Rabu, 6 Februari 2013

The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

Starbucks opens first outlet in central Delhi

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 06:34 PM PST

A barista brews up an "Indianised" Starbucks in Delhi. — AFP pic

NEW DELHI, Jan 7 — Starbucks, the world's biggest coffee chain, launched its first outlet in central New Delhi yesterday and vowed an aggressive drive for business across India.

"We are committed to the India market for the long term and will aggressively grow our business, expanding stores and providing locally relevant innovations," John Culver, company president for China and South Pacific, said in a statement.

Starbucks entered the vast Indian market in a joint venture with the country's giant Tata conglomerate and launched its first store in the commercial hub Mumbai last October.

The store in Delhi is in the landmark Connaught Place. A branch opened in the city's main international airport last month.

Like other Western chains that have come to India, such as Pizza Hut, Starbucks is offering "Indianised" versions of its food and beverages.

Starbucks will mainly compete with Indian-owned Cafe Coffee Day, which dominates the market, and with well-established foreign chains such as Britain's Costa Coffee and the US Coffee Bean and Tea Leaf.

India has traditionally been more of a tea-drinking nation. But coffee's stature is rising among young and urban professional classes, who seem drawn as much to Western-style cafes as they are to the drink itself. — AFP/Relaxnews

Delightful Peranakan outing

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 05:15 PM PST

The interior has a mix of furniture with large backdrops.

GEORGE TOWN, Feb 7 — With the rejuvenation of George Town has come the restoration of many of Penang's old buildings. This includes the 140-year-old Logan Heritage in Beach Street, which now houses a few new F&B outlets.

One such is the Pinang Peranakan Restaurant, opened by the enterprising Sherina Lim last year. The former economy rice seller has designed the large outlet set on the ground floor to take advantage of the heritage aspects of the building.

The floor tiles, for example, are probably original, and blown-up images act as impressive backdrops, giving the impression that one has indeed stepped into a typical traditional Nyonya house. The furniture ranges from more formal marble-topped tables with high-backed chairs to casual stools arranged around smaller tables.

The kitchen is now headed by Chef Kheong who came on board recently. "Our neighbours were Baba Nyonya," he explained, "and we used to love the smells emanating from their kitchen!" Drooling after the food wasn't all he did; he also learnt how to cook many of the dishes from them.

However, like some of the newer Nyonya restaurants in town, some of the food here has been "fused" with other regional dishes, and served in a more contemporary manner.

Take the Four Seasons starter, for example. Instead of a large centre platter, it's presented as four portions on each individual plate: Otak Otak, Jiu Hu Char, Lor Bak, and a kerabu of sorts. I rather like the modern take, as it allows you to sample different dishes without overindulging. The Tu Tor T'ng, a tasty soup made from innards, is also served in small bowls.

Steamed Fish Nyonya Style... goes very well with rice (left). Tu Khar Chor... quite yummy. (right)

As Nyonya food is usually hot and spicy, it's better eaten with plain white rice, so the main course remains more traditional with a variety of dishes served together: the Tu Khar Chor, trotters braised in black vinegar, was very palatable, as was the Steamed Fish Nyonya Style — fresh, firm tautay (white pomfret) over which a spicy, slightly sweet assam pedas rempah has been poured. The Hwan Choo Heok (sweet potato leaves) fried with sambal was good.

Chef Kheong is also introducing some local Chinese dishes into the menu: his home-made taufu with minced pork was good, and the Chean Bak (fried pork) will be popular with those who find Nyonya food a tad too spicy.

Nothing rounds off a meal better than a good pudding, and their home-made Bubur Cha Cha takes some beating, as does their Chendol. "We use real gula Melaka," explained Sherina, referring to the thick, dark coconut syrup that is a must for this sweet, "and fresh santan".

All in all, it was a very positive experience, and one that I would definitely like to repeat. Chef Kheong will probably need a bit of time to experiment and come up with the dishes that are his forte, so it's somewhere I look forward to returning to in a few months' time.

Restoran Pinang Peranakan
4 Logan Heritage
Beach Street
10300 Penang
Tel: +604 261 2269
Opening Hours: 11am-3pm / 6-10pm and closed on Wednesdays.

Logan Heritage - the Pinang Peranakan Restaurant by night.

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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports

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Silence on match-fixing probe puts Singapore at risk

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 04:55 AM PST

Superintendent Ho assistant director of media relations of Singapore Police Force, listens to questions from journalists on the international match-fixing scam at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Singapore. — Reuters pic

SINGAPORE, Feb 6 — Singapore is working with European authorities investigating the fixing of soccer matches on a global scale but its silence on any action being taken against local suspects risks damaging the reputation of the wealthy, tightly regulated Asian country.

European investigators said this week they believe the results of hundreds of soccer matches were fixed at club and national level, with some of the key figures alleged to have run the bribery scam out of Singapore.

Interpol, the international police organisation, did not reply to questions from Reuters about the investigation in Singapore, saying it does not comment on specific cases.

But Interpol chief Ronald Noble told Singapore's Straits Times newspaper it would be wrong to assume "that only Asian organised crime is responsible for match-fixing in Europe and around the world".

It would be unfortunate if Singapore's "well-earned anti-crime reputation" suffered from the allegations, he said in remarks published on Wednesday, but added the city-state must show it is serious about tackling the problem.

"Until arrests are made in Singapore and until actual names, dates and specific match-fixing details are given, these organised criminals will appear above the law and Singapore's reputation will continue to suffer," Noble said.

In November, he had said: "In the near future, Singaporeans will be reading about arrests made here in Singapore."

Police in the city-state said on Tuesday they "are assisting the European authorities in their investigations" and that "Singapore takes a strong stance against match-fixing".

Beyond that, Singapore authorities have yet to say anything about the state or scope of the investigation, including whether they are pursuing the main suspect - identified by various media in 2011 - and others listed in Italian court documents.

This is not entirely surprising in a country where the government keeps a tight rein on information - and police may not want to jeopardise their case. But the lack of comment about a global scandal with roots in Singapore contrasts with this week's very public announcement by European investigators.

With the same party in power for five decades, Singapore has long projected itself as a paragon of good governance and clean living in a turbulent region often rife with corruption. But its links to the match-fixing illuminate a darker underside.

Having Singaporeans as key suspects in the scandal was "extremely shocking" but not a total surprise for Jerome, a 43-year-old transportation worker making legal bets on soccer matches at a state-run Singapore Pools outlet.

"I know it's still happening," he said. "Like loan sharks, it's still happening, not being stopped yet."

"Obligated to respond"

Chris Eaton, former head of security at soccer's governing body FIFA and now a director at the International Centre for Sport Security, said Singapore was "either being very cautious, very thorough or they don't have enough to go on".

"I don't know why they appear to not be doing anything but I hope they are," he said. "I'm sure they're doing their best to limit embarrassment. Now they're obligated to respond to the mounting international evidence against Singaporean gangs."

Sources close to the Football Association of Singapore (FAS) said it was assisting police and the city-state's anti-corruption bureau.

"It is a global problem and FAS will continue to work closely with the relevant authorities, both at the domestic and international levels, to combat match-fixing and football corruption aggressively," the association said in a statement.

Singapore hosted an Interpol-sponsored meeting in November of about 50 international sports integrity experts to discuss match-fixing and how to combat corruption.

It is set to have even tighter ties with Interpol when the international body opens a new global complex in the city-state in 2014 that will house a FIFA anti-corruption training centre.

"There are illegal betting syndicates operating across Asia," said B.C. Tan, head of organised crime research at World-Check, a risk analysis firm owned by Thomson Reuters.

"There has to be collective effort from law enforcement agencies in Asia and beyond to address this issue."

During the 2010 World Cup, links between organised crime and illegal soccer betting in Asia came to the fore when Interpol coordinated an operation that led to the arrests of 5,000 people and the seizure of nearly US$10 million (RM30.98 million).

An Interpol statement at the time said "police across China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand identified and raided nearly 800 illegal gambling dens which handled more than US$155 million worth of bets".

In the allegations unveiled this week, a German investigator described a network of couriers taking bribes around the world to pay off players and referees.

"We have evidence for 150 of these cases, and the operations were run out of Singapore with bribes of up to 100,000 euros (RM419,506) paid per match," said Friedhelm Althans, chief investigator for police in the German city of Bochum.

"i'm innocent"

Even when Singapore's actions become known, there is no guarantee the suspects will face all of the charges in Europe.

Singapore allows suspects to be sent only to countries with which it has an extradition treaty. Germany has such a treaty with Singapore but Italy, which made the original complaint about match-fixers manipulating Italian games, does not.

Extradition also requires "common criminality", meaning that a suspect must have allegedly done something illegal in Singapore that gives its police the grounds to detain him.

After the German magazine Stern identified the alleged leader of the Singapore syndicate and published a photo of him in mid-2011, the man said it was a case of mistaken identity.

"Why I'm suddenly described as a match-fixer, I don't know. I'm innocent," he told The New Paper, a Singapore tabloid.

When Reuters called the phone number of that man, as listed in the Italian court documents, the woman who answered was furious. She denied knowing the suspect or having travelled with him when he went to Italy, as detailed in the court documents.

When Reuters journalists went to the suspect's condominium complex, a mid-range development of cream-coloured tower blocks with a swimming pool in northeastern Singapore, security guards shouted at them and would not let them in.

Another Singaporean listed in the documents said he was in Italy at the time indicated by Italian authorities but denied any knowledge of match-fixing. He initially said he was on holiday with his wife but then said he was on business.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said when asked about the allegations.

A third man identified in the documents confirmed his identity and passport number to Reuters but said he did not think he was in Italy on the dates specified and denied any knowledge of the allegations.

"If the Singaporean police are interested, they'll come to me," he said. — Reuters

United’s pampered players humbled by Munich memories

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 01:48 AM PST

LONDON, Feb 6 — Manchester United players need to remember the legacy of those affected by the Munich air disaster because the aftermath of the tragedy is part of what makes the club great, Ryan Giggs said on the 55th anniversary on Wednesday.

United's current players, including new striker Robin van Persie, recently watched a DVD about the crash, in which 23 people died as the squad, supporters and journalists returned from a European Cup match in Belgrade.

Eight players and three members of the United staff were among those who died after their plane crashed as it tried to take off following a refuelling stop in Munich.

"New players, especially the foreign players, are joining a club which they think is great and offers them everything that comes from United being successful over the last 10 to 15 years," Giggs told the club website (http://www.manutd.com).

"We all watched a DVD about Munich recently. It was really important for the squad to watch that and learn about what happened. Not only about the crash itself but also the success they had before it and how the team moved forward in the aftermath, from winning the next game to winning the European Cup 10 years later. Everyone was moved."

The Premier League leaders also listened to a talk by Bobby Charlton, who survived the crash along with manager Matt Busby, who had to quickly rebuild a team amid the grief.

"I think it's very important, to know how the Busby Babes played and how successful they were before the air disaster and to know how Sir Matt built another great team," added the 39-year-old Giggs, who has been at United since 1987.

"There are so many things that are relevant to us today and we need to carry on their legacy. For example, fans want to see young players coming through and doing well which they do on a regular basis at this club, and both as individuals and as a team, we have to play in the right manner."

Despite Giggs's long association with the club and the many Munich memorial services he has attended, the DVD taught him new elements of the story which have inspired the midfielder as United, nine points clear, hone in on a 20th top-flight title.

"There were things I didn't know about the crash. I didn't know how soon United played again afterwards, just 13 days later, and that players like Bill Foulkes and Harry Gregg who survived the crash were in the team. I thought that was unbelievable," he said.

With a Champions League last-16 clash with Real Madrid in the next two months, United's jet-setting squad were reminded that technology was very different in Busby's day.

"Now if we're playing in a big game like a Champions League semi-final, we'll watch videos and know everything about the opposition. Everything. Then I think Sir Matt would go on one scouting mission and that would be it," Giggs said.

"Once Sir Matt went to watch Real Madrid and when he came back, his players asked him what they were like. He didn't want to tell them because Real Madrid were that good." — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

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The Malaysian Insider :: Features

Chick lit can make you feel fat, says study

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 07:59 AM PST

NEW YORK, Feb 6 — Turns out, Bridget Jones may be bad for your health, according to a new study. Self-scrutinising female protagoninsts in so-called "chick lit" books may be ruinous for a woman's self-image.

Researchers from Virginia Tech in the US analyzed "the effect of protagonist body weight and body esteem on female readers' body esteem" in a study published in the journal Body Image. Their conclusions: all that weight-obsessed neurosis should be cause for concern among scholars and health officials, reported The Guardian.

To reach their conclusions, the team took passages from two popular novels where the characters had "healthy body weights" but low self-esteem: Emily Giffin's "Something Borrowed" and Laura Jensen Walker's "Dreaming in Black and White." Then they replaced the passages with nine different versions in which descriptions of the heroine's body size and weight were altered, making her heavier or thinner, as well as varying her attitudes about her shape. Students then read the passages while rating their own attractiveness.

Subjects said they felt "significantly" less sexually attractive when they read about a slim character, and significantly more worried about their own weight when reading about a protagonist with low self-esteem.

A recent Texas A&M University study found that while media is often the target for promoting body image issues among girls, peer influence - a girl's group of friends - may play a bigger role. — AFP-Relaxnews

Outcry over India gang rape shames some in South Africa

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 07:06 AM PST

Police stand over an arrested demonstrator during a farm workers strike at De Doorns on the N1 highway linking Cape Town and Johannesburg, January 10, 2013. — Reuters pic

JOHANNESBURG, Feb 6 — The public outcry in India over the gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a New Delhi bus has prompted soul-searching in South Africa, where some people are asking: "Why not here?"

In the seven weeks since the trainee physiotherapist was raped, assaulted with a metal bar and thrown bleeding onto a highway to die, nearly 9,000 women and children will have been sexually violated in South Africa.

In one recent case in the capital Pretoria, five men dragged a 21-year-old woman into the bushes and took turns to rape her as she walked with friends at dawn to secure a spot in a university enrolment queue.

Nearly four weeks on, police have made no arrests.

Violence against women is also endemic in India, but the brutality of the recent attack shocked even those inured to the rising wave of sexual crimes and prompted thousands of protesters into the streets. The Indian cabinet has since fast-tracked tougher new penalties for sex crimes.

In South Africa, such cases barely make a stir. In a country long known as the "rape capital of the world", women's rights campaigners say sexual violence has almost lost the power to shock.

"We are not the only country faced with crime, sexism, patriarchal attitudes and poverty. But we seem to be the only country that goes to sleep when a rape happens," popular radio presenter Redi Tlhabi wrote.

Comparing data across countries is difficult because of varying reporting requirements, but by any measure South Africa's sexual assault rate is off the charts. Its statistics agency concluded in 2000 that it had the highest reported rape rate of all 120 Interpol member countries.

"It points to a fundamental kind of sickness in our society, that causing extreme and life-long pain to other people is a way in which some people have fun," said Rachel Jewkes, acting president of the Medical Research Council (MRC).

"We're still dealing with a patriarchal society, where men see themselves as privileged and doing anything they can get away with, and that includes raping."

Although researchers cite many reasons for South Africa's high rates of sexual crime, including extreme poverty, they also point the finger at decades of white-minority rule under which many black families were broken by the need for fathers to leave home to work as migrants in apartheid-run mines and factories.

"The impact of apartheid on families is probably the most important area - the way in which apartheid destroyed family life," Jewkes said.

Mindsets have not evolved significantly post-apartheid, and the police and justice system have failed to do their parts to protect victims and prosecute perpetrators.

Over 64,000 attacks last year

In the year to April 2012, more than 64,000 sexual offences, including rape, were reported in South Africa, which has a population of 50 million people. Of these, more than 25,000 were assaults on children.

The figures could be much higher as research suggests only a fraction of rapes are reported given that the police force is seen as unsympathetic to victims. Even when suspects are caught, only 12 percent of cases end in conviction.

"It is so frustrating because when you go to the police you get the second victimization," said Funeka Soldaat, a lesbian community activist in Cape Town's Khayelitsha township, who was gang raped by four men 17 years ago.

"The frustrating thing also is the silence among ourselves as women in the community, (the failure) to say this is not okay."

Rape became front page news last year when seven men aged between 14 and 20 went on trial on charges of raping a mentally handicapped 17-year old girl and recording it on a cell-phone video that later went viral.

But even that incident did not spur anything like the kind of public protest seen in India.

"If the gang rape of a mentally handicapped 17-year-old failed to get thousands on the streets in protest, what will?" columnist Rachel Davis asked in January in the online publication Daily Maverick.

Last month police in North West province arrested a 43-year-old man for raping his 10-month-old niece while the baby's mother was at work. After the arrest, another female relative came forward to lay a charge against the man for a prior rape.

Some South African women believe sexual assaults have been tolerated for so long that men do not even seem to be ashamed to admit to it.

Johannesburg receptionist Luleka told of a male colleague at work who recited during a casual lunchtime discussion how, as teenagers, he and friends forced reluctant girls into sex.

"I listened to him and thought, 'He doesn't get it'," said Luleka, who did not want her family name published. "He virtually raped a young girl twenty years ago and sees nothing wrong. His defence is that girls will never say 'yes' outright to sex."

Such attitudes make it harder for women to come forward.

"A lot of police believe rape victims are responsible for their own rape," said Gareth Newham, head of the Crime and Justice Programme at the Institute for Security Studies based in Pretoria.

"They must have been wearing provocative clothing or been in a dark area when they shouldn't have been. They blame the victim a lot."

"Rape the norm"

Johannesburg businesswoman Andisiwe Kawa is still looking for justice after she was gang raped by five men in 2010 only to see the case against her suspected assailants dropped for lack of evidence.

Kawa, one of a tiny minority of rape victims who have publicly spoken about their attacks despite the stigma it carries, has founded a project that campaigns against rape of women and children.

"Rape has become a norm. We've become very apathetic about it. There's this silence that gives an upper hand to perpetrators because we don't tell on them," said Kawa, who is spearheading South Africa's part in a Feb. 14 global march against gender violence.

Kawa, who is in her 50s, has lost faith in a justice system that she says allows rape cases to drag on for too long, with suspects often released on bail.

"We have a constitution that promises us the right to safety and security and justice but in reality we don't have those," she said.

"We have this nice, world-class legislation but it is not implemented for the people on the ground who require it. It is useless legislation." — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz

Vienna set to party like it’s 1899

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 07:15 AM PST

US actress Mira Sorvino and her host Richard Lugner arrive for a news conference in Vienna February 6, 2013. — Reuters pic

VIENNA, Feb 6 — Attending this year's Vienna Opera Ball will be a dream come true for Oscar-winning US actress Mira Sorvino, she said today as the Austrian capital put the finishing touches on it most glittering social event.

"I feel like I'm going to be in a fairy tale ball, like Cinderella walking into the ball," she told reporters.

"I just hope I am able to do the waltz correctly."

Reports about which big names were coming and what they would wear to tomorrow's dance have saturated Austrian media for days. The posh affair — boxes cost up to 18,500 euros (RM75,000) each — gets live television coverage that last year drew 1.6 million viewers in a country of 8.4 million.

German fashion designer Harald Gloeoeckler plans to arrive in a carriage drawn by six horses and with six footmen in rococo costumes, he told the Heute newspaper.

"The Opera Ball stands for radiance and glamour like no other event in the world except perhaps the Oscars. It takes place in a wonderful city and traditional location. And no prizes are awarded, so no one has to fear going empty-handed. You simply have to be there," he said.

The dress code for the sold-out ball is white tie and tails for men, long evening gowns for women.

Sorvino is the guest of Vienna construction magnate and socialite Richard Lugner, 80, who invites famous people each year to accompany him to the opulent event. He is also bringing in Italian film actress Gina Lollobrigida this year.

Paris Hilton, Dita von Teese and Sophia Loren have all been Lugner's dates in the past, but Hollywood star Lindsay Lohan and actress Bo Derek snubbed him after failing to agree terms.

He raised eyebrows in 2011 by inviting Karima el Mahroug, the teenage dancer known by her stage name Ruby Rubacuori (Ruby Heartstealer) at the centre of a political storm around Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.

Actress Hilary Swank will be the guest of an Austrian investment company, media have reported.

The ball has been held in the Opera since 1877, when Emperor Franz Joseph dropped his resistance to having dances in the building that opened on the famed Ring road in 1869, but was interrupted during the First and Second World War eras.

Supermodels, captains of industry and government ministers rub elbows at the event, which gives them the chance to show off awards and medals as they waltz to the music of the Vienna Philharmonic.

But new anti-corruption laws passed last year prevent politicians and government officials from accepting corporate invitations to the event.

Austrian media have estimated that Patricia Schalko, friend of real estate tycoon Georg Stumpf, paid 150,000 euros for an Elie Saab dress that she told the newspaper Oesterreich had been hand sewn by 100 seamstresses. — Reuters

A Minute With: Soderbergh about his new film ‘Side Effects’

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 07:06 AM PST

Aldrich Award recipient Michael Apted (R) poses with presenter Steven Soderbergh (L) at the 65th annual Directors Guild of America Awards in Los Angeles February 2, 2013. — Reuters pic

LOS ANGELES, Feb 6 — Oscar-winning filmmaker Steven Soderbergh delves into the world of prescription drugs in his new film "Side Effects," a psychological thriller that opens on Friday.

Rooney Mara and Channing Tatum play a couple whose lives unravel when she begins taking a new anti-anxiety medication prescribed by her psychiatrist, played by Jude Law.

Soderbergh, 50, spoke with Reuters about his own experiences with prescription drugs, shooting in New York and what he plans to do on his self-imposed hiatus from film-making.

Q: "Side Effects" shows characters either taking medication or prescribing them. Have you ever needed to take medication for your mood, for example?

A: "Luckily, my equilibrium is fairly consistent, so I've never been in a position of wanting or needing something to stabilize my mood. The Inderal beta blocker, what they call the "speaking drug," is miraculous. I use that. A buddy of mine turned me on to it because I said, "I really hate getting up in front of people." He says, "You've got to try Inderal." It keeps you calm and keeps you from getting anxious. That's my only pill experience."

Q: No pain-killing drugs that have landed so many in rehab?

A: "I had kidney stones once, which were not fun. They give you (pain-killer) Oxycontin and I thought, 'Oh boy, this is the one.' People turn their lives upside down to try and get this stuff. But it did nothing for me."

Q: You shot "Side Effects" in New York, which is where you live. What were some of the challenges shooting there?

A: "I was really fascinated by how the paparazzi came around when we were shooting out on the street. The unwillingness on the part of the city to give you certain physical parameters to work within that allow some amount of privacy to do your work was shocking. There were times where I was literally bumping in to them while we were trying to work."

Q: You're officially taking a break from film. How are you staying busy?

A: "I'm still working on stuff, just not movies. I've got this website (Extension765.com) that's going to go up sometime in March or April where (personal and movie items will be) accessible to get or buy."

Q: Like what?

A: "I have closets full of memorabilia, slates, scripts with my notes in them, badges from film festivals ... I can auction it off (online) and give the money to charity. I will also have my photography and a whole line of film related T-shirts."

Q: What's the concept behind the T-shirts?

A: "When they were being designed, I would test them out by wearing them to the set to see if people knew the movie references. There was this one Black Pony Scotch shirt. That's a very, very obscure reference from a famous film noir from the 1940s where there is a five-second pan across a table and you see this bottle of Black Pony Scotch."

Q: What's the movie?

A: "Laura" (by director Otto Preminger).

Q: Is the name of your site another obscure film reference?

A: "'The Conversation.' Whenever Gene Hackman calls to find out what's going on, Harrison Ford answers the phone and says, 'extension 765.'"

Q: Are you up to anything else at the moment?

A: "Yes. I've also designed a pair of super high-end audiophile headphones — what will be limited edition. I've been work working (on them) with the RED (digital) camera people." — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Breaking Views

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The Malaysian Insider :: Breaking Views

Chick lit can make you feel fat, says study

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 07:59 AM PST

Wall Street dips amid lack of fresh incentives

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 07:53 AM PST

NEW YORK, Feb 6 — US stocks opened lower on Wednesday as investors found few fresh trading incentives to keep pushing equities higher following a 1-per cent rally in the previous session that lifted the S&P 500 to five-year highs.

The Dow Jones industrial average was down 43.12 points, or 0.31 percent, at 13,936.18. The Standard & Poor's 500 Index was down 4.41 points, or 0.29 percent, at 1,506.88. The Nasdaq Composite Index was down 11.43 points, or 0.36 percent, at 3,160.15. — Reuters

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

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The Malaysian Insider :: Books

Discover Award’s six female finalists announced

Posted: 05 Feb 2013 05:43 PM PST

'Behind the Beautiful Forevers' comes from Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Katherine Boo. – AFP pic

NEW YORK, Feb 6 – Six new authors, including Katherine Boo and Cheryl Strayed, are in with a chance of a retail boost as book chain Barnes & Noble counts down to the annuual Discover New Writers Award for 2012.

In fiction, Amanda Coplin is represented by her debut novel The Orchardist, alongside Eowyn Ivey's tale of Alaskan mystery in The Snow Child and mesmerisingly unusual The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker.

The nonfiction finalists are Katherine Boo, for her study of Mumbai slumlife in Behind the Beautiful Forevers, Kristen Iversen on the life surrounding a nuclear weapons plant with Full Body Burden, and Cheryl Strayed's arresting coastal hike Wild.

The winners will be announced on March 6, each benefiting from US$10,000 (RM30,400) and a year's worth of retail promotion.

Last year's prizes went to Scott O'Connor for Untouchable and Michael Levy for Kosher Chinese. – AFP-Relaxnews

Neil Gaiman backs BlackBerry’s project

Posted: 05 Feb 2013 04:10 PM PST

Neil Gaiman

LONDON, Feb 6 – Author Neil Gaiman is looking to Twitter for inspiration.

Not one to shy away from projects that get people reading, Neil Gaiman is looking to the Twitter community to inspire a series of stories—but hurry, because the entry deadline for all 12 is February 6.

"I love the idea of taking what I may and giving it back to people, almost like some kind of ping-pong match," he explains in the Keep Moving Project video.

"What I'm going to do is create a Calendar of Tales. Twelve stories. I'm going to write them, but they will be absolutely inspired, and illustrated, by you."

Twelve questions are posed, and 12 of the answers will then be used by Neil as the basis for his stories.

Correspondants will be telling him about the dangers of January, the weirdest gifts received in May, mythical creatures they'd like to meet in October, and who they'd like to see again in December.

Would-be muses have until 5pm today (noon in New York, 6pm Central Europe, 1am tomorrow in Singapore and Malaysia, and 4am in Sydney) to tweet their responses using the month and #KeepMoving hashtags. – AFP-Relaxnews

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa

635 majikan tangguh pembayaran gaji minimum di Johor

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 03:08 AM PST

NUSAJAYA, 6 Feb — Sebanyak 635 majikan di negeri ini dibenar menangguh pelaksanaan pembayaran gaji minimum kepada pekerja mereka, kata Pengerusi Jawatankuasa Perpaduan, Sumber Manusia, Sains, Teknologi Dan Inovasi Negeri Johor M. Asojan.

Beliau berkata mereka terdiri daripada ahli Persatuan Hotel Malaysia dan Persatuan Perkhidmatan Kawalan Keselamatan Malaysia.

"Ahli Persatuan Hotel itu akan mula melaksanakan pembayaran gaji minimum pada bulan Oktober manakala ahli Persatuan Perkhidmatan Kawalan Keselamatan pada April tahun ini," katanya.

Bercakap pada sidang akhbar di sini hari ini, Asojan berkata penangguhan itu dipohon kerana majikan menghadapi kesukaran untuk membuat pembayaran gaji minimum sebanyak RM900 yang mula dikuatkuasa awal tahun ini.

Menurut beliau, majikan yang mempunyai kurang lima atau kurang pekerja, boleh mengemukakan permohonan penangguhan kepada Majlis Perundingan Gaji Negara sebelum April tahun ini.

Majikan boleh berbuat demikian dengan mengemukakan borang maklumat syarikat dari Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia; laporan kewangan yang telah diaudit untuk tempoh tiga tahun yang terakhir; dan maklumat bilangan pekerja tempatan dan pekerja asing secara berasingan berserta butiran gaji mereka. — Bernama

Nasharudin salah platform desak PAS keluar pakatan — Husam

Posted: 06 Feb 2013 02:49 AM PST

KOTA BAHARU, 6 Feb — Naib Presiden PAS, Datuk Husam Musa berkata bekas timbalan presiden PAS, Nasharudin Mat Isa berada di platform yang salah bila beliau mendesak parti itu keluar dari pakatan pembangkang.

Husam (gambar) berkata desakan Nasharudin itu tidak relevan lagi kerana (beliau) sudah tidak menjadi anggota Majlis Syura Ulama PAS.

"Ustaz Nasha kini berada di luar (Majlis Syura Ulama PAS). (Maknanya) tak guna saluran (yang betul)," kata Husam kepada pemberita selepas Mesyuarat Exco Kerajaan Kelantan di sini, hari ini.

Bercakap dalam wawancara dengan sebuah akhbar tempatan semalam, Nasharudin mendesak agar PAS keluar dari pakatan pembangkang dan bergerak secara bersendirian bersandarkan kekuatannya jika ingin terus kekal relevan sebagai parti yang memperjuangkan Islam.

Menurut Nasharudin walaupun PAS menjalin hubungan dengan DAP dan PKR berasaskan konsep tahaluf siyasi atau muafakat politik, pelanggaran beberapa syarat dalam ikatan itu jelas mengusik kesucian Islam.

Menjelaskan perkara itu lagi, Husam berkata jika Nasharudin masih berada dalam Majlis Syura berkenaan sudah tentu pandangan anggota Parlimen Bachok itu akan diberi perhatian sewajarnya.

"Ustaz Nasha boleh membuat rayuan terhadap pelucutannya dalam Majlis Syura itu jika mahu berada kembali," katanya.

Nasharudin dipecat dari Majlis Syura Ulama pada 13 Jan lalu atas alas an beliau kerap tidak hadir mesyuarat serta sering membuat kenyataan tidak selari dengan pendirian dan ketetapan majlis berkenaan.

Sementara itu Husam secara sinis meminta Umno memberi ruang kepada Nasharudin agar mempertahankan kerusi Parlimen Bachok atas tiket Barisan Nasional (BN) pada pilihan raya umum akan datang.

Beliau berkata adalah lebih baik jika Umno berbuat demikian jika Nasharudin sememangnya tidak lagi berminat berjuang melalui PAS yang kini dilihat lebih cenderung menyokong kepimpinan Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak.

"Saya rasa Datuk Dr Awang Adek Hussin perlu memberi ruang kepada Ustaz Nasha mempertahankan Parlimen Bachok atau meletakkan Ustaz Nasha ke tempat lain yang dirasakan boleh menang," katanya. — Bernama

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

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Darah Cina, darah kamu juga

Posted: 05 Feb 2013 04:34 PM PST

6 FEB ― Sebenarnya amat kekok rasanya setiap kali cuba menukil madah dalam bahasa kebangsaan. Namun saya cuba kerana mungkin ini saja cara saya dapat difahami insan yang begitu lapang sehingga masih menulis komen di belog saya dengan menggunakan perkataan kesat.

"Tak habis-habis ke Erna ni dengan cerita tentang 'peminatnya'?"

Dengar dulu, sayang oi, sebelum nak melenting.

Saya bukan kuda tunggangan sesiapa. Dan saya kesal tanggapan sesetengah orang bahawa berkata "tidak" kepada unsur-unsur berbau perkauman membuatkan saya, dan semua yang sependapat dengan saya, "barua".

Saya tiada sebab sebenarnya untuk menyebelahi kaum Cina, atau lebih menyukai mereka meskipun moyang saya ada juga berbangsa Cina.

Memang saya faham bagaimana rasa terpinggir bila ada kenalan berbangsa Cina sengaja bercakap dalam bahasa ibunda di hadapan saya, meskipun tahu saya tidak faham.

Saya tahu betapa sakit hati melihat iklan yang hanya mahukan penyewa atau pekerja berbangsa Cina.

Pernah juga saya mempunyai kekasih berbangsa Cina, yang sayangnya ibu bapanya tidak ingin anaknya berpacaran dengan bangsa lain. Bagi mereka, bangsa mereka sahaja yang baik dan keturunan mereka tidak patut "dicemari" darah bangsa asing.

Tetapi perlukah saya membenci satu bangsa kerana ada antara mereka yang berperangai kurang elok?

Setiap kali lagu Negaraku dinyanyikan, bukankah sepatah daripada senikatanya "Tanah tumpahnya darahku?"

Ambil pisau, hiris lengan sesiapa rakyat Malaysia. Sama warna darahnya. Sama juga asalnya. Berlakunya kemalangan jalan raya, apakah kita akan tanyakan bangsa pemberi darah yang diterima?

Mungkin saya kurang faham kenapa bangsa-bangsa di Malaysia begitu taksub dengan bangsa mereka sendiri. Maklumlah, darah saya bukannya "tulen". Ayah dan ibu berlainan bangsa, mereka juga berasal keturunan yang banyak darah campur.

Memang saya jahil kenapa perlu saya mengagungkan bangsa sendiri sampai ke tahap menindas dan memburuk-burukkan bangsa lain.

Saya tidak faham dan tidak akan pernah faham.

Mungkin satu hari, keturunan rakyat Malaysia akan datang, akan juga memilih untuk tidak faham. Jahil kepada warna kulit, jahil kepada perkauman, jahil kepada perbezaan keturunan.

Biar jahil tentang keburukan daripada selama-lamanya menegakkan ketidakadilan dan benci sesama manusia.

* Ini adalah pendapat peribadi penulis

On the campaign trail

Posted: 05 Feb 2013 04:30 PM PST

FEB 6 ― The ceramahs have begun all across the country, as politicians and political parties begin campaigning for support and votes come the 13th general election.

These ceramahs require massive reserves of energy, as the long hours on the road, the meet-the-rakyat sessions, rushed prayers at nearby suraus, and critical meetings on the road can take a toll on the politician and his team of aides.

Pakatan Rakyat's Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat road tour was launched in August last year in a bid to give meaning to Malaysia's independence, and also to educate and meet the grassroots all around the country.

The bus Opposition leader Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim uses for the road tour is also literally the vehicle to garner support and gain voters. It is the mothership for meetings, camaraderie and a safehouse for the PR team as they go on the road every week.

These trips are not for the faint of heart and weak-bodied. They require stamina of the mind and body, and the tenacity of a titan. If a ceramah does not go well, the trip will test one's spirit and strength. And it is not just the politician who is affected, his aides will also feel the pain and agony.

Anwar's trip to Negri Sembilan on January 27, 2013 was one of many he has taken and will take this year. Gemas is crucial ― the Felda settlers are not happy, and their support must be courted.

The itinerary looked packed: It meant a solid 12 hours on the road, with ceramahs beginning at 5pm and ending at midnight. Anwar was going to attend the "Dialog Ekonomi dan Sosial" closing ceremony at Melang, Kuala Pilah before ending the tour in Pekan Pasir Besar, Gemas. In between the two ceramahs, there'd be a few stops as well.

The mothership

The bus, which has a picture of Anwar smiling right across it and proudly touting Jelajah Merdeka Rakyat, sported ominous red paint streaks on its body.

"That happened in Johor," a young aide explained.

Why wasn't the bus cleaned then?

"To show proof to the rakyat. That we were attacked. Johor and Melaka Umno kuat."

The double-decker bus is plush, and designed for the business traveller. The upper deck ― comfortable seats with ample leg room and a small kitchenette ― is for hush-hush meetings between Anwar and team. Below, an equally spacious but smaller space holds luggage and other staff and volunteers.

However, Anwar keeps the team small as he needs space to hold meetings with ADUNs he meets along the way, or friends who meet him halfway and join him for the ride.

"Datuk Seri usually travels in his own car, but before a ceramah stop, he'll get on the bus. He also conducts meetings here too, and sometimes he just relaxes. It depends."

They're a lively bunch ― the political aides, interns and the events specialist. They are also joined by a videographer who travels with them on almost every trip they make.

Chan, as he is known, is a cheerful and youthful-looking man in his 50s. He runs Merdeka Rakyat. If not for them, the trips would be dull. There's always laughter and jokes.

Do they all work for Pakatan?

No. With the exception of the events specialist, they are all volunteers, and hold down jobs outside of political work.

The intern worked for Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad before, and was a student activist. He is proud of his contribution to the party. "I do… I help the pol secs, make sure everything runs smoothly, the Wi-Fi, food..." He is also a walking encyclopaedia of Malay pop and entertainment culture.

The man

When one hears and speaks of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, there is respect even as he is reviled. One either loves or hates Dr Mahathir, but one cannot not recognise his achievements and vision. Dr Mahathir is living proof of actualisation.

Anwar, however, is different. Say what you will, admire or despise him if you want, but Anwar has the X-Factor. He is extremely charismatic and a shrewd reader of an audience.

Psychology has devoted many chapters to politician personalities; to be a politician, you need the charms and mediation skills of a diplomat, and know when to bite back.

You can't survive in politics if you're soft-hearted. Anwar is tough, just look at what he has been through.

Many staff members (former and current) say that he is a good boss. He is jovial, approachable, though when things are rough, Anwar can be distant. This is not unusual behaviour; aren't we all like this? And they also attest that no matter how tired he is, how depressed he gets, when he is with the rakyat, and on stage, he performs.

Yet for all the chumminess he emanates, he is also aloof. Perhaps this is a way of protecting himself. A politician has many enemies.

Age has caught up with him but he is still attractive. His hair is now salt-pepper grey, and he gets up from his seat with more care now. Politics is not kind to those who are older, but Anwar takes it in his stride.

At the Majlis Penutup Dialog Ekonomi dan Sosial in Kuala Pilah, where he addressed slightly over 200 supporters and on-lookers, he spoke of PR's promises should they take over Putrajaya. The lowering of car taxes and prices. Free education. Releasing the rakyat of economic burdens. Making sure Felda settlers receive their dues.

Anyone else who was expecting a proper discourse on national economics and PR's plans on managing Malaysia's resources from Anwar would have been surprised, and disappointed.

The truth is that the grassroots aren't interested in all that – they are concerned about bread and butter issues. And the former deputy prime minister of Malaysia has caught on to the zeitgeist. He knows what they want to hear.

The journey home

I had asked if I could speak to Anwar but he was either in a discussion with his team, in his private car, or resting. It's not easy pinning him down even if you are on the same bus together. I spent quite a lot of time staring at the back of his head, hoping the interview would be granted.

Everyone piled into the bus, ready to head back to Kuala Lumpur. Arrival would be at 3.30 in the morning, and they had a meeting at about 10.

Anwar waved to his supporters from his seat. They waved back eagerly.

There was a short lull as the bus made its way back to the city.

He sang an old Malay song.

"Datuk Seri is happy," Chan said. "That means everything went well. When he's happy, he sings."

About 20 minutes into the journey, the bus stopped at a petrol station. Anwar and his youngest daughter left the bus to go home in their car.

The journey back to Kuala Lumpur was quiet, as the aides dozed off in their seats.

"We'll impact this GE," one of them said sleepily. The next day was going to be another day of meetings, and with the elections very soon, sleep would be a luxury.

The writer takes her hat off to politicians of both sides. She'd like to know what vitamins they take. She hasn't recovered from the bus ride!

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist

Kredit: http://www.themalaysianinsider.com

Rabu, 6 Februari 2013