KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — They learnt to make butter and pasta, clarify a consommé, shape semolina dumplings, and ice a strawberry mille-feuille. All 17 of them.The children — little chefs — were bewitched ... Read More
KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — This definitely has to be one of my favourite desserts. Panna Cotta, a popular Italian dessert with an Asian twist — green tea!In its simplest form, panna cotta is made by simmering ... Read More
GEORGE TOWN, May 14 — Despite the fact that Eurasians have been in Penang since the late 1700s when Europeans who came to trade married locals and settled down, very little of the cuisine can actually be ... Read More
LONDON, May 17 — David Beckham would not rank among the top 1,000 players of the last 40 years, former England winger Chris Waddle said today in comments at odds with glowing tributes to the retiring midfielder.
Los Angeles Galaxy's David Beckham arrives at a news conference in Sydney in this November 25, 2007 file photo. — Reuters picBeckham, 38, announced on Thursday that he was retiring at the end of the season after winning trophies and titles in four countries and earning 115 caps for England - a record for an outfield player.
In a glittering career, the former England captain has become one of the world's best known and wealthiest footballers with a celebrity lifestyle and fame as a style and fashion superstar.
"I would say he has been a good player, I wouldn't put him down as a great," Waddle, 52, told BBC radio.
"You can go down a list of players from the Premier League or the 70s or 80s. I'll be honest, Beckham probably wouldn't be in the first 1,000.
"I think there has been a lot more talented players in the world. But he made the most of what he has got."
Waddle won 62 England caps in a career playing for Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, Sheffield Wednesday and Olympique Marseille in France.
He and Beckham did not overlap in the England team, with Waddle's last cap coming in 1991 and the then-Manchester United player making his senior international debut in 1996.
The two men do share one England claim to fame, having both blazed a penalty over the bar in a major tournament shoot-out defeat.
Waddle's ballooned effort came in the 1990 World Cup semi-final against Germany while Beckham sent his almost as high against Portugal in the Euro 2004 quarter-finals.
English newspapers went to town on Beckham's impending retirement, with the best selling Sun tabloid putting him on today's front page as well as pages four, five, six, seven and most of the sports section.
They also included a 12-page pullout celebrating his career.
"End it like Beckham," was a widespread headline, alluding to a popular 2002 film 'Bend it Like Beckham' starring a young Keira Knightley.
"He has got a terrific image and used it very well. He never had a trick, wasn't particularly quick, but he was very good at set-pieces and deliveries, he made chances and made goals and was fantastic for clubs," said Waddle.
"He said the right things, he sold shirts, he put money in the tills wherever he went and conducted himself well." — Reuters
England's Jonny Bairstow hits out during the first test cricket match against New Zealand at Lord's cricket ground in London May 17, 2013. — Reuters picLONDON, May 17 — England lost four wickets in 17 balls to crumble to 209 for eight at lunch on the second day of the first test against New Zealand at Lord's today.
After Joe Root and Jonny Bairstow had survived the first hour and the second new ball, Root, Matt Prior, Stuart Broad and Graeme Swann fell in quick succession to put New Zealand in control of the match.
Bairstow watched the carnage from the other end under the floodlights at the home of cricket and he reached the interval unbeaten on 29 with Steven Finn on two.
Root top"scored with 40 before flicking Tim Southee through to wicketkeeper BJ Watling and Prior was trapped lbw first ball by Southee.
Broad fell lbw to Neil Wagner for nought and Swann, on five, edged Wagner to Watling.
It was a dramatic collapse by England who had continued to bat with grim determination on the second morning after crawling to 160 for four on the opening day.
Bairstow edged left"armer Trent Boult just short of third slip and survived a confident shout for lbw in the same over but he and his Yorkshire team mate Root looked generally comfortable.
Runs were still hard to come by, however, and apart from two straight drives to the boundary by Bairstow and a clip through mid"wicket by Root the England batsmen were prepared to deal in singles and twos.
Root became the first England batsman to reach 40 but his 114"ball innings ended when he edged a ball from Southee going down leg"side through to Watling.
Prior, whose battling century secured a series draw for England on the final day of the recent third test against New Zealand in Auckland, was deceived by Southee's line and although Broad survived the hat"trick ball he was beaten by a full"length delivery in Wagner's next over.
Swann drove loosely at Wagner to give Watling an easy catch, leaving England, the world's second"ranked team, in deep trouble against a side six places below them in the rankings.
Wagner was the most successful New Zealand bowler with figures of three for 70 from 28 overs. — Reuters
A general view of the interior of the former Soviet Army nuclear weapons depot near the village of Misov, 90km (56 miles) southwest from Prague, May 16, 2013. — Reuters pic MISOV (Czech Republic), May 17 — A former secret Soviet nuclear warhead shelter in the Czech Republic is being turned into a museum inviting visitors to learn about the Cold War atomic race.
The mighty underground cement bunker was ordered by the Soviet leadership under Nikita Khrushchev, and built in the mid to late 1960s in a forest near the village of Misov southwest of Prague, 60km (37.5 miles) from the west German border.
It was one of three such places in the former Czechoslovakia, and a dozen across Soviet Warsaw Pact allies, but the only one believed still to be intact.
"This was the most secret place in Czechoslovakia. No Czechs had access there," said Vaclav Vitovec, head of the Iron Curtain Foundation that is preparing to open the site in August.
Inside the bunker, buried under a forest and protected by machine-gun posts, there are thick concrete walls, two pairs of heavy iron gates and four chambers for storing up to 80 nuclear warheads that could be mounted on missiles. A twin bunker sits some 100 metres away.
A succession of smaller rooms hosts the remains of equipment, from loading cranes to helium and vacuum pumps used to maintain the warheads, a diesel engine, gas masks, air filters and various tools.
All of this will be on display along with pictures and texts on the arms race between the United States and the Soviet Union.
Historians say the site was so secret that it is not even known whether nuclear warheads were actually ever placed there.
"The is no information anyone from the Czechoslovak side was ever there. And the Soviet side is silent. We do not have information that would confirm it," said Prokop Tomek, a historian at the Military History Institute. "(But) it was without doubt built for this purpose."
Short- to medium-range missiles that could carry nuclear warheads were deployed in Czechoslovakia and some even provided to the Czechoslovak army.
The warheads could be mounted on the rockets and fired within two hours to clear the path for the Czechoslovak army marching to Germany, as set in Cold War plans.
The Iron Curtain Foundation leaders citing former Czechoslovak and Soviet generals, are convinced the depots were used. They say tools and equipment found on the site also indicate the facility was in operation. A 170-strong Soviet unit under direct command from Moscow was deployed there permanently.
Soviet forces that invaded Czechoslovakia in 1968 pulled out after the fall of Communism in 1990-1991, including special units deployed at the three nuclear depots.
Since then, the Misov bunker was used for storing tonnes of Czechoslovak banknotes which were pulled out of circulation when the country broke up in 1992, and as a storage place for the remains of 4,000 World War II German soldiers. — Reuters
Listening to a happy song can help boost your mood. - AFP pic
JEFFERSON CITY, May 17 — Music can affect how you feel, and now a new study finds that listening to a happy song to boost your mood can help you do just that.
Researchers from the University of Missouri in the US enlisted 173 participants in a music listening experiment. Over the course of two weeks, two groups were asked to improve their moods by listening to the upbeat tune "Rodeo" by Aaron Copland or, alternatively, Igor Stravinsky's somber classic "The Rite of Spring."
Two other groups listened to one of the two songs, but without being told to try to boost their mood. Interestingly, only the Copland group reported an improved mood, meaning only those actively seeking happiness through the music enjoyed the benefits.
In a second experiment, participants reported higher levels of happiness after two weeks of lab sessions in which they listened to upbeat music while trying to feel happier, compared to control participants who only listened to music.
"Our work provides support for what many people already do—listen to music to improve their moods," said lead author Yuna Ferguson.
"Although pursuing personal happiness may be thought of as a self-centered venture, research suggests that happiness relates to a higher probability of socially beneficial behavior, better physical health, higher income and greater relationship satisfaction."
However Ferguson warns to be cautious about getting too introspective and constantly wondering, "Am I happy yet?"
"Rather than focusing on how much happiness they've gained and engaging in that kind of mental calculation, people could focus more on enjoying their experience of the journey towards happiness and not get hung up on the destination," said Ferguson.
Findings, announced May 14, appear in the Journal of Positive Psychology.
Prior research has found that from almost the moment we are born, our feelings are influenced by the music we hear.
A 2008 study found that five-month-old babies reacted to happy songs and by nine months they recognised and were affected by sad songs. That study was published in the journal Infant Behavior and Development. - AFP-Relaxnews
STOCKHOLM, May 17 — Bare-chested Irish drummers, a Ukrainian giant and a much-discussed lesbian kiss will be on display at this Saturday's Eurovision final in Sweden which — love it or hate it — promises plenty of pop, kitsch and barefoot ballads.
Finnish singer Krista Siegfrids (2dR) performs while wearing a wedding dress during a dress rehearsal for the second semifinal on May 15, 2013 at the Malmo Opera Hall in Malmo prior to the Eurovision song contest. — AFP picSome 26 countries will compete for the jewel in the crown of European pop in the homeland of former Swedish supergroup ABBA, one of Eurovision's most successful winners.
Denmark's 20-year-old Emmelie De Forest looks set to steal the show with bookmakers putting her as a clear favourite, trailed by Norway, Ukraine, Russia and Azerbaijan.
Her song - "Only Teardrops" - could keep the show in the Nordics for a second year running, moving it just across a bridge that separates Sweden and Denmark after Loreen won last year's contest for Sweden with dance track "Euphoria".
"It's just quite a catchy song - it's sort of true Eurovision," said Jessica Bridge, a spokeswoman for bookmaker Ladbrokes, of Denmark's entry. "It's euro-pop, and I think it's just struck a chord with people really. I think that's the one."
Ladbrokes has Denmark on 4/6 odds, making the barefoot blonde who performs against a flaming backdrop one of the strongest contenders ever to go into a Eurovision final.
Highlights will undoubtedly include a 2.4 metre (7 feet 8 inches) tall Ukrainian who carries singer Zlata Ognevich onto the stage, representing her inner strength, and Eurovision's first lesbian kiss featured in Finland's "Marry Me", which has drawn media controversy.
Eurovision was started in the 1950s with the aim of uniting Europe after World War II. Today, it has an audience of 125 million — more than the Super Bowl in the United States — and has served as a launching pad for the likes of ABBA, Julio Iglesias and Celine Dion.
And despite an ever-increasing number of TV music contests ranging from Pop Idol to the Voice, fans say the nearly six-decade-old show stands in a category of its own.
"It is special — it's such great variation from all these different cultures," Thomas G:son, who co-wrote last year's winning song and has penned tunes for the Jonas Brothers, told Reuters.
"You can think: What is he wearing? What is she singing? This is crazy! That's what makes it interesting and fun. There is such great variation."
G:son has written the song for Georgia this year, which made it through to the final, but says his other favourite is Dutch contender Anouk, a singer-songwriter who will be belting out her dark and edgy ballad "Birds".
ABBA NOSTALGIA
To promote talent over politically and geographically motivated block voting, professional judges now account for 50 per cent of a performer's score. The other half comes from telephone and SMS votes received for each contestant, with fans unable to vote for their own country's entry.
After two semi-finals held this week, 20 countries moved to Saturday's final while Britain, Italy, Spain, France and Germany got free passes as they are the biggest contributors to Europe's broadcasting union. Host Sweden also automatically qualified.
Britain, which has not won since 1997 and finished second from last in 2012 with septuagenarian crooner Engelbert Humperdinck, looks unlikely to buck its losing streak this year.
Ladbrokes says Britain's entry, Bonnie Tyler - famed for "Total Eclipse of the Heart" in the 1980s - is entering the contest with the weakest odds of any British contender in a decade.
Sweden meanwhile is revelling in the moment.
ABBA the Museum, showcasing the musical history of Sweden's most famous Eurovision winner, opened its doors in Stockholm just this month, welcoming tourists on a pop nostalgia trip.
Mattias Hansson, the head of the museum, said the response has been overwhelming, boosted no doubt by Eurovision hype.
Hansson recalls when ABBA won Eurovision in 1974 with "Waterloo".
"I was five years old. I remember the star-shaped guitar that Bjorn played — that was the coolest thing I'd ever seen," he said of Bjorn Ulvaeus, a former ABBA member.
But asked about prospects for an ABBA a reunion tomorrow, Hansson broke into a roaring laugh.
"I have been sitting beside Bjorn 100 times during our launch, and I have seen him say "no" so many times that I am actually starting to believe him," he said. "I guess that's good for the museum, because it keeps the mystery alive." — Reuters
LOS ANGELES, May 17 — The doors of Dunder Mifflin's Scranton branch closed for the last time yesterday as NBC's "The Office" wrapped up after a nine-season run with a nostalgic finale featuring a long-awaited wedding and the return of the show's biggest star, Steve Carell.
Actor Steve Carell. — AFP picEmmy-winning mockumentary "The Office," adapted from Ricky Gervais' British series of the same name, saw a documentary crew filming the daily lives of employees at the Dunder Mifflin paper company, led for several years by hapless boss Michael Scott, played by Carell.
Yesterday's 75-minute finale, set six months after the fictional documentary was released, the colleagues all reunite for the marriage of Machiavellian office manager Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson), and accountant Angela Martin (Angela Kingsley).
Carell entered the episode as a surprise guest at the wedding, uttering one of Michael Scott's best-known phrases - "That's what she said."
Later as he considered the romances that had formed at the workplace, Carell's character told the camera, "It's like all my children grew up and they married each other."
Over nine seasons, audiences have been treated to numerous office fights, friendships and romances on the NBC sitcom. One of the most compelling storylines was the growing romance of Jim and Pam, played by John Krasinski and Jenna Fischer, as audiences watched them transition from friendship to marriage and parenthood.
For fans of the show, the season finale saw most of the long-standing cast members get their happy ending.
Stanley finally retires, Erin finds her birth parents, Andy capitalizes on becoming an unwilling viral video star, Kelly and Ryan run off into the sunset (albeit abandoning a baby in the process) and Jim and Pam decide to move to Austin, Texas.
The final scenes featured a montage of key moments, including Jim and Pam's romance and the numerous friendships that developed over the years.
"I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you've actually left them," Andy Bernard, played by Ed Helms, said wistfully.
The cast also reflected on the documentary that captured nine years of their lives at the company, which Jim described as "this stupid, wonderful, boring, amazing job.""Imagine going back and watching a tape of your life. You can see yourself change ... watch yourself fall in love, become a husband, a father. You guys gave that to me," Jim said to the cameras.
LAUNCHING STARS, FALLING AUDIENCES
"The Office," which first aired in 2005, began with a relatively unknown cast, led by Carell, whose breakout film "The 40-Year-Old Virgin" came out the same year.
The show made stars of many of its cast members, leading to high-profile movie roles, and its producers said last year that the outside success of "The Office" actors played a role in the decision to wind it down.
Carell left the show in season seven to focus on his rising film career, which has included roles in "Crazy, Stupid, Love" and "The Incredible Burt Wonderstone."
Helms also made the move to the big screen with roles in "The Hangover" franchise, and Krasinski starred in the recent film "The Promised Land" with Matt Damon.
Mindy Kaling, who plays office mean girl Kelly Kapoor, landed her own Fox sitcom "The Mindy Project," while Craig Robinson, who plays warehouse manager Darryl, scored film roles in "Pineapple Express" and upcoming "This Is the End."
After Carell's exit in 2011, audiences began to turn away from "The Office" and viewership fell to about 4 million last year per episode from a high of about 8 million in 2008.
The show's culmination comes on the heels of another NBC comedy, "30 Rock," bowing out after seven seasons in February.
Prior to the finale, an hourlong retrospective of the show featured cast members and producers talking about the impact of "The Office" on their careers and why fans were drawn to it.
"This is a perfect time for the show to come to a close," Wilson said. "There's a finality to it and a sadness to it."
Wilson had sought to create a spin-off show led by his character Dwight, but it was not picked up for broadcast.
The unlikely star of the show has been the city of Scranton, Pennsylvania, which prior to the show was known for coal mining but not anymore.
As the series drew to a close, tens of thousands of people gathered in Scranton earlier this month to give a rousing send-off to the sitcom that changed the image of the city forever.
"Thank you, Scranton," Carell told the crowd. "This all is because of you."
KUALA LUMPUR, May 13 — Childhood stories. Most people wrote theirs; fewer have drawn theirs. But one thousand words is not easy to write, and a picture does not have to be too detailed to tell a good ... Read More
Datuk Paul Low Seng Kuan, Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri. — Gambar oleh Choo Choo MayKUALA LUMPUR, 17 Mei — Datuk Paul Low hari ini berkata beliau berharap untuk bergantung kepada kedudukan yang diberikan Perdana Menteri untuk membolehkan beliau melawan rasuah, mengakui tidak mempunyai kuasa penguatkuasaan.
Low yang baru dilantik sebagai Menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri, yang pernah menerajui kumpulan pemerhati rasuah Transparency-International Malaysia (TI-M), berkata tugasnya hanya untuk mengemukakan cadangan mengenai perubahan kepada sistem kerajaan, prosedur dan proses untuk mengurangkan peluang bagi rasuah, serta untuk mengukuhkan integriti dan amalan tadbir urus yang baik.
"Jika saya itik tempang, alternatif lain akan menjadi itik tempang. Apa yang anda lakukan? Tidak perlu cuba?" kata Low dalam satu temu bual dengan The Malaysian Insider hari ini.
"Ia sangat mudah untuk menjadi kritikal ... apakah alternatif yang lain? Suarakan dari luar? Dari TI, menjadi pengkritik semata-mata? Saya tidak boleh melakukannya sendirian ... Saya seorang menteri di Jabatan Perdana Menteri. Itu memberikan saya keupayaan,"katanya.
Setiausaha Publisiti DAP Tony Pua semalam berkata Low akan diadili berdasarkan pencapaian beliau dalam memerangi rasuah, menyatakan beliau akan menjadi "menteri itik tempang" jika Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Najib Razak tidak melaksanakan reformasinya dengan ketara.
Pua menegaskan bahawa Low akan diteliti berdasarkan keupayaannya untuk memastikan Suruhanjaya Pencegahan Rasuah Malaysia (SPRM) akan terus menyiasat Ketua Menteri Sarawak Tan Sri Abdul Taib Mahmud walaupun keengganan beliau untuk bekerjasama dengan badan anti-rasuah itu, memastikan ketelusan dalam kontrak kerajaan, dan untuk memastikan menteri-menteri dan timbalan menteri secara terbuka mengisytiharkan aset mereka.
Low menegaskan hari ini SPRM adalah bebas kerana ia melaporkan kepada jawatankuasa pilihan parlimen, dan bukan kepada Jabatan Perdana Menteri.
"Saya fikir mereka bebas kerana mereka dikawal oleh panel kajian. Mereka hanya perlu menjunjung kedaulatan undang-undang;.. Tiada siapa yang mendapat sewenang-wenangnya. Sekiranya undang-undang tidak cukup yang mencukupi bagi mereka untuk membuat tangkapan, maka pinda undang-undang ," katanya yang berusia 67 tahun itu.
Beliau menambah SPRM tidak perlu "kebenaran" Taib untuk menyiasat beliau mengenai tawaran tanah di Sarawak didedahkan oleh kumpulan alam sekitar antarabangsa Global Witness Mac lalu.
"Mereka boleh pergi ke pejabat siapa sahaja yang terlibat dan meminta fail atau dokumen, dengan atau tanpa kebenaran orang itu," kata Low.
Beliau juga berkata siasatan perlu dimulakan jika menteri didapati hidup di luar kemampuan mereka, tetapi menyatakan ia adalah memadai untuk menteri mengisytiharkan harta mereka kepada Perdana Menteri dan kepada SPRM.
"Jika anda memberitahu orang ramai anak anda mempunyai harta bernilai RM20 juta, ia mendedahkannya kepada risiko keselamatan, ia tidak adil," kata Low.
Low menambah beliau akan mengetuai biro aduan awam dalam pelbagai rungutan, selain rasuah, yang akan disalurkan kepada agensi-agensi yang betul dan, jika perlu, kepada Perdana Menteri.
"Hanya melaluinya, kita mempunyai kuasa dari segi peruntukan sumber dan untuk melibatkan kementerian lain untuk mendapatkan tadbir urus yang lebih baik," kata Low, merujuk kepada Najib.
"Mesti ada kemahuan politik yang kuat. Jika tidak, orang tidak melihat anda melaksanakan apa yang dijanjikan atau 'double standard'. Kerajaan akan kehilangan kredibiliti lebih jauh lagi," katanya.
Beliau juga menegaskan semua kontrak perolehan kerajaan umumnya harus diberi melalui tender terbuka, kecuali jika ada sebab-sebab tertentu untuk memberikannya melalui perundingan tertutup.
"Ini adalah keputusan yang paling sukar saya buat," kata Low.
"Ia adalah suatu kawasan, terus-terang, kejayaan saya bukan sahaja bergantung kepada saya sendiri, tetapi orang yang bekerja dengan saya dan orang yang saya perlukan untuk menyokong saya dari segi sumber, dan yang bekerja bersama-sama untuk menyediakan kepakaran yang diperlukan dan kehendak politik," katanya.
Kedudukan Indeks Persepsi Rasuah Malaysia (CPI) menurun untuk beberapa tahun kebelakangan ini, walaupun Malaysia bertambah baik pada tahun 2012 untuk menjadi negara ke-54, di dunia, indeks antarabangsa masih meletakkan Malaysia di bawah negara-negara Afrika seperti Rwanda (50) dan Botswana (30 ).
Tetapi Low menyatakan harapan agensi-agensi kerajaan tidak lama lagi akan menerima hakikat mereka tidak dapat "terus dengan cara lama".
"Kita perlu meyakinkan mereka bahawa jika ia adalah dasar umum, mereka harus mengikuti .... Rakyat mahu kerajaan yang bersih," kata Low, yang pernah berkhidmat dengan pelbagai agensi kerajaan seperti Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi Negara dan Lembaga Kemajuan Perindustrian Malaysia.
Akhbar The Straits Times Singapura melaporkan Low hari ini sebagai berkata: "Saya mengubah budaya dan yang tidak boleh dilakukan dalam sekelip mata."
PUTRAJAYA, 17 Mei — Mahkamah Rayuan di sini hari ini menolak rayuan anggota Dewan Undangan Sri Muda Mat Shuhaimi Shafiei untuk mengetepikan tuduhan menghasut yang dikenakan terhadapnya.
Mat Shuhaimi mengemukakan permohonan itu dengan mempertikai kesahan daripada segi Perlembagaan Seksyen 4(1)(c) Akta Hasutan 1948, yang digunakan dalam pertuduhan terhadapnya.
Dalam keputusan sebulat suaranya, panel tiga anggota yang diketuai HakimDatuk Abdul Malik Ishak, menyatakan seksyen itu sah di sisi perlembagaan kerana ia digubal oleh Parlimen.
"Seksyen ini kekal sebagai undang-undang yang sah hingga hari ini," kata Abdul Malik yang bersidang bersama Hakim Datuk Azhar Mohamed dan Hakim Datuk Mohd Zawawi Salleh.
Abdul Malik memerintahkan Mat Suhaimi, 45, menghadirkan diri di Mahkamah Sesyen Shah Alam pada 5 Jun, yang ditetapkan sebagai tarikh sebutan kesnya.
Bagaimanapun, panel itu membenarkan Mat Shuhaimi menangguhkan perbicaraan di Mahkamah Sesyen sementara menunggu keputusan rayuannya terhadap keputusan mahkamah hari ini.
Abdul Malik meluluskan permohonan penangguhan itu, yang dikemukakan MatShuhaimi melalui peguamnya Edmund Bon dan tidak dibantah timbalan pendakwa raya Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud.
Adun daripada Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) itu dikenakan pertuduhan berkenaan pada 2011 kerana menyiarkan tulisan bersifat menghasut dalam blognya srimuda.blogspot.com berhubung pelantikan Datuk Mohd Khusrin Munawi sebagai setiausaha kerajaan negeri Selangor yang baharu.
Beliau dituduh melakukan kesalahan itu di Pusat Khidmat Rakyat, Jalan Anggerik Vanilla, Kota Kemuning, Shah Alam pada 30 Dis 2010.
Mat Suhaimi boleh dihukum penjara hingga tiga tahun atau denda hingga RM5,000 jika sabit kesalahan.
Pada 1 April 2011, beliau memfail notis usul di Mahkamah Tinggi Shah Alam untuk memohon mengetepikan tuduhan menghasut itu dengan memberi alasan Akta
Hasutan yang digunakan dalam pertuduhan terhadapnya, tidak sah di sisi undang-undang kerana ia bercanggah dengan Perkara 10 Perlembagaan Persekutuan, yang menjamin hak kebebasan bersuara.
Pada 26 Ogos 2011, Mahkamah Tinggi Shah Alam menolak permohonan Mat Shuhaimi untuk mengetepikan tuduhan berkenaan.
Susulan itu, beliau mengemukakan rayuan kepada Mahkamah Rayuan. — Bernama
Zan Azlee is a documentary filmmaker, journalist, writer, New Media practitioner and lecturer. He runs Fat Bidin Media www.fatbidin.com
MAY 17 — Yesterday, I got back from a working trip to Jakarta and in the taxi from KLIA, the driver started chatting with me about the recent general election.
And just for context, the driver is Malay and looked to be middle-aged. I'm guessing around 50 years of age.
At one point, he said to me: "Tengok Kabinet baru yang Perdana Menteri sudah lantik. Langsung tidak ada wakil orang Cina. Biar padan muka mereka. Cina sekarang dah banyak songeh!"
At first, I wanted to blurt out and say that he needs to be certain who he's talking to. I may look Malay, and I may sound Malay, but I am in fact Chinese (part of me, that is!).
Then I would have continued to condemn him and his racist ways and, hopefully put him in his place and educate him a little about the ways of harmonious living.
But I immediately caught myself before I did anything drastic. And I think it paid off quite well judging from the taxi driver's reaction.
What I did was to just keep quiet and pretend like I didn't hear what he said. And after rambling on for a bit about "Ketuanan Melayu", he stopped talking about it.
From what I could gather from his facial expression and tone of voice after that, he must have realised what he was saying was offensive.
It really looked to me like he seemed to regret saying what he did and I was the wrong person to say it to.
It might be too simplistic to say this, but I believe that this could be the strategy to move ahead and get rid of racism in Malaysia and Malaysian politics.
I feel that political analysts and observers need to stop commenting on how the election and the new Cabinet will affect the different racial and ethnic groups.
The politicians and Cabinet ministers should stop talking about how the election and the new Cabinet will affect the different racial and ethnic groups.
And, most important of all, the media should take a stand and stop giving prominence and attention to those who focus on such issues.
It makes no sense and is counter-productive to talk about how much a certain race or ethnic group needs representation in a government.
This is because it doesn't matter who the elected candidates and Cabinet ministers are and what race they are, as they are not supposed to take care of their own race only.
Yes, there may be constituencies around the country that consists of different majorities of racial and ethnic groups.
Some places are predominantly Malay or Chinese or Indians or Ibans or Dayaks or Bidayuh or Sungai or whatever the heck they may be.
But show me one elected candidate who was voted in by 100 per cent of only one race, and I will eat my shoe "live" on television and webcast for all to see.
And not only must an elected candidate serve everyone of every race and ethnicity, but he or she must also serve those who did not vote for him or her.
One thing is for sure. An elected leader does not have the right to demand that those who did not vote for him or her to leave the country and emigrate.
The people are the ones who have the right to demand that an elected leader leave his or her position if he or she does not fit the criteria that they are looking for.
Andy West is a sports writer originally from the UK and now living in Barcelona. He has worked in professional football since 1998 and specialises in the Spanish Primera Division and the English Premier League. Follow him on Twitter at @andywest01.
MAY 17 — With the majority of Europe's football silverware already dished out, one of the remaining major domestic trophies will be up for grabs tonight when Real Madrid and Atletico Madrid go head to head in Spain's Copa del Rey final (3.30am kick off Saturday morning, Malaysian time).
Real are the big favourites. Not only do they possess the most expensively assembled squad in the history of football (Atletico manager Diego Simeone joked that the difference between the sides is "about €400 million"), they also boast a remarkable record of recent supremacy over their near-neighbours.
You have to go back all the way to 1999 to find the last time Atletico triumphed in a Madrid derby. Since then 25 games have been played without the Rojiblancos (red and whites) savouring victory, and Real have won each of their last 10 encounters.
Tonight's final should be closer than that record suggests, though. Atletico have improved mightily in the last couple of years under the astute management of former Argentina international Simeone, and they are now far too good a team for their barren run to continue indefinitely.
Although Spanish cup finals are usually held at a neutral venue, tonight's game will be played at Real's home stadium, the Bernabeu, after both clubs agreed it would give the highest possible number of fans the chance to attend.
Playing "at home" might not be such an advantage for Real as you would initially imagine. More than 30,000 Atletico fans will be in attendance and they are among the noisiest in Spain, so being placed in an unusually hostile environment in their own stadium could well be an unnerving experience for Real's players.
Aside from the venue, the most obvious key factor is the battle for supremacy between the two teams' leading scorers, Real's Cristiano Ronaldo and Atletico's Radamel Falcao.
If the latest newspaper rumours are to be believed, there's a reasonable chance that both players will be plying their trade in France next season, with Paris St Germain believed to be preparing a €100 million (RM400 million) offer for Ronaldo and Falcao apparently on the verge of joining newly-promoted Monaco for €60 million.
They are eye-watering figures, but the attraction of both players is easy to understand when you take into account their goalscoring exploits.
Ronaldo, of course, needs no introduction. He is a phenomenal player and his form in the last few months has been as good as ever. CR7 has scored 15 goals in his last 14 games, with three hat-tricks and an additional seven two-goal hauls in 2013 alone, and he is more than capable of winning tonight's final single-handedly.
Colombian international Falcao may not be quite as well known on the global stage, but he's also a fabulous striker. Hard-working, powerful, excellent in the air and a good finisher with both feet, he's probably the best traditional "number nine" in the world right now.
Falcao also boasts a remarkable record of success in cup finals: as well as registering a hat-trick in August's Super Cup thrashing of Chelsea, he also bagged a brace in last season's Europa League final victory against Athletic Bilbao, and scored the only goal for Porto in their triumph in the same competition against Braga two years ago.
So Falcao is clearly the man for the big occasion, and he'll be going up against a makeshift Real defence tonight. Raphael Varane is definitely out through injury, Sergio Ramos and Alvaro Arbeloa are doubtful and Pepe has been cast aside after publicly criticising manager Jose Mourinho for showing a "lack of respect" to out-of-favour goalkeeper Iker Casillas.
Ah yes... Jose Mourinho. I've done pretty well to write nearly 600 words about Real Madrid without mentioning their combustible manager, because this season's story at the Bernabeu has been all about Mourinho.
The Portuguese boss is nearing the end of his reign in Spain, with a return to Chelsea moving closer every day after a turbulent year in Madrid. That's nothing new: Mourinho thrives on conflict and appears to motivate himself by cultivating an atmosphere of aggression. In the past referees, the media, league officials, opposition managers, opposition players, UEFA, Unicef and, above all, Barcelona have all been the targets of his ire.
But this season has been different in one respect: Mourinho has fallen out with people inside his own club. Casillas, Pepe, Ramos, Ronaldo, Angel Di Maria, Karim Benzema, Mesut Ozil... they have all been on the receiving end of a rollicking from their manager over the last 12 months.
And that's not all, with members of his own coaching staff and Madrid fans also getting the sharp end of his caustic tongue — not to mention his hate-hate relationship with the Spanish media.
In fact, having alienated practically everyone around him, the only person left for Mourinho to fall out with is himself. If his team loses tonight, there will be nobody new to blame it on... although dear old Jose will probably find someone.
The most likely scenario is that Mourinho's side will secure the cup, allowing their embattled manager to finish his Madrid reign on a high and providing the amusing spectacle of captain Casillas and manager Mourinho — the bitterest of enemies — being forced to celebrate their team's triumph together.
But Atletico have a chance, and not just because of Falcao. Arda Turan is a wonderfully midfield creator, full back Filipe Luis provides class down the left wing, Miranda and Diego Godin are powerful presences in the centre of defence, and Thibaut Courtois is rapidly developing into one of the world's best goalkeepers.
It's not for nothing that Atletico possess the best defensive record in La Liga and, if they can keep Ronaldo quiet, their time for domestic glory may finally arrive tonight.
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