dia seperti wanita lain. Anda rasa saya patut jawab soalannya dengan perangai begini?) Beliau melabelkan pengerusi bersama Bersih Datuk Ambiga Sreenevasan sebagai "anarkis", dan mengkritik pelajar tersebut apabila bercakap tentang pendidikan percuma dalam negara, dan memberitahu, "if you equate Malaysia to other countries, what are you doing in Malaysia?" "Go to Cuba, go to Argentina, go to Libya, go everywhere.(Jika kamu membandingkan Malaysia dengan negara lain, apa kamu buat di Malaysia? Pergi ke Cuba, pergi ke Argentina, pergi ke Libya, pergi kemana-mana). "Because all the students in this hall are happy with whatever the government does for them,(Semua pelajar dalam dewan ini gembira dengan apa kerajaan lakukan pada mereka," katanya lagi dengan berkata Bawani mempunyai "a very least of (kurang) pendidikan". Pelajar di universiti tempatan sejak akhir-akhir ini lantang bersuara mengkritik kerajaan, lebih-lebih lagi selepas pentadbiran Najib membenarkan pelajar untuk menyertai politik, dalam usaha menyokong generasi muda yang menjadi pengundi terbesar dalam kumpulan demografi. Tahun lalu, sekumpulan pelajar berdemonstrasi seluruh negara menuntut kebebasan dan pendidikan percuma di universiti.

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