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Jaan: Romancing the palate Posted: 31 Jan 2013 08:48 PM PST The spectacular view from the window. SINGAPORE, Feb 1 — We wanted to have one amazing lunch in Singapore while we were here for the Miele Guide food awards and asked the advice of a friend. "Jaan!" he said without hesitation. He also suggested Gunther's for hearty and fuss-free French food, and the Tippling Club for molecular gastronomy. But we had our hearts set on Jaan, right at the top of the Stamford Swissotel. We had a table by the window and a sweeping, panoramic view of the Singapore Eye, Marina Bay Sands, and the Esplanade — Theatres on the Bay. The first thing that strikes you about Jaan is the Murano crystal "chandelier" that resembles flames right across the ceiling. It must look absolutely spectacular lit up at night. That and the lights of the city have earned Jaan the title as one of the top five romantic restaurants in Singapore. Cep Sabayon with Wild Mushroom Tea – the amuse bouche. The food was of course amazing and the service impeccable. Our five-course lunch became nine courses. It reminded me of a lunch I once had in Burgundy, France, where one starter became three starters, and one dessert became three too, and it lasted four hours! We didn't have wine with our lunch at this French restaurant that showcases an artisanal menu by chef de cuisine Julien Royer, featuring seasonal gourmet ingredients from all over the world. We were dining off a winter menu. First, a welcoming course of Cantal Cheese Cromesquis, Tarragon Crispy Chicken Skin Tandoori, Cereal Crackers, Saint-Flour Lentil Humus, Smoked Unagi, Pickled Apple and Kombu Jelly. We were wowed by the art on the plate, the fine twists and turns, showcasing the chef's playing with textures and flavours. The chicken skin had a rich aroma and crackled at the bite. The lentil humus came in a jar, to be spread on the thinnest cereal cracker. The smoked unagi was balanced perfectly with the pickled apple and kombu jelly. The amuse bouche was Ceps Sabayon, with a wild mushroom tea poured over it. All those lovely aromas floating up preceded the intense essence of the mushrooms. Oh, I must mention the breads too. Tucked in the folds of the brioche I had was black truffle; it was superb. All this and the first course was yet to be served! This was Scottish Salmon Tartar with horseradish, pickled kohlrabi and Aquitaine caviar. There were all these wonderful textures, from pearls of cucumber to the tiny cubes of salmon tinged with wasabi and the pickled, julienned kohlrabi that tasted like radish. 55' Smoked Organic Egg brought to the table in clouds of smoke. 55' Smoked Organic Egg is the chef's signature dish. The four eggs for us, cooked at 64 degrees C for 55 minutes, were brought out on its original cardboard tray, with billowing smoke from dry ice. Each egg was poured into a glass bowl over wild mushrooms, diced bits of chorizo Iberico and smoked buttery potato mash. Underneath, in a separate compartment of the bowl, rosemary sprigs set alight kept a fragrant smoke going. The crispy chorizo and slivers of wild mushrooms were each bursting with flavour, and blended smoothly with the almost-liquid egg. It was sublime. Line Caught John Dory with Romanesco Textures, Crustacean Bisque. Each dish had a show element about it, as in the Line Caught John Dory with Romanesco Textures and Crustacean Bisque. A panfried fish fillet had a crayfish bisque poured over it. There was the Romanesco cauliflower, couscous, baby mussels and a prawn that was just cooked to retain its sweetness. A lemony and creamy finish struck a perfect balance with the complex bisque. I liked everything about the Venison Saddle with mulled wine pear, celeriac and Grand Veneur sauce, from the medium rare game meat to the potato wrapped mashed potato with black truffle, the sweet winey pear and the blood orange. It had great harmony. Great harmony in the Venison Saddle. Mulled Wine Pear, Celeriac, Grand Veneur. Even the sorbet had a twist. The smooth passion fruit sorbet with the coconut espuma, sprinkled with dried banana and kaffir lime zest was fabulous. At the base were tiny sago pearls, and some basil which gelled marvellously with the whole concoction. The dessert was Choconuts 4th, with sable Breton and textures of white, milk and dark chocolate. Sable Breton is a classic French butter cookie but at Jaan, this was really thin and came slathered with peanut butter. Then there was a small piece of chocolate brownie. Choconuts 4th – sable breton, textures of white, milk and dark chocolate. The textures of chocolate? These were the fine mousse, a thin cracker, a chocolate leaf and chocolate sauce. The pleasure of tasting each defied description. The sweet was always tempered with a welcoming tinge of bitterness. Peanut butter and chocolate never tasted so good. And just when we thought lunch was over, out came Jaan's petit fours on a long platter. The grapefruit sorbet had rosemary smoke curling round it. Tasting it, we crunched on what seemed like sugar crystals which popped continuously in the mouth. A chocolate marshmallow, chocolate almonds, chocolate ice-cream, some lush cherries and we left utterly happy. Still exquisite at the last – the petit fours. Our degustation lunch was S$118, which worked out to RM350 each plus taxes. I have paid RM450 for a degustation dinner at a restaurant in PJ, and its food was only one-tenth of this quality. So save your money for one gorgeous treat at Jaan. Jaan is located on Level 70 Equinox Complex, Swissotel The Stamford In Singapore. It is closed on public holidays, and for lunch on Sunday. Call +65 6837 3322, email: reservations@equinoxcomplex.com.

A fresh cool start Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:12 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 — This dish goes by quite a few names; Vietnamese spring rolls, Vietnamese salad rolls, Vietnamese summer rolls. They're all the same, and they conjure up quite a similar mental picture for me; fresh, cold rolls wrapped in delicate transparent sheets, allowing you to get a sneaky peek into the ingredients encased inside them. Quite the perfect appetizer for a warm weather day, don't you think? Well, that's exactly what this is. Minced pieces of boiled pork, fresh green coriander or chives — have your pick, succulent prawns, long strands of beehoon (rice noodles), a handful of spearmint and deliciously crisp lettuce, all tightly rolled in translucent rice paper sheets, chilled to perfection and served with the most delicious dipping hoisin sauce. To roll them tightly without breaking the delicate skin of the paper sheets might be a challenge, and they can only be perfected with practice, practice, practice. The paper sheet has to be rehydrated with a touch of water before being used to assemble the rolls. These Vietnamese paper sheets have a water activity of below 0.80, way lower than the water activity for harmful mould and microorganisms to grow, which is 0.96. This ensures that they are shelf stable and there would be no harmful growth on the paper sheets that could harm you, even if they are not kept in the refrigerator. Bear in mind though that it is very important not to over soak the dry paper sheets; just a slight addition of moisture would suffice. The meat and vegetables for the filling contains moisture as well, and when you wrap them up with the paper rolls, the moisture content from the filling will migrate to the paper rolls, making them soggy and so not appetizing. All the ingredients used in the spring rolls have to be fresh, and they are minimally cooked, ensuring that they are packed with healthy goodness. This makes this amazing dish a robust and delicious one, and a mind blowing way to start your meal. Vietnamese spring rolls Prep Time: 20 minutes Serves 6 12 large round rice papers 100g thin rice noodles, soaked in hot water until soft and rinsed 1 cup fresh beansprouts, both ends removed 1 cup fresh spearmint, washed thoroughly few sprigs of fresh coriander, roughly torn 200g cooked pork belly, cut into small pieces 24 tiger prawns, shelled, deveined and cooked A few lettuce leaves, washed and broken to 3 inch pieces Dipping sauce: 1/2 cup hoisin sauce 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 2 tablespoon hot water 2 birds eye chillies, sliced thinly roasted peanuts, crushed 1. Using a bowl of lukewarm water, rehydrate rice paper in water by rolling its ends in the water for 3 seconds. 2. Place rehydrated paper sheet on a clean plate and fill it with lettuce, rice noodles, cooked pork, spearmint, beansprouts and coriander. Make sure you do not overcrowd the paper roll with ingredients. 3. Fold both sides of paper round inwards. Roll from bottom end (nearest to where you're standing) to the top. In the middle of rolling the paper roll, add two cooked prawns before finishing up your roll to the top. 4. Repeat process for the rest of the fresh spring rolls. 5. Meanwhile, prepare dipping sauce by combining hoisin sauce, hot water, vegetable oil, cut chillies and crushed peanuts in a bowl. Mix ingredients thoroughly together. 6. Dip fresh spring rolls into prepared sauce before eating. Remember not to double dip! For more recipes, go to www.chopstickdiner.com.

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Button and Perez start with a smile Posted: 31 Jan 2013 03:19 PM PST Button (left) and Perez pose with the McLaren MP4-28 car at the company's headquarters in Woking, January 31, 2013. — Reuters pic WOKING, Feb 1 — Lewis Hamilton's departure from McLaren has left Jenson Button with a more talkative and smiley team mate in Mexican Sergio Perez. The 2009 world champion, who rubbed along with fellow Briton Hamilton without them being the greatest of mates, commented on the difference at the launch of the Formula One team's new car yesterday. "Checo (Sergio) has been around a lot this week, the last two weeks, which has been good," the 33-year-old told Reuters after pulling the covers off the MP4-28 alongside a team mate 10 years younger. "It's good to see he has really been getting into the spirit of McLaren and spending a lot of time here, either doing sponsor activities or developing his relationship with the team. "When Lewis and myself were here together we never used to see each other. It used to be one day in the simulator and out the other," he added. McLaren were at pains during the Hamilton-Button years to present the pairing as two team players, drivers who genuinely got along despite being highly competitive rivals. They certainly had a healthy respect for one another's talents and appeared together in commercials and as popular cartoon characters. However, cracks began to show last season, particularly after 2008 champion Hamilton took to Twitter to complain — mistakenly — that Button had shown a lack of respect by apparently "unfollowing" him on the social media site. Socially, their paths rarely crossed. With Hamilton now at Mercedes, Button finds himself in the role of McLaren's established driver with vastly more experience than newcomer Perez. "We've spent a couple of weeks here and it's been very useful for him and for me to get to know each other but also for us to spend some time talking to the engineers and actually in the same room together discussing things," said Button of the new set-up. "I don't know Checo that well but he is very excited, I can tell that. This is a massive challenge for him, as it is for all of us, to race for McLaren, and a great opportunity. It's good to see he is excited about the coming season." Perez, with the smile of a man who has won the lottery and cannot quite believe his luck, felt he was getting on swimmingly. "I think he's a great guy," he said of Button. "He has a lot of talent, he's a great champion, I admire him a lot and have a lot or respect for him. I am really looking forward to learning from him and working with him. "I think together we are going to be good team mates." Perez's confidence was evident, despite not having scored a point in the six races since his move to McLaren was announced last year, as he stood next to Button and declared the championship was his aim. That is Button's aim too and this year, he agreed, was his best chance yet of adding a second title to his resume — not because of Hamilton's exit but because he simply had more experience of working with the team. The Briton is now the most experienced driver in Formula One in terms of races after starting out with Williams in 2000 and team principal Martin Whitmarsh saw that as a big factor in a team with two 'number ones'. "He's a team player and he's a winner," he said. "People sometimes misinterpret Jenson, he's so laid-back and comfortable in his skin that you think 'has he got the hunger to do it?' But then you see what happens on the racetrack." — Reuters

Beckham signs up for last tango in Paris Posted: 31 Jan 2013 03:15 PM PST Beckham presents his new jersey after a news conference in Paris January 31, 2013. — Reuters pic PARIS, Feb 1 — David Beckham's distinguished career took a surprise late twist when the high-profile former England captain joined French club Paris St Germain yesterday. The 37-year-old ex-Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder will get as much attention off the pitch as on it with the world's media trailing him as he settles into the Parisian lifestyle. "David refused a lot of clubs from around the world, so we're very happy to have him," PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi told a news conference at the Parc des Princes. "He will help us to reach our dream to become one of the best European clubs, he'll be of big value for the club, he'll be a big asset." "I'm 37 years old and was offered a lot of offers, more now than I've had in my career, and at my age. I'm honoured by that. I chose Paris because I can see what the club are trying to do, I can see the players the club are bringing in," said Beckham. Since taking over less than two years ago, Qatar investors have spent over €200 million (RM800 million) on transfers, signing Swede striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Argentine internationals Javier Pastore and Ezequiel Lavezzi as well as Brazil centre backs Thiago Silva and Alex. Beckham, who has signed a five-month contract with PSG, said his wife, former Spice Girls pop group member Victoria, and his children would continue to live in London, adding his salary would be donated to a children's charity in Paris. "My family will be staying in London because my kids go to school there," he said. "I can see what the club is trying to do. Paris is an exciting city, always has been and always will be but now there's a club that's exciting to me. I'm happy I've been picked to be part of the future of PSG. I'm very excited." The Englishman said he would not receive any salary from PSG, with the money being paid instead to a Paris children's home. Beckham, who won six Premier League titles and the 1999 Champions League with United, could step on the Geoffroy Guichard pitch in St Etienne for the first time since he was sent off playing for England in a World Cup match against Argentina in 1998. At that time, the Englishman had longer hair and boyish looks. He is now the second oldest player in Ligue 1, a league he is keen to help grow. "He may struggle at the highest European level, but he's got what it takes to be good in the French League," former PSG goalkeeper Jerome Alonzo told Reuters. "I might have only signed until the end of the season, but I consider myself to be part of the future of this club: in helping this club to grow and the French league to grow, and to help this club become one of the biggest powerhouses in football," Beckham added. He said he did not expect to start every single game. "I don't expect to come into this team and play every single game. I have to work for that. If I work hard, it's down to the manager," he said. "I'm still fit, I can still play like I did when I was 21. I've not lost any of my pace because I didn't have any pace." Beckham won league titles in his final season with all three clubs he has played for on a permanent basis: Manchester United, Real Madrid and LA Galaxy. His career also included two loan spells at AC Milan in 2009 and 2010 during which he played for PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti. "Carlo is one of the best managers I've played for," Beckham said. PSG, who have not won the French title since 1994, lead the Ligue 1 standings with 45 points from 22 games. Beckham conceded he would need a few weeks to gain full fitness and said he was excited to be playing alongside Ibrahimovic. "He is a personality who goes beyond football, like Zlatan Ibrahimovic perhaps. They are players who give an important visibility to Ligue 1," France coach Didier Deschamps told reporters. Beckham said Ibrahimovic was a special player. "It's great to have a character like him in a team. He's a confident player who plays with passion," he said. "He is one of the players I'm excited to play alongside." Beckham will wear jersey number 32, as did Magic Johnson at the Los Angeles Lakers. — Reuters

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Obesity in girls tied to higher MS risk Posted: 31 Jan 2013 03:57 AM PST A study suggests that rising levels of obesity in young people could mean more MS diagnoses than in the past. — AFP pic LOS ANGELES, Jan 31 — Obese children, adolescent girls in particular, are more likely to be diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) than normal-weight youth — with extreme obesity tied to a three- to four-fold higher risk of MS. The study didn't prove that carrying around some extra eight in childhood causes MS, a neurological disease in which the protective coating around nerve fibers breaks down, slowing signals travelling between the brain and the body, said researchers whose work appeared in the journal Neurology. But it does suggest that rising levels of obesity in young people could mean more MS diagnoses than in the past, according to lead study author Annette Langer-Gould from Kaiser Permanente of Southern California and her colleagues. For the study, Langer-Gould and her colleagues compared the heights and weights of 75 young people with paediatric MS and its possible precursor, a condition called clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), and more than 900,000 without the disease. "Our findings suggest the childhood obesity epidemic is likely to lead to increased morbidity from MS/CIS, particularly in adolescent girls," Langer-Gould and her colleagues wrote. Just over half of the children and teens with MS were overweight or obese, compared to 37 per cent of other youth. Being overweight or moderately obese was tied to a slightly higher chance of MS in adolescent girls, but the results were based on a small number of cases and could have been due to chance. Extreme obesity, on the other hand, was linked more clearly with a three- to four-fold higher risk of MS. A 12-year-old girl who stands 1.52 metres (5 feet) tall and weighs 51 kilograms (112 pounds) is considered overweight and extremely obese at over 70 kg (155 pounds). There was no clear pattern between boys' weights and how likely they were to be diagnosed with MS, Langer-Gould's team found. "Obesity is increasing the risk of so many different kinds of diseases," said Kassandra Munger, who studies MS at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston but was not involved in the new study. "This current study now adds to the evidence that it's also dangerous and increases the risk of neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis." Roughly 400,000 people in the United States have MS, usually diagnosed in adulthood. Just one or two out of every 100,000 children is diagnosed with pediatric MS, Langer-Gould said. Based on limited evidence about any effects of weight, she said she was "actually surprised" her team found any link with MS risk. "It's not something we think of as a risk factor for multiple sclerosis," she told Reuters Health. According to Munger, there are a number of possible explanations for why heavy people could be at increased risk, including their vitamin levels and the greater amounts of chemicals — such as inflammation-inducing signalling molecules — secreted by their fat cells. "It's not easy to tease those out," Munger told Reuters Health. "From a biological perspective, we don't know what the link is between obesity and MS." Langer-Gould and her colleagues are continuing to track children in their study over time and are also working on another project to see if adults' weight affects their chance of developing MS. — Reuters

Yoga may help people with irregular heart rhythms Posted: 31 Jan 2013 03:05 AM PST KANSAS CITY, Jan — The health benefits of yoga are said to be legion, everything from stress busting to lowering fat and stimulating the immune system. Now it may also help people with a common heart rhythm problem — at least, according to a US study. A study finds that yoga may help people with irregular heart rhythms. — AFP pic The American Heart Association says that about 2.7 million people in the United states have atrial fibrillation (AF), in which the heart's upper chambers quiver chaotically instead of contracting normally. It increases the risk of stroke. Though people with AF are often prescribed drugs such as beta blockers to help control their heart rate and rhythm, the medicines don't work for everybody, said researchers whose findings appeared in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. That's where yoga could come in, said researchers led by Dhanunjaya Lakkireddy, from the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City. "In patients with ... AF, yoga improves symptoms, arrhythmia burden, heart rate, blood pressure, anxiety and depression scores, and several domains of quality of life," they wrote. The study included 49 people who'd had AF for an average of five years. For three months, the researchers tracked their heart symptoms, blood pressure and heart rate, as well as their anxiety, depression and general quality of life. For the second phase of the study, the same participants went to group yoga classes at least twice a week for an additional three months, again reporting on their symptoms and quality of life. All of the patients were on stable medications throughout the study. Nonetheless, the number of times they reported heart quivering — confirmed by a heart monitor — dropped from almost four times during the first three months to twice during the yoga intervention phase. Their average heart rate also fell from 67 beats per minute at the start to between 61 and 62 beats per minute post-yoga. Participants' anxiety scores fell from an average of 34, on a scale of 20 to 80, to 25 after three months of yoga. Depression and general mental health improved as well. "People feel more empowered, they feel better, they feel stronger," said W. Todd Cade, a physical therapy researcher from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, who was not involved in the study. Lakkireddy told Reuters Health that, for real help, yoga has to be incorporated into daily life, not just picked up for a few months at a time. Patients should also not expect a cure, but their arrhythmia may become "more tolerable," and emergency room visits due to symptom flareups may be reduced. "A lot of people ask, 'Can I just do yoga and nothing else?'" Lakkireddy said. "I think that's the wrong approach to take. Yoga is not a cure in itself... it is a good adjunct to what else these patients should be doing." Cade said future studies are needed to look at, among other things, whether yoga might help AF patients cut back on medication. Any possible benefits will also need to be confirmed — and better explained — in future research. — Reuters

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Ron Jeremy resting after aneurysm surgery Posted: 30 Jan 2013 09:48 PM PST Jeremy drove himself to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles yesterday after suffering from chest pains. – Reuters pic LOS ANGELES, Jan 31 – Veteran pornography actor Ron Jeremy, one of the industry's biggest stars, was resting after undergoing surgery in Los Angeles yesterday for an aneurysm near his heart, his manager said. Jeremy, 59, who appeared in more than 2,000 adult films, drove himself to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles earlier after suffering from chest pains. "He just felt chest pains, like a very heavy weight," Jeremy's manager Mike Esterman said. "He is being worked on for an aneurysm near his heart." Esterman said that the surgery "went smoothly," adding that Jeremy "is now resting with complete privacy and no visitors." Jeremy, nicknamed the "Hedgehog" for his short and hirsute body and known for his large mustache, parlayed his porn star fame into mainstream celebrity status by appearing on the American reality television series "The Surreal Life" in 2004, and by being featured in an advertisement by animal-rights advocates PETA. In a Twitter posting yesterday on his official account, Jeremy's management said, "Please keep Ron in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery." His memoir, The Hardest (Working) Man in Showbiz, was published in 2007 by HarperCollins, a division of News Corp . – Reuters

‘Gomer Pyle’ actor Jim Nabors weds longtime partner Posted: 30 Jan 2013 09:31 PM PST Nabors said the ceremony in his hotel room was very touching. – Reuters pic SEATTLE, Jan 31 – American actor Jim Nabors, the star of 1960s television comedy "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," married his longtime male partner at a Seattle hotel this month. Nabors, 82, also a singer, wed 64-year-old Stan Cadwallader, his partner of some 38 years, in a ceremony before a judge on Jan 15 at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel, where the couple traveled after same sex marriage became legal in Washington state last month. "I was just trying to solidify all of our years together," Nabors told Reuters on Wednesday from Hawaii, where the two live. "When you find a good friend in this life, you hang on to him." Nabors said the ceremony in his hotel room was "very touching" but laughed off any suggestion of feeling different afterward. "Oh please, nothing's changed," Nabors said. "Most of the things you promise, we got through that 38 years ago." Nabors, an Alabama native, played goofy gas-station attendant Gomer Pyle on "The Andy Griffith Show" and in the spin-off "Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.," among many other television and musical appearances. Nabors said he met Cadwallader, a former firefighter in Honolulu, in 1975, and Cadwallader eventually went to work for him. Nabors said he was open with his colleagues and friends about his sexuality, but that his marriage was a private affair not intended as a public statement in the national debate over gay marriage. "I am not an activist, particularly. But I think every single human being has the right to choose the person they want to spend their life with," Nabors said. "That's not even an argument, it's just a God-given right." Nine of the 50 US states plus the District of Columbia have legaliaed gay marriage. Another 31 states have passed constitutional amendments restricting marriage to heterosexual couples. Nabors' marriage application and marriage certificate are on file with the Thurston County Auditor in Olympia, according to a clerk in the King County Archives. – Reuters

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Tsu Koon to represent Malaysia at Norodom Sihanouk’s royal cremation Posted: 31 Jan 2013 07:52 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 – Minister in Prime Minister's Department Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon will represent the Government of Malaysia at the royal cremation ceremony for the late King Norodom Sihanouk at the Veal Preah Meru Square, Cambodia on Feb 4. The late king, who is Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni's father passed away of a heart attack on Oct 15, 2012 in a Beijing Hospital, at the age of 89. A Foreign Ministry statement said that Tsu Koon had earlier represented Malaysia and paid the last respects to the late King Norodom Sihanouk on Oct 23, 2012. The late king's body has been lying in state at the Royal Cambodian Palace since Oct 17, last year to allow the Cambodian people and foreign dignitaries to pay their last respects before the royal cremation. – Bernama

Merkel says ‘very optimistic’ on EU budget deal Posted: 31 Jan 2013 07:50 AM PST BERLIN, Jan 31 — German Chancellor Angela Merkel said ahead of a meeting with visiting Italian Prime Minister Mario Monti today that she was optimistic a deal on the European Union's long-term budget could be clinched soon. German Chancellor Angela Merkel. — Reuters pic Monti was visiting Berlin as part of a busy round of diplomacy to prepare a summit in Brussels next week at which EU leaders will discuss the 2014-2020 budget. The 27-nation bloc failed to agree a deal on its 1 trillion euro (RM4.23 trillion) budget at a meeting in November. "I am very optimistic that on the question of the long-term EU budget, we will be successful, that we will get an agreement," Merkel said, standing alongside Monti in the Chancellery in Berlin. "Italy and Germany are both net payers, we have common interests. But of course these talks won't be easy and we can expect Italy to push its interests," she said. Monti reiterated that his country's contribution to the EU budget was out of proportion to its real wealth. He called for a reform in the system of rebates and discounts "which currently benefits some countries and is financed by others". "In the last 10 years Italy has become a net contributor and has paid more than could be justified by its relative level of prosperity, to the point that in 2011 it was the top net contributor to the EU budget," Monti told reporters. Monti met European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso and European Council head Herman Van Rompuy earlier today in Brussels and will hold talks with French President Francois Hollande in Paris on Sunday, he said. Merkel meets Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy in Berlin next Monday and is expected in Paris yesterday for a meeting with Hollande. Monti, the technocrat who replaced Silvio Berlusconi as premier in November 2011 when Italy was struggling to avoid being sucked into the euro zone debt crisis, is competing in February's election against populist promises of tax cuts and growth from the centre-right. "In Italy's view it is essential that the (EU) financing plan be designed to sustain economic growth, employment and socio-economic cohesion in Europe," said Monti. — Reuters

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Translator’s toil turns James Joyce opus into Chinese sellout Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:04 AM PST SHANGHAI, Jan 31 — During the eight years it took Dai Congrong to translate "Finnegans Wake" into Chinese, she read numerous versions of the dictionary, took voluminous notes, and fought off despair and opposition from her husband. Irish novelist and poet James Joyce. — AFP pic But her work on the first Chinese translation of the complex, stream-of-consciousness James Joyce opus about an Irish family paid off when the first print run of 8,000 sold out within weeks of hitting store shelves in December. "It was dull and depressing during the first two years," the 41-year-old literature professor at Shanghai's Fudan University told Reuters. "I was also starting to have doubts about the project because I'd spent two years on the book but not a single word was translated." A seasoned translator of books about culture and identity, Dai, who taught herself English, first started reading Finnegans Wake — a massive experimental novel notorious for its difficulty and convoluted prose — while at university. Research into Joyce as part of her doctorate followed, and though her academic advisor recommended Dai translate the book when she successfully defended her dissertation, its difficulty scared her off. A later invitation from a publisher she knew, though, proved irresistible, and she began. Joyce's frequent use of made-up words sent her poring over multiple versions of English dictionaries, making notes on every page of the book. Two years of preparation were followed by six of actual translation — in between teaching classes at the university as well as fulfilling other academic duties. There were also obstacles at home. "I have to take care of my young son. What's more, my family — especially my husband — didn't support the project," Dai said. "He thought that despite the time and energy I needed to put into it, it would not make much money because the book is too difficult for an average person." Despite everything, Dai found satisfaction in her labours. "I enjoyed the moment when I finally found the exact and appropriate translation of a word or a sentence. I now know more about Joyce and the Irish culture," she said. "I think Joyce as a person was difficult to get along with for ordinary people, but I think he is a great person and a talented one." Microbloggers on Sina Weibo, the Chinese equivalent of Twitter, lavished more praise on Dai's achievement than they did on the book itself. "Oh my God! How admirable Dai Congrong is! How was she able to continue translating one book for eight years?" wrote Yao Zhenghua. When her publisher told her that the 755-page book had sold out in three weeks, she was pleased but astonished. "Actually, the news was so unbelievable that I first thought they were wrong," she said. "It shows our people are thirsty for culture and knowledge." Dai's toil remains far from over, since she has actually translated only the first third of the book. Two more volumes are planned. "Even I don't know how long it will take to finish," she said. "But I will do my best." — Reuters

‘Excuse me, do you speak English?’ Posted: 30 Jan 2013 06:07 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 31 ― "Good afternoon. Good morning. How are you? Do you speak English? Give me money!" ~ Marina Lewycka, Off the Beaten Track in Malawi (Better Than Fiction) KLCC LRT Station, Kuala Lumpur: "Excuse me, do you speak English?" In waking from my reverie on various theories diagnosing the causes behind the abysmal mess that is my beloved city's public transportation system, I realised I am being addressed by a couple of tourists. A middle-aged couple, likely American from their accent, perhaps even New York, though I couldn't really be certain; I never won any prizes for these guess-their-nationality contests my friends are so fond of when trapped in trains during rush hour. "Yes," I answered honestly and helpfully. "Could you tell us how to get to Mass-Jite Jam-Eek? We can't figure out this confounded map." "Masjid Jamek? Sure," I replied and showed them how it was a mere three stops away. "Well, that seems easy enough! Thank you, dear. Say, are you Malaysian? You don't speak like a local. It's almost as though English is your first language." "I suppose you could say that. And yes, I am Malaysian." "Really? You speak really well, dear." "Thank you, how kind of you to say so. And may I ask, is English your first language?" "Of course! What a question!" They looked amused. "Oh, I don't know. I would no more assume that a Caucasian could speak English than I would assume an Asian could not." They didn't ask me any more questions after that. "I never got to kick my friend in the balls. I politely declined the offer." ~ Stephen Kelman, Mumbai: Before the Monsoon (Better Than Fiction) Odeonsplatz U-Bahn, Munich: She entered the train when it stopped at Odeonsplatz, at precisely 17:40 as it was scheduled to. Subway trains in Germany always arrived on time, unless they did not (which meant they were early, and the passengers would wait patiently until they were scheduled to depart). I didn't notice her at first, with the usual influx of passengers at this busy U-bahn station. Very soon though, I noticed how, as everyone grabbed a seat, she remained standing even though there were plenty of seats free. She was in the centre of the carriage, but she did not lean against the pole; she simply held it. Her posture was straight and sure; she commanded attention. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Imagine a sultry Sharon Stone married with the vulnerability of a younger Brooke Shields. She had tied her blond locks back in a careless bun yet she exuded glamour. And she was crying. Well, perhaps not actual outright crying; there was no sound of sobbing or chest-heaving. Still her tears found tracks down across her cheeks. She stood emotionless but for the silent weeping. I had never seen anyone cry in public, not like that. She possessed a quiet dignity and a quiet strength. It occurred to me that she wasn't holding the pole as much as she was holding on to it. My first instinct was to ask her if she was okay (even though it was quite apparent she wasn't). But how do you comfort a stranger, when you can barely speak her language, when you are a stranger yourself in a country where most people don't even socialise after work? Do I ask her, "Entschuldigen Sie bitte, sprechen Sie Englisch?" Excuse me, do you speak English? I remember thinking, how hurt she must have been, to endure weeping in public, in a country where emotions were mostly reined in. Her beauty and her sadness, in an U-bahn carriage filled with strangers, made me understand for the first time that you didn't have to be alone to be lonely. She got off at Nordfriedhof, a couple of stops before mine. I didn't go after her, naturally; that would have been ridiculous. Now, years later, there is that regret, that 'what if I had'? I wonder, is she still riding the subways somewhere, a silent weeping statue? I hope she is happier and that her tears are of joy these days. "Ever forward we keep moving – people and countries, the world over." ~ Keija Parssinen, Among Saudi Sands (Better Than Fiction) Better Than Fiction: True Travel Tales from Great Fiction Writers, edited by Don George (Lonely Planet Publications, 2012) * Kenny still remembers the names of most U-Bahn stops, as though it was just yesterday when he travelled on the Munich subway when it's actually been more than 10 years. Read more of his stories at Life for Beginners

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Pendatang Indonesia dakwa pegawai mahkamah Tawau berikannya kad pengenalan biru Posted: 31 Jan 2013 02:39 AM PST Penempatan haram berhampiran Kota Kinabalu Sabah. — Gambar fail. KOTA KINABALU, 31 Jan — Seorang pendatang Indonesia memberitahu inkuiri Suruhanjaya Siasatan Di Raja (RCI) berkenaan pendatang haram hari ini seorang pegawai Mahkamah Adat Tawau memberinya kad pengenalan biru pada 1979 untuk mengundi kerajaan dalam pilihan raya. Yuhanis Bira, 57, berkata beliau tiba di Sabah pada 1973 dan menerima kad pengenalan enam tahun kemudian dari pegawai mahkamah tersebut, yang tidak disebut namanya, tanpa sijil kelahiran. "Dia (pegawai) kata boleh sokong kerajaan...jadi saya sokong kerajaan lah," kata Yuhanis kepada RCI hari ini. "Mengundi?" tanya Datuk Ahmad Abd Rahman, dari Persatuan Undang-Undang Sabah. "Ya," kata Yuhanis. Yuhanis berkata beliau mendaftar sebagai pengundi sejak 1981 dan mengundi setiap kali pilihan raya selepas itu. Parti Berjaya memerintah Sabah dari 1976 hingga 1985, di mana bekas ketua menteri Sabah Tan Sri Harris Salleh menafikan kewujudan "Projek IC". Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, perdana menteri paling lama mentadbir, dari 1981 hingga 2003, dituduh menjadi dalang kepada "Projek IC", dimana kewarganegaraan diberikan kepada warga asing untuk mendapatkan undi. Yuhanis berkata beliau hanya membayar pegawai mahkamah itu sebanyak RM12, yang diterima pada 1979 selepas bertemu dengan pegawai mahkamah itu setahun selepas itu. Menurut Undang-undang Kewarganegaraan 1964, mereka yang ingin memohon untuk menjadi warganegara Malaysia melalui penaturalisasian mesti menjadi seorang pemastautin tetap selama lebih daripada 12 tahun dan telah berada di Malaysia selama lebih daripada 10 tahun. Seorang lagi pendatang dari Indonesia Berahim Abdullah mengaku rakannya membantu beliau mendapatkan kad pengenalan biru pada tahun 1990 tanpa sijil kelahiran, sepuluh tahun selepas beliau tiba di Sabah untuk mendapatkan pekerjaan. Berahim, yang juga bekerja sebagai chef, berkata beliau mendaftar sebagai pengundi dan mengundi empat kali di Kunak. Ditanya mengapa beliau mendaftar sebagai pengundi, Berahim berkata untuk menyokong kerajaan Barisan Nasional (BN). Kedua-dua Yuhanis dan Berahim berkata kad pengenalan mereka tercatat tempat lahir mereka sebagai Sabah, walaupun mereka mengaku lahir di Indonesia. Beberapa pendatang Pakistan dan India telah memberi keterangan baru-baru ini tentang mendapatkan kad pengenalan biru - sama ada dari orang tengah atau dari JPN secara langsung dalam hanya beberapa tahun selepas tiba di Sabah. Bekas hakim Sabah dan Sarawak Tan Sri Steve Shim Lip Kiong akan menyambung semula inkuiri pada 22 Februari.

Anwar terlibat beri IC di Sabah tanpa disuruh, kata Dr M Posted: 31 Jan 2013 01:12 AM PST KUALA LUMPUR, 31 Jan — Mantan Perdana Menteri Tun Dr Mahathir hari ini mengakui bekas timbalannya Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim terlibat dalam memberikan kad pengenalan (IC) dan kewarganegaraan kepada pendatang asing haram di Sabah walaupun tidak disuruh oleh beliau. Dr Mahathir memberitahu beliau tidak pernah memberikan sebarang arahan kepada bekas timbalan perdana menteri itu semasa pentadbirannya untuk mengarahkan pegawai di Sabah memberikan IC dengan sewenang-wenangnya. "Dia (Anwar) selalu mengambil langkah sendiri, kadangkala lebih daripada yang diarahkan. "Selalu yang berlaku berbeza sama sekali dengan arahan daripada pihak atasan," kata beliau. Menurut Dr Mahathir lagi, pegawai yang bertanggungjawab dalam projek IC di Sabah telahpun didakwa di mahkamah dan kerajaan telahpun mengambil tindakan keatas individu tersebut. Dalam pada itu, ahli politik veteran negara tersebut juga menegaskan Anwar mempunyai kuasa dalam isu pemberian IC di Sabah dan arahan datang bukan daripada beliau yang mentadbir negara ketika itu. "Dia telah campur tangan dalam isu tersebut," kata Dr Mahathir sambil menambah perkara yang berlaku merupakan salahguna kuasa dan telah dilaksanakan tidak mengikut lunas perundangan. MENYUSUL LAGI

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Kesan politik Bible guna Allah Posted: 30 Jan 2013 04:32 PM PST 31 JAN — Kita telah mengikuti panjang lebar polemik Bible Melayu menggunakan kalimah Allah dari sudut akadami, agama, perlembagaan, perpaduan dan lain-lain. Apa untung dan apa lemahnya bagi setiap kelompok yang bertikai. Isu itu telah dipolitikkan. Setiap pihak tentu dapat menyelami hati budi dan penerimaan masing-msing. Ia panas dan berhaba. Tidak banyak dapat menyumbang kepada perpaduan nasional. Tidak banyak diperkatakan tentang kesan dan untung rugi politik yang masing-masing boleh diraih dari isu itu. Isu ini meletup dalam lengkongan masa 100 hari menjelang PRU13. Ia berpunca dari mesej Hari Natal Setiausaha Agung DAP, Lim Guan Eng supaya dipertimbangkan penggunaan kalimah Allah dalam Bible versi Melayu di Semenanjung. Mungkin ia satu seruan bagi menseragamkan dan menambah rapatkan lagi hubungan antara sesama wilayah Malaysia mengikut konsep 1 Malaysia. Kalau ia boleh dipakai di Sabah dan Sarawak, mengapa ia tidak boleh di Semenanjung? Tetapi adakah ia telah dihitung dari sudut politik terutama politik pilihan raya yang sudah dekat itu? Apapun masing-masing tidak dapat lari ia akan memberi kesan politik tertentu. Jika DAP mengira ia mahu meraih sebanyak-banyak sokongan pengundi bukan Melayu, maka ia perlu menggunakan isu ini. Pandangan popular semua pihak bahawa DAP sudah berada dalam keadaan yang selesa, betapa ia mudah meraih sokongan besar pengundi bukan Islam, khususnya masyarakat Cina. Amat memeranjatkan jika ia terbalik. Sama ada kalimah Allah bagi Bible Melayu itu diperjuangkan atau  tidak diperjuangkan, DAP akan selesa dengan sokongan orang bukan  Islam. Untuk dewasa ini orang Islam/Melayu belum bersedia menerima saranan Guan Eng itu. Ia tidak banyak membantu DAP dalam usahanya meluas lebarkan sokongan di kalangan orang Melayu. Sejak awal DAP gagal mendapat sokongan Melayu. Tetapi kebencian terhadap mula reda, cuma ia masih menjadi stigma di kalangan Umno tegar saja. Mulai ada orang Umno yang bosan dengan parti itu mula beralih kepada DAP seperti bekas ADUN di Bahagian Pekan dan beberapa orang kuat Umno bahagian. Saya tidak mengagak ramai orang Melayu akan menyertai DAP, tetapi akan ada Melayu yang mahu bersamanya. Dengan isu Bible Melayu ini boleh menyebabkan Melayu liberal itu menangguhkan keinginannya menyertai DAP. Tidak dinafikan PAS ikut menerima kesan dari perkembangan itu. Apapun sikap PAS atas isu itu menyebabkan ia payah mendapatkan undi Melayu yang sudah tidak mahukan Umno. Orang Melayu yang mahu menyokong PAS dalam PRU13 ini mungkin menimbang semula sama menyokong Umno semula atau tidak mengundi. Maka ia boleh mengganggu program PAS Ganti Umno yang rancak itu. Orang Melayu yang meninggalkan Umno untuk bersama PAS tetap ada, tetapi bilangannya boleh berkurangan. Seorang Umno yang tidak jadi menyokong PAS adalah satu kerugian pada PAS. Sebarang gesaan supaya PAS bersikap terbuka dalam penggunaan Allah dalam Bible nescaya tidak banyak menolong PAS, sedang PAS amat mengharapkan kejayaan kempen PAS Ganti Umno. Kita tidak kata ia boleh menggagalkan hasrat menawan Putrajaya, tetapi ia boleh mengganggu keselesaan PAS memasuki PRU itu. Umno sesungguhnya suka isu ini timbul kerana ia boleh mengurangkan orang lari daripadanya. * Ini adalah pandangan peribadi penulis.

Forget the pundits, look out for the killer duo Posted: 30 Jan 2013 04:19 PM PST JAN 31 — Two experts on local politics walked into a bar, and were then promptly gunned down by a crowd of Uzi-armed dwarves in pink with green bandanas. The soundtrack was fairly innocuous, so I can't really remember. But the camera work was quite something, or maybe it was just down to the lighting. This is what plays in my head whenever an interested reader approaches me to ask about what I think about the latest view by a "neutral" analyst and commentator.   I want to share today why the prevalent manner of discoursing Malaysia is hurting everyone in the long run, irrespective of election results, and second, by this culture of selective omission and additions, the real kingmakers in the coming election are being mentioned but not emphasised enough. There are hardly any neutrals writing politics here in Malaysia, which is why I put my political affiliation and role in my political party out there — I do want readers to be as sceptical as they need to be, and let my ideas stand on how well they are supported. In the same vein, when confronting the thoughts and opinions of my opponents, I'd like to be confronted with a level of sophistication and layered thinking, which is sorely missing — and I'll return to that later. Because if foreign persons read their reports — and they do — they'd just be bamboozled that a nation nearing its 50th birthday can be reduced to stereotypes, or, more importantly, convenient stereotypes. A certain senior political writer at an English daily encapsulates all that is mad in what finds its way to be published in Malaysia these days. She is not alone, nor is this group limited to just Barisan Nasional (BN) supporters even if they crowd the category. For I concede, there are those on my side of the divide who similarly make the mistake of oversimplifying equations and don't wait to see if they add up. Malaysia may have one of the longest running governments in the world, and while the systematic efforts to rid political awareness in individuals have been stunningly successful, it is and always has been a highly diverse society, probably bordering on dysfunctional because of the way its diversity has been handled. Unfortunately, the usual template in the writing goes like this, when describing the present political impasse: The Malays are undecided because they fear what they can lose, the Chinese are completely with Pakatan Rakyat, the Indians are a function of money directed to them and the rest are mathematical anomalies that are what we say periodically about them, which does not reduce the fact they vote for BN. And with those template lines printed nicely on an A4 sheet, folded and tucked in one's pants pocket, any novice can write overviews, possible outcomes and analyses on the country. I believe many experts can tell more than what appears in their pieces but choose not to because what can be unearthed may make some including the experts uneasy. Rather than angling data to nudge support, they neglect all the troublesome bits and juice-up the facts that work for them, and present it as the sober read of reality. Which is why most Malaysians don't read or follow politics, not because of the universal adage that the main actors — the politicians — are putrid opportunists, but because they can't get it. The way it is talked through, since the mainstream media summary must always play up BN, independent reading is required of the observer to connect what is said, what is unsaid and an intellectual juggling of the two to make sense of it. Or perhaps they'd just skip the mental exercise, pick up the remote and switch to HBO. For underneath, between the said and unsaid, is our national treasure. While many know that X number of PKR MPs bolted in 2010, they would not recollect unless from Bagan Serai that the MP from that constituency who jumped ship is Mohsin Fadzli Samsuri. Nor in hindsight realise one key reason he won in 2008 was because he was the secretary-general of the Malaysian Association of Banjar then. Being senior in that organisation means a lot because many in the seat are ethnic Banjar people. Or the Hokkien-Cantonese dynamics and its role in the Malaysian Chinese Association and any other Chinese-dominated party. And perhaps discuss whether Ong Tee Keat being Hainanese had anything to do with him losing the presidency. Or the caste clash in Malaysian Indian Congress and elsewhere affecting the thinking of voters. Or even the nuances of Dayak power-plays involving Ibans, Bidayuhs and others. I kept the above to ethnic, to show even in the stubborn method of breaking vote totals from absolute ethnic groups, the groups were never absolute to begin with, and campaigning often misses rather than hits. The two subsections then. Eyelashes and the unemployed A confession first. Both Barisan Nasional and Pakatan Rakyat cannot say with absolute certainty how they will fare in this coming general election. It may be close, it may even be — a clear win for Pakatan. But the unknowns force me not to say in absolute terms that we will win. Because we don't know how the women will vote, or the young will vote. And yes, they do overlap. But we have pretty good guesses. Both groups have always been factored out of the equation due to the former being generally uninvolved and the latter largely indifferent to registering to vote. That has changed since 2008. The opinion polls are generally tainted, not by the pollsters but by a culture of secrecy, and those two groups since they are more traditionally distanced from the political process than others would be even more invariably closeted. But they will have a heavy influence in the 13th general election. I daresay if half the women under 30 voted for Pakatan, BN will fall in this election. Up to 2008, most women voted for BN. There is no genetic difference in the intellect of men and women, meaning there would be an equal number of very smart and the opposite among both genders. But the political culture provides little natural space for women and the male-driven agenda of national politics is off-putting. In short, since most of them don't know or don't care, they've picked the horse they generally thought was better, if you did not want to bother too much about it. Which is traditionally BN. There is now a national period of doubt ongoing. "Better" is not the monopoly of one side any more. Everyone can sense that this is a different election, there is more than just noise — an increasingly settling thinking that it is possible, a federal change of government. Again, I don't know how they will vote. But since Pakatan is working from a low base of support from this group, throw in the various programmes in Selangor and Penang, to bet that Pakatan will win more than lose from this segment since Election 2008 is not wishful thinking. I can't be blamed to be optimistic that our women vote is on the up. Since Election 2008 there has been a spike in the number of voters, the majority of them young first-time voters. BN has dished out affordable home projects, special one-payments (BR1M for the unmarried) and even discounts for smartphones, and I will concede incentives win votes. But how many votes can be debated. Do those pros outweigh the number of contract workers in the civil service who know they are temps, the high unemployment among university graduates if temporary low-wage employment is excluded and the burden of a higher education loan whose ROI (return on investment) is highly disappointing since wages have stagnated? On that score, it is not a warm and fuzzy feeling for BN. They have largely failed to plan the economy to create broad social mobility for Malaysians to accompany the state-implored up-skill experience for many. To be succinct, they've screwed too many people for too long due to poor and uncommitted economic planning, and the young don't put up with stuff like that too well. Because they are living the reality, and life is the best teacher and vote winner. The method of showing other economic statistics and shiny buildings don't do it for this group. To paraphrase Nirvana: "Here they are now, entertain them", otherwise they vote for the other guy, because he is not you. The young are risk-seeking and being reminded that there has been 58 years of stability only underscores for them usually that they have not lived for more than 30. Those from the middle class in the late twenties married with kids will stop to pause, but for the rest, trying new things is a fact of life, not a cautionary tale. That is why my second guess is that more of them will vote for Pakatan than BN. Which put together with my read of the female vote makes ominous reading for those strategising in Putrajaya. Into the great unknown So, in short, I am not asking for the random gunfire, but excuse me if I imagine screaming dwarves jumping up and down when it comes to assessing political punditry. But more pertinent, I do not know for a fact if Pakatan will win, but by the day I am convinced that the tipping point has been passed. And that certain something in the air will continue to grow and panic continues to set in the ranks of my esteemed colleagues in Putrajaya.   (We will return to the series talking about what matters when voting in Election 2013 next week after last week's take on education. healthcare and affordable jobs are in the conveyor belt.) * This is the personal opinion of the columnist.

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