The Malaysian Insider :: Food
The Malaysian Insider :: Food |
| Roast chicken with Asian flavours Posted: 16 Mar 2013 06:24 PM PDT Paris' first sake salon Fritter frenzy |
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The Malaysian Insider :: Sports
The Malaysian Insider :: Sports |
| Everton leave Man City’s title hopes in tatters Posted: 16 Mar 2013 08:46 AM PDT  Everton's Fellaini challenges Manchester City's Silva during their English Premier League soccer match at Goodison Park in Liverpool. — Reuters picLONDON, March 16 — Manchester City's fingertip hold on their Premier League title was loosened further after a demoralising 2-0 defeat at Everton on Saturday left them hoping for a footballing miracle. Leon Osman's swerving 32nd-minute shot put Everton in front at a raucous Goodison Park and, even though the home side were reduced to 10 men when Steven Pienaar was red-carded for a rash tackle on the hour, City could not reply. Substitute Nikica Jelavic sealed victory in stoppage time on the counter-attack after being set up by Marouane Fellaini, to leave City 12 points behing leaders Manchester United, who host joint-bottom Reading later on Saturday. A week after being booed and heckled by their own fans in an embarrassing 3-0 FA Cup defeat at home to struggling Wigan Athletic, Everton produced a gutsy performance to remain in contention for a top-four finish. Victory lifted David Moyes's team into fifth place, a point above Arsenal, who are away at Swansea City (1500) and four behind fourth-placed Chelsea. "It was disappointing last week (in their defeat by Wigan) but we showed when we are at the races we are a match for any team," Osman, who is in the England squad for next week's World Cup qualifiers, told Sky Sports. "It's difficult to play with 10 against any team, especially the champions, but we kept them at bay." Osman's strike to break the deadlock was a special one. Receiving the ball from Seamus Coleman 25 metres from goal, Osman lashed a shot that flew past England keeper Joe Hart and bulged the netting. Carlos Tevez went close to an equaliser with a shot just wide of the post but City were missing the drive of Yaya Toure in midfield as Everton dominated. City showed more desire after the break and were pressing hard for an equaliser when Pienaar raked his studs down the shin of Javi Garcia, who had earlier squandered a close-range chance. The inevitable red card merely raised Everton to greater efforts, with second-choice keeper Jan Mucha exemplifying their commitment with a great double save from Tevez and James Milner. City were denied a late penalty when Tevez's shot was blocked by the arm of Fellaini in the penalty area, with the referee ruling it had been outside the box and awarding only a free kick, which came to nothing. Jelavic's stoppage-time effort made it a dark day for City manager Roberto Mancini, who declined to give his post-match television interview, instead sending out assistant David Platt. "He's angry and he's taking stock of it," Platt said. "He wants to calm down rather than say anything that will get him into trouble. He's angry in general. "We got outworked by Everton, but there is no doubt in my mind about the handball. "It was three yards inside the area and though perhaps the performance didn't deserve it, that's by the by. "Perhaps we could have got a bit more out of it if that decision had gone for us." — Reuters |
| Puyol in race to return after knee operation Posted: 16 Mar 2013 06:50 AM PDT  Barca captain Carles Puyol — Reuters picMADRID, March 16 — Barcelona captain Carles Puyol has his heart set on a return to action before the end of the season, club doctors said on Saturday after the defender suffered another injury setback. The 34-year-old Spanish international had arthroscopic surgery on the cartilage in his right knee on Friday and the surgeons Ramon Cugat and Ricard Pruna refused to name a date for his possible return. He is almost certain to miss both legs of the Champions League quarter-final against Paris St Germain in the first two weeks of April. "He will set his own recovery time. It could be a month-and-a-half, two or three," Cugat told a news conference. Pruna said: "He has been carrying this problem since October, and the game at Getafe. It hasn't gone away. "He said he couldn't stand it anymore, and he wanted to use the break for internationals to try and be in top shape for the end of the season. "If he didn't do it now there was a risk it could get worse." Cugat joked about Puyol's enthusiasm to return, saying that in the operating theatre the defender had repeatedly said: "We start the recovery tonight." Barca's inspirational leader has suffered a series of injuries over the last year. He missed Spain's triumph at Euro 2012 after having surgery on the same knee last May, and fractured his cheekbone in Barca's second league outing at Osasuna in August. Twisted ligaments in his left knee sidelined him again in September, and Puyol then dislocated his left elbow in October. Combined with a string of minor complaints, he has featured in only 13 La Liga games in the current campaign, but is well known for making rapid recoveries from injuries. "With a normal person you would say leave it a few months until it is better; with Puyol it could be four, six or eight weeks," Cugat said. Pruna added: "There is a chance he could be back in time for (the Champions League) final (on May 25). We would all be pleased if that were the case because it would mean we had reached the final." Puyol's absence leaves Barca short at the back again with converted midfielder Javier Mascherano and Spain's Gerard Pique as their first-choice centre-back pairing. Midfielders Sergio Busquets, and the little-used Alex Song could step in when required, while versatile full-back Adriano Correia has also deputised in the centre. — Reuters |
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The Malaysian Insider :: Breaking Views
The Malaysian Insider :: Breaking Views |
| Thousands of Tunisians call for Islamist government to quit Posted: 16 Mar 2013 08:50 AM PDT  A woman holds a picture of anti-Islamist opposition leader Chokri Belaid near his tomb at a ceremony to mark the 40th day of mourning after his assassination, at El-Jellaz cemetery in Tunis. — Reuters picTUNIS (Tunisia), March 16 —Thousands of Tunisians took to the streets of the capital Tunis on Saturday to call for an end to an Islamist government they blame for the assassination of a leading secular politician 40 days earlier. It was the biggest demonstration since Chokri Belaid was gunned down outside his house on Feb. 6, igniting the worst unrest since the Jasmine Revolution that toppled strongman Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in 2011 and started the Arab Spring. In a bid to quell the protests, Prime Minister Hamadi Jebali resigned and was replaced by Ali Larayedh, a fellow member of the Islamist Ennahda party, who formed a new coalition government including independents in key ministries. But protesters on Saturday blamed the ruling party for Belaid's murder and chanted "Ennahda go," "The people want a new revolution," and "The people want to bring down the regime." No one has claimed responsibility for the killing, which Belaid's family blames on Ennahda. The party denies involvement and police say the killer was a radical Salafist Islamist. Belaid, a left-wing lawyer, was shot at close range outside his Tunis home by an assassin who fled on a motorcycle. His nine-party Popular Front bloc has only three seats in Tunisia's Constituent Assembly, which is acting as parliament and writing a new national charter, compared to some 120 for Ennahda and its partners. But Belaid spoke for many who fear religious radicals are stifling freedoms won in the Arab Spring. The North African state's new Islamist-led government won a confidence vote on Wednesday although the death of an unemployed man who set himself on fire underscored popular discontent with high unemployment, inflation and corruption. "They killed Chokri but they cannot kill the values of freedom defended by him," Belaid's widow Basma said in front of her husband's grave on Saturday. Tunisia's transition has been more peaceful than those in Egypt and Libya, and has led to freedom of expression and political pluralism. But tensions run high between liberals and the Islamists who did not play a major role in the revolt but were elected to power. The government is also pressing ahead with tax rises and subsidy cuts to reduce this year's projected budget deficit of 6 percent of gross domestic product, despite a storm of public criticism. Lacking the huge oil and gas resources of neighbours Libya and Algeria, Tunisia's compact size, relatively skilled workforce and close ties with Europe have raised hopes it can set an example of economic progress for the region. Tourism is a major foreign currency earner. — Reuters |
| Everton leave Man City’s title hopes in tatters Posted: 16 Mar 2013 08:46 AM PDT Everton's Fellaini challenges Manchester City's Silva during their English Premier League soccer match at Goodison Park in Liverpool. — Reuters picLONDON, March 16 — Manchester City's fingertip hold on their Premier League title was loosened further after a demoralising 2-0 defeat at Everton on Saturday left them hoping for a footballing miracle. Leon Osman's swerving 32nd-minute shot put Everton in front at a raucous Goodison Park and, even though the home side were reduced to 10 men when Steven Pienaar was red-carded for a rash tackle on the hour, City could not reply. Substitute Nikica Jelavic sealed victory in stoppage time on the counter-attack after being set up by Marouane Fellaini, to leave City 12 points behing leaders Manchester United, who host joint-bottom Reading later on Saturday. A week after being booed and heckled by their own fans in an embarrassing 3-0 FA Cup defeat at home to struggling Wigan Athletic, Everton produced a gutsy performance to remain in contention for a top-four finish. Victory lifted David Moyes's team into fifth place, a point above Arsenal, who are away at Swansea City (1500) and four behind fourth-placed Chelsea. "It was disappointing last week (in their defeat by Wigan) but we showed when we are at the races we are a match for any team," Osman, who is in the England squad for next week's World Cup qualifiers, told Sky Sports. "It's difficult to play with 10 against any team, especially the champions, but we kept them at bay." Osman's strike to break the deadlock was a special one. Receiving the ball from Seamus Coleman 25 metres from goal, Osman lashed a shot that flew past England keeper Joe Hart and bulged the netting. Carlos Tevez went close to an equaliser with a shot just wide of the post but City were missing the drive of Yaya Toure in midfield as Everton dominated. City showed more desire after the break and were pressing hard for an equaliser when Pienaar raked his studs down the shin of Javi Garcia, who had earlier squandered a close-range chance. The inevitable red card merely raised Everton to greater efforts, with second-choice keeper Jan Mucha exemplifying their commitment with a great double save from Tevez and James Milner. City were denied a late penalty when Tevez's shot was blocked by the arm of Fellaini in the penalty area, with the referee ruling it had been outside the box and awarding only a free kick, which came to nothing. Jelavic's stoppage-time effort made it a dark day for City manager Roberto Mancini, who declined to give his post-match television interview, instead sending out assistant David Platt. "He's angry and he's taking stock of it," Platt said. "He wants to calm down rather than say anything that will get him into trouble. He's angry in general. "We got outworked by Everton, but there is no doubt in my mind about the handball. "It was three yards inside the area and though perhaps the performance didn't deserve it, that's by the by. "Perhaps we could have got a bit more out of it if that decision had gone for us." — Reuters |
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The Malaysian Insider :: Features
The Malaysian Insider :: Features |
| What is driving (increase of) faith in this country? Posted: 15 Mar 2013 06:55 PM PDT
Facebook, on a daily basis, overwhelms me with status updates of friends attending usrahs, church, temples, sharing religious quotes and verses. People text Bible verses and Quranic quotes to each other. Religion is bowling us over. But are Malaysians really becoming more conscious of their faith? What is making them more religious? As Gregore Lopez, a political scientist, who commented on an earlier article of mine, said: "In my opinion, the debate on Allah is because there are two countervailing force of equal strength (Umno vs PKR/PAS creating space for conservatives and liberals/progressives) — that's why there is a debate. "When Mahathir was strong, there was no place for anyone, but also a place for everyone, below Mahathir of course. But now that Umno is weak, everyone has a place and almost equally including Umno. Umno now have to make their case especially to gain political legitimacy. "I think in Malaysia, greater religiosity (ritualistic rather than spiritual) came in the mid-'70s, and with Mahathir's push in the '80s, and of course that of AI (all responding to global and domestic waves)." Is Lopez correct? The situation Religion is a hot topic in Malaysia. There's always an issue: mosque speakers blasting the azan to the point of bothering the neighbourhood; conversions and inter-faith marriages; can a non-Muslim family host a Muslim family for dinner and must they buy new cutlery? However, some feel that we need to take a step back and observe the phenomenon. Professor Yusoff Ismail, a retired anthropologist, was circumspect. "Religiosity is something not that easy to measure. What Gregore Lopez says is too simplistic. You need to look at the bigger picture. Just as we see many people, regardless of the religion they practice, are becoming more religious by attending religious activities, there are quite a large number that have turned their back away from religion. "How do you explain this? Religious activities are very much heightened nowadays because of the social and material wealth we now have, especially among the nouveau riches. Take a look at the simple majlis berbuka puasa, which nowadays are turned into prestige-enhancing events, with five-star caterers attending to a crazy array of food. Going by the amount of money they have to pay, this must be very, very religious indeed!" The debate on Islam between the political parties has been going on for a long time; not just recently, he said. "Remember the case of 'solat dua imam' and 'aku tak makan lembu yang kamu sembelih'?" The debate today is still the same, but the intensity has been increased by the availability of the Internet, social media and numerous ceramah agama over television. Regardless of whatever government Malaysia has, religious debate will go on, either within the same camp, or between opposing camps. For some believers, the reason why people are turning to religion and not just Islam is because secularism has failed them. Material success has not brought that happiness they sought.
"Not only traditional religions like Christianity, Islam are being revived but also others like Scientology are becoming popular. The missionary works done by preachers of each religion and the abundant religious materials that can be easily accessed contribute to such progress," he said. Wan Ahmad Fayhsal is thoughtful when asked about whether politics helped or damaged the position of religions in Malaysia. "I think my generation is tired of this old drama between the elders of both sides. I foresee a reconciliation rather than division. For that to become a reality, a strong intellectual tradition of Islam must be re-embedded into our social fabric. And I can see the progress is certainly promising with the rise of new leaders not just in politics but in all other dimensions of a civilised society." Do the Christians agree? What do young Christian professionals think of the scenario? Many (as many other young Muslims say too) feel that religion has been politicised. In some ways, it has made many turn to the holy scriptures of their religions to find out more about their faiths. Collin Nunis, a Malaysian based in Australia, believes that Malaysians are religious primarily because of their upbringing. "Religion has something to do with our culture and upbringing, irrespective of our ethnic and religious backgrounds. However, we should be quick to distinguish between being religious and actually living by it, as even the most nominal adherent of a given religion can have some strain of religiosity in them." However, with the recent developments taking place in the country (mostly because it involves religion) Nunis noted many people are revisiting religion because they are curious, and are looking for answers. For some, it might be their pathway in life, whereas for some, they are looking for answers to disprove or to prove an argument. "I agree that it has to do with politics, but I don't think that is all. As Greg points out, politics gradually influenced greater religiosity among the Muslims, and to some extent how Islam is practised. In a way, it gives context to Islam in a Malaysian society, but it also an Islam that is confined to how our authorities and perceive it to be, and not as Islam perceives Islam to be." Maturity among ourselves should be the main key here. We should agree to disagree, without having to result to flaming, taunting, and ridiculing. It is ridiculous, to say the least, when politicians, and grassroots Malaysians on both sides of the political divide, get petty when they disagree about something. This does not reflect well on a developing nation. Nunis' sentiments are also shared by other Christians. Politics, a keen desire to embrace one's faith in a material and secular world, and perhaps social media have popularised and created a new breed of believers. The two cynics Meet Desmond Ong and Nik Yahya Nik Mahmud. The former is a devoted atheist ("I'm a humble infidel," he chirped) while the latter is a card-carrying member of PAS. Ong is in his 40s and a corporate high-flier while Nik Yahya is recently retired and spends his time attending all the opposition rallies. When Ong was asked what he thought of the increasing number of Christians and Muslims in the country, he scoffed. "I say it's networking, not faith per se. Have you ever been to one of these Christian meetings? There are a lot of promised rewards which are delivered solely on the power of a wing and a prayer. And all the people are nice and helpful. They're like a social support group. It becomes part of your lifestyle and soon you can't separate yourself from the group or the religion. But here's the clincher — it doesn't hurt, it's not unpleasant and you're not asked to hate anyone or blow them up or get angry over the loss of a piece of dessert you've never seen. It's all fun and games and camaraderie. The religion isn't presented to you in the form of a list of 'thou shall nots' but 'thous shall haves.' From my humble infidel perspective, it's actually quite fun and feels as normal as walking around a shopping mall on a public holiday." Nik Yahya? He snorted. "There is NO rise in faith... just that people are chattering more due to Internet, Facebook/blogs/Twitter etc... that's why it seems so. Even people who don't practise feel that they are experts in religious matters," he wrote in an email. Perhaps they are correct. And perhaps, Malaysians are indeed becoming more religious. |
| Rail dig may have found London’s lost ‘Black Death’ graves Posted: 15 Mar 2013 06:40 PM PDT
Thirteen skeletons laid out in two neat rows were discovered 2.5 metres below the road in the Farringdon area of central London by researchers working on the £16 billion (RM74 billion) Crossrail project. Historical records had indicated the area, described as a "no man's land", had once housed a hastily established cemetery for victims of the bubonic plague which killed about the third of England's population following its outbreak in 1348. "At this early stage, the depth of burials, the pottery found with the skeletons and the way the skeletons have been set out, all point towards this being part of the 14th-century emergency burial ground," said Jay Carver, Crossrail's lead archaeologist. Limited records suggest up to 50,000 victims were buried in less than three years in the Farringdon cemetery as the plague ravaged the capital. The archaeologists hope that the skeletons, which have been taken away for scientific tests, will shed light on the DNA signature of the plague and confirm the burial dates. The cemetery find could be the second significant medieval discovery in England recently, after archaeologists confirmed last month they had discovered the remains of King Richard III, who died in battle in 1485, under a car park in central England. Building works for Crossrail, a new railway link under central London and Europe's largest infrastructure project, have already uncovered skeletons from more than 300 burials at a cemetery near the site of the notorious Bedlam Hospital for the mentally ill in the heart of the city of London. — Reuters |
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The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz
The Malaysian Insider :: Showbiz |
| Rapper Lil Wayne says fine after reported health scare Posted: 15 Mar 2013 06:01 PM PDT UPDATED @ 09:54:27 AM 16-03-2013
"I'm good everybody. Thx for the prayers and love," Wayne said in a Twitter message on his official account. The 30-year-old rapper's spokeswoman Sarah Cunningham said in an email that "Lil Wayne is recovering," but did not specify what he was suffering from. She was responding to a TMZ.com report citing unnamed sources which said Wayne was in critical condition, and near death, at Cedars-Sinai hospital in Los Angeles. Rapper Mack Maine said in a Twitter posting earlier that Wayne was "alive and well. We watching the Syracuse (basketball) game...thanks for the prayers and concern." Maine said fans should not "believe the nonsense about comas and tubes to breathe." TMZ said the rapper was admitted to Cedars-Sinai for seizures and released on Wednesday. But the website said he was readmitted a few hours later after his bodyguard found him unconscious on the floor of his room. It said his mother was flying to Los Angeles yesterday to be at his bedside. Wayne, whose real name is Dwayne Michael Carter Jr., has suffered several unexplained seizures in the past few months, including two in January while on a plane flight. Wayne, a native of New Orleans, began rapping at the age of nine, when he became the youngest artist to be signed by Cash Money record label. The "Got Money" rapper has released nine studio albums over a two decade career and has become one of the biggest names in rap music. — Reuters |
| Bolshoi ballet chief vows to return after acid attack Posted: 15 Mar 2013 04:40 PM PDT
A masked assailant splashed acid in the face of Sergei Filin as he returned home from the Bolshoi on January 17. Police have charged a top dancer at the world-renowned theatre, Pavel Dmitrichenko, along with two alleged accomplices. Wearing dark glasses and a black hat and scarf, Filin appeared at a news conference with his doctor in the west German town of Aachen where he is undergoing treatment to save his eyesight. "I have plenty of strength and I have the confidence and desire to get back what was wrongly taken from me," said Filin. "I will do everything, and the doctors who work with me, they will do everything possible too, so I think together we will get great results," he said, speaking Russian. Filin, 42, described the exercises he did with his doctor, Martin Hermel, and said he felt a "great joy" when he was able to repeat certain movements. "When I can see everything again, I will have no fear and I would like to work again just as I did before. Without fear, without anxiety," he added. Hermel said there had been some improvement in Filin's left eye but that the right eye would probably require further surgery and other treatment. "Overall, we can say that we hope Mr Filin will recover sufficient vision to enable him to go back to his normal life and his professional life," said Hermel, head doctor at Aachen University's eye clinic. Asked about the suspect now in custody in Moscow, Filin said: "This person certainly belongs to that small circle of people whom I had suspected." Filin has previously said he believed he knew who was behind the attack on him. There has been lively debate in Moscow over possible motives for the attack, which police have so far given only as personal hostility based on a conflict at the Bolshoi. Sources close to the Bolshoi and Russia media reports have said Dmitrichenko was angry that his partner, Bolshoi ballerina Anzhelina Vorontsova, had missed out on top roles including the lead in the ballet classic Swan Lake. The acid attack shocked Russians but President Vladimir Putin's spokesman said this week it should not ruin the theatre's reputation. Dmitrichenko, 29, confessed in a police video to organizing the assault but said in court that he did not intend Filin's assailant to use acid. But about 300 performers at the Bolshoi have written a letter urging Putin to order a new inquiry, saying they believe Dmitrichenko confessed due to police pressure. — Reuters |
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The Malaysian Insider :: Books
The Malaysian Insider :: Books |
| Zadie Smith’s ‘The Embassy of Cambodia’ headed for hardback Posted: 16 Mar 2013 07:05 AM PDT Wintour moving up at Conde Nast Japan firm prints needle-eye sized book |
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The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion
The Malaysian Insider :: Opinion |
| Posted: 15 Mar 2013 04:22 PM PDT MARCH 16 — One of the most unique things about Malaysia is our deep respect for our elders. It doesn't matter what your ethnic background is, if you're Malaysian then chances are you just can't help but respect your elders because we're simply brought up that way. And this shows even in the supposedly very young and "rebellious" field of rock 'n' roll. Why do I say this? Because of the word "otai" which is slang for "old timer." Even though it's used to describe old timers in other fields as well, I don't think it's wrong to say that it's the Mat rock clan that made it the ubiquitous word that it has become. Now even though I'm the kind of guy that a lot of people describe as polite (oh how other people's parents love me, haha), which means that I do respect my elders, I've never really bought into this whole otai thing before. I think the fact that I pretty much grew up a punk rocker means that I basically rebelled against liking the music of most of these otais because they play rock kapak (or cock rock aka hair metal as the Westerners put it), which is exactly the kind of music that us simple-minded punk rockers are totally against. Of course, as a primary school kid growing up listening to the radio, there's no way I could escape humming or singing along to classics by bands like Search, Wings, May, Bumiputra Rockers, Gersang and loads more. Those classics are part of my musical fabric whether I like it or not, but it doesn't mean that I'd want to be caught dead in public singing them. Running into some of these otais backstage as I made my way into the rock 'n' roll world with my own band hasn't changed my mind either because for the most part the ones I do encounter don't seem as people-friendly as the punk rock otais (oh yes, we have those here in Malaysia too!) who I grew up admiring. Friendliness is one thing, but the thing that usually proves I'm right is how these otais usually fail to adequately respond to or understand the younger bands who are mostly not playing their favoured rock kapak music. This is where my complaints usually lie, which is their failure to even try to keep up with the current musical times and look at things from the young bands' point of view. Time and again I will read or hear the otais in interviews dismissing younger bands as "syok sendiri." I guess it's just the musical equivalent of having our elders dismiss us as just being plain wrong because we simply haven't lived as long as they have and therefore lack the necessary experience and knowledge to know better. And when we do come across a cool uncle, auntie, grandpa or grandma who strays from this default position, we're usually quite rightly very impressed. Having worked on a reality TV show since last month which involves otai bands sharing their knowledge and experience with new and young bands, I'm really happy to discover that I'm not always right. With three legendary bands in the form of Alleycats, May and Lefthanded providing guidance, sharing their many war stories and most crucially honestly and earnestly trying to "touch up" or improve the young bands' music (without changing their musical identity!), it is really quite heartwarming for a musician like me to witness all that happen before my very eyes. If you're now curious to watch the show, it's called Sentuhan Ikon and it airs every Saturday and Sunday on RTM1 at 3pm, and we're at episodes 4 and 5 this week. Of course, the one-hour runtime and the mainly musical nature of the show will mean that not all of the interactions between the otai bands and the young bands under their wing get shown on TV, but even then I think it's quite clear for all to see how refreshing the empathy and understanding shown by the otai bands and how warm the respect shown by the young bands. What impresses me most is how the otai bands manage to impart very useful musical advice and knowledge even to bands that play music that is totally different from them, even when the young bands' chosen musical genre requires much less virtuoso skill than the otai bands' music. And they do this without appearing condescending for even one tiny second! Although I've always liked the hits by bands like May and Alleycats before this, I think I love them more now that I've seen first-hand how wonderful they are as people. It's usually not nice to be proven wrong, but in this case it just feels sweet to be proven so. As Leonardo DiCaprio's Calvin J. Candie put it in the film Django Unchained — "Gentlemen, you had my curiosity before, but now you have my attention!" * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. | |
| Posted: 15 Mar 2013 04:15 PM PDT
MARCH 16 — Well done Brendon McCullum, you wily old fox. McCullum is captain of the New Zealand cricket team, which is currently playing against England in the second test match of their series in Wellington (the first test was drawn). Before the match got under way, McCullum was falling over himself to eulogise his opposite number, England skipper Alastair Cook, who has been in a rich vein of form with the bat. Lapsing into a severe bout of hyperbole, McCullum stated that Cook is a "genius" whose ability with the bat has only ever been surpassed by the legendary Australian Donald Bradman. Now, I'm a big fan of Cook's and he will almost certainly end up as England's all-time leading run scorer, but rating him as second only to Bradman is pushing it. Even in my lifetime, suggesting that Cook is the equal of Brian Lara, Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar or Sachin Tendulkar would be a rather generous conclusion, especially when you consider Cook's very good but far from exceptional batting average of 49.6. While there's a chance that McCullum meant every word he said in a respectful spirit of sporting chivalry, the more likely scenario is that he was deliberately exaggerating for effect. Perhaps the New Zealanders have been fed-up with hearing about Cook's brilliant form and the skipper decided to employ some heavy irony as a form of mockery — some kind of New Zealand squad in-joke, I wouldn't be surprised. Or maybe he was attempting to lull Cook into a bout of complacency, telling the Englishman what a wonderful player he is so that he'd become over-confident and stop doing the things that made him successful in the first place. Whatever the motivation, we can be pretty confident — because these days sportsmen generally enter into every press conference knowing exactly what they're saying and why — that McCullum had a specific purpose in mind and can therefore be accused of indulging in a spot of what has become known as "mind games": the psychological warfare to and fro that supposedly provides a framework for any sporting encounter and sets the tone for the action that lies ahead. The popular theory is that "mind games" fill an important function as a prelude for the real contest on the field of play, somehow exerting a significant impact upon the outcome of the encounter by insinuating certain ideas into the psyches of the contestants; filling their heads with confidence or fear, anticipation or nerves, vengeance or supplication... to win the real game, apparently you first need to win the mind games. What nonsense. Mind games are played, perhaps, but nowhere near as the media would like us to believe, and it's only very rarely that they can be truly regarded as making a real difference to the sporting action that follows. McCullum, for example, may be feeling quite pleased with himself after snaring England captain Cook for a measly 17 runs immediately after his "genius" comments. But in reality there was, I am convinced, no connection between the "only Bradman is better" speech and Cook's low dismissal; it was just one of those innings that all batsmen (even Bradman) encounter on a reasonably regular basis. In the same way that it would be ridiculous to conclude that Cook only scored 17 because McCullum called him a genius, it's equally off the mark to bestow any real meaning to the words spoken by the media's crowned prince of mind games, Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson. Fergie, we are regularly told by the media, succeeds in undermining the confidence of opposing managers and players by unleashing a cleverly calculated torrent of subtly suggestive statements that somehow strike the mark of a weak spot, time after time. Erm... no he doesn't. Ferguson is a right old moaner, yes (although a lot less now than he used to be), and has a magnificent knack of manipulating the media by whining about referees, for example, to create headlines and deflect attention away from his own team's failings or pressures. But these things only matter to the media and to fans who allow themselves to get carried away by the peripheral chatter; they have no impact whatsoever upon the subsequent action. Liverpool, for example, did not lose the 2008/9 title to United because Ferguson masterfully manipulated Reds boss Rafa Benitez into unleashing his infamous semi-coherent "Facts" tirade; they lost it because they drew too many games against moderate opposition while Fernando Torres was out injured. And similarly, Newcastle did not lose the 1995/6 title to United because Ferguson goaded Kevin Keegan into delivering his even more infamous "I would love it!" rant; they lost it because they were an already unbalanced team who became more unbalanced following the mid-season signing of Faustino Asprilla. On both those occasions, Ferguson's ramblings — albeit great material for the media to write easy stories — had little to do with the successes enjoyed by his team. In the same way, United's late collapse at the end of last season was not due to Fergie suddenly losing his all-powerful mastery of mind games. He didn't and it wasn't. So the next time you read about such-and-such manager "playing mind games" before a big match, take it with a large pinch of salt. They are probably doing nothing more than falling into the media's trap of creating a few easy headlines with some gently provocative comments. It will often be done knowingly to direct the media's agenda in a specific direction (Jose Mourinho is particularly keen on this strategy) but when the proverbial white line is crossed, it will count for next to nothing. And by the way, Brendon McCullum's mind games — if that's what they were — weren't really that successful. Cook might have gone for 17, but England's next two batsmen (Nick Compton and Jonathan Trott) both scored centuries. So perhaps McCullum's comments were aimed at hiding the deficiencies in his own team's bowling department... now that's a bit more like it. * This is the personal opinion of the columnist. |
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The Malaysian Insider :: Bahasa
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| Cecil Abraham draf pengakuan bersumpah kedua ‘PI Bala’, kata Americk Posted: 16 Mar 2013 02:08 AM PDT  Saudara P. Balasubramaniam menjalankan upacara tradisi sebelum pembakaran mayat. — Gambar The Malaysian InsiderKUALA LUMPUR, 16 Mac — Peguam kanan Tan Sri Cecil Abraham yang mendrafkan pengakuan bersumpah (SD) kedua penyiasat persendirian P. Balasubramaniam melibatkan pembunuhan warga Mongolia Altantuya Shaariibuu, kata peguam Americk Singh Sidhu. Americk yang merupakan peguam Balasubramaniam, juga menambah usul SD kedua Balasubramaniam pada mesyuarat agung tahunan (AGM) Majlis Peguam ke-67 hari ini telah digugurkan, memandangkan pencadang berpuas hati dengan langkah diambil Majlis Peguam untuk menangani isu tersebut. "Tan Sri Cecil Abraham mengakui kepada saya bahawa telah mendrafkan pengakuan bersumpah kedua," kata Americk kepada wartawan yang ditemui selepas AGM Majlis Peguam hari ini. "Saya tidak berminat untuk buat aduan dengan lembaga disiplin peguambela dan peguamcara. Itu bukan agenda saya. Agenda saya ialah mencari siapa yang mengarahkan beliau melakukannya," tambah Americk. Balasubramaniam ataupun dikenali "PI Bala" menuduh beberapa personaliti pegawai tertinggi kerajaan yang terlibat dalam pembunuhan Altantunya dalam SD pertamanya pada tahun 2008, dua tahun selepas pembunuhan kejam. MENYUSUL LAGI |
| Ringgit diunjur alami dagangan dalam jajaran kecil minggu depan Posted: 16 Mar 2013 12:20 AM PDT KUALA LUMPUR, 16 Mac — Ringgit diunjur menyaksikan dagangan dalam jajaran kecil minggu depan setelah sentimen berkemungkinan dipengaruhi oleh pilihan raya umum ke-13 yang akan datang, kata para peniaga. Seorang peniaga berkata ringgit juga mungkin terjejas dengan sikap tunggu dan lihat pedagang dan kegiatan pengambilan untung. Beliau berkata kegiatan pengambilan untung yang sederhana bagaimanapun dijangka menyediakan sokongan kepada mata wang tempatan. Berdasarkan kepada trend sejarah, sebarang penurunan dan kelemahan berminggu-minggu sebelum pilihan raya umum akan menyediakan peluang belian yang baik, katanya. Sementara itu, beliau berkata peningkatan keyakinan terhadap ekonomi Amerika Syarikat diunjur meningkatkan minat risiko tetapi pada masa yang sama memberi tekanan kepada ringgit. Bagi minggu yang baru berakhir, ringgit didagangkan dalam jajaran kecil berbanding dolar AS setelah keyakinan bertambah terhadap ekonomi terbesar dunia itu membantu menaikkan minat risiko tetapi kenaikan berterusan dihadkan oleh kegiatan pengambilan untung. Bagi asas Jumaat ke Jumaat, ringgit lebih rendah berbanding dolar AS pada 3.1225/1245 daripada 3.1045/1065. Ia naik berbanding dolar Singapura kepada 2.4892/5002 daripada 2.4924/4942 tetapi turun berbanding yen pada 3.2519/2550 daripada 3.2508/2546. Unit tempatan susut berbanding pound British kepada 4.7212/7255 daripada 4.6568/6604 dan lebih rendah berbanding euro pada 4.0642/0674 daripada 4.0632/0664. — Bernama |
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