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Daniel Boulud creates custom blended whisky for his NY eateries Posted: 19 Jan 2013 07:01 PM PST Celebrated French chef, Daniel Bouloud. - Afp pic NEW YORK, Jan 20 — Whisky maker The Dalmore has collaborated with celebrity chef Daniel Boulud to create a bespoke single malt scotch whisky that will be paired with a specially designed menu at Boulud's New York restaurants.  Bottled at 44 per cent proof, Boulud chose a blend of single malts finished in aged Muscatel, Madeira and Port casks.  The result, according to Boulud, is an amber honey-colored spirit with flavours that range from "moist banana fig cake, plums, to mocha, fudge, Turkish delight, and black maraschino cherries."  The custom-blended single malt will be served at Boulud restaurants across New York, including Café Boulud, Boulud Sud and Daniel, in a special dinner pairing that highlights the nuances of the whisky.  Dalmore's master blender Richard Paterson also noted flavors like pear, apple, cherries, licorice, citrus fruits and crushed almonds in Boulud's selected blend.  According to The Spirits Business, the whisky will be sold at US$40 (RM121) - US$60 (RM181) a glass beginning in April.  Pairing haute cuisine with beverages other than wine has become an emerging trend of late. In addition to craft beer and food pairings, sake producers have also launched ambitious campaigns to put Japanese rice wine onto fine dining menus which stretch beyond sushi restaurants.  Meanwhile, French chef titan Joël Robuchon has also launched a Japanese beer with Sapporo called Yebisu which will be served at his restaurant in that country, while Spanish chef Ferran Adrià collaborated with Spanish brewery Estrella Damm to create a coriander, licorice and orange peel-flavoured beer, Inedit. — Afp-Relaxnews

Be kind to your seafood, study urges Posted: 19 Jan 2013 03:09 AM PST Billions of prawns, crabs and lobster are caught or reared for human consumption every year and treated in 'very extreme ways'. – shutterstock.com PARIS, Jan 19 – A lobster thrown live into boiling water may suffer for many seconds, said a scientist who argued Thursday that crustaceans can likely feel pain. A set of experiments on crabs revealed that the animals are willing to give up a valuable dark hiding place in order to avoid an electric shock, an indicator of pain, said a study in the Journal of Experimental Biology. Crabs in the study learnt to avoid the shelter in a laboratory tank where they had repeatedly received a shock, said study leader Bob Elwood of Queen's University in Belfast. "They were willing to give up their hideaway in order to avoid the source of their probable pain." Elwood said it was impossible to prove beyond doubt that the animals feel pain, but the research results were "consistent" with pain and added: "Perhaps we should err on the side of caution". Elwood said billions of prawns, crabs and lobster are caught or reared for human consumption every year and treated in "very extreme ways". "Crabs have their claws torn off and the live crab is thrown back in the sea. Lobsters and prawns have the front half of the body torn off from the abdomen which is kept for the meat. The nervous system in the head and thorax is still functional an hour later." The biologist said many people assumed that because crustaceans do not have a brain resembling that of vertebrate animals, they could not feel pain. "Crustaceans are invertebrates and people do not care about invertebrates," he said. "More consideration of the treatment of these animals is needed as a potentially very large problem is being ignored." – AFP/Relaxnews

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PSG performance manager Broad killed in car crash Posted: 19 Jan 2013 07:56 AM PST PARIS, Jan 19 — Paris St Germain performance manager Nick Broad has been killed in a car accident at the age of 38, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday. The accident occurred on Thursday evening, PSG said in a statement on their website (www.psg.fr). Englishman Broad was the former Head of Sports Science at Chelsea, where he met current PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti in 2009. PSG said in the statement: "All of us are stunned and devastated by the sudden death of a much-liked colleague, universally recognised for his professional expertise. "His passionate, dynamic and extremely professional approach placed Nick on the cutting edge of European football coaching, and he was a key member of Carlo Ancelotti's staff." PSG cancelled their press conferences on Friday and Saturday, and French media reported that the French league had turned down a request to postpone their Ligue 1 game at Girondins Bordeaux on Sunday. — Reuters

Male quartet helps French find their voice again Posted: 19 Jan 2013 06:58 AM PST Jeremy Chardy of France reacts during his men's singles match against Juan Martin del Potro of Argentina at the Australian Open tennis tournament in Melbourne January 19, 2013. — Reuters pic MELBOURNE, Jan 19 — Renditions of "La Marseillaise" and chants of "Allez les bleus" are likely to ring out at the Australian Open over the next two days after four Frenchmen advanced to the last 16 of the year's opening grand slam. It is the first time since 1998 that France has celebrated such an achievement at Melbourne Park, though one of the quartet, Jeremy Chardy, was at a loss when asked for the secret of their success. "I don't know," said Chardy, who provided the first upset of the men's draw when he beat sixth-seeded Juan Martin del Potro in five sets on Saturday. "We have a lot of good players. I think everybody start to play well this year. "I don't know what is the thing. But we just play good." Thirteen Frenchmen made the main draw here, with two, Jo-Wilfried Tsonga (7) and Richard Gasquet (9), seeded in the top 10. Only Spain (16) had more players in the main men's draw. Now, Chardy, Tsonga, Gasquet and Gilles Simon remain of France's contingent. Tsonga made the fourth round with an effortless 6-2 6-1 6-4 victory over Slovenia's Blaz Kavcic, while Gasquet was pushed by Croatian Ivan Dodig before he emerged from a taut match in four sets. "I think I started very bad," Gasquet told reporters after he dropped the first set. "He was starting good, the condition was fast, so it was a bit difficult for me. "I (did) feel not good in my forehand, and same with my backhand. A lot of tension. I was losing 6-3 3-1 with a break point, so it could be very difficult for me if he's winning two sets to zero. "Then I fight and I return better. The third set was the key of the match, and I think in the fourth he was a little bit tired. "But I fight as much as I could, and played well. At the end of the match I play better." The 14th-seeded Simon beat compatriot Gael Monfils 6-4 6-4 4-6 1-6 8-6 in a marathon four-hour, 43 minute match on Hisense Arena. Both players took injury timeouts during the match, with Simon suffering from leg and forearm issues and Monfils needing treatment for grazes to a hand after taking a tumble. The injuries seemed to affect their mobility, and it led to several lengthy rallies in which both barely moved from the centre of the baseline and looked more like they were hitting in the local park than playing a grand slam third round. "I was almost dying after the end of the second set," Simon said. "I thought it would be difficult to win the third set and Gael was playing really well. "I was just trying to run, to find my rhythm and make him run, and I think I did in the end." Unfortunately for French supporters, Tsonga and Gasquet will meet each other in the fourth round, and Simon will face world number three Andy Murray. Despite his, and his compatriots' success, in Melbourne, Chardy, who next faces Italy's Andreas Seppi, said he still preferred his home grand slam in Paris. "I love to play in Roland Garros," he said. "Always my family and my friends come to watch my game in Roland Garros. "I already play very good in French Open. So is still my best tournament. I mean, maybe I will play better this year." — Reuters

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Back-up singers finally in spotlight at Sundance Posted: 19 Jan 2013 03:07 AM PST PARK CITY (Utah), Jan 19 — They sang for the Rolling Stones, Elvis, Frank Sinatra, U2, Sting and Michael Jackson, but they stayed out of the spotlight — until a new documentary gave them a starring role at last. "Twenty Feet From Stardom," which opened the Sundance Film Festival Thursday, showcases the lives of a series of mostly African American back-up singers whose voices are familiar but whose faces and names are barely known. They have sung on some of the most popular tunes of the modern era, but who knows the names of Darlene Love, Lisa Fischer, Tata Vega, Claudia Lennear or The Waters Family? Or Merry Clayton, the female voice on the Rolling Stones' "Gimme Shelter," possibly one of the most iconic back-up vocals in rock and roll. "Something that struck me instantly was that it's not sex, drugs, and rock and roll — it's a different side of the music industry," director Morgan Neville told AFP, in the Utah ski resort of Park City, hosting Sundance until January 27. "These are people who have lived their lives making peace with the fact that they are there to disappear in the spotlight," he added. "In a way, I was making a film about addicts. These are people who are addicted to music. And it doesn't matter if they don't make a lot of money or don't get any glory — they just care about the music." That doesn't mean that they never dreamed of a solo career: almost all of them have released their own albums, but none has achieved the success that could make them a star in their own right. Lisa Fischer, the main back-up singer on Rolling Stones tours since 1989, is an exception: her debut album "So Intense" was a major success, producing a Grammy award-winning 1991 single, "How Can I Ease the Pain?" But even she elected not to go further with her solo career, telling the documentary-maker in the film that, for her, singing was not about competition, but about sharing. Tata Vega tells him that if she had become a solo star, she would probably not be alive today; she would have died of a drug overdose at some point along the line. Neville said the back-up singers form a community who have a sense of sharing far more than the stars whom they accompany. "Not everybody can sing. It's a gift. And that gift, somehow, has to be shared. It is a very spiritual thing to them. They all came out of a church, they're all very religious and I do think that they see it as a calling. "That's what they are addicted to, they're addicted to being able to lose themselves in this greater sense of togetherness. And that is a great thing," he said. The movie also follows a younger generation of back-up singers through Judith Hill, whose velvet voice entranced the "King of Pop" himself, Michael Jackson. She was supposed to be the main back-up singer on his doomed London mega-show "This is It," which he was rehearsing for when he died in 2009, ending her prospects of global exposure. Hill still hopes to have a solo career, but has to accept routine back-up singer gigs, not all of them the most glamorous, to pay the bills. The fact is that opportunities have dried up for these golden voices: the arrival of hip-hop and grunge in the 1990s, and then the recording industry's financial troubles as new technology arrived, have hit them hard. "And the biggest artists that use back-up vocals like Adele or Florence and The Machine, those vocals are done by Adele or Florence. They're doing their own back-up vocals on the records. "They don't use back-up singers." — AFP-Relaxnews

K-pop’s reach extends to Muslim Malaysia Posted: 19 Jan 2013 12:16 AM PST South Korean K-pop singer G-Dragon (R) and Lee Hi (L) at the 27th Golden Disk Awards. — AFP pic SEPANG, Jan 19 — Maznifa Mustaffa doesn't understand Korean, and would be unable to get away with dressing like her favourite Korean pop stars due to conservative attitudes in Muslim-majority Malaysia. But that didn't stop her joining thousands of fans who bought tickets to a K-pop extravaganza costing half a month's average salary in Malaysia, underlining the phenomenal cross-cultural appeal of Korean entertainment. "I'm very excited. I've waited a long time for this," said Maznifa, a 29-year-old administrative assistant who wore a white hijab, the headscarf worn by many Muslim women in Malaysia that covers all but the face. Maznifa spoke as she queued in sweltering conditions Wednesday with crowds of other delirious fans for tickets costing 1,000 ringgit ($330) -- she dipped into her savings -- to a two-night K-pop concert and awards show. "For them, I'd do anything," she said of her favourite K-pop bands like G-Dragon and Super Junior. "It's very hard for us to see them (perform)." Organisers have said the annual Golden Disk Awards, viewed as the Korean Grammys and which included occasionally racy performances by some of K-pop's biggest acts, saw more than 15,000 tickets sold for Tuesday and Wednesday. The exporting of the show for the second straight year -- it was held in Japan last year -- was aimed at further promoting the global appeal of Korean pop culture. Korean soap operas, with their slick production and telegenic stars, have long been popular throughout the region as part of the so-called Hallyu (Korean Wave) of culture that has taken Asia by storm over the past decade, helped by substantial support from the Seoul government. But pre-packaged K-pop with its teen-idol groups, glossy hooks and meticulously choreographed dance moves has taken the world by storm, while the "Gangnam Style" phenomenon has helped fuel global interest in Korea's music scene. The song by the artist Psy, intended to poke fun at materialism in a wealthy Seoul district, made history last month when the video featuring the singer's signature horse-riding dance became the first clip to log one billion YouTube hits. Psy has swept all before him in recent months, hoovering up awards and scoring guest appearances with everyone from Madonna to the head of the United Nations and being handed walk-on roles at major world events. On Wednesday, Psy, whose real name is Park Jae-Sang and who was not at the ceremony, received Song of the Year for his hit, while the Album of the Year award went to Super Junior's "Sexy, Free & Single". The thousands who thronged the Sepang racing circuit were further testament to the cross-border appeal of Korean culture. "I'm always so happy when I come to Malaysia because I get a lot of support and that always cheers me up," Kwon Ji-Yong, better known as G-Dragon, told reporters, dressed in black leather pants and an array of silver necklaces. Sharon Tan, 18, said she and her friends enjoy K-pop for its music and dance moves, and doesn't care that the Korean-language lyrics are meaningless to her. "The music is unique. Oh my god, it's awesome. It's unforgettable!" said Tan, who won a ticket via a radio show's song-guessing contest. Some 60 per cent of Malaysia's 29 million people are Muslim ethnic Malays, and some well-known Western artists have scrapped shows in the country due to Islamic opposition over their supposedly "immoral" content. Others have abided by guidelines such as no kissing, swearing or too much skin on stage. However, K-pop, many of whose biggest stars have already performed to large groups in Malaysia, has so far avoided such trouble. Whatever the views of Islamists, Maznifa said such content is acceptable to her and her friends. "Especially the guy groups!" she said with a giggle. — AFP-Relaxnews

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Botox may be a future cure for a common foot ailment Posted: 19 Jan 2013 02:05 AM PST A new Mexican study finds that Botox injections could be a better way to treat plantar fasciitis than commonly used steroid injections. – shutterstock.com LOS ANGELES, Jan 19 – Botox to cure foot pain? A new Mexican study finds that Botox injections help treat the common foot ailment plantar fasciitis better than commonly used steroid treatments. Common among both runners and overweight people, plantar fasciitis results when connective tissues on the sole of the foot, the plantar fascia, become inflamed. According to the scientists, steroid treatments can sometimes cause complications. In two to six per cent of patients, steroid treatments can lead the plantar fascia to rupture. Researchers from the Autonomous University of Nuevo León, Mexico, devised a trial to compare steroid treatment with the botulinium toxin alternative, also known as Botox, which works by blocking the neurotransmitter acetylcholine, weakening the muscles for several months. The scientists recruited 36 patients and divided them into randomized, double-blind groups, with one group being treated with steroids and the other group being treated with Botox. Both groups completed stretching exercises, another common treatment protocol. While both groups appeared to be recovering, the Botox group reported less foot pain and evaluations found better foot function and alignment. The findings, announced Thursday, recently appeared online in the journal Foot & Ankle International, published by SAGE. Access the study: http://fai.sagepub.com/content/34/1/8.abstract – AFP/Relaxnews

America’s national parks weigh solitude against cellular access Posted: 19 Jan 2013 12:22 AM PST Mobile phones may soon creep into America's national parks as a growing number of park visitors demand access to wireless signals for them to keep in touch with the outside world. – Reuters pic SALMON, Jan 19 – As cell phones, iPods and laptops creep steadily into every corner of modern life, America's national parks have stayed largely off the digital grid, among the last remaining outposts of ringtone-free human solitude. For better or worse, that may soon change. Under pressure from telecommunications companies and a growing number of park visitors who feel adrift without mobile-phone reception, the airwaves in such grand getaway destinations as Yellowstone National Park may soon be abuzz with new wireless signals. That prospect has given pause to a more traditional cohort of park visitors who cherish the unplugged tranquility of the great outdoors, fearing an intrusion of mobile phones – and the sound of idle chatter – will diminish their experience. Some have mixed emotions. Stephanie Smith, a 50-something Montana native who visits Yellowstone as many as six times a year, said she prefers the cry of an eagle to ring tones. But she also worries that future generations may lose their appreciation for the value of nature and the need to preserve America's outdoor heritage if a lack of technology discourages them from visiting. "You have to get there to appreciate it," Smith said. "It's a new world – and technology is a part of it." Balancing the two aesthetics has emerged as the latest challenge facing the National Park Service as managers in at least two premier parks, Yellowstone and Glacier national parks, consider recent requests to install new telecommunications towers or upgrade existing ones. There is no system-wide rule governing cellular facilities in the 300 national parks, national monuments and other units the agency administers nationwide. Wireless infrastructure decisions are left up to the managers of individual park units. The agency's mission statement requires it to protect park resources and the visitor experience, but each individual experience is unique, said Lee Dickinson, a special-uses programme manager for the Park Service. "I've had two visitors calling me literally within hours of each other who wanted exactly the opposite experience: One saying he didn't vacation anywhere without electronic access and the other complaining he was disturbed by another park visitor ordering pizza on his cell phone," Dickinson said. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? Wireless supporters say more is at stake than the convenience of casual phone conversations. Cellular providers say new wireless infrastructure will boost public safety by improving communications among park rangers and emergency responders. They argue that the ability to download smartphone applications that can deliver instant information on plants and animals will also enrich park visitors' experiences. "Our customers are telling us that having access to technology will enhance their visit to wild areas," said Bob Kelley, spokesman for Verizon Wireless, which is seeking to install a new 100-foot cell tower at Yellowstone. Rural communities that border the national parks also stand to benefit from enlarged cellular coverage areas. On the other side of the debate, outdoor enthusiasts worry that bastions of quiet reflection could be transformed into noisy hubs where visitors yak on cell phones and fidget with electronic tablets, detracting from the ambience of such natural wonders as Yellowstone's celebrated geyser Old Faithful. Expanding cellular reception may even compromise safety by giving some tourists a false sense of security in the back country, where extremes in weather and terrain test even the most skilled outdoorsman, according to the National Parks Conservation Association. Tim Stevens, the association's Northern Rockies director, said distractions like meandering moose already challenge the attention of motorists clogging park roads at the height of the summer tourist season. "People brake in the middle of the road to watch animals. The added distraction of a wireless signal – allowing a driver to text Aunt Madge to say how great the trip is – could have disastrous consequences," he said. Yellowstone already offers some limited mobile-phone service, afforded by four cellular towers previously erected in developed sections of the park. But vast swathes of America's oldest national park, which spans nearly 3,500 square miles across the states of Wyoming, Montana and Idaho, still lack wireless reception in an age dominated by Wi-Fi and iPad users who expect access even in the most remote locations. Park officials see definite signs that a portion of the roughly three million annual visitors to Yellowstone, which crafted a wireless plan in 2008, are finding the lack of cell phone coverage disconcerting. Park spokesman Al Nash said he routinely fields calls from anxious relatives of Yellowstone visitors unable to contact their loved ones. "They say, 'My gosh, my niece, daughter or parents went to Yellowstone, and we haven't heard from them for three days'," he said. – Reuters

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PSG performance manager Broad killed in car crash Posted: 19 Jan 2013 07:56 AM PST PARIS, Jan 19 — Paris St Germain performance manager Nick Broad has been killed in a car accident at the age of 38, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday. The accident occurred on Thursday evening, PSG said in a statement on their website (www.psg.fr). Englishman Broad was the former Head of Sports Science at Chelsea, where he met current PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti in 2009. PSG said in the statement: "All of us are stunned and devastated by the sudden death of a much-liked colleague, universally recognised for his professional expertise. "His passionate, dynamic and extremely professional approach placed Nick on the cutting edge of European football coaching, and he was a key member of Carlo Ancelotti's staff." PSG cancelled their press conferences on Friday and Saturday, and French media reported that the French league had turned down a request to postpone their Ligue 1 game at Girondins Bordeaux on Sunday. — Reuters

Hollande says Mali action will last as long as necessary Posted: 19 Jan 2013 07:54 AM PST Reuters file picture of French president Francoise Hollande. TULLE (France), Jan 19 — France's military intervention in Mali will last as long as it takes to overcome terrorism in the region, President Francois Hollande said today. "People often ask how long this will last. I reply, the time it takes. The time it takes to vanquish terrorism in this area," he said. Hollande, who ordered French fighter jets into action in Mali a week ago to halt an Islamist advance, also said a hostage crisis at a desert gas plant in Algeria offered further evidence that France's action in the region was justified. He said attempts by the Algerian authorities to root out the hostage-takers were under way but that reports were now coming in that the operation had come to an end. "Hostages have been killed, assassinated in cowardly fashion," Hollande said. — Reuters

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Roth on Roth: ‘Sabbath’s Theater,’ ‘American Pastoral’ were best-written Posted: 19 Jan 2013 07:41 AM PST Roth on Roth: 'Sabbath's Theater,' 'American Pastoral' were best-written US author Philip Roth. – AFP pic LOS ANGELES, Jan 19 – Asked to select his best-written books, the recently retired author Philip Roth chose a book that "a lot of people hate" and another whose protagonist was the opposite of the first's. Speaking to journalists ahead of the PBS American Masters programme "Philip Roth: Unmasked," a biographical television programme to be aired in March, Roth was asked by blog The Wrap to pick out the most worthy. "I'm particularly partial to a book called 'Sabbath's Theater,' which a lot of people hate," he said. "But I think it's got a lot of freedom in it. That's what you're looking for as a writer when you're working. You're looking for your own freedom. To lose your inhibition to delve deep into your memory and experiences and life and then to find the prose that will persuade the reader." The other title? "American Pastoral," which was the next of Roth's novels to be published. "I wanted to write about a conventionally virtuous man. I was sick of Mickey Sabbath and I wanted to go to the other end of the spectrum. I think the book worked, enabled me to write about the most powerful decade of my life, the '60s, and the domestic turbulence of the '60s, and I think I got a lot of that into the book." Source: The Wrap – thewrap.com/tv/column-post/philip-roth-names-best-his-own-books-73021 – AFP/Relaxnews

Author paints dark, satiric portrait of Vancouver in stories Posted: 18 Jan 2013 03:36 PM PST TOKYO, Jan 19 — A Vancouver neighbourhood of men who drink fig-infused martinis and eat fiddleheads on skewers faces a crisis when a beer-swilling, barbecue-loving truck driver moves in. An Olympic mascot marmot kidnaps a young boy from his parents. These are just a few of the tales in "Better Living Through Plastic Explosives," a book of short stories by Canadian author Zsuzsi Gartner that brings to life a dark, satiric Vancouver set just a few years into the future. "I would say it is a portrait of Vancouver, my Vancouver," said Gartner, who was short-listed for Canada's Giller Prize for the collection, published recently in the United States. "I've created my own kind of mythology, set in the near future, of how I view the city itself. "I map different psychic and demographic spaces, but telling the stories I like to tell, which are dark satire." In one, "The Adopted Chinese Daughters' Rebellion," Canadian parents push adopted offspring into Buddhism and feng shui, while the girls just want to be Canadian. "Once, We Were Swedes" features IKEA product names as a loving, erotic language. Typical in many ways is "The Summer of the Flesh Eater," the tale of a cultural collision between the vegan locavores of one particular Vancouver cul-de-sac and the truck-driving carnivore who arrives in their midst, serving up huge slabs of meat he describes as "bodacious." Like many of her tales, Gartner said, it began with a concept - the idea of the difficulty of being a man in the 21st century, combined with the idea of evolution and Darwin's theories, part of another project. "Then the idea of devolution instead of evolution, what if we started devolving instead of evolving?" she said. "Those things I was interested in came together and I found a narrative for them. Here's a cosy little setup, a classic story scenario - you know, 'At the Door Knocks a Stranger.' Equilibrium is disturbed. The out of towner, the lost brother, the guy who doesn't fit in." The story also shares with several others in the book its location on a cul-de-sac, which Gartner said is her equivalent of Agatha Christie's isolated house or train on which all of the action takes place. "The demographics of Vancouver are important if you're trying to understand the book... It's the fabric of what goes on here," she said. "When you isolate a microcosm of a population on a cul-de-sac and put a microscope on them, you have a bit of a petri dish." As a satirist, though, she said she has run into difficulties, noting that some of the unreal or otherworldly things she has written have come true, such as reality TV. "The world has become so self-satirizing. You open the paper or go online, and it's really hard to satirize a world — not just a society but a world — that's become so self-satirizing," she said. "So I push things slightly into the future. I thought that if I project it three to five years ahead, and make up stuff that's a little otherworldly, then I can keep one step ahead of things." — Reuters

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Mahathir syor tubuh suruhanjaya siasat pemberian kerakyatan kepada sejuta pendatang asing Posted: 19 Jan 2013 02:57 AM PST Mahathir syor tubuh suruhanjaya siasat pemberian kerakyatan kepada sejuta pendatang asing BUKIT MERTAJAM, 19 Jan — Bekas Perdana Menteri Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad mencadangkan agar ditubuhkan sebuah Suruhanjaya Siasatan Diraja (RCI) bagi menyiasat isu pemberian taraf kerakyatan kepada sejuta pendatang asing di Persekutuan Tanah Melayu sebelum Malaysia mencapai kemerdekaan. "Saya hanya mencadangkan sahaja, dan tidak serius tentang itu (melaksanakannya)...tetapi jika mahu menjalankan siasatan mestilah secara menyeluruh, ia tidak adil sekiranya hanya fokus kepada satu perkara sahaja dan tidak perkara lain. "Terdapat perkara yang sama, saya hanya mahu menunjukkan perbandingan, saya bukan serius mengenainya tetapi saya memang menekankan apabila melakukan sesuatu perkara ia mesti adil," katanya kepada pemberita selepas merasmikan dan menyampaikan ucaptama pada konvensyen 'Transformasi Ekonomi dan Pelajaran Melayu Pulau Pinang 2013' anjuran Pertubuhan Pribumi Perkasa Malaysia (Perkasa) Pulau Pinang di Dewan Utama, Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) kampus Permatang Pauh di sini hari ini. Beliau (gambar) berkata demikian ketika diminta mengulas mengenai kritikan terhadap tindakannya memberikan taraf kerakyatan kepada 200,000 pendatang asing di Sabah ketika beliau menjadi perdana menteri. Katanya 200,000 pendatang asing itu telah berada di Sabah untuk satu tempoh yang lama iaitu lebih 20 tahun dan menggunakan bahasa Melayu dalam komunikasi serta mengamalkan budaya setempat. "Dari segi perundangan mereka memang layak untuk mendapat taraf kerakyatan," katanya. Selain itu, katanya, pemberian taraf kerakyatan kepada sejuta pendatang asing di Persekutuan Tanah Melayu sebelum merdeka dilakukan Perdana Menteri Pertama Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj walaupun ia tidak termaktub dalam undang-undang ketika itu. "Hal ini berlaku disebabkan orang Melayu pemurah dan bersedia untuk mengurangkan kuasa mereka, ini sangat berbeza dengan apa yang berlaku di Sabah kerana mereka memang berhak untuk mendapat taraf kerakyatan," katanya. Konvensyen sehari anjuran Perkasa Pulau Pinang itu bertujuan membangkitkan motivasi dan kesedaran di kalangan orang Melayu Pulau Pinang, khusus mengenai ekonomi dan pendidikan. Antara objektif utama konvensyen sehari ini ialah menjadi salah satu platform utama percambahan minda membincangkan isu serta peluang ekonomi dan pelajaran orang Melayu Pulau Pinang dan menghasilkan resolusi dan pelan tindakan strategik hala tuju transformasi ekonomi dan pelajaran secara dinamik dan holistik yang sentiasa relevan dan kemaskini ke arah pembangunan dan kemajuan ekonomi serta pelajaran orang Melayu. Tiga kertas kerja dibentangkan pada konvensyen itu. Yang turut hadir ialah isteri Dr Mahathir, Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, Presiden Perkasa Datuk Ibrahim Ali dan Yang Dipertua Perkasa Negeri Pulau Pinang Yusof Suhaimi Mohd Yatim. — Bernama

SPR muat naik borang mohon undi pos bulan ini, kata Wan Ahmad Posted: 19 Jan 2013 02:16 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, 19 Jan — Suruhanjaya Pilihan Raya Malaysia (SPR) akan memuat naik borang permohonan untuk mengundi secara pos di laman web badan itu pada bulan ini, kata Timbalan Pengerusi SPR Datuk Wan Ahmad Wan Omar. Meskipun ada desakan daripada pihak tertentu supaya kaedah itu dimansuh serta diganti dengan pengundian awal, beliau berkata undi pos tetap relevan dan diperlukan. "Antaranya adalah untuk anggota polis dan tentera yang terpaksa bertugas di luar negara, di atas kapal atau menjaga sempadan serta tidak sempat untuk mengundi awal. Mereka ini layak memohon undi pos menggunakan borang 1A," katanya kepada Bernama. Beliau berkata pada Pilihan Raya Umum (PRU) ke-13 akan datang, buat pertama kali, semua petugas media termasuk wartawan, jurugambar, jurukamera dan juruteknik yang bertugas di luar kawasan berdaftar mereka, layak memohon untuk mengundi pos. "Bagaimanapun, bilangan sebenar petugas media yang akan menggunakan kemudahan ini hanya akan diketahui selepas SPR menerima semula semua borang permohonan," katanya. Berdasarkan laporan Bernama sebelum ini, dijangka kurang daripada 10,000 petugas media bakal menggunakan kemudahan itu. Wan Ahmad berkata petugas media yang ingin mengundi secara pos perlu melengkapkan permohonan serta mendapat pengesahan majikan sebelum dihantar kepada Pegawai Pengurus Bahagian Pilihan Raya yang berkenaan menerusi faks, pos atau menyerahkannya sendiri. Beliau berkata tarikh akhir menghantar borang ialah pada hari ketiga selepas penamaan calon, petugas media yang layak (mengundi secara pos) akan menerima sampul keutamaan, antara lain mengandungi kertas undi untuk calon kerusi Parlimen dan kerusi Dewan Undangan Negeri masing-masing. "Sampul-Sampul keutamaan itu akan dihantar kepada pengundi melalui surat berdaftar dengan kerjasama Pos Malaysia Berhad, dan juga boleh dikembalikan melalui pos tanpa setem," katanya. Selain itu, Wan Ahmad berkata turut layak mengundi secara pos adalah pengundi tidak hadir (PTH) iaitu penjawat awam yang berkhidmat di perwakilan luar negara serta pelajar sepenuh masa di luar negara dan pasangan masing-masing, rakyat Malaysia yang berdaftar serta bermastautin di luar negara dan petugas SPR. — Bernama

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Guardiola’s arrival will hasten Bundesliga’s rise Posted: 18 Jan 2013 03:34 PM PST JAN 19 — German football has been enjoying a steady rise for a few years now, but Bayern Munich's shock capture of Pep Guardiola will propel the Bundesliga to a whole new level in terms of global perception. For the last six months, Guardiola has been the most sought-after man in world football. No other player or manager has even come close to attracting the same level of demand as the former Barcelona coach, who won an astonishing 14 major trophies during his four years in charge of the Nou Camp club. File picture of Guardiola being tossed in the air by his players after his last match as Barcelona coach at the Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on May 5, 2012. — Reuters pic Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester City and Manchester United from the English Premier League had all been linked with Guardiola — some more closely than others — while French moneybags Paris St Germain and Italian heavyweights AC Milan were also extremely interested. Yet Guardiola has turned his back on all of them and plumped for Bayern Munich. Why? The biggest reason for Guardiola's decision is his appreciation of the structure and philosophy of the German club, which is remarkably similar to Barcelona in many ways. Both clubs are owned by their fans rather than billionaire tycoons from overseas (minority stakes in Bayern are held by Adidas and Audi); both have a strong pedigree of European success; both are long-established as a dominant force in their domestic league; both boast deluxe training facilities; both carry a powerful "brand" that extends well beyond their home city, and both place an emphasis on developing homegrown talent. Put all those ingredients together and it's easy to see why Guardiola rejected Chelsea, a nouveau-riche club that possesses none of the qualities listed above (except the training facilities). Although Roman Abramovich has been desperate to land Guardiola for many years, it never looked like a good fit and I would have been extremely surprised to see the Catalan take over at Stamford Bridge. Manchester City, however, was a different proposition and I am happy to admit that I expected the reigning English champions to win the race for Guardiola. Although they are, like Chelsea, one of Europe's "new money" mega-clubs, they have shown a serious and genuine intent to establish a sustainable long-term structure based around the development of youth talent — and they've also recruited two of Guardiola's most trusted former Barcelona colleagues as senior executives: chief executive Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain. But there are many reasons why Guardiola has chosen not to join City. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, they already have a manager. Although Roberto Mancini's job cannot be said to be particularly secure following his team's early elimination from the Champions League and their erratic Premier League form, the Italian is on a long-term contract and Guardiola is too principled to accept a job that doesn't yet exist. There's also a strong current of feeling in Spain that Guardiola is keen to avoid embarking upon another ongoing rivalry with Jose Mourinho, who is widely tipped to head to England (Chelsea, now that Guardiola has snubbed them?) at the end of the season. During his time at Barcelona, the aggression, bitterness and relentlessness of the feud between the two managers became a strain on Guardiola, who is a competitive but not confrontational man and never relished the psychological warfare that was inevitable in his direct rivalry with the aggressive Mourinho. Quite simply, Mourinho is an irritation that Guardiola can do without — and by heading to Germany, he manages to avoid him apart from occasional skirmishes in the Champions League. Landing Guardiola to replace the soon-to-be-retired Jupp Heynckes is great news for Bayern but, as I mentioned at the start of the article, it's even better news for the whole of German football, which can now boast the world's most successful coach over the last few years within its ranks. Guardiola's presence will automatically heighten the general interest in the Bundesliga all over the planet — and plenty of those new viewers will quickly become transfixed by the quality of the football and the passion of the supporters. Of course, the German national team has enjoyed a reputation as one of the best in the world for a very long time, but the domestic league always lagged far behind with leading stars such as Lothar Matthaus and Jurgen Klinsmann forced to spend the vast majority of their club careers overseas. That is no longer the case. Although Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira are with Real Madrid, the remainder of the German team that reached the semi-finals of last year's European Championships are based domestically, with Bayern and Borussia Dortmund providing the bulk of the team. The Bundesliga and its clubs now have the financial clout to keep most of the best German players in Germany, and that will only increase with the added commercial power given to the league by the arrival of Guardiola. An indication of the strength of the German game at present is the fact that all three Bundesliga teams progressed into the knockout phase of the Champions League as group winners, with Bayern holding off Valencia, Dortmund easing above Real Madrid and Schalke finishing in front of Arsenal. All of this is bad news for the Premier League, of course, which has enjoyed unrivalled supremacy on the global market for a long time but now appears to be something of a downward curve. Guardiola's presence will only exacerbate that trend, helping the Bundesliga to become a truly global brand. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

Muzik rock dan konsep cari makan Posted: 18 Jan 2013 03:26 PM PST 19 JAN — Muzik rock dan metal adalah muzik yang bingit. Pun begitu saya juga meminati genre muzik jenis ini. Sejak membeli kaset kumpulan muzik metal Judas Priest ("Live in Japan") dan Iron Maiden ("Number of the Beast") pada tahun 1982 saya terus mengikuti dan masih mendengar muzik rock hingga ke hari ini. Oleh kerana bermain gitar, maka ramailah gitaris-gitaris hebat dunia yang saya salut atas unik dan hebatnya mereka dalam bergitar. Antaranya Ritchie Blackmore (Deep Purple dan Rainbow), Dominic Miller (Sting), Robert Fripp (King Crimson), Uli John Roth (Scorpions) , Randy Rhodes (Ozzy) dan banyak lagilah. Antara mereka ini yang paling menonjol di era 80an adalah Jason Becker yang pernah bergabung dengan Marty Friedman dalam duo group berkonsepkan neo-classical metal yang mereka gelar "Cocophony". Walaupun Cocophony hanya sempat mengeluarkan dua album saja ("Speed Metal Symphony" pada 1987 dan "Go Off" pada 1988), impaknya pada peminat muzik neo metal sangat meninggalkan kesan. Album mereka diterbitkan oleh produser Mike Varney yang sangat berpengaruh yang pernah menerbitkan album gitaris hebat dunia seperti Malmsteen, Tony McCalpine, Eric Johnson, Paul Gilbert dan Marty Friedman antaranya. Setelah berpecah Becker beralih karier menjadi gitaris solo dan atas kehebatannya nama beliau naik secara drastik sehingga sebaris dengan gitaris-gitaris hebat dunia lainnya walau umurnya masih dalam lingkungan belasan tahun waktu itu. Pun begitu kadang-kadang permainan takdir ini memang tidak akan kita dapat menduganya. Becker diserang penyakit yang berkaitan saraf atau dalam istilah sainsnya Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis pada tahun 1989 yang mengakibatkannya lumpuh satu badan kecuali matanya yang masih mampu bergerak. Jika kita bermain gitar, untuk menjadi terbaik di kalangan yang terbaik jalannya hanyalah praktis, praktis dan praktis. Mencipta trademark dalam permainan adalah proses yang sangat sukar dan mengambil masa. Itulah yang perlu mana-mana gitaris dunia akan lalui jika mereka mahu bersaing antara sesama mereka dalam saingan yang kompetitif kerana untuk diterima ke pasaran dunia bukanlah sesuatu yang mudah. Kadang nasib juga tidak menyebelahi kita. Itulah yang menimpa Becker, kerana gerakan jari jemari kita berkait rapat antara saraf dan otak. Kadang kita terlalu memaksa sedang otak kita tidak bersedia atau mungkin keletihan. Semangat saja tidak mencukupi jika tidak ada keseimbangan. Pun dalam keadaan begitu, beliau masih mampu mencipta lagu melalui gerakan matanya. Saya pernah bergurau dengan seorang kawan tentang Becker yang lumpuh itu. Kata saya jika Becker tinggal di Malaysia, beliau mungkin tidak mendapat sakit itu kerana di sini saingan sebagai gitaris tidaklah ke mana-mana pun. Jika beliau rakyat negara ini dan punya bakat dan tahap permainan yang advance, saya percaya beliau akan give up di pertengahan jalan. Album yang keluar tidak akan laku, pun masih juga bergantung dengan lagu jiwang si penyanyi popular untuk tujuan supaya album boleh jual, pun tak jual juga. Itulah yang gitaris-gitaris tempatan akan alami jika mereka mengeluarkan album seperti Man Kidal dan Hillary. Tidak punya pilihan, Becker pun menjadikan kerjaya sebagai pemain gitar sebagai kerjaya sampingan. Untuk menyara hidupnya dan dengan kelulusan setakat Tingkatan 5, mungkin Becker akan bekerja di kilang atau bekerja sebagai despatch di mana-mana syarikat yang sesuai. Kesannya beliau masih akan sihat dan beranak pinak dan gitarnya pun disimpan di dalam hardcase di atas almari. Di sini, jika kita bagus sangatpun seperti Becker contohnya, akhirnya yang kita dapat hanyalah kekecewaan bukan penghargaan. Kita praktis selaju dan sehebat mungkin pun, kemana kita nak pergi? Bukannya pendengar faham sangat, apatalah lagilah untuk mereka menghargainya. Bila tiada penghargaan, maka tiadalah sambutan. Bila tiada sambutan seorang gitar hero itu akan mula berfikir kemana hala tuju kariernya nanti. Yang akhirnya dia akan mengambil keputusan untuk menghabiskan sisa-sisa karier di pub atau hotel . Apabila itu terjadi, seorang gitar hero itu tidak punya pilihan, selain menghiburkan para pengunjung dengan lagu-lagu pop semasa sehinggalah mereka pencen atau give up, lantas memilih kerjaya lain yang lebih menjamin masa depan. Saya punya ramai kawan yang bagus dan hebat bermain gitar. Mereka kebanyakannya bermain muzik di pub atau hotel. Perjalanan hidup sebagai seorang pemain gitar yang tidak kemana-mana menjadikan mereka terpaksa bermain muzik untuk cari makan. Di hotel atau pub lagu yang akan mendapat sambutan pengunjung adalah lagu pop semasa atau evergreen. Paul Ponnudurai (mendiang ) sewaktu menyanyi dan bermuzik di pub pernah menyanyikan lagu "Careless Whisper" (Wham) sebanyak 17 kali untuk satu malam atas permintaan para pelanggan. Bukan itu saja, saya sendiri yang berkerjaya sebagai busker pun terpaksa membiasakan antara kesesuaian dan kehendak majoriti dari syok sendiri. Mereka tetap akan menyukai lagu-lagu evergreen seperti "Hotel California", "Wonderful Tonight", "When You Say Nothing At All" sampai bila-bila pun. Untuk berlaku adil pada takdir dan situasi, saya bersetuju bahawa kehendak majoriti itu lebih penting dan perlu diutamakan jika kita ingin terus berkarier sebagai pemuzik. Kita perlu berkorban untuk itu. Kita perlu letakkan makna "bahagia" itu di jiwa dan seimbangkan untuk sebuah kehidupan yang sedang kita jalani ini dan saya percaya jika kita memahaminya, kita akan lebih menikmati makna hidup ini seadanya. * Ini adalah pandangan peribadi penulis.

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